morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-09-25
From: Monson, ME

To: 100 mile wilderness
Miles today: 0.0

Half Left and I have been working on keeping our minds off the trail, to no avail. We did take our kayaks out today for a little R & R doing some fishing. We love being outside so much we spend as much time out as we can. It is almost cool enough in Florida to do some hiking on the Florida Trail. We plan to do a few weekend trips soon. We miss camping and hiking very much. We also plan to do our annual Thanksgiving weekend trip to Cumberland Island. Our Gators and Seminoles play each other that weekend so we bring our little digital TV out there and perch on a sand dune to see the game. I am a Noles fan and Half Left in a Gator fan. House divided!!! We love it, keeps the rivalry alive. I posted a photo of the fish I caught today while out in the kayaks. Also updated other photos Wild Poodle sent me. Be sure to look at them. Hope everyone is well. Happy hiking.Message from Wild Poodle:Hi everyone, Croft and I are doing well. We have hiked over Bigelow Mtn West Peak and Avery Peak. Were surprised to have more solid rock ridge climbing. Was worth it. The views were spectacular. Have enjoyed the many ponds and rivers. One of the dams, which we expected to be like Fontana Dam made of concrete, was crudely made of rocks and boards which we had to walk over. Interesting! Crossed the Kennebec River in a canoe (the ferry). No pictures this time of the past few days travels as there was not cell svc so could not send them to Cindy. All is going well for Croft and me. We are staying at a hiker hostel called Shaws here in Monson. We start the 100 mile wilderness tomorrow morning. We are expecting to summit Katahdin on Oct. 4th. Croft's daughter Erica is joining us for the summit. We plan to spend the night of the 4th at The AT Lodge in Millinocket. Holly Friedman (a good friend from Amelia Island) will meet me at the AT Lodge to spend the night and we will drive down to pick up Cahoda in Andover unless changes occur. Cahoda is having surgery on her wrist this next Tuesday and will stay in the area for a week for a follow-up check with her surgeon. Another friend from Amelia Island who is in Maine for this time of the year, Paul Thiebaugh, is planning to come over for our celebration! Croft and I both are looking forward to finishing this part of our hike. Most of the hikers we meet are saying the same thing. We are ready for it to be over! All for now. My best to each of you. Thanks for your interest and support. Love, Barbara/WP
Date: 2011-02-23
To: Home, happy and thoughts of the trail
Miles today: 0.0

I have been thinking so much of the trail lately. Only when possible between jobs preparing taxes and also coaching a high school softball team. I daydream about all the new hikers nervously getting prepared for their journey of a lifetime along with thinking of our preparations for last year. I so miss the trail, the people, the towns, the camaraderie. I have been out on trails around Jacksonville but it certainly isn't the same. We are back to the stressful life of living in todays world. Bills, jobs, traffic and a what could be next effect. I hope and pray that the universe brings us another opportunity to have a "do over" on the trail. Next year would be great! We plan to do some trail magic this year, attend Trail Days and hopefully put a few miles on the trail for kicks.Good luck to all of the 2011 hikers! I hope you all have the "time of your life"
Date: 2010-04-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I¢m an Australian living in Paris and a few years ago I started to get more serious about backpacking and hiking, which I¢ve always enjoyed. While browsing US hiking websites I learnt about the Appalachian Trail (the "A.T.") which is a long distance hiking trail starting in Georgia, USA and finishing in Maine, USA, over 2,178 miles or 3,505 kms. I thought that finishing this trail would be a huge achievement and something I¢d love to do one day. This year, a few weeks ago, I realized that nothing was holding me back from hiking the trail this year. Due to work commitments, I¢ll only be able to start at the beginning of May and I¢ll need to finish before the end of August. Therefore, I¢ll need to hike quickly because the average thru-hike (hiking the entire trail in one calendar year) takes about 6 months. I¢ll only have 3.5 months. I¢m quite fit generally, I run, go to the gym and hike a lot so I hope to be able to start the hike on reasonably high mileage which will help me finish on time. For the last 3 weeks I have been walking to work with my backpack loaded up with bottles of water. I currently carry about 10kgs of water as well as my everyday items. The walk to work is 4kms, so it¢s a round trip of 8kms. Not huge but it¢s a start. On Wednesday I'm off to the US Embassy in Paris, on Place de la Concorde, for an appointment to hopefully be granted a visa. I need a visa as British and Australian citizens can only stay in the US for 90 days without a special request for a longer visa. I've printed the AT map to show the consular officer, so I'm confident that will impress enough to get me my visa!
Date: 2010-04-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I bought my ticket to the US today. I'm arriving in Atlanta at the start of May and leaving from Bangor (in Maine, at the end of the AT) in late August. Now I just need to work out how to get from Atlanta to the trail. I'm looking into the many shuttles offered by people in the area. My application for my US visa is ready with supporting documentation so tomorrow I'll see how it goes. I've made a list of the gear I plan to bring and not much should change. I'll be trying to have a base weight (without food and water) of 6kg (13 pounds) which will include my tent, sleeping bag and other hiking equipment. My final practice hike is this weekend in Fontainebleau forest near Paris so I'll see how my gear holds up and how heavy it should be.
Date: 2010-04-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I arrived at the US embassy in Paris about 10 minutes before my appointment only to realise that I left my entire folder with all my papers for the visa application at home! The security guard told me that if hurried home and was back before 11am, I'd be ok, notwithstanding that my appointment was originally scheduled for 930am. I don't live far away so I was back by about 1010am. The embassy was very organised and I didn't have to wait more than about 30 mins. I had to give a copy of my fingerprints and answer a couple of questions for example: Why do you want to go to the US? To hike the AT. Do you have a bank statement showing sufficient funds while you are in the US? etc.... after about 2 minutes the consular officer told me that my visa had been approved! Now, when I arrive in the US, I'll just need to tell immigration of my plans and hope that I am issued with a 6 month visa (the time period is only determined upon arrival). I was just glad not to have to make a return trip due to my forgetfulness. I'm not usually so disorganised but I'd been double-checking the address and therefore left my folder behind.I was supposed to do a final shakedown hike this weekend, but I feel that I might be piking because there are a few good activities planned in town and I don't have long before I leave. I figure I have already tested my equipment on the Tour du Mont Blanc (hike around the Mont Blanc in France, Italy and Switzerland) so it should be fine. I can adjust as I go.
Date: 2010-04-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I received my passport back from the US Embassy with my visa. I received it the day after my appointment so I was very pleased with the efficiency of the staff at the embassy.I've also organised all my accommodation and transport to the trail. I need a few days in Atlanta to get final hiking equipment, phone, food... I'll need to catch a bus out to a Walmart I guess. I have decided that my electronic equipment will be: a mobile telephone with simple functions (so as to save the battery and only require minimal recharging), a disposable camera (instead of a digital one, to save batteries and means I don't need to look after it so much) and no smartphone. I'll just have to update my trail journal from internet cafes along the way. I asked a mate to put my icebreaker merino wool tshirt which I plan to wear hiking in the dryer. It came out perfectly fine, did not shrink at all, so that is good news. Wool doesn't usually do too well at high temperatures.My mum is probably going to hike about a month of the trail with me. She's thinking of joining me at Harper's Ferry. It would be easy to get to the trail from there because it's close to D.C. and I believe the Amtrak train goes directly there. Harper's Ferry is also the approximate half way mark of the trail.
Date: 2010-04-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I put all my gear in my pack last night to see how much room I'd have for food and how heavy it would be. 5kgs! 11 pounds! I am so pleased that through careful gear selection and not allowing any "extras", I've managed to keep the base weight low (base weight is the weight of your bag without food and water, it includes your tent, sleeping bag, backpack, clothes and everything you need for 4 months on the trail). I still need to buy a food bag and a piece of rope to hang it up and protect it from the bears and other critters but I'll get that a few days into the trip so I know the best kind to get. I've never needed to hang my food out of reach of bears!It's only about 9 days until I leave for the US now and I'm praying that the cloud of volcanic ash which is spewing out of the active volcano in Iceland stops in time for my flight. The fact that flights out of Europe have been cancelled for almost a week means that there might be backlog even when I fly out.I looked at the US customs website and you're not allowed to bring any food into the US for agriculture protection reasons. That's fine but means that I can't bring the last few freeze dry meals I had. I'll need to stock up in Atlanta before I head to Springer Mountain.
Date: 2010-04-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Only one week until my Paris - Atlanta flight. My bag is prepared. I have packed up my apartment, cancelled my phone contract, sorted all my clothes and belongings, given away my furniture and I'm ready to go.Had what might be a final bottle of French champagne with my best mate in Paris who is also looking after my meagre belongings while I am away. She and her husband brought up some questions which I have been asked over the past couple of weeks. No, I don't plan to bring a gun. I've been told that I could get one easily in Texas, but since I don't know how to fire one, I think it would more unsafe to me than anyone or thing else. No, I don't expect to be eaten by a bear. I'm hoping that hanging my food away from my tent, not cooking and generally being careful should protect me at night and if I see one along the trail during the day I'll make lots of noise and hope it goes away. That's a problem I will face when I get to it. There are no grizzlies on the trail, only black bears.In relation to my gear and generally to my manner of hiking, I am taking instruction from Ray Jardine's book, "Trail Life". This book is a bible for an ultra-light weight backpacker (like I am trying to be!). It covers all different topics such as animals, health, food, hygiene, water, feet, tents etc¢¦. I don't believe in following anyone's words as gospel, but if you can use just some of Ray's methods, you'll make your life a lot easier. Until I leave for Atlanta, I'll be reading it every day in preparation. Ray did the AT last year in 3 months and a week. He's a hard core hiker!Thanks for all the comments in my guestbook, it's lovely to have well wishes from people as far away as Tennessee, it'll keep me motivated while I am on the trail. In answer to the comments, I think that the cloud of volcanic ash should not cause me problems when I fly out in just under a week. Flights seem to be running again and it's the unfortunate people who had flights during the week of chaos who are still stuck.
Date: 2010-04-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A few people have commented that my packing seems a little light, even for a lightweight hiker, after looking at my gear list on this site. Actually, I have only posted the major items on that list. Here is a more complete list. I have not included the weight of each object as I don't have scales which are precise enough. I plan to start with these choices and if I realise along the trail that I need something else or should replace an item, I'll do it in a camping store (or outfitter as they seem to be called in the US) along the way.Pack: Osprey Exos 46 litrePackliner: a rubbish bagShelter: Tarptent Contrail with 8 stakesSleeping bag: Valandr© Lafayette (-10 degrees C)Sleeping mat: Half a Thermarest RidgerestShoes: Men's Salomon XwingsSocks: 3 pairs of wool socksIcebreaker short sleeve t-shirt (to be worn hiking)North face pants (to be worn hiking)Icebreaker long t-shirt (to be worn sleeping)Icebreaker long pants (to be worn sleeping)Icebreaker undies (2 pairs)Patagonia crop top RAB Neutrino down jacket with hoodKohla trekking polesGoretex "Gore" rainjacketHat with mosquito net includedBuff (type of bandana)Titanium mugPlastic spoon2 plastic 1.5 litre water bottlesWater purifying tabletsFirst aid kit: bandage, disposable glove, bandaids, steristrip, new skin, safety pin, needle, thread, button, chafing creamSmall suncreamHand sanitiserToilet paperToothbrushToothpasteDental flossEar plugsGlasses in casePassport, cards, documentsAppalachian Trail guidebookDisposable cameraPaper and penMini swiss army knifePetzl E+ lite headlampMSR mini towel (for drying self)Australian flag hand towel (for wiping tent)In the US I need to buy a food bag and some rope to tie it up away from bears. I also need a little lighter. I think everything is now listed.
Date: 2010-05-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I have arrived safely in Atlanta via Charlotte. People in Paris are mad if they think it's getting warm there. It's positively toasty here!!! More like my kind of temperature. I just saw on the news that there is massive flooding in Tennessee (I'm headed that way) and that there is a possibility of a tornado!! Just my luck. Hopefully it won't be in my area.I'm off to Walmart today to finish buying my gear. I need my first few days of food and a few items I preferred to buy here. It will be my first time in a Walmart so I'm very excited. I've heard a lot about them from tv and people who've been to the States. Ideally I would have gone to Whole Foods as I think that would be just my kind of store, natural and organic food, however it is not in the same area as Walmart. So far people have been lovely and I've been very surprised how friendly they are. I almost look twice when people start chatting to me on the MARTA train station and in restaurants because it doesn't really happen in Paris!!To answer a couple of qustions from my guestbook. Yes my watch is a little heavy but I need a loud alarm clock as my smaller lighter watch sometimes didn't wake me. As it is on my arm, I'm not too worried about the weight.I am not carrying a stove. In Paris, I have a very light tin can stove made by a friend of mine which uses alcohol but I find cooking fiddly and a bit of a waste of time so I'm eating cold until towns when I'll go for some hot food. Thanks for all the wishes in my guestbook. I'll look you up if I'm in your area!!
Date: 2010-05-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I went to Walmart yesterday and stocked up on food for the first few days. People have asked what I will eat so here is a list of the things I bought:Peanut butter, tuna in a packet, wholewheat bagels, tortilas, cheddar cheese, m&ms, biscuits, cereal, water...I got some fig newtons but they are too soft and will fall apart so I won't take them.Walmart was fantastic. Anything you could possibly imagine was there. I saw about 10 or 15 different types of tomato ketchup, so you can imagine how many different types of cereal there was! I was overwhelmed with the supermarket so it took me a while to shop. I felt like the guy from the film Brothers who can't choose the cereal in the store after being in Iraq (I haven't seen the film but saw the clip). I didn't know what to do, so in the end I just picked the first of each item I saw.I forgot to buy powdered milk for my cereal so this morning I went to a little pharmacy and bought some baby formula. Since I've never bought it the choice was hard. There were versions for colichy babies, ones with allergies... So I picked the most simple looking one. The idea of having baby formula on my cereal is gross but having it with water was more disgusting.In terms of the weather, I woke up with major thunder and lightening. It's also pouring. However the saying is "No rain, no pain, no Maine" so it's just too bad. It had to rain sometime, why not for the first few days!I bought a Verizon Samsung phone on which I believe I can send emails and check the net so hopefully I'll be able to update this jounal regularly. Verizon is supposed to have the best network and coverage on the AT but their customer service don't know much about pre-paid plans.Hasta la vista, next post will be from the trail!! SO EXCITED!!
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Springer Mountain 

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

After thunder and lightening all night and morning, I was afraid that I was in for a stormy, rainy start. I caught a shuttle with 'AT Survivor Dave' with another person attempting a thru-hike. As we drove from Atlanta to the start of the trail, Springer Mountain, the sun came out and all traces of the storm disappeared! The Gods were smiling on me! Once at the start, you need to walk 0.9 miles to reach the official start. I signed the log, which is hidden in a stone and noticed a 65 yr Kiwi trying to finish in 4months then I went back in the opposite direction. The trail was muddy because of the rain and I fell on my knee. Lucky I managed to clean it and avoid becoming "Mud Knee". I met a section hiker called Dragonfly (trail name of course) who has almost finished section hiking. It will nearly have taken 8 years. Way to spend your retirement! Pushed hard and got quite sweaty but made it to Hawk Mountain shelter before 6pm. This shelter has 2 levels and one open side. There were a few people settled in and I was offered a place. I decided to tent however. Putting up my tent was a disaster it was flaccid, floppy and generally a disgrace to Henry Shires who made it. Luckily I was a little out of sight so noone really saw my embarrassing excuse for a tent. A couple of section hikers from Michigan had the same tent so I asked for a demo. It was the first time they were putting it up ...it was perfect! Now I am lying as snug as a bug inside thinking about how to lighten my gear. I brought too much food.... who needs 12 bagels and 16 tortillas for 2-3 days! I hung my food on the bear cables, which are metals cables, hung from high trees. You pull down the cable, tie your food bag then pull it back up. very nifty. Everyone keeps asking me where I am from in England. Makes me laugh because English, Australian, French or Kiwi people could never mistake me for English! And I certainly have a strong Aussie accent. No trail name yet.
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Wood's Hole Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept well even though I had an ear listening all night in case there were any animals. I heard a little shuffling noise but nothing to worry me. Today's main point was to reach a rubbish bin. Shortly after you leave you realise you can do without the extra hand towel and other useless items. While walking I made a list of items I was going to throw out including some of the 12 bagels and 16 tortillas I had bought in Atlanta. They probably weighed almost 2 pounds or 1 kilo so it was not insignificant. Some people have been discarding objects along the way. I have seen a pair of boots, jeans, fleeces and other things. Poor form guys. Anyway, had lunch at Gooch Mountain Shelter and chatted to 3 section hikers. Two had become engaged along the trail and she didn't expect it so that was nice and one was a 70 year old guy who was struggling cos of his knees. I tried to cut my bar of soap in half using my other hand as a chopping board. Sure enough I made a hole in my finger with the tip of my knife. It bled profusely and the engaged couple who were ER nurses (handy!) offered to help but a Band-Aid and some athletic tape fixed it. Then I reached the bin and happily did away with my extras. I had a lovely day hiking and started aiming for Wood's Hole Shelter. However I'd been told the bears have been a real problem in the area stealing food. It was starting to get late so I decided to go to Jerrah Gap where there was supposed to be 14 dollar camping. It was a mile off the AT but I also noticed that Lenny's Grill was close to the camp ground. The track went very steeply down but I figured that the next morning with a steak and chips in me it would be ok. Got down there and it was deserted it was hardlly a proper camp ground. I had to hightail it back up the most steep hill ever as it was getting late. Turns out I also read my guide incorrectly and the next shelter was 1.3 miles from where I left the trail. So annoying! I was afraid of being alone at the shelter as I didn't have rope to hang my bag and if there were no cables, I had another 4 mile hike over Blood Mountain! When I saw Mark a section hiker and Severance a thru hiker, I've never been so glad! We had a lovely chat, hung our bags on the cables (which existed) and went to sleep. I slept in the shelter as they were and I didn't want a bear to get me out of it!
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Wood's Hole Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

Thanks again for all the guestbook entries. While on the trail walking for 12 hours a day there is not much to think about and when times get tough, I like to run through the messages in my head. Two people in particular inspired my hike. Reading the journals of Gangsta and Wags from their thru-hike in 2009 made me want to do it as well. They are two ladies about my age who seem to be the kind of people I'd like. I read through my guestbook that they're following my hike so that's a privilege! Also a big thank you goes to my editor (of trail journals) and general hike coordinator, my sister. She put up with a lot of continual talk about the trail previous to my departure and is now running the show from Paris. I slept in the shelter next to a massive snorer. I did not mind one bit because it was so loud the bears would leave us alone. I might add that there was a half eaten food bag on one cable. However there was no activity to report although Severance thought he heard some shuffling. I headed to Neel's Gap, the staff do a "shake down" of your bag, showing you how to lose some weight on your gear. The sales assistant weighed mine and said "13 pounds (6 kgs) there is nothing we can do for you". Too light to be helped. Jackpot! I bought a long plastic spoon that I have been thinking about since Paris and rope and bag to hang my food. I also restocked on food (and bought too much - I like food!) including a disgusting looking dessert with marshmallow, sponge and chocolate called a Moonpie. It was advertised as 640 calories. Bingo! Talked to more hikers and it sounded like two fast hikers were "Ladybird" from LA and San Gabriel from Tahoe. I hope to meet them along the way. Most people log 8 to 15 mile days but they like me do 20 or so. After lunch near a stream I saw a guy with Zpack (looks like a garbage bag), which looked extremely lightweight. i later found out it had 5.5 pounds (2.5kgs). I knew it must be San Gabriel. We hiked together to Low Gap Shelter and decided to press onto Blue Mountain Shelter. I met Ladybird when I arrived. Both are cool. Ladybird said she heard coyotes annoying a mouse the night before. Something more to freak out about! Also met Autobahn (a German I had heard about), Pincushion (covered in piercings) and Radio (carries a radio). Still no trailname.