morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-24
From: Brown's Gap - Hotel in Waynesboro, VA

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: 0

cell goodChris and I had a good nights sleep in the motel. We awoke and each took another shower. We then packed, Chris to go home, and I packed for the trail.Chris dropped me off at Browns Gap where we stopped hiking yesterday. I met a thru-hiker named Yatzee from Mass. We hiked together until we reached the Loft Mountain Campground. He headed off for a hamburger and I continued on. I didn't get a burger as I had one yesterday before going into town. He did catch up to me at the last shelter where we both stopped for water. I arrived at this shelter to find a packed house. Luckily this shelter has an overflow campsite, I picked a spot and set up my tent.As Chris drove away I realized how lucky I am to have the children I did. Both of my children have found sucess in their chosen fields. Cindy is a portrait photographer, she has always loved photography. She took numerous classes in it while in High School and majored in it in college. Chris always wanted to be a pilot or an astronaut. He majored in Aeronautical Science where he learned how to fly. He went through the training routine for a pilot where he flight instructed, flew cargo, flew for a commuter company, and now Continental Air Lines. I'm proud of both of them, they are really wonderful people. The both have wonderful spouces and I am happy for them.One more stroke of luck that has made my life great is my wife Sue. She is a really terrific person which lots of talent in many things. Without her love and support I would be nothing. She is the one who keeps me on track all of the time. We have a wonderful life together and I look forward to the day when I return home to resume our life.The reason I brought all that up is I had been asked "What do you think about when you're hiking?". The above was a little insight of what I was thinking today. Old Goat
Date: 2006-05-24
To: Chris' Notes - Visit With Old Goat 
Miles today: 0.0

CHRIS' ENTRY__________________________________________________________________In the morning I dropped my dad off where he left off the day before, so he could hike another 18-mile day. I don't know how he does it. I can say the people are awesome and the hiking is refreshing. Overall the achievement will be monumental. Most people never leave the safety of what they know. To have tried and accomplished what he has already, Old Goat is a hero in my eyes.Overall I really enjoyed my time out there. I was lucky to have had nearly perfect conditions. I felt good fully reaching my potential in hiking and camping ability. Most of all I enjoyed the company of my dad. We walked 53 miles in 4 days, more than I¢ve ever done before. I felt good while doing it, but since then I've noticed some soreness in my right knee. I think it will go away, but it just goes to show you that it¢s not wise to start with such energetic days until your body is ready for it. ________________________________________________________________________Some interesting things I found are:I brought my Polar heart rate monitor with me just to see some stats. On the last day I wore it the whole day. We hiked for 8 hours 12 minutes, of which about 1:12 was lunch and breaks, so about 7 hours total. We went 16.1 miles. That equates to an average speed of 2.3 miles per hour. I suspect it was closer to 1.8 uphill and 3.0 downhill. Those numbers do not do it justice. Uphill (1.8 mph) is roughly the speed at which you would walk the mall, but remember it's up very steep hills for hours on end. Downhill (3.0 mph) is roughly the speed you would do if you were power walking (i.e. just about jogging but not quite). The real kicker here is that we were doing it with about 40lbs on our backs for 7 hours straight, try that on for size. Like I said before, the true magnitude of the accomplishment my dad is doing is not done justice with words.If you want to see what these speeds are like, then try walking 1 mile in 26 minutes (average speed 2.3 mph). If you want a feel for our uphill speeds try 1 mile in 33 minutes, downhill would be 20 minutes.Other stats that my heart rate monitor came up with was an estimated burn of 2962 calories while hiking, really it's higher because of the pack weight. Of that it thought 55% would have been fat. It's estimated that AT Thru-Hikers need about 6000 calories a day just to sustain themselves. That is very tough to accomplish given no access to McDonalds and that they have to carry all their food.When my dad wore it he averaged about 135 bpm uphill and about 115 downhill, I was closer to 150 uphill and 110 downhill, not bad.
Date: 2006-05-25
From: Hightop Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: 0

cell goodI had a normal start around 7:05 am. I hiked out on the blue trail that leads you to or from the shelter from the AT. I got on the AT heading north climbed a little hill and saw the tents that were pitched right next to mine. We slept about 100 feet from the AT and didn't know it.The hiking today was almost all gradual ups or downs. The hiking was quite comfortable and I made good time. I had one delay when I saw a bear sitting on the trail. He was facing me and sitting still. I stopped and banged my hiking sticks together to make some noise. I started to get my camera when he turned around and walked away. I got a good shot of his butt. He slowly walked down the trail [away from me] so I banged my sticks again this time he turned and looked at me so I waved the sticks. That got his attention and he ran off the trail and up the hill about 30 feet. I hurried past him and kept going. I kept watching my back and he soon dissappeared. I then continued my hike at normal pace.I had one delay around lunch when I stopped at a store in the campground. I bought a bunch of junk food and had a junk food lunch. The Shanandoah NP has campgrounds and Wayside snackbars. They are tough to pass without indulging.While I was there a hiker named Yatzee came to do the same thing, eat lunch. I headed out and he soon cought up to me. We hiked the rest of the afternoon.About 5:00pm we reached a Wayside snackbar so we went in and I had a chilidog and lemonaid for dinner. We hiked on until we reached another campground where Yatzee decided to stay tonight. He wants to go back down to the snackbar for breakfast, then he'll move on.I continued on to this shelter. I'm getting off the trail tomorrow for a double zero, I didn't have a need for breakfast. Also I'm meeting my brother-in-law Earl tomorrow stopping for breakfast will throw the whole thing off.There are only two other people here tonight. We set up our tents and we're settled in for the night.I guess that is all I have for now.Goodnight.This is an additional entry made on January 14th 2009. I just read the most recent AT Journeys magazine that is put out by the ATC. One particular article on Native Species of animals along the trail really caught my eye. Someone in the article quoted a Shenandoah Park ranger as saying there are Mountain Lions in the park, especially around Big Meadow. This shelter isn't very far from there, 3 trail miles. The night I stayed there I swore I saw some kind of big cat. As I headed for my tent to go to bed I saw an animal near my tent, then as I approached the tent it ran about 30 to 40 feet away and stopped. I shined my headlamp toward it but was only able to see a silhouette. The light of the headlamp is made by LEDs which are great for close up lighting but stink for far away lighting. Now with this article saying this I realized I wasn't imagining this. Old Goat
Date: 2006-05-26
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Thornton Gap - 0 With Family
Miles today: 14.1

The shelter I was at last night received it's name because the spring water came out from under a huge rock.Todays hiking went well, the first thing I passed was the Skyland stable. I stopped to get a soda from the machine and moved on. One woman offered me a Diet Pepsi but I had already put my money in the machine so I passed on it. When I reached Skyland proper I went down to the gift shop/resteraunt to toss my soda bottle.I hiked on and about 11:30 am I reached a picnic area. I ate crackers and cheese, some Slim Jims and some peanuts. As I was packing to leave a family showed up to have a picnic. They offered me some food and again I passed as I was full. Two yogi's declined, I'm not acting thru-hiker and taking everything offered.I arrived at the meeting place on time and found Earl fairly easily. As we were driving back to their house the rain started, was I ever glad to have made it there before that happened. Someone told me the forecast calls for rain today and tomorrow, lucky for me I'm zeroing.I have a list of things to do tomorrow, so I'll be busy.Old Goat
Date: 2006-05-28
From: Thornton Gap - 0 With Family

To: Thornton Gap - 0 With Family
Miles today: 0.0

Today was another zero day of hiking. I've been resting myself to build up the energy to move on.I awoke around 7:30 am and attended to some planning for the next week.We had a real nice breakfast of Belgin Waffles and decided to take a trip to the outfitter in Front Royal. I checked out backpacks and loaded my gear in two of them. I found both very comfortable and decided that I would buy the Granite Gear Stratus Latitude. Let me go back a bit, I started at Springer with a Gregory Z internal frame pack. I found that the more I used it the more uncomfortable it became. One thing that effected this was I lost weight and the hip belt was really digging into my waist. You see, that pack was designed to carry no more than 30 lbs, I can't seem to get below 38 lbs and it's usually more with water and a full load of fuel. I switched to an external frame Eureka pack in Damascus. This pack was alright at first but lately it has become very uncomfortable, the more I used it the worse it got.After trying on and walking around Front Royal with both packs I think I have one that will stay comfortable. This pack is designed to work with a load up to 50 lbs, I hope my load gets lighter but in the mean time this will work.One feature I like about this pack is the way it is loaded. It opens up from top to bottom and then is pulled in with a series of straps. I like that I'll have access to any part of my gear without having to totally unloading the pack. Other packs load from the top through a small opening. I'll make more comments as I use it.We then drove to Harpers Ferry to visit the ATC Headquarters. Unfortunatly we got there after it closed and we didn't get to go inside. It is a pretty interesting place and I was hoping to show it to Janet and Earl.While we were there I met a few hikers who had been inside prior to closing. I was interested in knowing how many thru-hikers have passed through there already. I believe there have been about 170 hikers already, I'm thinking I'll be near the 200th. I'll write about it when I get there.I saw two people I had met very early in my hike. One was Andy from Buffalo, I forgot what he said his trail name was. We met on March 15th and we stayed at Hawk Mtn Shelter that night. I figured he was long gone but yet he's only about 5 days ahead. I also saw Sandman at the ATC. We met a Neels Gap at the end of my first week. We were both in the outfitters taking care of gear issues.We then rode back to Janet and Earls for a nice steak dinner. We ended the evening by watching the Coca Cola 600, the first race I've seen since starting my journey. Now I'm tired and ready for sleep, goodnight.Old Goat
Date: 2006-05-29
From: Thornton Gap - 0 With Family

To: Gravel Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.3

Cell none.Today started at Janet and Earl's house. The bed I was in was so comfortable and the off trail vortex was trying to suck me in. I awoke at 7:00 am and took another shower. I then proceded to arrange my belongings and finish packing. I had the major things packed, so I only had the small stuff to put in. We then had a breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. Soon afterwards we packed the car and headed for the trail.I was dropped off around 10:00 am and I started down the trail. The hike started slow, and I felt very sluggish. I stayed steady and the miles slipped away. I visited my last Wayside snackbar/campstore today where I had another soda and two Ice Creams. From there I headed towards the shelter. I reached the shelter at 5:30 pm where I found O2beehiking already settled in. It was just him and I until about 8:00, when it started to fill up. We have 8 people here now. There are 6 thru-hikers and two section hikers.The thru-hikers are all getting Harpers Ferry fever, that includes me too. We are about 4 days away and impatient.Today's weather was in the high 80s. I loved it after all the cold weather we've been having. The forcast for tomorrow is the same as today; I hope that happens.Another new item I have is a Sony Walkman. It is digitally tuned and easier to use than the one I had before. A plus to this one is that it has a weather band and TV band in it. I use both for the forecast and I use the TV for the news at noon. Life is good here on the trail - my goal is to keep making progress and to not hurt myself. I think I'm on course for early to mid-September. I'd like to finish early September, so I'm keeping the daily mileage to a reasonable (15 - 18 miles per day).That is it for now, goodnight. Old Goat Trail Marker - Click picture to see full sizeBaby Deer - Click picture to see full size
Date: 2006-05-30
From: Gravel Spring Shelter

To: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: 0

Cell ok down the trail 100 yds (not right at the shelter).The whole shelter was up before 6:00 am and everyone got an early start. I think I left there around 6:30 am. It was a good thing, too, as the temperature reached the high 80s by mid-day. I made some distance in the cool morning, and reached this shelter at 4:00 pm. It stayed hot for quite a while after I was here, so I'm glad I was done.Another plus was this shelter has a spring fed shower. The shower has a barrel above it and a pipe leading to it; it also has another pipe to take off the excess. I guess the spring must be at a higher elevation than the shower. To shower, you pull a handle and the water pours on you. For those who are not familiar with spring water, it is very cold!I attempted to take a shower - I was able to let a little water on me but not a lot (because it was too cold!!). I did get to rinse down to get some of my sweat off. I also washed my socks and t-shirt. I have to wear the shirt again tomorrow, and it isn't completely dry yet, so I guess I put a wet shirt on in the morning. At least some of my aroma is gone now. So instead of putting a wet, smelly shirt, I'll only have a wet shirt.The flying insects are out and bothering me. I like the tent because it has a bug netting around me. I'll be using the shelters less now. Oh yes, in the Shenandoah Park I was supposed to use the shelter. Another reason I used them was because the ground was rocky and uneven. I'm now out of the Shenandoah National Park, so the shelter rules don't apply.I'm enjoying listening to the radio once again. It's amazing how a little music helps make the miles go by. Many hikers have MP3 players and radios. Mine has TV, Weather Band, and AM/FM. I've listened to all the bands at one point or another. The stations do drift in and out as I hike. I'm not really near the stations and distant signals will do that. There are closer stations, but they don't have the type of music I like. The noon news on TV helps me keep up with the world events. Seeing as I've only had this radio a few days there is a lot I've missed.That's about it for now, goodnght. Old Goat
Date: 2006-05-31
From: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: 0

Cell good.When I awoke I thought it would rain soon, the sky looked like there was lightning in the distance.I got up at 5:30 am and started breakfast. I then packed up and was hikng by 6:30, the earliest I've ever started. What helped was the warm weather - I didn't have an excuse to lay in the sleeping bag.Hiking today went the same as usual except I kept getting a pain in my left leg that caused me to stop and take breaks. I don't know if the new pack hip belt is pinching a nerve or something else is causing it. I'll try the belt in a new position tomorrow and hope it helps.I think I've got the Virginia Blues. I've been in Virginia a long time and I'm ready to move on. I'm 39 miles from Harpers Ferry West Virginia and one mile later I'll be in Maryland. Then there is about 40 miles of Maryland, and into Rocksylvania, I mean Pennsylvania. That all happens fast and hopefully it will bring the spirits up.I don't have much more to add right now so I'll just say goodnight.Old Goat Sue's Note: When Old Goat and I talked, he mentioned the Virginia (mid-way) blues. He said he has heard this passes...it's mostly because VA is so long and not many new milestones are taking place. He wants so much to be done, but there are so many more miles to go yet. A few of the thru-hikers talked about the mid-way/Virginia blues.With it being so hot over the last couple days, Old Goat said he soaks his shirt and pants as he hikes. He's drinking a LOT of water and gatorade throughout the day to replenish the fluids he's sweating out. Old Goat told me he saw two 5' long black snakes on the AT. He just waited for them to move off the trail. He said that about a week ago he saw one that didn't move, so he flicked it with one of his hiking poles. It landed just a little further up on the trail...but slithered off to the side real fast. He was amazed by how fast they can move! (Old Goat hates snakes, by the way.)Old Goat is hiking alone right now during the day and meets up with others at the shelters at night. He saw Mr. Breeze last evening (Mr. Breeze had rested during the hottest part of the day and hiked in the evening after it started getting a little cooler...not a bad idea.) Neffa was at the shelter where Old Goat stopped for the night tonight.
Date: 2006-06-01
To: Admin Note - Photos # 3
Miles today: 0.0

<-- Admin PostingHere's the third batch of Old Goat's photos. There are 62 new photos! I've added them to their respective journal entries and I suggest you view them there so you can get a feel of what he was thinking/doing on those days. You could also use the link to the left that says PHOTOS, but you'd miss a lot. To make them easy to find I have included links below that will take you to all 62 photos. Enjoy!!--Chris4/30 - Atkins, VA - 1 photo5/1 - Lick Creek - 3 photos5/4 - Docs Knob Shelter - 3 photos5/6 - Campsite under Oak Tree - 1 photo5/7 - Bailey Gap Shelter - 1 photo5/9 - Niday Shelter - 3 photos5/10 - Campsite near stream 689.5 mile - 3 photos5/11 - Lamberts Meadow Shelter - 3 photos5/12 - Daleville, VA - 2 photos5/14 - VA 43 Bearwallow Gap - 1 photo5/15 - Chris' Entry - Prep hike in the Alps - 17 photos5/16 - Matts Creek Shelter - 1 photo5/18 - Cow Camp Gap Shelter - 1 photo5/20 - VA56 Tye River - 2 photos5/20 - Chris' Entry - Day 1 - 1 photo5/21 - Maupin Field Shelter - 7 photos5/21 - Chris' Entry - Day 2 - 3 photos5/22 - Paul C. Wolfe Shelter - 2 photos5/22 - Chris' entry - Day 3 - 1 photo5/23 - Calf Mtn. Shelter - 4 photos5/23 - Chris' Entry - Day 4 - 2 photos
Date: 2006-06-01
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn AT Center
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: 0

Today was a very muggy and hot. My shirt and shorts were soaked from my own sweat and it feels terrible. I've been wishing for warm weather for a while now and it is here upon us. I'd rather have it hot than cold. The bugs are starting to come out and will be in full force soon, I don't look forward to that.The section I hiked today has a name - it is called the roller coaster, there's even a sign letting you know you've entered it. There are a lot of straight ups and downs in this area, and plenty of rocks to add to the difficulty. The hills weren't that bad for a seasoned hiker like me though, but it would be a challenge for a section hiker.I went by a place run by the ATC called the Bears Den Hostel. I was hoping to get an ice cream, but the place was locked and I didn't want to hang around, so I moved on. It was a really nice stone building with a huge stone wall around the property. It definitely is a place I would like to visit in the future.Now with the disapointment of not getting an ice cream, I took a detour and stopped at the Horseshoe Curve Restaurant for a cheeseburger, onion rings, and two cans of coke. I am now a happy camper.I moved on with the objective of reaching the Blackburn AT Center. It is a hostel just off the trail that is run by the Patomic Appalachian Club. As I was hiking, the wind started to blow and the predicted rain was coming. With the burger and coke fuel, I put my legs into overdrive and headed for the center. I got within 1/2 mile before I had to put my pack cover on. By the time I reached the center, the full force of the storm hadn't arrived yet, and I escaped the rain!Whe I arrived, I was told that pizza was on the way and should be here soon. When it came we all had pizza and soda, it was like a big dinner, and a really nice treat.I'm in the bunkhouse, but others are sleeping on the porch to the main house. This place is really nice. I chose the Blackburn over the Bears Den by the mileage I wanted to accomplish today.We ate fairly late and they're turning the lights off now. Goodnght.Old Goat Sue's Note: I asked Old Goat about the pain in his leg. He said he didn't have any pain at all today, so he's thinking it may have just been something being pinched by the new backpack.He's happy to be out of Virginia and into West Virginia now.
Date: 2006-06-02
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Harpers Ferry Hostel, MD
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: 0

Well I had a restless night last night. I'm not sure if it was the caffine or the sugar in the coke I drank with the pizza. I tossed and turned all night and felt like I got little sleep. I woke up the usual time and headed out after thanking the caretaker "Redwing."I really felt good hiking, even with the lack of sleep. I'm in West Virginia today and heading for Harpers Ferry. I crossed the 1000 mile mark today - I guess I am now a long distance hiker! The rest of the hike went well and I found myself very excited when Harpers Ferry came into view.I crossed the bridge into HF and immediately took a detour off of the AT to go to the ATC [Appalacialan Trail Conservancy headquarters]. When you get there they take your picture and tell you what numbered hiker you are. I'm the 190th Northbound thru-hiker to come through on the way to Maine. I was told that number will go up very rapidly now, as I'm in the beginning of the pack. They expect to remain busy until mid-July with thru-hikers.I spent the rest of the day talking with other hikers. I had to wait until 6:00 pm to check in at the hostel. The manager also has a day job and it doesn't open till 6pm.As usual, my number one priority was to take a shower and wash clothes. With that done, I planned my itinerary for the next week, and verified I had enough food to do it. I'll be hiking a section Sue and I had done in 2003. We hiked 32 miles in three days - I'm going to do it in two days.I have to get my stuff off the floor and pack up before lights out in 15 minutes. Goodnight.Old GoatBlackburn Center Kitchen - Click picture to see full size1000 Miles - Click picture to see full sizeBridge into Harpers Ferry - Click picture to see full size Sue's note: Old Goat bought a new propolyene shirt. He thinks the old one may be too worn out to wick the sweat and dry quickly by evaporation - making him soaking wet as he hikes in the hot weather.