morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-02-26
To: Whats My motivation?
Miles today: 0.0

The thought of hiking the AT has been hanging around in the back of my head for some time. I began toying with the idea of actually doing it in the summer of '02. I was working as a ranger out at Philmont scout ranch. My "job" was to teach boy scouts and their adults outdoor skills and ethics. It was fun, and even rewardingat times. The part of that summer that made the most lasting impression was leading a three-week long trek, known as Rayado. Just me, another staffer my age, and six kids in the 15-18 range - all on a three weekadventure. Among other things, I learned that I enjoyed being out in the wilderness for such an extended amount of time. Things that make you go hmmmm...I briefly considered hiking after I got out of school ('02). Between trying to graduate and find a job, the idea fell to the background. When school was out of the way that December, there just wasn't enough time to get my act together. So, I went to work a real job and be a productive member of society. Just like everybody else, right. So after a couple years working a gig as a controls engineer, I found myself in good shape financially. I'm without a wife, kids, house, or loans. I got out of my lease in December. I've been living as a nomad ever since. One might sayI'm not tied down at all, which provides me a window of great opportunity. Better to take advantage than let it fall by the wayside.
Date: 2005-02-27
To: So There I Was...
Miles today: 0.0

I can remember exactly where I was when I decided that '05 was my year. SO THERE I WAS...It was late july '04. I was driving outto a factory, on a backroad in the middle of western GA. I was spaced out, driving along, the radio was playing in the background... Voice From Nowhere (VFN): Hey. you. ME: ...Get offa my cloud...VFN: Not the radio, fool. I'm talking to youME: Huh?VFN: You know what time it is ME: 9:30?VFN: Not that time. Its A-T time.ME: You mean like, take a hike?VFN: YupME: ::in best keanu reeves impersonation:: Whoa...Right out of nowhere. Hike the AT. So I spent the rest of the drive, and the rest of the day for that matter, trying to come up with a reason that I shouldn't hike the next year. Couldn't come up with anything just then. But, not being one to jump into any big decisions, I mulled things over for a week or two. Green Light. Step one was to tell everyone I knew my new plan. No backing out that way without getting a huge heapin helpin of crap from all my friends. And some of them can really dish it out too, so there was no turnin back.
Date: 2005-02-28
To: Ready Yet? ...How bout now?
Miles today: 0.0

Someone once told me that preparation is the stout staff which will support you over life's arduous passages. I guess we'll see how stout my staff is, so to speak. I've done lots of reading. I've consulted the folks I know that have been there, done that. I have a good bit of backpacking experience, in fact, I like to think that I know what I'm doing for the most part. Since the last big trip I did was in the arid southwest, I think I'm going to have a time adjusting to the humidity and wet of the southeast. I spent most of my time these last six months sorting through gear. Since all my things are old and heavy, I decided to go new and light. Now, gear won't make the hike for me, but it could make it easier. So, I ended up replacing just about everything from my old rig. I suppose the Nalgenes are about the only thingsthat stayed. Oh well, its only money. Each thing I replaced was about half the weight of its counterpart already in my arsenal. I can tell my pack is lighter now. Score one for me.
Date: 2005-03-01
To: You've got Questions...
Miles today: 0.0

So, as I've let people in on my grand plan, I've gotten a lot of interesting questions. Some anticipated. Some not. A typical exchange went something like this:How far? 2184 miles. Or so. How long? 5-6 months Thats alot of food to carry... I'll resupply in towns along the way, once a week or soYou're not killing your own food? Don't have any recipes for shelter mice.Cellphone? NopeCamera? Hells yes. Did you see Deliverance? Great flick. This river don't go to Aintree...What are you carrying for protection my spidey-senseGonna carry a gun? Hell no. They're heavy Well, a ::insert maker and caliber here:: is pretty light I'd probably just shoot myself in the ass anywaySort of frightening, but the firearms question came up alot. Apparently I have some sort of speech impediment, so that when I say "Appalachian Trail", even though I think I've said "Appalachian Trail", it comes out sounding like "Wild West". I can see it now: high noon on the trail. Sounds of a scuffle. Hikers at 20 paces... This shelter ain't big enough for the both of us... DRAW!!
Date: 2005-03-07
From: Springer Mtn.

To: Hawk Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

So there I was...Woke up in a nice soft warm bed. Ate breakfast w/ the parents then did some other chores around the house. Paid some bills. Ordered some extra memory cards for my camera, just in case I take some more pictures. Didn't get out until about 11 from the house. As we rode in the car toward Springer I thought of a few things I wish I'd done beforeI left. Oh well. I had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Part misbelief it was finally time. Part of me wondered just what the hell I'd gotten myself into. Hiked with Dad up to the top of Springer. Only a mile from the Parking area on an easy incline. Took the obligitory pics at the top, signed the register. I believe my entry started w/ "Holy Crap".Walked back down to the truck and grabbed my pack. Just like magic, it started to train. Wonderful. A great omen for the journey no doubt. So off I went after saying goodbye to dad. First day of a new job... wonder when payday is?Hiking was downhill for 3 miles and uphill 3 miles. It rained off and on. Got nice and cold. Left at about quarter of 2 and hit the shelter around 4:30. The colder it got, the faster I went. I had forgotten how wide and well worn the trail is...As I approached the shelter, I saw about 7 tents pitched around the area. Shit. Too late for a spot in the shelter since it was raining and all. Found out there was room for just one more... Score! Save me the trouble of tenting and gave me some space to move. Definately a moral boost. Got into dry clothes, shot the breeze and cooked! Ran into 4 guys today from the same place I grew up. Turns out they know my sister. Odd. Small world. Full house tonight. Not sure about everyone but theres a couple thrus at least. And BTW, my first backpacking trip on the AT was here. I was 14 maybe w/ the scouts. We were unprepared for hiking in the rain, got soaked, and holed up in this very shelter. I think it was a new shelter then. Anyway, the temps plunged and I distinctly remember freezing my rear off... And now I'm back. Lets hope everything isn't frozen tomorrow. But at least I won't be cold this time around.
Date: 2005-03-08
From: Hawk Mtn. Shelter

To: Gooch Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up this morning to white stuff all over the ground. At about 3AM, all the rain stopped. Naturally, I decide that the front had passed through and it would be clear in the morning... oops. I make a poor weatherman because it all turned to snow. Everything was nice and frozen. Slow to start out this morning, didn't leave til about 10:15. By then the snow was blowing sideways over the ridge. Every tree had a big'ol white blaze, but I managed to stay on the trail. I hiked w/ Ken, a section hiker out 'til Hot Springs. He set a good pace that kept me from zipping down the trail. Played leapfrog all day with the Marietta kids, and Team Memphis. Carolyn and Bucky passed by early in the day as did Andrew. None of us have bothered with trail names. Saw a convoy of Rangers-in-training being trucked up the road. Six trucks full. They waved. Heard several booms and pops from the valley below all afternoon, I assumed it was them. It stayed cold all day. 35 degrees at the start and I don't think it got much above 40. Wind blew all day. Snow was gone by about 2:00. Temperature control while hiking was somewhat of a battle, but I managed to keep from sweating out anything.Hit Gooch shelter around 4:15. We hiked slow but what else were we going to do with the day? Two new faces at the shelter. Wes from CT and Jaws. The temp has been dropping slowly. I'm somewhat concerned about being warm tonight. 1hr after sundown and we're at 30 degrees. No clouds, so its gonna be a cold one. Every stitch of clothing I have and a 20 deg. bag will have to do.Quote of the Day:"I don't think I'll ever get tired of Ramen"-overheard at Cooper Gap whilst the Marietta buys were cooking a lunch.
Date: 2005-03-09
From: Gooch Mtn. Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

So, lets start by summing up the weather on the trip so far. Rain, snow, more snow, cold, snow and some sunlight scattered about for flavor. One might say the red carpet hasn't exactly been rolled out.Cold last night. Cold as hell. Wake up temp around 20 deg according to my pack-o-mometer. Now whoever decided this sleeping bag should carry a 20 deg rating needs to be dragged into the town square and flogged. Send me the pictures. Two layers of polypropolene fleece, and a primaloft jacket couldn't keep me comfortable. Now, I have the possibility that I am a "cold" sleeper... but this seems to border insanity. The REI subkilo does not recieve my endorsement. I'm sure they're pissed about that. No, really.After sleeping some, the coyotes sounded the wake-up call. Slow to start again, but better at packing up and getting out. The sun stayed out until about 11:30 before being overtaken by clouds. I spent the morning hiking w/ Carolyn, and Team Memphis (Opie & Caveman). We were on a mission to get to Woody Gap at noon. The trail had its ups and downs, and there were some nice vistas along the way. We popped out at Woody Gap to find the Marietta Boyz'z support crew. We were a little late, so the Mickey D's cheese burgers they bought for us were a little cold. We wolfed 'em down and kept chugging. As the day crept on, I managed to find myself hiking alone at the back of the group. Had a big climb and then several ups and downs. Like a roller coaster. I contemplated stopping for the day at Jarrad Gap, which is a mile or two shy of the shelter. But, when I hit it at 4:30 I decided that there was enough daylight left to give it a shot. So I hikied on. The last bit was uphill, and it seemed tougher than it should have. I suppose I was getting tired. My knee was talking to me a bit also as the day wore on. No pain, just a bit of discomfort. The next few days will be shorter though, so I'm not concerned that I'll be putting too much stress on it. Found more snow up here. The shelter at Woods Hole is smaller than the two previous. No room at the Inn when I showed up, so I set up a tent in the manger. Snow fell a little as it got dark. Its been overcast, so there's probably mroe snow in the future. I was hoping that clouds = warmth tonight, but no love there. Judging by the 'ol mercury cold is in store. Heated some water, stuck it in my bottle and then into the bag. My boys are toasty warm, but my feet are cold. Guess I should've brought two. Hitting Neels Gap tomorrow. Hostel, resupply, dinner in town, and hopefully a sleeping bag liner are in order. That is, of course, as long as there isn't a Porter-sickle in the sleeping bag tomorrow.And on a side nte, I'm enjoying cruzing along with this merry band of hikers. For all its challenges, this is still where I want to be.
Date: 2005-03-10
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neel Gap/Walasi-Yi
Miles today: 4.1

Woke up to more snow. Same 'ol same 'ol it seems. My tent sloughed off the snow pretty well after a few shakes from my foot periodically through the night. As usual, everything was frozen and in about an inch of the white stuff. Broke down my tent and found that some of the shelter folk hadn't bothered getting up yet. Slackers! Shot the breeze for a while and headed out around 10. Followed the three sets of tracks down the path. I took my time and soaked up the winter scene. The sun glistened off of all the tree branches covered in ice and snow. Today was to be a short day any way so I had all the time in the world. I sauntered on up Blood Mtn. and spent probably an hour at all the vistas. At some point, these scenic spots might become ho-hum, but it certainly isn't today. Took several pictures of course. From the top, I could see all the way back to Springer off in the haze.In the opposite direction, I could see where the trial slinked northward all the way to Standing Indian. It was exciting to see where I'm going for once. All along the way I've been playing a guessing game as to which hill (or should I say Mountains?) the trail would take me over next. At times I would be right, and I'd head up that next mountain in sight. Other times the trail would take a turn and send me somewhere else completely different. Sure, I could look at a topo map, maybe a compass too, but what fun would that be?After soaking it all in it was time for the knee busting downhill into Neel Gap. Went slow. Got to the bottom. Signed up to stay the night at the hostel. Took a shower and chilled out for a bit. Found that todays snow and sun had burnt my tender white face. Bummer. Will rememebr the sunscreen tomorrow for sure. Jaws scored us a shuttle to town for dinner from the guy down at Goose Creek cabins as word on the street was that the Walasi-Yi folks weren't running a shuttle that night. The shuttle turned out not to be into town, but the little riverside restaurant at that roadside tourist trap before Blairsville. Turned out it wasn't an AYCE (All You Can Eat) to the dismay of our raiding party, but we all ate pretty well in spite of it. We headed back over to the lodge at Goose Creek cabins for the rest of the evening. Very neat spot. Full of trinkets, toys, memorabilia, and museum peices. Oh and there was fireplace and some pool tables too. Wish I had borught my camera along for the 7 ft. tall stuffed Lion that greets everyone at the door. The six of us Fishin Fred, Jaws, Caveman, Opie, Andrew, and me bought a few beers at the Goose cabin and sat around the fire. Not a bad way to end the day.Tomorrow I've got another short day on the itenerary. The rest of the family is pushing on out ahead. I'm slowing up to meet w/ some friends from ATL for a weekend of hiking and a resupply. I'll be sorry to see them go but we'll catch up again later as we roll on down the trail.
Date: 2005-03-11
From: Neel Gap/Walasi-Yi

To: Hogpen Gap
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept like a rock int he hostel bunk last night. The place was nice and warm - a distinct change fromt he previous nights. Woke up bright and early and sat around a bit. Raided the hiker box for enough food to keep me from having to buy any fromt he shop there. Found that they didn't have any other types of bag liner besides silk. I was hoping for something more polyester like, say fleece. One of the shop lackeys was kind enough to inform me that their silk liners could give me an extra 10 degrees. Now I don't want to insult those silkworms, but I would have been more likely to believe 5 degrees, since thats a number I've heard from other sources. I instead scored a space blanket from the hiker box and will be giving that a try. I'll just have to be very aware of the condensation forming on it. So, film at 11 on that one.On a side note, some of the folks at Walasi rubbed me the wrong way. When I went to buy a pack there back in November, I really found them helpful and I was glad I stopped in. Now that I've gone back to stay in their hostel, I wouldn't hesitate to stay down at Goose Creek Cabins instead. And so began my short day. I snagged email addresses of the group I had been hiking with since they were going further than I was today. One opted to stick around Neel Gap for another day. Maybe I'll see her along the trail at some point, but I suspect not. I tried to go slow today. I didn't want to end up stopping too early in the day, sitting around, and getting cold. Well, turns out that happened anyways, but more on that later. Sun came out and tempted me to strip down to a t-shirt. Then I came around the bend where the wind was and all thoughts of that blew away...Ate lunch on Cowrock Mtn. Nice little overlook spot out of the wind for a change. Recognized Mt. Yonah off in the distance, and that was about it. Hiked along again when the clouds came. It flurried off and on for the day and was hella windy. I nearly got blown off Wildcat Mtn. Touched down at Hogpen Gap around 3ish. Scurried around the area trying to find a tent spot out of the wind. Little chance of that, but I snagged a semi sheltered clear spot down by the spring. Pitched the tent and climbed in as snow started coming down. Looked at the maps and data books to work out how much food to snag from my pals coming tomorrow. I plan on skipping Hiawasee and going into Franklin. Jaws had mentioned the NOC wasn't a great place to resupply, so I'll get good in Franklin. To get me most of the way to Fontana.Night is come, the pen isn;t writing well (freezing), and there is some sort of creature climbing in a tree near my tent. All three things tell me its time to hang the bear bag (not in the creatures tree) and call it a day.Tomorrow I'll be hiking with friends from Atlanta, Happy and John. Should be fun.
Date: 2005-03-12
From: Hogpen Gap

To: Chattahoochee Gap
Miles today: 9.2

Was up with the sun re-staking my tarp tent. Lots of wind last night despite my "sheltered" spot. Met up with Happy and John, friends from home, at 10 a.m. Grabbed some food and hit the trail. Lots of people on the trail today out for a weekend. The trail was fairly easy today, although my feet have decided to revolt. Lots of hot spots on my two little toes on either foot. I've applied tape and moleskin generously, but the suckers are pretty irritating still. Weather good. Today was the warmest day yet, even in the wind. I went so far as to strip down to a T-shirt. It's like we're in the tropics or something because it was nearly 50 degrees after the sun went down. We followed an old logging road for 5 miles after stopping for lunch at the Low Gap Shelter. Not a scenic hike, but out of the wind and in the sun. We stopped as it got late and set up camp on the remains of said road. As we were going about our business, Happy decided to trip over a tent stake, ripping off the pullout from the tent body. I managed to sew it back on, rather poorly I might add, and with luck it may hold. Meanwhile, John managed to get my bear rope stuck in a tree. At that point, I did all I could do and started cooking dinner. Couldn't trust either of them with fire at that point. This must be what it's like camping with children, I thought to myself... We dined on burritos and built a fire. After a week of going to bed when the sun went down, this was a nice change from the norm. We shot the breeze for a little while, passed around the old number 7 and then hit the sack.
Date: 2005-03-13
From: Chattahoochee Gap

To: Cheese Factory
Miles today: 8.0

Woke up this morning when someone turned the heat on. Sun came out, it was warm and unbearable inside my tent. Wow, what a shocker that was! Made me think we might be in for some better weather. Now they say that the spring here is the headwaters of the mighty Chattahoochee River. I didn't recognize it at the time, must've been because there weren't any turds floating in it. Hiked up to Blue Mountain and then down to Unicoi Gap. This is where John and Happy got off, but not before we all hit the Wendy's down in Helen. Saw a newspaper down there. Flipped to the Sports page and saw that Tech was playing in the ACC title game. So, we all hustled to the car and flipped the radio on for the play by play. It was a faint signal, but we were able to follow the score as we drove back up to Unicoi. At halftime, I decided to go hiking. Loaded up on the groceries I had stashed in Happy's car and took off. Talk about suspense...I have no idea how the game turned out. Not sure when I'll know how the game turned out, either. I'll probably go insane come NCAA Tournament time. Should've brought a radio...Marched up Rocky Mountain, down to Indian Graves and then up to the Cheese Factory. There is neither cheese nor factory at the Cheese Factory. Discuss.Ran into 3 other hikers Leviathen, Butter, and Proteus along the way. Thought about pushing on to Tray Mountain with them, but it was 5 and starting to cloud up. I decided to pitch rather than roll into Tray at dusk possibly in the rain. Come 6 o'clock, rains came. Sought shelter in the tent. Didn't bother cooking dinner as I had lots of little snacks, not to mention I was full of Wendy's also.So as thunder looms in the distance, I'll sum up my first week on the trail: I'm still here, haven't been chased off yet, but I've had plenty of things that are thorns in my side. Foremost is probably the poison oak/sumac I managed to find. I won't go into detail, but I suspect I found it while "dropping the kids off at the sandbox" several days ago. I picked up some supplies to do battle while in Helen, hopefully the tide will turn in my favor now.Other than that, my toes are still a little blistery. My knee is doing well and doesn't "speak" to me so much.I set out with a goal of 8 miles/day for the first week and I've been true to it for the most part. So far the longest day was followed by the shortest day and everything else pretty much average.
Date: 2005-03-14
From: Cheese Factory

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Thunder, lightning and rain last night. Stayed dry inside the tent and didn't get pounded by the winds. Woke up to find myself in the middle of a cloud. Visibility was somewhere around 30 yds. for most of the day. No scenery from the top of Tray Mountain or anywhere else. Not many people on the trail today. Passed about 5 spring-break hikers and that was all. Just alone with my thoughts. I've been debating going into Hiawasee to get more Benadryl and wash clothes. I don't want to get sucked into the town though as I hadn't really intended on going there in the first place. Arrived at the shelter to find some familiar faces as well as some new ones. I quickly set up my tent to let the last few rays of sunlight dry it off some. The clouds had cleared out by that point and the sun shone. I've found that I haven't been very hungry lately, but I cooked up some dinner and forced myself to eat it. I suppose that's just me adjusting. Some other folks got a fire going and I busied myself gathering some wood. Darkness came and I retired to my tent.