morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-09-06
From: Caratunk, ME 

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to 
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

A shout out to my sister-in-law Kathy for the maildrop of Kind bars. Thanks! The climb out of Caratunk this morning was gradual but full of rocks and tree roots. I took a side trail to Pleasant Pond, which was unique in that the shore was lined with cabins, there were two docks that I could see, and people were out jet skiing on a Labor Day weekend. Next was a tough 1,100 ft climb in 1.1 miles up Pleasant Pond Mountain. The rest of the day was continuous ups and downs with rocks, roots and mud. The Sawyer filter water bag that I bought in Vermont developed a large crack today that leaked water when I was trying to filter. I repaired it with Tenacious Tape. 137 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-07
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to 

To: East Branch of the Piscataquis River 
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm still looking for that easy trail in Maine. Today started out with a 1,300 ft climb up Moxie Bald Mountain which was full of rocks, roots and mud. From the summit I could see lakes that looked to be several miles in length. Then came a 1,300 ft descent that was, you guessed it, full of rocks, roots and mud. That led to Bald Mountain Pond where I ate an early lunch. From there the trail descended 600 feet over 10 miles, a fairly level stretch with its share of ups and downs. At Bald Mountain Road, a gravel road in the middle of nowhere (note: everywhere around here is the middle of nowhere), I encountered live trail magic hosted by a retired couple who live outside of Monson. I had two hot dogs, two Cokes, cookies and crackers. That really hit the spot as it was a very warm day and I was getting tired. At the West Branch of the Piscataquis River I encountered the first real river fording in Maine with a nylon rope strung across the river to hold on to. It is normally knee deep here, but we're in an unseasonably dry period and the water was only halfway to our knees. Missing Person crossed ahead of me then decided to take a dunk in the river. I did the same, which was refreshing. Five miles later I had to ford the East Branch of the Piscataquis River which was even less of a challenge, just time consuming to take off my shoes and socks to wade through, then put them back on on the other side. I'm tenting tonight a short distance from the bank of the river. 121 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-08
From: East Branch of the Piscataquis River 

To: ME 15, Monson, ME 
Miles today: 6.7

Happy birthday to my mother. I love you. Short day today to Monson, ME, the last trail town on the AT before Katahdin. It was another very warm day. I got an easy ride into town and checked into the Lakeshore House in time for lunch and a beer. The Lakeshore House is, as the name suggests, located on the shore of Lake Hebron, a very picturesque location. I availed myself of the house kayaks to paddle out in the lake in the afternoon. Our gang got together for dinner at the Lakeshore House, which is probably the last time as some of us are zeroing here tomorrow and some are getting back on the trail tomorrow. Leaving Monson begins the 100 Mile Wilderness with nothing but logging roads. There are only six or seven hiking days remaining before summitting Katahdin. We are watching the 10 day weather forecast, which shows a couple of days of rain ahead. I can live with that but am hoping for clear weather for the final summit. 115 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-09
From: ME 15, Monson, ME 

To: ME 15, Monson, ME 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was my last zero. I had breakfast next door at Pete's Place and lunch and dinner at the Lakeshore House. With my maildrop here I only needed to get a few extra supplies. For $25 the Lakeshore House will drop off a 5 gallon bucket containing your food at a designated location 51 miles into the 100 Mile Wilderness so that you don't have to leave Monson with 6 or 7 days of food. I packed a bucket this morning and am carrying 4 days of food out of Monson tomorrow. Otherwise it was a nice leisurely day which included taking a kayak out for an hour on Lake Hebron. As I approached the dock, a loon was in the water nearby so I slowly made my way over for a closer look. Everytime I got within 30 feet the loon would go underwater and pop back out 200 feet away. The weather forecast predicted a severe thunderstorm this afternoon but it didn't rain until around 6 pm and only for a short time. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice but 100% of rain on Friday. We'll see. I probably won't have cell service in the 100 Mile Wilderness so it might be several days before I can post again. We'll see.
Date: 2015-09-10
From: ME 15, Monson, ME 

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to 
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: moderate rain

Today I entered the 100 Mile Wilderness. There was a sign warning hikers to carry at least ten days of food (see pics). The trail was fairly easy today with no significant elevation changes and the rocks, roots and mud weren't their usual horrible selves. I lost track of the number of ponds I passed. There were three streams that I had to ford with my shoes and socks off. The depth of two of the streams were above the knees, so I also took my pants off and crossed in my underpants. There are many streams, several waterfalls, and water is plentiful in the 100 Mile Wilderness. Some leaves are starting to turn color as fall approaches in Maine. 99 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-11
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to 

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to 
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: light rain

Happy birthday to my beautiful wife, the trail widow. I love you. Today the rocks, roots and mud were back to their usual horrible selves. It rained last night so I was in the shelter to keep the tent dry in its sack. I didn't hit the trail until around 10 am waiting for the rain to subside. There were miniature lakes on the trail from all the rain, so I was doing a lot of side stepping to keep from stepping in the water and mud. I didn't always succeed. I fell today on a slippery tree root. I've now fallen as many times in Maine as I have in the 13 previous states combined. There were also lots of rock scrambles and steep trails thrown in for measure. As such, I only made about 11 miles in these conditions. It is turning pretty cold out. I wore two shirts today, my gloves for most of the day and I can see my breath tonight. I met Stretch on the trail today. I hadn't seen him since somewhere in North Carolina. It's good to see old trail friends still chugging along with me. Big milestone today in reaching 2,100 hiking miles on the AT. Fortunately that is my last centennial as THERE ARE ONLY 89 MILES TO KATAHDIN! !
Date: 2015-09-12
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to 

To: Stealth camp near junction with White Brook Trail 
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I tried to convince myself today that rocks and roots are my friend because they keep my feet out of the mud. It didn't work. I still don't like all three, which were in vast abundance on the trail today. I now have 600 miles on my 4th pair of trail runners and I'm feeling every rock and root I step on. I had to ford the West Branch of the Pleasant River, which wasn't hard as the water was only half way to my knees. No sooner had I crossed than several day hikers also crossed as they were headed to the nearby Gulf Hagas Trail. Soon thereafter a military jet did a low altitude flyover. So much for being in the 100 Mile Wilderness! I haven't seen a moose yet, but I've concluded that moose are very courteous creatures. They always poop on the side of the trail, unlike those inconsiderate bears who poop in the center of the trail. 74 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-13
From: Stealth camp near junction with White Brook Trail 

To: Stealth camp near Jo-Mary Road 
Miles today: 17.6

Today started with a 650 foot climb up to the summit of White Cap Mountain. From the summit behind where I am standing in the photo at left is a view of Katahdin. Unfortunately White Cap was socked in with fog and there was nothing to be seen beyond 50 feet. From there it was all down hill except for a climb up Little Boardman Mountain. After Cooper Brook Road at mile 2126 the trail is much easier with a nominally flat elevation, though with occasional rocks, roots and mud thrown in. I am now halfway through the 100 Mile Wilderness. The Lakeshore House in Monson delivered my food bucket to the designated hidden location off a logging road halfway into the 100 Mile Wilderness, which I retrieved today with three days of food, enough to get me to Abol Campground at the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness. I packed my backpack with the food and put my trash in the bucket which the Lakeshore House will retrieve later. I'm trying to grind out the remaining miles. At 5:30 pm I found a nice stealth campsite beside a flowing stream so I set up my tent here. It's getting dark earlier, so I have to leave time to set up camp and make dinner before nightfall. 57 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-14
From: Stealth camp near Jo-Mary Road 

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to 
Miles today: 17.9

It rained hard overnight and my tent is beginning to leak at the ridge. Small drops of water were landing on my face and sleeping bag which kept me awake half the night. It continued to misty rain on and off throughout the day. The trail today was relatively flat the whole distance except for two geological bumps of a couple hundred feet. The trail before Jo-Mary Road and Antlers Campsite was really smooth, but the rest was a varying amount of rocks, roots and mud. The trail mostly followed streams and the perimeter of three huge lakes. For six miles the AT followed the perimeter of Jo-Mary Lake. At Nahmakanta Lake there were a couple sandy beaches that the AT passed through. I would have liked to go swimming except for the chill from the rain and I had to get the miles in. There was another view point today to see Mount Katahdin but it was too misty. I'm in the shelter with Hasselhoff from Germany (who I met in Boiling Springs, PA and last saw in Vernon, NJ) and Manbambo. Goats Beard and two SOBOs are tenting nearby. 38 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-15
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to 

To: Rainbow Lake Campsite 
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: few clouds

Today started with an ambitious plan to hike 20 miles to the Hurd Lean-to, then 13 miles tomorrow to The Birches at the base of Katahdin, summitting on Thursday. One mile into the day was a steep and rocky 700 foot climb up Nesuntabunt Mountain where there is a view of Katahdin. However low altitude clouds obscured the view. It's 16 miles away as the crow flies but 36 trail miles away. It was a beautiful day with sunshine and a warm breeze. I checked the weather forecast which calls sun through Saturday. This section of the trail is really scenic with several ponds/lakes and streams, particularly one that thunders through a gorge. After 8 miles I arrived at to Rainbow Stream Lean-to for lunch. After that point the tree roots became really intense which quickly wore me down. Two miles later was a 0.2 mile side trail to the Rainbow Lake dam with a view of Katahdin. At that point I decided to summit Katahdin on Friday instead of Thursday and just hike three 11 mile days to The Birches so I wouldn't have to rush. See pic of the end of that side trail with finally a good view of Katahdin. I lingered there for about 20 minutes soaking in the view. All day I was hiking ahead or behind Goats Beard. After that last break I heard Goats Beard whispering my trail name from some bushes. He found a moose cow and we creeped in for a close look, observing the moose eating aquatic grasses. My first moose sighting in the wild was unbelievable, and I would have missed it if Goats Beard had not been watching out for me. I decided to end the day at the Rainbow Lake Campsite where I am soaking in the lakeside scenery and listening to the loons. What a great day today is. 26 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-16
From: Rainbow Lake Campsite 

To: Abol Bridge Campground 
Miles today: 11.2

Another perfect weather day today, in fact it was a little warmer than previously. I had good views of Katahdin, which is getting bigger as we get closer. At Little Beaver Pond, which is actually a huge lake, I got pictures of a seaplane landing on the water. At Rainbow Ledges, a 500 ft climb, we had a great view of Katahdin. About 1:30 pm I exited the 100 Mile Wilderness to walk on a paved road, crossing Abol Bridge where there was an even closer and more impressive view of Katahdin. The commercial campground is next to Abol Bridge where I had lunch at the campstore restaurant with Goats Beard, Airlock and her husband, Pacecar, Wye Knot and Stretch. We are all camped here for the 10 mile hike to The Birches, the staging point for summitting Katahdin on Friday. Then it is over. All of us are ready for it to be over, but with bitter sweetness. 15 miles to Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-17
From: Abol Bridge Campground 

To: The Birches Lean-to and Campsite 
Miles today: 9.9

It was a short day today with relatively flat terrain. We took lots of breaks and still arrived at the Katahdin Stream Campground in the early afternoon. We had our last ford crossing at the lower fork of the Nesowadnehunk Stream. At the campground we checked in with the ranger, paid our $10 fee, and got information on the climb up Katahdin and exiting the state park. Tick and Pocahontas, who I last saw in the Shenandoahs, stopped by The Birches after summitting today and we all got group pictures taken with everyone's cameras. There wasn't much to do later in the afternoon other than sit around the picnic table and eat the leftover food that we didn't need for tomorrow. 5.2 miles to the summit of Katahdin.
Date: 2015-09-18
From: The Birches Lean-to and Campsite 

To: Katahdin summit 
Miles today: 5.2

Today I climbed 4,162 feet up to the summit of Mt Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. 5.2 miles is only to the summit. It was another 5.2 miles back down but that doesn't count as the summit is the end of the AT. There was some intense boulder climbing and rock scrambling up a ridge line to get to the summit. The weather could not have been better with a cloudless sky. The end of this journey is surreal. The feeling of exhilaration that I made it through the entire AT is mixed with both sadness and relief that it is finished. Now I need to adjust to a new lifestyle, one the I left over five months ago. The second car out of Baxter State Park picked me up for the ride to Millinocket where I'm staying at the AT Lodge. There is a hiker festival going on this weekend and I took advantage of free food at a hiker feast. As dusk descended, so did the mosquitoes to feast on the hikers. Within a couple weeks I will post my gear review.
Date: 2015-09-30
To: Epilogue
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It¢s been almost two weeks since I summited Katahdin. The first week was spent visiting friends and family on the way home. While visiting my daughter in Philadelphia, a worker at the Lolita Restaurant recognized the tee shirt I bought at the AT Lodge in Millinocket (the same tee shirt in the picture at left). He was also a thru-hiker, trail name Porridge, summited Katahdin three weeks earlier, and had bought the same tee shirt in Millinocket. That was cool. I¢ve been home now for three days, basically relaxing with no physical activity. My feet still hurt unless I¢m wearing the trail runners that my feet have molded to, but they¢re slowly getting better. I¢ve regained almost 15 pounds in the first week off the trail, but hopefully I can maintain my weight at 10 pounds less than when I started at Springer Mountain. I used to tell people on the trail that ¢yesterday was so long ago¢. That¢s because the experiences, the people, the scenery and the weather on the trail was continually changing. There was no routine other than the routine of packing my backpack every morning. That¢s what I miss about the AT, but not enough to do it again. It was one hell of a long vacation, a test of physical and mental endurance, and an extended escape from ¢civilization¢. But as the thru-hiking fugitive ¢Bismarck¢ found out this summer, civilization will catch up with you.
Date: 2015-09-30
To: Lessons learned
Miles today: 0.0

Shelters in Georgia were overcrowded and the limited tent sites adjacent to shelters usually filled up by 2 pm. However there are plenty of stealth campsites in GA away from the crowds. Lance Creek campsite has only about five level sites and everything else is steep land. A better location is Jarrett Gap before the no-camping zone between Jarrett Gap and Nell Gap. Daily use of suntan lotion and lip balm is necessary in the first month until the green tunnel. There are no privies in Tennessee and the toilet areas adjacent to shelters in TN are disgusting. Better to stealth camp between shelters in TN unless in the Smokies where it is required to stay in shelters. Plenty of people tented in the Smokies and had no problems with bears. I never saw a bear or even bear scat in the Smokies. Carry twice as much toilet paper as you think you need. It sucks when you run out. I used my credit card almost everywhere and only had to tap an ATM machine for cash about four times. It is better to resupply along the way than to ship yourself food. I had nine maildrops. The first three contained dehydrated food, which was time consuming to make and usually was not high calorie food. My maildrops contained five or six days of food when I really only needed three or four until the next road crossing where resupply was accessible. Hitchhiking was pretty easy, usually I did not have to wait more than five or ten minutes. I treated my clothes with Permethrin before I left and when I took a few days off in Northern VA. I always wore long pants except between Front Royal and Delaware Water Gap, and never found a tick on me while others found ticks on themselves and some even contracted Lyme Disease. In planning for this thru-hike, I did a lot of research on the AT and followed the online trail journals of prior year thru-hikers. I should have researched the dietary requirements of thru-hiking the AT. I didn't have a strategy on what to eat, other than a strategy that coalesced by New Jersey to eat as much as I could. I didn't really develop a hiker appetite in the beginning and lost 15 pounds in the first 300 miles. By Vernon, NJ I was down by 24 pounds and that worried me. Crossing the Hudson River allowed deli hopping through much of CT. By Southern Maine, the rough terrain was wearing me down, necessitating some extra zeros and four straight days of slack packing north of Rangeley. See previous two posts added today for my gear review and epilogue.
Date: 2015-10-02
To: The cost of a thru-hike
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

In response to some questions on the cost of my thru-hike, I spent approximately $5,800 on the trail. This does not include my gear, clothing and shoes that I bought prior to departure. A rough breakdown of rounded off costs is as follows: $150 for transportation to Springer, $580 for hotels, $1,730 for hostels (which includes slack pack shuttles and some meals), $1,500 for restaurants, $850 for resupply food purchased on credit card along the way, $720 for resupply food and other miscellaneous items purchased with cash along the way, $260 for maildrop postage (shipping food) and other supplies purchased along the way.
Date: 2016-06-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The trail community continues to astound. At left is Hudson, proprietor of the Bearded Woods Hostel in Connecticut with my summit postcard that I sent to him and the other wonderful hostels I stayed at last year. The pic was taken by Jeff whom I met at the North Marta Station while waiting for the Hiker Hostel shuttle. Jeff, Bruce (who I also met at North Marta) and I hiked together the first two days to Gooch Gap, then I leaped ahead and never saw them again. Jeff and Bruce got off the trail at separate times somewhere down south. Jeff is making his 2nd AT thru-hike attempt this year and started in Harpers Ferry, then will flip-flop back to the southern part of the AT. Via text I had recommended he stay at Bearded Woods Hostel and send me a pic of my summit postcard if it was on the wall. It made my day to receive this pic.
Date: 2019-10-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today ¢Sam I Am¢ came to my town¢s library to give a presentation on his 2015 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. I was several days behind Sam and I remember many times seeing Sam¢s trail name in big capital letters in the register of shelters as I was going up the trail. I believe we may have crossed paths on the AT four years ago, but we know many of the same thru-hikers during our journeys.Sam gave an entertaining and emotional presentation to a full room at the library today. His slide show brought back many memories for me, seeing other hikers I knew such as Walnut, Oriole, Parks, Benjali, Forever and Waiting. I look forward to reading his new book, Sole Searching on the Appalachian Trail. Thank you Sam!
Date: 2014-12-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

March of 2012 is when I knew I wanted to thru hike. For anyone not aware (you could read my other trailjournal), 2012 was when I hiked the beautiful state of Georgia. It was one of the best experiences of my life. The people, the hospitality, the scenery, the experiences were new, exciting and unforgettable. I wish I was able to stay.Now with life settling in place, the time to hike is upon me. I have a wife, I have a house, and I have support from family and friends. It seems like things are working out the way they should be...albeit a bit longer than expected.Ever since the section, hiking the AT has been on my mind. Everyday I think about it. Sometimes it's a fleeting moment, other times it's hours on end daydreaming about what a thru-hike would be like. I have this romantic idea of what a thru-hike would be like, but realistically I know it's not as romantic. No candlelit dinners and gourmet meals...well, sitting by a fire with a group of hikers having dinner can be romantic...if you're into that sort of thing.Whatever the case, in less than 3 months I'll have my feet on the ground and I'll start walking home...to Connecticut...then past Connecticut of course. We'll see what happens!
Date: 2014-12-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I spoke with former thru hiker, Muck Fichigan, today. I met him in 2012 when I sectioned Georgia. We hiked together a few days and kept in touch over the past few years. It was good to catch up and he answered some questions I had about the upcoming hike.The hike is just about two months away. Everyone around is really supportive and coming around to the thought that I plan to be away for a few months. I keep saying that if I don't see everyone for a few months, then things are going well and I am working on achieving my goal. We'll see what happens as we go.
Date: 2015-01-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today I purchased my plane ticket. The shuttle was booked a month or more back but I just never got around to buying the ticket with the holidays and all. So with the ticket purchased, I fly into Atlanta on Monday, March 2nd and either start that day or Tuesday the 3rd. I'll figure that out on the day. Either way, I will do the approach trail again.