morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-02-15
To: Our Worries
Miles today: 0.0

There are a few things we worry about during this prep phase. I (John) have a tweaky right knee and a problem with the ball of my right foot that I developed while running. They have improved a lot over the last few months, but it is still a worry for when we are on the trail day after day. Our biggest worry I think is that we will be missing our friends and family a whole lot while we are gone. We have a 17 year old dog (Pepper) that we are leaving behind - we really hope she's still around when we get home. Lastly - the food. Since we don't eat fast food and other foods with lots of preservatives etc..., we are a little worried about all the trail journals we read where the main diet is mac n cheese and noodle ramen. One bright note: We have a new Harvest Grain Bakery in town, and the owners have offered to send us some special breads along the way in exchange for us sending them a picture that they can put in their store that says "fueled by Harvest Grain Bakery". They are going to bake the bread in "sticks" that will last longer - and they say have actually gone up on the shuttle with the astronauts. The owners are former NASA engineers - so I guess we'll believe them! Kind of cool - the bread is awesome - so we'll look forward to that.
Date: 2006-02-18
To: Doing the "Get Ready" Shuffle
Miles today: 0.0

OK - Reality is setting in. With just over 3 weeks left before we leave, we are in full blast mode preparing to leave for 6 months. In the last week, Becky has been doing the following stuff: We set up a special bank account that has online banking to be able to pay bills from the trail.Put Reds (health club) membership on hold.Create auto draft for as many monthly bills as possible.Get all our tax info for the business to the CPA - so they can finish before we leave.Training Helen and others to take over her duties while we are gone.Finishing all the buying for our business.Working on a wedding shower that Becky is putting on for Amy, a young lady that's been living with us for the last 2 years. I have been going really hard at work to complete the work that usually takes me until June to finish. I've got a lot of help on this. Our son Matt is doing a lot of photoshop work plus placing things up on the website. Kevin (our manager) has been helping with some of the "put up" spreadsheets. It is an epic to finish by the deadline - but its looking good.Last week, we built a sleeping quilt that we plan to use for the warmer months. We purchased a kit from the Ray Jardine site. It came out awesome - thanks to Becky's mom Midge.Hmm... It sounds like Becky is doing more than me. I swear - I'm working hard! Really!More later....
Date: 2006-02-21
To: Training
Miles today: 0.0

A lot of friends ask us what we are doing to get ready for the trail as far as being in shape. Here's what we've been doing:1) We have been running as for our cardio workouts. We have been running at the local park that hosts all the high school cross country meets. We run on trails and grass to strenghten not only our cardio - but also to strengthen the small supporting muscles in our knees and ankles. It is so fun to run out there. We've had everything from heat and humidity to thick frost all over out there. It is so fun every time we go.2) Becky has also been doing a weight training regimen with her best friend Mary. This has been a really awesome experience as Mary is really creative with all the things they do in their workouts. They use medicine balls, dumbells, and all kinds of machines. I will just say this: anyone that can get Becky to do weight training must either be a really good friend, be really fun or both. Thank you Mary - so much for being Becky's workout partner.3) We have been doing Pilates for several months. This is a core strength workout. It's pretty hard to say if we are getting stronger. I've got the worlds weakest abs. But Alice (our instructor)says we are getting lots stronger - so hopefully that will help.4) We are working out 5 days a week - but we are keeping the intensity to where we don't hurt ourselves. We are planning to do low mileage for the first 2-3 weeks to break our bodies in slowly to our new life on the trail. Unfortunately, we are not as young as we used to be, and I have been nursing a nagging knee and foot "thing" for a year. It seems to be getting lots better - and I really do think these things will be ok. Only time will tell!
Date: 2006-03-12
To: The Time Draws Near
Miles today: 0.0

All weekend I have had a mixture of feelings. There's a surreal feeling that as I go through my daily life, in a few days, nothing will be the same for a very long time. For as long as we have been planning this trip, I didn't expect to have this feeling. But it's there all the same. I just can't seem to wrap my mind around the magnitude of the journey. I heard somewhere that you can define "adventure" as not being able to predict the outcome of an event before it starts. Well- we are definitely there now. The weather this weekend has reflected my mood. It's been overcast and slightly threatening - but never breaking loose and actually raining. It reflects the feeling in my spirit about the trip. I don't know the struggles we'll face - but I know there will be plenty. I also don't know the joys we'll experience - but I know there will be plenty. It's just kind of out there - waiting for us. Our packs are packed and in the living room. We've got the road atlas out for the 14 hour drive to Dahlonega. There's a little going away party today for us. It is going to be really strange parting with friends and family today. But - like the rest of the trip, it's part of the experience. One thing I have seen this week is that I don't cherish the relationships I have enough. Going away will sharpen that focus for you. I guess that is the first thing the trip has shown me. Well - that's it. The next journal entries will be from the trail. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you.
Date: 2006-03-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A going away party was held for Becky and I after church today. Wow - we have a lot of really special friends. There was lots of food, kids running everywhere and 3 birthday cakes for Becky.Of course, the good byes were tough. I felt really honored by everyone. It was special to see how people felt about us and how much we mean in their lives.Again the feeling of cherishing relationships was hitting me. We felt really cared about. Our church and friends have truly become an extended family. We look forward to seeing all of you when we get home.Thanks everyone.Gumby & Coyotebec
Date: 2006-03-13
To: Dahlonega.
Miles today: 0.0

We arrived mid afternoon at Dahlonega. At this point we are only 15 or so miles from the trail. One more check of the packs - everything looks ready. We recalled 17 years ago when we got to Dahlonega in the middle of the night and camped in a church parking lot. Wow - what were we thinking - doing this with a 3 year old? Anyway - if you make it up here I have a suggestion: Eat at Rick's at the Crimson Moon. Great music and great food. The town is pretty dead other than that.I think that we are feeling some nerves today. Of course there's the anticipation of the difficulties of the hike, but I think that the thing weighing on us a little is thoughts of home. Friends, family and fellow employees that have a little hole in their lives without us there. It feels kind of poignant. I know that this will pass - but the feelings are real. It's hard to uproot and leave. But this is part of the story and something that we will carry in our hearts. Feeling separation acutely is shaping us.Well - Springer in the morning - so it's time for some sleep. We'll update you next from the trail.Gumby & CoyotebecFrom CoyotebecIt's the night before we start off on our Appalachian Trail adventure. We are staying in luxary tonight - soft bed - quite room- good food - not too hot or too cold. Just took a long bath and now I sit trying to figure out what I feel. I reflect back on the past week and all the final preparations. The past month with all its goodbyes; The past year of planning. Mostly I feel blessed. I have such a rich life. So many friends that I can truly share my life with - so much that I love. Yet i am leaving for a while. Stepping out into the unknown. Tomorrow I turn 40. Tomorrow I know my life will change. i will change. I don't really know what i am expecting. i have done long hikes before. Even done the first 400 miles of the AT, but I am still in the dark on what to expect on the spiritual, emotional, and mental realm. let's face it, i don't know what to expect physically either. I have prepared, but I am 17 years older than the last I tried this! I expect and I hope to have a lot of time to reflect on my life, my roles, and my future. I want to bring all of myself to God and to those around me without any barriers I may have built up in an effort to protect myself. I want to have fun with John. But I also want the struggles too. I want us to pray together and grow even closer than I could imagine.John sent me the lyrics to a song - Come Away With Me. He really is sweeping me up in an adventure of epic proportions. And if I was sur how we could do it and had no doubts, it wouldn't be an adventure.John cam to bed and held me while we prayed. Special intimate time. Prayed that God would change us. Even if the change involved suffering - we offered ourselves to that.
Date: 2006-03-14
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

I am under our tarp writing this. Right now it's about 38 degrees and the wind is blowing hard. Spring is not here yet. All the trees are still in dormant state. The wind is rocking the treetops and they sound like broom handles clacking together. The wind comes up the valley in roaring waves like a freight train racing by.Our first day was everything we were hoping for. We arrived at the parking lot at a little before 10am. There was a group of around 12 thru hikers that were being shuttled up from the Hiker Hostel. At the top, we took pictures and quickly headed north. The wind was really blowing hard! The trail was fairly easy and we reached our shelter before 2. We decided to pitch the tarp and save spaces in the shelter for others. No surprise, but there are a lot of hikers here at the shelter tonight.We met a guy named glenn that's a "ridgerunner". This is a job sort of like a park ranger - but with more hiking involved. He gave us some good advice on thru hiking. For all of you former ebaggers reading this, Ridgerunner is a great career to aspire to. Today we met:Pi, Bud, Catwoman, Ave Maria, Lonely Polecat, Kat, Joe, Cassie and Brian,Funny thing about Bud- His real name is Carl.We've made a big effort to meet a lot of hikers. This is going to be one of the joys of the trail.As far as problems go - we've had a couple. Both Coyotebec and I are feeling our Metatarsal problem. No big deal - but we are hoping for it not to get worse. The other problem is a major goof up on my part. I took 2 bottles of neutralizer and so we have no purification tablets. We can cure it at Neel's gap, but we will either borrow or risk it on water for the next 20 miles. What a Gumby!!!!!!!More tomorrow.From CoyotebecThe alarm went off at 6 AM. Decided to open the blinds in our room and realized it was God who was giving me my first birthday present. Perfectly framed in our hotel window was a full moon in a berfectly clear sky. We watched it set for 15 minutes then it was gone. Mary texted me at about midnight wishing me happy birthday. Telling me she was going to celebrate me all day long. On the drive up the mountains, both my sisters called to wish me a happy birthday. My mom and dad greeted me with song when they first saw me. All in all, I feel very special. Lots of cars/people at the parking lot. Trying to be open and friendly.I can't believe how easy the hike was compared with the first time. I guess that's why most people don't hike the trail with a 3 year old. Got to Hawk Mountain shelter at 2 PM - at 4:30 there are about 20 people. WOW!
Date: 2006-03-15
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: clear sky

Today we climbed the first real hills of the trip. Sassafrass Mtn and a couple more I don't remember. I thought we did really well as far as the effort it took to handle the day.We walked with Carnivore for the whole morning. He's a cool young guy from Tulsa. He hiked around 600 miles last year before running out of money. He went home, worked hard to save and is back this year.We stopped at Gooch gap shelter for lunch. After we ate, we did our little Pilates workout in the upper deck (this shelter had a top sleeping level) - Thanks Alyce for the workout!We had planned to sleep at gooch gap - but it was so early we hatched a plan. We had heard that the Hiker Hostel picked up hikers at Woody Gap at 5. We could sleep in the hostel, get breakfast in the morning and get dropped back at Woody Gap in the morning. So we took off and arrive at Woody by 4. We rode in with Pi and "the gov". This stop was so worth it. The hiker hostel is beautiful and we had a great night. Met a man with a trail name of Doc Holiday. He's hiking to Neel's gap with his daughter and her friend and they will continue on with their thru hike without him. He hiked the AT in 1974 and had a lot of interesting info about how different the trail is now compared to then. We ate some good Mexican food in town and then got some sleep.So far, no major problems and we are looking forward to tomorrow and reaching Neels Gap.From CoyotebecLast night the temperature went down to 30 degrees. We slept warm in our down bags. We woke early and took off. This is the best way to warm up. No need standing around the shelter freezing. We arrived at the shelter where we planned on staying at noon. We ate lunch and took off. We heard there is a pick up for hikers at 5PM at Woody's Gap that will take you to a wonderful hostel - The Hiker Hostel. Many people tell us it is the best along the trail. The couple who own itthru hiked a couple years ago and tried to incorporate all a hiker could want. It was a 3 story log cabin with a hiker kitchen and laundry. Family breakfast, 2 TVs,Internet and lots of friendly folk. We spent a lot of time visiting with Doc Holiday who had thru hiked in '74 then did 600 miles last year. His daughter and her partner are doing the trail this year - Thelma and Louise.We went into Dalonaga for supper at a Mexican restaurant with PI - Great!! It was such a nice night. I think this was a big step for us. We really didn't need to stop - only our 2nd night out. We were not too hungry, tired or dirty. In general, I think we would've stayed on the side of reason. We both want to follow our heart more - not always so practical and safe. You never know where that will lead. Maybe just fun, maybe someone's life to impact, or to impact ours.
Date: 2006-03-16
From: Woody Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

By getting to Neels Gap today, we are a day ahead of our loose schedule. We are staying at the hostel tonight. I know - kinda wimpy. 3 nights on the trail and 2 nights in hostels - but we are loving it! It seems like hikers are all feeling good and having fun at the hostels.Thelma and Louise made it to Neels gap late tonight. We were really happy to see them come walking across the road. Louise is having a lot of trouble with her knee, but they are hanging in there.On the trail, we spent most of the day walking with Pi and Goliath. We talked about all kinds of stuff, leading to somehow having me (gumby) doing a rendition of "My Dog Blue". Kind of frightening.We met 4 young guys hiking together. One of their trail names is Twist of Fate. At dinner tonight, we had fun discussing the environment and the bush administration. Enough said.We are headed to Low Gap tomorrow. This is where we got snowed in when we hiked here when matt was 3 years old. Doesn't look like snow tomorrow - but we'll have fun remembering.More to come tomorrow...From CoyotebecWe climbed up the infamous Blood Mountain. It was very beautiful with the rocks and rhododendrons (not blooming). We feasted like kings on top of the mountain with left overs from the Mexican restaurant - talk about a treat!!! The views are different than I remembered them. I took a picture at the same spot I took one with Matt in 1989. We then hiked into Neel's Gap to stay at the hiker hostel - Mountain Crossings. We spent the afternoon in a sleeping bag outside the store writing and calling home. They - the staff - were doing shake downs on packs which was quite interesting. In watching them tear apart peoples packs and the volume of stuff most people had, I felt very good about our planning and equipment.For supper, we went to our first all you can eat buffet - The Cookie Jar. I really don't like all you can eat buffets. This one solidified my dislike - they served mass quantities of cannedveggies , dry bread, fried chicken and generic desserts. If did fill me up, but I don't think I will follow the thru hiker tradition of finding every all you can eat buffets in each town stop.The evening was filled with a lot of snoring. I would've preferred camping to that. This stay was so disappointing after our wonderful stay here last time.
Date: 2006-03-17
From: Neels Gap

To: Chattahoochie Gap
Miles today: 15.6

Beautiful weather followed over a variety of mountains. Levalland Mtn, Rock Spring Top, Wolf Laurel Top, Cowrock Mtn, Wildcat Mtn, Poor Mtn, Sheep rock top. We arrived at Low Gap shelter where preparations for a St. Pats party. Some folks had packed in 3 or 4 cases of beer and some hot dogs. We met a former thru hiker named "boudin". He moved from Louisiana in '87.Interesting note: He knew Maineiac that we had met on our hike in '89. We told him about hiking with the baby jogger back then and he said that Maniac had told him about us. His story was about "some crazy people with a baby jogger hiking - and when they got to NOC, everyone was in the restaurant, and looked out and the kid was right there peeing on the flower bed." There was a good laugh over that one.It looked like a late party, so we headed out and hiked till just after dark at Chattahoochee gap. Some people were there already - in their tent. we quietly set up and then cooked dinner. This was a long tough day. I guess we earned our dinner.More tomorrow....From CoyotebecWe got a late start this morning. We went to the store to try to solve our foot problems - metatarsalgia. We decided to have some Montrail footbeds molded for us. I think our feet are what we are most worried about. Hope this will help. The day's hiking started with The Gov from Tennessee. He is starting medical school this fall. He used to be a Young Life leader which I think is kind of cool. He is a fairly liberal Christian - his term. He riles his friends up by saying democrats are the true Christian religion. He says it more closely follows the teachings of Christ - when you think about it, he is right. I like this guy - he always has a big smile on his face. We lunched with him and PI on top of the mountain. Gov was tiring out at this point and told us to go on without him.We kept hearing about THE Big St. Patrick's Day party at Low Gap - where we were aiming for. This is the place it snowed when we were here before with Matt. I was a little nervous about this party because I really like sleeping at night. We decided to leave Low Gap in the search for a good nights sleep. I kind of wished we had stuck around. There was plenty of space to camp away from the ruckus. We were bummed with ourselves, this is a form of insulation we did not want to seek. Old habits die hard.We hiked on to Chattahoochee Gap. It was a neat experience hiking into the night. We watched the sun set and the lights in the town below begin to come on. I found myself wondering about their lives in their nice comfortable houses in the city. In the mountains, it was cold! But we stayed comfortable. So far our bags have worked out.
Date: 2006-03-18
From: Chattahoochie Gap

To: Tray Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today began early. We had a thick layer of frost on the tarp. As we were getting ready to leave, the folks that were camping near us got out of their tent. One was a really nice guy named Triscuit. He said, "I'm Triscuit - and here's my business card". He then handed us each a Triscuit cracker. Really funny.Triscuit is a section hiker that's hiking to Hot Springs with his daughter and her husband.We were out of camp by 7:30. We climbed Rocky knob, then Blue Mtn. This was the section we hiked through with all the snow in'89. We ate some food at the Blue Mtn Shelter, and then descended into Unicoi gap. The next climb was up Rocky Knob. Then it was down into Indian Grave gap and then back up the climb towards Tray Mtn. Just before we got to Tray Gap, we found our first trail magic! Trail magic is when a former hiker or other person leaves drinks or food out for thru hikers. Ours was placed by "Red Truck Blue Truck". The note says "good luck hikers" then signed with the trail name and 2002 for the year they hiked. The diet Pepsi tasted awesome. Thanks Red Truck Blue Truck.We had heard rumors that some scouts would have hamburgers at the gap - but no luck. One more climb up and over the summit of Tray Mtn. Great views.At the shelter we met Chou Chou and Hindsfeet. They got some water at the spring and headed out. We spent a good afternoon talking to Lone Eagle. He's a disabled veteran doing the trail in memory of some marine buddies and plans to put a small marine flag and pin on Kahtahdin. He plans on making it "if I have to crawl there". You meet a really interesting mixture of folks out here.Tomorrow, we plan on leaving early and hightailing it for the Blueberry patch - a Christian Hostel and our first mail drop.More tomorrow...
Date: 2006-03-20
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Note to anyone sending packages to us: If you send something, send us an email to let us know so that we will be sure to look for it. The mail drop page says to allow 2 weeks. That's probably generous, but 10 days should do it.Today we took what thru hikers call a zero day. Coyotebec has a sore hamstring/knee on her right leg. We're hoping this is just a first week soreness and not something more serious. We'll see.Our day started with a fabulous breakfast at the Blueberry patch. Gary and Lynnie served us eggs, pancakes, cheese drop biscuits, sausage and amazing blueberry syrup. They live totally on their garden (organic) and whatever donations hikers make to their hostel. They make no demands and just want to serve the Lord and trust him for the rest.Since there's kind of a 1-day limit for staying at the patch, we moved up the road to the Cloud 9 hostel. Just open for a week, this beautiful hostel has a kitchen, hot tub, TV, beds, ping-pong, and much more. We are really roughing it!Spent a lot of the day talking to Healed. Wonderdog slept all day in front of the fire.Tomorrow we'll leave (almost certainly) in the rain and sub 40-degree weather. We're bringing enough food to really take our time on this next section and make sure that Coyotebec is feeling better.More tomorrow...