morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-10-04
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

Thurs, Oct 4, 2018: Chestnut Knob Shelter (569 AT) to Jenkins Shelter (579.5 AT) for 10.5 today and 154.8 total.Back to yesterday's story, there were 5 people who came into camp at 6:45 PM last night. Only 4 of them tented near our shelter and had dinner and breakfast inside the cabin. It was dark when they had dinner but Mike had a light so they could see. More about them later.That group had breakfast and was gone by 7:45.Happy woke us up at 3:00 AM jumping around saying a mouse ran over his head. Happy might be a little wacky. We got packed and waited until 8:30 AM to leave to give the group in front of us a head start. The hike today involved a few climbs but along the ridge. We would go up 300 ft and down 200 ft and back up. The tough part about the hike today was that for about 7 miles we hiked over rocks and boulders. You had to climb over the boulder and we did that numerous times today. Our time was not as fast as in previous days. The SoBo'ers we met today were: Chili - in his 20's from Pensicola FLLucy - a female in her 20's Mocca - in his 20's from MassGrizzly & Turtle Mom - a couple in their 40's to 50's from MaineWe also met Bumshey, a gentleman in his 50's who will complete the trail this year in Atkins VA. It took him 4 years.We also met 2 section hikers.Now back to the story of the group that stayed at the campsite last night. After we hiked 6 miles we came to a county road and sitting next to the road there were 3 black SUV Suburbans. The group was there and one new guy we had not met offered us a Gatorade. I thanked him and he told me to thank the woman in the group. When they left 4 guys stayed and 3 new guys went with the husband and wife. (They were in their late 40's to 50's.) The SUV's had VA and DC tags. We think the husband and wife had a security team hiking with them. We think the wife was the person they were providing protection for. There are more details to the story, too much to write, but it is very interesting.We arrived at Jenkins Shelter at 3:30. 7 hours on the trail today.We had dinner. A flip flop SoBo'er by the name of Falling Tree showed up at 6:00 PM. Falling Tree graduated in 2014 from James Madison U. He lost his job and decided to hike the AT. There is no phone service at Jenkins Shelter so we will hit the sack at dark, 7:30 or 8:00.One day left for me.It was a good day. Thanks for following along.
Date: 2018-10-05
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Lick Skillet Hostel in Bland VA
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Fri, Oct 5, 2018: Jenkins Shelter (579.5 AT) to Lick Skillet Hostel in Bland VA (591 AT) for 11.5 miles today and 171.3 this trek.We got an early start this morning since it would be my last day on the AT in 2018.We left the shelter at 8:15 AM. We had a couple of good climbs early this morning and then walked several up and downs across the ridge. The trail was in good shape.We have not had wifi or phone service for the last 2 days so at lunch at the top of the ridge I called Marilee. At that point we had 4.2 miles to complete my trek.We ended at 2:15 PM for 6 hours on the trail. That is great time for 11.5 miles.We only met 2 SoBo'ers today. Grub from New Hampshire and Slim from Michigan.Stripper (Her trail name because she can strip the bark off a tree faster than anyone.) picked us up at 2:30 PM to take us to Lick Skillet Hostel. It is an old church built in 1911. (pictures) No indoor bathroom, an outdoor shower, dinner tonight, and the cost is a donation. They have 8 beds.Stripper is a thru hiker in her 40's who is looking after the hostel while the owner, Mongo goes on a 4-5 day hike.There are 2 other people at the hostel tonight. Chili, we met him slack packing a couple of days ago, and Trail Monkey from FL who is also slack packing.Stripper fixed us dinner, beef stew in a crock pot and pumpkin pie. We're headed to bed shortly. Lights out comes early in the hostels.It has been a great 14 1/2 days on the trail with Mike.Thanks again for the support and for following along with the journal.I'll post a summary in a few days. I am the luckiest guy in the world.
Date: 2019-08-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Overview of Gordon's 3rd Appalachian Trail section hike:August 29 - Sept 19, 2019 The Appalachian Trail journey will continue on Thursday, August 29, when I will fly to Roanoke, Va. and catch a shuttle to Lickskillet Hostel which is close to Bland, Va.. This is the location my 2018 hike ended. My feet will hit the Trail on August 30. One of the things I really enjoy about hiking the AT is that every day you experience something different. These experiences could be birds singing in the early morning, the wind whistling through the trees, a sunset over a ridge, hiking in the rain, a great view of the sun shining into the valley below, a rugged & rocky trail up a step pitch for several miles, or meeting new people and hearing their story of why they are hiking the trail. Some of the experiences this AT Trek will include: - Starting in Southwest Virginia close to Bland, Va. in the Jefferson National Forest at the AT mile marker 591.7-Covering 242.2 miles on the AT (walking about 265 miles with side trips). -59,000 feet of elevation gain-Traveling along the Brushy and Pearis Mountain Ranges to Pearisburg, Va.. -Mike Pearce, my 2018 hiking partner, joining me on September 4 13 miles past Pearisburg at the AT mile marker 656.3-Following the Virginia/West Virginia border for several miles (West Virginia will be the 5th State I have hiked in on the AT).-Hiking in the George Washington National Forest.-The 2nd oldest/largest oak tree (over 300 yrs. old) on the AT.-The Triple Crown (Dragon Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliff). McAfee Knob has to be the most photographed lookout on the AT.-Traveling through the Trail Town of Daleville, Va. -Ending this year at the Ty River Suspension Bridge on Sept. 19 at mile marker 833.9. This is close to Montebello, Va which is just north of Buena Vista, Va.  And everyday on the trail there will be many more experiences, some good and some bad, and I can hardly wait to see what they will be. As in the past years you can view my/our progress and see the experiences we had each day by clicking on the ¢Entries¢ and ¢by date¢ on my Gordon¢s Appalachian Trail Journal page. I will try to update the Journal and post pictures each day but as in the past I could be limited at times due to my phone/wifi service. Wish us luck¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦.
Date: 2019-08-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Thursday, Aug 29: Overland Park KS to Lickskiilet Hostel, Bland VA (0 miles) What a great day to start my journey this year.Marilee took me to the airport to catch my 8:15 AM flight to Washington DC (Dulles) connecting to Roanoke VA. I am excited to get started on my trek this year plus I am very thankful for all of the support I get from everyone that allows me to do this, especially Marilee. During the flight I had time to reflect on what I had to do to get ready for the hike. I did not start preparing as early this year since it has been a very busy 1st half of 2019 for our family with Tyson and Melissa¢s February wedding, Graham¢s graduation in May and starting a new job in June, and Gordon J and Paige¢s June wedding and move to Atlanta. We (Mike Pierce and I) set the dates and the preliminary hike plan in mid-July. The training for the hike started the third week in July. It was not as intense as previous years, but I did walk/ hike about 120 miles with my backpack (weighing 46 lbs) the last 4 weeks plus I continue to do my 3 day a week workout that I have been doing for over 3 years. I do a 3 mile run and a core body work out on the machines.The only new item I added to my backpack this year is a lightweight (2.5 oz) inflatable pillow. I think the comfort it will add will be worth the weight. My starting pack weighs 34.6 lbs. This includes 13 lbs of food and water. I will have 5 days of food (10 lbs), 1 12 liters of water (3 lbs). Of course the food is 1 lb of peanut butter and 1 lb of chocolate. : ) The other 22.6 lbs include my backpack, tent, sleeping bag and gear, sleeping pad, stove, pot, clothes, battery pack and charging cords, rain gear, first aid kit, toiletries, knife and my journal. I feel like I am ready.The trip to Lickskillet Hostel went great. It was planes, buses, and automobiles. All my flights were on time. I left KC at 8:15, thru DC and into Roanoke at 2:00 PM. At the airport I caught a bus to the Virginia Tech Student Union in Blacksburg (about 1 12 hour trip) and this is where Don Raines, my shuttle driver picked me up for the drive to the hostel. We stopped in Pearisburg VA at the Walmart so I could get some stove fuel and a chicken sandwich from the deli for my dinner. Don was a talker and I enjoyed listening to his story. (It¢s too long to cover in this journal but it was interesting.) I got to the hostel at 5:00 PM. Magic (his picture is in my photo gallery) is the person looking after the hostel tonight and he gave me the lowdown how things work. Magic is staying here doing work around the hostel for room and board. At 6:30PM we had dinner. Magic cooked some burgers and I had my chicken sandwich. I spent the evening talking to Magic, catching up on today¢s news on my phone (this place has wifi) and reading some of the reading material at the hostel.I hit the sack about 9 PM and plan to get an early start tomorrow. I am excited to hit the trail in the morning. Thanks for following.
Date: 2019-08-30
From: US52 @ Bland VA

To: Lickskillet Hollow VA
Miles today: 13.1

Friday,August 30: US 52 @ Bland VA (591.7 mile marker) to Lickskillet Hollow, VA 608(604.8 mile marker) for 13.1 milesIt gotcold last night. I was going to sleep with only a sheet on the bunk but duringthe night I put my sleeping bag over me and put on my lightweight longunderwear. It got down to 49 last night. Plus I drank so much water yesterday Ihad to have a couple of bathroom breaks during the night.OnlyMagic and I were at the hostel last night and we both were up at 6:00 AM. It's goingto be a great day to for a hike. The highs will only be in the high 70's.I amgoing to slack pack today (when you only take a day pack) since I will hikeback to the Lickskillet Hostel today.I gotmy stuff together for the hike (2 liters of water, battery pack, lunch and myknife) while Magic cooked us breakfast of eggs and sausage mixed together andcoffee.Mongo,the owner, came over about 7:30 AM and we left for the trailhead at 7:50 AM tomile marker 591.7. I got tothe trail at 8:15 and it was 52 degrees. As I started out, I remembered some ofthe things I truly enjoy about hiking early in the morning. The birds are very active,so they are singing but it is quiet too. You can hear the breeze blow throughthe trees. The thing I don't like is being the first person on the trail, Ialways run into spider webs and there are a lot of them.The hikestarted out with a steep climb for about 3 miles and then I hiked along theridge which had lots of ups and downs. I finished with almost a 3 mile descentback into the valley where Lickskillet Hostel is located. The hostel is .6miles off the trail and when I got off the trail, I walked back adding the.6 miles to my 13.1 miles on the AT. A lady stopped and gave me a ride the last.3 miles. Thetrail was not busy. I met 2 flip floppers. They hiked from Harpers Ferry WV(1/2 point on the AT) to Katahdin, Maine (the north point on the AT) and flipflopped back to Harpers Ferry to Springer Mtn GA. They have 600 miles tocomplete their thru hike of 2192 miles. The first person I met wasFireball from Indiana and he was in his early 30's. The second person wasSleeze and she was in her late 20's or early 30's. They both started in lateApril and if they complete the hike they would arrive at Springer Mtn aroundmid-October.Ifinished my hike at 2:15 PM so I was on the trail for 6 hours and covered 13.1miles. I had a few water breaks and lunch during the hike. I felt good about mypace and only a few aches after I finished. More tocome for Aug 30 later tonight. Since Ifinished my hike early today I had a chance to catch up on the internet plustake a quick shower. Magicand I had dinner at 6:30 PM. We cooked hamburgers. After dinner I looked overmy itinerary for the next few days to make sure my original plan still lookedok and I repacked my back pack.I planto hit the sack around 9:00 PM tonight. Tomorrow will be a big day for me.Thanksfor following.
Date: 2019-08-31
From: Lickskillet Hollow VA

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: clear sky

Saturday, Aug 31: Lickskillet Hollow VA Hwy 608 (604.8 mile marker) to Wapiti Shelter (618.8) for 13.3 milesHad a great night¢s sleep. Magic and I were up at 6 AM again. We fixed and ate breakfast and I packed for my hike. We had frozen sausage biscuits straight out of the microwave. They were not very good. Plus I had a bowl of cereal with fake marshmallows. So much for breakfast. At least it filled me up.I got my pack ready so Mongo could take me to the trail at 8:00 AM. Mongo dropped me off and at 8:11 I started my first day with a fully loaded back pack. I am guessing the weight around 34 lbs.The hike started out with an 800 foot vertical climb out of the valley. That was about 3 miles. The rest of the day I hiked along the ridge with ascents of 200 to 400 feet and descents of 200 to 400 feet. The trail was very rocky for the first 7 to 8 miles but it was great the last 6 to 7 miles with just a bunch of roots. At about the halfway point there was a side trail of .3 miles to Dismal Creek Falls. I decided to go take a look since I was making good time. It is located close to a road so it is a hot spot for the locals. Also at the falls I met a couple from VA Beach. Lost & Found (the male) and his girlfriend, Malan were visiting the falls. Lost & Found was planning on doing a 200 mile section hike but after 100 miles called Malan to come get him. He said being a construction worker in his 30¢s, he thought he was fit. He said the AT kicked his butt. They took a picture of me at the falls.I also met Logger (male 40¢s to 50) heading south. He started in Central PA and was heading to Springer Mtn GA, about 1300 miles. The rest of the day went ok except I did take the wrong trail for .2 miles before I realized it. I got to the shelter at 3:30 PM. 7 hours, 20 minutes on the trail. My phone app said I did 15.6 miles with the side trip and taking the wrong trail. Still a great day and the weather was perfect with 56 degrees to start and 82 degrees to finish.Beng on the trail for 7+ hours gives you a lot of time to think and that is great for me. When I am going down hill I think about how I can be a better person, how to help and support my family, and how I can do things to help the people around us. I think about life. When I am going up hill I think about how far it is to the top. : )I did pitch my tent tonight and I will hang my food bag.Tonight I was too tired to cook so I had 2 peanut butter wraps in tortilla shells with extra peanut butter. (I was missing my peanut butter.) I also had 3 or 4 miniature Hershey bars plus lots of water.After dinner I went to get water and setup my tent. Tonight will be an early night. I will be going to bed at Hiker¢s Midnight (sunset) which is around 8:30.I have covered 26.4 miles in 2 days. I feel great.Thanks for following along..
Date: 2019-09-01
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 7.2

Sunday, Sept 1: Wapiti Shelter (618.1 mile marker) to Woods Hole Hostel (625.3 mm) for 7.2 milesBefore I went to bed last night a couple, Jessica and Tate from Columbus, Ohio showed up just as I was getting ready to head to my tent. They were going to tent but Tate realized he lost his tent poles, so he slept in the shelter. This is a reminder that crazy things can happen if you are not paying attention. I had a hard time falling asleep since the cicadas were so loud. It was after 11:00PM when I went to sleep. The night was cool enough to feel great. I was up at 6:15 AM. (It does not get light until 6:30) and packed the stuff in my tent. I packed my things, ate breakfast (a Clif Bar) and hit the trail at 7:35 AM. The first 2 miles were very steep with 1800 feet elevation gain. The trail was very rocky today. It was hard to find a place to put your foot without stepping on rocks or boulders. I did not meet anyone during my hike on the trail today.I arrived at Woods Hole Hostel at 12:05. It is .5 mile off the trail. It was voted as 1 of the top 10 hostels on the trail by the AT Thru Hikers. The main structure is an 1822 chestnut log cabin. It was opened in 1986 by Tillie and Roy Woods. Neville, their granddaughter runs it today. The heated bunk house is an 1840 log cabin. I sat on the front porch, wrote in my journal and caught up on the news. It is a great day. About 75 degrees. Very relaxing.I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the farm. They raise all their vegetables and meat (cows and pigs). Dinner is at 7 PM but everyone meets at 6:00 to help prepare the meal. We had homemade pizza. After we cleaned up the dishes, we had homemade ice cream. I was stuffed.The group gathered around and talked in the living room and kitchen. At 9:00 PM everyone started going to bed. I got my laundry from the dryer and came to my room to get ready for bed. A good day ¢Thanks for following.
Date: 2019-09-04
From: Campsite at 650.3 mile marker

To: Barley Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: few clouds

Wednesday, Sept 4: Campsite (650.3 mm) to Barley Gap Shelter (660.2 mm) for 9.9 miles.I had a great night of sleep. I did not get up until 6:45 AM with only 1 bathroom break during the night. I did my morning things: pack up my sleeping pad and sleeping bag, get my bear bag down, brush my teeth, eat breakfast, take down my tent and pack my backpack. I hit the trail at 8:15 with only 6 miles to go. (I was wrong last night when I said I only had 4 miles.) I was a little tired. I¢m hiking to the location I will meet Mike today. The hike is mostly downhill today. I did meet Bob, a 75 year old retired marine who is doing a 3 day, 30 mile hike. He asked a lot of questions about the trail.AT 10:50 I got a call from Mike Pearce that he had just landed in Roanoke and would arrive at the trailhead .3 mile from the shelter. (I had phone service but most of the day I had ¢No Service¢.) We decided since I would be there that we would hike to Barley Gap Shelter (3.8 miles from the trailhead) and get a start on tomorrow¢s miles and the uphill climb.More later after Mike arrives. Currently No Phone Service.Mike arrived at 2:00 PM. He had some extra water that we left on the trail for hikers out of water. We started hiking at 2:15. We only met 1 person in the afternoon. Guru Bob. He was hiking from Harpers Ferry WV to Springer Mtn GA. He did the northern part of the AT last year. He was from Hudson NY and according to the NY Times and him, Hudson is the new Hamptons. He was in his 50¢s. He has a sister who used to live in Halbrook in Kansas City but after her children left home, moved to a place in the Upper Plaza. He spends each Christmas in KC.The hike in the afternoon was short (3.8 miles) but with a big elevation gain (1800 feet). It took 1 12 hours to get 1.5 miles. The shelter is good. Mike is sleeping in the shelter. I put up my tent. He had ramen noodles, I had a Mountain House chicken and rice MRE. (14 grams of protein and servings for 2).I went and got water (.3 miles from camp) and we hanged the bear bag. I am going to my tent at 7:48 PM. Mike is already in bed. He got up at 4:00 AM Eastern Time this morning.I have not had phone service. -0 bars since I left my campsite last night. Service is supposed to be spotty the next 2 days. I am excited to have Mike join me today. And I miss Marilee.Thanks for following.
Date: 2019-09-05
From: Barley Gap Shelter

To: John Mtn Creek Campsite
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

Thursday, Sept 5: Barley Gap Shelter (660.2 mm) to John Mtn Creek Campsite (672.4 mm) for a total of 12.4 milesI forgot to mention, I think with the mileage yesterday I have gone 500 miles on the AT. Also I hiked in my 5th state, West Virginia, on the AT. I have also hiked GA, NC, TN, and VA. I actually saw the markers for the VA ¢ WV state line several times yesterday.We got up at 6:30AM and were on the trail by 7:50. The original plan was to hike to War Spur Shelter for an 8 mile day. We got to the shelter and decided to go and get a big climb out of the way. Just to let you know the big climb kicked our butts.We did make it up the climb of 1700 feet elevation gain for the last 2 12 miles today. It took 2 12 hours to do this part. We arrived at camp at 5:30 (with an hour for lunch) so we had 9 hours and 40 minutes on the trail. A long day.We did meet a lot of SOBO people today. A lot of them ¢¦.. know I have met the 6 leading SOBOers (people who started in Katahdin, Maine and are hiking to Springer Mtn GA). The SOBOers we met today were Brown Eyed Girl, Baterds from Boston, Wobat (a guy in his 20¢s from Australia), Frenchy (male in his early 30s from the west coast of France), Blister (a mid 20¢s guy from Fredericksburg VA), Glucose (a 20 something guy from WI), Joka (a 53 yr old male). We also met Smash Burger doing a flipflop and Nibble Feet, (a 63 yr old from northern England) doing a 120 section hike. I am exhausted today. As I arrived at the campsite, I started to look for a place to pitch my tent. I stepped within a few feet of a rattlesnake lying next to a log (in the pictures). We got it to move on, but it let us hear his rattler.We do not have enough water to cook dinner tonight, so we had snacks for dinner. I called Marilee at about 7:30 PM since we didn¢t have phone service for a couple of days. As I was talking to her, the tree Mike had attached his hammock to fell. Mike is ok!! I got off the phone to help Mike reset his hammock. Everything is good. I am sitting in my tent at 9:00 writing this and will go to bed as soon I send it to Marilee.So that is Day 7. Thanks for following.(Editors Note: He is exhausted, and his handwriting shows it. I couldn¢t read any of the names and took a guess at a lot of the other stuff, just using my best guess at content. I hope it is close to what he intended.)