morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-26
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn,Hot Springs,NC
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: clear sky

The boy scouts played Hide and Seek until around 10:00 last night. I just put my handy dandy MP3 player in and fell asleep anyway. When I woke a little later all was quiet until one of the yelled out in his sleep,¢It's killing me,it's killing me!¢ I hear him through my ear plugs but all was quiet after that so I realized what had happened. It did scare me though with all the bear attacks. They were all laughing at him this morning about it. Guys are ruthless to each other at times. I headed on out knowing I wanted to get to Hot Springs and hopefully get a room for tonight. The hike was nice and cool and mostly downhill. I went to Elmer's Sunnybank Inn first as that is where I had shipped my extra food from Gatlinburg over a week ago. They had my box and a empty bed. Yay! I am sharing a great antiques room with a section hiker Mouse from England. The town had really died down considerably from the festival. I saw a few familiar faces e.g Hot Feet,Arky,Mad Chatter,Dartanian,Treebeard,Moleskin,Goat,Free,Ziggy to name a few. Most were hitting the trail today as they had been here a few by now. We hikers were invited to a free brunch at the Presbyterian Church. They had scrambled eggs,sausage,grits,bread pudding,coffee,milk and apple juice. How nice of them and I told them so. I finished eating and talking to the people of the church and the hikers and went to grab up my dirty clothes and go wash them. The laundry mat was a short walk from Elmers. Actually he is close to everything you need. I went to the Bluff Mt outfitter and bought some Big Sur bars. They are great. Packed with calories,fats and some proteins. They taste great too. They also have a computer they let thru-hikers use by sign in list. I had to get back to my washing clothes so I didn't get on the list now. Then I went to the Dollar Store to get a few things and I am all set for the next leg of the trip to Erwin,TN. It's weird I don't know which state I'm in. We have been going into NC then TN then NC and back into TN. We are hiking two states at a time. Cool I repacked my food and clean clothes in my pack and I am ready to go tomorrow. Then I went back to the Outfitters and used the computer. I did get some more pictures up. Again I have so many and these computers won't allow me the time needed to download them all. Phil,Horse's pic is in there. Slacker wish I could give you more. And I use the Pocket Rocket for my stove. I tried the can stoves and didn't like it. Thanks to all who sign my journal I appreciate it very much. If you add your email in the box I can easily respond back personally like I like to do. Sometimes it my take a day or two if I am on the trail though. This really does mean a lot to me guys.
Date: 2009-04-28
From: Hot Springs,NC

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I sat on the French Broad River bank drinking a Mountain Dew while I waited for Michael to come from Lebanon,Tn. I just can't believe I'm going home. It will be great to see my family though.I have missed them so much.I called my orthopaedic doctor and got an appointment to see him on Friday. I am so glad I got in this week. Michael shows up around 10:30 AM EST just before check-out time at the cabin. I had already taken my pack and all up to a picnic table beside the Hot Springs camp store to wait on him. I was really surprise he got here so early. He is so sweet and dependable!We went to the Smoky Mt Diner for a great breakfast. I drove home and man was it a weird feeling to be behind a wheel again. It is my left foot that hurts so it didn't bother me to drive. We talked a lot about my hike on the way home. And I am so hoping my foot will be okay so I can continue on in a few days. I think the Mobic and rest is helping some and all this just may be blown out of proportion but I have to know. I have really pushed myself in the past and suffered injury in the process. I can be pretty stubborn when it comes to doing what I want to do. And at times my health has taken a beating for it. But I am already talking about getting back on the trail and making it to Katahdin. I am glad I still have that driving force inside. There is still so much to see out there. So many people to meet and towns to discover. I have only just begun this journey of a lifetime. My spirit is better now. I'm no longer sad but optimistic that it will continue on. Even if I have to flip-flop(that's stopping at a certain point and going to the end of the hike and hiking back to where you stopped)I can do that too. It would be nice to continue on straight through though. I am just brainstorming as I tend to do, too much. HaYour responses have overwhelmed me. Thank you all so much for your prayers,concerns and encouraging words. You guys ROCK!
Date: 2009-05-01
From: Hot Springs,NC

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

One of the first things I did when I got home was to fill up my hot tub. Ahhhh I spent the last few days visiting with my family and going to my granddaughter's volleyball game.Yay! What fun. I also did some minor repairs to some of my gear. I mended my sleeping bag. Part of the seam on the zipper had come loose. I also washed everything and sprayed my clothes with permethrin spray that helps repel insects. My tent had a tear at one of the clips and I sewed it back in place on my sewing machine. I did a great job on it too. :p I went through all of my drop boxes. If you recall the only reason I had drop boxes in the first place was because of the maps. So I took all the maps out of the boxes and labeled them by number matching the number on the box they would need to go in. So if I decide I need a certain area of maps Michael can easily put them in the box and send them to me. I will probably keep the drop boxes on schedule as I have many useful items dispersed in each one. As you can see my mind is not set on giving up just yet. I am getting ready to hit the trail again. So finally my appointment for the doctor rolls around and here is the verdict. He said he could not rule out a stress fracture unless I had a MRI(which couldn't be done until next week). But he did not think it was a fracture and the xray he took didn't reveal one. He examined my foot and pushed on the exact part where my pain was coming from. Ouch!! His diagnoses is Synovitis( an inflammation of the membrane in a synovial joint) of the third and fourth metatarsal(foot bone). He recommended a steroid injection that has to be done under flouroscopy(special xray machine) but would have to be done next week also.Soooo,I (Nurse Trekkngirl) recommended a steroid dose pack along with the Mobic(which he said was a good anti inflammatory choice) and he agreed that just might work. I'm not trying to tell him what to do for me but my foot feels much better already and I think it will be okay after a few days of the medicinal treatment. Anyway I am ready to get back on the trail and take another shot at my quest. But not today because it sure is raining a lot.
Date: 2009-05-06
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Hemlock Hollow Hostel
Miles today: 5.3

I didn't sleep hardly at all last night. A very loud frog croaked all night long. It rained lightly all night. When I started hiking though my left foot started hurting again pretty bad. Not as bad as the first time but enough to cause a limp and that irritated my left knee. I decided to just get off the trail for good. I can't keep walking in pain. And I don't like being so wishy-washy about what I'm trying to accomplish. I went to Hemlock Hollow Hostel that is about five miles north of Spring Mt Shelter. This is the best place I have stayed at. Fred and Hattie were so accommodating.They make you feel like you belong here. They have everything a hiker needs. Also here,are hikers Just Larry,Panama Bill,10x10,Griz and 501 aka Bob McCaw(who now owns The Thru-Hikers Handbook)Cool!The plan is to get Fred to shuttle me back to Hot Springs where Michael will pick me up tomorrow. I hate this but you gotta do what you gotta do. Thank you all for following along. Sorry I can't complete my journey. You all have been a fun part of my 288 miles. Happy Trails to you all. And for the record my knees had a great journey.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Hemlock Hollow Hostel

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I have a new trailname. Just call me Wishy-Washy. Ha I got home two weeks ago opened my pool and filled my hot tub again. The plan was to forget the hike for this year and just chill out while resting my foot. But I needed to know if it was a stress fracture or not so I had the MRI done. And I don't have a hidden fracture. Yay! I do have Stress Induced Artheritis in my left foot though and again the doctor suggested the injection under fluoroscopy. Sooo I (Nurse Trekkngirl) listened to him this time. Duh! I had the procedure done yesterday. So far so good. As you can probably tell by this entry I may still be in the hiker game. I will give it a few days and see how it goes. I know I'm going to hurt out there when I am beating down on my feet like that but it will be a relief to know it's not a break. I don't know how far I'll go or how fast I'll get there,but I just have to see and do more than I have done. Hey,the third times the charm,yes? I've made a change with my pack though. I'll be carrying my older Gregory Z Pack. It's a little heavier than the Golite Quest but it feels better on. And my gear packs fine in it. Even with that change plus leaving my bag liner home (still have my Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 bag) and Z Rest pad home(I still have my Prolite 4 3/4 length thermarest.) Also I split up my Applachian Pages guide into the same sections as my drop boxes. I didn't realize carrying only a few pages at a time made such a difference. My pack with four days of food and two litters of water is 28.6 lbs. Not to shabby. Maybe I can do a few more hills and valleys. Don't forget about out there. Okay?
Date: 2009-06-09
From: Hemlock Hollow Hostel

To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

When it rains it pours!! Literally! In my house! Well the leak in my living room couldn't be ignored any longer. The first time I came home from Hot Springs,NC it was leaking then. But I chose to dry it out and ignore it. I wanted to get back on the trail so bad and I wasn't going to leave the responsibility of having it fixed on Michael.Then when I got off the trail a second time I was a bit more concerned.Duh! I can be soooo blonde sometimes. Heehee! So while I was waiting on the doctor visits,MRI results,injections,etc I turned my damaged roof and ceiling claim into my insurance company. Wow they were right on it. My contractor went right to work on the repairs and completed a great job in a timely manner. I got a new roof(hail damage),replaced some of the siding(hail damage),new gutters and down spouts(hail damage) new ceiling with textures and new wall paint and lastly new carpet (water damage). My house looks great now. But all this hindered me from getting back on the trail and even hindered me from testing out the pain in my foot after the injection.So this week I hope to get the financial obligations of the house reconstruction taken care of and head back to where I got off the trail and begin my journey for the third time this year to Katahdin. I guess physically I'll be starting over   but that's okay. I'll get it back. I won't be looking to be any faster but I do hope I can push a little harder and longer. I know it will be hotter and more buggy but I have to give it one more try.I probably will have to resort to a flip-flop (go to a certain point and stop, then go to Katahdin and hike south to the place I stopped).I'll just have to see how it goes.   My plan is to have dear, sweet Michael drive me to the Hemlock Hollow Hostel in Greeneville,TN. We will stay the night on Saturday and I'll start on the trail Sunday. I know I could have jumped ahead but I don't wanna miss a thing. So since I have been home I have healed the injured, remodeled the house and prepared to return to hiking....ha!I AM WOMAN!
Date: 2009-06-22
From: home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Sorry for not having an update for so long. I just kept hoping things would work out so I could get back on the trail.Sometimes things just aren't in the stars I guess. The house issues weren't resolved until the end of last week so my previous plan obviously didn't work out. I am still at home. I did try some short hikes to try out my left foot and it still hurts too. So I am officially off the trail. Thanks so much for all your kind words of encouragement along my short but awesome journey. It was a blast!Happy Trails
Date: 2009-03-05
To: On the road again, just can't wait to get...
Miles today: 0.0

In less than two weeks I will be on the Appalachian Trail. Again. Travel plans are all set, the stuff is in storage, the gear is bought. I'm at the stage now where I have almost nothing to do besides kill time.You tell enough people that you are going to hike the Appalachian Trail and a definite pattern emerges. Having done this process twice I've gotten to see the reactions of two separate circles of friends and coworkers, one in Michigan and now one in Phoenix. Once you get past the initial, "You're doing what?!?", the questions start. I know other thru-hikers know exactly what I'm talking about. Regardless of who you're talking to, the questions stay the same. I won't tell you the questions, but the answers are: "2178 miles, about 6 months, about 12 miles, in a tent, on my back, about once a week, and the same place the bears do it"
Date: 2009-03-07
To: Obligatory Techie post
Miles today: 0.0

I figure I'll try to pack all of the gear talk into a single post. I'm definitely a geek, and could probably talk about gear all day. Which would only bore everyone to tears, I'm sure. The hiking gear for this thru-hike is a combination of stuff I bought for the '06 hike and new items that have been bought either specifically for this hike or scattered throughout the last couple of years for smaller hikes. Usually the new things replaced heavier old items. I'm certainly no ultralighter, but I do agree with that general philosophy that there's no point in carrying more junk strapped to your back than you absolutely have too. According to my packing list spreadsheet (see, told you I was a geek!) my total pack weight will be right around 18 pounds, not including food or water. I think that puts my pack at about ten pounds lighter than it was for the '06 hike. I will post the specifics of the gear in the "Gear" section. (over to the left)Thankfully I'm not bringing much by way of electronics on the hike. I'll be carrying my iPhone, which I will be using to journal from on the trail. The plan is to write entries more or less daily, and then stockpile them on the phone until they can be emailed out when I have a signal. Then my faithful transcriber can just copy/paste them onto here. This is a big improvement over the system I used back in '06, where someone at home had to try to decipher my chicken-scratch handwriting to transcribe it. By only using the phone for a bit of journaling in the evening I figure that I can get a week or more out of each battery charge. I'm also carrying a little solar charger for the phone. That, with the limited phone usage, should keep it powered more or less indefinitely. It worked well when I was testing it - we'll see how it survives life on the trail.I suppose that could be said for me too!   8 more days till I'm on my way!
Date: 2009-03-09
To: Travel Plans & To-Do Lists
Miles today: 0.0

Just a quick post on my travel plans thus far. Early next Sunday I'll be flying from Michigan down to Georgia. Sunday & Monday I'll spend relaxing in Atlanta and picking up the last couple of items that I can't take on the plane ride with me - mostly stove fuel and the last of the food for the first leg of the hike. Then Monday afternoon it's off to Dahlonega and the Hiker Hostel. They'll deposit me at USFS 42, near the top of Springer Mountain and the start of the trail.The to-do list is shrinking, but never actually going away. At least it is down to small items at this point: get a haircut, get a couple of pharmacy items for the first-aid kit, oh, and get at least three posts made to this journal so that it will go live. Hey, I guess I can cross that one off the list!A week from tomorrow I will be in the woods!
Date: 2009-03-15
To: And We're Off!
Miles today: 0.0

When I was in the 5th grade I ran headlong into one of metal columns of a jungle gym on the playground. As I remember it, I was running along while looking back over my shoulder at someone running behind me and turned back around just in time to see the metal post inches from my face. At least I think that's what happened. Maybe that is just what someone told me happened after the fact - I don't have a real clear memory of the incident. Which isn't exactly surprising, considering that said incident involved my head connecting with a metal post at full speed. What I do remember is waking up laying on the ground with a rising lump on my forehead and half of one of my front teeth missing.Now, what does this story from 20-some years ago have to do with my AT thru-hike? Well, yesterday afternoon, approximately 18 hours before my flight to Atlanta, the cap that was put on that chipped tooth to repair it came off, and was promptly swallowed by yours truly. One second I'm nibbling on a hangnail, and the next I'm running to the bathroom to see if I really had just done what I thought I had. And I had. I now look like someone just fed me a knuckle sandwich. Thankfully it's only a cosmetic issue. It doesn't hurt, and it doesn't affect my ability to eat. It just looks damn goofy. A chipped tooth is not exactly an emergency, but I'm going to try to find a dentist in Atlanta that can squeeze me in on Monday. That was going to be a spare day anyway, and if I can't get it capped by the time I start The Hike on Tuesday I will just keep my eyes open for an opportunity to get it fixed somewhere along the trail.Aside from that excitement the last minute prep for departure has gone smoothly. A bit boring actually. I definitely have less nerves about this whole thing than I did three years ago. That's not a complaint by any stretch. I am very excited to get going, and it's nice to already have some idea of what I'm in for, at least for the first few hundred miles.I'm sitting I'm the Lansing airport and it looks like they're getting ready to start boarding so I should probably sign off for now. I'm on my way!
Date: 2009-03-17
To: Final prep entry!
Miles today: 0.0

Had a very productive day in atlanta today. Mostly because I was able to get into a dentist and got my chipped tooth repaired. I owe a huge thanks to Pat my "Atlanta Mom" for coordinating all of that for me. She was also kind enough to drive me up here to the Hiker Hostel.Looks like the weather is going to be nice tomorrow and for most of the rest of the week. The trail will probably be muddy and sloppy from all the rain they've had over the past few days, but at least the sun will be shining.That's it for tonight. The hostel is quiet, I'm in bed on my fold-out couch, and I think I'll try to fall asleep while I can.Tomorrow, we hike!
Date: 2009-03-17
From: Hawk Mountain

To: Springer Mt.
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: clear sky

First Day! Got a nice start with a waffle breakfast at the Hiker Hostel. Then a shuttle up to Springer and on the trail at 9:30. We backtracked the .9 miles to the summit to sign the register and be officially logged in by Many Sleeps. Turned around and headed off towards the north.Weather today was absolutely perfect: sunny and upper 60's. Can't ask for better than that. Made the 7.8 miles (plus the extra 0.9 of backtrack) by 2:30pm. I think that's perfectly respectable for the first day. Hiked most of the day with Walking Man and Tax Dollar, who were at the hostel with me last night, and then with Pickle for the last couple of miles.Hawk Mountain is a very busy place tonight. Looks like the shelter is going to be just about full, and I bet there's a dozen tents scattered about, including mine. I'm not even going to try to list everyone's name - I'm sure I would get a bunch wrong anyway.It's 5:00, and I've already eaten dinner and am getting things ready for bedtime.
Date: 2009-03-18
From: Springer Mt.

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

Another beautiful day. Started off very foggy this morning. The trees were wringing some of the fog out of the air and dropping it like rain. I awoke to the sound of it pitter-pattering on the tent. I was about to curse the weatherman for promising us another sunny day only to have it rain until I opened the tent door and saw the fog.   By 11 the fog had burned off and it was just about perfect for the rest of the day.Made the 7.3 miles to the next shelter by midafternoon and had plenty of time to lounge around and get all the camp stuff done. Another big group here tonight. At Hawk Mountain last night there ended up being 16 tents, and half a dozen people in the shelter. I think there are fewer tents here tonight, but it still looks like a little village of them. I'm tenting again tonight - might as well while the weather is nice.The plan for tomorrow is a bit up in the air at this point. I know I want to be in Neel's Gap on Friday, but that's 15.6 miles - too much for me for one day right now. The next shelter is 11.9 miles, so that may be the target, with campsites short of that as the fallback if that turns out to be too far. I'm still intending to take things very slow and easy for a while.On the medical report: all is well. The knees are pain free, and the ankle that I messed up in '06 hasn't caused any trouble so far. Hiked with an upset tummy this morning, but it wasn't anything too serious and I was feeling fine by lunchtime.It's 7:30. Time for bed!
Date: 2009-03-19
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Jared Gap
Miles today: 10.6

(Apologies in advance for the short post, I'm whipped). Decided to pull up short of the 11.9 miles to the next shelter, and am instead camped at the very windy Jarred Gap. I just did not have enough gas to make it up and over Turkey Stamp Mt that lies between here and the shelter. Ramrock and Big Cedar Mt's were enough for me for today. But that only leaves me 5 miles to Neels Gap tomorrow - shower, real food, and a bed that I don't have to inflate. Woohoo! Should be there in time for lunch.There's a little group of us here with our tents lined up on an overgrown logging roadbed that is at least partially out of the wind that is whipping through. Pricsilla, John, Helen, Bonnie, Tegan and I hung out by the campfire until dark and then retreated to our tents to get warm. Had a very nice time.Good grief, it's 9:03! Time for bed!
Date: 2009-03-20
From: Jared Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

Ahh, a shower and clean clothes. It's the simple things that make all the difference. Got an early start today at quarter past eight. That's the earliest start so far. It was also the coldest. When I woke up it was 38 degrees inside the tent, which means it was probably colder than that outside. But no ice in the water bottle, so at least it stayed above freezing. The wind disappeared overnight and today was nothing but blue skies and brisk temps.Made the 5 miles to Neel's Gap by about 11. The climb over Blood Mountain went much easier than I was expecting. I was just thinking that maybe I was about halfway up and I came around a corner and poof! there was the shelter at the top of the mountain. Maybe the cold was a good motivator.Spent the afternoon bumming around Mountain Crossings. Took a shower, did a load of laundry, bought the food for the next leg to Hiawassee. And now I'm lounging in the hostel watching Psycho 2. Full house here tonight: pickle, jersey girl, walking man, Georgia dawg, big fish, and a dozen more whose names I can't think of.