morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-14
From: newfound gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello journal and all who read it. I am glad to figure out that just because I have no reception for the Internet , I can write my thoughts on a note and then cut and paste later. I actually did this last night for about twenty five minutes and then proceeded to lose it in the trash can. Anyways, the Great Smoky Mountains is turning out to be some of the best areas I've hiked so far on my trek. Once you're on the ridge it's not as much ups and downs as Georgia's mountains and the views are breathtaking. Yesterday I left Gatlinburg and hiked from Newfound Gap to Pecks Corner shelter about 10.4 miles. I stayed in the shelter and was lucky because it rained heavy all night. The hike up from newfound gap was awesome and all above 5000 ft. with ridge widths that narrowed to less than 6 ft across. The wind was gusting to 50 mph and at times was scary especially when you had open views with no tree protection. I almost soiled myself when I was shooting a video on my phone an a gust almost knocked me off the ridge, FOR REAL! I had a eerie sleep experience in Pecks Corner Shelter that I Had no knowledge about until the next morning when Mother Teresa, a woman who's hiking thru told me she witnessed a mouse run over my head and in her direction and then down by my feet and along the wall of the shelter.Needless to say tonight I'm sleeping in my tent. I was experiencing some strong stomach pains in my lower right quadrant Sunday morning and was concerned about possible appendicitis but after talking to a PT who's thru hiking,I believe I have the beginning of a Hernia Forming. When I have my backpack on the belt strap provides decent support in my groin area and today I walked 12.9 miles without issue. I'm trying to take it easy and I will hopefully work this out. Today I hiked over three elevations of 6000 ft and greater with some of the best views to date. I am tenting at Cosby Knob Shelter at about 4800 ft elevation. I cooked a nice meal using a fettuccini Pasta Sides packet that I boiled for eight minutes and then added pink Salmon together which provided a nice flavor while giving me the protein and calories I need to maintain strength for the climbs. My new thing I like to do for lunches or snacks is take a snickers or Babe Ruth bar and dip them into the single serving peanutbuttertubs. It's better than a Reese's peanut butter cup. Tomorrow I'll hike into Standing Bear Hostel and get a bunk for the night, take a shower and do some laundry. Four days in the same cloths gets pretty stinky as you might imagine. I'll also get two more days of food to get me to Hot Springs, NC. Looking forward to a zero day and rest. The only thing that could possibly make me feel any better would be to see my beautiful wife. On that note, I think it's time to dream. Goodnight
Date: 2013-04-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today was another beautiful sunny day and to add even more excitement, I completed the Great Smoky Mountains and moving closer to Hot Springs for Friday and Trail Fest activities on Saturday. I walked 10.9 miles, mostly downhill into Davenport Gap and went under I-40 which runs between Knoxville, tn. and Ashville, nc. Got a nice shower and washed my clothes at the same time due to the ringer breaking people's zippers and snaps. The Standing Bear Farm Hostel is an extraordinary experience with a friendly southern simple hospitality feel. The laundry area consists of a wash board and hand ringer for your clothes. Any who, the hostel is a welcome place to rest, eat and resupply for the three day trip to Hot Springs. We are expecting rain for the next two and a half days and this stretch of trail will be slippery. At least the temps will be warmer so the rain will be nice. It's the setting up and packing up in the rain that stinks. As your gear gets wet, the pounds add on and that's not good. There's a good chance for thunderstorms tomorrow and we'll be up on Maxpatch Bald so hopefully lightning won't be an issue. I guess we'll just see what we'll see!
Date: 2013-04-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today we started our hike about 8:00 and by ten it was raining. Rain gear donned and the hike continued until the sun came out and rain gear stowed. After an hour more rain and the same ritual again but with wind and thunder. We hiked until we came to a us forest service road heading toward Max Patch where we were treated to a baked potato and a piece of chicken from a trail angel. Trail angels are for the most part past thru hikers and people who love to help out thru hikers along their way. It is truly magic to be in the right place at the right time and accept these random acts of kindness when you least expect it. As we're resting after about 12 plus miles, the Invisible Man had a light bulb turn oninhis head and suggested we call the shuttle from Hot Springs and go to town tonight instead of tenting in the rain and now after enjoying a nice dinner and hot shower am settling down for a restful sleep. I'll need rest because we're going to slack pack 20 miles tomorrow to return to Hot Springs for the Trail Days celebration taking place this weekend. I just got off the scale and after nachos, a big cheese burger and two pints of Guiness, weighed in at 215 lbs. pretty good since I weight. About 240 on the 21st when I started this trek. My feet are feeling great as far as sore feet can feel. My lower right groin pain is holding steady an doesn't seem to be any worse. I'm hoping it is just a muscle strain and nothing else. I don't have my guide book with me but I'll update the mileage when I gets chance.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: new found gap

To: hot springs
Miles today: 67.1

Today I slack packed 20.5 miles over Max Patch Bald and Bluff Mountain and back to Hot Springs. Slack packing is hiking without your pack and just a few basic needs like water and snacks. The shuttle dropped us off where we were picked up the day before so we stay true to the trail. It took me exactly eight hours to walk this distance which equates to about 2.5 mph. I will slack pack again if the opportunity arises. As I walked up one section of trail I heard what I thought was a Rattlesnake warning me that I was getting too close. I didn't see the snake until after I walked by it and realized I was too close for comfort as the rattler was only about 2 ft from me. Thank you God for keeping a eye on me. Tomorrow rain will fall to the tune of an inch plus and I'm staying in town which is ok because Friday and Saturday is trailfest and the whole town is involved as well as hundreds of thru hikers in the celebration. It feels like we're hitting all the hiker friendly communities at the perfect time. Tonight I had a free meal at the community center and tomorrow is a huge spaghetti dinner, all you can eat for cheap. Tomorrow I'm in search of a lighter sleeping bag for two reasons, weight and less insulation. My Big Agnes bag is a 15 degree bag and I literally sweat inside it at night and it weighs just under 3 lbs. I'm looking for a bag just over a pound and about a forty degree rating. I'll pick up my trail box my sister Kim sent me and exchange my food with gear I will send home until the fall New England weather comes. I will also look at equipment in my pack that I haven't seen in weeks and send it home as well. Anything to lower weight on my back will increase my performance and daily mileage.
Date: 2013-04-18
From: hot springs

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I left Hot Springs this morning around 10:30 and hiked 16.3 miles with my new boots and they felt pretty good. I tried out my new summer bag last night that is rated for 45 degrees and it was not the warmest but I had smart wool thermals on plus my fleece and socks that helped out a bit. I bought a thermal liner today at the outfitters that will add up to 14 degrees more to my bag rating which should get me through this cold spell. I probably sent my winter bag home too soon but I'm obsessed with getting my weight down closer to thirty pounds. If you need to get a feel for my reasoning just strap on a backpack and add 35 plus pounds in it and walk around for up to ten hours one day, you'll have a sound understanding of my thought process. We were supposed to hike about 14 miles or so and camp but someone got the idea to stay at Hemlock Hollow farm hostel so we hiked the extra miles to sleep in a warm place and get real food. I had a big Paul Bunyan double cheese burger and a root beer float which is a far cry from Ramen noodles and a cup of tea. Tomorrow we are hiking another 15 or so miles in route to Sams Gap on Tuesday where Mother Teresa's brother is picking is up and making us dinner and a place to stay. Tomorrow is another mile stone as I hike over the 300 mile mark in route to Katahdin. My groin area isn't hurting as much today and I'm starting to think its related to my diet. The night before I had a nice steak dinner and the next day I had to hold my gut when I coughed to control the pain. Now I'm thinking three new areas, gout, kidney stones or diverticulitis. I don't feel any hernia type bulge and it doesn't hurt when I push down in the area. I'm gonna try cutting down on my red meat. We'll see how the Paul Bunyan burger works out in the am.
Date: 2013-04-19
From: Hot Springs

To: Sams Gap
Miles today: 43.5

The Paul Bunyan double cheeseburger was excellent with no ill side effect and I hiked another 16.3 miles staying just past flint mountain shelter. We've been avoiding the shelters due to the Noro virus that's been taking hikers off trail with serious illness. Hikers have been throwing up and soiling themselves so badly they sometimes weren't able to leave the shelters, anyway you get the idea. I've been filtering my water, something I haven't done religiously because the mountain springs are so pure. I will probably filter for here on out as we are starting to see farms which means cows and other grazing animals that can soil the water. If I visually see it coming straight out of the hill it can't get much cleaner. I had some great views from atop Big Firescald Knob and got some nice panorama shots. I was able to make some calls on my phone and talked to my brother who told me about Big Papi's speech at Fenway and became emotional thinking about that senseless act of terrorism. God bless those families and all who worked hard to capture the terrorists. I only get its and pieces of news when I'm in the mountains and am happy the RedSox are starting well. Today I hiked 10.9 miles to SAMs Gap and got picked up by Kent, Mother Teresa's brother who brought us to his beautiful home for a nice dinner, shower, laundry and some genuine southern hospitality. Tomorrow we'll head out again with 24 miles between us and Erwin, Tenn. also we will leave NC. Behind for good making Tennessee the third state on our journey. The mountains of North Carolina will not be soon forgotten and I will take my bride hiking down here another time.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: carvers Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Mother Teresa and I hiked out of the Greasey Creek Hostel this morning at 8:15 in the rain because we were not going to let the weather stop us from making some miles and the lady at the hostel had so many rules I felt like a little kid. She just wouldn't stop harping on everyone there. She also has severe OCD and hoarding issues, other than that she was nice. Anyway, everyone else stayed at the hostel and we trudged off up from 3600 ft., over Little Rock Knob at 4900 plus feet and then over 6212 ft on top of Roan High Knob. The rain came down hard at times and at others it seamed the sun was trying to come out. When we summited we saw snow patches in spots and were getting hit with pretty heavy winds which dropped the already cold temps to a point where my hands went numb and tingly like when you hit your funny bone. Our plan was to hike to Carvers Gap and call the shuttle for a ride into The town of Roan Mountain where we can stay pretty cheap at the hostel. As we rounded the top of the mountain, we saw a sign for trail magic at Carvers Gap where a church group was making hot dogs and serving hot tomato soup and our spirits were instantly raised. Only 2 more miles and by this time we were starting to have signs of hypothermia and really were in need of warmth. The trail from the rain turned into a stream and we hiked for the entire length to the gap in a stream of freezing water. By the time I got to the trail magic I was starting to shake and could no longer feel my fingers. It took awhile but after standing in front of a heater for half an hour, I got the blood flowing back in my fingers and thoroughly enjoyed the food and candy bars that were given to us. We called every hostel in the two towns down below and there was no more room for us. One of the families that were doing trail magic offered to give us a ride to their town wher we could get a hotel room and do our laundry and we graciously accepted. So now, after a long hot shower and a wonderful all you can eat dinner at the Western Sizzler, we did laundry and finished drying out. Tomorrow another fellow is dropping us off where we ended today and we'll continue on into the hostel in Roan Mountain where we were able to book bunks for tomorrow night. Maybe we'll get dropped at the hostel in the am and drop off our packs and slack pack from Carvers Gap down to the hostel about 14.3 miles. It'll be a nice hike without my pack on and an easy down hill walk. Just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. PS; happy Birthday tomorrow to my gorgeous bride Alison, I love and miss you baby. ;-)
Date: 2013-04-24
From: hampton, tn. 

To: damascus,va. 
Miles today: 89.3

I made it into Damascus at about noon on Saturday the 4th and am elated to have made the 47 plus miles in two and a half days. 466.5 miles since I started on the 21st of March. My wife arrived about 1:00 and was in awe at the new, smaller me and her beautiful smile just about lifted me off the ground. She is sporting upper braces now after two years with lowers the dentist decided that uppers were the answer she needed. The outfitter in town had no pants sizes over 36 waist and I thought I would not fit them, but after trying on a pair and still having room, I couldn't believe it. I lost two plus pant sizes and for the first time in about fifteen years I Am in 36 pants. I almost lost my composure in the store. I've had some real heart to heart with my wife and am finding out about several issues that she has been shielding from me in order for me to be stress free. Issues that demand my attention with my children and as a result I must go off trail and return home to continue to help my children transition into the responsible adults we all hope for our kids. I have had a life altering trek and if things work well for me in the next month, I'll be hiking on the John Muir trail out of Yosemite in California south bound for who knows how long. My number one priority above all else in my life are these wonderful children and helping them achieve happiness I their lives. Oh yeah, Nikia, if you are reading my journal, you can start packing for Los Angeles because I am driving you to California very soon, or, you'll be driving me to The trail head at Yosemite. I will continue to post on my journal as things progress and hopefully people will still be keeping their good eye on me.
Date: 2013-04-25
From: damascus,va. 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Went to the doctor today and as it turns out I have a Hernia in my right groin area. I'm getting a referral and hopefully can get it fixed so I can return to the trail. Maybe by the time I get back from driving Nikia to California I'll be ready to go. I would hike the low lands and New England and hit Virginia last. Hopefully in the next day or two I will know more.
Date: 2013-04-26
From: hoyt rd. new york/ct. border

To: mt. Algo shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

It's strange how life happens while making other plans. I have found myself yet again in this familiar position, trying to make my fingers work this I-phone keyboard while laying inside my ultra lite tent. My son dropped me off in the middle of the storm today at about 12:40 pm and looked at me like I had was a little crazy. I've been waiting for this day to get here and after several weeks of doing fatherly duties and rest, it's time. I was able to take care of my children and get some much needed work done at home. Nikia is in California working, Victoria and little Sophia are doing much better and Ian continues to do well. Alison is awesome as always and supports me even as I continue to attempt this thruhike knowing full well I still have to hike from New York to Virginia if I can tackle the hardest part of the trail, New England! I hiked a tough 10.2 miles in severe weather and extreme humidity to mt. Algo shelter where I caught up with quahog and Oreo, two hikers I've hiked the southern mountains with and enjoyed talking about all the trail adventures I've missed. I'm having a hard time trying to acclimate to the hot, damp and muggy weather. Big difference from my air conditioned room at home. I hope this weather improves so I can dry out my gear already. Probably an extra 2 lbs of water weight added. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Date: 2013-04-27
From: mt. Algo shelter

To: stewart hollow brook shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

My first night on the trail was a miserable, wet and sleepless experience I won't soon forget. Their was no air movement and it was suffocating inside the sanctuary. I suppose it did cool down after awhile. This morning I woke up about 4:30 or so as some hikers were packing up for an early start. As soon as I opened the tent the Mosquitos started in and never let up the entire day. All of my gear was wet and especially my shoes and in no time I developed foot problems that forced me to shorten my hike by several miles, stopping at Stewart hollow brook shelter after only 7.3 miles. I am not prepared for this constant wet and buggy environment and am in desperate need of a good pair of shoes. My feet were so drenched that it appeared I soaked them in the tub for ten hours. I felt like I ripped the whole pad off of the balls of my feet. Thank God I didn't!!The thought of ending this misery crossed my mind once or twice already less than two days into the trek. So here I am walking along trying to minimize the constant impact and pain on my feet when I hear a branch SNAP!! I looked left and standing about 15 or 20 yards stood a 300 plus pound Black Bear. We were both startled and he turned as if to run off and then stopped, turned squarely and looked right at me. I think I shat myself as I avoided making eye contact and started unzipping my spray. He turned and just kept walking as if I was no big deal. I had my phone stowed to keep it dry and have no picture to verify my story except for my soiled underwear which I still have on. Just kidding! Anyway, he was smart to move on due to my huge knife I carry at my side. I've been camped since about 2:00 or so and tried to dry out my feet and gear and reassess my situation. Treated my listers by popping them and running thread thru them, cutting and leaving a piece of thread in the blisters to help dry them faster. After eating, I did some gear adjustments and by eating a couple of big meals will cut another couple pounds from my pack. Hopefully I can get some good rest overnight and make an assessment in the morning about hiking or taking a zero to heal these blisters. I think new shoes are also in order if I plan on gitnrdun!
Date: 2013-04-28
From: stewart hollow brook shelter

To: bearded woods hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up about 5:40 this morning and felt ok. It went down hill from there as my feet were giving me fits. I hiked out of camp about 10::00 or so as I couldn't wait any longer for my gear to dry. The town of Cornwall Bridge is where I ends up off trail and hitched a ride into Kent where I bought a new pair of shoes, ate a nice meal with a couple Guiness and hitched back to the trail where I left off. I guess the whole trip was about thirty miles or so though most of that was in a vehicle. My feet are very sore and swollen as I think I have infections in both. I'm hoping my first aid remedy solves the problem or I'll be zeroing tomorrow. Now picture this; I return to the river road where I hiked from and returned to the trail, hiked about 2.6 miles up and over a hill and then some and came back to the main road where I started from within a half mile. Sometimes the trail just kicks your ass and then some! At this point my feet are in real pain so I called Hudson from bearded woods hiker hostel and called it a day. He said he'd be here soon and go over to the Cornwall bridge package store and sign the hiker log and get a free beer, so I did. :-) it was the best beer I ever drank! The hostel is very nicely run by a passed thru-hiker,Hudson and his wife Big Lu. As soon as I got there I immediately felt welcome as I showered, had my clothes washed for me and had a great dinner consisting of salad, corn on the cob, a huge burger and a ice cold beer. This is the best decision I've made since starting and is much needed. Tomorrow mornings breakfast should be awesome as well and all for fifty dollars. If my feet at any better tomorrow I might slack pack and stay here again as the fire works at Lime Rock should be nice to see. Right now my feet are swollen and throbbing. I hope the neosporin helps rid the infection because they really hurt. If I have to take a zero day tomorrow I will because I need my happy feet and after all, being retired feels GREAT!!!! :-)
Date: 2013-04-29
From: Cornwall Bridge

To: falls village
Miles today: 14.0

Today I decided that I wasn't going to sit around all day zeroing and so I prepared my feet as best I could and got dropped off where I left yesterday by Cornwall Bridge. After elevating and resting my feet, plus new tires for the paws, I was off and slack packing. Slack packing is a way to get a big mile day without the added 35 lbs on your back and I took full advantage of the opportunity. I took the bare essentials like food and water plus a flash light, water filter, minor first aid stuff and bug net. The Mosquitos were pretty thick in some areas but if I kept moving, they didn't get me too bad, maybe an ounce or two of blood left in me. I might have pushed it a little bit on the miles and my feet payed for it, not with more blistering but very sore. I managed to get 14 miles in and made it to Falls Village where Hudson picked me up and back to the hostel I went. To items dinner was home made chicken wraps with spinach and home made goats cheese. Big Lu also made her famous salsa dip and other tasty treats that we took to the picnic at the Lime Rock racetrack. We saw an awesome stunt plane show and enjoyed the fire works display. Right now I'm resting easy and contemplating my next slack pack tomorrow, only about ten miles or so to the beautiful town of Salisbury, ct. If my feet are up to it, I will climb Bear mountain and get picked up off of Washington road for a final night at the bearded woods hostel. If any hikers are reading this and haven't hit Connecticut AT Yet, I highly recommend giving Hudson and Big Lu a call. They are very nice and treat you like family. They are very reasonably priced and provide an excellent service. Tell them WILSON! Sent you.