morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It sure has been wonderful to read the journals of hikers I met and hikers I did not meet. Congratulations to all that completed the hike and everyone that attempted the journey.It was disappointing I did not complete the hike,I know it was meant to be the way it ended, and I am at peace. I am not only at peace with how things turned out, it has been a blessed summer.Moving forward, I am enrolled in a Meditation Teacher Training Certification Program in Sedona, Arizona. I plan on completing the certification by the end of February 2014. April 2014 I will return to the AT where I left the trail in 2013 and we will see how things go.I am feeling very healthy. Meditation, Yoga, and I have become a vegetarian, have increased my energy and fitness.Thank you all for your support and you can look for my progress on the AT in 2014 on AT Journals.
Date: 2013-10-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Just an update to thank everyone for the support, prayers, and good wishes for my hike in 2013!! The hike did not turn out like I had planned and envisioned. There was a number of factors that affected my hike and I will not bore you with the details. What I want to share, is this has been a wonderful summer, I continue to become healthier, and I have plans.Right now I am working on furthering my education and knowledge.Continue to become healthier.Make sure my family is supported.Plan to return to continuing my A.T. hike in 204 days on April 1st, 2014.If I could do it over, I would have taken a year after I retired to get my new life situation together before starting a thru hike. I am looking at my 2013 attempt of a thru hike as a wonderful experience, and my decision to come home and take care of myself and family, a great decision. Looking forward to starting my 2014 Thru Hike April 1st, 2014Namaste,Motown
Date: 2016-12-03
To: The Decision
Miles today: 0.0

After several years of dreaming about an Appalachian Trail thru hike attempt, I'm taking the plunge and planning on joining the Class of 2018. Of all the components that have to come together for a successful thru hike, the one I should have covered is physical preparation. I currently day hike in the Rocky Mountains every few weeks traveling 12 miles round trip and gaining 3,500 feet of elevation. I plan on upping the number of hikes, miles, and weight carried as I go through the process of getting ready. Also, my Colorado cardio should help for at least the first couple of weeks until I acclimate to the lower altitude on the trail. I will be posting periodic updates during the run up to starting the hike in early 2018. If you would like to sign my guest book, I would love to hear from you.
Date: 2016-12-07
To: Why Thru Hike?
Miles today: 0.0

The most obvious question people have about thru hikers is why thru hike? Others may have some grand and deep reason for wanting to do it. I don't feel like it's my destiny or great purpose to do this. I'm not looking to find myself, and contrary to what some of my friends may think, this is not a mid life crisis. It's just something I've been interested in doing for a while and the opportunity has presented itself. If all goes well, I will summit Katahdin on or near my 54th birthday. I'm young enough that I have several potential hiking seasons to attempt the hike, but old enough that, going into it, I will treat this attempt as the only time I will try it. Statistics about thru hikes are not 100% accurate. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, about 25% of thru hikers successfully complete their hike. The two biggest demographic groups on the trail are recent graduates of either high school, or college, and retirees. I read once that the retirees actually have a higher completion rate than the recent grads. If that's true it's an indication that while the hike is a mammoth physical undertaking, there is also a big mental component. The retirees are motivated by the feeling that this is my one and only shot, while the younger hikers may decide to call it quits and resolve to come back and try again later in life.One of the reasons I started this journal 14 months prior to starting the hike is to make it more real and get me thinking about everything I must do to prepare. I want to be physically ready to hike by being in shape and carrying gear that is lightweight and appropriate for the use it's going to get, but I'm acutely aware that this will be a mental grind. Being fit doesn't help much with blisters, cold, heat, snow, rain, and mosquitos. When faced with several of these obstacles day after day it is important to find the on switch to start hiking and get the miles in each day. The famous thru hiker saying is, "No rain, no pain, no Maine".
Date: 2016-12-26
To: A very Merry Christmas
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The Zin Mistress was nice enough to buy me AWOL's 2016 guidebook for Christmas. It's certainly packed full of useful information for a thru-hiker. Haven't decided if I will use the hard cover version or an electronic version for the hike, but this gives me an idea of what information is included and also size and weight of the hard cover edition. Most thru hikers who put the book in their back tear out pages as they complete them to reduce weight.Bad news for Zin Doggy yesterday. She was playing in my daughter's back yard with her dog and sliced open two of her paws on metal landscaping edging. So Christmas celebration was put on hold for a couple of hours for a trip to the 24 vet ER for stitches. She is resting comfortably now and seems to be on the mend. She can't wait to get back out and do some hiking with dad.
Date: 2017-01-30
To: Barr Camp Day Hike
Miles today: 0.0

Today I day hiked to Barr Camp and back. Barr Camp is half way up Pikes Peak at 10,200 feet of elevation. The camp was established in 1922 by Fred Barr, builder of the Barr Trail that runs from Manitou Springs westward to the summit of the mountain. The round trip hike to camp is 12 miles with an elevation gain of 3,500 feet. At camp I was able to visit with Aslhey and Nathan who are caretakers at the camp (and newlyweds). They, along with Ashley's brother Zach, handle the day to day operation of the camp providing information, coffee, and meals to hikers passing through and campers staying overnight, as well as acting as first responders to lost or injured hikers. I was also able to drop off a couple of loaves of whole wheat bread. Since retiring, it's been my practice to bake bread and then take it to camp for the caretakers. The picture with today's post is of the Pikes Peak summit. It was taken from Lighting Point, a rock out cropping and overlook just over 5 miles from the trailhead.
Date: 2017-02-08
To: Urban Hiking
Miles today: 0.0

Today I was hiking in downtown Chicago. Most people refer to it as walking. I'm worried that living in Colorado has ruined my mojo when it comes to handling cold weather. The temperature was near 30 degrees, but the damp overcast day chilled me to the bone. My fellow downtown hikers were an interesting group. Closed off, unemotional, looking hardened, they are the opposite of hikers that you typically encounter on a trail in the backcountry. What's on their mind as they navigate through the city? Mentally putting together a grocery list? Rehearsing in their head for the meeting they will lead at 2 o'clock? Dreaming of being in the woods? That last one is me and a handful of others. On the surface these urban warriors look like they can handle any adversity that life throws at them. The reality is that most would not be able to function in a wilderness area without outsourcing their survival decisions to someone more suited to the task.Though I can function in this concrete wilderness and to some extent even blend in, I think I would be a lot more at ease in the middle of nowhere carrying all of my life on my back. If all goes as planned, a year from now I will get a chance to live that dream.
Date: 2018-01-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My thru hike is starting to become all too real. There are less than three weeks now until I beginon Springer Mountain. I have all theusual pre-thru hike emotions: fear,anxiety, anticipation, excitement. Sinceaction feels better than waiting, part of me wants to start right now. However, seeing sub-zero wind chills in the forecastfor the north Georgia mountains this week has given me some patience. Hopefully the weather will moderate a littlein the coming days. I¢m focusing on theactions I can take now: getting my gear finalized and my backpack arranged theway I want it; finalizing my food selections for the first few days; setting upa mail drop that can be sent to me a couple of weeks into the hike; getting myaffairs in order so my wife doesn¢t go mental trying to hold the fort down inmy absence.One thing I¢ve picked up on from the dozens of hiker journalsI¢ve read is that how they thought the hike would go is out the window earlyon. With that in mind, I¢m focusing moreon making sure I have the gear, supplies, and mental attitude I need to getthrough the first few weeks on the trail. Gear will evolve, food choices will change, and hiker hacks will belearned. What that means is that it¢smore important to be able to adapt to changing conditions and keep movingforward than it is to focus on trying to get everything right up front.I¢ve had several comments and questions about cold weatherat the beginning of the journey. I thinka lot of hikers who start in March and even into April are surprised at howcold the southern highlands are in early spring. With my January start, temperatures in theteens and single digits at night are possible and so is snow. Because of this, I¢ve put a lot of thoughtinto assembling gear and clothing that will keep me warm and dry. Ultimately, it¢s likely that I may head intotown for a couple of days at some point to avoid a snow storm, or extremecold. I feel it¢s worth theinconvenience to get ahead of the hiker bubble that will fill the campsites andhostels starting in March.20 days and counting down¢¦"The journey is the reward."
Date: 2018-01-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

As he prepares, so do I.  It's always good to get different perspectives so we've agreed that we'll blog together as the journey will be different for both of us.So, how do I feel with only 3 weeks left before he leaves?  Proud, scared, excited, nervous, anxious - the whole spectrum of emotions at different times.  I listen as he plays the youtube video diaries of those who've gone before him so that he can be prepared. We talk about how he should pack, what he's learned to do or not do, what he would like me to do, how will we keep track of where he is at any given point in time.  He would make Clark W. Griswald look like a wuss given the amount of planning and preparation he's done.  I have something to compare that to = I'm a project manager so I get making a plan and then knowing you need plan B-Z because A goes up in flames even with the best planning.So let me answer a few questions for you as I seem to get the same questions over and over: 1. Will he carry a gun to protect himself?  No, he won't.  They're heavy -weight is critical.  You're crossing state lines - just trying to understand and navigate what that would mean to carry a firearm would be daunting.  If you read all you can about hiking the trail, your fellow travelers tell you what to watch out for, where to be careful etc.  2.  Are you ok with him being gone for 6 months?   This is his dream...what right to I have to deprive him of that.  He's always been my biggest supporter, why would I not be his if this is something he really wants to do.   It's not like he woke up yesterday and put his workout clothes on and said I'm going to take a walk for 6 months. He's prepared, he's planned and having been with him for more than 30 years I trust him.   Don't get me wrong, it's scary for me.   I look at this as my opportunity to grow too.  He needs me to be a cheerleader and not Debby Downer.   3. Why aren't you hiking with him?  I can physically do it.  It's not my dream to do it.  It would be something that I would turn into more of a hurry it up and get through it focus on getting to the end kind of thing and missing all the beauty in between.   That would take away from his dream.  It will be hard for him to push through sometimes. He doesn't need my sorry ass dragging him down because he's worried about me.4. Will you meet him while he's hiking?  Absolutely, that's the plan. He's reviewed the trail and we've identified some spots that he thinks we'd both enjoy hiking together. We hike now on a regular basis, just not these long stretches.  I'll be watching, listening, texting and sharing his story far and wide so we can all cheer him on when it seems like he wants to quit or something to look forward to reading posts letting him know the outside world is watching and cheering him on.More to come as we continue to prepare for the big adventure ....Peaches
Date: 2018-01-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Two weeks to go. I¢m stillriding the roller coaster of emotions. Have I thought of everything? DoI have everything? What will the weatherbe like? Will I be warm enough? Will I be dry enough? Where should I try to camp the first fewnights? In order to get a grip, I made agrand list of everything I need to take so I don¢t end up being that guy whoforgets his hiking boots. The list waslong, but very helpful. Using the list, Iwas able to lay everything out that needed to go in my pack. This immediately induced panic because itdidn¢t look physically possible to fit everything I wanted to take into my backpack. If I¢m going to be successful on thisjourney, I will need to press on through uncertainty and deal with whateverhappens. So, I started loading the largeunruly mass of gear and clothing I had accumulated. It soon became evident that not only was allthis stuff going to fit, but that my pack wasn¢t going to be stretched to the pointof exploding in the process. I¢m closenow to having my pack just about ready.  Once I have everything loaded I will figureout what my base weight is and then go over every item looking for weightsavings and opportunities for more efficient packing. I¢m sure if there are any past thru hikers reading this,they are smiling thinking back to when they were a neurotic mess prior togetting started. I will probably chuckleabout it myself a couple of weeks into the hike. But for now, I¢m excited to be entering thefinal phase of preparation and can¢t wait to finally get started on thisadventure that I¢ve been preparing for these past 14 months.Zin Master"The journey is the reward."
Date: 2018-01-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Peaches and I are currently making our way east through Kansas. She¢s driving, though technically it might be safe for me to type and drive in Kansas since the average straight stretch of highway is approximately 600 miles long here. The forecast for Monday in north Georgia is 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms. Welcome to the AT. Despite that, I¢m anxious to get going. Waiting for day one is tough. Once I hit the trail I¢ll be fine. Then I can focus on making miles and camp chores. Until then this drive is certainly quite relaxing. The plan is to get as far as we can tonight, hopefully southern Illinois or Kentucky then do the rest tomorrow. Peaches has her raincoat so she is still planning on walking the first mile with me Monday morning. Hopefully we can hit a weather window to take the iconic picture of the plaque on top of Springer.Zin Master¢The journey is the reward¢
Date: 2018-01-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

When the allies landed in Normandy on June 6th, 1944 they were a day late. The invasion had been planned for June 5th. Fog on the English Channel forced Eisenhower to postpone the invasion. Likewise, my assault on the AT will have a 24 hour weather delay. Severe thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow night in north Georgia, so I¢m waiting one more day to start. I don¢t plan on cowering indoors for every weather situation, but if I can easily avoid a strong rain or snow storm I will whether its day 1 or day 151. It¢s not easy to be this physically close to starting and have to wait a little longer. Hopefully this will make me want it all that much more. We¢re staying tonight at the Lodge at Amicalola Falls State Park. This is a very nice facility with great views of the surrounding mountains from its lobby and porch. The lodge is at the top of the falls. This afternoon we were probably the only dumbasses who went down the 600 stairs to the visitor center then hiked back up. The hike back to the lodge was 850 vertical feet. That¢s twice the vertical Peaches and I will be doing up Springer on Tuesday, so we feel ready for the first mountain.  At the visitor center, Peaches took my picture under the iconic arch at the start of the AT approach trail. Inside the visitors center I signed up as an AT thru hiker. I am the 17th thru hiker to sign the log in 2018. I don¢t think I¢ve ever been ranked in the top 20 nationally in anything before so that was cool. My odds of being one of the first 17 hikers to Harpers Ferry or Katahdin are pretty much non-existent. Tomorrow I will unpack and repack for the last time. We are also going to try to do a short hike here in the park tomorrow before the rain hits. Zin Master¢The journey is the reward.¢
Date: 2018-01-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Sitting around a hotel all day with not much to do is not my style. Can¢t wait to get started tomorrow. The latest forecast calls for the rain to clear out around 2am and then chilly and sunny all day. Right now the next significant chance of rain is Saturday afternoon into Sunday. I¢m looking forward to getting started with several days clear skies before I need to start ¢embracing the suck.¢
Date: 2018-01-23
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 7.4

What a fantastic first day! Waiting out the weather paid off big. Not a cloud in the sky all day. It was a little chilly but that meant not much sweating. The day started with the drive from the Amicalola Falls Lodge to Springer Mountain. Peaches and I took the forest service road to where it intercepts the AT at northbound mile 1. We then walked trail southbound to the top of Springer where we took pictures of the AT plaque and the first white blaze. I did the trip up and down Springer as a slackpack, meaning I didn¢t carry my backpack on that portion. When we got back to the car at mile 1, I said goodbye to Peaches and she headed off to her parents house in Kingsport Tennessee. I¢m so blessed to have such a wonderful wife willing to share starting this journey with me. As I said the weather was spectacular for hiking today. The terrain was easy with the worst uphill portion being the last mile before where I stopped. I stopped off at Stover Creek Shelter around noon for a snack and to sit down for a few minutes at the picnic table.  A couple of miles later I came to a footbridge crossing a large stream and decided to sit down and have lunch. All was well until when I was packing up to get started again, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a good sized animal running right at me. I didn¢t scream like a girl but I did let out some kind of startled sound that I don¢t have words to describe. Luckily the animal in question was a very friendly dog whose owner was close behind. Two ladies were out taking a day hike with their dogs. Turns out that they were originally from Alpena Michigan which is about 90 miles from where I grew up in northern Michigan. These two ladies were the first and only humans I saw all day. I¢m currently settled into my sleeping bag inside my tent at the Hawk Mountain campsite. This site was built in 2016 and has 30 tent pads, 3 bear boxes, and a privy. I believe it was developed to help handle the influx of northbound thru hikers who start in March. To my knowledge I¢m the only one here tonight. After setting up camp I made my dinner, 3 cheese chicken pasta with zucchini. Yummy. Looking forward to what tomorrow brings.Zin Master¢The journey is the reward¢
Date: 2018-01-24
From: Hawk Mountain Campsite

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 8.3

Much more challenging day today. Last night was COLD. I don¢t carry a thermometer but it was probably in the 20¢s. Where my breath had condensed on the roof of the tent it had formed ice crystals which fell like snow this morning as I moved around getting ready. I was warm enough in my sleeping bag though I didn¢t sleep much which is my usual pattern the first night I¢m in the woods. This morning I learned a valuable lesson while packing up in the cold ¢ STAY WARM! This may seem obvious, but in my hurry to get going I had my gloves off for too long and they turned into blocks of ice. It got worse when they finally thawed out and hurt so bad I thought I was going to puke or faint. Also I couldn¢t feel my toes when I started hiking but that cleared up quickly once I had gone a quarter mile or so. Needless to say as soon as I came to an exposed area facing the morning sun and out of the wind, I took the opportunity to bask on a rock and warm up. So to the extent possible in the future, I will be keeping my gloves on while packing and stopping to warm them up if they are getting cold. Also I¢m making a point of airing out my hiking clothes overnight so they have a fighting chance to be dry when I put them back on in the morning. Airing them out won¢t be a problem tonight. I¢m staying in a shelter and there are several pegs for hanging backpacks which I¢m going to use as my clothesline. I was going to tent here, but the Forest Service has closed all the tenting areas for revegetation. That will help speed up the packing process in the morning with no tent to break down. The terrain today was also challenging. Several steep climbs including Sassafras Mountain which I had been warned about by Bigfoot in his 2016 YouTube series. I broke the tip of one of my hiking poles clean off today when I lost my footing and stepped up it. I¢ll have to see if it can be fixed when I¢m at the outfitter on Friday. Thankfully it was another awesome sunny day. The temps and wind chill dropped in the afternoon, but that was what the forecast said. Tomorrow and tomorrow night are supposed to be warmer. Ok time to make my dinner and get ready to hit the sack. Oh yeah, I tried uploading pictures to trail journals today, but I wasn¢t able to. I may have to monkey around with it when I have wi-fi. Zin Master¢The journey is the reward¢