morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-01
From: Three Day Send Off

To: Hawk Mtn.
Miles today: 0.0

Happy birthday Sherry. You would be 54 years old today. This year, I will celebrate your life and your memory by beginning my Appalachian Trail thru-hike on this day- your birthday. This endeavor will be extremely challenging in many ways, as you and I both know, the hardships of trail, pale in comparison to what we endured in childhood. When I need to summon my courage, I will look to your example. When I need to garner my strength, I will remember your fortitude. When I need to endure, I will persevere as you did. When I need to make difficult decisions, I will be resourceful as you were. When I am joyful, I will remember your laughter and singing. When I am lonely, I will connect with you in spirit. You were the best big sister anyone could ever want and more than that. You were my mentor, my protector, my surrogate mother, my teacher, my friend. I will love you and miss you always.My sister Sherry was a particularly remarkable child. Perhaps I view her through a biased lens, but I know without a doubt she was extraordinary. After our mother's untimely death in 1963, when Sherry was just four years old and I not yet two, we would enter into a life as grim as the fairytales we would read. Being the younger of us two, I would look to my sister for answers, protection and comfort which she never denied me. While enduring the raveges of brutality in our home, she still managed to win friends easily while retaining a positive creative nature and earning high marks in school. That was in addition to frequent moves due to our father's military career. She remains of the most courageous, influencial people in my life.Tragically, on March 22, 1970, Sherry took her own life with me as the sole witness. She was barely eleven years old. That event and subsequently, her absence from my life, has impacted my existance in ways far too complex to convey. I am sharing this with others because I want to urge people to speak up for a child when they are being abused. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and love. I dedicate this hike to Sherry in gratitude for the love she gave me.Peace to all. Let the hiking begin!
Date: 2013-03-01
From: Springer Mtn.

To: Hawk Mtn.
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Right from the beginning, the magic unfolds.   The first person I met at Anicalola Falls as I registered and weighed my pack was Blue Moon. He is from North Fort Myers and lives about five miles away from where I live in Cape Coral.   What are the chances of that happening? His wife Terry dropped him off at Springer ¢ well actually, she walked up Springer with him from the parking lot at USFS 42, then back to the car to begin driving north. They were kind enough to let me leave my pack in their vehicle for the one-mile up to Springer, plus gave me a bottle of water. So, just at the start, I got a slack pack and trail magic!It was cold out, but perfect for hiking -- that is, as long as you kept moving. The hike was relatively easy the first day, but it was still enough to get my heart beating harder and make my hips sore at the end of the day. On the way up to Springer's summit, I was very excited to meet Tic Tac and Sure Foot coming back down.   Tic Tac gave me two gifts: an eyeglass case and wallet. She made these things herself, so I will cherish them and think of her as I go. Sure Foot and I will hike together for awhile as we make our way north. She is a delightful, funny person and extremely generous and helpful. Since she was ahead of me, I didn¢t see her all day on the trail. I was sure I would see her at Hawk Mtn. Shelter. When I arrived at Hawk Mtn. around 5 pm, the place was packed ¢ overrun with hikers. I didn¢t take a head count, but there were at least 30 of us. I saw tents and hammocks interspersed amongst the trees all over the entire sprawling camp site. Several hikers were at the shelter cooking and socializing. Many of them were from the class of 2003, having a reunion. But I never saw Sure Foot. I figured she was there, probably tucked away and warm in her sleeping bag. I quickly pitched my new Lightheart tent and went to cook my dinner of instant garlic mashed potatoes. I am so glad I decided at the last minute to purchase a Patagonia Nano Puff lightweight down jacket. The down vest would not have been enough.   It is FLIPPIN COLD out here!
Date: 2013-03-02
From: Hawk Mtn.

To: Hightower Gap
Miles today: 0.5
Weather: broken clouds

I awoke to a snow-covered landscape on top of Hawk Mtn. The talk around the shelter last night was that the temperatures are expected to drop into the teens down in town for the next two nights. The rule of thumb is to minus ten degrees for the higher elevations and that does not account for wind-chill factors. Most everyone was talking about getting off the trail for the next two nights. Why risk one¢s safety, especially at this early stage in the hike?   I agree with not taking unnecessary risks and have a very loose itinerary for that reason. So, Sure Foot and I made our way down to Hightower Gap where we called Ron Brown for a shuttle to Suches. Ron picked us up along with two young men and a dog. We arrived at Wolf Pen Gap Country Store/Hostel in the late morning. The people running this place are very friendly and helpful. Becky was especially nice as she took our wet clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer and folded them afterwards. Later, when I went to buy a Pepsi, I didn¢t have my cash with me, only a credit card. I apologized for having them run a credit card for such a small purchase, so the nice man said, ¢Oh, you can just pay us later when you have the cash.¢ WOW ¢ that would never happen at home in Cape Coral.The hot shower was pure heaven and the bare mattress was a welcome comfort from the cold hard ground. Even though I had only spent one night on the trail, I am feeling quite bedraggled because of sleep deprivation from the past several nights and am having a difficult time planning for the next couple of days. We want to shuttle back to Hightower Gap and shuttle back here for one more night. I just need to get some good sleep. There are several great hikers here at the hostel, including Crossroads and Country Mile, a couple in their 60¢s. Then there¢s Mountain Man and Nomad, a young couple from Brandon. Inch Worm is also here, a woman near my age who hiked in 2006. We never met on the trail in ¢06, but it is fun to compare stories. Well, this was the ¢nearo-est¢ nearo I ever did, but I¢m glad for it. Once I eat and sleep, I¢ll be good to go.
Date: 2013-03-03
From: Hightower Gap

Miles today: 0.0

Sure Foot received a message from Ron the shuttle driver this morning, that the mountain roads are iced over and he wouldn¢t be able to make it. He also thought it wouldn¢t be wise for us to go out there today. I suppose we could tough it out, but Sure Foot seems more willing to stay in for another day and, truth be told, I¢m still tired. I really could use a nap.Later¢¦ After having a short nap, I would say I feel 75% better than I did this morning. I feel as though I can once again speak intelligibly (although that¢s debatable), and came up with a reasonable plan for moving forward. With much regret, we have decided to skip ahead, or rather just pick up from where we are. It has been a little difficult and potentially costly to arrange a shuttle back to Hightower, so we have agreed to make up that section in the end. Sure Foot lives near here, so it wouldn¢t be difficult for her. As for me, I will need to figure out how to make that happen. I do consider myself to be a purist. I do not want to miss any part of the trail. I¢ll figure it out in the end.
Date: 2013-03-04
From: Woody Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 11.7

It felt so good to get moving again today. I am terribly disappointed about taking two zero days already. Not only that, we made a group decision to come back and complete the Hightower Gap to Woody Gap section in the end. I am making a personal decision to move on ahead after today as a solo hiker, as was my original intention. Both Sure Foot and Inch Worm are great people, and Sure Foot has been especially generous and helpful. But if I am to reach my goal as a thru-hiker, I have to hike my own hike. The two of them have more time (and probably more money), whereas I must stick to a budget and reach Asheville by the 27th of March. I am also very aware that there are many miles to go and one cannot take for granted that everything will go as planned. On my last thru-hike, I was surprised at how much I slowed down in the summer. Then the Whites and Maine are quite challenging.I have agreed to share a cabin with my Summit Sisters tonight at Blood Mtn. Cabins. They are going to take another zero because it might rain tomorrow, but I will move on. If I were going to let rain or snow hold me up, I¢ll never make it. Also, one of my packages did not make it to Mountain Crossings yet. I¢ll have to find out what time the mail comes in tomorrow. Then, if it¢s not here, maybe they¢ll forward it to me in Franklin.Meanwhile, the sisters and I have enjoyed a fantastic evening in the ¢Fox¢ cabin. After a heavenly shower and half-burnt pizza (they have full kitchens here), we feel quite human again. Both of these women are a lot of fun to hang out with. I will miss them as I move forward, but I¢m sure we¢ll meet up again sometime.
Date: 2013-03-06
From: Whitley Gap 

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 5.0

I slept okay last night, except for the fact that my face kept getting sprinkled with snow. I thought it was just mist that came in with the wind, but when I awoke at 7:15 this morning, my sleeping bag and everything else in the shelter was covered in snow. Instead of drying out, my clothes ¢ including shirts, pants, socks, gloves and boots ¢ were solid blocks of ice. I checked the thermometer at around 8:00 am, and it read 20 degrees. With the wind chill, I don¢t know how cold it actually was. I waited around for about an hour, hoping the sun would come out and conditions would improve, but that did not happen. So after spending about an hour and a half eating breakfast, getting water, packing and struggling for the longest time to shove my feet into frozen boots, I hit the trail once again. It was a long climb out of Whitney Gap, but I was happy to be back on the A.T. That is until I found out that I was headed south. I was almost all the way down to Tesnatee Gap when I came across some hikers going in the opposite direction. ¢Where are you coming from?¢ I asked. They answered ¢Neels Gap.¢ ¢You mean Neels Gap is that way?!¢ ¢Yup.¢ ¢Oh s**t!¢ Wildcat Mountain is a beast to climb, and now I would do it for a second time; yesterday in the driving rain and today in the snow. I may have only traveled 4.8 A.T. miles today, but it was actually over 7 miles, including the climb out of Whitney and backtracking.It was a very hard hike today. The wind was so strong it was blowing me sideways off the trail and the snow just kept falling. I reached Low Gap Shelter around 2:30 pm. There were already five other hikers there. I grabbed a spot in the shelter and immediately crawled into my sleeping bag. It is damp from last night's snow fall, but thank God it's a zero degrees bag and will still keep me warm. More and more hikers have shown up here. Everyone is terribly cold. Some of them got a fire started so a few of us huddled around it. Other hikers had to move on because all the tent sites are taken. It¢s so cold that I didn¢t want to get out of my bag and cook a hot meal, but I¢m glad I finally did. It helps warm the core besides filling the belly. I had to force myself to eat peanuts today while hiking. They are one of the best foods to stave off hypothermia. I was very thirsty during the hike today though. My water kept freezing in the bottle. I¢m still a little cold. I¢m wearing wet socks inside my bag, hoping they¢ll dry by morning.
Date: 2013-03-07
From: Low Gap

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.2

At first, I was going to go to the Cheese Factory Campsite today. But as I summited Blue Mountain, I began to run out of steam. I knew I had not been eating enough, so I sat down for an hour and had tuna wraps for lunch. I also looked at the map and decided to just hike a couple more miles to Unicoi and hitch a ride into Hiawassee a couple of days early. I¢ve been hiking in my town clothes for two days, so now everything I own is either smelly and sweaty or still half frozen and muddy.Down in the Gap, another hiker, Fly, was also looking for a ride into town. Luckily, a couple of thru-hikers from last year, Pretzel and J.C., were giving trail magic and offered us a ride into town to the Blueberry Patch Hostel. I¢ve heard many good things about this place, and I am so glad to be here. Gary, the owner, gave us a tour and took our dirty clothes to wash them. The shower was divine, and the hostel provided shampoo, soap and towels. There are a total of 6 hikers here tonight. After we all got cleaned up, we wanted to go into town. Gary said he would take us, but then he was too busy doing all of our laundry, so he didn¢t have time. He eventually handed me the keys to his Jeep, and five of us headed into town for some fast food and other necessities. I had to get some new reading glasses because I misplaced my old ones somewhere today. When we went to town, my clothes were still in the wash, and all I had to wear were my light wool long johns. One of the other hikers, a young man named Jack, lent me his rain pants, so I wouldn¢t feel like I was walking around town in my underwear! Everyone is so kind and helpful. It¢s good to be clean, dry and warm.
Date: 2013-03-08
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Steel Trap Gap
Miles today: 9.3

Headed SOBO today out of Dicks Creek Gap, since that¢s where Gary from the Blueberry Patch dropped us off. My plan was to make it to Tray Mtn. Shelter, but I simply ran out of steam a couple of miles short. I guess I¢m feeling my age, and I just don¢t have my trail legs yet. To my credit, I climbed nearly 3,000 feet today. There were some down hills, but it was mostly up, up, up. Besides, the weather was beautiful and sunny, with temperatures in the 50¢s and 60¢s. Perfect hiking weather. It was also a lot of fun encountering hikers going in the opposite direction that I hadn't seen for a few days. Roswell, Smuggles, Carpenter, Operator, Bison and Tall Boy have been a day ahead of me. Tonight I am enjoying the company of Dirty Bird, Kenzie and Chin Strap. Tomorrow, I¢m going to try to get an early start for a change.
Date: 2013-03-09
From: Steel Trap Gap

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 7.5

Beautiful views going over Tray Mtn. Great weather and even greater trail magic. A boy scout troop was set up at Tray Gap serving up a full breakfast of eggs, sausage, pancakes, fresh fruit and more. It's just what I need to power me up Rocky Mtn. I met Powder Puff and Minnie Pearl at Tray Gap. I also met Prayer walker, Escargot and...Oh shoot, I forgot his name. Rocky Mtn. kicked my butt. Glad to be back in Hiawassee. Summit Sisters Sure Foot and Inch Worm showed up at the budget Inn along with Sure Foots's daughter and granddaughter. We all went to Daniels' for the AYCE buffet. Back at the Inn we had a great time socializing with the other hikers. Inch worm and I split a room. It was a fun reunion.
Date: 2013-03-11
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Campground
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up in the rain. Hiked in cold rain all day. Stuck my pole in a deep hole in the side of the mountain near some mossy rocks. I fell onto the handle of my pole, earning myself a nice big bruise right on top of my right bicep. I wonder what critter lives in that cavernous hole! Took the Blue Blaze Trail, cutting off Indian Mtn. and Albert Mtn. Both of those mountains are notorious places on the trail and I intend to come back to finish that section in the end. I need to get to Asheville by the 27th, and at this slow pace, I will not make it.The Blue Blaze Trail ¢ Kimsey Trail ¢ was beautiful. The relatively mild, rolling terrain ran along the spectacular Kimsey Creek. There were many rapids to enjoy along with quaint little wooden foot bridges. I¢m glad I got to see it.I ended up at Standing Indian Campground, which is closed. The campground has gravel platforms for campers to pitch their tents on. The gravel/dirt was too shallow in the platform area, and I was unable to erect my tent because the stakes would only go in the ground a couple of inches. It was pouring down rain. Once again, I was soaked all the way through, and so was my pack and most of its contents. I gave up on sleeping in the tent. Instead, I dragged all of my dripping-wet belongings over to the restroom building. Even though the bathrooms were locked, at least the overhang provided some shelter from the rain. There were carpet remnants in front of each bathroom and shower room door, 6 in all. So I gathered them together in front of the bathroom door, making a nice padded surface on top of the concrete. I placed my sleeping pad on top of that and then my sleeping bag. It occurred to me how resourceful homeless people have to be, especially during inclement weather. I cooked a hot meal of Ramen noodles and vegetables, tucked myself in and slept quite soundly while it continued to rain all night.
Date: 2013-03-12
From: Standing Indian Campground

To: Wallace Gap
Miles today: 3.7

It was the lilting song of a robin that woke me from my deep sleep this morning. It was a very encouraging sound. In a short while, I would be in Franklin, NC and back on schedule. While I do feel a bit guilty about taking the Blue Blaze, I think was necessary because otherwise I would have had to take the Yellow Blaze to get to Asheville. That would have been much worse.After packing up my water-logged belongings, I set out, leaving the deserted campground. The only problem was, I didn¢t know which way was out. It¢s one thing to be in a vehicle driving around to find the exit. It¢s quite another thing to be on foot, laden with a heavy pack and hoping you¢re on the right path. I was anxious to catch the 10 o¢clock shuttle from Winding Stair Gap to Franklin. I knew it would be 3.7 miles from Rock Gap, but I did not know how far I was from rejoining the A.T. at Rock Gap.In my attempt to leave, I made a mistake by heading up a road in the park that looked like the way out, but wasn¢t. There was a big iron gate that was open, plus a camp host/welcome sign. I proceeded through the gate and up a hill, passing several empty-numbered RV lots. I ended up making a giant loop around the whole thing, taking up 25 minutes of my precious time and energy. I was quite irritated by this, but could do nothing but try another exit route. I somewhat felt as if I were in a giant maze and thought the park ought to have exit signs. Once I was on the right path, the exit did seem more obvious than I first realized.The next challenge occurred when I came to a Y in the road. I had to decide whether to go right or left. Left seemed to head back south, so I chose to go right, which was correct, though not apparent for quite awhile. I walked and walked and walked up a lonely winding road for what may have been an hour. I was becoming very discouraged because I had no idea how many miles long the approach to the campground was. Just when I was feeling a touch of despair, I saw a pickup truck in a small parking lot on the side of the road up ahead. I figured that must be Rock Gap, as my A.T. map and guide stated there was a parking area at Rock Gap. Sure enough, as I approached, I could see a while blaze on a tall tree. It was so comforting to see that white blaze and to be back ¢home¢ on the A.T. again. After walking a short distance on the trail, I came to a road crossing at Wallace Gap. At the very moment I was crossing the road, I saw a shuttle bus to the Budget Inn approaching. What excellent timing! I was surprised to see the shuttle there, thinking I could only get on at Winding Stair Gap, another 3 miles away. As the door swung open, I saw the familiar face of Ron Haven, owner of the Budget Inn. He dropped off all the other hikers at Winding Stair and carried me and my funky wet gear into Franklin.
Date: 2013-03-13
From: Franklin

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

March 13 ¢ Zero Day in Franklin.I made the decision back at Standing Indian Campground to replace my Lightheart tent with my MSR Hubba. On at least two occasions now, if I¢d had my free-standing tent, I could have been protected from the snow and rain. In addition, since the trekking poles are used to prop up the Lightheart, they are not available to use on steep slopes to get to water sources or privies at camp. The Hubba also has just the right amount of space for the sleeping pad and gear. It has an ample vestibule and head room. It does weigh almost a pound more than the Lightheart, but at 3.2 lbs., it¢s well worth it. So, Peter sent my tent by overnight express from Ft. Myers yesterday. It hasn¢t arrived yet, but they could not guarantee it until tomorrow. Taking a zero day is good for body and soul anyway. Besides, I don¢t know how I would have gotten all my hiker chores done if I had left today. It takes a lot more time to grocery shop, make two trips to the post office, do laundry and so forth, when you¢re traveling on foot. My bounce box (duffle bag) weighs 30 lbs. and I had to get it to and from the post office, which is about a half mile from the Budget Inn. Luckily, Ron Haven found out I went to the post office to get my bag, so he drove down there to pick me up.Then, this afternoon, while shopping at Ingles for my groceries, I was approached by a kindly mature gentleman who asked if I was a thru-hiker. I promptly said, ¢Well, yes I am. I guess you can tell by the funny clothes I¢m wearing.¢ He told me that he and his wife thru-hiked in 2000, and pointed to a woman sitting in a black pick-up truck in the parking lot and said, ¢That¢s my wife, ¢Tinkerbell¢. Go knock on the window and she¢ll let you in. We can give you a ride back to the motel. It was such a joy to meet these two: ¢Double Healed¢ and ¢Tinkerbell.¢ Not only did they take me back to the Budget Inn, they also took me and my hefty bounce bag back to the post office. Excellent trail angels there were. We exchanged information, and I promised I would send a copy of my victory photo to them when I¢m through.Last night, I shared my room with a nice young woman named ¢Fly¢. Tonight, I will keep my room to myself and enjoy the peace and quiet. There is a new bunch of hikers here this evening, most of whom I am not familiar with. We all had a terrific time socializing last night. There were at least 20 of us in a circle of chairs in the parking lot at the Budget Inn, sipping on cold beer and chowing down on pizza. There is a very heart-warming camaraderie that develops almost instantaneously amongst thru-hikers. Why can¢t we be this way in the other life at home?