morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-28
From: Pleasant River Campsite 630

To: East Branch Lean-to 1,240
Miles today: 16.3

We got an early start today at 8:00! This morning was cold, about 50 degrees with clear skies for the most part. That changed of course. Maine weather has a way of doing that. Most of the day was cloudy and cold. I actually hiked in long sleeves for most of the day.The first five miles was really easy today. The next seven miles involved climbing four mountains, but that was easy too. There weren't really any descents, I just kept going up, then descended the last mountain to the shelter. Then we hiked another really easy 3.6 to the shelter where we camped. Easy day, but my feet felt every rock and root it seemed. I am tenting with Homerun, Detective Friday, and a bunch of people from Colby college who are here for freshman orientation. In the shelter are Damp Dan, Spike and Hopper, and Jollies who we just met today. He started May 20th. Amazing. He carries a weather radio. Even more amazing. In less than 70 miles I will summit Katahdin. This journey is almost over and I will begin another. I can't wait. I realized a few days ago that my thinking skills seem to have diminished out here. For the last five months I have had to concentrate on nothing but food, shelter, water, and I've had to do some simple math that I seem to frequently mess up, so I do a lot of rechecking. Problem solving has been limited to some scheduling dilemas and how to best climb a rock or descend a rock. I haven't even had to do that lately! I don't even have to think about what to wear. I've worn the same shirt every day since Hot Springs, NC. I wonder if I can even think fast enough to drive a car when I get finished. Sometimes I think life would be so much simpler with running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, and fewer zippers. Now I'm not so sure. My life has been REALLY simple these past five months because I only have to worry about the basic necessities. I'm looking forward to a few complications though.Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-08-30
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to 700

To: White House Landing 520
Miles today: 2.4

Woke up at 6:40, didn't eat breakfast, hit the trail by 7:15 to get to White House Landing and food! My feet were killing me, but I made it to the landing in good time. Homerun was behind me, but he took the wrong road to get to the landing and ended up walking two extra miles. I felt bad because I hadn't waited for him this morning and didn't realize his book had the wrong directions. He made it to the landing though and we rode over in the boat with Detective Friday and Damp Dan.White House Landing is the perfect last stop to relax and spend any money you have left over! This place is amazing. It is on a lake and has a beautiful view. There is a huge hiker bunkhouse, private rooms in cottages, hot shower, a washtub and ringer for laundry, and a dining room and small camp store with limited supplies. When we got here, we relaxed for a while and I took a shower before lunch. For lunch I had two Mt. Dews and a 3/4 pound cheeseburger. This is the biggest burger I have ever seen and is the biggest on the trail. I ate it all and it was good! For dessert I had a pint of Ben & Jerry's and I wasn't miserable. Scary. After lunch I sat around talking to Suds for a long time about Evergreen University in Washington and we talked a lot about what we had learned about ourselves on the trail. I was really glad to have the company of another female. I did laundry in the washtub outside and before I knew it it was time for dinner! I had two slices of pizza, two Mt. Dews, and bought a whoopie pie to take on the trail with me tomorrow. After dinner I went for a canoe ride with Dharma Bum and Homerun. The lake was so peaceful. I was the designated moose hunter, but we didn't see any. This place is so beautiful. It is a great last hoorah and I am glad I stopped here. So are my feet.Three more days. Forty-six miles. I can hardly believe it. I am overjoyed. I am sad. I am relieved. I am lost. I am searching. I am found. I am in awe.Goodnight Oscar. Soon, little buddy, soon.
Date: 2003-08-31
From: White House Landing

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 0.0

Maine in summertime. I now see the attraction. I never understood it before, but four of us could not bring ourselves to leave this place today. I got up at 6:20, packed up, went to breakfast at 8:00, and after breakfast my train got completely derailed. I sat at a picnic table with Dharma Bum, Suds, and Homerun and we decided to stay another day. We had even already paid our bills and I had used Friday's cell phone to call my ride to confirm my summit on the 2nd. I called him back and changed it to the 3rd. I had done all my "chores" yesterday, so today we laid around and did nothing. We talked, read magazines, ate, drank sodas, and I laid in the hammock this afternoon watching the sun set. That is when I truly understood why people spend summers in Maine. This place is beautiful. I was completely relaxed. I would come back here, even if I had to hike it.So plans change. I will summit on the 3rd. The next two days will be 20 miles plus, but easy 20 miles. I have not yet seen my final destination from any mountain top, but tomorrow could be the day. No more derailments. I heard today that Sweet Ass and Booble summited on the 27th. I am so happy for them I can't stand it. I am proud of both of you and can't wait to hear about your final day on the AT. You are both AWESOME!Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-09-01
From: White House Landing 520

To: Rainbow Springs Campsite 1,120 
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up early this morning at 6:00 because we were being taken to the trail by 7:00, before breakfast. We wanted to get an early start on our 20 mile day. Dharma Bum, Suds, Homerun, and myself were all in front of the lodge by 7:00, we paid our tabs, got more sodas, and then we were in the boat to be taken to the trail. We started hiking at 7:40. Today's hike gave me my first glimpse of Katahdin. It was magnificent. Footslogger was at the viewpoint. I had not seen her since the Whites. She left the rest of her group behind. The view of Katahdin didn't cause quite the reaction I thought it would, but I had a hard time turning away. The hiking was easy today, really flat, and we made good time. We got to the campsite around 5:40, set up our tents, had dinner, and went to bed. I slept great last night at the hostel, but the last 10 miles today made me tired for some reason. We saw another moose today. This one was huge and had a huge rack. He was right on the trail and when he heard us he walked into the woods and made no more noise than a squirrel. This was quite a sight to see.Only two more days of hiking, one more night of camping. It is raining right now. Hope it stops before morning. I have had dry feet all the way through Maine!Goodnight Oscar.
Date: 2003-09-04
To: Have you ever...
Miles today: 0.0

HAVE YOU EVER...stood on top of a mountain surrounded by clouds so thick you couldn't see your feet?walked through the forest in the rain?seen a bear or a moose in the wild with no fence to protect you?found a cooler of sodas and candy bars in the woods on a hot day?hiked through thunder and lightening?forded a river?sat on top of a mountain eating wild blueberries on a sunny day?eaten ANYTHING you want for five months and still lost weight?met a new person almost every day for five months?walked through the clouds?gone nine days with no shower and not cared?climbed the same mountain for three hours?had your breath taken away by the wind and the view at the top of a mountain?stood in a valley dreading the climb?eaten wild blackberries?drank straight from a spring coming out of the rocks?laughed until you spewed your drink out your nose?slept in a tent when it rained all night?stood at the top of a mountain and heard nothing?changed your plans because something more fun came along?been homesick?taken a risk?turned a dream into a goal and achieved it? I have.
Date: 2003-09-19
To: In my mind's eye
Miles today: 0.0

I have been finished now for fifteen days and have had some thoughts I just wanted to record and share. First, I want to let everyone know that soon I will have more pictures to add to my entries so check back if you would like to see more. I have realized something in these last two weeks that makes me truly happy that I took on this challenge and took this journey. I didn't begin this journey because I thought it would be a particularly spiritual experience, nor did I consider myself a very spiritual person. But as I walked on this trail I experience negative and positive emotions and experiences. These experiences and emotions shaped my AT journey and I could not prevent my journey from being spiritual. I don't think I necessarily changed as a person, I just think I got to know myself a lot better. I don't care to go into specifics about that right now, but I know myself much better than I did before I took that first step on the AT. To walk this trail and not have a spiritual awakening within yourself is virtually impossible I believe. I spoke to Homerun yesterday on the phone. We both have certain difficulties in adapting to the real world we are living in now. I have responsibilities I did not have on the trail. I am experiencing a "low grade anxiety" as Homerun put it and it is pervasive, but doesn't seem to affect my decisions I make every day. Noise is overwhelming sometimes, but I enjoy being around a lot of people and music and activity. I have always enjoyed those things, but my ability to concentrate is challenged with so much going on around me. In my mind's eye, I look back at my experiences on the trail and I see only good. I remember clearly all the rain, the cold, the damp, the views I missed, the pain in my feet, the smell of my feet, but when I think of specific memories, I see the good things. I see myself getting a great tentsite, or meeting someone great, or eating great food, and most of all, laughing. I think all the time of things that made me laugh and they still do. Things that frustrated me, made me angry, or made me scared don't come to mind. Because of this I know I left the trail with a different view than my mind's eye would have seen before I started.
Date: 2002-10-07
To: pre-hike
Miles today: 0.0

I am actually nervous while writing this journal entry. This entry makes my trip seem so much more real. I asked for my leave of absence from work on Friday, but I won't know for a few weeks if the Governing Board of my school district will grant my request or not. If not, I will quit my job. I can find another one easily enough, being a special education teacher. This hike will happen for me, summer of 2003. I am writing this entry as a novice backpacker. I have carried my pack one time, over relatively flat terrain for only two hours or so. That will change. I have the gear I need and I will work to gain experience so I will move out of this "novice" category before hitting Springer Mountain. I have dreamt of this trail for six years. It took that long for it to become a reality for me. I met David Brill, an author and freelance writer, during the summer of 1996 in Knoxville, TN at a writer's workshop at UT. He wrote a book called As Far As the Eye Can See, about his journey of the AT in 1979. I bought it and have dreamed of hiking the AT ever since. I am planning to arrive at Springer Mountain the first week of April and when I think of walking up to the trailhead, I get nervous, excited, and at times I can think of nothing else. The trail is with me wherever I go. It wakes me at night and sometimes makes sleep an impossibility. My gear list is almost complete. After I gain some experience, I will write a review of my gear in hopes of helping someone else plan their journey. Experience is something I will be working hard to obtain before I go. I have no desire to condition myself on the trail. That will be done beforehand. As I gain experience, I will keep you posted of my progress. Lastly, I need to thank my friends and family for their support and encouragement and their willingness to help me achieve this goal. Not one person has said to me, "Are you crazy?" Not one person has tried to discourage me. Not one person has said,"I will not help you." You have all helped me to believe this is possible. You have all helped me to turn my dream into a real goal. You will all help me accomplish my goal (especially if you send me cookies!) Debbie, I promise not to feed the bears! To all of my friends and family, I love you and thank you for supporting me, encouraging me, and loving me. I hope you will follow me while I am on my journey. More to come later.
Date: 2002-10-16
To: Douglas Springs Campground in Tucson
Miles today: 0.0

Today was interesting. I decided to go backpacking in the Rincon Mountains on the East side of Tucson. I had never done this before. My intention was to hike to the Douglas Springs Campground, which was 6 miles away, camp, then hike out the next day. For those of you reading this who may not be familiar with Tucson weather, it was 87 degrees here today. This not unusual. Rain, of course, was of no concern.   Anyway, I packed my pack and I think it weighed about thirty pounds. I began hiking around 9:00 in the morning. At 12:15 I had still not reached the campground and hiking on this moderate trail was harder than I thought it would be. I wasn't sure how far from the campground I was, but I looked around in the distance for the port-a-john and couldn't see anything. So I decided to stop and eat. While I was eating, I started thinking about all the mountail lion scat I had seen on the trail and beside it. While I was eating, I noticed I was surrounded by the stuff on the rocks I was sitting on. This started to freak me out! I decided not to stay in the Saguaro National Forest by myself, so I had to hike back down. I began hiking again at 1:00 and didn't reach the trailhead until 3:30. It was hot! I did get a ride to a gas station from a really nice man named Albert and his wife.   I called my ride from the gas station to once again come all the way to the southeast side to pick me up in rush hour. He had also dropped me off during rush hour. I was dirty, hot, and has salt all over my face. Overall, I learned a lot about hiking and backpacking, even though I didn't camp. I learned I am afraid of mountain lions. I learned Light hiking socks are not good for more than 5 miles. I learned that the Platypus Hiker is an awesome way to carry water on top of my pack. I learned that my legs are strong and the running I have done helped me to get as far as I did. I hiked about 10 miles. This is the longest hike I've ever done, all with a 30 pound pack and no shade from the sun. I saw some amazing creatures in these mountains, fortunately, none of them were in the cat family! I saw a bright orange centipede (the most poisonous kind I believe)looking for shade. He was beautiful. I had only seen them in captivity before. I also saw a strange beetle that looked like he was covered in bright blue velvet, about two centimeters long. I saw lots of black grasshoppers that were bright red underneath when they flew, and they flew a lot! One particularly large one hit me in the eye. I also saw a bright green grasshopper that was about three inches long with a bright yellow and orange "V" on his head. He was so large, he couldn't hop very far and did flips in the air. Also a beautiful creature. This was a good day and good expereince. I believe the AT will pose a physical and mental challenge for me, but I am up for it. I experienced heat today, but no humidity. I think that will be one of my biggest challenges. I will have to get used to humidity again. I look forward to it.
Date: 2002-10-25
To: Seven Falls in Tucson
Miles today: 0.0

I started with a full pack today, using Leki poles for the first time. I decided to do another practice run with my pack. The hike to Seven Falls was beautiful and well worth it. The falls actually had water and the pools were cool and felt great on my feet when I was wading. I had no difficulty with my pack, but the poles drove me crazy! Click-clack over and over and they would get hung on tall grass. I think I would actually have gone faster without them. Anyway, I'm using them again tomorrow on a different route. They did help on the downhill. I enjoyed this hike tremendously, I enjoyed being alone, and I met some really cool people when I stopped at the falls to eat and rest. This hike was fairly easy, not a lot of elevation gain or loss, and beautiful weather of course. I was encouraged because I had a full pack and hiked the 4 miles in and back out with no problem. No blisters this time! We'll see how things go tomorrow! Can't wait to hike to Hutch's Pool which has a great reputation here in Tucson as being a little oasis in the desert.
Date: 2002-10-26
To: Hutch's Pool in Tucson
Miles today: 0.0

Hutch's Pool certainly lived up to its reputation. It was cool and clear, the water was flowing, and the little beach made it a true oasis. I hiked in with my friend Laurie and two guys we didn't know. They are members of a local hiking club and found out about our hike through a listserve and decided to join us. One of them camped with us that night. Steve and Will were funny and interesting and I was so glad they joined us. The four miles in to Hutch's Pool were easier than I thought they would be and the elevation gain at the beginning of the hike was much easier than we all anticipated. To get to the trailhead, you can either hike 4 miles through lower Sabino Canyon or you can take a tram ride. We rode the tram. The hike into the canyon gave us amazing views of the desert and Steve was very knowledgeable of desert plants. He told us about the manzanita tree, which has a beautiful glossy red bark. It is very unforgiving when you try to push your way past it on the trail though. This is where those Leki poles came in very handy! We also experienced a lot of catsclaw in the last two miles of the trail. For those of you unfamiliar with the Sonoran Desert, everything has thorns on it! Everything! Some are worse than others about leaving their mark, and catsclaw can be pretty bad. I didn't get any permanent scars though. Saw some interesting bugs and grasshoppers. I got a great picture of a grasshopper which I will download later.Carrying my pack was easy, but so was the trail. I did use my MSR Pocket Rocket stove for the first time. Worked great and took about 3 seconds to put together. I also used my raingear from Marmot for the first time! It rained a little at night, but on Sunday morning we had a pretty good thunderstorm and had to pack up in the rain. My gear worked great, kept me fairly warm with long sleeves underneath, kept me dry, and it breathes! I was glad to get caught in the rain so I could test my tent and my rain jacket and pants. I may not see rain again until I get on the AT. I am reconsidering my tent. I think I would prefer a dome shape where I have more headroom to change clothes, etc. I also didn't stake the rainfly. I just clipped it to the tent and anywhere the rainfly touched the tent, it got a little wet, but I stayed dry and warm and so did my gear. These trips are teaching me a lot. I learned I need a headlamp, so I bought one. There is a lot to be said for hands-free lighting. I learned I want more headroom in my tent. It was a cold night, in the 30's, but my sleeping bag is awesome! I didn't need socks or long johns to stay warm. I am not really worried about gear or my physical stamina. My biggest concern at this point is making sure I get my maildrop list to lots of people so they can send words of encouragement and cookies! I am looking forward to going to Hutch's Pool again in two weeks, with different people this time.
Date: 2002-11-09
To: Hutch's Pool
Miles today: 0.0

Went back to Hutch's Pool this weekend, but took the long route. I did a total of 8 miles in and 8 miles back out the next day. This is a great hike through Sabino Canyon, but a little precarious in spots. Not much room for mistakes in footing along some parts of the trail. I saw three mule deer, but didn't have my camera with me. I also enjoyed this hike a lot more because I didn't have the Leki treking poles click-clacking in the background. They drove me nuts! I think I will stick to my walking stick. I didn't get rained on this time, but I wish I would have so I could see how my new tent holds up in the rain. My new tent is from REI and has a dome shape with a lot more room than my Sierra Designs. Also has a bathtub bottom which I like. None of the seams actually rest on the ground. The rainfly helped a lot towards keeping us warm. I am really starting to question my choice of packs. I bought an Osprey Luna 90 last March and find it very comfortable and it fits my body really well. However, it weighs over 7 pounds! I've been reading about lighter packs that weigh around 3 pounds and am very tempted to try one. I'm looking at the Ultralight Adventure Equipment P-2. You can customize it with over a dozen options if you want (which I don't)and it will still weigh just over 3 pounds and carries loads up to 35 pounds. I'll let you know what I decide. I'm afraid I am turning into a gear head! I tried to download some of my great pictures I've taken of desert, but they take up too much space on this website. I'm not sure what to do, but I do need a smaller, more lightweight camera. I think pictures can add a lot to a journal, so I will definitely research this. Happy Trails!-Mary
Date: 2002-11-23
To: Santa Theresa Wilderness, AZ
Miles today: 0.0

Drove to Safford, AZ today to get in some practice miles in the Santa Theresa Wilderness. I went with Steve who is a handy guy to know! I didn't even know the Santa Theresa Wilderness existed. We explored the area in his SUV to see what forest roads were open, then hiked for about three hours or so. The elevation gain kicked my butt, but not as badly as I thought it would. That was encouraging. Enjoyed the hike and the views tremendously. If I ever figure out what I'm doing wrong, I will fix it and get some pictures into this journal!Let's talk about insects. There are very few of these in AZ, but the ones we do have are huge! On this hike, I saw two insects - a fly and a grasshopper. The fly was the size of my thumbnail (see what I mean about huge?) and the grasshopper was about three inches long and beautiful. I killed the fly since I'm sure there are plenty more somewhere else, and left the grasshopper alone after many failed attempts at a picture. When I get on the AT, insects will definitely be a challenge. I am armed with a headnet and insect repellant. I am still considering garlic and how that may affect my ability to hang on to a hiking partner.One person in my guestbook asked about my leave of absence from teaching. It was granted on Nov. 12th and my principal and special education facilitator are very supportive. I was worried because my request for leave fit under the category of "study and travel." This is also interpreted as "extended vacation" which is why I was worried. However, to Mark in my guestbook, I encourage you to include other people in your school district in your adventure. Other teachers are using my journal as a teaching tool and I think this helped get my leave approved.Bought a new tent from REI. It's a dome shape. I'm trying it out this weekend at Turkey Hot Springs (how appropriate for Thanksgiving)in New Mexico and will write a review later. It is supposed to be in the 40's for the high and it might rain. Should be great practice for my gear. So far, I've used the tent once and like the roominess without the weight. Plenty of headroom if I want to write in my journal, change clothes, etc. Question: Why do my hiking shoes smell so bad when none of my other shoes do? Could this also affect my ability to hang on to a hiking partner?Happy trekking,Mary