morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-06-23
From: Motel 6 in Gainesville, Ga

To: At home in Sumterville, Fl.
Miles today: 0.0

Home in Sumterville, Fl.I think I have a plan!!! I haven't been sure how all this was going to work out, but like I said before, when it comes to the trail...things just seem to fall into place. I came home 4 days ago and spent the last 2 days down in Clearwater, Fl. visiting my mother in rehab where she is doing great after having two knee replacements a week ago. I stayed with my dad at their house last night and got to see two big brothers, one sister-in-law and two nieces. Before I went to Clearwater, I test drove a Harley. I've been thinking about either getting a harley or a touring bicycle. I've decided to order a touring bicycle because I have plans to do a cross continent bike ride for my next adventure. I got an email from John Galt who I hiked with alot last year on my sobo hike and he said he wanted to do the 100 mile wilderness this summer. We talked and decided that I would head up to Monson, Me. and park my truck there and start hiking south. He will be getting back from Oregon the end of July and pick me up where ever I am on the trail...somewhere in N.H. I'll ride with him back up to Katahdin and climb that mountain and then we'll hike back to Monson. That will get me through some of the highest mountains before I go out to California to hike the JMT starting Sept. 3rd. After I get done with the JMT, I'll come back to the A.T. and finish the section that I don't have finished for this flip-flop 2000 mile hike. I'll get to do the middle states in the cool autumn air and that will be much nicer to look forward to. On my way up to Maine, I can stop and see some friends along the way that I had planned to do anyway and I might even get to do some kayaking. I can also stalk Hippie Longstockings and pay her back some of the trail magic I owe her from last year. I am going to try and leave Florida in about a week and I'll take at least that long to get to Maine, so I should get in about 3 weeks hiking south from Monson before John Galt picks me up. Looks like I should finish this flip-flop in December or so and I'll get the JMT done also this year. I'm hoping to have my bicycle for some across the USA riding for next year. I'm thinking of ordering a Sakkit bike from Robert Beckman of Bend, Or. unless anyone knows of a better touring bike. I'm terrible about researching things, but the little bit that I did do led me to his website. They are custom made touring bikes from someone with years of experience. I really don't know a whole lot about bicycles so any help would be appreciated. I'm still a little on the tired side from the hiking I've been doing, so I think that I'm not going to do much tomorrow other than lay around and recoup. I can't stay down here long though, it was 99 degrees when I drove through Tampa today.
Date: 2004-06-28
From: At home in Sumterville, Fl.

To: Still in Sumterville, Fl.
Miles today: 0.0

Still in Sumterville, Fl.I am ready to get out of Florida...it's hot down here. I've got my tent patched and my backpack is sitting just waiting on me. My truck is ready with new oil and filter. I have seen my grandchildren and my daughter. My parents are doing great. I had breakfast with my running friend Jim, who said that we have been invited to Larry and Ferna's home tomorrow night for dinner. Jim and I have run well over 100 foot races together and he hasn't slowed down any this year...he has already run 23 races this year. I'm still hoping to get in another marathon later this year and Jim said he might look for one in Va, WV, or Pa for late Autumn that we could both get into. I know I wouldn't be in running shape, but I think I could still finish somehow.My plans right now are to leave Florida on Wednesday, the 30th and start heading north. I have quite a few friends to see on the way to Maine, so I don't have any idea how long it will take me to get there. I haven't heard from John Galt, so I'm taking that as meaning he is still planning on doing the 100 mile wilderness with me. I'm sure I've put on a few pounds in the last 8 or 9 days. I've made up my mind that I'm going to go back to making my coffee on the trail and I'm going to try and do less walking and more playing. I've cancelled my old email account; msuiters@scia.net because I haven't really been using it much since I got this pocketmail device. I also started getting emails from sex sites and, no, I didn't go there. That will save me about $250.00 a year. Only 1 1/2 days before I start heading north!!! I'm ready. An update on my email account thanks to Moosie; send anything including pictures to Stumpknocker@gmail.com or text only to Stumpknocker@pocketmail.com
Date: 2004-06-30
From: Headin' northin the morning

To: The Liteshoe Estate, Pinehurst, NC
Miles today: 0.0

After taking care of a few odds and ends, I left Sumterville at 11am and was heading north!! Finally get to escape the Florida heat and humidity. It was a pretty uneventful ride up the coast of Ga, SC and into NC. It took 9 hours to get here and the timing was real good because Liteshoe showed up from her meditation class just 10 minutes after I got there. She must have spent all day preparing for my arrival because we sat down and had nachos and salsa...where's the chicken?? Oh well, it was good to see her again anyway. She showed me to my room and her computer is in that spare bedroom and she had an automatic clicker rigged up on the computer and it was clicking on her journal...no wonder I'm having a hard time catching up with the number of hits. I'm not one to complain, but that's not right!! (This is an edit to to previous statement. I told an untruth about the automatic clicker. I had to edit this so Liteshoe would quit twisting my ear....done) I still need help with extra hits on my journal because I'm still almost 300,000 hits behind. (Transciber's reminder:http://www.trailjournals.com/liteshoe/)Come on...just a few extra hits.Hey Underpants, I've been thinking about what you said when you signed my guestbook the other day. I think I'm going to have a bumper sticker made up when I get done with the trail this year that says; THE NOBO, SOBO, FLIPFLOPPING HOBO. Hummm, I'll have to do a yoyo hike someday and add that in there somehow.Liteshoe told me about where the coffee was, just in case I got up early. She said I could just knock on the door of her bedroom when it was ready...yeah, right. I told her to just knock on MY door if she got up and made the coffee first. We'll see who can wait the longest in the morning.Getting closer to being back on the trail!!!!
Date: 2004-07-01
From: The Liteshoe Estate, Pinehurst, NC

To: Parking area by the A.T., Glasgow, Va.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Parking area by the A.T., Glasgow, Va.I won the coffee stand off!! Well, in a way. Liteshoe had the coffee ready when I finally strolled out of my bedroom around 7:30am. That was too easy. We had our coffee on the back porch and I wanted to go and let her buy my breakfast, but she wanted to go and walk around a lake first...like I don't already do enough walking!! I finally got to Mac's and ordered breakfast at about 9:30am. Mac's is my favorite place in this part of NC. You would think that after all the trail magic she got last year that she would want to pay some of that kindness back to other hikers....noooo, I bought breakfast. So much for trail magic. She's building a house and she showed me her land and where the house will be built. Then took me to look at some doors at the builder's supply. I was able to sneak in a nap when she left the house to run an errand. After I woke up I went out on the front lawn and set up this tent for her. She had just bought this tent for a really good price and I think it will be nice for her. It weighs 10 lbs and 14 oz and sleeps 5. That ought to get some looks from other thru hikers. Actually, she plans on using it for car camping, so it should work out good. I don't know why these people in Pinehurst, an upscale golfing community, were looking at me the way they did as they drove by while I was setting up a tent in the front yard...they act like they've never seen a tent. It's not like I was starting a campfire next to it or anything like that.Liteshoe came back and she approved of her new 11 lb tent. We talked a while longer and tried to get in touch with Chief, but didn't have any luck. I was hoping to at least meet him at a restaurant or something since I was going to be driving by close to where he lives. Since I wanted to make sure that I could get to the po in Harpers Ferry, WV tomorrow to pick up my bounce box, I left at 5pm and drove to Raleigh, NC and went to the REI store there and bought a couple items that I needed and then ate at Sweet Tomatoe's. I decided to keep on driving for a while and I headed up Rt 501. I drove all the way to where I got off the trail a couple of weeks ago by the Foote Bridge at the James River in Va. It was a little after midnight when I crawled in the back of my truck and went to sleep. Hey, hey...I keep getting closer to Maine!!
Date: 2004-07-05
From: Dr. and Mrs. Erdman's Hostel, Allentown, Pa.

To: Dr. and Mrs. Erdman's Hostel, Allentown, Pa.
Miles today: 0.0

I got up about 6am and caught up on my journal from yesterday. It took quite a while because so much happened. I didn't get enough sleep last night and I could sure feel it this morning. We all slowly started moving about and Rainbow Slick started making blueberry pancakes while Goosebump The Snow Princess and I went to the store for some syrup and I had to stop by Dunkin Donuts and get some coffee. We ate and then just kind of layed around for a while. I don't think anyone was too motivated to do alot today. Rainbow Slick made a few suggestions, but nobody was responding until he said we could go to a trailhead and do some trail magic. Everyone thought that was a great idea. We packed up a cooler with cold drinks and snacks and some hamburgers and hotdogs and went up to Pa. Rt. 309. We were just looking for the best spot to park the truck when Rainbow Slick said that there was a couple of hikers coming out to the road crossing. He went over and told them what we were up to and the first one that came over was a friend of mine by the name of Grey Squirrel. We had hiked around each other before, but I haven't seen him since Iron Mountain Gap in Tn. The other hiker was Salt Lick and shortly after another hiker came out by the name of Tapeworm. They ended up being the only 3 that came out while we were there. Grey Squirrel hung around and ate for about an hour, but the other two were there for several hours. It was a great way to spend a warm lazy afternoon. We went back to Goosebump The Snow Princess and Rainbow Slick's house after the hikers left and I got Rainbow Slick to help me upload a few pictures on this site. I don't have many to post because I've taken so many pictures other years that I've hiked that I just don't take that many anymore. I will when I finally get around to learning how to use a digital camera. Goosebump The Snow Princess made a fantastic lasagna with a salad. That's two home cooked meals in two days!! I still don't know how she got it done so fast. After dinner we decided to play hearts....they should know better than to take Stumpy on in a game that devious. They were too easy!!! ;-) One of these days I'm going to have to leave here and I'm going to miss them and their hospitality.
Date: 2004-07-11
From: John Galt's home Yet Again

To: Caratunk, Maine
Miles today: 0.0

Caratunk, MaineSleeping in the back of my truck.I got up early and took a shower and finished packing my stuff. I called into John Galt's room and told him I was ready to leave. He got up at 7am!! I new he could do it if he tried. I'll see him again the end of this month when he's coming out to hike 117 miles in Maine with me. I drove down to Rosie's Diner and had breakfast. I got on the road at 7:30am and headed the truck for Maine. I left Ct and drove through RI, Ma, NH and into southern Maine in only about 2 1/2 hours...small states, at least along I-95. The traffic through Providence and Boston wasn't bad because it was Sunday morning. The weather was perfect today. It got up to about the mid 70s with low humidity and lots of sun. I tried to get in touch with Mailar, but I didn't have his phone number and he didn't answer my email in time, so maybe after I hike with John Galt. Sorry Mailar, I should have sent that email sooner, but I thought I had your phone number.I ate lunch near Waterville, Me. and then headed up Rt 201 towards Caratunk so I could talk to Steve Longley about some real estate I'm looking for. He told me about one property, so I drove up the hill looking for it. I didn't know it at the time, but I went too far. I did happen to see a white blaze as I passed by a tree, so I backed up and sure enough...it was the A.T. I went back down and talked to Steve again. I was glad to hear that he's got the contract back to ferry hikers across the Kennebec for the next 3 years. Then I stopped by The Caratunk House and talked to Paul. He said that so far just 31 Nobos have crossed the Kennebec River this year. E-Dog was there and we talked a while. She hiked from Ga to NY last year and is back out to finish up this year. Two other section hikers were there, but no thru hikers. I stopped by the phone at the po and checked my email and sent in 2 journal entries to BlueHeronShoe to be transcribed. I drove back up the hill about 5 miles and found a place to park the truck about a 1/4 mile off the gravel road. I was going to cook a meal, but changed my mind when the mosquitos started attacking me. I heard a joke today; What's the difference between a light bulb and a pregnant woman?? You can unscrew a light bulb. Yeah, yeah, well I thought it was funny anyhow.It was sure good to see moose tracks again when I went for a walk in the woods. I found an old abandoned cabin that was in really bad shape. I always wonder who built something like that and when. I'm in Maine!!! I'll probably start walking soon. Sure hope I remember how.
Date: 2004-07-15
From: Caratunk House, Caratunk, ME

To: Caratunk House, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Caratunk HouseCaratunk, MaineI got up early and peaked out in the kitchen to see if Paul had made any coffee yet, but no one is up. I went back out a little after 7am and Paul had coffee ready and breakfast was almost ready. There were eight of us hikers at the breakfast table. Five of them were nobos and they had full thru hiker hungers, but we had one sobo that kept up with them. His name is Cobweb. Ghost was the other sobo. One of the nobos remembered me from when I was still on the trail in February doing my sobo hike. His name is Froggy Bottom and no, I didn't ask how he got that name. Breakfast was delicious and all we could eat and plenty of good coffee for only $5.00. I was packing my stuff up and still had this house on my mind that's for sale, so I called the realtor to see about taking a look at it. I guess I'll be here at least another day until I can check the house out. I like Caratunk because it's quiet and small and especially because there is no railroad that comes anywhere near here. There is tons of outdoor stuff to do within 50 miles of here. (Transciber's note to Stumpy's friends: PARTY HOUSE!!!!) I hear the climate is almost tropical here in Maine. We'll see.I pretty much did nothing today, just sat around listening to hikers stories. Norway and I talked for a couple of hours while we sat on the open porch and watched it rain. The temperature never got much higher than 60 degrees today. The rain stopped early afternoon and then just stayed overcast and nice out. A girl by the name of Waterfall came in and stayed about an hour, but she wanted to catch some friends that were still 20 miles ahead of her, so she took off.The realtor called back and I have an appoinment to see the house tomorrow morning. I walked down by the Kennebec River and messed around a while. I even thought about taking a nap earlier, but between talking to the hikers and talking to Paul, the day went by pretty fast. That's ok though, because it's nice to just sit around and talk to hikers.Icecold and his dog Bo are staying here and then two hikers that did the section from Gorham, NH to here are staying tonight. They are both from Arkansas and this was their first hike. I'd say they did pretty good considering what they had to hike through to start at Gorham and head north to here. They sure seemed happy when they got here.I sat in the living room and read the newspaper tonight. Tomorrow should be interesting. It could be a life altering day if I like this house I'm going to look at. I certainly like the area.An unexpected zero day on the A.T.
Date: 2004-07-19
From: White Wolf Inn, Straton, ME

To: White Wolf Inn, Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day todayWhite Wolf Inn Stratton, MaineI was over at the Stratton Diner when they opened at 6:30am and ordered breakfast and had my coffee. It was raining and looked like a good day to take a zero. The other sobos all ended up staying here too. I walked around town in between the rain and talked to a few locals. I found out a little more about this house I'm looking into, but haven't been able to get in touch with the owner yet. I watched the weather channel...a favorite past time of hikers in town. When they opened for lunch here at The White Wolf Inn, I went down to eat. Pretty soon, Cobweb joined me and then Jessica, who took the trail name I suggested of WoodRat and Caveman joined in. WoodRat thought about that name last night and said she woke up this morning and said to herself...I'm WoodRat! She said she was so excited that she called her family and told them her new trail name. She's a Southern California girl and when she talks, she has a very distinctive vocabulary. She's a fun girl to be around. While I was eating my lunch and having coffee to drink, she came in and ordered a shot of Jack Daniels with beer chaser. I went back to my room and took a short nap. When I woke up, I went to the library and checked my other email address. I stopped by the po to get a bounce box and came back and found a man that knew a little more about this house. His grandfather lived there until he passed away at 96 years old. I stopped by a real estate office to see what they might have, but it looked like most of those properties were over priced. The rain stopped early in the afternoon and turned out to be a nice day. It's about 5pm and I still haven't been able to get in touch with the owner. Well, the house was sold. It would have been nice, but wasn't to be this time. At least now I can hike on and not think about that anymore. I went down to eat at The White Wolf Inn and had a great big salad and a sirloin steak with red potatoes and grilled vegetables...very good. I sat with Trek, a nobo that I've run into before on the trail and Caveman joined us. I went over to Fodder's Grocery and resupplied for the walk down to Rangley. I never get over the junk I buy to eat on the trail...anything with alot of calories. There are finally somemore nobos in town. Stealth, Pooner, Red Beard and Pele are here on the porch drinking a few beers. We know some of the same people hiking the trail, but I've never ran into any of these hikers. I'm sitting here on the porch watching a hummingbird. The clouds in the west are reflecting the setting sun off their bottoms. Doesn't that mean it's going to be nice out tomorrow?? Looking forward to walking tomorrow.
Date: 2004-08-06
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to, Maine

To: Sidney Tappan Campsite, Maine
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

17.1 miles todayTenting at Sidney Tappan Campsite, MaineWhen I woke up this morning, I had coffee and a couple of breakfast bars. I saw a hiker that got to the shelter late last night. It was Pony Express and I've run into him 3 different times this year on the trail. We talked a while and I realized that he and John Galt went to the same college. They talked about that for a while and then at 7:15am we started to hike.We got to Cooper Pond and took about a 25 minute break.We hiked on to East Branch Lean-to and ate an early lunch. We left there at 11:45am.A little while later, we ran into two nobos, Squish and Chestnut. Chestnut is going to continue on and hike the IAT.A couple that Hippie had run into said we could help ourselves to a food stash they had. They were getting off the trail. We took a few items...thanks.Right after we started hiking, we ran into Rockhound and Moonpie. Hippie knew Rockhound and they talked while Moonpie and I talked. Shortly after that, we ran into Pilgram Soul and Lulu. I had run into both of them when they first started their nobo thru hike. Pilgram Soul lost 60 pounds!! Good hike Pilgram.We started the hike up White Cap and took a break at Logan Brook Lean-to.I have never had a view from the top of White Cap Mountain. I wasn't too sure about it today. We've had great weather so far today, but it started raining lightly while we were at the lean-to.We hiked on up to the summit and I had a view!! It was beautiful from up there. The curse of White Cap is over. It did start raining when we got to the top and it was a cold rain.I have only one mountain left that I've never had good weather on to see views...Hump Mountain in Tn. I've walked over that mountain in terrible weather the three times I've been there.John Galt, Coughdrop and I got our pack covers and rain coats out to keep dry. Hippie has a different way of keeping dry. It's a true lite weight back packer way...she strips down to her underwear and puts her clothes in her backpack to keep them dry. I got a good picture of that and I'll post it as soon as I can.Only Hippie would think of doing that.I stopped at a trail crossing and the others hiked on. Shortly after they left, I saw a large fox jump into the trail and when he saw me, he disappeared just as fast. I hiked on and caught up to the others on top of Hays Mountain, but there wasn't any place to sit except on the wet ground, so I hiked on to Sidney Tappan Campsite. I went down to a real nice spring and got water.When they got here, Hippie set her tent up about 50 feet from mine, but John Galt and Coughdrop couldn't find a suitable spot for their hammocks, so they hiked on another 2 miles to the next shelter. We will go there in the morning to catch up to them.When I was coming down the last mountain, I realized it was cooler than normal for about 4pm. I looked at my thermometer and it was at 55 degrees. That's great hiking weather.I made my dinner and I went into my tent at 7:30pm.Another great day on the A.T.