morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-26
To: A year later
Miles today: 0.0

Wow. That's all I can say to the fact that it's been 365 days since I summitted. It doesn't feel that way at all. Although I don't wear my pack everyday anymore, I carry the trail with me wherever I go. Not a single day has passed that I haven't thought about my time on the trail at least half a dozen times. And what's astonishing is how absolutely vivid those memories are (trailjournals does get some kudos for helping me out in that aspect). I can't think of any other time period of my life where I can remember something about a day, every day, of 6 months. That fact alone makes me think that choosing to thru hike isn't something a crazy person does, it's something that a person who truly wants to experience life without it's human-inspired-priorities and timetables does. Don't get me wrong, I'm not passing judgement on people who don't thru-hike - it's definitely not for everyone. But it's a wonderful way to do so for those who it appeals to.I'm not sure I could accurately sum up what I've learned and the lessons that still ring true on a regular basis. I still feel that people, in general, are mostly good and are willing to help strangers in need. I still feel that if you let go and let God, everything works out better than how you might have imagined. I still don't take a shower as often as is perhaps desired, but I make sure that I don't get much over three days. I still wear Keens. I still carry water with me almost everywhere I go. I still make sure to get as much air out of a ziplock as possible before sealing it. I still love and talk to my friends from the trail. I still eat Little Debbies, just not the same quantity. I still wonder about mileage - it's only 12 miles from home to work...just a short days hike. And, just like a crack addict will fiend for that white powder, I still yearn to hike up Katahdin after hiking 2,178.3 miles to get there. Hopefully one day I'll get that chance again.As for what I've been doing since that faithful day...not too much. Mississippi is treating us well except for the record-setting heat this year. I feel for the class of '10 - I've been reading Ups' journal (another UGA grad who is married and hiking minus her husband), and their water shortage is alarming. But I'm sure there are wonderful trail angels out there helping them along. I'm working part-time for Mississippi State and James is really enjoying his position here - I still forget from time to time that he is officially Dr. Martin now. June (my dog, of course!) had a litter of puppies at the end of May fathered by our other dog, Cash. While those little critters were absolutely adorable, I can't say I'm too sad that the time to go to their new homes came. Eight dogs in one house is an awful lot. Yep, eight. June, Cash, the 5 puppies and our newest permanent addition - our Llewellin Setter, Doc. It's a mad house. And in 4 months or so we'll have yet another addition - Baby G is on its way. Yep, Gangsta is with child...who'd a thought. Life does go on after the trail. Who knew??Happy Hiking!
Date: 2010-12-22
To: Weeks(?) Away
Miles today: 0.0

Things are still going pretty well here in Mississippi. We have our Christmas tree up and decorated, some icicle lights hanging on the porch, and the stockings are hanging...well, wherever I can find a peg and they're out of the way. Christmas is just a few days away. We'll be celebrating it here since I'm 37 weeks pregnant and am no longer willing to travel. This pregnancy has flown by for me - I can't believe it's drawing to its conclusion. I can't believe it's been almost two years since I hiked up Springer to start my thru hike. Time must be in fast forward and I just don't realize it. Today I hit a major milestone (I realized this at 5pm) ¢ little Dede (made-up baby name for now, pronounced Day-Day) is now considered full term. Now, that doesn¢t mean he/she will arrive any minute. No, no. In fact, it could be another 4-5 weeks before the kid is ready to come out. Only time will tell¢¦I keep comparing this part of my pregnancy to the days and weeks leading up to my thru hike. The reality of my decision is starting to set in and packages arrive every day with gear I¢ve spent hours researching and mentally debating. What if I picked out all the wrong gear? What if I picked out things that are totally useless while I overlooked the most critical of things? I feel like a city-slickin¢ day-hiker. Also, I¢m fully aware that although I¢ve been around kids before, being a parent is not the same thing as spending an afternoon in the company of other people¢s kids. I¢ve never swaddled a baby in the middle of the night or used a bottle warmer. I don¢t know how many ounces of milk will satisfy the baby or what temperature rating calls for a trip to the ER. And if I let myself think about all the things I don¢t know or have no control over, I get a little clammy. But then I retrace my mental steps back to where I can see myself standing on Katahdin as not only a seasoned hiker, but an AT thru-hiker. I didn¢t start off at Springer that way. I started off wide-eyed, freezing cold, soaking wet, slightly miserable and apprehensive but simultaneously thrilled and invigorated by my choice to be a little nuts and live in the woods for 5.5 months. And I learned, day by day, how to survive and adapt to my changed lifestyle. I grew confident and self-assured in a way that has yet to leave me. I developed a sense of faith that things work out just fine if you¢ll just let them ¢ that having control of the situation at all times doesn¢t equal happiness; rather, it gives you a fall sense of security. So while I willingly admit that I¢m scared and am not sure if this is something I can do well, I know in my heart of hearts that I will succeed. Luckily for me, I won¢t be doing any of this by myself ¢ this adventure isn¢t a solo hike.   James will be with me, physically and emotionally. I¢m so excited to share this journey with him.
Date: 2011-01-30
To: A thru-hiker is born
Miles today: 0.0

True to thru-hiker mentality, Dede chose to not stick to a schedule. That's right - little Scarlett Grace arrived exactly two weeks late guided by the light of a full moon. She was born at 10:23am on January 20th after a fairly short labor. She came out at a respectable 7 lbs 2.5 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. We've had her at home for over a week and are getting into the rythm of a newborn's needs. She keeps us entertained with her endless facial expressions and gaseyness - who knew that babies were capable of producing such noise?! I've had a few moments where I had to convince myself not to quit on a rainy day, but the strength I developed while hiking has got me through and I'm getting more and more comfortable and confident in my ability to make it. James has of course been a very hands-on dad, and I'm not sure how I could have made it without him. We're having a good time, making rookie mistakes, laughing, eating a lot of hiker-ish food, and climbing mountains one hill at a time - it's a lot like the beginning of a thru hike but with DVR, a boppy and a wipe warmer.
Date: 2012-07-18
To: Ada makes four
Miles today: 0.0

I'm happy to say that Scarlett is now a big sister! On Saturday we welcomed Ada Daphne into our little tribe. We waited to find out the sex until she was born, and I have to say I'm thrilled to have two girls. I cannot wait to introduce them to the wonders of nature and hope to mold them into strong, independent and mountain-loving ladies. I miss the trail every day but am enjoying the new adventures and challenges life throws our way.
Date: 2009-03-14
To: Gettin Ready!
Miles today: 0.0

Logan and I are gettin ready! Springer Mtn. here we come on the 20th!First off, this is our journal that Logan and I will be updating when we come into town and run across internet. For those of you who don't already know what we are getting ourselves into:So the Appalachian Trail is currently 2,178.3 miles long. Logan and I will begin this hike on Springer Mountain in Georgia. We will be hiking towards Mt. Katahdin in Maine... The following are some of the questions we always get asked...WHY?Hiking the Appalachian Trail has been talked about amongst us and our friends for many, many years. It's something that Logan and I have a lot of interest in and passion for. We both love adventure, and love being outside. Hiking the trail will be amazing. We have made the time and saved the money so it's time to hike! HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE YOU?We definitely don't know exactly how long. We have no set plans after the trail so we are in no real hurry. That's the beauty...we have six + months to hike, relax and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors!IS IT JUST THE TWO OF YOU HIKING?it will be us and corbin (our dog) one to two thousand people start this adventure each year...so there are lots of friends to be made! should be fun! IS IT SAFE? I would say it's safer to be in the woods than in the city. Sure, bad things have happened and do happen on the trail.(MP warned me about the flesh eating parasites...but i think that was just a ploy to get me to stay at work :-) But crazy things happen everywhere. There's no real escape. We'll be carrying a GPS device for emergency contact if there is any real need for it! Plus you will be able to track us on google maps (link to come later!).WHAT DO YOU TAKE?Check out our gear list on the left side....But basically each of us has our pack (thanks to granite gear!)(corbin too) inside our pack is everything we need to survive...our food, our kitchen(stove,pots,etc...thanks to primus) our house (tent...thanks to big agnes) our beds (sleeping bag system...big agnes)FOOD!My parents have boxes that we have pre-packed with food that they will be mailing to us...Check the mail drop links on the side. (if you want to send us homemade chocolate chip cookies (still warm) we probably wouldn't get upset with you!!!The rest of this week...we will spend getting our gear narrowed down to the lightest possible stuff! and getting the rest of our mail drops organized! and spending a lil time with friends and family! We can't wait to hit the trail!love, george and logan"Going to the wood is going home" -john muir"Your SOUL needs the wild" Luke 5:16P.S. we would love to see all of you in trail days which is in Damascus VA May14-17...
Date: 2009-03-19
From: Gettin Ready!

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We are on the trail tomorrow! Can't believe the time has finally come! We are so excited...dad is driving us down to Springer Mtn, GA in the am...we should be on the trail by afternoon time! Thanks to all family and friends for warm wishes...we love you all! All of your support has been amazing!Anyone who wants to come hike with us please do! You can track us down with our survivor man accessory (gps gadget) at http://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=0hlfdvtWfbWTCupgiLTGYjxf2VvCXnrEX   copy and paste that into a browser and a google map should pop up with our last location where we hit the button on the gps...i know we should be around hot springs on 4/10 or 4/11 for anyone who is interested...Trail days is a great time for you all to come visit us! It's in Damascus VA. It's a blast! A huge party...dad will have the tepee set up for us all to crash in! May 15-17th...you can find us on s. shady ave. Damascus VA.... look for dad's r.v. anyways a big thank you for all of your encouragement and love....wahooooooooooo!love you all,george,logan and corbin!"Going to the Woods is going home" -John Muir"Your soul needs the wild" Luke 5:16p.s we have listed our first maildrop at NOC (check the maildrop link on the left)....the next few drops the lovely jessica bentley will be bringing to us on the trail...and then once we get past that i will post more drops! <3
Date: 2007-07-21
To: Beginning of Serious Preperation
Miles today: 0.0

We've been preparing for a thru hike for two years now, but we've never been ready to go come time to go. This year may be no different, since we still have quite a bit of debt to conqour, but we're going to make plans regardless!The picture above was from a vacation we took in March of 2007. Our proposed start date is March 8, 2008 - our five year anniversary. I have since cut my dreads off, ending a 6 year stage of my life. It's time to get serious about moving forward and I'm hoping that the Cut will aide monetarily in our preparation. Besides, dreads and trail life aren't very well suited for each other.
Date: 2007-07-22
To: Starting Trail Journal
Miles today: 0.0

So I spent this afternoon building our Gear List, as well as researching some gear that we've yet to get. One of the largest "unknowns" is what stove to use. We have a soda can stove from eBay, but we nearly burned down Overmountain shelter a few months back becasue the old pot we used slipped off the stove and shot burning alcohol (and mac and cheese) all over the table. I've since purchased the SnowPeak Cook N Save pot, but haven't tried it with the stove just yet. I'm considering the Etowah II or a Cat Food Can stove, while Roxanne is thinking about canister stoves.Roxanne still needs to get her winter bag and we both need to find what clothing and boots work best for us. We also need to come up with some sort of menu so that we can loosely plan our food drops and buy in bulk. We found a dehydrator about a month ago and we've made jerky twice, not so much success with fruit though. We also have a seal-a-meal that will come in handy. Plenty of stuff to do, not that much time to do it in.
Date: 2007-08-17
To: Working out the kinks
Miles today: 0.0

So we're still really not sure if we're be on the rail for 08. I've finally managed to get a new job, however it doesn't pay any more than my current/past job. It does, however allow me the freedom to get another job, break in boots and work on my alcohol stove skills and meal planning. (I'll be driving around NC checking on HOA communities by myself.)Roxanne got a raise and scaled back our health insurance which amounts to $200 more per month, so now it seems that I need to pull about $1000 more a month to get us out of debt and onto the trail. Yikes. We picked up some boots for Roxanne (Montrail Torre II) to try out and break in. I still need to figure out what I need for my flatfooted hooves. Other than that, we're just counting days!
Date: 2007-09-18
To: Putting off another year.. ugh
Miles today: 0.0

We sat down to figure out how to take on 2008. Unfortunately, unless there is some great miracle, we will not be thru-hiking in 2008. Very, very bummed about that, but it comes down to philosophy. Simply put, we're still in debt. I think we can blame it on a lack of focus, simply because there were so many other things going on. Roxanne opened a Starbucks and kept it running on very lean resources, and is coming up on the store's one year anniversary! Mike dug and dug and dug for a new job, supported Mosaic Charlotte on most Sundays and kept Roxanne from going crazy. Since we've been so busy, we haven't had time to solidify plans or do any sort of field testing for gear to know what will work for us and what won't. We don't have a mail drop schedule, don't have a menu, and we don't have things dried or rationed. Even if we could afford to go, we'd be so underprepared that we'd probably starve to death or something. So back to this debt thing. Sure, we could save up every minimum payment that we'd need to make over 6 months, but how would we fund the trip? What if something changed? Waht if we got to Mt. Katahdin and our first thought was how much deeper in debt we were?Instead, I'd rather wait a(nother) year and really be debt free and celebrate that for six months without a job, then leave Mt. Katahdin ready to start completely over with a clean slate. As far as what next, I really don't know. We're still figuring that out. One thing I do know is that I need to do what it takes to make HUGE payments on our debts and drop as much interest as possible.So anyhow, that's the story for now. Hopefully, I'll keep you posted!
Date: 2008-05-06
To: mikeandrox.com
Miles today: 0.0

I'm trying to figure out the best way to update both Trail Journals and mikeandrox.com while we're out. I wanted to check and see if I could get this post to mirror over to my blog at mikeandrox.com. I'm using feedburner to email this post to the automatic email uploaded at blogger.com that posts to my website.Also, I know that my RSS reader that I use to gather other TJ feeds cuts off after so many character, forcing you to go back to the original post. I'm wondering if there is anyway around that, or if it will even be a big deal for people to have to go back and forth. At least they'll know I posted, right?Too confusing.
Date: 2008-12-29
To: Getting down to business!
Miles today: 0.0

We're watching "The Dark Knight" tonight, and I can't help but notice the duality between Bruce Wayne not being able to tell people that he's Batman and me (Mike) not being able to tell any of my professional mates about my upcoming adventure. It's been killing me for months now - but the day will soon come. I figure I can give unofficial notice to my boss about a month in advance, then we'll make it official two weeks out if he's cool with that. I've become pretty close with him over the 10 months that we've been in Columbus - been through a lot - and it still feels a little back-stabbish to hold this idea from him, considering I'm supposed to be his understudy! Roxanne already told her employer, thinking that she may be able to continue to be "on the roster" while we hike so that she doesn't loose tenure, vacation, etc. Turns out that it wasn't possible and now there's talk that there may be layoffs to follow the holidays. I imagine they'll let her go, since they know she'll no longer be there come March anyhow. We'll see how that goes, my thinking is that it might not be so bad if she recieves severance, etc.Moving on, preparations are slow. I've been sick throught my Christmas Vacation. I intended on having a spreadsheet of the trail with the number of days that it "should" take us to hike from spot to spot, then figure out where we should plan to shop or mail drop - things like that. We haven't done a lot of planning for food, either - we have a lot of dehydrating to do!Looks like it will be a busy New Years weekend!!
Date: 2009-01-09
To: Trail Technology
Miles today: 0.0

Dangit. I just spent about 30 minutes writing on a post from my Q, only to apparently hit the wrong button and send a huge post to the toilet. I love the fact that I can keep people updated by sending posts from a smartphone, but sometimes not using a desktop I annoying. Trailjournals is meant for desktop use in the respect that you can't really upload photos from a smartphone, at least not a motorola q. navigating websites can be tough, too, because its hard to see when you've selected a link. After spending 30 minutes on a post, I seleced 'ratings' intead of 'OK.' Bad move.As I get used to it, I'll be using my Q to update both TJ (without pics) and mikeandrox.com (with pics). To keep all of our people informed.Now, what was I trying to write about...?
Date: 2009-01-09
To: 8 Weeks!
Miles today: 0.0

We had a good weekend over the New Years break. We were able to work through our guidebook 'Appalachian Pages,' which is emerging as a good resource sine Wingfoot retired his publication. We coordinated that information with a narritive guide written by Baltimore Jack on Whiteblaze.net and a spreadsheet of trail mileage and data that we also found on whiteblaze.We've now got our first 30 day planned, down to the nighlty shelter. We figured it would be pointless to try and guess our pace any deeper than that, but we continued on to select our trail towns and maildrop locations and prospective zero days. We still have to break down food needs and asemble maildrops, so expect to hear more about that in coming weeks. We're in Charlotte, NC right now, visiting with Josh and Theresa. Theresa will likely be our ride to Amicaola, and both her and Josh plane to hike GSNP with us.Tonight, Roxanne is getting her lip pierced as a gift from me for her 26th birthday, which was last week. She's not supposed to have it at Starbucks, but no one seems to care about the rules at her store, and she's gone in 7 weeks when we get back home, so who cares?I plan to tell my boss about my coming 6 month absence when we return.. nervous! I feel like its a risk giving such long notice, but I feel like I owe it to him, considering I've been his right hand for almost a year. Hoping it doesn't backfire and get me let go 5 weeks too early!Tomorrow, we have a meeting with Pacman (GA ME 06), with whome I had the pleasure of working for at Jesse Brown's, Charlotte's best outfitter (currently in competition with two REI's). We're going to go over our itenerary and get his input, as well as hear more about his CDT attempt from this past summer.From there, its off to see my folks in Johnson City, TN, then to Nashville to see some old friends there. Then we'll only be 7 weeks away!
Date: 2009-02-02
To: Mail Drops - 4 weeks!
Miles today: 0.0

Obsessive-compulsive much? We've spent all of our free time in the last week and a half drying stuff out and shopping for easy to carry trail food. It's crazy! We've hung out 360 baby wipes, dehydrated 24 pounds of ground beef for jerky, 4 pounds of strip steak and several cans of soup. It's crazy to consider the weight that we're saving by dehydrating!We'll be cutting the handles off of toothbrushes before you know it! Things are going well, but we're both really overwhelemed and exausted at the same time - taking it all in stride though.Got a chance to meet several GA-ME vetrans out The Outdoor Source in Columbus. Shouts to Redneck Rye, Trips, The River Waesel, CC, and Snack for imparting tons of their hard-earned knowledge on us in Q&A format.Time for bed, will update again soon!
Date: 2009-02-25
To: 10 DAYS!
Miles today: 0.0

It's really getting down to the nitty gritty, now! 10 days until our summit of Springer Mountain, 7 until we leave Columbus! We're finalizing everything this week - from what clothes to take to what will be in our music library! Music library being of foremost importance, though..!Work is going well, Rox has her last day today, I have tyoday and tomorrow in the office and one road trip to Dayton on my last day, Friday. Both employers as very excited about us going.Haven't weighed packs yet, will be doing that soon. We've got out first rations laid out,just not organized into stuffsacks just yet. The hours not spent at work are flying by; but the weeks are lasting forever! It's not fair!Just spent the evening watching TREK with our friends Sam and Kristina. They think we're nuts. I still can't believe we're getting ready to do this, it's an incredible feeling.Will update again when packs are in better shape!
Date: 2009-03-02
To: 5 Days!
Miles today: 0.0

Wow. It's nearly here. This is my first jobless day, so I've been especially charged up. I've been having issues with my moto q, so I worked on it all night and finally got it back to normal this morning. I'm planning to use it to update both trailjournals (no pics) and mikeandrox.com. I freaked last night because the q couldnt't see my memory card with all of my music on it. This has led me to consider taking my mp3 player along, even though the q is back to playing music. I feel rediculous for being so upset about the possibility of no music out there, but what else is there to save me from tourists and boy scouts?Anyhow, we've packed up all of our clothes for Charlotte and Atlanta, we leave on Wednesday. We also packed one outfit for if we have to get off the trail for any reason - lets call that the outfit of shame...Then, we packed up all of our smallest clothes for after Katahdin, we'll call those victory clothes. It'd still really odd thinking 6 months in advance, even though we've been doing it for 2 years.Roxanne has poured over the maildrops for about a week now, adding two new maildrops for stuff we bought too much of. This brings us to 13.We're running some visitation errands tonight, one last time around Columbus.   Tomorrow is 'Holy Crap we leave tomorrow' day, then we get to make the rounds in Charlotte before heading to Atlanta.Goal for the day: don't stress.