morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-21
From: Sebastion, Fl

To: Key Largo, Fl
Miles today: 26.0

averaged 12.1mph, 99(AHR); 118HR; MSP 19mph; 2:08CTWow..all that way and only 26 miles! True confession...its a lot further than that but this day was cycle- car- cycle- bus- cycleI knew it would be impossible to cycle to Key West in time for Jane's birthday and when I entered Vero Beach I passed and Enterprise car rental place and stopped and asked about a rental. They had none and I expressed my disappointment with not being able to make it by Jane's birthday and they started asking about what I was doing. When I told then about my trip they bent over to help and found a KIA sport ut, but when we inspected it, it had been damaged and needed to be repaired before it could be rented. So they came up with a Nissan Mirano that after I folded the seats down, the bike fit right in.So off I went. My first thought was to ride to Miami and find a motel and then return the car so I took off down A1A. After an hour or so, it dawned on me I could drop the car and keep on cycling south so I headed for I95 and picked up the pace.I dropped the car at the Hyatt in downtown Miami, right on my bike route and off I went. I met a guy biking north and we stopped to chat. He told me to follow the Miami rapid rail line (which was over my head) and there was a bike path that followed under it. He said when the tracks came to the last station at ground level, I could take a bus to Key Largo via a change in Florida City. This was amazing how everything seemed to fall together to get me to Key West by Jane's birthday.Everything was like he said and it was not long before I was on the bus for the sum of less than $4!So I will make it there on time after all. It did not bother me to skip that section of Florida north of Miami nor that section to Key Largo.
Date: 2007-09-22
From: Key Largo, Fl

To: Grassy Key
Miles today: 44.0

averaged 13.3mph, 88(AHR); 134HR; MSP 27mph; 3:19CTPart of the road and the bike path leaving Key Largo was in a mess. I almost needed a trail bike to get over some of the rough ground caused by the road construction. It has warmed up a lot, over 80 when I left this morning. There is not a lot of traffic even though it is Saturday so I guess this is a good time of the year to visit the Keys.I did find a big gash in my front tire today. There is large flap of rubber and you can see the tire cords. I¢ll wait until it absolutely dies or I get home before I do anything about it since I do not carry spare tires.The little motel I stopped in is not close to anything but I was worried that it being Saturday night that if I waited too late things might fill up. It turned out that would not have been a problem.
Date: 2007-09-23
From: Grassy Key

To: Key West
Miles today: 60.0

averaged 14.1mph, 100(AHR); 141HR; MSP 28mph; 4:17CTThis was my last day biking on this trip as I am now in Key West and at the B&B Jane picked for us, the Nassau House and you can see it at nassauhouse.com. Nice folks, convenient location to the main drag in Key West, Duval Street, as well as close to the ferry terminal. Jane came down on the ferry from Ft. Meyers and we¢ll go back the same way. It would have been better to take the ferry from Miami as the boat would have followed the keys down rather than go through miles of open ocean from Ft. Meyers.The trip down today was laid back as I did not have a lot of miles. I did call the B&B and see if I could come in a day early and that was ok. I called then from a little gas station where I was taking a break and after I hung up the phone, it started raining so I went back inside and waited for the rain to head south. There was a t railing wind and as I pedaled down the road, I caught up with the rain and had to slow down. Boy that is a first.As I was entering Key wets, a storm came up and before I could get out of it I was soaked. I crossed the street to a motel they were refurbishing and got out of the rain and waited for it to quit. I went by the marker for the southern most point in the continental US and was going to get my picture in my road gear, but there was a line of folks doing the same thing and I was cold and wanted to find the B&B and get a hot shower. I made it to the B&B and was heartily welcomed and it sure was good to get things unloaded, a hot shower, and then dry. The rain was gone and I walked up to a little grocery to get some snacks then a nice nap before I walked uptown for supper and a celebration drink or 2 or was it 3?
Date: 2007-09-24
From: Key West

To: nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

Another ride in the books. I may not take anymore rides that take as long as this one did. I think I¢d rather take a little more time along the way and do more browsing along the way. A ride this long makes me start thinking about getting to the end and hurrying up and that is not what these rides should be about, or be about for me. I¢d rather spend more time seeing things and on some days maybe making some miles just for a change of pace. I guess I am getting to the point where its not the destination, it¢s the journey.Thanks again to my support guys at the HUB Cycle shop in Athens. They do a great ob of keeping me on the road. You can find them at hubbikes.com.
Date: 2007-03-27
To: A good start
Miles today: 0.0

Planning, Preparation, and Shopping. Not something I was looking forward to, but I'm sure I'll thank myself later. A special thanks to section hiker Socrosse, who has been my coach through this phase. He has also been my boss at work for the past 3 yearsProgress to date: I've acquired new poles and cook stove (courtesy of Socrosse), boots, tent, miscellaneous little stuff, all with an eye toward keeping the weight down. I've also picked up Wingfoot's Thru-Hiker's Handbook, and am wearing it out already. An interesting find was the cell phone I picked up, the LG env, which was mentioned by hiker Sly on a Whiteblaze.net forum. It is a phone with a QWERTY keyboard and wireless internet connection, so I expect to be able to update this journal from the trail. It also has MP3/headphone capability and a 2 megapixel camera, so this 5 ounce item may replace several other items, saving more weight.The best news I've received to date is that I don't need a special exercise program - a month on the trail will take care of that, if I have the discipline to start easy. I have been working out regularly, though, Nordic Track 3 days a week, so I have a bit of a start there.I visited my doctor today, routine visit for cholesterol, and got some interesting feedback from him that I haven't heard from hikers. He did change my dosage, but he also checked up on my tetanus shot (I needed one) and he prescribed antibiotics for skin/chest/nose illnesses so if I do get sick I can at least hike out to somewhere for real treatment.
Date: 2007-04-01
To: Retirement is such sweet sorrow
Miles today: 0.0

OK, I'm not retiring. But this feels a lot like it since I'm taking a year off. So, on Friday the 30th I completed the most important preparation activity of all - it was my last day of work. That was enough preparation for one day, so I during the evening I just celebrated my career and future with many friends I have worked with lo these many years. Actually, one piece of hike prep was accomplished. I was presented a "retirement watch". It was plastic, but will be as good as gold for the trip, since in includes a compass, thermometer, barometer, alarm, and altimeter. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention it tells time too. Batman had his belt, now I have my wristwatch. Ah, how technology moves on! The "retirement" event was bittersweet of course, knowing I would not just be running into these good people all the time as a matter of course. I am hoping that this journal becomes a way of extending those friendships past retirement.  The next day, while working off a hangover (well worth it!) I picked up where I left off on hike prep. I recruited my parents to be transcribers for the journal (Thanks much!), and went on yet another shopping spree, so now I figure I have 90% of my gear. My Tarptent Contrail tent will be delivered on April 4, and for some reason I am more excited about that than any other item -I have to find out how 24 ounces of coated nylon will protect me from rain and bugs for 200 days. More prep - figuring out how to use my new cell phone on the trail, learning how to use the new watch, breaking in the new Vasque Breeze boots I got earlier in the week, working out on my Nordic track as I do 3 days a week. Actually, David, you get some credit for my success on this trip - borrowing your set of DVDs for season 2 of 24 has me fully back on my training schedule. Of course the scene where they chose to land the nuclear bomb where it would kill hikers instead of fish was not terribly motivating.  With all the prep left, I'm starting to wonder if I will really make it. I'm thinking the hike will be the easy part. At least, it better be.
Date: 2007-04-02
To: Slight change in plans
Miles today: 0.0

Preparation continues apace at an incredible pace. An opportunity to visit my cousin Mark and his family in Atlanta has me looking to arrive a week earlier than planned, i.e. in 8 days on April 11. Oooh, now its getting real, as in real busy, since I'm only going to be home for 4 days prior to that due to visits with family and friends - not much time for a guy who hasn't even tried packing his pack yet.      As a result of the new schedule, today has been a crusher day. Got my taxes done, got my bills all on automatic payment, practiced using the camera on my new phone, like, Wow, like, when do I actually get to think about hiking? Then I made lunch with my camping setup and realized the importance of a windscreen, as I could see the heat wave from the stove veer to all sides of the pot yet always avoiding direct contact, resulting in warm Ramen Noodles for lunch - Yum! Next more camp shopping, including food for the first 2 weeks, and a lightweight trowel, and $20 polypropylene undershorts. You gotta be kidding. But then I be wearing for the next 2200 miles, so if they're comfortable they're worth it. Now I?m kicking back (in hiking boots) with a Fosters oilcan(which I will convert into a backup cooking pot when I?m done). All in all a good day of progress.   ---We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love(and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list.
Date: 2007-04-03
To: A map by which to monitor my progress
Miles today: 0.0

Many people have asked about a trail map as an aid to following my progress. Here is one that works nicely. Mary - I hope you appreciate the grammatical correctness of the title. I soooo wanted to say "A map to monitor my progress by", because I am from a place where we CAN end our sentences with prepositions ;-)
Date: 2007-04-04
To: Triskaidekamania
Miles today: 0.0

To those who say I cannot make commitments, I say Ha! I have demonstrated great flexibility and adaptability by constantly revising my schedule plans to meet changing conditions, but now I know a full week and a half ahead of time that my journey begins on Friday the 13th. No Fear. On that day I will fly to Atlanta, visit cousins there for a day or 2, and hit the trail on the 15th. Many people have asked if I am traveling alone. A casual perusal of other journals show that at least 4 other people are starting on the 15th as well. I figure there will be many more than that because there are a lot of hikers not keeping journals. So at least on the first day I won't be alone. I just need to be able to keep up. I have extra motivation to keep up as well. Trail Days in Damascus, VA will be 33 days after I start. Friends have indicated it is worth catching, but I will have to average 14 miles a day to make it. That's alot, especially at the beginning of the trip, and it will take discipline to avoid pushing too hard at the outset. I'm hoping to remember the lesson from my years of distance running that the "race" is usually won in the second half.Today my eagerly-awaited 24 ounce tent arrived. The package was so light and small that at first I assumed it had to be something else, although what that might be I had no idea. But 5 minutes later I had it erected and was sitting in it. Very nice setup. I found out later when I read the directions that there were shortcuts so I could have had it up in 2 minutes. That'll be nice on those days when it is raining when I get to camp.
Date: 2007-04-08
To: Taking a break
Miles today: 0.0

I just got back from a round of visits to out-of-town friends and family. It turned into a recruiting trip for help for my trip, totally unintended, but it simply happened because I am surrounded by a lot of nice people who think this is a neat project. So, I have people from Georgia to Pennsylvania ready to drop me off at the start, rescue me if I need it, visit the trail when I am in their neighborhood, transcribe for this journal, and shop for food & gear to send packages to post offices. Thanks to everybody who is pitching in!
Date: 2007-04-10
To: Safety
Miles today: 0.0

Thanks to the many people who have said they will keep me in their prayers. I know this is largely a concern for my safety, but I hope you will also pray for success ¢ that I experience the joys of completing the trip, enjoying the woods, peace of mind, camaraderie with other hikers, overcoming challenges, adventure.I also want to reassure you that the risks are known and readily addressed. Just like city life has its dangers ¢ traffic, crime, electricity, fire,angry pets, etc - so does the trail. And just like in the city, if you are aware of the risks, and take the proper precautions to address them, you can be safe if you are constantly vigilant. Only the dangers themselves are different. However, they are well known and they have known solutions. In fact, I would rather refer to them as problems rather than dangers, just as you do when you unplug the toaster before you stick a knife into it to fetch the bottom half of your bagel. So, what are the dangers? Everyone thinks about bears and snakes. I have seen evidence of both during past hikes. Simple solutions to both ¢ be noisy so they hear you coming and can get out of your way. And, because bears may be interested in your food, don¢t keep any in your tent. Neither snakes nor bears think people are food. Maybe the fact I will not be bathing much will reinforce that thought. In fact, though, I will be more focused on other issues ¢ hypothermia, Lyme disease, illness or injury on the trail, mean people on the trail. I don¢t want to go into details of addressing these problems except to say that I have thoroughly researched them, and know many answers, and will be resourceful. Also, I will rarely be alone ¢ hikers look out for each other. And although I have made no arrangements to hike with anyone, I already know of many people starting the same day as I, plus even more that are a week or so ahead of me or behind me.
Date: 2007-04-12
To: One last look inward before I head outward
Miles today: 0.0

I keep asking myself. Why I want to do this? So do a lot of other people. My only conclusion is that it is one of those innate human urges that simply exist, without a reason, like the fact that we all love our jobs so much. OK, maybe that's a bad example, but how about the way we men love sports, then? Or the way we all dote on children? I've tried to dig a little deeper, and the overwhelming sensation that I recall from past hikes is the sense of peaceful adventure of simply being in the woods, as if a part of me belongs there rooting out an existence in nature, and not eking out a living in the city. I also recall the friendly feeling of camaraderie with a group that is sharing a mission. I also recall being immersed in a simple lifestyle, a refreshing change from the hectic-ness, complications and confrontations of my "other" life. Indeed, a lot of my motivation for the trip is to take a "time-out" from my current lifestyle - time to try out something new, time to chill out with dropping out, to give the parts of my brain I normally use a rest while exercising some other parts. This last item takes on particular importance since I sometimes feel I am losing some talents that I once considered myself strong at, like public speaking, learning new computer applications, and handling many tasks simultaneously and dependably. Another motivation is the sense of achievement that will go with this hike, whether I stop at Harpers Ferry or go the distance.   A final reason I want to do this is because the pressure is on! I probably shouldn't have told so many people I'm doing this, but clearly the reactions have been such that I won't live it down if I don't finish. Thanks for nuthin!   After all of this, some of you will still have the sense to say, "Yeah.... but?". And my answer is that we all have conflicting desires. Being out on the trail does indeed conflict with the desire to be comfortable, sleep well, eat well, be clean, not have pain, not be cold, not be hot, not be besieged by biting insects, not get rained on, do I need to go on? Overcoming these challenges is probably part of the thrill of whole experience. It certainly adds to the mystique. Obviously these conflicts exist in me as well as anyone else, but in my case the opportunities and the conflicts are, on balance, in favor of going for it!   Enough talk, Let's walk!
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

After flying in to Atlanta and enjoying a visit withcousin Mark, his family and Uncle Bob, Mark drove meto Amicalola Falls, took this picture and headed toLas Vegas(I always knew he was the smart cousin). Oncehe left I headed up into the mountains. In no time thehat and jacket were off, but not for long. I wasbasking in all the new sensations - sights, sounds, andthe pleasure of exertion. But Mother Nature's largessesoon took on a sinister air. A neat sound had been thewind howling through the trees. Eventually the windbecame fog-laden and the moisture accumulated on thetrees and began falling. Then the wind began blowingat ground level. This gave a wind chill to thetemperatures that had already dropped into the 40s. Atthis point, I experienced one of the high points ofthe day, when I sat in a wind-protected nook at thetop of a mountain and watched as fog hurled andshrieked through a gap between my mountain and the next one at, I would say35-40 mph. Again Mother Nature showed her sinister side when I lookeddown and saw snow on my bare legs. For the rest of the day I took no breaks, just to stay warm, until I reached the top of Springer Mountain,signed in and hiked a few more miles to a shelter where I found 9 otherhikers sharing my plight - cold, wind, snow. I was toocold and tired to eat. I ended my day then and thereby jumping into the only warm place I had - mysleeping bag.
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Stover CreekShelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

April 16-19 was a blur. Rather than summarize each dayI will use each days entry to highlight an area of newexperience or adjustment. Today is Sights & Sounds. Itis not a tough adjustment to replace city sights andsounds with those of the forest - vast panoramas oftreed mountains, wildlife of all sizes, stately treesboth upright and knocked down by age or wind, signs ofSpring, mountain sunsets, birds singing, babblingbrooks, roaring wind, mysterious rustlings in thewoods around you, coyotes yipping, and the satisfyingcrunch of the trail under your feet. Birds have beenthe most visible and audible form of wildlife,highlighted by sightings of pileated woodpeckers, awild turkey, ptarmigans, towhees(robin-like birds),and various finches. Many other birds have beenteasingly heard but not seen. Of special interestto my family, I heard the Drink-Your-Tea-ee-ee-ee ofthe indigo bunting for the first time in 30 years! (Correction: I have been told by my family and by friend and birder David Smith that the bird is an eastern towhee, not an indigo bunting)
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Gooch MountainShelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

Topic is Discomforts and PleasuresPLEASURES: Vistas;fellow hikers; watching spring unfold; wildflowers; wildlife sightings; wildlife signs (sounds, scat, diggings); exertion; steady, measurable progress;pains that are not being experienced; reading entries on my journal guest list; AYCE restaurants; hiking at 50 deg. F; waking up to woodpeckers, chirping birds, and the sun streaming into my tent; sunrises and sunsets; being welcomed to the shelters/campsites; cold mountain spring water; trail angels; bubbling brooks.DISCOMFORTS: Getting up out of a warm sleeping bag; working up a sweat from hiking only to have the wind whip up and chill you when you take a break; two hours to break camp; realizing my camera is at the bottom of my pack when I get to a vista; the smell when I get into my sleeping bag after days without a shower or a change of clothes; lead-filled legs the last two miles of a day's hike; concern that every ache and pain might grow into something to take me off the trail; knowing there are only two ways to get warm (hike or get into the sleeping bag); Raman noodles four nights a week; appetite swings.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Baggs Creek Gap
Miles today: 8.4

This day is dedicated to Socrosse. Not many miles today, but very productive. It included a stop at Neels Gap/Walasi-Yi, where an outfitters store is open to help hikers. I received a care package from Socrosse, a pound of Nutter Butter cookies. They were gone in about 20 minutes, and had I not asked everyone to save some for me I might not have gotten anything but some new friends out of it. I almost got a trail name of Nutter Butter as well, but that didn't pan out, for better or for worse. The outfitter store provides a service of looking at your pack and helping you find ways to reduce your weight. They identified 3-4 pounds of equipment I probably didn't need, and I agreed, so home it went. I also asked about my pack, which was quite old. They weighed it (7 lbs) and noted that most current packs are half that heavy. Interestingly, Socrosse had recommended I consider a lighter pack before I left, but I declined. 3 days into the hike I saw things a little differently, so now, Socrosse, you can say "I told you so!" Another highlight of the day was continued interaction with a group I call the "Traverse City Gang", a group of 8 section hikers sending off 3 friends who will be thru hikers. They had all moved on while I backpack shopped. When I left Walasi-Yi, all was well until I ran into one of those trail characters that are very interesting but a little scary.... he was carrying 4 bags weighing a collected 400 lbs. He would carry one 200 yards, go back and get another, and repeat until they were all together, and then advance them all another 200 yards one at a time. He was planning on wintering somewhere in northern Virginia, and this was how he was moving. All righty, then. Seemed like a nice enough guy, but still... So I put in more miles than I originally intended, and ended up walking past the Traverse City Gang's campsite, where I got an enthusiastic and reassuring welcome - a nice way to end the day when you are in unfamiliar territory with no strong friendships. Plus, they are an energetic and fun group to be around.