morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-07-14
From: Home

To: Home, Day 2
Miles today: 0.0

(In which I hang out with Lemur)I set my tent up in my yard to re-seal the parts on the outside where the silicone sealant has worn off, and spray the mesh bottom and sides of the tent with bug-killing permethrin spray. I also spray my shirt, shorts and socks with permethrin, having learned the hard way that bugs can easily bite through my clothing.Lemur, who took two weeks off to visit New York City and then recover from Lyme disease, was just one day behind me, so after figuring out when he would reach Dalton, I drive back to the trail to take him back to Northampton. I haven't seen him since he pulled ahead of the slow train at Duncannon. He's shaved since then, and if it weren't for the tan I would think that I'm meeting the old Lemur from North Carolina when I pick him up outside of the Dalton post office.We drive back to Northampton and catch up on news (he's gotten a girlfriend since I saw him -- going off trail for two weeks had its upsides). We sit around and chat with my sister, listening to her stories from Denali, head to Walmart for a resupply, and then pick up some cheesy bread and pizza from Domino's for dinner. Cousin Jessamyn stops by after dinner to meet the famous Lemur and bring us both off-trail trail magic ("couch magic", my dad calls it) of pie, chips and fancy maple syrup candy.I send most of the day hanging out with Lemur -- hardly the productive day I had planned, but well worth it. I do find time while Lemur is in the shower to make a quick and dirty fix for my journal app (it now ignores all of the entries more than two weeks old, only saving the recent ones). I also load my 96 gigs of pictures and movies to my computer, which means that tomorrow, if everything goes well, I just might post some of those three thousand photographs I've taken so far.
Date: 2011-07-15
From: Home, Day 2

To: Home, Day 3
Miles today: 0.0

(In which I finally upload more photos)For breakfast we drive down to the local Blue Bonnet Diner for some french toast and bacon. It's nice to be back where restaurants include real maple syrup in the price of the meal, and to show Lemur the local sites.We sort through our gear for a few hours, weighing items on my tenth-of-a-gram scale, and then we walk back down the street to Taco Bell for lunch. Lemur tries the Dollar Menu Challenge, ordering one each of all nine items on the Taco Bell menu that cost a dollar or less. I had never heard of this challenge (and, not eating most items on most dollar menus, am unlikely to ever try it), but enjoy watching Lemur tackle it almost as much as I enjoyed watching him eat a half gallon of ice cream back in Pine Grove Furnace. Unfortunately for Lemur, he also has about as much fun, having made the same mistake again this time of attempting a food challenge after already eating. Once again he powers through, though, and manages to stuff the last burrito into his mouth and declare victory.Back at the house Lemur begins to type up the paper journal he has filled up (his online trail journal still puts him back in Virginia) and I make a first pass through all of my pictures. I upload a hundred or so to my website (jsstylos.com), and then finish up several more items from my to-do list, calling my credit card company to order a replacement (the magnetic strip has slowly worn out from being in my back pocket), replacing all of my plastic bags with new ones, and an assortment of other small chores.In the evening we turn on the TV to the truly terrible 2006 remake of Night of the Living Dead, and somehow end up watching it through the end, though to our credit we do talk over most of the movie. By the end of the day I have finished, if not all of the items on my list, then at least the most important ones, and am ready to head back to the trail in the morning.
Date: 2011-08-06
From: Stealth spot off of the Eisenhower Trail

To: Osgood Tent Site
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

(In which I climb up and over Mt. Washington)I sleep in until 8 and leave by 9, the same time that I would have from the hut, but having gotten two extra hours of sleep. I stop by the Lake of the Clouds hut for some water, and when I leave a sign up the hill warns me: "Mount Washington has the most severe weather in the country. People die of exposure even in summer months. If the weather looks bad, turn back now." The sky is slightly overcast but calm, so I press onward.The climb up Mt. Washington is surprisingly nice, not overly steep or precarious, and offers views of the summit for most of the climb. With giant, industrial looking towers and antennas, the summit reminds me of nothing so much as a movie villain's fortress, which gives the climb a suitably dramatic feel. When I reach the top, a turreted cement castle with dirty, soot covered walls completes the effect, which is only slightly lessened by the throngs of tourists. With a road and railway traveling straight to the top, hundreds of non-hikers have found their way to the summit. The line to take a picture with the summit sign has dozens of people and takes more than ten minutes, so I skip the actual summit for the moment and hit the snack stand instead.If the AMC is guilty of turning the White Mountains into a resort, then nowhere is this more flagrant than at the theme-park-like summit of Washington, which is complete with a gift shop and overpriced concessions. I would likely spend more time decrying this if I weren't so busy buying and eating the overpriced snacks, which include Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Moxie soda.I eventually wait in line to tag the summit and then head down the mountain and over the rest of the presidential ridge. Not having been familiar with the Whites, I am surprised but not entirely disappointed by the fact that the AT bypasses most of the other summits, which are accessible by side trails. The weather looks fair so I don't bother asking for work-for-stay at Madison Hut, but stay long enough to watch two sobos get the first two spots and then Doc Boom and company get turned away, the limit apparently being two. The nobos decide to stealth nearby so that they can come back for a free dinner, but I press on up Madison, knowing that I wouldn't eat the food anyway.No sooner do I start up the steep slope of Madison then a dark cloud rolls in and I hear a first rumble of thunder. I pause on the side of the mountain, debating whether I should climb back down and try to convince the crew to let me stay in the hut, but when a minute passes without any more rumbles I decide to continue forward. Once I am over the summit and heading down I breath a sigh of relief, and the cloud soon blows over anyway.Though only two and a half miles, the descent down to the next campsite drops 3000 feet, and is a slow, grueling affair. At the bottom I am exhausted, but glad to have put the bulk of the Whites behind me.
Date: 2011-08-25
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: overcast clouds

(The 100 mile wilderness: Day 2)I wake up before 6am when Grizzly Giant, out on a 100 mile section hike with The Machine, gets up. "I didn't wake you, did I?" he asks. "Naaaah," I lie, but in truth I am glad to get an early start since I am planning a 20+ mile day. The section hikers rising with the sun reminds me of how effortless it was for me to do the same when I first started my hike, but by now my internal clock has learned to ignore the sun and sleep in.The sky, clear and blue yesterday, is filled with grey clouds and mist today, but the forecasted rain stays at bay. The trail winds up and down hills and small mountains, including a few sections of the steep, wet rocks I dislike so much, but with nearly flat terrain from the end of the day tomorrow to the base of Katahdin I know that I won't have to see too much more of it.The trail also has several bogs with rotted planks, and when I test the mud with my trekking poles, they often sink down several feet, a reminder that one wrong step is all it will take to get awfully messy. With so many of the planks missing there often aren't a lot of *right* steps to take, but with slow, carefully planning I am able to root-hop and keep my feet dry every time but one, when I slip on a slick root and soak one foot.Jessie and Amanda catch up by the second shelter (I skip the first one, being 0.4 off trail, as I suspect most hikers do). While we're eating lunch it finally begins to rain, and then thunder. We all groan, not wanting to start hiking again in the rain, and Amanda pulls her pack over to use as a pillow, ready to wait it out. Luckily the shower passes within a few minutes and we resume hiking on the freshly wet trail.Being accustomed to shorter days, my energy level begins to wain after 15 miles or so, and without any landmarks to check my progress for the last 3.5 miles, I expect the shelter around every curve for what seems like hours. It's one of the least pleasant of feelings on the trail, the continual disappointment of the shelter that just won't appear, but is at least always followed by the relief of the eventual arrival.Inside the shelter are Amanda, Jessie, Mean Gene and Bum Knee, none of whom have slept in a shelter for hundreds and in some cases thousands of miles, but who were convinced by the ominous looking weather to give it another shot. I hadn't slept in a shelter either for most of the trail before Maine, but since the worst of the bug season seems to have past I've gone back to sleeping in them almost exclusively. Not long after I show up the rain begins again in earnest, and everyone is glad to be under the tin roof.With rain forecasted for days to come and a possible hurricane before the week is out I am unlikely to continue to be as lucky with the weather as I have been today, but as long as the weather is nice for Katahdin it will all be worth it. And if it doesn't look to be, I plan to sit at the base and wait until it does.
Date: 2012-04-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Faithful reader, you have found the bonus track at the end of the CD, the extra scene after the movie's credits have rolled.You see a man standing in an archway. His back is toward you, displaying a freshly made pack, and a wide-brimmed hat. He turns towards you, and you see a familiar face, with a beard shorter than you are used to. He winks, and the screen cuts to black.On the screen appear words, and a url, bold white text on a black background:PCT 2012postholer.com/portraitEnd scene.
Date: 2009-12-31
To: Maybe Damascus in five weeks?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I've been doing some additional research, which has given me some new ideas: If all goes well, it could take as little as 3 weeks to get to Hot Springs. If so, could probably get to Damascus VA (mile 463) in two more weeks, just in time for the probable Trail Days weekend celebration (usually the weekend after Mother's Day weekend). That would add interest to the hike as well as completing 3 states and more than a fifth of the total trail miles. This could then lead to a similar section hike each year for the next four years to complete the entire trail. Anyway, I'm now thinking seriously about trying to carve out 5 rather than 4 weeks to make this option possible. Interested parties, stay tuned.
Date: 2010-01-25
To: Gear list fun (how light can I go)?
Miles today: 0.0

I have been working on my gear list, with the goal to be as light as possible. I've been massaging my gear spreadsheet choices and think I have something workable for about a sub-12 pound base weight.Some of the more important choices are: Pack - Gossamer Gear Gorilla with large hip belt pouches; Shelter - Gatewood Cape, homemade Tyvek groundsheet; Sleeping - NeoAir pad, homemade bivvy sack with noseeum headnet, Jacks R Better Nest down quilt, also wearable as jacket; Rain Gear - Gatewood Cape, Marmot Precip pants, "Maid of the Mist" plastic poncho for wearing in camp if Gatewood Cape is set up as a shelter; Tech Gear - iPhone for camera, books to read, mp3, voice recorder for trail journal, AT Companion pdf's, and even phone calls - iPhone charger that uses 4 lithium AA batteries - Delorme PN-40 GPS, lithium AA batteries.Clothing - On trail: Railriders Ecomesh shirt, Marmot DriClime lined windshirt, Possumdown stocking cap, UnderArmor boxers, BPL Thoroughfare pants, Dirty Girl gaiters, Vermont Darn Tough socks, New Balance non-waterproof mesh trailrunners, synthetic glove liners.(in wet/cold conditions, add Rocky Goretex socks; Marmot Precip pants rather than BPL; Gatewood Cape; OR Goretex mittens).Clothing - In camp: Second pair of boxers and socks, BPL Merino top and bottoms, BPL Cocoon balaclava, Possumdown gloves, Feathered Friends down booties and boots, wearable Nest down quilt. (all this to be kept dry no matter what, never worn while hiking with possible exception of BPL merino top).
Date: 2010-02-22
To: Might have some company
Miles today: 0.0

I've now had a few people from the NEOH Backpacking Club sign up to join me on my trip, though all are thinking of a week or two rather than the whole 4 or 5 weeks. One has emailed me about joining me in Hot Springs and going to Damascus from there. We'll see; it's still very early with more than a year to go. I'll be following others' entries this year to get a handle on weather and how much mileage I might expect to cover.
Date: 2010-04-13
To: Might have some company
Miles today: 0.0

A somewhat new to backpacking hiker who is a NEOH Backpacking Club member has signed up to hike all 4-5 weeks with me next year. His trail name is willy. I'm going to see if we can do some hiking together this summer to see how our chemistry would be. Another club member, stepbreathe, is talking about joining me in Hot Springs for the hike to Damascus. So we'll see. I'm eagerly following the progress of some of this year's hikers like Restless Legs who started about 5 days ago. I want to see how they progress, resupply, and what weather they encounter.
Date: 2010-06-01
To: Starting to get ready, accumulated musings
Miles today: 0.0

Remember Restless Legs? I was thrilled that he made it to Damascus in less than 5 weeks - there's hope for me in that. Unfortunately, somewhat farther on up the trail he discovered that some bad pain was due to a stress fracture and he is now off trail healing. Sobering.Well, less than a year to go now. I need to sit down and plan my resupply strategy: where I can send mail drops and where I can buy things close to the trail. I'm going to try to minimize trips to town that involve a hitch, and emphasize picking up things at hostels and other venues on or very close to trail.In mid-May I went with youngest son (age 23) to backpack the Shawnee Backpack Trail in southern Ohio over 4 days and 3 nights (3 PM Friday to 3 PM Monday - 72 hours). Forty miles with lots of ups and downs, few switchbacks. I imagined this to be much like the AT, though the AT has more sustained climbs and descents. I learned from this trip that it would be good for me to lose some weight, and I don't mean pack weight, I mean belly weight! Am aiming for a pound a week of weight loss over the summer. Have lost 4 pounds already -- so far so good.I have two strenuous trips coming up that will also be good tests: the Black Forest Trail in PA in July (42 miles over 3.5 days) and in August a 9-day trip in the Bailey Range in WA (Olympic NP). The latter trip will involve carrying all the food for the trip and a large bear canister to store it in. These trips will help me focus on what else I may want to do before next April.Am still trying to decide whether to go with a synthetic insulation set of gear versus down. I have both, so will not need to make new purchases either way. The synthetic kit will probably add a couple pounds, but I won't worry so much about keeping my insulation dry if I get caught in multi-day rains. Especially if shelters are full and I'm tarping it in a less-than-ideal site, or I just want to bivouac between shelters.I have gotten a Ti-Tri Caldera Cone for my Kmart Greasepot, replacing the aluminum one; also replaced my Marmot Precip jacket with an Integral Designs Event jacket. Was able to sell both replaced pieces of gear on BackpackingLight, which helps the wallet some. On the AT I will cook with the Cone using Esbit tabs, that I will send myself in maildrops; the Ti-Tri cone can be used with a wood twig fire in a pinch, which may come in handy if I want to heat some water for a hot drink that I did not budget for with my Esbit supply or I take an extra day on the trail to get to my resupply point.
Date: 2010-06-12
To: The Plan's The Thing
Miles today: 0.0

I have spent the time with guidebooks and come up with the detail of my hiking plan for 5 weeks to Damascus, including leaving enough time at the end for a couple of days of Trail Days celebration in Damascus and a day to get home. I'm assuming a mid-day start on 4/9/11 at Amicalola SP and an average mileage of 14.5 per day with less in the first couple weeks and more in the latter weeks. Here are the stopping points and accrued mileages:Date / End of Day Stop Point / miles 4/9/10 Amicalola Falls SP -8.8; 4/10/10 Springer Mtn Shelter 0.2; 4/11/10 Justus Creek campsite 13.8; 4/12/10 Woods Hole Shelter 27.0; 4/13/10 Low Gap Shelter 41.5; 4/14/10 Cheese Factory camp 54.5; 4/15/10 US 76 - Dick's Creek 67.5; 4/16/10 Muskrat Creek Shelter 79.3; 4/17/10 Carter Gap Shelters 91.8; 4/18/10 Rock Gap Shelter 103.9; 4/19/10 Wayah Shelter 118.7; 4/20/10 NOC 135.0; 4/21/10 Brown Fork Gap Shelter 151.0; 4/22/10 Fontana Dam Vis Center 164.0; 4/23/10 Russell Field Shelter 177.5; 4/24/10 Siler's Bald Shelter 192.2; 4/25/10 Icewater Spring Shelter 207.7; 4/26/10 Tri-Corner Knob Shelter 220.3; 4/27/10 Green Corner Road 238.4; 4/28/10 Roaring Fork Shelter 253.8; 4/29/10 Deer Park Mtn Shelter 268.6; 4/30/10 Spring Mountain Shelter 282.8; 5/1/10 Jerry Cabin Shelter 298.2; 5/2/10 Hogback Ridge Shelter 312.9; 5/3/10 Camping 328.2; 5/4/10 Camping 342.8; 5/5/10 Cherry Gap Shelter 356.5; 5/6/10 Ash Gap 371.0; 5/7/10 US 19 Roan Mountain 388.4; 5/8/10 Camping 404.9; 5/9/10 US 321 Hampton TN 421.7; 5/10/10 Iron Mountain Shelter 437.4; 5/11/10 Abington Gap Shelter 453.3; 5/12/10 Damascus VA 463.5 Resupply will be at Mountain Crossings, Blueberry Patch Hostel, NOC, Hike Inn (Fontana), Standing Bear Farm, Hot Springs, Uncle Johnny's (Erwin), Roan Mountain, and Hampton. Max food carried will be about 4.5 days worth, usually less.
Date: 2010-11-22
To: Update with less than 6 months to go
Miles today: 0.0

OK. Time for an update. Could not get the five weeks off to go to Damascus. Also now committed to a two week Wind River Range crest trip in late summer. So, will now just be going to Hot Springs, tentatively in about 23 days. Still leaving Amicalola Falls SP mid-day on 4/9/11 after shuttle from Atlanta. Plane ticket purchased. Arriving at 8:55 AM in Atlanta. Anyone who would want to share a shuttle from Atlanta MARTA at that time can be in touch. I may have some fellow NEOH Backpacking Club members with me but too early to tell for sure. Also need to make some changes to my posted equipment list as I've switched out some gear.
Date: 2010-12-07
To: Backyard!
Miles today: 0.0

I did some backyard testing recently to see how low a temperature I could comfortably handle with the gear I was planning to bring. No problem down to 28 degrees, but started to get chilly below that.    Based on this testing, I think I will probably go with a down quilt rather than synthetic after all. I'll just have to be really careful with it and make sure it does not get wet.    Am planning to sell my Jacks R Better Nest (posted at BPL and WhiteBlaze today) and have ordered a JRB Sierra Sniveler to replace it; this is what I will bring on the AT as I know I can take it down to 20 degrees (or less if I really had to).   I also have made arrangements with Survivor Dave to shuttle me from the Atlanta MARTA at about 10:30 AM on 4/9. If anyone wants to share, please contact me as he can take up to 3 others.
Date: 2010-12-13
To: December trip gave good insights on gear
Miles today: 0.0

Took a club trip this past weekend to Quehanna trail in PA. 3-6" wet snow on ground for 11 miles in sunshine on Sat and it rained all day on our 7.5 mile hike out with temps in mid-30's on Sunday. This was a great opportunity to test my mesh trail runners with Gore-Tex socks worn over merino liners and Darn Tough socks. The system worked well: shoes were soaked, but still light, because they drained well. The merino liners and heavier socks got damp here and there, but not wet, and feet were not macerated. Was able to dry everything out under clothing while I slept, including the Gore-Tex socks. In camp used my down booties to keep feet warm and dry until the next morning. I will probably bring all of these items on the AT.
Date: 2010-12-23
To: Steppin Up; Knee Health
Miles today: 0.0

I have a goal of losing some weight and getting in better trail shape BEFORE hitting the AT in April. Since the best prep would be backpacking and I can't do that all that often, I decided to see if I could find a used Stair Climber on Craigslist and that would give me the closest thing to climbing those GA and NC/TN mountains on a regular basis. Was successful and got this thing called a "Bodyguard Personal K2" from a guy that had used it a few years ago to rehab after a knee injury. It's now installed in TV room, where I've been using it while watching Mark Flagler's "Appalachian Impressions" DVD. I'm up to 1750 feet of "elevation gain" as measured by the machine as of this morning (takes about 3 minutes per hundred feet of elevation gain at the settings I'm using). I can do 2000 feet in about an hour. We'll see. I'll basically have to get up an hour earlier than usual or spend some evening time on it on any day that I want to do this.    Meanwhile, I got a pair of Cho-Pat knee braces and I'm trying to see what they are like to wear and if I can feel any difference when I wear them. Lots of hikers on WhiteBlaze recommend them. I will bring either one or both on the AT. I have to decide if I should wear them preventively or just wait to see if the knees get painful. I'm also planning on getting back to regular use of glucosamine, which I had gotten away from.
Date: 2010-12-29
To: Updated Plan
Miles today: 0.0

Gonna try to shave a few days off so I have more time available for other trips. No guarantees, but here's the updated "plan". "Change Is Good" . . . Resupplies from mail drops are still planned for Mountain Crossings at mile 30.7 (no overnight stay) and hostels (usually with overnight stays) at miles 67.5 (Dick's Gap, Blueberry Patch Hostel); 135.0 (Nantahala Outdoor Ctr, no stay), 164.0 (Hike Inn Hostel at Fontana Dam); 238.4 (Standing Bear Farm Hostel).Date End of Day Location / NOBO mi / Daily mi4/09/11 Springer Mtn Shelter / 0.2 / 9.04/10/11 Justus Creek campsite / 13.8 / 13.64/11/11 Woods Hole Shelter / 27.0 / 13.24/12/11 Whitley Gap Shelter / 36.9 / 9.94/13/11 Blue Mountain Shelter / 48.7 / 11.84/14/11 Sassafras Gap / 61.3 / 12.64/15/11 US 76, Dick's Creek Gap / 67.5 / 6.24/16/11 Muskrat Creek Shelter / 79.3 / 11.84/17/11 Carter Gap Shelter / 91.8 / 12.54/18/11 Rock Gap Shelter / 103.9 / 12.14/19/11 Wine Spring / 115.9 / 12.04/20/11 Wesser Bald Shelter / 129.3 / 13.44/21/11 Sassafras Gap Shelter / 141.9 / 12.64/22/11 Cody Gap / 153.8 / 11.94/23/11 Fontana Dam / 164.0 / 10.24/24/11 Mollies Ridge Shelter / 175.0 / 11.04/25/11 Derrick Knob Shelter / 186.7 / 11.74/26/11 Mount Collins Shelter / 200.2 / 13.54/27/11 Pecks Corner Shelter / 215.1 / 14.94/28/11 Cosby Knob Shelter / 228.0 / 12.94/29/11 Standing Bear Farm Hostel / 238.4 / 10.44/30/11 Max Patch Summit / 252.0 / 13.65/01/11 Garenflo Gap / 265.2 / 13.25/02/11 Hot Springs / 271.8 / 6.6