morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-14
From: 1.5 mi. S. Grafton Notch 

To: Andover, Maine 
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

9/14/04   Day 17Start: 1.5 miles south of Grafton Notch @ 7:45. Stop: Andover, Maine @ 4:00Mileage on trail: 11.4; cum. 185.9. Off trail: 0.3; cum. 8.0Weather: cool, sunnyMajor Landmarks: Baldpate Mountain        It was a cold night, but I stayed toasty in my bag. Around 6:00 a.m. some large mammal went ambling by our campsite but I couldn¢t make out what it was.        Blue and I got on the trail relatively early and finished the downhill into Grafton Notch. Pacemaker had left a bag of M&M¢s there for hikers, so we each had a small bag. Then we began the climb up Baldpate. The first 2-3 miles to the shelter where we might have gone last night were relatively easy. We met Roadster and Skittles there. Blue had met Roadster earlier on the trail. She had gotten off to go to Alaska and work on a fishing boat for a month and is now back heading south with Skittles, who flip-flopped from NY. They were both slack-packing today.        They followed us up the steep climb to the top of Baldpate West Peak and finally caught us on East Peak. East Peak was a big granite bald with a steep climb up slabs of rock, but the reward was another incredible view of the mountains ahead.        What goes up must come down, so it was down again to Frye Notch Lean-to and a short break with Roadster and Skittles. Then they gave us a bonus, another mountain to climb that they couldn¢t find a good name for, a Surplus Mountain that just popped up and isn¢t even in the data book. Then the long downhill to East B Hill Road where the town vortex sucked me into Andover for a night in the Andover Guest House Hostel. It¢s a very nice, clean place with only 4 of us staying there. Blue, Boat and I had dinner at the diner¢chicken fajitas, fries and hot fudge sundaes¢and when we got back, our laundry was done. The hostel had provided clothes for us to wear while ours were in the laundry. I had to use a shoelace to hold up my size 36 pants, but that worked.        Tomorrow the three of us plan to slack pack the next 10 miles and spend another night here tomorrow night. Then two more days into Rangeley.        We have been blessed with beautiful weather the past several days, although the nights are definitely getting colder. Here¢s hoping the good weather continues.
Date: 2004-09-15
From: South Arm Road, Andover, ME

To: East B. Hill Rd., Andover 
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

9/15/04 Day 18Start: South Arm Road @ 9:30. Stop: East B. Hill Rd., Andover @ 3:30Mileage on trail: 10.1; cum: 196. Off trail: 0; cum. 8.0Weather: sunny, warmMajor Landmarks: Moody Mt., Hall Mt., Wyman Mt.        This wasn¢t exactly a day of rest, but it was a day of slacking. It was time to give our tired muscles, knees, and ankles a break from the extra 30-35 pounds in our packs, so we decided to slack pack from South Arm Road south back to East B Hill Road where we got off yesterday.        After breakfast at the local diner ( Boat had blueberry pancakes that covered the plate and were each about 34¢ thick. He could only eat one with my help), Sandra, owner of the Andover Guest House, drove us to the trailhead. Doc Narly was getting dropped off there with his boss a vet from Florida who came up to do a section with Doc. He said every traffic light in his town had been knocked down by Hurricane Frances and they were without power for 11 days. They started up the trail, and we three slackers, Blue, Boat and I, soon passed them. We climbed up and over Moody Mt. And took a break at the stream in the valley on the other side. We met Regular Brian on the way down. He had night hiked to a site on Wyman Mt. We also met Popup. Then another steep climb up to Hall Mt. Shelter for lunch. Hans, European Bob and Rooney arrived when we were there, so we shared info on the trail.        Then, after some flat, it was up Wyman Mt. After which it was a long downhill to the road, with the exception of a little blip after that extra pond they found, Surplus Pond. We met Team Smokebreak (Ketone, White Patch and Mousebait) on the way down chugging on up the hill to the shelter. They had spent last night at Mousebait¢s house nearby.        We got to the road about 5 minutes before Sandra arrived to drive us back to town. She dropped Blue and me at the library so we could check our e-mail. I got a nice e-mail from Frisian Rhino, a thru-hiker from the Netherlands I had met 2 years ago in NY. She had left a register at a shelter on the northern Long Trail that I had mailed to her. She was glad to get it back and said she had been hiking the Pacific Coast Trail this year, but was disappointed at the lack of people on the trail and registers at the shelters. It¢s always great to hear from fellow hikers.        It looks like Blue and I will do another day of slack packing tomorrow. Boat will go with us, but he plans to continue on for his last overnight on the trail.
Date: 2004-09-16
From: East B. Hill Rd., Andover 

To: Maine Rte 17 
Miles today: 13.3

9/16/04 Day 19Start: South Arm Road @ 8:00. Stop: Maine Rte 17 @4:30Mileage on trail: 13.3; cum. 209.3. Off trail: 0.2; cum. 8.2Weather: sunny, warm hazyMajor Landmarks: Old Blue Mt., Bemis Range (Bemis Mt., Peaks Third, Second & First)Major Milestones: Hiked over 200 miles on this section        Blue, Boat and I went to the General Store for breakfast and I also had them make a sub sandwich for lunch. Sandra drove u out to South Arm and we were on the trail by 8:00. I have to thank my daughter¢s alma mater, Bates College, for jump starting our day. Before 1979, the AT didn¢t go over Old Blue Mt., but then the Bates Outing Club came along and cut a new trail, taking us 900 feet up in the first 0.6 miles. By that time, the blood was flowing and we were all warmed up. The rest of the climb up Old Blue wasn¢t as steep and we reached the summit in reasonable time, where young Blue had her picture taken with the Old blue sign.        Once down off Old blue, we had easy going for a while. We came across Raster, Ski Bum, Chef and A 2 at a campsite. For some reason, they had been asked to leave the Cabin, another hostel in Andover, presumably for partying too loudly. After leaving them, we hiked through some beautiful old growth red spruce forest, some trees apparently dating back to the 1600¢s.        After skirting Elephant Mt, we began the traverse of the Bemis range, starting with the (sp?), Bemis Mt, and working our way down the chin of peaks, Third, Second and First. We stopped at Bemis Mt. Lean-to for lunch and met Boat again, who had surged ahead. Second Peak was the most enjoyable, being mostly ledge and ope with views, although it was too hazy to see much.        We ended the day with a steep climb up from Bemis Brook to the road, where there was a great view of Lake Mooselookmeguntic. We had called Sandra from First Peak to let her know we would be at least an hour earlier than planned. We only had to wait at the road for about 15 minutes until she came and we had a nice chat with Rooney as we waited.        The hills and mountains of Maine are definitely beginning to show some color and it won¢t be too long before the colors brighten even further. It¢s a great time to be hiking through Maine.        Tomorrow we hike into Rangeley, a relatively easy 13 mile hike.
Date: 2004-09-17
From: Maine Rte 17 

To: Me Rte 4, Rangeley 
Miles today: 13.1

9/17/04 Day 20Start: Maine Rte 17 @8:30. Stop: Me Rte 4, Rangeley @ 4:00Mileage on trail: 13.1; cum. 222.4. Off trail: 0; cum. 8.2Weather: sunny, warm, then overcastMajor Landmarks: Long Pond, Sabbath Day Pond, Little Swift River Pond, South PondMajor Milestones: Completed half of this section, 220 miles to go        Today was a pack-back-on day, after two days of slackpacking, and I could really tell the difference. Even though the terrain was pretty easy, it was still work. Today was pretty much a walk in the Maine woods, from Rte. 17 to Rte 4. it was spruce forest with occasional splashes of red leaves as the trees begin to turn. It was slogging through the mud of the bogs and low areas where no bog logs were placed. It was passing four beautiful ponds and hearing the call of the loon.        We passed a few SoBo¢s headed for Springer and a few weekenders. Just before we got to the road, we found cold Cokes in the brook, a great way to finish 13 miles.        Once at the road, we started hitching and were soon picked up by a Maine guide who drove us into Rangeley. When we threw our packs into the back of his pickup, I noticed a lot of grease on the floor. We later learned it was bear bait, and when we got out, it was all over our packs, so I guess we¢re now bear bait!        I got to the post office just after they had closed, but I knocked on the door and asked if I could pick up a package, so they brought it out to me. We also saw boat sitting beside the road. We had his credit card which he had left in Andover, so he was glad to learn he could now make his plans to get to Nova Scotia.        Soon Bob from the Gull Pond Hostel pulled up; we all piled in and were brought to our night¢s lodging. Rooney called after we got there and invited us all to dinner with his ex-boss, who recently moved to Rangeley. Henry treated all of us to dinner at the Parkside Restaurant. What a treat and what a nice gesture from someone we had never met. There are trail angels everywhere.
Date: 2004-09-18
From: Me Rte 4, Rangeley 

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

9/19/04 Day 22Start: Rte 4 Rangeley @ 8:00. Stop: Poplar Ridge Lean-to @ 3:00Mileage on trail: 10.7; cum. 233.1. Off trail: 0; cum. 8.2Weather: cloudy, cold, windyMajor Landmarks: Saddleback Mt., The Horn, Saddleback Jr.         Yesterday I decided to take a zero day in Rangeley. I had planned a zero there, but had already taken one in Gorham to dry out, so I¢d be a day behind. But it rained all night and when we got up, it was still rainy and cool, so it was an easy decision.        We had a nice breakfast at Gull Pond Lodge and then Bob drove us into town to do errands¢PO & supermarket. I got a salad and some shrimp for dinner and Blue got a rotisserie chicken so there was plenty to eat. When we got back, we said goodbye to Boat as he left for his visit to Nova Scotia, then watched the Red Sox get pasted by the Yankees. When Bob got back, there was a message to pick up another hiker so he went into town and returned with One Thing, but no K-Bear. One Thing was pretty broken up because K-Bear had decided to get off the trail and he had had to leave her. He said he spent most of the next day hiking and crying¢what a tough time.        We decided to get a pretty early start this morning, so Bob had breakfast ready at 7:00 and got us to the trail by 8:00. We immediately met Papparazzi¢sfriends who had driven up from MA to visit him and had just dropped him off at the trail. It was a pretty easy hike to Piazza Rock lean-to where we ran into Doc Narly. His boss who had hiked with him for a few days had gone back to Florida. Rooster, Ski Bum and A2 were also there, as well as Paparazzi.        From the lean-to, we began the climb up Saddleback Mt. After we passed a few ponds, the climb began in earnest and I soon had to put on my jacket as we approached treeline and the wind began to howl. Once above treeline, we were also in the clouds and there was some rain with the high winds. It was a long cold climb up to the summit and my hands got pretty cold. Even the downhill on the other side was exposed and the wind seemed stronger. The temperature at Piazza Rock had been 44 degrees, so the wind chill was likely in the low 30s. We stayed pretty much out in the open all the way over The Horn and then finally got back below treeline. That didn¢t last as we headed up Saddleback Jr. At least this summit was below the clouds so we could see something. There was actually some sun shining in distant valleys. Once back in the trees again, it was an easy 1 12 miles to the shelter.        The shelter floor was made of small round logs (baseball bat size) which didn¢t look too comfortable. I wanted to pitch my tent anyway, since it would be warmer out of the wind and the tent holds at least a little heat. And one of the advantages of getting in a little early is that you can climb into your sleeping bag to get warm and have a little afternoon snooze.
Date: 2004-09-19
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to 

To: Sugarloaf Mt.
Miles today: 10.9

9/20/04 Day 23Start: Poplar Ridge Lean-to @ 8:15. Stop: Sugarloaf Mt. @ 4:00Mileage on trail: 10.9; cum. 244.0. Off trail: 0.6; cu. 8.8Weather: sunny and clear, windy and coldMajor Landmarks: Lone Mt., Spaulding Mt., Sugarloaf Mt.Major Milestones: less than 200 miles to Katahdin         About the time I was about to make dinner last night, some hikers came through heading for the shelter. One woman stopped and asked if we were thru-hikers, then sang an entire verse of ¢Happy Trails¢ to us. That¢s the first time that happened, but then it was a day of firsts.        The night was windy and cold. Even with my long-johns on, I barely stayed warm. Getting up and into shorts was really hard, so I put it off as long as possible. The sun finally hit my tent, so I got up and tried to raise Blue from her tent. We finally got off about 8:15.        We had a 2 12 mile hike down to Oberton Stream where we crossed in a deep gorge. Up the other side there was a woods road and we found Rooster, Ski Bum Chef and A2 (Team Party) there breaking camp. They took off ahead of us as we began the climb up Lone Mt. We met up with them again on the other side at Sapulding Mt. Lean-to.        The climb up Spaulding Mt. was relatively easy, since we didn¢t even go to the summit. Then it was up and down till we reached the trail up Sugarloaf Mt. Along the way, we stopped at the plaque commemorating the completion of the final link in the AT in 1937. It is also just past the 200 mile mark to Katahdin. As we approached the plaque, the Team Party, who were ahead of us, had stopped and cheered and clapped for us. So, we¢re now on the 200 mile countdown.        When we left, the other four planned to try and hitch into town on a back road for hot dogs and beer. Blue and I decided to hike up to the top of Sugarloaf Mt. where there is a building open for hikers. It was a tough 0.6 mile climb and the first time I¢ve hiked that far off the trail to a shelter. You are supposed to be able to see both Mt. Washington and Katahdin from here. We could pick out Mt. Washington but weRe not sure about Katahdin, although we saw a couple of big peaks way off in the distance.        There are windows all around the building with incredible views. The wind is howling outside and rattling a heater vent, but there is a light, a microwave and radio inside for hikers to use. Neat place. Just hope I can
Date: 2004-09-20
From: Sugarloaf Mt.

To: Maine Rte 27 Stratton 
Miles today: 10.6

9/21/04   Day 24Start: Sugarloaf Mt. @ 8:30. Stop: Maine Rte 27 Stratton @ 3:30Mileage on trail: 10.6; cum. 254.6. Off trail: 0.6; cum. 9.4Weather: cloudy, coolMajor Landmarks: Crocker Mt.Major Milestones: over 250 miles this section; 187.8 to Katahdin!        The wind howled on Sugarloaf last night, another cold night. But it was good to be inside a building protected from the wind, even if it was cold. The wind caused various parts of the building to bang most of the night, and as the direction changed, whatever was banging changed, making a new sound. At one point, it sounded like people screaming, but there was no one else crazy enough to be up there that night.        It was pretty clouded over when the sun set, so it wasn¢t as spectacular as at Lakes. And by morning, the mountain was completely socked in, although the wind had died down some and it was warmer.        Neither Blue nor I wanted to get out of our sleeping bags. She had wanted to leave by 7:30 to make the post office in Stratton, but we didn¢t get off until about 8:30.        After climbing down the 0.6 mi. to the AT, it was more downhill to the South Branch of the Carrabasset River. Someone had placed a plank over two boulders in the river, so we got across rather easily. On the other side, just before Caribou Valley Rd., Lone Wolf had left a large Styrofoam box of Trail Magic¢cold Pepsi¢s (which I¢ll drink if there are no Cokes) and all kinds of candy. A good time for a break and re-charge before heading up Mt. Crocker.        Caribou Valley Rd. is where Team Party planned to hitch into town last night. We didn¢t see one car to by on the dirt road.        The 2+mile climb up South Crocker (4,040¢) wasn¢t too bad, but the summit was elusive. We did get a view of Sugarloaf on the way up, but when we finally reached the summit, it was in trees. Then it was down 12 mi. and back up another 12 mile to North Crocker (4,228¢). From there, it was a long 5 miles down to the road. On the way down, Blue was wondering where Team Smoke Break was, and within 5 minutes, there was Ketone slack-packing south. The rest of the team was headed north behind us and would pick up a truck at the road.        When we got to the road, we got a hitch immediately and made it to the post office with time to spare. With three big boxes in tow, we headed for the White Wolf Inn, and there was Team Party, drinking beer and playing cards at the picnic table. They had actually gotten a hitch to town, then went back out at 6:00 and night hiked back to town. Looks like they¢ll be partying into the night. How do you get up and hike the morning after a day like that?        Tomorrow we head over the big Bigelows, the last of the 4,000 footers. Hopefully, things will calm down a little after that and we can do more than 10 mi. a day.
Date: 2004-09-23
From: Safford Notch Campsite 

To: Arnold Point, West Carry Pond 
Miles today: 12.9

9/23/04 Day 26Start: Safford Notch Campsite @ 7:45. Stop: Arnold Point, West Carry Pond @ 3:45Mileage on trail: 12.9; cum 277.9. Off trail: 0.5; cum. 10.3Weather: sunny, warm, breezyMajor Landmarks: Little Bigelow Mt., Flagstaff LakeMajor Milestones: Passed the 2,000 mile mark on the AT        I saw my first moose on the AT today. In fact, I saw two. I knew it was a matter of time. I had had breakfast in my tent and we were packing up, getting ready to leave the campsite. Blue was sitting on the tent platform eating a Poptart and I was putting stuff in my pack when she said, ¢Hey, Dude. Look!¢ And sure enough, there was a bull moose, full rack, ambling sort of toward our campsite. He finally saw us, stopped and looked. We got our cameras ready, but he eventually moved off up the trail. We looked for him as we left the campsite, but we didn¢t see him again. We did see another bull later in the day around Bog Brook Road.        Our first climb of the day was up onto Little Bigelow. Once up there, we followed the narrow top of its ridge-line for about 1 12 miles with several nice viewpoints back to the bigger Bigelows and across to Sugarloaf. When we reached the East end of the ridge, we took a break and basked in the knowledge that we were at mile 1,999.9. A short distance before that, Blue noticed that someone had written on the trail with spruce boughs, ¢2,000!¢.        We headed down the long downhill to Flagstaff Lake with many beautiful views of this huge lake. The lake was formed when Maine Power dammed up the Dead River and covered the village of Flagstaff with water. The name for the village, and hence the lake, came from Benedict Arnold¢s encampment here during the Revolutionary War when the Flagstaff gave name to a new community. More on that tomorrow.        After crossing a couple of gravel roads, we came to Long Falls Dam Road where they have painted in the middle of the road, ¢2,000 miles¢. It¢s a little beyond the actual 2,000 mile mark now with the additions to the trail further south, but we both laid down in the middle of the road and took pictures of each other to mark the occasion.        The final climb was over Roundtop Mountain, then down to beautiful West Carry Pond where we stopped to read the register at the lean-to. Then we decided to move on to Arnold Point, a small spit of land jutting out into the pond, where we found a nice campsite. This also puts us a little bit closer to the Kennebec River where we have to catch the ferry between 2-4 tomorrow.        About 165 miles to go in the countdown
Date: 2004-09-25
From: Rte 201, Caratunk 

To: Bald Mt. Brook Campsite 
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

9/25/04 Day 28Start: Rte 201 Caratunk @ 9:15. Stop: Bald Mt. Brook Campsite @ 5:00Mileage on trail: 14.7; cum. 305.9. Off trail: 0.5; cum. 11.2Weather: foggy, sunny, becoming cloudy and rainy, warm.Major Landmarks: Pleasant Pond and Pleasant Pond MountainMajor Milestones: Completed over 300 miles this section, 136 miles to go. Four weeks on the trailThere were a bunch of hikers at Northern Outdoors last night, many of whom I hadn¢t met but whose shelter register entries I had read¢Coyote, Jester, Sunshine, Tripod, Sanguine and couple others whose names I forget. So there were a lot of reunions and stories around food, bears and the Red Sox game. I went to bed fairly early, not being able to stay up for the end of the Sox game, and others followed fairly soon.In the morning we all went down for the buffet breakfast¢sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, home-fries, muffins, yogurt, fruit and 3 tall glasses of o.j. Pretty soon the whole place was crawling with people who were arriving for white water rafting. There is to be a large water release from the dam today, so there will be a lot of rafts heading down the river. Team Smoke Break hooked up with Bill, our ferry operator, to take a ride, so they planned to hike just the five miles to the first shelter in the afternoon, after their trip.Blue and I decided to head out with plans to hike 14 miles to the second shelter. With all the people registering for raft trips, the center couldn¢t shuttle us back to the trail and we didn¢t have any luck hitching, but soon one of the Northern Outdoors vans came along and picked us up.The 5.6 miles to Pleasant Pond Lean-to were pretty easy and we met Doc Narly and Matt there. Along the way, we also met Two Dogs F_ _king, a 65 year old section hiker with an unusual trail name. He only uses the first two words in his register entries.From the shelter, we had our biggest climb of the day up Pleasant Pond Mountain, an 1,100¢ climb in 1.1 miles. After that, it was a long five miles down the ridge to Moxie Pond. Then after a break, we did the final 2 12 miles to the campsite. We dropped our packs at the campsite and walked up to the lean-to because we heard that One Thing was only a mile ahead of us and we hoped to see him. And sure enough, he was there and seemed to be doing well. He has talked with K-Bear and exchanged his large tent for his hammock and plans to hike the 22 miles into Monson tomorrow. Even though it¢s pretty flat after Moxie Bald, that¢s a bit more than I plan to do.As soon as we got our tents up, Matt arrived and set up his and then Doc Narly came in. And as we began to cook, it began to rain. We managed to get our meals cooked and food bags hung (Matt said he had seen a bear nearby), but I ended up eating in my tent as the rain and thunder intensified. Hopefully, it¢s just a passing storm and things will dry out tomorrow.        136 miles in the Katahdin Kountdown!