morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-11-18
To: prep 1
Miles today: 0.0

Guess its time to start my 2008 journal and add my name to the growing list of AT hikers for this coming season. Quite a few of the '08 journals were started some time ago and haven't been updated since. I wonder how many of them have changed plans and will not actually be on the trail? This coming spring, I will go to Springer Mt and see how far north I can get in 8 to 10 weeks. That could get me as far as Harpers Ferry, but more likely Roanoke. Starting window will be the last week of March. The exact date will depend on the weather. I like to start when I know there will be at least a few days of good weather, though that never happens! I suspect that there will be a lot of other hikes starting out about then! Lets all hope the south gets some rain this winter so the water sources will be in good shape!Happy Tramping,
Date: 2007-11-18
To: Prep 2
Miles today: 0.0

I'm a section hiker and I like to do long sections. A month or two on the trail is long enough to feel like I've done something, but no so long as to burn me out. Years of experience has taught me that although the idea of thru-hiking the AT all in one shot is appealing, it's not likely I'll ever do it that way. Last year (07) I did Troutville to the Delaware Water Gap, some 520 milesIn '06 I did Mt. Rodgers to New Found Gap in the Smokies, followed by Connecticut and Massachusetts in the fall for a total of some 447 miles. In '05 I did Springer Mt to New Found Gap, 203 miles. In '04 I did Mt Rodgers to VA624, only about 100 miles. As you can see, I've been steadily improving my distance each year I go out. This year I hope to do at least 800 miles maybe more like 900. We'll see how it goes. One never knows what might happen out on the trail to cut a trip short, despite one's good intentions at the start.
Date: 2007-11-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

New gear for this trip!In the 30 years or so I've been a hiker, I've collected a lot of gear. Probably enough to outfit a small boy scout troop. Even so, each trip seems to require something new. I replaced my 40 degree Lafuma down bag with a 30 degree synthetic. The Lafuma bag is now 3 seasons old and has 1000+ miles on it. Even new, it was a bit marginal for North Carolina in the spring. The new bag isn't much larger physically than the down bag, nor is it much heavier. Being synthetic, I won't have to be as concerned about it getting a little damp as I would be if it were down. (Or having a wet dog jump into a shelter and lay down on it. I really hate when that happens! Please, if your dog isn't trained to be a trail dog, leave the mutt home!) I will be trying out a new stove system. My trusty homemade alcohol stove is being replaced by the Trail Designs Caldera Cone and stove system. Initial testing is promising. Packing the cone is a bit of a problem, but I found a solution to that. I will carry it rolled out flat and in a sleeve made of two file folders taped together. This then is placed at the back of the pack, behind my sleeping pad. For rain gear on this trip I'll be using the Six Moon Designs cape/shelter. The cape is similar to a poncho, but it completely wraps around you. Its sort of like wearing a tent, which is what it converts into. I've yet to be really happy with any of the rain gear I've used, be it ponchos or jackets made with fancy high-tech material. In reality, nothing is going to keep you 100% dry in an all day rain. The best you can hope for is to stay warm. The cape also doubles as a sort of a tent. Supported by a single hiking pole, it has a foot print much like that of the Six Moon Designs Luna Solo tent, but without the floor or netting. For that I'll use a bug bivy sack. The advantage of a two part system like this is the bivy can be used inside a AT shelter if extra warmth is needed, something you can't do with a tent. The only down side to a dual use rain gear, shelter system is there might be times when both are needed. So, I will also carry a light weight water resistant nylon jacket. Kind of need one anyway as an outer shell. Finally, I splurged on a fancy PDA with Wi-Fi. Now I'll be able to keep an electronic journal and up load it to trailjournals when I find an open wireless internet connection in town. All in all, my final pack base weight is about 17 pounds, so it should be under 25 pounds when fully loaded with food and water. This is a pretty reasonable load. All thats left to do now is wait until the end of March so we can get some serious hiking in again!
Date: 2007-12-09
To: Monthly update
Miles today: 0.0

Only about 3 12 months left before its time to head on south to the AT again. Looks like I might ride the bus all the way to Tampa, FL and meet up with my folks, who I haven't seen in a couple of years. Then they might drive me back up to Springer and see me off. That would be nice. Why take the bus and not fly? Couple of reasons. One, I hate flying. It used to be fun, but these days its such a hassle. I'm afraid they will loose my pack or things in it. There is no easy way to get to an airport from where I live. Its at least a three hour drive to the airport from here and the flights out of town tend to be in the early morning, so that means an expensive motel room in the city nearby. Traveling by bus is an adventure in its own right, especially one which takes 48 hours or so. Your a zombie by the time its done. There is no way one can actually get any real sleep on a bus. And why is it the biggest person that gets on the bus always ends up sitting next to me? Guess because I'm reasonably skinny and don't take up much space. Been playing with my gear. Got most everything ready to go. I can fit everything I need into my REI UL45 pack but enough food for 5 days. I can probably fit 3 days worth in, but that will not be enough on some of the longer hauls between towns. Going into town every three days slows you down a lot too, so even though I hate carrying five days worth of food (especially the first day out), it has to be done sometimes. The problem is with the Waldie shoes. The UL45 has no good way to carry them on the outside of the pack. Plus I hate having things dangle from the back of the pack. Seems untidy. (Not that I'm a compulsively tidy person, you should see the clutter I live in) I can live without the Waldie's, but they are so nice to have when you got to go out and take a pee in the middle of the night. When you finally decided you really, really have to go, putting boots on can take too long :-) Weight isn't the issue, their just bulky. I'm also thinking I want to carry a little more clothing than what I got packed now. It can get mighty chilly up in those hills of North Carolina in April. I'm thinking my polyester/lycra Union suit could be handy to have along. Nice thing about the Union suit is there is no break around the middle, which can be a problem with separate tops and bottoms (which I'll have anyway). Again weight isn't an issue, just bulk. So, I ordered a new pack from REI. I really like the UL45, so I bought its big brother, the UL60. Gives me an extra 1000 cu in or so over the UL45. That should be enough. I ordered on line and there was a $20.00 off electronic coupon which I used, so it only cost $110 instead of $130. Looks like my pack base weight is creeping up to 18 pounds. So long as it stays under 20, I'll be happy with that.
Date: 2007-12-16
To: Daily milage
Miles today: 0.0

Daily mileage:Most people starting out on the AT should take it easy for the first week or two. Don't plan on doing big miles right out of the gate. Especially if your on the plus size and haven't walked more than a 100 yards at one time all winter! It is a very good idea to put on the new boots you will be using on the trail and walk a couple of miles everyday for at least 2 weeks before you leave. This will reduce the risk of developing some nasty blisters early in the hike, help break in the boots and tone up your leg muscles. I've had some Achilles tendon problems on and off and find doing 2 mile walks for a couple of weeks before heading for the trail goes a long way in preventing that problem from developing. Don't discount the problem of blisters. I've seen some pretty nasty ones on peoples feet just a few days into a hike. If not taken care of promptly, these can seriously slow you down or even put you off the trail. If they get infected, your in real trouble. I find ¢New Skin¢ to be the best blister cure there is. Stings like hell when it is painted on, but it seals the wound, disinfects it and makes it heal reasonably quickly. My goal this year is to achieve a 15 mile/day average. In theory, this shouldn't be too hard to do. My hiking speed is about 2 miles an hour. A little slower on steep up or down hill climbs and a little faster on the flats. So, 15 miles a day means walking for about 7.5 hours. If I'm on the trail by 9 am, I should be at camp about 6 pm. I've learned the trick to doing fairly big miles in a day is to eat a good lunch and rest for at least half an hour. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich usually does the trick for me. A few snack breaks before and after lunch helps a lot too. This scheme looks to work out pretty well for the section between Springer and Fontana Dam. Discounting a couple of shelters which are very close together, they are on average 7.4 miles apart. Skipping every other shelter would then be on average just shy of 15 miles a day. A few town stops along the way messes up the schedule a little, so instead of taking 11 days, the trip to Fontana Dam will likely take 13 or 14. Need at least one zero day in that first stretch anyway. The section between Davenport Gap and Damascus is a bit harder to keep to the 15 mile/day plan. Shelters along this stretch are spaced on average 9.4 miles apart. That means doing 20 miles a day or camping between shelters if the every-other-shelter routine is to be maintained. However, there are a lot of Hostels along this stretch to also consider. Its hard to pass up a Hostel, with its shower (the most transitory experience on the trail, but so nice while it lasts), good food and/or ride to town, dry bed and electric lights.   In any event, all this armchair planing will be quickly abandoned once the reality of the trail influences the daily decisions. I do hope I can achieve this 15 mile/day goal or close to it. If I want to cover 900 miles in less than 10 weeks, I had better.
Date: 2007-12-18
To: Snow!
Miles today: 0.0

HO-HO-HO we got lots of snow!Back-to-back Nor'Easters and a couple of lesser storms has put over 3 feet of snow on our trails here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Up near tree line, where the snow blows off the rocky summits, it is likely at least twice that. Far cry from the last two winters, where we didn't get any snow to speak of. This is more like the way its suppost to be!I took advantage of the new snow this afternoon and did a little snow shoeing. Conditions were ideal. Temps in the high teens, no wind, firm snow and pleanty of it. No exposed rocks or tree branches. At least a couple of people had gotten out before me and broke trail, which was nice of them. I'll try to get out again this weekend, doing something a little more strenues. Like going up to the first ledges on the way to Dome Rock, where a nice view of the summits of Mt Madison and Adams can be had. Another storm is forcast to hit us Sunday, but will likely be rain. Hopefully, we will still be cold enough up here to get mostly snow, though with this much snow on the ground now, a little rain won't hurt it much. Just make it crusty. I sure hope this winter turns into a good old fashion one and can do some serious snow shoeing all the way into March. That would put me in good shape to hit the AT this spring.
Date: 2008-01-01
To: Knee problems
Miles today: 0.0

Happy New Year! The count down to AT08 starts in earnest now, about 80 days for me. I've been suffering with a knee problem the last few weeks. Apparently, going snow shoeing a couple of weeks ago was not a good idea. Turns out I had stressed the knee ligaments while pacing around my 4 x 8 foot work bench island when I got restless and didn't want to go outside. Seems I had been turning my knee while my foot was planted making those tight turns around the bench. At the time, I didn't know what was happening and I thought going snow shoeing would help my knee which was a little swollen and sore. Of course, it just made it worse. Besides having to limp around, the problem was compounded by my using an elastic bandage around the knee one night, which made my calf muscle swell up like a party balloon ready to pop. That could have lead to some serious muscle injury had I not been able to get the swelling down to more reasonable levels quickly. After much ice (thankfully, there is plenty of snow outside my door) and laying with my leg in a near vertical position, most of the swelling has gone away. Except for a little stiffness in the knee in the morning, it is mostly back to normal. Though I won't be able to go snow shoeing again for awhile. Bummer, as we have been getting all kinds of snow up here lately. These kinds of injuries take a long time to heal, so doing 15 mile days right from the start might be a little optimistic. Guess we'll just have to see.
Date: 2008-03-30
From: Final count down to the trail

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Am spending the night at "The Lodge" here at Amicalola falls with my folks, who drove me up from Florida today. It was a bit of a shock to the system going from the heat of Fla to the chill of northern Ga in 8 hours. And I had only spent a few days down there! Will be going up the approach trail from the lodge in the morning, along with a few others I've already met here at the lodge. I hope to make it to Hawk Mt shelter before the rain moves in in the evening.
Date: 2008-03-31
From: Amicacola falls

To: Stover creek 
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

3-31-08 day 2"Out of the smog into the fog"Waited at the lodge untill about 10:30 before heading out to wait for the morning rain to tapper off. Took the approach trail from the lodge to Springer. Not a bad walk all in all.Pushed onto Stover creek shelter. Took one bad slip and fall on the slick trail, thankfully no injury with my first fall of the hike. Likely will not be the last. Most of the walk today was in the fog with some light drizzle off and on, but not enough to get very wet. Nice group here at the shelter, about 8 of us - 5 guys, 3 gals. Trail rumor has it there is about 20 back at Springer shelter, so glad I pushed on. Rain seems to have pushed off and temps are a little chilly - maybe mid 40's right now. Typical for this time of year. Off to a good start.
Date: 2008-04-01
From: Stover creek 

To: Gouch 
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

4-1-08 day 3Drizzle over night overcast in the morning, but cleared up by late morning and turned into nice warm day. Pancakes for breakfast. A lot of work and time consuming but good not sure how often I'll do them again. The 5 miles to Hawk shelter was reasonably easy. Even with late 10:30 start, made it by 12:30. The next 7.1 miles to Gouch shelter was a lot harder was our first serious ups and downs. Meet a couple of army rangers on the trail. Thankfully, the last few miles were easy and made it to the shelter a little before dark. A lot more hikers here than we had last night. Starting to get busy. Stars out tonight, maybe tomorrow will be another nice day. But not rain means bugs are out and getting a little sunburnt already.
Date: 2008-04-02
From: Gouch 

To: Woods hole
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: few clouds

4-2-08 day 3T-storms after dark, but light rain. Mistty start to morning, then cleared off, turning sunny and warm. Trail not as hard as yesterday and legs feeling less like jello. First trail magic at Woody gap. Two ladies with homemade chocolate chip cookies, solda and other assorted goodies. Couple of mountain dews made the next few miles go quick.Most of last nights crowd is disperse as there aren't to many of us here at woody gap tonight.
Date: 2008-04-04
From: neel's gap

To: low gap
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

4-4-08 day 5Low gapSpam and pancake breakfast at the hostel. Preceded by Monty Python's spam routine, of course. Another foggy, drizzle, light rain day - all day. Low gap shelter was full to overflowing by the time I got there. Tented out in the mud. Found out having a floorless tent is not a good thing if it's got to be pitched in the mud! Lull in the rain was followed by T-storms, but thankfully we were blessed by not getting the full brunt of them. It did continued rain all night and into the morning.
Date: 2008-04-05
From: low gap

To: blue mt
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: moderate rain

4-5-08 day 6Blue Mt shelter.Rain finally tapper off about 10:30 and headed out. Foggy all day, but only occasional drizzle. Trail muddy and slippery. Took one header on slippery rock, but slow motion fall. You have to know how to roll when on this trail!No one at Blue Mt shelter when I got here at 3:30. However that changed. Church group of 10 started to stagger in along with a few thru hikers. Most of last nights group pushed on. The few late comers to the shelter decided to go the 2.2 miles to Unicon gap and a ride to the Cloud 9 hostel. Too soon since Neel's gap for me to tag along.Goung to miss a boy scout trail magic thing 6 miles up the trail. Today was last day and too far to go to get there in time. Wanted a spot in the shelter instead. Weather is supposed to clear in the morning, so hope to make a few ore mi es tomorrow.
Date: 2008-04-06
From: blue mt

To: tray mt
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

4-6-08 day 7Tray Mt.Woke up to nice sunrise, we were above the clouds and only summits of surrounding peaks were visable. Looked like we were on a sea of clouds and could swim across the valley. Real nice not to wake up to fog or rain for a change.Desended into the mist at Unicoy gap. Trail still slick in places and took yet another tumble on wet rock. At the gap, chatted with some day hikers before doing a long, slow climb to the top of Rocky Mt. First good views from the top in days. There were several significant climbs and decents on the way to Tray Mt. Shelter here sits on a shoulder of Tray and has some good views. Even though I got here reasonablely early - about 2:30, I stopped for the day to dry out the wet gear from the last few days. Also feeling a little sore and don't want to push it. Tomorrow will do 11 miles in order to get to Cloud 9 hostel and resupply.Several guys reported trail magic at some of the road crossings, but I missed it all.Most of the hikers I had been seeing the last couple days are now ahead by a day and several I have meet before have caught up. Shelter is almost empty as most are tenting, as it looks like it will be a nice night. I would like to lighten my load, but not much I can do without, except the electronics light the cell phone, AM/FM radio and ham gear. Still a little early to be shedding clothes. We'll see tomorrow if I decide to send anything
Date: 2008-04-08
From: cloud 9 hostel 

To: plum orchard gap
Miles today: 4.3

4-8-08 day 10Plum orchard gapLeft Cloud 9 about 1:30 after another town run for new lunch stuff as pb+j a little too bulky. Lunch at Hardy's. Two climbs today, one short, one long. Only did the 4 or so miles to the shelter. Tenting out tonight as weather is clear. Small group here tonight. Most are section hikers Key Chain only real thru hiker here tonight. All the others either pushed on for the NC line or taking zero at hostel.
Date: 2008-04-09
From: plum orchard gap

To: standing indian 
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

4-9-08 day 11Standing Indian shelter.Chilly morning but warmed up quickly once sun got up. Crossed into NC a few miles into the day. First state done!NC greeted us with a few long steep climbs. Trail melowed out after a while with the last leg to Standing Indian slow but not overly difficult. Key Chain pushed on to camp at the summit of Standing Indian. Looks to be a little breeze and nippy up there to night - already is here at the shelter. We will be losing some of the hikers who we have been with for a few days. It will be just Key Chain and me untill a new group developes.
Date: 2008-04-10
From: standing indian 

To: big spring
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

4-10-08 day 12Big Spring gap shelter Another fine hiking day, cool in the morning and sunny but not too warm in the afternoon. Key Chain had a good night on top of Standing Indian. Great sunset and sunrise, with pictures to prove it. A nearly 15 mile day, climaxing with the final steep climb up Mt. Albert. 11 days out and starting to get thru hiker stamina. Can go for miles without stopping, even up hill if it isn't too steep. Forcast is for a few real cold days with possible snow showers. Good thing we are still a few days away from the Smokies, as they may see significant snow. Tomorrow will be an overnight stop at Franklin, NC. Need to do some laundry and buy some food. A burger will be nice too!
Date: 2008-04-11
From: big spring

To: franklin nc
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

4-11-08 day 12Budget inn Franklin NCA little rain moved in over night, but cleared by sun rise. Group of 10 school kids showed up at shelter site near sun set but they tented out so shelter was quiet. Still in a void between large groups of other hikers. There was a large group at cable gap shelter last night so glad we didn't push on the extra 5.8 miles last night. Small shelter with limited tenting. There was one good hill between there and big spring shelter which would have made the exta miles a chore had we gone one. As it was, made good time to Winding Stairs gap aka US64, getting there just before 1 pm. No luck hitching into town untill a local who was wandering around the gap came back to his car and offered a ride, which of course I took. The Budget Inn is the place for hikers to stay here in Franklin and the place is full up tonight with them. Most of us will be heading out tomorrow to the same place, so the quiet shelters will be no more for a while. Key Chain went on to Siler's bald today, so won't see him again for a few days. T-storms passed by this evening and weren't too bad or long lived. Should be much cooler tomorrow - not a bad thing. Sent a few things home today also, like the ham radio gear which took up space and I'm really not going to use enough to justify lugging around any longer. Also my old camera, as it isn't working well. Doesn't save a lotbof weight, but every ounces counts. I better get to bed if I expect to score the early morning breakfast !
Date: 2008-04-12
From: franklin nc

To: Wayha bald
Miles today: 10.5

4-12-08 day 14Wayha bald shelter The rain pushed off over night and morning was mostly clear and crisp.Good breakfast thanks to the Franklin Baptist church, pancakes, juice , etc. They even came and got us. They feed about 20 of us, apparently the largest number this season. Free hiker bus took us back to Winding Stairs and back to the trail. More long slow climbs and descents, going over Stylier bald and then over to Wayha bald, the highest we have been so far. Due to road to top, young locals with motorcycle and four wheel truck actually on the paved but official section of AT.Good hiking temps, but real chilly whenn in the wind, which was often the case. Seem to be developing blister on right heel, under callous. Back with good sized hiking group again, 6 of us in shelter and 4 in tents. This is a new shelter, about a year old. Clear and cold tonight, will see how well we fair.