morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-03
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: US 11 Troutville VA
Miles today: 10.9

TACO BELL! That was the driving force for a short, brisk hike into town. It was a cooler day and another nice hike. I passed the first road crossing (Daleville) and opted for the second to make another 1.5 miles today. [I rcmd to other hikers to take the first road and stay at the Howard Johnsons. It is closest to the trail and Kroger as well as the outfitter.] Where I got off was a poor area to hitch down to town. I had to walk a little ways down till there was a safe area for cars to pull over. A nice guy named Tyler (or was it Tayler?) picked me up. He was actually going the other way and turned around to take me into town. He literally went out of his way. Thanks again! I had hime drop me off at Taco Bell. After the Taco Hell feast, I walked up to the Hotel and checked in. After shower, laundry and pool usage I went down to the fitness center and utilized the scale there. I lost over 20 lbs at this point. That is even consuming mass quantities...constantly. I then started to walk across town to the Kroger for resupply. I stopped by the Howard Johnsons where 90+% of the hikers were staying. Some of those there were: HotWheels, Trooper, King, Jiffy Pop, High Gear, Wiffle Chicken, Badger, Squishay, Lucky 10, All Right, Half Left, Murph, EZ Nomad, Semple See & Tex. Dinner consisted of Little Ceasars Pizza, a Chicken Teriaki Microwave Bagged Meal, Nachos, Dip and Miller Lite. Life is Good.It was great to have a little longer conversation with my Daughter (Miss You) and I caught up on my emails and phone calls. Tomorrow, I will request late check out and contact Merrell to try to get replacement shoes sent to me. 700 miles put some hurting on these shoes (not to mention my feet)! I also want to spend some time at the computer updating my trail journals. Hopefully with all the entries from the last week, or at least a summary. Thanks to my Father for putting up the 1400+ pictures that I had sent home. Feel free to click on 'Photo' section to the left and see my trip up to Damascus. Also thanks for Big Rig for his editting of my poor grammer and sppelling skills.
Date: 2012-06-11
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Dripping Rock BRP9.6
Miles today: 6.5

Past week included mileage of 9.7 17.0 19.9 20.0 15.8 20.4 and today's Nero of 6.5. Had a lower energy day and it started raining so I hitched from the mile marker 9.6 on the Blue Ridge Parkway into Waynesboro. I left a message with a friend of my one sister that lives locally on the off chance she is around and available to shelter a stinking hiker tonight. A great lunch at 11am at the Ming Garden Buffet then I hitched down to the movie theater and saw the Avengers. I have been jones'n for a movie for a while now. It did not disappoint. Another partial hitch back to this side of town and I just wanted to put an entry here in my trailjournals. Missing family and friends, but I should be back in the PA area around the Fourth of July or so.NOTE: Mail drop estimates have changed. I have learned to enjoy the trail more, including the trail towns and great folks I have met. This has slowed me down off the pace that I had initially planned. I will not be completing this in 4.5months as anticipated, but will probably be more along the traditional 5.5months or so. Please take this into account and check the estimated dates if you are planning on sending out anything.I will be filling in the entries from the past week or so at another date. May stay at the Lutheran Hostel tonight and get back to the trail in the morning. Enjoy!
Date: 2012-06-19
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: US522 Front Royal
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: broken clouds

Yay! In Front Royal.Stats Updated but Journal will have to wait again.Dealt with new shoes then new insoles and trying to work through the foot and knee pains. HOT and HUMID are the words of the week. Looking forward to taking a few days off over the Fourth of July Holiday Hillary Bentman from the Intelligencer called me for a follow up interview and it should run in the paper Wed 6/20/12. Hopefully someone can pick me up a copy. If not, I should be able to see it on Philly Burbs Online.
Date: 2012-06-25
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Wolfsville Rd MD17
Miles today: 15.5

Out of VA. Out of WV. (almost)Out of MD. (almost)To PA! I am currently at the Free State Hostel and just enjoyed a shower, in the middle of laundry and waiting for the pizza delivery person to get here...rough day eh? I woke up today with the intention of doing 20.6 miles to the Raven Rock Shelter, but there were many stops to be had. It was great seeing the MD Washington Monument. No, not the one that you are thinking of, but the (origional?) stone, milk bottle shaped one. I took some time in the small museum and even stopped at annapolis rocks. The terrain has been less difficult as far elevation gain/loss goes, but very rocky.Last night I stayed at Rocky Run Shelter (very nice) and camped up behind it at the designated tent area. I even had a nice campfire (Big Rig would be proud, again). After I went to bed I saw some movement next to me (the bottom and sides near the bottom of my tent are netting). Here, there was a decent size snake coming right at my face. 'Oh Sh..ugar' I jumped up and took a picture of it that I will post later. Even though it was only a black snake, it still put me on edge for the night.Looking forward to entering PA tomorrow! Hope to see some of you over the 4th when I will be home for a few days...Enjoy!
Date: 2012-07-05
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm HOME Baby! Great to be back My father picked me up in Duncannon (above Harrisburg, Pa) on Sunday. It feels great to be over half way! I plan to be back on the trail early on Monday 07-09-12.I had a great 4th Holiday with a family get together. I also took the time to go to the foot doctor due to my continued pain in multiple areas of my feet. It seems that I have 'reached my threshold' of abuse and recommends some time off of my feet, but doesn't think there is any permament damage. He even gave me the OK to keep hiking after some rest. If the numbness continues, I need to have that looked into. So I will continue my regement of Aleve and Ibuprofen as I get back on the trail Monday.A big thanks to Paul and Laura that live in Florida. Paul was in my ATI Class that I took back in May of 2011. They wanted to support my hike, but were unable to come out to the trail due to thier location. So instead, they decided to send me some 'Trail Magic Money'. Wow! Thanks for the generous gift! I must admit that I tend to 'bleed' money when I am in town. It is hard to resist a hot meal and cold beer when they are available.Thanks to all the individuals, clubs and businesses that continue to support me in numerous ways. Your involvement and interest in my hike keeps me on the trail!
Date: 2012-07-08
From: Home

To: Back to the Trail!
Miles today: 0.0

Headed back to the trail in the morning! I will be getting back on in front of the Doyle and should be in the Port Clinton area in four days(Thursday?) or so. Bummer that I will just miss the Allentown Hiking Club annual picnic on Wed.Received a call last week from 65. He is back on the trail up in VT and headed to Canada. After doing the northern section he will be coming back down to make up the section he missed. Great to hear you are back 65! HERE WE GO... Oh mother of blessed pain free hiking, don't fail me now!
Date: 2012-07-09
From: Duncannon Pa

To: Peters Mt Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

Said my goodbyes again and my Father was kind enough to drive me back to Duncannon. Stopped by Wawa for a hoagie on the way (that I ate outside the Doyle) and went in for a beer and to thank Vickey and Pat for thier continued (putting up with?) hospitality to hikers. On the trail in the early afternoon.There was a resident cat at Clarks Ferry Shelter and I tanked up on water there before leaving. I saw a bear with in a mile north of there. That makes number six, but it was the first one I saw in PA.Arrived at Peters Shelter. The spring is STEEPLY down hill and since I had tanked up on H2O at the previous shelter, I elected not to go down the 300 stairs. Peters is a nice big shelter with a picnic table under roof. Met Ben, Sam Wise & Hop a Long there. Two levels to this shelter and I was the only resident on the upper floor for the evening. Plan on doing 18 to Raush Gap tomorrow.Since I will be home again in a few days, I opted to take a few 'comfort' items. My Osprey Exos 46 pack was not holding up too well and Osprey is sending me a new replacement pack. While I am waiting for this, I took my heavier Gregory Pack, water bladder and full length sleeping pad. I am really noticing the extra 5 lbs of weight on my back. Makes a real difference pushing 35lbs instead of being under 30lbs. Plan on swapping back when my new pack arrives.
Date: 2012-07-10
From: Peters Mt Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.0

Feet continue to hurt, even with all the 'vitamins'. Lots of rocks. Really (seriously) thinking about getting off the trail in Port Clinton and may not get back on. That will be over 1200 miles of hiking. May be labeled a 'Failure' of a Thru Hike, but could also be labeled a 'Successful 1200 mile Section Hike'. Got to the camping before the shelter and met some Sobo section hikers from Ohio. The father & son team was filling up on water at the stream. They had another hiker (the Uncle) that was somewhere behind them. Nice talking to them. Even though the shelter is currently under contruction and 'closed' I headed up there to check it out (0.3 off trail). There was a trickle of a spring on the way up. After getting water I passed Hop a Long on the way back to the stream area to set up my tent. He was planning on cowboy camping on the floor of the non-existent shelter. Little buggy at first, but they stopped attacking so much after I was not so sweaty. I had camped here previously in the cold weather when I was prepping for the thru. I set up my tent in the same spot. Instead of being in the 90's like it was now, the temps got down close to 20F. Quite a difference. A hiker passed by southbound and I assumed him to be the 'Uncle' section hiker. About 10-15 min later, he returned. It was the third in the party and he had decided to call it a day. Dead Dan was his name and it seemed like the rocks were putting a hurting on his feet. After he set up camp, his spirits improved as well as his 'campside' manners. Another thru hiker Dreamfinder had found his way into the camp and was having trouble selecting trees to hang his hammock. As I was stringing up my bear bag, I heard a 'crack' and 'yelp'. I looked back to see the smaller of the two trees cracked and leaning toward the hammock occupant as he was flailing arms and legs out of the hammock on the ground. Funny as hell! No damage done to the hiker, but I wish I would have got a picture. Seems the tree was not as healthy as initially surveyed and couldn't support the weight of the hiker. Red faced, he packed up his belongings and headed up to the shelter area to find some 'healthier' trees.Tomorrow is the Allentown Hiking Club picnic. Maybe I will make a surprise visit. I'll see if I can arrange a ride.
Date: 2012-07-11
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: Swatara Gap PA 78 Lickdale
Miles today: 6.1

Packed up my belongings and headed back up to the shelter area to eat breakfast and fill back up on water. Hop a long was already gone, but Dream finder was still sleeping in his hammock. It seems he had found some sturdy trees and strung his hammock up directly across the trail to the privy. I took my time eating and didn't get on the trail till 9am. Thought about the hiking club picnic and decided to call home when I could get a signal. I arranged with my Father to be picked up in Lickdale and after a few hours of hiking and a hitch in, I was there a little after 12 noon. I joined 'Wendy' for Lunch and the (Dairy)'Queen' for dessert. After that I picked a soft patch of grass in front of the Loves/McDonalds and took a nap while I waited for my ride. Another very enjoyable day, even with the pain.I got back home in time to shower and throw in laundry before leaving. They just opened a Popeyes Chicken in Quakertown so I stopped there to take chicken to the picnic. It was great seeing everyone at the get together and I was as honest about my experiences on the trail as I could be. It is simply awesome to be able to do this, but I conveyed my daily thoughts of leaving to trail. I got back home, repacked and readied myself for a late morning return to the AT.
Date: 2012-07-12
From: Swatara Gap PA 78 Lickdale

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Back on the trail to more great weather. Little hot, but another beautiful day! Looking forward to seeing 501 shelter again and this is one of the few shelters that you can have pizza delivered to. When I was close to the shelter, I smelled something burning. I couldn't see any fire, but it was a heavy smouldering. Shortly after arriving at the shelter, another arriving hiker said he could see the smoke off the side of the trail. Bob the care taker and his self described 'boss' (wife) were made aware of it and it seems there was a small duff/ground fire that has been smouldering. They arranged a bucket brigade and many of us took 5 gal pails of water down to help extinguish the fire. After two trips, we were hopeful that it was taken care of. I was just about to order pizza when some Papa & Mama Shenanigans came to the shelter with dinner magic. Awesome homemade chicken chilli, nachos and a superb fresh salad. What great trail magic and nice folks. After that, another thru hiker's girlfriend came in with 10 'frostys' for dessert. After that, the caretakers offered a cold beer to any hiker that helped put out the fire. Triple magic. AWESOME! Another great day out on the trail. It really restores your faith in humanity.
Date: 2012-07-13
From: 501 Shelter

To: Pa 183 (South of Port Clinton, Pa)
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 6:30 and out by 7:30. First 'One' on the trail today. Enjoyed a little splashing around at the spring fed 'dammed' pond down from the Hertline Campsite. Not a bad day at all. In the beginning of my hike, I was given good advice... 'One' foot infront of another and don't quit on a bad day. I have been putting off my decision to get off the trail for a while now. Today is the day. I am no longer 'Thru Hiking'...I am now 'Through Hiking'. I came to the road crossing at PA183 (south of Port Clinton) and decided to hitch into Hamburg. A nice gentleman named Pat picked me up and took me all the way in. I decided to get a hiker burger at the Port Clinton Hotel. Hop a long was there as well a Mr Bojangles and a couple other hikers. I let them know my intentions so that others on the trail would know that I was planning to get off the trail. Unless something drastic changes in the next few weeks, this is my final answer.I have been hiking for over 1200 miles now and am tired. Yes my feet hurt and I have other pains, also I feel very physically washed out and low on energy, but this is more of a mental tired. I currently do not want to spend the next two and a half or three months out here on the trail. Kinda reminds me of the movie Forest Gump when he is running back and forth across the country. He had some followers that were stunned when he just stopped and uttered the words 'I'm tired'...'I'm going home now'. Well, there it is. I am no longer 'One with the trail', but 'One with the trail of Life'. Deep inside I know that staying on the trail right now is going against the flow of life for me. I recall Warren Doyle telling me that to complete a Thru Hike, the hike needs to be the most important thing in your life. It no longer was the most important. Although I did not accomplish what I initially set out to do, I am very content with what I have learned and accomplished along my 'walk a bout'. What a great hike and awesome experience to be able to partake in. I have been so blessed with this part of my life. It is a part of life and not the whole. I have re-engaged with life, laughter, people and love. It has opened me back up to believing in the good side of humanity and practicing loving kindness. The simplicity has made me appreciate the most basic of comforts. A roof over my head, a bed, running water that does not need to be purified, a shower, laundry, and a toilet (with toilet paper next to it). Not to mention Air Conditioning! What kind of sorcery is that? Yes, I like these comforts and hope that I do not soon take them for granted again. Thank You so much for all the support in many ways that has been given freely by so many! Pictures to follow and final thoughts and conclusions.
Date: 2012-07-23
To: Trail Magic - NY & NJ
Miles today: 0.0

As previously stated in the last posting, I am officially off the trail after hiking 1200 miles. I will be posting another 'conclusion' summary after I take some time to write down my thoughts and feelings on the hike. Yesterday, I got up at 3am and headed up to NY & NJ to drop off some trail magic at road crossings. I stopped at a bagel shop before going to Graymoor Spiritual Life Center to surprise the Troverts with a birthday (n's) breakfast. Unfortunately, I arrived there about 6:45 and they had already left. I drove to the Canopus Hill crossing and sat for 30-45 minutes to try to catch them and EZ Nomad who I knew was also in the area. No Luck. So I headed off to drop off my bins of magic. The four places that I dropped them were 1412.2 Dennytown Rd, 1383.5 Arden Valley Rd, 1350.9 NJ94 Vernon & 1325.0 Deckertown Turnpike. When I dropped off at Dennytown Rd Cheeze It, Radio and a few others were still packing up to start out. I got a call from Waldo, who was down in PA North of Port Clinton. I explained to him that I was off the trail. There was no one there at Arden Valley Rd. It was excellent timing at NJ94 as I ran into Keystone (from Boiling Springs stay at Allenberry) and two other thru hikers. Deckertown Turnpike, I walked up to the nearby shelter and informed people of the refreshments. Great crowd here that included Orion, Bam, Apache, Bright Flower, Yogi, BooBoo, Lucky, Pep, Dingo, Smiley & Vodka.When I headed back north to check on the bins there was a small crowd at the Dennytown Rd trail head. They included 30pack, Gumby, Ragweed, Hermes, Snot Rocket, Chef Brodi & Anchor. I started cleaning up and driving down to pick up the other bins. Hot Feet was crossing when I picked up the NJ94 Vernon bin and I recieved a call from Knoxville. He was knew I was in the area and called to see if I could provide a ride for him and three other hikers. I headed there after cleaning up the last bin.Very long day, but a most excellent one! It was almost like therapy for me, dealing with leaving the trail. My feelings went from highs to lows and back up again. It was great seeing and hearing from many of the hikers that I had met along the trail. I wish them all the best! This brought some closure for me and fortified my decision about getting off the trail. Now I will be spending August down in Florida. I plan to enjoy everyday and spend some quality time with my daughter. This is my 'bridge time' before reintegration. I plan on recording more details of my journey and conclusions (or lack there of in some cases) that I have come to. This is my current path as I continue striving to be 'One with the trail' (of life).Enjoy!
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2012 sometime during the summer of 2011. After injuring my Achilles running, I began walking around Kennesaw Mountain and a friend from college jokingly asked me if I was training for the AT. I had forgotten we had talked about doing it 20 years ago, but it wasn't financially possible at the time. Once I started researching the gear and telling my neighbors about it, I found out that one of them took groups on short hiking trips in north Georgia. He let me borrow a pack to get started and answered any questions I had about gear. I checked with my mom to make sure she was willing to pay my bills and take care of my cat while I was gone. She agreed. Of course she thought I'd quit after three days so I don't know how much help she had been planning to offer. I checked that the company I was working with would want me back next tax season. When they said they did that solved my finances for 2012. I knew if I paid off my house in 2011 that working from January through April 17 would cover my expenses while hiking. Around Labor Day, I starting buying my gear from REI and other sites that were having sales. I completed my gear purchases by the end of September. At this point, I was financially committed and it made the choice to hike much easier.
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I began training for the hike in January by hiking around Kennesaw Mountain on Saturdays. I started off doing 6 miles and eventually worked up to completing the entire 16 mile loop. Then I began hiking on back to back days working up to 3 double digit days in a row.Two weeks before I started I drove up to the Approach Trail to see how far out and back I could hike. While I didn't complete the whole trail, I did get to the last shelter and back. I also began walking an hour or two after work every day to get used to hiking every day. Based on this, I intended to start the trail doing 12 miles a day, if possible.I also read several trail journals from 2011. Thanks to Shaka, Ghost and Victus for recording their trips last year. I used input I gathered from your journals as a basis to attempt to complete a thru hike in five months. In part, that is why I'm putting my notes out here. One is to have a record for myself, other than a memo pad, and secondly, if it helps anyone else..great.My last day at work was April 17th. I took the 18th to run a bunch of errands and drop off anything of value(including my cat) at my mom's house. On the morning of the 19th, I got driven to Amicalola State Park by a neighbor, who took my picture at the arch, and began my hike.
Date: 2012-04-19
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: overcast clouds

And so it begins...After checking it and the park and having my picture taken I set off just before noon. Before reaching the steps to the falls, I came across a park ranger with a tour of kids that asked me where I was headed. I said 'north', but that only prompted another question. The questions continued until I said the goal was Maine. At that point there were a bunch of oohs as they all thought they were seeing a thru-hiker. I have no prior overnight hiking experience, I'm 8.5 miles from the start at Springer Mountain and already I'm dealing with 'Are you a thru-hiker'? OK, now I've got to finish so I don't let the kids downI'm not including the Approach Trail mileage in my total mileage.I hiked on and off with two guys, Steve and Jordan, I met during the day. We were all solo hikers so it was nice to have some company. Eventually, I left them since they were planning to stop at Springer and I wanted to end the day at Stover. I'm glad I did as Springer looked to be crowded while Stover just looked full with about a dozen people around the shelter.Since I don't have my trail legs and don't want to overdo it tomorrow, I stayed up until midnight talking with the other hikers. Everyone seems nice enough although the preparation levels vary greatly. A few of us want to make Gooch Shelter tomorrow so seeing familiar faces will be a comforting thought.I changed my mind and went back to do a little editing of the journal entries but gave up. What you read will be riddled with run-on sentences, typing, spelling and grammar mistakes. I decided to just cut and paste the shorthand trail notes that were written at the end of each day. I'm not trying to turn this into a book. I'm just trying to write enough to give myself mental reminders of what happened and where I was during the day. You should be able able to figure out where I was and what I was trying to write.