morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-28
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Sidney Tappan campsite
Miles today: 11.7

We had good weather today and lots of water points as we made our way forward. The big decision came when we had to decide whether to push a remaining 5 miles over White Cap mountain or pull up short and tackle it in the morning. After our precarious arrival yesterday and my unwillingness to go there again, we decided to stop at Sidney Tappan campsite and push hard the next day up and over.While at one of the shelters, I read this note from Blink about how the squirrels are starting to get inside his head. I thought I would share it with you as we have all had a moment or two where we feel like the woods or the animals in it are closing in.Windy at the campsite and a chill in the air, but am happy that I have a good tent and quilt to get in preceded by a warm meal and hot tea. A good day comes to an end.
Date: 2014-08-29
From: Sidney Tappan campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1

This morning I woke up chilled, rain tapping on my tent and wind gusts beating on the sides. Bundling up, I came out of my tent and for some reason things were just a bit off and I was nervousness about the hike today. No rain had been predicted yet here it was. It was supposed to be a clear day, setting the stage for a tough but good climb over our last big mountain, White Cap.Wearily, I packed my tent, ate some unwanted food and headed out with Mike to climb first West Peak and then take on White Cap. Walking down the trail in the fog, I was wet, cold, and just not looking forward to this walk. I put my head down and put one foot if in front of the other moving up and over ever present rocks and roots through the trees. About an hour later, wallowing in my self pity, I just got an overwhelming sense that I should pick my head up and look back and up and over my right shoulder. There was a small opening up through the trees, and there blue sky showed through the clouds. The feeling just hit me that all was going to be OK and that this last big peak climb would be a good one.And so it was. It turned out that our campsite had been enveloped in a cloud and we were climbing above it into the sun. The White Cap summit in particular was wide open with views in every direction and our first view of Katahdin off in the distance. Once again, you never know what the day will hold on the AT and the best choice is to put one foot in front of the other and wait to see what is revealed. Onward and upward! A good day.
Date: 2014-08-30
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Sand beach campsite, mi 2146
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today we pushed on through relatively flat terrain making good miles. I noticed that I am having some problems with my right Achilles heel and so my new friend, the 800mg ibuprofen has been coming in handy to reduce the pain and inflammation. Must press on.We flew past snowmobile trails, ponds, brook and nice sites like the Antlers Campsite stopping for lunch at the Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to. On past Twitchell Brook, Deer Brook, Tumbledown Dick Stream, Nahmakanta Stream finally opening up to Nahmakanta Lake. By this time our pace had slowed considerably as we were nearing the end of a long day. The tree roots and rocks continue to receive a lot of attention and we were ready when we turned off to head to a beach site we had been told about by Guiseppe, a south bounder. Mike and I found the site along the Nahmakanta Lake and set up just a few feet from the water. I jumped in the water for a quick scrub down and to get my clothes somewhat cleaned up. Back out, we cooked our meals on the sand with the setting sun. A great campsite to a good day in the 100MW.
Date: 2014-08-31
From: Sand beach campsite, mi 2146

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

With our 5th day in the 100MW, we grow tired working our way over roots and rocks, up and down. Pick me ups include meeting with south bounders including thru hikers, flip floppers, section hikers and weekend walkers. It is Labor Day weekend and we run in to Aussies, Germans and Americans starting out their 5-10 hike south through the 100MW. One group of 4 asks us if we are thru hiking and then sets up an arch with their trekking poles. They have us hike through while clacking their poles over our head and singing "Ain't no mountain high enough..." Cheesy but we appreciate their good wishes and enthusiasm for our soon to be over hike.As tonight is our last night on the trail in our tents, I thought it might be appropriate to list my top songs off my play list; songs which motivated me or got me thinking lthroughout the thru hike. Thanks to those of you who suggested them. Enjoy!After the Gold Rush - Neil YoungAll Along the Watchtower - Jimi HendrixBaby Blue - BadfingerBitter Sweet Symphony - The VerveBroken Chair - Chris and ThomasEnds of the Earth - Lord HuronExtreme Ways - MobyFake Empire - The NationalFirst Day of Autumn - Drive-By TruckersGimme Shelter - Rolling StonesMona Lisas and Mad Hatters - Elton JohnRiptide - Vance JoySomething Pretty - Patrick ParkThey Move On Tracks of Never Ending Light - This Will Destroy YouVideo Games - Lana Del ReyWhat a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Date: 2014-09-01
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campground (to Millinocket)
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today after packing up our gear for the last time on the trail, Mike and I sat down for a hot cup of coffee at the campsite and relaxed and reminisced a bit before heading out. It is a nice morning and we are very much looking forward to meeting Kim and Julia who have driven up from Virginia and will greet us at the exit of the 100MW. We walk the few miles to Abol Bridge and find that Kim and Julia have walked into the bog to welcome us out; it's great to see them! Unfortunately it is a short reunion since Mike and I need to push on another 10 miles to Katahdin Stream Campground to get positioned for the climb up Katahdin tomorrow.It continues to be nice weather - we have been extremely fortunate to have had a string of good weather days which means less mud - and we walk along with streams and brooks out our left door just off the trail. By 3 pm we are at the campground where we are picked up for our ride to Millinocket and a nice stay at the Baxter Inn. Showers, laundry, and a nice dinner in town. We have a really nice time but I am a bit nervous as tomorrow is the big day up Katahdin and, with only a little over 5 miles to go, I stress a bit over that potential one big fall that will end the hike short of our goal. Kim also plans to climb Katahdin and I worry about her well being as well. Will it be wet going up the rocks? What about the rebar and narrow "Gateway" through the boulders? (A preview picture of Kim and I in the Gateway here) What about that hiker the guy in the campground was talking about who had to be evacuated after falling on Katahdin a few days ago? Even though we have been lucky in weather and injuries over many months and I know nothing new is coming tomorrow, my mind is clouded with these pre-climb jitters. Oh well, putting one foot in front of the other has worked for us so far - let's do it again tomorrow and lean forward into whatever shows itself on the AT. It is a good day.
Date: 2012-12-11
To: none
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I am going back for my second attempt at an AT through hike. In 2005 I was Cracker and accomplished 960 miles. I got off Trail at Terrapin Station north of Shenandoah National Park. When I started at Springer Mountain, my pack was about 45 lbs. I had zero prior long distance (or short either) hiking experience. I had never owned a sleeping bag, back pack, trail stove or anything else until shortly before I started. For me the first month was a survival exercise. I did not even figure out how to use the sleeping bag hood adjustments til about my 4th night. I was a real novice. When I got off trail I had worked my pack weight down to 28 lbs. I had also lost 40 lbs, had no energy left and had blisters so deep that it took 6 months for my feet to recover. There were times in my last month that I was on so much pain that I literally could not take a step. My body was done. So was my mind. I was done. I am going back for a second attempt. I plan to start sometime in the first 10 days of March 2013. I will be 70 years old before then. I know that there are no easy days on trail. My wife was less than thrilled with my last attempt and seems to be the same this time. I would express her feelings as grudging resignation and She keeps asking if I am really going to try the AT again. It like she is asking if I have recovered my sanity yet. Last time from Hot Springs on, every time I had called I got "can't you come home now", "I miss you", "you've proved that you can do it" and so on. I do admit that we had been married under 6 months then I started the AT on March 7, 2005. I know what the ladies are thinking with this admission. This time I plan to have a starting pack weight of 24 lbs. I have a newer lighter back pack, lighter water filter, much lighter cooking gear, and lighter tent. I plan on eating more & better food and not to hike 20 plus miles on a daily basis (which I did in the last month of my 2005 hike). I also plan on bringing a little more in the way clothes for the colder part of the hike. In 2005, there were times that I was really cold. I understand my experience, mistakes and flaws. I hope that I have learned from them.
Date: 2012-12-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well my wife has cranked down the pressure a bit & seems to be more accepting of my AT hike. Things have been a bit tense. One of her questions is "why do you want to do this again?", "I thought you gave that up." Why? is a reasonable question and a hard question to answer. Because the AT is there is just a bit of the answer. Because I loved Bill Bryson's book "A Walk In The Woods" is some more answer. Although funny, I thought that Bryson had an undertone of mean. When I attempted my AT hike in 2005, I had recently sold my business of 33 years (I loved it for 32 of those years) and had retired. I had a changing life. Many of the hikers were at a period of changing life: graduation, out of work, out of the military, death of a loved one, etc. Many hikers wanted and needed simplicity in their lives and time to think within a very limited living structure. Some needed some adventure. I was all of those. My time on the AT was a high point of my life, a learning experience and an adventure. I enjoyed meeting almost all of the other hikers. There were only a very few that were rude, self centered jerks. I met only 3 that I thought were potential dangerous and ultimately I felt sorry for them with the lives they had. They were more victims than villans. This does not mean than you cannot run into someone to avoid. I learned a great deal about long distance hiking and about myself. I would have told anyone that I was more of a loner and was not a people person. I was wrong. I discoved that I loved meeting & talking to people. Everyone has a story and and interesting life. All you have to do is ask and listen. I learned that I could push myself further than I every thought possible...too far in fact. I was feeling really good & strong around Kencora. I did 29.5 miles into Damascus in 13 hours and never really recovered. I have learned (I hope) moderation. I learned that there is a mind/body connect. Lose one and you lose the other. There is a trail mindset. As I was nearing Neels Gap I was thrilled to see a road and a UPS truck. Wow! Civilization! And that was just after 3 days hiking. There are parts of the trail that are spectacular and many parts that are challenging, and parts that are boring. All of the trail (including towns) is an adventure and I need some adventure in my life. I will be 70 in January 2013. I am very healthy and am well aware that I have a limited number of hiking years left. I am looking forward to my hike.
Date: 2012-12-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I believe that the death of my favorite uncle and mother in 2012 have contributed to my decision to return to the AT. It is not like I am crushed or mourning because of their deaths. I am not in crisis. In both cases death was the only good thing left for them. The lives that they had left just sucked. My mother had lost her ability to communicate in any way. She could imput but not exput (is that a word?). She finally got to the point that she refused to eat or drink anything and I refused to have her forced. She was done with how she had become. Refusal was the only power left to her. It took her about a week to die. It was her decision. At 86 she was still tough enough. I am still planning to start at Springer sometime during the first 10 days of March 2013. I did the approach trail in 2005. I am not going to do it again. I am pulling my hiking gear together in 2 bins and checking out current trail info. I will be using "Awol" Miller's AT guide along with the 15 mile AT plan available on the internet. In 2005 I considered myself a through hiker first. GET TO KATAHDIN was my goal. This time I am trying to switch my empasis to doing the best hike that I can. Finishing will be the result, not the primary goal. I hope that outlook will keep me properly focused. I had lost sight of the process. I have been back on trail for a week at a time most years since 2005. I have about 1400 AT miles in. I have not done most of Harpers Ferry to Palmerton or most of Kent to Katahdin. I am actually starting to feel excited aout my hike.
Date: 2012-12-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well my wife has become more accepting of my AT hike. She is going to drop me off at Springer and I'm sure she will tell me that I have to walk home from there (CT). My starting date will be one of the first 2 weekends in March and will be determined by when she can get time off work. On my last AT hike she posted my progress on her Facebook and Emailed my friends & posted an AT map at work to follow my progress. I started physical prepping yesterday. I am in good shape for my normal life but not good enough for hiking the AT. I am primarily working on my lower body and wind. I am using a tredmill on maximum elevation since the AT feels like it almost always goes uphill. I am also using an eliptical because it uses different leg muscles (more like climbing). I am also doing six diffent upper body exercises on another machine. I am not looking for speed or trying to work up a super sweat. I am looking for a steady comfortable pace. On the AT if you are sweating a lot & having trouble breathing, you are going too fast. You need to be able to maintain a normal conversation while hiking. I learned this from Dad's Grin in "05 and should have been a better listener. He finished. I did not. I cut a Tyvek footprint for my new lighter tent today. I know that some people say that footprints are not needed but I like to use them. It is just nasty to wake up to a wet (or perforated) tent floor and wet gear. Blackbird and I were driven off the AT once by wet gear, very heavy rain and dropping temperatures. We both ended up hypothermic & it took hours to warm up once we reached town several hours later.
Date: 2013-01-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My wife has become much more accepting (resigned perhaps) to my AT hike. She has decided to go to Georgia with me & drop me off at Springer. My most likely start date is March 9th. Of course there is a complication. Her boss Said that my wife cannot have Friday the 8th off (for travel) because it is in a "blackout period" as in no time off...not even 1 day. A few years ago there were about 5 months in one year that were "blackout". We have decided to give it til the end of January then if she still cannot have that Friday off, we will book flights leaving here March 8th & my wife returning the 9th. By the way, it is actually cheaper to book 2 round trips than one round trip plus 1 one way. Two round trip tickets was how we booked it in "05 too. Prepping to be gone from home is complicated too. I need to renew the power of Attorney for my wife for her to be able to deal with financial & other issues while I am gone. I need to do something about my bee hive since they do need regular care during parts of the warm season (feeding, inspecting, harvesting, etc). My wife needs checked out on the lawn mower. My truck will need to be driven some. I will be adding gas stabilizer. We will need someone to plow snow if needed. I use a snow blower but do not expect my wife to use it. It takes as long as 2 hours to do our drive & garages. I need to set up or arrange set up of the A/C units & removal of the solar heat panels. They are used for heat only & have to be out for warm weather. What complicated lives we leave. The simplicity of the trail will be good.
Date: 2013-01-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I was going to talk about my gear this time but I was asked a very important question this week. A friend's nephew is planning to hike the AT next year & had passed on a question to me since I have some AT experiernce. The question was: "Should I bring a gun on my hike?" I am neither a "gun nut" or an "anti-gun nut". My answer was: "absolutely not!" A gun is not only not needed but can easily become a hazzard to others. You do not need one for animals or people. I did have a way-too-close bear encounter and hiked a few days with Pierette from Quebec who had been bitten by a rabid fox while hiking the AT and was having to get a rabies shot once a week. A gun would have not have helped in either incident. Picture this. You are in a shelter or camped near a shelter and someone notices what they think is a bear (more likely it would be a raccoon), pull out their pistol & start firing. Would you want to be anywhere near? It would probably be dark with very limited visibility. Also, if you are caught with a gun, you will be arrested..and should be. I did camp with someone near Priest Shelter who was later taken off trail by a ridge runner. Turns out he was a drug addict mooching & panhandling his way SB. At one shelter there was a young man who recently got out of jail. He was not a danger to others. His primary offense was being young, naive and stupidly in love. He was a small young guy. Jail turned him into a victim. There have been a very few rapes & murders on the AT. You do have to use your brain. If someone makes you uncomfortable, don't be near them. Don't give out too much information. Team up with people that you have learned are trustwothy. Watch out for yourself and others. You will meet a few rude, inconsiderate idiots on trail but very few are dangerous. For the most part, it is a family on the AT. We take care of each other.
Date: 2013-01-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Happy Birthday!! to me. I have managed to make 70 with no noticable damage. I should be good for my AT hike. Did an EMS trip today & bought another pair of socks and a another fleece layer for the hike. About all I need now is more Esbit fuel. They were sold out. Some prepper had had been in a couple of days ago & bought them out. Supposedly he stops in every month or so & buys all the Esbit they have. My physical prep is working well. In a month, I have reduced my heart rate by a little over 20 (BPM) while doubling the length of time I use the tredmill. I still only use full incline. It has actually gotten pretty easy & I have been tempted to increase my speed but I am trying to use a steady reasonable pace. I intend to be steady...not a sprinter. It is time to increase the incline & resistane on the eliptal even more than I have. It has gotten pretty easy too . Next week we make flight & hotel & car reservations. I lova a challenge.
Date: 2013-01-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

More Drama! Last week my wife's boss said that my wife could have Friday March 8th off after all. We started making plans based on that decision. Today her boss said that she had misunderstood the request and had thought that just a couple of hours off was needed to drop me off at the local airport. She did not realize that a whole day was needed to go to Georga. Any how it is back to NO TIME OFF! I had almost made flight and car and hotel reservations last night but decided to dawdle one more day. It was a good thing. What a mess that would have been. Anyhow the plan is settled now. We fly to Atlanta March 9th and I start the AT March 10th. I am making the reservations tonight. More gear talk for my next entry.
Date: 2013-02-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We now have plane tickets, car rental and a hotel reservations. COMMITTED! Now it is down to details. As I mentioned before, I am planning to use Esbit fuel for cooking. The (more or less) local EMS is still out of Esbit but they were very helpful and 10 boxes are being mailed to me from their Nashua, NH store. If I understood correctly it is still $5.99/box with a nominal $2.00 fee of some sort. That was a lot better than the on-line site that wanted $5.99/box and a bit over $20 for shipping and the shipping was a deal (according to them)...$12 less than their normal shipping charge. I thought not.In '05 I started with a squeeze bottle water filter. I cannot remember the brand but I do remember that squeezing it was difficult to say the least. It clogged fairly quickly and I had to backflush frequently. I had even taken off the virus filter part to improve flow. It was a bad choice and in Blacksburg I bought a MSR Sweet Water pump filter which has served me well since. In the interest of weight saving, I will be using a Sawyer squeeze bg water filter this time. I hope it works out well.In '05 I started with Hi-Tek Altitude waterproof boots. They fit well and I was happy with them until those "waterproof" boots got wet in the Smokies. Once wet they would not dry! To be fair it was cold and wet with rain, snow and ice storms almost all the time...not to mention a fair amount of trail that was 1-8 inches deep with icy water. Footing was treacherous. I ended up with blisters that took 6 months to go away. They were deep and painful. This time I am bringing YAKTRAX but plan to send them home soon after the Smokies. I am also switching to non-waterproof trail runners. They will get wet but they will dry out MUCH quicker. I am also using low gaiters (Dirty Girl) this time. The trail runners will be New Balance (different models) mostly because I can get my size (7-2E) and they fit well. I know that trail runners do not hold up as well as hiking boots and have bought several pairs of trail runners to be shipped to me regularly. I did no mail drops last time but plan about 1 a month this time because I already have seasonal gear. Last time the outfitters loved to see me....new pack, new tent, new shoes, new gloves, new water filter and on & on. Better choices this time I hope.