morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-01-05
To: Cool Story
Miles today: 0.0

This is a story, started by my good buddy Keith.Your journey begins here:Comes a time when the blind man takes your hand and says, "don't you see?" You need to take up your china doll..its only fractured-- just a little nervous from the fall. During your hike you might come across a China Cat Sunflower proudly walking jingle in the midnight sun. If you do, don't be afraid she will lead you to terrapin station. Where you might find a storyteller, whose job is to shed light not to master. Along the trail think about what you left behind-- the way you came or the way you go...let your tracks be lost in the dark and snow. Along the trail you will see sugar magnolias blooming, and you will have high times, discovering the wonders of nature rolling in the rushes down by the riverside. At the river which could be a black muddy river you could see the dire wolf. If you do run like hell past shakedown street to Franklin's Tower, where there hangs a bell. God help the child who rings that bell. It may have one good ring left, you just can't tell. One watch by night , one watch by day, If you get confused listen to the music play. Sleep at the tower till the morning comes, and wake up to find out you are the eyes of the world. Look to your left across the lazy river, through the scartlet begonias, where there is a fountain that was not made by the hands of men, and go open the box you invision.   Its just a box of rain, I don't know who put it there, Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare.   The box of rain will help you walk into splintered sunlight, and inch your way through dead dreams to another land. At the entrance to this other land you will see the saint of circumstance and she will ask you "Shall we go, you and I while we can?" Johnny, that is my rendition of your journey you are going to embark on. The only problem is I don't know how it ends. That is why I left the ending up to you. I left you with a question only you can answer when you're done with your journey.Thanks Keith, I can't wait to see where this story goes!
Date: 2007-01-16
To: The Southern Ruck!
Miles today: 0.0

I attended my first hiker event, the Southern Ruck, or SoRuck, at the NOC this past weekend. I hadn't planned on attending but my newest buddy Marsha Starlyte sold me on the idea and I'm so glad she did. This gathering lasted from Friday till Monday morning and included all kinds of gatherings; meals, presentations, parties, campfires, slide shows brownies, and of course a gear tuck or getting Tuckerized. Basically, this is a process where a seasoned hiker and gear guru will take your loaded pack and critique your gear and help you lighten the load. I expected to be slammed, and I was. It was a good thing though, I needed it. I will be looking for a new sleeping bag.... and I thought I was finished with gear. Evidently, my MHW synthetic bag is not meant to be compressed and it loses its fill rapidly when compressed. All the research I did on sleeping bags and no where did I read this...???!!! I already owned the bag, so at least I'm not buying 2...But the Ruck was a ball! I met some great folks and learned a lot; a lot about the hike, the trail and the people. The thing that impresses me the most is how willing folks are to share their stories and information with you. And some of these folks have answered the same questions thousands of times! They will still answer questions graciously and with a smile. I think they remember what it was like to be a Noobie! I know now I will be a part of this community for as long as I can.
Date: 2007-01-17
To: Mr. John's hostel
Miles today: 0.0

I had met THE Miss Janet at the SoRuck this past weekend. Miss Janet is a pretty famous character on the Trail as she owns Miss Janet's Hostel in Irwin TN. She is renowned for her kindness to hikers and going out of her way to transport, nurse, encourage and in general trail angel-ing to hikers visiting her or just passing by. Miss Janet is immediately recognizable as an old soul and a person who loves people. I heard that Miss Janet and her boyfriend Tim planned on heading down to Florida for a vacation. I'm sure this was a pre-hiker season break for her, as North Bounders, (NoBo's), will be heading out any time now. I found out she was coming through Dothan and down my way, so I was able to offer them a place to stay on their way to SoFlA. They took me up on my offer and rolled in yesterday. I was happy to have the company and listened to Miss Janet and Tim as they recounted many hiking stories and the like. The bad news was from their trip from NC to my place. In northern Ga somewhere, they had stopped into a convenience store to ask where a good place to camp would be and was directed by the locals to a water side camping site near a lake. They had set up camp and fallen asleep when they were awoken by a deputy who rudely informed them that overnight camping was not allowed except for boaters. Evidently, he had not noticed the canoe on top of their car...   They got the local good ole' boy hassle some parts of GA are known for and were forced to have their car towed due to lack of a current insurance document, even though they had multiple copies from years past, and because it was late, the deputy would not call the insurance company to check. Of course, it's not a surprise to many that the guy towing the car and the deputy had the same last name...   (I made that up, but it was obvious this was a local scam going on.) The tow driver would not disclose the price of the tow/impound fee until he was hooked up! Being pretty smart people Tim and Miss Janet decided to play nice and take the abuse, what else could they do? They were forced to stay in an inflated-ly priced hotel, pay the tow and impound/storage fee, (which was 2 days because the tow occurred before midnight, day 1 and then midnight hit, day 2). Welcome to GA! I was glad to be able to put them up a night and help them recover from that crap night. I enjoyed spending time talking with them and found out that I was the first hiker that Miss Janet stayed with BEFORE staying with her! Now I have to make it to Irwin at least!
Date: 2007-01-26
To: Last Mintue Gear Changes???
Miles today: 0.0

I have decided that regardless of what they told me about my Pack and Sleeping bag at the Ruck, I am going to at least start the hike with both. The pack may be too big and heavy, but if I need to I can switch it out at Mountain Crossings 4 days into the hike, same with the sleeping bag. The pack, although heavy and big, is designed so nicely, I've read that the harness distributes the load better than most and allows one to carry heavier loads without noticing... We'll see.... I'm tired of worrying about it.Edit: I just found an Ultra-lite North Face bag on sale......;-)
Date: 2007-02-06
To: Getting closer
Miles today: 0.0

My countdown timer is on 1 month, 6 days, 18 hours and 1 minute. I have put in my resignation letter for March 2nd. My brother and Mom have made their travel arrangements to the Beach to be here to see me off. Duncan will be taking me to Amicalola Falls State Park on the 12th of March and take care of my truck while I'm away. I haven't decided on whether I'll do the 8 mile approach Trail to Springer. I have been reading Jack Tarlin's new 2007 version of his Re-supply article on WhiteBlaze.net, it¢s very helpful! It helps me plan where and when I'll be getting off the Trail to re-supply. It helps occupy my mind as well. I have decided on a short term insurance plan with Time Insurance that will cover me for the duration of the hike and hopefully then some. It should cover any emergencies and so forth and looks relatively inexpensive. My friend Starlyte is helping me go through my Companion and highlight some "Do not Miss" stops on my journey. She has helped me in many other ways as well, and promises to "Slack Pack" me in a few areas, and she has others out there looking out for me. The community is so cool. Many hikers that may have Thru'd before or may just love to hike will be out on the Trail in various places doling out Trail Magic and just generally helping us out, that's just GOT to make you feel good!
Date: 2007-02-21
To: I love this stuff!
Miles today: 0.0

As I get closer to my start date, I am starting to see the Universe in action. I think that when Your Energy, your God, your Source, or whatever you choose to believe as your higher Power, kicks in, things really start to happen. I feel that things are clicking into place for me now, and I feel that these things were set in motion a LONG time ago and are just being surfaced or realized now. I won't go into the things happening or that have happened for me since committing to this journey, but believe it, it¢s kind of spooky in a fun way!!!   I feel that this path has been laid out for me and the decisions I've made along the way have guided me to this point in my life, ready for a walk-about, a journey, a series of lessons and discovery. I feel that I am being helped along the way by family/friends here and now, family/friends recently moved on, and family/friends long ago; my "Soul Group" if you will. They are all here smiling, smiling at the experience on which I am about to embark on, and smiling that all their work and patients and Love and Energy will pay off, and that I will be one step closer to finding peace when this journey is complete. "Synchronicities are people, places or events that your soul attracts into your life to help you evolve to higher consciousness or to place emphasis on something going on in your life. The more 'consciously aware' you become of how your soul manifests, the higher your frequency becomes and the faster you manifest positively. Each day your life encounters meaningful coincidences, synchronicities, that you have attracted, on other words created in the grid of your experiences in the physical. Souls create synchronicities, played out in the physical. It is why you are here. It is how our reality works."   I like that. Life is GOOD.
Date: 2007-02-27
To: Trail Name
Miles today: 0.0

Thanks to Dave Heaton, who hiked the AT a few years back, and who may join me this summer along the way for a while, I have my Trail Name. Jimmy Buffett was a major player in why I wanted to come to Florida and move to the Keys back in the mid 90's. People used to ask in college, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I would always say, "I'll be living where there is white sand, blue water and palm trees. well, I here I am 15 years later still living it, a beach bum, man for all sea-sides. Although it is time to go see the mountains and the northern part of the east, I'll always have the Gulf Coast in my heart. Thanks Bubba for the inspiration to explore and the music to do it by, and thanks Dave for reminding me! AND, Not to be forgotten, thanks to my Brohter Duncan, who turned me on to JB even though I fought it as long as I could! Boat Drinks!   Boys in the band ordered boat drinks!
Date: 2007-03-13
From: Springer

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I stayed at Hiker Hostel last night with Duncan. I took the the shuttle to the top of Springer Mountain and walked .9 miles from the parking lot to the top of Springer. I signed in with Duncan and a girl named ¢60", then walked 7.6 miles to Hawk Mountain Shelter. I felt pretty good, but had tired legs at the end. Pitched the tent and hung at the shelter with many guys, some thru hiking, some not. No sign of ¢60". Was not hungry, but may cook something anyway...this will help keep pack weight down. Last night, I had Paul at the Hostel help me shave about 3 lbs. off my pack weight - mainly food and clothes. My pack felt pretty good today, though the hips are a little sore. Dave had some left-over Jack Daniels whiskey, and I helped him thin that down about 3 shots. Many folks are tenting here. I ate Lipton/Knorr side - BLAH; multivitamin and Tex-Mex Trail Mix - wasn¢t very hungry. I also took an Aleve for preventative measures, as I don¢t feel sore now. I thought I would be more tired, but am finding sleep is not coming easily. It¢s a warm night, and I am sleeping in my liner only. The word is we may get rain tonight or tomorrow.
Date: 2007-03-14
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night, Rangers from Camp Frank D. Merrill were having War Games..... in our campground!!!! Twice during the night, a platoon of Rangers marched through our tent sites. (We had been warned by two officers in the afternoon). The ¢Patriot¢ had found a bandolier of blank rounds on the trail. He humped it to the shelter and asked the officers if they wanted it. They had a pretty good belly laugh at that and moved on. The Rangers that invaded our campsite in the middle of the night had an interesting phrase that the NCO kept using: ¢Nut-to-Butt¢. Now, this was either a phrase they use to keep the ranks close, or this is no longer the army I thought I knew!Today, I hiked from Hawk Mt. Shelter to Gooch Gap. We bypassed Gooch Mt. Shelter and hiked the extra 1.4 miles to the Gap on a tip from a former and current thru-hiker ¢Not Guilty¢- a lawyer. Nice spot - grassy - but 3/10 mile to the water.Today, I woke without much soreness, but a little tender on the hips where the belt lays. I hiked 8.7 miles today without much fatigue at all. There were no real big mountains though. Met Danny and ¢Finnegan¢, two guys from Massachusetts. Dave was here, ¢Coyote Thunder¢ and Alex, ¢Not Guilty¢ and a couple of others. Hope to make Blood Mt. Shelter tomorrow at 4450 ft. elevation. I¢m at 2784 now, so LOTS of uphill.
Date: 2007-03-15
From: Gooch Gap

To: Blood Mt Shelter
Miles today: 11.8

Hiked from Gooch Mt. Shelter to Blood Mt. Shelter. Hiked 11.8 miles today. I am camping in the shelter tonight, as the forcast and the current weather are rain - lots tonight and some tomorrow. I didn¢t want to tent in the rain if I could help it. So I will see how the shelters are. It was a long hiking day - lots of ups and downs. It rained all the way up Blood Mt. There is a cool legend surrounding Blood Mt - go ¢Google it¢ - I¢m not in the writing mood now... There were a few ECU spring breakers sharing the shelter - docile, not party types. I cooked some Knorr pasta and put way too much garlic salt in it - YUCK. We were treated to a geo-political-social-economic lecture by Mike, who is going for his PhD in Business. He¢s a pretty smart guy, about 50 years old, but with all those brains, he sure didn¢t research his trip too well. He¢s way over-packed with a huge pack and he brought a ton of cotton clothing. He made sure he told us multiple times that he was an ex-ranger, but in my little experience, even I know cotton is a huge no-no out here. I¢ll have to let him know this in a nice way. When we get to Neels Gap, Mountain Crossings Outfitter is right on the trail and they are renowned for analyzing folk¢s gear and lightening their load by pounds. Most of the crew I¢m currently with will have this done. I¢m happy with my pack - weight and gear selection right now. It was a hard sleep tonight - rain and cold, but I was dry and warm until about 5:00 a.m. The shelter must have reached it¢s saturation point, because I started to get dripped on. I haven¢t slep a whole night yet - still too excited or something.
Date: 2007-03-16
From: Blood Mt Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 2.4

T his morning it was still raining. I was going to sleep in a bit, but mike stirred early and I wasn¢t sleeping well, and Dunc was waiting at Neel¢s Gap for me, so I got up, used the privy, and ate a couple of breakfast bars. I packed up, put on my High-Tech-Super-Duper rain gear and hiked the 2.4 miles to Neel¢s. I knew a hot shower and laundry were a-waiting. Easy hike down, slippery though and my poles saved my ass multiple times. Dunc was waiting for me, sorry he had spent 3 days in Nowheresville, but he¢s a good bro, so there he was with my Bounce Box, a smoke, and a 6-Pack of beer! A luxury here, as it is a dry county. Beer was good! The outfitter here - Mountain Crossings are awesome!!! Winton Porter and his crew are everything they are cracked up to be. I got a smaller hip belt, some food, and rented a cool cottage and some other odds and ends I found I was lacking. The cottage is normally $25.00, but Winton rented it to me for $15.00 if I would change the sheets on the three beds for him. DEAL!!! I watched Winton and his crew analyze the packs of ¢Coyote Thunder¢ and Dave, both of whom were carrying way too much in my opinion, and both dropped a lot of weight because of this! Now I fear they will bolt on ahead of me, as I was just keeping up with them now with my light pack. They are cool guys - I¢ll catch them somewhere. Alex and ¢Coyote¢ came down from Blood Mt. Last night. They¢re strong climbers. Alex is my only Tarheel pal out here so far, so when we saw each other this morning, we congratulated each other on Carolina¢s win, but almost more importantly, Duke¢s loss to VCU!!! At the counter in the outfitter, they had a bracket sheet with last night¢s results and a handwritten footnote: ¢This was Duke¢s 1st First Round loss since 1996!!!¢
Date: 2007-03-17
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6

Hiked 10.6 miles from Neel¢s Gap to Low Gap shelter - stayed in tent @ shelter. St. Paddy¢s Day - word down the trail was at Low Gap Shelter there would be a Trail Magic/ St. Paddy¢s Day party. When I rolled in to the shelter, Alex (now ¢Spyder¢) and Dave (now ¢Dude¢) had gone with some folks to bring down beer and hot dog! The party was real! Two guys, ¢Geek¢ and ¢Boudan¢ decided to throw their umpteenth St. Patrick¢s day party for the thrus. The fire was started, dogs cooked, beer drunk, and the Campfire commenced. ¢Finnegan¢ played his fiddle - even a little Irish stuff, Irish jokes and drinking songs were the order of the ceremony. ¢Finnegan¢ and Danny, the guys from Mass. sang an old Irish drinking ballad. Good stuff.It got cold!!! I kept adding layers until I exhausted my clothing bag and was still very cold. I noticed that many others were less-dressed and seemed fine. But, I¢ve been in Florida for over 12 years and have not experienced cold like this, much less had to endure being outside in it for quite some time. I was worried about being aboe to sleep and wished I had bought a down outer shell. But, once I got into my bag and bag liner, I pulled the drawstring around me tightly and warmed up okay. I still was wearing many layers. It wasn¢t too bad of a sleep. Getting up and out of the cocoon of my bag and tent to pee was not fun in the cold - I can assure you.
Date: 2007-03-18
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

Low Gap shelter to Blue Mountain shelter - 7.2 miles. Slept in tent at shelter. Took an easy day today - 7.2 miles, not because I felt bad, but the next shelter is 7.9 miles more, and I¢m not ready for that many miles. There was a campsite closer, but this area looked good. Warmer today, but getting cooler as the sun sets. Most of the young guns pushed on, they are faster than me - most of them way more experienced. But I¢m cool with that. I¢m sure I will find a crew that is at my pace as the miles roll on. I¢m at 3900 ft. tonight - good views.
Date: 2007-03-19
From: Blue Mt. Shelter

To: Addis Gap
Miles today: 13.0

Blue Mountain shelter to Addis Gap. Hiked 13 miles today - tented. Today was a tough 13 miles. Lots of elevation changes - pointless ups and downs. I wanted to reach this point, Addis Gap, because it will mean an easy day into Dick¢s Creek Gap and my re-supply stop in Hiawassee. I have one dinner to spare after eating tonight, but only 3 energy bars on top of that - cutting it a bit close. I¢ll have to carry ab it more per day now as my appetite is starting to build. The campsite was deserted and I was kind of looking forward to a night by myself. No other human noises. But, another hiker came in to camp late in the day. He¢s cool though and was beat as well, so we both kind of crashed early. All of the guys I hiked with have either gone into Hiawassee early by hitching in, or they have blown on ahead. We¢ll probably split up now as everyone kind of radiates towards others that hike at or near the same pace.Much warmer today and tonight. I may be able to sleep without my entire wardrobe on. Slept well tonight.
Date: 2007-03-20
From: Addis Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Addis Gap to Dick¢s Creek Gap - shuttle to Cloud 9 Hostel. After the big malaise day yesterday, I walked the pretty tough 5.3 miles to Dick¢s Creek Gap. This had been planned as one of my re-supply stops. Laura and Frank run this aptly namedoasis. Frank picked me up at the Gap after an iffy-receptioned cell call. As I walked in to secure a spot, ¢Crutch¢, a former thru-hiker was the welcoming committee. He works there and does Trail Magic near Franklin a bit. Very nice guy. As soon as I got laundry going, I was invited to a lunch of pork roast on onion bread. This was good - to say the least! ¢Mr. Hanky¢, who had passed me on the trail was staying as well. There will be a chuttle in to town later for re-supply. I¢m gonna get beer too. Laura ran into Wally World - I asked her to see if they had fuel for my stove. If they do, I¢ll re-supply tonight for the 6-7 day leg to the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center). If they don¢t carry it, I¢ll go the 3/4 days into Franklin and get fuel. I got to watch that fuel consumption.
Date: 2007-03-21
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked 11.6 miles and slept in shelter. I entered N.C. today, and she welcomed me with a couple bitch climbs. 11.6 miles was just about my limit today. I¢m too tired to tent, so I¢ll give the shelter a try. ¢Widow maker¢, ¢Plod¢ and a week hiker whom I stayed with at Addis Gap were here already, but plenty of shelter room. Someone got up at least 6 times to piss last night. You do not pro-hydrate before bedtime, you do it in the morning!!Other things I¢ve learned so far:1. Don¢t tent on a slope, even what looks like a moderate slope, or you will awaken to find you and everything you put in the tent crammed into the downhill quadrant of your tent. (This rule does not apply when raining, as then, you need to be on a slight incline to avoid waking up in a shelter pool.2. Always eat a breakfast before setting out to hike! Even though cardiovascular issues are well behind me, not feeding the machine will cause your pack to weigh 25% more than it actually does. 3. When you want to admire a nice view, STOP! This is not a sidewalk. There are rocks and roots that live to reach up and grab the toe of your boot and send you stumbling. Trying not to fall, with a 40lb. plus 25% pack on your back... I¢m sure this looks quite funny to whomever is lucky enough to see it happen. More hiking hints later.
Date: 2007-03-22
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: broken clouds

Well, N.C. was more friendly today! It was one long climb for 2 miles, one long downhill, a lot of flat (nice!) And one final climb to Carter Gap Shelter. It was 12.5 miles, but very easy. I could have gone on, but figured I¢d end the day at a nice shelter and on a good note. ¢Widow Maker¢ and ¢Plod¢ from last night signed the shelter register and moved on. They didn¢t say where though. I had a feeling that with such and easy day, they may try to squeeze in more miles. I have found that my trail name, ¢Boat Drinks¢ and whatever accent I use when I introduce myself do NOT mix. Especially when speaking to folks of the Northern influence. I don¢t know if it¢s the central VA/Richmond accent, my Wilson, N.C. accent, or my ¢Redneck Riviera¢ accent, but I find myself having to spell it out or saying ¢You know, like SAIL boat.¢ It seems that my ¢Boat¢ sounds an awful lot like ¢Boot¢ to the untrained or unrefined - (I can¢t decide which.) So I get a lot of ¢What? BOOT Drinks?¢ ¢What the hell is BOOT Drinks?¢ What is equally amazing/disappointing is how few people out here are familiar with the song of the same name - ¢Boat Drinks¢ NOT ¢Boot Drinks¢. Ah well, I did come here to explore the strange and interesting cultures of the world - as uninformed as they may be...