morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-11-22
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Miles today: 0.0

Since I made the first entry in this journal, the reality of the hike is starting to sink in. In addition to my daily hikes, I¢ve also started going through each piece of gear making sure it will serve the purpose intended. On Monday I received an e-mail from Glen Van Peski. I had the opportunity to hike with him back in August. Glen had gotten word I was interested in The One. It is an 18 ounce tent made by Gossamenrr Gear. He told me contact Grant and see if there were any that had been any returns. Grant responded back back but so far I'm still in a Luna Solo. It's a good option just 10 ounces heavier.While browsing the ATC site, I came across a list of AT workshops. Turns out there is one just a couple of hours away. It¢s run by Warren Doyle as part of his 2010 expedition. Martin and I have no plans to hike as part of his group. However I figure as successful as his trips are, we could pick-up some valuable information that may help. So I called Warren and Martin and I will be at his place in early December for a weekend of information on the AT. We will also meet some other hikers the plan to be on the trail next year. Just 113 days until Springer!
Date: 2009-11-30
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Miles today: 0.0

Last week was Thanksgiving. My family all gathered at my Mom¢s house in Emerald Isle, NC. It was the first time we were all together in several years and really nice to see all of my brothers and both of my sisters. My sisters put a feat on the table that would challenge a thru-hikes appetite. Everyone had questions about the hike. How long will it take? How will you get food? What will you eat? My nephew Sam was the most inquisitive asking about pack weight. He even had an alcohol stove he made to show me. When I told him that I expected to have a base weight between ten and twelve pounds he was impressed. There has been a lot of rain in NC this past week. During the daily training hikes I¢ve had the experience of crossing swollen streams and hiking trails that look more like rivers than paths. As Martin reminds me each time I leave in the rain to walk ¢you have a choice today but in March you will hike rain or shine¢.   I'm getting so I look forward to walking in the rain. I hope I can maintain that day in and day out after I¢m on the trail. The forecast for this week is more rain. That¢s great since I changed out gaiters last week. The snap on the ones from REI broke. I decided to try a pair of Simblissity scree gaiters. They are not waterproof but should keep mud and snow out of my shoes.Tuesday night I completed the modifications on my alcohol stove. To actually cook instead of just heat I needed a way to control the amount of heat it produces. I got the basic design of the stove from the Turbo Cat II Stove. It uses a ring to adjust air flow into the stove to control the flame. I made one back in May and used it during a week-long hike on the AT. I liked the ability to control the heat except I had to pull the pot off my home-made caldera cone to get to the stove. I also thought the stove could be made lighter. It weighed about an ounce and a half. Over the summer I made a stove that was basically a hybrid of the Turbo Cat and the stove that Trail Designs supplies with their Caldera Cones. That took care of the weight issue bringing it down to about a 12 ounce. It did not solve the issue of adjusting the flame while cooking. So I attached a small nut onto the side of the stove. With a 3¢ screw in the nut (removable for storage) I can hold the stove stable (I cut a gap in the bottom of the cone to allow access) while moving the ring to change the air flow into the stove. Here are the test results. Using a one ounce of denatured alcohol it will boil four cups of water in seven minutes. I then adjusted the heat down and it continued to simmer the pot for an additional eleven minutes. I had hoped for fifteen minutes of simmer time but I happy with the results. That¢s exactly what I will need for whole wheat pasta! If I need a little more time I can always add a little more fuel. The final weight of the stove with the screw and simmer ring is 34 of an ounce.Thursday night Martin and I will be going to Mountain City, TN. I¢m looking forward to meeting other hikers that will be on the trail this spring. I am also looking forward to actually walking a section of the trail.Until next week!
Date: 2009-12-08
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Miles today: 0.0

Another week down and I¢m getting more excited every day.   Each morning I count the days left until Martin and I leave for Springer. May be we will have a mild spring this year. Either way as Martin reminds me, come March 15 we walk rain or shine or sleet or snow or anything else the trail has to offer. We¢ll just adjust for the conditions and get a little closer to our goal.Last Thursday night Martin and I traveled to Mountain City, TN to meet Warren Doyle and attend the Appalachian Trail Institute. Dr. Doyle has hiked the trail a total of 14 times and is preparing to lead one of his Circle Expeditions up the trail in 2010.   There were fifteen students eager to gather as much information as they could during the four day session. In addition to gear, food, injury prevention and general trail information we were treated to a visit from Jennifer Pharr Davis (previous ATI student) the current female trail speed record holder. Another graduate of the institute named Cecil Gurganis came and talked about his hike with his son. That was really a treat since I will be hiking with my son. We also got a chance to hike a little up around Damascus. Sunday was an especially good hike since the ground was covered with snow. Monday afternoon we went by Mount Rogers Outfitter¢s for a tour. Most of the class was going through packs and bags and stove and shoes and everything else in the store. I think I have about acquired about all of my gear so I just got to browse the Pro Bar stock. They didn¢t any of my favorite flavors.Speaking of gear, Grant Sible at Goosamer Gear e-mailed me last night. He found a ¢The One¢ that had been returned. He shipped out this morning. Friday night it will down in the Uwharrie Mountains getting a shake down. I will out with the Scouts for a short hike. Weather forecast is calling for 30% rain. Maybe it will pour all night and I can see how rain tight this shelter is.Till next week!
Date: 2009-12-20
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Miles today: 0.0

It¢s been an interesting week of sorts. The first part of the week the weather was crappie and my cold got worse. Tuesday I met with Howard Tash and Mark Stanford concerning the Haw River Trail. It is a new trail that will run from Haw River State Park to Jordan Lake. The total distance will be about 70 miles and will pass less than a half mile from my home. More importantly the trail will become part of the North Carolina Mountain to Sea Trail. The MTS stretches from Jockey Ridge on the NC Outer Banks to Clingman¢s Dome in the Smokies. In effect the trail will connect my home to the AT and for that matter every long trail in the U.S. I didn¢t do any hiking with a pack until Wednesday. I carried The One with me and set it up on a ridge. My crazy dog that never likes a tent must of thought it was for her. When I climbed in she followed and made herself at home. As for the tent I think it is going to be ideal for the second half of the hike. Martin and I will share the tarp in the south and when the bugs get bad we¢ll switch to tarp-tents. Friday the weather turned cold and started to snow. I was so excited. Now I could actually see what hiking was going to be like in March. Yes I am planning for cold and snow at the higher elevations for most of our first month and a half. As Bonnie and I hiked Friday the snow accumulated. I wore Sealskin socks over my regular ones. My feet stayed very comfortable in the below freezing temperatures as I walked through slush. On Saturday it was still coming down as a mixture of snow and sleet. Bonnie and I stopped to take a picture of ourselves in the white stuff.Susan, my wife and I discussed the schedule for after Christmas. We agreed I would go down to the Foothills Trail after the fist for one more big hike. I¢m going to yo-yo the trail without a resupply.   Well that¢s if Martin cannot get off from work. If he can make half the hike, I¢ll carry five days of food and meet him at Oconee State Park and he can bring the food for the second half of the trip. It should really prepare me for the first couple of weeks on the trail. I keep reading about the preparation others are making to arrive at Springer. Tuesday morning I stopped by the office. Since I retired they call every couple of weeks and ask me to visit. While I was there Gary volunteered to drive me and Martin to Georgia. Michael is planning to ride along too. So it looks like I¢ve got a ride down. Now all I have to do is concentrate of hiking to Maine.By the way if you are a member of Facebook, Martin has a group called No Pain, No Rain, No Maine!!! Martin and Joe's 2010 AT Thru-Hike. A lot of his friends are on it, so check it out and maybe we can get a discussion going. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=218064240539        Until next week!
Date: 2010-01-02
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Miles today: 0.0

It¢s been two weeks since my last post. I am continuing my daily hikes and as hunting season closes I will be extending my time in the woods. This week a bitter cold front has moved into the area. Wind chills are in the single digits so the Foothills trip is on hold. I have hiked in these temperatures before and been okay, but they are not fun. I figure I'll have enough unfun days after I start the thru hike. Only 71 days to go. I saw that some hikers have already started. I sure hope they can stay warm tonight!Until next time.
Date: 2010-01-24
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Miles today: 0.0

I finished reading White Blaze Fever last night. Mountain Slayer hiked the trail in 2000 and did a great job documenting his trip. He included what he called hiker tips throughout the book. Some referenced eating establishments and others were about hostels and hotels. The ones I found the most helpful were ones about gear. He covered everything in his pack and how well it worked for him. He also talked about the importance of a light-weight pack and the need for cold weather gear in New Hampshire and Maine. I'm a little older than Mountain Slayer but I hope my hike will go as well as his.NOAA published the long range forecast for March/April/May. Temperatures and precipitation are supposed to be in the normal range. Of course that could mean nothing at all. The saying in the mountains is "you don't like the weather, wait thirty minutes".I started looking at a re-supply method used by NOLS. Instead of planning individual meals you stock a pantry based on so much weight per day per person.The weight varies on activity, weather and length of trip. I've used 1.4 pound/day as a rule of thumb since Mike Clelland introduced me to it a year or so ago at a Backpacking Light course. It works well but I'm concerned that after a few weeks it will not be enough food.   I'm going to put together my first four days of food this week. Then take a look at the meals I can make from the "pantry". That way I can evaluate how well this method may work for me. Fortunately it looks like I still may be able to squeeze in the Foothills Trail trip near the end of February. My Scout Troop has a trip planned there. That way I can try the NOLS method on a real trip.
Date: 2010-01-30
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Miles today: 0.0

So this morning I woke-up to a winter wonderland in central NC. Sure we have snow occasionally but this is the second major snow fall in six weeks. The governor has declared a state of emergency. She encouraged everyone to stay at home.   So I grabbed my pack and went for a walk. My clothing did a great job keeping me warm in the low 20 degree temperatures. As a matter of fact, I had to shed a layer. Oh how I hope the snow is off the trail by mid-March. Walking through 6"-8" deep snow will wear you out fast.Well speaking of March, a decision was made this morning to change the departure date. My son-in-law Brian wants to hike a section in Georgia with us. All he needs to finish GA is from Springer to Unicoi Gap. So we are leaving on Friday and hike the approach trail. We should at Unicoi Gap mid-day Tuesday so he can return do work on Wednesday. I stopped in at Wrightenberry Mills this past Monday. They make an excellent two-ply sock for hiking. The outer layer is merino wool so odor is not as much of an issue as all polyester. They wear great and are supposed to prevent blisters. I guess the AT will put them to the test.All of my gear is ready. I may pick up a new wind shirt. I noticed a couple small holes in the chest of mine where my backpack rubs it. I may just rub some seam sealer it and let it go. If it tears I can stitch it up and keep on hiking.I should get the rest of my gear posted tomorrow. As I worked on it this evening I was amazed at the pile of gear I'm planning to take. Some of it will go home by Virginia as the weather warms and I become more comfortable on the trail. Clearly I need to look over the list again and leave some of this at home.
Date: 2010-02-18
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Miles today: 0.0

Wow, was last night ever cold. I think all the cold air from the Appalachians rolled down the mountain to the Foothills. Harold said he poured a bowl of water for his dog Libby and it froze before she could drink it. We decided to break camp and hike awhile to warm up before breakfast. Ended up hiking all the way to Laurel Fork Falls. Probably a good thing we came to look before bringing the Troop. At the corner of the camping area is 150' waterfall. So we decided on another campsite about a 1/2 mile away. We'll take the boys to see the falls but we will not camp there.We continued west hoping to cross the big suspension bridge, but we ran out of time. But at least we made it to NC.Tonight we are out of the gorge so temperatures should be warmer. We're taking a side trail in the morning to check out another gorge. Then we're headed home by way of Asheville.
Date: 2010-02-20
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Miles today: 0.0

The past two days have been a lot of fun but there are still day to day responsibilities to be met. This morning I will be with the Scout Troop. We will be out Scouting for Food. Last weekend the boys distributed bags around the neighborhood door to door.   This morning the bags will be sitting out front for pick-up. We divided up into three groups and hit assigned routes. Unfortunately we only collected 360 pounds of food. Most years are much better but I think with all the causes lately the well is starting to run dry.One of my Scouts approached me about passing off a life saving requirement for First Class. So after SFF we headed to the YMCA. The lifeguards were very accommodating and one even held the rope while Justin swam out to me. I tried my best to grab him and pull him under but he maintained a safe distance and only allowed me to get the rope. The two boys then pulled me to the side of the pool. He has one more requirement to go for this rank. We will complete that this coming weekend on the Foothills Trail backpacking trip.Back at the house I had a golden retriever anxious to do some walking. I loaded her pack and she and I did two and a half miles in the pasture. The weather was almost up to the normal temperature for this time of year which is a big change. Bonnie had a little trouble with the heat and panted most of the way.   At any rate she was happy to get out and walk just like I am when I¢m on the trail.After a quick shower I was back in uniform and off to a Blue and Gold Banquet. Pack 1 had asked me to come and speak about my upcoming hike. I didn¢t get but a few minutes but I did get a couple of pledges for the Scout Hut project. I also did a little PR work with parents to lure a couple of boys to the Troop.Tomorrow I¢m off to Emerald Isle to take care of a couple projects there.
Date: 2010-02-21
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Miles today: 0.0

I was up early so I could get packed. First Bonnie and I had to go get the paper. She has her routine and stands at the door until we make that walk up to the box to pick up the morning news. While I ate breakfast, I packed my cereal, milk and yogurt for the next two mornings. Finally I was out the door for the three and half hour trip to Emerald Isle. Yea, I¢m from North Carolina. We measure distance in hours not miles. I made a quick stop in Richlands, NC at Subway. My favorite sub is their veggie on wheat. I like it toasted but their toaster was broken. While I was eating my sandwich a little girl (about 3 maybe) climbed into the booth across from me. She didn¢t say anything to me. She just watched me eat. Her big brother came over to retrieve her. Her dad was busy ordering their meal and I think he was surprised she had approached me. I got to EI about 1 PM. I dropped my stuff off at the beach house and went over to my mother¢s to complete a railing on some exterior stairs. I was able to make the measurements and go back to the mainland for lumber and be back working before she got home. She was very surprised to see me. She thought the next time would be after the hike to Maine. I completed the work and it turned out really nice. I finished the evening having supper with Mom and her husband John. It was a great evening and they had my favorite meal, leftovers!Back at the beach house I called Susan to say good night and spent some time checking hikers on the trail and the current snow conditions. I have more work planned for tomorrow.
Date: 2010-02-22
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Miles today: 0.0

I was up early this morning. I wanted to complete all the work here so I could get back home tonight. The first task was washing windows and replacing the screens. That took awhile and a couple of trips to the local hardware store. As I worked I noticed the sky was starting to get cloudy. The forecast had been for rain in the afternoon but I was hoping for it to hold off.Just as I completed the work on the windows the rain started coming down. I quickly changed the oil in the mower and a couple of other chores. About 2 PM I was finished and the rain was really coming down. I called Mom to see if she had picked up a couple of more bags of rock at Lowes. She had gotten one yesterday and I told her she should had gotten all of it while I was there to haul it to the backyard for her. She said with the rain she didn¢t stop on her way back from Swansboro. I told I would see her when I got back from Maine.I stopped in Jacksonville at a store called Extreme Outfitters. It¢s a pretty cool store with all sorts of backpacking gear. Mom bought me a pair of Innov 8 hiking shoes here at Christmas and I have enjoyed wearing them. I also stopped at REI in Cary and Trader Joe¢s in Chapel Hill. I love to break that drive up. I got home in time to have supper with my wife Susan. I will miss her and her cooking while I¢m on the trial.
Date: 2010-02-23
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Miles today: 0.0

Well it¢s another day of waiting to get on the trail. I spent some time scanning other journals today mainly to see what the trail conditions are like. I'm afraid my budget will not last long sitting in trail towns in Georgia. No offense to Georgia, but I have hiked this section before and I would rather spend more time up north where I have not hiked before.Bonnie and I hiked across the pasture this afternoon and brought Sydney back with us. She will be 5 in April but the 1+ mile didn't faze her in the least. She saw it as an opportunity to walk through every muddy section she could find. By the time we got to the house her jeans were wet to the knees. She is going to be a backpacker one day like her Granddandy (her name for me).
Date: 2010-02-24
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Miles today: 0.0

I started this morning looking for more information on trail conditions. While looking I stumbled across a forum on White Blaze about lightweight backpacking. I have a question. Whatever happened to hike your own hike? Why are people so negative when you don't do it their way? Okay that's two questions. The fact remains that the gear you choose is your business. If you feel you need an 8 pound tent then more power to you. If you are comfortable with a sub-5 pound pack, then I think that's great. If you ask me about my pack weight I will be glad to share but I don't expect you to do it my way and don't expect me to do it your way. I met a backpacker in the Wind River Range last summer. I was with a group of ultra-lighters and I admit we had a little too much fun at his expense. None of us meant to offend him but looking back I can see what we said and did was not constructive. Rich later e-mailed me and explained his position. We are friends now and I hope one day I will get a chance do hike with him. He plans to do the AT sometime in the future. If he does I'll certainly make every effort to hike with him.Susan and I are practicing making journal entries. I put them into my phone and e-mail them to her. She proofs them and adds them on-line. This way we can identify any problems before I get on the trail. So far, so good.
Date: 2010-02-25
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Miles today: 0.0

I got an e-mail this morning from All Right. She was curious about my start date. She and Half Left had to delay theirs due to some logistics at home. They are hoping also the weather will improve by then.Wudhipy has delayed a week hoping for a significant melt in the snow pack. I can't say a delay has not crossed my mind. It's not the cold. That I can deal with. My problem is with the walking in snow and on ice. A lot of the hikers that have started are waiting out the storms in town. To do that would require better financing than I have and sadly more patience than I normally have.I did see a bright spot on the horizon. On White Blaze there was a post reporting the trail was clear all the way to Mountain Crossing (second-hand from Winton Porter). Another reported Unicoi Gap was looking good too!So there is a bright spot at the end of the "Green Tunnel". At least in Georgia.
Date: 2010-02-26
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Miles today: 0.0

Great! I'm going backpacking today. But first I need a trip to REI. I need to replace the footbeds in my trail shoes. The one in Greensboro didn't have my size yesterday but they checked and said the Durham store did.Susan had planned a trip to Durham too, so I suggested we have lunch at PF Changs. We had a great time at lunch. Of course we talked about the AT. She is concerned I would not eat enough protein. I do love my carbs. After lunch I got an e-mail from Hyway saying he would be on the trail March 6th even if locusts descended. Wudhipy pointed out locusts were a good source of protein. Yes, I forwarded it onto Susan.About 5:30 Susan dropped me off at the church to meet the Troop. We drove down to SC and the Foothills Trail. We hiked in about a mile. The moon was so bright we didn't even need headlamps. The boys quickly set up tents and crawled in. I threw out a bevy sack and I'm sleeping under the stars.I hope the weather is this nice on the AT tonight.