morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

WHY (PART II) "Tiger got to hunt¢¦bird got to flyMan just got to sit and wonder why, why, why." -Kurt VonnegutMy own answer to "WHY" lies somewhere between "Because it¢s there" and "Why not?" Basically, I just had this idea that it¢d be kind of neat to hike the AT. THE WHOLE WAY. I think I was all of 15 years old when I had the idea. Where the idea came from, I have no idea. At the time, the biggest outdoor adventure of my lifetime had been splashing in a sewer ditch called Lincoln Creek, a few blocks from my house. The greatest height I had scaled was my next door neighbor¢s mountain ash. Oh, I¢ve had my share of outdoor adventures since then. Some epic. Some pretty damn dismal and humbling. But the idea¢s still there, some 35 years later. Yeah, it¢d be kind of neat to hike the AT. THE WHOLE WAY. EVERY MILE, EVERY YARD, EVERY DAMN FOOT, EVERY SINGLE FRIGGIN¢ WHITE BLAZE. Kind of like an itch you¢ve gotta scratch. scratch¢¦Scratch¢¦SCRatch¢¦SCRATCH!
Date: 2003-04-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

WHY (PART III) "Tiger get to eat¢¦bird she get to land Man just got to tell himself he think he understand." -Kurt VonnegutI just had this idea..this vague intention¢¦that it¢d be kind of neat to hike the AT¢¦.Kinda weak for a reason, huh? Maybe¢¦ But maybe not. There are some who say that INTENTION informs every action of the universe. Some go even further and say that the is UNIVERSE IS PURE INTENTION. Pure intention¢¦and nothing more. I didn¢t get beyond Philosophy 101¢¦so who am I to argue with that? So, anyway¢¦I had this idea¢¦this intention¢¦this whatever¢¦and now here I am, about to set forth on the A.T. It¢s as good a reason as any. Well, it¢s actually a lot more mysterious than that. A LOT more mysterious. So where did this intention come from? It¢s tempting to take the easy way out, and just blame it on that good old cerebral cortex of mine. It¢s those damn neurons. They¢re always misfiring. But I think intentions like this come from somewhere else¢¦bubbling up from the murky depths of the soul. Yeah sure, I was taught ¢ like all good medical students ¢ that all thought originates in the brain. I¢m not so sure about that anymore. In fact, when it comes to this particular little intention of mine ¢ to hike the A.T. ¢ it¢s almost as if my brain is an innocent bystander whining, "C¢mon guys¢¦clue me in to what you all have got planned for me." So that¢s my alibi. MY MIND HAS BEEN TRAIL-JACKED BY MY SOUL. Maybe¢¦ I¢ll have to think about it some. Course, I¢ll have lots of time to ponder that question. About 2000-plus miles worth of time. Damn! Here I go, lapsing into inane solipsistic thinking. "WHY" is such a maddening question¢¦But when it comes right down to answering the essence of "WHY" I want to hike the A.T. -- well, there is NO ONE SINGLE REASON. There are thousands of reasons, maybe millions of reasons. One for every footstep, with some left over for the silence between the footsteps. Hikers know what I mean. I¢m talking about: MOUNTAIN PEAKS RISING LIKE ISLANDS ABOVE THE MIST SEA OF AN APPALACHIAN DAWN. THE STING OF SWEAT IN YOUR EYES AT HIGH NOON. THE SUDDEN CRACK OF NEARBY THUNDER ECHOING OFF BARE ROCK. THE SOUR REEK OF STALE SOCKS AND ALWAYS DAMP SHOES. THE GLINT OF SUNLIGHT THROUGH A MAPLE LEAF. CAMPFIRE CHATTER WITH NEW TRAIL FRIENDS. THINKING ABOUT NOTHING EXCEPT PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF ANOTHER. THINKING ABOUT NOTHING. SITTING DOWN AFTER A LONG DAY.
Date: 2003-04-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

WHY NOT (PART I) "Quit now, you'll never make it. If you disregard this advice, you'll be halfway there." -David ZuckerI should be packing and organizing my gear, but I¢m terribly distracted. Like a moth drawn to the flame, I keep checking up on some of those couple of hundred souls who¢ve posted their intention to hike the A.T. on TrailJournals.com.I read their postings with the same kind of morbid fascination with which some people read Death Notices. Well, it¢s almost the same kind of genre. Who¢s terminal (injured, discouraged, lonely, etc.)? Who¢s died (left the trail)? Who¢s D.O.A (never even made it to Springer)? In their trials and tribulations, their successes and failures, I see the mirroring of some of my own possible fates.Not that I¢m being the least bit judgmental. I admire each and every person who has set forth on the A.T., no matter how few or many the miles attained. TIS BETTER TO HAVE TRIED AND FAILED THEN NOT TO HAVE TRIED IN THE FIRST PLACE.Still, it¢s amazing to think that about 50% of thru-hikers don¢t even make it to mile 30 on the A.T. Why? Imagination is just no match for the reality of the thru-hiking experience. What do most of us envision when we see ourselves hiking on the A.T.? WARM, SUNNY DAYS. BLISTER-FREE FEET. GLIDING UPHILL WITH EFFORTLESS EASE. BEAUTIFUL FORESTS. AMAZING VISTAS. ENDLESS EXCITEMENT. ENCOURAGING FRIENDS AND FAMILY. GORGEOUS, FIT (choose one: GUYS / GALS) ADMIRATION FROM STRANGERS. AND BAM!¢¦.AND HE WE ARE ALREADY, STANDING ON MT. KATAHDIN¢¦WELL DONE, MY FRIEND! It¢s so darn easy to look past what¢s in the shadows:RAIN. MORE RAIN. MUD. MORE MUD. GROANING, STRAINING, SWEATING. BUGS. MORE BUGS. BLISTERS. SORE FEET. SORE ANKLES. SORE KNEES. SORE HIPS. SORE BACK. SORE EVERYTHING. FOGGED-IN VISTAS. MORE FOG. DRIZZLE. MIST. BOREDOM AND MONOTONY. MORE BOREDOM AND MONOTONY. FRIENDS AND FAMILY MUTTERING THAT YOU¢VE "LOST IT." DEMANDS THAT YOU CEASE AND DESIST THIS NONSENSE AND COME BACK HOME IMMEDIATELY. "WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO HIKE FOR MONTHS WHEN YOU CAN DRIVE IT IN TWO DAYS?" UNFORESEEN OBLIGATIONS. UNFORESEEN OPPORTUNITIES. DEADLINES. OOPS, RAN OUT OF MONEY. RAN OUT OF PATIENCE. RAN OUT OF DAYS. STINKY (choose one: GUYS / GALS ). MY (choose one: WIFE / HUSBAND / BOYFRIEND / GIRLFRIEND ) RAN OUT WITH (choose one: MY BEST FRIEND / MY FORMER BEST FRIEND / NEIGHBOR / PSYCHOANALYST / POOL-CLEANING GUY / LANDSCAPER / TENNIS-PRO / YOGA INSTRUCTOR / SECRETARY / MINISTER ). So many miles¢¦so many reasons to quit. So here¢s a little bit of encouragement: "If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style." Quentin Crisp
Date: 2003-04-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

PLAYING THE ODDS (WHY NOT ¢ PART II) So, how ¢bout this for a scheme? We put together a panel of experts to handicap the various wannabe thru-hikers on this web site and lay odds on their likelihood of success. Then we allow a betting pool to play the odds. You can put money down as to when the various DNF¢ers (Do Not Finish) will leave the trail (i.e. ¢ which mile), who might be first to finish at Katahdin, and who will finish and not finish. STEP RIGHT UP AND PLAY THE HIKERS! (Lots more interesting than playing the horses). On second thought¢¦I¢m pretty sure I¢d get the long odds. At best, maybe sixteen to one. At worst, maybe 500 to one. That¢s kind of sobering. I asked my 15 year old daughter if she¢d place a bet on me to finish. "Oh sure," she said, with all the enthusiasm of a hung-over undertaker. "How much? Ten bucks?" She looked aghast. "Oh, no. I wouldn¢t risk that much on you. Maybe, say¢¦.50 cents." Then I asked my wife, Colleen, if she¢d be willing to bet on my success. She paused for a moment. "No way. If I bet against you, you¢d stay with it LONG after it¢d be prudent to quit, just to SPITE me. And if I¢d bet on you, then I¢d just be ENCOURAGING you with this lunacy." Go figure. The logic of a lawyer¢¦In truth, I¢m clearly a longshot. I definitely intend to finish the A.T., but the odds are clearly against finishing this year. COLLEEN HAS GIVEN ME ONLY 100 DAYS. One hundred short days. That means I¢d have to average about 22 miles a day, not including days off. True, I¢m going to be running whenever prudent and possible. And true, I¢m travelling light and I have vehicle support. But that¢s still pretty daunting. And I¢m sure, due to the exigencies of work and family, I¢ll probably have to take some time off at some point. The idea of thru-hiking the A.T. is pretty alluring. No offense to the Section Hikers, but finishing it in one long push, end-to-end, is just way too cool. But I also sense that the only way to hike this trail, at least for me, is one day at a time. It¢s good to dimly sense that final peak on Mt. Katahdin, but the immediate vista is what really matters. I don¢t have anything that I¢ve got to prove ¢ either to myself or others. I¢m going to do this run-hike my way, my style. (Or, lack of style). No apologies needed or offered. I¢ll put in my time, suck the marrow out of each day¢s bone, keep my nose pointed north. And who knows where I¢ll be 100 days hence? That¢s why this thing is called an ADVENTURE.
Date: 2003-04-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Introducing the Main Character No, not me. I¢m talking about the Appalachian Trail, or the A.T. as it¢s known for short. It¢s a long green corridor passing through 14 states and 8 national parks, following the mostly forested ridgelines of the ancient, time-worn Appalachian mountains. Running from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine, it¢s 2,169.8 miles long¢¦but who¢s counting? Credit a 21 year old Harvard kid named Benton MacKaye for coming up with the inspiration for a long distance hiking trail, some 103 years ago, while on a six-week hiking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This is amazing if you think about. And as I understand it, marijuana was Not involved. MacKaye¢s idea then festered for 21 years until he was persuaded by a couple of his friends to write an article in the American Institute of Architects Journal. Within two years of the article, trail construction began. Two years later, in 1925, the Appalachian Trail conference was organized and a band of dedicated volunteers labored for12 more years, finally completing the A.T. in 1937, though "completion" is a relative term as portions of the trail are constantly being relocated or re-constructed. Speaking of "completion" the A.T. is about to get longer. A lot longer. While MacKaye envisioned a trail of about 1,200 miles in length, a 100 years later there¢s a group of visionaries who envision building the International Appalachian Trail, which will stretch over 3,000 miles from Key West, Florida to the tip of the Gaspe Pensinsula in Quebec. So what¢s so special about the A.T.? It¢s LONG. About the same distance as the shortest transcontinental route between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Hike the whole damn thing, and you¢ve probably exceeded 5 million footsteps. It¢s OLD. Of all of our long-distance hiking trails, the A.T. is the grandaddy by far. It¢s RUGGED. Sure, America¢s other mountain trails ¢ the Pacific Crest and the Great Divide ¢ are lots higher. But the A.T.¢s footpath is probably the most difficult of the three ¢more steep, more muddy, more rocky. How steep? The average end-to-end hiker has climbed the equivalent of 91 miles STRAIGHT UP¢¦the ULTIMATE STAIRMASTER. But most important, the A.T. is a magnet for eccentrics, dreamers, misfits¢¦even certifiable nutcases. In that case, I think I¢ll fit in just fine¢¦
Date: 2003-02-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well here we go. Sandy, Al, Herb myself are pretty much ready. On March 8th we begin the hike on the AT starting in Ga. We have been training at Sugarloaf Mt. since Jan.2nd carrying packs. Today in Md. it snowed approx. 6-9inches and it was quite a work out. We will list equipment and other items later.
Date: 2003-02-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

26 days and counting until our departure to Georgia. We've been hiking Sugarloaf Mountain, Frederick, MD approx. 3-4 days per week - training. Yesterday was the best - falling in the snow, frozen water bottles, lifting each other and packs! See photo of our recent retirement party - hope we're smiling like that one month from now! Cya in GA.
Date: 2003-02-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Another snowy hike (solo today)on Sugarloaf. Al returns tomorrow but they're calling for MORE snow here this weekend. Most of our gear has held up pretty well; we're learning about the types of clothing/gear we want to pack. Highly recommend equipment tests. Sandy's pack est. weight: 30#+, Fridays': 30#+, Al: 40#+; Herb: trying to keep his under 50#! Mercy :-)
Date: 2003-03-08
From: Springer Mt., GA

To: Hawk Mt. 
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We began our journey this morning, after having a fantastic overnight stay with loved ones at Amicalola Falls Lodge, GA. It's hard to believe after all the prayers and preparation that we are on the trail. We reached our first destination, Hawk Mt. Shelter - about 9 miles! Thanks to everyone for all your support. Take a look at our "start" photos. Hermanater, Cougar, Det. Friday and SauceDog
Date: 2003-03-10
To: Big Cedar Mt.
Miles today: 7.0

Another 7 miles today and stopped at Big Cedar Mt. - elevation approx. 3745 - unbelievable! We stopped at a stream for more water - we're the "geezers" on this trail but proud of the 21 miles logged in thus far.You never know what you're going to see.. We are on top of Big Cedar Mt. at 3,745ft and in comes a man on horseback! What a nice guy. We never expected to see that happen at this elevation. We plan to walk to Woods Hole Shelter, Ga tomorrow. Still having fun. Cougar, Hermanater, SauceDog and Det. Friday r.
Date: 2003-03-11
From: Big Cedar Mt.

To: Woods Hole
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: few clouds

We've arrived at Woods Hole Shelter. There are 10 others here, mainly in tents. The mice are a problem in the shelter. We're usually up at 6 am and on the trail around 8:30. Walked over two huge mountains today - approx 6.5 miles. The nights are cold & windy, days are 60's. We met a father/son team from Silver Spring! Heading to Neels Gap tomorrow but first we have to climb Blood Mt. which is 4,461 ft - the highest in Ga. We'll resupply at Neels Gap. We're taking it slow and trying not to get blisters! Many college students also on the trail heading to Maine. Praying for everyone at home.
Date: 2003-03-13
From: Woods Hole

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We hiked to the shelter at Low Gap, Ga. today. Expecting thunder storms tonight so we thought the shelter was a plan - so did 7 other guys. The father/son team from Silver Spring, a guy named John and others all SNORING OFF KEY. Even the ear plugs won't drown this out. The bugs are out in full force too. Tomorrow we hike to Helen, Ga. (approx 10 miles) then "hitch" a ride into town to take a break and heal some blisters. Washing our clothes will be priority too. We are hanging in, the mind wants to push on but the body says "stop" but we are ok. Tomorrow we will be half-way through GA and onto NC. We've hiked more than 41.3 miles. Today's climbs: Cow Rock Mt. 3,842'; Tesnatee Mt. 3,138' and Hogpen Gap 3,450'. Not bad for the 'ol boys.
Date: 2003-03-14
From: Low Gap

To: Rock Spring Top Camp
Miles today: 7.0

We hiked Blood Mt. today - at the top you can see forever - all the way back to Springer Mt. We signed the log book as "The Posse from Montgomery Co Police Dept" Everyone knows we're the cops on the trail. Then we hiked to Neels Gap which has an outdoor store and DIET COKES! The weather has been great and we're hiking in shorts but really cold at night. Tonight we will camp alongside the trail. We've gone as far as we can today. Cougar and Hermanter have been busy untangling the line from the food bag. Cougar got the line stuck in a tree so he had to climb on Hermanater's back to reach it. It was quite a mount. SauceDog and I have pictures of their little stunt. We think Tom Dog Evans will appreciate this evidence.
Date: 2003-03-14
From: Rock Spring Top Camp

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We walked 10 miles today from Low Gap Shelter to UnicoiGap - over three Mts. We started at Low Gap 3,050 ft.;then over Chattahoochee Gap 3,500 ft; then up Blue Mt. 4,024. The difficulty was walking down Blue Mt. to Unicoi Gap 2,949 ft. Sandy (SauceDog), wearing his USA flag hat (!), helped us hitch a ride into Helen, Ga. We were picked up by Mike Clinton who was driving a box truck and brave enough to let all 4 of the stinky posse into his truck. He drove us into the center of town. Mike told us his son was a local police officer, probably doesn't smell like us! We are taking a zero day on day 8 and hope to be back on the trail on day 9. Tonight is all you can eat prime rib in town, showers, laundramat and a real roof over our heads! Oh yea, sharing a washing machine with the Hermanater was quite an experience - didn't his Mommy ever tell him to take gum OUT of his pockets?
Date: 2003-03-15
From: Unicoi Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We took a "zero" day today but it has been full of "trail magic." We've hooked up with a reporter, Steven, from the Chatanooga Free Press who will be submitting several feature articles on the "Posse from MCPD!" Steven gave us a ride through the town of Helen, GA to the store to restock. Then we ran into another trail couple from Florida who drove Herb all the way back to Neels Gap to buy new boots. We're set with Bag Balm and moleskin and anxious to get back on the trail.
Date: 2003-03-16
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We got a ride this morning out of town and back to the trail. We hiked 10 miles from Unicoi Gap to Sassafras Gap. We've been climbing all day; up Rocky Mt. 4,017 ft; down to Indian Grave Gap 3,113 ft.; up Tray Mt. 4,430 ft and past Blue Ridge Swag. Keep praying for us! Everyone is tired so we got water, pitched tents, ate, hung the food (no problem this time) and OUT. Misty weather.
Date: 2003-03-16
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Bly Gap 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We're back! Pastor Phillip Fuller, Pastor of a local church in Hiawassee, GA picked us up in his Fort LTD and drove us back to the trail. He prayed with us before we left - what a nice man. It rained all day as we hiked to Bly Gap, NC but we're glad to be moving again on the trail.
Date: 2003-03-17
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: light rain

Up and on the trail today at 8:03 am. It rained last night and most of today.The first climb was past Addis Gap 3,304 ft; up to Kelly Knob 4,276 ft; to Deep Gap 3,500 ft; then back up Powel Mt. 3,850 ft. We arrived at Dicks Creek Gap around 1:00 pm and were standing in the rain when an elderly lady pulled up and offered us a ride into town. Hello Trail Angel! As it turns out, she was waiting for her husband and brother-in-law who were hiking but she didn't expect them for some time. She took us 11 miles into Hiawassee, Ga where we decided to stay for the night. While we were in the local eatery, and after the "complimentary dessert" the waitress hooked us up with her Pastor who will shuttle us back to the trail tomorrow morning. Hiawassee is full of trail magic. Things are going Real good. The Posse hikes on.
Date: 2003-03-17
From: Bly Gap 

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night we had constant rain and thunderstorms. The weather reports we hear on Herbie's radio say rain throughout the week. We were in tents at Bly Gap and when the rain slowed we packed and moved to the next shelter. We are trying to dry out but its really windy and cold. The winds were 30mph and we're at 3,880 ft. All of us have at least 3 layers of clothes on and tucked into our sleeping bags. We can hear trees falling! We've met alot of very interesting people and they are all trying to get into the shelters too. Sandy SauceDog is having a problem getting his stove to work in this weather and he's pretty hungry. I'm drinking at least 32oz of beef or chicken bouillon every night which is pretty filling. Yes, we're ALL losing weight.
Date: 2003-03-18
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained all night again. Everything is damp or wet. We left this morning at 8:05am and climbed Deep Gap - 4,340ft. We were planning on stopping for the night at Standing Indian shelter because of more thunderstorms but decided to keep moving to Carter Gap - another 7.4 miles away. The rain held off and we're all safe. Today was the longest hike. We are really starting to get into trail shape - we climbed Standing Indian Mt. 5,498ft and it really wasn't that bad. We know the war has started, we have everyone in our prayers. Keep praying for us. We're experiencing so many sights from the top of each one of these mountains and we can see forever.
Date: 2003-03-19
From: Carter Gap

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

It was a great day in the woods. We walked up Betty Creek (4,300ft) to Albert Mt. (5,220ft). At the very top of Albert we had to hand climb up over the rocks for approx. 2/10's of a mile. Once at the top, we climbed a fire tower which was pretty wild in the strong winds. The view was beautiful, way into the clouds and you could see over all the mountains. We made it to Rock Gap Shelter to spend the night. That's where we had an unexpected guest for dinner. We were at a picnic table eating and I noticed a squirrel running closer so I warned SauceDog, the animal lover. Well the squirrel decided to run under the table, jump through my lap and dash into the trees. I guess he didn't like what was on the menu! I jumped up and almost knocked Cougar right off the bench. The Posse had to fight off it's first attack. We survived and had quite a few "yucks."
Date: 2003-03-20
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We've added a new member to the Posse - Josh. He's still working on coming up with a trail name - we'll help him out with that project. Josh,21, is in his last year at Cornell Univ. and has decided to take some time off to hike the AT. He's been with us for 2 days - for now we're calling him "Jr." We're becoming pretty popular on the trail - alot of people are already familiar with "The Posse." We head to Franklin, NC in the morning. We really need showers and are looking forwarding to cleaning up a bit. The weather has really improved, 70's during the day and down to the 40's at night. Tomorrow night we'll be staying in town.
Date: 2003-03-21
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: broken clouds

We left Rock Gap around 7:30 and headed to Franklin. First we had to climb 3,720 ft then head down the hill to Route 64. We walked over 2 snakes, both about 18" long and it's a good thing they didn't seem too upset with us for almost stepping on them. The dogwood, daffodils, bugs and snakes are out in the south. Oh yea, Hermanater also swears he heard a young bear calling out last night too. We started hitching a ride into Franklin and were picked up by a retired fire/police officer named Ivan Elliott. Nice guy! He wouldn't take any money for the ride and took us all the way into town to the motel. Another trail angel. But even before he picked us up we received more trail magic. Where we walked out of the woods there was a note posted on a tree that said to check out the cooler at a nearby parked vehicle. We found the cooler and inside someone had filled it with fresh fruit and snickers. It was fantastic. When we got to the motel, the manager, Bobby, gave us special hiker rates and let us do our laundry in the hotel machines and they're going to shuttle us back to the trail in the morning. By the way, thanks to everyone for all the messages. We enjoy them so much and have our special "story" time while we're doing our laundry. The encouraging words and prayers keep us going on this journey.
Date: 2003-03-22
From: Franklin, NC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

While in Franklin we walked about 1-1/2 miles to an outdoor store to resupply. We hope to be at our first mail drop in Bryson City, NC mid-week - right on schedule. We are really happy with the 100+ miles we've hiked so far. It helps so much to know so many people are praying and cheering us on.