morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-25
From: ME 27 (Stratton ME)

To: Horns Pond Lean-tos
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: overcast clouds

What ever in the world causes me to get caught up in some shit some times amazes me. Today I got up with quick intentions of hitting the grocery, the PO, and then to the trail for what I wanted to be an eighteen mile day. Well needless to say I have hike five miles and it is dinner time and I am quitting for the day.I spent three hours today sitting outside of the post office while two county sherif cars idled watching me. The post office here in Stratton was mess when I walked in this morning. They had allowed some hikers in around eight thirty to get there mail and then closed again till nine thirty. Well at ten when I walked in they still did not have all of the mail sorted. I was waiting for boots and bounce boxes and knee brace parts and a mailing lable from the boot re-sole place.I made a few phone calls in the PO lobby after I picked up three of my five boxes. I was a little upset that my knee brace parts are not here because they shipped them on Thursday. I questioned the lady about why the mail was not sorted and I questioned her about the post office hours and she was not happy about that. She then started off on this tangent about the post master who was on his death bed etc.Now I can have sympathy for a few seconds but after that business as usual still must go on. My life is not on hold because some one who I have never met is ill. People die every day in America. I think that it is time that post office stops sponsoring Lance Armstrong and starts to pay more attention to what it is supposed to be doing. Delivering MAIL!!! If the staff at the post office cant handle the immediate death of a co-worker then they need to send out a substitute post master and substitute postal worker to run the joint. Some other lady in the back of the office called the sheriff. When the sheriff arrived she was hearing out both side of the story and the she ordered me not to go back into the post office. That order was without reason so I sat on the curb outside pouting while she sat in her cruiser. I deicded that I was going to sit there long and hard till I was dam well ready to leave and she sat there watching me. Three hours later and with the help of another hiker I had my mail taken care of, had voiced my disagreements with the law officer, and had a long hard smile at her for tieing up her and her partner for three hours. POINT MADE!!!Then I hike out of town here to the shelter.I know that there are people out there who dont like to read about negative interactions between a hiker and the post office but for what are we supposed to do when we walk into our beloved post office at 10:00am and find that they still dont have the mail sorted? Come on. The shifts at the Electrical Utility were half over by 10:00am and homeboud rush hour traffic starts backing up on I66 in nothern Virginia around 12:00noon. The mail should be sorted by then!! NO EXCUSES!!
Date: 2003-08-26
From: Horns Pond Lean-tos

To: West Carry Pond Lean-tos
Miles today: 17.5

I had origionally intended to make it here to West Carry Ponds yesterday. I did not and I have to make up some time now some how. The hiking today was great by the way. It was very easy and it started to flatten out after the first seven miles up and over the Bigelows. Avery Peak was awesome. I had the fog clear just long enough to get a good veiw of the lake below and to see over Little Bigelow and back to Bigelow Col where I had come from this morning. The view of Sugar Loaf ski area was also very cool.I pushed on here to the shelter and thought that it was just going to be me and the SOBO guy who flip flopped and then late tonight Dez Dru and Fox showed up.Tomorrow we are all going to the Kennebec river and Caratunk ME for the ferry ride.
Date: 2003-08-27
From: West Carry Pond Lean-tos

To: Caratunk ME
Miles today: 13.6

I slept in today after contemplating weather or not to try and bust my butt to make the thirteen miles here by the time that the first ferry was over at 11:00am. It rained hard overnight so I decided not to try and run down here because it would have been slippery on the roots, bog boards, and mud.When I got hiking around nine or so this morning I got down to East Carry Pond and found a really nice swimming beach. There I took a break and swam, changed clothes, and had a snack. I met two other fellas who are also thru hikers that I have never met before today. Just Winging It and Schwag and my self hike all the way down to about two or three miles from the ferry before I had to stop and tape my heels because of some heet that was building up from my new boots. I dont want to get an blisters this late in the trip. The three of us waited for over one hour to get out ferry ride across the river at Caratunk. It was amazing because as we sat there the river rose up nearly two feet or more from a dam release that was arriving as we waited. That was very cool to see the water rise. The river is definatly mighty and swift like all reports put it at.After the ferry ride I waltzed over here to town just in time to beat a popcorn thunderstorm and that was all that it took to convince me that I was going to stay here for the night. We ate at a pizza joint and now me belly is full and I am happy to be here typing my entries from the past few days.I cant believe that I have now hiked over 2000 miles and I am only like ten days away from completion of this hike. It is kinda humbling that this trip is alomost over.
Date: 2003-08-28
From: Caratunk ME

To: Moxy Bald Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.6

Walking today was so easy. I cant believe that covering 17.6 miles took as little time as it did. I spent a few long breaks today on a few rock vistas pondering the end of this hike. I met up with Dez and Dru at the shelter right before the Moxy Bald Climb. The three of us climbed up and over the bald together. I have to admit that the 360* view from the top was probably the best view that I have had from the trail yet. We could see way back over the Bigelows, and although I dont exactly know what Mountain was Katahdin I am sure that one of the mountains to the north was our final destination.I took a swim at the pond near the shelter when I got here and then I made dinner as usual and now I am sititng here in my bag taking notes. There is a large group of thirty or so freshman from some local college that are camping here at the site tonight. Tomorrow I thought that it was about 17 miles to Monson but upon review that is to the 2.5 side trail to Monson. It is actually about 20.6 miles to the road to Monson. So I guess that tomorrow will be a day over 20. Off to sleep now.
Date: 2003-08-29
From: Moxy Bald Pond Lean-to

To: ME rt 15 (Monson ME)
Miles today: 20.6

The hike again today went by very quickly. The tread path was rather flat and was very easy to walk on. There were two very small fords today that I would not have wanted to attempt if the water was high but today they were easily crossable with little rock hops and puddle jumps.I have caught up with Just Dan and Spiderman again here in Monson. That is great because I will definatly enjoy hiking the 100mi wilderness with the two of them. It will be great to reflect back on the good old times in Franklin NC, Gatlinburg TN, Hotsprings, Damascuss, Delaware Water Gap, Hanover, and ther other places where the three of us have hung out together. Tomorrow I will probably take a zero day here because a BBQ Pit is having an AYCE special. I may stick around for that, or I may hike out tomorrow.This will probably be my last online entry until I am finished with my hike.
Date: 2003-08-30
From: ME Rt 15 (Monson)

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I had considered taking a zero day today in Monson at Shaws Boarding house but I did not want to sit around in town. I got a ride out to the trail head at rt15 around 9:00am. Bush Pilot was with me and Kieth Shaw Jr. in the truck and he was going to yellow blaze around part of the first few miles on the 100 mile wilderness.After walking two or three miles I knew why Bush Pilot went around. Monson is world famous for Slate. Nearly all slate black board came from Monson ME as there was a large supply of black, not grey, slate found in the ground near the town. Wet slate is slick as ice. It was hard walking on the stuff today. I stopped at Wilson Valley Lean-to for a nap, but decided at 4:00 that 10 miles was not far enough. I hiked out to the next shelter.The last mile or so after crossing Long Pond Stream took forever. The Data Book says that the trail is one mile long and it gains 300ft of elevation. They forget to tell you that 10 times the trail goes up and down 50 feet though. I felt like I would never get to the shelter. My knees and back hurt.When I did finally arrive I was greated by a very freindly SOBO couple who I chatted with for about two hours about gear. It was great.I finally had dinner and got in my bag to goto sleep around 9:00pm. I hope that some power will give me the strength to walk tomorrow and to block the pain in my knees from my mind.
Date: 2003-08-31
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: AT KI Rd at Gulf Haggas (Camp Pine)
Miles today: 15.8

I thought that today I was going to die. My knees hurt so bad. If it was not for passing the flip flop hiker named Ounce around 2:00pm I may have been camped out along the trail for the next few days trying to recover from the pain in my knees.Ounce brought the good news that at a road that was about five miles away there were some people taking in hikers for the night, and feeding them part of the family Labor Day bbq. That was music to my ears because I thought that I would be able to rest at there place for a day and then head back out.I got down to the road around 5:00pm. I had missed the shuttle ride to the bbq but there were many cars in the Gulf Haggas Parking Lot so I figured that I would be able to get a ride. I was hitching into the bbq and I guy stopped in and XJ Cherokee and offered me a ride right to the bbq. He was actually on his way there him self.The people here are great. A few soda and a burger and the pain was gone in my knees. That is until I started to get up to go for another burger. I could barley stand up getting out of the chair. I was gonna sleep in the back on some ones pick up truck, and just as I was leaving the offer was made to allow me to sleep in the slide in pick up truck camper. That was also great. No bugs, no noise, clean sheets, and a real matress.Thanks Erskin Family. You are the greatest.
Date: 2003-09-01
From: AT KI Rd at Gulf Haggas (Camp Pine)

To: Caral A. Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 6.0

I rested all day till around 3:00pm.I hiked the six miles up here to the shelter and was here around 4:00pm.I ate dinner, and then went to bed around 9:00pm. What a day. Typhoon is here tonight with a young lady named Laura that is hiking south through Maine. Tomorrow it is off towards White Cap mountain the last of the major mountains between here and BIG K. I hope that tomorrow is pretty easy. My knee did well on the six mile hike up here to the shelter from KI road.
Date: 2003-09-02
From: Caral A. Newhall Lean-to

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 11.1

I am a very big nap taker. I love to hike half way to my daily destination and pull out my sleeping bag, lay down at a shelter, and spend at least an hour unconcious.It feels soo good to take a nap. The only bad part about it is that I have to pack and un pack my back pack and extra time because my sleeping bag is in the bottom. It is some times hard to get going again that first ten min. or so after waking up. Naps are the greatest. I would like to take one every day.It is literally amazing how I walked 1400 miles since mid May and less than five days from the end of my hike some people who I have not seen in three months show up at the shelter tonight. The greyhounds, or at least two thirds of them as they write in the register, showed up here tonight. I have not seen them since Four Pines Hostel in Catawba VA, and at trail days.They have been right behind me for a few weeks. It is so great to see theese guys again. Back where it looked like there was no end it sight to the rain the greyhounds, Two Paw, Damp Dan, Gonzo, and Mighty Mouse were the best of shelter mates. A few nights in a row infact we all shared the same shelters. It was great to be there with a group who is considerate.Tonight it is the Greyhounds and me here at the shelter. We talked alot of the old times back in March April and May and they even invited me to come up to Canada next summer to Kayak.Tomorrow I am heading to White House Landing.
Date: 2003-09-03
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 21.2

Today's hike was very easy. The terrain was great. The scenery was unbelieveable. The water at Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to was very cool, and the last few miles here to WHL were very fun. I got a view of big K and took one or two of my own photos.I finally arrived at the boat dock to WHL around 5:00pm. I was amazed to find that I am the only person here tonight. I ate a burger at the kitchen for dinner and then came back here to the bunk house to goto sleep. It is supposed to rain very hard tonight and into tomorrow.I was thinking that maby I will take a zero day tomorrow.
Date: 2003-09-04
From: White House Landing

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 0.0

Last night around 10:00 pm it started to rain like heck. I was the only person here at the hostel last night and when I got up today to go and eat breakfast it was still raining. I decided shortly after breakfast that I would go ahead and take one last zero day today. The White House Landing is great. The bunk house here is huge with a wood burning stove and there is a very cool mess hall building.People started to roll in around noon that had come from the shelters that were about fifteen miles back. I was excited that Spiderman and Just Dan showed up here today. I was hoping that they would catch up because I would enjoy spending the last few days of my hike with them.All along this entire trail I have been hearing about all of these great burgers that are supposed to exist at Mountain Mommas, THe Whistel Stop, and other places that are unique to the trail corridor. I must admit that I had not eaten a burger worth shit along this trail til I arrived here at White House Landing. Most of the burgers were just what hikers were craving so they were not really that good they just hit the spot. The burger here at WHL is huge, delicious, and priced about right for the conditions here. So that said White House Landing gets the hard to earn TWOFIDDYS TWO THUMBS UP AWARD for both the PIZZA and the BURGERS!TOmorrow I am hitting the trail for the last two or three days of my hike.
Date: 2003-09-05
From: White House Landing

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The miles today were much harder than I thought that they would be. It think that all of the pizza beer and burgers from yesterday have made the hike harder.Breakfast today was great too. The gang that was at the White House Landing last night was ten people in numbers. The first five left on the first ferry back to the trail. Just Dan, Spiderman, Riles Riley, Eric, and myself took the second ferry. We took a bag of food with us to hang in the tree at the trail junction with lost of trail food goodies like beef jerkey, noodles, candy bars, cookes, peanut butter and other stuff that was extra from the mail drops at THE WHITE HOUSE LANDING.The view of Katahadin today from the ledges above the lake were awesome.Tomorrow I hope to hike the 25 miles to The Birches.
Date: 2003-09-06
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

My intentions when I got out of bed today was to hike all the way to The Birches Camp Site. When I got here to the camp store at Abol Bridge I sat and ate donuts, doretos, and hot dogs. I then did not feel like hiking any farther.The rest of the gang showed up here so we sat around talking to the ridge runner and wasted the day away in the Maine Sunshine.Around 4:00pm a fella and his wife drove up and got out of there car and started walking out onto the bridge. I met them in the middle of the bridge and the man offerd to take a photo of me with his digital camera and e-mail it to me. That was great.The photo is also great.Here it is.
Date: 2003-09-07
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birches Thru Hiker Camp Site
Miles today: 10.1

Sleeping onthe bank of the Penobscot river last night at Abol bridge camp ground was very fun. The camp sites there are great. They are sand sites that are comfy to sleep on and the camp store has just what us worn out skinny thru hikers need to get us in and out of Baxter and over the summit of Katahdin.I broke camp around 7:00am and walked the three miles over to the mouth of a stream that runs down off of the mountain. There at the mouth of the stream was a water slide water fall. Six of us, Riles Riley, Spiderman, Just Dan, Steve, his sister Mary (other wise known as Snicker Snatcher)and my self all swam in the chilly water there at the falls and had a snack.While we were sitting there we were watching a very large bird flying over the Penobscot river. The bird tucked off to the side of the river and its white head reflected some of the morning sun light. It was a bald eagle. It was the first bald eagle that I have ever seen in person and it was very very cool. We watched it fly over the river for some twenty minuits. I suppose that it was searching for a fish to catch for brunch but never the less it was a great sight to see on the next to last day of my hike.I hiked off from that point up the trail that followed the stream and I stopped to check out the two Niagra Falls that were about .1 off the trail. My final destination was The Birches and I was there by about 1:00pm. It was great to be in camp early and get to take a nap. I ate two cooked meals and finally around 8:00pm I decided to come get into my sleeping bag and goto sleep.Tomorrow is the "End of the Journey"
Date: 2003-09-08
From: The Birches Thru Hiker Camp Site

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: few clouds

The last day has finally arrived. I got up this morning at 5:00 am and got out of the shelter by 5:30. It was still very dark. I stopped at the ranger station to drop most of my gear and then started the hike up the mountain. I was sure that I was out first as I had beat the early birds. As I started up the mountain I was catching all of the spider webs which is typical of the first person out of camp.The thought of this actually being the last day did not really cross my mind until I hit the tree line some time shortly before 7:00am. It was then that I realized how hard of a climb the next two miles was going to be and how big of a Mountain that Katahdin really is.The climb out of the tree line starts with a few little boulders and then turns sharply to a climb up a few very steep ledges. It is probably 1000 feet up from that point the the first false summit. Over the first false summit the view of the second false summit was now clear. The walk across the back of the ridge up to the second false summit was cold. The wind was blowing and most of that ridge was still in the shadow.I reached the top of that second false summit around 7:30am. It was then that the real summit was in my sights about a mile away. The Katahdin Flatlands is this huge plateau across the top of the mountain. It was amazing how large this alpine meadow was and right smack in the middle of the meadow was a spring. Thoreau Spring to be exact. I filled my water bottles there and charged to the top.As I came to the last few hundred feet I sat down on a rock and looked back at the flat lands. I looked back over Whitecap and south towards the Bigelows and suddenly I found my self reflecting on this entire trip. I am so happy that I sat down to reflect before hitting the summit because the emotions of reaching the end were no doubt going to be overwhelming. Around 8:00 am I touched the sign at then end of the trail. The veiw was amazing. Katahdin is definatly the coolest mountain on the east coast and I am sure that is the reason for the terminus of the trail being located at its Baxter Peak.2100 miles, hundreds of Pop Tars and ramen noodles, fifty pounds of body weight and here I am sitting on top of Katahdin.
Date: 2003-09-20
To: Back to real life, a search for happiness.
Miles today: 0.0

Thinking that I actually walked 2200 miles this summer has not even set into my mind yet. I was thinking today as I sat on the porch that if it were not for the photos to remind me that I right now I am having a hard time actually remembering that I actually did hike the entire trail. Many people who followed along as this journal grew into something interesting must know that I was at some kind of point about a year ago where I did not have much confidence in what I was doing and that I had forgotten how to achieve success. This trip, and its completion, have allowed me to again feel like I know that I can achieve success and that I can feel good about it.The trail has left such an impression on my mind. I have come to a realization just how much of a consumption based society that we are and how much that affects the quality of our life. I have walked around my neighborhood on my regular dog walk where I know that I would pass discarded soda bottles, candy wrappers, and coffee cups, and now I stop and pick them up. I have put large plastic coffee cups in each of my vehicles so that when I stop for a coffee some place that I dont have to use one of those foam cups that will just get thrown away. The other impression that the trail has left on me is that I can survive. Even if I am in situations where I dont want to be, or that I have no control over, or that are seamingly impossible I can survive. I ate at a Chineese Buffet a few days before I left for my hike and when I opened my fortune cookie it read "All great accomplishments are at first seamingly impossible"I hope that as my life continues on that I will some how find the ability to continue to tackle what is seamingly impossible, and continue to accomplish great things. What a great thing the entire human experience is... and I am thankful that the Appalachian Trail is a part of that.