morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-09-14
From: Birches lean-to

To: Baxter Peak, Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was an extraordinary day. We woke up before the sun, packed up our stuff for one last time and hit the trail before 7. It was a beautiful fall day with heavy wind gusts so we knew it would be windy at the top but we weren't sure what else the weather would do. The forecast doesn't get posted until 7am and we were already on our way by that point. The climb was very gradual at first and we pounded out the first couple of miles pretty quickly. And then we slowly started to get above treeline and the fun really started. The house-sized boulders turned to crazy rock scrambling and an incredibly steep rock climb up a huge rock slab. The fog was around us on all sides and we didn't have much of a view coming up. We ran into a few thru-hikers who were on their way down and they told us once we got to the sign about alpine vegetation that it was pretty easy hiking from there to the summit. So when we reached that sign, I knew my hardest miles of this entire hike were behind me. And all we had left was to reach the summit. We stopped for a quick snack break and headed up. The wind was blowing and all of the sudden blue sky appeared and I caught a view of what we'd been hiking on. I was overwhelmed with all of it: this mountain, exhaustion, everything I'd been through, and the thought that this hike was moments from being over. And then Storm yelled "I see it!" And there it was; the sign I had been waiting to see for months, maybe even years. And I cried like a little girl when I reached it. We celebrated and were captivated by the views that were at the top. But I couldn't help but feel like as much as I had worked to reach this sign, that the top of this mountain wasn't really the goal or the point of this hike. I lived everyday like it was the most important one, totally in the moment. I laughed all the time. I pushed myself physically harder than I ever had. I made life long relationships with incredible people. I climbed mountains. I saw beauty everyday. I appreciated everything in my life. Every little thing. And I worked hard for all of it. All of these things were why I really did this hike, not just to reach Baxter Peak. We called our Moms and Persistent and headed back down. And the clouds lifted! We saw everything this mountain had to offer. It was a magical place. I honestly think it was the best climb of the entire trail. And then it was over. OG joined us at the ranger station and we all headed into Millinocket to celebrate. It is so bittersweet. Sadness and joy.This hike is the best thing I have ever done. And I did the whole thing. I still can't believe it. Reality changing moment: living my dream.
Date: 2008-09-28
To: Here We Go Again
Miles today: 0.0

Here We Go AgainAlthough we have Long Distance hiked in Scotland, Spain, Slovenia, and Italy, as well as in the USA, the Appalachian Trail will always be our first love. We compare our other hikes to the AT. We love to talk about Long Distance Hiking, and we talk fondly of the good times and the great people we met on the AT.   It took us 18 months to complete the Appalachian Trail in 2005 and 2006, but the experience was unforgettable.We both started our AT thru hike attempts on March 12, 2005. In fact we first met at Hawk Mountain Shelter in Georgia on our first night on the Trail. We eventually teamed up as hiking partners in Damascus, VA, and hiked together for the next 600 miles. Unfortunately, Swamp Fox¢s thru hike ended at the Mason-Dixon Line because of a knee injury. Rocky continued for another 500 miles in 2005, before winter. Swamp Fox¢s knee injury eventually required a Total Knee Replacement at the end of 2005. After the knee replacement, we became life partners, as well as hiking partners. Together, we completed the rest of the Trail in 2006. Swamp Fox, however, has missed 414 miles of the Trail. In 2007 and 2008, we hiked in Slovenia, Italy, Spain, and Scotland, and completed the John Muir Trail in California. It seems like we are either on a Hike, preparing for the next Hike, or cleaning up from our latest Hike. We have become ¢Two Drifters Off to See the World¢. as the song goes. So why redo the Appalachian Trail, since there are so many other trails in the world? Well, because there is nothing like the AT with its culture, its characters, its trail towns, and its wonderful memories. We look forward to seeing the sights we enjoyed in 2005 and 2006, and to see, again, the wonderful people we met. Completing the Trail, in the traditional Georgia to Maine fashion, will be a great way for Swamp Fox to celebrate his 70th birthday.This time we will start our thru hike on January 1st, 2009. We want to be the first AT Trail Journalists to start in 2009. We look forward to spending New Years Eve on Springer Mountain, and be part of that developing tradition. Our friend, Five Leafed Clover (AT 2006), will be on Springer on New Years Eve, and will hike with us for several days. We will hike at a slow pace. We have allowed 8 or 9 months to complete the Trail. We expect some interesting weather conditions for the first few months. If the weather gets too bad, we will find a comfortable place to Zero for a day or two. We are a lot smarter this time, even if we are not physically as strong as we were in 2005. We both have lighter, warmer sleeping bags than we had in 2005. Our packs, clothing, and equipment are better and lighter. We know a lot more about nutrition on the Trail that we did in 2005.So, Here We Go Again
Date: 2008-10-17
To: The ALDHA Gathering
Miles today: 0.0

The ALDHA GatheringThis year¢s trip to the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA) Gathering ended up being a 16 day odyssey through 14 northeastern states. Before getting to the Gathering at Concord University in Athens WV, we visited Niagara Falls, sampled wines in Michigan, and attended a Graduation at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in North Chicago, IL. Rocky¢s daughter, Emily, had just completed her Boot Camp training and was now a Seaman Apprentice in the United States Navy. We also did a four day hike on the Virginia Appalachian Trail. The night before we started our 34 mile hike we stayed with our 2005 Trail Angels, Briar Patch (AT 2001) and wife Mandy, in Catawba, VA.. Briar Patch dropped us off at Daleville, VA and we hiked south from Route 220. We had beautiful fall weather. A little before lunch on that first day, we crossed paths with Medicare Pastor (see her 2008 AT journal). She is a spunky 67 year old, hiking solo to Duncannon PA. We enjoyed talking with her and hearing of her adventures and misadventures in Long Distance Hiking. Our first night on the Trail we stayed at the Lamberts Meadow shelter and were joined by three delightful young people: Josh, Kat, and Jeff. They were all SOBO¢s. Kat is a thru hiker with a Trailjournal of her own (see 2009 AT under Kathleen). Over the next two days we hiked south across Route 311 and stopped at VA Route 624. The next day we hiked over Dragons Tooth. Briar Patch and his two rambunctious dogs joined us on our hike over Dragons Tooth. That night we stayed with Briar Patch and Mandy again, and left the next morning for the ALDHA Gathering. Enroute we saw three hitch hikers in Pearisburg, VA. They were obviously hikers. When we stopped to pick them up, we were pleasantly surprised that it was Josh, Kat, and Jeff. We delivered them to the ALDHA registration at Pipestem, WV, and saw them later at the Gathering at Concord University.   The ALDHA Gathering was great fun. We got to see some of ¢Our Friends of the Trail and Our Trail of Friends¢. We attended sessions on the PCT (our plan for 2010), the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland, and a session on ¢Hiking as a Couple¢, put on by Windtalker & Mom (AT 2006). After leaving ALDHA we stopped in Philadelphia to visit Swamp Fox¢s dad. Then we headed to northeastern PA to visit one of Rocky¢s nursing friends. We did a little of a lot of different things on this trip. See some of our pictures.
Date: 2008-11-15
To: Time Is Flying By
Miles today: 0.0

Time is Flying ByIn less than five weeks we will be leaving home to head south for the start of our 2009 Appalachian Trail thru hike. We will stop in Philadelphia, and then fly to Florida to spend Christmas with Rocky¢s daughter. On the night of December 29th we will board a bus for Gainesville, GA. The next morning we will be picked up by Josh or Leigh and whisked to the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, GA. We will spend the night of December 30th at Hiker Hostel and then on the 31st, we will be delivered to the base of Springer Mountain. Then, January 1st, 2009, we will be on our way north for our next Great Adventure. We are privileged that Five Leafed Clover will be hiking with us for the first few days. She is quite experienced in winter hiking in the southern Appalachians. We have a lot to do in the next five weeks. At least we have all our gear. Our gear is lighter and better than the clothing and equipment we started with on our 2005 thru hike attempts. We have started to assemble our food for the first few weeks. Some will be mail dropped to our first two drops: the Helendorf Inn in Helen GA and to Double Healer¢s home in North Carolina. We met Double Healer in 2005 and he will be hiking with us this time from Franklin NC and through the Smokies. One of the neat things about our forthcoming hike is that we will be able to hike with friends for parts of the Trail. We hope others of Our Friends of the Trail will follow this Journal and thus be able to anticipate where they can join us for a few days of hiking. We made up a schedule, using Excell format, for our entire hike to Katahdin. If anyone is interested in it, we can email it. But once again, the schedule is not to be taken too literally. Our pace will be fairly slow: we expect to be in Helen GA on the 8th day, Franklin NC on the 16th day, and we expect to start into the Smokies on the 25th day. This tentative schedule is not to be taken too seriously, as it could go faster or slower depending on weather.We are concerned about ice and snow, particularly in the Smokies. Swamp Fox will be taking Yak-trax. They weigh almost nothing, but we will see how effective they are. We tried them out in NH last winter a few times, and the results were inconclusive as to their effectiveness. Rocky, on the other hand, recently bought a pair of devices called Kahtoola M¢s. They are fairly light, with 12 inch spikes, and are best described as ¢Crampons Lite¢. We haven¢t had any winter yet in NH, so we shall see. Back to packing.
Date: 2008-11-19
To: Lonsesome Lake in the Snow
Miles today: 0.0

Lonesome Lake in the SnowWe planned to hike up to Lonesome Lake in the White Mountains with Rocky¢s nursing friends, Pauline and Colleen. When we left home this morning it was a crystal clear day, with temperatures in the high 20¢s. Great day for a hike!By the time we got to the Lonesome Lake Campground Parking lot off of I-93, the day had become overcast, ominous looking, with a few snow flurries. There were 2 or 3 inches of snow on the ground from previous snow falls. I though this is great! We can try out our new hiking clothes and boots, in preparation for our AT hike starting January 1st. The hike to the Lonesome Lake Hut is only 3.2 miles round trip from the parking lot but it is quite steep. The outside temperature at the hut was 13 degrees and in open areas near the Lake the wind was quite nasty and chilling. I found that I am going to need all six layers that I had available: polyester T-shirt, long sleeve polyester T-shirt, button up shirt, lightweight hooded nylon shirt, fleece, and hooded vest. However, I am going to need glove liners to go with my mittens. My new boots, with wool sox, and liners felt great. I won¢t be wearing the cotton dungarees that I wore today (see photos for November 19).Rocky was fine with the layers she wore, and has a Frogg Togg top as a backup. Her mittens leave something to be desired, but the liners are great. She wore low cut hiking shoes. She will be starting the AT with low cuts and will switch to boots for the Smokies.We had a really great hike with Pauline and Colleen. With this crowd of nurses around me, I knew I would be well taken care of if I had any physical problems. We hope that both Pauline and Colleen will be able to join us on a section of our 2009 AT hike.So we had a little hike practice today as we continue to plan and pack for our AT hike.Swamp Fox
Date: 2008-11-21
To: We're Going Hi Tech
Miles today: 0.0

We have been anti-Hi-Tech. We refuse to carry a cell phone. We can¢t work our VCR. We definitely won¢t buy a GPS (maps are cheaper). We have no cable TV, no dishwasher, or clothes dryer. We just added supplemental heat to the main part of our house, to supplement the wood stove. So today we went out and bought a Blackberry Storm from Verizon. We found yesterday that the Storm was coming out for sale for the first time today. It has all these great new features, assuming we can figure out how to use them. So anyway, this morning on a cold Concord NH morning we were in line at 0730 in front of the Verizon store along with about 25 other people awaiting the store opening at 0800. The salesman was so helpful and patient with us but we still are having a hard time figuring out how to use it.We can now do all these great things. We can easily keep in touch with the home front. We can retrieve email messages daily; instead of waiting to the next Trail Town and hoping we can find Internet access. We can store information for instant retrieval, like our proposed schedule (Joke!). We can make reservations from the trail. We can update our TrailJournal almost daily. We can get the latest weather forecast. We can schedule rendezvous with friends who may want to hike sections with us. We can give our Trail Angel friends advance notice of when we about to descend on them.However, we will be careful to use our Blackberry only away from other hiker, so as to maintain the wilderness experience. Now, if we can only figure out how to use our new Toy.
Date: 2008-12-03
To: Madame Sherri's Haunted House Hike
Miles today: 0.0

Mme. Sherri¢s Haunted House HikeSo today we went on another hike with our nurse friend, Pauline. On a beautiful clear early winter morning, we headed for Madame Sherri Forest in West Chesterfield in western NH. We started our hike at Mme. Sherri¢s chateau deep in the woods on the slopes of Mount Wantastiquet (wanta-stickit?). Mme. Sherri was a French woman who made a fortune in the US   She built a ¢grand scale chateau¢ and threw wild parties. The chateau has since burned down and all that is left is the winding stone stair case, the ¢Stairway to Heaven¢. (see photo). Her vivacious spirit is said to still inhabit the home, but we didn¢t see any evidence, so we hiked on.Mount Wantastiquet is not particular high, but the climb is steep and there are some spectacular views of the lakes below. We had a few rock scrambles. Great practice for the Appalachian Trail. All together we did about 4 or 5 miles on some rough and occasionally slippery trails. It was a great day of hiking. My right knee had been sore lately, which has given me great concern, as I had a total replacement of my right knee in 2005. However, today I had no knee pain after a pretty good work out. That was encouraging. However, Rocky has been bothered for several months by a sore left wrist. As a result she cannot use a trekking pole with her left hand. That will be a problem on the AT, particularly on steep downhills and stream crossings. We both have a fear of an injury before our January 1st start at Springer Mountain. We are getting down to the wire with our planning and preparation. Our gear is largely packed. Our mail drops are underway. We will have food drops only to Helen GA and Franklin NC. Other drops will consist only of maps, Companion pages, and medications. We are preparing other drops, to locations as of yet unknown, of our summer sleeping bags, and a lighter canister stove. We will start with food to get us to Helen GA, for which we are allowing 7 days. That food load adds up to about 18 pounds between us. Ouch!We have our transportation booked to Gainesville GA. We look forward to spending the night of December 30th with Josh and Leigh at Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega GA. We will get shuttled to Springer to welcome the New Year in on December 31st. Then, on January 1st, 2009, we are on our way north for our next Great Adventure.We are getting Springer Fever. Swamp Fox.         .
Date: 2008-12-13
To: Rocky Finally Gets Packed
Miles today: 0.0

I have been after Rocky to get her gear packed for the Trail for several weeks. That way w could tell if everything fits and how heavy her pack will be. This morning we finally assembled her stuff and got it packed and were shocked at how loaded the pack was. We could not fit in another candy bar, if we had to. The weight isn't too bad; only 31 lbs. with water and 7 days of food. Then we unpacked her, so as not to leave the sleeping bag compressed any longer than necessary. We will repack on Thursday morning, December 18th, just before we leave for the airport.To complicate matters for us in our last few days home, we have been without electricity for a day and a half. We lost power in the early hours of December 12th, due to an ice storm which has left about 400,000 customers without power. We are not in too bad shape as we have a wood stove for warmth and emergency cooking. With temperatures below freezing, refrigeration is not too much of a problem. Candles and flashlights take care of lighting. We have a pond next to our lot, so we can get water for toilet flushing. Right now we are at a friend's home in Concord NH where we are catching up on emails and Trail Journals. We have filled up a bunch of milk jugs with drinking water, and we are doing our laundry. Hopefully power will be restored before we leaving in five days so we can take care of last minutes details.Still lots to get done in the next five days.Swamp Fox
Date: 2008-12-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Grrr! Today is our sixth day without electricity. The novelty wore off after the first three days. Now it is cutting into our AT thru hike planning. We cannot leave NH until the house is winterized. We can't winterize the house without electric power. It is anyone's guess when we will have power restored. We live on the poor side of town, I guess, as 95% of our town has had power restored. To make matters worse, we are in the midst of a heavy snow fall, which will add to the problems of restoring power.   We have had to reschedule our departure from NH to December 24th. After a stop in Philadelphia to visit Swamp Fox Senior, we will head for Orlando, and then catch a but to Gainesville GA on December 29th. We still expect to wish each other a Happy New Year on Springer Mountain.
Date: 2008-12-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Tomorrow (on December 24th) we leave home to start our journey, which ultimately will take us 2175 miles on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Tomorrow, we will fly to Philadelphia to spend Christmas with Swamp Fox¢s 98 year old dad. Then on the 27th we fly to Orlando to spend two days with Rocky¢s daughter, Angie. This has all changed as a result of the ice storm that left us with out electricity for 6 12 days. One thing has not changed as we still will be on Springer for New Years Eve. We are now back to normal. The house has been winterized. Virtually all the loose ends of leaving the house are taken care of. We are both getting anxious and perhaps a little edgy. Last night, we packed our packs for the last time. We have packed and repacked several times. We will repack again in Orlando before boarding the Greyhound bus for Gainesville, GA. We shipped our initial food load to Orlando, rather than carry it on the planes. Our initial food load to take us to Helen GA weighs about 20 pounds. Our mail drops are either on their way or accounted for. We are fortunate that we have some great home support. We have to thank them for their efforts for us. Our neighbor, Lisa, will be looking after the house. Thank you, Lisa. Another neighbor, Jim, lives across the road from us and will keep a nosy eye on the house. Thanks, Jim. Rocky¢s daughter, Angie, in Florida, will be entering our journal updates. We hope these will be on a daily basis, as we will email drafts from the Trail via our Blackberry. Rocky¢s other daughter, Holly, will handle our mail drops for us. Holly also has another vital mission on our behalf as she will be taking care of our West Highland Terrier, Lily Rose. Thank you, Angie and Holly. Thanks also to all the people who have wished us well in the last few weeks.We did a weigh in today. Swamp Fox is five pounds heavier that he was at the start of his 2005 thru hike attempt. However, his pack is much lighter, which may offset the weight gain. Rocky is a lot heavier that she was at the start of her 2005 thru hike. We will both lose a lot of this weight gain during the course of our hike.We just finished reading a book entitled ¢You Can¢t Get There By Sitting Here¢. It is by 2005 thru hikers Chuckles and GottaGo. It is basically a day to day journal of the very difficult physical and mental challenges they faced and overcame during their 2005 hike. What made it extremely captivating for us what that ¢We Were There¢. We hiked in the same time frame and we crossed paths with them many times. It brought back so many memories. It has inspired with the Spirit of the Trail all over again.   We have been in contact with many of our friends of the Trail and other friends who we hope will join us for various sections on the Trail. Five Leafed Clover will start us off from Springer and will be with us at least to Neels Gap. We have over half a dozen friends who have indicated a desire to hike with us. Great! We may not sleep too well tonight.
Date: 2008-12-28
From: Philadelphia PA

To: Orlando FL
Miles today: 0.0

I guess it's correct to say the day started in Philadelphia as our 9:05 pm flight to Orlando didn't leave until after midnight. We left home on December 24th, Christmas Eve. Thanks to our friends, Melanie and Mark, who drove us to Manchester Airport. You are real friends to get up so early to haul us to the Airport.We left two feet of snow, and cold temperatures as low as minus two. We may only be going to Philadelphia on this first leg but it seems like we are leaving for the tropics.   We arrived in Philadelphia on the the afternoon of Christmas Eve. It took us over four hours to travel from Philadelphia Internation Airport to Swamp Fox's dad's house in northeast Philadelphia. We took the train from the Airport to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Then we caught the Frnkford Elevated to the end of the line. Then we took the wrong bus. After the bus wandered all over northeast Philadelphia, it dawned on Swamp Fox that we were on the wrong bus. A second bus finally took us to our destination. We survived Christmas okay with Swamp Fox's dad. Dad's girl friend, Floss, prepared a gigantic and wonderful Christmas dinner, so we enjoyed the day.Two days later we made our way back to Philadelphia International Airport. We arrived at the airport at 4 pm and then endured a eight hur wait for our flight to come in. It was after midnight when we took off, and we arrived in Orlando after 3 am. Rocky's daughter, Angie and boy friend Mike, picked us up and we will spend the next two days with them.We took a walk in their pleasant neighborhood this morning. What a contrast from NH. Bright sunshine and perhaps 75 degree temperatures. Nice!Tomorrow we have to get packed, for the final time, for the trail. We mailed our stove and starting supply of food to Orlando. Now we have to figure our how to carry all this stuff. Then we will go back into Orlando tomorrow night to catch our bus to Gainesville GA. Josh of Hiker Hostel will pick us up and we will be another step closer to starting our hike. Looking forward to seeing Five Leafed Clover and Kayak Karl there, along with other hikers.