morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-11
From: Gentian Pond Shelter/Campsite

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

Leaving our nice site at Gentian Pond, we trekked on with good weather and lots of ups and downs. Today's big moment came as we crossed into our last state, leaving New Hampshire for Maine. Hard to believe we are in our last state.As we have met south bound hikers (SoBos), they have been regaling us with tales of the challenges of southern Maine. For NoBos, we had mainly focused on the Whites as the big challenge. Today I found that they were right - not only is the trail full of ups and downs but the ice age seems to have deposited quite a few rocks along the trail and for some reason, the trees now all feel that their roots must be above ground and reach out to grab our feet as we go by. Ah well, it is what it is. We are glad to be in Maine and have David along to enjoy it with us. A relatively short day as we negotiate the terrain. And of course a good one.
Date: 2014-08-12
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Stealth campsite at stream, mi 1917
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

Touted in the AWOL guide as the "Most difficult or fun mile of the AT," this morning we entered Mahoosic Notch. With huge boulders strewn across our path for over a mile we climbed up, down, through, under, and over to slowly make our way. Our trekking poles were of little use here so we put them away.With David leading the way, we wended our way through. I was glad that it had not rained as these rocks would have been interesting to go through when wet. After 1 hour and 45 minutes, we emerged intact with Mike having taken then only major fall and smacking his knee - as always he soldiered on and pushed through. I must say that Mike has weathered falls and injuries on this trip that would have likely sent other hikers off the trail for recovery - he has stayed the course, mentally pushing through.Finally we emerged at the north end only to encounter a steep, rocky climb up Mahoosuc Arm - 1600' over 1.5 miles. Up past Speck Pond over Old Speck summit and into a tight 3 tent campsite for the night. We unanimously agreed that the Notch was a fun change of pace and that this was a good challenging day.Tomorrow, my brother Marcel and his son, Bryant, meet us at Grafton Notch to hike. What will tomorrow bring?
Date: 2014-08-14
From: East B Hill Road

To: Bethel, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Waking up after a very soggy night, we decided to call it for the day and head into town to dry out. Finally getting hold of our shuttle driver, we were picked up at the trailhead and taken to Bethel, Maine. We checked in to Bethel Village Motel, with Ruthie rolling out the welcome mat and 3 rooms for the four of us.After showers, hitting the laundromat, resupplying with food and just chilling, we wondered over to Suds Pub for an excellent dinner and the sharing of some good stories. Here, David will break off to head back to Colorado and Marcel and Bryant will head back to Yardley, PA. I am sad to see them go but it has been a great few days on the trail with David and I was very glad that Marcel and Bryant were able to come the long distance up from Pennsylvania to hike with us. They certainly encountered one of the toughest portions of the AT, both in terrain and weather while they walked with us. Frankly, as Bryant is now applying for college, I think yesterday's challenges over Baldpate East Peak pretty much gave him everything he needs for his application essays.After a lot of laughs and good camaraderie, we made our way back to our warm, dry hotel rooms. A good day.
Date: 2014-08-15
From: 100 Mile Wilderness

To: Stealth campsite, mi 1940
Miles today: 11.6

After a good breakfast at a local diner, Marcel shuttled us in his rental car back to the trailhead. After dropping us off, he took David back to to Gorham, NH to pick up his car and then Marcel and Bryant drove back to Bangor, Maine for their flight back to Pennsylvania. I was sad to see them drive off - hiking with our son, my brother and his son was definitely one of the highlights of this whole trip - but happy to have been able to spend a fun and challenging time with them. As they drove off down the dirt road, Mike and I headed uphill into the woods.With a nice weather day, we headed up and down hills, our packs a bit heavy from the resupply. We continued past South Arm Road and found a very nice stealth site off the side of the AT. With the sun setting, we got our tents ready and then had dinner in the middle of the trail, recounting the last couple of days and how fortunate we were to be out here. Lights out at 8 and in for a good sleep. Another good day.
Date: 2014-08-16
From: Stealth campsite, mi 1940

To: Dirt road, mi 1950
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we headed up over Old Blue and the two peaks of Bemis Mountain. We were looking forward to linking up with Randy and Mark (Randy a friend and fellow hiker from trips past and Mark his brother in law). With the slow pace over the mountains we ended up coming upon them at about 5 pm where they had already established camp to try and get ahead of the impending rain. Not only had they brought in some additional food and spirits, but Randy and Mark had a fire going, something thru hikers rarely take the time to do - it was a real treat to have dinner around that campfire.We shared stories about our outdoor pursuits, hiking, biking and skiing, and had a nice conversation while eating freeze dried beef stew and lasagna that they had brought in. Excellent! More rain forecast so we hit the sack. Tomorrow, we have our first fording of a stream just after we head out. Yes, a good day and thanks Randy and Mark for coming out!
Date: 2014-08-17
From: Dirt road, mi 1950

To: Rangeley, Maine
Miles today: 14.2

This morning in the rain, we packed up after a quick breakfast and headed to the trailhead. After fording our first stream, we walked a mile to the parking lot where Randy and Mark broke off to head home. After saying our goodbyes we headed out on a long, rainy and very muddy day over some never ending hills.We stopped at Little Swift River Pond to refill our water bottles and get a bite to eat. We watched as a very excited chipmunk did scouting missions on the area where we were sitting, waiting for us to leave so he/she could scoop up any food that had been dropped. As we needed to resupply, we got off the trail at Maine 4 highway and caught a shuttle at the Hiker Hut in to Rangeley and the Town and Country Motel. Rangeley is a small town on a big lake where outdoor sports like fishing, hiking and skiing seem to provide its main source of income. We stopped at IGA to fill up on food, got cleaned up and then headed out to Sarge's, a restaurant in town that provided excellent beer and a lobsta' roll. And french fries. And onion rings. Then a walk back and into our room for a dry night. A good day.
Date: 2014-08-18
From: Rangeley, Maine

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-To
Miles today: 10.7

After catching a shuttle out to the trailhead, we headed up for a steep climb over Saddleback Mountain, The Horn, and Saddleback Junior. Windy and cloudy, we nevertheless enjoyed the reward that comes with hard work up a climb like this, looking out on a ridge line and surrounding ponds with awe. The sky cleared for a brief time at the top of Saddleback and we were able to link up with Stakes and Cliffwalker to share the moment. Truly one of the highlights in Maine is crossing these mountains.We made our way to the Poplar Ridge Lean-To passing the only outhouse/privy I had seen actually on the trail - the white blaze marking the AT. Although I am not sure how relaxing it would be knowing that there are hikers passing right outside the door if you know what I mean.Into the site where there were several section hikers south bounding and we set up out of the wind in the woods, with my tent in a narrow site with a small creek passing by. Dinner in the waning light and into our tents for what turned out to be a very chilly night (46 degrees the low). Saddleback, The Horn, privy on the trail - a good day eh?
Date: 2014-08-19
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Started off with a big downhill, fording a stream and then a big climb. It is always a bit of guesswork to figure out how much cold weather clothing to wear as you start out. When we got up today it was in the upper 40s and everyone was suited up in wool or fleece hats, down or synthetic jackets, long pants. While sitting around eating breakfast and packing up, you are not generating as much heat so the tendency is not to take off much of this gear as you start hiking. But once you hit the uphills, you heat up quickly and some of the clothing starts coming off or getting replaced. Then you hit a cool, windy ridge line or peak and you need to put things back on. I found that having clothing with half zips in the front and that could weather cool and warm conditions was critical - my Sugoi long sleeve shirt and minus 33 merino wool Tshirt did the trick. My hat is also off to Asics - I wore their running shorts with liners the entire trip and it worked great.Nice day weather wise and at our lunch break we ran in to Wet Dog whom we had not seen since Virginia. He had been off the trail and was now flip-flopping. These are thru hikers who hike part way up the AT in one direction, usually north, and then fly/bus to Katahdin at some point and hike the rest of the way south to the point they left. He gave us some good info on what to expect in the coming days on the trail. Good to see him.We pushed on, coming down the steep north side of Sugarloaf Mountain, forded the Carrabassett River and then rolled into our campsite for the night. Other hikers there included a couple from Canada, Rabbit, Stakes, Cliffwalker and a hammock hiker. With water close by we cooked our dinner meal and got settled in before dark. Another good day.
Date: 2014-08-20
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Cranberry Stream Campsite
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Warm day today as we climbed South and North Crocker Mountains and then made our way into Stratton, Maine to get Mike's much needed new shoes and do some resupplying. We caught a ride into town with a young couple who were out hiking for the day and immediately offered to take us into town.Once in Stratton, Mike found that his shoes were not there. After a little checking, we tracked them to a facility in St. Louis, Missouri. As it was too far to walk to pick them up there, Mike spent some time working with Zappos to get them redirected to an upcoming town. As his shoes are in their final days with holes in the sides and the tread gone, key that he get a new pair. But being the laid back person he is, Mike took it the shoe problem in stride (get it?) and we went on with the business of eating lunch and getting more food. While Mike was checking at the post office for his shoes I noticed this nice sign that the USPS had posted outside.Back on the trail we hiked for a couple more miles to Cranberry Stream campsite. As tomorrow will be a big day going through the Bigelows, we decided to stop early around 5:30 p.m. and get set up. Very strange having a few hours of daylight and not being in a rush to set up and cook before dark but we enjoyed the extra time in camp with Stakes and Cliffwalker. While getting water in the neighboring stream, I glanced up to see a sign noting that we had crossed the 2000 mile mark on the AT. Good to know but I think I was happier to see a good flow of clear water for our bottles - a clear indicator that the immediate task of water purification and drinking trumps contemplating the larger picture of what crossing the 2000 mile mark means. Hmmm.Back in camp, good conversation, good dinner and into tents on a balmy night. A good day.
Date: 2014-08-21
From: Cranberry Stream Campsite

To: Little Bigelow Lean-To
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

Hump day. Starting at 1323' we went up and down cresting the South Horn, Bigelow Mountain west peak, Avery peak and Little Bigelow Mountain, the highest at 4145'. We had good weather most of the day and some fantastic views as we climbed up through the woods, into the alpine, up rock and onto the open ridge lines and peaks. Today was just one of those days where we worked very hard moving up (and down - these are often the harder parts) and were rewarded with the best that Maine has to offer. What a tremendous day.With a final climb and descent into Little Bigelow Lean To, we got set up and cooked up dinner. Just as we finished, we heard thunder and within minutes, torrential rain poured down and we scrambled to get our hanging clothes into the tents and to get inside before getting soaked - with mixed success. Sealed up in side my tent, trying to keep my wet stuff from contaminating my sleeping bag and the inside of my capsule, I dried off, changed into sleeping clothes, and segregated the wet from the dry. Perhaps the highlight after getting all set up was drinking my hot Sleepytime tea out of my titanium REI cup which I still had from the shortened dinner. Sitting on my air mattress, covered by my quilt, my headlamp on, snug with the rain hammering the tent, the hot tea just made everything seem all right and set the stage for a good night. It reminded me once again of the small things that can have a big impact on perspective. A good day and a good night.
Date: 2014-08-22
From: Little Bigelow Lean-To

To: Pierce Pond Lean To
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We made relatively good mileage for the first time in a long time today. The Whites and southern Maine had definitely had a major impact on the number of miles but with the flattening out of the terrain today and less mud we made good time.After hiking alone for a few hours, I ran into a south bounder and asked him if he was thru hiking. The young man told me he was hiking through Maine. A big guy, maybe 21 years old, he seemed very happy and we talked for a few minutes. I asked him his trail name and that seemed to catch him off guard and he struggled for a few seconds looking past me off into the trees as he tried to recall what it was. Then he looked at me and said, "Oh yes, it's 'Good Soul.'" I got the distinct feeling that he had been given that name, perhaps by his mother, as he set out on his sojourn. For some reason, it moved me greatly. I told him that it was a great trail name and we headed our separate ways, me northbound and him southbound and into our own worlds. How nice that someone thought enough of this young guy to name him "Good soul."Onward I hiked coming out at Pierce Pond Lean-to, a picture perfect shelter on a pond. Mike and I found a couple of excellent campsites and, after dinner, joined Gator who had lit a campfire outside the shelter. After some quiet conversation and appreciation of another super day in Maine, we went our separate ways to our tents and the shelter and settled in for the night.
Date: 2014-08-23
From: Pierce Pond Lean To

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: light rain

The highlight today was the crossing of the Kennebec River, the only place on the AT where you must use a ferry. Our ferry operator was Dave, a quintessential and enthusiastic Mainer, who regaled us with stories as he took us across.Mike: Wow, what a dream job you have Dave.Dave: (Use Maine accent) On a day like this you might think so. But it's not always like this. Why a couple of years ago, we had a hurricane come through and they closed all the roads. But someone didn't tell me and I kept ferrying hikers across. That was a day I tell you.Al: How long have you been doing this?Dave: 8 yeahhs, about 8000 trips across, over 1500 laaast yeah. I take most of the hikers across but every yeaaah, there's about a dozen or so thru hikers that think they can walk across on their own. Mainly the young males who have been talking since Springah about how they aren't going to use the ferry and they are going to walk across. Sure enough, they get about hallfff way across and get into trouble. It's not too deep, but they slip on the rocks and the next thing is I get a call for help or see them scrambling back to the side they came from. I tell you it's an amazing thing to watch. OK yeah we aaaa, just leave the life preservers on your seat - you don't need that extra weight hiking nouth. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Classic!Into Caratunck for resupply at the Sterling Inn, lunch at Northern Outdoors, recharge electronics and back on the trail to camp at Pleasant Pond Lean-to where we met Flyboy and his son, Blue Duck, and were treated to the sounds of loons on the pond calling each other during the night. Yes, a good day.Kim's earlier note for this day: Hi everybody, it's Kim writing for Wingnut - He and Phaedrus are doing fine, just no good cell service for updating the blog and reading/replying to emails and guest book entries. They are in the town of Caratunk (mile 2035ish) doing laundry and resupplying before getting back on the trail today. The plan is to stay overnight in Monson on Tue 8/26 before entering the 100-Mile Wilderness which they hope to get through in six days. After that, it's 15 miles to Katahdin!Al asked me to please pass on his appreciation and thanks for all the kind words of encouragement and great comments in the guest book and also his apologies for not being able to respond personally. He will do so as soon as he can. Again, many thanks for all your support!Every day has been a good one since last post
Date: 2014-08-24
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: Bald Mountain road - stealth spot
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I got a bit turned around as the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) trail maintainers had carved out a new section of the AT trail on Pleasant Pond Mountain. After climbing a steep 1000', I proceeded to follow the new trail (which had white blazes as well) and promptly circuitously walked through the woods and downhill and came out on the same trail. I had been following the new trail southbound. So after mumbling a few choice words, I turned around and hiked back up. The larger effect was that, in the interim, Mike, who had been about 10 minutes behind, now was in front of me thinking that I was still in front of him. This led to a day of chaos as he raced to catch me not knowing I was behind him. 15 miles later, as I was preparing to ford a stream, I saw him on the other side. (Note to MATC: Just have one trail with white blazes on it). Fun times.Two highlights today: The first was hearing a noise off to my left and seeing what looked like a big hairy dog bounding away from me, too quick for a picture. Dog? Too big for that and no civilization in the area. I had just seen a wolf in the wilds of Maine. The second highlight was cresting Moxie Bald Mountain where I took this picture of Blue Duck coming up to the peak. He and his father, Flyboy, are doing a section hike and we crossed paths with them several times over a week. Finally into a stealth site to camp where we hung our bear bag from a bridge over the water and settled into a copse of trees off the road. Nice and a good day.Earlier note:Thank you for your patience. A quick update as we get ready to enter the 100 Mile Wilderness. We are now 115 miles from the end and all is well. It has been a great passage through New Hampshire and Maine. Very challenging - the weather and mountains have given us a run for our money but the most difficult has turned out to be the most rewarding. As Kim mentioned I have had some communications problems updating the blog and expect this will continue in the 100 Mile Wilderness. We will do 100 miles over the next 6 days - we have 6 days worth of supplies - then 10 miles to Katahdin base and a fresh start to climb the 5 miles to the top the following day. Very excited as Kim and Julia are driving up to climb Katahdin with us! Weather permitting we hope to summit on September 2. I will provide a complete daily update to let you know what we have encountered in the last 10 days. To include crawling on our stomachs up a granite slope in gale force winds and rain; seeing a wolf bolt away and into the woods; having our son, my brother and his son join us for a stretch; and meeting a young man who had been given the trail name "Good Soul." It remains an epic adventure. Thanks for your uplifting comments. Will write more soon.
Date: 2014-08-25
From: Bald Mountain road - stealth spot

To: Greenville, Maine
Miles today: 14.0

Today we made good time before pulling out at the Monson-Greenville AT trailhead to do our big resupply before the 100 mile wilderness.Noteworthy today was that we had continuing good weather which made our fords of the Piscataquis River very nice. These fording spots do not allow you to jump from rock to rock so we normally change into our camp shoes and ford the stream. Luckily we have not had heavy rains which can make these crossings a challenge as evidenced by the overhead ropes that someone has strung up across some of the sites to help people keep their balance. I used flip flops which worked well although the slippery rocks kept it interesting in each of these crossings.Got to the trailhead and got a ride from Walking Man a retired SGM who was waiting on his wife to come out of the 100 Mile Wilderness. Once in our Indian Hill motel, we resupplied with the 6 days of food we will need for the 100MW and then went to have dinner with Flyboy and Blue Duck at the Black Frog. Very nice evening and we went back conscious that this would be the last motel, last resupply and we were on the cusp of the last leg of our trip. Another good day.
Date: 2014-08-26
From: Greenville, Maine

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

After packing up we headed into Greenville for our last meal and a last laundry before hitting the 100 Mile Wilderness. By 1030 hrs, we had entered the woods, heavy under our 6 days of food and day's water. This part of the trail has a lot of ups and downs and challenged us with rocks and roots. One foot in front of the other, keep moving and soon the miles slipped by.While walking I heard a noise to my left and thinking it was another squirrel, I almost did not look. But I glanced over and saw this animal who, disturbed by my presence, was trying to get down off this tree. He/she kept checking to see if I was still there and I was able to get this shot. What is it, I have no idea. But I know it's not a squirrel.Luckily the weather, while warm, held for us and we did a decent day getting in to Wilson Valley Lean-to. The debate I was having in my head: Maybe I should go ahead and feast on this food to reduce the weight on my back. But then what about in 3 days when I need it and don't have it? Hmmm. I decided to hold off and not eat it all the first night. Settled in and got ready for a big hump tomorrow. A good first day in the 100MW.
Date: 2014-08-27
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Long day today as we crossed brooks, streams, roads and climbed over Barren Mountain, Fourth Mountain (which tried to kill me as I went down the steep north side), Mt. Three and a Half, Third Mountain and Columbus Mountain. Pressed hard to get to Chairback arriving just as it was getting dark and low on water. There we found Stakes and Cliffwalker having dinner and we immediately got set up in the dark and had our meal by headlamp in the shelter.Absolutely beat we quickly got into our respective tents and and went to sleep. Close one today as with the sun setting we had to negotiate some tough downhills while thinking that this would not be fun to do with headlamps in the dark. And make sure you are not scrambling for water that late in the day. Some lessons clearly have to be relearned despite our months on the trail. Oh well, safe, warm and dry - a good day.