morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-09-10
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: The Birches
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: broken clouds

BIG day today!!! The weather was really nice! Since Site and I decided to summit Katahdin on Sept.11, we had to do some big miles once again today. We hiked out of the 100 Mile Wilderness and into Abol Bridge. Crossing the bridge was unbelievable. There it was! Mount Katahdin looming over us with a beautiful blue sky behind it! There it was....the end of my AT journey on top of its summit. We took some pictures and then stopped off at the General Store to get some small supplies. I didn't have any champaigne for the top like everyone else, so I bought a tall boy of PBR instead to take up. We met up with Pathfinder, 10 o'clock, Lo, and Quiet Riot at the store. They are all four going to be extras in a movie about Woodstock after their hike. They were just as excited as we were to be ending. They even loaded up on some alcohol for celebrating tonight. I also bought some extra beer. After leaving the store, we all entered Baxter State Park and headed to the Birches, which is where thru-hikers camp just before going up Mount Katahdin. We had a good time drinking some beers, talking, and WOOOHOOOOing around a campfire that Sherlock and Gumby made. It was great! Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
Date: 2008-09-11
From: The Birches

To: Mount Katahdin (Baxter Peak)
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

THIS IS IT!!!! We've been waiting for this day to arrive! Woke up to the cold, but that didn't phase any of us! Today is Katahdin! Site and I took off at around 7:50 AM and headed up the mountain. The first part of the trail was just like any ordinary part of the trail. Lots of trees and a good trail to follow. After getting above treeline, the trail changed. It suddenly turned into big hand over hand climbs and boulders. I climbed up like this for a good hour or so. Some of it was hard and pretty creepy. After finally reaching the topof the Gateway, it flattened out and looked like a plateau full of rocks and boulder. It was awesome!!! The views were probably the best out of the whole trail. Walked about a mile on this flat part which is called the Tabletop. Finally, reached the bottom of Baxter Peak and started up. I could see the great sign and several other hikers around it. Finally, I reached the summit and reached out to touch the sign. That was it! My journey was over! I reached Baxter Peak at 10:30 AM. I hooted and hollared as well as everyone else. We were all cheering! Then we waited on the others to arrive. As each one got closer, we cheered them on all the way to the sign. After everyone made it, we all broke out the alchohol and had a merry good ole time. After the celebrating, the cameras began to click away. We took all kinds of pictures. We couldn't have asked for a better day to summit. The view was phenomenal and the sky was blue and clear! We partied for a good hour and half before we started to make our sad departures. What a fabulous ending!!! One by one, we sadly left the trail to head our seperate ways. After I hiked back to the Tabletop from Baxter Peak, I was really sad and all was quiet. Out of nowhere, I heard this faint "WOOOOOHOOOOO JACKAROO!!!" When I turned back around to look, I noticed it was Pathfinder, Lo, Quiet Riot, and 10 o'clock. They were leaving Baxter Peak via the Knife's Edge. One of them was holding up their trekking poles in the air while yelling at me. It looked like the scene out of 'Dances With Wolves' at the end where the Indian screams for Dances With Wolves up on the mountain. I got a big lump in my throat and held back a tear. I lifted my poles in the air to give a final salute back. It was pretty emotional knowing that it was all over. I headed back down Katahdin to the ranger station. Later got a ride with Paul to Millinocket with Site, Professor Long Johns, Mary Poppins, Gumby, and Sherlock for some more celebrating.
Date: 2008-01-19
To: oh, love, you're better than ice cream...
Miles today: 0.0

Welcome to my AT journal. Wahoo - I'm hiking again! On the AT this time!A bit of history, then:Although the AT was the first long trail I heard of, the PCT was the one that stole my heart.So, in 2004, I set out to thru-hike the PCT. I made it 900 miles before I ran out of money, missed my girlfriend terribly, and was just plain tired. I got off the trail, and have spent the intervening years itching to hike.In 2006 an opportunity to hike the JMT dropped into my lap. The high Sierra is one of my very favorite places, so I was quite excited. But, that didn't quite work out either - I got off the trail at Red's Meadows (the same place I got off the PCT!) because my feet were ridiculously blistered and I couldn't keep up my group's schedule.I had also been planning a 2007 PCT thru, but I ended up postponing it for several reasons. The lesson here? Life doesn't always work out like you think it will, but the trail will always be there. You can read my PCT 2004, JMT 2006, and PCT 2007 journals by clicking on their respective links on the left side of this page. I'm leaving them all up because they are the accurate record of my long distance hiking.Back to my AT story. Meanwhile, a funny thing had happened; the AT had piqued my curiosity. I started reading journals, then Whiteblaze, and before I knew it, I was in love. I don't commit to one flavor of ice cream, so why should I commit to only one trail? And, man, the AT is one heck of a trail flavor: social, with flora and fauna more similar to where I'm from (NW Ohio), rough tread, but shorter length, colder (boo!), with a rich history, all topped off with the cherry that is Katahdin.I'm looking forward to savoring it all.
Date: 2008-01-19
To: Random Entry #1 - Uranium Mining
Miles today: 0.0

In the interest of getting this journal up and running today, I shall now offer you two random entries. (Trailjournals requires three entries before a journal shows up.)On the PCT in 2004, I handwrote my journal entries and mailed them to Kelli (current titles: Ex, Best Friend, and AT Resupply Maven). She would decipher my scribbles, type them up, edit to make me sound brilliant, and post them.If you hadn't already noticed, I am the wordy sort. Kelli politely (threateningly) requested I find a different method for future journals.Enter PocketMail; basically a mini-computer, PocketMail lets you send and receive email via phone. Pretty outdated technology, but popular for obvious reasons among thru-hikers, especially for journals. I was all set to get one for the AT, when someone posted this on a PCT email list:"PocketMail Group Limited announced that it will change its name to Adavale Resources Limited and focus on uranium mining. The December 7th announcement includes a statement that the company would seek a buyer for its PocketMail Services, but that a potential buyer has yet to beidentified." (Full text of the press release.)Hold on, wait, WHAT? Uranium mining? Seriously?Yes, seriously. They have apparently been dabbling in it for a while, something I didn't know. And, it is something I personally would rather not support.Uranium mining typically involves open pit mining, and uranium ore is mainly used as fuel for nuclear power plants. Which raises a whole slew of environmental and social concerns, but I'm not going to go into those. I think my opinion is clear. So, no PocketMail for me. Perhaps even no PocketMail for anyone else since the company is trying to sell that part of their business off, and they have told other '08 thrus that they will not have the devices in stock until sometime in March. Used ones can still be found on Ebay, and the company is still offering subscriptions, but what I'm reading between the lines isn't reassuring.Instead, I will again be handwriting my entries. This time, however, I will be typing them up myself. Here's the plan: Keep a detailed, daily personal journal on paper. From that craft one short(ish), well written public journal entry per day. In towns with internet access, type up the public entries, and email them to Kelli to post.Ah, the best of all worlds: I get to have a personal space to rant and rave, bitch and whine; you, dear reader, get something of quality and reasonable length to read; and Kelli only has to copy and paste.This does mean there may be a lag in between my updates. But, I have committed to a complete public journal of my AT hike. Which means I will not vanish, leaving an incomplete journal, like I did with my 2004 PCT journal.Worst case scenario, I decide typing in town is a waste of time (although I'm a much faster typist now at 60 wpm). In that case, I would fill in my public journal after I hike, but I promise to give a head's up if I make that decision. And, for "worst case" it isn't too shabby; it would give you, dear reader, something to read in the "off season"!
Date: 2008-02-02
To: To Hammock or Not to Hammock
Miles today: 0.0

As previously mentioned, I gave serious thought to purchasing a hammock for my hike. In the end, I decided not to. Here's why.From what I can tell, hammocks are awesome. The cold, hard ground that often disrupts my sleep is one of my few complaints about backpacking. Night after night on the PCT was spent doing the rotisserie (you know: right side, then back, then left side, attempt stomach - which never works - then right side again, wash, rinse, repeat all night).If you know me at all, you know I like my sleep. Mmmmmmm, sleeeeeep. My hiking partners on the PCT may or may not have suggested trailnames for me based on my grumpiness in the morning (particularly after a night of tossing and turning).Although I had heard of a few people hammocking on the PCT, the lack of trees in some areas makes it less practical, and thus less common, so I never saw one in action, or even seriously considered it.The AT is a different story, and one of the hikers whose journal I followed last year (yup, that would be Certain!)provided an excellent - and convincing - overview of hammocking on the AT.So, I commenced with research: I perused hammock websites (Hammock Forums, Hennessy Hammocks, Jacks 'R' Better, Speer Hammocks, and Clark Jungle Hammock in particular), read reviews, compared and contrasted various models, worried about weight, and finally decided I really liked the looks of the Warbonnet hammock (scroll to the bottom of that page). Cannibal, another '08 thru-hiker, has a ~5 lb Warbonnet set-up, which he has reviewed here and here.Unfortunately, when I contacted Brandon at Warbonnet in early January I learned he is currently not making hammocks (his full time job is keeping him busy, and he and Hennessy are having a patent perturbation). So, back to the drawing board.I don't like the bottom entry on Hennessy's hammocks (nor do I like what I have heard about the aforementioned patent issues). Speer hammocks don't look as comfy for me (I'm a side sleeper). The Clark Ultralight Hammock looks nice, but heavy (2 lb 6 oz). The Jacks 'R' Better (JRB) Bridge Hammock looks super comfortable, but is also on the heavy side (just over 2 lbs).My biggest problem was that I couldn't actually try a hammock first. From what I have seen, hammock hangers are a friendly bunch, and quite willing to convert - er, educate - a newbie. But, there aren't any hangers near me, and I can't get to a gathering where there would be hangers before I hit the trail. I am a very visual person. I want to be able to poke and prod and test many hammocks before I make a decision.In the end I, albeit a bit reluctantly, purchased a Tarptent Rainbow. I will do the first part of the trail on the ground (but with a cushy inflatable pad). Then, at Trail Days I'll try out a bunch of hammocks and talk to their makers. If I decide I want a hammock, I'll hang for the rest of the trail. Even if I start hanging, the Rainbow is not a waste; it's a great shelter, and will come in handy on other hiking expeditions.
Date: 2008-02-13
To: Things to chew on
Miles today: 0.0

I spent so much money on gear and food over the weekend I was feeling a bit lightheaded. I have the money to spend, yet I'm just not comfortable with that big of a dip in my bank account in that short an amount of time!This all started Saturday when I tallied up the food I had made in advance of a Costco expedition. My loose estimation of how many dinners I need is 160. I plan on six months of hiking, but need to account for zero days (i.e. no hiking) and nero days (i.e. low mileage days that are partially spent in a town).I like cereal or bars for breakfast (see: trip to Costco), and most of my lunches will be a variation of cheese + bread-type product + condiment. Dinners are a whole other matter. For the most part, these are going to be meals I make at home and then dehydrate. On Saturday I realized I only had 56! Less than half! The sky is falling! I'm going to have to supplement my diet on the trail with bugs and dirt! Or, worse, Ramen and Liptons!Hence, Saturday and Sunday became a food purchase-o-rama. A visit to Costco, Trader Joe's, Sunflower (somewhat of a natural foods store), and Safeway brought my dinner total to around 105. There are some dinners I will want to buy at a grocery store along the way (fresh tortellini, for one), and I still have a few large batches of certain meals to make and dehydrate, so I think I'm now in a good place in terms of food prep.Although I will be leaving Tucson in exactly a month, I'm aiming for a "by April 1st" start date, so I even have a bit of extra time on my side. I'm sure my parents won't mind if I take over their kitchen for a few weeks, making the whole house reek of whatever I am dehydrating. My Tucson roommates don't seem to mind...
Date: 2008-02-18
To: taking the long way
Miles today: 0.0

My weekend was nice and productive. How was yours?You may recall I am making some of my gear (down quilt and down jacket). Have I also mentioned I am quite the procrastinator? Well, I finally got to work on the quilt this weekend. I stressed out about it all week, so by Friday I was ready to start cutting. And cutting again. And cutting some more. And wondering how my nice rectangle became a trapezoid. And finally giving up on the idea that my quilt will resemble perfect in any way.I am happy to report that my quilt is completely cut out (not to mention no longer wonky), and I should be ready to sew tonight. (Which translates to Wednesday in procrastinator's time.) Why did I get so much done? I tricked myself.See, Kelli and I are doing a Grand Canyon adventure this weekend, and I had convinced myself that my quilt needed to be done by then. But, that was only best case scenario; we have the gear to do without, especially since we will only be car camping. Expect pictures next week.This weekend I also decided rather foolishly (wait, isn't that redundant? ) to dehydrate huge batches of chili and lasagna. At the same time. On my small, slow dehydrator. I feel like I'm juggling, but with large containers of messy food.
Date: 2008-02-27
To: Misadventure
Miles today: 0.0

"I'm a paranoid agnostic. I doubt the existence of God, but I'm sure there is some force, somewhere, working against me." -Marc Maron Sometimes things just don't turn out the way you planned. Sometimes the weather sucks, sometimes you forget your rain gear, sometimes your camera's memory card is full, sometimes your truck breaks down, sometimes you just don't make it to the Grand Canyon. And, sometimes all of that happens, and you just have to laugh. Cathedral Rock Trail in SedonaKelli and I still had a lovely time, for the most part. We had one day of excellent weather in Sedona so we were at least able to do the hiking there we planned on. The Grand Canyon proved rather elusive, but I would have wanted to go back again anyway, as we were not going to be able to do a rim to rim hike. Note my stylin' hiking outfit Our misadventure was also excellent practice in keeping a positive attitude and having fun no matter what, something I typically struggle with. And, it was certainly lovely to spend so much time with Kelli, seeing as how we are both moving soon. Kelli playing in the mud Besides, the best stories come from the k-razy trips, not the ones that went perfectly.
Date: 2008-03-08
To: Gainfully unemployed
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday was my last day of employment, and, man, it was a good day!My Tucson coworkers took me out to lunch, and presented me with a card full of well wishes from the Tucson and Phoenix offices. Also included were two gift cards that will buy my reading material for the trail, and some last minute food and supplies - thank you!!! For the last three years I've had the privilege of working with absolutely amazing people at an absolutely essential organization doing absolutely creative and vital work. The people and the sense of purpose will be sorely missed, but I'm looking forward to my days having a more relaxed pace! But, the best going away present of all was this: We have an outside office kitty, and we hadn't seen her in two weeks. We all love Zaguan, so we were quite sad, but hoping someone had mistaken her for a stray cat and taken her in. When my coworker opened our storage shed yesterday morning, there she was; a bit dehydrated and certainly hungry, but otherwise fine. Two weeks! The vet said she must have been eating something, maybe bugs or lizards. I'm impressed - she is one tough kitty. We showered her with love for the rest of the day, and another coworker has taken Zaguan home to recuperate.Yep, all the loose ends are starting to tie up...
Date: 2008-03-10
To: This I will miss ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ physical prep & other ramblings
Miles today: 0.0

Last Thursday was the last day I walked to work. I began walking to work for training, but ended up loving it. Some people suggest the best way to train for backpacking is to backpack, and I happen to agree. However, when you find yourself massively out of shape, anything is better than nothing! So, last August I started walking the ~5 miles to work. I've had trouble sticking with training before, so I started slow, only walking one day per week. I was up to three times per week at my highest, tapering down to an average of 1.5 times per week the last month. I¢ve also done a few day hikes on the weekends, although not as many as I had hoped. But, the benefits have been clear. I've lost 20 pounds, my cardiovascular fitness is greatly improved, and my asthma is under control. A bit of training for the "long green tunnel"? Except this is evil, poisonous oleander. Bunnies Not to mention the other, perhaps less tangible, benefits: Discovering again the clear mind that comes by the simple act of walking. Catching the scent of sun warmed pine or wet creosote, stopping, breathing deeply, and being completely transported back the mountains and desert of the PCT. Watching quail scatter and rabbits freeze at my intrusion. Finding a Ben¢s Bell. Being stared down by coyotes after tracing their yips to the source. Proving to myself that I can do this. I will miss the desert.
Date: 2008-04-06
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Springer Mountain Shelter campsites, GA
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: broken clouds

I flew into Atlanta Friday and Bonnie, the mom of my closest friend inTucson, picked me up at the airport and took me back to her wonderfullittle house perched on a mountain in Hiawassee. Bonnie soon convincedme I should delay my start by a day due to the nasty weather forcastfor Saturday.So, today became the day! I was nervous on the drive, but aftersigning the register at the visitor's center and weighing my pack (35lbs), I was just excited. Bonnie walked with me a bit before sayinggoodbye. Staying with her was a perfect start to my journey.Now, I have heard some awful things about the Approach Trail (the 8.8mile trail that leads to the start of the AT on Springer Mountain). Itis reputed to be steep, rugged, and not a good idea for anyone out ofshape (you can also take a forest service road to 1 mi south of thepeak and hike back up to start the trail).Well, either I am in much better shape than I thought (doubtful!) or alot of what I had heard about the Approach Trail was a bitexaggerated. Don't get me wrong; there were plenty of times I waspanting and gasping up a ridiculously steep incline wondering just howan elephant snuck into my pack without my noticing. But by taking itslow, with plenty of breaks, I was at the top of Springer in the lateafternoon.(I did learn a couple days later that I missed the first part of thenewly relocated Approach Trail which consisted of over 600 steps onstairs by the falls. As far as I can tell, I took the old ApprochTrail for the first mile. I thought at the time something was amiss,but the signing was confusing. I can't say I'm sorry to have missedthe stairs!)Highlights of the day included meeting the Singing Sisters (whoserenaded me with "Happy Trails"), taslking to Loco and Curmudgeon(two funny older gentlemen with rather massive packs - 75 lbs forLoco!),signing the register at the top of Springer and giving the RidgeRunner (Roger, a former thru hiker) my information, seeing many namesI recognize in the register, meeting many, many hikers, and - mostimportantly - enjoying the hiking.My only complaint? The evil, evil gnats! Seriously, I had no idea theywould be present in such numbers, nor did I know the little buggersbite!I ended the day with a good dinner (miso soup and a tuna tortilla) anda good book. Only one blister for the day; a minor one on the insideof my left ankle from my sandle strap. Other than that I am tired, butfeeling good.I may have just barely set foot on the trail today, but my journey has begun!
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

Another lovely day, but I was feeling a touch off; a little sore, a little fatigued, a little homesick, and already struggling a bit with HYOH (hike your own hike) as other hikers start to pass me by. And I thought a lot about Meredith Emerson today, the young woman who was taken just off the AT and killed in January. I will pass the place she was last seen tomorrow. All in all, a bit of a brooding day. We saw tons of wildflowers today; blood root, trillium, and tons of violets (which make me think of Madre since they are one of her favorite flowers). Mr. J is an arborist, so he was able to tell us about the trees we were seeing. We even found a lovely cherry blossom in bloom. The most exciting event of the day had to be inadventantly walking into a war zone. Seriously! The Army Rangers train in this area and we had been hearing gunshots and explosions in the distance and seeing helicopters. Today we were descending into a gap to cross a forest service road when two young guys just off the trail stopped us and told us to stay put. It was then we noticed the line of army trucks filled with soldiers pulling up. The commander got out and explained that we would be safe where we were (they only use blanks), but it would get loud. The two young guys we saw were playing the enemy and soon we were in the middle of a battle, surrounded by explosions, gunfire, and shouting! Sassafras Mountain was the other event of the day, and I have to say it wasn't as bad as I had heard. I was pretty winded by the false summit, but I got behind Mr. J and Free Wil and joined their slow, steady pace and we were soon at the top. Justus Mountain (Sassafras's baby sister) followed and I was pretty tired after that, but it was only a couple more miles to camp. Got in early again and had an excellent supper: bean burrito with salsa, cheese, and black olive paste. Yum! We had expected to see Red, Chris, and Terry tonight, but they left camp pretty early and decided to push on once they got here. We heard they went 7.6 miles to the next shelter - crazy! Hopefully I'll see them again soon. Free Wil and Mr. J are going to try to go all the way into Neels Gap tomorrow, but I don't think I'm up for 15+ miles yet! I am planning a 12 mile day to the next shelter, so I will be up early.