morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-10-10
From: Home

To: The Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

It has been a while since I have written. I am glad to report that my father is well on his way to recovery. I dont think you ever recover from a surgery like that, you just learn to live a little differently. I have had many calls and e-mails supporting me and keeping me up to date on progress of my fellow hikers. I recieved an e-mail stating that sherpa had finally made it. Wow! I was so glad for him. It was a glorious day for him. He had to climb in the snow and ice and was advised not to try. He didnt listen. Congragalations to ya, my hat is off. I also want to take my hat off for those who didnt make it. They struggled with rain and illness. They deserve a heros welcome. I am very proud to have hiked with the class of 2003. The trail has openned up a new door for me. I have made new and wonderful friends, i have watched the sunrise from eight states and watched it set on the otherside of hundreads of mountains. I have laughed with the birds and talked with the bears. I have actually stopped and smelled the roses. I drank beer with the best of em in Pa. without the law gettin involved.Ha Ha. I plan on getting back out hear in a couple of weeks. I am going to meet up with bearbait and try to find curly dan. Those guys made the tough times pleasant. I miss being out there. I love the feelings you get from the forrest and the mountains. They fill up my senses, open my mind and releases feelings of a new me. Sometimes when i get side tracked to following blue blazes to town I seem to miss the luxaries of civilization. When you hike off by yourself and spend days by yourself you tend to think different. I justify my treasures of life until it causes you great pain. The trail brings me back to the basics. I like to call them the finer things in life. Have you ever had bluebery muffins with blueberrys you just picked. Have you skinny dipped in a Glacier lake on a hot july afternoon. (was he NAKED!) Just watching the wild life with thier daily routines. The taste of mountain spring water(from the better states). I can go on and on about things that have touched me. I do believe I was a mountain man in a former life. I would love to get a good horse and a pack mule and head to mountains to live. Build a cabin on a beautiful lake somewhere in the clouds. I have been alone most of my lise so the solitude only inspires me. I find the truth in the things god created and left here for us to use. We abuse it everyday and dont think twice that thousands of trees a dy are dying or being cut down. Streams polutted with our own filth. The world has forgot about where they came from. It slowly is disapearing day by day. I am not going to miss it. I am trying to live life to the fullist and appreciate those things witch may not be there tomorrow. I have babbled enough tonight. The world awaits me and I have nothing but time. I will be out soon enough. Peace, Love in a teepee...
Date: 2003-10-22
From: Home

To: Mars
Miles today: 430.0

I swing my hammer everyday with a little more ambition. I listen to my friends and family with a little more compassion. I live my life thanking god for every moment that I breathe, knowing what I know now. I have seen the depths of the Grande Canyon and walked on newly formed slopes of Mt. saint helens. I have seen what only those who dare to venture from thier caves(homes)have dreamed of. The trail has been inspiration in my life since I was a child. I too sat in my lazy boy with my remote in hand traveling from distant channel to channel. I was afraid of what was out there, but was deeply intrigued of it's mystery. The day came to face my fears and break free from my caged life. My nine to five job. I went awol on life. It was the best thing I ever did, it gave me the freedom to grow,learn and to experience what I had been dreaming of my entire life. I now am an explorer, an adventurer. I live life to the fullist, looking under every rock, bursting with energy. The world is a big play ground and I am out for recess. I only work to play. Why waist the best years of my life sitting at a desk building my retirment so I can live out my old dwindling days sitting in a lazy boy with remote in hand flipping channels wishing I was out there. Wow! Is there an echo in here. That's right. We live our life planning on retirment to do exactlly what we do through life. Not me dammit. No sir, I love the trail and respect it more now for letting me have had the honor to hike on it's vast highway of dreams. The people I met there all have thier own reasons for being there. Some were strange but none the less they were there. It answered them when they asked thier questions about life, some not hearing the answer. The trail is about those wno travel it, form the earlist days to present. You thought it was tough, try hiking back when the trail was nothing but game trails. It challenges you, it makes you use your mind and body. It forces you to come to terms with your problems in life. If you look close enough you can find the answers, they are there. I want everyone to know that I am boomhouser to some and Gregory Scott Green to others. I am a son. I am a friend and I am human. I love and hate. I laugh and I cry. I fight with my own demons every day of my life. The trail has helped me to be who I am. Yes I am Boomhouser, named by fellow hikers who come from all walks of life to hike the trail and find those answers which have been in our heads all along.Hike strong and with passion and you will find those answers. I will be back on the trail soon. No matter how much you love it and want to be there, you still have to make some money every now and then to keep on doing the things that you love. Keep those heads up and remember who you are. You are HIKERS! Keep your eyes open and if you get the urge to be darring and couragous. Go for a hike.
Date: 2003-11-11
To: The tree's are naked!
Miles today: 430.0

The season dwindles down as we all slip back to our lives in our home towns across america. We see the visual effects of Fall all around us as the days get shorter and the nights are cooler. In some parts of the country they have seen the begining of winter already and the cold snows from the North blow ever so closer. In my travels this summer I have met alot of people from all over the country, hell the world. Those people shared a moment with me that, will be with me for the rest of my life. I believe someday after I have left this world my memorey will live on in the hearts of those I have met in this world. I try to take each encounter with a new person as seriously as the first. I try to remember each and every one and in a way they are imprinted in my mind and even some to my heart forever. We all were there for that special moment, that moment you have dreamed of for month's. You planned and packed and organized. You quit your job's and left your families. You went through pure hell to get there. Walla, the moment, the feeling, what you did or didnt expect. That moment now will be with you for life. When I am at work and things get tough I slip away for a sec and drift off to the piles of memories in my mind. I see the sun setting on springer mt. and rising over clingmones dome. I feel the mist on my face as I trudge out on to a rock face overlooking an Abyss of clouds covering civilization down below. No my adventure is not over. I only rest for the winter and build myself up for another plundge at it next year. I will find the peace of mind that I get for my valiant effort. I will forever be known as a section hiker. It can be a good thing though, I will always have to hike on the trail now. If I could only.... To all those that watched and kept up with me this summer keep your eye's open for me in 2004. I would love to thank my cast and friends that Helped in making this adventure happen. I was inspired and have found something that keeps my fire going in life now. Peace, Love in a teepee!Boomhouser
Date: 2005-07-23
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, hello everyone. It has been a long time since I have been hiking. I have been working so hard the last couple of years. I would like to wish all those on the trail a good hike. I am planning to do a section hike for about a month. I still have to come back to life. I am thinking of doing Virginia. I am going around the midle of Sept. I will making entries before, during and afterwards. I am a little out of hiking shape but it will not take long to get back to super hero strength. I havnt heard from any of the vacationers in some time. I hope all is well with the gang. Ka Kawww, Ka Kawwww!. I have heard from sherpa and Thinks to much, they still have the hiking bug. If anyone is getting out in sept give me a holla, i would love to meet up and have some hiking fun. I am still the same ole Boomhouser just a little kranky due to stress. I need to get away. I miss the trail and those who travel it. The best part was the folks i met. Good people. I will be on time to time to ad entries so watch out, Boomhouser is comming back. Yes I still have Mr.staff and the cowboy hat. Stay tunned for hiker trash theatre comming live to those who can handle the truth. Peace, Love and a tepee.
Date: 2005-08-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

These hot days! While I work each day the sun and the job beat me down. The only thing keeping me going is the thought of an early fall morning on the trail. The feel of the sun then after a cool night. It helps mentally. I believe I am going to Miss Janets and starting where I left off. I need to do from there to W. Virginia. I get more and more excited everyday. I havnt started to count down but I am getting my ducks in a row. Some of my buddies are jealous about me taking off for six weeks. Hell, I have put my dues in life to at least go hiking for awhile. I know I am only doing a section but in reality I am getting that closer to my goal. for some dam reason I am hell bent on doing the whole trail. I guess finishing it will help me find the real boomhouser. I see things in myself out theree that i dont see here. I hope to bring it home with me this time. You guys know what I am talking about. That feeling after u do a 1000 ft climb in less than a mile and when u get to the top and look out over world. Its an awesome high, a feeling of euphoria! I want to bring home and share it with my friends and family. I so quickly learned that you are the only one that can have that and you worked hard to get it. The traffic the other day just about sent me over the edge. aaaahhhh!!! I just breathe and bite my lip, well, i might give an interesting finger jesture. The pace of life has gotten so fast. I do believe that on the trail the fastest it will get is around 2 to 3 miles an hour. Now for those of u that know ole Boomhouser, his stride is about a step and a half bigger than most people. I get movin and go. I also stop and kick back and chill for awhile. thats the trail, your speed. To those of you on the trail, get ready! I am on my way.peace, love and a tepee!
Date: 2005-08-11
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The time has come to venture forth from the cave and seek enlightenment. I am offically on vacation, six weeks on the trail. I have so eagerly awaited this day. I will head to Miss Janet's and slowly move North. It is hard to write but I hope when I get out there it will come back. I need to be inspired and motivated.To all those fellow hikers in the way of katrina, you know who u are, hunker down and b safe.I am thinking of u. The world is talking to us right now and i hope someone is listening. We loose 2 or 3 feet a year from glaciers and snow pack. The earth rumbles and the wind blows. It is doing what it has for millions of years and we are helping along. I find refuge in the forrest with the wildlife,wandering from one water source to another, existing only for the joy of beimg alive.Yes ! I will have a good time and will keep all that read informed of my progress. I usally attract the strangest things, so no telling what is in my future. Here I come!Peace Love in a tepee!
Date: 2005-09-22
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The time has come to venture forth from the cave and seek enlightenment. I am offically on vacation, six weeks on the trail. I have so eagerly awaited this day. I will head to Miss Janet's and slowly move North. It is hard to write but I hope when I get out there it will come back. I need to be inspired and motivated.To all those fellow hikers in the way of katrina, you know who u are, hunker down and b safe.I am thinking of u. The world is talking to us right now and i hope someone is listening. We loose 2 or 3 feet a year from glaciers and snow pack. The earth rumbles and the wind blows. It is doing what it has for millions of years and we are helping along. I find refuge in the forrest with the wildlife,wandering from one water source to another, existing only for the joy of beimg alive.Yes ! I will have a good time and will keep all that read informed of my progress. I usally attract the strangest things, so no telling what is in my future. Here I come!Peace Love in a tepee!Boomhouser
Date: 2005-09-29
From: greasey creek friendly

To: roan mountain
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Well here we are. I finally made it to miss janets in erwin tn. I slack packed my first day and did 9 miles back into erwin and then hiked on the next day. I met a new trail friend named slow poke. We are heading the same way and are hiking togather. Yesterday afternoon we found a sign which pointed us to this hostel or as the owners like to call it" friendly". The owners are cc and pack rat. They are some of the nicest people and they also have some good food. My first few days have caught up to me and my ankle had a huge knot pop up. I decided to stay an extra day to let it heal and the cold rain pass on. we are leaving out in the morning and are going to shoot for roan mt. It will be cold but it should be clear and gorgous for our assent to the roan high shelter. I am beginning to get that hiker feeling. It is hard right now with my heavy pack but it gets lighter every day. I want everyone to know that the people on this trail are what make it as exciting and interesting as any adventure one can imagine. The smells in the air and sight of high peaks open my senses and fill my heart with a high that no drug can give you. I am happy and back in my element. The traffic on the trail is smaller than in the begining. I can find a space at the shelters and food on the shelves at stores. Dont let that fool you, there are still quite a few people out here going in all different directions. Life goes on and so do the hikers. I will enjoy for everyone.peace, love in tepee.boomhouser
Date: 2004-03-24
To: AT 2005?
Miles today: 0.0

Hey all,   This is my once colorado Trail journal that never really got started. It has been changed to a tenative 2005 AT hike. I have several friends heading out there and thought i'd jump in as well. I'm in school full-time and if can't finish up by next winter this will probably go back to being a 2005 CT trail journal as I wouldn't be off till the summer. The gear section will probably change depending what trail I do. Sadly no hiking this year except a week in isle royale, just school & work. Hike Happy!
Date: 2004-10-31
To: AT in March?
Miles today: 0.0

Happy Halloween!   Ahh.....still undecided. I'm trying to figure out whether or not to put my hiking shoes back on. i'm currently working two full-time jobs, while i take yet another break from school. i'm looking at a very early march start as i plan to be back in school by fall, hopefully in Madison. This doesn't allow me time for a PCT or south bound AT hike, which i'd prefer. I probably should just work..work..work and buy a new jeep and perhaps take a jaunt on the CT in the summer. since i almost never do what i should, you'll most likely see me in spring. I'm not trying to re-hike my '99 thru-hike. no i just stumbled on to some free time and can't think of anything better to do, besides there's no Hockey. those interested i have my '99 thru-hike posted with lots of pictures. So see you in the spring...hike happy!
Date: 2004-11-30
To: let it snow
Miles today: 0.0

I flew to Boulder on thanksgiving day. Three staight days of snow, chicks with mittens ..happy ..happy ..happy I also made some sort of decision as well. I am either moving to boulder or hiking the AT in the spring. Well at least its a plan of sorts. i've been pretty wishy washy as of late. i decided south on the AT last week was the way. So now i have direction. Bar living in boulder i'll be leaving somewhere in march going north on the AT. Still need a tent (though i own three) and will probably carry my external frame dana pack, just to be different. I never grasped the light wieght thing, half the stuff i own is the the lightest you can buy, that leaves the other half which is pretty damn close to the heaviest you'll find. A couple more days here then back to the land of beer and cheese. Hike Happy!
Date: 2005-01-01
To: Happy New year!
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings from the land of beer & cheese! I hope everyone had a happy holidays. I'm still waffling on where & when i'll be hiking, but it's looking like north on the AT in march. Though i did buy yogi's handbook for the PCT. This is actually turning out to be a harder decision than the last time, but the itch to hit the trail this year is too great. Your only young once or in my case you just refuse to grow up..either way. Gear wise i'm still looking for a tent. i have a NF tadpole and clip flashlight. After my '99 hike i said if i could change one thing it would be carry a heavier & bigger tent. I'm looking at the rei quarter dome & the msr hubba-hubba. i like the black diamond lighthouse, but not sure about all the rain in the east. Stove i have it all and probably will go with white gas. I have a 3oz titanium canister stove , but can't remember how available the fuel was. Sticking with my dana external frame. Sleeping bag may be 2lb 20 degree down bag, but once again a little concerned about how wet it can be. thinking of using an mp3 player & digital camera. though camera wise i haven't found one battery wise tht makes me happy. so many decisions so little time...sigh Oddly, if i were to hike the PCT my gear wieghs a fraction of what my AT gear wieghs. During my '99 hike we never did a 10 mile day in georgia. Of course we took 7 1/2 months to finish. My only advice is to start off slowly. The start is always the worse, as no matter how much you think your in shape, you probably are not. That and everybody spends months preparing a schedule and 9 times out 10 it'll be thrown out the first day. My personal opinion is if you can hike the first 40 miles of the trail, you can hike the whole thing. It's more mental than anything. Can you wake up every day for 5 months and do the same thing over & over? The bright side is you will meet some of the greastest people in the world. Everyone is nice & helpful, completely unlike the real world. So my advice: you only live once, take a chance. You'll never know unless you try Well i guess i'll see you all out there. hike happy
Date: 2005-01-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hey all, over the holidays i somehow had the majority of the time off from both my jobs. So i started reading other peoples journal for the lack of anything else to do. It's not that i'm anti-social. Having already thru-hiked i know what to expect, but the real reason is i rarely have time. I throw things on shelves from 10pm til 6am then i hop over to a construction site and install happy little cables from 8am till 4pm leaving little time for even sleep. The journals i have been reading are great, some highly entertaining. So now i make an effort to pop on and take a peek when i can. Those having pre-hike doubts, i suggest you just show up and try it. If it doesn't work out look at it as a vaction. I think though you be happy you went. I've been pretty wishy washy myself. While i can think of many reasons to hike, even more importantly i can't think of one not to hike The friend i had that was going, met a chick with pig tails and they are getting married in the spring...sadly no hike, but he's happy. Me i'm hiding in my apartment & locking my door till spring. Which in wisconsin seems a long way away. i pretty sure it's going to be a balmy negative god only knows degrees out the next couple days. I got my new trail guides and maps, well at least most of them anyway. haven't decided whether or not to use wingfoots book or the AT companion. my pack is sort of packed. i think i'm going to stick with my NF tadpole tent unless something really great comes along. I'll probably bring my stove that burns anything and sounds like an airplane landing. i bought a sandisk mp3 player 1.0gb w/ radio. it wieghs about 1.5oz and uses 1 aaa battery ..happy ..happy ..happy! Still looking for a digital camera that's small enough and weather proof, oh and runs on everyday batteries. to bring my hammock or not? comfort is everything. so i think i be ready. can i live without my white chocolate mochas? will i get done in time to catch a couple of dmb shows? will lost season one have ended? or will i have to be in towns on wednesdays? that sounds like a schedule, which sounds like work, which sounds no fun. hike happy kids!
Date: 2005-01-18
To: More prep!
Miles today: 0.0

Well that was a bloody cold weekend, borderline ridiculous. I think it barely got over 0 degrees one day out of five and that was the high. Mum (thats canadian for mom) said: "don't you remember it being 30 below for a month up in the great white north"? Originally from canada, 2yrs in florida long ago have all but destroyed my cold weather up bringing. That's right a canadian that likes america..crazy i know. Actually i've been in the states most of my life. All i have left is my love for hockey, a mitten fetish, and a taste only for imported beer. You see canadian beer isn't really that great, it's just that american beer is really that bad I stick with the irish myself.   I actually let it be known that i intend to once again tromp in the woods for months on end. i had been waiting in hopes of coming to my senses and moving out west. Yes, i know it's the same trail i did the last time. That seems to be the only point of confusion this time. Why the same trail? Much improved over the last time where i was told everything from bear will eat me, that guy in deliverence will have his banjo, and of course big foot, which i wasn't even aware vacationed on the east coast. I did think about a south bound hike, but north just fits my schedule. My parents will probably think they'll be dead before i finish school.   WOW! 2/3's of the journals seem to be going with the pepsi can stove. i have one and would actually take it on the PCT, but think i'll stick with white gas on the AT. i'm going with my old camera & film. i have a fuji digital, but it weighs a bit much and has a battery issue. I also will be going old school with the journal writing. Pen and paper. No pocket e-mail for me. Slow to change i guess. i do have a 2lb 15 degree bag though. Looking for the 3rd weekend in march for a start. it's about the same as my last hike. i was hoping to start early march, but didn't work out.   No training as of yet. Won't be running to a gym. i figure i'll be getting all the exercise i need in 2 months. i do hope to get some XC skiing in, now that it has snowed enough. i'll have some food drops, but will buy mostly along the way. No schedule to speak of, just headed north till i get bored. Just can't think of a better way to spend the spring. Hike Happy