morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-18
From: The Birches

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2

This will be short and I'll add another post when I get home. I didn't sleep much at all last night and left camp this morning at 6:00 AM. The climb was amazing and I summited at 8:40.Thank you again for the support, love, and encouragement. It's going to take a while for this to sink in.
Date: 2014-05-21
To: Introduction
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm a 59 year old, who will turn 60 while on the AT. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and over the past few years have made backpacking and fishing trips to the Winds in Wyoming and to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. These trips came about due to a good friend and co-worker of mine who was willing to take me with him on my first trip to the Winds. It was a 15 day journey covering over 120 miles with some great golden trout fishing thrown in. It was a trip of a lifetime and got me interested in doing the AT when I retired. Bill's life was cut short by a fatal accident in the Gulf while free diving and fishing but is remembered by a lot of folks for his love of the outdoors and willingness to share his knowledge with anyone that wanted to know more. This trip is dedicated to Bill who I know will be following my trip from up above.
Date: 2014-05-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

About the TrailThe Appalachian Trail is one of the longest continuously marked footpath in the world, measuring roughly 2,180 miles in length. The Trail goes through fourteen states along the crests and valleys of the Appalachian mountain range from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, to the Trail¢s northern terminus at Katahdin, Maine. Known as the ¢A.T.,¢ it has been estimated that 2-3 million people visit the Trail every year and about 1,800¢2,000 people attempt to ¢thru-hike¢ the Trail. People from across the globe are drawn to the A.T. for a variety of reasons: to reconnect with nature, to escape the stress of city life, to meet new people or deepen old friendships, or to experience a simpler life.The A.T. was completed in 1937 and is a unit of the National Park System. The A.T. is managed under a unique partnership between the public and private sectors that includes, among others, the National Park Service (NPS), the USDA Forest Service (USFS), an array of state agencies, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and 31 local Trail-maintaining clubs. Fun Facts¢¢The Trail is roughly 2,180 miles long, passing through 14 states.¢¢Thousands of volunteers contribute roughly 220,000 hours to the A.T. every year. ¢¢More than 250 three-sided shelters exist along the Trail. ¢¢Virginia is home to the most miles of the Trail (about 550), while West Virginia is home to the least (about 4). ¢¢Maryland and West Virginia are the easiest states to hike; New Hampshire and Maine are the hardest. ¢¢The total elevation gain of hiking the entire A.T. is equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest 16 times. ¢¢The A.T. is home to an impressive diversity of plants and animals. Some animals you may see include black bears, moose, porcupines, snakes, woodpeckers, and salamanders. Some plants you may encounter include jack-in-the-pulpit, skunk cabbage, and flame azalea. Hikers¢¢About 2 to 3 million visitors walk a portion of the A.T. each year.¢¢The A.T. has hundreds of access points and is within a few hours drive of millions of Americans, making it a popular destination for day-hikers.¢¢¢Thru-hikers¢ walk the entire Trail in a continuous journey. ¢Section-hikers¢ piece the entire Trail together over years. ¢Flip-floppers¢ thru-hike the entire Trail in discontinuous sections to avoid crowds, extremes in weather, or start on easier terrain. ¢¢1 in 4 who attempt a thru-hike successfully completes the journey ¢¢Most thru-hikers walk north, starting in Georgia in spring and finishing in Maine in fall, taking an average of 6 months. ¢¢Foods high in calories and low in water weight, such as Snickers bars and Ramen Noodles, are popular with backpackers, who can burn up to 6,000 calories a day. ¢¢Hikers usually adopt ¢trail names¢ while hiking the Trail. They are often descriptive or humorous. Examples are ¢Eternal Optimist,¢ ¢Thunder Chicken,¢ and ¢Crumb-snatcher".
Date: 2014-06-21
To: Equipment
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

A few months ago I reviewed all the equipment that I used on my previous trips and made a list of which pieces I wanted to upgrade and added a couple new things. I gave my wish list to my family and told them this was my list for Birthday,Father's Day, Christmas and any other time that they just wanted to get me something. They have been so great and supportive of my trip. My wife is the best. Anyone willing to let you pretty much give up your responsibilities back home for 6 months has to be pretty good. I know not every spouse would be happy about this. (maybe she has me fooled and just wants me out of the house for 6 months. LOL)Back to the equipment. For my birthday the family purchased the Enlightened Equipment Prodigy 40 deg quilt for my summer bag and for Father's Day they added a Pump Sack for my air mattress (by the way I'm really looking forward to not having to blow that thing up every night) and a poncho that fits over me and my pack.I plan on purchasing a new tent and backpack in short order and then there are only a few small items that I will still need to get.I continue to follow several of the 2014 class journals and it seems most of them have past the 1/2 mark and are in the northern states by now. They all seem to be in that daily routine and getting the miles in. I sure wish I was with them but my time will come next year. Hopefully I will be in New York or further north by this time next year.
Date: 2014-06-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Like most everyone I have read many trail journals of thru-hikers from previous years and following several this year. I also read several books more than once including "There are Mountains to Climb" by Jean Deeds, "AWOL on The Appalachian Trail" by David Miller, "Just Passin' Thru" by Winton Porter, "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson, "Appalachian Trials", by Zach Davis ,"Sky Walker" by Bill Walker, and "A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt". My latest movie to watch is the documentary of "The Climb to Katahdin" by Coltin Calloway. You can get to the site to purchase this DVD at The Climb To KatahdinA great movie at a very reasonable price. Everyone should check this out. Coltin documents the trip of Spiral, Reverie, and Cam Dog from Georgia to Maine. He is from the same town as me (Baton Rouge, La) and actually attended the same elementary/middle school as both of my daughters. I have plans on meeting up for lunch with Spiral and Reverie very soon to get their thoughts on my trip. I have also been in contact with Jericho, class of 2013, Josh Garmon who plans on being in Baton Rouge at the end of July. I hope to catch up with him also. My planning continues on but it seems like a long time until March but I know it will be here before I know it.
Date: 2014-07-02
To: Louisiana State Freediving Championship 2014
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This years rodeo is being held July 17-19th at Chris Moran's Cajun Sportsman Marina in Fourchon. All proceeds go toward the "William F. Crawford Scholarship fund for Coastal Engineering" at LSU. If you have read my entries you know that I have dedicated my thru-hike to Bill.
Date: 2014-07-04
To: Appalachian Trail Quick Tour
Miles today: 0.0

In the fall of 2013 my wife and I took a few days and traveled to North Georgia to Amicalola Park, and then made our way north following the trail. We made stops at Mountain Crossings, NOC, Fontana Dam,and Clingmans Dome. I met one SOBO at Clingmans Dome and another at the NOC. It was a great trip and let my wife see what the trail was all about even though we didn't hike any of the trail. I took her down and showed her the Fontana Hilton so she could experience first hand what a shelter was like. We had a great time.
Date: 2014-07-06
To: Lunch with Spiral
Miles today: 0.0

I had the opportunity to have lunch with Spiral today to discuss my upcoming thru-hike and get his input on a few questions I had. I also got to meet Reverie and get a picture with both of them. It was exciting to talk to Spiral since I feel like I know him from watching his movie theclimbtokatahdin many time now although I knew him when he and my daughters attended the same middle school. I encourage anyone wanting to know more about what the real life is on the trail to purchase his movie at www.theclimbtokatahdin.com. Pay the extra $5 and get the bluray version. It is well worth it because you get a 2nd DVD with tons of extras.I would like to put in another plug for Spiral. The following is from his facebook page. Coming up July 12th. Don't miss it.So, some footage I took of the Appalachian mountains while filming for The Climb to Katahdin will be on H2(History 2) Saturday, July 12th at 9PM. Your's truly and Adventureitus Productions will have a special thanks on cable TV credits. Freaking awesome.
Date: 2014-07-07
To: Reservations made for March14, 2015
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I booked a cabin at Amicalola Falls for the night of March 14th. I plan on doing the approach trail and will leave on the morning of the 15th. I debated on whether to do the approach trail or not but have decided that I want to experience all the trail has to offer and what will an additional 8+ miles mean at the end of the journey, thus hike the trail. You have to love today¢s journal from Big Daddy¢s talking about the mosquitosWell I didn't get eaten by bear or trampled by moose last night, so along with a very restful sleep, I would say all went well at my stealth campsite. A relatively short day planned as I prepare for the river crossing tomorrow. I was excited to see the profile map as it showed a gentle straight line gradual decent into the final shelter site. Straight lines don't mean no climbs, it just means the hills pretty much average out. Climbing however was not the issue today. The 13 or so miles were almost completely covered with mosquito infested water or thick mud. I tried my boots to no avail as they quickly filled up, then changed to chacos. They weren't much better, since there were no options in some places but to plow straight through. Rock hopping only worked when there were rocks and when I didn't slip off the pointed tops. I used four pair of socks trying to stay dry. The Mosquitos at one point at established a geosynchronous orbit around my big melon head and were flying in their own gravitational field. Made it in by 3pm and have time to kill.I plan to have the 12 pancake breakfast at the Harrison camp before taking off in the morning. The canoe ferry only runs from 9 to 11 am so the timing is crucial.
Date: 2014-07-10
To: New Tent
Miles today: 0.0

I've been researching equipment for the past few years, first for my trip to the Winds and now for my thru hike. A lot of the equipment that I already own will be great for this trip but I did want to upgrade a few pieces,primarily my tent and backpack. The current ones are great equipment just thought I could do better. My current tent is a SD Light Year weighing in at 48 oz. This is a good tent but very small and I believe having a little more room for 6 months will be very important before this trip is over. After hours upon hours of research I have decided to purchase a Tarpent Double Rainbow by Henry Shires. It weights in at 41 oz but is a hotel compared to my current tent in size. This is a single wall tent which will take a little time to learn the proper set up for ventilation but I can't find anything any better for my needs.I think half of the fun in going on the trip is the purchase of new equipment. I'm always like a little kid at Christmas waiting on the UPS truck to show up at my front door with my latest purchase.
Date: 2014-07-17
To: New Stove System
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I received my Caldera Cone System today and I think I will really enjoy it. I've used alcohol stoves on all my trips and love the current stove I have but I've always used a makeshift windscreen out of aluminum foil and this will be stronger and last longer than the foil plus it gives you a very solid base to put your pot on. I haven't tried it yet but will soon.Hopefully my Tarpent Double Rainbow will be arriving next week. March 2015 is sneaking up on me but I'm getting close to being ready.
Date: 2014-07-29
To: New Tent
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

My new Tarpent Double Rainbow finally arrived last week. It was very easy to set up but took me a little longer than the 2 minutes that Henry does it in but I'm sure with some more practice I will be just as fast. I really like the amount of space that I have with this tent. As you can see from the picture even with my air mattress and sleeping quilt there is plenty of room for my backpack with room left over. I know I will enjoy this tent very much. I had an email from "How Far" who is the husband of my wife's friend from high school. He is planning on retiring early next year also. We plan on starting our thru hike together at Springer Mountain. He has been a weekend section hiker for years but figures he will be 78 years old by the time he finshes at the current pace so why not just do it all at one time.Look forward to starting the trail with "How Far"
Date: 2014-09-18
To: New Pack and Trekking Poles Ordered
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

The days are getting shorter and the countdown is on to March 15th. I ordered my new ULA Circuit backpack and Leki Corklite Speedlock Trekking poles just a few minutes ago. I'm down to the last few items needed. The only major puchased left is to get a couple pair of trail runners and break them in before leaving. I've really enjoyed following this year's class and congrats to all of them, whether they hiked 100 miles or made it all the way to Katahdin. It's the journey and not the number of miles hiked that will determine how we look back on our adventure. I know all of us have plans to go from Georgia to Maine but as we know not all of us will make it the entire distance for some reason or other. That's why I've decided I want to enjoy everything the trail has to offer every day and not be in any rush to get to Maine. You never know when that last day on the trail will be and it would be a shame to rush to Maine without enjoying what all the other states have to offer.Hopefully everyone is as excited as I am and I look forward to seeing everyone on the trail.
Date: 2014-11-05
To: DALLAS
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It¢s been awhile since I posted an update but wanted to say that all my planning is going well. I have purchased all of my equipment with the exception of a camera and my girls promise me it is going to be a Christmas present so I¢m sure I will have a camera before starting my trip. This past weekend my wife¢s cousin who is a very good photographer and is going to help me organize my pictures, videos and compile them into a video of my trip visited us and we made plans on how we will communicate during the trip.The best part of the last week was getting to meet ¢Dallas¢, 2014 thru-hiker. What a surprised for me when I opened the Baton Rouge newspaper up one morning last week and saw a half page picture of someone standing on McAfee Knob. I immediately knew where the picture was taken and told my wife that there was an article about someone from Baton Rouge hiking the Appalachian Trail. When I saw the name Su Joffrion I didn¢t recognize it and assumed she didn¢t have a trail journal that I saw this year. I followed pretty much everyone that had a journal this year. I read a little further and realized that this was ¢Dallas¢, and I had followed her journal from day one until she summited Katahdin and was thrilled to know she was from Baton Rouge. I immediately posted on her journal asking if she would be willing to meet me for a cup of coffee and answer a few questions for me. She was more than willing and we met last night with her husband and my wife to discuss the Appalachian Trail. She is such a nice person and more than willing to share anything and everything about the trip. My wife felt so at ease with Su and Charles that she feels much better now knowing there is someone in Baton Rouge that she could contact if she has questions while I am on the trail. Thanks again ¢Dallas¢ for the enjoyable conversation last night.
Date: 2014-12-02
To: Pre-Retirement Vacation
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This past week my family and I took a much needed vacation/cruise out of New Orleans. We had a great time and it was so nice to not read an email, answer a phone call, read or send a text or listen to the news for 7 days that I can't wait for retirement here in a couple of months. We had a great time.I continue to purchase the last few remaining items that I need including some trail journal business cards, updated 2015 AWOL guides, some AT maps so my daughters and wife can keep track of my progress and a ZPacks Roll Top Blast food bag. My family went ahead and got my camera early and gave it to me while we were on the cruise so that I could start practicing with it. Thanks Family!!!!!I had an email from Jimmy Spillman who is I Believe's (2014 AT Thru-hiker) husband that they would be in the Baton Rouge area in December for a couple of weeks visiting family and would be happy to meet up with me for a cup of coffee to answer any questions I might still have. I will certainly take them up on this offer and am looking forward to getting to meet someone else that I actually followed on trail journals from Springer to Katahdin this year.Time is nearing and I'm ready to go. I only have about 45 actual work days left before retirement and then it will be time to head to Springer Mountain to start this adventure.I hope everyone's planning is progressing and hope to see you on the trail in just a few months.Merry Christmas to allBean Counter
Date: 2014-12-12
To: Change in Start Date
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday I decreased my days until starting by one. I will now leave on Saturday, March 14th to allow both of my daughters the opportunity to hike the Approach Trail with me. Our good friend Nancy will also be joining us on the trail. My wife and Nancy¢s husband will drive up to Springer via 42 and pick up Nancy and my daughters. I will say my good byes there and head off. I called ¢How Far¢ to let him know my change of plans and depending on the circumstances he may still start on the 15th and we will meet up on the trail. He has already hiked the Approach Trail once or twice so he will probably just start from Springer and we can start my Day 2 together. With my retirement date approaching fast and my start date for the trail 2 weeks after that things are getting a little stressful. Leaving a good job after 30+ years that has provided for you and your family knowing that you will be depending on your investments to support you for the next 30 years is a little scary. I also feel very confident that I have enough backpacking experience to know what I am getting into but at the same time the trail will bring so many unknowns that you have to be a little nervous about that. A major driving force in my life is a fear of failure. I¢ve told the world I am going to do this and I can¢t imagine not finishing. (My wife tells me that I don¢t have to worry about quitting because I¢m too hard headed to quit)My hiking cards arrived in the mail yesterday. I¢m not sure if these are common on the trail but I thought they would be nice to pass out to fellow hikers. They add a few oz. to the pack but what the heck. We will be visiting our friends in Atlanta over the Holidays and plan on driving up to north Georgia and visiting some of the sites that I will encounter the first few days of the trip. Cathy and I did this last fall and really enjoyed it and I¢m looking forward to doing this again. I also want to make sure she knows how to get to Springer via 42. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!Until we meet on the trail¢¦..¢Bean Counter¢
Date: 2014-12-23
To: Another Great Day
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting ¢I Believe¢ and husband Jimmy and picking their brains on my final preparations. Who would have ever thought that I would have an opportunity to meet two of the 2014 thru-hikers that I followed on trail journals right here in my home town of Baton Rouge¢¦. They are such a great couple and just as ¢Spiral¢ and ¢Dallas¢ were more than helpful in answering any questions that I might have. Jimmy was ¢I Believe¢s¢ logistic person and take my word that he is very knowledgeable about the trail and where and who to contact from Georgia to Maine. They will be out on the trail providing a little support to a fellow hiker and some trail magic in early March so if you see them shout out a hello from ¢Bean Counter¢.All the gear is purchased and it¢s just a slow waiting game now. I¢m just like everyone else ready to go but just a little nervous that I have forgotten something major that either needs to be purchased or needs to be done before that big day.Cathy and I are looking forward to going to Georgia next week and scouting out the area a little with our friends Nancy and Butch.Until we meet on the trail¢¦¢¦Merry Christmas to all
Date: 2015-01-03
To: Trip to North Georgia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This past week my wife and I had the opportunity to visit some very good friends, Butch and Nancy in Atlanta. On Tuesday we took a road trip up to North Georgia so I could share with them where I will start my thru-hike at Amicalola State Park doing the approach trail. We also made it up to Neels Gap and Mountain Crossings. Nancy along with my two daughters will hike the approach trail with me and Cathy and Butch will drive up to the parking lot at Springer Mountain and pick the girls up. I will continue along my way after saying my good byes. While at the park we ate lunch and had a beautiful view from our table at the lodge.The main purpose of the trip was to insure that Cathy and Butch could find their way from the State Park up to the parking lot on ¢42¢. We had no problem finding it but it was a very helpful trip since I did miss one of the turns and had to turn around. Hopefully they learn from me.While at Mountain Crossings we met 3 thru-hikers that were nearing the completion of their southbound trip. I can only imagine what that must feel like. I also picked up a pair of gaiters while there at the same price as what I could order them online for.I also received an Astro E3 External Battery that I ordered on-line. Great reviews but a little on the heavy side at 8 oz. It is a 10000 mAh and I should be able to get several charges on my phone and at least one to my I Pad mini. I will start with it but if I see I don¢t need that many charges I might send it home to lower my pack weight.The countdown is on and I can¢t wait for March 14th to start this incredible journey. Until we meet on the trail¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦¢¦