morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-06
To: Let's talk paperwork
Miles today: 0.0

So let's talk paperwork. You've no doubt have heard me mention that I meticulously assemble an itinerary for each year's Section. I map out all the details in this itinerary regarding mileage, water availability, overnight options, meal planning, and transport plans. ALL of that information along with emergency medical dosages and important account usernames/passwords goes on the front of the two 8-1/2"x11" sheets of paper that I carry (pictured is my 2014 Itinerary). On the back of this first sheet I have a picture of myself with the two dogs in case we get separated. Front/back copies of my medical card are also placed there.The second 8-1/2"x11" of paper has a copy on one side of Bandit's vet records and on the other a copy of Jackson's vet records. These 2 sheets comprise my entire itinerary and emergency paperwork that I will carry.Each dog then carries a copy of his own vet records and a picture of our hiking party on a single sheet of paper, double zip locked and tucked into their packs. Their microchip numbers are highlighted and I include a note on how to reach myself, my husband, or my two kids along with a brief hiking plan. If we become separated, there should be enough information to reunite all of us. In 2013, Bandit needed his vet records when we made an emergency trip to the vet when he contracted a serious case of the flu and became very dehydrated. Though minimalistic, I cannot stress the importance of each of us carrying our own copy of all this paperwork.In addition to these two sheets, I carry ~10 sheets from a guide book called "The AT Guide". They are 8-1/2"x5-1/2" in size. I will go into detail on these sheets in a future post, but in short they are detail packed data about the section of the trail we are hiking. Finally, I carry an actual physical map of the trail and its surroundings. Though not truly necessary (and most thru-hikers don't carry them), I am obsessed about knowing where I truly am and how to rescue myself if the situation arises. You don't have all that information in the guide book nor should you depend 100% on a cell phone/GPS. Electronics will eventually fail you out in the backcountry.Over the next three weeks, I will walk you through my itinerary planning phase as I develop this year's plan. As a solo female hiker, for safety reasons, I will NOT be making available exact dates on this itinerary. You are however, welcome to private message me and I will gladly send you a copy of my final itinerary if you would like one.
Date: 2015-04-10
To: The AT Guide Book
Miles today: 0.0

In my April 6th entry, I mentioned that I carry ~10 sheets from a guide book called "The AT Guide". I've purchased the unbound version so it is easy to pull only those pages relevant to my current section hike. The pages are 8-1/2"x5-1/2" in size and printed on both sides.Armed with "The AT Guide", a good map, several helpful Facebook AT Hiker pages, a website call "The WhiteBlaze.net", the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website, a list of transporters, and a few really good Trail Journals of Thru-hikers, it is possible to plan out my annual Section Hike with fairly good certainty. And that is what I will be doing next.It is always wise however, with an AT Itinerary to keep in mind that it is Plan A, B, C and D wrapped into one guess at what is going to actually happen. It is a well known fact by seasoned hikers that only the trail and the weather will determine the plan. The hiker only gets to roll with it. You can push for miles and miss a lot of what the trail is or you can take your time, make little mileage, enjoy the trail in all its glory and possibly never see all of it (or take 30 years to finish it). But each hiker should HYOH --- Hike Your Own Hike. Your biggest hurtle, BIGGEST HURTLE, will be your mental game no matter what!!!So let's get planning, I'd like to do 200+ miles in 15 days. Time to roll up our sleeves.
Date: 2015-04-10
To: Vertical AT pages
Miles today: 0.0

The pages in The AT Guide are very creatively designed to provide a lot of information packed on each page. The page in Portrait layout shows you the Northbound (i.e. NoBo) mileage from Springer Mtn. to your current location. The page shown is from last year's hike. I stayed at Bryant Ridge Shelter at Mile 759.8. The mileage to the left of that shelter is the Southbound (i.e. SoBo) mileage from Maine (Mt. Katahdin) to your current location. So you see you can easily look at the mileage and figure out how far away certain landmarks are from you like towns, shelters, mountains or streams. The little symbols to the right of a shelter show you the amenities at any given shelter. So the Bryant Ridge Shelter has a privy (outhouse), water source, and room for 20 in the shelter. The numbers right below the name of the shelter show you how far it is to the next shelter or two shelters away or three shelters away in a given NoBo or SoBo direction. The numbers listed on the very far right are the elevations. Bryant Ridge Shelter sits at 1302'. The next morning we had almost a 3000' climb to the top of Apple Orchard Mountain at 4225'.
Date: 2015-04-10
To: The Terain Profile
Miles today: 0.0

The pages in The AT Guide in Landscape layout show you pictorially what the terrain is like. See that very light line that squiggles across the page. Well, that is actually the elevation of the trail and thus portrays the profile of the trail. Given this information, you can determine if a 3000' climb is over 20 miles or in this case 9 miles or 1000' every 3 miles. Yikes that was a tough climb. Believe it or not the descents are much more painful than the climbs so when steep descents are portrayed you know it is more difficult than a gradual descent. Very, very helpful.There are also pages that include maps of the towns you will go into for resupply. They point out the motels, hostels, and other establishments that are helpful to hikers. Often transportation services are also listed on these additional pages.One of the most important things to keep track with these guide sheets is where your water sources are and how far apart they are. You don't just load up with enough water for your entire day in the morning and lug your water around all day. Water is way to heavy for that. So when I left Bryant Ridge Shelter, I only carried enough water to get me to the next shelter where I was able to resupply. Sometimes you have tons of water sources all day and sometimes there won't be any for miles. You ALWAYS have to pay attention to your water supply.
Date: 2015-04-18
To: Gear Round Up Begins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Last night's practice hike, Holy cow! 2 hours 10 minutes and 6 miles later we were all pooped. Feet got tired at 1:45 into the trip so perfect practice hike. ¢ at Southern Kettle Moraine Horsemen's Camp.Tick check necessary and done. Ya think! Only one found and that was on me!!! Yuck! Ibuprofen and dinner --- done. Passed out!!!! Pre-Hike Exercises and Activity are going very well this year. I did an unbelievable 30 pushups on Friday, REAL pushups! New personal record. Been pulling a lot of 15,000-24,000 step count days on my FitBit lately. Upping the daily goal from 13,000 to 15,000.It is now officially less than 4 weeks to departure. Better kick it up! Yikes so much to do. Pulled out all the gear from storage and spread it all out in the guest room. Have to find the list and start rounding up the missing pieces.
Date: 2015-04-22
To: Itinerary Part 2
Miles today: 0.0

After careful analysis, the hike has increased to 220 miles in 15 days. Each day has firmed up and 4 different transports now need to be contacted by phone/e-mail to make arrangements. I have chosen the Bears Den Hostel to be my base camp. It is located 141 miles into my hike and is fairly central to the entire trip. This is where I will be leaving my van. Here is a breakdown by days.... still doesn't seem like the most remote Section I've ever done:Day 1: 13 hour travel to Bears Den Day 2: Waynesboro, VA to SNP Skyline Mile 92.1 (14.4 mi / Hostel) Requires 120 mile transport south to Waynesboro, VA Day 3: SNP Skyline 92.1 to Loft Mtn. Campground (12.3 mi / Tent) Day 4: Loft Mtn. Campground to Hightop Hut (15.3 mi / Tent) Day 5: Hightop Hut to Lewis Mtn. Campground (11.7 mi / Tent) Day 6: Lewis Mtn. Campground to Rock Spring Hut (12.2 mi / Tent) Day 7: Rock Spring Hut to Luray, VA (14.1 mi / Hotel) (1st maildrop) Day 8: Luray, VA to Gravel Springs Hut (14.3 mi / Tent) Day 9: Gravel Springs Hut to Jim & Molly Denton Shelter (18.6 mi / Tent) Day 10: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter to Ashby Gap (14.8 mi / Hostel) Day 11: Ashby Gap to Bears Den Hostel (13.5 mi / Hostel) (2nd maildrop) Day 12: Bears Den Hostel to "campsite" before Harper's Ferry (16.4 mi / Tent) Day 13: "campsite" before Harper's Ferry to Crampton Gap Shelter (14.5 mi / Tent)This day I am joined by a friend (Jeff) at Harper's Ferry - brings 3rd maildrop Day 14: Crampton Gap Shelter to Annapolis Rocks Campsite (14.1 mi / Tent) Day 15: Annapolis Rocks Campsite to Waynesboro, PA (16.1 mi / Hotel) Day 16: Waynesboro, PA to Fayetteville, PA (18.2 mi / Hostel) Day 17: 13 hour travel to Wisconsin
Date: 2015-04-24
To: Picture Taking Equipment
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I've found it difficult to take pictures on my previous Section Hikes because I'm often hiking alone. So I've put together a cool little set of helpful picture taking tools. First, my iPhone is in a special case that has a camera mount socket as well as protective features. Next is my mini-tripod that the iPhone can now mount on. Finally I have a StickPic, the little white device. The iPhone also mounts on this which mounts on the end of my Trekking pole. Then you can use the pole to take selfies.
Date: 2015-04-25
To: Stone Elephant - Ice Age Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Nice two hour and 20 minute hike today with the boys. We hiked from Horseman's Park in Palmyra to the Stone Elephant and back. Hiked briefly with a lady from Illinois who was also practice hiking for an AT Section Hike through the Smokies. She had a ton of questions, but mostly about her feet. She noted every pair of shoes she'd bought were giving her blisters. After she told me about her 3rd pair in great detail I asked her about her pack. Seems she was hiking with full weight for 15+ miles at a time while checking out her new shoes. I explained she needed to ditch the weight and break in the shoes 1st. When she carried on about what other stores she should shop at, I gave up and moved on. On today's hike, MY feet didn't get tired but my legs got sore. Time to add a few more pounds to that 18 lb pack!!! Now THAT'S how you practice hike!
Date: 2015-04-26
To: Tough Decisions
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After a very long heart-to-heart with myself, I have made a very difficult decision. I will NOT be taking my best friend Bandit (aka Mouse Hunter) with me on this year's Appalachian Trail Section Hike. He is doing amazing during our practice sessions, but the trail is unforgiving and I would worry about him the entire 220 miles. It is my responsibility to keep him safe and I fear he is no longer up to the challenge -- He turns 9 this May 18th. So after 4 years and 700 miles of being one heck of an outstanding hiking partner, he's hanging up his backpack. I have NO idea how I'm going to explain this to him in three weeks and it is breaking my heart!
Date: 2015-05-07
To: Time to fully focus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

After an amazing run of Agility trials and lessons, it is time to turn my full attention to this year's Section hike. I'm so far behind in preparation, yikes! Time to scramble because the mountains are calling me!Itinerary was wrapped up tonight! Whew! Only minor tweaks remain. I will e-mail it out tomorrow to those who have private messaged me for a copy.Practice hikes are up to four miles in length with a 25 lb pack over the toughest terrain I can find. Tonight's hike was tough in these 80 degree temps but that made for a very realistic practice.Now I best get moving on organizing the gear!!!
Date: 2015-05-09
To: Tonight's Practice Hike
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

7 miles today with 25 lb pack and my two buddies. Lots of good tired leg muscles and feet.Today's 7 mile hike just so happened to coincide with the 50 mile Ice Age Trail Run today. Our timing was so perfect that we started our hike with the bubble of hikers who were just finishing their race! It was a big mess but still exciting to see all the runners nearing their goal. Great practice for Jackson too as he has to know that he moves off the trail for other hikers to go by. Of course he doesn't know the difference between hikers and runners so we had to get off the trail every 3 minutes for about a mile!In checking the list this morning of the top 75 hardest climbs on the AT, I've discovered that not one of them exists in this year's Section Hike! Whew! That's awesome!
Date: 2015-05-10
To: Canary Gaiters
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

This little device is called a Gaiter. You'll see me in pictures wearing them. They keep the rocks and sand out of my boots while hiking. They also help keep your feet dry when it rains, at least for a little while and so long as your socks are tucked inside it. If not your socks will wick the rain down into your boots. Every so often I have to replace the elastic that goes under the boot. Doing that this year.
Date: 2015-05-14
To: Neighbor Girl Gets Hurt
Miles today: 0.0

Well no hike tonight. Coming into our drive coming home from work a horse and rider were 0.1 mile down the road. Rider was off doing something on the ground. Let dogs out for walk and now a blue pickup was behind the horse with flashers on. After short walk put dogs in outbuilding and went to see if I could help. A Jeep pulls up as I arrive. Turns out it's mom & dad and girl had been thrown from horse. Seems a tan pickup came way too close scared horse who threw the girl in the ditch. Amazingly horse stayed with down rider. Cop arrives followed by Ambulance, various EMTs and Fire equipment. I put horse in our empty paddock and return to the cop who says Flight For Life is landing about 2 miles away. So scary. Met lots of neighbors. Now we are all looking for one fast tan pickup who most likely has no idea what they've done! Bud will be spending the night. Sending prayers for this little girl.Update, girl is going to be ok! Bud was safely moved home.
Date: 2015-05-15
To: Transport to AT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Three days from our departure and our transport from Wisconsin to the AT in Virginia gets a flat!!! The tires that they install at the factory on these Dodge mini-vans are of very good quality, so we opted to get a full set of four new tires!!! Trouble like we had in 2011 on our trip to the trail appears to have been averted!!! Whew!!! Glad this happened at home and not the middle of nowhere!
Date: 2015-05-15
To: Three maildrops complete
Miles today: 0.0

Today I finished assembling my three mail drops. Yippee! Always feels good when this tough job is done. Post office confirms they'll be delivered to my pickup spots in plenty of time! Whew!Night was our last big practice hike. Tomorrow and Sunday we will be at an Ann Braue Agility seminar, Monday we work and head south toward the AT. Something very exciting about that last big climb on the very last practice hike with a fully loaded pack knowing the next climb will be on the AT!!!
Date: 2015-05-17
To: Jackson's Food / Water Bowl
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

A friend asked me today about what I use for Jackson's food/water bowl. I have many fancy minimalistic ones but this little piece of junk works the best. Jack gets one bowl that he uses for both food and water. Folds up nice in his pack. And because it is a "little piece of junk" it isn't some fancy expensive bowl I worry about loosing. It also doubles as a water scoop at water sources that are not deep enough to fill my Sawyer Squeeze bottles at. Though I don't use the technique, the most minimalistic piece of junk dog bowl I've seen is cutting off the bottom 4" of a two liter soda bottle. I prefer not to go that route because that type of bowl doesn't collapse, but it sure is the lightest and easiest replaceable method I've seen should you loose or break it.
Date: 2015-05-17
To: First Need Water Filter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

This is a First Need water filter. I used it in 2009-2011. It is 1-1/2 lbs. Very heavy. You place the float in the lower right corner in the water source, pump the handle on the upper left and the water comes out of the bottom of the large blue part. This filter is amazing. It will turn a mud puddle (stagnant water) into crystal clear water. But it's a huge over kill for the AT which has many moving water sources. And it's WAY to heavy. I no longer carry it.
Date: 2015-05-17
To: Steripen Option
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

This great little device is called a Steripen and is also used for water purification. It uses ultraviolet light to purify the water. It is best used on water that you've acquired at a moving source. I used mine in 2012-2014. It failed me during my 2014 Section. It just quit working 8 days into our 15 day Section Hike. Red light would come on and it refused to purify the water. I was gifted bleach by a fellow hiker and we used that with great results the rest of the trip. Technology failed me! NEVER depend on something so important if it requires a battery!!!
Date: 2015-05-18
To: First Leg of Transport to the Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Today I headed to work with all my gear pre-loaded into my mini-van. Work ran late and was wrapped up around 6 p.m. The phone company had cut the wire to our fax machine I tried desperately to get it fixed before departure. We went to Walgreens and got a prescription and then we went to Walmart and got change for our traveling cash. Finally, Jackson and I pointed the van south and our adventure began! The plan, to make it to South Bend, IN La Quinta for the night. This put 5 hours behind us and would get us to Bear's Den in VA before dark tomorrow.Now, I'm not a GPS fan. Nor am I a "driving in Chicago fan" so the GPS was activated on my iPhone. Happily it saved my butt once and then later it failed and took me on a random path. Hmmm.... Happy to be not lost and still not convinced GPS technology is worth my trouble. It works kind of on the same concept as the weather man, hit or miss on accuracy!!! LOL While checking Interstate maps at the hotel, I discovered that was the Chicago circle of death I got caught in! I-80, I-65, I-90!!! Stupid construction.Finished up last Pre-hike Prep: nails cut short, fingers and toes (both mine and Jack's)
Date: 2015-05-19
To: Second Leg of Transport to Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

We took off from our hotel in South Bend Indiana and drove all the way to Bear's Den in Virginia. The only eventful thing on the trip was the deer that crossed five lanes of the interstate and I had to stop to avoid hitting it as it cleared the concrete barrier between lanes. We arrived safely at the Bear's Den. It's warm here. It is currently 88 degrees. I hear it has been very hot like this for the past week. Unusual for this time of year.Arriving by car into a setting where everyone else has arrived by foot is an eerie feeling for both myself and the hikers. I parked my van near the door as Jackson had to sleep in the van -- no dogs allowed inside at the Bear's Den. We ate our Subway sandwich, claimed a bunk when the office opened at 5:00 p.m., and I spread my gear out on my sleeping bag in the bunk. I organized all the gear in my pack in preparation for tomorrow's departure then put all the items Jackson's needed in his pack. While doing all this work, Jackson stayed outside on his leash tied to the van visiting and getting treats from all the other hikers. The hiking community is amazing. Here I pull into a strange place and instantly have 15 new friends that I could count on to have my back. I texted Strings to confirm tomorrow morning's departure time/location. Jackson and I headed out to the rock overlook at sundown to watch the setting sun with the other hikers.
Date: 2015-05-20
From: Skyline Mile 92.1

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 14.4

Time for second breakfast. Oh and some knee braces. LOLRose at 5:00 a.m., packed up final items, and made pancakes and coffee in kitchen. Strings gave us a ride to the 92.1 mile marker in the Shenandoah National Park after getting our Backcountry Permit at the Ranger's Station. We left the Bear's Den at 6 AM. This was the Wildcat Ridge Trail parking Lot at Mile Marker 92.1. We headed southbound for 14.4 miles. It was fairly easy at first, the first 4 miles went really well and we stopped a really cool overlook that would be Sawmill Run Overlook for Second Breakfast. Then we had some serious ups and downs but we ran across a lot of through hikers coming at us headed northbound.  The last 6 miles turned out to be very, very rocky and it took us an extra hour to get into Rockfish gap where Adam Stanley picked us up and brought us to the Best Western for the night.  I went to the Cracker Barrel and got supper to go while Jackson waited patiently tied to a post outside. One of our Mail drops was here at the Best Western with all our food for the next leg of our journey. A crossing near the end of today's hike there was a family of four giving out trail magic! Pretty sweet.
Date: 2015-05-21
From: Skyline Mile 92.1

To: Loft Mtn Campground
Miles today: 12.3

Woke at the Best Western to rain, fog, and cold. Adam took us back to SNP Mile 92.1 Wildcat Ridge Trail and we hiked North 12.3 miles. We stopped at Blackrock Hut for lunch and took a nap until it quit raining having the entire hut to ourselves. Though it is Thursday before Memorial weekend, we took a chance and tried to get a spot at the Loft Mountain Campground. We peeled off the trail and re-entered the insanity of society. Everyone was scrambling for a spot. We walked up and down paved roads looking for the registration area carrying our heavy pack in the mist and waning light. A really nice volunteer lady stopped and asked if she could help. It was her first day on the job and she gave us a ride in her nice clean SUV to the registration area and then back to our campsite. I was stoked about our luck until I discovered -- no showers!!! There hadn't been much to look at all day as it was rainy and cold, but my FitBit showed we taken 49,000 steps and climbed 227 floors!!! Made dinner, put all our food in the bear canister on our site, and hit the rack. It was a cold night.