morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-20
From: Pochunk Mountain Shelter, NJ

To: High Point Ranger Station, Rt 23, NJ
Miles today: 12.9

Well family, friends, and shipmates, I've walked the last mile of this journey, and covered the entire AT, 2,174 miles in 5 months and 10 days. The last 5 days have been about the best weather of the entire trip. Today seemed fairly easy, but that may be because by taking it easy the last few days, I am feeling rested and strong, and because I've had no foot problems now for the last two weeks after putting on my new shoes which I am now calling my miracle shoes (also because the rise to the top of 1,803 ft High Point NJ was mostly gradual). The point though is it's almost a shame to stop when I am at the peak of my "game", but then again though I love the lifestyle, and achieving something every day, I have been needing a break from climbing up and scampering down the mountains day in and day out, and I've caught myself talking to the trail lately. Perhaps at the peak of ones game is the perfect time to move on. WWVDPeople ask me: "Spock what was the best part"...I have a different answer most every day, but their were some magical places, and some special friends along the way"Spock you must have done some deep thinking out there. What wisdom can you pass on"...Well I have been deeply affected by watching the cycle of life and death thru the seasons, but to be specific, I must say that when you get a ridiculous tune stuck in your head which somehow matches your stride perfectly, like for instance Popeye the sailor, the only cure is to start singing something very different like Bob Dylan, or Fiddler on the Roof. Second, I've come up with this: Bears shit on the AT: The AT is in the woods: Hence Bears shit in the woods.Thanx for keeping me going, and following my progress, and thanx to my brother for keeping up this journal for me. If anyone has questions, or something to say, I'll be monitoring the guest book, as some of my fellow hikers want to stay in touch, and that is an easy way to exchange addresses. People also ask me what's next, and to be honest I'm not sure yet, but in the short term, I need to do some upkeep on my sailboat down in Pensacola, and I'd also like to catch up with my daughter out in Long Beach for a few days. Adventure wise, I'd like to sail to the Bahamas, I'd like to hike around Ireland, and I am toying with the notion of starting my own business if an idea I have proves to have a market.In the navy, at the end of a mission, the only thing left is to fill out the paperwork to account for time and travel expenses. The code that goes in the very last block is MC. It stands for Mission Complete
Date: 2007-02-28
To: Second Time's the Charm
Miles today: 0.0

28 February 2007Madison, WisconsinI went to my doctor on Monday, and after being at the mercy of him and my glaucomic right eye from May of last year until yesterday, he has once again released me to the unsanitary wilds. If you've paid attention, you know that when Jeannine and I got about 20 miles from Virginia last year, my right eye sprang a leak, and the doctor there told me to head home. Subsequently, we put about 25,000 miles on the Outback peak-bagging around the country from late May into October. By the end of all those miles, Jeannine and I had traveled to New York, Florida, Washington, California and Texas, and a lot of other states in between, and I counted 46 state high points on my life list (high points staying put better than birds). Along the way, we caught up with our AT hiking buddy Weeks a couple times on the trail, and our other hiking buddy, Harley Hogpit, at home in Maryland. Weeks made it all the way to Katahdin in October, and managed to squeeze in a visit to the frozen Midwest during his lengthy post-AT travels. (By the way, Weeks, what's up?)Meantime, back at the eye clinic, I endured months of an annoying eye drop therapy intended to close the leak in my eye--to no avail. In October, I made the decision to go back under the knife in January. Eye surgery (called a bleb revision, or patch graft) happened on Janary 8, and lo and behold, when I went in Monday, the doctor told me the patch had taken, and the eye was back up to pressure.So, in the spirit of Monty Python, we decided to do something completely different. Yes, we're going attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, end-to-end. This year, however, we are not planning to start until March 18, which is at least four days later than last year, so the weather should be much warmer when we start. To ensure that warmer weather, we're buying heavier sleeping bags. We're also looking into hiring a porter service to carry our equipment this year, so we'll be able to carry formal wear for those nights on the town. (Editor's note: Portions of the preceding paragraph have wandered off into a stream of conscious silliness.)We've made changes to last year's itinerary. We 're hoping to get a faster start this year, doing ten to twelve miles days right from the start. We also picked up a few tricks from the trail last year that we hope will allow us to travel considerably lighter (except for the heavier sleeping bags)--more miles per day, fewer days between resupply points, ergo, less food to carry. Smaller fuel bottle, less water on the back, etc. I haven't started to pack yet, but I hope to keep my pack under 50 pounds from day one, as opposed to the 79# I humped up to Springer Mountain last year.So, look for periodic updates from me for the forseeable future. Or don't. I can't control anyone's response to my odd behavior. You have been warned. Cross your fingers, cross your toes, and for the glaucomic, cross your eyes.
Date: 2007-03-09
To: Death and Taxes
Miles today: 0.0

9 March 2007Well, the taxes are just about done for the year. On Tuesday I go in to pick up the orthotics I've ordered. One of the things threatening to take me off the trail last year, and something I've wrestled with over the years, is pain in my right foot. So this year, in anticipation of a long walk in the woods, I went to a podiatrist who referred me to a local pedorthist.After taking a look at Josh Runyan's trail entry, and checking out a few other entries, I decided to take the techno plunge into high-tech trail journalism. Hope this works.p.s. It works, and thanks to Weeks for the use of his pictures to brighten up my entries.
Date: 2007-03-16
To: Ready to Roll
Miles today: 0.0

It's 9:17 am in Madison, Wisconsin. Time to stuff the last of it into the pack, hoist it, and hit the road. In about an hour, we climb into the car, drive to the Greyhunde Station, and pick up the 11:25 bus for Milwaukee and Chicago and beyond. After a couple days of 50s and 60s, we've dropped back into the freezer, just in time for the boy's state basketball tournament. The snow has disappeared, except for the snow shoveled or plowed into piles. The cars are washed, the bills are paid. We expect to be in warmer weather soon, at least until we get five miles north of Amicalola Falls. After a long and cold couple of months, I'm looking forward to any warm weather we find along the trail.I picked up the orthotics on Tuesday and have attempted to break in my feet in three days. I may have to carry the crocs on the bus to give my feet a break. The problem--where do I put the stuff I want IN the bus without carrying an extra bag I'll need to toss once I get OFF the bus. I guess the answer is to use the food bag or some old plastic Target bag I picked up on one of my shopping forays. The only thing I think I want that I can't find in the little stove repair kit I picked up last year at NOC when I had to scramble back from Sassafras Gap with a leaky fuel bottle pump. Well, I can always pick up another or eat cold if I mess up the pump this year.Next update from somewhere along the trail. 'Til then, Happy Trails, y'allStep 'n' a half
Date: 2007-03-16
To: Marietta, Georgia
Miles today: 0.0

16 March 2007We hopped the Greyhound at 11:25 am. Wayne Hammerstrom and Tina were there to send us off. By nightfall we were cruising through Indiana, and through the night we made stops in Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, and Chattanooga. The sky was lightening as we left Chattanooga. We arrived in Marietta at 8:45 am on Saturday and a few minutes later Joey Shonka, aka Polar Bear, AT thru-hiker 2006 arrived.
Date: 2007-03-17
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Black Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

Saturday, 17 March 2007We stopped for breakfast at a Waffle House on the way to Amicalola Falls State Park about 10:30. Our original plan was to spend the night at the park, but we didn't like the look of the shelter (it was screened in, and the bunk spaces had a wire mesh that sagged with years of use).After purchasing a couple AT bandanas at the park office, we signed in to the trail. We weighed our packs. Both came in under 50 pounds fully loaded with four days food and water. We left shortly after 1 pm. The climb up to the top of the falls was less intimidating this year with lighter packs, but after a few miles my brand new orthotics started my calves cramping. Somewhere during our last mile I took my boots off and put my crocs on, stopped for water, and rolled into Black Gap to the shelter about 7 pm.So what I didn't mention is that I developed a hot spot in the arch of my left foot from the new orthotics, which I had been unable to pick up until Tuesday, March 13, shortly before leaving for the trail. That was the other reason I switched to the crocs, which are plastic sandals, very light, which a lot of thru-hikers carry for camp shoes.When we arrived at Black Gap, there was a troop of boy scouts camped there, along with a group of hikers from an Atlanta outing club. Luckily, at that late hour, most of them had tented and left room in the shelter for us. Our sleeping bags, rated at zero degrees, were good to have, as the overnight temperature dropped to about 24 degrees.
Date: 2007-03-18
From: Black Gap Shelter

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

Sunday 18 March 2007We woke to a cold day, 24 degrees. By the time we got up, the scouts were gone, and the folks from Atlanta were in front of a roaring fire. We crawled out about 9. It's always a little harder to get up in the cold, and we were slow to get moving. We finally left the shelter at 11:30. I had to sacrifice some water to put out the fire which the Atlantans had not bothered to dowse. What would my dad say? We climbed the last mile and a half to Springer, and there was Many Sleeps, the Springer caretaker, taking names of thru-hikers (wanna-be thru-hikers) and giving them match books to turn in at Neels Gap for a Georgia AT "Leave No Trace" bandana. I admire the thought, the work, and the money put into the effort, but I still see an awful lot of people on the trail burning their plastic and tin foil trash in the fire, polluting the air, ground and water. It's a shame people who come to a great trail like this one are so ignorant of common problems. Last year, a few days past turning the match book in at Mountain Crossings, I found a bandana hanging from a branch on the side of the trail.We continued down the trail from Springer, stopping for breaks several times at familiar sites. We took a totally unnecessary side trip to Long Creek Falls (worth the trip), and reached Hawk Mountain Shelter about 6:50 pm. I had walked the entire day in my crocs. The hot spot had developed into a full-blown blister, so I had covered it with a blister patch and packing tape. My calves were still tight, but the sore muscle I had pulled shoveling the 15 inches of wet, heavy snow in February finally had stopped bothering me. We ran into a guy at Hawk Mountain named Hermes, who we hear at Cloud 9 is a guy trying to hike the trail without money or support, and sponging or scoring food when and where he can. I crawled into the sack at 9:40 after catching up my journal.
Date: 2007-03-19
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: broken clouds

Monday, 19 March 2007 Day 3It was 35 degrees or so when we got up at 7:45. We left camp about 9:30. The trail is fairly gentle at times, and with cool weather we were up and over several hills and into the gaps between. The trail never is level for very long. Twenty to thirty feet tops, most places. It's down, then up, then down again. This section however, follows some creeks and old roads, and it's downright pleasant. We reached Justus Creek (our fourth camp last year), and caught up with a bunch of folks we had been with or near the night before. One fella, I heard his trail name was Bubba, seriously out of shape, kept saying, "I'm so tired". He apparently made it to the next shelter, a mile up the trail, before dark. We spent about an hour at Justus Creek. I soaked my feet and washed two pairs of socks, Jeannie did a little washing. I had to put my boots back on, finally, after two and a half days of hiking in the crocs, as the crocs took the skin off the top of one of my long, bent up toes. (I've had problems with those long second toes before.) We passed Gooch Mountain Shelter about 5, and pushed on to Gooch Gap, arriving about 6:20. We pitched out tarp-tent and took our food to a campfire that a father/daughter (Captain Crunch and Pixie) had built. They were on a section hike for a few days, and we had spent time with them at Hawk Mountain the night before. The blister was no worse than it was the night before, and the weather is fine.
Date: 2007-03-20
From: Gooch Gap

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Tuesday, 20 March 2007 Day 4We hit the trail shortly after 9. The cold weather is moderating, with the low this morning about 45 degrees. The trillium is already leafing out. We reached Woody Gap shortly before noon, spent a few minutes, and headed up into the hills. Last year we reached this point on day 5 and took a zero at the hiker hostel. This year, right on through. Several hikers passed us (per usual), and we passed a trail maintainer (Missing Link) working on her stretch of trail. We reached the turn-off to Woods Hole Shelter about six, meeting Bear Bag at the corner. Bear Bag was accompanying his buddy, Cimarron, age 84, who was attempting to thru-hike this year after taking a couple years to walk the trail previously. We shared the shelter with Pickle and Scout--two college seniors doing a section hike, and 1/3, attempting a thru-hike. Jeannie has a bit of knee pain, but I've gone back to the boots, and I'm doing alright. The temperature got up close to 70, high enough to feel on the climbs.
Date: 2007-03-21
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Wednesday, 21 March 2007 Day 5We headed out of Woods Hole Shelter about 9:20, and reached the base of Blood Mountain (Slaughter Creek) in about an hour. We had sun for the climb up Blood, which was accomplished by 10:30. On top we had a great view of the day, met Evil Eye, John Davis, and Paul, who works at the Hiker Hostel helping hikers get the unnecessary stuff out of their packs. We met Paul last year. He told us he and his wife, Jamie, had purchased the Appalachian Trail Restaurant and AT Lodge in Millinocket, Maine, at the end of the trail. They're moving up there in a few weeks, so we'll have something to look forward to if we reach our goal of a thru-hike. Paul and John had hauled some trail magic--snacks and drinks--up to the top of Blood, and Paul informed us that Weeks had been at the Hiker Hostel looking for us. He's on the trail, hoping to track us down at Neels Gap.We left Blood Mountain, and a former thru-hiker, Totally Different Subject, passed. I got caught up in a conversation with TDS, who was on another thru-hike, to be followed by a 700-plus mile canoe odyssey from Maine into New York. We reached Neels Gap about 2 and checked into the hostel in the Walasi-Yi building, the only building the AT goes through. About 2:45 I looked out and saw Weeks crossing the road with his friend, Jenn. Their plan was to hike with us to Franklin, North Carolina, so we all settled in to the hostel for the day, showered, did laundry, resupplied in the Mountain Crossings outfitter upstairs, and relaxed.Winton, the owner of Mountain Crossing, gave me the keys to his van after the evening pizza delivery run fell through, and I drove down to Blairsville with a van full of hikers to an all-you-can-eat pizza joint, followed by a visit to the supermarket, and the trip back up to Neels Gap.
Date: 2007-03-22
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Thursday, 22 March 2007 Day 6We were out the door at 8:45 and up to the outfitters for a morning snack and to ship two boxes out--one to home with stuff we didn't want to carry anymore, another to Fontana with stuff we might need up the trail--a bounce box. We got on the trail just before 10. We passed the point where last year our tent poles first failed, and succeeded in reaching water at Hog Pen Gap about four. We met a hiker who had boots of two different sizes, not by choice. He was having some problems with the boot that was a size too small, and planned to get off the trail and hitch into Helen, GA to figure out what to do. His situation put my episode with new orthotics in perspective. By this time my boots were feeling pretty good.After loading up on water in anticipation of not making the miles to the next shelter, we reached Low Gap about 6:45. We settled in the shelter, with several others around in their tents. Our company included Diesel, Kristin, North Star, Allen, Hungus, Earthquake, and Sleeping Beauty.
Date: 2007-03-23
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Rocky Mountain
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday, 23 March 2007 Day 7Northstar got out on the trail at 7:30, before sunrise. We followed slowly, getting out about 9:20. The trail was great early, although we ran into some rocky stretches, which can make for slow going. We stopped at the Blue Mountain Shelter, where last year we saw an orphaned bear cub and spent a night. After taking a lunch break with Earthquake, Sleeping Beauty and Diesel, we climbed over Blue Mountain and dropped into Unicoi Gap. Climbing out of the gap we crossed a stream, filtered water, and pressed on to a junction with the Rocky Mountain Trail and pitched our tents. It's warming up. Today the temps were in the 70s with lots of sun. The gnats are out, pestering us at nearly every stop. The blister is down, but still tender, but it's great fun hiking with Weeks and Jenn.
Date: 2007-03-24
From: Rocky Mountain

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Saturday, 24 March 2007 Day 8We finally got out before 9. It's another sunny, warm day. We climbed over Rocky Mountain, and as we approached Tray Gap nearing noon, we saw a bunch of vehicles parked by the trail. We immediately thought "Trail Magic", but then we saw the line of boy scouts climbing Tray Mountain. Weeks and I put it gear and blasted past. On the way through, I announced to the scouts the presence of bloodroot blooms on the edge of the trail. I had to slow down shortly past the scouts (due to my advanced age and decrepit physical condition), and when I heard footsteps I looked back to see Jenn pulling up behind me. We stopped at the Tray Mountain Shelter for lunch and water, and the scouts came in a short time later and began setting up their 15 pound Coleman tents.After an hour-long break, we took off. We reached Addis Gap to witness mountain bikers in the midst of an adventure race (biking, kayaking and orienteering), and pressed on up toward Kelly Knob, nearly a 1,000 foot climb in the heat of an overheated afternoon. We reached the top and dropped into Deep Gap, down to the shelter, and settled in just about 7, after a very long, hot day with a lot of climbing.
Date: 2007-03-25
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Cloud 9 Hostel
Miles today: 3.5

Sunday, 25 March 2007 Day 9Jeannie and I were up early and on the trail about 7. Jenn followed close behind. I filtered some water and reached the gap just as the sun rose. After climbing out from the shelter, we had a 500 foot climb before the trail began to descend toward Dicks Creek Gap. Weeks caught up with us, and we all reached the gap by about 9:15. A family of hikers--father, three sons, two teenage grandkids, were on their way back home. We had been scheming, planning on a visit to the Dairy Queen in Hiawassee, to be followed by blueberry pancakes at the Blueberry Patch Hostel. Alas, it was not meant to be. The Cloud 9 hostel SUV pulled in just after 9:30 and Crutch jumped out.We met Crutch last year, at the Franklin, NC April Fool's Hiker Bash, and saw him again several times, including a chance meeting at the hostel in Pearisburg, VA in June where we bought into a great dinner at Cafe Crutch. (Cafe Crutch is located wherever Crutch can find a decent kitchen and good food to prepare. Crutch is a former/future thru-hiker who hasn't been home in about 15 months. He helps out in Franklin and elsewhere, and then goes for a hike.)Crutch informed us that Gary, who ran the Blueberry Patch, had been in the hospital. Long story short, the BP was not in full operation, so we settled in at Cloud 9, where Cafe Crutch, after a trip to Ingles in Hiawassee, whipped up a stir fry for those interested. While Crutch did his shopping, the rest of us did our resupply for the next few days.It was a good day to be done hiking by 9 am. It got up to 83 degrees or more, and was very sunny and dry, again.
Date: 2007-03-26
From: Cloud 9 Hostel

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Monday, 26 March 2007 Day 10We took off with Fran back to the trail just after 9. It was cloudy and a bit cool as we climbed out of the gap. We reached Plumorchard Gap and took a lunch break, got water, and continued on as the day grew warm. We reached the North Carolina state line about 3:45, took the necessary pictures, got more water at Bly Gap, then climbed the first of the North Carolina (we don't need no stinking switchbacks) climbs featuring hiking trails which proceed straight up the spine of a hill. We reached the Muskrat Creek Shelter (where we had met Weeks just about a year ago), and shared the place with Diesel, Matterhorn, Too Many Birthdays (ToM-B), Lindsey and his pomeranian Tiger. At the fire it was decided that Jenn, who at Cloud 9 had challenged Sleeping Beauty to a wrestling match in the ramen pit at the Damascus Trail Days celebration in May, needed a tougher-sounding trail name than Leafer, so her official trail name was changed to Spicy Shrimp.
Date: 2007-03-27
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Tuesday, 27 March 2007 Day 11We were gone before 9 on a cloudy, foggy morning. We reached another Deep Gap. This one held trash cans. That's another kind of trail magic, when you can drop some weight out of your pack. We climbed up Standing Indian Mountain, which was mostly a very gentle climb, but long. We stopped at Standing Indian Shelter for lunch. The privy at Standing Indian had a nice view of the shelter, and the reverse was true. It was otherwise a very nice privy. We had a nice downhill run from Standing Indian, then a fairly flat approach to Carter Gap, which we reached by 6. Mala, another of the AT regulars, was there with his black lab Tucker. We met Mala and Tucker at the Franklin bash last year, and saw them again at Hot Springs and Damascus. Most of the crew from Muskrat Creek were there, with the addition of Scholar, who had made it from Bly Gap that day. It was a cooler day, with just a tease of a rain shower late in the afternoon.