morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-10-05
From: North of Nahmakanta Stream campsite

To: Rainbow Ledges
Miles today: 23.1

I was up before dawn, and had a big pot of mocha ready for myself, Dog Man and Wreckless just as it was getting light enough to see. Another gorgeous day. Three miles in, I came upon Spartan, Crocket and Doc, who were camped out on the shore of a beautiful lake. With all the ponds, lakes, streams, mountains and fall colors (not to mention the nearly perfect weather), Maine has been my favorite state to hike through. I left after hanging out a bit, meeting up with Ninja on Nesuntahunt Mountain (an easy 800 ft. climb), looking at a fantastic view of Katahdin. Absent was Moss, who decided not to hike yesterday and instead meet us in Baxter State Park the following day. For most of the day the trail followed either Rainbow Stream or Rainbow Lake 0 a massive lake stretching for several miles. I took my time, enjoying the weather and the trail, drinking it all in.I probably took it too slow, as I realized I'd be night hiking yet again. As darkness fell, I stopped at the end of the lake to make dinner - enjoying the fire two section hikers - before moving on for the final 2 1/2 miles to Rainbow Ledges.I didn't arrive until 10 pm or so, but it was worth making the extra push. Ninja was already scattered around the open rocks in their sleeping bags, snoozing under a clear sky perfect for star gazing. After settling in, drinking a small glass of scotch I've been carrying with me since Monson, and watching some shooting stars, it was time for me to get some shut-eye. Early day tomorrow to watch the sun rise over Katahdin.Twenty-one miles to go!!!Hiker wisdom of the day: Thru-hiking is 40% physical and 70% mental. (Yes, the math is accurate.)
Date: 2007-01-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Starting a North Bound thru-hike !!!My start date for the AT is March 17th. I will be starting with UncleBuck.A little about me. I am 42 and work at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. I have about 500 miles of AT hiking experience to date. Plan to finish my hike around September 17, 2007. Six months and 2174.6 miles. It should be a lot of fun.I will be keeping this journal updated almost every day. I hope you will follow along with my journey. Feel free to email me and I will try to get back to you when possible.
Date: 2007-01-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

There is still lots of things to do before my hike. Have to get everything at home ready for my absence. I have all of my hiking gear ready. Just need to make sure everything will work for its intended purpose and fits in my pack. Trying to go light weight. Right now I am at 12 pounds before food and water. That should put me around 26 pounds total with 5 days of food and water. I will be lighter once I can send my winter gear home.
Date: 2007-01-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I am still working on getting my pack weight down. Just ordered a Marmot Precip rain jacket and golite read rain pants. The jacket was on sale at REI, the set cost $140.00. This will save me 13 oz over my old gear. Saving weight helps a lot but usually costs lots of money. For this new gear it works out to about $11.00 per once. Sounds like a lot but, 13 oz is a lot if you have to carry it every day. One of the benefits of being an older hiker is that I have a lot of money to spend on gear. The new jacket is also better than my old one. Comes with zipper pits.
Date: 2007-01-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I finally made a decision about water treatment. In the past I used a water pump/filter to make water safe for drinking. This is probably the prefered method of water treatment on the trail. I have found that I really hate pumping water. And my filter broke in the middle of a 2 week section hike last summer. Ended up treating my water with bleach. It was the only thing available. For my thru hike I am going to treat my water with Katadyn MicroPUR MP1 Water Purifier Tablets. They use chlorine dioxide to kill off bacteria and make the water safe to drink. The down side for this method is cost and treatment time. Will about $1.00 per gallon to treat and takes up to 4 hours for safe treatment. Only 30 minutes for clear water. It is pretty easy in most situation to find clear water on the AT. On the up side I do not have to filter water and they weigh almost nothing. Just drop a tablet into a litre of water, wait the right amount of time and you have safe water. I am saving over a pound in my pack by not carrying a water filter.
Date: 2007-01-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

In my last entry I talked about water treatment. In addition to Katadyn MicroPUR MP1 Water Purifier Tablets, I have decided to add KlearWater by Xinix Chlorine Dioxide liquid. This combination will allow me to take advantage of the low weight of the tablets and the fast action of the liquid. I plan to start each day with 2 litres of water. I will collect this water in the evening, treat with a chlorine dioxide tablet and let it set over night.The liquid chlorine dioxide has a treatment time of 15-30 minutes. I will use it for water I get during the day.Next up is food. Stay tuned
Date: 2007-01-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Food is the topic of the day. Breakfast will be a combination of Oatmeal, hot chocolate, dry milk, carnation instant breakfast, chocolate quick and olive oil. I combine all of this in the evening with about a pint of water. By morning the oatmeal has soaked up enough water and it is ready to drink. Yealds about 700 caleries. Once I get used to eating lots of food I can make the shakes bigger and double the caleries. I got this idea from a couple past thru hikers. If one of these items is not available I will just add more of what ever I can get. The combination works well since each item has different vitamins and minerals. The olive oil addes calories and fat. You cant even taste it once everything is mixed.Lunch will vary a lot depending on what I want on any given week. One of my trail favorites is making buritos. The shells pack well and can be filled with about any combination of meat(foil packs) and cheese, or nutella and peanut butter. Canned tuna salad with cheese is my favorite. This is not the lightest food but I enjoy it. The meats can be heated or served cold. I can also add seasoning mixes to these, (taco, buffalo chicken etc.).Dinner: lipton side dishes, mac and cheese, mountian house meals or pasta. I like to add meat(freeze dried or foil packs), olive oil, butter powder and seasonings to all of these meals. Peanut butter also goes good with the lipton meals.   Adds good calories and flavor. Lunch and dinner items are pretty much interchangeable.Snacks: prower bars of any kind, trail mix and hard candy. I love hard candy while hiking.I plan to use a combination of mail drops and trail towns. Everything is subject to change depending on what is available in trail towns. I also plan to get other meal ideas from other hikers on the trail.If there is anything you would like to know about my hike please feel free to sign my guest book and I will get back to you ASAP.My start date is only 50 days away.Stay tuned.
Date: 2007-02-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

26 days and counting.   Almost time to finish all of the preparations and go hiking. Training is going well, up each morning and in the gym by 7:00. I am not loosing a lot of weight but getting in better condition.From my last post someone asked about "nutella". Nutella is a spread like peanut butter, but it is chocolate with hazelnut flavor. Can be used to make sandwiches and goes great with peanut butter.Just purchased a new backpack. My old one was only 3600CI and my winter gear was not fitting in the way I wanted. My new pack is 4500CI and is 3 oz lighter. It is amazing what they can do with the new fabrics that are out. I will up date my gear list with exact gear once I have made my final decisions.I know it is still winter but bug spray has been on my mind. I have decided to go with a combination of Deet, R-326 and Permethrin. The r-326 helps repel biting flies that deet does not and permethrin is used on clothing. REI makes a product call jungle juice that contains both deet and r-326. Will probably have this maildroped in May depending on the weather. The mail drop will be used in the event that I cant find a product with r326 on the trail. Permethrin is pretty common and should be easy to find on the trail.
Date: 2007-02-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Great news today !!! While I have been preparing for my hike as if I already had the time off from work. It was not official until yesterday. I was granted a leave without pay for my hike. It is a great opportunity to be able to go hiking for 6 months and have the piece of mind knowing that my job will be waiting for me when I return. I would like to thank my bosses Dr. Allison, Dr. Latronica, Dr. Koch and the president Dr. Miller for this opportunity to pursue this goal of mine. And I would like to thank Mike Heck and Jamie Baumgardner for taking care of my work while I am gone. Without their help none of this would be possible.Now all that is left is to walk 2000+ miles. Should be lots of fun.
Date: 2007-03-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My new pack arrived yesterday. All of my gear fits into it with no problem. The larger pack size allows me to not have to compress my sleeping bag. This should make it a little warmer at night. The down will not get compressed. I put everything on the scale last night, 17 pounds before food and water. This will put me at about 30 pounds with 5 days of food and water. Not exactly light but not to bad starting out. There will be a lot of heaver packs hitting the trail.17 pounds includes everything that will be in my pack and the weight of the pack. I was trying to keep it under 15 pounds, I plan to go back over everything and try to cut some weight. There is not much I can change at this point and I can live with 17 pounds. Once I am able to switch to my summer gear I will lose a few pounds. Lighter sleeping bag, no long under wear, lighter socks, lighter gloves etc. I will probably wait until sometime in May to make these changes. I do not want to get caught in bad weather without my winter gear. I will have to switch back to my winter gear before I hit the Whites.16 days and counting.
Date: 2007-03-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Out on a day hike today. I did 10 miles on the rails to trails in our area. It was a great day for a hike. I took all of my gear. Everything is ready to go. Uncle Buck and I leave for Georgia Friday morning. Hope to get on the trail before noon Saturday.Three days and countingMy next entry should be from the trail...
Date: 2007-03-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hi all! This is Donna. I will be updating Pootz O7's Trail Journal as often as I can. The picture is of Pootz 07 & Uncle buck as they were just about ready to leave PA for Georgia. They left this morning at 5:15 a.m. I just spoke with him on the phone, and they were just leaving Damascus VA on their way down south. They expect to start the trail tomorrow morning.   Stay tuned!
Date: 2007-03-17
From: Springer Mountain

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Pootz started his hike this afternoon. At 12:30 p.m. he was standing on Springer Mountain. His pack weighed in at 26 lbs. including food and water. He ended his evening at Stover Creek Shelter along with Uncle Buck, Sky Hiker and the Breadless Horseman. Pootz here to add a little. We had a fire at stover creek, 26 degrees in the morning. Stover Creek shelter is old and and will be replaced with a new shelter soon. The new shelter is built and as soon as the trail relocation is finished it will be open. Not sure if the name will stay the same.
Date: 2007-03-18
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning Pootz woke up at 6:00 a.m. with the temperature at 26 degrees. He and Uncle Buck started out at 9:00 a.m. and hiked a total of 12 miles today stopping at Hawk Mountain Shelter for lunch at noon. It was 55 degrees today and sunny. The day ended at Gooch Mountain Shelter. They have a nice fire going and are sharing that and the shelter with several other hikers: Sky Hiker, Breadless Horseman, Tomb, Patriot, Mother Nature, Smokestack, Sublime, Northstar, Scoot, Pickel, & Tarheel. The plan is to hike to Woods Hole Shelter tomorrow which is 11.9 miles from Stover Creek Shelter.
Date: 2007-03-19
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: broken clouds

Pootz enjoyed a very nice day of hiking today. He left Gooch Mountain Shelter and hiked to Woods Hole Shelter. It was a very nice day with temperatures at 39 degrees and going up into the low 60s by mid afternoon. He had lunch at Woody Gap and saw three deer later in the day.   He is sharing the shelter this evening with the following hikers: Waterfall, Tarheel, Sky Hiker, Breadless Horseman, Sublime, Blake, and Lillian.
Date: 2007-03-20
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap - Walasi-Yi Center
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Pootz got up at 5:00 a.m. this morning and climbed up the side of Blood mountain to watch the sunrise. He said it was quite spectacular.   He hiked into Neels Gap today and is staying in the Walasi-Yi Center. Pizza for lunch. A nice man cooked him an all you can eat spaghetti dinner and the man's wife was giving massages. He is planning hiking about 10 miles tomorrow to stay at Low Gap Shelter.
Date: 2007-03-21
From: Neels Gap - Walasi-Yi Center

To: Mile 43 Campsite
Miles today: 12.5

Pootz hike 12.5 miles today. He and the gang decided to stay at campsites this week instead of shelters. His hike tomorrow will be appx. 11 miles. He had his first experience with trail magic today. The nice man who cooked them the all you can eat spaghetti dinner in Neels Gap, saw them and gave them some beer. He was pretty darn excited about that!!!!
Date: 2007-03-23
From: Cheese factory Site

To: Dicks Creek Gap, Cloud Nine Hostel
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Pootz, Uncle Buck and the rest of the gang hiked from The Cheese Factory Site to the Cloud Nine Hiker Hostel in Dicks Creek Gap today. It was about 12 miles today. He told me that yesterday, he met two great people that he had hiked with last year, who were doing trail magic at the Cheese Factory. He wanted to express his sincere thanks to Slick B and Holly Trout for their kindness. He may be taking a zero day tommorrow or if they hike, just going the 4 miles to Plumorchard Gap Shelter.
Date: 2007-03-25
To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Pootz called at 3:00 p.m. today from Bly Gap (North Carolina, YEAH!!!), where he and Uncle Buck were taking a breather before moving on to Muskrat Creek Shelter. He said it was 90 degrees and the bugs are out. He has already consumed a gallon of water. He has just under 3 miles to go straight uphill before he gets to stop for the day.
Date: 2007-03-26
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Pootz and Uncle Buck had a great day today. They hiked 12.5 miles taking frequent breaks to rest. They had a great time and did not feel quite so tired at the end of the day. They are at the Carter Gap Shelter and instead of staying in the shelter, they decided to try their tents, hoping it would be more comfortable. Pootz is feeling really good. He is having some problems with blisters on both feet, but other than that, he is ready to do some walking!
Date: 2007-03-27
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Uncle Buck and I hiker from Carter Gap Shelter to Rock Gap shelter, 12.1 miles. The trail was very nice today, only one big climp up Albert Mountain. This was a very steep climb that was rewarded with a great 360 degree view of the area. There was a fire tower I climbed up to get an even better view. After dinner at Rock Gap Uncle Buck, Dances with Sloths and I walked .6 miles from the shelter to see the Wasilik Poplar. Is is said to be the second largest poplar tree in us. It is dead but still standing. The tree must be well over 10 feet in diameter. Well worth the walk. We are joined tonight at the shelter by Sloth, Shalom, Ynot, Evil Eye, and some others. Off to franklin North Carolina in the morning for food resuply, hot shower, food and laundry. It is amazing how dirty you can get in a few days. It will also be nice to take an easy day on our feet. I have a few small blister that need attention. No porblem just part of hiking.
Date: 2007-03-28
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hiked from Rock Gap Shelter in Franklin NC to resupply. The hike was short and easy into Franklin. Staying at the Budget Inn owner by Ron Haven. He is a great trail angle who will do anything for hikers. Took us around town to resupply and is will to help out in any way. I will have to get his picture.I am feeling a little under the weather, sore feet and of all things a tooth ache. Of all the things I thought I would have problems with one was not a tooth ache. Called Dr. Klevansky in Lock Haven and he called in a couple precriptions. I hope they kick in soon.Thinking about a slack pack back into Franklin tomorrow. Ron Haven will drive us north on the trail and we will haike back to Franklin. The following day he will take us back north and we will set out from there.Meet a hike named Eagle who is on his 3rd consecutive thur hike. He started last March and went north to Main turned around in Main and hiked back to Georgia, now he is headed north again. Eagle told a good story the other night. It was how you know if you are dating as thru hiker.1. They have you over for dinner and they serve Ramen Noodles.2. After dinner you ride around town and pick up homeless people and all sleep out on the porch.3. They wear crocks to church4. At night they hang their food bag in the living room
Date: 2007-03-29
From: Franklin, NC

To: Wyan Bald
Miles today: 0.0

Up today and still feeling the tooth ache. Going to slack pack from Wyan Bald back to Franklin. Want to make sure the tooth is getting better before leaving town for good. Looks like rain today, we will see. The weather has been perfect so far since we left Springer, we are due for a change.
Date: 2007-03-30
From: Wayah Gap

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Buck, Sloth, Evil Eye and I are headed for Wesser Bald Shelter tonight, about 12 miles or so. Pootz hiked to the top of a fire tower at Wayah Bald and had an incredible view of the surrounding area. He made it to the Wesser Bald Shelter and shared it with: Buck, Walt Disney, Blue Sky, Blue (Blue Sky's dog), Sloth, Evil Eye, & Dirty Ernie.
Date: 2007-03-31
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: NOC - Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: clear sky

It was 48 degrees when Pootz got up this morning. He is hiking 5.6 miles from the Wesser Bald Shelter to the NOC today. The NOC is at mile 133.8, so Pootz has gone quite a distance. Only a little more than 2,000 miles to go!He stopped at Rufus Morgan Shelter for a break before he hikes into the NOC which is only another .7 miles. He is hiking with Buck, Sloth and Evil Eye today.   He is feeling much much better today. His feet and knees are great and his toothache is going away. He is having a great day!
Date: 2007-04-01
From: NOC - Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

Pootz hiked 7 miles to Sassafras Gap Shelter and is staying there with a lot of people: Buck, J, Evil Eye, Dirty Ernie, Sloth, Aussie, Bicyle Barb, Blue Sky & Blue, Wolf, Little Red, Bobcat, & Bruce. Tommorow they are going to try and hike to Cable Gap Shelter which is 16 miles.So far he has hiked 140.8 miles.
Date: 2007-04-03
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Pootz hiked 6 miles from Cable Gap Shelter to Fontana Dam today. Yesterday they hiked 15.2 miles from Sassafras Gap Shelter to Cable Gap Shelter. Pootz got a ride today into Robbinsville NC to a dentist who was able to give him a different antibiotic and some pain pills. Hopefully he will be able to get some rest tonight. So far Pootz has hiked 162.6 miles.
Date: 2007-04-04
From: Fontana Dam

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Pootz is taking a zero day today in the hopes that he will feel better so he can enjoy his hike. Uncle Buck, Evil Eye and Sloth are hanging with him today.I would like to thank Lucy, Edna and Kathy from the Fontana Dam outfitter for their help getting me to the dentist yesterday. They called the dentist and arranged for my transportation into town (30 miles).
Date: 2007-04-05
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: few clouds

Pootz is feeling much much better today. He and the guys hiked 12.5 miles to Mollies Ridge Shelter. This shelter is on mile 173.9 of the trail.Today he hiked to the top of a fire tower and had a beautiful view of Fontana Dam. He also saw a momma bear and her cub today. It is cold at the shelter tonight and is expected to be in the low 20's. Staying at the shelter with Pootz is: Buck, Sloth, Evil Eye, Spock and Amtrak.
Date: 2007-04-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Pootz is taking a zero day today at Derrick Knob Shelter which is at mile 185.6 on the trail. He and the gang woke up this morning to 3 or 4 inches of snow. It is very cold today and tonight he is expecting a temperature of 7 degrees. He sends a sincere thank-you to Carver for all of his help during the guy's stay at Derrick Knob Shelter.
Date: 2007-04-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Pootz called and he made it to Gatlinburg TN. He was very happy about that because the Smokies are very very cold. He got something to eat and did some laundry. Pootz, Uncle Buck, Sloth, and Evil Eye are staying at the Grand Priz Motel tonight. Gatlinburg is mile 203.6 of his hike.
Date: 2007-04-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Pootz just called. He hiked 18 miles today from Tri-Corner Knob Shelter to Standing Bear Hostel which is at mile 237.3 on the trail. He said it was a perfect day for hiking. The guy who runs the hostel took them for beer and pizza and he is really excited that he gets to sleep in a real bed with sheets and everything tonight. With him at the shelter tonight is: Uncle Buck, Evil Eye, Sloth, Spock, Tomb, Early Bird, Amtrak, Triple A, Twinkle Toes, Wonder, & Judo.
Date: 2007-04-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Pootz made it into HotSprings N.C. early this afternoon. He hiked 18.6 miles today and has been putting in a lot of miles this week so that he could get into town before all the rain hits. He is staying at the Bright Leaf Hotel in HotSprings. Pootz has hiked 270.7 of the AT as of today.
Date: 2007-04-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Pootz is staying at Flint Mtn Shelter tonight which is on mile 303 of the trail. He hiked 16 miles today and got to the shelter first. The rest of the gang hiked on another mile because there was no more room at the shelter. Staying with Pootz at the shelter is North Star, Fire Fly, SnapShot, Swallow, Double Bird, Troll, Driftwood, Hide, Pouch, and Spence. He is planning on hiking 18.8 miles tomorrow to get to Bald Mtn Shelter.
Date: 2007-04-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Pootz hiked 18.8 miles today to Bald Mtn Shelter. It is really cold there tonight, so he was glad when he got the last spot in the shelter. As of 8:00 p.m. the other guys did not show up there, so he assumes they camped somewhere else along the trail. Bald Mtn Shelter is on mile 321.8 of the AT. He expects to make it to Erwin, TN by tomorrow.
Date: 2007-04-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Pootz made it into Erwin TN this afternoon. His hike today was 16.9 miles. He is staying with TomB in a cabin at Uncle Jonny's hostel. The guy who runs the hostel was taking them to eat dinner at a rib joint, then in the morning will take them to breakfast and to get supplies. Erwin is mile 338.7 on the AT.