morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-08-03
To: Prep #39-Head vs. Heart
Miles today: 0.0

Today I've been reflecting on the emotional journey I've been taking since deciding to attempt a thru-hike next year. Granted, most if not all of my posts (I think) portray enthusiasm and excitment, which are certainly emotions that I feel more than not. However, there are those days/hours/moments when whatever is going on in life right then makes the reality of this adventure slap me right in the face, which then sometimes induces a wave of intense shock, fear, and "are you stupid or what?!" types of emotions and thoughts.It kind of makes me think about what I felt like right before boarding the plane to Parris Island, S.C. for Marine bootcamp. The unknown is a scary scary thing, and although I read others' trail journals on a daily basis and am constantly evalutaing my environment for trail-worthy exercises, there really is absolutely nothing I can do to fully prepare for such an experience.I sometimes have a difficult time wrapping my mind around the truth of it all...that in 222 days (not that I'm counting or anything), I will board a train and ride away from everything that I know to be my reality, and that for the next 6-7 months, I will immerse myself into a way of living that I've never experienced before. It really blows my mind sometimes.I suppose feeling a little fearful is a healthy thing though. I've never been one to boast about conquering the world w/zero apprehension or fear, but I have managed to develop some great skills at helping my head and my heart reconcile any disagreements they might have. For instance, here's a dialogue that has occured between the two recently:Heart: Woooo Hoooo....we're going to hike the AT...for real!!!!Head: Um....what did you just say?Heart: Yeah man..didn't you hear, we're going on a crazy 6-month long       adventure next year!!!!!!!Head: Surely you jest, she knows she'd miss the hell out of her family and      friends, and she's said a million times before that people are what      makes life worth livingHeart: Yup...but she told me she's excited about expanding her circle and      enjoying an intense experience with even more people!! Whoo Hoooo!!!Head: You're stupidHeart: Shut up and enjoy the ride man...you think WAY too much---------------------THE END------------------Then I step in and tell them both to calm down, look at the big picture, imagine the possibilities, the life-enriching experiences, the pain, the sweat, the cold, heat, the lonliness, the feeling of a shower after 10 days of not bathing, the flood of emotion when I see Rachael for the first time in months.....and I convince them both that yes...this will be worth it. Sometimes, just sometimes, we need to deprive ourselves of those things we cherish the most, in order to learn to appreciate EVEN MORE what we already know we're so lucky to have...and we might just learn something about ourselves through it all too.
Date: 2006-08-07
To: Prep #39-You Might Be A Redneck If....
Miles today: 0.0

Having lived in Oklahoma for 20+ years, I feel that I can claim to have expert knowledge of the redneck culture and I feel equally confident in my abilities to visually determine who is and is not a redneck. With this said, I have difficulty placing myself into this category, simply based upon the fact that I've seen ZERO rednecks with nose rings and hippie-hemp jewelry...but alas, I was called a redneck last night...which makes me aware of the fact that young people here in Michigan have no idea what a redneck is.It was about 10:30 p.m., and I had been spending the evening practicing packing my pack, trying to figure out the best way to position stuff for the weight distribution, etc. I was having a BLAST!!! So, after I packed everything, I decided to go out for a short stroll around my apartment complex. Yes, it was 10:30 p.m., and I realize that seeing someone walk around with hiking poles and a full pack at that time of night, in a city apartment complex may seem to be a little "backwoods," but I didn't give it much thought...afterall, normal has never been a word that my friends/family have ever used to describe me.So, I'm walking around, happy as can be, excited that I think I've figured out how to pack everything and all of the weight is distributed on my hips, none of that "pulling me back" feeling, and just a very comfortable set-up. I'm walking around the playground, the courtyard, over to other grassy areas, and I noticed this car w/a bunch of young men just hanging out. What they were doing there, I have no clue, but I didn't go anywhere near them, and I knew they could see my outline at least, but it was too dark to be able to tell if I was a man/woman/transient, etc. So, after my second time around my little path, I headed back to my apartment, and just as I was walking away from a parking area, the red car full of these boys pulls up and yells out, "You f-in redneck!...!!!!" I only turned my head to see who they were talking to, and then realized they were looking right at me!!! I was shocked honestly, because I've also never seen a redneck carrying a backpack, using hiking poles, or wearing trailrunners just for the hell of it, but perhaps Michigan rednecks are just a little more outdoorsy than Oklahoma rednecks, who generally wear cowboy boots, belt buckles the size of serving platters, and only access 1/2 of the vowels in the english language (i.e. "Far" in redneck can mean Fire, Fur, For, or Far...just depends on the rest of the sentence).Nonetheless, I just turned away, and after making sure they weren't following me or watching me, I went back to my apartment and proceeded to lock the door behind me. It will be nice to get to a place where seeing someone in that sort of git'up won't be such a shock to the locals! Ya'll have a nice day now...ya hear?
Date: 2006-08-08
To: Prep #40-Choooo Chooooo......
Miles today: 0.0

The title of this entry is honor of one thing and one thing only...I PURCHASED MY TRAIN TICKET TO GEORGIA YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I wasn't planning on buying it this early, but the price started going up and my sources tell me that they start going up when more people make reservations. So, since I had only budgeted for a certain amount, I thought I'd better go ahead and buy it. Something about the act makes this whole thing take on a different priority now. I suppose it's because I dropped the $ for it, and as I've said before, I don't let a dime out of my usually broke pocket unless it's something I'm really serious about.I decided on the train over other forms of transportation for several reasons, as listed below:The Bus--whereas I really do enjoy riding it into work everyday, I don't think I could handle the smell of unbathed/sweaty/dirty people for that many hours....oh...wait, I just described what I'll be like a few days into my hike didn't I?The Plane--I HATE flying anymore, simply because I think airports have become a small glimpse into our unsettling future...you can't stand up for yourself and tell someone to chill out w/out being labeled a terrorist, you have to act like you "really" appreciate that 1/4 cup of soda and 6 pretzels, "please ma'am...may I have another?" (said in a peasant-like english accent of course), and finally, I just don't understand how my tray table being in the "down" position during landings and takeoffs will pose a hazard to my safety when I'm sitting in a metal tube traveling hundreds of mph that will more than likely vaporize into small little pieces if it crashes.The Car--$3.20/gallon and soon to be $3.40-$3.60....need I say more?So the train it is....and it will be a fantastic leisurley start to my adventure of a lifetime.
Date: 2006-08-15
To: Prep #42-Don't Put Your Hands In The Cookie Jar
Miles today: 0.0

I'm not sure if I'm just in "one of those moods" today or if my emotional state is somehow related to the fact that I allowed myself to get a taste of what was to come, with my hike on Sunday....hence getting into the cookie jar. To put it simply..I'm really tired of people today. Felt like all of that ridiculous, incidental, doesn't really freaking matter in the long run, b.s. got channeled my way today, and quite frankly my dear..I don't give a damn about ANY of it! Seriously, all I could think about today was getting back outside, getting out there with my pack, getting out there into the woods, back into the chipmunk and butterfly kingdom that I witnessed on Sunday. Sunday was my "Yin" and today was the "Yang." While hiking, everything made sense, I EVEN came up with an invention for a piece of gear that I am going to try to make when this part that I ordered comes in. I met wonderful people out there, I stopped and stared at this adorable little frog right in the eyes....she didn't budge and neither did I for a while. All was calm, clear, comfortable, and peaceful. For a brief period of time, I started to let go...it was a wonderful timeless afternoon.   Today...well....let's just say that dealing with multiple people that all seem so wrapped in their own little $-oriented worlds just didn't do it for me. I felt like screaming at all of them and telling them to leave me the hell alone if all they could do was worry about petty crap, but then again, that IS what our culture teaches us isn't it, that the sky will fall if we don't make as much $ as possible in as short amount of time, so that we'll all "look" successful to our neighbors. Wow...I'm little miss pissy pants tonight aren't I! hee hee (at least I can laugh at myself for it, because guess what..THIS is all incidental too, and tomorrow is a new day).On a positive note, I finished up my second job really early tonight, so I've been able to come home and just "be" for a bit. It's been nice. The only thing about this, is that my thoughts go wild. I suppose it also gives my brain time to process my fears and apprehensions, and that is good as well. I don't believe in the avoidance tactic, never have never will. If I have a fear, a stressor, I believe in confronting it head on and dealing with it as best as possible. This is why I think I will plan my first overnight shakedown hike for a couple of weeks from now. I found the perfect place...a trail with a campground half-way through it. Perhaps doing this every few weekends will aid in my complacency with my current situation. On a nerdy note (because anyone that knows me will tell all of you who don't that I am a HUGE NERD), another person who is attempting a thru-hike supplied a link to this program that I've now downloaded onto my computer desktop. It's called "Time Left" and you can literally set the thing to countdown to any date/time/event, etc. Yes...right now, I've got 6 months, 27 days, 21 hours, 33 minutes, and 26 seconds until my train departs. Nerds Unite!!!
Date: 2006-08-28
To: Prep #45--The "embers" are almost here!
Miles today: 0.0

I've been telling everyone that as soon as the embers (all of the months of the year that end in "ember") get here....time is going to fly (yes yes, I DO realize that October doesn't exactly end in ember, but we'll let it be part of the crowd anyways, we don't discriminate due to two missing letters). Well, we're only a few days from the first ember and I'm really excited about that. Actually had one of those sudden heart-pumping realizations yesterday, where you get this surge of "Oh My God!!" excitement in your chest.I am particularly excited because I finally found the perfect water set-up for myself. I didn't want to take my camelback bladder due to the fact that it's blue (which would match almost perfectly with all that stuff that can grow inside of a bag like that w/out you knowing it), and I was leaning towards just good ole'fashioned gatorade bottles, but while out hiking, I'd have to take my pack off everytime I wanted a drink, which caused me to get dehydrated.So, I found these collapsible Nalgene 32 oz "canteens" that also had a drinking tube option. I got 2 of these pups, which fit perfectly in the outside mesh pockets of my pack, and I can use my drinking tube to stay all hydrated. I can also fill them with boiling hot water and put them in my sleeping bag for warmth if it's super cold out. The REALLY cool thing about this is when I ordered this set-up, the website stated I'd have them around Aug. 31, but they showed up 2 days ago! S-a-weet! Now I'll have them for my first overnite hike coming up in a few weeks. I guess you could say that right now I'm just trying to keep up the momentum in order to not go crazy waiting for March to get here. All of the holidays will help. When something is still 6 months away, it still doesn't "seem" like a reality to me. I'm sure the panic will set in sometime around January. And when it does, I'll be asking myself what the hell I was thinking....but luckily, I can tell myself that it will have to wait for an answer, and then ignore that question until say....next September or so.   I'm also sad (but happy for them) that all of the people I've been following on the trail this year are almost finished w/their hikes. I'm trying to get into some SOBO (southbounder) journals because many of them are only a few months into their hikes, but it's not quite the same, because I'm going to be a NOBO (northbounder). Nonetheless, I'll have to find something to keep my mind occupied. Perhaps I should take up ceiling-tile-counting or even better, I can start teaching myself to sing my favorite songs backwards. That would certainly take some time right?
Date: 2006-09-12
To: Prep #49-Feeling antsy
Miles today: 0.0

Today is just one of those general days where I feel uptight and antsy about my hike. I think it's because I'm contemplating changing from my tent to a hammock, and I'm still learning about hammocking. (and it might also be that damn clock on the wall in my windowless office, that seems to drain my life force with every passing tick...tick...tick..tick...if only I had a nice sling shot and a BIG rock!!)The biggest challenge with hammock camping is staying warm, so I went through the journal of Craig and Cathy today (Upload and Stitches) because they were really good about reporting the temps. I figured if I can make it through the first 2 weeks (where they experienced temps in the teens and snow) then I should be ok warmth wise. After that, they were reporting temps no lower than 30 F. They started 1 week before my start date, so I only counted temps starting March 15. Right now, it's definitely transitioning to Fall here in Michigan. Perfect time for me to go out and try my hammock set up for warmth, but I'm still waiting for everything to get here. I'm also planning on spending some winter nites in it, just to see how low I can go and still be warm. One VERY cool thing that happened yesterday, however, was that I was able to purchase THE tarp that I really wanted for my hammock. It's called a MacCat and is made by a young man named Brian, who is only 18 years old. Because he's starting his first semester of college (boy those were the days!) he's shut down his business until January, which made my chances of ordering one of these tarps pretty much nill. So as my luck would have it (and I do admit to having great luck), on whiteblaze.net yesterday, a guy was selling a brand new MacCat Delux Tarp (largeset size) for $25.00 off! I jumped on the opportunity and was lucky enough to have responded first. Hiking gear goes REALLY fast on these forums, so I was very lucky to have just logged on in the middle of the morning and see this. So, that means I've got the hammock, underquilt, and tarp that I want. Now I have to decide on a different sleeping pad (needs to be wider than my therm-a-rock) and figure out lightweight stake/tie down options. Almost there. If not this coming weekend, perhaps the next I can go for my first overnight. As Fall approaches and I am confronted with the fact that the next time I experience warmer weather will be when I'm on the AT, I get waves of excitement as well as good old fashioned panic. Interesting living each day with conflicting emotions happening all of the time. I'm pretty sure I'm going to vomit from nervousness the day I leave Michigan! Hope the train has a barf bag!
Date: 2006-10-09
To: Prep #52--Hammocking 101
Miles today: 0.0

First, is it taboo or bad luck to post two consecutive journal entires...or is it just a sign of my neurosis?As promised, I said I'd post info about hammocking. We'll play a game though, called Myth or Truth (abbreviated M or T).   Play the game and the answers are to come in a future post, and YES..this IS for a grade!1. M or T? Sleeping in a hammock hurts your back.2. M or T? It is impossible to sleep flat in a hammock.3. M or T? Hammocking is more environmentally friendly than tenting.4. M or T? You must have your knot-tying patch from the boyscouts to hang a hammock5. M or T? A hammock system weighs much more than a tent system6. M or T? It is more difficult to stay warm in a hammock than in a tent7. M or T? Once you hang in a hammock, you'll never go back to being a ground-dweller8. M or T? It takes longer to hang a hammock than it does to pitch a tent9. M or T? One wrong move, and you'll fall out of a hammock10. M or T? You can only consider a hammock if you weigh less than 200 lbs and are shorter than 6 ft tallOk everyone...record your answers and hang them on the fridge. I'll copy my questions and post answers in my next entry! Isn't this fun?
Date: 2006-10-21
To: Prep #54--What Hikers Are Like
Miles today: 0.0

So far, this adventure to be has already brought many wonderful and generous people into my life. I wanted to share a story about the generosity of one complete stranger.Jakebrake 2004: http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=2104He contacted me out of the blue and told me about a modified version of Roy Robinson's catfood can stove. We've never met, never spoken, and never knew of one another's existence before the AT and trail journals allowed that connection to be made. He proceeded to mail me the stove in this picture, a new potstand, and a 35 mm film canister (used for measuring out 1 oz portions of fuel). He was 66 years old when he thru-hiked the AT!! Amazing generosity, amazing inspiration.I think more than anything, I'm excited about connecting with other people in a way that only extreme conditions can allow for. No, I will more than likely NOT be in a life/death situation, but, I respect the difficult situations that I know the AT will put in front of me. Sadly though, I think it usually takes challenges, difficulty, and even tragedy before many people can see past the petty things in life and start genuinely concerning themselves with the well-being of their human family. It really doesn't take much to make a true connection with another person. A simple word of encouragement, offering to help them solve a problem when you possess the skills to help, giving something without the expectation ofpayment or compensation. Doing things to help others for the sake of helping can be an addicting activity. In a society where value is measured with dollar signs, it's both refreshing and encouraging that there are sub-cultures that possess such generous qualities. I can not wait until my turn arrives and I get to help a fellow hiker out....just when they need it.
Date: 2006-12-01
To: Prep #62--Offering an Explanation
Miles today: 0.0

This entry is all Nicole's fault. She's the mastermind that figured out how to put multiple pictures throughout a journal entry and she told me how to do it, and then I lost her instructions, but finally figured it out today. I've had a few people ask me how to do it so if anyone wants to know, just email me and I'll send you step-by-step instructions. If I type them here in my journal, then instead of you seeing what you need to type, the picture will appear (you're basically writing simple html code used by the internet). I've created a Word file w/the instructions and I'll be happy to email it to you. So a big pat on the backpack goes out to Nicole who took the time to figure it out in the first place! Oh.....99 days till we all hop in the car and start our drive to Georgia!!!!!! I can't believe we're in double digits!!!
Date: 2006-12-07
To: Prep #63--This.....
Miles today: 0.0

....is what I feel like inside about 50 times a day when I look at my countdown clock on my computer. Another journalist, John Minton, wrote an entry that EXACTLY describes how I feel. Here's a link to that entry: http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=163465I've also confirmed with my compadres, Toasty and Nicole, that they feel very similar--and if I didn't use "correct" Spanish here folks....I don't freakin' care.....I took French! But can't speak or write any of that either, so try to deal ok?-- (see my guest book for explanation)Anyhoooooo, I woke up two mornings ago, warm, comfy, with that feeling of security that you have when you realize you're lying next to the person you've shared your life with for over 11 years and then W**H**A**M!!!!!!My heart stopped and the enormity of what I just signed up to do hit me like a brick wall. Much like John mentioned in his journal, you get these thoughts in your mind of...well, "maybe I shouldn't do this." I think this is a totally normal reaction for your mind to have when your brain is in overdrive releasing chemicals that make you feal overwhelming fear and anxiety. It's all good though. I've been here before. No way would I back out, but it's been extremely interesting experiencing the sort of tiers of emotion one goes through when approaching the big day (not tears...but I'm sure those will come too). Forever, this hike seemed like a really exciting adventure that was to happen *in the future*. It didn't seem within in reach. Since Thanksgiving, since waking up one day and realizing it was time to do some Christmas shopping, and coming to work to see that I'm scheduling things on my boss' calendar for January and that January is only a FEW WEEKS AWAY, this hike has taken on a completely different form for me. One thing I know is that I need to stop watching that tv show, "I Shouldn't Be Alive." It's always about hikers or other outdoorsy people getting into these horrific situations that they somehow survive. Everytime I watch the show I'm thinking, "ok, do I have an emergency measure to deal with THAT?" And then I stop my irrational brain and remind myself I'm not going to be canyoneering or skiing in Europe or anything. I'm just walking with 35 lbs on my back...sometimes in the rain, sometimes in the snow (YIKES!), sometimes in the sun. I think in some ways, all of the fanfare around a thru-hike has made the concept unreachable for people, or deathly scary for others because we almost know too much. It's just walking people.....I'm not hopping on a spaceship to Mars, although I wish I could do that too!So this is me today. I'm in my office, that I decorated into a Christmas wonderland (I love Christmas), waiting for my black clock to tick away another 25 minutes so that I can go home. Happy Holidays everyone!