morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-12-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

            We walk blindly into the fire but we have a firm step It has been awhile since I put up an entry but I never have believed in talking just for talking sake. The countdown for the journey has begun in earnest. I cannot believe that is only a few months before I am out there again! Time has been flying and if I am not careful the start will come around before I am totally set. I have been getting my mail drops ready. Because of store sales and other means of food acquisition I have accumulated 60 days worth of food already. I plan on using mail drops for the places that were either, weak in choice or high in price. There is a school of thought that the postage cost offsets the cost of buying locally. I agree with this but there were places that just seemed too expensive and others that did not have much to choose from. Am I going to save by using the mail drop? It will probably be a wash in the long run. One way I look at it is I have already spent the money for what I have. The money spent is so far is not counted toward the money for the trail. Money for the trail is above and beyond. You have no income, per se, coming in while you are out there so anything spent prior to I do not have to worry about. Last year I had I paid 6 months worth of bills before I headed out. This time I am going to shut everything down and worry about it when I get back. A couple of reasons for that is that I may, and again I say may, move closer to the trail after I get done. Florida doesn¢t do it for me anymore. I lived out west for a long time before I came here and after I got home last year I realized how much I missed he mountain area, though, the mountains out here are considered foothills compared to the Rockies. I would love to get some kind of job that is close to the trail or better yet trail related! I still keep contact with people that were on the trail with me last year. There is a bond that is established that cannot be broken. Years from now, the people you hiked with and spent time with will always have something in common with you and that is a good feeling. I have also been in contact with several people that are planning starting in ¢05. I will give a plug here for one in particular. We have communicated a lot and I have shared my meager knowledge with her. She is starting in April but she has journal going on Trail journals. Give ¢Sarah B¢ a read and say hello to her in her guest book (gotcha Sarah) Anyway, just wanted to drop a note to my friends that read my journal and I will post again when something comes to mind.
Date: 2005-01-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence upon those who would do us harm   Just a quick update. In my previous post I wrote that I had received an email while I was writing the update. I can now respond to what it was all about. The email was from Scholar. I met her the day we entered the Smokies in ¢04. We did the usual hiker bounce about. In other words, we would run into each other at various places for the next 600 miles. The last time I saw her was at the Dutch Haus in Montebello, VA. This was just before the Shenandoah¢s. In the Shenandoah¢s I heard that she got off the trail, which took me off guard. I had not expected that.   We stayed in touch, as I have with many of the people I met on the trail. Her email said she had decided to give it another try. The call of the trail still rang strong in her blood. She has also decided to go again from the start and not from where she left off. We traded a couple of emails in order to see if we could match our start dates. Yesterday, we finalized it. Scholar and I will step off Springer Mtn. together on March 14th. One week earlier than my original planned start and one day earlier than my start from last year. Scholar also has a journal here so drop by and give her a read. I love her writing style and I have never seen anyone be able to write so small. Last year she kept a handwritten journal and she would write two lines on one line in her notebook. My hand would have fallen off trying to write that small!   It will be fun to walk with someone from last year. At least, for a time because paces vary as ours did last year. However, wherever we are during the hike we know that we will have each other¢s back. When we reach Vermont (positive attitude here .. no injuries allowed!) another good friend may join us. Skirt had to get off in that area and she wants to hike the ¢Yankee¢ states in ¢05. If this plan comes to fruition the 3 of us will summit Katahdin together.   I do have to laugh though. When it was decided that the 14th was the start I went into panic mode. Am I ready? Leaving seven whole days earlier and I went into a panic mode. When I realized what I was doing I started laughing to myself. I have been ready for weeks. If I got the call to move it to next week I would be ready! It is amazing that the time is fast approaching and as each day passes my excitement level increases. Thank goodness my blood pressure is normal!
Date: 2005-01-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace   Decided to give my pack a bath the other day. First real washing other than when the rain would hit it. All I have to say is ¢Oh my God¢. I filled the tub with hot water, threw in some detergent and proceeded to do the dunk, rub, and dunk. The water started to turn a light brown, then coffee brown and then mud hole brown. I couldn¢t believe how dirty it was. I was chuckling the whole time. It would not have mattered how many showers we took on the trail. We still would have smelled and the pack could have walked along beside me in a couple of weeks! Suffice to say I now have a clean, at least to a degree, and fresh smelling pack. Why is it that time seems to speed up exponentially when planned dates get closer? January is almost over! Fifty days to go before I leave town. I still have a few odds and ends to pick up. Small stuff like the mini sponge, glove liners, and some nylon rope. One trip to the store and it should be done, unless I think of something else. Another thing I realized is my driver¢s license will expire while I am on the trail. Guess I am going to have to get that done before I head out. The driver¢s license building got wiped out in the hurricane and now they are operating out of a trailer. You have to get there by 6:00 if you don¢t want to stand in a line for hours on end. I think I am going to check into the ¢online¢ renewal before I go down there.   I was looking at some pictures that Scholar had posted on her journal site. Pictures of the Smokies and other areas. I thought to myself, ¢Boy, I hope I get to see that spot this year!¢ An example would be Charlie¢s Bunion in the Smokies and Beauty Spot coming out of Erwin, TN. When I went by both places last year there was nothing to see because the weather was so bad. On Beauty Spot the fog was so thick I really thought I was going to get lost! I emailed Scholar and we laughed about it. Her bad experience was Roan Mtn., yet when I went over Roan it could not have been a better day.   I was also thinking about this one hill. I think it is around the Cheoah Bald area. It is an unnamed hill but it goes straight up and then straight down. I carried the elevation profiles early on last year (quit doing that in Virginia) and the profile did not give this particular hill justice! Uphill and I never got along and it took quite awhile before I was able to do them without looking for the defibrillator. That hill will be one of those things I am NOT looking forward to!
Date: 2005-02-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

                     Walking is man's best medicine.When I reached the Bears Den Hostel outside of Harper's Ferry last year I saw a poster that they had for sale. It was called Journey's End and it pictured a hiker kneeling in front of the sign at the end of the trail on Mt. Katahdin. I thought it was a cool poster so I bought one and shipped it back home. Little did I know I would be off the trail about two weeks later. When I got home the poster was there and I made the decision,then and there,not to look at it until I completed the journey. It still sits in the mailing tube and I plan on being able to look at it this year! Less than three weeks to go! Emails have been flying fast and furious between members of "M Company". Last minute thoughts and questions and gentle banter. I am looking forward to meeting the crew. Looks like it be an interesting and positive group! Speaking of positive and negative groups/people there were only a couple of people I ran into last year that got my goat. One in particular got my blood boiling. It was around the Trimpi Shelter area, north of Damascus. The group I was with at that time consisted of LD,CatDog,Hawk,Wizard,and Palm Tree. We got to the shelter mid-afternoon and everyone got set up. There were a couple of hikers already there and after we got set up we gathered around and talked. Then it started. One of the two that was already there started complaining. He went on about section hikers, other thru hikers, how he felt that shelters were meant for him and how he got pissed because there was a situation that prevented him from having a spot in them. He just kept going on and on. My first thoughts were,"Why are you even out here if you aren't having fun" and "What makes you so special". I finally couldn't take it anymore and I said something to him about him needing an attitude adjustment as well as a few other things. Those of you that know me know that it takes a lot to get me mad and I was pissed that time. He did agree with the things I had to say and conversation shifted to other things. The point is, if you are out on the trail and are complaining about everything then what is your purpose for being there. Second, The AT was not put there nor were the shelters put there for thru-hikers only. We are a very small segment of the people that use the trail every year and we are not special or elite. If anything I think we are just a little "off" With that said I am going to go off and check my gear again!
Date: 2005-03-11
From: Home

To: Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega
Miles today: 0.0

I am at the Hiker Hostel and just wanted to put up the map that was designed by one of the M Company members, Wyatt ... This is a live map and as I move along the trail the map will update my dot. It is real late and I will send out the first entries when I get to Neel's Gap.
Date: 2005-03-12
From: Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The trip to Georgia was quite uneventful. I arrived at the airport a little after 10:00 and I had a lot of time to kill before Scholar arrived. I got a cup of coffe and found a place to sit and read. This was the first time that I was able to relax in the Atlanta airport. Normally, when I come through here it is in a mad dash to get to my connecting flight. I sat and read, watched people and napped. There quite a number of our soldiers in the airport and most of them were heading back to Iraq. At one point a large group of them came through the area and the crowd starting clapping and cheering them. They continued until they had all pased by. To me it was quite the moment and I am sure they appreciated it! Heck of a lot better reception than the soldiers returning from VietNam. I was waiting at the gate area for Scholar when she snuck up on me. I hadn't spotted her as she came out. It was good to see her again and after we got her pack we made our way to the meeting area. The Hiker Hostel folks were meeting 6 of us there. A couple of others were there already and we met Just Plain Jane, Turtle, Mike, and Chuck. Leigh, from the hostel arrived and we piled into the van. It was a slow go back to Dahlonega. The traffic was horrible and since I have been out of the big city loop for awhile I had forgotte what traffic was like. Thank goodness I don't have to deal with that every day! We made it back and met Josh and a bunch of other hikers at the restaurant where we all had a final "real" meal. I can't remember all the names but a few of them were Red Hat, Ying and Yang, Nimblefoot Nomad, and Ray. Everyone is in good spirits and the anticipation for tomorrow is high. There are two groups, the one doing the approach and the one going to Springer. I am in the Springer group. Scholar was teasingly trying to shame me into doing the approach but I held strong. I did it last year and that was good enough for me! Finally made it to bed around 10:30. I didn't really get a chance to talk to a lot of the people that were at the Hostel because of how late it was before we got in. Maybe in the morning.
Date: 2005-03-13
From: Home

To: Springer Mtn.
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: clear sky

Started the morning off with a great breakfast made by Josh and Leigh. The approach trail group was going out first and the Springer group was going to head out around 9:00. This gave me a chance to talk to some of the people at the hostel. I met Charles and Ceasar, a couple of section hikers up from Florida. They had finished their section and were getting ready to head home. We all weighed our packs and that is when the fun started. Ying and Yang both had pretty heavy packs so a few of us asked what they were carrying. It soon turned into a show and throw game. When it was all said and done we had lightened their packs by a combined total of 21 pounds. I think they were in a state of shock when it was all done. I do know they will be much happier and so will their feet! We headed to Springer and made the climb to the top, signed the register and took pictures. It is a more than perfect day to start! The sun is shining, it is warm, and there is not a cloud in the sky! Red Hat,Ying,Yang,and Bear Bait all headed out toward Hawk Mtn. I went to Springer shelter to wait for the approach crew. I set up my tent and staked out Scholar's tent (which I had brought with me) and basically sat around and enjoyed the afternoon. Around 2:30 or so the approach crew showed up. Scholar,Mike,Turtle,Chuck,and I Can. Just Plain Jane decided to go on a bit. Clouds are starting to move in but there is not supposed to be any rain. I have to laugh because the shelter usually fills up first. All seven have pitched our tents so the shelter is almost empty. I guess I am a little wierded out about my foot. Every little twinge and my heart would race a bit. I guess it is going to take awhile to get over that! Funny how that works. Around 4:30 or so Break a Leg came in. I had emailed her a couple of times and is was good to actually meet her. She has a journal here also. She cracks me up. Scholar, Mike, Break, and I had a good time talking. A group of us went back to the top of Springer to watch the sunset. It was nice, not spectacular but at least there was a sunset! Scholar showed me a constellation and now I can pick Orion out of the sky. She says we will have another lesson tomorrow night. It feels good to be back!
Date: 2005-03-14
From: Springer Mtn.

To: Hawk Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: broken clouds

Around 11:00 last night we were greeting a big thunderstorm. It was right on top of us and the lightning flashes were so bright that I couldn't look up at the top of the tent. Later another small one came by. I got up at first light and the rest of the group started stirring a little while later. Everyone fared well and nobody got wet. A good test of tent set up ability! We took our time and didn't get onto the trail until nine or so. Beautiful morning, sun is out and it warmed up but it was cool when the sun went behind the clouds. Chuck,Turtle,and I Can took off and we did not see them for the rest of the day. They pushed on past Hawk Mtn. Scholar,Mike,Break a Leg(Break from now on for typing purposes), and I took a nice leisurely pace. We stopped for awhile at Chester Creek and ate lunch at Long Creek Falls. I like walking with this crew. Scholar and I talk about the memories, Break has a heck of a sense of humor and a quick wit. Going to have to watch what I say around her! I have wracking my brain trying to come up with a trail name for Mike. No go yet! Hiking today was mainly downhill and level till the last 1.5 miles. I had forgotten about those Georgia mountains! The memory of them came flooding back in a hurry and tomorrow will be mainly uphill. We got to Hawk Mtn. in the early afternoon and I saw Ying and Yang. They were doing well and were going to go on for a bit. I was glad to see they were OK, since we had butchered their packs back at the hostel. Several more of the "M" Company showed up. I met James,Amanda,and Geronimo. This is going to be an interesting group. A lot of fun people with great senses of humor. I also met Sunset Screamer. She is back on the trail after taking a couple of days off for a sprained ankle. She has a good attitude and she seems to be very nice. There were several others at Hawk Mtn. but I didn't get a lot of names memorized enough to type them in. Little cooler tonight than last night. Just hope it doesn't rain again. The AT ridgerunner came through and said there was supposed to be a large group starting at Springer tomorrow. As many as 50+, if everyone shows. Hope we stay a little ahead of that crowd! I also found out that Bear Tracks, from last year is back on again. He started at Springer on the 10th. Hope I run into him again. Good day overall...tomorrow we hit Sassafrass and Justus Mtn. Gonna be a rough one.
Date: 2005-03-15
From: Hawk Mtn. Shelter

To: Gooch Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: light rain

It got down to 35 last night. I am glad to say I stayed nice and warm. Only problem I had/have is somewhere along the way I developed a head cold. My sinuses were blocked and I had a slight cough. Tossed and turn and hoped I wasn't keeping Scholar and Break awake because there tents were close by. Once again, a casual morning. We got started at nine again, this time we started with six. Amanda and James joined our walking group. I took the rear guard again because I knew my pace was going to be slow going up those mountains and it was. We stopped for a couple of long breaks. One was at Justus Creek. It is so nice to relax next to a stream, listening to the gurgle of the water. It sure makes one want to take a nap. We arrived at the Gooch shelter around two. I tell you, it sure has been nice getting in early and not pushing things. All six of us have that attitude right now. A far cry different than the guy that came by. He had started at the lodge this morning and was going to stop at Woody Gap. About 29 miles for day 1! To paraphrase what Break said, "The only place we have to be is where we are." I thought it explained our attitude quite nicely. Eric, another hiker I met at Hawk Mtn. has joined our hiking pattern. He is heading from Springer to Hot Springs. The crew is staying in the shelter. I am going to tent because I still have a bit of a head cold and don't want to be hacking and coughing in the shelter. The register showed that Sunset Screamer stopped in for lunch. Not to bad for a girl that working on a healing sprain! It also showed that we Longhaul and Wyatt are just ahead. Two other members of M Company. So far so good. Loving it out here!
Date: 2005-03-16
From: Gooch Mtn. Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

It rained all night last night. Not a hard rain but steady throughout. I stayed dry and I slept like a rock. First night that I have done that. Got up around 6:30 and packed up a very wet and muddy tent. Gooch has camping sites but they are all clay and get very muddy in the rain. The rain had stopped and the group was stirring. A lot of fog and it was getting heavier. We started out at a staggered pace because no one wanted stand around in the cold. It was a cold,windy,and foggy hike. We didn't stop for many breaks because of the wind. We finally congregated at a spot that was out of the wind and quickly ate some lunch. James and Mike were talking about making the push into Neel's Gap. I had originally considered stopping at Jarrard Gap and camping put the weather put that idea out my head. Scholar and Break were ahead of me and I passed Amanda,James,and Mike while they were taking a break. I turned into the Woods Hole Shelter area after an 11.9 mile day. Scholar and Break were already there. We speculated on whether the other three were going to come in or go on.After a bit a couple of locals came in and we asked if they had seen them. No go which means they pushed on. The shelter eventually filled up;Eric,Daniel and a couple others came in. I received a good lesson in how to build a campfire in wet weather from the local guy and we soon had a nice one going. It added that special touch to a bad weather day, as long as I could keep Break from burning up her clothes while trying to dry them! I think I learned enough to be able to have a good chance of starting a fire in those conditions. We will see. By the way,he started it without any paper or fuel. I was impressed. Had good old Ramen Noodles for dinner. Nice and hot and it replenishes the bodies sodium. I think I have gotten over that mental thing about my foot. Today I was able to hike without thinking about it that much. Not that I wasn't being careful but I was not dwelling on it.Time for bed.
Date: 2005-03-17
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: light snow

Short day today. As we sat around the campfire last night we found out that the weather forecast called for one nice day in the next six. We decided we wanted one day to do laundry,clean up,and be warm and dry before venturing on to Hiawasee. Eric was first out, about 7:00, followed by Scholar, myself,and Break. We had to go over Blood Mountain and once again,the weather was foggy,windy,cold and it was sleet/snowing. Blood Mountain is not something you want to climb down when it is slick. This is one of the places where you actually are descending on flat sections of boulder and they are at a pretty good slant. I missed a blaze and continued down the boulder for another fifty feet or so before I realized that there was no way they would put the trail here. Much to dangerous. I turned around and sure enough, found the blaze I missed. After 4 miles I got into Neel's Gap. Neel's Gap has an outfitter there called the Walasi-Yi. The trail actually passes through the building. The only place on the trail that this happens. Neel's is also the first big attrition point on the trail. It is said that 15 per cent drop out here. Scholar was already there and I got to meet Longhaul and Wyatt, two more members of M Compamy. Chuck,Turtle,Red Hat,and I Can, from Springer Mountain were also there. We caught up on each others journey and they headed out but we will see them again. We also ran into James,Mike,and Amanda. They did get in last night but are taking a zero today. We all (Eric,Scholar,Break,and I) picked up things we had forgotten or need to trade out. All I needed was a pot holder so I wouldn't burn my hands getting cook pot off the alcohol stove(which has already happened!) The outfitter does a good job of helping hikers change out gear for lighter gear as well as answering questions. We then caught the shuttle to the Hiker Hostel. It is now 7:00 and we are clean,have clean laundry,and we are warm. All at the same time! We also had a special treat,corned beef and cabbage to celebrate St. Patricks Day. So now we are also full! Some of you who hiked last year may remember Old Man. I first ran into him somewhere near the end of Virginia. Well,he is here giving Josh a hand during the busy season. We reminisced about last year. It was fun and I also had a chance to meet his wife. Krispy, if you are reading this he is planning on going to Trail Days. Anyway, it has been good so far. I am glad to be hooked up with Scholar,Break, and Eric. Good group and I hope we continue on for awhile before paces and circumstances break us apart. Never for long and knowing that makes reuniting that much better! Tomorrow we head to Low Gap and then to Hiawassee, the next mini goal in our journey.