morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-11
To: South of PA325
Miles today: 16.0

Day 6I got a ride back to the trail in Duncannon.  I walked to Subway for breakfast before heading out of town and up the mountain.  I met several thru hikers.  The trail in Pennsylvania has a reputation for having dried up streams.  The rain took care of that.  The rain also made all of the rock surfaces wet.  Big sections of the trail were along the crest of the mountain.  Stepping from rock to rock was a little slow because I never knew which ones would be slippery.  Later, walking at a fast pace on an easy part of the trail, I stepped on a flat rock that was very slippery.  I knew I was going down face first and I could do nothing about it.  My forehead hit another rock and my glasses were smashed into my face.  Nothing was broken except my pride.  I got up, brushed off as much mud as I could and hiked on.  Then I realized my forehead was bleeding.  It didn¢t hurt much, but it wouldn¢t stop bleeding. I carry a bandanna to wipe sweat so it doesn¢t get in my eyes, but it came in handy to keep the blood from getting in my eyes as well.  The weather was perfect.  The sky was clear, although I was mostly in the shade.  I did 18 miles.  I could have done more, but there was a great campsite along a ridge with a view.  One thru hikerhad already set up camp.  His trail name is Aladdin, and I had met him at lunch.  He is from Oregon.  He thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail last year.  I did wonder how someone had the time and money to spend 5 or 6 months in two consecutive years hiking trails, but I didn¢t ask.  I did ask if he mind if I joined him at the campsite.  He said he did not.  He had a couple friends that were going to camp there as well.  Later, Packman and his wife showed up, as well as Taser.  She was hiking with her father, trail name Recliner.  She said we¢d see why later. Before Recliner arrived, Taser set up the two-person tent, hung the food bag, set up a camp chair, disappeared back down the trail, and returned with her father¢s backpack.  Twenty minutes later, Recliner walked into camp, sat down and leaned back in the camp chair, and Taser brought him his supper.  I decided I liked his style of hiking.  As we sat around the unlit fire ring, eating and talking, Aladdin showed me an app he uses called Guthook.  It uses GPS while on airplane mode and shows your location and details about the trail.  We had a strong signal on top of the mountain so in my tent, before going to sleep, I downloaded Guthook, although it was way more than my standard limit of $.99 for an app.
Date: 2018-06-13
To: Hertline Stream Campsite
Miles today: 15.0

Day 8I had camped at another dry, mountain top campsite, so I decided to once again pack up and hike to a stream for breakfast.  The talk on the trail was all about the upcoming 501 shelter that had running water and a shower.  It was near the road, Hiway 501, which meant they delivered pizza.  I wasn¢t interested in pizza, but I did think I might stop there, have my cooked meal for lunch instead of supper, and take a rest.  It was fairly luxurious as far as shelters go.  It had four walls and a door and a skylight.  None of that kept the rodents out.  A chipmunk came and went as I ate lunch.I hiked most of that afternoon with Chad, from Texas.  He had heard of a campsite by a stream that was near a swimming hole.  That sounded like a great way to end the day, so we both decided to head there. There was a shirt side trail to a view not far from the campsite.  We Amit past it by but we heard a couple hikers there scream, ¢Holy sh**¢ a phrase that makes no sense to me, but certainly made me curious.  We got to the look out, which was a drop off of about 15 feet to a rocky outcropping and then another drop of hundreds of feet.  Down on the rocky outcropping were two black rat snakes coiled together in the sun.  Inches from them were two timber rattlers.  Near by were two more timber rattlers.  I guess it was one of the few sunny spots around.  I have two fears in life - heights and snakes - and there they both were right in front of me.  Although I was far enough from the snakes and the edge that I stared for a long time.We found the stream, we set up camp, and we followed a blue blazed trail down to an old reservoir.  The stream ran into the reservoir and came out the other side like a waterfall and tumbled down the ravine.  There was a rope hanging from a tree at the edge.  It was perfect for swinging out and dropping into the water.  The water, by the way, was numbing my cold.  We each dropped in twice.  It wasn¢t the kind of water you paddled around on after you dropped into it, but it quickly got rid of the day¢s sweat.  We walked back up to our camp, ate supper, shared stories, and crawled into our tents.  I was on a flat area between two converging streams.  I thought the noise might keep me awake.  It did not.
Date: 2018-06-14
To: Hamburg, PA
Miles today: 23.0

Day 9 and 10The last day of my hike, I had 19 miles to hike into Hamburg where my wife, Izzie, was going to meet me.  Chad left camp a bit before me and I didn¢t see him again because he took a side trail to the Heart and Sole Hostel (pun intended).  I always have mixed emotions about the last day of a hike.  I get to see my wife, I get to sleep in a real bed, take a shower, and eat real food.  But I know I will miss being in the forest and all of its sights and sounds.  In a normal year I would have several more days of hiking ahead of me, but this is not a normal year.  I am running for State Representative, and that makes everything outside of the realm of normal.  (Dalenowlin.com)  That means I need to head back to Indiana and get back to knocking on doors. I was hoping that I could hike a few miles tomorrow with my wife and without my pack.  I rethought that idea as I descended down to town and the Schuylkill River.  It was the toughest descent of the whole trip.  If the ascent on the other side was anything like this descent, my wife would not be a happy hiker.  But, I made it into town, met my wife, ate a real supper, and slept in a real bed.The next day, the weather was great. We drove to the downtown part of Hamburg and had breakfast at a local diner.  My wife was interested in hiking some of the trail, I was thrilled to do a few more miles.  We found a parking area and hiked up to the Pulpit overlook.  The ascent was not nearly as tough as the descent had been and I got in 4 extra miles.  It was a great way to end my latest connection with the trail.  Hopefully I will be back for a couple days in July on my way to DC to hike through Maryland, but that is an entry for another day.
Date: 2013-01-01
To: Prep 1
Miles today: 0.0

Happy New Year!This is my first trail entry and I have been waiting for this day. Only 85 days left before I leave my home and fly to Atlanta. I have been planning or at least dreaming about this hike for years. Each year in the spring I would start reading AT thru hiker journals and follow them all summer into the fall. It has been wonderful reading such wonderful and inspirational stories. In 2011, I read Rusty Bumper's journal and was very touched by his challenge.The summer of 2012 I did a good deal of day hiking with my pack and felt I was getting in pretty good shape. Two days after Thanksgiving, while putting up outdoor Christmas lights, I had a fall. The fall caused a concussion , some bumps and bruises to my arms and legs, two broken toes on my left foot and a badly sprained right ankle. It has been over a month since the accident and my left ankle is still sore and unstable. The doctor says it will be at least until the end of January before I can do much conditioning. It has concerned me for the hike, but my daughter Melissa told me I will be okay to start on time. I love the encouragement and support.
Date: 2013-01-10
To: Prep 2
Miles today: 0.0

With only 75 days before I leave for Atlanta there is still a good deal to get finished.         1. Finish the last few months of work.         2. Finishing up things around the house         3. Finish up plans to ship some food.         4. Get fit.My ankle continues to improve, but it is still sore and unstable and does not allow me to work out like I would like to. It is a concern that it could cause a delay in the start of my hike. What I will continue to do is stay positive and know it will work out as it is suppose to.
Date: 2013-01-12
To: Prep.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This is my third journal entry so my journal should now show up. The first time hiking the AT, my journal was a number of very small notebooks. I read over those written notebooks this week for the first time in 34 years. It reminded me of a wonderful journey and also increased the excitement for this journey. It is great to have "ATJournals" to communicate this experience with family, friends, and people like me that have enjoyed others experience. This is also a great source of positive motivation for the hiker.Today I was able to get my boots back on for the first time since my accident. I walked a gentle and slow three miles. It caused some pain and I have a ice pack on my ankle now and I am making progress.Today I went into a local outfitter, "MooseJaw" just to look around. The only thing I might add on are some Crocs. In MooseJaw, Jeff, one of their sales people gave me a good education on hiking poles. It is wonderful to have a sales person that is knowledgable and does not try to up sell. I did not purchase anything, but will go back to MooseJaw and Jeff if I decide I need anything.Also today while checking out at "Whole Food", Liz C, the young cashier was talking about hiking. She said she has hiked quite a bit on the AT and was looking forward to hiking in Michigan. I am going to drop off some books on hiking in Michigan and the AT for Liz. What a positive young woman.Well that should do it for my third entry and here we go! 73 days!!!
Date: 2013-01-14
From: Prep.

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Over the past 40 years I have had two careers. The first six years I spent as a junior high and high school teacher. During those wonderful years I coached track, football and taught biology and chemistry. My second career has been in sales and it has provided for my family and has been rewarding in other ways.I am still working right up to the day before I leave for Georgia. People keep saying I am retiring, and I guess that thought bothers me. There are a good number of goals I still have in life. One of the rewards of this upcoming hike is to find a little more clarity. Three years ago I got the opportunity to go to India for a trek in the Himalayas, and work in a small village, repairing a school. There was a peace and kindness in the villagers. They were so beautiful. I am hoping to find some simple and meaningful experiences on the AT.My grandson turned 7 months old today and I miss him everyday I am traveling. We are blessed that my daughter, son-law, and Grandson live so close. One of the positives around technology is we can send video and pictures and face time. Right now my plans are to get off the trail for five days in June, and go home to celebrate his first birthday. 72 days to go!
Date: 2013-01-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Sitting at home with an ice pack on my ankle and hoping tomorrow my ankle will feel good and I can put more stress on it. Today I did do an hour on the treadmill and was able to incline it to 5 without a lot of pain.It was great seeing some hikers sign my trail journal and I was really surprised to see others like Mike from Illinois and Debbie from Canada that will be following my progress. I thought it was important to introduce other members of my family. In the picture from left to right are Stephen, my son who is in his Senior year in college, Sue my wonderful wife, Melissa my daughter holding Taylin James our first grandchild, Taylor my son-in-law, Ekaterina my daughter who is a Junior in college, and me. These are the people I will count on for both support at home and moral support along the way. We do plan on Face Time to be able to see each other. I sure did not have this type of support in 1979.Got all my gear, most of my food, and the first 500 miles planned. I will be putting in my equipment and mailing list in a week or two.65 days until I leave for Georgia and the excitement builds!
Date: 2013-01-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The last few days have been encouraging! Today I started the day with a 9 mile hike without my pack. The terrain was rolling and snow covered and it was pretty cold. I completed the hike in 2 hours and 15 minutes. My ankle is still sore, but it continues to improve and I can put more stress on it. I will be traveling all week so my workouts will be in the hotel on a treadmill or elliptical . My plans, if all goes well this week, are to start hiking with my pack next week.Started reading "Eat and Run" by Scott Jurek, a ultra marathon runner. So far I have enjoyed the book. It deals with the mental aspect of doing something difficult. It also has some wonderful recipes and my wife and I tried the lentil burgers today. I am also trying a recipe for ankle sprains that he has in the book.My wife, Susan, spent a good deal of Saturday vacuum sealing freeze dried and dehydrated food for the hike. I will do some shipments of food and some purchasing in townsStarted putting some of my gear on this site. Will continue putting on gear as time allows.59 days
Date: 2013-02-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

One of the big challenges I had in 1979 hiking the trail was being lonesome and out of touch with home and family for 6 to 10 days at a time. In 1979 I was not married, had no children, or grandchildren. I have decided to carry the extra weight to stay in contact with family as much as possible.I will start out carrying both a cell phone and Mini IPad. I will be very sensitive that we are all out for a get away experience and I will be very discrete with both the phone and IPad use. My grandson is just over 7 months old and I want to see him and he see me, and Face Time will help. This week I made some progress on fitness. Everything has been treadmill work and strength training . I had hoped to hike outside this weekend and it snowed and was very cold. Our family has had family members with colds and flu, so I stayed indoors this weekend. 90 minutes on the treadmill yesterday and 75 minutes today with full pack . My ankle is still tender and I need to keep increasing the stress level to see if it will hold-up. I believe it will hold up and I may have to start out slow. Adding TRX training to increase core strength.52 days until I leave for Atlanta and 53 days until Springer Mountain!
Date: 2013-02-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I had a conversation with my wife( Susan) about the why of this adventure. Sue knows the why. Today I read my journal from the first hike in 1979, and it reminded me of the proposal of marriage when I asked Sue to marry. I asked Sue to marry during our visit in Roanoke, when she visited me. Thirty four years later, Sue is the backbone of our family and the love of my life. Four great kids ( including my son-in-law) and a wonderful grandson.This week I sent my resignation in to the human resource department. The company has been aware of my planned retirement for 6 months and today it became official. I will continue to work until the end of March. I have 45 days before I leave for Atlanta and Springer Mt. My ankle is still a concern and I have an appointment with a orthopedic surgeon this Tuesday.One of the journal guests asked what was the "stew" I used on my ankle sprain? It is two tablespoons of black pepper, two tablespoons of turmeric, and 3 or 4 tablespoons of flour. Mix the ingredients together and add enough water to make a thick paste. Apply the paste to your ankle and rap with a paper towel. Then let sit for an hour or two. Namaste,Motown.
Date: 2013-02-16
To: Prep.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The reason I decided to have an on-line journal was for family and friends to share a bit of this adventure and a way of communicating. What I did not expect was the positive comments and encouragement from people I do not know. This week Linda, from Florida, left a message of good wishes, and reminded me of the "Funk Brothers". I had not thought of the Funk Brothers in a long time. They were a group of incredible Jazz and Blues musicians that provided the instrumentals for all the Motown entertainers. Someone once said, "Without the Funk Brothers there would have been no Motown." Thank you Linda.This week I had a appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. Great new! Though my ankle is not completely healed, it is structurally sound and it should be okay to go in 39 Days.Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement, it is very motivating.Namaste,Motown
Date: 2013-02-27
From: Prep.

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It has been an extremely busy week. This week I had planned on being home and training twice a day. The unexpected happened at work and I had to fly back to our corporate office for a meeting Sunday and will be away from home for the next three weeks. My last three weeks of work will be very consuming. My last 14 days of work will be very focused. I owe it to the company I work for, the people I work with, and patients suffering from opioid dependence. What this means is I will not be as physically fit as planned and will start slower than I planned. Maybe that is a blessing. The great thing is my ankle continues to improve and I am excited to start this adventure.Today "Rusty Bumper" signed my journal. Rusty Bumper thru hiked in 2011 and I read his journal everyday. In fact this winter I re-read his journal and I plan to read it again the week before I start my trek. Wonderful read and inspiring. Thanks Rusty. 28 days!
Date: 2013-03-08
To: Prep.
Miles today: 0.0

With only 8 days of work, and 19 days until I leave for Atlanta, there is a good deal to do. I live in Michigan and work in Richmond, Virginia so I have a good deal of travel and time away from home. I need to finish projects at work, send out a few food re supplies to start the hike, and have a good deal to get done at home. Oh yes there is also the need to work on conditioning. I am not in terrible shape, but I am not in the shape I planned on. My ankle continues to improve, and I am okay with taking the month of April on the trail to get my cardio conditioning and trail legs. After all I am in no hurry this time.The picture above is from a trek I took in 2009. This trek was to work on repairing schools. "Save The Children" organized the trip. It was a life transforming experience. The past 4 years I have continued to raise money and contribute to this organization that helps children world wide. I will continuing to raise money for "Save The Children" by getting people to contribute 1 cent per mile I complete on the AT. That would mean a little over $21 per contributor if I complete the hike. "Save The Children" is a wonderful organization that is truly making a difference in the lives of millions of children.This weekend I need to get two food shipments ready, seam seal my tent, and get a long hike with full pack. Reading the journals of the hikers that have already started, the weather has been challenging. Be safe out there.Namaste,Motown
Date: 2013-03-12
From: Prep.

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This past Saturday and Sunday, we spent much of each day finishing packaging, boxing, and labeling food supplies. My wife had done a good deal of dehydrating of fruits and vegetables and my daughter, Ekaterina had made a lot of venison and beef jerky. I had also ordered bulk freeze dried food from Mountain House that had to be repackaged. Sue vacuumed sealed most of the meals. We then boxed 8 shipments to start. My plan is to ship food to some locations and purchase food in some locations.Thank You Sue and Ekaterina!What will I be eating.Breakfast         Granola and powdered milk - cold breakfast          Oat meal - hot breakfastLunch - Snacks         Peanut butter and jelly         Jerky         Meal Bars         Snickers         Gorp         Fruit - driedDinner         Freeze dried - 4 types         Pasta          Tuna         This hike I will watch closely the weight loss. The first time I hiked the AT, my weight started at 160 lbs and ended at 134 lbs. I felt very tired. This time my starting weight will be 165 lbs.Only 12 more days! Food is prepared and next weekend I will make my final decisions on my equipment and get a base weight.
Date: 2013-03-17
To: Prep
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

It has been very informative and interesting reading the trail journals of the hikers that have already started their journey. I am starting my journey on the same date, March 29th, as I started my hike in 1979. Reading journals this year, and the past few years,it makes me believe this journey will be different and similar from my 1979 hike.Similar :         Distance hiked         Climbing and Descending         Weather - unpredictable         Need to hydrate and consume enough calories         Meeting some great peopleDifferences:         More people hiking         More trail angels         More hostels and trail support         Cell phones         InternetThe excitement and nervousness of starting this journey is the same, and having a chance to communicate with family more frequently is different.10 days before I leave to Atlanta and 11 days before I an hiking North.
Date: 2013-03-21
From: Prep

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

6 days until I leave for Atlanta, and 7 days until Springer Mountain!Tuesday of this week was my last day working. I have been told I am now "retired". Tuesday there was a wonderful retirement party and my wife flew into Richmond for the evening and on Wednesday, Sue and I flew home together. Right now I will go with retired, and I will re-evaluate after the trail. The past 8 years of work has been rewarding because of the important work, and the outstanding people I have worked with. I will miss both.My hiking equipment is complete.My food is completeTomorrow I will mail my first re supply to Mountain Crossing.Now I have a few days left to workout, and spend time with my family. I will miss my family, and am so thankful for the support. I am grateful and thankful.Also I am very excited and thank you all for the prayers and encouraging words!!!!