morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-02-10
To: Anyone know a good book?
Miles today: 0.0

I was trying to put together my reading list for the trail the other day. The books started to pile up on my desk. I thought for a second about books I wanted to read for the second time. I don¢t read much, but I thought it would be nice to remember why I liked them the first time:- Lord of the Rings- The Odyssey- 1984- Old Man and the Sea- One Hundred Years of SolitudeThese were some of my favorites when I was in high school and college. I noticed most of these are about some incredible adventure or a difficult personal journey. I guess they wouldn't be very exciting and keep your attention if there wasn't some great journey with conflicts and victory. But it made me wonder if, in our own minds, hiking the trail will even seem like a great adventure like one of these books? Will it seem like a dramatic difficult adventure when it is all over too?I wish I knew what keeps you moving forward. Is it the challenge itself that keeps your attention focused on the goal? It seems like most people whose journals I¢ve read seem to forget about the goal (for some period) while in the middle of the hike. It¢s just becomes what they do. No reason to even think about stopping or finishing¢¦it¢s just what they are doing.Maybe it's possible to hike the AT and simply become accustomed to and actually enjoy the process without a constant feeling of overcoming conflict that will one day be resolved by completing the trail? Do people ever complete the AT without feeling that it was a great adventure, without heroic efforts, or without even feeling a sense of victory when they complete it? Just walking because it feels right and would keep going if they could. I don¢t really expect this will be the case for us on the AT, but it sounds nice.Anyway, I¢m not expecting anything in particular from hiking the AT. I have a hard time even remembering my reasons for doing it in the first place. Maybe that is best. If hiking the AT turns into an incredible adventure or a droning chore, I could imagine getting into it either way.Oh, I almost forgot that I was hoping someone reading this would recommend a few good books that I could read in the next 6 months. No particular topic, just some interesting stories.Arwen
Date: 2004-02-16
To: Hit me like a brick wall
Miles today: 0.0

It was right in the middle of my second presentation when it hit me like a brick wall...that we are going to be leaving work for six months to hike the AT. It was a very surreal feeling. I recall a specific moment when I was right in the middle of my seminar talking about our software and trying to concentrate, and I just couldn't help it. I was in a huge room of people staring at me and I could not help but take a couple of those high adrenaline moments to think to myself about being in the woods hiking in just two weeks. It must have been noticeable, or maybe it just came across as a dramatic pause. Regardless, I concluded the seminar, put down my microphone, and haven't felt exactly the same since.After the conference everybody got together for a well-deserved group pat on the back. I said congratulations to everybody but unfortunately did not feel like an integral part of the pack. I realized that I was leaving and was not going to be doing my part to help out for a while. I work with a good bunch of people and I'm going to miss all of them.I was zoning out for the rest of the day and couldn't force myself to act normal around people for some reason...I was like a zombie. It was like I had something too important to think about and could not be bothered by people speaking words at me, cars needing to be driven, cashiers wanting money for sandwiches! I had a lot in the queue and it needed to be processed now!! I woke up the next day with a bittersweet feeling and ready to go hiking.This weekend I couldn't stop thinking of that scene in Runaway Train where John Voight is standing on top of the speeding train and leaning into the wind. I guess that image says "Bring It On" to me.Cheers,Arwen
Date: 2004-02-28
To: Hiker Hostel, Dahlongea, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Location: Hiker Hostel, Dahlongea, GAPre-hikeWe spent our last night in Houston (thursday) hanging out with friends and got on the road by 1pm friday. Before we took off, Heather's boss stopped by to drop off a cell phone so she could discuss a few last work-related issues before disappearing into the wilderness. We drove all day until we surrendered to exhaustion at midnight in Montgomery. Here are the highlights: a juggler at a bus stop, an antique car parade that seemed to stretch from Louisiana to Misisippi, getting lost in downtown Baton Rouge during 5 o'clock rush hour, and Arwen getting a reduced sentence from speding to not wearing a seatbelt from a crooked Louisiana cop who knew he was guilty of neither. We headed into Atlanta from Montgomery early this morning, arriving - we thought - a full hour before the rental car was due back. This was perfect because it would give us time to run a few last-minute errands. Well we failed to factor in the time change from Central to Eastern, so as it turned out we had arrived in the nick of time to avoid getting charged for a 2nd day on the rental!Leigh, one of the proprietors of Hiker Hostel, picked us up at the Atlanta airport and drove us out to their newly built log cabin hostel in Dahlonega. It turned out to be even better than the photos we'd seen on their web site (hikerhostel.com). Even though they've only been open for two weeks, Leigh and Josh really seem to have this place together. They hiked NOBO in 2000 (known as Profile & Almanac), and were full of stories from their trip. They took us to a great little restaurant down the street and topped it off with hot fudge brownie sundaes. We're having waffles tomorrow! We would definitely recommend this palce to anyone, *especially* if you're looking for a shuttle from Atlanta to Springer.Arwen's busy tonight fashioning his fleece pullover with an elastic drawstring. Tomorrow's the big day. This time tomorrow we'll be tenting out on top of Springer! As we walked into that roadside cabin diner tonight, it hit me. All these many months we've been reading stories - so many people's stories - about their adventures on the trail. Tomorrow we walk into our own.
Date: 2004-03-01
From: Springer Mtn.

To: Hawk Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Starting from: Springer MtnEnding at: Hawk Mtn ShelterMiles hiked: 7.6Today was a beautiful day, no rain. we woke up to an incredible dense fog that would light up all around us periodically. The hike started out pretty easy the first 4 miles - mostly flat and downhill. The rest was all uphill. It wasn't that steep, but it was hard on us. About a quarter mile from the shelter Heather threw down her pack and refused to go any further without a candy bar. Sasha did great on the hike but was thoroughly pooped once we got to camp. We all took a nap before cooking dinner - which was delicious and filling! And we hung out with everybody around the fire. There's a great group here - Dave & Miranda, Sarah, CGiddy, Burn, Airferret, Mark, Bloody Cactus, Haiku, Joy, and a few others whose names haven't stuck with us yet. Everyone has been sweet to Sasha and she's been pretty friendly with them, other than a few shy/hesitant moments. I think it helps that we're tenting and keeping her on a leash. O and we saw a bee-yoo-tee-ful waterfall today. Ok, time to get some sleep.One last note- it's simply wonderful to be out here, taking things as they come, putting all our preparations into practice and our worries aside.Cheers,Arwen & Heather Vaughan
Date: 2004-03-02
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Gooch Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Starting point: Hawk Mtn ShelterEnding point: Gooch Mtn ShelterMiles: 8.0Well today sucked. It rained on us all day long. And I mean ALL day... and all night. By the time we got to camp we were completely muddy, the dog was muddy, our tentsite was a big mud pit, and it was still raining and getting very cold. Our main priorities were to get ourselves and Sasha warm, dry and fed. How to deal with a wet muddy dog? Can't exactly stick her in our sleeping bags. We dried her off the best we could at the shelter, then put her in the tent, muddy paws and all ontop of the doggie sleeping bag we'd been planning to send home. Looks like we might lug that thing for a while longer. It is a miserable night. The one bright side is, for the first time we feel like we've been met with a real thruhiker challenge. And we're dealing. We're also hoping for some sun tomorrow!!!Arwen & Heather Vaughanvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-03-03
From: Gooch Mtn. Shelter

To: Wood Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

Starting point: Gooch Mtn ShelterEnded at: Woods Hole ShelterMiles: 11.9!!!Wow, what a day. The sun came out and we burned up the trail. Heather's biggest mileage ever! It was a good feeling, to test our limits. We wanted to put some miles behind us today because Blood Mountain lies in store for us tomorrow. They don't call it Blood Mountain for nuthin. Practically straight up, and even steeper on the way down. The good news is, Neels Gap is waiting on the other side, and with it an outfitter, a hostel and -hopefully- town food!!! We're glad becauase today was tough. Really tough. We're looking forward to a bit of a break.More tomorrow...Arwen & Heather Vaughan
Date: 2004-03-04
From: Wood Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Starting at: Woods Hole ShelterEnding at: Neels GapMiles: 4.0We're starting to get our morning routine down. Every day up till now we've been the first to go to bed at night, the last to get up in the morning, and the last to break camp and hit the trail. This morning we got up and ate breakfast with the rest of the crew, although we *were* the last out of camp. There's just so much to do in the morning, and it's slow getting started.We were worried how we'd feel this morning. Yesterday was a very long day for us and we were feeling pretty rough when we went to bed. We realized 2 shortcomings to our first aid kit: no moleskin and no ibuprofin (probably the only 2 essential ingredients). We both woke up several times in the night with discomfort in our knees and feet. This morning we both felt a lot better though. We hit the trail with full bellies and the reassuring thought that after a short day, we'd be hitting town.Blood Mtn turned out to be more bark than bite. It really wasn't that bad getting up there. The descent was very steep, but we took it extremely slow - it took us 3 hours to go 2 miles! We got into Neels Gap at about noon, and laid eyes on the Walasi-Yi Center. It's awesome! The only building the AT goes through, they have a hostel, showers, flush toilets, laundry facilities, a grocery, and an outdoor outfitter. The two highlights were talking to all the other hikers there and getting our packs analyzed and trimmed by Winton, who is well known for his expertise on getting packweights down. We're sending a big box of stuff home, and 'bouncing' another box to ourselves further up the trail. Winton had a good laugh at the jacket and sleeping bag we're toting for Sasha (totaling 3 lbs) especially when we told him she prefers to sleep in *our* sleeping bag. After finishing up at Walasi-Yi we got a ride into Blairsville to a nice little motel with a KING SIZED bed!! We took showers first off, so as not to offend the town folk with our rank odor. Have I mentioned how badly we stink??? It was too late by then to go do laundry, so we picked up dinner and enjoyed some beers with the other hikers here - Bloody Cactus, Joy (who I think has been trailnamed Zena, on account of the 50-odd lbs she carried from Springer), John, Georgia-boy, Beavis and Butthead, and Bo and Joe. We each packed away an entire pizza, split an order of wings and an order of breadsticks. It was the best pizza we've ever tasted.So tomorrow the question is whether to get back on the trail or to take a zero day. There's talk of a bad thunderstorm blowing in. We'll have to check the weather report and see.Cheers,Arwen & Heather Vaughanvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-03-05
From: Neels Gap

To: Blairsville
Miles today: 0.0

Starting at: Blairsville Ending at: BlairsvilleMiles: 0So, today was our first "zero mile" day. They call it this even though you really end up walking all over some town you have never been to running lots of errands. We washed cloths, mailed packages, rearranged our packs, and ate something fierce. We hitch hiked for the first time ever today. It was just a mile or so to the post office...people around here are used to it and know exactly what you are doing.One of my very new boots split at the seam today so I called Garment to let them know. They were very nice, said no problem and helped me find a place to replace them at no cost!! So, we will pick them up tomorrow on our way out.Ok, so we have finished our first stint on the appalachian trail and have had a day to think about it. Mentally an physically we feel very strong.The actual hiking has been pretty tough as we get back into good shape but every day we feel stronger. We are over the initial soreness from starting a new rigorous exercise routine and are now wanting to focus on slowly increasing our mileage. Mentally we are still doing great also. Every day is full of new experiences and it is exciting figuring out what it takes to hike the AT. We understand that this will change as the novelty of the situation wears off. It is easy take the good with the bad when the bad experiences are new and interesting. Besides that, we have not even experienced real cold and wet conditions yet. In the next few weeks we will probably get a better feel for these conditions.Cheers,Arwen   Arwen & Heather Vaughanvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-03-06
From: Neels Gap

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

Starting at: Neels GapEnding at: Whitley Gap ShelterMiles: 6.2Plus 1.2 miles that don't count, into the shelter. Had a wonderful and huge breakfast at a greasy spoon called Hole in the Wall before catching a shuttle back up to the Walasi-Yi center. We exchanged my shoes for free and made some last minute purchases. It was a casual but beautiful hike up to Whitley Gap shelter. We came across our first trail angles at Testnatee Gap. Three teenage girls (that always giggled in sincronicity) were sitting there with a huge box of chocolates, chips, and drinks...pure bliss. It was really nice because the next section of the trail was a long arduous uphill. We made it to the shelter and nobody was there, so we decided to stay in it instead of the tent. We had agreat fire and watched a full moon rise up over us...very peacefull.Late that evening Ashtray and eighty pound one year old puppy Cosmos came bounding down the trail. He is an interesting character...like far out dude. Cosmos and Sasha played all night.ArwenArwen & Heather Vaughanvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-03-07
From: Whitley Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: few clouds

Starting at: Whitley Gap ShelterEnding at: Blue Mtn ShelterMiles: 12A very long but beautiful day. We were a little worried how Sasha would do because she stayed up all night and got no sleep. Staying in an open shelter was too much stimulus for her. Maybe it was the full moon. It was a clear and beautiful night; I don't blame her for wanting to take it all in. Plus Cosmos was sleeping right next to her, and was a willing playmate.We got an early start and took a nice long break after the first 5 miles or so at Low Gap shelter with some former thruhikers turned trail angels: Geek, Boudin, and Birdlegs fed us *well* on mmm smoked sausages, cream cheese, roasted peppers, nuts, and crackers. Mmmm, those sausages made us realize we need to do a little something better for our lunches. Prepackaged crackers & peanutbutter ain't cuttin it any more. Really, all week we haven't had much of an apetite.Boudin and Geek told us some great stories about their thruhike in '90. they also gave some good advice on the fine art of 'yogiing.' Yogiing is when you manage to weasel stuff - food, liquor, hotel rooms - from other travelers (usually not thruhikers) *without even asking*. That is the key. If you ask for something and someone gives it to you, that's not yogiing. For instance, you mention to a weekender (awed by the fact that you're even attempting a thruhike) "oh yeah man, it's just so hot out there, I get so thirsty." Eye his Pepsi while carrying on the conversation. According to our experts, you'd be surprised how fast that man and his soda will be parted. Who knows, mabe we'll try it out for ourselves.The last leg of the hike was long, very long. We were dragging ass up the last couple miles to the shelter. I don't know why, but the last 2 miles always seem the longest. When we got to the shelter, Ashtray and Cosmos were already there. The temperature started dropping rapidly, and the wind was whipping around furiosly. We set our tent up right in front of the shelter, the only place we could be relatively confident it wouldn't get blown off the mountain (we're not carrying stakes to save weight - brilliant, eh?) Then it started to rain. Sleeping in a cold wet tent with the wind on us so hard sounded terrible, so fortunately our companions in the shelter let us set up under their roof, where we now set for a cozy night.Arwen & Heather Vaughanvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-03-08
From: Blue Mtn Shelter

To: Tray Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: clear sky

Starting at: Blue Mtn ShelterEnding at: Tray Mtn ShelterMiles: 7.8Today was cold and windy. When we hit the trail, it was a scant 27*. We were just lucky it was sunny all day. It woulda been downright miserable if it'd been raining on us too. It stayed pretty chilly all day despite the sun. We saw one of our most spectacular views so far on top of Tray Mtn, nearly 360*. Although our hike was relatively short, it seemed like it was all uphill. We were so glad to roll into the shelter around 2:30. It's not even 5 yet and -we're already cooking dinner (in our tent...aaah, warm). We want to get a good night's rest because we have 11 miles between here and the next town, Hiawasee. Since the last trail town stop (Blairsville), we've stuck with the same crew - Joy (aka Zena now), Bloody Cactus, John, and LekiLess (formerly C-Giddy). It's a great bunch of people, and we've been having a lot of laughs with them all. Tomorrow we're hoping we can talk the Holiday Inn Express into taking dogs, so we can stay there along w/ everyone else and enjoy the *hot tub*!! Oh yeah, we can hardly wait.Cheers,Arwen & Heather Vaughanvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-03-09
From: Tray Mtn Shelter

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Starting at: Tray Mtn ShelterEnding at: HiawasseeMiles: 10.6Well today had its ups and its downs. And I don't just mean the trail.We had a great start to the day. It was cold when we woke up - 28* - but we got an early start and made great time. We hightailed it for 7.1 miles and arrived at Deep Gap Shelter by 11:30, just as it started to snow steadily. This was exciting to us Texans, who, although we've seen snow on the ground, have never been witness to the actual fall of snow, which filled us with the wonder of 5-year-olds.We stayed at Deep Gap Shelter long enough to brew up a steaming nalgene full of hot cocoa (something hot at lunch - what a treat!) Then we hit the trail again and made it the last 3.5 miles to the road in what seemed like no time at all. The walk out was beautiful. As we were walking snow flakes the size of cotton candy came falling so fast they turned the ladscape from brown to white in a matter of minutes. Every log, every tree, every stream seemed so pristene. Where there had been a muddy path, now a soft, white trail lay stretched before us, winding around the mountain's gentle curves. The exhilaration of huge snowflakes falling on our faces - if there was a heaven, this would surely be it. When we got to Dick's Creek Gap (from whence you can hitch a ride to town), our friends had already met up with terrific couple, who offered to haul all 6 of us + the dog (and provided beer and wine!). When we got to the Holiday Inn Express, we weren't able to talk them in to letting Sasha stay the night. So no hot tub for us . Our driver, Ann, patiently drove us to three more places which all firmly turned us away. Finally we had her drop us off at McDonald's so we could grab some grub and make some calls. By this time it had started raining, at 37*. Poor Sasha stood outside in the wet and cold while we tried to find a place to stay. The folks at McD's were friendly and offered their phone book and lots of suggestions. Arwen got turned down about 20 times before one nice woman, Laurie of Henson Cove Place B&B, finally took pity on us. She even drove 5 miles into town to pick us up.Now Sasha is warm and dry, curled up and snoozing on the bed. We're showered, in a fresh change of clothes, and getting organized for tomorrow. These days in town are almost as much work as our days on the trail. Tomorrow we've gotta hit the grocery store, the outfitter, the post office, and make several phone calls before getting back to the trail in time to do another 4.6 miles. Better get some rest.Cheers,Arwen & Heather Vaughanvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.netPS. A note to other thruhikers with a dog: Hiawassee does not really have any dog-friendly accommodations, since the Hiawasse Inn closed. So you should call Henson Cove Place, which is right by the trail (although a little ways from town) 706 896 6195.
Date: 2004-03-10
From: Hiawassee

To: Plumorchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: clear sky

Starting at: Hiawasee (Dick's Creek Gap)Ending at: Plumorchard Gap ShelterMiles: 4.6Mission accomplished today. We got an early ride into town (6:30), met up with our trail buddies, hit the grocery, made a couple phone calls, paid a bill, sent some packages at the post office, washed our clothes, and got a hitch back to the trail all before noon or so. It was a very frantic morning. Things that usually take no time at all seem nearly impossible in a strange town without a car. We are learning how to hitch hike very well now.Even though it was a short hike in and we made it to the shelter early - by 2 or so - we decided not to push on further bc Plumorchard Gap Shelter is really neat. It was helicoptered in to this location. It's really pretty: 3 levels with windows up top, completely sheltered from the wind. It has a big ol picinic table out front and a nice firepit. When we got there, there was a note from Castro, one of our trail buddies saying he'd gone on to the next shelter. Hope we catch up to him soon - he's a real nice fella. So while we were in Hiawassee we mailed home a bunch of stuff. It was fantastic going thru our packs and paring them down, shedding every last ounce we could stand to do without. We could really feel the difference coming up the hill. Maybe we'll become real thruhikers after all.Cheers,Arwen & Heather Vaughanvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net