morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-11
From: Abbys Hostel

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 12.0

Today was a short day. High Tops leg was bothering him.He has a package to pick up in Damascus. So monday is our arrival date.We met Bob.Peoples who owns kinkerra hostel. He shuttled us to town. Honey Do made speggeti High Tops made garlic breadCarolina made salad and brownies. I built the fire in the wood stove. Later we are having ice cream and coffee.I'm working on the weight problem. For breakfast eggs bacon and orange juice. Trail life is hard!Gotta go eat some more. See Ya!
Date: 2009-04-13
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus,Va
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we reached Virginia! Damascus to be exact. Got in about 2pm. Only 18.3 miles. Sad I know. High Tops leg is bothering him. So tomorrow is a down day to recover.We did laundry then went to "fatties" and I had a 1lb burger,fries,and chocolate peanut butter cake.I almost got full. Lol We are at a methodest church hostel for the night. The bunks have no padding. Just wood frames. But for 4 bucks you can't expect much. Today was cold 44 and windy 35 and overcast.I forgot to say Happy Easter! Yesterday.Thanks to everyone for the mail. I read them every evening. They help make my day.I am eating more. Hope it sticks. Gotta go for now.See Ya!
Date: 2009-04-14
From: Damascus,Va

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today is a down day. High Tops tendon is bothering him. My left knee is a little sore.We moved from the church to the hikers inn. The owner Suzanne was great. She made our stay a great one.A number of hikers are coming Into town we know. So we spent the day eating and visiting.We all met at Dots bar at 8pm for drinks. One hiker turned 21 last week and another hiker reached 10000 mile mark.See Ya!
Date: 2009-04-15
From: Damascus

To: Whitetop mtn Road
Miles today: 21.3

We left Damascus today. The weather was foggy and cold. As we climbed in altitude it got colder.There were no views today and few hiker sightings. We tented on Whitetop elev 5400ft. Temp 37. In our tents by 6pm.This weather has got to give us a break soon.See Ya!
Date: 2009-04-16
From: Whitetop mtn Road

To: Hurricane Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: clear sky

This was our best day since easter. The sun came out. We passed 500 miles.We crossed our last 5000 footer till New England today. We crossed a state park today. Grayson Highlands had wild ponies.We saw many horses and lots of rolling hills. High Top had his tendon act up so he soaked it in a creek and I went on Ahead to the shelter. About dark Bojangles reached the shelter and told me High Tops was not going to make it.He caught a ride into town. Ill see him tomorrow evening. Great day today!See Ya!
Date: 2009-04-17
From: Hurricane Mtn Shelter

To: groseclose,Va
Miles today: 31.3

Long day but Sunny. Tomorrow High Tops wife will arrive.Sunday will be my first day to hike alone. Tomorrow I will restock and do laundry.I have only done laundry once since I started. High Tops job.I fetch the water. I'm sore and tired. Probably going to come home after Harpers Ferry.Hope everyone is ok with that. 1000 plus miles is enough for me. Going for a shower now.See Ya!
Date: 2009-04-18
From: groseclose,Va

To: Groseclose,Va
Miles today: 0.0

Today was my last zero day. And my last visit with High Top.His wife came in today and tomorrow we hike different hikes.Going solo for awhile might be ok. The rain is supposed to move in tonight.There is a lot to see in Virginia so I hope to get some good pictures.Hiking starts at 6:30am tomorrow. I am planning 33 miles. We will see!See Ya!
Date: 2009-04-19
From: Groseclose,Va

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 33.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hi guys Today was long and wet. It was quite different hiking alone for a change. High Tops wasn't here to stop my stinking thinking. I had a couple of slips and slides on the wet rocks and muddy trail. Each shelter i reached was empty. When i finally got to Jenkins shelter it was full. The gang there made room for me. It finally hit me today that i wasn't having any fun anymore. I was ahead of everyone i know and my pace was not going to let anyone catch me. No views today. a few picks before it rained. i feel good physically but mentally I'm tired. Maybe some sleep will help. See Ya!
Date: 2009-04-20
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Laural Creek
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: light rain

Hi guys i made it to the road today by 9 am and the local church gave us a ride to town and fed us a feast. Then i had a Forrest Gump moment and decided it was time to go home. I'm physically ok just mentally tired. This weather is just a bummer. The church gave me a ride to the bus station and by noon i was headding home. 26 hours from now i should be home. i made nearly 600 miles and had a great hike. i'm ok with it. To the other hikers out there: HIKE ON! See Ya!
Date: 2008-12-26
To: Who am I?
Miles today: 0.0

In the real world my name is Jim. When I was into Geocaching, I used the name ¢Mister Bow Willow¢ named after my favorite canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park which is near San Diego where I have lived for most of my adult life. So, for the AT I will go by the trail name, ¢Bow Willow¢. I¢ve been married to Ruby Begonia for 25 years. We have one son who is 21 and I also have 4 daughters and 8 grand kids from my first marriage.I¢ve been a software geek for most of my professional life. I¢ve been a developer, a tester, a manager, and for the last 10 years or so, a program manager. I¢m currently at Teradata, a database company. My management has given me a 6 month Leave of Absence that allows me the time to attempt the AT (Thanks Colin, Kevin, and Carson).I grew up in Chicago and my family did a lot of car camping. I learned how to backpack in Boy Scouts and remember with great fondness summer scout camp at Owasippe Scout Reservation in central Michigan.After Scouts, I pretty much abandoned hiking and camping until I moved to California in 1983. Both Ruby and I fell in love with the mountains of SoCal and also the desert, especially the desert. In our adventures, we would frequently come across the Pacific Crest Trail. The thought of a long distance hike always called to me but I couldn¢t imagine how to carve out the time what with bills to pay and kids to raise.In 2005, I got involved with the Sierra Club. First, by taking a wonderful course that they offer called Wilderness Basics Course. I then took the leader training that they offer and became a Chapter Outing Leader. For the last 4 years, I have been on the staff of the WBC. It is a great way to give back to others and in a small way to pay back all of the folks who taught me so much. I¢ve also been leading hikes, separate from the Sierra Club and WBC, for about 5 years. Currently, I lead about 40 hikes a year ¢ both after work and more extended hikes on weekends.Somehow, that history has gotten me to the place I¢m at now ¢ weeks away from starting a huge adventure.
Date: 2008-12-26
To: What will I miss (and not)
Miles today: 0.0

I thought it would be interesting to list what I expect to miss while on the AT and what I won¢t miss.Mostly, I¢ll miss my wife. She helps me stay centered and helps me keep things in perspective. And tells me when I¢m wrong. Not hiking with my normal ¢hiking buddies¢ will be a drag. Check out http://www.meetup.com/Hike-SanDiego/ to see the places where we hike. There are about a dozen regulars and over the last year I¢ve gotten to know a lot about their lives, goals, and dreams.I¢m going to miss our local Saturday farmer¢s market. I am a strong believer in natural food. Minimal pesticides, local grown, and small farm. The vendors are all interesting people and the food is so superior to what you are likely to find in the Produce Department of your supermarket. Oh, and did I mention the food booths ¢ Mexican, Thai, and English to name only a few of the cuisines available every week. And, I guess while we¢re on the topic of food, I¢m going to miss eating as healthy as I would like to. Light weight and non-perishable really limits the healthy choices. The NBA playoffs ¢ will the Celtics repeat? Will the Lakers live up to their potential? Will my favorite team, the Sun¢s, get it together and actually beat the Spurs for once? I suspect that I won¢t see much of this season¢s finale.I¢m going to miss reading in bed before going to sleep. I have a feeling that between walking all day, housekeeping at night and journaling, there won¢t be time for much else.I¢m going to miss Southern California. The weather is close to perfect. I¢m expecting 75 days of rain on the AT. In SoCal this year, we had 7 days with rain from 3/09 thru 10/15. I¢ll especially miss the desert. The desert is great all of the time but wildflower season is breathtakingly beautiful and this year is looking like it might be very, very good.   What am I doing to NOT miss? Not much.I won¢t miss San Diego. Not in particular, just cities in general. Traffic, sensory overload, disconnect from the real world.I won¢t miss having to go to work, All-in-all, I have a fine job, there¢s a normal amount of pressure and drama, but overall the people are fine and the work is reasonably rewarding. But they call it work for a reason and they give you money for doing it rather than the other way around. So, miss it, no.Maybe part of the reason for doing the AT is to better appreciate everything in my usual world.
Date: 2008-12-31
To: Wow!
Miles today: 0.0

I have a series of AT Preparation articles planned but something unique happened this weekend which merits a ¢special edition¢.I was one of a group of five hikers that were doing a day hike on Sunday 12/28/08. We were hiking from the Jasper Trail near Ranchita, California to Borrego Springs. The hike is about 7 miles with a 3,000 foot elevation loss as you hike from a chaparral cloaked plateau to the desert floor. The west to east route is close to a paved county highway, but is out of sight of the road most of the way. The next road, paved or otherwise, to the north is probably 25 miles away.It was a cool crisp day with pockets of snow visible here and there and the partially frozen ground crunched under our boots.Shortly after we started, we saw Big Horn Sheep prints that were still moist which indicated that the sheep had passed through sometime that morning. In San Diego County, Big Horn are fairly rare. I¢ve seen them about once every five years or so.A short time later, a couple of our party said they saw a sheep about 100 yards away, off to the right of the trail. By the time I looked there was nothing to see but creosote, yucca, and rocks.So, we continued to hike and keep our eyes open. About a quarter mile later, one of our hikers calls out, ¢What¢s that?¢ About 200 yards away at the base of a 20 foot tall rock outcrop, is a really big feline. Hearing us, it shot up the rock face and in less than two seconds was gone.The sighting was so short that it is hard to give an accurate size estimate but I¢d guess it was 3 to 4 feet long excluding the tail. This would be on the small side for an adult Mountain Lion which range from 3 to 7 feet long excluding the tail. The other possibility would be a really big Bobcat. They can get up to 3.5 feet excluding tail. The most obvious distinguishing characteristic is the tail. On Mountain Lions it is several feet long and on Bobcats, 4 to 7 inches. But it all happened so fast and so far away that I can¢t say anything about a tail.My guess is that it was a juvenile or small female Mountain Lion. I base that as much on the Big Horns in the area as anything else. Mountain Lions primarily feed on deer and Big Horns while Bobcats prefer rabbits and similar sized prey.If it was a Mountain Lion that was my first sighting of one that didn¢t feature big iron bars between me and it. In the wild, I¢ve seen signs three times -- scat once, tracks once, and territory markings once.In any event, it was way cool and I wanted to share the story.
Date: 2009-01-08
To: Key Equipment Decisions
Miles today: 0.0

Preparing for the AT has caused me to review all of my equipment trying to pare ounces and improve functionality. And while I believe that the AT is "just walking", it is a different "just walking" than a weekend backpack. Here's a few of the major decisions I've made in the last few months. I'm going with a down sleeping bag but I have some major reservations about it. I spent the first 50 years of my life shunning down. Cost and water paranoia were my motivators. I finally got over it and now I really love the light weight and the compressibility. But with the amount of rain on the AT, I'm not sure if down will work for me. So, I'm going to start with down and if it causes me to lose too much sleep (literally and figuratively), I'll switch it out for a synthetic bag. For most of my backpacking life, I've used propane stoves. But for the AT I plan on using alcohol. My concerns about propane are availability, weight, and to a much lesser extent, reliability. On a recent 5 night trip in the Sierras, I tried alcohol and it seems to beat propane in all of these categories. Plus I like how quiet it is and that it smells good. I've experimented with a pop can stove and the Trangia 28. I'm leaning to the Trangia without it's pot and lid but it I can get a pop can stove to work well, I may change my mind. I've gone back and forth on navigation aids and here is by thoughts du jour. Carrying a compass thought I can hardly imagine a need for it. No GPS. I'm carrying an AT data book and expect it to be my primary planning and navigating tool. It's compact, relatively light (at least when compared to the state-by-state guides) and contains a wealth of information. I'm also carrying the ATC produced topo maps. I realize that the maps are a want and not a need. Consider them to be nighttime reading. I've thought about footwear changes but have decided on staying with what I have used for the last 5 years. Silk under socks, medium to heavy weight wool outer socks, and REI Monarch IV boots. I need a boot with maximal sole stiffness to help compensate for a stride issue that I have. These are the lightest boots that do the trick. If my feet were "normal" I'd go with a lighter boot. My journaling system is as simple and low tech as I can make it. Pencil, paper, US Postal Service, my daughter (Jo Anna). I'll mail handwritten entries to her every week or two and she will key them into Trail Journals. I'll probably also take a light weight digital camera so that I can save 1,000 words. I've never had to resupply before. My plan is to use stores for food and consumables. I just can't imagine planning what I want for dinner 4 months from now. I think there will be a winter equipment swap out in Virginia and a bring back in New England. I expect that I'll need new boots some time around the 1/2 way point.
Date: 2009-01-25
To: What Worries me
Miles today: 0.0

First and foremost, not finishing. Especially from injuries beyond my control. Honestly, I¢m not sure that my feet and legs can last 2,200 miles. I¢ve done a lot of 10 to 15 mile day hikes and 25 mile weekend backpacks and once a year a 5 day backpack but day-in day-out hiking for months on end. That will be uncharted territory. Will my feet hold up, will my ankles and knees handle it?Junk yard dogs. I¢ll admit it. I¢ve got a thing about snarling, snapping dogs. Missing my wife. When we¢re apart for any length of time, I get surly, I get moody, and I¢m a general pain in the ass. One of the things I¢m going to learn of this journey is how to deal with it.Day after day of rain. Wet boots, wet pack, wet everything. I understand the statistics. It will rain for 70 days or so while I¢m on the trail. But understanding and embracing the reality are two different things. I¢ve been a California wimp for a long time.Actually, that¢s about it. The logistics and mechanics of the trek aren¢t much of an issue. As I¢ve heard said, ¢It¢s just walking.¢ And I do tenacious pretty well. A hundred miles a week ¢ I can get my head around that. Not that I could do it today, but a couple weeks of hiking, it seems very doable.
Date: 2009-02-23
To: Getting closer!
Miles today: 0.0

Two weeks to go! Pretty much ready although there are a thousand things to do, wrap, up, prepare, and finalize. It seems such a short time ago that I started planning though it has been like 6 months.A number of opportunities for rides from Atlanta fell through for various reasons and I finally settled on the Hiker Hostel. They offer a nice package deal: pickup in Atlanta, bunk at the hostel, breakfast, ride to Amicalola Falls State Park and 8 oz of fuel. All for the low low price of $70.I¢m mostly packed and ready, just some odds and ends to pick up. I haven¢t reweighed my pack yet, but I¢ve added a bunch of stuff and need to purge a few items. But all those add ons seem so necessary. Thirty pounds plus food and water is my target and I¢ll make sure to make it. Maybe tying a big helium balloon to the pack will lower the weight?I¢ll try to post at least once more before I leave.
Date: 2009-03-06
To: Flying Tomorrow!
Miles today: 0.0

Tempus fugit. Tomorrow, I fly to Atlanta to start an adventure of a life time. The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of last minute trip preparations, cleaning up loose ends at work, and a lot of last minute home chores.In a few hours all of that will be over and there will be nothing left to do except go to the airport, and get on the plane.The first few days¢ weather is supposed to be ideal. I will enjoy what comes and promise not to get spoiled.So many people wished me well on my trip today that I don¢t dare try to name them all; I would surely forget to mention someone. I am soooo ready to stop planning and start walking. I¢ve studied the Data Book to the point that I wonder why I¢m carrying it, I think I have it all but committed to memory. I must admit to a bit of nerves; I keep telling myself ¢It¢s just walking¢. And while that¢s true, it is a lot of walking and resupplying and campcraft and weather. I¢d love to cut out some weight ¢ I¢m at 29 pounds plus consumables. But to do so, will take some qualitative changes not just paring ounces. A tarp instead of a tent would be a big gain but I think I want bug-free comfort. It is one area that I¢ll keep reevaluating and maybe try it in a couple of months. I also think I¢m carrying a bit too much food for five days but if I am, I¢ll be able to adjust that over the first few weeks.Oh, I got a super deal on a digital camera. A Kodak C130 (I think, I¢m horrible on models and other techa-trivia). Anyway, lists most places in the high $80¢s. Wal*Mart was offering a $10 gift card with any camara purchase so went there. They were discontinuing the silver model (it now will come in shocking pink and boy-blue) and had it at $53. SCORE!!! (I¢m so easily pleased)Next posting will be from Georgia!
Date: 2009-03-07
From: Predeparture

To: Atlanta, GA
Miles today: 0.0

The adventure began a few hours ahead of schedule. Friday night, Ruby Begonia and I went to a fancy "Neuvo Latino" restaurant. It was very good; possibly the best seafood platter I've ever had. Ruby's meat platter (featuring "Lamb Lollipops") was also sensational.We get home; I finish packing and plan on getting to bed early to be ready for "Departure Day". All of a sudden Ruby says, "We don't have any water pressure". We go outside t see what's going on and a river has been born where hitherto there was grass and a big old Rosemary bush.Sigh .................So, I turn off the main water feed and go to bed.Saturday morning, waterless, we went for fast food breakfast and coffee.I don't do waiting real well. So, I was getting crabbier and crabbier until I finally asked Ruby to just take me to the airport so I could stop being such a pain in the butt. She agree, pleasantly but not too eagerly - (THANKS!).The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful; planes flew; trains rolled. We spent the night at the hiker hostel in Dahlonega. A beautiful property, wonderful host and hostess (former thru hikers), and great food.
Date: 2009-03-08
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Springer Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Bob and I are on our way!We participated in the State Park rituals: signed the guest book and weighed our packs. I think the scale is broken :-). It claimed mine weighed 47 pounds. The other day I was at 28 without food, fuel, and water. And there were only a few last minute things - REALLY!The hiking was hard but uneventful.We took our time and got to the shelter about an hour before sunset.Very tired and very ready to get a good night's sleep so we can do it again tomorrow.The shelter area was much nicer than I expected. The tenting area was spread out with sites marked by posts. The privies were brand new composting types that smelled of cedar chips. There was a nice picnic table by the shelter. The bear cables were easy to use and seemed to also be effective mice deterrents.
Date: 2009-03-09
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Hill After High Tower Gap
Miles today: 8.3

We woke up late to a dense fog. I always wake up at dawn but there wasn't one today. We packed and walked for an hour stopping at Stover Creek Shelter.There was a side trail to Long Creek Waterfall. I am glad Bob was with me; I would have blown it off, but he wanted to see it and it was very picturesque. REMEMBER: Stop and smell the flowers.We had a late lunch at Hawk Mountain Shelter and then continued on for a while. We spent the night on top of a hill near High Tower Gap. We had a great view of the Army Ranger helicopters doing maneuvers.
Date: 2009-03-10
From: Hill After High Tower Gap

To: Tritt Gap
Miles today: 10.5

This was a very nice day; although nothing stupendous occurred. First, this was the easiest hiking so far. So we were able to do a little more mileage.Second, we are starting to run into the same people and are beginning to know a few of them.Third, the weather has been gorgeous. A little drizzle on Sunday night, early morning fog, and then partly cloudy and low 70's. I expect the great weather will end but until it does, I'll enjoy it.And fourth, we got a short preview of why the AT is called "The Long Green Tunnel". For about 1/2 mile we walked through a field of Rhododendrons and all you could see was a 7 foot tunnel. I can't wait for the Rhododendrons and Azaleas to come into bloom.
Date: 2009-03-11
From: Tritt Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The highlight of the day was the 1,100 foot ascent of Blood Mountain (at 4,461 feet the highest point so far on the AT). Then, the precipitous decent down Blood Mountain to Neels Gap and the famous Walasi-Yi Center.The climb up Blood Mountain was long and steep and painful, but the views were great and the shelter on top was a CCC-built brick structure. We had planned on staying at the shelter, but the weather was starting to look threatening and I was uncomfortable being the lightening rod for all of Northern Georgia. So, we decided to race the impending sunset and go to Neels Gap. It looked simple on the map - 2 miles of moderately steep downhill. The reality was steep and steeper. Sections were essentially rock scrambles. We were beat by the time we got to the bottom and we missed dinner at the Walasi-Yi Hostel - bean soup and corn bread. But we were in time for chocolate birthday cake and wine. Whose birthday, you ask? One of the resident dogs. There was no room at the Inn or Bunk House so we set up our tents in the backyard. Although we were beat, we spent some time catching up with fellow hikers who we hadn't seen in a few days and watched Crocodile Dundee. By the time we got in our tents it was after 10PM. A late night record!