morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Elkwallow Wayside

To: Jenkins Gap
Miles today: 11.4

Most excellent hiking day. Pulled into Jenkins Gap parking and thought to myself that there was no way I was going to get a ride with an empty Park. I took my time getting ready and sat in the car and started reading AT Journeys to pass about 15 minutes before I was going to make the decision to do an in and out. And then - a Park Ranger pulls into the lot. I stepped out of the car and asked him if he was allowed to give me a ride. Sure he says - where do you want to go? I love this Park. Took me to the Elkwallow Wayside and I started my trek north 11.4 miles back to my car. Nice guy. Hike was relatively easy and it was a nicer day but still a bit hot and very buggy. It poured rain for about 20 minutes towards the end but I was prepared with my rain jacket and pack cover. Loved the rain - got rid of those nasty bugs! I hiked like a fiend due to storms brewing nearby and did a 2.0 mph + day. I will be able to finish the Park on Saturday afternoon - as I had hoped. Then I jump up to Duncannon PA to begin chipping away at PA. Not looking forward to it due to rocky terrain but will see what happens.'til later
Date: 2015-05-09
From: Jenkins Gap

To: Shenandoah Park Northern Border
Miles today: 4.1

Yipee! Done with the Shenandoah's. What a beautiful park and what a nice job the National Park Service does in maintaining the roads and view areas. And the Park rangers were really nice - two of them shuttled me and were so nice about it. I keep trying to decide what section I liked the most but its difficult to decide. The last bit I did today - from Compton Gap to the Park boundary was odd - I think it shares a horse trail but it appears to be an old road and is totally different than the AT in the rest of the Park. I head up to the Duncannon PA area tomorrow am to begin day hiking/chipping my way through that section of PA with the goal of finishing all of PA by the end of the summer. 'til later
Date: 2015-05-10
From: Northside of Duncannon PA

To: Midway to Rt 225 PA
Miles today: 3.0

Parked at the lot on the other side of the Susquehanna and walked over the river and back and then headed into the woods. I walked to the second entry point for the Susquehanna Trail and took that back to my car since it was shorter and easier than the AT. It was a tough hike - large NY-like rocks that I was not expecting. Very hot and very buggy. Was going to continue chipping away at PA but its no fun for me with this weather and the bugs so that's it for now. Maybe over the summer if it cools a bit - or I might just do PA in short spurts over the next couple of years and focus my attention on completing Vermont this summer/fall.'til later
Date: 2015-08-19
From: various

To: Jumping around Killington Area
Miles today: 17.3

Have spent the last four days doing very short pieces of Vermont. Drove up on Sunday and did an in and out from VT 100 to the cutoff for the Sherburne Pass Trail (which I could not find - even though I could find it last fall) and turned around at junction to Long Trail and then to Thundering Falls Rd and back. On Monday I did River Road to Thundering Falls Rd and then to about a mile short of the Stony Brook Shelter and back. On Tuesday I used a shuttle - Ronny of Rutland Taxi - and did a short hike from 106 to 103. Today I did another in and out - from 103 to Cold River Road. I was going to hike the other half of Killington but Ronny's van broke down yesterday and she was not available today. Tomorrow I will pick up some odd in and out pieces near Woodstock and head home. I was hoping to do more miles this trip but it was hotter than hell - about 90 up here. Hotter here than back home in Plymouth MA. The bugs were manageable so it wasn't too bad. The heat just slows things down for me. This was an interesting piece of Trail. The area around River Road was beautiful. The Rutland Airport overlook between VT 103 and 106 was neat - Plans Too Much has left a plastic chair there and I sat for a while and enjoyed the view. It was also neat walking over the suspension bridge by 103. What wasn't so great was the climb up from 103 towards Cold River Road. It was slow going and all I kept thinking was that I was going to have to walk back down it later in the day. This am when I pulled into the Rt. 103 parking lot I met the famous Miss Janet for the first time. She was dropping off a hiker. I jumped out of my car and said "you are Miss Janet!" Like meeting a Trail celebrity. We chatted for a bit - she was on her way to Woodstock. I also had a nice chat with three women from VA the other day - the Dixie Chicks. They are doing what I am doing - all day hikes with shuttles. Nice ladies - all around my age. I have seen around 10 hikers a day so the Trail is very busy right now.Maybe more later next week - or I might wait for the heat to break a bit. My goal is to finish VT by mid Sept or so. Then I'll focus on trying to finish up PA before heading further south in October.'til later
Date: 2015-09-14
From: Jumping around Killington Area

To: Various PA and VT
Miles today: 16.3

Playing catch-up with entries. Did a very short in and out hike in VT on August 19. I've been hiking in PA since Saturday, doing in and out pieces since I had several to complete and part of the hiking is in no-man's land when it comes to getting a shuttle. I finally finished the 850 to Duncannon piece of the AT today. So - I've done Waynesboro VA to Rt 225 in PA - with the completion to 325 tomorrow. Once I finish PA, I will be done up to southern VT with the goal of completing VT and the rest of PA before hunting season this fall. I think I will get VT done but PA might be tough. Lots of rocks today. I met a man at a party in FL a few years ago who said he broke his neck (really) coming down the rocks into Duncannon so I've been nervous about this section. It was much easier going up than coming down - very slow going on beautiful stone steps. I would not want to do it again and am glad to have it done. I'll feel the same way once I tackle the area around Palmerton.'til later
Date: 2016-03-02
From: Rt 61 Port Clinton PA

To: Pocahontas Spring in PA
Miles today: 2.6

Long time no post. Just catching up now that I've started my 2016 hiking season. Last year, I did some fall hiking in PA and VT - and I am almost half done with the Trail. Its taken me 8 years - too long - so if I am ever going to finish, I need to do more miles and use more shuttles. Too much in and back.Today I made sure all the parts were working by doing a short 2.6 in and back (so 5.2) mile hike to close a gap from last fall. I parked in Port Clinton and hiked north to the turn for the Pocahontas Spring. Not a soul around on a very windy day. I wasn't cold even though my app said the wind chill was in the high 20's - guess I know how to dress in this stuff. But it becomes a lot of work when you are fighting the wind all day. Tomorrow I plan on using a shuttle so I should feel like I've accomplished something.'til later
Date: 2016-03-04
From: Rt. 183

To: Rt. 501
Miles today: 9.3

Used Joyce as my shuttle driver today. Met her at 8 am at the 501 parking lot and she dropped me at 183 for my hike back to my car. Only saw one other hiker in the parking lot at 501. No wind today but seemed colder than yesterday. The hike was relatively flat - the last few miles were all rocks and that kind of sucked. The bad kind that take forever to navigate. No wildlife. Pretty boring PA hiking. I'm glad I am doing it in bits and pieces - I can understand why thru hikers dislike it so much. Tomorrow I will see what happens with some expected snow tonight. First they were saying 1 to 3 inches. Now less than an inch. I might do and in and out to give my rock weary feet a rest. Will decide after I eat breakfast. Onward.'til later
Date: 2016-03-05
From: Rt. 645

To: Rt 501
Miles today: 1.9

A short in and out today post snow. About 1/2 an inch so no big deal but I was worried that the rocks would be slippery so I didn't use a shuttle today and I started late. A few nice views of the PA farmlands. No Hikers but chatted with a guy just hiking in to one of the view points. Its been dry so it was nice having some humidity today. Very comfortable hiking. Tomorrow I'll use a shuttle again and knock off another chunk.'til later
Date: 2016-03-06
From: Iron Bridge at Swatara Gap PA

To: Rt 645
Miles today: 9.5

Used a shuttle today and started from the Iron Bridge at Swatara Gap. Hiked 9.5 miles over easy terrain - a few rock fields but mostly open, flat Trail. Saw 3 guys with 2 dogs doing a section towards the end of my hike - and another guy just doing a short hike in. Very quiet on a day that started out cold but was very pleasant. No views in this section so just brown woods. More tomorrow.'til later
Date: 2016-03-07
From: Rt. 225

To: Victoria Trail Intersection
Miles today: 3.8

Parked at the 225 lot and hiked in and back today. Turned around at the intersection with the Victoria Trail - where I came in from the other direction last year? Maybe the year before. It all starts to run together. Easy hike - I flew today. Many people out on my way back and the lot was almost full. Done with PA for now - still need another trip to finally finish it. Either April or May should do it.'til later
Date: 2016-08-02
From: Hamburg PA

To: The Balance of PA
Miles today: 0.0

Been very lax about posting updates here for a long time. I am just over half done with the Trail. Will be heading to PA tomorrow with hopes of finishing what has been a tough state to finish. Not that it was very hard (except for the climb out of Lehigh Gap) but it's taken me a long time to finish it off. I first set foot on the AT at Caledonia State Park in 1980 or so when I was in college. I hiked my first miles several years ago - I think in 2009? - and have been piecing it together since then. I really enjoyed the southern half just past Boiling Springs but the sections from Duncannon north have taken me a long time and have been very slow-going. That's the problem with day hiking the AT - lots of side trails to avoid carrying a pack but doable in PA. Tomorrow I hope to begin my last section of PA - from Rt 183 to Mountain Rd (just west? of Cabellas in Hamburg). I should be done by Friday morning. Then its time to focus on completing Vermont - which will require a night or two of camping/carrying a pack. I'm excited about getting back out there tomorrow. I hope its not too buggy - which is the primary reason I don't like hiking in the summer.'til later
Date: 2017-09-06
To: Update
Miles today: 0.0

So I am 1290.4 miles complete.  Lots left to do - primarily Virginia south of the Shenandoahs except for about 50 miles; The Smokies; New Hampshire north of Lyme Dorchester Rd and all of Maine.  Ha!  I still think I can do this and as long as I stay trail-healthy, I will continue to pursue this goal.  My immediate plans are to finish Vermont (a 12 something mile day hike and a 20 something mile hike that will involve carrying a pack and camping - which I have only done for 82 miles).  I will chip away at New Hampshire this fall and plan to tackle a 16 mile piece of TN and most of the Smokies in Oct/early Nov.  I am concerned that I am not ready to carry a pack but I have to remember that when I tried to thru-hike in 2008, even though I was 10 years younger, I was also 15 pounds heavier and my gear was 15 pounds heavier - so there's 30 pounds - right?  At least that's my logic.  My feet were my problem so the stress on my feet should be much less with 30 pounds removed.  Onward - will try to post more.  Might go to NH this week and do Lyme Dorchester Rd. to Mousilaukee (sp?).LaterFussymary
Date: 2018-06-11
To: Various
Miles today: 379.3

So I am still working on this "project" and have completed 1437.6 miles of the AT.  I have a 20 mile chunk of VT remaining; the Smokies; a 16 mile piece of TN; the middle of VA (12 or so miles south of Rt 60 near Buena Vista to just north of Marion); and the Whites and Maine.  About 1/3 left but it has taken me 11 years and I ain't gettin' any younger.  Plan on NH/Maine focus starting in two weeks and will see how that goes.  VA in the fall.  I have avoided carrying a pack since 2008 and have completed all but 82 miles of the AT pack-free - have done countless out-and-backs so have probably hiked a total of 2400 AT miles.  The day hiking really helps keep my feet from hurting - which was my original issue.  I have also stayed in some interesting towns and get to see all of the countryside when driving around looking for my day parking lots.  The website Rohland has been a Godsend for me.I am very excited about NH - I love climbing up rocks so I should enjoy the Whites.  And my expectations are low - if I do 6 miles a day, I will be happy with that.  So it continues......'til later
Date: 2007-12-04
To: Planning the AT
Miles today: 0.0

Garlic here. It's a cool, sunny December day here at home in Evergreen, Colorado. My wife, GreasePot (AT '02, PCT '04) has just left town for a few months in Arizona and California. I stayed behind because I'm planning five months away from home next year. I'll be attempting a through-hike of the AT!I'll be walking with Pickle, a Triple Crown hiker. Since GreasePot is out of hiking commission due to a back injury from an '05 car accident, I can hardly think of a better companion. Pickle and I plan on sharing this TJ account. We'll probably go by the team name of "The Deli Duo" (Pickle and Garlic), or the "Deli Express", depending on how fast we hike on the AT.I went by "Garlic Man" on the PCT and CDT, a name I got up in Maine along an AT section. I carried garlic for cooking, and somehow started singing the "Spider Man" theme song substituting the words "Garlic Man". As these things do, the name stuck. Since there's another Garlic Man out there (I was a year behind him on the PCT and the CDT), and he's a Triple Crowner, I decided to change. Everyone out there calls me Garlic, anyway.GreasePot through-hiked the AT back in '02. I wasn't interested back then, and after a couple of years of trying to convince me, she just went and did it. I joined her for a few hundred miles over that summer, including the section from Washington to Katahdin. Then two years later, we both through-hiked the PCT. On the PCT, we met Pickle, who had also hiked the AT in '02, though about a month ahead of GreasePot, so we never met on that trail. We ended up hiking most of the PCT and all of the last 1000 miles of it with Pickle, and cemented a friendship. Pickle spent his off-trail time in Durango, CO, at the time, so we were able to maintain contact over the ensuing years. In '05 we got serious about section-hiking the CDT, and by last summer ('07), we both completed the CDT and Pickle achieved his Triple Crown.I guess I wanted to save the AT 'till last in my Triple Crown quest. I've done all my hiking so far out West. Despite the rigors of Western hiking, I'm quite concerned about the hardships of the AT. I'm not accustomed to damp weather, summer heat and humidity, insects, the "green tunnel", steeper grades. But I am confident about several aspects--I'll have a light pack, some good experience with resupply, and a known ability to hike long days and miles.I've just about finished most of the gear preparations, with the acquisition of a new summer sleeping bag, a one-pound down number from Mountain Hardwear. I just need to buy a few more pairs of shoes, some Aqua Mira, and I think I'll be set.Enough for today. More about me and Pickle and our gear later.Garlic
Date: 2007-12-06
To: Lightweight philosophy - Garlic
Miles today: 0.0

Garlic here with a note on my lightweight hiking style. My pack is approaching the lower limit I can imagine, at less than 9 pounds. It took a lot of long trails to evolve to this point. There's no way I could have started hiking like this.Pickle and I both started long-distance hiking separately on the AT in 2002, Pickle with a through-hike, me with a few sections. We both started with fairly conventional loads, 30 pounds or so.We both started the PCT two seasons later (again, separately) with drastically reduced loads, in the 15 pound range. We accomplished this with lighter shelter (tarptents), lighter packs, lighter cookware (tin can alcohol stoves) and lighter clothing, especially footwear. Ray Jardine's book, "Beyond Backpacking", was a good source of information for the PCT pack. Lynne Whelden's video, "Lightweight Backpacking Secrets Revealed", was also an eye-opener.On our last section on the CDT last summer, we hiked with 9 pound loads! The big leap there was leaving the cookware behind, and eating cold meals. With this change, we were also able to successfully use the Gossamer Gear Hyperlight pack, the G-5, at 9 oz. I could not have used the G-5 pack on any previous hikes. I don't think it would have taken my PCT load, for instance. I also don't think I could have started out without a stove. It took a long time to evolve to that point.One of the curious things in my hiking career is that Pickle's style evolved at nearly the same rate. We both came to the cold food decision at the same time, for instance, with very little discussion about it.The 9 pound load worked so well on the CDT, we're going to continue the trend on the AT. I hope to reduce the load to nearer 8 pounds in the heat of the summer.We met Han Solo on our New Mexico section of the CDT. We were amazed at his light load, a couple of pounds less than I'd ever carry. He was also making 40+ mile days, equally amazing. There always seems to be someone farther along any given trail.Garlic
Date: 2007-12-08
To: Garlic's trail diet
Miles today: 0.0

Garlic here. Food in my pack becomes less important to me the more I hike. I read an interview with Lynne Whelden where he espouses the idea that the stomach is muscle that can be trained, and that hikers can probably work on half the food they currently use. I¢ve been struggling with a similar concept myself. My idea is more that efficient hiking uses less energy than ¢the experts¢ believe. I also read somewhere a question posed to hikers¢how often do you run out of food on a hike? I never have. One time I walked into town as I ate my last cashew, and that was a great feeling, to have planned food perfectly. I met a guy trained for survival in the Navy, and they gave him this ¢rule of threes¢: Three weeks without food, three days without water, three hours without shelter, three minutes without air. That sounds like good priorities to me.When I resupply, the rule of thumb I developed on the PCT is one pound per ten miles, then I cut it down a little. I have a hard time eating more than two pounds per day. On the CDT, I was hiking 100 mile stretches with eight pounds of food. I¢ll be curious to see if those numbers work on the AT. I think I¢ll probably increase it, because of the strenuous climbing and the greater availability of resupply options.My typical daily menu is as follows: about 5 cups of cold cereal, which I usually make myself with rolled oats, raisins and walnuts, all mixed with powdered milk; two or three tortillas; several ounces of cheese if it¢s not too hot or peanut butter if it is; a box of Wheat Thins for several days; and instant mashed potatoes, preferably Idahoan brand (garlic flavor, of course), and six or eight Fig Newtons. I hate cooked oats, but absolutely love them raw. I know some people cannot properly digest the amount I eat¢it is a lot of fiber. I¢ve been eating raw oats daily for a couple of decades, and it¢s the best breakfast I¢ve ever found. I stay away from all candy. Snickers bars upset my stomach a little. I just can¢t handle much processed sugar. Unfrosted Pop Tarts are the sweetest I can handle.I don¢t carry any supplements or pills of any kind. Once Pickle had a headache, and neither of us even had an aspirin.Sometimes I¢ll carry one or two pieces of fresh fruit or veggies, or a fresh deli sandwich for the first day, or maybe some leftover pizza.I just carry a light plastic cup and plastic spoon. The cup comes in handy for dipping from springs, too. One advantage of this menu is the lack of packaging weight and bulk, therefore less trash I need to carry. I once fit all the trash for a 160-mile hike crammed into the empty peanut butter jar. Another advantage is that it doesn¢t cost very much, either.By the way, I¢m vegetarian (eggs and cheese OK), but I do allow greasy fish and chips in town when hiking. I keep telling myself that I¢ll eat a hamburger as soon as I crave one, but that hasn¢t happened yet.Garlic
Date: 2007-12-11
To: The Pickle Myth
Miles today: 0.0

Garlic here. According to the rules of the trailjournals site, you¢re not supposed to use it to raise funds. But it sounds like it¢s OK to make mention of a fundraising attempt once or twice in your journal entries. So here it is.Pickle is hiking the AT again for a cause. He¢s taking pledges of ¢pennies per mile¢ for a charity of the donor¢s choice. Contact Pickle at herringharold@yahoo.com for pledging or more information. Pickle's charity of choice is the ALS Association. I was hiking with him last summer in Northern Montana when a close friend of his died after suffering from the disease for years. He had just agreed to hike the AT with me in ¢08 before we got the news. He decided to try to support ALS research with his hike. He will also match contributions. His innate generosity is of the reasons I really enjoy hiking with Pickle. Another is ¢The Pickle Myth¢. Pickle has a way of avoiding hiking in the rain. On the PCT, he would sometimes hike ahead of us to a resupply stop. A couple of times he would beat an afternoon rainstorm that would soak us. We would find him relaxing under a porch roof with food and drink, usually chatting up a few ¢dolly birds¢ (Lord Tea¢s British slang for ¢chicks¢). This happened often enough to be eerie. The only variation would be the number of dolly birds. Last summer on the CDT, we were trying to beat a severe storm cell into Sawtelle, ID. There was a strange whorl in the clouds above us as the lightning was bearing down. I couldn¢t believe it--the Pickle Myth was working even in the violent storms of the Rockies.Evergreen, CO is getting some decent snow today. I went out at dawn for a walk in a meadow, trying to imagine what this spring will be like in the Southern Appalachians. I hear there may be snow, but probably wetter than what we¢re getting here. It¢s pretty cold, and six inches of snow blew off the car when I closed the door. It¢s easy enough to clear sidewalks with the sweep of a broom. I love this powder. As soon as the roads are safe, I¢ll hit a trail up near the Divide with my backcountry skis.