morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-17
From: NOC

To: HOME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well everyone ----I have hiked a total of 140 miles!!! I feel elated that I was able to accomplish so much!! The trek has been great but due to knees and equipment I am going to head home. I stayed in the hotel for two days and my feet and knees are still swollen and my hiking buds are gone up the trail! There are more miles left in me to hike but I need to make a few adjustments before I get out here again. Wow -- there are so many considerations as to gear...lightweight, weather related, comfort....really learned a lot. I also now have a better understanding about what hikers need if I can help by being a trailangel at times....I will be back...and probably in both situations! Thanks again to all who wrote or offered support!!! I have had a great time and I stayed out here 17 days by myself! Hiking 140 miles with a 32 lb. pack was a great accomplishment. Snake, Bear, Pebbles, Tortoise, Compass, Stinky, Orangatang, Cookie, Bush Whacker, Nsome, Sourdough, Sidewinder,...and all the others I met...keep on trucking!! I wish you all the best!!!! Email if I can help you along the way!!!My daughter Christine, and a really good friend Nancye will be driving me home. I know my husband is relieved that I am on my way. This is a bittersweet day...I wish I could hike more but I am anxious to be home as well...will just have to regroup and get back out here!!!Happy Trails to all!!!!
Date: 2006-04-21
From: HOME

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello Everyone,   AS many of you know I have been home resting my knees and making a few gear changes. I am going back to Fontana Dam to get back on the trail on Monday!! Yep...at it again...hope knees and mindset are all strong enough to get in a reeeeaaaaaallll   lonnnnnngggg section - like GA- ME! I will be hiking with two other women for the first two weeks and then my husband will be out with me for 9 days...really looking forward to having him with me! I am planning to make it to Damascus for trail days!! WoooHooo!!! Here we go again!!! Weather should be warmer too and that was a factor for me. Hope to see you on the trail!!Bluebelle
Date: 2006-05-09
From: Fontana Dam

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hello Everyone, One final entry for this year's journal. I went back to the trail several weeks ago and had a great hike!!! Hiked from Fontana Dam to Hot Springs, NC. This section is really beautiful and quite different than the Georgia section I hiked prior. I was able to spend some time using my new stove and trying a few things I want to change before I make a go of it next year...yep..I will be out there again!!   I feel much stronger and much more confident now and next year I already have four other people to hike with! That will be great. Two of those people I met this year..Caver Girl and Cappie. We hiked a lot together and had a great time!!! Really looking forward to hiking more with them. Thanks to everyone for their support this year as well as transportation. Hope to see you all on the trail.By the way...hello to The Canadians, Pockets and Tonka, Tigger, Garden Gnome, Mitch and Allen, Dusty, BeeKeeper and all the other fun hikers I met...you all Rock!!! Best wishes to all!!
Date: 2006-08-08
From: Home

To: Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Hello Everyone!    This year has been a great season for adventures! I am soooo very happy to have been able to participate! Tomorrow I leave with my husband and eight other people to drive from Kentucky to Monson, Maine...we are going to shuttle from Monson (Shaw's) to Katahdin on Sat., Aug.12th, summit and then start hiking south! I can't wait..my pack has been ready and by the back door for five days!! This will be my husband's first extended backpacking trip and hopefully will indicate to him whether he would like to thruhike with me next year...keep your fingers crossed, I really hope all goes well for him and he loves the trail and community as much as I do! I have kept in touch with several of the hikers I met on the trail this spring and there is the possibility that I will meet two on the trail heading north to complete their thruhike! How fantastic! I am soo looking forward to seeing them! Cookie and Homebrew and possibly Sourdough and Sidewinder are on my list to be watching for!   I am totally psyched about my pack this trip...I have tweaked my gear and my clothes. With food (no water) my pack only weighs 21 lbs!!! Gregory G Pack, thermarest pad, Western Mountaineering sleeping bag, Henry Schire tarptent (with floor and netting), clothes, toiletries, 4 days of food, crocs...I think I have it all! Not bad Huh!   I will post some pictures and info when we get back! Happy trekking everyone...stay tuned...I expect this journal to be ongoing this fall as I have several more backpacking trips planned in prep for next year's thruhike! Come join in the fun!Bluebelle
Date: 2005-05-24
To: The eBay Chronicles
Miles today: 0.0

I'm from the school of 'Our gear does what their gear does for half the price.'Middle aged Woman on a quest! So, where do you go to gear up for a thru hike on a budget? eBay of course. I'm not doing half bad, but I have become more adept at what to purchase since I section hiked, in the Shenendoah National Park, with my sibling sister, Dot, 3 years ago. I start by researching gear I find on ebay, compare gear being used and given 4 stars by journalist on this sight, then go looking and bid, bid, bid. I recently picked up arch crampons. I've read enough in the journals to realize that these will be needed at the beginning of the trek 'South to North', because of ice & slippy conditions that arise. I don't like the, "Hey I just slipped and fell 3 times today, but, hey, that's okay dud, I fell on my back and my pack padded the fall. The fact that I managed not to fall head long into the high, dark, deep, shear, abyss at the side of the trail is a plus, don't you think. Need I say more. The arch crampons are less weight than the full size and if anything it will give me a false sense of security and that's better than no security at all, Yes? Nuff said....back to eBay.Terry in PA
Date: 2005-05-25
To: What to get yet!
Miles today: 0.0

Tonight I plan to lay out all the gear I've purchased and assess what I need to get yet. Also, I'm putting all my financial ducks in a row. I guess I have become a bit of a risk taker in my later years. This adventure will possibly include the complete sale of all my household goods and personal belongings, renting my home and taking a short term lease out at a local apartment complex, with minimal household items by September 2005. My other option is to find someone who could use a roommate for about 6 months. Anyway, I have one apt. complex that called me today and said, "Studio available in August, but we'll hold till September. You can bring your cats for $20.00 extra a month. I have a tenant 'Maria' to care for my dogs in return for a small rent break, and my boyfriend should love to have my cats for a season or two. He needs a few mousers for his place in the woods. Seems he's experiencing a minor small critter infestation. I guess that's what happens when you hike or live in the woods.Hence I am one step closer to Springer. YesTerry in PA
Date: 2005-06-02
To: Had No Idea
Miles today: 0.0

I had no idea how long I'd been talking about walking the AT, till this Saturday at a wedding for my daughter's friend. I quote,"It's about time you did it. You've been talking about it for as long as I can remember." Okay... I have found that I have a number of options, in regards to my living arrangement, after I rent my house this fall and prior to hitting the trail in March. These options are important as finances play a huge part in my staying on track, time wise, etc. I have purchased a pair of trekking poles and a titanium cup on eBay this past week. I am working on a 'Pocketmail Composer.'It seems that is how most of the hikers are journaling.
Date: 2005-06-06
To: I found it!
Miles today: 0.0

I found my 'Katadyn Water Purifier' while packing things to store, or give, to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. This was a special moment. I'd given it up for lost. It's amazing what you find when make a focused effort to gear down in your civilized, routine world and gear up for a long walk in the woods. It is terrifically cleansing. Do you have any idea how many flower vases one person can collect in twenty years. I now have this huge space under my kitchen sink and surface areas I haven't seen in a millennium. Amazing.
Date: 2005-08-20
To: Slightly Overwhelmed
Miles today: 0.0

I realize the only constant in life is change, but it has been a little overwhelming (lately) to say the least. The only thing that hasn't changed is my personal determination to be on the trail in March of 2006. This past week those near and dear to me have been working with me to prepare my home for sale. This is when you do all those fixes to your home, you put off while your living there. I realize that there are quite a bit of fixes to perform. What amazes me is most of the decisions concerning my home (house sale) and life has cascaded down from my ultimate choice to hike the trail.I've been working to add incentive to my hike by offering my mileage to The Hershey Companies, CMN program. (Children's Miracle Network)I've worked for Hershey or at Hershey, off and on, for approximately fifteen years. If it goes through all their red tape, they will handle the promotion and fund raising and I will put one foot in front of the other, as far as it takes me. Well it's off to buy carpet for the living room and bedroom....oh, and a pair of shutters for the front of the house. Bluebird flies to Home Depot!
Date: 2005-08-21
To: Not Long Now
Miles today: 0.0

It's approximately 201 days and counting. This is a sure sign that one would rather be somewhere other than where one is at present. Today's lesson: Patience I continue to prepare my family homestead for eventual sale. I will be putting it on the market by the end of September and it has been, at times, traumatic.I have just ordered a book by Kelly White, "Walking Home: A Woman's Pilgrimage on the Appalachian Trail". You got it, a book written by a woman who completed the entire trail. It may appear to be just another journal, but really, quite simply it's another's perspective. I've read "The Complete Walker," by Collin Fletcher, "A Walk in the Woods," by Bill Bryson, hey the list goes on & on. I prefer to know what I'm getting into. I once told my children, when they were very young, "If you really want to understand something, look at it from all angles, tear it apart, put it back together. Then, and only then, do you begin to understand a situation, an object, an idea¢¦.you get the picture.I am planning my itinerary as far as Damascus, VA. I heard about Trail Days over three years ago while doing my section hike in the Shenandoah National Park. It sounds like a truly fabulous time for the hiking community and I do not want to miss it. I ran into a couple thru hikers on Peter's Mountain three weeks ago. They were of the of tear up your itinerary school, soooo I am going to plan just as far as Damascus and leave a list of numbered and addressed mail drops at home, then let my people know, by journaling, when to send the next package (by number) in time to be at the next pickup point. This could end up being a disaster, but nothing ventured nothing gained. All of my gear is now in one place. As I continue to read others journals on the site I am getting a good idea of the what to haves and the what to have nots and when one should expect to flip from winter, to summer and back to winter wear. I like the idea of going from a tent (in cold) to a hammock (in hot) and back to a tent (in cold). My plans keep evolving!
Date: 2005-08-22
To: Moving Day 
Miles today: 0.0

Friday is the beginning of my biggest prepartion for the trail. I move the first load of STUFF out of my home and line up realtor interviews for Monday to put my house on the market. I have painted too much. I have packed to much. I have had a truck load of rusted, molded, nasty "Why was I keeping that" stuff hauled away, & packed what was left in boxes of every shape and size imaginable. I have a job for two more days and I have spent the last week at Hershey doing the same thing I'm doing at home. AUGH. Still have not heard if I will be walking for Hershey's CMN, but I should know soon. Just read that Capt. Patagonia finished the trail on Sept 13th. It made me cry.
Date: 2005-08-26
To: Realtor, Realtor, My Kingdom for a Realtor
Miles today: 0.0

If I can get through selling my house. I can walk from Georgia to Maine and BACK! This is not fun. My upper vertibra finally seized up from STRESS! I'm so glad my sister has a Jacuzzi tub with eight water jets and I have two moist heat hydroculators. (sp? in either direction...Hey I never said I was pharmacist) The Ipheprophin and Exedrin PM have come in quite handy also. I will have plenty on hand in March of 2006. Happy preparations to all the new wanna be AT alumni!
Date: 2005-10-19
To: BUY ME!
Miles today: 0.0

My house has been on the market for about eleven days. Augh, somebody come and show me the money! I am now painting my sisters home, while she sings out in Houston Texas, for the Houston Opera. Some people have jobs they can love, others just have JOBS. Good news! I will be able to donate my miles for The Hershey Company's, Children's Miracle Network program. Thier legal department approved the proposed effort last week. I have a meeting with an old co-worker next Friday who is chairing the event. I am glad for the added incentive. I have read enough books and journals to know that incentive will be a good thing when the going gets rough...and it will get rough. Hey, I've read the 2005 journals and I know! Okay, sell my house, finish painting sister's house, work on AT mailings, figure out how to get pictures to the trailjornals website from the trail, read about how to work a pocket mailer...for now.... ya-di-di-dah-dah, ya-di-di-dah-dah, that's all folks!
Date: 2005-10-20
To: Update-a-mundo
Miles today: 0.0

1. House is still not sold 2. Got my Amtrak ticket reservation to Gainesville 3. The Hershey Company's Children's Miracle Network Program will be using my miles to raise money for research. 4. PA is in the height of autumn and the leaves are beautiful. The weather is great for hiking! 5. Have started walking to get in semi-sorta-shape. Have decided my dogs (Molly & Maggie) are out of shape also and I take them with me. 6. Four and a half months and the trek will begin...first it's turkey time and Christmas time and the New Years. 7. Almost forgot...older sister Kathy is flying me to England in February. Year 2006 looks to be a show stopping, life changing year. It's GRRRRRREAT!
Date: 2005-12-22
To: House Closing!
Miles today: 0.0

Well I close on my house January 30th, but it's not over till the fat lady sings...so wait for my rendition of 'The Hallelujah Chorus' and you will know that things are signed sealed and delivered. AND excuse me, I'm not that fat. Let's see what you look like at 53 years of age, bucko. I expect to hear from the CMN chairman, Rick Gates, at Hershey Company, some time in January. I really want my miles to mean something more than my dream of completion of the trail. It's nice to know you might help someone elses dreams along.I've had a real problem finding someone to keep my dogs, Molly & Maggie, so I may have to bring Molly along with me. This adds another whole dimension to my hike. Maybe PAWS would like to earn money on my miles. Can the trail be any my difficult then the pre-planninng?? I betcha it can! Another challenge, yippee!I am begoming more aware of how my decision to hike is affecting those around me. Not everyone is over-joyed at my leaving and that causes me to question my motives from time to time, but I am to far along to bag it. It's taken on a momentum of it's own.Hey, Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all! Bluebird in PA
Date: 2006-01-09
To: Time keeps tickin, tickin, tickin, into the future
Miles today: 0.0

Okay, I can't sleep.... The spare bedroom looks like a vacuformed grocery store. I have dehydrated peaches, apples, pineapple, marinated top round (Jerky)I got Mountain Meals, Alpine Meals, Gourmet Meals, Instant Oatmeal,Granola, Peanuts, Almonds, Banana Chips, flax seed, peanut butter, and honey spread over two beds......and honey I only have about 43 FREE days available, in the next 2 months, to get my taxes done, close on the sale of my house, get 11 stiches removed from my back, get all my pets (2dogs and 2 cats) to the vets to update shots etc., move remaining stuff to storage from about three locationS, finalize where dogs will go, when I go, purchase and deliver 6 to 7 months of cat food, dog food and pet treats to the pet sitters, finalize pack and address my mailings, pack my pack and pick up my train tickets....Okay, got that off my chest, think I can sleep now. Bluebird hits the nest....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Date: 2006-01-24
To: 53 DAYS
Miles today: 0.0

That's it....53 days and I'm on my way. 'Blueeyes' Rodney will deposit one 'Bluebird' Terry at the Amtrak station in Harrisburg PA and I will be flying South to Gainsville. Rod says it's okay if I call him in a week to pick me up....HEY, You gotta have faith!Bluebird still in PA
Date: 2006-01-27
To: Trying out the starter load
Miles today: 0.0

Decided to pack out my backpack, try it on and see how it felt. It's really not bad. I'm taking a 10 mile walk today. I've been breaking in my boots, shoes etc. House settlement on Monday. Homeowner's Insurance cancelation meeting on Tuesday, 2005 taxes on Wednesday, dogs to the vets on Thursday. Tieing down loose ends everywhere. I'm glad I'm busy. This way time flies by and I'll be on my way before I know it. Yesterday I sent this picture to my Children's Miricle Network Chairman, Rick Gates, at The Hershey Company. I hope they are able to raise a large sum of money for the cause. I will be adding a journal entry to help to explain my reasons for choosing CMN as an incentive to keep hiking and as fund raising opportunity.Bluebird in PA
Date: 2006-01-28
To: CMN Incentive
Miles today: 0.0

Beyond wanting to take on the challenge of hiking the AT from Georgia to Maine, I want to know that my hike is not a pilgrimage based purely on self-satisfaction and gratification. My seeking an incentive to keep moving on the AT that reaches beyond my own immediate existence, but still has personal meaning, was not difficult.CMN 'Children's Miracle Network' works to raise funds to help in the research, care and treatment of sick children. My connecting with CMN as an incentive has to do with that research. Twenty-six years ago I gave birth to my first son. Aaron passed away four and a half months later from a liver disorder, Biliary Atresia. In 1979 the medical community had only begun to pioneer the idea of liver transplants in children, not so in 2006. Because of the research done with the money raised by organizations like CMN, children have another chance at life, parents and families of sick children have new hope.Without being to long winded, I feel my incentive touches me through Aaron's memory and touches children and their families through what others chose to contribute through CMN at ¢The Hershey Company'
Date: 2006-02-01
To: Pocket Mail Composer Test
Miles today: 0.0

I am checking to see if an e-mail I send to my home computer can be retrieved, edited and placed on my journal site at trailjournals.comIs this a great or what? Some one said I could mail my journal entries to someone to post for me or I can email to my home computer and if and when I get to a computer on the trail, I can access my mail and post them myself.Anyone reading this who has a better idea to get my journal from my pocketmail composer to my journal at trailjournals.com SPEAK UP! I'm all ears.Bluebird
Date: 2006-02-10
To: God Bless the Queen
Miles today: 0.0

I'm taking my pre-hike holiday visit, in England, compliments of my sister Kathy, her British hubby Andrew, and thier wild and crazy daughter Katie! Andrew has just announced a one hour hike around Chislehurst. I'm up for it....you know.... keep my legs moving. Got to work off those 'hot cross buns' and 'late night crisps.' Being here keeps my mind completely occupied and the time flies by toward my AT start. We leave for a two day jaunt to Venice on Monday. SOMEBODY STOP ME!! I'm in heaven!!!!!
Date: 2006-02-26
To: Ah, Venice
Miles today: 0.0

I returned home from visiting my sister in England on February 23rd. It was a wonderful break after all the issues surrounding the sale of my home and preparation for the trail.Our four day visit to Venice was the highlight of the trip. What a place...so much history, art, and great food. The only thing better than the surroundings was the company and time I shared with my sister Kathy, her husband Andrew, and my fabulous niece Katie. It's back to finishing preparations and tieing up any loose ends before leaving on the 19th for Gainesville. I talked to Diane Manning today (trail name: Journey) She hiked the trail in 2003 and journaled at this site. She offered to be my transcriber and has already proven to be a great help in understanding what I will face on the trail. Hope to meet her at Trail Days, in Damascas in May.For all those who have started their trek a heartfelt "Happy Trails" from Bluebird!
Date: 2006-02-27
To: Transcibing with My Transcriber
Miles today: 0.0

Today I spoke to a great lady and fellow AT Thru Hiker, Diane Manning. She'll be my transciber for my hike in 2006. Diane's trail name is Journey and you can find her journal here at trailjournals.com, for the year 2003. We had a wonderful conversation and she talked me through the ins and outs of pocketmail. We discussed the best way to send pictures for posting on the site and, most important, the AT and her personal insight of what to expect (the good and not so good). We plan to meet face to face in Damascas, VA. for Trail Days. I look forward to meeting her and sharing stories. Happy Trails, Bluebird 2006
Date: 2006-03-03
To: Mail Link - Male Link
Miles today: 0.0

My dad was a hunter and I spent most of my afternoons, as a child, during small game season, skinning and dressing out small game on the back porch, to fill a cook pot that would feed 7 people (my parents and 5 sisters). My pallet is accustomed to the taste of venison, rabbit, pheasant, so I am not suprised that I jumped at the chance to try my hand at hunting. I did okay. I got four birds. I don't know that I could harvest a larger animal. Rod, however is an avid hunter and has hunted elk and mule deer in Colorado, Montana, and Arizona. He also takes trips to Alaska to keep his freezer filled with fresh Halibut and Salmon.YUM! It's great being with a guy who loves to hunt!I wanted to include a picture of Rod in my journal, because he is my sweetheart and has been a huge help in getting me prepared for the hike. My house sale was a huge effort and without his help with pets, furniture, etc. I couldn't have done it.Rod will be taking care of my two cats, while I'm away. He has also volunteered to do my mailings (Thank you, Thank you, Thank you) My two dogs are being cared for by Steve, a young man who's parents live in Camp Hill, PA and have a place to put the dog kennel. Rod will be re-supplying Steve with 44 pound bags of 'Fit & Trim' for the next 6 to 7 months. Go Rod.
Date: 2006-03-08
To: 11 Days
Miles today: 0.0

I walked for 5 miles, day before yesterday, with a full pack...just to get the feel of it. I'm sure it will feel like a small house walking in the mountains of GA. but in PA, no problem. I have managed to reduce the weight of my pack, but look forward to seeing what I don't need and sending it home the first chance I get. How much does dental floss weigh?Last evening I slept outside, in my tent, to see if my sleeping bag is adequate. Eureka! I was warm as toast in 18-degree temps.11 Days till I'm in route to my start. Hard to believe.Blluebird in PA