morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-01-06
To: 55 days and counting
Miles today: 0.0

So after nearly two weeks of serious thinking and a short snowmobiling vacation in northern Maine, I have decided that this is something that I really want to do. Now comes the obstacales. The job? 10yrs... a lot on the table to leave but I'm sort of in a rut and it's getting old quickly. That one is easy. I will give a months notice and work until about a week before leaving. Easy enough! The car? It's a lease expiring in March anyway so I turn it in early.The bill is gone and that was Easy again! The house.... I will sell it and put the money in the bank leaving me with trip money, money when we return and so they say FREE and CLEAR of all bills when I return. Not going to be so easy!Now with a game plan on the table it's time to give dad the news! After sitting down with dad and explaining to him my plan, and the fact I want to do this with him, there is a ton to do and plan. He has been searching the web and reading up on this for several months now so he has a bunch of material to go over. We get a supplies need list and start seriously preparing!Can hardly wait!!!
Date: 2008-01-13
To: another hike
Miles today: 0.0

Although a bit cooler then yesterday another beautiful day for hiking! We get another early start(7am) and head out to do a bit longer of a hike, this time carrying 27lb packs. We end up on a loop trail with 3 blazes. Blue equals 2 miles, orange equals 6 miles and red equals 8 miles. Not sure which trail we will do we head out. All is going well and the blue blaze split comes and goes meaning we are doing at least 6 miles. We continue on and come to the orange blaze which now will split off. Feeling great I say "let's do the the long loop" so off to follow the red blazes we go. As we continue I start to feel the burn crappy hiking shoes and the fact that I have done little to no exercise for may months really catches up to me about mile 6. Dad is still going strong and I really slow him down over the next 2 miles. We finish the 8 mile hike at the 4 hour mark and I am absolutely beat up!!Man i'm out of shape and have some serious work ahead of me if I want to keep up with dad!!
Date: 2008-01-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Busy last week!!! Dad's hiking about 6 miles a day with a full pack and i'm not! I am trying to walk a few miles several days a week in between work to build up some leg strength and break in my boots. We managed to get together and do a 5 mile hike with full packs on Sunday. Compared to last weekend's hike the aftermath was 100% better for me . It's starting to come together! Much, much more planning and miles to hike before leaving.I think we have decided on a start date! MARCH 3RD seems to be target.
Date: 2008-01-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Another week passes and the planning continues. We have to put the final touches on food and mail drops but the gear is all purchased. We have continued our physical preparation of walking or hiking daily and I(Chad) finally feel that the physical beating I took 2 weeks ago won't happen again. I had to get another pair of new boots as the ones I was using wouldn't break in and continued to hurt my feet, which I believe was a major reason for my severe pain 2 week ago.(had nothing to due with being out of shape and overwieght... I'm absolutely sure of that) So after weeks of trying to break them in, I am starting over, off for new ones. Settled on a new pair thursday night after a couple days of searching. So far I have put about 25 miles on them and they feel incredible. Dad(John) continues to be an animal and is hiking everyday. I think he said 9-12 miles a day carrying his 30lb pack. Me on the other hand, well... I am struggling to make time due to work, but I am street walking 3-5 miles a day and hiking on the weekends. Dad and I got together on sunday morning and did a 6 mile hike with packs. Absolutely beautiful!! We then followed that by heading to another location and doing a mid morning 3 mile hike(no packs) in a cold blowing snow. 9 miles for the day and it was only noon!!! NAP TIME!I don't think we will not have another hiking day together until Feb 9th.(we are doing a full day hike in the mountains of New Hampshire with a family friend, Dave) so for now I'm out... will try to keep you posted! 34 MORE DAYS TILL START!
Date: 2008-02-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Less then two weeks before we start and everything is falling into place. Still hiking daily in hopes of being in good enough shape to make decent progress when we start!It appears all our gear and food has finally arrived. We may need to p/u a few odds and ends before we leave but I think we got all we need.Mail drops have been added to journal. Gotta go pack some boxes!lata
Date: 2008-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today's training hike was awesome. I felt great and the day was absolutely beautiful...We did 8.5 miles and had lunch on the trail to try out our stove and one of the freeze dried meals. "Big Bart's Chili" was pretty tasty! Moving along organizing my personal life. Friday was last day at work, the house is on the market and has been shown a few times already. Have to spend this week training, getting my finances in order and turning my car in. Busy, busy, busy...
Date: 2008-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Working at getting the trip organized. Chad and I spent today on a training hike and cooked on the trail. Tonight we packed our packs and are working on the weight issue. Our goal is to be at 35# each. Our starting pack for winter is at 38# and we are at the bare minimum. Hoping to get an over night in this week sometime but doesn't look good. Chad has a lot to get done and I need to wrap up my business obligations.
Date: 2008-02-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The snicker bars gotta go!!!! Along with a few other things. I thought it would be a good idea to p/u a bunch of Snicker bars, thinking it would be a quick source of energy and cals.. Well the thought was good but the pack was heavy! We fully loaded our packs Sunday night and did a backpack weigh in. Dad was at 37 pounds and I was at 41lbs.. A bit more than we both wanted but we thought we would see what it felt like before eliminating items. So Monday morning we set out with the "overwieght" packs and did a fairly easy 7 mile hike. Not all bad but a few pounds shed would be great! I now have to pull out some of the extra clothing I wanted to bring and the snickers... A bit disappointing but I think i should be able to drop about 3lbs. No snickers in dad's pack but he thought he could lose another pound or two also. Other then the pack weight all seems to moving foward smoothly and we WILL be starting on Monday. That leaves five days until we depart for Georgia. Guess I better go and start deciding what's staying home!
Date: 2008-03-01
To: Last Prep Day
Miles today: 0.0

Last day to get things done before we leave. I have spent this week trying to complete a major "to do" list and since I procrastinated on getting things done I was definitely under the gun! Dad on the other hand has been going over and over and over everything. He has packed and unpacked the food drops 4 times already and we still have today to go....I will most likely appreciate the fact that he is so anal about everything when we get out there on the trail. There is a chance that I forgot something and I know that he has not forgotten ANYTHING! For some reason, I am getting ribbed about being Katz (the character from A Walk in the Woods). Our packs are under 40# and we are ready to roll...3:00 a.m. is lift off from the driveway. Dinner with Mom and Chris tonight to cover birthdays, Easter, Mothers Day and everything else that dad and I will miss while off on this excellent adventure. lata
Date: 2008-03-02
To: Atlanta
Miles today: 0.0

So a 3am start this morning to drive to Georgia. Great weather,little traffic and 16 hrs later we made it to Atlanta. We will take the Marta train as far north as we can tommorrow morning and get picked up where it ends. Dave our driver will then take us to the trail head and we figure to get started between 9:30 and 10am.We want to take a moment and say a special thanks to Pam/Mom! We can't help but think that all of this may not have happened if you hadn't agreed and said ok to our newest challenge. For the last 2 months you are the one who had to deal with a house that was turned into a hiking super store with food, clothes and all sorts of hiking gear strewn about; now you are the one with the HARD job for the next 4-5 months. We really thank you for everything you have done and we love you!! LOVE John and Chad!To everyone else thanks for your support and we will see you in a few months!
Date: 2008-03-03
From: Atlanta

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

Got moving this morning on the MARTA and took it to the end where our driver Dave picked us up. It took another two hours to reach Springer Mountain and Dave was a great source of info. We were eager for any advice that he could give us and the drive went by quickly. A storm is heading in tonight so we set our sights for the first shelter at Hawk Mountain a mere 7.5 miles from the start. We made it here in about 3.5 hours and the hike was great but uneventful. Those long grades are a killer especially when you are out of shape. I think I will write a book when I get home...training for the trail! A lot of hikers must have had the same thought about sleeping out in their tents tonight in the rain. The shelter is filling up so I am glad that we got here early. Looks like we will have some interesting conversation to pass the time. Heading out early tomorrow. lata
Date: 2008-03-04
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter 

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: moderate rain

Wow what a day! Felt a little like Forrest Gump with all the rain: "even sideways rain". We dealt with severe storms all day consisting of blinding rain and high winds. The rain was brutal, the trek was rough. Made it to the next shelter on the trail and we have our gear hanging out everywhere trying to dry out now that the sky is blue and sun is shining. Next couple of days are supposed to be better weather wise so hopefully we can make up some miles. With the late start yesterday and the weather today our 2 day total is short of where we wanted to be. We are at the shelter but sleeping in the tent tonight. Got here around 1:30 pm covering the mileage in about 5.5 hours.
Date: 2008-03-05
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Very restless night freezing our cans off in the tent. After being soaked in the storm we were unable to dry our gear totally and the temp dropped to 30 degrees. It was one of those damp chills that you just can't get rid of. Brrr! This morning the sun was out and the day was gorgeous. The hike warmed us up and Big news...we forgot something! All that planning and sunscreen was not on the provision list. We both got a little sunburn today and both of us have blisters. Met some interesting guys today on the trail. Mule started out with a 63# pack and by the first shelter he had dumped his tent, flashlight and shovel along with other stuff. He was still carrying a pack at about 50# when we left him. Tonight we are sharing a cabin with Whitefish, Snake and Jeremiah. These guys are enjoying the night with their Jim Beam and WW. Dad has his I-pod in and is calling it a night. Had pizza for dinner tonight. 3 days out and every day different we will see what tomorrow brings. Covered the mileage in 8 hours moving our average miles up to 10/day.
Date: 2008-03-06
From: Neels Gap

To: Poor Mountain
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: clear sky

Hit trail shortly after noon because we had some blister and pack issues we needed to solve. The people at Neels Gap were awesome. They worked very hard to make sure everyone had what they needed. Dad got an epson salt foot bath and a bunch of blister advice and i got one of the outfitter employees to go thru my pack, piece by piece. He got my pack weight down about 4-5 pounds and made some strap adjustments for me and it feels much more comfortable. The weather today was absolutely great. It was about 60 degrees and sunny.(YES I have sun block now) Once we got going it was slow moving because my legs felt like jello. I think we pushed it a bit to far yesterday. Not so sure we will doing that long of a day again for a week or two. Need to let the legs build up some more strength, But hey 8 miles is 8 miles closer to our goal. It's 7pm and i'm beat.. going to bed!lata
Date: 2008-03-07
From: Poor Mountain

To: Unicoi gap
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up this morning about 5:00 to pouring rain. Packed up, broke down the tent and hit the trail at 7:15. We hiked to the closest shelter which was a about 2 miles away and stopped to dry out. My legs were still not feeling so great and I had it in my head that we would call it a day and wait for the storm to pass. Well..... not so!!! Dad got the weather report and found out that the next 24 to 36hrs was going to be worse and we needed to move forward. We packed back up, put our damp/wet clothes back on and headed north. We got back on the trail around 11:30 and thought if we pushed it a bit we could make the nine or so mile journey to Unicoi Gap by dark. Once there we could hitch hike into town and get a hotel for a couple nights. This would allow us few things. 1. We would be out of the snow storm and bitterly cold weather arriving.2. We would be able to completely dry out all of our equipment.3. This being the most important.. We would be able to allow our bodies and specifically the blisters on the feet a chance to heal.(2200 miles is a long way to go if you don't take care of the blisters as you get them)So with our plan set to make it to the gap by dark we moved on. Although it was raining and very foggy we had an excellent hike covering the miles in about 4hrs, getting into town well before dark! That means extra rest, and I need it! Tonight we hit Shoney's dinner buffet and ate like it was our jobs! They had a nice spread, a salad bar, a friut and dessert bar, a seafood bar and a "Southern" fried chicken bar with all the fixings. I think we ate a bit of everything and were more then full by the time we left. After dinner we did some blister work and laundry and now I think I will watch sports center for a few hours to catch up. Lata!
Date: 2008-03-08
From: Unicoi gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well today we took our first zero day and i'm glad we did. The wind was really blowing and it snowed most of the day. We got up around 8:00 and went and had breakfast, then kind of piddled around until around lunch time. We re-organized our packs and finished drying out our shoes. I had put my shoes on the heat register in the room and turned up the heat hoping for a quick dry while we were hanging around the fire and watching Hook in the hotel lobby area. When we returned to the room the odor was so horrific that dad said "it smells like a herd of dead cows in a hot August sun with utters full of soured milk" ( Yes those where his exact words)so needless to say the boots were put out on the patio for the rest of the day!Around one we decided we would take a walk into town to get some more medical supplies, download pictures to a disc to send home and have lunch. The staff at the hotel stated it was an easy 3/4 to mile walk to the rite aid so we set foot and started to walk it. We got about a mile down the road and saw a BBQ place(Smoke Rings in Hiawassee, Ga)where we stopped for lunch excellent southern bbq!!! The wait staff was great. When we asked how far from the Rite Aid we were they informed us another 2 miles. Now I know that means 3 miles each way from the hotel totaling 6 miles doesn't sound like a lot when hiking 2200 miles but when you are taking an off day to heal it's way too many!! So as we were leaving lunch to continue our trek to the Rite aid dad meet a lady who said she would give us a ride to the store. Linda Tatum was her name and what a saint she was, not only did she take us to the pharmacy she waited for us then took us to two different hiking outfitter stores and then took us back to the hotel. A big THANK YOU to LINDA TATUM!! You made our day a bunch easier!The rest of the day was lazy and laid back. We went to Shoney's for the dinner buffet again and meet Elliott Wersing our waiter who was finishing up his last day before starting the AT journey himself on Tuesday. Elliot, thanks for the advice and info and good luck to you! Hope to get a good night sleep and hit the trail by 10am tommorrow. It will now stay light out until about 8pm here so we will hopefully start piling up some long days...Heading out talk to you all soon!! LATA
Date: 2008-03-09
From: Unicoi gap

To: Campsite/Dick's Creek
Miles today: 17.2

Long day!! After a chimney fire at the hotel last night forced us outside in the cold until about 2am we finally managed to get some sleep. The sleep was restless and had us both up early and ready to hit the trail hard. The weather was awesome and made for a good hiking day. Being a Sunday with nice weather we thought that we may see a bunch of day hikers out, but that was not to be. Also there has been no sightings of any wildlife yet.We are shooting at doing 16-20 miles a day for the next several days in hopes of making it to Fontana Dam by Saturday!(foot of smoky mountains)lata!
Date: 2008-03-10
From: Campsite/Dick's Creek

To: Carter Gap Shelter, NC
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another long day! Feet and legs feeling the long miles put on. Today was another relatively quiet day. Only saw two hikers all day and no wildlife again. Weather was awesome again today. We passed first milestone of the trail by crossing the Georgia border into N.C today. Just a small, old fence post and a wood engraved 2x4 marked the spot(picture to follow)very easy to miss if not paying attention.Gotta get some rest so we can hopefully make the Smokies by Sunday!lata!
Date: 2008-03-11
From: Carter Gap Shelter, NC

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

Another early start. Saw five young hikers, going south, about 9am and then no one else the rest of the day. The weather was kind of blah today. No sun, light wind and the sight of possible rain all day. It started raining around two and while changing into rain pants I noticed a pretty ugly chaffing action going on so we had to get off the trail and into town to pick up some medical supplies in hopes of healing a bit and continuing towards the Smokies, so that shortened our day a bit more then we had hoped. Again no wildlife.... Man i just want to see a bird or squirrel or anything~lata!!
Date: 2008-03-12
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Campsite/Shelter/Licklog Gap
Miles today: 11.0

This morning a nice elderly lady by the name of Pat picked us up in Franklin on her way to do trail maintenance. We had to beg her to take any payment and she finally accepted $5 from us. She has done 90% of the trail at one time or another and only has Maine left. Today we saw 3 day hikers and again no wildlife! At Wayah Bald (elevation 5,342') there is a stone observation tower that is absolutely gorgeous. Dad climbed the stairs (about another 100')and said the views were awesome (pix later). I am sure they were since the view from downstairs was pretty beautiful. We have scaled back our daily mileage goals for the next couple of days due to the chafing and trying to give some time for healing to take place. Forward progress is good but not what we had planned. Live and learn-right? Man, I am learning...the hard way. All in all things are good. Looking at doing 12 miles tomorrow. Day 9: 117+ miles completed   2,057 to go! Avg: 13/day
Date: 2008-03-13
From: Campsite/Shelter/Licklog Gap

To: Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

Today we came over a rise and saw a large tent set up by the trail. A "trail angel" named Apple from Texas. Apple comes out for two weeks each year and provides food and drinks to hikers going both north and south. We hung out there for about a half hour and then moved on. We finally saw some wildlife today although not much. There were some birds, butterflys and a pheasant that scared the heck out of me. We also saw som bear tracks...I think between the two of us that I am probable the slowest so I hope we don't see a bear!The weather was great today and we hiked in shorts and t-shirts. The forecast for tomorrow and Saturday is for rain so we have our work cut out for us the next couple of days. Saw no hikers until we got to the shelter. Shelter is not the greatest but it is shelter.lata
Date: 2008-03-14
From: Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

Had breakfast this morning with a couple of guys that we had seen earlier on the trail. Squire from Worcester, Ma is a Professor at Assumption, Spruce from Buffalo, NY, Repeat and Matthew. It rained again today and the trail took us from 1,800' up to 5,100' we were climbing all day! Got to Sassafras Gap Shelter and decided to lay in for the night. There was no one there so I figure that the breakfast club must of shot for the next shelter @ Brown Fort Gap which was another 9 miles. Had a restless night and mice chewed on dad's food bag. Left me alone...go figure! Plan is to head out early (before sunrise) to beat the rain.lata
Date: 2008-03-15
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Stecoah Gap/Robbinsville, NC
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up early to beat the rain and walked about 100' and it started to down pour. We turned around and went back to the shelter and waited about 2 hours hoping that we would get a break in the rain. When the rain broke we started out and made it about 5 miles in 3.5 hours and then IT started again. We were heading to the next shelter when we came upon another "trail angel" named Hopeful from Chatanooga, TN near Stecoah Gap. Hopeful is a 2003 AT thru hiker and decided that he would come back each year to provide an oasis for the hikers. He and his helping angels come out every other week for a total of 4 weeks a year. He had tarps up and food (hotdogs, drinks and cream filled brownie cupcakes). We hung out there for about an hour and a half shivering. You know how it is when you are sweaty and then get a chill that you just can't beat? The weather was severe storms and rain that you cannot imagine. I thought I was Dorothy and in Kansas for a while. The storm was spinning off tornados in other areas so,we called it a day and accepted a ride into Robbinsville from "Queen Diva" (Lori Watkins) one of Hopeful's helpers. Went to the laundrymat and dried out our gear and are bunked up at a Microtel. Our progress has been slow the last couple of days but it is forward progress so we are happy with it. We are taking the down time to catch up on the guest book entries and take advantage of some of the advice. Dad is soaking his feet in corn meal and I am putting tea on my chafe. Maybe we will have tea and crumpets when we are done. Oh yeah, Will the real Dr. Guptka please stand up? Thanks to everyone that is sending us advice, encouragement, laughs and love!lata