morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-08-05
From: Antler's Campground

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Aug 5, Fri, Day 131I rose early this mornnig to take pictures of the lake, since the sunset was so beautiful last evening. This has been one of the prettiest and best campsites on the entire trip.The trail today has been rather level, with few major changes in elevation. One of the exceptions was Nesuntabunt Mtn, rising up about 1300 feet over a distance of less that 2 miles, but providing no views. Coming late in the day, after hiking over 15 miles, it was very tiring and I came into the campsite very tired. Timber had already set up his tent, so we washed up, had supper and retired after sundown and in the dark.
Date: 2011-08-06
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Aug 6, Sat, Day 132This has been another day that I won't soon forget. Timber and I started out this morning crossing Rainbow Stream on a two-log bridge before the sun rose. The weather was warm and partly cloudy. The trail has become wide with minimal change in elevation, making for easy hiking. A gradual up-and-down ascent up Rainbow Ledges for a spectacular view of Mt Katahdin, and I expected to be at Abol Bridge Campground by mid-afternoon.However, with about an hour to go to the campground, on a level stretch of the trail and while enjoying the easy walking, I tripped on a small tree root, and before I knew it, I was on the ground, with my forehead bleeding and unable to clearly see. I had hit a rock, lost my glasses and was disoriented. That was my reward for not being vigilant.I was in the process of recovering my glasses and cleaning myself up, when another hiker came by and helped me place a bandage on the cut just above my right eye. So, with that I continued on to the Campground, meeting Timber on the bridge over the Penobscot River. We arranged for a campsite, set up our tents, took showers, had hamburgers and beer for supper, and then to sleep.
Date: 2011-08-07
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: light rain

Aug 7, Sun, Day 133We started out at 9:30 am, walked up Golden Road and then through dense pine forests, gradually going uphill. The weather was warm, and mostly cloudy. We passed several waterfalls and got to the rangers cabin in Baxter State Park about 2:30. As we were signing in for the final climb to Katahdin, Ryan, my son, walked in. I was expecting to see him, but much later. I was very pleasantly surprised, as we hadn't seen each other in months.At the shelter, Ryan built a campfire and we ate supper while we readied our gear for tomorrow.
Date: 2011-08-08
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Aug 8, Mon, Day 134We started out about 5:00 am and signed the trail register for the climb to Katahdin. Our small group of three was the second to sign in today. The weather was cool and overcast. We passed by Katahdin Stream Waterfall and through dense pine forests until we got above the treeline about 7:30 am, then climbed over large boulders to the Gateway, where the terrain levels to form the Tableland. Along the way several breaks in the clouds afforded nice views of the surrounding mountains.We reached the summit about 10:15 am, and stayed about an hour to take alot of pictures, hoping for more breaks in the clouds. The peak area was crowded with large groups of hikers.
Date: 2011-03-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It is official. My husband Justin and I are planning to thru hike the AT Southbound this summer. We are flying into NH and our friends are driving us up to Baxter Sunday, June 5. We hope to summit Katahdin on Monday, June 6, but we have our camping reservation through Wednesday just in case. We have wanted to thru hike the AT since we met in 2002 (Justin has wanted to do it his whole life), but it is only now that we can make it happen! I will be updating the journal with our mail drops and gear list in the next few days. 66 days until trail time!
Date: 2011-04-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This is a test post from my iPhone which I just purchased last week. IgAnyone know how to upload pix from iPhone to trail journals? Plans are coming along. I almost have all our mail drops planned out and will post them here. Next up will be filling those suckers, which we probably won't do until the end of April. I will also be putting our gear list up in another week or so.Less than 9 weeks to go!!!
Date: 2011-04-10
To: Cross Training
Miles today: 0.0

Since NH has finally decided it is spring, we went for a 18-mile bike ride around Lebanon, Etna, Lyme & Hanover yesterday for some cross training. It kicked my butt, but felt so good. We even passed the AT crossing in Hanover. This is probably where our friends will pick us for a night stay at their house! It will be well-needed after the Whites. There is still a lot of snow on the trail, and we were only at 1,000 feet, so I'm sure there is much more up in the mountains. Hoping for some melting in the next 7 weeks!
Date: 2011-04-13
To: Mail Drops
Miles today: 0.0

I have finalized our mail drop list. Luckily, we have a lot of friends along the trail, so we're "planning" to meet up a few times. We'll see how those plans end up. Other than those meet-ups, we have 9 mail drops at either the post offices, hostels, offices or restaurants. I didn't want to do too many, knowing we would get sick of our food and there are plenty of places to resupply along the way. So now onto the task of FILLING those mail drops. Not a daunting task at all ...
Date: 2011-04-14
To: Getting gear together
Miles today: 0.0

With 7 weeks until trail time, we are up to our eyeballs in gear for the trail. Buying, sorting and packing. We already owned enough gear to open our own little shop, but of course, we bought more toys for the trail. We got a number of gift cards to REI for Christmas and beyond, so it was fun to shop! Our biggest purchase was a new tent. We have owned and used the Eureka Zeus 2P backpacking tent since 2004 and probably used it over 75 times. As much as this tent has been stellar, it was time to upgrade. The main factors were weight and having 2 doors/vestibules. We were torn between Big Agnes Copper Spur 2P and Nemo Obi 2P, but Nemo ultimately made it easy for us because they never released the tent in stores near us (even though their manufacturing site is in Nashua), so we couldn't set it up and compare it next to the Copper Spur.We are now proud owners of the Copper Spur. If the gear hasn't taken over our home, then the food supplies are trying. We have been buying our backpacker meals, snacks and lunches little by little, to soften the blow of spending so much at one time. A major trail angel came into our life ... A friend mentioned he might have some "extra" meals lying around. The next day, he gave us 50 backpacker meals! If that's not enough, he also gave us a Jetboil stove, a few fuel canisters and some other extras. The stove we planned to bring was the Optimus Crux stove. It's the stove we've had since 2004ish and love and cherish. But after trying the Jetboil, we are changed people.A million thanks to all our "trail angels" who either gave us gift cards or hooked us up with gear, discounts and advice. It all makes the journey that much easier.
Date: 2011-04-28
To: Checklist
Miles today: 0.0

With a little more than 5 weeks from the start of our adventure, we are slowly making our way through our checklist. It seems I add more to it day after day instead of checking things off! This weekend, we are having a yard sale and I think that will take some of the stress off. Getting rid of stuff and clearing out! It will make packing up easier too. Here are some things we did recently:Bought flight to NH for June 5Did another grocery run for food suppliesApplied for individual insurance effective June 1Pack up some stuff for movingSome big things still:Put together maildrops (all the info and most of the supplies are laid out, but just need to get it all together)Buy more backpacker meals, snacks, lunches, etc.Change all bills to auto payPack up more stuff for movingCancel Internet, other servicesThere's plenty more to do, but these are the more important things. AHHHHH!
Date: 2011-04-29
To: One Month to Go!
Miles today: 0.0

We are now just one month from starting ... 31 days. That's 744 hours. 44,640 minutes. D-Day is almost upon us.Oddly enough, June 6, our starting date, IS actually the anniversary of a real D-Day, the one in Normandy in 1944. It also marks 1 year and 2 days since I got laid off from full-time work. It's a new beginning for sure!Still checking things off our list.More packing. I am packing slowly and methodically. There's a chance we may not open these boxes for a year or more. It would be my luck to have the need for something and it will be buried deep among the sea of boxes.More selling. Our cat, Mr. McKinley is not happy about all of that. Here's what the rest of May looks like. My husband's last day is Friday, May 13 (eerie ...)May 18-23 we will be out in Phoenix for a wedding and some warm-up hikingMay 26 moving out of NHMay 27-May 31 we will be in NJ instructing my mom on mail drop management, visiting friends and family and getting the cat situated.May 31-June 5 moving stuff to southern VA. We own a rental home there, so that's where our "base" will be when we returnJune 6 Fly back up to NH, drive to Baxter State Park to hopefully summit Katahdin June 6 to start our hike!
Date: 2011-06-02
To: 4 Days to Go!
Miles today: 0.0

I can't even begin to describe the roller coaster of craziness we are on. We've been packing, unpacking, visiting family/friends, sleeping in a different bed every night, trying to plan out those last-minute trail details and making sure our life is in order before we go. Numero uno thing requires a back story. Justin can't eat nuts. On the trail, one of the best sources of protein is nuts. Most granola bars contain nuts for this reason (I assume). J has been on a 10-year search for a granola bar he likes and can eat. Recently, he found SOYJOY bars. Six of their 7 bars do NOT contain nuts, as their main source of protein is ground whole soybeans. So J wrote SOYJOY a letter telling them about our upcoming hike and how happy he was to discover SOYJOYs. He added a request for any "assistance" they can give. Well, a few weeks ago, he got a response back and SOYJOY is sending 140 bars for him (and me)! That's pretty much 1 bar a day for him (not to mention, he had been stocking up on them for a bit already). And he will definitely share his "joy" of the SOYJOY bars with other hikers, so be sure to ask us if you see us on the trail!!A second bit of good news is that the trail to Katahdin in Baxter State Park (our starting point) opened last week!!! I was getting nervous about our June 6 start date because there was a lot of buzz among AT southbounders about a delayed opening of the mountain. Typically the trails to the peak do open by the end of May, but Maine had a lot of late-season snowfall and it was looking iffy. There is still snow on some parts of the trail, but I'm just happy it's not completely closed. Baxter allows hiking to the peak using a class system and I would love a "Class I" day (completely clear and safe) ... not going to get my hopes up high though.Our mail drops are all packed and addressed waiting at my mom's house to be sent. I do believe the mail drop preparation was the worst part of AT planning. Trying to plan what we are going to eat 3 months from now is about as fun as getting a root canal.We are completely moved out of our NH rental home and now in VA at the home we own. We are flying back up to NH on Sunday where our friends will pick us up and drive us to the trailhead! Our packs are waiting patiently with them for when we fly back in. I already know we are over-packed and over-prepared. Without water, they weighed in at 33 and 30 pounds ...Regardless, Monday morning at about 7am, think of us, because hopefully we will be hiking up to Katahdin, the start of our AT hike! So far, the weather is calling for 40% scattered showers and a high of 60 degrees.That's all for now, but hopefully I will get to do another update again soon! I have so much I want to say and blog about, but so little time!
Date: 2011-06-15
From: Katahdin

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 114.5
Weather: clear sky

We are currently in Monson, ME, taking a nero day at Shaw's Lodging, an awesome hiker hostel. We have showered, eaten and are now catching up with the outside world. First of all, we want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, text messages, voice mails, letters, etc. We have had a great time and it's awesome to know we have a support team!Without further ado, I present you with a summary of our last 10 days.The last shower we took was on June 5. Today is June 15. That is a very long time to go without a shower, let me tell you!We summited Katahdin on June 6, as planned. It was a beautiful, clear day with temps in the high 50s at the top. Couldn't ask for a better start to our trip.Our friends from NH, Paul and Kristen, were super trail angels and got us up to Baxter State Park safe and sound. Then they hiked with us for 5 days (59.7 miles of the AT, plus the extra 5.2 miles up Katahdin). We absolutely LOVED having their company and they are stellar hiking partners helping us push our limits. They really brought the good weather too because the rain didn't start until they left!Our schedule usually goes something like this: Wake up between 6 and 7 (although the sun comes up at 4:30ish!). Hike anywhere from 11 to 16 miles, which takes us anywhere from 8 hours to 12 hours. When we get to camp for the evening, we do our chores: cook dinner, set up tent, purify water, hang food bag ... It's just a regular work day for us! We are usually asleep between 8 and 9. We have stayed in our tent most nights, but usually it's near a shelter, and more importantly, a privy.We are no longer Justin and Patrice! We officially have trail names! J is Deal. He never pays full price for anything and he loves to tell people about his "deals." Plus, Deal is a Grateful Dead song, so perfecto! As for me, I am Steadee. This is because I have a pretty steady approach to hiking ... My pace is slow and steady, especially on the uphill, downhill and on rocks. Okay, pretty much all the time! And I am spelling it with 2 es because I like to be different.The mosquitoes, black flies and no-see-ums have been horrible, as expected. We have doused ourselves in Deet and wear headnets/goretex all the time, but they find a way to skin.We have not seen any moose, except on our drive into BSP. Lots of moose poop on the trail, but no moose. We've seen loon, a partridge (according to someone else), 2 snakes, tons of toads. Because of the good weather, the views have been spectacular. We only had 2ish days of rain, making the trail very wet. Not so fun, especially for the feet, but that's par for the course. Thankfully, the MATC does a great job of maintanence on the trail. There are still a few blowdowns and broken bog bridges, but it's good enough. Also, we've done 7 stream crossings. Some were only shin deep, but others were waist deep!! Yikes!We have passed 5 NOBOs, amazing that they are this far up! I'm sure we will see many more in the next few days. Back on the trail tomorrow!!!! Hope to update again soon! Keep on trekking SOBOs and NOBOs! See ya out there!
Date: 2011-06-18
From: Caratuck, ME

To: Caratuck,ME
Miles today: 36.7

Hello from the Northern Outdoors Center in The Forks, ME (population 31), where there is no cell service, but there is free wireless! Last Thursday, we left the luxuries of Monson. We had a mail drop to pick up in Caratuck, so we had a choice. We could either hoof it in 3 days to make it to the post office by the time it closed Sat morning at 11:15, or we could take our time and make it by the time it opened Monday at 7:15 am. We decided to take the slow route ... until we started hiking out of Monson.We made it an easy 9 miles to our camping spot by lunch time! Plus, our friend Fire Marshall Mac that we have been hiking with since the beginning was doing a push for 18 miles that day. Being we felt good that day and the trail was pretty easy (despite a terrible bogtastic reroute of the trail due to beaver activity and 3 river crossings), we pressed on. We ended up tenting at the Moxie Bald Lean-To with a beautiful view and a great cool-down in the lake (who needs showers??)The 18 miles really didn't feel like 18 miles, I swear.So then Friday we did 13 miles. Those 13 miles actually felt more like 18 miles ... Probably has something to do with the mountains thrown in there, the heat, and the redunkulous bugs. Plenty more of that to come!So Saturday, we planned an early wake up (6ish) to hike the 6ish mile to the post office. Well, between the damn bugs (we slept in the shelter with head nets on) and a very loud sheltermate, we were up and out of there by 6! Anyways, we made it to the PO with plenty of time to spare and then headed over to our "lodging" for the night (a canvas tent) at the Northern Outdoors center. We have once again showered, laundered clothes and ate real food! We will head out early tomorrow to catch the canoe "ferry" across the Kennebec River that only runs from 9-11am (they don't allow you to cross it on foot since too many people died or almost died trying).As for my wildlife report, we still haven't seen an alive moose on the trail, but we saw a carcass! We also saw a porcupine (I was too startled and too slow to get a picture). I also forgot to mention that thanks to Paul (AKA Second Nature - never said in my last post that he did the AT in 1998) & Kristen, I can identify 2 plants...lady slippers and trillium. That is the extent of my knowledge ... It's just a tunnel of green!Well, I think that's all I have to say for now. Keep the comments coming ... They really help!
Date: 2011-06-27
From: Caratuck,ME

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 95.2
Weather: few clouds

The last update I gave was from Caratuck at 150ish miles, but now we are at 256.5 miles!!! Here's a synopsis of the last 10 days!From Caratuck, we took the official canoe shuttle across the Kennebunk River at 9 and started following the white blazes again. We had a real nice couple of days in that section over the Bigelows with gentle breezes and less bugs!! Great views!Then, after Stratton, the weather turned BAD. Rain, rain, rain. That section of the trail traversed over 10,000 feet of elevation change. In fact, there was one section with over 3 miles of exposed ridge walking. We tried to wait out the weather a bit, but ended up crossing the Saddleback range in poor conditions. Pelting hail, 70-mph wind gusts ... man oh man. Enough to make a grown woman cry! But we got through and ended up heading into Rangeley for the night to dry out. We were very lucky that a fellow SOBO was in Rangeley with his family, and took us in for the night! Talk about trail magic!!! They even fed us!!!Since Rangeley to Andover, the trail has been very WET. The bogtastic bogs are back and with a vengeance. We have slipped and fallen more times to count. It's almost like ice skating when all the bog bridges, roots and rocks are this wet. The rain has stopped and I *think* the trail is drying out. There were also a few annoying trail detours, one on the south side of Moody Mountain that dampered our spirits. SOBOs, follow the BLUE route, not the orange ... In terms of wildlife, we've seen our share! Two moose, some crazy grouse and two snowshoe hares. I don't know if all snowshoe hares are like the ones we saw, but our two were about 3 feet tall and had very red, beady eyes!! They were up at Spaulding Mtn Lean-To and we encountered them right when we were falling asleep. Talk about a very surreal experience. I think that's it for now. We have just under 30 miles left in Maine and it will feel very good to get one state (the second longest and second hardest) under our belt. We have the Mahoosuc Notch coming up on Wednesday, so send good weather thoughts our way!!Wish I could upload photos here, but no can do. Check out http://www.wanderinglavignes.blogspot.com for the Picasa link!
Date: 2011-07-02
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 51.5
Weather: broken clouds

So we've finished Maine! It was exactly 281.4 miles, the second longest state on the trail. I wouldn't exactly call ME easy, but the challenges were rewarded with incredible beauty.Here's a recap of Maine ...24 days11 nights slept in a tent8 nights slept in a lean-to shelter5 nights slept in a bed5 showers13 river crossings29 NOBO thru hikers spotted (we definitely missed a few)12 falls for Steadee (a fall means feet out from under you ... So we've slipped many more times)/ 8 falls for Deal5 dig-a-hole poop-in-the-woods experiences for Deal/1 for Steadee2 times our water source was yellow2 iPod daysWildlife: 1 million toads, 10 snakes, 5 loons, 3 grouse or ptarmigans, 2 moose (3 more in towns), 3 snowshoe hares, 1 porcupine23 Silver AT markers in the groundAdvice for hiking in ME:Wear a headnet.Keep mouth closed. Practice rock hopping in free time, but make sure to add oil and grease to rocks to make it realistic.When you fall, fall on your pack. When you grab a tree root to hoist yourself up, make sure it is connected to the ground.Weird things we found in ME's wilderness: crashed car, boxers, shorts, flannel shirt, hat, engine, pair of boots, white sneakers, aluminum siding, thermal underwear, wheelbarrow, jeans, pipes, fishing pole, construction signs, full Gatorade packet (which Deal decided was trail magic!!)So we are happy to be done with Maine! Onto New Hampshire, acclaimed to be the hardest state on the trail because much of it is above treeline (which can bring risky weather). And there are some strict (and expensive) camping regulations. So here's to the next 160 miles of our adventure!