morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-11-18
To: The Naughties versus the Tenners
Miles today: 0.0

I am officially a member of the Class of ¢05 Through-Hikers. I hiked again in ¢09, and have some really good friends from that class, but I¢m frankly a bit conflicted about whether I fully ¢belong¢. I didn¢t, after all, ¢graduate¢ with my class. I was a drop out. Not by choice, but still¢¦ I¢m going again next year so, hopefully, I will be a full-fledged, graduated member of the class of 2010 by this time next year. I¢m just not sure how to say what class that will be. It sort of rolls off the tongue to say, ¢Yeah, I¢m with the class of Oh Five¢. Or even ¢Oh Nine¢. So now I¢m going to be, what, the Class of Ten? TEN? What ¢ it was me and nine other guys? That just doesn¢t sound right, does it? Ten!   The ¢naught¢ is missing. Technically, I guess I could say ¢Oh Ten¢, borrowing a zero from 20, but that seems like cheating somehow. C¢mon, classmates. Help me out here. What are we going to call ourselves??? Guestbook entries will be acknowledged, or you can sign up to be an official member of the Terrible Tenners by sending an email to: racalkins@msn.com I¢ll set up a distribution list ¢ or maybe I¢ll get my kids to help me set up my Facebook page so we can get to know each other. I could be wrong, but I¢d be willing to bet some of the rest of you have phobias as well. Be in touch, y¢all.
Date: 2009-11-19
To: Hike Plans: Springer to Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The purpose of these ¢pre-hike¢ journal entries is mostly to record for posterity the kinds of thoughts that are running through our minds as we prepare ourselves for this epic journey from Georgia to Maine. That way, when we¢re done, we can look back with wonderment at how very na ve we were compared to what we have since discovered about ourselves and the challenges of the trail. Having done that twice already, I don¢t have many original pre-hike thoughts left. I could just whine and grouse a bit more about having to wait so long for the darn thing to start, but that get¢s old really fast. So instead, I thought I might just share with my fellow 2010 hikers my tentative hike plan for the first quarter of the journey. For whatever it may be worth.It¢s based on my experience during ¢05 and ¢09, and it¢s nothing carved in stone. What¢s helpful is not the plan ¢ which you can usually throw away once you start hiking ¢ but the planning process. It¢s thinking through your objectives, and trying to figure out the logistics of the thing. In my case, the objective is to start out at a relatively slow pace, increasing only gradually the average number of miles hiked per day. I also want to keep my pack weight down by going into town every 3-5 days. Otherwise, the ol¢ food bag becomes a lead weight in my pack. In each case, I re-supply and overnight in town, but it¢s often possible to just resupply and head out again to the next shelter up the trail if you don¢t want to spend money on accommodations. There are other stops possible ¢ this is simply illustrative, not a guide book! Here is the plan I used the first time out, and mostly followed again the second time:Springer Mt. to Neels Gap ¢ 31 miles in 4 days (@ 8 mpd)Neels Gap to Hiawassee ¢ 36 miles in 4 days (@ 9 mpd)Hiawassi to Franklin ¢ 40 miles in 4 days (@ 10 mpd)Franklin to Nantahalla Outdoor Center ¢ 27 miles in 3 days (@9 mpd)NOC to Fontana Dam ¢ 28 miles in 3 days (@9 mpd)Fontana Dam to Gatlinberg ¢ 41 miles in 3 days (@14 mpd)Gatlinberg to Standing Bear Farm ¢ 33 miles in 2 days (@17 mpd)Standing Bear to Hot Springs ¢ 33 miles in 3 days (@11 mpd)Hot Springs to Erwin ¢ 69 miles in 5 days (@ 14 mpd)Erwin to Dennis Cove (Kincora) ¢ 73 miles in 5 days (15 mpd)Dennis Cove to Damascus ¢ 51 miles in 4 days (@13 mpd)Note: This schedule gets me to Damascus in about 40 hiking days. It does not include whatever ¢zero¢ days (day¢s off, basically) that you may want to take along the way. That is very much an individual thing, and depends in no small part on when you just NEED to stop for awhile to rest, recover from injuries, nurse your wounds or just party-hearty. Hikers¢ choice! Over the coming days, I will post a few comments on each of these sections. That will give me something to think about other than how anxious I am to be out there actually hiking them.
Date: 2009-11-21
To: Neels Gap to Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Neels Gap to HiawasseeThis is a 36 mile section that I do in four days, again averaging under 10 miles a day. The four overnights are at: Low Gap shelter (10.6 miles) Blue Mt. shelter (7.2)Tray Mt. shelter (7.7) and Hiawassee (10.2) The trail ends at a parking lot, and I¢ve never had trouble getting a hitch into town. There are a couple of hostels available, but for the reasons I mentioned yesterday, I stay at the Holiday Inn Express. It has internet in the lobby, cable TV (I get there at the end of the basketball season when March Madness is in full swing, and one of my alma maters is often a participant), and it¢s within easy walking distance of both an all-you-can-eat buffet and a full-service grocery store. In the past, there¢s been a private shuttle available to get back to the trail, or you can always hitch.
Date: 2009-11-21
To: Some things go without saying...
Miles today: 0.0

In response to my "Naughties versus Tenners" journal entry, one of my BFF's, a fellow-through-hiker from '05, Socks, wrote that she thought I was going to go in the direction of declaring myself "a perfect 10". Second Stage, one of the charter members of this year's Tenatious Tenners, made a similar suggestion. For me, well, shoot, I just thought that goes without sayin'. I keep a picture on my desk of this cute little kitty cat looking at himself in the mirror. Looking back at him is the king of the jungle - a rather regal looking lion. The caption: "What matter most is how you see yourself". Which explains why, when I look in the mirror, I see a handsome, slender 18 year old kid with a full head of hair beaming back at me. Denial: it ain't just a river in Egypt -- it's a way of life!
Date: 2009-11-23
To: Franklin to the Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Franklin to the Nantahalla Outdoor Center (NOC)This is a 27 mile section that I do in three days ¢ an average of 9 miles a day. There are some good climbs involved. The stops I make are: Franklin to Wayah Bald Shelter ¢ 11.0 miles, Wayah to Wesser Bald Shelter ¢ 10.6 miles, and then Wesser down into the NOC -- 5.7 miles. Enjoy the views at the observation tower at Wayah Bald, which offers a 360 degree view of where you¢ve been, and where you¢re going. Way cool. There¢s another observation tower before you get to Wesser Bald that is also worth a short detour, provided the weather is conducive. The third day of this section is a short hike ¢ less than six miles, but it¢s a pretty steep down. Take your time, especially if the rocks are wet. When you get there, you¢ll find one of the most beautiful river crossings on the trail, a favorite spot for cayackers (spell check Ms.B?). There¢s also a decent outfitter, a good restaurant, and you can camp, stay in a hostel, or rent a cabin. Rest up. If you check an elevation guide, you¢ll notice that all that down you did going into the NOC is reversed going out. Enjoy your stay.
Date: 2009-11-24
To: NOC to Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

NOC to Fontana DamI do this 28 mile section in three days:NOC to Locust Cove camp site (10.6 miles)Locust Cove to Cable Gap Shelter (11.6 miles)Cable Gap to Fontana Dam (6.6 miles)The climb out of the NOC is pretty much up, up, up, followed by some more up. Just take it slow and consider it another conditioning hike for the AT through The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which starts on the other side of the Fontana Dam. There¢s no privy at the Locust Cove campsite, but the water source is convenient and it¢s a pretty site. On day three you¢ll have nearly 3 miles of PUDs (pointless ups and downs), followed by another 3 miles of mostly down. With the switchbacks, you¢ll be able to see the reservoir from varying altitudes, and then, eventually, you arrive near the water ¢ at a Marina. Don¢t make the mistake of thinking you¢ve arrived. You¢re about to face one of the cruelest 1.4 miles on the trail! You cross the parking lot, re-enter the woods, and suddenly find yourself climbing again. And then you climb some more. And then you start asking yourself what¢s up with all this up! It¢s a major disappointment, and especially annoying if you don¢t know what¢s coming. And I don¢t ever recall seeing a warning about this little mile section in any of the guide books. There are several options for an overnight stay at Fontana Dam, starting with one of the nicest and largest shelters on the trail, known as the Fontana Hilton. There are also cabins available at Fontana Village, along with a small re-supply store. I can¢t speak to those options, however, as I have only stayed at the Hike Inn operated by two very good friends of mine, Ron and Nancy Hock. You can call them from the pay phone at the Marina and have them pick you up there, OR, do that crappy mile up and over the hill that no one tells you about, and call them from the pay phone at the Visitor Center ¢ just beyond the ¢Hilton¢ and just before the dam. What I¢ve learned to do, however, is to ask them to pick me up about a mile north of the visitor¢s center. I cross the dam and hike along the shore road to the trail head, getting a one mile head start on the next day¢s hike. That first hill into the Smokey's (Shuckstack Mountain) has a whole lot of up to it, and I really appreciate not having to hike that extra mile just to get to it. The head start also improves my chances of making it as far as I like to go on that first day into the Smokey¢s (see tomorrow's entry). The Hike Inn is a small motel (only 6 rooms), but very convenient. Nancy collects your laundry, and has is all clean, folded and back to you in surprisingly short order. They then shuttle you into Robbinsville for re-supply, and a restaurant meal. The next morning, they shuttle you back to the trail. More comments tomorrow on what to expect in the GSMNP.
Date: 2009-11-25
To: Hangin's too good fer him!
Miles today: 0.0

We interrupt this journal for a breaking news story: FLASH ¢ S.C. Governor Mark Sanford Charged with 37 ethics violations; Impeachment proceedings underway.It seems the Governor of South Carolina is in a whole s**t load of trouble. According to news accounts, the situation began innocently enough: Last summer, following a grueling session with the State legislature, an exhausted Governor Sanford needed some time off ¢ to unwind. So he disappears for five days, leaving behind his security detail and telling his aides that he might go hike some on the Appalachian Trail. He said he¢d be out of touch for awhile, but not to worry about him. They didn¢t, but somehow the Lt. Governor, and then the press, got word that the head of state had sort of gone missing. Their main question was ¢ who¢s minding the store. You know, in case of an emergency of some kind ¢ hypothetically speaking. So they do some checking and find that his cell phone was last used at the local airport, where his State-owned SUV is also located. By then, the Governor has contacted his staff to let them know he¢s fine and is on his way home: ¢S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford will return to work today, his staff said, cutting short a mysterious hiking trip along the Appalachian Trail. Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor called chief of staff Scott English on Tuesday morning, and was surprised by the attention. ¢It would be fair to say the governor was somewhat taken aback by all the interest this trip has gotten,¢ Sawyer said in a statement.¢ Subsequently, the citizens of South Carolina (not to mention the Governor¢s wife) were also somewhat taken aback when Sanford said he had NOT, in fact, been hiking along the Appalachian Trail. At a nationally televised press conference, Sanford admitted that he had been out of the country, on a secret trip to Argentina, to visit a woman he is having an affair with.Yesterday, the Governor was charged with three dozen ethics violations, citing 18 instances in which he charged business class tickets so that he could travel to, among other places, South America. At the same time, according to one local account, the State Legislature ¢is considering impeachment proceedings against the lyin¢, cheatin¢ pol.¢ [Their words, not mine!] The account goes on to say: ¢Four of the flights involved a 2008 state trip to Brazil that was extended to Argentina so that Sanford could canoodle [again, their words, not mine!] with Chapur, a sultry former TV reporter whom Sanford tearfully dubbed his ¢soulmate¢ once the fling was exposed.¢ (Emails between the Governor and his soulmate have since been leaked to the press and are available on-line for those of you with prurient interests.)So, what do we have here, my friends? Is this simply another dime-a-dozen, ¢lyin¢, cheatin¢ pol¢, as the media portrays it?   Or is there something far more sinister involved¢¦something that threatens the very heart and spirit of the Appalachian Trail Through-hiker¢s epic journey? I think you know where I¢m going with this. More on this story ¢ AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR ALL OF US ¢ in tomorrow¢s journal update.
Date: 2009-12-02
To: Governor Sanford - Continued!
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, sorry about that little delay in posting journal entries.   I really hate it when my ACTUAL life interferes with my fantasy life as a world-famous hiker dude and humorist extraordinaire. Let¢s see, where was I? Oh yeah, the fall-out from ¢The Sanford Affair¢. I have to admit that I like a good joke as much as anyone and this clown provided the late-night comedians with a field day. As you might expect, however, not everyone is pleased with the attention he brought to the AT hiking experience. The implications come in three areas:First, many of us get pretty emotionally attached to our AT experiences. As one friend put it recently, ¢the AT really gets into your blood¢. And now, thanks to that idiot politician, everyone is making JOKES about hiking the AT:      Like the cartoon above. There¢s another cartoon that shows the trail and a trail sign with arrows that point to the right (¢Maine¢) and to the left (¢Argentina¢)      There are lots of others, mostly focused on his adulterous relationship with the Argentine girl friend, which are not entirely suitable for this ¢family channel¢, but you get the idea. As another of my friends complained: ¢Now, when I say I¢m going off to hike on the AT, there¢s all this ¢The AT, eh? wink, wink, nudge, nudge¢ going on, and it really pisses me off!¢Second, there are those who actually HAVE been using the AT as an excuse to engage in other activities (like¢¦well¢¦you know¢¦ other stuff). They¢re pissed off because now their cover has totally been blown. Some of them sort of had it coming, though. Like the old guy who had convinced his wife that he was only taking Viagra along when he hiked the AT so that he wouldn¢t pee on his shoes. Third:   For some hikers, there are already too many people on the AT, especially in the spring when the main herd of through-hikers begins their journey north. The annual numbers can really spike when the AT gets some major publicity ¢ like when Bill Bryson¢s famous AT book ¢ ¢A Walk in the Woods¢ ¢ was first published. Now, they lament, EVERYONE is going to want to hike the AT. Of course, there is that other thing about all this notoriety that maybe isn¢t totally a bad thing, depending on your point of view. Now, for example, when I¢m hanging out with some old friends from my high school days, I might just casually mention my personal association with the trail: ¢Yep¢, says I, sliding my thumbs under my suspenders and kind of rocking back and forth on my heels, ¢I¢ve hiked the Appalachian Trail, alright. An¢ ahm gonna do it again, too, real soon.¢ I can sort of see the envy in their eyes. I just smile, and let them connect the dots...
Date: 2009-12-06
To: Somebody remind me why I keep agreeing to do this?
Miles today: 0.0

No but seriously. The man can't even call me the 'devine' 'bain' of his existence without misspelling both key words and inserting at least six superfluous sets of quotation marks, but he expects me to edit his insults, too? Plus he can't even be bothered to write a new journal entry before jetting off to Nairobi; oh no, he'll cut and paste an old entry. LAME. I'm trying to decide whether that sort of behavior represents the kind of laziness that'll keep him from ever getting out of Georgia or the kind of energy-conservation tactic that'll catapult him to Maine, but I guess only time will tell on that count. He's right about one thing, though; I'm still pissed that Mark Sanford had to go crapping in my soup, so now whenever I'm like 'Yeah that time I was on the Appalachian Trail' everybody is all 'oh yeah the "Appalachian Trail" mmhmmm so where is your secret lover squirreled away' and I'm all "No really it was a long muddy walk and I lost some toenails but it was still pretty awesome" and they're all 'oh yeah "toenails"' and then it's like, dang, Mark Sanford, why you gotta be gettin' all up in my trail? Anyway, right. Hello, faithful readers. I'm Break a Leg and I will for some incomprehensible reason be here all season, bringing the dubious gospel of Longhaul to the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. (I mean no offense to you, dear readers; it's only that I imagine you must have already reached a certain level of desperation to be reading this dude's journal.) --Break a Leg
Date: 2009-12-15
To: Imodiam A.D.
Miles today: 0.0

An eight hour flight, followed by a four hour lay-over, followed by a seven hour flight is not my idea of a good time. Doing it with a good case of food poisoning is AWFUL, and I cannot recommend it!What I DO recommend, especially to my fellow "Tenners" is to make absolutely, positively sure that you include Imodiam A.D. (or something equivalent) in your medical kit. Do it NOW. You're welcome.
Date: 2009-12-20
To: Erwin to Dennis Cove (Kincora Hostel)
Miles today: 0.0

I do this 73 mile section in five days, with four reasonably predictable overnights:Erwin to Deep Gap Camp Site (12.1 miles)Deep Gap to Clyde Smith Shelter (14.1 miles)Clyde Smith to Overmountain Shelter (12.9 miles)Overmountain to Mountaineer Shelter (18.0 miles), and Mountaineer Shelter to Dennis Cove (15.6 miles)The highlight of the first day out of Erwin is a bald with the highly appropriate name of ¢Beauty Spot¢. It is a great place to stop and enjoy the views. Only a couple of miles beyond that is a camp site with a good water source call Deep Gap. (It¢s on the left of the trail on the other side of the road that the trail runs parallel to for a bit.) The second day is relatively uneventful, but rest up at Clyde Smith, as Day Three includes a rather long climb up Roan Mountain ¢ the last 6000 footer until you reach Mt. Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. At the end of the day, however, you¢ll reach one of my favorite shelters on the trail ¢ an old, two-story, red barn called ¢Over-mountain¢. It sleeps 20 (conveniently ¢ many more in a storm!), and has the most wonderful views out across a valley looking toward Little Hump Mountain. The next morning, you get to climb Little Hump, and then (Big) Hump. They are really pretty cool, especially if there¢s a bit of weather to make the climb more interesting¢¦The Mountaineer Shelter is new, build by one of Bob Peoples trail crews. It wasn¢t there when I hiked in ¢05, so I got to camp in the woods near there, all by myself. Alone. In the woods. With no one else around. I was very brave. It was better last year, and besides that we had a full house in the shelter ¢ with everyone heading for Kincora the next morning. On day five, you should arrive at Dennis Cove. There is a trail head across the road, and not much beyond that there is a place to pitch a tent if you need to. But Kincora Hostel is a third of a mile to the left, and there is another ¢ less used ¢ hostel about half a mile to the right. (The later is a minimalist arrangement in terms of services, though you can get a shower, do laundry, and use the communal kitchen. The problem is finding a shuttle into town to re-supply, which is not easy. Kincora is the opposite, and the favored place for anyone who knows anything about the AT in those parts. In addition to running the hostel, Bob does a ton of trail work in the area with the Tennessee/Eastman Kodac Trail Club. If you can, spend an extra day there and do some trail work. You¢ll have a good time, give back to the trail, and get this really cool patch. You¢ll also get some idea of what it will be like when you come back to Kincora right after Trail Days in Damascus to do what¢s called ¢Hard Core¢ ¢ a Sunday/Monday Trail Crew exercise involving about a 100 volunteers, a combination of current year and previous year Through-Hikers. I recommend it, and hope to participate myself again this year. Next up: the road to Damascus.
Date: 2009-12-22
To: Snough
Miles today: 0.0

I love snow. Especially around Christmas time. It just puts me in the mood ¢ ya know? Well, we just had 22 inches of Christmas mood here in the Nation¢s Capital over this past weekend. It was pretty convenient, too. It waited until after the Friday night rush hour was over, and then started snowing. It snowed for the next 36 straight hours. Awesome!It was one of those really dry, powdery snows that respond well to a snow blower, or so I¢m told. It doesn¢t snow enough here to justify owning one of those things. I did have SOME success with my leaf blower, at least on the sidewalk from the driveway to my front door. A couple of times, though, the wind picked up the swirling mass of white stuff I had created and dumped it all back in my face. I looked a lot like that Pillsbury Dough Boy. Three times of that, and I switched to the old reliable snow shovel. Last summer, as one of our outside projects, we had our driveway widened. Now we can park three vehicles side by side. Now I have 50% more driveway to shovel than I used to.   What¢s that famous Buddhist saying: ¢The solution to every problem carries within it the seeds of the next problem¢.   Profound!   So yesterday, everything in the Nation¢s Capital was closed. I cleaned the snow off my truck and went and got a Christmas tree. I didn¢t want to wait until the last minute. I¢m thinkin¢ I may have to start my Christmas shopping, too. Don¢t want to rush it. I¢m waiting for the sales. After this past weekend, which was a bust at all the shopping centers in this area, I think were gonna have some good ones. Timing is everything. Speaking of which, only 81 more days to Springer! Happy Holidays, Tenners.