morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-09-09
From: East B Hill Road

To: Frye Notch lean-to
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

I was going to hike a bit further today, but as soon as we got in the car to head back to the trail, the rain started to fall and the thunder crashed. I had already decided to skip Moody and Wyman mountains, since I've done them a few times and have no desire to waste my time on them. My plan was to get over Bald Pate today, but when I got to Frye Notch, I was drenched and afraid of getting struck by lightning on the Bald Pate, so I figured I could make up the extra time the next day. So another relaxing day, chilling out in the shelter and reading all afternoon.
Date: 2008-09-10
From: Frye Notch lean-to

To: Full Goose lean-to
Miles today: 15.5

I was up early this morning, hoping to catch the sunrise on Bald Pate, but when I saw there were no stars in the sky I went back to bed for a few hours. This turned out to be a good idea, since it was still cloudy on Bald Pate, and whipping winds made the conditions absolutely freezing. The exposed rock was not a place I wanted to be while the winds were blowing like that, and I even slipped a few times coming down from East Peak, which was terrifying because of the long slide I could have taken. I only landed on my butt once, and I nearly had a heart attack from that.I rushed down from the peak and made it to Grafton Notch relatively quickly. Then came the climb up Old Speck, which is much longer than I'd remembered. The rest of the day, in fact, was a lot harder than I remembered from last year. Going down the backside of Old Speck was steeper than anything I've done on this trip so far, then the climb down Mahoosuc Arm and up Fulling Mill Mountain. The only part that was as I'd remembered was the Mahoosuc Notch, which was just as much fun as I'd remembered from last year. Luckily, the weather was cool and very windy but entirely sunny after I got down from Bald Pate, so it was very pleasant hiking.The entire day took a lot longer than any other day so far, but it was shorter than I expected it to be. By the end of the day, I'd climbed and descended four really tough mountains and gone through "the hardest mile of the AT." That's a pretty big day, but it's a great way to go out in style. Since this will be the last part of my trip this year, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Date: 2008-09-11
From: Full Goose lean-to

To: Sunday River access road
Miles today: 6.0

I was up and out of the shelter by 4:30 AM, despite the freezing cold and my body telling me to sleep a little longer. At this point I was much less motivated to be on top of Goose Eye for the sunrise than I had been earlier, but I figured I might as well get moving anyway.Forcing myself to move turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip. I made it to the top of the mountain, my hands nearly freezing and my feet slipping on several frosty bog bridges, by 6:05, and the sun peeked over the horizon at 6:12. It was cold with just the slightest hint of a breeze and only a tiny bit of noise from the roads in Gorham. I was able to stand at the summit for almost an hour, watching the fog in the valleys burn off, the sun burn up the sky, and the Gorham area awaken.Eventually I could wait no longer, and I headed back down to take the Wright Trail to the bottom. I met a trail crew at the bottom of the trail and heard that they're starting a 5 year project to fix that trail up, which is good because the top of the trail was so neglected that it was downright dangerous to walk upon. As it descended from the Goose Eye ridge, some of the puncheon bridges were so broken down that I wasn't sure if I would make it across, or if I would just crash through the rotted wood and slide down the stream to my doom. Somehow I made it down, and met my ride then spent the rest of the day relaxing. Despite my relief at being done with hiking for the season, I am already trying to think of ways that I can get out for more in the next few weeks. It seems that, like last year, I can't keep myself away from the trail for very long. We'll see how that works this time.
Date: 2007-12-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I think this is finally going to happen. My plan is to start at Springer Mt (on the approach trail) March 8, 2008. This trip has been 15 years of dreaming and 1 1/2 years of planning.My start date has been on my calendar for over a year, but recently my wife pointed out that the kids' spring break starts March 21 and that would be a better start time since they could hang out in Atlanta after they see me off. So, my new start date is March 21, 2008.
Date: 2007-12-05
To: About me
Miles today: 0.0

After 15 years of dreaming of hiking the trail why now? Well, I just turned 40 and decided I was tired of wishing I had done it whenever (out of high school, after college, after more college...) I have been inspired by many sources. I remember reading an article about the AT in OUTSIDE magazine about 5-10 years ago and the article quoted someone who said something like the best part of doing the AT is getting up every morning and going on a hike. That struck a chord in me that has been resonating around my mind since. I have also read A Walk in the Woods along with several other books by people who actually finished the trail. Furthermore, I was inspired by Bonepac's journal two years ago.I am a Physician Assistant working in a family practice clinic in Salem VA. I live in Roanoke VA just 9 miles from the AT. I hike up to McAfee's knob about every other weekend. A year and a half ago my wife mentioned that since both kids are in school now she would like to get a job. This was a great way for me to introduce the idea that I wanted to take a leave of absence from my job and hike the trail. She actually was in favor of the idea since she knows it has been a dream of mine for such a long time. My boss was completely supportive of my plans and even told me that life is more than just working. He assures me my job will be waiting for me when I return. It was also important to me to get my kids' permission and the blessing from my parents. My dad has always been an adventure traveller and was definitely in favor of the trip.So, with everyone in favor of me going I just needed to get the funds together and get some gear.
Date: 2007-12-06
To: Gear
Miles today: 0.0

Since I don't have the computer skills to put nice pictures on my gear list I'll discuss my gear here. If I can get my wife to help me, I'll get some pictures put in the gear list at some point.Early in my gear quest I admit, I made some pretty silly mistakes. One of the first items I bought was a Eureka Solitaire tent I got on ebay. It was the lightest tent I could find. At the time I didn't want a tarp or hammock. When the tent arrived and I set it up it was very clear that it would not work. It was too small to do anything other than lie in. Since then I bought a Eureka Zeus LE which I have been quite happy with.For a backpack I got the Osprey Aether 70. I tried on a lot of backpacks before finding this one. The Aether by far was the most comfortable of all the packs. I went on a 4 day backpacking trip in June and used it. I realized that I needed to be in better shape, so for the past 4-5 months every weekend I hike with my pack carrying a 40 pound bag of concrete and some water. It is getting easier and easier so I think I will be ready for March. I also realize that I could build a concrete mound anywhere I want though that violate the LNT ethic printed on the inside of my backpack.I also bought a Marmot Sawtooth down sleeping bag. No real reason, it just seemed like a good bag for a March start. My brother bought me a silk liner so I can use that as a bag in really warm weather or stay warmer inside my bag in really cold weather.Those are the big three. In retrospect, I should have considered one of those fancy hammock/tents. I think I also made a mistake on my boots. I got some Asolo gortex lined leather boots. They hurt my feet after being in them all day. They are also extremely hot and I sweat like crazy. I am hoping they will be useful at the start of my hike when it is still cold. I spent a lot of money on them so I am really hoping they work out. I read a lot of trail journal reports on people's gear so when I finish my hike, I will do another review on my stuff.
Date: 2007-12-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Ever since my kids were babies, our routine on Sundays was to come home from church, eat lunch and while Angie and the girls napped, I would go running. I usually ran on the AT either up to McAfee's Knob or off Rt. 11 in Troutville. This was the standard procedure until last March when I sprained my ankle. That sprain was the third and worst one. A visit to an orthopedic surgeon brought more disheartening news as he felt surgery was necessary.   A two week follow-up showed miraculous healing had occured and surgery was no longer on the agenda. I did physical therapy faithfully until June when I did my four day shake down trip from Pearisburg to Catawba. During that trip my ankle did fine.I decided I would not run until after my AT trip because I did not want to risk another injury so Sunday afternoons I usually load up my backpack with my bag of concrete and some other things to weigh it down and go out for a few hours. Today was no diffent. I went out in shorts and tee shirt as it was a very warm December day. For some reason my ankle kept rolling on me. That doesn't happen very often, but today it made me very nervous as it hurt more than usual. I turned around after less than an hour of hiking. I have a brace, but my skin breaks out under it even with socks on. Despite this apparent allergy to the fabric, I will probably wear it or carry it on my thru hike as I don't want a bad ankle to put an early end to my hike. We'll see what next week is like, but I'm a little discouraged about it right now.
Date: 2007-12-18
To: Angel's Rest
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I took a vacation day from work to go hiking. I love to do that! I went with a friend up to Angel's Rest. For those of you unfamiliar with the trail in SW Virginia, Angel's Rest is just south of the town of Pearisburg. Today was cold and sunny. Three days ago some parts around here were hit with an ice storm. At the base of the mountain everything was brown, but at the top there was snow and every tree branch glistened with a coating of ice. It was like a winter wonderland up there. Very beautiful!To add to the enjoyable day, my feet were happy. I know that sounds wierd, but I haven't been 100% satisfied by my boot choice. Now, I think they are going to be great winter boots. All day my feet were warm and dry. My ankle felt strong as well. It's strange, some days my ankle feels wobbly and weak and other days it feels strong. Today was the latter. I plan to take a brace along on my thru-hike to use on those wobbly days.
Date: 2007-12-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A front settled in the Roanoke valley bringing grey drizzly skies with intermittent rain showers and temperatures staying in the mid-forties. So, while driving home from church today my thoughts naturally turned to hiking. I thought today would be a great day to try out my rain gear. After a hearty lunch, I set off from Rt. 11 in Troutville heading north to Fullhardt Knob shelter 4 miles up. I had the lingering strains from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra I was playing on the way over running through my head when I stepped out onto the trail with my usual concrete and water pack. Unfortunately, once on the trail the rain stopped. I was wearing rain pants with long johns underneath. My water-proof and wind resistant pants turned out to be saunas for my legs. I think these will be great in cold weather and real rain but not in warm weather. My upper body was very happy with the SmartWool base layer shirt I have. I felt it was a bit extravagant for the price, but it is worth it. I also wore a Gor-tex Seattle Sombrero. I have never believed in the value of Gor-tex. I understand the way it is supposed to work, but while it may work in vitro I don't believe it works in vivo; at least not with me. Well, I got off the subject a bit there. I ended up having a great hike in nice weather after all today.On another note, I met an Appalachian Trail legend this week. To back up, last winter I was reading a book about the AT when the author mentioned meeting a Leonard and Laurie Atkins from Roanoke while hiking in Maine. I realized I know Laurie through the local PA meetings we have. When I asked her if that really was her, she affirmed it was and went on to inform me that she and her husband were hiking again beginning Feb (of '07). This was her husband's 5th time and her 4th time hiking the AT. Her husband, Leonard has written a lot of books about the AT. While on their latest hike, he wrote to a local newspaper about their hike. These articles were great reading. On Thursday of this past week he was at Barnes & Noble signing some of his books. I bought Wildflowers of the Appalation Trail and talked with him for quite a while. What a great guy! He gave me some valuable tips which I really appreciated.Well, I hope everyone reading this has a great Christmas. I am hoping to write something here once a week until I go.
Date: 2007-12-30
To: Rain Again
Miles today: 0.0

Well, today was another rainy Sunday so I figured it would be another good day to try my rain gear. I was quite pleased with everything I'm happy to report. Since today was in the 30's temperature-wise, I didn't sweat so much in my rain pants. I have a Sierra Designs light weight nylon shell jacket that I put on over everything for water and wind resistance. It would be better with pit-zips or other ventilation, but otherwise it works well.This past week Angie and I celebrated our sixteenth wedding anniversary. She declined my offer to spend the night in a romantic shelter out on the AT, so it was dinner out followed by shopping in the mall. I am extremely fortunate to be married to someone who understands me and allows me to pursue my dreams. I guess I am pretty settled in my life as I have a wife, kids, job, house,etc. If I can pull this AT hike off, I hope I can be an inspiration to others who dream of doing this. I know I had resigned myself to thinking I could never do this until I was old, retired, and the girls were finished with college and married off to nice men. That was a discouragingly large number of years away. I highly recommend the book "Wild At Heart" by John Eldredge. He gives some good reasons why we need epic adventures in our lives.If you are having to read this slowly, it's because I'm typing slowly. One of my Christmas presents was this Blackberry I'm typing this on. I plan to keep up with Trail Journals with it, but also use it to check weather and access maps.
Date: 2008-01-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, my backpack is still broken. I called the outfitter last week and they assured me Osprey would replace the broken rod and I should have the part by the weekend. I am grateful that they are replacing the part at no charge, but I'm concerned that if one side broke the other may do the same.This past week I got my health insurance paid for the time I'll be gone. I don't want any lapse for me or my family, so getting that lined is one less thing to do before I go. As of today I'm 56 days until I start. I've also got a ride to Atlanta lined up (thanks David).Today I did an 8 mile fast hike without my heavy pack. It's amazing how easy it is. The guy at the outfitter thought the concrete sack concentrated too much weight on certain areas of my pack leading to the breakage of the support rod so my concrete-toting days may be over. I will still find some way to stay active until 03-08-08.
Date: 2008-01-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, what a great week! I called Osprey about my backpack since I hadn't heard from the outfitter who was supposed to get a new rod. Osprey has GREAT customer service. I explained my concern that if one rod broke the other may not be strong either. They readily agreed to send me two replacement rods. Meanwhile the outfitter called and the rod was in there so I got that replaced on Friday. Now, when the other rods come in I'll replace the other side and still have a spare that can be sent to me if this happens again.On Saturday (yesterday) I met with Leonard and Laurie who have a combined total of 9 AT thru-hikes worth of experience. (He has done 5 and she has done 4). I went to see what unnecessary gear I was carrying. First of all, I was pleased that with a full pack, 5 days worth of food and two liters of water my pack weighed 39 pounds. After talking to them, it will weigh even less. I would really like to see it weigh 35 or less. I am pleased that after training with 55 pounds, 35 should seem like nothing.That being said, I took my bag of concrete today in my newly repaired backpack and enjoyed a brisk hike this afternoon. The bright blue sky belied the 20 degrees and wind that blew across McAfee's Knob. My legs were comfortable in my long johns and wind pants and my torso was comfy in my Smartwool shirt with fleece jacket. I forgot my earcoverings and only wore my Seattle Sombrero hat so my ears were cold. Yes, I know what you are thinking-he broke his pack carrying that crazy bag of concrete and now he's at it again. I think it will be OK though, I got my pack sized correctly and I am more careful how I am loading the concrete. Anyways, there are only 6 more weekends to train and then no more concrete! I'm sure even 35 pounds will feel like concrete at times on the trail.
Date: 2008-01-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, there are only 42 days before my feet begin walking...and walking...and. This week I was plagued with a sense of apathy for everything but my hike. I realize I may be subconsciously separating myself in preparation for the trail, but I don't like it. I still have a job to do and responsibilities to attend to for the next 42 days.Yesterday my wife and I attended the wedding of my friend Aaron. I realize I am a bit of a romantic, but there is nothing like a wedding to add a catalyst to a loving relationship. I remembered gazing into my bride's eyes at the alter 16 years in the exact same way my friend gazed into his bride's eyes yesterday. Yes, the hardest part of hiking the AT will be leaving my wife and family for so long. Fortunately, 1/3 of the way to Maine I will be going right by home. I am thinking of spending a couple of days at home; my wife thinks she won't let me go!Today at church I realized I have a bit of explaining to do next week. I belong to a big church that has a very large library. I am one of the librarians there and I have been very clear that my last Sunday will be March 2nd. Today someone stopped me and told me one of the other librarians told her I was going to be gone for six weeks. Uh oh, I guess I forgot to tell the other staff that I won't be back until sometime in August.This afternoon I went up to Dragon's Tooth. The weather was clear and sunny in the low forties. I was comfortable in shorts and my long sleeved SmartWool shirt. (I love that shirt) The trail was terrible in that it was mostly ice from the recent snow we had. Some of the trail was clear, but in the shaded hollows ("hollers" if you're an Appalachian-American) the snow had turned to ice. Overall, it was a good hike of about 5 miles with 50+ pounds on my back. On the way home I stopped at a friend's house and got a piece of plastic to put under my tent.Next Sunday is Superbowl-one of the only football games I watch, so there may not be an update to my journal.
Date: 2008-02-10
To: 26 Days Left!
Miles today: 0.0

I can't believe there are only 26 days before I start. Twice in the past couple of weeks I have been frantically going to outfitter stores just looking to see if I've forgotten some item that I needed to buy. Both times I have walked out empty handed, so I guess that means I have everything I need.One day at work this week someone brought in a couple dozen fresh hot donuts. Naturally, I had to eat one. A little while later someone brought in a bunch of fresh hot Chick-Filet chicken biscuits. As I was happily munching on one of those, I realized that in a few weeks I would be merely dreaming of this kind of food availability. Those dreams would probably come when I am waking up to rain and eating cold oatmeal. Ahh, but what is a little sacrifice. I could always just go to work each day and eat well, but what kind of life would that be?Today I took my trusty pack (containing the concrete, of course) and went up to McAfee's Knob. I don't think I have ever encountered winds so strong! If it weren't for my heavy pack I think I would have been blown over. By the time I got back to my car, the temperature had dropped from 53 to 37 degrees and the radio was reporting 67 mph gusts of wind! No wonder I thought it was windy. Well, now that I'm home, the lights are blinking- threatening a power outage, so before I have to type this by candle-light, I'll sign off.
Date: 2008-02-19
To: My Wife
Miles today: 0.0

OK, this may sound cheesy, but bear with me. With less than three weeks left for departure, the realization that I am going to be gone for 5 months is really hitting home with my family. Yes, I'm sure the trail will be difficult, but I'm out there having fun and not working while my wife is doing EVERYTHING at home. She is sacrificing a lot to let me do this and I am sooo grateful for such an understanding and gracious wife. I will be eternally indebted to her. So, to everyone reading this journal, let it be known that I love my wife and thank her for allowing me to take this epic journey. If you happen to know her, let her know how great she is too.I didn't do much this past weekend as I got some sort of "bug". It's a bummer, but I'm glad I'm sick now so I have time to recover. I mean it's better than getting sick 2 days prior to leaving. Now that I've said that I realize there is no guarantee I won't get sick again, but I hope not. As I read other journals I am glad I'm not the only one with pre-hike jitters and worries about the uncertainties and unknowns I am about to face. I really just want to start as I know things will work out OK. This week I am trying to get some last minute financial things in order, but other than that-I'M READY!
Date: 2008-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, two weeks from tonight I will be spending my second night on the trail and sleeping in Woods Hole Shelter (if all goes as planned). I just have 8 days of work left. When I was in high school and college I would do construction work during the summer. The mental break did me good and I was always ready to resume my studies by the end of the summer. By the end of the school year I would be ready for some fresh air, excercise, and less mental activity. I love my job, but I am also looking forward to the break and I will probably finish my hike ready to come back to work.If I took everyone up on their offer to lend me a gun to take with me I would have quite an arsenol. I do not plan to take a gun, but I do get asked that a lot and I get a lot of offers. Thank you, if you have offered me one-I appreciate your concern; however, I don't plan to carry one.I sometimes feel like I am on death row. My mom wants to have my family and my sister's family over one last time before I leave. She wanted to know what I wanted to eat. My family also wanted me to make "one more cheesecake" and there have been other "and one more time before you leave" type of requests. I DO plan to come back when I am done and look forward to eating all those meals mom makes and special desserts again.One morning last week I went out to start the car before going to work. I usually ride a bike to work, but my bike was in the shop and I was sick so I was driving. It struck me as funny that here I am about to spend 5 months living outside and I want the car to be warm for a fifteen minute drive to work! Something is just not right about that picture.These are just some thoughts that occured to me this week. I anticipate one more entry before my hike begins.