morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-24
From: NOC

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

What a hike. This hike had to be the hardest to date. Although we have gone farther mileage the difficulty was extreme. We had two hard climbs that took a toll on all of us. This is the best exercise you can do. If you want to get in shape try hiking the AT for a few days! We will be moving on to Gburg tommorrow because of the rain. We are just a few miles from Fontana Dam and will finish that portion next time and head into the smokies. We are looking forward to seeing our families and getting some different clothes to wear. I have had the same thing on for three weeks. It is going to be strange to wear jeans and regular shoes for a change. The hike was fantastic. I am looking forward to doing more of the trail. We have met some interesting people along the way. Most all of those we met have been great people and it has been a blessing to meet them. I will update again tomm.and let you know where we are.Jay -- great to hear from you and look forward to seeing you July 4.Puddy Out!
Date: 2009-05-27
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Well for now the hike has come to an end. We were able to get 150 miles of the trail completed up to Stecoah Gap. We did some yellow blazing up to Gburg. This has been a great adventure for me. It is one of, if not the hardest thing physically I have ever done. The people we met along the way brought a new insight for me into the hiker world. Most everyone we met on the trail were a fine bunch of folks. We met many college students, policeman , lawyers, homeless, just a wide variety of people who find a need to hike the AT. Some of our favorites were Grizzly a guy from Australia who lived up to his name in size and carried two small trees for hiking sticks. We met him our first night in the shelter and never saw him again as he was making good time. We met a guy named Bob F. from Florida who was kind enough to run us around in his car to resupply. If you are starting a hike from Springer dont miss the chance to meet Josh and Leah at the Hiker Hostel. They make hiking the trail so much easier and are super nice people. How about Two Lions a great young man burning the trail up twords Katadyn. Another great hiker we met was Pipeline. We met Pipeline at the start of the hike and ran into him again in Franklin. He was able to give us some useful tips before we started that were much appreciated. Pipeline will be out on the trail until August. Pipeline was 65!! Then there was Nick a young man with several piercings, self inflicted tatoos, and a stand up mohawk. He was nice fella who we had the pleasure to run accross a couple of times on the trail. I cant forget Ron Haven who is a business owner in Franklin who was a great story teller. We met so many people who we will never forget. We are planning the next section we will do and cant wait to be out on the trail again. If you are considering a hike all I can tell you is you wont regret it. Oh and dont work out on a stair stepper or treadmill and think you are going to get yourself ready for the trail. There is nothing you can do to get ready but do it. Like Ive said before it is the best workout I can think of. I look forward to seeing you out on the trail soon!Joe and Vickie -- Thanks for signing my guest book. Great to hear from you. I hope you had a good vacation at the lake!!Puddy Out!!
Date: 2009-05-07
To: Here we go again
Miles today: 0.0

The time has come to get serious about heading back to the trail. Last year we started out in March intending to do the whole thing before October. But the constant rain and lousy weather got the best of us in Maine and we skipped from Rangeley down to Glencliff. Now we are planning our trip back to tie up the loose ends.
Date: 2009-05-07
To: so different
Miles today: 0.0

Planning for this hike is so different from last year. We'll be tackling the sections we need to cover as section hikers. We'll have our own car.... how cool is that! There will be some logistic hoops to jump through, but our options are so much wider. Many of the miles we need to finish can be done as day hikes. There are very few that need to be overnights.Besides southern Maine and New Hampshire there are two short sections down south that we need to fill in. Coming out of Damascus we both caught an aweful stomach bug and took off for a couple days. Since we were hiking together with Soaring and Tigger we decided to rejoin them further down the trail when we recovered. Then at the end of our trek Owl came down with a horrible cold in Pennsylvania. So our plan is to begin our hike in Tennessee, make a stop by Kentucky for a wedding, drive to Pennsylvania and fill in those miles, and then up to New Hampshire and Maine. Greg is planning to meet us for the NH/ME portion which will give us some great support. We're hoping the southern sections will be a good warm up for The Whites and the notch.
Date: 2009-05-07
To: One more difference
Miles today: 0.0

Besides being section hikers and have the advantage of our own transportation, we have one other big change. Last year we hiked with Roo, our golden retriever. She was an amazing companion, an important part of our team.When we got home to Colorado in October Owl and I were more than ready for a rest. Roo however wanted to know when we were going hiking again. She was used to the 20 mile a day routine and was ready for more. After a couple of months considering it, we finally adopted a playmate for Roo. We got MacGyver from the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR). He has been so much fun... and just what Roo needed.We were concerned at first about whether he was going to make a good trail dog. He had been abused by someone at sometime and was very skiddish. But we worked with him slowly and consistantly and now he LOVES the trail. If he gets any hint that we are walking out the door with packs and poles there is no way to get out without him. And in the woods he is glued to my side. It'll mean some adjustment for Owl and I. Last year most of the time Roo walked in heal behind me. Now we will each have to take one pup. It's going to be an adventure.
Date: 2009-05-16
To: Memories
Miles today: 0.0

As time grows closer for finishing our hike, Owl and I find ourselves reminiscing about our favorite moments from last year. Usually they revolve around conversations. Sitting up late one evening watching the video from Walt and Pat¢s PCT hike.Chatting with Bagel as she drove us to New York after slackpacking MA and CT.Hearing the stories of Dick, the Mayor of Unionville and Bill and Butch about their adventures meeting all the hikers so far that year.Glenn and Donna at Vogel, Roo¢s trail angels who cooked something special for her every time they made a meal.Susan at Stratton with her dog Knucklehead teaching us about mushrooms...Knucklehead didn't teach us about mushrooms, Susan did. We really enjoyed hiking a couple days with Low Clearance and his son Shadow in Maine. I remember being very impressed with Shadow. He was telling us how he would try new things until he liked them. He was working on Moxie¢¦ he had tried it something like, four or five times and he was sure soon he was going to like it. Wow! ¢¦and Yuck! Once was more than enough Moxie for me. Roo fell in love with Rubber Ducky in Virginia. He was hiking with his grandfather, Bare Fodder who was ¢Packn¢ 4 Mishuns¢ (I think I spelled that right). That was her first sleepover¢¦ I couldn¢t get her away from him to come to the tent to sleep. There was Land to Sea who commented (while we were having our feet massaged at the FBC medical tent at Trail Days) that Owl had ¢amazing feet¢¢¦ one of her favorite memories. :0) She reminds me often that she has amazing feet.Meeting John and his dog Joshua at Greymore Monastery and having great and unexpected conversation about the incredible things God does.Getting to be a short a part of Shepherd and Alibaabaa, the goat¢s, adventure.Sitting for hours on a zero day around the breakfast table at Mountain Harbor enjoying Mary¢s amazing cooking and chatting with RamaSita. Sweet Sixteen¢¦ one awesome lady. ¢If we only had a car¢¦.   Wait! I have a car!¢ :0) She was our hero!Again¢¦ around the table, there¢s just something about food that brings out good conversation¢¦. At the Cabin over an excellent spaghetti dinner with Honey and Bear. Bob at Gull Pond Lodge giving us a tour of Rangeley and showing us the hot spots. I could go on and on. Of course there were friends and family all along the way¢¦. Dave, Nic and Faith, Janet, Mary, Nikki and Brayden, Rick and Betty, Tim and Teresa, Terri, Dot and Gene, the Nadar family, Atwood, Norma, Jill and Celia, My Dad, Alison, Steve and Sydney, Matt, Judy and Ken, Ellis, Karen, and on the last day¢¦ Anastasia (again) Mary, Carolyn, Marty and Rosie¢¦ and our biggest heroes Greg and Caleb. Can¢t wait to see what new memories we are about to make!
Date: 2009-05-16
To: Theme song
Miles today: 0.0

Lydia's in charge of music... always has been... seriously since she was a baby!We were driving the other day and this Dierks Bentley song came on the radio. She said this reminded her of our hike, it should be our theme... Free And Easy Down The Road I GoPair of boots and a sack of clothesFree and easy down the road I goHangin' memories on the high line polesFree and easy down the road I goFree and easy down the road I goRagweed's rockin' on the radioFree and easy down the road I goSo I keep rollin' like an old banjoFree and easy down the road I goGot the sun shinin' on me like a big spotlightSo I know everything is gonna be alrightAin't no tellin' where the wind might blowFree and easy down the road I goLivin' life like a Sunday strollFree and easy down the road I goFree and easy down the road I goIf you only get to go around one timeI'm gonna sit back and try to enjoy the rideI could make a million or wind up brokeFree and easy down the road I goCan't take it with you when you go soFree and easy down the road I goSomeday I know it's gonna take me home soFree and easy down the road I goFree and easy down the road I go
Date: 2009-05-18
To: Oklahoma
Miles today: 0.0

We left home this morning at 8:30. Google Maps said it would be a ten hour drive. We arrived about 12 hours later... too much relaxed, chilled out driving. We were pushing it trying to make it into camp before dark. My biggest worry is MacGyver. He doesn't like new things and has not gotten anywhre near the tents I have had sitting around the house the past few weeks. He amazed me though... hopped right in and curled up... on my sleeping bag. He may make a trail dog yet. Roo on the other hand had been in the car too long and didn't want to go to bed. Owl is doing super! She drove more than her share of the time today and as usual is in high spirits. My biggest goof - not well prepared for food. I thought we got in late we would grab something to eat nearby, but turns out this campground is isolated. So we're going to bed without dinner. Hope it's a quiet night.
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Oklahoma

To: Arkansas
Miles today: 0.0

It was a beautiful day for driving. As we get farther east tho the traffic get thicker, especially the big trucks. I'm sure tomorrow will be even worse. But the weather continues to be gorgeous.Tonight we are at a great campground, our tent site is right next to the doggie playground. That was very convenient when it came time to set up camp. The dogs played instead of 'helping' us. We also got in early enough to make dinner before dark. Much better finish to the day than last night. I'm worried we will all turn to slugs with three days in a car. Hopefully the hiking legs will come back to us without too much pain.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Arkansas

To: Tennessee
Miles today: 0.0

Final driving day, well, this week anyway. Good thing too because we are real tired of it. It was interesting traveling across the country. First with the view of the Rockies, then the desert, the plains and gradually into the green Appalachians. We've settled into a campsite for a few days. We are staying at Cardin's Bluff campground on Watoga Lake. It's a nice place and real convenient for the section we need to cover. The last two nights we were at campgrounds near the highway for convenience, but boy were they noisy. Now we are in the woods and peaceful... except for some kid screaming, but I think he's going to wear himself out soon. Tomorrow we are back on the trail.
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Tennessee

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

Amazing day! Fantastic weather for hiking. We did seven miles from Rt. 91 to Low Gap. We started in a lovely pasture with easy walking. Right off the bat I got to teach MacGyver about pasture styles. He wasn't thrilled but we both made it without slashing ourselves with barbed wire.We met a few hikers along the way.. Honkin Hiker is doing the same route we did last year. We met Brown Bag (08) doing a section, Frankenfoot with his dog and a section hiker from Kentucky whose name I didn't get.I dropped Owl and Roo off in the morning at Low Gap and they walked south while MacGyver and I walked from Rt. 91 north, we passed about midway. Since we have the opportunity we plan to leave trail magic along the way wherever we can. This morning we left a cooler at Low Gap. When we came back at the end of the day it was all gone. I was thrilled! I know how much finding magic means and I am so excited to have my chance to be on the other end. After hiking we drove in to Damascus, washed up some laundry and checked email at the library. We were planning to meet Karen there but she was running a little late so we changed plans and arranged to met her at the campground.By 8:00 she arrived and we all got settled in, cleaned up and ready for bed. Just to remind us that even tho we are slackpacking, we are still in the woods, Owl found a tick. She was thrilled. Thankfully not a deer tick.Now off to bed. God is good!
Date: 2009-05-22
From: Low Gap

To: Damascus
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

Again amazing weather! Hiking was good. My body is remembering bigger miles - tired feet, hot spots, calves tightening... more than likely they'll be throbbing tonight! I was comforted (sadly) when owl got out of the car at the campground and said. "Oh... that's strange, I'm a little sore." ...it's not just me.The dogs did great on leash all day, except for a couple rest breaks MacGyver explored but stayed close in sight at all times. There was occasional confusion over who was hiking on which side of me at times. We took our time and lots of rest/foot checks and made the hike with a 2mph average. Not bad for our first 14 miler in awhile. The trail magic went over well agian... I'm loving doing that!We met EO, Extreme Optimist on the trail today. He was trying to identify plants and really challenged Owl's memory on all the flowers she identified last year. Back at camp now, beautiful night to be in the woods!
Date: 2009-05-23
To: Wataoga Dam Road
Miles today: 15.8

Good day. LONG day and tiring. Weather was great though it got pretty hot early in the afternoon. We met several hikers. Most were section hikers. I guess Hampton to Damascus is a popular route over Memorial Day weekend. I was glad to hike today because my shins were sore, it was good to work it out. But it was awefully long. The weather was once more beautiful. The dogs continue to do great. MacGyver is learning more each day. Owl is hiking strong dispite a blister on her 'amazing' feet. (last year at Trail Days we were sitting in the med tent at the FBC when a hiker next her commented that she had amazing feet. We've had fun with that since ) Our friend Karen has been hiking with us. She is awesome and a real trooper. I suspect her feet are really hurting her but she's determined to stick with it.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: Wataoga Dam Road

To: Rt. 321
Miles today: 4.0

Plan C... sleep in. Then hike four miles around the lake and take a rest. It was drizzeling when we woke up, so we regrouped. When we finally got going the skys had cleared. We splurgged on the extra time and made pancakes and bacon for breakfast. We didn't hit the trail until about 11:00. It was a simple walk, gentle hills, some time spent on the waters edge, crossing the dam and walking on a county road. Surprisingly few people to talk to for a holiday weekend. We toyed with going to Laurel Falls afterward but figured that's where everyone would be. Instead we headed back to camp for showers. Then the sky opened up with a downpour. Pretty good timing. After showers we went into Elizbethton for laundry and dinner. Tomorrow we'll be leaving this campground to move a little further down south. It's been a great place to camp. The car is all packed and we're ready to move on.
Date: 2009-05-25
To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 13.0

It was not easy finding Walnut Mountain Road and then even harder figuring out where the trail crossed it, but we finally did with the help of a very nice local man. Karen dropped us off about 9:45 and was on her way home. It was great getting to spend some time with her!The morning was uneventful. We met Bottom Bunk right off in the morning. At lunch we stopped at the shelter. While there we saw Brown Bag and the of hiker I met on our first day out who was from Kentucky. Bottom Bunk is from Maryland near where we lived, Brown Bag lives in Evergreen, CO, near where we live now and the guy from Kentucky went to school at Murray where I went to school. What a small world!The afternoon was hot and muggy, until the sky opened up and another downpour. We walked three of the last four miles in rain. It was very familiar... First just getting damp, then the trail filled with water and soon so did my shoes. Unlike so many days last year, I knew where I was headed... Mountain Harbour Hostel for a hot shower and comfy bed. Made all the wet bearable.When we arrived it was all as I remembered. Now we are clean and dry. Mary is doing our laundry. I hadn't planned on that, but since the rain we were very muddy. It'll be good to start clean in the morning.Our original plan was to backpack from Dennis Cove to 19E. I am soooo glad we came up with a new plan. We would be setting up camp very wet about now. Options are good.
Date: 2009-05-26
From: Walnut Mt Road

To: 19E
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

As always Mary put out an incredible spread. This afternoon Owl said "I ate so much for breakfast I forgot to eat lunch." She still gets our vote for the best trail breakfast... any breakfast for that matter. As good as her food is, I really enjoy the conversation around her table. This morning we ate with a couple who are staying at the B&B while they bird watch... with their bird dog. I thought that was odd, but it seemed to work for them. As soon as we finished Terry was ready to take us to Walnut Mt. Road for our hike. The weather was predicted to be raining all day. We started out braced and ready for the worst. Before we left home I set up a Twitter account specifically so I could send out quick texts to Greg and other family members and friends about when we get on a trial and where we are. So I've been regularly sending out 'twits'... getting on the trail at such and such and hiking to... Yesterday we were in a section without cell coverage. It had been more than 24 hours since I checked in when this morning, walking past Mountaineer shelter my phone beeped. I pulled it out and quickly twittered our location. Then I asked what happened to all the prayers for good weather. I've asked everyone I know to pray for a drought on the east coast over the next few weeks. (God has said no, btw). I hung up the phone and moved on. After about five minutes the sky cleared, sun came out and we had fantastic weather the rest of the day! Amazing. Not amazing that God answers prayer, but that I could twitter a prayer request from the trail to friends all over the country. What a world.So we hiked on, got in early, cleaned up and rested. It was time to do some regrouping and organizing for the next leg of our trip.Over the past couple of days we have intersected on the trail with a group of six women. This afternoon they showed up at the hostel. They are six ladies from the same family who have been working on the trail together for the past nine years. Being around them is really bringing back memories of the old Hiker Chick days in Maryland. It's all so familiar listening to them talk and work out gear issues... I find myself smiling to myself, remembering. I miss the old gang.The evening has cooled off nicely. Owl and I are sitting on the deck listening to the babbling brook below. Owl has also been practicing with her fiddle. In just a few days we will be stopping by Kentucky for my brother's wedding and she has been asked to play. It's almost surreal listening to the fiddle play sitting in this beautiful setting. It's a great place to be.Tomorrow we head north to fill in the next hole.
Date: 2009-05-27
From: 19E

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

I don't think I mentioned our first night in the hostel... I think it's the first time, or at least a rare time that I've been a little uncomfortable with the company in a hostel. As the evening progressed hikers moved out and Owl and I were left alone with one guy. The conversation we had made me a little uneasy around him, but I figured I had Roo and MacGyver to warn me if anything strange happened in the night. Turned out this guy had to get up and go to the bathroom probably ten times during the night. And every time MacGyver would growl. He was a great watch dog, but I didn't get any sleep.Last night was a party! With the six ladies and Justin (the hiker I had met a couple days earlier who was from Kentucky) it was a very social night. And a little later than we are used to on a hike night, but it was worth the fun. This morning we all had Mary's breakfast together. I am so glad we stayed the second night. Mary is such a treasure and she is at top form when she has a crowd to cook for. What a fantastic way to start the day. But with breakfast over we were on the road - in the rain. We'd planned to spend the night at a camp ground south of Daleville but after driving through decided to regroup and drove north to a KOA. We got a Kamper Kabin so we can get an early start without packing up a wet tent. It's a nice peaceful night in Virginia... except for a bluejay that doesn't seem to like us being here. Nothing quite like a testy bluejay.Early morning tomorrow on a soggy trail.