morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-11-28
From: Home

To: Cathedral of Learning, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Miles today: 0.0

Time flies. It's been almost four months since my section hike to Katahdin ended. My left foot still hurts from spending two months on the AT, and it's prevented me from doing much hiking this fall. I've gone on a few hikes and done a couple of moderate backpacking weekends, but nothing like what I did on the AT, unfortunately. It does feel better than it did in August, and today seemed like a good opportunity to see how it would feel after doing some stair climbing. In the months leading up to my trip, I made numerous trips to the University of Pittsburgh to climb 36 flights of stairs at the Cathedral of Learning. I only did six climbs tonight, but my foot felt OK and I had a relatively good time on the stairs. Since stair climbing is so much fun, there are usually other people climbing during the cold weather months. One of the regulars who was there tonight is a guy who's successfully climbed Mt. Everest and is currently working on summiting the highest mountains on each continent. We swapped stories for a bit which made for a nice break from the monotony of stair climbing. I'm hoping to be close to trail shape by Christmas when I'm planning to do some of the AT in VA, WV, and maybe Maryland. If the weather (and my foot) cooperate, I might be able to complete the section between Front Royal and the Pennsylvania state line. Looking ahead to 2013, I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back to the trail, but I want to do a week or two at the very least. It will be a while before I complete the entire AT, but I should get close to completing half of it next year...
Date: 2012-12-28
From: Front Royal

To: Linden
Miles today: 8.2

It had finally stopped snowing in Northern Virginia and I headed to the Route 522 trailhead outside of Front Royal. It was cold and clear, and there were two other vehicles parked in the small, snow covered lot. I snagged a spot and somehow kept my car from getting completely stuck in all of the snow and ice. It had been over four months since my last AT hike, way too long to be away from the trail. Starting uphill from 522, I noticed from the footprints in the snow that there was at least one hiker ahead of me this morning. Before long, I caught up to Sea Eagle, a section hiker from Miami. After passing her, I stopped by the Jim & Molly Denton shelter which features a picnic table and pavilion, deck, bench, and even a shower. The PATC has some truly outstanding shelters, and maintains the AT to a very high standard!After crossing VA 638, the trail started uphill again and the snow made the climb a little tougher than it would have normally been. Near the top, there was a sweeping view, but my camera battery had just died, and of course, I had forgotten to bring my spare battery. Before long, the descent to Route 55 began, and I had reached the end of my hike earlier than expected. I called my mom for a ride back to my car and stood around (no place to sit) waiting for her to arrive. Sea Eagle came along after a while and I had a nice conversation with her while waiting for my ride.
Date: 2012-12-30
From: Linden

To: Route 50, Ashby Gap
Miles today: 11.8

Returning to the trail where I left off two days ago, I crossed a small footbridge and immediately began climbing up from Route 55. It had snowed the previous day, but traction wasn't an issue as there were plenty of footprints to follow in the snow. After 2.3 miles, I came to the Manassas Gap shelter and sat down for a snack and a look at the shelter logbook. The logbook was an old one, I saw many entries from thru hikers that I'd met during the summer, Orange Lightening, Jay Bone, Tutti, Boxhead, Peepshow, Roll Tide, and Pretzel. As the day wore on, I noticed that a ton of people were out on the trail, including a large group that camped out at Dicks Dome. By the time I got to Route 50, I'd seen about 25 people, way more than I was expecting on a cold winter day.Having left my camera's battery charger in Pittsburgh, I wasn't able to take any photos today. This is a section that I'll probably re-hike (with camera) in the future, there were some nice landscapes around Sky Meadows and Dicks Dome, as well as a side trail to Trico Tower which presumably has a view of the Tri County area.
Date: 2012-12-31
From: Route 9, Keys Gap

To: Route 7, Snickers Gap
Miles today: 13.5

Starting at Route 7, I was able to skip most of Virginia's infamous Roller Coaster because I had already hiked the section from here to Route 50 in May, shortly before my section hike. The Roller Coaster isn't all that bad in terms of total elevation changes, but there's something very unrewarding about constant uphills with no views at the top, followed by short, steep descents. The Roller Coaster is the textbook definition of "PUDs" (Pointless Ups and Downs). That being said, I still had a couple miles left to go before I'd officially be done with the RC. From the trailhead, the AT went up and the solid traction that I'd experienced during my previous hikes was largely gone, most of the snow had been compacted into an ice-like state and I had to slow my pace to avoid falling. I leaned heavily on my Black Diamonds and they did an admirable job getting me through some tough spots. Not long after crossing the border into West Virginia, I came to an impressive vista, Raven Rocks. No camera, but I stopped for a snack and enjoyed the view until sitting around made me cold. From here north the trail was easier, the snow wasn't as compacted and offered decent traction. By the time I reached the junction with the side trail to the Blackburn AT Center, I was ready for another break so I found a comfy log to sit on and chowed down. While enjoying my trailside lunch, a couple who'd spent the night at the David Lesser Shelter came by and we chatted for a bit. I was surprised to see how many people were overnighting on the trail, apparently the AT's attraction is year round. Continuing on, I made it to the David Lesser shelter by mid afternoon. Reaching the shelter completed another small chunk of the trail for me, I have section hiked from Front Royal, VA to Black Rock Cliffs, MD. I stopped in at the shelter to read the logbook and talked to a couple guys who were setting up camp for the night. They seemed to be well prepared for the cold and even offered me a shot of whiskey which helped warm me up while reading the shelter journal. This was the first time I'd seen one of my entries in a shelter logbook, I stopped here in August on one of my day hikes. Another journal entry that caught my eye was from Frogman - I met him at one of the shelters in southern Maine in mid July. What really caught my attention about his journal entry was the date - he was here yesterday! I'm not sure why it took so long to get here from Maine, I can only guess that he got off the trail for a while and picked up wherever he left off. Leaving the shelter, the final miles went by quickly and I made it to Keys Gap where I dropped my car off this morning before catching a ride with my buddy Rob down to Route 7. Rob was having an NYE party at his house in Harpers Ferry, which seemed like the perfect place to celebrate the new year and reflect on a very memorable 2012.
Date: 2013-02-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's already mid-February, and soon countless hopeful thru hikers will be heading to Springer to start their journey to Katahdin. In case you're one of them, here are a few links that may be informative, amusing, and/or inspirational:Hobos in Love SOBO 2011 Written with an excellent sense of humor, these two seemed to have fun wherever the trail led them.http://hobosinlove.wordpress.com/2011/05/Orange Lightening NOBO 2012I first met Orange Lightening in Maine at Northern Outdoors. I saw him again in Monson and started the 100 mile wilderness with him and Roll Tide. He hikes faster than me and was well ahead by the 2nd day but I caught up with him at the camp store in Abol Bridge and climbed Katahdin with him and Cheshire Cat the following day. http://www.orange-lightening.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.htmlFive Million Steps, Amanda and Josh, NOBO 2008Before starting my hike I didn't know what to expect from the AT. This thorough, well-written blog gave me a good idea of what daily life on the AT would be like. Spoiler alert, they don't complete their hike, despite finishing approximately two thirds of the trail. They stopped hiking just south of where I started in New York.   http://www.fivemillionsteps.com/index.phpMy Meandering Trai, Jordana, NOBO 2013Usually the "pre-trail" preparation blogs aren't all that interesting, but that's not the case here. Even mundane talk about backpacking gear is done in a witty style that makes it a highly entertaining read. The bar is already set high, but I have a feeling the actual hike will be even more fun to read about. http://mymeanderingtrail.com/Handlebar (NOBO 2006)I found this blog while looking for information on Pennsylvania's Mid State Trail. I haven't finished reading his journal about the AT yet, but what I've read so far has been excellent:http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=127239Seeks It (NOBO and SOBO 2012)"Hike your own hike" is a popular expression on the trail, and Seeks It has found a unique way to hike the AT, having hiked its length twice in one year. I didn't realize it at the time, but I passed him in Vermont this past summer.http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=363871Videos about the AT on YouTube can be hit or miss, but this one is outstanding, I couldn't even count how many times I watched it last year before my hike.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lif6o8iE5cAA close second comes from AMS (NOBO 2012). As far as I can tell, he was one of the first NOBOs to finish last year. Watching this during the fall made me wish I was back on the trail. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MH2DC9H6D8 Good luck to everyone attempting the trail this year, have a great hike!
Date: 2013-05-28
From: MD 17 Road Crossing

To: MD 17 Road Crossing
Miles today: 10.0

I spent the first part of the day working at Rob's house in Harpers Ferry, then headed to the trail a little after 2. I had just enough time to log my 1,000th mile of the trail, hiking from Route 17 to a little south of the Pogo campsite. I ran into Javaman who I'd met back in Shenandoah NP and caught up with him for a bit. After getting back to the trailhead where I parked, I took the short walk up to the Ensign Cowall Shelter and stopped in for a few minutes. Several thru-hikers were there and I offered a ride into town if anyone wanted to do a resupply. Maineiac joined me for a short trip to the convenience store and after dropping him off I headed back to Harpers Ferry, happy to have reached 1,000 miles.
Date: 2011-12-10
To: Sponsor list
Miles today: 0.0

Welcome to our AT Journal. This journal is still a work in progress. Gear and other pages will be improved soon.   We now have our plane tickets, and will begin the AT on April 1st. My fourth article for Backpacking Light is now available at: www.backpackinglight.com  It is all about the Washington and Oregon sections of the PCT. It is in the people section and named "O Canada". You do need a Backpacking Light membership to read this article, but the first 3 are free. They now list all my new pieces as "Premium Articles", which require a membership. If you would like a membership, you can use the coupon code: Sunshine2012at to receive $10 off an anual membership and Sunshine will receive $5 towards her hiking expenses. I will have a new article in March about our up coming AT adventure. I also will write 3 articles about our adventures while on the AT.   Thank you to all our sponsors for providing your superior products. As you can clearly see, we only requested sponsorship from the very best leaders in ultra light gear and backpacking foods. We are very particular about what we carry and eat. We only use the lightest and best equiptment available. You will find that our foods are the highest in quality and taste. Weight to calorie ratio is very important to our mission as well as nutrition. ~Zpacks,               www.zpacks.com~Keen Shoes,         www.keenfootwear.com~LifeSource,         www.lifesourcenaturalfoods.com ~Mountain House Foods, www.mountainhouse.com~Gossamer Gear,      www.gossamergear.com~KIND Bar,            www.kindsnacks.com/kind-store/buy-kind-bars~Darn Tough Socks,   www.darntough.com~Minimus.biz,         www.minimus.biz~Backpacking Light,   www.backpackinglight.com~Black Diamond,      www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/~Dirty Girl Gaiters,   www.dirtygirlgaiters.com ~Lynn Zachreson Art,   www.members.cruzio.com/~lynnz/classes.html ~Honeyville Foods,   www.store.honeyvillegrain.com~Oregon Chai,         www.oregonchai.com~Feathered Friends,   www.featheredfriends.com ~The Mountain Shop,   www.mountainshop.net ~ULA Equiptment,      www.ula-equipment.com/packoverview.asp~Superfeet,            www.bestinsoles.com ~Six Moon Designs,   www.sixmoondesigns.com~The StickPic,         www.thestickpic.com ~Leatherman/Led Lenser, www.leatherman.com www.ledlenser.com ~Carolina Shelf Reliance, www.carolinashelfreliance.com ~The A.T. Guide,         www.theATguide.com ~Just Fruit Bars,         www.gorgedelights.com ~Buff,      www.buffusa.com ~Seattle Sports, www.Seattlesportsco.com ~Emergen-C, www.EmergenC.com ~Raw Revolution, www.rawrev.com
Date: 2011-12-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We had a great time scrubbing tubs at Brightenbush Hot Springs yesterday. We try to do do it as often as possiable. Sunshine and Butterfly pick up trash (cans, bottles, underwear, ect.) while the rest of us begin draining and scrubing. This was our first chance to go there since our PCT thru hike. Our friends Kendra, Jago, and Greta helped us. We all had a great time as usual.    I hope to get more done in this journal today. Author Noah Stryker is calling me today to interview us for his book about our 2011 PCT thru hike.
Date: 2012-01-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We are deep into our planing for the AT now! We have plane tickets and fly into Atlanta early April first! We hope to begin our hike later that same day. Our friend Golden Child will pick us up and drive us to the trail.   We are receiving our gear in the mail almost daily and are very excited to try it all out! I will post mini reviews as we test gear in training hikes. We have a lot of new Ulta-light gear and many readers are already asking about it.   Exciting news! I used my iPod last year on the PCT to journal. This was great because you don't pay monthly web use fees! It is free! You just have to be someplace with wifi.   However, trailjournals couldn't up load pictures from my iPod. I had to e-mail Teresa a copy and she would post it from home. This of course added time delays and frustration to the process.   Boston and Cubby mentioned on their journal that they fixed the problem with the iCab app. It's a browser that replaces Safari. I am very pleased to announce that it works!! I can now upload picures myself every time we go to a town! Tell all the iPad, iPhone and iPod users you know about this! Many hikers had this same problem last year.   We are also going to be supporting a non-profit this year called ActiveWater. We will partner with then to provide clean drinking water for African villages in Zambia. We are excited about helping such a worthy cause while we obtain our hiking goals. We aren't gaining any funding for our hike from Active Water, we just want to help them help others. All funds that you want to donate to this great cause needs to be submited on our ActiveWater fund raising page at: www.active.com/donate/activewaterupick/sunshine2012atPlease do not use the Pay Pal donate button on our "about" page for donations meant for ActiveWater. The Pay Pal account is for our expenses, as some of our readers have requested for a way to help us as well. We will post more info on this as we get it.   We are going to a PCT 2011 reunion hike by Portland this weekend. It will be great to see many of our friends again. I'll post pictures of it from my iPod!
Date: 2012-01-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We would like to use this entry to introduce you to ActiveWater. We are honored to partner with ActiveWater to help raise funds for safe and clean drinking water for the African country of Zambia. The money that we raise for them, will specifically put clean water wells into towns and bio-sand filters into homes. Many people who live there must walk several miles a day to get water that is often contaminated with disease and filth. Nearly 2.5 billlion people lack access to improved sanitation. The lack of these fundamental resources will lead to water related diseases which will cause more deaths this year than cancer, guns, car accedents, or war. Our goal is to raise $2 per mile hiked on the AT, which will provide 1 village well and several home water filters! Please help us reach this goal by considering a donation to this important cause. If you would like to give to this cause, or would like to learn more about the water crises in Zambia, or ActiveWater¢s mission and history, please go to our ActiveWater page at:www.active.com/donate/activewaterupick/sunshine2012at   Thank you for helping us make this hike about somthing great! We are proud to have an opertunity to help others in need! Thank you!
Date: 2012-02-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A group of 6 PCT hikers got together to climb Mt St Helens last weekend. They were; Wired, Gnarly (he also brought his lovely girl friend Kelsey), Data Muffin, Topsy Turvy, Stumbling Norwegian, and Balls.Sunshine was not interested in this endeavor, so she stayed home. We had a great time base camping Saturday night in the snow. We woke up first light Sunday morning and began our slog up the infamous mountain. I was relieved to see everyone else was as out of shape as me so I didn't get smoked on the way up. It was a beautiful sunny day. The Cinder Cone was steaming so much more than it was the last time I was there.   We glissaded back down for 3 miles. It was like being back in the Sierra, but we were having fun. The best part was that we didn't make it back to town to see the Super Bowl in time and never missed it a bit.We are very excited about starting the AT in 50 days! We will begin seriously training in just 20 days. We need to condition our feet, but I need to hold out so I don't loose any weight too soon. I lost 30 lbs last year as well as many essential body vitamins and minerals, and was sick for 2 months after we returned. As you remember, Sunshine actually gained several lbs and bounced back immediately. Right now my training is mostly eating a large bowl of ice cream just before bed.We could never do what we do without our sponsors. I would like to introduce you to Carolina Shelf Reliance. Carolina Shelf Reliance, Independent Shelf Reliance Consultant, caries only the best and healthiest freeze dried foods. There are no growth hormones used in their meat and once reconstituted, you will never know that it was freeze dried! This is not your average backpacking food. Give them a try and help us at the same time!"We are excited to help Sunshine on her AT hike.   For each order placed from our store we will donate 10% in free food for Sunshine¢s hike. To make sure Sunshine gets credit place your order from the link below and make sure to list your name on the order with AT behind your last name.      (example - John Smith-AT )" www.CarolinaShelfReliance.com   Thank you for following us again!
Date: 2012-02-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It looks as though arriving to middle school a month late because of Thru-hiking didn't affect Sunshine's education adversely. She has a 4.0 and has passed all her sixth grade testing, exceeding her grade level! We have begun our AT training finally. We are good on muscle and cardio. We really just need to abuse and toughen up our feet to prevent blisters on the trail. I wanted to wait till we were only a month out so I could retain as much winter weight as possible. That's right, much of my training this winter has been eating ice cream in bed and fattening up a bit. I don't want to burn into my muscle like last year. I was sick and weak for 2 months after the PCT because I lost 30 pounds and depleted much of my body's vitamins and minerals. Sunshine on the other hand, gained several pounds on the PCT and had no health problems upon her return. I was very particular to make sure she got what she needed to stay healthy on the hike. I need to do the same for myself this year. Emergen-C is providing us with 300 vitemin suplement packs which is enough for one per day per person! Also, we plan to send multiple vitamins in all 30 resupply boxes to get a boost in every town stop. We learned many valuable lessons on the PCT and are excited to practice them on the AT in just 31 days!
Date: 2012-03-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Only 2 weeks left! We fly out of Portland Saturday March 31st. This has been a busy month. I've been working 7 days a week and finishing up my continued-ed classes to maintain my electrical liscense, so we need to get on the trail just to get some rest. I'll actualy be working up to the 30th.   Teresa is in her last 40 days of her masters degree program, so she has been student teaching during the day, going to class at night and doing home work and writing lesson plans on weekends. Sunshine and Butterfly have been helping me with cooking and cleaning, then AT preparations in the evenings.The Oregon Field Guide episode featuring our PCT hike is showing this Thursday (March 22nd) on OPB at 8:30 pm. We are gathering at the Ike Box coffee shop in Salem at 8:00 pm to watch it with friends and family. If you would Like to join us, it is at 299 Cottage Street NE, Salem. They will stay open till 10:00pm for us and will have drinks available for purchase. We are bringing some snacks to share and you can do so also if you wish. Also, if you are out of the area or you miss it, you can watch it on line the next day at: www.opb.org/programs/ofg Check out the case of Starbursts that Wired gave Sunshine for the AT. This week should be just as busy as last. I've been writing monthly columns about local hikes for the Statesman Journal (Salem's paper), and have to submitt 6 pieces before leaving town. I take my last electrical code class on Saturday and Sunshine only has 3 days left of school because of spring break. Keep us in your prayers as we finish up preparations.
Date: 2012-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We have made some great progress on our preparations.   I finished my last ElectricalCode class so I can renew my journeyman license before leaving town. I also have all the text done on all 6 of my news paper pieces. I just need to finish some fact checking on directions and other particulars. Sunshine finished her last day of school since it is now spring break. She had her birthday sleep over with friends Friday night and our extended family celebration today. FYI, I decorated the cake myself. Notice the tree from the PCT crest. No, her birthday isn't till May 2nd, but we wanted to celebrate with friends and family before leaving town. She was very excited to get an iPod touch. Now she can email and FaceTime family on her device while I am uploading these journal entries for you fine folks. Last year, she went without Internet access in many town stops, because my business was so time consuming.Oregon Field Guide did a great job on our TV episode about our PCT hike. If you missed it, you can see it online at:www.opb.org/programs/ofgWe just have a few loose ends to take care of and we will be on our way to the AT in 6 days!