morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-07
From: VA 614

To: US501/VA130
Miles today: 28.6

Man.....the wind was howling today. When david dropped me off it was 24 degrees at 7, but i'm not gripping cause i got to sllep in a warm bed last nght. i know i've said this a thousand times but i think today was my favorite day.....why is that? why are so many days so good. the 29 miles today were so cool. it started with a long climb up to apple orchard and i arrived there at about 1045. the wind was gusting to about 30 and i ate a bite with david and his running group that had met up there to do a long training run. after lunch, i high tailed it over the mountain with the radar golf ball on it and had a weet hike down to us550 where dr. horton picked me up and brought me back to the horton mansion. nancy, davids wife of forever cooked a great meal and we pigged out. david took me to his shrine of an office and i got to see all his cool running stuff from all the years. this guy has been doing long trails since forever. i didn't know it but he had the record on the long trail as well as the at at the same time. i am having a great time hanging out with this great guy. the world would be a much duller place without david horton. he is a colorful character. anyway the plan is for a light 23 miles tomorrow. it sounds like fruitfly is only a few days back and hopefully he will catch up and we can do some hiking together. that would be cool. i liked meeting him at the noc on my 7th day into this thing. anyway, the journey continues as i am a 3rd into this thing. peace to all...woodstock
Date: 2007-04-08
From: US501/VA130

To: US60
Miles today: 23.7

Today was another really nice day. very windy but i am thinking this cold windy weather is about to finally blow out of here. some of the highlights today were fullers rodk where i had a great view back to the south to see the james river wilderness area i had hiked through yesterday. anoher was brown mountain creek where in the late 1800s a community of freed slaves had set up a community. many old chimneys and rock walls still remained and it was fun and interesting spending some time in that area. i had a nice peaceful hike today. david picked me up and we just finished a nice easter dinner and will for sure sleep well here tonight. tommorrow i resume my normal hiker life and i look forward to being back in the shelters. it has been a great time here in lynchburg and i will never forget the hospitlity david and nancy have shown me. i am truly lucky....peace to all.....woodstock
Date: 2007-04-11
From: US60

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 56.0
Weather: light rain

helloooooo out there. well, as i sit here in a nice coffee house with my old friend and old business partner, steven braden in charlotesville, i watch the rain steadily fall outside the windows. off the trail while it is raining. everytifme i have planned a zero or a nero, it rains. i am truly living right. well the last few days have been excellent. i finally caught some northbounders, the goodfella's, (ant, slickshoes and whateva) i know now why they are called the goodfella's. because, they are really good fella's. young and bright and snd the kind of young men a dad would like to see showing up to pick up his daughter on a first date. slickshoes also had his mom along for a short section so i want to say good luck to her as well. if traildog is listening, i got your message in the priest mt. shelter and lyme nh. it is. look forward to meeting you. i did a 28 mile day over the priest and 3 ridges and if your listening, that is a BIG day. lots of climbing and decending. the next day my legs were tired for sure....but not to complain, the weather is sofening up and the hikes were very cool. great trail and i am constantly reminded of how lucky i am to be out here. steven picked me up this morning after an easy 5 miler to rockfish and we went to his country estate, green gables, and along with the sweedish housekeeper (or was she russian?), we enjoyed the hot tub and a misty view of the mountains. inga is one sweet young las i must say. steven and i met riding mountain bikes back in the day in memphis and ended up being partners in a business he had started. he taught me alot about running a small business and the passion it takes to be successful at it. from the confidence i gained with him, i launced my own deal and it worked out well enough that i don't have to work now. i owe him a debt of gratitude. BUT....he is still gonna buy dinner tonight cause he is really knocking it down now. anyway, i am pondering so many things as i walk alone everyday. mostly it is about my mom and dad and my family and how much i love them. how lucky i am to have a great woman in my life and such great friends. life isn't about the houses and the cars and the posessions, it is all about the people in our lives. i must be the richest man in the world. tommorrow starts an 8 day push to harpers ferry where i go home for a few days and back on the trail on the 22nd to hopefully meet up with osprey. until then, peace to all...........woodstock
Date: 2007-04-21
From: memphis

To: memphis
Miles today: 0.0

A good day in memphis......stopped by our local outfitter, outdoors inc. in midtown and talked to joe falcone and tash. joe hiked a substantial part of the trail last year. he has been very supportive and i appreciate the support of our local outfitter. it means alot. i went and did a little talk to my sons 4th grade class about the hike at grace st. lukes. that was really fun and the kids really had some interesting questions. i hope it lights a fire in them to get out there and live there dreams. i know it meant alot to max, my son. they have a map of the AT in their class and are following my progress. 3 of my buddies came over and brought lunch and we hung out on the front porch on a nice spring day and got caught up a little. i am a lucky man to have such good friends. i've been friends with all those guys for 10-20 years and i love them all like they are my brothers and we would do anything for each other. everyone should be so lucky to have such good friends. lenore, max and i took jasper the dog to the park and had a fun time and then visited with lenores parents for a while. pigged out at the mexican restaurant and now we are snug at home about to cuddle up on the couch. this is a good life.......peace to all....woodstock
Date: 2007-04-30
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 194.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I just got off the phone with Woodstock, who was settling in for a nice night on a comfy sofa in the town pavilion in Port Clinton, PA. He has been hiking with Little Debbie, The Hiker Formerly Known As Osprey, for the past few days. Bet y'all didn't know about The Hiker Formerly Known as Osprey's new name. I am excited to be the first to let everyone know. Anyway, he and Woodstock have been putting in the miles to get through Rocksylvania...er...Pennsylvania, ASAP. Apparently this state has been pretty unkind to their feet. Woodstcok and LD spent the night at the Doyle (old old Anheuser-Busch Hotel) in Duncannon, PA on Friday the 27th. They expect to be in Delaware Water Gap on Friday, May 4th, then on to New Jersey.That about all I have to report. As for me, I am looking forward to getting up to Maine in early June to spend some time and be there when Woodstock finishes his journey. Take Care Everyone,Lenore
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Allentown Hiking Club
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: broken clouds

Hey I spoke to Woodstock this morning and he asked me to file another journal entry (he hopes to have computer access in a few days when he gets to another town). He spent last night in the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter. Thunderstorms came rolling in in the early evening, and the shelter had a sort of front porch on it-the perfect locale for hanging out with a cup of tea, watching and listening to the rain, and having a nice conversation with Mike, a section hiker from Florida, who was camping at the shelter as well. Osprey (AKA Little Debbie) was a few miles back, having stopped for a resupply, and I am sure he will catch up again soon. Woodstock also had a phone call from Boone, who it turns out has been home getting over mono for the past month. Man, we knew he was sick but didn't think it was SICK sick. Glad he is back. I know Woodstock wishes Boone was further up the trail--he would love to hike with him again. I'll let Woodstcok give you his "lost in the Bermuda triangle" report from an episode last week...The plan is still to push on to Delaware Water Gap, PA to arrive Thursday night or Friday morning. Woodstock is still anxious to be done with all those PA rocks.That's all for now. Take care! Lenore
Date: 2007-05-08
From: Allentown Hiking Club

To: US9/NY403
Miles today: 178.3

Just a note to catch up a bit. It's been a great hike up to here through W.V. Mariland, Penn, and New Jersey. I am currently at one my dearest friends house near Peekskill, NY. Mark, Tilde and their little boy Jes. Mark and Jes picked me up from the road crossing and we are about to light the barbie and do some catching up while we roast some flesh on the fire. He is a fine griller. Since the last update, i have hiked with the Goodfella's, Osprey (sorta) and Groovasaurus and Hugo. I really enjoyed hiking with the fella's and groove and his pal hugo. all really great guys and sorry we had to split but it was time and maybe i'll see them again. of all the great things i've seen in the last almost 400 miles and there were many, i think what sticks out in my mind the most is The Secret Shelter proivided by jim muray on his farm. he has buiilt himself a place that is totally symbolic of what the trail means to me. simple, peaceful and caring. i will be foreever changed because experiences like i had there. when groove and i arrived at his farm at about 6:30 and showered and got settled, we sat on the front porch and watched the sunset light up the clouds pink, purple and deep blue. the grren rolling hills of his property only brought an even more dramitic contrast to an already inspiring sunset. it was a peacefulness that only mother nature can produce and only can be appreciated when the mind and the spirit are ready to take it all in. it was heaven on earth.i have been moving pretty quickly averaging around 25/day since i left harpers ferry 16 days ago and i think it will be time to rest in a few days. i'm looking forward to it.i'll try to catch up more in a few days when i take a break for real.peace to all.........woodstock
Date: 2007-05-12
From: US9/NY403

To: CT4 near Cornwall Bridge CT
Miles today: 58.5

I hiked a grand total of 3.5 miles today to a road crossing outside of Cornwall Bridge CT where my old friend Matt Ellenthal picked me up. He lives in Winton, about 45 miles from there. this afternoon, we went out to long island sound and went for a boatride in his boat. what a contrast. from sleeping outside and living like a vagrant for the most part to being in a tony new england town and being in and aroung big expensive boats. wow....my brain can't handle it. the contrast in lifestyle is crazy. he and his wife and two kids are really great people who i havn't seen in a long time and i'm so glad to get to catch up. although their lifestyle has changed, they seem to be the same people they have always been and for that i am very glad. tor the last 2 days i hiked with foxtrot, a hiker from alaska by way of pennsylvania who has hiked all over the plane. our plan is to hook back up outside of salisbury and keep heading north together. the hike is still going well but i was in dire need of a good rest and here it is. will probably sleep late tomorrow and get back on the trail tomorrow afternoon sometime. don't have alot to say at this point exept that life keeps surprising me and i am so happy with what this whole experience is teaching me about myself and who i really am. peace to all.....woodstock
Date: 2007-05-17
From: CT4 near Cornwall Bridge CT

To: Dalton, MA/Tom Levardi's Home
Miles today: 91.8
Weather: broken clouds

Awesome hiking the past few days. Matt droped me off at 5 p.m. Sunday and i hiked a few that evening. Since then it's been a pretty easy 20 or so for the last 4 days. Out about 8 and in by 5 at the latest. Mass has been great hiking. My feet and whole body feel so good and rested and i am in great shape mentally and physically. Tom Leonard Lean-to, Upper Goose Pond Cabin were both awesome shelters and i had them all to myself. I also had a nice resupply in Salisbury on Monday and the grocery store and the whole little town were excellent. I am currently at Tom Levardi's home in Dalton. He has been hosting thru hikers for 25 years on the Quiet and he pretty much opens his home and life to us. A really interesting man who has found peace in his life and passes that on to others as they pass through. He is another example of why the AT is what it is. I am looking forward to Mt. Graylock tommorrow and on into williamstown. The journey continues and I can't see slowing down anytime soon. Everyday brings something new and good and the trail is slowly working its magic on this once crusty old man. Every day i am the luckiest man on earth. I have everything!!! Peace to all.........WoodstockP.S......Ben, Erin, Megan, and Max.......I love you sooooo much!!!! and Lenore..thanks for being so much to me......I'm so glad we found each other.
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Dalton, MA/Tom Levardi's Home

To: Mt. Meadows Lodge/Killington
Miles today: 100.0

hey out there in radioland......a great morning in killington....hike out of churchill shelter at 7, hit the state park at 9, they arn't open yet but one of the workers lets me into the shower room and puts the timer on unlimited water/hot water. showered for 20 minutes, up to the deli in killington for a huge sub and resupply and then i get back on the trail and hit mt. meadows lodge. i wish i could take the rest of the day here. it is an awesome place. bill the owner is nice enough to let me use the free internet while i drink an ice cold coke. mornings like this are nice and i needed it. the hiking has been tuff the last few days encountering sfnow on the north sides of killington and other peaks over 3500 ft. also tons of blowdown that you have to go around, so if youi are heading north, figure on slowing your pace by 1/2 mph. the plan is to hit lyme n.h. by the 26th and then a friend may be hiking through some of the whites with me. craig, i hope you can make it. also i talked to dave horton yesterday and he may be coming up to southern maine to do that section with me. then lenore flies up on the 11th. man, company, that will be great. this is day 88 and my spirits are high. physically i'm a bit tired but nothing out of the ordinary. 23 days remaining before i reach the BIG K if all goes well. this trip has and continues to be a journey of a lifetime and even in the tuff times, i wouldn't want to change a thing. love to all my family. max, congrats on graduating up to upper school, erin, great to talk to you yesterday, ben, hope things a re going well and your chopps are neat and clean and megan, hope your having fun in memphis. lenore, can't wait to see you soon......hugs and kisses to all.....woodstock
Date: 2007-05-25
From: Mt. Meadows Lodge/Killington

To: Hanover, NH/Tiggers Treehouse
Miles today: 77.7
Weather: clear sky

yo,yo,yo...........what'up homies? did a good 26 into hanover today and you know what that means????i am in NEW HAMPSHIRE.......that is right , 12 states down and 2 to go and the cool thing is, they saved the best for last. vermont is officially the wildlife state of the AT. I saw a bobcat 3 days ago, a bear yesterday and this morning a big ol' porcupine was wadling his way southbound on the trail. i gave him a wide berth and he just kept moving...i asked him when he started from maine but he wasn't being talkative. it was cool, i've never seen a prcupine that close. they are interesting looking creatures. good trail magic in west hartford...thanks kevin for the coke and the swim on your property on the white river...it definately got me into hanover in a better frame of mind. i'm staying at tiggers treehouse just north of hanover. really nice folks here and they are new to hosting thru-hikers. i would highly reccomend the place but remember, call from the etna general store and karen will pick you up. that is how whe wants to do it. she will be glad to run you into town for resupply or whatever you need. great people so let's make a good impression this year and not scare her oof for the thru hikers next year. tommorrow i am going into lyme to stay with andrew thompson, aka trail dog, who currently holds the AT speed record. 48 days in 2005....can you believe that? 48 days to do this sucker. i m excited to pick his brain and hear about how he handled that. i've never met andrew but i know he loves the trail and that is all i need to know. life is good out here and the trail continues to give me exactly what i need, exactly when i need it. peace to all..................woodstock.
Date: 2007-05-27
From: Hanover, NH/Tiggers Treehouse

To: Glencliff, NH/Hilers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 43.4

i.m sitting in the hikers welcome hostel in glencliff eating the cheapest frozen pizza i have ever had and it tastes like heaven....will definately have another. this is a funky place for sure but i like it and i'll bet it's gonna be quiet tonight. the last few days have been fun. yesterday i was met on the trail about 5 miles south of lyme by trail dog, andrew thompson, and escorted back to the trailhead and to his fantastic home for the night. he is a great guy with a great girlfriend, bethany, who really treated me like a long lost friend. they mede me feel so at home. andrew has 3 thru hikes to his credit including a 47 day speed record hike in 2005 that still stands. it was alot of fun talking about that and how it all went down. he and bethany are alot more than that thogh, both caring and multi talented individuals who have got the priorities in the right places. andrew and i went for a swim in the local pond, went for a ride in their 1971 vw bus, and that night the 3 of us went into hanover for a great meal. it was hard going to bed cause we could have talked all nioght it seemed. this morning i got up and had a great breakfast with andrew and some good joe and he hiked up the trail with me about 2 miles before returning home to make breakfast for bethany. they love each other alot, it's cool to see. i have definately made 2 new friends and have not seen the last of them for sure. todays hike over smarts mt. and mt. cube were awesome...just a small preview of the whites i think. great views all over the place. awesome country. i'm under 400 miles to go now and feel good about everything. gonna turn in early and get a fresh start in the morning. peace to all.....woodstock
Date: 2007-06-03
From: Glencliff, NH/Hilers Welcome Hostel

To: ???
Miles today: 0.0

Hey-Lenore here writing from Portland Oregon (not Maine). Talked to Woodstock 6/1 around noon. He was stuck at a hut not too far from Mt. Washtington. The weather was preventing him from hiking that day and he was not super excited about that, but he is doing okay. Haven't spoken to him since then. He did say he understnds now why they call it the granite state. very rugged, slower going. i'll add more as soon aas i hear from him. i am going up there on monday june 11th to spend his last week on the trail with him, although i think i'll be doing a lot more driving and meeting up with him than actually hiking with him. he will be way to fast for me now, but that's a good thing for him. he's got a big summer ahead of him.Dave Horton, if you are out there reading this, thanks for sending the pack and tent. i received them last week. good luck at big horn!Peace everyone....Lenore
Date: 2007-06-06
From: Gorham/The Barn

To: Gorham/The Barn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Taking a needed 0 in gorham. feet and ankles, mind, body and spirit need a break. i've made a pretty firm decision to get as far as caratunk by the 15th of june. maybe monson if all goes well. but that is as far as i'm going to get before i have to head home for father son hike, and vacation and a race in colorado i'm committed to in july. so close and yet so far. just not enough time to get to K unless i want to slackpack and litterally run the rest of the way to K and that is just not how i want to see maine. i want to SEE and FEEL maine. that means i'll be back the middle of august to finish her off. i feel good about the decision and the trail is the one making the decisions. sucks in a way, but, it is what it is. it will however be fun to show back up in mid august the middle of the pack and see what has been happening for everyones hike. will be fun to maybe summit K with other thru hikers. anyway, just chillin in goraham today and looking forward to seeing horton in a few days and being with him and even more happy about my girlfriend joining me on the 12th. we'll go slow and enjoy some good hiking and then out to acadia on the 16th and 17th of june to camp and see the maine coast. then back home to memphis on the 18th from boston. it's all good on this end......hope everyone out in radioland is groovy..............peace, love and bob dylan....woodstock
Date: 2007-06-09
From: Gorham/The Barn

To: Andover/Pine Ellis Hostel
Miles today: 41.0
Weather: light rain

hello out there in radioland......what a hike from gorham to here. a 17 to carlo col, a 14 through the mahoosuc notch to grafton notch and a 10 mile slackpack today from the notch to east b hill road. this slackpacking is the deal. should have started this earlier in the trip. wow...much easier. anyway, to all who havn't gotten here yet, everything is just a warm up for maine. the mahoosucs are everything they are billed to be. my friend david horton drove 14.5 hours from virginia to meet me and hike for a day or two. he came up south from grafton notch and i was heading north from carlos col and we met dead in the middle of the mahoosuc notch. it was great, great,great to see him. his timing is perfect. i was trashed and tired and his positive presence really helped when i needed it most. we had the best time in the notch in the snow and house sized boulders and over the mahoosuc arm (he called that section "insainly difficult", and l;ast night we drove over to mexico (mexico maine) and had dinner at the chicken coop. i got a bumper sticker that says, i ate at the chicken coop in mexico maine. it was one of those kinds of days. we had a great breakfast at the diner here in andovewr, dinner plate sized pancakes and he dropped me back at grafton notch and i did the easy 10 this morning. i just can't say enough about david. he has a HUGE race next weeknd in wyoming and he drives 14 hours to help me. that is true friendship. he has taught me alot about what that word really means. what is so cool is that i know we will share some absolutely crazy adventures in the future. he has some big plans on some big trails and i can't wait to be part of the team that helps him achieve his goals. i am having a blast and the best part is that lenore, my baby is meeting me in rangly in 2 days, the 11th. i am so excited that she is finally going to be here. anyway, life is good....my knees hurt a bit but that is o.k. too. this place, pine ellis is GREAT. the owners are really good folks and have been hosting hikers for 18 years. i like it here alot. homey......peace to all.........woodstock.
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Andover/Pine Ellis Hostel

To: Rangley Maine
Miles today: 20.0

yo.......well, i'm sitting in the library in bar harbour maine.....what a cool place out here. lenore and i are spending 3 days out here after a day in rangley. off the trail for now which bites the big one, but, it's all good and looking forward to a geat summer with family and friends. will be back mid august to finish up the AT. peace to all my NOBO brothers and sisters and i hope to see some of you when i return. life is so short....make every day count. woodstock