morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-12
To: Sadness and Reflection
Miles today: 0.0

Very early this morning, I was reading the various trail journals and I found the following very sad entry dated April 7th.   No one could ask for a better epitaph. Well said, Bluebird.¢We were informed that a fellow hiker, Phoenix (appox. age 56) died of a heart attack, while sleeping in a shelter in the Smoky Mountains. My heart and prayers go out to the family & friends of our AT soul-mate.   ---Yesterday I stopped and stood before a magnificent, huge, fallen tree. It seemed sad, but also had the ability to hold my gaze. In death it held a rare beauty and meaning...like it's life had come full circle as it should. Moss grew upon it's resting frame. New life sprang from it's slow decay. You could see that, when it fell, it's roots were still holding tightly to life, to the earth and rock it had grown around to support it's massive size. I realized that no matter how big, strong or capable I am or how tightly I hold onto life, someday a mighty wind will come and call me home. I will fall and return to the earth, just like the tree. Giving back only a fraction of what this life has given me. Rest gently with the fallen trees, Phoenix.¢No one wants to think about the death of a fellow hiker, but if it must be, then where else but the Great Smoky Mountains. You would be so close to God. As older hikers, we must face the possibility of this type of tragedy. As for myself and I am sure many other hikers, I would say to my loved ones, ¢I spent a lot of time deciding what would be the right path for my life. I decided that this path would carry me up the Appalachian Trail. Along my path, I expected to see the face of God. If my path leads me into his presence, to meet him face to face then it is still the right path for me. I could just as easily have died sitting on the couch at home. Please, know that I was doing what I really wanted to do and it was the right path.¢
Date: 2006-04-13
To: Food Plans
Miles today: 0.0

One of the frequent questions I have heard is ¢what will you eat -- will you live off the land¢ The answer to the last part of that question is NO ¢ NO ¢ NO!!!! There is always a chance to find a few berries, but in general I will be eating food I carry with me.I have spent a lot of time reading and working on my menus. This is a very similar process to choosing my gear. There are so many options. My major concerns are the weight of my food, daily calories and daily protein. The starting menu for my great adventure will consist of the following: (Up the trail, some items will be dropped and others will be added)Breakfast:        Carnation Instant Breakfast shaken with cappuccino and powdered milk        Package of 2 pop tartsSnacks: 3 snacks during the morning and 3 during the afternoon        Snickers Marathon bar ¢ Chocolate Nut Burst        GORP ¢ consisting of nuts, granola and M&M¢sLunch:        Slim Jim or Summer Sausage        12 bagel and peanut butter        Cheese crackers        CookiesDinner:        Gatorade powder mix        Slim Jim or Summer Sausage        Pasta meal mixed with instant potatoes or Rice meal        Chocolate milk or desert drink mix        Fruit roll-ups or Jelly beans or other candyWhile this is not a gourmet meal, it will provide me with about 4000 calories and 140 grams of protein. This will sound like a lot to non-hikers, but thru-hikers typically need 4000-6000 calories. The Marathon bars and Gatorade will also provide plenty of vitamins and other essential nutrients. I expect to stay healthy and lose weight without muscle loss or any other problems from not eating properly.
Date: 2006-04-15
To: Black Bear Attack
Miles today: 0.0

According to the recent news, a black bear killed a six-year-old girl and mauled her mother and two-year-old brother in the Cherokee National Forest. Authorities will locate and destroy the bear. Officials suspect the bear that mauled the Ohio family was hungry, just waking from winter hibernation, and looking for food. They called it a likely predatory attack, not the result of some provocation by the victims.¢This is not the news I want to see, shortly before I begin my hike. Our hearts go out to the family touched by this tragedy.According to additional information on the news ¢ ¢The attack was only second fatal black bear attack in Tennessee in modern times -- a woman that was day hiking in the Smokies was killed in 2000 -- and only the 56th attack in the past 100 years in North America. The odds are greater that I will be hit and killed by a car on my way to the trail than that I will be attacked by a bear.
Date: 2006-04-16
To: Happy Easter
Miles today: 0.0

HAPPY EASTER !!I now have hiked more than 400 miles since Christmas. My original target was to have completed 500 miles by the time I leave Florida on May 15th. So, I am right on target. I am now convinced that my legs can handle the distance but I don¢t know about handling the ups and downs. The only other conditioning I hope to complete would be some serious stair climbing on some of the bleachers at one of the local schools or colleges. Or as an alternative, I could repeatedly go up and down a section of small hills along the Florida Trail.I have made another important discovery during my shakedown hikes. After eating two of my Snickers Marathon protein bars, I have decided that I do not like their taste enough to eat them for six months. It is too close to the taste of cardboard. I will check out other protein bars during the next couple of weeks. Dennie and Pauline will be stopping at an REI store in Tennessee on Tuesday and he plans to try their protein bars. They will give me a taste report and I will go from there.
Date: 2006-04-22
To: Hills and Buying Food
Miles today: 0.0

I now have less than 4 weeks and I will be on the trail. Six months of serious planning and the time is almost here. I can¢t wait. I have now walked 440 miles. This week was also my first 40 mile week. I also added the repeating of a small hill on the Florida Trail. I have gone up and down this particular hill 50 times a day for several days. It¢s not much, but Florida doesn¢t offer many hills. I have started the process of buying my food and re-bagging it into smaller single serving bags. This process will probably continue until I leave Florida on May 15th.
Date: 2006-04-28
To: HALLELUJAH - CANCER FREE
Miles today: 0.0

HALLELUJAH!!   PRAISE THE LORD!!!!Just talked with my Doctor¢s office and the result of my blood test last Friday is that my PSA is ZERO!!!! -- NO cancer is detectable. The surgery and radiation has worked!!! This was one of the final hurdles before beginning my hike. Three weeks from today I will step onto the trail and the adventure begins. As far as I am concerned, I have done all I can do. I am ready!!
Date: 2006-05-17
From: The Day is here!!! FINALLY!!!

To: The Day is here!!! FINALLY!!
Miles today: 0.0

May 17THE DAY IS HERE!!!!   FINALLY!!!!We woke up in Hiawassee, Georgia in our motor home. The temperature is around 50 degrees. That settled it. I am taking my fleece jacket.I packed the car with all my hiking gear and we headed for the Dahlonega, Georgia area. (It is pronounced Da-LONIE-ga). This includes Amicalola Falls State Park and the hiker hostel to meet Dennie.Sun is out and it is a BEAUTIFUL day. Ris« drove so she could start learning the roads in the area. She will pick us up on our off days.We stopped in Blairsville at McDonald¢s for a quick lunch. I was wearing my ¢Mind over Mountain¢ T-shirt. Everybody in this area is familiar with the trail and wanted to know if I had already hiked part of the Trail. When I said I was just beginning my thru hike, everybody wanted to talk. The regional manager said hiking the trail was one of his life goals. There was a woman who lives close to Suches, GA and she and her husband provide assistance to hikers who have problems and have to get off the trail.Continuing on ¢ the mountains are spectacular. There are so many shades of green. I can literally feel the excitement rising. Then we came around a curve and there was a trail crossing. It was Neels Gap and the Walasi-Yi Center. This is the only place on the trail where the trail actually goes through a building. This is one of the best know outfitters on the trail. WOW, I am here! I am so pumped.We drove thru Dahlonega and went to Amicalola Falls State Park. There at the Visitor¢s Center, I officially registered to start my hike. Bald Eagle is now on the register as a hopeful thru-hiker. Then we went outside to have my picture taken. Just behind the Visitor¢s Center is a stone arch which officially begins the access trail that leads up to Springer Mountain, the actual starting point of the trail. We went to the Hiker Hostel and picked up Dennie. Then we drove back to Dahlonega for dinner at Caruso¢s Italian restaurant. Then back to the Hostel. Dennie needed to sort his gear before Ris« departed. He had brought lots of extra supplies that we will carry in the motor home. I said my goodbyes and stood watching Ris« drive away. There was a lump in my throat. We will meet Saturday night.Slept fitfully ¢ to quote the little boy on TV, ¢I¢m too excited to sleep!¢
Date: 2006-05-19
From: Day Two on the Trail-Hawk Mtn to Gooch Mtn

To: Day Two on the Trail-Hawk Mtn to Gooch Mtn
Miles today: 7.3

May 19, 2006 DAY TWO ON THE TRAIL-HAWK MTN SHELTER TO GOOCH MTN SHELTERDay 2. Hawk Mtn Shelter to Gooch Mtn Shelter (7.3 miles)We woke up around 7:00 a.m., had breakfast of Pop-tarts and carnation instant breakfast. Then we rolled out about 8:30. It was around 46 degrees. We started out with our fleece and then had to stop to make a stop to remove them. Another lesson¢¦I will get hot in about 30 minutes so don¢t overdress in the mornings.I feel good, the miles are easier and I am taking the hills at a decent pace. It is a great day to hike. I CAN DO THIS.Dennie is having trouble. The climbs are tough and he is having trouble with his feet. The 600-foot climb up Sassafras Mountain followed by another 400-foot climb up Justus Mountain just about did him in. We descended down to Justus Creek area, stopped and talked with Emerald and Sharpie who were eating dinner and then climbed back up 450 feet to Gooch Mtn Shelter where we were going to spend the night. We had originally planned to do 5 more miles, but Dennie couldn¢t make it and I would have had a tough time.A short time later, Bill showed up and we all began to set up. Emerald and Sharpie came in and were off to a tent site to setup. This is a new shelter built in 2001 and it¢s really nice. Bill talked a little about his section hiking. He has hiked more than 1000 miles on the AT. This time he is just out for overnight. Then a group I will call the ¢Gang of Five¢ showed up. Three of them decided to sleep in the upper level and two will stay in their hammocks. They are all fairly young and just out for a weekend hike. They fixed an incredible amount of food. Each one had a stove and at one time they were all blazing. They fixed fancy dehydrated meals. Then one of them got out a small espresso machine. Later, they broke out bourbon and cigars. These guys are living! About an hour after the Gang of Five arrived, another hiker came in. He looked like he was in really bad shape and I think he had major foot problems. He was walking in Crocs and had his hiking shoes hooked to his pack. He had walked from Springer (which is15 miles) in one day so no wonder he looked tired. When we see Ris«, Dennie has decided he is going to dramatically reduce the amount of gear he is carrying. I am also going to reduce some of mine. We are now going to be a day later meeting Ris« and we need to let her know. I haven¢t figured it all out yet.During the night, a mouse ran across Dennie¢s forehead. He got up and hung up his pack. Then I woke up again heard a mouse chewing on something. So I moved my pack outside and re-hung it.
Date: 2006-05-21
From: Day Four - Zero Day - Recovery

To: Day Four - Zero Day - Recovery
Miles today: 0.0

May 21, 2006 DAY FOUR --- ZERO DAY --- RECOVERY Well, now that I have had more time to think, I remember reading about a middle aged couple that were starting their hike and then one day the man actually thought he had had a stroke. He lost muscle coordination and just could hardly move. An experienced hiker coming through diagnosed his problem as lack of a sufficient amount of calories. He had ¢hit the wall¢ in hiker jargon. The solution was the ingestion of quick calories. My guess is that this is what happened to me. Since we were running behind schedule, we were going to stay out an extra day. Dennie thought he had left one day¢s worth of food back at the hostel. This meant we were two days short of food so I was not eating the amount of food that I had carefully researched. Then not eating properly the evening we set up camp only made a bad situation worse. I will double check our food supply and carry at least a partial day of extra food. We WILL also buy extra power bars/candy and carry extra powdered Gatorade.Now that we have resolved our future course of action and protection, on with the story:Sunday was spent at the local Laundromat. We washed everything that was dirty and smelly. We dried the sleeping bags, tents and other supplies that were just wet.Then we returned to the motor home to sort our packs and reduce the total weight that we both were carrying. I removed my fleece jacket, extra pair of pants and other clothes I can do without. After all, I will only be out of the motor home for 2-5 days at a time. I also sorted my bags of daily supplies, emergency supplies. I removed any duplicates. There really isn¢t much I couldn¢t survive without until I made it back to the motor home. I dropped my bungee cord that I planned to suspend my pack from a tree. I will use the ground cloth under our sleeping bags in the shelter and drop the special bag I had purchased. Each item was reviewed in the same manner. Dennie remove lots of different items, including an emergency splint (what can I say). Dennie packed and repacked his bag so many times I lost count. My pack will be below 30 lbs including water and 3 day¢s-worth of food. Dennie¢s will probably be in the 34-37 lb range. This process will continue after each hike, until we get our packs to their lowest possible weight.We need to reduce some of the duplication between us. But that might require more effort.
Date: 2006-05-23
From: Day Six - Tray Mtn Shelter to Dick's Creek Gap 

To: Day Six - Tray Mtn Shelter to Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 10.1

May 23, 2006 DAY SIX ON THE TRAIL - Tray Mountain Shelter to Dick¢s Creek GapDay 6. Tray Mountain Shelter to Dick¢s Creek Gap (10.1 miles)We awoke about 6:30, hoping for a beautiful sunrise. It was the same story as the sunset. There are too many trees for a good view. It is very chilly ¢ about 48 degrees. I dress quickly, put on my wind shirt and my jacket. My plan is to take off everything except my T-shirt just before we leave camp. We will start out a little chilly, but warm up quickly as we hike. We have decided if the day goes well, we will hike all the way to Dick¢s Creek Gap instead of stopping at the Deep Creek Shelter. There was a long hard climb up Kelly Knob with almost 1000-foot elevation change. The sun was on our backs by this time and we were hot. We always drink at least 40 oz of water before we break camp. And then we drink another couple of quarts of water before lunch. We stopped several times for snacks and our candy bars. We were almost out of water by the time we stopped for lunch. We ate lunch and then filled my filter bottle. I drank the entire bottle and refilled it for the remainder of the trip out. Just before we moved on, Backfire arrive and then Seth. We talked for awhile, wished them the traditional ¢Have a Good Hike¢ and moved on.We started down from Kelly Knob toward Dick¢s Creek Gap. It went downhill FOREVER.Just as we reached the road, a voice called from behind us. It was Bob who had passed us the first day. He was still walking with his Jack Russell terrier.   With him was Backfire. We crossed the highway and Ris« was waiting. We headed for Hiawassee and an all-you-can-eat buffet. I was a little tired, but Dennie was hurting and pretty well wiped out.Tomorrow, we will decide on our next step.
Date: 2006-05-28
From: Day 11 on Trail-Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi Gap

To: Day 11 on Trail-Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

May 28, 2006 DAY ELEVEN ON THE TRAIL ¢ Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi GapDay 11. Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi Gap (9.4 miles)We woke early, checked our water supply, had a quick breakfast and headed out! The first part of the Trail seemed fairly easy, but then there were several climbs. Then we headed down into Chattahoochee Gap. From there we began our climb of Blue Mountain. The only way to describe the Blue Mountain portion of the Trail was ROCKY! There were big rocks, little rocks, piles of rocks, smooth huge rocks, rocks we had to climb, rocks we had to avoid, rocks that led to other rocks without touching the Trail¢¦rocks were everywhere!As we neared the top, there was a sign pointing toward the Blue Mountain Shelter. We decided that looked like a good place for lunch. We arrived at the shelter before noon and we had already covered 7.2 miles in just over four hours. So, we were happy hikers! The shelter is a newer design and had a new privy. While we were at the shelter, another group of five older men came in, so we all sat around, had lunch and talked for awhile before they moved on. Dennie and I knew that Ris« would not get back into Hiawassee until later in the afternoon or early evening from her trip to Chattanooga, so we decided to lounge around at this wonderful spot before heading on down the mountain.Shortly after 2:00 p.m., we decided that we had wasted enough time and needed to be on our way. The steady downhill journey was 2.2 miles and consisted of sections of more rocks! We made good time and arrived in Unicoi Gap shortly after 3:00 p.m. and were proud of our remarkable day of almost 9.4 miles in five hours. This is particularly promising because we know we have 12 and 15 mile days ahead and this hike today gives us the confidence we need to accomplish longer days.
Date: 2006-05-29
To: Memorial Day - Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

May 29, 2006 ZERO DAY ¢ MEMORIAL DAYDay 12. Memorial Day Picnic at the ParkIn short¢¦The park provided free food so we took a day off! Tomorrow we hit the Trail early and it will be our last hiking day in Georgia! On to North Carolina and points beyond.   I worked on my shoes again today. They are still giving me fits, so this time I used Super Glue to fix the gaps. I am hoping this will work! By the way, my knees are much better and bother me rarely. My back is good even after lifting the T.V. out of hits cubby hole to repair the sound. So, thanks to all those who have been praying for me and please keep it up.
Date: 2006-05-31
From: Day 14-Muskrat Creek Shelter to Carter Gap Shelter

To: Day 14-Muskrat Creek Shelter to Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

May 31, 2006 MUSKRAT CREEK SHELTER TO CARTER GAP SHELTERDay 14. Muskrat Creek Shelter to Carter Gap Shelter (12.5 miles)We left the shelter around 8:30 a.m. and immediately began to climb. Now, even the mountain gaps are higher than Blood Mountain, which was the highest Georgia spot on the Trail. The mountain peaks are even higher!   We passed the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and the Chunky Gal Trail. (Now, how would you like to be the one for whom this trail is named??) Then, we had a long downhill walk to Deep Gap. The next long climb was 2.4 miles up to Standing Indian Mountain, where the elevation is 5,498 feet, over a mile above sea level. Thankfully because the climb was so long, it wasn¢t terribly steep.   Finally we started downhill for 3 miles!We finished the day with a short climb and then into Carter Gap. This is the first place with two shelters. One shelter is VERY old and littered with somebody¢s excess supplies. We were glad when we realized there was another, newer shelter about 200 yards away. AND, there was a NICE privy, a very welcomed site! If nothing else, we proved that we could cover 12.5 miles and get into camp by 5:00 o¢clock and not be exhausted. The bad thing about staying at the newer shelter is that the water was behind the old shelter. So, we had to walk 200 yards back to the old shelter, down a hill at least another 100 yards and then BACK to the new shelter. There were two interesting features: 1) there were 10 mouse-proof cables hanging from the rafters. These consist of a rope tied around the rafters, running through an empty, upside-down tuna fish can and then down to a stick that can be used for hanging bags. The purpose of the can is to keep mice from running down the cable and into the food.   2) The shelter is built on a hill and 3 feet below the primary sleeping floor, was what appeared to be a second sleeping surface that could be used for overflow, in the event there were too many hikers. We have seen shelters with lofts, but never a shelter with a basement. According to the Trail Register, Seth, who we met at Tray Mountain, chose to sleep in this basement. As far as I¢m concerned, the clearance was too short and too close to the ground to even slow down critters! So, I chose the upper level. Last night there was a large group at this shelter, according to the Trail Register. Tonight, there¢s just Denley and me. Denley made the campfire! One of his feet had hurt him all day even though he bandaged it this morning. When he took off his shoes tonight, he found out why. He put the bandage on the wrong side of his foot. I turned on my MP3 player and all was well with the world. I heard owls all night long and awoke to a bird symphony!
Date: 2006-06-02
From: Day 16-ZERO DAY

To: Day 16-ZERO DAY
Miles today: 0.0

June 2, 2006 ZERO DAY ¢ Final plans for DenleyDay 16. Zero Day ¢ Making final plans for: Denley¢s trip home, Nick¢s (grandson) walk with me next week, and relocating to Pigeon ForgeWe spent the day doing laundry and trying to fumigate the car. We had lunch at a Chinese Restaurant in Hiawassee and then stopped to get boxes for Denley to ship some of his stuff back to Michigan.The past three days of hiking have been a series of great lows and magnificent highs. The lowest was the exhausting climb into Muskrat Creek which made me question my sanity. The highest was making it to the peak of Albert Mountain and the exhilarating thrill when I realized we had made it to the top and could see the awesome views that went on for miles.
Date: 2006-06-17
From: Gatlinburg to Indiana

To: Gatlinburg to Indiana
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

June 17, 2006 Old shoes and new shoesAs I have mentioned earlier, my original shoes are falling apart. I have been repairing them and they have held together while I searched for new shoes that fit. Dennie and I had stopped at the Happy Hiker store in Gatlinburg and the owner recommended the same shoes as Nat at Neel¢s Gap. So before we headed to Anderson, I returned to Gatlinburg and purchased a pair of Montrail Torre GTX hiking boots for more money than I ever want to talk about again. As soon as we arrive in Indiana, I will mail the old shoes back to Teva and see if they provide the refund they promised. I will also hike at least 30 miles to be sure the new shoes are broken in before my next section of serious hiking.