morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Okay, I¢ll throw my hat into the ring. I¢m tentatively planning on hiking the trail next year. Why tentative? That¢s the next post. One thing I¢ve learned this year is how quickly plans can unravel¢¦In January of this year, I¢d been feeling sick for a couple of weeks ¢ I thought I had the flu. Imagine my excitement when the doctor told me that we were expecting! I came running out of the doctor¢s office to tell my husband. I was due in September, and we were so excited.On March 15th, I happened to wake up before my alarm. I was reading an article in my yoga magazine about expectations in life, and I remember thinking, ¢I don¢t have any expectations, but my life is pretty mapped out for the rest of the year. I¢m having a baby in September, and I¢m working towards my PhD.¢ I was a few years into a PhD program in biomedical engineering.Later that day, while at school, I started bleeding¢¦I called my nurse midwife who had me come in, and she couldn¢t find the baby¢s heartbeat. She sent me and my husband to the hospital across the street, where they did an ultrasound. The technician kept staring at the screen, looking puzzled, then excused herself and walked out. I turned to my husband and said, ¢If we lose this baby, I¢m quitting school and hiking the Appalachian Trail.¢Two minutes later the doctor came in, took one look at the ultrasound, and said we were going to lose the baby. I miscarried two days later.I tried to refocus on school, but the fact was I simply wasn¢t that happy in my research, and I was having some health problems that were affecting me. One day my advisors sat me down and told me I was unenthusiastic and uncreative, which pretty much sealed it. If anyone reading this ever meets me, you¢ll know I am NEVER described as unenthusiastic. So, this clearly wasn¢t the path I was meant to take. I left my PhD program at the end of May, sans degree ¢ though I found out later I will be getting a masters degree.So at the beginning of the year I thought I was going to have a baby and a PhD, and just four months later I lost both. But, it¢s all okay ¢ at least now my husband and I know we can get pregnant, and now I know I really do NOT enjoy doing research and don¢t want a PhD. I could still be sitting at the old engineering job I had, thinking, ¢Oh, I should have gone for my PhD.¢ At least I tried and realized I didn¢t like it, instead of pining away for something I didn¢t have the courage to pursue.So now I¢m taking the summer off to focus on my health (more of that in a later post). I¢m hoping to get some temporary work in the fall, and possibly start hiking the AT on March 1st, 2008! Unfortunately my husband won¢t be able to come with me ¢ hiking 2000 miles isn't really his dream. But he's 120% supportive of me heading out there!
Date: 2007-06-13
To: Health
Miles today: 0.0

Six years ago, I was a healthy, athletic 25-year old. I spent every Saturday cycling 50+ miles with my friends! Then one Saturday in January I woke up with a bit of a cold -- and it just would not go away. It went into my chest, it seemed to be bronchitis, but it just kept getting worse and worse. One day at work I felt so sick I basically collapsed, and a coworker drove me home. I figured I'd be out for a few days - maybe a week. Instead I was out for FIVE MONTHS.The doctors started telling me it was Not Looking Good: first they thought it was something chronic, then they thought it was something fatal, but (thankfully) they were wrong. It was an infection in the lining around my heart, which was quite serious, but with a lot of patience and rest I recovered from it.One day during the midst of all this, when they still thought it was something chronic, I was laying on the couch feeling lousy (headache, fever, chest pains), and I started thinking, "I'm so glad I went to Italy for a week in '00...I'm so glad I got my engineering degree...thank heavens I did all that cycling while I could...that two-week cross country drive I did in '99 was fantastic." I was SO THANKFUL that I had done all these things while I could -- and the transition from "could" to "can't" is something that you never know is coming.My father was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which was tough. He's doing well, but the disease is already affecting his quality of life. My mother died of cancer several years ago, when she was 58. On the one hand, it's tempting to put off this hike until my husband and I retire (in 35 years!) -- but who knows if we'll both be healthy enough (and injury free) to take on a trip like this then? Of course, we both hope to be...but you just don't know.This is one reason I want to go next year, while I can! Because believe me, if another health crisis hits me in the future, I know I will NOT be lying on the couch thinking, "I'm so glad I decided NOT to hike the AT." I would be kicking myself for not taking the opportunity while I had it.
Date: 2007-06-19
To: The Big Debate
Miles today: 0.0

So I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm 'tentative' for next year -- best to explain why! I have been having an internal debate for several months now: am I comfortable putting off trying to get pregnant again until September 2008? (Which naturally I would have to if I'm going to hike the trail!)If I was younger, I wouldn't even be having this debate - I'd be busy planning my thru-hike! But by the time I finish hiking the trail next year, I'll be 33 -- technically I should have at least a few more years to have a family...but I've had some friends in their 20's have trouble getting pregnant, and have to go through a LOT of medical intervention that I hope to avoid, so I'm more aware then most of the difficulties that can come with trying to have a baby. I'd feel so guilty if I put it off to hike, then had trouble getting pregnant.But on the other hand, once we start having a family, I won't be hiking the trail for at least 20 years! So perhaps I should take this opportunity while I have it.
Date: 2007-10-11
To: I'm in!
Miles today: 0.0

Well, that's it! I'm going to hike the AT next year!! I finally admitted to myself that I really, really, really want to do this. I've wanted to try to hike the Appalachian Trail for several years now. I honestly never thought I'd have the time, health, and money all at the same time. (It's easy to have one of the three, lucky to have two of the three, and almost impossible to have all three at once.)It's funny because my sister was the one who helped convince me. She pointed out I get so excited when I talk about hiking the AT, I should go for it while I have the chance. At the end of the conversation, I said, "You're right. I'm going to do it." THEN she found out how long I'd be gone for, and said, "If I had known you'll be gone for 6 months I wouldn't have talked you into it!" Ha! We've already planned to try to have my husband, my dad, and my sister meet up with me over Memorial Day weekend.I have no idea how far along the trail I'll make it. I could go all the way to Maine; I could get injured and be done 2 weeks after starting. But I just HAVE to get all my gear, get in shape, and get to the beginning of the trail in March...and see where the journey takes me.
Date: 2007-10-26
To: Gearing up
Miles today: 0.0

I've been (slowly) buying the gear I need and (slowly) getting into shape. I like spacing out my purchases - that way the list of what I need doesn't overwhelm me, and I get to enjoy each new purchase. I find that by researching what I want, then keeping a list of those items, I can shop the sales and save a some money. (After all, any money saved on gear is spending money I'll have for the trail!)Basically, at least twice a week I check the homepages of REI, EMS, and Campmor, which has proven to be a good way to spot deals. Eastern Mountain Sports was having a 20% of everything in the store last week, so I bought my tent - Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 - for $199.90, which is a low price for that tent. Also, REI was having a sale last month where any member could get 20% of one item, so I bought my hiking boots then.I still have a lot more to get, but as my college roommate used to always say, "Little by little it will all get done!"
Date: 2007-11-08
To: Temporary Employment!
Miles today: 0.0

I was hoping to get hired on as seasonal help at one of the stores in my area -- both to make some extra money for the trail, and also because I don't like how unstructured my days get when I'm not working. I had put in a bunch of applications, and was technically 'willing' to work anywhere, but I was REALLY HOPING to get hired on at the bookstore near my house. And as luck would have it, I did!I really enjoy the job - it's fun to talk to the customers about books, and once I got the hang of it the cash register is certainly easy enough to run. Everyone who works at the store is really nice, so it's fun to be part of this 'team'. The first week I worked I was so sore and tired at the end of the day - I work at the cash register, and need to stand for my entire (8 hour) shift. The first few days, even with wearing comfortable shoes, by the end of the day I was sore - my feet hurt, my back hurt, my legs hurt. But that just made me really glad that I DO have to stand all day. If I was getting that sore from just standing for 8 hours, imagine the shock my body would have had if I went from sitting all day to hiking all day? And even now after 3 weeks at this job I can tell my body is adjusting - I leave work and I feel fine, I'm not dying to get off my feet.Of course I'm sure it will still be a shock to transition to hiking all day, but every little bit of physical preparation helps!Plus, it's a lot of fun to work in this bookstore.
Date: 2007-11-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's starting to get cold here in NJ (finally, we had an unusually warm fall). The other night I left work and was walking across the parking lot to my car, and I couldn't wait to get into my car and turn the heat on. Then I thought, what am I going to do when I'm on the TRAIL? It will be even colder than it is now, and I won't exactly be able to turn the heat on! It is a bit eye-opening, a small taste of what I'll be up against. I'm investing in some warm, lightweight gear and just hoping for the best.On a similar topic, I'm trying to decide if I should lose weight before this hike. I'm about 15 pounds over my 'healthiest' weight (not my thinnest weight, but the weight I tend to get to when I'm in good physical condition). Part of me thinks I really should make an effort to drop those 15 pounds before the hike, because that's 15 extra pounds my knees will have to support. But the other part of me thinks it would be such good insulation!! And I'll lose it eventually on the trail! Ah, decisions, decisions.
Date: 2007-11-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's only 110 days until I start my hike!! That doesn't seem far away at all. I've actually been having trouble sleeping lately, and I think it's because I'm so excited about the trail. I'm normally a morning person, I'll often get up (without an alarm) at 6 a.m. even on days I'm not working -- but lately it's been getting ridiculous. The other morning I woke up at 4:30 and could not fall back asleep, the day before I woke up at 5:30 and just got up and went for a run.I actually don't mind waking up so early, it's my favorite time of day and I have the most energy in the mornings, so it's a good time for me to get things done. But this morning was too extreme: I woke up at 1 a.m., and I thought, I am NOT getting up for the day at 1 a.m.! I just laid there for a while, and finally after an hour or so I did manage to fall back asleep. Maybe I need to cut back on trail thoughts, the way some people have to cut back on caffeine.In other news, I checked my work schedule for next week, and saw I work every day but Thursday. I wrote it down, and thought nothing of it. Then two hours later I realized that Thursday is Thanksgiving! Of course I have it off -- the store is closed! Wow, that really snuck up on me!I'm working Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, one of the biggest retail days of the year), which I'm actually excited about. I LOVE Black Friday - last year my husband and I got up at 4 am and went doorbustering at JCPenny's at 5 am. Then we hit my favorite sewing store, then went to breakfast! I've never worked retail before, and I'm getting the feeling that working it through the holiday season is either going to make or break me. (Hopefully the former!)
Date: 2007-11-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up early again this morning, so I decided to run for an hour before work. I headed out the door at 6 am, and it was just starting to get light out - a really nice time to run. The area I live in can be slightly sketchy if you go half a mile in one direction, but at that time I didn't see another soul out there - except someone delivering newspapers (who, incidentally, almost hit me with one - he REALLY couldn't wait the 5 seconds for me to cross the driveway!).I think I figured out why I've been waking up so early: I'm excited about my life again! The first part of this year was tough, between the miscarriage, and things falling apart on me in graduate school, and then my health crumbling away (within the first two weeks of May I had to go to the Emergency Room twice with horrible hives, I got bronchitis, and then I had a lot of blood in my urine for reasons they never figured out).Needless to say, if I happened to wake up early one day during those months, I'd just pull the blanket over my head and hide from the world for as long as possible! Now when I wake up, I look forward to going to work since I'm really enjoying my job, I'm excited to get up and exercise - it feels good to get back into shape - and of course there's always the underlying hum of anticipation about the trail. Plus I have a lot of energy throughout the day, it's not like I'm dragging around wishing I could take a nap. So I've decided to trust my body -- if it's needs more sleep, I'm sure I'll simply sleep until my alarm rings like a normal person.We're having a party tomorrow, sort of an open-house to kick off the holiday season. My husband has been prepping the decorations all day. I just baked brownies, and now I have two loaves of pumpkin bread in the oven! A few people have signed my trailjournals guestbook telling me not to worry about losing weight before my hike, and I'm glad that's their advice because we'll have a lot of tasty treats at the party tomorrow!
Date: 2007-11-23
To: Thanksgiving
Miles today: 0.0

We had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday. My husband was out late the night before, so he slept in while I puttered around the apartment. Then we just relaxed and watched one of the Harry Potter movies. It was nice to have the day together -- it felt like a 'snow day', in that we didn't have any chores or errands to run, we could just hang out and be together. In the evening we had dinner with some of my husband's extended family. So much good food!This morning we got up at 3:30 a.m. so that we could go 'doorbustering' at 4 a.m. There wasn't really anything we needed to get, but we just love the idea of shopping at 4 a.m. (which is funny because normally I don't like shopping at all, but being in the mall before sunrise makes me feel like I'm getting away with something!) We shopped for a couple of hours, went to breakfast, and I got to work at 7:30 a.m.! A really fun day, and I am going to sleep well tonight.In trail news, I haven't worked out much this week - I thought I was coming down with something on Monday, I felt really run down, so I didn't work out as much as I had planned. But I'm feeling better now, so hopefully I'll get back on track this weekend. I refuse to hold myself stringently to some exercise plan -- I don't want to burn out before I even step foot on the trail, and no matter how much physical preparation I do, it won't be enough - I know I'm going to have to hike myself into shape. Anything I do now is bonus, the way I look at it!Hope everyone had a very nice Thanksgiving, and a nice long weekend. Tomorrow evening is 'Thanksgiving' with my family - my dad and sister will be coming to our apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. (Cooked by my husband, since I'm working all day tomorrow!) I'm really looking forward to it.
Date: 2007-12-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I have to admit, the colder it gets outside, the more I wonder if this hike is a good idea. It's not that I'm having doubts -- I'm still definitely going to go -- it's just that I'm starting to wonder if I'm insane for wanting to go.I came down with a bad cold over the weekend so I haven't been working out much. But I've still been working, which means 8 hours on my feet, and lots of running around if we're busy (which we have been), so I'm not being a total couch potato.I've corralled all my gear into a box (all the gear that I've gotten so far - still need some), and it doesn't seem too heavy yet. As soon as I get my pack and the rest of my gear, I'll be spending some time with the scale to make sure I'm carrying a reasonable weight.I did have to go to Philly on Friday, so instead of driving to the train station and paying for parking, I put 10 pounds of stuff in a backpack and walked the 3.5 miles to the train station. Of course walking on sidewalks is not the same as hiking, but I was happy that I didn't feel the least bit sore or tired from the walk. It's a start!
Date: 2007-12-05
To: Family
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Two weeks ago I got home from work and a box from Amazon was waiting for me. I assumed it was something my husband had ordered for his parents for Christmas and put it aside. The next day my husband said he hadn't ordered anything from Amazon, so I quickly opened the box - and it was a copy of the Bill Bryson book "A Walk in the Woods"! My cousin and her husband heard I was going to hike the AT and sent it to me! It was so thoughtful of them, and such a nice surprise to get a gift like this from out of the blue.When I wrote them a thank-you note I suggested getting together for breakfast on March 2nd. (I'll be taking the train from NJ to Atlanta, arriving in the morning, and staying that evening at the Hiker Hostel). When they got my note, they called and offered to pick me up at the Amtrak station, get some good food, and drive me to the Hiker Hostel! It will be so nice to be able to spend some time with them, and it's reassuring to know that family will be waiting for me when my train pulls in to Atlanta -- it will be a very nice way to start this journey. That's part of what this trip is all about: connecting with people that I otherwise wouldn't have had the chance to spend quality time with.
Date: 2007-12-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

At work I often get to chat with the customers as I'm ringing them up or wrapping their gifts. At least twice a week they end up asking me what I majored in in college. (Random to ask that of someone in their 30s, I know, but it seems All Roads Lead To That Question -- they start off by asking if I'm a student, or if I'm temporary help, or 'what my story is').When I mention my degrees are in engineering, they always end up saying something along the lines of "Oh, you must be job hunting" or "Oh, you're going to have a wonderful engineering career" (or the less tactful ones blurt out "Why are you working HERE?") I just smile and explain I'm going to hike the Trail, which is an easy way right now to change the line of questioning. But inside I have to admit I feel a bit defensive - I've already HAD an engineering career! And I don't want another one, even when I'm done with the Trail! So it will be hard when I come BACK from the Trail, when people start asking me these questions, as I won't have an easy out then.I know the moral of the story is: don't care what people think. And I'm very impervious to some messages our society continually throws at us (like: "Drive a nice car!" Nope, no desire to listen to that one, and no mixed feelings about it either.) But I think when I do come back from the Trail, whatever job I end up taking, I'm going to feel I have to keep explaining myself to people.See, this is what I'm good at: worrying about events that are going to occur 10 months in the future. I am, in fact, a world-class worrier. The funny thing is my husband is extremely laid back, he couldn't worry if he tried. I keep hoping it will rub off on me!In other news, I went to the gym yesterday and did a "Punk Rope" class - an hour of jumping rope, and let me tell you my calves were sore just after the warm-up! I was feeling it today, but in a good way. I'm going to try to get to that class every week.I have tomorrow off, so I'll just be getting some Christmas gifts ready to ship, doing some more trail research, going to the gym, then going to a party with my husband. Fun!
Date: 2007-12-14
To: health - again
Miles today: 0.0

I had an unpleasant surprise this morning. I woke up, wandered bleary-eyed into the bathroom, and was quite startled to realize that I was (excuse my language) pissing blood. A LOT of blood. I didn't know quite what to do, so I spent a few hours getting some Christmas presents ready to be mailed off, but the situation didn't change by lunch time: I was still pissing blood and had no other symptoms. The 'usual' causes are either an infection or a kidney stone, both of which have telltale signs that are hard to ignore (like intense pain), but I felt fine. My husband was concerned and wanted to call his friend who is a doctor, but I waved it off. Then after lunch, I realized I was being an idiot. I've had medical problems in the past that doctors can't solve, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't give them a chance on this one! The doctors' office I go to has walk-in hours every day (SO convenient), so I went over after lunch.Since this is the second time I've had this (the first time being in April, when it was just chalked up to 'one of those things'), they're running the usual tests, but they're also sending me to a urologist at the end of December. It's probably nothing serious -- most likely an infection or perhaps the worlds smallest kidney stone -- but I really hope they find out WHAT IT IS. I can handle most things in life, but I'm bad with uncertainty, especially right before a 6 month backpacking trip.So I'm crossing my fingers they'll figure out what's going on!
Date: 2007-12-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, it's been a crazy week! The good news is my husband and I finally broke the news of my trip to his parents. I have wonderful in-laws, they are such warm and kind people, but I was worried they wouldn't understand about this trip and I didn't want to disappoint them. (My family took my trip in stride, but they've known me and my wanderlust ways my whole life.) But I give my husband's parents a lot of credit - they were very curious about my plans, after a few questions about my safety (just because they care), they were happy for me. So that was a relief.It's been very busy at work, and after 5 hours working the cash register yesterday my voice finally gave out. I found one of the managers and whispered that I lost my voice, so they moved me to a 'non-speaking' role of putting books back on shelves. (I really love where I work, everyone there is very understanding an supportive.)I went to the doctor today and I've got an upper respiratory infection, so they started me on meds, I'm gulping down water, and my husband and I are getting good at charades to explain what I want to say. (I had to point out to him once today that HE can talk, he doesn't have to signal to me!) I'm working tomorrow, so I'm really hoping I'll wake up to find my voice is back!Then after work it's off to my husband's parents house -- I crocheted his mom and dad both scarves for Christmas. Then Christmas day my family comes over to our apartment. I love Christmas!!Happy Holidays, everyone!