morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-07
From: Neel Gap/Mountain Crossings Hostel

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 4 - Low Gap ShelterI learned a few valuable lessons today:1. Don't eat habanero sauce with your dinner and expect to hike the next day in any sort of comfort.2. Never assume that, because you crossed 53729 creeks the day before, there will be water available the next day. I thought I was being cool by saving on some water weight, and what I got was 8+ miles of tough terrain on approximately 16 ounces of water. Not. Cool. 3. Never underestimate the gaps and the associated climbs out of them. I got worked today with no water and the assumption that water would be available. I think some of the gaps have been tougher than the big mountains!Class dismissed. Today covered 11.5 miles, and i think that, through a combination of the lessons learned above, this was my hardest day yet. The shelter is pretty cool in that there's a stream right out front and that it's pretty secluded down in a little valley. The privy on the other hand, cue Earnest P. Whorl, was "eeeeeeeeeeewwwww". Matt (from yesterday) was already here, and we were later joined by Derrick, Jack and Flake (who chose to camp up the hill and give us a little more space, and a father-son pair from Indiana, whose aim it is to section hike the AT over the coming years. We all got along great, and I enjoyed the conversations we had. Tomorrow brings another long hike, so wish me luck!
Date: 2013-05-13
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 10 - Wayah Bald ShelterI believe today was the first time I ever went back for seconds at McDonald's. We woke up and headed out of camp around 8:45, shortly after Mohawk. We hiked the 3.8 miles to Winding Stair Gap and the main highway down to Franklin, NC. It took us about 45 minutes (we must look pretty intimidating), but we eventually hitched a ride into town. The guy giving the ride was a good ole boy from Tennessee, who was hoping for some good karma to come out of picking us up. We proceeded to rock out to Sublime for the next 15 minutes or so, as we wound our way down out of the mountains and into Franklin. He was nice enough to drop us off at exactly where we needed to go - Three Eagles Outfitters, to get Derrick some new camp sandals. The ladies who worked there were very nice, and let us keep our packs in their store while we headed to McDonald's for some grub. Granted, I'm not quite ready for the Dollar Menu Challenge, in which you attempt to eat one of everything on the Dollar Menu, but I think I did pretty good for myself. All said, I ate/drank a McChicken, McDouble, Side Salad, Small fry, 6 piece McNugget, and a 20 ounce coffee. Then I got two Snack Wraps to go. I guess the "Food Mood" is starting to finally get to me!After lunch, we walked back down to the main highway and stuck out our thumbs. This time it took only a couple minutes for a nice lady named Linda to stop and pick us up. We swung by her place for a second so that her husband could take us the rest of the way to the trail, sine he was planning to take their pooch (a pitbull(?) named Duke) up there for a walk. I elected to sit in the back seat with Duke, and he proceeded to sit on my lap and lick my face the whole way up. When we got back to the trail, we hammered out another 11 miles to get to our current shelter. There was a lot of uphill climbing, as we summited both Siler Bald and Wayah Bald. At the top of Wayah bald, which is 5200+ feet tall, is a stone observation tower with incredible 360 degree views. I'm not sure how far you can see but it has to be 40 miles or more! Shortly thereafter, we got into camp, ate, bear bagged and set our tents up just before dark. There's already a few people in the shelter, and it's supposed to be in the 20s tonight, which is why we're tenting for the second night in a row. Today's song: "Santeria" - Sublime
Date: 2013-05-14
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: NOC!
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

Day 11 - NOC!I was a man on a mission today. I had 16+ miles to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, and I wanted to get in early enough to have time to just hang out and relax. My plan was to get up and out of camp by 7:30, so naturally I was pretty mad at myself when I woke up and my watch said 8am. Apparently I slept right through my dinky little watch alarm clock. That motivated me to really kick it in the butt, and I ended up doing the 16+ miles in 6 hours and 17 minutes! It was a tough day for sure, with a couple long sustained climbs and a descent of around 3000 feet over the last 4 miles, but I really wanted some food and a cold beer! And a shower! And to sit down!And that's exactly what I did. I didn't really know what to expect from the NOC, but what I got was a riverside oasis with anything and everything you can imagine - from cabins and a hostel, to two restaurants, an outfitter, a general store with a great beer selection, and canoe/kayak/mountain bike rentals. This place is amazing. I ran into Mohawk at the River's End restaurant, and we chatted for a while before he hit the trail.   It was at the restaurant that I found out that you can take a drink with you anywhere on the property, and I fully took advantage of that by buying a beer and sitting down by the river. That moment was a huge high for me - I put in some darn good miles over the last 4 days since Hiawassee, and just being able to sit down in the sunshine and look out at the beautiful river was really awesome. While I was sitting there, chatting with a section hiker from Alabama, Derrick rolled in. He got settled in, we went to dinner at the restaurant, then spent the evening hanging out next to the river. It was a good day!Today's quote: "I wanna go fast!" - Taladega Nights
Date: 2003-09-27
From: Campsite

To: Campsite
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: broken clouds

start campsitedestination campsiteI woke up to grey cloudy skies this morning. I couldn't tell where the clouds began orended. They seemed to penetrate thoughout the forest,leaving everything damp and soggy. Was it rain or just clouds? There was no telling. This wetness made for an awful day of hking. The rocks were slippery with the moisture,and every step hadto be carefully thought out ahead of time. It made for a tedious and extremely slow day. There were several outcroppings that I was sure had marvelous views of the mountains. The trouble was,you could not see anything at all,save for pure white,flowing in and out of the trees. For some strange reason,I thought this section of the trail would be easier than the White Mountains,but I am hear to tell you,there were times today when all I could do was side down a rock face on my but. The dreainess of the weather and of the trail made for a miserable day of hiking. I had so hoped to knock this 100 miles out in 10-14 days,taking my time to enjoy the scenery.! So far I have been in this wilderness three days and have gone less than 10 miles. Not good for a scheduled summit dateof Oct. 5 or 6. Mudbut and I have gone back and forth about this problem. I do not want to see her skip yet another section,but she cannot do the miles needed to get us through the wilderness. So after somemore serious discussion along with some tears,we decided for her to get out at Gulf Hagas trail and go get the car,while I keep hiking. again,I have reservations about this,but it seems to be the best way for both of us. We crossed a small river this afternoon,and just past it was a neat little campsite snuggled up against a rock wall. It was our home for the night. The sun broke through just as we were setting up our tents,with patches of a blue sky showing here and there. We laughed heartily as we tried to hang 20 pounds of food bags on a five pound limb! We noticed that the temperature had risen several degrees over the afternoon,I hope it does not spell a rainy day for tomorrow. It was almost balmy as we sat and ate supper. The trail seems to throw out one surprise after another at u! s. Some of those we take in our stride and some throws us for a loop. Still others push our endurance to a new level,places we thought we could not attain. It is so hard not to fight against the trail,but rather to try and take it in stride,not to work against it,but to flow along with it. Still there are some things that prove to be out of our reach at the present time or maybe even forever. We are successful if we can determine the difference and learn from those things. It doesmean that we have failed it means that we have learned and hopefully accept our limitations.total miles 3.7
Date: 2013-05-15
From: NOC!

To: NOC!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 12 - NOC Round 2Is there a better place to zero than the NOC? I had every intention of heading out this morning, but I used the slight ache in my right knee to justify another day of lounging by the river. It was a great choice. It's pretty awesome when you literally have nothing to do - when your biggest decision is whether to sit in the sun or in the shade. I had breakfast at the River's End, checked out the outfitter numerous times, and pondered all the ways to reduce my pack weight. I think my first steps will be to replace my inflatable sleeping pad with a foam pad (a savings of 1 lb and 8 ounces), and to send some stuff home that I haven't really used that much. These couple moves alone should cut 3-4 pounds. I'm also debating whether to get a new pack and sleeping bag from the REI outlet online. I could cut another 3 pounds and 7 ounces if i do, but it's a matter if spending the extra money. It's funny how quickly you become fixated on mileage and weight. When your only job is to walk, it pretty quickly becomes important!I eventually had dinner at the restaurant and enjoyed a beer by the river before heading to bed. What a great zero day, but time to get after it again tomorrow!
Date: 2013-05-18
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 15 - Spence Field ShelterWell, within 2 miles of entering the Smokies I saw my first bear! Like all other surprise incidents so far, it involved me rounding a corner, this time while climbing up to Shuckstack Mountain. Out of nowhere I saw movement and heard crashing in the bushes - I looked up the trail about 10 yards to see a full grown bear bound into the bushes and down the ravine. It seemed to only go maybe 20 yards off the trail, and then must have stopped since I heard no further rustling. I made some noise to make sure any other bears in the area would know I was coming through, and then slowly moved on. I later ran into a group of people who had seen (presumably) the same momma bear, but had also seen two cubs. Later, when I met my first ridge runner (someone who works for the park service and maintains the shelters in a certain range and gives info to hikers), he said he had yet to see a bear this season but that there are a lot between Fontana Dam and Shuckstack Mountain. It was pretty crazy, and sure gave me a shot of adrenaline!Other than that excitement, there really was nothing more of note today. The weather was rainy (luckily mostly misty and not a downpour) and the visibility was minimal, so there wasn't much to look at. I made it into the shelter around 5 and slowly a bunch of people rolled in, including three Germans who came to the US specifically to hike the trail. They were pretty cool. I also ended up playing some cards with some recent high school grads from Kirtland, OH, and we had a good time. The weather is supposed to be rainy again tomorrow, but hopefully it's not too bad!Today's song: "Dreaming With a Broken Heart" - John Mayer
Date: 2003-10-05
From: Bangor Airport

To: Millenocket, Me
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Millenocket,Ma. It is Sunday and I am in town,with a car.I head for a church. It has been ages since I was in church,and I really need some fellowship. I drive around until I find the Baptist Church in town. In I go,in my hiking best. I am greeted very warmly,these people are somewhat used to hikers I guess. The service is more structured than my church back home,and they sing fewer songs,but I drink in all that I can. The choir is small but sounds so sweet and sincere with their singing,Isit and close my eyes,searching in my mind for a closeness with the Lord. I have been in an ill mood the past few days,lots of old stuff that I had hoped to have over come,yet when faced with situations,it was the same dysfunctional behavior. I was so disappointed in myself,wishing I could act or react differently,but no,I fell into the same old roll I have played for most of my life. Yuck! Top that with a climb looming ahead of me holding I don't know what...The verse for the day which the pastor shared ! was "Let not your heart be troubled...neither let it be afraid."So I grabbed onto that verse and took it to heart. The sermon was about Joshua and how impossible the battle was that he faced,then how his following the Lord's instruction ,he was victorious.By the end of the message I was in tears. There has been so much more to this trip than a climb. I was so hoping that it would be a life changing event and here I am now worried that I somehow missed it. It is like I am afraid to go home. I have not finished thehike,I have not done the miles,but I wouldn't change a thing about it. Does it take 2172 miles or 1200?At what mile should the life change take place? The Lord's supper was being observed and that helped me even more to focus on him andnot me. he willbe the one to change my life.Where he leads and how he leads,and if I follow him. The trail today is called a class 4 ay.Trails are closed. No one goes to the top. We take a drive around,back to Abol Campground. Hikers are itching to finish their long awaited finale. The campground is full,people are edgy and cranky.Myself included. We take more pictures of Katahdin,then head back into town.The plan for tomorrow is to get up early and be at the trail head as soon as the call is made. I decide to get a massage which always helps me to sleep,then later another soak in the hot tub. I still have some pain in my hip but not enough to keep me from trying to hike the mountain.
Date: 2013-05-23
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Walnut Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Day 20 - Walnut Mountain ShelterToday was tough. I never really got in my groove, and that made a 20 mile day really hard. I slept in until about 8 and actually slept pretty well for the first time in a while. I restocked my food supply in their little store, then joined The Voice and an Irish girl named Camille for breakfast (bagel with peanut butter). Eventually, around 10am, The Voice, Rabbit and I finally hit the trail (shortly after Derrick (trail name "Dunt")). The first four or five miles were all uphill - and not the nice switchback type, but rather the muscle burning, heavy breathing type. The next 8 or so were a mixture of short, steep ups and downs, and around mile 13 we hit Max Patch. I have been looking forward to Max Patch for a while, because it's a big grassy bald with 360 degree views. When we first got to where you could see the top of Max Patch, there was a spot where a side trail went straight up to the summit while the AT appeared to stay to the left and go around the base of the bald. When we finally made it to the top on the side trail, we realized that the AT actually curves around the base and the climbs to that very spot. Of course we knew we couldn't skip that 300 yard section of the AT (because it just isn't right), but we sure didn't want to lug our packs back down to only end up in the exact same spot. So, we justified slack-packing (not carrying your pack) that section by running full speed down the bald and back up on the AT. It was a lot of fun to run like 20mph down that thing! Once we got back to the top I was not disappointed in the views.   It definitely was everything I expected, and we took a solid hour break up at the top. After our break we hiked another 6.7 miles through some pretty easy, lush terrain. Actually, I should say we hiked 5.7 in easy terrain, because in the last mile a huge storm blew in and absolutely poured rain on us. It was pretty miserable, but thankfully we didn't have far to go and had some dry clothes to put on! The shelter is full - it's the four of us and another older guy who is doing a section hike. I'm pretty happy to be in "bed" right now!
Date: 2013-05-24
From: Walnut Mtn Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 13.1

Day 21 - Hot SpringsWe woke up early this morning to more pouring rain, and decided to hang out for a little while in the shelter in hopes that it would quit. We all left at different times, and I hit the trail at about 9. The terrain was mostly downhill, so we all ended up hiking the 13 miles in under 5 hours. The trail actually goes right through Hot Springs, which is pretty cool. On my way in, i decided to stop at the Smoky Mountain Diner to get some lunch. Eventually Dunt came in off the trail, and The Voice and Rabbit came over from the Hostel and ate as well. When I was done, I headed over to the hostel - Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. It's super cool. It's a huge old house from the 1800s, and is on the national register or historic places. You actually get to stay in a really nice bedroom with a great bed with actual SHEETS AND BLANKETS! Maybe best of all, the front room is set up as a music room, in which there are multiple guitars, banjos and a piano. That was the first time I got to play guitar in about a month, and it was really great.   It's like I had some musical itch that needed scratching, and that definitely helped. Eventually we headed to the local outfitter (which we seem to always do for various reasons), and went to the local tavern for dinner and drinks. I had a wood fired pizza and a couple different local brews which were really good. The four of us really had a great time sitting at the bar and talking while the sounds of live music filled the place. Hot Springs is definitely an awesome little town!
Date: 2013-06-02
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 30 - Abingdon Gap ShelterToday's theme: wet. It rained pretty hard for about 6 of the 9 hours I hiked today, and it got a little old after the first hour or so. I reminded myself though that it was worse in Georgia - AND the terrain is easier here so it definitely could have been worse. AND pouring rain is a pretty good substitute for a shower, so that's good. There was one interesting stretch that went right through someone's cow pasture - I raced by while 20 or so cows just looked at me from a short distance. I probably could have walked over and petted them, but with my history of being harassed by any and all animals I thought better of it. I also saw a few neon orange colored salamanders, which I've never seen before. That was pretty cool, and I took a couple minutes to watch one of them as it made its way across the trail. They were really cool looking, and really small. I spent most of the day alone, trying to fly through the miles to get out of the rain. I ended up catching up to The Voice, Rabbit and a new guy named Clutch (Dunt must have fallen behind at some point, as I didn't see him all day), and we hiked the last 5 or so miles together. The shelter was full, so we pitched tents - luckily the rain is holding off for now.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Still at Elmer's Hostel. Tony and Mark left today to go back on the trail. Patience weto on without Snail. Snails back is doing a little better. I bought a new stove today, very light.I hope it works out.I went to Paddler's Pub for dinner with Laughingbird, Snail, Curly Dan, Boomhouser, and we caught up with The Brits. The Brits went whitewater rafting today. There guid "Sprocket" came over and started talking. Sprocket helped answer some of my questions on becoming a rafting guid. So now I'm thinking about trying that out next year.
Date: 2013-06-10
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6

Day 38 - AtkinsToday was Haley's and my last day on the trail together before we leave to move into our new house (I'll be back on trail in 1-2 weeks). We had a very nice, leisurely hike today. We got some trail magic (granola bars and sodas) near the field where the old abandoned bus is, although somehow we couldn't find the actual bus. We also went by an old schoolhouse, which is preserved for visitors and is literally right next to the trail. We checked that out and signed the guestbook, and I saw that the other members of the four horsemen had already passed through in the past couple days. It's a little weird to not be with them anymore, but that's just how it goes. When we got to Atkins we ate lunch at The Barn Restaurant, which was pretty good. We then just walked around some, ate some ice cream and waited on my buddy Brandon to pick us up and drive us back to Damascus so we could pick Haley's car up. It was nice to see him, and when we got back to Damascus we enjoyed some pizza at the Blue Blaze Cafe. Being back in Damascus was like being in The Twilight Zone - my concept of time is now based on distance (like these 20 mile days have made time go by very quickly, while the shorter days make it take longer), and so being in Damascus was like going back in time. It was a super weird feeling - one that I don't think I've ever had before. I'll now be off the trail for a week or two so we can move into our new house, but I can't wait to be back!Today's song: "December" - Collective Soul
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Grand Central Station

To: Trail Head
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Can you say disaster! My plans for a light pack did ot go so well. After food, fuel and H20 my packed weighted in at 30 somewhat pounds. Then the shoulder strap ripped. Now I'm back with my forester at close to forty pounds. I did some last minute lightening up but I'm still no satisfied. To top it off I'm sick. I coughed all night. SO now I'm on Zithromax and cough meds. Well at least I should be able to sleep. I think I might do away with my tent and bivy.This bus is way over crowded! I feel like a sardine.
Date: 2013-06-25
From: Atkins, VA

To: Campsite Before Crawfish Trail
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: light rain

Day 39 - Camp Site Near Crawfish TrailBack in the saddle again!! I got a ride back down to the trail from my good buddy Mike, after having spent a few days at his house in Ohio (after he came out and helped us move and hung out in Missouri for a while). While we were in Ohio, we went to a Columbus Crew game and had a good time just hanging out with nothing much to do. I was definitely itching to get back on the trail though, like I had some unfinished business to take care that was eating away at me. So, when I got back on the trail this afternoon I was ecstatic! It felt like the right thing to do, and the right place to be, and I'm ready to kick this thing's butt!I did an easy 6.3 miles, but I could definitely tell that I had been off the trail for a couple of weeks - my legs weren't as strong, and my knees will need some readjusting to the pounding that the trail provides. There was a really pretty field just a couple miles into the hike, with rolling hills and a lone tree sitting off in the distance. I was sure to take a couple pictures.   I also saw 3 deer, which is one more than I had seen the whole trip so far. Deer are real common in Ohio, and we even had some in our back yard already in Missouri, so it wasn't THAT cool - but, it was interesting to see so many in 6 miles when I had seen only two in 542. In terms of coming back to the trail - It was definitely sad to leave Haley again, and to leave our new house and all the little comforts and fun things we get to do together, but I also am really excited to complete this goal - here we go!Today's song: "Back in the Saddle" - Aerosmith