morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-03-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Ok, poem first. I found this one while clearing through some papers preparing to move out of my apartment in a few days."Lost" by David WagonerStand still. The trees ahead and bushes behind youare not lost. Wherever you are in called Here,and you must treat it as a powerful stranger,must ask permission to know it and be known.The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,I have made this place around you.If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.No two trees are the same to Raven.No two braches are the same to Wren.If what a tree or bush does is lost on you,you are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knowswhere you are. You must let it find you. Now for what I learned gear shopping:In mid-January when I committed to a thru-hike, I faced the fairly large task of equipping myself for a 2000+ mile journey by early April. Most of my gear I had to update or get from nothing. Some of this was a 40 year update because I had been getting by using some of my parents' gear up to this point. 1) Do not succumb to the temptation of cheap prices on Sierra Trading Post! As my sage godmother Linda told me, I will always remember this trip but I will not remember how much money I spent. I wouldn't want to spend my money on anything else anyway. One of my first purchases was a 20 degree sleeping bag...on Sierra Trading Post. It was a fine bag, but I kept thinking about how much it weighed (2 lbs 7 oz) and researching other, better bags. I finally just sold the thing on Craigslist, even though I lost money on the deal, and got myself the one I wanted. It ended up being far better for me to actually go to an outfitter, get into sleeping bags and tents and try on even small things like hats and gloves even if it meant a higher price tag.2) My thoughts quickly changed from "this thing that I've had for 10 years will work just fine" to "nope, not going to cut it" (too heavy, doesn't really work well anymore, etc) 3) It does pay to do a little research online and get a variety of opinions from people who have completed long-distance hikes. Of course, those are all just opinions. Hike your own hike!4) There is plenty of opportunity to adjust. For example, if I decide once I have some miles completed I'd rather have 4 oz off my pack than a roomier tent then, thanks to REI's awesome return policy, I can get the one person version of my tent fairly easily. 5) Whiteblaze.com can be good to answer very specific questions but there are so many different personal preferences out there that trolling the forums just gave me a headache. 6) Take the stuff out for a test (or two).Thanks to family and friends who have sent me contributions! So grateful. Thanks to the staff at Great Outdoor Provision Company in Charlottesville, Rockfish Gap Outfitters in Waynesboro, REI in Richmond, and Michelle at Crozet Running for getting me set up!
Date: 2015-03-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is my 29th birthday! There is nothing I'd rather be doing this year than hiking The Trail. I got a lovely massage this morning. Hoping everyone already out there is staying warm with the cold front this weekend. A special shout out to Denny and Becky, a Virginia couple I met at a screening of Kori "Rocket" Feener's documentary Hard Way Home, who are hiking the AT this year for their 50th wedding anniversary and started March 18.Gratitudes:* My mom for being my primary logistical support person during my trip, driving with me to Georgia and taking my car back, storing my worldly possessions, helping move furniture out of my apartment, taking care of my cat, buying me a tent, and for loving and supporting me my whole life.* Jill for igniting the smoldering fire of my AT dream.* My godparents Shawn and Linda-- for everything!* Family and friends who sent cards, gifts, and b-day messages: Naomi, Mary Helen & Harry, Sara & Claude, Carol, Baxter & Mary Beth, Maria, John & Janet, Holly, Aram & Ellen, Diana, Judy. * My mom's partner Charles for helping move furniture out of my apartment.* Family friends Frank & Cindy and my friend Carter who are meeting me on the trail during my first month.* Local ATC clubs who maintain and protect the trail.* Those who have hiked many miles on the AT and talked to me about their experience: Jill, Drew, Pepper, Keith, Sherri, Rich, Matt, Lauralee, Kori, and the bartender at Whole Foods whose name I can't remember.* St. Mark's Lutheran and the Charlottesville Women's Choir for sending resupply boxes. * Leslie for my trail haircut. * Annie, Candy, Pat, Mara, and Kathryn. 8 days left until departure for Georgia! Yay! I'm as prepared as I'm ever going to be. Gear list coming soon.
Date: 2015-04-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I've arrived at the Hiker Hostel near Dahlonega, GA from Harrisonburg, VA and ready to start the Big Hike tomorrow! It was a beautiful drive, especially the views on highway 26 from Johnson City, TN to Asheville, NC. Hello big mountains! I'm looking forward to seeing all this again at 2-3 mph instead of 55-75 mph. During the drive, I started feeling the immensity of what I am setting out to do. But all I have to do tomorrow is hike the 8 miles to the first shelter. Forecast for the week is lots of clouds with a 30-70 % chance of showers and thunderstorms each day, day temps in the 70s and nights in the 50s. Thanks to my mom for a great dinner and dessert at the Bourbon Grill in Dahlonega. The creole pasta with shrimp and chocolate strawberry beignet (see all my photos for today) were exactly what I wanted-- I am remembering these!Thanks everyone for your support and prayers!! Here goes!!!!! This is my last journal that will say "preparation", now they will say "trail"! Look for my next update from Neil's Gap at about mile 30 at Mountain Crossings outfitter and hostel!
Date: 2015-04-15
From: Neels's Gap

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 37.9

I have detoured to South Carolina to spend a night at the home of old family friends Frank and Cindy, taking a "Nero" where I hike a small number of miles and use the rest of the day to rest and get ready for the next section. I still need to repackage food and am getting tired, so this is a short entry again. Hopefully once I get more into the routine of rest/resupply days I'll have more time to post. Photos from day 1 are posted. I got trail named! They now call me Cheerio.
Date: 2015-04-20
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 36.4
Weather: light rain

Today is day 14 of my thru-hike and my first zero-mile day. I got a haircut, had a great fresh sandwhich, rested, and enjoyed the day in Franklin, NC. Looks like the weather will be fairer for my first few days back on the trail. More than 100 miles completed now!I picked up a book of poetry by Georgia author Suzanne Kristin at Mountain Crossings outfitter and hostel at Neels Gap. Here's a good one:goin' downI'm goin' downso far downI smell like dirtarrows pointing downbecome arrows pointing upwhen you rotate the pageI need to be rotated
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Rock Gap

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 31.3

I am eating a breakfast of sweet potatoe pancakes, eggs, and bacon at River's End restaurant at the Nantahala Outdoor Center where I cruised in yesterday in the early afternoon after a walk down the mountain back into spring. What North Carolina doesn't have yet in wild flowers because of the general higher elevation it makes up for in views! I have a 6 mile climb ahead of me today by the smallest measurement-- go go sweet potato pancakes! There is such a feeling of comraderie among hikers-- I got two pieces of pizza from Low Branch, some French fries from Patches, and a pale ale from Hero yesterday! When I've had extra, I have given it to others. Small talk now consists of "Are you going to Maine?", "Where did you sleep last night?" and "Where are you going today?" I generally try to keep two or three different end destinations in mind for the day and see what happens.   Thanks to the Chatlottesville Womens Choir for the chow that I picked up yesterday!
Date: 2015-05-04
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 100.0

I had a great time in the Smokies and am now on the North side. I arrived at Standing Bear hostel yesterday and am headed out today toward my next destination of Hot Springs, NC about 30 miles away.   In my opinion, Standing Bear is a must-stop for hikers-- super chill and they have everything here a hiker could need. My trip through the Smokies included a black bear, a rattle snake, a scarlet tanenger, fields and fields of tiny white flowers, some of the best views of the trip so far (loved Charlie's Bunion!), and a great visit and resupply delivery from my friend Carter (thank you for hiking 8 miles with me and for the great food!). Thursday I was at Clingman's Dome, the highest peak on the AT, and yes it started wintery mixing complete with hail. By the time I got to the next shelter, there was snow/ice definitely coming out of the sky. And by a Friday morning the ground was covered. The trail wasn't impacted much though but it sure was cold! The snow was quite beautiful on the evergreen trees. Yesterday it felt like about 80 degrees in the direct sun!
Date: 2015-05-07
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 33.0

I arrived yesterday to Hot Springs, NC and stayed the night at the beautiful Laughing Heart Hostel after lunch at the Spring Creek Tavern. Hot Springs is the first town where the trail goes straight down Main Street, so hikers can get stuck here for quite a while. There was a 3 night limit at Laughing Heart. I thought I might get on the trail again this afternoon but the weather made up my mind against that. It's currently thunderstorming, but my pack and I are dry inside of the Hot Springs public library where there's even a free computer I can use without a library card! And there aren't even any other hikers here! This is the first time I've been sitting at a computer in a month (my other updates have been from my phone) and it feels strange. The descent into town was beautiful and I saw my first mountain laurel blooms of the year. My bear count is now up to 4-- I saw a momma and two cubs ambling along down the slope from me in the other direction not a quarter mile past my last stop at Standing Bear Farm. They didn't pay me any mind.I put up some pictures from a while back between Franlkin, NC and the Natahala Outdoor Center plus ones from the last section.The AT has its own culture. Frequent topics of conversation are gear, the weather, how many miles you're averaging, what you're eating and what you'd like to be eating, various ailments, the things you're seeing during the day's hike (wildlife, plants, etc.), and other hikers (word gets around fast). Rain gear has never been sexier. I seriously had a guy tell me near the end of week 2 when it rained a LOT that I looked good in my rain gear.   My rain gear is The Packa (an all-in-one pack cover, jacket, and poncho-- www.thepacka.com), and while it is a great piece of outdoor clothing it is not meant to be flattering. The AT even has its own economy where things are generally cheaper than they would be for a non-thru-hiker and people just give you trail magic (food!) because you're attempting to hike more than 2000 miles in a year. Thanks trail angels!!Here's another few lines of poetry from Suzanne Kristin, the Georgia poet whose book Thin Places I picked up at Mountain Crossings outfitter and hostel 30 miles in and have still been carrying because I haven't absorbed it all yet. Poetry is great trail reading."I imagine Godas the center of a tumbleweedgathering energy along the waylike the center of the cosmosthe axis of creation"
Date: 2015-05-14
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 68.0

I am ready to get back on the trail tomorrow with Damascus, VA as my next destination. I've stayed 3 nights at Cantarroso Farms-- Mike and Peggy's gorgeous house right on the Nolichuky River. "When I grow up" I want a house like this. The reason for my extended stay is that my original shoes were not going to get me any further than Erwin. My toes were feeling closer to the end of the shoe even on the descent into Hot Springs and the shoes were showing some major signs of wear. There is nowhere in Erwin that sells hiking footwear, so Peggy took me to Mahoney's outfitters in Johnson City (about 15 miles away) where I tried on almost every shoe and boot in the store before settling on the Asolo Mesita, a light and waterproof hiking boot with a natural movement. While I'm glad experimented with trail runners and I was aware that if they made it 500 miles that would be doing very well, I think more durable and supportive footwear will be the better choice. Today I tested the shoes while "slackpacking" (just carrying a day pack and being shuttled back to Cantarroso Farm for the night after walking about 12 miles North from Erwin on the AT) and they passed that test. The two treats of the day were borrowing Peggy's son's dog Kira as my companion for the slack pack and seeing the first rhododendron in bloom of my thru-hike. Up til today, I've been hiking in my long sleeved base layer, but it's getting to hot for that now, so I'm switching to a merino T-shirt. That means I get to wear a new shirt after wearing the same one for a month! Many hikers that started around the same time as I did got rides to Damascus for Trail Days, the "hiker Woodstock" that is the biggest Appalachian Trail related festival. It sounds like a lot of crowds and drinking, so I was not tempted to go. Some hikers wiill return to Erwin to pick up walking where they left off and some will decide they've had enough. I only saw one other hiker today and I'll be interested to see who's still out this week on the Road to Damascus.
Date: 2015-05-18
From: Erwin, TN

To: Highway 19E
Miles today: 51.0

Stopped in to Mountain Harbor Hostel for a shower, lunch, and to add a little bit of food to my pack to get me to Damascus.   Roan Highlands was my favorite section so far despite my digestive system still not being acclimated to trail life. If I were to do a weekend backpack in the first 400 miles of the trail, Roan Highlands would be at the top of my list. The biodiversity was amazing and at 6200 feet or so the conifer forests made a subalpine ecosystem typically found much further North.   The views were unparalleled! Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Hump Mountain all in about 10 miles made me walk around with my mouth hanging open. I saw fewer than 5 thru-hikers but the weekend warriors were out in full force. Once I reached the highway today though, I've seen a lot of familiar faces back from trail days and got word of others who got rides back to where they stopped walking. Even though it started raining, I'm headed back out this afternoon. Happy trails! I'll post pictures from this last section once I reach my home state of Virginia! Thanks for all your comments!
Date: 2015-05-25
From: Highway 19E

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 75.0

I crossed the TN/VA state line Saturday morning and am headed back out to the trail after my stay in Damascus, 3.5 miles into the great state of Virginia. In the next few days I'll be traveling the Mt Rogers/White Top area (the tallest mountains in VA over 5000 feet) and the Greyson Highlands state park where I've heard there are wild ponies. I am prepared with a carrot! The last 75 miles through TN after I descended from the Roan Highlands on the TN/NC border were similar to the trail and forest that I am familiar with in Central VA and Shenandoah National Park. I accidentally left my phone at my last stop at Mt Harbor Hostel, so I don't have any photos from the last section but rhododendron, mountain laurel, and azalea were abundant.   I am well rested and fed after visiting with family who were in town to bike the Virginia Creeper Trail. Thanks you!! Virginia can kick a lot of hikers off the trail with over 500 miles in this one state and the long part of long distance hiking really setting in, so having VA as my home state should be very helpful. From here, it is much more of a psychological challenge than a physical one. I am finally shipping home the book of poetry by Suzanne Kristin that I picked up at Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap back about mile 30 in Georgia. Here's one last excerpt:in this fragile state of beingmy shadow self precedes meletting her lengthen before meI fall behind and follow (...)I have become a discipleof my phantom friendI rest in the shelter of her shadewaiting for directionsA special thanks to the Baptist church in Mountain City, TN who left trail magic of cold sodas by TN 91. The Pepsi helped me so much more than just the calories!
Date: 2015-06-01
From: Damascus, VA

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 73.7

June 1st! My favorite month! The Trail is a master teacher on the subject of change. The forrest has changed from spring to summer and I'm headed back out to the trail this morning with my 40 degree summer sleeping bag and fewer clothes. The thru-hiker wardrobe really only consists of two outfits: hiking outfit and the precious always-dry camp outfit. My hiking outfit is now nylon running shorts, merino wool tshirt, my shell layer The Packa for rain, wind, and cold plus waterproof mitts, hiking boots, two lightweight wool socks and two nylon liner socks. My camp outfit hadn't changed all the much yet: merino wool leggings and long leaved shirt, fleece hat, mid weight wool socks, down jacket (maybe the down is a bit overkill now but I already sent my fleece home. I'll probably switch my camp insulation layer to the fleece when I get to my home AT in Shenandoah National Park). I'm sending home my 20 degree sleeping bag, convertible hiking pants, long sleeved hiking top, and liner gloves. Thanks Mom for being the best "mission control"!The Mt Rogers/Greyson Highlands section felt like the most open and expansive landscape yet and is on my growing list of sections to repeat. The Forrest Service maintains wild ponies to eat the grass and underbrush that would otherwise take over the open highlands. I saw about 20-30 ponies including a foal nursing its momma on the trail and another hiker even said that he witnessed a pony giving birth!   I also enjoyed a stay at the deluxe Partnership Shelter near the Mt Rogers Visitors Center complete with shower, sink, and pizza delivery! But the best part of the last week has been the Trail Magic. Trail Angel extraordinaire Murray Ziegenfuss (widow of '89 thru hiker Ziggy) picked me up in Atkins near the I-81 underpass and put me up in her home for 2 nights, fed me some rediculously good food (we're about to eat a quiche!) and took me to the grocery to resupply. Wow!!! Thanks also to the West End Methodist Church in Wytheville, VA for the fruit, soda, toilet paper, chips, even a new tooth brush left at an old one-room schoolhouse 3 miles south of Atkins.
Date: 2015-06-14
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 104.0
Weather: broken clouds

A poem approaching the summer solstice:"Wring Out My Clothes"- RumiSuch love doesthe sky now pour,that whenever I stand in a field,I have to wring out the lightwhen I gethome. Saturday was one of the craziest and best days on the trail: A steep and rocky (see photos) ascent and descent of Dragon's Tooth, word that my friend Aviator who thru-hiked in 2013 and sparked the smoldering fire of my AT dream was in the area for a weekend backpack, the hottest afternoon yet, a big fat raindrop storm, a reunion with friends Secret Squirrel and Sky that I hadn't seen since the first shelter North of the Nantahala Outdoor Center back at mile 140 or so, and the beyond words sunset at McAfee knob. 104 miles was too far to go without a food resupply, so I paid a visit to the Super-Valu in Newton, VA. While I was sitting outside drinking milk and eating a peach with some other hikers, Trail Angels descended and took us to their farm for lunch and showers! Thank you Pam, Susan, and Dave! (plus trial angel cats and dogs!) Now it's the end of a zero mile day spent visiting family in Roanoke. I am once again well-fed, showered, and rested and am back to the trail in the morning.
Date: 2015-06-22
From: Daleville, VA

To: US 60
Miles today: 78.6

I enjoyed a lovely stay at Three Springs Hostel near Buena Vista, VA and have just hear the words "breakfast in ready!" Back to the trail for 55 miles to Rockfish Gap where I'll regroup before entering Shenandoah National Park.The privies in the last section have been the best. Here's a poem for them:"Ode to a Composting Toilet"-- Sharon OldsAnd then, at the green inn, thereit was, the magic chamber¢in goesone thing, out comes another¢where what wemake is made into fertilizer,the hopper an enamel tank where the liquidsare separated from the solids, where the enzymesand vinegar, in the forest-greeninterior, do their unpaidlabor, and what can be used againsinks down to where it can be harvested,near-odorless. We do not thinkour shit smells good, but we do not thinkthe earth should be turned into a great cesspool to accommodate our desire to part from ouroffal as fast as possible.In this drying cabinet, shit happens,and then, over time, it alters its nature,its little busy toxins die,it turns to arable waste¢wasteno longer, waste not want not. As ina blood bank, but dirtier,soilier, the effluvium of the offspringof the earth mingles: fertilizer ofNew Hampshire, Kenya, New York, Boston¢Yankees shit, Red Sox shit,in excremental harmony;vegan shit, kosher shit,slow food, fast, vegetarian,fruititarian, even the sorrowfulwisps of anorexic shit,and Calvinist shit, and Kabbala shit,Halliburton employee shit,Orthodox shit, Puritan shit,lesbian shit, nympho virginpoet chick shit. Seas and riverslove the composting toilet, lakes andstreams sparkle its praises, and the smallcreatures of the pond and creekkeen for it¢dark green machinelike a porcelain throne, though its royal flushis inside it. Come sit on it, come beits queen or king..
Date: 2015-07-16
From: US 522

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 53.4
Weather: clear sky

I'm on the shuttle bus at Washington National Airport to my plane bound for Bangor, ME for the first leg of my trip to the northern terminus of th AT at Katahdin in Baxter State Park. My departure for Maine has gotten off smoother than my departure for Georgia (edit: spoke too soon, see the end of this entry). I'm stoked for Maine, way more than I would be for slogging through PA in July. Maine will begin with the 4188 feet of elevation change ascent and decent of Katahdin, shortly followed by the 100 Mile Wildnerness, the longest remote section of the trail. I plan to take advantage of a food drop service provided by the hostel where I'll be staying in Millinocket, ME to resupply myself about half way through (there are some logging roads that go in to the Wilderness but no easy way to a town). I've complete the "psychological first half" (about 70 miles South of the distance half way point in Southern PA) with my arrival in Harper's Ferry, WV and have finished out my home state! Thanks to my uncle Baxter for picking me up and lodging me for 2 nights as I prepared for the second half. Here's a poem by William Carlos Williams the best I can remember, Lord Google doesnt seem to work on this bus:I ate the plums that were in the icebox,So juicy and sweet.Forgive me, I knew you were saving them for breakfast.Sorry Uncle Baxter, you're missing a few yogurts from your fridge. I got hungry.Well they're sending the bus back to the terminal now (maintenance issues with the plane they said), so who knows how far I'll get tonight if the flight is delayed too much and I miss the next bus. The trail has taught me that plans always chance and any itinerary is merely a starting point!
Date: 2015-07-16
From: Washington National Airport

To: Millinocket, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Two posts in one day! My flight arrived in Bangor, ME with enough time to make it to the bus to Medway after all. In Medway I was met by the shuttle to the hostel in Millinocket. It's a 6:30 am shuttle to the base of Katahdin tomorrow! Must sleep. Hang tight for the report from the south of end of the 100 miles wilderness!