morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-24
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 29.0

Hello from Rutland, VT! I have had an interesting last couple of days on the Appalachain Trail. Leaving Manchester Center, VT after my sister dropped us off we hike up 3 miles to Mt. Bromley which happened to be the top of a ski resort. I have never been to a ski resort and now I had hiked up the actual ski slope. So, I guess I did this ski thing ass backwards by hiking up the slope and sweating and not gliding down BUT I am fine. At the top of the mountain we found a ski patrol hut we used as our hotel. Watched the sunset and took a few videos and lots of photos. After that. We had a big day across a few hills and small mountains. Today, we walked a half mile down the road to the Whistle Cafe in which was awesome. I had been feeling a little sick in the stomach since yesterday and after a brunch in which I should have been really hungry but for some reason I could not eat it all. So, not feeling to well I took the advantage of a cheap hotel. After eating from a local pizza joint I feel better but will find out the truth tomorrow. The trail has shown me to take time when you can cause better to fight siickness in towns than on the trail...As for now, I am still hiking with Bear Blaze and LastOnTheBus and really enjoy their company. I couldn't ask for better friends. I should be in New Hamshire by the end of the work week and in the White Mountains by Labor Day! Things are looking good for GonzO and his leisure tour of the Appalachain Trail.
Date: 2010-09-01
From: Rutland, VT

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 55.0
Weather: clear sky

Hellllllooooo everyone! Greetings from New Hampshire. Vermont treated me well with Vermont Maple Syrup! Some fun facts about Vermont..... 78 percent of the state is forest land, Montpelier is the only state capital in the U.S. to not have a McDonalds, and Vermont is one of four states to not allow billboard advertising! I think I could live in VT. However, enough of this and more of what is to come. New Hampshire is home to the White Mountians, the absolute best 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail! The White Mountains will be unlike anything I have ever seen. This is the park you hear about before you decide to thru hike and its all you think about while you hike! The end of Vermont was not the easy or maintained very well. The picture above is of myself and my old puppy Ben. He is not doing well at home and I miss him. He might not make it by the time I return home so this is my way of getting to say hello and share our photo to friends and family. I miss my family, puppies, and friends a lot. this hike has been very physicallly and mentally demanding.Not sure when the next update or journal will be as I will be in the WHITE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL FOREST for the next week or so, but will try to upload pictures soon enough. Wish LastOnTheBus, Bear Blaze, and I luck as the Whites are home to the worse weather in the country. "Those who don't climb the mountain don't get to see the view"Oh yea in case you forgot... GO TENNESSEE TITANS
Date: 2010-09-07
From: Hanover, NH

To: Garfield Pond
Miles today: 65.0

Hello from the White Mountains! What a beautiful forest. Last week was a very difficult week for me as the trail became mentally tough and I had some stomach issues, but everything is looking better. Family and friends on the trail have been quite a blessing for me. Thanks for the prayers! Today Bear Blaze and I hiked through a ridgeline that was above tree line for a hiking experience I will never forget! The weather is very unpredictable here. If you don't like the weather you just have to wait five mins and it will change quickly. I have great photos but you will have to wait till next week so I can load them. The hiking is much different than before as I only hike between 7-10 miles a day due to the trail being very difficult. Speed went from 2.5 miles an hour to about 1.3 miles an hour. However, the rewards here are amazing. I will bring anyone up here to hike this area again as it is well worth the effort. Thanks for keeping up with my journal and hope all is well.
Date: 2010-09-12
From: Garfield Pond

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 39.0
Weather: fog

Hello everyone from the White Mountains in New Hampshire. What a week I have had full of views and bad weather. Started up Mt. Lafayette and walked the best part of the trail on the Franconia ridge. WOW you basically walk the top edge of the mountain range well above tree line. On the day bear blaze and I were on top the weather was changing from cloudy to clear and we got to see the weather change in a hurry. We both really enjoyed what mother nature gave us. We camped out and it rained pretty bad over night and was pretty cold. With most of my gear wet we choose to go to the first AMC hut. To inquire about work for stay so we could have a roof over our heads. Success and thankfully the croo at the hut let us and seven others stay the night as the weather was real bad with 40 mph winds and cold rain. The next day Friday we hike over 13 miles to hitch a ride to town in efforts to dry our gear out and wait for bear blazes family to arrive Sunday. So, till wednsday I am taking some time off to rest these joints and legs. I will post photos soon as possible to share the beauty of the White Mts. Look for postcards and photos in mail. The next up is Mt. Washington (2nd highest peak on A.T.) so wish me luck and after this its off to Maine to finnish this adventure.
Date: 2010-09-19
From: Crawford Notch

To: Wildcat Mt.
Miles today: 29.0

Hello from Gorham, New Hampshire. This last week I walked through the most amazing stretch of trail I have ever walked. Bear and I entered crawford notch into bad weather and forced to camp in the cold rain. Then hiked to the lake of the clouds hut just before another windy rain storm. We stayed in the emergency dungeon room that was bascially a jail cell with wooden bunks. It was very cold and damp but a lot better than what was going on outside. We awoke to windy fog on our way up to Mt. Washington but the skies opened up a lot. Bear Blaze and I met a lot of people that drove or took a train to the top and therefore gave us a sense of accomplishment. "How long did it take you to hike up this mt.?"It took me five months... as I looked into his confused eyes. His friend informs him that we are thru hikers on the A.T."Can I borrow your backpack for this picture so it looks like we hiked up here" Yea, as long as I can borrow your keys to your car so we can drive down. As Bear Blaze exclaimsAfter stuffing our faces with food at the summit house on top of Mt. Washington we hiked out to the best stretch of trail the Appalachain Trail. We ridged walked the next two days in shere "oh wow" I took many photos and was blown away and can't wait to bring friends and family to this area. I can say I walked above the heavens. Only around 300 miles to go..Also, would like to give a delayed thank you to "Paige in North Woodstock, VT " for giving bear and I a hitch and for being the best looking woman I have seen in all the towns across the trail. Also, thank you to "bad influence" for a ride from Hanover to Glencliff. And a thank you to all others I failed to mention.Also, congrats to all my trail friends that have finnished: Lorod, Hollywood, HedgeHog, Tour Guide, Jibits, Pig Pen, Super Max, and Lorod again cause he is awesome.
Date: 2010-09-20
From: Wildcat Mt.

To: Maine
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

Welcome everyone from MAINE! I made it to the last and final state of the journey. So far, Maine is very difficult to hike through. Tomorrow I will hike the Mahoosuc Notch which is the hardest or most fun mile of the whole Appalachain Trail. It has taken hikers anywhere from one hour to over three hours to complete. Wish me luck as the trail has taken its toll on my body. I will be hiking the Maine part of the trail in memory of my father and old puppy dog benners who are no longer with my family and I. I want to also take this time to thank my mother and sister for all their help. I love both of you very much and miss you like crazy."I created the sound of maddness, wrote the book on pain, and yet I am still here to explain"Love, peace, and chicken greese my friends
Date: 2010-09-26
From: Maine

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 90.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hello from Stratton, ME! Southern Maine proved to be very difficult. The first 19 miles in ME were the hardest off the whole trail. The Mahoosuc Notch told to be the hardest of the whole Appalachain Trail was a favorite of mine. The trail was in a valley of huge bolders and rocks. You had to do everything from crawl under rocks like you were in a cave or pull out some ninja move to get to the next rock. It took bear blaze and I under an hour and a half as she took the easy ways haha... and I took the ninja ways. I would love to revisit the notch with a day pack, however the next two miles seemed to be up one huge rock face 2,000 feet climb.Tommorrow I will slackpack 17.8 miles and come back to the Stratton Motel/hostel. Slackpacking is the term used when I will be carrying my backpack but the only things in it will be lunch and water, other than all my gear. This will be helpful to my legs and knees in which have taken quite a beating over the last three weeks. When I arrived in Andover, ME I met up with hikers: shags, lastonthebus, pepper (dad), chilli (son) 11years old and it is crazy but the five of us all started on the same day March 24th. We took a group photo and will post the photo soon. Sorry for the delay in uploading photos but have not been by a computer in a few weeks.Thank yous again go out to the beautiful Paige in North Woodstock, VT, David in Andover, ME."If we must go home today it would be such a shame. But forever more we can say I walked from GA to ME
Date: 2010-09-29
From: Stratton, ME

To: Northern Outdoors Lodge
Miles today: 24.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Made it out of Stratton, ME alive and hit the trail running. Today, Bear Blaze and I took the ferry across a river and the Appalachian Trail was actually part of the ferry system. Very interesting but fun none the less. However, looks like rain for tomorrow so not sure if we will be sucked into this lodge for a day or not, but still the end is in sight. only about 151 miles to the end. Looks like I will enter the 100 mile wilderness on Monday and Summit Mt. Katadhin around the following Sunday, Monday, or Tuesdayish to end my hike...Things are going well for me after a few days rest. I feel better than I have the last couple of days than I did for the last few weeks! Its odd but I find myself tired of eating food. Nothing sounds good anymore not even town food. I think I am just tired of eating all the time. I have put on about five pounds or more the past month and a lot of others around me have done the same.Again, sorry for the delay in uploading photos and video but don't worry soon enough I will be by a computer to do so until then enjoy my friends!
Date: 2010-10-03
From: Monson, ME

To: 100 Mile Wilderness
Miles today: 68.0

Hello from Monson, ME! Last week was a tough week for all hikers in the ME area with over 2-4 inches of rain in a 32 hour window made for some rough hiking. Bear Blaze and I walked through ankle high water, streams, swamps, and mud for two days straight. We also had to ford four. Streams that were atleast knee high and two that were waist high were I had to carry backpacks over your head while you cross. Tomorrow we will enter the 100 Mile Wilderness before we reach the final mountain of the journey. The 100 Mile Wilderness is a stretch were there are no towns or any type of civilization for 100 miles; which is anywhere from 5-7 days. My pack is very heavy with food, but luckly it is full of good food I received from my mother and sister! Thanks you two for everything! I will hike the 100 mile wilderness for my mother as she has inspired me so much through my life and is a great reminder that you can overcome anything in life. This has been an amazing journey and I am sad that it is almost over, but my body is extremly happy for the ending. I am very blessed to have met the friends and hikers that I have. I could noot have finnished this adventure without them, my friends encouragement, and amazing family! Oh yea, I finally saw a moose today.. a local shot and killed a HUGE moose that took up the whole truck bed and weighed down his truck as it hhad to weight over 900 lbs. Absolutly hugh but still yet to see one in the wild."We are pressed on every side, but we still have room too move. We are often in much trouble, but we never give up. People make it hard for us but we are not left alone. We are knocked down, but we are never destroyed"
Date: 2010-10-08
From: 100 Mile Wilderness

To: Camping by a Lake
Miles today: 50.0

Hello all from the 100 mile wilderness. It has been very cold and wet so have not done quite the mileage wanted to do at first but off to a great finnish. Looks like I will summit with Bear Blaze, LastOnTheBus, Shags, SanMan, and Ripple on Tuesday to end this epic adventure. Wish me luck as I still have about 50 miles left! Thank you all for your support.
Date: 2010-10-12
From: Camping by a Lake

To: Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 80.0
Weather: broken clouds

Welp, I climbed to the Top of Mt. Katahdin the Northern Terminus of the Appalachain Trail to complete my thru hike and yew.. what a mountain it was. We had a class 3 day which meant some trails to the yop were closed due to snow and ice, BUT what a great day it was. Clear skies and very little wind! We were told we had the best day to climb in the last three weeks! My mother and sister came all the way to Maine to hangout with us! Right now my feel are a mix and I will add more photos and videos when I get home. My plans are to return to Baltimore, MD Friday with LastOnTheBus and BearBlaze and go day by day from there. Thank you all for your support and words of wisdom! I will post another entry this weekend when things have settled! WooHoo I am done!
Date: 2009-02-26
To: I can't concentrate...
Miles today: 0.0

So here I am sitting at work and can't concentrate on anything beyond not wanting to be here. It's a gorgeous day outside and I'm stuck at my desk deciding whether to do some actual work or talk (write) about my upcoming adventure. Guess you can see which won out.I've been obsessing about this trip for several years, and it's so close to happening now that it doesn't even seem real. I'm in the final stages of compiling my gear but hopefully I'm about finished. I'm probably taking too much with me, but that seems to be the norm for most people. There'll be plenty of opportunity for me to lighten my load once I'm in the woods and have a better feel for what I will and will not need.I feel like making an entry about my gear, but I think I'll just add it to my Gear List (should be a link to that on the right somewhere). Guess I should really get some work done so they don't fire me before I can give them notice next Friday. That should go over well...
Date: 2009-03-02
To: Dry Run
Miles today: 0.0

Big Foot and I tested out our new hammocks this past weekend. It was the first time either of us had tried them so it was a bit of a learning experience. Mastering the knot to tie the hammock to the tree in the rain was the major hurdle but we were able to get them attached and hanging nicely. And we already have several ideas on how to improve things and make the process easier and faster.Temps dipped into the mid-30s and it rained all night, but we stayed dry and warm inside the hammocks. The winter tarps we got from Speers worked perfectly keeping the rain and wind away from the hammock. My feet and left shoulder got a bit cold during the night, but otherwise I was comfortably warm. An extra pair of wool socks should take of my feet, and I think my shoulder was cold because it had slipped off the foam pad at some point. Other than that though, I had a very nice night gently swaying. I know I've only done it once, but I really think I'm going to enjoy the hammock thing.Overall it was a very good experience. We're going to try to get out at least one more time before we start the Trail so we can test the changes we intend to make.
Date: 2009-03-03
To: Getting Closer
Miles today: 0.0

My start date is 3 weeks away now, and I'm equal parts excited and scared silly. It's a weird thing to have something you've dreamed about and looked forward to for years be this close to happening. It's on my mind constantly; I can go too long without thinking about gear, or how nice it's going to be to be out there. I want to wake up to the chirping of birds in the morning; I want to sleep with the trees at night; I want to experience life without the "modern conveniences" and all the inconveniences that go with them. It's time for me to let go of the rat-race, office politics, and social norms for a while.But at the same time I'm scared out of mind. I've changed jobs and moved to different places before, but this isn't quite the same thing. I'm quitting my job, moving out of my apartment, leaving behind all sense of economic stability, and walking off into the woods. This is the craziest thing I've ever done, and I couldn't be happier about it.
Date: 2009-03-19
To: One more week
Miles today: 0.0

I'm a week away from the start date now and I have a massive amount of work to to do before I can go. I have a feeling the next 7 days are going to be a big blur since I'll be moving out of the apartment and leaving my job by the end of the week.I did have a nice realization this morning as I was making up new 4-letter words to call my fellow drivers (it's amazing how a bit of fog makes people freak out). I'll only have to deal with the morning rush hour traffic two more times, and then I'll be free from it for several months. That thought made my entire day a bit brighter.
Date: 2009-03-21
To: Unemployed
Miles today: 0.0

I am now officially unemployed...yesterday was my final day at work. I moved the majority of my belongings out of the apartment this morning too, the only things left are some clothes and the crap I didn't feel like moving and will be throwing away. I'm planning on being out of the place completely on Monday so I have a bit of time to to clean and to shutdown the apartment. So after Monday I'll be unemployed AND homeless. And it feels great! That means I'm almost out in the woods; it's only a few days away now.I have had to change the start date for the Trek until next Friday due to the schedule of my ride down to Georgia. No worries though, Friday will work just as well as Thursday.It was odd at work this week. Training the person who will be replacing you is always a weird thing to be doing, at least for me. I think that plus knowing that the Adventure is so close to happening kind of put me in a strange frame of mind.   Everyone at work was great though. Quite a few people stopped by throughout the week to chat about the Trail and to wish me well. The company even bought me a going away gift...a SteriPen! Such a cool gift and very nice gesture on their part. So between the hand-pump filter I already had and now the SteriPen too, I think my clean water needs will be taken care of nicely. But then they are a civil engineering firm that specializes in the design of Water Treatment Plants, so having the cleanest water possible on my walk is kind of par for the course. Ah well, time to get back to the task at hand and start cleaning. The faster this part gets over with and I get to the woods the better.
Date: 2009-03-25
To: So close
Miles today: 0.0

I'm completely moved out of the apartment now and staying with BigFoot until it's time for us to hit the Trail. A little about BigFoot: he's a former co-worker who had the unfortunate fate of listening to me daydream about the Trail for the last year or so and got caught up in it himself. He's decided to walk the first portion of the Trail until we get back to this area of NC and then decide at that point if he wants to continue. I think his goal right now is to get to where the AT crosses I-40.While this is a very personal journey for me, it'll be nice to have a friend along with me too. It's a comfort to know that there will be someone out there that I know and can count on.
Date: 2009-03-27
To: Tomorrow
Miles today: 0.0

Pulling a late night tonight since tomorrow's the day we head out. Travel plans changed slightly once again. We ended up staying in Asheville through tonight and will be heading to Springer Mtn early tomorrow morning. The plan is to get there around lunchtime and get about half a day of hiking in tomorrow afternoon. We're planning on taking the slow 'n steady route the first few weeks to let ourselves adjust to the stresses of hiking, so a half day to begin should be about right. Plus the weather at Springer is supposed to fairly wet too so I'm sure we'll be more than happy to make camp a bit early.Have the pack fully loaded and ready to go for the morning. With food & water it weighs 33lbs altogether, which isn't really too bad (I hope). It's 20lbs on the dot without food & water, so I may be carrying a bit much to eat. That's something that I'll figure out more once I get out there though.Time to try to get a few hours of sleep tonight I guess. I would like to thank my friend Greg for helping me out with the site while I'm in the woods. I'll be emailing the entries to him and then he'll be the one posting them here. I really appreciate all the work that he's offered to do to help me out.
Date: 2009-03-27
From: Springer Mountain

To: Stover Creek
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: moderate rain

I'm actually here doing this. I have to keep reminding myself that this is really happening and it's not a dream. The first thing I want to do is thank BigFoot's friends Debbie and Jeff for driving us to Springer Mtn from Asheville. I really appreciate them taking the time out of their schedules to make the trip. They even hiked with us at the beginning too. It was a real pleasure meeting you guys.Ok, so Day 1. We left Asheville around 7:15 this morning and got to Amicalola Park around noon and signed in at the register. I'm hiker #386 to start this year. After signing in Debbie & Jeff drove us up to Springer (we decided to skip the approach trail). The forest road crosses the AT 0.9 miles from the terminus so we had to backtrack a bit to get to the official starting point. Debbie & Jeff hiked to the start with us and then back to their car. After they left, BigFoot and I continued on until we found a campsite near Stover Creek about 3.8 miles from Springer (4.7 when you factor in the initial backtrack we did, not a bad first for us). And did I mention the rain? It rained all day and all night so my shoes and hiking clothes are soaked. The Trail was nothing but flowing puddles and mud most of the way. Should make for an interesting morning putting cold wet clothes on. And I couldn't be happier about it. It's the best Friday I've had in a long time.