morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-12-23
To: The Birds Love Me!
Miles today: 0.0

I can¢t get to the bird feeder in the back yard as yet. The snow is too deep. I¢d have to start at my front drive way, shovel around the side of the house, shovel out the big wooden gate, and then shovel all the way to the bird feeder. I had just filled it before the snow, which was much appreciated, judging from the daily attendance records since last Saturday. Cardinals and Jays, of course, and Nuthatches and Titmouses (Titmice??), and Juncos ¢ lots of Juncos, and a pair of Carolina Wrens, and a whole passel of sparrows ¢ house and song sparrows, and I don¢t know who all else. This morning, I figured it must be empty, as there were very few birds around. Mostly there were just Juncos scratching in the snow for the odd sunflower seed. So I went out to the garage and opened the trunk of my car where I keep their food. I used to leave it on a shelf in the garage, but every once in a while someone would forget to close the garage door immediately and the Chipmunks would get into the seed and scatter it all over. What a mess. Back into the house I go, through the kitchen to the family room.   I open the back door and throw three big handfuls of sunflower seeds onto the still-frozen undulating surface of white stuff. Black on white ¢ stark. Picturesque, sort of. I wondered how long it would take them to discover my largess. I went up to take a shower. I¢m working this week. The rest of the family was still sleeping. When I came back down there was a good sized crowd at my back door. Birds, mostly, with a couple of hungry looking squirrels thrown in for good measure. I¢ll probably have to do that again when I get home tonight. They looked pretty happy, those birds. I love to watch my birds. I think they love me, too.   Life is good. 80 more days¢¦
Date: 2009-12-26
To: Search Update 
Miles today: 0.0

The search for the missing 11 year old girl was suspended early yesterday afternoon, except for searches to be carried out by law enforcement personnel. That is sometimes an indication that additional information has come to light that helps to focus the location of the search. Not long after, I received a page from ASRC Dispatch saying that the search was over, ¢Status 3¢. That¢s not the news everyone had been hoping for. According to a news report: ¢Law enforcement officials have found the body of an 11 year old girl who police say was kidnapped from her bedroom by a registered sex offender." On principle, I am not generally in favor of the death penalty. But I¢m prepared to make exceptions. Sorry. I¢m not in a very good mood today.
Date: 2009-12-28
To: Answers to the name "Lucky"...
Miles today: 0.0

I was going over my gear this weekend, focusing mainly on my winter clothing. One item that seemed a ¢given¢ was the hat that I wore on my first hike in ¢05, and that I wore again last year until l fell off the trail with injuries. It¢s a bit worn from being laundered so many times, but it fits well and I like how it looks. It¢s made out of some kind of synthetic fiber ¢ nylon or polyester or some such. I don¢t know much about fabrics, but I know it¢s the kind that ¢wicks¢. That way, whether it¢s rain, snow, or simply perspiration, if it gets wet I know it will dry fairly quickly and be ready to go again the next morning. I like it mostly for the ¢bill¢ that keeps the precipitation off my face and the sun out of my eyes. It does a crap job of keeping the sun off the top of my ears, of course, which is why I have to remember to put sun screen on them twice a day until the trees leaf out in the spring. Because of the ears thing, I¢ve been tempted to try one of those wide-brim hats ¢ like old men wear. For obvious reasons, however, I just couldn¢t relate. You understand. So I¢m lookin' at my favorite, old trusty hat, and I¢m thinking: ¢Yeah. I¢ll wear it again this time. It¢s my lucky hat.¢ Then I thought some more. And it occurred to me, I¢d heard that line before. I think it was probably one of those old Reader¢s Digest jokes. The one about the lost dog:¢Lost Dog¢, the sign said. ¢Medium size dog, black with white spots.   Tail injured in fight, one ear missing, limps on left hind foot from car accident. Answers to the name 'Lucky'.¢Ok, so on my FIRST hike, I make it 162 miles to Fontana Dam where I discover I¢ve suffered a stress fracture in my right tibia and a meniscus tear in my right knee which, together, keep me off the trail recuperating for a period of six weeks. On my SECOND hike, I make it a bit over 400 miles, to Denis Cove, Tennessee, when I suffer from toe infections that, this time, take me off the trail entirely. And this is my LUCKY hat???   Hmmmmmm¢¦I think I may stop by my local REI store on my way home tonight. I hear they¢re having some pretty good sales on winter stuff. I might see what they have available in the way of millinery. For young-type guys, like me.
Date: 2010-01-05
To: Dreams, Wishes, and Normal Life
Miles today: 0.0

There¢s a post on the ¢at-list¢ email site today that reminds me of why I originally wanted to hike the A.T. It also reminds me of why ¢ when I get back from my hike ¢ I really want to live, at least part of the time, on a farm in Tennessee. The post refers to a conversation about the end of the world, and what one would do if confronted with an irrefutable prediction that the end of the world truly was about to occur. The quote is from Marcel Proust, who said:¢I think that life would suddenly seem wonderful to us if we were threatened to die as you say. Just think of how many projects, travels, love affairs, studies, it ¢ our life ¢ hides from us, made invisible by our laziness which, certain of a future, delays them incessantly.But let all this threaten to become impossible forever, how beautiful it would become again! Ah! If only the cataclysm doesn¢t happen this time, we won¢t miss visiting the new galleries of the Louvre, throwing ourselves at the feet of Miss X, making a trip to India. The cataclysm doesn¢t happen, we don¢t do any of it, because we find ourselves back in the heart of normal life, where negligence deadens desire. And yet we shouldn¢t have needed the cataclysm to love life today. It would have been enough to think that we are humans, and that death may come this evening.¢He¢s right, of course. We all have our dreams and wishes, some of them foremost in our mind, others only vague longings in response to a dimly perceived gap in time or space where peace, or joy, or affection, or excitement or whatever it is that is missing from our life resides. I wrote on Sunday of the ¢siren song¢ of the trail ¢ the dangers of too much freedom for an extended period of time ¢ followed, inevitably, by a return to normal life where, as Proust points out, ¢negligence deadens desire¢. However much we may regret having to return, I know of no one who has every concluded that it was a mistake to have set out for Maine in the first place! The memories of those incredible days and nights on the trail sustain us in the believe that wonderful things ARE possible, that dreams need not be stillborn out of laziness or neglect.It¢s like the old Buddhist saying I quoted in another entry: ¢The solution to every problem carries within it the seeds of the next problem.¢ Given the choice, I¢ll take the one where I¢ve hiked the trail from Georgia to Maine -- or at least have gotten as far as my body and spirit will carry me. And then, like Ms. Scarlett, I¢ll worry about what to do next ¢tomorrow¢. In the meanwhile, having learned the secret ¢ ¢that death may come this evening¢ ¢ I¢m working, in my spare time, on finding that perfect little piece of land, somewhere in eastern Tennessee, north of Dennis Cove, and south of Damascus. I¢ve got big plans for that little piece of land. Big plans.
Date: 2010-01-06
To: Mission Delayed
Miles today: 0.0

For those of you who have inquired about whether my trip to Yemen is still on -- the answer is no. I just heard back from our office in Sana'a that they'd like to delay the trip until they see how things develop over the coming days. C'est la vie.I must confess that I have somewhat mixed emotions over this development. I was pretty well psyched up to go ahead -- with additional precautions, of course. The four star, foreign-owned hotel thing, for example, would be out. And, while most travel to Yemen has been suspended, except for "essential missions", there was a reasonable argument that my mission was important enough in relation to the country's development efforts that we should at least propose going ahead. I'm working in the water sector, where scarcity is a critical and growing concern, and the focus of my attention is on improving governance and reducing corruption in the management of the sector. In addition to its development impact, this is the sort of initiative, along with improvements in health care, education, and rural employment, that will be essential for reducing the appeal of extremists within the society.      On the other hand, I'm not really a believer in taking unnecessary chances. Bottom line: I'm ok with the decision, which was made by people on the ground who are in the best position to make that call. Now I just have to hope that the mission can be rescheduled for sometime in February. See, I have this clock that's ticking, and when the big hand gets to March, and the little hand gets to 13, I'm outta here!What I don't want to have happen again THIS year, is for someone to convince me I really need to travel to the other side of the world just before I leave for my hike. Last year, I flew almost non-stop from New Delhi to Atlanta. Actually, I left India in the middle of their Thursday night, flew for about 20 hours, arrived into Washington Dulles at 6 pm on our Friday night, and then flew out of Dulles to Atlanta at 8 the next morning. I was totally jet-lagged from Springer to Neels Gap. Not gonna do that again. Wouldn't be prudent. Not gonna do it!That's the plan, at least...
Date: 2010-01-08
To: Cold Weather Tips 
Miles today: 0.0

I don¢t know how the rest of you are faring, but we¢ve had arctic blasts this week, and more are expected this weekend. I¢m thinking this is going to be perfect weather for field-testing my gear with an overnight in the back yard! A friend of mine was also asking me if I had any tips for backpacking in cold weather. I thought I might share some of what I passed along. Most of you probably know all this already, but just in case¢¦Don¢t let: Your water get hard: ¢¢        If Camelback-type water system ¢ be sure you have an insulated sip tube¢¢        Protect water bottles/bladders from freezing over night¢¢        Don¢t forget to protect water filters as well ¢ any water that remains in them will freeze making the filter inoperable!Your sleep pad get soft: inflatable sleep pads can leak, leaving you sleeping in almost direct contact with the ground. A closed-foam ¢sit pad¢ can come in handy, along with your pack, for keeping you off the frozen tundra. Your hands get cold: gloves are essential, but a spare pair of mittens will allow your fingers to keep each other warm. (In a glove, it¢s every finger for him/her self!). Your boots get stiff: put wet and muddy boots into your sleeping bag with you. Oh, wait; first place the boots in a sturdy plastic bag, and THEN put them into your nice clean sleeping bag. Your fires go out: carry some light-weight ¢firestarters¢ (http://www.basegear.com/wetfiretinder.html) and water-proof matches, in addition to your lighter. Oh, and speaking of lighters, it¢s really easy to burn your fingers trying to get a stuborn stove or campfire going. My solution: a candle-lighter lighter that allows you to pull out the ¢extension¢ part (http://www.basegear.com/candlelighter.html). Your toes freeze at night: After dinner, and before putting my stove away, I boil a liter of water for my Nalgene bottle, which I place in the foot of my sleeping bag after carefully making sure the lid is screwed on tight. (It¢s a down bag, so I don¢t trust anything other than a Nalgene jar.)Your Friends get the ¢umbles¢:   Hypothermia is a dangerous foe. One problem is that you may not recognize your own situation until it is too late. Looking out for your friends, therefore, can be really important. Obvious symptoms include ¢the umbles¢ ¢ as in mumble, stumble, and tumble. Act immediately and aggressively to warm the person up: DRY clothes; into a sleeping bag ¢ two (one inside the other) would be better; combined with hot water bottles/hand warmers, etc.; and, if conscious, hot tea or soup. Anyone have some additional tips? Pass them along via my Guest Book. Stay warm, Longhaul
Date: 2010-01-12
To: Bills of Health 
Miles today: 0.0

Last week I saw my dentist for the annual check-up. He found a cavity, which he filled, and a cracked root under a crown. Soooo, we¢re going to do the exact same thing we did LAST year at this time: a stimulus plan. A bailout of my local Dental Arts Center. We¢re going to disburse large sums of money for infrastructure construction ¢ a bridge, in my particular case. It appears to be a shovel ready project, with excavation likely to be completed within the next week or so. With the usual Keynesian ¢multiplier¢ effect, I expect this stimulus to finally put the national economy into recovery mode. The real economy will take off, supporting a continued improvement in the stock market. You¢re welcome! This morning I saw my orthopedic surgeon for a check up on the knee he replaced after my ¢05 hike. My concern was whether there might have been any impact from the bone infection I suffered last summer, as a consequence of my ¢09 hike. He gave me a clean bill of health, and a prescription for more of those little pick pills ¢ the magic ones that take away the pain and swelling in my knee after a 17 mile day on the trail. He said to have a good time, and he¢ll see me when I get back.I really like Dr. Madden. He saved my first hike with some fast-track arthroscopic surgery to clean up the meniscus tear in my knee, plus providing those little pink pills without which I would never have made it to Katahdin. We also talked about my plans for the Winter Olympics today. He didn¢t see any problem with my idea to sign up for the luge, but suggested I re-think my conclusion about not being eligible for the summer games. He said he could absolutely see me as competitive in synchronized swimming. I hadn¢t thought of that! The buoyancy of the water would make it possible, despite my knee and back problems. You see what an encouraging guy he is! It was only on my way home in the car that I remembered why I had hadn¢t focused on that sport earlier on. I could be wrong, but I THINK that¢s a girls sport¢¦   Let¢s don¢t¢ even go there!
Date: 2010-01-14
To: A BEAR !!!!!
Miles today: 0.0

I was reading Kelly Collins journal this week, and her latest post had this really cool picture of a bear in it. The bear appears to be only about 20 yards away, and is looking directly into the camera. Which means the bear is looking directly at whoever is HOLDING that camera. I get the willies just looking at that picture! I also can¢t help wishing that I had taken it. Why? Because I¢ve actually had the great good fortune to encounter probably half a dozen bears while hiking on the AT, and I don¢t have a single decent picture of any of them. Not one! I¢m seriously disappointed about that, but not totally, given the variety of outcomes that are possible when one meets up with a bear out in the woods. You see, in my case, every one of those encounters went essentially the same way: As soon as the bear saw me, or discovered my presence, he (or she ¢ I never ask) fled the scene. In every single case, they bolted. Having seen that many bears, I can pretty much predict how I am going to react. What I¢ve often wondered is what goes through THEIR mind. I have to assume, given their reaction, that it is actually pretty similar to what goes through my mind ¢ at least up to a point:¢OH, SHIT! That¢s a BEAR [HUMAN].¢ ¢I¢m standing here, all alone in the woods, unarmed, and THERE¢¦IS¢¦A¢¦BEAR [HUMAN]!¢¢If he decides to attack me, I am going to DIE!¢ At this point in time (which is actually only a few milliseconds after the existence of the bear has registered in my consciousness), our reactions begin to differ. While I remain frozen in place (well, except for that little peeing in my pants thing), the bear has concluded that the wisest course of action is to get the hell out of Dodge. Of course, as soon as he makes that first move to depart, my brain also shifts gears. Abandoning the contemplation of my imminent demise, that part of my brain that controls stupid tourist tricks takes over: ¢I should get a picture of that bear!¢ During the ensuing several milliseconds, while I am fumbling around trying to get my camera out of its pouch and turn it on, the Bear is hauling ass through the underbrush. The end result is disappointing predictable: if I capture anything at all on film, it is a small, dark smudge disappearing over yonder ridge line. It gets awfully tiresome pointing to a small dark smudge on a picture of the forest, and telling your audience: ¢See that black smudge there, between those two trees, that there¢s a BEAR. Honest. You should have seen him. He was only ten yards away when I spotted him!¢ Really tiresome. I signed Kelly¢s guest book, complimenting her on the bear picture, and she wrote back to say that it wasn¢t one she had taken ¢ it was from the ATC¢s website. She went on to say, ¢Hopefully we'll get to see some of those out there as well (only from a distance and preferably not charging!)¢ I couldn¢t agree more. I¢d just add that I hope at last ONE of them will do me the favor of sticking around for a few more seconds. Just until I get my camera out and turned on. More on bears in upcoming entries.
Date: 2010-01-27
To: LifeÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Little Pleasures on the Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Here's my list. Feel free to add yours in my Guest Book.Waking up in the early morning to the sound of loons calling from across the pondRealizing that the rain has stopped and the wind has dried out my tent Putting on dry socks and slipping my feet into dry bootsClimbing a really steep mountain, and getting to the top while I¢m still thinking I¢m only about two-thirds of the way thereHaving the crap scared out of me, and then laughing at myself, when some deer or grouse or turkey suddenly and unexpectedly takes flightThat first reddish-purple trillium blooming next to the trail, a harbinger of warmer days to comeArriving at the shelter at the end of a REALLY LONG DAYGetting to the shelter and finding that the water source is, like, RIGHT THERE!That first, hot spoonful of my evening mealSitting on a log by the campfire, laughing and joking around with my friends Crawling into my tent at the end of the day with enough energy and enthusiasm left to do a decent journal entryFalling asleep at night to the sound of hoot owls and the howling of coyotes off in the distance
Date: 2010-01-28
To: LifeÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Little Pleasures in Town
Miles today: 0.0

Here¢s my list. Feel free to add yours in my Guest Book.Catching a ride into town within the first three minutes of coming down off the mountain to the road crossingGetting to the motel and finding that special delivery package from home with the replacement gear I REALLY, REALLY NEED that I just KNEW my wife would find a way to get to me ¢ even on the shortest notice and in the most remote location Calling home and getting an update on what¢s been going on since my last call home   The first blast of hot water hitting the back of my neck and cascading down over my tired, aching body as I stand, luxuriating, in a shower after four or five days on the trail Putting on freshly laundered clothes after my shower, and feeling almost human againDiscovering an AYCE Mexican restaurant that has really good food, and downing a couple of ice cold Corona¢s in the company of my trail friends ¢ old and new   The sweet, cold taste of that first bite of ice cream; the sweet cold taste of that SECOND bite of ice cream; (etc., etc., etc.)Checking my Pocket Mail account and finding a whole bunch of messages from well-wishers who are following my hike on trailjournals.comFalling asleep tucked between clean sheets, my head on a real pillow, safe from the elements and at peace with the worldWaking up in the morning and watching from my room as the wind-swept rain floods the parking lot of the motel where I¢m taking a zero with my friends
Date: 2010-01-31
To: It's good to be inside...
Miles today: 0.0

At first we were only supposed to get "a dusting". Later, they said maybe an inch or two. Then it was 2-4 inches. When it didn't stop snowing after about six hours, they finally confessed: "6-8 inches of snow for the Washington metropolitan area". I had to shovel my front driveway three times yesterday before it finally quit. It's beautiful out there this morning. I have to say, however, that I'm glad I'm not camping in it. Or hiking in it, for that matter. Before it started, I made sure the bird feeder was full, and replaced the suit trays at each end. I usually try to keep the squirrels out, with a "baffle" about 2/3rds of the way up the pole. But when the water in the bird bath next to the pole freezes over, they find a way. What they do is, they climb half way up the pole, leap from the pole to the bird bath, and then leap from the birdbath to the AYCE buffet at the top of the pole. The junco's don't seem to mind, as they scatter some of the buffet to the ground while they eat. The rest of the birds just wait until the squirrels have had their fill, and then they return. Unless a big ol' black crow swoops in and scares them away. The crows don't stay long, though. It's not a compfortable perch. They just hang on long enough to grab a beak-full of suet and they they leave. My wife likes the cardinals best. With the snow as a backdrop, she says it's like a Christmas Card scene. My favorites are the Red Bellied Woodpeckers. I saw my first one at the feeder this morning. I'm betting he'll be back soon. It's good to be inside on a wintry day like this, with nothing better to do than to watch the wildlife out my kitchen window. I hope Second Stage is doing ok. She was going to start her hike today.