morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-11-22
To: Issues of the Mind and Spirit
Miles today: 0.0

Good evening to all. What a wonderful weekend. I had the pleasure to hike with Sgt. Rock and his son Dead Man Walking this past weekend. This weekend's excursion went along the Clingman's Dome Section of the A.T. We did about ten miles each day for a total of twenty for the trip. Mostly this hike was a shakedown hike to test my gear. I have decided to make a few clothing changes after this weekend. For one, the kilt is going. Secondly, I am having strong thought about leaving the sarong at home as well. There is a reason men now wear pants. Chaffing(spelling)! I believe I have caught myself going overboard in trying to make a grasping statement through the means of my attire. Yet, that statement has left my uncomfortable while hiking. Therefore, my dear Scotsmen, I am reunited with conformity. Over the weekend, I really did some mental analysis. I got to thinking long and hard about what I am really wanting to do. I am leaving my family and friends to go forth on a journey. I started to feel a bit selfish to a point when I thought about my family. There is much that they depend on me here at home. Yet I got to realizing their overwhelming support they have given me. That soothed a lot of things. Then I really thought about my purpose for this trip. Is it spiritual, prideful, adventurous, or even just for fun? It is all of those things plus more. This trip is for me in many ways. It is a time for me to get out and see things I have not seen. It is a time for me to be independant, free from the society I have conformed to all my life. This journey is truly a time for me to search out some things I have not seen, felt, or known. This is the time for me to dance out from the shadows and not hide any light inside of me. So truthfully I feel happy. I am pushing towards a dream that hopefully is to become reality. I will conform to a different society of people. People who each have a different journey, yet have a similar path. So this weekend has been technical and mentaly enlightning. I will end this entry with a quote from a good friend of mine who is curently stationed in Kosovo, proudly serving his country and others."It's easy to be bold in the darkness of the night, but another to stand in the light of the world on a stage for all to see.¢ - Kermit Easterling
Date: 2005-01-02
To: Away from the 
Miles today: 0.0

Happy New Year All! What a new year it is and will be. The New Year really is interesting. Truthfully, it is just another day followed by another day, etc. But to the mind and through societies portrayal, the New Year is like a new beginning. Kind of like going to the next grade in school. It feels like you have somewhat of a clean palate in which you can draw your new ideas upon and everything will be fine. So I encourage everyone to think of their New Year in a positive way. Draw your picture of this year, and live it out. On another note, stress has been bearing down upon me. I have heard people say that stress is self-inflicted. True. My stress is coming somewhat from my job. Now I have one easy job. I wash cars for a dealership here in town. But my stress is not from what I do, it is from a form of submission. I have come to somewhat of a conclusion that my life will not consist of uniformity(is this a word?) and kissing butt. I do not enjoy going into a work place where I feel I must kiss up to my superiors in order to keep this job. I am a person of thought expressions. I normally say what I feel. But lately I have been holding these expressions inside and submitting my voice to the constant "Yes Sir." Please do not take me as a over rightous fellow. But take me as a person with a conscience for right and wrong. These feelings are continually drawing me closer to my hike. My desire to hike is not becoming overwhelming. Now I am glad to have a job. I just seek in the future to have a job that fits my standards and my lifestyle more. I do not seek to be a "Yes Sir" all my life. I seek a life of my own personal expression that will take me to far places to do great things for people."A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement." -Bo Bennett
Date: 2005-01-25
To: Far From Ordinary
Miles today: 0.0

Good Day to all! This weekend, I chose to step away from the ordinary and into the woods. Wildcat(AT 2004) and I went on a little excursion into the Smokies. This trip was one of the best things I have done in my life. The weather plumitted to -5 degrees once morning arrived. Now this was not the temperature outside of the shelter. This was the temperature inside. The wind outside the shelter was blowing pretty hard making the wind chill at a ridiculously low temperature. As I hiked out, I found myself stomping through snow drifts waist deep. To top it all off, I carried nothing more and nothing less than what I will be carrying on my thru-hike. I am extremely happy with how well my gear proved to stand up. So overall, I feel that if I can survive -5 degrees with this gear, I can survive the elements of a thru-hike.Other things have been going on in my life which have been preparing myself for this thruhike. Wildcat and I have not only gone hiking, but we have been doing fitness training together. Screw going to the gym. That costs too much money and there are too many contracts. We have simply been putting on day packs loaded with 40 pounds and hiking up and down 130 steps of stairs. We average this workout for about and hour a night, two or three times a week. Since I have started this workout, I have noticed an incredible difference in my hiking endurance. So I would like to send a special thanks out to Wildcat for being my fitness partner and my leading source for Appalachian Trail Thru-hiking knowledge. "Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid.Come to the edge, he said. They came.He pushed them, and they flew..." -Guillaume Apollinaire
Date: 2005-01-28
To: Into the Elements
Miles today: 0.0

To all a good day!! You know, I was just sitting here recollecting thoughts from this past weekend with Wildcat. As we were hiking up the mountain, we started to realize how few of people actually visit these mountains. Now I cannot claim this upcoming thought. I can only transcribe it. Wildcat turned to me and began sharing a bit of wisdom. He told me that people are scared of the outdoors. They are scared of what nature's elements have to offer. He also went on to discuss how much mankind seeks to destroy the environment. Now it may not be completely intentional, but it is happening. In the years to come, and I mean far future, our natural resources will start to become depleated. For instance, a person keeps a light on for hours at a time. They may not even be in the vacinity of that light, but it still stays on. It is on for comfort. Yet, do you realize the amount of wasted energy that this particular light bulb is using up, plus the many more lightbulbs like it? He went on to talk about alternate sources, our renewable ones. These for example are fire or just plain sunshine. People, open your window curtains for goodness sake. But back to the main point. We are becoming wasteful in our daily living. Then one day, these sources of comfort will be gone. What do we have left to turn to? We must turn back to our natural surroundings. Yet, people seem so afraid of what there is outside. Yes there may be snow. So make a snowman. Enjoy it. Once we overcome these fears, then we have so much more to enjoy. Now this information may sound a bit "out there" but it is information that we should come to realize and apply to our own lives so that down the road, we(speaking of mankind) may be prepared. So I encourage all of you reading this to try stepping out of your comfort zone and away from your "lightbulb" and into the unpredictable. Experience life to the fullest and enjoy what is brought before you."When life hands you lemons, Make lemonade." -Unknown"If your aren't living on the edge, you are taking up too much space." -Unknown
Date: 2005-02-25
To: Freedom
Miles today: 0.0

I say today that my destination is freedom. Well sort of. What makes up freedom? For me, freedom has many meanings. The one that comes to my mind, at the moment of writing this, is freedom to explore your own personal self without the ultimate influence of society. From the time I started school to when I graduated high school, through the short period I have been working full time in the work force, I have become a slave to society. Yes I was still free, yet I was always under the control of someone or something. Now that these things are soon behind me, I am going to embark on this adventure of the Appalachian Trail with no job, no school, and an open palate to paint the pictures of myself. Today is my last day at work. I have learned a lot doing such a simple job as I had. It has become a learning experience that ultimatly creates the story of life. The people I have worked with, I have shared good times and bad. I have worked with a whole different array of people other than myself. I have also learned the meaning of responsibilty. These lessons sometimes are not easy. They sometimes come with repremand. But these things I have experienced has for sure shaped part of who I am. I may not always have been pleased with my job and the people I worked with or under, but I do leave this job repecting them. So to all the people of Airport Honda, I would like to thank you. Thank you for the opportunity of this job. Thank you for the support of my upcoming hike. Thank you for the lessons learned. And most of all, thank you for being a peice of the story of life.
Date: 2005-02-26
To: One Left Turn
Miles today: 0.0

I just got an e-mail from Wildcat. He read my last entry and liked it. He wrote about last summer, he and Dharma were talking about freedom. Well Wildcat mentioned a song. It goes a little something like this:Busted flat in Baton Rougeheadin' for the trainfeelin' nearly faded as my jeansBobby thumbed a diesel downjust before it rainedTook us all the way to New Orleans I took my harpoonout of my dirty red bandanaand was blowin' sadwhile Bobby sang the blues With them windshield wipers slappin' timeand Bobby clappin' handswe finally sang up every song that driver knew FREEDOMS JUST ANOTHER WORD FORNOTHIN' LEFT TO LOSENOTHIN' AIN'T WORTH NOTHING BUT IT'S FREEFEELIN' GOOD WAS EASY LORDWHEN BOBBY SANG THE BLUESFEELIN' GOOD WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR MEGOOD ENOUGH FOR ME AND BOBBY MCGEE From the coal mines of Kentuckyto the California sunBobby shared the secrets of my soulStandin' right beside me Lordthrough everything I doneand every night she kept me from the cold Then somewhere near Salinas, LordI let her slip awaylookin' for that home I hope she'll findand I'd trade all my tomorrowsfor a single yesterdayholdin' Bobby's body next to mine FREEDOMS JUST ANOTHER WORD FORNOTHIN' LEFT TO LOSENOTHIN' LEFT IS ALL SHE LEFT FOR MEFEELIN' GOOD WAS EASY LORDWHEN BOBBY SANG THE BLUESFEELIN' GOOD WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR MEGOOD ENOUGH FOR ME AND BOBBY MCGEE -Kris KristoffersonI really like this song. It really has some truth to it. So now that I am free I can conquer the World.
Date: 2005-03-15
To: SPRINGER BABY!!
Miles today: 0.0

Good day to all and good ridance the some. It is my last night at home. I plan on leaving for the Hiker Hostel at 12:00 Noon tommarrow. Butterflies arise in the depths of my stomach. Excitement fills the rafters of my weary mind. Love to all is amongst my greatest emotion. It is hard to say goodbye the friends and family. Therefore I do not say goodbye, I just say till next time. There are so many people supporting me. I cannot even list all of those who do. But the ones that really peak my mind are as follows: Bert "WILDCAT" Emmerson, Sgt. Rock, Jim "Rebel With A Cause" Deane, Adam "Pinball Wizard" Knable, Lydia, Len, Steve Dunn, Mom, Grandmamma, Grandaddy, Bestlookinuncle, Izaak, Deano, Jody and the boys and girls of Little River Trading Company, Chris Denny and Airport Honda, Bob Pair, The Olson's, Chris and Kate, Sarah Haily, Phillip, Aswah, Skillet, Tuxy, My Sister and Madison, and all who I have not been able to mention. To all of you, I would like to send my greatest appreciation to you for your support, help, a job, money, and just plain friendship. Words cannot merely support how I feel. So my next entry shall be from a place upon the trail. "Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods." -Aristotle
Date: 2005-03-17
From: SPRINGER BABY!!

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: light snow

What a day!! Cold, Wet, Sleet and Snow. Yet it was the first day and it rocked!! Mom and Dad went to Springer with me and left the same day. It was sad to see them go but the freedom was such a reward. I met some excellent peeps out here. Just to list a few, there was Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave (Doc), Lisa, Matt, an interesting human species by the name of "Whore Hey", Stove Pipe, Willa (Holla), Grey Walrus, Pathfinder, and Michelle. All a bunch of great people. Hawk mtn was a cool shelter despite the dreary weather. But life is rockin'!!
Date: 2005-03-18
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Gooch Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

What a day!! We were all sitting around talkin at Hawk Shelter last night about weather. We all thought the weather would suck the next few days. Well, were we ever wrong. The skies were clear, the temp was awesome. By the way dad, Sassafrass Mtn and Justus Mtn were nothin. I got the privledge to hike with Dave from Wisconsin. We had some really good conversations. Life is good. Once at Gooch Shelter I had to pay my debts to "Whore Hey" with a nice fire. So once everyone got to the shelter, that fire really did a good job pulling everyone together to "bond". We actually celebrated St. Patty's day a little late. I had a half fifth of Jameson Irish Whiskey. You see, it was too cold and wet at Hawk, so everyone was in their sleeping bag and too tired to celebrate the occasion. So tonight, we drank it down and enjoyed the evening. Life is good and hike is rockin!!
Date: 2005-03-19
From: Gooch Mtn. Shelter

To: Woods Whole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Yeeeeeeeehaaaaa!! That means life is good in Tennessee talk. Again, another rockin day on the trail. I tell you what, nothing gets better than this. Folks are great, Weather is rockin, and the animals are kickin. Today was our first good distance day. We were really bookin it down the trail. I may of over pushed myself a little but feel pretty good. I again built another fire to try and please the infamous "Whore Hey" but you know what. You really cant please him. A lot of folks chose to camp up on the gap due to the limited space at the shelter. I am really eatin good now too. I think that the weight of all my food is so worth it. We met some new guys today also. Mad Dog has joined us and Ken Ottis is amongst our presence. I really havent done much solo hiking on this trail so far. These past two days I have been hiking with someone. Today it was with Dave, Dave from Wisconsin, Lisa, and Matt. I am really enjoying their company. We all come from different places with different stories. It was really cool to share the views with everyone too. Today had some excellent views. Life is rockin' and the boots are kickin'
Date: 2005-03-20
From: Woods Whole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: clear sky

All I have done today was hike over Blood Mtn and down that long ass mountain into Neels Gap. Everything about me feels good except my shins. I have developed a slight shin splint on my right shin. I am just taking it easy all day and hope to be on the trail again tommarrow. My pace is way too fast so I need to just slow down and pace myself. For lunch today I had a frozen chimechanga, a pizza, and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. My group is kind of broken up. Some went down the road to the Goose Creek cabins and some of us are here at the Hostel.Life is rockin but today the boots are bearly kickin
Date: 2005-03-21
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up this morning with the itch to hike. I got some really good rest at Neels and decided to go ahead and push to Low Gap Shelter. That turned out to be a really good idea. My legs feel great now. I dont think I had shin splints. I believe it was just strained muscles. So my status has changed back to "Life is rockin and the boots are kickin'." I woke up way early this morning not being able to sleep due to Whore Hey snoring away on the top bunk. It was kind of funny how we would make each other stop snoring. He would snore and I would shake the bunk to get him to stop. The I would snore and he would shake the bunk to get me to stop. Our methods did not prove to work very well. Around 8:45, I headed north through the only building the A.T. goes thru. The hiking seemed pretty nice. Soon enough came one of the rewards of hiking. Upon Raven Cliffs, I was granted a splendid view of the Georgia Mtns. I guess this view made up for what I was denied on Blood Mtn. Soon there after, I mozied my way done this bloody steep mountain into Testicle Gap (This was the most decent name for this gap that I can list on this site). The real name is Testtetee Gap but it has such a miserable decent and such a miserable acent out of it that only choice words can describe it. Finally around 1:30 P.M. I arrived at the shelter. I was second to arrive after Dan and his two dogs. This shelter was certainly not the nicest we have stayed at but it did the job. One by one people started showing up and the night was filled with conversation. Our group is becoming a bit smaller than the first few days. Whore Hey is behind a day as well as a few others. Then Doc and Dave from Wisconsin are ahead of us about a day. It is kind of neat how such simple things mean so much out here. Conversation is the greatest. It doesnt matter how miserable you are feeling. Just a simple conversation really perks the mood. I really could not ask for a better group of folks to share this time with. Well, you now how I am for the day so its time for me to say,"Life is rockin and the boots are kickin!"
Date: 2005-03-22
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Helen, Ga
Miles today: 9.4

Woke up this morning with the knowledge passed down by some day hikers yesterday that a storm was brewing. I pushed out around 7:00 A.M. headed to Blue Mtn Shelter. I just wanted to beat this storm we heard about. My intent was to get to the shelter and storm proof it with tarps. Rumor has it that it is very bad in windy, stormy weather. Well, I made it the 7.6 miles by 9:45 A.M. I set my tarp up infront of the shelter to block the wind but it still was howling pretty bad. The others caught up to me and we all decided to push down to Unicoi Gap and hitch into Helen, Ga. I believe this was a very smart move because the storm was really about to brew. Upon arrival at Unicoi Gap, we were greeted with some trail magic by "Bandsaw". This really made a big impact on our day. This is the first time any of us have got Trail Magic since we started. For those of you that dont know what trail magic is, its food, beer, cokes, candy, or anything that is just unexpected along the trail. Not only did the gentlemen give us trail magic, he gave us all a ride into town. This was a funny site. There were eight of us and two dogs along with all of our packs fitted into the back of this guy's pickup. Quite a sight. Once we got into Helen, we found a place at the Helendorf Inn. It seems pretty nice and was an excellent price. Divided by three people the cost was around $13 a person. This place even has a heated indoor pool. Well thats all for now. Hopefully I will heading out in the morning to Deep Gap shelter for the night. I may decide to camp. Who knows? "Life is Rockin and the Boots are Kickin!"
Date: 2005-03-23
From: Helen, Ga

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

Today we got a ride out of Helen by the gracious and awesome Pittsburg. Pittsburg is a super nice guy who does shuttles for hikers at a low fee. Once at Unicoi Gap, we made the trek up the long and grueling Rich Mountain. Once I arrived at the base of the mountain, at Standing Indian Gap, I decided to wait for everyone behind me. You see, coming out of Helen, I realized how fast I am really moving during the day. There is no need to be at the Shelter by noon. So today I had decided to take some breaks at various points along the trail. This has proved completely valuable. It was so nice to just sit back and relax with sun of the sky. While sitting at Indian Grave Gap, I was trying to decide whether or not to camp at Addis Gap or to push on to Deep Gap Shelter. I really wanted to push the extra miles to Deep Gap but I knew a lot of people in my group would be staying at Addis Gap. Then the light bulb of enlightenment turned on. My greatest worry in my life right now is deciding whether or not to camp or push to the next shelter. Its amazing out here how little worries there truly are. I shared this enlightenment with everyone I came across today and it seemed to perk up there spirits. So for the rest of the day I took it pretty easy. Our entire group hiked together till about Tray Mtn where we stopped for lunch. It was really cool to be with everyone on such a beautiful day. The skies were so amazing throughout most of the day. After Tray Mtn, I skipped of on my merry way along the trail. And yes dad, I took my first fall coming of Tray. I know, you warned me about this section. For about another five miles, I saw no one. Then coming up to the peak of a really long mountain, I heard a loud WoooHoooo! Well that was Mad Dog who had just made it to the top of this mountain. You see, when you are looking for someone on the trail that you know is within one mile or so, you just give out a really loud Wooohooo and they may reply. Then you know about how far they are. I finally caught up to my buddy Mad Dog and we hiked for a while to about Addis Gap. We decided there that we were feeling ok and pushed on to Deep Gap. The pull out of Addis gap was very grueling on our bodies to take on at the end of the day. We pulled into the shelter around 4:45 P.M. and got set up for the evening. There was a decent crowd there. Among those there were myself, KTR, Ranger, Grumble Bear, Cupcake, Domino, and of course Mad Dog. The highlight of the night was KTR's rage with mice. This shelter was heavily infested with mice. So KTR took out a pack of fire crackers and placed them in a huge nest of that some mice had made. We all braced ourselves for the noise. Bang, Bang, Bang, is how the Great Mouse Massacre Sounded. And you know what, we didnt have a single problem for the rest of the night with any mice. That about sums up the day. But what an exciting day it was. Life is still rockin and the boots are still kickin!!
Date: 2005-03-24
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Blueberry Patch Hostel
Miles today: 3.5

Well Im in Hiwassi Georgia now. I am staying at the Blueberry Patch Hostel right out of town. All is well. I got to do some grocery shopping soon and get some more stuff done. I plan on heading out in the morning. This day's rest is much needed after the hike to Deep Gap yesterday. I am a little sore but feeling great. Life is awesome out here. Life is rockin and the boots are kickin!!