morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-25
From: Annapolis Rock

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

There is so much history out here. I went through an area with a lot of walls made from rock that were picked up out of the fields. They were built during the Civil War. It makes you wonder what all took place here so many years ago. At Pen-Mar Park I stopped and got a drink and a snack. After my break the last part of the trail was a lot of rocks. Maryland started out pretty easy but ended with a pretty good challenge with all the hills and rocks. Before going into PA I just sat down and looked at the beautiful valley below. It was real nice weather, a little warm but nice. I went across the Mason Dixon line today also. I had a great day!
Date: 2006-05-26
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Road US 30
Miles today: 13.2

I had a good day today with a few ups and downs. The countryside is rocky again. I saw my first copperhead today. It was about 3 feet long and warned me of it's presence by rustling it's tail in the leaves. He agreed to a short photo session before we parted. I saw Emily, a ridgerunner, a little further down the trail and she was headed in the direction I had just come from. When I showed her the photo of the copperhead she was not very happy to know he may be waiting to greet her also. She stated that she did not have her snake bite kit with her.I ended my day by walking to a grocery store to get some needed supplies. While there a lady asked if I was a hiker and explained that her husband was an AT hiker. She invited me to their home were she prepared a great dinner. I was able to do my laundry and get a good hot shower and slept in a comfortable bed. The next morning they took me back to the trail and I was on my way again. What GREAT Trail Magic!!!! Bob and Sandy George are great people and were very special trail magic. My thanks to you both, may God bless you for your hospitality.
Date: 2006-05-27
From: Road US 30

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a fairly easy day today with clear skies. I went across the "official" half way point - 1087.3 miles!!!! When I got to the campstore I met up with Snake, Pebbles, Gebos, Thumper and several others. I met up with Shufflefoot who had been looking for me for a couple of days. Emily, the ridgerunner and told him about me and he wanted to hike with me for awhile. I think he will be a pretty good hiking buddy.I did the 1/2 gallon challenge! This is where you compete to eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream in the fastest amount of time. I didn't win but I did eat the 1/2 gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It was Goooooood!!It feels good to be on the down hill side of my hike now. I am feeling good my legs are very strong now, they pretty much work like a machine now. I am so thankful for my good health and the strength to continue on. God has truly blessed me!!
Date: 2006-05-28
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I had a good Sunday today. The trail was pretty easy. I got started about 7:30am. This was my first day to start hiking with Shuffelfoot, he is a good guy and good to have a new hiking partner. He had some trouble with the uphills but he did alright for someone who has only been on the trail for one week. We made it to the shelter and met a ridgerunner by the name of Will. We stayed at the shelter but I slept in my tent because it was warm and the bugs were busy.
Date: 2006-05-29
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

After breakfast I got started about 7:30am. We had a pretty good climb to start the day and then down hill to Boiling Spring, PA. We went through town and had lunch and also picked up some goodies at the store. We kept going to the Cuberland Gap. We ae now out of the mountains and are walking at an elevation of about 500 feet. The walk is taking us through fields of corn & soy beans. It has been a pretty easy day hiking through open pastures. It is warm but not too bad. It is interesting to see all the farming communities.
Date: 2006-05-30
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today has been another easy hike through fields. There were a couple of good hills but nothing too bad. Although most of the hike was through farm country the last five miles had a lot of rock to climb over and then down a hill into town made the last part of the day pretty hard. The temperture is in the 80's so it was hot, I was soaking wet by the time I made it to town about 1:00 pm. I got to the hostel and enjoyed a good shower then went for lunch. I took a nice nap before going grocery shopping and doing laundry. I picked up a package from the post office that Norma had sent. It contained an MP3 player with sermons and music from my church. A great guy in my church, David Foster, took the time to do this for me and I really appreciate it. I really do miss going to church. This will be the next best thing. After all my chores were done I went for a great 16oz. steak dinner! Yummy!!!!!
Date: 2006-05-31
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

The day started out with a couple mile of road walking and bridges across the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers. Like most trails leading out of town there was a tough uphill climb and a good introduction to the PA rocks. About noon I decided to take a break at the PA225 parking area. Shortly after arriving a SUV pulled up and a man got out with a large cooler and said this was my lucky day "Trail Magic". Former AT thru-hiker named 'Slick' was handing out Cold drinks, candy bars and snacks. Thanks Slick. He also had some fold up chairs to set on. Its amazing how a little thing like a chair can brighten your day.It was a Great day on the trail.
Date: 2006-06-01
From: Peters Mtn Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: haze

Today started off with some excitement. About 6am we where all still in the shelter except Overflow. She had gone outside to start packing her pack. Shortly we all heard her screem 'BEAR', we all got up to see a bear walking thru our camp. This was the first bear I had seen on the the trail.Again there were lots of rocks to deal with on the trail and a long uphill climb most of the afternoon and not much in the way of views. There was lots of signs of old coal mining in this area. About the time camp chores were done and I was getting in the sleeping bag it started to rain and rained most of the night, made for some good sleeping. Even though it was a tough day it was still a Great Day to be hiking.
Date: 2006-06-02
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

Today was another day of tough climbs and lots of rocks. We did take time about noon to play with a large snaping turtle that was taking a short cut across a bridge we were also crossing. When I arrived at the 501 shelter I was told that we could call and have pizza delivered. This shelter was only a short distance from a road. So guess what I had for dinner tonight. Again we had rain most of the night.
Date: 2006-06-03
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we awoke to a rainy morning. I drug my feet tell about 9 o'clock before heading down the trail. Rocks were the norm again today, so by the time I got to the Eagles Nest Shelter (15.1 miles) I was thinking of calling it a day. When I got to the shelter there was a homeless person already there. I wasn't felling too comfortable about spending the night with this guy. So I decided to head on to Port Clinton. This would end up being my longest mileage day so far. I walked into the Port Clinton Hotel about 9 pm. Took a good shower and then had a large cheeseburger and enough fries for 4 people. It don't get much better than that.
Date: 2006-06-04
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a short day. I didn,t get out of Port Clinton tell after lunch. Had a great breakfast (FREE & AYCE) and than a good lunch at the PortClinton Hotel Res. Had a 800 foot climb after leaving town and then a easy walk through the long green tunnel.
Date: 2006-06-05
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started with a good climb out of camp. Then there was all those rocks. I had been hearing about the PA rocks for a long time. I am beginning to get a good look at what they were talking about, I understand they don,t get any better. There are a few creatures that like to live in these rocks too. At one of the many rockie areas I saw a rattle snake and black snake. On warn sunny days we have to keep an eye open for these guys.
Date: 2006-06-06
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: PA309
Miles today: 4.1

Well today was a very short day. I am being picked up by a Trail Angel (Jim). He took me to his home for the night and then will take me to the airport for a trip home.June 10th will be my wife and I will celebrate our 39th wedding aniversity. I haven't seen any of my family since Feb. 28. It will be great to be with the wife for a few days. Will also get to see the grandkids. I will be back on the trail June 15th. Jim will be picking me up at the airport and taking me back to where I left off the trail.I have updated my journal to date and also added some photos.
Date: 2006-06-27
From: PA309

To: Somewhere in New York
Miles today: 0.0

Hi,Cookie wanted me to let all of you know that he is still out on the trail. He has gone over 1400 miles and is somewhere in New York right now. He has been having some real tough days with all the rain they are having in that area. He has not had real good cell phone signals and has not had a place to recharge the cell phone battery so he has not been able to give me information to update his journal. He will be leaving the trail on July 6th to fly to the Optimist International Convention in Nashville, TN. I plan on meeting him there so hopefully he can give me some up dates for you at that time. He will fly back on the 9th and pick up where he is leaving off in Lee, Mass. Please keep him in your prayers. He is getting tired and weary and needs all the prayers and encouragment he can get right now to finish the trail. I think all the dreary weather and being wet constantly may be getting to him a little. He is tough though and I have faith in him that he will complete his dream. Again he apologizes for the long lapse in his journal and hopefully we can get it updated real soon. Thanks for your prayers and support. They are greatly appreciated.Until next time!Norma
Date: 2006-07-04
From: Somewhere in New York

To: Great Barrington
Miles today: 277.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Hello,I know it has been a long time since I have been able to let you all know how things are going out here on the trail. I am still out here!! Right now I am taking some R & R at a motel in Great Barrington and tomorrow I will take a bus to Albany, NY. I will fly out of Albany Thursday morning to Nashville, TN for the Optimist International Convention where I will get to meet up with my wife, Norma and my bother and sister-in-law, Mike & Deb Lutgen. I have been walking to help raise money for kids through the OI foundation and am looking forward to seeing how much money has been raised so far. I will fly back to Albany on Sunday and will be back out on the trail on Monday the 10th. I have been doing pretty good. Walking for several days in the rain got my spirits down a little but I think this break is just what I will need to get me up and going again so I can finish my course. Thank you for all your prayers and for signing my journal with words of encouragement. I need all the prayers I can get.I will update you again after my Nashville trip.
Date: 2006-07-19
From: Great Barrington

To: Manchester Center, NH
Miles today: 129.9
Weather: clear sky

Sorry it has been so long since my last update. My trip to Nashville, TN. went well. I was able to see my wife, Norma, and also my brother, Mike and his wife and daughter, Deb & Heather. Also my brother-in-law Jerry and his wife Kris. The OI convention was great! I got to meet a lot of really nice people and hopefully we will raise a lot of money for the kids.I got back out on the trail July 10th and things are going great. I have completed over 3/4th of the trail and my estimated completion date is September 1!! I am having Norma send me my winter clothes back because I have heard that the weather can change up here real quick so I want to be prepared. I am feeling good and the trail has been pretty easy for now. I expect to start getting into some pretty tough mountains within the next week so that will probably slow me down a little but not for long. I am staying in a motel tonight and I plan on going to a steak house and have me a real good meal before I head out again early in the morning. I appreciate your continued prayers. That has been what has gotten me this far and I need them to finish.I will hopefully be able to update again a little sooner next time. Until then...
Date: 2006-07-25
From: Happy Hill Shelter

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 96.9
Weather: few clouds

Hi all. I am in my second to last state. I got to Hanover, NH about 10:30 today. Will be making a stop at the local outfitter to get me some new shoes. The ones I am wearing are just about to fall off my feet. I will also be getting some good town food, shower and bed for the night. The weather has been great the past few days. Thanks to everyone that has been reading my journals.
Date: 2006-08-03
From: Hanover, NH

To: Mt. Washington
Miles today: 108.3

Again I apologize for being so long about updating you on my progress. Cell phone signals are not the greatest out here. Yes, I am still out here and doing well. I only have 333 miles to go before I can say "I did it!!" The terrain is really rough right now. I am walking above the tree line and it is all jagged rock and steep climbs. I have been in rain for several days and some lightening storms where I had to take shelter in the middle of nowhere. God has been good to protect me and I have made it through just fine. Just a little soggy is all. I am looking forward to going into Maine before too much longer. This will be my last state!! My target date to fly home is September 1 if all continues to go well. I have had a great time out here but I am looking forward to getting back home to my family and friends. You all have been great to encourage me and pray for me. Believe me, I could not have done this without all of you and the good Lord. Headed for the top!!!!
Date: 2006-08-08
From: Mt. Washington

To: Maine
Miles today: 53.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I have made it to the last state, Maine!! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now and it sure looks good. I crossed over into Maine today and am planning on doing one of the hardest parts of the trail tomorrow. I will only be able to cover 2 miles in five hours. It sounds like a real challenge but I am just going to make a fun day of it. I have been told this is the best way to accomplish this area. There are a lot of boulders to go over, around and through. In some areas I will be pushing my pack through some small areas ahead of me and then squeeze through myself. I'm sure glad I lost some weight so I will be able to make it through. I can't believe I have been able to make it to this point and in about three weeks will be headed home. I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends again. This has be a wonderful experience and I thank God He has allowed me to be able to accomplish my dream.Continue to keep me in your prayers as I come to the end of my journey. I appreciate all of you who have been encourageing me through my trail journal. It means a lot to me. Those of you who are in Optimist Clubs, I am anxious to see how much money has been raised for kids through my efforts out here. If you have not let me walk for you yet, you still have time to make the pledge. Together we can do great things for kids everywhere.I will contiue to keep you posted as I journey to the end. Thanks for your interest and your support.
Date: 2006-08-09
From: Mt. Washington

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

Hi everyone, I'm in Andover, ME today getting some food supplies for the next few days. Also a good shower and wash clothes. As mentioned in my last journal entry, I have made it through the Mahoosuc Notch. It was quite an experience. It was only about a mile long, but did take about 2 hours to get through the notch and only lost a few inches of skin. The Mahoosuc Arm that followed the notch was also quit a challenge. We had great weather the whole day. Maine is very beautiful and challenging state. I have only 255 more miles until I reach Mt.Katahdin. This has been quit an experience but I am looking forward to the day I summit Katahdin. Again I want to thank everyone for all the prayers and best wishes.
Date: 2006-08-20
From: Andover, ME

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 142.0
Weather: broken clouds

Greetings from Monson, my last town to come to before I head into the 100 mile wilderness. I have my laundry done, I have bought my six days worth of food, taken a good shower and will have a good nights rest tonight before heading out on my last stretch toward Mt Katahdin!!! It will take me about six days to get through the wilderness and then when I come out I will be at the foot of Mt Katahdin. Then I will have only 14 miles to the summit. I am thinking that will take place on about next Sunday or Monday. I can't believe that this adventure is almost over. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to fulfill this dream and be able to walk through His beautiful creation. What a blessing this has been! I have met so many wonderful people along the way and have seen so many beautiful sights. It has been an experience of a lifetime that I will long remember. All of my family and friends have been a great encouragement to me. I appreciate all the greetings you have sent to me and all the prayers you have said for me. They have helped me to keep on going and fulfill my dream. Thanks to you all and I will see you very soon!!!!
Date: 2006-08-26
From: Monson, ME

To: Mt. Katahdin, ME
Miles today: 115.0
Weather: broken clouds

This morning at 11am EST I received a phone call from Cookie letting me know that he was at the top of Mt. Katahdin!!!! He has fulfilled his dream and I am so very proud of him. He is on his way home and should arrive at DFW no later than Monday. I am sure he will send all of you an update when he gets here. Thanks for all your prayers and your encouraging words. I know that is what kept him going. I am thanking God for giving him the health, the strength and the opportunity to fulfill this dream. Love in Christ!Norma
Date: 2006-09-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well it has been almost two weeks now since I made it to the top of Mt. Katahdin. I have tried to write this last journal entry several times since I got home but for one reason or another it hasn't been completed tell now.I got up Saturday morning about 05:30 like I have for so many mornings. Had my breakfast of Oatmeal, Pop-Tart and coffee, again like so many mornings gone by. And to very honest it was starting to get pretty ho-hum. I was all packed and down at the ranger office at about 06:30, were I put a few things in a day pack that they funished for the final hike up Mt. Katahdin. I was on the trail by 07:00. The trail started out looking a lot like what we had been doing in Maine but it wasn't long before it started getting very steep. Then as we got above tree line it was time for some rock climbing.They definitely saved the best for the last. As I reached the table lands I could see several people way up the mountain and realized that my long anticipated goal. My pace turned into almost a run as I got within a few yards of the sign. When I got to the sign I bowed and thanked God for his watch over me these past months. My journey was over at 10:45. After several pictures and a snak it was time to head back down the mountain.I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and encouragement. I wouldn't have been able to make it to the end without all your help.I also want to encourage all the Optimist Club members out there to dig down deep and send a donation to the OI Foundation. It was a great honor for me to be able to represent OIF and be able to walk for the kids.Thanks and God Bless
Date: 2006-02-04
To: Again a decision made
Miles today: 0.0

Second chance, second try. My peers asked me the same "why" questions that you all are getting, with some additions...Funny thing about women "of an age". We say what we want to each other and frequently forget totally about tact. "Why do you want to do that silliness again? You were hurting when you came back last year, you are a year older, and you are still fat. You might break something this year!". What can I say....all true!Coming from a place where we have slightly rolling hills, there is no climbing. TX is a bit far away for me to just run up to the AT and do practice hikes, so last year I did do all the foolish things not paying attention to aches and pains until too late. Well, this year I know better.I have done things to become stronger physically and in better shape..no smaller, but in better shape. I still will struggle with breathing and getting my hiking legs, but at least I know now that they will come.I know better what to leave out of my pack, and what I consider total luxury items. There was nothing left in my pack after Hiawassee that I didn't use...so just a shift in my priorities.I know better what I want in the way of food, ease of preparation and quantities...and treats.Mentally I am more prepared, I know what to expect....the UNEXPECTED. Always. As in a lovely sunny warm Day 1 last year, and an ice storm on Day 2. As in finding the purported fresh water source right in place....frozen, but right where they said it would be! Yep. Well, they didn't say it would be in liquid form, did they.I've put off making the first entry because it is such a committment, admitting to the world that I still crave the big outdoors...the hike, the challenge, the new friends, the freedom.
Date: 2006-02-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

PRACTICING WITH GEARToward the end of my severely shortened hike last year, I traded out my Sierra Design Lightyear for a Big Agnes SL1. It was like upgrading from a Motel 6 to a Hampton Inn room....just a lot more space. But, I haven't used it enough and need to practice. So, last night was out in the yard...who knew it would drop down to 30 degrees here in southeast TX? Good practice for those quickly changing temps in the mountains.The other day I read the suggestion that on tents like this one, all mesh on the top, it is a good idea to practice assembling it upside down....for rainy days...yes, upside down. Well, I shall try this. The neighbors out here in the country who already think I'm nuts shouldn't be too shocked it I put the poles in the tent bottom up, then flip it and rapidly put the rain fly over it. Supposed to keep the bottom dryer than it would it you assemble it right side up in a heavy rain.....hmmm. We'll see. It could just be another exercise in futility, something to further entertain the lookeeloos.