morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-01-22
To: The days crawl by...
Miles today: 0.0

51 days until March 14th...I have a feeling that these 51 days are going to be extremely long, as the last week slowly crawled by. Perhaps it's because there isn't really much for me to do except pack up my belongs and move out. Although I have done some packing and may do a little more this week, I'm going to leave the bulk of it for the four-day period I've taken off of work at the end of this month. As I get closer to my move out date, my desire to part with more of my belongings increases. I keep looking around asking whether I need this or that or when will I use it again. This reminds me of the light-weight approach to hiking. Specifically not carrying something if you don't use it on a fairly regular basis.On another note, while cooking dinner last night, my cats were swarming around my legs. It made me think about how much I'm going to miss them while I'm gone. Especially as they've been a part of my everyday life for the last 6 years, with the exception of a few weeks of vacation over the years. One of the first books I read about the AT, Walking The Appalachian Trail, mentioned a fellow that adopted a kitten at the beginning of his hike. Apparently it stayed with him the entire way to Maine, although he had to have it transported through a few of the national parks. The idea of adopting a kitten in Georgia is appealing, though I doubt I'd want to carry the extra weight of cat food, as well as the weight of a cat too tired to walk.I still need to work on my gear list. Eventually...
Date: 2005-02-05
To: I'm floating...
Miles today: 0.0

37 days until March 14th...37 is my favorite number!!! Interestingly enough, I see this number turning up randomly in so many different situations. I'll see it on the back of a t-shirt in a cartoon, it happens to be the number of states this year that accept e-file tax returns, and so forth. I'm sure that a large number of the sightings are because I'm looking for occurences of 37, but there do seem to be quite a few of them.The last few days in my apartment were very hectic, frustrating, and just plain terrible. I can't believe the things that I've held onto for years that I didn't need or use. After filling my 5' x 10' x 10' storage unit full, I still had many, many things left in my apartment and as I mentioned before, the Salvation Army was the benefactor of my pack-rat behavior. They received clothing, books, VHS movies, furniture, a bench-press, a 300 lb weight set, and more. A friend from work told me I could have sold the bench-press and weights to Play It Again Sports. Oh well...In the future, I'm pledging PRNM (Pack Rat No More).Things were so packed into my storage unit that I didn't know how I'd get my day-to-day living items in there, so I went and removed my dresser, which I have only used as a giant junk drawer, and my older video games, which I gave to my little brother, Ryan. That seemed to clear up a significant amount of room and left me feeling better about when I unpack everything in September. I also know that I'll have room left to pack my last few non-backpacking items. Ryan was especially pleased, since he said that he'd wanted those particular video games for the last 12 years.I'm staying with Aunt Mona and Mason in Vancouver, which is working out well. I'm sleeping on my folding cot and our schedules are pretty much opposite, so I don't see much of them. Driving home the last couple days was unpleasant, as the turn signals in my car aren't working and my lights are stuck on high-beam, due to a minor mishap last summer. It's not much fun driving from Portland to Vancouver with my arm hanging out the window for manual turn signals, especially when it's raining and I'm driving at 60 mph. I tried riding my motorcycle back to Vancouver one evening after work, but the fog was so intense at 2 a.m., that it took me over an hour to drive 20 miles. Very frightening indeed. So, Aunt Mona is letting me use her white pick-up truck until I get my car fixed next week.One of the most recent developments in my life is that I've started dating a girl I've known for awhile. We're pretty much inseparable, have the greatest conversations, and she makes me laugh so much, which isn't always easy to do. I mentioned to my dad that it's difficult to meet someone that likes you as well as you like them, right before leaving for a long trip. He said, "It always happens that way." Why?
Date: 2005-02-12
To: Successfully reached Bagby Hot Springs!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

30 days until March 14th...I don't have much to talk about with regards to the past week. I haven't done any preparation for my upcoming trip, other than move a few more things into my storage unit. Holly e-mailed me to let me know that she made her reservation at the Hiker Hostel. She'd suffered an injury to her back last month, but it seems to be healing well, so all systems appear to be a go.About 10 hours ago, at 3 a.m., my friends and I decided to try to make it to Bagby Hot Springs. Unlike my most recent attempt in the middle of January, the roads were much clearer. Despite this, we managed to get the car stuck in an icy patch, almost exactly where it got stuck last time. This time, it was a bit scarier, because the car got lodged sideways in the road and it took some very careful maneuvering to get the car headed in the correct direction. It didn't take much muscle, however, so we weren't tired after moving the car and, once we drove about 0.25 mile back down the hill, we parked, and night hiked to the hot springs.The night hike was interesting, as the trail wasn't marked and is a temporary bypass trail while the entrance bridge from the permanent trailhead is being replaced. Fortunately, we shortly found the main trail and made it to the hot springs for a nice soak without much difficulty, other than a little slip sliding on icy patches on the trail. By the time we left, it was daylight out, we missed the temporary trail, and ended up walking all the way to the permanent trailhead on the wrong side of the river where the bridge was missing.This meant we had to backtrack and, curiously enough, while one of our group was exploring a steep sidetrail, he found two PBRs that had been abandoned on the hillside on a muddy side trail we explored. Yum! Lucky for he and his girlfriend, I was the designated driver. I blocked the main trail with some fallen tree branches so that the next hiker coming back out will be able to more easily see the bypass trail. All in all, it was about five miles of hiking and I'm bushed, mostly due to being awake nearly 24 hours. Time for a nap!
Date: 2005-02-19
To: I am gainfully unemployed...
Miles today: 0.0

23 days until March 14th...While making my journal entry last Saturday, I was very tired, especially after having been up for nearly 24 hours. I certainly wasn't looking forward to being at work on a sleep deficit. After making my journal entry and taking a one hour nap, I drove the 25 miles to work. Upon my arrival, my store manager was there and told me that he was accepting my leave of notice early, that there weren't enough hours to keep me on the schedule, and, in essence, that I didn't work there anymore.This news made me quite happy, as my last few work shifts hadn't been much fun, and I wasn't looking forward to working there for an additional three weeks. The company I worked for is top-notch and treats its employees well, but that particular manager does not. He had done the same thing to two other employees; they gave their two week notice and he terminated them early. I wasn't particularly happy about the loss of income that I had anticipated earning up until my flight to Atlanta, but this does free up my schedule and gives me time to prepare. Thankfully, my only expenses at this time, besides my student loans, are gas and food.I had planned to get a new body piercing a week before leaving for the trail, but with my new employment status, I thought it was a better idea to get pierced a month before I leave to allow more time for healing. So, as a Valentine's Day present to myself, I got my lower left lip pierced. Five days later, the swelling has mostly gone down and it doesn't hurt very much.Lately I've been thinking quite a bit about what I'm going to do after my hike. I certainly don't want to go back to working in a coffee shop. While at a concert last night, I spoke to a girl that had spent some time helping people in Ecuador. Due to the atmosphere, I didn't get the specifics of her time spent there, but it got me thinking. Perhaps my college education would be useful in helping people in a third world nation. I love to travel and think it would be grand to do something with a greater purpose than serving blended coffee beverages to teenagers lacking in manners.For now, I'm looking for temporary work to help finance my hike and I plan to do some training hikes in the Columbia Gorge. One of my favorite trails is the Eagle Creek trail, which is a alternate scenic route for the official PCT. I'd like to do some hiking in the Mt. Hood wilderness, but the snow levels are a little high at this point. Amusingly, Holly and I anticipate snow in Georgia. Does anybody have information on this?
Date: 2005-03-13
To: It's time to go!
Miles today: 0.0

1 day until March 14th...As of 1 a.m. PST, everything is done, phew! The only thing I'm wondering about is what happened to my two brand new pairs of Patagonia capilene shorts? I'm glad I double checked my backpack, as it would have been unfortunate to hit the trail without any underwear. As it is, I'll be spending my first couple days hiking while wearing cotton (gasp!) boxers, unless I can visit an outfitter on the way. I do believe that is one of the services that the Hiker Hostel provides.It was not possible to fit what *I* would expect to be 3-4 days of food in my Ursack. So, I'm also carrying a plastic bag with some extra food. Luckily, some of the plastic bagged food and some of the Ursack'd food is going to disappear by the time I camp the first night and everything will soon fit in the Ursack. The plastic bag will then serve as a garbage bag. I'm looking forward to a crash course in how much I really need to carry. I don't know whether I'm bringing enough, but I am bringing quite a bit. I doubt that I'll starve in three days. Maybe it's my current state of lack of sleep, but I find that extremely amusing.My next journal entry should be from the vicinity of Springer Mountain, GA!
Date: 2005-03-13
To: Hiker Hostel - Dahlonega, GA
Miles today: 0.0

1 day until March 14th, 2005...I flew from Seattle to Cincinnati and from Cincinnati to Atlanta. After arriving in Atlanta, I rode the MARTA to North Springs, GA where I was met by Josh of the Hiker Hostel. After an hour long drive to the HH, I got to see Holly for the first time in two years - it was nice to see her, though she soon went to bed as she had had a long bus trip from Florida with a 6 hour layover in Atlanta.Briefly, the HH is amazing. Josh and his wife, Leigh, are almost done building it and this is their second year of business. I believe that they're currently finishing up the basement.The only hang-up in my trip today was when I arrived in Atlanta and my backpack did not appear on the turnstile. After waiting an hour, I went to the baggage claim office and they directed me to a holding area. It seems that TSA randomly screens luggage and they picked mine. That's fine, though I was disappointed to see that they broke and lost one of the small clips on the compression straps on my Kelty 50th Anniversary pack. So I'm supposed to call the TSA and see what they can or will do about it.Rise and shine at 6 a.m. tomorrow for breakfast. I've got to pack my food into my pack, eat breakfast at 6:30 a.m., then it's off to the trail.The lightning storms in Dahlonega this evening were incredibly beautiful. I haven't been in Georgia for 9 years and watching the lightning is what I missed the most.
Date: 2005-03-17
From: Woody Hole Shelter

To: Walasi-Yi Inn
Miles today: 4.1

Miles hiked today : 4.13.7 AT miles + 0.4 miles of side trailI woke up this morning around 7:00 a.m., signed the register to let Holly know that I would wait for her at Neels Gap, and then set out, filtering water on the trail back to the AT.I had done a difficult day yesterday with the intention of doing an easy 4.1 miles to Neels Gap. The only major obstacle was Blood Mountain, though it was such a gradual climb, I barely noticed the 800 foot elevation gain. Blood Mountain Shelter was very cool. Apparently it was built by the Civilian Conservation Core in the early 1900s and used to have a working fireplace, though it is now filled in with large rocks. I've also heard rumors of a skunk that likes to hang out there.Just as I was reaching the shelter, I noticed what appeared to be frost on some of the plants. The temperature at the summit was a balmy 33.6 degrees Fahrenheit. As I stepped into the shelter, it began to lightly snow. My descent from Blood Mountain, and my exit from the Blood Mountain Wilderness, were among a frosted forest of leafless trees.The descent, while not tremendously difficult, was very rocky with some very large steps. I was thankful that I had my trekking poles available to prevent heavy knee impact. I'm also glad that I spent four months riding my bicycle to work before my hike. I remember sore knees at the beginning of those four months and it probably saved me some discomfort today.I reached Neels Gap around 11:30 a.m. and had my priorities in order. First things first, I used the restroom, as both privies at Woods Hole Shelter were in bad shape - feel free to use your imagination.I went into the Walasi-Yi center and payed for my bunk and laundry, which cost $18.00. They also gave me a towel, though I plan to shower after eating dinner and updating my journal.While I was working on this entry, I heard word that Holly and MJ may be staying at Woods Hole Shelter tonight. Hopefully they'll make it to the Walasi-Yi Inn before noon, as checkout is at 9:00 a.m. and Low Gap Shelter is 10.6 mi along the trail. Regardless of their arrival time, I will wait for them.
Date: 2005-03-19
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Cheese Factory Site
Miles today: 13.0

Miles hiked today : 13.0I woke up this morning at 6:30 a.m. packed up, filtered water, and by 7:45 a.m., I was on the trail.I started out strong this morning and covered the 5.0 miles to Chattahoochee Gap in 2.5 hours flat. This surprised me, as I had thought that I was poking along the trail. By 11:30 a.m., I arrived at Blue Mountain Shelter and rested a bit while snacking on some Ritz crackers with peanut butter.After a 45 minute break, I continued on to the summit of Blue Mountain, then began a very steep descent to Unicoi Gap. With a drop of 1,075 feet in 1.4 miles, it was a knee killer. But, there was a surprise at the bottom: trail angels.For the uninformed, trail angels are groups or individuals who go out of their way to help hikers be it on the AT or elsewhere. The trail angels in Unicoi Gap today were Glenn and Tyree Briggs of Gainesville, GA, along with their four year old daughter, Meredith, who was very happy to be running around the information board, picking up bits of broken glass and bringing them to her mother. Glenn and Tyree were passing out cold sodas, chips, and snack cakes. Apparently they spend an hour in the morning at Unicoi Gap, another hour at Dicks Creek Gap, then they repeat again in the afternoon. I don't know how many days per week they do this, though I do know they have to drive 45 minutes from Gainesville to meet hikers.I drank a soda, then began the 860 foot climb of Rocky Mountain, stopping partway to filter about four liters of water. Carrying this much water would prove to be tiring, but it meant that I didn't have to filter water at the end of the day.After the summit of Rocky Mountain, I faced another big descent to Indian Grave Gap, though this one was only 695 feet. While the view from the summit was obstructed, I was treated to a brilliant view partway down. I wish I knew which mountains I was looking at. After the descent, I had what seemed like a very difficult 345 foot climb to the Cheese Factory Site, where I planned on camping for the night.Although the cheese factory is long gone and there is absolutely no sign that it ever existed, there was actually cheese available upon my arrival. That's because there were trail angels on site, Clark and Smoky Girl of Knoxville, TN and 2004 thru-hiker Crash-Bang of Indiana. They were on site for the day for the first time and greeted all of the arriving hikers with a barbeque. Hamburgers, hotdogs, grilled veggie packets, corn, even chips, cookies, and soda. A very nice welcome to a long, hot day.I'm off to bed early tonight, as it's a 12.5 mile hike to Dicks Creek Gap, where I plan to hitch 3.5 miles to the Blueberry Patch Hostel, stay the night, then hitch another 7.5 miles into Hiawassee to pick up my first maildrop and to resupply.
Date: 2005-03-22
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Miles hiked today : 4.9I didn't sleep very well last night, as my tent was pitched on somewhat of an incline and I kept sliding toward the foot end of my tent. I stayed in bed past the point where I would normally get up and moving and managed to sleep until 8:30 a.m.Once I got up, I noticed the heavy clouds in the sky and quickly packed up, though I did take the time to cook a breakfast of ramen noodles with tuna, followed by my vitamins.As I was filtering water, a hiker came by and said that there was a severe thunderstorm coming around 4:00 p.m. I finished up my morning preparations and was hiking by 10:00 a.m. Around 11:30 a.m., it began sprinkling and I decided it was a good idea to get to the next shelter as soon as possible.Just after passing Deep Gap, there was an information sign stating that over the next 14 miles, there have been bears that showed no fear of humans and had been known to take backpacks from hikers. That was somewhat unnerving and I was definitely watching the hills as I walked the next 0.9 mile.I made it to Standing Indian Shelter around 12:45 p.m. and secured a spot in the shelter. A couple hikers moved on to the next shelter mere minutes before the start of a huge rainstorm. The rain was accompanied by a few flashes of lightning, followed by thunder. For the record, if you had asked me this morning whether lightning preceded thunder, I'm not sure that I would have given the correct answer. I doubt that I'll soon forget after tonight.Six of us rolled out our sleeping pads and bundled up in our sleeping bags. Soon after, a small troop of Boy Scouts showed up and looked somewhat confused. Although the sleeping space was full, there was still room under the shelter near the table and we invited them in. They said that they had to meet their leaders and that they were supposed to be in Franklin, NC today or tomorrow. That's at least 23 miles further along the trail. I hope they do okay.Snuggled in my bag, I couldn't quite rest because I hadn't taken care of my food bag yet and really had to pee. I didn't want to go out in the rain, but once I couldn't stand it anymore, I crawled out of my sleeping bag, hugged the shelter wall to avoid being rained upon, and darted to the treeline. On the way back, I tied up my Ursack and crawled back into bed. Less than 30 minutes later, the rain stopped and the sun appeared very briefly.As I'm writing this, it's about 5:15 p.m., the sky is bright, but still cloudy. While writing this entry, I've watched as the mist occasionally blows in and out. Joe, who I met at The Blueberry Patch, just arrived, so we're squeezing him in so that he doesn't have to tent tonight.I'm somewhat disappointed that I was only able to hike such a short distance, but I'm here with good company and laughter is frequent. All in all, I know that it's better to be safe and dry in this shelter than near hypothermia further down the trail.Bedtime at 7:30 p.m.
Date: 2005-03-25
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: clear sky

Miles hiked today : 23.722.8 AT miles + 0.9 miles of side trailI was slow to get moving this morning. I woke up at 6:30 a.m. in time for a beautiful sunrise, but didn't get moving until 8:00 a.m. Mostly because I was chatting with the guys at the shelter.I had to backtrack 0.5 mile to the AT and then continued along, stopping to take the 0.4 mile roundtrip to the summit of Silers Bald. It was well worth it for the 360 degree panoramic view. Moving along, I hiked at a medium pace, though I trudged slowly up the hills, finding them difficult in the sun with temperatures already in the low 70s.I arrived at the summit of Wayah Bald at noon and ate lunch while sitting in Byrne tower, built and named to honor the 1933 Nantahala forest supervisor. The view was another 360 degree panorama of the surrounding mountains. If I were to guess, I was able to see for miles.Moving along, I had planned to filter water shortly after Wayah Bald, though there was a trail re-route due to a huge landslide, a result of a recent tropical storm. As such, I was forced to divert away from the stream I had anticipated and wasn't able to get water for 4.5 miles, just before Burningtown Gap. The amusing thing is that I filtered for 30 minutes from a tiny little pool in the ground and crossed a rather substantial spring 100 yards further down the trail.Soon after filtering water, I reached Cold Spring Shelter at 4:00 p.m., stopping only long enough to sign the register. I really wanted to make it to Wesser Bald by sunset.I made very good time to Tellico Gap, which is a huge descent right before the climb to Wesser Bald and made Wesser Bald at 7:00 p.m., just in time for a beautiful sunset, snapping pictures from the top of the firetower. I passed Wesser Bald Shelter around 7:20 p.m. and though the sun was quickly dropping out of site, I decided to push on to the next shelter, 4.9 miles further.For the record, this was not the brightest idea that I've had on this trip. While it certainly my decision to continue, the idea had been sparked this morning by some of the guys talking about doing a huge 23 mile day to the NOC with a little bit of a night hike under the full moon. It seemed feasible, as I'd done nearly 20 miles just the other day, but when it came down to it, night hiking 4.9 miles solo was not much fun. Frightening, spooky, and not worth it. Due to my apprehension, I wasn't even able to fully enjoy the view of the full moon from the 4000 foot rocky clearing called "the Jumpup."I arrived at A. Rufus Morgan Shelter just before 10:00 p.m. and while it was only 0.7 mile further to the NOC, I decided to pitch my tent, eat a quick meal, and call it a day.Bedtime at 10:45 p.m.