morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-01-17
To: Taking some mementos
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My uncle Roger was an adventurous, outdoorsy guy. We saw eye to eye on hiking. When he came to town we would talk trail. One year we even went hiking together. I remember when I was a little kid, he showed me how good it is to eat a warm tomato right off the vine. "Grab a salt shaker" he said. I was mystified. Maybe we were going to salt slugs? And then he pulled a tomato off a plant in the garden and handed it to me to take a bite out of like an apple, then put a little salt on before the next bite. Man that was good.Little me would be about to wander off into the woods at my grandparent's farm, and Roger would just happen to be taking a walk too. Undoubtedly to keep a niece from getting lost, but to me it felt like we were two independently woodsy folks out for a hike. As indeed we were, 30 years later.When my uncle died a few years ago, it fell to my mother to handle his estate. I went up to his house and stayed there with her for a few days, sorting things out. Among Roger's belongings was an unopened package of bandanas. I didn't want much of his things, but I took the bandanas. I'll take some on the trail with me this year. I think he'd like that.
Date: 2017-01-17
To: Get in the Wayback Machine
Miles today: 0.0

My first trail journal was written in a tiny notebook, per my Mom's request. The notes are brief but they still bring back the memories. Trying to sight blazes going across the Beauty Spot in a whiteout. Walking through the cathedral of a forest on top of Unaka Mountain. Getting hypothermia walking down the north side of Unaka (it was a wet few days) and being lent a warm, dry top by a kind hiker who had just left Erwin with clean laundry. Of all my hikes, that one might have changed me the most. I had been hiking a long time, but a long distance hike was a whole new ball game.
Date: 2017-01-22
To: Still three months 
Miles today: 0.0

I'm leaving in April. That seems impossibly far away this weekend. I'm home, faux sick, having a pretty standard reaction to a tetanus booster. Actual tetanus is awful and/or fatal, so I don't mind. Sort of. But I'm all achy and feverish and stuff and generally feeling puny. And thinking about gear to distract myself.You would think that by this point in my hiking career I would have my gear dialed in, but I still can't make up my mind. Jetboil? Pasta pot and alcohol stove? Halulite Minimalist and Snowpeak canister stove? Yeah, I don't know. I might have too many options. I love the convenience of the canister stoves, but I love the weight of the alcohol stoves. On my last thru I sent the stove home entirely for a while. But since then I've become accustomed to the luxury of a morning coffee as I ruminate on life in my sleeping bag. The coffee is far easier to accomplish with a canister stove. No fuss.I have my doubts about the Halulite. It doesn't have a handle. It does have an insulator, but it isn't built in like the Jetboil's, so you have to wrestle it off the stove with this tiny silicone pinchy thing, and then slip it into its insulator without scalding yourself. I have doubts.Some time, possibly today, I'm going to take the setup out to my porch and try making oatmeal and a hot drink with the Halulite to see how it handles under something like real world conditions. I already put hot tea in it and found that the lid makes it a dandy sippy cup when it isn't actively being used to boil things.
Date: 2017-01-26
To: Uh oh
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I don't know how something this obvious got by me, but it's becoming clear to me that my favorite pack is not going to be usable for the whole hike, mostly because of the hip belt. I've had it a couple of years, and I love love love the pack. I got it for winter use but I use it all year round because I like it so much. It has more capacity to fit more winter gear, which is perfect for a thru because that means it has more capacity for food. I was fatter when I ordered it, plus it was intended to go on over winter clothing. So the hip belt that was perfect for those conditions is not going to be very snug when I'm wearing summer clothes and dropping weight due to excessive hiking. I need it to be snug enough to support the weight of the pack so it isn't on my shoulders. I *might* be able to get halfway through the trail before it's a serious problem. Or I might not. Especially for the hundred mile wilderness where I have to haul more food, I'd really like to carry this larger pack. I have a smaller, slightly less awesome one of similar design. I guess that's my fallback. Or ordering an entire new pack, which I'm not too thrilled about.
Date: 2017-01-31
To: I recently met Sisu
Miles today: 0.0

Sisu is a hiker. I'd heard his name many times but ran into him for the first time this weekend at the Northern Ruck, held at Bear's Den Hostel. I asked him what his name meant. He said that it was Finnish, and there was a direct translation, but that it basically meant irrational persistence. A little light went off in my head. That's me. Irrationally persistent. Why do I like long distance hiking? I don't know, I just do. I just keep at it for no obvious reason. I decided to make it my tagline. Why not?
Date: 2017-02-03
To: Mindfulness
Miles today: 0.0

Your brain is the single most important factor in completing the trail. You might break a leg. You might get Lyme disease. You don't necessarily control that. But you do, or can, control your attitude toward the trail. Getting tired of walking in the rain or slipping off of roots or just seeing a trail through the trees for day after day is what takes most people off of the trail, not injury. Consider now what strategies work for you in getting through times in your life that are difficult. (If those strategies currently include avoidance methods like getting drunk, this might be a good time to work on new strategies. Hiking while incapacitated will circle you back to the "break a leg" option.) In yoga we "set an intention" for each class. That can mean a different thing to each person, and to each person at each different class. Some days my intention is to be kind to my sore wrist. Some days my intention is to pay attention to my breathing, to breathe fully and evenly throughout the class. Sometimes it's to keep my mind level. Sometimes it's to stay fully in my body, not to start thinking about other things. Deciding in advance how you want to handle your class or your day can be very helpful in determining the outcome.On a truly beautiful day, my intention may be to try to keep an even pace so that I can maximize my mileage. On a windy, rainy day, it may be to keep a watchful eye on my core body temperature so that I can prevent hypothermia. On a sore ankle day it may be to be mindful of my foot placement so I don't wrench that ankle again. On a tired, cranky day, it may be to savor interactions with other hikers to help my mood. Or to find jokes to tell to myself and to others.You are not helpless in the face of problems. Deciding *before* things go wrong just how you want to handle life's events is what we call being prepared. It makes a huge difference in your success and your happiness.(crossposted to facebook)
Date: 2017-02-07
To: Annual sniffles
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

I'm still anxious to get on the trail, but not as anxious as I was. Because I have a cold. It's a normal enough thing, but it's miserable enough to have one with all the comforts of home. I'm happy to be here and not on the trail.No training this week, obviously. Maybe this weekend.It was 69 degrees today. February 7. I'm boggling. At least it's supposed to snow on Thursday. That's what February should be like.
Date: 2017-02-11
To: Why the heck is it warm?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It's February. But it's supposed to be in the 60's today, and 70 tomorrow. I don't get it, but I will take advantage. I'm planning to put permethrin on a bunch of garments, my pack, and my tent. It doesn't last forever, but it's the best technology I have. I'll do it again midway through the hike.I got Lyme disease for the first time in 2005. Nobody was treating it in Maryland then, so the doc wasn't sure what it was and let it get really, really bad. I was dreadfully sick for a year. I've had it again a few times since then as sadly you don't build immunity. However, I have *not* gotten it when I've been wearing clothing treated with permethrin. These days it's my first and often only line of attack. Being out in the woods for days at a time, it's difficult for me to use topical repellants. You're supposed to wash those off at the end of the day, but I have no shower. DEET makes me sick, which leaves me with Picaridin. Picaridin is actually surprisingly effective, but given the choice I'd rather wear treated clothing and not keep putting things on my skin.Because I treat so many garments, I buy concentrated permethrin and dilute it, then use the soak method instead of spraying. I get a lot less exposure to the solvent in the permethrin solution that way.I suppose there are worse ways to spend a warm day in February.
Date: 2017-02-18
To: Time for a little hiking
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I've been waiting patiently for my cold to go away, and it pretty much has. Next weekend I'm going out on an overnight with a friend, per my usual schedule. It's not really a training hike, it's just my normal habit to go out a weekend per month. But I will try to have the same gear with me that I'm planning to thruhike with. I could carry as much weight as I intend to at the start, which will include five days of food. I could, but I'm not. I haven't built up to that in my daily hikes yet. Actually this week I didn't carry any weight at all, as I was still recovering and didn't want to push it.
Date: 2017-02-23
To: Holy too much hotness, Batman
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

My hike this last weekend was so. Hot. And not Paris Hilton hot. Sweating so much I'm not peeing hot. And I boosted my pack weight by five pounds. I still need to boost it five more pounds to account for my initial five day food carry but Lordy, what I carried this weekend was enough. It felt like somebody turned gravity up to 11. I know it will feel lighter as time goes on, but it was a good reminder to be ruthless in pruning weight. A light pack makes a happy hiker. Question is, what do I take out? This weekend I'll be carrying the same weight but it will be a few degrees cooler and raining. I'm actually looking forward to trying out some of my wet weather gear - I'm experimenting with some wind and rain protection for my hands on my hiking poles. Waterproof mittens don't do it for me and gloves get hot. I will be interested to see if my creations make my hands happy.
Date: 2017-02-24
To: Hard choices
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My recent training is giving me pause. I still need to add three days of food. And my pack already feels so heavy and full. I'm reconsidering my choices.Do I really need a mug for coffee? I love it, and I've carried it on all my trips in the last few years. Some of those trips have been multiple weeks long. So obviously I can carry it, but at 3.5 oz it's 479 pound-miles. But it's really nice to be able to have a good sized hot drink and use your pot for something else.How about the tent? My altaplex is roomy and private, but so it packs a lot larger than my hexamid and needs an extender pole.Sleeping pads. I cut down a 25" wide NeoAir so I have more room for my short but side-sleeping self than on my old 20" wide women's xlite. But even cut down it weighs a little more than regular size, and takes up more space in shelters.Sleeping bag. I'm starting in late spring. A 20 degree bag probably isn't needed until Hanover. My 40 degree quilt sure does pack smaller and weigh less. 12.5 oz vs 22 oz.Inflatorator - about 1 oz, but not strictly necessary.Maps. I've hiked all but 90 miles of the trail. Do I really want to carry maps for areas that I've hiked multiple times? I often, though not always, remember the details of where the water and good camping spots are for areas where I've camped before. Maps are heavy suckers.Frogg Toggs rain hat. Weighs a minimal amount, but definitely a luxury. I hate hiking with a hood on. It feels clammy and I can't hear well. I suspect this hat won't make it very far before I decide it's not worth it, despite how nice it is to have on a rainy day. 2.5 oz. Crocs. Okay, I'm definitely carrying some form of camp shoe, but it won't necessarily be the one attached to my pack right now. The ankle strap adds weight, as does the extra material because this model doesn't have holes along the bottom. Both are nice in muddy or steep situations, but they weigh more. 12 oz vs 10 oz for more holes and no strap. Maybe 5 oz if one of the skimpier women's versions will fit me.These are mostly small changes but they definitely add up.
Date: 2017-03-11
To: Tent thoughts
Miles today: 0.0

Zpacks tent comparisons. I have a 5 year old blue Hexamid Solo-Plus. Love it and have used it for many happy miles, but the color is a bit translucent and you have get down pretty low to get in it. I got a camo Duplex. It packs up too large for my needs, and I can't reach everything in the tent from one position. Next a camo Altaplex. *Really* easy to get into with the tall door, but I have to use a pole extender with my trekking pole, I can't reach the roof while seated, and the pole extender just isn't stable enough for my preference. The added height gives it more vulnerability to wind. (Sadly, I've had both Altaplex and Hexamid in pretty serious wind, so I know this for sure.) Finally, a camo Hexamid Solo-Plus showed up in the bargain bin and I bought it. I miss the easy use entrance of the Altaplex, but the Hexamid has more usable head and shoulder room. The Altaplex is taller, but since the pole is outside the mesh, the volume (at my shoulder and head height) is considerably reduced by the mesh being closer to the center of the tent. The camo Hexamid (not including stakes, but with an internal bathtub tarp attached) comes in at about 18 oz. The camo Altaplex (not including stakes or extender pole) comes in at about 19. Not a significant enough difference to matter, to me.Since I bought my first Hexamid, they've changed the door design from a single beak that rolls down to two doors that meet in the middle. I like the latter design. The beak worked, but was a little fiddly to do and undo, and difficult to get taut. The doors are pretty straightforward, and I can just have one open while the other blocks wind or provides privacy.The Hexamid provides better room under the doors than the Altaplex in my opinion, if you want to leave things under cover.I put the Hexamids and Altaplex in tall, slim stuff sacks so they can go in an outside pocket of my pack. The sacks are about the size of a bolster pillow, so I added clips and loops (available on tough adhesive from Zpacks as well) to the sacks and to my sleeping pad so that I can keep them in place. I also added a small piece of elastic cord so I can snug them into place around another pad if desired. Sometimes I sleep with my head on the bolster, sometimes I use it just to hold in place something softer like my clothing stuff sack. Works pretty well.I added a stick on loop to the top of my new Hexamid so I can hang a hankie or whatever to it to dry. I also tied few small pieces of reflective line to various tieouts, as the line that comes with the tents is plenty visible during the day but not so much at night.
Date: 2017-03-12
To: Slow Hike Manifesto
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

This is from my 2010 journal but it's still relevant."Mrs Joy's Slow Hike ManifestoI am a slow hiker. And that's okay. They say you should be hiking 20 mile days by now. But who are they referring to? The 20 year olds? The 65 year olds? The retired, fired, or divorced? I am none of those. I am a middle aged woman of no great athletic ability. I just like to walk. And if I do it too fast or for too long in a day, I don't enjoy it. Fatigue and injuries accumulate. Herewith I am stating (again, and mostly for my own benefit) how I want to hike this hike. I want to dawdle. I want to smell flowers and savor views. I intend to stop and breathe regularly rather than driving myself until my legs and lungs burn. I want to meet new people, explore new places, and see what is around the next corner.I am going to take my time, hiking for the smiles rather than the miles. I have four months left of this amazing vacation. I may or may not make it to Katahdin or even Maine. But I intend to have a darn good time trying.Given that I am an adult with plenty of savings, I am not going to live more Spartan a lifestyle than I have to. I will go to B&Bs. Even in New England. I will drink the good beer. I'll get the best food I can to carry into the woods. I will eat steak.I will also ignore my surroundings and focus on a book or music if I feel like it. I am not a biologist. I'm a computer nerd. I can get too much nature. And given that this is MY hike, I'll do it any darn way I please. "
Date: 2017-03-19
To: Brain drain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I'm having the hardest time sorting out my mail drop schedule. I get the mileage wrong, or the date, or who knows. It's essential that I get them because my meds will be in them, so it's kinda important. Oy.I'm not even on the trail yet and I already have hiker brain.
Date: 2017-03-23
To: Sorry if I harsh your mellow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Unless you're on really good drugs, life is not perfect all the time. Some days suck, on the trail or off. I'm not going to limit my journal to sweetness and light. If I have a terrible day, you will be able to tell. However, dear reader, a bad day does not equal a bad hike. I might complain but it doesn't mean I'm quitting. Everybody needs an outlet so thoughts don't fester. You're my outlet. Actually, you could do me a favor. After I've been at it a while and I'm tired and I hurt and I'm down, could you remind me to take a day off and eat a big meal? That would be a really big help. Thanks!
Date: 2017-03-28
To: Three weeks feels like forever
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

On the one hand, I feel like I have barely any time at work, that there isn't enough time to wrap everything up and document everything that needs to be documented. On the other hand, it feels like I will *never* actually get to Harper's Ferry to start my journey. Days keep happening and they keep not being THE day.But that's not what I'm here to talk to you about.Thruhiking is an interesting combination of giving up and gaining control. You give up control of many things. Your former job, if you had one. Your home's care. Your pet's care. Your loved one's care. You have no control over the postal service or the businesses along the trail, which you need to provide you with food and equipment and medications. You have no control over the weather, which you will face every day. You have no control over other hikers, who might turn out to be assholes. Or snorers. Or shelter hogs. (Or they might be your best friend. It's mystery.) And you SURE don't control the trail itself. You take it as it comes. You have to.But you gain all sorts of control over your choices. Occasionally hikers chafe at restrictions on where they can stay and what they can do, because they have grown accustomed to the freedom that the trail usually gives them. *I* choose how far I will walk today. *I* choose what food to carry, whether that means several baggies of powder to rehydrate into soup, or an entire pizza packed out of town. I choose to sleep in a Taj Mahal tent, or under a tiny tarp. My choices may bite me in the ass, but they are MY choices. It is hard to convey the incredible sense of freedom that comes with putting your loaded pack on your back, knowing that you have everything you need and nobody telling you what to do.   You can literally walk away from boredom, noise, pollution, and in most cases responsibilities, chores, and commitments. These things will all be waiting for you to get back to them. During the hike you set them aside. The more of them you have to set aside, the better it feels to do it. I think young and old hikers experience the trail differently in many ways, but this is a big one. Young hikers haven't had much to set aside. They seek an adventure, and it is all exciting and new. Older hikers make arrangements so they can go, but in most cases it means that for the first time in years, they aren't paying the mortgage, taking out the trash, cleaning the litterbox, earning the paychecks, and following the routine. Such relief to lay down that burden for a time! Yes, it's an adventure for the older folks, but it is also a vacation from the everyday that can wear you down over time.
Date: 2017-04-07
To: Is two weeks considered "Down to the wire" yet?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I guess I¢m done fine tuning my gear. This weekend I¢ll put my sleeping bag in my pack - I don¢t feel too bad about having it stuffed for that long. Now I¢m focusing on other tasks, like getting house maintenance done before I leave. And getting me maintenance done before I leave. I suddenly stopped being able to floss between two teeth last week, so I have to go to the dentist. I was just AT the dentist, but my teeth apparently miss him.Ye olde cancer cat will be visiting the vet right before I go for his rabies shot, as well. He was too sick to get it last month. With his weakened immune system, he catches things easily. But he¢s doing a lot better with some cherry flavored antibiotics, and I think he¢ll be fine to get the shot now.This weekend I¢ll probably finalize the contents of some drop boxes and have the first one sealed and ready to mail. I¢m thinking about putting a little 8 oz bottle of aloe juice in each, as I think it works a little better to tighten up my joints than the dried stuff does. (I realize that this probably sounds like hippie granola babble to you, but I assure you that it¢s based on real science. The polysaccharide molecules in the aloe stimulate your fibroblasts to produce more collagen. I have loose ligaments. Taking the aloe produces more collagen, which in turn helps my ligaments be thicker and tighter. This allows me to be a functional human being, instead of a sad woman crying in pain while she limps along on a cane due to sore hip, or doesn¢t use one shoulder, or has foot bones suddenly shift out of place. It isn¢t a fun way to exist.) But that¢s half a pound of extra weight so right now I¢m just pondering.I¢ve been feeling sad at the prospect of leaving everybody behind for months. Or in the case of my job, forever. I¢ve been at NASA for 23 years, and the people are why I stayed there. I¢m quitting my job this time, not just taking leave. It was bound to happen at some point in my life, I realize. And it would hurt no matter when it happened. But now is when it¢s happening, and now is when it hurts.I expect my husband, animals, friends, and family will all still be here when I get back. But that hurts too. I keep checking my inner compass to see if it hurts more than my desire to thruhike, and it doesn¢t. But man. Sadness abounds.I know that within a few days on the trail I¢ll be too busy breathing and hauling my butt up mountains to feel sad anymore. It¢s the leadup that is hard.