morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-10
From: Glacier National Park

To: Glacier National Park
Miles today: 0.0

Lotsa hiking this summer as I sit right on the CDT at Many Glacier Hotel. I'm surrounded by huge 8000 foot Mountains at Swiftwater Lake and Grinnel Point! I can hike and paddle canoe every night. So far the trails are snow covered yet at about the 6500 foot level. Ptarmigan Tunnel is still closed and ya can't quite make it up to Grinnel Glacier yet. I've been here for 2 months now. Besides losing a hiker to a fall into a canyon yesterday, the most excitement was watching many waterfalls appear after torrential rains 2 weeks ago, landslides and trail closings all over!! Will be here till end of September, so if ya pass by stop in at the upper dorm and I'll smuggle ya some food!!!!!!!
Date: 2013-08-27
From: Glacier National Park

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Completed the Summer Job at Swift Current Motor Lodge, the cabins are freshly painted and the chairs are refinished in Pine Top Motel. Everything was working again when I left. Arrived home last Monday. For those of you hiking thru there, there are 2 routes available. The normal one goes thru Swift Current Pass (IE UP and OVER) and the alternate one stays down lower. Of course there is another alternative where you hike thru Ptarmigan Tunnel and into the Belly River Valley (I think is the coolest route). Be careful in these mountains, we unfortunately had 2 kids (workers) fall to their deaths early in the summer!!! Okay think Crater Lake for next summer, or Denali!!!
Date: 2016-05-17
To: Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0

I attended Trail Days in Damascus last weekend, Lots and lots of Hikers Won several sporks and a pair of socks. Bought a pad for the Hennessey Hammock .Walked in the Hiker Parade carrying the green banner, and getting quite wet from the crowd . Prostrate cancer has shown up again after being removed 2 years ago, so spending the summer at home. Had to back out of summer job at Grant Village in Yellowstone, might be able to finish summer there after the radiation treatments are finished. Finished most of Long Trail last summer, only have the northern terminus section to complete, might get that done in a couple of weeks too.
Date: 2009-03-04
To: Okay okay. Here I am. Get used to it.
Miles today: 0.0

So Longhaul has basically been begging me to post on this journal with an introduction-cum-smackdown for weeks now. I¢d been planning on it and then he posted that last week¢s worth of sob stories and I started to wonder if I should burden the poor bastard after all. ¢You poor bastard,¢ I said. ¢I just read your new entries and I feel so bad for you I can barely even muster an insult. Seriously? It wasn't enough to break a crown, go psycho in an MRI tube, be diagnosed with arthritis and slipped discs, and have your travel schedule thrown awry in almost the worst possible way¢no, you also had to have your pants fall down on camera? Man, it'd be like kicking a baby.¢¢Oh, no,¢ he said. (I¢m pretty much paraphrasing him at this point. Trust me, it¢s more interesting.) ¢Walter really wants you to kick him around. Walter thinks having his pants fall down on camera makes for a really awesome week. He pulled them up right away, anyhow. He doesn¢t want you to worry about him at all. Walter is excited to star in a documentary, and he¢s totally confident in his ability to art-direct sweaty hikers packed into shelters. Walter is practicing speaking in the third person.¢¢If Walter is practicing that at home,¢ I said, ¢I bet Walter¢s wife can¢t wait for him to start hiking. The real question,¢ I said, ¢is who will play you when they make a movie of the documentary?¢¢Paul Newman,¢ he said, dreamily. ¢Steely blue eyes.¢¢Paul Newman¢s dead,¢ I said. ¢But I hear Dick Cheney¢s unemployed.¢It¢s almost like being on the trail again, engaging in such stimulating conversation. And the trail is, in fact, where your intrepid journaler and I met, back in 2005. We were like the year¢s gimp patrol: he blew out a knee, I tore up a foot. He managed to finish though (lucky bloke); I had to call it off after 1100 miles (unfinished business!). These days, I am a student, which is pretty cool but far less interesting than being a thru-hiker, which is what I intend to be again as soon as I can muster the time and cash. But in the meantime I¢ll hike vicariously through this one. I¢m so envious I can feel it in my teeth. And¢as coincidence would have it¢I¢m headed to Washington, DC next week for a research trip anyway, leaving me the perfect opportunity to transfer our hero from one plane to another.So anyway. God knows how I got suckered into promising to transcribe this thing. He said, ¢Hey, I¢ll make it worth your while¢how about a penny a page?¢¢Dude,¢ I said. ¢Even Dickens got paid by the line.¢¢A penny a line, then¢ he said. ¢Damn, you¢re one tough negotiator.¢¢Well,¢ I said. ¢He got paid a (British, old currency) penny a line in 1859. Using the average earnings index, that penny would have the same purchasing power as £2.71 in 2007 pounds. Converted into dollars at today's exchange rate, we're looking at $4.79/line. That sounds just fine to me.¢¢Walter likes beef jerky,¢ he said.Call me Break, folks. I¢ll be here all season, fixing comma splices and offering gentle commentary.-Break a Leg
Date: 2009-03-10
To: Ok, in the FILM version...
Miles today: 0.0

Walter was shocked to learn of the untimely death of his movie star "double", Paul Newman. They were just SO very much alike. Both have the same steely blue eyes, the same manly smile with that kind of crinkle around the eye, both drove a VW Rabbit, and... well, he was just crushed. Of course, Paul made a better salad dressing, and was faster on the race track, but still...So, always prepared to look on the bright side, Walter has asked his agent to check on the availability of Brad Pitt to play him in the movie version. (He's still looking around for someone with a better voice to play him in the Broadway version, which he anticipates will be a musical.) He's rather hoping that Brad will be available -- not just because of the amazing physical resemblance, but he figures it would be rather a pleasant thing to spend some time with Angelina in Cannes, and later in Hollywood for the academies, of course.   Meanwhile, Longhaul arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, and took up lodging at the Oberoi Hotel in Lodi Estates. It's comfortable enough, as it should be at over $300 a night. He's trying not to get too used to the amenities, however, in anticipation of sleeping on the floor of 3-sided wooden structures for much of the next six months. The work is going well, and -- even better -- the time is going fast, which is a good thing as he is ever so anxious to get back to the states and begin his hike. Both Walter and Longhaul are most grateful for all of the good wishes they've been receiving through Guest Book entries. They would also like to extend their heartfelt welcome to Break-a-Leg, and her gentle commentaries, now that she's up from her nap. More later!
Date: 2009-03-11
To: Time Zoned
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, so it's now Wednesday here in sunny, downtown New Delhi. It's also a holiday here, called "Holi" - a festival that celebrates the start of the rainy season. It's a very colorful holiday, literally, as they have this practice of throwing colored dye on everyone, or sometimes colored water -- often using squirt guns. Tourists are advised not to venture out, at least not in clothing they intend to wear again, other than as tied dyed accessories! I remember having a good time with this holiday back when I was a student here at the Delhi School of Economics some 40 years ago. Meanwhile, the office here is closed, so I'm just taking it easy, and getting caught up on some writing. The good news is that I have finally adjusted to the time zone here. The bad news is that I have finally adjusted to the time zone here...   It took me four days, which means that it will probably be Neels Gap -- four days into my hike -- before I'm back on Eastern Daylight Savings time in the U.S. C'est la vie. Judging from news on the home front, all systems are go for my departure from Washington on Saturday monrning. I can't wait!
Date: 2009-03-12
To: Free at last, Free at last...
Miles today: 0.0

I¢m done. The work is finished. I am now free to go home ¢ free to begin my hike.   WOOHOO!        All I have to do now is to get from one side of the world to the other. The PLAN (not to be confused with how it may work out ¢ but I¢m going to be optimistic about that!) has me checking out after mid-night here, for a 3 am flight to Frankfort. Flight time: about 8 hours. After a 6 12 hour layover in Frankfort, during which the main challenge will be to stay awake so that I don¢t miss my on-ward flight, I will be in the air for another 9 hours, arriving in Washington at about 5 pm Friday evening. Total travel time: 23 12 hours.         About 12 hours after arriving in Washington, I will leave for the airport for a two hour flight to Atlanta, with connections to Amicalola Falls State Park, and the Springer Mountain Shelter. I can only hope that my new friends at the Shelter will not interpret my constant yawning as a sign of boredom! I should be fine by the time I reach Neels Gap.        I suspect, however, that the contrasts between here and there will be stark. The irony is that I will be going from a developing country to the richest country in the world, and yet, at a personal level, I¢ll be going from the luxuries of a four-star hotel to the life of a homeless person wondering in the wilderness of the southern Appalachians. I¢ll be fine with that, of course, but I¢m afraid Walter is not dealing all that well with the prospects for this sudden turn of fortune.         Yesterday, for example, I found a phone message for a W. Mitty from the Superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Something about denying the applicant¢s request for a waiver of the prohibition on certain animals being brought into the Park, and noting that while horses are, indeed, allowed, pack elephants are NOT ALLOWED for what he referred to as ¢obvious reasons¢.   How exactly Walter proposed to get the elephants from here to Georgia is not at all clear, but frankly, Walter doesn¢t always think things through all the way to the end¢¦        Today, I found the phone book in my room left open to the section on ¢Himalayan Sherpa¢s¢, with a couple of phone numbers circled in red ink. Rather sad, eh?         Of course, when I reach the Information Center at Amicalola Falls, where you register your intention to hike the AT and weigh your pack, I suspect I¢m going to wish that Walter had succeeded in his quest for support. In fact, I¢d almost bet on it!
Date: 2009-03-14
From: Washington, DC

To: Springer Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 0.9

What a great day this has been. Up at 5, coffee and newspaper, showered and dressed by 6:30, at the airport at 7AM, and on the plane to Atlanta by 8:30AM.Of course, since Atlanta was socked in by fog, we sat on the tarmac for 3 hours before taking off, but off we finally took. Two hours later, we were in my son Rich's car heading for Springer Mt. When we arrived, we were met by our official welcoming and send-off committee - Barb and Alan Borsin, she a former high school classmate whom I had not seen probably since we graduated. That was very cool!Rich then drove us up Forest Road 42 to the Springer Mt. trailhead. After a farewell hug, it was time for me to officially begin the journey.At that point, it began to rain in earnest, so we hightailed it up the trail to the Springer Mt. shelter. It was nearly dark by then, so we ate the sandwiches we'd brought with us, set up our tents, and climbed in.So much for the campfire and s'mores! After changing into my sleep clothes, and checking the route for tomorrow, I started this entry. It's raining hard now, but I am nice and dry. It's turning cold however, so I'm going to stop here. I still need to set up my video camera and record my day on that. Bottom line: a fabulous first day on the trail. Exactly what I hoped it would be. Well, except for the dang rain....Thanks to all who helped to make it possible. You know who you are! And a special thanks to "she-who-knows-me-best-and-still-loves-me", my long-suffering wife and partner in crime. Today's hike is dedicated to her.
Date: 2009-03-15
From: Springer Mt. Shelter

To: Hawk Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 7.8

It rained hard all night, and let up only a bit after sunrise. I stayed dry! I was however, a bit disorganized today given our late arrival last night and the rain.I had brought with me a full camelback with 3 liters of water, but had only those 3 liters to get me through last night and all day today. I also could not put my hands on my meds last night, but found them this morning. In the rush to pack up in the rain this morning, however, I misplaced them again!I wasn't too worried, as today was going to be a relatively short day, but I ran out of water on the last climb up Hawk Mt., and arrived here somewhat dehydrated and feeling rather poorly.After getting myself fed, watered, and properly medicated, I recovered my strength and set up camp.Tonight there are at least 40 thru-hikers here at the shelter and campgrounds, and we seem to be a really good group. Today, for example, I met up with several folks from trailjournals.com, including Amy Erskine, Tim and Vicky, Ben, Red, Nevena, and Sam. We got a campfire going after dinner, and I broke out the marshmallows I'd brought with me for last night. They went over well, and everyone stood around the campfire toasting marshmallows, joking, and generally have a great time. One guy had his ukelele and another guy had his harmonica, so we were treated to some country music, which was very cool. The only thing missing was Kumbaya, which I personally didn't need.It had stopped raining before we got here, so my tent has dried off, and life is very good tonight. It's a bit chilly, but not as bad as last night, so it's easier to type. But it's been a long day, and I'm tired, so I'll say g'nite now.Today's hike is dedicated to my #1 son, Rich, of whom I am so very proud. Way to go on the new house, kid. You did good!
Date: 2009-03-16
From: Hawk Mt. Shelter

To: Gooch Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 7.3

My third day on the trail, and it was an excellent day indeed, despite it being the third straight day of rain. Having re-hydrated myself last night, and being sure to take one of my magic pink pills before going to bed, I woke up feeling great. The rain let up long enough to allow me to get my tent down and have breakfast before it started up again.Fortunately it was another short day - only 7.3 miles, so I arived here in good time to get chores done, have dinner, and then enjoy a campfire -- once it stopped raining.The only challenge today was Sassafras Mt., but it wasn't really much at all. I could already feel my legs getting stronger with today's hike, so all systems are falling gradually into place.My gear continues to perform well, from my pack to my boots, from my tent and sleeping bag to my wicking long johns! Life is good...I've also been fortunate to arrive at the shelter in time to claim a tent site, which is a good thing because we've had such crowds here that some have had to hike on because there was no room at the inn. I don't know how many were at Springer Mt. Shelter saturday night, since it was late and raining, but we had over 40 at Hawk Mt. Shelter last night and close to that many here tonight.Most of the folks from Hawk Mt. are here tonight, and the community is already beginning to bond. Three straight days of rain will do that to you!Toomorrow I plan to do about 12 miles to Woods Hole Shelter, so I'll need to get an early start and hike fast, since tent space is limited. A number of folks plan to do 16 miles, into Neels Gap, and more power to them. That gives me a better chance for a tent site at Woods Hole. If I'm REALLY lucky, maybe it won't rain the whole day!I'm FEELING lucky...Today's hike is dedicated to my daughter, Laura, a freshman in college, doing very well and doing good, too - off building houses with Habitat for Humanity on her spring break. She makes me very proud.
Date: 2009-03-17
From: Gooch Mt. Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

It rained overnight, leaving me with a wet tent this morning - 3rd night in a row, but the rain stopped this morning before sunrise.I got an early start, but then spent my first half hour doing some videotaping. A quarter mile out of the shelter, I ran into Spirit and her grandson, On the Go, who were stealth camping. This is Spirit's third attempt, but her grandson is only with her for the first few days. He'd used up their matches trying to get a fire going and didn't have any to light their stove this morning. I dug some out of my pack and then asked if she'd be willing to be part of the documentary, and she said "yeah, sure".Not long after, at a gap, I ran into my first trail magic! Pips from '08 and Mr. Parkay from '04 were giving out oranges and bananas. I got a banana!It was a long day, and it's clear that I'm not yet in shape, but I'm still able to climb the mountains OK by just taking them slow.The day ended well, but barely, and with some upset at the shelter over water.Only 7 here tonight - others must have seen the sign and hiked on. Here are Ben (now Storyteller), Amy (now Pyro), Matt (now Burnt Shirt), and a young couple, Jennet and Ben, he from Maryland and she from London.Had a great fire, thanks to Pyro - hence the name, though Matt needs to hang his shirt a bit further away from the fire!Whupped. Have only a four mile day tomorrow into Neels Gap, with a cabin waiting for me - including a hot shower, laundry, AYCE buffet and a shuttle back to the trail. Can't wait.
Date: 2009-03-18
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: broken clouds

Short hike today. Blood Mountain's not the major climb it's made out to be. Sunny day today, unlike last time.Into Neels Gap by 11 AM, greeted by the aroma of hamburgers cooking on a grill on the deck of the Walasi-Yi outfitters. I had two and they tasted fabulous.Collected my box with the next 4 days' worth of food, rounded up 3 other hikers, and headed for Goose Creek Cabins, where I'd stayed on my first hike. After showers and laundry and cleaning/drying out of gear, we hit the Cookie Jar restaurant in Blairsville for their all-you-can-eat buffet. I was with Storyteller, Red, and Rattler. All of us felt we'd made a good choice for our town stop, and just to make matters better, Rattler picked up the check! Trail magic for lunch AND dinner. Very cool!This morning I found a package of cheese grits in the cupboard, to go with my hot chocolate and pop tarts. Yeah, microwaves!This hike is dedicated to my son Mathew - hiker and philosopher - of whom much is expected!
Date: 2009-03-19
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We got an 8:30 shuttle to the Neels Gap outfitter, where I mailed a couple things home and rounded up a cup of coffee.I hiked out @9:30 and almost immediately ran into Ben and Jeannette, who had camped a mile north of Neels Gap. They'd had a bear come into their campsite and drag down their food bag, which they'd hung in a tree, so now they were going back into town to resupply.Another young couple, Patrick and Sarah, also lost one of their food bags; and Mike and Matt, who were camped at a different site, had a visit from the bear as well, although they didn't lose any food.It was a relatively long day, but my legs are getting stronger. Today it was sunny, almost hot, but with a beautiful clear sky, so I got vistas at the summits - unlike my first 3 days.There's a super group of hikers here at Low Gap tonight, including BooBoo, Spirit, Storyteller, Mr. T, Mountain Man, Bear, Jeannette and Ben, Sarah and Patrick, Rolling Stone, Somethin', Pancake, Just Brian, Dutch, and a group of four young guys from Cincinnati going by the name "The Three Amigos" - go figure ... 'cause they obviously can't.I pitched my tent in the same spot as last time, although it was raining then. This is also where I almost burned down the shelter, thanks to a little malfunction of my stove, and it's where I met my hiking partner- Butterfly Moon (see 0'5 Journal).We had a most welcome campfire, accompanied by lots of stories and joking around. I pulled Spirit's leg about giving 2 different hikers the trail name 'Storyteller'. I suggested she was good at naming folks but might want to come up with a slightly larger list of possibilities!Today's hike is dedicated to my son Adam, a true gourmet, and the fastest and driest wit in the west. I'm not sure where he's going, but I'd love to go along just for the laughs.
Date: 2009-03-20
From: Low Gap

To: Blue Mountain
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

The mileage monster tried his darnedest to get me today, suggesting I should go for a 15-mile day into Tray Gap, rather than settle for a 7.2. He was aided and abetted by the fact that the trail was relatively easy, and the miles went by quickly.Fortunately, I won the battle of wills. We had our usual communal campfire, attended by Storyteller, Pancake, Patrick and Sarah, and four young guys from Cincinnati. They said they weren't into trail names, but by the end of the campfire they were known as the Three Amigos....Ned, Lefty, Dusty and, of course, El Guapo (the bad guy in the movie of the same name). A good time was had by all.There was a really nice entry in the shelter register - from Becca, who is now a day ahead of me. She said she was "missing Longhaul's cheeriness - and marshmallows." The latter were such a big hit at Hawk Mt. that second night on the trail that I have added them to my standard shopping list for town stays.Today's hike is dedicated to my dear, departed mom, who was always my biggest fan and supporter. I miss her a lot.
Date: 2009-03-21
From: Blue Mountain

To: Tray Mountain
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

I had another good night's sleep, despite the low temperatures and the winds that came rushing up Blue Mt. directly into the shelter. My tent is always 10 degrees warmer than outside, just from my body heat and respiration, and my bag is a good one, so I was warm all night. The hard part is getting out of the bag to change clothes in the morning. Once that's done, the rest of the packing up goes pretty smoothly.Once again, the mileage monster had a go at me, triggered in part by the fact that my trail legs are beginning to kick in - noticeable especially on the climbs.We experienced our second episode of trail magic just a mile before the shelter - hot dogs and veggie burgers, chips, pasta salad, cakes and candy. I stopped for a while...There was a smaller group at the campfire tonight - Pancake, Storyteller, Burning Tree and a few others. All of us are looking forward to Hiawassee tomorrow (an 11-mile day). I'm ready for a hot shower, myself.Today's hike is dedicated to my older brother, Len, who always looked out for me and never objected when I wanted to tag along with him and his friends.