morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-13
To: Thanks!
Miles today: 0.0

Just a fast update entry.Thanks to Danielle for the great Italian dinner. Was nice to get out one last time before I leave! (even tho I had to ride shotgun in my old truck lol)Gear update. Ordered a few things to be shipped overnight. The new Clark North American Hammock, now in Camo YAY!!!!lol....Also ordered the Moonstone Delta Cirrus sleeping bag (which comes in at 28oz). Creative Zen Nano Plus 1 GB mp3 player with fm tuner and voice recording. Best thing about it is it runs on AAA batteries. Now all my electronic items packed use the same battery type(camera, headlamp). I have 1.5g memory for my camery, with a portable card reader to upload and clear the sd cards. Mostly I will be posting my pics here, and may add some to Whiteblaze.net where I can.Also I have ordered the Utilikilt Survival Kilt. I really like the style, and the "no chaffing factor" of the kilt. I know I will get weird looks, but I did not order it to impress anybody. Once I get these items here I will make my final descision on what I will carry.Other than that, I will have my daughter for the remainder of the week, right up to when I get dropped off to the bus station. Nice way to spend my last few days in town. I am ready I believe, mentally if not physically. All I want to do is get to Georgia and start this, not to finish early, but to enjoy every minute on the trail I can. I will miss my cat the most I think (her waking me up at 3 a.m. licking my mustache I will not miss I think lol), a warm bed, hot showers, along with a few other things. Worrying about a job and the fast pace of daily life I will not miss. I look foward to the simple things on the trail. Eat, hike, eat, sleep. Seems like a good plan to me. I still am planning on hiking/camping solo when I can, but I have met quite a few people online I look foward to meeting on the trail along the way, most from the forums at Whiteblaze.net. I cannot say how much that website has helped me prepare for this and how many great people post there. Stumpknocker, best wishes to you in your recovery, I hope the arm heals enough for you to continue this year. Thats about it until saturday or sunday, thanks to all you faithful readers, I hope I can continue to write things that are worthy of your time and attention. Thanks to all that have helped me in preparing for this, I would not have been able to even consider going on with this without your help, advice and kind words. Thanks again Mom, Gerry, Danielle, Mary Ellen and Woody, Jeff, and Kathy. You guys are my greatest inspiration for this trip.Best wishes to those already on their journey, and for those still to start. See y'all on the trail!
Date: 2006-03-18
To: Last day at home.
Miles today: 0.0

Well fellow travelers and faithful readers, the time has come for me to throw off the chains that bind me to Tampa and go for a walk in the woods. My bus leaves this afternoon for Gainesville Ga., then a short trip to the Hiker Hostel tomorrow morning, so after one last cleaning of the house, I will say goodbye to my daughter Alexa, my cat Alley, and brother Gerry. It has been a real roller-coaster ride to get this far, some choices easy, some hard.My next entry will be in about a week I think, and I will try to keep a faithful accounting of the trail and the people I meet along the way. My pack weight has gone up and down with gear and food changes, and has finally stabilized at around 32-36 pounds, tho I will wait until Amicola to get the official weight at the start. I did get a new sleeping bag, 32 degree Moonstone Delta Cirrus that weighs 2lb 5oz and decided to use the Osprey Aether 70 pack. All in all I am happy with the gear I have bought (so is my daughter, she got alot of the extras lol) and expect it all to last most of if not all of the trip.I plan on hiking the 8.8 mile approach trail (the mileage of this is not considered part of the A.T.) which is the traditional way to get to the summit of Springer. Some hikers use a service road that gets within 0.2 miles of miles of the summit, but to me that seems like that is something I would regret if I bypassed it. Looking at the map set I am carrying (Amicola to Waynesboro, 2 others map sets to be mailed) it looks like I will be able to start with the estimated mileage of 8 to 10 miles a day comfortably, then pick it up as I become conditioned to the trail.One last time to thank everyone that has played a role in helping me get ready for this, posted here on Trailjournals.com and on Whiteblaze.net, signed my guest book, sent e-mails. I really appreciate all the kind words, it has made this easier for me to accept what I am about to attempt. Alexa, Tracey, thank you for spending time over and the nice dinner and night watching movies, it was a nice treat for me. Don and Grace, thank you as well for my first piece of mail support, your postcard was an unexpected joy to receive. Gerry, thank you too. I know you think I'm a few fries short of a happy meal for going through with this, at least the cat will be spending alot of time in you room now lol.Class of '06, GA>ME and ME>GA and Section hikers finishing their dreams this year alike, I wish you all the best of luck and hope to meet you along the trail. Well, I cannot think of anything else to write of at the moment, just can't sleep so I thought I'd just update and kill half an hour or so. I've repacked everything and can do it no longer without going crazy. I'll turn on the t.v., spend some quality time with the cat before she goes back to the couch lol, and wait for Gerry and Alexa to wake up before I start cleaning.Same bat time, same bat channel, next week. Be safe, have fun!
Date: 2006-03-19
From: Hiker Hostel

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Gerry and Alexa dropped me off at the Tampa bus station. I think of all that I am leaving behind, and what I will miss while I am gone. Transfered in Orlando, and Atlanta, then to Gainesville Ga. Leigh Saint picked me up at the station there, for the ride to the Hostel. Met a couple of hikers staying there, Mike and Ryan from N.J., had a great shakedown of my pack by Paul. He did'nt get much out of my pack, but got 14 pounds out of another lol. Anyone starting their hike, I highly reccomend the Hiker Hostel as the jump off point for your trip. Paul will get your pack to a weight you can handle by removing extra gear you will not need, and cooks a mean breakfast as well!!! Thanks Josh, Leigh and everyone that was at the hostel for a great stay!p.s. Thanks for the tip on the baby Swiss Army Knife Paul, they did have them in Neels Gap.
Date: 2006-03-20
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Springer Summit
Miles today: 0.0

Got a late start as I was the last one dropped off, only one out of the group to attempt the approach. Great breakfast at the Hostel got me stoked for the day. Started my hike after weighing in (38 lbs) and getting my picture taken for the Thru-hiker wall. 11 am was the time I set off under the arch, and made my way to the top of the falls. Rain was in the forcast, but I did'nt care. had a great day until about 4pm, when the rain started. It instantly froze to the tree branches around me, creating a sureal landscape around me. I almost diverted to the Len Foote Hike Inn to avoid the worst of it, but pushed on anyway. About 7pm, I summited Springer, but it was too wet and cold to stop, so I pushed to the shelter area, set my hammock and tried to eat dinner. While I was in the hammock I was warm and dry, and my gear all seemed to hold up well during the day. The only thing I may change is my stove, as wood burning stoves do not cut it in these conditions, and I expect alot of rain along the way. I will head back the .2 miles to the summit tommorow to take pics and sign the register.
Date: 2006-03-21
From: Springer Summit

To: Three Forks
Miles today: 4.1

Started the day off dry and warm in my hammock and sleeping bag, but when I got out of them, I got cold fast. Headed back up the .2 miles to the summit to sign thr register there, and take a few pics, then headed down the trail about 12pm. Fog burned off, and the sun came out making it a very pleasant day for walking. I only made it to Three Forks campsite, when I decided to hang my home, and try to dry out some gear. Very nice campsite, right on a stream, made a small fire to cook by, and had a great evening. Camping alone is one of the great things to do in my opinion, and this is the spot for it. Listened to the stream gurgling next to my hammock put me right to sleep. No hope of catching the two guys from New Jersey, Ryan and Mike, as they did not do the approach, and are now a day and a half ahead of me. Keep on trucking guys, best of luck to you!
Date: 2006-03-22
From: Three Forks

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

6am wake up, hard to get motivated when your water bag is frozen lol. Hiked to Hawk Mt. shelter, and met Bob (later known as Micheal angelo) as he was sketching. He is trying to do one sketch a day along the trail as he does his thru, and is a very talented artist. At Justus Creek, I ran into Cheesewhiz, FDR, Red Baron, and Keystone. Had a nice night near a stream again, and I am slowly adjusting to a campers lifestyle. I will be adjusting my menu in Neels Gap, and may look for an alcohol stove to replace my wood burning one. Too much wet wood afetr the rain. There is a very large group of hikers in front of me, so I am going to try to avoid the shelters as much as I can. 3 days to Neels Gap? We will see.
Date: 2006-03-23
From: Justus Creek

To: Just past Dockery Lake Trail
Miles today: 9.4

Made good time after breaking camp, starting to get it down to a science. A little cloudy, but a nice day. Hiked a ways with Red Baron, and I am just taking my time today. Hope to hit Neels Gap tommorow and shop at the outfitter there, and also it is the 30% mark for Hiker drop-out on the trail. Everything seems to be holding up well, gear and my body. No blisters (yes, I am very suprised too lol) just the expected knee pain, and a sore left achilles tendon from a too tightly laced boot. Again, I have found a great camp site, just past a side trail, next to another stream, and have met another couple hiking thru. Dirty Dog and Poke Along. Great company for an evening, happy hiking to them. Starting to snow now, so I will go and take care of my hammock, and maybe a hot water bottle as well. See you soon.
Date: 2006-03-24
From: Just past Dockery Lake Trail

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: overcast clouds

6 am again, granola for breakfast. My meals have been light as I have yet to develope the "hikers appitite". Moved out early, and made great time. Blood mountain was very cold, covered in snow, and in the shelter register, some skunks were reported to have stolen some boy scouts food bag during the night. Nothing you can do about that. You may get lucky and scare a bear away, but skunks? they eat better than hikers I think lol.Yea!!!!! Neels Gap! The first real milestone of the trip, and I feel Great! Have met up again with Cheesewhiz, FDR, Keystone, and Red Baron, and we will be getting a cabin for the night. No real loss in milage as its just an overnight stay, and will be moving on in the am. Got there too late to do any real shopping at the outfitter, but will do so before I leave in the am, and the trail passes right through the building, so I'll be there anyway. The cabin was rented right at the outfitter, and sleeps 6. Melatonin joined us for the night, and we all are looking foward to our first hot shower in a week.
Date: 2006-03-25
From: Neels Gap

To: Near Poplar Stomp Gap
Miles today: 12.8

Wow. After starting the day warm, a shopping trip to the outfitter, and sunshine, I had the best milage day yet! 12 pound box was sent home, overall, my pack weight has dropped by 6 pounds. In the afternoon, I ended up passing everyone in our new little group, and I felt like I was just starting my hike. A little trouble finding Poplar Stomp Gap, as there was more than one water source than shown on my map, but it all worked out well, everyone caught up and camped for the night together. These guys are great, and we all seem to feed off the energy of each other. Windy night on the ridge where we stayed, hopefully it will be warm when we wake.
Date: 2006-03-26
From: Near Poplar Stomp Gap

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: few clouds

Very cold and windy here, did not want to get out of bed again lol. We packed up, and moseyed on down to Blue Mountain Shelter to eat breakfast, and found in the register there an entry about a bear cub that apparently has been abandoned, and is in the area looking to be fed by hikers. Not a good thing that, and I hope no-one feeds it. It sounds cruel, but if it looses fear of humans, and gets mean, someone could be hurt. Moved on to Unicoi Gap after that, a very nasty down and uphill combo. Then the greatest thing happened. TRAIL MAGIC!!!! Smokestack, Stumpknocker serving hot-dogs even with his broken arm), Mother Nature, and Short Cut were in the gap handing out food to thru-hikers. What a nice thing it is to have a total stranger care enough about you to make a trip like that, set up a picnic site in between two cold mountains, and offer stories, advice, food and drink to weary travelers. THANK YOU!!!That shows the respect and love hikers have for the AT and the people that hike it. After that slice of heaven, we moved (slowly lol) up Rocky Mountain, a long, slow uphill fight, and stayed at the Tray Mountain Shelter Area. I have yet to use a shelter, my hammock beats a sore back any day.
Date: 2006-03-27
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap, Hiawassee
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to the nicest day yet on the trail. Had my hammock set on the east side of Tray Mt. shelter, and the orange sun coming up above the horizon woke me up. No wind, a little chilly, but overall a fantastic day. Hiked in base layer only to avoid overheating. When we arrived at what we thought was Addis gap, we stopped and had lunch, and Micheal Angelo sketched Cheesewhiz eating lunch. Made for a lazy afternoon. After I continued on, I found to my horror that we had stopped a mile short of Addis gap, and still had 5 miles to Dicks Creek Gap! Needless to say, everyone had the wind knocked out of them, and it was a rough hike to the road to hitch into town. I was lucky and got a ride from the first truck to pass, and was into Hiawassee before we knew it. Stopped at the Hiawassee Inn, run by Ron Hulbert and Sam Duke. They had no vacancy, but Ron called the Holiday Inn and made reservations for the 6 of us. As I wanted to take a full zero day here, I made reservations for tommorow night to stay at the Hiawassee Inn. I talked to Gerry today, and Tracey and Alexa as well. Everything seems well at home, so no worries there. And yes Alexa, I will help build a tree-house when I get back, I promise.Thanks to those still reading this and taking the time to sign my guestbook.
Date: 2006-03-28
From: Dicks Creek Gap, Hiawassee

To: Dicks Creek Gap, Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice day for a zero. Soaked in the hot tub at the Holiday Inn, ate at Daniels Steak House (no steak on the buffet !?!), and got some well needed rest. Today, Red Baron and I transfered to the Hiawassee inn, and Cheesewhiz, Keystone Dave, and FDR went back on trail. I hope to catch them up in a day or two, and they will take a zero in Franklin for the Fool Hiker Bash next week, so I have a good chance of staying with the great group we have. Updating this, laundry are my two priorities today, and then more AYCE buffets tonight! A big thanks goes out to Ron and Sam of the Hiawassee Inn, they both go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to helping out hikers. If you stay anywhere in Hiawassee, stay here. Period. Red Baron needed new boots, and even after Ron made reservations for us yesterday at a different place, he started calling all over the area to find a pair of boots for Baron. Even at 7am this morning, he called our hotel room, asking if Baron wanted a ride to another town to find a pair. I have seen such kindness to complete strangers twice so far, and both times it came as a complete suprise, when it was most needed. Thanks to all Trail Angels, Hostel or Hotel owners, and even just the folks that pick up a hiker needing a ride.**Edit** A nice suprise today, as well as some bad news. I was in the parking lot of the Inn saying goodbye to Cheesewhiz, FDR and Keystone, when the shuttle van arrived. Out pops Mike and Gerry!!!(from my night at the Hiker Hostel) I am glad to see that they are still on trail, tho now are a day behind me(in schedule). The bad news is Ryan dropped at Neels Gap. Ryan, if you read this, do not feel bad, at least you had the nerve to try something of this magnitude, and if you had not, you would have regretted it the rest of your life. Best of luck to you my friend.
Date: 2006-03-29
From: Dicks Creek Gap, Hiawassee

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: few clouds

Wonderful day. I woke up to breakfast in Ron and Sam's kitchen, said 'bye to Mike "Walker", and Gerry "Why Not", and hopped the shuttle to the gap where I had left the trail. Not a single cloud in the sky, temp somewhere near 60*. I made 4 1/2 miles in just over 2 hours, which is'nt bad for an out of shape truck driver. Had a gear failure though, a screw holding the harness system to the pack popped out, so I had to rig it with parachute cord to get it to work. Will look for the outfitter when I reach Franklin. I reached the Ga./N.C. border about 3pm, and decided to stay at Bly Gap. What a feeling it is to know that you can accomplish something like this in this day and age. Just over 150 years ago, this would not be such a big deal for someone, but in today's society with mass transit systems, a car or two in every garage, and planes flying the globe, a walk from one state to another seems to be so far from the norm that it has an appeal to people that cannot be described. The hikers I have met are from all walks of life, young, old, and in between with reasons that differ just as much. But we all have the equalizer of the trail, and that is what makes it such an accomplishment. Some may run the trail in under 90 days, some may take years to do it in sections, but we are all in a new family together, just from walking it.
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Bly Gap

To: Beech Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: broken clouds

Made another great day of hiking, sunny and warm. The kneebraces I had bought in Hiawassee seen to really help in the down hill sections, as the pain has eased quite a bit. Red Baron and A.T.O.M. camped with me tonight at Beech Gap, a wonderful campsite with a small water source. I stayed up until the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the hills, and enjoyed the campfire. I have yet to actually stay in a shelter, and I do not miss them, my hammock is too comfortable to give it up yet. Thanks to whomever left the old copy of "Analog" sci-fi magazine in a shelter tho, It is nice to have something to read, and I will leave it in a shelter when I am done with it. Woke to a bird screaming at us, but it's songs were very peaceful and serene. This is the way everyone should get out of bed. A little rain during the night, but I'm dry and toasty in my hammock as usual lol...
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Beech Gap

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: broken clouds

The trails in N.C. are very well maintained, with blow-downs cleared within a day of falling across the trail it seems. Thanks to all the volunteers that help keep us going along a clear and well marked path. Easy walking today, with the rumor of trail magic along the way to Franklin. None of the trail has compared to the approach yet for toughness, and hopefully as the weather warms up, the views will improve (lots of fog on cold mornings).After following the trail along what seemed a sheer drop off of a few hundred feet (glad there was fog today, it looked to be a long drop if I slipped lol), a wooden sign appeared. "Trail Magic" was all it said. Pushing through the bushes, there was a couple of large tents set up, and a small camper. Fishinfred, Gator Aid, Flat Bread, and Skirt were welcoming in hikers, feeding them, and letting them sleep there even if needed. They had been there for over 15 days when we got there, but the kindness had not left them. They welcomed us like we were the first into their camp, and fed us like kings! Such wonderful treatment, I sat there for three hours listening to stories, music, and great coffee before I left. Thanks to the fantastic Trail Angels, and Fishinfred, Thanks for the pendant, it is pure inspiration while I wear it. I am starting to develop the deep love for the trail and hikers along it that I have only been able to read about in other's journals. Every climb up, every shuffle downhill, every summit, every gap is different, and it all is something that becomes a part of the hiker as he or she makes their way along it.p.s. Thanks Fishinfred and Gator Aid for the heads up on the storm that passed that night. We were safe and dry in the shelter with the mice while the rain poured down lol.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Wallace Gap
Miles today: 6.0

Woke up to a clear sky, easy day today as we make our way into Franklin to enjoy the hospitality of Ron Haven and his staff. For a great service, Ron has a website that has alot of hiker resources, go to appalachiantrailservices.comor contact him direct attiamalle@aol.comThis is a great town and is VERY hiker friendly thanks to Ron and the people here in town. Everyone stops to say hello and pass the time of day, and ask how your hike is going. I have never in my life seen so many friendly people in one place at the same time lol. Prices cannot be beat, at Ron's two inns, or even at the local restaurants. .50 cents for coffee!?! I am in heaven! We got into town to catch the last day or two of a small party Ron has for hikers at the Sapphire Inn, food, drinks, live music. Fantastic! He will also shuttle hikers anywhere they need to go in or out of town, for free, where at other places I have seen as much as $10 charged. I cannot state how much this town, and people in it have touched my heart, (I write this after 3 days here) and I can say that if there was a perfect place to take time off, this is it.