morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-09-26
From: Monson

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

¢¦I made it. One hundred miles of hiking through the famous Maine Wilderness. First off, it is not a wilderness and, secondly, it is not 100 miles. I also want to add, there is no trail - but then there is more tail in Maryland than there is in all of Maine!I've added some photos of Katahdin, somewhere.OBH gave up after only 56 miles. After he jumped into his not-so-shinny-any-more pickup, I had to continue southward without adult supervision - but, somehow, I have managed.Am in Manson, ME now, waiting on the a ¢perfect¢ storm. The weather man promises RAIN followed by even more RAIN, with a strong possibility of RAIN after that - depending on the track of tropical storm Kyle. All should be here and gone by Sunday noon. I had a choice: Wait it out or walk it out. A very tough philosophical dilemma for a proven thru-hiker: ¢like the trail, the weather is what it is¢ and ¢to endure the elements is the heart of the challenge¢. Well, a tough choice, but one which I had make. And having been properly trained and with a deep reflection on the problem and the guiding principle of WWJD (What-Would-Jim-Do) - I¢ve held up at Shaw¢s Hostel AND I have taken a bunk. Yes. Indoors! Only the 4th or maybe the 5th time since March 17th and only the 14th time since September 1, 2007.I am about 150 miles from the shinny RED bicycle and my trailer that OBH brought with him But having made the climb to Katahdin and completed the 100 mile wilderness, I am no longer under any time pressure. Perhaps more later, if the rain doesn¢t show up early and if I can think of something to say¢¦PS. Thanks BlueLew and CookieToo for the best of Bud¢s Best Cookies. They were a wonderful surprise and much needed snack , for sure. After 6 months of Ramen Noodles and PopTarts, my body doesn¢t function too well, if I don¢t have a hundred calories in my pocket, I am not going up any hills.BTW, Rangeley, ME 04970 is my next mail drop, that¢s General Delivery, of course. I have some cold weather gear waiting there - the weather was wonderful going through the Whites and for a month I¢ve been bouncing my coats and earmuffs between Post Offices.
Date: 2008-10-05
From: Stratton

To: Rangely
Miles today: 0.0

GREAT NEWS!The organization that sells bicycling maps for $15 also gives away the routing data in a GPS format. The Atlantic Coast data includes routing AND waypoint plus waypoint data. (Data like towns, service stations, campgrounds, food, etc) Good to go!I¢ve loaded my GPS¢r with that data and have mapped out a fairly flat route from Stratton ME to Lewiston ME by way of Rangeley ME (where my cold weather coat has been waiting).Once on the Atlantic Coast route I think it will be like following the white blaze, only better.
Date: 2008-10-06
From: Rangely ME

To: Farminton ME
Miles today: 25.0

I struggled for two hours on Sunday morning, moving back and forth between packing my gear and deciding on a route from Rangeley to the coast where I will pick up the Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route laid out by AdventureCycling-dot.org.One would think that if my loaded backpack would comfortably fit into the trailer, then I could easily repackage the stuff and be good to go. Didn¢t happen. And that was before I picked up my winter coat and sweatshirt from the post office in Rangeley so now it won¢t happen. The twenty miles between Stratton and Rangeley was F L A T.   Just a few pulls uphill and then nothing but good news.I camped outside of town on a side road. No issues, except it took an hour to pack out.
Date: 2008-10-07
From: Farminton ME

To: Aurburn ME
Miles today: 45.0

Am still struggling to pack my gear, for now I¢ve settled on packing my pack just like I did while hiking the A.T. The ¢extra¢ stuff that I can¢t figure out where came from, goes into a plastic storage container from Wal-Mart that fits comfortably inside the trailer.The mostly full, but not stuffed backpack is riding on the luggage rack atop the trailer.I managed to reduce the bulk, but not any real weight. The ¢extra¢ stuff that I¢ve acquired during the transformation from a thru-hiker to a thru-biker includes a laptop computer and its BIG carrying bag, my North Face fleece coat, my outer shell jacket, my most favorite good-karma-sweat-shirt, a pair of pants, a rain coat, and gloves, gloves, gloves.The ride from Rangeley to Farmington was 45 miles ¢ almost all downhill! I would push my rig up some lightweight hill, maybe a tenth of a mile, and then coast downhill for a mile. Then I would repeat. At one point, I went down hill for almost four miles!I spent the night on the outer rim of the Wal-Mart parking lot. Picnic tables and trees.
Date: 2008-10-08
From: Aurburn ME

To: Gorham ME
Miles today: 35.0
Weather: clear sky

Just passing through a small-ish down.Stayed behind the sign in front of the church. The sign's position and tree cover made for a cool place to hide in plain sight. Many times a hiker would write in a shelter's journal that 'he had stealth camped' the night before on a ridge/mountain/river-side. Stealth camped, my ass! There are no midnight-shift policemen driving shinny blue police cruisers on the Appalachian trails; no late-night drug-heads looking for a fix; no would-be-vandals looking to steal scrap metal from graveyards; no early morning joggers pounding the trails; no nothing, not even the bears care about a hiker 'stealth camping' in their back yard.I can't say that camping in Wal-Mart's parking lot equates to camping or stealth camping. I done that twice, now. But camping in a city - downtown! Now that's real stealth camping!
Date: 2008-10-09
From: Gorham ME

To: Berwick ME
Miles today: 43.0

Berwick Maine, a wonderful little town. The local pastor allowed me to stay with some of the local talent.Googleme¢A comfortable stay with internet access, too. Right there in amongst the dead people!I did a bit of repacking in the AM, which caused me to have a rather short travel day, barely getting to Exeter. Before I QUIT.Actually 10-10 was a terrible day. More later, I can another round-touit.
Date: 2008-10-10
From: Berwick ME

To: Exeter, ME
Miles today: 30.0

Busy, with many town characters; busy, a serious traffic hub between many a somewhere; busy, with lots of late evening walkers that still think that it's safe to be outside the home after dark.I slept at another church. A bit too much traffic; even a mid-night trip by the fire department to go do something or another; and a train that insisted on blowing its horn for twenty minutes.The local establishments close early. I barely managed to recharge the laptop before they locked up the place. I also got to speak for twenty minutes or so with Eleanor Coade. A rather nice looking woman that seemed to have no place better to be on a Friday night.I got an early morning start because some people came to mow grass. I don't know if they intended to mow the church lot, appeared that they just parked there - fifteen feet from my tent - which they did not notice!Googleme
Date: 2008-10-13
From: NorthBridge MA

To: Hartford CT
Miles today: 35.0

A paltry 35 miles that included a detour through the northwest corner of Rhode Island to grab a geocache. I didn¢t want to go the 20 miles out of the way but I would have been second guessing myself at the journey¢s end. Stayed at Wal-Mart. Gotta love security that doen¢t notice a vagrant sleeping in the parking lot.Wal-Marts have too much noise for a good sleep. Traiffic until late and then there¢s the parking lot sweeper and delivery trucks coming and going overnight.Nice restrooms, though.Here's a link to Blazing Star's jounal. We first met down at Uncle Johnny's in Irwin and again way up north. From Kent CT on up, we were seldom more than a day apart until I flipped on up with OldBoyHiker.She caught bad weather at Mt Katahdin and like many hikers was stuck for days before the weather turned better. The hikers that she menitions on October 6 and 7 covers a good number of those that I met and re-met on the trail frequently.Blazing Star
Date: 2008-11-05
From: Waynesborro

To: Waynesborro
Miles today: 0.0

Wayne¢s World!A zero! The first day off from the bicycle ¢ that would be most of 32 days of continuous grind. I have been planning, expecting and wanting this stop for several days. Wayne¢s World is the most friendly of the ¢thru-hiker friendly¢ towns on the A.T. and is one of my, if not ¢ THE, most favorite towns on the A.T. Of course a good part of that was the timing and reception from trail Angels Walt & Pat Radney that Satchel and I received on our hike into town late in the day last June.[One down-side note: both of the coin operated laundry¢s are missing decent electrical outlets for a recharge of the cell phone.]I¢m staying at the YMCA¢s thru-hiker camp ground. The YMCA allows a free shower with clean towels and soap. I hadn¢t bathed since Delaware Water¢s Gap about two weeks ago. I took several showers to make sure that no places went untouched ¢ twice or thrice. It¢s raining, kind of. It sprinkled on and off most of yesterday during the 35 mile ride over from former President Jefferson¢s Monticello. Showers came and went most all night and lingered into the early morning. It had stopped while I was doing the laundry; it¢s noon, or so, as I write this.HEY! Virginia IS flat! Only the climb up Hwy 250 leading into town is uphill; about 1700 feet, too. That was followed with a 4 mile ride down-hill into town. If not for the signal lights I could have coasted to the YMCA. I figure that I¢ve traveled most of a hundred miles in VA and mostly the roads have been flat. Even flat, it hasn¢t been easy because of the 10-15 mph winds coming from the west; wind the face all day is worse than hills I think.I am following the VA Bike Rt 76 across the state. I¢ve looked at it a couple of times and quite frankly I was pretty apprehensive about riding across the state. Another route would go further south following the Atlantic coast; eventually, heading west on a very flat course. If I can determine a decent route across Tennessee from Damascus to Birmingham this route should be shorter, faster, and I suspect warmer than any alternates.
Date: 2008-11-12
From: Damascus

To: Abington
Miles today: 50.0

Damascus ¢ my third visit this year! First from Uncle Johnny¢s for Trail Days, then back through on my thru-hike, and now, headed southwest to Birmingham via bicycle.Am staying on the front pourch of the Place. They's locked the doors for the winter I suppose. Matters not, I like my tent. 14 months of homelessness and not once have I slept under a bridge. (I have, however, slept on a bridge - the footbridge heading out of North Adams.)Not much to say just now and limited time. I have days worth of planning to complete before the library closes at 7 and I work soooo slow. From Maine, I kinda followed the Atlantic Coast Route from AdventureCycling.org to a point north of Richmond Va. Then I followed their Trans America Route (aka US Bicycle 76) across Virginia to here. From here the TA heads to the northwest and through Kentucky so I am left to my own wit to find a path across Tennessee and into Alabama WITHOUT taking on each and every mountain between here and there.My thanks to the BetaMan, aka Brother Jim, for renewing my findingwarren.com domain. Without his help I surely would be lost in woods. Actually that is truer than known; more than a couple of times my ¢path¢ along the A.T. died and I had to call him on the cell for help. I¢d tell him where I needed to be and where my GPS¢r said I was, and he would Google me a waypoint that would set back on the correct path. Thanks Bro! I¢m thinking that I¢ll be home in ten days, Little Stevie says that he¢ll save some turkey sandwiches for me cause he doesn¢t think I can make it. I do know that the weather is getting colder and the days are shorter. My guess is that southbounders wanting to be in Springer by Christmas are needing to be hiking in the dark.   Well, until next time¢¦
Date: 2008-11-24
From: Anniston AL

Miles today: 58.0

Home! Home? I dunno, if I am home or if I am homeless, but I am at my starting place.I arrived in the greater Birmingham area late Friday after a mere 6 weeks of bicycling from Stanton Maine. I¢ll be gathering facts about my journey during the next few days and then I¢ll post the ones that I find the more interesting.Until then, I can be reached by email with: warren at gubbool.org
Date: 2008-11-30
From: None

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

From the ¢Where¢s Warren¢ thread on the Alabama Geocache forum discussion about Warren¢s recent activities.Quote: TheAlabamaRambler: ¢¢¦more likely it's "OK, now what?"Warren replied: ¢Yeah... now what? Maybe a canoe ride to the coast... anyone interested?¢The days are consumed pretending to be busy but actually nothing is happening. It takes some effort to adjust to that - after most of 8 months of moving my kit most e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y.I did manage to get a good second draft of the return-trip bicycle route plotted. It¢s hoped that somehow it can be made into a viewable Google map, but for now:191 miles Stanton, Maine to the Maine/New Hampshire Border061 miles thru New Hampshire 061 miles thru Massachusetts 017 miles thru Rhode Island113 miles thru Connecticut112 miles thru New York153 miles thru Pennsylvania 005 miles thru Delaware123 miles thru Maryland008 miles thru DC485 miles thru Virginia216 miles thru Tennessee104 miles thru Georgia095 miles thru Alabama to Chelsea/280 1763 miles, Maine to Alabama The bicycle route was largely influenced by the Atlantic Coast and Tran-America routes setout by adventurecycling.org. They sell different map sets for long distance bicycle trips and they provide the data in abbreviated and somewhat flawed GPS¢r formats that is free for the download. I made good use of the GPR¢r data, following it when I didn¢t know better.The route from Damascus, VA to Knoxville, Tennessee, and southwest to Georgia¢s Silver Comet rail-to-trail path before heading west southwest to Hwy 280, AL was my own doing. I was apprehensive about the mountains of Tennessee; but, surprisingly, there were none to cross, making that section was among easiest of the entire trip. The various bicycle routes were often not the most direct. They were generally based on roads that were flat, had better shoulders, or had the lighter traffic. ¢Light traffic¢ meant winding, hilly, off-course back roads and very few direct highways for the most part. And there was some extra mileage for sightseeing (the Mennonites in PA; catching geocaches in the out-of-the-way states of RI and DE; and a couple of ¢Where¢s Wal-Mart¢ detours) as well as the too frequent correction-routes suffered whenever I missed the mapped turn-offs. And there were several official bike paths that are not directly measurable. Therefore my distances and my total distance will not equal what might be calculated using maps.yahoo.com.The daily average was about 45 miles/day over six weeks, taking two days off to rest and to work-up the cross-Tennessee route from Damascus, VA. (¢¦hmmm, that would be two showers in 6 weeks!) Once I can figure out how to sell my Carbon Credits to Al Gore, I¢ll be eating pretty well.Between both the Appalachian hike and the return bicycle effort, my body propelled itself 4,200+ miles on mostly ¢roads less traveled¢.
Date: 2009-01-09
To: Carapace Cache
Miles today: 0.0

http://coord.info/GC1KK3G{*FTF*} = 70Being destitute constructs an immense quantity of tribulations for this obsessive treasure seeker. Being without technical apparatus' like instantaneous pronouncements or even the contemporary conveniences of being constantly linked, in order to join the fray of the earliest discoverers, I must hang in the region of complimentary wireless services and manually and seemingly continuously refresh the presentation for announcements of fresh secrets.This morning a bit of karma came my way and not only was this posting discovered in a timely manner it was both nearby, as I was at Melissa¢s, and convenient, along the path soon to be traveled to return my collection of borrowed videos.At first it seems that the owner has wrongly-rated the terrain because the gps¢r wanted to increase the difficulty rating by three. So I searched elsewhere, seeking to be safe and unseen. However, time was lost as the results were nil. So, though dreaded, I decide that I must search where the gps¢r had declared! Having googled the word-of-the-day, to venture into ground zero makes the cache title and description clear but, alas, I brought none. So dashing into the intersection¢s center I smartly conduct a reasonable search and escape unharmed before the traffic controller reverts to unsafe. This act of wait-time-wait-dodge-search-escape was repeated thrice before discovery was made.Only because I am old, experienced, and versed in the safety of crossing the street, was I able to grab-reposition-sign-return-replace the wee container without notice or injury.Thanks for the fun! We need more of these semi-park-an-grabs ¢ the simple, city drive-ups and lamp skirts just don¢t compare. Oh, I should mention that TV3 happened to pass this way due to her appointment with her doctor. It seems that she became quite ill shortly after receiving notice of this fresh hunt and was on her way to acquire another BIG bottle anti-cache-obsession medication. I barely can wait to read of her near collision with the dark jeep that was behaving as though driven by an angry, too-late-to-be-first, cacher.Warren of PHAH
Date: 2009-07-02
From: Hoover AL

To: Hoover AL
Miles today: 0.0

Clearly I am not one to provide updates on where I be and what I be doing. Most recently I bicycled from Birmingham to Damascus Va for the annual Trail Days event which is a reunion thingy for long distance hikers. After that I spent a couple of days working with the local trail maintenance group famously known as Hard Core. Then a bicycle trip across Tennessee to the Tennessee River west of Nashville which I followed south into Mississippi along a bicycle route named The Underground Railroad. That path follows a good part of the historic slave route from the Gulf of Mexico north to Ohio.   I forget the distance, between 1000-1200 miles. That¢s 2530 hiked to Maine, 1750 biked from Maine, 1000 on the Damascus loop. So, what¢s next, you ask. I am planning a kayak trip on the Alabama Scenic River Trail that runs from northeast Alabama southwest to Fort Morgan. I have no true experience on rivers so this will be real learning experience. The Trail is 631 miles end to end following the Coosa River crossing nine lakes. Most of the trip is flat/still lake water so there is not much danger for a novice. Near the half point there a six mile strip of rapids but I should be experienced enough to handle it when I finally reach it. That trip should take 45-50 days. Then? Who knows. Hey, I could reach Corpus Christi on the Inter-Coastal Waterway; I have a sea-worthy kayak, just short on skills and time. My 40th High School Reunion is during September, so maybe I¢ll try some that. I am not the big adventurer. I¢m just not lazy and I don¢t want to going to a pointless job every day. And as it is cheaper to live off the grid, so to speak, then I¢m going with that. Money-wise, I have settled with Prudential, finally, after most of two years of haggling over MY money. And as I have received my first check from them, I can say that I have retired. I barely received 80% of what was due me and didn¢t get a lump settlement. There is not enough money to live on in a city, but there is plenty to live - so long as my needs are mostly travel-on-the-cheap, replacement gear and food. For more spending money, I¢ll do some odd jobs wherever I happen to find myself when it is time to winter-up.I am planning to use Twitter to record my progress. If you want, you can track me, my username is gubbool. You can follow me by receiving text message directly or by visiting findingwarren.com occasionally. And that is my update about, me.   My life isn¢t the result of bad luck, bad choices, or the unfair world, and it is not the life that I expected but as I didn¢t plan better, it is pretty much what I deserve. Health, friends, and a pair of good shoes are all a man needs. I have them all - shoes, courtesy of Lee and Nancy. Warren
Date: 2010-04-01
From: Oak Mountain State Park

To: Across these United States
Miles today: 0.0

Note from April 1 2010Aside from what I already have, I need a few things before I depart for this journey of 10,000 miles thru 28 states, double crossing the US of A.I already have a $25 tent - a kid's 5x6 Junior non-water proof tent from Wally's. However, this is the same tent I used to on the ASRT in '09 and though I am too tall and it isn't water-resistant (much less water proof) it is warm and free replacement poles are only a Wal-Mart away d. writing pens d. thin waterproof lock-n-lock box d. stampsd. spare air pump - good thing, cause I lost the better onex. post cards - never made any for the tripd. big plastic ties - alway usefuld. AA and AAA batteriesd. tire tools and flat fixing kitd. second adjustable wrenchd. flag & pole - Nancy helped to find one at wally'sx. lights front & back - got one for the back onlyd. spare 26 &16 inch tubex. chain oil - used 2-cycle oild. short big tipped Phillip screw driver - got a set of flat and Phild. duct taped. bungee cordsx. seat cover - couldn't get one, found one on the Virginia Creeper Trail in Mayd. pedals - lasted only to MO but replaced in NDd. tarp - a must have for this tentd. long bolts - repair trailerd. gps - lost 60csx had to order Dakota 20d. sd chip for gpsd. riding glovesx. spark plug wrench - found the originalx. DC phone cord - didn't find one at Wally's
Date: 2012-03-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Dang, this page is still here!2010 Epic Double Crossing of the United States on bicycle That's 10,000 miles, 27 states, 207 days.2011 Mini Epic Kayak Trip -850 milesTennessee River, the Tenn-Tom Waterway, Alabama & Florida Gulf Coast to Panacea FL2012 - Kayaking to the Keys
Date: 2008-01-31
To: Introduction
Miles today: 0.0

Hi, Everyone!Now that I have my trail name, I can finally get my journal started. (lol) I consider myself a fighter/survivor, and this is the reason why I have chosen the name Waterbear (Thanks Paul!) My last day of work will be January 31st, and we will begin our hike February 1st. I will be hiking with my boyfriend, Stormennorm. People keep telling us that this adventurous hike will either make or break our relationship. This may be true, but come on people¢¦enough already! (lol) As long as we give each other ¢plenty of space¢ and work things out when/if there is a problem, then we should be fine. I¢m not worried about it. Stormennorm is more experienced than I am when it comes to the type of an adventure. However, I am up for the challenge and for a new experience/adventure. I will have my friend Benny up date my journal entries if some reason I am unable to do it myself. I have mixed emotions about this whole ordeal because I don¢t handle too many big changes so well.I know that I can do this physically, but whether or not I can handle it emotionally is going to be the ¢big¢ issue. (leaving my jobs and my home, being away from my family/friends, and experiencing a new life) The most I have ever hiked has been a section on the AT consisting of 96 miles(1 week). Other than these new changes that will soon occur, I am ecstatic about this journey and the lessons learned from it. Thank you family and friends for all of your love, help, and support. See you all in 6 months! Wish me luck!Love,
Date: 2008-02-01
From: Amcalola Lodge

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We began our day eating at Amcalola Lodge with our parents. Great breakfast buffet! Driving up USFS42 Rd, we had to begin our journey 1 1/2 miles earlier than expected because a huge pine tree fell blocking the road. My mom cried her eyes out as we said our goodbyes. The closer we got to Springer Mountain, the colder and icier it got along with strong winds. The closer we got to our shelter the warmer it got. Go figure. We did meet an interesting fellow, Privy Monster, at the shelter. The day ended after a 7.8 mile and 4.5 hour hike with a great fire and a gorgeous view of the stars.