morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-28
From: telephone pioneers shelter

To: ???
Miles today: 0.0

hallo everyone,orangutan here letting you know that we are doing very well and celebrating today our 150th day on the trail. maybe well do a little eswimmin. maybe well go to the library and elook at our journals. maybe well get esandwhicches. emaybee. we have 700 miles left to go. by our recknin thats no very much. maybe 100 miles a week perhaps and finish in no time. lately weve just been hikin but mostly not. happy easter
Date: 2006-08-22
From: rt 4

To: shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

well, all our friends that we started with are now finishing or already finished. we have just under 500 miles to go but its all gravy. we be chillin and takin it eaasy. safety is always important and you have to make sure to take enough time to be safe. and enjoy yourself. so heres to everyone whos finished. have fun in school. make sure to think about us out here in the woods playing golf and frisbee and hang gliding while youre taking tests and studying we will be in hanover in just a couple days where we are going to party like its 1973 and once wevee had our fill i think we will be just about ready to rock the whites and get to katadhin. not too soon though of course   ap[;ples
Date: 2006-09-01
From: barn

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

today marks exactly half a year that we have been on the trail. with one month left to go, we have 400 miles left. its time to buckle down and knock these last miles out. today we are beginning the white mountains which are said to be the hardest on the trail but also the most beautiful and then headed to the 100 mile wilderness. this last month is going to be tough especially since we are going to try and hike everyday as much as we can but we look forward to the awesome scenery and the prospect of finally making it to katadhin. this will probably be one of the last entries before the end since we do not expect to see a great deal of towns but you never know. anyways, its time to go do a 4000 foot climb. peace
Date: 2006-09-29
From: monson

To: ...
Miles today: 0.0

well, here we are in monson with 114 miles left to go and only 5 days to do them. oh well, we are hardcore and 20+ miles a day for 5 days straight sounds like fun. weve already managed three 20s to get this far. but we couldnt pass up the last opportunity to stay in town and party with so many wonderful people some of whom weve been trying to catch for weeks. and thats exactly what we did. so now here we are at the end of a long journey of 7 months and excited to be home soon. to any of our early hiking friends who thought we were off trail or dead, im sorry to dissappoint, but we are at the end and there is no stopping us now. i dont really know what to say about all of this so i think ill save it all for the end. for now just be happy and eat an apple
Date: 2006-10-04
From: baxter

To: KATAHDIN
Miles today: 1673.8
Weather: overcast clouds

so we woke up monday, hiked 66 miles in 36 straight hours, got to katahdin, went to sleep for 8 hours, woke up wednesday, ate mcdonalds provided by my wonderful mom, hiked The Greatest Mountain, took 250 pictures with the most beautiful sign in the world, then walked down knifes edge in the rain. then ate steak and lobster. why? beacause we are badasses
Date: 2006-03-11
From: ALASKA

To: Get to the trailhead!!
Miles today: 0.0

Hello everyone! Just arrived in Massachusettes to visit Beans family. Our trip started a week ago in Alaska where we packed our hot wheels sized car with our gear, our dogs and ourselves. So here we are 5000 miles later ready to start our trip. We live on the kenai peninsula and have been saving for two years to come and hike the trail, we will be affectionately known as Ork and Bean for the next six months, and our two K-9 companions who will join us from time to time will be Big-A and THE BEEZ. As I mentioned previously we are here ten days (or so) early to visit Beans family, who will be doubling as our drop box senders as well as our dog sitters when they are not with us. (huge thank you to them for all their help, we couldn't even conceive of pulling this off without them.) Our drive down from AK went fairly smooth except for one snowed in day in Canada, not to worry however it was nothing a cheap hotel room and a case of beer couldn't remedy. Anyway we are here safe and sound, and I should save some of this information because I dont even make it onto the web site until I comprise three entries. So more to come and thanks to all for your time. ORK
Date: 2006-03-12
From: Get to the trailhead!!

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

2/3rds of the way to actually being a functional member of the trail journals site!!! One more high point from our trip cross country I forgot to mention, we were completely hassled at the border heading back into the US. To the tune of having our car completely unpacked, including the emptying of every bag. We were seperated and questioned, as well as having pocket searches conducted. Two hours after arriving at the border we were sent on our merry way. (thankfully we left our traveling meth lab at home with my mom) Anyway we were so glad to finally be back on the road that we really didnt care that all of our stuff was scattered on both the passenger and drivers seats, so we dutifully shoved it all back behind our seats and got back on the road. Four miles later we were quietly enjoying the beautiful scenery north dakota has to offer, (sorry north dakotans but your state is really flat!) when a mysterious noise that sounded like a flat tire erupted all around us. We pulled over to find that when the wonderful people at the border had repacked our roof rack, they had packed it so tightly that I think one of them had to sit on it to lock it back up. Long story short the internal pressure pushing up was too much for the hinges to bear and they broke. Both of them! So at sixty miles an hour our roof box exploded open and would never shut the same again. Fortunately a fargo looking policeman stopped in and gave us a roll of duct tape. So with 2000 miles to go, and an entire roll of duct tape holding the box shut we got back on the road! more later, dinner calls.ORK
Date: 2006-03-13
To: simply get the journal running
Miles today: 0.0

Alright, this is our third entry and with any luck, our posts will be posted. We're stuck here at my folk's house for what seems like an eternity but is only another week. Drop boxes are packed, clothing fits and our bellies are full.. we just want to hit the trail already! Today we set up our shuttle from Gainsvill to Springer. Thank You so much to all the wonderful people out there who donate their time and vehicles to assist wandering hikers like ourselves. Your efforts are appreciated! I have to admit that I think Ork and I might find ourselves slightly out of shape for a 2,100 mile hike. But what we lack in muscle, we make up for in heart and sheer determination. That and the fact that neither one of us will ever be willing to admit that we're too worn out to step another step should carry us all the way to Maine. (I'm hoping, anyway). Well, hopefully with this third entry, the rest of the family in Alaska and Vermont, and friends in between will be able to log on and keep track of our travels. BEAN
Date: 2006-03-14
To: not stuck, just waiting...
Miles today: 0.0

Alright, alright... I'm catching so much flack for the comment about being "stuck" here at my folk's house in Bernardston. I apologize, Dad. We're not stuck here. In fact, we're absolutely delighted that we have another six days in your wonderful home with all the good cooking. Its just that the trail is calling to us and we want to answer!! Today we managed to spend some more money that we've worked so hard to save for these past two years. Big A and THE BEEZ got their lime disease vaccines, as well as the start of their heartworm prevention. When did the vet get so dang expensive? I have to admit, its a bit discouraging to watch the bank account that has steadily grown for so long get smaller and smaller. Its amazing how quickly money goes out when there's none coming in. I guess the positive is that we'll have lots of awesome dehydrated foods and snickers to eat for the next six months! And I think its probably best for everyone if neither of the mutts contracts one of those ugly diseases or parasites. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of ORK'S family in Alaska for their continued support. It really is great to know you're all out there, reading up on us and believing that we won't kill each other out there. THANK YOU!! Oh, by the way Grandma, payment for calling us "sweet kids" is in the mail. Thats all for now. Time for a good brew and a game of pool.BEAN
Date: 2006-03-15
To: Midnight train to Georgia
Miles today: 0.0

Hola sportsfans, We are two days closer to our departure date, and I can assure you that as that days draws closer time moves slower. I lay in bed at night unable to sleep as my mind races through all the excitement that lies just a train ride away. I havent had this much trouble sleeping since I was 5 years old and it was christmas eve. Bean and I have reached a sort of comfortable acceptance with our AT departure, there are one million and one things racing through your mind; weather, gear, injuries and finances. the possibilities and scenarios are endless, thus we have adopted the "we are as ready as we are going to be" attitude. Which is really nice bacause it allows us to step back from the frenzy and soak up the last few days of warm beds, home cookin and family.      So I guess the final report for tonight is that with 4 days until we join Gladys Knight on that midnight train to Georgia, we are holding out patiently, eating excessively and sleeping poorly. All is well though A day or two of solid hiking should cure all our troubles.   Well it is off to bed for me. Thanks for stopping in to our little page, we appreciate your support and we love to get comments so dont be afraid of our guestbook. 4 more sleeps until our adventure begins.-ORK
Date: 2006-03-16
To: get to the trail
Miles today: 0.0

Hello everyone,   For those of you who are not in our immediate family circles I have (I think) posted a picture of Big-A with this entry. We will post a picture of the BEEZ as soon as we can get him to sit still long enough to take one.   As for us, we loaded our packs up this morning and took a nice 5.5 mile hike around the mountain BEANS fam lives on. We figured it was probably time to start training since we are leaving in three days. The hike was good, weather was optimum and the legs felt strong. After completing our trek we scooped up the camera and the dogs and headed out to throw the ball and take some pictures. Anyway we have added a few pictures of the dogs, and of ourselves. The site still wont show our pics when you enter the photo page, but I promise they are in there if you just click on the little arrow.   This evening we ate a big dinner and were surprised afterwards with a cake and gifts in honor of both bean and my birthdays which recently passed. It was a very kind gesture on the part of BEANS family and every gift was extremely useful which is a double bonus.   The departure day is drawing ever closer and our anticipation grows with each passing minute. Just three more sleeps!   I am going to sign off for the evening and try to knock one of those sleeps out. Thanks for stopping in and keeping tabs on us.-ork
Date: 2006-03-18
From: still in W. Mass... but only one day left!

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings Everyone! Well we've had a rather exciting Saturday. First, and probably foremost, we have officially selected, packed, and weighed the staples for our journey. Pack weights without out food and water: Ork - 24lbs, Bean - 18lbs. (!!!) Despite the lack of effort to go ultralight, our packs have turned out considerably less heavy than anticipated. Of course adding food and water will beef up the numbers, but we are thoroughly pleased. What's really nice about hiking tandem is that we can split up the essentials; tent, stove and cookware, water purifier and the med kit. We discovered yesterday that my sleeping pad was missing.. perhaps the friendly border police?? Anyway, a BIG thank you to MOM for lending me her pad (and thanks to the border patrol... Mom's pad is much lighter than mine!). And for the other big news of the day... My folks are looking to expand their family with a St. Bernard puppy. So, this morning we woke and travelled down to Springfield for the working class dog show. For those of you who do not know ORK and I, we are big-time dog lovers. And we LOVE big dogs. Neither of us had ever been to a dog show before and we couldn't believe our luck at coming upon the show with the biggest dogs... St. Bernards, Newfies, Greater Swiss Mt. Dogs, Berners, Rotts, Mastiffs... the list goes on. We were in dog heaven!! The owners and handlers were both pleasant and informative. We've been looking at the Greater Swiss and the Berners for a while, considering bringing another four-legged friend home, but have found both breeds to be relatively scarce in Alaska. Today we concluded that the Greater Swiss is the buddy for us and were able to get some names of people who might have puppies when we're through with the trail (I know, I know... Joe, I can see your face right now!) So that's the news for today. All we have left to do is pick up a bit more Ramen (insert sarcastic YUM!), a few Ziplocs, some T.P. and before we know it we'll be on that midnight train. I can't remember ever being so excited! Thanks again to everyone for tuning in and keeping an eye out. Just two more sleeps!- The Bean.
Date: 2006-03-19
To: Train Station
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings and salutations,   So, years of talking, months of planning and days of training will finally culminate tommorrow at 10:40. We will gather our belongings, muster our courage and run like crazed lunatics onto that amtrak train of dreams, just three quick stops from Georgia! Who would have ever thought that we would make it to this point? Two years ago we were a young, enthusiastic, broke couple living in a hotel room clinging to the dream of an adventure as big as a childs imagination. Just look at us now. Young, enthusiastic, broke and living at beans parents house. (OK so that didnt really play out the way I had hoped.)   In all seriousness though, I can honestly say that we earned our right to be a part of this amazing experience and I am proud and thankful for the opportunity. It's a funny feeling to have the AT knocking on our door. It has loomed somewhere out in the future for quite some time now but until recently has been intangible. So here we are close enough to the start of this thing that if I could count, I would be able to count the minutes. And remarkably, I feel nothing but pure excitement. I am not worried or nervous, all that has faded away and I am nothing more than ready. (Of course that sense of security may come from the fact that I have the password to this page and can delete it after I drop out on tuesday!)   Anyway, I hope everyone has enjoyed our entries up to this point. Obviously our updates from here on out will occur with much less frequency, but we will do our best. We really do appreciate words of encouragement, and probably will even more so once we are dirty and smelly so dont be afraid to sign our guest book. Thanks again to everyone who helped us out along the way, most importantly both our families. You guys have all been great.Wish us luck!One more sleep!! -ORK
Date: 2006-03-20
From: Train Station

To: Georgia!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

This is THE BEEZ. He's an awesome buddy! If you enlarge this photo, you can see the froth at his mouth. That's what we look like this morning, frothing to get to the trail. All I have left to say is that I'm ready. Really ready. It seems like this day has been sitting just out of reach for years and now my dream is finally coming true! So look out AT, HERE WE COME!-BEAN
Date: 2006-03-20
To: On their way
Miles today: 0.0

Well....there they go. Bean's Mom here....   This is Ork and Bean this morning just before stepping onto the train that takes them from Mass. to Georga. They were so excited to finally be on their way.. Hope the sun is shining when you arrive. We love you. Huge slurpy, wet kisses from Big A and THE BEEZ too!
Date: 2006-03-26
From: computer kiosk

To: hotel bed!
Miles today: 67.0

Hello to everyone!   First we would like to thank everybody for taking some time to drop us a line. We are in Hiawassee GA 67 miles from springer mountain where we started 6 days ago! We will start out with the really great news, which is that we just got back from daniels steakhouse where we hit the all you can eat buffet as hard as we could. (4 plates each in 17 minutes) The trail has been kind to us thus far, we are covering more miles than anticipated and feeling good in the process. We have made some interesting new friends and a few that I hope will continue for a long time after this adventure is finished. We have 2 blisters apiece to date and that is a very manageable number under the circumstances. We have yet to choke each other to death, and truthfully have yet to even come close. We seem to have a knack for being strong while the other is weak and even those instances are few. Standing at the foot of sassafrass mountain on day one with ten miles already behind us was almost more than I could take, but I followed bean (my sherpa) all the way to the top and all worked out. She has been in top form except descending blood mountain when her knee gave her some trouble but I couldnt have been more proud of the way she bucked up and made it down like a trooper. Anyway I am going to let bean add her two cents here. thanks again for all of your support.-orkHello, Hello!! So here we are, only a week in and we feel great!! The AT has proven thus far to be all that I imagined it to be and more. There's nothing like waking up at first light, throwing thirty pounds on your back and stomping up a mountain. My only complaint is that Georgia is too windy!! We had a rather humorous incident a couple nights ago when I was convinced that a bear was breaking into our backpacks outside the tent. Naturally, I woke Ork up to share in my fear, only to find that the wind had blown our tarp loose and it was batting the tent rather ferociously. I'll tell you what, it is rather terrifying to lay in your sleeping bag with just a thin tent screen between you and a flapping tarp. Anyway, we're knocking out an average of 11 miles a day and getting to camp early. It seems we've developed something of a reputation for being the fire starters. We're finding that some of our hiking buddies will put in a couple of extra miles just to get to the campsite where "the Alaskans" are because they know there'll be a toasty campfire waiting. Its really great to sit around the fire at the end of the day and chat about the miles. People out here are great! For the time being, we've got a line of people waiting for the computer and I'm about to explode after that buffet anyway. So we'll probably hop on again tomorrow while we're still in town. By the way, we've made a really great friend out here and we would really like it if anyone who has time and is interested would check out his journal. His name is STONES, and he's an awesome fella!Ciao for now.-BEAN
Date: 2006-03-27
From: hotel bed!

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello again,   Well we are still in Hiawasee trying to get everyone back to healthy before we shove back off tomorrow morning at 9. We have been eating like pigs and that is awesome! I actually found sleeping last night extremely difficult. Bean conked out due to the cold medication and I paced the lobby until almost one in the morning. Funny how you yearn for a bed and then when you have one it seems like the last place you want to be. The ammenities that I am enjoying however are the faucet and the toilet, which I flushed three times for no reason when we first got into our room. You never realize how much you take stuff like that for granted until you are without it.   As for trail magic; it comes in many forms. I think that a good solid case can be made that trail magic is with you if you stay healthy and safe, which we have done. We did encounter some day hikers who were heading home and emptied their packs of all the goodies they brought and gave them to us. Thank you again to that kind man, oatmeal cream pies are amazing!!! We also had a gentleman take us into suches GA and wait while we got our box and then drive us back to the trail. We thought that was really cool until we realized we couldnt carry all that food and had to go back into town to bounce half of it to here. Of course that time I didnt get picked up at all and ended up walking 3 miles to and from town carrying a box. I guess the short answer here is that we have been very fortunate in our journey thus far with the progress we have made and with the people we have met. So yes we have been surrounded by trail magic.   We have also become quite adept at naming other hikers and to date have given permanent trail names to at least 5 other hikers. Of course we have alienated at least 20 hikers in the process of trying to find their name, and then there are those private trail names we only share with each other!   The weather has been custom made for us and the views have been amazing. Our legs are heaviest in the morning we have discovered but they soon limber up and we generally hit our stride around 8. We seem to be faster than most and that is good because I dont think we could bear the idea of being slower! For now we are trying our best to hike our hike and not compete against others.(although we are undefeated in races against people who dont know we're racing!)    Our next stop is Franklin NC, which if all goes well should be friday. It will be four easy ten mile days to make it there which we should pull off without too much trouble. We hear there is a hiker convention there next weekend and we look forward to meeting up with lots of other smelly people in spandex.    I hope this is enough info to tide you over for a few more days, I am sure we will have more to report from Franklin. Thanks again for all the support.-ORK and BEAN
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Franklin, GA

To: All you can eat buffet
Miles today: 106.6

Hello Everyone!!   Well we've just finished our first 16 mile day, our longest on the trail thus far! And what a day... started out at Carter Gap shelter this morning on our way to Rock Gap shelter. About two hours and six miles later, we spotted an unnatural color poking out of the forest. Do you see what I see? You bet, TRAIL MAGIC! We came upon four of the kindest people I have ever met in life; Skirt, Flatbread, Gator-Aid, and Fishin' Fred. They had a big old RV pumping out some great music, hot coffee, cold soda, apples, cherry cobbler, and the most fantastic blueberry pancakes you could imagine! We were in hiker heaven! They sat us right down and brought the food to us! What a luxury.. Thank you so, so much to all the wonderful trail angels out there performing trail magic. This was honestly the highlight of our hike.    Speaking of our hike, not only have we made our way out of Georgia and into North Carolina, but we have crossed the 100 mile mark! The weather has been unbeatable, sunny and warm with clear skies and great views. Its almost been a bit too warm for these Alaskans! But we won't complain, anything beats the rain.    We've just gotten checked into our hotel room here at the Sapphire Inn where there's something of a hiker-fest going on all weekend. Sounds like there's all-you-can-eat buffets for every meal of the day so we're ready to hit the shower and find some food. More later!    We hope everyone's doing well and enjoying the journal. Off to fill the bellies!!-Bean