morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-02-17
To: Thoughts from WTG
Miles today: 0.0

When Rog first told me what he had been called to do, I said to him that I was not willing to be away from him for 6 months. He looked at me with surprise and said that he wanted me to go with him! And so, of course, I am! As I have explained to others, God did NOT call me to go on this long walk but He did call me to be a good wife. After pondering all this, I gave myself my trail name even though Pitchit informed me that was not the way it is supposed to be.... Anyway I came up with WTG which stands for "whither thou goest".Since one of my primary jobs will be to move our car from one spot to another, I will not get to hike as much as I might like. Many of my good friends will have trouble believing that I am even willing to drive...especially in unknown territory!!One of my main areas of preparation has been to dehydrate food to take with us. So far I have made lots of jerky, veggies, fruits, and main dish items. I have learned lots about what works well and what does not. Hopefully we will eat well at least for awhile.This week we have been in southern Indiana staying at Brown County State Park and Spring Mill State Park. We did my first hike with my pack on my back on Wednesday at Brown County. The 2 mile trail was covered with snow, ice, mud, and wet leaves. As I hiked along, many thoughts were filling my mind. I was very aware that I was walking much more cautiously than in my younger years. I looked wistfully at the many fallen trees that crossed ravines. In times long past, I crossed many of these with no problem. Now I was concentrating on not slipping on the slippery path.(to tell the truth I was also trying hard to keep my boots..which I LOVE..clean). Rog tells me I will get over that soon...Today at Spring Mill we did another walk in the woods. it was a beautiful sunny day and a beautiful trail. No one was on this trail but us. Rog was walking in front and so when I saw a huge tree down on the ground (NOT over a ravine) I could not resist climbing upon it and walking the length and back again. When Rog fInally realized that I was not right behind him, he stopped and waited on me to catch up. He asked what I was doing so I just smiled and said...you missed!I bought a travel spinning wheel last month which I brought with me on this trip. Tonight when we were eating our leftovers from a fantastic German meal in Paoli, IN, some park employees came in with their spinning wheels and started spinning! I went over to talk to them and they invited me to get my wheel and spin with them...so I did and spent a wonderful hour or so spinning and learning more from two experienced ladies. It was an unexpected delightful time!
Date: 2012-02-21
To: 18 Days and Counting
Miles today: 0.0

TB and ATers18 days to go until WTG and I joined by Buck and Noisy Rod hike south .9th of mile to reach the southern terminus of the AT.  We will then turn North and 6+ months and 2,184 miles later WTG and I will hike to the top of Mt. Katadin.On March 9th WTG and I are meeting Buck and NR at Blood Mountain Cabins and staying over night. (probably better than the Bates Motel).  At 7:30 the next morning the 10th of March We will be shuttled from there to the trailhead. The reason we are hiking to the top of Mt. Springer is to sign the registry and take photos. This is the iternrary for the days Buck, NR, WTG and I hike together:Day 1: Mt. Springer mile 0 to Hawk Mtn. Shelter mile 7.8Day 2: Hawk Mtn. Shelter mile 7.8 to Gooch Mtn. Shelter mile 15.1Day 3: Gooch Mtn. Shelter mile 15.1 to Lance Creek mile 23.3  (where there is a campsite)Day 4: Lance Creek mile 23.3 to Neels Gap mile 30.7We will be joined on day three at Woody Gap by Jon Lorenz, WTG and I's Lutheran Pastor son-in-law. Woody Gap is where the AT crosses GA highway 60. Jon will hike the next 5 days with WTG and I.Keep reading our blog & pass on our website for our thru hike: www.trailjournals.com/sos Additional info:Blood Mountain Cabins website http://www.bloodmountain.com/Neels Gap website http://www.mountaincrossings.com/
Date: 2012-02-23
To: Dehydrating Food for the Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Well, from the picture you can tell how I have been spending lots of my time these last several weeks! I put all of the food I have dehydrated out on the island except for lots and lots that is in the freezer. I need to organize it all so I know what I have and where it is.I have read many hikers ideas on how to organize the food so now I have to chose one or make my own and get started since we leave home in 15 days. I find that I have more food ready to dehydrate than I have space so called a friend named Debb to see if I could borrow her dehydrator for a few days. She not only said YES...she delivered it to me...Thanks, Debb..now that is a friend(actually an honorary daughter who calls me Mom)! We spent a delightful evening with 3 of our granddaughters tonight. They are part of a little choir at our church so we get to take them each week. Tonight they learned about Ash Wednesday, made pretzels, made a crown of thorns from playdough and toothpicks, and sat in church with us and then received the ashes on their foreheads, took communion, and wanted to light candles and say special prayers. This was very touching as they are all 5 and 6. Being Opa and Oma to soon to be 14 grandchildren 10 and under is one of the greatest blessings of our lives. We will miss them while we are gone but will be back in July to go to Grandma Camp with the 8 who are 5 and over.Hiking with HIM
Date: 2012-03-01
To: 9 Days and Counting
Miles today: 0.0

Matthew 5:14-16New International Version (NIV)14 ¢You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.We are down to single digits days before we begin our thru hike together on the Appalachian Trail. The hike is not about going from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine even though that is what we will do. This hike is for children and modernizing their church camps in Indiana.We are undertaking this radical change in our lifestyle¢¦leaving our comfortable home¢¦our 5 children¢¦our 14 grandchildren¢¦because we believe strongly that our church camps are a place where children can not only have incredible amounts of FUN and new adventures but more importantly they will be surrounded by caring adult leaders who will guide them to a closer walk with our savior, Jesus Christ. More cabins, updated cabins, equal more opportunities for more children to have a life changing experience.Please learn more on how you can help modernize the Indiana Church Camps for children by clicking on the Right Future button in the left margin or by going to the internet to the website www.rightfuture.org.Nine days and counting until we take our first step on the 2,184 mile thru hike AT journey.
Date: 2012-03-08
To: Are We Ready?
Miles today: 0.0

And that is THE question of the day! It is Thursday night and we are in Cincinnati where we will sleep in our comfortable bed for the last time in a while. We are excited and a little apprehensive about whether we are ready (as in have everything organized). We spent the evening with friends across the street who invited us for dinner. Since we have dehydrated everything edible in the house (almost), it was nice to not have to worry about what to eat. Thanks, Lee and Mary!We are now doing the last minute packing and sorting. As you can see from the picture, it looks a little chaotic at the moment but we are hopeful that it will all get done and we will be on our way tomorrow morning for the 6 hour+ drive to Blood Mountain, Georgia where we will spend the night tomorrow night. Then on Saturday morning we will begin - finally - the long walk. Keep reading and send us encouragement by signing the guest book on the left side of this site. Thanks to all for the prayers and gifts. Shari, I am wearing your bracelet and plan on wearing it every day. The prayer pockets are in our coat pockets and Shep(our Good Shepherd prayer lamb) is on the dash where he will ride for the duration. (Thanks to Becky Bradley!) If you are praying people, say a prayer for Rick, Virginia, Scott and Sydney who had a devastating day today.
Date: 2012-03-09
To: Last Day before the Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Today is the last day before we start our AT thru hike. WTG and I left for Blood Mountain Cabins in Georgia no rain and the sun shined all day long. It was a 414 mile drive. NR and Buck were already here when we arrived at 6:00 PM.At 7:00 PM we all hopped in our car and went back north about 8 miles to eat at Jim's Smokin' Que in Blairsville, GA. http://www.jimssmokinque.com/ The food was delicious, the price was right and more than enough to eat. Buck helped me reduce the load in my pack for the upteameth time. I would guess I shed another 2 or 3 pounds. Unless I become hardcore, I believe I have reached optimum weight. Leave for the trail in 8 hours so I am going to bed.
Date: 2012-03-10
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

It seemed along ways away 122 days ago. But here I am standing at the top of Springer Mountain what an awesome experience, but bittersweet. NR, Buck and I had to leave WTG - Judy at Blood Mountain Cabins with a pounding headache and once again a tender tummy. She would not take no for answer and said there was no way we were not going to start today. We took a shuttle from Blood Mountain to the trailhead just north of Springer Mountain. We hiked .9 mile south to the top of Springer Mountain completed the photo op thing at 10:18 on March 10, 2012. I started today in honor of my father's birthday. I registered on top and all through hikers are given matches with the AMC logo and when you reach Mount Katahdin in Maine you hand it to another AMC volunteer and they give you a bandana. NR said there is no way I am ever going to get that bandana. I will lose my matches or leave them behind long time before I get there.So I took my first step heading north and hiked 7.1 miles and we earned the first dollars for the United Methodist youth camps in Indiana. It could not have been a more gorgeous day to start the hike.The second person I met on the trail was Lyn and she said "you're the guy who is hiking for the Church." She had already read the blog.I ate the first of the dehydrated food WTG made - potato dumplings and turkey bits. First time I used my pocket rocket - just a little nervous after watching "Freefall" manage to tip over his pocket rocket and spill water everwhere.We played our usual game of cards and I won. I called Pitchit on my cell phone and put it on speaker to gloat. We all went to bed earlier because the wind was blowing so hard and it was cold - very cold. It was my first night to sleep in my Marmot bag and it was incredibly warm. I was happy! One down and many to go.
Date: 2012-03-11
From: Hawk Mt. Shelter

To: All alone and trying to feel better
Miles today: 7.7

It started raining in the night and continued all day today. The guys (SOS, NR and Buck) are out on the trail somewhere getting soaked while I am still at the cabin trying my best to get to feeling better. I finally decided to do my famous "ignore it and hope it goes away". So I put on my hiking boots, rain gear and hiked up to Neel's Gap. (Don't get impressed...it was only about 1/2 mile round trip!) There is a huge outfitters store at Mountain Crossings there so I wandered around there for awhile. Back to the cabin to do some laundry and read. Son Josh called and asked how I was. My answer was MAD (at my body) and SAD because I was not with Rog. Cell phone service is very bad here so haven't heard much from the guys. Another long day and night...
Date: 2012-03-12
From: Gooch Mt. Shelter

To: Two special birthdays today!
Miles today: 10.3

Woke up to more rain,fog and chllly weather. Son-in law Jon showed up about 10:30 to pick me up. It is his birthday today and he is celebrating by walking part of the trail with Rog and I which is very special to us. Jon and I drove to Woody Gap to meet up with the guys. I was thrilled to see Rog again..his beard is starting in earnest :-) All 5 of us piled into Jon's car and drove to Suches (tiny town on a very winding road)to the only place selling food. Jon celebrated his birthday with pizza after we sang to him in the restaurant. Because it was still raining with no sign of stopping, we decided to stay at the cabin at Blood Mountain another night. We heard about a meal being prepared by a church group from Atlanta so we went back to the hostel at Mountain Crossing to eat hamburgers, salmon, grilled veggies, sweet tea, chips and dessert. It was yummy and so appreciated by the 20+ hikers crammed into the room...sitting on the floor, on boxes, against the wall and everywhere. Bill, Rod and Jon got bed spaces at the hostel and Rog and I went back to the cabin. Since there was more sleeping space than we needed and we knew that the hostel was full, we called the guys and offered free space to any wet hikers in need of a bed. Freefall (Tom) and Squatch (Jim) arrived shortly thereafter in Bill's car. They were thrilled not to have to sleep outside in the rain another night. While at the hiker store, we ran into Lyn (Rog mentioned her in an earlier post as the woman who recognized him as "the man raising money for the church". She is hiking alone and had hiked about 15+ miles that day and she also had no place dry to stay...so we added her to the cabin also. Rog and I were very pleased to be able to be "trail angels" so early in our adventure. The 5 of us visited for awhile and then we were all off to bed early.By the way, the other very special birthday today was our grandson, Elijah Craig, who turned two. We called and sang Happy Birthday to him and got to hear his little voice and his two sisters, Nora and Tessa...enough to bring tears to Oma (me).
Date: 2012-03-14
From: Neel's Gap (Mt. Crossing)

To: Trail Mama is off the trail...again
Miles today: 11.5

Rog and Jon left me at Deer Cabin on Blood Mountain and took off for another two days on the trail. I packed up our things from the cabin and drove the winding 25 miles to Helen, GA which is my next stop...well, that didn't go as planned but ended up being a God thing. I was trying to follow the GPS and stay on the twisting road when I noticed that I had missed my turn...so decided to just keep on going. I ended up in Cleveland (no I wasn't that far off...that would be Cleveland, GA) I parked and picked a store at random to see what info I could gather. In talking to the store owner, we discovered that we had friends in common...Michael & Neville who run Woods Hole Hostel!! What a small world. Susan, the store owner, directed me to the library where I settled in to read awhile. While there I got a call from Rod asking how I was and wishing us well. We SO MUCH appreciate Rod and Bill for coming to support us as we start this long adventure. After a good lunch at the combo drugstore/cafe, I headed back to Helen with a few stops on the way. The German bakery that I was directed to wasn't...it had turned Amish somewhere along the way so on I went. I arrived in Helen and went to the Welcome Center where I picked up a useful 25% off coupon for the Days Inn...my home for the next two days. I settled in, wrote 3 trail journals for Rog and ordered number 3 in the Hunger Games series for Nora Nook (my e-reader). I read for awhile and then snuggled in all alone....again...
Date: 2012-03-15
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Hiking with My Father-In-Law
Miles today: 9.7

In September, when I agreed to join Roger on this mission for a few days I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Yes, there is the physical part of the journey. I thought it would be a nice stroll through the woods. But even the few ruck marches I've done with the Army as a chaplain didn't prepare me for the more than thirty miles we've hiked in the past three days. And we still have a seventeen mile hike tomorrow before I drive back home to Michigan. I'm sore. I'm tired. And I'm smelly. I've pushed my body before, but not for as many days in a row as I have on the Appalacian Trail. No, I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into on a physical level. But what has surprised me the most is how I've been pushed spiritually. I've had the opportunity to meet a wonderful variety of people. Those who do through hikes like Roger, become a culture unto themselves - complete with trail names and lingo. It takes some amazing people to finish this trail. I've been blessed in getting to know a couple of Roger's freinds, Bill and Rod. I got to see life and faith from the perspective of devout and seasoned Christians. And there can be no more edifying theological talk than on the trail in the midst of God's great creation. I was blessed to spend some time with Judy, my mother-in-law as we took a side trail that ended up being longer than the main trail. How many men can say they went boulder hopping with their mother-in-laws? But the greatest blessing has been spending this time with Roger, my father-in-law. I've gotten to know his mission of Hiking for Him. I've gotten to see more deeply his faith. And I've quite simply gotten to know my father-in-law better than I've ever known him. He's inspired me to look at my own pastoral ministry with the zeal in which he has taken on this mission. I am blessed and humbled to be a part of this. Even more, God has shown such grace in granting such men as Rog with the faith, zeal, and ability to push himself in such a way.
Date: 2012-03-16
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Another day...another town
Miles today: 16.7

Today Rog, Jon and I woke up in Helen, GA, ate breakfast and then drove to today's starting point for the guys at Unicoi Gap. I dropped them off to begin their almost 17 mile day after we all sang "Step by Step" together. On I went to the next town where they would meet up with me in the evening. Hiawasee was the next town so after a beautiful winding mountain road drive, with the sun shining brightly, that is where I arrived. As luck would have it, I immediately discovered a very nice laundry. One load and $3.25 later the laundry was done and the day was not even close to done! What to do..what to do?? There was no welcome center like the last town so I went looking for some friendly person to give me some "town" advice. I ended up at the Art Works where 3 ladies answered my questions while I explored the beautiful handmade local arts and crafts work. Finding a hotel/motel was my next concern. I had 4 choices and ended up at the last one I checked out. It is a "Mom and Pop" place with rockers on the upstairs balcony outside my room...a nice spot to watch the world go by. After settling in, I got back in the car and went to look around. My first stop was the library...very small by most standards and very very small in contrast to my main library in Fort Wayne..but I can always find something of interest to read. I visited a fascinating Mom & Pop 5 and 10 cent store which had one of everything you could think of except the one thing I was looking for (earring wires for the antique buttons I bought yesterday)! It was interesting to just look at their inventory. No internet access all day so couldn't write until Rog got back about 7:30 with his smart phone. Rog is taking over now...We walked across the street for dinner and stopped to talk to some other hikers that we met today.Met 4 new hikers today - Stone Kicker (He liked his name so much he had a man kicking stones and his trail name tattooed on his arm), Unicoi Zoom (She picked her own trail name - she told us she just liked the name Unicoi and zoom because she had a telecospe to zoom in on birds.), Slow and Easy (you can guess how he got that trail name) and Spider.Jon and I missed out on the first chance for trail magic because we were slack packing and the trail angel did not offer the trail magic to us because he assumed we were just day hikers. Darn those hamburgers looked delicious! I learned later from other thru hikers that they were delicious. It had me craving a hamburger for the next seven hours. It seems to be something all thru hikers crave is food. Jon and I were not shut out all day long because just as we completed our 16.7 mile hike for the day Peak Seeker, a trail angel, who had done his own thru hike in 2008 offered us trail magic hamburgers and water. We took him up on the water but I was ready to be back with Judy. We went to Hardee's and I had an Angus Burger, Onion Rings and Drink. It tasted great!Exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep.
Date: 2012-03-17
To: On to Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we got son-in-law Jon off to drive the long way back home to Michigan and then waited for a call from some kids we promised to pick up and drive to town. When we got to the pick up point, Peak Seeker (a 2008 thru hiker) was there doing trail magic. He had his grill and was making hamburgers, hotdogs, cheese sandwiches, chips, candy bars, water and pop for all hungry hikers who passed by. It started to rain..again..so we piled 4 kids and their packs into our car and headed back to Hiawassee to drop them off at the Budget Inn. Then we were on our way to Franklin, NC. Rog decided to zero today so we got to Franklin and found a nice room that caters to hikers at the Sapphire Inn. We moved in and then went exploring the town. Our first stop was a pub called the Rathskeller. It is run by George and Heidi (who lived in Indy and went to IU). Rog worked on business and I went across the street to the antique mall. I met Sue there who is a pastor's wife..a delightful lady. She is friends with the youth director at First UM church here so told me to look her up on Sunday. After a nice visit with several people in the pub, we left and went to dinner at a 50's diner (you would have LOVED it, Barb). We had corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick's Day! Back at the room, I got violently ill just a short while later...just like a week or so ago when I ended up in the ER. This time I stayed put and waited it out. Don't know what is going on in my body but I am tired of it!!!!!! Finally fell asleep and didn't wake up until morning. Heavy duty prayers are needed for this "body betrayal" of mine.