morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-11-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello friends. We hope you will continue to follow us to the start of the trail and throughout our journey to Kathadin. We have been trying to get everything together and prepare for March 18th. Time seems to be passing by so fast. It has been several months since we set a date to head out and now it is knocking at our door. But anyways we decited to go with a new name "honeymoon hikers" since we got married we thought that would be a cool new name. We will still go by ratman and tumbler as our trail names unless we earn new ones from a fellow hiker. We are so pleased to have so many hits and we really want to thank you for your support. Lets get started. Ok, this weekend we went to Cherokee, NC. We left out Saturday morning, early as usual. We stopped by the flee market in piegon forge. We love flee markets. Then we headed on to Cherokee to play bingo. Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast at a little pancake house. It was really good. We then headed on over the mountain toward Gatlinburg where we stopped to hike a 5 mile trail up the mountain to Mt. Laconte. I think thats how it is spelled anyways...lol. Maybe not. I will have to check the spelling and let you know..lol. Anyhow the hike is stright up the mtn. Wow..we so outta shape. It is amazing how quick you get outta shape. Anywho, when you reach the top you come out into an opening where there are little cottages and a lodge where you can rent them for like 125 per person per night. There is no electric, you have out houses for the toilet and old oil lamps to see by. It is such a cool place. But the only way to get there is to hike, but the view of Gatlinburg below you and the mtns around are so worth the hike. The beauty that God has created is in abundance and so amazing. He is truly the all time GREATEST artist ever. To see what His powerful hand has created. I told ratman on the way down the mountain that it is a different world being at the top looking down at the beauty than being at the bottom looking up at the mountains. Anyway it was so cold uo there it was like 65 at the bottom and around 35 on top. After we got back to the car we decided to head to Red Lobster and eat dinner. Thats my favorite place to eat..haha. We will be back in a few days with another entry but for now God Bless......
Date: 2011-11-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It may be a few days early but HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of our followers!!!!!!!! Give thanks to our Lord Jesus for He is the One who gives us all our Blessings and we give Him all the praise!!! This weekend we had planned to hike a local trail close to home but our car messed up so we had to get it fixed. When we went to get it Saturday morning it wasn't ready so we had to cancel our plans to hike to the Whiterocks and Sandcave. Saturday night we went to play bingo and have dinner. On the way home the car started over heating..wow I keep wondering if we will make it home every time we go somewhere in the car. Remember? It has 706000 miles on it, but it only has to make it till Marce 16 and then we will finally retire it!!! So we got up thid morning and worked on it ourselves..boy was that funny!!! All we had to do was take a hose off and cut the end where it was torn and clamp it back on..WE DID IT!! HA bet you thought we couldn't do it. After we fixed the car we headed to Damascus and had lunch at Quency's and then hiked about 10 miles on the creeper trail. We talked alot about our plans for our hike next year. We are getting so excited and so ready to head out. It is hard to believe that the time is so close and each day seems to pass by even faster. We really hope time slows down once we are back out there but as we all know time does not stand still for nothing or nobody. But we will enjoy it just the same. When we got back to Damascus we stopped and had an ice cream cone. It's amazing how good an ice cream cone tastes when your hiking, even when it's cold. We hope that you keep reading and following our journals. We try to post everytime when we go on a trip. So keep looking for us. Drop in and sign our guestbook and let us know that you are reading!!! Again HAppy Thanksgiving and God Bless! Until next time.......
Date: 2011-12-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello again. Well it has been a couple of weeks since we have added an entry so here goes. First of all we hope everyone had a safe and blessed Thanksgiving. We ate at ratmans moms and all the family was there. We played a new card game that we learned at Hilton Head. It is called golf. He taught his sons and nephews how to play. Everyone seemed to have a good time and of course we all over stuffed ourselves. Have to alot of extra hiking to take it away..lol. We then went to visit with his dad for awhile. Ratman had to work the Saturday after Thanksgiving so we had to wait until Sunday to hike. We to Watagua Lake and hiked to the shelter. It was a great day for hiking the wind was blowing softly and the water was so peaceful. Last Wednesday we went to Bristol Speedway to look at the lights. They were so pretty. We ate at Logan's Roadhouse before going. What a treat that would be on the trail! This weekend we went to Gatlinburg. His dad had a condo there for a week and invited us down for the weekend. We left Friday night after we got off work. By the time we got there they were starting their Christmas Parade and guess what? We got stuck. But we got to see the parade because it was right beside us so we had to follow Santa through town. Saturday we got up and went to Cherokee, NC. We seem to go there alot...lol. We met up with some friends and had a late lunch and then went to play bingo. Sunday we got up and headed to Cades Cove to hike to Abram Falls. Cades Cove is an eleven mile loop that you can drive, walk or bike around. In the earliy morning you can see all kinds of wildlife; deer, turkey and sometimes bear and there are other animals as well. About halfway around the loop you can pull into a parking lot and hike 2.5 miles to the falls. We use to think that the trails around here were so hard..HA..we just laugh at them now and think about what hard really is. Whites, The Notch, ETC...but it was a very good hike. So peaceful. While walking if you listen and look you can hear God's voice whispering in the breeze and in the slow steady movement of the stream that you follow and of course you can see God's beauty all around. Cades Cove is actually close to the AT. When you are at Spence Shelter you are close to Cades Cove. After we left we went to the condo took a shower andthen went to meet his dad for dinner. We ate at the Blue Moose. It was pretty good I had a hamburger and they had a philly sandwich. After dinner we went to starbucks and then headed home for another fun filled week of work...lol. But only for 3 more months. Until next time. God Bless!!!!!!!
Date: 2011-12-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Just an update on what has been going on as we prepare for the final months until we hit the trail. Last weekend we met up connie and her family for lunch. We met connie and her daughter shelby at a hiker feed in 2010. We instantly connected and have been friends since. Connie her husband and other 2 daughters were the only ones that got to come to lunch. Shelby couldn't make it because she had to work. We missed seeing her, however we really enjoyed catching up with the rest of the family. Funny how the trail works you meet someone for a few hours but you become friends for life. We look forward to seeing our friends next year and look forward to making new ones as well. So here is the plan...lol. Like there really is one, but we have ever intention of keeping up with our workouts before and during the hike. This is ratmans plan anyhow...lol. We will start the new year out eating mostly protein, go the gym and do our weightlifting routine and walk on the treadmill or the stepper daily..ha. I think I can do it!!!! We plan to start crunches and push-ups as well. However, on the trail as we all know you have a trail treadmill and many rocks to step up. For the weightlifting ...well you will have to keep following our journal to find out what we plan to do.. Once we have all of our equipment we will let you know what we go with and trust me, IT WON'T BE FROM WALMART..... We hope each and everyone of you have a very Merry Christmas. Just remember what the real reason for the season is and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. God Bless!!!!!!
Date: 2012-01-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello and Happy New Year! It is going to be a GREAT year. We spent New Years in Indiana at the riverboat casino. Did we win? No, but just knowing that we are so close to heading out on the trail is so much better than winning the lottery or jackpot at the casino. We have started out workout routine to prepare us for the trail, even though nothing really prepares you for it. The trail affects everyone differently. Even if you have hiked it more than once I believe that the trail is always different and always has something new to offer. Let me tell you this routine that ratman has us on is killing me. It's not hard but we haven't worked out in like....seems like forever..lol. We started out doing x amount of push-ups and sit-ups and we add 5 to 7 more daily until he reaches 500 and I reach 250. We have also started a new weightlifting routine, plus we are going on a high protein diet. I really think it will work for us because we are determined for it to work. We are counting down the days till we head out. If you are following our journals please leave us a note in our guest book. Take care and God Bless!!!!!
Date: 2012-01-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well the time is closing in on us fast. It just seems like yesterday that we started talking about hiking the trail and now we are down to the final countdown. We have 49 days until we retire (maybe not for good but at least for 7 months), ratman is a PTA and I drive a transit bus, mostly for the elderly. We have only 65 days until we head out from Springer. The anticipation is getting stronger as the days go by. We read journals daily to see who has started and who plans to start. Everyday we discuss something about the trail. It's amazing how strong of a hold the trail has on you once you have experienced it. It always seems to pull you back even if it's just for a day hike. I told you that I would give you a rundown on our gear so here goes:Packs--REI Flash 65 (for us both)1 Sleeping Bag--Marmot 20 degree (we both sleep in the same bag..lol)Poles--Black Diamond Trail ShockTent--Marmot Limelight 2 personSteripen-- for water treatment we also have water bottles with filters for the first few states.We will be using a mat from wal-mart to sleep on.We have a pot that we bought from REI and I can't remember the name of our stove, but we also cook over an open fire whenever possible.Thank you for following us and we will try to keep our journals informative and exciting. We will update as often as service will allow. God Bless!!! Honeymoon Hikers (AKA Ratman and Tumbler)
Date: 2012-01-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Thanks to all of you for your support. It really means alot to us. We just wanted to let you know that our trail names are ratman and tumbler (unless we earn a new one on the trail). We are called the honeymoon hikers because we had a september hiker wedding on top of springer mtn. We are calling this our honeymoon hike. We are trying to spend as much time with family as possible for the next few weeks. We went to Indiana friday night to a riverboat casino with ratmans youngest son. We stayed up all night and then drove home yesterday. Yesterday evening his dad invited us down for pizza and to watch the football game. Today we drove to Damascus. We had lunch at quincys and then went to the outfitters. We spent about an hour talking to the worker about the trail and all of our plans. We are really looking forward to hitting the trail. God Bless!!!!
Date: 2012-01-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

To Nancy Van Nest: First of all, congrats on the 49th wedding anniversary!!!!!!! Thank you for signing our journal. We hope to see you all on the trail as well. Best of luck and God Bless. Here is our email if you want to email us: honeymoonhikers2012@gmail.com. Also we want to thank everyone else who has been following us. God Bless you all!!!!
Date: 2012-01-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Friday night ratman spent the evening with the men folks in his family. His nephew got married on Saturday. We were the DJs of the wedding..haha. The ceremony was beautiful. We got up yesterday morning and headed out for a 10 mile hike on a local trail about 30 mins from our home. We hiked to the sand cave where several years back there were many different colors of sand, blue, green, red, orange and about any other color you can think of, but over the years people have gone into the cave and stole the sand plus walking through the sand has combined all the colors and now it is all brown. YUCK!!! such a waste of the beauty God had created. After we left the sand cave we hiked on to the White Rocks which over looks several towns. The weather was perfect for hiking. In all we climbed around 3300 feet. It was cloudy however and the view wasn't as good as it would be on a clear day but it was still a great hike. Also if you walk about 8 miles past the sand cave you come to a little community where years ago a family settled. It is called Hensley Settlement. There are several homes and a school building. It is built on the very top of the mountain. Nobody lives there but you can walk around and see all the history in the settlement. If you prefer you can also ride horses up there and there is also road access from Kentucky, but we would rather hike. Until next time. God Bless!!!!
Date: 2012-01-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This past weekend we headed to Raleigh, NC to visit Ratman's sister and listen to her band (which at the moment consist of her and her husand.) We got there around 10:30 Friday night. We went to the bar where they were playing. We also met up with Jamie and Marybeth, a couple that we met on vacation in Hilton Head. It was great seeing them again. Saturday morning Ratman and I walked over to a local park to get in some exercise. After we got back home we all went to meet Jamie and Marybeth for lunch. Afterwards they took us to another park that has about 26 miles of trails. We walked maybe 3 miles and then headed back to Liana's. We got ready and headed to O'Malleys where they were playing for the night. There we met up with Skippy and Lesh. They are doing the PCT this year so check out their journal. We had dinner and then listened to the band. It was awesome seeing our friends and family again. We had a great time. Then Ratman and I got home yesterday around 5pm. It was a fun filled weekend.
Date: 2012-02-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This past weekend we hit REI for the final supplies for the trail, all we need now is our food and snacks and then we're off! It is hard to believe that the day to head out is almost here. Ratman's children are planning to take us to Springer Mtn and hike the mile up with us. We are planning a trip to Springer the first weekend in March so maybe we will meet some hikers that plan to start the trail around that time. Sorry this journal is short but not alot going on. Just ready to hit the trail. Until next time.. God Bless!!!!!!
Date: 2012-02-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well here we are again. First of all we would like to thank everyone who is and plans to follow us on our remarkable journey. Everything is starting to fall into place more and more. Tuesday will be my last day of work and ratman will be working for 2 more weeks. Lately we have been discussing and praying about ways to help others, so we have came up with a solution. We have decided to make this hike a hike to help less fortunate children and families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have spoken to several people about our idea and all seem to think its a good one. We have decided to make this hike for Jesus and help others. He has been so good to us and has blessed us in so many ways. If it wasn't for Him we would not even be hiking the trail. He has given us this opportunity so we feel we need to give back to Him by showing our love and by helping others. We are gonna be raising money through local churches that have a great support system for people in need. We hope to raise $10 per mile. Also anyone who makes a donation of $20 dollars will receive 5 pictures of your choice from the trail. Example: scenic, wildlife. etc. Plus if you want one of us on Kathadin.I know you are probably saying" Oh no, not another hiker wanting money". That is not the case at all. We don't even want you to donate until you have followed our journal for awhile, and then if you feel it in your heart to make a monetary donation it would be greatly appreciated. However, we do want and need your prayers and support. Therefore I am adding a list of dates and maildrops incase you would like to send us a card or just an encouraging word. Just knowing that you have support goes along way on the trail. We have came up with a logo to wear on our shirts so that you can recognize us. It will read "This walk is for Jesus because He made THE WALK for me". I have also posted a picture. thank you in advance for your support and prayers. God Bless!Dates posted are not the dates we will be in the towns but dates to be mailed by to ensure arrival before us.March 13..Blueberry Patch Hostel 5038 Hwy 76E Hiawassee, GA 30546March 19..Nantahala Outdoor Center 13077 Hwy 19W Bryson City, NC 28713March 26...NOC Outpost 1138 Parkway Gatlinburg, TN 37738April 1..Bluff Mountain Outfitters PO Box 114 Hot Springs, NC 28743I will add more dates and address as we come into towns. Again thank you. "Walk for Jesus"
Date: 2012-02-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday was my last day of work..)Yeah!! My clients got together and planned me a surprise going away party. We went to hardees, we have this special joke between us about hardees. We had cake and burgers. They gave me a card with money in it. Alice gave me a pic she had painted and john gave me a collectors glass with hardees on it. They are all so sweet. I'm really gonna miss them. Ratman is so jealous..lol. His patients only give him a hard time..haha. Really we both have really rewarding jobs. But we are ready to be out there. God Bless!!                                                                           "Hike with Jesus"
Date: 2012-03-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Friday we went to cherokee, nc to see some friends for the last time until next month then they are planning to pick us up at new found gap for a couple of days. We did not encounter any of the tornados but we had some bad thunderstorms. To those that were affected our thoughts and prayers go our to them. We stayed there friday and saturday then sunday we went to dahlonega and hiked upon springer mtn. We met sweet & low. I had been reading their journal so it was good to meet them. We had dinner at the corkscrew in dahlonega it was a great place to eat. If you get a chance we highly recommend it. Sunday evening we met up with adam and we listened to their band play. They play bluegrass and they sounded really good. 12 days to go. We weighed our packs and so far mine is 16 and ratmans is 15 that is without water and a few more meals. We think we will be able to get away with around 20lbs each, maybe less!! Until next time. God Bless!!!
Date: 2012-03-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a busy day for us. We had a few loose ends to take care of before we head to Springer in the morning. Ratmans dad had us a kickoff party. His dad and son prepared us our last supper so to speak, that consisted of homemade pizza, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and key lime pie for dessert. We had a great time. We have pics posted. God Bless and good night. Will post again tomorrow."Walk with Jesus"
Date: 2012-03-18
From: stover creek sheltert

To: gooch mtn shelters
Miles today: 13.0

Yesterday we left home at 630 am. After stopping to eat breakfast we finally made to springer around 530. We hiked 2.8 to stove creek. Camped there and headed out at 845 this morning. Headed to gooch mtn shelter. I will post a better journal later. Getting eaten by the bugs. Got to go.
Date: 2012-03-19
From: gooch mtn shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: few clouds

Just wanted to explain the milage. We hiked 2.8 from springer to stover creek on the 17th and they were not calculated into yesterdays milage. We only did 5.4 today but I added the 2.8 so that the milage will equal out. For a total of 21.2 completed. We had planned to hike to Neels Gap today but we called it short at woody gap. We had met 4 people hiking and they offered us a ride to Dahlonaga, so we accepted due to the fact that we needed to charge some batteries. Today as we were taking a break on Ramrock Mtn there were 2 buzzards circling above us and Ratman said Look 2 days without a shower and we already smell dead. Here is an update on our workout routine: yesterday we did 120 sit-ups, 40 pack presses, and ratman did 80 push-ups and I did 60. Today we have did 20 pack presses and 10 push-ups so far but we plan to do more tonight. We plan to keep a record of wildlife that we see along the way and so far we have seen 5 snakes. Pics are posted. God Bless!!!"Walk with Jesus"
Date: 2012-03-21
From: Woody Gap

To: neels gap
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

3/19/12--an update to my last entry. While we were at the motel Ratman started feeling bad his heart was racing and chest burning. He went to the er and they kept him overnite. They determined that he was very dehydrated and gave him 6 bags of fluids. He's much better. We hiked out yesterday and went to dockery lake trail and camped. We were up at 7:30 this morning with the temp at 60.2. We ate and packed up ready to get over blood mtn and to neels gap. It was foggy when we got started but as we were hiking it was like Gods hand was a big eraser erasing the clouds away to a perfect clear day. We ate lunch at woods hole shelter. By the time we got to blood mtn it was clear and you could see for miles. It was awesome! It was a great pic painted by Gods hand.hand. y