morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-01
From: Campsite

To: Campsite
Miles today: 19.0

Well it was raining again this morning, so it was pack up the wet heavy tent and I was hiking at 7:00 AM. It was a damp, drizzly morning with climbs over both Little Hump Mountain and Hump Mountain. It was very damp and the wind was blowing so it took a little of the fun out of the climbs. Because I have not been able to get a cell phone signal I tried calling Sue when I was on top of Hump Mountain. I wanted her to know I was okay and I need some information on a resupply shipment. The call went through and we got to talk a few minutes while I was freezing from the wind. Not sure if she believed I was okay.The second half of the day turned around and the sun came out, there was less climbing, I spent some time with Cowabonga and Jake. By the way Ekaterina your jerky is a hit with everyone that has tried it, including Jake. I also met Rice a Roni. He attempted to thru hike the last two years and realizes his body will not stand up to the punishment so he is section hiking. Also hiked about an hour with this young thru hiker from North Dakota. I have seen him on and off since the start of the the hike in Georgia. He hikes with a group of people and they do not always get along. He has decided to leave the trail at Harpers Ferry. While we were hiking there was a sign to a side trail for a waterfall. Very often thru hikers do not take side trails because we do not want to hike extra miles. Someone took the time to write a handwritten note and attach it to the sign that read, "AT thru hikers don't miss this waterfall it is only a tenth of a mile. We went down and enjoyed the beautiful falls. I have some good pictures of it and will share them when I get the device I need. Maybe in Damascus in three days.Tonight I am camping alone along the Elk River and it is a nice evening, with a beautiful view, and the sound of the river.
Date: 2013-05-02
From: Campsite

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining and no wind. Started hiking at 7:45 after a breakfast of hot oat meal and dehydrated strawberries. I have increased my miles this week in a very challenging part of Tennessee. No wonder I was feeling a little tired. Also my right knee has felt better and now my left knee is sore and swollen. Today was a good day. I stopped at a little "private" hostel today to pick up two packages Sue sent. One package was a resupply of food that was there and the second one was the connector I need to download pictures. He did not have that package. He said it was a long way to town so he doesn't get his mail often. I felt like asking him why he publishes he is a hostel and accept mailings, but it was a little strange so I left it go. I asked him if he would call the post office and have the packaged forward it to Damascus. He said he would and I hope so. I am getting some nice pictures I'd like to share with you. Today I got a good picture of a little mouse and later a six foot long black snake.After 17.2 miles I came to Dennis Cove Road and .4 miles down the road was a little "resort" on the river. I got a shower, washed my clothes, made dinner, had a couple beers, and read until 10 PM. The resort has eight cabins and a bunkhouse. They also have a little supply store. The current owners bought the place a year and a half ago. They spent six months renovating it and have been open since March 1, 2012. It is owned by a mother, father, daughter and son-in-law. The parents both retired 10 years ago. They spent the first 7 years of retirement in a RV traveling and the bought a house in Florida. They decided to buy this business with their children and love the resort and living in the mountains of Tennessee. Very nice people.
Date: 2013-05-03
From: Dennis Cove

To: campsite
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today I took it a little easier. Only 13 miles and the hiking was both moderate and beautiful. I got a slow start this morning and was not hiking until 9:30AM. It was a pleasant partly sunny day with only one big climb. Hiking along Laurel Falls and the river was magical. The water, rock formations, forest and flowers kept me engaged all morning. Just afternoon I got to Watauga Lake. In 1979 I saw my first bald eagle here. It is a big beautiful lake created by Watauga Dam. When I got to the lake there were picnic tables so I set down for lunch. Summer sausage and a peanut butter and jelly wrap. After about 10 minutes there were about 12 hikers there. It is a young group that were "slack packing". They pay someone to drive their backpack to a location up the trail and they carry just what they need for the day. The man who was slacking was to meet them at the park with their packs and beer and meat to grill. They asked me to stay, but I needed to move on.In moving on I had to hike over Watauga Dam. As I started over the dam a man got out of his truck and asked if I would like some trail magic. I got a great fresh apple and a Little Debbie treat. The gentlemen is from Wisconsin and started helping hikers a few weeks ago. He working as a safety person for the dam. Thank You!I have good cell phone service here on the ridge I am camped in so I have updated the last five days. Pictures to come soon. I also spoke to someone from the company I just retired from. They had their National Sales Meeting last week and pledged $5,600 to Save The Children when I complete this hike. Family members and friends have also pledged. I can not begin to thank you all for you generosity. The money will make a difference for many children's. It is also a good motivation for me to keep walking. Thank You from the bottom of my heart.Well it is dark and it is after hiker midnight so I will sign off for now. The sky is clear and it is cold tonight.
Date: 2013-05-04
From: campsite

To: Double Spring Gap Campsite
Miles today: 24.5

Rick could not update his trail journal so I will. Rick says: Last night I did not sleep well. I was cramped alone in a nice little spot between two mountains and the wind was blowing hard. My tent was protected by the wind, but the sound from the wind, the trees creaking and the branches of the trees breaking off, kept me awake most of the night . After. 24.5 miles I thought I would be fast asleep, but no I wasn't.      I hadn't intended to hike 24.5 miles. With it being cold and the wind blowing so hard all day, you do not want to stop often or for very long. You get warm hiking and get cold very fast when you stop. The other situation that lead to a longer day was water. There was suppose to be an active spring in one of the gaps and the spring was dry. Having water hydration and cooking dinner is important, so I hiked to the next water source.         The day was certainly not all bad. Here were great views of Lake Watauga, which I had hiked around the day before. Also I met Wolf Spider a young thru hiker from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was hiking with Red Specks and Scarecrow from Germany and Sundance. All I enjoyed getting to know. Late in the day when we were dragging, we came across some trail magic. A church group had put out a cooler full of sodas and some Little Debbie treats. Thank You.         My right knee has been causing me much pain, but now my left knee is very painful, especially on the down hills and is quite swollen. The rest day coming up in Damascus should help.
Date: 2013-05-05
From: Double Spring Gap Campsite

To: Damascus
Miles today: 13.3

The wind was very strong again and it was cold. I awoke at 6 AM and was on the trail at 7 AM.It was suppose to rain and with the strong wind and low temperatures I wanted to get to Damascus. Needless to say, so did a lot of other hikers. I covered the 13.3 miles in 4 and a half hours. I usually hike 2 miles per hour. It sprinkled rain most of the day, but the heavy stuff held up until the afternoon.   During the day I crossed into Virginia. I got to the sign that showed Tennessee/Virginia the same time that Wolf Spider did. We both cheered and took pictures.      Most places were booked in Damascus but I was blessed to get a room at the Lazy Red Fox Inn, which is a bed and breakfast. It was a very old beautiful place.My room is very comfortable. The bathroom does not have a shower, but it has an old deep bathtub. Great for soaking a tired sore body. Other hikers staying were Sparky, Violet, Beauregard,Rob, and Emperor. Very nice group to be with.      Miss Jenny who owns and runs the B & B is 84 years old. Her husband and her bought the place in 1991.her husband did not want to start a B & B . After a year of renovations. And convincing her husband that she would do all the work, she opened the B & B.She said she named it the Lazy Red Fox after her husband.because she would do all the work at the B & B, he would be the Lazy Red Fox.Her husband passed away a number of years ago and she still runs the Inn. She is a very soft spoken caring woman.      I went to a local restaurant and had a huge order of fries and a 12 inch cheese steak. I then went to the laundry mat to wash my clothes. I bought a long sleeve hiking shirt, soaked in the tub for a second time and then off to a good nights rest in a beautiful old antique bed.      LIFE IS GOOD
Date: 2013-05-06
From: Damascus

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

What a wonderful nights sleep! After two cold and windy nights having a nice bed and quite was wonderful.All the bedrooms in the Bed and Breakfast are upstairs except the one I am staying in. Around 5:30 AM I heard some noise and went back to sleep. The noise was Miss Jenny starting to get breakfast ready. She has a formal dinning room and white linen. Around 7 AM we all came in for breakfast. She fixed stewed prunes, baked apple slices, a fresh plate of cut up fruit, pancakes, sausage patties, bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, cheese grits, orange juice and coffee. Outstanding. I gained back some weight today.Today was mostly about rest. I went to the post office and got my resupply box Sue sent. Spent time planning the next section of this hike. Cleaned up equipment. Then took a two hour nap. Today some of the hikers said they were meeting at the bar and to come join them. It is the only bar in town. I did go down to the bar and had a few beers and left early. After all I need to get up early and have another great breakfast and then off hiking.Can't wait until my AT&T service us is better. I miss my family.
Date: 2013-05-07
To: Campsite
Miles today: 17.0

Last night I had a difficult time going to sleep. It was a zero day and I was getting excited about hiking again, that might have been why. Or it could have been the anxiety of wondering if my knee would continue to hurt and be swollen. I really think it was the Dr. Pepper I drank around 8 PM. Whatever it was I heard Miss Jenny starting to prepare breakfast at 5:30 AM and fell back asleep until 6:15 AM. Then it was up and pack and have a cup of coffee. Two of the hikers were off early to slack pack. The four of us that were not slack packing had another fantastic breakfast. The other hikers left and I stayed around a while to talk with Miss Jenny. Miss Jenny was a CPA before she moved to Damascus and started the Bed and Breakfast. She has a glow about her and a kindness that is a blessing to anyone that meets her. I told her how much I missed my family and the day and a half at the Lazy Red Fox was like good medicine. I also told her I would send her a picture of me at the end of the hike if I make it. This is one place I would like to come back to.I left the Lazy Red Fox and as I headed out of town stopped at the post office. It was good being back on the trail. I ran into Sundance and Garfunkal in the first half hour. Very nice young men. Garfunkal is from Germany. I have met at least 8 hikers from Germany. Later I met for the first time Mark and Nate. They are friends in there early 50s thru hiking. Both have children in high school. They are also raising money for a charity. Again very nice guys.There is rain predicted all week. As I started hiking it was overcast, with very high humidity, and no rain. Today I walked at a good pace, but was careful of straining my knee. Some of the swelling was gone, and even though I still have pain, the pain was not as sharp. Plans were to get 2 miles past the second shelter, but because of the possible rain I would be flexible. The day went really good and I was hoping to get to the second shelter area before it rained. Thunder and dark clouds rolled in about 2 miles from the shelter and within 15 minutes it was raining pretty hard. What was good was that there was no wind and the temperature was about 60 degrees. When I got to the shelter it was full and there was no need to stop hiking and set-up my tent there. I continued for about 2 miles and the rain slowed down and I quickly got my tent up and my stuff inside. After about an hour it stopped raining, but it is starting again. I have eaten a double dinner of Mac and Cheese and for desert had one of the brownies my Mom sent, and for a before bed snack I am having dried pineapple that Sue dehydrated. I am warm, dry, well feed, and camped by a stream making wonderful sounds. What more could one ask for? If tomorrow morning it was dry so I could pack up and get moving north.
Date: 2013-05-08
From: Campsite

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: broken clouds

What a day. It rained all night last night and remained dry in my tent. I awoke 6:00 AM and heard the steady rain on my tent, so I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. At around 7 AM I realized that I was not going back to sleep, it was still raining, and I still did not want to get up. So I read for about 2 hours and it was still raining. I just wanted so stay in my sleeping bag dry and warm. At 9:30 AM I could not stand laying in my tent any longer and ate a quick breakfast, backed up all my gear and was hiking at 10:30 AM. It rained all day and was cold. When I got to Thomas Knob Shelter around 4 PM, I was very wet and could. I decided to stay in the shelter. This shelter holds 16 hikers. I quickly got into dry cloths, setup my sleeping pad and sleeping bag, and then made dinner and hot tea. By the end of the evening the shelter was packed and everyone was dry, feed, warm and most importantly safe. It is very difficult sleeping in a packed shelter and I only got a couple hours sleep.I am in the Mt. Rogers and Grayson Highlands area were there are wild ponies. Climbing to the shelter I saw 3 ponies and will see more tomorrow. Got some good pictures to share.
Date: 2013-05-09
To: campsite
Miles today: 12.6

Did not sleep well last night and it was slow going getting up in the shelter. It was very foggy and cool. I was in the middle of the pack leaving the shelter. It was cool and foggy, but not raining. There were two of the ponies at the shelter when I left.During yesterday's hike my left knee hurt and I favored it. Now I have a sore spot on my right shin that hurts when I walk. I am a site limping on both legs now.Around 11 PM the fog burned off and the sun came out. At around 11:30 AM I stopped for a break and pulled out all my wet cloths and tent and the sun and win dried them.Hiking today was beautiful. The views from Mt. Rodgers and Grayson Highland were beautiful and I saw many more ponies.Today a fighter jet came over a mountain and was so low it scared me. I almost hit the grown.Tonight I am camped alone by a stream. I have made camp, eaten and will fall asleep very quickly tonight.Also today a Wise Shelter I passed the 500 mile mark.
Date: 2013-05-10
From: campsite

To: VA 600
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: clear sky

Last night I was very tired from not sleeping in the very crowded shelter the night before. I made a good dinner of dehydrated pasta, tuna, Little Debbie brownie, and hot tea. After cleaning up I decided to read awhile and fell fast asleep by 8 PM. At about 1 PM, I woke with stomach upset, and for the next 5 hours it was in and out of the tent. When I got up in the morning I was still sick and felt Very weak. I took my time packing up camp and was walking by 8 AM. My plan was to hike 14 miles today and then go into town to resupply tomorrow. The 6.3 miles I hiked today was very easy hiking, but I felt sick and weak, and it seemed so difficult. When I got to a road I knew I needed to get a place that I had bathroom. I stuck out my thumb and a very nice gentleman picked me up right away. He said, "You do not look like your feeling good". When I told him what the problem was he took me to a hotel to stay. He also gave me his number to call and will take me back to the trail when I am ready.Tomorrow I hope to see a Dr. to look at my leg and also give me something if I still have the G.I. problems.
Date: 2013-05-12
From: VA 600

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mothers out there. I know one of the thru hikers, Sriracha, was floating down the trail Friday because her Mother and Sister were coming to pick her up and spend Saturday and Mothers Day together. Have a great day.Thursday day night I was so sick and hiking on Friday got to be dangerous. I felt dizzy and my vision got blurred. I ran into two thru hikers during the day Sriracha and Wolf Spider, but did not want to mention my situation to them. I did not mention I was sick or struggling. When I got to a road I knew I needed some help. I started hitch hiking and was blessed by a ride right away. When I got to town and checked into a hotel, I called some physicians to get an appointment. They either did not see patients on Saturday or were booked. Friday night I was pretty sick and could not keep anything down and Saturday morning the symptoms were better. I made the decision to rent a car and drive home. I got home around 8 PM last night. I am still having G.I. problems.So what am I going to do? I am not really sure. 1. I can take a week and get better and go back to the trail where I left off.2. I can take a little longer and Flip Flop. Move up the trail and hike the second half of the trail and then come back and hike Virginia.3. Do a section hike. Hike 1/4 of the trail each year over four years.The good news! I will get to spend time today with three important Mothers in my life, my Mother, my Wife ( mother of our three great children), my Daughter Melissa ( Mother of our grandson Taylin James). Also our Son Stephen and Daughter Ekaterina and Son-In-Law Taylor will be here. I will keep you updated on my health and decisions and thank you all for the encouragement and support.
Date: 2013-05-14
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday I went to my family doctor. He is still waiting on some test results, but started me on two medications for treatment of intestinal parasites. He also examined my right leg, that I have had pain and swelling in for a week. He said the muscle is torn just about six inches above the ankle and will continue to bleed until it heals. The last three days the swelling is down and it is less painful. Right now I am just resting. The symptoms of the intestinal problems are going away.
Date: 2013-05-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today we (Sue and I) decided that if I continue to feel better the next few days I would go back to the trail this weekend. Sue and Ekaterina will drive with me to where I left off the trail in Virginia and then they will drive home. We will leave Saturday morning and I will start hiking Sunday morning. If I am not feeling good by Friday we will wait another week.
Date: 2013-05-20
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This past Saturday I had prepared to head back to the trail in Virginia. My wife and daughter had planned to drive me back to the spot I had left the trail a week prior. I had lightened my pack by 5 pounds and my legs and knees were feeling better and my stomach problems are gone. Before it was time to leave I decided not to return to the trail at this time.For the past 20 years I have traveled away from home almost every week. My job took me away from my family and home more time than I spent at home. This past week I have so enjoyed spending more time with my wife and family, the most important part of my life. My daughter, Ekaterina, pointed out that I have traveled so much for work, and the first thing I do when I retire is to leave home for 6 months. Having 6 weeks and 520 miles to adjust a little after retiring was good, but I really missed my family. I love the hiking and really met some wonderful thru hikers, section hikers, day hikers, trail angels, and local people. I am not done hiking the AT, I am just not sure when I will be back. Over the past few years I have gotten wonderful experiences meditating. One topic or focus of my meditation is impermanence. In this world everything is impermanent. During my journey I was very open to the messages I heard. I had the opportunity to do a little hitch hiking and was blessed with some wonderful experiences. People were very trusting and caring and I can remember each person or couple that picked me up. Two of the hitch hikes really stand out. The first was a hitch hike into Hiawassee , with John who was 68 years of age. We talked about family and John told me his wife was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and had brain surgery. He said she would never be the same and he was blessed he still had her and was making the best of each day. Then I was picked up by Bill, age 74, who drove me 27 miles to a hotel in Marion when I was sick. Bill told me his wife had a stroke a little over two years ago and even through she would never be the same he felt so blessed to still have her in his life each day. These wonderful gentlemen were bringing me a message about impermanence. I realize how our lives and the people are impermanent and I want to spend time with family right now. There is a 11 month old grandson, Taylin James, playing in my living room and I can't wait to go play with him.I want to thank everyone for your support and encouragement. I apologize if I have let anyone down. Motown will be back on the trail, but I am not sure when. Right now my focus needs to be with family and at home.
Date: 2013-05-21
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It has been a both rewarding and difficult two months since I left the trail. I believe there is both positive and negative parts to every part of our lives. I surely have missed the hiking, seeing nature so close-up and meeting some wonderful people. It has been wonderful being home, being with family everyday, working around the house, and making plans for the future.I had planned on being back on the trail July 1st. That did not happen and I have decided not to go back to the trail this year. At one point in my recovery I was so exhausted I could hardly walk a mile. I also continue to have joint pain in my knees, ankles, left hand and right elbow. I continue to get stronger and have started to slowly increase my exercise each day.Currently my focus is spending time with family, getting my house in top condition, evaluating a few opportunities, and getting healthy.If my health continues to improve I would do a southbound hike next year. I had thought about doing a southbound hike in 2013 and decided I just was not in the shape to do one. Now I would have a year to get in great shape. My hike in 1979 was so enjoyable because there were enough people on the trail, but there was not so many people it detracted from the peaceful experience, the wildlife, and pace of life. I believe a southbound hike would be more of the experience I would enjoy.Thank you all and God Bless,Motown