morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-29
To: 2 Weeks Until Colorado
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I have 2 weeks left until I do my 10 day hike in Colorado. This will be the first of hopefully 2 long hikes before I go hike AT. With an Altitude that hovers around 12000 ft above sea level I realize this will be a huge task for me. First, I need to make sure that I have enough clothing to keep me warm should the temperature drop rapidly. For this I have my sleeping bag and liner that total will be rated for 5F. I also need to get a fleece shirt, long underware. Secondly, how much food should I bring. I opted not to bring one of those tiny stoves with me,instead I am bringing MREs. I am also bringing with me 12 days of food instead of 10 just in case the trail takes longer than expected. Third and finally i am also thinking of water. Looking at the maps, I realize that water will be spread out more than I would like so I am going to carry my camal back with me to give me that extra little bit of water.I intend to take it as easy as possible and plan to only go about 5 miles a day. I desided this because I am out of shape and will be hiking at a high altitude. If I can I will try to go a little faster so that I can give myself more room for setbacks.As I said previously I have 2 hikes I want to do. Well the second one I would like to try is part of The Long Trail. I figure if I plan just right I can make the hike from canada to the portion of the trail that connects to the AT. I figure that I could do this in about 14 days however it means that I will need to go much faster each night. This hike I currently have planned for August 15-31. More on this hike will be discussed later.Well that is all I have to write about today. Until next time.
Date: 2008-07-07
To: Hiking in Franconia Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Ok, last thursday I decided that I should get some hiking in before going to Colorado for my 10 day hike. First off, that hiking bag gets really heavy after a while. Prior to this 3 day wilderness adventure I had only done day trips. I must say it was a real eye opener. The weight of the pack was not too much of an issue still I must find the reason why the shoulder straps keep loosening themselves. Having the bag bounce into my back and the straps slaming into my shoulders gets annoying after a while.Other then the material issue I am currently dealing with my pack, everything else was great. Got to Franconia Notch at Indian Head Resort around 1pm friday. I then walked to the Flume visitor center. I ended up staying my first night at Kinsman Pond Campsite. The Second day I managed to get to Falling Waters trail. This trail was extremely tough and I was not able to finish it that day. I deside to stealth camp there for the night and the next morning refilled my water a shiny rock and then hiked to the top of Little Haystack. The rest of the third day was just going down Liberty Springs Trail and getting back to Indian Head resort to get a ride back to portsmouth.This little vacation gave me an idea of some of the stuff I was missing and some other things I need to find lighter versions of. Still, I had fun, the weather was beautiful, and I did not have to work. What more can a man ask for. I now eagerly await for my colorado adventure to begin.
Date: 2008-07-29
To: Colorado Adventure
Miles today: 0.0

I just got back from Colorado after an 8 day hike through the Weminuche Wilderness. I hiked from Durango to Silverton. Dispite this being a training for AT I feel that this is also a big accomplishment for me. This will be the longest I have been backpacking and also the highest I have ever hiked. I enjoyed my time hiking even though there was a thunderstorm every day. Here is a breif summory of my hike.Day 1: I started in the Flordia Campground off of Lemon Resavoir and hiked up along a jeep road. At about 10000ft I felt really tired and had a hard time breathing so I desided to camp for the night.Day 2: I feel much better when I wake up. I hike the rest of the morning up the jeep trail. Around 1pm I get to the first trail marker. I hide under some trees and wait out a thunderstorm around 3pm. I end up setting up camp on the Endlich Mesa.Day 3: I hike down to City resavoir. Hike up to Silver Mesa and get caught in a thunderstorm between Pittsburg Mine and Trimble Pass.Day 4: Spend the morning hiking across trimble pass. Spend the afternoon hiking down Johnson creek trail despite a thunderstorm. Camp out at an abandoned Campsite.Day 5: Spend the day traveling along Johnson creek and Vallatio Creek. Meet up with alot of hikers. Thunderstorms again but it does not slow me.Day 6: Created my first campfire and have a warm breakfast of Ramen Noodles. I hike up Vallatio and hike around Hunchback Pass. Day 7: Hike on part of the CDT. Attempting to outrun a thunderstorm. Managed to get caught between 2 storms and I am forced to set up camp around 3pm.Day 8: I finish hiking that portion of the CDT an I am on another road when another thunderstorm strikes. I walk through the hail and watch a mudslide occure on the other side of the vally I am in. I get into silverton for the night.I ended up staying the next day in Silverton walking the town and looking at the historical sites. In the Evening I managed to get a ride through Ophir Pass to Telluride. I decided to take it easy and just did some camping until my plane flight. I ended up with an infection on my big toe that made it a pain to do any amount of walking. I had alot of fun on this trip and i look forward to doing it again sometime in the future.
Date: 2008-08-23
To: Vermont's Long Trail
Miles today: 0.0

So here I am once again adding another entery into my journal. Not much has changed sense I went to Colorado for a hiking trip. I am still very hefty and out of shape. I have another hike planned for the 26th of this month. This time I am going to Vermont to hike part of the Long Trail. I am hiking from Rutland Vt and going to try to reach the Canadian boarder. This is another training trip for me and it is the last of such trips I will be making before I start hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2008-10-12
To: Long Trail hike
Miles today: 0.0

Been meaning to add this entry in for a while now. Have been debating on doing an online journal for the long trail but decided against it because I did not do the whole thing.I never made it to the canadian border on my last hike. I was going way too slow and my endurance is not as high as I would like it to be. Still I managed to make it to Jonesville and in the end I was able to put in a 15 mile day. I also met alot of great people on the trail and all of them were more than willing to give me some advice for hiking long distance.This trail was also hard on my gear. My shovel was the first to go but luckly I didn't need it on the Long Trail. I have been meaning to find something that was much lighter and apparently stronger. One of my trekking poles broke about half way from my journey. I found a walking stick and used that for the rest of my journey but i still need to replace that one. Finally I managed to rip my little hiking bag poncho during my last day of hiking.Now I am just waiting patiantly to finish my time in the navy and doing my final preps. Trying to figure out how much food and what kind of food I want to bring with me. I am also now debating on wether or not I should go buy myself a stove and if so what kind. I would rather use a campfire to do all of my cooking but I have learned time and time again that I can not good at getting one started.
Date: 2008-11-18
To: An earlier start??
Miles today: 0.0

Well the day I leave the military behind me and start a new chapter in my life is quickly approaching. I am now thinking of what I want to do after the hike. Collage would be ideal, however if I do get accepted into the college i want to attend I will be facing a tough choice due to the start date being earlier than the day I plan on finishing the hike. Not hiking is completely out of the question. I would rather go ahead with the hike as planned and not be able to finish instead of not doing it at all. I have come up with 2 solutions both with their pros and cons.I could start as early as Feb 15 or even as early Feb 1. This would give me up to a month extra to hike. I will also be on my payed vacation and therefor be getting paid while hiking. Unfortunently I could be called back to my boat in the event of an emergency.If I start on March 1 like I planned I will only have to face the ending part of winter. However I will also have less time to complete if I want to make it to my first day of collage in time.I still have time to decide between the 2 decisions or i might come up with a third choice. I still have until January to decide as to when I will actually start.
Date: 2009-01-07
To: New Year
Miles today: 0.0

   It is now 2009, the year I start my hike. I am now getting very nervous and continuously wondering if I have done everything I need to do for this hike. It seems that every time I turn around I think of something else I need to do. I am sure that it is going to be like this until I take my first step on the trail. I also wonder if I could have done more hikes to get ready for this hike.   I know I still need to fix my camara and one of my trekking pole. I also need to buy or make an alcohol stove, buy the last two guide books and maps for the trail. I am sure that I will think of a few more things to bring with me the close I get to my start date.
Date: 2009-02-25
To: Heading out
Miles today: 0.0

   Well tomorrow will begin my long adventure. I shall be headed down to Gainesville Georgia to start my AT thru-hike attempt. I am looking forward to the journey ahead of me but at the same time it sort of frightens me. I wonder if I am truely prepared should the worst happens such as a blizzard or hurricane. I know that if I find that I am not up to the task ahead of me I can always call it quits and attempt to do it again some later date.      I am not giving myself alot of time to finish this hike. I need to be finished before Aug 24 to make sure that I can catch my plane home. Still if I am careful and manage my time wisely I should be able to finish it by that date and if I do not I can always finish the portion I missed on a later date.
Date: 2009-02-27
From: Amilalola falls shelter

To: Back gap shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 1 ¢ Amilalola falls shelter ¢ Back gap shelterHi All - This is Jason's Dad. I'm going to be transcribing jason's journal onto this site. please pardon any mis-spellings as his writing is difficult to read and I am already a month an a half behind so I am trying to catch up fast. Hopefully once I am cought up I will also be putting my own comments mixed in with his journal entries based on what I know of jason as well as from the phone calls I receive.I have made it to Georgia and started the approach tho the Appalachian Trail. I have started hiking with 2 people I met in New York while we were waiting for the greyhound bus. Their names are Soars and Rasta and like me they are attempting to thru-hike the AT. It rained most of the day and when it was not raining it was foggy, still it was a nice hike up not too much to see. I also got my trail name today, from this day forward I shall be known as Glowworm.
Date: 2009-02-28
From: Back gap shelter

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: moderate rain

Day 2 ¢ Black gap shelter ? Hawk Mountain ShelterToday was my first official day hiking the AT. After a late start I climbed my way up to the summit of mount springer, and I got there by 10:20 AM. I tried to sign the registry book but it was raining too hard and I was shivering too much to write anything legible.Today was not as hard as yesterday because most of the trail was downhill. The rain however has made the trail very slick. It was also a little colder.I am currently staying in my leaky tent ( the seam sealant didn't do anything) at the hawk mountain shelter. Once again Soars allowed me to use his alcohol stove to cook my meal. Now I am just hoping that the snow will not come tomorrow like my radio says it will.
Date: 2009-03-01
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: gooch Mt Shelter
Miles today: 7.3

Day 3 Hawk mountain shelter ? Obock Mt ShelterIt was very cold this morning when I got up, it did not help that everything was wet from the tent leaking.The walk to the cooch mt shelter was coled and hard. The snow stuck to everything I owned. More than once my hands and ears got numb.Currently at the shelter all bundled up, I would write more but it is getting too cold (this was written in almost illegible writing)
Date: 2009-03-02
From: Gooch Mt Shelter

To: Dockery Lake Trail
Miles today: 7.9

2 Mar 2009 ¢ Day 4 ? Gooch mt shelter ? dockery lake trailIt was a very cold night. One guy at the shelter said that it dropped the about 9 degrees. My boots, hat, toilet paper, and tent (which I did not use) froze solid, luckily for me my water bottle only partially froze.Once again I got a late start and right away I knew that I would not make it to the next shelter so I entertained the idea of going to Dahlonega for the night. I decided last minute to continue on and see how far I can get.It was a beautiful day for hiking, It could have been a little warmer and less windy however there were no clouds in the sky and the sun made everything feel warmer. Battling with my frozen tent to get it up before the sun set was not a pleasant way to end the day.
Date: 2009-03-03
From: Dockery Lake Trail

To: Walasi-yi Center
Miles today: 7.7

3 Mar 2009 ¢ Day 5 Dockery Lake Trail ? Walasiyi centerIt was another cold morning, once again my boots were frozen. I did force myself to wear them to watch the sun rise.The hike up blood mountain was hard. All the snow seemed to gather along the trail. It managed to be a foot deep in some areas. That hike was worth it the view on top of blood mt was wounderful.I am now staying at the Walasiyi Hostel. They had an all you can eat spaghetti for $7.00. The shower was also wonderful.Tomorrow I am going to perform a shakedown and send back anything I do not absolutely need. For now I am going to just sleep on n\my nice comfy bed.
Date: 2009-03-04
From: Walasuyi Center

To: Whitley Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: clear sky

4 Mar 2009 ¢ Day 6 ? Walasi-yi center ? Whitley Gap ShelterI have not felt so refreshed when I woke up in a hostel. To make things even better they served a small breakfast of bagels, bannanas, and pop tarts. They also took a picture of everyone there so they could hang it on their wall.I decided to do the shake down to see if I could lighten my load. They went through my stuff and made suggestions of what I should send home. In the end my packs weight was reduced by 8 lbs. I also bought a sleeping mat and some extra food. I also noticed someone setting up a grill on the side of the building when I was told a group of people were grilling burgers to give to the hikers as trail magic, I decided to stay for one. I think I finally left the Walasi-yi Center around 11:30 AM. The walk down the trail was very nice and I had a lot of great views. The trip to this shelter was a long 1.2 miles off the AT. Unfortunately the trip to the shelter and back to the main trail, like the approach trail, does not count towards the AT mileage.
Date: 2009-03-05
From: Whitley Gap Shelter

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: few clouds

5 Mar 2009 ¢ Day 7 Whitley Gap shelter ? Low Gap ShelterThe morning started out rough. I woke up later than I wanted to and when I was close to getting onto the trail I noticed I left Joy (my knife) back at the shelter. Once I went back to get it and came back to my pack it was about 11 AM.The trail was extremely muddy and I spent half of my time sliding down the trail instead of walking. Still it was a very nice day. I did run out of water but luckely I made it to the shelter. I decided to stay here for the night instead of going on. A dog made it to the shelter, we think it may have belonged to a bear hunter. I gave it some of my salmon and other people gave it some of their food. I felt bad for it, it was a young dog but it looked so warn.
Date: 2009-03-06
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: The "Cheese Factory"
Miles today: 13.0

6 Mar 2009 ¢ Day 8 Low Gap Shelter ? The ¢Cheese Factory¢I got off to a nice early start this morning. O was on the trail at 7:40. I also had a really good pace going too. By about lunch I had already covered 7 miles. However, after lunch the trdail got a lot rougher.I finally got to my campsite at the cheese factory for little after 6 PM. After dinner a bunch of us build a nice fire and shot the shit for a while. It was nice to get to know saw men, Lake, and stallion a little better. There was another person there but I don't remember his name.After everyone else hit their tents at around 8:30 PM I stayed up and just looked at the stars. This is the first time I did that since starting the trail. While the trees blocked a good portion of the view it was still a wonderful site.
Date: 2009-03-07
From: The "Cheese Factory"

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: scattered clouds

7 March 2009 ¢ day 9 ? The cheese factory ? Deep gap shelterToday was a hot one, if it continues to get hot like this I might just start hiking naked, just kidding.I would not do that even if it is tempting but I am sure the mental image will not go away.While it might have been a beautiful day out my hikes started out very slow. I am still having trouble maintaining my steam going up hills. The heat didn't help the situation either, I ran out of water fairly quickly and all the nearby springs were quite a distance from the trail, still the hike itself was good.One thing I did notice was the amount of spiders that were skittering about. I even found one on my pants this morning. I was hoping for another week or two spider free but it looks like I will be soon walking into their nasty webs whenever I take a step. (Jason does not like spiders at all)
Date: 2009-03-08
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

8 March 2009 ¢ day 10 I have finally made it into North Carolina. Decided to see how far I was able to make it so I pushed as hard as I could. I would've been able to do more had I woke up when I wanted. The hot sun beating on me did not help at all.I figure if I do two more days pushing this hard I should be able to reach Franklin. I am already trying to think of my schedule when I reached town. I know the first thing will be to find a place to stay for the night and take a long shower. From there, depends on what I am in the mood for.
Date: 2009-03-09
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

9 March 2009 ¢ day 10 today was a disappointing day. I got a late start in the morning and I had to chase my sleeping bag halfway down the hill. I also managed to only hike about seven my. Hiking started off very slow and had a few steep hills to climb, the weather was the only thing that was agreeable.The shelter itself was nice, would've been better if there was a few bear cables. The people here were interesting. One of the people gave me some dehydrated refried beans are you it was also interesting to listen to the campfire stories from this group.
Date: 2009-03-10
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Bearpen Gap
Miles today: 13.5

10 March 2009 ¢ day 12 I don't know what it was, but today I was overflowing with energy. The climb up standing Indian Mountain was a cinch. In fact, the first 7 miles were wonderful. Shortly after that first 7 miles my feet started hurting, but I managed to make it another 6 miles. The next shelter was about another mile, but I did not feel like hiking in the dark.I ran into a few hikers I first met near the beginning of my trip. This surprised me because I thought that everyone was a few days ahead of me. It was nice to see railroad, Critter, and chainsaw. I know I saw a few more familiar faces but I cannot put names to those faces at the moment.As much as I love being outdoors, just wondering about, I really need to get into town. As it stands I will be there in two days, after I run out of all my food Motrin. To make matters worse, I was supposed to be in town today to pick up my mail drop, do personal things, and eat good food.
Date: 2009-03-11
From: Bearpen Gap

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: broken clouds

11 March 2009 ¢ Day 13 today was a light day for me. I decided to go to town tomorrow instead of later today. Tomorrow I only have 4 mile hike to get to the road.There was an observation tower on top of Albert loan. It was a little too cloudy to get a few and the wind made it a little dangerous to climb up. I did go up part of the way before I decided to stop goofing off.Hard-core, rehab, and catch up are now ahead of me, but because they are taking a zero and frankly I am sure I will be hiking with them again. It was nice to see Sawman again, I thought he would be a few days behind me.Well it's off to bed. The shelter mice are starting to get active and I do not want them to keep me up all night long. It would be nice if they would squeak a little lullaby to put me to sleep faster.
Date: 2009-03-12
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: overcast clouds

   Got started with an early start this morning. This is the first time I have hiked in the dark. My headlamp was barely bright enough to see the trail infront of my, fortunetly I only fell once. I also managed to make it to the parking lot 30 min before the shuttle came.   While we waited for the shuttle a couple pulled in and set up a table with a bunch of snacks and drinks for hikers. This was a nice little bit of trail magic before going in to town. I do not remember their name but I am thankful they did what they did.   Town was wonderful. I got a motel room and immediatly took a long hot shower to wash all the grime from the trail away. I also had a nice juicy burger for lunch and mexican for dinner. The best part is the nice comfy bed waiting for me to sleep in tonight.(In case anyone is wondering what happened with the other part of my journal, they are being mailed to my father to be transcibed on a later date. I am just taking care of the journal enteries for the days I stay in town.)
Date: 2009-03-14
From: Franklin, NC

To: Silver Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: light intensity drizzle

14 March 2009 ¢ Day 16 sometimes I look back and have to wonder why they make some of the decisions I do. For example, this morning I had a nice warm and dry hotel room in Franklin. Instead of just staying another night, I decided to get back trails and hiking the cold rain.The hike itself was not too bad. I back seem to hold up just fine. Just got a few eggs in the upper back and my neck is just a little step. I did not like the additional weight all of my food added to my pack. I also only hiked a few miles.My time in Franklin was enjoyable and a much-needed time to relax. The blisters on my lower back are almost healed and I have full motion of my neck and upper back. The food was also a nice change and it was nice to be able to drink some beer.
Date: 2009-03-15
From: Silver Bald Shelter

To: Burning Town Gap
Miles today: 10.9

15 March 2009 ¢ Day 17 morning sucked! It was stormy and foggy. I did not want to leave my sleeping bag. When I managed to get out I found out that my gear was still wet. Luckily my food remained dry.The hike was an interesting one. It was extremely foggy and humid. It was too warm to wear my rain gear so I got soaked. Some parts of the hike seemed to last for ever, but things got much easier after I reached wayam bald.I am currently at apples to. Yes and I set up here. I decided to stay for the night with five other people.