morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-20
From: East Flagstaff Road

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: few clouds

Moose DayWe woke up around 8 and Mala drove us to the next road around 10. Nice and I hiked to West Carry pond lean-to where I took a short break. The pond was huge and a breeze made it pretty choppy. I saw a loon in the water diving for lunch. As I hiked on around the pond I heard it call a few times. The trail was super easy today with little elevation gain. I quickly made it to East Carry Pond that had an awesome sandy beach. The water was crystal clear and the sun was shining on the beach. I felt like I was in the Caribbean! I changed into my bathing suit and went for a swim then laid in the sand and took a nap. When I woke up I ate lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing. I think I was there for about 4 hours it was so nice. Old yeller had caught up to us and he and I left the sandy oasis together. We hiked over the easy terrain around the pond, through bogs, and lowland forests. Perfect Moose territory.I was saying to Old Yeller that I think there is no such thing as moose since we hadn't seen one. That some hiker was walking around with those prints on a hiking pole and a bag of genetically enlarged deer terds. As I was saying that, a hiker (whose name I forget) standing ahead of us overheard me and said "well there's two moose RIGHT THERE". Sure enough, off the trail across a small creek was a huge moose cow and calf. I couldn't see them very well so I quietly walked toward them. They ambled away from me but never too far. I was eventually able to get about 40ft away and sat down to watch them. Once I sat, she went about her business and I was able to watch for about 15min. I was amazed at the size of those things! She was bigger than some horses I've seen! Her shoulders were as tall as me. They look so goofy too but their size makes you respect them. I eventually got up and walked back to my pack and sat down to take a break. Game on showed up and I told him to go check!them out if he wants to see a moose. He said he just saw a bull moose with a huge set of antlers! All the other hikers on the trail saw moose today too, except poor unicycle pirate.I hiked on another 3 miles to pierce pond lean-to which was overlooking the pond. I set up my hammock a few feet from the water and ate dinner. I haven't slept in my hammock since before rangeley! I needed it to get some quality sleep. After dinner I laid there catching up on my journal. I could hear loons calling from Pierce pond to loons in another pond. Maine is so freakin cool!!Today's StatsStarting Point:East Flagstaff RdEnding Point:Pierce Pond Lean-toMileage:13.5Elevation Gain:1100ftElevation Loss:1090ftHiking Time:6:40Weather:Warm sunny beautifulPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-09-21
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 4.0

KennebecSleeping next to that pond was amazing. I only woke up once all night. All the hikers in the shelter were up around 6 since we were going to Harrisons Camp for breakfast. We packed up and walked the .5 to the camp and were sitting at his breakfast table by 7. He made us each a dozen patriotic pancakes with pears, raspberries, and blueberries plus sausage and eggs. All of us cleaned our plates and were back on the trail around 830.The miles went smoothly down to the Kennebec River where Dean, The ferryman, was waiting. This river is the largest on the trail without a bridge and unscheduled dam releases make it dangerous to ford. The MATC provides a ferry service free of charge to hikers to get them across. This is the official AT route and a white blaze is even painted on the canoe. Old Yeller and I went across together then Dean went back for Nice and Game On. We were the last ferry for the am shift so Dean drove us in his truck to the post office then to Steve's hostel. I got my food maildrop and a surprise package from my parents. At Steve's I reorganized my pack then got a ride down the street to the Northern Outdoors brewery/campsite/hotel. Nice, Old Yeller, Game On, and I got a 4 person tent cabin and bought a 6 pack each. We chilled at our cabin and took showers then headed up to the bar. TDS rolled into town with perfect timing. He knew I'd be here so put in some miles to make it. He is heading southbound to the water gap after paddling the north forest canoe trail. I am going to drive his truck home from Katahdin so it will be waiting in Jersey. A total win win situation!We got a table for 10 and had dinner with all the hikers there. After dinner we partied the night away at the bar. They had a pool and a hot tub in back that we could bring our beers to. The hot tub was literally 5 steps from the bar. At one point we had at least 10 hikers in that thing. The rest of the night was a blur but we all ended up back in our campsite after last call.Today's StatsStarting Point:Pierce Pond Lean-toEnding Point:Caratunk, MEMileage:4.0Elevation Gain:250ftElevation Loss:830ftHiking Time:1:56Weather:Cool clear beautifulPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-09-22
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Sucked InI woke up and stumbled up for a breakfast buffet. Game on, TDS, Old Yeller, and I all looked at each other and decided to take a zero. We had so much fun last night we wanted to do it again. After breakfast I walked back to my bed and laid back down. I slept all morning and all afternoon and didn't get up until 6. A perfect way to rest on a zero day.A crew of awesome hikers rolled into town. Ninja, seuss, breeze, misplaced, singe, hop a long, triple deuce, stoneage, cereal, wandering will, general tso, and a lot of others. I knew tonight was going to be out of control. I went up to the bar and sat in the hot tub for a while then got dinner and started drinking the delicious IPAs. Hikers took over the bar. We were in and out of the hot tub and pool all night and when the band came on we had like 20 of us dancing. No locals or paddlers were partying as hard as the hikers. It was our night. We played pool, Foosball, and air hockey and danced some more. After last call we all went back down to the the campsite and brought the band with us. Seuss rocked out on the guitar and old yeller made a makeshift drum kit out of a water cooler, a trash can lid, and a few cook pots. Even the band guys were impressed! We'll see if we can leave tomorrow...this place is so awesome!Today's StatsStarting Point:Caratunk, MEEnding Point:Caratunk, MEMileage:0.0Elevation Gain:0ftElevation Loss:0ftHiking Time:0:00Weather:Overcast warmPain Factor:1
Date: 2007-09-23
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 0.0

RestI woke up more hungover than the day before, but still made it to breakfast. After eating a bit I laid around on the couches for a while. When I overheard the bartender mention $2 bloody marys and I knew we weren't going anywhere. I got one extra spicy and sat around watching fishing on tv. When football came on at one I looked at TDS and said "I'll take another zero if you do". He laughed and said sure. No one left.Game on, TDS, hop a long, stone age, triple deuce, seuss, breeze, ninja, nice, wandering will, and about 10 other hikers all took another zero. At least 10 new people that I never met before showed up too. We all took over the couches and made it our own personal living room. We watched the jets beat the dolphins then watched the giants beat the skins. The bartender brought out food that we ordered right to the couches. Not a single local was in there, just hikers. I took the day off from drinking and just drank water all day. My body thanked me! At 8 we turned off the bar music and watched the simpsons and family guy, both season premiers. After family guy was over my crew wandered back down to the campsites and cowboyed in some random spot.Today's StatsStarting Point:Northern OutdoorsEnding Point:Northern OutdoorsMileage:0.0Elevation Gain:0ftElevation Loss:0ftHiking Time:0:00Weather:Warm sunnyPain Factor:1
Date: 2007-09-24
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Pleasant Pond Mountain
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

Sunset RacingI woke up for breakfast once again and packed up my stuff and brought it up to the restaurant. I think this was my 8th meal at this place! I ate and had a few cups of coffee then game on, tds, hop a long, stone age, triple deuce, old yeller, and I got a shuttle back to the trail around 9. We walked a few yards in and sat there to collect ourselves. I said goodbye to tds and gave him an extra days worth of food that I was carrying. I knew I didn't need it to get me to Monson. We eventually parted ways and got back to that walking thing. Two days off the trail seemed like an eternity. The leaves had changed colors quite noticeably in that short time. A lot had fallen onto the trail making the steps sound crunchy. I have walked through the green tunnel for a long time now and greatly appreciate what I call the new kaleidoscope tunnel. I can't even describe how cool the fall is in Maine! I am soooo glad I took it slow on the trail to catch it. I believe it is officially fall now !too, which means I have walked through all four seasons, though just a bit of fall and winter.The trail was dry, smooth, and a gentle grade 6 miles to pleasant pond. At the pond the 6 of us ate lunch. I went for a swim. Those southerners I've been hiking with can't handle the cold water. I love it! It's funny what happens when you get semi unmotivated hikers together. We all ended up napping and lazing around at the pond for about 5 hours. It was just such a beautiful spot on the sandy beach that we couldn't go anywhere. We watched 5 loons diving for food and saw a flock of 8 waterfowl (possibly grebes) swim past us. I suggested that we cook and eat dinner at the pond then climb up to pleasant pond mtn to cowboy on top. That idea went over well so we all cooked and got walking around 6:15.The sun had set at the lake, but was still shining on the mountain. My goal was to race the sunset up the mountain so I took off at a quick pace. I briefly caught the rays, but then lost the race and the sun went down. When I got to the top there were still a lot of colors lighting up the sky. We found a ledge facing the sunrise and cowboyed. I found two small, but sturdy spruce trees to hang my hammock on. The 6 of us were spread out over about a hundred feet, just laying on top of the mountain to sleep. It was a pretty cool sight. The near full moon lit up the valleys and lakes below and before bed we sat up together talking and staring into the distance. We knew Katahdin was out there somewhere in the darkness.Today's StatsStarting Point:Northern OutdoorsEnding Point:Pleasant Pond MountainMileage:7.0Elevation Gain:2360ftElevation Loss:380ftHiking Time:4:40Weather:Warm sunnyPain Factor:1
Date: 2007-09-25
From: Pleasant Pond Mountain

To: Moxie Bald Lean-to
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: scattered clouds

MoxieSunrise was a colorful one due to some cloud cover. After watching it come up, I rolled back over and fell asleep for another hour. Around 7:30 I was up and packing my stuff. When I was all packed up I sat and ate breakfast and took in the views of the colorful valley and Moxie Pond. I got walking at 9 and followed the trail down pleasant pond mtn. It went through an old growth spruce-fir forest that was pretty cool. At Moxie Pond I stopped for a short break with old yeller and hop along. We kept on hiking to bald mountain brook where I stopped for lunch. After chowing down I stocked up on water and started the 1300ft climb up to Moxie Bald with Game On.The climb was gradual and went past some cool rock crevices. Someone put a statue of the virgin mary deep in one of them where a beam of light shined on it. The top of Moxie was "bald" because of all the smooth exposed rock. I sat up there for almost 2 hours with the crew of 6. We could see Barren Mountain in the 100 mile wilderness and the Bigelows behind us. It was too hazy to see Katahdin. While sitting up there a lot of the new hikers I met at the brewery caught up. Some names I remember were coach, mate, nobody, breeze, grizzle, and tenacious t.After leaving the summit the trail followed the ridge for a bit. We got to this boggy part that looked pretty soft. I stepped onto a root, then went to take another step onto mud I thought was solid. Turned out it wasn't so solid and I sank into the mud up to me knees. I put my hiking poles out to my sides and they both sank deeper than my foot. I had to lift myself out with my leg that was still on that root. It was pretty funny and the 3 behind were laughing at me. I then skirted the edge of the mud and made it through. On the other side of Moxie Bald we got a view of Bald Mountain Pond where the lean-to was. Hop along and I hiked the mile downhill talking the entire time. There were about 15 hikers at the lean-to. I decided to stay and went for a swim in the pond. After swimming I hung out in my bathing suit for a while it was so warm. Someone told me today was record highs for Maine. I cooked dinner with everyone then we made a fire and a few people played their backpacker guitars. The near full moon was rising over the large pond so a bunch of us sat there watching it. A beaver swam right in front of us through the moonbeam cast onto the water. A few loons called in the distance. After sitting by the water for a while I climbed into my hammock and went to sleep one happy camper.Today's StatsStarting Point:Pleasant Pond MtnEnding Point:Moxie Bald Lean-toMileage:11.8Elevation Gain:2550ftElevation Loss:3670ftHiking Time:8:19Weather:Hot Humid SunnyPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-09-26
From: Moxie Bald Lean-to

To: Lake Hebron Trail
Miles today: 14.6

RiverwalkI was woken up before sunrise by some loons calling in the pond, so I got out of my hammock to go watch the sunrise. The same beaver that swam past last night came back in the opposite direction, checking us out. Sunrise was very colorful due to some clouds in the sky. After the sun popped over the trees I went back to sleep in my hammock. When I woke up around 9 everyone at the lean-to was gone, except game on. We packed up and were walking by 10. The trail was flat and mostly rock free so I walked at almost a 3mph pace for the first 6 miles. It followed Bald Mtn stream for a while before crossing the west branch of the Piscataquis river. I took an hour break at the ford to eat lunch and take a cat nap. I was able to rock hop over the river, the water level was so low.After lunch the trail followed the river for another 5 miles. The maples lining the stream were changed to a deep red or orange, mixed in with yellows from the birches. It was a truly pleasant afternoon! Temps were in the 80's so I was sweating a bit, but the gentle terrain made up for the heat. I hiked past the next lean-to and stopped at a feeder stream for the river to grab some water. I drank a whole liter down. I kept hiking until I got to the east branch of the Piscataquis river that was supposed to be another ford. I was able to rock hop that one as well. I took a break there with hop a long, triple deuce, stone age, old yeller, and game on. The six of us hiked to the side trail to Lake Hebron and wanted to camp down there. Turned out it was all private property with houses. Three of our crew decided to walk the 1.5 into town and game on, stone age, and I walked back to the trail and pretty much slept on the trail. We could hear the loons in the lake calling as we cook!ed dinner. I hung my hammock and laid down listening to the forest. All kinds of animals were out on this full moon night. There were frogs croaking, loons going crazy, crickets, coyotes howling and barking, stone age farting, and owls hooting. Maine is amazing!Tonight is my 7th and final full moon on the trail. Tomorrow I will hike into Monson, the last trail town. I plan on carrying about 8 days worth of food for the final haul to Katahdin. There are a few camps where I can get a bit of food before the end if I need to, so 8 days should be enough. I also won't be able to update my journal until the end. I'm shooting to finish between the 6th and the 8th so until then...Peace! I don't want to set an exact date because I want to live free and schedule free in the wilderness. Part of me wants to fly through, but I know I am going to take my sweet time. I'll be in the climax of this hike and words cannot describe how excited I am for the 100 mile wilderness and Katahdin.Today's StatsStarting Point:Moxie Bald Lean-toEnding Point:Lake Hebron TrailMileage:14.6Elevation Gain:1630ftElevation Loss:2030ftHiking Time:8:18Weather:HOT humid partly sunnyPain Factor:3
Date: 2007-09-28
From: Leeman Brook Lean-to

To: Wilbur Brook
Miles today: 10.6

Pack PainIt had rained again overnight, but I stayed dry under my tarp. I was up and got packed as water dripped from the trees onto the forest floor. The crew got moving around 9:45. We pretty much left the shelter together and hiked in a row of people. We hiked by some cool ponds and stopped for lunch at Little Wilson Falls. At 60ft they are the tallest falls on the trail. The water flowed into a ravine below the trail so we couldn't climb to the bottom of the falls. After lunch we hiked down to cross little wilson stream and found an awesome campsite. People had made chairs out of the slate and there were enough seats for the crew. We sat around for a few before hiking on. My pack felt so amazingly heavy on my back. The weight was slowly grinding me down. I had a bad pain in the tendons behind my left knee and my right quad was super sore.We got to Big Wilson Stream and were faced with our first real ford. The stream was about 20 yards across and there were no rocks to hop along. It had a decent flow from the rain we got. I took off my shoes and tied them to the back of my pack, put my camera in a dry bag in my pack, rolled up my kilt, and put on my crocs. I stepped into the icy water and started my way across. The river rocks were slippery and the current strong. I had to be careful where I put my feet. Some spots in the stream were above my knees almost to my thighs. I made it safely to the other side and sat for a while taking a break. Game on had a tough time with the ford. He tried to hold his shoes in one hand and his hiking staff in the other. About a quarter of the way across he lost his balance, dipped his shoes right into the water, and let out a loud expletive. We thought it was because his shoes got wet, but he said he lost his sandals. We could see them floating down stream. He eventually made it!across without falling.After the fun ford we hiked another 3 miles to wilbur brook where we found a good campsite near the water. We made a fire and cooked dinner as we passed around our various bottles of booze. The light up Frisbee made an appearance. Eventually we all got tired and climbed into our respective mobile homes as it started to drizzle.Today's StatsStarting Point:Leeman Brook Lean-toEnding Point:Wilbur BrookMileage:10.6Elevation Gain:1680ftElevation Loss:1820ftHiking Time:7:58Weather:Overcast coolPain Factor:5
Date: 2007-09-29
From: Wilbur Brook

To: West Chairback Pond Island
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Island CampThe crew slept in a bit then restoked our fire to cook breakfast on. I boiled some water to have hot mate and was the first one to leave camp. We crossed wilber brook then vaughn stream and made our way down to long pond stream. It was supposed to be another ford, but I was able to rock hop across. The trail started the climb up barren mountain through slugundy gorge. I didn't stop at the lean-to and trucked my way up the mountain. I took a break at the top of barren slide to take in an amazing view. Lake Onawa was glistening in the sunlight and looked choppy from the high winds. Stone age, triple deuce, and old yeller caught up and we sat up there drooling over some sandwiches day hikers were eating. They had hiked up from a nearby logging road. I now know how my dog feels when I eat in front of her. Stone age ripped a hole in the back of his shorts a few days ago so his ass was showing when he walked. It was funny to see the looks on the day hikers faces when they noticed. When we hike in a group he has to hike in the back! In one of the small ponds in the valley we could see a dirt track in the water where a bull moose was feeding. His large antlers would flash in the light when he turned the right way. I wish I had a pair of binoculars!The four of us hiked over barren mtn and paused briefly. The wind was blowing hard so we decided to hike a bit farther for lunch. We stopped at the side trail to cloud pond lean-to to eat. I had my daily lunch ration and continued hiking. The trail went through fourth mountain bog where we found pitcher plants. They were a dark purple and growing in clumps. A few of them were filled with water which misplaced told me is used to trap and digest insects! After staring at the rare plants for a while, I climbed fourth mountain and stopped on third mountain to take another break. We could see the white cap range and the gulf hagas across the valley. I hiked on and went to west chairback pond to set up camp. When we got there we found 2 canoes and saw an island in the middle of the pond. Misplaced and I paddled out there and found as awesome campsite on the island. We thought it would be cool to camp out there so we went back and started shuttling the crew out. It took 4 trips, bu!t we eventually got everyone over. Nobody and breeze joined us, but game on never showed up. We had a hootin and hollerin hiker party around a campfire as we cooked and drank. I set up my hammock near the water with me feet facing east. I wanted to see the sunrise without getting out of my hammock. I fell asleep to a lone loon wailing in the pond. It was so loud it echoed off the nearby mountains!Today's StatsStarting Point:Wilbur BrookEnding Point:West Chairback Pond IslandMileage:10.7Elevation Gain:4060ftElevation Loss:3010ftHiking Time:8:24Weather:Windy Cold Partly SunnyPain Factor:4