morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-02-25
To: Sara and Flight & Insurance
Miles today: 0.0

I booked my flight finally after debating if I should fly from Toronto or Buffalo. I opted for Buffalo since I think the border crossing will be easier in a car than at Pearson. I did not book a return flight since I don¢t know where and when I¢ll be returning home. I¢m going to carry-on my pack since I do not want to deal with lost or delayed baggage. My flight has a stop over in Charlotte, NC so that increases the chances for trouble. I plan on sending a parcel to the hostel a week before from Niagara Falls with my hiker poles, esbit and food. I had considered taking the Megabus for $20 but the journey would take 24 hours. I do not want to start my thru-hike like a zombie! My flight was $150, which is very reasonable considering the amount I usually spend on flights (eg. $1600 to Nepal).I signed up for the Hiker Hostel Thru-Hiker Special. It includes shuttle from the North Springs MARTA Station (45 mins from the airport), bunk for the night, breakfast and shuttle to the trailhead. A great deal for only $80! My travel insurance is sorted out. I opted for a Travel Underwriters policy that covers emergency medical, dental and air ambulance. The cost was $318 for five months (with no deductible) but it is worth it for the piece of mind. I included a photo of me with an injured arm at Machu Picchu in Peru.I STILL have not figured out my maildrops. My goal for this evening is come up with a final list. I hate making decisions so far in advance. For example: Am I going to hike through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park without stopping at Gatlinburg? I need to know how much food to put in my Fontana Dam maildrop! Decisions, decisions.
Date: 2014-02-26
To: Sara and Maildrop Update 2
Miles today: 0.0

The photo has very little to do with maildrops. Maildrop starts with M. Madagascar also starts with M. Ummmm.....Okay - here is my tentative maildrop list. I have more drops in the south so I can focus on hiking and not worry so much with finding and buying nutritious food. I anticipate getting tired of my food selection as I go north so I'll be buying more at markets and picking up less packages.I plan on staying overnight all all these places except at the outfitters.JOURNAL EDITED ON MARCH 7th - I've removed the maildrop locations for security reasons. Please ask me personally if you are interested! I have 19 maildrops in total.
Date: 2014-02-27
To: Sara and Teeth
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My teeth are ready for the trail as I had my final dental cleaning yesterday. My Aunt Julia is my hygienist so I know everything is in tip-top shape.  No cavities! Some people do not take toothpaste with them when they thru-hike. Plaque removal can be done with a dry toothbrush. I will definitely be brushing my teeth as I have cavity-prone teeth. I also love the minty fresh feeling in my mouth.I won¢t be drinking getting any Fluoride from steams so I need toothpaste. Fluoride helps the enamel resist bacteria, acid and decay.I had a root canal a number of years ago and it was painful. I never want to repeat that experience! After my root canal, I took a trip to Costa Rica get a crown put on. The cost of the crown in Costa Rica was $300. My dentist in Canada wanted $1200 and it was not covered by my dental benefits. It was a no-brainer to spend the money on a dental holiday in Central America instead.My toothpaste options are:-        Powdered toothpaste-        Dehydrated toothpaste ¢dots¢-        Regular toothpasteI am bringing regular toothpaste because the powdered and dehydrated toothpaste feels gross in my mouth. I will gladly take the extra weight!What to do toothpaste waste?Never spit out a huge glob of toothpaste because an animal might eat it. I don¢t want to make any animals sick. Instead, spray it out like a sprinkler over a large area away from the campsite. *Hint: Check the direction of the wind before spitting. I learned this the hard way.*
Date: 2014-03-03
To: Chicago and the Oscars
Miles today: 0.0

This weekend I didn¢t get much trail prep done as I was on a Chicago weekend getaway. I won a contest with flight, hotel and NHL tickets. The Blackhawks played against the Penguins outdoors at Soldier Field. The stadium was packed with drunken fans. I was warmer at this outdoor game because I brought along an Enlightened Equipment down quilt. My beer turned to slush and froze in a matter of minutes but I was toasty wrapped up in the quilt.I broke in another pair of Salomon Synapse shoes over the weekend by walking around the city and inside museums. I have one more pair to break in before I leave next month.The ¢Museum of Science and Industry¢ was great and the ¢Fast Forward... Inventing the Future¢ exhibit was my favourite. I was particularity interesting in future tech that will make backpacking easier like tiny, long-lasting batteries for GPS and cellphones. The Adler Planetarium had fun, interactive exhibits and an assortment of shows in three different theatres. My visit reaffirmed my passion for the night sky. I¢m looking forward to star-gazing on my A.T. hike¢¦. if it can be seen up through the green tunnel!I returned home from the airport in time to catch the end of the Oscars. Congrats to me because I won my workplace Oscar pool for the fourth time in a row by picking 19 out of 24 categories correctly. I wonder if we¢ll see Reese Witherspoon nominated next year for ¢Wild¢? Probably not.Many people reference ¢Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail¢ when I tell them I¢m hiking the trail. I read ¢Wild¢ and did not care for the novel as it spent too much time on mommy issues and too little on hiking. YMMV.
Date: 2014-03-04
To: Sara and Giving Back
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy One Year Anniversary to my Trail Journal! It feels like I've been talking about hiking this trail for a million years. My leave of absence info made the staff newsletter this week. Almost a month until I finally depart on my journey. I have the opportunity to complete one of the most difficult challenges in my entire life. I am utterly excited.I want to extend a thank you in advance to the people who built the trail and continue to maintain it for public use. My trek would not be possible without their dedication and hard work. The AT Conservancy states that 6000+ volunteers contribute over 200,000 hours each year to the AT. The volunteers could be spending their free time on pursuits other than working on the trail. Thank you for your service!When I travelled to Ghana a couple years ago I brought along a huge suitcase filled with medical supplies. The supplies were donated by myself, co-workers, family and friends. A highlight of my holiday was delivering the medical supplies to local clinics. Some of the supplies were delivered to remote regions in the country.I also want to "give something back" during my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. I pledge to picking up at least one piece of litter each day. I challenge other members of the "Class of 2014" to do the same! Be warned that I turn into HULK-SARA when I see people littering and have no problem publicly calling them out on it.   Not that anyone reading this would ever litter on a gorgeous hiking trail, eh?
Date: 2014-03-05
To: Trail Related Media
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I took a super quick picture of me with my staff newsletter. The first line says, ¢Once again, Sara Dhooma wants to experience the wonders of the world!¢. That is truth. I want to experience everything!I¢ve checked out many websites, forums, blogs, books, videos and films about the Appalachian Trail in the last year. My favourite has to be ¢the Pox and Puss Podcast¢. The hosts (Pox and Puss) playfully chat about backpacking, the Appalachian Trail and tell random silly stories. It is not a formal, information driven program but more akin to a casual chat over pints of beer. The podcast is NOT work safe!I phoned in this week and left a voicemail regarding their T-shirts. Their Etsy site did not allow shipping to Canada. If you listen this week you¢ll hear my rambling message during the podcast. You can find them on iTunes or through their website is here: www.poxandpuss.com (I can not get the link to work in Trail Journals sorry)I did not read Bill Bryson¢s ¢A Walk In the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail¢ before I decided to hike the trail. I read it a few months ago. The book had some funny and interesting parts but it is something I don¢t need to read again. Robert Redford is supposed to star in the film adaptation of ¢A Walk in the Woods¢ with Nick Nolte. The script is being written by Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) and Ken Kwapis (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) has signed on to direct. Originally the film was supposed to shoot this summer on the A.T. but is seems to be stuck in pre-production. My favourite humorous quote from the novel:¢Jesus, I smell like Jeffrey Dahmer's refrigerator.¢ My favourite informative quote from the novel:¢Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of all trips outside the home, for whatever distance or whatever purpose, Americans now get in a car. On average, the total walking of an American these days - that's walking of all types: from car to office, from office to car, around the supermarket and shopping malls - adds up to 1.4 miles a week...That's ridiculous.¢
Date: 2014-03-06
To: Appalachian Terrain Thoughts
Miles today: 0.0

The countdown is on¢¦ 31 days until I leave from Springer Mountain on Sunday April 6th.I¢ve attached a photo showing some of challenging terrain I faced with climbing Mount Sabyinyo ( 3645m or 11,959ft ) in October 2010.   The climb was 14 km long, gained 1300m in elevation and took about 12 hours. I only took photos on the way up because it became too wet and cold to bother with the camera.I climbed to three separate peaks from the Uganda side of the mountain. The third (and tallest) peak is an international border shared by the countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I had a park guide with me as well as an armed guard. The guard carried a AK-47 all the way up and down the mountain. We needed a guard for protection from mountain gorillas, elephants, leopards, buffalo, poachers and rebels. (Kidnappings had occurred in the 1990s)The trail kept getting steeper and steeper until I was climbing on the side of a cliff with no ropes. A thunderstorm started and the rungs became slick and slippery. Some rungs were not secure and a couple broke under my feet. When I was descending my fingers had started to freeze and curl into a ¢claw¢. The wind was howling and I had to hang on strong or face tumbling down the cliff. I was afraid that I might get struck by lightening and I tried to hurry below the tree line as fast as possible. It was miserable and would have been MUCH easier if it was not pouring rain. Mount Sabyinyo was more dangerous than I had anticipated. I would have brought additional gear (like gloves) if I had been better informed. I gave my park guide and armed guard well deserved tips after the climb.   I¢ll probably climb it again if I return to Uganda another time.I often wonder how the difficulty of the Appalachian Trail will match up with hikes and climbs I¢ve done in other countries. The highest point on the Appalachian Trail is Clingman¢s Dome at 2025m (6643ft) so elevation is not a worry. I¢m glad that I¢ll be tackling the roughest terrain in New Hampshire and Maine at the end of the trip. Shout out to the Class of 2014 early-start hikers who have already had to leave the trail due to injury. Sorry guys, I hope you had a great experience and I hope you will have the opportunity to re-attempt your thru-hike in the future.
Date: 2014-03-07
To: Maildrops, Apps, Email and Sony Expo
Miles today: 0.0

I love all my guestbook entries!I had an interesting guestbook entry today from Dave. He wrote: ¢Hi Sara, Good luck on your journey. Wish you the best of weather. Enjoy your journal. Do you ever stop traveling? Some advice is do not post where your maildrops are going to be delivered. Some places do not check ID when picking up packages so someone may claim your maildrop. Just my $.02. Have fun.¢Thanks for your comment Dave. I never thought anything sinister could happen with posting maildrop locations. I¢ve edited and removed the listing from my previous Journal Entry. Guthook¢s AT app is on sale for 30% off. I downloaded all available sections for $47.91. Once a section is purchased, it¢s yours forever so you¢ll get all future trail data updates. The app isn¢t necessary but I decided to get it since doesn¢t add any extra pack weight. Act fast because I think the sale ends today!I¢ve been having fun un-subscribing from every single email newsletter that comes through my inbox. I receive a ridiculous amount of spam from entering contests. I don¢t want to have to sort through a multitude of crap emails when I use wifi in town stops so I¢m un-subscribing to everything. My daily emails have gone from 200+ to around 20.Speaking of contests, I went to a private Sony VIP event in Toronto last night. I won tickets to Sony¢s Expo with their latest tech on display. Sony gave out a swap bag with a $120 wireless speaker, provide free drinks, food, massages and a cool ¢Breaking Bad¢ photo op area. I was really impressed with their new 4K TVs and cameras. They also have a new waterproof cellphone that I repeatedly dunked into water with glee. I wish my iPhone was waterproof for the trail! Sony had a prototype of their new virtual reality headset on demonstration. I watched a racing video and the motion-tracking feature was pretty neat. With the headset and headphone on I was oblivious to everything happening around me. I predict that some people will never leave their homes when this technology is perfected. Anyone up for a virtual hike of the Appalachian Trail? As my friend Tessa said regarding the technology, ¢This it totally Caprica!¢.
Date: 2014-03-08
To: Sara and the Challenges of Being a Woman
Miles today: 0.0

Today is ¢International Woman¢s Day¢ and the theme for this year is ¢Equality for Women and Progress for All¢.The picture attached is with two other ladies that I originally met while climbing Kili. We¢ve gone on a number of adventures together since the mountain. Teresa and Daisy are amazing, fearless, and inspiring women that have enriched my life.I¢ve faced many challenges in my life due to being female.I skipped two grades in school and was identified as intellectually gifted at a young age. I attended specialized classes in my city once a week during grade school. Those classes were almost entirely male. I think that some girls downplayed their intelligence or that the school system did a poor job at identifying female candidates.When I was a pre-teen, I regularly competed in a Canadian televison video game competition called ¢Video and Arcade Top Ten¢. The show had so few girls that I would receive special invitations from the producers to appear on the show. I never once competed against another girl. My fellow players usually were civil but it was the parents that would direct negative comments at me. For example, ¢What are you doing here, do you have a brother playing today?¢ and ¢Look son, your opponent today is that girl. You better win against her because she will be easy to beat¢. It made me angry. My first trip alone overseas was traveling through Egypt. I had to endure men stalking me through the streets, throwing rocks and inappropriately touching me. I was forced to put up with it in exchange for fulfilling a dream to walk amongst ancient ruins and explore underground tombs.Men are also definitely at risk while traveling but they do not report the same volume of sexual harassment. Many women have similar stories to mine while traveling in countries where females are not held in high regard and are objectified. The harsh reality is that females are treated differently in our world. I can¢t travel to other planets yet so I have to deal with this one. Equality is progressing but true change needs to happen at an international level. Women¢s Ski Jump debuted for the first time this year at the Sochi Olympics. Why the wait? Some officials thought ski jumping was inappropriate because women¢s bodies were too fragile and it would damage their uteruses. In 2009, a group of female ski jumpers took the case to court and won the right to compete. Bravo to them! On the ¢White Blaze¢ forum this week a discussion occurred regarding a young woman who was turned away from a full shelter. A few of the posters commented that they were confused that the people in the shelter did not make space for her because she was an attractive woman. This made me very angry.A hiker is a hiker. Physical attributes and gender should make no difference on how anyone is treated. Equality please!Hopefully, the next generation won¢t need to deal with this kind of crap. I refuse to let gender barriers stand in the way of pursuing my goals. This is my life and I choose to live it to the fullest. I'm coming for you Katahdin!
Date: 2014-03-09
To: Sara and Wildlife
Miles today: 0.0

I love animals. I'm a monthly supporter of the World Wildlife Fund and I participate in many of their campaigns throughout the year. It is impossible to say how many animal species are on Earth but at least 10000 species go extinct each year. I avoid zoos and do not visit aquariums where dolphins or whales are kept in captivity.The main animals on the Appalachian Trail I would like to encounter are bear, moose and elk. It would be amazing if I was able to catch a glimpse of a cougar. I've come across footprints during hikes but I've never seen one yet.I would prefer to avoid mosquitos, ticks ,mice, venomous snakes and angry skunks. I'm cool with happy skunks. I like it when porcupines hang out in trees rather than in camps chewing on hiking pole handles (grrrr).Some people keep their food in their tents overnight. I think this is dumb because I don't want to attract animals to me while I'm sleeping. I've been woken up in the night by animals poking me through the tent and it is not a good feeling. In Namibia, I was worried that a Honey Badger was going to attack me!My food on the A.T. will go into bear boxes or get hung up in the trees. I learned a lesson while camping in Zambia and leaving my food unattended.I spent almost two weeks camping on a small island in the Zambezi River. Hippopotamus, giraffe and ubiquitous crocodiles surrounded the area and my tiny tent.I had brought a supply of food from a local village prior to embarking to the island. I decided to cook the last of my potatoes for lunch. My stomach rumbled in anticipation of the hearty meal.As the potatoes were boiling, I left for a few moments to collect branches for firewood. I returned to a crime scene.My pot was overturned with hot water was spilt on the sandy ground. The potatoes were gone. Who was the thief? There were only four people on the island and I was alone camping on the southern side.I heard chattering coming from a nearby tree. A troop of cheeky Ververt Monkeys sat happily munching on my potatoes. I stared in wonder at a tiny baby monkey with an enormous spud in her hands. The bandits seemed quite pleased with their stolen treats.The monkeys watched at me as I scrubbed the pot and cleaned up their mess. I scowled and shook my fist up at them in frustration.I had no lunch that day. They certainly made a monkey out of me!
Date: 2014-03-10
To: Sara and Youtube Videos
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

So, I made two Youtube videos this weekend. I can't directly link them to my Journal but I've emailed for support so hopefully I can get it sorted before I leave for my hike.,http://www.youtube.com/saradhoomaI am a Youtube n00b so don't expect anything professional. LOL.The first video is just a short elaboration as to why I am hiking the trial and the second one is about footwear. I'll make three more gear videos before I leave ("The Big Three", "Clothing" and "Other Gear"). I'll be filming my daily adventures as I hike this year. I will never film anyone without prior permission because I know what it feels like to be include in videos against my will. This is what happened to me in Malawi....I met up with a cool British gal named Karen in Lilongwe and we decided to head to Nhakta Bay on Lake Malawi.She heard Lake Malawi was renowned for fresh water scuba diving and had a reputation for being a cheap place to dive. I had originally planned to carry on through Malawi to Mozambique to take open water classes. The idea of learning to dive in a lake was appealing, so we set out in the early morning for Nhakta Bay.We spent the day taking cramped and sweaty shared minibuses. At one point I had a basket full of chickens on my lap. I felt very bad for an older woman sitting beside me. I think she had bladder issues because she urinated several times in a plastic bag during the trip and threw the liquid out the window.We were relieved when we finally arrived at lakeside backpacker lodge. We walked into reception (which was also the bar) and noticed it was filled with young Malawian men wearing flashy clothing.Before we had a chance to register several guys were asking Karen and I to dance in their hip-hop music video in the lodge bar. Both of us were exhausted and we just wanted to relax. They pleaded with us reconsider but we wanted to head to the dorms instead.The warm, clear lake water looked so inviting we decided to take a dip before having a nap. We also desperately needed to wash off the grime from our tiring journey.The lake was heavenly and we splashed around enjoying the tranquility. This tranquility was short¢lived because the music video shoot had moved down to beach. The rappers were on the beach lip-synching and motioning to us in the water. Karen and I got quite annoyed and decided to return to the dorm. The cameras crew followed us leaving the water. Onshore, the rappers continued to sing and dance in our way as we left the beach area. We had to push through them to get past and their camera were still rolling the entire time. It was surreal.I really wish I saw the final cut of the music video!
Date: 2014-03-11
To: Sara and This Long Winter
Miles today: 0.0

It has been a long, cold winter. Everyone is grumpy and not even "Roll Up the Rim" at Tim Hortons can lift their spirits. Today was gorgeous and mild. The snow is melting and I could actually see patches of grass! It was strange not to be bundled up in my winter coat. To celebrate, I added a photo of myself as "Disco Poison Ivy".Poison Ivy is one of my favourite comic book characters. I used to collect every comic book that she made an appearance in. I fell in love with Dr. Pamela Isley for her genius, confidence and passion for environmentalism. Plus, she is a natural redhead like me! I sure could use her powers of controlling nature on the trail during my hike. Any comic book fans in the Class of 2014?I had the bright idea to set up my tent today since the snow was starting to melt. I pulled out my Six Moon Design Skyscape X tent but I couldn't find my stakes. My house is a disaster to put it mildly. I gave up the search when the sun started to set. There was no point practicing to set up the tent n the dark. I'll find the stakes tomorrow.I may have missed my window of "tent practice" opportunity because a cold snap is returning tonight and 10cm of snow is supposed to fall. Uggggggghhhhhh.Anyone have weather manipulation powers like Storm? If so, I request for you to stop further any snow in Ontario.