morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-03-20
To: A Landmark Day
Miles today: 0.0

Spring arrived today at 1:14 a.m. in the Eastern Time Zone, with the occurrence of the Vernal Equinox.The Vernal Equinox, from an astronomer's point of view, is the moment when the sun crosses directly over the Earth's equator, creating equal day and equal night. This is significant because throughout the year, the Earth (or at least the North Pole) is either tilted away from the sun, or tilted toward the sun at 23.4 degrees. This tilt causes the four seasons. The hemisphere tilted toward the sun experiences summer and the hemisphere tilted away from the sun experiences winter. It is also significant to the potential A.T. thru hiker sitting at home, as from now until the start of his journey, he is squandering precious hiking time when the day is longer than the night. This dilly-dallying will have to be paid for if the hike extends past 9:49 EST on September 22th and the Autumnal Equinox¢¦"Vernal" comes from the Latin Vernus, or Ver, meaning of, relating to, or occurring in the spring. Equinox comes from the Latin aequinoctium, meaning ¢equal night.¢ Human cultures around the world, so I'm told, hold festivals, feasts and holidays on this particular day, celebrating various cultural icons, religious leaders and nature. Maybe we¢ll celebrate looking at the sunrise while eating a bowl of cold oatmeal.
Date: 2012-03-21
To: Thing About Africa I Will Miss #3
Miles today: 0.0

[For those of you asking yourselves "When are these two birds ever going to get out on the Trail?" well, the short answer is "less than three weeks now." But we would like to thank you for your patience, and seek your indulgence as we head into these last 21 days. As we transition from the computer to doing everything here with a smart phone, these prep entries have been great practice for thumb typing in a sleeping bag and other conditions of the trail we'll have to deal with. Hopefully, we'll be proficient by the time we leave...] The #3 Thing About Africa I Will Miss While on the Appalachian Trail:N has talked about things from Africa he will miss on the AT. I want to chime in here and say a word about colorful trail towns. Don¢t get me wrong, I love Hot Springs and have had some great times in Harpers Ferry, but one thing from Africa I will miss on the AT is colorful trail towns.Take a look at this village near Governors' ("When was the last time you visited a place that touched your soul?") Camp in Kenya's Masai Mara. Now I know the place was built and maintained with the western tourists in mind, but still, did you ever see Damascus or Waynesboro looking this bright during hiking season? Much less Duncannon or Boiling Springs???So, that's my addition to the ¢Africa Miss List.¢ -X
Date: 2012-03-22
To: Third Pole Anniversary
Miles today: 0.0

[Note from the Troverts¢ Base Camp Manager: I think this is a day I¢m supposed to practice getting a single picture and a rather cryptic text message from X & N, and then have to go from there to figure out what to post. I say that, as they didn¢t send me much to work with last night. OK, here goes.][Needless to say, I¢ve heard about some of this stuff before. Some of it ad nauseam¢¦]Three years ago today, the Troverts were half way around the world at Gorak Shep in Nepal, ready to make an assault on Kala Patthar, the 18,000¢ peak most Himalayan trekkers use as the perfect viewing platform for Mt. Everest. Ideally, one would be on Kala Patthar at sunset on a clear evening, watching the alpenglow on the world¢s tallest mountain, but in the spring, the evenings are usually socked in with no view at all. So here is a picture of N taken looking directly into the early morning sun, with Everest in the background. Not great photography conditions, but I was able to photoshop out the shadows under N¢s hat brim.I guess the point is walking in the thin air of Nepal¢s Khumbu region is great training for the AT.And I¢m sure X would want me to remind you that an AT thru hike involves 515,000¢ in elevation change, or the equivalent of 17 Everests¢¦Posted by the BCM for
Date: 2012-03-23
To: #4 - Helpful Danger Warning Signs
Miles today: 0.0

Before we head back to the good ole U.S. of A., one last post on our 2006 trip to Kenya:Number four of Things about Africa I will miss while hiking on the Appalachian Trail is Helpful Danger Warning Signs.Several of the facilities in Aberdare National Park were built by the British military as part of summer exercises. Don¢t know if these signs date back to the original construction, but there were some I found to be mildly amusing.In any case, we do plan to hike the AT ¢entirely at our own risk¢ and ¢keeping a safe distance from any dangerous animals¢ ¢ including shelter mice and seed ticks. And if we get ourselves in trouble, we¢re counting on some of the ¢young kids¢ along the trail to help take care of us¢¦-N
Date: 2012-03-24
To: Happy 178th Birthday, Major Powell!
Miles today: 0.0

Six Degrees of Separation: John Wesley PowellOn several occasions back in January, N described our great affinity for that noted Civil War veteran, geologist, and explorer of the American West, John Wesley Powell. As we observe the 178th anniversary of his birth today, I cannot bring this subject to a close without at least some mention of his wife Emma Dean, pictured to the left.On May 8, 1861, Powell enlisted at Hennepin, Illinois, as a private in the 20th Illinois Infantry. He was described as "age 27, height 5' 6-1/2" tall, light complected, gray eyes, auburn hair, occupation¢teacher." He was elected sergeant-major of the regiment, and when the 20th Illinois was mustered into the Federal service a month later, Powell was commissioned a second lieutenant. The regiment was sent to Camp Girardeau near St. Louis. Because of his knowledge of engineering, Powell was directed to prepare and carry out a plan for the fortification of the camp and town. In November, General Grant authorized him to recruit and train a company to manage the siege guns.That same month Grant allowed Powell a short leave for a hurried trip to Detroit on November 28th, to marry his cousin, Harriet Emma Dean, who accompanied him back to camp after the ceremony. Mrs. Powell was often his companion in the army and early Western journeys.Emma Dean Powell died in 1924, surviving her husband by 22 years. Our best to both of them on Major Powell¢s birthday¢¦-X
Date: 2012-03-25
To: The Helpful Nature Guide I.D. Picture of the Day
Miles today: 0.0

After yesterday's JWP birthday observance, I simply have to say one more pre-AT word about the World's Grandest of Canyons...For us, this is a rare one:we lived for three years at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in the late 80s, and for all our hiking in the big hole back then, we never saw one. Didn¢t see this one until we got back out to northern AZ in the mid aughts, twenty years later, and there he was, big as life, across the trail to Ribbon Falls.If you happen to run into one of these critters on the Appalachian Trail, it¢s a Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake. And I¢d give him a wide berth, as he will be so far from home, there¢s a good chance he¢s going to be really, really pissed¢¦ (According to park naturalists, one of four subspecies of the Western Diamondback, the Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake is actually the most common of Grand Canyon¢s six rattlers.)Anyway,this was a good excuse to show me training in the canyon over two decades to hike the AT:Above: X (center) with #1 son (far right), circa 1988, on Kaibab Trail¢s notorious Reds & Whites.Below: Circa 2008, Left to right - #1 Son, X, and Trovert Base Camp Manager on Kaibab Trail¢s notorious Reds & Whites.-X
Date: 2012-03-26
To: Going Native
Miles today: 0.0

From today¢s ¢Unperfected Skills and other Things from our Alaska Travels that might have been Fun at the Time, but didn¢t Help us Much to Get Ready for the Appalachian Trail¢ Department:Just after the turn of the century, we started going to Alaska each summer to see if we could visit all of the state¢s national park units. The plan was to spend the first week paying an in-depth visit to one particular park, and then rush around to visit as many parks as possible in the second week. This plan did not always work out. The first year we started with the A¢s and went to Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve. This is the least visited unit in the National Park System, with less than two dozen people making it to the Monument (mostly by float plane into the Aniakchak Caldera), and far fewer than that to the Preserve. A low ceiling scratched our first attempted flight down from King Salmon, and then we were weathered in for four days at the mouth of the Aniakchak River before it cleared enough for a pilot to land on the Pacific to pick us up¢¦ Anyway, such extended periods in the Alaska bush made us worry about being away from civilization so long we would tend to ¢go native.¢ As you can see from this picture, there was even some evidence that at times that might be starting to happen¢¦With our ideal re-supply time being three days, we hope to avoid any such symptoms on the AT in 2012¢¦
Date: 2012-03-27
To: The Art of Hitch
Miles today: 0.0

From today's "Unperfected Skills and other Things from our Alaska Travelsthat might have been Fun at the Time, but didn't Help us Much to Get Readyfor the Appalachian Trail" Department:Here is X on the road to the famous Kennecott mine in Wrangell - St.Elias Nat'l Park & Preserve. We only knew about half as much as we needed tobe successful, and after a while gave up and got a flight from Chitinarather than deal with 59 miles on the road to McCarthy, a route made from anold railroad bed, where car tires are a great magnet for collecting old RRspikes. OK, let's analyze X's form. First off, she has me hidden off in the bushes,which is a good thing: attractive single women have much more successhitchhiking. However, she has abandoned her backpack and has moved away froma trailhead. Both of these things will make her look more like a homelessperson than a hiker. The big thing is Patience, Patience, Patience!!! Don'tmove from a trailhead until you get that ride. The percentages for successgo way down if you do...We hope to watch and learn from those along the AT who have a natural giftfor hitching and see if we can master this skill by the time we reachVirginia. -N
Date: 2012-03-28
To: Crampons
Miles today: 0.0

From today¢s ¢Unperfected Skills and other Things from our Alaska Travels that might have been Fun at the Time, but didn¢t Help us Much to Get Ready for the Appalachian Trail¢ Department:Here is X, out for a stroll on the Root Glacier in Wrangell ¢ St. Elias National Park. We¢d had the choice of a tour of the abandoned 14-story Kennecott Mill (the copper mines themselves, at one time the richest known concentration of copper in the world, are 5 miles up in the mountains to the ENE), but opted for our first experience walking on a glacier.While we are proud to say we can each now tie on a pair of crampons, we¢re hoping our late April 10th start will insure such a piece of equipment is never necessary on our next month¢s thru hike. Although I¢m not talking about it, I have a secret hope that we¢ll be in such great shape when we get off the trail in October, that we can move right on to South America and the climbing of Aconcauga. In which case we¢ll have to get proficient with an ice ax as well as crampons¢¦-N
Date: 2012-03-29
To: Living with the Grizz
Miles today: 0.0

From today¢s ¢Unperfected Skills and other Things from our Alaska Travels that might have been Fun at the Time, but didn¢t Help us Much to Get Ready for the Appalachian Trail¢ Department:The difference between a grizzly bear and a black bear is a grizzly bear thinks of people as sport, while a black bear thinks of people as food. While wandering around Alaska, we had several close encounters with grizzlies, but even on the rare occasion when we were false charged, I always felt everything would be OK as soon as we were determined not to be a threat. Stand still, and you¢re usually OK; run and you¢ll get chased. Worse case, lie in a fetal position, protect your neck, and wait for them to lose interest and leave¢¦ I can't tell you how much I wanted to win our hometown paper's travel contest, where you take a copy on vacation and photograph it with some landmark. I figured if I could get a picture with an Alaskan grizzly bear, that's all I'd need.Our first night camping on the shore of Glacier Bay, we pulled our kayaks into the vegetation and then went back down to the tidal zone to cook dinner. As we were working on getting the stove started, our #2 Son looked up and calmly said "why, there's a bear." Sure enough, here came a grizz, sauntering down the beach like he owned the place. Which he did. We stood together and talked softly in our non-prey voices as he walked between us and our tent. Which of course was where we¢d left our camera. After he went by, we called to our #1 Son down the shore a ways, photographing an eagle, and he got this great shot of our camp visitor, but with no newspaper in view. What a disappointment!However, the next morning, just as I was waking up, here came a different bear from the opposite direction. We got the desired shot on this second chance, but this photo didn't win the contest either! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr¢¦Our experience with black bears is much less than with the Alaska giants, and, especially if it¢s a A.T. bear who has learned humans are an easy food source, we hope that experience doesn¢t increase while we¢re on the trail¢¦ -N
Date: 2012-03-30
To: Covering the Same Ground Twice
Miles today: 0.0

From today¢s ¢Unperfected Skills and other Things from our Alaska Travels that might have been Fun at the Time, but didn¢t Help us Much to Get Ready for the Appalachian Trail¢ Department:Located north of the Arctic Circle, the 25 square mile Great Kobuk Sand Dunes are one of the unique features of Kobuk Valley National Park. In August of ¢03, we caught an air taxi to the park from the coastal village of Kotzebue, and did not see another soul until the pilot returned three days later to pick us up. After setting up camp a short distance from the primitive sandy runway, we set out to wander and explore the vast dunes, some of which rose to 80 or 100 feet.The following morning we made a very difficult bushwhacking trip off the dunes to locate the exact position of 67° North Latitude, 159° West Longitude (A report of this visit can be found on the Degree Confluence Project site [at www.confluence.org]. As luck would have it, our path on Day 2 was almost identical to our footsteps from the afternoon before; and just out of camp, we were surprised to see a set of wolf tracks fresher than our earlier shoe prints heading in exactly the same direction.Our lesson here was don¢t cover the same ground twice on the same hike, especially when you¢re walking in sand, or you may find out some upsetting news about who's been keeping an eye on you! As valuable as this information seemed at the time, we think it won¢t be of a lot of use to us on the A.T., where sandy trail is not a common occurrence¢¦-N
Date: 2012-03-31
To: Trail Epitaph
Miles today: 0.0

But at times I wondered if I had not come a long way only to find that what I really sought was something I left behind. -Tom Hornbein, Everest, The West Ridge Well, we¢ve decided to cancel our hike. The more we thought about it, we just don¢t think we¢re mentally prepared for the Long Green Tunnel. Until we read all these reports from folks who have already started this year, we just didn¢t realize the mountains would be so tough. We didn¢t realize we¢d be so wet. Or so cold. Or have to deal with a sleeping bag that is both cold and wet. N says he doesn¢t think he can sleep on the ground. And the mice will probably get in the trail mix the first night out. It just isn¢t going to be anything like we imagined. What were we thinking??? JUST KIDDING!!!!Since 2012 is a leap year, that means this year everything past February 29th is actually one day off on the calendar from the date it would be in either 2011 or 2013. So, we just figured that gave us the right to post our April Fool¢s Day entry one day early this year¢¦But in any case, this time tomorrow we¢ll be able to say ¢This month we¢re going to go hike the Appalachian Trail!!!¢ To which I also say "Bring it on!"-X
Date: 2012-04-01
To: Happy Birthday, X!
Miles today: 0.0

Always MarryAn April GirlPraise the spellsand bless the charms,I found April in my arms.April golden, April cloudy,Gracious, cruel,tender, rowdy;April soft in flowered languor,April cold with sudden anger,Ever changing, ever true --I love April, I love you.-N (With, as usual, great assistance from Ogden Nash)
Date: 2012-04-02
To: Final Practice Summiting 
Miles today: 0.0

I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help¢¦--Psalm 121The Mountains will bring prosperity to the people¢¦--Psalm 72:3A lesson from the Good Book:Six days shall you labor, but on the seventh day rest your ox and your ass.Well, yesterday there was no rest for the Troverts¢¦At 806 feet, Woodall Mountain is the highest natural point in the state of Mississippi. We did not know if we would be up for the challenge of reaching this imposing summit, but decided that even if we failed, the effort would have to be good, and maybe our last, practice for the A.T.At the base of the hill to the east, just south of the U.S. Highway 72/ State Road 25 interchange, are the town of Iuka¢s Little League and Youth Softball fields, adjacent to the Tishomingo County Fair Grounds. Immediately to the south lies Woodall Mountain Estates, a subdivision with approximately 75 houses around a large lake. Parking at the ball fields, the first two miles of the approach are on paved roads. Then, after skirting the subdivision and one mile from the top of the monadnock, a steep unpaved rocky road makes the final 200¢ elevation gain to the summit.The height of Woodall Mountain is often lampooned by locals. Some nearby stores sell souvenir t-shirts with the phrase "Ski Woodall". However, the mountain does rise prominently above the surrounding terrain, and, with its three radio towers, is visible for several miles.Before its removal in 1998 because of rotting steps and general signs of age, an observation tower stood atop Woodall in the middle of a gravel circle. A climb to the top of the tower gave an encompassing view of the surrounding area, and was an excellent vantage point to watch the town of Iuka¢s fireworks displays. A decade of semi-neglect for the site ended in October 2010 when the U.S.A. Highpointers Club installed signs and a new plaque as part of their annual convention.With a considerable lack of grace (I hope we will be able to do better on Kathadin!), we summited the large piece of Tishomingo sandstone that now marks the spot, and were treated to a good view of the surrounding countryside.
Date: 2012-04-03
To: A Mandatory Picture
Miles today: 0.0

Remote for detachment,narrow for chosen company,winding for leisure,lonely for contemplation,the trail beckons not merely north and south,but upward to the body, mind and soul of man---Harold Allen, The Appalachian Trail ConferenceBecause of our relatively late start, we have always planned to skip the approach trail, and start north right from Springer. (While X has never been above the steps at the falls, I did an overnight from the arch up to Stover Creek Shelter this past July to get that part out of the way. If X is still interested next October, I guess we can do the approach trail on the way back home.) However, according to the rules, there are a few pictures from Amicalola Falls State Park you are required to post before you can begin a thru hike.So we will¢¦
Date: 2012-04-04
To: NÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Movie Premiere is Tonight!
Miles today: 0.0

N is on pins and needles all day in anticipation of his screen debut this evening at the first public showing of the new film ¢Fiery Trial.¢ To the average viewer, it appears N is seen for a total of about three seconds, as a Union colonel handing a message from a courier to General U.S. Grant. However, in delusions of grandeur, N has been telling anyone who would listen (and, in fact, several who wouldn¢t) that he is playing his own great-great grandfather 1Lt. Stephen P. Wilson, 4th North Carolina Cavalry, C.S.A., as a Confederate spy intercepting a key communication that alters the course of the battle. After this performance, I think N is picking a great time to get out of town for six months. In fact, after the film critics see his effort, N may be making a big mistake by not leaving first thing tomorrow morning¢¦-X
Date: 2012-04-05
To: First Shelter at Amicalola SP
Miles today: 0.0

Another Mandatory photo from the approach ¢ at the bottom of the hill, is the first A.T. shelter for thru hikers. Screened door and everything. I camped on the tent pad outside on a very hot night last July and needless to say, had the place to myself.We are now down to 120 hours until our hike begins. Pinch us so we know it¢s not a dream! -N
Date: 2012-04-06
To: A PictureÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Worth 236 MilesÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ¦
Miles today: 0.0

This is not one of the pictures you¢re required to post. In fact, given its location, I bet most folks miss seeing it altogether. I almost did.Last July, I tented outside the Max Epperson Shelter, on the approach trail just past the Archway and the Amicalola Visitor Center. The next morning I stuck my head in to take a look before I hiked up to Stover Creek. Even in the sunlight, the inside of the shelter was very dark.As I was walking back out, I happened to glance up to find a painting of the A.T. high points by state above the door. Pulling out my light, I saw it was signed and dated by Kathy Epperson in 1993, the year after Max (according to the bronze plaque outside) died.The entire 14 state panorama was too much for me to take in all at once, so I concentrated on Springer, Fontana Dam, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When we make it to Davenport Gap, there¢ll be plenty of time to worry about the next phase of the hike.-N
Date: 2012-04-07
To: 23,746 Candles
Miles today: 0.0

Tonight we light 23,746 candles, one for each American soldier killed, wounded, or missing at the Civil War Battle of Shiloh, fought 150 years ago today.This is N¢s last big task before we head out on the Appalachian Trail. We haven¢t done this since 1994, but I remember well what an emotional sight it was for me. I expect this to be a very somber evening on many levels¢¦To put both tasks into perspective, if we were to put out a luminary every 486 feet heading north from Springer Mountain, we¢d have one candle left to put under the sign at Kathadin.-X
Date: 2012-04-08
To: The End of an Era
Miles today: 0.0

OK, we warned you. As we got closer to ¢The Date,¢ these entries were going to get shorter and shorter and shorter. And over the last week, life outside of ¢trail prep¢ has gotten even more hectic than we ever imagined it could! So, today¢s will be short¢¦4/8/12 is the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fallen Timbers, either the final act of the Battle of Shiloh, or the first event in the Siege of Corinth.When it was all over, Horace Greeley¢s counsel was ¢Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country!¢ Not being that young anymore ourselves, we will instead go North. And maybe "grow down" in the woods¢¦