morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Newton MA

To: Newton MA
Miles today: 0.0

thoughts about the hike, continued...The Spiritual Nature of the HikeBeing connected with the natural environment gives the hiker a special relationship with what Christians might call The Creation. Christian hikers often talk about the beauty of nature reflecting God¢s Plan.Others of us don¢t disagree with that but at the same time don¢t see it quite that way. Several aspects of long distance hiking combine to allow us briefly, from time to time, to look through the veil of thoughts that chatter though our minds all the time and glimpse what really is. These factors are the steady rhythm of walking and breathing, the drop in stress levels, and the connection with our surroundings. When we set aside the striving for milestones and other goals and pay attention to the here and now, hiking becomes a form of meditation, a way of coming closer to sensing the Tao that runs through both the hiker and her surroundings. The AT is a pretty good metaphor for the Tao (sometimes understood as ¢the Way¢).When you become aware of the rhythm of your feet and your breath, and you can sometimes stop the music running through your head, you set aside the chain of thoughts, and just listen to the small sounds of the environment around you: birds, buzzing insects, trickling water, the wind in the trees. It is almost but not entirely quiet, and your mind becomes more quiet and even more connected to what is all around you.While hiking, I would sometimes chant Aum Mani Padme Hum under my breath; this is basically a Buddhist prayer on behalf of souls that are in the cosmic shit, so to speak; however, it makes an excellent mantra for gutting it up steep trails, and I believe the Sherpas and porters in the Himalayas use it this way ¢ you might as well help out some lost souls while you have some time on your hands. Or I would silently recite Thich Nhat Hahn¢s walking meditation:I have arrivedI am homeIn the hereIn the nowI am solidI am realIn the ultimateI dwellIn either case, the words follow the rhythm of walking (so it is hard or impossible to do if the trail is too steep to breathe without gasping for air or too rough and irregular to permit the rhythm to develop at a tempo that supports the words. Sometimes instead of words, I would recite a simple mantra of breathing ¢ hahm, sah. After 10 or 15 minutes of repeating these words, I would stop and could ¢ almost ¢ catch a glimpse of what is behind perception.Five or six months of meditation like this is not enough to effect a permanent change in the way one perceives existence (and I didn¢t do it daily). Buddhist monks spend years learning to do it (or maybe it¢s unlearning). But six months without too many other distractions is something. Think of it as a useful workshop.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Newton MA

To: Newton MA
Miles today: 0.0

thoughts about the hike, continued...Going SomewhereHumans evolved on the savannah lands of Africa. Long ago in prehistory, many thousands of years before there were settlements and agriculture we were nomadic hunter-gatherers living in small groups. We lived this sort of life for the majority of our history as homo sapiens, not to mention the span of the ancestor species that we evolved from. We could see pretty much where we were going when it was time to move to a new area that hadn¢t been picked over yet. Walking long distances to go somewhere new must have been a joyful experience, possibly accompanied by singing or chanting to the rhythm of our feet.Walking is in itself a pleasant activity, both calming us and at the same time stimulating our thoughts and senses. One day about a month after my AT hike had ended, I walked a half-mile to the post office through pleasant, tree-lined suburban streets. I began to think about how nice it would be to go out and take a hike in the woods again instead of walking on pavement. Then I thought about the pleasure of making the hike go somewhere so that it connected two different places or landmarks, like successive peaks in a mountain range. Soon I was imagining an end-to-end hike on the Long Trail.Years ago when I started hiking, my interest increased when I realized that there were lots of trails from which you could actually see your objective (a mountain) miles away, and actually get there just by moving one foot after the other! When you have a conceptual map in your head, you can get some of the same thrill by walking from one town to another, even though you usually can¢t see the destination until you¢re almost there; you just have to imagine it.The AT is one of the hikes that takes you some where on a large scale, and you can imagine your progress on a conceptual map of the eastern United States, which most of us have in our minds to some degree. By hiking the trail over a long distance, you make this conceptual map more real by connecting it to actual places that you experience first-hand and retain in your memory. It is a thrilling thing to do, and more so on foot or bicycle than the telescoped experience of driving or riding a train or flying long distances, all of which have a thrill of their own.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Newton MA

To: Newton MA
Miles today: 0.0

thoughts about the hike, continued...Connecting to Your SurroundingsWe often think of urban life bombarding us with sensory data that overloads and sometimes threatens us. Of course, there are some beautiful urban settings in the world that make us want to connect with our surroundings, and I love walking in these places. But more often than not, we adopt an attitude of warding off the urban experience, hardening and desensitizing ourselves to it. Just walking in a congested area with a high noise level and automobiles passing close to us probably raises our stress levels.Walking in the woods, or on trails above treeline, on the other hand, makes us want to feel more connected with our surroundings. Unless there are threatening environmental factors, walking for hours in a natural environment reduces stress. I am confident that my stress hormones were at measurably low levels for almost six months. This amplifies a hiker¢s openness to the environment we are walking through.Hikers sleep on a bare wood shelter floor or on the ground, cushioned by a thin layer of foam or an inflated pad. We eat in the open air. We collect our water from springs or streams as we pass them. We urinate and often defecate in the open air. The cycling of food and water- from the environment through out bodies and back into the environment- becomes more transparent. We experience the contours of the land by hauling ourselves over them, We are brushed by vegetation along the way, lean against trees, and sit on fallen logs or rocks or mossy hummocks. At the end of the day we stop, eat, and lie down on the ground or shelter floor again to sleep.In a day¢s hike, we see many kinds of woody and herbaceous plants, fungi, and lichens. We see and hear birds and animals, some of them large, like deer, bears, or moose.Our exposure to our immediate surroundings is mediated only by one or a few thin layers of fabric. We feel the wind, sun, rain, and snow. Our skins feel the changes in temperature and humidity.Our attitudes as hikers make us open to these connections with the immediate environment. We disregard most of the discomfort of exposure, so we connect to our surroundings.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Newton MA

To: Newton MA
Miles today: 0.0

thoughts about the hike, continued...Physical ChangesLong distance hikers, especially through-hikers, work their bodies for hours every day. A male hiker may burn more than four thousand calories a day, and most of us lose at least 10 pounds while eating huge quantities of food. Our blood chemistry must change while we are doing this. For example, our HDL levels go up despite eating a lot of calories from fat, and our stress hormones go way down. Certain muscles get stronger to perform the task of climbing steep trail with 20 to 40 pounds of pack weight. We may get over-use injuries, and if we¢re lucky the body heals itself faster than it is worn down. Long distance hikers end up with very good aerobic fitness and strong legs, as long as injuries don¢t knock us off the trail.Mental ChangesWhen you hike for a long distance toward an endpoint, this is a goal-directed endeavor that requires a kind of mental toughness and the ability to set aside discomfort, but even more than that, you must simply want to keep going. On my hike, it was cloudy and often rainy from early May until late June. After six weeks of sunny weather, it started to rain at the beginning of August and continued to rain every day for two weeks ¢ from the Hudson River to the Vermont border. So when you start through-hiking and get past the physical adjustment to hiking eight hours or so every day, there are two possible trajectories. Either you want to keep doing it, or you don¢t. If you do it for five months or so (with time off now and then for rest and relaxation), you finish. If not, you don¢t. It¢s not really a matter of whether you are tough enough to do it: if you can hike for a month, chances are you¢re tough enough to hike for six months. It¢s a question of motivation.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Newton MA

To: Newton MA
Miles today: 0.0

thoughts about the hike, continued...FellowshipI have no doubt that virtually every long distance hiker finds the fellowship with other hikers one of the most gratifying aspects of his or her hike. If you are through-hiking, you are part of a special group of people, and this is true whether or not you finish. (It also includes section hikers who are trying over a period of years to hike the whole trail.)Other through-hikers are my brothers and sisters. I became closer to some than to others, and there were a few I didn¢t like at all and tried to avoid. But there¢s very little conflict on the trail. An unkind word is not often heard, and through-hikers will make room in a shelter for one more hiker on a rainy night without being asked, even though it is often uncomfortable to be packed in like damp sardines. Through-hiking men outnumber women by 2-to-1 or more, but in my experience it is very rare for a male hiker to hit on a woman on the trail. I believe this is not so much attributable to hikers having a different kind of character than non-hikers, although that may be true in part. I think it has more to do with not wanting to jeopardize a special relationship in a small community of hikers who see each other repeatedly.Despite being so often focused on the elementary functions of eating, sleeping, and elimination, hikers tend to be modest. I have seen a female hiker come into a shelter drenched and cold from the pouring rain with no choice but to change clothes; everyone just looked away so she could do it without being hassled.Hikers rarely ask each other for loans of food or money, but if it is needed it is given, often without being asked for. There is a lot of humor and wit exchanged on the trail between hikers or recorded in the shelter registers. Songs are sung. Special friendships are formed, and some hikers even fall in love. We¢re sharing a unique experience.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Newton MA

To: Newton MA
Miles today: 0.0

thoughts about the hike, continued...Getting Away?The ATC provides a questionnaire along with the application for a certificate of completion. One question concerns motivation, and among the options to check off are ¢To heal from a loss or painful experience¢ and, ¢To escape pressures/unpleasant situations¢. It is a popular idea that middle-aged men like myself (age 56) go on through-hikes to escape from a mid-life crisis. In my own situation, my father had died two years before and I wasn¢t happy in my job, but I see my motivation for the hike not as an escape but as a way to seize the time and do something positive that I may not be physically able to do when I am older. The majority of through-hikers are in their 20s. Some of them, too, may be getting away from bad or painful situations, but I think more of them are seizing the time as well, before the commitments of children and careers make it impossible to get away for 4 to 6 months. I am one of the hikers who is married and has kids. I went home three times during my hike to see them. My two sons, 16 and 19 when I finished, both encouraged me to go for it, and I don¢t think I would have started without their support. My wife was not happy about my going away, but I felt it was something I had to do. It turned out that my absence was harder on her than I had thought, and I offered to come home a month into my hike. She encouraged me to stay with it. Since I returned, we¢re working to reaffirm our commitment and repair the damage. She believes that my hike was in part about wanting to get away from our relationship, at least for a while. I¢ve thought about this as hard as I can (I can hear the women saying ¢typical male¢) but I really don¢t think my motivation included getting away from her.I believe that most hikers, whatever their age, are taking an opportunity to live a segment of their lives in the here-and-now instead of everything being part of a years-long process that culminates in grown kids or professional success. For me, a through-hike is less about getting away and more about getting to.
Date: 2003-02-23
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I am continuing to get stuff together. I want to cut pack wt, so I bought a lighter pack(P-2), tent(Microzoid), rain/wind suit(Frogg Toggs). Just from those items I cut over 5lbs. I also hope to be smarter with food and water. If I have to choose I would prefer to be more comfortable hiking than in camp. I also have been dehydrating jerky and hamburger.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2003-02-24
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I have been working on my mail drops. I have four boxes ready. Plan to have about nine drops between Springer and Harper's Ferry. This will be less than last year. I also received conformation today from Amicalola Falls. Ethel and I plan to stay at the Lodge arriving sometime on the 24th of March. I will skip the approach trail this time. Everything is pretty much on track. New pack should be in March 1.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2003-03-08
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I got my new pack(P-2) on Thursday. I am looking forward to trying it out. The true test will come in the Georgia mountains. I pretty much have all my gear together now. All I have left is to dehydrate more jerky & hamburger. I am really getting anxious to get started. I plan to be at Amicalola on March 24 and start from Springer on the 25th.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2003-03-11
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I will be on the trail two weeks from today. Last year I did not start with a partner. This year I will start with a long time friend of mine, Bobby Jones. He and I are both retired educators from the same school district. Bobby was in administration and I was in guidance. A month ago we were talking about my trail experiences from last year. Later he wanted infomation about gear, and his questions had a sense of urgency about them. He has been scrambling for the past four weeks getting his gear together. He has never backpacked before in the mountains so this will be a real experience. Bobby is strong and tough, and he can do it. His trail name will be "Big Bubba".Its hard to get ready for the Georgia mountains in Mississippi. However, this week we are going to Vicksburg to hike the Civil War park. Bobby says the park has some high elevations. Hmmm.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2003-03-23
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Ethel & I leave for Ga. today. I am ready. Big Bubba and I will start from Springer on the 25th. I would like to thank some people who have inspired and motivated me along the way: John Pearson, (thru hiker in 80'S) for his friendship and intrest in my hike, Tommy Smith (Buffalo Peak Outfitters) for his intrest, sound advice, and friendship, and Bill Matheny who has been a steadfast friend and supporter. I would like to thank my son, Michael, his bride to be Rosy, and my daughter, Karen, and her husband Matthew for being so supportive and encourarging. Most of all I would like to thank my wife Ethel for putting up with my shenanigans while continuing to be caring and supportive. I found this poem in a school in rural southwest Mississippi.Don't Quit!When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,When the trail you're hiking seems all uphill,When the spirit is low and the back is weak,And you want to smile but you have to sigh,When care is pressing you down a bit,Rest if you must , but don't you quit.Life is queer with its twists and turns,As everyone of us sometimes learns,And many a failure turns about,When he might have won had he stuck it out;Don't give up though the pace seems slow,You may succeed with another blow.Success is failure turned inside out,The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,And you never can tell how close you are,It may be near when it seems so far;So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,It's when things seem worst, thatYOU MUST NOT QUIT.Author Unknown
Date: 2003-03-24
From: Home

To: Amicalola State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Ethel and I arrived at Amicalola early Monday afternoon. The skies are bluewith the temperature in the 70's. We met Big Bubba and Betty later in theafternoon. My pack weight is 33 lbs. with food and water--a big improvementfrom last year. We had dinner at the lodge, and then back to the room torepack. We had a great view from the room of the night sky--crystal clearwith lots of stars. Probably will not sleep much tonight.
Date: 2003-03-25
From: Amicalola State Park

To: Horse Gap
Miles today: 10.0

The day has finally arrived! We were up at 6:00 a.m. After a breakfast at the lodge, we left for Springer Mountain. Big Bubbaand I along with our wives hiked to Springer then to Stover CreekShelter. The wives left us to go home. Big Bubba and I trekkedon. We agreed to meet at Hawk Mountain Shelter. I don't know howI did it, but I passed up the shelter. Big Bubba stopped but didn'tget water, so we were somewhere near Horse Gap without enoughwater to cook supper. We ate a cold supper of cheese and summer sausage. It was ok--just one of the many adjustments we will have to make. It is 3:30 and Big Bubba is in his tent. He has had a veryhard day. We stopped a little early. We don't want to push toomuch at the start. Overall, it was a good day on the trail. I look forward to day 2.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Horse Gap

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night we camped on the top of a mountain near Horse GapThe wind blew hard all night. It sounded like a freight trainat times. We crawled out of our tents at 6:00 a.m. to a chilly morning. We have a great view of the sun starting to peek throughthe clouds. Big Bubba and I were on the trail by 6:40. What a greatmorning! Lots of birds flying around and singing. We hiked overSassafras and Justus Mountains. We stopped at Gooch Mountain shelter for lunch. We fixed a hot lunch. I talked to a day hiker,Ira Kelso, who lives in the area and does a lot of hiking. He wasa very nice man. He gave us information about the trail ahead.Big Bubba and I also met Katie and Tasha from Wisconsin. Theyplan to hike for 6 weeks and return to school for post-graduatework. We were getting ready to leave when the Sunshine Man arrived.Sunshine is 65 years old, and he hiked the trail years ago.He is back to do it again. Nice man. Bubba and I continued on in the afternoon. We crossed Ramrod Mt. andstopped at Woody Gap for the night. The trail was all up and downall day, but that's the way the trail is. Overall, it has beenanother good day. Big Bubba had a pretty hard day, but that's to be expected until he gets his trail legs. I have some blisters onsome toes, but I feel good.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2003-03-27
From: Woody Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

We tented at Woody Gap last night. The wind was still blowinghard. The weather has been good with morning temperaturesaround 45 warming up to 70+. We crossed five mountains today.I saw two turkeys. They flew right across the trail in frontof me. We are staying tonight at the Walasi-Center hostel atNeel's Gap. We plan to be back on the trail in the morning.Big Bubba is finding the trail tough, but he is hanging in.I feel good except for blisters on my toes. More later aswe are about to catch a shuttle in to town to eat.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2003-03-28
From: Neel's Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Sixteen hikers filled up the Walasi-Y Center last night. It wasn't fun. We were scattered in bunks around the hostel. One fellow snored hard all night. I did have earplugs, but it really didn't help much. Big Bubbaand I got a late start. We started hiking at 9:00 a.m. We hiked over Levelland Mt., a real monster. A cold mist was blowing most of the morning,so we didn't have any views. We trekked over five mountains. The worst was Wildcat Mt. We plan to stay here tonight. There are 6 in the shelter and 6 more camping in tents. There is a good chance of rain tonight and tomorrow.It's supposed to be in the 20's Sunday night. We should be in Hiawassee, Ga. Sunday or Monday. Everything is going well. It's 5:00, and I think I'll socialize with some of the other hikers. Then I will read and head to bed.
Date: 2003-03-29
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Big Bubba and I stayed at Low Gap Shelter. It was full shelter. Sunshine Man was there, and he seems to be doing fine. We were out of the shelter by 7:00 a.m. It was a nice morning. We stopped at Blue Mt. Shelter for a snack break. That's a very cold shelter. I met Peeps, Apple Chillin', and Sunshine Man there. Big Bubba and I hiked on, planning to meet at the Old Cheese Factory site. We will decide if we are going to tent there or move on to Tray Mt. Shelter. The climbing was tough going over Blue Mt. (4025')and Rocky Mt. (3810'). When I got to the Cheese Factory site, I sat and waited for Big Bubba. When he hiked up, he said he had a plan. Big Bubba wanted me to hike on, and he was going to head back to Unicoi Gap. He had decided to go home. He was going to get off the trail. I tried to talk with him about going on to Hiawassee with me. He could rest for a couple of days. He said his mind was made up, and he was going home. I lost a good partner. I thought he was hiking good. Some people just don't like climbing mountains all day, and there's no way of knowing until you try it. Big Bubba gave it a good try, and it wasn't for him. I trekked on to Tray Mt. Shelter. Since it was predicted to rain, I found a spot in the shelter. Someone built a fire, so we talked and warmed ourselves around the fire. It was really misty and cold, so I went to bed around 8:00. I dozed, but could not really sleep.