morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-06-14
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin Cabins of Millinocket
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept pretty well last night, the bugs didn't bother me much at all. Today we hiked "Big K". We got started at 8:30, a little later than we wanted to. We picked up a couple of day packs from the Ranger Station. Ryan's pack was really stinky. I think a NOBO must have worn it the day before. Momma and Daddy hiked the first mile with us. It's good they turned around when they did. The trail got pretty steep and rugged. It ended up being a little more like a rock scramble than a hike. I really had no idea it would be that hard. When we got to the table land the wind was blowing so hard and cold. I left my gloves in the car. The view was absolutely amazing! It really turned into a beautiful day. The last few days we've been up in Maine it was rainy and over cast all day. We finally got to the top after over 5 hours of hiking! The guy that took our picture with the sign must not have realized we wanted out picture with the sign since he took it at a horrible angle. Oh well, we know we were there. I over heard a girl say her thermometer said it was 38 degress up there! Going down was harder than going up, the knees really want to cooperate. I ended up sliding down most of the rocks on my booty. Ryan also helped me get down alot. The hike took us about 1.5 hrs longer than we thought it would, finishing at 6 pm. Momma came running about 50 yards up the trail to meet us like a crazy woman. I think she lost her mind. We ate dinner at some hiker cafe, I had cheese fries and blueberry pie. We stayed at some cute little cabins (storage sheds) in Millinocket. Daddy built a raging fire and we all chilled out for the evening.-Beka
Date: 2011-06-15
From: Katahdin Cabins of Millinocket

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today we got started a bit late. I wasn¢t really in a hurry to get out of bed, especially since I knew it was the last bed I¢d sleep in till Monson. We finally headed to Baxter and got started on the trail a little after noon. We saw 2 Moose while driving around the park. Momma and Daddy hiked the first couple of miles with us. The trail was nice and easy. We walked through our first bog. It was pretty neat with wooden planks to walk on. My parents insisted on us slack packing, so they took our packs to Abol Bridge Campground for us. At first I kinda wanted to take my own pack, but at the end of the day I was happy that I hadn¢t carried it all day. Ryan is getting a little blister on his foot, so we decided to stay at Abol Bridge for the night. There was a beautiful view of Katahdin from the bridge. We were able to clean up a bit and rinse out our clothes in the sink. We then dried our clothes over our fire with a stick.-Beka
Date: 2011-06-16
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: Rainbow Lake Campsite
Miles today: 11.4

Today we started the infamous "100 mile wilderness". We left Abol Bridge at 7:45 and got to camp around 4:30. we climbed up Rainbow Ledges for a nice view of Katahdin. This was our first climb since Katahdin, but the elevation was only 1512 ft. It felt like more. Plus this was our first day with our packs. My parents slacked our packs to the campground for us yesterday. Just as we were getting to camp it started thundering and raining. It was kinda depressing being out in the rain, but it soon cleared up a bit. We went down to the lake to get cleaned up a bit and get water for dinner. Soon after we got back from the lake we heard a couple of boats drive up to where we just were. That's when I realized the "wilderness" was really only wilderness for us, not for everyone else, and no more bathing in lakes! Close call! We cooked our dinner over the fire we started with wet wood (we are learning). The soup we ate smelled like feet and wasn't very edible. Plus my appetite is super low right now, I think my body is in shock.-Beka
Date: 2011-06-17
From: Rainbow Lake Campsite

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a pretty tough day. We climbed Nesuntabunt Mountain, elevation 1520 ft. Ryan was pretty dehydrated and we were both hurting. It was a pretty discouraging day. I kept repeating over and over in my head what my friend Peyton said to me, "never stop when going up hill, just walk slower". When we got to the lean-to Ryan was pale and looking very sick. He felt a little better after drinking some more water and eating some soup (not smelly feet soup). We finally met some other hikers today. There were 6 other SOBOs at the lean-to tonight. I don't really remember all their names but one was from Lookout Mountain, GA and went to McCallie. There was a guy Nunchuks, Shirtless and 2 Army Rangers. The other guy was from CA and I think he said he did the PCT.-Beka
Date: 2011-06-18
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

Today was a nice flat day, but it rained most of the morning. Most of the guys who camped with us last night camped with us again tonight. When we got to camp around 4pm the Rangers were already in their tent for the night. We met a NOBO, SOLO. He was pretty cool and gave us some nice tips for the Whites. Two "travelers" camped with us also. "Spider" is super skinny, but was carrying a super huge pack, it had to weigh 70 - 80 lbs. He had dread locks and super baggy patch work jeans that were soaked and swaying to and fro as he walked. He had a pretty black dog with him, named yucky dog. He told us stories about jumping trains and living off the streets. He had a story about everyone's home town. The guy he was with was "One Arm Jack" and yes he only had 1 arm. He got struck by lightening a few years ago. Crazy! He was really tough though. I couldn't imagine trying to carry a pack through the woods with only 1 arm. He also found the best fire wood, even after all the other guys spent a good 45 min looking around earlier. There were 2 gigantic spiders that lived in the lean-to. I named them Shelob and Helob. I have blisters all over both of my feet. -Beka
Date: 2011-06-19
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a nice flat day. We probably could have hiked farther, but my blisters are getting pretty bad. I¢ve always been told to NEVER drain a blister, but camp consensus is to drain and apply duct tape. I¢m definitely open for suggestions. I guess we¢ll see how they are in the morning. We saw 5 snakes while hiking today. People keep telling me there are no poisonous snakes or spiders in Maine, hopefully that is true. We ate lunch (granola bars and summer sausage) at Jo Mary Road and called our Dad¢s for Father¢s Day, sounds like everyone is having fun at home. I¢m really missing my family and friends. We took a break at Antler¢s Campsite this morning. Let me just say, that was the nicest privy I have seen yet. It was just built and still smelled of freshly cut pine. It sure beats the woods! We stayed at Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to tonight. It was definitely a very nice lean-to with a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole right out front. If it weren¢t so chilly out I would have wanted to go for a swim. We met a couple more SOBOs tonight, Frosty and Big Red. We also met an interesting NOBO, Trail Blazer. He got his name by blazing a trail through the snow in the Smokies that everyone behind him followed. -Beka
Date: 2011-06-20
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Logan Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a pretty good day. My blisters aren¢t hurting to bad, it seems like it was a good idea to go ahead and drain them. We climbed Little Boardman Mountain, elevation 2028 ft. This was our highest mountain since Katahdin, but seemed to be the easiest so far. I think we are more hydrated and maybe already getting a little stronger. We got to camp (Logan Brook Lean-to) last, like always (we also left camp last, like always). We had to set up our tent in a kinda wet and muddy spot. That¢s why we bought a foot print for our tent, so it wasn¢t too bad. We had to ford the Pleasant River today. Ryan almost completely wiped out. His pack slightly dipped in the river. Somehow he was able to stand up and keep from getting soaked. He carried my pack across for me. What a sweet husband I have. -Beka
Date: 2011-06-21
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Carl A. newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was the best day we¢ve had on the trail yet, probably because we hiked the least amount of miles yet. We¢ve been hearing about White cap Mountain and how hard the climb up and down would be, so we planned a short day. White Cap Mountain was hard, but also extremely beautiful and exciting. The elevation is 3530 ft. I¢m not sure if it actually went above tree line or if the top was just bald, either way the view was phenomenal. After the peak of White Cap we followed a ridge and peaked Hay Mountain (3243 ft), West Peak (3137 ft), and Gulf Hagas Mountain (2697 ft). We got to Carl A. Newhall Lean-to around 3 pm. Ryan really had a problem with getting to camp so early, but I didn¢t. The next official camp was another 9.9 miles away. We got to hang out with Frosty and met some new SOBOs. Mike for Maryland, Dragonfly (with her Dad and brother), Purple and Carnivore. It¢s supposed to rain so we¢re trying our first night in a lean-to since Katahdin Stream. We are going to try for a long day tomorrow, se we¢re going to try to get started pretty early.-Beka
Date: 2011-06-22
From: Carl A. newhall Lean-to

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was an extremely long and difficult day. We got started early knowing we had a long day ahead. We started out heading the rest of the way down White Cap Mountain, which was pretty nice trail. We walked through Gulf Hagas and forded the west branch of Pleasant River. After the ford we started heading up Chairback Mountain. The climb wasn't to steep but definitely made me sweat. We passed up a group of boyscouts that were heading to the lean-to (all the more reason to press on for a long day). When we got close to the top of Chairback the trail turned into a boulder climb. It was fun just super slow going and exhausting. The view from the top was amazing. After Chairback Mountain we climbed Columbus Mountian, which I really don't remember that much. The third and fourth mountains of the day were Third and Fourth Mountain, which definitely need proper names. By the time we got up Third I was ready to call the whole thing quits. The trail was steep and rugged and I was tired. I was thinking of ways I would try to get home once we got to Monson. We met a cocky NOBO on the way down Third who told us the entire AT was this hard and basically tried to pull us down farther than we already were. I know the whole AT is hard, but it's not what you want to hear when you're having an indecisive moment. After Fourth Mountain we crossed over Fourth Mountain Bog which was full of carniverous plants. This did help our moods, also we were getting close to our destination. Our final climb for the day was mostly up Barren Mountain, then 0.4 miles off the trail to the lean-to. We decided to go ahead and stay in the lean-to because we were so tired and it was almost dark.We met many more thru hikers, both NOBOs and SOBOs. At the end of the day I was feeling much better and pretty much decided to no longer try to go home in Monson. -Beka
Date: 2011-06-23
From: Cloud Pond Lean-to

To: Little Wilson Stream Campsite
Miles today: 12.7

After a long hard day yesterday, we set out to have an easy day today, but actually felt pretty good so we went farther than expected. The weather was a bit depressing, overcast and cool all day, but thankfully no rain. We walked and talked with Dragonfly and her family today after all of us got a late start from Cloud Pond. On our way out of camp we saw a day hiker who apparently decided he had too much weight and just left a huge pile of trash and unneeded gear behind. We also met a couple of section hikers going south with us who had planned a 4-day hike north of Monson but had turned around because it was too hard... made us feel better after yesterday. We finished the hike up Barren Mtn and met a really cool trail maintainer and his crew, chatted with them for a bit, sounds like the perfect job (except it's volunteer). We all got to Wilson Valley Lean-to (about 9 miles in) fairly early, but were all so ready to reach Monson that we pushed on to the tentsite beside Little Wilson Stream so we would just have a 7-mile hike in to town. Mike strolled into camp as the sun was going down again and camped with us. We'll miss Dragonfly's little brother when he and her dad leave in Monson, he makes some killer fires every night. Beka's knees are killing her and I don't know if my feet have ever ached this much, so we are very excited about taking a day off. I'm feeling good though, because we're actually doing this, and we just knocked out a major obstacle that a lot of people can't get past. I'm anxious to see who we'll run into in Monson.- Ryan
Date: 2011-06-24
From: Little Wilson Stream Campsite

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Mike and Dragonfy and her family took off around 5 this morning to get to Monson in time to make it to Shaw's famous all-you-can-eat breakfast. Beka and I decided we needed the rest more, so we rolled out between 7 and 8 in overcast weather that looked a little worse than yesterday. We were feeling better physically, but I started getting impatient as the morning wore on I was so anxious to get there. We've finished the roughest part of the Wilderness so the hike wasn't too bad at all, and we still passed several beautiful spots. Finally the trail started to get smoother and then we saw the sign for the southern entrance to the Wilderness. A few minutes later we heard the sound of cars on the highway, a sound I've never been so excited to hear. We decided to call the Lakeshore Hostel for a ride and after a short wait a friend of the owner pulled up to give us a complimentary ride to town. It started raining right before we got in the car.It may be a stretch to even call Monson a town: it's tiny. The firehouse, city hall and library are all in one small building. It's very picturesque though, and the people are very friendly and welcoming. As soon as we checked into Lakeshore I jogged down to the general store, bought a 1.5 liter Mountain Dew and had almost finished it by the time I got back. We actually found out when we got there that the proprietor of Lakeshore, Beka, was getting married that day, and she still showed us to our room and made sure we were taken care of! We're sharing a bunkroom with Scout, who we met at Cloud Pond the other day, and a northbounder. Mike, Dragonfly, Big Red and Nunchuks are staying here too, and we saw Two Weeks who we met on Katahdin, named so because all his friends said he wouldn't last 2 weks. After killing a large pizza and relaxing all afternoon we went to the bluegrass jam at the general store, where half of Monson turns out with some kind of instrument. It was awesome, and the people are very welcoming of the hikers. Back at the hostel that night we sat around and listened to a lot of drunk people philosophizing, which got old fast, so we crashed early. We're keeping an eye out for Frosty, Purple and Carnivore.- Ryan
Date: 2011-06-27
From: West Branch of Piscataquis River

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 10.0

Slept well and got a later start this morning, but had a frustrating first hour of hiking. We reached a ford right away, crossed in our crocs, then carefully dried our feet off and re-socked and booted. Not 100 ft down the trail around a curve was another ford, so we had to go through it again. Then we stumbled our way through a rocky bog with really lousy footing and came across ford #3. After that things looked up though, and we had a quick lunch at beautiful Moxie Pond. Near the peak of Moxie Bald we were huffing and puffing, and passed two very "healthy" girls who trucked right by us, which made me try to at least act less exhausted. Getting the 3L bladder in Greenville was a gamechanger, because stopping to pump-filter water 3 and 4 times a day gets very old. Now I only have to pump a lot once a day! We're both still battling aches and fatigue, my feet and Beka's back and knees. We may stop again in Caratunk to get off our feet for a day.-Ryan
Date: 2011-06-28
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice easy day today. It was a long gradual climb up Pleasant Pond Mountain, followed of course by a steep drop down to this shelter (they couldn't make it too easy now). Today was the hottest and most humid on the trail so far, and the 3L bladder saved the day again. We got to the shelter and saw backpacks but no hikers. We decided to head down to Pleasant Pond and check it out, and Nunchuks and Scout were there hanging out. It's a clear beautiful mountain pond with a nice little pier open to hikers. We let our feet relax in the water and had some nice conversation most of the afternoon. Scout's barefoot hiking has apparently cost her: she's got some serious achilles heel issues and she may take a break from the trail to get healed up. Nunchuks told us that Big Red took a bad fall just out of Monson and broke his hand, and he's off the trail. You can be the most hard-core dedicated hiker in the world, and just like that physical issues can end your hike. My right foot has been getting a lot tighter lately, and I feel like it may be plantar fasciitis flaring up again, we'll see. Headed into Caratunk tomorrow to get rested and resupplied.-Ryan
Date: 2011-06-29
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 6.5

After a muggy sleepless night, we dragged out of the shelter a little after 6 once the rain that came in late in the night had abated and we headed for Caratunk. Then about 10 minutes down the trail the sky opened up and we got our first good soaking of the trip so far. It didn't last long though, and we learned something new: you inadvertently go about twice as fast when it's raining. We made it to the road quickly and headed to the post office to get our resupply. Some trail angel had filled the hiker box at the post office with Oreos and cans of Pepsi, awesome surprise. Caratunk is less a town and more a sparsely populated street. We got a ride down the highway to Northern Outdoors, a major rafting place, to get cleaned up and spend the night. They have a really great restaurant, and they have some killer looking rafting trips that we passed up on to just relax. Even got some time in the hot tub!-Ryan
Date: 2011-06-30
From: Caratunk, ME

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Headed back out after a very relaxing stay at Northern Outdoors. As soon as we got back on the trail we came to the Kennebec River, the one river ford on the AT that you're supposed to do by ferry (in this case a canoe). This is one of the rivers that Northern Outdoors (among others) do their rafting on, and the dam opens without warning. Some hiker was fording it back in the 80's and the dam opened up while he was in the middle of the river, and he was killed in the deluge. Since then the ferry is an official part of hiking the AT.Our ferry guide was a guy named Hillbilly Dave, and he and I paddled across while Beka got pictures. Before we crossed, though, we briefly met Snorkel, a really nice girl who is on pace to break the record for the fastest unsupported thru-hike. Also met Red Dane and Missing Link from the REI in Nashville. Across the river the trail was relatively tame and very beautiful throughout the morning. We crossed Pierce Pond over an old wooden dam and had lunch at the lean-to with a great view. The trail got rough in the afternoon though, as we had to pick our way through a bog where the trail was strewn with small & medium sized rocks that were impossible to keep good footing on. The mosquitoes got really bad too, and even the deet wouldn't help. Overcast all day, hoping for some sun tomorrow.-Ryan
Date: 2011-07-01
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Safford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Nice weather today, a lot of bogs early on and we saw a monster leech in a small creek along the way. I've been amazed at how swampy Maine has been. We're headed into the Bigelow Range now, the first significantly tough stretch of Maine. We were going to make it a short day before heading into the Bigelows and stop at Bigelow Lean-to, but it was halfway up Little Bigelow so we decided to just knock out that one before heading for the tougher climbs. Little Bigelow was a long drawn-out climb, but a fantastic view at the top. We wanted to push on to Safford Notch Campsite, but I was paranoid there would be no sign for it or we would miss it, because it was almost half a mile off the trail. We finally found the sign, though, and headed to the campsite, which had been taken over by an all-girls wilderness group. Nice group, but very chatty, and we had to scrounge to find a flat spot to set the tent up. They were having trouble with their Whisperlite stove, the same kind we have, so we loaned them ours; the group leaders snuck us some snickers bars as reward. Avery Peak is literally looming right over us, looks like we have a very vertical climb right away in the morning. Oh, and there's a sign here from last fall that says a black bear is active around here, so we're bear-bagging for the first time. I don't think the girls were happy, because whey they saw us hanging the bag, they all groaned and started bagging up their stuff. Bear-bagging isn't really effective unless everyone does it.-Ryan
Date: 2011-07-02
From: Safford Notch Campsite

To: Cranberry Stream Campsite
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Awesome day today. We got started late (as usual) a little after the girls left, and we caught up with them shortly down the trail. Avery Peak was as steep as it looked, but we cruised up the mountain. We're finding that the peaks that we are the most anxious about are usually not as bad as they look, probably because we're preparing for the worst. A really nice final climb to the peak and an amazing view from the top thanks to perfect weather. There are some kind of funky huge bee-looking things that hang out at the peak that harassed us as we passed. West Peak was just a short walk away, and the view was even better. We heard loud cheers from back on Avery, and looked back to see the girls' group reaching the summit. South Horn was a tough climb, then down to the lean-to's and camping area around Horns Pond. There were 2 big, nice very well maintained lean-to's there. We decided to keep going and finish the Bigelows, and headed down to Cranberry Stream. We met John, the Bigelows' ridgerunner who used to work on the trail in Georgia, really nice guy. He was here to clean the privy, the un-sexy role of the ridgerunners and caretakers. This is the kind of day we've been needing, hopefully we'll have more of these. A 2-mile shot to the road in the morning and on to Stratton tomorrow to rest and resupply. We've been stopping in town too much probably, but I think it's worth it to stay healthy and motivated here in the early going. Hoping to see some familiar faces in town.- Ryan