morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-09-17
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: campsite near West Branch Pleasant River
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today sucked. I feel no need to mince my words. It was long and completely butt-kicking. I was on trail shorty after 8 and still barely made the 15 miles before dark. It was constant ups and downs and impossible trail. Countless people have said, "Oh, the wilderness is great! It's super easy, and you can easily make 20s!" Yeah, those people are full of it. All the whining aside, there were good things about today. In Fourth Mountain Bog, there were TONS of pitcher plants! Shortly after there, we ran into Freeman on the trail. None of us had a clue where he was, but apparently he took five weeks off and then flip-flopped. It was great seeing him! Little Aspen, Toothpick, Yahtzee, and I played fun games while we hiked. We took a nice lunch break on Third Mountain, where I also got cell service and was able to send a text to Braids. We talked about bird calls a lot, and I have learned a few. Finally, at the end of the day, I was 15.1 miles closer to home!I'm confident that tomorrow will be better.
Date: 2010-09-18
From: campsite near West Branch Pleasant River

To: East Branch Lean- to
Miles today: 16.5

Today was, in fact, MUCH better! I hiked past the 2,100 mile mark today! Only 67.8 miles to go now. Today we went over the LAST mountain range before Katahdin. From the top of White Cap Mountain, Katahdin rose before us in all her glory, and seemed so close! It was majestic and simply amazing to get our first glimpse of that Holy Grail we've been hiking towards for over six months. We stood there and realized that we could see right before us the entirety of what is left to hike. It was an incredible moment. We're so close!I was up and out early- about 7:20, and walked in my crocs the .2 miles to ford the river. The water was fairly low (mid-calf), but painfully cold. By the time I got across, my feet were in severe pain. I dried them with my pack towel as quickly as possible and put my boots on, but they hurt for quite a while. When Little Aspen, Toothpick, and I got to the Gulf Hagas Trail, we took Freeman's advice and walked just off the AT to the first waterfall. It was once of the most beautiful I have seen. I definitely need to come back to hike the whole Gulf Hagas Loop someday. I'm definitely ready to be finished hiking, but today's hiking was pretty enjoyable. The White Cap range today was a million times better than the Barren-Chairback range yesterday. The trail itself today was amazing! Countless beautifully-spaced stairs took us up and over most of the four mountains today. The best of all this was coming down off the north side of White Cap. The three of us agreed that it was the nicest natural rock staircase on the whole trail. (Bear Mountain, NY was perhaps even nicer, but appeared to use more mechanized techniques to make uniform stairs.) The trail I hiked on today must have taken an incredible amount of hard work, and I appreciate it hugely.The weather was amazing all day. I got to the shelter before 6:00 and am now finishing up my journal right at 8. This is much better than getting in just before 7 and doing everything in the dark. Now to get some sleep and let my aching body heal itself...
Date: 2010-09-19
From: East Branch Lean- to

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Today was wonderful! (In fact, I'm still experiencing the best part right now.) The hiking was fast and easy. I took lots of luxurious breaks and still was in by 4:00. That in and of itself felt great! We went by many beautiful things throughout the day, but the highlight was definitely getting in at Antlers Campsite. I've heard about this place for a long time, and it has lived up to its expectations. I am sitting here near a fire looking out over Lower Jo Mary Lake with the moon overhead. The loons have been shouting their call all evening. I washed a couple articles of clothing and my body in the lake earlier before cooking dinner in solitude. The sunset cast lovely colors across the whole lake. We watched little frogs hopping around the rocks in the shallows. I'm camped out on the point just off the water. It is magical. I also had some important mental moments today. I decided this morning to go on into Millinocket with Mom on Wednesday instead of staying at The Birches. I realized that my plan to do that was more to do what I felt I should than what I wanted to. I was thinking of it as one final night of deprevation bfore I end this journey, but then I realized- I've had over six months of deprevation! Who needs one more night? I'm THRILLED with this new plan. (A loon just called out into the night.)I've been wondering when the magnitude of this journey will hit me. Today was apparently the day. In a later entry I'll go more into what triggered it, but I was hiking down the trail and it just HIT me. Needless to say, I cried. I'm sure that won't be the last time in the next few days. Oh yeah- hunger today was INSANE!I'm almost there. Crazy.
Date: 2010-09-20
From: Antlers Campsite

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

It has really begun to feel like I'm sliding into home base. I have 38.2 miles to go. Three days total, only two more "real" ones, because Thursday is just a day hike after having a shower and doing laundry the night before. I will only set up camp one more time. It's insane. We started the day with an amazing sunrise at Antlers Campsite. I had heard tales of this sunrise, and it lived up to every expectation. We all sat there in wonderment as the sky turned beautiful colors and a loon flew overhead. It was WONDERFUL. I just wish Braids could have been there. I packed up and put on my pack and then immediately realized that the bottom was soaking wet. I unpacked and found my leaking Platypus. I tried in vain to find and fix the leak, but quickly gave up. Thankfully, I have a 20 oz Gatorade bottle from some great trail magic a few days ago. This has given me a very workable liter and a half system. I have since tried again to find the leak by filling it with air and holding it underwater, and I found nothing. I don't even feel like fooling with it, though, and risk getting my stuff wet again, so I'm sticking with my two bottles for the next couple of days. Man, I can't believe that in less than 48 hours, I'll be hugging my mama!We hiked to Maher Trail in just a couple of hours and hiked the 1.2 miles to the White House Landing boat dock. We had all recently heard a lot of negative stuff about it, but our experience was fantastic! (I wish I could report this to the annoying ridge runner- one of the few bad ones- who was at Antlers Campsite last night.) Eight of us spent two hours there. I dried my shoes and socks in the sun, had an AMAZING one-pound cheeseburger and half a pint of Ben and Jerry's (Half Baked), and got some resupply snacks. The whole thing was delightful.The remaining eight miles passed quickly amidst great conversation with Captain Slick, Little Aspen, and Toothpick. The last couple of miles were right along Nahmakanta Lake, and it looked almost like the ocean.We were in early again and have had a nice, laid-back evening at the shelter. I can barely wrap my brain around only doing this for one more night.
Date: 2010-09-21
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

There is an air of celebration amongst my fellow thru-hikers. I hiked with 1-4 others almost all day, and at one point, we realized that it felt like the last few days of school. There is still work to be done, but we can taste the grass between our toes and the freedom of summer break.We chatted and played games, and the miles flew by. This morning I was nervous about a big day with limited daylight hours, but I was in at 5:00 and have had a leisurely evening. There was a party atmosphere here as the 9 of us cooked and ate dinner, but when it got dark, we all went to bed as usual. There is still some talking in the shelter, but it has only been dark for about 10 minutes. (It's 7:00.) I have now walked into camp for the last time, set up my hammock and camp for the last time, and used my stove for the last time. In about 19 hours, I'll get to hug my mama. We are congratulated every time we pass southbounders. Yesterday, a bunch of us were taking a break sprawled across a wooden bridge. Though we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, we all had to move quickly when a pickup truck drove up. As they passed, the woman leaned out the window and congratulated us all on our final approach to Katahdin. For a brief moment, I saw how we must all look through her eyes, and I swelled with pride to suddenly be a part of this group that I've idolized for many, many years. Class of 2010, baby!!!
Date: 2010-09-22
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campground/Millinocket, ME
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Overstimulated, overwhelmed, but delighted.Today was intense, and wonderful, in so many ways. Only 5.2 (very steep) miles to go. Mom and I have talked about climbing Katahdin together for months, and now we've just packed our day packs to do it. Tomorrow. I must go to bed right now and write more another day.
Date: 2010-09-23
From: Katahdin Stream Campground/Millinocket, ME

To: Baxter Peak, Mt. Katahdin (THE END)
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I added this verse to On the Loose and sang it as I hiked down from the summit:I have hiked through 14 states,I have climbed Mt. Katahdin.I have seen this journey through,right to its very end.Now I'm headed home to Sarah,who's my love, and my friend,and we'll build our life together,On the Loose.I did not journal at all on my summit day, but did, indeed make it! It was exhilarating and exhausting, and at times seemed rather unreal. I'll leave it at this for right now and then add a better entry about the end of my trek shortly. Stay tuned.GA-ME 2010. Done and done.
Date: 2011-02-25
To: Let the debrief begin
Miles today: 0.0

So, here I am, almost one year after I began my journey northward. As many before me have said, one of the most surprising things about thru-hiking was how difficult it can be to process and adjust back to off-trail life. I have also been amazed by how different this experience has been for all of us. I expected difficulties adjusting from one world and way of life to another vastly different one. What I did not expect, however, was the even greater challenge for me of simply understanding what just happened. When I finished on September 23, I was elated, but immediately after that, I basically put myself on cold-turkey AT detox. I found myself even reluctant to return emails of trail friends and journal readers. For those of you I ignored- I'm sorry! It took me about 3 1/2-4 months to finally order and send out my thank you/"I done it" cards to the many who helped me along the way. I was overwhelmed by the enormity of what I had just done, so I basically ignored it a lot. All that said, I'm much more well-balanced now and finally delving back into my trail experience and all of the "wrap-up" things that I had thought I'd do just as soon as I was back in civilization. I decided about a month ago that perhaps the best way to debrief my experience would be to reread my journals and basically experience it again, but this time from an outside point of view. I have not read the vast majority of my journals since the moment I put down my pen each night out on the trail. Now, I am anxious (and a bit nervous) to see what I put out there for all of you (many of you strangers) to read. So, starting tomorrow, I will read one entry per day. This will get me through all of the prep entries in time to read my first hiking entry on March 11, the anniversary of my start date. I may add in editorial comments at the bottoms of some, so feel free to check in if you're interested. I also have some photo management to do, so hopefully I'll get on that soon!Before I wrap up this entry, I'll share a few more things that a few folks have asked via email. Life now is going great! Braids and I are living happily in Auburn, AL. She is fighting beautifully (and winning!) through her first year of vet school, and I am anxiously awaiting news on my application to and interview with the counseling psychology PhD program at Auburn University. Work in the meantime isn't great, but I'm at least coming close to paying my bills! :P Life is good!
Date: 2010-01-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

On April 1st, I am going to embarking on an incredible journey on the Appalachian Trail. This has been a dream of mine since I can remember and I have done bits and pieces of it here and there. Now is my chance to do it. I will be keeping a blog and hopefully some video of my experience. Check out my website www.awalkforthefuture.com
Date: 2010-02-15
To: Refocusing on Him
Miles today: 0.0

I guess when you plan something as enormous and life changing as an Appalachian Trail thru hike you are not aware of the tiny little details that need attention on top of the obvious big ones. I knew I would be buying gear, planning routes, deliberating over what I¢m going to eat and all of that jazz but I had no idea of the other stresses associated with this such as moving, where stuff and dogs are going to go, bills, and all the while working a full time job. Last week, I guess I thought it was all on my shoulders to make decisions for my future and on top of everything I had a presentation at work that needed my care and dedication to. Besides that I spent over $600 dollars on all sorts of stuff related to my hike. Spending large amounts of money always makes me nervous. With all of that, I guess I just lost focus on what I really need to focus on¢¦God.This week, I¢m taking a hiatus from the computer, hiking gear, internet, updating websites, moving, and anything that gets my focus away from my true purpose¢¦God. I am dedicating the next 5 days to refocusing on God so that I can stay on track when things get stressful again. Instead of spending countless hours on the internet searching for gear, reading equipment reviews, worrying about this or that bill, how am I going to get to point A to point B, and distressing about work presentations, I am just simply going to be with God. How, you might ask? Simple, I¢m just going to dive into His word, pray, and simply just relax. I¢ll start eating right and not just ¢quick¢ meals that end up providing my body with no nutrition and I need to start sleeping at least 8 hours again. I guaranty when you give your worries to God, He will take care of you. As a Christ follower I fervently believe that God will take care of my needs and show me ways that I did not think about. I guess for those non believers out there this might not make sense but I challenge you, who do not believe, to give your heart to Him and you will see life in a whole other beautiful way. You can¢t say it¢s not for you until you try it. So, with that being said, I am dedicating this week to putting my priorities back in place with God and taking a vacation or hiatus from planning and worrying. I leave you with my favorite verse:Proverbs 3:5-65Trust in the LORD with all your heart         And do not lean on your own understanding.       6In all your ways acknowledge Him,         And He will make your paths straight.
Date: 2010-02-24
To: Influenza
Miles today: 0.0

Remember several months ago when the Flu was in style and the thing to have? Everybody had to get it. If you weren¢t touched by the old Flu you were a nobody, apparently. Facebook lit up with status updates about who had the Swine Flu and how a particular person felt about their ordeal. Yeah, well, I finally got it. They don¢t know if it¢s the Swine Flu or just regular Flu because they said it doesn¢t matter because they treat it the same. It also costs $300 to determine what kind so I opted for just knowing I have Influenza. Seriously body, why couldn¢t you have contracted this little virus when it was cool? Instead, I had to be the marvel and the worry maker at the doctor¢s office because I was Influenza case #2 for the month. Now, everyone at the doctor¢s office is in a panic about the next pandemic I am apparently starting. Seriously, it¢s like I¢m the one who was still wearing a fanny pack in 2000 when it was the super cool fad of 1991. The Flu is totally out of style in almost March, 2010. Now, because I got it a lot later I can¢t go into work because I work with mostly moms and none of them want to get sick. I got to be honest though. The only reason I went into the doctor¢s office is because of my AT trek. Otherwise, I would have just assumed I had a cold and moved on. However, two years ago almost to the day I had the same symptoms when I was playing arena football. Instead of taking care of the problem I just thought I¢d ¢tough¢ it out. Well, I knew I was in trouble when I couldn¢t make it through calling a play in the huddle without gasping for breath and hacking up my lungs. Apparently, I had a slight case of both Bronchitis and Pneumonia (let it be known I didn¢t miss one practice or game). So, I wanted to make sure I was on top of this before I got on the trail and couldn¢t make it after three days. Doc said I would be fine by April 1st. On a side note, I weighed in, at the doctor¢s, at 218 lbs. It¢s better than my 230 lbs I was when I started the 300 Mile Challenge on my website in December. I don¢t know though. I feel differently because I have spent the last several years weight training for football so now I don¢t do that and I feel weird. Oh well, I¢ll prolly be a stick figure when I get back from the Trail.
Date: 2010-03-02
To: Less than a Month
Miles today: 0.0

Well, the last two weeks have been crazy and at times overwhelming. Today is the first day in almost two weeks I have not felt sick. Yay, no headaches! I got sick last Monday night and proceeded to miss the entire week of work. I never felt like I was getting better nor did I feel like I was worse. Just feeling real crappy. Anyways, I had to move out of my apartment last weekend so I never got a chance to just rest. I officially moved out of my apartment and onto a friend¢s floor. If this journey is not real now then I don¢t think it ever will be. I can¢t believe in 29 days I will be setting foot on Springer Mountain. Who knows what the weather will be like too. The east coast has been bombed by snowmageddon this year so I have no idea what to expect. I have been reading some hikers who have already left and it doesn¢t seem like an enjoyable walk they are on. Their journals are filled with snow stories and coldness. Ick! Not fun to me. I figure once I clear the Smokies I¢ll be ¢ok¢ in terms of dangerous weather.This weekend I was going to plan another hike at the North Shore Trail but I am going to take some more rest time. I can still feel something in my chest that hasn¢t gone away so I don¢t want to push things. I am going to make one of my last trips to REI to get some of the last of the gear.
Date: 2010-03-03
To: Video Blog
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I finally got the video blogs up and rolling. I intend on taking videos of the trip and posting them to my website. That way people can follow both my written journal and my video journal. Anyways, below is the link to my first video. Its dark and stuff but its the first of many to come.http://awalkforthefuture.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/7425986-introduction
Date: 2010-03-06
To: Gear Purchasing
Miles today: 0.0

Check out why I am hiking the trail on video blog #2 (copy and paste this link) http://awalkforthefuture.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/7478851-appalachian-trail-blog-2-3-6-10Well, it occurred to me that I am wrapping up with my gear purchases. When I was told before that I would be spending nearly $1k on equipment I laughed...but I spent $1k on equipment. Since the AT is such a long trail I wanted to not just buy cheap stuff so I bought some pretty good equipment. I'll hopefully put it on the gear list if anyone is that interested. Well, 25 days until the big day. Wish me luck!!
Date: 2010-03-13
To: Phone Updates
Miles today: 0.0

So right now Im using my phone to write this journal entry. I am testing out this method of how Im going to update my daily trail journal. At first i wasnt sure how I would be able to update my website etc but I think that doing it by phone is the best method. I have a lot of friends who want to see and read what I am going through. I went to dinner last night with some good friends and one of them just could not get over the fact that im not bringing a gun or knife. I tried to tell him that you are more of a danger to yourself with those items than anyone else haha. He thought that that I was going to be killing my own food and stuff like that. See, if anything this journey of mine is teaching Texans about the AT. Well my review so far with using my phone for blog entries is so-so. I am typing way slower on this than a regular computer obviously but this will be all I have. Anyways, 18 more days til Springer.check out video blog #3 (copy and paste) http://awalkforthefuture.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/7581264-appalachian-trail-blog-3-3-13-10
Date: 2010-03-15
To: Dear AT
Miles today: 0.0

Dear AT,You are all I think about. Am I ready for you? I think I am but who can ever be sure until I¢m on your beautiful path. Do I have all of my gear for you? I am pretty sure I am going to be well equipped for whatever you throw at me. In fact, I have a feeling that I¢ll be over equipped to traverse your mighty trail but I¢ll just send stuff home in that case. Are you totally distracting me in all aspects of my life? You sure are. I don¢t think I have had an AT-less thought in like 6 months. You¢re in my every waking moments and I just need to be on your mountains. This anticipation is killing me! Also, AT, take it easy on me at first. Yeah, I spent all of 2009 playing football and baseball for teams around Dallas but I have since let up on my over all training. I¢m fearing that that is a mistake but maybe if I ask you nicely you¢ll go easy on me. No? Not the plan? Oh well, I guess I¢ll go through it like everyone else. Also, could you possibly hold off on lots of rain? I mean, at least at first let me get some miles and experience under my belt before you go showering on me. I guess I shouldn¢t tell you that I am a big wuss when rained on. Well alrighty, AT, that¢s all for now. I¢ll see you April 1st. Stay beautiful,One Life"I command you- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9