morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-03-25
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Uncle Johnnys Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 16.9

Woke up at 5:00 am went to the privy, got my food bag and got back into my sleeping bag. At 5:15 it started raining and I just laid there hoping it would go away.   I didn't sing "rain, rain go away" loud enough to make it happen so at 7:00 I got up, got packed and got ready for a 17 mile day. I hit the trail at 7:30 walking into a windy and steadily raining morning. Surprisingly I felt great, my feet did not hurt, my pack seemed lite, and as I walked I could tell I was making good time. This was the best I have felt in a long time. I seem to be getting my stride. The rain even stopped by 12:00 noon, so I took off my rain gear and finished the last 6 miles to the hostel. I arrived at Johnnys at 2:30 pm almost averaging 2.5 miles an hour. Great time for me.      Just want to say thanks to every one who has written and signed my guestbook. Note to "General": That extra padding is just the camera, you know how it adds pounds. Patty you keep getting better and I will work on using my inner indian to guide the way.         Thanks again   LATTA Southside
Date: 2009-03-26
From: Uncle Johnnys Hiker Hostel

To: cherry gap shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: moderate rain

Im going to reverse my next three entries. I made it to uncle johnnys at 3:00 pm on 3/25/09. Rain came in that nite so I took a zero day the 26th. I have to be home on the 1st for my wifes surgery on her foot. So my plan is to have Johnny take me to us19e. There I will hike south for three days ending back at Uncle Johnnys. He will then take me to the airport and I will go home and spend the next two weeks with my wife. I should be back on the trail on the 14th of april. So to keep my miles correct I will reverse my last 3 days.      Started from Cherry gap shelter at 8:00 am. This part of the trail includes Unaka mountain and the Beauty Spot bald mountain. Because I was going down hill except for the two mountains I made great time. Unaka has to be one of the most beautifull spots on the trail. It's trail is soft from pine needles; the pines are thick and tall, the trail is dark, wet and cold with a green blanket of moss covering most everything. It is very peaceful and calm here.      When I reached the Beauti Spot it wasnt very Beautiful; they had just performed a control burn, everything was black. The one thing that was nice was the veiws to the west looking out over Erwin. I continued and made it to Curley Maple Gap shelter at 1:00 pm. Arriving at the same time with Bluegrass, Hunter, and two other hikers. They were going north and just taking a breather. Took my time over the next 4 miles taking pics and just enjoying the path down to Johnnys.   Arrived at 3:00 pm. just as a little rain started... didn't last - I quess it just wanted to tease me a little.      Well see you in two weeks LATTA   SOUTHSIDE...............
Date: 2009-03-27
From: Cherry Gap shelter

To: Roan Mountain shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

      So i woke at 6:00am to a wet, cloudy,and misty mourning. The top of roan is 6285' and boasts the highest shelter on the AT. As a mater of fact there is still some ice up here. I put up a clothes line last night hung up all my wet gear, hoping it would dry overnight. Not a chance; not only was it still wet it was cold, cold, cold. I put on my rain gear,my back pack parka, and my wet boots, And stepped onto the trail at 7:45.      Now I don't know alot, but you can figure some things out, like we must have had quite a bit of rain. I knew this because the trail was a flowing river. 3'to 6' wide "not too deep, you could still walk on it because of the rocks. They gave me places to step, most of the time. It didnt help dry my boots out. Only going 15 miles today heading to the next shelter.          The weather forcast had called for a cloudy but rain free day with a chance of rain late in the afternoon. Ha ha ha, what a trick on me... no rain for the first 2 hours then open up the sky and let it rain all day. Made it to the shelter by 3;00 pm still soaked. Only 1 more day of hiking and off to RI to see my wife Pam. Well in for the night and all by my self again.         LATTA..........SOUTHSIDE
Date: 2009-03-28
From: roan mountain shelter

To: US19e
Miles today: 15.2

      Started at 7:30 in a steady rain. I do not get how the weather man can be so wrong! Again he said only a chance of rain late afternoon, it rained all day. Still Roan mountain is awsome! I just don't like walking in a river that also doubles as a trail. Made good time to Hump mountain; actually a huge 1.7 mile (across) bald. Wind blowing it seemed at 50mph+ ,heavy fog and rain. The wind was howling so strong it was pushing us sometimes 2-6 feet out of the trail. This was not a bad thing seeing that the trail had 6" of water in it. Hey, you know anybody can have a sunny calm day story, what good is that? When you can have a heavy weight fight with MOTHER NATURE and come out on top. Also met the Chicago twins, they are from Wrigleyville in Chicago. To say the least we didnt really have the best of weather to sit down and chat. So we said our hellos and on we went. Also passed Caeser but he had sent his dog home. He was moving trying to get to town for AYCE hope to see him up the trail.         Made it to 19e at 3:00 and went to Uncle Johnnys, will fly home Monday at 11:30. I will be home 14 days then back to the trail with only 1,788 miles left to go. Talked to Squire he is home now and he will be going back to finish from West virginia to New Jersey. I might try and work out a plan to do this section of the trail. That would mean that I will have to flip flop the trail. It is only a thought it would be nice to hike with Squire again. But if it doesnt happen maybe we can work on doing the last 600 miles together.         LATTA.............SOUHTHSIDE..se ya on the trail
Date: 2009-04-06
From: US19e

To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

   " Home"      there is something when you say that that makes your hike seem finished. But I can honestly say that mine is not over. I can't wait to get back on the trail. I am working on my gear and pack weight. I bought a 40 degree big agnes sleeping bag, and I took out my hammock and replaced it with my tent. I also swapped some of my winter clothes for my warm weather stuff. Long sleeve shirts for short sleeve, poncho gone, rain pants gone, and a plastic bag for a pack cover. All in all I think I have cut 3-4 lbs off of my total pack weight.24 lbs sure sounds good to me.      Pams surgery went very well. The Surgeon said the lump at the base of her foot was one of largest he has seen. The total time in surgery was 1.5 hours. I still can't believe that they can do something so invasive and call it out patient surgery. Now she is in for a long recovery. They cut the bone and shortened her toe next to her big toe (mama toe). She cant put any weight on her foot for at least 5 days. Then she goes in for a check up and if everything is' a ok she will be fitted with a walking boot.       Seven more days and I'm back on the trail, hopefully .      LATTA.....................SOUTHSIDE
Date: 2009-04-10
From: home

To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

            11 days, thats how long i have been home. Pam is doing much better, foot is still a mess but the pain is a little less every day. She is also walking around in this huge black walking boot. This makes her hobble around like frankenstein.. She also drove my pickup truck with that big boot on, and you know what (She did fine.)            Some of the things that happened on the trail i was able to get fixed while home: A.   Broke a tooth at Hardy's   had it fixed at the dentist on thursday.             B.   bought a new 40* sleeping bag   C.   dumped all my rain gear... too hot, too heavy D.   swapped my hammock for my Big Agnes SL 1 tent Doing this reduced my pack weight down to 24 lbs full with 4 days of food and 44 oz of water.    I also have been hiking 7 miles a day just to maintain myself. On friday i found a deer tick on the back side of my right leg. I pulled it off and called the doc. He got me in right away and put me on DOXYCYCLINE. He told me that we don't want to mess with this at all, I agree. I thought he would have the tick tested but he said it takes 7-10 day for the results to come back.   Because I am going back on trail he decided to just treat it anyway. Some of the side effects are a severe sun rash to exposed skin. AND it seems to make my skin itch. So that means i will put on sun screen, and scratch my itch. I also think that its amazing that i hike for 30 days almost 400 miles NO TICKS. I come home and hike 3 days and i'm on meds... You don't mess with deer ticks. SO THE FARTHER NORTH YOU COME (CHECK YOUR SELF)!!!!!!!!!!            I talked to Squire today and he is planing his return to the trail at the end of April. I hope i can work out a plan to hike with him. He is going from Harpers Ferry to New jersey. If this doesn't work out i hope he has a great hike.            SEE YA ON THE TRAIL.............LATTA ....................SOUTHSIDE
Date: 2009-04-15
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Dennis Cove / Bob Peoples
Miles today: 15.0

Hiked a total of 15 miles today. It was 7 miles from the shelter to Kincora and then I slack packed another 9 miles. I joined a group that was getting dropped off at U.S. 321 and we hiked back to the hostel. There are 7 people here that were with me at the Hiker Hostel at the beginning of March. I figured with the two weeks off that everyone would have been way ahead of me. It seems that the weather slowed some of them down and the others are doing their own thing at their own pace. Bob Peoples is a fascinating person and I am enjoying being here. More on this later...Plan on being in Damascus on Saturday now. Will start tomorrow from US 321.lata...Southside
Date: 2009-04-16
From: Dennis Cove / Bob Peoples

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

When I was getting dropped off today at the trail I discovered that I had forgotten my hiking poles. So, I had to go back to the hostel and get them. So, a late start but a good day on the trail. Didn't get going until about 9:30 but made great time on a beautiful day. I seem to be covering a lot of ground without a lot of effort and am glad to be here. Sleeping in my tent tonight rather than in the shelter. A lot of people here including a Boy Scout troop. A bunch of nice, really nice kids but the activity was more than I was into especially trying to go to sleep. Met a guy named Hot Wheels at the shelter. He is a train engineer and you all know how much I love trains. Looking forward to talking to him along the way but not sure that I will hike much with him. He is 60 years old and banged out 24 miles today and is planning on getting to Damascus tomorrow. He is a marathon runner and is in great shape. Needless to say he can fly. Also met another military guy. His name is Captain. Not sure what his story is but if I see him again, I will get more info. Ironwood is here at the shelter and I will most likely hike with him for a while tomorrow. After that not sure because he intends to take some time to spend with his new bride. lata...Southside
Date: 2009-04-17
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, Va
Miles today: 26.1
Weather: clear sky

I didn't sleep too well in my tent last night. There were six people in the shelter and about 10 tents and I could hear everything even with my hearing protection in. So, restless sleep but when I got up at around 11 the sky was awesome...no moon but the stars were just beautiful. A great night to be outside. Arrived at Abbingdon Gap at about 1:00 and the shelter was loaded with nats because of the amount of rain and no wind. It was early, conditions were shakey so Ironwood and I decided to push it and hike the distance to Damascus. Not a lot of sights to see today with some ups and downs but not anything too big. We started out at 7:30 and arrived a little before 6:00 into Damascus. Long day today and I am feeling the miles. My left calf is really sore tonight. This has been a big week for miles = 75 miles in four days averaging about 18.75 mile per day. Feeling pretty good and enjoying the hike. Staying at the Hiker's Inn and intend on slack packing 15 tomorrow then will stay here again tomorrow night. lata...Southside
Date: 2009-04-21
From: Dickey Gap / Troutdale, Va

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

Rained all day but had some little glints of sunlight on the trail which was very rocky. This did not help my calf and ankle which are sore and achy. After being wet for most of the day, I decided to hitch back to the hostel and stay another night. Got picked up right away and was taken part of the way back and then had to wait the longest that I have ever waited for someone to pick me up for the balance of the ride.   Met a hiker by the name of Bojangles that has been at the hostel for several days. Really a good guy and we had dinner together. Had a big meal of steak, mashed potatos and green beans. All at a very reasonble cost <$10! Will hitch out in the morning and start where I stopped today. lata...Southside
Date: 2009-04-24
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: clear sky

I've been camping the last few nights and am having trouble sleeping. I hear everything even with my hearing protection on. The screaming of coyotes tearing up a rabbit (I think) is really eerie but cool...An animal even bumped my tent and by the time I got my head lamp on it was gone. I think it was a racoon or a possum. Nothing too big. Just tough logging big miles and having such restless nights. Pushing on to Pearisburg by Sunday so that is the carrot out there in front of me. Looking forward to air conditioning and a cold shower. I have been hiking with Hot Wheels which so far seems to be working for both of us. lata...Southside
Date: 2009-04-25
From: Jenny knob Shelter

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: scattered clouds

 What a day! It was brutally hot and water was not readily available. I have been hiking with Hot Wheels and we seem pretty compatible. Hopefully we can hang tough thru to at least Harpers Ferry. Hot Wheels and I hiked to Trents grocery, had breakfast and got enough food to get us to Pearisburg tomorrow. A lot of the guys are carrying a lot of weight in food but I have found that I don't need to since you can resupply every 3-4 days or so. The hike was great for the first 14 miles. The trails were beautiful and we crossed quite a few creeks. We arrived at Dismal Creek Falls and settled in for lunch in a rhodedendron forest. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to cool off I stripped down and threw my clothes in and then went in myself. What a way to cool off! The lunch break was relaxing and welcomed by me. The heat just wears me out. The last eight miles of the hike were rough with a very rocky trail and a lot of blow downs. Hot Wheels fell today but thank god he didn't hurt himself too badly. A twisted ankle is all. This is the same stop that we made last year where Strides made that chocolate banana pudding pie for us. Great memory...Howdy to Strides if your reading the journals!Tenting again tonight even though I am not sleeping very well.lata...Southside
Date: 2009-04-26
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, Va
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

 Got up and moving this morning early so that I could get into town and have it seem like a zero. I arrived at about 9:15 and got settled in at the hotel. Took a long shower, did my laundry and ate. I worked on my feet for quite a long while today soaking them in epsom salts and popping a couple of blisters that were pretty deep. I was checking out my boots and found that the soles are seperating from the boots; so, time for a drop box with boots, a tee shirt, light socks and some mosquito spray. Set it up so I receive it in Daleville. They took two hikers off the mountain yesterday and brought them into Pearisburg with severe dehydration and flu symptoms. Yesterday was brutal with the heat +80 and it took its toll on all of us out here. Felt great to get in doors and relax a while. Passed the 600 mile marker which puts me a little over 1/4th of the way to Kahtadin. Pushing for Big Meadows around the 11th. lata...Southside.
Date: 2009-04-29
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickel Branch shelter
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Big day 24 miles and a lot to see! The heat just will not give us a break. The trail has been up and down with some huge climbs. Went past the huge Keffer oak tree. Some say it is 300 yrs. old (it is big.) The hike today had every thing; forest, meadows, cow pastures and even a monument to Audie Murphy. Murphy is a highly decorated soldier from World War 2. Story goes that he crashed his plane some where near this place. Made it to Pickel Branch shelter by 5:00 pm and set up my tent, just the body, no rain fly it is too warm. Slept most of the night on top of my sleeping bag. Tomorrows plan is to get to Catawba to eat at the Homeplace resturant. Its an all you can eat menu and I am ready to eat!             LATTA SOUTHSIDE
Date: 2009-04-30
From: Pickel Branch Shelter

To: Catawba./ Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We have a goal today to bang out 12.6 miles and go to the Homeplace resturant. So at 6:30 in the morning I set out and after 4 miles ran into the Dragons tooth; it's a ridge line that runs about 1.5 miles with all of these sharp granite rocks that you have to climb up and down. At times I had to toss my hiking poles down on the bottom and climb hand over hand just to get to the bottom. Quite the challenge! After doing this for about an hour the trail gave me a little break, not too many rocks and it flattend out. I made it to Catawba shelter at 1:00pm and I waited for Hotwheels to come in at about 2:00pm. We hitched in to Catawba and waited for the resturant to open at 4:00pm. We ate until we could not walk, but thats just what we had to do.   We left Catawba at 5:00pm hitching a ride back to the trail head. Within 2 miles we passed two shelters but we wanted to get to McAfee Knob for sunset. The knob is an overlook that sits up at 3,197ft. Just one problem no sun and the clouds came in, but we still got some great photos. Left the Knob at 6:15 and made a bee line to Campbell shelter figuring that it would be full we were worried. But as luck would have it nobody was there. Set up for the night hoping that if it rains it does so tonight. Have completed 1/3 of the hike...struggling to keep going.           LATTA > SOUTHSIDE
Date: 2009-05-01
From: Catawba./ Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: moderate rain

      Woke up at 5:45 and hit the trail at 6:30. It was a little overcast with sporadic drops of rain. The trail was great to start; wide and almost graded but then the dream ended and we came back to the real world. After 5 miles we hiked up to the tinker cliffs and the trail became rocky and full of boulders you had to climb over. PUD after PUD and they just did not stop coming until we reached the power lines and then the trail ran us straight down to Daleville. One nice surprise is that I ran into Bluegrass. For some reason he is hiking south to Pearisburg but he did say he might see me up around Harpers Ferry and that would be nice. Not having much fun and thinking about heading home again. Can't get my head into it for some reason not sure why. Will give this some thought over the next day or so. Maybe I just have the Virginia blues. I hope I added enough info over the last 3 entries will write as soon as I can.      LATTA > SOUTHSIDE
Date: 2009-05-03
From: Daleville

To: Jerry and Carols
Miles today: 7.0

i have been off the trail since May 3rd and arrived home on the 6th. . It seems like forever since that day.   After hitching a ride from the truck stop in Daleville and going 165 miles in an 18 wheeler I arrived at my favorite trail angel's home (Jerry)s) in Purcellville, Virginia.   Jerry picked me up at 5 guys hamburger stand at about 3:00.   I had a nice visit with Jerry and his wife Carol..... You could say they are my personal trail angels and obviously two truly great friends. Last year Jerry gave me a ride all the way home from his house to mine in Warwick RI. I spent three nights with J & C visiting and getting caught up. Jerry took me to the airport on Wednesday morning at 4 am and home I went!One of the things I did while i was there was visit our first president's ( George Washington] home @ Mt Vernon. I spent more than 6 hrs walking, looking and listening to things that i did not know about this GREAT MAN. If you ever have a chance to go to this very historic place I recommend it highly!I got home just in time to travel on a vacation with Pam. We went to Arizona to spend time with Pam's family and especially her mom. We were there over Mother's Day weekend and got to see a lot of family and friends including the two newest additions to family. I hiked every day in Az which you have to do early in the morning because of the heat. It was 104-106 every day that we were there. The desert is beautiful and believe it or not it was alive with bees. The buzzing was incredible.   I hiked 20 mile of the Great Western Trail while I was there. A very different hike then the AT! Then we took a road trip to San Diego with Mike and Karen for some much needed down time (for Pam). We had a wonderful visit and I walked 6-8 miles every day while there. Took time to see the Midway (battleship) and a few other sites but mostly just relaxed. We got home on the 17th and I have made plans to work the Pepsi show again this year. I am going to NY on the 27th for some prep work and will be there thru the 30th. I will come home for the weekend and then leave on the 1st for NY again to do Pepsi. My buddy Chuck is letting me stay at his house on the 5th and then will drop me off at the Jersey - Penn line on Saturday the 6th. My plan is to hike NJ, NY, CT and Ma which will take about 16-20 days. When I am done I will head back home. Later this year I will do from Jery's house in Va thru Pa. That will put me at around 1,600 miles with only VT, NH, and ME left. Even though my original plan was to do a thru hike I am still very happy with what I ahve done over the past two years. adventureI love the trail, people and appreciate all that have been following my adventure. See you on the trail!lata,Southside
Date: 2009-05-31
From: home

To: ny
Miles today: 0.0

Sometimes the things that we think of as important really turn out to be nothing more than a trivial dream. My daughter in laws cousin passed away at 17 years old, on Monday the 25th. His parents buried him on Sat. the 30th. I had the pleasure of spending time with him on many ocasions. He was like somebody you would meet on the trail, and you would want to keep hiking with him. Quiet, soft spoken, but with a smile that just made your day. His name was Zak. When we meet somebody that might need our help, it just makes sense to reach out. I truly wish I had extended mine, a little more and a little further. I can't stop thinking about him and I know how the parents feel. I hope we can sit and just talk about this truly nice kid. I know it's the hardest thing to talk about, but trust me the parents need and want people to remember Zak. So when we see them not only say hello but ask how they are doing and share a story about Zak. Though Zak is not here today he was not invisable.      As for the trail, I have been home for one month and antsy as ever. I went to Phoenix for 4 days and then to San Diego for 6 days and had a great time with my wife Pam. Then it was home for some work. And now I am off to NY to help build the Pepsi awards show. From there i will go to my friend Chuck's house and then it's back on the trail to do at least 300 more miles {4 states}   Im starting at Pa. and going to the Vermont line. Sometime in Oct I will do all of Pa south to Harpers Ferry. To all the thru hikers out there you have sure had some crappy weather thrown your way, I have only one thing to say... GO BABY GO!                                                                                       SOUTHSIDE