morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-08-01
To: You come, too
Miles today: 0.0

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring; I'll only stop to rake the leaves away (And wait to watch the water clear, I may): I sha'n't be gone long. You come too. I'm going out to fetch the little calf That's standing by the mother. It's so young, It totters when she licks it with her tongue. I sha'n't be gone long. You come too.                                 The Pasture ¢ by Robert FrostDear vicarious hiker,I am setting out to hike the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, next year.While I¢m sure I will clear the leaves from springs to get water, the real reason, at least in part, is that I¢m going is to clear some of the flotsam from my mind and spirit. It's time to lighten the load and look at my life.I may not see the little calf from Robert Frost¢s poem, but there will be many other wonders to behold along the Trail, sunrise and moonrise, rainbows (and rain!), starshine in the vastness above and beauty in the vistas below.As to whether I¢ll be gone long¢¦ they say it takes an average of 5 to 7 months to complete the Trail... Since I hike rather on the slow side¢¦I¢ll say, 6 to 8 months. But I expect it to be time well-invested.It is my hope that, through this journal, you will choose to ¢come too¢ as I travel the Trail.
Date: 2009-08-15
To: Until you spread your wings....
Miles today: 0.0

I¢ve had this poster (Limitations) - http://www.despair.com/limitations.html - on my wall for years as I¢ve waited for the right time for a thru hike (hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in one year, as opposed to a section hike). In case you can¢t link to despair.com, the poster is one of a penguin waddling away, tiny wings outstretched for balance, with the caption, ¢Until you spread your wings, you¢ll have no idea how far you can walk.¢ I¢ve looked at this little penguin from time to time, especially when Springer Fever (an overwhelming desire to go hiking) hits. While I¢ve done some section hiking I knew the time wasn¢t right for me to leave the ones who needed me at home. But I promised myself that my time would come.Now my children are leaving the nest ¢ my daughter for her senior year of college, and my son for his first. I watch with both excitement and melancholy as they work up to flying away. I want them to be free and independent, and yet the mother hen in me misses the fuzzy little chicks in the nest and worries about them. Without meaning to, I¢ve given mixed messages as Ellen and Ethan have developed. ¢Grow up! Be independent.¢ ¢No! Don¢t do that. Be safe.¢ And they, in turn, waffle on the issue, too. They tentatively hop away, then return to the nest. Loud cheepings proclaim growing independence while alarmed chirps at the abyss below reveal their own hesitations.Yet, for all my fussing at them, I don¢t worry too much. I am sure that they will soar on their young, strong wings once they spread them. When they do, we will see how far they will fly.But now it is time for me to spread my wings and see how far I can ¢¦ walk. Over 2100 miles, I hope.Second Stage
Date: 2009-09-03
To: To the woods
Miles today: 0.0

¢I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.¢ -- Henry David ThoreauThis thought of Thoreau¢s is wonderful and oft-quoted. But I thnk he must have started with a simpler life to begin with.I have a growing list of tasks to accomplish before I can leave next year. Some of them are directly Trail-related ¢ replace my aging set of AT maps, select my gear, and the big one ¢ lose weight and get in shape. But many other chores on my list have to do with the home front or Come Home to Dinner Personal Chef Service, my business.My wonderful husband, Angus, will be my support staff while I am gone, but for years I¢ve handled many of the mundane details of life around here. Will he remember to take the dog to get her shots next spring?   Does he even know which vet we go to? What can I do to make his life easier while I am gone? So I make lists and try to imagine the year ahead.Come Home to Dinner will have to be shut down for the duration, final cookdates arranged for my clients, the pantry emptied, equipment stored, taxes filed. What will need to be done during the time I¢ll be away? Website fees paid, United States Personal Chef Association membership paid, inquires fielded. What things can I do in advance? What instructions do I need to leave? I wonder, ¢Am I doing the right thing, going away for so long?¢ I worry what business will be like when I return.It seems ironic that to simplify, to live deliberately, I feel I must start by making a spreadsheet. I analyze the critical path for getting everything done by my tentative start date, maybe sometime in February. My calendar has become the foe. Will I make it to the start of my hike first, or will the calendar beat me to the date?So, in the interest of getting everything done, I will return now to my to-do list. Because I want to go to the woods ¢ to live deliberately.Second Stage
Date: 2009-10-24
To: The gym
Miles today: 0.0

The masochist said, ¢Hurt me! Hurt me!¢The sadist said, ¢No.¢After the staff meeting discussed in the previous entry I did indeed get myself to the gym. I set up a meeting with a personal trainer there, Bart. I explained my plans to hike the AT next year and just what that would involve. I told him that at a minimum I want to be strong enough to start off being able to make some miles without blowing out a knee ¢ or two. While he wasn¢t familiar with backpacking in particular, Bart said he¢d be willing to do some research so as to tailor the exercise program for backpacking.What we later settled on was that I should work on some cardio training and some strength training now. Then in mid-November he¢ll start me on a more intensive training program to get me ready to hit the Trail.Given my rather sorry physical shape, this plan appealed to me. I had been envisioning some version of boot camp with the raw recruit (played by me) caving under the withering glare and shouts of the sergeant (played by Bart) as seen in many a coming-of-age movies ¢ think An Officer and a Gentleman. I was NOT looking forward to that. But this plan of his would give me a reprieve, at least until November. Maybe by then at least I wouldn¢t embarrass myself.So Bart gave me a series of exercises, just to get me started, he said. Some upper body, lower body, core exercises, and some encouragement to do cardio interval training instead of the mindless, single-speed gerbil-wheel approach I¢d been using. This sounded very manageable to me. His manner was a nice balance of matter-or-fact and encouragement. He went through the exercises with me to make sure that I was doing them correctly and that the weights were appropriate. However, over the past couple of weeks I have found out that those exercises are more than enough to keep me working for some time to come. Even starting out slowly and with fairly light weights ¢ sometimes even lighter than the ones Bart started me on ¢ I find myself pretty sore. I¢m sure that they¢re at the right level and that Bart knows what he¢s doing, but my muscles creak and I moan first thing in the morning, even more than usual. Yeah, it¢s a ¢good hurt,¢ but still¢¦.I know, I know. The Trail will kick my backside more than the exercises do. If I think this is bad I should just wait. And that¢s ok. I expect some of the training to take place in the mountains of northern Georgia. I just hope I improve enough that that training is neither too painful nor too long.So until then, it is back to the gym for me.Which brings us to the opening quote. A most ingenious paradox, that. Given the soreness I¢ve been experiencing, does that mean that I¢m not a masochist, or does it prove that Bart is not a sadist?
Date: 2009-11-08
To: Why?
Miles today: 0.0

"All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears--of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words "Some Assembly Required."   ---- Dave BarryAs I talk with friends, acquaintances, complete strangers ¢ anyone who will listen ¢ about my plans to hike the AT next year, I am often asked, ¢Why are you going to do this?¢ Even though I have certainly thought about this, I am never quite certain how to answer it. Perhaps it is because I have many reasons for wanting to. I haven¢t yet come up with a single answer that covers all, or even most, of them. So I hem and I haw, giving an answer that fits whatever attraction the Trail holds for me in that moment and mood. The freedom, the beauty, the wonderful people on the trail, the meditative aspect of the journey, the challenge, the chance to eat whatever I want without worry¢¦Another question I often hear is, ¢Aren¢t you scared?¢ Again, I¢m not quite sure how to answer. On one hand I am indeed scared. Things can happen. Help might not be close at hand. But, then again, there are no guarantees in life. Am I really any safer at home, or do I just feel safer because it¢s familiar. Do I fear things on the Trail because I¢ve been taught to be afraid?In truth, one of the reasons I want to hike is because of fear. I¢m often afraid. Afraid of heights, afraid of pain, afraid of loss, afraid of saying the wrong thing, of not saying the right thing, simply afraid of making mistakes. But more recently I¢ve become more afraid of not attempting things. Of not taking on a big adventure. Of ending up some years from now regretting too many things that I didn¢t do. Fear is making me do it.Of course, there are many other reasons for me to hike the Trail, too. Perhaps sometime I¢ll go into those. But this is enough to start.I both agree and disagree with Dave Barry¢s quote above.   I, too, am afraid of falling, and of speaking before a Rotary Club (that¢s why I joined Toastmasters International last year!). But I¢m not particularly afraid of the dark, and when I see the words ¢Some Assembly Reqired,¢ I simply hand whatever it is to my husband. As far as the lobsters go¢¦bring ¢em on! Just give me a bib and a little melted butter!
Date: 2009-11-21
To: The gym
Miles today: 0.0

COUNT RUGENHe switches off The Machine, picks up a large notebook and pen, sits in a chair. The NOISE of The Machine subsides. Rugen opens the book to a blank page.                        RUGENAs you know, the concept of the suction pump is centuries old. Well, really, that's all this is. Except that instead of sucking water, I'm sucking life. I've just sucked one year of your life away. I might one day go as high as five, but I really don't know what that would do to you. So,let's just start with what we have. What did this do to you? Tell me. And remember, this is for posterity, so be honest -- how do you feel?AND NOW, AT LAST:                                          CUT TO:WESTLEYin anguish so deep it is dizzying. Helpless, he cries. Count Rugen watches the tears, then starts to write.                        RUGEN      Interesting.                    -- screenplay from "The Princess Bride" by William GoldmanI just got back from the gym. I feel a bit like Westley. The machines at the gym aren¢t based on suction pumps, but the effect seems the same.I met with my personal trainer, Bart, again as I head into countdown mode for my hike. He took the schedule we¢d worked out and increased the difficulty/weight/duration/number of repetitions of the exercise rotations I¢ve been using. Then in 3 weeks I¢ll be switching to different set of exercises with significantly higher weights but fewer repetitions. More and more cardio exercise time.Bart also has me walking with a modestly-loaded backpack and walking. The routine doesn¢t have me as heavily loaded or walking as far as I will on the Trail, but it is enough for now. I¢m finding that, traditionally, my feet are giving me the most trouble - blisters and hot spots. I bought a new pair of walking shoes in a wider size ¢ EEEE. Maybe they should just sell me the boxes instead! My wonderful boots haven¢t given me any trouble yet, but they feel a bit tighter than I remember. Have my feet changed that much over the last few years?I wonder what my feet will be like at the end ¢ another size larger, held together by duct tape, toenails missing, and plagued by blisters? Interesting.
Date: 2009-11-26
To: Thanksgiving Dinner
Miles today: 0.0

We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.                                          -- Sacred ritual chantOn Thanksgiving Day, of course, I offer thanks for the many good things in my life, only a few of which are listed below -My beloved husband, who is unstinting in his support and whose patience borders on saintly. Truly, he is my partner in life, and I am most grateful.My two wonderful children, Ellen and Ethan. They brought, and continue to bring, joy into my life. Not to mention some excitement from time to time.My extended family. While I am not in direct communication with them as often as I should be, they are often in my thoughts.My friends who share the good times and the bad.This year, in anticipation of my hike, I¢d like to express appreciation for the blessings I will receive on the Trail. On the section hikes I¢ve taken I¢ve learned that the Trail has its own rhythm and magic if one can only be open to them. Some gifts are easy to anticipate ¢The life I have that allows me to take the months needed to make this journeyThe support I have at home for this tripThe visionaries who made the Trail possible and the many who continue to make it a reality ¢ administrators, trail maintainers, volunteers of all sorts, and donorsThe folks who run this website, offering a place for us to share our thoughts.Previous hikers who share their knowledge of backpacking and the Trail.Other blessings are unknown but possible ¢Businesses along the way that support hikers, providing amenities and services that go well beyond those paid for.Trail angels, whether by design or happenstance, who give that bit of help when needed ¢ a hitch to a stinky, dirty hiker on a rainy day, a shared meal at a picnic table, or a cold drink on hot day.My fellow hikers who will share in the 2010 adventure. I anticipate the camaraderie and sense of security in your being out there, too.The Trail Magic that is not from human hands ¢ the majesty and beauty of nature, whether it is in trailside flowers, birdsong, sunrise, stars, or distant mountains to climb.As I head to a bountiful Thanksgiving Dinner, I bow my head.¢Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive¢¦¢Happy Thanksgiving, All.
Date: 2009-12-15
To: We are not alone
Miles today: 0.0

[Roy is shoveling soil into his kitchen window.]Roy Neary: Ronnie, if I don't do this, *that's* when I'm going to need a doctor.-- Close Encounters of the Third KindI watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind the other night while I worked on my spreadsheet for maildrops for my hike next year. As I obsessed over how many maildrops to have, whether I would be able to adequately resupply from this or that convenience store, what should I include in each maildrop, should I have a bounce box as a sort of extra backpack to mail to myself along the trail, I followed the character of Roy Neary after his close encounter with a UFO.The tagline on the DVD cover says, ¢We are not alone.¢ Indeed, I am feeling like I am *not* alone. As I read the journal entries of other members of the class of 2010, I feel their enthusiasm and anticipation. I can tell that the Trail is calling them, too. I am not the only one feeling the compulsion to stand atop Springer Mountain and be pulled northward, following the ribbon of trail.I haven¢t taken to molding Katahdin out of shaving cream or mashed potatoes as Roy molded Devil¢s Tower - yet. Nor have I taken to shoveling soil into my kitchen to make a giant model. However, I do find myself distracted from ¢normal¢ life. Friends suffer through my talking endlessly about the Trail. It intrudes into my thoughts frequently. I count the days to my departure. Gear and gear catalogs clutter my counters, and spreadsheets and checklists, along with almost-daily trips to the gym or tromps around town, consume my days. And on the gear front, the news is that I am attempting to sew a tent. While suffering from Springer Fever I forgot that, while I always love the *idea* of sewing, I dislike actually doing it. So rather than face up to the yards of silnylon and no-seeum netting, I¢ve been finding other things that need doing such as Christmas preparations, work, trying to get life on the homefront in order for my absence, and so on.But ever present is the thought of the adventure ahead of me.Hmmm. If I squint just right, that pile of suds in the sink looks sorta like Katahdin. There¢s just that one edge that needs adjustment. Gotta go.
Date: 2009-12-16
To: Technological nirvana?
Miles today: 0.0

I like my new telephone, my computer works just fine, my calculator is perfect, but Lord, I miss my mind!                                  ~ Author UnknownTrying to learn how to use new technologies has not been something I've always jumped right into. I had a cell phone for nearly three years before I realized I could text with it. And even then I wondered why I would do that instead of calling the person...So it is with some hesitation that I launch into this new age. This entry is being written entirely using my new BlackBerry Storm2 and a Freedom keyboard. (If I had been intended to type with my thumbs, I wouldn't have fingers.) Since my past attempts to put my post on Trail Journals from the BlackBerry have failed, I will email my entries to my husband to post.   I'm hoping this will allow me to post with some regularity while I am on the Trail.Next task: I understand this thing has a camera built in. I need to learn how to use it and incorporate the photos in my entries.Now, I wonder if one of the kids can help me get onto the Internets....
Date: 2010-01-01
To: Happy New Year!
Miles today: 0.0

I guess the above comic strip says it all.I've felt a kinship with Rose for years. A wonderful, satisfying life. But sometimes it has felt a little too humdrum, a little too safe, for a little too long. Rose breaks out of her mold sometimes as the biker babe, if only in her imagination. I'm heading out to break out of my mold, but for real.I've got my ticket for Atlanta now. I'm starting a bit earlier than I had expected. I leave on January 28.I'm ready for "more rebellion." 2010 is the year, and it is here!
Date: 2010-01-09
To: The confessional
Miles today: 0.0

It is wise to disclose what cannot be concealed.- Johann Friedrich Von SchillerLadies and Gentlemen of the Press Corps, thank you for coming here today. I¢m sure that by now you¢ve guess this has something to do with my upcoming hike on the Appalachian Trail. And you are right.I have a confession to make. A terrible secret that I¢ve been trying to hide. But I can no longer conceal it. I feel it only fair to inform everyone this way so others can make their own judgments on my past and how they will react to me in the future.OK. It¢s time for me to come clean. Time for me to reveal my dirty, little secret. Everyone will soon know about it anyway. (sniff)But first, I¢d like to apologize to my dear husband. You have stayed with me even though you¢ve known about this for years. Thank you for your quiet, constant support even when the facts argued loudly for you to abandon me. And to the kids, too. Ellen, Ethan, I¢m sorry. And to friends and strangers alike I offer contrite apologies. I¢m sorry for the pain and the sleepless nights I¢ve caused you. I have to admit there¢s an additional reason that I¢m planning to leave to hike the Trail so early.I usually try to avoid sleeping in shelters and hostels, at least when anyone else is around, but I¢d like to be able to spend at least a few nights in them along the way without being in fear of being ridden off the Trail on a rail. Or worse.You see, I¢ve been told that I snore. No. I take that back. Not that I snore, but that I *SNORE*!Strong men blench and children cry. More than once others have told me they thought there was a bear (or bears!) around during the night. My son wanted my trail name to be Chainsaw. When I told him I thought that name had been used, he decided Epicenter was a good name for me. You know. As in ¢How bad was the damage at the epicenter?¢It is with great glee that my husband relates a certain story. We had spent the night at one of the AMC huts in NH which has a large common bunkroom for everyone. While he was packing up in the morning he overheard two guys talking.¢Where was all that *snoring* coming from last night?¢ asked one.¢Over there,¢ answered the other, pointing at my empty bunk.¢No. Couldn¢t have been there. That was a lady sleeping there.¢My gallant husband refrained from the obvious ¢That was no lady....¢ comment. That time, anyway.Speaking with authority and certain knowledge, he says I clearly outperform the Women¢s Snoring Squad, am a strong competitor on the Coed Team, and have a shot at participating in the elite Men¢s Division. So, I¢m starting early to give the rest of the hikers a break. But when they catch up to me, I hope they remember they¢ve been warned. Until then they¢ll have to take my word for it, or check the registers (notebooks for hikers¢ comments) to see if any of the resident wildlife have left complaints about me after I¢ve passed through.I couldn¢t have kept this a secret anyway. The secret is out, and I feel better. I've cleared my conscience. Now I guess I¢ll go hike the Appalachian Trail to clear my head.
Date: 2010-01-17
To: A place to sleep
Miles today: 0.0

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.-        John Howard Payne (1791-1852)At long last, the purple coffin, aka my tent, is finished. My long-suffering and patient husband set it up inside yesterday and did the seam sealing for me. What a sweet guy!   That was a good thing. He¢s more methodical than I am normally anyway, but by now, with less than two weeks until departure, there¢s no way I could sit still long enough to paint the yards and yards of seams with the mixture. I¢d have dunked the whole tent in or painted ¢Katahdin or Bust¢ on the roof or some such.This morning I took it out and set it up. Obviously there¢s a learning curve involved in setting up, but I think it will become much easier. I¢m sure just a little practice will allow me to set it up tautly. Before I get too many miles along the trail I¢ll be a tent-setting-up whiz. But for today, just getting it up was enough. I crawled in for a photo shoot, and Kai, our ridiculous dog, reluctantly joined me for the occasion. We¢ll see if my tech staff and I can manage to post them on this journal.Many thanks to the kind folks at Quest Outfitters for their phone help. They were patient and kind when I called and tried to explain my problems and questions. I doubt that my pointing and gesturing and waving pieces of silnylon at the phone actually conveyed any information, but they were able to assist me with this particular adventure. I¢m spatially challenged and am always amazed at turning 2-D (well, flat) things like fabric, into 3-D objects like tents. I¢ve made clothes and assembled Frostline kits and it always seems like a form of magic when they actually turn out. This brand new home, not counting any stakes or poles (since I¢ll be using hiking poles or found sticks) weighs¢¦¢¦23.75 oz. It comes complete with bathtub floor and no-see-um netting. It features a zip front netting door with a silnylon flap should the weather turn inclement. Amenities include a loop for hanging a lamp, a sidewall pocket for eyeglasses and nighttime essentials. A spacious front porch is ready for seating from which to watch the neighbors. Sound proofing not included.I hope it performs well since it will be my home away from home for much of this year. Be it ever so humble¢¦..