morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-01-10
To: A tuff thing to prep for!
Miles today: 0.0

Lately I have been trying to prep or should I say deal with leaving my wonderful GF Julie. It is a very hard thing to prep for if you can prep for it all. Julie is a very big force in my thru-hike. She has been so supportive and has put up with my constant wondering and questions about the hike. You have to understand for the last 6 months it seems to be mostly what I talk about, she has endured it though. Julie has given me many ideas about equipment and logistics of the hike. She has also helped me maintain a positive attitude during this whole prep period. Julie will play a big role throughout my hike being my main support person, to help me with the mail drops, journal, photos, and such. At some point she will hike the trail and I hope I can be as helpful for her as she has been for me. I know I will miss her tremendously for the 6 months or so that I'm gone. Luckily I will be hiking right near her home and I'm sure it will be an awesome reunion for the few days I'm there. So thank you Julie for being the wonderful person that you are!
Date: 2005-01-10
To: Raiding the supermarkets
Miles today: 0.0

Today I was able to hit some of the markets for some of the food supplies that I will need for my mail drops. I am taking the mail drop approach for pretty much the whole trip. I'll be doing a mail drop a week for the most part. I have already purchased a vacuum sealer, this will help for the repackaging of some of the foods and meals that I create. I think the mail drops are fun to put together. I like it better than shopping in a strange store in a strange town or for that matter shopping at all. It is hard enough to find the things I like around here never mind on the trail. I'm sure they don't work for everybody because of the extra planning that goes into them.I have managed to put together a very wide variety of food items, which is tough when your being weight conscious, and you don't want to eat the same meals over and over. I'm using a combination of the already prepared meals and some self created ones. Oh yeah and I didn't forget the "Franks red hot" either. It is nice to have a little heat on the palate once in a while. Some of the items that need to be fresher will be purchased by my support person on an as needed basis.
Date: 2005-01-12
To: Vacuum sealing
Miles today: 0.0

Last night we took a ride to a place called Whole Foods Market (formerly Bread & Circus) they have a huge selection of bulk dried foods and tons of prepackaged stuff as well. I was mostly scouting but I did purchase some items. We also stopped at EMS and I purchased some lightweight cord to be used for a clothes line, food bag line and such.        Today I started vacuum sealing some of the meals that I¢m creating. It is a slow process but I was able to get quite a bit done. I¢m using a Food Saver sealer it works real well. I double seal both ends of the bag. I really don¢t want any leaks in the bags as I will be pouring hot water right in them and eating right out of them. I not into dirty dishes, so this method helps with that some. I think I have a pretty good handle on this part of the prep. Soon I will be laying out the boxes for the drops and filling them with the needed food for each drop. Earlier today I uploaded a pic of some of the food I have already acquired.
Date: 2005-01-14
To: Playing with the gear
Miles today: 0.0

Last night Julie and I played around with my gear trying to find ways of saving weight without getting rid of anything substantial. Pretty bad when your all smiles over losing an ounce. I did replace all the strings and the XL cordlocks on my tent stuff sacks and cut off all the extra tags which did get rid of about an ounce. Crazy!!! It is going to be interesting after the first week to see what I send home. I'm sure there will be something. Seems like when I play with the gear like this, for every ounce I take out I add one. My new Western Mountaineering Alpinlite (winter) bag came in yesterday as well, this is an awesome bag as you can see in the photo I uploaded. It has a larger cut so big guys like me can put their arms on their sides. They make really good stuff!!! I already have the WM Mightylite which I have had for years, this will be my summer bag. I compared the new bag side by side with the Kelty Light Year 25 deg bag, there really is no comparison. I was originally going to go with the Kelty. Now it is another spare!!! By going with the WM Alpinlite I'm saving an ounce, adding 5 deg to the rating, and adding 2in to the girth, so it's all good!! I think I have just about all the gear, but now where do I put it?
Date: 2005-01-18
To: Food, equipment, and training.
Miles today: 0.0

Over the last weekend we gathered some more of the food items for my drops. I think I'm there as far as this goes. We also used the food saver to assemble some of my own recipes. We got a little hungry on Saturday so we tried one of them. I'll let you in on my recipe. 1 3/4 c instant rice, 2 packets cup-a-soup, 1/4c freeze dried beef or chicken, 1/3 freeze dried veggies, I put it in the food saver bag and vacuum seal it. When your ready to eat it just cut one end off of the bag add 3c boiling water and let it sit for about 8-10min and enjoy makes one big meal, and you eat right out of the bag. It looks like my food for 5 days will come in at around 10lbs; I'm going to be eating well. I also tried to fit everything into my little pack, I got a little frustrated on Saturday but today I tried it again and it was much better, got everything in. I ended up using a Granite Gear air-compressor stuff sack for the sleeping bag. The seamstress (my Mom) is working on a few of the other custom made items that I have designed. I like that silnylon stuff! As far as training goes I have been getting out on the snowshoes to loosen things up, waiting for more snow so we can fire up the X-C skis. It is really refreshing to get out and get some fresh air! The countdown continues!!!!!
Date: 2005-01-23
To: Time is flying!
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday we went out for a little training session on X-C skis, as you can see by the photo I became old man winter. When we started off there wasn¢t a snowflake in the air, by the time we returned you could hardly see you hand in front of your face. We are getting hit by one of those good old fashion snow storms. As I¢m writing this entry I can hear the wind howling and the snow hitting off of the window. I really enjoy a nice storm! I have been moving right along with my drops. We have now begun to put them into boxes. I¢m really fortunate to have Julie helping me; she is with me every step of the way and has a good handle on the drop situation. I never saw somebody who can pack like she does. She can fit anything into the smallest box! So the food prep is moving along quite well, being laid-off and having lots of time helps too. As far as equipment goes, I thought I was all set. I had a pair of those crocs (the ones with the strap) but I was having trouble justifying carrying around almost a pound (the never ending quest for weight reduction) for the little bit you actually wear camp shoes. Upon Julie¢s recommendation I took a stroll to the neighborhood dollar store. Seeing that it was out of season there wasn¢t much in the way of sandals. Amazingly I happened to see this pile of shoes and such on the floor, and sticking out from the pile was the tip of a sandal. Imagine my size exactly! So I made the $2 purchase (marked down from $4). The only problem was there was no heal strap so you know how hikers always modify things, we made some heal straps. A little Velcro and some webbing and we were all set. The now modified sandals weigh in at 7.2 oz exactly 12 of the crocs, granted they aren¢t as comfortable, but lighter and smaller. I will have the crocs in case I need them, but the sandals are a go for now.
Date: 2005-01-26
To: Moonlight training
Miles today: 0.0

We were able to take advantage of the full moon last night and get some more XC-skiing in. What a beautiful night it was, the snow was crisp, and it was very bright with the full moon. I like using the skiing for training, it is low impact, but you¢re using everything, so you get a pretty good workout. For me a big thing is stretching out, I try to stretch out really well before I start whatever activity I¢m doing, and plan to do the same during the hike. I think stretching can prevent many of the leg and foot related injuries hikers suffer from. I also finished up some other silnylon doodads for my pack. I have been playing with the packing of the pack, which will probably change a million times before the hike is over. Going with such a small pack, makes it a bit more challenging to fit everything, it keeps you from bringing too much stuff. The excitement is growing with every day!! I have to try to stay busy so I don¢t lose my grip on the whole thing. I'm sure all you fellow hikers know what I mean!!!
Date: 2005-01-31
To: The ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂCobblesÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ
Miles today: 0.0

You can see by the photo I was on the AT with the snowshoes. Julie took this pic of me just below what we call the ¢Cobbles.¢ This is my playground! When you come through Cheshire, MA make sure you take the walk out to the scenic view. The Cobbles overlooks Cheshire and you can get a view of some of the Mountains such as Mt. Greylock which you will be walking over.      As we speak I¢m in what I call the ¢waiting patiently mode.¢The gear is all there, drops are pretty much all set. Still have to tie up all the loose ends with the taxes and college forms and all the other financial stuff one must deal with before a thru-hike. The days are just melting away!
Date: 2005-02-10
To: Killing time!
Miles today: 0.0

      I think it¢s time to update my situation. Basically I¢m just killing time for the next 30 days. There are a few loose ends to tie up, such as taxes and all the financial hoopla.      I¢m not sure how many times I have gone through my pack, but it has been quite a few, just trying to get a handle on how to pack everything. I ended up modifying the ice axe loops on my pack to accommodate my tent. I cut them and sewed a longer strap with a buckle on it, so now they are adjustable. I believe the new Ghost Packs have adjustable straps already. Putting the tent on the outside of the pack has freed up a ton of space inside.         I¢m still playing with the clothing, to be specific the shorts. There are so many choices it is hard to make a decision, so I¢m in the process of trying different combinations of shorts and types of materials. By the time I¢m done I will have tried every combination possible! Too much time on my hands!! I have been using my camera as well trying to get used to it. I will be using a 35mm just because I don't feel like dealing with a digital while on the trail. I feel any spare time can be used in other ways instead of charging batteries and downloading pictures. My plan is to send rolls of film back and Julie will drop them off for developing and post some on here. Thanks Julie!!!!        The mail drops are all boxed just not sealed. We only did them up to Cheshire, MA, and will do the rest when I arrive there. Just in case I want to change anything or add anything.        As far as training Julie and I have been going out on weekends. We were able to snowshoe to the top of Mt.Greylock on Sunday. It was amazing that the top of the mountain had very little snow on it. What a great mountain! If you have never been there you will enjoy it when you walk over it. Once again this is our playground; it is hard to get enough of it!
Date: 2005-02-21
To: Winding down!
Miles today: 0.0

20 days left until I get on the choo-choo. Everything is moving quite smoothly. The taxes are done and all the college forms are sent off. The mail drops are totally set, and I have all my equipment settled.         We are still getting out on the snowshoes. We hiked in to Tannery Falls on Sunday, it made me want to learn ice climbing. I¢ll have to save that for another time!        I¢m glad I¢m bringing a tent looks like a big crowd for a mid-March start, well I got to get going, still some waiting to do.
Date: 2005-02-28
To: Critiquing the equipment.
Miles today: 0.0

On Saturday night we had a bit of a getting ready to go party. Deep fried a turkey and had all the fixins. After dinner Julie and some of our friends did a little critique of my pack and its contents. What I did was to take everything out piece by piece and give my explanation of why I needed it. They were very impressed and really couldn¢t hit on anything that I didn¢t need. I then packed it all back up, and we had some good conversation about my plan. This was fun, I enjoyed it, and it made this whole experience that much more real. It also made me realize how much I will miss Julie and our friends.         The other thing I realized was that I¢m sure I will be longing for one of those deep fried turkeys throughout my journey.
Date: 2005-03-07
To: The last week!
Miles today: 0.0

Here it is my last week before heading down to Georgia. Everything is complete! I have said most of my goodbyes, which has not been easy for me, but just about everybody is excited for me.   I will send out the first three mail drops the day before I leave. I will be sending home my journal pages and pics weekly, at first there might be a little delay until Julie and I get a system working. My phone and internet will be gone this week so this might be my last prep entry before I leave. If it is my last entry just want to wish all the other 05 Thru-hikers the best of luck and look forward to meeting up with you out in AT land! Take care! B.H.HOG and all my other friends and relatives. See ya on the other side!
Date: 2005-03-12
To: My last prep entry!
Miles today: 0.0

My time has come, it is Saturday and snowing like a _ _ _ _. Tomorrow I will board the midnight train to Georgia and put my hike in motion. The last two weeks have been the longest since the start of my wait in May. So here is a few last words before I hit the ground running. I want to say to my girlfriend Julie, Thank You! for your love, support, and understanding while I am on my quest. To my mom a big thanks for all your help and encouragement during my planning stages. I want to say Hi and see ya during the summer to my son Bryan soaking up the sun in Costa Rica, and to all my riding buddies, thanks for the support, ride safe and have fun!! To all my other friends and relatives thanks for listening to me ramble on about this adventure, and giving me your support. Feets don't fail me now!!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: 2005-03-13
To: Gainesville, GA
Miles today: 0.0

It might take some getting used to writing this journal so hang with me. It was a great send off surprise that Julie along with my friends Doug and Monica gave me. We said our good byes which is never easy. As far as the ride down on the train, it was pretty uneventful but there was the little kid who tossed her cookies in the isle right next to me. The sour smell made my nose hairs curl while I watched several people walk through it. Oh yeah, and one of those expansive people sat next to me and expanded herself over into my seat, made for a long 6 hours. As I was sitting on the midnight express, some of the things I noticed about society is most people were playing with their cell phones, not even talking on them, just playing with them. It was a sad sight. They were also concerned about where to plug their laptops in. Where is society headed? I only hope that this kind of electronic society is not as noticable on the trail. Seems as though most people can't go ten minutes without calling somebody or getting a call. I'm talking all hours of the night. Crazy! I can't forget to mention the long stream of T.P. that somehow attached itself to my foot. It followed me the length of the rail car all the way back to my seat and about an hour later I noticed it. Only me!!!
Date: 2005-03-14
To: Amicalola Lodge Inn
Miles today: 0.0

I arraived in Gainesville at about 7:45 am. It was a long ride this morning and I was happy to get off the choo choo. Josh from the Hiker Hostel had his mom, Patsy, pick me up right on time. She was a very nice lady and kindly made a stop at the local Walmart so I could grab some fuel and a fancy nylon and velcro wallet. The pouch I had wasn't working out. I haven't even started to hike yet and already an equipment change. Patsy left me off at the Amicalola Lodge where I was greeted by an AYCE breakfast. I'm still not sure about grits yet. I was able to check into my room early. After an evaluation of my equipment I walked down along the falls (600+ steps) to the visitor center where tomorrow I will check in and start my hike from there. I met a guy (I think he goes by Boxman) who was starting his hike today. We had a chat and he was off.I just came back from the dinner buffet, stocked up on veggies one last time. This is a very quiet place, not too many hikers from what I can see at least not up here. This is good that it is quiet. I can get all my stuff ready in peace or should I say all in one piece. Julie, I hope you can read this hen scratching.Early to bed after I finish packing. It seems as though every time I pack this thing up it gets small and with less room and now it seems so heavy. What can go? It's making me sweat!!! I'll find something. Let me sleep on it.
Date: 2005-03-15
From: Amicalola Lodge

To: Springer Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 9.0

After hitting the breakfast buffet and unloading the extra fuel and duffle bag I decided I would walk back down the 600+ stairs to the visitors center. I wanted to get the full affect of the trail. I did the customary weigh in and my pack was a whopping 35lbs! 5lbs heavier than anticipated. I signed in and took some photo ops and then I hit the ground running.I'm seeing many hikers already. There is a lot of younger folks. I walked on and off with (Gary) a guy almost 60. I really didn't look at the watch but I think it was about 5 pm when I got to the shelter. I picked a tent site fairly secluded. Cupcake, KTR and some of the other young folks used the shelter. I'm a little beat up but still alive and with no blisters. Early to bed after a hot beef & rice meal. Thanks Julie for talking me into the burrito skins. As far as time goes I'm not sure about it, I have a watch but keep it buried in my pack. I think I'm trying to get away from time.All in all a good first day!!
Date: 2005-03-16
From: Springer Mt. Shelter

To: Hawk Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 7.4

Sometime early last night it let loose rain, wind and cold!!! I managed to stay warm, but damp. I didn't sleep worth a shit. This tent is loud when rain hits it. The nightly "P" walk was a cold trip too! I GOT THE ROCK after emerging from my cacoon like stare. It was cold, wet and foggy. Got everything packed up after my cup of coffee. Stopped at the shelter and met Tamato Head who was soaked as well.I'm taking 5 at the Stover Creek Shelter, regrouping for a wet 5 mile walk to the next shelter. Gary is staying here probably a good move. It turned out to be a fairly easy 5 miles. I stopped at a cool water fall on the way. I'm staying in the 12 person shelter tonight along with 14 others. My stuff is too wet to set up. It is very foggy tonight. I had a killer stuffing meal and soup dinner. KTR and some other guy lit a wet smokey fire, the smoke is pouring up into this upper loft where I am. There is a wide mix of people here.
Date: 2005-03-17
From: Hawk Mt. Shelter

To: Gooch Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 7.4

Last night was so foggy you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It was a full shelter and site, 21 were there. I lived up to my name of Draggin by being the last one out this morning. It was easier after it was empty. When I start to walk it was a wintery mix of snow, rain and fog. 34 degrees! The clothes are working out well. Physically I'm doing well. I have the usual aches and pains a 44 year old goes through. 15 at this shelter tonight so far. Last night there was machine gun fire for a while. A military training base is nearby. Also the little rodents called mice were abundant, but it was dry. The trail is muddy and slippery today, there is a family of three, Troll (Dad), Ablivious (10 year old boy), and Anchor (Mom). They are here tonight. I think the stink is setting in a bit. The wipes are a keeper. It is snowing on and off while I'm writing this. At some point I imagine it will thin out. There is a girl here (Brownie) from Massachusetts hiking. It is quite a mix of characters. This is a nice shelter. I am thinking about getting the bigger tent, the one I'm using is like a shoe box. I think I need the condo unit. Lots of tea and catching up on eating the food I didnt eat in the last two days. I'll eat dinner and get to bed early.
Date: 2005-03-18
From: Gooch Mt. Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Beside missing my Darlin, everything is going well. Last night was chilly and the kicker was a loud snorer, ouch for sleeping. Late yesterday evening a hiker (Chestnut) who had thru-hiked twice before stopped, he has a journal also, I shot the shit with him for a while. I was the first one on the move this morning but within minutes the whole shelter decided to leave so it was a frenzy of activity so I wasn't the first out.Today was actually beautiful sun shining and a nice breeze. Hiked with Hairball, Snow Bunny and Cupcake most of the day. It makes the time fly to talk to somebody while hiking. The terrain was rolling ups and downs. I'm starting to see more hikers and hear stories of people getting off the trail. The sun is still out, but what a chill from the wind. This shelter is a small one and full of the younger hiker group, Krazie Katie, Rahide, Jacks, Soulman, Radio, and Brownie. There are also lots of others tenting. I'm tenting myself tonight, had to dry it out first. Tomorrow I will be at Neels Gap. Shower, food and I might buy a new bigger tent. I will have to see what they have and how much they weigh. Shrimp Alfredo and soup tonight for dinner. So far so good with the amount of food I brought. My food is hung on a bear cable tonight. A huge group of kids just came in and have swamped whatever tent space is left.Life is good! I love this job!
Date: 2005-03-19
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Walasi Yi
Miles today: 4.1

Last night was the best nights sleep yet, and the stars were out! What a speciticle! I slept in my coffin like tent. But good news, a new tent is on the way. It is lighter and packs smaller. It will be drop shipped to me in two weeks. This morning I treated Hairball and Snow Bunny to my special brew coffee. It was delicious! The two of them along with Cupcake joined me for the 4 mile walk up over Blood Mt. to Walasi Yi Center. Shower, food, phone and laundry. I'll stay here tonight and head out in the morning.I met Peter Pan and Toolman today, Troll, Oblivious and Anchor are here along with Ranger, Grunting Bear and KTR too.All is well with mind, body and soul!