morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-08-31
From: Carl A. Newhall Leanto

To: Cooper Brook Fals
Miles today: 18.9

Tmax for Topofgothics... Topofgothics was able to call me today from just below the summit of White Cap. Service was poor so all I really got was that it was cold and windy. But then miraculously, Topofgothics had cell service tonight so was able to catch me up on the past few days and I filled in his journal. He and Solo heard from a SoBo that a box was at the road crossing about 6 miles up the trail that was labeled "boots for Solo." I'm sort of wondering if Solo's wife, Madeline, pulled off a miracle of her own! The pair plans to be at White House Landing tomorrow for a resupply and a night's lodging and then will hopefully summit on Friday the 4th. I'll be driving up to join them.  ****After breaking camp, I crossed the brook in hopes of using the shelter¢s privy. The outhouse itself was so nasty that my body declined the invitation, but as I neared the lean-to I heard a familiar voice. Solo was just getting his morning going! Along this adventure I have met many other hikers who I felt were very good people. Being a particular type of take-me-as-you-are kind of guy, there were only a small handful of others who I had a real affinity with, most who were older. Longhaul heads the list, with Solo close behind. Also there are Ironman, Hellbender, and Chance. These are humans who I would like to someday call friend and spend more time with, in and out of the woods. Seeing Solo again, whose wife Terri has been in contact with for a while now, was refreshing, and here was someone I would not mind spending my last few days with. After reacquainting, I told him I would wait on the summit of Whitecap until he made it up. It was a little chilly, but the views were awesome. For the first time we got a vague glimpse of the massif that we had come so far to climb. It was all right for me to say the work now. Katahdin. Katahdin, here we come. We stopped for a leisurely lunch at the Logan Brook lean-to. Later on we had a last tough little climb up Little Boardman Mountain. It was a straight up ascent amongst many fantastic rock formations. This is another area I would love to share with TMax and Little Feather someday. For some reason I took no pictures there, a horrible mistake. I felt very much at home in this little alcove of the world. When we reached the campsite at Cooper Brook Falls, the first thing Solo did was shuck out of most of his clothes and prove once again his affinity for water as the fish dove in and enjoyed the cool water for a good fifteen minutes. Life is good, and enjoying it with good company makes it even better.
Date: 2009-09-01
From: Cooper Brook Fals

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 12.7

****One of the reasons Solo took a day off at a lean-to earlier on was because his boots had about had it. One of his shoes was so bad off that the front of the boot flapped back, exposing his sock. He had dried the offending boot by the fire and used some shoe-goo supplied by another hiker to mend the boot. Others knew about his dilemma, and last night we heard that near the next road was a plastic bag marked ¢boots for Solo¢. Not long down the trail we saw the bag ahead, and by a freak of fate, the gentleman who had left the boots came walking up with his wife, returning to see if the either the boots were still there, or if he had to pick up Solo¢s useless footwear. As it turned out, the gift he left were a size 15, and of little use to a size nine foot. Good thing Terri was still bringing my boots, which were much closer to Solo¢s size. All was not for naught though, since the gentleman provided some other TM in the form of Pop-Tarts and Slim Jims. Not a bad deal overall. A little after one we reached Pemaduncook Lake. From the shore of the lake we were offered our first true visage of Katahdin. Still almost fifty miles away, it loomed over us, taunting whoever dared with a menacing come-hither. It had been more than five months on trail, and we were ready for anything that it had to throw at us. Still, that was for another day, even one soon coming. But tonight we spend the last civilized evening at the White House Landing and enjoy a full hot meal and a comfy bed, the last of this escapade.At the landing we washed our clothes in a tub, the old fashioned way, and wallowed away the afternoon. We had arrived early after only 710 feet of climbing, and wanted one more down day to take everything in. For dinner we both enjoyed a one-pound burger and we shared a medium pizza. This was enough food to fill us up and provide for part of our lunch tomorrow. I even sprang for a bottle of wine, and with just a slight buzz, we finished dinner and took the canoe out for a spin afterwards. With the dying light of day, we paddled until the shine burned the evening sky and spread it¢s colors across the heavens for all who were willing to behold. As careful as I could be, I took out my camera and caught the moment to share with my friends down the line. It was as idyllic a night as anyone could ask for. After all that rain and wet, the finish was coming fast, and as perfect as could be hoped.
Date: 2009-09-02
From: White House Landing

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 28.4
Weather: clear sky

****The guidebook claimed that the White House Landing offered and ¢all you can eat¢ breakfast. Not quite. There was one toasted english muffin each, five very small pieces of bacon per, a few scoops of scrambled eggs for all, and a large plateful of pancakes. It was a fair amount of food, but nowhere near enough for a thru-hiker, and a far cry from the colossal amounts of calories that were enjoyed at Shaws. C¢est la vie. After breakfast we had to wait what I thought was way too long before we were able to get a ride across the lake. Breakfast was not served until eight, and it was almost nine-thirty before he started the engine for our short trip down river and we had a high mileage day planned. We banged out mile after mile after mile, stopping for only quick breaks and to take a picture or two. Our goal was to have the shortest day possible for our penultimate hiking day. That meant about twenty-eight miles over generally level ground and just 3500 feet or so of climbing, with no real big hills to mention. We passed Nahmakanta Lake, a pretty piece of water that we followed for a time. Others told of log stretches of mud that we would encounter, but either we were too immune to the stuff, or others were just whiny, because we never encountered anything to worry about. By far, Vermont was the muddiest state we encountered, and nothing comes close to the more horrid pits in the Dacks. We were averaging just under three miles and hour, and by three we arrived at the Rainbow Stream Lean-to (which has a cool totem pole) for our lunch break. By four we were back on trail and with twelve miles to go, we had to keep up the three mph average to avoid the worst of the darkness. Much of our afternoon hike took us along the long shore of Rainbow Lake. We climbed the Rainbow ledges and took in some more wonderful views. It was a hard push to the end and as dark was overtaking us the shelter came into sight. Solo¢s other shoe was now as bad as the first one was, and every step for him became a challenge. While we readied for bed, three southbounders showed up, and we marveled at their audacity at starting a thru-hike at this late date.
Date: 2009-09-03
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

****Solo can be a little sluggish in the morning, so even with a late start, I got the jump on him. I ambled, rambled, lingered, and all but loitered for the first half-hour. Then I noticed that the bugs were getting bad. I had not seen them in days, and it was little over an hour until we hit the Golden Road and Abol Bridge, a mere 15.2 miles from the Big K. In the next half hour I started to go batty. More mosquitoes than I had to deal with since Massachusetts beset me. I slapped and whined and was furious that my perfect day was being ruined by the tiniest of creatures. When I reached the road I made the decision to don my bug jacket and my nylon pants. Someone was coming down road. It was a Ridgerunner. He was too jolly for my attitude at the moment. Even in the clear of the road, the suckers were getting the best of me. I wanted to change right there, but his bantering kept me from doing so. I had to at last announce my intentions and go off into the trees where the bugs ate me alive while I switched clothes. The Ridgerunner, ¢Dave¢, offered to walk with me to the store (where I would find food and ice cream), but I took off at a quick pace and he was left behind. At the camp store, I waited for Solo. I enjoyed more calories and much treats. Dave came over again while I stuffing my face with a burger and chips. After a few questions I had to let him know that I did not like talking with my mouth full, and asked for some time alone. He got the hint. Solo arrived and did some munching of his own, and soon we began again, entering Baxter State Park shortly after. An hour later and with a breeze and less skeeters, I changed back into shorts and waded into the Penobscot River. Solo joined in the fun and swam for one last time. Before we knew it, the campground was within our sight. At the entrance, I found a note to me taped to a trail sign. TMax and Little Feather were at lean-to number eleven. I strolled down the road, and before I could say boo, Tracy walked around the corner and into my arms, embracing me in a great big hug! What a reunion it was. Minutes later I walked up behind Terri as she was collecting wood for a fire. I stood silently, just watching her and it was some time before she turned around, and dropping her bundle she all but leapt into my arms. No more goodbyes. This time I would be going home with her and I could feel the relief in her embrace. All was right with the world again. That night we laughed and ate and Solo got acquainted with two of the dearest people in my world. We talked by the fire and anticipated the moment for which we had waited so long and hiked so far to get to. Five point two miles to go, four thousand, four hundred feet into the sky. Katahdin.
Date: 2009-03-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This is a test entry. I am creating this journal to record a memory of my trip along the Appalachian Trail that I can share with others. My name is Matt and I am from Durham, ME. I recently got laid off and am soon to complete college and am taking this time to complete this once in a lifetime opportunity.I am busy collecting gear, planning my itinerary, and otherwise preparing for almost 6 months away from the "real" world. I will update soon, this entry is mainly to make sure this works properly.Matt
Date: 2009-03-10
To: My feet hurt
Miles today: 0.0

So, I went for a walk near my house yesterday. A simple loop that I thought would be good practice. Ouch. It was longer than I thought, at 9.5 miles it is not long by Trail standards, but long enough to make my feet hurt, a lot. My legs were still recovering from the Madison hike, and I'm beginning to understand how hiking every day is going to be a LOT different than hiking one big day on the weekends. Mainly, the difference will be hiking through pain and soreness. On the upside, the walk only took me 3 hours, 10 mins, for an average of about 3 miles an hour. Overall it was pretty level ground though, with only a couple big ups and downs.I still have a long, long ways to go. Not even for the hike, just to get ready.We'll see, one day at a time is all I can do. Hopefully I can get my taxes done today and figure out a few more errands. I gotta tell ya, it is very weird not being at work right now. I still feel like I must have called out of work or taken a vacation or something. There is just so much usable time in every day now. Taking that 45hr/week responsibility out of the equation really changes things. Duh. It's just weird.Anyways, hopefully I'll get another SMALL walk in today and keep putting miles behind me. I will soon be posting my gear on this website and will post a few photos, stay tuned. Happy trails,Matt
Date: 2009-03-13
To: Preparation
Miles today: 0.0

Hello everyone. It has been a good first week of preparation. Tuesday ended up being a zero day, I figure while I have the choice still I'd rather not walk in the 35 degree rain. Yesterday I did a quick 4 mile walk, and today I just completed a 10 loop around the house again. All in all, if you include last Saturday's excursion, it's been about 30 miles this week. And tomorrow, I have planned a hike up in Camden going up Mt. Battie with Dani. This should be a very good hike with good views (or so I'm told).Other than the training, I was able to get a lot of other stuff done as well. Shopping for more gear has been my preoccupation the past couple of days. I think I have purchased all of my clothing, except maybe a sun hat. I have a fleece hat for the start, and may just buy a new hat along the trail once that gets to be too much. In total, the clothing (to start) will look like this:- Fleece hat- Fleece gloves- Rain Jacket- Fleece Long Sleeve shirt- Quick dry Long Sleeve shirt- Quick dry Short Sleeve shirt- Rain Pants - Convertible Pants (zip off into shorts)- Midweight Long Underwear Tights- Midweight Long Underwear Bottoms (for camp and sleeping)- 2x Smartwool PhD socks (1 dry, 1 drying)- 1x Smartwool Heavy weight socks (for camp and sleeping)- 2x UnderArmor underwear- Merrell Moab shoesStill up for debate: a fleece or small down jacket to go between the fleece shirt and rain jacket. I may be encountering temps down to 20 degrees at night during the first two weeks. Other gear is coming together as well. For everything water related I will be bringing a 2 liter Camelbak, a 2 liter Platypus bladder, and a 32 oz Gatorade bottle for mixing drink packets and helping to collect water. I will be purifying using Aqua Mira. Aqua Mira treats 30 gallons for $12, never clogs like a filter, and takes up little space and weighs very little.I have my stove purchased, a MSR Superfly, but have yet to find a pot that I like well enough. Although I am looking forward to making lots of instant mashed potatoes, instant rice, and oatmeal before I go once I find one that works.Obviously, I am missing a few key items: a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. I plan on purchasing these items once I get my severance from work, hopefully next week. My planned purchases are:-MSR Hubba HP Tent-Marmot Hydrogen Sleeping Bag-Big Agnes Air Core Sleeping PadAnd as far as a backpack is concerned, I am looking at either a Granite Gear Vapor Trail or a Osprey Atmos 50. We'll see. There are others as well. It's usually best to buy the pack last, so you know exactly how much room you'll need. I'm figuring around 3500 cubic inches.So, plans are set and my legs are feeling good. Only 32 more days before I step on the plane to Atlanta. Remember, if you need to get a hold of me, the best way now and while I'm on the trail is going to be at mattsathike@gmail.comTalk later,Matt
Date: 2009-03-29
To: Hiking Facts
Miles today: 0.0

First of all, thanks go out to everyone who's been signing my guestbook and leaving messages of support. I appreciate it and it helps encourage me and calm my nerves to know that so many people are going to follow along and be thinking of me. Thanks.Hiking is fun and most anyone can find a day hike that is enjoyable. Camping is fun and almost everyone has been car camping a few times before. Put the two together and you've got backpacking. Hike all day, set up camp, and hike some more tomorrow. It's quite simple really. Carry everything you need, nothing you don't, and hit a town every few days for a shower and some more food. Simple.But, doing this for a few days is a lot different than a few months. Long distance hiking, while obviously physically demanding, is more of a mental test than most people anticipate. While there were 1250 registered hikers at Springer in Georgia last year, as of March 09 only 330 have reported a successful through hike, and half had dropped out by Harpers Ferry, the halfway point. And that 26% completion rate is better than it has been historically. Think about how long it takes to pull this off. Today is March 29, five months ago was just before Halloween. Think about all the stuff that has happened since Halloween, I am going to take that same amount of time and walk, walk every single day. It's very hard to keep Katahdin in mind the whole time, to be determined enough to keep going even when you don't want to. So, can I do this? I hope so, I want this really bad. I want to know that I can do something so great, to experience something so amazing, and to be mentally strong enough to fight and keep moving forward. And to have a lot of fun.Here are some quick facts about the AT, highlighting some of the key numbers:I will take approximately 5,000,000 steps.There are an estimated 300,000 2x6 inch white blazes marking the trail.About 10,543 people have completed the trail since the mid 1930s, half of which have been done since the year 2000.The trail is approximately 2,178 miles.I will be on the trail about 160 days.I will be carrying, with all my food and water, about 32lbs on my back to start.I will go through 14 states, 8 national forests, and 6 national parks.I will have 1 massive beard when I'm done.I borrowed some of these facts from someone else's trail journal, who borrowed it from someone else's, and so on I'm sure. So, I don't feel too bad about taking advantage of his hard working researching skills. Haha, thanks Ketchup.Happy Trails,Matt
Date: 2009-04-02
To: Photos
Miles today: 0.0

So this weekend my sister Heather and I went for a hike up Old Speck (8mi r.t., 2800' gain, 4200'peak). A photo should be to the left of this text of her and me near the top, I am still experimenting with embedding photos. Hope it works.Also, yesterday I did 14 miles with around 30lbs on my back in 5 hours. My speed was largely a product of how easy the road walking terrain was, but I thought it was still pretty good considering 3+ miles were up, down, and around snow and ice covered Bradbury Mtn. Feeling good today, just should have stretched my hips before I started, they are tight.I am planning a more detailed itinerary, day by day to give a better idea of when I might be where. I've been told by other thru-hikers that the only thing daily itineraries are good for are tp and fire starters after day 2. You can't plan for all the things that will happen, especially weather or pain that will slow you down. But, it's approximate, and is giving me a reference point. If you'd like to see a copy, email me and I'll send it to you.Also, I have found a better way to post pictures. This site is limited in the size, amount, and navigating ability of the pictures I post. I will only have more pictures posted here in order to embed them in the journal pages, all other pictures will be going to my site provided by Picasa through my Google account. It is free and easy and will hold lots and lots of pictures. The address to get there is (this is my first time trying to put in a link, hope it works):http://www.picasaweb.google.com/mattsathikeIf it doesn't work, just copy and paste it into your browser. You will find there the rest of my pictures from Old Speck this past weekend, and the long lost photos from my grueling hike up Mt. Madison with Justin.That's it for now, hope you all have fun at work!Happy Trails,Matt
Date: 2009-04-06
To: 8 days..
Miles today: 0.0

I've got Georgia on my mind. I've been struck with Springer Fever. My bags are packed, and I'm ready to go. Oh, how I'm going to miss everyone though, especially these two hiking buddies.I finally have everything together. I feel like I am ready to do this. It's very exciting. A couple of hikes today with my Dad and yesterday with Dani and the Sis have really got me feeling like I am ready. I have one last week to take care of stuff at home, and next Tuesday I am going to get on the plane to Georgia.I will post my final pack weight soon, and I will take and post some photos on my google page. I am busy gaining weight, watching cable tv,taking really long showers, and sitting on the couch, along with other things I'll be without over the next few months.I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on Easter on Sunday, hope to be able to see everyone before I go. Talk to you later.Happy Trails,Matt
Date: 2009-04-10
To: The Shakedown
Miles today: 0.0

So, I finally had a chance to use my stuff last night. I did a practice run to try out the new gear and see if I'm missing anything, or more likely, if I'm carrying too much stuff. I didn't go far, but it was a good experience. There's a place near my house called Runaround Pond. I walked the two or three miles there last night, found a spot in the woods to my liking, and made camp for the night.Boy, did I pick a chilly night. When I woke this morning at 6:45 the sun was already up but it was a blistery 29* outside. I can only assume it was colder overnight (like when I woke up at 3:15 for some reason). The venting system at the top of my tent worked fairly well, you could see that moisture was accumulating though because it was frozen into ice when I took my tent down. It wasn't the most exciting circumstances to be in, but it proved that my 30* bag and liner work well, even though the bag got a little wet.It was good to cook on my stove for the first time outdoors, collect and treat water, and hang my food bag. Man, that is a lot trickier then I thought it would be. It took me 3 tries and 2 trees to finally figure out a good way to do it. But, success at last. I bunkered down at 8:00 when it started to get real dark and listened to the falls and birds in the background. A good little trip, all things considered.There are more pictures of the shakedown at 'http://picasaweb.google.com/mattsAThike'.Hope this entry finds you all well. I will be getting on the plane on Tuesday at 6:40am, so essentially all I have left is today through Monday. But Easter is on Sunday and I hope to see many of you then. I plan on one more entry between now and takeoff. See you all later.Happy Trails,Matt