morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-01-22
To: Jenny's 
Miles today: 0.0

If you didn't read my "About" section, I'm thru-hiking with Dave and Jenny. I believe Farmer Dave has completed a thru hike before and his trail name is Puzzle Man or something. Jenny has more camping experience that me. I haven't slept in a tent more than 10 feet from a car in about...well I guess my whole life! So there are going to be a lot of "First times" going on out there for the next 6 months, lol...I put up another picture of the Harp Inn up just because I felt like it. I'm going to miss it. I'll probably be there again sometime this week to meet up with my friend Rick over a pint. We like to swap conspiracy theories and have deep conversations that alienate everyone else at the bar.
Date: 2005-01-26
To: First Night in My Tent
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I gave away my bed and every other piece of furniture in my bedroom last night so I'm sleeping in the tent until I move into my friend Jeff's spare bedroom sometime next week. The tent is actually set up in my bedroom, which is kind of weak for a soon-to-be pro-backpacker, but you know, I'm a firm believer in baby steps.In the meantime, I've invested in a "Ratsack". The name was what sold me on it! Check out the picture, it's pretty sweet huh? I need to protect my food because if I run out there's no telling what I'll do. I'm one of those people who get really pissed off when they're hungry and can't eat. Seriously, I'll make "Alive" look like a Disney movie...no, I'm more like Jack Nicholas in "The Shining"! Just kidding, there's nothing to worry about if you see me on the trail because the Ratsack's got my back from now on...well let's hope.Ratsack link if your interested: http://www.armoredoutdoorgear.com/ratsack.htm
Date: 2005-01-31
To: 26 days left in California
Miles today: 0.0

Man, I'm going to miss California. Jenny's moving back to New York on Wednesday morning and I'll be making my drive cross country to Boston on Feb 26th. I still have a lot of loose ends to tie up, but I think it was my Dad that said, "After a great trip, you never remember the things you had to do to make it happen." And it's true. I can't remember the planning process for any other trips I've taken, but this trip isn't necessarily like those others I've gone on before. Not only the fact that the nature of it is unique (no pun intended), but the fact that I had to sell and give away all of my belongings, quit a great job, and move across a continent on top of everything else that makes this pre-trip B.S. especially memorable.Anyhow, I put this picture of me hugging a huge pine tree in Yosemite up because it was definitely one of the best times I've had while living in California. My cousin Steve and I went up there for 3 days and had a blast. I've never seen anything like it before. Everything is mammoth in Yosemite. Rocks aren't rocks, they're boulders. Hills become mountains, and streams become rivers that become waterfalls! I might be juicing it up a bit but if you were raised on the East Coast, then you know there are few places, if any, that can capture a fragment of the beauty of what's inside Yosemite Valley alone, never mind the rest of the park. Anyhow I highly recommend it, the place is sick, enough said.Before I end this entry I just want to express my huge appreciation to my friend Jeff and his fiance Mandy for letting me stay with them for my last month out here, rent free (they're great cooks too). The extra cash I'm saving is largely what is making this trip possible. So to Jeff and Mandy: I won't be exaggerating when I tell you later on that I couldn't have done it without you, because it's the truth! Now that I'm thinking about what I just wrote...how embarrasing would it be if I had to quit the trail in Northern Georgia because of explosive diarrhea, or chronic diaper rash or something stupid after having already written like 6 journal entries on a website that most of my friends and family are already reading and then brazenly talking about what I'm going to say after I've completed this super hard, 6 month hike, through 14 states with nothing but the bare essentials...and well, of course the ratsack! So I'm not taking anything back, but I am acknowledging the hubris here, that's all. By the way, I just learned how to tie a hitch knot! I have no idea what purpose it will serve in general or why it's called a hitch knot. All I know, is it might one day save my life, or Jenny or Farmer Dave's, which would make it even more amazing than it already is.
Date: 2005-02-04
To: Quick Update
Miles today: 0.0

When I look at this picture I hear cheesy, soft jazz, like something off of the Playboy Jazz CD...my friends at Virgin know what I'm talking about!Anyhow, I've been husslin' and I took care of a bunch of stuff. I only had to get rid of two house speakers but I wound up selling my entire stereo system for $50. I also sold my couch, a wooden Guiness calendar (which was sweet) and a rice maker (a necessity if you can't cook) for a grip of cash! I'm a desperate man folks, whatever can't fit in my car is either getting sold or being given away. Period.   Mom, I'm eating well over here. Jeff and Mandy are feeding me awesome meals every night! When I came back from work last night there were a half dozen chocolate cupcakes on the counter for me with a note to eat up! Unfortunately I only ate two and ants came during the night and ate the rest, damn! Oh yeah, I'm sleeping on 450 thread Egyptian cotton sheets, and there is a plethora of good beers in the fridge...I could go on but at this point I'm just bragging. So nobody worry about me.The A4 is going in for its 20K mile checkup and I'm giving her new wheels this weekend so I can make it to Boston in one piece. No more low profiles, she's wearing 4 seasons from now on! Lastly I should give a shout out to Farmer Dave, whom I spoke with for the first time last Saturday. Dave is an awesome guy! I'm excited to be doing this hike with such awesome people (don't get a big head Jenny!). Between my knot-tying mastery and Dave's intimate knowledge of 2/3's of the trail (he almost finished a SB thru-hike yrs ago), I think we'll be just fine out there.
Date: 2005-02-08
To: Dedicated to Jenny's Aunt in Arizona
Miles today: 0.0

Hi there, we've never met but I heard you like my journal, especially the part about the Rat Sack. Actually I just got off the phone with Jenny, she's driving through Oklahoma right now. I told her I was sending an email to Farmer Dave and she let me know that I've got a growing reputation in your family as the guy with the Rat Sack! So to save some face, and to avoid getting a trail name like "Rat Boy", I'm leaving the Rat Sack in Massachusetts. Don't worry, I don't think Farmer Dave liked it either. When I first called him, he asked me "Are you the guy bringing your food in a half pound bag?" So, you know, what can I say? I get lots of ideas, some of them are good, others aren't so good...this one apparently sucked!At first I decided to discretely remove the Rat Sack from this journal and then email the company that makes it and let them know what kind of mental anguish this bag can cause and that they might want to consider another name....BUT since then I've decided to stand by the Ratsack and if it does suck or if I don't get any nibbles on it, then I'll send it home. It might not be worth the weight, but then again, it could be worth its weight in gold!
Date: 2005-02-11
To: Bang on the Drum All Day
Miles today: 0.0

Only 10 more days of work left! After 3 years of constant work right out of college, I'm ready to take my leave for the trail. No more 9 to 5'n!Anyhow, I'm heading up to Ojai this weekend to visit my buddy Gunther. For those that don't know Ojai is near Santa Barbara, north of LA. I've never been but apparently it's a beautiful area. I'll fill in the details this Mon or Tues when I get back. We are planning on doing some day hiking in the mountains near his place, which I'm looking forward to. I'm also going to REI on my lunch break today to get a raincoat and some gaiters. That's it for now, I got to go catch a conference call!
Date: 2005-02-15
To: Exactly one month to go!
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I didn't go to Ojai this weekend, so nothing exciting to report really. Today marks exactly one month before I start the trail. As I go through all of my gear and try to figure out how much money I will have, I begin to worry about everything. I'm alloting $2,500.00 for the hike, which I hope will be enough. I still haven't decided how I'm going to budget my money while I'm on the trail...traveler's checks, debit card (bad idea because I tend to over-spend with it), cash...most likely a combination would work best, but I don't know. If anyone who has thruhiked before is reading this and has any suggestions I would love to hear them! Thanks!Anyhow, I've got a much better grasp on certain realities about the trail by now and I've decided I am not going to be bringing a guitar with me. I know I am really going to miss playing but in reality, I'll be better off without it. Between the weight of carrying it, being too tired to want to play at the end of the day, and the HUGE possibility of it getting broken on the way (tree branches, falling off my pack, breaking when I trip, which I will!), it won't be worth it. Anyhow, cash is tight and I need everything just to finish this trip. Without my guitar I'll have to take my singing act out of the shower and into the woods! I know what Jenny's thinking right now, "Sweet!!!"Some preparation that I still have left to do includes scheduling my mail drops. I'm thinking maybe four or five tops. I know Farmer Dave isn't into them, and neither am I really. It will be less of a hassle for us to buy food in towns rather than through the mail and I hate having to live my life according to a schedule as it is, so there's no way I'm going to want the pressure to have to be "on-time" for a package while on my hike. Therefore, I will mainly use the mail drops as a way for my Mom to send me her famous brownies!! Damn they're good! And hopefully I'll find a few Guinness in there too! I plan on having the Mail Drop portion of my journal setup by the end of the week.
Date: 2005-02-21
To: Last Weekend in Cali Recap
Miles today: 0.0

I had an awesome weekend. Friday night I went out to The Harp, of course. I'm trying to get the pictures so I'll replace this one of my friend Holly's dog, Gretel, when I get them. Anyway, there was a great acoustic Irish band there and a lot of my friends came out, so it was a great time overall. Let's just say that we had so much fun that I felt like death the next day. So, me and my buddy Gunther (who came down for the weekend from Ojai) were just hanging out recuperating the next morning when people start coming through the door around 2pm...Jeff and Mandy had put together a sweet surprise party and it turned into a rager for a good part of the afternoon and evening! A lot of friends came by! I hadn't seen some people in a while so it was really awesome to have everyone in one place. And to Esto, I will say you were missed. I'm sure we'll hang out when I get back from this hike! Lastly, another huge thanks to Jeff and Mandy for everything they've done for me. Friends like these are rare folks, and all I can say is I hope to someday return the favor. Although my time here in California is nearing its end, I feel like the experience itself is definitely not lost on me. I've made great friends, seen awesome sights and visited places I never new existed. In retrospect, it's the best decision I ever made. On a lighter note, the rain out here has been completely rediculous for almost a week straight. Even the ants are trying to get out of it, and their storming my room in force. I woke up this morning and found like 20 ants on the night stand next to my bed. I looked at my mug of water and it had ants crawling all over it and a lot of swimmwers inside too. That's when I realized that I had woken up and chugged out of it in the middle of the night!!! It's just protein, right?
Date: 2005-03-04
To: Back in Danvers, MA
Miles today: 0.0

My sister Lizz and I began our drive cross country on Feb.26 from Newport Beach, CA to Danvers, MA. Here are a few excerpts from our trip:2/26/2005 - We headed out of Orange County but only made it to Flagstaff, AZ because a freak snowstorm forced us off the road. We stayed at a Comfort Inn which was neither comfortable nor an "inn". I accidentally under-tipped the pizza delivery man and Lizz advised me to lock the door immediately. The beds felt like cold blocks of granite and I woke up with both of my shoulders out of their sockets, no joke.2/27/2005 - We had a LONG day. We drove 1,000 miles across total desert which was BORING. We saw the Navaho Nation, a Dairy Queen with 10,000lbs of explosives inside and a gas station outside, there were meteors and giant plastic dinasours on all sides of the highway too. Lizz called Dad and found out she got a small tax return so she threatened to assasinate the government "I'm gonna kill everybody". She then found out that the figure didn't include her state tax refund so she called back, "cancel the plan...carry on ol' chap!". There were no restroom breaks in the state of Texas because Lizz said that every exit looked like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I admit, the resemblance is scarey. We stayed at the Comfort Inn in Oklahoma City, which f@#$n' rocked! I highly recommend it. I think they had those "Heavenly" mattresses...all I know is I slept like a baby. And then we woke up and had they had an awesome breakfast ready with french toast, southern biscuts, cereal, yogurt and juice...the list goes on. 2/28/2005 - We drove another 1,000 miles but it went by a lot easier. We drove through Arkansas and Tennessee. Ever since Texas we only talked to each other in a Texas accent so I started calling Lizz "Sassafras". Lizz dubbed my car "Tiny Dancer", which by the way, is all her. We stayed at the Baymont Hotel in Knoxville, TN, which Lizz adequately described when she said "It skeeves me." I missed the continental breakfast because it closed at 9am and I got there at 9:10am. I couldn't even get a glass of juice. To make matters worse, I later realized I had left my favorite pillow there...I hate the Baymont. Anyhow, we drove straight through to Philly where we stayed the evening and the following day to spend time with Pop-Pop and Elaine, Mia and Dave, and Aunt Hannah! 3/3/2005 - Lizz and I drove back to Boston and actually took 95, which was the long way, but still made it in 5 hours, which is pretty damn good. While driving through Rhode Island we went through the infamous Pawtucket! I added a picture of the sign in my photos so Adam could check it out. We're both big fans of the animated series, Family Guy, which is set in Pawtucket, so that was sweet. Well, that's the recap. All in all it was a good trip. We had a lot of laughs along the way and that really made the difference. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like without Lizz's awesome company. So Thanks again Lizz! Let's do it again sometime...NOT!
Date: 2005-03-10
To: Nothing Left To Say
Miles today: 0.0

Like Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part. I have nothing to say right now except that I want to be out there ASAP. I thought that having nothing to do all day would be a great opportunity to tie up a lot of odds and ends and also play a little guitar...instead, I'm just becoming more and more agitated. I'm so bored that I had a dream last night that I was working at a gas station. And it was long too, it actually felt like work! I was filling the tank for customers all night long, it sucked! At the end I wound up walking off the job without telling anyone...I really need to get my mind occupied. Although I have a lot to do like package my mail drops, pick up a few more items for the trip and finish my resume before I leave, but I feel like it can all be done in one afternoon. Anyhow, that's that. Rich, thanks for the guestbook entry, and I hear ya, I want out there bad. Some of you may also notice that my start date has been pushed up another week to 3/21. This is because of some extenuating circumstances with Farmer Dave, which may be a god-send on account of what I'm reading in the journals of some current thru-hikers. The weather has been forcing many of them off the trail for several days at a time and many have not made it to the Smokies yet on account of being sidetracked. So, F the Winter. We'll be leaving on the second day of Spring!
Date: 2005-03-17
To: Advise? Ride to Amicalola
Miles today: 0.0

The final preparations are in order and here's the deal: Jenny's picking me up here in Boston and we're going to upstate New York where she and Farmer Dave live. On Monday morning, we're driving a rental car to the airport in Atlanta, which should take all of the day and evening. We'll stay at a hotel at or near the airport Monday night. And here's where the problem arises...how to get to Amicalola Park! If anyone reading this can offer any suggestions regarding transportation (shuttles, Buses, Trail Angels) that they know of to get from the airport to the park it would be greatly appreciated! Otherwise we're throwing out the thumb! Thanks!
Date: 2005-03-20
To: The Last Supper
Miles today: 0.0

I want to thank everyone who responded to my request for information regarding the shuttle to Amicalola. Dave, Jenny and I are going to take a ride with the folks at the Hiker Hostel to get to the Approach Trail on Tuesday afternoon, well that's the plan anyhow. My next entry will be from the trail! I think Jenny and I are feeling a mix of exitement and apprehension and Dave appears to have the confidence that can only be gained by experience. I had a great dinner this evening at Dave and Mary Elle's place. A lot of the family was there also, which was really nice. To all of the Emersons: Thank you for your terrific hospitality, your are all really awesome people and I've enjoyed talking with, and getting to know all of you. So that's it until the trail!
Date: 2005-03-21
From: Atlanta Airport

To: Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Just an update...by the time we were picked up at the train station by Josh from Hiker Hostel, the weather had turned pretty bad on us and Josh informed us that hikers were coming off the trail in droves so we took his offer to spend a night at the hostel and begin our hike tomorrow. We met a fellow thru-hiker named Buzz, from Albuquerque who will be beginning the hike tomorrow also. There are a lot of people here who are all really friendly! 11 of them are from Ohio State and are doing a section hike during their spring break. We are all going out to dinner tonight at Caruso's, which I hear has a great home-brewed Russian Imperial Stout! Tomorrow's the day, more to come later!http://www.hikerhostel.com/
Date: 2005-03-23
From: Approach Trail

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: broken clouds

My first day on the AT! We hiked the Approach Trail to Springer's summit and another two and a half miles to Stover Creek Shelter. The Approach Trail was a bitch, straight up. We were all hurting. I should mention that we have been hiking with Buzz, whom we met at the train station in Atlanta, and who also stayed at the Hiker Hostel last night. Buzz is an awesome guy. Joining us at the sheltertonight is Goagi from N.Carolina and Je from Florida. Tomorrow we are headed for Gooch Gap Shelter, which is like 12.5 miles. I hope my hip holds up, it started hurting like hell while on the Approach Trail. People are crashing out so I'm going to hunker down now.Feelings on my first day, in order: anxiety, apprehension, quiet excitement, hunger, and then the pain (shoulder, back, left hip), and finally exhaustion.
Date: 2005-03-24
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I didn't sleep much last night. Buzz had hellacious farts all night (he's a vegetarian) and I would wake up when they hit my nostrils. At one point I woke him up and said, dead seriously, "If you do it again, I'm going to drop you." He laughed because he thought I was kidding...This morning Farmer Dave asked Buzz how he felt upon waking up. Buzz said, "In pain." Farmer asks, "Where does it hurt?" Buzz replies without hesitation, "from the waist down!" Today was 12.4 miles of HURT. The pain is moving. It started in my left hip in the morning and moved to my right shin and then to my feet, which is the current favorite. I have to say that Farmer Dave is amazing. He is smoking me on every hill. I didn't take enough water up Sassafras Mountain and wound up really dehydrated. Things were looking bleak so...well, let me start over.A lollipop saved my life. No way you say? Let me tell you I had willed myself down Sassafras Mountain and all the way to the top o Justis Mountain when I hit the wall. My will couldn't force my body another inch. It was then that I saw a couple of day hikers comming up the trail! I was devastated to see that it was a woman carrying what looked like a small child, and a fat guy, who actually looked worse than me! I felt horrible asking them for water. I had just about lost hope when I suddenly remembered the dumb-dumb lollipop in my shorts pocket. It was grape, my favorite flavor. I got such a rush of adrenaline from that little lollipop that I was able to hike down the mountain to Justis Creek. Maybe you had to be there, or my description o the event just doesn't do it justice, but let me tell you it was an awesome momment!I also got my trail name today at Hawk Mountain Shelter, where we stopped for lunch. I'm going with "Spud". I picked Spud because it was Jerry Garcia's nickname when he was in the Bluegrass band, "Old And In The Way" in the early 70's. Since Jerry joined the band because of his love of the music form instead of monetary compensation, I feel a parallel with my reasoning for taking this adventure. So yeah, I gave myself the name. I was waiting for my companions to pick a creative and fitting name for me, but frankly, their suggestions sucked. So be it.
Date: 2005-03-25
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Wood's Hole
Miles today: 11.9

Quick Summary; Beautiful day, sunny with a cool breeze. The pain continues to move. Pain in the left side of the hip moved over to the right. Right shin and feet HURT, but not one blister yet! Enough talking about the pain though, I thinkit's just part of the day to day existence pon the trail...So, from now on only injuries will make it into the journal.We took some pictures on top of Ramrock Mtn. and also experienced Trail Magic for the first time! We decended Tritt Gap into Woody's Gap and there was a red truck in the parking lot with huge tupperware containers filled with every snack item from crackers to pudding cups! They also had lemonade and fruit punch drinks! A man with 3 volunteers (woman and 2 boys) fed us, filled our water bottles, and one of the boys, Trey, even played his banjo for us, it was awesome! All they asked of us was that we sign their journal, which we gladly did. Anyhow, the shelter we are staying at tonight is full because there is a forecast of rain or tomorrow morning.PS. My total lack of grammer (which has been cleaned up online) is a direct result of total exhaustion and dehydration, which is sadly becoming an "end o day" ritual. Also, Jeff from Florida is now known as "Florida" (creative huh?). Oh yeah, today is Farmer Dave's 59th birthday. More than twice my age and he's out-hiking all of us.Highlight of the day: We stopped at a picturesque mountain sprin in a valley where we threw down our packs and soaked our feet in the cool, rushing water. I tried to clean up a little in the stream...to no avail. My body is producing odors I didn't know it was capable of. I continue to amaze myself.