morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-09-09
From: Hall Mtn Lean-To

To: South Arm Road (Andover, ME)
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Not too much to this morning's short hike into the road. There was a section of trail that got washed away in a landslide. So they had a detour through that section. Plus you could see where they were putting in the new trail. I did take the Appalachian Trail .... purest, remember. But a couple of others took the "new trail" to see what it was like.Got to town and had lunch. Now in the process of doing other chores. I will hike out tomorrow morning, and be in Stratton in about 4 days.By the way, sorry I am behind on photos, and placing titles on them. But as you will see, I took 400+ photos through the White Mountains .... and another 150 since then. I'm trying to keep up the best I can, but time, and computer resources are limited out here in "the wild".
Date: 2009-09-10
From: South Arm Road (Andover, ME)

To: Sabbath Day Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

The Pine Ellis Hostel was a very nice place to stay. Very comfortable. Ilene and David, the owners, are very cool.David gave us a ride back to the trail head and I started hiking .... 8:45 am. We had originally planned on camping at Bemis Stream, about a 12-mile day.On top of Bemis Mountain, StarTrek, Lunch Box, and I discussed going further, and ultimately decided to shoot for Sabbath Day Pond Shelter, making it a 17-mile day.It was a tough day of hiking, simply because of the distance over Maine terrain. The trail in Maine is as advertised, very rooty.OK. I think my entries have gotten kinda stale, so let's write about something different.Everyone out here is talking about having tired legs; tired knees; lazy feet; etc. I'm dragging a bit too. And I think the White Mountains took a lot out of us, and Southern Maine has been pretty strenuous also.I Plan on taking a "zero day" in Stratton to get some rest. I also plan on taking a "zero day" (my last!) in Monson, about 5 days later, to rest the legs once more before entering the 100-mile wilderness leading to Katahdin.The terrain eases up a bit also after Stratton.Different topic: The leaves are showing signs of turning over, and there are more and more fallen leaves on the Trail everyday. We're working with less and less daylight now also. I walked into camp tomight at 7 pm, and the sun had already set. But I did get some sunset photos as it set over Long Pond! Very cool!It's getting chilly at night now. Firecracker said it's supposed to get down into the 30's tonight!Tough, but good day on the A.T. today. Maine remains very scenic.
Date: 2009-09-11
From: Sabbath Day Pond Shelter

To: ME 4 (Rangeley, ME)
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Chilly night, but toasty in the sleeping bag and slept great.Today's terrain was very easy and smooth sailing. Very refreshing considering the terrain lately. Got into a good "hiker zone" and the miles were flying by.It was cool today and I wore a long-sleeve shirt under my normal hiking shirt all day long.OK. So why am I in Rangeley, Maine? Why not? A couple we have been hiking with lately, Big Fish and Firecracker, had already been planning on going into town. Lunch Box was flexible and didn't care. Star Trek and I were both running out of Aqua Mira (water treatment). I called the local outfitter from the trail and they had the Aqua Mira .... so Rangeley, here we come.So, we all headed into town. No complaints here! Shower, dinner, beer .... oh yeah, and Aqua Mira. And that will be enough to get me to Katahdin.OK. So I lost a day of hiking today. I had planned on zeroing in Stratton (in a couple of days). If I don't "zero", but take a "nero" (near zero) instead, I'll not have lost any time. Since I don't have anything driving a summit date, I'll make the decision on what to do in Stratton when I get there.At dinner tonight was Lunch Box, Big Fish, Firecracker, Bark and Berry. Goose and Chewy joined us later for beers. A lot of discussions centered around Katahdin and the 100-mile wilderness leading up to it .....Things like "when do you plan to summit?" "How many days do you think it will take to do the 100-mile wilderness?" "How much food are you going to carry?"Hard not to think about Katahdin and the end now!
Date: 2009-09-12
From: ME 4 (Rangeley, ME)

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Good day on the A.T..Went to a diner for breakfast .... good stuff!Bob O'Brien, who owns a hostel in Rangeley, shuttled Lunch Box and I out to the Trail.Weather was good today, but we did have the first cloudy day in 2 weeks!Nice relaxing hike today, but actually harder than expected. First part of the day was easy .... Sandy River, Ethel Pond, Mud Pond and Eddy Pond. Nice and easy.Then it was Saddleback Mountain, followed by "The Horn", and finally Saddleback Junior. These mountains had tougher climbs and descents than I expected.The views were awesome! Maine continues to be beautiful country. My book says you can see Katahdin from Saddleback on a really good day. Not sure I believe that .... it is 214 miles away .... hmmmm .....I wonder how far it is "as the crow flies?" How far can a crow fly? Lot of hikers here at the shelter tonight .... 10 maybe? A lot of reminiscing around the fire about our hikes. Cat and Sky (AT '07, ME > GE) were here, out for a weekend hike. They are planning to hike the PCT this coming spring. So there were a lot of PCT questions and answers.Tonight's shelter is constructed a little different. The floor is made of round boards. They call it a "baseball bat" floor. Laying here journaling, I don't think I will notice any difference. We'll see.
Date: 2009-09-13
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: broken clouds

Quiet, relaxing day on the A.T.!First 8 miles were easy going. Went very quickly. Not much to write about.The last 6 were a little tougher, but not bad at all. Up and over Spaulding and Sugarloaf Mountains.Ended up at a nice campsite (tenting only, no shelter). There is a small pond clearing a little ways beyond the tent sites. I sat there for a bit hoping a moose would show up. No go! Helped make a huge fire tonight, ate dinner, and now laying in my tent journaling. The wind is gusty tonight, which I always enjoy when I'm in my tent. It threatened to rain today, but never did. And I think it is supposed to be nice for the next week.Some great scenery again today .... the clouds making for dramatic skies.Oh, by the way .... the baseball bat floor last night .... didn't bother me a bit .... slept good.OK. A thought about gear. Remember that I have no brand loyalty. In my opinion, a good pair of hiking boots is the best option for the A.T.! A pair of good quality boots with a good sole.Trail Runners are great from Damascus, VA to, maybe, through Vermont. But they are not the "proper" footwear for New Hampshire and Maine. The footing is just not right for trail runner's soles .... too many rocks and roots.Trail runners were OK in PA because it was level a lot, and the ups and downs were nicely graded. In NH and ME, there were many rocky descents with large steep downs. Solid boots would work better in my opinion.My trail runners are working fine. My feet don't hurt, or anything like that. I simply have to watch where I put my feet more carefully than guys with solid boots who can step anywhere.OK. My two cents on that. I didn't switch to boots because you need to break them in, I didn't know which kind would work, and I know my trail runners would get me to Katahdin just fine.
Date: 2009-09-14
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: ME 27 (Stratton, ME)
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

So last night I took a side trail at the campsite to go check out the pond. No moose, remember. But I looked up the hill I had to climb this morning (South Crocker Mountain) and saw a big rock field half-way up. I said, joking to myself, "yep, that must be the A.T.", knowing that it really couldn't be.Yep, it was. The A.T. went right across the rock slide. You can actually see the rocky area in the pond picture .... and just for grins .... I took a picture of the pond area from the rock slide.The climbs up South and North Crocker Mountains were kinda steep, but good footing, so not a big deal. The climb down off South Crocker, between South and North, was steep also, but again, good footing.Then it was a gentle 5-mile hike to the highway leading into Stratton. I kid you not .... 5 miles straight .... all downhill .... and easy .... crazy!Today it feels like Autumn. The air is cool this morining. The wind is blowing nicely .... call it a stiff breeze, with some gusts. It was mostly cloudy this morning but turned into mostly sunny by 9 am. I'm sitting here by the road, sunning, wearing a long sleeve undershirt, and my normal short-sleeved hiking shirt .... and shorts. Perfectly comfortable in the sun. Might be chilly if a cloud comes through.(Shuttle is here ..... more later .... maybe )Got a text from Goof, and his Mom, Lynn. Goof summited Katahdin today! Way to go Goof. Awesome! Mr Buffalo Man and Sunnuke are a couple of days behind Goof, last I heard.Plunger and Mr Right summited on 2 Sep.Top Shelf and Gezza are 2 to 3 days ahead of me.I lost track of Ian and Kendra (Mudslide and Pudgie Pie). Should be close to Katahdin, if not there already.
Date: 2009-09-15
From: ME 27 (Stratton, ME)

To: Safford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Interesting day for me today. I forgot to tell Jessica (my mail-drop support) that I was ahead of my originally planned schedule. So I didn't get my mail drop in Stratton. I thought about taking a "zero day" and seeing if it came in tomorrow .... it should show up in Stratton any day now. But I felt good, the weather is good, and I felt like hiking. So I went to the store and bought some food .... on my way.The original plan was to go 15 miles to Little Bigelow Lean-to. But I didn't get on the Trail until 10 am. I got to Safford Notch Campsite at 4:30 pm and decided to camp here tonight. I didn't think I could make it to Bigelow Lean-to before it got dark. Sunset is at around 6:30 pm here in Maine now.OK. Today was an awesome hike. No one has ever talked about the Bigelow Mountains. I loved the hike (i.e. climb), and the scenery was awesome. There was a huge chain of lakes off to the left all day. Sugarloaf Ski Resort, and other stuff was off to the right all day.Just a really cool hike today.It was overcast most of the day with just a couple of breaks with sunshine. It was in the mid-50's on the mountain tops with a pretty stiff wind today.Today's mountains were North and South Horn, Bigelow Mountain, and Avery Mountain. I have Little Bigelow tomorrow morning and then things get pretty flat for a while!Got the new shoes in Stratton. They feel good on the feet. Definitely needed a new pair. Only time will tell if I like the "new" model.Got a text from Ian and Kendra (Mudslide and Pudgie Pie). They plan to summit on the 17th. Woo-hoo! Hope they have a great day.Went over the 2000-mile mark today. Yea!! Think I'll try to get going early tomorrow morning and see if I can get back on schedule for this segment.
Date: 2009-09-16
From: Safford Notch Campsite

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Up and on the Trail at 7:45 am. First order of business was to finish off the Bigelow Mountain Range with the climb up Little Bigelow Mountain. Very cool views .... again Sugarloaf Ski Resort on the right and huge bodies of water on the left. From what I've heard, and can tell from my handbook, that's the last of the real mountains for a while. For the most part, I really do like the way the Appalachian Trail is designed. For the last day or so I have been looking at those large bodies of water from the mountains. Well, today, I got to take a tour .... Flagstaff Lake, West Carry Pond, East Carry Pond, and I'm camping on the shore of Pierce Pond .... very nice shelter site.The ponds made great locations for lunch and breaks. Beautiful scenery. Still no moose though.It's wild how suddenly the trail can change. After climbing down off Little Bigelow, the trail was flat for the rest of the day.When I saw this in the book, I decided to see if I could make up the miles I lost yesterday, and make it to tonight's originally planned destination.Well .... I made it .... right at sunset. It was one heck of a workout. I'm laying here wondering how I'm going to feel tomorrow. It has been a long time since I did 20+ miles in one day!I'm glad I did it though. I've been lazy hiking lately. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it was good to get in a good workout.It's quiet here tonight .... just me and Lunch Box.
Date: 2009-09-17
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7

Brrrr! Cold morning this morning .... somewhere in the 30's, but not freezing. Plan for today was 18+ miles to set up 2 easy days into Monson. That meant I had to get up, into the cold, to make that many miles. Up and on the trail at 7:30 am.Today was Kennebec Ferry Day. In 1985, a section hiker drowned trying to ford across the Kennebec River. The Maine A.T. Club now contracts a local outfitter to ferry hikers across the river. During peak hiker season, there is someone to ferry hikers across from 9-11 am and 2-4 pm every day. The ferry is a guy and a canoe.So I get to the river and took my canoe ride. The canoe operator said that by year's end they will have transported a record number of hikers.The trail over Pleasant Pond Mountain was very cool! It was a big rock with good views. The sun was out and temps were climbing. Then I was on a little ridge for 3 miles. The remaining day was nice hiking and very scenic.Lunch Box built another awesome fire at the shelter. He said he learned to build fires in the Boy Scouts! I've never liked spiders very much. I must be over that now after being out here for months. I picked one off my neck today, placed him on the shelter floor, and took a picture. Nasty looking guy .... huge, orange, big-bodied guy. 6 months ago I would have freaked out and then squished him! Two equipment remarks: I don't like the new Vasque VST's. They have a narrower sole and are not as stable. The "mesh" uppers let too much dust and dirt into the shoes. And the tread doesn't provide as much traction. I can't recommend this shoe for the A.T..If you are only going to buy one guide book for the A.T., buy the Appalachian Pages. The Thru-Hiker's Handbook has been awesome, and it got me this far with no problems whatsoever. The Appalachian Pages are just plain better .... especially the terrain profile graphs.Nice day on the A.T.! Look forward to a short day tomorrow and the next!
Date: 2009-09-19
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: ME 15 (Monson, ME)
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Very relaxing, perfect day on the A.T.! Woke up to a crisp, sunny Autumn day in Maine. The sky was perfectly blue. The wind was strong. Temps were in the low 40's.I hiked all day with my winter hat, fleece, and windstopper gloves on .... and was perfectly comfortable. The Trail was flat and easy the whole way from the shelter into Monson.I'm not sure what type of tree it is, but there is one type where all the leaves are turning red. So there are these spots of bright red in a sea of green. Very cool.Well my plan to end my hike this late to see the fall foliage might not pan out. I only have about 9 days left out here and it's been a weird season, so say the locals. Everything is mostly green with just some splotches of color here and there.Wow. What a nice hike this morning!I'm staying at the Lake Shore House in Monson tonight and tomorrow. It seems like a comfortable hostel.
Date: 2009-09-21
From: ME 15 (Monson, ME)

To: Wildon Valley Lean-To
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Ouch! Weighed my pack this morning .... 50 pounds on the nose. Ouch! Four pounds of water and 16 pounds of food for the 8 days to Katahdin. Before you freak out, if you're planning an A.T. thru-hike, no, you don't have to do it this way!Back before I began this hike, while planning, I decided that there were 2 long sections I wanted to challenge myself on and try to complete the whole section on my own, without re-supply. Those 2 sections were the Smokeys and the 100-mile wilderness. I made it through the Smokeys, and now it's time for the 100-mile wilderness. It will take me 7 days to get through the wildnerness, summiting on the 8th. Just for your information, Katahdin and Baxter Park are not in the 100-mile wilderness. The 100-mile wilderness will end on Golden Road, just prior to entering Baxter Park, and then there will be a little over 15 miles left to Baxter Peak, the summit of Katahdin.Now the good thing about food weight .... it gets less every day, and every time you eat something!! Other ways to do it, you ask? A lot of hikers put food drops together for 2-3-4 days. There are people out here who will shuttle your food drops to you at pre-determined road crossings (forest roads) for a "reasonable charge". Those people have their numbers posted in the hiker's guides and at both hostels in Monson. This allows the hiker to break his/her food up into halves or thirds to get through the 100-mile wilderness.OK. Got a hitch back to the trail quickly. Thanks Greg! On the Trail at 9 am. Took a nice slow stroll for 10 miles today. Nice hike.The weather sure warmed up over the weekend .... back up into the 70's, sunny, clear skies, no wind. Beautiful hike today past a couple of ponds, a waterfall, and a stream I had to ford .... only knee deep .... felt good on the feet!The leaves have started to turn and the forest gets more colorful every day. Quiet night at the shelter tonight .... only Lunch Box and I. Of course, Lunch Box had a great fire going. Fire Starter or Fireman would have been a better trail name for him. He got Lunch Box because of all the food he carries.Tomorrow is going to be a tough 16 miles .... heavy pack, good distance, and a couple of climbs!
Date: 2009-09-22
From: Wildon Valley Lean-To

To: Chairback Gap Lean-To
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow! Slept in until 7 am. I mean I did not wake up for anything through the entire night until then. Haven't done that on this entire trip! Today was a workout for me .... heavy pack, up and down terrain, and pretty good mileage.I was all excited this morning. The handbook said I was going to cross a scree field. I had seen scree fields on TV watching a Mark Burnett show called "Ecco Challenge", an adventure race. One year it was held in New Zealand the competitors had to go through a scree field .... think mounds of small slate rocks. Every time they would take a step, the slate rocks around their foot would all move .... think surfing on rocks. Well, the field I came upon today was simply a rock slide field made up of huge rocks. No fun at all. Got to see a couple more waterfalls and a gorge. Then the afternoon was spent climbing Barren Mountain, Fourth Mountain, Third Mountain, and finally Columbus Mountain.I had to cross through Fourth Mtn Bog today. There was a sign asking hikers to stay on the bog boards so as not to harm endangered plant species living here. I saw some carnivorous plants and was wondering if these were the species the sign was referring to. I got some good photos of them .... pretty cool.Maine will go down as one of my favorite states as far as scenery goes. Once you get to Point A or Point B, the views/scenery are incredible. But the "getting there" leaves a lot to be desired. It's hard for me to enjoy the actual hiking (i.e. the walk/footing) in Maine. It's a whole bunch of roots and rocks. Tons of the bog boards are rotted and the huge nails at the ends are exposed. I'm being nit-picky here, but the truth is I like what I get to see, but I don't like getting there. The Maine Appalachian Trail Club does a great job. It's just that Maine only has a couple of inches of top soil over rock, so roots and rocks just come with the territory .... not much you can do about it. Plus Maine has a lot of miles, a lot of miles that are remote (i.e. not closed to roads), and I'm guessing that the Maine Club doesn't have as many people as some of the other states.Went under 100 miles to go today! Looking forward to the Gulf Hagas Trail tomorrow.
Date: 2009-09-23
From: Chairback Gap Lean-To

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-To
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow. I am worn out! Now that was a full day of hiking. My official A.T. mileage was 9.9 miles. But today was "Gulf Hagas Day" which meant I hiked the Gulf Hagas Trail (GHT) Loop, which was an additional 5.2 miles. Then just to top it off, there were numerous side trails to views along the GHT. When I got to the shelter tonight, I was spent. But it was a good "wore out"!I made my mind up while planning my hike last winter that I was going to do the Gulf Hagas Loop. Yeah, more miles, but I'm 47 and had never been to Maine before in my life. What if I never make it back here? OK. Gulf Hagas is referred to as the "Grand Canyon of the East". Let's not get carried away. It's like the H.O. Scale version of the Grand Canyon .... if you're into Model Railroading. It's an up to 500 foot chasm that runs about 3 miles long.It is a very cool side trail, with some very cool scenery, with a couple of good swimming holes, and I'm glad I made the journey. It took me 4 hours to do the 3 miles along Gulf Hagas (called the Rim Trail). The trail is easy .... the time is eaten up at viewpoints, playing in the water, and taking photos. I completed the entire loop, back to where I left the A.T., in 5 hours exactly.Some of the trail, and especially the side trails to views, have tricky footing and slippery rocks, so I wouldn't bother with the Gulf Hagas Trail in rainy or really wet conditions.It was a fun day of hiking, but be prepared for a very full day.How does one know if they should spend the time doing it or not .... was it worth it? If you are the type of hiker that goes to almost every viewpoint along the A.T., let's say up to .5 miles off, then you would enjoy the Gulf Hagas Trail. If you skip most of the viewpoints along the A.T. and just like getting the miles done, then skip the Gulf Hagas. The Rim Trail name is kinda misleading. The trail does follow the rim but is not right along it. You can't see the Gulf Hagas from the Rim Trail. You have to take the side trails to the viewpoints. These side trails are anywhere from 20 feet to .1 miles.If doing the entire Gulf Hagas Trail seems like too much, an alternative would be to just hike the .1 miles on the trail to Screw Auger Falls. Hike down the Screw Auger Falls side trail to the pool at the bottom of the falls and just hang out a bit ..... swim, picnic, etc. Then return back the way you came to the A.T.. You get a tiny taste of the GHT but don't lose half a day.Lunch Box and I both enjoyed the Gulf Hagas Trail.Time for bed. Another long day of hiking tomorrow!