morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-03-01
To: At Home in Norwood, Mass
Miles today: 0.0

March 1, 2009This is my first entry for my 2009 hike of the Appalachian Trail. I have been making preparations all winter, buying gear, reading, stocking up on prepackaged food to include in mail drops, amassing trail maps and guides, reading, and breaking in (not breaking) shoes and equipment and talking to people who have hiked the AT. Some of the stuff that I used on my bicycle trip around the US I can use on the AT. All this has been well and good but this weekend begins the first chapter of the real hike. I've quit my regular job at the store and purchased a one-way ticket on AMTRAK to Gainesville, GA.So there it is, the deadline: show up at the train station Monday, March 23rd at 8:30 am. Show up for a shuttle at Gainesville at 7 am the next morning. Show up at the approach trailhead an hour or so later. Show up at Springer MT. by the morning of March 25th. The real goal is to live the next five to six months like I've never lived before. There will be no other deadlines for 2009 (except to reach Mt. Katahdin before winter). I'll get up in the morning. I'll walk and meet other people both on and off trail. I'll eat what I want. And I'll sleep on the ground or in a shelter. Then do it all over the next day, but with new experiences. I'll feel the hard ground as I walk those 5.5 million steps to Maine. I'll feel the sun and the rain and the wind of the mountain on my cheek. I'll smell the rhododendrons and the roses. This is what I hope for and hope to tell you, my reader, as I trek my way north.So there you have it for my first entry. There will be a couple more before I begin on the 25th so, watch this site for them.Thanks,LeeBo and Ringer
Date: 2009-03-02
To: Still at Home
Miles today: 0.0

March 2, 2009Assuming I start hiking on March 24 and can keep an overall average of 12 miles per day, I plan on completing my trek somewhere around September 15th. This will allow nearly 4 weeks of buffer days (Columbus Day, Oct.12 is when Baxter S. P. closes) should my pace may slip below 12 miles per day. The twelve miles per day pace include zero and nero (near zero) days of which most hikers will have up to 20 by the time they have completed the trip. I am also planning 3 to 4 days off the trail when Linda comes to visit me in June.Leebo
Date: 2009-03-07
To: From Arizona
Miles today: 0.0

Just a short note from Arizona. I'm taking some time off from my AT Hike preparation to spend quality time with my loved one, Linda. And we just spent an amazing 3 days at the Grand Canyon South Rim. We even had snow, about an inch overnight, and I can report that I resisted the temptation to do a short hike into the canyon even though I talked to several groups who had hiked or were about to hike into the canyon.So now Linda and I are headed back to Phoenix for several days of Spring Training games because as you can well imagine I will have little baseball while I am hiking the AT.I've decided to add this tag line to my journals, which I saw on a t-shirt at the Grand Canyon."Not all who wander are lost." J. R. R. Tolkien LeeBo.
Date: 2009-03-14
To: The Party
Miles today: 0.0

I've just returned from a 9-day vacation in Arizona and now am in the throes of organizing all the stuff I need for the trail as well as all the loose ends of my affairs that have to be attended to before leaving home for 6 months. And tomorrow my neighbor and good friends, Tom and his wife, are throwing me a small party so that people can see what a totally insane person I that I am. Then it'll be a sprint to get everything done before 8 o'clock Monday morning on the 23rd when I leave for the train that will take me to Gainesville, GA.Happy Ides of March,LeeBoMarch 14, 2009
Date: 2009-03-16
To: One Week Out
Miles today: 0.0

March 16, 2009 I'll be on the trail in 8 days and I don't know if I have time to get everything accomplished before leaving 6 days from now.Yesterday, some friends and neighbors of mine had a little soiree for me at my friends Tom and Margaret house. Although the afternoon wasn't a surprise, I was surprised by several gifts and the beautifully decorated cake displayed in the picture. As beautiful as the cake was, it was just as delicious. My friend Jed presented me with a wonderfully hand crafted walking stick and I also received the 2nd edition of How to Shit in the Woods. Everyone was so supportive of me that I now have to get my butt up to Springer Mountain by middle of the next week. I'm as much anxious about starting, as I am nervous about leaving home for 5 to 6 months.
Date: 2009-03-21
To: Packing
Miles today: 0.0

Hi Folks, Just need to sort though a few last minute things, make some calls, and visit some family. I'll be sending out one last e-mail notice and then onto the trail. I need wrap up last minute issues with packing up my gear as you can see in the photo.This is most of my gear minus the food. I've packed each days food into gallon sized zip lock bags for easy access and so I don't eat more than one day¢s ration at a time. This first leg will take me 4 days to reach the outfitter at Neels Gap, that's Mountain Crossings US Rte 19, at mile 31 of the AT.When I loaded my pack with food it weight just north of 40 pounds. So, I know it's joining to go slow at first.March 21stLeeBo and Ringer(&wishNick)
Date: 2009-03-22
To: Final Prep
Miles today: 0.0

March 22, 2009Hi Folks, The taxes are done and so is I. Just need to sort though a few last minute things, make some calls to friends and family. I'll be sending out one last e-mail notice and then onto the trail. I'll be on the trail in less than 2 days. I packed my pack for the first time and with food it weights just a tad over 40 pounds. There will be opportunity to lighten my load as the first several days of hiking stretch out so I¢m not that worried about that now. I know at the end of the first day I¢ll have rethunk that many times.For those who want to read my on-line journal it can be found at:http://www.trailjournals.com/leeboor you can go to:http://www.trailjournals.com/and then search for my name or my trail name: LeeBo.When you visit my Trailjournals site there are folders with photos and a list of my postal drops. Also, please sign the guest book. While I¢m on the trail, you can still e-mail me with greetings and questions as I hope to make timely updates and answer mail every 4 or 5 days.Everyone, have a great spring and summer and I will look forward to seeing you when I finish in September.LeeBo.AT GA-ME 2009
Date: 2009-03-24
From: Amacolola Falls State Park

To: Springer MT.
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: broken clouds

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Springer Mt. Shelter, Mar. 24,2009I arrived at the Gainesville AMTRAK station this morning, on time and met Wes Wisson, longtime shuttle driver of many hikers. Matt and Wendy were standing on the platform having just de-trained with backpacks and were looking for a way to the AT, so I asked them to join me and Wes. I saw KDawg both there and at Amacolola Falls State Park (AFSP) before starting out. We had been in contact by e-mail and I would not see him at all on the trail. (He later dropped off the trail in the Smokies) After checking in at the AFSP visitor center and registering as the 347th through hiker of the year, I met another through hiker named MAC who later took the trail name of Gorgonzola and we hiked together all that first day. The weather was cloudy but warm (in the 50's) and the trail mostly up for 8.8 miles to the summit of Springer Mountain (at 3782 ft.), which is the southern terminus of the AT. Mac and I decided to tent at the shelter because the weather was good even though rain was in the forecast. During the day we had passed Matt and Wendy and Red, met up with Mike and several hikers (including a Dutch couple) passed us while we took a break on Frosty Mt. One of these hikes had deadlocks, a ratty looking pack and wore beaten up tennis shoes. He passed us as we were sitting next to a fire pit, stared as he passed, then stepped a few feet back to the fire pit and proceeded to pick an imaginary mosquito out of the air with his fingertips. Mac and I referred to him as The Profit until we learned later he had taken Wrath as his trail name. (I would see Wrath many times before leaving the trail) We shook our heads and chuckled and hoped that there weren't too many of these loony types on the trail. We hiked 9 miles today but only 0.2 of the AT but I think it all counts.
Date: 2009-03-25
From: Springer MT.

To: Hawk Mt Shelter
Miles today: 7.6

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Hawk Mt. Shelter, Mar. 25, 2009Today it rained all day and I walked 7 miles in 8 hours. It started raining in the middle of the night and as there was only one person (Freebird) in the shelter last night. I could have saved carrying a wet tent if I had stayed in the shelter. I hiked alone to Three Forks and then played leapfrog with Mac for the final 3 miles before arriving at the shelter at 5:30. At the Hawk Mt Shelter, I met Pugman Walking among others in a jammed full up shelter. Another interesting hiker, slightly older walking with his pug dog named Winston. Winston refused to walk on the wet trails and had to be helped up and down the ladders of the shelter. Pugman Walking had bought all the latest equipment and food for both he and his dog but was miserable the whole time on the trail. If he wasn¢t complaining about this or that or some other hiker he was puffing on a joint. Turns out he was just out for the party that sometimes exists on the trail and didn¢t like the walking part. I learned later a sympathetic hiker came back to this shelter the next day and got him off the trail. So after two days on the trail, I had met 2 real characters that so often define the AT experience. So far the walking has been somewhat slow and I am still trying to get the load in my pack distributed evenly so as not to pull on my shoulders. I¢ll continue to do this for the next several days. And I know that my pack weight is too high but more about that later.
Date: 2009-03-26
From: Hawk Mt Shelter

To: Gooch Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 7.3

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Gooch Mt. Shelter, Mar. 26, 2009I hiked most of the day by myself and reached the shelter at 3PM.   Rain or showers most of the day and today was the first day I put moleskin on my feet to prevent blisters. None have appeared so far. Tonight at the full shelter is myself, Mac, Freebird, Ahab and Rainman, Shannon, Josh, and others for a total of 12.
Date: 2009-03-27
From: Gooch Mt. Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: moderate rain

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Woods Hole Shelter, Mar. 27, 2009I hiked all day in the rain but started without rain pants because the temperature wasn¢t cold. It was a mistake not to wear rain pants because my boots quickly filled with water and now my feet are wet the rest of the day and I got a small blister on my little toe. I arrived at a full shelter at about 5 PM but everyone was very cooperative and even made room for others as they arrived. Among those here besides Mac (who became Gorgonzola) and I are Ahab and Rainman, Freebird, Not So Crazy, Ninja, Journey, Dream Catcher, Canoe, and Sara (who became Joker). After everyone settled down for the night, it was riddles and jokes of which Sara¢s Commontater was the best of the evening.
Date: 2009-03-28
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Blood Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

The first full 4 days on the trail rained off and on with the heaviest occurring on the last day hiking over Blood Mountain into Neel's Gap.Here is a short poem to commemorate the experience.The Fury of Blood MountainIt was blowing on the summit of Spring MountainUp there it started raining againIt would not stop the next four daysHawk Mountain was along the wayIt let up on the way to GoochHaving left Pug Man Walking's poochIn the deluge a trail name took holdA thru hiker became GorgonzolaNow at Wood's Hole elevenSlept in the space for sevenThe storm grew dark and coldThe onslaught only to beholdOn Top of Blood MountainThe wind joined the rainThen earth with them becameThe Fury of Blood MountainLeeBo GA-ME 09
Date: 2009-03-29
From: Neel's Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Low Gap Shelter, Mar.29, 2009 at mile 41.5 on the AT.After a nice night at the hostel, shower, laundry, dinner and breakfast, e-mail, and resupply for 4 days, I left about 9:30 and arrived at Low Gap about 5PM. The day was dry, cool, and breezy but many other hikers took advantage of there being no rain so the shelter was full and many tents were in the gap. I think I counted more than 30 hikers here. Among them are Damascus with his dog, Charlie, Yo-Yo, who I first met at Hawk Mt. and seems very disconnected with the trail both socially and naturally, and T-Suds and Sundown Chaser who I will continue to see off and on all the way to Hot Springs. I put my tent up in Tent City on uneven ground and slept well through the coldest night of the trip with below freezing temperatures. Around mid-day, I passed through Tesnatee Gap where I met a woman (Jermm) who took several photo of me, which I have posted in my photos.
Date: 2009-03-30
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Cheese Factory Campsite
Miles today: 13.0

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Cheesecake Factory Camp, Mar. 30, 2009 at mile 54.5 on the ATThe day was sunny beginning cold but warming to 70 degrees by mid afternoon. It was a good day covering 13 miles and a couple of nice mountains. I tented with Gorgonzola, Canoe, and Rainman and Ahab who had some major chaffing from his pack belt and knee issues. In the middle of the day I stopped at Blue Mountain Shelter for an hour lunch break where there were several other hikers, Robo, Tank and Tanglefoot (father and son). The afternoon warmed up so I was able to hike in shorts and short sleeve shirt and no gators for the first time. After sunset the crescent moon shone brightly.
Date: 2009-03-31
From: Cheese Factory Campsite

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Deep Gap Shelter, Mar. 31, 2009 at mile 64.0 on the ATToday I walked the entire day without seeing anyone else on the trail, a very unusual occurrence for this time of year. I had outstanding view from Tray Mountain of the Smokies with I will not reach for another 2 weeks. I had a simple lunch at the Swag of the Blue Ridge and if anyone can tell me what a swag is, I¢d be a better person. The day was cloudy all day and in the 40 to 50 degree range and I shared the evening shelter with Gorgonzola, YoYo, Tank and Tanglefoot, and Archaeopterix, who is shown in the picture.
Date: 2009-04-01
From: Neel's Gap

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

April 1stHiawassee, GeorgiaThree days to Dick's Creek Gap and now a half day in a motel and resupply. Tonight, a meal at an AYCE buffet and Steakhouse.More about this stretch later. Look at the date.
Date: 2009-04-01
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Hiawassee - Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Neel's Gap to Hiawassee 67 AT milesI reached Dick's Creep Gap, the access point to the great trail town of Hiawasse, Georgia on April Fool's day. Three nights and four days of hiking with only short periods of rain showers on 2 different days. Temperatures were generally in the 50's and the couple of shelters I camped at were full but the tenting area called The Cheese Factory for a former site of a dairy farm was quite nice.On the first day out of Neel's a particularly difficult climb out of Testenee Gap became known as "the nasty". At the end of that day at Low Gap Shelter I counted nearly 30 people which was not surprising because this was the first good weather day in a week. From the top of Tray Mountain, I had my first clear view of the Great Smokies to the north. It was also a day I hiked all day without encountering another hiker.My cell phone service is spotty and at times nonexistent but sometimes I get reception of from mountain vistas. There I may only have one or two bars but I can usually send and receive text messages. Should you try to call and leave a message I may not get it for several days so best to send texts than to leave messages. I was able to call for a reservation at The Hiawassee Inn from the shelter at Deep Gap.Here in Hiawassee, I was able to do laundry, shower, call home, and get a couple of good meals. I also provisioned for the next 4 days to get me to Franklin, NC. See you at the next town.
Date: 2009-04-02
From: Hiawassee - Dick's Creek Gap

To: Bly Gap Camp
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: moderate rain

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Bly Gap Campsite, Apr. 2, 2009 at mile 76.4 on the ATAfter spending yesterday afternoon in town getting resupplied, showered, a couple of good meals and getting on-line at the library, I headed out to the trail with a bunch of other through hikers. It was only 8.9 miles but when returning to the trail from town the trail is always up and you are carrying a fully loaded pack having just resupplied, so the going was slow. I ate lunch at Plumborchard Gap Shelter, one of the nicest shelters yet, but then continued on into North Carolina and tented at Bly Gap with Gorgonzola. It had been rainy and it was difficult getting a fire going but we did have it for a while before the rain sort of doused it. We saw Wendy and Matt (from the first day) there and we all took pictures at the old gnarly tree, which is in the middle of the trail at Bly Gap.
Date: 2009-04-03
From: Bly Gap Camp

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Standing Indian Shelter, Apr. 3, 2009 at mile 84.1 on the ATLast night, Gorgonzola and I had set up our tents in the lee of the wind on the north side of the gap near the old gnarly tree. During the night, a weather front passed over and the rain came in and wind shifted to the northwest and buffeted the tents with some good gusts. I finally got up and quickly broke camp about 10 AM. The first climb, Sassafras Mountain, was a challenge with wind, rain, and a coldness that followed me right up to Muskrat Creek Shelter, where I ate lunch. Later, at Deep Gap (this one is in NC remember), a trail angel named Red Truck was setting up a tent and was going to make dinner and breakfast for hikers. It wasn¢t even near stopping time for me so I continued on to the next shelter at Standing Indian Mountain were I shared the sheler with, Gorgonzola, Journey, Freeze, Improv and Kaitlin, Whup Whup, Sean, and Jigsaw.
Date: 2009-04-04
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Betty Creek Camp
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Betty Creek Campsite, Apr. 4, 2009 at mile 95.4 on the ATLast night was very cold in the shelter and I never really got my feet warm enough that allowed me to have a long uninterrupted period of sleep. So I stayed in my sleeping bag late and did not leave the shelter until way passed 9 AM. But within the first hour of hiking, the clear day warmed and I was in shorts and shirtsleeves for the rest of the day. I lunched at the old Carter Gap Shelter and hiked much of the afternoon with Journey. Not much yet in the way of spring blooms so the views through the trees and from ridge lines are very good. We reached Betty Creek where Gorgonzola, Improv and Knuckles were already setting up tents. After dinner we got a great fire going and in the course of the evening conversation determined the Journey is the wife of the man the Gorgonzola and I had met on our first day. Journey and her husband had hiked the trail together the day before we started and he was returning when we stopped and talked to him 11 days earlier. He had told us his wife was known as Grandma Jakes but in the course of the last several days as we became better acquainted, I suspected Journey was his wife. We had a great campfire conversation going and as the fire burned down we all knew it was time to retire to our tents. As I wrote in my journal and darkness deepened the sounds of the mountains became acute. I lay in my sleeping bag and gently fall asleep to the occasional sounds of an owl and howling of distant coyotes. It was a great day.
Date: 2009-04-05
From: Betty Creek Camp

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

Note: The following entry from my on-trail journal from home.Rock Gap Shelter, Apr. 5, 2009 at mile 103.8 on the ATIt was another great day today. We camped at Betty Creek last night so that we could hike up to Mount Albert, which would be the most challenging stretch so far during the morning. The day dawned clear and warmed quickly during the assent of what I called going up Fat Albert. It was also the day we completed the first 100 miles of the AT and I could complete the first notch on my hiking pole. The day was warm and sunny and after Fat Albert somewhat easy. At Glassmine Gap the five of us from last night celebrated 100 miles completed with group photos and I had lunch. On the way into the shelter, I had a misstep with on a down portion of the trail and twisted both my ankles. After getting into the shelter and setting up the tent, I took some vitamin I and then joined the others for a visit to the Wasalik Poplar Tree, about a 1.2 mile round trip hike. At the full shelter are Dream Catcher, Butch, Strugles, Rugged Shark, Rainman, Allison and Heather, Uncle Walt and several others.
Date: 2009-04-07
From: Hiawassee

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Franklin, NC arrived here April 6th 108 AT milesYes, the first notch on my walking stick is complete, 100 miles. And it only took 14 days. Today, the 15th day of my trip, is a real zero day. Hopefully to allow my left ankle to mend, to rest in the cold and snowy weather.From Hiawassee to Franklin, I stayed at 2 shelters and 2 tent sites. The shelters were quite full and tenting is easy. The first night out from Hiawassee, I walked into North Carolina to camp at Bly Gap next to an old gnarled tree right in the middle of the trail. The weather deteriorated during the night and the next day and night was the coldest yet. My feet never really warmed up and I had forgot that I had toe warmers for just such conditions.The next day, April 4th, warmed up nicely and several other hikers and I camped out at Betty Creek Gap, one of the prettiest sites on the AT to date. On the 5th, I summitted Albert Mountain (Fat Albert) which is the first mountain with a fire tower. The views were terrific and I was able to take many photos that day. On the way from Fat Albert to Rock Gap Shelter not a third of a mile from the end of my days hike, I glanced away into the woods and took a step into uneven ground. Wrenching my right ankle in the process I was hurdling down the trail ready to fall flat on my face. Determined not to fall, I took 3 large hops on my left foot before regaining my balance. My right ankle really hurt but I walked on and gradually it felt better. What didn't feel better was my left foot. The pain is only when I walk downhill. I'll continue to monitor it and see how many uphill I can find on the AT. They say there are a lot.I'm planning to leave here tomorrow, 3 days to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) then 3 more easy days to Fontana Dam. If I can update there I will.Going to Maine 2009