morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-02-08
To: A Month Away!!!
Miles today: 0.0

A month ago, I hadn't trained or tested any of my gear-- heck, I barely had enough gear to train with. I hadn't even attempted to tackle the maildrop list, had no idea when I would leave, still hadn't figured out what I'd eat, and the list of shortfalls goes on... I try to remind myself of this now when I start feeling rushed, when I realize I only have weeks to go. In only the past few weeks, I've made bounds. It has been a busy month.There are people on the trailforum, adjacent to this site, whose comments I've read saying that you have to live and breathe and sleep and love the trail. That's the kind of dedication necessary to finish this thing. Hell, that's the kind of dedication necessary if you want to realistically start this thing. It's got to fill your thoughts, fill your time, and do all of this ungrudgingly.My friend Todd, my lone backpacking friend, teases me when I get talking about gear. He says I sound like the outfitter's manager in Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. And my co workers have long since accepted that all I have to talk about is hiking and running, and they are gracious and tolerant. But I guess I don't feel apologetic about all of this single-mindedness, since here in the city, talking about the woods is as close as I can come to the woods. I work six shifts per week in an airport coffee shop, making lattes to scramble the funds together to back this endeavor. When I'm not working, I'm running, and each time I suck exhaust from a passing city bus, I am reminded of why I am leaving. So, maybe I can't get enough time off to get out of town for another couple of weeks. But if I tell someone about the winter lake I circled the last time I was out, the deertails I saw skitter up the hill, the rabbit tracks that followed the footpath the whole way out, well, then I feel a little bit closer to being back there. My daily concerns are less about balancing time and juggling schedules. Now I have to figure out how I'll keep my feet warm at night, and how much fuel I'll need per pot of noodles.My start date is the 6th of March. I'll drive down with Dad on the 5th, stay at Amicalola Lodge, and take off down the approach trail the next morning. Later that day, I'll stand at the top of Springer.
Date: 2003-02-18
To: Mardi Gras Marathon
Miles today: 0.0

So this entry isn't about the Trail, not exactly. Two days ago, I ran my first marathon in New Orleans, and it was GREAT! There were so many people, from all over the country, some running 26.2 consistent five-minute miles, others walking 22-minute ones. Everyone was yelling for everyone else, cheering each other on. Locals came out of their houses, blasted their stereos for us, high-fived us as we went by, made trips to the grocery so they could hold out bags of pretzels, m&ms, bottles of gatorade. It was great!I hope I'm not presumptuous when I say that it was tiny sample of the trail. You're out there, doing something all of your friends and family thinks is crazy, your knees and ankles are screaming for you to stop, but there are all of these people out there with you, going through the same things, and then there are all of these total strangers who come out to bestow kindnesses upon you. Of course, when I say tiny, I mean TINY, because at the end of the race, after four-and-more hours, you see your family, they take you back to the hotel, you crash on a soft bed, in a warm room, and your brother, who's studying massage therapy, gives you a full-body massage.Besides the trail, this run and the fundraising for it has been the other big thing going on in my life. Now it's over, and all I have left to do is hike. I'm moving out of my apartment today and tomorrow. Tomorrow is my last day of work. And in two weeks and two days, I'll be northbound.
Date: 2003-02-23
To: Ten days and counting...
Miles today: 0.0

I've been feeling very detached from all of this recently. I was reminded of this the other day when I read Jan LiteShoe's journals. They're very contemplative, and as I read, I kept saying to myself, yeah, yeah, I know what that feels like, I agree with that, while at the same time feeling very removed from all of those feelings. The truth is, I am in the middle of the culmination of six months of planning. It's not just this hike. If it was just the hike, I don't think I would have so much trouble connecting with it. In these two weeks, I did my last bit of marathon fundraising, flew to New Orleans, ran, came home, quit my job, moved out of my apartment, and now I'm in charge of two little kids for a week and a half, watching them while their parents are away. This weekend, I have my grandmother's memorial service. After this, I have two days until I'll be on Springer. It's a lot to take. I'm on auto-pilot, and sometimes I don't think that's a bad thing. I've answered the usual questions so many times that the answers come out without even thinking. Yes, I'm walking from Georgia to Maine. Five to six months. Yes, I'm going alone. And no, I am not crazy. People do this.The hike has been broken into fragments, into the fewest ends that still remain to be tied. Getting my tent. Emailing everyone my plans and journal site. Doing my taxes. Finding health insurance. In tiny pieces, it's so hard to see the bigger picture. I strain to imagine the hike, but I feel far away from it.Still, as I said before, I'm not sure this is a bad thing. If my head were with the hike, in the clouds, or rather, in the mountains, I'm not sure I could get everything accomplished in time. Still, it will be all the more a shock when I wake up that first morning, and the only thing I'll have to do is walk.
Date: 2003-03-05
From: Dayton, OH

To: Georgia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Arrived at Amicalola Lodge after sundown. In the evening hours, we approached the Georgia mountains. As the van started going uphill, my toes began to twitch. It's so exciting! Checked in at the lodge and saw some names, familiar from trailjournals, already signed in. I also saw the weather report: looks like I'm starting with the rain. Dad and I ate dinner, and a moment after walking into our room, we were greeted with a sudden clap of thunder. Now I will fiddle with gear a bit more before crashing. Tomorrow morning: Springer!
Date: 2003-03-06
From: Amicola Lodge

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Start: SpringerEnd: Hawk Mountain ShelterMiles: 7.6Total: 7.6Breakfasted at the Lodge with Dad, and then drove out to Springer. Dad accompanied me to the summit, my first mile of the AT. Took some pictures, read and signed the register. It was nice to see many names already familiar to me. I can't wait to meet the faces. We passed a few people going ip, and some going down. On the way down, a man asked me how far I was going. I giddily replied, "Maine." the some good-byes and more pictures in the parking lot. Off down the trail. The first four or so miles out of Springer were beautiful: lush and green and red. Then brown took over, and it's been brown ever since. Bare trees, last year's leaves fallen, but it makes so you can always see the mountains beyond. Overnighted at Hawk Mountain Shelter with a couple named Charlie and Tammy, going through to Neel's Gap, and thru-hikers Homeless, Tommy Two-shoes, and Brace (who I call Day-Glo, for his hunting bibs.) No Trailname yet.
Date: 2003-03-07
From: Hawk Mountain

To: Gooch Gap 
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: few clouds

Start:Hawk Mountain ShelterEnd:Gooch Gap ShelterMiles: 8.8Total: 16.4Good weather, good day. Not sore, particularly, either. I hit three mountains before noon today. I left before Day-Glo and Tammy & Charlie, and passed Twoshoes and Homeless not too far out. It seems the marathon served me well, because I didn't feel I was pushing too hard. The rest of the day I was alone, except for a few times Homeless caught up to me. At lunch, I sat by Justus Creek. It was so beautiful, I wanted to stay and nap in the sun. I have had some moments like that: I come across something so beautiful: earlier today, it was a hawk riding the breeze; he was just out from the ridge, but at my altitude. And I just want to stop, I want to watch, I just want to stay. But I know I have to keep moving, because there are so many other beautiful things ahead.Tonight I am at Gooch Gap shelter. Tommy Twoshoes and Homeless are back a few miles, at the newer shelter that replaced this one. Tammy and Charlie are tenting it down in the Gap, and I don't know what's become of Day-Glo. He might not make it in tonight.
Date: 2003-03-08
From: Gooch Gap 

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Start: Old Gooch Gap ShelterEnd: Woods Hole ShelterMiles: 10.2Total: 26.6Woke at Gooch Gap, where I'd spent the night alone, and took my time in the morning with breakfast and breaking camp. I passed Homeless on the first uphill: she'd had an early start. Got my first sunburn of the trip on top of Big Cedar Mountain (I know, Dad-- you told me so.) There were tons of people out today, and it took me a while to realize that it was Saturday. Hiked with a group from Atlanta, and then a Boy Scout leader and a couple of scouts into Jarrard Gap. It was nice to talk to people, and it made the miles go faster, but I wasn't setting my own pace. Was the first one into Wood's Hole at three, so I made myself two dinners. Homeless and Twoshoes in later, and then kid who told us he'd seen Brace a while back. We weren't sure he'd make it in, but about eight o'clock, after we'd all gone to bed,he appeared, then kept us all up laughing for another hour.
Date: 2003-03-09
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: clear sky

Woke early, grabbed a Kashi bar for breakfast (BIG mistake), and broke camp quick--today I was going to shower. Summited Blood Mountain, the highest point on the AT in Georgia, by nine o'clock, but it wasn't fun for me. No more skipping breakfast for me. Met Homeless up there, she'd headed out earlier, and we took some pictures. Thw wind and the fog were amazing, but the view? Not so much, because of the fog. Ah, well. From there it was downhill into Neel's Gap, and the Walasi-Yi center, the only building that the AT passes through. Now I'm showered, full of sandwich and Pringles (a whole stack!) and spend the rest of the day calling home, finishing laundry, resupplying. Tomorrow we're out early to do eleven miles.Thanks for my first trailmagic, MudButt!
Date: 2003-03-10
From: Neel's Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Yesterday afternoon another thru-hiker joined us at Neel's Gap. Stumpknocker, who did his first thru-hike last year, is around again for a second go. Because he knew the owners of the Walasi-Yi center, they lent him their minican and he took us all into town for an AYCE buffet at the Cookie Jar Restaurant. Sooo good, and although I'd only been out three days, and perhaps do not deserve to eat like this yet, I helped myself to fried chicken, fried okra, cornbread, salad, beans, potatoes, ice cream... and the list goes on. We all crashed by eight and were up early this morning. Sadly, this morning I decided to leave the three I had been traveling with. They were planning on sticking to lower mileage, and I have been getting to the shelters already earlier than I wanted to. IU was especially sad to leave Homeless-- she's supercool-- but I consoled myself with knowing that if I make more miles now, and am planning on taking 3 or so days off from Bryson City, then maybe I'll see them north of there. And it wasn't all bad, at all. I got to hike a little with Stumpknocker into Low Gap, and he's also good to talk to. He's been very generous with advice-- telling Homeless which places to stop through, and giving me gear tips. Tonight the place was full with hikers: 17 of us in all:Stumpknocker and myself, Teakettle and her two dogs, Michael and Andrew, now Ram-man and the Bishop, Thin Mint and Threesocks, a section hiker, Mike, and nine kids from the University of Florida, one of whom, I found out, knows my cousins, Tate and Mills. There was a fire built and I stayed up late (for here)-- 8:45!Oh, yeah, and I got a trailname last night. Homeless, Brace and Twoshoes were about to start calling me Sunshine 1) for the sunburn and 2) because they say I am cheerful as I pass them on the uphills. I was not all about being called Sunshine for the next six months, so I threw out some of my own ideas for them to choose from, and Homeless liked "Tang" best (it seems I have an inordinate amount of orange gear.) So Tang it is.
Date: 2003-03-11
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Cheese Factory Site
Miles today: 13.0

Unicoi Gap kicked me in the butt today. Or rather, in the knees. And the left quad. With cleats.Up early this morning and did 7.2 by lunchtime. At lunch on Blue Mountain, I saw Thin Mint and Threesocks, as well as the section hiker, Mike, from camp last night. Right after lunch, I hit Unicoi Gap. In the two miles in, the elevation drops 1000 feet, just to gain back 850 on the way out. At lunch, we were all going for this campsite, but ThinMint and Threesocks haven't made it in. Thin Mint was having knee pain, I am guessing that Unicoi got her too.Also news today, I got my first blisters of the hike, only not on my feet. That sunburn I got on Big Cedar Mountain turned out to be a bad one. Now I am tented on a mountain for the night. Now I am very tired and going to sleep. Easy 9 tomorrow.
Date: 2003-03-12
From: Cheese Factory Site

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Start: Cheese Factory SiteEnd: Deep Gap ShelterMiles: 9.0Total: 63.3Not a fun day. Woke late, broke camp at ten, and my body clock was off after that.   Didn't see anyone until two, and then was destroyed by Kelly's Knob. Met "Team Spud", Hashbrown and Homefry, who flew by me up Kelly's Knob, and then met Trailfrog, John and Homerun who came in later. All of the above were hauling butt, doing 15 and 18 mile days. Somewhat disheartening, but HYOH, right? Slept very well, and didn't even hear the mice scurrying through the shelter at night.
Date: 2003-03-13
From: Deep Gap

To: The Blueberry Patch
Miles today: 3.5

Woke early to a crash of thunder and lightning at 5:50 this morning. Yahoo! Ten minutes later, I remembered that I had left my boots outside. Thankfully, they were saved by the porch. Breakfasted, and just as I was getting ready to leave, who rolled in but Homeless and Twoshoes. I was so happy! Mike gave us a ride to the Blueberry Patch-- you can imagine the smell-- five hikers and five packs, out for three days in hot weather crammed into the back of his two-door Blazer! I'd take it any day to trudging those three miles down the road.So we're all here at the BP now, clean, fed, and lighter. We hitched into Hiawassee for lunch, and we'll hitch in again for dinner. AYCE at Daniel's Steakhouse. Sending my first box of gear home, too, tonight.Looks like the temperature will be dropping tomorrow. And that's great for me. I've been a sweathog the past three days, with temps almost to eighty, and me without shorts. I don't think I have ever smelled as bad as I did this morning.
Date: 2003-03-14
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Started the day with a fantastic breakfast of blueberry pancakes, cheese biscuits, sausage, coffee and o.j., courtesy of Gary and Lennie at the Blueberry Patch. Gary gave us a ride to the trailhead, and Homeless, Crusty, Twoshoes and I were off. Snacks and King Harvest stayed behind with blisters and knee trouble, respectively. It's a bummer seeing people have to come off so early. They say half of people who start drop by Neel's Gap--after 30 miles! I figure that a lot of those are people who didn't know what they were getting into. But then there's a whole other group of experienced packers who push hard miles and then have to come off for injuries, etc. Maybe it's over-enthusiasm. Or maybe you can do things on weekend and week-long hikes that you can't get away with out here. I mean, you can push hard and go eighteen if you have time to rest once you're home. But if it's day after day, the blisters just get worse, you can't walk them off. Swelling gets worse, fluid builds up. I have still been lucky with all of this. My boots treat me well. And, I have been keeping moderate mileage. At least all this is just physical stuff. I hope to see all of the ouchy hikers back on the Trail soon.Hiked with Crusty all day. It started raining around two, just after passing the Georgia-North Carolina border, and as we were starting our steepest climb yet. I started flying after that-- as Crusty says, "I could smell the barn." We were into the shelter by four, and joined shortly thereafter by lots and lots of men: Noel and I-can't-remember-his-hiking-partner's name, Gypsy and Anonymous, Outlaw and Scudrunner, and two section hikers. They outnumbered me nine to one. It's definitely a different atmosphere when it's all boys.
Date: 2003-03-15
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: moderate rain

Woke early and Crusty and I broke camp by eight-thirty. It rained a lot during the night, so our stuff was mostly wet, made only wetter by me spilling two pots of water before the third one finally made it into my coffee cup. So, no oatmeal for me.We walked inside of the clouds for most of the day. Sometimes,Crusty just disappeared into the fog ahead. And with all of the archways of rhododendrons-- it was both eerie and beautiful. We reached Standing Indian Shelter by eleven, where we met Juke and Chris, and to our final destination, Carter Gap Shelter, by four. There we met Salteen, Wicked Wizard, Bliss and Sunshine. Juke and Chris caught up, as did Outlaw and Scudrunner, who had slept in later. Tried to bearbag as the sun set and a cloud settled down on us. A lost cause. I couldn't see as far as the branches, and my headlamp only reflected off the mist. I couldn't even see the shelter from twenty feet away.
Date: 2003-03-16
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked all day with Crusty. He's a good guy. A 63-year-old retired army special ops training person. A couple of years ago, he hike Springer with his wife, son and daughter-in-law. He came down the mountain and into Atlanta for dinner, and felt bad heartburn. A heart attack and a quadruple bipass surgery later, he's second-attempting a thru-hike. Last year, he completed over 500 miles from Shenandoah north to New York. Now, he's at it again. He likes to hike with company, and we pace well together. This afternoon, we got to our destination, finishing 12 miles by a little past two. He egged me on though, asking if I could smell the pizza, and we trudged the three extra miles to US76, and hitched into Franklin. The first guy who picked us up happened to own a motel, and gave us hiker rates. So now, here I am, a few miles ahead of schedule, full of fried chicken, ham, salad and ice cream from the AYCE Sizzlin' Steakhouse next door, sharing a motel room with my 63-year-old hiking partner. Outlaw and Scudrunner are next door. Off to sleep.Other things we did today: Climbed Albert Mountain! The first of, I'm sure, many on-all-fours climbing experiences. Climbed Albert Mt. firetower, but the view was all white, for the fog. Saw the second oldest Poplar tree in the US. Took a picture of it.
Date: 2003-03-17
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Trucked in an easy few miles to the shelter tonight, after a day in Franklin at the outfitter/ grocery/ pharmacy/ Pizza Hut. We join a group of thru-hiking college kids from Summerville, Georgia, who started on the 1st. Rain expected through Thursday.
Date: 2003-03-18
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

As long as this rain keeps up, so does the shelter-hiking...Broke camp early, before the rest of the shelter was up, and off Crusty and I went. Crusty says that I'm getting my hiking legs, but I think it has more to do with my back and shoulders. The pack feels like less and less of a burden, and I begin to fly up those hills. Got into Cold Spring Shelter around two, where I found Gypsy, who was taking a low-mileage day. Crusty wasn't far behind, and then in rolled Old Blue, a 69-year-old texan who's been dreaming of these mountains for almost forty years. Outlaw and Scudrunner arrived in later, having spent an extra day in Franklin and pulling sixteen today. Good company.TrailMagic from Butch Cassidy today at Wayah Bald-- thanks for the jello!
Date: 2003-03-19
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center, US19
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Just after waking up this morning, a thunderstorm blew in. In the city, or at lower elevations, I suppose this would be less of an issue. But out here, when you've been walking through cloud for days on end, passing by uprooted or charred trees, the concern is very real. It is the only kind of weather that I have seen seriously unnerve veteran hikers. Scudrunner pulled out his weather radio and ascertained that we had two days of this ahead, but that this morning there was a window of a few hours until afternoon.I have not broken camp that quickly yet. Told Crusty that I would not be pacing with him today, and I booked it out of there. Four and a half hours later, I was 3000 feet lower and eleven miles down the trail, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center.Anonymous was already here, Gypsy beat me down, and Crusty was not far behind.Outlaw and Scudrunner followed a few hours later, when I was down buying Ben&Jerry's and Cokes for Crusty and me. They're heading up to Fontana Dam, where Scudrunner has flight home. Outlaw will be back here on the trail on Saturday, and I hope to catch up when I get back, on Sunday.As for me, my old roommate is picking me up tomorrow morning, and I'm back to Ohio for the weekend for my buddy Grant's wedding. Hopefully, I can convince my dad to bring me back straight from the wedding. I don't want to lose time, nor get passed up completely by my trailmates. Plus, I heard these four days I'll be gone will be clear-skyed. I don't want to miss all of the good weather.
Date: 2003-03-23
From: Home

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center, US19
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hey, all! Just figured I'd drop an entry while I'm in town. I'm just about ready to hit the road back to North Carolina, and man, was it a mad weekend. I didn't expect just two weeks out to have such an effect on me. From getting car sick from not being used to cars, to being bugged out by the size and brightness of department stores, I've been a bit overwhelmed. Things move fast out here. I didn't think I'd notice it so soon. Needless to say, I can't wait to go back.A couple of FYIs: I will rarely receive guestbook entries-- only when I am in a town with a nearby library. If you want me to receive the message in earlier than a month's time, you can email me at happytofall@pocketmail.com. I check this once a week, give or take.Also, I missent an earlier entry (3/10/03), so now that gap has been filled. Unfortunately, it was the one that had my trailname in it. I suppose, if you've found this, you've figured out that I'm now Tang. I've also updated my maildrop list, through the end of the trail. This is the list of post offices that I will be stopping into, in order to receive supplies. If you want to send mail or goodies or whatever, these are the addresses. The dates might change as I go on, though.I gotta run now! Thank you everyone, for your support, especially my brother, Matt, for transcribing everything onto this site, and doing my maildrops. Also, Dad and Ben and Jo, for all the odd tasks I might request down the road. Congratulations, Kylee and Grant!Back to the trail!