morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-11-29
To: Zealand
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zealand is my 1 year old black labrador retriever. She was named after one of the 4,000ft mountains in the Whites. She is an amazing dog and she loves to hike with my dad and I when we go in the White Mountains. I usually hike up front while my dad stays behind me and Zealand tends to stay somewhere in-between us. At times when my dad and I get any significant distance between us Zealand will constantly run back and forth between us to check in and make sure we are both doing okay. When I first got Zealand, I had plans to take her on the AT with me. I bought her a ruffwear backpack so she could carry her own food and water while we were hiking. She would make a great companion to have with me and I would love to be able to say that she completed the entire AT along my side. Once I started reading more about the trail and having a dog with you I decided it would be in her best interest if she stayed home. As much as I would love for her to come along, I don't want to take the risk of her contracting lyme disease or possibly getting injured. I've read that the ticks along the trail can be a serious problem. Due to her color, it can be incredibly difficult to find the nasty little parasites if they attach to her. I have spoken with other AT'ers who have either had dogs or seen other hikers with dogs on the trail. Many of them seem to have the same thoughts regarding dogs on the trail. As nice as they are to have as a companion along the trail, they can make completing the AT even more difficult than it already is and many dogs get sent home along the way.Other than the issue of ticks, there are sections of the trail where dogs are not allowed, including the final section in Baxter State Park. This requires you to place your dog into someone else's care when you reach a section where they are not allowed. As much as I wanted to take Zealand with me, I know leaving her at home is for her own good. She gets to hike with me plenty when we go for day trips and backpacking trips for 3 or 4 days at a time. It is definitely going to be difficult not having her with me and getting to see her everyday. I have not been away from her for any extended period of time since I got her. I am hopeful that I will get to see her if my parents happen to come visit me somewhere out on the trail.
Date: 2016-11-29
To: Trail Planning
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I spent several hours to begin planning a tentative itinerary for my start on the AT. I didn't realize how much time or work it would take to plan out my starting points, ending points, mileage and resupplies for each day. I started doing it in a notebook and after a while I figured it would be much easier to create a "numbers" file (same thing as excel for windows) on my Mac. As of now, my plans go out 189 miles from Amicolola Falls State Park in Georgia where I will start my journey to Russell Field Shelter which is 14.5 miles from Fontana Dam, North Carolina. In my spreadsheet I have my starting point for each day, my desired ending point for each day, the number of miles between my starting and ending point, total mileage since the start of my hike, any resupply areas I intend to go to, and notes on what areas have water sources, shelters (which I don't intend on using but setting up my hammock nearby), food sources, and towns. So far I have found benefits to creating an itinerary but I have also found drawbacks. By doing this it allows me to see what I would like to accomplish each day, where I will be able to get water and resupply, and where I can find shelter. Another plus to doing this is that my file saves to icloud and allows me to access it from my phone. By doing this I can look at information about the trail without having to carry any extra hard copies of notes. One of the drawbacks I see about this method are that it is very time consuming but could be worth my time now and save me time on the trail. Even more of a drawback, if on any day I don't follow my itinerary (such as taking a zero day or doing more/less miles than planned) it will completely throw off everything I have planned. For now, I plan to continue filling out my spreadsheet over the coming months. If anyone has recommendations or experience regarding this please feel free to let me know. If you think its a good idea or think its a complete waste of time I'd love to hear back. The only alternative to this that I can come up with is going day by day on the trail. I have a copy of the Thru-Hiker's Companion which I intend on bringing with me regardless of any planning I do ahead of time. I also have the Thru-Hiker's Companion App on my phone which shows detailed maps of the trail as well as where you can get water, where there are shelters, and where you can resupply along the trail.
Date: 2016-12-05
To: Mt. Cardigan
Miles today: 0.0

Last Friday I went on a short hike to the summit of Mt. Cardigan in Canaan, NH with Zealand. It was my first hike since moving back in August and it was very much needed. I took West Ridge Trail, the most direct trail to the summit, which is 1.5 miles. The gate across the dirt road leading to the trailhead was closed for the winter which added another 1.2 miles roundtrip. My total trip distance was 4.6 miles which took a total of 1 hour and 36 minutes of actual hiking time with an average pace of 2.7mph. Total elapsed time came out to 2 hours and 29 minutes. Elevation gain was 1,509ft. Not bad for my first hike in a few months.After walking the road to the trailhead there was a nice parking area with several picnic tables and a covered shelter area. There was a bulletin board which listed a map of the area as well as the trail work reports by the Dartmouth Outing Club for this year. The list of work done to the trails was extensive and as a co-adopter of a trail in the White Mountains, I was impressed by how much work had been done. The work they had completed throughout the year was certainly noticeable throughout my hike and made for a much more pleasurable experience. Right from the start the trail started climbing in elevation. It would continue to do so for most of the hike with few flat areas which did not last long. Due to its short length and needed elevation gain to the summit, most of the trail ascended. I think it will make a good training mountain and I will be hiking it more before I start the AT. For the first half of my hike the ground was soft, wet, and muddy. As elevation was gained, the ground became covered in thin patches of ice and snow. There were points where micro-spikes would have been beneficial but I decided to not use the ones that I had brought with me. As the summit neared, the trees began to thin out and the wind picked up quite a bit. For the last 0.4 miles or so, the trail turned into bare sheets of rock and followed large rock cairns to the summit. By the time we got to the summit, I estimated that the wind was blowing somewhere in the high 40's to mid 50's. Zealand and I explored the summit a bit, took in the exceptional views that were offered which overlooked the surrounding area, took some pictures, and then proceeded to hike back down the mountain. All in all it was a great hike. Zealand and I enjoyed getting outside and doing what we love.
Date: 2017-01-16
To: Pack Weight... Again
Miles today: 0.0

After finding discrepancies in weights for certain pieces of gear I began to lose my trust in manufacturers ability to list actual weights for their products on their webpages which is how I calculated my gear weight in one of my previous entries. On top of this issue, many pieces of my gear did not have listed weights. Yesterday I bought a kitchen scale that allows me to weigh all my gear myself. I have now weighed every piece of gear that I will be bringing with me on the trail and used a site called lighterpack.com to make an easy to read chart.
Date: 2017-01-24
To: NEMO Equipment 
Miles today: 0.0

Gear from the Thru-Hike Syndicate companies has begun to arrive! After some brief emails back and forth with a representative of NEMO Equipment I am now in possession of some gear that has been tried, tested, and put through the wringer by many other successful through-hikers before me. Yesterday I received the Hornet 1P Ultralight Backpacking Tent, as well as a Nocturne 15 Downtek Sleeping Bag, and a Tensor 20R Mummy Sleeping Pad from NEMO Equipment.All of these pieces of equipment have been graciously given out to members of the Thru-Hike Syndicate in years past and they have withstood the beatings that our gear will undoubtedly take as we trek across nearly 2,200 miles. I am excited to put them to the test myself in a few short months. Now that I have these new pieces of gear I have made the final decision to take both my ENO Sub7 Hammock as well as the NEMO Hornet 1P Tent. I have already prepared myself for the lectures I am sure to receive from people that I meet along the trail. Many people will not be able to wrap their heads around the idea of carrying not one, but two shelter systems for the length of the trail. My justification for doing so is that I will be able to enjoy the best of both worlds by carrying the two. If I want to throw up my hammock in the middle of the wilderness, I can. If I want to set up my tent on top of a bald mountain and watch the sunset and the sunrise in the morning, I can. There is no place on the AT that I will not be able to set up camp for the night. I am so looking forward to having the option of what I want to sleep in every night.
Date: 2017-02-08
To: Mail Drops
Miles today: 0.0

Since I started planning my trip along the AT, I have been against doing mail drops in order to get my supplies. The whole idea of mail drops seemed completely unnecessary to me and I thought they would take away from the overall experience of living in the moment while on the trail. Well, a few days back I stumbled upon an article on "The Trek" that has since changed my mind about mail drops. The article is titled "The Best Towns to Send Mail Drops on the Appalachian Trail" and it goes over 6 towns along the AT that although aren't necessary for a successful thru, have proven to be some of the best and most helpful to send some food and supplies to along the AT. After reading the article, I decided it would be in my best interest to send some food to these locations as well as one other that I deemed necessary. The 6 locations mentioned in the article are 1) Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), 2) Fontana Village, 3) Bland, VA, 4) Harper's Ferry, WV, 5) Caratunk, ME, and 6) Monson, ME. Along with these drop locations, I will be adding Neel Gap. The article goes over why each of these locations are ideal for sending a drop box to which vary for each location. Some of the reasons are that these places are noticeably more expensive than most other locations along the trail, the selection of food available is minimal, or that they are the last place that you can resupply for a long section of the trail such as Fontana Village where you will enter the Smokies shortly thereafter or Monson, ME where you will need to resupply before entering the 100-Mile Wilderness. This afternoon I made a quick trip to the local Walmart and purchased some poptarts, oatmeal, granola bars, ramen, pasta sides, tuna packets, and a few backpacker meals. I expect these to be some of the things that I will be eating along most of the trail as they are light and easy to prepare for meals. Some things will be still have to picked up to go along with what I send myself but for the most part these supply drops should get me through the sections of trail where they are being sent. I'll be heading back to the supermarket to pick up the remaining food I need to complete my last 3 drops. For most of the AT I will be heading into nearby towns in order to get my supplies for the trail. Here is the link to the article I am speaking about for any of you who are interested or are on the fence about doing mail drops yourself. Perhaps it will change your mind too.
Date: 2017-03-01
To: Getting Antsy 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Only 26 days to go before my dad and I head down to Georgia to begin our journey along the AT. I'm hopeful that this month will pass by quickly as the trail consumes my thoughts on most days and I am more excited than ever to get started. I don't think I have gone a day without thinking about the AT in quite some time now. I've gotten to the point where I wake up wishing I was rolling out of my hammock and hitting the trail rather than crawling out of bed and getting ready for work. Springer-fever has undoubtedly set in. With less than a month to go, I have almost all my gear together and finalized with the exception of a few items. I received my Vasque boots about two weeks ago and have worn them almost everyday since I got them to break them in and to be sure they will serve me well on the trail. So far, so good. I have no complaints about them so far. They are comfortable, light, provide good support and traction. Blisters have been a big concern of mine as I have gotten some of the worst blisters some people have ever seen. I haven't gotten any while wearing the Vasque Breeze III's, yet. Unfortunately, I am still waiting to receive my backpack from Osprey, hiking poles from Leki, socks from Darn Tough, and a case for my phone from Lifeproof. With so little time remaining before I take off for the trail, I am hopeful that these items will be sent out soon so I can test them out before I leave. Aside from the remaining gear I need from the Thru-Hike Syndicate companies, I still need to purchase some compression sacks to store my gear in, a longer spork for my cookset, and a stickpic to use on my trekking poles for my GoPro. I will be purchasing all of these items at the end of this week and then it will just be a waiting game until I get the rest of my gear. The countdown is on.
Date: 2017-03-22
To: Ready to Go
Miles today: 0.0

With only 6 days until I hit the trail, I am now 100% ready to go. This week I received the remainder of my gear from the Thru-Hike Syndicate. Osprey sent me an Atmos AG 65L bag as well as a rain-cover to go over the pack. Most of my gear is already in Osprey dry bags so hopefully the cover won't be necessary but I figured it couldn't hurt to have some extra protection from the elements. Plus, it'll stop my bag from absorbing rain and becoming heavier. The decision to go with the Atmos AG 65 did not come easily. I originally wanted to use the Exos 58 which is 2lbs lighter than the Atmos but after filling my dad's Atmos with all the gear I will be taking with me I realized that I would need the extra 7 liters of space to fit everything. The plus side of the Atmos is that it is extremely comfortable compared to other bags I've used even it is is a bit heavier. I received my trek poles from Leki as well. I chose the Micro Vario Ti Cor-Tec poles. I bought my mom a set of these for Christmas and she loves them. After messing around with them myself I figured they would do well on the AT. They're incredibly sturdy and very lightweight. After hearing that my dad was going to be hiking the AT as well, they even sent out a second pair of the same poles for him to use. Due to their generosity, I will definitely be a Leki customer for the remainder of my hiking days. I got to pick out 5 sets of socks from Darn Tough. They have some really cool designs for their socks, even one made specifically for the AT so I obviously had to get a pair of those. I've been wearing them for the last couple days and I've got to say they are by far the most comfortable socks I've ever worn. They have so much padding in the places where it is needed most. I'm really looking forward to pairing these socks with my Injinji liners and seeing how my feet hold up on the AT. With any luck at all I will have minimal blistering. Finally, Lifeproof sent me a couple of their cases for the iPhone 7 Plus. With two options to pick from, I went with the Nuud edition. So far I love the case. It adds so much protection to my phone and I am no longer afraid to drop it or get it wet. It's submergible in up to 2 feet of water for up to an hour. Probably more protection than I need but its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. I happened to shatter the screen of my phone in Boston before I got a case during the Patriots Super Bowl against the Falcons this year (sorry to those of you down in Georgia... it was one hell of a game) and know all to well about the pain of breaking a phone. No need to worry any longer. So, thank you to all of the companies participating in the Thru-Hike Syndicate this year. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to be part of such an amazing opportunity. You have all sent me some of the best gear available and I can't wait to put it to the test in a few short days.
Date: 2017-03-23
To: One Job Ends and the Next One Begins 
Miles today: 0.0

Well, today was my last day of work with the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, for now at least. I've held this job for nearly the last 4 years, roughly the same amount of time that I've known I wanted to hike the AT. Thankfully I have been able to secure my position with the Commission and it'll be available to me when I get back from the trail given that I want to continue working there. I've met some really great people while working with the Liquor Commission, some of which I now consider to be lifelong friends. If you guys are reading this, you know who you are. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again once I get back from the trail. But, enough about work. If you've been following along with my entries you have probably seen me mention that my dad is going to be attempting a thru this year as well. A few months back my dad, who also worked for the State of NH but as a cyber security architect, realized the State was headed in a direction he was no longer interested in. He resigned after putting in 10 years with the State, began looking for another job in the private sector and throughout his search realized he now had what would most likely be his only opportunity to give the AT a try. He's always been the outdoorsy type. He's been a hiker and backpacker for years and is now a region leader for the adopt-a-trail program in the White Mountains. A few years ago, he turned me on to the whole backpacking thing and has since made me realize how passionate I am about spending time in the woods and mountains. If it weren't for him, I probably never would've even considered hiking the AT, so thank you dad. Needless to say, I'm excited to experience all that is the AT right alongside him. Originally, I had wanted this to be a journey that I went about on my own, and I'm sure there will be places along the trail where we each want to do our own thing, but for now we are planning on starting at the same time and setting up camp in the same places and I am looking forward to doing so. Plans as of now are that my dad will be starting each morning earlier than I will be. He is an early riser and is likely to put some distance between us before I crawl out of bed. Prior to bed the night before we will have discussed our stopping point for the following day and throughout the day I will most likely catch up, pass, and reach our destination before him where I will be waiting for his arrival. Sounds good in theory, hopefully all will go as planned. My dad also has a journal here on TJ. For more on his story and some enjoyable reading check out his journal @ Kinsman
Date: 2017-04-02
From: Mountain Crossing at Neel Gap

To: Mountain Crossing at Neel Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 5 on the Appalachian Trail April 2Miles Today: 0Total Miles: 31.4Today was my first zero day. Given that I'm only 31 miles into the trail I'm a little disappointed to be taking a zero but my feet could use some time to recover. I decided to ditch my hammock system and a few other items that would lessen the weight of my pack. So far I have been pretty content with my pack weight and I've still been able to put in the same miles as people who have much lighter packs. The decrease in weight will definitely make things easier for me and I think it will help my feet as well. Joe cooked up some delicious 3 meat and scrambled egg breakfast burritos this morning. They were fantastic and I put down 2 of them. Typically I can't stand eggs but these were absolutely delicious. After breakfast, everyone showered and Joe and Murph got their packs ready to go. A little after noon we all walked up to Neel. We said farewell to Joe and Murph for now but my dad and I are hoping we can catch back up to them in a few days. They're some cool guys who I wouldn't mind hiking with some more. We seem to have the same pace and we all get along great. It'd be awesome to get a little group of people together to spend the days with out on the AT. I've found that it's much more enjoyable to group up with others at the end of the day and talk about how everyone's hikes have been going as well as other topics of discussion. My dad will be taking off for the trail tomorrow morning. I have to stick around at Neel to get my package and then I'll be playing catch up to him. I should be able to catch him in the same day and we will set up camp in the same place tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to getting back out on the trail after having a day and a half to rest up. I'm having a great time so far and I can't wait to see what lies ahead on the trail. This truly is a once in a lifetime experience and I'm loving every bit.
Date: 2017-04-03
From: Mountain Crossing at Neel Gap

To: Mountain Crossing at Neel Gap
Miles today: 0.0

Day 6 on the Appalachian TrailApril 3Miles Today: 0Total Miles: 31.4Well, today pretty much sucked. I waited around at Neel Gap from 11am when we checked out of our cabin until 5pm for my package from back home to arrive. It never showed up.. So now I'm about a half mile up the hill past Neel Gap hoping that the weather remains somewhat tolerable. Earlier today it was pouring and it looked like it was going to be a nasty night. The weather has since gotten better and the rain has stopped for now. Thanks to my package not arriving I was forced to do another zero day. Now I have to go back down to Neel Gap in the morning and wait from 10-12 when they typically get their shipments in and pray that mine shows up. Not much to talk about today. Overall I'm pretty irritated but there's nothing I can do about it so I might as well get over it. Tomorrow is another day. I just want to get back to hiking...