morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-03-14
To: SKYCOM
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Day 30 - Saturday, March 13, 2015 ReportHeard from Dad this morning and when he emailed pictures to me from what I believe is Big Firescald Knob (298.2 - 4549 ft). He's still with the Hiking Vikings, judging from one of the pictures he sent on Thursday, March 12.He camped at Jerry Cabin Shelter (300.8) Thursday night, and made it to Hogback Ridge Shelter (316) Friday night. Both days are 15.4, and 15.2, respectively, after an initial 11 mile hike out of Franklin.He's got 27 miles between him and Erwin, Tennessee, the next resupply town. The plan today was to hike to Whistling Gap (329.6) and tent, because the shelter distances don't work out - about 13.6 miles - and then hike 13.3. miles into Erwin (342.9) on Sunday, March 15, and stay at Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel and Outfitters. The Nolichucky River runs through Erwin (pop. 4,586 in 2011).Forecast today: 40-63, Rain Showers Likely.
Date: 2015-03-14
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Sam's Gap (US 23, I-26)
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: light rain

Day 28 - Saturday, March 14, 2015I left the trail today at Sam's Gap, mile 318.4 ¢ 1870.8 miles short of my goal.My wife picked me up and we drove to Montreat, where she is attending a religious conference.Tomorrow we'll go home. Monday, I see my doctor.I'll keep you posted.Don't give up on me.
Date: 2015-03-18
To: Sam's Gap (US 23, I-26)
Miles today: 0.0

I am going to return to the AT on Friday.This afternoon a surgeon confirmed what I had suspected -- and hoped: I have a hernia.He said he could repair it next week but that an operation would require a six week recovery period. That, I can not afford.The alternative?Put on a girdle [Yikes!] and hit the trail. Fix the hernia in August, after I have finished the hike.So that's what I'm going to do. I've already hiked over 300 miles with this problem, from Springer Mountain to Sam's Gap. So what's new? Is continuing the hike a risk to my health? Well, yes, but not much of a risk, the surgeon told me.And, in my opinion, not nearly as risky as hiking through the Smokies during the worst winter weather in North Carolina in 30 years.Taking five full zeros -- I left the trail last Saturday morning -- is not good, oh, no, but it not ALL bad, either. I've been eating everything in sight, gaining back much of the weight I lost during the first four weeks of the hike. And I've repaired or replaced key pieces of equipment. Most of my hiking friends are ahead of me now but I'll make new friends. And over the next few weeks I'll catch up with some of the old ones, when they are forced to take a zero or two. Or choose to.Those of you who are familiar with the medical system in the United States may wonder how, in three days, I got to talk with my doctor AND meet with a surgeon who diagnosed my problem.But you already know the answer, don't you.When my doctor and I talked on the phone yesterday he suggested that I skip my appointment with him today and go straight to a surgeon. And then I got lucky. I found a surgeon in my city who agreed to see me next Monday.So how did that get changed to today? It didn't. I canceled that appointment.Last night my sister-in-law and brother, Dave, suggested that I call their daughter, Jenni, an executive at a hospital in North Carolina a couple of hours drive from my home.I called Jenni right away and she quickly agreed to help me. Stand by, she said, in effect.This morning she called a colleague and asked for a favor. And then he called a colleague and asked for a favor. And before noon it was a done deal. Could I come to the surgeon's office this afternoon? Right away? Oh, yes indeed.
Date: 2015-03-19
From: Home

To: Sam's Gap (US 23, I-26)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Day 33 ¢ Thursday, March 19, 2015I spoke too soon. I¢m not returning to TAT tomorrow, as I said I wanted. I¢m going to have to take one more zero ¢ seven and all to deal with my medical problem. Why? He¢s working two jobs and can¢t get off. Why is a 75-year-old man working two jobs? He likes to work. Anyway, the delay is not all bad. I went to a doc-in-the-box this morning to have the doctor take a look at my right big toe. It doesn¢t hurt a lot but it looks like a radish. She said it was infected, prescribed an antibiotic, and told me to soak twice a day for 10 days in warm water and Epson salt. How, I wonder, am I going to be able to do that?
Date: 2015-03-20
From: Home

To: Sam's Gap (US 23, I-26)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 34 ¢ Friday, March 20, 2015Worked all day reorganizing my pack, including the pack half. I switched from a lightweight Go-Lite pack to a much heavier Gregory, which I bought several years ago when I first got interested in backpacking. I am now fully prepared for cold weather ¢ extreme cold weather. That¢s the good news. The bad news is that my pack now weighs a ton, somewhere around 37 or 38 pounds ¢ about 10 or 12 pounds more than I planned to carry. (Base weight equals 20 pounds. Water, four. Food, 10. Epson salt, 2. And, when I¢m not wearing them, a new rain jacket and my old insulated jacket, at least 3 pounds.)Caught a train late this afternoon for a three-hour ride to Dave¢s house. We plan on leaving for the AT at 4:30 AM tomorrow.Unfortunately, I won¢t be taking any more of the antibiotic the doctor prescribed for my toe. I accidentally left it on the train.
Date: 2015-03-21
To: SKYCOM
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Lucky's back in the game, and then some.Here's an email I received from Uncle Dave:Saturday, March 21, 2015Hello Bo,Lucky Left Raleigh yesterday (Friday) afternoon on the train and arrived Charlotte about 8:30 Friday night. I was not back from a bus trip yet so Kathy and Alene went to the train station and picked him up and brought him to out house. I arrived home about 11:00 and we sacked out until 4:00 A. M. this morning (Saturday) when we left to dive to his re-entry point. Your description of a truck inspection station helped us locate where we were suppose to be, although we drove by it on the first attempt an had to continue on for a couple of miles, turn around and come back. Lucky wasted no time in getting out of the car, getting his pack strapped on and disappearing into the cool morning air. He seemed very anxious to get going and log some miles. The last time I saw him was at 7:47 this morning (Saturday) and he was headed North.Dave.Got a quick phone call this afternoon and gave my cousin Jenni an exclusive update:Well done, Cuz! Thank you so much for your considerable part in getting Dad back on the trail. Today was a great day - 18 miles from Sam's Gap to No Business Knob Shelter (336.7). Weather forecast for tomorrow: rain
Date: 2015-03-21
From: Sam's Gap (US 23, I-26)

To: No Business Knob Shelter (336.7)
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 35 ¢ Saturday, March 21, 2015Dave let me out of his car at Sam¢s At 7:45. I¢m so glad to be back, but a little apprehensive too. Will the elastic band ¢ the girdle ¢ the surgeon told me to wear to hold my hernia in place, will it work? After taking 70¢s, will I ever see any of my old hiking friends again? Will I be able to carry all of this extra weight ¢ somewhere around 10 pounds more than I started with on February 15? And how much strength have I lost? Some of the answers came quickly. The girdle works like a charm.I can¢t carry this much weight. For the first time, my hips are bothering me. I may have lost some strength, but, whatever ¢ I still hiked 18.3 miles to No Business Knob Shelter (336.7).Friends? I guess they¢re gone, up ahead somewhere. I hiked alone all day, until late in the afternoon when a fellow who said he was getting in shape to hike the Pacific Coast Trail passed me. There was no one at the No Business Knob Shelter (336.7) when I arrived. I had eaten supper and crashed in my bag when there was a knock at the door, so to speak. A new thru hiker who said his name was Mashed Potatoes arrived. But MP would not become my first new friend. He said he was thinking about hanging it up. Getting off the trail.
Date: 2015-03-22
From: No Business Knob Shelter (336.7)

To: Piped Spring and Campsites (355.2)
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 36 ¢ Sunday, March 22, 2015 I packed up and ate my breakfast¢ Pop tarts and a carnation chocolate drink¢ in the dark and left at first light Mashed potatoes stayed behind to wait for his friend to catch up. It was another beautiful day to go for a hike¢ Two-minute road! I am blessed. Left this morning I reached Erwin, Tennessee, and passed on by Uncle Johnny¢s Nolichucky Hostel, not knowing that at least five NoBos I had met in the early days of my hike had spent the night there, and all but one was still there.I hiked alone, again, until almost noon when someone behind me yelled, ¢Lucky!¢ It was Dakota. He had taken eight zeros in Franklin rehabbing his knee (I took one in Franklin and seven getting my hernia looked at, so we were even on that score).Dakota, who has a trail name now ¢ Cinderella ¢ told me that his hiking partner, Tim, had decided to leave the trail.Cinderella, Tim, Scout, Felix (the first NoLo I met, on Day One) and another fellow, ¢J¢, I met briefly, just before we arrived at NOC, had all been at Uncle Johnny¢s the night before.Cinderella rolled on by me ¢ he¢s a strong hiker ¢ and I figured, absent injury, I would not see him again.I caught up with J at Curly Maple Gap Shelter (347.2), where he was having lunch. We decided to hike together to a campsite at mile 355.2, another 18 mile day for me (18.5, to be exact). I had decided to try to get to Boone, to meet my wife and resupply, and go to supper with Donna and our grand daughter, Chelsea, who is in graduate school there. And to do that, I had to average more than 17 miles a day for six days.Met two section hikers, Codger and Stable, that night, men who teach at the University of Illinois. One of them played a banjolele ¢ a cross between a banjo and a ukulele, as we sat around the campfire. I went to sleep with rain dancing across the top and sides of my tent, like soft music.
Date: 2015-03-23
To: SKYCOM
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Got a phone call from Dad while I was on my prayer retreat in French Creek State Park, PA. Couldn't update until Tuesday night, March 24.On Saturday, March 21, the first day back on the AT, Dad hiked 18.4 miles from Sam's Gap to No Business Knob Shelter (336.7).On Sunday, March 22, Dad hiked 18.5 miles, bypassing Erwin, where his last mail drop failed to arrive, and on to Beauty Spot Gap, clearing (354.7).On Monday, March 23, Dad hiked 16.4 miles to a wide spot in the trail and pitched his tent approximately a mile south of Hughes Gap (372.4).He met a hiker with the trail name Mashed Potatoes at No Business Knob Saturday night. He was waiting for some friends behind him on the trial and was planning to get off the trail.He met up with Dakota again on Sunday. Dakota took eight zeroes in Franklin to heal his knees. Tim left the trail. Dakota's trail name is Cinderella - because he does so much work in camp - and because he lost a shoe somewhere on the trail. His knees are much better and he's tearing up the trail.Scout stayed at Johnny's in Erwin, as of Sunday night. Felix is off the trail with medical At lunch on Sunday, Dad ran into J, who he first met south of NOC at the Jump Off. They have hiked together more since then than Dad has hiked along with any other NoBo since Springer. J likes to get an early start and roll up the miles. Here's his blog site.The cold weather gear is weighing down Dad unnecessarily. He's carrying 34-36 pounds at this point with five days of food. He hopes to shed some of that weight Thursday, when Mom meets him between Boone, NC and Hampton, TN on 321 with a resupply. By then, he'll be down to a package of powdered milk.Since rejoining the AT at Sam's Gap of Saturday, Dad has enjoyed three beautiful days of hiking: clear with temps in the 40s.
Date: 2015-03-23
From: Piped Spring and Campsites (355.2)

To: Stream (371.3)
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 37 ¢ Monday, March 23, 2015J and I hiked together again. He¢s got some age on him ¢ he¢s 56 ¢ but he¢s been a runner all his life and he¢s a strong hiker. He kills me on the hills. But I stay after it, he waits on me some, and we end up at the same spot at night. Another beautiful day ¢ three in a row! How long can this last? We did 16-plus, and could have hiked another couple of miles. But the trail ahead was mostly uphill with little promise of a suitable camping spot.Odd thing happened today. I¢m walking along and I saw what looked like a shadow run up the tree. And then another. And another. I am puzzled for a second, and then I saw a hawk flying low, just over the treetops.The ¢shadows¢ I saw were, no doubt, squirrels. And they were running for their lives.Health update:All is well.It¢s starting to look like I¢ve caught a break with my big toe. It¢s not nearly as red as it was. My body is fighting off the infection without the help of the medicine, which I lost on the train, and without being soaked twice a day in warm water and Epsom salt.(There¢s no way I can tell you how difficult that would be. Water is hard to come by ¢ at times you have to walk up to a quarter of a mile to a spring ¢ that I often drink my dishwater. That way I get the calories suspended in the water ¢ and I don¢t waste precious water.)
Date: 2015-03-24
To: SKYCOM
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Tuesday, March 24, 2015Dad made Doll Flats (390.8) and set up his tent with J. He started at 6:45 this morning, and enjoyed 11 hours of up and down terrain, climbing (and giving away) some 4000 feet over 19 miles, with a boulder field littering the final mile to the campsite. Along the way, they passed Roan High Knob Shelter, at 6194 feet elevation, the highest shelter on the AT. It has a front and a door to keep out the cold.His pack is getting lighter each day because he's eating up the food. Since picking up the trail again on Saturday morning, he's hiked 72.4 miles in four days. The plan is to make US 321 to Hampton (421.2) by Thursday, two days to hike 30 miles, so the pace can slack off a bit.
Date: 2015-03-24
From: Stream (371.3)

To: Doll Flats, NC-TN border (390.8)
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: few clouds

Day 38 ¢ Tuesday, March 24, 2015J and I hiked 19 miles today ¢ the most either of us has hyped in one day on our trip to Maine. Then I put up my tent, ate some dehydrated Karen beans for supper, took two Advil¢s, and went to bed.I¢m beat. The terrain was as difficult as the day was beautiful (four a row!). So much climbing, finally it just wears you down. Had an odd experience early this morning, when I woke up, set up in my tent, and began to get dressed. It sounded like it was raining, with a steady patter, patter, patter on my tent. But it wasn¢t raining. The fog (in the mountain, it¢s so thick you could bottle it) was condensing on the tree limbs above and dripping on my tent.
Date: 2015-03-25
From: Doll Flats, NC-TN border (390.8)

To: Campsite near streams and footbridges (410.5)
Miles today: 19.7

Day 39 ¢ Wednesday, March 25, 2015I woke up at 4:30 am and I knew right then that J and I were in for it. The wind was blowing so hard I thought that it would flatten my tent poles. Or, at a minimum, blow away the rain cover and allow the rain, which was falling sideways, into my tent.At 5:15, I got up. J was already up ¢ he¢s an early riser. We broke camp, skipped breakfast, and tried to find the trail. The fog was so thick (or were we in a cloud?), we could hardly see, even with our headlamps on bright.When I finally found a white blaze we begin moving slowly downhill.And then a funny thing happened. Within an hour and the wind stopped blowing, the rain quit, the fog went away, and the sun came out. Make that five beautiful days in a row.Two big events today.(more)SKYCOM note: I did not receive the second part of this note - I put in a request for the "Two big events." More to follow...
Date: 2015-03-26
From: Campsite near streams and footbridges (410.5)

To: Side Trail to Hampton, TN (421.2)
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: haze

Day 40 - Thursday, March 26, 2015Made it!Hiked 102.8 miles in 6 days ¢ 17.13 miles a day, and reached Hampton, Tennessee.Seven minutes later my wife drove up in her car and J and I rejoined the world.Oh, that yell I heard last night? It was Cinderella. We caught up with him early this morning at Moreland Gap Shelter, 1.7 miles past our campsite.My wife, Donna, and the three of us ended up having lunch together at the Subway in Hampton.This has been a wonderful day:- a short, easy 10-11 mile hike- lunch with my wife and friends- a reunion with our sweet granddaughter- a hot shower and clean clothes- dinner at the Daniel Boone Inn, an eat-all-you-can restaurant.And, oh yes, it was beautiful again today.Tomorrow?It¢s supposed to snow. But snow or no snow, J and I are heading for Damascus. Goodbye Tennessee. Hello, Virginia.
Date: 2015-03-27
To: SKYCOM
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Here's the scoop, based on several phone conversations and voice mail messages this weekend, plus several pictures via email.Dad is in Damascus, VA tonight, for the second night (more on that below) in the Woodchuck Hostel. He plans to mush on tomorrow, while J takes a Zero. They've been hiking together for a week and over 120 miles.On Friday, March 27, they hiked back to the AT on the Hampton side trail (1 mile that doesn't count) and climbed 1722 feet in 2.5 miles (a "handful") to the summit of Pont Flats (423.7/3706 feet). That's generally the way of towns - you pay for them by having to climb your way out. They got a late start - around 10 am - and the rain turned into snow at the top of the mountain.They made Watauga Lake by 3:15 and overnighted at the Vanderventer Shelter (436.2), 36 miles away from Damascus. The temperature dropped below freezing that night.The next day, Saturday, March 28, J woke Dad up for a 6:15 start. The snow was blowing into the shelter and they skipped breakfast (they planned to eat while walking) in order to hit the trail early. On the way, J asked Dad for the time - his watch was a little wonky. Turns out they had actually started at 4:20! They hiked 17.9 miles to Low Gap/US 421 (454.1) and picked up a shuttle to Damascus (the Woodchuck Hostel) to overnight inside while the temperature dropped to record-setting lows. They enjoyed pizza and took a shuttle back to Low Gap the next morning.At breakfast the next morning (Sunday), Dad saw Slow Man and Wayfarer - who was at the Hogback Ridge Shelter the night Dad decided to get off the trail for a few days to see the doctor about his hernia. The Hiking Vikings are five days ahead.On Sunday, March 29 (today), they hiked 14.7 miles in a little over five hours. For the uninitiated, that's a blistering pace. The terrain was fairly even - for an AT thru-hiker - and they were hiking with light packs (only a day of food - 15-20 pounds) on a part of the trail known as the Tennessee Turnpike. They got to Damascus a little after 2 pm and checked back into the Woodchuck Hostel.Virginia hosts a quarter of the AT. Better get used to it. Oh, and after nearly 500 miles, Lucky says it looks like it's time to replace his boots. That makes four pairs for the trek to Maine!
Date: 2015-03-27
From: Side Trail to Hampton, TN (421.2)

To: Vandeventer Shelter (436.2)
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light snow

Day 41 ¢ Friday, March 27, 2015I said goodbye to my wife and J and I began walking the one mile long side of trail from Hampton, Tennessee back to the AT. It was raining, more evidence that the party was over. Time to get back to work, and the first order of business, a 1700 foot climb up Pond Mountain. As we climbed higher and higher, the rain turned to snow. The six straight days of beautiful weather were over. I had just sent my micro spikes, my fleece jacket, and a pair of long johns home with my wife. And now winter was back, or so it seemed.We Hiked 15 miles (not counting the approach trail) to Vandeventer Shelter (436.2) and, again, for the seventh consecutive day, I saw no other thru-hikers ¢ other than Cinderella ¢ and I didn¢t see him today. By now, I assumed he was far ahead of us.But that evening, as we prepared to get in our bags, we got company ¢ Little Debbie, Medicine Man, and Ox. They stayed a few minutes, then pushed on, eventually getting to Double Springs Shelter (450.6) about 1 AM ¢ another 14.4 miles down the line, in a winter storm.Ah, to be young again ¢ and still know what I know now.
Date: 2015-03-28
From: Vandeventer Shelter (436.2)

To: Low Gap, US 421 (454.1) Woodchuck Hostel/shuttle
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 42 ¢ Saturday, March 28, 2015¢Lucky?¢ J called out.¢Is it time?¢ I replied. And he said it was.We had agreed to skip breakfast and start hiking at 6:15 AM. We would use our headlamps for the first 45 minutes. So I got up, dressed, and packed up as quickly as I could. It was snowing. And cold. Both of us slept in the very back of the shelter, parallel to the back wall, but our sleeping bags and other equipment were covered with a light dusting of snow, blown in by the wind.Just as we were leaving, J asked me to check the time. He said his watch might not be working. My watch was working. It was 4:20 AM!It was a tough go there for a while because both of our headlamps were fading. I had fresh batteries but J didn¢t. I gave him my light because he was leading and needed it to keep us on the trail.I¢ll leave out the details, but it was a difficult day ¢ will winter never end? Haven¢t we had our share of cold, and slush, and snow? And more cold was on the way. The weatherman was predicting it would be new record low. So, after hiking 17.9 miles in the snow, we did something we wouldn¢t have done back in February. We bailed.From Low Gap, US 421 (454.1), we got a shuttle into Damascus ($15 each), got a room at the Woodchuck Hostel ($25 each), got supper at an all-you-can-eat pizza place, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Date: 2015-03-29
From: Low Gap, US 421 (454.1)

To: Damascus, VA (Woodchuck Hostel)
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 43 ¢ Sunday, March 29, 2015When I came to the table to eat breakfast (waffles, boiled eggs, coffee and orange juice ¢ all-you-can-eat), guess what? There sat Slow Man. I passed him several weeks ago, but I had also taken seven Zeros to take care of my medical problem, and he just kept on walking. Anyway, today was one of the good ones. No, one of the best ones. The shuttle driver got J and me back to the AT at the US 421 intersection at 9:05 AM and we zoomed right back to Damascus: 14.7 miles in 5 hours and 10 minutes. Really. And we stopped to take pictures, to remove layers (the starting temperature was in the teens, but the day got warmer ¢ and hiking is hot work). And we stopped 15 minutes for lunch.So How did we average almost 3 mph?The trail, by AT standards, was almost flat and slightly downhill. Thru-hikers don¢t call it the Tennessee Turnpike for nothing.BTW #1: Wayfarer is here. Met him the night before I left the trail on medical leave.Also, I met Wallace, another thru-hiker last night. J and I went to supper with him tonight ¢ at the same eat-all-you-can pizza place. J plans to stay here tomorrow and take a Zero. I¢m going to move on. So is Wallace. Will we hike together? For little ways, perhaps. BTW #2: I saw in a shelter register today a note written by Eddy ¢ she is 3 days ahead and the Hiking Vikings are 5 days ahead. Perhaps I will see them again after all.