morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-23
From: Monson, ME

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

After 2 zero days in Monson, we are back on the trail, very reluctantly. We wanted to stay in Monson forever, maybe buy the general store that's up for sale, and live out our days there, never getting back on the trail...sigh. We had an all-you-can-eat breakfast at Shaw's and said goodbye to Lonesome Rhodes, who flew back to his home in Utah today. It rained ALL DAY today, but surprisingly, everything in my pack stayed dry. I guess other peoples' REI pack covers suck, and I got the one good one. We did an easy 9 miles today and might do 13 tomorrow if it's nice. When we get to Stratton, we're going to hitchhike to Bar Harbor for the 4th of July!! I'm so excited to see baby Nora, Sarah, and Moses. Aaron needs to get orthotics or new boots in Bangor, so we might be off the trail for a while. We saw either an egret or a stork today while pumping water--I'm not sure which one. It was definitely not a heron. The first thing I thought of was a stork, but I've never seen an egret, either, so it could have been either.UPDATE 7/7/10: Aaron and I are temporarily off the trail for a few weeks while he goes to the doctor. He bought some new boots that will hopefully prevent him from rolling his ankles, but something is wrong. We're in Mechanicsburg, PA, so when we start the trail again, we'll be heading north from Boiling Springs. I guess we're flip-floppers now!
Date: 2010-03-17
To: Still excited
Miles today: 0.0

I am a 68 year old, long section hiker. I am hiking both the AT and the PCT somewhat simultaneously, doing about 350-500 miles on each trail each year. My goal is to complete both trails by the year I turn 70 - 2011. This year I am doing PA, CONN, and MASS on the AT and it will be my spring hike.I read the journals of those who have begun early this year and hope the weather improves by the time I am to start. I am pushing the envelope to do these sections in the spring and am really hoping the very, very cold and snowy spring has a chance to disipate before the beginning of April. Even those beginning in Georgia have had severe weather challenges this year and I am starting much farther north. Still, I see no reason yet to change my plans and other considerations in my life dictate the need to go between Easter Sunday and Southwestern Washington's Synod Assembly in the middle of May. On two other hikes in the early spring I have weathered some snow storms and hope I only get one or so while hiking. Time will tell.I have other journals from years past in which I tell more about myself and refer readers to them if they wish to know more. For this journal it will suffice to say that I am 68 years old, female and I have a very poor left knee due to a staph infection contracted while undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in 2007. Those staph buggies ate my PCL and who knows what else and I wear a metal brace on the left knee. But I can still hike. It is rather hysterically funny that I actually can bear only a little of my weight on a bent knee and going up and down stairs without assistance is challenging, to say the least. But I can still hike. After all, I hike with poles which is like hiking with 2 canes. HA! I think I have put in close to 3,000 miles between both trails, most of it since the knee went bad.I used to brag about being a reasonably fast hiker for an old lady. Now I just brag about being one of the oldest hikers. Oh, I know there are older hikers on the trail, especially men. And I met 4 women in Maine last year who were in their 70s. Way to go!!! But there are not a whole lot of women hikers over 65. I have no trouble calling myself old. In fact, I flaunt it! I am incredibly blessed to be the age I am and still be able to hike. I celebrate my age and I celebrate being on the trail.And I still get just as excited about getting ready to go. I mailed off my first food drops yesterday and had the same thrill of excitement. Mailing the packages is, once again, a concrete symbol that the time is getting short and I will be on the trail before long.
Date: 2010-03-18
To: Gym or Yard
Miles today: 0.0

I have a friend I often hike with. She has a gym membership and spends time and money working out getting ready to hike. Her parents told her when she was young that she should get a good education so she could get a good job and never have to work hard at physical labor. So she now won't "work" physically unless it is in a gym or hiking. Interesting.I don't have that particular parent tape running in my head, although going to college and getting a good education was always expected. So now, when I am retired, I spend a lot of time in my yard working hard. I enjoy it. I have a large garden every year even with my long hikes. I put the cool weather crops in before I head out for my spring hike - peas, snow peas, spinach, onions, lettuce, cole crops, potatoes, fava beans, carrots and beets. With any luck at all I will be eating lettuce and spinach, green onions and snow peas shortly after getting back in the middle of May. Last year the slugs ate my early lettuce and the carrots didn't come up too well and had to be replanted after I got back but everything else did well. Saturday it looks like the weather will smile on me and I will get the early crops in.Weeding, shoveling compost, pruning, and even splitting wood are hard work. But they keep me in good physical condition. I make a few conscesions to my aging body. I only split a couple wheelbarrow loads of wood at a time. I do work hard but it is good for me. And I save lots of money by not paying gym fees as well as enjoying the fruits of my labors in good food all year long. For an old lady with a bad knee I am in pretty good shape.My friend and I have gotten in a lot of hiking this winter too so I actually never got in bad shape over the winter. Washington had the best winter and the best early spring of anywhere in the nation this year. (El Nino was a good thing for hiking here although we might be a bit shy of water this summer with such a low snowpack.) Now all I have to do is keep working in my yard and get a few more long hikes in with pack to maintain the conditioning I have and all should go well on the trail.Life is good.
Date: 2010-03-25
To: New friend on trail
Miles today: 0.0

Last year (or maybe it was 2, I forget) Winkle signed my journal and started following me by journal. We coresponded by email throughout the last year and talked about maybe gettiing together to hike. She has already done all of the AT and her husband, Greg, has done much of it as well. We have struck up a nice internet friendship.And now, it looks like we will actually hike together on the trail!!! She is coming to hike with me for the first 10 or so days of my trip in Pennsylvania! How cool is that!She and her husband entered the life of retirement a couple years ago and moved close to the AT. And she hikes a lot whenever she can do so. Besides hiking with me for this part of my AT hike this year, they are also both contemplating joining me and a couple other of my friends to do 150 miles or so of Oregon this July. Although I hike often on long trails by myself, I do like to hike with others too. I just figure that at my age I only have a few years left to really do long distance hiking. I am happy to plan hikes and I am happy to have others come with me. But whether or not I have company, I am going hiking. I do not mind hiking alone and do enjoy doing that. However, when I do have the opportunity for company that is even better. I am overjoyed that Winkle will be coming!
Date: 2010-04-04
To: Pastor On The Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Each year I try to put in an entry about my trail name. Yes, I know purists object because the trail did not give me the name. Still, it is my trail name.I do not want fellow hikers to freak out about my being a pastor. I am not an "in your face" sort of pastor. I will not be pushing my views of faith on anyone. Actually, I firmly believe that God loves and cares for each person regardless of their religious views and I am content to let God be at work in each person's life in God's own fashion.That said, I am a pastor. And if anyone wants to talk about faith and God and church I can do that but I do not generally initiate such conversation.Becausee I am identifiable as pastor I have been asked for prayers on top of Matther Pass and I also have pastoral ears to listen which has been good for a few people on the trail.I have sung Holden Evening Prayer at Standing Indian Store, in the Goat Rocks in Washington, at Kincorra with a Pagan and many other places. The music is beautiful and it was written for the mountains.I choose to identify myself as pastor so that I am available as pastor to anyone who might have such a need, not to inflict a preacher on everyone.The Medicare part just identifies me as an old lady. Funny, but young hikers have no idea what that means. HA! FYI, everyone over 65 is usually on Medicare. Older hikers get it.May we all hike safely in God's beautiful creation and know the love of God. Life is good and God's love is awesome.
Date: 2010-04-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I took a red-eye flight Sunday night on the theory that being exhausted would help me sleep and help me get on Eastern time. By tomorrow I will know if that tactic worked. I actually got a bit more than 4 hours sleep on the plane with the help of a pill. A young seminarian picked me up in Harrisbuirg and drove me to Gettysburg where I am a guest of the seminary staying where they house visiting Bishops - quite posh for a hiker. But I guess I am not a hiker yet this year for another day. I attended Chapel, had lunch and conversation with some seminarians and a set of visiting parents and then walked around the battlefields. Sobering to think of all the blood shed on these beautiful hills and valleys. If you remembr your history lessons, much of the Gettysburg battle was on Seminary Ridge. That was and is the Lutheran seminary here. The weather is very hot and humid!!! And I was worried about cold! Well, not today. HA! Well, it could still be cold sometime on the trail but tomorrow it is suipposed to be 90, even - and that is East coast 90 which means very humid too. I was soon sweating up a storm and I was just strolling and not even wearing a pack. After a bit of touristing I went back to my room to have a shower and cool off. I really don't need to be a stinky hiker today. After a nice nap I had a lovely dinner with a few facultuy who were having a book study. it was pleasant company and a lively theological discussion. And now to bed and life is good. PS - Pocketmail is no longer in existence, which did not really surprise me as new phones can do internet. But I have a cheaper model cell phone and it does not. I was assuming my cell phone with pocket mail would be my communication suystem. Oops. The result is that I will be scribbling my journal as I go along and have to wait until I hit computers in towns to send to my transcriber (or snail mail it) so this journal will not be as close to up to date as usual. Don't worry about me. I am just on the trail waiting to cross paths with a computer. Oh well, at least I don't have to carry the pocketmail composer.
Date: 2010-04-06
From: Old Forge Road

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: clear sky

I slept well and woke reasonably on eastern time. Tomorrow I will be getting up 3 hours earlier because of the heat. It is forecast to be 90 degrees. I want to be walking as soon as it is light to catch the coolness of the morning. Today I walked into town a few blocks and found the post office on the way to the little store where I picked up milk, juice, and pancake mix for breakfast. After cooking and eating I ambled over to John's office and borrowed a computer to check emails and send off a journal entry to She Who Hikes In The Car. (My transcriber) Then it was time for chapel and lunch where I imparted a little enthusiasm and knowledge for evangelism and the AT and PCT, some of my favorite subjects, to a few willingly listening seminarians. Then it was time to pack up and John drove me to the post office and then to Old Forge picnic area to wait for Winkle. THANK YOU, JOHN for all your hospitality and help - twice now. It was a beautiful, if warm, spring day. And Winkle and Greg came right on time. It was good to meet my email hiker friend. After obligatory "before" pictures Winkle and I walked up the trail. I shed my shirt after a few yards up the trail. Surprise! HA! Everyone who knows me knows I shed my shirt often while hiking. It was 84 degrees when we got to the shelter after our short little walk. We moved into the shelter, got water from the spring and hung our food in short order. Winkle had a little problem with her air matress but we got it to resolve itself and keep air in. And now we are sitting around waiting for it to get dark. I don't feel sleepy yet. Maybe I am not really on Eastern time yet. But life is good.
Date: 2010-04-07
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was the kind of day that was like summer and reminds me why I prefer spring and fall hikes. It was HOT!!! It was 86 when I looked at my thermometer while hiking and 83 in the shade at Caldonia State Park. We got up at 5:15 and were on trail shortly after 6:30. We were really glad we had started early because of the heat. It was not cold even at 5:15 but did not really get hot until about 10:00. We stopped for lunch a mile or so after Rocky Mountain Shelters and got to Caldonia about 2:15. We were so glad to get to the stream before Caldonia and wet down our bandanas to cool down a bit. We passed 3 day hikers headed up the hill we came down shortly before Highway 30. And we met a young couple near the pavilion who had been fishing and offered us a ride to the ranger station where we were VERY happy to find COLD, potable water. I chugged more than half a liter and we got water for dinner and the last couple miles to the shelter. We had dinner at the pavilion and rested waiting for slightly cooler temperatures before heading up to the shelters. Resting felt really good. The day's trail was relatively easy with the exception of the heat and a few rock jumbles. I was feeling clumsy, kept tripping over my feet and even fell once on good trail but did not hurt anything. We saw 3 turkey vultures but no other wildlife. I do like watching turkey vultures soar above me. After 2&1/2 hours of lazing around mostly horizontal we had dinner and, although it was still 83 degrees we started up the hill. The sky was hazy by then, which helped a lot going up the hill out of the gap. We passed three hikers coming down who all told us the shelter was lovely. Indeed it is the nicest shelter I have seen so far. The spring was routed to a merry stream in front of the shelters and clumps of daffodils were blooming near the spring. The shelters were absolutely clean and there was a nice covered picnic table between the shelters. There was even a Bear Box for food. Very nice! I understand there are flower pots hung in the summer. I have had my bath and filtered my water and dusk approaches and life is good.
Date: 2010-04-08
From: Quarry Gap Shelters

To: Tom's Run Shelters
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

Today was HOT again!! We got up even earlier - 4:30 - as we were concerned about a weather report that said severe thunderstorms were coming by mid-afternoon. Again, like yesterday, it was HOT!!! At least once I looked in the afternoon and it was 89. The heat really got to us today as did the weight of the packs. Winkle didn't wear a hat yesterday and she had a severe headache last night. She wore her bandana today and drank a lot of water. But it was still just HOT. We had 3-4 fairly long rest stops and I ate at every one. I think I already had my hiker appitite from working hard in the yard before I left. I must eat twice as much as Winkle. The trail had some nice long stretches which went by quickly but were not truly appreciated because of the heat. Then the last downhill seemed very rocky which we both found difficult. We were glad to reach our destination by 3:00. These shelters are just shelters, nothing really nice like our last one at Quarry Gap. There was trash in the fire pit and leaves in the shelters and bees buzzing around them. Still, I was really glad to have arrived and have shelter. We met only one other hiker, a day hiker returning something to a cabin at which he had stayed for a week. After reaching the shelter I was too pooped to move for a while. Winkle went off to the stream to wash and I just sat. A really fun thing happened though. A section hiker walked up and it was Steve, who had given me a ride to the Tuxedo Motel in New York last year. He was aiming to do big miles today (30) so he didn't stay but came over to talk because he had seen my name in the shelter register at Quarry Gap. Pretty cool! I always think it is so neat when I meet someone along the trail whom I have previously met in years past. The trail community is a small world. Well, we are all tucked into the shelter and the thunderstorms have arrived. We had time for dinner and bathing and all chores first. Our unseasonably warm weather should now disappear. It is supposed to be at least 30 degrees cooler by morning. I will be sleeping inside the sleeping bag tonight instead of using it like a quilt. The bees around the shelter have gone to bed with the rain and before too long so will we, even if it is only 6:30. And we are dry and safe and life is good.
Date: 2010-04-12
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

A bird loudly and persistently announced the coming of morning about 6:10. Rev, a hammock hanger, and I, in the shelter, got up about the same time. Rev took off SOBO and, about 7:20 I took off NOBO.It was 49 but quickly warmed up in the 50s. It was perfect hiking weather. I had a few white violets to photo but not much else that caught my attention. I didn't move very fast though. I seemed a bit sluggish and kept stopping to adjust this and that, nothing very important. There were a couple of nice views from the pipeline area on Cove Mountain and then I got a taste of Pennsylvania rocks. My right ankle started hurting a little bit like a mild sprain although I did not twist it. I was glad to stop for lunch at the turn off for the next shelter.A couple day hikers walked by both ways before I started up again. The afternoon seemed easier even though coming steeply down from Hawk Rocks. It is all in the attitude. I think hiking is as much mental as it is physical.I reached the Doyle before 4:00. What can I say about the Doyle that has not already been said by numerous hikers? The price was the same as Allenberry in Boiling Springs but the accomodations cannot be more different. It was a fine hotel in it's heyday, one of the original Anhauser Busch Hotels. But that heydey is long, long past. Still, the sheets are clean and the water is hot (even if down the hall). It is a hiker experience. I will actually be staying here 3 nights as I am taking a zero tomorrow and slackpacking the day after. Pat and Vicki, who run the Doyle, are wonderful people who love hikers. It is a good reminder that much in life that is considered necessary, while nice, really isn't and what is most important is the people you meet.I heard form Winkle. She switched to extra strength Tylenol and her knee is much better. She also told me Blue Vist, another woman hiker, is about a day or two behind me. Maybe she will catch up while I am here. That would be fun.After some time on the internet I am headed to bed and life is good.
Date: 2010-04-13
From: Duncannon

To: Zero Day at the Doyle in Duncannon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was a very nice zero day - a day of rest. It is good to have a zero with rain drizzling outside. I slept well and had too much to eat at Goodies, a hiker restaurant across the street. Actually no hikers are about now but there were a lot of "good old boys," regulars there. The waitress didn't even bother with orders for most of them, just brought their "regular order."I did some hand wash although there is a coin laundry here. I just haven't gotten much very dirty except for sweat and stinky socks. I have been keeping everything washed as I go along the way. My socks are super thin and dry overnight. The 2 shirts I have dry fast too. Only the sports bras take a while to dry and are not usually done overnight. But hanging on the pack in the sun or all day in the room does them dry too. I might use the laundromat in Port Clinton when I get there. A funny thought: I used to have a recurring dream as a kid about living in a really old house that had furniture and everything but whose floor boards were so old that everyone had to step carefully to avoid falling through. Well, I don't think the floor boards are that thin here but the place does have a really old feel to it.Still, the bed was quite comfortable and I have no problem staying here. It is just a bit of yesteryear and, as I said, Pat and Vicki who own and run the place are great people.Before lunch I took a couple hours of horizontal time although I did not sleep. I think I get more rest while I am hiking than at home. There is always something to do at home and I rarely spend any time actually down horizontal. After a bowl of clam chowder, Pat took me over to the grocery store where I bought some stuff for breakfast for the next couple of days.I spent a good part of the day straightening out whatever the problem was getting emails to my transcriber. It all seems to work now so journal entries should start appearing tonight. I looked at trailjournals, read a paper cover to cover and then took a walk around town and even visited the ELCA church in town and chatted with the pastor there and the Methodist and Presbyterian pastors who were meeting there. After a steak dinner (I am really eating too much) I am getting this journal typed and then heading for bed. Tomorrow is a long day for miles but a slack pack so should be able to make it ok. It was a good, relaxing zero day and life is good.