morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-27
To: The Stove Question
Miles today: 0.0

There are many gear questions rolling around in my head, but let¢s start with the stove. When I first started backpacking I used the Whisperlite. It was okay, though I had a lot of maintenance issues with it¢¦ constant clogging up and sputtering. Then I bought a Pocket Rocket. I really like this little thing. Nice and small, simple¢¦ no clogging. It¢s a little precarious when I put my large pot on it. I¢m afraid to move out of arms reach in case someone walks too close. But it works. Meanwhile Tracy buys a Jet Boil. While I¢m waiting for my little stove to heat up a pot of water she¢s pumping out pot after pot. Yes¢¦ I do have stove envy. However, I¢m not so impressed with the shape of the Jet Boil pot. Since cooking is one of my passions, I like to have the options to have some fun with it. Most of our cooking will just be re-hydrating, but if an opportunity arises to actually MAKE something¢¦ I¢d like to have a pot to do it in. Then I hear word that Jet Boil is coming out with a group pot. Okay¢¦ that¢ll work. So I wait for it. About that time Primus throws another option into the mix with the ETA stove. *sigh* What to do. I¢ve mulled this over since earlier in the year when Backpacker magazine did a review on the ETA. I¢ve looked through the ¢07 hiker¢s journals trying to find someone who has used it too see how it¢s doing, but I can¢t find anything. I found a Youtube video the other day that demonstrated both the Primus ETA and the MSR Reactor. I think that convinced me to try it. It¢s so much more stable than my Pocket Rocket, boils faster, weighs less and costs less than the Jet Boil group pot. Maybe I¢ll get it and set up a side-by-side comparison out in the backyard with the Pocket Rocket. My only concern is getting fuel. Is it difficult to get canister fuel on the trial? I guess we should have some sort of emergency alternative planned. Hmmm¢¦.   Sounds like more research.
Date: 2007-10-17
To: Life lessons
Miles today: 0.0

I can¢t seem to get my head back into hike planning. I took a detour last week. I flew to California to meet my brother, his wife and two sons. His wife, Donna has had a recurrence of cancer. Kevin decided while Donna felt up to it they were going to take the trip to see the giant Sequoia trees that she had always dreamed of. I flew out to meet them to help out any way I could. I watched the boys when an unplanned trip to the emergency room to check her blood levels was necessary, but mostly I was the chauffer. I drove them from LA to Sequoia and back, to the ocean, down Hollywood blvd and¢¦ wherever. I¢ve never taken a trip like this in ¢handicapped mode¢ with a wheelchair and limitations on where we could go. It was very different. Made me very aware of things I¢ve often overlooked and taken for granted¢¦ my family has always been so healthy¢¦ and energetic. I was sitting with Donna in the Big Trees Museum as the boys were searching the gift shop for the perfect souvenir. Nearby I overheard a couple of hikers asking the ranger for a trail recommendation. She started explaining how this trail was especially pretty with the snow cover from the night before and this other trail makes a wonderful five mile loop and you see some beautiful trees¢¦.   *sigh*¢¦ stay focused! The drive was absolutely gorgeous, I can¢t imagine how beautiful the hikes would have been. Lessons learned from this trip¢¦   Someday I would like to return to Sequoia or Kings Canyon and try out some of those trails. I think I¢ll add that to my ¢life list¢ of trails I want to do¢¦. after the AT. Second¢¦ and most important¢¦ Don¢t put off your dreams. (period!)
Date: 2007-10-25
To: Trail Journals
Miles today: 0.0

I keep meaning to stop for a minute and say thank you to Leif and ZipDrive.   This site is the greatest idea! I¢ve enjoyed it so much over the past year. I started at the beginning year (just like a lot of the ¢08 hikers) watching the ¢07 hikers. I picked a couple hikers to follow through out their adventure, watched some drop off and others finish triumphantly. I took notes on gear that failed them and what worked well, parts of the trail that were struggles and those special places not to miss. Wish I could have read EVERY journal! As our class of 08 gears up I¢ve been reading each new post that comes in. It¢s become my nightly routine before turning my computer off to stop by TJ ¢08 and see who updated that day.   ...okay, so I just moved and I don¢t really have a life yet¢¦ I¢ve got time for that kind of thing.   I¢ve also had some posts on my guestbook. Thank you! With my trip to CA I lost track of who I responded to, so if I didn¢t say hello back, I¢m sorry. I¢m looking forward to meeting you all on the trail! So... Thank you Lief and ZipDrive for a wonderful site!
Date: 2007-10-25
To: Stove part 2
Miles today: 0.0

We bought the Primus Eta and Lydia and I have been testing and analyzing it. Here are my thoughts¢¦If I were solo hiking I would never carry this much weight in a stove. BUT, since Lydia and I can divide the weight, it¢s not so bad. If I were fast-packing I would never carry this much weight¢¦ but I¢m not. (even with a light weight stove I¢m a slow hiker)That said¢¦ I really like this stove. Or I guess it¢s actually a cooking system. The fuel canister is on a tube so it sits separate from the stove. Supposedly it can even be turned upside down to get out the last drops of fuel. The pot nestles down into a windscreen close to the ground, so it¢s very stable. No worries at all about tipping over. It heats up amazingly fast. We had a simmer in about 30 seconds and a full boil in just over a minute. First we tested rehydrating a meal. We heated it to a boil, then turned it off and covered it. It was rehydrated and ready to eat in about three minutes. This is a recipe I¢ve done several times with my Pocket Rocket and always takes at least ten minutes to be fully ready. We also tested it for cooking. The lid is also a skillet. This is one part I had read some negative reviews on.   Do you really need a skillet? Some reviews said it cooked too hot. We chopped up some onion and garlic and saut©ed them in olive oil and it cooked beautifully. I was able to adjust the temperature just where I need it. The question still remains Do you really need a skillet? I¢m not sure, but I think we¢ll take it along and see. Then we decided to test it with some of those ¢extra¢ options out there. When we first started backpacking we tried out a BakePacker. We rarely take it along on a trip. It¢s a little extra weight and a little extra trouble. But I thought it would be nice to see how it works in the Eta. We tried a packaged Cranberry Scone and it turned out nicely. It could have used a little more time¢¦ it¢s tricky working at this altitude. As far as taking along the BakePacker, I¢m still working that out. I was thinking maybe of having it sent out in the summer when our packs are lighter. I¢ve also been reading The AT Food Planner by Lou Adsmond, it says¢¦ ¢during the final month or two of a hike, it¢s especially important to provide a variety of foods and some dishes that the hikers haven¢t encountered before.¢ ¢¦.Maybe that would be the time for the Baker. So I think that works out my stove questions. Now for packs¢¦ clothes¢¦ tents¢¦ sleeping bags¢¦ mail drops¢¦ gadgets and toys¢¦ so many choices to make.
Date: 2007-11-07
To: Rebar and Rockclimbing
Miles today: 0.0

I keep reading ¢we came to rebar in the rocks¢ or ¢today we were rockclimbing instead of hiking¢¢¦.   Huh? My mind immediately goes into panic mode. I¢m a rockclimber¢¦ okay, maybe not a great rockclimber, but I¢ve got some experience¢¦ so I imagine myself trying to climb a 5.10 with a 30 pound backpack on¢¦. I can¢t do that!! Without a rope I¢m not even doing a 5.6- .   Then there¢s the rebar! The only experience I have had with rebar in rock is doing the via ferratas at Nelson Rocks, WV and Torrent Falls, KY. {Note the picture¢¦ climbing the ¢false¢ summit at Nelson Rocks¢¦ see the white knuckles? ¢¦and I was clipped in from my harness with two carabineers to a thick metal cable bolted into the rock¢¦ and holding onto the rebar ladder in the rock} Dang! How do backpackers do that? So I¢ve been reading the books, scouring the trail journals and I finally found one of the 07 journals that took LOTS of pictures¢¦. I can¢t remember right now whose journal it was¢¦ but thank you! It gave me a more realistic picture of ¢rockclimbing¢¢¦ 5.2 scramble¢¦ slow, but doable. Rebar in rocks¢¦ not a big deal, just a help with a step up. I think I like the pictures of the ladders over the big boulders best¢¦. kinda looks like fun. My other concern, and maybe more basic was¢¦ will River be able to do these areas? After looking at the pictures I think I would be more worried that she will knock me off running past me. So we put the worries to rest¢¦ just remember to plan plenty of time to take our time on days where the terrain may be challenging¢¦ and we keep planning.   Today¢s countdown says¢¦ 4 months 22 days 19 hours 23 minutes 18,17,16,15¢¦.   Getting closer by the second!
Date: 2007-12-18
To: a detour... but not a roadblock
Miles today: 0.0

I¢ve always been amazed to read the statistics of how few who start a through hike actually finish. It must be so hard to do all this planning, arranging your life to free up six months, working the finances, gear and resupply only to have to call it off. What a feeling of loss that would be. I can¢t image what at this point could cause me to change the plan. Of course, that¢s because I generally lead a charmed life. Seldom does life get out of control. Until¢¦.We had gone ¢home¢ to Kentucky for our yearly family gathering and were in the process of returning to Colorado. Both Greg and Caleb were flying back while Lydia and I took our time and had a nice mother/daughter road trip. We planned to do some exploring and see the sites along the way. I dropped Caleb at the airport early on Sunday. Greg¢s flight was later in the day and since he hadn¢t been feeling well the night before I left him with his brother to take to the airport. Greg¢s brother is a doctor and was watching over him to make sure he was okay to fly.That evening at a hotel in St. Louis I got a phone call from the folks at Greg¢s work that he had gotten sick on the plane and had been taken to the hospital in Denver where he was rushed into surgery. His appendix had ruptured on the plane. For me the next couple of days were a fog. I had the truck filled with all our luggage (Greg and Caleb had left everything with me in the truck and had flown with only carry-ons) and Lydia in St. Louis and had to get to Denver quickly. With the help of family and friends we worked it all out and by the next afternoon I was at Denver Health relieving Caleb from his bedside duties. One of the early thoughts I had in the mists of this fog was¢¦ ¢What if this had happened while I was on the trail?¢   ¢What if I couldn¢t be reached for days?¢   All of the ¢What ifs¢ are pretty scary if you think about them too much! So I had to get a grip on the realities. Greg has done some downright dangerous things while mountain biking, snowboarding, rockclimbing, SCUBA diving¢¦ the Marine Corps sent him all over the world to some very dangerous places for twenty years¢¦   and what sends him to the hospital for emergency surgery¢¦ an appendix!? Greg went back to work yesterday for the first time for a half day. It¢s been a long recovery. So the hike is still on, though we¢re about a month behind in our prep work. We¢ll have to buckle down and get to work on the dehydrating and packing drop boxes. Still have a few gear items to get. I realize that if this sort of thing (can¢t be an appendix again¢¦ this only happens once!) happens while on the trail, it¢s not necessarily the end. Since Lydia and I are hiking with Tracy and Carolyn, Lydia could continue on with them while I deal with whatever. Then I could join them later. Not an ideal through hike¢¦ but it¢s a plan. I always feel better when I have a plan! The desktop countdown says 99 days, 16 hours 56 minutes...5,4,3,2....   Better get back to work.
Date: 2007-12-21
To: more gear...
Miles today: 0.0

A few years ago my kids gave me a pair of Leki poles for Mother¢s Day. I love these poles. They¢ve been a lifesaver on many a hill and saved me from falling into a stream or two. Unfortunately one of them has lost its spring action. I keep thinking it can probably be repaired, at least I hope so. It stopped working in Idaho and currently is ¢patched¢ with duct tape. (there¢s that tape again!) So I hope not to have to buy a new pair, but if I do, I¢ll most likely go with another set of Lekis. Water¢¦ first started years ago with the SweetWater and it worked great for awhile. Then we tried to filter a mud puddle and it never worked the same again no matter how much we tried to clean it. Then I switched to the MIOX. I thought this was such cool technology at first. But now I find it nothing but frustration. The first time I use it on a hike it will work beautifully. The second time it will take several tries to get those little test strips to turn purple¢¦ the next time even more tries. And I can never tell what¢s wrong¢¦ is the salt low? ¢¦or high? Or the battery low? Or the test strips bad?!!! AHHHH I hate that thing! Idaho was our testing ground for picking the water system we would use for the AT. Each of the groups within our group had a different type of system. I brought along the MIOX to give it one more chance, as did Mary. Greg insisted on bringing the old Sweet Water. Nic had a newer version of a pump filter by MSR. Tracy had her new SteriPEN. I also stashed in a few Aqua Mira tablets. (I think that was the brand name) I was ready to toss my MIOX into the bottom of a glacier lake by the end of the first day! ¢¦but I didn¢t. Mary continued to struggle with hers throughout the trip. Greg worked and worked with the Sweet Water but finally admitted that Nic¢s new MSR was making a better show of it. Tracy¢s SteriPEN was the hit of the trip. It worked wonderfully until everyone else¢s systems began to fail and too many people were dependant upon it. The batteries couldn¢t handle a large group. I resorted to the Aqua Mira at night. I would fill our nalgene bottles with water and drop in a tablet. Since it has to sit for four hours that worked well for having water in the morning for coffee, etc. Not thrilled with the taste tho. So¢¦. The winner is the Steripen for the AT hike. Tracy had the original model, but I believe the new adventure model is a little more lightweight....I think. That will be my first purchase with my Christmas money. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Date: 2007-12-21
To: And all that other stuff...
Miles today: 0.0

Seems to me it¢s always the other stuff that tips my pack over my goal weight. The little things add up. Pack liner¢¦ I¢m thinking going for a dry sack instead of the heavy duty trash bag I¢ve used in the past. Then I think I could skip the pack cover.Pocketmail, cell phone, camera, MP3, first aid, cooking kit, toiletries, maps, compass ¢¦ At least Lydia and I can split these and only carry one between us, but every little ounce adds up. (Okay, maybe not share the toothbrush!)Then there is cold weather stuff¢¦ gloves, hats, yaktraks¢¦ can¢t share those. And of course there are those ¢personal luxury items¢. How to keep that under control? Lydia has opted for learning to play the harmonica instead of carrying her fiddle on the trail. Books will be her downfall. Only ONE SMALL paperback! Maybe we¢ll tear them into pieces and mail them in our drop boxes. I decided a while back that I would like to step up my sketching and try watercolor on the trail. I found a great tiny watercolor palette, tiny little travel brushes¢¦ still looking for the perfect sketchbook, but may end up with just mailing myself loose sheets of paper. I signed up for a watercolor class, but I can¢t say I learned much that will be helpful on the trail. All the techniques were in the classroom with watercolor tubes, no training en plein air. But I guess I¢ll have six months to figure it out on my own. Clothes I think I¢m pretty good at keeping down. With the right wicking materials I can make it with just a few things. What I have trouble with is winter gear. I¢m not good at judging what I need to keep warm without having too much. I suspect there will be a box heading home fairly early. I¢d rather over dress to start rather than getting cold. I hate getting cold! Oh and what about a bear bag? For Idaho I got an Ursack. Seemed like a good idea, though we never actually encountered a bear to test it. It¢s much lighter than a bear canister. We are mulling over whether to get a second one for Lydia. There is no way all of our food will fit in one. But¢¦ that¢s more weight. (I started to put in this thought about¢¦ as long as you tie your food up high do you really need a bear bag¢¦ oh yeah, black bears climb, nevermind)And every little piece adds onto the weight¢¦ then add food and water! *sigh*
Date: 2007-12-22
To: WhatÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs in a name?
Miles today: 0.0

We don¢t have trail names yet. As much section hiking as we¢ve done we probably should already have names, but no. There have been occasions where fellow hikers have toyed around with names for us, but nothing is ever really right. Certainly nothing I would want to be tagged with for years to come. I think with me it¢s just that all the possibilities are somehow related to being ¢mom¢. I¢m the one making sure everyone eats right, packing the repair kit, med kit¢¦ fixing the booboos.   I think none of my friends have ever had the nerve to actually come out and call me ¢mom¢ to my face. A few years ago Lydia got a red Wild Thing backpack. Someone referred to her as ¢wild thing¢, but that didn¢t last long when Greg got wind of it. He wasn¢t about to have his little girl walking around in the woods being called ¢wild thing¢! Then during the Connecticut hike one of the ladies came up with ¢o wise one¢¢¦actually a pretty good name for Lydia. Maybe ¢o wise one¢ will stick for Lydia, but we¢ve decided to let our Thru Hike name us. Hopefully we¢ll be able to live with it.
Date: 2007-12-26
To: Eye of Newt
Miles today: 0.0

The first aid kit¢¦ or as Greg calls it, my ¢eye of newt stuff¢. Tracy has taken the Wilderness First Aid class and has the fancy everything-in-it-first aid kit. I have the ¢other stuff¢. Some of my essentials are¢¦Apis Mell for stings and bites. I started using this stuff when we lived in Tampa when the kids were small. There is something about small kids and fire ant hills that are like magnets drawn to each other. A friend recommended apis and I found it to be an amazing ¢magic¢ pill. Wouldn¢t hike without it. Poison Ivy Poison Oak¢¦   Hylands makes a combination homeopath for poison ivy and poison oak. Since Lydia only has to be in the vicinity of poison ivy to get it I always make sure she has this handy in her pocket. I don¢t know how it works, but if she takes it whenever we notice the plants on the trail, she just doesn¢t break out. So, it¢s a priority for us. Arnica Montana¢¦. The label says Trauma, Bruises, Muscle soreness. Again, don¢t know how it works, I just know if I take a dose or two after an exceptionally tough hiking day, my muscles don¢t notice it the next day. Hypericum¢¦ I few years ago I started having problems with a pinched nerve in my foot. After a long and winding story through several Podiatrists a friend recommended Hypericum. The last Podiatrist made me an expensive orthotic that seemed to help the nerve, but hurt my foot¢¦ so I went back to my SUPERfeet and take the Hypericum and all is well. Hopefully it will work throughout the Thru hike. All of those items are in small lipstick tube sized plastic canisters with hardly any weight to them. A little more complicated are the creams¢¦Natures Sunshine puts out a Arnica/Calendula Healing cream that is excellent for scratches, bruises, rashes, even sunburns. Unfortunately it comes in this awkward canister. So I just scoop out a teaspoon or two and put into a tiny Tupperware container. It doesn¢t take much to work well.MSM Glucosamine¢¦   A few years back I went on a hike up to Mt. Cammera fire tower from Cosby campground with Greg¢s parents. It was a tough straight uphill and back down. After getting back to their camper I loaded up a basket with laundry and headed out to do the wash. As I stepped out of the camper I turned quickly to make sure I didn¢t miss the step and twisted my knee. I¢ve kicked myself about that ever since. I can hike all the way up to Cammera without hurting myself but couldn¢t step out of a camper! Now it bothers me anytime I hike a steep downhill. I have found tho that using this cream (again made by Natures Sunshine) regularly really helps. I carry it along on hiking trips and rub in on my knees in the mornings and evening and it makes a huge difference. And of course a knee brace helps as well.That¢s the basics of the ¢eye of newt¢ stuff. I¢m on the lookout for a natural repellant for ticks. Not thrilled with the idea of having deet on my skin 24/7 for months, but I¢m not thrilled about Lyme disease either. I read somewhere about trying rose geranium aromatherapy oil mixed with almond oil. I mixed some up, but I figure it¢s a slim chance¢¦. It smells better than deet anyway!
Date: 2008-01-01
To: The New Year begins, itÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs time to stop and think
Miles today: 0.0

My fourth grade Sunday School teacher would be appalled! I¢m tearing a small paperback Bible into pieces and mailing myself individual books along the trail. Greg has a stack of them. There¢s some Bible group out there that makes sure our troops overseas get Bibles if they want them.   (Thank you, by the way) We have one from everywhere he¢s been and I¢m making use of it.At one point in the accounts of Jesus¢ life there is a story about two sisters, Mary and Martha. I fear I am often a ¢Martha¢. Jesus has come to visit their home. As I would do with any important visitor, Martha was working hard at getting everything ready. There is so much to do¢¦ clean the house, make the salad, get the main course just right, dessert¢¦ don¢t burn the bread! There is Martha working so hard¢¦ but Mary¢¦ she¢s just goofing off sitting in the living room listening to Jesus talk. So in her frustration Martha goes to Jesus and complains, thinking he¢s going to help her out to get her shirking sister to pitch in. But no, Jesus instead points out how Mary has her priorities in order¢¦. She¢s where she should be. This is me. I do this all the time and now I¢m doing it with the hike. I love working the details. I¢ve got the gear planned out, meals are being made, boxes being packed, shoes being broken in¢¦ I¢m working all the details. But the truth is¢¦ when I stop and get my focus, I remember¢¦ that my relationship with my God is the most important thing, and the most basic thing to everything I do. So why am I not talking to Him about this hike everyday? Who was it that coined the phrase¢¦. the tyranny of the urgent? It¢s the urgency of getting the logistics of the hike ready that scream at me everyday. While God is a small still voice calling in the quiet times. I¢ve got to get in the habit of planning those quiet times in order to hear. I need to be a ¢Mary¢.I love those times in camp. Sitting around the campfire with friends {when a campfire is possible} or just the camp stove, sipping hot chocolate and sharing the fun and interesting experiences of the day. I love the way stories grow through out a hike. ;0) Then back to my tent for some still alone time reading. That¢s when I can hear that still small voice. That¢s when I can sit and listen. With the simplicity of a hike it seems to happen more naturally. Or sitting quietly at lunch on a cliff overlooking a beautiful view. A hike in itself can be a spiritual experience. Of course, there is the urgent that can distract there as well¢¦. Sore muscles, twisted ankle, lack of water. Keeping the focus will be just as important then. So my New Year¢s resolution¢¦ start each day sitting quietly and discussing the hike with my God.   (¢¦.followed by that yoga stretching routine I keep forgetting to do.)