morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-10-22
To: Two Weeks Post Katahdin ...
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well      ¢¦it¢s been almost 2 weeks since I reached Katahdin and finished my hike. I visited my Mom in Ohio and was reunited with my wife, Bad Ass Turtle and my daughter, Erin (inset photo). I¢m back home in Wyoming now. My gear is pretty much all cleaned and stowed away. The bushy beard I had acquired during the hike is gone. I¢m enjoying the regular showers 3 good meals a day. I¢m sleeping in a real bed. So, why am I feeling so disoriented and disconnected ?I knew that there would be a period of adjustment following my hike but these past two weeks have truly been a blur. I get started doing something and then my mind wanders, generally to thoughts of the trail. Before I know it   ¢¦hours have passed and I haven¢t accomplished a gosh darned thing.Hopefully I will get motivated in the not too distant future and move along. But for the time being I¢m just going to hang out and ride out the feelings. As much as I am glad to be home I truly do miss the ¢routine¢ of the trail. I went grocery shopping for the first time since being home last night and had to fight the natural urge to pick up my ¢re-supply¢ items. What a HOOT !!Just rambling here but felt like logging on and adding an entry to my journal. At the end of my hike I stated that I had ¢LIVED THE DREAM¢   ¢¦but that may have been a tad premature. From all indications though, I¢m still LIVING my DREAM and will be for a while yet.Thanks for tuning in      ¢¦more to follow !
Date: 2002-04-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Have some breaking news from the "Toot and Turtle" household.We've set a date      ...yep, that's right, we're getting hitched. June 15th is the big day. We decided to break from tradition and get married doing something we really enjoy (other than backpacking, that is)   ...Scuba Diving.The boat captain will be performing the ceremony and then we will cast off for a week of diving in the Bahamas.That, in and of itself, is a pretty big deal but there's more !! Turtle, as some of you may know, is just about to finish her doctorate. Well, she sent out some resumes and guess what   ...she got a great job offer from the University of Wyoming. So, in late Summer we will be packing up and moving West.But not to worry. I'm sticking to my plans for a thru-hike in 2003. It's just going to be a little more interesting getting from home to Springer Mountain next April.That's all from the Toot and Turtle camp at this point. Really enjoying everyone's journal entries and looking forward to meeting you all out there on the AT in 2003. By the way   ...we're planing on being in Damascus for Trail Days this year. Anybody else making the pilgrimage?? Maybe we'll see some of you there.Happy Trails
Date: 2002-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Just got back from Trail Days in Damascus, VA. If I had my druthers I would have just took off hiking North from there. But the reality is that 2003 will be my year. It was fantastic seeing so many of the thru hikers who I met on the trail last year either at the beginning in March or at "Special K" in October. BA Turtle and I set up camp and spent the 3 days just wandering around between the various hiker locations until we figured we had seen everything and everyone there was to see. We even got to meet Leif and ZipDrive (Thanks guys for building and maintaining this site). Man, talk about not being prepared though   ...in the middle of the night on Friday the rains came a coming and the temperature dropped about 20 - 25 degrees over night. Definitely would have benefited from some of my warmer hiking clothes. Oh well, at least the vendors all had plenty of fleece on sale. BA Turtle and I made an important purchase while at the Trail Days event. We bought our wedding rings. That's right   ...and you thought all they sold at Trail Days was gear, clothing and waffle cones. It just so happens that one of the local vendors had their jewelry on display. After a few minutes of gazing at the selection we both got the same idea. After trying on a few silver bands the decision was made. They may not be the swankiest or expensive set of rings on the market but then again, jewelry is not one of our priorities. Bottom line is that we think it's pretty neat that we will always have as a memory that we got our rings in Damascus at Trail Days. Don't know too many other folks who can make that claim.So, with Trail Days behind us it's time to move on to the next milestone - moving BA Turtle from Athens to Marietta, for a little pre-marital cohabitation with the Tootster. That will take place over Memorial Day weekend. Then it's all downhill to June 15th when we head down to sunny Florida for our wedding and dive trip.As we drove out of Damascus on Sunday all I could think of was how totally cool it will be to hike into town next May after being on the trail for around 2 months. I plan to arrive in Damascus just in time for Trail Days. BA Turtle will be flying in from Wyoming that weekend to meet me, hang out for a few days and then hike with me for a month or so up to Waynesboro. Only wish it was coming sooner.Anyway, now it's back to reality. BA and I have talked about flying up to Mass this summer and hiking the AT for about 2 weeks or so. Other than that the plans have all turned to our wedding and our move to Wyoming in August.Happy Trails   ....
Date: 2002-09-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Wow      ....I just checked and it's been ages since I posted an update. So, I'll bet your wondering what's up with "Toot" these days. So much has happened since my last post I don't know where to start. Well, by now everyone knows that Turtle (BA Turtle to be exact) and I got hitched in June      ...on a dive boat, no less. We wanted something different and that was VERY different. After we got home from that adventure it was packing, packing and more packing. Then in August we loaded everything we owned in a truck and headed West for the next chapter in our lives. Turtle accepted a teaching position at the University of Wyoming and naturally I went along for the ride. We've been in Laramie, WY since about mid August getting upacked and settled. I was pretty fortunate in that my company allowed me to go full-time "remote". So I'm working out of the house for now.Plans are still in place for my thru-hike in 2003. I will be traveling back East in late March so that I can head out around April 1. Wish it was tomorrow !! Even better news is that Turtle is going to fly out and meet me in Damascus for Trail Days in May and then hike along with me for a month, most likely to Waynesboro. All in all things are going great and there are even better times to come. We've already had a chance to sample some of the local backpacking. A couple weeks ago we picked up the USGS quads of the area and headed up into the mountains. Now for someone who was used to the mountains of Georgia and N. Carolina we were both really in for quite a surprize. We spent the whole weekend between 10,300 and 11,000 ft of elevation and had to adjust our pace quite a bit to allow for the "rare air". Definitely not as "green" and the AT corridor but truly wonderful scenery. Hopefully all that hiking at the higher elevations will give me a little boost when I head out on the AT next year.All for now. My best to all who read this journal and especially to the other members of the "Class of 2003"
Date: 2002-11-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well   ...I was forced into a gear decision. Well, almost ! My trusty Cannon all weather point-and-shoot finally bit the dust. Looked high and low for a decent replacement and in the process I got bitten by the digital bug. Found a really light weight (6oz) model from Panasonic. Already had a Panasonic camcorder and was totally satisfied so I thought it was a pretty good risk. Was concerned at first about the battery situation. The camera uses 2 AA sized NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) cells. I've upgraded to the highest power output version of those batteries and I'm getting over 300 shots now on a freshly charged set. I also stumbled into a super light charger (5oz) that takes about an hour to bring them back to full charge. So, I plan to take one extra set of batteries, which will give me up to 600 shots before I would need to re-charge. Figure I made out OK on the exchange because the camera and the charger together weigh what my old Cannon did and I don't have to process film. The camera records images on those little SD Media cards (about the size of a postage stamp) so I'm planning on getting 5-6 of them and recycling them back and forth to my wife, who will be off-loading the pics and uploading here on Trailjournals.I really have to stop looking at the calendar. Don't know about the rest of you out there who are getting ready for a 2003 thru but March just can't come soon enough.All for now ! Check out my latest picture. Climbed Medicine Bow Peak (12,000ft), near Laramie, WY a few weeks ago and found myself in a snow storm.
Date: 2003-03-20
From: Springer Mountain

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This is a photo of my food drops. I had 24 boxes. They are spread out here in my parents dining and living rooms. Ron, a friend of mine, asked me what he could do to help when he heard I was going to attempt a thru hike. So I loaded all these boxes into his spare bedroom closet. They had mostly food and a few assorted other goodies in them. Mom and Dad both really helped. Dad portioned out all kinds of stuff, including the special GORP Mom made. Mom also made nut butters (pistachio, almond, walnut). They were so incredibly supportive, I can't possibly thank them enough.
Date: 2003-03-21
From: Springer Mountain, GA

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

Day 13/21/03 Friday7.6 Miles on Trail1.3 Miles off TrailIt's about 3:30. Ther are 8 of us at the picknick table at Hawk Mountain Shelter. It was an absolutely beautiful day and the trail was smooth and even mostly. Justin walked with me to the Springer summit and we parted when we got back to the car. The Rhododendrons were in forests of their own, it was beautiful! A few pine forrests and some great vistas through the leafless trees. Everybody I have met has been friendly.(Later) There are a lot of people here. There must be 10-12 tents. Everybody pulled out dinner at the same time. Very social people. Everyone is headed to Maine.
Date: 2003-03-22
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 23/22/03 Saturday8.8 Miles on Trail   16.4 TotalWalked from Hawk Mountain Shelter to Gooth Gap. There were some ups and downs. Sasafras Mountain was tough and I am a little sore today. I had a couple of hot spots and used duct tape and avoided a blister. There are 5 of us here - Two Paws, Homer, Fish and Mover. This campsite is quite close to a road, but it is beautiful. We made a campfire and we are sitting around chatting. It was another beautiful day for a hike. It was almost 60 degrees and partly cloudy. Hazy but beautiful in and through the leafless trees of winter. The trail was pretty smooth, no big step up or down and no rock hopping. We encountered trail magic twice today. There was one pair of guys with a car at a forest road that had apples, bananas, doughnuts, muffins and such. Vince, the guy I was hiking with, had just said he would love an apple and "Bingo". Then when we got to the campsite we were told that there was a bunch of food at the shelter about 2/10 away. Wow, how wonderful. There were a lot of times when I said this is beautiful but it wouldn't photograph well. Some very pretty creeks and streams and some more Rhododendrons and some Mountain Laurel. Some really cool Holly trees. I am so grateful the weather has been great. It's easing me into the hike.
Date: 2003-03-23
From: Gooch Gap

To: Slaughter Gap
Miles today: 11.0

Day 33/23/0311 Miles on Trail 27.4 TotalIt's 7:30 and everything is done. It's deep dusk and I am in my tent. Great weather today again. and again it was wonderful walking in the woods with no leaves on the trees. There was some tough ups today that left my heels blistered. Even though I stopped at the first sign of a hot spot and did everything I know how to do. A lot of beautiful vistas. Some very pretty little white flowers.It's just me and Homer (Vince) at the campsite at Slaughtre Gap tonight. The rest of the gang either went on to Blood Mountain or stopped at Wood Hole Shelter. Water was plentiful today and dinner was tasty.I just got my Trail name last night, Stargazer. Someone today shortened it to Gazer. I think Gazer is more appropriate since I tend to look at everything. This is really quite an experience knowing that it is going to go on for so long.Good Night - GAZER
Date: 2003-03-24
From: Slaughter Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: clear sky

Day 43/24/033.3 Miles on Trail   30.7 TotalWalked over Blood Mountain with Homer and the views (and hopefully the photos) were incredible. Then down to Neels Gap and the Walasi-yi Center. I stripped my pack and sent a bunch home but am still carrying over 50 lbs. The food weighs in at 16, but I should be at 40 with the food. Anyway, after that shakedown I was headed up the trail because it was such a beautiful day, but after only a couple of steps my blisters blew out and I was pretty sore that I couldn't get my pack weight down so I decided to stay at the Hostel here. They are giving us a cookout. Pretty cool!There is so much stuff and food in the hiker boxes that other people don't want or can't carry. It's unbelievable how much stuff people get rid of. The only thing that I can think of parting with are my camera and cell phone and I am not ready to do that.There are so many great, helpful people all around and up and down it really is amazing.The cell phone worked from here so I made a couple of calls since I could recharge the batteries.All in all after a few hours rest, a shower and some good conversations with friendly people - life is good.I'll do what I can tomorrow.
Date: 2003-03-25
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 53/25/03 Tuesday10.6 Miles on Trail   41.3 TotalAnother magnificent weather day. The hike today was tough, a lot of ups and downs. Some ankle busting sections (small loose rocks) and some high steppers. Some outstanding views and some amazing shadows in the trees. Saw a woodpecker and had lunch (and let my blistered feet dry out) on top of a mountain. Ran into Homer and Karin (now named Gazelle) and hiked with (behind) them to Low Gap Shelter. Tented again (still haven't stayed in a shelter). The shelter was full but the weather is great. Hope it holds 'till we break camp in the A.M. Had dinner with Gazelle and Mountain Momma. We all went up to another tent site for a campfirewith Old Scatch Bear, Mover and Jeremy (no trail name yet). There was much laughter. I came back to play the flute and gaze at the stars for a little. They are still laughing and carrying on. The new water equipment I bought yesterday is great. What a good change. The pack is still heavy, but I'm still not ready to give anything else up. Tomorrow is either 7.2 or 13. It depends on the weather and how I feel. The problem as I see it is that the first 7.2 is relatively flat, the rest is big up's and down's. We'll see tomorrow.
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Cheese Factory Site
Miles today: 13.0

Day 63/26/03 Wednesday13 Miles on Trail   54.3 TotalIt was supposed to rain today, but all I got was a brief, very light sprinkle as I was setting up the tent. Homer had equipment problems. His stove was missing a piece, his boot broke and his tent didn't fit him. He went into Helen, GA to get that straightened out. I probably would have gone with him if hadn't just spent the night at Neels Gap. I took my chances with the rain and blisters and wound up at a really nice campsite. A section hiking couple from Florida and a guy named Ben, they are also camping here. I thought I was going to have the place to myself but they showed up about the time I was hanging my bear rope (I was getting it set up early so I wouldn't have to do it in the dark). It was a tough set of hills today and there was a good deal of rock hopping and high stepping. More than any day so far. I'm glad I didn't go to Helen with Homer, it's nice out here. I think tomorrow I'm going to take it a little easy and go as far as Deep Gap Shelter. Ben is a real character, he's got a real thick southern accent and a bad knee, but he keeps on moving forward. I wish everyone the very best.
Date: 2003-03-27
From: Campsite North of Helen

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

Day 73/27/03 Thursday9 Miles on Trail   63.3 TotalCool day. 10 degrees cooler than we have been having, but a lot of up's and down's (small ones) followed by a big up over Kelly's Knob. Now for me a knob is a small hill. This "knob" is a 4276' mountain. There are some terms that shouldn't be used when they wildly misrepresent the FACTS. It was a gray morning with no rain and the sun coming out at about noon. I forgot to mention the spectacular views from Gray Mountain. Absolutely magnificent. Got some photo's, hope they come out. Another great view did make Kelly Mountain (oh all right, KNOB) worth the climb. The trail was mostly dirt path today without too many ankle busters or high steps. The same group is here from last night plus 6 more folks that are hiking very fast. Cadence, Flash, Dave and Goat were the only names I got out of the new group plus Ben-Here and the couple from Florida (who happen to live right next to Croom). I'm feeling a great in spite of the blisters and tired legs. This is truly an amazing experience. I don't know how much sleep I will get tonight. There is a squeaky limb right over my tent and every puff of wind makes it groan. Oh, the name of this place is Deep Gap Shelter. The shelter itself is a neat design. It's made out of heavy timber, mortise and tennon with pegs as a deterent to mice. Since the weather is cooperating, I am tenting again. Haven't slept in a shelter yet. Since Fish and Mover had a skunk walk across their heads at Blood Mountain Shelter, I'm in no hurry. Looking forward to an easy day Friday.
Date: 2003-03-28
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Blueberry Patch (Hiawassee)
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 83/28/03 Friday3.5 Miles on Trail   66.8 TotalShort hiking day today from Deep Gap Shelter to Dick's Creek Gap. Then we caught a ride with the folks from "The Blueberry Patch". Then into Hiwassee for some supplies. I've got just enough food to get to Franklin in 3 days then I'll have to stop at a grocery again and supply for 5 days. I'm sitting here with 7 other people in the blueberry patch. More about food. We went into town and ate at an AYCE place and had 3 plates each. Hitching was OK. Nice folks picked us up. I'll have to write more tomorrow since there is so much going on here.
Date: 2003-03-29
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

Day 93/29/03 Saturday8.8 Miles on Trail   75.6 Total.4 Miles off TrailLots of up today. Not so much down. Feet were sore at the end of the day. We are camping at Bly Gap tonight. Got here, set up camp, got wood for a fire and it started raining. Homer showed back up with Matt (whom I hadn't met). Genesis is here with his dog Coty. Then there is Sprout and Wootang. Also Reana who still doesn't have a trail name. She is waiting for her trailjournal friends to pick one out for her. One other guy named Last Minute Mark. We started a fire in spite of the rain, but it was cold and wet. Tomorrow might be a big day of 12 or 15. But I'm gonna see how the weather is and how my feet feel. I used some special band-aids today. They are supposed to promote jealing. They ripped my blisters open when I peeled them off. It's not a hard rain, but the drops are big. Camping isn't really so much fun in the rain. Still, it's pretty cool to hear the drops hit the rain fly. I hope the inside of my tent stays dry. I've got a clothesline hung inside the tent. It is just big enough for my socks, sock liners, hat and gloves. I've got to get a waterproof bear bag at the next outfitters. Tomorrow morning I'm going to have to stuff a wet bear bag in my pack. I'm not looking forward to it. Better get some rest.
Date: 2003-03-30
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: broken clouds

Day 103/30/03 Sunday7.1 Miles on Trail   83.3 TotalWow, I awoke to snow. Well that's not really fair. I was awake alot during the night with the sound of rain and needing to pee but not wanting to get out of the tent to go. So when first light came I saw the snow through the mesh in the tent. So, part of what I was hearing wasn't rain at all, it was snow. When I finally got dressed enough to open the fly of the tent the world was white. It was so beautiful. It was a little scary too. I knew we would encounter snow, but when it actually happened, it was a shock. Everyone that tented together that night decided as a group to move on and we did as a group. There was Homer, Last Minute, Sprout, Leana (Woo Tang), Genesis (and Cody) and Matt. The 7 of us walked through virgin snow along the trail to Muskrat Shelter and ate a hot meal there and moved on to Standing Indian Shelter. There wasn't room in the shelter, so I pitched my tent. Mark has Woo Tang in his tent and Sprout is in mine since it is so cold. There was so much beauty, it's hard to describe. I took some photos, but they will only be a reminder to me of the magnificent views and sights. Even though the conditions today are harsh, I'm still loving this experience. My toes have warmed back up since dinner and I'm in my tent. Content and warm enough. Today was fun in spite of or because of the adversity. Manana.
Date: 2003-03-31
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: few clouds

Day 113/31/03 Monday11.3 Miles on Trail   94.6 TotalWell, home tonight is Betty Creek Gap Campground. Last Minute, Red, Genesis, Leana and Sprout are here and there is another group a little way from us. I can't read my watch because it is too cold for the LCD to display. The sun has just gone down and it is deep dusk. Today started off way too cold. Homer told me his thermometer said 15 degrees at 3:30, it was cold. I haven't ever had cold toes in my sleeping bag until last night. I put on a pair of socks which didn't even help! It snowed another inch or so over night, the total was between 5 and 6 inches. I awoke many times through the night because when I set the ground clothout on the snow, I didn't see the 3 big rocks that would plague me as soon as my body heat melted the snow. When I finally got dressed I had to put my feet in frozen boots. Cooking and eating breakfast with my frozen boots on at 20 degrees was a real treat. We moved on again and made it to Carter Gap Shelter where Homer Dropped off. The rest of us came on to Betty Creek Gap (also known as the Betty Ford Clinic).The Walk today was beautiful. The snow only made the top of Standing Indian more beautiful. We walked through miles of Rhododendrons. Again it was something I couldn't have asked for. Out of adversity came magnificent benefit. Had I known what the weather would be, I wouldn't have left the blueberry patch and I would have missed the magnificent hiking and learning what I am capable of. It's been hard, but worth it. I am 2 days behind schedule and will get further behind because I have to stop and get food in Franklin. I had planned for 16 miles a day after that. That is not going to happen! Oh well. I'll go as fast as the legs will allow and suplement the food as needed. Today my feet are very sore when I flex them. The good part is that my blisters are improving. Anyway, it's not about the pace, it's about enjoying the journey and who I am. It's a good 10-15 degrees warmer as I write tonight than it was last night. The girls aren't worried about the cold. So, I get my tent to myself tonight. Life is wonderful. Tomorrow we are looking at another big day. I don't have any more dinner type food so I am going to try to get to Franklin. If not, I have got extra breakfasts to eat. Looking forward to Albert Mountain tomorrow.