morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-27
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter 

To: Ethan Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

We woke up this morning with the intention of hiking ten miles to Zealand Hut and saving extra miles for the next day. We lucked out and caught some easy miles that will probably not happen again. The day started with us looking straight up at South Twin Mountain. South Twin was described to us as one of the most difficult mountains on the trail. With sheer ups that never seem to end, we figured get it over with and then be finished with climbing for the day. Ha ha, it just doesn¢t work that way, but we were happy because South Twin was not the worst we have hiked. It was difficult for sure, but it gave us enough reprieves of level spaces so that we could catch our breath.We descended from Twin and immediately began the climb up to Zealand Mountain, via Zeecliff ridge. The hike was not super difficult and I couldn¢t believe it but before we knew it, we had hiked 10 miles and were still feeling pretty good and it was only 4pm. And then the best news came...We stopped at Zealand Hut for a quick break and a bowl of soup. The huts keep hot soup and fresh sliced bread available to their guests all day, and they hikers can buy the goods as they pass through. It¢s an awe start up and the soup was gluten free chicken and rice! Absolutely deelish! But that¢s not all. We were told by three South bounders that the next 4.5 miles would be the flattest from here to Maine! What? 4.5 miles of truly flat hiking? Do we decided to head out and try to gain those miles today. And for once, everyone was telling the truth. Probably a first! It was flat and we cruised until just before 7pm when we hit Ethan Pond Shelter.This shelter itself wasn¢t that spectacular, but the pond it was on was remarkable. Exactly what you would think of when envisioning a mountain lake. Surrounded by stands of pine; huge trout jumping for surface bugs in the twilight...the only thing missing was a moose eating dinner. Curly got some great pics you can see on her Instagram account. We ate a vey late dinner, and slept in a shelter for the second night in a row. Heavy rains are forecasted for tonight, and we want to stay dry. Tomorrow is the beginning of our hike over the Presidential range. Mt Washington is on for Wednesday!
Date: 2018-08-29
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Madison Springs Hut 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

So we got up at 530am, and were actually out and hiking by 640am. The fog burned off quickly and it started out as a beautiful day. We were pleasantly surprised as this was not in the forecast. The sun shine brightly as we made our way up Mt Washington...the views were spectacular and the clouds would hover in and out of the top, giving us brief glimpses of the weather observatory at the summit.By noon we made our way to the top, and mingled with the tourists who either drove their cars or took the train up! We ate expensive chili to warm ourselves, as the weather cooled off significantly. The sun disappeared and the clouds covered up absolutely everything once again. Having to hike 5 plus miles still, we hiked off into the fog, following rock cairns as our guide across the remaining Presidential range. The going was extremely slow as we picked ur way down, over and around boulder fields. The afternoon fled from us, the weather cooled down, and right st 6pm we hobbled into Madison Springs Hut. It took us almost twelve hours to hike almost twelve miles, consistent with our pace since entering the Whites.  Fortunately for us, there were no other thru hikers their asking for Work For stay, so we lucked out got a second night in a row. Within the hour after arriving, the skies blackened, thunder arrived and do did a torrential rain...but we are dry. Tonite our leftovers consist of turkey, chickpea soup, salad, bow tie pasta and a vegan dark chocolate cake! All I had to do was the dishes and Curly swept the dining room floor. Tomorrow we face Mt Madison and a brutal descent into Pinkham Notch, then a resupply at Gorham.
Date: 2019-07-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings!  For those of you who have followed Curly and I on our 2018 AT adventure, I invite you to move over to the 2019 AT Trail Journal Site.  We are continuing our quest to hike the entire AT, picking up where we got off trail last year, at Madison Springs Hut.We look forward to sharing the rest of this hike with you, and appreciate your encouragement and kind words!
Date: 2017-01-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

My 2017 Appalachian Trail Section Hike adventure planning/training has begun. There is going to be a HUGE change in my game plan for this year. For the first time ever, I will be going completely SOLO. NO DOG and no human companion. Yes, I am a bit nervous but have great confidence in my skills and know I will be travelling both much lighter and faster.My precious Jackson was diagnosed with Lyme¢s Disease in October after a lengthy recovery from a June agility injury. This despite all the medication, vaccine, and vigilant tick checks. Looking back to last February / March, I believe there were small signs that he already had Lyme¢s. His getting extremely tired on our 2016 Section Hike was a huge symptom. I am elated that we got the right diagnosis and he is on the mend. Though hiking the AT didn¢t necessarily cause his Lyme¢s, I can no longer take the risk with my precious agility competition dog to have him accompany me on such a dangerous adventure. We both love agility too much and not being able to play for more than 12 of 2016 was a huge sacrifice. Though I do love having his company, I will thus be carrying a lot less weight without him coming and I'll be able to gett¢er done a lot faster solo.For 2017, I am planning to finish Pennsylvania (55.4 miles), New Jersey (72.4 miles), New York (89.8 miles), and Connecticut (50.6 miles) for a total of 268.2 miles over 20 days. Squeaking 30 miles of Massachusetts would make it an even 300 miles but that might be a stretch. So with those parameters established, the detailed planning and training begins. Only 3-1/2 months to departure!
Date: 2017-01-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice 1-1/2 hour hike on the Ice Age Trail with my three favorite boys today. Not carrying any weight yet. Exploring options with an orthopedic doctor about my right knee. This winter has been unusually warm with very little snow. We have done a lot of hiking with our Yaktrax, ice grippers you wear on your boots to walk safely on ice.
Date: 2017-02-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

2017 Appalachian Trail Preparation Status: If you have ever noticed, when I hike the AT, I wear knee braces. These are mostly for downhill support. In 2010, I started having trouble with my right knee, only when I long distanced hiked and only going down 1000'+ descents. After my 2015 hike I started having slight pain with the right knee even after returning home. During my 2016 AT Section hike, it became obvious that I needed to have it checked out as the braces no longer provided the support I needed and that slight dull pain continued all the time.So, in January 2017 I went to an orthopedic specialist. I have little cartilage on the inside of the knee cap and arthritis on the outside. Nothing major needs to be medically done but it was off the the Physical Therapist who quickly turned me over to an Athletic Trainer. Seems my quads are very adequate to support my knees but my outer hip and buttock muscles need quite a bit more strengthening. Wow, I got a great list of exercises to add to my program, great education on how to use KT Tape, and an unbelievable demonstration on how to lift and massage my knee cap. We are still experimenting with the exact KT Tape configuration to use, but the tape in combination with a sturdier brace appears to be my 2017 AT Section Hike solution.BTW, taking up jogging full-time is a no-no. So far NO issues or pain with sprinting and turning in agility!
Date: 2017-03-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

On February 8, 2017, a precious litter of Border Collie puppies was born in Seattle, WA. I'd been waiting for this litter for sometime and it's arrival and my position on the wait list was going to make or break my 2017 AT Section Hike. I continued to practice hike and itinerary plan throughout February. But in early March I learned I was going to be the proud mama of a new little bouncing boy BC puppy named Valid. As you can imagine, all AT planning immediately ceased!!! With great excitement on March 30, 2018, I flew to Seattle to adopt him and transport him home. Due to the timing and bonding/fear periods I opted not to go hiking but stay home and begin raising my next agility partner.My yearning for the trail was pacified by Valid's arrival and distraction. But there was yet another unforeseen distraction looming. In late April and all of May, my current agility dog Jackson and I started to come together as a team. We'd worked for this moment for 5 years and here it was BOOM!!! Happening so fast my head spun. We quickly qualified for the USDAA Nationals to be held in Murfreesboro, TN but did not have anywhere near the mental game required to perform on that large of a competition stage. So in August, Jackson and I went to a USDAA Regional in Kansas City. To go from not being able to Qualify on even 10% of our runs to running at a Regional in such a short time was mind blowing. The first of the 4 day competition, I was unable to focus enough to even have Jackson complete 4 obstacles on our 2 runs. My mental game was a mess! By Saturday, I was able to function at a level higher than Jackson and I had EVER done. Wowser!Funny, we came home from the Regionals and my yearning for the trail and some alone time went soaring through the roof!!! But I had to stay mentally focused.... the USDAA Nationals were coming in late October!!!
Date: 2017-10-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The 5 day USDAA Agility Nationals were amazing! Jackson and I moved our mental and physical game to the next level!!! We surpassed all personal goals by leaps and bounds. We have returned safely home having listened to the audio of "A Walk In the Woods" 2xs on our 9 hour drive to TN and back. With USDAA Nationals a wrap, Jackson and I are on a 1 month break from agility and so begins my itinerary planning picking up where I left off last March. Yippeee!!!
Date: 2017-11-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So after a long 8 months of distractions, we are back to our daily practice hikes. This week we did a consistent 30-45 minute daily hike carrying no weight but getting good elevation. Yippeee!!!! We are back on track with our hiking!It is not certain if I will do my 3 week Section Hike in April or May. Agility competitions and our trainer's schedule will dictate that timing. For now, what is certain are those 300 miles of northern PA, and all of NJ, NY, CT, and MA!!!
Date: 2017-11-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

On Thanksgiving 2017, I hiked the Delafield Section of the IAT (1000 miles hiking trail that runs through Wisconsin called the Ice Age Trail). It is a very clean, well marked and mostly paved section of the IAT. The section takes you along the Bark River and provides vistas of Nagawicka Lake. It runs right through downtown Delafield, WI and through the shopping district. There is plenty of access to resupply and hotel stays on this Section. I highly recommend catching breakfast at the Lumber Inn in the downtown area. It made for a great 3 mile practice hike as I did it solo without the pups.
Date: 2017-12-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

On Christmas weekend, Dave, I, and the fur-balls hiked the Scuppernog trails and the Ice Age Trail that runs past Scuppernog. Got some great elevation along with some light challenging snow. Getting stronger on these 1/2 hour hikes and feeling stronger cardio-wise. Serious strength & sprint training scheduled to begin January 9th. Normal morning strength training has begun.
Date: 2018-01-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A few days ago, I mentioned that in 2018 I will be doing more serious strength & sprint training than in previous year's preparations. The strength training will be for my AT Section Hike and the sprint training will be learning how to sprint in agility. Right now I shuffle along at a constant speed w/o much acceleration/deceleration. So I have signed up with a team of personal trainers who have a lot of experience with sprinting/running. So far I am pleased with the workouts and how they are pushing me to get stronger. I have always done my training on my own, strength training in the mornings at home, practice hikes in the Kettle Moraine State Forest in the evenings. This will be a new experimental approach to see if it improves my strength which should in turn reduce my knee pain and my ability to sprint/run. I will maintain the same hike practice rituals but reduce the number of miles that I allow my dogs to hike with me.
Date: 2018-01-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

An hour practice hike on Thursday, 40 minutes on Saturday and 50 minutes today all with great elevation and challenging footing is making for a stronger Mia. So my day hike backpack has come out of the gear closet and we'll start by adding 5-10 lbs. The objective of carrying weight when I hike is so I don't have to hike farther each time to push myself to get stronger. So for example, I can add 10 lbs and only hike 30 minutes to equal hiking for an hour w/out weight.I've been asked several times by friends this weekend if I plan to hike with a dog this year. My answer: No, I will not be taking any dogs this year. The old one - too old. The young one - too young. The middle one - too risky to our Agility passion. Besides, I believe I will hike faster and lighter going solo so we are going to give this a go. If it doesn't work out, I may have to find myself a dog hiking partner whose job is hiking. :-)On many, many levels this adventure is very dangerous for dogs. Not only can they get physically injured just hiking but the snakes and wildlife present hazards. One year, hiking with Jack and Bandit, Jackson scared up a fawn. He recalled off of it but before he returned, the doe attempted to charge Bandit and I. Pretty dam scary. Then there are the hazards of town, the transport in/out in unknown vehicles (i.e. sometimes in the back open bed of a pickup truck), the leaving the dog outside while you go in to shop or eat. Then there is the crossing busy roads (i.e. 4-lane highways), sleeping in crowded hostels, getting rained on for hours, ticks, river crossings, other dogs attacking your dog, dehydration, and the list goes on. Also, Jackson has outwardly recovered from his very serious case of Lyme's Disease but his high tick panel counts still show he could easily relapse. A result of his 2016 toe injury has him with arthritis in his front left and the hike would not do that injury much good. So all of that has a high chance of jeopardizing Jackson's precious agility career. After putting thousands of $$$ into that career it is no longer a chance I'm willing to take for company on our hike. Jackson is going to be SO disappointed when he finds out I'm leaving him behind. He is absolutely going to KNOW where  I am going and not be good with staying home. :-(
Date: 2018-01-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It is now less than 4 months until departure for my 2018 Appalachian Trail Section Hike. My heart, mind, and soul are beginning the obsession phase required to prepare for this 300 mile section. My mental game for a solo hike is forming. It will be my first year attempting it alone. Clear agility plans have been laid for both of my boys prior to and during my absence, dates have been firmed up for mid-May through early June for the hike. My most aggressive training program to-date and has been drafted and is being implemented. February will be about the itinerary, March will be about gear obsession, and April will be about serious practice miles. I am beyond stoked!!!!
Date: 2018-03-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

2018 AT Section Hike Update: Only 8 weeks until go time! Working with a personal trainer has been an outstanding decision at I've now lost 10 lbs in 9 weeks and an entire 1.5" off my waistline! The sprinting exercises they have me doing are so going to improve my agility sprints. I'm able to hike 3.5 miles at a full 3 mph (20 min mile) off-road, with elevation and carrying a 10 lb pack w/o a break before my legs give out. My itinerary for the 21 days of hiking is almost sorted out and it is looking good to log more than 300 miles this year. Soon I'll be able to share my itinerary with you and then move on to the tedious task of sorting gear.
Date: 2018-03-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I leave for my 2018 AT Adventure in 7 weeks. I have put the finishing touches on my itinerary. 4 days to finish Pennsylvania, 4 days to complete NJ, 7 days to walk NY, 3 days for CT, and I will wrap up 3 more days in MA just 28 miles short of the MA/CT border. That's a total of 330.4 miles in 21 days. Please let me know if you would like a detailed copy of the itinerary.
Date: 2018-04-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a nice practice hike on Saturday through Delafield on the Ice Age Trail in the rain/snow (yes that is a golf course we are hiking on). Gear obsession began in earnest today with a very small shopping list produced. 6 weeks until go time! Tomorrow I¢ll get my SPOT subscription renewed.
Date: 2018-04-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Gear obsession is in full swing. This is about 70% of any potential gear I have and is mostly the smaller items. Mostly large pieces like coats, boots, backpack, hiking poles, electronics, maps, sleeping pad and sleeping bag are missing from the pile. Food supplies will be added later. All storage boxes of gear have been sorted, spares have been re-stowed. All major dog supplies have been purged and stowed. Next step is to review and adjust my gear list then use the list to start trimming this pile and locating missing pieces.
Date: 2018-04-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Ever heard me say that hiking the Appalachian Trail is more mountain climbing with a pack than walking? Here's proof: The Appalachian Trail is in the Appalachian Mtns and goes up to 6600'. The CDT is the Continental Divide Trail, runs up the Rocky Mtns and goes up to 11000'. The PCT is the Pacific Crest Trail, runs up the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mtns, and goes up to 13000'. The AT is a footpath and the other two are pack animal trails. The AT is a social hike and the other two are solitary/remote hikes. The AT is clearly a hiking "challenge".There is a nice list of the 75 hardest climbs/descents on the AT that I use to prepare each year's hike. https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/54822-steepest-part-of-the-at/page7?fbclid=IwAR03PfTQb5iGOBfRpGZbAGt-SrcGNIGG1wzqwuUDYcNCKJ0pG-DugVD7Cew Let's me know how hard each year's hike will be. There are only 11 of these 75 hardest climbs/descents from Georgia to northern Pennsylvania. This year I will be doing a whopping 9 of the 75 with the hardest being #27. The hardest I have done so far is #32 which is the climb up Lehigh Gap. Yes, this leaves 55 tough climbs remaining in the last 620 miles of the trail. Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are beasts but it doesn't appear this year is going to be a cake walk either.
Date: 2018-04-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Planned 6 mile practice hike for today on the Whitewater Lake Segment (of the Ice Age Trail) with 20 lb pack. 2/3 way through I discovered I¢d lost my iPhone! One of the rules of hiking is EVERYTHING has to be tied down so it doesn¢t get lost. I¢d failed to do so because my new iPhone it too large to fit in my hip belt like my iPhone 5. I obviously had a poor storage location for it. When I discovered it was lost I tried retracing my steps for over 1/2 a mile during which I only met a trail runner headed in the opposite direction. I asked him to keep an eye out for it. Having not located it by the time I hit the last time I remember using it, I decided to turn around and try again. 1/2 way back to the point I¢d initially discovered its absence, the trail runner person came jogging down the trail back at me carrying the phone!!! OMG I was SO happy I wanted to hug him and give him a kiss. LOL he would have none of it and jogged off! There are still really nice people in this world! BTW the phone had fallen out of my pocket when I put leashes on dogs in a parking lot! Shortly there after I missed a critical change in the direction of the trail and walked 1/4 mile before I realized I was LOST. Retraced steps back to trail and all was right again. In total my 6 mile hike turned into 8 miles. Two pups and I are very tired tonight! ???
Date: 2018-05-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My Appalachian Trail hiking adventure is just hours away from go time and I have some very exciting news to share with everyone who follows this adventure. I'm thrilled that 3 weeks ago, my youngest son Matthew found himself between jobs and has asked me if he could join me on this year's adventure!!! It took me less than a second to say YES. He has borrowed some gear, purchased some gear, and I have all the remaining pieces in my gear stash. He flew in from Portland, OR on Friday evening and we meticulously weeded through all of our gear. Here tonight we have laid out all the food on the kitchen table and organized it. Matthew has never long distance backpacked before but he and I have done several multi-day canoe trips on the Wisconsin River together and feel we will be very compatible on this adventure.So on Mother's Day I will be going to the USDAA Regionals to compete in the Performance Speed Jumping Finals with Jackson and come home to pack my mini-van to go hiking with my son!!! It is going to be a fantastic Mother's Day!BTW, the green beans are part of Jackson's meals that he will need at his caregivers, we don't take those on the trail hiking! LOL
Date: 2018-05-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

After a very long weekend of USDAA Regionals with Jackson, Matthew and I did final pack up on Sunday night. Matthew had done quite a bit of shopping on Saturday with Dave and was equipped with new rain gear, hiking clothes, Under Armor, and a few other new gear toys. Today I went to work and had planned to take the dogs to agility class before dropping them at Loretta's. They are staying with her in my absence. We got MORE rainstorms so class was called off. So after work, Matt and I dropped the dogs at Loretta's on the way out of town. We grabbed a quick dinner at Culver's and hit the interstate. As seen on the radar we were chased through Chicago and across Indiana by one heck of a monster storm! We spent the night sleeping in my van at some Service Plaza somewhere in Ohio.
Date: 2018-05-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Today we made it to the Ohio/PA border just before noon. We are heading to Port Clinton, PA to spend the night. As we turn to head north at Harrisburg things don¢t look good on radar! Lots of thunderstorm and wind warnings! We were entering a Tornado Warning zone and reports were that several tornadoes were on the ground northeast of our location. We never did see a tornado and arrived safely at our hotel. Other hiker's at the hotel told of being in Cabela's and being sent to the back of the store during the tornado warnings. It appears we have missed all the excitement and that is OK with me! I foresee numerous blow downs on the trail in our future!!!After checking into the hotel we took a ride town to the trail head in Port Clinton to explore where we'd be parking our car tomorrow. Our transport was picking us up early tomorrow and it would be good to know where this place was that we were meeting. The parking area is a really nice railway station. We headed back to the hotel and organized our backpacks for a two day out stretch.