morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-18
To: Diamond Peak Wilderness
Miles today: 0.0

Irene, Armie, Annette and I are off to the Diamond Peak Wilderness! We reached the trailhead after having a picnic lunch at Salt Creek Falls. We began on the Trapper Creek Trail heading towards the Yoran Lake Trail. After about 4 miles we reached Yoran lake. The weather was threatening, with thunder rumbling ominously above us throughout most of the hike. We began setting up our tents as the skies darkened, and thunder crashed overhead. Then came the HAIL! We flew into the tents as the hail pelted us, and watched as the ground became covered in 1/2 - 1 inch diameter hail. I could not stop laughing while erecting the tent in a hail storm. Note to self: "Hail hurts!" Once the storm abated we had dinner, laughed a lot, and then called it a night.
Date: 2008-08-19
To: ???
Miles today: 0.0

Today we hiked south on the Pacific Crest Trail, heading to Marie Lake for the evening. The views were beautiful and the weather was great. As we proceeded, I started having difficulty catching my breath. Stopping frequently did not help the situation, and after having lunch we decided to reverse direction and head back down the trail. I was quite aggravated at this point. I have never had any problem with breathlessness while hiking. I will have to get this evaluated when I get back to the East Coast. We stopped at about 3:30 and set up camp on a penninsula in Arrowhead Lake. This small lake was a jewel. We had a great dinner, and then popped popcorn on a small bonfire.Gusting wind storms buffetted our tents during the night. Drenching rain was accompanied by winds that sounded like freight trains coming down from the mountains. Our tents shivered and shaked throughout the night, but held firm. We broke camp in the morning, and headed back to the trailhead in a gentle rain.
Date: 2008-08-27
To: Irene and I at Iron Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today Irene and I are headed out for a day hike, to Iron Mountain, in the Cascades. Annette returned to New Jersey on Saturday, and Armie had to go to work today, so it is a "Mom and Daughter" day.   I'll be interested to see if I have any difficulty with my breathing on this hike today. We hiked a 6.6 mile loop to the top of Iron Mountain. I thought it was a moderately strenuous hike, but not "difficult" as the guide book stated. I had absolutely no problem with my breath today, so what the heck was that all about the other day???
Date: 2008-10-12
To: 27th Annual ALDHA Gathering
Miles today: 0.0

The 27th Annual Gatheringing of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association was held this weekend at Concord University in Athens, Georgia. I had recently read about this Gathering in the ATC Journeys Magazine, and decided that it would be a good idea to attend this event. The three-day gathering included many workshops,and presentations related to long distance hiking.   I attended sessions presented by Warren Doyle, "Baltimore Jack" Tarlin, Sue "Leapfrog" Williams, Mike Daniel, and others. Each of these sessions was extremely informative, providing information in planning and preparing for a thru-hike. The presenters were very knowledgeble in all aspects of long distance hiking, and were highly motivating. I know that I have a lot to do in order to be ready to start this hike in the spring! The beautiful campus of Concord University was a perfect location for this conference, as we were surrounded by hills ablaze with the fall foliage. After the conference was over Ron and I meandered home via the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Skyline Drive. I did a bit of hiking on the AT as it intersects the Skyline Drive, imagining how I would be hiking these same steps as part of my thru-hike. I am psyched, and ready to really begin preparing for this hike!
Date: 2009-02-01
To: PA Ruck
Miles today: 0.0

I have just returned from the greatest weekend! I attended the PA Ruck, which was held at the Ironmaster's Hostel at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, PA. I met many long-distance hikers who were all very helpful in providing information regarding their hiking experiences. The weekend was bitterly cold, with ice encrusted snow covering the gently rolling hills, walk-ways, and the parking lot. I did not venture out too much during the weekend because the ice was treacherous. Being inside provided me with time to really sit down and talk with many people regarding all aspects of hiking. I found that the PA Ruck is gathering of a host of hikers, copious amounts of food, never-ending bantering, fellowship and friendship, and just great people who come together to celebrate their hiking experiences. The presentations made by Jim and Ginny Owen, Skeeter, Weathercarrot, Chase, and David Donaldson were great. Their expertise and hiking experiences were interesting, and very motivating. I send a huge "thank you" to everyone who made me feel so welcomed, and who offered so much information regarding preparing for, and then hiking a long distance trail. Vera was able to fit my persnickety backpack with ease. Jim Owen kindly "Tuckerized" my pack. Wingheart explained the finer points of an alcohol stove, and of bear-bagging. Hot Dog offered advise for many of my concerns. Ginny Owen shared so much trail wisdom. Longhaul's interview allowed me to articulate my motivations for hiking the AT. And thanks especially to Felix. His repartee kept me on my toes (figuratively), and kept me laughing. I also met two other gals who will be hiking the AT this year. Pickle (Ashley) will be starting around the same time as I will, so I hope to see her on the trail. Gaucho (Rachel) will be starting in April. Hopefully I will see her also.As I said at the start...... this was a great weekend!
Date: 2009-03-04
To: Almost time to leave .....
Miles today: 0.0

I know that it has been a while since I have posted an entry. The past few weeks have been filled with the final preparations for the hike. Preparing for 6 months of your life take a lot of organization and planning. All breakfasts have been packed. All dinners have been dehydrated, assembled and packed. Maildrops have been organized and ready for mailing by my husband. The backpack has been packed, unpacked, and repacked again. At this point the almost fully filled pack weighs 22 lbs. The only other thing that will be added is my water. Hopefully I will not need to pack too much water each day, as I have read that there are many water sources in Georgia. I will continue to work on lightening my load.Maps have been organized from South to North, and put in the appropriate maildrops, so that I have the correct maps for each section of the trail. There are a lot of maps!! Prior to starting on the hike, Ron and I will be going to New Orleans for a few days, and then on to Baton Rouge to visit our niece Vicki, a grad student at LSU. We will then head up to Amicalola Falls State Park, as I plan on starting my hike on March 17th, St. Patty's Day.
Date: 2009-03-08
From: Almost time to leave .....

To: The Approach Trail
Miles today: 0.9

The Plan: I will hike the approach trail today with just a day pack. Ron and I will then head down to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and return to Springer on March 17th.The reasoning behind this plan: 1.        A day hike on the approach trail will provide me with a somewhat better test of my newly purchased hiking shoes on mountainous terrain. If the shoes cause huge problems I will be able to correct any issues before starting the hike on the 17th.2.        I will get the feel of hiking by myself (no Irene, Annette or Armie to accompany me)3.        Ron and I will get to spend a few days of fun and frolic in New Orleans. Hey¢¦.. it¢s just 530 miles from Springer to New Orleans. How couldwe be so close and not visit?? Caf© du Monde anyone? Beignets? Creole and Cajun cuisine? And always¢¦the ¢Blues¢!4.        We also get to visit our niece Vicki, a grad student at LSU in Baton Rouge.Execution of the Plan:We stayed at the Lodge at Amicalola Falls State Park last night¢¦¢¦ wait a minute¢¦ forgot to tell you ¢ We made a side trip to Mountains Crossing at Neels Gap yesterday, before coming to the lodge. I was having issues with my old Mountainsmith Chimera backpack. It just did not fit as well as it had when I purchased it about 8+ years ago when I was about 20 lbs heavier. Anyhow¢¦. Wolfpa, at Mts. Crossing took one look at me walking in with that pack on, he tried to adjust it, and suggested I think about getting another pack. There was no way I would ever be comfortable in this Mountainsmith pack. Note to Aloe Vera from the PA Ruck ¢ you were right about my pack.I left Mountains Crossing at the Walasi-Yi with a ULA Catalyst pack. It is as comfortable as a glove. Hope that feeling continues through my hike.So¢¦. back to the start of the approach trail. Ron takes the requisite pictures at the start of the trail, and off I go. I thought I had read that stairs had been constructed at the falls. Well, there were stairs from the base to the top of Amicalola Falls! Kind of a surreal start to this hike.The weather was absolutely beautiful. Cloudy to start, and then the day turned sunny with temps in the high 60¢s and perhaps even up to 70 degrees. I had the trail pretty much to myself for the day. I met a few hikers heading down from Springer.5 hours after starting, I reached the summit of Springer Mountain. Woo Hoo! There was the first white blaze of the AT alongside the AT plaque!! I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the ridgerunner ¢Many Sleeps¢ (Roger). We chatted for a bit about my AT hike plans, and about his ¢98 SOBO hike. This was a very pleasant way to start my hike ¢ Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Roger.Then down the AT to Ron waiting at the parking lot¢¦. On to New Orleans!!
Date: 2009-03-17
From: USFS 42

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

Today I set out from Springer Mountain on my quest for Katahdin. But first, a very short recap: I hiked the approach trail from the visitor center at the base of Amicalola Falls, to the top of Springer and then to the parking lot at USFS 42. Ron was waiting for me there, and off we went on a short vacation. Today I picked up where I had stopped last Sunday and started my hike at 10:35 am after hugs & kisses with my ever patient and understanding Ron. We will see each other in a few days at Walasi-Yi.But I digress, let me tell you that I will be ever skeptical about the local's denials of seeing particular wildlife. For instance - "We haven't seen bear around here in years." Yeah, right. I do believe that was a BLACK BEAR that ran in front of our car as we navigated up USFS 42!! Ron could not stop laughing. Let it be known that I do not need to have an upclose and personal experience with a bear while on the trail. That event is not on my bucket list.A few miles into my hike today I met a thru-hiker by the name of Blaze, who hiked in 2002, and he said he counted every blaze on the trail using a clicker counter. Is he pulling my leg? Someone check on that for me please.I stopped a number of times to eat/snack, enjoy the quiet, and take some pictures. I arrived at Hawk Mountain Shelter at 4pm. Quite a few people were there already. I set up my tent, and met a number of hikers. Pickle from the PA Ruck is here, and Swamp Dog was like the welcoming committee.The trail was a bit challenging in many spots today. It rained quite heavily the past 2 days, so good portions of the trail were shoe-sucking mud. Slipped one time in sienna colored clay mud. I always loved the sienna colored crayola crayons. Just never thought I would wear the gooey color on my right knee.
Date: 2009-03-18
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at 7:33am and we were in a cloud, with moisture dripping on the tent. Made breakfast, took down the tent, ate breakfast, and packed the backpack. I was not ready to leave the shelter until 9:35. I have got to work on that - 2+ hours to leave camp in the morning will never do on this hike.The first up of the day was Sassafras Mountain. I plodded up and picked my way down. I was speking to this mountain for quite some time, and affectionately called her Miss Sassy.It was sunny and warm again today. Got into Gooch Mountain Shelter at 4pm and was greeted by Swamp Dog and Walking Man. 4 College students were at the shelter with their dog, a mutt named Cletus. Cletus made fast friends with Pickle. You may wonder what this has to do with me. Well, tomorrow is going to be a really long day to the next shelter - 12.5 miles to be exact. So I decided one way to decrease the amount of time to get out of camp would be to sleep in the shleter. That's right, Irene... I broke down & slept in the shelter on my second night (note from Irene: I am typing this in for my Mom, my husband & I hiked the AT in 2001. I told her she would save time by staying in shelters. It only took until day 2!!) My sleeping bag was set up right next to Pickle, once our pads and sleeping bags were out, Cletus parked himself right between us, draped on our gear. So Cletus was next to me all night which worked well in keeping me warm and keeping the mice in the upper loft. So thank goodness, no mice crawling on me.
Date: 2009-03-19
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Jarrard Gap
Miles today: 10.6

OK - Sleeping in the shelter helped considerably with leaving the shelter early. Woke up at 7:30 and out by 8:35. Also I did not have a cooked breakfast, I had some energy bars. It was a tough go getting out of camp. All muscles and joints were stiff and did not want to hike. 3.6 miles into the hike I hit Ramrock Mountain - that was a bear!Four miles into the hike I reached Woody Gap. Bathrooms! Picnic Tables! Garbage Cans! Armie, I'm beginning to understand the serendipity of garbage cans when on a backpack!! I have to go 7 more miles to the shelter. Ow!Never did make it to the shelter. I stopped after 10.6 miles at Jarrard Gap. There are many other hikers here, it was great to have company for the night.
Date: 2009-03-20
From: Jarrard Gap

To: Walasi-Yi
Miles today: 5.0

The wind was roaring through Jarrard Gap last night. It sounded like a freight train, thank goodness we were in a somewhat sheltered area. It was very cold when we got up this morning, and I wanted a quick start so I just had a couple of fruit bars and I was on my way. By the time I got to the top of Blood Mountain I was exhausted. So I got out my stove and made a big pot of farina with blueberries. Sat at the top of the mountain for an hour and felt great, so down the mountain I went and there was Ron! The sub & chips he brought tasted great. I'm staying here at the Walasi Yi Hostel with a number of people I started with.
Date: 2009-03-21
From: Walasi-Yi

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Before I start on today's happenings, I have to go back to last night. Pirate, the owner of Walasi Yi, treated us to a great dinner and dessert. During the evening, Swamp Dog gave me my trail name "Jersey Girl". 17 of us stayed at the hostel at the Walasi-Yi; I had a top bunk. Besides a bed I also was able to take a shower and do a load of laundry.Now on to today - I got a really late start out of Neels Gap because I needed help organizing myself & my pack. Jen worked with me for quite a while and I think I will have an easier time of unpacking, packing, and getting out of camp. So I finally got on the trail at 10:30am. I have 10.8 miles to go. I started out fairly slow but then found my stride. Got to Low Gap Shelter at 6pm. Took me 7 1/2 hours to go the 10.8 miles. Lots of ups and downs today. Stayed in the shelter and saw lots of trail maintainers working on water bars today.
Date: 2009-03-22
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

I've been spending each night at a shelter, either sleeping in my tent or in the shelter, with a good number of people. So for all of those who were worried about my safety at night, please rest assured that I have not been alone. Many in the group that I had been staying with at night have moved at a faster pace then me today. I am here at Blue Mt Shelter with 3 others that I have been with each night - Turtle, Blue Steel, and Bonnie. 3 other thru-hikers have arrived in the last hour, so there are 7 of us here at this point, 6pm. I plan on being in bed by 7pm. Tomorrow is going to be a really hard day. Lots of steep ups and downs. Today's hike didn't look too bad, but it kicked my butt. This is my 6th day in a row of hiking and I'm getting tired. Ive done 48.7 miles so far! I saw the GA Ridgerunner Karunamile, which means Compassion Honey, real name is Cathleen. I had met her at the PA Ruck and it was good to see her on the mountain.
Date: 2009-03-23
From: Blue Mt. Shelter

To: Tray Mt Shelter
Miles today: 7.8

Mice! Let's first revisit last night. I stayed at Blue Mt Shelter with a small group of people. A man came up the mountain from Unicoi Gap with fruit and candy for us - trail magic! So anyway, I knew that I wanted to leave early in the morning, so I slept in the shelter. This is the 1st time I've done this without a dog being in the shelter. Well, the mice came during the night. Blue Steel shone her headlamp on the wall and there was one climbing straight up the wall. Actually running...right to my backpack. Later in the night he must have returned and got stuck in one of my backpack side pockets. Anther mouse jumped onto the back of my sleeping bag and I felt it run down the length of my sleeping bag! Gross!! That's it, no more shelters unless absolutely necessary.I woke up at 6:30 but stayed in my sleeping bag until 7am and watched the start of sunrise. The shelter faced east, we were just about at the top of the mountain and there were few trees obstructing the view. Had 2 bars for breakfast and started hiking at 8am. This was a hard day for me, I am getting tired. Trail magic - 6.6 miles into the hike, after some hard ups, I came to Tray Gap. There at the parking lot was a gentleman with a big red pickup truck, hube BBQ grill, camp chairs with hassocks, and food. Believe it or not, I had a cheeseburger and a Mountain Dew! Haven't had chop meat in about 15 years, but boy did it taste good!! Bill, the wonderful man providing all this is the pastor of Fairview Bapist Church in Rome, GA. He took a week off to provide this magic to hikers! What a blessing. Then on to Tray Mt Shelter for the night, only 5 of us at the shelter site tonight, I slept in my tent. A darn mouse was outside and rustling in the leaves most of the night, but it never came in contact with me, thank goodness!
Date: 2009-03-24
From: Tray Mt Shelter

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Left Tray Mt Shelter at 8:30am. The ups are still hard for me, but I have to stop less often to catch my breath and let my heart rate decrease. It took me 1 hr to hike up Kelly Knob, 972 feet elevation gain in 1 mile. That was a tough one, had to stop to breathe every few minutes! Got to Deep Gap Shelter by 2:30 and made the decision to go on to Hiawassee for the evening. 3.5 miles to Hiawassee, a motel with shower & bed & a restaurant.Trail magic - Rocket Man, from Kennesaw GA, was at Dicks Creek Gap, US 76, and gave 3 of us a ride straight into Hiawassee! He stopped at the Blueberry Patch Hostel first. There were a bunch of thru-hikers there who were very surprised and happty to see me. I was surprised to get there myself! On to the Hiawassee Inn, where I was greeted by Big Fish, haven't seen him in days. Then, who else do I see? Pickle, Bruce, Trusty and Skunk Ape! Got a quick shower and off we all went to Monte Albon Mexican Restarant for dinner. I had enchiladas and 1/2 a margarita for dinner. Then some shopping and back to the motel. Then did my laundry at the motel! Organized my gear and went to sleep in a bed!
Date: 2009-03-25
From: Hiawassee

To: Haiwassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Stayed at the Hiawassee Inn last night. Up early today and at post office when they opened. Got a card with comic and dried pears from Irene. Pears direct from their backyard tree in Corvallis, Yum! Then to Ingels supermarket for lunch and dinner and then shuttled to the Blueberry Patch. Roy drove and I met and talked with Firecracker, a really cool gal. Arrived at the Blueberry Patch at 10am, Turtle was there already. It is dreary and raining outside. Supposed to rain for at least 3 more days. Yuck. I've been so fortunate the last 8 days - the weather was divine. As Armie had told me: "You have to hike in the rain to get to Maine." SO tomorrow I will begin a multi-day hike in the rain. Took a 2 hour nap this afternoon - really needed that. The arrival of a group of hikers woke me up. Did I tell you about my camp shoes? Cheap Croc rip-offs from Target. Anyway I lost one of them after a potty break days ago. Another hiker saw it in the trail but threw it off the trail, so I only have 1 camp shoe, so I can't change into comfy shoes at night. Thank goodness my hiking shoes are comfortable because I have to wear them all the time. Anyhow... I have been carrying out 1 croc for days. I discarded that one croc at the Hiawassee Inn last night. Then.... In comes Ironman (who incidentally is from Hunterdon County in NJ) and he has my missing croc!! So now I still have just one croc Last night I bought flip flops at Ingels, but they are not great, I may leave them in the hiker box tonight. I understand there is a Wal-Mart in Franklin so I will get a shuttle to there and buy new psuedo-Croc's. That is the next trail town I will stop in for my maildrop and any other needed resupply.
Date: 2009-03-26
From: Haiwassee

To: Plumorchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Breakfast at the Blueberry Patch was wonderful! Gary, the owner, rang the cow bell to let us know it was time to come to the house for breakfast. His enclosed porch resembled a one room cabin - Large picnic table in the middle of the room, a woodburning kitchen stove, double bed next to the window overlooking the mountains, and an old-fashioned ice box in another corner. After a short prayer of thanksgiving, Gary and his wife Lennie served scrambled eggs, cheese biscuits, sausage, pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup (made from blueberries from their garden), orange juice and coffee. This was the most yummy breakfast! After eating, Gary drove us to Dicks Creek Gap and off we went into the cloudy, rainy day. Got onto the trail at 9:45. Started in a fairly steady light rain which then stopped, but I remained in the clouds.Got to Plumorchard Shelter at 12:45, starving! How can that be, after that great breakfast? Ate lunch and then had to decide if I could make it to Muskrat Creek Shelter, which is 7.5 miles further. Turtle ate faster than I and decided to go on, I was conflicted, what to do? Swamp Dog suggested I spend the night here, since it's a long hard hike out of Bly Gap, Swamp Dog has always given me good advice, so I stayed at Plumorchard Shelter. Even though it was a rainy, choudy day it was good to be back out on the trail, flet like a kid hiking through the mud.