morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-17
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Ok, so I just didn't realize Badminton was such a competitive sport. I rememberTRYING to play it as a kid and not understanding why I couldn't get (what Icalled the birdie) the shuttle to go over the net when I was standing like 20feet away, as if I was playing tennis. Now I see what the problem was...Ineeded an arena of screaming fans to give me the adrenalin, that's all.I will have to admit, I'm quite glad I'm getting to watch the Olympics. I'm nota sports person so much, as in I don't have a specific sport I follow, but Ilike the Olympics because the people side of the stories are often soincredible.My profound thought concerning the Olympics came to me while watching thewomen's marathon. So you have 2 athletes from China, one of them prefers towear Nike shoes, the other prefers Reebok, but if you'll notice, their shoeslook exactly the same, so do the individual shoe companies custom make shoesfor the athletes so they can wear what they like but still look the same, orare all the athletes forced to wear the same shoe so they'll look uniform? Iknow I know, hiking all day on the trail really brings the best out in yourthought process.It was a leisurely morning. We ate breakfast and then decided it was time to goswimming and soak in the hot tub, but before, we played 5 games of air hockey,in which I pulled a sweep win of all 5 games, but it came down to the wire on afew of them.Swimming felt great, and the hot tub was even better. I am almost back to 100%myself, so I'm definitely ready to get back to hiking in the morning. As Karenand I were swimming, I saw the ladies drive by in V8's car, so we soon left andran into them in the parking lot. They are in a room at the total other end ofthis place, so we told them to call when they got settled.Came back, ate lunch, and then A.M. and V8 came over. We're all sitting aroundtalking and relaxing. It's so cool to have them here again. I think we mightplay some cards, A.M., Karen, and I all have a game to finish, and we mighthave to teach V8 how to play International Rummy.Oh, A.M. did have Giardia, and is still on the meds for it. She wrote about itin her journal, so check it out, because she didn't have the "typical"symptoms.I had a person email me asking about what she might expect from her partner, whois thru-hiking, regarding re-entry, reconnection, etc. I want to address thiswhen I have more time so to Heather, don't give up on me. I am going to get tothis but it's important, and I want to have a good chunk of time to really sortmy thoughts out. I'll have some time in the next 3 days to sort it out forsure.Anyway, I don't want to be a rude host, Karen and I just spent hours cleaningand tidying up our motel room...NOT! LOL Back to hiking tomorrow..I'm ready!! When I finish this leg, I'll have 16.5 miles left of NH and then it's intoMAINE! YIPPY!!!~Certain
Date: 2008-10-08
From: Katahdin Stream Campsite, Baxter State Park, ME

To: Mt. Katahdin, ME
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

I slept at the feet of a giant last niteA giant that for so so long has reflected back to me My fears and pain and disappointmentsAs well as the raw beauty of nature As I lay there awake in the niteFeeling its presence looking down upon meI wondered if it was ready to receive what I had to offer to itSo before the sun shed its light on the morning sky, I rose One last timeI exposed my bare skin to the frigid fall air One last timeI packed the things that would keep me alive out hereOne last timeI strapped my pack on my back One last timeAnd I started walking north againOne last timeI passed a rushing stream with crystal clear poolsI stood next to a roaring waterfall with endless cascades I struggled over boulders the size of buildingsAnd scaled the sides of rock faces that hung on the ends of the EarthI finally made it to the shoulders of this giant And walked across its cracked red surface Then climbed one final timeI walked right to the top and looked this giant in the eye And whispered¢Thank you, my friend...thank you¢And at that momentThe giant unfolded its bouldery arms And cupped its rocky snow covered hands And allowed me to place my fears and pain and disappointments into it The giant took these things that I had offered And folded them inside to be held foreverLeaving me with my joy And a deep deep appreciation for the beauty of nature and this trailSo I turned south And started walking away for goodAnd I suddenly felt choked I stopped for a moment, stumbled and gaspedAnd my tears dropped to the ground beneath meThen a surge came rushing through my nostrils And into my lungs And filled my veins and body with pure fresh air I knewAt that momentThe giant had released me from its clutchesAnd I was free to breathe again._______________________________________________________(Turn Up The Volume Before Viewing!!! After clicking on the arrow in the middle of the video screen, if you immediately go below to the left and pause the video (push the triangle/play button) and wait for a bit this will allow the video to download completely and it will not pause while you're watching it. Just watch for the light red bar to move to the right and this tells you how much is left to download. If you have problems viewing it here, go directly to the video page at: http://www.youtube.com/user/micheleazehr )
Date: 2009-02-26
To: Gear Review Coming Soon!
Miles today: 0.0

Hey folks...getting ready for hiking season again? I'm lurking around here and there looking at journals (when I'm not reading 16-billion books for grad school that is). Just wanted to give you all a heads up...my full gear review will be coming soon. This coming week is my spring break, and on top of writing 5 papers, hopefully going for a ride on a Harley, and going to see an Ani DiFranco concert, I'm working on a detailed gear review of absolutely everything I actually used during both 2007 & 2008. How's the book? Hard drive crashed...lost the work I'd done so far (feel free to yell and scream profanities on my behalf), but never fear...it's just like hiking the AT...I'll just get up, and start again. (guess who is using an external hard drive to back up files now?) Honestly, until I get these huge assignments finished in school, I just can't give 100% of my time to writing, but May will be here soon, and then I'm freed of taking 3 classes. Luckily, the raw file of the copy/paste of my entire journal was not lost, so there's a bright side to this. So wanted to say howdy to everyone, and I'm looking forward to being Wendy's copy/paster, and yes, I'm taking care of her pics as well. Gotta run to class now....oh joy....I'd rather be a stinky hiker again.~Certain
Date: 2009-03-25
To: Gear Review Final Part
Miles today: 0.0

---Pocketmail Handheld Email MachineWell this little gem was the reason I could journal the way I did. It¢s essentially a hand-held phone modem with a keyboard and memory built in. It runs on (2) AA batteries, and again, I only recommend lithium. It lasts quite a while, unless you¢re spending a lot of time with the screen backlit. It was supposed to work with cell phones in 2008, and it did a couple of times for me, but the signal was too unsteady and it cut the transmission off, so it was really only reliable with a landline/payphone. I have no complaints about it, as it also had a calculator, calendar, you can create memos and I tracked my hiking budget in it, so it is great for handling hiking logistics. Best thing of course, is that you can communicate via email with your friends/family and it was REALLY nice to have email messages to go back and read over and over (there¢s a good amount of storage space, so you can save emails). My biggest complaint is when you have to contact customer service to activate it or deactivate it. This company is in Australia I believe, and when I called to activate my pocketmail, (this is NOT an exaggeration), I was on hold for HOURS!!!! The service is only $105.00 for six months and they have all sorts of plans you can choose. After it¢s activated, you also have an on-line account that all of the emails show up on that were sent to you. So you can use a regular computer to communicate with this account as well. All in all, it¢s totally worth the hassle. It weighs 8 oz w/batts and I¢m not sure any cell phone can last this long w/out rechargingPros: Allow for tracking logistics of hike, budget, gear at home, etc. You can keep up with family/friends an easily journal. No charging required, but runs on batteries        Cons: Customer service is horrible and it really requires a landline or payphoneAm I happy enough to stick with this product? Yes, if I were going to journal again on a trip, I¢d probably use this again---iPod Nano (the next to smallest one)The only thing I wanted to mention about this was that if it got the slightest amount wet/damp, it would freak out and not work properly, so waterproofing it is important. I did have it in a ziplock, but that wasn¢t enough. If they make a waterproof casing, I¢d recommend it. Other than that, you all know these things rock.Whew.....I'm freakin exhasuted now! ~Certain
Date: 2009-04-09
To: Trail Days Here We Come!!
Miles today: 0.0

Hey folks. Hope you're enjoying this season's hiking journals. So I've emailed with about a thousand of you and many of you have mentioned you may be at trail days the weekend of May 14-May 16. Well, it's official, Incessant and I will both be going for the weekend, so whereas many of you know what I look like, I haven't the slightest clue what you all look like, so PLEASE PLEASE track me down if you have the time and say hi so I can meet you face to face and thank you personally for your support. We'll be wandering around like everyone else, and of course, a safe place to find me would be around the hammock booths.Also...I'm harassing Persistent to get her butt down to Virginia and go with us...so perhaps she might feel more inclined if you all sign her guest book and/or email her...telling her how much you'd love to see her there! So life right now is awesome. 2 weeks from finishing this totally boring semester, and then it's off to my new job, which I'm TOTALLY excited about. As for the book, an interesting thing has evolved. For my last big paper for school, my advisor is allowing me to write about my experiences on the AT and I'll be doing a sort of scholarly analysis of the culture from a social justice perspective. Well.....this is awesome, because now I think I'm going to combine that analysis as it's own separate chapter in the book, which means that in order for me to complete this degree...I HAVE to write the book. That's great motivation for me and I'm eager to be finished w/the degree so I'll start working seriously on it after I take a short brain break in May! And through help from a reader, I've been guided to some self-publishing places that will allow me to include a CD of my best pictures too, so things are starting to come together!!Also, there's two places I wanted to direct you all. Men's Journal is doing some articles on the AT, safety and hammocking...I think in separate issues (May and June?). A woman I met last year is the writer of these articles, so check it out. Also, a man from trails.com is doing an article about JRB products and he interviewed me for some female input. I haven't heard about when that's coming out yet, but you might want to poke around on that some too if you're interested.   Anyway, hope you're all well!! I miss the hell out of the trail and your daily guestbook entries, but doing Wendy's journal is keeping me connected, but man is it hard to not grab my pack when the weather is getting nicer. Soon butt-a-fry.....soon I'll be out there again at least for a weekend.~Certain
Date: 2013-01-14
To: Time to listen to YOU
Miles today: 0.0

Wow it's been a few years since I wrote here. I have a reason for choosing to do it now though. As of late, I've been suddenly getting a lot of unsolicited encouragement and affirmation from the universe that indeed, NOW is the time to write the book. Having experienced all that life has offered for the 5 years since I completed the AT, I now understand why I needed to wait as what I have to say today is profoundly different than it would have been had I rushed right into a book 5 years ago.So, I got this hair-brained idea thanks to a reader (thanks Beverly!) who shared with me what she thought was missing from people's journals/books. So I want to ask you all if you would personally wish to see a topic(s) discussed related to hiking the AT, that did not appear in this journal. I have a message--a greater purpose and discussion to start with this book while at the same time telling the story of my hike in a way that will keep hardcore journal readers happy, but my experience was partly what it was due to all of you who followed along and encouraged me, in which I am still grateful. So, was there something about hiking the AT you wish I had written about that I didn't cover in this journal?I will do my best to include anything missing, but please keep in mind that I have to also honor the vision I have for the purpose of this book. In other words, it's gotta be a perfect blend of what I need to say and what you all want to read. If you've got suggestions, feel free to email me at: michelezehr@gmail.comI hope all of you who have the dream of hiking the AT hold onto that fire inside. Trust me, it's worth it.~Certain
Date: 2013-03-15
To: What hiking the AT can lead to
Miles today: 0.0

Hi folks! Just wanted to share that 6 years (and 3 days to be exact) have past since the day I stepped off from Springer, and that I'm certainly not the first (or last) person to have been inspired in some way by my experiences out there during my hike. I had this little nagging vision that came to me while hiking that just wouldn't go away, and "life" sort of pointed me in the directions that eventually led me to listen to that tug in my heart. So here goes...announcing the beginning of a new era...and I honestly don't believe this would have come to me had I not made the choice to listen to the call of the AT. You never know what can happen when you listen to your heart....www.we2empower.com or check out our facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/we2empower
Date: 2013-05-19
To: Ok, started a blog
Miles today: 0.0

Well, after all these years, I still get the occasional email asking if I blog elsewhere. You all might remember I tried to, but it just didn't resonate with me at the time. Time has passed, life has happened, there have been challenges and many moments for learning and growth. This weekend I felt inspired...felt that maybe I do have something to say. It won't be a daily thing though, as I'm personally working on living my life in the moment instead of by a self-created schedule or "to do" list. The blog is part of my website, so you can go here to see the first post. The name of the blog is "What If..."http://we2empower.com/what-if.html
Date: 2008-02-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

well its about a month and a half away from our journey. totally excited right now! i still need to get a decent amount of my gear, mainly just cloths and some toiletry items right now. i have no idea what my trail name will be right now hopefully it will be something pretty cool and not too stereotypical, also not something too embarrassing. We just watch the movie "trek" the other night and it really help me to get in the mine set that i'm going to be walking, let me say that again "WALKING"!!, from Georgia to Maine. i mean how freaking crazy is that. its going to be hardest thing i've ever done. i'm extremely nervous right now, but i know i can get through the anxiety, especially with a lot of prayer. i'll try and put pictures up of my equipment up pretty soon, and i am putting a link to this site on my facebook, so if anyone is reading this that i don't know, look me up, and i can tell you more directly about my trip.
Date: 2008-02-05
To: Pre-Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Well i figured most of the people who are going to be hiking this year have a good reason behind it and i wanted to share it with you all. Most of the time when i have been ask have you ever had a life changing moment, or to write a paper on some huge significant event in your life i've always had a hard time answering those questions. so to start off back at the start of last fall semester i was really struggling with wanting to be at school and working, everything just seemed completely mediocre. Then everything hit home, hard. In october i had an accident and totaled my jeep(wrangler). I was extremely upset, but glad i was alive. Around the same time i started working at an outfitter store called Charbon's. There i met one of my, now good friends tyson (aka KnockKnock). Just talking to him and being around the whole crew and all of the gear really got me thinking hard about doing the trail and what all it would take physically and mentally to do it. KnockKnock told me he was helping two sisters get ready for their thru-hike coming up this year, and that got me a little more interested. When i met them i was like well if they can do and tyson did it with little experience of backpacking then i certainly can.(they really just made it seem doable) So over the next weeks i thought about it and said if anything i really need to pray about this and let the lord help me come to a decision. after a few days of just giving it up to the lord, two people came to me at different times, who didn't know each other at all, and started talking to me about working hard for things you love in life and how no one can make you do it, you have to do it yourself. that was pretty much my deciding factor. And so now i'm starting out with katie and adrian(aka Toot N Poot) on march 15. I'm really excited and just cant wait to get out on the trail. Well i'm going to get through eating my toquitos and go to sleep. Kyle(if you have any ideas for a trail name add it to my guest list)
Date: 2008-02-06
From: Pre-Trail

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hey everyone, so i hear we have to have 3 entries so that people can search for our journals, so here it is. The other day i was telling a few people about my trip at work, and they could not get over the fact that the trail takes between 5-7 months. So needless to say they thought that was pretty crazy. I'll be the first person to tell ya it is crazy, i mean how many people can say that they will or have ever walked from Georgia to Maine. Also i want to point out that even though i am starting with two other people it isn't like i wont see or stay with anyone else for the trip. Its totally common to camp with 10 or more people at the beginning weeks and months of the trail. Before we start the official trail we are going to go ahead and do the approach trail, which is about 8 miles, its suppose to be pretty strenuous so i'm looking forward to a good challenge. Anyways its starting to get pretty warm down here in Dacula, so hopefully it will stay nice while I have time to train. I didn't have a lot of time to write this, so my other entries will tell you more about me. i'll write back after we complete the approach.Kyle
Date: 2008-02-07
From: Pre-Trail

To: Approach Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Today is Tuesday and this past weekend my aunt and I completed the approach trail. Most people say that the approach is one of the hardest parts of the trail, honestly its not as bad as people say. If you are in fairly good shape, it can easily be done in 4 hours. Since we have done the approach i have been getting really nervous. My aunt asked me the other day what my biggest fear is, as far as the trail goes, and I would probably have to say that it would have to be not completing the trail, or wimping out. As for myself, i know that the only way i will be able to complete the trail is by just taking a step back and giving up all my nervousness, anxiety, and physical hurt to the lord. Thats where my strength comes from. As far as today goes, I am so ready to get out there and get started. We met roughneck on the way back from the approach. She was a very cool lady, i really hope that i am able to meet back up with her along the trail. Still not sure on the trail name, hopefully it will be pretty awesome! i'm up for any suggestions if anyone wants to post any in my guest book. well for now i'm going to finish watching 'Enter the Dragon", have a good one and see keep hiking!Kyle
Date: 2008-03-25
To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

So last night we rolled into the NOC after a 19 mile day. We have never been so stinkin' tired. So theres a lot to update since the start of the trail. When we started there was the two girls, Toot N' Poot, Knock-Knock(who was just going to Neels), David, Scarlett and myself. Well the day Tyson left was the first sunny day that we had, which was Palm Sunday. We arrived at Neels around noon, then the girls pulled in around 3 or so. We wound up staying a few miles away from the hostel to save on money. From our camp site we were going to shoot for a 16 mile day to reach Blue Mountain Shelter. Well we got to the shelter before Blue Mountain and found out that Katie(Poot) had twisted her ankle pretty bad, so we were really worried that she was going to be able to keep going and it turns out that she had gotten hairline fracture and is not going to be able to continue. We were extremely disappointed, but everything is going to workout fine for them. We arrived at Blue Mountain pretty late, so we just downed some food and went to bed. The next day was pretty strenuous. We climbed Unicoi Gap then up to Trey Mountain, down to the next shelter so we could beat the rain and get to Cathy's house in Clayton. The next day we got pored on heading up to the parking lot. We were so excited when Cathy showed up!! That night was so amazing being able to sleep on a nice bed with all the comforts of home. Since then we have crossed into N.C. and hiked 133.1 miles!! Its been an amazing experience to start out with. I would definitely be lying if i said wasn't nervous about Scarlett leaving, but it will be fine. I've been hiking with 4 guys Frog, TearGas, Muddbug and Dark Horse. Which its one hippie guy two asian men and a kid from Louisiana. haha its kind of a diverse group, but we all enjoy each others company. But now we just finished up lunch and i'm going to spend more time with mom and the others before they decided to head on home. By the way my trail name is now Chef because of the awesome food that i have been getting on the trail. Anyways i look forward to talking and seeing everyone soon. Philp 4:13Chef
Date: 2008-04-04
From: Last Shelter in the Smokies

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hey everyone, just made it out of the smokies today. I have quite a bit to update everyone on. Since the NOC we have hiked to Fontana Dam, then into and out of the smokies. This first day of the smokies was awesome, until it started to rain. The next two days we were pretty much in a cloud, but the scenery completely change. All the trees were evergreens and had a ton of moss growing on them so it was really pretty. The sun finally came out when we got to Newfound Gap, to go into Gatlinburg. That was a nice reality check for us haha, but we had some good food and left the next day to try and catch up to Teargas and Dark Horse, our Asian friends who went on ahead one day. We will probably meet back up with them in hot springs. The next night in the shelter was probably the most scary night yet. We were all woken up about 12:00am to one of the guys screaming his head off because his hammock he set up in the shelter broke and he fell and hurt his back. Probably an hour or 2 after that there was a yelping sounds and frog said was a deer but sounded like someone messing with us. Not too sure yet but it still freaked up out. Now we are about 2 days from Hot Springs staying at the Standing Bear hiker hostel. These are really awesome people. Anyways thats about it for the time being i'll get my pictures on here in hot springs.Chef