morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-02-04
To: Lightweight...and ....perspective
Miles today: 0.0

I'll remind you that I am a total rookie at this extended backpacking thing! Up to this point, my mind had it that lightweight backpacking was all about long distances or speed. I'm thinking that, hey, this guy is going really light so he must be trying to do some big days or keep a fast pace.I definitely have changed viewpoints after today, having exchanged some e-mails with Stealth Blew (AT '02 and '07). His pack weight is like 13 pounds without food and water!! My pack, sleeping bag, and tent weigh that much! Anyhow, so I wrote to him thinking he would be flying by me in no time even starting a week behind me.He told me that he probably wouldn't catch me that quickly. Lightweight to him meant a more comfortable hike and a hike less prone to injury. After I read that, I think, "duh", good point. More motivation to try to keep it light, or at least as light as it can be.This point is probably obvious to the hiker pro out there, but offered a different perspective to this rookie who equated weight to speed and distance.My pack weight right now is right at 20lbs, but I still have some stuff to add. I will definitely not be above 30 lbs. This is without food and water, but does include winter gear. I'm comfortable with where I'm at knowing I'll be able to "shake some stuff out" before I leave....and am looking forward to "gearing down" after I've been out there a bit and know what I really need. I'm really relieved that I didn't put all my stuff together and have it weigh 50 lbs!!
Date: 2009-02-05
To: Appalachian Trail Information
Miles today: 0.0

Here is some cool info about the Appalachian Trail. All stats come from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) website. They have everything you need to know and more at www.appalachiantrail.org.The 2009 official mileage is 2178.3 miles. The trail gets moved a little from time to time for various reasons (natural disasters, preservation efforts, and even development-unfortunately).It passes through 14 states with elevations as low as 124' and as high as 6625'. I will take approximately 5 million footsteps to complete the journey....don't now how they figured that out! The trail is well-marked by mostly 2" x 6" white blazes painted on tree trunks, posts, rocks, etc to keep you on the Trail, hopefully! Supposedly there are approximately 165,000 of them. Nope, don't plan on counting!The oldest thru-hiker was 81. The youngest was 6!! What did he do, crawl in his dad's pack?It takes an average of 6 months to complete a thru-hike! 10% who start quit within the 1st week. About 50% will make it to Harper's Ferry, WV (about half-way). And about 25% will complete the journey. Here's a chart from the ATC for the 2008 Northbound Thru-Hiker stats.By the way, as you can tell, I finally figured out how to post pictures in the journal entries!
Date: 2009-02-09
To: All plans fail at first contact with the enemy!
Miles today: 0.0

I love to plan! I don't know if I got that from being an Air Force navigator, or if I loved being an Air Force navigator because I love to plan.Carl von Clausewitz, often referenced in military circles, said that "all plans fail at first contact with the enemy" (paraphrased) meaning that you can plan all you want, but other people, mother nature, your enemy, etc, also have a say in what happens, and you can't plan for that, so not much usually goes exactly as planned.Well, I couldn't help myself and had to plan my hike in excruciating detail! And I have to tell you, I had so much fun. Weird, huh? It also got me into the planning guides in depth and I'm so ready to go .... right now!It is going to be so interesting (only to me) to see how well I can execute and stick to my plan. Navigators have a simple saying, "plan the flight, fly the plan." I'm definitely going to enjoy this flight. Only time will tell how far I can follow the plan! I believe I have built in enough flexibility to be able to enjoy the unexpected surprises and still stay on track!Here are the statistics I expect to compile. It will be fun (again, only for me) to compare them to the actual stats at the end!Start Date: 11 MarchEnd date: 2 OctZero Days - 18Days planned to hike over 20 miles - 11Days planned to hike under 10 miles - 42Days planned between 10 and 20 - 116Total Days on Appalachian Trail (includes days in towns) - 187Average miles hiking per day (includes all 187) - 11.6 miles/dayAverage miles hiking on hiking days (not counting zero-days) - 12.8 miles/dayIf that doesn't seem to add up to you, it's because I'll be off the Trail for 2 weeks in July for family fun back home!
Date: 2009-02-10
To: Thoughts on the road ahead....one month to go!
Miles today: 0.0

Only one month to go! I believe I have everything set and ready to go to get down there and get started! Now I wait!Here's some thoughts on the things that I'm looking forward to, and some things I'm not looking forward to:1. I'm looking forward to getting back in great shape. My life has been sedentary lately and I look forward to dropping 20 lbs.2. My vice in life is Diet Coke! It will do my body good to do without the Diet Coke for a while (except in towns of course!! ).3. It will be nice to walk in forests again. I grew up in PA .... lots of pine trees. For the past couple of years I've lived in Las Vegas .... lots of desert. 4. I will miss a hot shower each morning!Thought of the day:I'm going to wake up "someplace else" almost every day for 6 months. Weird to think about it that way.
Date: 2009-02-12
To: Time for some thank you's!
Miles today: 0.0

A special thanks goes out to Peanut, AT '08, for answering "way too many" questions! I think you have me started out on the right foot!Thanks also to Wrongway, AT '08; Stealth Blew, AT '02 & '07; and Evil Eye, AT '07; for answering even still more questions and sharing some unique thoughts. Sorry Wrongway for "sounding like a girl" sometimes when asking about clothing choices! I know time is precious, so I thank you guys for sharing some of yours with me.I think I've mentioned before that I'm a rookie on the extended-backpacking playing field. So I had a million questions, with no experience to have any perspective.So I leaned heavily on those that have "been there, done that" in my attempt to adequately prepare myself for the journey ahead.I wanted to thank them publicly for taking the time to share their thoughts, and answer my many questions. Some of their thoughts were about stuff that wasn't even on my radar (stuff I would never have thought about, in case "on my radar" is only a military phrase).I don't expect many journal entries between now and the start of my hike, on 11 March. Planning is complete, gear is ready .... now I wait ....and train!
Date: 2009-02-13
To: Note to self on glove philosophy
Miles today: 0.0

This journal entry is more of a note to myself to follow up later on how my "glove plan" works out. Too many words to put this all down in the gear section.So I already have some gloves that I run with on colder days. Basically a liner with a water/wind resistant shell. This is what I plan on hiking with when the weather is cold, or rainy with chill.I've added a lightweight mitten to the mix. I plan on adding the mitten on top of the gloves and glove liner for use at camp, or some mix of the 3. All together, the "3 sets" of handwear weigh less than 3 ounces.The question is, will they keep my hands warm enough at camp? I'm hoping to get a couple of cold days in Ohio to do some test runs before I start hiking. It's too warm here in Vegas to tell if the setup will work.I plan on taking a couple packs of handwarmers for the first couple of days just as a precaution. I always have my stove and can most always build a fire! I'm hoping this works out. First, it was cheap; second, very lightweight combo; and third, hopefully will offer a lot of combo versatility for different situations.
Date: 2009-02-17
To: Daytona 500 vs The Approach Trail
Miles today: 0.0

So as the start of my hike approaches very quickly, there has been one question burning in my brain; how's my fitness level? I mean really, how does one know if you're ready to go?I have been walking a lot! I've been hiking with my pack a bunch. But I know in the back of my mind that the Approach Trail is one of the hardest hikes I'll have in Georgia....and it's the first day! And it has been worrying me, since I've always liked to know how I'm going to do....before I do it.Well I have to thank Flatlander for easing my mind. I read a journal entry from him earlier this month talking about training on his treadmill because it was like 0 degrees out where he was. So I go dig my treadmill out of the garage....don't need a treadmill in Vegas....always running weather.I knew it would be boring as heck (see Flatlander journal!!), so I thought doing it during the Daytona 500 would be perfect. I figured out the incline of each section of the Approach Trail and set the treadmill appropriately as I "hiked".So I hiked the Approach Trail (with fully loaded pack) while watching the Daytona 500!! It was a hard workout, but I made it, and wasn't completely wasted at the end. I feel much better/more confident now having tried that experiment. I realize that it will be tougher on uneven terrain and in the elements. But I weigh that against having done the treadmill hike in one continuous stretch (no stops except to go to the bathroom and refill the water bottle).I plan on doing this "Approach Trail Simulator" a couple more times before actually getting out there! This is going to let me begin the hike with a much more positive perspective than I would have otherwise. "Knowing you can make it" vs "hoping you can make it" are two different worlds!!
Date: 2009-03-04
To: To help you follow along........
Miles today: 0.0

I thought it was time for an update. Nothing really going on here except waiting patiently.Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly where someone is while reading their journal. I've been reading them for nearly a decade now, and run into the same problem each year. Most hikers go from shelter to shelter during their hike, with the stop in town about once a week. However, generally, only the hikers themselves know where the shelters are!I was reading Bigfoot's journal, and he had a couple of good web pages to look at.The first is a map that shows all of the shelters along the A.T.. As you zoom in, you will see more and more shelters. Move the mouse over the shelter to see it's name. There are also 'buttons' at the top of the map to switch to a different type of map (topographic, road map, satellite, etc). Here's the link: A.T. Map with Shelters!I'm not sure how useful this second web page will be, but I'll include it here. It simply lists each shelter by name (from south/Georgia to north/Maine)....and it does have a link to sort them alphabetically. Then click on the shelter for info about the shelter. It does tell you what state and county the shelter is in. Here's the link: A.T. Shelter List
Date: 2009-03-05
To: Resupply and Mail Drops -- hmmm-hmmm good!
Miles today: 0.0

I've had a few questions about which re-supply method I am going to use. I am going to be a mail dropping fool!! I will have 31 maildrops in all.I have chosen the MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) as my primary source of nutrition. If you're not familiar with the MRE, it is simply a pre-packaged meal designed primarily for use by the military. Each meal provides about 1200 calories. Each contains an entree (spaghetti, beef stew, chicken, etc), crackers, peanut butter or cheese spread, a cookie, toaster pastry or fig bars, raisins, and a "koolaid" type mix. Each meal also comes with its own chemical heater, so no fuel is required.The cons to the MRE are the weight (each weighs about a pound), and the trash that needs packed out.The pros are the convenience (no fuel needed) which will be good if I want a larger meal mid-day. I won't have to break out the stove. And the cost per calorie can't be beat. Each MRE costs less than $6 when ordered in bulk.I'm retired military and am used to these. MRE's have gotten a bad rap over the years, but have come a long way recently. If they were called "K-Rations" the last time you had them, then this is especially true!!I'm a huge planner and like the idea that a majority of my daily calories are ready to go right now!! I'll have a couple of energy bars, candy bars, mac-n-cheese meal, and little items like that thrown in each drop for good measure. And I can pick up stuff along the way if necessary.By the way, Steven Cyros and the people at MREDepot.com have been awesome in helping me get the right MRE's, and answering the millions of questions I had about them. If you're looking at using them, he's the man!!
Date: 2009-03-06
To: Fun day.....for me at least!
Miles today: 0.0

Now I'm officially ready to hike!! My niece, Jessica, who is also my mail drop support team/transcriber invited me to talk to her 5th Grade class about my upcoming hike.I had a blast. Of course the kids were probably just glad not to have "regular" class! I simply introduced them to the Appalachian Trail, with some of the basics, and then just let them ask questions. I was actually surprised a bit. They asked very good questions. I expected the questions about "what animals would I see", "where would I sleep", etc. But they asked other questions like "what inspired me to do it", "will I do other trails", "what is my experience level", "what do you do if you get injured", etc. One person even asked how the Appalachian Trail came to be!But standing there talking to them really got me energized and ready to go. Only a couple more days!! I sent out my first mail drop yesterday, and will do a final shakedown of the pack tomorrow. I need to get rid of some stuff....carrying way too much right now.....no room for food!!
Date: 2009-03-08
To: Time to head to Georgia!!
Miles today: 0.0

In one hour I head to the Greyhound Bus station for the ride to Georgia! I leave here in Ohio at 7:05 pm and arrive in Atlanta tomorrow at 11:15 am. The question is, how much sleep will I get on the bus? I sleep great on airplanes! It will be an interesting start to this journey!The last time I boarded a Greyhound Bus was when I joined the Air Force back in 1982. After a couple of weeks of basic training, I asked myself the question, "what the heck did I get myself into?" I have this feeling I will be asking myself the same question here in a few days!! That bus ride 27 years ago was the start to an amazing journey in the Air Force. Hopefully this bus ride is taking me to another great adventure.What am I looking forward to first? Easy....getting to Walasi Yi so the experts there can show me how to pack my pack right!! And what I can get rid of? Remember now, I'm a rookie at this.....but it doesn't take an expert to know that I have too much stuff, and I don't know how to pack my backpack!This will be the first part of that steep learning curve I mentioned in an earlier post. My pack weighs 34 pounds with all my gear and food. So add the water and I'm close to 40 pounds. My pack feels good on my back but I know it can be packed better.I have planned all along to start on 11 March. I may actually hike the Approach Trail on 10 March. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous, and who wouldn't want to start the whole thing on a beautiful day. This will also allow me to shorten the hiking on the first couple of days and still stay on the original schedule. I had planned on just hanging out for a day at Amicalola Falls State Park, but I really think I would just be milling around wondering why I wasn't hiking already....especially if it is a great day!I may have one more journal entry prior to leaving from Amicalola Falls Park. If not, the next post will be from the Trail, at the Walasi-Yi Center, on Saturday, 14 March.
Date: 2009-03-08
To: Quick thank you....and some psycho babble!
Miles today: 0.0

My sister Jane, and her husband Keith, the two nicest people you'll ever meet on planet Earth, were kind enough to let me use their home as my staging area for this hike. And their hobby room looked like a disaster area for over a week as I packed backpacks, packed maildrop boxes, sorted foodstuff, etc. Thanks so much!! I tried to "leave no trace", but the mailbox drop boxes are still there!!!Now for the psycho-babble....submitted here as a reminder for me to reflect at the end of the journey and see "where my mind is now." I like everything in it's place.....I'm not as bad as the television-show character Monk, but I can come close sometimes. This is the cause of me having problems packing my backpack right, or most effectively. My mind likes things grouped together in stuff sacks....camp clothes in one stuff sack, sleeping bag in its stuff sack, spare clothes in its sack, raingear in its sack.....you get the idea.Well I know from reading years and years of journals that you just can't do that on this kind of journey. You kinda just let everything "free-flow" into the pack, thus using all space....space I lose by having things in their stuff sacks. I tried...my mind won't let me! That's the reason I'm looking forward to an expert looking at my pack at the Walasi-Yi center....and telling me what needs done, and how. The military side of my mind will take over and say "hey, an expert's telling you what to do, trust them, and do this right!"It's OK, you can laugh! I'm laughing right now. I'm going to repack one more time when I get down to Georgia.....maybe I can do better....woops, I know I can do better......so, maybe I WILL do better!I'll be interested to reflect at the end of this whole thing and see how my "monk" characteristics have been modified.
Date: 2009-03-09
To: Greyhound to Georgia
Miles today: 0.0

Thanks Megan! My niece Megan was kind enough to give me a ride to the Greyhound Bus Station in Akron where I departed at 7:05 pm on Sunday, 8 March. I left Ohio rainy and in the 50's.I had this vision in my head of me and 5 other people riding this huge bus. Silly me!! I had 6 segments on my bus journey from Akron, Ohio to Atlanta, Georgia. Four of the six segments were completely full. The other two were about half full. I was very surprised.By the way, if you haven't been on a bus recently, it has changed dramatically over the last 20 years (the last time I was on one was on the way to military boot camp). The terminals in Akron and Cincinnati were state-of-the-art facilities, comparable to modern airport terminals.....restaurant, electronics charging stations, great ticketing services, etc. Now a couple of the terminals on the way, including Atlanta were just how I remembered them 20 years ago.I considered myself a rookie bus-rider, but all of the personnel were very helpful and I never felt "lost" and always knew where to go next. All-in-all, it was a very comfortable experience and much better than I expected.16 hours after saying goodbye to Megan in Ohio, I was greeted by Bill in Atlanta (sunny and 70). Bill runs Bill's Wheels of Georgia and shuttles people all over from Atlanta to Damascus, VA.He was an awesome dude and the hour drive from Atlanta to Amicalola Falls State Park flew by. I'll call him again for sure if ever in the area and need a shuttle. Bottom line: great ride from the Big City to the Back Country!By the way, I didn't sleep very well on the bus and got about 2-3 hours of sleep. (cont)
Date: 2009-03-09
To: Amicalola Falls State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

So Bill drops me off at the Lodge at Amicalola Falls State Park where I register for a cabin I had reserved for two nights. He asked me if I wanted him to wait for me for a ride to my cabin.....I thought heck no...I'm here to walk and the cabins looked like they weren't too far away. Woops!! The cabin was 1 mile away.I made the reservations for the cabin back in November knowing the place gets full this time of year with hikers. I knew I was going to have a weird bus adventure and thought I would spend a day to just check out the Park.Well I think I even knew a couple of weeks ago that once I got here I would be too fired up to just hang out at the Park for a whole day. Well I'm here....and I'm hiking out tomorrow!! Done!! Or should I say "just beginning". The weather is supposed to be awesome so it seems stupid to waste it. Who wouldn't want to start this adventure on a perfect day? Thank God for this weather!After checking in at the lodge I ask where the cabin is and I find out I have to hike the first mile of the Approach Trail backwards, from the Lodge down to Cabin #3 by the Visitor's Center where the Approach Trail starts. It actually ended up being a good mistake. I got to hike the first mile of my trip going down and could check out what was in store for me tomorrow. There are literally 600 steps on the path from the Visitor's Center to the top of Amicalola Falls and the lodge....where I will have to take a small side trail hike to turn in my key in the morning.All day today, while hiking down the falls, I was wishing I was starting and headed in the opposite direction!!!!   Tomorrow!
Date: 2009-03-10
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Springer Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Ouch, OUCH and OUCH. OMG!!! The Approach Trail kicked my butt! That is one difficult hike.I did start a day earlier than planned. The forecast was just too good to not hike....and hang around the park.Woke up at 5 am after going to bed around 9 pm. Nice cabin. Woke up to sunny and mid-fifties. I signed the register and got a couple of pictures. Then over to weigh my pack....47 pounds...first ouch. So I start with 47 pounds, including 4 days of food and water (3+ liters). Already can't wait to get to the Walasi-Yi Center and have the experts go through my pack.The first obstacle of the day was the 600 steps (yep, real steps) that take you to the top of the Amicalola Falls....second ouch. I took my time, took breaks, took pictures, etc.I had to drop off my keys at the lodge and check out. Well, after getting my butt kicked by a bunch of stairs, I had breakfast at the lodge!! I was hurting all day long and was very glad it was nice out. Hats off to those that started last week in snow and below freezing temps and are still out here.The walk today was through leaf covered forests of leafless trees....but still beautiful. I met 6-Legs today who was on the last day of her hike from Maine to Georgia. She has a dog with her, hence 6-legs. She started in October and hiked through the winter. I thought it was cool to meet someone on their last day, while on my first!I signed in at Springer Mountain where I met Ian and Kendra from Eagle River, Wisconsin who are also going to Maine. I set up my tent at the Springer Mountain Shelter, ate, and went to bed.My intital thoughts on the hike....."what have I got myself into." Tonight I am a wreck, both physically and mentally. If it had been 9 degrees and snowing, I probably would have turned around tomorrow and quit!!NOTE: Today I actually hiked 9.0 miles, but 8.8 of it was on the A.T. Approach Trail and doesn't count in the offical mileage. Only 0.2 of today's miles were actually on the Appalachian Trail.