morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-11-01
From: Gooch Mt. Shelter

To: SRINGER MOUNTAIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

FINISHED!!!! 2176 miles (book states 2174, but it's outdated) CELEBRATION!!!!It was such a brutal 14.9 miles. I hate to end with negative talk, but I was in so much God damn pain today. I was whining, crying, being pissed off, it was horrible. Every time I bumped a rock it sent lightning pain up my nerves. I used 2 hiking poles again but I was just breaking down. I sang songs to distract myself. Mostly cheesy 80's ballets because they make me happy and are all about love. Whenever the crew passed by me or asked if I was OK I toughened up and assured them I was. I did not want to be a damper on the last day. Everyone else was hiking like they had no weight on their backs. I knew I would make it and my body is soooo relieved that it is over.UFSF 42 had a parking lot less than 1 mile from the summit top. At that parking lot Grettles parents (John and Linda) and Grettles roommate from college (Lacey)met us. Also Mango's cousin and 2 of her friends met us. Our bottles of Champagne were brought in by Grettles former roommate Lacey. We had pre ordered one bottle each to blast on the top of Springer when we made it. We did just that. We all accumulated right on the summit rock, shook our bottles and blasted Champagne all over the place. We then proceeded to drink the remainder of the bottles and got a buzz. Lot's of pictures and video's were taken and we took our time letting it settle in. The summit of Springer was actually beautiful. The view was one of the best in the last few days and the summit rock had a plaque on it that showed a map of the AT from ME to GA. I had been shaking my head in confusion the whole hike down to the parking lot. I just couldn't believe that it was over. Mango and I had a discussion about it being the beginning of something else, but it was hard to swallow.We all got rides to a Mexican restaurant immediately after summiting. Everyone came, we occupied almost an entire room of the restaurant. I didn't eat much and didn't drink at all. I didn't have much of an appetite.We are all headed back to Mangos uncles place in GA. There we will celebrate appropriatly with liquor and beer.Tomorrow morning Spoon, Tree Slayer and Philli are leaving to catch a bus or train or ride back home. I will be traveling with the Franklins (Grettles family) back up to south west Virginia. I have agreed to work with John for a couple of weeks on the farm in exchange for a bed and food. My adventure will continue for a little bit before I get back to MA. I think that some time at the farm will be good for my transition.This will not be my last entry. I plan to write a conclusion or follow up. Once the dust settles I would like to write about looking back on the trip and documenting the things I learned and what thoughts stand out above the rest.I loved hiking this trail. It truly was the experience of a life time.~Santana~
Date: 2008-05-08
To: Planning Another Thru-Hike in 2009
Miles today: 0.0

If you had asked me on 6 Sep 07 if I'd ever hike the entire AT again, I'm pretty sure I'd have said no. But time changes things. I've decided to hike the AT again in 2009 as a fundraiser for a local non-profit organization. Please visit www.abgraham.org to find out more about the organization I am supporting. My early plans are to start in late May or early June somewhere near the middle of the trail and hike north to Maine, then return to the starting point and hike south straight through to Springer. You should be able to toggle between my 2007 and my 2009 journals by clicking on the appropriate block under "My Other Journals" on the menu on the left side of this page...Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2008-11-10
To: Update on Thru-Hike in 2009
Miles today: 0.0

Hello All...I've tentatively decided to start at Harper's Ferry in mid-May, hike to Katahdin, then have Kim come get me and take me back to Harper's Ferry and hike South to Springer. My brothers and I and our wives took my Mom to the Shenendoah National Park a few weeks ago to do some day-hiking over a long weekend. This was our present to her for her 70th birthday which she celebrated in June. We hit the Fall colors perfectly and had a wonderful time. The first morning there, we stopped at an IHOP to have breakfast before hitting the trail and you'll never believe who I ran in to. Blissfull was in the booth right next to us and she was having breakfast with a 2006 through-hiker. What a small world we live in! I've had some suggestions on making some updates to my site, equipment info, lessons learned, etc., and I plan to do that but just haven't found the time yet. Check back from time to time. You should be able to toggle between my 2007 and my 2009 journals by clicking on the appropriate block under "My Other Journals" on the menu on the left side of this page...Cheers...DanP.S. I'm a Grandpa!!! Please meet Lily Jordan!!! I haven't gotten clearance to take her with me on the hike yet though.
Date: 2009-05-01
To: Second Update on 2009 Thru-Hike
Miles today: 0.0

I can't believe so much time has passed since I last made an entry about my 2009 hike. I have changed my plans several times since I last made an entry. Bottom line though, I will be heading to Harper's Ferry on 6 June with several groups of hikers from my church. We'll spend the week together on the trail in that area. They'll head back home on the 13th of June and I'll "officially" start my hike then. I needed to postpone my start until June for several reasons, so I decided I'd do a flip-flop. I plan to hike to Maine, then my wife Kim will come get me and take me back to Harper's Ferry. I plan to hike south from there through the late summer and fall. I'm really looking forward to seeing that part of the trail in the Sep/Oct time-frame as opposed to the Mar/Apr time-frame. I'm trying to raise some money for a non-profit organization, so if you're interested in donating a penny per mile to them please visit www.abgraham.org and download a contribution form. You can also learn much more about them there.I'm getting excited!Happy Trails...Magnum
Date: 2009-06-04
To: Third Update on 2009 Thru-Hike
Miles today: 0.0

It is less than 48 hours until I leave to go to the trail. Saturday morning at 8:00 AM I meet a large group of hikers at my church in Springfield, Ohio and we load up to head to Harper's Ferry, WV. I'll "choreograph" the hikes for three separate hiking groups in that area for a week. On the following Saturday, they will head back to Springfield, Ohio and I will officially start my hike. I'm READY!!!!!!!Happy Trails...357
Date: 2009-06-06
To: Southgate Adventure Day 1
Miles today: 0.0

And the adventure begins! I stirred to consciousness at 5:25 this morning, 5 minutes before the alarm was to go off. I went to the kitchen and flipped the switch on the coffee pot and went to the back porch to visit with OD (short for OutDoor cat) before I had to leave for the trail. When I heard the coffee pot beep I walked in and saw an absolutely beautiful sunrise in process through the front window. I'm pretty sure I'll see many more beautiful sunrises in the next few months, but not many through my front window in the comfort of my living room. The morning went as planned. Everyone was at Southgate church by a few minutes after 8. We loaded everything into three vehicles, got some pictures, had devotions and a prayer, said our goodbyes and were on the road by 8:30. You could sense the excitement and anticipation . Many in our group had never camped out overnight and here we were on our way to the Appalachian Trail to walk and live in the woods for a week. It was really fun for me to experience that excitement and sense of ¢exploring the unknown¢ through their eyes again. For me, it is Hike-Day minus 7. Next Saturday I start my 2,178.3 mile journey, but this week I get to experience the joy of hiking through the experiences of good friends. My car load, Ken & Luke Moore, Jim Cramer and myself got to Harper's Ferry first. We visited the AT HQ then walked around historic Harper's Ferry for a while. The Hepp van showed up a little later with Dan, Cindy, Manuel Blanken, Pat Cain, Ken the Seasoned, Ken the Younger, and John the Baptist (Bap for short). We decided on a restaurant in Charles Town and headed there for supper. When we got to the hostel David & Austin Cagle and Sam and Linda Jones were there waiting for us. Everyone arrived safe and sound and we're looking forward to big adventures tomorrow.
Date: 2009-06-07
To: Southgate Adventure Day 2
Miles today: 0.0

I dropped the Southgate Six (Ken M, Luke M, Ken the Older, Ken the Younger, Jim C, and John S) off at VA 605 at 8:45 AM. The Georgia Trio and I (Sam J, David C and Austin C) then headed for the most important stop of the day (Cracker Barrel). After breakfast I dropped them off at Route 522 near Front Royal, VA. They hit the trail at about 11:15 AM. From there I beat it back up to Snickers Gap (VA 7) in time to meet up with Ken M, Luke M and John S. This is the exact spot Perry W and I posed for a picture in 2007 when he got me off the trail to go to Washington, DC to meet Colin Powell. Ken, Luke & John enjoyed some cold sodas before heading north toward the Blackburn Trail Center. I waited around for Jim C, Ken the older and Ken the younger. When they arrived they all agreed they wanted to hike a little in all four states, so I took them back to Harpers Ferry with me so they could hike in WV tomorrow. We also picked up David C because he too wanted to hit all four states and I think David C and Ken the Older may have decided to do some C&O Canal hiking tomorrow. Sam J and Austin C made it to the Manassas Gap Shelter for the night and Ken M, Luke M and John S made it to the Blackburn Trail Center for the night. The rest of us stayed at the Harpers Ferry Hostel again. Everyone reported in by the end of the day, tired, but safe and happy.
Date: 2009-06-08
To: Southgate Adventure Day 3
Miles today: 0.0

Dan H, Cindy H, Manuel B, Pat C, Ken the Older, Ken the Younger, Jim C, Linda J and I all met at the Hostel at about 9 AM to finalize plans for the day. Dan H and I headed south by car to WV-9 at Keys Gap. The plan was to intercept Ken and Luke M and John S so Dan H could hike back in to Harpers Ferry with them. We waited there for a while, giving cold sodas to other hikers as they passed, and using ¢trail news¢ we estimated how far away they still were. We realized I should head on down to US 50 where I intended to intercept Sam J and Austin C to make sure I didn't miss them when they passed over the road there. So, Dan H started hiking south to meet up with our hikers in that area and I started driving south to US 50. I had no trouble finding Ashby Gap on US 50, but I must admit it took quite a while to spot the exact place the trail crossed the road. I finally did figure it out and got set up in a good place to greet hikers by about Noon. I had estimated they should be arriving any time, but there are a LOT of variables in making an estimate like that. When did they start? Were they feeling OK on their second day on the trail? Did they find and side trails they wanted to explore? Were there a lot of vistas they stopped at to take pictures? Did they get lost any? And the list could go on. Well, turns out I was way off! They got there at about 5:30 PM. The bad news was that I had zero cell service in that gap between two mountains and I couldn't leave to make a call because they might walk across the road while I was away making a call. Since none of the other group could contact me I was a little worried about where they were and if they needed anything, but I knew they all had cell phone contact with each other and they had three cars between them so I was confident they would fend for themselves. The good news about spending six hours in Ashby Gap was I got to meet a lot of through-hikers and provide them ice cold sodas on the hottest hiking day of the year so far. Just as I recall from my last hike...it meant the world to them. By the way...New Zealand is very well represented on the trail this year. I met a Kiwi last night at the hostel, a Kiwi couple stopped for a soda up at WV-9 and another crossed at Ashby Gap while I was waiting for Sam and Austin. When Sam and Austin got there we loaded up and headed up the road so I could get cell service. As expected I had 5 messages from other hikers so I started contacting them to see where they all were. By 6:30 PM nine of us were setting together in a restaurant eating supper and the trail stories were flying. All the others had made lodging arrangements for the night at different places. Ken the younger had decided to stay in a shelter for the night. I spent the rest of the evening ferrying folks from lodging to stores and back and everyone seemed to be in good spirits even though they were obviously very tired. It was a very good day!
Date: 2009-06-09
To: Southgate Adventure Day 4
Miles today: 0.0

To the friends and family of the people I brought to the trail: I promise...I'm not trying to kill your loved-ones. I honestly thought this would be fairly gentle hiking. It is rated 2-3 on a difficulty scale from 1 ¢ 10. I remember coming through here on my 2007 through-hike and thinking to myself it was pretty nice hiking. The big difference was that I had hiked to here from Georgia so I was in tip-top hiking shape by the time I got here. Everyone seems to be adjusting their plans to accommodate the more difficult terrain than they expected to encounter. I've even heard talk of side trips into Washington DC and to Gettysburg, PA later in the week. The important thing is that everyone seems to be having the time of their life and I think there will be stories of this adventure bouncing off the walls of Southgate Baptist Church for many years to come. I started out this morning by going to Comfort Inn to pick up Ken and Luke M. They wanted me there between 8 and 8:15 but I got there at about 6:30 so I could work on the journal a while and get my cell phone charged up in the lobby. I got them to the trail in downtown Harper's Ferry and they headed north well before 9. I then headed to the hostel to meet with the rest of the hikers and make plans for the rest of the day. As it turned out, everyone was able to get to where they needed to be so it was a perfect morning for me to head to REI to finish up my trail prep. Wow...I had forgotten how busy, fast-paced, hectic and dangerous the roads were as you got closer and closer to Washington, DC. I had flash-backs to city life and was anxious to get back to the country. While in the city I got a call from a thru-hiker I met yesterday asking me to pick him up at Snicker's Gap and take him to Harper's Ferry. Then I got a call from Sam and Austin asking me to deliver some things to Bear's Den Hostel. Turns out those two places are about one mile from each other so I was able to accommodate both pretty easily. When I got to Harper's Ferry I met another thru-hiker needing to resupply so I took her to Super Wal-Mart in Charles Town. I got back to the hostel about 6, got a shower, then downloaded pictures from peoples' cameras and uploaded them to the journal. I finally got a call from Austin at 10 PM. They were at the Bear's Den Hostel. We had a pretty strong thunderstorm roll through at about 5 and I hadn't heard from them yet, so I was a little worried they may have been caught out in it. By the end of the day we knew where everyone was and that they were all safe and sound. Another wonderful day was had by all.UPDATE...first guess was right...Looks like I'll have to make these harder...One of our hikers took this pic of another of our hikers. We call this a blown head gasket!
Date: 2009-06-11
To: Southgate Adventure Day 6
Miles today: 0.0

Jim, Ken the Older, Ken the Younger and I were up and out early to meet up with John, Ken M and Luke. We delivered coffee and doughnuts to them which brought big smiles to their faces. We lightened their packs and they headed north pretty quickly. They had a spring in their steps because they were 9 miles from PA and the end of their hike. When they crossed to PA state line they will have hiked in 4 states in 5 days and covered almost 70 miles. Quite an accomplishment! Ken the Younger and Jim both joined them for the 9 mile trek to PA. Ken the Older and I loaded up and headed up to the next road crossing. We did trail magic at 4 or 5 spots that day, seeing the same hikers quite a few times throughout the day. The thru-hikers were loving it! Ken the Older hit the trail about 6 miles from PA and hiked the rest of the way up. When I got to the Pen Mar County Park, my last trail magic stop for the day, we gave away most of the rest of our stuff as hikers came through. I ran a couple of groups in for pizza and groceries. By about 3 we were all loaded up and ready to head back to the hostel. We stopped by the ATC HQ for souvenirs and got back to the hostel at a little after 5 PM. We still had a group in Washington, DC, but they got back safe and sound at about 9:30 PM. Everyone decided to cut the trip short by a day and head back to Ohio a day early so they could have more time to prepare for the week ahead. Sam & Linda left at about 7 PM. David and Austin were leaving first thing in the morning (before everyone else got up), Ken M, Luke John and Jim planned to leave by 8 or so tomorrow morning and the Hepp van was scheduled to depart between 9 and 10 in the morning. That would leave me here all by my lonesome with nothing to do but hike. Looks like I might hit the trail a little earlier than expected. Let's see what tomorrow brings. I'll plan on making my last-minute adjustments in the morning, get my emails and web sites caught up, plan my first resupply stop, ensure I have enough food to get there and strike out some time during the day tomorrow. I'll update you again somewhere up the trail...Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2009-06-12
From: MD-WV State Line

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

The last of the Southgate group left at about 10 this morning. I packed up, walked down the road for lunch at a little Mom & Pop place. Got back to the HF Hostel and finished buttoning up my pack and walked down the hill to hit the AT on the C&O Tow Path. And the adventure begins! I first step foot on the trail at about 2 PM. I met Merry Mary, a local trail angel, a short while later and chatted with her a while. I realized as I walked by sites I saw 2 years ago that I might not be taking as many pictures this year. Some of the stuff looks no different, so why stop and get the camera out and take the same picture again. I'll look for unique picture opportunities I guess. The second half should be completely different, hiking through the South during the fall. I may have overextended myself a little for the first day. It was hot, humid and the terrain wasn't gentle for a ¢newbie¢ and I went 15.7 miles in the afternoon. I felt nauseous when I got into camp and couldn't eat' Not a good way to start when you need every calorie you can get. I'm sure I'll get it worked out sooner or later. Some of the hikers I've seen are Hulk, Papa Kiwi, T-Suds and Yak. All great people.
Date: 2009-06-13
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I felt much better when I got up, but still had no appetite. I tried to force myself to eat, rest and drink more throughout the day. I ran into lots of section hikers and groups on the trail today. I got in at about 5:30 PM and started getting set up for the evening. I was asking myself several times today ¢what was I thinking coming out here again?¢ I'm remembering now how tough life on the trail can be. I was bushed at the end of the day and was still having trouble eating. I know that's not goog, but I remember going through the same thing on my first hike briefly. I'll just have to work through it.
Date: 2009-06-14
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Still no luck with the appetite this morning. Everyone keeps telling me I need to eat, something I already know, but I just can't force down enough to make a real difference. I'm sure I'll reach a popint when my body says...EAT EAT EAT...and my appetite will kick in again. I launched into the devil's racecourse this morning. When I got to Pen Mar Park I went to the snack bar and ordered the largest root beer they sold and got a hot dog and a bag of chips. I was able to eat the dog and most of the chips and I drank all the root beer. The park was packed with people...it was a Sunday. Every Sunday during the summer thousands of locals flock to this park in the afternoon for picnics, music and dancing. It was something to see! I crossed from MD into PA soon after leaving the park and ended the day at Deer Lick Shelters for a 14.5 mile hiking day. Still no appetite...I can feel my energy waning each day, but I'm pretty confident I'll be able to eat again soon. Just thinking about food starts to activate my gag reflex. Sorry Janet...does saying gag make you gag? If so, I won't say gag anymore. But if saying gag doesn't make you gag, well then I'll continue to say gag from time to time. Just let me know.
Date: 2009-06-15
From: Deer Lick Shelters

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Things started out OK this morning. Slept in a little and got going about 8:15. First couple of miles weren't bad, but then I went into my first 1,000 foot climb in about 2 miles of trail. Mind you, my energy has been waning because I haven't been eating well. I remember thinking ¢what was I thinking?¢ again. I remember this being really easy 2 years ago. Of course I had just gone through three months of intensive physical conditioning (hiking) by that time 2 years ago. In fact...on my last hike I hiked from 12 mile south of Ensign Cowall shelter all the way to Quarry Gap Shelters (30.3 miles) in one day and felt much better when I finished than I do this time taking 2 days. I stopped in Caledonia State Park today and went to the local swimming pool. I thought if I cooled down I might be able to eat something from the snack bar. $3 for a shower and a pool...pretty good deal I thought. Getting cooled down worked some. I ate a hot dog, fries and drank a large root beer. Then not long be3fore I left I got a milkshake. A sign things might be coming around. I finally left the park as the pool was closing and hiked up to the shelter. There are actually 2 shelters there and each had one person in it. I picked the snorer. I moved to the other shelter in the middle of the night. No biggie...just one of the hazards of shelter life...I had earplugs but it would have probably taken longer to find them than to just move to the other shelter. Still got a good night's sleep.