morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-04-18
From: Erwin, Tennessee

To: ZERO in Erwin
Miles today: 0.0

Hi everyone. We have decided to take a zero today to let Firecrackers feet rest a bit. She is still having a rough time with them, even though she opted to buy a new pair of shoes in Hot Springs and send the others home. Also it's storming out there. Nice looking out a window watchin it rain, opposed to walking in it all day. So we are still in Erwin TN. We had a good time with Carolyn, Jason and his kids last night. They drove down from Johnson City to visit with us a while. Nice to see family again, first in a month and a half. We will be heading out tomorrow for a 5 day run to the community of Roan Mountain. That also means we have to climb Roan Mtn. But that's ok, it can't be as tough as the ones we have already been over. Other hikers wanna do this so try more later... BYE
Date: 2012-04-23
From: Erwin, Tennessee

To: Roan Mountain
Miles today: 50.3
Weather: light rain

I have no words to explain the hike yesterday and the trek over Roan Mt.(Sunday 4/22)....We are thawed out now and in a Motel in Elizabethton, thanks to Carolyn who now has "trail angel" status... thank you sis, we love you!!
Date: 2012-04-26
From: Somewhere in the woods

To: Black bear Resort (hostel)
Miles today: 24.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Its been a long 3 days since "Trail Angel" Carolyn dropped us off at the AT. First, not 1/2 mile up the trail Firecracker running point again, turns and runs screaming back towards me (again) I figured sure there must be a bear chasing after her. Nope another snake sunnin itself on the trail. This one was evil looking. triangle head, red tongue, brown with i think yellow tips. It was striking my trekkin pole and headed for me when i swept it off the trail and a good distance down the mountain. shoowee another tragity avoided. Firecracker dont want to lead anymore. huh.,.. Then the rains came on and off the rest of the day. We tented early to avoid a big storm. it rained all night. Next day it kept raining and was cold till bout 0930. We finally got on the trail at 1045. It was slow going niether of us felt like going far and a wet tent is heavy. (yes, whaa whaa i know) we quit bout 5 and found a real nice camp site. Cracker made another nice camp fire out of wet wood. amazing how she does that. Rained a bit that night too. Up early and on the trail. We could hear a storm coming so hurried as fast as we could. Skys opened and drowned us bout 1/2 mile from a shelter. We got in the shelter and stayed put until the storm passed about 2 1/2 hours. We went on and stopped for lunch at a cross roads. Firecracker saw a sign for "Black Bear Resort" and asked if we could stay there. With thunder roarin in the distance i said ok and we hiked the 4/10s up the road to the Hostel. Really fine place. The people are so nice. A little pricey but worth it i suppose. We are clean dry and ready for another new start tomorrow. Rain man says no rain for a few days. maybe we can get going to Damascus and a brand new state.
Date: 2012-05-01
From: Damascus Va.

To: Mt. Rogers
Miles today: 51.3

We made it to our 4th state finally. We did a little happy dance as we crossed the border into Virginia. Then realized we would be in this beautiful state for the next 600 miles. Most miles of the 13 we cross into on this little journey. it was slow going for a bit this last week. The rains finally left us and we were able to put some miles behind us. Coming down the mountain into Damascus was pretty sweet. Stayed at a church hostel called " The Place" kinda nice in a hostel kind of way. Good people and the price was right, 6 dollars for a bunk and a shower, cant beat that. Had alot of good food, resupplied now its time to get on down the trail. Mt. Rogers is next in our sights. Heard some tough stories about it but it dont look to much different than any of the others. I am thinking Marion will be our next resupply, bout 60 miles north. All is well with Firecrackers aches and pains. I think she will be happier now. Good to hear from all of you. keep signing our guest book, lettin us know whats going on in your worlds. Well firecracker has a short fuse this morning she wants to get going up that dang mountain..........We will post again when we get to a town..
Date: 2012-05-08
From: Marion Va.

To: Headed North
Miles today: 63.2

We are in Marion Va. for resupply. Had a fantastic week hiking over Whitecap Mtn and Mtn Rogers. They were not as tough as we had been told. The Greyson Highlands were beautiful to walk through even in a thunderstorm. Fire cracker was so dissapointed we didnt see any wild ponies that we had heard so much about. We searched everywhere and didnt see any. We stayed in Wise shelter that night. It was a full house because of the bad weather and everyone had stories about the ponies they had delt with that day. But nothing for Firecracker. Rained through the night glad we were in a shelter. Next day we headed north. i went the wrong way, missed a double blaze. Had us 1 mile off trail. first time for the trip. poop. Any way got us back on track came over the next bald and there was a herd of wild ponies. Bet Kim took a hundred pictures. Good times. Had trail Magic the next day. We were hiking through the woods and a young man bout 10 yrs old come running at us yelling we got biscuits and sausage up at the road. Well that is an invite we couldnt refuse. Said his trail name was "Snake" Thanks to Snake and his parents and also the youth group of the Marion baptist church for your awesome ministry to the hikers of the AT. Met many more thru hikers this week. Spiderman, Birdman, good to meet you. Firecracker found her her 4th and 5th snake. Makes me giggle everytime she finds one. Have you ever heard of a whipperwill. I never give em much thought. We tented at the partnership shelter the night before we yogied a ride into Marion. We wuz sleeping hard. all of a sudden came a screaming noise from the trees. Oh my loud and long. It kept on and kept on. All night long. It was a dang whipperwill. I tried to scare it off. It would come right back and just scream its song. it was crazy, never heard of such a thing. kept us and every other hiker awake most of the night. We all decided we would come back in the fall for whipperwill hunting season. yepthats it, been a good hike. Good to hear from you Larry, thanks for signing our guest book. Next stop i dont know maybe Bland Va.Bye
Date: 2012-05-15
From: Pearisburg Va.

To: Maine
Miles today: 98.0
Weather: light rain

Its been a long while since we've seen a computer. Sorry for the lack of updates. We are leaving Pearisburg Va. this morning headed north to wherever the trail takes us. We had alot of rain the last few weeks . alot of soggy boots. Things are going better now. We are making good miles. Va's terrain is alot more forgiving than the southern states. My knee has been causing me alot of pain. It may slow us up here in the future. it dont seem to be getting any better. Hikers have thinned out. We go most days without seeing a soul on the trail. Trail Magic is more common now. Had 2 cans of cold beer sitting on a rock sunday morning. Not usually a big fan of drinking beer at 0800. But it never tasted so goood. Still having a good time still enjoying the awesome journey. Firecracker is pulling at me to get going so ill get off here. Next stop maybe Daleville 92 miles up the trail. keep prayin for us.   BYE
Date: 2012-05-24
From: Daleville va.

To: some place dry
Miles today: 93.7

Yes I know its been forever since we updated our Journal. Remember back when i said Virginia was going to be easy compared to Ga and NC. Well Virginia has some pretty tough places of its own. Dragons tooth up and down, Mcafee cliffs, Tinkers cliffs and a host of many others. Its been a challenging week once again. But Firecracker has really turned on her trail legs. She just flat goes. its nice to see her having such a fine time after all the misery she went through in the beginning. My knee has been slowing us down a bunch. However just this morning i was able to get in to see an orthopedic doctor type. He looked me over and gave me a shot of something right under my knee cap.He assures me in 6 to 36 hrs i wont feel a thing. So maybe we will finally both be healthy enough to make some miles. We have still not seen any bears. Firecracker found some real nice prints in the mud but no whole bear. Lots of deer just all of a sudden. We have seen a few every day for several days. thats bout it for wildlife. squirrels,chipmunks and such, oh and a big ole turtle walking down the trail.Had 2 solid days of rain this past week. Not fun hiking wet. getting used to it i suppose. Trail Magic is alive and well. We've not had anything big lately just small things. But all magic is still magic and a wonderful thing to behold.
Date: 2012-06-05
From: Waynesboro Va.

To: Shenandoah
Miles today: 134.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Contrary to what you may have heard we are still out here in the wilderness. Computers have been far and few since we returned to the trail. It was great to see everybody in Ohio and Kentucky. It was a fantastic break. Very much needed. We are in the trail town of Waynesboro Va. staying at a church hostel. We came into town yesterday and went straight to the hospital for X-rays of my foot. I thought i had broken it. But no its just badly bent. Its been a long many days. We have pushed really hard through some of the most beautiful country we've seen so far. Rain, we have been wet more than dry. but still smiling. Lots of mud. Fire cracker has added 3 more snakes to her list. A very large and angry rattle snake. A very large angry and purdy Copperhead. and a black one with yellow racing stripes. We are also suddenly seeing deer bout everyday. They come into the campsite after we turn in and just kinda hang out (?) i dunno, kinda odd. It was like a new trail when we started into the Blue Ridge. We start into the Shenandoah tomorrow. Firecracker has been looking forward to this section since the start. We drove through it a few years back during the fall leaf season. really sweet. we met up with Animal at the hostel. have not seen him for over a month. He is still carryin that bucket. We will be headed out to an outfitter here shortly, broke our water filter, gotta find a new one.
Date: 2012-06-12
From: Waynesboro

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Hello again, Well we can finally check bears x 3 off the list of wildlife we have seen. It's easy to see why the bears stay here as we walk along the trail seeing wild strawberries, blackberries and mulberries even sampling a few ourselves. The Shenandoah National Park trail winds back and forth along skyline drive crossing it several times a day. Big Meadows Visitor Center had a good cheeseburger for a couple hungry hikers and they even had chairs!! After days in the wilderness sitting on logs and rocks and sleeping on the ground it's silly how much we enjoy the simple things.                                                      Ticks have been thick here. 1 was as small as a pin head attached to Don't Wait's Adam's Apple, glad we caught it quickly, hate to use the deet but hate the ticks worse. There's a guy here telling a tale of being attacked by a raccoon, attaching itself to his leg and hanging on. He is on his way to the hospital for a rabies test. Another hiker is telling of a up close encounter with a skunk eye to eye as he peeked outside his tent only to find that the skunk scared away a bear. Two different female hikers told us they had bears sit on their tent ! Weird stuff happening out here in the forest, guess we are the guests here and the wildlife rue the days and nights. After 600+ miles on Firecrackers shoes, they were done ...giving her numb toes and the worse blister yet covering her whole heel. We had to ask for a ride to town from a camper at the park's campground. So...she's hobbling off to the outfitter for new shoes, hoping the blister heals quickly. Don't Wait's knee & foot are tolerable, still taking it easy to hopefully get better as we go.    The snake totals 11 now, A BIG YUK for that. So that's all for now, Keep signing the guest book, we miss everyone and look forward to your notes. There's been no cell service in the park. Love you all. Don't Wait and Firecracker on the mend on the trail.
Date: 2012-06-16
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: 1000 miles
Miles today: 140.2

Hi ya'll,We have made big miles this past week. Finally moving up the trail. All our injuries are coming along fine. We are staying at a hostel tonight near the Maryland border. We will turn 1000 miles tomorrow morning. WOW cant believe we have come so far. We stopped into this hostel and found our old friend Animal. He bout insisted we stay. After he told us about the crawdad boil and fried chicken this evening, well we couldnt say no. So i guess we will gain back a few pounds today. Oh im up to 62 that ive lost now. Goodness thats bout half a person. Hiking is truely hard work. We are in the middle of traversing a 13.5 mile stretch of the trail known as the "Rollercoaster". Just steep ups and then steep downs. I figured it would be terrible but so far not so bad. Guess we are used to the constant "puds" That's pointless ups and downs for you non-AT hikers. After we clear Harpers ferry the trail seems to level out a bit. I sure hope so. Today is my Nephew Jakes wedding. Hope they have a great time. So sorry we had to miss it. What to do, cant be 2 places at once. This hostel actually has chairs to sit in instead of rocks and fallen trees and soft things on the sleep platforms. I think we used to call them mattresses. Oh and a cold box that contains cold soda pop. Hiker Heaven i swear it is. ok till next time. pray hard for us. We are half way there, woo whoo...........
Date: 2012-06-17
From: 1000 miles

To: Harpers Ferry Maybe
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Had a great night here at the Bears Den hostel. Trail Angels came all the way from Indiana to fry chicken for us hungry hikers. Nice people here on the AT. Firecracker and Animal are hard at work in the kitchen this morning making coffee and pancakes for everybody.Not a coffee fan but cant wait for the pancakes. I found a guitar here and played a mess of songs last night, mostly to myself. I did see a few people tappin a toe and singing along, fun stuff. We will be headed out back on the trail in just a short while. Planning on getting in about 15 miles today. That will leave a short 5 for tomorrow as we come into Harpers Ferry for a nero and some time at the AT headquarters and outfitter. We are bout out of everything hope we can find a grocery store. Anyway just a short entry to say good morning. Get off the couch and enjoy this beautiful day the Lord has made just for you.....
Date: 2012-06-21
From: Waynesboro PA

To: Whatever is next
Miles today: 61.0

We are now in a hotel in Waynesboro Pa. A much needed hotel. Well we dont need the hotel as much as we need the shower in it. My goodness its been HOT. I dont know how hot but its crazy stuff. Even in the woods we been just baking. We have had a good few days. Slow all of a sudden. We just dont seem to be making the miles as in the past. Terrain has not been bad at all. Just a few short mountains. We've had alot of civil war history to walk through this past week. Really cool stuff for me. Maybe thats the reason for the low milage. I take to long to take it all in. It all happened right here. neat neat ... We have 38 miles to the 1/2 way point of the trail. Its at a place called Pine Grove furnace. There is a small general store there that is home to the 1/2 gallon challenge. Every thru hiker that makes it this far stops in there and tries to eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. Dont know why its just tradition. So looks like a sick afternoon that day. Oh we had a good time in Harpers Ferry. Only there for the afternoon and hiked out toward evening, but got to spend some time at the ATC, had our pictures taken and entered in "the Book" Fire cracker and i are Thru Hiker number 541 and 542 to register with the ATC so far this year. Very nice very helpful people there at AT headquarters. We are all resupplied for the next section. we are clean and well fed. So bring it on AT. Lets see what else you can dish out. Oh injury update. My foot and knee are not getting any better. Firecracker is having terrible trouble with numb toes and numb balls of her feet, It dosent go away they are always numb. Its starting to worry us a bit. Anybody have any ideas besides quiting and going home of course.......... Ok then type at you all next time.
Date: 2012-07-24
From: OFF TRAIL

To: HOME
Miles today: 37.7
Weather: broken clouds

This is an entry I have been dreading to write. We are home in Ohio now. We have been home for over 3 weeks. I was hoping that I would heal and we could return and continue our awesome journey. Its just not working for me. My knee hasnt healed at all since leaving the trail. We headed out of Waynesboro Pa. Just loving being there just like always. Continued meeting hikers and found a couple fantastic Trail Angels along the way. My knee was ok but not doing that great at the same time. Way to much vitamin I was being consumed. I kept quiet and continued north. We hit the official half way point took our photos, oh it was wonderful. Then on into Pine Grove furnace. The last couple miles i was crawling (not really but close) I couldnt believe that the pain had become so bad. We, no thats wrong I did the half gallon challange. Firecracker cheered me on with a small ice cream cone in her hand, yes double scoop but still she could have stuffed her face a little more. We just happen to have been at Pine Grove the day the AT was having a hiker feed. We stayed and had a glorious time with all the other hikers and guests. Then Firecracker asked how we were going to get home. it hit me then that i couldnt make it to Maine. No matter how hard i ignored the pain. The truth was, there was no way i could go on. Firecracker was beyond disappointed. Not at all what we had in mind.We sat in the park and looked at our options but there were none except get off the trail and heal. So we hitched a ride to a bus station and rode the big gray dog back to Ohio. 1095.6 miles in our back pockets is a fantastic feat(feet) but not what we had in mind. I have been trying to console Firecracker but she is sooo dissapointed. It is what it is. I thought time may heal the problem with my knee. Its just not the case. I am going to have to head to the doctor and have it looked at again. Because of winter and Baxter closing we cannot make it to Maine this season. I have promised Firecracker that if I am not working across the pond next spring, that we will return to Pine Grove furnace and continue our trek north. It wont be a true "Thru" but its the best we can do. Thanks to everyone that read our journal, prayed for us, encouraged us and signed our journal. You are awesome and we couldnt have made it as far as we did without your thoughts and prayers. Big thanks to all the many Trail Angels that helped us along the way. Your generousity and love of the trail amazes me still. The AT is a dream that can be realized by everyone. All you gotta do is go.                                       Love You All, Don't Wait & Firecracker
Date: 2012-02-21
To: Of Wilderness and Freedom
Miles today: 0.0

Preparation started decades ago for me. I have always enjoyed the freedom of being in less frequented, ideally wild areas - silent, windy, observed only by 'natural things'. My botanical schooling, horseback riding and hiking would get me close. What would it feel like to be like an aboriginal person, not differientiating my-self from nature - just being? Can I experience the dreamtime state of the world, that forming almost becoming time? Wrapped in my sleeping bag close to the ground, listening - yes, that brings me closer.Now I realize that this sounds esoteric, and it is. Add to it the routine of daily hiking over a period of months which mimics a monastic life style in my mind and the appeal of the AT is complete.I decided to hike the AT last November. With less than a week to the March 19th start, I've had four months to prepare practically. Hopefully my dreamtime vision will sustain me through the physical challeges of living in nature for virtually six months.
Date: 2012-02-25
To: Training Hike on Wapack Trail
Miles today: 0.0

As a northbound hiker, I will be starting at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia using the 8.8 mile access trail. The access trail climbs 604 stairs alongside the falls. At the 8.8 mile mark, I will reach the official start of the AT - the summit of Springer Mtn. From there I hope to hike another 2.8 miles before calling it a night at the shelter.Fortunately there is a local hike which I like to use that roughly mimics the profile of the first few AT days - minus the snow and ice on the trail today I hope. Today the training/gear test hike up Watatic on the Wapack Trail traversed from northern Mass. into southern N.h. and back for a total of 10.9 miles and 2,060 ft. of ascent/decent. My 'dummy' packed weight was 22 lbs. Microspikes were in order especially since mixed precipitation at 32-36F prevailed for the day. The day's pace was leisurely. I should mention that the layering was successful against strong hair raising gusting winds as well.I plan to get a number of these hikes in over the remaining three weeks to start.
Date: 2012-02-26
To: Pack Weight - Proverbial Balancing Act
Miles today: 0.0

My holy grail pack weight is 20 lbs. which is hefty enough for someone at my body weight. 20 lbs. for everything over the 2012 official AT length of 2,184.2 miles! Wow. That's not counting excursions to get off and on the trail for town access. The non-consumable (food/water/fuel) should not exceed 10 lbs. which leaves 10 lbs for 2/lbs. of food/day, 2 liters of water and about 16 oz of fuel to cook 16 times. 10 lbs. of non-consumables include:the pack/sleep system/tent/clothes/toiletries/foot care/first aid/stove system and 'other'like the AquaMira water treatment drops. The stove system is a beer can denatured alcohol stove which nests inside the pot with a hardcloth wire stand and wind shield totalling 6.9oz. 1 oz. of alcohol will burn for about 6 minutes and will bring about 2 cups of water to a rolling boil.Needless to say, a maniacal attention to weight to the hundreth of an ounce is paramount. Some creature comforts fall to the way side.Food poses a particularly difficult balancing act problem. How to get almost 4,000 calories in a day at 2 lbs/day and still be nurished?So, regarding food/calorie intake on the trail, a rule of thumb number for calorie consumption per day for 'endurance' activity like this long distance hike is a range of 3,200 - 5,300 calories/day. I have figured that my basal metabolic rate (BMR) is about 1,500/day resting and 2,138 training. To maintain my weight and not deplete my muscle mass on the trail, I think that I'll need 3,719 calories/day....I'll call it 4,000 for argument sake. I'm now deciding what a 5 day supply of food should be with a spread of 50% carbohydrate, 35% fat and 15% protein. Different than a 'regular' dietary mix.I am not drop shipping food. Instead, I plan to re-provision with regular grocery store food along the way. You have to be a particular so that what you have gives you the daily calorie and C/F/Protein mix; doesn't weigh more than 9 lbs. for 5 days; doesn't require too much fuel to prepare and won't spoil.