morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-04-30
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well today was an interesting day. Jarhead came over and we went to REI in Atlanta to pick up a few things I needed. Stopped on the way back for lunch and enjoyed that. I checked to see if my summer gear had been returned by the post office from Damascus as they said it would be and it had not yet arrived. Now I am getting a little nervous. I called Reed and asked her if she had any paper work that might have a tracking number and she did. I checked on the package and could not believe what I found. When I called the Damascus post office last Wednesday they said they would return it to sender. According to the tracking information it was sent from Damascus to Atlanta where it should have been sent to Dawsonville but instead it was sent to Memphis, TN. I suspect that somehow someone did not see the return to sender and it was sent back to Damascus. At any rate it is now in Greensboro, NC. I have no idea where it will go from there. I suspect to Damascus but who knows.So now my carefully laid plans are up in smoke. If it goes to Damascus and I leave here on Wednesday and hike on Thursday I will get to Damascus on Saturday after the PO closes and will have to wait till Monday to get my summer gear. At this point I don't know what to do but will figure it out.On a positive note my knee has felt really good today so tomorrow I am heading out on a 10 mile hike up to The Len Foote Hike Inn to test the knee. The terrain is not too bad but it has enough ups and downs to test the knee and stress it a little. I think it will be OK. If the knee does not do well where my summer gear is won't make any difference. On the other hand if the knee does well I am going to be ready to get back on the trail but may have to wait on the PO and my summer gear to leave.
Date: 2012-05-01
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I think things are finally coming together. I got out early today to get to the post office when it opened. I wanted them to find my summer gear which seems to be stuck in Greensboro, NC. I have no idea where it is going. Is it coming back to Dawsonville or is it going back to Damascus? Either one is OK just let me know which way it is headed. They took all the information and said they would check on it and call me. Later in the day I got a message that there was nothing they could do. I would just have to wait until it got where ever it is going. That seems incredible to me that they could not tell me more. I am sure that would not happen with UPS or FEDEX; but I am at there mercy.After leaving the post office I drove up to Amicalola Falls State Park and started my 5 mile hike up to The Len Foote Hike Inn. Right away my left knee started hurting. Not bad, just a little bit tender. As the hike wore on it seemed to get better and by the time I got to Len Foote it was not hurting any more. I tried several different styles of walking down hill that had been recommended to me by others but none of them seemed to make a difference and they all felt very awkward. What seemed to work the best was just taking smaller steps and slowing down. I stayed at the Hike Inn for a couple of hours and really enjoyed seeing all my friends there. Got to see Eric, Wade, JP, Kathy,Kevin and Chris. It is such a great place. I miss going up there to volunteer but it will still be there when I get back as will the volunteer opportunities.On my 5 mile return trip there were more down hills so I wanted to see how my knee did. I noticed while at the Hike Inn that the brace was not properly aligned so I straightened it. That may have contributed to the pain I felt coming up. It was not bad coming back. A little sore at times but mostly pain free. My right knee gave me no trouble at all. I did take an almost full pack with me so it would be like I was out on the AT. The knee is definitely getting better. I think the medicine is starting to do it's magic.My plan was to have my daughter take me back up to the trail on Saturday and start hiking on Sunday. I sent Jarhead an email telling him of my plans and got an email back that he and his wife had decided to go up to a B & B in Hot Springs for a couple of days and they would take me back. What a great friend, I am very great full for his friendship and for the ride back.So now I should get back to Black Bear Resort on Thursday and start hiking on Friday. That will put me in Damascus on Sunday afternoon with time to resupply and do town chores and I can be at the post office first thing Monday morning to get my summer gear if it is there. If not I will just soldier on until it can catch up with me. I am looking forward to getting back on the trail and meeting new friends. All of the hikers I had been hiking with are well up the trail by now so I probably won't see them again but you never know.
Date: 2012-05-02
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I thought I was going to have three days to hang around and do nothing till my daughter picked me up to take me back to the AT. Now that Jarhead is going to pick me up tomorrow and take me back I have to get my act together. I did a little last minute shopping and got in another good meal at lunch and made one last stop to see if my summer gear had arrived back in Dawsonville and miracleof miracle it was there. Everything is really coming together. Being able to swap out my winter gear for summer gear at home has really simplified things. This afternoon I have worked on repacking my gear and my pack is now abut 5 pounds lighter. 27.5 lbs with 1 liter of water and 3 days of food. That in itself should help my knees. I was looking over my Journal and I can't believe it but it has received over 50,000 views. That is just amazing to me. I really appreciate everyone who is following my journey and those that are sending me encouraging messages and of course a special thanks to all of your who have made a pledge to the charity that I am collecting funds for. R.E.A.D. Reading Education Association of Dawson County. Thank you...Thank you...Thank you.My next post should be from Black Bear Resort and Hostel and then after that from the AT. YEA. I am anxious to get back to hiking.
Date: 2012-05-03
From: Home

To: Black Bear Resort and Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Jarhead and Mrs Jarhead picked me up at 8:00 to take me back to the trail. We had a great trip up to Johnson City where we had lunch and then they dropped me off at a Wal-Mart to be shuttled to Black Bear. I really enjoyed the trip up. It gave me time to talk with Jarhead and catch up with what Mrs Jarhead has been up to lately. We said our good byes and they headed back toward Hot Springs and a night in a B & B. Thank you so much for not only picking me up last week but also bringing me back today. What great friends you are. I hope I can repay your kindness in the future.Bob and Brian picked me up right after Jarhead left so the timing could not have been better. They had some errands to run and I was in no hurry to get back to the hostel so I tagged along with them. It gave me time to catch up with what had been going on at the hostel in the week since I had left.When I got to Black Bear there were three other hikers there. Dirt Dr, Quixote, and Lucky 10. Quixote said he had a real craving for some Bar B Q chicken. He asked Mary Lee if she would consider going into town for some chicken and if so he would cook dinner. She was OK with that so we all chipped in and bought all the fixings for dinner. We sat out at a picnic table and ate and the weather was just perfect. What a feast. I need to get back on the trail to lose some of the weight I have gained over the past week or so.Everything has come together nicely and there is just one piece of the puzzle left. How will my knee do tomorrow? I hope it does well and I can continue my hike with little or no pain. Only time will tell. Stay tuned. NOTE: A Happy Birthday my son-in-law Ben. Hope you had a great day.
Date: 2012-05-04
From: Black Bear Resort and Hostel

To: Iron Mountain shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

I was up early this morning packed and ready to go by 7:30. I guess I was excited about getting back on the trail. Bob shuttled me back to Wilbur Dam Rd where I had ended my hike over a week ago. As I was getting my pack on a hiker named Y'S Guy came by. We struck up a conversation and hiked together all day. This is the first time I have hiked with someone all day. I enjoyed it. I started hiking pain free for the first couple of hours and then my knee started hurting just a little bit. It hurt the rest of the day but not nearly like it had before I went to the doctor. My right knee continues to be pain free. I think I packed my backpack incorrectly because it was bothering my back which never happens. I felt like I was a crab trying to walk sideways. I have to correct that tomorrow. It didn't help that I had to carry 3 liters of water, 6.6 pounds, three miles to the shelter as the water source at the shelter was questionable. Of course when I got to the shelter the water source was fine.There are 14 tents around the shelter. Mostly a group of hikers who call themselves the "Wolf Pack". They just hooked up on the trail and have been together since. They all seem very nice.Also here tonight is The "A" team. I have not seen them since somewhere in Georgia.All in all I was a litte disappointed in today. It wasn't terrible but could have been better. Tomorrow is an 16 mile day. I am a little apprehensive about the miles. I will just have to see how it goes.
Date: 2012-05-05
From: Iron Mountain shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: moderate rain

Since we were doing a 16 mile day today Y'S Guy and I had planned to start about 7:30. At 6:30 it started raining and rained for about 45 minutes. Someone had weather radar and it showed a huge band of showers heading our way. To hike or not to hike that is the question. We decided to hike and I am glad we did. It didn't start raining for about an hour and never rained that hard. Right after leaving Iron Mountain Shelter we passed the "Nick Brindstaff Monument" It is just the remains of an old homestead with a plaque on it. He was born in 1851 and his parents died when he was three. He was raised by relatives. If I remember the story correctly he left TN to go out west and make his fortune but was robbed and had to return home. He built a cabin on top of Iron Mountain and lived there as a hermit until his death 30 years later. We made really good time to the shelter where we were going to eat lunch. Eight miles in just over 3 hours. My knee was hurting a little bit more than yesterday.   As the day wore on my left knee started hurting more, then my right knee starting hurting. I also pulled something in my groin and my right hip started hurting. I think the pains on my right side are from compensating for my left knee hurting. When I get to Damascus I am going to have to reevaluate the knee situation. I will have taken all the medication by then. I took Ibuprofen today and still had pain. Random thoughts: Yesterday and part of today the trail was on a ridge line overlooking Lake Watauga. The views were great.Y'S Guy got his trail name because he just retired after 36 years working for the YMCA. He and I hike at about the same pace so we have been hiking together.Tomorrow I will hike 10 miles into Damascus. Y'S Guy and I will share a room at a B &B. It is tough to find a place to stay with all the hikers that are in town but we have a reservation at The Montgomery Homestead Inn.
Date: 2012-05-06
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I awoke today to a beautiful sunrise and a gorgeous day. Cool and sunny. A perfect hiking day. We had only a 10 mile hike into Damascus and couldn't check into our room until early afternoon so there was no rush but be left around 8:00 anyway. The lure of town food was strong. My knee was very sore and my other pains came back soon after we started hiking. The first several miles were just rolling trail with the typical ups and downs but overall level. It should have been easy on my knees but it wasn't. Strangely even though my knee has been a problem I have been able to average a little over 2.5 miles per hour. After 5 miles we stopped for a break and something to eat and met up with "Socks" a German girl who is hiking the AT. There are a lot of Germans on the trail. After about 20 minutes we pushed on toward Damascus. Most of the next 5 miles was down hill and the downhills hurt my knees the most. I had to stop several times and just rest the knee. Once again we made good time and got into Damascus about noon. I have read so much about Damascus it was great to be here and see it for myself. We were able to check in early at the Montgomery Homestead Inn B & B. The trail continues to be a wonderful place full of coincidences and good good tidings. When we were looking for a place to stay a couple of days ago I tried one place and the phone went to VM. Y'S Guy said he would try another we had heard about but dialed the wrong number by mistake and got The Montgomery Homestead Inn so we just decided to stay there. (There is a point to this long story I promise.) While checking in Susie(the owner) asked if I was staying two nights. I told her I was having knee problems and was getting off the trail so it depended on what arrangements I could make to get back home. She asked where I lived and I told her Dawsonville, Ga. She said she and her husband had lived in Cumming next to Dawsonville for many years before moving to Damascus and still had children there and that her husband, Gaines, needed to make a trip down there and might be able to take me. She would check back with me later. At 6:00 she stopped by and said it was all set we could leave the next day at 9:30. What are the chances of calling a wrong number and getting a place to stay where the owner could give me a five and a half hour ride home.We unpacked out packs, took a shower and headed out to get something to eat. Afterwords I just sat on the front porch for a couple of hours and thought about what I wanted to do. I had told everyone when they asked if I was really going to hike the AT from GA to Maine that I would hike till I got hurt or wasn't having fun anymore. I am hurt and it is taking the fun our of hiking so I have decided to go back home and rest the knee until it is better. I think I started back too soon and should have waited longer before resuming my hike. At this point I don't know if I will continue on later or not. In the next day or so I will post another entry with some thoughts about my hike so far and where I am with the knee.
Date: 2012-05-07
From: Damascus, VA

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I left Damascus with Gaines the owner of the Montgomery Homestead Inn around 9:30. I said my good byes to Y'S Guy and wished him well. I will miss hiking with him. We made a good hiking partners. Good luck on the rest of your hike Y'S Guy.The trip back to Dawsonville seemed to go by fast. Gaines and I have a lot of similar views and talked a lot about the problems of the world. We solved quite a few of them and if we had a few more hours I am sure we could have solved the rest. Thanks again Susie and Gaines. I still can't believe how it worked out for me to get home.Once home the fact that I was off the trail hit me pretty hard. I have been in a real funk since returning. I know this will pass with time but when you put so much effort into planning something like this and look forward to it for so long it is just hard for it to end prematurely. I knew that the odds were against someone my age making it all the way but I really thought I could do it and I didn't think it would be a knee that would knock me out. A sprained ankle or broken bone was a more likely possibility in my mind. At this point I am not thinking about getting back on the trail this year but that may change as time goes on.Once again I really appreciate all of the posts to my guest book and all the emails wishing me well. I am still amazed that my journal has gotten over 58,000 views. I will post again occasionally with updates but they will not be daily as they have been in the past. Thanks again to everyone who helped make this such an incredible adventure. I appreciate your all.Granbob
Date: 2012-05-08
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The knee continues to bother me so I have scheduled a Dr's appointment for Monday. I am hopeful that they will do an MRI and determine if there is a structural problem or if indeed rest is all it needs. I understand there is a shot they can give you in the knee that will speed up the healing process if there is no structural damage. My hope would be that I can get back on the trail at the end of this month and just take it easy and see how far I get and then I could go back out next year and finish. Time will tell.
Date: 2012-05-16
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well it has been an interesting week. I got a call from Mary Lee at Black Bear Resort and Hostel. There was a hiker there who needed to get back to Atlanta for a visit with his Doctor. His car was at Vogle State Park. I talked with him and told him if he could get to Franklin, NC I could drive up and bring him back to Vogle. As it turned out he was able to get a ride with Miss Janet to Franklin and I picked him up last Wednesday and took him to his car. I was happy that I could "pay it forward" after all the nice trail magic and trail angels I had encountered on my hike.Last year when I ended my section hike at Uncle Johnny's I met another section hiker, "Jack the Shark" who was just starting a section hike. We stayed in touch and he told me his was going to do the section from Springer Mountain to Hot Springs this May. I met him at Springer on Saturday and saw him off on his hike and told him I would pick him up at Woody Gap and bring him to my home to resupply , do laundry, and then take him back to Woody Gap the next day which was today. He slack packed the 10 miles from Woody Gap to Neel Gap. When I dropped him off I took his gear to the Outfitter at Neel Gap and dropped it off so he would have it when he arrived. It was good to see him again and I wish him well on the rest of his hike.Regarding my knee, I made an appointment to see the Doctor on this past Monday and of course my knee quit hurting shortly after I made the appointment. I kept the appointment and it was decided that I did need an MRI to determine if I might have a small tear. The past two days my knee has started bothering me again, not bad but I can feel it. My MRI is scheduled for Monday and I will get the results on Wednesday. I will post again when I know what the results are.
Date: 2012-05-24
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well I had my MRI on Monday and saw the Dr on Wednesday to get the results. I was surprised at what I heard. I really felt that the MRI would show no problem because my knee feels so much better. That, however was not the case. Three things showed up. (1) A little arthritis which did not show on the X-ray. The Dr said he did not think it was part of my problem. (2) A frayed area on my meniscus or possibly a small tear. He could not tell. He also said that he didn't think this was the main problem but it could be. (3) A stress fracture of my Tibia (leg bone). Once again he could not tell if it was a stress fracture or a bruising of the bone from the meniscus. He thinks a stress fracture is most likely. So, the Dr wants me to rest it for another month which will allow the stress fracture to heal if that's what it is. If I still have pain after that then the problem is the meniscus and I will have to have surgery to fix it. My new plan (which one is this number 3 or 4) is to rest it for a month. Then I will do some hiking and backpacking locally to test the knee and if it is OK then I will head back out on the trail around the 1st of July and hike up to Harpers Ferry. After that I will decide whether to Flip Flop or just keep hiking North for another couple of months and finish next year. It has been tough to just sit around and do nothing. I keep thinking of the AT and what might of been or where I would be and who I would have met had I not been injured. It has also been hard to get used to being around a lot of other people. I understand that this is pretty common. The Dr did say that I could walk and do light exercise so that's good.I will keep updating my Journal every week or so to let everyone know how it's going. Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend.
Date: 2012-06-20
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today I completed my one month rest per the Dr's instructions. Actually I have rested the knee for six weeks as it was two weeks before I could get in to see him. With great anticipation I headed out to hike up to Len Foote to test the knee fully expecting the knee to have healed and my hike to be pain free. Unfortunately after only a short distance my knee started hurting. It didn't hurt as much as it did before but there was some pain and that was with a light day pack. I am afraid that with a full pack it would have hurt more. So once again I have had to push back my returning to the trail. I have a Dr's appointment on the 16th of July and I suspect that I will have to have surgery on the knee. In a way I hope that is the case. I would like to get it fixed permanently and not have to worry about it with each step I hike. I don't know how long the recovery period would be but I think it is pretty short. Whether that would let me get back out in September or maybe October I don't know. If not I will have to resume my hike next year picking up where I left off in Damascus.I will post again after I have been to the Doctor and let everyone know what I found out.
Date: 2012-07-28
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well things have not gone quite as well as I had hoped but things are improving. My knee is now pain free when I hike. It has taken about 60 days for the pain to subside and our best guess is that it was a stress fracture of the tibia. I do have a little frayed area on my meniscus but it is not bothering me and when I saw the Dr on the 16th he gave me a shot in the knee since I do have some arthritis.You may remember that on my first day out I fell and sprained my thumb really badly.(journal entry 3/9 I think) Well it never healed so I have been seeing a Dr for that also. It is getting better and will require no surgery, thank goodness, but I am going through Physical Therapy.So my plan is now to try and get back into shape over the next 3-4 weeks and continue to test my knee. If I have no more pain in the knee then I will resume my hike in Damascus the week before Labor Day and stay out as long as I am healthy; hopefully at least to the half way point. Then pick up next year where I left off and finish. I will be updating my journal more often as I take my day hikes and let everyone know of my progress.Once again I really appreciate all the support I have received from the hiker community and others. I am of course disappointed that I will not complete my thru hike this year but hopefully I can finish the AT next year.
Date: 2012-08-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday I hiked up to Len Foote with Jarhead and we took the more difficult approach trail up and the Len Foote Trail back down. We took it slow and easy and I am happy to say I had no knee pain. I think I am fully recovered.My plan is to go to Damascus on the 29th and head North. I will continue updating my journal every few days between now and then and will update daily when I re-start my hike.Wish me well.