morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-19
To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

It¢s amazing how fast time can sometimes seem to go by. Hard to believe it has almost been 4 weeks since I arrived at Blackburn. Things certainly do seem to be picking up, as well. We¢ve had 11 hikers here over the last two nights. I say we because Weather Carrot has been here for about a week and will stay until the weekend. Weather Carrot is one of those Trail people who you seem to always hear about quite often. It¢s actually quite amazing that I hadn¢t met him until just this last week. When he¢s not thru-hiking or covering significant sections of trail, he¢s hard at work somewhere along the way (doing trail maintenance, overseeing properties, or in the case here at Blackburn, rebuilding our rock walls.) I¢m really thankful to have his company, as the hiking season is not yet in full swing and there is still time here alone.        As the buds have become leaves and temperatures have become quite pleasant, people are beginning to get out more and enjoy this trail. Front Royal to Harpers Ferry seems to be the popular hike for most section hikers coming through. This week, I¢ve enjoyed meeting Neil and Kimmi from Indiana/Colorado, Ron and Steve (brothers) from the Carolinas, Care Bear (once again) and his son Alex from Purcellville, Jay Bird from southern Virginia, No Pain (taking a break from the PCT to hike a stretch of the AT) from the DC area, Jeff, Caroline, Jacob, and Isaac (a family) from Williamsburg VA on their first backpacking trip ever, Chuck from Fort Meyers, Flatlander and Wing Heart from the Baltimore area, Gruntman Bill (a 1980 thru-hiker) from New Jersey, Bear (our first North Bounder to stay here) from out west somewhere, and of course Weather Carrot. It¢s been a busy and exciting week. As I¢m out in the yard, I hear the sound of hiking poles working their way down off the ridge and I wonder who¢s coming, what¢s their story, and what are their needs this evening? Where else in the world, could we experience such a steady stream of interesting people, coming right to out door?
Date: 2006-04-20
To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

While hiking through Maine last fall, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to leave a notebook behind in a shelter to serve as a register for future hikers. Our summit date was September 19th so we were off the trail soon after it was left. On September 27th (?), ¢Hit¢ and ¢Miss¢ got on the trail in Maine and began their south bound hike, eventually making it about a thousand miles before Christmas came and they went home for a few months. All the way, they met friends we knew from throughout our journey, including a weekend in a motel with Hairball and Snowbunny. While in Maine, they found our register nearly full and in pretty sorry shape so they sent it to us back in Michigan, one of the better trail souvenirs one could have. We corresponded with them and soon they were back on the trail. March 1st, Hit and Miss stepped off of Springer Mountain, Georgia on their way back north (a unique way to flip-flop).Last night, as Weather Carrot and I were hosting Courtney (a Blackburn caretaker from the late 90¢s), her friend Dave, and Pilgrim (an ALDHA member in early for an upcoming meeting), Hit and Miss came rolling in off the trail. In amazing time, they have made it here already, WITHOUT A ZERO DAY! Though we had never met in person before and really only exchanged a few letters, it was like seeing old friends. In true Trail fashion things worked out perfectly. We had just finished burgers off the grill, fresh salad, chips, and blueberry pie and there were leftovers of all. Food, friends, good conversation, the best porch on the planet, all was provided for a great evening. This morning we had our coffee together before they headed out for Harpers Ferry. Thank you Hit and Miss for a great night. Thank you Lord for allowing us to be here.
Date: 2006-05-01
To: Announcing... "Hikelet"!
Miles today: 0.0

We made the announcement! Baby ¢Hikelet¢ is coming in November. We¢re excited that he/she will spend the first part of his/her life living along the Trail at Blackburn Trail Center. It¢s still a little hard to believe that we¢re actually going to be parents. Hopeful doesn¢t really feel any different yet since she hasn¢t experienced any real morning sickness (thankfully). Red Wing went back to Michigan for a visit at the end of April to see the 12 week ultrasound. We¢re missing each other a lot and counting the weeks until we can be together again for good.
Date: 2006-05-15
To: Pounds of Pasta
Miles today: 0.0

Red Wing is becoming quite a pasta cook! Actually, he finds that the best way to do it is to bring all the hikers in the kitchen to help. We love the ¢community kitchen¢ feeling, and that everyone can take credit for part of the meal. The number of hikers is definitely rising. No night in May has Red Wing spent without company. He¢s met 82 northbound thru-hikers this month, and many other day and section hikers, along with hosting several rental groups.
Date: 2006-05-30
To: '05 Friends
Miles today: 0.0

We love the 2006 crowd, but it seems extra special when an ¢05 hiker comes for a visit. Red Wing had the opportunity to go to Trail Days and on either end of that weekend he had ¢05 company¢¦ Free Rad, Spicy, Hazy Sonic, Beantown and Bear Magnet, to name a few. Pappa Razzi has been up to visit since he lives in DC. Over Memorial Day, not only did Hopeful fly in for a visit, but Hairball and Snowbunny were down from New Hampshire to join the big Blackburn crowd for the weekend. We love it when trail friendships don¢t end on the Trail.
Date: 2006-02-22
To: Who? What? Where? When? & How?
Miles today: 0.0

who is going?Susan Arzberger aka "Righty" (center);Kelley Mullin aka "Lefty" (Righty's daughter);& Andre Hilden aka "Buoy" (Lefty's husband).what's the plan?Righty and Lefty are setting out to make a dream come true by thru-hiking the entire Appalachian Trail (AT). Buoy, thinks we are nuts but will join us for 1000 miles.where are you going?The AT runs from Georgia to Maine. We will begin at the south end of the trail, at Springer Mt., and end our Hike 14 states and 2,100 miles later at Mt.Katahdin.when are you going?Righty and Lefty will be hiking from 4/10/06-10/10/06. Buoy will be with us into 7/06.how?Righty and Lefty were given the leaves of absence they requsted from their jobs. Buoy is taking a sabbatical. Please go to the next journal entry to learn WHY we are hiking the AT. ***UPDATE*** Want to cheat and see if we made it to Katahdin? click here***UPDATE*** Want to read about Buoy and Lefty's San Francisco Bay Trail Adventure? click here----------------------------------------------------------------------------How to Navigate this Site:Hit the "Next" tab to view subsequent journal entries. Hit "List" if you wish to view the titles of all of the journal entries.Hit "Photo" to see the titles of the photos. Then use the pull down menu to the right of the photo description to select the photo you want to view. To view all photos, continue to hit "Next". To view photos associated with a particular journal entry, first enlarge the journal entry photo, then hit "Next".Want a good laugh and a good cry? Afer reading our journal entries "View" our guest book. It is by far the best part of this online journal.Want to make our DAY? Please sign our guest book and say, "Hi". We love hearing from old and new friends.
Date: 2006-03-10
To: The 2003 weekend Lefty found her lump - Part I
Miles today: 0.0

Memorial Day Weekend, 2003-The Weekend Lefty Found Her Lump.It was a beautiful weekend, a long weekend: no better time for heading to Sykes Hot Spring in Big Sur, CA! We have been going to Sykes since 1999. Buoy's friend Tim turned us on to it after he'd discoved it. Our usual prep routine starts on Thursday evenings when we make our lists of what items we have and what we need to buy, we run to the store(s), load up our backpacks, move our minivan's back seats in our livingroom and try to get a good night of sleep.After work on Friday, we finish any last minute shopping and drive to Big Sur, which usually takes about 2.5 hours from San Francisco. Friday night we sleep in our van in the Big Sur Ranger Station's parking lot. We've only been caught once for doing this. That Friday the ranger kindly but firmly escorted us to a real campground. Over the last few years we drive to a nearby restaurant early Saturday mornings to carb up right before we begin our hike.This picture was taken right before we started our hike in. Note, the "A Walk in the Woods" book which I was getting ready to sneak, along with other heavy items, into Buoy's pack (more about the personal significance of this book later).I have hiked into Sykes over 25 times and the hike is ALWAYS grueling to me, with the exception of two times: this past weekend w/Buoy and my girlfriend Michelle, and on this particular Saturday in 2003. Sykes is 10 miles into the Los Padres National Forest, in the Ventana Wilderness. The trail goes up and down and up and down the whole way in. The most challenging part of this hike was always our 40-50 lb packs. Now that we have bought all new and LIGHT equiptment for our long distance AT hike we have been able to get our packs down closer to 30lbs each. This most likely explains why our hike in with Michelle last weekend was so enjoyable.On the Saturday back in 2003 I carried along a camera for first time. During this hike in I took my time and literally stopped to smell the flowers. I took pictures of dozens and dozens of different kinds of California wild flowers. It was perfect.The rest of our weekend included setting up camp at our favorite campsite, soaking often in the two hotsprings right above the banks of a stream, swimming, relaxing, reading, making tea, eating trailfood, and sleeping under the stars. After having part of Saturday, all of Sunday and Monday morning to soak we pack up and head out. It's always hard to leave Sykes! It has become my favorite, favorite place to spend a long weekend. The hike out always feels harder than the hike in. Even though our packs are lighter, there aren't any hotsprings to look forward to. Both Buoy and I spend much of the hike out daydreaming about our post hike rituals.to be continued.......
Date: 2006-03-13
To: 27 days and counting ! - by Righty
Miles today: 0.0

This is my (Righty's) first journal entry. I was trying to figure out WHY I've been dragging my feet about writing something. Two things came to mind. First, I am really BAD at using the computer for anything but emails. I thought this was going to be much harder than it appears to be. Of course, I don't know whether getting this to post to our journal will actually work. Kelley (oops .... Lefty) insulted me the other night as she was trying to talk me through something supposely very simple. She said she didn't think she had ever met anyone as computer illiterate as me. NICE, huh. Wait till Andre (oops Bouy) tries to teach me how to use his laptop. The second reason was a little more obscure. I hadn't done all of the really important things that had to be done before you start to think foreward and plan ahead. I hadn't yet asked my job for the time off. I work in the Garden Shop at Wal Mart and spring and summer is our busy, busy time. I dreaded asking because I was afraid they would tell me NO. Of course, I KNEW that I was going to do the hike no matter what. After all I had made a promise to Lefty that when she waa ready to do the hike I would be there. Well, time was running out and I had to "just do it". First, I told the manager over my area because I knew him and felt comfortable talking to him. This was my "practice" run. He was receptive and thought it was doable. However, he said he couldn't make the decision, we had to talk to the store manager....... who just happened to be walking by. (Honestly) After he heard the story and request, what do you think his first words were?? They were. "What can WE do to help?" Those simple words brought tears to my eyes. It was such a relief to have it out and to realize I wasn't going to have to quit my job in order to keep my promise. I guess I had just stressed myself out and forgotten how important family and community is to Wal Mart. Now exhilaration and excitement have kicked in. Everything is falling into place and I can move forward. It's also scary because there is still so much to do and so little time. Usually I am the super organized one; but I think that Lefty and Buoy have me beat on this. I have made lists and checked things off; but it seems as soon as I check one thing off, two or three more things get added.Actually, I need to find a stopping point because I must make a list of the gear I still need. I'm headed to San Francisco to visit Kelley and Andre for their "Kick off" party and they have a REI store there. Myrtle Beach has just about everything....except camping stores and I have to SEE something before I buy it. More later.Righty
Date: 2006-03-18
To: West Coast Kick Off Party - by Lefty
Miles today: 0.0

West Coast Kick Off Party Highlights: --Loved having mom and you there, Mary Cynthia. Thanks for making that happen.--Loved celebrating the plans of our big adventure with friends, colleagues and neighbors; soaking up everyone's well wishes; and hanging out in the very comfortable, Deli Pub. --The "Watch Out For Bears" cake! Wow, thanks Maya and Matt! That was too much. Thanks also for the trail food, the food lectures, the trail food reading material and the escort to the health food store that I know I am gonna get. --(This will probably become its own journal entry-Watch out!--The journal of Polaroids and well wishes! Thanks, Molly. We'll treasure it, always!--Managed to wake up the next morning w/o even the slightest hangover, gotta love that.We had so much fun we are already talking about our home-coming party.Let's hope that it's 2,100 miles and 6 months later! -Lefty
Date: 2006-03-23
To: West Coast Kick Off Party - by Righty 
Miles today: 0.0

I (Righty) have just returned to SC from San Francisco where I attended Lefty and Buoy's Appalachian Trail Kick Off Party. It was a BLAST!! The party was held in a neighborhood deli/pub on Courtland Avenue in the Bernal Heights section. I feel so fortunate to have been able to attend. My long-time girlfriend, Mary Cynthia, actually got me a plane ticket so I could go and then she decided to go also so we make it a mini vacation. I can't thank her enough for her generosity and support. One of Kelley's long-time girlfriends from CT (Molly) came up from Hollywood to help us party. She is a riot and addded so much fire and energy to the festivities. This was an eclectic group. Many of the attendees were from Kelley's work (SF CASA) and it was great to meet them and to see how supportative and excited they were for us. There were also friends from Kelley's MPH program. Of course, Andre had numerous German friends and work associates come also. And, we can't forget all the neighbors and friends. -Righty
Date: 2006-03-25
To: My baby's leaving me - by Lefty
Miles today: 0.0

Sunday, March 25, 2006 Buoy waves bye as he heads for the highway.After packing up our life for the next 6 months into our 95 Dodge Ram Conversion Van, Buoy leaves me in San Francisco to wrap up our life here while he takes a leasurly 10 day drive to the east coast. This cross country trip is something he's been looking forward to (and planning) for months. He's hoping to average about 6 hours of driving a day so he can take his time and visit some sites along the way- (I'd also want to see the sites, but then I'd want to jump back in the car and DRIVE). Some of the places Buoy will be hitting include: saying bye to his favorite beach in Pacifica dinner at a Basque restaurant in Bakersfield, CA driving part of Rt.66 visiting the meteor crator FlagstaffMLK landmarks in Memphis The Clinton's Library in Little Rock.Buoy's plan is to find "scenic" campgrounds along the way. On a roadtrip such as this, I'd prefer to park the van at a Flying J Truckstop. Their bathrooms and showers are cleaner than most campgrounds, they have internet access, a gas station, stores and a restaurant. It's quick, it's easy, you park for free, you get breakfast in the am, and you're BACK on the road...I'll keep you posted on Buoy's adventures (and my critiques).Is it becoming a little clearer why Buoy insisted on taking this trip alone? At least he feels guilty enough that he's keeping an extensive video journal. I can't wait to see it. Miss you already, baby. -Lefty
Date: 2006-03-26
To: Bellyache in Bakersfield - by Lefty
Miles today: 0.0

Buoy made 350 miles today. He's spending the night in a trailer park in Mojave. They locked the bathroom facilities on him at 9pm (he he he).The highlight of his day was having dinner at the Chalet Basque Restaurant, ph (661) 327-2915, 200 Oak St., Bakersfield, CA 93304. We have only managed to eat there one time before, even though we have tried to plan a number of other trips to pass through the town. Bakersfield, CA would not ever be on a list of cities to visit on a cross-country trip, except for the fact the town offers the best French Basque cuisine around. Listed below is all the food Buoy was served at this table for $14.95.a big, big bowl of cabbage soupwarm homemade breadpink beansgreen saladtomato salada whole plate of marinated beef tongue2 Dr. Pepperschicken breast w/melted Swiss cheese and Basque tomato saucefrench friesgreen beansBuoy said that they didn't disappoint and provided the same unfriendly service he had remembered from years before. We highly recommend the place. It's an experience you'll not soon forget.He called me as he was driving out of Bakersfield, CA with the sunset in his rear view mirror and an awful Basque dinner bellyache in tow. He even had the nerve to tell me about a quick pit stop at Mercy Hotspring. Lucky for him, it was garbage. Anyone who knows me knows that Buoy hitting a new hot spring w/o me could get him in A LOT of trouble!-Lefty
Date: 2006-03-27
To: Planes, Trains and Wild Asses - by Lefty
Miles today: 0.0

Buoy woke up Monday am in the Mojave Trailer Park. The first thing he saw when he climbed out of the van was an old 707 and a whole bunch of abandoned airliners parked within a stones throw. I should warn you up front, this entry will probably be boring for all those not extreamly interested in Planes and Trains. Buoy dug through the van, which he had strateically packed with everything we need for the 6 months and as well as for his cross county trip. His binoculars were a must because Buoy KNEW he would do exactly this once he entered the desert: look at planes, all of the planes (for a very long time). As usual the airliner's names had been taped over to protect their true identity. But not from someone like Buoy, who for some reason knows the color sceme of all planes that exist, and that have ever existed. Except for one lonely Southwest plane all the rest were from the 70's.Buoy descibed Mojave as the kind of town where old cars go to die. It appeared to him that people just left every car they ever owned sitting in their yard. Some had been there so long trees grew from them. But cars spanning half a century was not interesting enough for this township, neighbors seemed to be in competion with each other over who could have the biggest PLANE in their front yard. One yard boasted an S-4 Fantom Fighter, another the cockpit of a F-111 bomber, another an old transport Sikorsky helicopter from the Korean War. Upon exiting the town, and feeling like even Buoy had seen enough planes for one day- a large trailertruck passed him, giving him a close up of 4 WW-II transport plane piston engines. He was in heaven.Buoy jumped back onto Rout 66, which ran parallel to both HW 40 and the railroad. Buoy preferred the slower pace of Rt.66 (of course he did). He mentioned that there were generally two types of towns he encountered on Route 66: towns that you could tell from afar were deserted and towns who you realized were deserted once you were driveing throught them.Buoy enjoyed driving alongside the same train (which spanned 1.3 miles) for over an hour. Since Route 66 crosses the tracks often, he had to wait for the same train on two different occasions. For some reason, he enjoyed this.Just as everything in Mojave, CA was about planes, everything in these small, mostly abandoned AZ towns, was about the railroad. The towns were named after railway company executives. One of Buoy's highlights of the day was driving through the town of wild asses. Oatman is known for its semi-wild asses which freely roam the town. They are everywhere: on the sidewalk, in parking lots and standing in the street. One particularly stubborn semi-wild ass stalled in the road. After Buoy slowly and carefully calculated that he should pass the ass on his right, the ass decided at the last second that he wanted to go that way after all. The semi wild ass started to push itself into the van. He practically had his face inside the window. Buoy was bigger. He was allowed to pass the ass. -Lefty
Date: 2006-03-28
To: Pancakes the Size of a Tire - by Lefty
Miles today: 0.0

Other sites along the way included: a stop in Flagstaff, a trip to the Meteor Crator and camping out at the Wigwam Motel.Tuesday morning Bouy headed to the town of Seligman to have breakfast. One place quickly caught his eye because its sign said that it was a German restaurant. The fun started when he walked in, greeted the old man at the counter and inquired if they were still serving breakfast. The man's remarks were, "Yes, for 24 hours, except we don't have pancakes or waffels today." Buoy liked the sound of the Route 66 special, which included pancakes so he dicided to try ordering it from the waitress anyway. A few minutes later he was served a pancake the size of a car tire and enough hashbrowns to cover the whole table. He could only eat one-third of it. The waitress gave him a disaproving look. As he was getting up and heading over to the cash register he notice that the old man seemed very bothered. He'd had a questioning look on his face since Buoy got up from the table. Buoy searched his mind for what he could have done or said wrong. Why would this man look at him so disapprovingly? Maybe, he'd thought that Buoy wouldn't leave a tip since he didn't leave one on the table. Buoy, thinking his next question would clear up any confusion, asked "Do you take credit cards? When his face remained confused even after his response, "Oh yes,we take cards," Buoy resorted to playing dumb, "I can add my tip to the credit card, right? Then the man's face lit up a little. He said, "Oh yes, let me show you how to do that." He then explained to Buoy how to leave a tip on his credit card. Buoy didn't have the heart to say "Yeaaahhhh, I know how to do that" so he grinned and nodded through the entire demonstation. When Buoy was putting his card back in his wallet he said, "Thank you, everything was great." The man replied, "Great! So how was everything?"-Lefty
Date: 2006-03-29
To: 10 Days Left ! Oprah, Anyone?- by Lefty
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, get ready for a crazy request....Is there anyone out there that tapes Ophah EVERYDAY and who would be willing to save the tapes of ALL of the episodes between now and 10/13 (minus summer re-runs)? I would, of course, cover the cost of the 20 or so tapes and the postage to mail it to me. I know, to non-"O" fans, this sounds a bit excessive. To "O" fans, no explanation is needed. -Lefty