morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-04-27
From: Franklin

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

Sitting at the airport, flight delayed. Typed my whole blog already then swiped the wrong way and deleted it. Having one of those days. But I wanted to tell you a crazy story that happened yesterday.Butter Bear(BB) and I walked to downtown Franklin yesterday and had fun going in and out of cute little shops. She needed some items from the 76 Hikers store so we spent quite a few minutes there. Then we decided to get coffee and cookies from a shop around the corner. We were at the register and the owner was asking us a hundred questions about our AT adventure. She rang me up for 2 cookies and a coffee, $8 and change, I give her a $20, and got change. Then she rings BB up, who got 3 cookies and coffee, owner says that'll be $13 and change. We look at each other, then she asks about the $5 difference. Just then I glance down at the money I got back from my $20 and I'm short a $5. The owner fixes hers and mine and we all had a good laugh about it. Honest mistake! I was juggling several bags now from different shops and I was trying to consolidate them when I look down and saw I was holding a $43 pillow from the 76 Hikers store, the same one I bought at REI, it's only about 3"x2" big, anyway I was so embarrassed and again we all laughed! What's going on here??? Anyway, we made a mad dash back to the store before the police came to haul me away! The guy at the store was grateful and although my airport adventure is somewhat irritating, I'm glad I'm here and not behind bars!
Date: 2012-04-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, here we go. I've been reading, planning, and dreaming about hiking the AT for about 20 years, and I'm less than a year away from finally having the opportunity. After 6 years in the army, 3 years working in power plants, a year in construction, 4 years of college, and 25 years as a teacher, I am retiring. I plan to begin on March 1, 2013. I have a tremendous amount of support from my friends and family. My wife will handle all the mailing. My dad will take care of our cattle farm, and other family members are available to help out with anything that might need done. That allows me to focus on putting one foot in front of the other without worrying about the farm. I will never take for granted how lucky I am to have this opportunity and the support to do it. I have done a lot of hiking and backpacking for the last 2.5 years and am in probably the best shape of my life. Now I need to maintain this for another year. In my next post I will discuss my gear. Thanks for reading my journal.
Date: 2012-04-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I would like to talk about the evolution of my gear in this entry. In order to do this, however, I need to back up about 20 years. My interest in hiking began innocently enough. My wife and I went for a walk one evening and I soon found myself wanting to walk every evening. I soon became bored with the area around our home and began looking around for trails. I soon knew every inch of all the trails in the state parks in our area. It was on one of these hikes in a local park, that I met some folks from the Buckeye Trail Association doing trail maintenance. During my conversation with them, I learned that the Buckeye Trail (and American Discovery Trail) go past my farm. I ended up maintaining the section of the Buckeye Trail that is in my area for a couple years until my schedule demanded that I give it up. During this time and to this day, I have volunteered my farm for hikers to camp. Most of the hikers have actually stayed in our house. Like most beginning hikers, I suspect, my first gear purchases were mostly WRONG! My first backpacking trip involved a 60 pound backpack (ouch). I did not enjoy that, and actually quit. Then something started happening that very few people are lucky enough to experience. I began having some very impressive hikers spend nights with us as they hiked past our farm. The list of visitors is a virtual Who's Who in the backpacking community. The list includes: Andy Skurka 04, Amy and Brent Anslinger 04, Ken and Marcia Powers 05, Robin and Patty (Milkshake and Gumdrop) 06, and just this spring, Barry and Julie (Boston and Cubby). Needless to say, I was able to learn a lot from these "celebrities," and soon began replacing my pounds with ounces and having fun again. I am very lucky to have had the benefit of these experts. I plan to list the gear I am using on the gear list on this site.
Date: 2012-04-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

This entry is for my friends and family that will be following my journal. These are the people that have had to put up with me talking about the Appalacian Trail (AT) for 20 years. With this entry I hope to educate you a bit about the AT and what I will be doing to try to hike it. I will just be listing details so this will not be a literary masterpiece. The AT is a marked (with 2"x8" white blazes) trail that goes from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt Katahdin in Maine. THis is in excess of 2100 miles. It takes, on average, 5-6 months to complete it. It has been said that only around 20 percent of those that start will finish. Most people hike it south to north (NOBOS) but some go north to south (SOBOS). There are shelters available throughout, but many spend nights in tents as well. There are also small towns along the way where hikers will occasionally stay in motels or hostels. Towns are also used to resupply or receive supplies through the mail. You will hear me refer to "trail angels."   These are people who, for various reasons, will set up along the trail and pass out food or drinks to the hikers. I will be hiking by myself, but on the AT you have no trouble finding friends to join up with. Most of the people on the AT tend to be college grads, but the ages range from the teens to the 80's. There are rattlesnakes and bears, but they are rarely a problem. I am well aware that there are many reasons why I could have trouble finishing this adventure. I could have an injury, an emergency at home, become homesick, or simply not enjoy it. Understanding this, I'm gonna give it a shot. I might make it, or I might be back in a week, we will see. If you are interested, I hope you follow my journey here. I will update as often as possible. There will not be many posts until March of 2013.
Date: 2012-06-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Thought I would check in since it has been a while since my last entry. Since my last entry, a couple things have happened. I have an official retirement date of November 1. Today I received my new tent and was able to become familiar with it very quickly with the instructions sent by the good folks at ZPacks. My equipment is pretty much ready to go, have been doing a lot of hiking and am anxious to get started.
Date: 2012-06-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The weatherman called for temps in the low 80's on Monday and Tuesday of this week, so I decided to take advantage of the break in the weather and do a two day hike to try out my new tent and other gear. Before I left I got a new weight on my loaded pack, and came in at 25.1 lbs with food and water. I did 27.5 miles (18 on Monday, and 9.5 coming in this morning) at Shawnee State Forest. Shawnee has a lot of serious ups and downs so it is great for training purposes. The tent performed well, and I held together pretty well also. I am enjoying reading the journals of my fellow 13ers.
Date: 2012-09-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Time is just creeping along. I was thinking today, while putting in a few miles hiking at East Fork State Park, that this wait for the start of my hike reminds me of when I was 10 yrs old, waiting on Christmas morning. Then I was thinking how ironic it is that I am a month away from my long-time dream of retiring, yet the March 1st beginning of my hike is the only one I think of. I hope I don't forget and show up for work on Nov 1st!As for preparation, I've been getting in 8-10 miles most weekends, and a couple miles on the treadmill every day. The cooler weather is certainly making things easier. With retirement looming, I have had a lot of people asking me about my future plans. This, of course, leads to a discussion about the AT. I truly enjoy these conversations. I have read many times that the first questions that people will ask is - "Are you going alone?" and "Are you taking a gun?". I assumed that the gun was for personal protection, but this week a friend suggested I'd need it to kill my food. After that, I decided I need to do a better job of explaining what the AT is all about. I am going to end this entry with a link to the Appalacian Trail Conservancy. Their site does a wonderful job of describing the trail, as well as what it takes to keep it maintained. I appreciate everyone that has decided to follow my journal. I will do my best to make it worth your while.http://www.appalachiantrail.org/
Date: 2012-10-31
To: Still at home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The day has finally arrived! As of 90 minutes ago, I am officially a retiree! I have been blessed with a great job and great people to work with, but now I can focus on getting everything ready for my AT adventure. I have done a lot of hiking since my last entry, and made changes to my equipment. I hope Sandy didn't do too much damage to the trail. I trust everyone is making progress with their preparations. I really enjoy reading what everyone is doing.
Date: 2012-11-12
To: Still at home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hello journal followers. Thought I'd give a couple of updates. I have been getting in a lot of miles of late and made a few changes after a recent overnite trip. I have decided to go with my Shangri la 1 tent when I begin, then probably change to the Heximid solo after the bugs come out. I decided to switch from the "Packa" (rain jacket/pack cover) to a golite jacket and sea to summit pack cover. We have had a very dry year which hasn't allowed for testing rain gear. Today we have some rain, so put on the new gear and went for a walk on the farm. I was happy with it, but found that I'll probably have to be in a short sleeve shirt under the jacket down to 30 degrees. I also tried out some NB trail runners. They were a no-go. I just cant find anything that beats the Merrill Moab Ventilators. I have been getting a lot of messages from fellow 13ers, and look forward to meeting all of you on the trail. Now, if March would hurry up and get here!
Date: 2012-12-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Having chosen the iphone 5 for posting entries and for use as a camera, I am making this entry with it to see how it works. I have been on a couple overnight trips lately, and am happy with how my gear is performing. Had a healthy dose of rain on the last trip and fared pretty well. I have found that it is extremely important to take the shakedown trips to test myself and my gear. Less than 3 months left. Now, lets see if this works.
Date: 2012-12-23
To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I decided to make a "Pepsi Stove" earlier this week and liked it so well that I changed my cooking system. I will try to post a picture of it. Today I weighed all my gear and took a picture of it which I will also try to post. I am currently at 21.5 lbs without food and water. Would really like to get that under 20. I hope everyone is doing well and has a great Christmas.
Date: 2013-01-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

One of the many reasons I look forward to starting my AT hike is to get a break from my treadmill. My son was deployed to Iraq nearly all of 2009. While he was gone I vowed to lose weight, and as part of that, I would do 2 miles on the treadmill every day he was gone. That ended up being 704 miles. After he returned, I began thinking about getting ready for my AT hike, so I pretty much have continued on the treadmill. My beloved Spauldings have been with me all the way but, as you can see, they are in pretty bad shape. Now I've learned that my son will be deploying to Afghanistan when I return from my hike. I'm not sure I can get another 700 miles out of them. Preparations are going well. I've made some minor changes, but am pretty well set to go. I have been spending most of my time getting things ready around the farm. I have a total of 12 pieces of equipment to service and preparations for the new calves that will start coming about the time I leave. If the weather cooperates, I have decided on a Feb 27 start date. The brave souls that are already out there have been blessed with some great weather. Oh yea, last weekend I visited my son and his family and helped welcome my second grandson (3rd grandchild) into the world. It looks like there will be plenty of fellow grandparents out there on the trail with me. I hope everyone is doing well in your preparations, and I look forward to meeting you all.
Date: 2013-01-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I've officially decided on Feb 27 as my start date. That means the count down stands at 36 days! Was able to get in 25 miles of day hiking last weekend, but am really getting tired of the same trails. Those of you following my journal and others may become confused when we mention that we are hiking alone, yet there is a picture of ourselves posted that looks like it was taken by someone else. This is usually done with the help of a product called the Stixpic. It enables you to attach a camera to the end of your trekking pole so you can extend it away from you while taking the picture. Since I'm using my iPhone 5 for pictures, I searched for an adapter for using this with the Stixpic. Long story short, there are none. Not to be deterred, dad and I made one, which, hopefully, is showing up (right-side-up) with this post. In other news, after mentioning the many miles I've logged on my treadmill in my last post, it quit working! So, no more treadmill before the hike. I am humbled by the number of people that are viewing my journal. I hope my entries will be worthy of your time, and possibly educational. Until next time ...
Date: 2013-02-25
From: Home

To: Amacalola Falls
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Tomorrow morning we head to Georgia and my hike begins on the approach trail Wednesday morning. I've been telling people that ask how I am feeling about leaving, that it reminds me of when I was riding a bus to Ft Knox for basic training MANY years ago. I will have more control over my circumstances than back then however. My family had a great send off for me. It's great to know that there are so many friends and family almost as excited as I am. Once again I want to thank everyone that is keeping the farm operating while I'm gone, especially my wonderful wife. I will make an attempt to post daily when possible. Thanks for reading!
Date: 2013-02-26
From: Amacalola Falls

To: Amacalola Falls
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We (my wife, her friend Kelli, and myself) made it to the Lodge here at Amacalola Falls at about 3:00 this afternoon. The lodge sits up the hill from the visitor's center where the Approach Trail begins. When I say hill, I mean a serious hill. We did not go back down to the visitor's center because we didn't want to drive the car back up. Yes, its that steep. It was so foggy I couldn't have gotten any decent pictures anyway. We will head back down in the morning, they will drop me off, and we will part ways. I will sign the official register at the visitor's center then weigh my pack on their scales. After that I will head up the Approach Trail. This trail is 8.8 miles, and is not actually a part of the Appalachian Trail. Because of this, the daily mileage which you will start seeing on my journal will not be very much. If you add 8.8 to it, you will know how far I actually walked. I would like to thank Kelli and my wife for helping to get me here. I have heard some whispering around the room about a layover in Gatlinburg on their trip back. Its hard telling what kind of trouble they might find. Until next time.
Date: 2013-02-27
From: Amacalola Falls

To: Stover Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: clear sky

My first day on the trail turned out to be great! After a nice breakfast at the lodge, we headed to the visitor's center. I signed in as thru-hiker # 85. I then weighed my backpack on their scales. It came in right at 30 pounds. It was then time to pass through the rock archway and get started. We took several pictures, I thanked Kelli and my wife, and off I went. Within 5 minutes I was greeted with 425 steps to the top of Amacalola Falls. The Falls were beautiful, but boy, did those steps kick my butt! The rest of the hike was great. Good trail, good weather, but no company. I passed several day hikers and talked to them, but was alone all day. After taking pictures atop Springer, I headed to Stover Shelter. I am alone here as well, but it is a wonderful two level shelter. I decided to go ahead and stay inside the shelter, so I'm currently in my sleeping bag in the upper level typing this. I'm glad I did because it just started raining! I don't have reception here, so I will send this when I get on top of one of the mountains tomorrow. I will be headed to the Gooch Mountain Shelter. Having a great time, can't wait til tomorrow. No mice yet! Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2013-02-28
From: Stover Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

Day # 2 is now in the books. Before I start, I'd like to mention two things. First, always check the previous journal in case there were two posted on the same day like this time. Secondly, I'd like to congratulate my son Adam for completing his Masters Degree today.   Now, back to the hike. I got up at 7:00 and was on the trail by 8:00. I hiked through some beautiful trail in the beginning, then it changed to trail similar to what we have at home. Throughout the day I caught up with and passed the hikers that stayed in the shelter ahead of me. We all eventually arrived at Gooch Shelter around 2:00. Three of us decided to move ahead 1.4 miles and tent camp. This will give us a head start tomorrow, which is important because we have to get through the next 15 miles without staying in a shelter. You must have a hard-shell bear canister in that area. I am here tonight with a guy from England, two young men from New Hampshire, and another man(with a dog) and woman from this area. All of us are attempting a thru hike. We had a nice Bon fire, but everyone is in their sleeping bags now. No sun today, and quite cold. It's in the 20s right now. Tomorrow we are headed to an outfitter in Neels Gap where we can get cleaned up and restocked! Until next time.
Date: 2013-03-01
From: Gooch Gap

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Another great day. Slept great in my tent. It got really cold and the wind was brutal, but my sleeping bag handles it well. I was the first one up and on the trail (7:30). Most of the day wasn't anything special, except for hiking through frosty trees when I reached the higher elevations. The day ended with a climb up and down Blood Mountain. It was the highlight of my hike so far. It was the tallest mountain I've climbed. It was above cloud level, the trees had frost on them, and the ground was covered with snow. It was really a special experience. I hiked by myself again, and ended my day at the Mountain Crossings Hostel. The AT actually goes right through it. It is also an outfitter, so business is good. I was able to get a shower, wash clothes, get a real meal, and have a warm bunk for the night. Three of the hikers I was with last night made it here and we are all headed for Low Gap Shelter tomorrow. I am certainly tired, but am doing great physically so far. Be sure to check out the picture of the "Shoe Tree" here at Mountain Crossings. If you have worn out shoes you can throw them up in the tree. This is also the only place on the AT that has a roof over it. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2013-03-02
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: few clouds

Day # 4 was a snowy one. Had a good night's sleep at the hostel and a pancake breakfast. I was the first one to leave again and was the first to walk through a new half inch of snow. Once again it was beautiful at the higher elevations. The group I have been with at the shelters the last three nights are considerably younger and faster so I have to out-start them. Today I left at 8:15 and they at 8:35. We went 11.5 miles and got here at 1:30. We are staying at Low Gap Shelter tonight and its going to be a cold one. The hikers in the group picture are Ollie, Alamo, She Beast, and of course BAZINGA. Not sure yet where we are headed tomorrow. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2013-03-03
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Sunshine! Had blue skies all day today, but we paid for it last night and will again tonight with some very cold temps. It was 25 last night and will probably be lower tonight. I didn't sleep well in the crowded shelter last night, so I'm back to the tent tonight. I hiked out with the group today and hung with them for about an hour and dropped back. I prefer hiking alone (not that I had a choice) because I'm more likely to take breaks, which is very important. I met the gang at Unicoi Gap, where they decided to call a shuttle and spend the night in Hiawassee. I am staying in a hostel near Dicks Creek Gap tomorrow night so I hiked on to Tray Mountain Shelter. It's built near the top of the mountain so the wind is brutal as I lay in my tent typing this. There are a man and wife with two dogs (they were with us last night too) along with another man in the shelter and another couple tenting. While waiting at Unicoi Gap, a man pulled in and passed out cans of soda to all of us. He thru hiked in 2000. He has read my journal before, so if you are reading this, thanks again. First Mountain Dew I've had in 20 years, but it sure hit the spot. Supposed to have a nice day tomorrow for my short hike to Dicks Creek Gap. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2013-03-04
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap (Blueberry Patch Hostel)
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another beautiful day after a cold night. The thermometer read 15 degrees on top of the mountain this morning. I slept much better in my tent, though I was a bit concerned it was going to blow away. Word is that rain is moving in soon, so my good luck is going to run out. I went up and down a couple of pretty good size mountains on my way to Dicks Creek Gap, where I planned to stay at the Blueberry Patch Hostel. I made it there fairly early, but with no phone service, the next problem was how to get the three plus miles to the hostel. The only person there was a man in a van waiting for hikers that he would offer free shuttles to a motel in town. He told another hiker and me that he couldn't make a special trip to drop us somewhere else. We then told him that there wasn't anyone else coming, so he said jump in. This hostel came highly recommended and now I know why. It is a man and wife that do a Christian ministry through taking care of hikers. They leave you wanting for nothing, absolutely wonderful people. They even send you off in the morning with blueberry pancakes. There are five of us here, but only two of us are moving on tomorrow. I will probably run into my original bunch tomorrow. Oh, I move into another state tomorrow. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone