morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-01-08
To: Sara Answers Guest Book Questions
Miles today: 0.0

So I¢ll start off my answering some guestbook questions. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to add a comment!RED DOG asked why I was not planning on doing the Approach Trail.The Approach Trail is not ¢officially¢ part of the AT and I figured I have plenty of walking ahead of me. I am a huge ¢Walking Dead¢ fan and a character in a recent episode mentioned Amicalola Falls as being lovely. I t would be cool to weigh my pack in the park and get a photo in front of the stone arch. BUT ¢ I don¢t want to start day one of my trip with a steep climb so I am still going to skip it.I am considering going to ATKO 2014 ¢ Appalachian Trail kickoff. I can¢t take any additional days off work so I would have to fly Friday March 7th from Toronto and return the evening of Sunday March 9th. I haven¢t booked flights, arranged transport from the airport or reserved hotel/tent space so I don¢t know if it will happen for me. If so, I would love to hike the short loop trail to the falls that weekend! http://www.atko.info/Brambor wondered what stopped me from going further on the ¢Spin Off¢ game show.   The show has three regular rounds and an end game round. After each regular round the contestant must spin the wheel to see if they will continue or if they bust out and receive nothing. After two rounds I didn¢t want to tempt my luck so I decided to skip the third round and go to the end game. The end game has five questions. If you get any incorrect, ¢bad¢ spaces are added to the wheel (eg bust, lose 50% of your winnings etc). I got the Greg Louganis question wrong (I cheekily guessed Colonel Tigh from Battlestar Galactica as the answer) so there was a ¢bad¢ space added to my wheel. When I spun the wheel for the last time I landed on a ¢good¢ space and earned $7200. Sorry, I know this is complicated!Melanie left a comment wondering if I could talk about some challenges of AT prep from a Canadian perspective. I¢ll type up a more detailed entry later with all my current preparation issues but here are two Canadian specific ones:HEALTH COVERAGEOHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) covers acute, unexpected condition, illness, disease or injury. US hospital bills are super expensive and OHIP will only cover a limited amount. I will be purchasing private insurance coverage for the duration of my AT hike before I leave. I will probably go with World Nomads and a five-month policy currently costs $380. http://www.worldnomads.comMAIL DROPSI don¢t recommend sending mail drops from Canada due to expense, delays and custom fees. My support person will be driving to Niagara Falls or Buffalo to post my mail drops. My brother Adam and his wife Aneesa will be hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this year so our support person will send packages for the both of us.
Date: 2014-01-14
To: Sara's January Prep Update
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

GEARI'm still haven't 100% finalized my gear. I may change up some items. There is a huge temptation for me to add more items but I don't want the extra weight. I might add a Tyvek ground sheet but is it really necessary?I have a new quilt coming soon from EnLIGHTened Equipment. I'm a cold sleeper and I decided to get a 10 degree Enigma model. The quilt has a sewn footbed, Downtek treated goose down, new baffle design and additional head and foot weather protection. It should weight 21 oz. (596 grams) which is fine for me to carry to get a comfortable night's sleep.MAILDROPSI'm in the process of making a giant spreadsheet estimating my resupply points. I'm creating this spreadsheet by combining AWOL's NOBOPlan15 (2010), NOBOPlan18 (2010), info from AWOL's 2014 AT Guide, the 2014 Thru Hiker's Companion and hostel recommendations from previous hikers.I am only sending maildrops to hotels and motels that I plan to stay at. I don't want to chance arriving in town after the post office has closed. Some food will be bought along the trail as I hike and some will be in my maildrops. I won't be sending myself delicious bison cheeks (like in the photo) but I'd like to be able to look forward to a more nutritious meal instead instant noodles from the Dollar Store. Once I've finalized my intended number of maildrops I'll start worrying about dehydrating and/or purchasing the food to fill them. NON-FOOD MAILDROP ITEMS: contact lenses, ESBIT tabs, toothpaste, floss, shampoo, soap, razor, laundry detergent, medication refill, first aid refill, toilet paper, spare ziplocks, guide book pages, Lithium battery for headlamp, chapstick, Q-Tips, insect repellant, sunscreen, socks, insoles and pens.JANUARY TRAININGI hurt my back last week and I've been pretty sedentary recently. From marathon training I know not to push anything until it is 100% healed. It was still a bit sore today but I hope it will be better tomorrow and I'll be able to go my fitness class. I have classes set up for each weeknight until I leave on the trail. Mon - Boot CampTues - ZumbaWed - Step ClassThurs - PilatesFri - Boot Camp Not everyone at my work is aware that I will be leaving on this trip. Once it has been formally announced I will start wearing a heavy backpack to and from work each day. That will give me 40 minutes per day with a backpack on to help strengthen my muscles. I'll reassess my training again in February.
Date: 2014-01-17
To: Sara Beating the Odds
Miles today: 0.0

Take a look at the image. The data isn't current, not everyone reports their hike and there are still hikers from 2013 still on the trail.   Regardless, the completion rate is very low!For the best success for me to reaching Katahdin in five months:1. FINANCES vMy game show winnings along with prior savings are more than enough to support me while being on the trail. I'll start back at my job immediately after finishing the hike.2. GEAR *in progress*I'm still finalizing the gear I'll be taking with me. All my gear will tested throughly to make sure there are no surprises when I step onto the trail. 3. MENTAL CHALLENGE vI've taken an eight-month solo trip around the world in non-english speaking countries. I never once spoke on the phone and I rarely had internet access. My determination to complete a goal outweighs discomfort, loneliness and boredom.4. EXPERIENCE vI've trekked and camped in a variety of conditions. I love being outdoors, can sleep anywhere and I don't mind being dirty!5. PHYSICAL PREPARATION *in progress*I'm working on my fitness to be in shape for the trail. I will have a dental and physical checkup a month before the trip. I will be heart broken if circumstances are out of my control (injury, family emergency etc.) and I need to leave the trail. If it happens, I'll just become a one of those super-awesome section hikers. It was dicey if I was going to be able to participate the New York Marathon a few years ago.   I had spent a year training just for this run. I have compartment syndrome and my leg started to act up the day before the event.   I kept positive thoughts and spend hours icing and massaging my leg. That morning my leg felt much better and I was able to compete in the event. Funny story about the marathon: I was freaking out so much on morning of the event that I accidentally put on two different running shoes. I boarded the event bus, sat there for fifteen minutes and then randomly glanced down at my feet. I yelled really loudly, "OH MY GOD, I HAVE DIFFERENT SHOES ON. THEY AREN'T EVEN THE SAME COLOUR! OH MY GOD!"   I asked the bus driver to hold the bus as I sprinted back to hotel, climbed five flights of stairs, swapped out one shoe and ran all the way back. All the other runners on the bus were howling with laugher and applauded as I re-boarded the bus.
Date: 2014-01-19
To: Sara and Trail Safety
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Many of my friends and family are worried about my safety while hiking the trail. I always point out that danger exists everywhere and we¢d all have boring lives if we stayed at home.Some have recommended that I take a gun. The only guns I own are prop ones for my science fiction costuming! Guns are not a safety solution and aren¢t permitted everywhere on the trail. Not to mention the excess weight!I have a pretty good spidey-sense and I stay away from questionable people. I¢m clear and upfront to avoid uncomfortable misunderstandings. I know how to read a compass and I have basic survival skills. I am trained in first aid plus I have picked up valuable medical knowledge from working in a healthcare office for eleven years. I plan on signing each shelter logbook that I pass on the trail. This way my last location can be tracked if necessary. The logbooks will also give me heads up on potential hazardous situations ahead. I don¢t have a trail name yet but I will insist upon a gender neutral one because a female one may become a target.I¢ll try to prevent contracting dreaded the Norovirus by never sharing food with hikers and avoiding shelters during outbreaks.Streams can be deceptively powerful and I¢ll spend the time to look for the safest crossing point before getting my shoes wet. I¢m terrible at hopping rocks and I¢d rather get my feet wet than slip and injure myself. The most memorable crossing was wide-river with waist-high water in Costa Rica. The current was slow moving but there was the risk of bull sharks in the river!Overall, hiking the AT is a risk I¢m willing to take. I¢ll make smart decisions to minimize potential danger.
Date: 2014-01-20
To: Sara and NOT Slackpacking
Miles today: 0.0

Slackpacking when a thru-hiker completes a section of the trail without a backpack. Many hostels offer ¢slackpack¢ shuttle services for hikers along with friendly trail magicians. The biggest benefit of slackpacking is the ability to hike faster without being burdened by a heavy pack. I¢ve made the decision not to slackpack during my hike.SIX REASONS1. I am not bringing a separate daypack. (although some hostels have loaner daypacks) The difference in weight from my regular pack to what I would put in a daypack is quite small anyways.2. I feel safer with all my equipment with me. If the weather turns nasty I have my shelter, spare clothing, first aid, food etc. 3. Plans change and I don¢t want to get stuck being forced to walk a particular amount of miles to get back to my pack. I may wish to cut my mileage due to coming upon a lovely spot to camp, a decision to wander on a side trail or an unexpected injury.4. It is an unnecessary expense. I¢d rather spend my money on delicious food and cold beers in town.5. It would be annoying to arrange. I don¢t want be bothered to set up the logistics.6. I like the idea of carrying my pack the entire way to Katahdin. Part of the reason why I want to hike the AT is for the challenge.I have nothing against slackpackers. HYOH! Personally, it isn¢t for me.
Date: 2014-01-22
To: Sara and Pre-Trail Magic
Miles today: 0.0

I came home today to a nice surprise in the mailbox¢¦.Jimmyjam on White Blaze sent me a free homemade mini Cuben fiber stuff sack!He had some leftover scraps from a project, created several bags and generously gifted them to Whiteblaze.net members. I was one of the lucky ones to send him a message before he ¢sold out¢. I¢ll use this sack for my toiletries on the trail. It is way more stylish than a ziplock. It¢s awesome to receive trail magic before even leaving home. This stuff sack is greatly appreciated. :P Thanks again JJ!
Date: 2014-01-23
To: Sara and Lifting the Mask
Miles today: 0.0

Tomorrow is an important day. My co-workers will find out that I will be leaving for five months to hike the trail in April. I hope the news will be well received. It will be nice to finally stop evading questions such as, ¢So Sara, when is your next big trip, eh?¢. The mask will be off! I¢ll finally be able to chat about my hike openly in the lunch room.I am super nervous that they won¢t understand. Perhaps I should bring in cookies.
Date: 2014-01-28
To: Sara in New York City
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

I spent this past weekend in New York City. It was my third time visiting and I had a fantastic time. Highlights included: seeing Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in ¢No Man¢s Land¢, going to the NY Rangers outdoor game at Yankee Stadium and eating at a Ninja themed restaurant. We also checked out a ¢Jekyll and Hyde¢ themed restaurant and I had to figure out the secret of finding the bathroom through a hidden passage in the fireplace!This trip was good training for the AT. I had to use the power of mind over matter when I was uncomfortably cold at the hockey. There was nowhere to get warm at the stadium and there wasn¢t much room to move around in the stands. I was outdoors standing in one spot for approx. four hours with a cold wind blowing into my face.I also had sore feet from pounding the NYC pavement. I need to toughen them up before the trip. My calves were also unusually tight. It is not pleasant for me to take long walks in wind-chill warning weather so I¢m going to start walking on the indoor track at a brisk pace with my backpack.
Date: 2014-01-29
To: Sara and Co-worker Reaction
Miles today: 0.0

So I had the chance to chat with some of my co-workers about my upcoming AT hike. They had some fun reactions including:-        you are f***ing insane-        you are crazy-        you are nuts-        I¢m scared for you-        you better take a switchblade-        carry a concealed knifeOne of my co-workers also brought up the infamous ¢Criminal Minds¢ serial killer episode. I explained that murderers are everywhere so I wasn¢t particularity worried about encounter on the trail. I also told them the animal I feared most was a tick rather than a bear.Overall, they were proud and excited for me. I am thrilled that they support and understand my decision. My absence at work will create disruption and extra work for them to cover my duties. I am truly grateful to work with such a fantastic group of people. My overall favorite comment was ¢I want my Dhooma to come back to me¢!
Date: 2014-02-01
To: Sara at Medieval Times
Miles today: 0.0

Here ye, here ye:Last month I won a Medieval Times contest called ¢All I Want for Christmas¢. My winning wish was to have private sword fighting lessons with a knight. I was also able to bring along three other friends to participate in the fun.The head knight was an amazing, patient teacher. I didn¢t have any sword skills before last evening. We had the arena to ourselves and were taught a series of basic moves. My arms were exhausted from swinging around the heavy sword. I also worked up a sweat from doing squats and lunges in the arena sand. Sparks flew when the swords clashed and I felt like a warrior.We got to keep the leather gloves were used at the end of the lesson. Sadly, we didn¢t get to take home the swords as they were needed in the show!We enjoyed frosty beers and laughs while waiting for the tournament to start. Our group was seated at the absolute best table in the arena. The head knight who had been our sword teacher turned out to be the knight in our section (red and yellow). He ended up winning the entire tournament by vanquishing the bad guy. Afterwards, he told us that he usually plays the part of the bad guy in the show but switched roles tonight just for our benefit. Awww!We cheered super loud with great enthusiasm all night for our champion. The food was tasty and drinks were flowing. The bad guy was supposed to be from the North so I kept heckling ¢Go back to Winterfell¢. I may have also laughed hysterically at my own joke each time I shouted it.Our knight threw a rose to my friend Alicia during dinner but she missed catching it and it landed on her food. She had to wipe barbeque sauce off the petals. The knight later chose me as the ¢Queen of the Tournament¢. I proudly stood up to take the banner off the handsome knight¢s lance as the crowd cheered. Some of the ladies seated in my section shot me icy glares of envy. I loved it.My evening at ¢Medieval Times¢ was utterly amazing. I participated in two unique experiences: training like a knight and being treated like a Queen. Huzzah!
Date: 2014-02-11
To: Sara on a Mexican Resort Farm
Miles today: 0.0

I¢m on a resort farm. This is a very nice high-class place, but it is still a resort farm. Earlier this year, I won a one-week holiday to an adults-only 5-star resort in Mexico. If I had been given the monetary value instead of the trip I could have spent it on a three-week trekking trip for two in New Zealand.   Pale tourists looking to escape the horrors of winter have flocked to this place. The frozen cocktails have been flowing and most of the guests spend their days floating in the pool, laying on the beach or lounging under palapas. There are seven gourmet al-a-carte restaurants on site, which are accessible without reservations so no one ever goes hungry.Daryl and I backpacked in the Yucatan region of Mexico many years ago so we¢ve already traveled to all the main cultural and historic sites in the region. We experienced local buses, ate authentic food, swam in quiet cenotes, and discovered hidden treasures on our own. I never thought I would ever return to Mexico¢¦ until I won this trip.I¢ve filled my days at the resort with reading fantastic novels and participating in as many activities as possible. Many classes (culinary, massage, fitness etc) are not well attended, as many guests are too lazy to get up from their lounge chairs. The cocktail class only had five participants (two of them were us) and ended up being 45 drunken minutes of doing shooters. Daryl was particularly disappointed because he thought he would learn some moves to rival Tom Cruise.   This morning¢s special activity was awesome. It was a rifle shooting competition and I was the proud champion.I had asked the concierge about excursions. Do you have walking or hiking trips? NO. Do you have sea kayaking trips? NO. Do you have authentic cultural experiences such as visiting a local farm or spending a day with community fishermen? No, madam wouldn¢t you like to go on an EXTREME ZIP-LINING TOUR instead? Then it was my turn to say, NO! For me, the culture shock arriving here at the resort is far greater than backpacking far more exotic locations. I¢m not used to luxury and fancy treatment. I don¢t like being constantly waited on and I feel icky. Like ¢Wolf of Wall Street¢ levels of icky.I live modestly at home. I haven¢t owned a bed for over ten years and prefer to sleep on the floor or a tiny futon. The hot water in the townhouse we rent is terrible and I can only take three-minute showers before it turns icy cold. I don¢t own a car and get most places on my own by walking. The transition to sleeping outdoors on the AT will be simple for me.I can understand the draw of visiting place that pamper you and takes care of every desire. However, when I look back on my life, sitting with a Pina Colada on a pool float will not be a highlight. I don¢t mind suffering in the pursuit of a worthy goal. This spring, my fellow ¢Class of 2014¢ AT thru-hikers will be making the decision to deal with hardship instead of comfort. Moliere said, ¢The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it¢.For now, it is time for another Pina Colada.
Date: 2014-02-19
To: Sara and New York State
Miles today: 0.0

After returning from Cancun, I worked one day and left again for a weekend escape in rural New York. Daryl and I travelled with another couple for a low-key adventure. We rented out a small lakeside bungalow that allowed us cook meals, play board games and relax in comfort. The US Niagara wineries had a special Valentines tasting pass that paired wine with chocolate. I¢m not big on sweets so I would have preferred cheese instead. We were haunted by a few party buses and limos filled with drunks. The drunks were more concerned with shouting and pushing each other over in snow banks than tasting the wines.We visited a few interesting roadside attractions but I was very disappointed the Jell-O museum was closed. The NY train museum was also closed but we happened to run into the club president in the parking lot and he generously let us in for a free private tour.We visited Letchworth State Park which is nicknamed ¢The Grand Canyon of the East¢. It is a good tagline because I made the trip there to check it out. However, it is not nearly as spectacular at Arizona¢s GC.The park visitor centre was closed on the weekend so we could not rent snowshoes for hiking. I have my own snowshoes but the other three in our group did not. It is really dumb to close the visitor centre on the weekend when everyone wants to come visit. The park did have free snow tubes for use on their sledding hills. Tubing was fun but I hated not being able to steer and was concerned about crashing into people. I also did not enjoy climbing up the snowy hills but it was great aerobic exercise in prep for the AT!I picked up some packages in Niagara Falls NY since it is way cheaper for me to ship within the US than Canada. Canadians have to pay duties on the ¢value¢ of a product so if a shirt normally costs $60 and it is on sale for $20 I still would have to pay taxes on the full $60 value. It was like Christmas when I opened up all my new trail goodies. I could tell which boxes contained Esbit tabs from the fishy smell. I was most excited about receiving my awesome new Enlightened Equipment quilt. Hopefully, I¢ll finally get my gear video completed and posted to YouTube this weekend.
Date: 2014-02-21
To: Sara and Maildrop Update
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Yesterday I spent some time chatting with my co-worker Laura. She is a Registered Dietitian and answered my multitude of questions about trail nutrition. She also reads this blog. (*waves*) My maildrops will be assembled in the next couple weeks and I wanted to make sure I was on the right track with calories and nutrition. I also explained to her that I needed to make every calorie count as I can only carry a limited amount of food. Laura gave me a sample of a small 230 cal. gel pack that contains Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) to try. She also gave me some healthy snack ideas for endurance activities. I love the perks of working in a primary care team with interdisciplinary health professionals!I am going to rent a small storage locker in Niagara Falls, NY to store my maildrops. My brother and his wife are hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this summer so they will share the expense and space for their boxes. Our support people will drive to Niagara Falls to seal and post the maildrops as needed for us. If the maildrops came from Canada direct, the postage would be more, I¢d have to pay taxes and risk custom delays. It is much simpler to post directly from the US.Food in Canada is expensive (even with the current pitiful exchange rate) and it is cheaper for it to be bought in the US. I¢m going to place an order through www.minimus.biz and pick it up in the US because the shipping to Canada is ridiculous (eg. $47 for a $100 order). I want to have a variety of nutritious food to look forward to in maildrops as I hike.