morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-03-23
From: Franklin, North Carolina

To: Fontana Village, Great Smoky Mountains NP
Miles today: 55.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We made it! The beginning of the Smokies. We had a nero (nearly a zero mile day) on the 23rd since we camped just 2.5 miles from the road. On our hike down the hill we found plastic easter eggs filled with snickers and pistachios hidden along the trail in tree holes and stumps, but we let them be because we had heard of the trail demons who play tricks on hikers by filling chocolate bunnies with tabasco sauce. Turns out they were okay afterall, put out by the local hiking club. Now we are taking a zero (no miles hiked today) because it is snowing down here and it is COLD. Plus, it is time to rest up the sore legs. What a great place this is! Sunday there was a gourmet Easter buffet, all you can eat, and we took full advantage. Although I should be looking forward to hiking through the Smokies, I am dreading the freezing temperatures and the rain that will come Friday and Saturday. Hopefully we can get through it in five days.The trail has been good to us. When we left Franklin there was a dusting of snow and there was strong, cold wind which kept us moving. Then we came to a lookout tower with 360 views of the mountains and it was nice and sunny. We had lunch up there with Furniture, Free Hugs, Vagabond, and VooDoo, oh and Harry Potter. Then we came across some trail magic. Apple had a HUGE mountaineering tent set up with a pot belly stove inside which kept us toasty warm. He has a hiker detector which beeps when hikers walk by due to a laser he set up along the trail. Then he pops his head outside the tent and welcomes people inside to hotdogs, hot chocolate and chips ahoy. The next couple days were nice as well but boy were the hills STEEP!
Date: 2008-04-22
From: Damascus, Virginia

To: Daleville, Virginia
Miles today: 255.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We made it into Daleville after a never ending rainy ridgewalk. Four days of rain have beaten us down, but the sun is now shining and the weather looks good for a few days. New shoes for me, but Aaron will have to wait another 250 miles to pick up his shoes at the post office. Hopefully his old sandals will hold up because a buckle broke the other day and the straps are about to rip out of the soles. I have plenty of duct tape in case something happens out on the trail. The leaves have unfolded at the lower elevations, but the oaks are still bare up at the usual 3,000 foot level we have been hiking at. The birds have been singing cheerfully. This morning we woke up at 5:30 and we could hear the whipoorwills chirping away. When we arrived in Pearisburg we gorged ourselves on food at Wades grocery store and bought WAY too much trail food to pack out and up the mountain. Because the following day was the anniversary of the day we met on the PCT, Aaron carried up a whole pineapple for seven miles, four of which were steep uphill miles. It sure was good for breakfast, along with some vanilla latte coffee mix. Mmmmmm.The trail was great from Groseclose to Pearisburg. Great weather after the first cold morning. We ended up taking a zero day in Groseclose even though all there is besides the motel is a gas station convenience store that we resupplied out of and a little restaurant. We zeroed because of the freezing temperatures, sleet and snow that was coming down. We sent our warm clothing home from Damascus. It snowed enough to accumulate a few inches in the mountains which we walked through the next day.From Damascus we went over Mt Rogers and slept in the attic of the shelter up there. The shelter was packed. Eight of us in the attic including the four sisters. Thud and Max the trail dog were down stairs with at least five other people. The wind blew hard enough to shake the shelter and it rained. Luckily there was no lightning or too much rain as we walked over the Grayson Highlands where the ponies live. We only saw a couple ponies but the views were gorgeous. Everyone else saw a couple herds of ponies that came up to sniff their tent and cool stuff like that. Oh well, a few days later we walked through a very cute donkey pasture and they all walked up to us to nibble our packs. We heard from other hikers that the donkeys ran away from them. We saw the 300 year old oak tree and some wild rabbits mating and some not-so-tough barking farm dogs, and lots of cows. I don't like cows, I make Aaron go first through the herd. My time limit is up on the computer. Until next time...
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Daleville, Virginia

To: Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Miles today: 295.0
Weather: clear sky

We have made it to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and are hanging out at the ATC. We saw two bears and one bobcat in Shenandoah National Park. The weather was great through the park, especially since we entered it the day after we became thoroughly soaked from an all-day rain storm during the big tornado that hit Virginia. Pretty much any kind of weather seems nice after that. Luckily we were going into Waynesboro that day because a hole in my garbage bag made my down coat wet and my sleeping bag damp. We walked 21 miles that day and it rained the entire time, sometimes the rain hurt it poured so hard.A lot has happened since then and we have seen a lot of nice country. Right now we are going to find a restaurant and pig out.
Date: 2008-05-10
From: Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

To: Duncannon, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 124.0
Weather: light rain

Yes, Aaron's pack is small. No, we are not slackpacking, skipping, blueblazing, yellowblazing, water blazing or any other such thing. We are walking the trail in the traditional manner.Given our experience on the PCT, things have been going smoothly and our experience has helped us move efficiently with little need to take much time off.Bob Williams picked us up in Harpers Ferry and what a treat that was! Thank you so much Bob, we had a wonderful time. You know how to take great care of hikers.
Date: 2008-06-05
From: Dalton, Massachusetts

To: Killington, Vermont
Miles today: 137.0

We made it to Vermont! This is a beautiful state. We are actually backpacking in forests where we don't hear cars or lawn mowers or ambulances! The beaver ponds are neat to walk by and it is soothing to hear the frogs and the birds. The birch trees are pretty and the evergreens too. The trail shows more and more signs of moose as we head north. Tonight we are staying at Mountain Meadows Lodge where Alice the pig wanders the outdoor premises. Forty more miles to New Hampshire!!!
Date: 2008-06-09
From: Killington, Vermont

To: Glencliff, New Hampshire
Miles today: 84.0

We are staying at Hikers Welcome Hostel tonight in Glencliff, NH. This is the start of the White Mountains and we are excited to be entering them. It will be cooler up there and it is HOT and HUMID down here. We did not expect the heat this far north, but here it is. It is a bit uncomfortable, but I'll take it over numb fingers down south. For Aaron, he would much rather take the cold over the humid heat. Today I got my first tick. It was just a dog tick so no Lyme disease, but it was still rather nasty. We both have foot rot with sores on our feet from slogging through Vermont. Other than that we are doing well and are really enjoying the trail a lot more than this entry is making it sound. Lots of frogs and toads on the trail and cool looking bugs. We entered Hanover during Dartmouth's graduation day so it was a bustling town. People are very friendly there. New Hampshire has been great so far and it sounds like it will only be getting better!
Date: 2008-06-19
From: Glencliff, New Hampshire

To: Andover, Maine
Miles today: 142.0
Weather: light rain

MAINE!!! At last we are here. The Whites were rough, but we had gorgeous weather on Mt. Washington. Blue skies, slight breeze, 60-65 degrees at 7:00am. No one on the top even on a weekend! One guy who visits Washington every year says there is sunny weather only 60 days a year and a sunny day with no wind is unheard of. This is the mountain that supposedly has the worst recorded weather in the world with the highest wind speed ever recorded at 231 mph.Mahoosuc Notch was fun, and it even quit raining as we made it through. It took us 1 hour and 35 minutes or so to make it through the one mile of boulder scrambling and squeezing through tight places. The forecast has rain for a week straight and we are spending the night at a great hostel to dry out. Quite a few southbounders coming through now. It is fun to see thru-hikers again since we have only seen three since Pennsylvania. We are looking at flights to go home already and it is hitting us now that we are nearly finished. We think we will finish the trail between the sixth and the eighth or so of July. Now, if the rain lets up maybe we can enjoy the remainder of the trail. I think my foot rot is trying to come back because my feet are stinking again. Lotrimin seems to work pretty well but when the feet are constantly wet it is difficult to keep them happy. Although it is great to be out here hiking, Aaron and I are both ready to finish the trail. It is the rain that is getting to us. The constant muddy slop to walk through. We think of the PCT often, the sunny skies, the open vistas, the friendly towns, ahhhhhh the sunshine.
Date: 2008-06-27
From: Stratton, Maine

To: Monson, Maine
Miles today: 73.0
Weather: few clouds

Here we are at our last trail town in Monson, Maine. This is the beginning of the 100 Mile Wilderness which ends at Baxter State Park, home of Mt. Katahdin. Hopefully we will finish on the Fourth of July. The mosquitos have been eating us, but the southbounders tell us we will look like we're wearing beekeeper suits when we enter the big wilderness. The trail has been boggy since entering Vermont, but the southbounders tell us we will be up to our knees in mud when we hit the wilderness. When Aaron asked a southbounder how the wilderness was, he replied, "It was bruteiful." Doesn't sound like our last one hundred miles will be a piece of cake, but at least it will be flatter! The ferry that shuttles hikers across the Kennebeck River closed down for the first time in history, according to Craig the ferryman. That is how much rain there has been around here. It was closed for four days and opened again the day before we arrived. It was fun to cross the river in a canoe! Aaron paddled up front while I sat in the middle, and then we were off again. Saw another bear yesterday who took off as silent as can be. After hitting Stratton, Aaron can now say he has hiked every mile of the AT. Well, a lot more has happened along the trail, but I will leave it at that for now. Must check on flight status.
Date: 2008-01-25
To: Prep #1
Miles today: 0.0

Well, here we go. The AT has been a nearby, as well as far off concept for me for many years. I live within about 10 miles of it. I encounter it when I go many places, crossing over it as I go about routines. In that regard it represents a specific place geographically to me. On the other hand it has always represented the world of the wild, untamed, free, uncontaminated part of myself which I never gave up on from childhood. Many forces push to keep that part of oneself shoved down to depths from which they are barely perceptible but for me they have never been far below the surface. Now it is time to truly get reacquainted.I have been a dairy farmer all my life. I'm at a point in my life (age 55) where I've come to know it's time for a reevaluation of direction. It may be farming. It may be the incongruousness of farming using methods("modern".."scientific"..."conventional") that I know don't work for me, for cows, for land, for plants or for the people who eat that which my farm produces. But I HAVE to step away. The AT is calling me for that step and although it will be quite a few steps I plan to enjoy every one of them. Maybe not enjoyment in the normal sense of the word, but joy in learning the lessons all the way. Believe me. I am a slow learner.
Date: 2008-01-26
To: Prep 2
Miles today: 0.0

It has been a real experience to read journals. I started reading these last summer('07) and have learned a LOT from them. I'd especially like to say Peach, gatorgump,Tyler and Kiesha Kohns,Bhikkhu, Kokopelli and Obie Reynolds inspired, humored and taught me. There are many,many good stories....these are just the ones I followed. The writing in here is incredible. I am a litle intimidated about being able to communicate well enough for people to get any feel at all for what I experience. I guess you just try.I about finished gathering gear today. Luckily we have an outfitters in Lexington, Va now and it's owner, Kirk, is an AT enthusiast and alum. I already had a bunch of gear. Now I have more! Dunno what will work and what won't but I intend to let the trail tell me. It isn't hard to change stuff out(or discard) but I figure the best way will be being there. I have yet to weigh the pack packed.....that'll tell a tale.I have been told I will die doing this. Not exactly your most hoped for endorsement. Most folks I have let in on my intent sort of give the raised eyebrow and withhold the comments. A few love the idea. About the spread of judgements I thought this would garner.My loving wife and soulmate, Mary Lynn, is wholeheartedly behind my fulfilling this dream. She knows and appreciates the value of connecting ones dreams to the reality of the everyday. I don't know how (or why) I'd live without her in my life. Having her support in this is about all that matters. I know I could die doing it but I could also die in a farming accident(a much more likely event)tomorrow.I tried out my sleeping bag and tent last Monday night because I wanted to check them out in really cold temps to see how they perform. It got down to 6. I didn't get cold. I could have worn more but used what I figured I'd have on the trip. I did find out that the gaskets on my MSR stove were dry rotted. Glad I found that out now and not on a Smokie Mtn. Be back later, Alec
Date: 2008-02-22
To: Prep 4
Miles today: 0.0

Just got back from another visit to see my son and daughter-in-law in Honduras. They took us to Guatemala to hike up a volcano then down into said volcano. Lava was flowing!! There won't be anything like that along the AT...at least not in this geologic epoch! It felt really good to have a pack on even though it wasn't anywhere near the weight required for living along the way. That sucker was steep tho. The nearby town of Antigua was fascinating too. Best of all was being w/ Alexander and Gina. Just before leaving on this trip we sold and shipped 70+ cows to two of Virginia's huge dairy farms. This is another in the steps toward my selling out my share of our family farm business. Also another step in the direction of my setting sail for Katahdin. Steps are good. It is emotional to see your cows leave the farm. My whole life we have worked to expand this herd. Keep it's daughters to increase it. Now it is time to reduce. Step away. It hurts. But I can BE with that hurt and go forward. I know that the trip of '08 is ahead of me and that I can and will learn of me along the way. To those of you that I will meet and share the experience with, I raise a toast of respect and honor. And thanks. To those who follow along in here I toast as well, for I have found that the territory of the mind,it's eye,ear,nose,tastes and emotions exist as equal to realms of physical experience.Later folks,Alec
Date: 2008-03-05
To: Prep 5
Miles today: 0.0

My son Robert and I got a good hike in Sunday starting out on Rt 56 in Nelson Co. where it and the AT cross. People who said the Priest is kinda challenging weren't kidding! It was a bit much to get that hike in and get Robert back to his car at the Montebello Fish Hatchery by dark. Actually we got in some night hiking but my headlamp plus Robert's eagle eyes for spotting white blazes made it all work out. I hiked Monday and Tuesday to the Pedlar River and Mary Lynn picked me up there after I waited a couple hours. I got awful stiff sitting there. For a moment I allowed fearful thoughts of doubt creep in to my psyche. "If you get this sore/stiff after just 3 days out how can you do a thru hike?" (nevermind it was quite cool and rainy and here I am sitting on a rock idle after 3 days of a lot of activity). The pack was just sitting there. So were the poles, so I just hooked them back on and took off across the road and up into the forest again. Insead of a struggle it was as if my body was floating up the mountain path. Again the smells, the uplift you feel from the soft earth underfoot, the wetness of the air on a rainy day and the gentle sound of water tumbling down rock outcroppings. Antidoted!I didn't go far. Maybe 1/4 mile. And although it was strange to turn around and retrace one's steps it was nice to see Mary Lynn after part of 3 days away. Being away from her is definitely going to be the toughest part of this hiking business. It's great to be home too. Hot bath for aches. Real, real food. The loving embrace of a Goddess. But I know I belong out in those mountains for a while in my near future. Later, Alec
Date: 2008-03-20
To: Prep 6
Miles today: 0.0

Now I have a start date of March 23. The objective is to drive down near Springer that day to facilitate beginning the journey on Monday March 24th. Not all details are wrapped up w/ my exit from the dairy but we are real close. Today, Mary Lynn and I shopped at the Dayton(VA) Farmers Market for dried or powdered food items. This dining aspect of the hike is looking better and better. If I can just manage to carry it. The food piece of the puzzle is going to fit together w/ the larger goal of my trip in seeking direction for my work life afterwards. It seems that it's a bit much to expect one's body to perform well exerting to the degree the AT demands unless one supplies high quality nutriets as fuel. Mary Lynn's expertise w/ food and nutrition should benefit me in this endeavor tremendously. For example I do not intend to use margerine although it carries easily and stands up to temps. It has lots of energy(fats) but not in a form that serve a human in a nutritional context. Better it be used to extend the life of one's boots. It sets you up for inflammatory response inside and I figure I'll have enough of that w/ wear and tear. I'll use butter, olive oil and coconut oil to soup up things so I'll be getting saturated fats instead of unsaturated fats. I know this flies in the face of the conventional "wisdom" regarding fats but I've seen enough of the influence of corn on my animals, our soils and my life over my first career to know who places this kind of misinformation out there. Starches and sugars have their better forms as well.(think HFCS;it's Hell's suger) It's fantastic to see long lost friends sign my jounal. I probably won't get all replied to but I REALLY appreciate y'all taking the time to say hey. Tater and Keith lately from our youth. I hadn't expected the AT to get me reconnected like that but hey, it's a special place.Later,Alec
Date: 2008-03-25
To: Prep 7
Miles today: 0.0

I didn't get to head for GA on Sunday like I was hoping. More adjusting in the business of leaving our business prevented that. It did however give me moments with my loved ones that I'll cherish forever. We took James, my two year old grandson, to a beautiful section of the AT near our home on the Pedlar River. He really got into hiking the AT. James is outdoorsy anyway. He LOVES pastures with cows in them and rambles all over them with amazing endurance. But I guess this was his first experience in totally forested land. He told me "leaves hurt you" on entering the forest. I'd discount this as childish talk except that I've been told this before when James and I walk in the woods(or more often I walk and carry James) looking for a cow who may be off by herself having her baby. Low hanging branches scare him particularly and you can NEVER allow them to brush across him. Past life stuff I tell myself. It's profound w/ him because very little causes fear in him. Mary Lynn and I had an absolutely delightful time showing James what Grandaddy's house on the trail looks like. What the kitchen is. What white blazes are. I know its going to be difficult being seperated from both of these beautiful angels of my life. Part of me says I'm and idiot for taking so much time away from family that supports and sustains my very being. Yet I know even as this will hurt, the experience of my hike is still for a higher good that isn't just for me. It's about listening to an inner voice that doesn't speak in a shout. It just calls and calls. This should be the last post I put on here myself for a while. I'll write home now and Mary Lynn will post. I might succeed in getting some posting done in libraries but it depends on how efficiently I get setup w/ a room, shower, laundery, pig out and do mail. Seeya from the trail and thanks for all your support. It feels REALLY good.Alec
Date: 2008-03-26
From: Springer

To: Hawk Mt.
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

After a nice drive down to GA on Tuesday (03/25)we had a restful night in Helen, GA - a charming little mock-alpine village. The next morning brought the first adventure - finding Neels Gap on the highway in order to drop off my first food pkg. After finally locating Mountain Crossings Outfitter, we got bad directions from someone who worked there and ended up back in Helen instead of heading toward the trailhead. After consulting the map we found the roads that lead to Springer and Mary Lynn dropped me off near the top of the mountain. It HURTS to say THAT goodbye! I then walked the 0.9 miles to the beginning of the AT. At the sign marking that all important point I met a couple who turned out to be residents of my home county. Lois Yancy and Wayne Cash had come to Springer to hike some of the Benton-McKaye trail and a little of the AT. Wayne assured me when they got home they would call Mary Lynn to let her know they had soothed my grief over the separation. Hiking was smooth sailing and I'm now resting in the suburbs of "hikertown". It looks like about 20 or more hikers here at Hawk Mtn shelter. I got here around 5 pm and decided to take a tent site. I set up the tent, then cooked and ate pasta. It's around 7 pm now and I'm gonna clean up the kitchen, hang food and get to bed. Later,Alec
Date: 2008-03-27
From: Springer Mt. 

To: Big Cedar Ridge
Miles today: 13.3

First, I have to correct information posted by the new CEO of my Resupply Center (this is what happens when you hire the elderly). She thought I said I hiked 21 miles today. What I said was I made mile 21.1. Big difference. Just wanted to set the record straight in case you thought I should be tested for steriod use!Today was a beautiful day to hike! I awoke at 5:30 a.m., listened to NPR for half an hour and went back to sleep until 7:00. It doesn't get light here as early as at home. I ate and hung out with other hikers at the shelter then took off for my first full day's trek. My left heel had felt bruised after Wednesday and still slightly sore as I started but never really hurt. I took Arnica and Ruta G at a break stop atop Sassafras Mtn. At 12:30 I stopped to eat lunch at Hawk Mtn. shelter and Kevin (the guy who started the hike when I did at Springer) was eating there. He and I have a similar pace so we hiked all afternoon together and now we're camping tonight on Big Cedar ridge. The diversity of the trees is amazing. You'll see rhododendron totally canopying the trail along creeks with plenty of pines and a variety of a hardwoods. Then, as you rise, the green fades to all gray. Some stands will be mature poplar straight as arrows rising 60-80 feet with little undergrowth. Other stands are mixtures of oak, poplar and other hardwoods. When hiking above the trees, the forest below displays a whitish cast. Another good day!Later . . . Alec