morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-02-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

LAST DAY OF WORK! (and another entry that I wasn't going to have pre-trail)I keep completely lying to you people by saying I will not write again until March, but, I just can't help myself! This is a shout out/thank you to all my coworkers. Wow, where to start. Today was my last day on the j-o-b, and they did such an amazing job of making it fun, special, and definitely memorable. Needless to say, I got no work done, but hey, did you expect anything out of me? The festivities began with a short video created of the progression of my stink and body hair over 6 months. Apparently my legs will be so hairy you can no longer see skin, I'll have dreadlocks down to my ass, I'll befriend a grizzly bear, and have a really old dirty toothless man as my boyfriend, oh, and I'll lose a tooth or two. Hey, my mouth should match with my boyfriend's, right? Then I was presented with many thoughtful and funny gifts; a case of tp (extra soft, thanks for considering the welfare of my butt), 5 sticks of deodorant (which will remain home until after the hike, sorry to inform you all that I will not be treating my armpits to such luxury), razors, hand sanitizer, wipes, shower gel (also staying safely at home until I get back), visa gift cards (cha-ching!) and a beautiful pendant/compass necklace from my old supervisor. So, after the hike I should be squeaky clean and smelling awesome, I hope. Later on, some "Survivor, Appalachian Trail" games were to be had in which I was the brave contestant shooting animals with a nerf gun and eating worms and dirt. Well played Altum, well played. Why couldn't we have games every day in the office?! Get on it VIBE committee!Thank you all for making my last day so special. I can honestly say I have not worked with a more kind and caring group of people. I hope that where ever life leads me, I am constantly in the presence of people like yourselves. I'll certainly miss you all, but promise to return with lots of stories and photos to share. Until our paths cross again, be well.
Date: 2009-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, there it is, all my worldly possessions laid out for your viewing pleasure. So my base weight (everything minus food and water) is 23 lbs, 2 less than I was aiming for. I think this is pretty awesome, considering I am by no means an ultra light hiker and don't plan on being one, and my pack alone is on the heavier side, 5.6 lbs of pure comfort. (Daks, are you having a fit? ha ha)So what you see here is pure luxury. Starting from the top going across:Leki trekking polesSleeping padPackRain Jacket GlovesHatGaitersPoles & tentSleeping bagRain pantsDown jacket (in hideous mustard yellow rolled in it's stuff sack)Pj's (blue shirt, power stretch fleece top and power stretch fleece pants under it)All my day/hiking clothes (pants, shorts, t shirt, 2 long sleeved shirts, down vest, undies and sports braYellow pack towelThru-Hikers Hand Book w/red dry sack under it containing some paper, pen, batteries, and some inspirationSun glassesHand sanitizerCombRegular glassesDuct tape and waterproof matchesGreen dry sack containing all my toiletries and first aidWater filterSocksBandannas Rain cover for my pack (the little green stuff sack rolled up)Nalgene bottles (one small one for a hot water bottle on cold nights, this will get sent home eventually)Green pack liner (keeps everything inside nice and dry)Silk sleeping bag linerGrey compression sack for sleeping bagCrocsTrail runnersPocket mail (Thanks Persistent!)Man wallet (I don't think I ever owned a velcro wallet before now)Cord wrapped around a carabiner to hang foodMp3 playerLghterLexan spoonStove (in the red triangular container)Squishy bowl and cup inside itHome made wind screen under it (card board covered in heavy duty foil)Titanium potKnifeWatch (below knife)Pepper sprayHead lampHand warmersTPPoop shovel (thanks Mikey!)Not pictured is the hideous amount of food and water I'll need to carry for the first 4 days. Food is the single most heaviest thing to go in a pack. So, I hope for my winter pack weight to never teeter above 35 lbs, my original goal weight. Oh, and the ugly donkey pulling the cart on the floor in the up right corner will remain home. It's kind of ugly but I think it was my grandmas, my mom loves it. Such a gauty Italian piece of decor.
Date: 2009-03-01
From: Newark Airport

To: Atlanta Airport
Miles today: 0.0

Hello from the Newark airport! What a disaster this day has begun as, but soon enough it will all work out and I'll be in Georgia. To start, Rocket's flight was cancelled. Luckily she was able to get on an earlier flight and is now waiting patiently in Atlanta for the rest of us. It is curently 12:30 pm and my original flight was at 9 am. Well, guess whos flight was also cancelled! I guess Atlanta isn't used to snow storms, get up on it HOTlana! Karen should be there soon, so all that needs to happen is my flight to not be cancelled again, then we can all be on our merry way to the hostel. Sheesh, what a day, I'm exhausted and I havent even done any hiking! At least I was able to eat a late breakfast with Kelly before driving me to the airport. Thanks Kel for all those "special" gifts Ok, nothing really else to report, other than the lady sitting next to me diving head first into her soup. Chewing and slurping noises gross me out so bad, this is painful! Hurry up and finish that damn soup, lady!Sorry for the utter lack of interesting information today. I am insanely bored and am anxiously awaiting boarding the big bird.More from me when I'm on the mountain. Later folks.-Storm
Date: 2009-03-02
From: Hiker Hostel -- Trailhead

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

Today started out with a nice big breakfast hosted at the hiker hostel. Too bad I couldn't enjoy it very much. I was completely nauseous, probably due to a major lack of sleep and nerves. I have been feeling a bit weird since yesterday, since today was my start to this long journey. I'm so happy and excited to be out here, but yet it still doesnt feel real to me. I feel like I'm just on a weekend hike and will be going home soon. I wonder when it will slap me in the face?Today was completely amazing. We got dropped off at Amicalola Falls State Park, and begun up the approach trail to the AT. It passed by the falls, which were beautiful, and up 600 some odd stairs. Basically it was like being on a stair master on steroids. Imagine doing that with a heavy pack! I'm really glad we opted in on the 8.5 mile trail that doesn't even count as trail miles. Bummer! The first milestone of many happened today. We summited Springer Mountain, the southern terminus. Yay! So as I lay here in my tent on top of Springer Mountain in 20 degrees, I am curled up in my sleeping bag content with my day. I am happy to be here with Cori (Grommet), Rocket, and Karen (Loon). I hope we hike a long while together, we have a blast and the laughing is constant.Ok its cold and my hands are yelling at me to warm them up! More tomorow when it warms up. The next few days are supposed to be between 50 and 60 degrees, awesome!Good night!
Date: 2009-03-03
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: clear sky

Last night ended up being 7 degrees during the night, holy crap so unexpected. I stayed really warm with foot warmers and a hot water bottle though. Thanks for the tip Amy, worked like a charm! Today kicked my butt a little bit, due to my absurd pack weight. My food bag is way too heavy, so I have been pawning off food, one hiker at a time.Lesson learned, maybe one pound of cheese and one pound of angel hair is not so necessary? Anyway, the day warmed up and was beautiful. We walked through snow covered rhododendron tunnels, stopped at the amazing Long Creek Falls for a snack, and hauled ass up Hawk Mountain to the shelter. I think we are very close to a military training facility, stealthy black helicopters are buzzing by scary close to the ground. I hope it stops soon so I can finally sleep! I'm running on very little sleep right now and my body is going on strike. Hello Tylenol PM.We have been hiking with a nice young gal and have dubbed her Egg Head. Lots of new and wonderful people of all ages out here. It's been fun making new friends.Tomorrow we will be assaulting Sassafrass mountain and Gooch mountain. I hope they are ready for our attack, because its gonna be a brutal one!Sounds of the evening: chatter in the shelter, helicopters, my pocketmail buzzing, sleeping bags rustling, and my fingers yelling for me to warm them.It is hiker midnight, good night southern Appalachia.
Date: 2009-03-04
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

Sassafrasssss, you tried to kick our asssss, but we kicked yourrrrsss, so kiss my asssss, Sassafrasssss.So, do you like our song to Sassafrass Mountain? American Idol material? Probably not, but good trail material for sure. Sassafrass was supossed to be a killer, but we rocked it. Thank you to whoever created switchbacks, you are my hero!Another great day here in Georgia. If I were in the "real world" right now, I'd probably be on my way home after a weekend backpacking trip. That sounds so unappealing at the moment (except for the bed and hot shower part), the AT is a special little world that I enjoy calling my home for now.Not too many views from the summit, but we took a long relaxing lunch break and I was able to talk to my mom. After that was the descent, then another big push up Justus mountain. Assault complete. We linked back up with Jess, a hiker we met a few days ago, and Egg Head, who hiked most of the day on her own. More laughs as the 4 of us (Grommet, Loon, Rocket and me) tried to name our little girl possee. Tomorrow we will decide, stay tuned. From 1-10 on the stink scale, I'm getting up there. Apparently I am not as stinky as Rocket and Loon, they won the stink-off competition, which yes, actually took place in camp. Photos to prove it. Hikers are gross and find amusement in weird places, and there is no other place I'd rather be! Life is good.Tonight is dead silent, well other than the oddest snore I hear coming from some unknown persons tent. The temps are finally more mild, I think it's warmed to 25 or 30 tonight, a pleasant and welcome change. Thanks mother nature. Time to cinch up in my sleeping bag and call it a night. It's 8pm, too late to be awake. Later!
Date: 2009-03-05
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

Today's theme was tripping, rolled ankles, and waddling. I had my ass handed to me pretty much all day long, and I think we are extremely happy the day is over. Lots of intense climbing and beautiful Georgia mountain views as a payoff. I can not WAIT to get into Neels Gap tomorrow and shed some pack weight though, it is killing me and slowing me down. Does anyone want to volunteer to be my porter? Eh, didn't think so. So we kept on keepin on, and kicked more mountain ass.My feet and I are going to have a serious talk, they are extremely pissed at me right now for beating them into submission. I apologize left foot and right foot, but this job is not over yet. Got it? Good! Sooo, the pit sniffing contest continued on top Ramrock Mountain today. Loon and Rocket are in bad shape, and say I smell like flowers. I guess that's good since I have been in the same clothes going on 5 days now. Not sure what's up with Grommet's stench, I think she hides it just as good as me. Looking forward to that hot shower tomorow, and loafing around after my chores are done. Laundry, reserve a bunk, eat, shower, and most importantly, watch some TV in the horizontal position. A nice way to spend a luxurious Friday afternoon. But before that, we must kick Blood Mountain where the sun don't shine! I hope my feet cooperate, keep your fingers crossed. On another note, I just spilled hot Gatorade all over in my tent, hope the bears don't sniff me out! Tonight is a cool and crisp evening, about 40 or 45 and windy. Nice and comfortable after the last few nights. Oh, another random thought. Thanks to whoever maintains the shelters and privy's in GA. Gotta love these "open air" privy's. Here tonight at the shelter is us, Egg Head, Jess, Tagless and Tag Along, who by the way are the coolest people I have ever met, Doctor, and another dude whose name I did not catch. One last random thought, Rocket and I are Team Agnes since we both have Big Agnes tents, and Grommet and Loon are Team Hubba, since they are both sporting the MSR Hubba.Still no group trail name, maybe Team Awesome though, or something that has to do with the East coast since that's where we are all from.Alright, time to sleep and dream of tomorrow's small mile day and laziness. Buenos noches pantalones says Loon.
Date: 2009-03-06
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Mountain Crossings Hostel
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: light snow

Today's theme was to haul ass to Neels Gap and get to the hostel to check in early. I did a crazy obnoxious dance and song once we got to the road crossing, all I had to do was cross the double yellow line and there I was. Yessss, I made it to a landmark where 30% of thru hikers drop out, and I am ready to keep at it! Bring on more AT miles! We climbed and descended Blood Mountain today. There were no good views since it was totally socked in, but it was a really pretty mountain with a gentle descent. Update: we have a team name. After much debate and the help of Tagless and Tag Along, we are collectively called Packadivas. Damn it feels good to be a gangster. I was rooting for Team Awesome, but I am enjoying the group name.Mountain Crossings is a dream! Tonight was cajun night, so we had jambalaya, salad, talapia, and ice cream for dessert. I totally pigged out, the hiker appetite is starting to grow a little, I think in another week or 2 I'll be eating like a man! Sweet. Oh, and I had my first shower in 5 days, I feel like a new woman, it was a life changing experience. I almost forgot what clean clothes smell like, I keep smelling them and smiling. Such a simple pleasure goes a long way.Oh and I did have that chat with my feet last night. They agreed to behave today, and that they did. I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for a new day. Thank you feet, you are doing a really fine job, I promise you a pedicure once we get home!Persistent-you won the poop shovel bet many miles early, what's your prize of choice? Good night faithful journal readers, until tomorrow...
Date: 2009-03-07
From: Mountain Crossing

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: few clouds

I forgot to mention a few things yesterday. I am the 122nd thru hiker to log in this year, and we are told it's the year of women hikers. How inspiring to see so many women out here. The hostel was packed with estrogen, totally outnumbering the men. Another thing, I had the pack shake down done at Mountain Crossings, something I swore I wouldn't do. Well, I sent home 5 lbs of stuff and now have a totally new packing system. Completely uninteresting, I know, but made me very happy! Oh, and the most fun bit of forgotten info! Jess (Peanut), Rocket and I participated in an interview for an AT documentary that will be out in the summer or later. Mosey and 6 other thru hikers are filming all along the trail, I hope we make it in the documentary! Stay tuned for info at a later date. Side note: if you are going to have an obnoxious all night long snore-athon, consider the 19 other hikers who need sleep too. End rant.Today I hiked in a t shirt since it was so hot, and now I'm paying with bad sunburn. My arms are beat red and hurt, and I have a sweet watch tan going on. It will only get sweeter as the summer approaches!So I had a major trail first today; TRAIL MAGIC! Grommet and I were descending into Tesnatee Gap, Loon and Rocket were already there. Keep in mind I was starving, I mean, I was willing to eat a tree if I had to! As we were getting close to the gap, I could see a lot of people in the parking lot and some chairs set up. The girls yelled a big holler up, and I just knew it, and screamed "ahhhh it's trail magic!" and bolted down the rest of the mountain. Boy was I happy, all I had on my mind was food, and there it was! In a matter of minutes, I shoveled in a can of Coke, an oatmeal cream pie, a Snickers almond bar (so excited, not as easy to find, I can't eat peanuts when hiking), and a bag of Sun Chips. I also packed out a Twix bar. Pig. These trail angels were so sweet and kind, a big thank you to them and their church from Atlanta who sponsors it. It was just what I needed, and I walked on with a big grin. Speaking of eating, my appetite is really starting to expand. I ate all day, and was still hungry. Makes me wonder how heavy my food bag will grow to be. Scary!I have to admit, these Georgian mountains are totally kicking me in the butt, but I always get the last word. Usually I turn around after coming up, over and down a bitchy mountain, and flip it off in the most rockstar of ways. It feels good to let it know how I feel!Amazing sounds right outside my tent. We are camped out away from the shelter right next to a loud flowing stream. What a nice way to end a tough day. I look forward to tomorrow, a short and simple 7 mile day. My (tempermental pissed off) feet are screaming, they will appreciate the small break.More from Blue Mountain tomorrow. Night Southern Appalachia!
Date: 2009-03-08
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

A very lazy and late morning was how we got started. We had only planned for a short day, so why not laze around for a little? It was nice to wake up and stay put in my cozy warm sleeping bag for a while and listen to the water flowing downstream.So we were off, for more trekking in the woods. Since it is a weekend, there were a lot of day and weekend hikers out. I noticed how nice they all smell, perfume and shampoo to the max! I think if I wasn't spending so much time out here not smelling these things for days, I wouldn't even notice. A group of day hikers totally picked up on our hiker funk, they made an "ughhh" sound as we passed. They probably didn't mean for us to hear it though. Oops! I think I am getting used to being so gross all the time, but I really look forward to my next fantastical shower. It could end up being Herbal Essence commercial material, I'll let you all know how it goes.Todays theme wasn't much of a theme, just to get to camp early and hang out and play games. The UNO cards busted out after dinner, and Chopper kicked our butts twice! We had a blast sitting around in a circle telling trail stories and laughing. I hope for more of these fun nights where everyone in camp comes together and chats it up, it is fun getting to know others a bit. I am, however, getting poked at for my NJ accent!Music music music. I needed it badly today, and it really helped me get through the day and bang out the miles. I listened to one of my favorite bands, MUSE, and a few lyrics really stood out: "your hard times are ahead." It made me really think about all this hiking craziness, and I realize that the killer mountains are just beginning, and tons more hard work will be put into this journey. Well, I am ready to keep putting in the "hard times" to achieve my goal.   Itrod, who is a doctor, gave a few of us free medical exams, sort of. Those with knee problems (which is a big trend on the trail) had a good knee exam. Turns out, they all are going to live. Itrod took a look at my head wound (from surgery a few weeks ago) and also says I will live, phew. He told me to wash the spot with baby shampoo, then proceeds to whip out a small bottle of it and handed it over. Really? Who would have thought to carry it, I am glad he did! Thanks for the free help Itrod!Right now I feel like my tent will be transported to another land due to the insanity of high winds. I feel like I am laying in a garbage bag as the rain fly flaps like hummingbird wings! Tomorrow I will be waking up saying "I have a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore." Wherever I land, I hope there is a big hot meal waiting for me, and maybe a nice beer or glass of sangria too! I am looking forward to getting into Hiawassee in a few days and seeing Tagless and Tag Along, we miss them! And Colonel Mustard, where ya been?!Hooray for one week on the trail!
Date: 2009-03-09
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I had my ass handed to me on a platter. The sweat poured, my feet screamed, my legs fought me, and I was extremely exhausted. I pushed myself and made it up Tray Mountain, and am so happy to be laying down resting. I heard that Tray is the first really tough mountain, then Kelly Knob, which will be tomorrow's victory. I realize that even when days beat the crap out of me, in the end I forget how hard it actually was, and fall asleep with a smile on. I just keep telling myself that I am here, doing exactly what I want and am living my dream and am so lucky to be doing this.Tonight's camp spot is my favorite so far. We are tented in a spot overlooking the valley below, and it is a beautiful night to sit and watch time pass. Loon, Grommet, Rocket and I played cards on a rock ledge and took photos of the pink sky falling dark on us. This is what the trail is all about. I love hiking and feeling accomplishment at the end of the day, but the time spent with friends out here is what makes it so special. That and just soaking in the views of something that few people are experiencing. The valley below looks so peceful and quiet, I wonder what really is going on?The sun continued to scorch my skin today, my nose is a little Rudolph-like. Maybe I would be a good candidate to pull Santa's sleigh? Dirty hiker turned reindeer, perhaps. I am open to a new career!We sort of had some magic today. A few dudes drinking beer at 10:30 am in a parking lot (weird) were just hanging out. Two of them thru hiked in 07 and understood hiker hunger, and shared some tangerines with us. I was so happy for a piece of fruit since all I am eating is calorie-dense junk, but those dudes were kinda odd! Who hangs in a parking lot drinking their breakfast? They even offered beer, we declined the offer.Kel-I thought of you today. I was trekkin away listening to the "badass" Cake song. Also visions of that "picture" had me laughing all the way down the mountain. Well, tomorrow will be an early one. We are pulling 11 miles to get into Hiawassee to resupply and do all the necessary chores. Oh and most importantly, eat Mexican food, it's all we have been talking about! Food fantasies are taking over our universe, it's sick!
Date: 2009-03-10
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Blueberry Patch Hostel
Miles today: 11.0

Awesome day. Kelly Knob wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, way less intense than yesterday's brutal attack! More beautiful sun and warm weather, thanks mother nature!We kicked out the 11 miles to get into town, Mexican food was the talk of the day. After a glorious shower and laundry, we took the owner of the hostel's Jeep (which I have affectionately named the Patch Mobile) into town and first stopped at McDonald's for a french fry appetizer. Next was the overwhelimgly large grocery store for a stressful resupply, and then off for dinner and a beer! Glasses clanked and we congratulated each other for a great first week on the trail. We are about 1/35th of the way there, hooray!I am currently sitting in the back yard of the hostel, which is a mini farm with a few goats and donkeys. The moon is bright and the night is perfect. I am content. Looking forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow. Good night Hiawassee.