morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Mt. Washington

To: Home for 3 weeks
Miles today: 0.0

We climbed Mount Washington during a storm. We then drove through the night and arrived home early this morning. I then drove to Muskegon, Michigan, to vacation with family. My plan is to be back on the trail September 7 and summit in late September. I am currently eating anything that even resembles food!
Date: 2013-08-17
From: Home for 3 weeks

To: home for 2 more weeks
Miles today: 0.0

I have been off trail for one week now and have been shocked by how much I have been eating and sleeping. I think my body is demanding that it catches up on both. I have been taking afternoon naps and have been eating at least a quart of ice cream each night!The photo is of Jan and me, our two children and eight grandchildren on a Lake Michigan Beach.
Date: 2013-08-22
From: home 

To: home until Sept. 5th
Miles today: 0.0

I have been off trail almost two weeks now. It has been fun seeing pictures of friends summiting Katahdin. I miss them. I know I am doing the right thing by coming home for a family vacation and to speak at a conference. Still, I miss the trail and fellow thru hikers. Jan and I spent a fun evening at Starbucks(better than Folger's instant which is what I drink on the trail) sharing tales from the trail with friends. . Tom has completed the AT and the PCT. There is a special bond with fellow thru hikers. He mentioned that it is because we suffered the same things. That is so true. The hikers I am most connected to are those who started early and also suffered through the brutal month of March in the Smokies. We froze; but did so together. We also shared body heat in the shelters. King David and Jonathan were very close. In his lament over Jonathan's death David states that he loved Jonathan more than any woman. They were both warriors who had fought and suffered together,and that is the bond he is speaking of. The Apostle Paul stated in Philippians that he wanted "to share in the sufferings of Christ." He knew that by doing so he would know , love and appreciate Christ even more.I remember a book about the Viet Nam War titled Friendships Forged In War. It brought out the same truth. Those who share in battle and its sufferings have a special bond. I look forward to meeting and hiking with hikers I have not yet met when I return to the trail. However,I doubt I will ever share the unique bond that developed on the trail with such hikers as Sparks, Joe the Hiker,Mot, Pumpkin Pie, Grrr,Rash, Dovetail, Caribou,Nichelodian,Roadrunner the German, Z, Snowfrog, Bean and Samson. We suffered together!
Date: 2013-08-25
From: home until Sept. 5th

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday Jan and I had the privilege of hearing Jennifer Pharr Davis speak. She holds the record for the fastest assisted thru hike on the AT. She has hiked it three times, as well as the PCT and many other trails. She shared about the difficulties she went through in accomplishing the record. She suffered much: shin splints, diarrhea, near hypothermia and extreme body aches and pains. Yet she exudes a deep love for hiking and the AT. Her love for the trail and hiking is what she focused on, and I think all those in attendance were inspired to leave and take a hike.Last evening I was scrolling through trail journals.com and reading the entries of several thru-hikers. The Apostle Paul knew pain and difficulty. He was often beaten and stoned. You can read all about it in 2 Corinthians 11. Yet he states in Romans 8 that he does not consider his present sufferings worth comparing to the glory that is coming. Then in 2 Corinthians 4 he writes that our light and momentary afflictions are preparation for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. So my take away is this. Any sufferings thru-hikers go through to reach Katahdin will pale in significance with the joy of reaching that sign. Also, difficulties we go through in our spiritual journey will seem like nothing when we finish that trail!
Date: 2013-09-03
From: Home

To: Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 0.0

Today I begin the 1,100-mile drive back to the trail! I have been off a month. I have really enjoyed the family and speaking at a conference but I am anxious to get back on the AT. Speaking at a conference about the trail is not the same as hiking it. It is easy to read, study, speak and write about a subject and somehow get the false impression that you experienced it. I have heard from other hikers that they have been harassed on their trail journal by what they call "cubicle hikers" who negatively critique their hike. Thankfully ,I have received very little of that. I think those who have the right to critique are those who are out there on the trail facing the same challenges. The same holds true for our spiritual walk as well. It is so easy to study, develop and defend our particular theology, read various authors, go to church and Bible studies and somehow think that is the essence of living the Christian life. All these activities are good but are not in themselves a walk which is what the Christian life is described as. Spiritually we also need to crawl out of our cubicles and get into the dirt and mud of life.My next entry will be written from the AT in the rooted, rocky and muddy mountains of Maine.
Date: 2013-09-06
From: Stratton, Maine

To: Safford Notch
Miles today: 11.0

Today was beautiful! The air was cool and crisp and the skies were sunny and blue. It is fall up here in Maine. I crossed over the amazing Bigelow Mountain range today and also crossed the 2 ,000-mile mark. After passing the marker I walked on and reviewed this journey which began March 2. As I did so one of the verses to Amazing Grace came to mind. The words express well my thoughts upon reaching the 2,000 mile-mark. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come.Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,and grace will lead me home. (Mt. Katahdin)
Date: 2013-09-09
From: Safford Notch

To: Caratunk
Miles today: 26.0

I stealth-camped alone the past two nights in the wild wilderness of Maine. I have met several thru-hikers I hadn't met previously, and ran into BooBoo. Pumpkin' called and Pie is joining me to hike the 100-mile wilderness, which is just 3 days ahead. He finished the trail a month ago but misses it. I am grateful that I will have his companionship through the wilderness!
Date: 2013-09-10
From: Caratunk

To: Monson
Miles today: 37.0

I am in Monson; the last trail town before Katahdin. Speaking of Katahdin I saw it yesterday? It is still 137 trail miles away; but it really does exists!Hebrews 11 speaks of the heroes and heroines of the faith who believed in the promises of God even when they had not yet seen them fulfilled. The passage says they admitted that they were pilgrims on the earth and continued walking by faith ; until faith became sight. Our spiritual life is much like this trail. We walk through many difficulties in life with seemingly no end in sight. However, there really is an end, and a God, a Savior and heaven. Just wait and see!
Date: 2013-09-11
From: Monson

To: Monson
Miles today: 0.0

I am zeroing (no hiking) today in Monson while waiting for Pumpkin Pie to arrive. We will enter the 100-mile wilderness tomorrow to complete the final 114 .5 miles of the AT.Monson is a very small, struggling but blessed town located on a logging truck route in northern Maine. Many of the small storefronts are closed and several buildings are in bad shape. However, I like it. Monson is located on the shore of Lake Hebron. In Scripture, Hebron is the city that Caleb captured from the Cannanites when he was 85 years old. It was later established as a city of refuge in Israel. Those who committed unintentional crimes could flee there for protection and find safety from retaliation. The word 'Hebron' means alliance or companion. Monson is a hiker-friendly town. Monson is also the home to the AIIA Biblical Resource and Study Institute. (www.AIIAchristiananswers.net. The institute is an excellent source for answers to biblical questions.On the shore of Lake Hebron you will also find the Lake Shore House. It is an extremely hiker friendly hostel/hotel with a wonderful restaurant. Rebecca, the owner, is a very gracious servant to hikers. So, in reality Monson is blessed and a wonderful trail town to zero in. It is also the last town before Katahdin!
Date: 2013-09-21
From: Katahdin

To: Heading home
Miles today: 0.0

I had shared in an earlier post that Pumpkin Pie was going to join me for the final 115 miles of the AT. He was able to hike with me for three days, but then needed to return home. It was great reuniting and hiking with him! After his departure I hiked alone through the 100-mile wilderness for the final four days. I can truly say though that I was not alone. God has never been more real to me than during those last few days. I had a lot of time to reflect. One thing I thought about was the pose I wanted to depict at the Katahdin sign. Most I have seen are a depiction of victory with arms stretched out in triumph. I am not in any way saying that is wrong, but for me it would not be expressing my true thoughts of the moment. I wanted my pose to be give God the glory. Therefore, in my summit photos you see a stretched out hand to the heavens and a finger pointing to God. I wanted to express gratitude to Him for his presence, protection, and provision throughout every mile of the journey. It truly is only by his grace that I arrived at that sign. You also see my other arm is reaching out and a finger is pointing to you and others whom God used as His instruments to make the completion of the journey possible. I am pointing to those of you who have supported me financially, through prayers, words of encouragement, help with technology (how to post a journal entry) and following me on the journal. I am pointing to all you Trail Angels who gave trail magic; food, a bed for the night, and a hitch for a tired hungry, dirty, stinky hiker who needed to get to a trail town to resupply. I am pointing to fellow hikers who shared in the same daily struggle to put in our miles going north. I have never been a part of such an eclectic group of people. You were my favorite part of the journey! While reflecting upon you I got all choked up and cried, which is uncommon for me. I will never forget you (although I don't know most of your real names). I would give a list of your trail names but then I would begin crying again. The journey was hard and long but you made it fun. I would like to end this journal entry by naming and giving special thanks to my wife, Jan. For over 20 years she has known of my dream to one day hike the entire AT in one calendar year, and thus earn the title thru-hiker. Over the years she has supported me in my one- or two-week hikes and even a two-month hike in 2007. This hike took me half a year. It could not have happened without her total support and extra work on the home front. Thank you, Jan. You most know what the title thru-hiker means to me. I offer a deep bow of gratitude to all you who helped this weary traveler along the way.
Date: 2013-09-24
From: Heading home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Statistics show that only around 20% of those who attempt a thru-hike will have a picture of themselves at Springer Mountain and on Mt. Katahdin. Ecclesiastes 7:8 states,"Better is the end of a thing than its beginning". Israel's wise king Solomon also observed and wrote in Ecclesiastes 9:11 that " the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong,nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor with those with knowledge, but time and chance happens to them all". I am humbled by the fact that I have a picture of myself at Springer and Katahdin. I could list many hikers who were stronger, swifter, smarter, and more skilled than me who did not complete the journey. Time and chance occurred; a slippery rock, bad knees , shin splints, giardia, lyme disease; a multitude of things can take a hiker "off trail". Everyday I realized that just one misstep out of an estimated 5 million could have ended the journey for me as well. I was extremely careful the last few days as I could see Katahdin in the distance. Northern Maine's terrain is a slippery jumble of rocks, roots, and mud. I fell everyday. However, though bruised and battered nothing was broken and I was able to go on. That reminds me of another verse written by Solomon as well from the book of Proverbs " A righteous man may fall 7 times, yet he rises up again".By God's grace I was able to get back up.
Date: 2013-09-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I heard the story of a southern girl thru-hiker who kept talking about "rat good train". A couple other hikers were confused until they realized she was saying "right good terrain.".Even that is a bit confusing because the AT offers very little right good terrain. From Georgia to Maine it seems hikers are always dealing with difficult terrain. Roan Mountain was a frozen river of ice, the Smokies had snow drifts 3 feet deep, Virginia had the green tunnel, Pa. the cutting rocks, Vermont the muck,, New Hampshire the boulders and Maine the roots. It was seldom "rat good train". It seems life is much like that as well. Seldom is life like "a walk in the park". Who ever said it would or should be? In Acts 14 the Apostle Paul after being stoned and left for dead returned to the same city he was stoned in. He encouraged the believers there to keep on believing and not to be discouraged because it is "through many tribulations that we enter into the kingdom of God". The greek word translated tribulation was used in that day for the crushing of grapes to make wine. The only way we get to Katahdin or the kingdom is though " rat tough train"; but then we have the joy of reaching Katahdin and the kingdom and becoming fine wine rather than dried up raisins.
Date: 2013-09-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The long Trail Inn at Killington, Vermont has a very plain plaque on the wall which simply says,"Simplify". When I saw it I was struck by the fact that life on the trail is simple, and I like life that way.Since returning home I have come to realize that except for the physical aspect of the hike life is actually much easier on the trail than off. People have asked what reentry has been like for me. I must admit that I do prefer porcelain instead of a splintered wood seat privy and a soft feather pillow rather than my stinky clothes in a stuff sack serving as a pillow. However,much of trail life I prefer over life "off trail". Thru- hikers I have talked to voice the same desire to simplify life upon upon their return home ,but like me find it difficult to do so. I have found the following quote from the writings of the Apostle Paul to be helpful:"Take your everyday, ordinary life-- your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-- and place it before God..... Don't become so well -adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.."(The Message Paraphrase of Romans 12:1-2). It is worth thinking about!
Date: 2013-10-14
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

Last weekend I attended the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA)gathering in Shippenburg , Pa. I really didn't want to return to my toughest state of the AT (Rocksylvania , Sprainsylvania, Painsylvania, ) but attended because Punkin Pie and Mot said they were going to be there. I would even return to Pa. to be with those guys! .We all took our wives along and had a great time eating and laughing a lot as we shared tales from the trail. The thru-hikers class of 2013 were given certificates of completion. Mine is made out to "Hoosier ,formerly known as Craig Clapper". For the last half year I was known by the trail name Hoosier.I like who Hoosier was and became on the trail. I desire to live life "off trail" with the same character qualities Hoosier had on the trail. In many ways I feel that Craig Clapper died on the trail and the thru-hiker Hoosier was born and grew. The Bible describes salvation as being "born again" and is also full of stories of people being renamed and becoming new people in character living up to the meaning of their new name. A letter of congratulations from ALDHA ends with the statement; "What you have accomplished is amazing. Don't forget what you have learned and live your life as you hiked the trail". I plan and hope to do so and one day hear Jesus say "Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter ye into the joys of heaven".
Date: 2013-10-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Walking is the dominant metaphor used in the Bible to describe life. The first mention of walking in the Bible is found in Genesis chapter 3 . It is God Himself who is said to be "walking in the garden in the cool of the day". The second use of the word is in chapter 13 where God tells Abram (later given the trail name Abraham) to "arise and walk through the length and breadth of the land... So Abram moved his tent..." I have walked quite a bit of Israel and it is tough terrain! So, I guess Abram was the first thru-hiker?Then in chapter 17 Abram is commanded by God Almighty to "walk before me and be blameless". Here we see that a walk describes one's spiritual life lived before God.Later in Genesis 48 Abrahams grandson ,Jacob states that his grandfather and father walked before God. He then blesses his grandchildren and children from his deathbed and dies. His death is described in Genesis 49:33 in this way, " When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people." I love that description of death. He had taken his last steps so he pulled his legs into his bed. He would no longer need his lungs so he took his last breath and died. He had reached life's Mt. Katahdin!If you are reading this then you , like me ,are still walking and breathing. Let us make it a life lived before God and finish well when we take our last step and breath.
Date: 2013-10-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Genesis 5 is a genealogy listing people who were born, had children and then died. Boring! However, suddenly in the midst of the repetitive theme one man stands out. Verse 22 reads "Enoch WALKED with God after he fathered Methuselah".Something about having a son had a profound impact upon Enoch. He started living differently. He now WALKED with God. My favorite part of life on the trail was getting to know several other thru-hikers and their life stories. I often tell people "off trail" that no one takes several months out of life and hikes over 2,000 miles who isn't working through something. Perhaps it was due to my having been a pastor,or the anonymity of trail life( no one knows your real name) that caused many hikers to share very personal life stories with me. Events had occurred in their lives which profoundly changed their futures. Most of these stories were tragic. They were on the trail to get some answers and new direction. Several told me that they were actually grateful for what happened because it was what caused them to begin walking with God. The hiker in the picture, Samson would be such a one. His story will be out in book form soon. I wish we were all smart enough to walk with God without something major coming into our lives to get our attention. For Enoch it was the blessing of the birth of a child. Too often though it is a very difficult life shattering event. The good news is that God can take even these horrible experiences of life and bring good out of them.
Date: 2013-10-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Late in the hike I read a shelter journal entry written by Wild Rain. Her entry played off the children's song "The Song that Never Ends" from the TV show Lamb Chops Play Along. She wrote:This is the trail that doesn't end.Yes, it go on and on my friends.Some people started hiking it not knowing what it was,and they'll continue hiking it forever, just because.I assume she meant it humorously; but then again, maybe she was having a tough day. The songs lyrics and tone are repeated over and over again without purpose or resolution, and were typically sung by children when doing something repetitive and boring. I think every thru-hiker would agree that there are days on the trail that seem repetitive and at times boring. Many hikers find Virginia to be so. The trail in Virginia is over 500 miles long and is known as the "green tunnel" with "puds" , i.e. pointless ups and downs. Many hikers drop out in Virginia. I have found that the only thing to do at such times is to take the next step forward knowing that it brings you that much closer to your goal. But what if it were true that the trail had no end? Then why take another step? Life "off trail" can seem repetitive and boring at times as well. How do we "stay on trail" at such times? We must believe that there really is an end and that each step brings us closer to a glorious goal.Wild Rain hiked with a favorite verse attached to the back of her pack which read,"Those who trust in the LORD shall possess the land and inherit His holy mountain"(Isaiah 57:13)That truth inspired her all the way to Mount Katahdin . It will also get her to other mountain tops in life and a glorious inheritance after her life's journey.
Date: 2013-10-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The Whites were awesome, majestic, beautiful, difficult and dangerous. The weather there can change in a moment; drenching you in a cold rain that penetrates to the bone,or blow you about in high winds that can throw you to the ground. Climbing up and over Mt. Madison proved to be one of my most challenging days. The trail is a field of huge jagged boulders. Hiking poles are useless as they only get stuck in deep crevices between the boulders. Therefore, I was only able to average around 1 mph. It was getting to me. I was thanking God that I was not dealing with mud, bugs, roots, ticks, extremely high winds or cold rain. I consoled myself by remembering that each step, however slow and tedious, was a step closer to Katahdin. However, I began questioning whether I had what it takes to complete the trail. After all, I still had over 300 tough miles to go. Just then, when I needed it most, I received some very encouraging words. A southbound day hiker passed me and asked where I was going. "Maine" I said. He replied,"I know that ,you have the look. I mean where are you going today?" I said "Osgood tent-site",and went on. However, his words encouraged and stayed with me. Even if "the look" meant skinny, smelly, dirty, disheveled, hairy and hungry I had the look of a thru-hiker!When I finally arrived at Osgood Tent-site I was greeted by Shutterbug, a thru-hiker I had not seen since Tennessee. When she saw me she said, "Hey Hoosier, I knew you would still be on trail." What an encouragement her words were! She apparently believed I had what it takes to be a thru-hiker and said that to me on one of my most difficult days of the hike. The word encourage appears over 100 times in the New Testament. It means to come along side ofand to speak to the need of the moment, so as to strengthen, inspire, embolden, console, comfort and give confidence. The two people who encouraged me that day probably had no idea how much I needed their words.Proverbs:18:21 states, " Words kill, words give life; they either poison or bear fruit".(Hoosier's paraphrase) Their words were life giving and bore the fruit of continuing on to Katahdin.