morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-10-12
From: New Jersey

To: MA Route 23 (East Mountain Retreat Center)
Miles today: 0.0

I left my New Jersey home in a driving rain this morning. I couldn¢t wait to meet Rocky at the East Mountain Retreat Center hostel, near Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where we had agreed to meet. It was a long drive, made worse by the rain. Finding the hostel at the East Mountain Retreat Center was not easy. As I drove east on MA Route 23 I realized I had gone past the turn off. I stopped at the town hall in Monterrey, Massachusetts, and asked for directions. The clerk directed me back to the turnoff, which was Lake Buel Road. I dutifully followed her directions and at the turnoff I was still confused. Fortunately there was a little shop near the turnoff and they directed me to a gravel road which led to the hostel. I couldn¢t believe how far I had to drive on that gravel road and wondered if I had missed a turn or something. All the while I was so anxious to see Rocky.Eventually I reached a cluster of buildings and through a window I saw Rocky in her black woolies. Well, it¢s hard to describe how wonderful it was to see her after the past almost four months. She had been hiking south for two days in rainy conditions. She had arrived at the hostel today after a short hike of 3.3 miles. She was able to hitch a ride to the hostel with a pair of female goat farmers. There are two other young SoBo hikers in the hostel tonight: ¢Scooby¢ and ¢Southpaw¢. Since I had a car, I drove the four of us into Great Barrington. We had burgers and beers, before heading back to the hostel for the night. The drive up here was awful. But tonight being here with Rocky is just wonderful. Tomorrow we will renew our Trail partnership, heading south. It may be raining, but life is great!
Date: 2005-10-13
From: MA Route 23 (East Mountain Retreat Center)

To: Homes Road (aka Brush Hill Road)
Miles today: 5.5

We awoke to a miserable morning; wet and cold. However the hostel manager wanted us out of the hostel by 8:30 am. That was no problem for me as I have been packed for the Trail for three months. At any rate after breakfast, we drove back to the Trail at MA Route 23. I parked my car there and we started walking south into the rain. It was not a fun morning to be hiking, but being with Rocky made up for the misery. My knee seemed to be fine at first. After walking two miles we stopped for a break at the Tom Leonard Shelter. Scooby and Southpaw had stopped for a break there also. We left the shelter together, but they were soon out of sight. We could not keep up with their young legs. After we left the shelter I started to struggle. My right knee started hurting and I fell a few times on the wet and slippery Trail. I was in such bad cardio-vascular shape that I was exhausted and had leg cramps. This was not working for me.We stopped in the rain for a quick lunch and decided to continue to Homes Road. When we reached the road, I was in no mood to continue. The next shelter was miles away and I was not up to camping in such wet conditions. We were fortunate enough to hitch a ride at Homes Road. The driver took us back to the East Mountain Retreat Center hostel. We will spend another warm night here as see what tomorrow brings.
Date: 2005-10-14
From: Homes Road (aka Brush Hill Road)

To: US Route 7
Miles today: 2.9

Once again, the hostel manager bugged us to get out of the hostel by 8:30 am. We are not likely to return here again. We drove to the Kellogg Road crossing of the Housatonic River. We planned on slackpacking northward to yesterday¢s stopping point at Homes Road. However, I misread the map, and we actually headed south on the Trail. We soon came out to US Route 7, at a point three miles south of Great Barrington, Massachusetts.We had previously been warned about flooding along the Housatonic River due the steady rain of the past few days. In fact the Trail was wet through the flood plain, but not as bad as we had been led to believe. At one point we passed through a pumpkin patch, where the pumpkins were floating. We reached US Route 7 with nothing worse than wet feet. At US Route 7 we had to retrace our steps one mile back to where we started from. My knee didn¢t need the extra mile. From our original starting point we headed north. Without packs the Trail was not too difficult for me, and we soon arrived at Homes Road. There is not much traffic here on Homes Road, but we were fortunate today. After a short wait, we got a ride from a local real estate lady who took us back to our car at Kellogg Road. After some discussion, we realized neither of us was too enthusiastic about continuing to hike in such miserable conditions. We retreated to a nearby motel and later had dinner at a Friendly¢s restaurant. For both of us the 2005 Appalachian Trail hiking season is over.It is apparent to me that I am going to have to have some sort of medical procedure done to my knee, if I am to be able to hike with Rocky in 2006. The hiking on this trip was a bit of a disappointment, but it has been so wonderful to have a chance to spend a few days with Rocky.
Date: 2005-10-16
From: US Route 7

To: home in New Jersey
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I¢m back home in New Jersey after a long drive today. This morning I dropped Rocky off at the bus station in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It was heart breaking to see her disappear into the bus station, as I drove off. It was not as bad as our parting on June 21st, but it was not fun. To ease the parting sorrow I took a SoBo hiker, ¢Kind Man¢, part way back with me. He got out of my car at the New York Thruway. Talking with him got my mind off of Rocky. At least this time I know we will be seeing each other in a few weeks, and then I will be with her for Thanksgiving dinner in New Hampshire.Here in New Jersey there are things to take care of and a house to put on the market. I will be working a few days a week for a pair of local surveyors, Jim and Sam, whom I have known for years. Additionally, I have a few small consulting jobs to keep me somewhat busy.But most importantly I have to do something about this knee, if I ever expect to long distance hike with Rocky again.
Date: 2005-11-25
From: home in New Jersey

To: Contoocook, New Hamshire
Miles today: 0.0

Last night I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Rocky and her four daughters. It was really great to finally meet them. I¢m not sure what they make of me. This visit has gone by all to fast, and tomorrow I head back home (such as it is) to New Jersey.I am now scheduled for knee replacement surgery on December 7th at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. I visited my orthopedic surgeon back in October after my 8.4 mile AT hike in Massachusetts. He pretty well convinced me that knee replacement is the only answer. I have had the preliminary screenings by a cardiologist and a dentist. I have donated a pint of my own blood in case it is needed for the operation. I have had a couple of preparatory classes on what to expect and how to prepare for the operation and rehabilitation.Best of all Rocky will be coming down to Philadelphia on December 6th. She will deliver me to the hospital and stay with me during my time there. At night she will be staying with my Dad in Northeast Philadelphia. After my expected five night stay in the Hospital she will pick me up and we will head back to her New Hampshire home. I will be doing my rehabilitation there. I am sure she will be an excellent nurse during my rehab. During my stay here in New Hampshire we have talked about our hiking plans for next year. In 2006 Rocky plans to complete the remaining 600 miles she has left on the Trail. But first, in April 2006, we want to take a ¢tune up¢ hike on parts of the Trail in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. We want to see the highlights again of the early part of last year¢s thru hike and see some of the special people we met last year. After we attend Trail Days in May, we will resume hiking north from Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, where Rocky ended the first segment of her hike last June. We will continue to US Route 7 just south of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Then in August we will do Maine. Rocky expects to summit Katahdin in September.All this is contingent on a successful knee replacement and a successful rehabilitation. But at least Rocky and I will be together come what may.
Date: 2005-12-06
From: Contoocook, New Hamshire

To: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 0.0

Rocky is here at my Dad¢s house in Philadelphia tonight. She handled the 350 mile drive from her New Hampshire home quite well. Tomorrow she will drive me to University of Pennsylvania Hospital for my knee replacement surgery. She will look over the staff's shoulder to insure I have the best of care. She will be there when I come out of the operating room, and stay with me during the day. She will be at my Dad's house at night. It is reassuring that I will have an experienced nurse like Rocky with me.
Date: 2005-12-11
From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

To: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Miles today: 0.0

I¢m back at my Dad¢s house tonight, after four nights in the hospital. I was released a day earlier than scheduled. I guess that means that I made better than expected progress.Rocky was with me every day during my stay in the hospital.   While in the hospital I learned such valuable skills as how to walk with a walker and how to get in and out of a car. My knee is stiff as a brick. The incision is about four inches long and held together with what seems to be a million metal staples. Rocky says she can remove the stamples herself so that I won¢t have to go to a hospital. The way my knee is right now it¢s hard to imagine that I will ever be able to long distance hike again. I asked the doctor if I would be able to run again, once the knee is rehabbed. He told me that in the future I should only run to get out of the way of a truck bearing down on me. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of a return to my past life.Tomorrow we leave Philadelphia for the drive to New Hampshire. There I will begin rehabilitation and a new life. My objective is to be back on the Trail again next April.
Date: 2005-12-25
From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

To: Contoocook, New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0

Christmas night. Snow is on the ground, and the pond is frozen. We are toasty warm by our wood stove. I have been in New Hampshire for two weeks now. Rocky has removed the staples from my knee. I am well into rehabilitation, with exercises I do twice daily. When I lay on the floor to do some of my exercises, Rocky¢s little West Highland Terrier, ¢Lily Rose¢, has come over to lick my face. I not thrilled about that so I have had to discourage her. But she is a nice little dog, anyway.I can now walk pretty normally, although I think I have a long way to go before I can long distance hike again. Rocky, in her infinite wisdom, made me get on cross-country skis less than three weeks after the knee operation. I have never been on cross-country skis before. After some very tentative skiing on level ground, I took a spill. As I was falling to the ground, I was thinking, ¢There goes my knee!¢ But nothing happened and I am not the worse for wear. I think I could enjoy this cross country skiing if I could ever get the hang of it. Still the objective is Springer in April 2006.
Date: 2006-03-15
From: Contoocook, New Hampshire

To: Contoocook, New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0

The rehabilitation of my artificial right knee has gone quite well. I am doing a walk up a steep hill near our home with a loaded back pack with no problems. We were on a cruise ship in early February. We we walked miles back and forth from one end of the thousand foot long ship many times each day. We also avoided using the elevators and walked up stairs only. In Jamaica we walked up a 600 foot waterfall (it¢s not that steep) with no problems. So I am feeling pretty good about the knee and life in general.A few weeks ago we hiked up to Lonesome Lake, just west of Franconia Notch in the White Mountains. It was a climb in the snow of 1400 feet in less than three miles. No problems, except for slipping on my butt a few times. I am now using trekking poles in place of the trusty walking stick I used last year on the Trail. I think trekking poles will do a better job of taking additional stress off of my rebuilt knee. I bought the cheapest trekking poles that REI carries at a store near Boston. At the same REI Rocky bought a new thermorest. This one is 1 1/2 inches thick. She is going for comfort over weight.I had a recent check up of my knee with my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jess Lonner, on one of our trips to Philadelphia to visit my Dad. He has pronounced me good to go. However, when I told him we expected to hike 700 miles over the next seven months he didn¢t exactly give me a ringing endorsement. In fact I recently received a ¢self serving letter¢ from him which warned me to be cautious. Spring seems to have come early to New Hampshire this year. The snow is pretty well melted and the ice is breaking up on the pond behind our home. Rocky and I are both getting Springer Fever. In about two weeks we head south for our ¢tune up¢ hike on the southern end of the Trail.
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Contoocook, New Hampshire

To: Dahlongega, Georgia (Hiker Hostel)
Miles today: 0.0

Tomorrow morning, Josh Saint, owner of Hiker Hostel, will deliver us to the parking area below the summit of Springer Mountain. There were times last autumn and winter that I had my doubts if I could ever long distance hike again. It¢s great to Lee and Josh Saint again, and to be back in the Appalachian Trail community. I loved the times I spent here last year, and this time Rocky is here with me. She seems to love the place as well. We will leave our car here and somehow at the end of our hike arrange a way to pick it up. We left home in New Hampshire four days ago. The first night we stayed in Philadelphia with my Dad. Then we drove to Catawba, Virginia, where we had a wonderful stay with our friends Scott and Mandy, our Trail Angels from last year. On Day 3 of our drive south, we stopped at Miss Janet¢s House in Erwin, Tennessee. Unfortunately Miss Janet was out doing what she usually does: shuttling and helping hikers. We decided to go on to Hot Springs, North Carolina, and try to stay at Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn. We were able to stay at Elmer¢s after passing his interrogation. He seemed to be leery to make space available to us as we are really tourists at this point, rather than hikers. I can understand that, as this is the middle of thru hiker season. But we had an enjoyable stay with a great vegetarian dinner. Tomorrow we will leave Springer Mountain with lighter packs than last year. We have better and trail tested gear than last year. We have one tent, instead of two. One stove and pot, instead of two. Our food load is more efficient as well. But then last year, I had two real knees, instead of one real and one of metal.I am anxious tonight, but not as tensed up as I was last year before the start of my hike. Here We Go Again!
Date: 2006-04-10
From: Dahlongega, Georgia (Hiker Hostel)

To: Unicoi Gap (Helen, Georgia)
Miles today: 50.5
Weather: clear sky

Six days agao, I was quite apprehensive when I started the 0.9 mile climb to the summit of Springer. This was the test! And I passed it! I had no discomfort in the artificial knee at all. That pattern continued over the next six days and 50.5 miles. This was a great hike, bringing back fond memories of last year. And we met some really great people just starting out on their thru hike adventures: ¢Librarian¢, ¢Pacer¢, ¢Baggins¢, and ¢Woolly Bear¢, among others. We wish them good luck and good weather as they pursue their thru hike dreams. We have been amazed at the difference in the weather, as compared to last year in mid-March. It was been warm and sunny mostly. We had rain only one night, when we were tented a mile or two south of Blood Mountain. We stayed in Hawk Mountain, Gooch Mountain, and Low Gap Shelters as we did last year. We stopped at Neels Gap long enough to dry out our tent from the previous night¢s rain and then we went on to a campsite at Swaim Gap. This time when I left the Low Gap Shelter I turned north instead of south as I did last year. As a result we got into Helen a lot earlier than I did last year. We checked into the Helendorf River Hotel where we had stayed about 55 weeks ago. This time we are in the same room. What a difference a year makes. Who would have thought last year when we were eating dinner here at Big Daddy¢s that a year later we would be partners for life. Other things have changed in a year. Instead of burgers at Big Daddy's,we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant right next door to the Helendorf. The weather is so nice that we ate outside. We have decided not to continue this "tune up" hike any further north. It is surprisingly hot here in Georgia and we are going to head north to cooler weather. We will be heading for Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, where Rocky ended her thru hike last year. We plan to hike the 75 miles from Port Clinton to the Delaware Water Gap. After a visit to Trail Days, we will continue north on the Trail from the Water Gap into New Jersey.Tomorrow, ¢One Eighty¢, a Trail Angel and former thru hiker will take us back to Hiker Hostel where my car is parked. We will head north with stops along the way at the Blueberry Patch Hostel, to visit Gary Poteat and Kincora Hostel, to visit Bob Peoples. We will stop at Scott and Mandy¢s home in Catawba, Virginia. Maybe we can climb up to the Dragon¢s Tooth this time and take time to enjoy the view, unlike last May when we were in the midst of rain and a darkening sky.   All in all, this six day hike has been a great success as far as I am concerned. The artificial knee has held up just great. I am not favoring it at all. We are ready to complete the remaining 600 miles that Rocky has left on the Appalachian Trail.Swamp Fox is back!
Date: 2006-09-07
From: Katahdin

To: Millinocket, Maine
Miles today: 601.6
Weather: light rain

Yesterday we summited Katahdin. Rocky is now a bonafide Appalachian Trail 2000 Miler. She did it! I am proud to say that I accompanied her on 1187 of those 2175 miles she walked. Someday I may finish the remaining 514 miles or so I have left on the Appalachian Trail. But for now I want to revel in Rocky¢s accomplishment.We hiked 601.6 miles on the Trail this year, not including the 50.5 miles we did in Georgia as a ¢tune up¢. We hiked half of those miles from Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in a series of section hikes. We saved Maine for last. The 303.7 miles in Maine were arguably the best of our entire Trail experience. It took us 38 days to complete Maine. We are in Millinocket, Maine, tonight at the Appalachian Trail Lodge. We have just returned from dinner with a bunch of other hikers who have also just summited Katahdin today. It was kind of a victory dinner for all of us. Slow Walker, Pipesmoker, Ole Man, and NaviGator were with us. Already we were talking about our prospective hiking adventures for next year. The John Muir Trail in California seems to be the major interest for the future. We¢ll see.Tomorrow we will head back to our home in New Hampshire. Our major hiking is over for this year. I am pleased to say that my artificial right knee held up just fine during the course of over 650 miles of hiking this year. It should be good for many thousands more miles in the years to come as Rocky and I continue our trail and life partnership.
Date: 2010-03-13
To: Orlando, Florida
Miles today: 0.0

Well, Friends of the Trail, it¢s time to end this Journal. Yesterday evening my Impossible Dream came true. Rocky and I were married at Asbury United Methodist Church in Maitland, Florida. The ceremony was around 5:30 pm which was almost five years to the hour that we first met, inauspiciously, at Hawk Mountain Shelter on the Appalachian Trail.What took so long, you might ask? We have had some issues to deal with. However, it seems that for the last four years we have almost continuously been on a hiking trip somewhere, or planning a hike, or cleaning up from a hike. Our various hikes in the US and Europe are all on various Trail Journals. No need to summarize them here. And then there was the move to Florida in 2009. We now are thoroughly moved into our home in Orlando and life has a degree of permanence. However, we have many more trails to explore before we put away our back packs and trekking poles. So Many Trails and So Few Years!Thanks for following our strange story. Hope you have found it interesting. Happy TrailsRocky and Swamp Fox
Date: 2005-01-12
To: cluck cluck
Miles today: 0.0

If you are an animal activist stop reading right here, because many roosters have died so I can hike again. This is the way it goes: I've had x-rays, MRI's and exploratory scoping done on my knees and my orthopedic doctor has determined that I've trashed the cartilage in them. This is what provides shock-absorption and a smooth surface for the ball of the knee to move in the socket. My cartilage is now thin and crunchy. His conclusion is (and I've tested it, he is right) that the damage has triggered osteoarthritis and that my knees will once again start to swell and hurt if I do any extended walking. Things are grinding in there instead of gliding. And this particular cartilage is in an area that is not conducive to replacement, so I'm screwed, right?? Enter the Chicken Miracle. Yesterday I got the first of a series of 3 shots into to each knee, a week apart with a needle the length of a Marlboro King. The stuff is called SYNVISC, it is an elasto-viscous fluid that is very similar to the sinoval fluid in the joint already. The literature says that maximum benefit is achieved about 8 to 12 weeks after the 3rd shot, and that the effects should be good for about 6 months!! I'll be hiking about 6 months!! my last shot is 3 weeks before I hit the trail!!   YAY! So anyway, the stuff is made from rooster combs, that red rubbery junk on their heads. I'm thinking of calling up the manufacturer, I'm curious how many combs it takes to make one shot. On the Day After The Shot it seems that their claims are accurate, There is no pain or swelling from the injection itself and the left knee feels wonderful. It feels like I stole it from a 20 year old, while the right knee still feels as old as the rest of me. The big downer to this treatment is that I can't do any significant training and I was counting on getting in shape somewhat before hitting the trail this time. My instructions are not to do much of anything strenuous with the knees during treatment. All is good though, it just means a little more pain and suffering the first month out. I celebrated the first injection by stopping at Pollo Tropical and getting a 1/2 chicken Combo Mambo meal. With black beans, rice, and yuca. My guess is at least 30 rooster combs per dose. It's a big syringe.