morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-28
From: Rangely Maine

To: Sugarloaf 
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: light rain

Hootis wife dropped us off at the Rt 4 road crossing where we left off around 9am. The weather was great for hiking. About 5 miles in we made it to the top of Saddleback Mt. A good part of the hike was above tree line with rock slabs. We continued on to the Horn then Saddleback Junior. From there we went down to Woods Road where Hootis wife was to pick us up. When we got to Woods Road we realized that the road was real rough and no vehicles were going down this road. There were no other road crossings and we were about 8 miles from the nearest way out. About 5pm we continued on the AT about 8 more miles till we got to a side trail 0.5 miles to the summit of Sugarloaf Mt. We went up and over Sugarloaf and went down the ski slopes another 2.5 miles back to the Condo. We got done just about midnight. We were happy to be done. We hiked 21.7 miles not counting the 0.5 to the summit and the 2.5 down the Mt. ~Robi1Oh boy what a day. Claire dropped us off at the ME. 4 trailhead to start our 14 mile slack pack day. We all looked at a map the night before and found a road to get picked up on. We went up Saddleback Mt. then up the Horn followed by Saddleback Jr. The views were spectacular. When we got to the road to be picked up at it was an old logging road that hadn't been used in at least 20 yrs. We got in touch with Claire and our only option was to keep walking. So we went up over Lone Mt. and then up over Spaulding Mt. We then had to go off trail, up to the summit of Sugarloaf Mt. and down the slopes to Christin and Johnny's condo. We finished our 24.2 mile day a few minutes before midnight. It was our first night hike and was fun but a very long day. Well deserved zero day tomorrow.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-29
From: Sugarloaf 

To: Sugarloaf 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After yesterday's adventure we decided to take today off. We will take the chair lift back up to the summit of Sugarloaf tomorrow and hike down the 0.5 mile trail to the intersection with the AT. We will slack pack about ten miles to Rt 27 where Hootis wife will pick us up. We then will load our packs back up for the next few days. ~Robi1Zero day today. Eat,rest,repeat all day long.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-30
From: Sugarloaf 

To: Cranberry Stream Campsite 
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

So we took the Chair lift back up to the Summit of Sugarloaf Mt just t before 10am and took the half mile trail back down to the intersection with the AT. From here the trail went downhill for about 2 miles with a few steep sections before we started the 1,900ft climb up Crocker Mt south and north summits. Fairly nice today but lots of clouds. Not much of a view from either summit. We passed the 2,000 mile marker today. Only 186.4 miles to finish. From the north Summit of Crocker we went down 4 gradual miles to the trail crossing at ME 27. Here we met Hootis wife with the rest of our hiking gear. We packed up, said our goodbyes and continued on to Cranberry Stream Campsite a couple of more miles in where we will spend the night. Total hiking for today was 12.3 miles. ~Robi1Started our day today on the super quad at Sugarloaf to get back to the top so we could take the sidetrail back to the AT. We went down about 1500 ft and then started our climb up South Crocker Mt. Not too bad of a climb. It got a little steep near the top but overall not bad. Then a short descent and right up North Crocker Mt. which was steeper but not as long of a climb. We then went downhill for the next 5 miles and met Claire for the last time on this visit at Rt.27. She fed us and sent us back into the woods to start to wrap up this amazing journey. We did 12.3 miles total today. We are now officially Thru Hikers. We passed the 2000 mile mark. The day ended at 2002.8 It seems amazing to say I've walked that far but my feet know they did it. 186.4 left to go. Hi Dad, I think of you alot out here. Stay healthy.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-31
From: Cranberry Stream Campsite 

To: Little Bigelow Lean To 
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

We left Cranberry Stream Campsite around 8:30. From here we started climbing up to Bigelow Mt West Peak, Avery Peak and Little Bigelow.The climbs wore us out today. They were not to crazy just a lot of climbing. The biggest climb was over 2,800 ft up Bigelow West Peak at 4,145ft. The day was mostly cloudy and very hazy. Not much for views. We could have taken a nice picture of Sugarloaf if it wasn't hazy. It was also very windy on the ridge and peaks. We made our way to Little Bigelow Lean-tos about 6:30 where we are tenting. We hiked 13.5 miles today. 172.9 left to the finish. ~Robi1Today was a tough day. We started the day with a 2500 ft climb and the last half mile was very steep and rocky. We then climbed up to Bigelow Mt. west peak which was another 800 ft. Tough climb but the views were great. We could see Sugarloaf and a huge lake on the other side of the mountain. We then climbed Avery peak. Then we descended 2000 ft just to climb back up 800 ft to Little Bigelow Mt. The guidebook makes it look flat but it isn't. Up 25 ft down 30 ft up 30 ft down 25 ft and so on the whole way. Then we came down about 1500 ft to Little Bigelow Lean-to to stay the night. 13.5 tough miles today. It felt real tough because we got to slack pack the last few day and today we had full packs.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-01
From: Little Bigelow Lean To 

To: Pierce Pond 
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

We started out around 8am and went down for about 2 miles before climbing up too hills that were both under 1,000ft. These were the biggest climbs for today. The rest of the day the trail was gently sloping ups and downs. It was still slow going due to roots and rocks. Also the mud. Vermont may be called Vermud but Maine has some nasty mud holes. Hootie says some of them could easily make a good size Moose disappear. It was a very nice day with nice views of East Flagstaff lake. And West Carry Pond where we had lunch at the Lean-to. We made our way to Pierce Pond Lean-to where we are tenting for the night. We hiked 17.7 miles today. ~Robi1Good day today. We hiked 17.7 miles on mostly flat ground. There we a lot of rocks and mud and roots but it wasn't straight up or down. We passed 3 or 4 bodies of water but I only went swimming in 1. It was awesome. Funny thing is I still stink. We are taking the (ferry) tomorrow across the Kennebec river. It's a guy in a canoe pulling a raft and he has one tooth is what we have been told.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-02
From: Pierce Pond 

To: The Forks 
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: broken clouds

We left Pierce Pond around 8am. Fairly easy 4 miles to the Kennebec ferry crossing and trailhead at Rt 201 not much for views today but we did follow Pierce Pond Stream with small waterfalls along the way. Very nice day again today but the heat is back with humidity. Hillbilly Dave got us across the Kennebec and we made our way to the Rt 201 Trailhead where a couple were giving out Whoopie Pies and drinks to hikers. We waited a while for the Shuttle from Northern Outdoors that is suppose to pick up with the Ferry Schedule but decided to start walking the 2 miles to get there. We had walked most of the way when the shuttle picked us up. We got our mail drop and decided to spend the night here. We had lunch and the couple that was giving out Whoopie pies were also having lunch. We chatted with them for a while then they left. When we went to pay for our lunch we were told the couple had paid for ours. We didn't get to thank them. Thank you!!Tomorrow we will get a ride back to where we left off. ~Robi1Easy 3.6 mile walk to the Kennebec river ferry crossing. The hikers were correct. Hillbilly Dave piloted the canoe. He was a good guy and he had 1 tooth. It was definitely a very big one though. We then walked the .4 mile to the road and got trail magic from Red Hot's friends. Whoopi pies and beer. Then we tried to hitch a ride to Northern Outdoors to pick up our mail drop but walked almost all 2 miles before the shuttle gave us a ride the last 400 yards. Nice place so we decided to stay the night. We showered and got laundry going and went downstairs to eat. The people who did trail magic were in there eating. We chatted with them and another couple during lunch. When we went to leave the nice couple who did the magic had already left but had paid for our meals. We didn't even get to say thanks. THANKS. Just got out of the hot tub for the 2nd time. My feet feel better. Very excited to finish this journey.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-03
From: The Forks 

To: Glad Mountain Brook Lean To 
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We got a ride back to the Caratunk Rt 201 trailhead about 9am. The weather today was very nice but warm. We started out going very gradual up for about 5 miles till we got to Pleasant Pond Lean-to. Then we started a 1,000 ft climb up Mt Pleasant. Not horrible but it got our attention. Before and after the climb the trail was easy going with only a few rough spots. We made our way to a tent site just before Bald Mt Brook Lean-to where we are tenting. We hiked 14.7 miles today. 136.5 miles to go. ~Robi1We left Northern Outdoors after a good breakfast and got a ride to the trailhead one hour earlier than we expected. The trail started out with a gradual 1000 ft climb for a little over 5 miles then went up 1000 more ft in 1.2 miles up and over Pleasant Pond Mt. It then came down hill for 5 miles with some pretty steep spots and quite a bit of mud. There is definitely more mud in Maine than Vermont and Vermont is known for all its mud. We ended on a nice gradual climb to the Lean-to. 14.7 miles today.Hello to Hunter and Trase. I hope you are being good at school. I'll see you soon.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-04
From: Glad Mountain Brook Lean To 

To: Monson Maine 
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

We left the Bald Mountain campsite around 8am and started the 1,300ft or so climb up Moxie Bald Mountain. The day was nice and started off in the high 40sthe climb was not bad and the Bald was beautiful. The views were good and pretty clear. We went down the Mountain easily and got to Moxie Bald Shelter where we took a break by the pond in front of the Shelter. We continued on to Bald Mountain Stream which we had to Ford. The water was not over our knees and crossing was easy. We would ford one ore time today across the Piscataquis River which was also easy. We took another break at Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to to get water. We continued on till we got to a blue blaze trail and walked 0.2 mile to a parking lot. From there we got picked up by Nancy a friend of a friend of Hooties and she also graduated from Salem High School with me and My wife Rose. We are staying with her Tonight and Sat night. she is Awesome and took us around Monson to get our mail drop and let us take her car to Indian Hill in Greenville to get supplies at the store. She also helped with making arrangements to get a food drop halfway through the 100 mile wilderness so we don't have to carry 7 days of food. We hiked 18.7 miles today. ~Robi1Today was a good day. Up and over Moxie Bald Mt. to start the day. Then the trail got much less steep. The map profile shows flat but there is no such thing in Maine. We hiked 18.7 miles into Monson where a friend of Bob McHugh's, Nancy Putnam, picked us up and let us stay at her home. She's a very nice person who grew up in Salem Mass where we grew up. After a 3.3 mile hike tomorrow we need to set things up for the 100 mile wilderness and then get back on the trail sunday morning first thing. If all goes right we'll have 8 more days to the finish. HELL YA!-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-05
From: Monson Maine 

To: Monson Maine 
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up this morning and Nancy cooked us a great breakfast. We ran our errands and Nancy dropped us off where we left off to hike 3.3 more miles to Rt 15 trail crossing, the official starting point of the 100 mile wilderness. We will head out tomorrow to start the last leg of our journey. ~Robi1We went out today and slack packed the 3.3 miles we needed to do to get us to the southern end of the 100 mile wilderness. Very easy hike. We then went to Nancy's friends house and sat on the dock on a lake drinking beer. It was awesome. Will get all packed up tonight to get an early start tomorrow.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-06
From: Monson Maine 

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

Nancy dropped us off at the Rt 15 Trail Head after another great breakfast. The weather was nice and soon got very warm. We hiked past Spectacle Pond, Bell Pond and Lily Pond. They were all very scenic as well as a few Swamps. We had to ford 3 Rivers today all were pretty easy. Nothing over our knees. The trail today was up and down all day with the highest being around 700 ft the rest were all around 2 - 300ft. There were a lot of them. A couple of miles before reaching our goal the was a sign for trail magic 1/8 of a mile off trail. We went down and hooti had a couple of burgers and I had a couple of Cokes. We continued back to the trail and made our way to Long Pond Stream Lean-to where we are tenting for the night. We hiked 15,1 miles into the 100 mile wilderness today. 99.4 miles to go. ~Robi1We left Monson this morning and started hiking the 100 mile wilderness. A HUGE thank you to Nancy and Bruce for allowing us to stay at their home. Nancy was an awesome hostess. The accomodations were a nice break from our tents that helped get us ready for the final week of our hike. The trail is pretty much what we expected it to be. They call the trail the green tunnel everywhere else, but up here it's called the root canal. Its been described as spaghetti roots with one on top of the other, 5 to 10 deep in some spots. And there are still a lot of mud holes. We had to ford 3 rivers today. It's fun but it takes time to take your boots off, put your water shoes on, then cross the river, dry your feet, and put your boots back on. We hiked a total of 15.1 miles today. The adrenaline is starting to flow to get to the finish line. Things still hurt a lot but there is a light at the end of the root canal.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-07
From: Long Pond Stream Lean To

To: Pleasant River West Branch 
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We left the Long Pond Stream Campsites just before 8am. We forded the river that was nothing over our knees. Today was again very hot and humid, very hot hiking. Drank lot of water today. We went over 7 Mountains today, won't name them all but the winner was Barren Mt at around 1,700ft. It was a very tough day going up and down. There are roots everywhere on the trail. One hiker wrote that the green tunnel of the AT has turned into a root canal in Maine. We hiked a hot 15.2 miles today. ~Robi1Today was an extremely tough day. 15.2 miles of short steep ups and downs with slick rocks, mud and ROOTS. Our tallest climb was 1700 ft but we we also had three 500 or 600 ft climbs that were tough. The downhills today were technical and steep. We are both getting tired earlier in the day than usual. Tomorrow is another toughie but then it flattens out all the way to Katahdin. We both hope flat means easier because that isn't always the case. We went over the 2100 mile mark today. I forgot to tell everyone as of last night we are down to double digits left at 99.4. After today we have 84.2 to go.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-08
From: Pleasant River West Branch 

To: East Branch Lean to 
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

We left our Campsites on the West Bank of the Pleasant River just before 8am. It rained a little last night and today was a bit cooler with lots of clouds. We went up and over Gulf Hagas Mt, west Peak, Hay Mt., and White Cap Mt. Today's climbs were easier than yesterday but still tough. We got a good view of Katahdin from the north side of White Cap. Then a 5 mile down to the East Branch Lean-to where we are tenting. We hiked 16.4 miles today. ~Robi1Today was an easier day than yesterday. Even though we climbed up White Cap which is a 2800 ft climb it wasn't the constant up and downs all day. We got in 16.4 miles and have 67.8 to go. Tomorrow should be an easier day because it flattens out after a couple small climbs in the morning. Getting excited to summit on sunday.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-09
From: East Branch Lean to 

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean to 
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: light rain

We left the East Branch tent site around 8am. The Weather was cloudy and very humid. We started going up gradually till we reached Little Boardman Mt. The only climb we have today. After that we picked up our food drop that was left in a 5 gallon bucket in the woods. We had directions and it was easy to find. The sun eventually came out and got very hot for hiking. We stopped for water many times today. We made our way to Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to and set up our tents just before a Thunderstorm hit at about 6pm Lasted about a hour. It is still sprinkling out now (8:30) I'm hoping that it at least cools off some. We hiked a very hot and humid 19.5 miles today. 48.3 more to the finish. ~Robi1Today was a good day until the last 3 and a half miles. We made great time because the trail was flat. We picked up our food drop in the middle of the woods in a 5 gallon bucket. Even with full packs it wasn't too bad but it was very hot so we drank a lot of water today. That means stopping to get it which slows us down. We got to a great campsite after 16 miles but decided to push on to the next lean-to which was only 3 1/2 miles away. The trail turned rocky and muddy and rooty about a quarter mile in and stayed difficult all the way to the lean-to. We hikes a total of 19.5 miles and have only 48.3 left. It just doesn't seem possible.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-10
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean to 

To: Rainbow Stream Lean to 
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

We left Potaywadjo Spring Campsite just before 8am. After the Thunderstorm last night it kept raining till midnight. The day started out sunny, a little cooler and got cloudy by late afternoon. Had one good 750ft climb today up Nesuntabunt Mt. From here there was a view of Katahdin 16 miles away as the crow flys. Not much else in the way of views. The trail has flattened out more or less and is muddy, rooty and rocky. We made our way to Rainbow Stream Lean-to where we are camping. We hiked 18.2 miles today. 30.1 miles to go! ~Robi1Another tough day. We hiked 18.2 miles and none of them were easy. Rock, Roots & Mud were the topics of the day. We got a thunder storm over night so the trail was wet all morning which made the roots slick, the mud puddles a little bigger and all the rocks slippery. We are pushing hard to get to the end but the trail is fighting back. We have 30.1 miles left. 15 tomorrow, 10 on saturday and the final summit on Sunday. Tomorrow won't be very easy because it's already raining and it is supposed to keep raining into the day. We'll give it our best shot.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-11
From: Rainbow Stream Lean to 

To: Abol Bridge Campground 
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

We started out from Rainbow Stream Campsites around 9am in light rain. It rained until noon then the Sun came out mid afternoon. We climbed up about 750 ft to Rainbow Ledges the biggest climb of the day. Very muddy, Rooty and rocky today. 15 miles later we made our way to Abol Bridge Campground where we will camp for the night. 15.1 miles to go! ~Robi1Good day today. It rained all night and continued until 11:00 am so everything was wet but we made our way to the campsite that we had hoped for. We got the same site Claire had reserved for the next 2 nights so it worked out perfect for us to slackpack tomorrow. We did about 15 miles and met alot of hikers here. Everyone is excited to be finished. It was very rocky and rooty and muddy again but we pushed right thru it because the end is near. 10 miles to the base of Katahdin tomorrow and then summit on Sunday. Can't wait!-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-12
From: Abol Bridge Campground 

To: Katahdin Stream Campground 
Miles today: 10.0

We left Abol Campground about 10am to finish up the last ten miles that will bring us to the start of the Hunt trail head up Katahdin. We only took what we needed so we were hiking light. The trail was flat and the ten miles were easy. Took us less than 3 1/2 hours. We stopped at Big Niagara Falls and took pictures. Trail was very scenic and it was a nice walk in the woods. We got a ride back to Abol Campground from Hootis wife who came up to stay the night and hike up Katahdin tomorrow. ~Robi1Very, very easy 10 miles to the base of Katadin today. Great weather and the trail was mostly flat with about 6 and a half miles of root and rock free hiking. Very excited about tomorrow. Claire picked us up in Baxter and brought us back to the campsite after our hike. How she found us is amazing.-Hooti
Date: 2015-09-13
From: Katahdin Stream Campground 

To: Katahdin Summit 
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Abol Campground around 5:30am and drove to Katahdin Stream Campground where we started up the 5 mile long Hunt Trail that will end our journey. We started a little after 7am. Not the best of days but no rain, just cloudy. The Sun did come out eventually but the summit was in the clouds as usual. The climb was tough but fun finding your way through the Boulders. By the time we reached the Tableland we were in the clouds and it was windy, also cold. Took us 4 hours to get to the Summit and 3 to get down. This ends a journey of a lifetime that I will never forget. The people we met, all the trail towns and history along the trail. What we experienced could only be done on foot.I would like to thank all the people along the way that fed us, housed us and shuttled us around. This helped us mentally to keep the journey going. A big thanks to my daughter for posting the updates and most of all my Wife for putting together and sending 36 mail drops, and gear that was needed along the way. Also for keeping things running for 5 1/2 months. No easy task!Thank you! ~Robi1Didn't sleep very well last night in anticipation of todays hike. We started the hike about 7 without coffe in me. The first mile was a little rough until I woke up and really got into it. Katahdin is a tough hike but a lot of fun. The top 2 and a half miles is a rock scramble. We all put our poles away and just pulled and crawled and scratched our way to the the table top of the mountain. From there the wind got even stronger and we were in the clouds so we all put on jackets. That is a big deal because we never hike with jackets because all you do is sweat but we needed them with the 25 to 40 mph wind and high 40 degree temperatures. It was the perfect mountain to end this amazing journey on. The top was VERY emotional for most of us. There are so many people I want to thank for all their help and support. You all know who you are so THANK YOU. You all made this journey a little eaiser. Most of all I want to thank my wife. I LOVE YOU and never could have done this without your support and encouragement. You are amazing.-Hooti
Date: 2015-08-11
To: My first post
Miles today: 0.0

So I have been sick for the past three years. I lost weight and was in pretty sad shape. The last six months I have been doing much better and had set my goal to do three hundred miles of the Appalachain Trail. My original plan was to start in Bland Virginia and to end at Clingman"s dome in Tennessee. I am going to start on September 1st. I have had to change that plan because of unforseen difficulties.My current plan is to start at Springer Mountain Sepetember 2nd and to finish around Hot Springs North Carolina on September 29th. I have been logging about 30-45 mile a week here on the flat lands of Illinois with a full backpack of 45 lbs. That"s pretty good since a year ago I could not walk a hundred yards without stopping. This week I would like to increase my mileage. My pace is about 3 miles an hour. I expect it to slow down on the trail.I will post some more later and keep you up to date on my progress.I am so excited to get out there. I am going to do this!Nortowngeorge