morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-01-28
To: Meals
Miles today: 0.0

the clock is ticking and I am fretting about getting my food packages completed for my resupply boxes. I spent three days in late December creating lots of zip lock bags of breakfast. Looking at the pile, I thought wow, I am making great progress! Then I counted them, 44 in all, looked at my resupply sheet and saw that that is not even HALF of what I need. Oh woe is me! My friend Liz took me to Sam's Club, kindly held my hand as I hyperventilated, while purchasing great quantities (or so it seemed!)of supplies to create the variety of dinners and snacks needed. Once the panic passed, I started breathing again and decided to devote one whole week to meals,and hardly left the house.I set up an assembly line in the kitchen, lining up 10 to 15 ziplock bags at a time, filling each one with ingredients from one recipe. Then I moved on to the next recipe, etc. After 4 days, all the ingredients were gone and it was time to get out the vacuum packer/sealer. Best invention ever! Another two days with spent combining breakfasts and dinners and vacuum sealing them to correspond to each resupply point. Some took as little as three meals; others took a whopping 7 meals. Every pack was labeled with the location and date of arrival so hopefully there won't be any mishaps in putting it all into their shipping boxes. Tomorrow I will get on the phone and order more dehydrated ingredients so the process can continue....
Date: 2016-03-12
To: Preparation Complete!
Miles today: 0.0

Preparation is finally done. (Or is it? Are we ever fully prepared?) 33 boxes of resupply loaded up into my SUV and over I go to a friend¢s house to re-stack them in order of shipping. I feel so fortunate to have such a friend, who, when asked if she would be willing to be my shipping manager, said, sure no problem. Ha! Little does she know what she has gotten herself into! I gotta quick get outta town before she figures it out I have had some inquiries about the food I have prepared, so I will address that now. My most valuable resource is a book by Chef Glenn McAllister called Recipes for Adventure. It is a wonderful compilation of dehydrating various foods, dehydrating meals, using store bought healthy alternatives and supplementing them and lots of recipes. I also found more healthy recipes online at The Yummy Life.com. I ordered dehydrated and freeze dried ingredients from Harmony House and my protein source of freeze dried diced chicken and ground beef came from Food Storage. I purchased cheese powder and tomato powder from another source which I can¢t recall at the moment.Breakfast was easy to do. I am relying on oatmeal to which I added freeze dried fruit (apples, peaches, cherries or apricots), nuts, spices, powdered milk. To give myself a break during the warmer months, I packed store bought breakfast bars. Lunch definitely lacks variety as I am relying on packets of almond butter and jam, tuna packets with mayo packet added, and pepperoni using whole wheat tortillas as the bread. To increase the calorie count and to ease the boredom of the lunches, I have added Mounds bars, KitKats and Peppermint patties, all dark chocolate. Those should get me over the next mountain. Dinners, ahh dinners! These took the most time and effort, but it will be worth it as now I can¢t wait to eat them: 1. Curry rice with chicken and cashews2. Creamy Alfredo noodles with chicken, mushrooms and pine nuts3. Fiesta rice with corn and chicken4. Cous Cous with chicken and vegetables5. Cous Cous with apricots, macadamia nuts and chicken6. Chicken Cacciatore7. Spaghetti with ground beef, mushrooms and tomatoes8. Macaroni and cheese with hamburger9. Cheddar and herb chicken10. Taco Mac and Cheese11. Cheesy rice and beans12. Mexican beef and rice 13. Spinach and beef noodles14. Red Beans and rice with veggies15. Spanish rice with tomatoes and beefAll are meals prepared in the freezer quart zip lock bags to which I only have to add boiling water and let them sit. Cooking in the bags this way saves having to clean the pot! Snacks are the usual variety of turkey jerky, granola bars, cheese/cracker packets and anything I might purchase enroute. The food prep took about two and a half months to complete and hand over to my ¢personal shipping manager¢!Time is flying by. The car is rented for the trip to Atlanta, where friends will take over shuttling me to Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega, GA. I will use the next few days to focus on sorting equipment, packing the backpack and trying very hard not to panic about what lays ahead! Check back in two weeks to see if I survived the first week!!!
Date: 2016-03-22
From: Springer Mountain, GA

To: Stealth camp site
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: clear sky

The moment has arrived! Four of us assembled at the Hiker Hostel last night in preparation for today. I am so fortunate to be joined by my wonderful hiking friends, all Trail Dames extraordinaire. Wild Thang kindly transported me from Atlanta, Fran is driving us to the Springer parking lot, hiking to the summit with us, and Crumpet came from So. Carolina to hike with me for the week! The morning had a leisurely pace to it as we waited for the hostel to clear out before packing up. Packs loaded we headed to Springer. With Fran's car there, we were able to leave our heavy packs in the car while we hiked south .9 miles to the Springer Mountain summit. It was a wonderful warm up for the legs and lungs. At the top, there is a metal drawer inserted into a big rock. Inside the drawer is a notebook where hikers log in. I signed in with date and time, we took pictures and back down we went to retrieve our packs from the car.Today is a beautiful sunny day, in the 60's. Since today was designed to be leisurely, we lunched in a sunny spot in the parking lot before saying goodbye to Fran. Our packs were heavy (30 lbs) but the trail was wide and easy on the feet, so it was an enjoyable hike to our first overnight spot by a creek. Arriving about 3:30, we had time to gather firewood after setting up, and Crumpet soon had a fire blazing. This is a great location where we had camped in November, so it felt like home. In spite of being in familiar territory, it was a relatively sleepless night.Here's a funny tidbit: after having lunch at the parking lot, we met two men who, just arriving, were looking for directions to the top of Springer Mt. They were also thru hikers, age 78! We were chatting with one of them, while I was putting on my pack (I was having a very ungraceful moment, regardless of having done this many times before). Dollar (the man's trail name) watched me, then said: " I have a much better way to put the pack on and I insist on showing you". Really?? I must have appeared terribly helpless. I quickly dissuaded him of his notion and suggested he enjoy carrying his own pack to the top and back down, whereas we were smart enough to have a car to leave them in!Ha ha. Off we set, wondering if they would catch up to us.
Date: 2016-03-23
From: Stealth camp site

To: Horse Gap
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

It took a while to get going this morning, it was just so peaceful by the creek. Wild Thang had gotten the food bags down from the tree in the hopes of moving us along, but it was not to be. After lollygagging, we finally left about 11 am! Off we set for Long Creek falls for our first break spot. It is a beautiful area off the trail just a bit, and well worth the walk. In my previous entries, I have posted a picture. While there we met another thru hiker, Horn, who was taking her time heading north while she worked on her novel. Such interesting people on the trail! The hike today was enjoyable and what made it even more so was the fact that Fran was meeting us at our destination, Horse Gap to join us for camping overnight. She was also bringing dinner!! Cooking it for us! Chicken fajitas, salad, avocados, and all sorts of yummy stuff that no hiker wants to carry. It was to be a feast. Also she was bringing the all important water, as there is none to be had at this particular gap.While waiting for Fran to arrive, we had a chance to look around, and it was not appealing. There were few flat spots for tents and it was very windy. Fran arrived and had 3 suggestions: camp here, drive down the road a bit to a different site, or go to her primitive (no electric or running water) cabin nearby, where we had been fortunate enough to visit in November. Well, the minute she said "cabin" our eyes lit up and the smiles returned. Off we went, and in 40 minutes were settled in the cabin for the night. Soon a delicious dinner was laid out and the feasting began. We ate on the porch looking at the mountain we had just hiked up and down the other side. I was feeling pretty smug looking at it! As darkness fell, Fran got a fire going in the campfire ring. I was way too tired to join them and went to bed. I had a great night sleep. Trail Angel Fran, I thank you so much! But the magic doesn't end here...
Date: 2016-03-24
From: Horse Gap

To: Gooch Gap campsites
Miles today: 6.7

after a great night's sleep, I was raring to go, but who could pass up sitting on the porch with my morning cuppa tea. So that is what I did. Shortly, I smelled bacon cooking, oh my! I went inside, and Fran was once again outdoing herself in the kitchen: mounds of bacon, scrambled eggs, muffins, fresh fruit, cheese, and on and on. Ohhh. Wanting to be polite, I loaded my plate and we all dined on the porch enjoying the great food and view. Gosh, it was hard to pack up and leave, but that is what we did, and Fran dropped Crumpet and me back at Horse Gap. Wild Thang was headed off to other obligations and it was hard to say goodbye to both of them. Another late start, 11 am, but we booked it up the first big climb up Sassafras Mtn, at 3347 feet elevation, making good time. Today involved a few climbs, which I enjoy. Downhill is what I dislike, as it is hard on the knees. As we were threading our way down to Justus Creek, we heard voices. Hikers were gathered on the far side, having a break. As I carefully made my way down the "steps", while eyeballing the route across the creek. There were large rocks to step on, but didn't look very steady. Suddenly a voice called out "Would you like me to carry your pack across for you?" I looked up, a a young man was about to leap across the stones to assist me, so I said, well, if you insist! Over he came, shouldered my pack like it was jacket, and flew back across. Wow! I carefully minced my was across, balancing carefully, thinking how wise to practice this without the pack weight.I thanked him profusely, and sank to the ground to rest and have a snack. Crumpet, being younger and more experienced, crossed easily as well. It turned out that the young man, Vlad, was there with three other people providing trail magic to hikers, in the form of hot coffee and Snickers bars. It was fun to watch more hikers come through and their eyes light up at the thought of coffee and candy! Since we had miles to go,Crumpet bounced up as I slowly got to my feet. As I straightened, Vlad again offered to carry my back up a ways ("stairs again") and being older and wiser, I gratefully accepted!He bounced a ways up the hill until I said, far enough. Then he held it like a coat for me to shrug on. I was laughing the entire time, and the crowd decided to change my trail name to "Princess" CuppaTea. Fine with me!Rain is in the forecast, and Crumpet and I made haste for our stop for the night. We got there in time to set up while it sprinkled, then it really came down hard. We sat under my tarp and watched the rain, and much to my consternation, watched the drips coming thru some of the stitching holes I had sealed. I was not a happy camper. But it was the first time it had been wet, and later the dripping stopped.   Our hanging the food bags routine was comical, and took me 6 tries to heave that rock up and over a branch, but we got it done, and went to bed. It was a miserable cold, rainy, windy night, but I was warm and comfy.
Date: 2016-03-27
From: Neel's Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 0.0

What a great morning, watching everyone else packing up to head to Springer and the start of their hike. The nervous anticipation was palpable. Soon they all loaded up and headed out and the hostel quieted down. I worked on chores: laundry, sorting food supply, etc., drank more tea than I should have. Once laundry was done Crumpet drove us to Mountain Crossings so I could make my purchases, as I needed new insoles for my boots. Superfeet to the rescue. The store was teeming with soggy wet hikers, as it is also the location of the hostel. The weather is so miserable, cold and rainy. No one is inclined to hike. It was a brilliant idea to take the day off!After shopping we headed into Dahlonega with lunch in mind. There was an old tavern that intrigued us so we checked out their menu and didn't leave until we were stuffed! My shrimp and grits disappeared quickly and Crumpet made quick work of her bowl of gumbo. Returning to the Hiker Hostel, it was time to bid farewell to Crumpet, who needed to return to real life. It was the moment I was dreading as it meant I was about to face the reality of solo hiking. Feeling morose, I headed inside to finish preparing for tomorrow, while trying to quiet the little nagging voice calling out "take another zero!". The only solution was to have a cup of tea and reassess how I was truly feeling; physically, mentally and emotionally.Late in the afternoon, the newbies starting arriving, struggling thru the door of the hostel with bulging packs of 40, 50, 60 lbs. Seeing them and interacting with them them throughout the evening I began to realize how much I have learned already and that I needed to continue on.I reworked my next week, adding an extra day of food, so I could decrease my daily mileage and felt confident it was doable without struggling. Bedtime approached; my pack was loaded. Tomorrow is another day.....
Date: 2016-03-28
From: Neel's Gap

To: Baggs Creek stealth site
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The day dawned sunny and bright with no sign of rain. I chatted with some of the newbies over breakfast, knowing they would soon be racing by me down the trail. I was dropped back off at Neel Gap and after fussing with water and a bathroom break I headed uphill. Alone. As I climbed, looking for white blazes, I had moments of panic. There were no blazes in sight. Fret, fret. Keep climbing. Soon I was close to the top and yay, there was a blaze. Whew! Feeling much better, I moseyed along, trying to slow my pace and look around. The views were gorgeous, mountains and ridges everywhere. When I got to the top of Wolf Laurel Mtn there was a wonderful grassy area to sit in the sun and look across the valley to the other ridges. Since I had planned a leisurely day, I did some yoga stretches, ate my lunch and enjoyed the peace and quiet. One more mile to my camp for the night and it was an easy roll downhill to a gap, the Baggs Creek area. Now I am settled in, fetched and filtered water and made myself a big cuppa tea to wash down my snacks. It's 5:45 pm and I have company for the night, two college students from Dartmouth, Nick and Perri, and Elizabeth, a young woman who also stayed at the Hostel Saturday night. It is very windy and will be in the low 30's tonight. I look forward to snuggling down into my hammock surrounded by goose down.Thank you Readers, for following along and for the notes of encouragement. They meal a lot to me and I re-read them when I need to lift my spirits, and feel less alone. Time to go make dinner!
Date: 2016-03-29
From: Baggs Creek stealth site

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

Holy moley it was so windy last night. I had to lower my tarp to the ground to stay warm. More people arrived after dinner, set up and built a fire. That kept them up way past 11 pm and boy were they loud. Fortunately I had my earplugs!I waited until the big crowd left this morning. They scurried around packing up as it was so cold and windy. By 8:30 the sun was shining and starting to warm up the day. I got all packed up, except my tarp, as I wanted to sit under it as a wind break while I cooked my breakfast. It was very peaceful listening to the birds and enjoying the view. Finally I got moving up the trail. It was very kind today, not too rocky and only a couple of serious climbs. I made good time and arrived at Low Gap Shelter around 3 pm. Lots of folks are here already, so I set up on a hill up from the shelter where the "mature" crowd seem to gravitate. Next order of business is a cup of tea and snack. Soon we were all getting acquainted around the fire ring. Bobby and Robin, from Kentucky, Elizabeth arrived, two young men from Nova Scotia and a man from Indiana. We all chatted thru dinner, discussing the usual hiker news: equipment, mileage, family, etc. Darkness fell and it was into bed by 8 pm.
Date: 2016-03-30
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Boy, it sure takes me a while to make breakfast and pack up! I finally left camp around 10 am and of course, headed immediately uphill. It was good hiking weather today, with a nice cooling breeze. The sun was out and it was warm on the lee side of the mountains. There were some rocky sections to tackle and a wicked steep climb up to the top of Blue Mountain at 3880 ft. elevation. I was the first one to the shelter and had my choice of trees to hang my hammock. The wind was rushing across the top so I look to the downside slop in hopes of getting out of it. Soon others straggled in, Elizabeth being one of them. It is so nice to see familiar faces at night. Mountain Mike showed up, as did another young man from NJ. We sat around the fire Mike made to cook his dinner and enjoyed some heat. The wind kept getting stronger and colder, so I headed to bed by 7:30 pm. It blew like a banshee all night, but I just put in my earplugs and pretended I was at home! Works like a charm.
Date: 2016-03-31
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: light rain

Oh, was it miserable this morning. The wind was still howling, the rain was coming down and it was 39 degrees. I didn't even want to bother with a hot breakfast as it would be too much work in the wind and rain. I packed up quickly and hit the trail by 8:30 am. The plan today was to race down the mountain to the Gap and get a shuttle into Hiawassee for resupply and overnight.It was so foggy out it was hard to find the way, and was eerie walking down the trail. There were no views to be had, due to the fog, so I concentrated on my footing trying not to slip on wet rocks and roots. It was a long 2.5 mile downhill and just seemed endless. Suddenly someone was approaching, coming up the trail. It was Bill, a ridgerunner, who was headed for the Blue Mtn. shelter for the day and night. Ridgerunners oversee the trail, make sure everyone is safe and following the "Leave no Trace" rules, etc. We chatted a bit and he said I was close to the bottom. He also stated that he counted 80 northbound hikers yesterday, so there are a lot of us out here! I got to the Gap by 10:30 am and waited around for the shuttle, due to come at 11. It finally showed up about `11:45. In the meantime, hikers came and went, as it is an easy on/off the trail spot to get into either Hiawassee or Helen for resupplying.Elizabeth went to a different hostel, and we will meet up tomorrow night at the next shelter.a I checked into the Budget Hotel, picked up my resupply box and unpacked. The condition of the room was filthy beyond description, so I will spare you the details. The upside was that the room was huge, the heat worked and there was hot water. I was able to dry everything out while doing chores. Subway was right next door, so lunch and dinner were convenient. It is good to be warm and dry.
Date: 2016-04-01
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept well last night, no bugs or creepy crawlies. Shuttled back to Unicoi Gap by 11:30 am. The trail went straight uphill from the gap and today was filled with incredible, heart stopping climbs. Rocky Mountain was the first challenge and by the time I got to the top, it was lunchtime. I found a nice spot to sit on a rock, overlooking a valley, in the sun, out of the wind. Yes, still windy! There were a few close mountains, but mostly you could see across a long valley, filled with farmland, and a town in the distance. Very pretty.Tray mountain was the next big climb for the day, one mile of straight up, to 4430 ft. elevation. It got colder, more damp and foggy by the time I hit the top. Then down a bit to the shelter and in for the night. Elizabeth is here, as is Jax from NH. Others came in as the evening went on and we number 12 in all.It was tough hiking today, physically as usual, but more mentally. I just didn't want to do it. On top of Tray Mtn., I checked my journal messages and was heartened to see one from a fellow Villager. Terry, your message made my day less of a struggle knowing you and Rosie are rooting me onward! And again, many thanks to all who have written in my guest book encouraging me, along with all my fellow Trail Dames. When I pause and think about how many people are behind me cheering me on I feel so grateful. Then I say to myself " ok, CuppaTea, just keep calm and carry on", and so I do.......
Date: 2016-04-03
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: PlumOrchard Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Everyone was slow to get going this morning as it was warm enough to sit at the picnic table and make breakfast, which leads to many conversations! The ridgerunner, Bill, spied a ziplock bag of trash someone had left in the fire ring. It was not there last night, so it was a morning deposit. He looked it over, and saw it had a tag from a Copper Spur I tent in it. We all looked around and down by me was the tent. Bill went over to talk to the young man whose trash it was. When asked why he wasn't packing it out like we are supposed to, his answer was: I thought someone might want it. WHAT?????Who would want your trash. He took it back and hopefully was embarrassed enough to pack it out and not just dump it somewhere else when no one was looking. Trash on the AT is a serious issue and most people are good about leaving no trace. However, there are multiple toilet paper "blossoms" planted behind trees or dumped by the trailside. It is such a shame. After all it really takes very little effort to bury the TP in the dirt and leaves to decompose.Three big climbs today were on the to do list! First up, Powell Mtn. That was a nice climb and resulted in good view. Then Buzzard Knob went up to 3679 feet almost straight up. It was difficult and required lots of little rest stops and many mantras to keep going. The mantra went like this:"suck it up, your pack is light. Suck it up, your legs are strong. Suck it up and just climb this hill". Repeat over and over again with appropriate breathing. Now, it is true that my pack was lighter as I was down to 2 days food, and very little water. And it is true that my legs are stronger. And I DID have to climb that hill. So, sometimes you just have to kick yourself in the butt and get motivated any way you can. I finally got to PlumOrchard Shelter and I was whipped. 8.1 miles was my longest day so far and I was feeling it. The shelter was beautiful, large and a double decker, meaning it had a loft. I found a nice spot nearby and set up my hammock and tarp and got into my "evening sleep clothes". Then it was time for dinner and the usual routine of tea, then EmergenC drink, then whey protein powder drink, then dinner, then hang the food bag (thank heavens for bear cables, which make this chore 'bearable' (haha) and easy. Only when that is all done, can I go to bed. I have been trying to do this writing online each day, but with cold fingers, and lack of good reception it is just not possible yet. All the more reason to take zero days to catch up! There were new faces here tonight as most of the crowd from last night caught a ride to Top of Georgia Hostel for resupply, and the inevitable hot shower, which then lulls them into staying indoors overnight. Who can blame them! I immediately began to plot my next zero!