morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-02-03
To: The 1st Time I Saw Blood
Miles today: 0.0

If the hill has its own name,then it's probably a pretty tough hill. -Marty Stern(American track coach)Last July for the second year in a row I got to spend a week in Dahlonega, GA . In the middle of the week I had a few hours free one afternoon, so decided it a great time to visit Neels Gap and get in a little exercise on the trail. After checking out the famous Mountain Crossings, I drove down to the parking lot on the west side of the gap, where I began a 1400¢ climb up Blood Mountain.I carried only a single trekking pole, a camera, and a water bottle, but even traveling that light, I quickly worked up a sweat. The trail had a good number of steep steps ¢ actually more like stone water bars ¢ designed I assume to build character on the trail. If so, I felt like they were doing their intended job¢¦Although a sunny afternoon, the summer haze kept the view from being great from the top. A handful of people were taking a break at the shelter and I imposed on one to take a picture to document my visit. My trip back down was faster than my ascent, and I enjoyed my second stop of the day at Winton Porter¢s place to rehydrate and grab a snack.-N
Date: 2012-02-05
To: On Peaking Too Soon (Part II)
Miles today: 0.0

Some more thoughts on why if you spend 36 years training to hike the A.T., the chances are pretty good you will peak too soon:Part II ¢ How I discovered the Kaibab monkeys at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and somehow rose back up from its depths.Previously on"Peaking Thoughts¢:Trying to conserve as much energy as possible, I had run 14 miles down the North Kaibab Trail to the Colorado River.I crossed the Black Bridge and ran through the short tunnel on the other side. On exiting the tunnel, the route became uphill, and for the next 6.8 miles level ground was not to be had. And immediately came the first switchback, followed by another. As I changed direction, I noticed a monkey sitting on a rock column beside the trail. Before I could fully process this image, I switch-backed again, and this time saw three monkeys sitting on a rock, and all three of them carrying ball-peen hammers! As I ran pass, all three jumped down on my shoulders and began beating my head with their hammers. They kept this up through the whole 4,800¢ climb to the south rim. It was pure agony.Above the Tonto Plateau, the Reds and Whites, a torturous series of over two dozen hairpin turns in less than half a mile while climbing over 800 feet, staggered my pace and slowed my legs to barely above a crawl. My watch showed I was dropping behind schedule, while the monkeys continued their painful work¢¦Finally, at the last switchback before sighting the end of the trail at the edge of the south rim, the monkeys hopped off and scampered back down into the canyon, never to be seen again; and I staggered across my finish line ¢ in three hours, twenty-three minutes, and thirty-four seconds. Now admittedly that was 3:34 slower than the mark set by Max Telford. But I still achieved my goal of setting the record for a rim-to-rim run by a sane individual: For when Max Telford reached the south rim, he sat down, drank two quarts of water, rested for about 20 minutes, and then got up and RAN BACK TO THE NORTH RIM! His total time rim-to-rim-to-rim ¢ eight hours, forty minutes. Anybody who would do this is obviously crazy, therefore I was able to claim the record for a sane individual solely as my own¢¦Epilogue: Max Telford later went on to record the longest run ever by a human being, running 5,110 miles from Alaska to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in only 106 days (take that, JPD!); and the last time I heard, a Native American from southern Arizona had lowered the standard for a cross canyon run to 3:08:00. Now that¢s very impressive! His center of gravity had to be much lower than mine to navigate all that tricky footing. As for myself, those days are long gone, and I am well past my Peak (and maybe my prime). Now days, as Mr. Turtle was fond of saying, ¢Steady pace, wins the race!¢-N
Date: 2012-02-06
To: Exploring Alternatives to the AT
Miles today: 0.0

In 2009, while on home leave from Africa, my brother and sister-in-law invited us to spend the 4th of July holiday with them at their cabin in the Methow Valley just east of North Cascades National Park. This gave us a great opportunity to check out the Pacific Crest Trail as a future long hike possibility.On our first day there, we took a very rough Forest Service Road up North Rattlesnake Creek to Harts Pass, and then drove to the end of the pavement (and a big pile of snow) past the Meadows campground, which still showed scars from a recent fire. From there, we enjoyed a pleasant day hike south beyond Tatie Peak. Although the sun was out in full force, we had to make our way up and over several sizeable snow banks. On our way back to the car, we met two young women southbounding on the PCT. ¢Turtle¢ stopped to answer a few questions, and confirmed so far they were having a great adventure.I want to come back here some day, but am still voting to get my long distance hiking legs on the Appalachian Trail.-X
Date: 2012-02-07
To: Liking the PCT, but still voting an AT hike firstÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¦
Miles today: 0.0

(More from the state of Washington in July 2009)After our day hike near Harts Pass, we decided to do an overnight hike from Rainy Pass on Highway 20. Our original plan was to head south and wander over by Lewis Lake, however we found the remaining snow cover on the north facing slopes this 4th of July weekend more than we wanted to handle, and we altered our route accordingly. The next day we looped back around Lake Ann, and came down on a ridge overlooking Rainy Lake. We had several (small) wildlife sightings, and, in a first for me, a lot of watermelon snow, colored pink by a cold-loving algae [Chlamydomonas nivalis for those wanting extra credit with their school report].Couldn¢t have asked for a better two days out, but I also vote to do the AT first¢¦-N
Date: 2012-02-08
To: One More Post on Potential Trail Names
Miles today: 0.0

Today marks the season¢s first meeting between Duke and North Carolina. Now I¢m not saying Duke Basketball is a life or death matter with me ¢ it¢s really more important than that ¢ but I am saying the game makes today a Big Deal. And will make me totally useless with worry until game time. To make matters worse, this first one is played in Chapel Hill and is the late game on ESPN, which means it won¢t start until well after Hiker Midnight. I¢ll probably have to adjust my training schedule by trying to take an early nap¢¦Anyway, this gives me the opportunity to reprise a sign from an earlier Duke ¢ Carolina matchup in the famed Cameron Indoor Stadium, a sign inspired by the viral video of the 2010 Alameda-Contra Costa Transit Bus fight. At the end of that altercation, one badly beaten participant mumbles the phrase ¢bring the ambulance¢ which has since been widely satirized and parodied as ¢Bring Amber Lamps!¢ I thought ¢Amber Lamps¢ was about as good a trail name as I had ever heard, and I would have enjoyed referring to X in that manner for six months. With her hair color, she even looks like an Amber Lamps. Unfortunately, an appropriate matching trail name for me never emerged. We came close with ¢Walking Wounded¢ and I could see myself so hobbled by the end of the Presidential Range, we might have to use that as a trail name; but for now Amber Lamps remains just half of a great idea.The only thing I can add today (and in fact on every other day!) is¢Go to h-ll, Carolina, go to h-ll!¢-N
Date: 2012-02-09
To: A Very Short Section Hike North from Newfound Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

A Very Short Section Hike North from Newfound Gap: A Tale in Two PartsPart I ¢ The Bear factsWay back on January 23rd (well, it seems like a long way back) we chronicled our trip to Gatlinburg last August. As our visit to Clingmans Dome had been cut short when we ran out of daylight, I determined if I could get up early enough the next morning to beat all the construction traffic and delays on U.S. 441, I might have enough time to get in a couple of miles on the AT.X decided to pass on the opportunity, so I headed out alone. The road crews were already stirring as I approached Newfound Gap, but I arrived at the parking lot just as it was starting to turn light. I stuck a camera in my pocket, but figured I wouldn¢t need it until sunrise, which would probably be my turn-around point.And then barely (he said in a play on words¢¦) a quarter mile down the trail, I¢m coming around a corner just as a SOBO black bear comes around an opposite bend in my direction. In my most soothing voice I¢m saying ¢Stay, Stay, don¢t move!¢ as I reach for my camera. I managed one poorly exposed, out of focus shot, and although I thought the shutter was very quiet, Mr. Bear was having none of it. He broke up the hill and quickly disappeared into the brush.We saw four more bears on the AT over the next ten days, but no more chances half as good as this one, and certainly none provided such a Photo Opportunity. This was quite a treat!-N
Date: 2012-02-10
To: A Very Short Section Hike North from Newfound Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

A Very Short Section Hike North from Newfound Gap: A Tale in Two PartsPart II ¢ Sun rise in the fogThis short a hike should be handled with one short journal entry, not two separate ones spread out over two days. But to conclude the story quickly, after I calmed down after my unexpected bear encounter, I hiked a mile and a half total before I ran out of time, and had to retrace my steps back to the parking lot.Just before the turn-around, the angle of the early sun breaking through the fog provided a view that made the whole walk worthwhile. The camera doesn¢t do the scene justice, but I think this picture is still special enough to deserve its own page¢¦We look forward to being back in the Smokies to hike in April.-N
Date: 2012-02-11
To: Famous Mountains beginning with the letter ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂKÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ (I)
Miles today: 0.0

Early this Fall we hope to turn our attention to a certain mountain in the state of Maine whose name begins with the letter ¢K.¢ But this is much too soon to become fixated on the Mighty Kathadin. We think we¢ll set some more modest intermittent goals, and if everything falls in place, we¢ll get around to worrying about the AT¢s northern terminus in October.As part of that plan, we would like to point out that Kathadin is not the only well known peak in the world that starts with that particular letter. We thought we¢d take a few posts to mention at least three of them located on three different continents, with which we¢ve had at least some passing association.So, as the first in a series on Famous Mountains Beginning with the Letter ¢K¢ we offer this picture of Kala Patthar in the Nepalese Himalayas, which we had a chance to visit in the Spring of 2009:No, that¢s not Kala Patthar, that¢s the summit of Pumo Ri dominating the skyline there in the background. Kala Pattar, meaning ¢Black Rock,¢ is the much smaller peak in the middle of the picture. But as X documents in her 2009 "My Other Journals" entry on trekking in Nepal (which, of course, you¢re more than welcome to go back and check out up there on the left), since Mt. Everest is not visible from the site of the more well known destination of the Everest base camp, most trekkers climb the 5,140 meter hill to find a perfect viewing platform for the mighty Everest. In more ways than one, it will take your breath away¢¦-N
Date: 2012-02-12
To: Famous Mountains beginning with the letter K (II)
Miles today: 0.0

For the second in our series on Famous Mountains Beginning with the Letter ¢K,¢ we turn our attention from Asia to Africa. Now when I say ¢mountain¢ and ¢Africa,¢ the first thing that comes to mind is Kilimanjaro. So much so that I would like to highlight a famous mountain that is not so well known or expected by our readership, such as the second highest mountain on the continent, the one for which the country of Kenya is named. In fact, back in 2006 when we finally decided to take my brother up on his offer to visit them in Nairobi, there was much talk about hiking up on the slopes of Mount Kenya, and then doing the Peak Circuit Path, stopping at a series of huts along the way. However, by the time we arrived in Kenya, Bob had suffered a broken leg and was still in a walking boot, unable to be our mountain climbing guide. So, we became sightseers more than climbers, as we took in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Lake Magadi (where the film ¢The Constant Gardener¢ was shot), and the national park in the Aberdare Mountain Range. We did have a chance to drive north to make a stop on the equator, which gave us a chance to see Mt. Kenya (5,199 meters [or 17,057 feet]) off to the east, as I had my picture taken with my feet in three different hemispheres at the same time¢¦So, I guess we¢re back to talking about Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters or 19,341 feet in elevation), after all. We got to see some really nice views of Mt. Kili while we camped on the shore of Lake Jipe in Tsavo West National Park, down on the border with Tanzania. Climate change has taken away much of the snow from the Kilimanjaro summit, at least as I remember from pictures as a child, but it was still a treat to eat outside our little banta with that mighty peak in the distance¢¦ Climbing Kilimanjaro is another item on our post-Appalachian Trail list of things to do.According to my GPS, this sign at the equator is a few feet off:I was quite impressed with the industrious Kenya Weaver Bird. And I¢m sure somewhere here in her nest construction is a good metaphor for proper planning before an AT through hike:-X
Date: 2012-02-13
To: Famous Mts. beginning with the letter ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂKÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ (III) 
Miles today: 0.0

Our third Famous Mountain Beginning With the Letter ¢K¢ resides in Durham, North Carolina, and today is observing his 65th birthday anniversary. Mike Krzyzewski has been a college basketball head coach for as long as we¢ve been talking about hiking the AT. However, while we¢ve been mostly just sitting around talking, Coach Krzyzewski has been busily piling up the victories, mostly (to my great appreciation) at my alma mater ¢ Duke University. And his all time leading record today is indeed a mountain of wins ¢ 921 and growing. My more modest goal is to put in at least that number of miles on the AT by the time I turn 65 this July.Happy Birthday, Coach K; and I want to publicly apologize for doubting you with 2.2 seconds left in the 1992 Kentucky game. I never will again, as after that game I know nothing is impossible¢¦ -N
Date: 2012-02-14
To: The Final Shakedown Hike ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ NOC to Dahlonega
Miles today: 0.0

Sometime in the next two weeks or so, the irregular drops of thru hikers that began on January 1st will turn first into a trickle, then into a veritable torrent, and finally into a flood of people flowing north from Springer Mountain. For those of us still counting our start date in months to go, this can be a depressing time as we start to feel vaguely left behind. So, if you can¢t be on the trail, the least you can do is be writing about the trail, specifically in our case about our final practice on the AT¢¦For our final shakedown, we decided to try at least a hundred miles southbound from Nantahala Outdoor Center (at Wesser Gap, better known as ¢NOC¢) back to Dahlonega. The plan was to stop at Neels Gap on the penultimate day and shop for new "three pounds lighter" backpacks, which we¢d then use/ field test for the last leg to Woody Gap. We¢d leave our car with Josh and Leigh at the Hiker Hostel, get a shuttle to NOC, and then hike back. We went eat at the Porter House just off the square in Dahlonega (on my recommendation, having had good results there in the past), to mixed reviews as X was very disappointed in her Veal Marsala; and I was replaced as the expert on local cuisine. However, the following morning we had a wonderful sendoff breakfast with the company of some weekend bicyclists and one recently completed SOBO¢er. We felt unprepared, but excited¢¦-X
Date: 2012-02-15
To: ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂYouÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂd be amazed how many people quit.ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ
Miles today: 0.0

Back before the turn of the century, N picked the day Tony Horwitz came wandering through, collecting material for what would become his book ¢Confederates in the Attic,¢ to be out of town, thereby missing the chance to be interviewed and perhaps mentioned for a humorous quote (even if not mentioned as prominently as the notorious Civil War re-enactor Robert Lee Hodge). I can¢t say he¢s ever particularly mentioned this to me, but I think it¢s one of the major disappointments of N¢s life. Which in a very convoluted way brings us to the subject of Mr.Wes Wisson of Suches, GA, who did not miss out when his opportunity came to be featured prominently in ¢A Walk in the Woods.¢If you spend time reading Trail Journals, or, in fact, any other lore of the southern end of the AT, sooner or later you are going to come across the name ¢Wes Wisson¢. With his jovial personality and positive, can-do attitude, Mr. Wisson (with the aid of his wife manning the phone at their home just off the trail) has become a trail icon, while carving out a second career as an Appalachian Trail shuttle driver extraordinaire. For someone who proudly has never set foot on the trail, he is a wealth of stories of many people who have (why, my goodness, as mentioned above, he even brought Bill Bryson and Katz from Atlanta to Amicalola!). While the Hiker Hostel folks provide shuttle service all over Georgia, if you want to go beyond the GA/NC state line, they¢ll recommend you get up with Wes. Which we did, after getting his phone number from ¢The A.T. Guide.¢ As you travel to and fro with Wes, very quickly you find yourself asking him questions he¢s probably heard hundreds of times before, but which he answers like it¢s brand new information, never been heard in the world. Quite the storyteller¢¦ We settled back for a very enjoyable ride to NOC.N wanted to know the shortest time between Wes dropping someone off and then getting a call to come back to pick them up again. This brought us to the story of a British man he picked up at Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport who had crossed the pond to do an AT thru-hike. The middle aged man carried only an umbrella and one piece of luggage barely larger than a shaving kit. When Wes asked him where the rest of his gear was, the man said he planned to stay in local inns each evening or when necessary, make arrangements for overnight accommodations in some farmer¢s barn. Mr. Wisson¢s attempts to dissuade the man proved of little avail, as the man explained he had hiked all over the British Isles and knew what he was talking about. Wes said although this became a very short attempt, it was nowhere close to the all time record...As excited as we were to begin our hike, I was sorry for the ride to NOC to end¢¦-X
Date: 2012-02-16
To: Day 1: Final Shakedown Hike in September 2011
Miles today: 0.0

[Some details from Day 1 of our preparation hike last year: September 21st, the Climb out of Nantahala]After Wes Wisson dropped us off at the Nantahala Outdoor Center on U.S. 19, we did a brief reconnoiter of the area for future reference, made a pit stop, and then crossed the road to begin our hike. We had picked a warm, humid day to start. Figuring we¢d be most of the morning getting from Dahlonega to NOC, we had planned only a half day¢s worth of hiking, at least according to the distance (5.9 miles). However, in the first 4.2 miles, we faced an unrelenting 2,200 foot climb. The highway dropped quickly below us, and each time the trail switch-backed, we thought the air was thick enough for us to swim. We stopped for a water break every half hour, and eventually made it to ¢The Jump-off,¢ where we got our first good view back down at the ground we¢d just covered. After that, the walk to the Wesser Bald Shelter leveled off a good bit. The shelter was not the cleanest we've ever seen, but the site's treat was a spring-fed stone cistern located a little ways up the hill and worth the walk. Although it was never heavy, this was our first of four days with rain. We shared the area only with a pair of young section hikers who seemed to be coping with a shortage of toilet paper.-N
Date: 2012-02-17
To: Day 2: Final Shakedown Hike in September 2011
Miles today: 0.0

[Day 2 of our preparation hike last year: September 22nd, From Wesser to Wayah]The final day of Summer saw the threat of rain come and go and come again. We started with a 400¢ vertical climb to a really nice panoramic view from the Wesser Bald tower, then passed under a big powerline at Tellico Gap. We tented at the Wayah Bald Shelter, a new looking affair which was used for the evening by three friendly folks from a hiking club in Charlotte. Rain overnight, but it stopped by daylight the next morning. -X
Date: 2012-02-18
To: Day 3: Final Shakedown Hike in September 2011
Miles today: 0.0

[Day 3 of our 2011 preparation hike: September 23rd, From Wayah to Winding Stair Gap] For the second straight morning, we began with a short climb (this time 600¢) to an observation tower ¢ this time on Waynah Bald. Swirling clouds prevented a great view, and with the bite of a chilly wind on our sweaty selves, we didn¢t linger long on top. We enjoyed a hundred yards of the Appalachian Trail in an iteration as a paved walkway, then ducked back into the woods where we played tag with USFS Road #69 back down to Wayah Gap.By Siler Bald, X¢s heels, which had been giving her a little trouble since yesterday, now screamed out, demanding her full, undivided attention. It was use up the last of the Band-Aids and pull out the duct tape time. The pain only got worse as we walked mostly downhill towards Winding Stair Gap. Clearly we were going to need some more potent first aid by the end of the day.Our plan anyway had been to overnight in Franklin, so we gave a call to Kathy Miller to get a ride to Ron Haven¢s Franklin Motel. From the descriptions in ¢The A.T. Guide,¢ we had decided to check out Three Eagles Outfitters, but on the drive to town, I asked Kathy to recommend a local outfitter. Without hesitation, she said ¢Everyone I shuttle has been singing the praises of Outdoor 76, right in the middle of town.¢ Based on her advice, we moved Franklin¢s newest shop to the top of our list.It was late afternoon when we arrived at the motel. X made a call to Kerr Drug to check on their hours, and then caught a ride over to see about getting some help for her feet. (While I stayed back to get a load of laundry going, and see about getting two wet nights¢ worth of mud off the tent.) The pharmacist (trail name ¢Tarheel¢) was extremely helpful, with some bedsore medication being the most surprising, and ultimately his most helpful, suggestion.X picked up sandwiches on the return to the motel, and arrived back at the Franklin Inn with a new lease on life.-N