morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-05
From: Near Wintturi Shelter, VT

To: Rt. 4, Wallingford, VT
Miles today: 19.9

19.9 miles today...REAL close to 20)Sleeping in a real bed!!!Mrs Gorp's homeWallingford, Vt. I'm at Rt 4 on the trail and will hike from there tomorrow. Mrs Gorp was nice enough to pick me up from The Inn At Long Trail and take me home. I woke up at 5:30 and brewed my usual coffee and had a poptart. I filled up 2 bottles of water...it only took me a week to learn to carry more water. :-))) I've ran out of water several times a day since leaving Glencliff, NH. It was the warmest night I spent on the trail since the start of this hike. It was very sticky out and in the low 70s. It will sure be nice when it starts turning cold again. I started walking at 6:40. I climbed up to the trail for The Lookout which took almost an hour. I stopped at 10:30 and sat next to a nice cool stream to eat an early lunch. I had one $3.00 avacado left that I ate and I munched on some nuts. I spent about 30 minutes there and got out my water bag and washed my shirt (it smelled really bad) and took a bandana bath. It figures that when I start carrying more water, there's alot more water on the trail. I passed several nice streams early today. I stopped at Stony Brook Shelter and signed the register. There was a guy there that was looking for his friend. They just started hiking yesterday and got split up. I told him I saw his friend when I was eating my lunch and that he was headed all the way back to where they started at yesterday. At least they're spending quality time in the woods. ;-))) I kept hiking and about 1pm, I ran into the first nobos I've seen all day. Their names are Colonel and Rambling Man, who I met at Trail Days this year. Today's walk was pretty easy with several 1000 foot ups and downs. The gnats weren't too bad either because it got a bit windy out. I ran into 2 more nobos from Florida. Their names were Mule Skinner and Wood Rose. They said they know my nephew who is a fishing guide in Boca Grande. I walked by Kent Pond, then Rt 100, then climbed my last climb for the day up to where The Long Trail and the A.T. converge for the next 100 miles south to the Massachusetts/Vermont line. I got out to Rt 4, busy Rt 4 at 3:20pm and walked nearly a mile up to The Inn At Long Trail where I called Mrs Gorp. She came and picked me up and I got a shower that felt great. It's been so humid the last few days and that nice, cool shower was like heaven. Mrs Gorp gave me one of Larry's (her husband) shirts to wear and we went into Rutland for a steak dinner. She had the air conditioner on in her car. I couldn't believe what a great luxury that cool air felt like. I could have rode around the rest of the day. When we got back to her house, she put on Weathercarrot's CD of his PCT hike from last year. Now there's an idea!!! A 2006 hike of the PCT??? HummWell, I still have to make it to Georgia from Vermont and then finish about 500 miles on the Florida Trail this year, so I'll be busy the rest of this year, then I'll start thinking about next year. Good night....
Date: 2005-08-21
From: Seven Lakes Drive, Harriman State Park, NY

To: Seven Lakes Drive, Harriman State Park, NY
Miles today: 0.0

Zero miles todaySleeping in a real bedThe Moosie'sNew Milford, Ct. I'm still 4 miles south of Bear Mountain, NY on the trail because I took a ZERO day!!! I took full advantage of my zero day by sleeping in until 7:30am. Boy, you hang around a nobo and you can really get lazy. ;-))) I got up and spent the morning catching up on all the emails I had to return. I got way behind on answering emails, but for the next few weeks, I should be back to my routine of walking alone and keeping up with my journal and emails in the evening before I go to sleep. I was just starting to get hungry at about 11am when Mrs Moosie, Moosie and I went to a local fair where there was lots of food. It was a hot day. It's supposed to be the last of the hot days for a while...I hope. I had half a chicken, a pulled pork sandwich, 2 boxes of popcorn and a shaved ice thingie. We walked around the cows, pigs and sheep that were being judged. I tried getting Moosie to milk a sheep, but he was quick at pointing out that it was a ram, not an ewe. I was just testing Moosie's knowledge of animals. ;-))) We watched the ox pulling weighted sleds until it just got too hot. When we got back to the house I called Goosebump and Rainbow Slick and talked a while, then fell asleep. These zero days are really nice sometimes. I spent the late afternoon going through my bounce box and making sure my backpack was in order. I got my maps out to carry that will take me into Harpers Ferry, WV. I was a good son and called my parents because I know that it always makes them happy to hear from their fine baby boy. :-))) I grilled some nice, thick pork chops for dinner and Mrs Moosie made some corn on the cob and some brocolli and we had some wine with dinner. I'm spending my last night here so Mrs Moosie lit the candles on the table and put a Nora Jones cd on. Thanks Mrs Moosie, that was really nice. :-))) Dinner was great and so was desert. A nice cobbler with some whipped cream. We settled into the living room to watch a movie, but my attention span for tv is not very long, so I finished my journal entry for the day while the movie was on. Moosie made me a new alcohol stove. I'm putting him on the spot because I'm leaving my old stove in my bounce box and taking the new stove with me. I've always carried my old stove on all my hikes, so this is a big change. Sure hope it works, Moosie. If my ribs start showing, it'll be your fault. ;-)))
Date: 2005-09-19
From: Near Taylors Mountain Overlook, Va.

To: Daleville, Va.
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't sleep real well last night. I kept waking up itching. That systemic poison ivy is even getting on my chest and back a little besides being on my legs. I'm a baby when it comes to not feeling 100% and this is starting to bother me. I must have over 100 spots that look like bites. I woke up at 5:30am, made my coffee and had 2 breakfast bars. It was a town day, so I got packed and was walking before it was light out. I started at 6:30 and it got just light enough that I could see without my headlamp about 15 minutes later. In a little over 3 miles I got to Wilson Creek Shelter. I just stopped long enough to sign the register and walked on. I was feeling real good walking. The itching wasn't too bad and I was moving good. Today is a day I feel like I could walk forever, but my favorite motel along the whole trail is in Daleville, Va and I've got some things to take care of, so it's going to be a short day. The streams that are listed in my book were all dry. About 2 1/2 miles past the shelter I found a small flow in Curry Creek and filled up one water bottle to get me into town. I had a fairly steep 800 foot climb which leveled out for a mile or so before heading up about 500 feet to the side trail to Fullhardt Knob Shelter. I saw a large deer take off running just about a mile before the shelter. I walked by without stopping. I could tell that someone stayed at the shelter last night because the spider webs disappeared after that. :-))) It was an easy 5 miles to Rt 220 from there. I was going to head down to the outfitter, but when I got to the road, I changed my mind. I headed the other way and got to Country Cookin' Restaurant just before noon. I ordered a small steak, but I got lots of vegetables and a salad. I think I drank 4 sodas though. :-))) I have to resupply before I hike on and the grocery store is near the outfitter, so I'll do all that stuff later. I walked over and registered at the Comfort Inn and then got on the computer there and checked my other email account. When I got to the room and got ready to take a shower, I noticed all the little bite looking poison ivy welts on my body. I think I need chicken noodle soup or something. :-))) Hey, that always makes me feel better. I washed me and my clothes in the shower and then layed in bed and aired out my poison ivy while I kept making and drinking Starbucks coffee. If anyone has any ideas about what to do with this poison ivy to get it to stop spreading, please email me at Stumpknocker@pocketmail.comThanks Maybe I will walk over to the store and get me some chicken noodle soup...it always helps make me feel better. :-))) I can't believe how fast the rest of the day went by. I got an email from Mrs Gorp telling me to go and see a doctor. I guess I'll go in the morning and see what I can find out.
Date: 2005-10-06
To: Milford, PA (Carver's Gap, TN on the trail)
Miles today: 0.0

Zero miles todayScottish MotelMilford, Pa.Carver's gap, Tn on the trail I didn't get alot of sleep last night because Chief made me stay up so late. I knew Bob wanted to leave early this morning and start driving towards The Gathering in Hanover, NH, but I couldn't remember what time he said. I got up at 5:15 and made my coffee and ate a fried pie, then went out and took a shower. Pretty soon Chief came down from upstairs and was saying something about smelling coffee...oops, I only made one cup. Slowpoke had just gotten up and made a pot of coffee. Bob and Pat came over and I put my backpack in the car. After goodbyes to everyone, Bob and I headed north together. We had a good day and made it over 600 miles to Milford, Pa before we got a motel. Today really went by fast. I think Bob drove 11 hours and we talked all but about 15 minutes when I took a short nap. The leaves on the trees up here are really changing nicely. Lots of beautiful colors. We got the room, went next door to a diner and ate, then came back and watched The Weather Channel. We only have 300 miles to drive tomorrow and we should be ahead of the rain according to the weatherman. Thanks again Chief for coming over to Kincora. It was great seeing you again, you were a big help on the wood pile and I have a new sleeping mat because of you. See you the end of the month on Springer. :-)))
Date: 2005-10-08
To: Hanover, NH (Carver's Gap, TN on the trail)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero miles todayStorrs CampgroundHanover, NH.Carver's Gap, Tn on the trail I slept great last night, but just not enough hours. I got up about 6:30. Dewdrop and I got ready to head back into town. Bonnie decided to stay in their home on wheels for now. LWOP The Dewdrop said he knew of a good breakfast place on the way into Hanover, so we headed there. It was on the Vermont side of the river. It was good...very good coffee too. The rest of the day is pretty much a blurr, just like Trail Days always is for me. I see so many friends and talk to so many different people and hikers that I really don't remember everything that happened during the day. We parked the truck and started seeing friends right away. We went to a few presentations done by hikers who have done different trails. The two I went to were on the CDT and the PCT. They are both trails I want to walk in the future, but I just have to find the time to do them. I finally got to talk to the representative of the IAT, Will Richard. He gave me some information on that trail and gave me some contacts, but also surprised me by telling me about an extention to the trail...over a 600 mile extention in Newfoundland. That really interested me and I'm 90% sure that's what my next trail will be. I'm thinking that if I start walking north from Springer Mountain, Georgia in late February or early March that I can get to Katahdin in Maine and keep walking north for another 1300 miles this time up to the northern shore of Newfoundland. Hummm. I could have that trail done before I get old when I turn 54 in December of '06. After that, who knows what this ol' body of mine will be able to handle. :-))) I spent the morning with LWOP The Dewdrop, then the rest of the day with Moosie. Mrs Gorp had been saying sooooo many cruel things to me in some of her emails, that she felt bad and invited Moosie and I out to dinner. Her friend Linda came along. Thanks Mrs Gorp for picking up the tab. I feel much better now. :-))) We went to another presentation on a 7700 mile trek across the United States. That was interesting because the hiker went in the winter for most of his hike. It was raining hard when Moosie and I went outside. We had called the motel we had reservations for to tell them we would be late, but they said the room was already taken. :-((( Motel Moosie decided since his home was only 3 hours away that he'd just drive home so he didn't have to get his feet wet. Amoeba took me over to the campground and I slept there. It did rain hard all night, but by morning was letting up and only raining litely.
Date: 2005-10-09
To: Gorham, NH (Carver's Gap, TN on the trail)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Zero miles todayNorthern Peaks MotelGorham, NHCarver's Gap, Tn on the trail. It rained pretty hard most of the night and was still raining litely this morning. Amoeba drove me up to Lou's Restaurant in Hanover and we had breakfast. I missed eating there on my hike this year, so it was nice to be able to go back because they serve a good breakfast. I was getting a ride later in the day with Amoeba and heading over towards Maine to meet up with Frogcaller, Zulu, Lew and my truck, so we made plans on where to meet. I was kind of draggin' around because my good friend Moosie left me in the hard rain last night to fend for myself. It was rough...... I walked over to Dartmouth Outing Club and stretched out on the couch and drank some coffee and caught up on writing my journal. I spent a couple hours there, then walked down to a payphone and sent in my emails and got another coffee. I still can't believe Moosie left me in the HARD rain last night. I was walking by a bicycle that was set up for long distance travel and getting some ideas when I heard someone call my name. There were 4 people sitting at an outside cafe. Packrat was the one that knew me from the trail. He had hiked around Chief and Mailar last year. Dave, the owner of the bicycle was also there. I sat down and spent about an hour talking to them. I got a few pointers from Dave about riding a bike across the country. I spent the rest of the morning walking around and when I would run into friends, we would talk a while before I walked somemore. At 1pm, the presentation on the Newfoundland part of the International Appalachian Trail was given and I attended that. Yep, 90% sure I'm going to start walking at Springer Mountain in Georgia next year and end on the north shore of Newfoundland. That would make a nice 3500 mile walk. Amoeba, Miss Janet and Kaitlyn were there. We organized our plans to fit everyone. Amoeba is dropping me off in Maine tomorrow to pick up my truck from Frogcaller and Lew. The truck has been at their cabin in Maine all summer. Then after lunch, I'll drive back and pick up Miss Janet and Kaitlyn at Baltimore Jack's place, then head back for Erwin, Tn. That's where I'll leave my truck until I finish the last 370 miles of the trail this year. It's amazing how everything trail related always works out if you don't try to force it...except the times when friends like Moosie leave you in the pouring rain. I finally started feeling better after the horrible, horrible night I had after my good friend Moosie left me stranded in the hurricane like conditions of heavy, heavy, torrential rain last night. (Hey Moosie, feelin' bad yet?? Ha!!) ;-))) Amoeba and I headed for Maine. I had eaten at J's when I hiked through Gorham, NH earlier this year and it was so good that I suggested we eat there again today. They didn't let me down. We both had another good meal. Looks like I'll have great weather to resume my hike in a few days. I should be completely dried out by then from when Moosie made me stay in the downpour last night.
Date: 2005-10-11
To: Erwin, TN (Carver's Gap, TN on the trail)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero miles todayMiss Janet'sErwin, TnCarver's Gap, Tn on the trail Ohhhhh, it was a long night. Miss Janet, Kaitlyn and I ended up driving all night. Well, Kaitlyn got in the back of the truck and slept all night, but Miss Janet stayed up most of the night and kept me company while I drove. I got tired just before sunrise and Miss Janet drove for about an hour, then I took over driving again until we were about 40 miles from Tn. I was getting really tired so Miss Janet drove the rest of the way to her house while I slept in the back seat. That last hour went by real fast for me. :-))) We pulled into Miss Janet's about noon. Kaitlyn was funny because she was so excited to be back in Erwin. Everything at the house looked to be in good shape, so I went out in the back of my truck and slept very soundly for 2 hours. When I woke up, there was a car that had pulled in right behind me. I never heard it or the doors. I went in the house to see who it was and saw Sly and Hickory. It was good seeing Sly again and this was the first time I ever met Hickory. I think they said they were just getting back from hiking the JMT, but my mind still wasn't funtioning at 100%....well, I guess it never functions at 100%, but it wasn't even up to it's normal 78%. :-))) I couldn't find my bounce box at the house, so I walked over to the PO and checked. They had mistakening kept it there even though it was addressed to Miss Janet's house. I was just glad to get it back. Sly and Hickory left and Miss Janet and I went out to eat. When I got back to the house, I was so tired that I only wrote a small part of my journal from 2 days ago before I fell asleep.
Date: 2005-10-16
From: 3 miles n of Sam's Gap, Tn.

To: 3 miles s of Little Laurel Shelter, Tn.
Miles today: 29.6
Weather: clear sky

29.6 miles todayStealth tenting3 miles s of Little Laurel Shelter, Tn It got cool out last night. It felt great sleeping with temperatures in the 30's. I woke up at 6:30 and made my coffee and ate a couple fried pies.It was nice having Starbuck's again after trying a couple other brands out. It took me a little longer to get packed this morning. It felt so good in my sleeping bag that I didn't want to get out. I finally started walking at 7:40am. It didn't take long to get to Sam's Gap where I had stashed some food the other day. I sat down and went through everything. Once again I bought too much for the short distance to Hot Springs. Oh well, I should put some weight on by the time I get there. :-))) I hiked on after about a 15 minute break. I walked by Hogback Ridge Shelter without stopping. This section of trail has alot of small ups and downs, moestly 100 o 500 foot bumps. The biggest climb I had today was about 1500 feet. I got to Devil's Fork Gap and sat down on a stile that was in the sun and ate a big lunch. I almost never stop to eat, but I made a couple salami and cheese sandwiches and ate some canned peaches and drank a coke. That lunch probably weighed 3 pounds with the soda. After about 35 minutes, I hiked on. I stopped at Flint Mountain Shelter and signed the register and filled up with water. There was a note that said there was no water for the next 12 miles. I passed by the Sheldon graves, climbed up to Big Butt Mountain and on to Jerry Cabin Shelter were I stopped just long enough to sign the register. The spring was dry there. I had some ridge walking, then walked by some cliffs and on to Little Laurel Shelter. I checked to see if there was a register, but there wasn't one. I walked down and tanked up on water and filled two water bottles at the nice spring and then hiked on. I planned to only go a mile or so because it was late in the day. I found one flat spot, but I guess I'm too picky. It wasn't soft enough, so I hiked on. It got dark and I still hadn't found a spot. I didn't plan on walking after the sun went down, but I had to keep going until I found a tent site. About 3 miles past the shelter, I found what I was looking for. It was stuck back in under some low branches of some trees, but it was extra soft. I'm still at 5 leaves in that leaf catching game that I'm NOT playing. I guess there was so much wind yesterday that most of the leaves that were ready to fall, did...not that I was looking for any falling leaves. :-)))
Date: 2005-11-08
To: Florida
Miles today: 0.0

I know that everyone thinks I'm long winded, so just to prove you wrong, this will be a short entry. I wanted to let you know that I was able to load some photos on this journal for the last month of my hike and will post the photos from the middle of the hike as soon as I get my mail with my camera chip in it. I will still do one more entry listing and talking about my gear. Don't expect too much from that because I use what works for me and in most cases, it's different that what most of my friends use. I hope to have that up by the end of the week.
Date: 2004-02-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello everyone, My name is Taylor Wyatt. I'm 20 years old and I live in Marietta, GA, right outside Atlanta. I haven't yet been given a trail name, but soon I will. I will begin my thru-hike of the AT on March 7, only 8 days away... I'm trying to get my first 3 journals done so everyone can read about me while I'm on the trail. I am currently in the preparation stage of the trip, I have all my equipment minus a pair of Leki poles which I recently decided I need and also a heat blanket for those first couple months. I've been doing my training for the trail on Kennesaw Mountain in Kennesaw, GA. While I was hiking the other day I met a guy named Jim Rainbow, he had a pair of Leki poles and when I felt how much more light and comforatble they were then my pair of poles I decided I needed some. Traffic getting back from hiking was terrible, I can't wait to get away from traffic and driving in general. I spent almost as much time on the road getting to Kennesaw as I did hiking. 8 More Days... My website is www.hikerguys.com
Date: 2005-02-28
To: Dehydrate
Miles today: 0.0

Almost all the food I'm going to be eating along the way to Maine was made using a dehydrator. My wonderful mom has slaved over that dehydrator many nights making me all sorts of delicious meals. Mom - Thank You - I Love You So Much! The dehydrator we use is an Excalibur and you can buy them at www.excaliburdehydrator.com, It works very well and has a timer feature which is very helpful. A Lot of the recipes that my Mom used came from a book called "Backpacker's Gourmet", it can be purchased on Amazon - Here's the site - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0811726347/qid=1109629968/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3287978-9931062?v=glance&s=books&n=507846. This book is full of really good recipies, I haven't tried all the meals my mom has made but the french country potatoes are definitely one of my favorites. The dehydrator is also great for beef jerky and dried fruits, pineapple and cherries are my favorites. 7 More Days...
Date: 2005-03-01
To: Less Than a Week...
Miles today: 0.0

Hey Everyone,          I woke up this morning to go hiking and I looked out the window to see snow falling. I was very suprised but also excited because I knew it would be a great day to test out some of my cold weather gear. I filled my pack, suited up and grabbed the digital camera to get some pictures of the snow. When I reached Kennesaw the wind was really picking up so I pulled my hood up and I was fine. I only saw one other person on the trail today which was nice compared to the dozen or so people I usually run into. After hiking about 15 minutes snow flurries began again and It made the trail much prettier than usual. I took a few pictures today from atop little Kennesaw, they are in the photo section. Only 6 days to go...