morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-02-17
To: dreams
Miles today: 0.0

hey, i'm back!Not from much other than school really, oh the drudgery! (but since I haven't spent time on trailjournals in nearly a month, it feels like I'm back from something.) Luckily, in between school, I've been having trail dreams for the past month, so that's kept me somewhat in touch, right?We're not talking trail dreams every night, but I think there's been about three total that I've recalled in the morning. None of them touched on any of the yukky stuff about hiking, like falling, rain, blisters, and hunger pains, (if I can accurately imagine all that stuff, I'd probably be more hesitant to start) so naturally my dreams are about skipping around in the woods, sunshine days, and...what's this? a dream about becoming famous???yep, true, I did have one dream about becoming famous after my hike. (Couldn't imagine that would happen in real life, especially since public speaking isn't my fortay, but in my dreams, most anything is possible--which makes dream analyzation quite hard for those of you who read into these things. oh, don't get me wrong, i love to read into them!) Anyway, the dream i most remember follows that I was being interviewed (post-hike), about what was my one most valuable asset while hiking all those miles? My answer turned out to be, "hmmm, it was a toss-up between my sleeping bag, and my chapstick". Now, it may seem funny at first, but for those of you who know me, it could be said that I have a bit of an addiction to chapstick. I have one in my room, my bathroom, my pocket (at all times), my car, my boyfriends car, my schoolbag, etc. I think I get the addiction from my mom. I mean crack-mama, crack-baby right? No, no, no...that's a total joke. We're talking about chapstick here. Blistex is our favorite...preferrably the one called Herbal Answer. Am I making my point clear? I LOVE chapstick. Evidently, my addiction was getting the better of me that night in my dream. Perhaps I was worried I wouldn't have enough in the woods...or that I'd lose it--which also happens a lot. Most likely I'll go through about one per month before I finish. Or, better yet, maybe i'll kick the chapstick habit while on the trail! hmmm, now there's a thought, although my dream does predict that chapstick will be of prevailing interest to me while hiking. We'll just have to see!
Date: 2003-02-17
To: dehydration continued, and trailnames
Miles today: 0.0

Hey, that last entry was so long I had to split it in two! here's the second half! The other things I've been continually thinking about, besides trail dreams, are food and trailnames. The dehydration is coming along great by the way. I like to make fruit-rollups with applesauce and peaches, although they've proven heavier than regular dried fruit, so I will probably leave them behind. I've been making lots of shredded carrots which I've bagged up with dried peas, as well as 'spinach sprinkles' (they're my favorite). Eggplant and red peppers came along well too. Although, I wouldn't recommend tomatoes as they got my dehydrator very messy, and i was expecting a sun-dried tomatoe taste, and they just didn't cut it. Yeah, sorry but i can be a yuppie sometimes. The asparagus also gets very spikey and sharp looking when it's dried in pieces, and I'm not sure how much i'll like it when i rehydrate it...it really looks scary. But all in all dehydrating is fun!As for the trailnames, I'm starting to think i'll be called veg-head, or chap-stick, or egg-head (assuming I do shave my head at the start). None of these are very appealing, but I don't want to just go out and name myself Minnow (my name of choice) before hiking on the trail. There's something to be said for getting named by another person, it's comforting when you get a nickname, like you're part of a close group...and I don't want to negate that. Although when I was dubbed teedra-weedra-peedra by my sister, it wasn't quite the lovey-dovey situation-that's okay though, i got her back! So anyhow, there's a chance that my upcoming trailname could be fantastic, although I'm equally picturing the not so great names. If i can figure out how to telepathize to someone that I want to be called Minnow by the time i hike, you can bet your butt i'll be doing that. there's nothing wrong with a little manipulation, right?. I'll have to think about the ethics behind that some more i guess :) ~till then~
Date: 2003-03-03
To: trailname
Miles today: 0.0

okay, so there was this hulabaloo that i made in one of my last journal entries, about how i didn't want to name myself prior to the trail...but....some things have changed my mind. trail safety is the big one. after talking with my parents i realized that listing my journal by my name may lead to some unwanted consequences. not everyone who reads these things may be sane, or well intentioned. and i'd rather not let those people know my name, which they could later link to other information about me on the web. i know, i'm talking scary stuff here...but i think it's better for me to play on the safe side, and take precautions against this possibility. therefore, i'm creating a trail name for myself. it's not minnow...although i really do like that name...it's blistex. i think that name is most appropriate because of the trail dream that i had about chapstick (with blistex my brand of choice), my addiction to the stuff, and the jokes that have arisen about me due to my addiction. therefore, i'm starting the trail with a trailname in hand, but this time I think it's a wise decision. and who knows, if there's a more fitting name that clings to me once i'm on the trail, i'm always open to the option of change!
Date: 2003-04-17
To: money matters...
Miles today: 0.0

hey ya'll...i'm back. i had a little bout of web-scared-ness for a few months, but i'm finally over that (i think...fingers crossed)! Earlier this week, I encountered a bit of financial difficulties...nothing serious, and nothing impacting my immediate health or well being...but events that could perhaps delay my hike, shorten it, simplify it, or dismiss it. Well, maybe that's being a bit dramatic, but i was having my doubts. Luckily, I have a great friend whom I talked to about this, and he advised me to continue planning on the trail for this summer, and if it doesn't work out, it still wont be too late to find a job and work for a bit. There are always opportunities to start the trail later in the summer, or make some money and then do a flip-flop hiking agenda. Thank goodness for rational friends! He's right of course :)So now my focus can return, releived, to the completion of school. I've got about a week right before finals where I have no immediate deadlines for papers or presentations or anything. The thought fills me with pleasure! I'm going to try and finish my mail drop planning at that time. That's all for now!
Date: 2003-05-04
To: made the reservations...
Miles today: 0.0

tonight, while avoiding the massive amounts of final papers that i should be writing for school, i found myself instead practicing productive procrastination. (woah, almost too many P-words just then) my procrastination ideas turned to the trail tonight. instead of typing boring papers about environmental politics or the atrocities of hog confinements, my tweedling thumbs found better uses. tonight, these two appendages have helped me to complete the reservation form for baxter state park!!! the very starting point of my 6 month adventure. yikes, i'm actually in the books folks...(or soon to be). YEAH!you may think that this is not a big step, but it is to me. it's one more absolutely concrete action that recognizes the next adventure in my life. when i think about the trail, my body starts to feel like it does when i've got to make a 30 min. class presentation...alone...it's the same butterfly feelings in my stomach. nervous, and yet looking forward to just diving in-although in the case of class presentations i mainly want to dive in so that i can sit down and shut up sooner. i want to dive into the trial more for the journey...not the ending moment when i get to sit down for a while (although month 4 1/2 may contradict this theory). it's absolutely daunting that i'll be hiking in one month and 3 days!!! i'm still in montana, still with friends, still in school, still working on the farm....it just seems so far away, and yet it's really creeping closer to that start date. in two weeks, my parents will be here and i'll be wearing a black gown and a cardboard hat. so strange! anyhow, those are my thoughts for the day.
Date: 2003-05-18
To: i've a been a grad-u-a-ta-ted !! (+ gained a name)
Miles today: 0.0

that's right,on saturday May 17th, 2003, I graduated from the University of Montana. YAHOO!!!and even better (in my perspective) the night of the 17th, i received an awesome gift for the trail, a digital camera!!! the plan now is to understand how to work the thing on the ride home so that i will know what i'm doing by the time i'm on the trail. exciting for sure!so, what's with the switch in trail names you ask? well, like most other times in my life, i've changed my mind. blistex (my former name) may be a necessary item on my trip, however a snail holds much more symbolic meaning for me. snails are close to the soil and the ocean. I likewise resonate deeply with both of these systems. snails also live sustainably in the sense that they carry everything that they need on their backs. I will be doing this on the trail (along with the 300 other hikers)--and plan to continue to live lightly afterwards. Finally, i've inferred that because snails move so slowly, that they are concientious animals; something i also work on emulating throughout my life. yeah, i may have dug a bit deeper for this one than i had for blistex-but i feel much more comfortable with this name. I've told people that i won't change my trail-name again after this, and i don't plan to--unless there are many "snails" on the trial, in which case I may become the "southbound snail"...but the journal address will remain the same.
Date: 2003-05-29
To: ~excitement & thanks~
Miles today: 0.0

yikes! a bit over one week left before my dad and i hike katahdin together. i'm so excited, i don't know what to do with myself! today my mom and i went to bread & circus and i practically bought out the organic bulk section. the tally at the end was huge, but luckily being a college graduate has (drastically) helped with my money situation. i'm super thankful that i have such a large, supportive, and caring family who gives generously :)now all that's left is repackaging food and taking a road trip to see my grandparents in maine, and my best friend in new hampshire. And i'm excited for that too...i'm just plain dumbstruck with excitement. it makes me wish i had excersized today so that at least some of this energy could have been released. i suppose there's still a chance for exercize since it's only 9 PM right now, but (typical tidi) i'll find another more enjoyable thing to do rather than indoor excersize. i've just never taken a liking to that stuff unless my surrounding atmosphere is constantly changing (and no, excersize videos don't cut it.) good thing i'm hiking soon, eh? :)also, i just wanted to give huge kudos to jean from Adventure Foods who makes cheese powder and many other dehydrated & powdered foods specifically for hikers, with a 10% discount for thru-hikers. she's the coolest!!! thanks jean. i've been looking everywhere for that kind of stuff. (dehydrated spaghetti sauce, cheese powder, & the like...stuff that isn't easily available elsewhere) oooh, plus, for any upcoming thru-hikers reading this journal, she also can mail your order to a dropbox for you while your on the trail, if you want her to. she just LOVES hikers, and we love her too. THANKS!
Date: 2003-06-06
From: ~excitement & thanks~

To: Baxter State Park
Miles today: 0.0

Dad and i arrived at Abol Campground in Baxter on the night of the 6th. After unpacking our stuff into the shelter, we met up with Erin and Sam at Katahdin Streams Campground. The dads talked, while we all got to know each other a bit better. Both seem like great gals, and I'm super glad to be hiking with them. That night, dad and i also met TJ, a writer for the Thru-hikers Companion book. He gave us gals tips on where to go, and what to check out between Caratunk & here. It's so fun to meet trail folks, and i'm just amazed at how kind everyone is!!! Yea for the trail. My stomach may be a bit queasy tonight & tomorrow in anticipation, but i know that it's the thing for me, and i'm looking forward to it!
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Baxter State Park

To: Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at 4:30 AM-to the light & mosquitos. UUUGGGHHHH!!!! Tomorrow night i won't shy from using my bug-head-net. After getting up and ready, dad and i drove over to Katahdin Streams campground to meet the gals for the hike up the BIG K. When we got there, Sam & Erin were still sleeping, but dad & i were ready to go, so we told their dad (who was up & ready) that we'd meet them all at the top. Then, just as we were about to leave, we met up with Torn! Yea for Torn, in her big orange hat, and shaved head, i recognized her immediately from trailjournals. She came to the park with the help of Butterball & Zokwakii-who were going to begin the IAT and were hiking Owl Mt. that day. What great people to offer rides for southbounders to the park! Dad, Torn, & I left them and headed up the Hunt trail around 7:30 that morning. It was nice to get the chance to meet Torn finally, and talk about the 4 of us gals hiking the trail together. When we reached the top of Katahdin, we took pictures & small rocks that we plan on taking with us to Georgia. A few more pictures were taken when Sam & Erin arrived at the top. Then we split & headed down before what looked like an omnious storm approached. At tabletop (a long flat rocky section just below the peak), we realized that it was too late. Thunder & lightning was right on top of us as we scrambled for shelter. I was thinking of my mom's story of how 3 climbers were shocked (and 1 died) by sleeping on a rock, under a rock ledge that was struck by lightning. With that thought in mind, I booked it to the trees, with dad following close by. We waited the storm out there and filled one nalgene with the rain before the gals caught up with us again. Once they did, we all continued down the trail. We were all very lucky to have made it up & down before the storm, & without injury during the storm. At the base, dad, Erin, & I celebrated the day with a few beers. I'm so glad that dad hiked the first mountain with me. What a great way to start the trail! I love you dad!
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Mt. Katahdin

To: Hurd Brook
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today, we met Odysseus at the campground. Torn was ready to hike before Sam, Erin, & I...so she left the shelter with him--with the intention of hiking slowly so that we could catch up along the trail. Sam was feeling really sick this morning, (as she was the day before too), and decided that she wasn't going to hike the Appalachian Trail afterall. It was quite a dissapointment to me, but much more so for Erin, who had planned & split all of her equiptment with Sam. We spent an hour or so that morning rearranging & packing equiptment so that Erin could continue along the trail, while my dad drove Sam out of the State Park. I later heard that he drove her to an airport, where she took a plane home to Virginia. It was hard to say goodbye to my dad, and i had a few tears in the corners of my eyes, but I knew that i'd be meeting up with him or someone from my family in Monson to reevaluate hiking with Erin & Torn...and to possibly meet up with Sam if she decided to continue hiking. Erin & I headed out of camp at 9:30am. I couldn't get over the lakes & rivers we were passing (waterfalls too)--and i wondered why i hadn't camped here more often. It was sooo nice! Torn was in front of us before we knew it, with some bad news. She had told Odysseus to pass her (he's a fast hiker) and in the meantime had tripped & fallen on her chest. She wasn't sure if she had torn a muscle, or cracked her sturnum, but hiking for her was hard & slow from then on. She planned on stoping at Abol Campsite (where there was a mini-mart) to get some help & figure out just what was wrong. We all stopped for lunch together, and then Erin & I hiked on, wishing her the best. Our planning took us further than Abol Campsite that day. Poor Torn!Later along the trail Erin & i met up with two other gals named Lady Maude & Master Harold. They too were stopping at Abol Campsite for the night. We pushed on for Hurd Brook, but hoped to see them again soon. As soon as we got into the wilderness (about mile 11) that's when i slowed down. Bam, my body suddenly realixed that it had been carrying about 45 lbs. this whole time. The last 2 miles weren't exactly thrilling anymore. Youch! Yeah, true snail-time then. We finally got to relax at Hurd Brook that night, in a lean-to with a few other folks. Odysseus was there, as well as Matt & his dog Jerry, and Moosprints and Creature & their small dog (whose name i forget, sorry puppy!). Celebration, Celebration. A fire, mashed potatoes, & a privy. Heaven!
Date: 2003-06-09
From: Hurd Brook

To: Rainbow Streams
Miles today: 11.5

Today wasn't the best day. Leaving Hurd Brook, Erin decided that her pack was too heavy (greater than 1/3rd her body weight), and that she'd better head out of the woods before attempting the 100-mile wilderness. I couldn't blame her, she had a lot of emotional & physical baggage to deal with after her close friend from college (sam) left, but i was really dissapointed. Odysseus & I tried to take some of the weight out of her pack & into our own, as well as giving her confidence to go on, but it wasn't working. I was bummed. Just yesterday, she & i were joking about how our group was dropping like flies. Now it was her too, and i was the only one remaining out of the initial four girls!We made plans to meet up in Monson on the 18th, so that i could give her back her 2 person tent & water filter (which i was now carrying into the wilderness because we had planned on sharing these things once Sam left). I asked her to call my parents once she got to a phone to let them know that i would be hiking on with the folks that we had met in the shelter. Now my pack weighed between 50-55 lbs, but so be it. I didn't want to back out just yet.Odysseus kindly decided to be my hiking partner for today & although he has the ability to hike quickly, he maintained my pace for the company. I slipped & fell in the mud on one whole side of me, but we neglected to take pictures-so you'll just have to imagine it. I wasn't hurt, and oddly enough, it actually brightened my day! Laughing always helps :)Everything that we hiked on that day was wet & slippery. I've begun to understand that while wet leaves may be slippery, wet rocks can be more slippery, and wet roots & logs are the most slippery. (Wet moss is just damn unpredictable; sometimes it's your savior, & other times, it's your demise.) By the end of the day, my back hurt, my hips hurt, i was bug-bitten, & had hot spots on my feet (thankfully they weren't blisters yet). That night we stayed in a lean-to with Daniel, the Squirrel Master, Matt & his dog Jerry. The guys were all extreemly helpful & kind to me. Chivalry at it's best! Dan & Squirrel called me either Ms. Snail or Maam the whole night & helped me put up my bear line. Odysseus looked out for me while hiking, pulling sticks out of my way & taking breaks when he knew that i needed it. Leif was right, guys are really nice to girls on the trial. Thanks guys!
Date: 2003-06-10
From: Rainbow Streams

To: Wadleigh Stream
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today went by so fast! 2 pm & we're already at a shelter. It was a steep uphill & downhill trail on Mt. Nesuntabunt. There, we passed our first northbound thru hiker ("walking man") & I gave him my 2nd & last Snickers bar. He was pulling a 40+ mile day that day, I was in shock, anbd it was the least i could do for him!!! I don't know that i'll ever be at the pace that he's taking- but that's not really why i'm out here anyway. The first snickers bar was shared at the top of the mountain by all five of us. The sun was out today-no rain at all, and Dan Squirrel, Odysseus, Matt, & I pretty much hiked together all day. (& Jerry too, Matt's dog). Mom, you'd like this: Matt is a raw-foodist, meaning that he only eats raw food (but not meats). He had MS & started his recovery on Juice Plus! He's now actually a distributer for the company--but is now, for the past 2 years, into raw foods, which he believes have helped him gain full recovery from the crippling disease. (previously, he couldn't move below his waist!) Pretty intense huh? So we talked a bit about you & JP on the trail. -----And i just hope that you're not worried for me after hearing Erin's phone call, because i'm really in great, supportive company & having a good time in the wilderness. the bugs may be a little daunting and the food not so great, but the people, terrain, & lifestyle has been wonderful!i've seen moose tracks & moose scat on the trail, but still no moose!
Date: 2003-06-11
From: Wadleigh Stream

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

Alright, so by the night of the 11th, some aspects of my hike thus far have drasticly changed. I've begun to feel very uncomfortable with the fact that my 3 planned hiking partners have all bailed in one way or another. I'm even more uncomfortable with the fact that today, three of the four guys that i've been hiking with have decided to stay overnight at White House Landing tonight, whereas I cannot(because of a deadline i've made to meet my parents in Monson). Lastly, what's really been freaking me out is that the one guy of the group that has decided to hike on with me is the one who has been hitting on me, and making me feel vulnerable. Definately not what i need, i wished the others would be camping out with me tonight!!!i felt stuck. i didn't want to hike with this guy outside of the group, but i also couldn't spend the night at WHL with the group because there'd be no way to catch up to my original plan of meeting my folks in Monson on the 18th if i didn't push forward now (the next few days looking quite mountainous & slow already). Lucky save for me though. I had about two hours at Antlers Campsite before "Mr. Yukky" came in (he had stopped at WHL for a burger & was then going to catch up with me), and there were other campers there whom i had met on a previous night. I talked with J'aimee & Nick about the situation I was in and how I wanted to lose this guy, but didn't know how to. They offered to partner up with me, and hike out with me early the next morning. It was sounding like a great plan. Then later on that night, an even better plan came forth. TJ, whom i had met at Baxter State Park, strolled in to camp, and I found out that he had a car parked 4 miles south of us on a logging road. He became my 'trail angel' and offered to take me out of the wilderness (an anomoly in itself!) and to town where i could make a phone call to my folks. I can't explain how happy I was to see him, or J'aimee & Nick, and understand that i was in safe company again. Just a word to the wise--you can't trust everyone you meet, and as a young female hiking the trail (without her other female partners) i've learned that things can get turned around pretty quick, so be cautious!