morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-06
From: Speck Pond Shelter 1912.4

To: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: scattered clouds

It had rained for several hours during the night, while we were in the shelter, but happily it wasn't raining by the time we got up. We were on the trail by 7:00 am, ascending the steep trail to Mt. Speck. The trail looked much like what I had expected the Mahoosuc Arm trail to be: mostly granite face with trees on the side. It was so windy on some of the exposed rock faces that I felt like I would blow off if I didn't move quickly. The upside of the wind was that it had mostly dried the rock, so was not as slippery as it could have been, but it was still scary. Once we reached the top, we were in the woods and out of the wind. We decided not to hike the 0.3 miles to the top of the mountain, which has a fire tower, since there was only the inside of a cloud for a view, and it wasn't on the AT anyway. (Random note: Thru hikers will seldom hike even 0.1 miles out if their way for a view after the first few weeks, since there were so many views right on the trail.) Once we started hiking down Mount Speck, the trail started looking familiar, since Gary and I had hiked up the mountain to the fire tower from Grafton Notch last summer. We were only surprised it didn't look MORE familiar. When we got to the parking lot, Rowan's mom, Michelle, was already there. She brought Rowan, Duffer and Chicken Feathers to the lodge, then came back for us. While we waited, we checked out the hiker log, to check on the people who had been ahead of us, and chatted with some day hikers. Soon Michelle was back for us. Thank you! You're a real trail angel. Once we arrived at the Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge, we made a quick list for resupply for the next few days of hiking, and for the rest of today and tomorrow, a zero day. While the others went into the town of Bethel, I cleaned up and tried my phone...no service. Oh well. Once they returned we ate hot dogs, salad, and other goodies for lunch, and steak for dinner! Life is great on the Appalachian Trail when you get a ride to a nice lodge and get to look forward to a day and a half of resting up for the remainder of the hike.
Date: 2012-08-07
From: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0

To: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch. 1917.0.0
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We slept in a bit this morning, then worked on planning the rest of our hike. Just Scott, a young thru hiker who started in Springer May 6, and was averaging 22 miles per day (until the Whites), and was planning to finish by August 24. Gary fixed a great breakfast of sausage, eggs and English muffins. After breakfast, Gary and I started to feel ill. Not good. We both lay around most of the day. It didn't help. Duffer and Chicken Feathers got a lift into town for more supplies. The lodge owner, Kevin, had received a notice from the Maine CDC that a suspected Norovirus has been on the trail. We decided to lay low for another day and hopefully would be able to take off hiking Thursday morning. Meanwhile, Duffer wiped down all surfaces as directed by the CDC notice so hopefully he and Chicken Feathers wouldn't get it. Life is good on the AT when, if you're ill, it's in a lodge and not on the trail.
Date: 2012-08-08
From: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch. 1917.0.0

To: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I felt so grateful that Duffer and Chicken Feathers didn't mind staying another day with us sickies. They could have gone without us, but chose not to. What great friends! Both Gary and I ate and had no more symptoms, but still felt weak. We were ordered to lay around and do NO work so as not to contaminate the bleached surfaces. I must admit it was hard for me to be waited on. Life is good when, if you're STILL not up to par, you can be at a lodge instead of on the trail.
Date: 2012-08-09
From: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0

To: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We had planned to be back on the trail today, but...Duffer had come down with the "AT plague" during the night, and I had more symptoms during the night and wee hours of the morning. So, at 5:40 am, I told Kevin we wouldn't be leaving for at least another day. Duffer and I both slept most of the day, while Gary, who was feeling fine, and Chicken Feathers, who hadn't come down with it, tried to hitch into town for more supplies. After an hour they came back, as they'd had no luck hitching, and it was about to rain. They tried again after the rain stopped, but again had no luck. After they came back, I was elected to talk to Polly, the other owner, about getting a ride into town, since by then I was feeling OK. She said she'd bring us in later, so I stopped to see the sled dog puppies. They were so cute and well socialized. They all came over to me to get attention. Gary and I got a ride into Bethel to buy groceries, then Gary and Chicken Feathers barbequed chicken. I made the rice, green beans, and instant pudding, then took another nap. After dinner, Gary set up for us to get a ride to the trailhead at 7:30 tomorrow..and came back saying the puppies were on their first walk. I couldn't resist that, and had to go and see them. Once back, it was hiker midnight. Life is great on the AT when you're finally feeling better!
Date: 2012-08-10
From: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0

To: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

There was a big thunderstorm last night. I was glad we were snug, inside the lodge. I woke up before the alarm went off, and, low and behold, felt great! However, when I knocked on Duffer's and Chicken Feather's door, I discovered that Chicken Feathers was sick. I waited an hour, then went to tell Kevin and Poly, the lodge owners, that we needed to wait another day. By then, Duffer and Gary were up as well. We decided to try to buy some food from Polly to avoid another trip to town, so I went over to their house and got some chicken and a dozen eggs. We hoped we could hike tomorrow, though we didn't mind resting another day. Later on, Gary got some carrots and potatoes, then we pretty much all rested, in varying degrees of recovery. Life is great on the AT when you're finally feeling better.
Date: 2012-08-11
From: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0

To: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton Notch 1917.0
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we spent one last day resting and getting our strength back for the hike tomorrow, and eating, of course. We were looking forward to leaving this lodge, lovely as it was, to finish our journey. Life is good on the AT when everyone is on the mend.
Date: 2012-08-12
From: Mahoosuc Mt. Lodge, Grafton NOtch 1917.0

To: Surplus Pond 1929.1
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

We were on the trail again, at last. We were back hiking at 6:15. Thanks, Kevin. It turned out that he, too, succumbed to the (likely) norovirus. Polly was still fighting it. The first couple of miles were up Bald Pate Number 1. There were two peaks, with a steep section at the top of the first, then a descent to the saddle, then up again, then down to Fry Notch. The climb up Bald Pate was up a rock face: slippery and steep. It was scary, since the air was misty. By the time we reached the summit it was raining. At least there were tasty blueberries at the top. The trail down the other side of Bald Pate was narrow, and wet as well, and even scarier than the ascent. As we hiked down, we met a group of young men heading up. It had been raining on them for four days. Near the shelter, 3 northbounders passed us: Hot Shot, who left Springer April 10; Firewalker, finishing his section hike; and Nighthawk. We stopped at the shelter for lunch. Soon Video, who we'd hiked with back in Virginia and hadn't seen since, came in. It was wonderful to see him, but he needed to leave quickly to catch Firewalker and Nighthawk, who he was getting a ride with to a hostel. After lunch, we hiked the four miles to the road to Andover, then two more miles to Surplus Pond, where we set up our tents just as it started to rain. Life is good...especially when you are finally back hiking on the AT after 5 days off.
Date: 2012-08-13
From: Surplus Pond 1929.1

To: Old Blue Summit 1940.2
Miles today: 11.1

Duffer and Chicken Feathers were on the trail at 7:15 today. Fifteen minutes later, we followed suit. The trail went up and then down to the first shelter, four miles out. Along the way, Skunk Ape passed us. We hadn't seen him since Tennessee. He'd been hiking with Lee Bob since March...for 800 miles, when Lee Bob called it quits in Pennsylvania. He wasn't injured or anything. He was just tired of the trail, so Skunk Ape was continuing by himself. We stopped for a snack and waited for Duffer and Chicken Feathers, who had passed. Firewalker and Night Hawk were there as well and soon the Four Fast Women, Wildflower, Princess Doah, Rainbow, and MaMaw B came in. They were four middle aged to older women who were hiking the trail together. We continued down the trail after our snack...fifteen hundred feet down, forded Sawyer Brook, then climbed fourteen hundred feet in less than a mile...steep with ladders and iron rungs in the rock. We had a snack at the top with the Four Fast Women, then hiked down and forded another brook at the bottom. We decided to have dinner after we crossed Black Brook, since we still had Old Blue Mountain to climb. Gary and I left first. It was a tough climb on a full stomach, and twenty-two hundred feet UP! After two and a half hours we reached the top, having passed a southbounder and a flip flopper, then section hiker Kinder on our way up. On the top, Mamaw B and Rainbow were tenting. We joined them in the small flat area, barely large enough for the three tents. We didn't know where Duffer and Chicken Feathers were, but, since we were camped right on the trail, we figured we'd see them in the morning, if not before, since we knew they hadn't passed us. Meanwhile, we watched a beautiful sunset with Rainbow and Mamaw B! Life is good when you're camping right on top of a mountain on the AT, and get to enjoy a beautiful sunset.
Date: 2012-08-14
From: Old Blue Summit 1940.2

To: Bemis Stream 1949.9
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: light rain

When we got out of our tent at 5:45. Mamaw B and Rainbow had already left to meet their friends Wildflower and Princess Doah, who'd gone further down the mountain last night. We packed up and waited for Duffer and Chicken Feathers. It had rained and was windy last night, but it wasn't cold. This morning the mountain was shrouded in a cloud. At 8:00 am, we started hiking without Duffer and Chicken Feathers, descending steeply for an hour or so, then less steeply. We noticed many kinds of toadstools along the trail. We stopped after another fifteen minutes for breakfast, since there was water. While we were stopped, Mr. Blue came through. Mr. Blue started May 9 and needed to be done for school by August 27, and planned to summit Katahdin the 24th. He had passed Duffer and Chicken Feathers before they got to the top of Old Blue, so at least we knew where they were. We headed towards Bemis Mountain Shelter, another five or so miles further. Half an hour after after we got to the shelter, Duffer and Chicken Feathers arrived. We chatted while we all got water and ate lunch. After lunch we started the last four miles to Bemis Stream. The trail started out fairly flat, with minor ups and downs, then went descended steeply down slippery slabs. By the time we arrived at Bemis Stream, we had decided to camp soon, and hike the last 13.9 miles into Rangeley tomorrow. We still had to ford Bemis Stream...our third ford in Maine, but it was only mid-calf deep. Gary and I kept our shoes on; Chicken Feathers crossed in his flip flops; Duffer put on his water shoes to cross. Once across Bemis stream, we set up our tents, cooked dinner, and were asleep before 8:00 after a challenging, though short day. Life is good when you get into camp early and have time to set up your tent and eat dinner while it's still light out!
Date: 2012-08-15
From: Bemis Stream 1949.9

To: Town and Lake Motel, Rangeley, 1963.8
Miles today: 13.9

We were up at 5 am, and on the trail by 6:20, since we had a longer day ahead of us and wanted to get to the trailhead at hwy 4 to hitch into Rangeley as early as possible. We started out by ascending seven hundred feet in the first 0.8 mile to ME17, then crossed the road, and hiked up another two hundred feet to Moxie Pond, then undulated past Long Pond and Sabbath Day Pond at 4.5 miles out. On the way we passed 5 southbounders, including one young woman. Their trail names were The Hard Way, Bones, Squirrel, Patrick,and Fugitive, the woman. They had started the last week in July and were hiking together. Along the way it started to rain, first lightly, then harder, by Sabbath Day Pond. The last nine miles to hwy 4 trended down, with a seven hundred foot drop, but there were ups as well. We tried to avoid rain puddles, but our feet ended up soaked, and the tops of our toes were rubbed raw from the dirt. Ouch! Two miles from the end we passed Hot Shot, who was stopped at South Pond looking for a moose. He was planning to meet someone at hwy 4 for a ride into Rangeley, and hiked the last two miles with Duffer. The hike today was somewhat easier than it had been the last couple of weeks, but still had some hand over hand climbs and descents. When we got to hwy 4, we chatted with a day hiker for a bit, but then, since he didn't have room in his truck to bring us into town, we started to hitch, after walking a tenth of a mile to get to a wide spot in the road. Duffer and Chicken Feathers got a ride quickly, but we waited 20 or so minutes. A nice couple with a 10 year old daughter picked us up in a fancy SUV. Nice. They lived in New Hampshire, but had a second home in the Rangeley area, and brought us all the way to our motel. On the way into town, we passed the Four Fast Women, who were staying at the same motel as we were. We checked into our room, showered, then walked to dinner. MMM! On the way back we located the post office and library for tomorrow. Life is especially good on the AT when the terrain finally starts to get easier, and you're looking forward to a zero day, especially when rain is predicted!
Date: 2012-08-16
From: Town and Lake Motel, Rangeley, 1963.8

To: Town and Lake Motel, Rangeley, 1963.8
Miles today: 0.0

We woke up to hard rain today! We were grateful that we were on a zero day. After breakfast, I went to the post office to get our last maildrop and mail some maps home, then headed to the library to update the blog, while Gary went to the market to resupply. That accomplished, I headed to the blueberry festival for some fudge, then stopped at the ice cream store for a lunch. Since Gary and Duffer were already there, I ordered a banana split, with strawberry, chocolate, and black raspberry ice cream, plus hot fudge, pineapple, and strawberry toppings, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry on top. After lunch, it was back to the room to do some planning for the rest of the trip, including the researching the possibility of a resupply bucket three days out of Monson. Dinner was at the Red Onion, where we saw the Lionkillers as we were leaving, and Hot Shot on the walk back to the motel. Life is great on the AT, especially when you get to spend a very rainy day in a trail town INSIDE!
Date: 2012-08-17
From: Town and Lake Motel, Rangeley, 1963.8

To: Poplar Ridge Shelter 1974.5
Miles today: 10.7

Today we woke up to a beautiful, sunny, cool day, perfect for hiking. We packed up and walked to the cafe and ice cream store down the block to eat breakfast. The trail started out on a fairly flat trail after getting a shuttle back to the trail after breakfast. The trail then ascended Saddleback Mountain, twenty-four hundred feet, then descended, then went back up to the Horn, then back down and back up Saddleback Junior, and finally the one and a half miles to the Poplar Ridge Shelter. We went past several ponds early on that looked like great moose habitat, but we didn't see any moose. Today the climbs felt steep. I was tired all day. I blamed the heavy pack with food for six days, but I was probably just having a tired day, as we all do at times. It was great to get to the shelter at last. The Lionkillers were already there, so we took the other side. Silver Turtle and New Song, section hikers, came in and filled the shelter. There were lots of tenters there too, including Rhino, Flint, and Toto. Duffer and Chicken Feathers were also tenting. Life is good on the AT when you manage to survive a low energy day!
Date: 2012-08-18
From: Poplar Ridge Shelter 1974.5

To: Carrabassett River Campground 1987.6
Miles today: 13.1

We started the day by hiking up, then hiking steeply down. At one point, I slipped and bruised, scraped, and bent my left knee too much. Ouch! Chicken Feathers picked me up and helped me once I could move again. Thanks, Chicken Feathers! Next we climbed up Lone Mountain and back down to Spaulding Mountain Lean To. This section of trail was nice and easy, with no slabs or huge steps,so my sore knee got a break, and we made good time, at least for Maine. We passed a flip flopper headed south, who said there were lots of hikers celebrating the Appalachian Trail's 75th birthday. We caught up with these hikers at the shelter, where they were eating lunch. One of them gave us an apple. Yum! We also saw a very fat mouse, and a chipmunk as well. Hot Shot came in, then Duffer, Chicken Feathers, and several others. One southbounder was suffering from the AT plague, and was planning to stay at the shelter. We wer glad to be continuing on, though we were probably immune to the virus. Then the Lionkillers came in for lunch. A few minutes after Chicken Feathers and Duffer left the shelter, we followed, ascending Spaulding Mountain. Soon some day hikers caught up. One, Fester, who thru hiked in 2008, chatted with us for awhile. He was on his way to the AT Birthday BBQ. Apparently, one could ride the chairlift down and get BBQ. Fester left us at the turnoff, while we started hiking down to the Carrabassett River, our next ford. (Yikes!) The trail was easy for awhile, then became quite steep. When we got to the river, we had a nice surprise! There was a 12 inch wide plank across most of it, attached to a cable, and convenient rocks to walk across the rest. Even though the board bounced a bit, it was wonderful to keep our feet dry. Once across the Carrabassett, we took our packs to the campsite, our destination. I grabbed my phone and went back to the river to take a picture of Duffer crossing on the board. Once we were all at the campsite, we set up tents. Soon the Lionkillers came through. I took their picture with my phone, and also took one of the tent set up. We found a stream close to our camp, got water, and did the rest of the camp chores before zzzz. Life is good on the AT when you find out you don't have to ford a river after all!
Date: 2012-08-19
From: Carrabassett River Campground 1987.6

To: Horns Pond Lean To 2001.1
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We started hiking at 6:45, a few minutes after Duffer and Chicken Feathers. We ascended the first mountain, Crocker, then ascended another two hundred feet higher to the second Crocker Mountain for a total of two thousand feet elevation gain. The footing was good for most the most part, fortunately, and my knee felt better than it has in the several days since my bad fall. Along the way we passed Dego Thunder, who we had last seen in Virginia, hiking south. We made the first eight miles in a little over five hours, not bad for Maine, then stopped for lunch at the highway to Stratton, Maine. After lunch we had a couple of miles of flattish terrain before climbing two thousand feet up Bigelow Mountain to the shelter. We met a southbounder with a huge camera, Olympus, then three women. We also passed and chatted with BLT, Better Late Than, who was back on the trail heading south, after recovering from a knee injury. (Random note: We had hiked with BLT in Georgia and, once we passed him, didn't know where he was.) When we got near the shelter, we stopped to chat with Terra Nauta and Mandela, who we hadn't seen since Virginia. They had gotten off the trail at the Partnership Shelter in southern Virginia to work at the Smithsonian for three months during the summer and were now hiking south from Katahdin. Gary signed Terra Nauta's guitar, then we hiked into the shelter. A few minutes later Duffer and Chicken Feathers came in. They had also taken their time today. Apparently we had passed them when they had hiked out to the viewpoint at the top of Crocker Mountain. As I was hiking out to get water, the Lionkillers came into the shelter and laid out their sleeping bags. They had gone into Stratton to get their mail drop today. At the twin shelter a few feet from the one we stayed in were Lady Sherpa, who had thru hiked last year, Raspberry Moto, and Toto. The trail today had easier terrain, even though we had two, two thousand foot climbs. There were actually two shelters here at the Horns Pond Lean To area, as well as numerous places to set up tents, so evidently it was a heavily used area. There weren't bear problems here, but the food storage cans said there were "persistent and capable" squirrels in the area. Life is good on the AT when you see people who are flip flopping who you know from earlier in the hike.
Date: 2012-08-20
From: Horns Pond Lean To 2001.1

To: Flagstaff Lake Campsite 2013.8
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We were hiking at 6:45, and immediately ascended seven hundred feet to the top of South Horn, then continued climbing another three hundred feet more to the west peak of Bigelow Mountain, where there was a sign: two hundred miles for NOBOs. (Random note: This was not exactly accurate since the trail length changed every year. This year the two thousand mile point was actually one mile BEFORE the Horns Pond Lean To.) Then we descended eighteen hundred feet to Safford Notch, then hiked back up eight hundred feet to the top of Little Bigelow Mountain, where we ate lunch.(Random note: Bigalow Mountain was actually a ridgeline, with numerous summits) By lunchtime I was out of water, and Gary was almost out. After lunch we had two or so miles descending thirteen hundred feet to the turnoff to Little Bigelow Lean To, where there was a stream and WATER! We stopped for half an hour to get water, treat it, and have a big drink. From there it was only a couple of miles to our planned destination: a campsite on Flagstaff Lake. As we neared the campsite, we had to cross a floating bog bridge...interesting. We got to the campsite by 4:00 or so, gathered and treated water, and chose a tentsite, since we were the first in our group to arrive. While we were waiting, April Showers and General Custer came by. We had met them back in March at the Tray Mountain Shelter, and didn't know whether they were ahead or behind, on the trail or off. (Random note: It turned out that they had hiked north to Waynesboro, Virginia, then had left the trail to welcome a first grandbaby into the world. Now they were now hiking south from Katahdin.) Soon the Lionkillers came in, and went for a swim. Soon Duffer and Chicken Feathers came in. After dinner, we planned where to meet tomorrow, since Duffer and Chicken Feathers were tenting a ways away from us. That done, the Lionkillers serenaded us with their ukelele and sweet voices. Life is great on the AT when you've conquered the last major mountain, at least for a few days.