morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-21
From: Leeman Brook Lean-To

To: Monson ME
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 10: Finally made it to Monson. It is as good as I had hoped. A quaint little town that is exactly like you would expect in Maine. I caught a hitch with a guy who was going to the store and then to the hostel. I picked up four days of food and a pair of crocs. I have been wanting some camp shoes, wish I had them through the 100 mile wilderness, but I'm sure glad to have them now. I have mostly been hanging around the hostel today resting my Achilles. I did laundry, took an amazing shower! I also had some great BBQ and sweet tea of all things...and it was good...in Maine! I closed out the day with a burger at the bar downstairs and chilled with all the guys I have been hiking with. Some of them will be heading out tomorrow while some of us are staying a couple more days to heal up. I'm sure we will see each other down the trail. This hostel is amazing! Rebecca the owner makes you feel at home from the minute you walk in the door. The other women working here are equally as nice. I'm going to try to go to bed wary tonight and get some good rest, the body needs it to heal.
Date: 2013-02-19
To: Prep Entry #2
Miles today: 0.0

Last time, I wrote about my obsession with the Trail, so today, I thought I might share a bit of my background from life as we know it. I grew up in a small town in Western Maryland, and have a background in both Social Work and Nursing. As a Social Worker, I have worked in Home Health, Hospice, School counseling, Child Protective Services, Mental Health and Addictions. In the health field, I have worked as an EMT volunteering with the local Rescue Squad, as orderly in an ER, a technician in cardiac catheterization labs, as a technician in a morgue helping with autopsies and forensics, then finally as an RN in a Cardiothoracic Unit and an ICU.    My wife and I will have been married 33 years when I start the Trail on ¢February 29¢ ¢ I thought that I could save money on anniversary gifts by getting married on February 29 as it only comes every four years but instead, it has been twice as expensive as we end up celebrating the last day of February as well as the day after February 28th. I have two grown sons of whom I am very proud and who both have wonderful young ladies as life partners. As soon as I complete the Trail, I will be moving from Western Maryland and joining them as well as our grand children in South Carolina. My wife, Bethany, has already moved down there. Bethany plans on being my support person, sending mail drops and meeting me along the Trail at various places. My sons also plan to occasionally meet me and hike portions of the Trail as well.    As far as outlook on life, I am a Christian. My faith and relationship with Christ is very important to me. Some of you may now be concerned that you may be faced with a religious fanatic on the Trail. I am very much one who is more comfortable attempting to practice my faith in deed rather than trying to argue with words. I am more than willing to listen to your beliefs and if you desire will share my beliefs. The most likely way you would get a ¢Turn or Burn¢ message from me was if you were standing with your back too close to the campfire and danger was imminent. I guess that is part of my EMT/RN background.    Beyond that, I obviously enjoy the outdoors as well as an eclectic taste in music (from classical to Grateful Dead/Jam bands to reggae to blues to hymns and modern Christian music) and reading some of the great literature I missed while I was busy studying in school (e.g. Brothers Karamasov, Moby Dick, the Tolkien trilogy, Don Quixote¢¦) I have tried to get through James Joyce¢s Ulysses with only mediocre success but did stumble upon a quote therein which in a Carpe Diem kind of sense I enjoy and plan to apply to my hike of the AT: ¢Hold to the now, the here, through which all future plunges to the past.¢
Date: 2013-02-22
To: Prep Entry #5
Miles today: 0.0

   At 10:00 PM, it¢s about 26 degrees and NO WIND (happy dance, happy dance, ¢joy, rapture¢ ¢ the last two words in quotations might be recognized by any Wizard of Oz fans but this old brain cannot remember if it was the Scarecrow, Tin Man or Cowardly Lion that uttered them ¢ any help out there?) Compared to previous nights, it is almost warm. Add to that a waxing gibbous moon (Full Moon Feb 25 ¢ I hear that some people get a bit crazy under a full moon) and I¢ll give you one guess where I¢ll be tonight.    Earlier this evening I had a chance to meet with a local Section Hiker that I believe has over 1500 miles of the AT under her boots (Not the same pair ¢ it just seemed a more appropriate phrase than ¢under her belt¢.) I was so excited to get a chance to meet with her, that I showed up earlier than planned, stayed later than planned and still could have talked and shared for hours. Are all AT hikers similarly obsessed ¢ and it is obsessed in a good way ¢ right??!    I¢m getting ready for another backyard gear test and hopefully I will not freeze out at 03:00 AM. In addition to venting the tent, I will give the Alpine quilt another try but have a down sleeping bag beside me this time just in case I need to switch out. Heading ¢out there¢!
Date: 2013-02-23
To: Prep Enrty #6
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

   You know the departure day for the Trail is getting close when you actually start the ¢Goodbye Tour¢. Phone calls, letters, visits, meals ¢ since I will be on the Trail for about six months and then officially move back to South Carolina, there have been several ¢goodbyes¢ lately as I am not certain when I will get to see some of these folks again. With so many words of encouragement and well wishes, I hope that my journal entries will provide some insight and entertainment on what it is like to hike the Trail. While my departure has a great amount of excitement, concern and anticipation, I cannot help but think of the many soldiers that serve our country whose departure is even more heart rending. Hats off and a big salute to you all - whether you are serving now or have already served ¢ Thank you.   Even though my departure is less than a week away, I am still working on making some of my own gear (primarily using kits from Ray Jardine¢s website). For someone who had never sewn in his life, Ray and some frequent guidance and assistance from a family member ¢ yep ¢ my mom, have enabled me to make several projects that I primarily plan to use when the weather gets warmer and I can shed some of my winter backpack base weight. Just tonight I finally finished a backpack.   My wife has also been busy - working up menus and dehydrating food for some mail drops. She thinks she might be able to get about a week¢s worth of food less than 10 pounds (the generally accepted standard is usually about 2 pounds a day). There may be some hikers who go out in a survival type situation and ¢prove¢ that they can make it ¢on their own¢. For me, I am just grateful for all those who have helped me get to this point and the promises of continued support and encouragement. This contrast in hiking styles alludes to a part of what is meant by a frequent Trail saying, ¢Hike your own hike.¢ Everyone has a different style, goals or ambition as they set foot to the Trail and venture of into a world of internal and external discovery. While the Trail can be a very enlightening social experience, respect for the Earth and one another is highly valued.    As a follow up to last night¢s entry: 26 degrees is much better than minus 1 degree. I improved the tent ventilation ¢ still have some refining to do but it was better. The quilt served me well in staying warm but about 05:00 AM I thought I would switch out to my winter sleeping bag for a comparison. When I awoke at 07:00, it was like one of those times when you are under the covers on a cold winter morning and you are nice and cozy and just want to stay in a bit longer. Had I been under a tarp, perhaps I could have looked out, gazed upon the morning sky and just stayed all warm and comfy but since my tent has no windows, I had to crawl out of my nice warm sleeping bag, unzip the tent (it was facing West) and get out just to determine what the day might have in store for me. It turned out to be a very good day.
Date: 2013-02-24
To: Prep Entry #7
Miles today: 0.0

   Only two more ¢sleeps¢ until I leave for South Carolina to see family and then drive to Georgia on Thursday morning. It is kind of like being a kid and waiting for Christmas. Here in Maryland, we have the snow, I¢m excited, and people that I talk and meet with are excited, my family is excited. Do you get the impression that there is some excitement in the air?    I will have several friends and people at church praying for the Journey ¢ not just for me but fellow hikers on the Trail ¢ for safety, well being and relationships ¢ on the Trail and at home. I am certain that my faith and endurance will be tested and hope that growth will be just one of the blessings associated with this adventure.    Tonight is another beautiful night, a bit cold but the sky is clear, the moon is almost full and it is easy to pick out the major constellations. We had a little get together this evening in which we shared a meal (I was tempted to cook and share a dehydrated trail meal) and I was able to set up both my summer and winter gear, talk about the Trail, the plans, resupply and the ups and downs - literally the anticipated PUDS ¢ Trail talks for the elevation changes or ¢pointless ups and downs¢ in Georgia. We also watched a video that gave an overview of the Trail. The folks present could not believe how plentiful, sharp, pointed and vicious some of the rocks looked in ¢Rocksylvania¢. I would be sleeping outside tonight as well but I am trying to get my gear good and dry before the Journey begins. With all the snow and wet weather, my sleeping bag was just a bit moist and my tent had more water on it than I care to carry if it is water that I cannot drink.   I am still playing with the balance of weight vs. comfort. I am back to counting grams. I have been known to be a bit obsessive about some things ¢ for instance, I have tracked the weather, temperatures, rain and wind for several years now. I also record the daily morning and evening twilight time as well as sunrise and sunset. (I think that by working night shift in hospitals, I felt it gave me a bit of a connection to the outside world.)   I have a feeling that the Trail will help me figure out what is important and necessary. For example, do I really need to know the daily high and low temperatures or is knowing that it is either cold, bitterly cold, hot or stifling hot sufficient?   As a Social Worker in Child Protective Services, we had to document all kinds of evidence and analysis if we believed that a child might need to be removed from a home for his or her safety. As an ICU/Critical Care Nurse, we literally have to document not only vital signs but everything from the frequency of bowel movements, to how much a patient eats and whether or not the patient had a bath. Fortunately, I do not know of any Nurses on the Trail that will be documenting the hygiene habits of the AT hikers ¢ or at least, as far as I know, the government funding for that study has not yet been approved. Four ¢sleeps¢ until the Trail!
Date: 2013-02-25
To: Prep Entry #8
Miles today: 0.0

I literally spent most of the day saying goodbye to a lot of the folks up here, soliciting prayer support and, now, finally at 11:00 PM, starting to prepare to leave for South Carolina in the morning. There is mud on the floor, dishes in the sink, laundry to be done and packing to do. The weather forecast in our area is calling for freezing rain in the morning with wind gusts as high as 44 mph. My heart, however, has been warmed by all the folks who have wished me well and promised to keep me in mind during the Journey.    Right now, as I wander outside, it is such a beautiful night - clear sky and full moon - almost bright enough to read the words on a package of dehydrated food. Granted, the font size of the words I can read is about 48 pt - forget trying to read the instructions - but still it is a beautiful night. I do have a lot to do to prepare to leave, but fortunately, I am so excited, it will be a while until I am sleepy.    Three more "sleeps" (if I can tone down some of this adrenaline)until the Approach Trail!
Date: 2013-02-27
To: Prep Entry #9
Miles today: 0.0

   I left a wind blown, ice covered world in Western Maryland at about 5:30 PM to travel and meet my family in South Carolina. Before leaving, I had placed some items next to the car and returned to the house to retrieve some more items for the trip. By the time I came back out, a basket of belongings had slid on the ice halfway down the hill of our driveway. In addition, a groundcloth I planned to use had blown out the open door and was down in the yard.   Driving through West Virginia at twilight, it was sometimes difficult to discern the shadows of the mountains on the horizon from the clouds that were brushing the mountain crest. Later, the nearly full moon seemed to be doing a dance with the clouds, sometimes hiding behind yet illuminating them with a backlight that outlined their shape; other times the moon would reflect the sunlight and brighten up the landscape for a full and glorious view.   The drive to South Carolina was long but beautiful in many areas. Going down I-77, there is a fantastic stretch that overlooks Mt Airy, NC (famous as the birthplace of Andy Griffith and inspiration for Mayberry). The hill was high enough that the thick clouds filled the valley below and obscured the lights that one typically sees at night from Mount Airy.      I arrived at my destination about 02:00 AM. My son was already asleep but I was able to unload some of the items from the car. Instead of slipping on ice, I was able to go outside in Crocs. It was a balmy 45 degrees (and there was no ice) at 02:00. Again, I was tempted to sleep outside but this is a more residential neighborhood than the farmland we live on back home and I am not certain what the neighbors might think if they went out in the morning and found what might look like a quilt covered body in my son's front yard.    Two more "sleeps' until the Approach Trail! (Tonight would typically be considered Tuesday night even though it is now Wednesday - Being awake or working night shift can mess with your time orientation.)
Date: 2013-02-28
To: Prep Entry #10
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

   I did not sleep very much last night due to my excitement and anticipation of actually getting to start the Hike. I spent most of the day of 2/27 tying up loose ends regarding my move to South Carolina, visiting friends and former coworkers and enlisting further prayer support for the journey. It was great to visit some folks that I literally have not seen in years. I ended up staying up until about 4:00 AM checking, rechecking, trying to decide what I really needed and what I could leave behind, packing and repacking, trying to keep my total pack weight below 40 pounds including food and water. At this point, I could not get the total weight below 35 pounds when I included the winter gear that I think I need.   My son, Riff, drove my wife and me to Amicalola Falls State Park and we arrived in the early afternoon. We were all surprised how cold it was for what we considered the Deep South but I guess the mountain region of Georgia is somewhat like Western Maryland in that it is a bit different from the rest of the state. My wife had a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains from her room in the Lodge while Riff and I prepared to hike the Approach Trail to the AT and spend the night outdoors. When I signed the Thru Hikers Register at the Visitor Center, I was the 97th hiker in 2013 to start the Approach Trail to Springer Mountain, the official Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Riff and I hiked through the stone arch that lead to Amicalola Falls, up over 600 stair steps in a seemingly wacky zig zag and convoluted fashion. By the time we had hiked to Black Gap Shelter, 7.3 miles from the start of the Approach Trail, we had gone from an initial elevation of about 1800 feet to an elevation just over 3350 feet. The 600 stair steps were all in the first mile with about a 400 foot elevation change. It was so cold when we arrived at the Shelter, a couple from Michigan had actually set their tent up inside the shelter and they even said it was cold. Although there was enough room left that Riff and I also could have fit in the three sided shelter, we decided to set up our tent. Riff was so cold, as soon as the tent was up, he crawled in the sleeping bag in an attempt to get warm. He was prepared for the warmer, Southern type weather to which he had become accustomed in South Carolina. I was able to heat up some dehydrated trail food that his older brother had provided and despite usual precautions of avoiding eating one¢s meal where they intend to sleep ( to avoid attracting mammals ranging in size from mice to black bears), Riff had no intentions of leaving his sleeping bag so we took the risk. I think that the night was a difficult one for him to say the least but I very much appreciated his willingness and desire to be with me in the start of this incredible journey.   (Side note: The couple from Michigan, Dreamer and Socks, also had their dog with them and it was so cold that they supposedly even had a sleeping bag for their dog! That¢s how cold it was!)
Date: 2013-03-01
From: Springer Mountain

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Riff and I hiked the final 1.5 miles of the Approach Trail to get to Springer Mountain and the official start of the AT. The trees were covered in ice. There was some type of small, apparently grass like plant on the ground that was also enshrouded with ice and appeared very interesting and delicate. Although Riff was not well prepared for such cold weather, it was a joy to have him along for the first part of this adventure. We took several pictures at Springer and eventually made our way down to the parking lot about 1 mile from the summit. Bethany had brought a hot breakfast for each of us that was much appreciated. In addition to meeting several other hikers who planned on starting their journey today, I met a trio of hikers that were raising money for a Christian Rehab facility as well as a hiking legend that I have long admired. There was excitement, anticipation and some anxiety as so many hikers were about to leave their family members and embark on a journey that would most likely last 5-6 months. I had officially started at Springer Mountain, the Southern terminus of the AT about 8:50 AM and was now saying goodbye to some of my family members at 9:45.As I was hiking the Trail, I encountered a hiker named Jen, who had Thru hiked in 2003 and was doing a section to commemorate her 10th anniversary of the hike. We also encountered a hiker from the Pittsburgh area going by the Trail name ¢Punkin Pie¢. There was a certain level of fellowship and enlightening discussion regarding the Trail and ideas to assist in a successful Thru Hike. Balancing the demands of weight carried and comfort will be a continued challenge. Although I believe that I have the basic necessities in my pack whittled down to the minimum, food and water are calculated to add about two pounds of additional pack weight for each day carried. As I am carrying about a week¢s worth of food, that amounts to an additional 10-14 pounds in my pack. It is estimated that a hiker burns about 4000-5000 calories a day. My choices would appear to be to resupply more often or get used to carrying the extra weight. We arrived at the Hawk Mountain Shelter about 1:00 PM. This was where I had planned to spend the night but with so much daylight left and adrenaline pumping through my body, I decided to continue on to the Gooch Mountain Shelter. I arrived about 30 minutes prior to sunset. The shelter was full and surrounded by many tents. The group assembled had already made a campfire and the excitement of our future endeavors was passed around the group with tales of challenges already faced, people met and anticipated plans for future parts of the Trail.Physically, my legs and feet felt fine. I did have some soreness in my shoulder area from the weight of the backpack. I will try to assure that I have the pack properly positioned as well as to pay attention to my hiking posture so that I carry most of the weight on my hips. I will have no trouble sleeping. I had planned a hike of about 8 miles to start this adventure and ended up hiking over 16 miles.
Date: 2013-03-04
From: Whitney Gap Shelter

To: Former Rocky Knob Shelter site
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

   Although I was awake and active by 6:30 AM, it was a beautiful sunny day like I had not seen in a while. I used the relative warmth to rig up a clothesline between two trees and hang up some of my gear to dry out some of the moisture. I did not leave camp until about 11:00.   While hiking, I saw a small dark grey, almost black single feather about 2 12 inches long dotted with white spots along the perimeter. I wish that I knew bird songs and identification better as I had no idea what bird had this type of feather and how much of this spotted design was visible when combined with the other plumage. I ended up tenting at a campsite located at the former Rocky Knob Shelter. There I met Footloose, Double Tap and Ciento (he was the 100th hiker to sign in as a Thru Hiker). At one point, before it was dark, I heard a Tarzan type yell and knew that the brother and sister team from New Jersey were hiking on through.
Date: 2013-03-05
From: Former Rocky Knob Shelter site

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: moderate rain

At night we hang up our food bags in trees to keep them away from bears, mice or other animals that might find hiker provisions appealing. During the night, the wind was very strong and I had visions of seeing our ¢bear bags¢ either tangled high amongst the trees or completely blown down and torn apart. Amazingly, our food bags survived intact, I was able to cook breakfast, clean up and break camp by about 7:50 AM. I made it to the Blue Mountain Shelter by about 8:30 where I met Wet Dog, Flipper and a young lady named Kelsey from Adams County PA who is carrying a gnome (like in the Travelocity commercials) and having other hikers sign it.  The hike today was generally through fog and mist. There was an almost otherworldly sense as at one part of the Trail, visibility was limited, the trees almost seemed to be in shadow and the edges of the Trail were lined by seemingly fluorescent green moss on both sides.   The fog also obscured one¢s ability to see much of the Trail ahead in terms of elevation changes. I would hike up a good portion of mountain, think that I was at the top and soon discover that there was much more mountains to climb.   After hiking past Unicoi Gap, where a van was loaded with other hikers heading to a nearby town, no doubt to escape the cold and wet weather, I finally arrived at Tray Mountain Shelter at almost 4200 foot elevation. I set up my tent near the path down towards the water source. Tarzan, Ashley, Tosh and Diane arrived later and stayed in the shelter. Again, it was cold, windy and wet.