morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-01-01
To: Ice Age Trail Shelter #1
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

New Year's Day 1.6 mile hike to the Ice Age Shelter #1 in the Scuppernong Segment of the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest. I'm still not carrying any pack weight but my morning exercise drill has continued to strength my core. During this outing I tried using my new iPhone App called Strava. It is a cool little app that is like MapMyRun. Shows where we went, how long it took, how far we hiked, and what elevation change we experienced. It will take some practice to use but it appears to be extremely useful.
Date: 2016-01-02
To: The Bench
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This is Dave's 2nd most favorite place to hike. We affectionately call it The Bench. It is on the Ice Age Trail's (IAT) Scuppernong Segment north of the Cross Country Ski Trails. There are many Kettles and Moraines to cross to get to this bench which is located at one of the higher elevations on the entire IAT. Dave and I have talked about starting to document our hikes and string them all together and possibly be in the Thousand Mile IAT Club. That is where you hike the IAT either as a thru-hike or in Sections such that ALL Sections are hiked and then you have completed the entire trail. So I ordered up the IAT Databook and Atlas.Only 4 months left to practice hike before this year's big adventure.
Date: 2016-01-22
To: Canary Adds Weight
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Tonight I dug out our brand new day pack and filled the Camelbak with water. A quick weigh in showed it was 5 lbs total. I loaded the fur puppies into my van and headed solo to Lapham Peak to finish off the middle 1/3rd of the Lapham Peak Segment. The boys and I put in a 1-1/2 hour hike laying down 4 miles with my first weight carrying hike of this year's practice sessions. Dave hiked in a mile at the southern end and hiked back the last mile with us laying down 2 miles for him. We finished the hike with headlamps followed by dinner at Thumpers.
Date: 2016-02-08
To: Daily Fur Puppy Walks
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Every day, twice a day, in addition to our off-road extended evening hikes, I walk our Fur Puppies on our 1/4 mile trek up and back on the cul-de-sac across the street from our home. This is to keep our 15+ yo girl Sandy on a strict daily schedule of stretching all her muscles and managing potty detail. Almost everyday, our cute neighbor BC Fur Puppy Smokey dashes out his front door to join us. Smokey arrived late for today's party and pic but he still got his walk & treats.
Date: 2016-02-10
To: Latourell Falls, Portland, OR Gorge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Dave and I went to visit our two handsome sons and sweet daughter-in-law out in Portland, OR. Of course we took full advantage of the beautiful hiking in the area the entire time we were there despite the constant winter rains. This is Latourell Falls, one of the first beautiful falls as you enter the Columbia River Gorge leaving Portland eastbound.
Date: 2016-02-14
To: Last Hike in Portland
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We managed to get lots of hiking with plenty of elevation in Portland. We went to Mt. Saint Helens and explored the Forest Park in NW Portland, but our most favorite was the one in a moderate rainfall with all three kids. We hiked out to Elowah Falls and got totally soaked by the falls themselves! Making beautiful memories!
Date: 2016-02-21
To: The Bench - No Snow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We returned from Portland just in time for me to have a full three months left to kick up the practice hiking. We've had several days of weather into the 50's and most of the snow has left but the hiking trails all have water covered ice on them. Today we did a good 3.6 mile workout/hike on the very icy Kettle Moraine State Trails with great elevation and a good set of Yaktrax. I upped my pack weight to 10 lbs and Jackson's pack came out of storage! Weekly stretching, weight lifting, squats, lunges, pushups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks continues to increase in repetitions. Let the serious AT hike training begin!
Date: 2016-02-24
To: Planning Begins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Now that our practice hiking and workout rituals are clearly established, it is time to turn my attention to Itinerary preparation, technology investigations, and gear review. I've made some headway on all three fronts but the most gains have been made with my usage of my new, free iPhone Strava App. I've been practicing with it and just love the way it shows my path on a map, distance and time hiked, but most of all the elevation gain data is nicely displayed. I'm very excited to give this a test run during this year's Section Hike as I think we will have plenty of cell phone service throughout the hike to run the App. I also have found a great lightweight cell phone recharger battery that will recharge my iPhone three times once I'm out on the trail so I won't have to worry about using the App and my iPhone dying. I plan to not take my solar charger this year. It doesn't work well under the canopy and I believe this recharger will work much more efficiently for the weight requirements. Recharger should recharge my FitBit too but I haven't experimented with that yet. May need a new FitBit before I go since the one I have requires a recharge every 48 hours. My last one would go up to 96+ hours before requiring a recharge. Hmmmmm.....
Date: 2016-03-01
To: New Dinner Time Dessert
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Its officially 10 weeks to this year's AT 270 mile Section hike so some pre-hike experiments are now in play. Tonight it was making instant pudding with powdered milk and cold water. Unbelievably simple!!! Perfect!!! Yummy!!!One package of Instant Milk makes 2 boxes of Instant Pudding. Pre-trip, mix both together without water, divide into 4 ziplocks. To prepare at campsite, mix one cup cold water to contents of one ziplock, wait 2 minutes, and you have dessert!
Date: 2016-03-05
To: Practice Hiking with Jackson & Debbie
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Debbie Rodman, Jackson, and I did 7.1 miles of the Ice Age Trail's Blackhawk Segment today. It was a combination of snow over ice and muddy slop. Yep, spring is coming. Debbie will be joining us for our AT Adventure this year. She is rocking the practice hiking!!!
Date: 2016-03-15
To: Day Pack Practice Complete
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Tonight I retire my 11 lb day pack after an hour hike in the Kettles with husband. I've been hiking with this pack since just after Christmas. My full pack will come out of storage and I'll up the weight to around 16-18 lbs. Can't believe it is only 8 weeks now to departure. Up to 30 sec plank, 70 sit-ups, 70 squats, 70 lunges, 25 push-ups, 70 jumping jacks, 2 rounds of 40 bicycle kicks, and 90 sec yoga tree pose on each leg. Feeling strong!!! Need to start getting the feet better conditioned!
Date: 2016-03-17
To: Gear Obsession Begins
Miles today: 0.0

Time to start obsessing over all my gear. I'm feeling way too organized this year! I cleared space in the guest room, pulled out the four boxes of all my hiking gear, rounded up my tent, sleeping bag, backpack, dog gear, and poles. Rifled through each box pulling out only what I needed and packed the spare stuff back in the boxes. Wow!!! That only took 1-1/2 hours. Now to find my gear list and figure out what I'm missing.... camp shoes, Under Armour, electronics.... Let the obsession begin!!!
Date: 2016-03-19
To: 7 Mile Evening Hike
Miles today: 0.0

After a 7 mile hike with Debbie and her 32 lb pack last night, we had a great gear shake down of her gear. In short we emptied her pack out on the floor and looked for anything that didn't make sense to carry! We removed 2 lbs of gear. So with 2 liters of water and full food looks like she'll be going with 30 lbs!!! Good gear shake down Debbie! Keep looking for stuff to toss out and don't forget to cut the handle off that toothbrush!!!
Date: 2016-04-02
To: Mini-AT Hike with Dave
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This weekend's adventure is a road trip from Wisconsin to Martinsville, VA to attend the STP 500 NASCAR race with husband. It is the first NASCAR race in person for both of us. This road trip crosses the AT in Virginia and husband has never hiked on it before. So.... We paused for a short hike!!! Dave notes he can now cross hiking on the AT off his bucket list now !!! ??
Date: 2016-04-14
To: Jackson's Water Bladders
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

These are the water bladders from Jackson's Ruffwear Palisade backpack. They slide one into each side of the pack resting directly against his sides. That serves to both cool the dog and protect his sides from his load. These are a second generation and I'm still not happy with them. Bandit's bladders were a bit heavier but never leaked. These keep springing pin holes that I find and plug with super glue. Since I carry super glue on the trail we are prepared to fix in a pinch.
Date: 2016-04-20
To: AT Firest
Miles today: 0.0

They are fighting a huge forest fire on sections of the AT that Jackson and I hiked last year. It has come within 90 miles of where we need to hike in 2016. There are also fires north of Hot Springs. Its been a tough fire season already this year. Please pray for the firefighters who are battling this blaze in the Shenandoah National Park.
Date: 2016-04-23
To: 2016 Itineray
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

My 2016 AT Adventure Itinerary is only 1 transport away from being complete. Waiting for a return phone call. Most complicated Itinerary so far. Its getting real now. PM me if you'd like to receive a copy once it is complete. 2016 Itinerary ¢ Front Royal, VA to Harpers Ferry, WV (less Roller Coaster) ¢ 969.4 to 1023.4 & Pen Mar, MD to Delaware Water Gap, PA ¢ Mile 1064.0 to 1293.4 ¢ 269.5 miles total
Date: 2016-04-26
To: Van Approved for Road Trip
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last Pre-2016 AT Hike Agility Trial in the books from this weekend. List of things to practice noted. With only two weeks remaining before Hike departure and very little preparations complete, my attention now turns to 100% Hike preparations. Van has been clear by mechanic for safe travels. Fresh oil change, transmission serviced, all fluids topped off, new wiper blades to be purchased. Yard work is coming along nicely. So let the hike details be top of my list!!!!SPOT testing complete!
Date: 2016-04-27
To: Trail Electronics
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Electronics on the trail is an interesting topic. In the past I have tried to use my Power Monkey Solar charger to charge the battery that I then use to charge my phone from. The battery is the gray device (solar charger not shown). I have never found this to be effective since there is not enough sun on the AT to fully charge the battery thus properly charge my phone. The picture with my Fitbit, iPhone, two batteries, and two cables are the only electronics that I will take out on the trail with me this year. The two batteries will be fully charged in town and allow me to carry 3-4 full recharges of my iPhone and Fitbit out in the field. In my picture scroll you will find a pic of the solar charger and all the electronics I bring with me on the trip some of which will remain in my van and NOT be taken on the hike. Mostly additional cables to recharge my iPhone, Fitbit and batteries from a power source in town. #1 safety rule when it comes to electronics, don't bet your life on anything that requires a battery. Any of this gets wet, its toast!
Date: 2016-05-01
To: Meal Plan
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Sunday, Debbie and I laid out our meal plan for this year's Section Hike.We are planning for 14 dinners that we cook at camp. Debbie will do mostly dehydrated dinners. I have 6 different dinner selections that I like for dinner.1) Easy Mac. I like to put extra cheese in it from a block of cheddar cheese that I bring. I like to carry a 1 lb block of cheddar in a zip lock. Jackson and I share it.2) Soup packet. It makes one dinner. I like to put chicken chunks in the soup to beef it up and top with oyster crackers.3) I will plan on four dinners from the dehydrated dinner selections.4) Instant mashed potatoes with instant gravy and chicken chunks.5) Dehydrated spaghetti sauce, penne and cheese chunks.6) Dehydrated spaghetti sauce and gnocchi.There are three different lunches that I like to make. All three go on either soft taco shells or saltine crackers. Saltine crackers in Jackson's pack works well but are impossible in people backpacks to keep from smashing.1) tuna packet with two mayo packets2) peanut butter3) pepperoni, cheese, and taco sauce.Many people use honey to sweeten their peanut butter. I don't like it and keep scheming how to take some jelly.Breakfast is either instant oatmeal, honey buns, or bagels with cream cheese. I spice up the oatmeal with additional brown sugar, dried cranberries, and raisins in zip lock bags prior to departure. I've only tried the bagels back in 2009. I'm going to try them again this year.For breakfast and dinner I usually have two packets of hot chocolate in one cup of hot water or four packets per day. It's my drink of choice. I've never tried any instant coffee.Dinner dessert will be either a chocolate bar or the instant pudding (this year's newest experiment).Everyday I have 2nd breakfast of one pop-tart packet. This leaves snacks: beef jerky (homemade), various granola bars, trail mix, fish crackers, and hard candy (keeps mouth from drying out). I like to take basic trail mix add more M&Ms and honey roasted peanuts to it and put in several zip locks. Whatever trail mix I use I like it to have salt to add salt to my daily intake.
Date: 2016-05-06
To: Overnight Gear Test Run
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Debbie and I did an overnight gear shake down practice hike. We hiked 2-1/2 hours in a loop in the Kettle Moraine State Forest ending at the Ice Age Trail Shelter #1. Joined by Dave and Bandit for dinner we setup inside the shelter. We survived the thunderstorm over night staying dry. Only a few gear modifications are needed before departure.
Date: 2016-05-08
To: Pharmacy Organization
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Pill organization. Jackson's and mine. Start by rounding everything up you think you'd use. Need to buy Pepsid today. Usually I count out each medication's pills and zip lock them up and put them in mail drops (boxes I mail to towns I'm going to). This year all resupply will be from my van so I zip locked together the daily meds separate from the backup/emergency meds. A small supply of emergency pills then gets put in a small zip lock to go in my packs First Aid Kit. Just enough to get me back to my van. New this year too: my insurance company will no longer authorize a vacation quantity of a prescription. I will have to go to a pharmacy in Pennsylvania to get a refill. What a pain! Thanks Obama Care.
Date: 2016-05-09
To: Last Dehydration Round
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Dehydrating almost done. Last is an experiment that I've read about. Giving it a try. This is two dinners each containing a cup of penne that I cooked to el Dante. I then mixed it with one cup of spaghetti sauce and spread on the dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for 8 hours at 140 degrees making it brittle. Put in two zip locks and it's good to go. To eat you boil 1 cup water, add dinner allowing it to rehydrate, add cheese chucks and eat! Yum!!!Did a final check of all my gear, tweaking minor things, purging items from my pack, loading spare gear boxes into the van.
Date: 2016-05-10
To: Last Pre-Hike Details
Miles today: 0.0

Ready, set, go! Ops sleep first! Today is the last day before our 2016 AT Adventure. All work details have been finalized, all gear double sorted and loaded into my minivan. Last minute details have been worked out with Dave and its off to bed early.But first, one final detail from Walmart....I added one final piece of gear to my bag of tricks, a new FitBit. The old one would only stay charged for less than 24 hours. That just wasn't going to work with so many very long days ahead. This new one is cool in that it also tells me what my heartbeat is. Its been charged and synced with my iPhone. Time to get some shuteye, 3:30 a.m. is going to come very quickly.
Date: 2016-05-11
To: Travel Wisconsin to Bear's Den, Virginia
Miles today: 0.0

We rose early at 3:30 a.m., downed a quick breakfast, snagged a shower, grabbed a large coffee and piled into the minivan with a hug and kiss for Dave. It was off to Waterford to pickup Debbie. While in transport, I realized I'd forgotten my brown sugar for my morning oatmeal concoction, a frantic phone call to Debbie snagged her package of brown sugar. I was greeted in her driveway by Debbie and Mark and all her gear/supplies. We made quick work of loading and organizing the minivan, more good-byes and hugs. And we were off on our adventure!The road trip went off without a hitch and gave Debbie and I plenty of time to work our electronics and get to know each other better. We had a good time working 2 different GPSs and comparing what they said. We snagged Subway on our way up to Bear's Den Hostel for dinner.We have now arrived safely at our first destination which is Bears Den in northern Virginia. The hostel is full of thru hikers and we got the last two bunks. Reorganized the van and prepared for tomorrow's slack-pack hike of 20 miles. Lights are out and I'm tucked in my sleeping bag. Jackson is over the top excited. He recognized the hostel, the proprietor, and our transport guy!
Date: 2016-05-12
From: Bear's Den, VA

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: light rain

We rose early, first ones in hostel up and at'em. Today we planned to slack pack from Bear's Den into Harper's Ferry, a very long walk for Debbie's first day ever on the AT. We grabbed a quick breakfast of pancakes and OJ in the kitchen and slipped out the door into the dark. We left the van in the parking lot and our sleeping bags in our bunks. The trail was wet from all the recent rain so caution was required on the slippery rocks. It was foggy and cool so sadly at Raven Rocks, we were unable to get any good views. However, the trail was kind and we made great time.We walked into Harper's Ferry, WV making it official that I'd finished the State of WV!!! We arrived at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy before they closed at 5 p.m. (barely). We were able to purchase some refreshments and look at the huge AT elevation map they have. Then we waited on the front porch for Strings to pick us up. This elderly gentleman was telling us about his through hike in 1942 while we waited for transport. He must have either been very young then or very old now! LOLStrings arrived and drove us back to Bear's Den. We had the dinner special at Bear's Den which is a frozen pizza all to yourself and a pint of ice cream. We then repacked our backpacks for tomorrow we will hike with full gear. After a quick shower, we collapsed into bed.
Date: 2016-05-14
From: Dicks Dome Shelter

To: Ashby Gap
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Nothing special about the morning drill, breakfast and pack up chores. Everyone left camp about the same time, around 8 a.m. In addition to the ill-mannered dog owner lady, her son, the two hikers that stayed with us on the platform, there were a few other unnamed hikers at this shelter last night. We left the shelter NoBo heading straight up with a climb of about 400'. At the top of this climb we entered the Sky Meadows State Park. The muddy trail slowly migrated into a well manicured mowed grass and then into a formal gravel path. It was strange to see local woman/men out exercising in the park in all their fancy running/walking clothes as we slugged along under our heavy packs.The trail turned downhill for 1000' into Ashby Gap where we crossed US 50. Having left Sky Meadows, the trail began to take on the characteristics of the Roller Coaster, a bit rockier and denser woods as we made our way to the VA 601 parking lot. We popped out of the woods into the parking lot and dropped all our gear into my mini-van. We were all excited to see it, even Jackson. We quickly regrouped to make the drive up to Duncannon, PA. I had now officially completed Virginia!!!! Yahoo!The plan was for me to drive us to Duncannon, PA while Debbie did payroll via her cell phone for work. It was a great plan and worked extremely well. It was a 2.5 hour ride and we were headed to the Red Carpet Inn there. Once we arrived, we showered, washed clothes and repacked our backpacks planning for 5 days out. Bob Freeman picked us up at the Red Carpet where we left our van parked. He drove us back and dropped us at Pen Mar County Park in northern Maryland. Enroute we bought him dinner at a Wendy's.We had originally thought we'd able to make the 5 mile hike to Deer Lick Shelter for the night, but by now we were running a tad late and only made the mile hike into the first campsite. We did however celebrated with great fanfare my also officially finishing Maryland today here at Pen Mar!!! It was also exciting to note that all the skipped Sections were now complete and we had finally arrived in Pennsylvania. Every step was now the farthest north I'd ever hiked on the AT. Bring on PA!!!We setup our tents, hung our bear bags, and collapsed into our tents shortly after dusk. There were two other young men here at the campsite. We all did polite nods but everyone was too exhausted for conversation tonight.