morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2002-09-05
To: Expectations
Miles today: 0.0

I don't have an agenda or a cause. I'm not going off into the mountains to seek inspiration or to find myself. Nor am I running away from anything. Being the heathen that I am, there isn't much that I hold sacred. From past experience I already know that little things, like flipping a switch and having a light go on, or water that comes at the turn of a tap, will be something to marvel at ....for a while. Things that we all take for granted will be appreciated greatly, until they once again become common place. I compare it to like being a refuge from a third world country seeing this stuff for the first time.I've gone out and rolled in the dirt a time of two, just not for this length of time. Only this time I will have modern equipment, instead of canvas, and leather, and wool. But the length of the journey, the difficulty of the terrain, and the fact that I get older, more than offset any slight advantage that may offer. This is going to be a challenge, no doubt about that. If I can just hang in there long enough to establish a sort of pattern, and stay within myself until I am able to move at a better pace, then I think I have a chance to complete this challenge. I anticipate that the first couple of weeks are going to be tough...very tough until I can adapt. I'm not really competitive by nature, but I hope I don't get crushed mentally by all those flying by me as I struggle along. I just have to keep moving. Others will hook up with people who keep their pace, but I think this will be a solitary expedition for me. That really isn't anything new.Walking to Maine is incomprehensible at this stage. When I leave Springer Mountain, I'm not going to Maine....I'm going to Neel's Gap. And when I get there, I'm going to NOC. And then I'm going to Fontana.....one step at a time. I don't dare bring out the Maine carrot on the stick until I'm way on down the trail. Besides, anywhere I am will be new and different...that alone should keep me going.I have all sorts of critters right in my own back yard, litterally. Lots of deer, turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, and even an occasional red or gray fox, coyote, opposum, porcupine, skunk, or racoon. The dog even treed a bear in the backyard once (a real bear, not one of those domesticated shelter bears). [oops, that sounded uppity didn't it] Anyway, I hope I will get a chance to see some of those (tame-lol) bears, and maybe a wild pig, a couple rattlesnakes, and a moose, besides all the different plants and birds that aren't around these parts. Throw in a few humanoid characters, and we got ourselves an adventure!! This is going to be great....Brown Bess
Date: 2002-09-10
To: Parking
Miles today: 0.0

Contacted the daughter of a friend and swore her to secrecy about our discussion. She is one of only two people I know who live in Georgia, and she lives closest to Springer Mountain. When I approached her about stashing a vehicle at her place, she only asked to know what I was "wanted for". Funny girl, that Dawn. After explaining my plan to hike the trail, and answering all the usual questions of 'when, where, and why' she agreed to help me out. I find this rather remarkable since I haven't seen or talked to this gal in well over twenty years!! The hard part was convincing her not to tell her mother, who will find out in due time, but not just yet. So this is a big hurdle...the first of many.I have a place to park the toyota fairly close to the starting point, and I have someone I know I can depend on to get me to Springer.This is security...and I know I have a way out of there if I whimp out right from the start. Always good to have Plan B.jt
Date: 2002-10-01
To: Food
Miles today: 0.0

My approach to resupplying is going to be somewhat unorthodox. No mail drops. I will eat anything I can buy, beg, borrow, steal, kill, or scrape off the highway. Rummaging thru hiker boxes sounds like it will be right up my alley. Since I have never been known for having a picky appetite, I am not too concerned. I'll eat anything that doesn't eat me first. The standard hiker fare of doctored ramen, mac/cheese, and lipton will sustain me until I can find some real food. I'm not sure what will be available along the trail as far as selection goes, but I will get by. And of course I still have my reserves to draw upon. WARNING: if you are at an AYCE(all you can eat) buffet, and you see me coming, slowly back away from the table, cause it could get ugly! I'll be using an alcohol stove for cooking. Mine is a brass swedish military surplus model made by SVEA that I found on Ebay for $6, and it.even came with a genuine plastic fuel bottle. It is similar to the Trangia burners, and sturdier than the homemade can stoves, even if it does weigh a bit more, about 4 oz. These things burn any type of alcohol: denatured, gas line antifreeze, even rubbing alcohol. Basically, it will just be used to boil water for my meals and drinks. Simple but effective, and nothing to break or wear out. I made a pot stand/windscreen out of a tin can for it. Everything, burner, fuel, pot stand nest inside of my cooking pot.For filtering water, I will be carrying a PUR Hiker filter. I'm sure I will have to replace the filter element at least once. To chemically treat water, Aqua Mira will be used. I also have the option of using in line filters on hydration packs, but I haven't had a chance to try these out yet, so I am not sure if they will be going along yet or not. Water is a bigger concern for me than food, obviously! I'll have to see what works out best for me during my shakedown period.There is no right or wrong way about doing all these things. Everyone has their own way that they evolved to suit their needs. Each hiker with any experience is sure they have the best tent, best sleeping bag, best stove, best raingear, best approach for getting themslves from point A to point B. It is only human nature that theirs is the correct way... and it may well be for them. Ragtag neophytes, such as myself, are confused by all the conflicting opinions and advice. We will find our own way, find out what will work best for us. We may learn these things the hard way, but that is what adaptation and growth is all about. The trick will be to learn fast enough to be able to continue. When I grow up I want to be a thruhiker....lol.
Date: 2002-12-04
To: No Turning Back
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a big day...I gave two weeks notice at work, with 18 December being my last day. After having been there almost nineteen years, it is rather a strange feeling to know for sure I will be leaving. I don't have any regrets, but I worked with some great people, and we've been through alot together.It was just time for me to go....and I have some final preparations to make.No one, except some of my family, know what I am planning. But now my die is cast, so I had better start getting serious about trying to pull this off.jt
Date: 2002-12-18
To: This Ship Has Sailed
Miles today: 0.0

Today was my last day at work. It has been tough going in there lately. You have no idea how many times in the past couple of years I have had to force myself to go there....and how many times I have been 'just this close' to simply grabbing my coat and walking out the door in the middle of a shift. Of course, I could never do that, but those feelings take their toll on you. I should have quit a long, long time ago...or at least gone elsewhere. I remember when going to work was exciting and challenging. But it hasn't been that for a long time--it just turned into a 'job'.It seems odd that people I have worked closely with for many years don't really know me very well. I think the way I present myself at work is different than what I am really like...a workplace personna, so to speak. Outside of work, we never socialized much. That being said, I am still rather melancholy today, for I will truly miss some of those people. And yet I feel like having a couple of drinks to celebrate.Now I want to do something different for a while. Wander in some new places, and meet some new people. And we'll just have to see what is over that last mountain....jt
Date: 2002-12-27
To: The Pile
Miles today: 0.0

Xmas socks and underwear. But at least they are hiking socks and underwear!! These are top shelf stuff that I would never buy for myself. They came from an outfitter out east. I've never seen an outfitter place. My socks are from Walmart--Woolrich Expedition--$6. They are very nice socks, and a fraction of the cost of 'real' hiking socks. Also received a fancy small notebook, to record names, dates, times, and places, addresses and other notes along the way during my hike. It seems almost a shame to deface it with my scribbling.One of the problems I have encountered due to where I live is that there isn't anywhere to actually look at gear up close and personal. My search for a pair of hiking boots took me on an extended road trip to half a dozen cities in Cheeseland before I found a store that even carried hiking boots that are for more than strolling big city malls. And they didn't have all that much of a selection. All these places were listed on the internet as dealers of name brand hiking boots, but all I found at most were 'simulated' hiking boots. Add in the fat feet factor, and you can only imagine the difficulty in bagging a pair of trophy hiking boots that would fit. Finally, in Wausau I found of pair of Lacrosse hiking boots that feel pretty good (who knew Lacrosse made hiking boots?). They were even on sale at a reasonable price--if you don't count the two tanks of gas involved in locating them! Buying stuff out of catalogs, online, or through Ebay is like gambling. You never quite know what you are going to get in that package, and I don't feel like getting involved in a mailing war returning and exchanging things with HikersRUs, or whoever. Gary, my rural mail carrier, isn't all that crazy about having to come up the driveway to the house to dump packages in the first place. Throws him off his rythmn. I have no choice but to order things though. I am getting better at reading between the lines of item descriptions, and have generally been pleased with most purchases. Keepers or not they just get thrown in the big pile that is my living room. I seem to remember there being a sofa in there at one time........It has gotten to the point that I feel like one of those poor demented souls, who pack their homes with hoarded newspapers and such, with only narrow paths from room to room, and live happily with their 27 cats.Brown Bess
Date: 2003-01-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The trail bug bit me really hard when I accidently surfed through a trailsides episode on tv. I was entralled to say the least. I was not a tv watcher, but was newly married to a man with 5 tvs! Leaving me alone on Thanksgiving eve when he was called to work proved to be dramatic turning point in my life. One day I would hike this trail!It was not too long after that, we spent the night in Blood Mtn. cabins and I got my first taste of the real thing! We day hiked north, then south. And then we hiked to the outfitters there and started what would become a rather large collection of 'stuff'! It would be 8 years before the dream of hiking the whole AT would begin to seem like more of a reality than a dream, but here I am, on the verge of taking that first step northward.
Date: 2003-01-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Step One was makng the decision to hike the trail from beginning to end. Decision was made in far recesses of my mind sometime in previous years.Step Two was to commit to a specific starting time. That decision was made on May 21st 2002. My initial start date was April 1st.(April Fools Day)because no one, except my husband, thought I was serious.Step Three was to have laser eye surgery to eliminate the need for glasses or contacts on the trail. I took this step Jan. 4th 2003. I can see clearly now!
Date: 2003-01-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I am not sure but I think attending a ruck should have been a first step,but it was too late for me.Having attended my first ruck and being a victim of a tuckerising,I can now say I have some more information to help me reach Katahdin.Of course I may arrive severely depressed over the GEAR I left behind,but only time will tell!The ruckers at the Georgia ruck showed little mercy to the ruckee.But I am several pounds lighter thanks to their imput.And I learned a lot of good ideas,things I hadn't thought of before.
Date: 2003-03-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Okay, I have neglected this journal way too long.There was so many things that could have prevented me from hiking this year,but here we are down to the wire,and everything seems to be a GO!There are times I find myself stopping in mid air and asking"Am I really going to do this??"This is by far the most selfish thing I have ever done in my life! Well, hiding thinmint Girl Scout cookies from my kids doesn't count does it? So here I am preparing to leave behind my 4 children who are grown and on their own.The youngest still lives at home,he is in college and works and has a life,so he is only here to sleep and do laundry and eat!I am leaving 7 precious grandchildren behind also.And that doesn't include the step kids and those grandchildren! What AM I thinking? For the first time in my whole life (and that includes my childhood which is a long story in itself) I am not responsible for anyone.I HAVE responsibilities,but I am not responsible for anyone.I am not sure I like that feeling??Being a very young teenage mother,all I have ever really known was parenthood.I was so and so's mom.But now who am I? And what is my life supposed to be about now?In some ways ,I am totally clueless!!Do I know who I am? Yes,but I do not know what I am to do now.I am starting a new passage in my life,and have no clear sense of direction.So the next 6 months,I hope will help me define the next phase of my life!Had I known I was going to live this long,I would have made better plans for my life!!!Until next time,which I plan to update here every day or so until I leave,think about what YOU would do,if you could do anything in the world you wanted to do!!Then ask yourself "Why Not?"
Date: 2003-03-23
To: last live journal entry!!!
Miles today: 23.0

Well,here I am ,my last day at home.I have most of my things done that need to be.I did'nt want to run around like crazy today! So I will probably run around like crazy tomorrow.I have a 2 hour session with my massage specialist,a massage,facial and manicure in the morning.Nothing like going all out to go into the woods!!!Then at noon my Rotary Club is having a send off meeting for me.After that I am on my way to Atlanta!!!Yesterday,my 4 kids threw a belated 50 th birthday party for me,along with the youngest grandchilds first birthday and any other birthdays that I will miss while out on the trail.It was surprizingly hard for me to tell them all good bye.They are thinking that Mom has lost her mind early! I am going off to "find " myself,they say.Well in some respects that might be true.But I would rather think that I am going off to let go of who I am not.I really do need a clear picture of what my life needs to be for the Lord now.I am sure he has a plan for me,I just want to seek his will.I never did have a mid life crisis,maybe this is one,just later than most people!I have so many mixed feelings about leaving home for so long.I have always just wanted to be a wife and mother.No grand career plans,and now as I face the empty nest,I find myself wandering in a daze.Seeking some sort of fulfillment in my life.It really surprizes me,the people who I thought would be the most critical of this adventure have been suppotive.The ones I looked to for support,well,they have let me down.I guess you just can't figure out people.The next entry here will be from the trail.My dear husband,who by the way is my biggest supporter will be transcribing my journal entries.That will be a hard task for him,because he will want to re write and correct all of my run on sentences! But,I threatened him,so hopefully he will just transcribe for me.I cannot wait to get on the trail. Years of dreaming, months of preparation days of training,and minutes of worrying now the time to leave is almost here.With mixed emotions ,from sadness to joy,I take the first step and then another!Until next time......
Date: 2003-03-26
From: She is off!

To: Helen, Ga. 
Miles today: 30.0

She's off! This entry is by Jerry (her husband/support/transcriber)Not sure what happened to her first journal entry which she sent from Blairsville, Ga. Thought I'd let everyone know she was on her way. I surprised them near Neels Gap with a cabin for one last goodbye. They, bumpkin and mud butt were in good spirits and ready to continue when I dropped them (shoved them off) at Neels Gap this morning. Helen, Ga. is their next rest (o miles day) this Sunday. 30 miles behind them, 2138 to go! I'll transcribe her journal as soon as it shows? Jerry
Date: 2003-03-28
From: Neels Gap 

To: Wildcat Mountain
Miles today: 6.9

Starting point Neel's GapDestination Wildcat Mtn.Anne, I first must ask your forgivness for the punctuation or lack of with these notes.This keyboard screen is so small,and I know I have run on paragraghs.Please clean these up for me before printing them.Our plan of an early start today was side tracked by a visit to a chiropractor here in Blairsville.Evidently I did more damage than I thought when I fell,because it was very difficult getting out of bed this morning.I contemplated trying to hike to the next town,which is Helen,Ga.but gut feelings won out in the end.It was a good thing too,because I had wrenched my back and threw my hip out.After an adjustment,heat packs and an exray or two to make sure there was no disk damage,I left feling much much better and several dollars lighter!!When I weighed my pack this morning it was at 40 pounds,and that was after I had went through and dumped yet more out for Jerry to take home.Most of it was food but I did send my binoculars home,and then promptly wa!nted them on the trail to view a far off site.   The weather held again today with overcast skies and chilly winds.We had a climb of about 400 ft.up Levelland Mtn,where we stopped for lunch.The water sources are plentiful for the next few days.We are averaging about a mile an hour.That is with breaks and meal stops.We reached Tesnatee Gap about 2 hours before dark.We were both hesitant to camp so close to a road,but the trail went straight up Wildcat Mtn.In the end common sense prevailed and we continued to climb.It seemed the peak just kept eluding us and we were both really tired.At one point I asked Mudbutt if she thought she could sleep in her sleeping bag sitting up.Just about the time I thought we were going to sleep right on the trail,I came to the top to a most comfortable campsite.I hurried back down the trail to let Mudbutt know home was just ahead.We were both to tired to cook so supper for me consisted of the left over steak from last night,a half a bagel slathered in garlic and herb cream cheese,water and a! miniature hershey for dessert. Darkness came in just as we hung our food bags in a tree down the trail and crawled into our tents!I must say I was pretty proud of myself because it only took me two throws to get the rope up and over a limb to hang our bags by! I am not very good at throwing things over anything and usually I am the night's entertainment at the shelters that don't have bear cables.Of course as I lay here in my tent typing,I can't help but wonder about how this mountain got it's name.The night will tell!! total miles 6.9 .Until then this is,Bumpkin (who will sleep with one ear listening for wildcats!)
Date: 2003-03-29
From: Wildcat Mountain

To: Chattahoochee Gap
Miles today: 9.6

starting point Wildcat Mtn.destination;Chattahoochee GapThe night was uneventful,no strange animal sounds.I slept better last night than other times on the trail.One early hiker came by before we got up,and we visited with him for a few minutes.I had a cold breakfast ,a cinnamon raisin bagel slathered in peanut butter.I did take the time to mix a glass of milk to wash the bagel down.The skies were overcast but no rain.Early on we climbed up high enough on the trail that we spent most of the day in the clouds.It was as if the clouds were playing tag with the mountain tops.Today was my favorite day on the trail.It was neat to look ahead and watch the trail disappear into the fog.Of course,the humidity was pretty high and ever so often a cold drop would find it's way down my back. All morning I thought about a hot cup of cocoa to go with my lunch.We had decided to take a long lunch break and cook a hot meal.We got to Low Gap Shelter at noon and it was full of fraternity brothers out doing trail maintenance.i fired up my stove and put water on to heat.Then I rummaged through my food bag for the hot chocolate.It was no where to be found.A hiker named John came to my rescue though with an offer of mocha!It never tasted so grand,and I enjoyed it imminsley.The rest of the day we saw no one at all.   We made it to Chattahoochee Gap just as the temperature started dropping again.The wind had already been blowing pretty briskly.We would get chilled if we slowed down at all.There was a sharp turn to the right of the trail that descended and was pretty well out of the wind,so we called it home and set up camp.It was a steep hike down to the water source but we were both out of water.By the time we got water and got super cooked food bags hung we were getting really cold.Our breath hung in front of us like a miniature cloud.It was 6:15 when we climbed into the warmth of our bags.Just a few minutes later a tired weary voice called out to us.It was another couple of thru hikers.Boy,were they ever glad to see us!I think they were just a wee bit scared.They quickly set up camp ,ate and then turned in for the night.They have a folk band called Good Grass Consort.Between the two of them they play over 20 twenty different instruments.They are in their mid twentys.It was somewhat !comforting to have more campers with us tonight.Today was our longest day to date.We did 9.6 miles today and still feel pretty good.   I am certainly looking forward to a motel room tomorrow night at Helen,Ga.We are going to wash our clothes and resupply our food and sleep in a real bed!total miles today 9.6