morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It's 6:30 AM and I'm getting ready to leave Laughing Heart Hostel. I just had a healthy breakfast of a honey bun, cream cheese danish, and left over pizza.   Being a hiker is great.   It's the exact opposite of being on a diet. Instead of eating low cal, you look for the most high calorie, fattening food you can find. This hiker life is good.   Eat, walk, eat, sleep, and look at some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. Oh well, someone has to do it. Keep punching those timecards folks.It's starting to rain here, that means it will probably be snowing in the mountains.   Oh well, spring is on it's way.Next stop, Erwin, Tenn. About 70 miles.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomwhere on the At
Date: 2013-03-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's Saturday March 23 about 7PM and I'm in my tent just South of Allen Gap, NC. I don't have phone service but I have 4G. Go figure. Everyone in this part of the trail is getting nervous because there is a very severe winter storm coming starting tomorrow night. Lots of snow and very high winds until Tuesday afternoon. I guess we'll have to see what happens and go from there. We may be stuck in a shelter for a day. There isn't really any place we can get off of the trail and go to. For now I'm happy laying here in my sleeping bag listening to these two hoot owls carry on a conversation. Gloria, if I get service I'll call you. Don't worry I'll be ok.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-03-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

317.4 MilesWhen I left Hot Springs there weather was very sunny and nice. That soon changed. I made to just before Allen Gap and decided to spend the night in my tent. About 2 AM it started raining. It rained all day and the temperature dropped all day with very high winds. I made about 11 miles to the next shelter and Promo and Brightside were ther. We decided to wait until morning to see what the weather was like. It snowed about 3 inches overnight and got even colder. I only made about 6 miles to the Flint Mountain shelter and Larry Boy and Zhivago were there already and they said they were not going to move until tommorrow. So about 1 PM I settled in and decided to wait it out with them. It wasn't long until Promo, Brightside, and Sampson showed up. About 5:30 Ziggy and Ditto and Rock and Roll came in.The next morning there was about 6 inches of snow with more coming down. I was the first one out about 8:30. It wasn't long until Promo and Rock and Roll passed me. I was glad because the snow was getting deeper and it was getting hard to break a track. The higher up we got, the deeper the snow was. About 14" with thigh high drifts on the ridgelines. Very tough going all day. All I did was look down try to step in the tracks of the people in front of me. When I made the 11.2 miles to the Hogback Ridge shelter, Everyone was there that was at the last selter and a plan had already been put into place. It was decided since we had to go even higher, where the weather is even worse, we were going to get off the trail and spend a day or two in Erwin, Tenn until the weather gets better. Larry Boy had already contacted a shuttle service that was going to pick us up at Sams Gap in about 2 hours. So we all hiked the 2 1/2 miles to the gap and got our ride. Sampson, Ziggy, Ditto, and me are sharing a room. Now we wait and see what happens with the weather.An interesting side note. The motel is located a mile or so out of town. Last night I started walking/hitching into town to get something to eat. A police officer pulled in and explained that hitch hiking was against the law. Long story short, he gave me a ride to McDonalds and spun around about 10 Minutes later and picked me up and dropped me off right at the front door of the motel. That is what the trail is about.... people, great people.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-03-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's Thursday 3/28 and Sampson and I are getting ready to get back on the trail this morning. The shuttle is going to pick us up about 9 AM and take us back out to where we got off the trail. Larry Boy, Brightside, and Zhivago will be going with us. The plan is to make it the 9 or so miles to the next shelter and hope that the snow isn't too bad. If we make it over Big Bald at about 5600 feet, it will be pretty much downhill to the shelter. It will be about 75 miles to the next large town. I don't know if I will get off for a day or just re-supply and move on. Once again the weather will pretty much dictate what I do. Things have got to get better. Spring is here.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-04-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I thought I would make a quick entry and let everyone know where I'm at.After the snow storm I got back on the trail on Thursday 3/28. I decided to make a try for Damascus, about 150 miles. When I got back on, the trail was getting nicely packed down but that soon changed to slush when the sun came out. Hiking was very tough for the next 5 or 6 days.I went into Elk Park, NC to re-supply and I was in and back on the trail in 2 hours. I left Laurel Fork shelter this morning hoping to do 15 miles but it started raining then the rain changed to sleet then to snow.   So I did about 8 1/2 miles to the Watauga Lake shelter settled in for the rest of the day. I'm about 40 miles south of Damascus and I should be there by Saturday or Sunday.   If the weather clears I will try to start walking before daylight. I will update in detail when I get t Damascus.   Have some great pictures. Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-04-07
To: Damascus
Miles today: 165.0
Weather: overcast clouds

466.9 miles. Damascus, VA. Made it into Damascus about noon today. The weather for the last few days has been beautiful.   I was able to knock off some big miles. When I got back on the trail on 3/28 after the snow storm, the walking was good for a while, but soon turned bad when the sun came out the top layer of snow turned to slush and was very slippery.   Overnight the slush froze and you had to try and walk in the frozen tracks from the day before. As you went down into the low gaps, the snow turned to water and turned the trail into a stream, then to mud. There were still deep drifts on the ridges and I still had to step in the tracks of the people ahead of me.Probably the most physically demanding day I've so far was on 4/1. The day before it took me over 3 hours to climb to the Roan High Knob shelter. This is the highest shelter on the AT at 6285 feet. After spending the night at the shelter I started hiking down the mountain.   Or should I say sliding down the mountain.   Ice, slush, and water made walking almost impossible. Twice I spun in a 360 degree circle.   I don't know how I kept from falling. Several places I could hear the water running under the ice I was walking on. The further down I went the slush turned to mud.A few hours after that I began my climb up the Little Hump (5459 feet) and Hump mountains (5587 feet). These are grassy, treeless mountains.   Going up Hump Mountain the wind blew very hard and was gusting around 50 or 60 mph. Several times the wind blew me 5 or 6 feet off of the trail. My pack cover was flapping wildly in the wind and I thought if it blows off it would beat me to Damascus.Finally aftef 5 days the snow and slush went away and the weather got warmer. I think things are getting better weather wise. I checked the 10 day for Damascus area and it called for 50's and 60's with nothing below freezing.   I'll add some more tomorrow.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the ATFor 5 days it was snow and slush. Fi
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Damascus, VA

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning I went to the post office and picked up the box Gloria sent. It had my second pair of hiking boots.   My first pair finally gave up.   I put a blowout patch on them in Hot Springs with Shoe Goo. That got me here. But the soles were separating from the shoe and my feet were getting wet.She also sent my water purifier. Up to now I've been boiling my cooking water and drinking water only if it came from a spring. At this point I don't want to take any chances so I'll purify my drinking water and continue to boil my cooking water. I also got the AWOL guide to the AT. It is a more in-depth guide that tells what is off or near the trail as far as motels, hostels, grocery stores, etc. It is very helpful in planning. It also shows the trail elevations in detail. So far the only physical problems I'm having is weight loss. I'm probably down to about 145 pounds. When I come into a town like this, I eat constantly. I eat a lot of ice cream and chips between meals.Also I'm having a problem with numbness in my fingertips.   I think it may be coming either from the pressure from my shoulder straps on my pack or from wearing so many clothes to sleep in when it was cold, cutting of circulation.   Tomorrow morning I'll start my trek through Virginia.   Over 500 miles. After knocking off 3 states in a little over a month, it will be a while before I get into another one. This is where a lot of hikers get what is called the"Virginia Blues". They think they that they've never going to get out of the state.So I'll start out tomorrow and probably won't take a zero day for about 120 miles or so. Probably around Bland, VA or Bastion, VA.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-04-16
From: Damascus

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 120.0
Weather: broken clouds

Bland, VA. 587.1 miles. Made the 120 miles from Damascus in good time.   About 8 of us decided to pull into Bland for one night. Mott was going to meet his wife here also.   As I make this entry, they are planning on a way to slackpack from here to Pearisburg VA, about 44 miles. Slackpacking is when someone takes the bulk of your pack ahead to a designated point on the trail and you carry a very light pack, or no pack at all. Mott's wife will carry our packs ahead, probably to a hostel where we will spend the night.One of the highlights since I left Damascus was the Grayson Highlands.   I thought that they rivaled the Smokies for beuty. When you see the pictures I think you'll agree. I also got to see the wild ponies that live there. There is a herd of wild ponies that live in the park. Each night since Damascus it's pretty much been the same group at the shelters. Me, Mott, Hoosier, Sparks, Carabou, Dovetail, Coffee Pot, Heavy Load, Nickelodeon are just a few. Yesterday Mott and I did a 19 mile day to keep up with everyone so we could all make it into Bland together.   The last couple of miles were all downhill rock scrambling. Mott and I were the last 2 to make it to the shelterand we were pretty worn out. But come morning you always feel betterI want thank all the students in Mrs Yahner's third grade class for all the great entries in my guest book. Maybe when I'm finished with my walk I can meet with you for a few days and try to answer all your questions and tell you more about the AT. It sounds like there are several future thru hikers in tbe group. Maybe you could pick your trail name now. Be careful though, you'll be called by that name for 5or 6 months so pick a good one.One last thought.   The other day I was hiking along a high ridgeline and the was a rock outcrop I could walk out on and view the valley below. I could see Interstate 81 running through the valley.   I thought of all the times when Gloria and would be going on vacation and driving on that road. We would always try to find where the AT crossed or paralleled the Interstate.   And I would look up into the ridge tops and think, somewhere up there is a hiker, maybe even someone heading to Maine. That day I was that hiker, and it felt good.......it felt real good.I'll update from Peariburg. I'm taking a zero day there.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-04-19
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Cloverdale, VA
Miles today: 42.0

630.8 Miles. Pearisburg, VA. Made the last 10.7 miles into Pearisburg today. We are all staying at the Holiday Motor Lodge tonight and wil get back on the trail In the morning.   The trail runs right through the middle of this town also. There are about a dozen or so hikers staying here.On of the most unique and fun stops so far has been my stay at Woods Hole Hostel. About 6 of us slackpacked for 2 days and shuttled back to Woods Hole Hostel for the night. The hostel is a very old farm and the house and the bunkhouse are the original farm buildings.   It is run by Neville and Michael.   Neville takes care of the hostel end of the farm. She does all the cooking and taking care of the hikers. Michael takes care of the 100 acre farm. There are cattle, goats, pigs, chickens, and guinea fowl. Neville offers a free yoga class every morning, weather permitting, outside of the farmhouse.   It was comical to see 15 or so (myself included) hard core thru hikers on their mats in the grass trying to some of the stretches. A funny incident that I took part in happened there.   Rash and I were going to wash all our clothes so instead of wearing our rain gear while we waited, we scrounged around in one of the hikers box and came up with an interesting clothing combination.   The shirts were left over fram Neville's uncle's political campaign.   The pants, well that's all there was. So Rash and I just went with it. Everyone got a big kick out of it and so did we, as the pictures show. But I would recommend to anyone that's in the Pearisburg VA area to stop in visit the Woods Hole Hostel or visit them online at www.woodsholehostel.com. I should be in an area with service tomorrow, so I'll try to update then.I wanted to let everyone know how much all the entries in my guest book mean to me. It is great source of positive thoughts for me and really motivates me to keep going. Whenever I can, I go back through all of them and read them all again and again. Thanks to everyone. I'm having some trouble uploading pictures today. I am going to try again tomorrow, so check for updates tomorrow. Slackpacked a little over 20 miles today, (4/20). Today reality will set back in because we'll have packs back on our backs. It will be great to sleep out on the trail again. Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-04-27
From: Mills Gap Overlook

To: View Entry
Miles today: 19.9

743.4 Miles Daleville VA. This morning Gloria drove me up to Mills Gap Overlook, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, so I could slackpack back to Daleville. When I got out of the car, Zippy and Ditto were just crossing the road. I haven't seen them since we got blown off the mountain in Erwin, Tenn. It was good to see that they were back on the trail again. I hope to see more of them. After talking to them I started walking and immediately ran into Clark Kent. He let me know who was where and I moved on. Ten minutes later, I met Mot. About 11:30 I made it to Wilson Creek Shelter and met up with Grandpa and Roswell. We chatted for a while. I was making super great time so I moved on. About a half hour later I met Heavy Load then Lucky. Not long after that along came Carjacker then Ponch. Not long after that Gummy Bear came along. I felt like I was walking against the tide. Everyone going North and I was going South. No problem, we'll all hook up somewhere up the trail. The trail was really easy. Hardly any rocks. That combined with new boots let me do the 19.9 miles back to Daleville in 7 hours flat. I got back at 3:30. Plenty of time for Gloria and I to drive to Roanoke to go to Mass at St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church. This church is a very old church and is registered as a historical site. I didn't need to be discrete with my camera to take pictures of the inside of the church because they were having First Holy Communion and everyone had a camera. So I got a few pictures of the church. Tomorrow Gloria will drop of at Mills Gap Overlook again, but this time with a full pack, and I'll start North again. I think things will be a lot better now that my feet are happy.While I was making this entry I got a call from Hoosier. He said that him, Rash, and Joe the Hiker were in town. It was good to know Joe the Hiker was back on the trail. Like I already said, we'll hook up somewhere up the trail.Tomorrow Gloria will head home and I'm going to miss her, but the closer I get to PA, the more chances she'll have to meet me along the trail. Maybe some of the grand kids can come too.I plan on putting more days between my zero days from here until I get through Virginia. Maybe 10 or 12 days. A lot of the hikers take what's called a NERO.(not quite a Zero) Stop at a hostel or motel for the night and get back on the trail in the morning. That's another option. Anyway, I'm anxious about getting back on the trail. I really enjoy being out there living the dream.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-05-04
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Harper's Ferry, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

857.5 miles.   Waynesboro, VA.   Made the 134 miles from Daleville in great time. Started last Sunday morning at Mills Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway.   Gloria dropped off Hoosier, Joe The Hiker and me about 8 AM. Hoosier and Joe the Hiker were doing the same slackpack back to Daleville that I did the day before. When Gloria was with me we talked about, and decided to add more protein to my diet. I noticed the difference immediately. I started eating Cliff bars and Builder bars and added powdered Ensure to my diet. Also each night I made 2 or 3 burritos, using soft tortillas and peanut butter or pepperoni or tuna and ate them, along with the protein bars, as snacks as I hiked. That, combined with new boots, helped me knock off some big mile days. I did three 22 plus mile days, plus a couple of 18 plus days. The only short day I had was a 12 .5 mile day because the next shelter would have been 24 miles. When I reached highway 250 outside of Waynesboro, I started to hitch hike into town. It wasn't long before a car pulled over. The driver jumped out and put his back seats down so I could put my packIn. He introduced himself as Dutch and proceded to tell me about where everything I would need was located in Waynesboro.   The he offered to take me to dinner at a fantastic Chinese restaurant called Mings. We had dinner then he drove me to YMCA. The Y has a large empty grass lot that AT hikers can tent on at no charge.   They also offer free showers to the hikers. When Dutch saw that I was signed in, he shook my hand and left. This is another example of the kindness and people going out of their way to help a hiker. Thanks Dutch!!I re-supplied here in Waynesboro and I'm going to make the approximately 155 miles to Harper's Ferry from here. That should put me over 1000 miles.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-05-21
From: Toms Run Shelters

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

1094 Miles.   Toms. Run Shelters.Mot and hired a shuttle to drive us back out to the trail on Monday then hiked 12.5 miles to the Rocky Mountain Shelters. Then today we did 19.2 miles to here. PA is being very good to me. With the exception of a couple of large boulder scrambles, the trail has been like a bike path.   Nice and smooth and pretty level. The uphills are pretty tame also, we have been climbing easily so far. The shelters in PA are really nice. More than often there are 2 at each sight. We stopped at one today that had hanging flower baskets. Tomorrow we will reach the official half way point on the trail. It is actually about 100 or so yards down the trail from where I'm sitting now. We were just too tired and hungry to go on to take some pictures.   We'll do it on the way out in the morning. Our guide books say we're past that point but I'll go with the ATC's numbers. Anyway that's where the official sign is.Our plan is to hike 19 miles to within 3 miles of Boiling Springs and go into town on Thursday morning.   The trail goes right through the middle of Boiling Springs.   We're going to stop at the ATC Mid Atlantic Regional Office so Mot can buy a new trail guide.   Then fill up on food and hike about 13 miles to the next shelter. We should be arriving in Duncannon sometime Friday afternoon. We may pull a "Nero" and spend the night there.
Date: 2013-05-22
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 0.0

1113 Miles.   Alec Kennedy ShelterToday was a red letter day on my hike. At about 7 AM this morning I passed the half way mark on the trail. Mot and I had a photo shoot at the marker. You'll see from the pictures that the marker is pretty elaborate. After that we pushed on to do the 19 miles to this shelter. This afternoon I was telling Mot how nice and easy the trails have been since we got into Pennsylvania.   He said yes, like using credits cards, we'll have to pay for it later.   He was right. Not long after that we got Into rocks and the going got difficult. Then about 2 1/2 miles before this shelter we had to go through 2 large series of huge rocks called Maze#1 and Maze #2. We had to do a lot of squeezing through tight spots and climb over and around huge boulders. We made to the shelter about 6 PM and just finished eating and the rain started. It will make easy to sleep tonight. Tomorrow we're going into Boiling Springs then on to the next shelter before Duncannon. We hope to be there by Friday.   Will update then.Happy TrailsPunmin PieSomewhere on the AT
Date: 2013-06-02
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

1273.7 Miles. Wind Gap, PA 6/2/13Gloria was nice enough to stick around today so Mot and I could slack pack the 15.4 miles from Little Gap to Wind Gap. This put us in very good position to make the 15.8 miles to the Delaware Water Gap tomorrow.   That will put us New Jersey a day ahead of schedule. Tonight we're camping in the lawn behind the Beer Stein Bar. They let hikers tent there for free. I guess it's not really free. Mot and I just sat in the bar for 2 hours. It was the least we could do to return the favor. Tomorrow into New Jersey! !