morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-03-12
To: Sara's Sample One Day Food Plan 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I love food! Approx. 1/3 of my food will be sent to me in maildrops. The rest of my food will be bought on the trail as I hike. I plugged in some basic information into a calorie calculator and it says I need to eat 5000 calories a day to maintain my current weight. It is safe to say I will be losing weight on the trail. Some hikers have had to leave the trail because they became dangerously underweight. I have plenty of fat that I¢ll be glad to see burn away but I also want to build and maintain muscle. I¢ve tried to incorporate nutritious food into my maildrops since finding it at resupply points on the trail will be more of a challenge.In the morning, I like to hit the trail as soon as possible. I don¢t bother cooking a meal or making anything complicated.My lunch is a series of random snacks. I don¢t like to stop for leisurely lunch breaks. It breaks up the hiking rhythm and can sometimes lead to achiness. I like being "rewarded" with a snack after particularly hard uphills!Early morning Cliff Crunchy Peanut Butter Bar (240 cal) Energy Green Superfood Watermelon drink mix (30 cals)Mid¢Morning Justin¢s Natural Classic Peanut Butter (150 cal) Kraft Pure Honey Packet (45 cal) 2 slices of ¢Wasa Hearty Crispbread¢ (120 cal)Late-Morning Wasabi Nut Crunch packet (230 cal)Early Afternoon Wisconsin Jack Cheese wedge (180 cal) 2 slices of ¢Wasa Hearty Crispbread¢ (120 cal)Arizona Sugar Free Peach Iced Tea drink mix (0 cal)Late Afternoon Tanka Spicy Pepper Buffalo and Cranberry Bar (70 cal)Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts (140 cal)DinnerOutdoor Herbivore Blackened Quinoa Entr©e (530 cal)Packet of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (120 cal)Emergen-C Lite with MSM (5 cal) Before Sleep SnackPeanut Butter Chocolate Probar Core Bar (290 cal)TOTAL CALORIES: 2270
Date: 2014-03-13
To: Sara and Drugs (First Aid)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

It would be foolish to hike without a first aid kit. I am taking the smallest sample sizes of everything. I could have bought tubes and resealed everything in drinking straws but that is messy. It is much easier to deal with the single use packets. May items will be in my maildrops and I¢ll toss them in hiker resupply boxes if I don¢t need refills.One each of the following:0.9g Medi-First Antifungal Cream0.75g Safetec Oral Pain Relief0.9g Safetec Burn Gel0.9g Polysporin Ointment0.9g Water-Jel Hydrocortisone CreamSwiss Army TweezerSafetec Personal Antimicrobial wipeMedique Diamode Antidiarrheal CapletMedique Electrolyte Heat Relief Tablets (pack of 2)Pepto Bismol Chewable Tablets (pack of 2)Medi-first Antacid Calcium Carbonate (pack of 2)A few packets of the following:3.5g Safetec Suncreen Lotion3.5g Ben¢s Tick & Insect Wipes, 30% DeetAssorted:7 Assorted Bandaids1 Large Strip of Leukotape2 Band-Aid Blister Pads5 Gravol (Dimenhydrinate) pills (nausea/sleep aid)5 24-Hour Allergy Pills5 Tylenol10 Advil5 Safety PinsI¢ve been lucky and I haven¢t gotten too sick while travelling around the world.While hiking in the Peruvian Amazon I accidently leaned against a tree that was covered in fire ants.   It was raining and I was wearing a poncho. The fire ants crawled underneath the poncho and stung me dozens of times. The ants don¢t actually bite, they use their jaws to anchor themselves in the skin and then inject venom from a stinger on their abdomen. The pain was excruciating. I ripped off my poncho and my jungle guide frantically removed the crawling ants.I hiked back to the lodge and developed a fever and flu-like symptoms. The jungle guide went back out into the forest and returned with a handful of medicinal plants.   He made it into a disgusting tea but I drank it. My fever dropped and I spent an entire day resting in a hammock with a book and friendly Red Howler monkey named "Pepe" sleeping on my lap.   After I recovered, I continued with my planned activities hiking and wildlife tracking at the lodge.As a side note, the Red Howler monkey (Pepe) was a bad boy and I caught him trying to unzip my backpack to steal my stuff.
Date: 2014-03-17
To: Mid March Update on Prep
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Last weekend I had intended to go to Niagara Falls, NY to organize my maildrops.An item I ordered online had not shipped in time so I decided to postpone the trip.My mum just returned from spending the winter in Belize so I¢m looking forward to spending some time with her before I leave. We¢ll pick up my packages, organize my maildrops and mail my first few packages this weekend.   On Saturday, I went to my brother¢s house for a board game night.   I thought I¢d try setting up my tent in their courtyard. The wind was blowing hard and the ground was frozen so that was quickly aborted. I could have set it up but I didn¢t want to fuss with it. We set it up in the basement just for fun. If the weather remains mild, I¢m going to set the tent up again this week near my house to reinforce some areas with Cuben Fiber tape. I¢m also debating cutting a small piece of Polycryo plastic sheeting for the vestibule. My goal is to make my final shelter decisions this week and get my ¢Big Three¢ gear video filmed for YouTube.My brother and I also experimented with lighting Esbit tabs. In a wind-free environment it is simple to hold the tab and light a corner with a mini-bic. In his windy courtyard, it took more finesse.   One trick is to scrape away a little pile on top of the tab to ignite. If that fails, another trick is to throw a stormproof match on top. (I was already planning on taking matches as my backup firestarter)Yesterday I spent the entire day spring-cleaning. It feels good to purge unused and unwanted junk. I still have tons left to do but the recycle bin and dumpster in my townhouse complex was full to the point of overflowing. I¢d like everything to be nice, neat and organized when I return in September.I have five large storage bins with hiking clothing and equipment.   I own five different sleeping bag/quilts. I also own three tents. I¢m pretty sure I could fully outfit a couple people for thru-hikes with my spare gear!
Date: 2014-03-18
To: Zombies and Tanzanian Trains
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Yesterday evening, I cut off excess packaging on my contact lenses. I accidently damaged four lenses by cutting too close. I was watching the scifi show ¢Helix¢ and was intrigued when an infected ¢Vector¢ spurting black blood jumped out of an airduct. Gah! Remember folks ¢ manipulating scissors and zombie TV do not mix. Prepping for this trip is not nearly as stressful as prepping for my big round-the-world trip. I don¢t have to worry about navigating language and cultural differences. I have an example below- I travelled through a remote area of Tanzania trying to get to Gombe Stream National Park. Gombe is where Jane Goodall pioneered her chimpanzee research and I was planning on going primate tracking with scientists.After an excruciatingly slow 36-hour school bus ride on a dirt road I arrived in a small town with access to the Tanzanian rail system. During bathroom breaks I was told we could not go in the bushes because there were many snakes. The men first got off the bus, all ladies faced forward and did they their business on the road. Then it was time for the ladies. I popped a squat on the road while eyeing suspicious looking giraffes by the roadside.Anyhow, I was exhausted when I arrived at the train station. The station workers did not speak English and pointed to a sign that stated train hours. I saw that my train was to arrive 8:00 so I left and found a place in town to stay for the night. Early the next morning I arrived and waited for the train. I waited all morning. I tried to communicate but everyone kept pointing at the sign. Trains were arriving and departing at different times than the posted train station schedule. It was immensely frustrating. I was told that train station manager spoke English so I invited him for tea. He explained the mystery. 1:00 = 1 hour after sunrise2:00 = 2 hours after sunrise3:00 = 3 hours after sunriseSo my train was not supposed to come at 8:00am. It was going to come 8 hours after sunrise. But - the train station manager told me there was an accident on the tracks and my train would be delayed for two more days. Ohhhhh, now I get it! I was stuck in was the most boring town ever and I passed the time by people watching in the local market.When my train eventually came I had no idea which car to get into and where my seat was located. Some schoolgirls grabbed my arms and invited me into their car. There weren¢t enough beds in their cabin so two of the schoolgirls doubled up. They shared their food with me in exchange for English lessons. The conductor tried to force me back to my assigned seat (wherever that was) but the girls pleaded with him to let me stay. My time with the schoolgirls was lovely and I enjoyed conversing about their family life.I don¢t have any photos from Tanzania because I did not carry a camera with me on my trip around the world. Instead, I've attached a photo of me with a crocodile in Ghana.
Date: 2014-03-20
To: Sara and Toiletries
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

My Toiletries List!Always in Toiletries Kit:Westcott Sewing Titanium Bonded Fine Cut ScissorsLitetrail EarplugsPlastic Hairbrush (handle snapped off)Mosquito HeadnetTiny MirrorResupplied at various times:Battery for HeadlampDerma-safe folding razor (knife)Ziplock BagsToilet paperMini Antiperspirant Deodorant (mainly for feet)Liteload Pack TowelAcuvue Contact LensesToothbrush (4¢)0.6 oz Freshmint ToothpasteFloss (out of container)Chapstick5-pack cotton swabsHair Bands and Hair ClipsWilderness Wash in a small dropper bottleHand Sanitizer in small dropper bottleSingle Use Action Body Wipes (only carrying one at a time as an emergency shower alternative if I feel really gross)Resupplied but only for hostel use only: (will not go in my backpack for hiking)Skin Lotion Packet Shampoo PacketSmall Soap Nail ClipperWoolite Liquid Single Laundry PacketRazor for Shaving
Date: 2014-03-24
To: Niagara Falls Maildrops and a Surprise Win
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Maildrop success!This weekend I went to Niagara Falls, NY and assembled my maildrops.Niagara Falls is not busy in the winter and many hotels offer ridiculous deals to entice customers. The price for the hotel room was $49 including a $60 slot voucher for the casino, $10 at Denny¢s restaurant (on site) and free parking. My hotel room was a mess as I laid out everything for the twenty maildrop boxes. It took an entire day to repackage everything.   I was careful to place correct amounts of contact lenses, esbit tabs and medications into the boxes. Food was a bit of free for all. I unpackaged and mixed up all my snacks into a giant box. Then I randomly assigned different types of snacks to each maildrop. Variety is good.I didn¢t have time to gamble at the casino. I¢ll use the slot voucher when I cross the border the day before my flight to Atlanta. Slots are a bit boring but I love playing Blackjack. Is there such a thing as good luck farewell Blackjack? Most of the maildrops went into a storage locker close to Niagara. I brought my first couple boxes to a Post Office to be mailed. My trekking poles were also shipped, as I will not be checking luggage on my Atlanta flight. Taping up the boxes at the Post Office was hard work so I took off my winter coat and laid it on a chair. My eyes got a bit watery as the clerk processed my items. He noticed the ¢Hold for A.T. hiker remark¢ on the boxes and said, ¢The leaves will be turning by the time you get back up here¢. This is really happening!It takes about two hours to drive from Niagara Falls to my house. When I was just about home I noticed that I left my winter coat at the Post Office. DOH. I was too jubilant to notice the cold I suppose! The Post Office will hold it for me for when I return to the US on April 4th. I¢ll have to make due with an older coat for the next two weeks.So my day wasn¢t going so well¢¦ then I received notification that I was the winner of a trip to Junos. The Junos are a Canadian music award show similar to the Grammys. This weekend, I¢m flying to Winnipeg, Manitoba for a two-night stay in a fancy hotel. The show tickets include Red Carpet passes and $500 spending money. I¢m most interest in seeing Tegan & Sara, Sarah McLachlan and The Sheepdogs perform at the show. Canada's favourite astronaut Chris Hadfield will induct Bachman-Turner Overdrive into the Cdn Music Hall of Fame.It is an awesome feeling to win a contest and have a totally new, unexpected experience. As I mentioned on Facebook, this is the final time that I will be wearing makeup for the next five months!
Date: 2014-03-26
To: Sara and Family
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I went out to dinner with my Mum last night to discuss my upcoming trip on the trail. I¢m going to lend her all my Appalachian Trail novels to read while I¢m away so she gets a sense of the experience. Afterwards, we went over to her house and I showed her a few YouTube videos taken on the trail last year. ¢Hitched Hike¢ was the definite favourite!My mother grew up in Montreal and my father is from South Africa. He immigrated to Canada when he was a teenage to escape the violence and injustice of Apartheid. Many of my father¢s family still live around Durban, which is the largest ¢Indian¢ city outside of India. My mother is Catholic but I grew up practicing Islam. I feel lucky that I had the opportunity to grow up in a multi-cultural family and was exposed to different traditions. Double religious holidays (Christian and Muslim) were also a great bonus!I have three younger brothers and they have been influenced by my passion for adventure. My brother Adam and his wife Aneesa are currently in Japan wrapping up their six-month round-the-world trip and will be departing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail next month. My brother Joey accompanied me on a trip through the Middle East a few years ago.   The youngest in the family, David hiked the Chilkoot Trail and backpacked with me in the Florida Everglades this year. He would have loved to come along on the A.T. but is unable to due to work obligations.We take sibling holidays together whenever possible. On of the most memorable trips was to Colombia to hike to Ciudad Perdida (Lost City). The six-day trek had us scrambling over challenging terrain, hopping slippery rocks and wading through waist-high rivers. The Dhoomas triumphed and completed the trek unscathed except for a couple bouts of stomach illness. Our trekking guide would scoop a bucket into a stream and flavor it with Tang. We were so thirsty we didn¢t care!In Cartagena, a popular activity is to book a rum-tour trip on a Chiva Party Bus. Chivas are open-air wooden buses with funky decorations. The Party Bus fee (about $12 US) included on-board musicians playing upbeat folk music and unlimited drinks. A couple buckets of ice are set into each row of the bus to keep rum and Coke bottles cold. The bus drives around the city then convenes at a central location where all the buses meet up for a huge street party. The Party Bus sounds pretty fun right? My family was told to arrive at the bus an hour earlier than we needed to be there. Then the bus filled up with other tourists and the rum started flowing. The bus drove around for 2.5 hours. THERE WERE NO BATHROOM STOPS. Everyone in my family had to go urgently. We were happy when the bus finally stopped at the street party. Except, there were no bathrooms there either! It made no sense to me. We had to secretly relieve ourselves in alleyways and the Police almost caught one of us. We ended the evening in a trendy nightclub dancing to Shakira. My whole family is supportive and thrilled that I'm leaving soon for the trail. Eleven days until I'm on the top of Springer.
Date: 2014-03-27
To: Smoky Mtns Paperwork, Cell Case & Headlamp
Miles today: 0.0

The Great Smoky Mountains range along the Tennesee-North Carolina border. The Appalachian Trail trail runs through the park for about 72 miles. It been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and highest point on the A.T. is within the park at Clingman's Dome (6643 feet). I'm really looking forward to hiking through this section of the A.T. despite the fact that it receives tons of snow and rain. I love that everything I Google about the Smokies brings up photos of cute bears.I don't like the paper work. A permit is required to hike through the Smokies. An AT Thru-Hiker Permit costs $20 and is may be obtained thirty days in advance of arriving at the Park. I bought mine online today. There are lots of rules:-        you must begin and end your hike at least 50 miles outside the Park-        you must only travel on the A.T. in the park-        you have 8 days to get through the Park-        you must carry your paper permit with you at all times-        you may tent ONLY if a shelter is full-        you must relinquish your shelter spot and tent if a section hiker has a reservationWhen applying for the permit you have to check off that you understand:-        risks and safety concerns-        campfire regulations-        leave no trace-        how to bear bag-        no dogs allowed-        shelter/tenting rules-        hammocks are not allowed in shelters-        permit is non-transferrable or refundableI have a new cell phone case for my iPhone 5s. The Lifeproof Nuud case is water-proof, dirt-proof, snow-proof and shock-proof. This case does not have a screen cover and I can touch the actual touchscreen.   I find it difficult enough to navigate with my clumsy fingers and didn't want to make it harder with a cover. It is heavier than I would have liked (41g/1.44oz) but worth it for the protection.I also have a new headlamp. I like my Zebralight headlamp because it only uses one AA battery. However, I heard that hikers that don't have ¢red light¢ settings on their headlamps are jerks. White beams disturb sleeping hikers and may wake them up. I'm positive that I'll need to get up at least once a night to pee since I'll want to top off my hydration levels each evening. I don't want to be a jerk! When I was in Eastern Mountain Sports picking up stormproof matches for my maildrops I noticed they had a Petzel Tikka Plus 2 headlamp on clearance for $20. There are way better (more expensive) headlamps out there but I impulsively purchased it since it had a red light setting. Another plus with the red beam is that less bugs and moths will fly into my face. I also like that this model has a battery charge indicator, which will blink if there is less that 50% charge. Instead of AA batteries, I now have three AAA batteries in a couple maildrops for resupply.   I am really behind in updating my Gear List.
Date: 2014-03-28
To: Sara and Relationships
Miles today: 0.0

I have a guest post from Daryl today! He wrote the following-Here are a few questions that I get asked on a daily basis about Sara¢s trip: Aren't you going to be concerned while Sara is away? Yes. What partner wouldn't be? I know Sara better than anyone on planet earth. I am not sure yet about other planets. While Sara was travelling around the world I was much more concerned. The majority of the countries that she travelled to had zero ways for us to communicate. This is the United States. There will generally always be a way for us to communicate. The strong Appalachian Trail community may also help her if she runs into issues. Sara has a keen attention to detail and rarely goes somewhere unprepared. I trust her come back safely. Am I going to miss her? Why even waste your breath with this one. Yes, I will miss her. She is doing something worthwhile that will allow her to grow as a human being. I¢d never take that away from her. I think, ¢Would she do the same for me?¢ There¢s no doubt that she¢d support me. She¢d most likely come along.What am I going to do while Sara is away? There are many things that I plan to accomplish. I¢d like to start running and complete a half marathon. Creatively, I want to continue to develop my blog, scripts and Youtube Channel. In my mind, it's actually a bit of a competition. I¢d love to accomplish as much growth as her during the next five months. Not a moment can be wasted in life. You need to allow people to achieve greatness. Especially if it's the person you love the most. Thanks for writing the guest post Daryl!!!!!!
Date: 2014-03-30
To: One Week Left!
Miles today: 0.0

There is only one week left until I start my hike of the Appalachian Trail.I should be at home packing and organizing my place but instead I'm in Winnipeg. It was a huge surprise to win the contest and all-expenses trip. Hooray! We went directly to the Manitoba Museum after arriving yesterday morning. The Museum was well done with many interesting displays on the history of the province. It was a pity that we only saw a few other patrons. I spent the afternoon in the Juno Green Room. They had tons of free alcohol, food and acoustic performances ranging from R&B to rock. Stylish musicians popped in and out but I only recognized a few. My hotel has a special TV channel broadcasting Juno content. I saw music videos for some of the Green Room artists that I was chatting with. It was strange.The topic of my upcoming Appalachian Trail hike came up in a few conversations. I enjoy the look of confusion when I try to explain that I will be hiking for five months next week.   Time for a swim in the hotel before more Juno festivities.
Date: 2014-03-31
To: Music and Cheetahs
Miles today: 0.0

I flew back from Manitoba this morning. I didn't get to see Winnipeg at its best due to the gray dirty remnants of winter. I'd like to return again in the summer months.The Juno rehearsal, red carpet and show was fun. I only really know the big acts as I don't listen to a lot of music other than the radio at work. My Lifeproof iPhone case requires an extra adaptor to use with headphones. I'm considering not taking the headphones at all. I can survive without music.Some hikers wear headphone to hike but I think this is foolish. It is important to be aware of your surroundings in case of emergency. I've been annoyed in past by hikers listening to music so loud that they can't hear me asking to pass.I love this moose chase photo. Speaking of animals chasing people...When I was travelling in Namibia, I booked a private tour with two British gals, a guide and a driver. We spent four days camping and driving around a park in a small jeep. The meals were delicious and I ate barbequed kudu, ostrich, oryx and beef. Namibians love their meat! One morning, we spotted three cheetahs lazing in the grass 15 metres away from the road. The driver turned off the engine as not to frighten them. After some time observing them it was time for us to move on. The engine would not start! This had happened the day before at a gas station and we had to push start it.The guide told us we would need to push start it and HE would wait in the jeep and keep an eye out if the Cheetahs came towards us. So very carefully the girls and I got out of the jeep preparing to push. All of a sudden the Cheetahs stood up and started to move around. The guide frantically shouted ¢GET IN! GET IN!¢ at the top of lungs. We dove into the jeep Mission Impossible style with out hearts pounding.The Cheetahs were not interested in eating us for lunch and ran off in the other direction. It was an exhilarating moment.We eventually got the jeep push started and carried on with the afternoon game drive.I loved camping and I went shopping for a tent when the safari was over. It was cumbersome to carry a tent with my backpack for the next few months in Africa but worth it for my budget, privacy and a closer connection with nature.