morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-09
From: Andover, ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: Andover (South Arm Rd.)
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

Ah, the life of a slackpacking day hiker. What a treat! Pine Ellis Hostel offers a variety of slackpacks so I jumped at the chance. I hiked the 10.1 mile stretch between East B Hill Rd. and South Arm Rd.I started my slackpacking day with a walk to the Little Red Hen Diner for breakfast at 6:30. I had some great blueberry walnut pancakes and sausage while I enjoyed hearing the locals' conversation.David drove 3 of us to the trailhead and I started hiking at 8:30. I felt like a hiking machine with just a small daypack on my back. My right shoulder has developed a nasty rub spot from my shoulder strap and all the heat and humidity so it felt good to take the day off from that pain.It was a wet and misty day once again and I was quickly soaked from walking through the weeds and under the trees. It didn't bother me, though, because I knew I'd get a shower at the end of the day. This stretch of trail ascended for almost 5 miles to the summit of Wyman Mountain, only to then sharply descend almost 2,000 feet to Sawyer Notch. At the bottom of the notch the trail paused for only a moment before sharply climbing 1,400 feet to the summit of Moody Mountain. Basically, a lot of steep up and down. The only view spots today were totally fogged out, so the day was just a very wet walk in the woods.I did have the opportunity to meet a bunch of SOBO's, which was fun. I met Dr. Scholls and Chaco first. Both of their moms had contacted me and told me to watch for them, so I was glad to get the chance to make their acquaintance. Dr. Scholls thruhiked in 2010 and is a fan of slackpacking. As he said "I'm out here because I love to hike, not because I love to carry things on my back". Excellent point. I also met Shutterbug, Flip, Polechar, Candyman, and Chef Redbeard and his 2 hiking companions, along with a few others. Yes, it was wet and rather miserable, but it was social.By 2:30 I was at the road crossing and David was there to pick me up. When I returned to the hostel the surprises started. First, in walked Chef. The last time I'd seen him was in Damascus, Virginia. He flip flopped his hike and is now hiking south. Later, in walked White Flash, who I hadn't seen since Harper's Ferry. Full house tonight, with Shutterbug, Flip, Windsock, Chef Redbeard, Polechar, Dragonstick, White Flash, Chef, the Hobbits, and a father/daughter section hiking duo. It was a fun afternoon hanging out in the yard and on the porch swapping stories. The hiker camaraderie is probably my favorite part of this journey and something I'll miss the most. We all wandered down to the General Store and Diner for dinner, where some large quantities of food were consumed.All in all a great day!Today's highlight: slackpacking. Anyone out there want to slackpack me all the way to Katahdin?!
Date: 2013-07-10
From: Andover (South Arm Rd.)

To: Bemis Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

The weather was just as perfect as yesterday and the day before (hey, I'm trying to think positively). Basically, more gray skies with rain in the forecast. Dragonstick and I walked to the Little Red Hen for a great breakfast and saw the same locals at the counter.David gave Dragonstick, White Flash, and I a ride to the trailhead and we were hiking by 8:30. As has been the norm, everything was gray, misty, and wet. The big climb of the day was Old Blue, a mountain that we'd heard from the SOBO's (southbounders) was difficult. The trail ascended 2,200 feet in a bit under 3 miles.The climb turned out to be not so bad, and we walked up into the fog once again. As has been the pattern lately, no views whatsoever, just a wall of white nothingness.The downhill proved to be slower going. As usual, there were rock slabs, roots, and rocks, and they were all wet, slippery, and treacherous. Dragonstick and I stopped to talk for awhile with Blue Sky, a SOBO from Florida. We commiserated about the endless wet weather and by the end of the conversation he thanked us for cheering him up! We also crossed paths with a group of teen girls from Quebec who are hiking an 8 day stretch on the AT with a summer camp in Maine. Poor things... rough intro to backpacking.Our original plan had been to make it all the way to Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to, 17 miles away. When we reached Bemis Mountain Lean-to at 2 p.m., however, we realized we couldn't manage 17 miles in this wet weather. It had started to rain lightly by then and after weighing our options over lunch decided to stay put at the shelter. Our other option had been to hike to a campsite 3 miles away, but then we'd potentially be faced with a soaked hammock and tent.We realized we'd made the right decision once it started to pour. We're the only two in the shelter, and to keep the bugs away we've got our hammock and tent set up inside the shelter. Not the mileage we'd hoped for, but the plan is to start early tomorrow and hike a long day. The terrain looks a bit easier and maybe we'll see a better weather day?Today's highlight: having time to relax in the shelter out of the rain. Definitely the right move.
Date: 2013-07-11
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-to

To: Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: moderate rain

When I woke up about 3 a.m. and heard the rain falling steadily I knew we'd made the right decision to stay put at the shelter. The rain stopped by 6 and I started hiking shortly after.Once again everything was soaked, and within minutes I was wet as well. The trail is so saturated with water that it's a wet and slippery mess of rocks and roots. It definitely makes for slow going.The clouds lifted and although it was overcast I actually caught some views as I went over the second peak of Bemis Mountain. Not too long after it started to pour once again. Can you hear me sighing?The trail descended to a stream, where we had our first officially listed fording. The water was only about ankle deep and I just walked through in my shoes. My shoes and socks are so disgustingly muddy and smelly from all the mud that it was a good opportunity to clean them up.We then climbed steeply and popped out of the woods onto Rte. 17. Dragonstick and I sat on a bench and saw a group of kids running down the road toward us. Turns out they were from Chelsea, MA and were campers at a nearby Boys and Girls Club Camp. They were interested in hiking and asked us lots of great questions about the AT. We hiked on and eventually stopped at Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to for lunch. There we met a SOBO named Numbers who's a recent Wake Forest grad. I asked him if he knew Tyler Gaetano, a friend of our family who's a student there, and turns out Numbers was Tyler's R.A. Yet another small world story!Amazingly, the sun came out in the afternoon. What is that bright thing in the sky? Dragonstick and I had planned to go to Piazza Rock Lean-to, but after chatting with 2 SOBO's, we learned we could hitch into Rangeley, which they said was a nice town. We came to the Rte. 4 road crossing, stuck our thumbs out, and within 15 minutes got a ride into town. Nothing's better than a shower, barbecue at The Shed restaurant, and ice cream at the local ice cream stand. Rangeley is a beautiful little town on the shore of Rangeley Lake and well worth a return visit. We're only 1.8 miles off of our goal for the day so all is well.Today's highlight: seeing the sun. Hopefully the trail will start to dry out...
Date: 2013-07-12
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Campsite above Orbeton Stream
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Today was a spectacularly beautiful day! When was the last time I opened a journal entry with that statement?Dragonstick and I were up early and walked to the Moosely (yes, we're in Maine) Bagel Shop for a 6:30 breakfast. We then packed up, walked into town, and stuck our thumbs out. Within a few minutes we scored a ride back to the trailhead from a local man who was heading to the trail to do trail maintenance. We had a long climb up to the summit of Saddleback Mountain, climbing from 1,622 feet all the way to 4,120 feet over 5+ miles. Once I was above tree line the views just kept getting better and better. It felt as though I could see forever in every direction, with sparkling blue lakes and mountain after mountain. Now this is the way the AT should be, not the recent hard climbs over wet and slippery rocks only to have a view obscured by fog. Today the payback for our efforts was tremendous.We spent a long time on the summit enjoying the sunshine and the view. And we laughed as we approached the summit because there was John Cooney, the kind man who'd picked us up and drove us into Rangeley yesterday. He was there on a day hike with his wife Lucy and their dog. Once again, the kindness of complete strangers on my journey has been truly overwhelming.Leaving Saddleback, we then descended slightly only to summit the Horn (4,032 feet). More gorgeous views. As we reached the summit the man who picked us up this morning was just walking up. Too funny... our Rangeley excursion had now come full circle.On down the trail only to summit one more mountain, Saddleback Junior (3,655 feet). By this time we were quite the view connoisseurs and thought this summit couldn't match what we'd seen on the other two. We ate lunch there and moved on.Our tentative goal for the day was to reach Spaulding Mountain Lean-to, but as the day wore on we realized that was too ambitious. The man who gave us a ride this morning told us of a nice campsite, so we thought we'd try for that instead. We stopped at Poplar Ridge Lean-to along the way and there was a gaggle of French Canadian teen girls from a Maine summer camp setting up their tents. Several of them were singing a familiar Queen song in French, which was pretty amusing. Anyone staying in that shelter tonight was in for some noise.On down the trail we walked, eventually passing some SOBO's. We stopped and chatted with Skunk and Cook, and they confirmed our guess about the campsite. Skunk's from Virginia and in talking with Dragonstick realized that Skunk attended the same middle school where Dragonstick's wife is a librarian. Yet one more small world story...We took of our shoes and donned our crocs to ford Orbeton Stream. After a short uphill climb we arrived at a beautiful campsite complete with a waterfall and good water. Great day and it sounds as though there's more good weather in the forecast!Today's highlight: the stunning views on top of Saddleback, the Horn, and Saddleback Junior.
Date: 2013-07-13
From: Campsite above Orbeton Stream

To: Caribou Valley Road
Miles today: 10.5

Wow, another beautiful blue sky and sunny day. Could it be that this is Maine? Really wonderful to have a second grand day for hiking.The trail started with an ascent up Lone Mountain, which offered a sign but no view. From there it was on to the summit of Spaulding Mountain (4,000 ft.). Spaulding offered a .1 trail up to the real summit, but looking at that steep pile of rocks that made up the trail I decided no way and kept on walking. I was spoiled with yesterday's glorious views and I didn't need a rocky uphill detour today.Let's see, the trail then passed by a bronze plaque commemorating the completion of the final section of the AT before skirting the side of Sugarloaf Mountain. This time I had the option of taking a .6 mile extremely steep side trail to the summit but once again decided to opt out. Enough is enough after all.Then it was down with some open views along the way. Thankfully no rock slabs to contend with on the steep trail but instead some rough rock jumbles reminiscent of NY terrain. Will this never stop?Dragonstick and I crossed the Carrabassett River and headed out of the woods on the Caribou Valley Rd. at 2 p.m. My dear friend Althea had made plans to meet us and take care of us for the rest of the day. She met us on the road, drove us to Stratton for a resupply and mail drop, and now we're being wined and dined at Althea and her husband Don's home near Sugarloaf. We started with afternoon snacks and drinks and moved on to a delicious salmon dinner with lots of fresh veggies and blueberry pie for dessert. Now this is the way every hiking day should end!Today's highlight: the great weather and Althea and Don's lovely hospitality.
Date: 2013-07-14
From: Caribou Valley Road

To: Horns Pond Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: light rain

Today was my birthday, and to honor the occasion I thought I'd take a hike. What better way to celebrate holidays and birthdays than hike, right?Althea had all kinds of breakfast goodies that Dragonstick and I loaded up on before heading out to the trail. Althea and Don drove us back to the trailhead and we were hiking by 9. It was yet another blue sky day in Maine.We knew that today would be challenging, but by accomplishing today's climbs we'd be set up for a good day tomorrow. The trail started climbing almost immediately, gaining 1,800 feet in elevation within 2 miles to reach the summit of South Crocker Mountain (4,040 ft.). Then the trail dipped down slightly before ascending North Crocker Mountain (4,228 ft.). Sadly, neither summit offered a view other than a partial view from Sputh Crocker. We then descended for 5 miles, dropping almost 3,000 feet in elevation down to Rte. 27. The down was harder on my body than the up, and by the time I reached the road I was whipped and ready for a break.You know, these NH and ME mountains are really hard. Florida Mike posted a question in my guest book asking how this terrain compares to the terrain on the northern part of the Long Trail. I pondered that question today as I was tediously descending the five miles from North Crocker and came up with an analogy. In Vermont I live quite close to Camel's Hump, which is one of Vermont's top five mountains for elevation. I also happen to live not too far from Mt. Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. Both of these mountains are on the Long Trail. I feel that this terrain is the equivalent to hiking both Mansfield and Camel's Hump in the same day. And then doing it all over again the next day. With a full pack. It's just plain hard. Intel from the southbounders says that after we make it over the Bigelows we'll be done with the big climbs for awhile. Believe me, my body is more than ready for a break.Back to today... after a lunch break we had one more significant climb for the day. By this time it was 2:30 and we still had about 5 uphill miles to go. It was yet another good and sweaty climb up into the Bigelow mountain range. I finally ascended to the point that I looked down on Horns Pond, our destination for tonight.When I arrived here at about 5:30 I dropped my pack and headed down to the pond. I went in the water for a quick rinse and it was wonderful. Horns Pond sits at 3,183 feet and is in the shadow of South and North Horn Mountains, which we'll ascend in the morning before climbing The Bigelows and Avery. Big day tomorrow as we cross what people have told us to be some spectacular peaks. Exciting news of the day: I CROSSED THE 2,000 MILE MARK. That statement deserved the caps.Today's highlight: Horns Pond. Lovely spot to end the day.
Date: 2013-07-16
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Northern Outdoors Center
Miles today: 14.0

Another hot day. I'm reluctant to complain about the heat after all the rain we've endured, but it definitely makes for tough hiking weather.I was on the trail by 7:30 after saying goodbye to all the fun SOBO hikers I'd met at the shelter. Last night's trail magic was still the topic of conversation. The profile map for today's hike looked relatively flat, but I've learned that in this case looks can be deceiving. The trail quickly turned away from West Carry Pond and into the woods. At that point I began to wonder if the bugs might carry me away... they were driving me crazy. After spraying some deet on me, I pulled out my bug headnet and put it on over my baseball cap. I felt very smug at that point. Hiker 1 bugs 0. Within a few miles I arrived at East Carry Pond. I don't know why Maine names these large bodies of water ponds, because they're actually the size of lakes. The trail went by a beautiful small sandy beach where I took a break. Along came Sherpa and Shuffle, two SOBO females, and they decided to jump in the lovely water. I was sorely tempted but opted to hike on.After following the shoreline for quite awhile the trail re-entered the woods until it ultimately popped out again at Pierce Pond, 10 miles into my day. I enjoyed a brief chat with Dot Com, who was hiking with Queen.By this time it was 12:30 and I stopped at the Pierce Pond Lean-to and had lunch with Dragonstick. We met Moose Spotter and Toad Spotter, two SOBO's. Also there was a group of girls from Alfred Lake Camp who are hiking the trail through Maine. Their counselors gave them an unplanned rest day at Pierce Pond and they were excited to spend their day swimming and relaxing. Pierce Pond is a beautiful lake, and the lean-to sits close to the water. I've added pond photos to the photo section.At 1 p.m. I sadly hiked on. After several miles of wandering by streams and waterfalls, the trail dumped me out at the Kennebec River. The river is too dangerous and wide to ford, so the ATC hires a guide (Hillbilly Dave) to "ferry" hikers across in his canoe. Dave was on the other side of the river when I arrived but quickly canoed my way. We waited for Dragonstick and then Dave ferried us both across the river. There's even a white blaze in the bottom of his canoe. The ferry only runs between 9 and 11 a.m. And 2 to 4 p.m., so hikers need to time their crossings accordingly.By this time it was around 3:15 and within 5 minutes we were at the road. The plan was to stay at Northern Outdoors Center for the night. There's absolutely no cell service in this area but there's a free phone near the Caratunk PO, so Dragonstick walked up the road to call a shuttle. Within minutes we were picked up by a free shuttle and driven to the Outdoors Center. This place is a hub for rafting trips and has a pool and hot tub that have been in heavy use this afternoon and evening. I jumped in the river to cool down and then followed it up with a shower. We've done laundry and eaten good food... back at it tomorrow.Today's highlight: the gorgeous ponds.
Date: 2013-07-18
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

I'm happy to say that I stayed nice and dry last night in spite of the heavy rain. I think that after all these miles I've finally mastered the art of staking my tent properly.No rain this morning and the day was hot and humid once again. The first challenge of the day was packing up my wet tent rain fly and footprint. The next challenge was a climb to the summit of Moxie Bald Mountain. The climb ended up being fairly easy, and once on top we enjoyed the fine views. Dragonstick and I took a long break on top because we had good cell service, which as I've mentioned before is hard to come by in Maine. We met So Kind, a SOBO, who also needed the cell service on top.Then it was down (not too surprising), eventually landing us at Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to. We checked out beautiful Bald Mountain Pond, which we'd seen from the summit, hoping to spot a moose. No moose, but loons once again. I continue to be blown away by Maine's wilderness... almost all of the ponds we've seen are completely wild with no apparent development.The rest of the day consisted of the usual ups and downs, along with two river fordings. I was a bit ahead of Dragonstick and we'd agreed to meet at the second river fording for a lunchbreak. I had a great chat with three SOBO's while we all sat in the sun on the side of the river. I realized that when I started hiking in Georgia everyone was heading north, so there was no firsthand information being passed on from hikers coming the other direction. That's all changed now, and it's fun sharing info about hikers, hostels, shelters, towns, and most importantly, where to get good food.After fording the river, which was knee deep in the middle, we had a three mile hike to this shelter. We're the only two here tonight so I have the luxury of setting my tent up on the shelter. Looks as though we might get another thunderstorm tonight...Today's highlight: Moxie Bald Mountain and Bald Mountain Pond. Maine, you're a tough state to hike in but you're spectacular.
Date: 2013-07-20
From: Monson (Lakeshore House Lodging and Pub)

To: Monson (Lakeshore House Lodging and Pub)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

What a lovely zero day this has been. The rain never materialized but it was a welcome rest day nonetheless. It was a leisurely start to the day, with a bunch of us drinking coffee and tea at the hostel. Today was the Monson Summer Festival, so there were vendors on the street. There's really only one main street in Monson, but it was hopping. Later in the morning we walked up to the "Swap Meat", which involved lots of food. Along with booths selling pulled pork, barbecued chicken, and corn on the cob, there was one selling lobster. Definitely a Maine festival. We grabbed food from the vendors and then sampled the Monson Historical Society fundraiser margaritas.The rest of my day included a nap, repacking my pack, hanging out on the back lawn near the water, and eventually another great dinner at the Lakeshore House. A fun group of hikers here including Taxi, Chicory, CW, Highliner, Morgan and his dog Nico, Heavy Load, and the three Georgia Boys. What's not to like about a day like today?Tomorrow we're eating breakfast at Shaw's and then being shuttled to the trailhead at 8. My pack is way too heavy once again but I'm ready to go. The weather forecast calls for cooler temperatures, which will be a welcome break. And the countdown begins...Today's highlight: the whole day.