morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-23
To: Looking Back on 2006 Thru-hike
Miles today: 0.0

We thought we'd share some videos of Old Goats 2006 Journey from Georgia to Maine. This top one was made by Old Goat, the bottom one was made by his son Chris, enjoy! To see all of the 2006 journal entries and pictures, follow the 2006AT link on the left.Hiking the Appalachian Trail - Following a Dream Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 90 Seconds!! The trail is calling me."It's about the smiles, not the miles! Following the trail of dreams is an adventure into one's soul/spirit - enjoy." Posey Picker - Multi-Thru HikerFirst Previous Next LastHiker Entries July 23, 2008JournalistDestinationTrailbeakerDennytown Road CampsiteAppalachian TrailBrakeman & GrasshopperOsgood Tent Site NHAppalachian TrailNew DayZealand Falls CampsiteAppalachian TrailPapa SargeMohican Outdoor CenterAppalachian Trailbone ladyTiorati Lake PavilionAppalachian TrailLostHiltPacific Crest TrailMoonshadow & S. ForecastIron Bridge over Housatonic River (Falls Village)Appalachian TrailPatchSouth Lake Tahoe, CAPacific Crest TrailRecurveChurchill Scott ShelterAppalachian TrailTrooper-- View Entry --Pacific Crest TrailMore...Grouped By Trail... There is no better way to bring in the New Year than on the trail and with friends. I don¢t know if resolutions were made or even necessary. We were here and others were elsewhere. All we had was a snow dusted holler, a path leading and some sparkle in the air....    Lead dog ¢Appalachian Trail2018HikingTrailsJournalsPhotosCalendarGearLinksPartnersULA EquipmentREIPatagoniaNetworkTrail ForumsTrail NewsAbout UsContactDonateJoinLoginHelpFollow UsFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterest LinkedinTop Photo © Derek Williams - The Tahoe Rim Trail, 09/08/2001 by Big Daddy DTrailjournals LLC © 2024All Rights Reserved. privacy policyNewburyport, MA 01950Terms under which this service is provided to you. Build: 20210226:165913Manage Settings
Date: 2008-08-20
To: Be careful of what you wish for
Miles today: 0.0

Old Goat's entry:Last year at this time we were hearing about the drought conditions along the trail. I remember hearing Atlanta's reservoir was dangerously low and the springs along the trail were dry. I'll bet the class of 2008 Appalachian Trail hikers prayed for rain. From what I've been seeing I would say they got it.Here is my my plea to the class of 2009, don't pray for rain. Pray for just enough rain to keep the springs running, just enough heat to be comfortable, and just enough sunlight to make all of the overlooks be spectacular.Remember: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!
Date: 2008-09-12
To: Leaves of three, let it be.
Miles today: 0.0

Poison Ivy is one nasty plant and quite numerous on the AT. When I was hiking Georgia I saw a lot of vines hanging from the trees. I know that vines are one of the ways you will find Poison Ivy growing. There were no leaves on the vines but I avoided them anyway. The first time I remember seeing Poison Ivy leaves was just north of Erwin, TN. I remember seeing tiny leaves forming just off the trail. The words of the following song came to mind and I remember writing what I thought were the words that day. I'll bet I wasn't even close.I kept a close eye and avoided anything that looked like it might be Poison Ivy. I never got it and I consider myself extremely lucky. If you know the tune sing along!Poison Ivy By The Coasters She comes on like a rose But everybody knows She'll get you in touch You can look but you better not touch Poison Ivy Poison Ivy Late at night while you're sleepin' Poison Ivy comes a creepin' a-round She's pretty as a daisyBut look out man she's crazy She'll really do you in If you let her get under your skin Poison Ivy Poison Ivy Late at night while you're sleepin' Poison Ivy comes a creepin' a-round Measles make you mumpy And mumps'll make you lumpy And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch A common cold'll fool ya And whooping cough can cool ya But brother not a lot'll make you itch You're gonna need an ocean Of calamine lotion You'll be scratchin' like a hound The minute you start to mess around Poison Ivy Poison Ivy Late at night while you're sleepin' Poison Ivy comes a creepin' a-round Measles make you mumpy And mumps'll make you lumpy And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch A common cold'll fool ya And whooping cough can cool ya But brother not a lot'll make you itch You're gonna need an ocean Of calamine lotion You'll be scratchin' like a hound The minute you start to mess around Poison Ivy Poison Ivy Late at night while you're sleepin' Poison Ivy comes a creepin'a-round.
Date: 2008-10-04
To: Thru- hiking is 90% mental, the other half mental
Miles today: 0.0

Taking a long distance hike is very much a mental thing, probably more so than the physical hiking. About 75% of the people who set out from Springer Mountain Georgia to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in 2006 dropped out. Some left injured or sick, some ran out of money (usually collage kids, some had family needs that couldn't wait, some had significant others who weren't dealing with the separation and for some the trail wasn't like they expected.I feel you have to go into a challenge like this mentally prepared for the worst and hope for the best. I was an experienced backpacker before 2006. I had the camping skills necessary and I had hiked rough terrain before. What was unknown to me was how would I feel doing the same thing for six months straight. I had read two things of advice that seemed to opposite each other. The first said you'll know it's time to quit when it stops being fun. The second said hiking was your job, you had to get up and hike even in bad conditions. I wrote the following in my 2006 Pre-hike journal:I keep working on my mental state for the trail; I give myself talks that the trail will be a job not a vacation (thanks Warren Doyle). I know there will be cold or wet days when I would prefer to stay in my sleeping bag to stay warm or dry. I know my job will be to press on and make progress on my task or it will not be completed. I know I can not ask my body to do more than it is able. I know that Katahdin should not be my only focus; I must set daily, weekly, and monthly goals in order to feel like I am accomplishing something. And most of all I must remember to appreciate the people I meet, the places I see, the opportunities that come my way and to enjoy myself along the way.I also picked up a mantra early on in the hike, "No Pain, No Rain, No Maine." I took this as meaning I had to keep hiking to make progress or I would never reach my goal in Maine. I can honestly say there were days that weren't fun but they would be negated by all those days that were spectacular. I love standing on a mountain top and taking in the view of the world below. I take pride in knowing I'm accomplishing something significant and somewhat rare.I loved it so much that I've missed it since I left the trail in Maine. Enough about me from here as I will not be a solo hiker any more.The title of this entry is a modified Yogi Berra quote.
Date: 2008-10-04
To: Trail Name for Sue
Miles today: 0.0

We¢ve decided on a trail name for Sue. From here on she will be known as ¢Check Six.¢ The name comes from our 1999 Philmont hike. We were leading a group of teenagers through the mountains of New Mexico¢¦or rather, they were leading us. As we went up and down the mountains they would disappear ahead of us and we would become concerned that our group would become separated. Early in the trek, when we reached the resting group of kids Sue would tell them they needed to ¢Check Six.¢ ¢Check Six¢ means to turn around and look behind you from time to time to make sure you can still see the person behind you. Almost every time we stopped she kept repeating the reminder, I don¢t remember it sinking in to them. (Sue¢s note ¢ No it didn¢t sink in. As we hiked, I was always in the back of the line of hikers. When the kids got too far ahead, I¢d yell, ¢Check Six!¢ to remind them to slow down. They would look back and appear to slow down for a minute or so and then soon forget and resume their speed.) ¢Check Six¢ is a military aviator¢s term; it comes from the terminology of using the hour numbers on a clock as a point of reference. I¢ll try to describe how this works. For those of you who only know digital watches, this may not make sense. For you Disney fans I¢ll explain it in terminology you¢ll understand. When Mickey¢s little hand is pointing straight up he¢s pointing to 12 o¢clock, when it¢s pointing your right he¢s pointing to 3 o¢clock, when it¢s pointing down he¢s pointing to six o¢clock, and when he¢s pointing to your left he¢s pointing to 9 o¢clock. Imagine yourself standing in the center of the clock facing 12 o¢clock, so then 6 o¢clock is your back. The aviator is checking his/her six for bad guys who want to cause harm to them. One of the things they say is ¢Check Six¢ to remind them to keep looking around. It also is used to for one aviator warn another aviator that there¢s a bad guy behind the first aviator.You might remember the following dialog from the movie Top Gun: Maverick: Talk to me GooseGoose: Bandits at 6 o¢clock (aka. Bad guys behind us)Sue and I don¢t intend to be separated while hiking, but we certainly will be checking our six to ensure the one in front doesn¢t leave the other behind. ----------Sue¢s/Check Six¢s note: When Old Goat first suggested ¢Check Six¢ to me, I immediately liked the idea. It brings back warm memories of our Philmont trek, and it ties in with our military backgrounds. Both Old Goat and I are retired from the Air National Guard. Old Goat worked on the planes while I had office jobs during my career there, but since we worked at the same base, I have a fondness for the jets as well. Also, when Old Goat and I hike together I¢m usually in front so I can be comfortable with our pace. Having ¢Check Six¢ as my trail name fits with my mode of operation when hiking ¢ I¢m always listening for Old Goat¢s sounds (talking, hiking poles, etc.). If I don¢t hear him, I look back to make sure he¢s there. (I ¢Check Six.¢) It¢s comforting to know he¢s there.
Date: 2009-01-01
To: Happy New Year 2009
Miles today: 0.0

Happy New Year to all. We will be hiking the AT this year in approximately 70 days. I don't know if those 70 odd days will fly by or drag on. We're planning our food drops (Boxes of food we will have mailed to us) and accumulating the food to pack. We bought a lot of the long shelf life items already (Freeze dried foods), we're now buying store items with shelf life beyond September (supermarket dry goods) and are holding off on a few items with shorter shelf life (jerky, peanut butter, etc.).Let me explain why we will be using drop boxes. I (OG)found I ate better with food sent to me rather than if I bought it in local stores. The few times I did buy in stores I found the variety to be limited. I noticed a lot of buy along the way hikers eating a lot of granola bars, snickers, and other such items. The supper meals I ate were mostly Lipton/Knorr Sides, which are prepackaged noodle or rice dishes usually meant to be a side item on your plate. To make them a dinner I added a serving worth of freeze dried meat and mixed vegetable. For a change of pace I also ate freeze dried meals made for hikers. For lunch I had peanut butter, spam, deviled ham, cheese spread, and my favorite was from the supermarket Olive Loaf on a bagel. Breakfast was instant grits, scrambled eggs from freeze dried, instant oatmeal, oatmeal bars, and lots of Pop tarts.I really don't know how the cost compares by using drop boxes as opposed to buying along the way goes, I just like the security of them. There is a huge drawback to this method though, you are limited to receiving your mail when the Post Office or Outfitter is open. In 2006 I primarily used Post Offices this time we will be using a lot more alternate places such as outfitters, hostels, and motels. Although we will still be limited to their hours it should open up more opportunities.How did I know where to have the boxes sent to in 2006 and again now in 2009. The Thru-Hikers Handbook has all that information throughout the book, as does the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Companion. This time I do know of a few places that were better than others.We seem to have our equipment the way we want it. We want to try a lighter boot for the summer hiking, we both have a pair to try out and break in now. I don't know if we'll have enough time to do a good evaluation. I guess we'll find out as we use them. One thing we can do is mail our heavier boots to a post office we'll pass a week later. If the boots are fine we can forward the box home and if they aren't working we can send the lighter boots home and put the heavier ones back on. This method of mailing a box to yourself is called a bounce box. Many hikers bounce items ahead of themselves to save pack weight, if they don't need it at that post office they forward it to another P.O. further up the trail.Happy New Year!   Welcome 2009 and another hiking season.
Date: 2009-01-24
To: Teaching transcriber
Miles today: 0.0

We had a few entries from Old Goat's 2006 hike showing here for a little while. I was training our friend and transcriber Brenda what to do. I just deleted them from Trailjournals. I hope we didn't confuse anyone with this.We haven't put much up on the site lately because we doubt it would be interesting. Old Goat's last day on his job is February 6th and we'll start packing food and doing final preparations after that. We're still going to the YMCA regularly to get in shape in preparation for the hike. We've also accumulated food and supplies that will be sent to us on our hike. We plan to have many drop boxes sent along the way with our food, supplies, medications, etc. Most hikers buy from local stores as they hike with the rest receiving boxes. In the old days most hikers had boxes sent to them but the numbers seem to have flip flopped in recent years. There is no one right way to do this, it's a matter of what you feel comfortable with. I'm not sure on which cost less buying along the way or having boxes sent. We're just more comfortable knowing we will have the foods we like. I suspect that the mailing cost will be about $15.00 per box, so any savings by buying in bulk will be offset by postage.Between Old Goat's last day of work and the start day on the trail he will be going to Daytona Florida to see the Daytona 500. This will be the 4th time he's taken this trip for this race, it's a good time with some old friends.
Date: 2009-02-21
To: Twenty days to go
Miles today: 0.0

Here I sit waiting for the days to pass and our start day to come. I have one non trail project to finish before we go and I hope I get it done. I'm refinishing a room in our daughters house. We are adding insulation to a 50 year old house and adding Sheetrock to the walls and ceiling. I'm taping the seams and filling the screw holes. I hope to be done by the time we leave.Now as for getting physically ready for the trail, that isn't happening as well as we would like. We have been going to the YMCA to workout when we can but have been unable to get out on the trails with a pack on. We've had a record year for snow which makes hiking impossible. We planned to start the trail with low mileage days at a slow pace, we are going to have to stick to that plan. I'm sure we'll get strong and adapt without any problems. This is the same plan I used in 2006 so it should work once again.I feel like I'm babbling, I'm a little rusty with this keyboard and I have not done much writing since my last journal. Once we're out ther hiking I should have a lot to write about. I'm sure Sue will have plenty to write about. Old Goat & Check Six
Date: 2009-03-04
To: One week to go
Miles today: 0.0

With one week to go the reality of this happening is hitting us hard. We've been building our maildrops, and refining our resupply plan. We are living with checklists of things we need to do and methodically chipping through them.The weather isn't making it any easier with the single digit temperatures. I keep thinking "It must be warmer in Georgia" then when I look on the internet I see it's cold there too. The thought that 2006 was a lot warmer than normal overall, this year seems colder. I remember how it felt when I was hiking and the thought keeps coming to mind of what will it be like this time. I had an attitude that "It is what it is and I can't change it". No rain, no pain, no Maine comes to mind with the addition of cold, heat, mosqitos, and all the other elements too. If it were easy everybody would be long distance hikers. Well as I said it is what it is, we will move forward and take each day as it comes.I've been asked why do I want to hike the Appalachian Trail again. I have two reasons, the first is I had an excellent experience while I hiked. Each day feels like you are running a marathon and the runners high is constantly there. We may not be running each day but the amount of energy is similar. Hiking 12 to 15 miles per day is the equivalant to a half marathon and the backpack on our backs also adds to the energy expended. It just feels good.As the start day gets closer the stress level gets higher. We are second guessing our equipment choices and find ourselves wanting to add things to our packs, then rationally thinking it out and rejecting that idea. It will be so much better once we're hiking and in the present of that day.One of Dear Abby's New Years Resolution tips "Just for today, I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things I can correct and accept those I cannot." The trail is a maintained footpath, where it goes and what it goes over we will accept it for what it is. We can change our hiking speed, our pack weight, our attitude towards the trail. The weather is what it is, we can't change it so we'll accept it. Abby's advice will serve us well.Welcome to our journey, we'll try to keep the journal insightful and entertaining. Thanks for taking it with us.       Old Goat & Check Six
Date: 2009-03-17
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

Cell goodOG's notesThis morning while we were packing up we decided to take a ride with Neal's family into Helen Georgia. This meant we had to hike an additional 2 miles beyond our original destination, we'll be back on schedule tomorrow we'll hike 2 less.Helen is a neat little town where every building looks like it were in Germany. The town board has to approve every new building to ensure the design will fit in.We didn't expect Neal's mom and aunt to invite us to stay with them in the house they rented here. And to have a fantastic home cooked meal too. So instead of staying in a motel we are in a house. Thank you Sue, Sharon, Carey and Neal for taking in two smelly hikes and all of your wonderful hospitality.The sun finally came out today and the hiking was excellent. It was so nice not to have rain suits on and be walking in t-shirts. My leg muscles didn't hurt much too much today, we must be getting into shape. We are careful and we still go very slow uphill but we make steady progress. This is a totally different hike this time. I am seeing and feeling things differently. The mountains are harder and there are a lot more than I remember. Having C6 as a hiking partner is the best thing. She is a real trooper her perspective is different than mine,she points out things I don't see. I enjoy having my best friend with me on this journey.C6 Notes - I have some new aches and pains (from my fall yesterday), but nothing major. I'm so thankful that it seems like I didn't have any major injury from the fall. The fall shook me up, but I'm ok now.Neal and his family are terrific people. I spend a lot of time praying while we are hiking, and I feel strongly that God has a purpose for us to be doing this hike. Meeting Neal's family is confirmation of that. Neal's aunt (Sharon) read some scripture and said a beautiful prayer and grace before dinner last night. I feel so blessed right now. A nice bed awaits us, so I'm not going to write more right now. See you in tomorrow's entry.Old Goat & Check Six
Date: 2009-03-25
To: Chris
Miles today: 0.0

Hi Everyone,We got our first big photo download a few days ago. Myself and Brenda (their transcriber) got them in here and annotated. I added some of them to the journal entries, so look back to see photos of their entries & people. I also set up a youtube account for their viedos, they can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/OldGoatandCheck6Enjoy!!--Chris (OG & C6's Son)
Date: 2009-03-30
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Cell noneOG notesWe're in the Hike Inn at Fontana Dam tonight. Those of you following us are probably thinking, "Wait a minute they're in a bed again? I thought they're out there roughing it." We have to make stops to pick up food and to get ourselves cleaned up. This stop is a really big one. Tomorrow we go into the GSMNP, we'll be in a remote area for the next 7 days. This is a long haul and a quite difficult one. Also this is the coldest part of the hike and we need to get inside from time to time.We slept in our tent last night and were very comfortable. We have very good sleeping bags with silk liners. C6 also has a small quilt made from an old sleeping bag. I use my fleece jacket for my feet and my down jacket for my chest. We also have an insulating pad under our Thermarest pad made from Reflectix house insulation. Last night was in the mid 30 degree range and we were comfortable.As planned, the hike today was a little shorter than somedays. We arrived at Fontana Dam about noon. We were supposed to call the owners of the Hike Inn but he was at the dam to pick up another hiker when we got there.The Hike Inn is an older motel which now caters to hikers only. The rooms are clean and adequate and the owners, Jeff and Nancy, are really great to us. I recommend this place to future hikers.I just finiished sorting the food we'll be carrying into the park. We have 7 days, plus some extra in case the weather gets bad, and we have to sit in a shelter an extra day. This is the heaviest load we've had to date, and probably for the whole trip. The only thing we can do is put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Our load will get smaller and we'll come out the other side of the GSMNP 72 miles further north.C6 notesBeautiful day today. Sunshine, short day (6.6 miles; we were done by noon), showers, time to dry everything out, a good dinner, and fabulous hosts (owners of The Hike Inn, Jeff and Nancy). They even washed our clothes! It was very cold last night, and when we started hiking today (in the low 30's). As we descended, the temperature rose. The most interesting part of today for me was hiking into Spring. As we descended, we started seeing Trilliums. At first it was just small petals. The lower we got, the larger the petals became, and then buds began to appear. Finally, they were in full bloom and large. It was fascinating! Like watching Spring take place in the span of a couple hours.Old Goat & Check Six