morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-07-18
From: Lebanon, NH

To: Lebanon, NH
Miles today: 0.0

So I had an interesting day yesterday here in Hanover/Gorham. I was originally planning on heading out late yesterday and doing a quick 5 miles to a shelter in Vermont. However, the weather decided to be rather unkind and made hiking something the boys and I weren't really feeling up to. We sat around in the Dartmouth Outing Club waiting for it to clear up and slowly being forced to come to grips with getting soaked on the trail. But then, some random trail magic helped make our decision rather an easy one. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term it is used to describe random acts of kindness while on the trail. It can be in the form of a kind soul giving you a lift into town or someone hiking out some fruit to a shelter. I am not sure if what came our way can necessarily be filed under trail magic, but it still rules. One of the girls in our ever-growing group of southbounders was staying at a hotel with her parents who are in town. We received a call from her just as we were about to depart into the cold and rainy New Hampshire weather inviting us at her parent's request to stay the night in pretty posh suite in nearby Lebanon. We all sort of reluctantly accepted because honestly, that's just too much. We sometimes like to refer to ourselves while in town as "hiker trash" due to our gritty behavior and smelly bodies. We would be happy with a tarp over our heads in the mud as long as it was dry. So to be in a suite at the Marriot with hot showers, meal buffets, hot tub, pool and laundry services is like hitting the lottery and going from rags to riches. Needless to say, yesterday was pretty sweet! Sometimes these things happen and even if it throws a bit of wrinkle into plans to hike, staying at this gorgeous hotel in the middle of my hike will be something I will definetely remember. I am off today for sure and probably going to do either 14 or 20---somewhere in between those two. Vermont is going to allow me to put on the miles at last and I can't wait. I am going to go ahead and just do some quick name dropping for two reasons.: 1) it seems lots of family members of other hikers are reading and interested and 2) I think trail names rule and you all might get a kick out of hearing some of them. Currently I am staying at the Marriot with Teapot, Prancer, Rambo, Dreamer, Andrew (no name yet), and Surge. Yesterday some people we were hanging with pushed on and I believe that was OB-1, Quazi, Wolverine (heading north) and I think that is it. That's just a handful and there are lots of people both ahead and behind our little pocket of hikers currently. Anyway, I hope that everyone is having as great a summer as I am. The weather would appear to be fairly wet for the next 10 days so say some prayers and send some patience. Hiking in the rain can be taxing after consecutive days. Love you all and thanks for following my travels!Hike On!Sean "Dutch"
Date: 2007-09-06
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0

Ahoy Hoy!This will be a brief entry because I have lots to do still today. I did 18 miles this morning to get into The AT HQ in Harperp's Ferry, WV. This is where I officially document my hike for the ages, the first time for Southbounders I believe. The good news is that my hike is more than half-way done and that my poison ivy has subsided and the bad news, well, can't really think of any off hand. My spirits are high and I am super excited to be entering a new state and even more excited to get into Virginia in a few days. I crossed the Mason-Dixon line a few days ago and can now officially declare myself in the south, which is awesome. Allegedly, everything is much much cheaper down this way compared to those high priced New England states. I am going to really try to push myself for the next five weeks before I come home. I'm hoping that when I do eventually have to get off that I won't be too far behind the flock of Sobos I've been cruising with. Well, off to the post office to grab my new sleeping bag from REI and send my rank disgusting one home to my loving mother. Sorry Mom, thanks!Best Wishes,DutchME-GA 07Current mileage is 1164
Date: 2007-09-09
From: Alexandria, VA

To: Alexandria, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings all!Not too much has happened since my last post but I thought I may as well update since I have the chance. Currently I am in Alexandria, VA with the Juice and staying with some old friends from high school, Alex and Sarah Rinn (recently married). Originally I was going to hop off and come see them when I hit the town of Front Royal in a few days, but this new arrangement worked out famously. Alex picked us up on Friday evening at the Bear's Den Hostel and we managed to return our gratitude by stinking up his Volkswagen something fierce with our dirty clothes, packs and bodies. For those of you that have never had the fortunate opportunity to live in the woods without a shower for 3 months, I will tell you that a certain odor tends to just always hang around. I can do laundry, take a shower and put on my newly clean clothes and in a matter of minutes the glorious funk returns, as if reborn even stronger by a single drop of hiker sweat. We made it back without any incidence of asphixiation however, grabbed showers and ate some amazing italian food. Yesterday (Saturday) we didn't hike and were fortunate enough to make it to REI, aka Hiker Church. So I am happy to say that I am ready to hit the trail with some new socks, shoes, a new shirt and my new favorite item: my hiking kilt. That's right, a kilt. I actually picked up the kilt ( glorified skirt) in Harpers Ferry and was able to hike in it for the first time the other day. I have to say that I never really understood the benefits of a good kilt, until now. The quality of ventilation is unparralelled and it just feels better to hike in my kilt as opposed to my shorts. I am not so sure that picking up a dress as soon as I crossed the Mason Dixon line into the south was the smartest move I've ever made, but I'm content with my choice and it should make my trips into town even more eventful. Plus, only Real Men Wear Kilts!I am rather looking forward to deboarding the plane in Minneapolis in a few weeks for my brief return rocking out in my kilt. Between the bushy vagrant beard, scraggly hair, my overall repugnant stank and the kilt, I'm sure the stares will be abundant.Can't Wait! DutchME-GA 07ps: I know that I have said this before, but thank you all so much for playing the role of audience and actively participating with comments. I really wish I could email each of you individually and thank you properly, but rarely am I at a computer for very long. But the comments really do keep me going. It's good to have a cheering section for something like this, so for that, thank you.current mileage: 1185
Date: 2007-09-16
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Ahoy!I made it through the Shenandoahs today and am now in Waynesboro, VA, allegedly one of the friendliest towns on the AT. So far they are definetely living up to the reputation. There was soda and candy waiting for me as I came to the road and the Juice, Ranger and I managed to score a ride straight away into town. Tonight we will be camping behind the YMCA and grabbing two dollar showers, I can't wait. While the kilt has certainly helped air out things, I am still as stinky as ever. Back in Alexandria I was fortunate enough to make it to REI and grab some new gear. My mom will be pleased that the used stuff went straight into to the trash rather than a box headed for St. Cloud. I had an amazing time hiking in the Shenandoahs. The views were awesome, the trails maintained very well and the Juice and I managed to grab a burger almost every day. We stayed at this campground called Big Meadows and the deer there behaved like no other deer I've ever seen. You could literally walk up and stand inches away from them and they would just stare up at you, not making any moves to sprint away. On top of that I must have seen 20-30 bears in the past week. Call me ignorant, but I had no idea little black bear cubs could sprint straight up trees with such skill and speed. All in all the Shenandoahs far exceeded my expectations. We are planning to head out in the morning after a stop at an all you can eat pancake house. The record is 24 and I plan on eating nowhere near that many but my face will be stuffed. The hike is going great and once again it is awesome to hear from all of you. I had no idea the kilt would spark such a festive debate, loving it!Hope all is well for everyone out there!Peace out!Dutch ME-GA 07ps: Mrs. Odom, I will hopefully be catching Sweet Tea soon and look forward to seeing you in Pearisburg.
Date: 2007-10-04
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Greetings All!My apologies once again for the extended lapse in update here on my journal, but lots has been happening so I'll do my best to catch you up. A few days ago Yellow Bird caught up to the Juice and myself and just the other day the boys from Texas, Salty Dog and Caveman, caught up as well. So it feels good to have the gang back once again. Juice and I hiked with them quite a bit back in NY, NJ and PA but have been separated for some time. Caveman, who has a good friend that is a graduate student at Virginia Tech, was kind enough to invite us into town for food and showers. So I just took a few days off in Blacksburg, a rather neat college town, with the gang to get ready to finish Virginia, finally. It also happened to be their homecoming weekend so the town was bustling with action and festivities. . My parents and my sister will be happy to know that I visited the barber shop in Blacksburg as well, and after breakfast and did some preemptive cleanup in preparation for my visit in two weeks. Just the hair though, I let the beard remain in tact. They will also be happy to know that the woman who cut my hair refused to give me a mohawk, so a plain old haircut had to suffice, much to my disappointment.Virginia has been a blast overall so far. The views have been spectacular and I am still seeing bears, so that is exciting. Right now I am in Pearisburg, VA which is about 160 miles from Damascus, VA (aka the end of this state). I wouldn't necessarily say that I have what hikers call the "Virginia Blues" but I am certainly ready to be done with this state. It feels so good to cross a state border every now and again, and I haven't done so it quite some time. As per the hike overall I will say this: the monotony has begun to get to me at times. It's a strange place to be at both mentally and physically thus far. On the one hand I feel great, my body is as strong as it has been and I'm cranking out good miles every day. On the other hand the routine of it all has become very taxing, I'm not going to lie. I've come so far and I am so close to the finish line that a big part of me is very much ready to be done. I am still enjoying the hike and trying to take each day as it comes, knowing that I don't have very many left on the trail, but somedays it's hard to just keep going. Let's just say that somedays my motivation is higher than others. That said, I think that finishing Virginia and heading home for a few days for the wedding will help get me ready for the home stretch. Lately I've been thinking a lot about what exactly it will feel like to finish my hike. I know it's going to emotional for one, and bittersweet as well. I can tell already that it's going to feel strange to not have to get up and hike each day. Part of me rejoices in this and part of me will already miss it. Weird huh? Anyway, I am really looking forward to seeing everyone in next few weeks. Hasta lluego!Dutchcurrent mileage: 1551 ish
Date: 2007-10-16
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So I finally made it to Damascus, VA, allegedly the friendliest town the trail. So far so good. Yesterday I hiked the most I've hiked in a long time, 28 miles, to get into town. It was also the first time in a long while where my feet were actually beginining to hurt by the day's end. I can't tell you how good it feels to be in this town. I've been hearing nothing but good things about since I started my hike and it also marks the end of Virginia. I was honestly thinking I might not ever finish this state. Tomorrow morning I head back to the midwest and I am really excited. I admit it's going to feel bizarre at first. Even after spending a day in the town's along the trail I am usually raring to get back out hiking. So an entire week off will be strange I'm sure. I'm also going to be leaving the group I've been hiking with for a bit. The Juice and I started the same day and have been pretty much inseparable ever since, so it will be odd to a)not have him around for dry Boston humor and b)not be hiking with him when I get back on next week. Sadly the other day I had to say goodbye to another friend: my beard. We've been through a lot together over these past few months. But I didn't want to have a white face spoiling my sister's photo album so I elected to give it the chop. I did, however, leave a very solid pushbroom moustache (I couldn't resist). Combined with my aviators the boys have been itching to rename me Goose (a la Top Gun) or Officer Dutch. Even though I've never really understood the moustache, I have to say that I am getting strangely attached to it. It will be hard to say goodbye in the next few days. As for my hike lately, I had one of the best days on the trail (for me) the other day coming over the Grayson Highlands. The weather was cool and crisp, perfect for hiking. The highlands are also home to feral ponies so I got to hang with them for a bit while one little guy decided to take a bite out my skirt. Honestly, I had to nearly pry his huge pony lips off my side clip. After my mild attack I slowed down and hiked over the top of this great ridge where the sun was setting through a sea of mountains and down into the horizon. The colors were so vivid and cascaded across the sky. It was one of the prettiest sights I've seen on the trail and it made me realize I haven't been taking in as many of those moments as I should be doing. I sat in the grass and watched it for maybe 40 minutes or so before I hiked on to the shelter. It's one of those moments I wish I could do justice with words here. Moral has been a lot higher as of late. Finishing Virginia helped and stopping to smell the roses helped as well. Can't wait to see you all this weekend. Minnesota here I come!Dutchcurrent mileage : 1715
Date: 2007-10-27
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Greetings once again to all!It feels like ages since I last wrote an entry, but a lot has happened the past few weeks. My trip home was fabulous. It was great to see everyone. My only regret is that with so many people it was difficult to get some good alone time with people and really catch up. But apart from that my sister's wedding was a blast and it was so amazing to chat with all of you. I got back to Damascus without any real problems. The crew that I've been rolling with (Juice, Salty Dog, Yellow Bird, and Caveman) SHOULD have been a good week in front of me due to my visit home. I was expecting to be playing catchup for a good while on the trail. They even went so far as to leave me a voicemail telling me they were 170 miles ahead only to roll into the hostel in Damascus minutes later. Classic. While I was gone they managed to hike all of 15 miles. Gotta love them though. So my first day back I pulled a 33 mile day (my biggest yet) to catch them. I rollled into the shelter around 11pm drenched from the rain I'd been hiking in for two hours. I felt remarkably good considering. So I am happy to say that I am back together with the Zero Kings and Queen Yellow Bird. I was afraid that my legs might have lost some of their gusto on my hiatus from the trail. But for the most part they have not let me down. Last night I stayed at the highest mountain on the AT at 6200 feet atop Roan Mountain. It was this neat cabin shelter with a door and everything, which came in handy considering how cold it got up there. Right before I got to the shelter I was fortunate enough to see one of the most brilliant and beautiful sights on the trail so far. I took like ten photos atop the mountain. The sun was setting on the horizon and there was a huge blanket of clouds covering the tips and tops of the moutains. That was west. Just east, I turned around and saw this ridiculously bright full moon coming up over the clouds. I stopped for a good ten minutes to really take it in and am still awestruck at how amazing that was. It's an evening on the trail I doubt I ever will forget. That's all for now. I have about 350 miles left to go and everything is going great. Take care everyone! Don't be shy about leaving me a message.Best,Dutch
Date: 2007-11-02
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

WOOO-HOOO!I now have less than 260 miles to go. This very well may be my last entry before I finish in 15 days. I'm elated and bummed to be finishing. I have to be honest, there were times when I never dreamed of getting to this point. And now that I'm here it's hard to take in. Spent some time in Hot Springs with the gang and Juice's parents. Can't wait to hit the Smokies next and then Georgia. I can only imagine what it will be like to see my mom on the top of Springer at the finish line; I'm sure it will be emotional. Thanks to everyone for all the support and words of encouragement and wisdom. Wish me luck---here I go into the final leg. Lots of love!Dutch aka "Oven"
Date: 2007-11-09
From: Bryson City, NC

To: Bryson City, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings all!I now officially have one week left of hiking on the trail and I can hardly believe it. The Smokies were incredible, cold but incredible. I escaped with only a few incidents to speak of. The second night in I hung my food from one of the nifty bear lines they have in the park and in the morning I awoke to find that it had rained. But with the weather dropping into the high teens and twenties I had not only wet food, but frozen food. It was certainly something new for me out here. I think I half expected it to get that cold, but was still a bit shocked when it actually did. But it's all good, frozen snickers are suprisingly delicious. Needless to say, the weather has been an added hurdle to negotiate. Granted, I should be used to cold weather having grown up in Minnesota, but I have found that I wine just as much as the rest of them. Hiking has become perhaps the easiest part of my day. It's getting out of my warm sleeping bag to go to the bathroom in the morning that is proving to be difficult. All in all though, the trails in the smokies were great and I have no real complaints. Right now I am so elated to have the end in sight that I'm almost getting nervous to actually get there. Each day I hike is one less that I have out here and it is just so bizarre to have such contrasting emotions on the issue. I've learned so much about myself (and camping I suppose) on this trip that it's going to be weird to hang up the pack and hit the real world. Don't get me wrong, I'm very ready to do so, but there is still an element of uncertainty and reluctance hanging in the air. I've gotten quite used to living the life of a glorified gypsy that it will be strange to let it go. I think more than the reluctance and anxiety however, I am ready to be done. I'd be lying if I didn't admit it will be nice to wake up and NOT have to walk 20 some odd miles toward Georgia for a change. At this stage I'm really trying hard to soak it all in though, for every last moment that I have out here. It's a strange balance though. But anyway, I'm rambling. Here goes, my final week on the AT...Feels surreal still...Best,Dutch
Date: 2005-12-16
To: Through Hiking with Dogs
Miles today: 0.0

One of the reasons I am starting this journal is to get ideas from veteran through hikers. I'd appreciate your ideas on taking a dog on a through hike. My dog, Socks, loves to hike with me. She is a Heinz 57 with some hound, shepherd, beagle, and who knows what else. She loves to go with me, but I wonder if she will be able to stand up to hiking day after day.
Date: 2005-12-17
To: Winter Hiking
Miles today: 0.0

Today my dog and I went on a ten mile hike in the Cumberland Valley. We went up Blue Mountain to the Darlington Shelter and came back. We were obviously the first person and dog to go there since last Thursday's storm. What a winter wonderland!! There had been an ice storm on top of the mountain and the trees were bathed in shimmering ice. We also scared the largest flock of wild turkeys I have ever seen, at least 30. Several of them were very large for wild turkeys, maybe around 20 lb. Hiking is great in the spring, summer and fall, but in my opinion nothing beats a winter hike.
Date: 2005-12-17
To: Tents
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Here's another issue I'd appreciate help with. Some through hikers use tents and others get by with just a tarp when they can't sleep in a shelter. Please give me your experiences. I recently bought a Tarptent, and , as of now, I'm planning to take it with me. I've only used it a couple of times last summer, and it seems great.
Date: 2005-12-18
To: Some Links
Miles today: 0.0

Here are some hiking related links that you may find interesting: * Cumberland Valley AT Club - my primary AT Club: http://www.geocities.com/cvatclub/Map of the AT in Cumberland County, PA: http://www.libertynet.org/susqatc/cvatmap.pdf * Susquehanna AT Club - another great AT Club that I belong to: http://www.satc-hike.org * My biking club: http://www.harrisburgbicycleclub.org/Maybe I'm the only one, but I think biking and hiking have a lot in common. Not all bikers spend their time trashing hiking trails, like some hikers seem to think!! ;-) * Trailcast - a great podcast site I recently discovered: http://www.trailcast.org * Whiteblaze - a great site for AT enthusiasts, with forums and loads of information for prospective thru-hikers: http://www.whiteblaze.net * Practical Backpacking Podcast - another great hiking podcast: http://www.practicalbackpacking.com/blog/