morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-21
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

I'm getting close! Beautiful weather today and a great hike. First we hiked 3.5 miles to Abdol Bridge and Julie was waiting for us there. We had some lunch, took some pictures, then put all but my pack in the car. I unloaded most of the gear from my pack, and we hiked the last 9.9 miles-- taking turns carrying my, now, very light pack. The trail between Abol Bridge and Katahdin Stream Campground was great. We followed several different streams with some neat waterfalls. We took breaks at Nesowadnehunk Falls and Big Niagara Falls. Widowmaker, Breadless Horseman, and Mystery Chicken were also at Big Niagara. They will summit tomorrow as well. I checked in at the ranger station at the base of Katahdin, and I'm the 97th thru-hiker to sign in to summit. Julie picked us up in the campground, and we're staying at the AT Lodge in Millinocket tonight. Tomorrow morning we climb Mt Katahdin and bring this journey to its end!Note from Twofer's wife:If the family of any other thru-hikers are looking for a place to stay in Millinocket, let me suggest the AT Lodge! Millinocket is the closest town to Katahdin and a great place to 'headquarter' in support of a loved one's summit and trip home. Owners of the AT Lodge, Jaime and Paul are very welcoming and knowledgeable about the trail. Their rustic "apartment" gives you room to spread out and has an authentic 'AT feel' about it, as other hikers stay in boarding rooms or the bunkhouse. Paul will shuttle in and out of Baxter State Park (where Katahdin sits), and either will provide great directions to places around the area. They own the Appalachian Trail Cafe, too. A good place to eat-- with ample portions for your through hiker! AND the waitress hardly chuckled when Twofer responded exuberantly, "YES, I AM !" to the question, "Are you thinking about desert?" (Shaggy, Knobs and I, however, laughed right out loud. :-)
Date: 2007-08-22
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Summit, Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a great ending to an amazing journey. Julie drove us to the trail and we started up about 7:15am. The first part of the trail was nice but soon got steep. After we got above tree line, we got into the boulder scramble/rock climbing. There were two very steep sections, but at the top of the second one we reached the Tablelands and the trail from there on up was fairly easy. We reached the summit 4 hours after starting. I am now a thru-hiker; I made it! My kids gave me hugs, and we took a lot of photos. The views were fantastic. I placed the small stone that I had carried from Springer Mt on the carin at the summit. Breadless Horseman, Mystery Chicken, and Widowmaker soon arrived and had a good celebration. Breadless Horseman brought a bottle of champagne that he shared among us thru-hikers. We were on the summit an hour then headed down. I'd still rather do a steep up than a steep down. It took us 4 hours and 20 minutes to get down. We did take more pictures on the way down. Julie and I had a long hug when the kids and I got down. I'm still not sure its set it that I'm done-- but I do know that this time there will be no sad goodbyes, I'm going home!
Date: 2007-08-24
To: Going Home
Miles today: 0.0

I think it's finally starting to sink in that I'm really done. I'm currently sitting in the Bangor Airport, waiting for our flight home. We didn't do much of anything yesterday but rest, eat, and get organized for today.Today we drove thru Acadia National Park before coming to the airport.I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to attempt this hike and amazingly lucky to have been able to complete it. Special thanks to my wife, Julie, for all her love and support. Thanks to all my family and friends for the amazing support. Also thanks to those that hiked with me, Falling Rock, Knobs, Shaggy, Brewmaster, Butch & Sundance, Just Rick, Quiet Paul, Retro, Gray Wolf, Cracker, and Many Names. All the other hikers that I met along the way won't be forgotten either.The support that I've gotten through this website has been overwhelming and played a large part in keeping me motivated to keep going.Now I'm heading home to rest for awhile. Then I have a ton of thank yous to send out. After that, I'll have to start thinking about getting back to the "real" world.
Date: 2007-09-06
To: Post Hike #2
Miles today: 0.0

It's been a couple weeks since I've finished my hike and I'm still being fairly lazy. I've been taking a few short walks and have been to the Y to lift weights. My feet are still a little sore if I walk barefoot and my knees stiffen up if I sit in one position for too long.Last Wednesday I went to Truman State where my son and Dr Mayhew put me through the post hike VO2 max test. The numbers all improved and when I get the report I'll post the results here. I lost 20 lbs during the hike and haven't put any back on yet. I also had blood work done again and my cholesterol is much better. My overall cholesterol went from 227 to 192, my HDL(the good stuff) went from 40 to 54, and my LDL(the bad stuff) went from 172 to 126. My diet of Snickers and M&M peanuts worked! Actually I plan to modify my diet from before the hike to keep these improvements.I still haven't shaved but the consensus at the family gathering on Sunday was that I need to. I had a call from Ladybug last week and Natural High is back on the trail after they were off to attend some weddings. She also told me that Natural High proposed to her on the trail, so they are now officially engaged! Congratulations to them!!Wildlife update: I have seen no black bear, rattle snakes, or moose in the last two weeks!
Date: 2007-10-18
To: Test Results
Miles today: 0.0

Here are some of the results of my pre and post hike physical tests.Pre hike weight - 176.8 lbsPost hike weight - 158.5 lbsPre hike body fat - 18.7%Post hike body fat - 14.1%That's a 24.5% improvement.Pre hike VO2 max - 31.4 ml/kg/minPost hike VO2 max - 39.9 ml/kg/minThat's a 27% improvement.The other big improvement was in my cholesterol which I mentioned earlier. I heard a news story yesterday talking about the ratio of bad to good cholesterol. Anything under 4 is pretty good. My pre hike ratio was 4.3 and my post hike ratio was 2.3I really haven't put much weight back on yet so this past week I bought a pair of 30" waist pants. We'll see how long I'm able to wear them!
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

NEW! Video up on YouTubeCheck it out:CLICK THIS LINKWe completed the hike on December 12. The latest journal entries are now all posted. It took us 155 days to complete the trail (July 10-December 12), just over 5 months. We averaged 13.9 miles per day. Of the 155 nights, we spent 87 in shelters, 33 in a tent, and the rest in various places ranging from huts to communes to monastaries to motels. We hitched 25 different times on the trail. Keisha never drove a vehicle during the entire trip. I went to 2 walmarts. We went to numerous grocery stores and signed up for about a half a dozen of cards(ex: Food Lion MVP card). We took 59 baths/showers total; as in between the two of us. Which is less than 1 per 5 days. Out of 155 days of hiking, we took 5 true zero days. We took 8 1-5 mile days, or 'near-o' days. For the rest of the days: 24 days we went 5-10 miles, 43 days we went 10-15 miles (most at the beginning), 58 days we're between 15-20 miles, and 18 days we went 20 plus miles. The most miles we put in in one day was 24.3 on the first of December and then 24.2 on the sixth of September. This journal is my account of the trail. It is an abridged, mostly accurate, fairly unbiased, overview of the trip from my perspective. It does not go into great detail and, unfortunately, due to the innocence of the people involved, many stories had to be ommitted from my writing or atleast not explained in great detail. There is nothing eloquent about the writing, but it does give some justice to our experiences on the trail. I tried to write it each night while I was on the trail. If I missed a day, I would try to make it up on a subsequent day. I would then periodically send the pages home where they would be typed on this website by my parents. Keisha wrote (atleast for the first few months, until her hands got too cold to write) a more opinionated (and perhaps more accurate) journal of her own, but it is not currently online(due to some of its content). Enjoy.ok, bye.This is the link to my PCT page: trailjournals.com/tylerkohnspct
Date: 2007-07-11
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Hurd Brook lean-to
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 2!!!7/11/2007 6:45pm   The first day with the pack. 13.4 miles and 54 pounds. Day consisted of passing by lots of big lakes and rivers, swatting at mosquitoes, leaving Baxter State Park, seeing Big Niagra Falls (not THE Niagra falls), meeting William (another thru hiker) and entering the 100 mile wilderness. Not a bad day. I got quite sore for one strech, but not really bad. Need some rest. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Hurd brook lean-to

To: Rainbow Stream lean-to
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Wet and Heavy!!!7/12/2007 8:24pm   It rained last night. Our tent and sleeping bags and the clothes we hung up to air out were soaked. We hiked for only a couple hours in the morning until we found a nice open area where we could lay out all our stuff and let the sun do its work. After a couple hours everything was dry and our pack weight lessened to become bearable. Just by drying all our stuff we must have reduced our load at least 5 pounds each. Most of the hike was along Rainbow Lake. We stoped shortly at Rainbow Spring. We also went to see Rainbow Dam where we said one last good-bye to Mount Katahdin which stood in the distance. We are now in our tent set up next to Rainbow Stream lean-to and are about ready to go to bed. Oh yeah, the mesquitoes are terrible!! OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-13
From: Rainbow Stream lean-to

To: PotaywadjoSpring lean-to
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Long!!! 7/13/2007 8:04pm   Over 18 miles today. My shoulders and back are so sore. Saw Mount Katahdin for what I think will be the last time. Not much else happened. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-15
From: East Branch lean-to

To: Logan Brook lean-to
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Rain and Cold!!!7/16/2007 8:00am   Yesterday was not good. It rained all that night and throughout the morning. We got a late start and didn't end up leaving till after 11:30. When we did leave, it was constant rain the whole way. I got to the next lean-to (3.6 miles away) and waited for Keisha. It was a pretty decent climb up (1200ft. to 2400ft.) It took Keisha a long time and by the time she did make it I had already decided to go back and look for her. She had given out on the trail not to far from the lean-to. We just stayed put for the rest of the day. We were going to go to the next lean-to (8 miles away) but that never happened. Keisha is feeling sick and has problems with her tendons in both ankles. I hope we can make better progress today. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-16
From: Logan Brook lean-to

To: Foot of Chairback Mountain
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Up and Down the Mountains!!!7/17/2007 7:30am   Yesterday was not bad, but not too awfully good. We climbed at least 3 (maybe 4) official mountains. Whitecap was our first and it had a real nice view. The other ones, not at all. What they call mountains here are really just hills, but good sized hills. They don't have ridges like a mountain range, just peaks. The trail heads straight up a mountain (no switchbacks, straight up), hits the very top then heads straight back down to the valley, then immediately straight up another mountain. It was up and down all day. We were going to go up Chairback Mountain yesterday, but Keisha was not making a very good pace and it got dark. Now we are camped in the valley at the foot of it. We did go 15 miles yesterday, 2 shy of the 17 we were hoping for. I wanted to get an early start this morning and maybe even see the sunrise from the top of Chairback Mountain (only about .5 miles away), but Keisha seems like she is sleeping good (which is a rarity) so I'm going to just let her sleep. Today looks promising weather-wise. I pray we can go a good distance. We both just want to get to Monson so bad. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-17
From: near Chairback Mountain 

To: White Cloud lean-to
Miles today: 9.0

Murder!!!7/17/2007 7:30pmPUDs (Pointless Ups and Downs) There are so many of them. In fact that is just about what the entire trail has become. We went about 9 miles today. And they were hard! I bruised the back of my calf pretty bad falling over a log. I got a little scraped up too. It was a rough day , but we finally made it to White Cloud lean-to. I was praying that there would either be no one here or that the people here would be good. God answered. Two NoBoers (north bounders) section hikers who just went to bed real early. They also gave us a desperately needed scrub to clean our water filter (which I had lost). We hadn't been able to use the filter because we couldn't clean it and had been having to use iodine tablets (which were starting to run thin) God is good! OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-18
From: White Cloud Pond lean-to

To: Wilson Valley lean-to
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

Soaked!!!7/18/2007 6:24pm   Went just over 8 miles today. It has been a constant drizzle with very little let up all day. My body was drenched but after the last few agonizing miles, we made it to a shelter. We've gotten warm and had something to eat by now. We will be heading into Monson tomrrow after 10 or so more miles of hiking. I am so ready to stuff my face with food and get a hot shower. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Wilson Valley lean-to

To: Monson - Shaw's Lodging
Miles today: 13.7

Monson!!!!7/19/2007 7:17pm   So we are currently in Monson right now after 10.4 miles to get to the road. Then another mile hiking the road, trying to get a ride into town, finally a guy finally picked us up and brought us to Shaw's Lodging. We bought a room here for $43 for the both of us and $6.50 each for all you can eat breakfast in the morning. Monson is small. Actually it is practically non-existant. We got here just before 4:00 and ran to get our mail right before the post office closed. We went back out to check out the rest of the town and there really was no rest of the town. It has a post office, a general store, a gas station (which also serves as a store and a restaurant), a building which is their Library and town hall and fire department, a laundromat which is also another lodging place and Shaw's lodging. Oh, yes and also a BBQ place that apparently is not friendly toward hikers. And that is it, except for a couple antique shops and a church and a school. I'd say right around half of the houses located on Main Street are vacant and for sale. The only reason this place is alive is that every single hiker doing the trail has to stop here to resupply. but, anyway, we have hit our first major checkpoint and I am happy. I've had a shower and am about ready to fall asleep in this bed. This might be my first good sleep of the trip. And tomorrow breakfast might be my first good meal. This is a well needed rest for me. We still don't know if or when we'll head out tomorrow. We'll have to see how we feel. But right now I need some sleep. So OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-20
From: Monson - Shaw's Lodging

To: Horse Canyon lean-to
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: light rain

On the trail again today!07/20/2007 8:02pm - Stayed at Shaw's last night. Sleep was amazing. Breakfast at 7:30 this morning. They sat you down at a table and asked you "how many?" I said 3 (mainly because that's what the guy sitting beside me had said) and had my eggs done scrambled. They brought out a steaming plate with 3 eggs (scrambled), 3 pieces of french toast, 3 sausage links, 3 pieces of bacon and a heap of grilled potatoes. I finished that and asked for 2 more, then another 2. In total I ate 7 eggs and 7 of everything else, not to mention a gallon of orange juice between this morning and last night (we had bought some from the store.) I am starting to think that was the most I've eaten at a time. After breakfast we packed our room and moved our stuff to the lounge room cause we had to get our stuff out of the room. We went to the post office to send our letters, then to the library where we could access the internet. We hung around Shaw's and Monson till around one o'clock when some lady (June, I think) drove us to the trailhead. We hiked five miles to a lean-to where we are spending the night. Mary and Emily (2 UNC SOBO girls we met) were staying in Monson and, after 3 days in town William moved on ahead of us again. We might not see any of them again, but I got a feeling we'll be seeing William. Well that's all for now. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-21
From: Horse Canyon lean-to

To: Bald Mountain Brook lean-to
Miles today: 13.0

MUD!!!07/21/2007 6:30pm   Not a bad day. Actually, quite a good day. We went 13 miles. the first nine were very flat which is something we don't see often. The last 4 were up and down Moxie Bald Mountain (2630 ft.) Not the worse climb except that for half of the trail it felt like we were walking through a river of mud-swamp. Nearing the summit (a couple hundred feet to go) we got to a section of the path where the mud was unavoidable. There was no way around it and no way to jump over this mudpit. Despite our best efforts, both Keisha and I fell victim to mud up to our knees. The view on top was not bad, but we were eager to get clean in the river that runs next to Bald Mountain Brook lean-to, where we will be staying the night. My hand is starting to feel better (I bruised/broke/scraped it up yesterday when I fell), but Keisha still has to care for me somewhat. Well, that is all for now. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-22
From: Bald Mountain brook lean-to

To: Pleasant Pond lean-to
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Pleasant!!!07/22/2007 6:57pm   9 miles, one mountain today. A pretty easy day. Got to the lean-to early and enjoyed a quick swim in Pleasant Pond (the first lake that we've passed that actually has houses.) We are trying to rest up for a 20 mile day tomorrow. We have to wake up early in the morning to be sure to catch the ferry so we will probably be going to bed soon. We have our lean-to to ourseves for the third straight night and are wondering when we are going to be hitting the north bounders. Nothing else to report. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-23
From: Pleasant Pond lean-to

To: Harrison's Pierce Pond Camps
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Fordin' by Ferrying!!!07/23/2007 6:53pm   We left a 7 o'clock this morning and hiked 6 miles to the Kennebeck River. We had to get there between 9 and 11 because that is when the ferry is operating (you must us the ferry to cross.) When it said there would be a "ferry", I was not quite expecting a guy waiting around with a canoe, but that's what we got. After we got canoed across, we were only able to do a little over 3 miles because of my bum knee. We are signed up for breakfast at Harrison's camp in the morning. 12 pancakes. Should be good. OK bye.
Date: 2007-07-24
From: Harrison's Pierce Pond camp

To: Little Bigelow lean-to
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Bon Jour!!!07/25/2007 9:20am   Yesterday we stayed at Pierce Pond. We left yesterday morning after a very good pancake breakfast at Harrison's. We arrived at the next lean-to (10 miles away) at around 3:00 in the afternoon. there we said good bye to Daniel 'Greenflash'(he kept hiking). We eventually decided to go one more lean-to down (7 miles) and had to say good bye to Jenn and Micah. They were good people. We ended up having to hike in the dark because it got too late on us. For the last mile we both had to hike using 1 head light in order to find the lean-to. It was not easy, but we made it. When we got here, there were two Canadian ladies who were talking, but they talked French. So we went to bed around 10 o'clock last night listening to French and woke up listening to French. We are going up Mt. Bigelow today. O'uwa'. OK bye.
Date: 2007-07-25
From: Little Bigelow lean-to

To: Avery Memorial campsite
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

Destination: Elevation!!!07/25/2007   7:24pm   We are staying at Avery Memorial campsite at an elevation of 3,800 ft. This is the highest we have spent the night so far. Keisha is freezing despite it not being that cold at all. We went up Little Bigelow Mountain this morning and from that point we had 1,999.9 milesleft to go. Under 2,000 left. Yay! This afternoon we hiked up to Avery Peak (4,200ft.), the highest we've been since Katahdin. We'll hit Stratton in 2 days, which I'm pretty stoked about. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-26
From: Avery Memorial Campsite

To: Cranberry Stream campsite
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: clear sky

Goin' to Stratton!!!07/26/2007   6:35pm   Conquered the Bigelows! WE started the hike by climbing West Peak with an elevation of 4145' (Avery Peak was really only 4088'), and it was windy. Spent some time relaxing at Horns Pond and then back down the mountain and are at Cranberry Stream campsite. 6.1 miles today and we are about 2 miles from the road that hits Stratton. Hope to be in Stratton by around 9:30 tomorrow morning and spend the day and tomorrow night there. We had some time to kill this afternoon and I had to beat Keisha in a rousing game of triple Yahtzee. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-27
From: Cranberry Stream campsite

To: Stratton
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Stratton Motel!!! 07/27/2007 8:27   2 miles and we were in Stratton by 9. Got a hitch, picked up mail, checked into Stratton motel, bought food, ate breakfast, then lunch, then relaxed, pizza for dinner, now I'm stuffed, am writing this, am probably gonna make some phone calls, go to bed, wake up and hike in the morning. I like Stratton. It is more alive than Monson. A nice grocery, several restaurants, several inns: a good town. I don't really feel up for hiking tomorrow, but I guess I gotta go at it regardless. OK, bye.
Date: 2007-07-28
From: Stratton

To: Spaulding Mountain lean-to
Miles today: 13.5

Sugar!!!7/28/2007   9:16pm After a good nights sleep, we were ready to go this morning. Keisha made an egg breakfast and we loaded up on all the sugar and calories our bodies could handle before hitting the trail. Full of energy, we trekked 13 miles over 4 mountains, the hardest being Sugarloaf. I saw a fisher while I was walking. Unique animal. I'd never even heard of it before. We managed to somehow evade the threatening scattered thunderstorms and arrive safely at our lean-to where we spent a good deal of time talking to two fellow SOBOers. We are about to go to bed now and see what tomorrow brings us. OK, bye
Date: 2007-07-30
From: Spaulding Mountain lean-to

To: Popular ridge lean-to
Miles today: 8.0

Another Day!!!7/30/2007 5:00pm   I have skipped yesterday in my writing. This is on purpose. But as for today, we are staying at Poplar Ridge. We are 21 miles from Stratton and 11 from Rangeley. We are starting to get talked in to going to Rangeley because we hear it is a nice town and my foot is crippling me. OK, bye
Date: 2007-07-31
From: Popular Ridge lean-to

To: Piazza rock lean-to
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Saddleback!!!7/31/2007 8:34pm   Last day of July! 1/10th of the way done! We went up and down Saddleback and the Horn for 9 miles today. Staying at Piazza Rock lean-to tonight. Lots of people here, mostly camping. Got a little trail magic in the form of food tonight. Going to Rangeley in the morning. Got convinced last night by a guy named Hoosier (a NOBOer we stayed with) that it was a really good town. So we are going to take a zero and check out the town and also give a little opportunity for my foot to heal. Going to bed for now. Good night OK, bye