morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-01-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today is the first day of 2010. Although I could be writing the same New Years resolutions as everyone else- lose weight, get a raise, etc. I've decided instead to spend half of the new year hiking on the Appalachian Trail. 2175 miles is my goal and I will do everything to get myself to the end. Hiking the AT has been on my mind for a few years but I never was able to make it a priority. I got my degree in Equine Riding and Training this Spring.. but now what? There is no market for horses with the economy, and little money in training them. As they say, to make a million in the horse industry you first have to start with two million. I went straight back to school for this fall semester only to realize I needed to do something else for a little bit and although I am working on a degree in outdoor education, I really needed some time to figure out exactly what it is I want to do. As I talked to a friend who spent seven weeks on the trail Summer of 2009, the excitement of hiking the Appalachian Trail was once again instilled upon me and I began to seriously consider the prospect for about a day before deciding to go for it. I figured I would most likely have to give much less up to do it this year than in the future, and I have a good job to help me get there. Of course owning two horses and a dog with seperation anxiety can add some expensive and complicated hurdles to the journey, but for the most part those kinks have been worked out. The pony is sadly sold, the gelding has a wonderful pasture to graze in over the Summer with a trustworthy friend to watch over him, and the dog is coming with me.
Date: 2010-01-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today is my last day in Washington. Tomorrow i'll be headed back to the ranch in Wyoming to work for the next couple of months to save as much as I can before the start of my trip in March. Being in Wyoming also means my access to the internet will be limited, as the place I am staying at has internet, but does not have a router. I will update as much as possible on my preperation but entries may be limited (we'll see).All in all it has been great to be in Washington and I have been able to accumulate most of the gear for my trip. A few items I still need to find are a cooking pot, rain pants, short gaiters, down jacket, and I will hopefully be getting my stove in Wyoming (If you can't tell I have been procrastinating on the clothing and cooking items). I have also sold my Hubba tent after realizing it will be too small for my dog and I, so I am currently looking for a lunar duo or double rainbow to purchase.I have also managed to get in a few great hikes here in Spokane, and although short and almost always wet, I always love to get outside here where there are actually trees and hills to climb! A trip to Seattle to visit my dad also allowed me to pick up more gear at the Seattle REI- which made me feel like a kid in a candy store! Feathered Friends was just a block away (to my surprise) so of course I had to stop in. I would have purchased half the store if I had the money, they have some great stuff in there. I also got the opportunity to take a long walk through the Washington Park Arboretum which was absolutely beautiful. Seattle has some awesome little parks tucked right inside the city where the only evidence of city life is the faint sound of traffic. Of course, it was wet, but else would you expect from Seattle this time of year?
Date: 2010-01-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I¢ve made it to Wyoming. I can¢t say road conditions were ideal and with temps at -25 in Bozeman, MT (our overnight stop) I had to make a quick call to AAA to get my pickup started in the morning. We also had a few close calls with icy conditions on the roads, but Kelly and I made it. Now that I¢m here, the next two months are all about making money and getting the rest of my gear ready to go before the big trip. It¢s hard to believe I have less than two months to go!On Friday I took Quest (my gelding) up to Golden Key Ranch where he will share 100 acres with twenty plus other horses for the duration of my trip. It was a sad moment for me since it will be difficult to be away from him for so long, but I was also happy watching him trot off and contently forage under the snow for the remaining tid-bits of winter grass. I can honestly say I¢m not sure I could have made him happier by offering him a semi load full of apples. He will be with someone I trust and will be checked on daily. For $45 a month, I¢m pretty sure the situation couldn¢t have been better! Once the temperatures rise above freezing I¢ll be washing the salt off my trailer (from the roads), packing up my tack, and making another trip up to drop the trailer off. Hopefully the weather will be warm enough for one more ride!
Date: 2010-02-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This won't be a very long entry, just throwing a few ideas out I have had lately.First off, I greatly appreciate all the comments in the guest book, they have all been so helpful and encouraging. In one comment it was suggested that I might consider skipping the GSMNP to make things easier for my dog. This thought had actually come up. Her seperation anxiety is much better- I can tie her out when no ones home or leave her with other people and if she knows someones home she does alright in her crate. She isn't exactly where I would like her to be, but much better. I am very much considering though skipping the GSMNP- at least in the beggining. With the way the weather has been this year i'm thinking it may not be such a bad idea anyhow. When I reach Baxter my mom is planning on taking my dog and the ideal situation would be that she takes her while I do Baxter then I head back down to finish the Smokeys while my dog is in my moms care. This is all up in the air, but i'm thinking it would make things more enjoyable for both of us. One issue I haven't thought out though is how to get myself and my dog from one side of the GSMNP to the other. I can't exactly hop on a bus with a dog, or can I? Any suggestions?
Date: 2010-03-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So here I am at seven o¢clock in the morning and any other day and I would be getting up to help feed the cows, but not this morning- this morning I am in Bozeman, MT and today I will be back in Spokane, WA to spend this last week with my family. I left Wyoming yesterday and for the first time leaving the little town of Powell it felt like I was leaving home. It is so hard to be excited right now when I am sad about leaving a job I love and people I love to work with who have become more like family to me, but I know I will be back when my trip is over.I said goodbye to my horse on Sunday who seemed disinterested in leaving his buddies for one last ride, nobody can believe i¢m leaving him for this long. I also left money for Spring vaccinations and worming and will be notified if he incurs any extra expenses while I am gone.Yesterday morning I took Kelly to the vet to get her microchipped and we also got her Bordatella and Lymes disease vaccines. Apparently Lymes isn¢t much of a concern in Wyoming since they weren¢t even sure if they had the vaccine in stock! I also discussed my concerns about flying her with the vet and he thought that sedating her during the flight would be my best option so I also have some ace to give her an hour before we head out which should last duration of the flight. When I return to Spokane I plan on giving her frontline for flea and ticks and keeping her on a regular schedule throughout the trip.It is so hard to believe that after all this planning I only have a week until I fly to Georgia and nine days until I am on the trail. I am so glad my mom will be flying with me and am thankful for all the support my family has given me while planning this trip- I am almost there and it¢s crazy how things have been coming together!This next week is going to be very busy. I am planning on resealing my tent (and testing it out), figuring out my stove a little better, and making sure I have all my equipment (I¢ll be picking up a sleeping bag liner, exchanging a pair of gloves, and am definitely considering some kind of extra traction for my shoes).I have already received my first bit of trail magic and I have yet to even set foot in Georgia. After my last entry expressing my idea of skipping the Smokey¢s, I had a very kind offer to transport my dog and I across the GSMNP which I have gratefully accepted. Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and I know your comments will help keep me going ?
Date: 2010-03-08
To: Georgia!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Well today is the 8th and tomorrow morning at 6:15 our flight sets out for Denver, CO. The layover is an hour and the total flight time from Spokane to Atlanta from is approximately five hours. Although we flew our pets from Hawaii to Seattle when we moved over this will be my first time personally flying with an animal and I am so nervous. I have all her papers ready and will be giving her some ACE an hour before I have to check her in; once I know for sure our flight is on time. Her water dish is full of frozen water and I have been getting her used to her "flying crate" which was very easy since she is used to sleeping in a wire crate at night. I also applied Kelly's first dose of K9 Advantix in an effort to control bugs. This may not have been neccesary for the first couple of months but I would like to be prepared just in case. Thanks Sawnie for the suggestion Aside from preperations for the dog this week has been very busy for myself. A few days ago I was dissapointed to find out that my first attempt at seam sealing my tent was a gigantic failure and water leaked everywhere when I sprayed it down with the hose. I ended up buying some silnet at REI and resealed it and was much happier with the results when I retested it. Although time consuming, silnet was very easy to use and i'm feeling a bit more confident about staying dry. At REI I also picked up a pair of microspikes which were not cheap and may not be neccesary, but with the reports I have been hearing I figure better safe then sorry! I figure i'll hang on to them till after the GSMNP. A few other odds and ends were picked up such as a small towel for Kelly, a silk liner for my sleeping bag, and a small pocketknife with scissors, nail file, and blade. I need to make one more trip to REI tonight to exchange a pair of glove liners which seams started to unravel during their second use.Other than a few last minute things to pick up in Georgia, I am set! Expect to hear at least one more entry when I get to Georgia, then my entries may be fairly sporadic (depending on how often I can access the net online).
Date: 2010-03-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello Georgia!We had an early flight this morning at 6:15, and a little over an hour before I checked Kelly in I gave her 12.5 mg of acepromazine. The people who checked her in were wonderful and our overall flight experience with Frontier was excellent. When we checked in we were moved to the front of the plane and upgraded to seats with a bit extra leg room. Everybody we dealt with (including security) was wonderful and willing to give me the information I needed to make sure Kelly was on board safely. Although I was nervous for Kelly, the flight otherwise was quick and eventful. I ended up talking to the flight attendant about our dogs and told her she was coming with me on our hike. She asked if I had a blog and gave her a link to this journal.We had enough time in Denver to pick up some lunch (or breakfast I suppose) before transfering to our Atlanta destination flight. Once aboard I was assured Kelly had been loaded along with another dog that had also traveled on the Spokane flight. By the time we got into Atlanta I was pretty anxious to see how Kelly had fared on her first flying experience and was so happy to see them wheel her crate out to me. As I peered in the Kennel she started whimpering and her little body stood up and started wiggling all over the place She was very happy to see me. Once I got her out of the airport and out of the crate I realized things hadn't gone exactly how I had hoped. Despite the ace, she had tried to chew her way out of the crate and knocked off her water container. The ace must have taken a little bit of the edge off of her, but I think things would have been better if I had given her the full reccomended dose. I checked her mouth and found she had a small cut on the gums by one of her canines but otherwise was ok. I am so happy things weren't any worse, but am hoping maybe next time i'll be able to drive her instead. Once we arrived, Kelly and I had to wait by the curb at the airport for a while until my mom was able to pick up the rental car; she was very well behaved. I am pretty sure she is still a bit drowsy from the sedative so I am happy we have an extra day for her to recover. Tonight we are staying at a motel in Cumming, GA and tomorrow we will be picking up a few last minute items before I head out on the trail Thursday. Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast and although today was cloudy in Atlanta it was dry and the temperature was mild. Let's pray those thunderstorms don't come yet! Despite the forecast I am getting anxious to start the trail, at least the temps are supposed to be mild
Date: 2010-03-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Rain, rain, go away!I woke up this morning in high spirits until I peeked out the window of the motel to a steady rain. It is now nearing noon and the rain has been very consistent and isn't supposed to start letting up until Friday. They are expecting approx. a months worth of rain in 24 hours. I have decided to push back my start date by two days and instead start on Saturday. I realize I won't be able to avoid hiking in the rain all the way to Maine and even when the sky dries out conditions will be very muddy, but might as well try to start on a little better day. My mom isn't leaving Georgia until Saturday anyways so we will be staying in a motel on Thursday night and she will be dropping me off at the Hiker Hostel on Friday where I will be spending that night and shuttling up to either Springer Mountain or Amacalola on Saturday morning. Will keep you all updated! Pray for good weather
Date: 2010-03-13
To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Kelly and I made it to the hiker hostel yesterday afternoon and have been having a great time! I have already met many really cool hikers who had come to the hiker hostel to dry out after the last few days. I have been hearing reports of up to four inches of precipitation that has fallen in the last few days. The trail is apparently in poor condition but the good news is there will be plenty of water and I won't need to carry more than a liter today.This morning we woke up to a novelty- blue skies!! it will be wonderful to hike in the sunshine for a while and we may actually be able to get up the forest service road, we will see. There is rain in the forecast today however and you can see the clouds on the horizon but at least starting out in the sun would be wonderful. I will be riding up to Springer this morning with one thru-hiker (red hat) and three section hikers. Pray for a great day!
Date: 2010-03-13
From: Springer Mountain

To: Justus Mountain
Miles today: 12.4

Well, it's been an exciting, albeit wet two days! Yesterday we made it up to the Springer parking lot and i'm not so sure any adventure on the AT can rival THAT! The road was extremely muddy and the ride extremely fast, but we all made it up! The fog was very thick all the way up the hike to Springer Mountain and there was also quite a bit of standing water. We didn't say on Springer long, due to the thick fog, viewing conditions were poor and a breeze made the low fourty and damp temps feel very cold. Once we got back to the parking lot the trail was in great shape, wet, but because of all the rocks, sticks, and leaves the mud isn't too bad. We crossed a few creeks which Kelly has mastered quickly with no problem and for lunch took a very nice blue blaze to Long Creek falls. The falls were beautiful and worth the short side trip! I have been finding quite a few people to hike with along the way and have come across many day, section, and thru hikers already. My initial plan was to hike up to Horse Gap, but when I got there I decided to move on to the next campsite I found off the road. For most of the day I ended up hiking with Kelly alone but on Sassafrass Mountain I caught up with Chris Harkey, a section hiker headed to the North Carolina Border. We hiked together until we hit the top of Justus Mountain where we found a flat area with enough room for a couple of tents. I was a little worried because I was very low on water (last source was Hawk Mountain and i'd only been filling up a liter at a time) but I looked at my guide book at night and realized Justus creek was only a mile down and knew I would make it to morning. I ended up having a cold dinner to save the water for Kelly and I to drink but that was ok. It had been raining and hailing on and off since around 1:00 so i was just happy to be in my warm, dry, tent.
Date: 2010-03-14
From: Justus Mountain

To: Woody's Gap
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was very wet. It rained quite a bit on and off and despite being in dry clothes and a dry bag last night by morning it just felt damp. The temps were in the mid thirties last night but the moisture just cuts through you. I'm pretty sure I did a good job seam sealing my tent but I think the condensation between Kelly and I caused some dripping on down bag which made it pretty damp. I ate some pop tarts for breakfast then took down camp. Kelly was great in the tent, she slept very well and ate a ton of food! We didn't hang our food last night because we didn't want it to get wet and weren't too worried about the bears in this weather (which was still rainy in the morning). The whole hike today was pretty wet, but it was a very nice trail and Justus creek was very pretty! I hiked with Chris for most of the day, although I am a faster hiker on the downhills and flats he would commonly catch me again when I would stop for a break or climb up the longer hills. We saw a few hikers coming from the other direction and passed a few people as well. Around 2:00 we made it to Woody's Gap where Dutch and his sister were doing trail magic. Dutch was a thru hiker last year and came down to Georgia for his year anniversary to do some trail magic for other hikers. Not only did they have a lot of food, but they also gave us a ride down to the hiker hostel where we will be staying tonight. Red hat is also back at the hostel and they are very full! Kelly has been doing great on the trail, she enjoys the miles and doesn't complain. She maneuvers logs, roots, and rocks like they are childs play and carefully crosses the creeks. She has been eating and drinking well and slept very nicely in the tent and was anxious to get back out this morning. She hasn't gotten cold yet despite the weather. The only problem I have had with her is she gets kind of nervous when other hikers approach us and sometimes gives a little wuff and soft growl. I leash her when we approach people and she seems better when we are moving then when we stop. I am hoping she gets over this and don't know why she does it because she has done very well in all our other social situations and is very friendly with everyone here at the Hiker Hostel. Other than that she has been the perfect trail dog and an excellent companion. When Chris hikes with us she always goes back until she can see him to make sure he is still there, then catches back up with me. I'm very glad to have her.
Date: 2010-03-15
From: Woody's Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning the crew at the hostel got dropped off at Woody's Gap and we started yet another hike in the fog. The first mountain we climbed.. something rock mountain was a tough climb.. wasn't so much the climb but my short legs had a few issues with the big rock step ups. There was some potentially beautiful view but once again, the fog was the only thing we could see. The climb down the mountain was nice and easy heading down into Lance Creek and it was very pretty. We hiked out of the fog around half way down and started the first of what felt like a constant climb for the rest of the day. It was pretty windy and chilly so when I reached the blue blaze for Wood's Hole shelter around noon, I decided a still, warmer place would be nice to stop by for lunch.. little did I know it was an extra mile added to the day. The shelter was in a very nice little area though and was glad to make the extra mile. After lunch I headed out for the dreaded climb up Blood Mountain which I found was greatly exaggerated. The climb was long, but mild. About halfway up we came across some ice on the sides of the trail that had gathered on the trees throughout the night. As the wind blew, small chunks of ice would blow over us but fortunately we were on the still side of the mountain where the wind wasn't blowing.We finally reached Blood Mountain Shelter but didn't stay long. The shelter had a kind of eerie feel, maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the dark and dampness of the shelter itself, but either way we decided to hurry down to Neels. The rest of the hike went quick and we came across a lot of hikers headed up to Blood Mountain for the night. It was very exciting because the last few hikers we came across Kelly didn't seem to mind. I think she may be getting used to the approaching hikers.Finally made it to Neel's and the great people here helped me repack my pack so hopefully my shoulders won't bother me as much. My pack weight was only around 25lbs but I still decided to get rid of my extra leash, roll of small vet wrap (going to get some super glue instead), and an emergency blanket. I bought a stuff sack for my tent and sleeping bag so now everything is so much neater on my pack!Well, I better head out. I still have a mile of hiking tonight before I reach my final destination. The hike is going great and I am so glad to have Kelly with me. She has been very well behaved and has been great company. So far Kelly has not gotten cold on the trail and despite being "wet" her undercoat has stayed dry. My bigger weather concerns come later in the year in the Summer where I may get her belly shaved if she gets too hot. She is also enjoying herself and loves meeting the other doggys along the trail.
Date: 2010-03-17
From: Low Gap

To: Unicol Gap
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

Hey everyone, sorry this isn't gonna be the best entry. Don't have much time but I thought I would let you all know i'm in Helen, GA and spent last night in the Helendorf. Have had good and horrible moments the last couple of days. I'll update more when I get to the next town which will probably be Franklin, NC in about five days.