morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-19
From: Bennington, VT

To: Kid Gore Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Trail Days 20 - Plucky and GoatDate 6/19Starting Location: Bennington, VTDestination: Kid Gore Shelterdaily miles 14.4 on ATWe did not get back on the AT until 11:30 am. We slept late, walkeddowntown for blueberry pancakes at a cafe called Alldays and Onions,and got meds for Michael's cough at the pharmacy. The motel owner droveus to the trail.The weather was perfect: partly cloudy and cool. We climbed 1400 ft. upto the summit of Glastenbury Mt. We did not stop at Goddard Shelternear the top as it was buggy with gnats and there were other hikersstaying there.We met two hikers, Goat and Plucky, at the fire tower. The view fromthe tower was awesome on a clear day like today. We snapped photos andhiked on down to Kid Gore Shelter. This shelter opened up to a longvista down into the valley. Two older women pitched their tents nearby.Two young guys hiked on because the ground was too rocky for tenting.Plucky, a buxom blonde bombshell well named, came in with her friend,Goat, a grizzled building contractor. The Grunt, a former Army Ranger,joined us and commented that Goat sure had his hands full with her.Michael said he did not think a woman as old as she was could be thatditsy. That is the perspective of youth; I thought she was justrelentlessly cheerful.A mouse scurried beneath our feet as we prepared dinner. I tried tosweep him out with a broom, but he was too quick. Plucky nearlypanicked when The Grunt related how a shelter mouse ran over someone'sforehead at night, but she quickly recovered when Goat angrily got outhis tent and started searching for a site for it. She said she wouldjust knock herself out with Tylenol PM, and the mouse could dowhatever.
Date: 2005-06-20
From: Kid Gore Shelter

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: few clouds

We took our time getting out on the trail in the morning as we decided to end this year's hike at Manchester Center instead of going on to Killington. Michael wanted to visit the MassMoCA Museum in North Adams and then spend a day in Boston taking in a museum and some live music before flying to Florida on the 25th. There was not enough time to hike to Killington and do all this. We were 75 miles from Killington: we could get there on the 23rd by doing 20-mile days, but I wanted to reward Michael for joining me by doing some things he especially enjoys. He is an Art and Photography major in college and very much into Indie music. I have always enjoyed learning more about his world. We could hike to Manchester Center in two moderate days, stay there for the night, take a free bus to Rutland where there is a hostel, have two days to rent a car to drive to North Adams to visit MassMoCA and see my cousin in Killington, and still get into Boston a day before our flight. I am not so focused on reaching a goal while hiking that I forget to have a good time! I can pick up again next year in Manchester Center just as easily as in Killington.We passed the tiny and old Caughnawga Shelter just 200 yards up the AT from Kid Gore and climbed a hill where we found the two young men we saw last night searching for a tent site. They were tenting in the underbrush beside the trail. We passed a pond with a beaver lodge in the middle and were on lookout for moose but did not see any. We stopped at Story Spring Shelter for lunch. Zoot was there also. I was excited to see an entry by Skirt in the shelter register from the previous day. She had just started north on the trail where she got off last year and was finishing her hike. I sheltered with Skirt, Dingle and Sunshine some in 2004 and would love to catch her but that was not likely to happen. This year she was hiking with Tiger Lily and a dog.After crossing some forest roads, we climbed about 1600 ft. to the summit of Stratton Mt. It wasn't near as steep as I expected, but the last part to the top reminded me of the Chairbacks in Maine, with rock steps and stunted fir trees on both sides. We climbed the fire tower for a great 360 degree view and snapped a few photos. We could see our destination, Stratton Pond, way down in the valley. It was only three miles away but it looked a lot farther away. We plunged down the mountain over the rocky trail eager for a cool swim. Stratton Pond was indeed cool and we enjoyed a refreshing dip. The pond was picture perfect. If there had been the sound of a loon over the water, you would swear you were in the 100-mile wilderness in Maine. We sunned ourselves on the grassy bank and lazily watched dragonfly sentries chase the bugs away. There was no place in the world more peaceful and idyllic than this.Fireball, an older gentleman who has section hiked most of the AT, came into the shelter with his wife. They are retirees who live in Tallahassee, Florida. We spent a pleasant evening chatting about their travels and plans for more adventures.
Date: 2004-01-29
To: Homer 2004
Miles today: 0.0

After spending many months reading journals and making plans, I am finally beginning the journal entries. January has flown by. I have been busy buying equipment and trying to get in shape for the big hike. The longest hike I have ever taken was on the AT and a group of us hiked seventy miles in seven days. We hiked in Georgia from just inside the state line down to Springer Mountain. So this six month trip will be quite different. I have a photo of me taken in 1975 in front of the headquartes of the ATC in Harpers Ferry, WV that I wanted to post on this page, but so far I have not been able to locate it. My dream had started back then, almost 30 years ago. And finally it is about to begin. My trail name is Homer and I thought that was appropriate as I begin this Odyssey!Homer AT 2004
Date: 2004-01-30
Miles today: 0.0

Still working on getting ready. Eye doctor today and new glasses on order. Dentist next week. Tarp Tent is complete. Need to buy some sealant and get that job done next week. I have been reading up on digital cameras. I never have owned one and am having a tough time deciding on what to purchase. Should be buying something next week. I have made one Pepsi Can stove and tried it out. I was not too satisfied with it. Will try making several more next week. Probably will end up buying a stove for the cold weather anyway. More later.Homer AT 2004
Date: 2004-01-31
To: A little about me
Miles today: 0.0

Approximately 45 more days until I begin on the trail. Let me tell you a little about who I am. I have lived in Memphis, TN all my life. My 65th birthday will be celebrated while I am on the trail this summer. My 43rd wedding anniversary will be in February just before departing on the hike. I retired at the end of 2003 and started immediately training for the trip. During the last year I became acquainted with Trail Journals and have enjoyed reading all of the 2003 entries.    When I first began planning on hiking the trail I had the false idea that there was not much involved in the planning. All you needed was some food, water and shelter. I have already hiked over 200 miles of the AT and have climbed both Springer Mountain and Mt. Katahdin in years past. The longest hike I have had was 70 miles in Georgia, which I did with four other guys, and we accomplished this in seven days.    I gained much knowledge and enjoyment from many of the journals last year but especially enjoyed all of the entries and photos by Jan LiteShoe. I looked forward to every day to see if there was a new journal entry from her. At first I thought I could have some safety on the trail by carrying a cell phone. Unfortunately, I have read that there is not much coverage on the trail. So I scratched that idea. Then I found out about Pocketmail that many of you have used. I made that purchase and subscribed to a year of that service. I now write myself emails and call Pocketmail to have them downloaded on to my unit for me to read. I would like to get away from the electronics world while on the hike, but Pocketmail seems to be a fine way to transmit journals, send and receive emails, and stay a little in contact with what is going on with family and friends.    I will be sending my journals to my wife who will post them in Trail Journals. Speaking of family, I have two married daughters. Each of them has two sons. All of them will be keeping up with my progress via email, the TJ website, and the AT wall map.    A digital camera for the hike remains to be purchased. Every time I think I have decided on one, I read about another one that might be better. Sometimes the internet offers too much information!    Well, that is about all I am going to write about today. More to come later. The photos I have posted so far all come from hikes back in the 80¢s.
Date: 2004-02-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

About to get my gear all together. Still working on the Pepsi can stove. I am going to try and build the windscreen today and coat the stove with JB Weld. I have made three stoves so far. They all look great but I have yet to get them to a good boil.   My new camera was delivered yesterday. This is my first digital camera and I am having fun getting it up and running. I woke up this morning at 3:30 am and my mind was filled with AT thoughts. After getting up I checked on Trail Journals first thing and read the journals of others who are having trouble sleeping and find themselves thinking more about the trail than anything else.    My wife has finished sewing the Ray-way Tarp Tent. I still have to do the seam sealing. She has almost finished the Net-tent and we should be able to have it finished Tuesday. She has been a great help in sewing these things but says she does not want to be around when the first storm comes up and tears the whole thing up. She has done such a quality job with the sewing that I am sure that if I set up the tent properly it will stand up in any storm.    Last week I saw my dentist for my six month check up and told him about the hike. He suggested that I read the book by David Brill, "As Far As The Eye Can See". The library had a copy and I have been sitting by the fireplace this morning reading it and watching a few snowflakes falling outside the window. It is fun reading if you have not read it yet. He told of a time in Elk Park, North Carolina when he and three other hikers arrived at a restaurant soon after it opened on a Sunday afternoon, paid their three dollars each, and single-handedly consumed the entire contents of a salad bar before the owner politely but firmly invited them to move on.    Hopefully my hike will begin mid to late March. Someone said they knew of 60 thru-hikers beginning March 1st. It will be fun to follow that group and see how they are doing. Daily I am hiking eight miles around my neighborhood. How nice it will be to be hiking in the woods and away from the noise and smell of all the cars zipping by.    After finishing the tent I plan to take off on some hiking-camping trips to check everything out. My plans call for me to use an old external frame Jansport backpack that I have used for years. It continues to work well and is not too heavy. I may have to change once I have put all my gear together and checked the total weight.    That is about all for now. Still ahead, watching a little basketball on TV this afternoon, trip to Home Depot for supplies, making the windscreen, 8 mile walk and finishing my book by the fireplace. What a day for me!
Date: 2004-03-06
To: Weighing Pack
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a good day. I finally got my pack loaded up and checked the weight. Without fuel, food, and water and no clothes in it, the weight totaled under 20 pounds. This made me very happy. Before loading up my old Jansport pack, I found a small hole in it. Janet was able to save the day by sewing it up. The weather continues to get better, and I am getting ready to go hiking. I have found out that you really need to watch the ¢done¢ button on the Pocketmail when you are typing. It ends your letter in a flash.
Date: 2004-03-22
From: Amicolola Falls State Park

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

Monday March 22 9am Left Amicalola Falls State Park and started a tough hike for the day. The weather has been great. It got very cold last night,about 20 degrees. I got up about 3:00 this morning and put on all the clothes that I had. I did fall back asleep and slept until about 7a.m. There were two of us on the lower floor of the shelter, three slept in the balcony. There were two who sleptin a tent. We had a camp fire going and some of the others stayed up and talked.I went to bed and listened for a while. One guy said he was a Baptist but had gone to Frazer United Methodist Church. He said they had quite a program, which we knew about.Most of the ones we saw at the headquarters skipped the approachtrail and started at Springer Mt.Today is a little warmer but as I write this, it is getting very chilly. I have set up the tent for the first time, and tonight will be the first time to check it out. Our shelter is full, and there are a lot of tents set up. We are at Hawk Mountain and have gone 7.6 miles today. This is the first day. No money spent. One night in shelter and one night in tent. I heard Stones is in the area and looking for me, but I think he went past this shelter.That is about all for today. I gave away some of my food and lightened my load.
Date: 2004-03-27
From: Neels Gap

To: Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

There is a 61 year old retired military man staying in the next cabin. He isfrom California and had open heart surgery two years ago and is now cleared to hikeand comes here often to hike. He is finished now, sent his gear home yesterday,and is going to stay here about a week until his wife sends him some medicine heneeds and his tickets home. He went to supper with me. It was an AYCE buffet. Ionly ate a salad, fried fish, fried chichen, green beans, squash, mashedpotatoes with gravy, carrots, and I am sure a few other god things. The seniorrate was $6. We then went to an Ingles grocery store, and I bought some more wheat thins and lemonade mix. Then the ridehome. Our driver is a heart attack or stroke time bomb. Old, overweight, grumpy,and smokes all the time. I did read about 6 pages of my novel last night beforeturning off the light at 9. I was up at 5:30 this morning. There is a gas heaterin my room and the thermostat is set at 50 degrees. It came on about 5 thismorning for the first time. I made my first cup of coffee and will soon have asecond.I saw the Atlanta weather report last night, and they said rain should move inMonday. Rain will not be fun but we will see what a difference it makes. The guy Tom I wrote about yesterday is from Frederick, MD. Lots of young people out hiking are out of work and taking this opportunity to hike. We do not talk much about what onedoes for a living. I have been wearing my Idlewild ballcap and have been askedwhat the I stands for. Around noon today I am going back to Neels Gap and get insome more mileage today. The shelter spacing does not look good so I am not surewhere I will be tonight. The next place off I think will be the Blueberry Patch.Sounds like a place I dont want to miss. And I think I will need a new foodsupply by then. I am learning more about my pocketmail and enjoying it. I have only seenone other one being used. It is now about 6:33 and I am ready for that second cup ofcoffee. When the office opens up around eight I will try to send this to you. Distances:1st day Approach trail 8.8 miles. Spent night in shelter 0 miles on AT. Trailwas very tough.night at Springer Mountain Shelter slept in the shelter.2nd day hiked 7.6 miles on AT spent night at Hawk Mountain Shelter in tent withnet tent set up. Hard to crawl into net tent.Third day hiked to 14.7 mile on AT and spent the night at Goovh MountainShelter. Slept in Tent no net.4th day made it to Woods Hole Shelter 26.6 mile on AT and slept in tarp only.5th day hiked over Blood Mountain and made it to Neels Gap by 11:45. 30.7 mileson AT. Night at Goose Creek Cabins and will pick up again today at Neels Gap.
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Hiawassee Inn

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hiawassee is a good place to take my first zero day. Sam and Ron at theHiawassee Inn really cater to the hikers. They make runs to Dicks Creek Gap tosee if there are any hikers there. the rooms are not fancy but comfortable.Nearby is a Rite Aid that has hiker food. I burned a CD of my photos so far andthe post office is a short walk to mail it home for my wife to post on thejournal. There is a Subway next door. A short walk takes you to the publiclibrary where they have four internet connected computers and give you two hoursuse.I bought my Heet fuel at the service station next door. The guys hereshuttle you to Daniels Steakhouse for an AYCE buffet. This morning at 8:45 theywill take us back to the trail to resume our hike. I have been trying to callPocketmail for about an hour and the line is busy. I hope it clears soon. Myplans call for about four 10 mile days that should put me at Winding Stair Gapwhere some Trail Angels are to meet me and take me home for a c! leanup and a nights rest. I think the mountains have become cold and maybe Iwill se some snow. Maybe Tree Frog and I will be back hiking together Mondayafter the Franklin break. Today I should finish Georgia and be in North Carolinabefore dark. Soon I will cross the first 100 mile marker. Looking forward toboth of those events. Thanks again for reading my journals and I love to getmessages from those signing my guest book or sending me emails. Well, off tocontinue hiking.Home AT 2004
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

After my wonderful zero day in Hiawassee, I resumed my hike. Unfortunately, I was greeted with lots of cold weather. After hiking in 80 degree weather and thinking about sending my cold weather clothes home, the cold wind hit us. I began hiking at Dicks Creek Gap at mile marker 66.8 about 8:30 a.m. and hiked to Muskrat Creek Shelter at 78.4, where I spent the night April 1. I got into the shelter about 4:15. It was about 33 degrees with light snow falling. There was a large group of us at the shelter, so I pitched my tent outside and got a good nights sleep.
Date: 2004-04-02
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up about 6:30 a.m. It was so cold. It is hard to think about fixing breakfast or doing anything when you are standing outside your tent trying to dress, and it is 28 degrees, spitting snow, and you are still sore from the day before. But this is what it's all about. You just do what is necessary to get the job done. Standing in the the way for the hike today is Standing Indian Mountain, which is listed in my book at 5,498 feet. This will be our tallest so far. So I left camp at 7:30 a.m. and started walking to try to warm up. It doesn't take long. We reached the summit of Standing Indian Mountain at 11:30 a.m. in the snow. The rhododendron looked like cotton plants with cotton blooming on the leaves. I wanted to stop and take a picture, but it was so cold and I would have to remove my pack and take out the camera, so I missed that opportunity. I had always wanted to hike in the snow, and now I have had my chance. I'm glad to have done it, but hope I can go on without having to repeat it. I don't think spring is in the mountains yet. I got into Carter Gap Shelter about 3:00 p.m. and quickly fixed some Ramen noodles for supper. I'm standing shivering in the cold and trying to warm up to the heat of my Pepsi can stove. I'm at 90.9 miles
Date: 2004-04-03
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: few clouds

Up and out of the shelter at 7:30 a.m.. You tend to start quickly to generate some heat when it is this cold. Actually it was not so bad, 38 degrees while getting dressed outside the tent. You do dress quickly. This day of hiking was interesting. Big Butt Mountain, 4600 feet, was not too bad. We hit the summit at 11:00 a.m. But then Albert Mountain, which I had been dreading, was next. It was the toughest climb so far, more like rock climbing than hiking up a mountain. I did get some good photos that I hope will soon be on the journal. Albert was 5220 feet with a fire tower on the top, tough, but we made it. Actually the descent was so easy that I kept on going. When I reached Glassmine Gap at 2:14 p.m., my book showed that I was at 101.5 miles. So I have now crossed the Georgia-North Carolina border, entered the second state, climbed the highest mountain at 5,220, and passed the 100 mile mark. My book showed Glassmine Gap at 101.5 miles and Rock Gap Shelter at 103.0, so I decided to go on the 1.5 miles to the shelter instead of pitching the tent in the woods. It turned out that the book was wrong, with the true distance being 3.0 miles instead of 1.5. Tired and cold, I did make it into the shelter at 3:30 p.m. and was then at 103.0 miles. There were two staying in the shelter, Neanderthal and Hiker, formerly known as Greg, one in his tent and Keith and I in our Tarp Tents. The wind blew in tornado strength gusts, and I was expecting any minute to see my tarp tent go flying off into the woods. Only one stake came up, and it stood up OK for the night. What a windy night, but fortunately no rain.
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Star Gap
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: clear sky

This morning it was about 33 degrees, and I was up at 6:30 getting ready to hike. Last night about 5:30 p.m. a woman trail angel named Smasher came in bearing brownies for us and left some hanging on the bear bag line for other hikers. I gave her the phone number for Gail and Stephen, and she was nice enough to relay the message that I had only 3.8 miles to hike Sunday morning and should arrive at our meeting place at noon instead of the original plan for 5 p.m. Someone remembered the time change, and so our clocks were correct. I was hiking by 8:00 a.m., and it was a fairly easy hike to Winding Stair Gap. I arrived there at 10:00 a.m. Keith had been my constant and good companion for a number of days, but he decided to take a day off at Rainbow Springs Campground and left me at Wallace Gap, hiking down Old US 64. My friends Gail and Stephen Findlay arrived earlier than expected and picked me up at 10:30, much to my relief. We had a good drive to their home and had a great lunch. I had a shower and drank several big mugs of coffee. Feeling better, I started updating my journals. I will spend the night here tonight and begin hiking tomorrow morning at 106.8. The sky remains clear but still cool. There have been some really good smooth hiking times lately stuck away in between some of the bad weather times. I haven't had to hike in the rain so far, something that I'm not looking forward to.That's all for now. Thanks to everyone for writing. It's good to hear from you.Buddy