morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA

To: Lick Creek
Miles today: 17.0

Cell none.I slept great in the motel last night. Sue noticed how tired I looked and I guess it finally cought up to me. I had a peacful day yesterday, I even fell asleep for a half hour. I guess that was the winding down I needed to be at peace to sleep.I didn't rush to get out this morning as I was comfortable and I figured I had time to make the miles I wanted. I left the motel a little after 8am and went over to the truck stop next door. I bought a sausage/egg/biscuit [microwave] and a coke. I ate them and was out hiking at 8:25. The first thing I did was go under route I81 - that is a highway that passes close to home in New York.Hiking went well, and by the time I reached the first shelter there was somebody still there - "Crake." I stopped to use the privy, and by the time I was done, he was gone. I never saw him again.I continued on, and around 11:30 I came upon a campsite next to a stream. There I saw Lunch Box and Park Bench - they were packing up to head out for the day. They told me they stopped there at midnight. They also said they like night hiking and cowboy camping. They call sleeping under the stars in their sleeping bag cowboy camping. I saw them twice more when they stopped to take a break.I reached the shelter I was heading for early and decided to continue. I found a nice camping spot next to Lick Creek. I purified water with my pump filter, cooked dinner, and hung up my food in a tree. While I was purifying water another hiker went by ("Cosmic Punchline"). He said he was going a little farther before he stops. So here I am camping in this nice spot alone. I don't think I've ever camped alone before. A few nights ago it was just Sue and me alone together, now it's just me. I'm fine with it, I've taken all the precautions with the smellables and the site is clean. I'm a mile from any road and in a nice location. I hear the water in the stream and that should lull me to sleep. Oops, it's getting dark now and I just heard a bullfrog, I hope they are not too loud.This site is closer to where Die Hard is, but I won't be reaching him any time soon. I read in the shelter register he stayed at the one I passed last night. He's probably 15 miles ahead, and with the shelter spacing that is a lot to make up. I'll probably be tenting in between shelters to get into a different spacing sequence than him.Goodnight.Old Goat- Click picture to see full size- Click picture to see full size
Date: 2006-05-02
To: Admin Note - Running Update
Miles today: 0.0

This page is a running update. It will be the start page for www.trailjournals.com/chipsadventure and will give you all notice when I post new entries. Keep in mind his public journal is usually a day or two behind his actual progress.Enjoy!--ChrisSue's Note: Chris has been extremely busy, so he hasn't been able to keep this page up to date. If the updated date Chris lists below hasn't changed in a while, check the "List" and go to the bottom to see if there are any new entries. For example, as of ****08/05/06****, the Journal entries have been entered to ****08/04/06****. Also, as of 08/05/06, there are 234 photos, but only 198 are attached to Journal entries. To see all photos, click on "photos" on the left and then the drop down arrow to select what photo you want to look at.Posted 6/30/20066/29/20066/28/20066/27/20066/26/20066/25/2006Posted 6/26/20066/24/20066/23/20066/22/2006Posted 6/24/20066/21/20066/20/20066/19/2006Posted 6/18/20066/18/20066/17/20066/16/20066/15/20066/14/20066/13/20066/12/20066/11/2006Posted 6/13/20066/10/2006Posted 6/11/20066/9/20066/8/20066/7/20066/6/20066/5/20066/4/20066/3/20066/2/20066/1/20065/31/20065/30/20065/29/2006Posted 5/31/20065/28/20065/27/20065/26/20065/25/20065/24/20065/24/2006 - Chris' Entry5/23/2006 - Chris' Entry5/22/2006 - Chris' Entry5/21/2006 - Chris' Entry5/20/2006 - Chris' Entry5/19/2006 - Chris' EntryI also added Notes on this pageabout 5/8 - 5/28They've been in hereI just did not updatethis page until now.Posted 5/26/20065/23/20065/22/20065/21/20065/20/2006Posted 5/22/20065/19/20065/18/20065/17/2006Posted 5/20/20065/16/20065/15/20065/14/2006Posted 5/14/20065/13/20065/12/20065/11/2006Posted 5/13/20065/10/20065/9/2006Posted 5/10/20065/8/20065/7/20065/6/2006Posted 5/9/20065/5/20065/4/20065/3/20065/2/20065/1/20064/30/20064/29/20064/26/2006 - Sue's Entry4/25/2006 - Sue's EntryPosted 5/2/20064/28/20064/27/20064/26/20064/25/20064/24/20064/23/20064/22/2006Posted 4/28/20064/21/20064/20/2006Posted 4/25/20064/19/20064/18/2006Posted 4/24/20064/17/20064/16/2006PHOTOS POSTEDUpdate #3 - Posted 6/1/200662 New Photos!!Update #2 - Posted 5/12/200690 New Photos!!Update #1 - Posted 4/20/200646 Photos!!
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Lick Creek

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: 0

Cell noneWell I survived being alone in the woods. I slept fairly well and all was quiet. I mentioned I thought I heard a bull frog. I didn't hear it again - if it had been one it would have made noise all night. I did hear a similar noise a few times later, I think it might have been a passing hummingbird.It was quite cold this morning and I had trouble getting going. I didn't do too bad as I left the site at 7:40am. The hiking went well and the sun was rising, warming things up. I passed a few southbounders, we exchanged small talk and moved on.Today had one heck of a hill to climb right away. Near the top there was a grassy field with a steep incline. Right after I was in the open I noticed three hikers behind me. I kept looking back and they kept getting closer. They soon passed me and went out of sight. When I reached the top there was the Chestnut Knob Shelter. I went in and the three hikers were there taking a lunch break. I sat down and did the same. Our conversation was about where we started from today and when we started our hike. This crew started April 1st - with their speed, I can see why they are 16 days ahead of my pace!They soon left and I called Sue. I was up high on a bald mountain and the signal was strong. We had short conversation and then I moved on.I was planning on going further, the map showed a downhill trend so I figured it would be easy. I was wrong about that! The trail went around many rocks and was more difficult than I expected. By the time I got here I was glad to stop. Hopefully tomorrow will go better than today.Tomorrow there is an authorized Blue Blaze. That means I'll be taking a side trail instead of the AT. There is a bridge out ahead and there are signs telling us to take the high water Blue Blaze. Side trails are blazed with Blue markings, which are not official AT blazes. They lead us to water, shelters, and around dangerous situations. Tomorrow's detour is for the dangerous situation.I hit my first low today. I wanted to make up miles on Die Hard but I had to fall short. Also from being alone last night and only havng a few short conversations, I was a little bummed out. All in all that passed when I got to the shelter and started talking to people.I need to focus on what I can achieve in a day and not what I want to do. The miles will come and all will work out.It's raining out and I'm in my tent at 7:30pm. I hear thunder in a distance, so I guess it will last for a while. I have a book to read and the evening should fly by.Old Goat
Date: 2006-05-04
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Docs Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: 0

I found a note from Die Hard in one of the shelter registers. He told me where he would be staying the next few days and it said he would be here tonight. I set my stratagy to make it here tonight and join back up with him.I started the day by getting up at 6:00am. I packed up and got going by 7:00am. The hiking went well, as it was mostly downhill at first. I then reached a real nice suspension bridge for hikers over the Kiimberling Creek. When I reached the other side, I met a South bound hiker named Boy Floyd. He informed me if I took a left turn and hiked a quarter mile at the road coming up I would reach a convenience store with real food. I did follow his directions and was rewarded with a double cheeseburger, Pepsi, Powerage, and a Klondike bar. That little refueling gave me a lot of strenth to hike on when I returned to hiking. It was an uphill hike along the banks of the Dismal Creek. At one point I realized all my socks were dirty, the sun was out, and the afternoon was beautiful. I took a long break and took my boots off. I put on my clog sandles and walked into the water. I washed my socks and cooled my feet during this break. I then rung out as much water as I could and pinned the socks to the back of my pack. Now as I was hiking the socks were in the sunshine and bouncing on the pack. When I reached the shelter, the liner socks were dry and the wool socks almost dry.As I hiked, the terrain became more difficult. Right after I passed Wapiti Shelter the trail started a steep uphill climb. The climb went on for a long time, then leveled off. It soon started a roller coaster of ups and downs the rest of the way. Near the end, the terrain became very rocky. Walking on rocks is extremely difficult - you must constantly change foot position, and the height of your step.When I reached the shelter at 7:30pm there was a message from Die Hard that he had to move on to find a level spot to set up his tent. The reason for this was because we were still in rocky terrain at the shelter. I was so exhausted, and I didn't know how much further he would have to go, so I decided to stay there at the shelter.I ate 6 Orios cookies, drank some water, and got my sleeping gear out. I then went to bed. I had covered 23 miles and hiked about 12 hours today. With all that effort it was dissapointing to not be back with Die Hard. Old Goat - Click picture to see full size- Click picture to see full size
Date: 2006-05-05
From: Docs Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA, Rendezvous Hotel
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: 0

Cell poor at motel, okay in town.Today I awoke at 6:00am and was hiking by 7:00am. I had more strength this morning and I'm ready to find Die Hard. I started out down the trail, and about a quarter mile from the shelter I saw a tent and heard my name. It was Lunchbox and Parkbench, aka Chris and Andy. They informed me that Die Hard was camped there last night and he had left there about five minutes before. I stepped up my pace and tried to catch him. It took me two hours, and an overlook that he stopped at and I didn't, to catch him. We arrived in town together and got the last room in the motel. We are here today and tonight doing town chores and preparing to hit the trail in the morning.I think the trail Gods are watching out for us because it's raining today. I guess if it's going to rain while we are out here, it is nice to have it happen when we are in town. We did get a little wet walking back from dinner, but we're back in a warm room and safe.A number of songs went through my head today and I can't remember which ones they were, more will come tomorrow.That's all I have for now. Goodnight. Old Goat
Date: 2006-05-07
From: Campsite under Oak Tree

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: 0

Cell none.The day started off with a beautiful sunrise; the bright red sun came over the mountain to the east and radiated on the clouds. But as the saying goes "Red sky in the morning sailor take warning."It started to sprinkle as we packed up, so we hurried not to pack wet tents. The rain was gentle most of the morning but it was steady. We reached the next shelter where we ate lunch and got water from a stream. A short distance from the shelter we reached a road at Stony Creek Valley. At the junction, we saw a sign explaining the bridge ahead had been washed out and the alternate was to walk a mile and a half on the road. Diehard and I decided we didn't want to ford the stream and get wet, so we walked the road. Walking the road is called yellow blazing, named for the yellow lines in the middle of the road, so now we've yellow blazed too.As we were walking down the road, the rain got much heavier and we became drenched. While you're walking, you stay pretty warm, especially if you're hiking uphill, which we were. When we arrived at the shelter, we needed to get warm fast. We changed into dry clothes and got into the warmest piece of equipment we have, our sleeping bags. Now this is 2:00pm and we're trying to keep warm!I forgot to mention we have switched over to our summer gear already. My sleeping bag barely did the job. I was able to stay just warm enough not to shiver. I had to be careful how I moved in the bag all night or I'd get cold. I survived the night and I'm alright, as I said I did stay warm.One thought - thank you to the person who left soda and goodies at the VA635 trailhead to Bailey Gap.Old Goat
Date: 2006-05-08
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: 0

Cell none.I awoke from a long night of trying to stay warm. I did pretty well, but I had to stay fairly still to keep myself warm. Although I have my summer sleeping bag, I still have my silk sleeping bag liner and my long johns. By using all three I was okay. One trick I used was to put my Themarest inside the sleeping bag. It retained the heat and it was in my caccoon.When I awoke we got dressed and packed in a hurry. We wanted to get hiking quickly to generate body heat. Our plan worked, witin minutes I was warm.Sometime during the hike I slipped on a rock and banged my left knee. I'm hoping it will not develop into a problem down the road. Tonight I noticed a cut on the knee, so it took a pretty good shot.Other than the knee shot, the hiking went well for me. Diehard is having knee pains from a hit he took a while back. He borrowed a knee brace from Gotta Go and is going to give it a try.We didn't see any rain today, but the clouds are still around and there is a chill in the air. The temperature isn't as cold as yesterday and I believe sleeping will be more comfortable. Old GoatSue's Note: Today was the first time Old Goat has had cell phone reception since 5/6. He explained what's been happening - shelters are most often built near a water source, and water flows downhill, so the shelters are usually in the low points of mountainous regions. Cell phone signals don't curve into and around the contours of mountains, so they don't reach the low points. When we don't talk in the evening, Old Goat checks for cell phone reception frequently throughout the day and calls if and when he finds it.Old Goat was talking with Little Engine and Gotta Go. When I met them it was neat to learn that they are the same ages as Old Goat and me. They've done Philmont, so have we...and listening to them talk about things they've done sounded so similar to our lives. Today Old Goat learned that Little Engine and Gotta Go were married on the exact same day we were, and in the same year!! I wonder what the odds are of these shared similarities and shared experiences? Amazing!
Date: 2006-05-09
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: 0

Cell none.We've been in a band of rainy weather for the last few days. We had a break in the evening yesterday and I was able to set up my tent. It seems like we were in a cloud during the night, as everything was very sticky this morning. The inside of my tent was full of condensation from my breath. It did rain a little durning the night. Whenever the rain hit the tent some of the condensation would break loose and hit me. I kept thinking the tent was leaking, but I don't think it was. When I got to this site this afternoon I had to air dry the tent before I could put it up. Fortunatly the weather is breaking and we had some sunshine this afternoon. It is still a bit cold, as the sun didn't shine until late afternoon, and there are plenty of wet leaves, trees, and rocks that are holding the cold.I'm fine and my spirits are still high. They were tested some during the wet and cold, but I knew that it wasn't going to last. No Pain, no rain, no Maine. If this were easy there wouldn't be so many quitting before they reach Maine.Each day is a little closer to reaching the goal at Katahdin. Each step is closer too.Old Goat- Click picture to see full size- Click picture to see full size Sue's Note: If my math is correct, Niday Shelter is 1/3 of the way through Virginia. With the AT being in VA the longest, it's nice to know Old Goat's 1/3 of the way through it! Pretty soon they'll be 1/3 of the way though the entire AT!!Old Goat told me it's been cold at night and he has times when he regrets having swapped out his winter sleeping bag for his summer bag. He's in better shape than others, however, as some have sent their sleeping bags home and just have a felt sheet to sleep under! They put on all their clothes to try and keep warm at night. Brrrr!
Date: 2006-05-10
From: Niday Shelter

To: Campsite near stream 689.5 mile
Miles today: 17.5

Cell none.Today's hiking was pretty nice. The day started out cloudy but ended up a sunny nice afternoon. We started by hiking downhill to the stream bed. The trail then started uphill for a 1,500 foot climb. The trail was well maintained and the switchbacks were comfortable. We hiked uphill for two straight hours with only two five minute breaks. I guess we do have our hiking legs in shape. When we reached the top we were treated to a smooth level former logging road. The hiking on it was very comfortable too.We then came across a memorial for Audie Murphy, the most decorated US soldier in World War II. Apparently he died on May 28, 1971 when a plane he was in crashed near where this memorial is. Today is only a few days short of the 35th anniversary of that event.From the memorial there was a lot more good hiking and a long downhill to another stream bed. We ate lunch there, filled up with water, and headed out. We started a new climb to a new destination called Dragons Tooth. The trail this time was not smooth and it required a lot of rock walking and climbing.I was ahead of Die Hard, and he was followed by a second group, Sanford and his stepfather, Tom, who's section hiking with him. I saw a rattlesnake on the trail about 8 feet ahead of me, it stopped me dead in my tracks. He was looking the other way when I got there, but soon coiled itself up and turned to look at us. We waited for the second group to arrive, showed them the snake, and then we walked around him by leaving the trail. We all believe the snake was about three feet long, not one to mess with!We arrived at Dragons Tooth, and soon found out we had a special surprise waiting for us. To continue on the AT we had to rock scramble out of there. At times we sat on our butts and slid, other times there were ladded rungs in the rocks. The hike down was difficult and challenging. We are camping near a stream tucked nicely away in a quiet valley. Sue told me the weather forcast for the next few days and it looks like we have some rainy weather still to come. I guess we are earning our stripes now - there is no easy way to get to Maine. We'll survive and the strong will go on.Goodnight. Old Goat Rattlesnake #1 - Click picture to see full size- Click picture to see full size
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Campsite near stream 689.5 mile

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: 0

Cell none.I expected it to rain last night, and I thought I heard rain hitting the tent, but it was pleasantly only a few drops. The air felt and looked like rain all morning, we were lucky and dodged the bullet. We were in the Catawba Mountain Shelter making lunch when the rain came. It poured very hard for about a half hour then stopped. We had decided to cook dinner for lunch, so I also had a handwarmer [holding them over the pot]. The rain had stopped by the time we ate and cleaned up. We started hiking expectng it to rain, we felt a few sprinkles but never got dumped on.The hiking today was really pretty good. We went over McAfee Knob, took our pictures with our feet hanging over the edge, then left. I've seen that pose so many times that I was really looking forward to doing it myself. We continued to hike on and we were met with a surprise when we went over Tinker Cliffs. The trail actually goes along the cliff - this is not a good section for someone who is afraid of heights. There were times I was looking straight down the cliff. To make it more interesting, the wind was blowing real hard. Fortunately it was blowing us towards the bushes, and not toward the cliff.We reached the shelter about 7:30pm and found 5 section hikers in it. The shelter is big enough to hold more, so they made room for us and we settled in.Sue tells me I have quite a following out there. Thank you for all the words of encouragement, I appreciate them. I'm glad you are enjoying reading about my adventure, I'm enjoying sharing it with you. Thanks. Old Goat - Click picture to see full size- Click picture to see full size
Date: 2006-05-12
To: Admin Note - Photos # 2
Miles today: 0.0

<-- Admin PostingHere's the second batch of Old Goat's photos. There are 90 new photos! I've added them to their respective journal entries and I suggest you view them there so you can get a feel of what he was thinking/doing on those days. You could also use the link to the left that says PHOTOS, but you'd miss a lot. To make them easy to find I have included links below that will take you to all 90 photos. Enjoy!!--Chris3/31 - Fontana Dam - 4 photos4/1 - Spence Field Shelter (Smokies) - 1 photo4/2 - Double Spring Gap Shelter - 5 photos4/3 - Icewater Spring Shelter - 3 photos4/4 - Tri-Corner Knob Shelter - 5 photos4/5 - Green Corner Road - Standing Bear Farm - 3 photos4/6 - Campsite at mile 251.4 - 3 photos4/10 - Hot Springs/ Duckett House - 1 photo4/12 - Little Laurel Shelter - 1 photo4/16 - Erwin, TN - 1 photo4/18 - Roan High Knob Shelter - 3 photos4/21 - Dennis Cove/Kinkora Hostel - 1 photo4/22 - Vandeventer Shelter - 2 photos4/23 - Campsite, Low Gap US 421 - 4 photos4/24 - NC28 near Fontana Dam - 3 photos4/25 - Lost Mtn. Shelter SOBO - 3 photos4/26 - Holiday Inn Hotel, Abingdon, VA - 18 photos4/27 - Dickey Gap VA 650 SOBO - 5 photos4/28 - Old Orchard Shelter SOBO - 18 photos4/29 - Dickey Gap NOBO again - 6 photos
Date: 2006-05-12
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, Daleville, VA
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: 0

Cell good.We started out at our regular time around 7:20. The map and profile gave the impression it was mostly downhill hiking. Well you can't go downhill the whole way, no matter what the maps says. We had a number of hills to climb, and rocks to cross. I keep hearing the rocks are bad in Pennsylvania. I'm starting to think it's the Virginians who keep saying it to get us to forget about their miserable rocks. I'll delay judgment until I'm in Jersey and I've hiked all of Pennsylvania.The weather was really sunny and nice all day. The temperature was warm enough to be comfortable and not too hot either.We checked into the motel and then I took a real long shower. After the shower we did laundry in order to have clean clothes to wear in town.We went to the outfitter where I bought Gatorade packages and a new collapsible water jug to replace my leaky one. Right next door was a Kroegers Supermarket so we then shopped for our next few days of food.When I was in Tennessee I wanted to buy some Olive Loaf to have for lunch sandwiches my first day back on the trail. They didn't have Olive Loaf down there, the closest thing I could find was a P&P loaf [Peppers and Pimento]. I guess they don't have as many eye-talians like me to justify stocking Olive Loaf. Now I have what I crave.While I'm thinking about it, here's an English lesson. In the north we say Appa la chi an. In the south they say Appa latch ian. I guess it's all in which syllable you emphasize.Goodnight. Old Goat - Click picture to see full size