morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-06
From: Bald Mt Brook Lean-To

To: ME 15 (to Monson)
Miles today: 22.0

The day started off well, with a fairly easy climb up to Moxie Bald and a pastel sunrise up top. I lingered there for a long time, taking lots of pictures of mist rising from the valleys. The rest of the hike to ME 15 was fairly unremarkable: my shoes were so wet from yesterday's weather that I just walked straight through the east branch of the Piscataquis without taking them off; I stopped at Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To in a vain attempt to dry my stuff off in the sun; and I got caught in a thunderstorm on Buck Hill. I was so tired at that point that I lay down on a rotting puncheon and just let the rain pour down on my face. But it was a good sort of tired, the kind that comes at the end of a challenging but fairly happy day.The hitch into Monson wasn't very hard. I ran into Chronic again at Shaw's (he had skipped the section after Stratton), along with a bunch of noisy but nice SOBOs. My maildrop hadn't arrived, so I went shopping at the general store, which was operated by a friendly guy accustomed to dealing with hikers--I didn't get any weird looks or diet comments when I came up the counter with a basket full of candy bars and PopTarts.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: ME 15 (to Monson)

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

My first day in the 100-Mile Wilderness. The heavy pack made my feet and knees hurt, but the footing was better than I expected, as was the level of mosquito activity. The terrain was rolling but not mountainous--the sort that tires you out without really giving you any reason to complain. My stomach was full from pancakes and eggs at Shaw's until mid-afternoon, but I certainly wasn't going to skip lunch altogether (got to get that pack weight down!).Only a quick sprinkle of rain so far today; still, it'll probably be a wet night, so I'm staying in the shelter. Looks like it's going to be a full house, with SOBOs still showing up. They're going to freeze in the Smokies, I think. Hope they go to bed at a decent hour, because tomorrow is going to be a long haul.
Date: 2007-07-08
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-To

To: Carl Newhall Lean-To
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Left at 5:45 and arrived here around 4:45--very slow going up Barren Mt. It was cloudy until midday, but I did get a decent view from Barren Ledges. Chairback was covered in flowering bushes, which were pretty enough to put me in a good mood for the steep descent. Not hard hiking from the Pleasant River to here, though my legs were really worn out by the time I arrived. Pain in my left knee all day, and those stabbing pains in my big toes again after about 10 miles. This place is extremely crowded, with large groups and a trail crew tenting across the stream. Only a SOBO and I in the shelter--hope it stays that way.
Date: 2007-07-09
From: Carl Newhall Lean-To

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

A fairly easy hike--Whitecap gave me much less trouble than Barren and I got my first view of Katahdin from the summit. Pretty big, even from a distance. Seeing it really made me realize how close my hike is to being over. Almost there...There's a group of annoying teenagers camped right next to the shelter--the sort that feel obligated to be making noise at all times, even if it's just singing tunelessly--but the rain on the roof and the roar of the waterfall drowns out their voices most of the time. I'm sharing the shelter with Chronic and a NOBO section hiker who wears some peculiar clothing, including shin pads. Two other hikers, both 2006 thrus, were here when I arrived. They brought me water from the spring and a few extra tortillas: a little magic from the alums. Then they moved on to Antlers Campsite, so I'll probably see them again near Wadleigh tomorrow.Feeling extremely lazy now--maybe I'll imitate Chronic and take a little nap. If only the mosquitoes would leave me alone! Maybe the mice won't be as bad here as at Newhall, where they somehow got into my food bag and ate one of my English muffins. And left a turd in my cookpot.
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: broken clouds

I planned to camp at the north end of Nahmakanta Lake, which everyone kept telling me was an exceptionally beautiful spot, but was distracted by a nosebleed and managed to stumble right past it without noticing. So here I am at a campsite near Wadleigh Stream Lean-To, the buggiest place I've ever stayed on the AT. Along with a huge number of mosquitoes, there are blackflies, some kind of hornet and biting gnats. It will probably rain tonight, but at least I'll be able to sleep on top of my sleeping bag (the heat last night made it miserable, but there were too many mosquitoes to make emerging from the bag an option). I seem to be sharing the 100-Mile Wilderness with the entire female teenage population of Quebec--I've been reading (well, not really, as they're in French) their register entries for days now, and one of several large groups is tenting in front of the shelter, far enough away from me that they're not too annoying. Chronic is also here...he's accelated his schedule and will probably summit on the same day as me.It's hard to imagine anything more beautiful than Nahmakanta Lake in sunshine. I took a long break on the beach at the south end to listen to the waves and enjoy a respite from the bugs. The water was deep blue, surrounded by pale rocks and evergreens. The Trail often ran right along the shore--the SOBOs were right to praise the area so highly.
Date: 2007-07-11
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-To

To: Hurd Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: overcast clouds

A huge thunderclap woke me up at about 2 am; two thunderstorms seemed to be colliding overhead. It began to rain steadily and didn't start to let up for several hours. This time, my trashbag groundcover succeeded in keeping the water from soaking through the tent bottom, but I still knew that today was going to be most unpleasant.The AT was in terrible condition most of the way here, with the section from Rainbow Stream Lean-To to Rainbow Spring Campsite being the worst of the disaster. It was very difficult to make good time with such bad footing, so the hike seemed to stretch on forever. There were no views whatsoever, thanks to thick fog rising from the lakes, and heat combined with very high humidity made even the slightest incline result in a sweat-bath. For the first time since I entered the 100-Mile Wilderness, a whole day passed without the sun breaking through the clouds.Hurd Brook is crowded tonight with short-distance hikers and SOBOs who probably won't make it past Monson. After a mouse ran up my arm while I was cooking dinner, I decided that tenting was the way to go. Let it rain--one more night in the woods after this and then I'll be sleeping dry in a hotel. Still, I really, really hope Katahdin won't be covered in cloud the whole time I'm on it.
Date: 2007-07-12
From: Hurd Brook Lean-To

To: The Birches Campsite
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

It rained steadily all night and into the morning, but before I even reached Abol Bridge, the sky had cleared and bright sunshine was beginning to dry the leaves. The 3 1/2 miles to the campstore were easy, with good footing (!), and I got an impressive view of Katahdin from the bridge--the Penobscot running swiftly in the foreground, the mountain blue and shrouded in cloud behind. The vista seemed oddly familiar and I suddenly realized that I'd been looking at it every day on the cover of my guidebook. After a quick junk-food binge at the store, I wandered on toward the Birches, following flat trail along the river and several streams. There was a notice on the information board that the bridge over the lower Nesawadnehunk was out, but it didn't occur to be that the huge, raging torrent on my left WAS the Nesawadnehunk until I reached the crossing. Chronic and I agreed later that it was scary as hell--two logs hardly bigger than my upper arm stretched across the roaring whitewater, with only two loose ropes at about shoulder height to hold onto. Someone is going to get seriously hurt or drown there, and sooner rather than later. After that, the deafening noise of Big Niagara was no surprise; I stopped there for lunch and relaxed while gazing at the rainbows in the spray above the falls.The Birches is a nice site...best of all, no groups! NOBOs only. The ranger who signed us in (Paul Corrigan) is a published poet and recited a James Wright poem offhandedly while we were talking. It was great to hear someone else's voice reciting! And Chronic knows Bill Bryson and has a friend working on a translation of a book of Rilke's work.
Date: 2007-07-13
From: The Birches Campsite

To: Katahdin!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I met my parents at the ranger station first thing in the morning and my dad and I began the big climb. It was a Class II day--the weather was perfect to begin with, but some stormy weather was expected later on. Chronic had left even earlier, which meant he avoided most of the crowd we encountered on the mountain. Katahdin Falls was beautiful, with clean water rather than the silty brown stuff that I saw pouring over Big Niagara yesterday. The walking wasn't all that hard, though there was a short section I'd call semi-technical just before the Tableland. As we climbed, a single puffy cloud multiplied and darkened: there were a few rumbles of thunder near the summit, along with a little sleet and sprinkles of rain.It¢s difficult to describe how I felt when the terminus sign came into view. What I¢d been looking forward to seeing for so long was finally a concrete thing, right there in front of me, and I found I already missed the idea of it. Reaching the peak, I realized that my body and mind were for once entirely in the same place and time¢no daydreaming. Not even the gang of bragging, smoking teenagers surrounding the sign could diminish this feeling of being whole. An approaching thundercloud meant we couldn¢t linger, but it seemed right that a journey started in a storm (the ice blizzard back on Springer) should end with one as well. So we took some pictures, wished the lone southbounder well and began our long descent.
Date: 2007-01-29
To: Turning 60 and hiking the AT!
Miles today: 0.0

I was born and raised in Connecticut, went off to the military in the mid-sixties, then came back, married a wonderful young lady (Jane) and lived in NH for over 26 years. We have spent considerable time hiking pieces of the trail over the years, but the call of a thru-hike has always haunted me.Recently, after joining the A.T. Club of Florida many of the more "senior" members convinced me that now is the time, don't wait. So, 2007 is the year.I've been getting ready for about six months, slowly acquiring gear and trying things out. My goal is to keep the pack under 35 LBs and possibly even lighter, but at least in the colder season that is probably where I will start.After some research, it looks like a "Leap-Frog" hike is for me; start at Springer, hike to Harpers Ferry, WV, jump up to Western Connecticut, then onto Mt Katahdin, then back to Connecticut and finish at Harpers Ferry.My biggest question is about the best way to find rides? It would seem by this time there would be a website where one could post a ride need, or ride available and people could hook up via that method. For example, I need to find a way up to Springer from Sarasota, Florida for the middle of April. I should be able to plug that in somewhere and if anyone is going that way, they could contact me. I often travel North/South along the east coast, I would gladly check to see if others would need a ride along that route as well.I did post a request on sarasota.craigslist.org and actually had two folks offer that might be able to help me out. However, Craigslist is by region only, so if I post it on the sarasota one, someone in Georgia may never see it.Anyway, looking forward to the walk and meeting this years "class" of 2007.UPDATE: I'm writing this on 23 February, 2010 to let you know that I now have a book about the entire hike: THREE HUNDRED ZEROES. It's a humorous and yet, informative, look at my adventure on the trail. See the THREE HUNDRED ZEROES website for more details and ordering infomation. Dennis
Date: 2007-02-09
To: Still getting ready and anxious!
Miles today: 0.0

Still going through the preparations. Last July I did a dry run test of my new gear up in the White Mountains Wilderness Area. It was my first time using a hammock and all went well. It rained all five days and I was very happy with the ability to keep dry with the hammock setup.Of course I suspect there will be many times where there will be no place to hang a hammock, under those conditions it can be set up on the ground as a tent/tarp combo. I am practicing that here in Sarasota at the moment so as to have it down pat before really needing to know how to do it.Looking forward to April 16, my start date at Springer. Still need to hash out how I am going to get there.Dennis
Date: 2007-02-22
To: Still getting ready and anxious! (part II)
Miles today: 0.0

We had our A.T. Florida Club meeting last night. "Old Crow", class of 92', gave a talk about her hike. Made me want to leave right now, but, schedules are schedules.It is getting warm here in Florida again, hopefully it won't warm up too much, I want to stay accustomed to the cooler weather so the start of the hike will be less of a shock!Dennis, K1YPP
Date: 2007-03-23
To: Still getting ready!
Miles today: 0.0

April 16th is fast approaching and it seems like everything is out of control. There is so much left to do to make certain things are ready at the home front.I had to lay ceramic tile in a room a few weeks ago, and somehow, the knee pads I was wearing caused an injury to my left leg. It has gone numb and is causing something called "dropfoot", at least that is what an internet search shows up.It has gradually been improving, but the pins-and-needles feeling is still there and walking is not quite right yet. I'm making an appt. to see a doctor and get a "professional" opinion.Our chapter of the A.T. Club of Florida meeting was a few nights ago. We had a great time and several of us packed up as if we were to leave tomorrow and then had the members critique our gear and ideas. It seemed pretty unanimous that I should ditch my old sleeping bag and get something lighter/less-bulky. Maybe I will, but it has served me well all these 20+ years.My goal is a 35 Lb pack, and so far, I am under that, hopefully I'll stay there. I have not yet figured out how I will get from here to Springer around 16 April, but I guess I had better start looking into that.Have fun all, see you out there...Dennis "K1YPP"
Date: 2007-03-27
To: Going away party was great!
Miles today: 0.0

Last Saturday, 24 March, 2007, friends and family threw a going-away/birthday/roast party for me. My birthday is St. Patrick's Day, March 17, but they couldn't get the hall for that day, hence last Saturday.I had a ball, what a great bunch of people. Some gifts were quite novel and funny, others useful, and all appreciated. I love the Tee Shirt that says "Hike Faster, I hear banjo music!" Don't worry, I've been practicing my pig squeals!We had way more food than we needed, I'm certain in a few months I won't think so. We're already talking about a homecoming party, sounds like a fun idea.See you all down the trail...Dennis "K1YPP" (in ham radio parlance "Kilo One Yellow Porta-Potty)
Date: 2007-03-28
To: Going away party roast-speech.
Miles today: 0.0

A good friend "roasted" me at a going-away party this weekend, the audience had a good laugh! Here is what he had to say:Dennis Blanchard Roast by David Helgager, 24 March, 2007:As some of you may know there is a help column in the Herald-Tribune called ANNIE¢S MAILBOX. I recently saw a letter from a distraught wife about her husband. The situation sounds awfully familiar to me. I quote:¢Dear Annie:I really don¢t know what to do. I am hoping you can help me with my jerk of a husband who has decided to go off on a crazy six-month hike in the mountains. I will be stuck taking care of the house, paying the bills and looking after his damn motorcycle. He¢s always after me at home, if you know what I mean, so on top of everything else I am concerned about what he will be like after spending all those months with deer. Some of them are awfully cute. What can I do?Abandoned in SarasotaDear Abandoned:My suggestion is sell the house, the motorcycle, take all the money and leave the bills for that jerk. I can only imagine what he has come in contact with after spending six months in the woods with deer! I would get as far away as you can deary, and look for someone who likes to cuddle up, talk politics and breaks out in a sweat at the thought of hiking or riding a motorcycle!Annie¢
Date: 2007-04-11
To: Start date moved out a week or two.
Miles today: 0.0

I may have mentioned in an earlier posting that I developed a problem in my left leg with a pins-and-needles sensation and numbness, and was walking with a "foot drop". Foot-drop is where the foot lands with a slapping sound, there is a loss of control of the foot due to the numbness.Anyway, a few days ago severe swelling started in the left ankle/calf and then Monday the right leg started as well. Soon they were huge and I lost all sight of the ankles. Time to see a doctor! This all came about by the way, because I was wearing rubber knee pads while laying down ceramic tiles on concrete in a large room. The bands on the kneepads kept creeping up and getting too tight and pinched a nerve and cut off circulation to the lower leg.I answered a friends email question about this, here is an excerpt:The leg(s) are bloody awful. Last Thursday they started swelling and I lost all sight of my ankles. I made an appt. with the doctor. I saw the doctor yesterday, I am now on prednisolone, and naproxen. Turns out I have the equivalent of something called "Saturday Night Palsey", only in my leg. SNP is where a drunk falls asleep in a chair with their arm hanging over the back of the chair, cutting off the main nerve down the arm to the hand.In the morning they awaken with a dead hand (called hand drop) and lose the function in the hand and wrist and get the swelling etc. Usually it will recover over a period of weeks (in severe cases) and on rare occasions it is permanent. Mine, fortunately, is healing.I am amazed at the drug treatment, I've only been on it 12 hours and the results have been dramatic!As for my schedule, I'll have to push it out a week or two. I hate to, it puts me in the middle states in even hotter weather, but, that's the breaks. The other disadvantage is I leave much later than most, so miss some of the camaraderie of the northbound hikers and company at the campsites. Maybe I can run?It's looking like maybe the 23rd of April now."It may be earlier, but I have to wait and see how the cure goes. Usually I heal quickly, we'll see. Murphy lives!
Date: 2007-04-16
To: Today was the day I was supposed to leave!
Miles today: 0.0

I was supposed to start out on my AT journey today, but I am waiting for things to heal before I can do so. The legs are doing great, all the swelling is gone, and the black-and-blue marks seem to be receding, but the medicine certainly makes me feel odd. I'm not one that takes medicine very often and this stuff must be powerful, sometimes I just have to sit down it hits me so hard.The good news is I have decided to leave on April 30, a Monday. Preparation continues. I have replaced my old 6 LB sleeping bag (20°F) with a 3 LB (20°F) bag. I have built up some amateur radio Morse Code gear to take along with me, that is working well and adds about 2 LBs to the overall gear. It runs about 1 Watt on two amateur radio bands (40 m and 80 meters) and should help me keep my sanity on those long, lonely, cold nights later in the season when I am finishing the leapfrog section from CT to WV. At that point there won't be many thru-hikers around (they should near the ends of the trail, I'll be near the middle) and it will be getting late in the season. I should still see section hikers and weekend hikers, but it is difficult to form much camaraderie with such fleeting encounters.I could have purchased something instead of designing and building it, but I am an electrical engineer and felt that it more suited my style. I'll upload a photo of the radio later for those that might be interested. If you're an amateur radio operator, you may even want to look for me and hook up on the air!Oh well, two more weeks. Hopefully there won't be any more hurdles, I want to get going!
Date: 2007-05-03
To: Trying to get 
Miles today: 0.0

I'm climbing the walls instead of trails. Hopefully everything goes smoothly now and I can get out of here after the 14th! So far, so good. All the medical tests are a go. The only problem is still the right ankle area, it is not totally healed yet, hopefully it will continue to improve. I stopped by the doctors today and left a memo for the doctor, he is off for a few days, which is rare, he is always there. I asked as to whether I should see a sports medicine specialist. I would hate to get 50 miles down the trail and have everything back to where I was a few weeks ago. It is getting warm here in Southern Florida, time to get where it is cool again!See ya...Dennis
Date: 2007-05-08
To: Maybe it is finally going to start!
Miles today: 0.0

One of our ATC Florida members has graciously offered to give me a lift to Springer Mtn. in Georgia on the 15th, she is going further north to section hike some of the A.T. We'll stay at the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, GA, and on the 16th I should finally be on the trail!Now for one last equipment check, stock up on foods and count the hours. Everything is as ready as it can be. Hopefully my body is ready. Everything seems to be working well, except for the lower left leg, it isn't quite right, but I have been pushing it and it doesn't complain or hurt, so, we'll see.The radio I built is in good working order, and as time permits along the trail I will try to get on and hunt down some old (and new) radio friends. It is difficult to judge how often it will actually get used. At the end of a day, one can be pretty exhausted and the extra effort of putting up an antenna and staying awake after dark can be daunting. We'll see. My goal is to use it in all 14 states during the hike, something that has not been done, as far as I know.Originally, I was going to do a "Leap-Frog" hike, but I have noted elsewhere, I will now be doing a "Flip-Flop". I will start in Georgia, hike to West Virginia, then jump up to Maine, and hike back to West Virginia. At this point I'm somewhat forced into this situation if I am to have decent weather for most of the trip. This puts me coming down through NY, NJ, PA, and MD at the end of the hike, perhaps around late October, early November. The alternative would have been to start in WV, hike to ME, then go back to WV and hike to GA, but this would have put me in the TN, NC and GA mountains at the start of winter. Even though they are much further south, at 6,000 feet, winter comes much earlier to that area than it does WV and PA.I hope to be home for Thanksgiving, November 22, my favorite holiday! This should be a realistic goal, as long as I don't have too many problems.See you on the trail!Dennis
Date: 2007-05-15
To: Setting out tomorrow!
Miles today: 0.0

I'm at the hiker hostel in Dahlonega, Georgia tonight, a few miles from the trail. Tomorrow is the day! By coincidence there are three of us here from Sarasota tonight, Bill Wood (flew in today), Nancy Keegan (drove me here, she is doing a section hike up in PA) and myself!Small world. Bill is a member of the Florida ATC, even had a club shirt on when we met.See you out there.Dennis, K1YPP