morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-03-07
To: The Fun Continues
Miles today: 0.0

We had our first practice breakfast...poptarts. Yum. Then we listened to a speaker on backpacks which was really helpful. We bought our AT guide book. Whoo hoo! After lunch we headed out to the Approach Trail. Just finding where to go was a challenge. We asked someone how to get to the stairs. He said, "If you go that way you can climb DOWN the stairs." Oh, no. Not me. I insist we will climb UP the stairs. It's 604 steps and it was tough. I told myself we would do 50 steps and then rest, which we did. That's a lie! I never made it over 42 steps without stopping to catch my breath. Dave did better and would go ahead and then wait for me. But check out the photo section for today. I was still smiling at the top.We had a good laugh while we were sitting and resting. Dave said, "We shouldn't have eaten such a big lunch." I said, "We only had a little sandwich!" He said,"Oh, I guess it was the 48 hamburgers we ate before we got here!"When we got back to the lodge he said we should walk to the car to get our hiking poles. What? Walk to the car now? I almost told him to go get them and I would wait right where I was, but then I remembered that this whole thing was MY idea and I quietly followed him to the parking lot.I will try not to write too much every day. I'm still figuring out how to manage this site so PLEASE look at the pictures under PHOTOS! It took me a LONG time to get them uploaded!*Quote: "All in all, it was about 5 times harder than expected, which is not bad since I told myself it would be 10 times harder than I could expect."
Date: 2015-03-08
To: Who Can Sleep??
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, I cannot sleep so I will write. Tomorrow is our biggest and final day of this test trip. We have maybe around 7 miles to finish the Approach Trail. With our packs on. We will be heading out in the morning and see how far we can get. The plan is to camp on the trail tomorrow night. After today's hike I can report that I recovered well. My legs are not even stiff or sore. Of course I'm lying in bed right now so I'll see in the morning how I really feel! Dave rolled over in bed tonight and said, "Can we just forget this whole thing if I promise you a whole month in Florida?" We both laughed but I think he meant every word!(I have tried repeatedly to get the most current entry to come up first when someone opens the journal but it just will not change. If anyone knows how to do it, please leave me instructions in the guestbook. Thanks!)
Date: 2015-03-08
To: A Big Day!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

What a diet and exercise plan this is! We walked for 7 hours yesterday and went about 7 miles. You could say we are on the SLOW hiking plan. But we were, after all, climbing a mountain.It was the uphill that killed me. I had to stop and heave air every 50 feet. The downhills hurt my left hip. I guess I liked the flat sections the best! LOL I don't think Dave ever even took a deep breath.The weather could not have been more perfect. My coat and scarf were soon shed and I hiked in short sleeves all day. The most valuable gear were my hiking poles. They saved me from several falls. So far, I haven't fallen, I haven't cried, I refrained from spitting, and I prayed a lot of "Help me, Lord!" I also could not do without my bandana. I'm blowing my nose constantly. There's nothing glamorous happening out here. Now we are in our tent with a little rain coming down. I am toasty warm in my sleeping bag and slept really good. I was so glad. Until I looked at my phone and it was 12:45 AM. Now I'm in for a long night I'm afraid. Can't play on my phone as I am supposed to be saving my battery. All is well and I am still thankful to be out here.*Quote: "It is OK - perfectly OK - to stand talking to someone while their nose is dripping on their coat. It isn't even worth mentioning. My nose is probably dripping on my coat too!"
Date: 2015-03-10
To: Springer Mountain!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I did sleep off and on, hearing the light rain hitting our tent. Thankfully, we were staying dry inside...no leaks! It was still mostly dark outside, but I was feeling anxious about getting packed up for the day. Our stuff was everywhere! If you know my husband, that is not his style! Order, please! That's what he likes. So I started fumbling in the semi-darkness, sorting through things and pulling out what we would need for hiking in the rain. Soon Dave started stirring and we made eye contact. I was thinking he was going to say, "This is crazy! This is not for us! What are we doing out here in a tent in the rain!" But he leaned over and gave me a little kiss. And I knew it was going to be a good day. I am welling up with tears now just remembering my relief and love for him for being "in" on this wild ride.We walked down to the privy together (real romance!) and saw that there were 5 hikers sleeping in the shelter and 6 tents around the campsites. We apparently were the first ones up. Thankfully, the rain stopped and it was just slightly misty. We got everything packed into our backpacks, put on our rain pants just to stay warm, and headed out to the trail. We had a mile and a half to go to the top of Springer Mountain, where the real AT begins. Then there was another mile to hike to get down to the parking lot where we would get a ride back to the lodge and our car.We had heard it was a steep climb to the top, and I was nervous. I had already learned that uphills were hard for me, and Dave had to constantly stop and wait while I gasped for air. But it wasn't that bad. Not easy, but doable. We got to the top...the rock where it all begins for Northbounders, and ends for Southbounders. There were several hikers up there celebrating and getting ready for their thru-hike to Maine. I was a little jealous (well, a lot jealous) and it was so deflating when people asked us how far we were going, and we lamely said, "We're going home." It just felt sad. But we got our picture taken at the plaque, and then we were off to the parking lot. This was the coolest trail of all, so far. All downhill, so that made me happy. It was wet and muddy and full of slippery rocks and roots that you just had to find your way through. It was challenging, but fun and I could keep up with Dave. Yay!We caught a ride (our first hitch) and hit the road for home. We arrived about 10:00 PM, tired and stiff and thoroughly pleased with the whole experience.I have lots more to say and questions to answer, so keep coming back! And thanks for all your prayers!*Quote: "We're not dead yet!"
Date: 2015-03-11
To: Home!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We got down the mountain roads and onto the interstate. It was around 12:30 PM. And that¢s when Dave became mayor of the roads. Dave drives the interstate very seriously. He watches every vehicle, its placement, its speed, its moves¢¦and he talks.¢Why is that car moving there?¢ and ¢That blue van is speeding up and slowing down, speeding up and slowing down.¢¢Just relax,¢ I said. ¢You don¢t need to manage every vehicle on the road.¢Dave: ¢Look at that guy! He needs to make up his mind what he¢s doing!¢Me: ¢Don¢t worry about it. Just drive!¢Dave: ¢Did you just see that truck pull out to pass? Now he¢s gonna go 1 mile an hour faster than that other truck and slow up all the traffic!¢I finally said, ¢YOU NEED TO GO BACK TO THE WOODS!!¢And we both started laughing and looked at each other, knowing no one will ever know what we really went through the last few days. It was hard but it was fun, and there was a lot of laughing together. We need that sometimes.So we are back home and I¢m sorting and cleaning our ¢stuff¢ while Dave has started a trucking job hauling concrete. Back to reality.Now to answer a question: Are there other people around?Yes, especially this time of year. According to Trail Journals, 167 hikers are starting this month. And that¢s just registered hikers on their site. So there are actually many more, and the majority of AT hikers start at Springer Mountain and hike north to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Besides those, there are lots of day hikers and hikers doing sections of the trail. We were on the Approach Trail, and there are fewer hikers there, but still we passed, I mean were passed, by lots of hikers. At our shelter there were about 15 people sleeping in the shelter or in tents. But we heard that on the actual AT, one hiker saw 72 other hikers in one day.Fact: Generally 1 in 4 who attempt a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail successfully completes the journey.*Quote: "People keep asking me how much fun I¢m having. As I said to Joe the Hiker the other day, ¢It¢s somewhere between Disney World and slamming your hand in a car door.¢
Date: 2015-03-13
To: Makes Me Sick!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I¢m just sick about it that I don¢t have more pictures. How did that happen? Because I didn¢t have any pockets for my phone/camera. As soon as I ditched my coat the first day, I had to have Dave carry my phone. Now remember, I was slower than Dave. I was holding him up. He was patient and kind, but sometimes you gotta be smart. And asking for my phone to stop and take pictures didn¢t seem like the best idea at the time.So after looking at pictures, reading and studying and preparing for years for this adventure, when I actually got there I didn¢t get to document it like I wanted to. We hurried too much and were too nervous about it all to relax and take all the pictures we wanted. So first on my list of things I need is pants with deep pockets in them, that I can get to with a backpack on. This picture is on the Approach Trail from Springer Mountain to the parking lot. You can see how rocky and full of roots it was and we had to pick our way carefully. But it was all downhill, so I was loving it. There are more pictures in the photo section for today.*Quote: A wise man said, ¢You know, idiot, you are hiking the Appalachian Mountains. Which part of mountains did you not understand?¢
Date: 2015-03-14
To: Food on the Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Many have asked about what we ate while hiking. I had done all that reading and had carefully shopped for food that we could pack in our backpacks, that wasn't too heavy, and would be easy to fix. The plan was Poptarts and oatmeal for breakfast, wraps with chicken or tuna and cheese for lunch, and noodles, mashed potatoes, or other packaged food we could just add hot water to for dinner. Very easy. Well we never bothered with the oatmeal for breakfast and we ate the Poptarts while resting after hiking awhile. For lunch we had the wraps. The chicken was from a package and was yucky. Smelled and looked a lot like cat food. We wouldn't have eaten it at home, and it wasn't appealing on the trail, either. But that's what we had, so we put that in our tortilla wrap. The cheese had been packed way too far in advance, so I had decided the day before to throw it all out. So we had tortillas with chicken, and some of our snacks of candy bars and snack mix. When we got to our campsite, I was ready to get out our little Jetboil stove and make dinner, but Dave was not into it. He is a minimalist, for sure, and thought it was unnecessary to make anything hot. I was all about pleasing him so he would continue the trip so once again we just snacked on what we had. So we will revamp our eating plan. Cold cereal with powdered milk in cold water, more Poptarts, and maybe some prepackaged meals that I test before we go out again. If it isn't something we would eat at home, it's not going with us.I'm sure we will be hungry when we get to towns and hot foods are available. Quote: Father to his 13 year old son before heading out on their hike: "What do you think about eating crap for the next 6 months?" Son: "Huh? We've been eating crap for years!"
Date: 2015-03-15
To: Lessons We Learned
Miles today: 0.0

This is just a list of simple things we learned on our hike:1.We did good at keeping our pack weight down. Mine ¢ 26 pounds. Dave¢s ¢ 29 pounds. And we learned a few things we can do to get them a little lighter yet.2.It is OK, and in our case it worked perfectly, to carry your water bladder on the outside of your pack. We had it strapped to one side of Dave¢s pack, opposite the tent poles.3.Fill up with water at any good source you come across, as you might not find another good stream before you run out. Drink up at the source also to stay well hydrated.4.Hiking poles were essential pieces of gear for us.5.A scarf or headband for my hair is essential for me.6.A bandana was another essential item while hiking.7.I need to carry my own phone if I want to take pictures while hiking.8.I need pants with pockets so I can carry my phone!9.There often isn¢t a signal in the mountains, so you can¢t always make calls or update the journal while hiking.10.Rain pants, if clean and dry, are good for sleeping in to keep warm.11.Put the tent on level ground to prevent sliding off the sleeping mat.12.Take waterproof gloves.13.You don¢t HAVE to eat hot food while hiking on the trail.14.You CAN poop in the woods if you absolutely HAVE to.15.Don¢t say to your hiking partner, ¢I don¢t think you¢re going to make it!¢ I MADE IT JUST FINE! I JUST NEEDED TO STOP AND BREATHE!*Quote: "Ignorance is sometimes bliss, but mostly not."
Date: 2015-03-16
To: Pain!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

They say you overpack for what you fear. This is what I found in my purse, suitcase, and backpack when I unpacked. I guess I was afraid of a little pain??(Don¢t worry, it¢s just aspirin, Ibuprofen, Aleve and Alka-Seltzer. And I came home with this much, so take that as proof that I¢m not a pill addict!)Physically we did great! Better than any of my expectations. Our feet did not hurt. No blisters. Knees held up fine. No twisted ankles. Heartburn under control. Any aches or pains we felt were quickly dissolved with just little periods of rest.For all of this, we were very thankful!*Quote: "My feet are aching, and my knees are a bit sore and my shoulders are tired, but I am a hiker and that¢s how we feel."
Date: 2015-03-17
To: Beauty on the Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What? Beauty? Did you see that picture on the left? Let¢s discuss that knitted scarf. I took that along because we were expecting it might be cold on the mountain in early March. It was beautiful weather, but the scarf did do its job to keep my neck warm and the hair out of my face.Let¢s discuss my hair. I don¢t have hair suitable for the trail. It¢s not ¢brush-it-back, pony-it-up and it looks great¢ hair. Cutting it all off is not an option. I¢ve been growing it out for months and it almost goes in a pony tail, but it is still straggly and falls into my eyes. AND once the scarf, or whatever hat I might wear, is taken off¢¦well, I just won¢t take it off, that¢s all. (Sigh)And did you notice that snot rag in the picture hanging from the scarf? Oh my. Beauty is just a lost cause when it comes to me hiking in the woods. For those who know...don't I look like my mom???
Date: 2015-03-18
To: Can You Hear Me Now?
Miles today: 0.0

If you aren't real tech savvy at home, you won't be a whiz at technology in the "wilderness" either. There are a lot of gadgets and products out there that hikers can use to stay in touch with home and the outside world, some for safety, some for entertainment. People bring Kindles, or tablets, Ipods, etc. There are GPS systems specifically designed for the trail, cameras that attach to your hiking poles, and on and on. Our form of communication, as well as our camera, is just the cell phone. Because you only get to town and an electrical outlet about every 4 - 5 days, I plan to get an external battery to give me longer charges. I have lots of storage on my phone, so I can download books, movies, and music for long evenings in the tent. Getting a signal on the trail can be difficult. Mostly, the phone will be turned off while hiking, but turned on at the mountain summits or open spaces to check for a signal. There could be a few days when communication will not happen, and journal entries may be delayed for awhile.I'm sure there are hikers out there who have good ideas and suggestions of useful products...sign the guestbook...I'd love to get some help from you!*Fact: The more you carry, the more you will enjoy your camping.         The less you carry, the more you will enjoy your HIKING!
Date: 2015-03-19
To: The Dream
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I think I've answered about all the questions we've gotten about the trail, except for one: Why on earth would we even think about doing such a thing?So my next journal entries will tell about our journey getting to the trail. If you're interested, keep reading. Otherwise, I will let you know when we get back on the trail for real, next time.Fall, 2010We are thinking about taking the challenge of walking the Appalachian Trail. I have several initial thoughts. First of all, ¢walking¢ is a misnomer. The more I study and read, the more I realize this is not an easy walk in the woods, but there is lots of strenuous climbing, lots of navigating over rocky terrain, lots of slippery, treacherous pathways. I wonder if we can physically do it.And there are bears. A lot of people are excited about seeing bears. I am just slightly anxious about the bears. But mice! It sounds like there are lots of mice, and this year I¢ve read two mentions of rats in the shelters. I¢m extremely anxious about the rodent factor. I will be sleeping in a tent rather than a shelter wherever possible. There are also snakes to consider, but those don¢t frighten me as much. So the ¢wildlife¢ is a concern.Then there is the weather. I read of snow, and I hate to be cold. Lots of rain, which is obviously wet, and wet clothes and feet do not sound fun. In fact, some people have damaged their feet for life walking the AT. Some complain of heat and humidity during the summer months of the walk, but I tend to enjoy the heat. Dave, on the other hand, does not. I do realize, though, that ¢enjoying the heat¢ isn¢t considering carrying a pack on my back, fighting dehydration, or not having the luxury of respite air-conditioning at the end of the day, or showers, or decent bathrooms.So the conclusion is that we will start the trek with high hopes and enthusiasm. However, if at any point we find it too hard, too scary, too dangerous, too lonely, or just too crazy, we will make our exit without regrets and our heads held high, with some good stories to tell, I¢m sure.The planning and the dreaming have been fun anyway.*Quote: "There will be plenty of times the trail isn't fun. There will be tough stuff and fun stuff. Good days and bad days. But if it's something you really want to do...almost a passion of sorts, then you have a good chance of getting through it to the end."
Date: 2015-03-20
To: HYOH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

March 28, 2011I am reading AT journals. Some are more fascinating than others but I am learning from all of them. There are ¢rules¢ for walking the trail, it seems. A thru-hiker walks the entire trail. A strict thru-hiker will skip no miles, take no short-cuts, follow every whiteblaze sign. I would normally be a strict thru-hiker. I like things nice and tidy and want to be able to say I did it perfectly. However, as I read journals, it seems that people who are a little more relaxed with their rules have more fun and more experiences. I hope we will last a while on the trail, that we will adjust to the difficulties of walking and sleeping in the woods, and that I will allow myself to be spontaneous and flexible. BUT, truthfully, I am pretty bossy. I like a plan and I like to stick to it. Poor Dave.A common saying on the trail is HYOH, or ¢Hike Your Own Hike.¢ No peer pressure. No unnecessary rules. It¢s a good concept and hopefully we¢ll remember it when we enter the trail culture. I ought to start practicing now!*Quote: "Determination is a powerful thing!"
Date: 2015-03-21
To: My Apologies!
Miles today: 0.0

Related to yesterday¢s post and the concept of HYOH, I am taking the risk of sharing another quote from my readings of Trail Journals. Now, I have to say, I have been posting quotes in nearly every entry here. Without permission. My apologies. I have no idea who might have originally written them. So if I quote you, any Trail Journal people, I hope you won¢t be angry but will take it as a compliment. Here is a quote of someone concerned¢¦OK, a little angry¢¦at hikers who obsess over perfection on the trail. Thank you to whoever wrote it in their journal¢¦I am trying to learn ahead of time how to roll with the flow!"There are a couple of things that annoy me: Weather Nazi and Map Guru. They are usually combined in one but occasionally could be separate. These people listen religiously to their radios and obsess over their elevation profiles on their maps. Now there is nothing wrong with either of these except when they proceed to tell ME all the useless information they have learned. The weather is for some town far away or hundreds of feet lower in elevation, so it is usually wrong. The elevation profiles usually make the climbs and descents seem worse than they really are. I don¢t care about the weather report and I don¢t care about the elevations! I just hike. If it is raining and steep climbs, then I¢ll climb until I¢m tired and cold. If it is a beautiful day, then I¢ll hike until I¢m tired. I just walk; why make it more complicated. It¢s about the journey, the people you meet, and the experiences, not about doing 20 miles, day after day. I think that¢s stupid. Sorry if you are a mileage Nazi and do 20 miles day after day and have passed every single white blaze and are offended that I said that I really don¢t care! Hike your own hike, I guess, but 10 years from now I hope to still be in touch with all these cool people and what will you be able to say? That you finished in 4 months instead of 6 and you touched every white blaze. I¢ll call myself a thru-hiker, everyone else will call both of us thru-hikers, but I will have the experiences and the friends and what will you have?" Trail Journal Friends: I cannot figure out how to add a few extra pictures to the Photo section. I have them updoaded to the site, but how do I get them on the photo list? I can only get the one picture that I put on my daily entry. Any help out there?
Date: 2015-03-23
To: Doesn't look good!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

FUN FACTS¢¢The trail is roughly 2,180 miles long, passing through 14 states.¢¢Thousands of volunteers contribute roughly 220,000 hours to the AT every year. ¢¢More than 250 three-sided sleeping shelters exist along the trail. ¢¢Virginia is home to the most miles of the trail (about 550), while West Virginia Maryland and West Virginia are the easiest states to hike; New Hampshire and Maine are the hardest. ¢¢The total elevation gain of hiking the entire AT is equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times. Wait! What?? Like climbing Mount Everest 16 times??Here is a picture of me in the summer of 2013. We had just climbed 130 steps to the top of Starved Rock in central Illinois. Yes, I was putting on a little bit of a show with my ragged, worn out look for the picture, but seriously, it was not easy dragging my overweight body up those steps. It did not bode well for climbing the 600+ stairs on the Approach Trail of the AT. Let alone climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest 16 times!So it¢s off to the gym and the sidewalk for the next several weeks to get myself in better shape for the upcoming hike. We don¢t have the hills or rocks or roots to navigate, but if a lighter pack makes the hike easier, I suppose a lighter body will help too!*Quote: "At 10 AM I had the thought, "This is the worst idea you have had in years!"