morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-01-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

18 January 2007Greetings,        Well today I finalized all my gear that I will start with. All that¢s really left is weighing it up and seeing how I do with the new load-out on a couple more shakedowns. For my pack cover I decided on a 4.6 ounce Sea to Summit pack cover in a forest green color. It is made of some sort of sil-nylon blend I believe. Seems to be one of the lightest ones on the market. For rain gear I decided to go with a Frogg Togg suit. At under a pound for the entire set, it was hard to turn down.         To solve my camelback issues with refilling, I found a way to rig the tubing of it so that I can actually fill the bag directly from my filter, so that was a nice find for me. Of course I also went out and purchased a trowel, very inexpensive one, though I don¢t know who would spend more than a couple bucks on one simple because of the job of the trowel, but who knows.         2 months to go, everything is purchased. The anticipation is really starting to get to me and I find myself constantly thinking about the trip and what it will be like. I guess a lot of people go through this before their hike. I will try to get my pack weighed out sometime in the next few days and see if there is any weight I can cut from it.         I am still looking at where I will want to have a mail drop sent, I am almost positive that I will have one at Fontana Dam, but other than that I have not decided any others. I am really trying to use as few as possible. Instead I plan to restock on food in trail towns and either have gear shipped to me as needed or buy it at outfitters along the way as needed. As of right now I am not anticipating the need for getting much more gear than what I am starting with (knock on wood), but I am leaving room for the unexpected. The local outfitter here has a saying that is printed on their gear, ¢I¢d rather be hiking¢ and that is definitely true for me as I am sure that it is for other outdoor enthusiasts.
Date: 2007-01-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

31 January 2007Greetings,        Here we are on the last day of January. It has been about a week since I last entered anything and several things have happened since my last entry. Most importantly, I have come up with my final list of mail drops which I will list later as well as put into the mail drop section. I have been experimenting with the Frogg Toggs and I like the pants, but the jacket is just not that comfortable for me. So I am looking at either getting an EMS jacket or go with a Columbia Thunderscout jacket. There are pros and cons to each. But again I have not made any firm decisions and plan to head to a local retailer tomorrow to look at their inventory and see what fits me well. I have heard good things about the Thunderlight jacket by Red Ledge. Anybody reading this, feel free to offer suggestions for a good lightweight rain jacket for me to take.        It is really starting to sink in that I will be leaving in less than 2 months. I could not be any more excited but of course I am having my doubts like any person probably has. I find myself coming up with contingency plans in case of any number of things happen. I guess it is just my way of passing the time until I am finally on my way.         I have heard some concerns from various people that my sleeping bag may not be warm enough to survive the first weeks of my hike. I have considered taking one of my other bags, but I truly feel that as long as I am sheltered from the wind and the rain that bundling up in my cold weather gear should suffice to keep me warm at night. Of course there is a good chance that I will end up eating my words, but I plan to stick with my bag and deal with the consequences of it. At least it has been a particularly warm winter so hopefully it does not decide to cool down in March.         The cities I will be picking up mail drops are as follows. I will put the addresses of the post offices/mail drops on here tomorrow. Take care.Fontana Dam, NCDamascus, VADuncannon, PADelaware Water Gap, NJGreat Barrington, MANorth Woodstock, NH
Date: 2007-02-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

6 February 2007Greetings,        The mail drops have been posted, 5 in all along with my estimated arrival date for each. Furthermore I have decided to go with a Mountain Hardware Epic Rain jacket. It is lightweight and does its job well (keeping me dry). There are still some odds and ends for me to tie up with my gear, but for the most part everything has been purchased and prepared. I guess I will go through the gear that I have not had the chance to put on here yet (namely clothes).         I plan to use FroggToggs pants for my rain pants (though I doubt I will use them that often). These are very lightweight and supposedly breathable (have not tried them out much yet). For my daily hiking short I will be using a pair of Nike shorts made of quick drying polyester in conjunction with a pair of insulated biking shorts. For a shirt I will be using quick drying lightweight polyester shirts from Nike (plan to start with 2). Socks, I will be using 2 pair of liner socks (one pair will act as my camera case) and I will be using two different hiking socks. One pair of Wigwam Wool/Silk outdoor socks and one pair of LL Bean Midweight outdoor socks mad of Primaloft. For in camp use I will be using a pair of lightweight flip flops of some generic company. I will also be taking a pair of insulated compression pants (biker shorts except longer) for use at night. This will help offset the fact that I will not be taking a cold weather bag.         From my experience, as long as I can keep the wind out of my tent, I should be able to handle the temperature difference between atmospheric and my bags rating. I have slept comfortably in my bag in 30 degree weather, so I do not forsee the chance of 20 degree weather to be too daunting and justifying the use of a colder bag.         For information about mail drops feel free to email me (or the person that will be handling this journal once I am gone, they will be checking this account, hauser.curtis@gmail.com ). The addresses for the mail drops is in the mail drops section. I guess that is all for today, take care.
Date: 2007-02-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

21 February 2007Greetings,        A couple big things have happened since I last entered an entry. Firstly my start date has been moved up a week. It is now 11 March 2007. The change is because my Mother will be accompanying me to Amicalola State Park and this was the only time that she could make it down to Georgia. The other big thing is that I dislocated my right ring finger over this past weekend. I dislocated while playing a pick-up soccer game Saturday afternoon. No worries though, the doctor was able to pop it back into its joint and said that I should be good as new in 2 weeks (well not good as new, but good enough which is all you can really ask for in life). The pain has gone away for the most part and I already have some range of motion with my finger (I am typing this now without any problem).        I posted a couple pictures of my dislocated finger for those of you who have a strong stomach or are just curious to see it. Nothing much else has been going on, 3 weeks and counting now, been keeping my running up and I feel like I am in good enough shape. My boots are nice and worn in, so I think I am finally good to go.         I also added a mail drop that was in my itinerary but I had forgot to put up here. The estimated dates have been modified to accompany my change in start dates. Happy trails all! Take care.
Date: 2007-02-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

28 February 2007Greetings,        Well now I really am in overdrive at the sub-two week point. I fully loaded my pack with 5.5 days of food and 2.5 litres of water and am going to spend all day today walking around with it just to see how the weight feels on my back. One thing that I have learned is that it is pretty important to position the weight evenly on your back otherwise you will be in for some trouble. I would say that my pack weight is right around 30-35 pounds fully loaded with food and water. I am very happy with this weight, at least for now. When the weather warms up I hope I can shave a couple more pounds.         I have been spending a lot of time reading up on other peoples preps for their hikes trying to learn all I can. I recently watched the film Appalachian Impressions again, that film really makes me want to get out on the trail and just start hiking. One interesting thing that I read the other day is that while hiking and even while preparing to hike, try to not think about Maine and Katahdin, but rather when you reach a summit or a view look southward and try to see Springer. This way you are thinking of how far you have been not the distance you still have to travel. I thought that this was a very good piece of advice and I plan to use it to keep my morale up. Work wraps up this coming week as well as my two final papers that I am working on. After the past 6 months planning this trip, it is finally here. 11 March 2007 is fast approaching¢¦
Date: 2007-03-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

8 March 2007Greetings,   This may be my last entry before I start my hike this Sunday, not too much has been happening these past couple of days. My bag is fully packed with everything except water that I will be starting out with. This morning I turned in my last paper for this 1/2 semester. The paper was on my assessment of evils in modern society, essentially just a 30 page thesis paper on why bad things have to happen in order for the world to keep on spinning. Well, that was off topic.   After I turned in my paper I purchased the rest of my starting food supplies. I will be carrying the following:2 packets (3.5oz) of Pink Salmon2 packets (3.5oz) of Light Tuna2 packets (5.5oz) of Salmon Steaks6 packets of EasyMac5 packets of Ramen Noodles14 Nature Valley packets (28 bars)1 roll of Girl Scout Shortbread cookies12 oz jar of peanut butter (a little heavy but I will use it for lunch proteins)1 box of graham crackers2 bags of trail mix (GORP)Small bottle of Olive oil (supplement calories)   Seems weird that almost all of my food for almost a week is listed above. Anyway, now the only thing left for me to do is purchase a new set of batteries for my headlamp and I will be all set. Although the anxiety is overwhelming right now, it still has not completely set in on what I will be attempting. I would say it is sort of like the calm before the storm. These past couple of days I have been resting my body and eating more than I usually would. After doing the math and looking at what others have stated, my calorie output per day will near 6000 whereas my consumption will only be around 3500. I am not sure how accurate this is as I am not mathematician. All I know is that I will loose weight and I am just trying to offset some of that weight now.    Saturday I will drive down to Atlanta from Columbia, SC to pick my mom up at the airport. We will probably spend much of the day touring around the city and just relaxing. First thing Sunday morning we will drive up to Amicalola and then I will take my first steps out of about 5 million. Gotta start somewhere and have to start some time. I just can't wait that it is finally my turn to start hiking. Happy trails everyone!
Date: 2007-03-11
To: Stove's Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Got on the trail around 1145 and registered at AFSP as a thru-hiker. The approach trail was a lot harder than expected, several climbs lasting 30ish minutes. Upon arrival at Springer Mountain, met Roger, a trail runner. I took several pictures and then marched around for awhile. Made camp at 1800. Ave 2 mph today, not bad. I met the Bag Lady who is also NOBO. She is sleeping here tonight, too. PS- sleeping in a Green Beret traveling(?) grounds.
Date: 2007-03-12
From: Stove's Creek Shelter

To: Residence Gouch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

Tough Day. Several climbs that took a lot of energy. I met David and Megan and Martin and Rattler again today. We are all here at the shelter. Out of the crew coming from Stover, I arrived first. I kept a pretty good clip most of the day except during the climbs. I am in the shelter with other thru hikers, 2 guys from the Univ of Florida, very nice guys. I took a couple pics along the trail today, including a strange clearing on a hillside near the trail. Martin is hilarious, he told us stories about how he was seeing tricycles pushing him up the hills. He is also working on cutting his pack weight down. He was handing out .... He lives in Fort Clinton, VA. He gave me his number to give a ring when I get there. On to Blood Mountain tomorrow.
Date: 2007-03-14
From: Residence Gouch Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday, hiked to Blood Mountain. Despite what others said, shelter is in great condition, a little musty, by otherwise amazing. Had trail magic along the way, At Woody Gap, Xmas and Ranger (former NOBOs) were handing out Cokes. Today we hiked to Low Gap Shelter. Beautiful day, and more trail magic, Danielle and Roy had refreshments at Hog Pen Gap. Wonderful people (Roy works for Univ South Carolina). Knee bothering me today. Pony in the shelter, Rattler and Wirenut here as well.
Date: 2007-03-17
To: Orchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Past 3 days have been a rollercoaster. On 15 Mar, I could only go the 7 miles to Blue Mtn Shelter because my knee was killing me. It started to rain that evening and we got t-storms thru the night. On the 16th, I marched 15 miles with Grasshopper to Deep Gap Shelter. We climbed Trog (?) Mtn, where we were hailed on along with 40 mph winds. Visability all day was about 70 feet. Not much sleep at all last night, it got down to 15 degrees F on Deep Gap and was not above freezing til about 1300. Grasshopper and I hitched into Hiawassee from Dick Creek Gap. The town is great. We showered and did laundry a the Hiawasse Inn where we met the owners. They said they are busy from Feb-Oct with hikers. Very nice Inn. Today it is about 50 degrees F and I just got back from town (did not stay long). Looking to go 9.3 miles to Plum Orchard Gap Shelter tonight. Will be crowded, hoping to tent to stay warm. Nitro and Ziplock have finally caught up on there way to Plum now.
Date: 2007-03-18
From: Orchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 49.0
Weather: clear sky

Grasshopper, Kevin and I hiked from just beyond Dicks Creek up to Standing Indian Shelter, about 15 miles. The hike was awesome! We crossed into NC at mile marker 75. We met up with Rattle, Cage and their dogs. One is a shepard, the other a collie. Gorgeous dogs. The hike up to NC was intense, several 30-45 degree climbs for over 500 feet. Ath the end of the day at Deep Gap, Pedro and Patrol were handing out drinks, chips, beef, really anything a hiker needs. Patrol came all the way from NY. From there we went to the shelter where we had more trail magic. Brats and Pork for dinner courtesy of Blar and StrokeRite. We have big fire burning and are having a ..... We sitting around in a circle singing to the beats of Nitro. It's been a good day on the AT. And I finally figured out how to describe daily life on the AT. Today will be harder than yesterday, but easier than tomorrow.
Date: 2007-03-19
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we had a late start, not leaving the shelter until after 9. Hit the trail around 0945. We hiked 14.4 miles today to Big Spring Shelter. The miles passed easily and I feel myself grow stronger everyday. Knee pains have subsided at least for now. I am here with Grasshopper, Pilot (who I met yesterday at Muskrat Sheler, Mississippi Mule and Logan. Logan is Kevin's trail name now. Rin Tin Tin gave him that name this afternoon. We had a ceremony for him this evening. Today's hike consisted of easy climbs up until Albert Mtn which was a hazardous climb at around 75 degree angle. It was worth it as the view was spectacular. Tomorrow I will bypass Franklin, NC and make my on the the NOC, 30 miles further. Peace be with you.
Date: 2007-03-20
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Wine Spring
Miles today: 12.0

At Wine Spring with Logan today. 12+ mile day. We were gunning for Wa... Bald with Jonny Mudd but called it quits here. Grasshopper headed into Franklin, NC, we pushed on. Hopling to make Fontana by Friday. Had 3 instances of trail magic today. I met Granny Franny today at Rocky Gap where she had Cokes for us. Then climbing from there we found some Capri Suns. Finally met Bill and Erma @ US 64 for cokes and snacks. Tired now, hitting the sack.
Date: 2007-03-22
From: Wine Spring

To: NOC
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

It is 0700 this morning and I feel refreshed. Yesterday I hiked 19.1 miles. I was feeling very strong and the distance I hiked shows it. I left behind Logan and Grasshopper at the Wesses Bald Shelter. I was going to stay ath teh A. Rufus Morgan Shelter, but was convinced by three ladies to press on for the NOC. Queen Bee fed me fresh lasagne as well as let me sleep in her room. Yesterdays hike entailed my first view of the Smokies and even from 40 miles away, they looked omniment. I also had a tricky desent down into the NOC, as it is nearly a 3000 foot drop in just 3+ miles. The jump-off lookout proved to be rather ticky as I had to carefully drop 10 ft with little to no hand holds. I will suggest that the views to be had out here are worth every ounce of energy it takes to get there. Today I am looking forward to a hot meal and a 3500 ft climb. Yeah!
Date: 2007-03-23
From: NOC

To: Brown Fork Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Didn't leave the NOC until past noon yesterday. Arrived at Brown Fork Gap Shelter around 2100. I did some trail matainence in the morning with the ATC guys. Here with Renaisance Man, Pebbles, etc. Heading to Fontana with Showers today. Probably getting a hotel room tonight.
Date: 2007-03-24
From: Brown Fork Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 25.8
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday was nice esy 12 mile stroll pretty much all down hill. When I arrived at Fontana, I took a shuttle into the villiage where I picked up a package and enjoyed a coke. Because Grasshopper and McGiver (formally Logan) were not with me I did not get a hotel room. Stayed at the Fontana Hiltonwhere I cowboy camped under the stars. Grasshopped and McGiver arrived late that night. Today I am going to take my first 0 day, but after I showered, I felt like a new man. amazing what such a small thing can do. I called my Dad to check in with him then walked 13.8 miles to the Russell Field Shelter. This shelter has a chain link fence on it. I decided not to be held prisoner and set up my tent. Before today, I kept hering how hard the climb into the Smokies is but it was pretty easy, I mean relative to all the other climbs. It was nother "Blood Mountain" people talk about how bad it is with out actually knowing. I hiked part of the day with Pebble, a very sweet going woman, she is at Mollses Ridge Shelter, her head was bothering her. The animals here let you get really close, I guess cause dayhikers feed them. No thru-hikers would give a wild animal food that he/she has hauled up a mountain. In 2 days, I have Clingman's Dome, highest point on the AT, after that, it is all down hill, he he...
Date: 2007-03-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I made it to Fontana Dam yesterday a few days late but had the opportunity to freeze for two days/nights in freezing rain and hail (low temp 8 deg F).....it really slowed progress. Last night I had a steak dinner and this morning was able to top it off with a well-needed garden hose shower. With luck I will be able to make up some of the lost time in the next few weeks. Have met many very nice NOBOs along the trail.
Date: 2007-03-26
From: Fontana Dam

To: Icewater Springs Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Past 2 days have been here. Yesterday I met Sorner, an ATC RidgeRunner. He told me that the scat I have seen on the trail is coyote scat. I didn't think that were around here. Yesterday was 16 miles. Today was just 13.8. I am at the Ice Springs Shelter. Here with a good group. 20 miles tomorrow. Should be a tough day. At Newfound Gap, it was weird seeing all the tourists and day hikers. They are mostly nice, but most of them do not know trail courtesy about letting the hiker climbing have the right of way. Just annoying. I have started my "You know your are a thru-hiker when..." List. Will put it down in here in afew days.
Date: 2007-03-28
From: Icewater Springs Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

I have made it out of the Smokies! Yesterday I pulled my first 20+ miles from Icewater Springs Shelter all the way to Cosby Knob Shelter. One tough haul. Upon entering Newfound Gap, I was amazed at the amount of tourists, it was packed. Families stared at my trail worn body with fright and fascination. Some were brave enough to come ask me questions. Few believed that I intended to hike all the way to Maine. One father asked me if I was a hiker and I answered, "Nope, I 'm a traveling salesman". Some people just do not grasp what us hikers go through. Anyway, at cosby Knob, I met a bunch of good people; Remix, Stash, Peace Man, Papa Hawk and others. Remix, Stash and Peace are all college guys (Peace is just out for break), but they are really chill guys. I hiked 18 miles today with them to Ground Hog Creek Shelter. It was pressy easy day as for 1/2 the day we were just coming out of the Smokines. For lunch, we hit up Standing Bear Hikers Hostel. Now this place is great. Has its ouwn re-supply shop with everything hikers want or need. After a long lunch we pressed upwards ascending a high ridge. During our ascent a t-storm rolled on and slowed our progress. It was just a minor storm for us, but it looked like the Smokies were getting pounded. We made it to camp safely and without incident so that was good. No idea about tomorrow yet. Not sure if I will rest witha short day or press miles again. Its nice out here, very soothing to the mind.
Date: 2007-03-29
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Wal... Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was crazy! We woke up to pouring rain which made breaking camp difficult as well as wet. During the first part of the day, we came across Apple again, who was doing some trail inspection. It was still pouring so we cut the conversation short. When we climbed Max Patch Bald, we were in white-out conditions, only had 20-30 ft visability. When we stopped for lunch @ Roaring Forks Shelter, the rain finally ceased and the sun came out. From there it was a short 5 mile hike to Wal... mtn Shelter. The hike was thru a gorgeious river valley then up a mountain. "We" today was Remix, Peace, Stash and myself. I am tented next to Tricar (long distance/day hiker) and Papa Hawk. Apparently, I am now 2.5-3.5 days ahead of grasshopper and McGiver. Hope they catch up soon. While hiking in the rain today, we passed a group of Scouts and they looked miserable. I have concluded that the AT thru hiker accepts what nature and the trail gives him/her and makes the best of it (I loved the rain today). The section/weekender tries to fight the mountain/weather/etc and will always lose. That is why they do not seem happy in the rain or on a tough climb. They look forward to the end (of day/hike/climb/etc.) where as we enjoy the journey.