morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Food is a critical factor when hiking long distances. My experience has been that initially the appetite is suppressed due to excessive exertion. This may occur the first day or two but soon the appetite kicks in. Selecting the right foods for energy is important. You don't want to pack too much, because of the extra weight, nor do you want to pack too little. There's nothing worse than having to hike when you're hungry. Here is a partial list of food that we've purchased for the hike through the 100 mile wilderness: sesame sticks, crunchmaster crackers, powdered drink mix, dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, apricots), lipton's rice and noodle mixes, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, granola bars, cheese crackers, breakfast bars, soup mixes.The last few days has been spent purchasing and packing food.A gear list will be added to this journal site over the coming weekend. We'll also add all the mail drops.Can't wait to begin...
Date: 2013-06-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Trevor's pack is ready, it's loaded with all gear plus 4 days of food and weighs about 28 lbs.Thought I'd share a little information about the trail and the many different ways it is hiked. Many of my posts, at least to start with, will be written for those reading who know very little about the trail. Those who are familiar with these details can skim over these parts.For the southbounder the trail starts on the top of Mt Katahdin, the highest point in Maine. It goes through 14 states and ends on Springer Mountain in north Georgia. The total length is 2,180 miles. The trail has very tough and very steep sections and has easy, level, and smooth sections, as well. If you averaged a little over 2 feet per stride it would take about 5,000,000 steps to complete the entire trail.A section hiker completes the trail over many years by hiking a section at a time. A hiker hiking northbound is called a NOBO (northbounder) and one hiking south is called a SOBO (southbounder). A thru-hiker is one who hikes the entire trail from end to end within a season. A purist thru-hiker will make sure every inch of the trail is hiked. There are no rules for how you hike the trail, each hiker is encouraged to hike their own hike. Trevor is a purist.Blue blazing hikers take short cuts off from the AT on side trails (which are frequently marked with blue blazes) as opposed to the white blazes found along the entire length of the AT. Yellow blazing is catching a ride and skipping past portions of the trail and is a reference to the yellow 'no passing' lines on the roads. Aqua blazing is where you take a canoe or raft rather than the trail and skip the section that runs parallel to the trail. Slack packing is when you hike the trail without a pack. This is done whenever there is transportation available to take you to the trail and to pick you up at the end of the day. The trail typically takes 5 months to complete though it has taken some much longer. The fastest it has been hiked is 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes by Jennifer Pharr Davis in 2011.Trevor's gear list will be posted tomorrow.
Date: 2013-06-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

First, I will attempt to respond to all questions and comments from the guest book. Lonna, for a background on why Trevor is doing this hike, click on the ¢About¢ link on this site. You can also get background on why he chose the trail name ¢Crunchmaster¢ by clicking on the ¢trail name¢ link.In response to ¢anonymous¢, the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservency), the governing agency for the trail, says, ¢A thru-hiker is a hiker or backpacker who has completed or is attempting to walk the entire Appalachian Trail in one uninterrupted journey¢ and ¢A section-hiker completes the A.T. in multiple trips over a period of years.¢ These definitions are better than the ones I gave on the previous post, and if there is an ¢official¢ definition the ATC would be the one to provide it. Readers, for more information on these two types of hikers go to http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-section-hikingFor clarification, I was neither vilifying nor condoning anyone¢s claim to be a thru-hiker who practices blue blazing, yellow blazing, or aqua blazing. Some choose to believe the only way to honestly make the claim to have hiked the entire trail is to have hiked the entire trail, every inch of it.   While this happens to be my way of thinking I¢m not ready to challenge anyone who chooses to believe otherwise. I brought this up to share with the reader what Trevor¢s intentions were regarding this issue and that his decision makes him a ¢purist¢. I would support my son regardless of how he chose to hike. Nevertheless, I am pleased with the choice he has made. This whole idea of a ¢pure¢ thru hike is something created by some hikers, not by the trail or its creators. I was unable to find any ¢official¢ rules regarding this at the ATC site, not that it matters.We¢re appreciative of the services being provided by Phil Pepin, with the 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures and Outfitters, out of Monson, ME. Phil will be providing us shuttle service and food resupply.There are 25 post offices along the trail that Trevor has chosen to visit. The reason he has picked these particular ones is they are either on the trail or very close. He will not be visiting any other post offices, unless to send something out himself. If anyone sends anything please alert him either on his Facebook AT site or in his Trail Journals guest book.Trevor¢s gear list has been posted. There are a few minor items that will be posted later, the bulk of what he is taking is listed.
Date: 2013-07-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I referenced the 25 post offices Trevor will be using along the way but failed to reference the link on this site for "Mail Drops". If you intend to mail anything to Trevor then follow the instructions provided on the mail drop screen. The estimated time of arrival (ETA) at each post office is listed. Be aware that the ETA could change, so just prior to sending something out (give at least a week for delivery to be safe) check the ETA to be sure you have the latest.
Date: 2013-07-02
To: Travel to Maine
Miles today: 0.0

Crunchmaster's post on Facebook moments ago:"We are on our way! The adventure starts right now! We have a 20 hr drive to Monson, ME. Should arrive there around 4 PM. We will spend the night in Monson tomorrow night. We will then get a shuttle to Baxter State Park to climb up Katahdin on Thursday! I will be posting on here every day from here on as long as I have signal."Let the fun begin....20 hours in the car is not the greatest way to start but having two sons to drive will make it easier for me. I'll drive a little on the graveyard shift.Final Pack weights (including food and water): Crunchmaster - 30 lbs, Dirty Moose (Travis) - 28+ lbs, Happy (Tom) - 27 lbs.Weather forecast for summit day:   mostly sunny, high of 89 in the valley (10+ degrees cooler on top), winds WSW at 12 mph, 10% chance of precipitation. Looks good, except a little warmer than I'd like. Low chance of rain all the way through Sunday, with 30% chance on Mon & Tues, then looks higher chance on Wedn and Thursday.
Date: 2013-07-03
To: 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures & Outfitters
Miles today: 0.0

I¢d like to thank Phil Pepin, owner and developer of the 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures & Outfitters (http://100milewilderness.info) for his service in shuttling and for making a food drop. Phil has been an active member of the MATC (Maine Appalachian Trail Club) for nearly 40 years as a trail maintainer, guide, and director/board member. He has recently purchased land near the AT just outside of Monson and has built a bunkhouse, shower house, private cabins. We ended up staying in the office/cabin pictured here.Construction crews were there putting some finishing touches on the buildings and hooking up the electricity. The site will be really nice when it is completed and is only a couple hundred yards from the AT. It will be most convenient for northbound hikers.Phil¢s experience and skills make him an excellent resource for anyone wishing to hike, canoe, fish, or hunt in Maine.
Date: 2013-07-04
From: Mt Katahdin

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 5.2

No entries since 7/3 due to the fact that there has been no internet connection available. Trevor's journal entries on FB will get transferred here once he is able to gain internet access, which is expected no sooner than Friday, 7/12.   This post will be edited once he has posted his comments so you may want to come back to view these updates. He is recording his comments each day on his phone so he'll be able to load this quickly once he gets a connection. In the meantime he is able to text and I'll share what I receive as I get it.Let me describe the details of what has occurred to put things into perspective. We were shuttled from Monson, ME, which is the exit point of the 100 mile wilderness, to Baxter State Park, where the AT begins at the summit of Mount Katahdin early in the morning on the 4th. We were dropped at the the trailhead of Abol Stream trail at the bottom of the mountain. We reached the summit at 11:30 after climbing over 4,000 vertical feet. I will post Travis's photo's initially and will label them as his and will add Trevor's later once he has posted them. After spending about 2 hours on the summit Trevor's AT trek began. We stayed in Katahdin Stream Campground at the thru-hikers lean-tos.Here is Trevor's FB post: "We woke up this morning at 4 AM to get a shuttle to Baxter State Park. And surprisingly, it starts getting daylight at 4. We were on the trail by 7:30. We hiked up Abol Trail which is a very steep and rocky trail. It's only 3.8 miles to the summit from the trailhead but I'll tell you now....it's no easy 3.8 miles. We reached the summit midday and ate lunch and took photos on top. And since the start of the AT is on the summit that 3.8 miles doesn't count toward my mileage. So we had a 5.2 mile decent back down to the campground on the AT. I'm so happy that this journey is finally underway! We are planning a 13 mile day tomorrow! I hope you all enjoy the photos!"
Date: 2013-07-05
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 13.4

Started hiking about 7:00 a.m. and stopped for lunch at the Abol Bridge store and restaurant. This is the last civilization before going into the 100 mile wilderness.Trevor's comments will be added later. The photo shows a spring we passed on the way up to Hurd Brook Lean-to from Abol Bridge. It was coming right out of the ground so we drank directly from it. Pure cold water tastes so good. A water filter takes out impurities but will not make water taste good. The best source for water is a spring, 2nd best is a clear running stream, the next is a lake. Water sources are of primary importance when hiking the trail. All camp sites and lean-tos have a water source, typically a stream or a spring. There are numerous water sources through out the wilderness, mostly in the form of streams and brooks. During dry spells during the summer some water sources dry up. This has not been a problem for us. It rained almost every day before we started and the streams and rivers are flowing higher than normal as a result.Here is Trevor's FB post: "We were up and on the trail by 7 this morning. Trail was pretty easy throughout the day. We have already met about 5 other SOBO Thru-hikers (Herc, Hobbit, Mike, Ellie, Maverick). We see them quite often during the day. Once we got to Abol Bridge we were eager to go in the general store they have to get cold drinks and BURGERS! This is the beginning of the 100 mile wilderness (the most remote section of the entire AT). Once we got to the shelter we set up camp and then went for a swim. I'm very tired and going to sleep now."
Date: 2013-07-06
From: Hurd Brook Shelter

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 11.5

Started hiking about 8:00. There were 7 south bounders that started the same day as us. Hurc, Hobbit, Maverick, Mike, Elsie, Stops-a-lot. I hiked with a 65 year old Veternarian (Larry) some. He is one of a number of hikers who are section hiking.Here's Trevor's FB post: "Today was a rough day! My sunburn is hurting. My feet have been wet for 3 days are starting to get blisters. The trail has been very muddy and covered in roots the first few days. And the bugs are absolutely relentless!!!! I've counted over 100 bites on my legs, arms, and neck. Yes I have been using bug spray. We hiked with an older guy named Larry the last 4 miles. He might continue hiking with us tomorrow as well. Tomorrow we are planning on going to a hostel. We will have to hike a mile down a different trail and then get a boat ride to get there, but it will be well worth it since I haven't had a shower since Tuesday. It's getting "hiker" late (about 9:00 o'clock) so I better get to bed since we have a big today tomorrow."
Date: 2013-07-07
From: Rainbow Stream Shelter

To: Mahar Tote Rd
Miles today: 15.6

Submersing your heated body in the cool waters of a lake or a stream is revitalizing. We swam at this beach and ate lunch. A light breeze coming off the lake kept the bugs at bay and provided a very enjoyable rest and lunch stop.Here's Trevor's FB post: "Today was our longest day on the trail so far and probably the most painful too. We got up at 4:30 so we could get an early start. It was pretty easy hiking at first until we got to Nesuntabunt Mountain. It was a steep climb up and a even steeper decent. We got down to the bottom of the mountain and stopped for lunch and even took a swim in Nahmakanta Lake. It was after that that the day got bad. My feet are suffering from stone bruise and man was I feeling it this afternoon. The last 5 miles was a killer! We saw tons of moose droppings but have yet to see a moose. It looks like my dad and Travis will be backing out tomorrow so most likely tomorrow will be the first day on my own. We are here at White House Landing now. Its a small camp on a lake that offers beds, food, and showers to hikers in the 100 mile wilderness. I ate a 1 pound burger for supper so I'm feeling pretty full right now. Hopefully my feet will feel a lot better tomorrow! Time to punch out."
Date: 2013-07-08
From: Mahar Tote Rd

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 14.0

White House Landing is operated by some folks who provide this service for hunters, fisherman, and hikers. The trail from the AT to their boat dock is about .8 mile. When you get to the dock there is an air horn that you blow. They come over and pick you up and transport you across the lake. There is a main lodge, several private and semi-private cabins and then a large bunkhouse for hikers. They provide dinner and an AYCE (all you can eat) breakfast. There are hot showers available at the shower house. Hikers can get resupplied with food, fuel, and misc supplies such as bug spray.We enjoyed our stay. It was a nice respite from the rigors of the trail.Here's Trevor's FB post: "Today was the easiest day on the trail so far. We got a late start due to breakfast being at 8:00 at White House. This is where my dad and Travis will depart. They made the first 45.7 miles fun and I'm glad they did it with me. But now I'm on my own. The trail was pretty easy all day. It was mostly down hill or level and there wasn't much mud or roots. Even the bugs were not too bad....most of the time. I hiked with Brandon and Sara most of the day and enjoyed their company very much. I picked up my food drop at Jo-Mary Road and even got my first trail magic of Mtn Dew and Little Debbies.....thank you Phil Pepin! When we got to the shelter there was already a bunch of people here. I found the last decent tent spot and set up very quickly. I cooked supper at the shelter and got to hang out with fellow hikers. There are currently 5 of us together that just graduated high school and we are all here at the same shelter. We had a great time just chilling. More and more people keep showing up and there are currently about 40 people staying here tonight!!!!! It's very crowded and half the group is a big group of college girls. They are so loud it's kind of hard to fall asleep. Hopefully there won't be so many at the shelter tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day so time to get some rest."
Date: 2013-07-09
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Logan Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7

Haven't heard from Trevor and am speculating where he ended up at the end of the day...this entry will be edited for accurateness and completeness after obtaining the details.Here's Trevor's FB post: "Today was fantastic! I got up around 5 and had started hiking at about 6. I felt so good the whole day that I didn't really wanna stop! I made it to the shelter at noon. So all afternoon I relaxed in the sun and dried my socks out. I'm planning on getting to Monson this Friday. It sure will be great to get shower and eat some real food. I have never smelled this bad in my life so doing laundry will be great too. I have a big river ford tomorrow so I'm a little worried about that. Hopefully it all goes well. It's been a great time tonight in the shelter. I have been talking to Brandon, Josh, and Matt the past couple hours and it's almost like hanging out with friends at home. We all just graduated high school so it's nice having people here the same age as me . Getting colder tonight. Almost feels like fall in the air."
Date: 2013-07-10
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: West Branch of the Pleasant River
Miles today: 12.7

Haven't heard from Trevor and am speculating where he ended up at the end of the day...this entry will be edited for accurateness and completeness after obtaining the details.Here's Trevor's FB post: "Today I started a lot later than normal. I think it was about 9:00. I started with a long hard climb up White Cap Mountain. The weather was horrible on top! It was raining and the winds were blowing 40 mph easily! It sprinkled on and off the rest of the day. I hiked with Josh and Matt most of the day. We got to the Pleasant River, which is one of the more dangerous river fords in Maine. We crossed with no problem though. Once we got to the other side we found a good place to camp and set up our tents. It was even dry enough to have a campfire! It is raining harder now that I'm in my tent. I'm really hoping it doesn't rain while I'm hiking through the Chairback Range tomorrow. I'm very tired from the long day so I'm going to go to bed now."
Date: 2013-07-11
From: West Branch of the Pleasant River

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 11.3

Just posted on FB: Trevor just called at 10:41 a.m. from the top of Chairback Mountain at mile 89. He tented at the West Branch of the Pleasant River by himself. He didn't call yesterday because of high winds (50 mph + on top of White Cap). He said the weather was the worst when he was on top of White Cap. Things are going well. He has hooked up with a couple of other high school graduates who are SOBO. He plans to camp tonight at Cloud Pond Lean-to, one of the neatest spots/shelters in the wilderness, situated high on Barren Mountain with a small lake next to it. He plans to hike out of the wilderness tomorrow afternoon. It will be a 20 mile hike out. I'll be waiting for him with refreshments and a ride to get a shower and more non trail food.Trevor posted the following on FB around 2:18 p.m.: "I'm currently on Third Mountain at mile 91! First time I have had internet connection. I will post much more tomorrow!"Here's Trevor's journal post on FB: "Today was killer day on my knees! The day started with a steep climb up Chairback Mountain. Parts of it, the trail was literally going straight up. I stopped on top and called my dad and mom just to check in. I then stopped and ate lunch at Chairback Gap Lean-to. I even saw a tiny snake while I was eating. After lunch was when the day got brutal though. I had four really steep climbs and three really steep downhills. My knees took a beating from it! It was either up or down all day. No level spots. Today was also the first day where I hiked alone the whole day. I was the first one here at Cloud Pond but there are now four others here too. Two of them are Josh and Matt. I'm planning a huge day tomorrow and have to get up really early. Time to give my knees and body some rest."
Date: 2013-07-12
From: Cloud Pond Lean-to

To: Highway 15 outside of Monson
Miles today: 19.1

Trevor called me from Barren Ledges this morning at 8:39. He texted me at 12:45 from Wilson Valley Lean-to. It's 10.4 miles from there out to where I'll be waiting for him. He texted saying it was a lot tougher hiking than he expected today. Sometimes having a map that shows a trail elevation grid is not good in that it makes you think something will be easy, when it's not. I don't know the method to creating a trail profile but I believe a lot of little ups and downs does not show up, which can deceive the hiker.Trevor will be grateful for a shower and some good food. We will take the day off tomorrow and rest, as our Creator has designed.Here's Trevor's FB journal post: "Today was definitely one of the hardest ones yet. I woke up at 6:30 packed up while I ate and was on the trail by 7:30. The beginning of the day was relatively easy. It was all level or downhill. The downhills really hurts the knees though. Once I got to the bottom of the mountain I had to cross Big Wilson Stream. The water was up to my knees and I had to use a rope to get across. Once across, I had to cross several other small streams but had no trouble with any of them. I stopped and ate lunch at Wilson Valley Lean-to and took about an hour long break. I was reenergized and ready to hit the trail soon after. The rest of the day consisted of tons of ups and downs that took all my energy away. Not that I had much anyway since I had already hiked about 15 miles. I started tripping over a bunch of roots towards the end of the day because I could lift my legs high enough. Finally, I walked out to Maine Highway 15 and my dad was there waiting with cold drinks and cookies! What a great ending to my longest day on the trail. I will be taking a zero day tomorrow but will be back to hiking on Sunday."
Date: 2013-07-13
From: Highway 15 outside of Monson

To: Greenville
Miles today: 0.0

A day of rest. Everyone needs to rest one day each week. God designed us that way (Exodus 20:8-11). Trevor was glad to take a 'Zero', which is a Thru-hiker's way of saying a rest day. Enjoyed spending the day with Trevor and two new friends from North Carolina, Matt and Josh, cousins. Good boys, good company, I believe Trevor will hike with them for awhile, he enjoys their company. Trevor is carrying a lighter load and hikes a little faster than these two but I think they'll shed some unnecessary items and get their packs down to where they'll be closer to 30 rather than 40-45 pounds. They have already identified items that aren't needed and are sending it home. Both boys are very fit and will have no problems.I plan to deliver Trevor to Shaw's in the morning. They offer hikers an AYCE breakfast. I'll then head home (a 20 hr drive) in time to go back to work on Monday.Trevor's FB post: "Today was my zero day! It felt great to rest and not have to walk all day. We spent most of the day with Josh and Matt buying food for the next section of trail and trying to gain some weight back that we lost. All 3 of us lost 10 lbs in the 100 mile wilderness. After lunch we drove along Moosehead Lake. It's one of the biggest lakes in the country. It has 500 miles of shoreline, 50 miles long, and 24 miles across the widest part. In my pictures you will see a big rock face (Mt. Kineo) by the lake. Well it's actually an island in the lake. It is great for rock climbing. I wish my brother, Travis Pyke, was here to climb it! I will be hitting the trail again tomorrow morning. Thank you for all the support! 114 miles down, 2,071 miles to go!!!!!!!