morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-09-07
From: Collegedale, TN

To: Collegedale, TN
Miles today: 0.0

My project today was to begin going through stuff to get rid of. I started with the box of junk mail that's accumulated over the almost four months I've been gone.I went home Friday night to see my cat, but have since been staying with other friends just for fun, since all my stuff is packed away at home. When I went in my room and saw all the boxes in my closet... I have a lot of junk. What do I have all that stuff for?!I began to get antsy this afternoon to get over there and start getting rid of some. As I thought about it all, sitting over there waiting for me, I felt weighed down. Overwhelmed. Where to start? Lisa said, "Wait until you come back from being a missionary for a year!" But I spent an hour or more sorting through a few boxes and started a bag to throw away and a bag to give away. Then I went to visit another friend before coming back here to stay for the night. Driving home I thought to myself, "What's the worst that could happen if I just got rid of all of it without even looking through it...?" I guess I'd find out what was really necessary and just have to replace it.I won't do that. I'm too sensible. Or something.
Date: 2003-09-10
From: Collegedale, TN

To: Collegedale, TN
Miles today: 0.0

I made a tentative plan yesterday. That felt good. I've wanted to climb Mt. Leconte in the Smokys since last spring, so Matt and I (and maybe a few others) are going to do that this weekend. We'll stay one night in the Mt. Leconte shelter and then drop over and stay in the Icewater Spring shelter - one of my favorites on the AT. Take a day hike out to Charlie's Bunion, since when I went through there in June it was a nasty day and we got no view at all. Remember guys, that's right where we passed Blue Tarp, wrapped up in his tarp alongside the Trail and it was about 50 degrees and cold and foggy and rainy! And I felt guilty for not making sure he was alive or something...Anyway, it will be a good shakedown trip for Matt, and I'll test out my new shoes. Early next week we'll drive up to Maryland for a couple days (Matt's parents live there, too) and then head up to spend about three weeks in Maine. Feels good to have a plan. There are still some details I have to work out for going to Norway - storage, a little more fundraising, etc. With God in control those things will fall into place.
Date: 2003-09-11
From: Collegedale, TN

To: Collegedale, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Okay, we¢ve made a plan. Matt and I are leaving tomorrow to go and climb Mt. Leconte in the Smokys, something I¢ve wanted to do for awhile. Sunday we¢ll go from there to my friends¢ in Greeneville and then drive up Monday to Maryland, spend a few days there, and then head up to Maine for a final few weeks of hiking on the AT. It feels good to have a plan.Since I¢ve been here at ¢home¢, I¢ve gotten a little better idea of what I have to do when I come back in October. Still don¢t know exactly what I¢ll do with all my stuff, but I¢ve begun to sort through it and try to get rid of more, try to get it a little more organized. I talked to the lady in charge of the Student Missions program I will go to Norway through, gotten an idea of what other things I still have to take care of for that, too. So I feel a little more at peace, not so many loose ends waiting for me here when I come back.I¢ve been amazed while I¢ve been here how many people ask me about the Trail when I run into them on the sidewalk, in the grocery store, at the post office, at church. I had no idea that many people knew that¢s what I was doing! I feel embarrassingly like a celebrity or something. Not really, that¢s an exaggeration. Either someone has been talking a lot about it here while I¢ve been gone or I talked a lot more about it than I realized before I left! I know it has been an obsession, the center of every conversation, a magnet in the center of my mind, drawing all thought processes back to itself.I managed to run into a few former clients, set up some appointments, and earned back the money I will have spent driving down here and back and going out to eat with all the people I wanted to see (why does it seem that¢s the only way to get together with people?!). I revisited several of my old ¢haunts¢ and I think saw all the people I really wanted to see. Tonight I will actually sleep in my own bed, instead of at the Clouzets, with Ebbe one last time before I go away again for a few more weeks.I¢ve had some time to reflect here, as well. (When does Emily not have time to reflect?) One thing I¢ve thoroughly enjoyed has been listening to my Christian music radio stations again. A song I¢ve heard a hundred times before caught my ear especially this week. The lyrics say, ¢And the wonder of it all is that I¢m living just to fall more in love with You.¢ I thought about that, and decided it seems more like I¢ve been living to fall more in love with my self, not with God. I don¢t know. Some things about this Trail haven¢t gone exactly as I meant for them to. Well, several things. That¢s not all bad, of course, but not all good, either. It hasn¢t been as spiritual a journey as I imagined it would be. The two demons I mentioned in the beginning that I hoped to combat¢¦well, I¢ve lost most battles. And I have often put myself, my own immediate desires, above God¢s or above the long-term good of others ¢ and myself. That¢s a long way of saying I¢ve been selfish.At any rate, I suppose part of going back out over the next few weeks will feel a little bit like a chance for a redemption of sorts. We¢ll see.
Date: 2003-10-14
To: What I Learned
Miles today: 0.0

Just a few things...- Wherever you go, there you are - with all your strengths and weaknesses, quirks and character flaws.- Even out there where there are "no distractions", there are distractions.- Life is truly what you make it. I choose whether to enjoy whatever situation I find myself in, or to rush through just to "get there" and miss the experience.- I hate humidity; I might have to move back to the West Coast...- The value of "interdependence." It's a balance. Too much dependence is not healthy, and too much independence is not healthy. We need to rely on each other and yet be able to be self-reliant.- The bigger deal you make out of your weaknesses or demons, the stronger hold they have on you.- (Mom and Dad you'll be glad to know this one!) You really don't need that much toilet paper.
Date: 2002-12-29
To: AT '03
Miles today: 0.0

My desire to hike the AT was born last July when I went out backpacking for only the second time in my life with a new friend of mine. She mentioned her dream of hiking the AT, and I latched onto the idea immediately. I graduate next May, and I deemed that the ideal time. Last October she and I attended a three-part seminar on hiking the AT at REI in Brentwood, TN. The seminar proved to be quite beneficial, in more ways than one. Not only did veteran thru-hikers provide us with an abundance of information, gear tips, photos and stories from their hikes, but I also became acquainted with another aspiring thru-hiker, trail name Bono, who became an instant friend, hiking buddy and source for personal and spiritual growth. Bono departed yesterday, the first hiker of the '03 season to embark on the AT.My biggest obstacle to doing the AT is finances. Being a college student, I just don't have a lot of extra cash to use towards accumulating gear. My friend generously got me a summer sleeping bag, mess kit, and eating utensils that first time we went out, but for the other six or eight times I've gone out over the last six months I have primarily used borrowed gear. Little by little I have accumulated the smaller items here and there - a Platypus, wool socks, first aid kit, outdoor clothing. Just in the last three weeks, however, in preparation for a mission trip to Kenya, God provided me with great deals on a tent and backpack - direct answers to prayer, both of them. Bono bought me a -5 sleeping bag several weeks ago (which I still owe him three and a half hours of massage therapy for), and I received a stove, headlamp, and other gear for Christmas. Most of the biggest ticket items now taken care of, my "walk in the woods" seems one step closer to reality...While sitting in the airport last week, my flight to Kenya delayed, I had my first real opportunity to sit down and read through the 2000 Data Book and Workbook for Planning Thru-hikes by Christopher Whalen (both published by the ATC) we received at the REI seminar. Reading about thru-hiking and planning my tentative itinerary got me all fired up again. The last time I was out was over two months ago, and I was beginning to experience trail withdrawals! So, the trip to Kenya postponed until tomorrow, I schemed a way to surprise Bono at Amicalola Falls yesterday and hike up Springer Mountain with him. Needless to say he was shocked, expecting me to be in Kenya! We had a great hike yesterday afternoon (once we finally got started), saw an indescribable sunset, camped part-way up Springer, woke up to a beautiful sunshiney morning, dawdled around camp for awhile, and at noon today I finally left him to go on alone.The moral of the story is, what began as a crazy dream way off in the distance is slowly becoming a reality. My enthusiasm is renewed and I am more determined than ever to set out on the AT the day after graduation - May 12, 2003.
Date: 2004-02-01
To: Love or Infatuation
Miles today: 0.0

You know how when you have a crush on someone you absolutely can't get him off your mind? Everything you see, hear, smell, do, touch, or feel your mind somehow distorts to lead you back to the same starting point. Him. He is your first thought in the morning, your last thought at night. Every conversation you begin starts with him. Every conversation someone else begins with you ends up with him. For the past few days, weeks even, that's how I have been about the Trail. Here I am on the other side of the world, surrounded by people who know nothing about it, and frankly don't care much about it, but I want to talk about it. I want to relate something that happens now to something that happened then. I think about it in the morning. I think about it in the evening. I think about it in the middle of the day. At least every hour a view from some overlook, a night in one of the shelters, a passage up or down one of the mountains, a conversation with a fellow hiker, an experience in one of the towns passes through my mind. I'm infatuated with the Appalachian Trail.But no, because infatuation is based on an idea you have created about a person, not necessarily on reality. I have lived the Trail's reality. I have experienced its ups and its downs - both literally and figuratively. I've endured its hardships. I've rejoiced in its joys. I've triumphed over it and been beaten by it. I know the Trail. If not its entirety, I know its glory, its shortcomings, its joy, its bitterness. And still I long for it.This I know: Once the Appalachian Trail gets a hold on you it doesn't let go.
Date: 2004-05-13
To: One Year
Miles today: 0.0

May 13 will forever be a significant day in my life. I think I will make a tradition of doing something super special every May 13.Just to think where I was one year ago today! Embarking on a journey long dreamt of, stepping over the threshold into becoming Me, hiking from Amicalola Falls State Park to Springer Mountain.In all ways hiking the Appalachian Trail was for me a life-altering experience. I failed in some aspects of my multi-faceted goal, so memories are bittersweet. I've actually been dreading this anniversary, because now all summer long will come those "Last year at this time" memories that wring my heart with nostalgia. But overall I view the endeavor as a success because the odds were so against me--time, finances--and yet I triumphed. And it was an amazing experience, one I will always be grateful for. For me the success lay in simply getting outside my box and working that hard for a goal unlike anything I had ever thought of before.Praise and honor to God, I have crafted my life to be just as it is. I am a success.Where am I today? Cruising up Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in the world, on the MS Fjordtroll; lunching in a tiny Norwegian sea-side village at the base of snow-capped mountains; and riding on the Fl¥m Railway 20 kilometers from sea-level to 866 meters through spectacular rocky peaks, above traditional little farms, past tumbling ice-green glacial waterfalls. I didn't plan this trip on purpose with today's anniversary in mind; it is simply another gift from God. I think it's a good start to a new tradition.
Date: 2005-03-26
To: Trail Magic...I Hope
Miles today: 0.0

Last December I was perusing trailjournals and discovered an interesting one, a guy in what sounded like a very similar situation to mine pre-hike. I signed his guestbook and wished him well, and perhaps offered trail magic when he got to my area.Well, Friday I had a phone message from him saying he'd be to Fontana on Sunday. Quick plans falling into place, and I'm going to do trail magic tomorrow!I got a sweet deal Friday on two big bags of really ripe bananas, so I made some of my tropical banana muffins to take, got my favorite easter candy, and Matt (he's going with me tomorrow) is bringing stuff for S'Mores. (The Fontana Hilton is where Secretary bought Barbara and I S'Mores!) I hope it all works out... Unfortunately I have a massage to do tomorrow night so I can't stay as long as I would like to up there--I'd love to stay overnight!--but it should be fun anyway. I just hope he and his friends get there before I have to come back home!Anyway, now I'm reading his journal, since I hadn't read it again since the first time... How I remember the optimism! The enthusiasm! The fresh vim and vigor! The obsession! How I can look back on it all with the sage wisdom of the experienced... And even with all I know of the downs as well as the ups of the whole experience, I want to try again!!I will do it again...
Date: 2005-04-14
To: Nostalgia
Miles today: 0.0

Went hiking with a friend today and we discussed trekking poles, briefly. He listed the noise as one of the reasons he didn't like them. I said that was something I liked about them; it brings back so many memories of hiker friends coming up behind me--and specifically, the memory of Doppler coming up the asphalt driveway of the Church of the Mountain hostel in Delaware Water Gap. I will never forget the joy of being reunited with a hiking partner that day!Just basking in memories today... Can't believe it's been two years ago already.
Date: 2005-05-04
To: On the Trail Again...
Miles today: 0.0

...I just can't wait to get on the Trail again...I know, that's cheesy.But seriously, this morning as I was sitting in bed doing my morning reading, I looked out the window at fresh spring-green leaves outlined sharply against the bright blue sky, and felt my first twinge of excitement about next week's hike!Flatfoot and I, and possibly some others, are hitting the Trail Friday--Partnership Shelter south to Damascus to check out Trail Days.It will be GREAT to be out for that long again. I've really only been out once since I left the AT, and that was just a short weekend trip. So this will be good.It's going to strain me financially a little bit, but I've been doing a lot of massage, and my hands need the rest desperately. So I refuse to feel guilty!I'm looking forward to waking up in the shelter; to being the first to wake up, and reading my Bible while peaking out of my sleeping bag into the woods; to "suiting up" in the morning; to being active all day long, and to being utterly exhausted at night; to long heart to hearts by a campfire...Can't wait...
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Home

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I knew I was in trouble when I got winded carrying my pack up the ladder to the loft...David and I arrived at the Mount Rogers Visitors' Center just as it became dark. Two hikers were waiting at the locked gate for a pizza delivery. "How many people are at the shelter?" I called out. "Umm, a lot..." came the hesitant reply. "Is it full?" I pursued, forgetting that the correct question would have been, "Is there room for two more?" "Pretty much," was the rather uninviting answer. I recalled A-Train's tongue-in-cheek response to my post on TrailForums--"They might not want to make room for lowly section hikers."It is rather mortifying to come into a full shelter at dark, after several hikers are in bed, especially being a newbie. It's one thing to have earned it, hiking as far and hard as they have; but to come in here and make noise long after everyone's in bed... I feel terrible, and terribly conspicuous.Three hikers were eating a pizza at the picnic table, a few others speaking in low tones by a fire. As I pulled my pad and sleeping bag from my pack I caught the familiar smell of musty hiker...Ah, I'm home!
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

You could tell last night that David and I hadn't hiked very far yesterday--or, at all, rather. It took us considerably longer to settle down than anyone else! Once I did the old ear plugs went in at the first snore; after that I slept perfectly soundly until early morning, just pre-dawn. I took them out and the first sound I heard was someone peeing out back..."Lovely," I smiled to myself. But once he climbed back into the loft and settled back into his bag, the morning enthusiasm of the birds took over. That's such pretty music. I felt so peaceful. One by one hikers began to stir, pack up, cook breakfast, take off. The rhythm is so familiar, and I love it.I do hate feeling like the outsider though--and I don't THINK it's just a perception.Anyway, David and I embarked at just after 8am. I squealed with delight! Cheesy, I know, but it was genuine. I recognized a few stretches along the way: just out of Partnership, a long flat straight corridor just north of Va. 670, the gradual incline up to Trimpi. We, amazingly, made incredible time--did the 10.6 miles by 1:30, WITH two nice breaks. One by a river, the South Fork Holston; I lounged in the grass in the sun, eating my Trail Mix ¡ la Jenn. The weather couldn't be better. Absolutely couldn't be better. Well, I wouldn't mind if it was about one or two degrees warmer, but I'm not complaining.At Trimpi we met several fun people to talk to--Ch© and Peanut, Fallout, Train and Raindrop, and then a family of three, one a 14-year-old daughter. Socializing won out and we all spent the long, sunny afternoon around the picnic table.Ch© and Peanut are awesome; I'm inspired by them to again try to cut out sugar, eat organic, and be really healthy. Hope the inspiration lasts... They told us about yerba mate--a green tea, originating in South America, that many people use to treat hypothyroidism. Good to know--I must research that.I'm TIRED as the afternoon wears on, and retire to bed at dark, around 9pm.
Date: 2005-05-09
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

It was a pleasant climb up Pine Mountain--Maine-ish terrain: rocky, with the scent of Christmas in the air. A foot soak at the creek near Wise shelter, and a long lunch at the shelter itself. I'm nervous about the climb up into the Highlands; it may not be as bad as I recall, but nevertheless I'm nervous.David and I stayed together and talked the whole time though, and that helped a lot! We passed two or three herds of ponies, photographing appropriately. I just love it here--by far a favorite section. Today was beautiful too--70ish again, perfectly clear sky. We thought the climb to Thomas Knob would never end, but when it did we found several others there having dinner. The shelter itself was less than desirable to sleep in, and no tenting allowed in its immediate vicinity, so David and I backtracked to a beautiful campsite we'd passed on the way, where some NOBOs were setting up camp. Perfectly flat, grassy, like camping on someone's lawn! Surrounded by a circle of pines, with an open view of the Tennessee mountains to the southeast. Domino and JayPee were cranking up a fire; I now know where to go when I'm craving male attention! These hikers out in the woods with little or no female interaction... Ha ha.Later Stilts, a woman who thru-hiked last year and was sectioning SOBO this year with her dog, and a couple joined us. We ate dinner and traded stories around the fire.David set up his tarp in case of rain, but we all slept out. He and I traded bags since I was cold last night, it's higher elevation here, his is rated colder and he sleeps warmer. It was a lot puffier than mine; I was definitely warmer than last night.I was more tired today after these 11 miles than yesterday after 14! More climbing today.Saw two shooting stars tonight.
Date: 2005-08-15
To: Passion
Miles today: 0.0

At a convention in Sacramento two weekends ago, I ran into a former supervisor. Good to see him! I thoroughly enjoyed working with him, and it has been awhile since we were in touch.The usual "What are you doing now?" conversation ensued, and I explained my current situation, and added that I'd like to get more into writing."Well, just throw yourself into it!" he said logically."I know," I responded, "but I seem to have a hard time throwing myself into anything!"He laughed and admitted that as soon as the words came out of his mouth he knew that was true.One of the reasons I value my AT experience so much is how hard I had to work to get out there. I have never, before or after, worked so hard to accomplish something. I have never, before or after, felt so passionate about something.Lately I've been battling a lack of motivation and drive. I wish I could find that same passion to do something--anything!--now. It just doesn't seem to be in me right now, and I don't understand why.Is it a lack of discipline? Is it depression? Is it laziness? Or is it just a lack of direction? A lack of passion?The AT taught me that I CAN work hard to achieve a goal. I AM capable of it.There are two things I feel drawn to achieving, having. One is not entirely in my control--it involves the choice of another person...whoever that other person is remains to be determined.The second is to live in California. That requires some $$$, which I'm working on--but not very hard, just yet. I've set that goal for January 2007; my drivers' license and my massage license both expire that month, and I figure that should give me enough time to save a goodly amount of money for the move.However, because that is a year and a half away, and I'm not real passionate about the work I'm doing, I'm not real driven to work hard to save the money!That's why I think I'm just lazy.I don't know, I'm just rambling anyway...
Date: 2005-10-18
To: Closure?
Miles today: 0.0

I knew that if I ever met Miss Janet she would know who I was; she and Bono were pretty tight.Today I talked to her on the phone regarding a shuttle between Erwin and Spivey Gap (I'm finally going back to do that section I skipped--I hope this weekend). I mentioned having hiked in '03 and she said, "Oh, what's your trailname?" I told her."Hephzibah... You were friends with..." she searched her memory for the connection.I hesitated, then offered, "Bono, probably.""Yes! I thought that was it. I just heard from him recently..."I couldn't resist asking where he was and how he was doing. Twice now over the last year I have not responded to his e-mails. But it's not like I don't care, and I certainly think of him, especially since this month makes just about two years since we met. Circumstances just dictate that it's best we not be in contact with each other.I never would have guessed it, but Miss Janet gave me perhaps the best news I could have hoped for: He's back with Ashley and the girls.My feelings have run the gamut, but I'm so happy for him. Man, I wish them all the very best. It's the perfect happy ending.Except that I'm still single...