morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-09-25
To: 33 weeks until we start on 5/16/10
Miles today: 0.0

Who to tell and who not to. My husband and daughter have already told everyone they know that they are going on the AT hike. I on the other hand have only told two people, my sister and my son. I am a contractor so I am afraid if I tell the company that I work for, then they will hire my replacement now and I will be out of a job. I don¢t want to screw that up. It was easy to tell my sister, Susan. I can tell her anything and she always promises to laugh at me, but support me. We both agree that life is short and it is only getting shorter, so we have to get down to the main objective in life ¢ to enjoy it.We also both agree that I shouldn¢t tell our 70 year old parents that their daughter and grand-daughter are going on a 5 month hike. They just wouldn¢t understand. They just don¢t get why I would do this, and they would worry and be afraid that we would get hurt. I don¢t want to cause them any stress. So I am silent and keep my plans to myself.Plus telling people 33 weeks before you do something this out of the ordinary just invites trouble and ridicule. They just don¢t believe that you will really do it ¢ I better since I have all my gear. They will think you¢re crazy ¢ but that isn¢t a bad thing, is it? They wonder why you would want to do this hike when you could go to a spa instead ¢ that was my sister Susan¢s response. So I trudge along, counting down the weeks. Only 33 more weeks to go.
Date: 2009-10-05
To: 29 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, after some serious discussions, we don¢t think we can make it the whole way before 10/15/10 if we start on 5/16. So we decided to bump up our start date to 4/24/10.   I was afraid that we would walk for 4 months then Baxter State Park would be closed in early October due to bad weather and we wouldn't be allowed to finish. Martial will lose his vacation pay for 2010, but he just started an extra contracting job so it evens out. Now we think we will be able to finish by 9/12/10.Kristine is adamant that we have to be done in 4 12 months. So we will have to average almost 16 miles per day. Martial and I think she is a little crazy, but we only have to walk as fast as her. She can't complain how long it is taking if she is the slow one. Good thing we have 7 months to train and get into shape. Martial and I have all our gear, so we will start training in early November. Kristine has only purchased her sleeping bag, so she will have to get a pack and her hiking shoes before she can join us.I am also starting to look for deals on food, since we will be doing mail drops. I have checked out BJ¢s and Sam¢s Club, but some of the local grocery stores have great deals, especially when it¢s BOGO free, I just have to be careful about the expiration dates. I just bought 125 Idahoah flavored mashed potatoes pouches for 50c each. I bought 5-6 different varieties and I am going back for another 125 tomorrow. And jars of Jif peanut butter were buy one get one free. This is a much better deal then even the warehouse price. Now it is only 29 more weeks to go!
Date: 2009-10-18
To: 27 weeks until we start on 4/24/10 
Miles today: 0.0

Just back from vacation, we went to Williamsburg VA for the week. So now it is only 27 more weeks to go! That is more than half a year. Damn Kristy for talking about this trip. She thought it would take forever to get a hiking partner, but now it is taking forever for this adventure to start. I know I am neurotic but even I can¢t come up with 27 more topics to obsess about.
Date: 2009-10-24
To: 26 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

It is funny how many people you meet during your casual life, that dream of walking the AT, but will probably never do it. Before August of this year I never even thought of the AT, and now I am consumed with it. My husband had lunch with a colleague and ending up getting 8-9 books about hiking the AT. We picked up some supplies at Wal-mart and the guy in the sports department told us all about his Grandfather that lives near the AT and he hiked a section every summer for years. We took our first practice ¢hike¢ today. Pretty much just walked 6 miles with half filled packs. We just want to test our hiking boots and packs to make sure we got the right stuff. We all got different packs, Kristine has a Kelty, Martial has an Osprey and I have a Deuter. It is funny how different, yet the same they are. What¢s with all the extra dangling straps? Everywhere I look, another strap is just dangling there. I already tucked that one in.We took Kristine¢s new puppy with us, but we knew he couldn¢t walk the six miles so we brought a baby stroller to put him in when he got tired. Heidi from my place of employment saw us walking with these hiking boots, packs and a baby stroller. It must have looked completely ridiculous, but who cares. The funny thing is she didn¢t really ask about the hiking gear, she asked where was the baby? Since Chili is only 4 pounds she really couldn¢t see him in the stroller. So we talked a little about the crazy fact that my daughter now has 4 dogs and that was it. I was thinking my gig was up, people at work would finally find out that I am leaving and that they would start looking for a replacement. But I am safe for a while longer. On the way back from our ¢hike¢, we passed (ok he passed us) a jogger who asked what we were doing. He was very excited to meet people who were training for the AT. He told us about a restaurant up in New Hampshire that is basically just for hikers, since you can only get there by hiking to it. And you have to call them ahead of time, so they can get the food to the place. He lives in the next development from us and told us to stop by the next time we are out for the phone number. AT Dreamers are everywhere and I am one of them. Only 26 weeks left to go.
Date: 2009-10-31
To: 25 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Can¢t wait to get away from the germophobics. Everyone is installing those stupid germ gel pumps. Doesn¢t anyone ever wash their hands anymore? Geez. I can¢t believe people squeeze that crap on their hands and then eat their food. Are you telling me that this gel is healthier then washing with soap and water? I would rather use a Wet Ones wipe than that gel. Cracked up the other day when I heard that some people were catching themselves on fire, since they were lighting their cigarettes after using the 70% alcohol germ gel. Duh! So that is what I will be taking on the trail, keep your gel to yourself. Only 25 more weeks to go. Hope I can hold out!!
Date: 2009-11-08
To: 24 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

I have one acronym for Jennings State Forest Park in Northern Florida: OMG. When they said the trail was difficult, we were thinking how hard could it be? We are in Florida; we don¢t even have any hills. Would it be all swamps? So we grabbed our packs and drove there. What should have taken 58 minutes to drive there, actually took 2 12 hours to get to our final destination.First we went to the headquarters, and drove down a sandy dune covered road, turns out that is not the way to the hiking trail, so we turned around hoping our Toyota Corolla would not get stuck in the mounds of sand. Then we drove further northwest of the park and found the North Fork Black Creek, however when we got there and looked at their mounted map, we discovered that the hiking trail is actually Southeast of the Park Headquarters. UGH. That would have been helpful information at the last bulletin board the park provided us.So we tried to hike around the Creek, but there were no trails, we should get an A for effort.  We crawled out of the forest and got back in the car. NOTE: Trekking poles are great for clearing the trail of spider webs; otherwise you will look like my husband and daughter. They both didn¢t bring any poles so in order to clear the webs from in front of their faces they used the doggie paddle method. It was quite funny, almost peed my pants when they started doing it in unison.So after 2 12 hours we finally made it to the North Fork Back Creek Trail. It is only a 5 mile loop marked with orange blazes, so we were going to go around it twice, yeah right. This should be easy, even if the trail posting said difficult. Like I said this is flat Florida. They should have said difficult as hell due to renovations, and then we would have had a clue. It started out fine at first, we only had to watch out for horse poop, and then the trail turned into sand, then 10-12 inches of sand. Let me tell you, walking in foot deep sand is hard, it is like walking in foot deep snow, but it gets inside your hiking shoes. Then the trail turned to sandy mud, then clumps of dirt, then water, then rocky muddy water, then clay, then back to foot deep sandy dune trenches.What the heck kind of trail is this? We thought it would end, but we encountered different types of ground covering at each turn. When we finished the 5 mile loop after 3 hours we were dead, we had it, we were not going around it again. Martial swears we walked 10 miles and Kristine is going to tell everyone 20. So the 5 mile loop kicked our butts. I suggested that we do this every weekend until we leave for the AT, cause if we can do it without struggling then we can do anything the AT will offer us, they almost made me walk home. Oh well, back to walking near our development until Kristine gets her hiking boots, her gym shoes were not the best choice for today.   Only 24 more weeks to go!
Date: 2009-11-15
To: 23 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

We went for a 9-10 mile hike with half-filled packs today. I have been hiking with 15-20 pounds in my pack, I want to work my way up to 35 pounds. I felt really good, no blisters. Only got them the first hike, but I think it was caused by my socks and not my boots. The last two times I have turned my socks inside out and no blisters, since the seam is not rubbing against my toes. Kristine is returning her Kelty backpack, it doesn¢t fit her hips very well, it keeps sliding up and down.I used my Deuter Streamer 3.0 today and absolutely loved it. No leaks or drips. They just don¢t place the side pockets on your backpack in a good position in order to store water bottles there. Or I¢m just not that bendy. While Martial had to ask us to get his water bottle, I always had water within a few inches of my mouth. And it stayed cool since it was stored on the inside of my pack instead of the outside.My next purchase is probably going to be gaiters. The last two times I have hiked, by ankles have been covered in sand, dirt and stickers. I can clean them easily at home, but I¢m worried about how I will clean my socks on the trail. Got to protect the feet.   Only 23 more weeks to go!
Date: 2009-12-14
To: 19 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Went for a hike on Sunday. Since Florida doesn¢t have mountains, heck, we don¢t even have hills, we are climbing the stairs at a local high school stadium with our packs on. Behind the school is a good backwoods trail that we have been using the last couple of weeks. It rained all day Saturday and it was supposed to on Sunday as well. We thought great, we can try out our rain gear, but it was sunny and 75 degrees in the middle of December.But I did get to try out my Outdoor Research Salamander Gaiters and I love them. At times, we were walking through 6 inches of muddy water. Kristine was trying out some Steel-toed Army boots that she was given, so she was walking right through the giant puddles. Everything was fine until the water got so deep that it went over the top and down into the boot.Then we came upon a Cottonmouth. It was just lying there all coiled up. It looked really fat so it must have just eaten something and couldn¢t move. It just opened it mouth and hissed at us. We decided to take another direction. We found a place were we could sit and take a break, when Martial remembered that he had his phone. I told him to go back and take a picture, but it was gone when we went back. I guess it wasn¢t as immobile as I thought (or he didn¢t go back far enough). After Kristine wrung out her socks we decided to call it a day, her boots were too big for her feet, so the constant rubbing was starting to cause blisters. My gaiters kept my feet dry and my socks clean, which will be great on the trail. Only 19 more weeks to go!
Date: 2009-12-19
To: 18 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Turned in my two weeks notice. Just needed to make it to January and I finally did it. Now I can concentrate on getting ready for the hike. Need to lose some weight and get in better shape. Can¢t wait to be retired for real this time. Last time it only lasted 3 weeks and then I went back to work.Only 18 weeks to go!
Date: 2009-12-24
To: 17 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Martial and I went hiking behind the school again and found out that our great hiking location is owned by a local gun club. Opps. They were really pissed off. This guy calls us over to his truck and threatens us with jail. He says that we are lucky that we didn¢t get shot and told us to get off their land. Then another guy pulls up in his truck and says that we are now breaking federal trespassing laws and if JEA finds us they will put us under the jail, not in it. So we won¢t be walking there anymore.Does anyone else think it is a bad idea to let a gun club hunt on land right next to a school?   Only 17 more weeks to go!
Date: 2010-01-01
To: 16 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Happy New Year!Drove to Ravine Gardens State Park to hike. It is pouring down rain. Good day to try out our Frogg Toggs and our pack covers. Kristine doesn¢t have one yet so I put a garbage bag over it and cut slants for her harness. It was good hiking even though the path is only 2 miles. They actually had some hills, rocky steps, slippery wooden paths and even a couple of suspension bridges. We walked for about 2 12 hours and then called it a day. Kristine was totally soaked, since she didn¢t wear any long pants or her gaiters. I am thinking of getting some waterproof gloves. My hands were cold.The Frogg Toggs kept me warm, but not dry. I should have tucked in my shirt, since it got soaked, it leaked into my pants. And every time I raised my arms to move a branch, water ran down my sleeve and inside my jacket. But my gaiters kept my feet completely dry. I may have to rethink the Frogg Toggs.We also used our pack covers for the first time. Everything in the top and side compartments were dry, however all 3 of our sleeping bags got soaked. We all carried our sleeping bags on the bottom of our packs. I don¢t know how they got wet since our pack covers completely covered the bottom of our packs and we never laid them down in the rain.   However all of our pack harnesses and belts were soaked, so after our hike when we laid them in the car truck the water must have drained out of them and soaked the bottom of our packs. I don¢t know how else it could have happened.   We will have to put our sleeping bags in a trash bag to make sure they stay dry on the trail.This is my first official retired day and only 16 more weeks to go!
Date: 2010-01-19
To: 14 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

We just got back from our week long skiing trip in the Shenandoah Valley. We were really close to the AT and were going to check it out, but the day we left it was raining. Raining hard! So we just drove past the Shenandoah National Park without seeing any signs for the trail. Now we are less than 100 days until we start.I ordered some camp cushions (pads) to sit on. I am old so I need something between me and the hard ground when it comes to taking breaks and eating lunch. Since I like our sleeping pad so much, I ordered the Exped SI Cushion 3.1. When we drove up to Virginia we stopped at the REI store in Charlotte, but we were not impressed with their version. We didn¢t find any good deals at their ¢Big¢ January Blow-Out Sale either. Very disappointed since Florida is lacking when it comes to outfitter stores.I also order the Outdoor Research Misto Sombrero, since I wear glasses, and it seems to rain a lot on the trail, I wanted to have a waterproof hat. This will protect me from the sun and rain. We also bought the 55 liter Dry Sack from Outdoor Research to put all our food in when we tie it up at night. This way it will stay dry on rainy nights when it is hanging in a tree.Less than 14 more weeks (or 95 days) to go!
Date: 2010-02-16
To: 10 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

I just finished reading Bill Bryson¢s book A WALK IN THE WOODS. Sorry but I just don¢t get all the hype. It was amusing, neurotic and had some history tidbits, but the guy is a quitter. At best he is a section hiker that will probably never finish, because walking 870 miles was enough of an experience for him.Actually I would only recommend this book to people who have done a thru-hike or will never do the hike, because it is filled with his neurotic paranoia and may scare some people out of trying. He rambles on about bears, bobcats and murderers, but never saw any of these. It is important to be aware of your surroundings and to be cautious, but this guy was down right paranoid.So that is way I don¢t understand why people are ga-ga over this book. Give me a book about someone that finishes what they started, that can explain the dangerous elements but also keep the hype to a minimum. People that are planning a thru-hike need concrete information, type of gear to pack, food to bring, a realistic walking schedule, mail drops/town experiences, etc. But that book would not be on the New York Times Bestseller list.Only 10 more weeks to go!
Date: 2010-02-22
To: 9 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

We finalized our mail drops today. We have a total of 27. Most of the boxes are packed and just need labels. This is only our 6th draft. I had obsessed about it over 6 months ago and then put it aside for the last 4 months. We just started working on it again last week and finally finished it. It is nice to have that item checked off my list. Not much more to do.So if anyone wants to send us a letter or postcard, please use these addresses. We would love to hear any encouraging thoughts.If you want to keep track of my family and walking buddies here are the links to their journals.http://www.trailjournals.com/Martialhttp://www.trailjournals.com/KristineLess than 9 weeks to go!
Date: 2010-03-07
To: 7 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Today during our training hike we were joined by my son in law Ashley, and 3 women who are training for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk-a-thon. Lucy, Christy and Chris were kind enough to join us in our 10 mile hike. Lucy saw us training last week while she drove by us in her car; she pulled over and swore up and down that she wasn¢t a stalker. She asked if she and some other ladies could join us and we gladly welcomed her and her pals.Christy is a trail angel/worker for the AT, she has also sectioned hiked from Georgia to Virginia. Chris is an Occupational Therapist and her husband is a physical therapist. I may have to get their phone numbers for when we return from the trail, to help with working out all the kinks that I am sure to develop.Christy mentioned that there are more trail angels in the south than the north. She said that after Virginia we won¢t see too many of them. So here is a challenge. I am a Northerner, who has lived in the south for the last 10 years. It is true that the South is hospitable, but no more than the North. So you Northern trail angels please don¢t let me down, I know it is not quite fair, since most of the ¢thru-hikers¢ quit before they even get past the Mason-Dixon line. Since you get to see less than 50% of them, please help them out whenever possible and let¢s show them Northerners are hospitable as well!!See y¢all (yous guys) on the trail in 7 weeks!
Date: 2010-04-05
To: 3 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Happy Birthday William, my brother just turned 50 today.A lot has happened in the last four weeks.My daughter, Kristine, yes the one that talked my husband and I into making this journey can not come with us. She is dealing with some personal issues and must stay behind. But she will be on the trail within the next 10 years, if I can do it in my late forties, she will be able to do it in her late 20¢s-30¢s. She is a very strong person and nothing will stop her¢GO KRISTINE!Since Martial and I have purchased all our gear and bought all our food, we are going ahead with our scheduled thru hike. We won¢t have to stick to the 4 12 month schedule that Kristine needed to have, so we plan to average 13 miles a day, just over 5 months. But if it takes a few weeks longer-no worries.We hope that the snow is all melted by the time we get to the Smoky Mountains; I know several people are having a hard time, especially the ones that started Jan 1st, since we had such a hard winter this year.Less than 3 weeks to go!
Date: 2010-04-09
To: 2 weeks until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

All the boxes are packed and ready to ship. Five months worth of food took up half my living room. Kristine will be mailing our boxes and taking care of our house, so we won¢t have to worry about anything back home while we are on the trail. All our bills have been set up for automatic payment.Still trying to find a pack mule that would like to carry my pack for the next 5 months, but it looks like I¢m it.Only 2 more weeks to go!
Date: 2010-04-14
To: 10 Days until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

Today is my birthday and we only have 10 more days until we leave. I am excited but I will miss celebrating events like these with my family. Like my daughter's 25th birthday on 4/29 and having my kids over for Mother's day. Martial and I will be together for our 26th anniversary on May 19th, but the kids won't see him when he turns 48 on May 24th. They will also miss Father's day.I have been ordering gifts so they can be sent to other family members when their birthdays approach this summer. This made me reflect on all the things we will miss by being on the trail.We are looking forward to this adventure, but will miss our family, especially our children.I love you Kristine and Mitch!
Date: 2010-04-16
To: 1 week until we start on 4/24/10
Miles today: 0.0

We shaved our heads last night. We shaved our heads for many reasons. Mainly it will be easier to keep clean, but also it will be easier to see if we have any ticks. It will also be cooler in the summer months that are quickly approaching.People are shocked when a woman shaves her head, but it is only hair, and I¢m pretty sure it will grow back, maybe a little grayer, but it will grow. It is very freeing, saves on shampoo and hairspray, you don¢t need to blow dry it or spend time styling it. I did this about ten years ago when I supported a co-worker who lost her hair due to chemo treatments for breast cancer. After I shaved my head my mother called me and told me she had a cancerous lump that needed to be removed. Thankfully she has been cancer free ever since her lumpectomy.Only 1 more week to go!
Date: 2010-04-23
To: Finally - Lets get this party started
Miles today: 0.0

Well the day is finally here. We are driving up to Springer Mountain today and will spend the night in a hotel and then start hiking on Saturday morning. This will help out our daughter by breaking up the driving time into two days.I have butterflies in my stomach, I can¢t believe we are finally going to start, I thought this day would never come. However, our packs are heavier than we would like, but I can¢t seem to give up anything. So I will let the trail tell me what to throw away or send home. At least I will lighten the load each day by eating my food, if these butterflies let me get anything down!I¢d like to say goodbye to my Lunch buddies, Stephanie, Barb and Pat! I will miss our Friday lunches and movie nights. Keep up the tradition and I hope to rejoin you in October!Wish me luck and pray that my feet, back and knees hold up!