morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-12-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

In the past I have taken on many different outdoor pursuits starting with canoe tripping on flatwater, advancing to white water and river tripping then to white water kayaking. I have been a long distance runner, downhill skier, cross country skier, participated in triathlons, raced mountain bikes, and more recently a backpacker. Every change of focus gave me a reason to explore the wonderful world of Gear specific to that sport ¢ awesome!All to say, after months (literally) of investigation, comparison, and testing, I have finally settled on and bought my new pack ¢ an Osprey Atmos 65 AG - 4lbs 6oz (2.0 kg). This is 2 pounds heavier than my current Osprey Talon 44 but I really needed the extra space (21 more litres!) and comfort of the thicker hip belt. I could smash everything into the Talon 44 and dangle stuff off the outside but that made the pack lumpy and uncomfortable, so I am up-sizing. I am still trying to keep my base weight (all gear minus food and water) below 20 lbs, so you can see why this extra 2 lbs of pack weight is a big decision and would take so long to make, right? At this point, I am still trying to work out how to get the weight of all my other gear down to make up for this 2 pounds, so still fine-tuning to decide which ¢luxury¢ items I can afford to take along. Once I have finalized what I am starting with, I will post the whole mess.
Date: 2018-01-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Happy New Year everyone. Good luck with all your 2018 new year resolutions. Well, it is no secret what my 2018 Resolution is...Hike the AT!!My launch date is getting closer - 65 sleeps! Training lapsed a bit over the Christmas break but is back on track now. Got some great additions to the gear kit over Christmas and will do a few posts on what I am planning on taking along. The Big Four items - pack, shelter, sleeping bag and pad weigh in at 10.5 lbs. The biggest / heaviest is the Atmos 65 pack at 4.3 lbs but as I said earlier, I wanted the beefier hip belt and extra space of this larger pack. I have taken the top or "brain" off the pack to lighten up a bit and will lose ~3 litres of capacity but also lose about 0.3 lb. If I am able to downsize my kit over the course of the trek, I may go back to my Talon 44 and save 2 lbs. The Big Agnes Fly Creek UL is light and easy to set up. I've had it on 2 week-long trips and while it is a good lightweight option, I find getting into and out of the tent awkward but I will live with it for now. If this becomes too much of a pain, I may switch back to my Eureka Spitfire which is 1 lb heavier but has a side entrance.For sleeping bag, I have a -10C bag and have added a thermolite liner for extra warmth. This liner weighs almost as much as my sleeping bag (~1 lb) so I will be keeping it only until it warms up in April, then will send home and pick up a lightweight silk liner just to protect the bag from getting too yucky (the liner can be washed periodically). For sleeping pad I have a Neo Air X-lite which is light weight and comfy, but for anyone that has camped with me knows the annoying crinkling paper sound made every time I shift around.Recently added to my sleeping system the sea to summit inflatable pillow thanks to a very timely Christmas gift from my son Keegan!These big four add most of the weight to the pack (other than food of course) and I am happy with the 10.5 lbs, especially since I can possibly go down 2.5-3 lbs if I unload the thermo-light liner and go back to the Talon 44 pack if I need to.
Date: 2018-01-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, so these gear entries may be of more interest to the backpackers out there, feel free to skip over these. It is because I am spending a silly amount of time researching, collecting and weighing different options that I want to document what I have collected, but understand completely if this holds no interest for you.My camp kitchen weighs in at 1.2 lbs excluding the weight of the butane canister that powers the stove. I don't include the weight of the canisters with my base weight as it starts out heavy and depletes over time, like food. So my kitchen includes the MSR Pocket Rocket stove and lighter, Snow Peak Titanium 700ml pot (thanks to the boys at my old work!), a butane canister stand, a home-made pot cozy, aluminum windscreen, cup/bowl, long handle titanium spoon and spork (which I might ditch) and camp suds, bristle pad for cleanup.The pot cozy works really well and will save fuel. Most meals are prepared with boiling water and rather than simmering, you just put the pot and contents into the cozy for 15 mins and it comes out hot and hydrated!
Date: 2018-01-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.All water on the trail needs to be purified. I am planning on using mainly aquatabs/ katadyn tabs or the aquamira drops for most of my purification. I have used these on past trips and they work well, though having to wait for them to do their thing requires a bit of planning. In colder weather you need to wait longer as well, so I am also taking a Sawyer squeeze mini filter which purifies fairly quickly if I need an immediate refill. I have two collapsible containers for water - a one litre Vapur wide mouth container and a 2.5 litre platypus. I also carry a gatorade bottle that I use for "dirty" water when using the sawyer squeeze. The widemouth Vapur is good for when I want to add gatorade or electrolyte replacing crystals and this attaches for easy access to the shoulder strap on my pack.  Total weight of water related items 0.8 lbs.
Date: 2018-01-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

In past trips I have found that when I get into camp, I really, really, really want to take off my hiking shoes and have tried a few different types of camp shoes - sandals, crocs, running shoes. Weather at the start is going to be variable and cold so I am opting for the running shoes and have found lightweight Merrill shoes (1 lb). I will likely switch back to sandals as the warm weather kicks in.Other items in this picture include folding toothbrush, paste, floss, sunscreen, petzl mini headlamp and replacement battery, ear plugs, swiss army manicure knife, super glue (equipment repair and some injuries), ear swabs. I have also included here a 15 day supply of multi vitamins, magnesium (good for aching muscles) and fish oil (Omega 3's).
Date: 2018-01-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

If my brother Paul the Paramedic is reading, you might want to skip over this entry. Ok, for the non-hikers that are reading, this won't look like much of a first aid kit, well, even for the hikers that are reading, this is not much of a first aid kit. But, it is all I am taking, and basically all that anyone hiking the trail is taking so I think we are all collectively hoping that no significant injury occurs.The kit consists of: 2 alcohol swabs, a bunch of Motrin and Tylenol, different size gauze pads and bandages, some steri-strips, polysporin squirted into a little baggy with cotton swabs to apply, a needle and thread, a pen cap with leuko tape rolled around it (for blister protection) and a tick remover tool.Fingers crossed!
Date: 2018-01-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

In this photo there is my food bag, well I have to be honest here, it is not my food bag, it is my hiking buddy Dave's bag that he made from Kevlar cloth - the same material that the UR Sack's are made from, so it is bear, rodent and racoon resistent...thanks Dave! With this bag is a smaller mesh bag that I will use as my bear hanging rock bag - put a rock in, attach it to the rope and throw over a branch and hoist up the food bag.Also in this picture - TP and 1 oz of antiseptic wash plus sea to summit soap leaves plus one tent peg that will be used to dig cat holes. Emergency firestarter kit - hurricane matches, lighter, dryer lint & cotton balls soaked in vaseline.
Date: 2018-01-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My packed clothes include a Marmut down jacket, North face rain pants, socks, underwear, short sleeved tshirt, running shorts, pack towel, touque and fleece long pants. Total packed clothes weight is 4.2 lbs.I have not quite met my sub 20 lb base weight (everything except food and water). I am at almost 21 lbs but I think I will be okay with that and I should be able to lighten up when I send my winter clothes home.
Date: 2018-01-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Looking at other folks' journals on how they are getting ready for the hike has me a bit worried that I am not doing enough. They are getting out for multi day shakedown hikes in the mountains. With not much by way of hills around me, I am stuck treadmill walking on max incline..fun, wow! I am doing this 3-4 times a week and climbing around 400-500 metres per session so I am hopeful this will get me the leg strength I need. I am also getting out running 3 times a week (5-7 k) and now that we have some good snow, some cross country skiing. I am planning on using the first few weeks of the actual hike to really get in shape.
Date: 2018-01-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am still learning the ins and outs of logging entries, tried to paste in my menu for the first week and it looks too small to read but I can't figure out how to delete it.Some people have been asking about food on the trail....the day in, day out exertion of long distance hiking burns a huge number of calories (5,000-6,000 per day), so replacing these can be a challenge, especially since you have to carry all that food. So you try to carry foods that have a high calorie to weight ratio which means lots of fats and sugars. My fitness class instructor, Charlotte, is going to like this entry, especially since she is always trying to get us to cut out sugar. The menu below is for my first week, and subsequent weeks will look similar with maybe less of the prepared dried meals (ie Backpacker's Pantry, etc). There are resupply points along most of the trail every 4-6 days (with some exceptions) so a typical week would be to start out with 5 days of supplies (~7.5-10 lbs). Day 1:Breakfast ¢ on the roadLunch ¢ on the roadDinner ¢ Backpacker¢s Pantry ¢ Pad Thai; Hot Choc/TeaDay 2:Breakfast ¢ oatmeal, raisons & chia seeds, honey bun, instant coffee, OJ drink crystalsMorning snacks ¢ nutrigrain bar, cliff barLunch ¢ 2 tortilla wraps with PB&J plus trail mix, chocolate squaresAfternoon snacks ¢ trail mix with dried fruit, chocolate chip cookies Dinner ¢ instant rice, tuna, olive oil, dried veggies, protein powder, fruit pie, hot chocolateEvening snack ¢ nutrigrain bar, trail mix, chocolate square Day 3:Breakfast ¢ instant breakfast with whole milk powder, granola, honey bun, instant coffee, OJ drink crystalsMorning snacks ¢ 1 bag of M&M peanuts, trail mix & dried fruitLunch ¢ 60g summer sausage, 10 stone wheat crackers, 60g hard cheese, chocolate squaresAfternoon snacks ¢ Snickers Bar, Cliff Bar Dinner ¢ KD with added tuna, olive oil, dried veggies, hot sauce, protein powder, hot chocolateEvening snack ¢ tea, nature valley almond bar Day 4:Breakfast ¢ oatmeal, raisons & chia seeds, honey bun, instant coffee, OJ drink crystalsMorning snacks ¢ beef jerky, browniesLunch ¢ PB and crackers (10 stone wheat), chocolate squaresAfternoon snacks ¢ roasted cashews, gummi bears Dinner ¢ instant mashed potatoes, slim jim, dried veggies, tea Evening snack ¢ nutrigrain bar, trail mix, chocolate square, hot chocolate Day 5:Breakfast ¢ Mountain House breakfast skillet, 2 whole wheat tortillas, instant coffee, OJ drink crystalsMorning snacks ¢ Snickers bar, Lara barLunch ¢ 60g summer sausage, crackers, 60g hard cheese, chocolate squaresAfternoon snacks ¢ Beef jerky, trail mix Neel¢s Gap Resupply ¢ pick up 4 days supplyDinner ¢ Mountain House Lasagna dinner, fruit pie, tea Evening snack ¢trail mix, chocolate square, hot chocolate
Date: 2018-01-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I have now packed, unpacked, repacked, unpacked and packed again, so I think I am done with gear selection and pulling everything together. I am sure there are things that I will change up after a few weeks on the trail to tweak the setup. Base weight 21-22 lbs depending on the size of the charger I choose and whether I bring a camera.48 days and counting, so, what am I forgetting? Out of country health insurance ¢ check, plane ticket to Atlanta ¢ check, phone SIM card ¢ going to Niagara Falls, NY on Monday to pick up¢¦.Oh yeah, I will be away for 6 months and just coming to realize how long that really is when I  look at all the things that need to be looked after - bills to pay and family finances, family birthdays, taxes to file, lawn & yard maintenance, cottage company book-keeping for a shared family vacation property, Community Tree Nursery ¢ over the last 5 years I have been the lead for a volunteer community-based nursery that cultivates environmental stewardship among community youth and grows trees to increase the coverage in our township. So this post is a shout out to my key supporters who are going to be left ¢holding the bag¢ while I am gone. First and foremost is my wife Heidi who has been great helping me sort through communication options (phones, plans, chargers, etc) and logistics for meet-ups along the trail. She will also continue to look after the household finances and chores (with some help from my son Keegan) and will also pick up some cottage book-keeping and tax filings. Hopefully nothing major goes askew with the house while I am away. The next up is a shout out to Ann and the entire TWEEC and Trees for Woolwich crew who will be stepping up to manage the nursery initiative so we don¢t lose any traction over the coming growing season ¢ it was really great to see the level of commitment and enthusiasm at our recent planning meetings for the upcoming season. I will be praying for a nice balance of rain and sun over the coming summer in Woolwich (and for more sun than rain along the A.T.!)  So, what am I forgetting....?
Date: 2018-01-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Getting tired of uphill climbing on a treadmill so big thank you to cousin Tom and Erin for hosting me in Kitty City so I could do some real hills on the Bruce trail in Short Hills Provincial park. Full pack with first 3 days food and water. Big snowfall overnight 15+cm (6+ inches) so footing was poor and very slow pace (3 kph). Beautiful day though, lots of white tail deer, and beautiful sunshine in the afternoon but cold -8C.Legs felt ok at the end but I seriously hope I won't have to hike in snow like this on the A.T.. I was too cold so had to layer into some of my camp/ night clothes, then they got wet with sweat on some of the hill climbs- if I was staying overnight, I would have been cold in camp with wet clothes and Sub zero temps - have to rethink my layers...I guess that is the purpose of a shakedown hike!
Date: 2018-02-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Let the Games begin!I am grateful that the Olympic Games are finally here ¢ this is a welcome distraction from the all-consuming focus on all things Appalachian Trail related. I think Google is going to rebel the next time I type in the two words ¢Appalachian Trail¢ (AT meal planning, AT lightweight equipment, AT ¢ protecting against ticks, Geology of AT, AT ¢ Flora and Fauna, AT ¢ best places for mail drops, AT best trail towns, AT best hostels, etc., etc. etc.). Fellow hikers, is it just me? Or is everyone that is getting ready for this trip this obsessive?My latest obsession has been around mail drops ¢ mailing from Canada is expensive and problematic as sending food over the border is a bit dodgy. Instead, I am going to bring a mail drop box with me on my flight to Atlanta filled with foods that I am allowed to take over the border, I will top up for the missing meal components (meats, mainly) then drop in the mail to Fontana Dam. At this point I am thinking that I will only do 2 other drops ¢ one for Harper¢s Ferry and one for Monson, ME ¢ as I get closer to these spots I will fill boxes at one of the larger towns and mail forward.My training continues with lots of snowy walking around town and on local trails with a fully-loaded pack on as well as ¢pack-on¢ treadmill climbing at our community centre. A lot of questions are raised when out and about with the pack on like ¢Who¢s that goofy guy walking downtown with a huge backpack on¢, ¢Did you see the homeless guy walking through the north end of town?¢      I have been keeping up with other hikers¢ journals that have already started their journey ¢ it is great to hear about your travels and it is adding to the excitement for my own start on Mar 13! Thanks to all that have signed my guest list, sent emails or stopped me on the street to show interest in why the heck I am carrying a heavy backpack all over town, it is great to have your support and interest!
Date: 2018-02-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A great start to this weekend - Feb 23 is our 27th wedding anniversary and Heidi presented me with a Perseverance Angel  - a  ¢slow and steady¢ tortoise that will accompany me from Georgia to Maine and comes with the following inspiration:This thoughtful little angel would like to explain, That perseverance is not a long race, instead it is just a few short ones run together, and whether there be sun or rain, Hang in there, never give up, and you¢ll succeed in all that you do!I am grateful for the company on the trail and didn¢t even weigh it before attaching to my pack! It will be a source of inspiration when energy levels wane.
Date: 2018-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Heidi and I traveled to Peterborough to visit family to start saying good bye, with only 17 days till my nomadic life begins. My brother and his family surprised me their inventiveness - they had come up with an A.T. Board game modeled after Trivial pursuit. Paul had done a ton of research on the trail, so the questions were great. It was a lot of fun and my little acorn made it all the way to Maine, so I will take that as a good omen. When the gang learned that trail names are supposed to be assigned, they didn¢t like the fact that I had picked one already and held a contest to come up with another. Each of them came up with one choice and there was quite a selection! In the end, after learning about the ¢pointless up and down¢ acronym, PUD,  they picked that, and said I can call myself anything I want but will always be Pud to them. Good thing for me that the tradition is to have other people on the trail pick a trail name, not family sitting at home! Thanks so very much for all the support and well wishes you guys. That was a great surprise and so much fun!
Date: 2018-02-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The surprises were to continue - on the way home from Peterborough, we stopped in to visit my cousins Dave & Jacqui & Sam for a great lunch followed by a stunning A.T. Cake that Jacqui had crafted. It was an absolute work of art with painstaking attention to detail, from the hiker complete with backpack, sleeping bag, shoes, campfire (candles), an A.T. trail from Georgia to Maine lined with coloured chocolate rocks and crushed peanut trail and of course the A.T. symbol. It was so beautiful it didn¢t seem right to eat it, but we did and it was delicious. Thanks so much Jacqui for your thoughtfulness and artistry! Thanks to Jacqui and her Mom for insisting on, and Davey for parting with his Dad¢s, my Uncle Emmet¢s  St Christopher medal ¢ I will keep it safe and get it back to you. Really looking forward to seeing you guys in Vermont.
Date: 2018-03-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I want to say thank you for all of the kind words, well wishes and notes of encouragement that I have been getting through the guest list on this site, directly on email, phone calls and the personal get-togethers - it is really reassuring to know that there are so many folks that are backing me on this adventure. So the countdown is really on now (3 sleeps!) and I am checking off the final to do's. I have re-waterproofed my pack cover, rain coat and pants. I have sprayed down my hiking clothes, tent and backpack with Permethrin - I don't recall if I mentioned how paranoid I am about the ticks on the trail, in any case I am, I really don't want to get Lyme disease. So, I had picked up a bottle of Permethrin in Niagara Falls US - this stuff isn't available in Canada - and I have applied to my pack, tent and hiking clothes, this stuff is supposed to kill ticks on contact and has to be reapplied every 42 days. Working out the final details on when people might be coming to join me on the trail - there are 5, possibly 6 times over the course of the hike that I will be joined by different folks - it will be really great to have some company on the trail and everyone is staggering their visits so this will provide some great motivation to keep at it to meet up with you.As I write this, the snow is coming down outside so you would think travelling 1500km south I could expect much warmer conditions but current forecast is for just below zero C overnight and sunny +4/5C during the day. I am not complaining, this is great hiking weather, especially compared with the much colder conditions (and snow!) people are experiencing on the trail right now.Thanks Rob for the advice to bring along my glasses prescription, that was not originally on the list!Thanks to the tree nursery volunteer crew who will be carrying the weight this spring and summer to nurse Woolwich's future forests. Send me pictures of the coming crop of Seedlings in the Classroom, Seeds for Seniors and our new shade structure!Thanks to Charlotte and the early morning work out crew - all those squats, lunges, floor to ceiling jumps and burpees are about to pay dividends!
Date: 2018-03-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Heidi and I had an early morning start, left for Pearson just before 5 am. Heidi helped guide me through the web of airport procedures to check an oversized bag. I have taken other hikers advice and put my pack, poles and first mail drop into a big duffel bag.A sad goodbye to Heidi who I won't see until early June now. Then through security.Customs was interesting. "Where are you going?" Amicalola Falls state park. "Amica what?" It's a park where the approach trail to the Appalachian trail begins. "When is your return flight?" Um, I don't have one booked. "How long will you be in the country?" 5-6 months. "So you are camping?, I have to have an address for where you are going?" Umm can you use the state park address? "I guess so". After that it went ok, he asked about food and I declared the dried foods I had packed, than I was clear, now waiting for boarding.
Date: 2018-03-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

I wanted to include the classic under the arch picture here but am having some technical difficulties so will have to do that later.Arrived an hour late in Atlanta, holding up survivor Dave and two fellow thruhikers - thanks for waiting! Arrived at the park around 3 and have hiked, oh, 200 metres or so to the closest shelter and have parked it here for the night. Will tackle the approach to mail in the morning. There are 8 of us at the shelter tonight, a good group, all keen to get started.
Date: 2018-03-14
From: Springer

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.2

My first official trail entry! Today we hiked the approach trail to the top of Springer mountain - 8.8 miles up and I get to record .2 miles of the actual trail covered. It was a tough climb, the falls though we're really beautiful. Hiked with 3 others from Texas, New York and London who were great company. We are staying at the Springer shelter tonight - there are 11 or so plus campers here. Freezing cold last night and a re repeat tonight. It will be -5C but winds are high and the shelter is open so probably another long night with little sleep.