morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-17
From: Jo-Mary Road near Millinocket, ME

To: Seg 33: Baxter Peak on Mt Katahdin, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

AT Segment 33: September 17-20, 2004Starting point = Jo-Mary Road near Millinocket, MEEnding point = Baxter Peak on Mt Katahdin and then back to Katahdin Stream Campground, METotal miles for segment = 61.3 (4 days @ 15.3 miles/day)Total miles to date = 2,185.3 (141 days @ 15.5 miles/day)Body weight at end of hike = 130.5 lbs.Pack weight at start of segment = 52 lbs. Hurrah ¢ I¢m the 289th person to finish the AT in 2004!!! The highlights for this final AT hiking segment were finishing the AT by summating Baxter Peak on Mount Katahdin after completing the second half of ME¢s famed ¢100-mile wilderness,¢ slipping into the water while rock hoping across a cold water stream and drenching my boots and the left half of all my clothing and ruining my MP3 player, the amazing beauty of dozens of large and small ponds and lakes and wilderness rivers and streams, and the increasing splendor of the color changes in the leaves as Fall approaches. The end of summer also means that cold temperatures have already returned here in ME and has further underscored my amazement, relief and joy in finally completing this glorious 2,185-mile foot journey up and over some of America¢s most beautiful countryside. Now Hot Chocolate and I are off to ME¢s Acadia National Park for some day hiking and more leisurely sight seeing. Next year my long-range plans call for taking on the Pacific Crest Trail ¢ the second step in the US Triple Crown of Long Distance Backpacking. As always, good health and good hiking to all!:-)   :-)   :-)   :-)
Date: 2004-09-18
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, ME

To: Day 139: Hurd Brook Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

On AT Day 139 I got up at 4:10 a.m., ate a leisurely breakfast in my tent and hit the trail around 6:30 a.m. The day began, and ended, under completely overcast skies and the temperature never got above the mid-40¢s all day. I wore gloves virtually all day for the first time in months. From the topographic map I could see that although the trail had two relatively easy mountain climbs, like yesterday I figured that I should still have little trouble in completing the 19.6-miles to the Hurd Brook Campsite by late afternoon.The first of these climbs, Nesuntabunt Mountain offered some really nice views of Mount Katahdin ¢ what a motivation! Shortly thereafter I once again met up with Chaquis, this time as he ¢speed slack packed¢ NOBO to finish his AT through hike at the Abol Bridge road crossing. We chatted some more about the challenges of climbing Mount Katahdin ¢ more to think about¢¦Although not mentioned in the guidebook, fording Rainbow Stream at the Rainbow Stream Lean-to at the 8.1-mile point was an interesting challenge as it required me to balance my footing for perhaps 25-feet on two small logs that rested (one wobbled quite a bit) on rocks in the rushing water streambed. I assure you that after what happened the day before in Tumbledown Dick Stream, I paid close attention to what I was doing and safely and dryly made the crossing ¢ lesson learned. In addition to Rainbow Stream, today¢s hike also offered some excellent views of several other streams (Pollywog was particularly beautiful), ponds and the magnificent 5-mile long Rainbow Lake.The climb up the Rainbow Ledges offered a reminder of the sheer rock ridges of days before and some additional sightings of Mount Katahdin. As expected I easily reached the Hurd Brook Lean-to by 4:30 p.m. and thus had plenty of time to set up my tent, eat dinner and enjoy a nice chat with Papa Bear. The number one topic of our evening conversation was the cold weather and our hope that it would not continue for much longer as we were both planning on summating Mount Katahdin in two days.
Date: 2004-09-21
From: Hidden Springs Campground, Millinocket, ME

To: Magic City Hard Drive Cafe, Millinocket, ME
Miles today: 0.0

After WE finished the AT we used the well-equipped and friendly Magic City Hard Drive Cafe's wireless connection to complete our www.TrailJournal.com text and photos. We HIGHLY recommend this establishment to all other AT through hikers. Please say hello for us to Ken and Michele Anderson, owners, who just opened this Internet Cafe this past August. For more info, check out their website at http://magic-city-news.comAs we feared Hurricane Jeanne did do some damage to our home and the many trees on our wilderness property. Luckily our two adult sons, Will and Ben, were willing and able to help our house-sitter, Maureen, clean up the mess caused by the tree limb debris blocking the driveway, walkways and house entrance.We also wish to add our sincerest thanks to our oldest son, Will, for retrieving the trail journal and digital photo data from our crashed hard drive. We were in no mood to go back over the AT to retake the missing pictures. Now we have a brand new computer, selected and purchased for us by Will, and we promise to back up all photos on CD.It clearly has been an eventual year (in no particular order): 1) FireBall retired after 32 yrs on the UF faculty; 2)we bought a BIG truck and a little trailer and left for six months to hike the AT; 3)we missed the history making four hurricane strike to Florida; 4) our youngest son graduated with his PhD and took a job at NIH in Maryland, and got engaged to another PhD student,MaryAnn; and lastly 5) our oldest son, Will and his wife, Paige, just announced we will be first time gradparents in April-05.As soon as we visit Acadia National Park and enjoy an early Thanksgiving Holiday with the entire family and Ben's new home in Maryland, we will finally go home in late October --- just in time to vote!As we are cleaning up the mess on our property caused by all of the hurricanes, we will be very busy planning our next hike in the Spring of 05, the PCT.Finally we wish to thank TrailsJournal.com for this wonderful service.
Date: 2004-03-02
To: Georgia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

My journey began the second the plane left the ground and the world below dropped away. Down below, the terminals, runways, and hangers of the Manchester Airport disappeared behind me; if everything went according to plan, it would be the last time, for several months, that I would set foot again on New Hampshire soil. For years it was my dream to hike the Appalachian Trail, and now, here I was, about to embark on something great. A year ago, I could never have imagined that 2004 would be the year, but at the end of my sophmore year in 2003 at the University of New Hampshire, I felt the urge to take to the woods, to learn about myself, and to live a life of simplicity, but one also rich in happiness and self discovery. It was to be as much a journey of miles and mountains, as one of the soul and determination, but also, I wanted to hike the trail because I wanted to discover life in a new way, stripped of all the superficialities and burdens of modern times. In short, I wished to challenge my perceptions, and my views of the world, of people, of nature, through the ultimate adventure. I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail.      In a little over three hours after leaving my beloved NH, the plane touched down at Orlando International Aiport in Florida. The cold March weather, gloomy clouds, and snow and ice, which now seemed so distant, yielded to palm trees and balmy 80 degree weather. In three hours, I had traversed the seasons, and lulled me into a false sense of security that the Southern Appalachians would be warm. With the temperatures of this March day reminding me of some finer summer days in NH, I wondered if I would even need my warm clothes on the trail.      A few people asked me how I was going to physically get into condition for the trail; the fact of the matter is, unless you are an ultramarathoner or love copious amounts of self-inflicted pain, the trail will manage to kick or ass in some way or another. Yes, being in shape is preferable to being completely out of shape, but the first three weeks of carrying a pack up and down mountains every day for hours will inevitably put you body through stresses that it is not used to dealing with. I was fully aware of this fact, and I spent five days at my grandparents in Florida swimming in the pool, sleeping in, and eating at the all you can eat buffet every night, but also preparing all my final plans. Yes, the hike is hard, but the logistics sure are daunting to. It is a big adventure to plan.      On March 7th, my grandparents drove me from Orlando to Georgia. The overall flatness and uniformity lulled me to thinking that maybe the Southern Appalachians might be both very flat and very warm. Neither of those thoughts proved to be true, and at the end of the day, as we drove into Gainesville, GA, the flat terrain suddenly yieled to an impressive range of mountains of a gentle blue color in the distance.      That night was cold and windy, rain poured down, the electricity went out several times, and I was able to test my flashlight, and other gear.
Date: 2004-03-08
From: Springer Mt

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I was nervous, excited, and anxious when I woke up on that morning of March 8th. The weather was very cool, windy, but sunny. It took about half an hour to drive to Amicalola State Park, my jumping off point of this adventure. I signed in at the visitor center and weighed my pack - a scant 37 pounds including full food and water. I was not the only one with aspirations of Maine there that morning; in fact, I met several people there for whom the dream was taking its first steps into reality. At 9AM, I bid my grandparents goodbye, and ascended up the Approach Trail, past Amicalola Falls for which I made the mistake of not going to check out even though they were only 100 yards off the trail. After only hiking in the white mountains, the graded trails, absent mainly of roots and rocks, were a welcome reprieve for the start of a great journey.I managed to start before many of the other thru-hikers today, and I found myself alone for much of the day. Whenever I bumped into one, our conversation was brief - we were all nervous and new to this experience, and the transition from "normal" life to the trail certainly upsets the balance of routine we become so accustomed to. A little after one PM, I arrived on the summit of Springer Mt., the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. There I was, standing alone with the start of a great adventure ahead of me. In a way, its rather daunting to think that there are 2174 miles left to go, that only 15% of the people standing on this mountain with the same ambitions as myself will complete the trail, and that I am alone, far away from NH if something should go wrong. But also, it feels great to be walking on this sacred ground, the jumping off point of what becomes a life changing experiece, for which so few people even have the chance or will to begin.The cold, clear weather enhanced the views from Springer Mt. And by views, I mean a small overlook where the first white blaze is painted. Most of the summit is wooded, but the mountain still made for a great start to an even better journey.I decided to take it easy the first few weeks, or, at least, that was the plan. The Approach Trail, was 8.8 miles of walking just to reach the start of the Appalachian Trail, and from springer Mt, I covered another 2.5 miles before settling in for the night at Stover Creek shelter. Only 2171.5 miles left to go!
Date: 2004-03-14
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Only five days on the trail and already I had my first bout of stomach problems. At first, I thought what I could have: Giardia? Asian Bird Flu? I quickly determined the culprit to be - yes - peanut butter, which, also in part to poor planning, exhausted my toilet paper supplies. It was no wonder that I absolutely rejoiced in finding a napkin lying on the trail. Now I was feeling better, and after a string of 15 mile days, today's 12.2 were a welcome reprieve, althought today was certainly not without its difficulties. The first few miles were rather easy with some mild ups and downs, and at 9am, I crossed my first state line, from Georgia to North Carolina. One state down, only 13 more to go! The trail then passes a gnarled oak in a clearing at the border, and heads straight up a steep, rhododendron covered slope, only to crest the sharp top, decend down sharply, and climb up another such steeply inclined peak, which made this trail begin to feel a bit more like a mountain footpath, although most of the trail was still well graded and switchbacked, allowing for fast hiking, even for unconditioned souls as myself. By now, my body was begining to get used to the task of walking, and only my feet remained to be broken in. My feet luckily would never blister, but rather, they would only be painful and tender for the first three weeks. I arrived at Standing Indian Shelter at 1:30 PM, but my feet told me they were ready to quit for the day, so I don't mind the extra rest. Its supposed to rain tomorrow, the first time on the trip so far. I can't believe I made it all the way through Georgia without a drop of rain. True, I did get snowed on a bit, and hailed on a bit, but it didn't get me wet.In the shelter there is a sign warning of bear problems in the area. Since I don't have any bear rope, I'm taking extra precautions be hanging my food inside the shelter, but, I'm sleeping with a big rock by my side should I need to defend my food. In other words, please oh please God I hope that bear doesn't come tonight or things will get interesting.
Date: 2004-03-16
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Wine Spring Campsite
Miles today: 17.4

I saw the first rain of the trip during the last two days; luckily most of it came at night, but I still managed to get significantly wet during the morning before the rain tapered off. The past two days have been filled with intermittent rain and nearly constant fog, which becomes almost eerie when the trail passes through dark, thick bunches of rhododendrons.   The trail in North Carolina passes through areas of high bear activity, and with warnings in shelters, and signs that remind you the trail is passing through a bear sanctuary, they don't let you forget it. I really do love bears though, just not when they try to eat my food.   I decided to push a few more miles today to earn an easy day into the Nantahala Outdoor Center, and besides, the weather cleared early this morning by Winding Stair Gap, and made for pleasant hiking.   I talked to someone heading south today and they mentioned that there was a mother-daughter team from NH just ahead of me, and they were thru-hiking the trail. Despite pulling some big days to try and catch them, they managed for a few days to remain ahead of me.   I found myself to be camping alone tonight at Wine Spring, and I forgot to bring rope to hang my food. With no where else to put it, I brought all my food into my tent with me and hoped to God that this wouldn't lead to a Darwin Award with such high bear activity in the area. It certainly wasn't my best night of sleep.
Date: 2004-03-18
From: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.8
Weather: light rain

My first recovery day on the trail, and for good reason. Although my legs felt strong, the bottoms of my feet were still soft, and after two 18 mile days, my feet could really feel the strain, so by 8 AM, I was at NOC, ready to relax and enjoy the day, and what I enjoyed most about it was being warm and dry. It started raining heavy and I was getting cold just standing under the awning of the store there.      My second resupply package was waiting for me with just enough food to make it to Fontana Dam, 3 days away, and I took care of other logistical issues - such as one of my few gear changes on the trip - switching from a 22 ounce fuel bottle to an 11 ounce fuel bottle. Yes, I know a white gas stove is heavier, but the efficiency and utility of the white gas stove could not be beat.      I also spent time sending postcards and of course, eating. My mom included girl scout cookies in my mail drop - thin mints and treffoils, and I inhaled those as my pre-lunch snack.Today was also my first hitch-hike ever! All the restaurants at NOC were closed, and after being on the trail for 11 days, I was sure interested in having something with protein in it. Me, Sev, and Kung Fu hitched to a restaurant about two miles east. I ate a nice big, juicy steak, which was certainly a treat compared to the rehydrated noodles that were my typical dinner on the trail. We then hitched back to NOC and called it an early night. Now for some easy hiking days. On to Fontana!
Date: 2004-03-21
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

I finally managed to meet Wings and Feather, the mother-daughter team from NH, as I left NOC on the 19th. This section of trail from NOC to Fontana was particularly beautiful, and the weather, or at least the part of it I was hiking during, was fantastic. For once, the weather gods appeared to be on my side - now if it can only stay like this for the rest of the trip.      Two nights ago, Sev, Kung Fu, Wings, Feather, and I camped out at Locust Cove Gap. This marked one of the few times on the trail that I camped away from a shelter, so my tent was rarely used. It also marked one of the few times on the trip that we made a fire. The night was perhaps warmer than usual, so the necessity was perhaps lessened, but it certainly was relaxing to sit around and tell stories and enjoy each other's company.      Last night, there was a viscious thunderstorm that kept me awake for a good part of the night. The winds were incredibly strong and rustled every tree branch, and lightning illuminated the leafless trees in front of the shelter. Tree branches came crashing down everywhere; one even fell on the roof of the shelter!      I woke up to warm sun, although I certainly was a bit groggy from having the thunderstorm keep my up for some of the night. The trail to Fontana Dam was relatively easy - a short climb from the shelter, a nice ridgewalk with views down to the huge fontana lake, and then a long descent down to the dam. I had met up with the slackers, who are dayhiking the trail by leaving a cars at different trailheads, offered to give us a ride to Fontana.      Fontana was quite possibly the smallest town I have ever seen, and I am quite thankful that I sent a maildrop here. Pretty much only the Fontana Inn, and the Texaco Station were open when I arrived. We stopped at the Texaco Station; there was a very small convenience store, but the power was knocked out by the storm the previous night, and all the good food had been already thrown away. I had to settle on a bag of chips and a soda for lunch.      The Slackers then dropped me off at the Fontana Inn. The building was beautiful. Running bear had arrived at the Inn yesterday, and was zeroing today. Kung Fu got in this morning, and the three of us roomed together. The restaurant was closed today, so I made a lipton noodles for dinner with hot water. Most of the day, we relaxed in the room and watched the Amazing 8 round of the NCAA basketball tournament, which was highly entertaining. I can only hope my maildrop will be in tomorrow morning!
Date: 2004-03-26
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

I did my first 20 mile day yesterday out of Icewater Springs Shelter. I had woken up really early - it was still quite dark as I readied to leave. Now, I'm not like your standard, get up really early and wake everyone in the shelter - type hiker. I pack up everything except my sleeping bag, pad, and food the night before. And in the morning, I quietly slide out of my bag, and I carry everything a few dozen yards away from the shelter, and pack up where no one can hear me. I enjoyed my crumbled pop - tarts as I watched one of the best sunrises on the trip, then I headed out. The trail was very icy just north of the shelter, but the rest of the day was rather easy and the ups and downs were fairly mild, although the last few ups at the end of the day certainly were exhausting. I arrived at the shelter at 3, and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Today, I decided to take an easy day to Standing Bear Farm. The day was mostly downhill, and I was now out of the Smokies - I didn't even see a ranger the whole time. I really enjoyed the smokies, because in about 70 miles of trail, only one major road was crossed - right in the middle of the park. It certainly made the trail feel more remote. I arrived at Standing Bear Farm a little after 10, and hung out the rest of the day there. That night, me and Boo's Goose and a section hiker went to the Front Porch restaurant, and enjoyed some mexican food, and bluegrass music. It sure will be nice to be in Hot Springs...Tomorrow?
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business knob shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: light rain

How Cruel fate can be. Yesterday I awoke to snow, and I spent much of the morning knocking snow three musketeers style, off tree branches overhanging the trail, with my trekking poles. Then the weather changed to rain to fool me and get all my clothes wet, and then it changed back to snow. I had spent the entire night freezing. There was no water near the shelter, and we were to cold to go out searching. Because of our water shortage, Packrat used the last of his gatorade to cook some ramen noodles.The snow and cold were still very much a reality in the morning. Everyone else in the shelter was planning to head into town at the next road crossing. I put on my wet clothes; my boots had frozen solid during the night, and putting them on that morning took a good deal of willpower. I then trudged out into the snow. Every story I had read about the AT, every account I had heard of, had always mentioned that snow rarely lasted more than a day or two. I was expecting the weather to break, so at the road, I continued heading up into the woods. Instead, the snow only got deeper, and the weather, windier and colder, as I headed up Big Bald. The trail followed a ridgecrest for most of the way, and the left half of my body was exposed to the full front of the wind. I remember that half of my face was nearly frozen. And this was still in the trees. As I neared the summit of Big Bald, conditions got worse. The trees became smaller, and then finally disappeared altogether. The fog was so thick I could not see much farther than 30 feet in any direction. What a few days ago had been perhaps a grassy field, now resembled something closer to the arctic tundra. The snow up here was hard, crusty, and icy; the only trace of the trail that remained were small wooden posts which marked the trail above treeline. These posts, however, were sometimes spaced quite far apart. And the fog was so thick, that often I could not tell whether I was walking on the trail, or off the face of the earth. It was like walking through a void. Did anything else exist? Did it matter? My immediate world was small, the ground and the sky were merged into white, and, when I was lucky, a wooden post would appear ahead out of the abyss, indicating I was headed in the right direction. But because of the biting wind, I made haste to reach treeline again. I stopped for a break at Bald Mountain Shelter. I was dead tired from having walked in a foot of snow the whole day, but this simply was too cold of a place to spend the night. I continued on farther down the mountain; the trail descended into lower elevations and the snow stopped falling, the weather began to clear, and the snow cover diminished - first from the trail, and then later even from the surrounding forest. By the time I reached No Business Knob Shelter, the snow only existed as a memory. It certainly was still cold out, but not freezing. I couldn't wait to get into Erwin and hit up the well deserved Pizza Hut Buffet. I'm definitely taking a recovery zero in town!