morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-07
From: Tellico Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 8.1

Lee and I discussed it yesterday and I really need to get back to work so we decided to cut out after the NOC festival. After a great night's sleep, a great dinner and breakfast at the Nantahala Mountain Lodge, we set out on our last day of hiking on this section hike. Really can't say enough good about Steve and Maggie.We had a few climbs and a huge descent into the NOC. It was a great hike and I am very happy that it was... After the last two days, I wanted to end this trip on a high note and it was exactly that. A great hike, great views and tough downhill into the NOC. Cabin wasn't ready so we HAD to go to lunch immediately and sat by the river drinking a cold beverage or two.I can't describe what we just did...hard, awesome, rewarding, relaxing, taxing, so many feelings and things going on in my head these past few weeks.Still one of the coolest things I have ever done. I can't wait to get back for the next section we choose to do.And kudos to Lee for quitting smoking when we left and never complaining about needing another smoke... Keep it up, my friend.Looking very much forward to the next chapter in this book...Looking forward to seeing Tammy and the kids to share the experience.Thanks to all for the support and kind words.... Onward!
Date: 2015-01-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The decision has been made. I am going to do this! Since late fall, 2014, I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about the AT. Endless research online regarding equipment.Finally narrowed things down a bit as to what equipment I 'thought' I wanted, and it was time to pay a visit to the (not so local) outdoor store, an hour and a half hour drive away. I spent 3 hours at TravelCountry in Central Florida with two very knowledgeable staff members, who patiently set up tents, got out sleeping pads and shook out sleeping bags. This was after marching around the store carrying a backpack loaded with weight, trying not to fall over and knock over multiple store displays!! By the time I took the pack off, I was ready to get down on the floor and crawl into a tent to tryout pad and bags!! When Brian helped me off with the pack, I asked him how much weight he had put inthe pack, thinking maybe about 10 lbs and oh my gosh it felt heavy, awkward and had me wondering what 27 pounds would feel like!! He said "twenty-five pounds" and I was like, wow, maybe I CAN do this!!!So, thanks to their expert help, I have narrowed my equipment list down and will be working on purchasing the items on my gear list as things go on sale this year.A big THANK YOU to Brian and Todd at Travel Country in Altamonte Springs, Fl for their patience and expertise. Be seeing you again soon!
Date: 2015-01-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Now that the equipment issue is somewhat settled, it is time to think about food, my favorite topic. Typically I am a fruit and vegetable type person, with a little chicken/fish thrown in for protein. So imagine my surprise when a knowledgeable thru hiker told me I only need to focus on three food groups: ramen (which I like), Idaho instant mashed potatoes in flavors (never heard of it!!) and Lipton(?) pasta sides, also in various flavors/combos. Ugh. In discussing this dilemma with my more serious 'chef' friends, they have offered to help me dehydrate various things (fruit, veggies) and make some jerky. Never having dehydrated food before, except unintentionally in the bottom corner cupboard, it sounds like more work than it is worth. So Feb and March, 2015 will be spent dehydrating, taste testing and acclimating to re-hydrated and prepackaged instant foods (blah!) Seriously though, I am sure, like everyone else, once I get out there hiking, I will be so hungry it won't matter what is in my pack, I will eat it anyway. Just hope that piece of jerky I reach for in the dark recesses of my food bag isn't an old dirty, wet sock!
Date: 2015-01-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

I have just finished reading the trail journal of Bad Camel,Popeye and Wrong Way Jalapeno, 2014. How great to be able to do the trail as a family. Many times Popeye (who is doing the writing)mentions using an app called Guthook. Has anyone else used this? I would appreciate any information about things like that.I have to laugh at myself, as I read the various trail journals, following each person on their journey. I feel as if I am right there with them through the trials and tribulations of the AT, but when I tear myself away from the page and look around, I realize I am sitting on the lanai, in my recliner seeing people going by playing golf! This is one heck of a way to hike the Appalachian Trail!!This makes my third entry. Now it is time to get down to business and get out of my chair and go for a walk. And yes, I may be carrying my golf clubs
Date: 2015-02-13
To: practice
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

It is a beautiful day here in Central Florida but only 50 degrees. What a day for a hike, so I grabbed a friend and out we went. Headed to a levy that runs along the Ocklawaha River. Beautiful walking surface, short grass on a sand/dirt levy next to the river. Not too much wildlife action, in spite of being the only humans out there, but did see a white tail deer, several sand hill cranes and some gray herons. I carried a day-pack with assorted "stuff" in it to give it some heft. Came home with tired legs and sore shoulders.....what a wuss!!As a reward for getting out there, I came home, ordered the hiking poles I have been eyeballing for some time, sank into my recliner and re-hydrated with a cuppa tea.Now THAT is a fantastic day!!
Date: 2015-05-10
To: equipment update
Miles today: 0.0

Time is flying by and I am feeling pretty good with my equipment purchases so far. After much ado over backpacks, trying on, looking for sales, returning defective pack, etc. I finally have my dream pack, an Osprey Aura AG EX 65 l. It fits great, and has wonderful ventilation. Can't wait to load it up and head out. Oh, wait. I am not going until next March. Sigh. Seems a long ways away. Starting to think about taking some practice overnighters late summer and early fall as I travel south to Florida from NY.Also bought my stove (Snow peak gigapower) and hiking boots. Settled on the Keen Targhee high top for the first section of the trail. Loved the wide toe box and instantly comfortable fit. I have been using my Leki poles. They are easy to adjust and fit well on the side of my back. Next focus will be getting my tent, sleeping pad and bag. Need to get working my summer job to pay for them!!
Date: 2015-07-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I have finished researching and purchasing finally. That process took months! I can't imagine what people do when they decide to go hike the AT and leave in 6 weeks. I assembled all my gear and loaded it into my backpack, swung the backpack up and onto my shoulders and just about fell over with the momentum! Good thing I wasn't standing on the side of a cliff. Looks like it will take a little practice being "top-heavy". My summer job has started and I get to schlep ladders and heavy tools around as an electrician's helper. Wearing my hiking boots and they are a dream. I am working out riding my bike in the hills of Montauk, NY giving my legs and lungs a good workout. Pretty soon I will add in some running and walks carrying my pack with weight.Now that the equipment decision fiasco is over, it is time to focus my energy on food; that is, figuring out meals, dehydrating, packaging......oh, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. I think I will procrastinate a bit by reading up on the subject first. That I can do on the couch If anyone has any tips or suggestions, I am very grateful for any information. This is my least favorite part of the planning.Also starting to work out plans to do some practice overnight hikes when I return south in September. Thought I would hit some parts of the AT in Virginia and Georgia, especially the Springer Mt. area. My goal is to get familiar with the start area during good weather. Hopefully this will lesser my anxiety when it comes time to start in March, as I will return to familiar ground. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to leave an entry in my guest book.Thanks,Cuppa Tea
Date: 2015-08-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I am so excited; I am going backpacking for real! Not just car camping, but throw on a pack and get the legs moving. Here¢s how it came about:As I wound up my employment in the north for the summer, knowing I had to drive back to Florida, I thought this would be a good time to test the water. But, I didn¢t want to go it alone quite yet. Not being much of a gambler, I reached out to Shutterbug anyway, with whom I had had some journal entry contacts previously. Much to my surprise, she was quite willing to take a chance with me and get some miles in. Thrown into the mix was another hiker, Wild Thang, who Shutterbug had met on a previous outing. Here are three women, of varying sizes, ages and hiking experience, meeting up to spend the next 3-4 days together backpacking on the AT. Talk about fate; we all hit it off immediately and (spoiler alert) have been backpacking together ever since.I am at my sister¢s house in western NY, sitting at the dining room table. Spread out before us we have an astonishing array of dehydrated food. It was totally overwhelming. Harmony House offers a backpackers kit, which I bought in order to assemble my own version of healthy trail meals (low sodium, low fat, low sugar). We dug in and started creating Ziploc packages. I was pleased with what we turned out, only to discover later that it would be my downfall.
Date: 2015-08-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Friday, Aug. 28This morning was truly leisurely as we had only 3 12 miles to hike out to the car. I was up early and moved about quietly so as not to waken the others. I hiked up the steep hill where we had hung our food bags last night and managed to stay on my feet coming down. Had I slipped, I would have rolled all the way down until the shelter wall stopped me, it was that steep. Again, suitable branches for bear bagging were in short supply. After depositing the food bags on the picnic table, I made my way to the stream to fill up my water containers. It was such a peaceful, beautiful morning, I found a good spot downstream to sit a bit and soak my feet. Brrr, the water was cold, but it felt so good. Eventually, I made my way back to the shelter and found Wild Thang at the table starting breakfast.   I joined her and we made enough noise to get Shutterbug moving. Slowly we moved through the morning and by 11 am, we were ready to hit the trail. Talk of which restaurant to go to in Franklin quickened our pace and we got to the car in no time at all! Funny how non-trail food motivates one! We retrieved the other car left at the beginning and made our way to a wonderful restaurant in town. Needless to say, the food disappeared quickly and we parted ways, vowing to head back out to the AT soon.I climbed into my car and headed immediately to my favorite shelter, the Comfort Inn. Checked in (by now it was late afternoon), had an enormous cup of tea with cookies followed by scrubbing all the AT dirt and grit off in a long hot shower. Ahhhh. Ate my late lunch leftovers, ate 2 more dinners, fell into bed and slept 12 straight hours. I had requested a late checkout, but that didn¢t keep the housekeeper from banging on my door at 11:30 am to see if I was still alive.
Date: 2015-08-29
To: I lived to tell about it!
Miles today: 0.0

Wow, it felt so good to sleep and not worry about bears! Moving slowly, with aches and pains, I loaded up the car and headed south. I managed to drive about 6 hours without falling asleep, but couldn¢t make it all the way home, so found the next so-called shelter. Yes, another Comfort Inn. My favorite. Big comfy beds, high thread count sheets, unlimited hot water. Who could ask for anything more? Again, ate huge amounts of food and fell into a deep 11 hour sleep coma! Guess I must have been lacking a little sleep, ha ha. Felt great the next morning and finished the drive home.Sunday, Aug. 30It feels so good to be home. While having my tea this morning, I reflected on my first adventure out backpacking. Foremost in my mind was the severe muscle cramping and how to best address that issue. After giving it much thought,and doing more research, I realized that backpacking the Appalachian Trail is an endurance event (duh!), and thus, needs to be fueled as one. My whole nutrition plan for that trip was wrong for the exertion factor. I was going to have to change my healthy eating routine to include salt, fat and sugar. Also invaluable would be electrolyte support. While I certainly drank plenty of water while hiking, I actually diluted the electrolyte balance in my system causing the severe cramping.I learned that although I did not train specifically for this journey, I was in pretty good physical shape for the short term trips. All my equipment, out for the first time, performed as expected, except my backpack belt which seemed a little large. I stopped at REI on the way home, and had them reassess the fit of my medium 65 liter pack and ended up exchanging it for a small, at no charge. Gotta love REI. My Keen boots, size 9 12 were comfortable but I ended up with a few black toenails. Called LLBean to discuss the problem and then returned the boots for a larger size, at no charge. Love that LLBean!! While abhorring anything between my toes (ie. flipflops), I ordered some toe socks anyway to help prevent blisters on the next outing. It wasn¢t long before emails were flying back and forth between my companions and myself and the planning for our next adventure started to take shape. Stay tuned!
Date: 2015-09-14
To: The Next Adventure
Miles today: 0.0

Wild Thang and I headed to Aquone Mountain Lodge in NC to meet up with Shutterbug. I recovered from our last trip and was ready to try again. Thankfully both my pals were willing! My food preparation was completely different. This time I was relying on the usual backpacker meals from Mountain House and Alpine Aire. Also stashed in my pack were my new electrolyte support from Hammer Nutrition, recovery whey protein powder and their tissue rejuvenator capsules. I was loaded and ready to go! The Nantahala Mountain Lodge (formerly Aquone Hostel) is a beautiful spot. Steve and Maggie, the owners, were warm and welcoming. We were the only ones there that weekday night so we had one bunkroom to ourselves. Dinner and breakfast were included in the reasonable price. Both meals were delicious and substantial. Had I not been about to set off for parts unknown, surely never to eat again, I would have shown more restraint at the table. But one never knows, so I politely ate everything in sight.
Date: 2015-09-15
To: Up we go!
Miles today: 0.0

Steve shuttled us to the Tellico Gap trailhead in the morning and we commenced hiking southbound. Of course immediately we were challenged by a steep uphill.   Did I mention how much I ate? Well, not such a good idea if one is to go straight uphill. It was a beautiful sunny day and as soon as that climb was out of the way, we began to enjoy ourselves.At Wesser Bald shelter we took a break and Wild Thang guarded our packs while Shutterbug and I went in the opposite direction to fetch water. Naturally it was one tenth of a mile downhill off the trail, which means hiking back up with heavy full containers! The shelter was kind of eerie because laying on the floor of teh shelter was a tarp, sandals and some clothes. We weren¢t sure if someone was maybe living there? Lingering to find out was not an option as we had miles to go, so off we set.Most of the views were obscured by leaves still on the trees. Every once in a while there was a little path to follow off the trail which led to the edge so you could look across a valley at the mountains on the other side. At Cold Springs Shelter, right on the trail, we met a thru hiker enjoying his hot lunch and peace and quiet. I think he was glad when we left as we peppered him with questions about how he flip flopped his hike.We rolled into camp at Licklog Gap around 3 pm. While the AWOL guide states that there is water there, we sure couldn¢t find any. Luckily we had enough among us for both dinner and breakfast so we didn¢t have to track back or ahead to fill up. Camp was set up, dinner made, food bags hung with care (no, I haven¢t gotten any better at it yet) and we headed to bed to read and catch up on emails. It was a good 7.1 mile day. I took my electrolyte capsules at intervals throughout the day and before dinner added the whey powder to my hot drink. I feasted on a Mountain House meal relishing the saltiness of it and ate every bite. Meals on the trail are an interesting event. We eagerly check out what the other person has in their food bag, thinking it is probably better than what is in front of us! It reminded me of school lunches and all the trading. The sun went down, the temperature dropped and we headed to bed after hanging the food bags. The insects were noisy tonight, competing with my crinkly sleeping pad, so I wore my ear plugs and managed to get about 5 hours of sleep.
Date: 2015-09-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started off with a little bit of a climb. Since we were already at a little over 5000¢, what¢s a couple hundred feet more? Next was the challenge (for me) of dropping 1000¢ over 3 miles. It was a constant downhill hike, complete with roots, rocks and slippery pine needles. We stopped frequently to rest our knees, snack and drink. The trail crossed a forest service road a few times, but we didn¢t see any vehicles. We had planned on having lunch at the Wayah Crest picnic area. There are trash cans there and we were eager to not only empty our trash bags but also to enjoy sitting down at a picnic table, instead of on some hard cold rock. We came down onto Wayah Road, but in looking in both directions, did not see any indication of where this picnic area might be. Tired and hungry we kept going; back up, up, up to Siler Bald summit. This is a great open grassy area with a path leading off the trail and up to the summit. Quite a few people, day hikers and backpackers alike, were enjoying the views and taking pictures. All I was interested in was lunch, especially knowing I would see this area again when I thru hike in March, 2016. After chatting a bit with the day hikers we parted ways and went down the trail in search of a good lunch spot. That means finding chair height fallen trees or big rocks to sit on. You don¢t want something too low to the ground, or you will never want to get back up! Lunch was a quick affair and we continued working our way down to 3800¢, where we found a small campsite for the night. It had been a long day of 7.9 miles and it was after 4 pm when we set up. Next to the site was a beautiful cascading brook with easy access to get our water. Wild Thang found a good spot to hang her hammock, but level ground for tents was scarce. Knowing I had been having trouble sleeping on uneven ground, Shutterbug found the most level spot and kindly offered it to me. There wasn¢t much room left for her tent, so we staggered them side by side and only staked out our outer vestibules. Hanging the food bags was again perplexing. We are surrounded by trees, but no suitable branches. Finally one was spotted up this very steep side hill, so Wild Thang (ace rock bag thrower) and I (supreme supervisor) scrambled up on our hands and knees. WT got the rope over on the second try and I connected the food bags. Then WT pulled on the rope, while I walked the bags further up the hill to lessen the strain of pulling the rope. On the count of three, she yanked hard, I let go, and they rose to their intended height. Wow! Shutterbug then climbed up the hill to help us tie off the rope. We slipped and slid back down the hill towards the tents. Chores done for the night, we retired to our quarters. Ear plugs in to drown out the snorers, the noisy brook and my crinkly sleeping pad, it was time to try and sleep.
Date: 2015-11-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It¢s still raining, no; it¢s pouring out there and dark, even though it is 8 am. Today was to be our final day hiking out and returning to the Hiker Hostel. We are already out of the woods, so no hiking to be done. Next step was to return to the luxury of the hostel for a recuperative overnight. I had two days of driving ahead of me, going north to visit family and friends for Thanksgiving. Wild Thang and I have fallen into a wonderful pattern of taking an extra night at the end of a trip to rest and reflect, and this was no exception. But it was exceptionAL: we each had booked one of the Hostel¢s shipping container rooms. I couldn¢t wait to see what this was like. Fran drove us to the hostel and we parted ways vowing to hike together soon. As it was already 4 pm and still pouring, I bade Wild Thang goodnight and raced for my ¢container room¢ and she headed for hers, both of us armed with clean clothes and an intent to shower for hours! My room was beautiful and just the right size. It even had a kitchenette area. After cleaning up, I got comfy in the lounge chair, propping my feet up. With tea and cookies in hand, I sat staring out the sliding glass doors at the rain and thought how lucky I am to be here. It was so peaceful and serene I didn¢t want to leave, so I didn¢t. Yep, I stayed sequestered inside, enjoying every moment of the solitude. I made my dinner from meals that didn¢t get eaten on the trail and polished off the remainder of my snacks, while reading on my Kindle (no TV). Wild Thang came by later to pick up some snacks and we agreed to meet at breakfast.   Soon it was 9 pm and way past my bedtime¢¦¢¦¢¦
Date: 2015-11-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It was still raining a little this morning. The weatherman got it right when he forecasted more than 24 hours of rain. We couldn¢t have made a better decision than to leave the trail early. Wild Thang and I met at breakfast in the Hostel and chowed down once again. I was stoking up for a two day drive. At least that was the excuse I was using! Then I set off to nearby Mountain Crossings, an outfitter store and more at Neel Gap. Wild Thang and I had been there the previous day for a ¢look-around¢. Having figured out that my current jacket was not going to work for March mountain weather, I was looking to purchase a warmer down jacket for my thru hike. I found one that fit my needs and haven¢t taken it off even though it is only 45 degrees and rainy. It¢s just so cozy.Mountain Crossing is well known for their backpack ¢shakedown¢. I had had one done back in August, but had changed out tent for hammock and thought, well it doesn¢t hurt to have another one done. With my backpack still loaded from 2 days ago, I headed inside. The staff was very welcoming and was happy to do the shakedown. I dumped everything out of every nook and cranny in the pack, dirty hiker clothes and all. Ugh. They must be used to this, because the young man helping me didn¢t even wrinkle his nose! We discussed each and every item and the only thing he suggested was to not carry the small size fuel canister, but the next size up. My goal was to keep it under 28 pounds and I had succeeded. That earned me a gold star on the pack shakedown! Now it was time to head north. These practice trips have given me lots to think about as I drive¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦