morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-11-06
From: Blue Mtn Shelter

To: Neels Gap (Mtn Crossings Hostel)
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

It got REALLY cold last night up on Blue Mtn--probably in the teens. The sleeping bag did great (thanks Western Mountaineering). My gatorade bottle froze, as did my platypus hose (careless of me to not have cleared it last night). The wild part was putting on our frozen shoes. We couldn't even tighten the laces properly until about an hour into our walk. NOBO's had told us about the frozen socks/shoes thing, but we were hoping they were exaggerating. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad or as uncomfortable as I expected.We were originally going to camp on Blood Mtn, but heard that there were a ton of weekenders up there. That was all the excuse we needed to stay at the Mtn Crossings hostel. This turned out to be the perfect decision. Getting to dry out our shoes and taking a hot shower was absolutely theraputic. Also, Bishop showed up about an hour after us. We hadn't seen him since Hot Springs and are excited about getting to finish together. To top off our good fortune, the three of us got to spend the evening chatting with Pirate and Lumpy, the guys who work at Mtn Crossings when they're not hiking. Pirate and Lumpy are great hosts and shared lots of trail stories with us. It was perfect to get to spend time with these guys who love hiking the the Trail as we approach to end of our journey. The hostel itself is a bunk room and a sitting area--very comfortable.
Date: 2010-11-07
From: Neels Gap (Mtn Crossings Hostel)

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: clear sky

We are really patting ourselves on the back for staying at the hostel last night. Walking out at 7:45 (6:45 w/time change) with dry shoes and already warm (25 degrees outside) was sooooooo nice. As promised, Pirate had the coffee waiting when we got up. It put us in a great frame of mind for our last real day of hiking.It felt good to "do the miles" one last time... Going up Blood Mtn wasn't a piece of cake, but it did emphasize how fit we are now. I've done that mountain multiple times over the years, but never with such ease. Pretty cool. There was still some snow and black ice on the ground, but it wasn't a problem. And the shelter was indeed packed to the max. We took some pictures and kept moving, happy to have avoided the crowds.The walk to Woody's Gap was fun since we recognized most of it. We hiked the Georgia Loop last November, so the entire section from Three Forks to Blood Mtn was relatively fresh in our minds. I tried not to get too maudlin about this being the end of the Trail for us. However, I couldn't help but spend alot of the day remembering highlights of the last 5 months. The weather is absolutely beautiful, which adds to my reluctance to see this walk coming to an end.In the shelter tonight with SilverSpring, Bishop and me is a very nice section hiker couple. They're full of questions and dreams of doing a thru hike some day themselves. It's kinda nice answering their questions as it gives us an opportunity to enjoy telling our stories. It's absolutely perfect to be spending our last night out with Bishop. The only thing that would make it better is if Aboo had caught us... Kinda freaking out that this is ending...
Date: 2010-11-08
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Springer Mtn
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: clear sky

Since we had agreed to meet my sister, Lynn, at 1 PM on Springer, we got to sleep in and enjoy a couple of cups of coffee and a time of reflection before packing up to begin the final hike. The walk to Springer was surprisingly easy. We were so excited, but trying to pace ourselves and soak it in. In reality, it was impossible to comprehend that our hike was over. On the one hand, I'm tired of getting up and walking. I'm tired of the hardships, of my sore feet and aching shoulders. On the other hand, I don't want to leave this life: the outdoors, the routine, the peace and the sense of belonging. I don't want to leave THE TRAIL. I don't want to quit being a thru-hiker. I like who I am here...We didn't realize that the AT went through the parking lot where our families would park to make their trek up Springer. So, much to our surprise, when we hit this parking lot, there was Lynn's car with Bishop sitting on the ground eating Little Debbies and drinking a beer. Lynn had arrived with Trail Magic galore!!! We decided to hang out partying a bit while we waited for Bishop's mom, Anita, to arrive so we could all do the last mile and a half together.It was such a grand celebration. Our moods turned from somewhat gloomy introspective soul searching to a real joy in our accomplishment (assuming that we didn't party too much and actually made it up the mountain!). And it seemed perfect to finish with our "ground crew"--the ones who had sent our mail drops, listened to our homesick calls home and basically been our cheerleaders when we needed them most. The walk up to the summit was surreal. I don't know how to describe my emotions: joy, excitement, relief, pride, disbelief... Maine to Georgia! Unbelievable! When we reached the top, the section/dayhikers up there started applauding. It was really sweet! Lynn pulled out a bottle of champaign and we all toasted the finish. She also brought a second bottle, which we put with the hiker log for the next SOBO thru-hiker to enjoy. We're kinda thinking that Aboo is next, but not sure.After Bishop and his mom left, we just hung out at Springer soaking it in. 2,179 miles... A dream that we've been carrying from over 25 years was fullfilled. I'm not even sure what that means. I know the Trail has changed us. It will be fascinating to see how we walk and talk after this extraordinary experience.P.S. The weather was absolutely picture perfect. The Trail does that--gives you the most glorious day so that walking away hurts that much more.
Date: 2005-10-13
To: Where did this idea come from?
Miles today: 0.0

After hiking the Edmonds Trail at Black Rock Mountain State Park onOctober 8, my long simmering ambition to hike the AppalachAfter hiking the Edmonds Trail at Black Rock Mountain StatePark on October 8, my long simmering ambition to hike the Appalachian Trail blossomedand I started my research. Like many who are reading this, Ihave had a vague desire to undertake some sort of epic adventure for as long asI can remember. I get seasick so I don't like sailing--it was not goingto be an adventure on the sea. Years ago, and I do not remember when or how, Ibecame vaguely aware of the Appalachian Trail and it could be hiked end toend. But I have never been camping in my life. As it happens I became singleagain a few years ago and some how or other discovered that a hike in the woodsand a picnic was a great first date. One thing led to another and on October13, 2005 the idea came to me that I should hike the Appalachian Trail. Iquickly found trailplace.com and started my research. Within a few days I foundArctic Sven's web site http://www.chassels.net/at/and read his journal. After reading the description of mice biting him in thenight I told my fianc© the thru-hike was over--I thought to myself there is noway I can sleep while mice are biting my face.But the notion remained planted andI kept reading more.
Date: 2005-10-16
To: A Bit Far Off Isn't It?
Miles today: 0.0

Yes it is a few years away. I amalmost 50 years old and quite invested in my career. Interrupting my career isnot an option for me. But I have always planned to retire fairly young. Afterassessing when exactly that might be 2010 looked about right. When the timecomes it might be a year or two later, but 2010 looks like a good target forplanning purposes.It may sound absurd to most, butwhen I think about everything I want to do in preparation, sometimes the timeframe doesn't seem that long to me.I want to learn as much as I canfrom others' experiences. I already know, for example, that I am not going toreach Neal's Gap carrying 45 pounds.I want to figure out what is thebest gear for me. I want to learn as much as I canabout the geology of the trail. I want to learn about plants alongthe trail--flowers and trees. I want to test what I have learnedfrom reading through a series of progressively longer shake down hikes.Remember I have never been camping; I never even owned a daypack before now.I want to work on my fitness level.Everybody talks about reducing pack weight or skin out weight. I think mybiggest opportunity (using corporate speak) is my skin in weight. I know thatthe trail will take care of those concerns to some extent, but I am convinced Ican help minimize the chance of repetitive stress injuries at the start if Istart in better shape.I want to work on my mental state. Iwant to discipline myself not to ever get caught by the mileage monster. Itseems everyone who gets derailed because of injury is hurt as the result ofpushing to hard. And I want to believe that this is so important it will get mepast periods of doubt.
Date: 2005-10-17
To: Bibliography
Miles today: 0.0

BibliographyBibliography This Entry will beupdated from Time to Time Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Planner. Harpers Ferry: Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 2005. Appalachian Impressions. DVD. Flagler Films, 2005. Brill, David. AsFar as the Eye Can See. HarpersFerry: Appalachian Trail Conference,1990. Bryson, Bill. AWalk in the Woods. New York: Broadway books, 1998.(I cannot understand why Dan Bruce is so hostile to thisbook.) Chase, Jim. Guideto the Appalachian Trail. Mechanicsburg,Pennsylvania, 2005. Curran, Jan D. TheAppalachian Trail. Highland City,Florida: Rainbow Books, Inc., 2002. Homan, Tim. TheHiking Trails of North Georgia. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers,Ltd., 1981. Kestenbaum, Ryel. TheUltralight Backpacker. Camden,Maine: Ragged Mountain Press, 2001. Logue, Victoria and Frank. The Appalachian Trail Hiker. Birmingham,Alabama: Menasha Ridge Press, 2004. Lowther, Mic. WalkingNorth. Seattle: Elton-Wolf Publishing, 2001. Manning, Harvey. BackpackingOne Step at a Time. New York: Vintage Books, 1986. (Worthless, I just found it on mybookshelves, so I read it.) Martin, Danie. AlwaysAnother Mountain. College Station,Texas: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing,Inc., 2003.(Poorly written and edited.) Mass, Leslie. InBeauty May She Walk. Jacksonville,Florida: Rock Springs Press, Inc.,2005. McCartney, Bill. TravelLight Eat Heavy. Cullman,Alabama: The Gray House Press, 2005. McManners, Hugh. 101Essential Tips Hiking. NewYork: DK Publishing, 1998.(Beyond worthless, if I wasn¢t so lazy I would have returnedit to Amazon.) Mueser, Roland. Long-DistanceHiking. Camden, Maine: Ragged Mountain Press, 1998. Pittard, Patrick. Bearfoot,A Northbounder. Birmingham,Alabama: Will Publishing, L.L.C., 2005. Pfitzer, Donald W. HikingGeorgia. Helena, Montana: Falcon Press Publishing Co., Inc., 1993. Richardson, James. OnceUpon a Climb. Booklocker.com, Inc.,2005. Rubin, Robert Alden. On the Beaten Path. Guilford, Connecticut: The LyonsPress, 2000. Ryan, David. LongDistance Hiking on the Appalachian Trail for the Older Adventurer. Albuquerque, New Mexico: New Mountain Books, 2002. Schuette, William. WhiteBlaze Fever. College Station,Texas: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing,Inc., 2003. Tate, J.R. Walkin¢on the Happy Side of Misery. Xlibris Corporation, 2001.(Most people seem to like this book more than I did.) Trek. DVD. Cirque Productions LLC,2003.
Date: 2005-10-29
To: How much can I carry
Miles today: 0.0

I loaded my day pack with 50 pounds of lead. The lead sacks just sat on the bottom of my pack. The pack was way overloaded. My goal was to hike up Kennesaw Mountain. Kennesaw is a 1.1 mile climb with an elevation gain of about 900 feet. I made it roughly half way and was exhausted. I knew I couldn¢t walk 2,200 miles carrying 50 pounds.
Date: 2005-12-04
To: Equipment Choices
Miles today: 0.0

I will be entering my equipment list as time permits, but here are a fewrandom thoughts.My goal is to get my cold weatherpack weight with 5 days of food and a quart of water to less than thirtypounds. I am not there yet. I am sure that many of you will see some obvious opportunities--thefilter comes to mind. The filter is a suspect. But I just don't know if Ican drink water with a patina or things floating in it. I am still thinkingabout it.The weights I put down are mostlyactual weights from my electronic kitchen scale. A few estimates are based onMfg. Representations.None of my equipment choices is aclosed issue, but here is my current thinking: Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2--this fallsinto the semi-luxury category. I know I need some shelter. I remember thosemice and I expect to tent most of the time. I am just not tough enough to be atarp guy. Dan, Wingfoot, Bruce made an argument on trailplace that over thecourse of six months the space in a two man tent is a worthwhile luxury. TodayI am buying that argument, but I am trying to stay open minded. I am hoping myshakedown hikes help clarify that decision.Double wall titanium cup--definitelya luxury item. I need a cup though and I tested it on my first shakedown hike.It kept my hot chocolate hot until gone at around 28 degrees. To be honest itwas an impulse purchase so it is on the suspect list.Granite Gear VaporTrail--manufacturer says its max carry weight is 30 pounds. That might havebeen the source of my under 30 pound goal. I have been stuffing it with 31pounds of sheets and doing some day hikes over Kennesaw Mountain. I can do itbut I know I would be happier at 25 pounds.Nunatak sweater, hood, andpants--definitely a luxury item, but I don't want to be cold. Ok, let me arguemy case. The down is lighter and warmer than fleece. I looked at the WesternMountaineering flight jacket and its competitors, but the Nunatak has 5.5ounces of down and baffles. The flight jacket has less down, sewn through seamsand weighs about the same. The hood--I am having the sweater made with adetachable hood for a little more flexibility. The pants can be sent home whenI get to cool weather and the sweater when it gets clearly warm.Silk long underwear--these are forpajamas to help keep my sleeping bag from getting too grungy. I tried to use aliner, but it didn't work for me. I kicked it to the bottom of the bag bymorning.Polypropylene long underwear--Iexpect to wear these in camp and perhaps when hiking on very cold days.Shakedown hikes might show that this is unnecessary.Sony Camera--I don't see the cameraas a luxury item. I just happen to own this one and it has a little holsterthat fits my hip belt. If a better choice comes along between now and then Iwill substitute. (I would like one that uses regular batteries I can buy alongthe way rather than the rechargeable the Sony uses.)
Date: 2005-12-16
To: The Nunatak Purchase
Miles today: 0.0

JacketJacket Pants  Today I ordered my Nunatak gear. I know that I am trying to justify this expensive purchase, sohere are my justifications: On my first shake down hike, I used clothing I already hadaround the house. In the evening I worethe following: NylonHiking shirt and pantsSilklong underwearPolypropylenelong underwearAsynthetic fleece jacketAsynthetic fleece vest over the jacketAlands end breathable lined shell suitKnitHat I was still a bit cold at 26-28 degrees. Especially sitting on a rock cooking mydinner. These Clothes were much heaver than I could normally carryon the trail. The Lands End rain suit itselfwas 2 pounds, 13 ounces for the top and bottom combined. The Nunatak pieces will weigh less than thefleece jacket and pants and I am hoping a lot warmer. And besides I kind of like supporting a craftsman like TomHalpin. Any way, I should get the new gear in about six weeks.
Date: 2006-11-19
To: I am back
Miles today: 0.0

It has been a while. I missed this place. But now I am back. It has been a busy year and some of those activities have kept me from my preparation. Debbie and I got married on May 6, 2006. It wasn¢t a big wedding¢we went to Vegas, but other things that had to get done. We had to sell one house, a car, excess furniture, pack her things up and move them. Also, earlier this year my employer was acquired. The deal hasn¢t closed yet, but there has been more than a normal workload preparing for that event. And finally, Debbie and I squeezed in a few trips some which had been planned and a couple of meet the relatives trips¢oh and, of course, the trip to Vegas for the wedding. By the way, I recommend going to Vegas to get married if you have ever thought about it; we had a great time.Anyway, I am getting back on track with my preparations. The weekends of October 7 - 8, and 14 ¢ 15 Debbie and I went on shake down hikes. The first weekend we went to Black Rock State Park and did the Edmonds trail and camped at one of the primitive camp sites. The trail is a loop and is only 7.2 miles long; moreover, our reserved site was only about a mile in. So it wasn¢t much of a training hike. But keeping in mind it was my second night in the woods, it was another opportunity to work on my packing scheme, setting up a tent, cooking on my alcohol stove, etc. The next weekend we hiked the Approach Trail to the Springer Mountain shelter and camped across the creek so we could have some privacy. The night presented an opportunity to test a sleeping strategy. My summer bag is rated 40 degrees. Debbie was using my winter bag, so I was in the summer bag. The temps went down to the lower 30s. I tried wearing my Nanatak down suit in the bag. I was way to warm down to the lower 30s. I am now confident that if I get caught in an unusual cold snap after I switch to the summer bag, so long as I have at least the Nanatak jacket, I will be fine.Oh by the way, I want to put in a plug for Nanatak. We bought Debbie a minimalist down jacket from Golite. It will serve her needs. But there is just no comparison with the Nanatak. The down in the Nanatak is much fluffier, it is more consistently distributed, and it packs down to nothing, Now, I admit the Nanatak is outrageously expensive, but keeping warm is one of my priorities (keeping warm and keeping my pack weight down below 30 pounds).
Date: 2006-11-20
To: Two Person Bag
Miles today: 0.0

Well Debbie decided that we need a two man sleeping bag and more ground padding. I have ordered a 20 degree Condor from Feathered Friends. It should arrive by middle of November. We got two of those thick Therm-a-Rest pads. We plan to take a weekend on December 2, 2006 and give it a test. The Condor will be a little heavier than my Marmot mummy bags, but it will give me another option for my hike. I have to admit, I am not all that comfortable in mummy bags. Either way, I think Debbie and I will go together on enough trips to get our use out of it.
Date: 2006-11-21
To: multiday hike
Miles today: 0.0

I really need to do a multiday hike. I have done 3 one-night trips. I know how to set up the tent (although I haven¢t yet had the pleasure of setting up the tent in the rain). But that is going to have to wait until next spring. The weekends for the rest of this year are booked. And it just doesn¢t make sense to me to go during January or February (besides we have our big vacation planned for next January anyway). And I still have plenty of time to do one.Currently I am think that next March somewhere around the time I plan to start my hike I will go from the welcome center at Amicalola to Neals gap.
Date: 2006-11-27
To: Thanksgiving 2006
Miles today: 0.0

We went on a cruise Thanksgiving week, so I bought a couple of new books:   ¢Awol on the Appalachian Trail¢ and ¢We're Off to See the Wilderness, the Wonderful Wilderness of Awes: A Hiker¢s 2000-mile Adventure Journal of the Appalachian Trail.¢ I particularly liked ¢We¢re Off to See the Wilderness.¢ The author did his hike after failing on two prior attempts. As a result he prepared better, including physical preparation. Because of his physical preparation, he did quite a number of long days.Anyway reading the ¢Wilderness¢ book reminded me that several people have commented on and cautioned me about over planning. First I would like to apologize to those who wrote and I failed to respond. That was not very cordial of me. Second, I wanted to promise that I am not married to the plan.I did the plan for tthree reasons. (1) to assure myself that I could finish with only modest hiking ability; (2) to avoid the ¢to far, to fast, to soon¢ syndrome; and (3) to overall try to slow down.One thing my research has convinced me of is wisdom of ¢to far, to fast, to soon.¢ I wanted to have a plan to overcome that natural tendency we all have to overdo things in the beginning. I hope to stick close to the plan for the first month to allow my body to adjust to the rigor of hiking as my occupation. I will have spent most of my life sitting most of the day. The first month of the plan I tried to keep the distances modest, and the rest days frequent. After I am trail conditioned I hope to listen to my body and hike what I feel like. However, one comment that I have read in a number of ¢Post Mortems¢ is that the hiker wished he had taken more time with his hike and enjoyed it more. I want to avoid that regret.
Date: 2006-12-05
To: Black Rock State Park
Miles today: 0.0

Debbie and I did a little overnight at Black Rock State Park. Learned a lesson about staking out the tent fly so that it doesn¢t touch the mesh, because we had quite a bit of moisture on one side of the tent where the fly was touching the tent mesh. It was cold and we had two respirating humans in the small tent, so it was probably worst possible conditions.I believe that I have a plan for a three night section hike in the spring to find out how I can handle three consecutive nights sleeping in a tent and eating trail food.One of my concerns about the hike was cold. I am pretty cold natured and don¢t tolerate being cold well. I wasn¢t so concerned about being in my sleeping bag when it is cold, but doing camp things¢cooking, eating, cleaning up. The combination of Smartwool long underwear and the Nunatak jacket/pants kept me plenty warm. I am confident it could have been much colder without discomfort. Of course, I still haven¢t had to contend with rain.
Date: 2007-02-11
To: ULA catalyst
Miles today: 0.0

My ULA catalyst came in a the last week of January--I ordered it back in November. We were in Rome on our annual birthday trip (my wife and I have the same birthday). So this weekend was my first chance to try it out. I went up and down Kennesaw Mountain for a total of 5.5 miles both Saturday and Sunday with about 33 pounds in the pack. The ULA catalyst with a dual stay frame sheet carries a lot better than my Granite Gear Vapor Trail.I am sure hoping my final pack weight will be less than 33 pounds. I picked that weight because I thought it would be at least a pound more than my maximum pack weight: assuming winter gear, 7 days of food, and 2 litres of water.Anyway, I was pleased with the pack. Weight was definately on my hips and legs rather than my shoulders. But I was concerned that after 5.5 miles the thought of turning around and doint it again was unthinkable.Well I need to loose some weight on my body, and my pack and I need to get in better shape.
Date: 2007-02-18
To: Black Rock Again
Miles today: 0.0

Debbie and I hiked Black Rock State Park's Edmonds Trail. We camped at Laurel Ridge. The low temp hit 13 degrees last night. But we were toasty warm wearing a combination of Smart wool long underwear, Nunatak down suits, and sleeping in a Feathered Friends condor with the two person ground sheet. The condor is rated for 20 degrees but with two person ground sheet, I don't think with would be good down to 20 degrees. You just can't seal it up with two people sharing it. I tried sleeping in some silk long underwear but got cold somewhere during the night and put the Nunatak suit back on.