morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-28
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Field shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Hit the trail and made the Tye River by noon. since it was a nice day, I decided to hang out for a while with some other hikers: Steech, Misfortune and Bison to name a few. Misfortune made a run to the store and brought back soda and ice cream! Finally hiking again around 4pm, and it was tough going. The duct tape failed on my boot. Then half way up Three Ridges I got dizzy and light headed and had to sit down in the middle of the trail. After eating a little I was ableto hike on and made the shelter around 830pm. Everyone was camping since the shelter was full. Since it looked to be a nice night, I cowboyed it under a good starry night. someone in the valley was setting off fireworks butthey sounded like they were right beside us. Dad will be out tommorrow so I gotta do some miles.
Date: 2006-06-04
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Just a quick note, I'm in Harper's Ferry, WV; almost half way- woohoo! Foot is feeling better every day and my new boots are awsome! Thanks Merrell for getting them out so quick! Just sent some updates to Mom so she should get them up soon. Hopefully I can catch up to everyone I was hiking with! Mid-August finish is on the horizon.
Date: 2006-06-04
From: David Lesser Shelter

To: Ed garvey shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

#205. That's my number in Harper's Ferry. Hit town early and hung out at the office for a bit. Headed down tothe tavern for lunch then back to the office. Finally headed out and made the shelter early. Built a fire to stave offthe boogey man since I was alone. A couple showed up after dark but that was it. Guess everyone stayed in HF.
Date: 2005-09-30
To: The Men That Don't Fit In
Miles today: 0.0

THE MEN THAT DON'T FIT INbyRobert W. ServiceThere's a race of men that don't fit in,A race that can't stay still;So they break the hearts of kith and kin,And they roam the world at will.They range the field and they rove the flood,And they climb the mountain's crest;Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,And they don't know how to rest.If they just went straight they might go far;They are strong and brave and true;But they're always tired of the things that are,And they want the strange and new.They say: "Could I find my proper groove,What a deep mark I would make!"So they chop and change, and each fresh moveIs only a fresh mistake.And each forgets, as he strips and runsWith a brilliant, fitful pace,It's the steady, quiet, plodding onesWho win in the lifelong race.And each forgets that his youth has fled,Forgets that his prime is past,Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,In the glare of the truth at last.He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;He has just done things by half.Life's been a jolly good joke on him,And now is the time to laugh.Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;He was never meant to win;He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;He's a man who won't fit in.-Frosty
Date: 2005-12-31
To: A Revelation
Miles today: 0.0

I had a bit of a self-revelation today. I wouldn't call it an epiphany - it was more melancholy.This is the third AT journal I've started, along with a couple other trails, and for one reason or another I've failed to finish all of them.All the reasons I couldn't finish were, well, reasonable, but that's just the point. And now, I realize that I have something I really need to do this coming May, I am wondering if 2006 is the right year for me to hike. Besides, my arthritic hip is acting up, my prostate surgery needs a follow-up, I had a slice (front-to-back) of an ingrown big toe nail removed two weeks ago, and my annual physical revealed I have a hernia (which I kind a knew anyway). Lotsa good reasons. Plus I've let myself get overweight and I'm not in shape, my house needs work, and my writing is way behind. Best to hold off until 2007, don't you think?So you see, while I like to identify with The Men That Don't Fit In in the Robert W. Service poem in my first entry, the fact is that I'm too responsible, too practical (pragmatic? I never understood the difference between practical and pragmatic), too common-sensical. I think of myself in Edward Abbey-like terms, but in truth I'm more like Walter Mitty. A dreamer and not a doer.New Year. A time of change. Time to change ... me.I'm going to delete the old trail journals. I've already deleted the other journal entries for this journal, except for the first one, which I will use as a moral compass.I'm going to be a Man That Doesn't Fit In.- Frosty
Date: 2006-01-01
To: A New Beginning
Miles today: 0.0

New Years Morning.I don¢t feel any different.But it has got to be a different year for me. I retired in October 2003 and have yet to accomplish any of the things I thought I would in retirement.I have hiked, but not the long trails I thought I would. I have purchased a lot of gear, read a lot of books, planned a lot of plans. But I haven¢t hiked the way I thought I would.My house still looks like crap. I did some much needed maintenance, but paint is still peeling from the trim, the door trim is rotting off, the gutters leak, and on and on. I had thought it would be the nicest house in the neighborhood by now, and it is still bringing up the rear in the curb-appeal department.Worst of all is my writing. I was on a roll when I retired. I had published a number of short mystery and science fiction stories, was recognized by peers and editors. I had started a novel. I was in a writing group. I wrote every day. Now? All gone. No writing. No momentum. We needn¢t discuss health and fitness, except to say I weighed 259 this morning.All this has to change, and this is the year for the change. Hiking, home repair, writing, fitness. And the agent for all this will be a thruhike. The AT will be the engine driving everything this year.I suppose I should have goals, but I haven¢t gotten that far yet. Next time.- Frosty
Date: 2006-01-03
To: Engineer at Work
Miles today: 0.0

Thanks those of you who signed my guest book. It is nice to hear from you.I'm still trying to figure out how to make this thruhike a successful one (one that I finish). After re-reading my last journal entry, I see that there are four areas I need to work on, so I prioritized them.1. Fitness - get the body in shape for rigors of the hike.2. Wellness - not quite the same as fitness, this is performing maintenance on the body and getting recalcitrant parts to work correctly.3. Writing - at first glance this doesn't seem to be related, but I need to get my butt in gear and get writing. I hope to complete a series of mystery stories about the AT, and complete a non-fiction book. I don't have much hope for making money off the book, but the stories if done right and sold could go a long way toward paying for most of the hike. Also, I absolutely need to finish my novel and get it in the mail by summer.4. Hike logistics - do what needs to be done to get on the trail. I know a lot of people just wing it, but a retired engineer balks at stuff like that as being too inefficient. (To an engineer, anal-retentive is a term of endearment)5. Home repair - this seems even less connected to the trail, but there are some things I must do before I leave my wife alone with the house.See how easy life is for an engineer? I know what I need to do, and which I need to jump start.Now all I have to do is do it.
Date: 2006-01-08
To: Readin', Writin', and Maildrops
Miles today: 0.0

My writing group is centered in Massachusetts, just west of Boston on Route 128, the old Technology Highway back in the late 60¢s and early 70¢s when long-haired MIT graduates breadboarded new transistorized and integrated circuited breakthroughs daily. Today it is a long asphalt commuter road with office parks at every exit.The group meets in Jeff¢s house in Auburndale, a tiny town next to Newton. The area is mostly wood framed single family houses, with newer condo complexes forcing their way in wherever they can fit. There is not much to distinguish Newton from Auburndale except that the Fig Newton was invented in Newton, and that we were mere miles away, geographically, from having a hiker food call Fig Auburndales.We critiqued three stories, including one of mine. It was my first meeting in a long time and I thought it went well. We settled on meeting dates for upcoming meetings. I hope to have my novel finished before I leave for the AT and will get it critiqued when I am home in May.When I returned home, I spent time working on my maildrops. I would still prefer to keep them to a minimum, but I need a large bounce box. I intend to keep my journal on my Neo, the small keyboard, but I will have to upload entries to a computer regularly, and will then need to get the files to my wife to enter into trailjournals.com. Most thruhikers use a pocketmail for this purpose, but my fingertips are too large to use the small device efficiently.
Date: 2006-01-10
To: Ready to Ruck
Miles today: 0.0

I have been looking for an alternate means of getting to Springer than AMTRAK, something cheaper, and have posted to this effect on WHITEBLAZE.NET.Two possibilities have come up. One is iffy. Tinker, with whom I hiked in Vermont last Fourth of July weekend, might be hiking the Georgia AT. Or he might not. And if he does, he might do it in April.Another guy, Mweinstone, is looking to pay all expenses for someone to drive him down from Philly. Will even pay me to take a bus to Philly to pick up a rental car. The only problem is that his posts on whiteblaze are a tad strange. We are all strange in our own ways, of course, but his are ... different. Just enough to make me wonder if I want to spend all that time with him in a car. I want to save money, but...I'll wait for the time being and see what happens.In the meantime, I am definitely going to SoRuck. I¢m going to ride down with Rockdancer, who thruhiked in 1997. We will camp or stay in hostels on the way down and back. All I need to do is pack.I received the rest of the gear I ordered. The Esbit ¢stove¢ is pretty awesome, but I think I will go with alcohol to start the thruhike. The DriDucks rainset I bought is pretty cool. Only weighs about 10 ounces, and fits me just fine. I have a Packa, but will use the DriDucks jacket for wearing around camp and to wear in the sleeping bag on really cold nights.My new trekking poles arrived at REI, but I won¢t be able to pick them up (Reading Mass) before the trip because I will be meeting Rockdancer in Lowell before REI opens.I am bringing my Zrest and blue pad instead of the Big Agnes. Just want to see how comfortable they are in combination should my Big Agnes blow up on the trail and I have to buy something else to use.It will be great at the Ruck, seeing all the thruhiker personalities I¢ve known only on-line.And now it¢s time to pack.
Date: 2006-01-11
To: On the Road
Miles today: 0.0

I was supposed to meet Rockdancer at 7:00 in Lowell, about an hour away. I set my alarm for 5:15 so I could leave at 6:00. I asked my wife to set her alarm at 5:30 in case mine didn't go off. Well, mine went off, of course, but knowing hers was set, I went back to sleep, and got up at 5:30. Then it was a quick shower, quick scurrying for RD's phone number, realizing I never printed out directions to his house, but now it was after 6:00, so knowing I had my GPS and remembering him describe his condo complex, I hit the road at 6:15, exactly fifteen minutes late.I got to his house at 7:15, exactly 15 minutes late. I called from the road and luckily he said to take my time, he wasn't packed yet.My GPS brought me right to his house, though I did make a wrong turn that needed correcting. We were on the road before 8:00, which was great. We were only going as far as the Ironmaster's Hostel.The trip was uneventful, except for a nasty foggy rainy spell on I-78 in Pennsylvania. We stopped at the Campmor store in Paramus New Jersey on the way down. If you've never been there you¢re missing something. It is just off the Garden State Parkway, and is a huge store filled with camping, hiking, biking, climbing and outdoors gear. We spent close to an hour just poking around.In the end, I bought three pairs of sock liners and he bought a pair of boots as he had left his pair at home.Back on the road, we got to the Ironmaster's right at 5:00 when the hostel opened for the day. Or at least when they opened for the days in which they were open. They were in fact closed this week.We drove down to the campground and set up tents and were ready to eat at 6:00. At 6:15 we were through eating, sitting at a picnic table in the dark. At 6:30 we were in bed. Winter camping really sucks.
Date: 2006-01-15
To: RuckÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs End
Miles today: 0.0

I slept well last night and did not get up to pee once. Eight solid hours. Sounds silly, but a major problem on the trail for me is getting up to pee in the rain or cold.This morning there was a hike from Wright's Gap back to the NOC. Four of us went. It was a pleasant walk on a frozen trail, with the early morning sun showing at times when the trail aligned itself with the folds of the hills. The trail didn't follow the ridgeline, but clung to the sides on a gradual downslope. Made for interesting hiking as you could look across a hollow and see the trail on the other side.One of the hikers was talking nonstop, so I held back in order to hike in a little solitude. When I started up again, I rounded a fold in the hillside and there was Rockdancer, walking slowly. He too was opting for a quieter hike, so we went down together, hiking slow enough that we never caught up with the other two. I don't mean to imply that there is anything wrong with gabbing on the trail. There isn't. It is only my personal preference (idiosyncrasy?) that called for a quieter hike.Breakfast was delayed. I called home and found out that the Patriots lost to Denver last night, and later passed the word to Pittsburgh. Internet had stopped working at home, which did not please my wife a single bit. I walked her through a process that got it back going again, which was tough because I didn't really know what I was talking about. But with my semi-knowledge and her patience with my contradictory instructions, eventually the internet was re-established in the Frosty household.Breakfast was yummy. Miss Janet made a superb meal. The potatoes were especially delicious. I had two helpings, and some eggs, and two biscuits and coffee. I put preserves on the biscuits, not butter or sausage gravy, so I seem to be getting better at food choices.After breakfast, people seemed to be packing up in droves, and Rockdancer mentioned leaving today and spending the night at Kincora. That was fine with me. Kincora is a great place.Today was a bit of a lazy day. I hung around, gabbed, and had a lunch of leftovers. Again I ate better. I watched a presentation of the PCT put on by Tha Wookie, and then showered.Rockdancer and I left SoRuck around 2:30. The trip to Kincora was - you guessed it - uneventful. We called ahead and Pat warned us about the road up the hill, which was icy. We called again from Hampton, and Bob came down in his 4WD and picked us up.He already had the woodstove fired up. Rockdancer had bought a sub in Hampton, and I cooked my Zatarain's (Rice and Black Beans). Bob came in and we all told stories. Pat joined us for a while.I split some wood for kindling and later was glad I did because at 4:00 the fire was out. I re-started it, filling the hostel with wood smoke in the process. It cleared up and I went to bed warm again.
Date: 2006-01-16
To: CruisinÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ with NPR
Miles today: 0.0

We didn't bother with breakfast in the morning, deciding to grab something in Hampton. I filled the wood box, split some more kindling, and about 7:00 Bob brought us back down the mountain.We started driving and made great time. There were a lot of cops in Virginia, but with cruise control we weren't worried about getting a ticket. Traffic traveled a steady 65-70 miles an hour and we zipped up I-81. Once a big black SUV cut me off, weaving in traffic, but ten minutes later we saw him on the side of the road getting a ticket. Justice works sometimes.We spent a lot of time listening to National Public Radio. I think that is what it was. Also other political talk shows. I had never listened to this stuff before, and it was interesting, but after listening on the way down and back, I was already hearing the same things repeated. Rockdancer enjoyed it, though, and I didn't mind. I kind of thought of it as going to church or a Twelve Step meeting, where you hear the same things said over and over but it doesn't matter because that is what you are there to hear.Sometime in Pennsylvania, we realized we would have to slow down or face the choice between an expensive motel night and driving all the way home. At our current pace, we would be in NJ by late afternoon, well past reasonably priced lodgings.We opted to drive straight through, and did it without anything noteworthy happening. In Lowell, I picked up my pickup, and headed for home. I was back before midnight. Suddenly a great AT-related weekend was over and I was sad. Imagine how I'll feel at Katahdin.
Date: 2006-01-17
To: Brother, Can You Spare Me a Ride?
Miles today: 0.0

Driving to SoRuck with Rockdancer was fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I realized that I might not want to be held captive in a car with just anyone, and I ought to be careful who I drive down to Springer with. If I couldn't find the right person, I would be better off going it on AMTRAK as originally planned.Mweinstone had sent me several emails while I was gone. He was paying for the car, but required that we drive straight through. He doesn't drive, so it would be all me. I doubted I could do this without rest, and his emails were a bit too different from my own mindset, so I emailed him and told him I couldn't drive all the way down without stopping, and thanks for the offer but I would have to pass.I figured to take AMTRAK after all and then got an email from the other person who thought he might be going to Georgia on March 1. Tinker emailed me to say he was going, but it wouldn't be until March 6. He also wanted to drive straight through, but he would be doing half the driving, so that was doable to me.We passed a few emails to get the times straight. Still nothing definite, and I still have my AMTRAK reservation, but this joint venture feels good.I drove down to New Bedford to visit my mother in her nursing home, and on the way down stopped at REI in Reading and picked up my trekking poles. They are very light and do not have the annoying springs that supposedly are shock absorbers but actually just interfere with "feeling" the trail.I now have every piece of gear that I think I need. Anything added from now on will be minor tweaks or adjustments.
Date: 2006-01-21
To: How to Hike the AT
Miles today: 0.0

The Kittery Trading Post gave a seminar this weekend on hiking the Appalachian Trail. I had signed up for it. It was only fifteen dollars compared to the major dollars charged by the AMC for basically the same thing at Pinkham Notch. Since I didn't think I really needed it, and went mostly just to listen, fifteen dollars was the right price (as opposed to just under two hundred.)The seminar went well.There was a coordinator for the Trading Post and the two thruhiker women who gave talks.On Friday night, they showed slides of their hikes, and the coordinator (Mike) gave us the schedule for Saturday.One of the women was Chickety, with whom I talked on the internet a couple years ago and who left me a note in a Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail register.Small world.On Saturday, the women (Darcy and Chickety) talked about planning and hiking the trail. Most of the audience were not planning on hiking in the near future (besides me, there was one other 2006 thruhiker, a southbounder.)Most of the questions were basic. I didn't learn a whole lot, but had a great time talking about the AT and listening to the hikers. The best tip I took out of the seminar was to bring bacon bits and French fried onions to stir into mashed potatoes and Lipton's.Also, the seminar turn out to be free. We paid fifteen dollars for the seminar, and received a fifteen dollar gift card. Actually, it was better than free. Not only did we get a fifteen dollar gift certificate, but we received a five dollar off coupon.
Date: 2006-01-22
To: Bounce Box Schedule
Miles today: 0.0

Now that I have my bounce box contents mostly set, I planned out where to send it.Criteria: 1. The town should have a post office, even if I mail it to a business. I still have to mail it out after I use it.2. The town should have a good place for me to stay overnight.3. It should be a town where I wouldn't mind taking a zero day, or at least short mileage days in and out.4. Bounce box locations should be at least 10 days apart, but not much more than 20.5. Locations after Harpers Ferry will be affected by whether or not my wife meets me on the trail. Our plan is that we spend a weekend or so together every couple of weeks, once I get closer to home.All this considered, the first part of the hike was fairly easy to plan. Bounce box locations:Hiawassee, Hiawassee InnFontana Dam, Hike InnErwin, Miss Janet'sDamascus, The PlacePearisburg, Rendezvous MotelWaynesboro, Quality InnHarpers Ferry, Comfort InnAfter this it gets tricky. I will take a week off the trail and spend it with my wife, including probably driving down to Damascus for a day at Trail Days. During that week I will make up the bounce box schedule for the rest of the hike. Because my wife may visit me for a couple of weekends while I am in Mass - Maine, it is possible she may just keep the box and bring it with her. Too soon to plan that far ahead.
Date: 2006-01-23
To: A Partner for Georgia
Miles today: 0.0

Tinker and I have been exchanging emails, reaching a consensus on what we will be doing this year should it all come together. I would like to start off slowly to avoid the problems I had last year. For me, this means covering an average of ten miles a day for the first week or two, and to take advantage of the large number of hostels in Georgia to rest my hip and knee.This works for Tinker, also. He has a couple of weeks and I know that he is a strong hiker, so he could easily make it to Franklin and conceivably with good weather make it all the way to Wesser or even Fontana Dam. I made inquiries about shuttles from these areas, but for planning purposes, we have settled on Hiawassee. We will start at Amicalola, hike to Deep Gap in NC, then come down the old road to US64 and into Hiawassee.This will result in a couple of days "left over" for Tinker. But it also gives a cushion in case we have to hole up for a couple of days should we get caught in a snowstorm.Places I want to stay at include the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega. In fact, I still have a reservation with them for Feb 28 should the plan of driving down with Tinker fall through. I also want to stay at the Hiawassee Inn again. Ron and Sam did right by me when I was there last year, and I cannot imagine staying at the Holiday Inn Express. I would feel disloyal in the extreme.