morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Harper's Ferry

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

June 12th of this year will be the 60th wedding anniversary of my paternal grandparents. Sixtieth. These are two individuals who have been in each other's lives for most of their eighty years on earth, and who are unbelievably inspiring and supportive. They're also daily readers of this blog and frequently send along uplifting messages. For their anniversary there will be a family get-together in Rhode Island, but as I'll be hiking still, I won't make it. I spent a lot of walking time trying to come up with an idea for a gift I could give them to honor this amazing milestone in their life together. There's nothing tangible they need, no photos or kitchen supplies, no cameras or clothing. It's always a unique gift to help 'save the planet' in honor of someone, but OxFam didn't fit this scenario and I'm not sure how they feel about Polar Bears. If you remember Casey Kasem and his hit weekly radio broadcast American Top 40 then you might remember a segment of the show called "Long Distance Dedications". A listener would write in and dedicate a song to someone they miss, love, are thinking of, etc, and Casey would play the tune the next Sunday morning along with a brief story about the dedication. With that in mind, I decided to do a "Long Distance Dedication" of my own... Long distance in a different sense, in one day I'd hike one mile for every year of their marriage. A lofty goal, nearly double my longest day, I'd have my work cut out for me. . I know my 'gift' is a bit early of their June anniversary date, but the terrain from Virginia on was the most ideal to attempt this across. The 60 miles of hiking included trail in Virginia, all of the A.T. in both West Virginia and Maryland, and 19 miles into Pennsylvania. While this post isn't about the details of the hike, you'll be interested to know I completed all 60 miles in 20 hours and 32 minutes. For those interested, there will be another blog post of the normal nature that will talk about all the things I encountered yesterday, but this post here is about my grandparents. Grammy & Grampy, on the 29th of May, 2014 in honor of your 60th wedding anniversary, I hiked 60 miles for you. My accomplishment absolutely pales in comparison to the unbelievably amazing, rare, and inspiring nature of your amazing relationship, but I hope you'll see it as something that I poured my heart and soul into for you. It won't sit on the mantle place or take up any room in the basement, but you can know that from out here in the woods where I've been living and tirelessly chipping away at a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, I've been thinking about you both frequently. You're an amazing couple, truly special individuals, and the greatest grandparents I could ever ask for. I love you both. Happy 60th anniversary.
Date: 2014-07-20
From: Pierce Pond Lean-To

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I have officially entered the 100 Mile Wilderness. The final section of the Appalachian Trail, this is 100 miles of woods with no access to civilization save for two dirt roads that are over 40 miles from the nearest town. Cell service will not exist, and should anything go wrong I'll be reliant ont GPS device for emergency services. That all being said, my bag is loaded with food and supplies, and I'm heading off into the last chapter. Santa got rather sick last night and took a slow day today, so I'm alone as I begin this. I'm hoping he can catch up, but if not I shall be hiking by myself to the base of Katahdin. I'll arrive in Baxter State Park on Friday, hopefully having hiked the Wilderness in 3 days. Most SOBO hikers take 10-15 days, and most NOBO hikers 6-7. I'll be pushing myself, cautiously. See you on the other side.
Date: 2014-07-26
From: Baxter Peak - Katahdin

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday, on the 26th day of July, I completed hiking the final miles of the Appalachian Trail. Joined by both my father and my incredibly good friend Santa, we climbed 4,100 vertical feet over 5 miles of terrain in order to reach the summit of Maine's legendary Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the A.T., a mountain well deserving of that title. The climb was grueling at points, technical, and involving hand-over-hand bouldering as it ascended into the sky. I know I owe you all a week of blog entries (I'm working on them- sickness, physical, and mental exhaustion proved too challenging to then write in detail at the end of every day) and I assure you they'll be posted as soon as possible, but I wanted to at least get a photo up of my summit. The climb wasn't easy, I was weak with a still-present water-born illness, and took many breaks. There were times where my enthusiasm level was non-existent and I wondered to myself if I'd even care upon reaching the famed sign atop the peak. Luckily, turning a corner in a rock field high above the world below, I saw the finish line and immediately became ecstatic, doubling my pace and rushing off towards the end. Embracing and quite literally kissing the weathered and storied wooden sign, a physical object that has been the main character in many of my dreams over the past year, I cracked open a still-cold Sam Adams Lager that I had carried up, and poured it into my favorite 'Mt. Katahdin' pilsner glass which you'll see in the photo. As we three hung out with a few more section hikers, luckily having arrived late enough in the day that none of the hundreds of day-hikers were present atop the peak, I played some favorite Zac Brown Band songs (America the Beautiful, Chicken Fried, etc) on my portable speaker and drank my beer. We headed back down in half the time it took us to ascend, and were met by my mom, lifetime family friend Dana, and Santa's mom Sue at the base of the mountain. I've done it. Yesterday, I did it. I have officially completed a thru-hike of the 2,185.3 mile Appalachian Trail in just 114 days. Your support has been inspirational and motivating, and I promise there will be more posts, including a detailed post about the Katahdin summit, coming this week. Please bare with me as I work through getting some real-world things done (like a doctor's appointment and attempting to fix my malnourishment) and I'll do my best to get you a few more days of decent blog reading. For now, back to Boston. Onwards and upwards at some point in the near future... Today, I don't have to hike.
Date: 2013-10-26
To: Guess this makes it official!
Miles today: 0.0

So I've been planning my 2014 thru-hike for many months (years, really) and I've been fundraising on behalf of People Serving People (my supported charity) for the better part of two months, but I'm only now getting around to setting up my Trail Journals account. Guess this makes it official! I couldn't be more excited. I'm anxious as well, given that I'm leaving my job and my home to pursue this dream, but on balance I'm thrilled to be embarking on what will doubtless be the adventure of a lifetime. Right now I'm planning to hit the trail on or about 17 March 2014, and I'm hoping to complete it in four or five months. Right now I'm focusing the preponderance of my efforts on the fundraising aspect of this journey, but I'll shortly begin the thru-hike planning in earnest. I'd welcome any and all advice from you aspiring and accomplished thru-hikers out there. Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope!Want to learn more about how I'm preparing for the AT? Check out my project website at http://2000MilesHome.tumblr.com and follow my progress on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram. I look forward to sharing this adventure with you. SPRINGER TO KATAHDIN OR BUST!
Date: 2013-10-27
To: What Better Way to Train for the AT...
Miles today: 0.0

...Than by hiking! I fit in two conditioning hikes over the weekend, the first at Scott's Run (near Great Falls) and the second on the Billy Goat Trail (at Great Falls). I wore a 40-pound weight vest at Scott's Run, and felt solid. Although the trail was pretty flat, so that explains why! The second hike was a spur of the moment affair, so I didn't bring the vest. Still, there's a lot of Class 2 and 3 scrambling on the Billy Goat, which is a blast and which qualifies it as one of my favorite "close in" trails in the Washington, DC environs! I'm going to try to do more conditioning hiking during the coming weeks and months in preparation for the trail. If nothing else, spending quality time in the woods with good friends is a fabulous way to spend one's free time!
Date: 2013-10-28
To: When the Levee Breaks...
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Rather, when the water main breaks! My office building suffered a catastrophic water main breakage today, which resulted in me and my coworkers receiving a half-day. How did I use mine? Training for the AT, of course! After fighting traffic on I-95, I went for a 30-mile bike ride down to Mount Vernon and back, including five laps of Fort Hunt Park, on what was just about a perfect autumn day. Then back to the apartment to work on 2,000 Miles From Home! Why am I including biking in my training? Well, I've got two finicky knees and the only way I'll be able to avoid injuring them on the AT is to make sure I start out with strong legs. So I'm focusing all my training on my quads, calves, hammies, and glutes, with a little core strengthening thrown in. My hope is that by starting with strong legs--and not overdoing my mileage--I'll be able to avoid an overuse injury and not be forced to end my journey as soon as I begin!Now if only the water main would stay broken!
Date: 2013-10-30
To: Not sure this counts as training...
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I've spent a lot of time during the past couple months training for the AT. Really, this just means I've been doing a lot of cycling, stair running (more on that in a future post), and other lower body exercises. But I'll be darned if that doesn't get a little boring! So to keep things interesting I've been climbing at SportRock in Alexandria, Virginia, my local climbing gym. It doesn't do much for my legs, but it sure is fun! Climbing provides a good core workout, which thru-hikers need, right? Also, starting the trail with some degree of upper body strength will slow my transformation into a stick figure with gigantic legs. Which is in EVERYONE'S interest! So I'm going to count climbing as AT prep.The only downside is that I'm going to lose all my mad (read: mediocre) climbing skills by trail's end. Does anyone know if there's any good bouldering along the AT? Ideally on the trail itself? My zero days may very well involve climbing; perhaps I should bring along my harness!
Date: 2013-11-01
To: Hiking to Support Those In Need
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

You may or may not know I'm thru-hiking the AT as a fundraiser for a Minnesota-based homelessness charity, People Serving People (http://www.peopleservingpeople.org). PSP is an incredible organization that aims to end a family's homelessness with a single visit to its shelter. PSP caters specifically to the needs of homeless families, and the preponderance of its guests are homeless and highly mobile kids. Not only does PSP care for their immediate needs, but it also equips them with the skills needed to transition permanently to stable housing. It's an awesome charity and I'm honored to support it.I'm doing this for a number of reasons. While I've never been homeless, I know what it is to lose that sense of belonging one generally associates with home, and in losing it want nothing more than to regain it. I've been deeply blessed in my life and I'm rediscovering that sense of belonging with each day that passes. I'll share more someday--perhaps around a campfire with my future friends in the AT's Class of 2014.I'll limit my fundraising posts here on Trail Journals, but I'd be remiss if I didn't include an entry kicking off my project's pledge month! November marks the beginning of the year-end giving season, and is critical to raising essential funds to support PSP's guests. As of today I've raised $4,040, and I'm hoping to hit $5,000 by the end of the month. This is as much a journey as my planned thru-hike, and the outcome is even less certain. I'm hopeful our community will feel moved this month of all months to give thanks by helping those less fortunate. I'd be grateful for your support, even if it means following us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.Back to AT prep tomorrow with an adventure near Front Royal, Virginia. Stay tuned!
Date: 2013-11-02
To: Great Day at the Crag!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

If you've been following my trail journal you'll know I've managed to convince myself that climbing counts as training for the AT. I mean, how couldn't it? It improves one's balance and coordination, and strengthens one's core! Also, it's really fun. Having staked out this dubious position, I joined Britta, Brett, and Erica for a day of climbing yesterday at Elizabeth Furnace near Front Royal, Virginia.When we arrived the parking lot was empty. This wasn't terribly surprising in light of the fact the temperature was hovering in the mid-40s. After setting up our anchors we hit the crag, which was freezing cold and about as enjoyable to climb on as a refrigerated cheese grater! Needless to say we all took a beating; by the end of the day my clothes were covered in blood, dirt, and chalk, like some pastiche of Jackson Pollack. But it was totally worth it! The sun came out, the day warmed, and a fabulous breeze sprung up that graced us with a gorgeous and colorful leaf fall. Brett and I both topped out a 5.10 we'd been struggling with, Britta looked superb doing some lead climbing practice, and we all took a shot at a 5.10/5.11 wall. All in all it was a fantastic day spent with even more amazing people. I'm passionate about the outdoors, but one of the things I love most about nature is its power to encourage a depth of friendship and intimacy that can be so difficult to find in the hustle and bustle of the "real world."
Date: 2013-11-09
To: Beyond Thunderdome
Miles today: 0.0

In the belief that there's no better way to train for the Appalachian Trail than hiking, I joined some good friends this morning on the classic Billy Goat Trail (BGT) at C&O Canal National Historical Park for a little rock hopping! If you don't live in Northern Virginia or haven't heard of the BGT, it's famous for its rock outcroppings and Class 2-3 scrambling. As you might expect it's very popular and notorious for subjecting hikers to human traffic jams. Fortunately this morning was on the chilly side, and we had the first stretch almost entirely to ourselves!The BGT isn't terribly challenging, so I crammed about 40 pounds worth of stuff into my pack to make things interesting. It worked! Hanging that much weight off my back changed my center of gravity and made keeping my balance more difficult. We hiked Section A (Bear Island), which is the rockiest but clocks in at just under two miles. The hike back to the car was probably around 1.5 miles, so all in all a short hike. Still, my knees and quads held up great and I felt solid ascending, descending, and rock hopping. There's a HUGE difference between the BGT and the distances I'll be aiming for on the AT, but gotta start somewhere!But wait, there's more! When we returned to the trailhead we found that someone double parked behind one of our cars and boxed us in! It took about 20 minutes and what must have been a 100-point turn for the car on our right to position itself to back up a steep embankment and out of the lot. We couldn't take the same approach (something about our car being a Versa), and we spent considerable effort trying to squeeze through a small gap left between the car on our left and the jerks behind us. No dice. About that time the owner of the car on our left arrived. He tried his own 100-point turn and somehow managed to literally wedge his car between the car to his left and the car behind him. When he realized he couldn't move the car without causing considerable damage, he hopped out and asked us to help LIFT his vehicle! Fortunately, it was a Prius. It took about six of us, but we moved his car enough for him to drive through that gap. Not being content with escaping, the guy jumped out of his car and in a very businesslike manner deflated the tires on the cars that boxed us in! It was anarchy!So what lesson should we take from this? Don't double park at the BGT trailhead, or 1) your car will get rammed and 2) you tires will be deflated by an acutely irritated hiker. I kept looking for Mad Max, he must have been scrambling back on Bear Island.
Date: 2013-11-17
To: AT-4 Months!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Four months from today I'll step onto the trail at Springer Mountain and begin my solo NOBO thru-hike of the AT! It seems a long way off, but I've no doubt March 17 will arrive before I know it. My attention lately has been divided between training and fundraising, and it's about time I turned to the logistics of the thru-hike. That and outfitting myself! Both considerations have been swirling around in the back of my mind for months, but tis' the season to start planning in earnest.I'm excited to begin this adventure, but also apprehensive. As I sit here writing in my comfortable apartment in Alexandria, VA, I'm acutely aware that four months from now everything I own--at least what I haven't donated--will be in storage in Minnesota. I'm also keenly aware that on March 17, 2014, I'll be without a secure job and steady paycheck for the first time in my adult life. This is terrifying, and it took many years, a personal crucible, and endless introspection and prayer to arrive at the realization that it¢s the right path for me. Unfortunately, knowledge that something is right doesn't necessarily make it easy! Still, the path I see before me follows the AT, which is where you'll find me that Monday in mid-March.I hope you'll continue to follow my progress as March 17 approaches, and certainly as I make my way north toward Maine! Your well wishes and encouragement will be greatly appreciated, and will have the attendant benefit of helping those in need. After all, we're on this journey together!
Date: 2013-11-25
To: Stair Master!
Miles today: 0.0

If you¢re ever walking along the Potomac River through the north end of Old Town Alexandria, you may happen across a doofus hoofing it up and down a staircase wearing what looks like a cross between body armor and a futuristic sweater vest along with an expression that toes the line between determination and utter misery. That poor guy would be yours truly!In addition to hiking, cycling, and sport climbing--which try though I might to convince myself otherwise does next to nothing for my trail preparedness--I've been spending an inordinate amount of time stair running. I picked up a weight vest a couple months ago, and I've been running the stairs you see in the photo two or three times weekly ever since. I'm currently running with about 36 pounds in the vest, which amps up the challenge a bit. A typical workout includes two or three sets comprising stair running, double-height stair walking, and double-height stair sidestepping, for a total of between 100 and 130 flights of stairs. It's a beast irrespective of the configuration!So is it working? For sure. My calves, quads, and hamstrings feel much stronger, and my balance has improved under weight. The only downside is that it absolutely torches calories and I've lost a couple pounds that I couldn't really afford to lose. If you're looking to burn body fat and strengthen your lower body, this workout is for you! Given that the weather has turned wintery here in Virginia, it's also representative of my commitment to the trail. Tonight's workout included 100 flights of stairs in ten flight intervals separated by 30 seconds active recovery. In the dark. With an air temperature in the 30s. That says all you need to know!
Date: 2013-11-28
To: Thanksgiving Conditioning Hike
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Who says Thanksgiving is reserved solely for Turkey, stuffing, and football? I took advantage of the day off to tackle a much-anticipated conditioning hike on that quintessential Virginian peak, Old Rag. I've hiked Old Rag a number of times and generally enjoy the trail despite its crowded conditions and occasional traffic jams. This time was a little different, in that I brought along a pack loaded for bear with around 45 pounds. To say this made Old Rag's Class 3 scrambling a bit more interesting would be an understatement!Britta and I set foot on the trail at around 9 AM and made great progress until the scrambling began. I slowed us down at that point; my overloaded pack was awkward and made the frequent high steps, push ups, and stemming pleasantly challenging. We stopped briefly at Old Rag's false summit where we sat in the sun and enjoyed some seasonal Clif Bars (Pumpkin and Pecan Pie...delicious) before making our way over the true summit and back down the trail. Things got dicey on the return trip, as the trail was completely covered in places by a thick sheet of ice. We slipped a few times but avoided falling. We stopped again at the Old Rag Shelter for some hot cider and chocolate covered cherries (c'mon people, it was a special occasion) before reaching Weakly Hollow Fire Road and making our way back to the trailhead. All things considered it was a fabulous hike in fabulous company.Given it was a conditioning hike, the question must be asked: how did I feel afterward? Beat! I finished the hike without any problems, but I had some soreness in my upper right quad and hip flexors the next day. I blame the scrambling under weight, which I haven't been training for. Still, hiking more than seven miles--much of it scrambling--carrying 45 pounds without complication gives me confidence I'm on the right track with my training. So what's next, then? Why, the Appalachian Trail! Brett, Kevin, and I will be tackling the infamous Roller Coaster this weekend. Stay tuned for the trip report!