morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-09-08
To: Pleasant Pond Mountain
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: few clouds

West Carry Pond is beautiful in the morning. I love the mist above the water.Some of the log-plank walkways over the swampy areas are flooded and wobbly and remind us of a fun house. Otherwise the trail is easy and flat. We're flying. East Carry Pond has a beautiful sandy beach. I can't resist and go for a short dip.The trail goes around the lake it's very cool. After second breakfast we continue on to Pierce Pond Lean-to. It's only 11:15am and we've already done 10 miles and had a food break! I really do like flat! We decide that we should go for a swim in the lake. The 'ferry' over the Kennebec River is on break from 11:00 til 2:00 and we have only 3.6 miles left. Pierce Pond offers great swimming and I get to see another moose. Today rocks!We cross Pierce Pond on a rocky dam. Pirate thinks about trying some log rolling but thankfully changes his mind. The 3.6 miles to the river are a little less smooth but still fairly flat. We walk along cascading Pierce Pond stream most of the distance. Very pleasant.The Kennebec is beautiful so we don't mind waiting a half hour for the ferry service to resume. Long-time ferry man Steve Longley isn't there but he has recruited some rafting guides to row us across. Pirate also takes a paddle at hand and I just enjoy the fact that I don't have to get my feet wet. Of course I do get a foot wet. I manage to slip of a rock, duh! With a wet foot and a dry foot I continue on. The book says our resupply store is 1 mile over the road or 1.5 north on the trail and .3 on a blue blaze. Pirate does some adding and concludes that road walk plus blue blaze would be shorter than trail and blue blaze. Well, there you go! When we get to the store however it's closed. While we are trying to figure out where to hitch out to a thru hiker from 1977 advises us to call Steve's girlfriend. We do and she kindly opens up the store for us. This helps us out so much! We get enough food to get us to Monson and some extra stuff for lunch. I also manage to contact Bandicoot who I hiked with last year. I'm very happy to hear that he'll be able to pick us up in Baxter on the 18th. No more worries about that.Then it's time to find the blue blaze. That's not as easy as it sounds. We finally follow a dirt road up the hill and then a steep trail up to the AT. I'm not sure if this is the official blue blaze but I'm glad I didn't have to gain that elevation twice.The walk along Holly Brook is nice and when we get to Pleasant Pond we decide that we have enough energy left over to attack Pleasant Mountain. The trail is rather steep and rocky but we get to the top before dark and find a slanted not so level spot to sleep on. It'll do fine though and I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep. PS Prune Pirate proved his manlyhood (?) by eating a pizza crust that he found on the highway.
Date: 2005-09-09
From: Pleasant Pond Mountain

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: light rain

Soon after we leave our slanted, bumpy campsite the trail levels out. I say to Prune that we'll probably see a splendid campsite here. He says: "Like this one right here?" and points to a perfectly level spot. The irony...We're both virtually out of water and the next water isn't for another four miles. I don't want Pirate to be any more thirsty than necessary so I give him permission to hike ahead (like he needs that ; ). Before I get to the water I meet up with Rambler (not the kilted one). We've met before because he's doing some weird kind of patchwork thru hike. We chat for a while about our future hiking plans and then he continues southward. When I catch up to Pirate he's enjoying the sun and eating. Every break we take, we eat. But let's not talk about food because there is hardly any trailfood that sounds appealing to me right now and I've just had some extremely sweet pudding that I'm trying to forget about.Anyway, we move on and rock hop Joe's Hole which is actually Baker stream or Moxie Pond but all three names are mentioned in the guidebook and Pirate's real name is Joe so I prefer Joe's Hole. Joe doesn't seem to care.This is turning into a really silly entry but that's what you get after trudging through mud and fording through rivers. Back to the description of the day.The climb up to Moxie Bald is quite steep (I resist the urge to take the bypass trail) but the views are totally worth it. Mountains and lots of water in the distance... beautiful!!!At Moxie Bald Lean-to we meet two volunteers who are chopping fire wood for the thru hikers. Too bad we're not staying here that would have been a nice campfire. We have lunch at the pond and it's wonderful. I mean, really, eating peanut butter and/or tuna for the 1000th time doesn't get old at all ; ). At least the view is nice.After the shelter we have a long stretch of flattish terrain. Pretty nice and we're moving fast. This is also the muddy stretch with the mud and the fords though and we get a little silly. At some point we just give up keeping our feet dry and/or clean and we make big splashes in the mud. Quite fun actually.We decide to make Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to our home for the night and we have it all to ourselves. The Piscataquis (no, I didn't make that up) River rushes below us and my sleeping pad is without air for the fifth night in a row. Sooo comfy!
Date: 2005-09-10
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: Monson
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

The high miles of the last couple days plus the fact that we have a sure pick up on the 18th gives us a little room for taking a break. We decide to go to Monson, do laundry, take a shower (finally! Eight days without made us really stinky) and stay the night at Shaw's.Nine easy miles to town. Yippee!!!I'm a little tired and manage to fall on my left knee again!!! Ouch! I guess I do need some rest.
Date: 2005-09-11
From: Monson

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

When we booked breakfast at Shaws we didn't know it would be served at 6:00am. We don't even get up that early on the trail! It was great food though so no regrets. I wasn't very awake however so decided to go back to bed. Mmmm...bed...sleep...We make it back to the trail before noon which is pretty good for getting out of town. Our ride turned out to be from the same people my mom and I had talked to in Troutdale, VA. They were doing trailmagic then but are just on vacation now. How fun to run into them again!I'm very sluggish and my pack has so much food in it it's not funny. So heavy! We take lots of breaks and one of them is at a pretty waterfall.In the afternoon we walk along a ridge for a while and the low light is really beautiful. The sky is the prettiest pastel blue I've ever seen. In the end of the day I get quite frustrated (slow, tired, etc.). The fact that I understimate the river ford doesn't make it any better. My dress and shorts get wet. Arghh!Of course my Therma rest is still flat eventhough I patched it this morning. I guess it will stay flat til the end. Oh well, that saves me from having to blow it up (inflate would be the better word) every night ; ).
Date: 2005-09-12
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Today was quite uneventful. We played around at some creek for awhile and there were some nice views from Barren Ledges but other than that it was just walking through forest on horrible trail. Yes, the trail is rocky and steep again. And I don't like it. My left knee hurts from the fall right before Monson and that steep stuff doesn't help. Oh well, at least the weather is still great. We did attempt to make life a little more exciting. The guidebook mentioned a stream at 2400ft so when we found some yellowish water at a stream lower than that we figured our stream was still coming up and we would get water there. That stream never materialized so we ran out of water. More than three miles without water climbing on rocky trail... not so good. Twice I took a sip from water puddles on the rocks. That might not have been the brightest idea but I guess we'll find out about that later...Chairback will certainly provide some excitement for us tomorrow. And if we move fast enough we might even do White Cap. Oh boy! Only 88.4 miles left to the big K!!!
Date: 2005-09-13
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Logan Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: few clouds

Our total climbing added up to over 3600ft today but we got hardly any views. Chairback mtn gave us some in the morning but that was about it for the day.We had some silly fun at the ford in the morning. Pirate and I were already on the other side when Wildcat and Stranger started to cross. We had an imaginary battle. Our side was better and we didn't want them to invade it. I was sitting on a sock canon (big log with dirty socks hanging from it) and the trekking poles were our guns. The river ran red with blood (I rinsed out my raspberry lemonade bottle). Unfortunately we couldn't keep the enemy from crossing. They admitted that the view from this side was better (it included me so there you go...).White Cap mtn supposedly offers good views of Katahdin but it was too cloudy for us to see anything.Prune had some excitement when a fighter jet spooked a moose which spooked Prune. He certainly has a much better story about this encounter but he won't let me use his journal entries to make mine more interesting. I think that is about as lame as this entry. Hope tomorrow is better.I'm ready to be done.
Date: 2005-09-14
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: scattered clouds

It's all down hill to the East Branch Lean-to this morning. I used to like down hills but since I re-injured my knee they hurt. I'm happy to get to the shelter and take a short break reading the register. A lot of the registers nowadays go back to last year and I'm trying to find entries from some of the hikers I met then. It's always fun to see familiar names.After we rock hop the Pleasant River we have an 800ft climb. It's not hard, not long but it wears me out. It's warm out and I just don't have that much energy left in me anymore. It's been a looong hike.Needless to say I'm glad when it's over. Now for the good part, there is a sandy beach at Crawford Pond. Sounds like a great place for lunch!It's a small beach on a huge lake. We have it all to ourselves. After swimming & bathing & laundry I finally locate the other hole in my therma rest and try to patch it with duct tape. Lunch is good and the little nap after it is even better. This is what I like!The guide book mentions another sandy beach at Lower Jo-Mary lake so we plan to set up camp there. When we get to Antlers Campsite however we decide to stay there. It's beautiful!We're on a little peninsula surrounded by a big lake. We hear the waves hit the beach. I'm pretending to be on a tropical island. The temperature is even warm enough for an evening swim. This is one of the best campsites on the whole AT and we have it all to ourselves! I could stare at the moon and its' reflection in the lake forever... This place is mesmerizing.
Date: 2005-09-15
From: Antlers Campsite

To: Wadleigh stream lean-to
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: moderate rain

We wake up to rain this morning. Is this the end of our lucky streak? Will there be rain for the last 52 miles? I hope not. There are views to be had and lakes to be swum in.The cozy privy is offers a welcome break from the rain. It has lovely curtains, a fake sink and even some reading material (the register). With pain in our hearts we leave this special place and continue our quest for the holy Katahdin. We go over muddy trail, slippery roots and evil rocks. Still we do not find it. Our magic book talks about views but we see nothing but mist. Is it even out there we wonder?At Potaywadjo we have a short rest to restore our energy. We soon press on however for our next clue lays at the White House Landing. We walk the extra distance and blow the magical horn. Out of the mist our ferry man appears. He leads us to the wise Circuit rider and his companion Sherlock. They assure us that Katahdin does exist. They have seen it with their own eyes. After obtaining the supplies needed to carry us further we are ferried across again. Unfortunately the weather is hindering our quest. We do not want to continue hiking in the rain. The pull of Wadleigh shelter is too strong. Our wills are too weak. Will we ever reach Katahdin?
Date: 2005-09-16
From: Wadleigh stream lean-to

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The mice were ferocious last night. They chewed holes through the side pockets of my pack to get to my trash (which I forgot to put in my food bag) and even made holes in Voyageur Bob's clothes bag. Somehow they didn't get to my green stuff sack til this morning when I was awake enough to chase them away. It was next to my head and contained Nutty bars, zucchini bread and a huge brownie (all of which I'd forgotten to put in my food bag). I was very lucky to find that only the brownie had been nibbled on. Just a tiny nibble it was still very much eatable.After packing up we get straight to it. We have to climb Nesuntabunt mtn (Maine really has some good names). I'm so happy the trail is almost over. Even small climbs like these tire me out. The top offers our very first vista of Katahdin however so it was worth the effort. We walk along Pollywog stream to Rainbow stream shelter. It's a beautiful cascading stream. Quite scenic.The walk along Rainbow Lake seems to go on forever and I'm happy to find Pirate at the north end taking a break. We meet the care taker of Horns Pond who is hiking a section of the AT on her time off. We chat for awhile and when she leaves we decide that we should move on to.The rainbow ledges give us a great view of Katahdin. It really does exist after all.At Hurd Brook Lean-to we have the same crew as last night. Voyageur Bob (AT01), Patches (finishing up his eight year section hiker) and Slow&Steady (who really isn't slow at all). I spend some time reading the register and leave a big thank you for all of those who made my hike more enjoyable.Last night before entering Baxter State Park. How weird.
Date: 2005-09-17
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: The Birches, Baxter State Park
Miles today: 13.4

Eventhough we had visits from squirrels, mice, a frog, and even a slug we still managed to get a good nights' sleep. Unfortunately it was raining when we woke up. Well rested but still no desire to go hiking...When Circuit rider walks up to the shelter I realize it is really time to get going. He already walked several miles and I'm still in bed. Shame on me. It's 8:15 when we leave, not even that late. We're hoping to get a good second breakfast at Abol bridge. Fantasies of cozy indoor seating, fresh pastries and coffee enter my brain. The ridgerunner we meet at the trailhead talks about snacks and a micro wave. A Micro Wave, there surely must be indoor seating...Well, there isn't. The store is small and over priced and the employees show no interest in our cause. Maybe I wouldn't either if I saw them stinky smelly people every day ; ).Anyway, the resupply is a little disappointing. After calling Bandicoot and confirming our pick-up tomorrow afternoon we head out in the rain again. Last night's shelter buddies all go into town for a night in a motel. We seem to be the only ones headed for the "Birches", the thru hiker hideaway in Baxter Park.The ten miles to the shelter are easy and uneventful. Expect for the one ford and the Big Niagara Falls. Pirate managed to rock hop the ford. I decided it was safer to wade. This ended up getting me wet til my crotch. My deepest ford yet. It didn't really matter since the rain had already soaked my lower body previously. It stopped raining for a while and since we had plenty of time we decided to go check out the falls. They were fun but I'm thinking they're not even close to resembling the real Niagara Falls. We slosh through big puddles before we get to the gravel road leading us to Katahdin stream campground. It feels weird to have a roadwalk so close to the end. Nice but weird. We enter the campground and admire all the little shelters. We pick apples from an apple tree and wonder where the ranger station is. When we get to the Hunt trail trailhead we realize we've gone too far. Backtracking it is. We find the ranger station, pay the camp fee (grumble, grumble) and read the register. There is also the 2000 miler application but I guess I'll fill that out whenever I've hiked the Mahoosuc Notch. Not that I really care about a certificate, I know what I've hiked.On to the shelter it is. The Katahdin stream campsites were all nicely situated on the stream but our site is hidden in the woods somewhere. No pleasant stream, just facing trees. It says regular camp fees apply. I would have rather had one of the nice sites if I'm paying the same. We wonder about those fees. We hear cars driving by on the gravel road just a 100 feet away. What a place to spend your last night on the AT.
Date: 2005-09-23
To: Nepal
Miles today: 0.0

After going back and forth on wether to cancel our trip to Nepal or not Pirate and I finally decided to go. We hope the political troubles won't hurt us and that we can hike our hikes without problems.I'll probably keep a trailjournal for the hiking part but I'll try to keep an online journal at Pocketmail.com for the rest of the trip. Check it out if you're interested. I'm not sure how many computers or phones I'll see along the way but I'll try to keep y'all posted.It's kinda weird to be packing that backpack again. Thankfully it smells better after the whole soap and rinse cycle...(Leaving tonight, will be back November 20th or so)
Date: 2005-12-26
To: Lazy days of winter... 
Miles today: 0.0

I made it through the night safely. It rained a little but in the morning it cleared up. After lazying around for a bit I'm ready to leave at 8am. The scenery is more of the same but I do see some animal tracks and lots of what I think is bear poop. Most of the day I hear barking dogs and lots of distant gunshots. Not the peace and quiet I was hoping for.I also see a dozen eggs scattered on the trail. It looks like they were buried and then dug up. The poor chicks...I take a blue blaze around Buck Lake in the hope of finding the latrines at the primitive campsite. Plus it looke like a nice loop. Unfortunately I don't find the campsite and I can't continue the loop since the trail is pretty much flooded. Continuing on, I almost trip and crash in the bushes. This area has lots of blow downs and prickly bushes. I manage not to injure myself but do find a tick later on. Thankfully it's not engorged yet.Later I almost walk into a big spider. It doesn't have much of a web but it's hanging in the middle of the trail right in front of my face. I'll post its' picture so you can enjoy it too.After a long lunch in the middle of the trail (I was hoping to find the panoramic views promised by the guidebook but gave up) I continue and take another break at a more scenic spot. I'm not too far from Juniper Springs (another expensive place) so decide to stay and camp here. It's around 2 pm but it's sunny and I can read my book and listen to the dogs and the gunshots some more...
Date: 2005-12-27
To: Wish I were canoeing...
Miles today: 0.0

I wake up to a frosty morning. Ice on my tent, brrr! Before I pack up I walk around the pond and snap some pictures of the fog floating on top of the water. The sun poking through makes it really beautiful.It's another lazy day today. I hang out at Juniper Springs recreation area for a few hours. As soon as I discover that they have a concession stand I'm intrigued. That and the fact that it's supposed to be this tropical wonderland with a great canoe run. Since I'm a little bored I watch the canoe video at the concession. It looks awesome. White sand and palm trees... I wish I had someone to do it with. Four hours of canoeing by myself might be a little much. And those alligators are a little sketchy. I'll just have to add it to my list of things to do (that list is getting looong). I finally move on and walk through the wilderness part of Ocala NF. It's seven and a half miles of less maintained trail where visitors must assume risks such as falling trees, limbs, lack of vehicle access, animal encounters, bad weather, etc. (that's what the sign says). Like in other areas you don't have those risks ; ).Especially after the hurricanes most of the trail I've been on has fallen limbs and such. Anyway, funny sign.The trail turns to white sand and goes through low brush. It's open and exposed and I wish I'd thought of bringing sunscreen. I finally meet some more backpackers (on day one I saw none, on day two I saw three who were lost) but they're all going the other way. I'm thinking about camping at Hidden Pond but the last hiker I talk to tells me he's planning on camping there and he's going south so I guess I already passed it.I settle for a nice spot under the trees with lots of pine needles, nice and soft.
Date: 2006-01-01
To: What's next?
Miles today: 0.0

So what's next? The challenge of making my resume look good. How to make thru-hiking and travelling look like work experience...mmm... quite a challenge. My career oriented friend helps me type up my resume and makes me feel rather inferior. I need an ego boost!!!I guess I could always apply for a job as a flight attendent. With all the flying that I've been doing lately that might not be such a bad idea. I'll try to get a job as a trekking guide first though eventhough apparently you only earn four hours of minimum wage a day. Wish me luck in the working world!Ha ha! I'll admit I've managed to postpone the real work until summer. In January I'll take whatever job I can get to earn money to travel in Ecuador in February with my buddy Monica and I still need to visit Free Radical in Ghana. That shouldn't cost too much though.Anyway, if I'm hiking a long distance trail in 2006 that means I've chickened out and took the easy way out. I can't possibly be that pathetic so don't expect a Trail journal from me next year!I'll probably be hiking again in '07 though. Pacific North West trail, New Zealand, Patagonia... who knows?PS. New Years' at Springer was awesome!
Date: 2005-01-15
To: GOING TO TRAIL DAYS
Miles today: 0.0

Welcome everybody ARGO is back.One of those days sometime in the middle of April Argo will be back on the Appalachian Trail hiking north to Damascus Virginia for Trail Days 2005.I'll be starting this hike 250 miles south of Damascus at Newfound Gap in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park where I finished my unforgettable section hike last year.Since last years section hike which I started at the Approach Trail at Springer Mountain i've taken a few overnighters but none that can compare.I've kept in touch with a bunch of those sorry ass people I hiked on the trail with last year and it would be nice to see some of the old faces again.So far it's a go for Hobo Joe if he gets a Pair by then. LETS GO GUYS..When you see me I'll be the one with the new lighter gear. I've alot of weight saving improvments since last year, tell you about it later.For now I still work nights and stay in shape putting in miles walking around New York City and if it wasn't so damn cold I would be out there riding my bike instead of staying home trying to keep warm.I'm sure winter will end and I'll be able to take a few overnighters and trail test a few more new pieces of gear, mainly my new boots that i haven't even purchased yet!! Can't break them in if there still in the store.QUESTION...What do you do when you see a hiker with blistered feet that cant hike any more?ANSWER...RESUPPLY