morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-09-26
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: overcast clouds

About 4 am this morning heard a moose walk by and get into the water, so I got up to investigate but was too late and didn't see it- oh well. Up early this chilly morning and attempted to pack up and head out early because I knew we had a long day ahead of us. Unfortunately it started to rain right as we headed out but it didn't get too bad. And, as luck would have it, the path was super smooth today!Got some great trail magic today (very unexpected in the wilderness) from Sprite '08. It was almost like a resupply in itself! She had loads of goodies for us, and had no other hikers come by so was trying to give us as much as we would take- so much food that I am actually FULL going to bed tonight. Afternoon passed quickly chattin with LJ and before we knew it we arrive around 5:30 (early!) after walking nearly 20 miles- happy days! On to white house landing tomorrow to pick up a couple resupply items and to test out this burger I've heard so much about. (At the moment though not feeling like anything else can fit in my stomach!)
Date: 2010-09-27
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to

To: Cresent Pond stealth site
Miles today: 14.8

Well we intended to go a bit further today but didn't quite make it. Me and LJ set off early this morning to take a side trail and resupply at White House Landing. It goes about a mile off trail and you blow a foghorn and then a boat comes and picks you up. Was a real cool place and we got there at about 9:30 but unfortunately they didn't open until 11 so we had to cool our heels for a bit.Got back to the trail about 12:30 and still had about 16 miles to do in order to meet Serenitina at Rainbow Stream Lean-to. Well unfortunately as much as we tried, that didn't happen. The trail was a lot rockier and rootier than yesterday so it took more energy and concentration plus we had to climb Nesuntabunt Mtn which, although small, was a real pain in the neck. It started to rain and was getting dark (about 6) so we got to a water source (Cresent Pond) and decided to call it a day. I filtered some water and LJ found a good stealth spot so we set up, cooked dinner half in and half out of our tents and I am now just in my tent writing and listening to the rain (and loons!). We are about 4 miles short of where we were meant to go so that means a very long day tomorrow- c'est la vie!
Date: 2010-09-28
From: Cresent Pond stealth site

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

Well the rain continued all night but I was cozy in my tent. Heard a dog howl close by in the middle of the night so I wondered if it was another lost hunting dog (like JJ). Me and LJ were up at 6:30, quick poptart breakfast and then off into the rain to try and catch up with Serenitina and make it out of the 100 mile wilderness.Morning was a nice walk along Polywag Gorge and stream (even in the rain) and we arrive at the shelter at about 9:30- and had missed Serenitina. Had a hot drink and second breakfast there before heading off to Rainbow Lake and Rainbow Ledges. There was a view of Katahdin from the ledges but it was shrouded in clouds so no luck there. Had a fun afternoon joking around with LJ as we walked but by the end of the afternoon, we were both pretty tired, wet, slipping on wet roots and trying to get out to the campground before dark. It had been a long three days of walking! I would love to come back and hike the 100 mile wilderness again not in such a rush because there is so much beauty here... but maybe preferably in warmer temps (TONS of great swimming holes) and better weather! Arrived at the campground just in time to see a bunch of hunters weigh a moose they had just killed. I went over because of curiosity but then thought I might be sick when they lifted it up to weigh it- with its tongue hanging out and blood dripping off of it. I just thought of the ones we saw in the wild and that they seemed like too much of an easy target- they don't even run away.Anyways, enjoyed my night here at the campground. LJ and I had some beers and little apple pies to celebrate and hung out outside the men and womens bathrooms alternatively in order to sit under the little eves and try and get out of the rain. There is no one else at the campground now anyways aside from the drunk hunters having a party it sounds like. Its very bizarre that we only have 15 miles to go and I have mixed feelings about it all. On one hand, I am excited to be finished and really ready for a break while on the other hand I will be sad to leave this lifestyle and will really miss so many of the great people I've come to know out here... gonna be an interesting couple of days. Anyways, onto the birches tomorrow for a hopefully easier day!
Date: 2010-09-29
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birches
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

Well, the day has taken a bit of a turn from where it started... Woke up to a warm rain and me and LJ went, got some coffee and headed over to Serenitina's lean-to for breakfast. Day turned out to be beautiful and warm and the three of us headed off into Baxter State Park.We really took our time, enjoyed the gentle walk along the river, had nice breaks, took pictures, enjoyed spending time together and reflected on how this might be the 'last time we...' (example- filtered water). Hit a snag in the day at the river crossing- after all the rain we've had we couldn't get across. LJ went ahead and before he was even halfway, he was nearly up to his waist and the force of the water was knocking him over. As he is over 6 ft and Serenitina and I are much smaller we decided that it was too dangerous to cross (and cross again a few miles down) and to take the high-water trail. A bummer on our 2nd to last day on the AT to take a blue-blaze trail instead of the white blazes for the first time, but in the matter of safety, we decided to make the smart choice.Had a nice walk into Katahdin Stream Campground where we met up with Eureka, Dr. Rock, Scat Tracker, Unicroc, Red Oak and Buttercup who are all planning to summit tomorrow too. Stayed at the Birches tonight with most of the gang but the ranger came by a few minutes ago and told us as of now the mountain will be closed tomorrow (first time since May- d'oh!) as 70 mph winds on the summit are predicted. The forecast is also not great for Friday, Saturday or Sunday so the general mood at the moment is disapointment... will see what tomorrow morning brings...
Date: 2010-10-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

To the readers of my journal- I am sooo sorry that I appeared to have dropped off the radar these last couple months!! I did end up completing the trail (and had a wonderful time!) and summiting Katahdin on October 2nd (after cooling my heels for 2 days at the base waiting for the mountain to re-open) along with many great friends that I had met along the way.As I might have mentioned, I was a slight techno-phob at the start of the trail and I pretty much gave up on attempting to even use the internet or going anywhere near a computer the second half of my thru hike (living the good life in the woods will do that to you). Big thanks to my mom who kept things moving along, and got my journal up to mid-August and over the next few days I¢ll attempt to complete the journal to fill in the blanks as well as (finally) upload some more recent photos of the trail and trail friends! Thanks for your patience and apologies if I left anyone hanging!Post-trail life hasn¢t been too bad at all, but then I haven¢t really settled back into a routine either. I was home for about 2 days and then went up to Canada for a few days to hang out with LJ so that made the adjustment back into society much easier (feeling like an alien on crowded city streets is not so bad when you are there with another alien!)! Sure it is strange to have more than 1 set of clothes to choose from each day (cotton clothes at that!), having a bit of sensory overload with all the distractions/advertising constantly around, realize all the clutter-y crap I have to sort through at home (simplify, simplify!- as Thoreau said) and just generally settling back into the life as I knew it before. Hopefully I¢ll be adjusting back with a slightly altered perspective and hope to incorporate some of the values and things I learned from the trail into my everyday life. I do miss the trail and the woods a lot already and, even though I was ready for a break, I¢m not burnt out on hiking in the slightest. Comforts of home are good, but I still plan to be a weekend warrior as much as possible!Anyways, more on this later- I promise to write some general post-trail thoughts as well review the gear I used after I finish completing the journal. If there is anyone preparing a thru or hike and has any questions, feel free to contact me. I¢d love to talk trail! Thank you to everyone who might have happened upon or read my journal at any stage during my journey. Your comments, encouragement and support have meant so much to me along the way- particularly during those tough days (momma lobster always passed them along)!
Date: 2011-01-17
To: Gear Talk
Miles today: 0.0

I have added some reviews of the gear I used in the gear review tab. It might look like I am being overly positive in my reviews, but in all honesty- I was extremely happy with the gear I brought on my thru hike and didn¢t really change any of it along the way (aside from boots). This could be the result of having tested and been comfortable with most of it before I left or just pure dumb luck. Hey, if it aint broke¢¦ We would even have conversations along the trail like ¢if you could start over again or in a perfect world, what would you have done differently with your gear?¢ and the only complaint I really had was that I would have brought a better bear rope (just brought one my dad had sitting around in our basement). My gear obviously wasn¢t all perfect, but it worked great for me and that¢s the only thing that really matters.If anyone planning a hike has questions about any of these products or other things that I might have brought, feel free to ask me on here or email me. Happy trails!
Date: 2011-07-27
To: Updates
Miles today: 0.0

Hello out there in cyber space/trail land!! I made a video over the winter of my thruhike (helped to cope with the post-AT blues) and since I finally put it online figured I¢d share it with those of you who followed along with my journal to share more pictures of the people and places I wrote about (in an easy-to-watch format). It runs about 30 minutes total- hope you like it!Part 1:http://vimeo.com/25534356Part 2:http://vimeo.com/25501926As for updates with me- life is good! I am living in my hometown and working in a new position at a former company that I am enjoying (well as much as I could enjoy sitting indoors all day that is). Not what I will be doing forever, but for now it¢s perfect. Have gone on a few hikes locally and in New Hampshire but have also been trying to enjoy doing the things that I missed while on the trail- spending time with family and friends, running, gardening, reading, camping etc. I miss the trail (and trail life) a lot and I¢m sure the grass will always seem greener on the other side- but you might as well just enjoy the grass you are on I figure!As another update- have been saving up some vacation time and LJ and I will be heading off on the Long Trail for a week in August to pick up where we left off from the AT. REALLY looking forward to being back on the trail, bringing a little trail magic to those on the trail this year and camping in the woods- especially with one of my best trail buddies. As difficult as it sometimes was last year to keep up with writing a journal, I really appreciate having done it and I begin every morning now reading where I was ¢this day last year¢. It definitely helps me to remember people, places, situations and funny stories that my short-term memory surely would have forgotten by now. And for that reason, over the next few days am going to attempt to start up a journal for our Long Trail hike. Even if it is only for a week, things happen every day worth remembering- particularly on trail. And during those hard days at work or home, it¢s always nice to be brought right back to the trail in your mind!
Date: 2010-02-14
To: Fayetteville, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Finally, a real preparation entry.Losing weight. Here's the story of my weight through the years. In college I was in the mid 150's. About 4 years later I was up to about 180 and very little of it was muscle. I started running in the late 70's and got my weight down to the lower 160's. By about 1990 I was losing interest in running marathons and 10k's so I backed off some on the running but went on a low fat diet so I was able to keep my weight in the mid 160's. About 2001 I backed off the running some more and used that extra time to lift weights. I reexamined my diet, tripled my protein intake and as a result of these changes bulked up into the lower 180's and this time it was mostly muscle. I had to replace all my medium shirts and jackets with large. The last few weeks before I left to hike in 2006 I ate anything I wanted so the morning I left for Springer I weighed 189. When I got back 5 months later I was down to 155, or about 10 lbs less than when all I did was run. My arms were sticks (my legs too for that matter). This time I am trying to lose as much of that needless weight as I can before I start. If you can pick up your pack and put it on you have all the upper body strength you need. In Dec I started reducing upper body exercise time and replaced it with leg exercising. By Jan I was down to 30 minutes of a lot of repetitions using no more than 20lbs total 4 times a week. As of today I'm down to 177 and hope to lose a couple more before I start. For the legs, since the first of the year I'm running 3 hours at a time twice a week plus 4 more hours a week of non-running leg exercise. Food. In 2006 I planned my food on the basis of averaging 20 miles a day except in the White Mtns and then 15 miles a day. It worked out fine, I never ran out of food between resupplys. A couple of times I had to buy instant tea and powdered Gatorade but I think I've figured out how much I need this time. I used the same planning this time. I use mail drops for all my trail food. I don't want to spend my time when I'm in town trying to find a grocery store and hoping they've got something I like. I had hiked enough before I started to know what I liked so I never got tired of eating what I packed. I've got 22 mail drops, which is a lot more than most people, in 2006 I had 23. I use the flat rate boxes which are free from the Post Office and have the same shipping cost no matter how much they weigh. I have a freeze dried meal every night. Campmor has a good discount if you order in bulk. Other food; M&M's (don't melt), salted nuts, Dried pineapple, Granola bars, minute rice to bulk up the freeze dried meals, instant tea (good hot or cold) and powdered Gatorade when it gets hot.
Date: 2010-02-15
To: Fayetteville, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Just got back from a scouting trip to the Fontana area. I wanted to go see what Fontana village looked like since I was planning on sending a mail drop there. Glad I did. The post office now closes at 1500 Mon thru Fri. The 2010 companion says 1630. Like the book says, things are subject to change so call ahead if it's important. I took the Fontana mail drop to Nantahala Outdoor Center and hand delivered it. Also hand delivered a mail drop to Haven's Budget Inn in Franklin, NC. The roads were clear in NC although there was a fair amount of snow in the shady areas on the sides. Walked the trail between Hwy 28 and the Fontana shelter. and it was clear. You can see the top of the ridgeline in the park and it looked like it still had a lot of snow. No hikers were in the shelter.
Date: 2010-02-27
To: Fayetteville, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Drove up to Amicalola this morning to do a little work on my section of the approach trail. Beautiful day, temps in the 30's, not a cloud in the sky. Saw 4 guys down at the visitor center weighing their packs. Lightest was 39, heaviest 45. Good news for me, bad news for my tax refund. I found a Western Mountaineering Apache MF 15 degree sleeping bag on sale. Not much of a sale but there was no shipping. Got it from Mountain High Outfitters out of Birmingham AL. Now I'll be able to drop the 0 degree bag sooner.
Date: 2010-02-28
To: Fayetteville, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Leaving today for Springer. Will spend the night there and start in the morning. Pack weight without food or water ended up at 26.5 lbs, which is pretty good for me. Body weight at 177 which is 12 lbs less than in 2006. Probably won't have any more entries until next Sunday night. Looks like pretty good weather for this week.
Date: 2010-03-01
From: Springer Mountain

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather was great today. Up around 50, sunshine, almost no wind. Made good time. Took two Excedrin about 3:00, probably because I hadn't started tapering off my caffine intake and put one piece of preventive duct tape on my right heel. About a dozen people at the Shelter, around half in tents and half in the shelter, most having started Sunday. Everybody who started with me stopped at Hawk Mtn shelter. I'm staying in the shelter because it it supposed to rain or snow tonight. There is a guy from KY who has about as country accent as I've heard in years. From what I could see he is totally equiped from Walmart. The most amazing thing is the 4 lbs of precooked bacon. Or could it be the big stove with the two big green canisters of propane. I don't know when he started but during the course of the evening he let us know that he was down to only one joint a day, that it didn't have as strong an effect on him in the mountains, and that someone back home had bet him $250 that when he got to the D.C. area he wouldn't go wave a Confederate battle flag in front of the White House. About 7:30 after everyone was laying down, a guy that the others were calling Big Boy came in. I had seen him about 3:30 that afternoon about 4 mi. from the shelter. There is an obvious reason why he is called Big Boy. While he was messing around the table fixing his supper most of us went to sleep. I woke up sometime later and got up to use the bathroom when I noticed he was still sitting at the picnic table, facing outside the overhang. Just sitting there. It was not real cold, but cold enough that it couldn' have been pleasant just sitting around. I was wondering maybe he's had a heart attack, but surely he would have falled over if he was dead. I finally heard breathing, any effort caused very loud breathing on his part, so I figured he had just gone to sleep. He eventualy got up and went to bed. The next moring he let us know that he had done a lot of hiking. Maybe so, but I don't think he has covered very many miles.
Date: 2010-03-02
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: snow

Sure enough it started snowing during the night, and some was blowing into the shelter. I had to brush some off my sleeping bag. By the time I started walking there was a couple of inches on the ground. I let about a half dozen guys go ahead of me to beat down the trail, but I had passed all but one of them by Woody Gap. At the gap two guys from CT and I ducked into the bathroom to get out of the weather. I took a snack break and they called the Hiker Hostel to see if they could bail out. It was a little before 11:00 and the Hostel was already full. I went on so I don't know if they went on to Woods Hole shelter or Neels Gap. Evidently other hikers had started that morning from Woody Gap so the trail was still well marked. By this time there was about 4 inches of snow. Still making good time, 4 inches isn't enough to really slow me down. Snow 6 to 8 inches deep on top of Blood Mtn. There were a couple of guys at the cabin taking pictures. I took a few while they moved on. (It may be awhile before I get somewhere to upload pictures) I'm glad other people had gone before me because it would have been hard to find the trail on the bare rock on top of the Mtn. I just had to follow the prints in the snow. Got down to the gap about 4:55. I had wanted to buy some stuff at the store but they had already locked the door. Walked down to Blood Mtn cabins, where I had planned to stay. The owner told me there were about 12 hikers in various cabins so I guess the Hostel was full.
Date: 2010-03-03
From: Neels Gap

To: Blue Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Cold and windy, 6 to 8 inches of snow everywhere, sometimes more. Everybody I talked to was going to Low Gap shelter. I figured I might be alone at Blue Mtn but while taking a break after passing Low Gap a young guy came by headed that way. He was the only other one that made it that far so there were two of us. Blue Mtn lived up to its windy reputation.
Date: 2010-03-04
From: Blue Mtn Shelter

To: Plumorchard Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Temp in the upper teens this morning and windy. Drifts up to 2 feet deep. Luckily someone has been ahead of me. I'm been following prints in the snow for so long that I'm going to have to relearn to look for the white blazes after the snow is gone. Stopped for a break and get water at Tray Mtn shelter about 11:30. About 6 people were in the process of leaving headed for Deep Gap shelter. Lot of blowdowns between Tray Mtn and Swag of the Blue Ridge. Passed Deep Gap, looked like a crowd was there. Passed Hwy 76 and started loking for prints in the snow to see if I could tell how many were ahead of me. At first it looked like all the northbound prints were also going back south. Day hikers I guess. Finally picked up a set that were only going north. Had to finally put on my headlight at 7:20, got to the shelter at 7:50. There was one guy there, a section hiker who was still up and glad to have someone to talk to. A long day but it put me in position to get to Franklin on Saturday.
Date: 2010-03-05
From: Plumorchard Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: clear sky

Crossed into NC this morning. Saw another hiker way ahead of me ahead of me. Then I saw a glove laying on the snow that looked like it hadn't been there long. I picked it up. A little later I caught up with the other hiker and sure enough it was his. Constantly adjusting clothing layers today bacause of the temp changes. Stopped at Muskrat shelter, the register said 8 hikers left there this morning, probably headed for Carter Gap. The other hiker from earlier today started up Standing Indian Mtn close behind me but I never saw him again, I think he must have turned back to Standing Indian shelter, it was getting late. The trail up the mtn folows an old road to the top so the walking wasn't to bad. On top though the snow was the deepest so far. The trail is fairly flat for about a mile on top of the ridge and there were numerous drifts up to 3 feet or more. I'm sure glad I wasn't the first one to go through there. Got to Carter Gap about 6:45. There are actually 2 shelters there, a real old small one and the nice new one. You come to the old one first, I saw that no one was there so I stopped, set my tent up in the shelter and stayed there. A real nice, quiet night. I guess it's so rare for someone to stay there I didn't even hear any mice. And it's closer to the water source. In 2006 I came through this area about lunch time. It was real windy that day so when I saw the old shelter I stopped in to eat. Then about 50 yards later I saw the new shelter. I had not read the guide book closely so I didn't know that there were two shelters. I'm glad I was only taking a break and not staying the night. I would have hated to have missed out on staying in a big, nice shelter by myself.