morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-28
To: Prep #4
Miles today: 0.0

MOVING AND MEDICAL AND A MYRIAD OF DETAILSMOVING: Step one will be a fait accompli as of Monday--I will be officially residing at my summer home. Needed to do this so I could lease out my condo to a tenant whose rent will pay the mortgage for the next year or two. So the financial challenge of hiking for six months has been resolved. Living out there is like luxurious car camping--you have a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in, stove and refrigerator, but there's no running water or heat or air conditioning. I carry water from the well about 250 feet away. Bathroom and shower is about 1,000 feet away. Until recently, cell service was spotty at best. Because it's truly a seasonal home (no heat), the real estate taxes are super low so it's very affordable. If it's extremely hot, I spend the day in the pool and sleep in the lower level which always stays cool. I've been staying out there since I was a kid so I'm used to it, but it's not for everyone. This is Illinois, so once the weather turns cold I'll be doing my one-month shakedown hike(s) in November, travelling and visiting family in December, staying with a friend getting all the last minute AT details ready in January, and leave for Springer in February.   MEDICAL: It's been about 10 years so I got my tetanus shot updated at the doctor's yesterday. Also discussed carrying Lyme disease prophylactic with me on the hike and found out there's a vaccine out now for Lyme disease. Didn't know that, so I got that shot, too. We discussed blister management and she directed me to a couple of articles from the Wilderness Medical Society conference which tells you more about blisters than you ever wanted to know. I'll be adding a few things to my first aid kit. Here's the websites:http://www.healthline.com/blogs/outdoor_health/2008/08/foot-blisters-1.html http://www.healthline.com/blogs/outdoor_health/2008/08/foot-blisters-2.htmlDETAILS: They say the devil's in the details. One of the draws of long distance hiking is not having an itinerary, not being bogged down with the details of everyday life, and taking each day as it comes--to shed the structured existence and strive for a more spontaneous one. I've purposely not done a planned daily mileage chart for the trip. My feet will do the miles they have in them for each particular day. All of this planning for equipment, food, finances, fitness, etc. seems counterintuitive to that goal, but I sense that all the prep will make it easier to have that daily spontaneity.THANKS: Thank you to three special people who will be my support team. Brother Steve will oversee my finances while I'm gone. He'll also join me for a week or two on the Trail. Daughter Erica will transcribe my journal entries that I mail to her. And Best Friend Cris will handle my mail drops.Thank you too, to all the friends and family who have been so patient listening to me about this adventure and coming up with such great advice and suggestions.
Date: 2009-06-14
To: Prep #5
Miles today: 0.0

REACTIONSHow curious the range of reactions when people find out I¢m doing an AT thru-hike next year, and what interesting questions. If one ever wants to do a study in body language, just propose doing a 2,000+ mile thru-hike. You¢ll get the one eyebrow raised (skepticism-does she really think she can do this), widening of the eyes (surprise-wherever did she get this idea, she¢s a grandma for pete¢s sake), widening of the eyes plus brow furrow (fear-she¢s crazy after all), half smile and cold eyes (envy-wish it was me doing this), pursing of lips and narrowing of eyes (concern-she¢s going to get injured or killed), full smile and smiling eyes (joy-what a great idea, go girl). An observation of note is that everyone falls into either the supporter or detractor column¢there are no undecideds. I confirm the top two questions are whether I¢m bringing a gun and who¢s going with me. (I'm not and I'm going solo.) Some of the more humorous questions have been: ¢So you¢ll be gone what, a month or so?¢ ¢There can¢t be many laundromats along the trail, how many changes of clothes are you bringing?¢ ¢How do you keep your food from spoiling?¢ ¢How much will it cost for the porters?¢   (Wouldn¢t THAT be an interesting way to do the trail!)As to my personal reactions, I find the day-to-day stressors just don¢t seem to get to me anymore. If I get caught in rush hour traffic, rather than feeling aggravation, I¢m planning my mail drops. If I get caught in a downpour, I think about what the best choice of raingear would be. When one of the grandkids is in a bad mood, I take them for a walk and we always come back in a good frame of mind. (Wish I had figured that out when my kids were little.) Since I¢ve started training, I¢ve become much more integrated with my physical body, reawakening and strengthening muscles I haven¢t used in a long time, making more deliberate food choices¢all with achieving my goal in mind. Have rediscovered that wonderful sound sleep that only physical activity brings. Since I¢ve committed to doing this hike, I¢ve seen my focus sharpen and feel a great calm. My biggest surprise has been the people who have told me that I¢ve inspired them to set a goal and do something big; accomplish something hard.   That¢s been very humbling.
Date: 2009-09-07
To: Prep #8
Miles today: 0.0

WILDLIFENow that most of the summer residents have left, it has become very quiet out here again at the cottage and the wildlife more noticeable. The sun set a couple of hours ago and I¢m sitting out on my deck with the laptop, a couple of candles lit, surrounded by 100-year-old trees gently swaying in the breeze, enjoying a really good dark Scotch ale. Just finished a nice rare strip steak and corn on the cob grilled over a wood fire. The birds quieted down awhile ago. The crickets are serenading.   There¢s a hint of autumn in the cool air. The waning full moon is rising and the coyotes are more vocal tonight than usual.   Oh crap, there¢s a skunk¢¦
Date: 2010-01-13
To: Prep #14
Miles today: 0.0

PASSION OR OBSESSION?So my son asked me yesterday what was new in my life other than my thru-hike. And I couldn¢t think of one single thing.   With all the snow we've had, I cross-country ski for an hour or two every morning after I put another batch of meals in the dehydrator. I stop at the grocery store on my way home and pick up food for the next couple of days to dry. I double check that all my bills are on auto-pay for when I'm gone. Drop off the forwarding order for my mail at the post office and pick up more flat-rate boxes. Coordinate with my hiking partner so we're getting our mail drops/resupplies at the same towns. Debate with myself whether to have my long hair cut short for the hike.   Plan a 4-day snowshoe camping trip and a 3-day cross-country ski camping trip before heading to Springer. Read the current day's trail journal updates. Finish a transcription side job for extra hiking money. Re-weigh my fully loaded pack which still hovers just under 30 pounds with 5 days of food and fuel. Obsessive? Probably. Passionate? Without a doubt. POST HIKELonghaul suggested in one of his recent journal entries to make thinking about what one is going to do after the AT part of one¢s preparations for hiking the AT. When asked, I tell people that I¢m not sure but I¢ll have 2,000 miles of walking to think about it.   A friend expressed concern that I might experience something like post partum depression once my hike is over. Once the obsession for hiking the Trail has been sated, will I feel an emptiness? A yearning to find another grand passion? Perhaps, but maybe not. Grand passions are exhausting. A lifetime, if I'm lucky, should only have a few because they are all-consuming while they last. The rest of the time, again if I'm lucky, will have moments of exhilaration and feeling that all is well with my world. I hear a siren song for every mountain, every forest, every trail, every ocean. It's always there on the periphery of my consciousness. Day-to-day life is the mast to which I'm tied. I choose to embrace the music. Post hike I want to hear the snap of a sail in a freshening breeze, feel the weightless freedom of floating in a lake on a hot summer afternoon, sense the ancient energy in the cathedral of the sequoia forest, curl up in front of a fire with a good book, play with a puppy the first time it sees snow, taste the sweetness of a freshly picked mango, experience the adrenaline spike as I hear the roar of whitewater around the next bend in the river, weep with the beauty of the aurora borealis.
Date: 2010-03-01
To: Prep #18
Miles today: 0.0

This will be my last journal entry for awhile.Leaving Chi-town early tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and driving to Knoxville, Tennessee. My daughter is flying there from Miami and we'll spend the night at my brother's house. Then Wednesday, my daughter will drive my hiking partner, Keith, and me to the Hiker Hostel in Georgia, drop us off, and continue on with my car down to Miami where it will stay for the next six months. Then Thursday, feet will be on the trail and we will march forth on March 4th.For the last few days, I've been hyper-aware of all the "last time" things that I won't do again for at least half a year, insignificant things in the course of daily life but suddenly important when you won't do it again for awhile. Things like breakfast at my favorite restaurant, chatting on Trail Talk, eating my son's over-the-top gourmet meals, having my grandson read to me, hearing my daughter-in-law's infectious laugh, and weekly get-togethers with my best friend, to name a few. I also wonder how the time apart will change other important relationships. Only time will tell with that one. Doing this hike at this time just feels like absolutely the right thing for me to be doing.Today being the last day of prep mode, I scurried around doing last minute errands to the bank, last boxes to storage, pick up a rent check from my tenant, buy road food for tomorrow's drive, mailed my second drop box at the post office, filled up the gas tank, etc. etc. I SO look forward to the simple task of hiking miles with my biggest concern being whether I'm going to run out of toilet paper before my next resupply. I'm looking forward to a total news moratorium. If something really serious happens in the world, I'm sure the hiker telegraph will spread the word. Also had a wonderful, relaxing massage to try to calm down that nervous knot of excitement in the pit of my stomach. It only helped a little.I've been avidly reading the journals of those brave souls with a February start date and apologize in advance for the lag in my upcoming entries to those following my journal. I've chosen to keep it simple and so will be writing my entries by hand out on the trail, mailing them to my transcriber when I hit a post office and she will post them on-line. I estimate there will be a 7-10 day lag although she may "place mark" my days as she will be getting my GPS position nightly.I hope for warmer weather and easier hiking for the February Tenners already out there, look forward to meeting some of the 40 hikers starting this week if you don't whiz past me too fast, and will try to leave clear skies and balmy temperatures for those starting later. Good luck everyone. It's going to be a great hike!
Date: 2010-03-03
To: Prep #19
Miles today: 0.0

Croft: Thru-hiker #128Keith: Thru-hiker #129Ensconced at the Hiker Hostel. 5" of snow last night but melting off quickly. Full house here with hikers starting tomorrow and those coming in from the trail to get out of the snow and cold for the night.T minus 18 hours.
Date: 2010-03-04
From: Springer Mountain

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Mike Hansen, the blind hiker from Minnesota, came into the Hiker Hostel late last night. He's going to wait 2 days for most of the snow and ice to melt before starting. There was about 8 inches of snow on the mountains but with all the March starts, the tread was fairly well packed. Wore my "Yak Trax" to deal with the ice and they worked well.Made an uneventful crossing of the creek that I fell into in December. Snow laden trees sent soft snow bombs down our necks every once in awhile. The first time it happened to me, I thought Keith had thrown a snowball at me and almost retaliated before I realized it was just the wind in the trees.Slow start and slow progress, but no overriding need to do major miles so we stopped at the first shelter and decided to stay. Keith staying in the shelter and I'm tenting. Four other hikers staying in the shelter.It will be difficult to stay up much past dark tonite. Didn't sleep well at the hostel last night due to excitement, nor the night before due to anticipation.The quiet in the mountains is palpable, as if the trees are holding their breath and waiting for spring. We'll probably only have a few more days before the snow melts - can't imagine how difficult its been for those who started in February. A few days of snow, no problems; a month? That's tough.
Date: 2010-03-05
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

Restless night - didn't do enough miles to be physically tired but would have been too far to the next shelter through the snow which is almost 8 inches deep at elevation. Listened to the haunting sound of didgeridoo music by the campfire last night, compliments of Didgeridude, and revelled in the quiet of the night.The hike today was slow due to the snow and then even slower as we gained elevation. Although 5 miles isn't very much, definitely will sleep well tonight. Shelter has several occupants - I'm tenting again.Two hours of elevation gain had my mind wandering but not on calm things - not on listening to the rhythmic crunch of my footsteps in the snow or the glimpses of mountains through the trees. Instead I was worrying about our slow progress, concerned that I'm going to run out of food or fuel before we hit the next town, concerned that I only have one more pair of dry socks. No good to be out on the trail and stress. So I reined in my runaway mind and took pictures of a waterfall, listened to the melting of the snow - a sure sign that spring is right around the corner.Hawk Mountain Shelter had an interesting array of items left by previous hikers. A bag with about 30 buckles of all shapes and sizes to fit any pack made; a whole roll of duct tape; and 9' x 12' tarp which worked well as a windbreak hung across the front opening of the shelter. The best one though was the 3/4" thick book "Anger Management for Dummies."It's 6:30 pm and everyone is in their sleeping bags even though it's still light out. I'll probably be asleep in minutes.
Date: 2010-03-06
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

It was a good morning. I was happy to go to work at my new job - hiking. The first mile flew by but then started going uphill and things slowed down a bit.Gorgeous warm day - about 50 degrees or so - sunny - great hiking weather even though there's snow on the ground at elevation. It's about noon and I'm up at the top of Sassafras. Big beautiful mountains all around me. It's still hard to believe that I'm really here and really doing this. And this mountain kicked my butt. Saw downtown Atlanta and Stone Mountain from the top. Very far away, maybe 60 miles or so. Ran out of water about 2 miles from the next water source and resorted to letting a few handfuls of snow melt in my mouth before swallowing as I was so thirsty. Finally made it to Justus Creek and drank about 20 ounces of treated water without stopping. Really have to pay better attention to how much water I have and where the next source is. My Yak Trax (thank you Cris) worked great gripping solidly in the snow and slippery ice.Nice group at the shelter tonite. 8 in shelter including me - my virgin AT shelter stay - and 2 tenting.I promised myself I wasn't going to journal about how easy/tough the trail was, how my feet hurt and all that blah blah blah. Instead I want to write about what I think about all day as I hike. Most of my first day I was stressing and worrying about future things. Second day I caught myself and started to really look around. The mountains are amazing - I'm such a flatlander that they continually fascinate me. Today, worry mode only popped up a couple of times and I promptly squelched it and just drank in my surroundings.Unfortunately, I didn't have any interesting insights or epiphanies. I think I just need to gain a higher comfort level out here before the creativity starts.About a mile before the shelter I fantasized about getting a shoulder massage - my neck and shoulders hurt from keeping my head down so much watching where I was putting my feet and being cautious over the rocks and roots all day.Perhaps a reciprocal massage...got a taker - gotta go.
Date: 2010-03-07
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Keith and shelter mate Cheryl and Courtney all wanted to stay at the hostel tonight to get a shower and sleep warm in a comfy bed. Took all of 2 seconds to talk me into it. So we headed out the five miles to our pick-up point. No big deal, right? Even though I was in the best physical shape I've been in for 15 years, I wasn't even close to being prepared for the difficulty of the trail. So we're getting our training out here, up close and personal. Our miles are low but we're moving forward each day. I find myself getting stronger and spending a lot of time thinking about how my muscles and joints are reacting to the daily rigors of hiking miles, most of it uphill or downhill. I must say though that I'm starting to fly over the 10% of the trail that's relatively flat.Hiker Hostel picked us up at 5:00 p.m. and drove us first to town for a minor resupply and to pick up dinner. Back at the hostel I did laundry, showered and slept long and hard. Was a bit stiff and achy in the evening but woke up feeling really good.
Date: 2010-03-08
From: Woody Gap

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

Needed the Yak Trax again as the trails had ice and snow on the shady side of the mountain and at elevation. Promises to be a glorious day with temps in the upper 50's. After a thigh-burning climp of 540' in a half mile up Big Cedar Mountain, we gained the breathtaking view in the picture. I'm such a wuss, I get all teary-eyed when confronted with the beauty of this earth. The ever present whisper of the wind is like the mountains are breathing. The heat of the sun on my face is a strange contrast to the icy coolness of the snow.Had lunch with a trio of college students hiking the AT for 7 days of their spring break. (See photo.) Shared some of my food with them as I had over bought at the grocery store last night. They were eating freeze dried meals all week. They really appreciated the fresh roast beef and cream cheese from me.Life on the trail truly distills down to the appreciation of simple things, the kindness of a very diverse group of people, and surrounded by the beauty of the forest and mountains. I'm finding that siren song that first lured me to the AT will probably be what carries me to the end. It's like I'm being pulled forward every step to see what's around the next bend or over the next mountain.
Date: 2010-03-09
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: few clouds

Challenging climb up Blood Mountain today, 800 foot elevation gain in 1.25 miles. Because we were short on water, decided to leave the shelter early, get water about a mile up-trail, climb the mountain and have breakfast on top. Breathtaking view of all of the mountains we've already climbed and looking northward, there's row upon row of mountains, like soldiers at attention, waiting for us to meet in battle. Saw what appeared to be a forest fire about 20 miles away.Had planned on hiking into Neel's Gap, picking up my mail drop and head a couple miles further up-trail to camp. However, I've had female problems for a couple of days which at my age should not be happening at all. Things were getting more serious so I borrowed a cell phone on top of the way-too-appropriately named Blood Mountain and called my doctor in Illinois. She said to get my butt off the mountain and get medical attention.So off the mountain we went - a bit of a brutal down that hurt the knees and made the thighs burn. Called the Goose Creek Cabins close to Blairsville, GA which had a nearby medical clinic. Picked up my mail drop and had the shuttle drop me at the emergency room. No clear cut diagnosis - just sent me to a specialist the next day.Back at our cabin, my hiking partner Keith and I had a long discussion. He's decided to get off the train and will be heading for home tomorrow after my doctor appointment which will determine whether I'm with him or not heading back to Illinois.Even with the medical concerns, I slept like a rock - very soundly and full of good dreams.
Date: 2010-03-10
From: Neel's Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Saw the specialist today who ran some tests and took a biopsy. I have to come back in a week for the results. My symptoms are indicative of a well progressed cancer but could also just be an unusual reaction to the increased physical activity. He tried to put my mind at ease to not unduly worry until the results come back, but emotionally I feel like I've been body slammed. He said it was okay to hike if I felt up to it, so I'm going to continue walking north to Hiawassee, then shuttle back to Blairsville next week.Alan from Goose Creek Cabins has been awesome shuttling us around and waiting for me thru my medical appointments. He stopped to pick up a pizza for me for dinner, then drove me over to the hostel at Neel's Gap as I want an early start on the Trail in the morning, then drove Keith to the bus station to catch his bus home.Bittersweet farewell to Keith. Was looking forward to sharing this adventure with him.The hostel was packed. It was a lively crowd, mostly young. When I was registering for the bunk, the cute young guy behind the counter asked for my name. I said, "Trail or real?" Upon which he wrote "Trailer Real" with a quizzical look on his face. Then said, "Croft" after which we both cracked up and for the rest of the afternoon and evening, every time we saw each other, we just started to laugh.Met Moose, an experienced thru-hiker and store/hostel employee. His advice was to hike in the present and to take your time. There's so much to see that you'll miss it if you're just hiking miles.Also met Hyway - a fellow trail journaler.