morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-01
From: Mile 1876 tent site

To: US 2
Miles today: 11.0

Sunshine! I wake up as the morning red sun shines through the forest, onto my tent. The spruce trees and moss are lit up. It doesn't look like the same place as last evening. Today is all about descent. The AT does go over Middle Carter Mt, North Carter Mt, and Mt Moriah. I think about the two SOBOs from last night. That had to be very scary, going over these exposed peaks in a thunder storm. Today the views are tremendous. From Mt Moriah the trail drops over 3000 feet to US2. It had me a little concerned, knowing how trails in the Whites can be. But there were no fingernail clawing, hand over hand, rock face scrambles. Just a mannerly steep mile or so down, followed by an easy gradual hike down to the road. Surprise. And with that the Whites are over. NH is soon to end. As I sit here at the trailhead on US2 and look across towards Maine, the towering heights of mountains in the background are not to be seen. It's a bit odd. But don't worry, Maine will have plenty of challenging climbs. Meanwhile, I'm waiting for a ride from my niece. She and her family are trailer camping in the Whites. It'll be great to spend an evening with family. As for my knee? It hurts. But I can manage. If I have to stay at ten mile days, so be it. 298 miles to go. I intend to enjoy every moment.
Date: 2014-08-02
From: US 2

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.8

I had a great time with my niece and her family. They picked me up at the trailhead and drove for an hour, back towards Lincoln where their camp trailer was set up. So nice to be with family! From the road, sometimes I thought I recognized mountain profiles I had so recently had intimate contact with. It's a fun perspective...seeing the Whites from the road. I am grateful to the AT, for giving hikers the unique experience of meeting our States from the point of view of a foot path. I pitched my tent beside their trailer. Flat ground! A picnic table! The kids to play with. Firewood from home. A Moxie. Cold beer from the cooler. At a drive in camping "resort." It's good to see families getting closer to nature. Yes, these campers carry mountains of gear in with them, compared to a hiker, but the forest environment still dominates. In the morning, after a delicious bacon and eggs breakfast, there were a couple of stops to make in North Woodstock and Lincoln. Resupply. And a new pair of trail runners. 900 miles seems to be the life span of my Brooks Cascadias. My runners were worn out. The lugs at the ball of the foot were worn down. Even cracked open on one shoe. Stitching stressed and coming apart. Various rock rash damages. They'd held up well. I couldn't find the same brand so I settled for some Salomon trail runners, knowing my feet will have to adjust a little. After saying goodbye at the trailhead I set off, heading for Maine with the Whites at my back. It's late, elevenish, but I have no schedule. The new runners are a bit heavier. I can tell. And the soles are stiffer. Maybe that's a good thing. My feet feel more insulated from the trail. For sure the grip on the rocks is better. I test this by traversing tilted rock faces that I would have been leery of in my Cascadias. By the end of the day my feet are complaining, but I think me and these new runners will get along fine. My best scenario goal was Gentian Pond Shelter, the other side of three mountain crossings. Shadows were getting long when I got here. Between new shoes and bum knees, I was gimpy but pleased when I arrived. And what a great shelter site. This is one of the most scenic shelter locations on the trail. Love it. The shelter faces south west, best as I can tell. I'm pretty sure I'm looking out, across a broad valley, at the eastern edge of the Whites. Awesome view. The site is above the outflow from Gentian Pond, as the stream drops down towards the valley. Great sound track for a great view. I have the place to myself. No one else shows up. I bed down in the shelter. The view stays open. As dark descends there are a couple lights on, way down there in the valley. It's a million dollar view. I'm reminded once again how blessed I am to be having this adventure. I'll be leaving NH tomorrow, but this is a spectacular way to say farewell.
Date: 2014-08-03
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.6

Mt Success. Mt Carlo. Goose Eye Mt West Peak. Goose Eye Mt East Peak. Goose Eye Mt North Peak. Now Full Goose Shelter. Wonder how they come up with these names. There's a 1954 plane crash near the peak of Mt Success. A DC3. I couldn't find it. Later I passed a hiker heading for the wreck, with a map. Wish we'd connected earlier. I wanted to see that plane. Then the high point of the day...Maine. At last. 281.8 miles to go. It's amazing to be here. So far Maine has dazzled me with 360 degree views of the mountains all around the horizon. More remote. Fewer hikers. Beautiful. I'm liking Maine already. The trail is kind of tough. And interesting. Had a couple stretches of rebar handholds and steps today. Lots of walking on tilted bedrock slabs. I'm glad I got new shoes. They're gripping the rocks better than my old ones. These slabs are often wet. Going down is a little hairy. And for me, slow. It's always nice if there are convenient trees or roots to grab. My new maneuver is to grab a tree, swing out, and step down backwards. Learned it right here in Maine, already. I call it the Mahoosuc Maneuver. Some SOBOs call it the Katahdin Swirl. I think the Barefoot Sisters called it the Pisqually Pirouette. This is going to be fun. I'm going to enjoy Maine.
Date: 2014-08-04
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Baldpate Lean-to
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Great day! Two of the trail features I've often thought about were on the menu this morning. Mahoosuc Notch and Mahoosuc Arm. Mahoosuc Notch has the reputation as the most difficult, or most fun, mile on the AT. It's a notch between steep mountain sides, full of boulders the size of cars. I failed the pack challenge, to not remove it. My pack came off twice, as I shimmied through boulder caves. One big overhang became handy for staying dry during a brief rain. And I saw ice down under the boulders at the south end. Very cool. I was happy to be there, finally getting into this legendary trail section. It probably took me nearly two hours to get through. I was more concerned about Mahoosuc Arm. The Arm is immediately after the Notch. 1600 feet of steep up, over long slabs of bedrock. Thank you roots and trees! Without your help I don't know if I'd have made it. Once again I was glad for the grippy soles of my new runners, despite the fresh blisters. I emerged at the top, dripping in sweat, feeling great. And greeted by great views. One view was of the next climb, Old Speck. I could see the exposed trail going straight up the side. There's probably not a single switchback in Maine. These exposed climbs are tremendous. No more green tunnel. Nice! The views are stunning. Glad it's not storming. Old Speck seems to be a popular day hike. I can see why. And the trail down to Grafton Notch is long but easy. And then easy up the other side to Baldpate Lean-to. I stayed in the shelter with two SOBOs, Spot and Pickles. There are still a lot of SOBOs coming through. Only now, NH is done for NOBOs and I resist terrorizing the SOBOs about what's ahead for them. Unlike some of the southbounders who had fun with us northbounders back in Vermont. It's all in fun. We are trail family after all. Maine is tough so far. But so wonderful. I'm really liking it. So glad to be here.
Date: 2014-08-05
From: Baldpate Lean-to

To: The Cabin, East Andover
Miles today: 8.0

Nice easy day today. I'm heading for East Andover to get my bounce box and stay at The Cabin. The only climb today is over Baldpate Mt. Baldpate was a fun climb, on a nice sunny day. I wouldn't care for it as much if it were stormy. The up, heading north, is over bare and exposed bedrock. I was reminded of the southern balds, except this is a dome of solid rock instead of grass. The views from Baldpate are outstanding. And then comes about a six mile descent to the road to Andover. Really, an easy hike. I stood at the road for 40 minutes and only one car went by. Not a great location for hitching. But there were a few day hiker cars at the trailhead, so it was just a matter of time. Nice day. No worries. Eventually some visitors from Pennsylvania returned from a short hike and gave me a ride into Andover. And there at the store was the shuttle driver from The Cabin. The trail provides. I really like The Cabin. Earle and Margie Towne (Bear and Honey) have operated this hostel for 20 years. They hosted Earl Shaffer (first thru hiker in 1948) on his 50th anniversary thru hike. They're simply wonderful human beings. The house is full of AT memorabilia. Supper was amazing. Earle and Margie ate with us and the conversation was lively, like one big family. The trail is rich in wonderful people. Earle and Margie take it to another level. I'm here with a group of SOBOs. Fun. We sat up late watching a DVD of The Way. Good company. And I finally got to meet Birdy, an "AT class of 2014" Facebook friend I had been hoping to meet. Tomorrow I need to zero, and I can't think of a better place to be. The SOBOs are slack packing back to here so we'll have the same fun group. Life is good!
Date: 2014-08-06
From: The Cabin, East Andover

To: The Cabin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Why is it so difficult to take a zero? Some hikers love zeros. I struggle with them, even though I know my body needs the rest. I don't need the mental break. I miss the trail, the journey, the stunning adventure of it all. But I was in a serious hiker hobble when I got up this morning. Knees still hurting. Feet feeling run over. But this zero is good for me. Truth is, I've come out of the Whites injured. And my new Salomon trail runners have tortured my feet. If I'm going to get all the enjoyment possible out of the last 250 miles I need to get healthier. I don't want to gut out a rush to the finish line. Let me distill as much enjoyment as possible out of what little trail remains. My knees have gotten better. Really, I'm surprised at the improvement. They were scary painful before. Today's rest has further improved the condition. This afternoon Earle let me take his truck the 20 miles or so into Bethel, to an outfitter there. They didn't carry Brooks Cascadias. Those did me well, two pairs over 1800 miles. So I got some Merrells. I'm feeling confident these will wear well. Lighter. Cooler. Easier fitting than the Salomons I just just got. I'll send those home, to wear in normal life. In hindsight I should have mail dropped a pair of Cascadias. But life is interesting. Maybe I needed the grippy Salomon tread for the slippery slab traverses of the Mahoosuc Range. Excitement is building. My knees are improving. My feet are healing. Some trail friends are catching up. I feel strongly that when I resume my hike it will be the best chapter of all in this adventure. To hike again without pain? Wow! Once again, the resilience of fit hiker legs surprises me.
Date: 2014-08-07
From: The Cabin

To: The Cabin
Miles today: 0.0

I'm calling today "health insurance." One more day of rest to let the healing take. I also avoid hiking in the rain. And am able to get to the Post Office to pick up a package from Mom.   Full house at The Cabin for the night. I'm sure Earle would take more, and fit them in somehow. It's been fun being here. It's been the best place I've zeroed, except for at home. But I'm so ready to get back on the AT. Definitely an obsession. The moon is waxing near full. I'm thinking of being camped in the forest, with the moon's silvery light outlining the trees and clearings. The forecast shows five days of sunshine, starting tomorrow. Time to get back on the trail.
Date: 2014-08-08
From: The Cabin

To: South Arm Rd
Miles today: 10.1

It's like a homecoming. Earle drops two of us off at the trailhead on East B Hill Rd. One SOBO and one NOBO. I'm the NOBO, of course. We say our goodbyes and in a minute I'm heading up and away, out of contact with what was. I'm back on the AT. It's like a familiar and comfortable pair of jeans. I've missed you. I only went ten miles. Up and over Wyman Mt, past Hall Mt Lean-to, up and over Moody Mt, to a notch between Moody and Old Blue Mountains. I'm tenting along a river, with Scuffy, a NOBO, and two of his friends. Great day for a hike. The new Merrill Moabs kept my feet happy. My knees complained, but nothing alarming. I'm pretty much a normal thru hiker, at this point in a thru hike. I think most of the men have morphed into two strong legs, with a frame to carry a pack. If you ask me, the women are coming through, at this stage, in a more balanced and better condition. They've become lean and efficiently muscular. I see men groan and gimp when rising in the morning. Women spring up, almost limber from a rest point. It's impressive. But I also think men are more patient regarding Katahdin. Seems to me, more the women, who just want to be done with it. Underlying it all is a confidence among NOBOs. We. Are. Going. To. Summit. Katahdin. At that moment my emotions go all goofy. I look at 1938.5, the miles I have come, and it does not compute. Who? Me? No way! All those expressions: "how do you eat an elephant?" Or.. "Step by step". Or..."delayed gratification." How did I get here? Damned if I know. Meanwhile, the wind is blowing through the trees, predominately spruce. Old Blue is still visible across the stream. We will converse, Old Blue and I, about oxygen as important to life, in the morning. After breakfast. I, meanwhile, will tent here. And listen to the wind. Perchance the waxing moon will grace my tent. I cannot think of a single more luxurious position on Earth.
Date: 2014-08-09
From: South Arm Rd

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

13 miles in, at highway 17, there's an overlook. Incredible. To the right you see Mooselookmeguntic Pond. Beautiful. And straight ahead is the backtrail, up the Bemis Peaks with Old Blue filling in the background. We hiked all that today. An outstanding view. Solo had placed trail magic here. Epic trail magic. With a bench. As I sat on the bench, enjoying a t-magic beer, Solo showed up to replenish the cooler. Well met. So good to see Solo again. He's giving back to the trail, while having a little family time. I had been hearing about this magic from SOBOs for the past four miles. Coffee Break arrives. Then Pippin. Obi Wan arrives. Scuffy and his friends. We gather on a splendid day, with trail magic, at a drop dead gorgeous overlook. Someone breaks out their stash of Jim Beam. We're thru hikers. We're outside the conventions. In Maine. We soak in the scenery and sunshine. Banter and laughter. Our completed backtrail is the technicolor backdrop. This is the life!I leave first. The four miles to Sabbath Day Pond will take me longer than the others. And as I arrive at the pond the sun is at that prime golden red light, across the pond and into the forest. Simply beautiful. Couldn't ask for a better ending to a perfect day.
Date: 2014-08-10
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to

To: Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 9.3

Another great hiking day. And a relatively easy hike down to the road crossing for Rangeley, ME. The forest is drying out a little with a couple days of sunny weather. Even the mud is starting to stiffen up. The bogs, however, probably never dry out. There's a lot of boggy ground. Pretty much where ever the trail levels out. Bogs are crossed by wooden planks. Sometimes the planks are trees cut in half. Looks like a lot of work, putting in these crossings. There's a lot of them. They get dodgy over time. Some are rotting and many are tippy. Hikers do fall in. I can't imagine landing up to my thighs in smelly bog mud. Ugh. Pretty much the trail consists of going up or down rocks and roots. In between, you cross bog planks or avoid shoe sucking muddy sections. Root, rock, log. Hop, hop, hop. I'm not saying it's all a bad thing, just slow going. The trail is going through remote and rugged country. It might just be the best part of the AT. But today is an easy hike. Dirty Harry and Bug Bear catch me a mile from the road crossing. We hike into the trailhead and are immediately offered a ride into town. Most hikers are staying at The Farmhouse, a new hostel getting a great reputation on the trail. I opt to go into town and stay at the Rangeley Inn. Soon my shower is done. Then laundry. And finally food at the pub across the street. The town trinity. Wonderful. Follow this with a small resupply. Then a milkshake beside the pond. This is the life!Wingin' It calls me. This is so great. I was afraid I'd missed Wingin' It. We'd last seen one another just south of Buena Vista, VA. Ages ago. So glad to get to hang out before he rockets on up to Katahdin. Just part of the magic of the AT that he was in town. Later, Dirty Harry, Bug Bear, Obi Wan, Pippin, and I go to the movies. So odd, and fun, after life on the trail. Great way to round out the day. And eat popcorn. Town stops. Gotta love them. Getting clean. Town food. Friends and beer. And it's so fine to go to bed clean and between cotton sheets. With fluffy pillows.
Date: 2014-08-11
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

Wake up early, in a hotel room. Nice. Hot water. Shower. Put on clean hiking gear. Go find breakfast. Stand by the road and hitch back to the trailhead. Looks to be another nice day. I'm hiking by 8:30. Heading for Saddleback Mountain. Exciting to be climbing one of Maine's iconic mountains. It's 5.5 miles from the road to Saddleback's main peak. Lots of rises onto shoulders with a pond. And then lots of up. When the trail emerges from the boreal forest, into alpine forest, the rock slabs enlarge and views open up. Big views. Eventually the tree line is gone and the view is a spectacular 360. Saddleback Mt is darn awesome. Lots of day hikers go up there. The trail is user friendly. The AT then goes over the Horn. Saddle horn, I'm guessing. And finally over Saddleback Junior Mt. I loved this whole section. Thunder rumbled for a while, and a threatening cloud spit a little rain, but the weather held. And the views never quit. Then a drop down to the shelter. It's been a great day. Most tent. We gather at the shelter. Wingin It, Crocs, White Rabbit, Right Here, and perhaps the last two SOBOs. There's also two section hikers. A couple. And a large youth group of French Canadians. The thru hikers naturally group together. We get a campfire going. And just enjoy the company. We're so close to the end, even though 200 miles remain. It's become a time to treasure.
Date: 2014-08-12
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2

We got up this morning and the hike began. The two SOBOs headed south, towards Saddleback. Crocs, White Rabbit, and Wingin' It had the 19.5 mile hike to Stratton on their minds. Only Right Here and I plan on a nero into Stratton tomorrow. And just like that, last night's gathering has segmented into today's hike. Early in the day I passed two more SOBOs. They claim they're the last ones. But later I passed a solo woman SOBO. She thought she was the last one. For sure though, the overlap is over. Not a lot to say about the trail today. Few views. Up and over a couple mountains, but treed at the tops. Less mud and bog than usual. A trail maintainer had clipped much of the overgrowth along the trail. Nice. Before skirting Sugarloaf Mt there was a plaque, commemorating the CCC and the completion of the AT at a section right here. The AT has grown by almost 150 miles since. Right Here and I leapfrogged all day. We came down the side of Sugarloaf, to South Branch Carrabassett River, together. It was not an easy descent. Steep. Rocky. Awkward. And poorly developed. It was good to have company to trash talk the trail with. But of course we made it down. Slowly and carefully. And to my surprise there was a board bridging two rocks in the river. We didn't have to ford it. So far I've lucked out in Maine. I haven't had to ford a river marked "ford" yet. That will change. Right Here and I are the only ones at this nice tenting area. The background is a river coming down from tomorrow's climb, South and North Crocker Mountains. My tent is on a level site for a change. Always a plus. The forecast for tomorrow is rain. It's seven miles and change to the road for Stratton. We'll see what tomorrow brings. It looked like rain for much of today. Something is brewing. It will be what it will be. We just hike.
Date: 2014-08-13
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

Rain is coming. Serious rain, by all accounts. I leave the campsite and hit the trail by 0615. It's windy, and darkly overcast. I've got a 1500 foot climb up and over South and North Crocker Mountains. The trail immediately starts to shoot straight up the mountain. As usual, my knees are gimpy until they warm up the first mile, and the vitamin I kicks in. Near the top of the first peak I feel great. I love hiking the AT for the first eight miles, until my knees and feet begin to complain. And today is only 7.3 miles. Not even the 5.2 miles of downhill, 3000 feet, from North Crocker to ME 27, is going to bother me much. Such a quick hike, this nero. Right Here and I arrive at the trailhead on ME 27 around 10:00. A trail angel had left a business card to call for a shuttle into town. Two section hikers gave us their food cache. And we didn't get any serious rain until we were settled in Stratton. Some days everything just seems to go your way. I'm doing laundry now. And planning on a zero here tomorrow. The forecast looks serious, with inches of rain. The hostel is almost full. Hikers are hunkering down. More will likely be coming in. It'll be a lot of fun in Stratton this evening. Trail towns are running out. The AT itself is nearing the end. I think many of us are savoring the final moments we have on this magnificent trail.
Date: 2014-08-14
From: Stratton, ME

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 0.0

I'm taking another zero day. My knees are glad. It rained much of the day. A few hikers went out. They got wet and had very limited views in the Bigelow Mountains. It's not a good hiking day. The Bigelows are the last 4000 foot peaks before Katahdin. I hear that the views are amazing. Hopefully tomorrow will be clear. So the job today is to enjoy taking a break in a small Maine town. Easy. I really like Stratton. Everything is within easy walking distance from the hostel. The day involves a lot of eating. We gather over food, and maybe a beer or two. Talk of the trail behind and the trail ahead. We talk of trail friends, some who've summited Katahdin, some who've quit, and some who are still out there. The end is drawing near. These moments of fellowship are precious. At the hostel we enjoy a few Charlie Chaplin films on Turner Classics. Outside, the rain comes and goes. It's been a mighty fine zero.