morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-09
To: TAKING MY TIME.
Miles today: 0.0

Will have an extra 28 days for this trip so I can see more off trail or spend more time at the places I wanted to stay at longer. I will move pretty steady at least until I get to Erwin TN seeing how I have been through that section twice now, then I will slow it down. Definitely need to stay out of the towns early on and stay on the trail as much as possible.
Date: 2013-08-12
To: FIRST PURCHASE
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Wasn't planning on buying anything just yet but found a Selkirk 800 Fill Down jacket for $120. Much better than $280. Just what I need for the cold Florida winter. LOL. This was the 1 piece of gear I needed that was a must. I didn't have anything that warm that was light weight. I had the money so I just went ahead and ordered it from GOLITE. Will keep my eyes peeled for sales on Big Agnes tents and Merrill hiking shoes. These will be my biggest gear expenses left to purchase as I should be able to use most everything else I used last year. Every thing else I need to purchase should be under $100 except if I decide to go with hiking poles. Heard from my friend Solo who I hiked some of the AT with last year. He's doing all kinds of traveling in the US and hiking a bunch of trails. Said he will try to do the Colorado Trail in 2015. I told him if he ever decides to do the Florida Trail I am only about an hour from the Southern Terminus.
Date: 2013-08-17
To: GEAR LIST
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I added some of the gear I know I will be taking on my next trip as they are already proven to work for me. When I get home, I have been house sitting the last couple of weeks, I will empty all my back packs and take a more thorough inventory. 1 thing I know I will do different is cut my mail drops way down. I had 18 last time and will try to keep it under 10. Mostly will be gear and photo cards as I will rotate these out to be uploaded by who ever does my journal. Great to see so many people already on Trail Journals for 2015. Hope everyone stays safe and don't give up on your dreams.
Date: 2013-09-20
To: NEW TENT
Miles today: 0.0

My new tent arrived yesterday. I got a Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 person tent.I haven't set it up yet but hope to do so tomorrow. Just 528 more days before I hit the trail again. Talked with Mr. Breeze a couple of days ago who I met last year. He is going to thru hike again in 2015 so we will probably hike together for awhile sometime during our trip. Will have another post on Sunday. Great to see more people joining our Class of 2015.
Date: 2013-09-23
To: 1 YEAR SUMMITVERSARY
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

1 year ago yesterday I summited Mt. Katahdin to complete my thru hike which took 6 months and here I am planning my next thru hike in 2015. I am no less excited now as I was when I was planning that hike. I am so glad I kept a journal here so that I will always be able to look back and keep the memories fresh. For those who are attempting this great adventure for the first time are you in for a treat. So many people start out just to find that they are not into that long of a hike and drop out before the halfway mark but those that do make it that far usually finish unless they have an injury or emergency back home that takes them off the trail. The best part of all of this is they can always finish by section hiking it. I met so many great people both on and off the trail I will never remember them all no matter how hard I try. I look forward to seeing some of them as I head north again. Some I hiked with and some are trail angels willing to go the extra mile to help us hiker trash. I miss the life on the trail so much that if I could I would do it every year. We as a the class of 2015 will also see all kinds of weather including cold, heat, ice, rain, sleet, hail and even snow. We will see so much wildlife such as deer, bear, turkey, porcupines, coyotes and last but not least the infamous shelter mice. Some of us will see spring blossom in the beginning and the leaves change colors in the end. We will pick ramps (a wild onion or garlic) in the south and blackberries, raspberries, wine berries and blueberries toward the middle of the trip. We will visit delis and creameries. We will stay in some great trail towns and some fun hostels along the way. We will be exhausted and excited. We will be adventurous and even frightened at times. But after all of that we will be the "Hiker Trash Class of 2015".
Date: 2013-10-06
To: MONEY
Miles today: 0.0

With 511 days to go I have my first months trail spending cash saved up. After going over my expenses last year I am saving for $500 per month on the trail plus another $500 just in case. As I plan on being on the trail for an extra long time this will come to $4,000. I plan to pay my cell phone bill in advance so this will be done slowly over time as I will start paying a little extra each month. I will also have to bank enough to cover my other bills which will come up to about $2,000. The gear I still need will come from any side work I can get. Still need a lot of money so if worse comes to worse I will move out of my apartment 4 months before the trip and live in my car camping tent to save up another $2,000. I hope it doesn't come to that but it is an option. There is so much to plan and this is just one of them. Counting the days until the start of a great adventure.
Date: 2013-10-17
To: 500 DAYS
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Only 500 more days to go. I can't believe it's so close. Of course it's not soon enough. I see we have our 30th hiker on board for the class of 2015. Welcome to Ruthie. Looks like work is picking up since the rains have finally stopped. I do irrigation so there are plenty of lawns that will need water this winter. I look forward to meeting all of you. Our group is small right now so we will know each other better than most of the people who will join us here later. I am so happy to have started early with all of you. Keep on walking.
Date: 2013-11-16
To: A.T. WITHDRAWL
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Just finished reading my 2012 journal. Man am I dying to get back. I am looking for ways to do the first 340 miles to Erwin TN in 25 days instead of 33 days without killing myself and I think I will have to settle for 26-27 days. I have done this section twice so have seen most every thing. I will only do 1 zero day and that will probably be Hot Springs NC. I have also made a list of places I would like to visit longer or camp at further in the trip that I didn't get to last time. Of course there is no such thing as keeping a schedule on the AT. The only schedule that means anything is the finish date if someone absolutely needs to finish on a certain date. Thank God I don't.   Some of you may have noticed that I finally got my picture up. This was taken on the VT/NH state line during my 2012 thru hike.   As for preparing physically I have no intention of doing anything but maybe a couple of shakedown hikes. I will get into hiking shape as I go like I did on my last thru hike. I know I will probably lose at least 30 pounds so not too concerned. The only other thing I might do will be stretching for my knees, legs and back starting about a month before the trip. In my line of work I get plenty of exercise. The secret to saving the knees is taking it easy on the descents. Trust me, I know from experience.   I wish I could join everyone for the get together hike next year but probably will be unable due to finances. Will have to wait and see.   I hope everyone's plans are going well. I will be ordering 3 pairs of Merrill Moab Mid High Ventilators in a couple of days. Will still order 2 more further down the line. I want to keep my feet happy. As for a water filter I am hoping that Sawyer fixes the problem with their squeeze bags. This will be a last minute decision. Next in line will be my convertible pants.   As I make my next few entries I will share some of the best trail towns that I had the chance to visit, some of the neatest shelters and some of the nicest sights.
Date: 2013-11-23
To: GEAR UPDATE
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Just updated my gear list but haven't done the reviews yet. I received my Columbia pants, 2 of the 5 pairs of Merrell Moab shoes and my Black Diamond headlamp from REI yesterday. I love getting gear. Not a whole lot left to buy. Should have it all by the end of February except for my water filter which I will purchase just before the hike. With only 463 days to go still will have to save a bunch more money but with the way work is going it shouldn't.be to difficult. Good to see everyone moving forward with their plans. Take care.
Date: 2013-12-07
To: 449 DAYS TO GO
Miles today: 0.0

Only 449 days to go until I see the plaque on Springer Mt. again. So close but yet so far away. I now have 2 months of trail cash saved up and will add a big chunk to month number 3 in the next week or two.   Just received my order from the Appalachian Trail Store. I got the state patches from the first 5 states, two wall maps, one of them a strip map and the other showing the Eastern US with the AT marked out. I also got the wicking Blaze t-shirt, the Katahdin sign magnet and the 2,000 miler medallion for my walking stick. The best item I got was the book "A Child's Walk In The Wilderness" written by a man and his 8 year old son with whom I hiked with some in 2010. I have only read the first three chapters but really look forward to reading the rest of it. Tecolote (Owl) and Venado (Deer) will always be a huge part of that first long distance hike.   Waiting to see class mate number 40 to join us. Will it be soon? I hope so. Great to hear plans are going well for most everyone. Until the next entry I hope everyone has a great holiday season.
Date: 2014-01-13
To: A FEW TIPS
Miles today: 0.0

Hello everyone. Hope all is going well. I have been laid off for a little while and should be going back to work soon. With all of this extra time I have been reading a lot of journals from last year. As I read them the memories come back and the complaining of certain things seem to be in most of them, so I thought I would throw some things on here that worked for me to make my hike more enjoyable. First thing that I went through was not wanting to go off trail for water or shelters because they were 1 to 4 tenths off. The best way to look at it was to look at it in minutes instead. 1 tenth of a mile is only 3 minutes at 2 mph so if it was 3 tenths off it would only take 9 minutes there and 9 back. I came to the conclusion the water was more important than a few minutes of trail time. As for cell phone service Verizon.worked.the best with AT and T second. When sleeping in a shelter I sleep with my head toward the open side so the mice would't run across my face. When signing the shelter logs we would also put tje time of day so that our group would know how far ahead we were. Plan shorter miles coming out of town with a resupply and increase the miles as the food weight gets lower. When I would think I might have missed a turn or wasn't sure I was on the AT because I hadn't seen a blaze in awhile I would turn around and look for a southbound blaze. I am sure I will remember more and will post them when I do. Keep on hiking.
Date: 2014-01-26
To: 399 DAYS TO GO / MAIL DROPS
Miles today: 0.0

Less than 400 days to go. Been reading journals from this years class and I feel their excitement. I know that feeling well. I am sure I will feel it for myself again.I wanted to let everyone in on my experience with maildrops. I had 16 of them in 2012 just for food and for me it was a waste of time and money. I could buy everything that I had sent myself on the trail and I also got tired of the same thing. What I had spent on shipping could have fed me for 2 weeks at least. It felt like I was running my hike on a schedule. For 1 drop I hiked 36 miles and that put a real hurtin on me. For this trip I only plan on 1 or 2 food drops with one of them in Monson just before the 100 mile wilderness. This will leave me with 2 gear drops. One probably around the end of April to have my warm weather gear sent to me and my cold weather gear sent home until I trade back again before I enter the Whites. The only reason I could see to have many drops would be if I was a Vegan. I could see that it was difficult some times for them to try to resupply on the trail. Not so hard for the vegetarians though. If you do plan on mail drops I suggest that you don't mail them too far in advance as they tend to get buried by other packages and can be lost. Have someone send them to you when you are ready for them. These are just my thoughts on the matter and of course everyone must do what they think is right for them. Hope everything continues to go well with the planning for my fellow classmates and that the class of 2014 have a great trip.
Date: 2014-03-22
To: 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Miles today: 0.0

Two years ago today I started my first thru-hike adventure. Who would have guessed that 3 of us that met each other on Springer Mt. for the first time ever would finish the adventure together. A big shout out to Passionflower and Sparky. I definitely can't forget Longstride and Silvergirl who I met on day 3. It's been awhile since my last post. Things are going well as I am very busy at work and picking up some side jobs also. I am a little ahead of schedule for my savings which makes it all a little less stressful. I have been following several 2014 hikers here on TJ. It's hard seeing people having to leave the trail for preventable reasons. The biggest is the knees. I know where they are coming from. The biggest mistake they make is going too fast downhill and being pack heavy. This is not a race so please take it slow downhill. I would like to see everyone make it to Katahdin. I also see people leaving after just one day of the thought of leaving. Give it at least 3 days and make a final decision then. If you still want to leave then do so but give it a chance.I would love to be at the meet up and the prep hike but I need to keep working to make 2015 possible. Hope everyone is still having fun with their prep.Just 344 days to go!!!!!!!!!
Date: 2014-05-07
To: UNDER 300 DAYS
Miles today: 0.0

298 days to go and I have 99% of my gear and my savings plan is on schedule. Hopefully I will get ahead of that schedule in the next month or two and be able to stay that way until I leave.    I started following 52 people's journals this year, all of those starting before March 10th, and only 11 are keeping up with their journals, 2 are not. 2 more decided to section hike instead. That leaves 37 that have dropped out for various reasons such as injury, homesickness, sick family, harder than they thought or found out that it wasn't for them or it wasn't what they expected.    Some people think it will be like hiking through the neighborhood park but it is far, far from that.   Thru hiking the AT is very strenuous both physically and mentally. It can be dangerous at times also. I am not saying this to scare anyone from their attempt, I just want everyone to be prepared so that their hike will be more enjoyable.   Some things to expect: EXPECT nights of being kept awake by hikers who like to party late. You will have people drinking and smoking pot all up and down the trail. EXPECT to be awaken by the early risers who want to get an early start. Not everyone is on the same schedule. EXPECT the trail guides to be wrong once in awhile. Sometimes it's a typo, other times it might be false information given to them by the proprietors. Sometimes a change is made after the printing or it wasn't reported at all. In other words, it's rarely the authors fault. EXPECT what looks like an easy stretch of trail on the elevation charts to be difficult. EXPECT some town people to be rude. They will yell at you as they drive by calling you lazy bums or worthless hiker scum. Just smile and wave. EXPECT to cut your mileage to about 10 miles a day when you enter the White Mountain Range. The terrain gets much more difficult. Just a few things to look forward to. You can take it as a pain in the ass and make yourself miserable or do what I do and look at it as just a part of the trail and make the best of each situation.      I will let you know what not to expect in my next entry in about a month. Keep up all the preparations and most of all HAVE A BLAST!!!!!!
Date: 2014-08-23
To: IT'S BEEN AWHILE
Miles today: 0.0

I see that it has been over 100 days since my last entry. I have fallen a little behind on my savings but I am ahead on my rent and my credit card payments will be 20% less than what I thought they would be so between the two and a couple of side jobs and I should be ahead of the game. I see some of the 2014ers are finishing up. There is also 1 man I met in 2012 finishing up his hike this year. You can do it Plantman. I am glad to see that the shakedown hike went well. Hope all had a good time. Now some things not to expect. Don't expect trail magic. Even if someone says there is some ahead don't count on it. The angels could have left or run out of what they had. Don't expect that the answer you get from someone on how far it is to wherever to be right. Everyone has a different view on time and distance. Don't expect to keep a schedule for more than four or five days and even then it could change in a blink of an eye. If you have a dog with you don't expect everyone to be ok with it. Some people just don't like dogs. Don't expect everyone hiking the trail to be kind and honest. Although most are there are a few that just aren't. Don't expect that just because we are thru hiking that anyone should owe us anything. We are guests in the towns we go to and Trail Angels do what they do because they want to, not because they have to. I find that when I accept all of this I am able to enjoy my hike and appreciate what gifts the trail does give me so much moreI hope everyone's plans are going smoothly. I will try not to wait so long for my next entry. I really enjoy reading up on how everything is going in the preparation of our great adventure. See you on the trail.
Date: 2014-12-05
To: HURDLES AHEAD
Miles today: 0.0

I can't believe it's been that long since my last entry. I have been very busy with work but now I am not. Unfortunately my replacement at my job couldn't wait until February to start and my boss didn't want to get stuck without an experienced replacement so after some discussion I agreed that it would in his best interest to hire him now. I will be put to work when needed which is good and I will have time to do a lot of side work which I had been turning down because I was too busy. I also had to put some money into my van to get me through the next 3 months so my savings has taken a hit but should be fine by the time I leave. My start date might be as early as Feb. 21st but we will see where I am at then. My six mail drops are ready to go except for 2 more pairs of shoes which I might get for Christmas. If not I will order them in January. Hard to believe the time is getting so close. wish I could leave tomorrow. My dinner is ready so I have to go. Take care and hope to see you on the trail.
Date: 2015-01-01
To: NEW START DATE
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy New Year everyone. Well I guess it is now official. I will be starting on Wednesday, February 25th which is 55 days from now. I was going to start on the 22nd but that is the day of the start of NASCAR at Daytona and I want to attend the party my brother throws for the race every year. Looks like I will be starting with less money than I wanted to but I should have enough to do it. I have some jobs to do so I should be okay. I am moving to the woods one week from now to save money also. When it comes to car camping I have it all including an oven and the kitchen sink. This will also give me a chance to get some short practice hikes in to get my gear situated in my pack just right. I see that a couple of people have already started today. My hat is off to them. I wish them a safe journey. I am interested to see what kind of weather they will be dealing with. I have ordered the AWOL AT guide book and it should be mailed out on the 7th, give or take a few days. I will probably only make a couple of more entries before starting so I wish everyone happy planning and happy trails.
Date: 2015-02-18
To: 1 WEEK TO GO
Miles today: 0.0

Looks like I will be starting with cold temps. I will arrive in Gainesville, GA at 10:50 am on the 24th and stay at the Hiker Hostel. Had to take 1 of the last 2 private rooms as everything else there is booked. They told me that many roads are closed along with the Approach Trail due to ice but are trying to have it all reopened by Tuesday. I hope they get the forest road open because I don't want to do the approach trail. Camped for the past month and am now staying with my brother and sister in-law. 1 more side job and pack up my gear and I should be ready. My friend Solo picked up 3 of my mail drops and will deliver them as I need them as he will be running support for us thru-hikers for a month or two. Passionflower, who I hiked most of the trail with last time, left a message for me in the register on Springer which I will need to check out. Will probably post 1 more time before I hit Springer. Looking forward to meeting everyone and to see Gods beautiful creations. Good luck to everyone hiking and may God bless your journey.
Date: 2015-02-19
To: SPRINGER MOUNTAIN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Little over 4 hours and I will be on the bus heading to Gainesville GA where the Hiker Hostel will pick me up tomorrow morning and I will hit the trail Wednesday morning. Sooooo ready to start. Looking forward to meeting everyone and hopefully see an old school buddy of mine. Well, gotta get the rest of my things in order. Happy hiking.
Date: 2015-02-25
From: SPRINGER MOUNTAIN

To: Hawk Mt Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

What a beautiful day. 6 of us started at Springer. Myself, Mingo, Dakota, Amy, Rebecca and Holcomb. We were making good time. Took pictures on top of Springer and left at 11:00 AM. About 2-3 inches of snow on the ground and 26 degrees but no wind. Wore just my down jacket and hiking shorts with my base layer pants and hiking pants. After lunch 3 of us got out in front with about 2.5 miles to go. We got to the shelter and only 1 person inside and 3 people tenting. After a while Dakota, Rebecca and Mingo still hadn't shown up so I started to hike back about a mile and still no sign of them. Didn't want to get caught out there in the snow after dark, so came back. About 1/2 hour later Rebecca and Dakota showed up and told us that Mingo was taken off the trail by ambulance but think he will be OK. It started to snow as soon as we got to the shelter at 4 PM and is still snowing now. Could see 6 to 8 inches tonight. In the shelter with Amy and Rebecca. Forgot to talk about the Hiker Hostel. Josh and Lee were such great hosts. The place is clean and they are well organized. Had a great breakfast this morning before they took us to the trail. 4 people went to Amicola Falls to do the approach trail. The 6 of us went to Springer and 4 people to Woody Gap at mile 20.8. It's dark now and the temps should be dropping into the low 20's but I am nice and cozy in my bag and ready to call it a night.
Date: 2015-02-26
From: Hawk Mt Shelter

To: Goosh Mt Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Ended up with 4-6 inches of snow last night. Was a cold start. My stove isn¢t working so no hot breakfast this morning. Left the shelter at 8:45 am with Amy and Rebecca. I was busting the trail for about 2 hrs when Holcomb caught up to us and he and Rebecca went out front. Amy and I took a lot of breaks as we had 2 major climbs today. My legs are not ready for all this climbing yet, but they will come around. Haven¢t taken many pictures as it is pretty cold. Finally got to the Gooch Mt. Shelter at about 4:30 where Zach, who started at Amicola Falls, caught up to us. About 8 inches of snow up here and figid temps. Supposed to finally see the sun tomorrow.