morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-02-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

               Watch out for the Ice, the wet logs, and the leaf covered roots. These things will ruin your day, or maybe your entire hike. Just when you least expect it and you are relaxed BAM one step and down you go. Its not the rocks, the blow downs or the things you can see.   It's the little things that get you. Thats what happened to my son Chad aka [Bull]. He stepped on a little ice and just that little twist of the knee and that was the start of the end of his hike. He got a ride about 100 miles up the trail, from Greasy Creek gap to Damascus. I continued hiking and met up with him 6 days later. He gave it a go, and was doing ok. Chad made it another 3 days and stepped on a wet rock in Grayson highlands and his day and hike was over.                   Yesterday was an off day for me. Had to have a test done on my heart, i think my doc just wants to make sure everything is healing OK. Tomorrow i am going to do at least 10 miles with a light pack on.And i will try to take Tugboat and see if he is better. Some snow storm we had {1.5" } hardly the 6-8 they predicted, and the rest of the week the temps are in the 40s.                   LATA..........................Southside
Date: 2010-02-18
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Miles today: 0.0

                  Fifty two days and it's off to the trail. 7 miles yesterday; i was hoping to get in at least 10 but it did not happen. i am trying to be smart about how many miles i put in. I truly believe that you only have so many days of hiking in you. I did that 12 -15 mile training hikes with 40 lb packs. And yes i was in great hiking shape to start: but i think i or better yet my body ran out of gas. So now if i feel something not quite right i slow down or take the day off.                      LATA...........................Southside
Date: 2010-02-20
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Miles today: 0.0

                  Thursday i went for a 8 mile hike up at Mount Tom Trail. Most of the hiking was over snow covered trails, some ice and a few places where the trail was clear and dry. Had Tugboat with me and although we did not hear a gun shot he still was very tentative. But we continued on and did the hike in 2.5 hrs.                   Friday it was back to the gym. Walked for 4 miles in 1.25 hrs and had the treadmill set at 10% grade for most of the walk. Then i had yoga class for 1 hr. I then went to Providence for a deposition, on a lawsuit that i have absolutely nothing to do with. Hopefully its over with now.                  LATA......................Southside
Date: 2010-02-21
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Miles today: 0.0

                        Well: my back is feeling pretty good, my heart rate is starting to stabilize and for the first time in 5 months i felt like i could walk all day. Started my hike yesterday at Shelter Trail. When i reached Penny Hill i did 2 loops or about 1.5 extra miles. This hill has two really nice ups and downs and intersects with Breakheart trail. So combining the two gave me 11miles for the day in a little under 4hrs.                            Sunday i will try to at least get in 10 miles. I am starting to see more & more wildlife, Yesterday i saw at least a dozen robins and alot of grey and red squirrels. The deer i see all winter but its a nice sign that spring is on the way. Cant believe i did not see one person on the trail yesterday, Almost 50 degrees and bright sun shine. I hope i get the same conditions tomorrow. Happy trails.                           LATA.......................Southside
Date: 2010-02-22
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Miles today: 0.0

                        Over the the last 2 days i have hiked 21 miles a new 2010 two day best. Plus all of the miles were on the trail. I said yesterday that i have been seeing more wild life, well sunday was awesome. For the first time i saw an Owl, big too it few within 10 feet of me. It must have come in for a kill because it still had it in its talons. The only thing i can think of is i walked up on it right after it grabbed it, It looked liked a chipmunk or a small squirrel. I have seen a lot of wildlife in RI. But that was a first.                        Monday i will be off to Vermont for a snowshoeing trip. Going with tugboat and Pam hoping to get in at least 10 miles a day. We will probably try our hand at cross country skiing also. I will let you know how that goes. O yea we may get up to 36" of new snow over the next 5 days. Yesssssssss.                           LATA...............................Southside
Date: 2010-02-23
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Miles today: 0.0

Pam and i went to the gym on Monday, figuring we would get in a couple of hours of exercise. I did 3 miles on the tread mill and then had nutrition class. WE hit the road at 9:00 am and drove the 230 miles up to Vermont. Hardly saw a car on the road and we just took our time getting here.                                 We got to Rutland and were early so we had lunch at Gills Sub sandwich shop. Great little place with giant sandwiches. Then we finished driving to The Mountain Top Inn checked in and drove up to our cabin. After moving in enough stuff to live on for a month we went up to the activity center. The guide said that we should go and get our snow shoes that the weather was going to turn south and they are expecting a lot of snow. So we went on a 2 mile snowshoe hike. i will up date more tomorrow.                                  LATA............................Southside
Date: 2010-02-24
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Miles today: 0.0

What a place! We came up to the Mountain Top Inn to celebrate our 31st anniversary. Tuesday we got up and headed to the lodge and had a hearty breakfast. Got our snow shoes on (including Tug) and went out for a hike. The weather was overcast, light snow with a light breeze. We hiked for 2.5 hours doing about 5 miles on groomed trails. The trails are rolling with some descent ascends and we were able to use our new MSR Denali snow shoes with the heel bracket feature for ascending. The feature is excellent and really does make a difference. Great trails, beautiful views and hiking with my two best friends. Made for the perfect day.       See added photos       LATA .................Southside
Date: 2010-02-25
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Miles today: 0.0

                        30 Inches of snow and its still coming down. Did not know how our snowshoes would perform, but we were pleasantly surprised at their efficiency. All of the ascends were made easier and the traction is tremendous. much better than my old Tubs. All of the trees and mountains are buried in a sea of white. Which made the quiet almost defening, the only sound we heard all day was the crunching of our snowshoes in this wonderful setting.                        When we got back we made lunch in our cabin and watched tv. Then at 5:00 pm we went up to the activity center to go on a sleigh ride. Two 1800 lb Clydesdale's pulling a 1500 lb sleigh met us there. And into the snow we went. It almost seemed like they were pulling a small sled, the power they have is incredible. With a simple click of the tongue Brian the driver could make them jump into high gear. Almost scary the way they can go. It was truly a pleasure to see Mike and Pat [the horses] and Brian the driver work together. Tomorrow is our last day and i hope the weather holds up, its supposed to rain.                           Happy 31st to my wife Pam, love is like the snow it just keeps getting deeper.                           LATA...........................Southside
Date: 2010-02-26
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Miles today: 0.0

                              This storm just battered us up in Vermont 24"-30" of snow Tues thru Weds. Then it turned to rain with very high winds. What a soaker, as Forest Gump would say the rain came in sideways & there was little stinging rain and big fat rain and rain mixed with snow. The weather man said some gusts hit 70mph. Around 11:00 pm the power went out and did not come back on, and we pulled out at 7:30 am. Overall i would say that Pam and I had a great time up in Vermont.                              45 days until my departure date. I am feeling pretty good after this weekend and i hope my training continues on this current pace. You know your doing something right when you get aches and pain and the only way they go away is to continue to work harder. Maybe a trip up to Mount Monadnock it has a nice climb up to the summit, maybe with my friends Dave & Squire. Well on we go into the great unknown.                              LATA...........................Southside
Date: 2010-02-27
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Miles today: 0.0

                           Yesterday was an off day for me. I talked to my brother and he received the backpack i sent him. A Granite Gear, fully loaded it should weigh in at 25-27lbs with food & water. Scot my brother is training to do the first 110 miles with me in April. He is doing 10- 15 mile hikes on the weekends. and smaller walks during the week.                            We are planing to meet up in Harpers Ferry then drive to Duncannon. We will stay the night and then somebody will shuttle us back to Harpers Ferry. Scot and i will check in at 9:00am on Monday the 12th. at the ATC and hopefully we will be on the trail by 10:00am. going north. I think the 110 miles will take us 8-9 days. I cant wait: the last time i camped with my younger brother he was 15 years old. My mother had just passed away so i took Scot on a motorcycle trip. We rode the United States east of the mississippi. We started from Chicago and road into every state but one> we never made it into Maine. Maybe if i make it to Katahdin i can rent a bike and ride back to RI. Now that would be a great end to a great adventure.                           The storm that dumped all that snow in most of the north east only hit RI with rain. 5" of rain but still only rain. Tomorrow i am going to try a 15 mile hike with 15 pounds on my back. For march i will start to ramp up the miles and weight until i hit 16 miles with 27lbs on my back. I will only do that at the end of the month and only once or twice. For those of you who are starting in the next couple of weeks GOOD LUCK.                           LATA............................Southside
Date: 2010-02-28
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Miles today: 0.0

                           Hit the trail at 8:30am. For the most part Mount Tom trail was in pretty good shape. The rivers had receded and there was only a couple of places where the water was still running over the trail. Lots of branches and small blow downs but nothing to bad. I think the weather kept everybody else away because there was nobody else out there. Moved at a good pace doing 11-12 mile in 3hrs 45mins. I felt really good while i was walking. The only thing, i still tightened up on the ride home i quess thats going to happen.                           As i walked i thought of some of the hostels i stayed at. Uncle Johnnys was one that really helped me out alot. There had been days of rain and i just needed a break from it. So i stayed for 2 nights, Johnny took me into town every night for dinner, the library, or resupply And he drove me to the trail two days in a row. I also liked that i could rent a small cabin: i believe it only cost me 25 a night. It was definitely one of my favorites. You can also rent a bunk for 15 a night and it comes with a great shower and laundry is only a 1 dollar.                            It looks like the weather has finally turned for the better at Springer. Good luck on your starts.                              LATA.........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-01
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Miles today: 0.0

                           Two good days in a row: 11 miles on sat. and 12 on sunday. Sunday was a weird day, it was a hike of two trails. The first was Shelter Trail, dry, and all of the rivers had receded and not a soul in sight. The second half for some reason had a dusting to 1" of snow on it. That was on Breakheart Trail. Also i passed at least 20 trail bikers [maybe a club] and a couple out for the day.                            It is going to warm up a little here in RI over the next week. I have only one thing left to do, and that is finalize the transportation from Duncanon PA. to Harpers Ferry. My new boots feel great and my new Leki hiking poles seem to be working quiet nice. All is good in the world> on we go.                           LATA......................Southside
Date: 2010-03-02
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Miles today: 0.0

                           Nice day yesterday 4 miles at the gym and 6 miles on the trail.      Look out more snow is hitting the south AT, holy crap when is it going to end down there?   I am so glad i am starting in April, i know its way north but maybe by then it will dry out and warm up a little bit.                               LATA............................Southside
Date: 2010-03-03
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Miles today: 0.0

                              Hiked in a t shirt yesterday, at least for a little while. Tomorrow they are calling for a mix of rain/snow and friday not much better. AAAAAAhhhh but then 45- 52 for 5 days straight! Now i can start working up a sweat. Hiked a total of 12 miles and the nice thing is i did them with Tugboat. We didnt hear a gun shot so Tug and i had a great hike.                              Met up with Chestnut near Penny hill and he was out doing an 18 mile day. His departure date is sometime in mid March. i hope the weather breaks for him and all of the other hikers.                              LATA....................Southside
Date: 2010-03-04
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Miles today: 0.0

                              Kind of had an off day: only walked at 4 mph for one hour. This weather is crazy, rained with a mix of snow all day. I know that this crap is going to change this weekend. While sitting and watching TV i felt something on my foot. I looked down and it's a deer tick, dirty little bastards. Mosquitos, ticks, blackflys i have treated all of my hiking clothes with permethrin, its the same chemical found in buzz off clothes. Maybe thats why the tick was not attached when i saw it. Hoping that this treatment helps in the fight against my little freinds.                                 LATA........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-05
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Miles today: 0.0

                              Going over Blood Mountain in 2008 was torture. Solid ice with a light rain coming down, it seemed like it took hours to traverse and heaven when we reached Neels Gap. Bull and i stayed the night in a cabin shared with three other hikers. There were no bunks available when we got there. So we split the cost with Whitefish, Snake, and Jeremiah Johnson. Nobody had more fun on that trail than those three.             In 2009 i was pretty much ahead of most hikers so when i got to Blood i was on my own. No problem: bright sun warm temp and a dry trail so the nightmare from the past year was a dream in 09. The only thing that remained the same were the blisters on my Heels.                               In 2008 the people at Neels Gap did a shake down on my pack. They reduced the weight from 36-32 pounds. Doesn't sound like much but i could tell the difference immediately. They also gave me a foot spa with salts which dried up the blisters. [Highly recommended] The UGA students were there doing a barbecue: hamburgers, hot dogs, soda and chips. My first encounter with Trail Angels. To say the least i like Neels Gap.                              My first 14 mile day yesterday and did it with Tugboat in a little over 4 hours. Starting to feel really good out there.                              LATA..........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-06
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Miles today: 0.0

                  Started the day with a trip to the dentist. My permanent bridge was put in and right after they did a cleaning. Painfull thats all i can say, who the hell would sign up to be a hygienist. I said afterwards that you must be a sadist and she said no its actually a masochist, at least she had a sense of humer.                  When i finally got home it started to clear up and warm up. So i grabbed Tug and drove to the trail. Glad i did we saw 4 dogs, all being trained by their owners. And a boy scout troop going out for the weekend on a camping trip. Tug just loved it: this was one of his best hikes this year. Only had time for a 10 miler and we completed it in just 3 hours. This weekend its going to be in the 50s and bright sun.YES so on we go.                  LATA........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-07
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Miles today: 0.0

                     Its all about having Fun! if only you can get past the pain, the bugs, poison ivy, blisters, the smell of your self,ETC. But then you have the great trail angels, new friends, a sky that hurts your eyes its so bright and blue. Just when you crest a ridge and you catch a sunset that stops you in your tracks and you know that this is where camp will be tonight. A blistering hot hard day of hiking on rocks, and you come to a water fall. You strip down and letting it pound down on you taking the worst day & turning it into: ahhhh that wasn't so bad kind of a day. I guess its all in how you look at it, some times your the nail and sometimes your the hammer.                  Yesterday was another 11 mile day and another day for seeing dogs. Three; and one looked like a shetland pony, he must have weighed 150lbs. He was giving his owner one hell of a work out. Tug ran right up to him with me running after him, when that big boy stood up Tug turned and slowly walked right back; pretty funny. We gave him a wide birth, that was the biggest German shepard i have ever seen.                  LATA...........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-08
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Miles today: 0.0

                           My youngest son Chris who now lives in Florida told me of a person he had a conversation with A mister Vin Gormley. He is a gentleman who worked almost single handedly and endlessly maintaining this new trail that Pam and i just hiked. It is also named after him, what a nice tribute to him.                              55 Degrees, Pam and i walked in shorts and t shirts. And tug just walked in a fur coat. We did a total of 8 miles in 3 hours and other than a 40 min drive it was worth it. Here comes the nice weather.                              LATA...........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-09
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Miles today: 0.0

                     Iam 55 years old, have raised 2 wonderful sons [best friends] both who played in most sports. And are fairly successful in all stages of their lives. I have watched them struggle with trying to hold on to jobs, and or get new jobs. Two years ago my oldest son quit his job as purchasing agent, sold his house and car. All to hike the AT with me in 2008. He made it 400 miles before hurting his knee in VA, he went home to try and rehab it but to this day its just not 100%. He is going to be one of my support team and weather man when i hit the trail this year.                      Monday was hit the gym and start to knock out my honey do list day. The first thing i did was pull up my front walk and tomorrow i will buy the pavers to replace it. I only have 5 weeks to go before start day and for the first time this year i feel under the gun. Now i need to get my head straight and put things in priority order. Its amazing how good you feel when all the stars line up and you feel a calm coming over you. I had alot of that last year and i will this year too.                     LATA.......................Southside
Date: 2010-03-10
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Miles today: 0.0

                           Pulled up the front walk on monday after the gym. Picked up a pallet of paver bricks and installed them on tuesday. Figured i would start on the biggest of my honey do list. First day in 20 i did no walking, gym or hiking. My list is not to long so weds. i pick up the training where i left off.                           LATA.........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-11
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Miles today: 0.0

                        Weds i had a pretty good day, started at the gym with a 4 mile walk in 1 hour. Then i went home picked up tugboat and off to the Shelter trail we went. Three days in a row with temps in the 50s and bright sun, so what could be better than that. Well ill tell ya i met up with Chestnut about half way through my ten mile hike. And we hiked together the rest of the day. Its amazing how fast the time goes when your hiking and talking. So with the gym and the miles hiking i did a total of 13-14 miles.                        Thursday the rain is coming in and i hope i can get in at least 10 miles before it does. Once it starts its going to stay locked in on us for the next 4 days So i guess its off to the gym and thats OK with me.                           LATA...........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-12
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Miles today: 0.0

                        November 4th i had heart surgery to replace my aorta, which had a 5. cent. aneurysm. 5 weeks ago my sister was diagnosed with a 4.7 aneurysm. She is scheduled for surgery on the 17th of march. I fly out to the Mayo clinic in Minn. to be with her. Now when i walk all i think about is her and the surgery, she is plenty scared. She is also a very strong woman who has a loving family that all live right near her.                         I walked the shelter trail thursday, a little rain and a cloudy sky but the trail was in pretty good shape. Did about a 10 mile sprint in 3 hours, felt good, tired but good. The rain is here and its going to stay untill monday. So i will just go to the gym or maybe just do a short hike in the rain to test out my rain gear. I also heard that the SNP is still impassable so i hope the hikers will use their better judgement before they give it a go. To all out there be safe.                     LATA..........................Southside
Date: 2010-03-13
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Miles today: 0.0

                        Friday was a great day, the storm slowed coming up the east coast. That gave me the whole day to go to the gym, and try to get in at least 8 miles on the trail. I was able to do both. 5 miles at the gym and then a 10 mile hike in arcadia state park. Both combined this years best total for a day.                        So for the remainder of my time at home 28 days i have 2 trips planned 7 days in minn. and 6 days in florida. This leaves 15 days to complete my honey do list, train and make sure everything is set for this years hike. My wife who is my support team has indicated that this is my make or break year. I wish i had as much confidence in me as she does. I do know one thing: when i do finish this trail there are a lot more to hike in this great country. If not as a thru at least as a section hike.                        Oh yea friday as i was walking two Turkey Vultures exploded out of a large pine tree. I see them all the time, dozens of them but never that close. When the second one came out of the tree he flapped a couple of times and then he rode the air currents. I wish i could do anything as effortlessly as they do fly,                         LATA...............................Southside