morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-01-26
To: Pocket Mail
Miles today: 0.0

Took a day off from work as a ski instructor to set up my pocket mail composer. Actually John "Chief" Massey gave the device to me after he finished using it for his AT 2003 thru hike. You may have read his journal last season or remember that Jan Liteshoe hiked with the Chief for many miles. Jan and Chief visited me for a couple of days when they came through New Hampshire.Well, I stayed up late last night to set up the Composer. I entered many names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses into the Address book. I wrote a sample email so that I could set up the device. This morning I logged onto Pocketmail.com to activate the device. I had my credit card out and had found the serial number for the device. I reponded to all of the questions properly but when I hit the activate button the website reponded "already activated call 1-800-........" So, I called the number. A man with what sounded like a french accent told me he could not activate the device until the original owner ok'd the change. Actually that is pretty cool. That means it would be hard for a thief to steal the services of such a device. Anyway, after emailing Chief I got a reponse back from him that I could activate after 2:00 PM.About 8:00 PM I had time to try again. This time the website gave no error notification but it just stopped, frozen in its tracks after I pushed the activate button. So, I called the service number again. This time after about 25 minutes everything was in order.I have just over two months to practice with the pocket mail before my hike. I must train my wife on how to transcribe my email journal entries onto this trailjournals site. She is getting excited about my hike. I am so pleased. I don't want my hike to be an impossible imposition on her. I love her and don't tell her enough how I feel. I need this hike to complete some of my lifetime goals. Anyway, I worked on an email last night about how I acquired a trail name. Once I learn how to send the email I will post it to this journal.
Date: 2004-01-27
To: Trail Name
Miles today: 0.0

In August of 2000, John Salcius and I hiked from Gorham NH to Grafton Notch ME. We met Little Timmy Tuckered Out at Gentian Pond Campsite. Little Timmy aka Tim Miller was doing the Mahoosac segment of his section hike of the AT. Although Tim walked a bit slower than John and I, he would always make it to camp in the evening before us. He would get up early and be hiking at least an hour before us. I love to talk with other hikers, so we would make good miles for awhile then stop for a long talk with a south bounder or with a passing northbounder. In the evening we would eat our meals with Tim and I would tell jokes and stories probably boring Tim half to death.    At Fulling Goose Shelter after dinner and evening conversation Tim asked if he could hike with us the next day. He felt more comfortable walking through Mahoosuc Notch with other hikers. As it turned out we encountered a T-storm while climbimg Mahoosuc Arm. After the storm we stopped for a break and snacks at the summit. Of course more stories and jokes followed.   Sure enough Tim rose early the next morning at Speck Pond Shelter/campsite, had breakfast, packed and was ready to leave before John and I were out of our sleeping bags. Since we would not see Tim again we got up to say our goodbyes. Tim gathered most of the other hikers camped at the site and organized them down by fire ring. He asked me to sit on the log near the fire ring. He placed the lower section of each of his hiking poles on each of my shoulders. Then in a very good Jimmy Carter impresion, Tim said, "By the power invested in me by the ATC and for your ability to talk and tell stories, I dub you Gabby." He then did a great Gabby Hayes imitation while he gave John the trail name Mr. Clean because John is a health inspector for the town of Manchester CT. Well, I thought that was the end of it. We all shook hands and Tim headed up the trail. Eventually, John and I left camp. We summited Old Speck Mountain and started down the otherside. A family of 4 walking up to the summit, stopped us, and asked if we were "Gabby and Mr. Clean." Everyone we passed on our way down the moutain asked if I was Gabby. Finally this guy with a short haircut and gautee asked if I was Gabby and he asked if I knew who he was. It was Felix from the AT-l hiker's mail list who I have been talking with for many years.
Date: 2004-02-02
To: Some Gear Choices & PA Ruck
Miles today: 0.0

The PA Ruck was a pleasure as usual. Spur and Ready's PCT Slide show Friday night set the mood for an informative weekend. John and I picked up Aprilshowers on our way to PA. Ladybug and her husband made it to the Ruck by noon on Saturday. It looks like April will be hiking to Davenport Gap with me. John will hike for a week or maybe two. Ladybug plans to do a thru hike in memory of her sister. She has the least experience of the group but has been training the most and has the best reason to succeed. We have all agreed to hike our own hikes. We will hike with one another only as long as it is a benefit to each of us. This sounds a bit selfish but "Hike your own hike."   We got to talk to many hikers with sugestions for completing the AT. Jim Owen lead a question and answer session. The Tin Man showed how he makes perfect Pepsi can stoves. Aaron from Brasslite brought a stock of his stoves. I had already recieved a brasslite stove for Christmas gift. Ladybug bought one to replace her Whisperlite which she has never used on a hike.   After Mara Tuckerized three packs I was finally convinced to replace my external frame Gregory {8 lbs} with a ULA P2 weighing a little over 2 lbs. Without any other changes my pack will be under 37 lbs. For me that is progress. I still need to pick up shoes and a camera (digital). I'm still working on my maildrop list. My wife Sue will be my support person mailing supplies and updating my journal. Life Is Good!!
Date: 2004-02-14
To: Unique Training for Thru Hike
Miles today: 0.0

I believe I have a unique method of training for my hike. I took a job teaching skiing at Gunstock Ski area in Gilford, NH. From the top of the mountain there is a panoramic view of Lake Winnipesaukee with the White Mountains in the background. To the west can be seen Mt Manadanock, Moosilauke, Killington, Pico, and manymore mountains in NH, VT, MA area.    One evening I managed to reach the summit at sunset when a storm was approaching from the west. The sky was blood red. Lights where coming on at Wolfborro across the lake. Mount Washington was gold colored reflecting the setting sun. I had to stop my ride and watch for a few minutes it was so amazing.   Most days I work with first time skiers. That means I do lots of wedge turns and skating up the slope to help skiers. My legs and back are getting very strong. My stamina has increased from working double shifts. My tolerance of cold is now remarkable after working for several weeks with high temps below 10 degrees and some days below zero. One day after skiing until 3:00 PM the temperature was negative nineteen.Life Is Good!!
Date: 2004-02-16
To: Anticipation
Miles today: 0.0

   Work at Gunstock Ski area is going well. Most days I have been very busy. Somedays I have been picking up classes from 8:30 am until 6:30 pm or later. We have been servicing school outreach groups since January. Many schools have had to postpone sessions because of the extreme cold but now we are into Feb. vacations for the next 2 weeks. I have been very lucky by picking up a couple of private lessons (better pay) and several decent tips. I'm constantly talking to people about my hike. I suspect the other ski instructors are getting tired of my talk. But, I'm getting excited as time gets closer. I've been working on a detailed schedule when I am not too tired from skiing. I hope to get a good idea of maildrops. I expect to use more than most hikers to help keep my pack weight down. Look for my mail drop schedule here soon. Only 6 weeks before the start of my hike.
Date: 2004-02-18
To: A Header
Miles today: 0.0

   Tuesday was great day for skiing. Sunny with temperatures about 30 degrees. I picked up my first lesson by 9 am. A steady crowd of new skiers kept me on the bunny slope most of the day. Ten minutes to pee and eat a granola bar got me back for a late afternoon class with 3 kids. They were experienced skiers wanting some pointers in doing a better parallel turn. I tried to teach them how to make a sideslip into a patience turn. Well, three turns later and I did a faceplant onto my facemask. I earned myself a little shinner and scratch just below my eye. I wrenched both shoulders so it is tough putting my jacket on or carrying my backpack. I'll heal. Wednesday (yesterday) I skied all day with my good friend Ron Rioux. It was a good break from teaching but Larry, my boss, was not happy that I took the day off.Life Is Good!!"Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-02-25
To: Itinerary
Miles today: 0.0

   I have finished my itineray but have only entered half on the computer. Getting time on the computer is tough with all the hours spent at Gunstock Ski Area. Yesterday, I taught 3 two hour lessons and a one hour lesson. The last lesson was with Dan and Jenny, first time skiers from Laconia. Dan picked it up quickly with little instruction from me. Jenny is a tall 16 year old who is more cautious. She would freak out a bit when the slopes got steep and took a while to understand the wedge turn. I spent a lot of time helping her get up after falls.Life Is Good!!"Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-02-28
To: Raccoon Face
Miles today: 0.0

Well, two weeks of skiing in bright sunlite from 8 am until 4:30pm has me looking like a raccoon. I love the daily workout and contact with people. Today, I worked mostly with teenaged girls. I like working with girls because they usually listen to what I say and try to do what is suggested. Boys are likely to just ski straight down the trail making no turns.   I did work for two hours with a family from Israel this afternoon. Mom was the most timid but she actually made turns. Dad and the two boys loved the speed and just went straight down the trail. I finally told the boys that the slowest skier would win a prize. So they tried to power wedge down the slopes. It was wet sticky snow so didn't take long before both were falling. That convinced them that a traverse was better way to slow down.Life Is Good!!"Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-03-06
To: Ski Instructor's Holiday
Miles today: 0.0

I took Wed Mar 3nd off from teaching skiing. Derick, Becky, Sarah and I went to Bretton Woods to ski. One of the perks for working at a ski area is the opportunity to ski free at other resorts. Bretton Woods is at the north end of Crawford Notch across the notch from Mt. Washington. The path that carries the Cog Railroad was very visible but the summit was in the fog. We compared features of Bretton Woods to Gunstock. Their lodge is better. Their runs are longer. They have more trails. But we have better ski conditions, at least on the day of our visit. We have steeper trails. We have faster lifts. And our terrain park makes Bretton Woods look like a kindergarten playground.We stopped for a short visit to the Mt. Washington Hotel. Very impressive turn of the century building catering to the rich and famous. The international gold standard was establish in 1944 at this hotel.Down the road from the hotel we visited the recently opened Highlands Center of the AMC. It is located at the site of the old Crawford House. The original building has been moved onto a new foundation and restored to its old glory. I found the new building to be a very impressive. Lots of exposed beams and natural wood paneling. We stopped at the Up Country Family Restaurant in North Conway for dinner. Back home by 8:00 PM. It was a very nice day off.Life Is Good!!"Gabby" aka Art Cloutman
Date: 2004-03-08
To: Home Time
Miles today: 0.0

I needed to spend more time at home with Sue. Six months away from her will be hard on both of us. Saturday 3/6/04 I stayed home except for a trip to the dump. I worked at finishing my Itinerary. From the Itinerary I will build my mail drop list. I plan to use 40 mail drops. About seven drops have been written down so that Sue will be able to fill out the addresses. Once I finish the list I will post it to this journal.   Yesterday, Sunday, we went to BestBuy and purchased a Canon A70 digital camera. I've been reading the manual and experimenting with the camera ever since. I will finish the maildrop list today. In the mean time, it is snowing here. Not much accumulation expected. Took the day off from work at Gunstock Ski area today. That's three days in a row. My brother, Bill, is dropping by for a few days. He plans to do some painting from various sights around New Hampshire. He needs to finish 10 paintings in one week to meet his goals. I've arranged for him to set up his easel on top of Gunstock Mountain. There is a small hut with a deck at the summit. You can see Mt Washington, Lake Winnipesaukee, and the White Mountains from the deck. Hope he is able to do a bunch right from the deck.Life is Good!
Date: 2004-03-10
To: A Work of Art
Miles today: 0.0

It is ironic that my two daughters and brother are all professional artists and I cannot draw a straight line. Darcy is a painter with watercolors. She has created a number of amazing pictures from places of passion in New Hampshire. The last two Christmas gifts to me have been paintings from the AT. They are amazing. One is from the summit of Mt. Guyot looking westward toward Franconia Ridge, North and south Twin and the Garfield ridge. The boulders in the forground look so real one would swear it was a photograph. The other was drawn from the summit of Mt. Lafayette looking south toward Mt. Lincoln. Mt. Liberty and Mt. flume can be seen in the background. She hiked there with me a few years ago. Darcy has the same passion for mountains that I enjoy. She has not reached a stage in her life where she can spend much time out there however.   Brother Bill is a commercial artist who also suppliments his income by painting landscapes. He works in spurts doing 30 to 40 paintings in a month some times. This week he asked to stay with my wife and me in New Hampshire to paint some scenes from Gunstock Ski Area. After some difficulty getting permission to ride the summit chair, Bill managed to spend a few hours at the summit completing 3 paintings. He hopes to finish 10 paintings before the week is up. It is Wednesday and he has 7 paintings completed already. Think he'll make it? It may rain/snow tomorrow.   My daughter Kristi is a ceramics artist with her own kilns and wheels. She spent the last 2.5 years taking graduate courses to become a certified art teacher in CT. She called today to announce that she was applying for a possible job in the town where I taught for 35 years. I am very proud of my girls and my brother. It takes great passion and commitment to follow your heart.Life is Good!
Date: 2004-03-12
To: Mail Drop LIST
Miles today: 0.0

IT IS 1:00 AM AND I AM EXHUASTED. I Just finished entering my maildrops to this site. Spent a long day at Gunstock Ski Area teaching classes. I had a break for one hour during which I skied with my brother. I was on my feet from 8:00 am until 5:30 PM. Now I need some sleep.Life is Good!!!
Date: 2004-03-13
To: Lost Camera
Miles today: 0.0

You will not believe what I did today.   When I arrived at Gunstock Ski Area, I carried my boot bag thru the parking lot that was overflowing with carsthere for a large regional ski race series.   I got to the door of the ski instructors locker room and discovered that my boot bag had unzipped and my ski pants were hanging out.   Upon investigating I discovered that my brand new digital camera was missing.   I've searched the parking lot, my house at home, my truck.   I went to lost and found.   I went to the Ski club Lodge where the races were being organized and had an announcement made to no avail.   I was bringing it to work to get some practice in using it.   I wanted to see how I could save card space without jeopordizing picture quality by playing around with the different options. I hoped to bring the camera on my thru hike which starts on April 4th.   I wanted to see how long a set of batteries would last if I used the camera with the LED screen turned off.   I have been saving my ski instructors pay to purchase the camera.   Now it is gone.   What an idiot I can be some times.   Once I figured out that the camera was lost it fouled up my mood for the rest of the day.   If you know me you know I don't get depressed easily.   I like to be up beat and positive at all times.   What an idiot.   I left work early because I was afraid I would say something unpleasant to one of our guests.   What an Idiot.   Did Itell you what an Idiot I am? My wife is wonderful. She contacted the credit card company to find out if they had coverage. It would have been covered if stolen and a police report had been filed. I'm too honest to falsify a situation. She also contacted home owners and got the same answer. I checked the insurance we took out on the camera at Best Buy and found there was a clause that said "would not replace a lost camera." When I got home from work Sue said, "Well we'll just have to go out and buy another camera." I think she loves me. Life offers many challenges. It's our task to find our way through them. I know the AT will have plenty for me to endure.Life is good!!!!
Date: 2004-03-21
To: Busy Week
Miles today: 0.0

   It has been a busy week for me. Sue and I visited Regan Wendell, aka F-stop from AT2003, in Trumbull CT. She prepared way to much food for her hike so offered to give me her extra stuff. We spent a couple of hours visiting with her and viewing her photographs from her hike. Regan chose to take all of her AT photos in black and white. She has been developing her own film and printing the results in her dark room. Some of her shots are amazing.   After visiting with Regan, we met Sue's friend Diane Lewis at Chili's in Manchester CT for dinner. We talked a lot, had a casual meal, then headed to South Windsor High School to enjoy the Drama Club's presentation of "42nd Street". While I taught at South Windsor, I was involved in the Drama club productions serving as an advisor to the technical crews. The show was awesome. Tremendous energy. Well, choreographed. Orchestra was flawless. Superior costuming. Singing was clear and on the money.   Sunday morning we took our daughters and their husbands out for breakfast. Then we headed to Ellington where David and Darcy have just opened their own Tae Kwon Do school. The studio was open for a couple of hours so that students could come to practice some free sparing. David and Darcy worked with their students informally. We were very impressed with the enthusiasm shown by David. He really loves working with children and his sport. Back to New Hampshire by night fall, I checked my email to discover a message from Laura Townsend aka Miss Kitty AT2003. Laura has just moved from Delaware to Belmont NH. She has been skiing at Gunstock and I did not know about her move. She discovered this journal and contacted me by writing in the guest register. We got together for lunch at Gunstock on Tuesday and talked about the three days we spent together walking through snow in The Smokies last March.    The ski instructors expected the work schedule to slow down now that we are into March. But mother nature has rewarded New England with snow. We have been swamped with skiers wanting to make up for the bitter cold days of January. Snow has made it impossible to start out door chores. Gardening is out of the question. So, lot's of people have chosen this week to learn to ski. I've been very busy.   I still have not purchased shoes, food, or replaced my lost camera. There is less that 2 weeks before my hike. I've got to get my act together. Life is Good!!
Date: 2004-03-22
To: Shopping Spree
Miles today: 0.0

   Well, I've done a lot of food shopping over the past couple of days. tons of Ramen, oodles of Lipton's, jerky by the basket, breakfst bars, granola bars, snickers bars, crackers, peanut butter. Lot's more. We went to Best Buy so i could replace the camera I foolishly lost in the parking lot at Gunstock.    On the way to EMS to purchase trail runners, I decided to stop in the LLBean discount outlet in Concord NH. They had a great pair of Merrell trail runners that were a perfect fit. I decided to purchase some water purifying tablets instead of carrying a filter. I also bought some parachute cord to use for bear bagging and for setting up my silnylon tarp. A light weight head net was added to list of puchases. We know there are bugs in them thar hills. Sue bought a bunch of other stuff when she went shopping this morning. I need some anti fungal cream to stop the rashes. It is getting close.Life is good!!!!
Date: 2004-03-28
To: A Fairwell
Miles today: 0.0

The last few days have been hectic. Gunstock Ski area is winding down its season. Many of the instructors have not been showing up so those who do get lots of work. The snow is melting very fast so the decision was made to make today the last day of instruction and Wednesday, March 31st the last day of Winter Operation. The Actual name of gunstock is Gunstock Recreation Area. It is a 4 season recreation area. They are gearing up for summer activities including camping, mountain biking, horseback riding and more. Last night was the staff party. I know it is a little ridiculous but I got a bit down. I've always been a little blue at the end of a school year. This is a little different. I will miss the friends I have found a Gunstock. Many will not be back next year. I really enjoyed their company and the exercise skiing down mountain trails with wonderfull vistas. Becky Stevens, Sarah Jordan and I were part of the cast for the Murder Mystery Theme. Bill clark played the local police chief. Chief, one of the ski school supervisors, played Don Zamboni. The idea was that the mafia was trying to take over Gunstock. Two of the upper level managers were to be killed off during the evening festivities and the party goers were to determine who did it. It was a bit disorganized but a lot of fun.   Besides providing me with supplies while I am on the trail my wife, Sue, has taken on the task of making 26 costumes for a local organization that will be putting on 4 shows for children during the summer. She is trying to keep a photographic record of her work. So some days I am the photographer and some days I am wearing one of the costumes.    Jack Worthley stopped by with his friend Susan Fulton. They came to say godbye and wish me luck on my coming adventure. Jack and I have known one another since we were children. We attended the Story Elementary School together in Marblehead, MA. We played on the day that my brother Bill and I were adopted.   I'm getting a little nervous about the hike. I think I have everything figured out but I'm concerned that I will forget something.Life Is Good!!!