morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-12-19
To: About
Miles today: 0.0

I grew up at the Jersey Shore in a beach resort community, spent summers on the beach, body surfing, and having fun with my summer friends.Went to Woodstock and festivals when I was young and wild. Was rescued by a sweet young thing, we settled down fell in love got married and moved to Florida where I went to the University Of South Florida. Raised a family of two beautiful girls and worked hard moving to New Orleans and back to South Florida. I retired and have six wonderful grand children. Last year I back packed from Springer Mountain in Georgia to New Jersey on the Appalachian Trail. I was attempting to thru-hike the entire trail to Maine but got sick and had to go off trail. I am going back out this year to finish my journey. Over the years I have had many interests, I have run in many marathon races including the New York City marathons three times, I have run a sub- three hour marathon. I have raced on sail boats in New Orleans and south Florida. One boat I crewed on won the Mid Winter J-30 World championship race. I like to bike, run backpack and walk. My latest dream is to move to the mountains and own property where we can have a family retreat. I am currently preparing for this years hike by walking and going to a gym where I enjoy quality time on a StairMaster... I look forward to many wonderful days on the trail this year. Please sign my guestbook, I like to hear from you all.
Date: 2007-02-05
To: update
Miles today: 0.0

It's been awhile since I've had anything to add about my plans. Time is flying and the date is fast approaching. I have some news; I am thinking about moving my start date up a few days and I will have a partner to hike with. I will go into details soon but let's say I am very happy about someone very close to me wanting to accompany me on this journey. I am sure we will have a wonderful time. I will release further information as we work out the logistics. This is going to be something special. Stay tuned for details....
Date: 2007-02-09
To: ball park schedule
Miles today: 0.0

One of the things I discovered last year was I could throw away my pre-hike schedule because I couldn't anticipate weather conditions, my health, how my body would perform, and how strenuous the trail was. Plus it was nice to walk at a pace which allowed me the pleasures of the trail and the enjoyment of the community. Finding my pace will come as I "hike my own hike." With this in mind I did not plan to come up with a schedule this year.Another thing I decided to change this year was my reliance on mail drops. Simply put, my tastes changed and I would pick up a box of food which I really did not enjoy. Also, it was a pain to pick up the packages when I was rolling into town on a week end. I also enjoyed following my cravings and picking fresh foods up, sometimes carrying sandwiches, fruits and veggies. But... I still worked out a ball park schedule so family and friends could know about where I should be if I don't dawdle. This way if I need something, an address will be available. Also I might receive some "mail magic." I think I just came up with a new trail term. Everything appears to be coming together. I changed my reservations and we are staying at a beautiful cabin which is nicely located. I am excited to start and ready to go.Peace,Bush Whacker
Date: 2007-02-12
To: Now I have all my equipment
Miles today: 0.0

Last year's hike was a beautiful thing. Some things are hard to explain. The memories are beyond priceless. When I was hiking with Bonesaw, Tricycle and Sleeper we zeroed at our place at the Shore. We were going thru our equipment deciding what to bring on the next section. I had decided to leave one pair of smart wool long johns since it was warming up. I was bringing my other pair since I liked to sleep in them. Bonesaw said he was cool at night so I offered him my spare pair. Fast forward to this year and I have been looking for another pair to replace the old ones Bonesaw borrowed. I figured the old pair probably were worn out by now. We never talked about the pants but yesterday I received a priority package with my old smart wool pants and a nice note from Bonesaw which I have scanned for sharing. Bonesaw, thanks for thinking of me and giving me something special to think about when I am trying to keep warm. How special.The trail memories just keep getting better and better.
Date: 2007-02-14
To: Is it too cold?
Miles today: 0.0

Next Wednesday we leave our tropical paradise to do what? With only a week to finalize our plans I find myself relating to the video of the guy whose parachute didn't open and we watched his descent as he was spinning out of control until he landed hard. He survived but it wasn't a pretty sight.I sit here reading the journals of those that are out there already. Some are reporting very cold conditions and some are talking about leaving to come back later when the weather warms up.I chose this photo taken March 25 2006 to illustrate how cold it can be on the trail even a month from our planned start. It seemed like we were having such a mild winter this year that I thought about leaving earlier than next week but decided to be patient and take a more conservative approach. As I start to focus on the landing and see myself spinning faster and faster towards my impact point I wonder, should I have planned a later start date? We can plan and second guess everything we chose but sooner or later we have to let go of our comfort zone and jump out into the trail zone where we will just have to hope we brought the things we need to stay warm, dry and reasonably comfortable. We will start walking, hoping to get from one supply point to the next and eventually we will look back and say, that wasn't so bad, now I know I can handle (the rain, the cold, the snow, the ice, the hunger, the soreness, the blisters, the whatever fear we had before the hike.) As I get closer and closer I feel like time is running out at home also. The promised projects, the special time together... It will be hard to set out.But I know that once I get out there and feel the beauty and pureness of the trail I will be in a zone which will give me so much pleasure that I will be able(hopefully) to deal with my own fears and the challenges mother nature has in store for me. But... there's always a trail town nearby where I can go to get warm, dry, and quench my thirst and hunger.
Date: 2007-02-20
To: Leave eve
Miles today: 0.0

Today we tried to remember all the details and we packed the car. I addressed the maps and noted where I was sending them in my guidebook. Tomorrow we leave to drive north to our cabin where we will recheck our packs and prepare to start on Saturday. I plan on stopping at Neel's Gap to drop a package off and get last minute things. Hopefully Winton will be available to do a last minute shake down. Everything looks good and this will probably be the last preparation entry. Next time I report in will be from the trail. We are definitely going to have fun. Please stay tuned. See you all soon. Peace,Bush Whacker and ????
Date: 2007-02-24
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

Bushwhacker and HIS DAUGHTER at Springer Mountain. They left Saturday morning, 2/24 with sunny but cold and windy weather and big smiles. Have heard from them after the rainy, cold night at the Hawk Mountain shelter and they were having fun. They spent the night with four others in the shelter, but I have no names or details yet. They will update this journal soon.Here's our first update from the Helen GA Library.February 24, 2007, We drove to the parking lot .9 miles from Springer Mnt. and walked south to the southern terminous of the trail. Many Sleeps took our info for his records. Many Sleeps is the ridge runner who watches over the southern end of the trail. After picking up our pebbles at the summitt to take to Kathadin we turned north and began our great adventure. Eli, my grandson picked up a souveneir rock and carried it back to the parking lot. After a goodbye we started again. My daughter, Taken and I walked on with the good byes in our hearts. Soon we got into the right gear and walked through the beautiful forest. The weather was nice for our walk. We found plenty of places for water but did not need to stop. After a perfectly beautiful day on the trail we reached Hawk Mnt Shelter and settled in. We were there around 4 PM and had plenty of time to cook dinner, get water and make a nice campfire. At the shelter tonight was Chip and Dave, a father and son, Dean and Dan, two 17 year old boys who graduated High school early to plan for this hike, A retired gentleman who Taken gave the trailname Turtle, and two overnight hikers who showed up late with their headlamps on while we were enjoying our campfire which made Taken jump a mile in surprise. It's supposed to rain tonight. It's very windy and cold as we enjoy our fire and think about tommorrow. Miles today 7.6 miles (plus the .9 to get to the start)
Date: 2007-02-25
From: Hawk Mountain

To: Gooch Gap camping area
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

Last night the wind picked up and Taken and I were the only ones still up to watch the fire which grew harder to contain and control. We poured all our water on the fire and covered it with every rock we could find and finally felt like it was under control again. We went to bed late and the wind was blowing very hard. Sometime during the night a hard rain began falling. The shelter slept in late because it was raining. We finally left the shelter about 11 AM. Today's walk was wet and windy early then turned beautiful. We climbed Sasafrass Mountain and Justus Mtn then we stopped at Gooch Mountain shelter for a break and decided to walk another mile and a half to a camping area at Gooch Gap mile 16.3. We tent camped with Dan and Dean and we decided not to have a fire tonight. The moon and stars are out illuminating our tent as we settle in. Taken and I are homesick tonight, we are also very tired and hopefully sleep will come quickly. Tomorrow we plan on an earlier start so we can hike to Wood's Hole shelter.
Date: 2007-02-26
From: Gooch Gap camping area

To: Wood's Hole Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We all woke pretty early but it was windy and cold so we had a slow start. We climbed up Ramrock Mtn then to Woody Gap where we had our lunch at a picnic table with Guthook, Kentucky Blue, Dan, and Dean. Taken and I finished our lunch and saw Turtle coming up the trail so we stayed awhile to talk. Turtle's knees were sore so he was thinking about camping here or other options. As we were leaving we received our first trail magic from two friendly day hikers who gave us each a soda. Today will be our first long day so we plan on taking it easy since we will be walking 10.5 miles plus another .4 miles to the shelter which is off the trail. We climbed several mountains including Big Cedar Mtn, Burnett Field Mtn and many other hills in between. The day turned into a perfect hiking day and we are in short sleeves. We kept hiking and finally made it to the shelter turn off trail. Remembering to stop to get water on our way in at a marginal spring halfway to the shelter. We thought we would have to pitch our tent but were pleasantly surprised to find room for us in the shelter. Tonight we were with Guthook, Kentucky Blue, Dan and Dean. Dan reveals his new trailname "Carefree." This is the first night a little group has come together. Unfortunately most will probably hike faster then Taken and I and we will probably say goodbye soon. The group seems like they all have what it takes to make it to Katahdin. Guthook was very impressive especially the way he kept a positive attitude through a bout with intestinal issues. We are sore, tired and blisters are starting to form on Taken's toes. We are happy and beginning to feel the magic of the trail. Peace.
Date: 2007-02-27
From: Wood's Hole Shelter

To: Rock Spring Top Camp Site
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: clear sky

The shelter woke up around 6:30 AM and everyone seemed happy to get a good start. Guthook and Kentucky Blue took off first then Taken and I started out. Carefree and Dean told us later they left a little later. Taken and I quickly reached the summit of Blood Mtn and explored around the shelter and the many viewpoints. We saw many prints, which looked like Bobcat prints. We also were startled by a turkey taking off near us. The views from Blood Mtn are spectacular. During our descent Carefree and Dean passed us and said Dean forgot his hat and had to double back to the shelter. We arrived at Neel's gap and said goodbye to Guthook who was headed out. Kentucky Blue must have taken off already. Taken and I did our laundry, took showers and picked up some supplies. We also ate a bunch of frozen sandwiches and a hot dog. Taken's knee is getting worse and we are trying a knee brace. We decide to hike to a camping area on Rock Spring Top.(mile 33.3) We met Woodstock along the way and we camped with Carefree and Dean and Woodstock at a small mountaintop area above a spring. We are very lucky to have such fine weather. As we pitch our tent we bring our precious water into the tent so it won't freeze. We are family, Taken and me... Peace
Date: 2007-02-28
From: Rock Spring Top Camp Site

To: mile marker 44 campsite
Miles today: 10.7

Taken and I woke to another perfect morning. As we prepared to break camp the sun appears and begins to warm our morning. Woodstock is prepared to leave first, but very nicely goes around to each person and wishes us each a good hike. Check out Woodstock's journal, I'm sure it will be very interesting. Taken and I have decided to take it easy because of soreness. We don't want to overdo it while our bodies are still protesting. Carefree and Dean, who is now known as "Bobcat," are pushing on to a shelter that is too far for Taken and I to hike to. We all know they must "hike their own hike" so we say our goodbyes. We have spent every night together with Carefree and Bobcat and are lucky to have met them. I look forward to reading their journals and wish them a good hike. I am sure their parents are very proud of them as they have the intelligence,the skills and have the right attitudes to be successful on the trail and in their lives. Taken and I still manage to hike about 10 miles over some nice mountains and along long ridges. We decided to pass on staying at Low Gap Shelter. The whole area including the shelter looked dark and spooky. We pushed on and found water and then a nice campsite. We put the tent up, boiled water and made dinner. I reconstructed the fire pit to downsize it a bit, and made a nice small campfire to warm us a bit before we went to bed. The site is very remote and we are here alone so the forest is ours to enjoy and it is very sweet indeed. The moon is overhead and gives us a nightlight. The fire is out and we are too... Peace.
Date: 2007-03-01
From: mile marker 44 campsite

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: moderate rain

Taken and I awoke early and were discussing our goals for the day when we heard the rain begin. Taken recommended I should take the bear bag down before our food bag got wet. We thought about waiting the rain out but decided we better get going so we packed our packs in the tent as the rain became worse. We then took our tent down after emerging outside in our foul weather gear. I stuffed my wet tent into a outer mesh pocket on my pack. We began walking as the weather turned bad. The wind increased, the rain fell hard as the temperature quickly dropped. As we walked we heard and saw thunder and lightning which struck very close to our location. We discussed what we should do in case of an emergency both knowing we were talking about a lightning strike. The trail became muddy and in places it became a creek. We were wet and cold, shivering our way north. Our plan was changing, we would hike to the next shelter; Blue Mtn shelter, this shelter is known to be a cold location on windy days like today so we did not want to stay here. We got there and I was happy there was a covered privy so I wouldn't have to be reduced to going in the wind and rain (TMI). We looked at the map and decided we and our equipment were so wet we would have to push on to Unicoi Gap where we could go into town at Helen GA to dry out. We made a hot dinner to warm us up and then started hiking towards the gap. We called a nice man to shuttle us into Helen where we found a hotel to spend the night. We took warm showers, washed our clothes and dried our gear. We went back outside in the rain and walked to a fantastic mexican restaurant. All is good and we will rest up for the night and plan tomorrow. Being in a nice warm bed where I don't get tangled up in my mummy bag is pretty nice. Taken says good night. Peace.
Date: 2007-03-02
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Helen GA
Miles today: 0.0

Our first ZERO day. When I planned my hike and during last year's hike I never considered stopping at Unicoi Gap and spending time in Helen GA. This year, with the weather and Taken's knee soreness we happened to come here. All I can say is this is a great stop. A local named Robert Swift, cell #706-878-3144 picked us up and drove us into town for $10, that's for both of us, $10 total. We got a good rate at a nice hotel in town with a washing machine. The Country Inn and Suites had a nice room, indoor pool, hot tub and offered a great breakfast included of eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy, waffles, danish, all kinds of stuff. We went to the library and used their computer to update our journal. We had an excellent lunch at a riverside cafe and at night we dined at one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever tried, called La Cabana. The food, service and prices were incredible. I would highly recommend a stop here to anyone who needs to come off trail. We are planning to go back on trail sometime tomorrow. Mr. Swift will pick us up at 9AM and drop us off at Unicoi Gap so we can get back to our hiking. This through hike is about the hike AND it's about the whole adventure, including trail towns. We never know what lies ahead. I'm sure it will be wonderful. Thanks for following us.Peace.
Date: 2007-03-03
From: Helen GA

To: Addis Gap Camp 
Miles today: 10.8

We had a big breakfast again at the hotel and then Mr. Swift picked us up for our shuttle back to Unicoi Gap. As we were saying our goodbyes and making sure we had everything, a friendly smiling face appeared from a truck next to us. It was Stumpknocker! He said he had seen our journal entry and knew we would be leaving here this morning, so had been waiting for us for two hours. He asked about our hike and said he'd pick us up at Dick's Creek Gap if we needed a ride into Hiawassee. He also invited us to dinner. Talk about trail magic! Stumpknocker is the man! We said goodbye and started up trail. The hike starts up Rocky Mountain, then back down to Indian Grave Gap then back up Tray Mountain, which is about as high as Blood Mountain. The views from Tray Mtn are very nice and we found a sunny spot to have our lunch. We passed up stopping at Tray Mtn Shelter, then walked over rolling ridges until we got to a sign that said "water." Thinking we were at Sassafrass Gap I filled our platypusses so we would be prepared to camp when we found a perfect spot. We ended up walking about 3 more miles until we arrived at Addis Gap, where we pitched our tent and set up camp. It was cold and very windy (High Wind Advisories in effect.) We ate dinner and were in our bags by 7 pm. It was the only way to get warm. The wind roared like jet engines and I had to get up twice to howl at the moon (not exactly.) I thought I would freeze to death.
Date: 2007-03-04
From: Addis Gap Camp 

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: clear sky

When we awoke our water bottles were frozen but not quite solidly. Slushy. Even though we brought them into our sleeping bags in the tent! Let's just say it was a cold night. We dressed and broke camp. We had planned on honey buns for breakfast but couldn't eat them because they were frozen solid. We walked on and it seemed to be getting colder. We found a protected area and phoned Stumpknocker, advising him when we would get to Dick's Creek Gap. He said he would pick us up at 1:30. We walked on and met three thruhikers named Pinky, The Brain and Erin. We told them we had a ride at 1:30 at the Gap, if they needed one. They went on and we saw them waiting at the Gap when we got there, talking to Stumpknocker. Stumpknocker loaded his truck up with Taken and me, The Brain, Pinky, Erin and Jaybird, who is SOBO. He drove us to Cloud 9 where Pinky, The Brain and Erin were staying. I picked up my map mail drop that I had Lynne send there. Cloud 9 looked nice, but Taken and I decided to go into town and stay at the Holiday Inn Express. Stumpknocker took us to Dave's, where we hit the AYCE buffet hard. Almost everyone in there looked like they were dressed for a special Sunday dinner, then there was us, the vagabond thruhikers. Stumpknocker, thank you for your trail magic. We enjoyed seeing you and wish you the best on your next adventure. I hope to see you up north when you do your next SOBO. While we were stopped at Cloud 9, Wonder told us Miss Janet was stopping by, so we were sorry we had missed her. Later, Miss Janet did call us to say hello and wish us luck on our journey. Today might have been cold, but our hearts are warm, meeting and talking to so many special people. Tonight we rest, tomorrow, who knows.Peace.
Date: 2007-03-05
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

Hiawassee GA: Should We stay or should we go? We should go. So we re-supplied, stopped to say hello to Ron and Steve at the Inn. It was good seeing Ron. He really helped me get back on the trail last year. We stopped and had lunch at Subway packing a sub to go for dinner. While we were eating a nice lady offered us a ride and dropped us off at the trailhead. We walked over many mountains with our heavy "leaving town" packs. We arrived at the Plum Orchard Shelter and decided to hike on since it was only 5PM! We were going to walk to a campsite with water about two miles north. Well as Taken says, we were morons and ended up walking with our headlamps on as we reached the GA/NC border sign and finally reached our camp site at Bly Gap three miles further then we had planned. Already there tent camping were Pinky and The Brain, Erin, and Joel with his 110 pound akita. We ate our subs and made a small fire to warm up before turning in. The stars are twinkling tonight. We are in an area out of the wind for the first time. We are glad to find warmth in our sleeping bags. The wind howls, it's a new crew, the night shift. Taken asks before falling asleep, We're not pitched right over a spring are we? Peace.
Date: 2007-03-06
From: Bly Gap

To: Beech Gap
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Taken, "My feet are still ice, are yours warm yet?" "NO" How many miles did we hike today? 12 miles. Today we woke cold and were greeted by the NC A/T. The trail goes up straight up and eventually we warm up even though we walk on frozen ground. We hiked mostly over 4,000 feet with a maximum elevation reached on Standing Indian Mountain which is about 5,500 feet. We hiked a good hike today finally reaching Beech Gap and pitching our tent. We ran into Alana and her brother David. David made a nice campfire and we sat talking until late (about 11PM) Taken and I retired to our tent as the moon rises to give us our night light again. It's cold again but we don't have the wind tonight. My fingers are frozen so I'll say goodnight.