morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-09-12
To: Decision to Hike
Miles today: 0.0

I have always loved to hike, have done many weekend backpack trips with our children (who have now flown the coop), and since we live near the AT in NC, that is where the vast majority of my hiking is done. Since the children have grown, I do lots of day hiking (as much as work schedule will allow) and have done a couple of weekend solo backpacks, which went very well. One summer day in 2004 my husband realized I had been quite interested in Trail Journal reading, and was quite excited about the prospect of transcribing for a thru-hiker (Beatbox, 2004). He said ¢You ought to do that!¢ Me: ¢Do what?¢ He: ¢Hike the Appalachian Trail.¢ Me: ¢I¢d love to!¢ (I don¢t think he realized initially that it means about 6 months away from home¢¦.) A couple of weeks later, DH asks ¢So, when do you plan to go on your hike?¢ Me: ¢You really think I can?¢ He: ¢Yes, I think you should and I know you can do the whole thing.¢ I don¢t think he knows how HARD it is to hike the AT, but it is good to have someone believe in you. I certainly hope to be able to do the whole thing, but am telling myself to just be happy for the chance to do as much as I possibly can! Having the trail¢s best support person (DH) will certainly improve my chances of completing a thru-hike. I plan to leave in mid to late March, 2006 ¢ a very short 6 months from now! Can¢t wait!!!
Date: 2005-09-19
To: Day-Hike Trip Report
Miles today: 0.0

I think it is time I tried my hand at a day-hike trip report. Yesterday I hiked the 8.5 miles from Sam¢s Gap to Devil¢s Fork Gap on the TN/NC border. Such a pretty day ¢ reasonably clear, 60-70¢s, with a slight breeze. After leaving a vehicle at Devil¢s Fork Gap my DH dropped me off at Sam¢s Gap to head south. Of course, since this is on the AT, you either ascend or descend ¢ level terrain could probably be measured by steps rather than mileage. Of the 8.5 miles, about 5 12 were climbing, 3 downhill. I tried out some new things today. Played with my MP3 player trying to figure out how to move around and find the music I loaded. Think I will have to spend more time with the manual¢¦Does have nice sound though, if only I could figure out how to make those earbuds stay where they belong. I figure I won¢t hike much with it on, though it did provide nice distraction on the long climbs. I will probably use it mostly in my tent in the evening.Second thing was to try out my backup stove system. I have a pocket rocket which I am very happy with, but thought a 1 oz. Esbit stove with a couple of Esbit solid fuel tabs would be a nice backup for if I run out of canister fuel, or can¢t find more when I need it, or if the weather is too cold for the canister fuel to function well. So I set up the little Esbit stove, cut a tablet in half, and sure enough, it lit very easily and brought my cup of water to a boil quite nicely. Really nifty! Blew out the flame and still have half of the half tab left for re-use. So quiet! Slower than the rocket of course, but I was impressed with the neatness and ease of use. The third thing I tried out for the first time was the forward fall (as opposed to the backward style). I was plowing down the mountain when some rude root grabbed my foot and wouldn¢t let go, and splat - there I was on the ground. Fortunately, it didn¢t become a face plant because that large rock I landed beside could have done some real damage! As it was I landed hard on both palms and one knee, and it hurt. (The thought crossed my mind ¢ have I seriously injured my leg, and maybe ended my hike 6 months before starting?) When I stood up I had that woozy feeling that means sit down, get the head down, or black out¢¦ So I sat down and put my head between my knees for a couple of minutes and gradually felt better. There was a sweet little bird on a branch a couple of yards in front of me that seemed very concerned. Continued on, a little more carefully, down the mountain. Other wildlife included a nonpoisonous snake, about 14 inches long spread out across the trail. I said hello and he instantly dove off the bank on down the mountain. Not a very friendly creature. It worries me a little about snakes that I only seem to see them when I am about 2 feet from them ¢ or step on them. What¢s going to happen when I am in rattlesnake country?I saw no other hikers, but near the road crossing, did see three children beside the trail having a ball swinging on a grape vine. All in all, it was a very nice hike and as always, I look forward to the next one!
Date: 2005-10-03
To: Family Reactions
Miles today: 0.0

I finally got up the nerve to tell my mom of my hiking plans several months after the decision was made to hike. Her first question was (of course) ¢Are you going alone?¢ Well, yes and no. I not going with anyone specifically, but there will be lots of other hikers on the trail¢¦Other than that she is quite happy for me to be able to go. A couple of weeks later ¢ ¢I wish you had someone to go with you.¢ ¢Mom, there will be lots of other people out there, especially around the shelters at night. And besides, I like hiking alone.¢ A couple of months later ¢ ¢I still wish you were going with someone¢¦¢ If any of you 2006 thru-hikers would like to help me out with this, just sign my guest book with your intentions to hike, and make yourself sound really nice ;-), and I can share them with Mom so she¢ll know I am not going to be the only hiker on the AT in 2006! (No, I am not 16; I'm, umm, considerably older.) When I told my Dad (he had already heard from someone else about my hiking plans), he said ¢I¢m going to have to pull out my maps and see where the trail goes up here¢ (he lives in Maine just north of Augusta). Since then he has been out to the Kennebec River crossing area. So ¢ If I make it to the Kennebec and need to bail, I have a family member who can pick me up! HA!!My favorite question so far, from someone not exactly familiar with backpacking: ¢Do they make you carry your water?¢   I wonder ¢ who¢s ¢they¢? But yes, I will carry my water, as well as everything else I will need to maintain life and health while on the trail!My 3 grown children (20-25) are all supportive, and if they think I am crazy, or can¢t do it, they don¢t say so! I try not to make son #2 TOO jealous ¢ thru-hiking the AT has been a dream of his since he was about 12. But when he went off to college a few years ago, he met this sweet young lady and - wouldn¢t you know it ¢ last December they got hitched! And recently bought a home¢¦so, now he will have to wait for finances to allow, and more importantly, for dear wife to bestow her blessings on his hiking dreams. Maybe some day¢¦ Because I don¢t want to bore anyone with a long string of pre-hike entries, I plan to do prep entries about twice a month until I am on the trail; maybe more in March when I am in high-gear anticipation. Can I get more excited than I am now? We¢ll see!
Date: 2005-11-16
To: Things
Miles today: 0.0

Things I will miss while on the trail:1.        Husband / family.2.        Church family.3.        Indoor plumbing.4.        Chairs / table.5.        Bed.6.        Work (this may set me apart as odd, but I do like my work as a medical transcriptionist in my home office ¢ I would like it even better if I could keep it to a mere 35-40 hours per week, but college tuition is a bottomless pit¢¦I feel very blessed to be able to take a 6-month hiking break, and look forward to returning to this work when I get back)7.        Our dogs, especially Cocoa, our 14-year-old deaf, senile, tiny long-haired Chihuahua, and Royal, our 5-year-old personality-plus Samoyed. Of course, I will miss the people more, but in a way it is harder to leave the dogs because there is no way for me to explain to them where I am going and for how long and that I will be back ¢ all they will know is that I am GONE!Things I dread, but will probably experience while on the trail:1.        Being out on severe thunder storms.2.        Hiking in high humidity / heat; will try to ease this by hiking early a.m. with long midday breaks.3.        Ticks.4.        Seeing poisonous snakes (so evil-looking!)5.        Putting on cold WET clothes in the morning (but I will look forward to the dry set carefully tucked away in my pack for nighttime!)6.        Foot pain ¢ I expect pretty much constant foot pain; maybe I will be pleasantly surprised! Or should I go on the theory that ¢You get what you expect¢ in which case, I think my feet will do just great!Things I look forward to on the trail:1.        The physical / mental challenge.2.        The views, whether deep in the woods or on the mountaintops; sunrises and sunsets.3.        The sounds of the forest; birds, wind in the leaves, distant thunder, squirrels and chipmunks, even the startled grouse taking off with a noise that makes your heart stop!4.        Seeing wildlife (except poisonous snakes). Think I can count on seeing plenty of deer, and hopefully a rare bear and moose, as well as lots of smaller things. I might even enjoy watching the shelter mice as long as they are not in my food bag, or worse, in my sleeping bag! 5.        Visits from my husband along the trail.6.        Hopefully my son Jamie joining me for a section or two. 7.        Meeting lots of the other hikers who will be out there next year.8.        Taking off my boots at the end of the day¢s hike and putting on those feather-weight, airy, comfy crocs. 9.        Making memories that I will enjoy the rest of my life.10.        Having time to think and commune with my creator.
Date: 2005-12-01
To: Random Thoughts
Miles today: 0.0

My most overwhelming thought ¢ March can¢t get here soon enough! Every leaf that fell this fall was a reminder to me that autumn was moving right along. Now we are into the flying snow flakes and cold winds, signs of rapidly approaching winter, and then the next season to arrive is spring 2006 ¢ hiking time! From another perspective, based on journal entries approximately twice per month, hike time starts in 6 or 7 more journal posts! And then there is the perspective of how many days ¢ you better believe it, they are being counted!Only a few weeks until time to give notice regarding work. I am self-employed, so I am not an employee quitting; I am a business temporarily shutting down¢¦.Anyway, I need to let my intentions be known to the offices I provide transcription services for in just a few weeks. It takes much self-discipline to remain focused on the work at hand (maybe good practice for the mental focus part of hiking for 6 months?). It seems like every sentence I type as a medical transcriptionist has something that I can relate to the hike. Do you know how frequently the word ¢at¢ is used in the English language? In my mind it always reads AT (Appalachian Trail). And then patients are often prescribed a ¢trial¢ of something ¢ well it is very easy to type that as ¢trail¢ and there goes my mind off into the woods again¢¦THANK YOU to all who have signed my guest book. Only other trail journalists can really understand how it ¢makes my day¢ to get those notes of support and encouragement! It is really motivational to know that others are enjoying reading about my preparations and will be following along on my hike. (If you would like to leave a note in my guest book, but don¢t know what or where the guest book is ¢ just look on the left side of this page for Guest Book and click on ¢sign¢ ¢ I would love to hear from you!)Last week brought the arrival of my newest piece of gear ¢ a Pocketmail Composer for sending and receiving e-mail while on the trail, as well as typing my journal entries on. It is a little personal organizer-type thing, 8 oz., with a mini-keyboard, and a special part on the back that you hold up to a phone, dial up a number, and the phone and Pocketmail ¢talk to each other¢ to send/receive e-mail. It is a Christmas gift from DH; he never could wait until Christmas!There are people who are so determined to thru-hike the AT that they sell their homes, store personal belongings and cars, farm out pets, and so forth. I really admire their commitment, but I am glad that I will be able to come back to my home and such. That¢s because I have a super DH who will keep the house going (with help from daughter during the summer months), drive my Pathfinder now and then to keep it alive, take care of the pets, pay bills, send me my drop boxes, enter my journal entries on TJ, AND keep loving me even though I am taking off for months to hike! I realize I am very blessed indeed.
Date: 2006-01-01
To: It's Cold!
Miles today: 0.0

It¢s cold out. But I guess that is how it is supposed to be in late December. When I step foot outside to walk the dogs at night from the nice warm house, it feels uncomfortably cold ¢ WHY do I want to be sleeping out in the cold night after night, week after week, until it finally gets warm? I remind myself that when I have been outside all day and gradually slip into the colder nighttime temperatures, it never seems as bad as stepping directly into the cold from a nice warm place. And then there are the warm layers (that I never bother to put on to walk the dogs), the cozy down sleeping bag to snuggle into, and fleece hat, fleece neck gaitor, warm water bottle if necessary ¢ it¢s really not all that bad sleeping out in the cold with the right gear. (Have I convinced myself yet?) And for putting up with the cold nights I get the privilege of hiking, day after day, ran or shine, fog, wind, or snow. It is not hard to keep warm when actually hiking, especially carrying a pack up and down mountains! A week or so ago on an 8 12 mile stretch of AT from Devil¢s Fork Gap to Sam¢s Gap there was the perfect crunchy snow with sun shining full on it to provide the sparkle show that I enjoy so much. I could just stand still and enjoy the sparkles for a long, long time! And the waterfall that was frozen in place was also magnificent sight. I do believe I will be disappointed if we don¢t have some good winter weather this spring! I also spent some time thinking about the fact that one of those sets of SOBO footprints I was walking over in all likelihood belonged to Squeaky as he had just passed through this area since the snow fell. Imagine that - walking in Squeaky¢s footprints! He is a focused young man from England hiking the Triple Crown in a calendar year, unsupported, and averaging 40-45 miles a day. He finished on Springer 12/29/05. Congratulations Squeaky! Stepping up training by carrying fully-loaded pack on daily mountain walks and weekly AT hikes¢¦ Happy New Year!
Date: 2006-01-31
To: What's for Dinner?
Miles today: 0.0

It takes a lot of energy (translate: calories) to hike the AT and that means a lot of food. Therefore, I am storing food away like a hungry squirrel these days. Eating on the trail will be entirely different than in everyday life ¢ instead of figuring what food will provide nutrition for the least amount of calories, I will be looking for what food has the most calories! There are 2 main ways to obtain food while on your hike ¢ resupply at towns along the way or prepare food boxes ahead of time and have someone send them to you along the trail, or do a combination of both. I am vegetarian and believe good nutrition is vital for health and energy, so I am making and dehydrating most of my meals and will have DH send them out to me. I will also buy some fresh things, bagels, tortillas, crackers, and other snacks along the trail. I am certainly not opposed to pizza and ice cream in town, IF I am getting good nutrition most of the time!I have been stocking up on things such as couscous, dried pinto and black bean flakes (make great burritos), hummus mix, dried soup mixes, dehydrated veggie flakes (carrots, cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, peas), dried diced potatoes (rehydrate, ¢fry¢, and add whatever), some Enertia meals, dried cherries, apricots, blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple. So far I have dehydrated apple slices, applesauce, peaches, bananas, coleslaw, spaghetti sauce, salsa, veggie-chicken noodle dish, stir-fry, fried rice, chili, Mexican lasagna, Italian lasagna, tofu chunks to add to pasta or rice dishes, lentil soup, and bean soup. I will also package up zip-locks with couscous or rice with veggie flakes, mushrooms, and seasonings; also mashed potato flakes with seasonings, baco-bits, etc. Pretty much all of these foods just need to have boiling water added and rehydrate for 10-20 minutes. Easy to fix, and perhaps the biggest advantage is that they are lightweight! My dad and I were talking about all this dehydrating and came up with the bright idea of dehydrated water; the perfect way to lighten your pack! Just haven¢t figured out how to make it work yet.I will also have along a supply of olive oil to add to things when I start actually needing extra calories, and probably some PB and honey. Oh, I forgot ¢ I got a whole box of PayDay candybars at Sam¢s, and I expect to eat the whole thing!!! Favorite things I like to put in trail mix include dried cherries, raisins, pineapple, apricots, M&Ms, almonds, macadamias, peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts, and cashews. I will pass on the coconut, thank-you.Update on the boots ¢ I have done about 32 miles since the duct tape fix, and they feel so good my ankle bone has even forgotten it ever had a problem. I have notified both of the offices that I work for about my plans to hike, and that I will be able to work through the end of February. Jumping through the hoops and nearly ready to go!
Date: 2006-02-14
To: Strange Bedfellows
Miles today: 0.0

This entry is being done on my Pocketmail to test it, to make sure I know how it works, get a journal entry done, and then I will send it to DH for practice with posting on TJ - great! Getting 3 things done at one shot is definitely a good thing these days.Time to hit the trail in just over a month - awesome! I am striking things off my "to-do" list on a daily basis, but it just keeps getting longer instead of shorter.I have been getting some good practice with snow hiking lately. We got 14 inches this past weekend and now the sun is out with clear blue sky. Blindingly gorgeous!I have been reading recently of hikers' advice for keeping things from freezing when you are hiking in subfreezing temperatures. Simply share your sleeping bag with anything that needs protection from freezing. That means bringing into my bag with me my water bottle if I want water to drink in the morning, also water filter; it won't work if frozen, and may even break. Also boots, as they can be rather uncooperative with your feet if not protected from freezing (the boots and water things will only share my sleeping bag if in cleanish plastic bags). Then if I might want to use my stove in the morning, I need to keep my canister warm - you guessed it! In the sleeping bag. And as I mentioned earlier batteries do not function well if frozen, so if I want my headlamp, camera, or MP3 player to work, they get invited in as well. One more thing - If I want my damp hiking clothes to somewhat dry out, or at least not be frozen stiff (literally), they can either come in my sleeping bag with everything else - or maybe go under my sleeping pad. I wonder if there will be room for me? I guess I will find out before too long!
Date: 2006-03-11
To: Waiting
Miles today: 0.0

The waiting is not as difficult as I expected it would be when getting down this close to take-off. That¢s because I have every day stuffed full of things to do, and with any spare time ¢ I do training hikes. Love being out in the woods! Today I just climbed the small mountain behind our property and stretched out on my Z-rest and took a nap. Felt mighty good! In the last couple of days I have become very interested in the 10-day whether forecast for Dawsonville, GA. So far it looks like showers for the first couple of days of my hike. Somehow I am not surprised¢¦ I spent a lot of time the past week packing my drop boxes. What a job! Still need to make more granola and add to boxes. Also need to add maps. But I think I will welcome the food and supplies along the trail. Hopefully won¢t get sick of my home-cooked, dehydrated food and can spend less time grocery shopping along the way. Will mainly need to get snack-type things and fresh stuff like tortillas and fruit. Now I need to do the address labels ¢ the hard part is trying to guess when I will arrive at the various hostels or towns. At least I can talk with DH and have him change my guesstimates as necessary as I make my way north. Yesterday I invited DH to the washroom to show him the ¢change the cat box routine¢. He: ¢Is it really that hard?¢Me: ¢Well, (for starters) do you know where the cat box liners are?¢He:   (pause) ¢OK, I¢m coming¢. Steps were explained and demonstrated ¢ double bag the used and discard, place liner in box, fill halfway with clay litter, add a couple of cups of the blue crystals, all the while fending off cat with one hand as he gets ecstatic when his box is being cleaned and can¢t wait to try it out. Who knew there were so many steps involved in cleaning the cat box! DH has made it clear that his least favorite thing to do while I am gone will be doing the animal care. Besides the cat we have 3 dogs, down from 4 as we lost our 14 12-year-old Chihuahua this past week. It is sobering to read the journals of the class of 2006 to see so many off the trail already after only a week or two, mostly with knee or foot problems, and Stumpknocker with a broken arm from a fall. Seems like a greater percentage earlier than usual ¢ it may just seem that way because it is so ¢close to home¢ for me this year and I have not followed journals as intently other years. My thoughts are with you all AT Class of 2006, whether hiking, or off the trail, or like me, waiting to start!
Date: 2006-03-17
To: Here I Come
Miles today: 0.0

Well the time has come for all those last minute things to be completed. Tomorrow afternoon we head for Amicalola Falls State Park to stay overnight at the lodge. I will hike the approach trail Sunday and head north from there. For those who would like to keep in touch, my trail e-mail address is transcriber@pocketmail.com . My thoughts are going all over the place a mile a minute and I can think of nothing to say but ¢Look out Appalachian Trail, here I come!¢
Date: 2006-03-19
From: Amicalola Falls Lodge

To: Springer Mtn. Shrlter
Miles today: 0.2

I am sitting here at the picnic table, warm in my down jacket, tummy full of vegetable barley soup, trying to figure out how to do things with this pocketmail (save and come back to an entry to continue). The approach trail was no problem. The weather is cloudy, but no rain yet, in spite of the 50% prediction of rain. Tomorrow and tomorrow night heavy rain sounds like a sure thing, with thunder storms thrown in to liven things up. I have set up my tent, filtered water, and eaten supper. I am trying to look normal on the outside, but grinning ear to ear and head to toe on the inside. I am so excited to be out here hiking! Such a special opportunity. I have met many hikers already: rusch hour, skunk, soul joy, jake, tyler, and several others. When a couple of us got to the summit of Springer Mountain, we met Many Sleeps, an elderly but spry man who is the caretaker here. He takes info such as your trailname, where you are from, your age, if you have any backpacking experience, etc, and makes sure you know about leave-no-trace principles. He won my heart when he said "and you are-in your 30's?" I laughed and told him no-49, and he said "Well, you look good!" (Don't worry DH, he has a very long white beard). Just for the record, I did hike more than 0.2 miles today; that is how far north of the summit I am. I also hiked 7.5 miles of the approach trail today and did the first 1.2 miles of it yesterday. I was planning to go to the next shelter about 2.5 miles further, but there was going to be a group of boy scouts there, plus several other hikers, and Many Sleeps said there is not much space for tent camping there, so I decided to stay here. There is a very nice tent camping area. It is getting dark, so I think I will sign off and enjoy the fire.