morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-09-24
From: Katahdin Stream CG

To: ATC Bound
Miles today: 10.4

Opted to start the autumn in Maine with a hike to relish the final days of summer before the season brings on ole man winter. After receiving word from Hobbit that he would be hiking from VT, then there was an opportunity to get back on the trail for a bit. As our conversations and schedules aligned, then it looked as I would be part of his exit strategy again. This time after a long awaited Appalachian trail completed hike!It was great to play a small part of such a milestone for a good core of people in the class of 2014. I enjoyed the hike in such great company, and the bubble of life erupting on one small mountain top in Maine, all within minutes of each other. Tears of joy and hooting it up for the final climb, then a tribute to the 2009 hiker whose remains were scattered, and onto an engagement and then popping cork for a champagne celebration on the thru-hike Class of 2014 graduates! Congratulations on the amazing accomplishment to you all, and particularly to Hobbit, Tigger, Styles, Landslide, Movin' On, Rowdy, RaceWalker, Affirm, Mike, Chet, Peter Pan and Bilbo Baggins and the newly engaged couple! Also, to soon to be thru-hiker Frankenstein, who should have summited today 9/25.The trail is much like life, and this was evident with a significant swing in climate in a 24 hour period. Affirm summited in icy, frigid, Mt Washington-esque conditions on 9/23, and mother nature offered sunny blue skies and perfect hiking conditions for 20 or so others on 9/24. Life can take a turn for the better swiftly and miraculously, so wait for it as you traverse the ups and downs that life presents on the journey. We'll see what the next section will be to hike for me. Thinking about a big chunk like my initial experience in the AT in 2007, but that will take some planning and commitment that the weekend warrior in me may not really be ready for just yet.
Date: 2007-05-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We met up with Sharon in Damascus, VA on Sunday, May 20th. She was at the Hiker's Gathering and was ready to get back on the trail. We picked her up and gave her a ride to Atkins, VA to resume hiking. She had hiked 538.4 miles at that point. She looks great and is having the time of her life.We did take some pictures and will post them soon. Mel and Marsha Biggs
Date: 2007-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I just got a call form Sharon. She is in Pearisburg VA. Its about 1:00 pm she is going to take the rest of the day off from hiking. Go into town and get some food and a shower. She is now at 622 miles WOW!She says "Hello" to her friends at the Westshire School. And hopes that your last few weeks of school are good!Way to GO Mom! Love Amy
Date: 2007-05-26
From: TROUTVILLE

To: View Entry
Miles today: 622.0

I AM IN TOWN FOR A DAY OFF, REAL FOOD,AND HAVE HAD SOME GREAT "TRAIL MAGIC". AS I FOUND MYSELF AT A RESTURANT CALLED "THE BANK" WITH NEW FRIENDS AND HAD A GREAT BIRTHDAY DINNER. SO FAR I HAVE DONE 622 MILES. I AM IN PEARISBURG, VA. I START OUT IN THE AM AND PLAN ON 6 DAYS TO GET TO TROUTVILLE, VA, WHERE I WILL MEET UP WITH MY HUSBAND FOR A WEEK OF SLACK-PACKING AND SOME TIME OFF. SHARON/ SHIVER
Date: 2007-06-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I spoke with Sharon this afternoon. She is still having the time of her life. Andy is down there with her just north of Troutville, VA. He will be hiking with her for about four days. She has gone 727.9 miles so far. At Dragon's Tooth she spotted a copperhead snake and let it have the right of way. Good thing! Keep on walking! Marsha B.
Date: 2007-06-05
To: Parkers Gap
Miles today: 0.0

Talked with Sharon today. She was having lunch at Bobblets Gap Shelter. Having just hiked 4 miles with 10 more to go for the day. Her husband Andy is with her this week and will be picking her and her hiking friends up at the end of the day. At Parkers Gap tonight. Mile 753.8She is doing well. and says Hello to you all. -Amy
Date: 2007-06-07
From: LINDEN,VA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.0

I had the chance to "slack-pack" today .I hiked from Hogwallow Gap { mile # 936.1 to Linden, VA @ mile # 963.4 . this puts my miles hiked a total of 963.4 and the total for today was 17.6 , it was in the high 90s' and as always a good chance for a thunder storm. A hot shower and rest @ Super Eight is a really nice end to the day. Now if I could just figure how to get my pack from smelling so--- bad, I'm thinking a car wash or just in the bath tub. Oh well, guess if you passed me on the trail, you'd call me a "Thru-hiker. That's it for now,Shiver
Date: 2007-06-15
To: SIMMONS GAP,SKYLAND DRIVE
Miles today: 17.0

This marks mile #883.4 and is my second sighting of a mother bear and 2 cubs.The mother bear was actyually running up the trail, unaware that we hikers were on the trail. As soon as a hiker let our presence be known by making lots of noise, and we saw that MOM and the cubs were safely off on one side of the trail, we got off down the trail and out of their way. SHIVER-STILL HAVING A GREAT ADVENTURE - THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT FROM HOME!!!
Date: 2007-06-23
From: BOILING SPRINGS

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We talked with shiver yesterday. She started out her day in Boiling springs at mile 1107.3   With a 15 mile day planed she spent the night in a campground last night with a hot shower. She will start the day out today (saturday 6/30) at mile 1123.9
Date: 2007-08-03
From: Lula Tye Shelter

To: Govenor Clement Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I am home for a few days of rest and a trip to the doctors as I think I got bit by a tick. I have managed to wash @ dry my pack twice now and it really helps with the smell. Now if the weather would just cool down, it will help. By the way, home is WEST FAIRLEE, VT. I will be hiking from my home base till I start the White MTS. and Betty Dixon plans to hike with me when she can. I am looking forward to the company.Also, more slack-packing should help. I actually drove a car for the first time in 4 months -- not that bad. With only aprox. 518 miles to finish my hike, I hope to be done and home moving into our new house by mid September. I have 2 speaking engagements this week at 2 summer camps. Aloha Hive and Aloha in Fairlee, VT. Both are wonderful girls camps. I hope my talk gives them something to look forward to doing.
Date: 2007-08-20
From: MT.Moosilauke, NH

To: Pinkham Notch,NH
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Ending my hike after 1,855 miles at Pinkham Notch, NH. 8/17/07As I started through the White Mountains, the air started to feel like fall. Gone seemed the hot and humid weather. Even as I reached the forests of Vermont , I felt as if I were "Home". Hopefully I will not have any more problems from the Lyme Disease. I had beautiful weather going over the MT. Washington area. I feel very good about what I have spent the last 4 plus months doing and it is good to be home in Vermont. I will spend the next 2 weeks moving into our new home and then back to work at my quilting business. The summer has been quite an adventure and I'd like to thank all the people who have helped me along the way. Without the support of "Trail Magic" and support from home I doubt I would have made it from Springer Mountain in Georgia, to Vermont (home) and New Hampshire by foot. "Shiver"
Date: 2006-10-16
To: And so it begins...
Miles today: 0.0

For many years now I have been walking the AT, a few miles at a time, near my home. I have hiked many of the same miles over and over, as I live near McAfee's Knob and Dragon¢s Tooth. I have also been walking the ¢whole¢ Trail in my head, as I go to sleep at night, or wake up in the morning (an imagination is a wonderful thing). Now, I am actually going to attempt to fulfill those nights and morning walks by hiking the AT in one continuous ¢real-time¢ walk. I had planned to walk The Trail in 2006 but my local school system gave me an offer I could not refuse, so 2007 it is! My "get on the trail date" is March 7, 2007. Besides this thru hike I will be attempting, I am beginning another new journey in life, as I have just retired after teaching public school for 31 years (I have continued to substitute in the school where I worked to save for the trip and to keep in touch with colleagues and students). So this trip is a journey of the body and of the mind.I have completed some short sections of the Trail with friends or my sons, and each time have experienced the highs and lows I imagine I will feel on the thru hike of the AT but just multiplying those experiences by about 2175 times! The Trail will bring many ups and downs, some dramatic, some ho-hum and many PUDs (Pointless ups and downs) but with each mountain, valley, stream, and view, I hope to acquire many different points of views on life, as I learn more about myself, and others as each day and each step brings me closer to Mt. Katahdin.   I look forward to the solitude of the woods after hundreds of hours spent with 13 and 14 year olds, but also the companionship of fellow thru hikers and the wonderful community I have read about in Trail Journals. I do realize, after reading many of the journals, the hardships I will encounter, and hope that I have the strength and endurance to keep putting that one-foot in front of the other to reach the end. Let me say, at this time, thank-you to any and all persons who stop by and read my entries. I know how much I looked forward to reading and following many hikers as they kept their journals and helped me to live the trail and their ups and downs through them. And thanks so much to TrailJouranl.com for allowing all of us to share our experiences. And to all of the ¢Class of 2007¢ see you out there!
Date: 2006-10-16
To: Gear???
Miles today: 0.0

I have most of the equipment that I think I need for the beginning of the trip. I have tried out everything and have been practicing hiking with my pack on about once a week. My pack is Granite Gear Vapor Ki made for women. I am only 5¢2¢ and have had a hard time getting a pack to fit me correctly. This is the third pack I have tried. It only weighs 2.2 lbs. and I really like the hip-belt and how it tightens up. You pull out away from the body in front instead of back.   My tent is a Black Diamond First Light and again it only weighs 2.9 lbs. I have only slept out in it one time, but that night was pretty chilly and it rained very hard, and I remained dry and cozy and had lots of room, as it is a two-person tent. I had a one-person tent before but when I was on a few short hikes, I always felt claustrophobic while in it. This one I put everything inside with me and still have room to sit up and move around. As an older women hiking alone I think I will use my tent more than the shelters, but may change my mind once on the trail.   Sleeping bag, at the moment, is a Mountain Hardware Phantom 32 degree down bag and I have a silk liner but I think I want either a 15 degree or 0 degree bag to start out with?My kitchen is a Pepsi-can stove, titanium pot, and titanium cup. None of which weighs very much, except for the fuel. I have read in Trail Journals and met some thru-hikers that do not carry any kind of stove, but I think I will at least start out with one, as I like hot food especially in March! I also like to have a cup of tea every day! Most of the cloths, I have and have been wearing for a while: rain gear (jacket and pants) fleece and warmer ¢stuff¢ for starting in March. I have been breaking in boots as well.   If things change or I get some ¢neat¢ new piece of clothing or hiking gear, I will let you all know.
Date: 2006-11-19
To: Thoughts
Miles today: 0.0

I find myself constantly thinking about being outside and hiking each day for six months 24/7. I guess you have to become obsessed with the idea of hiking 2,175 miles, so that when the cold or heat, the tired feet and body, the sameness of the PUDs (pointless ups and downs) overwhelm you, you can just keep putting that one foot in front of the other until you finish, or decide you have had enough, or you become injured and need to get off. I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop the other morning (Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea) and reading an article in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine about ¢Best of the Outdoors: 2006 Readers¢ Choice Awards.¢ The top favorite hiking trail was the AT (YEA), and about other favorite places along the AT, which I am looking forward to seeing this spring. But then came the statistics for the ¢2006 Class¢ of hikers. It said that 1,150 hikers had registered at Springer Mt. as Thru Hikers and but as of October, only 130 had completed the trail and 659 had reached the mid point at Harper¢s Ferry, West Virginia (not really the half-way point but close enough)! These statistics made me ponder on the idea of all those people who had such high hopes (as I have), who planned for months (as I have), who dreamt of the Katahdin climb (as I have), and then how they dealt with the time when they made the decision to leave the trail. I really like it when hikers give you the updates after they have either gotten off or have finished their hikes in their Trail Journals, as they have become friends (even if you never write to them or meet them) as you read their daily adventures. I think you must start the hike with the thought that you will finish, and then HYOH (hike your own hike) and then no matter how far you get down the trail, it¢s okay and doing ¢any¢ part of the AT is better than not attempting it at all.So good luck to all of the ¢Class of 2007,¢ even if you only get to the top of the Approach Trail. It will be an adventure, and I hope to meet many of you, and get to know some you, as we attempt this adventure together.
Date: 2006-12-03
To: The Andy Layne Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Sunday, I hiked the Andy Layne Trail, which meets up with the AT at Scorched Earth Gap and continues on to Tinker Cliffs in VA. The Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club named this trail in memory of a former overseer of this section of trail in the Catawba Valley. It must be a honor to have a section of trail named after you. What a legacy to leave behind. I went with a friend, Carolyn, who often hikes with me. I told her she had to hike the AT with me, as she had to keep putting my hat and gloves away for me, as I can not reach far enough around to store them away in my pack (could be a pain). She said she might do a small part of the trail when I get to this spot in the spring.The temperature was in the 30¢s so thought it would be a good day to see how well my cold weather cloths worked out. It was 3.5 miles to Tinker Cliffs and back, so 7 miles all together. There are four or five ladder stiles to climb over and it was the first time I have done that with my pack fully loaded. I tried different ways to descend the ladders. If they where not very steep or had too many steps, I could go down looking front ways but if not, I had to back down. I did get better as the day went on and felt as if learned something new. I was fine, temperature wise, going up the trail, and it was almost straight up in some places, (good practice for Georgia!) with just two layers on and no hat or gloves, but as we got to the top I started to get cold. At the top, I had to put on hat, gloves, and two more layers. Carolyn and I had a small lunch sitting on top of the world. There was no wind (thank goodness) and the feeling of aloneness and quiet was like a blanket covering and protecting us. But then we quickly became very cold and chilled. We had to start hiking to get our body temperature up, and we kept all of the layers on the whole way down. It took about a mile to warm up enough to where we were comfortable again.Over all it was a good hike. My pack felt very comfortable with its 23 lbs. I am getting better at packing it and placing items where they seem the most comfortable. I had new boots and insoles on, and they also did very well. My feet did not bother me at all. I want to thank Michele for helping me to upload the pictures into my journal like this. I hope you enjoy them.Only three months to go!!!!
Date: 2006-12-28
To: Paradigms?
Miles today: 0.0

I went on one of my practice hikes to McAfee's Knob and for the first time I just kept going. I can't believe that for years, I have been doing this hike, but have never ventured passed a certain point (paradigms). I have decided I will add 15 minutes onto my practice hikes each time. That would add a about a mile (out and back), and I would get to hike into new territory. The day started out very cool but I have noticed as long as I am going up hill I am fine. I had only one thin layer by the time I got to the top. I had to again layer up to say warm for a break, but the day was perfect. I stopped at the register at the beginning of the trail. Stumpknocker had entered his completion of his 2006 hike!!! I couldn¢t believe how it made me feel to actually see that entry. I have never met him, but have read his journal entries and I had my own little celebration for him on the spot. He had put stickers all around his name and I could feel the energy pushing me along as I hiked. I had 26 lbs. in my pack and could feel the difference between 23 and 26. I tried to put everything in the pack that I could think of to start at Springer in March. I received a Pocketmail device from my dad for Christmas, so I took that along and have been practicing with that as well. I put maps and a book and five days of food and all my winter stuff. So, I think that should be my winter weight. I hope it does not go any higher than that. I have been enjoying reading the Class of 07' journals. It is as if we are all in a novel and this is the prologue and introduction of the characters with the setting and plot to follow. No matter how long the journey each character will have a unique and exciting story to tell. I hope that everyone¢s holiday was great and you all got lots of camping gear! Happy New Year to everyone and 2007 is almost here!!!!
Date: 2007-01-24
To: Trail Name
Miles today: 0.0

Well I finally got most of my gear and clothing up in the gear section.I think I have everything I need except tyvek for a ground cloth and I purchaseda Chaco knee brace for my right leg and it worked so well, I think I will getanother one for my left leg.When I first started thinking about doing the AT, I thought I would take thetrail name "Turtle." When I was young my family had rescued a box turtle thatwe named Trixie. Trixie had lost all her front claws and her tail, so she wouldnot have survived in the wild. She lived in our playroom and just wanderedaround where she wanted. I started collecting turtles and have all sorts ofthem on my shelves around the house. So I thought "Turtle" would be a goodname for me (besides I am slow and steady in my hiking style) but the more Ithought and talked to others the more I thought about the Trail and why I amdoing this adventure. I think I would rather receive a name from the Trail andits community (Unless it is one I hate and then I will become "Turtle" bydefault).I have not been training much since the holiday. I have been substitute teachingalmost every day. The choice has either been training or money???? I need themoney for the trip, but also need to be in better shape. I have set the dateof February 13 to stop teaching. Then, I have a ski weekend, a trip to see mydad one more time in Florida, and then I head for Amicalola Falls!!!!! It ishard to believe.After reading journals lately, I know I am not alone in the overwhelmingfeelings of anticipation, fear, and excitement. And those felling come all atonce!So my thoughts are with those already walking, those who will start before me,and those who I will meet on the trail. Good luck, as all of our start dateswill get here whether we are ready or not.
Date: 2007-02-23
To: Tinker Cliffs
Miles today: 0.0

Sunday, my friend, Carolyn, and I went on a 12-mile hike from the Andy Lane Trail along Tinker Cliffs to McAfee's Knob and down to the parking lot at 311. We started at 9:30 and dropped one car at the parking lot and drove to the beginning of the Andy Lane Trail. It was a cold and sunny day with no wind, which made it perfect for hiking. The first 2 miles were snow covered, but enough people had hiked and it was easy going.Soon the terrain began to change and we started to climb and the snow got deeper. At times we were hiking in snow up to our knees. It made it a difficult journey.We arrived at Tinker Cliffs and took our second break. It was an amazing site as it was so clear and everything was covered in snow.We continued "trudging" on, you could no longer call it a hike, and arrived at the 5-mile mark at 2:00 PM. We were not even half way and we then realized we would be hiking in the dark by the time we got to the parking lot.On we went. The snow continued to be either 4 or 5 inches or 2 or 3 feet deep. We reached the Campbell Mt. Shelter at 4:00 and luckily could get cell reception. We both called our respective families and told them not to worry. McAfee's Knob was a welcome site. The sun was starting to set, there was NO wind and it was the most amazing view I have seen from up there (and I have seen a lot). The trail now had been trampled down and even though we were exhausted we made great time back to the parking lot.It was 7:15, dark, and we were both very tired but the day had actually bee great! So I learned I can hike 12 miles with my pack and survive, even in the snow!My thoughts continue to be with those already on the trail. May your days be warm and dry. Hopefully I will meet some of you and see others soon with only 11 days to go.
Date: 2007-03-05
To: It is time!!!!!
Miles today: 0.0

Just a quick note before I leave today for Georgia. I wanted to thank all my family and friends for their support, encouragement, and love. To say hi to the students at Blacksburg Middle School and St. John Newman¢s School who will be following my progress. And to thank all the people who have signed my guest book (it is so wonderful to receive information and support from those you do not even know and a special bond begins to grow between walker and reader). Wednesday morning I will step off from Springer and begin this journey that I have been planning for years. There is this dichotomy in my feelings today, as I actually will miss all the planning. I believe it is also a great part of the journey. But, I am very nervous about the adventure ahead, and hope that the fear does not get in the way of the joys I know I will experience. The next entry will be from the trail when I get a chance to use my pocketmail and send entries to my dad to upload and my friend Mary Anne will put in the pictures for me along the way. So follow along and I will try to keep taking that next step.