morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-25
From: Damascus, VA

To: Back Home
Miles today: 0.0

After a good nights sleep and a breakfast at the Dairy King I'm going to the library. I want to see if I can get a rental car and drive back towards Pennsylvania to meet Nancy. Today is our 28th Anniversary and I'm missing her a lot. My leg is quite sore and if I'm going keep hiking I need to figure out how I'm going to get my leg healed before I really injure it. As I'm on the computer a section hiker named Wild Bill (a different Wild Bill than I met in Georgia) asks if I need a ride somewhere and says he's going north as far Staunton, VA. I call Nancy and decide to grab the ride and meet her there. I'm very excited I get to see her tomorrow. Wild Bill is an interesting guy, he's a retired Navy pilot that flew fighter jets and I really enjoy the ride with him. He drops me off at the Best Western motel and I get a room for the night. I talk to Nancy again and decide that I need to come home and rest my leg properly for a couple of weeks.Sunday morning as I wait for Nancy I decide to take a walk and I get stopped by the Staunton police. It turns out someone called me in as a threat and 4 police cars respond and I suddenly feel like I should be on the trail somewhere. The officers were very friendly and after they processed my ID said they were sorry to bother me, but they needed to check out the complaint. I'm glad I wasn't actually doing something wrong or had any outstanding warrants! So if you go to Staunton to get a ride don't wander around.I plan on staying off the trail for a couple of weeks and get my leg healed up. I want to continue North but I finally came to my senses and am doing the right, but very hard thing, stop hiking. I'll update my journal as to my healing progress and hopefully I will be hiking real soon.
Date: 2005-05-04
From: Still Healing

To: Still Home
Miles today: 0.0

I have had several people contact me and ask how my recovery is progressing so I decided it was time to update my journal with that info.My leg is really improving as I have been actually doing the things that have been recommended for it to heal. Mild stretches, heat, massage, exercise and most importantly rest, amazing! I am still planning on returning to my hike as soon as I can and I'm hoping that will be in about 2 weeks. I don't have an actual date yet but as I go through the next week or so I should have a pretty good idea. It was real hard to stop and come home but I'm really enjoying being home now. Maybe a little too much! Thanks to eveyone for the cards and notes encouraging me. It is a let down to have an injury and have to "sit out" a few weeks but it was time for me to make the right decision and come home.Thanks,
Date: 2005-05-15
From: Still Home

To: The disappointment continues....... 
Miles today: 0.0

Hi all,If I wasn't having bad luck on this hike I wouldn't be having any luck at all. I just can't seem to get this thing going in the right direction! My hopes of returning to the trail this week are on hold again. My leg has healed well and I was planning on returning to hiking next Wednesday or Thursday. But for some reason, maybe God doesn't want me to be hiking right now. I injured the same leg yesterday while I was cutting firewood. My leg and my chainsaw had an encounter and you can guess which one won. I now have a nasty wound a couple of inches above my knee. I am a very experienced chainsaw operator with hundreds of hours running one and I have never had something like this happen. It was a freak event as was the fall I had on March 27 with the original injury. I was holding the saw while cutting up a fallen tree and a trapped limb released and hit the saw and threw it into my leg. Very weird! On the positive side it could have been much worse and as soon as I can get it well on it's way to healing I AM going hiking.It is amazing how discouraging this is after all the waiting to return to the trail. I know that a thru hike completion is unrealistic for this year but there will be other years. I will now shift to section hiker mode and complete some of the sections I haven't done yet. I will be hiking with my daughter for a week in June and my friend Kevin (we have to get him a trail name) for a week in July. I am thankful for the support and encouragement I have received from my church family, my friends at New Milford Hardware and many who have followed me on Trail Journals. I am the first to realize that this has really turned out to be a non event, so thanks! I did have some trail magic this past week though! As I was out practice hiking I was going by my friend Jim's house ( who is a former thru hiker ) and he gave me something cold to drink and some candy bars. You don't have to be on the AT for trail magic!      Hi Ben and Matt. Sara said you guys were checking my journal and she said to say hi.I will do another update as soon as I can get my wound healed enough to go hiking, maybe next week?
Date: 2005-05-22
From: Northern Maryland

To: Heading Back Out
Miles today: 0.0

Hi everyone,I'm finally going back to hiking on the AT! My wound has healed well enough that I can get back on the trail. My thru hiking dreams for this year are over but I'm still going to complete some sections that I haven't previously done. Tomorrow morning my friend Jim is going to drive me to Maryland to start the section between Maryland route 77 and Port Clinton, PA. which is about 160 miles. Once I complete that section it will be the longest continuous section I have done. It is from Swift Run Gap in SNP, VA. to Bear Mtn. Bridge in New York. I plan to return home after that to prepare for a week hike with my daughter, Laura, and then will return to the trail in July with my hiking buddy, Kevin for 9 or 10 days. The sections we will be hiking are still to be determined but they will be on the AT.   I continue to appreciate the interest and concern with my hike and injuries. It will be much less than I had originally dreamed it would be but I'm still very thankful that I have had the chance. It has been very good to have people, like Chris from my church as well as many others, continue to keep me excited about hiking, Thank you!Nancy will return to updating my journal while I'm hiking.
Date: 2005-05-23
From: Heading Back Out

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Forrest was dropped off at the trail by our friend Jim about 10:20. (Thank you very much Jim!) Forrest started hiking at Maryland Route 77. It was raining lightly as he headed out. After about 2.5 miles he came to Raven Cliffs so he stopped there for a break. The sun came out for awhile. He passed PennMar Park, which doesn't open til Memorial Day, but he sat in a picnic pavilion anyway for awhile because it was raining, and had his lunch. He hadn't intended to do 13 miles today but since it was raining, he decided to just keep going, and finished the day at Deer Lick Shelters. There are two small shelters there close together. He said the shelters were nice and clean, and he had no mice troubles there. Two other section hikers from NC came in after him and set up in the other shelter. He had seen them off and on during the day, too. Someone had been out doing "trail magic". In two different places someone had placed cans of soda in a stream along the trail. Forrest said it wasn't really the kind of weather to be really hot and thirsty but he drank one at each place anyway! The two streams were 8 or 10 miles apart he guessed. The trail today was pretty easy and his leg felt fine. The woods were mostly oak and tulip trees and there was a lot of laurel in the woods. He saw a few Pink Ladyslippers blooming. The weather was quite cool, and it rained lightly off and on.
Date: 2005-05-24
From: Deer Lick Shelters

To: Route 30
Miles today: 13.2

The air was so cool in the morning that Forrest could see his breath. (Hey, at least it wasn't snowing!) The temperature was in the 40s. It rained most of the day. The woods were nice and the trail easy. It got up into the 50s during the day. There were a few more Pink Ladyslippers blooming along the trail today. Forrest was up at 6:30 and hiking by 7. He saw one other hiker - a "slack packer" who was going faster then he was because he wasn't carrying much weight. Forrest managed to bend his hiking poles today. He was going over a blow down and got his feet tangled in a branch. This time he hurt the poles but not himself! One pole was rather bowed and the other slightly bent, but he got them both straightened out. He said he did bump one knee but it was fine after awhile. When Forrest got to Rt 30 he stopped to decide what to do for the night. He could go a few more miles and camp, or go down the road about 3 miles to a motel. He was already ahead of schedule for his mileage. Then it started to down pour and that helped him make his decision. He headed down the road for the motel. He stopped by a little store and a guy was parking his truck and heading inside. This guy didn't put on his brake, and the truck started to roll. Forrest hollered to the guy and he managed to stop it from rolling into the road. After that Forrest talked to him and asked him if he'd mind giving Forrest a ride the rest of the way to the motel. So he did. Forrest was very glad to get the ride because hiking along the road in the pouring rain with vehicles also splashing water up on you is definitely not very much fun! Forrest got a room and got dried off, had pizza for supper, and got a few things at the grocery store. He is hoping to get an early start in the morning back to the AT.
Date: 2005-05-25
From: Route 30

To: Tom's Run Shelters
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

A cold and rainy day. Forrest said it was in the 40's in the morning with the wind blowing. He was up at 5:30 and went out for some breakfast. Then he bought a newspaper and a coke. While he was looking at the newspaper, a lady came along. She had a bag of carrots. She offered Forrest some of the carrots! So he had carrots and coke! (Don't try this at home, folks!!) I guess it's true about everything tasting better when you eat it outside, and with a hiker's appetite! Then instead of waiting until 8 when the people at the motel had said they could drive him back to the trail (for a fee of $5.00), he decided to get going. He road walked the 3 miles back to the trail and was on the AT again by 7:30. He said it was so chilly that he wore his winter hat! He saw the two guys from North Carolina, Carl and Pat, off and on again during the day. Forrest hiked to Tom's Run Shelters - another set of shelters, and just like on Monday night, he was in one shelter and Carl and Pat were in the other.
Date: 2005-05-26
From: Tom's Run Shelters

To: stream past route 94
Miles today: 15.0

Today was a nice sunny day. Forrest said he had some nice views today from rock outcroppings along the trail. He saw a scarlet tanager, and one pink ladyslipper in bloom. He passed thru Pine Grove Furnace State Park which he said was interesting. He called home on his cell phone from a little store just off the trail where it crosses Rt. 34, about 3:30 in the afternoon. He sounded pretty happy, the weather was nice and his leg was feeling good. He also said I'd never guess who he was hiking with today. This is rather funny, because last summer when Forrest, Laura and I were hiking the AT down in Shenandoah National Park we only met one thru-hiker. His trail name was "Engine" and we met him at the Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter as we were passing through. Turns out "Engine" had to get off the trail last year because his home in Florida had hurricane damage. So he is hiking again this year, and Forrest met up with him today. They are camping together tonight at the second stream crossing north of Rt 94. (Forrest called again briefly from his campsite because he said he had a better signal there than at the store). That was 15 miles for Forrest for the day.
Date: 2005-05-27
From: stream past route 94

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: scattered clouds

No rain again today and the trail was pretty easy hiking. Forrest set off about 7:30 from the campsite and even though he took his time along the way, he was in Boiling Springs by a little after noon. He said the trail was a bit rockier today than it has been since he started at Route 77. Getting into those famous Pennsylvania rocks maybe. But he said his leg feels fine and also the knee he banged the other day is fine too. No blisters either. He saw a few thru hikers today - "Crazy Heidi" and "ManDran". Also Marion, who doesn't have a trail name, a man who is retired from the post office from Atlanta. Marion started hiking at Springer on March 17th, not really planning to thru hike but he is enjoying it so he is still going! Forrest is camping near him tonight at the ATC "campsite" which is really just a grassy area next to the Railroad tracks. Forrest didn't see "Engine" again today (after camping with him last night). Some one else told Forrest that they passed his campsite about 10 this morning and his tent was still there. Just before coming into town, the trail goes by the Yellow Breeches Creek, which also goes thru the campus of Messiah College where Sara goes to school. Forrest cleaned up a bit at the creek. The town of Boiling Springs is a real nice town with many nice old houses/mansions. The spring for which it is named produces 22 million gallons of water a day. It forms a lake in the middle of town which then goes into a river. There is an ATC regional office in town, also. Forrest visited for awhile with the ranger there. He is 'responsible' for the AT from there to Georgia! He told Forrest they have had trouble with poaching along the trail and Forrest told him where he had seen some deer carcasses, and also where ATV's had been using the trail. Then a report of a car having been broken into at the trailhead at the Whiskey Spring road crossing came in, so the ranger left to investigate that. Forrest went to an Italian Restaurant and had a sub and a piece of pizza for supper.He enjoyed the day today, he's feeling good, and enjoying the hiking and the people he's meeting.
Date: 2005-05-28
From: Boiling Springs

To: Rt 11 near Carlisle
Miles today: 8.5

Forrest had an interesting night last night in the ATC camping area next to the Railroad tracks. Eight trains went by during the night, all blowing their whistles, of course, because of the nearby road crossing! Before he left Boiling Springs he walked to see where the spring actually comes out of the ground. It is a hole about 3' across, with the water just bubbling up out of it. He got coffee and donuts and still left Boiling Springs about 7:45. He hiked about 8.5 to where the AT crosses route 11, and then stopped as he had planned, and got a motel room at the Appalachian Motor Inn. He said today's section of trail was quite easy, pretty level. He said it would be a great section for birders. He saw a "ton" of birds. He said the trail goes thru farms, fields, and woods thru there, so there is quite a variety of habitat for the birds. About a half a mile before he got to the motel, it started to pour, so he got wet but at least he didn't have far to go! He was there before noon and was able to check in right away. Then he did his laundry. He only saw 2 section hikers on the trail today.
Date: 2005-05-29
From: Rt 11 near Carlisle

To: Rt 11 near Carlisle
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a "zero" day as far as the AT goes. Forrest has a long-standing tradition on Memorial Day of watching racing - the Indianapolis 500 and the Winston Cup race. So his planned "zero" day today allowed him to stay at the motel and watch racing. He did, however, go for a hike of probably 8 or 9 miles in the morning. A loop which he figured out he could do by hiking about a mile or so on the AT and then on some back roads and back to the motel. He said it took him about 3 hours. He didn't carry his pack with him. Tomorrow he plans to head out early again on the AT.
Date: 2005-05-30
From: Rt 11 near Carlisle

To: Clark's Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: broken clouds

Forrest walked the road back to the trail from the motel,which only took about 20 minutes. The trail was a little rougher and rockier today than it has been so far in PA. It rained off and on during the day. Forrest had some 'trail magic' today - he was given lemonade, candy, breakfast bars, and papaya. Some of it was from a very nice family of hikers from the Lancaster area who were going to be finishing their hike later in the day and wanted to give some of the food they had left to Forrest. He really enjoyed visiting with this family. The Dad had attended the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, NY, and one of the daughters is going to Cedarville University. Forrest hiked from about 6:30 am to 6:30 pm to do his 22.2 miles today, taking about an hour to visit, and probably another hour or so of other breaks. He went thru Duncannon (the AT goes right thru the town), thought about staying at the "Doyle Hotel" but decided it might be too noisy for him. There was also a campground, but that was near the railroad tracks and he didn't want another night of hearing the trains going by. So he kept hiking until he got to Clarks Ferry Shelter. He saw quite a few other hikers today. He said someone told him it is "Pennsylvania Hiking Week" and there were a lot of planned hikes. Most people he saw were day hikers but he also saw some thru-hikers - four in Duncannon, and a section hiker by the trail name "Shades of Blue" (who also has a trail journal) whom Forrest enjoyed visiting with. In Duncannon he had some pizza (yes, again!) and then ice cream. He crossed the Susquehanna River on the Clarks Ferry Bridge, and hiked about 3 more miles to the shelter. There was a Mom and Daughter from New Hampshire who were staying at the shelter also. Forrest said today was a pretty good test of his leg, and it did fine, although it was getting little sore near the end of the 22 miles.
Date: 2005-05-31
From: Clark's Ferry Shelter

To: North of Rt 325
Miles today: 13.0

I started early this morning and was rewarded with great views of a foggy Susquehanna Valley. The mother and daughter from New Hampshire were still snuggled in their sleeping bags when I got hiking at 6:30.The trail runs a ridge and it is quite rocky for about 7 miles. I stop at Peters Shelter to look at the register and see who is hiking in the area. The trail has been empty most days and I see almost no one. I imagine the 4 thru hikers I saw in Duncannon will be catching me today.Not to long after leaving the shelter I find a fawn near the trail. It lets me take several pictures as I talk to him (or her) and then decides it should run. Not much longer on I cross paths with a 5' long black snake which isn't much concerned about me. There have been several rattlesnake sightings on this section of trail but I haven't been lucky enough to see one yet.I decide to stop at 13 miles today and camp and relax by a spring. I didn't see any other hikers today.
Date: 2005-06-02
From: North of Rt 443

To: Hertlein Spring
Miles today: 18.0

I woke up to the sweet smell of Russian Olive and Honeysuckle that is blooming nearby. What a great way to begin a day. I wanted to get an early start today as the trail promises to be a little rougher than it has been. I was hiking by 6:15 and plan to hike to the 501 shelter and see what the trail is like. It has been rocky the last couple of days which is normal for Pennsylvania. Another hiker was complaining about the rocks and asked what I thought. I said it is just another type of torture the trail throws at you. Is it really worse than freezing temperatures with wind driven snow or walking in heavy rain all day? I don't think it's better or worse just something different you have to adjust to. It is very foggy this morning so there are no views but the woods are enjoyable as the trail is surrounded by ferns. The first 3 miles are all up hill then the trail runs the ridge. Bones passes me about 8:30 and says he is going to hitch hike into Pine Grove and wants to know if I want to go in too. I decline because I should be in Port Clinton tomorrow and can get what I need there.I arrive at Route 501 at 11:30 which is much quicker than I expected. I sit at the overlook and after about 5 minutes a few teenage boys climb up, then a girl. I ask what they are doing and they tell me that their eighth grade class is climbing the rock slide below the overlook. After I field about 20 questions I decide to pack up and head to the shelter.I decide it is much to early in the day to stop so I am going to walk the 5 miles to Hertlein Springs. I laze the afternoon away stopping at several overlooks and arrive at the springs area about 4:30. The trail was very rocky and I'm ready to setup camp.I had a good day and hope the rain holds off tomorrow as I expect it will be the last day of this trip, 18 miles to Port Clinton tomorrow.
Date: 2005-06-03
From: Hertlein Spring

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

I am woke up by a few raindrops hitting the tent fly at 5:00 and quickly break camp. I don't like to pack up in a steady rain, but I guess no one does. I am hiking by 5:30 and the rain has picked up to a steady shower.I eat my breakfast, two breakfast bars as I walk. The trail is rocky but level so I can move right along. Bones catches me in less than an hour and says he'll see me in Port Clinton. Today is a green tunnel walk, no views, just a walk in the woods surrounded by trees and other plants.I arrive at the next shelter by 8:30 and had just walked 10 miles. That's a fast pace so I decide to change my socks, get water and relax for a few minutes.No one has signed the shelter register in two days, but the last entry is about seeing a rattlesnake on the trail and having to defend themselves. They say "God forgive us". I guess that means they killed the snake?As I walk I decide when I can get a cellphone signal I will call Nancy and see if she can come pick me up this afternoon. I wasn't suppose to be in Port Clinton until Saturday but my pace has been faster than I expected it to be.She says she can pick me up about 5:00pm. Yeah!The rain continues, hard at times but I'll be dry this afternoon so just keep moving.About 2 hours from Port Clinton I am joined by Whitey, a thru hiker from Alaska. He is quite a character and I enjoy visiting with him as we walk. He homesteaded a parcel of land in Alaska and lives in a cabin there.I am in Port Clinton by 12:30 and head to the Hotel to purchase a cold soda to have with my lunch. I walk to the the towns picnic pavillion which doubles as a hiker hangout and see what's for lunch. My food bag is nearly empty so lunch consists of a Snickers bar, a Power bar and emptying my peanut butter jar. Someone has left oranges for the hikers so I have one of them for dessert.This trip has been really good and in 10 hiking days I covered 161 miles. My leg has performed well and appears to be healed. It turns out the doctor I saw in Tennessee in April was right, be patient and it will heal.Although there will be no thru hike this year I will get another in the future. I'm am very thankful for the opportunity to make the thru hike attempt and for all the great people I met and the support from home, it has been awesome. A big thank you to Jim for driving me to Maryland for this hike.What's next? I will be doing a 3 or 4 day hike with my daughter in two weeks and in July my friend Kevin and I will be out for 8 or 9 days doing a section yet to be determined, both on the AT. Other than that it's back to work!