morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-09-16
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Summit of Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Wednesday, September 16th 2015 It's over! The journey from Springer Mt. in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine has come to an end. This morning at 6:30am the Sherpa dropped 3D and I off at the Katahdin Stream Campground, the starting point for the climb up Mt. Katahdin; we began the final trek of our Georgia to Maine journey. The first two thirds of the 4,000' climb up Katahdin was standard Maine. That is, it was a lot of roots, rocks and mud. It was hard work but not threatening. The upper 1/3rd which was all above the tree line was another matter. It was all rock face or boulders. A lot of this was climbing up shear rock cliffs. In some cases there was rebar attached to the rock to help us climb. Climbing the rock face would have been bad enough but there also was a 40 to 50 mph wind. All put together made this last 1/3rd of the climb pure hell. Finally we got to the top and took each others pictures on the famous Katahdin sign. There were about a dozen thru-hikers gathered around celebrating their completion of the AT. We then headed back down. We made it down by 3:30pm where we met the Sherpa. Now that this journey is over, I would like to thank all of you wonderful people who have made those supportive comments on my guest book. There were many times, especially through New Hampshire and Maine, where I felt like quitting and would have done so without your encouragement. Thank you so much for helping me succeed.
Date: 2015-09-17
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Thursday, September 17th   Thank you, Thank you everyone for your congratulatory emails and posts to this journal. The Iceman and Sherpa are enjoying a few relaxing days on the trip home from Mt. Katahdin visiting here and there.   Monday we will get back to our normal lives but will miss the excitement of being on the trail and road for the past 5 1/2 months. Thanks again for being with us on this extraordinary journey.
Date: 2015-04-18
To: Here I go again
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Well here I go again. I am heading back out to continue my journey North on the Appalachian Trail. For those of you who have not read my previous journals, I started a through hike of the AT March 8th, 2012. I made it as far as Damascus and had to get off due to a stress fracture. Over the next year or so I was able to complete a couple more weeks before getting off in Bland, VA.A lot has happened since I attempted my through hike. I have had surgery on my left knee for a torn miniscus and then later surgery on my right foot for a bone spur. I have also moved from North Georgia where I could easily hike the mountain trails to get in shape for my hike to central Florida where I can hike the miles but all on level terrain.So my plan is to go back up to North Georgia on April 25th to visit some friends and then backpack in North GA for a few days to test the knee, foot and my gear. If all goes well I will then go up to Bland, VA and resume my hike Northward. Since I am now just 5 weeks short of being 72 and can tell that I am not in as good a shape as I was even three years ago I am making no grand proclamations as to how long I will stay out. I am prepared to go all the way but will simply say that I will go until I get hurt again or I am no longer having fun.As with all of my hikes I will be keeping a Trail Journal and I hope you will follow along and send me words of encouragement as I trek Northward.
Date: 2015-04-19
To: Prep Hike
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This morning a neighbor of mine, Jan, and I headed out at 7:00 am for a 10 mile hike. The weather was beautiful, cool and partly cloudy. After 3 miles we stopped at a McDonalds for a little breakfast snack, something you can't do on the AT and then continued on. We decided to explore a little. Bear in mind that all of these prep hikes are on sidewalks or multi modal trails. at any rate we took a new road and after about a mile it dead ended and we had to retrace our steps. Oh Well. After about 8 miles I started getting a little tired. I did have on a day pack with about 18 pounds in it. I am in such bad shape. Apparently I did not have the weight distributed properly as I started feeling like I was crabbing down the sidewalk. After 10 miles I was ready to be home. The next day my back was sore and my hip hurt when I walked. not a good sign. Oh well tomorrow is another day.
Date: 2015-04-21
To: Another Prep Hike
Miles today: 0.0

When I woke up today my back and hip were fine. No pain or soreness. I just needed a day to recuperate. Something I won't have on the trail. Jan and I left at 7:00 am again and headed out on another 10 mile hike or so we thought. It turned out to be a only 9 miles but that was fine. I also took a little lighter pack. About half way through the hike we stopped at a breakfast place to eat. We made good time and I was not as tired as on Monday. The next day my back was sore but my hip was fine. I guess that's progress.
Date: 2015-04-23
To: Another Hike
Miles today: 0.0

Off we go again for my final prep hike before heading up to North Georgia. This time Jan and I are heading down to an area called Brownwood. All of our hikes have been in The Villages,FL where we live. A walkers paradise. Hundreds of miles of places to hike on either sidewalks or multi modal trails. Again me are hiking about 9 miles. When we got to Brownwood we stopped for breakfast and then walked back. Taking that break after a couple of hours really helps and I made it back feeling just fine though I know my back will be a little sore tomorrow. I realize that these hikes are nothing like the AT and that I will be starting my adventure out of shape and about 10 pounds heaver than any of my past backpacking trips.That is the reason I will go to North Georgia and hike some short hikes in the mountains before going up to Bland and beginning my real hike. This will allow me to test my knee and my equipment as well as start to get in a little better shape. Also, if it doesn't go well I can get return easily.
Date: 2015-04-24
To: Packing Up
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I spent most of my time making sure I have everything I need for the trip. I packed and repacked several times and rechecked to make sure I have everything I need. As always I have the feeling that I have left something out but if so I hope it is not something major. This is another reason for my test hike Monday through Thursday. My pack weight with 4 days of food and a liter of water is 28 pounds. I am very happy with that. In checking the weather I find that it is going to be cooler than I expected so I have packed some winter wear. I should be able to send some back in a couple of weeks and lower my weight by another pound or so. I had a great going away dinner with friends tonight. That is the hard part about being gone so long. I miss my friends especially Barb my girlfriend.At least we can stay in touch vie email and text and sometimes by phone.
Date: 2015-04-25
To: I am off
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I left this morning about 7:30 after checking and rechecking everything again. Got to Dawsonville around 3:00. I stopped and visited with some good friends and took a look at their new home. What a place they have built. Now I am staying with my hiking buddy, Jarhead, and his wife. We are heading out on Monday for our test hike. Looks like great weather Monday and Tuesday with rain coming in Tuesday night and all day Wednesday. If all goes well we finish up on Thursday. Tomorrow I will visit with friends, take care of a little business and be ready to leave on Monday.
Date: 2015-04-27
To: Springer Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Today we were up early and raring to go. Tina (Ms Jarhead), Jarhead and I went up to Amacalolia Falls State Park. The jumping off point for our hiking trip. We plan on going 8 miles today camping at Springer Mountain shelter. Tomorrow we hope to do another 8 miles ending at Hawk Mountain Shelter. The weather should be great both days. Perhaps a little cool at night. Wednesday the rain moves in and we will be hiking in the rain all day and stopping at Gooch Mountain Shelter. Thursday is a short day. 5 miles and we are done.We left the park at 8:45 and headed North. This is a Trail I have hiked many times as it is near my previous home. My pack weight was 30 pounds. I added some extra water.The first hour the trail was pretty easy. Then we hit Frosty Mountain. All up hill for almost an hour. I was huffing and puffing the whole way; stopping several times to catch my breath. Normally my legs hold up pretty well on these hikes but today they were screaming. I think I heard them say one time "what in the hell are we doing." I knew this was going to happen since all my practice hikes in the villages were on flat ground.After a couple of hours we stopped to take a break. When I started to put my pack back on I noticed that I had only tightened two sets of straps. The set I had not tightened are called load levelers. After putting my pack on properly it was much more comfortable. As the day wore on I started tiring. I snacked during the day to keep my energy level up but I just am not In very good shape. Towards the end of our hike we started climbing Springer Mountain. An hour and a half all up hill. Jarhead, who had been doing great started having problems. He was just pooped. I kind of got my second wind. It seemed we would never make it to the shelter but we got here around 3:00. We were both ready to get our packs off and rest for awhile before tackling camp chores.We decided to stay in the shelter rather than tent. The shelters on the AT are just a platform, 3 walls and a roof. You throw your sleeping bag on the floor and you are all set.We fixed something to eat, refilled our water bags from a nearby stream and hung our bear bags from a cable provided.We had the shelter to ourselves except for the mice that live here. There is a father and daughter camped near by.It's hiker midnight (dark) so we are in our bags bid you goodnight.
Date: 2015-04-28
To: Day 2
Miles today: 0.0

I crashed last night about 8:30 and woke up at 6:30. I did wake up a few times during the night but got right back to sleep. However, I didn't get up to pea. Normally that would be a good thing but not in this case. You need to stay hydrated and when you are hydrated and exert yourself you get up at least twice a night. Today I drank a lot more water. This morning Jarhead decided to get off the trail. He was very fatigued and didn't sleep much last night. He hiked back to where we started. I will miss him. When I got up this morning I was really sore. Every muscle in my legs hurt. Some of that may be due to dehydration. The first part of today's hike was level or downhill. Not so this afternoon. I made good time but had to stop a lot to rest and catch my breath. Tonite I am at Hawk Mountain shelter. There are 9 of us in the shelter and about 6 tenting.About 6 o'clock two girls came in who are hiking the AT together. One is 23 the other 32. Last year they completed the Pacific Coast Trail which runs from The Mexican border to the Canadian Border. If you say the movie "Wild" that is the trail she hiked. Needless to say I will not see them again. I am doing about 7.5 miles tomorrow and they are doing either 12.5 or 20. They haven't decided yet.Rain tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Date: 2015-04-29
To: Day 3
Miles today: 0.0

After a fitful night I got up at 6:30Not a great nights sleep since there was a snorer in the shelter. The funny thing is that he was asking everyone if they snored because he didn't.Today my destination was Gooch Mountain Shelter, About an 7.5 mile hike. Everyone was prepared to hike in the rain and we were surprised that it only rained a little bit during the night. I packed up and had my pack cover on to protect it from the rain and my rain jacket and rain skirt. Yes I said rain skirt. Much cooler and lighter than rain pants. Once again I was really sore and the uphills were tough. The first one was Sassafras Mountain. It was a 600 foot climb and shortly there after Justis Mountain a 300 foot climb. Then a lot of ups and downs to the shelter. After Sassafras Mountain I took off all my rain gear since it had not rained and was soaking wet from sweat. I got to the shelter around 2:30 and had the place to myself. A little later two hikers came in, one about my age, and his friend. I enjoyed their company. They were very interesting.About 5:00 I started getting chilled so I put on a jacket. When I didn't warm up I took off all my clothes which were wet from sweat and put on dry clothes. You always want to have one pair of dry clothes. I still wasn't real warm but I was OK. I thought I would warm up in my bag and I did but still was chilly during the night. It was 42 degrees when I woke up.
Date: 2015-04-30
To: Day Four
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up this morning to a beautiful day. A little chilly at 42 degrees but great hiking weather. Once again I was very sore but this was going to be a short day. Only 5 miles and the end of my pre-hike. There is something about knowing that at the end of the day there is a shower, clean clothes, and real food waiting that kicks you into a higher gear. I started out in a short sleave shirt because even with the temperature in the 40's you are comfortable. I was pumped and ready. Unfortunately my mind was ready but my body not so much. It was a struggle. I made the 5 miles to Woody Gap in 3 hours. Jarhead was there with a cold beer waiting for me. The afternoon was spent picking up some supplies, doing laundry, and updating my journal. Still sore but maybe not quite as much since it was a short day. Tomorrow I am off to Black Bear Hostel. More on that later.
Date: 2015-05-01
To: Black Bear
Miles today: 0.0

After a shower, a couple of good meals and a good night's sleep I awoke this morning feeling pretty good. Not quite so sore. I think this is a good sign.After packing up and saying goodby to Allen and Tina who provided me with some great hospitality I drove up to Black Bear Resort.When I attempted my through hike in 2012 I hurt my knee a few miles short of Black Bear. I stayed there four days to let my knee heal. It is owned by Bob and Linda Lee and their daughter and son in law Stephanie and Brian. We became good friends and I have returned several times to visit. They bought an old campground that was in disrepair and have turned it into a really nice place. The hostel is one of the best on the AT. I plan on staying here tonite and Saturday night. On Sunday I will leave my car here and they will shuttle me up to Bland, VA where I will begin my real hike on Monday.
Date: 2015-05-03
To: Helvey's Mill Shelter
Miles today: 592.4

Today was a good day. Woke up in the hostel at Black Bear around 6:00 after going into town last night to a Mexican restaurant. I actually slept all night. I was in no hurry to pack up since my shuttle to Bland,VA wasn't leaving until 11:00. I talked to Mary Lee and Bob about coming up to Black Bear next year for a week or two during the busy hiking season to help out and they are all for it. At 11:00 Bob and I headed out to Bland. After stopping for lunch we arrived at the Big Walker Motel about 2:00. I was going to stay tonite but then had a change of plans. If I stayed tonite tomorrow's hike would be 12 miles. There is a shelter area after a mile and a half so I decided to leave and hike to the first shelter tonite. When I got here there was one girl here, Thistle. Later Jacobe, Hot Sauce, Mouse, and Welker came in as well as a German couple. As you may have noticed no one uses their real names. I am "Granbob" the picture of the day is of my home for the evening. A typical shelter.By the way I would like to thank everyone who has left comments and words of encouragement. I appreciate them all. If you have questions you can leave them in an entry and I will answer them in a future Journal posting.
Date: 2015-05-04
From: Helvey's Mill Shelter

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

You may have noticed a few new things when you logged on to trailjournals.com/granbob. Now that I am finished with my pre- hikes and am actually on my hike it shows some additional information like miles hiked that day and total miles hiked. Since I want to keep up with the miles of the AT I have hiked my first entry showed 590 miles to get it to accurately reflect my miles on the AT.Secondly when you log in it will go to my most recent entry. You may have to use the previous button to start with the last entry you read if you have missed a few.. You can also use the drop down box on the left. It may not start till my next entry. Hope this is not confusing. This morning I was up early but still was one of the last ones out. I need to speed up my packing.The first part of the day was mainly PUD'S. (Pointless up and downs). Just a lot of small hills and valleys. I stopped at the base of Brushy Mountain and ate lunch. The climb up Brushy was pretty tiring and took about an hour. Then it was downhill to Jenny Knob Shelter. I got here about 2:00 which would be way too early to stop if I had my trail legs. I am here with three other hikers. Others may come later.Tomorrow if I go to the next shelter my hike will be 14.5 miles. That's my plan but there are a lot of places to camp if I need to stop early.
Date: 2015-05-05
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapit Shelter
Miles today: 14.5

WOW is the best way to describe today. It was a good day. I was the first one out today not because I was so fast but because everyone else slept in. Since I was planning on doing 14.5 miles today I wanted to leave early but I left at my regular time. 8:00.The bad thing about leaving first is that during the night spiders weave their Web across the trail. Usually just one strand or two. The first one out gets it in the face all morning.I started with a mile downhill which was good because it warmed up the muscles without over working them. That was followed by a 1.5 mile up hill. Today I was much stronger on the uphills today. Maybe I am starting to get my trail legs.About half way through the day I took a .3 mile side trail to a waterfall where I ate lunch. A beautiful spot. When I finished lunch I still had about 6 miles to go. The terrain was not bad and a lot of the trail was along a mountain stream. However, I was very tired. I made good time but am worn out from doing the extra miles. I have not been as sore lately. It will be interesting to see if I am sore tomorrow. A shorter day tomorrow.
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Wapit Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today is a day I have looked forward to since I first started reading about the AT about 5 years ago. I am going to Woods Hole Shelter. I left around 8:00 and had a short day since it was only an 8 mile walk. After my 15 miles yesterday I thought I would be sore but not so much. After a short while what little soreness I had went away. The day started with a long 1500 foot up over about 3 miles. I was not looking forward to it. However, it wasn't that bad. Each day I get a few more steps in before I have to stop. After the climb it was pretty level but very rocky. Not big rocks but lots of small ones. Rocks are bad for several reasons. 1 ) one miss step and your hike could be over. 2) It slows you down. 3) The rocks tend to bruise the bottoms of your feet and make them sore.The miles listed above only count actual AT miles and Woods Hole is a half mile off the trail. It was all down hill. All I could think of was starting off tomorrow with an up hill that doesn't count.I got there about 1:30 and they had a bunk house or a shared room. I took the shared room. It had a real bed with sheets. Ahhh the small pleasures of life on the trail. I shared the room with "61" and "Black and Blue" a strong 68 year old lady who hiked 20+ miles to get here. I won't see either of them again as they hike much faster than I do.Woods Hole is an old farm which started taking in hikers in the mid 80's. An elderly couple owned it and became well known in the hiker community. When they died it shut down. A few years later her granddaughter and her husband opened it back up. They raise most of there own food and what they don't they get from an Amish Grocery. For dinner we had a salad, Mexican lasagna, rice and Ice cream for desert. Breakfast was eggs,sausage and hash browns and fruit. A really unique place and I forgot to take a picture.
Date: 2015-05-07
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: MacArthur Inn
Miles today: 10.7

After a great breakfast it was time to leave but first they ask you to help out. We were to strip our beds and re-make them with clean sheets. When I checked out of Woods Hole I mentioned to Neville, the owner, that I was in a bit of a quandary. My first day would be 10 miles to Pearisburg where I could resupply. The problem is the next section of trail will take me 8 days with no resupply and limited water along the way. The faster hikers are doing it in 6 days. I was concerned about carrying the extra weight of 4 more days of food. She suggested I use a shuttle driver to pick part of my food up before i left and meet me at a trailhead about half way. Problem solved. The trail goes within a mile of Pearisburg so you have to walk into town to get a room. She suggested I call the MacArthur Inn. It is several miles away but they will pick you up at the trailhead.I headed out about 9:30 with the half mile climb to the trail. The climb continued for sometime, leveled out and then climbed some more. When I reached the top there was a nice section with spectacular views. Another hiker was at an overlook so we exchanged cameras and took pictures of each other.From the view site we only had about 3 miles to go. We arrived at Angels Rest overlook with only 1.7 miles to go, all down hill. Sweet. Well it was not so sweet. The trail was very steep down with one switch back after another. There must have been at least 25 switchbacks. Soon we could see the town in the valley below. Almost there. Not. It took us an hour. My feet were killing me. The steep downhills are tough on the feet and knees. I finally reached the trailhead, called the Inn and they picked me up and Wow was I surprised. See my next post for details.