morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-08-09
From: Big Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Gorham
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Thought i would put up one of these entries again. especially since my email isent working so what else am i going to do on a comp. So i just finished up the hut hop, chillin out in pinkham notch for a few nights before pushing on into maine. just over 300 to go, it will all be over way to soon. the trail has been fabulous every step of the way, and i am looking forward to this final month. well nuf said time to rock out at the barn. Peace.
Date: 2004-05-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We've wanted to hike the AT for nearly 20 years It seemed so far fetched with working and such limited vacation time. .....One of those dreams that pass you by. What did it take to wake us up? Several deaths in the family and many more deaths of friends we met while accompaning a parent for chemo treatments. We know...a cancer hospital is not the best place to make friends but that couldn't be further from the truth. We learned so much from them, especially about faith,life, and love. Through them, we gained the courage to attempt the AT by quitting our jobs to live life a bit. My wife and I have both learned that life can turn on a dime and that it is so preciously short. We can get new jobs when we return and what a thing to put on a resume! So, we are dedicating this trip to all our family and friends and in the memory of many, especially Flounder's father. We plan to hike Katahdin June 24th and go SOUTH from there.
Date: 2004-05-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Although we talked about hiking the AT for years, we had really done no research or spoke to anyone who hike it. Realizing that this trip had to come together quickly (missed the north bound window), we quickly got to work. Thru a friend and the internet we found that there was a ATC club in Sarasota Florida and that they were having a meeting 5/12/04. We attended and made the commmitment to hike the AT (southbound)that evening. The next day we ordered all the guides and maps, began researching and ordering gear. Surprising how much you can get done in a day when you don't have to go to work!We could fill up countless pages on our gear decisions but the food situation is still a question mark.
Date: 2004-05-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We decided to try and dehydrate some food for our trip. Worried we may lose too much weight and that the freeze-dried stuff may not be too nutritious. The fruits/veggies seem to be doing fine but the pasta sauce and soups were a disaster. We've decided to do a combination of freeze-dried, fresh, and some dehydrated stuff to start off. My sister will send some freeze-dried along with other supplies as we need them but we're hoping to stock up as we pass thru towns (real food).We got our airline ticket yesterday so we will be on the trail June 24. Hoping our fully loaded pack weight will be around 25lbs but as the remaining gear gets here we will update that figure. We have already met and spoken to some super nice people who have hiked/thru-hiked on the AT and their advise is priceless and encouraging. We can hardly wait...27 more days! Pictures soon to come once we get our digital camera for the trip.
Date: 2004-05-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

25 more days!   We got some more of our gear in yesterday so we're looking good in that department. We have so much to do as far as planning goes and figuring out our food and resupply points.    We have been "training" if you can call it that. We have been hiking around the neighborhood with 25lb weighted camelbacks and then running also. All the children run out and yell, "hey Survivor people". Yesterday we did some hill/mountain "training". Not a easy thing to do in flat-land S.W. Florida. It consists of doing some walking lunges and "hiking" back and forth over a bridge (with our weighted packs). Somehow the gain/loss in elevation of 40 feet will prepare us for the mountains of New England! We do keep a general level of fitness though because we are avid mountain bikers. Yea we know, there are no mountains in Florida but we do have a lot of steep up/downs and a lot of technical trails. Contrary to what you may think, not all moutain bikers are rude, inbred, Neanderthals!   We have been going through some emotions the last couple of weeks where we feel invincible at times and then like "what the he** are we doing?" We're glad we have only been planning for two weeks.... We've read of people planning a thru-hike for 2 years!
Date: 2004-05-30
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

24 daysScambling around trying to get those last few things ordered. I just received my new shoes for the hike, Montrail Hurricane Ridge. I had a pair before and loved them but bought them a bit tight so this time I went up a complete size. Half size needed plus recommendations of other hikers to bump up a half size for your feet getting bigger (or swelling?). Now Flounder wants to change my trail name to Bozo! My family is getting excited about our trip too....starting to fight over who is going to send our mail drops! I have a couple of sisters and my mother that would love to do this hike if time and family obligations permitted.We continued or training yesterday by climbing up and down the high school stadium repeatedly (15 up-15 down). Again, this will somehow get us ready for Katahdin! We'll be mountain biking/hiking today and tommorrow in the Ocala Florida area. I sure hope it is cooler in New England!
Date: 2004-06-04
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Sorry for missing a few days. Again, we are busy getting things ready and "trainning". Had to return several items so it looks like we won't have all our gear or food for the fist 114 miles 'til June 10th. Last weekend was great as we got to ride our mountain bikes...our favorite form of exercise. The past few days we have been doing that "bridge thing" with the weighted 25 lbs. packs. We do 4 trips over and back giving us about 10 miles and a total elevation change of 640 ft. Today we'll hike on grass and then do some stadiums with our weighted packs. Maybe we will get a break today and the temperature will stay under 95 degrees and the humidity will be below 100%! Yea, we'll be ready in 19 days! Katahdin can't be any worse...can it?We had been thinking about what a sacrifice it must be to thru hike a trail like this but lately we're thinking that sacrifice is the wrong word. We will really not be sacrificing anything other than our closeness to family and friends. Granted, we will have to give up some luxuries but that's not sacrifice is it? What we have to gain is so much greater than what we are giving up. We will be out there experiencing treasures God has given us all. You don't have to hike the AT to do this either. We all have beautiful places near our homes or even in our own yards to view, hear, touch, and smell His "hand work". Let's get out there and enjoy it....now!
Date: 2004-06-06
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

16 days!Well, everything is going as planned....we should peak physically on the 23rd. the day before the hike is to begin. We forcast clear skies, no bugs, no mud, no foot or other problems for the first 6 weeks! Do you believe any of this? We will be as ready as we can be, that is for sure! We look forward to meeting others on the trail both NOBO and SOBO, section hikers/dayhikers. It makes us jealous to see other people have been out on the trail for so long already. They all have such great stories.We know Florida has great hiking but there is something about the mountains that has always tugged at our hearts. New England will be special to us because we have never been in that part of the country. In fact, the entire AT will be new as we have never hiked any of it. Nothing like jumping in with both feet! We have only backpacked 3 times (2- two nighters and a one nighter). So I guess you could call us newbies! We love being outdoors though. Back to the trainning! : )
Date: 2004-06-07
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

16 daysWe took an easy day today and spent some time with my parents (who are leaving on an RV trip and won't get back 'til after we leave for our adventure). I don't know how my mom will be able to take it without being able to check on us nightly via the computer. I have a feeling she will make my dad stop at many libraries along their route! She has a list of people she is cheering for and wants us to meet as we cross paths. They are both excited for us and plan to be trail angels once we get past half-way. I pray we remain healthy and uninjured.My big sister (ok....oldest sister!) has volunteered to be our scribe and update our journal when we can not get to a computer and send supplies. We will probably have to do the same with our photos by sending the flash memory cards back and forth. I may have to call on another sister for that one! My little sister is the photographer in the family and will also be sending supplies. I have another sister who will be taking us to the airport and says she will even pick us up providing we get to Springer! We would find this trip most difficult to do if it weren't for all our friends and family.We will be calling on our friends from the Florida ATC to check over our gear and give us some last minute pointers. They have been so kind to us and we have only met once. The Florida ATC meets monthy Sept.- May. You can get the contact info. from the main ATC site.   We happened to catch the last meeting of the year and they were so encouraging we made the commitment to try this on the spot.Tasha Marie, David, Jill....good luck out there. We look forward to hearing from you. Wish we were starting a couple of weeks earlier too! We'll look for your posts at the shelters. Consider us the sag wagons! Huh, maybe that should be our trail name! I can tell we are going to make a lot of friends. All this make me so happy :-) Skin-a-ma-rink, a dink, a dink.....hey, we're supposed to be having fun!
Date: 2004-06-10
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well, if all goes well, in two weeks we will be camping for the first nite on the AT (June 24th). We should have our camera tomorrow so we can get some pictures up for everyone. We ended up getting Pentax 4mp WR digital.Training is going as well as can be expected. My allergy is under control but Flounder has "exercise induced urticaria" or something like that. It causes her to break out in hives on her legs after strenuously hiking for approx. 10 miles. It has never been a problem before because it disappears the next day. Now, however, it seems to be cumulative with all the trainning we have been doing. We have found some medication that helps somewhat but have also discoverd that heat is a major factor. We also found that if we hike 5 miles or so then run a mile then hike another 5, it seems to control itself better. So, here is the deal: the weather will be cooler than SW Florida, the sun less direct, and Flounder says she will have me haul HER gear once every 5 miles so she can run! Pray for ME please!!! Actually we are hoping the cooler weather alone will be sufficient.We have to thank all the people who have signed our guestbook and offered there kind words of encouragement and the many other people who have shared their experiences on the AT with us. Not to mention the many who say they will be trail angels or even have us in for a meal and hot shower as we enter their "territory". EVERYONE has been super kind. Don't worry, I'm not going to start singing again!
Date: 2004-06-12
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

12 daysTime is running down....More training this morning along a canopied dirt road. We climbed up and down the embankment beside it many times. Seems to be more useful than the stadiums we had been doing. Flounders "exercise induced urtacaria" was a problem again today so she'll change medications tomorrow (from claritin to zyrtec). What an excuse for NOT exercising! We pray that we'll be able to control it.We are doing a final sort through our gear, getting rid of stuff we don't need or probably don't need. I'm looking at the deoderant but I think I am going to keep it. I know many hikers do not recommend using it because supposingly it attracts bears. I personally have not heard of a documented case where a hiker has been stalked down for smelling decent. Besides, we can hang it with our food and we'll wash up before bed anyway. I think it's just an excuse not to carry the weight. Wouldn't it seem that smelling like an ape would attract more bears anyway! We finally got our camera so we will be posting some photos soon.   Later :-)
Date: 2004-06-14
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

10 days and we'll be on the trail!God is good! Life is good! Zyrtec is good! We'll give it a better test today/tomorrow. Sent out our first couple of mail drops this morning. We can't believe we are getting so close! We pray that God blesses us with pleasant weather at least for the first few days.We hope our selection of using a canister stove does not present too much of a problem. Ground mailing the canisters is a must. We want to be able to cook real food when we want (simmer for 15 min. or so) and you can't do that with an alcohol stove. There are pros and cons for each decision we've made. We do have some esbit cubes for back-up.Our little hiking trail is getting real old! It is only 1 mile long so several 10 mile+ days in a row stinks! We can't wait to get on new trail, where every step is one never taken before. In mountain biking we call it "new-trail-itis" and we've got it BAD! There are real hiking trails within an hour or two that are quite nice but we've been-there-done-that to most of them also. We do experience something new though each time we hike them it is just that we're ready for some different terrain and weather. Bring on those mountains and the cool air!We have a busy week ahead of us. Tues. we are getting together with some new friends from ATC Florida to get some last minute pointers, check our gear, and to have a nice meal; Wed. we meet with some good friends we met while doing triathlons to catch-up on each other; Thurs. we will drive to Sanford to meet with my sisters, Angie and Rosanne, to tranfer the responsibility for logistics/updating our journal and posting photos. Angie will be using her scribe name, "Moccasin". We truly thank them both for "volunteering" their services. Sun. or Mon. we may meet with some previous through hikers from Sarasota to see their slide show and talk with them. There is no substitution for experience!Gotta get out and hike/run before the daily rains hit!
Date: 2004-06-18
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

5 Days!Good news! Weather.com has updated their forcast for our first day on the trail again. It has gone from 26 degrees with freezing rain/sleet to thunder storms/showers to (currently) partly "sunny"! :-)   It would be grand to have a view on top of Katahdin but we'll take what the good Lord gives us and appreciate it all!Great news from Tasha too! (just completed the 100 mile wilderness) Thanks so much for scouting out the territory for us and providing so much info. Thanks to "mom" also for passing that info. along to us. What a nice family...you all are great friends and we have not even met yet!We have had the best time visiting with friends and family the past few days(and eating too!). Thank you all for your support...the Tyners, Jack, Footloose, Doug, Marilyn, Rosebud, Moccasin, Doug. You all are the greatest!Our supplies/instructions have been delivered and we have taken care of most of the domestic things around the house...ie. phone, lawn, mail, internet, car insurance and most bills. I think we are down to the VISA bill. Scary, but we are thinking of this trip as an investment with unimaginable returns! Cheers!
Date: 2004-06-19
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

4 days!With time running out, we are not going to sit here and tell you that we have no "butterflies" about doing something like this but we can tell you that the feeling passes when we think of all the interesting people we will meet and the things we will see and experience. It's truly funny how some people react when we tell them what we are about to do. Some think we are flat out nuts, others think we are just not the brightest lights in the harbor, but more are intrigued and quiz us on the details. We had an off day today...getting a few things done around the house and yard. We have finally seam sealed our tent and will do the same to our packs tomorrow. We are also going to spray our shoes and packs with some water proofing and apply some bug repellent to an extra pair of convertible pants. After careful deliberation and consultation , we have decided that several items we were taking don't seem like necessities anymore but just added weight. The cell phone & charger, stove wind screen, compass, forks and whistle are all staying, and the first aid kit has been reduced to half size. The deoderant, however, is still coming along!
Date: 2004-06-21
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Everything is still go for Thurs. even though the weather is a bit iffy! Tomorrow, our last day home, should be more relaxing. Most of the "last minute" things have been cleared from the slate. We had dinner with my siter, "Nita peanut" and some friends of hers Sat. night. It was real nice....thanks Jeff for picking up the tab. I think we are already learning to Yogi!   "Nita" will take us to the airport at 5:15 am Wed. and we should be at the AT Lodge (Millinocket) by 3:30 pm. Tim/Aida you are too kind! Thanks also for the dinner (Monday). Remember, the next one is on us! (we definately got the yogi thing down...we'll be alright on the trail!) For those of you who don't know, to Yogi.....(hiker term) is to get something you want or need for free without begging for it (usually food)!John and Mary....what can we say. The slide show and speaking with you was priceless. You're very special people.... Thanks.
Date: 2004-06-22
To: Springer
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well folks, tomorrow at 5:15 am we'll be on the way to the airport. Strange, but we are in a state of calmness, but we are excited at the same time....just not nervous I guess? We've dotted all our i's and crossed all our t's! Bags are in the car and ready to go.We're both going out for a 3-4 mile run then we'll get to bed early. Weather still looks iffy for our Katahdin ascent but if it looks too nasty we'll spend another night at the AT Lodge. Oh, Mom, if your reading this, we are using your car tomorrow for the airport shuttle! Thanks. BB, thanks for checking our house for us. Lorna (the greatest postmaster) thanks again for all your help.   We can not even begin to thank everyone who has come to our aid (in such a short time) to pull something like this off. You are all the greatest! We look forward to meeting many of you out on the trail.Maybe we can add a line in Millinocket? THANK YOU EVERYONE!
Date: 2004-06-23
To: Twas the Night Before Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Up at 4:30 AM. The day has finally come. It is the beginning of a life changing experience - or at least that is what we have been told. My sister, Nita, drove us to the airport. Thanks! We had a wonderful flight. We took a taxi to Millinocket (AT Lodge). When we were doing our final pack Smiley walked by. He had just finished his section thru-hike and we drilled him with questions [Did Little Bump acquire this skill from his sisters, Moccasin and Rosebud?!] He was very kind. He offered to look over our gear and we gladly let him. While he said we were lighter than most, he also said he could help us get even lighter. [I need to try this Smiley diet!] He actually saved each of us about 2 pounds! We sent back all kinds of things. Our extra shoes, binoculars, sunglasses, titanium tent stakes, etc... I was happy to see my extra pair of shoes go back because I was getting a blister just walking around the airport in them today. We treated Smiley to dinner and spoke more with him. We finished our packing and finally got to bed about 11:30!
Date: 2004-06-24
From: Summit of Mt.Katahdin 

To: Abol Stream
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 4:30 again! We are over at the AT Cafe by 5 and eat some toasted bagels and order some subs for lunch. The taxi picks us up at 5:30 and we're on our way to Baxter State Park. It's very misty and lush. We see a moose driving into the park. We dropped our packs and signed in at the ranger station then donned our day packs and headed up Katahdin around 6:30AM. Immediately we were immersed in an invisible cloud of evergreen aroma and the lush forest reminds us of a rain forest. The rocks/boulders below the tree line are covered with various kinds of lichen and mosses, ferns and other plants. Many have trees growing from them with their roots wrapped around them like fingers around a baseball. Beautiful. The climb is very steep in sections with lots of rocks and roots. There is a large bouldering section in the middle that was very fun. We saw NOBO thru-hiker Sunstroke on his way down after just completing his hike. We stop to congratulate him and he wishes us luck. Nice guy. The summit was somewhat surreal with clouds below us. 0 miles so far! Our AT hike begins now at the summit! The climb down was fun through the bolders but hard on the knees. We are glad we got some partial views (some don't). Temperature was in the 40s and weather questionable so we decided not to go out on the knife-edge. At the base we soaked our tired dogs [I am not familiar with this hiking term "dogs". Are we talking legs, feet or various other body parts!] in Katahdin Stream while eating our subs. We decide to hike on to Abol Bridge to work the kinks out of our legs. We are rewarded by seeing a large bull moose eating in a pond (lake). He would dip his head underwater to eat then raise up. Gallons of water would pour off his antlers and he would clear the water from his nose (a unique sound!) It was so fascinating to watch that we failed to take pictures. The entire hike to Abol was beautiful and the hot shower there a blessing. We set up our tent near a pond (lake) and turned in about 10PM. Flounder's legs did wonderfully. She didn't have to take her allergy medicine. We had no problems with bugs either.