morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-12-07
From: Still Holding

To: Off the trail
Miles today: 0.0

I can't believe that I typed those words, "Off the Trail" but it's true, I'm done with the AT for this year. I'm calling it quits for 2003. Why? A combination of factors:1. Knee is still an issue. I don't need the crutches as much as I did, but am not up to hiking 15-20 miles a day on snowy trails.2. Weather is closing in. No more Indian Summer days out here. Just a lot of snow and cold.3. Everyone I've been hiking with is long gone. Even the SOBO's that were behind me are ahead by now.So what was left? Limping along the trail, in the cold, by myself. Am I a wimp for quitting? You make the call. There are 25+ SOBOs on the AT right now, enduring the cold while you and I sit at our computers, warm and dry. On the other hand, everyone has to, "hike their own hike."Did I fail in the clutch, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory? Or was I exercising good judgement, superior intelligence, and common sense (while exuding sophistication and sexiness)? I think the correct answer is obvious to us all.Where does that leave me now???I'M NOT DONE YET!!! I may be off the trail right now, but doesn't mean that I'm throwing in the towel on my thru-hike. I've only got about 245 miles left, a drop in the bucket compared to when I started. I've got all winter to prepare for the finale. Right now I'm planning to become a NOBO next spring, starting at Springer and hiking north to Max Patch. It should take me about 6 weeks to complete that leg. If I time it right, I can continue to Trail Days 2004 in Damascus, VA for the SOBO 2003 reunion, a fitting finish to the big adventure. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.What have I been doing for the past week? A lot of sitting around, watching videos, cooking, and eating. Moses, Detour, and Dumb Luck have been around for much of the week. DL took off on Wednesday. Moses hiked out at lunch today, but it's hard to escape the Erwin vortex, and we picked him off the trail a few hours ago. He's also done hiking for the year, but plans to finish the AT next spring.Miss Janet, thanks for your hospitality over the last eight days. You turned what could have been an unpleasant and boring week into a much more enjoyable experience. My knee still isn't up to par, but I'm feeling much better than I was last Sunday when I got here. BTW, what's with that stray lock of hair you've got on your forehead?I'll continue to update this journal, albeit at longer intervals. I've got access to a scanner here at Miss Janet's, so I'm adding pictures. Thank you to all who have written and emailed, I appreciate your interest. I hope that I've kept you entertained along the way. To my fellow SOBOs: best of luck as you finish the trail. I intend to be on Springer next weekend for an expected large SOBO completion party. To friends and family: thanks for your support during my seemingly crazy and not yet completed adventure. And to everyone else: good luck in your lives and remember to follow your dreams. [Just because it's a cliche doesn't mean it's not true.]I will finish the AT, I will finish the AT, I will finish...
Date: 2003-12-12
From: Off the trail

To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Still here at Miss Janet's but heading to Springer tomorrow morning. Fatcat and Grommie are finishing tomorrow; I need to be there. Fisher King, Synapse, and Squirrel Meat will be finishing on Sunday so I'll be staying over Saturday night.Knee is almost healed. I don't need crutches much at all any more.Only twelve more shopping days until Christmas...
Date: 2003-12-20
From: Springer

To: The end, for now
Miles today: 0.0

All good things must come to an end, and my AT experience for this year is one of them. Almost everyone I hiked with has finished up at Springer, my knee is (mostly) healed, and it's time to move on back to 'real life.' Sweet, but sad.I drove down to Springer Mountain on Saturday last (12/13) and got to the Springer Mtn shelter about 45 minutes before Fatcat and Grommie arrived. Together we hiked the last .2 miles to the top and their finish. I stayed the night in the shelter and, the next morning, met Synapse's and Squirrel Meat's families. On an icy, rainy Sunday afternoon, Fisher King, Squirrel Meat, Synapse, Master Harold, Wonderboy, Nasty, and Right On & Brown Dog finished the AT. That night we retired to the Amalicola Lodge for supper, congratulations, and lots of talk. Monday morning was saved for the good-byes. Since then I've been back here in Erwin unwinding.Goosebumps and Rainbow slick ended their hike here at Miss Janet's on Wednesday; Goosebumps' illness and the inclement weather did them in. Dr. Doolittle and Underpants are continuing, although they are skipping the Smokies due to heavy snow. They expect to finish on New Year's Eve.What's up with me? The end of my trail experience for 2003 and return to normalcy. What a bummer. My immediate plans: spend Christmas with my brother in Murfreesboro, TN then head to MA to visit my mom. I'll be back in FL by mid-January.When will I finish the AT? Next spring! Details are still to be worked out, but I'm planning to start around mid-April. I'm timing my finish to be at Trail Days, 2004, either by hiking in or by hitching in. If any SOBOs out there are reading this and need to finish their hike as well, contact me. [Refer to the About section of my journal for my email address.] Planning this will keep me going through the spring.Thanks to all out there who have hiked with or helped me this year. I'll be back next year...
Date: 2004-01-13
To: FL
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Christmas and the New Year are done, my vacation is over, and it's time to head south and go home. I've put it off long enough, but it's time to go back to 'real life,' at least for awhile. I'm hopping Amtrak from Boston to St. Petersburg later today for one last little adventure. My knee feels fine, but I'm going to a doctor to be sure. Don't want anything standing in my way this spring. Which reminds me:I'll finish the AT in May. Whoo-hoo! I've got all winter to anticipate and plan for my remaining ~246 miles. No mistakes this time. No 60+ lbm pack. No 4 liters of water. No six pairs of socks. No 14 days worth of food. Lots of Nutella. It's going to be awesome. I may transfer this journal to 2004 if I can figure out how. Either way I'll still be here, writing away.Hope everyone had as good a December as I did: Christmas, New Years, and all. Next year will be even better. Good luck out there.Commencing 'real life' reentry in 10, 9, 8, 7...
Date: 2003-01-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

What a great weekend! I am starting the AT with three other people and I finally got to meet them a couple days ago. They've all got webjournals here so check them out: Journey (Diane), LeapYear (Toby) and Twofiddy (Aaron). Wonderful people and a big thank you to Diane for taking us all in for the weekend. And another big thank you to Diane¢s husband for putting up with all our gear talk for 3 days. I got so much out of our meeting. On Saturday we went for a 6 mile hike that turned into a 9 mile hike. It was at least 15* the entire day, but we all stayed warm as long as we kept moving. After this hike, I felt surer of my equipment and clothing in the cold weather, and I know what I still need to do in few remaining weeks before 3/15. I¢m not as sure about the trailname Goldberry. Diane wants to start calling me Hobbit, but I don¢t think that¢s going to stick. It¢ll be Goldberry for now until I do something really stupid or embarrassing out on the trail and get labeled for life. On the 6-hour drive home from Diane¢s house this weekend, I was thinking about making up a short dance move every time I cross a state line (+2 for Mt. Springer and Mt. Katadin). By the time I reach Katadin, I¢ll have 15 moves. I¢ve already got an idea for the first one: it¢s in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou (great movie)¢some friends will know it as the ¢default dance.¢ And anyone who knows me probably knows (or can guess) that I don¢t have much rhythm¢this will just make it all the more entertaining. After looking over all of my gear, it seems like almost all the clothing is black. I won't be able to make out one piece from another in the dark. Why do they do that? Why don't they make more yellows, greens, and blues? Just call me Ninja Clair! (no, that is not a potential trailname) :-D Well, nearly all of my gear is bought. Things are getting settled. I¢m trying to get organized. But more than anything, I am counting down the days. No more waiting, let¢s get going!
Date: 2003-01-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:I have been playing with this idea for a while and have finally committed: I am going to do this hike as a fundraiser for an organization. It¢s called Parish Kitchen and they help feed the hungry, homeless, and poor people of the Northern Kentucky area. I¢ve included a description of what it is in this journal entry. So my hike is now titled ¢Hiking for Hunger.¢ Ever since I¢ve talked to the director, Molly Narvin, I¢ve become even more enthusiastic and excited about this journey. This challenge/journey/adventure not just for me anymore. Here is a description of what the Parish Kitchen is and what they do:The Parish Kitchen serves one full meal every day. They are the only free meal program in Greater Cincinnati that serves a full meal every day of the year. What the guests are served is enough to sustain an adult for a day. For many of them it is the only mean they get each day. Many of the guests are families with young children, still others are homeless, chemically dependent, or disabled, physically and/or mentally. All are poor and simply to able to make ends meet. Everyone is welcome at the Parish Kitchen. Anyone who comes to their door is served a meal. The Parish Kitchen does basic first aid and act as a referral for those who are new to the area and not familiar with nearby services. From the beginning, they have operated almost entirely on free will donations¢monetary and in-kind¢from individuals, organizations and churches in the Greater Cincinnati area. It¢s obviously a local organization. If you want to pledge any amount, send it to:Parish KitchenP.O. Box 1234Covington KY 41012Even if they just get $100 out of this, it¢ll be worth it.
Date: 2003-02-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

17 more days to go. I'm ready. I'm so ready that the only thing occupying my time right now is writing silly hiking songs. Here's an example. It's based on Cat Steven's "Can't Keep It In" song. Listen to the real song first (if you don't know it already) for the full effect:Oh I can¢t feel my toes, can¢t feel my toesMy toes are kinda cold.Cold cause the socks, socks in my shoesThey¢re really wet, wet from the rain¢I saidWhy walk alone? Why worry when it¢s not that bad.I got so many miles, miles to walkWalk until, I get to Maine!Oh why! Why am I hiking to Maine?I¢ve got to live for today, then keep on goin¢¢ohHikers! I want to spend this time with youThere¢s nowhere I wouldn¢t go, if my feet know.And I can¢t eat enough! Can¢t eat enough and I can¢t find any food.I¢m up for Yogiing, yogiing brings me foodFood keeps me going, going for more yogiingOh I can¢t keep it in, I can¢t keep it in,I gotta let it out.I¢ve got to show the world, world¢s got to know,Know of the beauty, beauty that lies low, so Why can¢t there be, why can¢t there be more AYCE¢s?I just ran out of Snickers, and ran out of Cheese,All I¢ve got left, are dehydrated peas!Woo hoo! This is the way to live my life.Well except for all of the mice, but I¢ll get through, ohHey bear! I want to have you here by my side, no wait I'm going to go hide, please don¢t eat all my food. I can¢t stop walking! I can¢t stop walking I gotta climb these PUDS. I gotta take the bad, bad with the good, good with the pain, then I¢ll make it to Maine!Why worry? Why worry when it¢ll stop raining soon! I¢ve got so much to see, people to meet, challenges to face, an experience to make!
Date: 2003-03-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I'm in Georgia. I can tell because it's warm here, unlike northern Kentucky, that believes January lasts for 90 days. I'm just waiting for Diane, Toby, and Aaron to show up so the trail talk can begin! It's weird finally being here--I don't think it's sunk in yet, or else it has and i'm taking it vey well. We leave in two days. My brother or mom will be uploading pictures after a couple weeks.I've decided to give up on CAPS LOCK cause it's just to annoying to do on this little keyboard. If anything is caps, it's because my brother found some free time on his hands. Next you'll hear from me will be after a couple days on the AT!
Date: 2003-03-15
From: Trailhead

To: hawk mt shelter
Miles today: 7.6

it was finally saturday and i was running on ~4 hrs sleep (anxiety maybe?). down in the lobby of the lodge i find out that 8 sorority women are headed to the same shelter I'll be at tonight...needless to say that twofiddy and leapleap were quick with the "trail girl gone wild" jokes.so we hit the trail around 10am and walked up to the official start with my parents. i met gizmo (past AT 2 time thruhiker and now ridge runner) and he blessed us with some good advice and helped to set the mood. after that, it was time for goodbye's. i hope i never have to do anything so hard as leaving my parents this morning. they've been so supportive of this dream and have helped it come true today, no matter what happens. thank you!!our plan was to hike ~8 miles to hawk mt shelter. we're going to take things easy for the first 4 days but after that i plan on speeding up. there are at least 20 people here right now, but no sorority girls--hope they made it somewhere safe but i think twofiddy and leapear are disappointed. it was cloudy all day with some drizzle. only now has it finally cleared up, which means a cold night ahead. i don't care--i'm finally here! song suck in head today:"i'm going to go back there someday"moulin rouge songs"on my way"
Date: 2003-03-16
From: hawk mt shelter

To: woody gap 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

didn't get any sleep, partially because of the snoring from other people in the shelter, partially because of the sound of the mice nibbling on who knows what (luckily it wasn't my pack). i started out aound 8:30 with intentions of heading to gooch gap shelter, which would have made for an easy 7 mile day.well, i msu have gotten into the hiking zone--i got to gooch shelter at 12n--too early to stop. ~6miles later i stop at woody gap around 4pm, which made for a 12.4 mile day. i feel pretty good about deciding to push on, but this meant that i separated from the 3 others in my group. i hope to run into them again soon and hope they understand why i kept going. i camped near erin, a thru hiker, T, and a group of three (two guys and son). 4 of 5 of these people are Tolkien fans--hey, guess what we talked about around the fire? :-) it was a good day and i'm feeling great.
Date: 2003-03-17
From: woody gap 

To: walasi-yi 
Miles today: 11.0

it rained some during the night but i kept dry...until i somehow willed myself out of the sleeping bag, theni got wetand stayed wet. as long as i kept moving, i was warm enough though. it was a lot of ups and downs with BLOOD MOUNTAIN (scary name) as the final climb, all of this while it was raining. i'm currently writing this journal in a lazyboy, no i'm not making this up. after blood mt. i hiked into the walasi-yi (don't ask em how to pronounce it cause i keep messing it up). from there i ran into margie who i met on 3-14 and we're sharing a cabin as the goose creek cabins. the guy who runs the show, Keith, is the best. he even does our laundry! i might not leave... so I'm warm and happy and we're going in to Blairsville for some food tonight. Things are great.
Date: 2003-03-18
From: walasi-yi 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.0

i'm sure the sun rose somewhere today, just not here. it rained...and then rained some more, and decided that it really enjoyed this so kept it up all day. I got out of neel's gap by 8:30 and made it to low gap shelter by 2pm, 10 miles away, not the best mileage, but i think the buffet from last night was still sitting in my stomach. My general goal at this point is to do double-digit days from now on. tomorrow, i'm hoping to do 15 miles, but we'll see. i spent a lot of the day hiking near/with cool foot but he decided to keep hiking beyond low gap.met a bunch of people who started onthe 16th:will from englandskeemersome french guy who's name i haven't gotmule and chairmanltspunkysome other peoplei forgot to put something in my journal for sunday, so here it is:the trail went up blood mt and i was hiking with cool foot, erin, and T(he's out for a couple days). T has recently gotten a divorce and deicded to climb blood mt and shoot off a fire rocket from the summit--what's the catch, you ask? his old wedding ring was attached to it (with bubble gum). goooooo symbolism!!! T rocks.song stuck in head: back in novembersinging in the rainraindrops keep falling on my head
Date: 2003-03-19
To: Tray Mt Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

it's been raining since sunday. it's getting old...and cold. since the best way to stay warm is to keep moving, i decided o do 15 miles today. hiked a bit with skeemer but we separated by blue mt shelter. when i finally made it to tray mt shelter i was soaking and chilled. the place was full but the saints there managed to sqeeze me in and that really helped. later i found out that i was hiking through a tornado watch. neat! i got to meet lt, e-dog, drifter, cool foot again, and thorn, fubar, and sleeping beauty. it rained all night. all of my stuff is wet :-(
Date: 2003-03-20
From: Tray Mt Shelter

To: Hiawasee
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

when i woke up this morning i expected it to be raining still. lo and behold, it still was! i had to get into hiawasee to resupply and i wasn't planning on staying a night there but everything i've got is wet-it hasn't been a very forgiving first 5 days...i didn't want to hitch-hike alone first time so i ganged up with fubar, sleeing beauty, and thorn since that's where they were headed too. so now i'm typing this in a 24-hour laundromat with fubar. the clothes are almost dry, first time in a couple days. it's suppose to clear up by tomorrow... other than the weather though, i'm doing great and just have one blister on my left heal. feeling good, just miss the sun.
Date: 2003-03-21
From: Hiawasee

To: Sassafras gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

mileage: 11i keep forgetting it's friday. but i do know it's the first day of spring and what a day it's bee too. after realizing i forgot my thru-hiker handbook at the laundromat lastnight and luckily finding it, we hitched back to the trail by 9:30. the weather was beautiful and easily made up for the past few wet days. even the bugs thought so, but i'll take the bugs over being cold and wet any day. we ran into l.t., e-dog, digger, radio shack, and just do it. today was a first of 14...i crossed my first state boarder! no more rainy georgia for me, i'm set for north carolina! (they apparently have better weather here). it was an 11 mile day and we're camping at sassafras gap, just 1 mile short of muskrat shelter (no reason to use the shelters if rain is unlikley). it is sooooooo windy here but we're probably in the most sheltered spot around. i'm thinking about doing a 16-17 mile day tomorrow, which means leaving fubar, thorn, and sleeping beauty since they get up kinda late. we'll see. i have heard we're officially at war now. it seems so abstract, so unreal out here. i'm not sure what to make of it...it's easier for me to associate with the thousand of trees that i pass everyday than to conceptualize of the violence and destuction happening on the other side of the world. on that note, i've really been focusing on how trees are growing around me. it amazing where they can take root and STILL surive--talk about adaptability!
Date: 2003-03-22
From: Sassafras gap

To: Carter Gap
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

last night was definitely the coldest yet. my water didn't freeze but i bet it was 35*, and windy. but what a sunrise! we were camped on a gap and had the full effect of the sun early on. i was ready to hike by 7:30 but everyone but lt were still packing up. fubar had a bit of a cold and wasn't planning on a long day anyway so we exchanged emails since i don't know when i'll see them again. i was planning on hiking ~15 miles today but met digger, tripod, and red cloud and we hiked together today for 13 miles and we're on the same schedule until I resupply in franklin. they're great guys (even though none of them have read LOTR, we do share some favorite authors). we're sheltering at carter gap. we got here at 2pm and were tempted to keep hiking, but I'm ahead of schedule and it's SUCH a beautiful day--i'm typing this in the sunshine :-)skeemer pulled in a bit ago and i talked him into staying here tonight--so now he thinks i'm trying to hold him back so i can beat him to katadin...silly skeemer (maybe if i superglue his tent door that will slow him down...hmm)
Date: 2003-03-23
From: Carter Gap

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

i love north carolina! besides .2 miles that were straight up, this day rocked my world. i'm going to go into franklin to resupply with tripod, digger, and red cloud but they're late risers so i told them i'd met them at rock gap shelter, 13 miles away. it was mainly ridge walking and i got to the shelter by 1pm, woohoo! franklin is only 3 miles away but i don't want to spend a night there with no time to do town chores. i might stay there tomorrow night with the guys if we can find a cheap hotel. i don't want to go too fast right now anyway because i have a whole week to get to fontana damn to meet my parents and my little sister for a couple days, which i am really looking forward to. skeemer and i leap frogged each other a couple times and each time i caught up with him, he said something like "did you cheat and take a short cut?" we're having fun with this little game/race (or at least i am). i hiked some with driver and mule (father and son, the son carries a lot of the equipment, hence the trail names). mule is thru-hiking and driver is walking with him until easter. they're great company. lots of laughs always.i just had my first taste of trail magic too! a guy that goes by butch cassidy brought fruit and other food up to rock gap shelter for any thru-hikers. apples are a prime commodity out here. yum. thanks butch!so while i'm sitting here in the sun i'm going to share a hiking secret. granted this is a generalization, but other hikers have mentioned this too: we're obsessed with our calf muscles. i'm serious. as we're hiking uphill, about 1/3 of the time i'm glancing at my calf muscles flexing and building with each day. i should have taken a picture of my legs before i started and then another when i'm doing :-) well, there are worse obsessions, right... RIGHT? hey, john just pulled into the shelter. he was the one i was hiking with along with his friend jim and his son aiden. neat! he camped with fubar, thorm and sb last night--i might see them again soon if they're not too far behind. on that note i'll say that i prefer to hike along during the day but love camping at or near shelters for the social aspect. the people i'm meeting out here are wonderful.