morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-01-14
From: home

To: Big Rock, Illinois
Miles today: 0.0

This past weekend I used one of my gift certificates that SOS gave me for Christmas. It was 2 days and 2 nights at Esther's Place in Big Rock, Illinois. To add to the joy of this weekend spent in a Victorian house learning a new craft was the fact that he invited my good friend Meredith who lives about 1 hour and a half from Big Rock. We both arrived on Friday evening around 7 and then SOS drove our car with Meredith's husband Randy back to their house near Poplar Grove, IL. They would spend the weekend together doing "guy" stuff while Meredith and I created to our hearts content! We talked long into the night but were up and ready to go by 8. After a good breakfast, we settled in to learn how to needle felt. Natasha is a great artist and teacher. She is a young 20 something lady who was invited to enter one of her silk wall hangings into a juried show in Verona, Italy! She will hear in February if her piece was accepted...I am sure it will be...it is lovely! Anyway...we worked in the morning on learning the process and got Mary made before we took a break for lunch down at a small town cafe...called...the Big Rock Cafe!! The soup and sandwich were good. We did a little exploring of the town and surrounding area...that didn't take but about 10 minutes...population 700. Back to work to get Joseph, baby Jesus, and 2 sheep made. Dinner was delicious and served by candlelight. We relaxed, talked, talked, talked and then went to bed upstairs in our comfy beds. Next morning our breakfast was fresh squeezed orange juice, freshly made pumpkin scones with sugared pecans, a too big omelet stuffed with all kinds of fresh veggies and cheese, and some fruit. Too much food but so very good that we both ate it all! Natasha helped me get going on spinning again since I had forgotten some of what I learned before. Meredith learned how to wet felt on silk while I spun away. The guys arrived to pick us up and so our wonderful weekend came to an end...as they always seem to do much too quickly!
Date: 2013-01-18
From: Big Rock, Illinois

To: Indianapolis, IN
Miles today: 0.0

The big weekend...long awaited all year long...has finally come. It is the Summers' family holiday weekend which will be spent at the Fort Harrison State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana. This will be the 12th year for this event which began before the first of 14 grandkids was born. That first time was a weekend spent in Chicago...eating out and going to a play. Since grandkids the plans have changed...more eating in and "play" means outside in the snow or in this case...the grass...since the snow has left for the time being. The kids look forward to time with their cousins all year long, the parents spend time planning menus and games, and Opa and Oma collect gift cards to use as prizes in the annual Bingo game! The Michigan 7 came last night. This morning all 5 kids wanted to help with breakfast...so Oma got them busy cracking eggs. (They must have done a great job because there were no shells in the part I ate!) We had homemade sausage. I bought ground pork from an Amish farmer who was at the Farmer's Market the first Saturday of the month. The recipe called for maple syrup and parsley among other things. It was delicious and a hit with all (except Chloe!) Isaac shredded cheese and Megan put the tortilla cups together. After a brief time in the oven to melt the cheese and finish the eggs, it was time to eat and did they ever disappear fast! So now it is time to pack up for Indy...so check back for pictures and stories after the weekend. Have a great one!
Date: 2013-01-22
From: Indianapolis, IN

To: home
Miles today: 0.0

Our family weekend for 2013 is over. We had the usual great time with all 24 of us sharing one of the officers houses at Fort Harrison State Park in Indianapolis. We all arrive on Friday night and get settled in. The grandkids get their yearly matching pajamas and hurry off to put them on. This year they don't match but they seemed happy anyway! Some of us worked on a 1000 piece puzzle and others played games. Then off to bed for most people except for SOS who stayed up late to finish the puzzle. Saturday was sunny but cold. Since there was no snow, the kids played outside on the little hills and the did some art projects. In the afternoon, most of us went for a walk in the woods. We walked on a concrete path then went off into the woods where we also walked down the side of a small hill and walked on fallen trees. Back up the hill and on to the parking lot where we left our cars. A little adventure while on the trail was when a lady slipped in the mud and broke her ankle. Courtney and another stranger carried her down the hill to a waiting SUV which took her to the parking lot to wait on the EMS (which took nearly 1/2 hour to arrive!) After a dinner of Cincinnati style chili made by Josh and Melissa, we all gathered around the tables to play Bingo. When you bingo, you get to stick your hand into the bag and pull out a gift card. Everyone gets a card and yes, there is some trading going on! Another puzzle and a game of Monopoly finished off the evening. Sunday we clean up, pack and then go to the former officers club turned restaurant for their buffet and the taking of the annual family picture. Other waiting diners always smile as we try to get all 24 of us arranged for the picture which we then coax a stranger into taking with all 5 or 6 of our cameras! After eating delicious food, we all part to go back to our homes and another family gathering is history! We LOVE making memories with our kids/grandkids... several new pictures in photos...
Date: 2013-01-31
From: Newport KY

To: Cincinnati, OH
Miles today: 0.0

We have now been in Cincinnati for several days and are getting lots of things done around here. Since we basically weren't here much at all in 2012, there were things that needed doing. So we have been going through closets and the basement sorting and pitching things! We went to the grocery and bought lots of good stuff that I have been cooking for several days now. I have decided to try the wheat free way of eating which requires an adjustment to thinking about food. When you think about all the things that have wheat in them...the obvious and the not very obvious...a lot of things are gone from your table. But so far I have found it fun to try and eat without wheat. Today we went to lunch at Zip's which is a fun hamburger place in town. I ordered a Zip burger without a bun which they were happy to do for me. It came on the plate with the tomato slices and lettuce serving as a salad on the side. It was good and I didn't miss the bun at all...so far so good:-) A very pleasant surprise today was a visit from Freefall (Tom in his other life) who lives in Rochester, NY but travels a lot for his job so was in Indianapolis and had the day off. We were thrilled that he choose to spend most of it with us! Of course, we spent the day talking about the trail. We met Tom at the beginning back in Georgia. He and Squatch had done a 15 mile day in the rain and were wet and cold when they discovered that the hostel at Mountain Crossing was full of other cold, wet hikers. We were in a cabin so invited them and another hiker named Wildflower (Lyn) to share our space. We had a great time with them all but soon lost track of each other. Tom had a vicious looking blister...one of the biggest I had ever seen so he had to zero as he couldn't walk on it. We got in touch several times over the months. He was going to hike with us when we got to NY but got his job the day before so that ended that idea. Anyway we were glad to see him...thanks for coming down!So tomorrow's plan is to visit IKEA and then go to the Museum Center. Tonight we went to the Esquire Theatre to a movie...it was a documentary about Diana Vreeland and was very interesting. So it is now off to bed in the guest room...we have done some work in there so decided to try it out!
Date: 2013-02-04
From: Cincinnati, OH

To: Covington, KY
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday it snowed more in Cincinnati. It was sunny so SOS and I decided to bundle up and take a walk. We walked toward the campus and stopped to see our friend Toya who owns a coffee shop (with her husband, Patrick)on our route...so of course, we had to stop in and warm up with hot tea for me and a mocha for SOS. She makes the best hot drinks..they are actually drinkable from moment one instead of the usual other places that are so hot you have to wait. If you are in Cincinnati, stop in to the Cliqq and Sip at 261 W. McMillan across from the side of Hughes High School. Then it was back to the house to get ready to go to Covington, Ky (only a little over 4 miles from the house) to see a play. Camelot was playing at the Carnegie Theater so that is where I bought tickets to surprise SOS. The theater is housed in a former Carnegie Library. It is a beautiful building which also has several galleries for art work. The current display was all works made of paper. See some of them in photos. The play was very well done. The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra provided the music. The musicians were seated in the middle of the stage and the play went on all around them. It was an interesting way to stage a play. The acting and singing were thoroughly enjoyable! We both love theater and have been to many productions at all levels from our granddaughter's 5th grade play (which she was assistant director) to seeing a performance of CATS on Drury Lane in London but we had never seen Camelot. After the play, it was home to watch the Super Bowl...we were rooting for the 49er's but it didn't turn out that way. Maybe the Colts next time?? While watching the game, I worked on putting together some crocheted squares that I made 44 years ago while pregnant with my first son. It was to be a blanket for him but he decided to arrive one month early so it never got made. Now it will be a baby blanket for the granddaughters dolls...does this fall under "better late than never"????????...or one more UFO (Un Finished Object)?
Date: 2013-02-09
From: Covington, KY

To: Any interesting spot in town
Miles today: 0.0

The last few days have been spent exploring our "sometimes home" city. We went to a play on the campus. We saw the " Time Of Your Life" by William Saroyan. It got to be a little long but we were glad that we went as we had never been in this theater before to see a student production. We liked his quote: "Live so that in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches." Another trip was to the Museum Center which is 3 museums in one....since we had no grandkids with us this time (which is rare) we got to read all the signs and move slowly through the History Museum! It has a scale model of the city from 1940. It is huge and amazing with lights, sounds, street cars, and trains all moving. The IMAX movie was called The Last Reef. It was very interesting as they always are...amazing photography...this time under the ocean. (see a few blurry pictures in photos). We wanted to hike in the woods so SOS found a Forest called Mount Airy. It has lots of trails....they were muddy with slippery leaves. This all reminded me of our training hikes last year in southern Indiana. It felt wonderful to be out hiking again!...and nothing hurt in the 3+ miles that we walked...no pain in the leg at all...hooray! One of our favorite museums in town is the American Sign Museum. It is the only sign museum in the US. It is definitely worth a visit if you are in town. It is closed on Monday/Tuesday but offers tours (given by the owner...no extra charge and he has a wealth of information to share) at 2:00 on other days. Today we were supposed to go to somewhere in KY with friends Lee and Mary who live across the street and have a cabin there....however, this was the only day that Shane, the plasterer could come to fix the hole in the bathroom wall caused by the plumber who replaced the worn out cast iron pipes with new PVC....so we had to stay here but hope to get to go to KY with them tomorrow. While Shane worked, we went to another Cincy favorite which is the Findlay Market...a treasure. It has been updated since we have been going there but still has the old time charm of a farmer's market..and we love the diverse crowds and the vendors selling all kinds of things. SOS bought some yummy smelling homemade soap from a man who sends cases of it to his nephew serving our country in Afghanistan. I am sure he is quite popular when the soap arrives every few months! Two projects around the house which we have worked on are the guest room and the new and improved "grandkid land south". That would be the basement in this house as opposed to "grandkid land north" which is in the attic in Fort Wayne. I have had fun picking out material and making bedding for the doll cradle. It now has a real stuffed mattress, a fitted bottom sheet, a top sheet with matching pillow case for the new small pillow AND the crocheted blanket which was supposed to be for Jeff (my first born son) 45 years ago!! If you want to know about the changes in the guest room, you will have to come and visit! Several new pictures in photos
Date: 2013-02-10
From: Any interesting spot in town

To: Red River Gorge near Nada, kentucky
Miles today: 0.0

What a day we had yesterday!! Our good friends, Lee and Mary, who live across the cul de sac from us in Cincinnati, invited us to go with them to their cabin near the tiny town of Nada, Kentucky. It is about a 2 hour drive so we packed lunches and off we went around 10:30. It is a good thing our Pilot has 4 wheel drive or we never would have made it up the deeply rutted -1 road to get to their cabin. As it is, you park in a space that they have personally cleared. It was a large garbage dump mound when they first saw it. They hauled away and/or burned the pile, hauled in rock and made some parking spaces. Then you walk a little ways...mostly up hill...to reach their cabin. (Pictures in photos) They have done an outstanding job in the 17 years that they have owned this land. They have a small cabin, outhouse, storage leanto for wood, firepit with seating, hammock, and are working on their water system. This all represents a ton of back breaking work...dragging wood and concrete up this mountain by hand would be more than I could imagine thinking about! After arriving and taking a tour of their land, we went out for a long hike to see the neighboring properties. Many people have since built or are building cabins/houses up in these mountains. We hiked uphill and down, across small streams, and past some of the most beautiful rock formations that I have ever seen. At one spot Mary said...you have to take this challenge if you want any lunch...so of course, we did! It was to squeeze yourself sideways between two huge rocks and make it to the other side. SOS and I both made it through...although in the middle you have to figure out how to turn your hiking boots because you can't move forward with the boots sideways...so you end up with your boots going one direction and your body going another...if you can picture that!! Back at the cabin, the wood stove, which was started before we started hiking, had heated the space up nicely. We got out our lunch food and enjoyed some hot tea and lunch. After visiting a bit in the cabin, it started to rain so we decided we needed to be on our way. Lee and Mary have both been driving when their truck has gone sliding off the road so we wanted to avoid that if possible. We did!...and got back down the mountain and on our way back to Cincinnati. It was an AWESOME day which felt like being back on the trail! THANKS Lee and Mary!!
Date: 2013-02-13
From: Red River Gorge near Nada, kentucky

To: Kenwood Mall
Miles today: 0.0

After yesterday's fantastic sunny warm weather, we were back to snow today... but it was gone by afternoon. We went for a long walk yesterday around the campus and nearby. The Jewish museum was on our list to visit so we walked there only to find it closed on Tuesday. So we crossed the street and hiked into Burnet Woods. A bench in the sunshine called our name so we sat and enjoyed the beautiful day. Many robins were nearby in the grass..many of them feasting on the poor worms hiding under the grass. On through the woods and out the other side to the campus. SOS wanted to get his hair trimmed so we headed to a salon where he got a nice cut but it was much shorter than he wanted. Now he looks like a different guy!...and he can't wait for it to grow out again. One of our favorite nearby restaurants (CILANTRO) moved to a new location close to its old one so we went there to have a late lunch/early dinner. The waiter was very nice to explain what had wheat and what didn't so I had a good meal...although not my usual favorite. Today we worked on some projects around the house and then drove to Kenwood to return my loaner sewing machine. My favorite Viking machine quit working after 37 years of hard work so it is now being repaired and the shop loaned me another to use. On to the outfitter store where SOS bought me FOUR pairs of Smart Wool socks!!(They were buy one - get one!) (see them in photos) I LOVE them! On to the Mall, where we did 2 laps for a 2 mile hike and then to Trader Joes where we found a wheat free tomato/3 cheese pizza for dinner. (It was good!) Tomorrow is SOS's birthday AND Valentine's Day so I am taking him to Hueston Woods Lodge for the day/night...and then it is back to Fort Wayne on Friday. Have a great Valentine's Day!
Date: 2013-03-10
To: Who knows where to next?????
Miles today: 0.0

A whole year has quickly passed since we began the great adventure of 2012. On this day, one year ago, SOS and two friends (Buck & NR) started out from Springer Mountain Georgia. SOS was beginning his long walk of 2184 miles all the way to Mt. Katahdin, Maine....and he MADE it all the way with very little trouble. The weather was fantastic, the blisters were few (only 1) and the bears scarce! Some people have implied that if you do an assisted hike (as SOS did) that it somehow isn't the same. Well, no, of course it isn't the same but it is just as complete in the end. SOS walked every step of the trail. Meanwhile Trail Mama was having the time of her life...helping other hikers with food, drink and transportation and getting to know a whole bunch of wonderful people. Small town America is a special place and getting to discover some of it while driving beside the AT will always hold special memories for Trail Mama. The support of many friends and family who came to share a small part of the adventure was so very appreciated!! Thanks to all who came to walk with SOS or ride with Trail Mama. You are all special people to take time out of your lives to encourage us. The fund raising for the United Methodist camps in Indiana goes on. We are available to speak at churches to share our story and encourage giving to make our camps a place where the youth want to come and learn more about Christ. If you want to learn more about the fund raising, go to impact2818/hikingforhim. This will end journals about our 2012 adventure...stay tuned...we are thinking about hiking the Coast to Coast in England...if that happens, I will be journaling again! Thanks to the faithful readers!
Date: 2012-01-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello and welcome to my trail journal. This is my first posting. I'm setting up this journal so others can follow my long distance hike along the AT (Appalachian Trail) as well as my preparation. It is my intention to begin at the southern most point of the AT at Springer Mountain Georgia, and travel north. My starting date will be in early to mid April 2012. Although I have thought about a trip like this for 40 years my first backpacking trip along with my son did not happen until last June. We hiked the AT from Port Clinton, PA to Route 309. Our trip covered 26.5 miles and lasted three days. We learned from this trip. First, the AT was much harder to hike than expected. Second, we carried to much stuff. Third, we had poor planing. Fortunately we were on the trail at the same time the north bound thru hikers were passing thru (thru hikers accomplish the entire 2172 mile trip in one season). We learned a lot by talking to the thru hikers in the evenings at the shelter locations ( these are three sided open shelters placed at varied distances along the AT). I also went on five addition trips totaling 175 miles to further learn what is needed to accomplish a long distance hike. Also, reading other hiker journals helps me prepare. In my future preparation journal entries, i will talk about my gear, food, and travel arrangements.That's it for now
Date: 2012-01-23
To: The AT Guide
Miles today: 0.0

Many asked questions like, "How do you know where you are on the AT, where do get water, where do you sleep"? My main source of guidance will come from "The AT Guide". This is the guide book of choice for hikes of any length on the AT. The book contains thousands of landmarks such as campsites, water sources, summits and gaps. The trail's elevation profile is included and every landmark is aligned to the profile. Hikers using the guide know where they are on the trail, what views, streams and campsites are ahead, and whether they'll be hiking uphill or downhill to get there. The AT guide answers all your questions about how to get rides, where to stay, and where to get supplies. There are maps of towns on or near the trail showing where to find these services and detailed listings for businesses. The AT guide also shows mileages from all shelters to the next three shelters. This helps in planing the next days hike. To see a sample of this guide go to www.TheATGuide.com and click on "sample data pages". That's it for now
Date: 2012-01-25
To: Water, Food and Supplies
Miles today: 0.0

Water, food and supplies are consumable item that have to be replenished when on a long distance hike.   Water is something you constantly need, so planing ahead is important. I will be carrying a 2 liter Platypus. A platypus is a soft plastic water bladder. The bladder will be in my back pack with a plastic hose extending from the bladder out of the pack and close to my mouth. When I want a drink you put the hose in your mouth and bite down on the bite valve and suck. I will also have a 1 liter Nalgene bottle. When I hike i will only have about 8 ounces of water in the bottle for reserve. when I am entering camp or at camp I will fill up both water containers for cooking dinner and breakfast. Water sources can be springs or creeks. I have a ceramic water hand pump filter to clean and remove bacteria from the water. I will start out carrying 3 days of food. I will resupply at towns near AT road crossings. The type of food with the least amount of liquid is preferable. Freezed dried and pasta is popular. Also tuna fish pouches and oat meal are common. Snack food is trail mix, energy bars and candy. Other personal items can be purchased in town. Since you do not want to carry more than you have to, you try a gauge your consumables to run out at the replenish spot. Some hikers also use mail drops to assist on resupplying. They have someone mail a package to a local post office marked "general delivery, hold for hiker John Doe". That's it for now