morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-06
From: Hanover, NH

To: New York City
Miles today: 0.0

The cabdriver took my bags from my hand at 5:25AM and we sat in relative silence until he pulled into the local Dunkin¢ Donuts so I could get some coffee for the trip to the Lebanon Regional Airport and a 6:40 flight to NYC.As he drove along, I was wrapped in thought about the experiences I¢ve had on the Appalachian Trail these past 6 months and started to organize my thoughts for what adjustments I¢d want to make before heading out again. I remembered what Winton, the owner of the hiking store in Neels Gap, GA said while doing my ¢shakedown¢ inspection four days into this odyssey: ¢If you don¢t use it every day and it don¢t keep you warm or dry, you don¢t need it.¢That¢s particularly good advice. But within those broad criteria, there are a lot options to consider and here are a few that are on my ¢sacred list¢ (i.e. I don¢t intent to go out into the woods without them!)¢1.My Leatherman Tool is essential: I won¢t leave home without it! It may be heavier than other options, but there¢s nothing better for an all-purpose-emergency-repair-daily-use trail tool to be found. After my first section I went out with a nice, small Buck knife and a tiny Swiss Army knife, the two of which weighed less than the small Leatherman tool, combined. But they just didn¢t have the pliers and the heft that I learned were essential during the course of subsequent hikes.2.Mountain House Dehydrated Dinners are, by far and away, the best tasting, easiest meals to be found on the Trail. They¢re expensive relative to many other meal options and certainly more so than if you dehydrate things yourself. But if you¢re buying dehydrated dinners for the trail as I do, Mountain House is the best I¢ve found.3.For sleeping comfort, the Big Agnes ¢Lost Ranger¢ 15-degree bag is as good as they come. It is 72¢ at the girth, which means I can roll over without wrapping the bag around me (most bags are 59¢ to 62¢ at the shoulders.) But what¢s even better is the fact that they¢ve made a nylon sleeve along the length of the bottom into which you slide your pad so when you do roll over the bag can¢t roll with you, keeping you and your bag on your pad all night long.4.After trying two Gregory packs this year (the ¢Palisades¢ and the light-weight ¢Zero Gravity¢ pack also. I am in love with my new Granite Gear ¢Nimbus.¢ It zips from the front making it incredibly easy to pack and to access. It is also lighter weight than most other commercial packs. Unlike the ¢Zero Gravity¢ pack, the ¢Nimbus¢ shoulder straps stay put and don¢t become loose, even when carrying heavier than normal loads (i.e. immediately after re-supplying food.) It is comfortable light weight and really does the job for me.These thoughts are those of one person whose entire hiking experience is summarized in this journal, so I¢m far from an authority on these subjects. However, from my experiences over the past months, these are some things I¢ve learned and have come to appreciate.
Date: 2004-09-07
From: New York City

To: ADDENDUM: Mountain Lions on the AT?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

There is a lot of talk on the trail around campfires about the widespread existence of Mountain Lions (aka "Pumas" or "Cougars" depending on where you're from.) The general consensus is that, for some reason, most every State DNR office seems to understate if not categorically deny their existence.I don't know if Mountain Lions are supposed to exist in VT or not, but I took the enclosed photo last week while hiking up Killington. I followed these paw prints in the mud for a good half mile before they left the trail less than a mile from the top where children (aka "bite size morsels" to a large carnivore kitty regardless of what it may be called)were romping around with their parents. As you can see, the paw prints measured approximately 4¢ across (the tips on my poles are 3" long). While I don't know for sure what kind of creature made those tracks, it sure looks like one BIG kitty-cat to me! You be the judge.Bumpo
Date: 2004-09-30
From: ADDENDUM: Mountain Lions on the AT: Reprised

To: ADDENDUM: Mountain Lions on the AT: Reprised
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Peter Nunes is from Peace Dale, RI. He and I have never met but he has been following my travels on this web site for some time it appears. Being hopeful that I had stumbled on some proof that there are, indeed, "Catamounts" (as he refers to Mountain Lions) in VT, he sent a copy of my last journal entry along with the accompanying picture to his son, Christian, who is a student of ornithology at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Here's what Christian wrote back: "Not a Mt. Lion. Notice that it's not even a cat track. Felines have two lobes at the top of the palm-pad and never show claw marks. Canines only have one lobe. Their palm-pad is triangle shaped, with three points. Dogs also show claw marks since their claws aren't retractable. A quick search on Google for "animal tracks" found some good resources and photos. I think this is a dog track. Also, what mountain lion do you know follows a human footpath of mud for 1/2 a mile? I don't think they like to get their paws dirty, haha."So, I guess the laugh's on Bumpo! But, at least I can say in the immortal words of Tweety: " I tawt I taw a putty tat!¢
Date: 2004-10-20
From: New York City

To: UPDATE: Grounded!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Bad News! Somewhere during my last few days of hiking with Dick Hurd last September while we were en route across Vermont heading towards Hanover, NH, apparently the concussions from my estimated 2,154,000 foot steps taken on the Appalachian Trail so far this year took their cumulative toll... I just received the results of an MRI that reveals a compression fracture at the top of the Tibia and a partial tear of the Meniscus Cartilage in my right knee. Oops!My Orthopedic Surgeon has informed me that if I give up all "impact sports" (especially hiking and running) for the next few months and go to physical therapy, I have a 50-50 chance of not having to have surgery to repair the damage. Bummer! This means that I'm out of this year's Marine Corps Marathon for which I have been preparing for the past several months.It also means that the 115 mile section between Swift Run Gap east of Harrisonburg, VA, and Harper's Ferry, WV, will have to wait until next year, too. I had hoped to close up this piece of the Trail that I had intentionally saved until the Autumn so I could savor the foliage and the Fall air of the Shenandoahs.Oh well, it'll still be there next year. And, hopefully, so will I.
Date: 2005-02-02
From: UPDATE: Time to Find Out

To: UPDATE: Time to Find Out
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday was the first time I ran since last October -- one silly mile (half run, half walked, actually!) on a treadmill at the Health Club. On Thursday the 10th, I'm leaving for a week of skiing in Aspen at which time I guess I'll find out if I'm going to need surgery to fix my old knees. Whatever running I do between now and then may give me an indication even before that.Time will tell.
Date: 2005-03-12
From: UPDATE: The 

To: UPDATE: The 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I¢m happy to report that my knees seem to be doing "okay". They passed the initial test with a week on the slopes at Beaver Creek, Snowmass and Aspen Mountain and now they're beginning to be tested on the pavement of "Gotham" as I get back into running (right now, "waddling" is probably a more apt descriptor!) Incidentally, the ski trip , was the 31st of its sort (31st year of participating). The trip includes a handful of old (increasing ¢old¢ in our case) friends who have enjoyed our ¢Boys Week.¢ ski trip together during the second week of February since 1974. It¢s truly an incredible tradition1 A year ago at this time I was beginning to make my first journal entries and was so excited about the prospects of actually going to the Appalachian Trail after all the years of talking about it that I could hardly sit still. A year later the mystique has lessened but the appeal of getting back out there continues. Each day I get a bit more ¢antsy.¢I've put together a lovely album of photos and journal entries that sits on my coffee table. Several times a week as I pass by it I'll stop and flip through it. Each picture, each entry, brings back a feeling, a sensation, a face, a name, an image of woods and atmosphere and the sensation of simply "being" there for which I have no other antecedents anywhere in my prior 60 years of life's experiences. Each picture and each journal entry tugs at something inside me as subtly as the moon's pull on the oceans but equally undeniable... I can't see it or describe it, but it¢s there Hopefully, before too much longer, it will draw my feet back there, too.
Date: 2005-03-28
From: UPDATE: Just A Year Ago...

To: UPDATE: Just a Year Ago...
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Almost every day now as daylight finds its ways deeper and deeper into the concrete canyons of New York's streets for a few minutes longer each day, I find myself thinking of those hikers just now arriving at Amicalola Falls, signing the register in the Ranger Station and weighing their packs at the corner of the building. It was just over a year ago (March 25th) that my nephew, Tom Rogers, and I were doing the exact same thing. As the "newbies" stand there with a mixed smile of relief ("I'm finally about to start this endeavor!") and doubt ("Can I really do it?") surely some stranger or perhaps a friend, lover, or family member there to drop them off, takes their picture... a picture that will forever be proof of their wiliness to give it a go. A picture that will forever record the fact that, regardless of whether they make Katahdin or just a few miles up the access trail toward Springer, that on this day they showed up in their own lives... proof that, regardless of the outcome, today they got off the sidelines and got into the game. To me, a picture like this one of Tom and me is worth more than any exuberant conquest picture taken in Maine. To me, the greatest challenge someone can face is to find the courage to take the first step onto a new path, not the last. But then, I haven¢t walked all 2,180 miles and felt that feeling of accomplishment to which so few are entitled. But for me, he ¢AT Class of 2005¢ of Thru Hikers and Section Hikers sure have my respect for what they¢ve accomplished just by getting to the start! God bless them all!
Date: 2005-04-03
From: UPDATE: Outlook Dismal

To: UPDATE: Outlook Dismal
Miles today: 0.0

Prospects for getting in very much Trail time this year are currently not very encouraging. Since, my knees seem to have fully recovered from the torn meniscuses (meniscus? Whatever!). As the result of all the pounding they took last year, other impediments have continued to crop up. The first is a rotator cuff problem (partial tears in left shoulder requiring a cortisone shot this coming week followed by a month of physical therapy) and a fractured rib (requiring a few more weeks to heal followed by an injection of common sense -- when a 60 year-old goes roller skating with a bunch of 12 year-olds, one should at least acknowledge the possibility that someone is going to fall and get hurt and it probably isn't going to be one of those under 13!)Consequently I'm still on "hold" for getting out there onto the AT for at least another month, maybe longer.Hopefully, I'll be able to make ¢Trail Days¢ in Damascus, VA (May 12-15), if not as a hiker than at least as a hiker-wannabe. We'll just have to wait and see. I want to be hiking again.
Date: 2005-04-15
From: Thornton Gap

To: AT
Miles today: 0.0

Joy! I am going to do it! Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I am going to be out on the Appalachian Trail in just a few hours. I woke up this morning in Pennsylvania after driving my business partner back to that home and my decision was made on the spur of the moment. It wasn¢t until I was halfway through my first cup of morning coffee that I realized that my entire weekend was free and that I had nothing on my calendar for Monday ¢ ¢so why not go spend some time hiking the trail?¢All of my gear is stashed nearby in Barb's farmhouse, about an hour away. So my plan, as I formulated it, was to simply to go get it, check it out, pack it up and drive to Harper¢s Ferry.Once I arrived at Harper¢s Ferry, I spoke with Laurie who¢s with the ATC, which is headquartered there. She indicated that thus far only two Thru Hikers have been through their office, which seems about right. I grabbed a map and headed back to the car. En route to Harper¢s Ferry I made some calls to my sister and with her incredibly indulgent persistence, I proceeded directly to Thornton Gap to drop my car a half an hour due east of where she and my brother-in-law, Bill Rogers, live in New Market Virginia. Bill picked me up there and took me back to their house for dinner and a quick look at the map. I spent the rest of the evening doing the inevitable after-dinner entertainment of completely packing and re-packing my gear a half dozen times or so. In some ways, getting organized felt so very familiar, yet in other ways it seemed completely alien, especially since up until this morning, my mind had been closed to even the remote possibility that I¢d be doing ANY hiking this year! When I woke up this morning I hadn't even thought about the process of packing for a trip to the AT for months! Each of my prior eight outings to the AT, was preceded by an extensive amount of planning, analysis, and thoughtfulness. This time it is just ...here I am¢¦¢¦..there¢s the trail¢¦¢¦.here I go. This is a very different approach for me. Can¢t wait!
Date: 2005-04-18
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It¢s 6:45 am and before packing up and heading out I wanted to say capture my thoughts about the view from here last night when I got up to nature¢s call. It was breathtakingly moving!The woods were lit with the white cast of the half-moon whose progress towards Masanutten Mountain was imperceptibly steady. The progress of the moon was just like that of the seasons and the growth of children -- each time I looked at it I could see that it was different, but as closely as I tried to watch, the actual change could not be seen.Beyond the woods and well below ¢ far enough that no noise could be heard emanating from them - were the two towns, marked by their tiny dots of light, twinkling and beckoning like the lights of a Christmas tree in a good friend's front window. The air last night was still but not at all heavy. Even the deer that were grazing nearby stopped rustling the leaves to share the moment with me -- the moon, the far away lights of the towns and the night air--, their eyes reflecting the beam of my headlamp like two amber lights on twin highway signs. Had I not started to feel chilly, I think I could have been content to stand there in the quiet Virginia splendor until morning¢s light.Now two crows, one nagging the other incessantly, have just flown overhead, signaling that it¢s time for this inherent ¢morning butt dragger¢ to finish his coffee, wash out the oatmeal pot, pack up and hit the road... 14 miles and the prospects of another beautiful day ahead.
Date: 2005-04-18
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Thornton Gap
Miles today: 14.0

Well, my unexpected three-day junket on the AT has now come to an end and already, my mind is racing through blocks of calendar commitments to see when and where I might be able to slip in another such trip. This impromptu one was so good!After seeing last night¢s beautiful scene, I awoke early full of energy and was on the trail by 8:00 am with a leisurely 14 miles ahead of me and a warm sun overhead. I was eager to move on but sad to leave my private corner of the VA woods along the AT that had treated me so well. I had loved my forest solitude-something that a year ago at this time I had endured with considerable dread. My how the Trail changes us.Around 10:00 am I found myself passing through Skyland Resort and couldn¢t resist the opportunity to drink hot coffee and use a flush toilet (and my, how the Trail puts the simple pleasures of life into perspective!) When my waitress Joyce came by for my coffee order I was surprised to hear myself ordering not only black coffee, but a stack of blueberry pancakes as well. I¢m glad I did because they were delicious. On my way out of the dining room I met Jim Byrd, a Thru Hiker, who was just pulling in ostensibly for the same purpose. We connected quickly and easily, as it seems is the case with most AT hikers, and I told him I¢d wait up for him ¢somewhere down the Trail¢ so we could hike a ways together. A few hours later I strode into ¢The Pinnacles¢ picnic area where I enjoyed a light snack and respite ( I wasn¢t that I wasn¢t hungry again so much as I was still feeling pangs of guilt for my mid-morning feeding, that I had enjoyed just a couple of hours earlier). I then spread my sleeping pad out on a picnic table close to the Trail and, wrapped in the warm rays of the spring sunshine, immediately fell asleep. What a great way to live: eat, sleep and walk, eat sleep and walk!No sooner had I revived myself when Jim Byrd appeared from the woods and we headed out together talking like old friends about a potpourri of eclectic topics. This is his third, Thru Hike and I really enjoyed his company, as I think he did mine.I arrived at Thornton Gap and in no time at all I was in my waiting rental car and headed north toward work and my more normal life having ¢stolen,¢ three days of perfect hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I stopped at my sister¢s long enough to drop off my hiking gear, shower, and change before embarking on the 4 12 hour trip north.
Date: 2005-05-29
From: Thornton Gap

To: Elkwallow Gap
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am somewhere in the Northern Virginia woods, probably 12 to 34 mile south of Elkwallow Gap. My tent is set up on a previously created campsite just a bit shy of the required 20 yards away from the Trail. But (otherwise), it¢s a nice¢fairly level spot on a narrow ridge with the sun just now setting through the tent netting at my feet. Tomorrow ¢BOB¢ will arise thru the mesh flap at my head. Birds are chirping and I can barely make out the sound of cars on the Skyline Drive well below me to the East. The wind is murmuring through the trees, which is a pleasant improvement from earlier in the day when it was actually quite brisk. But now, like me and the rest of the woods, the wind has calmed down and is ready for the evening rest.I arrived on the Trail today around 4:15, a day and a half later than I had originally hoped but it¢s still better than not being here at all. (Work does come first, you know!) Anyway, I didn¢t miss a whole heck of a lot because it rained pretty heavy through Saturday afternoon. Since I was fighting a bit of a leftover cold, it may be just as well I didn¢t get here until I did.In spite of the very late start, I still got in 7 good miles. I can feel it. I¢ll sleep well tonight for sure.Because there¢s no water here I decided to forego a hot meal tonight and to ration my water for coffee and hot cereal for breakfast. A PB&J made earlier this afternoon at my sister¢s house hit the spot and I¢m ready to call it a day. I drove down from New York this morning and stopped to, say ¢hi,¢ pick up my gear and to get organized. Now it¢s time for sleep
Date: 2005-05-30
From: Elkwallow Gap

To: Compton Gap
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

24 miles in 24 hours! That¢s 7 miles yesterday between 4:30 and bedtime and 17 miles today before reaching my car at 4:30 pm. Not bad!Though it was a rushed trip, I didn¢t feel rushed. The woods are a sedative. Regardless of what¢s going on in your head as you start out on the Trail the rhythm of each footfall in time with the cadence of your breathing become a mantra that soon drowns out the noises in your head, centering you over your feet and in the present. And peace is found only in the present. Nature has a different pace from what I try to impose on my world (ha!). It was good to be out and marching to the beat of a different drum if even for a short time! My Sister and her husband, Bill, picked me up just a few minutes after it started to rain and returned me to Thornton Gap to pick up my car before heading to a steakhouse for sustenance and the long drive back to NYC. Time on the AT is time well spent, even when it¢s only a day. Lovely experience!
Date: 2005-07-28
From: NYC

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Finally! It¢s time for me to head back to the AT for two weeks of hiking!My goal is to close the 185-mile gap between Port Clinton, PA and Bear Mountain State Park, NY. My drop boxes have been mailed to Palmerton, PA; Delaware Water Gap; and High Point State Park, NJ. My gear is packed. Every day for the past week as I became more and more involved in the now-familiar preparatory steps, I found myself becoming more and more excited about the prospects of being back on the AT for the next 13 days. I feel good. I feel ready. Let¢s see, now, will the old knees endorse the check my still youthful mind is writing¢¦
Date: 2005-07-28
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: scattered clouds

So how good does this sound to you? I am sitting on a log in the Pennsylvania woods, along the AT, having watched the sky turn from gold to luminous light grey and then to black, while eating a turkey sub with chips and drinking a peach flavored iced (actually, tepid) tea. Followed by the one cigar I brought with me and a course of homemade cookies. The temperature is wonderfully cool, a spectacular contrast from the last few weeks in Manhattan. A light breeze is blowing through the leaves above. Fireflies dot the woods on this delightful prodigal summer night. There is the murmured hum of crickets and katydids that blend with the faint highway sounds from I-78 several miles off to the east. Oh, it¢s good to be back on the Trail!My business partner, Barb, dropped me off at Port Clinton around 4 pm today on her way back home. Rather than spend the night in a hotel (particularly the hiker-unfriendly Port Clinton Hotel!) I decided to "hit the Trail" and take advantage of the perfect afternoon to put some miles into the bank. Am I glad I did! The Trail was surprisingly welcoming ¢ wide and mostly easy terrain with rock-free climbs, and a couple of lovely, pastoral vistas ¢ very unlike the Pennsylvania I had anticipated. My campsite is flat and already feels like ¢home.¢ It is good to be back on the Trail, to be alone and in the woods.So, how does it sound it sound to you? It sounds pretty darn good to me.When Benton McKay sat on the top of Stratton Mountain and first envisioned the Appalachian Trail, a part of his vision was for a wilderness path that would be easily accessible by working class people from the cities all along the Eastern Seaboard. He would have to be very pleased with my experience today. I left my NYC office just before 1 pm today and I here am now in the kind of wilderness setting, that McKay must have had in mind. It feels like I'm on a different planet entirely! How fortunate I am to be a beneficiary of his incredible vision made real through the efforts of countless volunteers and people committed to it that have come and gone over the years. Bless them all!