morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-01-30
To: Prep#3
Miles today: 0.0

This time I going to start with a poem by Alice Walker.                     "Nothing Is Right"                        Nothing is right                        that does not work.                        We have believed it all:                        improvement, progress,                        bigger, better, immediate,                        fast.                        The whole Junk.                        It is our essence that                        never worked.                        We hasten to eradicate                        our selves.                        Consider the years                        of rage and wrench and                        mug.                        What was it kept                        the eyes alive?                        Declined to outmode                        the                        hug?The other day I was at Sun Harvest checking out. I was behind two women. The first woman was probably in her late sixties. The next woman was probably a little younger. The older women was checking out and was possibly a little confused. It was taking a while and the younger women said to me, " I think we picked the wrong line". I said," I usually do pick the wrong line". My statement was by no means an affront to the older woman. But,I started unloading my groceries at this point,because I could tell that her statement seemed to me to be coming from impatience and pettiness.    After the first women left, the women with blinders on said to the cashier,"I'm surprised that women can find her way home". It saddened me and it also made me angry. If she had really looked at the other woman, she would have seen the shakes that the older woman tried to control. I don't know if she had Parkinsons or any of the other diseases that ravage the mind and body. I thought that in a few years that this could be her. What has happened to the concept of compassion? Have we lost it in our quest for things things things? Do we strive for a life that is anchored in everything me and to hell with anyone or anything else? Ok, maybe I'm being a little harsh. I didn't say anything to this women since her comment wasn't addressed to me, and since I was raised by my grandparents it would be going against the grain to chide someone of her age. Hopefully, she will not have the same problem later in her life.   So, in part this touched on my reasons for hiking the AT. I want to reside in a simpler "garden". Hopefully, I can cultivate the knowledge to reap the truly important from the trivial and to forgive the pettiness in others and to get rid of my own pettiness and hypocrisies. Wow, that's seems to be a tall order once you look at it in print. Guess it's going to take longer than the six months it takes to do the trail.
Date: 2008-01-31
To: Lone Star State
Miles today: 0.0

   This is taken from The Environmental Defense Action Fund's report "House Members to Watch on Global Warming". "Joe Barton (R-Tx)-Former chairman and current Ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee; since 1985, has represented Texas's 6th Congressional District, stretching south and east of Dallas-Fort Worth; is a vocal global warming skeptic, having said "I cannot imagine an objective finding that CO2 is a pollutant"; has pledged to lead the fight in the House to stop global warming legislation."   I was thinking about a quote from Molly Ivins as I was reading it.She had said, "I dearly love the State of Texas, but I consider that a harmless perversion on my part, and discuss it only with consenting adults". Several years ago I was at her book signing at the Texas Book Festival in Austin and she added Raise more Hell in her inscription on my book. I don't know if that was her standard wording or maybe she noticed the motorcycle helmet I was carrying. I like to think it was the helmet. We miss you Molly Ivins.   So I do live in Austin,Tx. I've lived in Texas most of my life except for the one year I lived in Decatur, Ga. That's when I was introduced to the Appalachian Trail. I'm sad to admit that I had never heard about before then. Then after reading the provebial A WALK IN THE WOODS, I was hooked. Now I am sitting in a room that looks as if REI exploded in here, with another room almost as full. Our extra fridge in the garage is jammed packed with food that I've dehydrated. I've got four roasts that I've got to make jerky out of. And I'm still ogling and oohing and aahing over all the gear that I haven't purchased. Somebody stop the madness!   Instead of a poem tonight I'm closing with a quote from Rachel Carson.            It is a wholesome and necessary thing to turn             again to the earth and in the contemplation of            her beauties to know of wonder and humility.
Date: 2008-02-01
To: Tree of Life
Miles today: 0.0

As I was drinking morning coffee I began thinking of morning coffee drinking canning, baking or whatever else chore sessions with my Granny. I enjoyed the coffee drinking and the discussions, the chore part of it not so much. Now I wish I had paid more attention to those chores. Granny made the best yeast rolls ever. I have a bread machine. Which is good but not the same.At this point you are probably thinking-Oh no not another poem- so here goes.                  FOR SHE IS THE TREE OF LIFE            In the cramped living room of my childhood         between sagging rough-skinned sofa that made me itch         and swaybacked chair surrounded by ashtrays         where my father read every word of the paper         shrouded in blue smoke, coughed rusty phlegm          and muttering doom, the rug was a factory         oriental and the pattern called tree of life.                  My mother explained as we plucked a chicken         tree of life: I was entralled and Hannah         my grandmother hummed for me the phrase         from liturgy:Eytz khayim hee l' makhazikim         bo v'kol nitee-voteh-ho shalom:         for she is the tree of life to all who hold her fast,         and the fruit of her branches is peace.         I see her big bosomed and tall as a maple         and in her veins the biege sugar of desire         running sometimes hard, surging skyward         and sometimes sunk down into the root         and clay and the bones of rabbits and foxes         lying in the same bed at last becoming one.         I see her opening into flushed white         blossoms the bees crawl into. I see her         branches dipping under the weight of the yield,         the crimson, the yellow and russet globes,         apples fallen beneath the deer crunch.         Yellow jackets in the cobalt afternoon buzz         drunken from cracked fruit oozing juice.         We all fit through her branches or creep         through her bark, skitter over her leaves.         Yet we are the mice that gnaw at her roots         who labor ceaselessly to bring her down.         When the tree falls,we will not rise as plastic          butterfly spaceships, but will starve as the skies         weep hot acid and the earth chafes into dust.                                                   Marge PiercyI don't have much space left for this entry,so if you didn't know like me what liturgy meant-Any form of public worship taken from The American Heritage College Dictionary.
Date: 2008-02-07
To: Obstacles
Miles today: 0.0

   "Whether we experience what happens to us as obstacle and enemy or as teacher and friend depends on our perception of reality. It depends on our relationship with ourselves." Pema Chodron   This journey, I've felt all along would be an excellent learning experience for me. The experience is going to be pretty much what I make it. I can bitch and moan about the difficulties, or I can step up and fully understand the old cliche," That what does not kill us makes us stronger". Nature has a way of filtering out the static created by all the variables out there. For me it's like someone kindly slapping me in the face and then me thanking them and wondering what was I even thinking before. So even though, I'm still a little apprehensive about the uncertainties of this endeavor, I can't imagine not doing this.    "A warrior accepts that we can never know what will happen to us next. we can try to control the uncontrollable by looking for security and predictability,always hoping to be comfortable and safe. But the truth is that we can never avoid uncertainty. This not knowing is part of the adventure. It's also what makes us afraid." Pema Chodron   So here's hoping my inner warrior isn't some whiney little wimp.
Date: 2008-02-09
To: The Plan
Miles today: 0.0

   So, here's the plan. We (Melissa, Winona-Melissa's mom, and I) will be leaving from Austin on the morning of February 21st. Probably spend the night somewhere in Mississippi. Get to Atlanta sometime Friday. Go eat at the Flying Biscuit, Yum. Probably realize that I forgot something essential and have to make a last trip to REI. Maybe grab coffee at the Java Monkey in Decatur if it's still around. Drive to Amicalola Falls Lodge. Saturday visit Tallulah Falls&Gorge. Call Green Shutters to see if they are still in business. If any of ya'll have ever been there you probably know why this is on the agenda. It's an old building built on the side of a hill. As you walk up to the place you start to hear what I consider mountain music. I wouldn't really call it bluegrass to me it is a little more ethereal. If that makes sense to anyone else other than me. But anyway, it's a family style restaurant and when i've been there in the summer they always serve you a plate of tomatoes and onions with your meal. It feels as if I'm back in my Grandparents kitchen and we've just sliced up some fresh from the garden tomatoes and onions. Of course, now onions give me heartburn, but it's the memory that counts. Then on one side of the restaurant is a wall of windows looking over a pasture and usually you can see goats roaming up and down the hill. To me it just feels welcoming and I hope that they are still open. Then Sunday as of yet is unplanned. Maybe the Foxfire Museum if it's open on Sunday. Then Monday morning sign in at Amicalola Falls and hit the approach trail. The beginning of a journey of a lifetime. I'm starting too get a little excited. I wish good luck to all partaking of this journey this year.
Date: 2008-02-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

"In moments life seems neither right nor wrong but something greater, it seems inevitable." Margaret Sherwood   Melissa and I went to a Chinese New Year Party last Sunday. Everybody was asking a lot of questions about my planned hike. One woman asked if this was a spiritual journey for me. This is a bit hard for me to explain, so I simply said, "possibly". I've never been a religious person; I would describe it in a sense more on the spiritual side. I know that some people have a hard time differentiating the two. I had a friend that once told me that I was the most soulful person she had ever met. I was taken aback and thought that it's just because I'm shy and mostly very quiet. I guess I should have asked her if I was the only person she knew.    I've felt for so long now that we are becoming more and more so far removed from the natural world. So what do we care if companies in their search for coal cut the tops off mountains and fill up the nearby streams with mud every time it rains. How did we become a world of anything for a profit? In my case everytime I read or see a story about how we are harming the earth, in a way it feels that maybe I don't lose a little of my soul each time, but it feels as if my soul along with my heart shivels a little more. Maybe a good analogy would be like dehydrating food. It shivels up and then you have to add water to make it come back to it's original form. To me the trail will be like standing under a cascading waterfall.    I know that for some of you that this may sound a little melodramatic and possibly corny, but for me it is honest.
Date: 2008-02-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

   Melissa took my pack to work for show and tell on Monday and then weighed it. It came in at at little over 29 pounds. That was with 2 Nalgene bottles full of water and most food except lunches to get me to Neels Gap. I should be able to make it with one full bottle it the water sources or frequent and reliable. That would save me about 2 and a half pounds. Maybe I should stop in at Walasi-Yi for their famous gear shakedown before I start the approach trail. Oh and by the way, I am going to be slackpacking up those 604 steps to the top of the falls. I'm pretty much a purist and maybe a little anal, but since the approach trail isn't even counted I'm not going to be that anal. I'm not as young as I used to be. Other than that I would like to know if anyone else is starting to get a little panicky? I guess I just need to settle on down. I'm going to do this and even if I'm dragging ass by the time I get to Neels Gap, I'm going to keep on going till the end. I'll be there one step at a time for the whole 5 million steps plus however many more you add on for us short legged people.    "It's like ten miles of two-lane   On a South Dakota wheat plain   In the middle of a hard rain   A slow boat or a fast train   I am going to keep my head on straight   I'm going to keep my head on straight   I'm going to keep my head on straight      Steady on!" Shawn Colvin
Date: 2008-02-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

   Yesterday I went to Half Price used bookstore to find some paperbacks that I wouldn't mind ripping into sections for the trail. I didn't really have anything in mind when I went, but I wandered around for awhile and finally decided on the Lord of the Ring trilogy. That should keep me busy for a few months. This weekend I'm at my family's house. I brought them 2 AT DVDs-Appalachian Impressions and 2000 Miles to Maine to watch. They mostly think I'm crazy and possibly adopted.
Date: 2008-02-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

   So, we are packing for the trip to Georgia tomorrow. I'm just hoping that I haven't forgotten anything major. I went through my pack again yesterday and started second guessing everything. Probably because sleep has not been easy in coming. I might be a little anxious. So after not accomplishing much I moved on to deciding on maildrop locations and at least I got that done. I also, lets be a little delicate and say that I separated(tearing books apart sounds so much more brutal)some of the books I got at half price. The 6 oz The Hobbit became 3 sections of 1 and a half oz. I couldn't bring myself to disjoin Night by Elie Wiesel, so I will be carrying the whole 5 ounces without any complaints.Sad not to say the same about the almost 700 pages of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.   It seems strange to know that I will be leaving tomorrow and I won't be coming back for several months. I had the same feeling when I went away to college. Like I was already in the this is going to change my life mode. So wherever this takes me, I'm ready. I will miss not working on the house, sorry I didn't get the crown moulding finished Melissa. It was nice to be at the house during the day after I quit my job except for all the telephone solicitations. How many people are at home during the day weekdays? All those unemployed losers sitting at the computer all day. Oh wait, that's me.   If I don't have computer access again before I start the trail I wanted to sign off with this Robert Frost poem, no not "The Road Not Taken".                      Stopping By Woods                     On A Snowy Evening                              Whose woods these are I think I know               His house is in the village, though;               He will not see me stopping here               To watch his woods fill with snow.                My litte horse must think it queer               To stop without a farmhouse near               Between the woods and the frozen lake               The darkest evening of the year.                        He gives his harness bells a shake               To ask if there is some mistake.               The only other sound's the sweep               Of easy wind and downy flake.               The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,               But I have promises to keep,               And miles to go before I sleep,               And miles to go before I sleep.
Date: 2008-02-25
From: Amicalola State Park Approach Trail

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

Monday, Feb 25.2008We stayed at one of the cabins at Amicalola Falls this weekend. Monday morning we had breakfast at the lodge and then we went to the visitors center to sign in and weigh my pack. It came in at 32lbs with water. Looking through the register, I saw some hefty pack weights. A lot were in the 40lb range and there were a couple of 60 lb packs. So don't freak out too much about our pack weight. Melissa took my pack up to the top of the falls while her mother, Winona, and I walked up the steps on the approach trail. Thank God I didn't have to carry 30 extra pounds up 604 steps. Even without the pack, there was quite a bit of stopping. Eventually we made it to the top and I had to take a layer of clothing off, since I was sweating profusely. (It was 40 degrees when we started) Then Melissa and Winona wished me luck and sent me on my way. The approach trail took awhile, but eventually I made it to the top of Springer signed the register and took some pictures. Afterwards headed for the Springer Mountain shelter since it was already 1600. Filtered water from ample stream and then made dinner. Dinner was dehydrated diced potatoes with cheese sauce that I tossed some tuna in. It wasn't the best with its still somewhat crispy potatoes, but it was edible. Set up sleeping bag in the loft of the shelter and wrote an entry to mail to Melissa to transcribe to journal. Hopefully she will catch all misspelled words and grammatical errors.It's about 19:30 and the temperature is about 49 degrees. It's almost bedtime and I'm wondering how many mice I'm going to have to fight off tonight. There's a huge nest in one of the corners, but I haven't seen any movement yet. They'll probably bombard me once I turn my headlamp off for the night. All in all it's been a great day. The weather was fantastic. Today was the first day I've seen the sun for longer than a fleeting moment since we got here. So the trail was kind to me today, let's see if I'll be that luck tomorrow.
Date: 2008-02-26
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: light rain

Tuesday Feb 26.2008Day #2!About 0330 woke up to a thunderstorm and was glad that I was in a shelter and not my tent. Also with the rain on the roof top I didn't notice the mice scurrying about overhead...and I'm almost positive in my backpack. Got a late start waiting for the rain to die down some. Since it was so late I didn't cook breakfast, but had the leftover tuna surprise from the previous night. It was still edible, but not that appetizing. At least I didn't have to carry it out until Woody Gap where there is, I think, a garbage can at the rest area. I don't like to leave leftover food near the shelters. The weather was a little strange today. After the rain, it was so foggy that I couldn't see too far ahead on the trail. Then around 1300 the sun, I thought, was coming out, so I took my rain jacket off and then 5 minutes later it started hailing BB sized balls. This lasted about 2 minutes then the sun would wink at me periodically through the bare tree tops. I made it to Hawk Mt. shelter about 1500 and there were already 5 hikers in for the night. Made dinner which probably would have been better than the previous night, if I had rinsed off my spoon a little more thoroughly last night. Instead of tasting like chicken cranberry rice, there was a faint taste of soap. As of yet, my backpacking culinary experiences have not been that favorable.It's 1730 and I'm in my sleeping bag because it's chilly. My thermometer is reading 38 degrees and some said they saw a few flakes of snow. Maybe the cold will keep the mice bundled up in their nests tonight. I'm sure that's wishful thinking on my part. Well...my hands are getting cold so I will sign off for the night.
Date: 2008-02-27
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

Wednesday Feb 27 Day #3Woke up this morning to snow covered landscape and a temperature of 21 degrees! Being from Texas that was rather a rude awakening. The snow looked pretty, but that 21 degrees was a little brisk for me. I was one of the last to depart, other than another woman who was thinking about just staying at the shelter since it was so cold. It took awhile to get warmed up, and most of the day I was either taking clothes off or putting them back on. The hike today was either uphill, or downhill and not much in between. Arrived at Gooch shelter about 1600. It was good to see everyone from the previous night and to find out that there was room for me in the shelter. After dinner I was freezing, it was in the upper 20's but kept getting colder. I put every stitch of clothing I had on and climbed into my sleeping bag while everyone else tried to get a fire started. There was not much sleep to be had by me and I kept peeking out of my sleeping bag to see if it was daylight yet.
Date: 2008-02-28
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Thursday Feb 28th Day #4Finally was light enough to get started. Temperature was 19 degrees, but I felt a little better. Since the wind was blowing so fiercly, skipped breakfast and started out as early as possible. Today's hike was 11.9 miles to Woods Hole Shelter, and I was a little anxious about not being able to do all of it. The inclines were taking a toll on my confidence, but I kept at it and eventually I made it to the shelter, which was 1/2 mile off the trail. It was close to 1800, and I was glad to see Jerry, Bob, Amy and Brent again. It was a little warmer during the night, so I think everyone got more sleep than the previous two nights.
Date: 2008-02-29
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap- Mountain Crossings!
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: broken clouds

Friday Feb 29th Day #5Had a short hike today to Walasi-Yi. There was still a bit of snow on Blood Mountain and some of the rocks were a little icy. I was happy to get a bunk at the hostel and even more happy that there was free chili and strawberry shortcake. I don't think a shower ever felt so good. I was getting a little rank. Even my head stunk. After doing my laundry, went looking at the outfitters here. I lost both of my Yak Trax coming down Blood Mountain. I walked out with a lot more than the Yak Trax. Bust buy had to be the IBC Rootbeer, however it will be nice to sleep inside... it's only 2000 and I'm starting to fall asleep writing. Hoping to make it to Low Gap Shelter tomorrow...10.8 miles.
Date: 2008-03-01
From: Neels Gap- Mountain Crossings!

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

Saturday March 1Woke up early Saturday morning and talked to Pirate as he was fixing the hikers breakfast (another free hot meal, Thanks Pirate!!). Started out about 0800 and the forest was shrouded in fog for most of the morning, then the sun burned off the fog and it was probably the best day yet. I met seven people during the day, all going in the opposite direction. It was nice to have an excuse to stop for a breather as I moved off the trail to let them pass. The climbs seem to be getting a little easier for me, but I am starting to feel my knees a little.I arrived at Low Gap shelter before 4. When I looked at the shelter register for the previous night someone had written "no mice". I'm hoping its the same tonight. I still haven't gotten use to the thought of a mouse doing unmentionable things inside my backpack, or worse yet my sleeping bag with me in it. I was alone at the shelter until about dusk and I heard someone walking up the trail. Turned out that he had hiked all the way from Gooch which without looking at the guide book is around 25 miles. Pretty impressive.