morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-01
From: caratunk, me

To: moxie bald mt lean2
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

I got a good breakfast from the sterling that had really good blueberry muffins, i ate four. Then a shuttle back to the trail. Lots of free shuttling around here and i kike it. The early part of the morning was foggy and quiet along a gently inclined trail. I again ttavelled for a while along a nice creek so i wasnt carrying any water. Water is plentiful up here so i havent been carrying much if any. About six miles in i stopped at the pleasant pond to drink and get a snack. Another great pond, where were these on the rest of the trail? From there was the first hill of the day, pleasant pond mt. Like i have said all the big climbs are done till the last one. This was a thousand feet, no problem. I stopped at a nice opening near the top to sit and check for phone service when i heard screaming from just up above me. It sounded like a kid screaming at the top of her lungs and the dad yelling something too. It sounded bad so i scampered up to the summit without my pack. I found nobody but could hear people down a way talking, no more yelling so i figured all was resolved and went back to get my pack. It wasnt long till i caught up to the family making the noise and passed them on the long descent. Next was going to be a ford of the moxie pond stream. People have been telling me about this for days and how bad it is. Some even told of two nobos that got a ride around! I take all this with salt anymore, i make my own judgements. The fording was nothing, not deep, not slippery, and not scary. Why do people make this out to be so bad? A blind guy did this for god sakes! The only thing i dont like is that you get your feet wet to put my boots back on. Then came moxie bald mt. This was nearly the same ascent, just a touch bigger. On the way up was another boulder field but the kind you can walk thru like a maze. As i got higher the boulders got bigger, some ten feet tall. I think these places are the best, not just another walk up a hill, really interesting. The summit is mostly open and just exposed rock not piles of scree. What better place for a nap i thought. It was about 4:30 and the place i was stopping for the night was only 2 miles away. I laid down on the warm rock and sunned myself like an old turtle, it was good. This i think is going to be the theme for the rest of the trip since there is no more high mile days. I spent an hour and a half on the mt until i was good and ready to make my way down to tent. Once at the shelter i found a decent spot for my house and set up. Then i chatted for a minute with some sobos staying in the shelter. Nice fellas not feeling like they had mastered camping yet. Hell, i dont feel like ive mastered it yet either. I cooked and ate dinner down by the pond. There were loons here too, calling back and forth to each other. All night the loons made sung the song of their kind, i liked it. They are much more relaxing than the whip-or-wills that sound like a car alarm. This new mindset is a good thing at the end of a long journey. Cruising to the finish. Plenty of time to stare at maine, just like it should be.
Date: 2014-08-02
From: moxie bald mt lean2

To: monson, me
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

I left camp and headed down the way toward monson, my last resupply town. Im at the point of the trip when im thinking about the lasts. Im ok with it too. This has been a wonderful trip but its long and difficult. I wont be sad to get back home. Not far down the trail i saw off to the side a big open area i thought could contain moose so i went off trail to investigate. No moose but i did see four beaver. It looked to me like two older and two younger. One of the youngins was really interested in what i was. He swam back and forth in front of me for ten minutes trying to figure me out. I finally sat on a rock to watch him. The others came around too but this one showed great interest. After a half hour he gave up and took off, probly to get his chores done. You know, chew on things, push mud around, and pile sticks. Back to the trail. My first ford was over the piscataquis river, again no trouble. Even the guide book says this one can be dangerous, maybe if they get a boatload of rain it coyld be bad. I stopped in quick to the horseshoe canyon lean2 but didnt stay long cuz the black flies were hungry and driving me a bit crazy. Two miles later i forded the east branch of the piscataquis river. This one was like waljing across a kiddie pool, nice gravel bottom a foot deep. By the time i got my first view of lake hebron i was about mad from the bugs. They had been few and far between until today. At the lake i sat in the breeze to keep them away, it was welcomed. It was one of those times where you take a minute (or a half hour) and regroup mentally. It was only a mile or a bit more till i got to the side trail to monson. Unfortunately it was 1.6 walk from there to shaws where i was gonna stay. The flies stayed in the woods, thank god! The walk was not bad and i got a room in the bunk house for $25. There were two beds in there but nobody else would show up for the second so i had my own room, pretty good id say. First thing after securing my lodging was a shower then eat. I showered and then weighed myself. It had been a while so i was curious. 173 with shorts, t shirt and crocs on!!! I assumed the scale was broken but quickly headed out to replenish. I went to the bbq place, got a moxie soda (not great), a pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, cole slaw, and a coke. I left there with still a little hunger so i went to the bakery. There i got two big ol sluces of pie, 2 scoops of ice cream, iced tea, a bag of beef jerky, and a bag of m&m's. I felt mostly full and headed back to home for the night. About 7:00 i made a run to the gas station for a bag of popcorn, drinks, and some candy, you can never be too careful about running out of snacks to get you thru the night! With a zero tomorrow i had plenty of time to resupply so i headee up to my room for sleep and digestion. Full belly=happy hiker.
Date: 2014-08-03
From: monson, me

To: monson, me
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

This is my last day off till the end of the trip. I had a day to rest and get things ready for the hundred mile wilderness. I have heard so many stories of the wilderness from the sobos. Most are of horrible mud, endless roots, and rugged terrain. Most have said it took them ten days to get thru, somr as many as thirteen! All that taken into consideration i planned on taking an extra day to get to katahdin stream campground leaving me six days to cover the 110 miles. I looked ahead in the guide to lay out where i would camp and bought food accordingly. The rest of the day i ate and rested. Im so close, i can feel the end. I have mixed thoughts of how this will end and how i will feel at the end. I would spend many moments pondering this next to lake hebron with my feet up. Thats about all the excitement for this day. Im ready for the last leg of the journey. Ready to continue through to katahdin. Ready to get the rest of the trail walked. Here i go.
Date: 2014-08-10
From: katahdin stream campground

To: mt katahdin
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: moderate rain

well, here it is, the day i have been hiking toward for 4 months and nine days. today is the day i will summit katahdin and end my thru hike of the appalachian trail, seems so hard to believe. we got up real early and ate breakfast in the room so we could get to the park as close to 6 as we could, thats when the gate opens. we didnt do too bad, got there about twenty minutes after 6 and to the katahdin stream campground about 6:45, on the trail at 7. the days weather was perfect so far but it can change quick on a mountain like this. we started off along the katahdin stream with its falls and remarkably clear water. i was carrying the pack with drinks and snacks so vikki and cindy didnt have to carry anything, i thought that would be best and make it more enjoyable for everyone. it doesnt take long to start getting steep and then it gets pretty climby. we gain over 4000' in the five mile hike. there is quite a long stretch of bouldery climby stuff that is slow going that made me glad i didnt have my full pack on. three and a half miles in we got to the 'tableland' which is where the steep subsides and its a grade to the peak over the last 1.5 miles. the hard work was over, it was pretty much just a walk to the top. it really hadnt registered yet how close i was until i saw the sign. i stopped for just a quick second and thought 'holy shit, there it is'. as we got closer all my emotion turned to happiness. i was just happy to be there! i didnt know what to do once we got up to it so i just looked at the sign i had been looking for for 2186 miles, there it was right in front of me. we took many a picture at the sign, then sat under the perfect blue sky and ate snacks and drank cream soda. hikermonkey showed up not long later, i congratulated him and gave him a cream soda too, his last trail magic. i took a few more photos, why not right? then we eventually started the descent, i had to get to the ranger station to fill out my form and the hours are 4-5, not a big window. the way down was nice, it still hadnt registered that my hike was done. we got back to the parking lot just before four and waited for someone to man the ranger station. eventually somebody came by to give me a form to send in so i can be officially a thru hiker. i am the 188 th person to finish this year. i still cant believe it. we ended up in greenville maine for dinner at the black frog restaurant, one of my favorites. we stayed the night close by and made the drive home the next day.
Date: 2014-02-18
To: Real and Imagined Adventures
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

One whiff of aftershave and I'm back risking life and limb in a wilderness filled with dangerous beasts and fierce weather. Anything musky is enough to put me back into my canvas pup tent during a good rain, taking care to crouch in the middle without touching the sides or bumping the poles. Not that it really mattered much. Sooner or later the canvas would leak or bleed enough to dampen the flannel sleeping bag and every piece of cotton I was wearing. Hypothermia was never an issue though. A ten year old feels no embarrassment in retreating from the backyard and opting for a hot chocolate. The expedition could continue tomorrow.Things have changed since those memories were formed a half century ago. Canvas tents, flannel bags and cotton clothes have been replaced with miracle fabrics that weigh nothing and cost a fortune. My first pup tent was earned selling greeting cards (as was my .22 rifle). The postman delivered both items by simply propping the packages up against the mailbox! Life in the 60's.As I prepare for my AT upcoming 2014 thru hike I ponder on how well my cumulative camping experience thus far maps to this trip. Its doubtful the Kerrville Folk Festival outings will help much; there won't be much chance for all night campfire song circles and my backpack won't hold as much gear as my SUV. Other short trips with kids or girlfriends had their respective perks but neither would be along this time. I will be on my own for months. Actually, I will not be completely on my own. My son is coming with me. The details of how that might play out deserves its own posting (we have agreed on adhering to the principles of HYOH). Stay tuned for details of our training, equipment, support logistics, along with ramblings on how and why this trip has acquired enough inertia to get this far.
Date: 2014-02-18
To: Hike Your Own Hike
Miles today: 0.0

I have been training for this hike for three months. Although I have been walking 50+ miles per week for years I have increased this to 15+ miles per day with full (30#) pack up and down the hills and trails of austin. I have also done several 3 day backpack trips during the coldest days of the austin winter. This has shown me how hard it is to eat enough.My son is training on a treadmill without a pack. He doesn't want to walk the trails in austin but thinks the AT trails will be more exciting. It will be interesting to see who fares better when we get to Springer Mtn.
Date: 2014-02-19
To: Why Now, Why At All
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Last summer someone sent me a video of exotic hiking destinations. The most interesting was a safari in Africa that traversed seven climate zones, from tropical forest to arctic mountain top. The trip included guides, pack animals and equipment and took the chartered group something like two weeks to climb the mountain. It was very exotic but also extremely choreographed; pay your money and turn the crank.The second most interesting was a 2200 mile trek across the eastern US. This caught my immediate interest as I conceived of walking from motel to motel, strolling over mountains and through shaded forests by day and eating in fine restaurants by night. Sweet. Such was my first impression of the AT. A little research revealed that some camping might be necessary but that hundreds of people complete this trek every year. OK, there were a few risks and a bit of logistics was involved. I stuck the idea somewhere in my head, right next to learning to play my guitar and writing my novel.I am an engineer, an FPGA designer at the moment. This much detail is usually enough to turn off all but the most nerdy inquirer. I worked in a typical Dilbert environment with some incredibly talented engineers along with a few managers (PHB's). We had a lot of fun and did some good work.A PHB to an engineering team is like bacteria to milk and my expiration date hit last October. I could simply move to another job, big bucks and security, or take a break. Maybe learn the guitar and write my book while hiking the AT. Or maybe just hike. The timing was almost perfect, my wife agreed and so I told someone I was going to do it. Then I told a dozen more. I was committed without stopping to fully appreciate the effort involved. For once I would drive using my headlights without knowing all details of the journey.I will never have a better chance to do this. I am not getting younger, smarter, or more capable. My son cannot find a job and I do not need one. We both have the time and are probably stubborn enough to resist the urge to quit the first time we find ourselves pinned down in a snow storm. We'll see.
Date: 2014-03-02
To: Feets of Strength
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Its important to have two good feet for hiking. Unfortunately I only have one. The other suffers from Plantar Fasciitis which translates into heel pain after walking long distances. This has not stopped me from making long walks; it just means a few seconds of pain after a rest period before the affected foot gets used to walking again. No big deal.To make sure I decided to consult a Podiatrist, which I thought meant a doctor specializing in feet. Maybe these guys are doctors but after trying two of them I tend to think they have gotten too used to making money fixing ingrown toenails. One correctly named my affliction but simply pulled out his prescription form and checked a standard shoe insert and a Stratford sock. The insert did nothing and the sock hyper-extended my big toe. Not helpful. The second didn't even touch my foot. He gave me prescriptions for a high priced version of ibuprofen and a muscle relaxer, neither of which I used.I was so frustrated leaving the second doctor's office that I stopped in a store specializing in inserts. I should have known something was wrong when they didn't even have equipment to measure my shoe size. Anyway, after a significant transfer of cash from me to them I walked away with their system that would modify my foot to fix all my ills. After a month of no improvement I started questioning this path.The first trip to REI didn't fare much better. I evidently have a curved foot which measures such that a wide shoe seems appropriate. It wasn't. My heel pain was increasing as my training distance increased. Things were looking bleak but there was nothing to do but continue searching.My lucked changed with my next visit to REI. The shoe salesman measured my foot and went quiet, as if not sure how to interpret the result. It was the curve that was bugging her. Then, she made the all important statement: "Your heel needs to be held rigidly in place". Voila, it all now made sense. Neither the doctor prescription or the insert store system did anything to hold the heel in place. The wide shoe exacerbated the problem by adding more room for the heel to shift around. She put me in a standard width shoe along with inserts that have a cupped heel that custom mold to my foot after being softened in an oven.The combination instantly fixed the heel pain. I now have two worn in pairs of Merrill MOAB low rise WP hiking shoes with high volume SOLE inserts. Problem solved!For the record, my son picked an extremely lightweight cross trainer. He has said he's very satisfied with this choice but hasn't actually done any hiking in them. Here is another HYOH difference between us that will be tested by the actually AT experience.
Date: 2014-03-02
To: My New Home Away From Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am surprised by the feeling of security I get when hiking with my pack. In my normal world, leaving home is always accompanied by a last minute check to make sure I am wearing the correct clothes and have the right stuff to deal with anticipated weather changes or other needs. The pack eliminates all doubt. Inside it is everything I own, at least for the duration of this hike. I can confidently adapt to any change of weather, handle hunger or thirst, create a safe shelter anywhere, and buy anything I need. The pack and its contents are fundamental to my mental health.My pack is a ULA Circuit, made in Utah. It theoretically is a 70L pack but I am skeptical without having measured the volume of its main compartment and all the various peripheral sleeves, pockets and tie downs. It is an impressive piece of gear though and has proven its durability during these three months of training. The pack specifies a 35# maximum load and warns about exceeding this. During my training hikes and outings I have had loads up to 32# and, although definitely feeling the weight when lifting the pack onto my shoulders, the pack has done an excellent job of transferring the load to my hips and shoulders. After a few minutes of walking, the presence of the pack becomes a non-event, at least to my conscious mind. On a level trail my normal hiking pace with fully loaded pack is about 3.3 mph.
Date: 2014-03-02
To: Laugh All You Want As I Pass You By
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Trekking poles are goofy. People using them seem so serious. All they appear to be doing is forfeiting the use of their hands to help them walk, a job their legs should be able to do quite well by themselves. They are probably good at attracting lightning and maybe as emergency tent poles but otherwise seem superfluous, performing functions that could be duplicated by picking up sticks along the trail.That was my opinion before being given some Black Diamond Fiber Ultra Trekking poles for Xmas. These poles converted me from a biped to a quadruped and now I feel clumsy and slow without them, especially when I have my pack on. In normal walks over the years I have occasionally tripped over a variety of objects and given anyone watching some comic relief. A few of these falls have been potentially dangerous but so far not disastrous. While using these poles I have not gone to the ground once in over 1K miles of hiking trails, tripping many times. The poles also help off-load my feet and knees during descents and provide additional leverage during ascents.Sometimes, when I am resting or posing with my gear on and my poles stretched out, I wonder if anyone watching is laughing. The moment invariably reminds me of my own ignorance, just a few months ago, and reinforces the hard to accept fact that rigid thinking is usually a weakness, not a strength. I'm sure a few months on the AT will add to my knowledge of hiking techniques and hopefully I will have the good sense to recognize when I am being taught a lesson.
Date: 2014-03-14
To: ready, set, heave
Miles today: 0.0

The trip to Springer Mtn took 2 days, ending at the Dawsonville Lodge which is near nowhere. It is evidently famous though for being used in a recent Clint Eastwood movie where it was renamed Grey Squirrel Lodge. The way to the AT from there is a series of back roads and dirt forest service roads that get you within a mile of the southern terminus. My wife and I navigated it and I walked backward to the actual trailhead and registered. My son was carsick from the trip and would never have survived the potholes. What to do? After some thought we decided to have him start in Suches, about 25 miles in. I started from the parking lot a mile in. I might be the only thru hiker to do one mile on my first day (technically 3/9/14). BTW: Both hotels we stayed were horrible, with holes in the doors and missing shower heads. The wives made up for tolerating it by hitting casinos on the way back. And so we are off!
Date: 2014-03-15
From: Springer Mountain

To: Wolfpen Hostel Suches GA
Miles today: 0.0

This is so great! I am hiking thru magnificent mountains and gaps on a beautiful clear day. I can't see how it could be better. I walked a tad over 20 miles to town that should have had a store and hostel, according to my guide book. After a 2 mile side trip though all I found was a defunct boarded up store. Some cyclists came by and confirmed that the hostel was actually 6 miles in the other direction BUT then offered to take me there in a truck. What kindness. I declined though, not wanting to put them out. As I say there contemplating my options a car stopped and told me there was indeed a hostel just up the road. They took me there and I slept like a baby after eating most of a pizza.Being on the trail seems like being on the Enterprise. Going up hills uses impulse power, both poles used in synchrony to help pull me up. Walking level is warp drive, alternating the poles. Descending is like raising the shields to avoid having the ground contact my face. As parts of my body complain other parts go into damage control mode and I can imagine Scotty screaming "I'm giving you all she's got". I am happy to report that as of now all systems are working at 100%.
Date: 2014-03-16
From: Wolfpen Hostel Suches GA

To: Hiawasse
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: moderate rain

I caught up to my son a ways past the Witney Gap shelter on a rainy but warm morning. He was just finished packing up after a Rainey night in his bivy alone in the woods. His story is one of extremes so far (see google blog hike2014). We took a photo and walked together to the next shelter where we decided to spend a very cold night. It was obvious by that short jaunt that we approached hiking differently and would not be able to walk together. The next morning I left before dawn for the next 20 miles while he was still sleeping. We had made plans to spend a day in Hiawasse. I slept that night in a new highly hyped hostel near Dicks Creek and took a shuttle into town the next morning to wait for him, thinking he was somewhere further back on the trail. I found him asleep at a hotel and didn't talk to him until he woke up late that afternoon. He had walked all night, finally being picked up by paper carrier around 5am. We had dinner together and agreed to go our separate ways. It will make for a more enjoyable hike for both of us. I guess in the long run I enjoy being a lone wolf.