morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-10-01
To: Big Day for Class of 2015 (and me too)
Miles today: 0.0

Today is the 1 1/2 years date until the class of 2015 literally hits the trail. If you are a classmate of mine, I hope that you are making plenty of preparations and getting a little more in hiking shape. I have been doing both. Today is the day that my new Marmot Pulsar 2P tent arrived. I set it up in my living room with help from my lovely assistant......my wife. Good news on that. We got it up with little difficulty once I figured out that I was trying to connect the rain fly instead of what I thought was the tent. Oops! Live and learn. Now I won't make that beginners mistake on the trail. Please feel free to correct me if you do see me doing this on the AT.One of this year's thru hikers from my area just completed the trail yesterday. Congrats to CLINKER!
Date: 2013-11-01
To: T Minus 17 Months
Miles today: 0.0

Well, 17 months from today, or 512 days, I begin my attempt to Thru Hike the AT. During the last month I received my official Backpack (Osprey 65) and food dehydrator (Open Country). I have cooked in my hiking pans a couple of times. I hope that my fellow 2015 classmates are preparing for their trip. I'll use the dehydrator soon to see what foods I will prepare for the hike. My big food issue is that I am allergic to nuts. So I will need some other main source for protein.More later, Captain K
Date: 2013-12-02
To: T minus 16 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, it is now only 16 months until I begin my attempt to thru hike the entire AT. I have selected my sleeping bag and raincoat, but have not purchased yet. I'm waiting for discounts. And no I'm not cheap, just trying to spend wisely.I have volunteered to host a meeting at my house next April for my fellow 2015 classmates. I also found one that lives 1/2 hour away. We will be meeting with one of the 2013 thru hikers to gain knowledge.That's all for now.Captain K
Date: 2014-01-01
To: T minus 15 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0

Well, another month has passed. This is the first time that I can say I am going to hike the A.T. next year and be correct. I ate some dehydrated food that I cooked on my hiking stove. It tasted fine and I am hopeful that the food will be filling and have enough nutrients to keep my engine running. I believe I have a few new followers from my work and some friends. Welcome to you all and thanks for the support. I hope to meet with Clinker this month. She is the person that just thru hiked this year that lives near me. That's it for now.
Date: 2014-02-02
To: T minus 14 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, another month bites the dust. Or in my case, the snow. 40 plus inches in January. It's a record for our neck of the woods. I received my dry cover for my backpack. Cranberries don't seem to dehydrate so well. I made contact with a 2013 thru hiker and will be having longer conversations to gain some tricks and tips. Going to select a date for a get together at my house for some of my 2015 classmates to share our preparation details and compare notes. Hopefully, it will serve as a confirmation of good planning.Until next time,Captain K
Date: 2014-03-02
To: T minus 13 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I think someone owes me a congratulations. OK, not me, but Mother Nature. My home area in Northwest Ohio just set the all time record for total snow accumulation. And guess what? It's snowing as I write this entry. Needless to say, I have not hiked too much lately. I finally got the correct footprint for my tent thanks to Marmot who I contacted directly to rectify.I sent invitations for a party at my house to some of the Class of 2015 hikers. It will be May 17th. If you read this post and are interested in attending, send me a reply and I'll get you the details.OK, that's about it for now. But, I am going to logoff using my closing slogan freshly chosen just this past week for me by my wife. I hope you like.
Date: 2014-04-01
To: T minus 1 year and counting
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, today marks my one year until I begin my AT thru hike attempt. I am still in the learning and planning and purchasing and practice hiking phase. The weather has finally broken and the local trails are pretty wet, but walkable. My other side obligations have ended for now. So I should be able to hike more often. I finally received my sleeping bag after two attempts. The first bag that I bought turned out to be too snug for me. I couldn't bend my legs and my arms had to be straight down my sides unless I unzipped it. That would have defeated the purpose. So I returned it and got a different one that is wider and also tolerates 5 more degrees of cold. This one is rated for 15 degrees above zero. I found out that butternut squash dehydrates well and tastes good when used. I am adding that to my food list. Still planning on having my party on May 17th at my house for fellow 2015 AT thru hiker classmates. If this is you and you are interested in meeting others, post to me and I'll get back to you with details. That's about it for now.
Date: 2014-04-15
To: Meet & Greet at my place on 5/17/14
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Some of you may have received a previous email from me and some of you have not. I am sending this to extend an invitation to come to my house on May 17th 2014 for a party/meet and greet with fellow hiking classmates. I am having 1 hiker that completed a thru hike in 2013 join us to give tips and tricks plus another who did it in 2006 that is attempting to do it again along with us in 2015. I¢m hoping to have everyone leave with more knowledge, feel warmer and fuzzier about what you have done to prepare, and possibly connect with others that are leaving around the same date as you. I told others that are coming that they can bring their tents and sleep in my yard with the raccoons to practice or there are multiple hotels within 20 to 25 minutes away. I will be home all weekend, so if you want to come on Friday, please do so. You can tent out 2 nights if you wish. I will provide all food and beverages, and your spouse/guest is also invited. I will ask for confirmations to know how much food to prepare. The only charge to you is 1 trail food recipe that we can share among the group. I live in Northwest Ohio about 12 hour west of Toledo in a town called Whitehouse. Please come if you can. I believe the knowledge and friendships gained will be very useful for us during our travels along the AT. Please respond within the next couple of days. My email is kwietro@windstream.net. I plan to send another email to those that can attend with more details. Hope to meet you at my house next month.
Date: 2014-05-02
To: T minus 11months and counting
Miles today: 0.0

Well, here we are. Less than a year finally. Been watching logs of this year's hikers. Not so good of a weather year. Lots of zero days. I finally got my raincoat. It,s really light. I practiced with it and it seems OK except it wasn't raining. It was cold and windy though.ATTENTION class of 2015. I am having a weekend party at my house May 17th weekend. It is a meet and greet with fellow classmates. I live in northwest Ohio if anyone is interested. Please post to my journal if you think you can come. Some of us are tenting in my yard. Hotels are 30 minutes away too. I hope to hear from you.
Date: 2014-05-19
To: After Party
Miles today: 0.0

What a weekend. Thank you to all of my new trail friends for coming to not so sunny Ohio. For those of us who tented in the yard, we got the opportunity to see if our gear held up in the rain on the first night and if we can survive 37 degrees on the second night. I realized that my tent is waterproof IF I zip the rain fly all the way down. Maybe next time! Thanks to No Spring Chicken for the pies, (Yummo), to Bounder and Plumber for the liquid refreshments (also yummo), to all for your advice and experiences, BIG THANKS to 2013 AT Graduate Clinker for your "lessons learned" discussion and showing us your gear, and BIGGEST THANKS to Wietrobago (My wife and your hostess) for all of your work to help make this event a huge success.We had people come from Boston, Missouri, Philadelphia, (Who got his official trail name given - 4Be), Kalamazoo, and other locations.I know that the friendships we made will greatly help us all in our quest to thru-hike in 2015.Until we meet again, this is your Captain signing off for now. Thanks for flying Ohio.
Date: 2014-07-01
To: T minus 9 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

3 quarters of 1 year to go and it's get serious time. I've been doing a good amount of hiking practice with 37 pounds on my back. I also am dehydrating fruits and vegetables mostly on weekends. I now have 4 gallon bags of food in the freezer. My wife named our new RV Wietrobago. We took it on a 4 night break in tour. And we're still alive and speaking to each other. I made a very important purchase of a product called inReach. This is a GPS device that works off of satellite. This allows people that I give rights to, to follow my progress. It also has an SOS button too just in case. I'm going out to eat with No Spring Chicken to compare notes again. I am very confident that I am preparing properly and am learning so much that will help me along the way.That's about it for now. Welcome to new followers and welcome back to all the rest.
Date: 2014-09-02
To: T minus 7 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It's been 2 months since my last confession, I mean post, and I have been busy. First, I don't think I mentioned in my last post, but I swapped my sleeping pad. The one I had just wasn't doing it for me. By swapping, I reduced weight by 14 ozs and gained more space due to the new one packing smaller by about half the space. Next, my wife and I took the Wietrobago on a trip east. We hiked in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York all around and on the A.T. Waaay cool! I now know that I can carry the weight, at least for a week, up and down and up and down and up and down the mountains. I also bought the actual shoes that I will begin the thru hike with and broke them in during this trip. They stayed dry and we were in the muck most of the week. I also met a couple that we camped next to that lives 5 minutes off the trail in Pennsylvania. They will pick me up and do the trail angel thing when I get to them. That covers 1 night. Anyone else care to join in the other 179? I am adding some pictures from our trip for your viewing pleasure.   I also hiked 15 miles at home with all my gear yesterday. I'm sore. Note to self: hike at least once a week to stay somewhat in shape. I'm still dehydrating food and it is going well. I also tried freeze-dried spaghetti and liked it. My wife ordered six #10 cans of food. It is lite and tastes good. That will definitely help give me food that I otherwise would not take with me. Yummo!Lastly, thank you to Bounder for sending me an A.T. t-shirt from his and other fellow 2015 classmates shake-down trip a few weeks ago. I heard it went well. They learned that if you think you're in shape, you're not. And other tidbits like that. I guess I'll keep at it.
Date: 2014-11-01
To: T minus 5 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0

Well it's been 2 months since I last updated. There really isn't much to tell. I did hike on weekends last month, but not much this month. We lost multiple trees at our house and we've been taking care of them in all of our available time. I received my new iPhone 6+ and am using it now for the first time to update. This is the device I'm taking on the A.T. I also synced it with my inReach satellite device. Tomorrow is cauliflower dehydrate day. I also bought my second pair of zip off hiking pants and long johns.Well, that's about it for this time.
Date: 2014-12-01
To: T minus 4 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Alright, it's still get serious time. I can almost see the starting line. I'm still practice hiking on weekends at the pace of around 8 miles per day and still dehydrating food too. This update is being typed on my new IPhone 6 plus which I just got a couple of weeks ago. This is what I'm taking on the trail. Nothing new in the way of gear. I think I'm all set there. I'm including a picture that has a saying that my wife believes pertains to me. I have to believe that it pertains to some other hiking folks too. Until next month.
Date: 2015-01-01
To: T minus 3 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0

Well the first of the month has been my day to post updates. My wife has noticed that this particular day is really busy with fellow 2015 classmates updating their journals with today being the first day of the new year. And this is our year. It's reality time for us. Some of us will be beginning before I post my next monthly preparation update. Go get 'em gang. Please leave the lights on for me because I AM COMING SOON.I'm dehydrating apples today and we just ordered up 7 more #10 cans of freeze dried food by Mountain House that is on sale. Thanks for the posting about that Turbs. Go to Nitro-Pak.com if interested.I'm also hiking 8 -10 miles on both Saturday's and Sunday's with all of my gear.See you all next month.
Date: 2015-02-01
To: T minus 2 months and counting
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm starting the A.T. Next month. I'm Starting the A.T. Next month. Can you say it with me? It's true. It's cool. I'm still hiking on weekends. Not today though since we're getting walloped with a foot or so of snow. I'm putting some of my personal items like toothpaste and scissors into the pack. I bought the towels that absorb 8 times their weight.   I think I have everything that I need now. Best of luck to all of you starting out before me especially those of you that came to my home last summer.
Date: 2015-02-16
To: Cccchecking in after a gear check walk in the ccco
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Well, that was interesting. Minus 14 degrees wind chill outside in northwest Ohio when I walked a couple hours ago. I actually stayed warm for the most part. I was chilly on my thighs. Guess I'll wear my extra pair of Patagonia thermals that I am planning on wearing to beddie-bye if it gets this cold when I'm actually on the trail. I definitely am now going to bring my scarf for the beginning part of the walk.I only had one problem that maybe one of you can help me with. My water tube and mouthpiece froze in 10 minutes. I know that I can wrap a towel around and pin it, but are there any other fixes for that?I have 41 days before I begin on March 29th.To my classmates already on the trail, Stay thirsty.... I mean....Stay warm my friends!
Date: 2015-03-01
To: T minus 1 month. (actually less) and counting
Miles today: 0.0

Finally made it to takeoff month. Spent the last couple of weeks looking at how far to hike each of the first three days on the trail. My wife will be driving up and down with me the first few days and we're seeing where she can intercept me along the way. I Also went to No Spring Chickens house and went over her gear. Last night I talked to Honda Hawk to go over various technical topics and to proclaim our fear of performing like the flat lander Ohioans that we are. We'll do our best to make Ohio proud of us. By the way, I hear we have a pretty good football team. I'm just saying. I'll update more often before I leave for sunny Georgia.
Date: 2015-03-15
To: Ii'll be on the trail in 2 weeks from today
Miles today: 0.0

Yup, 2 weeks from today I join my classmates at Springer Mountain in the great state of Georgia. One of the reasons for my journey is to view wild life. A strange thing has been happening to me recently at home. I Have been seeing wild life that I hardly ever or never see. I'm thinking they are telling me that it's not so bad right where I live. To those critters I say that I agree. But I'm still going for a long walk. I'm Still testing loading up pictures. I included a fox here and have a Snow Owl, White Geese, and a cool looking Duck in my photos. See you on the trail.
Date: 2015-03-27
To: I'm on my way to Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Hi to all. Slight change of plans. My wife and I just left. We will make some of the drive to Georgia now and hope to have about six hours remaining tomorrow. If that works out, then she will walk the mile to the starting point and the first mile of the trail tomorrow with me instead of starting Sunday.   Please keep reading my posts as I progress.
Date: 2015-03-28
From: Springer Mountain

To: Three Forks
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: light snow

Well, here goes something. My wife, Marla, came up with an idea to drive part way last night and hike from the Springer Mountain parking area to the starting point of the trail today instead of tomorrow. We did that. So I am officially on my way. And because I can't do anything in moderation, I hiked an extra 3.3 miles to an area called Three Forks. It's basically a camping site. Lots of Rhododendrons. Way cool! Marla back hiked an intercepted me with about a mile to go for me. We are reevaluating where I'm going to stop tomorrow. Until we meet again.
Date: 2015-03-29
From: Three Forks

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 16.4

I did 16.4 miles today over numerous mountains. Don't be too impressed. I'm still not carrying my 41 pounds of backpack. I'm doing what is called slack packing. I am doing that because my wife is still with me and has been meeting me at road and trail intersections where I can pick up food and water. However I'm here to tell you that it still is really hard. My maps are not matching places that I am supposed to cross and more importantly the ups and downs are waaaaaay off working against me. Other hikers are saying the same thing. The picture today that I posted is ice that is 2 to 4 inches tall. A local person told me they ciome out at night from the ground. They are really pretty to look at. Tomorrow I hope to conquer the hardest mountain in this part of the trail. Tonight my wife and I are sleeping in a little cabin with nothing but two small beds in it. The place isn't even really open yet, but they let us stay. More the next time.
Date: 2015-03-30
From: Woody Gap

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Today I hiked the tallest mountain on the A.T. in Georgia named Blood Mountain. It was 5 miles from base to base. It is the only place on the entire trail (I think) that tells you that you must have a hard shelled bear canister if you plan to stay there at night. Needless to say, I'm not staying there. That's one smart move for me and one missed dinner opportunity for Yogi. Marla only met me once today due to lack of roads near the trail. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks to all who have been signing my guestbook. I appreciate all of your comments and wishes for good luck.
Date: 2015-03-31
From: Neel Gap

To: Poplar Stamp Gap
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Well, today my wife left for home. I won't see her for a little while. At least she stayed with me for part of my hike. She is still on the road as I write this. Wish her a safe return home. As for my progress, I walked 6 miles up and down and up and down (insert repeats here) without my pack and the other 7.8 miles with all my gear. And I have too much. My total weight is feeling to everyone that lifts it like 45 pounds. That's about 5 too many. I'll figure it out. Anyone want any of the excess? Meet me on the trail. I'm in my tent for the first time. It went up fine and all has gone well so far. Enough for today. Thx again for following me.
Date: 2015-04-02
From: Poplar Stamp Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 25.0

Today you get 2 days of posts. I stopped at a site last night that didn't have a signal.   Yesterday was ALL rocks and roots with 2 big A** mountains of over 1,000 feet elevation plus a few more just to let me know who was in charge. I came limping in for sure. Today I also had 2 huge mountains. 1 had a cute name. They called it a knob. They can call it whatever they want, but I know a mountain when I climb one. Today was all thick fog and misty rain. Bad storms tonight, but I don't care because I am in a motel in Hiawassee Georgia. The nice lady at the desk told me where I could walk to the laundry place. I did. I got there at 5:04 on their clock. They don't let you start new loads after 5:00. So I gave her my usual charm and of course she still didn't let me wash my stuff. Welcome to Hiawassee. I called the motel lady who closed the office and told her what happened. I also told her I saw a dryer that I planned to use at the motel. That one is for the staff to dry towels. Well, I'm sitting next to that dryer after I took out their towels and folded them like the lady said I had to do if I wanted to use their dryer. I washed my clothes with soap for the shower in the shower. Oh, for $50 for my room I have no clock or hair dryer. Until I post again.
Date: 2015-04-06
From: MM 110.1

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I have my first signal in 4 days so here I go. 3 days ago I left the great state of Georgia. I would personally like to thank Georgia for helping me become trail worthy. I will take many memories from Georgia with me. That was my Good Friday. The next day was hard on my shoulders. I still have over 40 pounds in my pack and it's wearing on me. OK now for an opinion section, that being mine. The topic today is roots or rocks. Which do you prefer? I had no preference up until a couple of days ago. Whenever I would encounter rocks and roots along my trail of the day I would pick whichever one seemed safest or fastest. Not anymore. I now am a rock man. Rocks are docile things. They maintain their appropriate size and shape. You pretty much can count on that as you step on them. That's nice. Roots on the other hand are living things. They show signs of being like rocks. They stay the same size and all. But unlike rocks, roots have the ability to stretch upwards at a moments notice. This leads to them having the ability, and sense of humor, to clip your toe just as you are about clear. I'm sure they get a giggle watching unsuspecting hikers falling forward out of control. That is why I now am a rock man. Yesterday was Easter. I hit the 100 mile mark. Hooray!! I also got a few chocolates from Easter Trail Angels. Yummo!Be sure to look at my photos too. I can only show one on the home page.And thank you Pam B. My wife told me what you did. I appreciate it.
Date: 2015-04-07
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: N.O.C.
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

Hello to all. Today my destination was the N.O.C. In Bryson City N.C. And I made it. It was short in miles, but hard. It was downhill a lot, but it has been raining so it was very sloshy (is that a word?). There also were severe up hills that called for grabbing trees and rocks to pull me up. Oucho! Anyway, I am inside a bunkhouse with two bunk beds. Luckily, I got a bottom one so if I fall it won't be far.Last night was my first in a shelter. I don't like it! As you can see from my picture, Mickey was about a foot from my foot and didn't care. I was told that they would crawl all over you at night, including your face. So I tightened my sleeping bag and put my shirt over my face to keep the little bugger off of me. It worked.. The only thing I noticed in the morning was a chewed label from a bottle of water on my sleeping bag at my feet. It wasn't from me. I'm so outta there. Bad news is that when I go thru the Smoky Mountain National Park I have to sleep in shelters. Rats! Or Mice as it may be. Tomorrow is the most up that I have to do to date. I am now at 1,749 feet and I have to climb to 5,062 feet in 7 miles. I don't know how I'll do, but I know I'll do. Until I can write again, thx for following me. I can't wait to see what happens to me next.