morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-08-04
From: Gentian Pond Shelter Mile 1907.8

To: Full Goose Shelter Mile 1917.4
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

It¢s another dry day with a single water source today and I started with all three bottles full anticipating the building heat. All three of us hiked together in the morning which we haven¢t done for a while. We had about 1500 feet of climbing to start the day to the summit of Mt Success. We continue to have excellent views and good weather if a bit hazy at times. We then had a and a gradual descent down to the NH/ME border where we crossed into Maine. For Pilgrim this marks the last state while Orchid and I notched our 9th state. We celebrated with¢¦ well nothing as it¢s the middle of the resupply. After crossing the border, Orchid and I pressed on together with Pilgrim following. We summited Goose Eye West, East and North. Some of these had some sections of bouldering, but there was nothing incredibly difficult although they were pretty steep. We did come across the occasional ladder (typically wood either 2x¢s or from logs) and rebar epoxied into the rock. It¢s giving us a taste of what¢s to come in the Notch. This was a planned shorter day, although it still had a lot of climbing, to position us for entering the notch in the morning. Even though it was a shorter day it still took us about 7.5 hours to cover the 9.6 miles. The days when we could average 2mph over the entire day with breaks are long gone. Now it¢s more like 1mph uphill and 1.3 overall for the day. Our clothes were only slightly damp this morning but the sweat was pouring off me all day. By the time we got to camp there wasn¢t a dry spot on my shirt and the shorts were not far off. Unfortunately, although we hung stuff on a line, it¢s still damp. Stuff doesn¢t tend to dry at all overnight but as we¢re going to bed with a threat of rain overnight can¢t leave it out¢¦ although can¢t get much wetter and a shower would at least make it smell better. Steps 19500Weather Forecast: 93/68 partly cloudy
Date: 2022-08-06
From: Baldpate Lean-to Mile 1929.4

To: Established site by Sawyer Brook Mile 1944.8
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

We started off with a climb up to Baldpate West and then a dip and back up to Baldpate East. The climb up to Baldpate West wasn¢t too bad but the top was still fogged in. Starting in the dip we started to get ladders and the the climb up to the top of Baldpate East was on lots of steep slab as it¢s a bald. The top of East was still partially fogged in but we did have some views down into the valley and to the surrounding mountains as the fog blew in and out. Following that was a long descent to our lunch spot in a nice cold brook for a cooling off foot soak on this warm humid day. Unfortunately, immediately after lunch we started another long climb and fairly quickly were just as hot and sweaty as before. We summited Wyman Mt and then took another break at the shelter near the top. Another long descent brought us down to Sawyer Brook where we were camping at an established site by the brook. Although today was only moderately hard, on those days that are warmer and especially humid the weather really saps your energy. The humidity today reached sole crushing levels. When combined with the higher temperature and the level of effort in climbing up the hills, the sweat was just pouring off me. Even though I was stopping to wipe the sweat off my face every 5 minutes, I still had sweat constantly dripping off my nose and eyes. I feel like I am leaving little salt lick¢s for the bugs with every drop that falls off me. The sweat rag has reached it¢s holding capacity even though I am wringing it out and I don¢t know if it¢s helping or just moving it around. There¢s not a dry spot on my hiking clothes and I know that there¢s nothing I can do to dry the clothes overnight.We also had a bit of a change today when we went through a deciduous forest that looked like it belonged in the NJ to CT region than in Maine. I really love the look of the moss covered forests but it¢s also nice to have the occasional change as well. Steps 27500Weather Forecast: 77/60 chance of Tstorms
Date: 2022-08-07
From: Established site by Sawyer Brook Mile 1944.8

To: Human Nature Hostel (South Arm Rd) Mile 1947.5
Miles today: 2.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We¢ve got a shuttle pickup at 8:30 at the next road crossing, with 1500 ft of climbing in 1.3 miles. To make sure we have plenty of time we decided to leave camp at 6. This means waking up and starting to pack up in the dark. For a while the later sunrise and earlier sunset wasn¢t too noticeable, but over the past week it¢s become obvious as we¢ve started packing up in the dark and finished all our camp chores and gotten into our tents when it¢s actually dark out. We¢ve started looking for bear hang locations and throwing the rope as soon as we get to camp so we don¢t have to do it in the dark. Everything is still just as wet today as it was last night. It¢s really hard to put cold wet sweat soaked clothes back on. At least the sleeping clothes are relatively clean and dry but you don¢t want to hike in those. I¢ve got one hiking outfit but two pairs of underwear and hiking socks I alternate but both pairs are soaked so we ones it is. Orchid and I pushed hard and got up the mountain in just about an hour and the descent was very cruisy and we were down at the pickup point by 7:45 where we found trail magic being hosted by I Will. He was making breakfast sandwiches and I had one with some bacon for second lunch as I was definitely still hungry. Great guy and although the timing wasn¢t great (we¢re getting town food today) it still hit the spot. We got our pickup and headed to the market for a resupply on the way to the Human Nature Hostel. I picked up another breakfast sandwich for third breakfast at the market. We had shipped some food to the hostel but I picked up a full resupply from the limited market options in case the box hadn¢t been picked up from the post office. Fortunately it did arrive. Got a shower and laundry is being done for us. Plan for the rest of the day is sorting through the food, drying out damp gear, fixing gear, and relaxing. We got the meal option with the hostel and had a nice lunch and dinner. We also need to finalize our plans for next week and heading up to the hundred mile wilderness so we can plan for upcoming resupplies. Captain Crunch is here who we¢ve camped with a couple of times along with Slice, Licorice, Ryan and his dog Ryder, and Lazarous.I ended up doing well with the food this past section although possibly could have used slightly more. I finished all of the breakfast and most dinner (1/3 packet of potatoes and 1 tuna packet left). Ate all the snacks but could have used 1-2 more power bars and have some peanut butter left over. So I ate about 11+ of the 12 lbs of food I carried out. 3lbs of food per day doesn¢t bode well for the upcoming food carries. Steps 8500Weather Forecast: 87/66 partly cloudy
Date: 2022-08-10
From: Saddleback Inn (Rt 4) Mile 1973.9

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to Mile 1984.6
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up a little later than usual and had a variety of microwave breakfasts as there was no close breakfast shop. Last night we changed the game plan for this section where we are doing more mikes today and tomorrow and having a shorter day into Stratton. Pilgrim still had to do his resupply today so Orchid and I set out a little before 8 as he was still organizing his food. We started walking up the hill to the IGA trying for a hitch. We didn¢t need to wait long after getting to the IGA before catching a ride from a guidance counselor heading to his first day at a new school. We got dropped off at the trailhead and were on trail at 8:20. We started with a gradual climb up towards Saddleback Mt before reaching Eddy Pond which is my halfway point. It¢s 1097.15 miles from Rockfish Gap at the southern entrance to Shenandoah National Park, and it¢s 1097.15 miles to Springer Mountain via Mt Katahdin (and the missing Kinsman section). We took pictures with the sign I had made for the occasion. It¢s a bit of a weird feeling. I¢m excited that I¢ve made it this far, but at the same time nothing is really changing and the ¢end¢ seems really far away - almost as far away as it did at the start. Still primarily focused on getting to the next resupply although planning is now starting to include the hundred mile wilderness and Mt Katahdin as there are many restrictions in place for climbing it. By my rough estimate, I¢ve done about half the climbing so far and have walked about 2.2 million steps. A couple of miles later in the saddle of the mountain I hit 1100 miles as well and we ended up turning the celebration into our lunch spot. All morning we have had a heavy mist falling which has kept the rocks and terrain wet. Some overnight rain added to the puddles and mud pits on trail. There¢s actually three peaks today, Saddleback Mt, The Horn, and Saddleback Junior. The climbs really weren¢t too bad today with Saddleback Junior feeling like the worst one. Some rough sections on descent that were tricky in the wet but in general today wasn¢t too bad. With the mist falling on and off for much of the day and the wind blowing it was occasionally cold if you weren¢t working hard. We saw some nice ponds today but otherwise we had no views today aside from some brief glimpses into the valley around lunch when the clouds partially lifted and the sun came out briefly. The caretaker at the site had a huge list of frequently asked questions. Some items of interest are that the MATC (Maine Appalachian Trail Club) is trying to get away from bog bridges in favor of rock stepping stones, prefer not to bridge streams as the bridges get washed away, and they looked at multiple options for crossing the Kennebec River before deciding on enhanced ferry (via canoe) service.Hiked briefly with Bolt as well as Timex, Paws and Bald Eagle. Talus and Waffle passed through camp in the late afternoon but they¢re pushing on. Lots of people here at the shelter tonight. Steps 21200Weather Forecast: 69/55 chance of rain
Date: 2022-08-13
From: Maine Roadhouse Hostel (ME 27) Mile 2006.1

To: Maine Roadhouse Hostel (ME 27) Mile 2006.1
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I¢d like to say I spent the day doing absolutely nothing but at least it was mostly nothing. The hostel made a breakfast taco with eggs, beans, bacon, salsa etc that was really good. Did some more catch up and worked on plans for making up the missing Kinsman section. Went to the market and hostel store for resupply and sorted all the food. It weighs just under 13 pounds but I feel like I¢ll be eating most of it. Maybe some snacks and PB&J leftover. Started packing up the backpack as everything is all pulled out as part of the drying effort. Started working on the hundred mile wilderness plan and the Katahdin summit. Tentatively looks like August 29 with a zero the day before to avoid the weekend. Steps 5900Weather Forecast:
Date: 2022-08-15
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to Mile 2021.4

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to Mile 2039.1
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: moderate rain

The scheduled crossing of the Kennebec River happens between 9 and 2. Today¢s goal is to position ourselves so that we can be at the ferry at 9. As a result we have a shorter day today and can relax a bit enroute. There¢s a couple of ponds and lakes today but otherwise it¢s a rather uneventful day.Orchid and I departed at the usual 7 AM and we headed down to Flagstaff Lake about 3 miles away. Supposedly there is a beach on the lake that you can camp on but we didn¢t spot it, although we really didn¢t look hard. We did stop at the campground and I went wading in the water. Afterwards we headed to West Carry Pond where we had a snack on the dock by the Lean-to. Pressing on we came to East Carry Pond which had a nice beach where Puffer and 2x4 were getting ready to swim. There wasn¢t much shade so we continued on and found a shady spot to eat lunch by the water. Both of us made sandwiches and then ate them wading in the water which had a shallow entry. After lunch I decided I would do my first real swim as the water wasn¢t too cold. Had to walk out fairly far before I could actually swim, but I did get my head fully underwater and didn¢t even scrape my legs on the bottom. Afterwards changed into dry underwear to prevent chafing issues and headed to the campsite on Pierce Pond which is actually really big. It¢s about 4 miles from the Kennebec river. We¢d decided to tent tonight due to some mosquitoes, which ended up being a good decision. A trio of southbound hikers showed up and started a fire in the fire pit in front of the shelter. It kept the mosquitoes away but did smoke the shelter out a bit. Orchid ended up somewhat close to the shelter and got some smoke but I was further away. We got there in time to actually lay clothes out in the sun and have them dry. Puffer and 2x4 arrived later but otherwise that was it. It looks like some of the other hikers we were leapfrogging are trying for stealth sites closer to the river. Tried to catch the sunset but it was partially obscured by clouds. As it got dark the Loons started singing. They have a couple of different calls but one reminds we of a eerie wail. They ended up singing on and off all night. I¢ve been trying to remember to look at the stars after it gets dark. Despite some clouds they were quite impressive. Days in ME without Moose sighting: 12Steps 34000Weather Forecast: 74/54 sunny
Date: 2022-08-18
From: Shaw's Hostel (ME 15) Mile 2079.8

To: Aunt and UncleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today is a travel day from Monson ME back to my Aunt and Uncle¢s house to set up for doing the missing Kinsman section on Friday. Orchid and her husband drove me most of the way and my Uncle Peter met us and brought me the rest of the way. Otherwise socialized, did my resupply shopping, prepped for tomorrow, and relaxed. Steps 4200Weather Forecast: 67/58 with rain
Date: 2022-08-19
From: Kinsman Notch Mile 1804.9

To: Flume Gorge Visitor Center Mile 1821.3
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

Today is the day for filling in the missing Kinsman section. I got up relatively early as it¢s over an hour trip to get there. I was using my uncle¢s truck so he didn¢t have to make multiple trips or hang around for hours. I¢m parking at the start and will get a shuttle back to the truck at the end of the day. The trip is mostly on the Kancamagus Highway which runs through the heart of the White Mountains and is quite beautiful and scenic. I arrived at the trailhead about 7:30, but didn¢t get going until almost 8 by the time I registered the truck, went through the bathroom line full of thru hikers and did some video. It had rained hard yesterday and the trail was still pretty wet. I had hoped that it would dry out quickly with the sun and light breeze but there¢s still some water flowing and it¢s a bit humid still. The climb up to Mt Wolf isn¢t too bad given the smaller elevation gain and longer distance. About 30 minutes in I hit my 1200 mile mark. Made my sign and then took some pictures. Spent waaaaaaay too much time trying to get me and the marker in the picture. Stopped at the top for a snack but the view was mostly overgrown. Afterwards there is a gradual descent for a couple of miles before you start the climb up   South Kinsman. The first part of the climb isn¢t bad and it¢s alongside the creek which is very pretty with lots of waterfalls. A southbound hiker Squid bait pulled out a recorder and briefly serenaded me on the climb. About halfway up came to a bog where the bog bridges were underwater and the only way through was to get wet and muddy. The second half was more technical but really wasn¢t too bad and it didn¢t take too long to reach the summit. Had great views, especially looking out to Franconia Ridge. This makes a perfect record in the White Mountains as far as weather and views goes. Went down the dip and back up North Kinsman where I sat on an overlook for a while eating a snack. There were a bunch of northbound hikers slackpacking out of the Notch Hostel. After about 15-20 minutes in the sun on the hot rocks was getting pretty hot so started down the mountain heading for Lonesome Lake Hut. This is my last AMC hut and I wanted to get one last desserty item. Turned out they had the applesauce cake which is really good. I was considering having the soup also but was approaching the estimated pickup time and dinner preparation at the hut and decided not to wait. This is one of the multiple buildings huts with main building, two bunkhouses and a bathroom. It¢s right on the AT which is nice and the lake was beautiful. After the hut the trail gradually turned cruisy except for a couple of water crossings. Crossed under I93 and made it back to the Flume Gorge Bike Path completing the missing section. Got a shuttle back to the truck and made the drive back to the house. Door to door was a little over 13.5 hours and I didn¢t have to drive any of it in the dark. Didn¢t see any moose but did see moose poop. Steps 28700Weather Forecast: 79/55 partly sunny
Date: 2022-08-20
From: Aunt and UncleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House

To: Aunt and UncleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs House
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Not much on the plans for today. I need to sort and organize my food and make sure all my gear is clean and dry. Planning to walk around my aunt and uncles property when they walk the dog as they have about 2 miles of trails. Otherwise need to do some catching up, eating, and generally just rest. The upside of a second zero day is that you get a day that you aren¢t running around all day. Steps 6700Weather Forecast:
Date: 2022-08-21
From: Shaw's Hostel (ME 15) Mile 2079.8

To: Shaw's Hostel (ME 15) Mile 2079.8
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is a travel day from my aunt and uncle¢s house back to Monson ME to start the hundred mile wilderness tomorrow. My uncle brought me to the meeting point and Orchid and her husband drove me most of the way. Finished packing up food and pack before leaving. Did the last little bit of resupply from Shaw¢s. Figured out the plan for next week as far as where to stay and when we are getting the resupply from Shaw¢s. Met back up with Pilgrim and we¢ll start with him tomorrow. Big Hungry, Relish, and Play-by-Play are here and we went out to dinner with them to catch up with them. Just Tom, Sasquatch and Timber are also here. There¢s 40 people signed up for breakfast so it¢s a full house. Steps 5800Weather Forecast:
Date: 2022-08-23
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to Mile 2094.9

To: Established site by West Branch Pleasant River Mile 2110.2
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: broken clouds

It did rain last night. The shelter has a metal roof so the rain sounds loud but it¢s hard to tell how much rain actually fell. There aren¢t really puddles in front of the shelter. One annoying thing about peeing in the middle of the night in the rain is you have to put on all your rain gear as you don¢t want to get your sleeping clothes wet. Right after camp we climbed Barren Mt which goes up, then flat then up again. Ironically it¢s profile looks more like a chair than the Chairback¢s we do later today. The first up was a bit of a struggle as my legs felt like molasses, but it really wasn¢t a bad climb. The rest of the climbs of the Chairback¢s and Columbus Mt today weren¢t too bad. No views from Barren Mt but we got valley views and partial views of the mountains later in the day. The clouds were just sticking around on some of the taller Mountains coming up which was partially obscuring the views and preventing any long distance views. Most of the descents weren¢t too bad, however the descent from Chairback Mt had some pretty tricky and technical spots through some boulder fields.Early on a new trail reroute bypasses Chairback Fourth Mt but now takes you past the site of an old single engine plane crash. The plane is upside down, badly mangled, and missing the engine. But both occupants survived and walked out to help the next day. Right before the trail goes through Fourth Mt Bog which had a number of pitcher plants. Most of the day was uneventful, but the highlights of the day were the mushrooms. We saw tons of mushrooms including several new ones of different types and colors. Probably easily saw two dozen different kinds. All different shapes, sizes and colors. Also we saw our first newt in a long time. Little frogs are the newts of old as we see them all the time. Orchid and I are camped along the West Branch of the Pleasant River. It¢s a wet crossing we¢ll have to do in the morning. We have the site to ourselves. Pilgrim isn¢t here but he was tentatively going to stay at the last shelter. We can¢t figure out where all the hikers are. There were 40 people signed up for Shaws breakfast but only two hikers passed us yesterday and only three while we were in camp today. We¢re not that fast so would have expected more people to have passed us. It¢s odd. Anyway we get lulled to sleep by the sound of the river tonight. Days in ME without Moose sighting: 16Steps 29400Weather Forecast: 70/57 chance of overnight showers
Date: 2022-08-24
From: Established site by West Branch Pleasant River Mile 2110.2

To: East Branch Lean-to Mile 2126.5
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

Right after leaving camp we have to cross the West Branch of the Pleasant River which is not possible to do dry. Orchid and I both left camp in our camp shoes so we didn¢t have to change at the river. The crossing was relatively easy although the rocks were slippery. Fortunately the current was not too bad. It¢s usually possible to dry your feet reasonably well after a crossing so you don¢t have to walk with damp feet. After crossing the river we came to The Hermitage, which is a section of old growth white pines. Apparently this is one of the last two old growth forests in the northeast which was originally preserved for ship masts. The trees are 150-200 years old. They are massive trees quite impressive when you are standing next to them looking up. Shortly afterwards we came to Gulf Hagas which is known as the Grand Canyon of Maine and one of Maine¢s 14National Natural Landmarks. There is a five mile loop, the Gulf Hagas Rim Trail off the AT that walks past lots of waterfalls, cascades and gorges along the west branch of the Pleasant River. Unfortunately there was a wet crossing to start the side trail so we opted not to go down to the Screw Augur Falls which is the first waterfall off the rim trail. We started our climbing for the day alongside the Gulf Hagas Brook. This had its own series of small waterfalls and was a nice backdrop to the climb. We climbed over Gulf Hagas Mt, West Peak, and Hay Mt which weren¢t too bad of a climb but didn¢t really have any views from the top. We then climbed White Cap Mt in a heavy mist and fog. The top was somewhat bald but there were no views with the fog. We ate a little down from the top in a partially sheltered spot trying to wait for top to clear as the afternoon was supposed to turn partly sunny. After a while we gave up and started down. A little ways down there was an overlook which was below the cliuds and had good views into the valley and had partial views of the distant mountains. It wasn¢t totally clear whether we could see Mama K or not as the mountain tops were obscured. At the bottom of the mountain we came across a cool moss forest. This was unusual as it was at a lower elevation than we are used to seeing them. This also meant that it wasn¢t just pine trees in the area. All in all a very unusual and quite beautiful little micro environment. Relish, Play-by-Play, and Big Hungry arrived at camp after we¢d eaten dinner. We caught up on their journey through the hundred mile wilderness and also got an update on Pilgrim. We¢re also camping with pair of young women Andy and Kat and pair of young men Merlin and Fuzzy who are section hikers doing the hundred mile wilderness.Days in ME without Moose sighting: 17Steps 29900Weather Forecast: 70/58 Chance of showers