morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-02-01
To: Last Semester
Miles today: 0.0

Well I am finally getting settled in on my last semester. It is already very busy but luckily with things that are interesting not just school work. I am looking forward to getting out on some trails and maybe test out some of my newer gear. I still have a few items I would like to purchase but I am hung up on what I want to get. One of the things I am fighting with myself the most about is what kind of sleeping bag I want to get. There is still time to solve this though. It looks like that I will be starting on the trail around the week of June 20th. I cannot wait to meet the swarms of blackflies that will be greeting me. Before then I still have a lot to look forward to in this semester. Boone is a happening place, we have the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition going on as well as a screening of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour which is going to be simply amazing. Spring Break this year is looking like an awesome trip out to the Jackson Hole area and maybe on over into southern Idaho for some climbing. I have not made it out past Kentucky so I am excited to see both new mountains and lots of snow. To those of you starting down at Springer over the next two months I wish you the best of luck. Those who are starting up north maybe I will see you on the trail.-Stan"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes
Date: 2007-02-04
To: Day Hiking on Roan
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday was a great day to be outside. Although temperatures were in the low 20's and it felt like 8 and below I could not help but to go and check out the Roan mountain area for the first time this winter. I was just hoping there would be a good amount of snow, as this season around Boone has been lacking. I started the morning off doing some photography on the Blue Ridge Parkway around the Moses Cone Memorial Park. I hiked in about a mile to an open field with an eastern vista. After watching the sunrise and taking some photos, I made my way back to the apartment for breakfast and to warm up. Once my roommate was awake, we headed to Carvers gap to hike on the AT. As I hope there was much more snow on Roan than the rest of the areas. It is that TN western upslope snow. We headed up Round Bald stopping to take photos along the way and then headed over Jane Bald, Grassy Ridge and down into the tree line. The wind was blowing strong and we started making our way back after making it in about 2 miles. The best part about this area is that people do not tend to walk far past Round Bald or they stay cross-country skiing over on Roan Mtn. We were the first tracks out in the grassy ridge area that morning with some older tracks possibly from the night before. As we headed back others were making their way out but it was just an amazing day. I have added a few more pictures to the photo from both the Roan Highlands and Moses Cone Park.-Stan
Date: 2007-04-13
To: Almost there!
Miles today: 0.0

The excitement is building everyday. I am not the kind of person that usually counts things down but one of my teachers pointed out to us today we only have 5 more classes! Since I last wrote I have gone on several small outings and a big spring break trip. I had never been out west so for spring break two of my friends and I drove over 33 hours across the country. We got to climb for 2 and a half days at the city of rocks national reserve. We then spent two days visiting a friend and checking out the Grand Teton National Park in Jackson. Got to do some snowshoeing there which was a funny site to see at first, but we got the hang of it. On the drive back we stopped and check out the Badlands National park and did a 4 mile hike there which was a lot better than looking at the park from the road...as always. After graduation I will be taking a quick tour of the southwest so I think this can classify as my year of exploring the US. Of course these places require much more time than I have spent so now I know where to go and what I want to do.The weather as been pretty crazy here recently as I think most of the country has. Those of you hiking I am sure you are ready for some more spring weather. We had some nice wildflowers coming up, those are now dead thanks to the frost and snow.Easter break proved to be very productive. I had ordered a quilt kit from ray jardine's company, so I got that sewed together and now just have to do some quilting. I am very pleased with the weight and how it turned out. I also got out some fundraising letters. While I do my hike I will be raising money for Mountain Alliance, a local organization at Watauga High School here in Boone, NC. Mountain Alliance takes the high school students on service, learning, and leadership trips. These vary from working in the county to going on climbing, hiking and caving trips. Currently two trips are out on weeklong service trips to Mississippi and Washington, DC. I have had the pleasure of working with the program there for a little more than a year now. They also have a cool trip called the rolling academy going out this summer. For those that have donated money I really appreciate your help and will try my best to keep you updated on my progress. Seth and I will be starting our hike on the 19th or 20th of June.
Date: 2007-04-25
To: A Good Test
Miles today: 0.0

This past weekend was one of the best weekends we have had in a while. I made a trip up to the Mount Rogers area as an assistant on a PE Backpacking Class. Unfortunately it was only one night. We got up there on Saturday and hiked about 6 miles total. A good bit was on the AT but we got off pretty quickly and started towards the Crest Trail. We camped that night on the Crest Trail at one of my favorite sites. The area is just wide open. You have a great view of Wilburn Ridge and then endless views to the East and West which is great for sunrises and sunsets. I made my way over to a rock outcrop where I took the picture beside this.I tested a lot of gear on this trip. I tried out the Alcohol stove I bought a couple of months back and was very pleased with the results. It didn't take to long to get a hang of how much fuel to use. I then tested out the Miox purifier. This device is a little strange. I don't know how much I will like it but we will give it some time and see how it goes. The big test was my sleeping system. I just made a quilt over Easter break so this was my first test. The Quilt was rated to 40 degrees and the temperature had dropped to 40 by 7pm. It probably got into the mid 30's that night. I did have a fleece liner just in case so i used both and woke up the next morning nice and toasty. I also woke up on the ground. I tried out sleeping in a hammock but it just didn't work for me. I like to move around more than the hammock I was using wanted me to move. All in all it looks like I am set with gear and I am getting closer and closer. As of today I have no more CLASS!I only met one thru-hiker while out and that was Ranger. He was trucking along at a good pace. I will be back at it again this weekend. I will be heading back to the same area with a group from the local high school.-Stan
Date: 2007-05-03
To: Wildflowers
Miles today: 0.0

Well I had another great trip this past weekend back up to the Mount Rogers Area. The students that went along absolutely loved the area as most do and were captivated by the ponies. The cool part for me was being able to see the changes that had occurred over the week. The week before about the only thing in bloom was some spring beauty's. Everything else was still recovering from the freezes and late snows. This past weekend flowers were everywhere. All the northbound hikers are in for a treat wherever they currently are in the Southern Appalachians. Just be sure to take the time to enjoy them even if you have no idea or desire to know what kind it of flower it is. I have put several photos of the flowers in the photo section.School is finally done, and I am ready to start finalizing my plans at least on the food side of things for the trail. I think everything else is in place. I have used the Miox purifier the past two weekends and I am not to happy with that so Seth and I are looking at other options. I will keep practicing with the system though as I think it would work great just need to get the hang of it a little better. I hate that I will miss trail days this year but I hope all of you go and have a blast. -Stan
Date: 2007-05-30
To: Getting Close
Miles today: 0.0

Well the past month has been a busy one. I kicked off the month with graduation followed by a trip out west with the parents. Unfortunately we only had a week to explore so it was a very quick trip to most places but we did have the opportunity to spend two and half days in Moab, which exceeded my expectations. I was glad to see that although the economy is centered on tourism, it is local businesses, not brand names serving the town. We need more of that in the East. While out we visited the Grand Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano Nat. Mon. on the way to Flagstaff from the Canyon, Mesa Verde NP, Arches NP, and Canyonlands NP. Crowds were not too bad and the weather was great.   Our favorite of all was Arches. We did spend the most time there though so we got to see more and I also got to hike more which is what I like. Now that I am back home and unpacked from school my focus is on making sure everything is in place for the trail over the next 19 days! One of the big issues I am currently facing is transportation for the Long Trail which we plan to detour on as we go into Vermont. Other than that I am just looking at the resupply points along the way and making sure buying food will work and see where I maybe better off doing a mail drop.-Stan
Date: 2007-06-29
From: Katahdin

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 114.5
Weather: broken clouds

Well my friends, I have finally made it through the 100 mile Wilderness. It took our expected 10 days. Seth(Pipes) and I met up with Grizzly, who is also from NC, while summiting Katahdin. The first several days we went along our ways but since we have hiked together. The days have been long and terrain steep but I still have a lot of energy and will continue to push on. Before we started everyone had talked about the Blackflies. Those however, were not the biggest problem, instead it was the mosquitos. I only got about 10 blackfly bites at most. The lakes along the way were just beautiful. There were no houses on them and we saw very few people coiming in for day trips from the dirt roads which run through the area. We have seen one Moose and what we believe was a spruce grouse which gave chase while on the trail. If it struck one of us it would have been good dinner! The packs started out heavy about 50lbs but that quickly dropped while eating food. The weather during our 10 days has also been pretty nice, only a few days of rain. Upon finishing the 100 miles, we did have some extra food so we ate well. I will resupply today and head back to the trail tomorrow most likely along with Farsang. We will probablly be passing each other back and forth if we don't stay at the same speed. Pipes and Grizzly are going back to NC due to some Knee and ankle problems those always make hiking hard. Sorry I left my camera in the room so I don't have any pictures to place up right now. I will get some up when I can. I'm Stayin, and headin South!
Date: 2007-07-04
From: Horns Pond Lean-Tos

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 73.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Well Happy 4th of July everyone! Today Farsang and did the short hike out from Horns Pond. There were a few hills but it was mostly downhill and flat ground. The weather over the last week has been excellent. It has been a little chilly at night but a nice warm jacket sitting in the Post Office here will take care of that. After leaving Monson we stayed several nights with several other SOBO's and Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris is one of the funniest guys I have met yet. He is the only person I have ever known that could wake up 5 thru-hikers in a shelter at 5am and all of us just start to die in laughter. The trail through this section of the trail was really nice. We had a couple peaks early on in the section to climb. Those were Moxie Bald and Pleasant Mountain. Both were awesome peaks and offered great views although the wind was pretty strong. From there the terrain was flat which allowed for some big miles. We did an 18 mile day out of Monson, then 13, 20, 17, and 5. Yesterday we had a really great day. It was our 17+ mile day and we hit the summits of Little Bigelow, Avery Peak, West Peak, and then the South Horn all peaks on Bigelow Mountain. Of course we went up and down in between all of those. By far that was one of my favorite hikes that I have ever done. I really enjoyed walking over the ridges, which were pretty exposed. Tonight we are staying in Stratton at the Motel/Hostel. It's a nice little place everything we need is right here. Already I have downed a quart of milk and a small pack of Oreos. According to the scale here I have lost 12 pounds so far. We aren't real sure how accurate that scale is though. Now time for some Pizza with lots of Meat!Stayin.
Date: 2007-07-07
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 41.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Daily milage is for the section from Stratton to Sabbath Day.20.1 mile dayWhat a great day on the trail. We came across our first trail magic of the trip and there was plenty to go around. The morning started off with a great climb of the Saddleback Mtn. which included Saddleback Jr., the Horn and Saddleback. The Ridge was all above tree line and the views awesome. We were working off a half day of rest as our bodies had told us to stop along with a storm the day before. Being in the storm up there would not have been good anyways. We had some lighting and hail that night before. After Saddleback it was downhill until ME 4 where a cooler with some soft drinks was waiting. After a nice cool Sprite we headed on pretty flat terrain. Upon arrival at the shelter we were greeted by a Boy Scout Troop on a 50-miler and Marley, his friend and daughter on her first overnight. Marley who thru-hiked last year quickly offered us the Hot Dogs they did not eat. Oh were they good! After that the Scouts offered the left over Mac and Cheese, and of course after that we had our own dinner. The next morning Marley gave us their extra chocolate doughnuts and took our trash. So thanks alot to the Boy Scouts and Marley and his crowd. It seemed like his daughter really enjoyed the overnight.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-08
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To

To: South Arm Rd
Miles today: 17.0

Well after some great trail magic. Rain took our motivation away in the Morning. After wasting a lot of time we finally made it out of Camp around 9:15am. The terrain as we had been told started to get more difficult. We decided that the number 17 is not good for us as our 17 mile days have always been difficult. Even a 1.7mi stretch on one day was hard so we are avoiding that number from now on. We made it down to South Arm Road and will go to the campground tomorrow for a mail drop. It did stop raining around 10 or 11 and cleared up slightly for some good views off of Bemis Mtn. and Old Blue.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-09
From: South Arm Rd

To: Hall Mountain
Miles today: 4.1

Well we awoke in time this morning to run across the creek and catch a ride to the campground from a Pine Ellis shuttle, dropping some hikers off. Once to the campground the rain started again and we sat inside as they had not been to the Post Office. Although we did waste a good amount of time they campground host were very nice and the blueberry cake and muffins they were selling were awesome. When the lady went to the Post Office we got to tag along and thus got to stop at the general store in Andover anyways. This was helpful as I needed more snacks. I had already had a whole pound of Ginger Snaps. After that quick trip she dropped us off at the trail wished us well and we started to pack up camp. The rain continued. Farsang was ready before I was so he left about 20 mins. ahead. With the plan to either stop at the shelter or push on to the next camp and sign the register to let me know. Upon arriving I expected to see an empty shelter but he had decided the shelter looked pretty nice. With that we called it a day, got into some dry clothes and then watched as the bottom fell out. A North bounder came in a little later and said it was the hardest rain he had seen yet. After a good nap from 3ish to 6ish I cooked up some dinner and laid down to go to sleep once again around 8. Trail life is great. You get to enjoy it even in the Rain.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-10
From: Baldplate Lean-To

To: Full Goose Lean-To
Miles today: 26.0

Daily Milage above is for two day section.12 mile day.Sorry for skipping around some but I don't have time to enter everyday.Today we did what many call the hardest mile on the trail. The Mahoosuc Notch is what they call it. The actual Notch turned out not to be that bad. It was actually a pretty fun Rock scramble, going over, under and any other way you could to make your way through. The main thing is it took time. The one mile section took and hour and a half. The hardest part to me was actually getting down to the Notch as the daily rains had made all the rocks really slick and hard to navigate down. Many places before we even got to the Notch required both Hands and feet. We have now entered the hardest section of trail and will continue that through the Whites. Hard or not though it is very beautiful to take in and the peaks are worth the views in most cases.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-12
To: Trident Col Campsite
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, there will be photos at some point but my time has run out. Currently I am in the Town of Gorham, NH. We got in around 9 this morning and will hang out tomorrow with plans to only do 2 miles to the closest shelter. This will feel like a zero but save us from having to pay for 2 nights in town. We have finished our first state, Maine. The State was beautiful, my favorite climbs being Katahdin, Moxie Bald, Plesant Pond, Bigelow Mtn, and the many lakes and ponds. The bugs have been a challenge and the very steep and wet rocks and roots have also been challenging. This is the first town where we have really been wanting some good Ice Cream etc...but after the rest we look forward to the Beautiful Whites no matter what weather they have to throw at us. I slept under the stars for the first time last night on the trail and it was great. Look forward to doing that many more times!Enjoying the Hike tremendously. Some think we are going too Fast but I am having fun and as long as that happens I will continue. Each day is different some days you like to sit and enjoy others you like to move.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-14
From: Gorham, NH

To: Rattle River Lean To
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: broken clouds

Daily milage is for this day and the day before into Gorham, NH1.6miToday our goal was to get out of Town, the faster the better. Neither Farsang or myself enjoyed our stay in the town of Gorham. We beat ourselves up for waisting money on an expensive lunch which wasn't even good, then had to deal with services which were very spread out. Sleep last night was not good as traffic flowed under our window all night with the train passing by twice. At the post office today two men from TN who had been reading Farsang's journals in the Johnson City paper came up and talked with us. After a nice chat we sent some packages, got fuel and stopped at subway for lunch. From there we were bound for the trail again, but unfortunately my platypus water bladder was leaking so I had to walk back to the outfitters where that gave me a new one! so thanks to the outfitter there. From there we had to hitch a ride. Well the good ole folks from TN were going back towards the trail so that was easy. We arrived at the shelter at 2pm and were finally able to relax by a nice and very cold creek. Tomorrow we began hiking through the White Mountains.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-15
From: Rattle River Lean To

To: Camp after Carter Notch
Miles today: 13.4

It seems so far like the Mahoosuc's of Southern Maine have trained us well. We had a good uphill climb today but it was gradual, unlike what we had been through. Once we were up high we traveled the ridge lines, which is my favorite type of hiking. Walking through the Whites comes with having to deal with paying for camps and shelters or working for stay at huts. Even with a big day our earlier starts allowed us to make Carter Notch by 2:30, where we were shut down to work for stay. The guy was nice enough to tell us about some spots to camp so we made our to camp. While going over Carter Dome today we did get a few good views but it was Raining off and on so mostly we were in the clouds.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-16
From: Camp after Carter Notch

To: Madison Spring Hut
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: fog

Our 13.6 today was no easy task. We started the morning going up to the Wildcat Peaks A-E (4270'). Once up to A it was small ups and downs over to Peak E. After that of course we dropped straight down into Pinkham Notch (2035'). At Pinkham we had lunch and weighed our packs at the scale, 40lbs with 6 days of food, water and fuel. The afternoon started as a gentle climb. That however all came to a stop on the last 3 miles. We began going up Mt. Madison (5363'). This was straight up and very rocky. It was our first taste of the Presidential Range. Once over the mountain we were able to get some work for stay at the Madison Hut. Work for stay included sweeping the rooms out the next morning. In exchange we got to sleep on the dinning room floor and eat leftover food.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-17
From: Madison Spring Hut

To: Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we summited the highest point in New England, and the peak home to the World's Worst Weather! The AT skirted around the side of many of the Presidential peaks. I am sure I will make my way back to do those at some point but we wanted to take advantage of a great day. At the peak of Mt. Washington the temperature was 48 degrees, sustained winds at 30mph made it feel like 38 degrees with gust of wind up to 50mph. We were able to see 60 miles though which was pretty cool. A lot better than the 50ft people could see the next day. The summit was very crowded but that did mean there was a snack bar so we enjoyed a great feast. After a couple hours at the top of Washington we made our way to Mizpah Hut. The ridge walk after Lake of the Clouds Hut was a great walk. The views were excellent and the weather was great for hiking.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-18
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Zealand Hut
Miles today: 14.1

The crowd at the hut tonight is very lively. By far they were much more interested in our hike than any other group had been. We got rained on for a good part of the day so our views were of the fog mostly. There were some really nice sections of trails that didn't have roots or rocks though. It was nice to walk and not worry about how you have to place your foot on a wet rock or steep section. Tomorrow we hop back on some ridges, and once again after a great summit day our forecast doesn't look very well. In case you wonder each morning the "croo" at the huts receive the weather forecast from Mt. Washington.-Stayin
Date: 2007-07-19
From: Zealand Hut

To: Garfield Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Sleep was not the greatest last night in the Hut as a group of kids attempted to steal a sign. We did have some amazing breakfast this morning. I got about 5 Cinnamon Rolls and a bowl of Cream of Wheat (why not grits?). Again we have a rainy day which has limited views. Those views we have gotten, however, are really cool getting to see the fog dancing around the mountains. It feels easier for the body to push big miles. By the way the scale in Stratton was off, We were able to weigh in Gorham at the Health Clinic and I have only lost 5lbs. Walking in the Rain isn't so bad but putting on wet and cold clothes especially wet socks is challenging in the morning.-Stayin