morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-09-11
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Miles today: 0.0

Our first day of driving ended up in North Sioux City, SD. As we head out the next day, we can¢t find our GPS. We notify the hotel in case they find it, then head to a Target store and pick up a new Tom Tom GPS. It¢s on sale! We hope to drive to Billings MT, with stops at Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument. On the way, we make an unplanned stop at Wall, SD; a noted tourist stop with an interesting history. They originated the idea of ¢free ice water¢ We reach Mount Rushmore and take pictures and look around. We then move on to Crazy Horse and are quite taken by the place. We spend more time here due to the magnificence of the site. The family of Korczak Ziolkowski has dedicated their entire lives to finishing the monument to Crazy Horse. The sculpture is incredible in scope and size. All the work has been done by private donations. For more info: http://www.ehow.com/about_6466627_crazy-horse-memorial-information.htmlWe end up staying in Deadwood, SD. The town attained notoriety because it was the location of the murder of Wild Bill Hickok. Hickok was shot in the back in a poker game while holding a pair of Black Aces and a pair of black eights. That hand is known as the dead man¢s hand. Mount Moriah Cemetery remains the final resting place of Hickok and Calamity Jane. The town is buzzing at night with casinos and rather boisterous night life. The next morning is calm, quiet and clear. We head out early for Montana. We get a call from the hotel in SD, they found our GPS!!!
Date: 2010-09-12
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Miles today: 0.0

Day 3 of this trip will land us in Missoula, MT. As we cross through Wyoming on the way to Montana, I see the signs for Yellowstone Park. I was there in 2009 and didn¢t realize we were this close. But I fight the urge to stop there and drive on past the exits. We cross the Continental Divide. We spend the night in Missoula.
Date: 2010-09-13
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Miles today: 0.0

The next morning in Missoula, we meet an interesting couple from Pennsylvania. They have been traveling for 3 weeks and won¢t get back home until October. Like us they will see Glacier, but from there they go north to Banff, Alberta. We of course did not think to bring passports. The couple was at Yellowstone and it snowed there during their visit. I hope we get snow on this trip!!!We make a supply stop at Wal-Mart and head for Kalispell, MT where we will stay for the next 2 days. At Kalispell, we are only 30 minutes from Glacier Park. I get a craving for a Buffalo burger as we drive, but I don¢t seem to have any luck finding a place to stop for a buffalo burger. We make good time and get to Glacier and the visitor center at 1.00 PM. We check out maps etc and drive to MacDonald Lodge to see what is there. We want to take a ¢Jammer¢ bus tour of the park and we find a place at the lodge to buy tickets. They have an opening on a Wednesday Tour so we take seats on the 3.00 PM tour. As for today, we opt to take a 1 hour cruise on Lake Macdonald. It is a clear crisp day and the tour is great. We head back to Kalispell for the evening.
Date: 2010-09-14
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Miles today: 0.0

It¢s Tuesday and it¢s my day to hike. Linda holds down the fort in Kalispell. I drive to Logan Pass which is at an elevation of 6,600 ft. From there I will hike to Haystack Butte via the Continental Divide Trail. I guess it is around 8 miles roundtrip. The road to Logan¢s pass is called ¢Going to the Sun¢ road. The road is so named by the Indians for a place that leads to the afterworld at ¢Going to the Sun Rock¢ located at Logan Pass. The road is long and narrow and doesn¢t offer much in the way of guardrails. As I drive, the cloud cover moves in and visibility is about 50 feet. I drive slowly, about 25 MPH and get to Logan Pass. Once at Logan Pass, I collect my hiking poles and my daypack loaded with water, Gatorade and snacks. The temperature is 45 degrees and I put on a light jacket. I walk over to the Visitor¢s Center where a large crowd is gathered. Most folks will take a short trail to see an overlook. Many are frustrated by the clouds. On my trail, the 250 yard rule applies. In most National Parks the vast majority of visitors walk less than 250 yards beyond their cars. I walk most of the day and see only 8 people. After the first hour, the clouds begin to clear. I get a good view of Sperry Glacier and Hidden Lake. I see a few sheep and some marmots but no bears. I stop to eat lunch and the sky clears even more so that the sun begins to make it warm and - oh so nice for walking. The trail is easy to follow with only a moderate change in elevation up and down. But the air is thin so my pace is slow. I meet a couple from Wisconsin and we chat for a bit. We all seem to get this profound tranquility from walking and seeing the grand views. I hit the turnaround point and then get back to the car. The parking lot has that was full when I arrived in the morning is now mostly empty. I see two backpackers who were in the back country for 2 nights. I speak with them briefly and they said this late in the season, they ran into only 2 people while hiking. I head back to the car and the sun begins to set as I drive back down the curvy road. It is a quiet uneventful evening in Kalispell.
Date: 2010-09-16
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Miles today: 0.0

On Thursday or day 6 of our trip, we wake up and head out of Glacier National Park. We exit through the East Glacier Entrance. There is another entrance on the East side called Many Glacier. The East side is more isolated but still very busy. We grab some coffee from the General Store near the Rising Sun Inn and begin the drive to Medora, North Dakota. It is overcast with some drizzle. The temperature is 48 degrees. Once out of the Park, we drive for about 2 to 3 hours south through the Blackfoot Indian Reservation. Cattle here are ¢free range¢ so it¢s common to see cattle standing on the highway. We are cautious and obey the speed limits. As we begin to swing to the east, we drive past a spot where a sign denotes ¢Camp Disappointment¢. This place as I mentioned in earlier updates, is where Lewis and Clark found the headwaters of the Missouri River. We stop in Cut Bank, MT for a break and some coffee. I go into McDonalds and the locals are having some heavy duty discussions about politics. I smile and say good morning and get a warm welcome! The lady behind the counter asks me for my order. I ask ¢what drinks do you have with caffeine¢? That was a BIG mistake. She goes over to the overhead menu, then points down to drinks and gives me a detailed description of how McDonalds is out to capture the entire market of coffee drinks, cappuccinos, mochas and lattes. I settle for two medium coffees, (1 black, and 1 with cream) and tell her to keep the change. She laughs and tells me to have a nice day!We drive on to a town called Wolf Point. I really like the name and the town is small and I suppose typical for a town in northern Montana. We didn¢t see any wolves, but I sure do like that name. We make a note that AMTRAK stops here as well as in Cut Bank and at Glacier Park. Maybe AMTRAK is an option on a future visit to the West. We see lots of long freight trains carry a lot of containers from China and the Far East. As the day winds down, we exit off the interstate and locate the Rough Rider Inn in Medora, ND. The hotel was built in the 1800¢s but is newly renovated. As I walk in to register, I pass through the ¢Reading Room¢. It is a beautifully appointed room with a fireplace and a wall full of books. We find out later that the books are free to read while you are guest. The books were from TR¢s collection and were donated to the hotel. Donations also paid for the Reading Room. We make an early evening of it. I finish reading ¢The Big Burn¢ by Tim Egan. A superb read and highly recommended.Medora is also the home of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and I will have another chance to hike tomorrow.
Date: 2010-09-17
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Miles today: 0.0

On Friday, I drive about 14 of a mile to the entrance of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The Park has two sections, a south section and a north section which reflect the two ranches that TR had in North Dakota. I¢m at the South section today and I stop at the Visitor¢s Center just in time to catch a Ranger tour of TR¢s cabin that was his home on the Maltese Cross Ranch. During the tour, we get lots of good info about TR. He initially came to North Dakota on a hunting trip for a bull buffalo or bison. At the time in the 1880¢s there were fewer than 2,000 buffalo left in the US. This is from the estimated 30 to 40 million that were on the Great Plains in the early 1800¢s. He got his bull and while here he also purchased 2 ranches; The Maltese Cross and The Elkhorn. Later on as TR began to dabble in politics he suffered a terrible personal tragedy. On the same day, February 14, 1884 his mother died. Later that same day his wife died from complications of child birth. So TR headed to North Dakota and threw himself into ranching, hunting and of course conservation. After about 2 years he left and returned to New York where he became Governor and then President. TR, along with Gordon Pinchot were credited with creating the US Forest Service and the National Park System. Following the cabin tour, I pick up some trail maps and head out to the Jones Trail Head. The rain is back so I don my rain jacket. I grab my hiking poles and day pack and start to walk through some pretty picturesque hills and ¢badlands¢. The terrain is not terribly steep but the dirt has become mud and I slip and slide on the trail. I walk for about 2 hours and come to a road crossing. I spot a herd of Bison grazing on some green sprouts of grass. I want to get some pictures and am leery of getting too close. The animals are magnificent. I count 18 of the bison and see a large bull and several calves. I can only imagine what a sight it must have been in the 1800¢s to see hundreds of thousands in a single herd. I watch the bison for awhile and move on. The trail takes me up some buttes and I get a panoramic view of the slow moving, muddy, Little Missouri River. The rain is turning to sleet and I head back to the car. I saw no other people on the trail; Theodore Roosevelt Park is one of least visited sites in the Park System. Too bad, it¢s a very nice destination. Once I get back to Medora, We drive 26 miles to Dickinson, ND. It now is beginning to snow. We grab a bite to eat and shop for some supplies for our drive home. I wear shorts and get a few stares from the locals. When we finish, the ground is covered in snow. The road back to Medora is also covered so we drive slow and steady. Darkness falls and the view of the snow falling against the night sky is quite spectacular. It¢s a good night to be in front of a fireplace with a good book. Our trip to the West is winding down.
Date: 2010-09-18
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Miles today: 0.0

On Saturday, we get back on the road to head home. We drive through North Dakota, and then head south once we reach Fargo. I think about the Coen Brothers movie of the same name. I smile as I notice that people in North Dakota really do talk like Marge, the Sheriff in the movie who was investigating malfeasance in the Twin Cities on Minnesota. The next 2 days of driving are somewhat eventful as we cross back through South Dakota, Iowa and Missouri and Illinois. My thoughts turn as they often do about getting back to the AT. Linda¢s shoulder is still in a sling but she is going longer and longer without wearing it. She still has to get therapy for several more weeks. I get some good news that I have found some health insurance for myself and will have coverage for awhile longer. I want to get the book ¢Undaunted Courage¢ which follows the account of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery in 1804 ¢ 1806. Our trip just increased my fascination with the explorers. The temperatures on our trip were fall and winter like. However, Southern Indiana still seems to be in the grips of the summer heat. The heat seems to hang on and on. The plan is to get back on the AT the first week of October. With better weather conditions, I will make an effort to finish up Virginian and then tackle Clingmans Dome in Tennessee and the highest peak on the AT.
Date: 2010-10-01
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Miles today: 0.0

It¢s time for me to get back on the AT! I¢ll leave this weekend and head to West Virginia. I will pick up the AT at Harpers Ferry, then head south into Virginia eventually hitting the section I already have completed. As I was getting my gear ready for my departure, I had a chance to look at my favorite pair of boots. The soles are worn down much more than I thought. I had such good luck with my current boots that I ordered another pair fully expecting to use them at some point. When I compare the old boots with the new ones it¢s amazing to see the difference in the soles. The new boots will go with me as will some long underwear. While the daytime temperatures on the trail seem to be pleasant enough, the weather is turning colder. Lows will be in the 30¢s and there will be some rain. I have one word to say - Perfect!!!!!! I will try to get updates done more often. Thanks again to all and please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Date: 2010-10-04
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Miles today: 0.0

On Monday, 10/04 I make the drive to Harpers Ferry, WV to pick up the AT again. Departures are always hard for me and my family. But my plan is to head south in WV and accumulate some more miles. The drive takes about 9 hours. It is cold and rainy most of the way. I begin to have some problems with my ear. I had been to see my Doc last week and he found air bubbles in the Eustachian tube of my left ear. This condition is often caused by dramatic changes in temperature and/or humidity. No doubt this may have been a side effect from my trip to Glacier Park where the temperatures were in the 30¢s and coming home to the 80¢s & 90¢s in Indiana. Maybe I should have stayed in Montana?
Date: 2010-10-05
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Miles today: 0.0

On Tuesday, I wake up and find its raining. I decide to at least drive to Harpers Ferry where I will park and see how the trail looks. I don my rain jacket and head up the trail crossing the Shenandoah River. The river is peaceful but I do see some white caps on the water. I see some kayakers on the river and they seem to be having fun despite the cool rainy weather. After crossing the river, the trail is very steep, gaining more than 1,000 feet the first 34 of a mile. I meet an oncoming hiker who is headed to Harpers Ferry and he tells me the trail is wet and slippery. I move on, the trail is less steep but has lots of rocks. My feet don¢t touch any soil so I call this rock hopping. My balance seems off as I try to rock hop and I struggle. My ear feels like it is closed and I suspect this affecting my balance. The rain still is coming down. After a few miles I stop and collect my thoughts. I decide to turn around and check out Harpers Ferry instead of continuing on. I get back to the trailhead and turn right and head into Harpers Ferry. The town is very old and is the location of a historic raid made by abolitionist, John Brown in 1859. The town was the site of the National Amory and John Brown was able to capture the many guns etc there in 1859. Federal troops dislodged Brown and his band of raiders after a few days. Brown was adamant about ridding the US of slavery. While his raid was not successful, it did add increasing attention to the anti slavery movement. In 1862, Confederate troops also attached the Amory in September of 1862. Stonewall Jackson captured the garrison and this was part of a larger battle plan for Robert E Lee¢s invasion into Maryland. The town has been hard by great floods over the years. There is a marker showing the water depths of the floods and the highest one from 1936 is more than 26 feet above street level. I walk into the part of town on the hill and see Jefferson Rock and an Old Catholic church built in 1836. From there I head to the AT Headquarters. I go in and have a nice talk with the folks at the AT HQ. They tell me the trail has been having a banner year and the number of hikers is way up. I ask about the weather and they tell me it¢s more rain for tomorrow. Time to think about alternatives.
Date: 2010-10-06
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Miles today: 0.0

On Wednesday, I employ Plan B. With the wet weather still plaguing me, I opt to take a short drive to see the Civil War Battlefield at Antietam near Sharpsburg, MD. I¢m first in the parking lot and Visitor Center. I watched a 30 minute film on the battle. The battle took place on September 17, 1862 and could well have ended the Civil War 3 years early. Robert E Lee commanded the Confederates and George McClellan controlled the Union troops. With an estimated 23,100 total casualties, it was the bloodiest single-day battle of the American Civil War. As a result of the high number of casualties on each side, the battle was a tactical draw, though a strategic victory for the Union.The Southern States and Robert E Lee had gambled that attacking Maryland which was a border state and where sympathies ran deep for slavery would in effect win support for their cause with Great Britain and France. Lee had split his Army of Northern Virginia. Part of the Southern force was deployed to Harpers Ferry to capture the Federal Arsenal. Lee¢s remaining forces engaged in a battle with Federal forces at Sharpsburg, Maryland. Lee¢s troops were beaten back at Sharpsburg, so Lee withdrew to Antietam. He debated about retreating south back into Virginia until he got word from Stonewall Jackson that he in fact would capture the Harpers Ferry Arsenal. Lee then drew up a battle plan to take on McClellan and the Federal troops. But lady luck intervened for the North. A soldier from The Indiana 27th Regiment named Barton Mitchell found a copy of the Confederate Battle plans, so McClellan knew every move that Lee would make. The Union forces prevailed but instead of pursuing Lee and his Army, General McClellan allowed the southern forces to retreat back to Virginia. Had McClellan pursued and captured Lee¢s weakened Army, it may well have ended the Civil War in 1862. Following the battle, Lincoln traveled to Antietam and met with soldiers from both sides. Upon returning to Washington Dc, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He then relieved McClellan of his duties for failing to capture Lee¢s Army. It is always touching to see these historic sites. I can only wonder that if we were to see CNN or pick up USA Today and see that the US suffered 23,000 casualties in a single day what we would think. The scope and terrible losses of the Civil War seem so real when you can see the actual battlefields like Gettysburg and Antietam.I mull over my options and will drive south into Virginia to escape the rain and do some more hiking. I will climb McAfee Knob, the highest point in Virginia.
Date: 2010-10-07
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Miles today: 0.0

On Thursday, I get to the trailhead for McAfee Knob. The weather is nearly perfect, cool and not a cloud in the sky. The hike up will take about 3 to 4 hours. McAfee Knob¢s elevation is 3,740 ft. It features a 270 degree panoramic view.The trail while steep is well maintained and free of rocks. The trails in Virginia tend to be well planned and feature switchbacks. In some states like Pennsylvania, the AT simply goes up and down and over boulders. I cross over 5 or 6 wooden walkways that exemplifies the hard work that volunteers do on the AT here. I pass two shelters on the trail. Both are clean and well maintained. At one shelter, there are perhaps 25 dryer sheets taped to the walls of the shelter. I read a note that this is supposed to deter bugs. Today the cool weather has disabled any bugs so I¢m lucky. As I stop at the second shelter I meet Cinnamon, a young girl who is thru hiking south. She is full of energy, chatty and pleasant. After exchanging pleasantries, she heads out and I finish drinking some water. As I gather my stuff to head out, I see a squirrel jumping from tree to tree. Suddenly he falls and hits the ground about 2 feet in front of me. He gives me a strange look then scurried back up the tree closest to him and continues on his tree top trek. I get out of the woods and see the outcropping that is McAfee Knob. The wide view is stunning. As I walk further out to the edge of the rocks, the wind is noticeably stronger. My hat almost blows away. I take some pictures and eat a snack. After about 30 minutes I head back down the trail. I meet a day hiker and his Siberian Husky on their way up the trail. We chat for a bit and the dog name Hobo loves to jump up on me. We move on and I get back to my car. I will now drive south into Tennessee and climb Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is Great Smoky Mountains National Park's highest point. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the second highest point east of the Mississippi.
Date: 2010-10-08
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Miles today: 0.0

I have long avoided the areas around the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. (GSMNP) The lone reason for this is that it is the most visited of the National Parks. That translates into the most crowded National Park. As I drive to toward the Trail Head that I will use to climb Clingmans Dome, there is not a huge volume of traffic. It is early and the sun is just breaking through the trees. I stop at the Sugarland Visitor Center to get a map. They tell me that on Monday, there was a light dusting of snow on Clingmans Dome. Wow.I drive on for about 7 miles reaching the parking lot for the trail. There are several trails to Clingmans Dome. The shortest is a steep but short route that is the most used. I opt for a longer route which circles around the summit. It takes me about 2 hours on my trail and I reach the Observation Deck. It is quite a view. From the height of 6,643 feet, it is easy to see 20 to 30 miles. Today the weather is clear. It is odd though, that when you look down into the ¢hollers¢, the clouds mask your view. You are literally above the clouds. The weather is beautiful and there is not a cloud above us, only below. I stay at the peak for awhile and the number of visitors climbs quickly. Soon it¢s very crowded. I decide to head back and along the way meet a very nice group of young kids from Bowling Green, KY. All were courteous and pleasant. Then I run into a solo hiker and we chat for awhile about the desire for solitude. It seems that here in the GSMNP it would be difficult to find much solitude. We agree on that point. He tells me he has been backpacking for a few days in the GSMNP and everywhere runs into crowds. I get back to the parking lot and it is now 100% full. There are about 15 cars circling, looking for an open space. As I grab a seat to rest on the edge of the trail at the parking lot, a tour bus pulls up and about 12 people get out. They all have drinks and appear to have been imbibing in alcohol for awhile already this morning. They stumble about and become boisterous. A few moments later, a busload of Baptists pulls up. I wonder if there will be a confrontation. I don¢t wait around to see. I finally get back to my car. I will now head home for a few days. Then I will head out again in Georgia. I find out that my wife will have another surgery this year but we don¢t know when just yet.