morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-26
From: Katahdin Stream Campground (Millinocket, ME)

To: Baxter Peak, Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

WooHoo!!! Let me say that again ¢ WoooHooo!!! I reached the end of the trail and kissed the sign at 10:30am this morning!Vehicle access to Baxter Park is restricted to the number of parking spaces available, so you have to be at the gate early to assure that you can get into the park. We got to bed early and listened to the people in the room above tramp back and forth until about 1:00am when I pounded on the ceiling with my hiking poles. Things quieted after that and I got a good night¢s sleep until the alarm went off at 3:15am. We were at the Baxter gate about 4:30am, the third car in line for the 5:00am opening. When the gate was opened we waited patiently for the lead car to go through. When he didn¢t move for ten minutes, the rest of the cars in line drove around him. I guess he got there early and went back to sleep. I hope he got in.We started up the trail at 6:00am by headlight but soon had daylight. Along Katahdin Stream, past Katahdin Falls, up through the woods and to the treeline halfway up. The day was crystal clear, but the wind was cold. We stopped before the treeline to put on more clothes, hats and gloves. After that was a boulder scramble with steel handholds in places to help with the climb. Then out onto the Table Land and the easy climb up to the summit over the last mile, meeting Snafu on his way down from completing his section hike. Several day hikers were already on the summit and we waited a minute until they had finished with their pictures. Then Jon and Dan recorded the moment as I walked up and planted a big kiss on the sign and gave my best Homer Simpson ¢WOOOHOOO!!!¢ It felt incredibly good to reach the end of the trail, and having my sons there to help celebrate made it all the more special. Thank you, Jon and Dan, for making the long trip to cheer your Dad on in person!We took a ton of pictures, then found a spot out of the wind, opened the bottles of Shipyard Ale that we brought up and toasted the event. ¢To having big thoughts and following through on them!!¢ I was apparently the only thruhiker to finish today. We talked for a while, ate a snack, enjoyed the hundred-mile view, talked to some of the others, then packed up and made the hike back down to the car. My feet were light on the way down.I surprised myself with this thruhike. I didn¢t know if I could hike a hundred miles when I started, and I made it all the way. I¢d like to say thanks to Laveda, Jon, Daniel, and the many friends who supported and encouraged me on this adventure. For those of you who may be thinking of hiking the AT, I¢ll be posting a gear review and some thoughts about the hike in a few days. Thanks for reading my journal and living the adventure with me.
Date: 2004-03-12
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Len Foote Hike Inn
Miles today: 5.0

7:20 PM Well, I have begun the walk to Virginia. Here I sit in the dining hall of the Len Foote Hike Inn, waiting for the evening educational program to begin. I am not especially excited about the prospect of the program, but this is a good place to sit and write and it is a friendly place to get down to the serious business at hand - beginning my trail journal. I thoroughly enjoyed the walk from Amicalola Falls with my husband (John), my daughter (Rose) and Mama. I was awash with gratitude that I have such a loving and supportive family to share this crazy dream of a long walk. The Inn is a great place to end the first day of this trek. I am so grateful to be on the way, that the thought of a walk back to the falls to escort my daughter and Mama back to the car in the morning tomorrow seems like a fun adventure. I will carry Mama's day pack down to the car, and I will eagerly time my unburdened pace back to the Inn, as John and I spend a romantic night together before heading north to Springer Mountain and beyond.The most dramatic incident of the day was our passing Joanne about half-way up the trail to the Inn. She was standing in the center of the trail, leaning on her hiking stick, shaking with exhaustion. We passed her about 3:00 PM. Her pack was HUGE. I offered to carry some of her things, but she declined. Later, that evening, Joanne was the subject of much chatter at the Inn. One man volunteered that he had helped her put her pack on, after a break on the trail, because she was obviously having trouble maneuvering it. [It was then even more comprehensible to me why she was standing in the trail - she couldn't put the pack down or even sit down for a rest. She wouldn't have the strength to get back up again without having to leave her pack on the side of the trail!] We learned from our table-mates at dinner that Joanne had left the falls about 11:30 AM that morning for the 5 mile trek to the Hike Inn.We were finishing dinner when Joanne walked into the dining room about 6:30 PM. Everyone cheered. It appeared that someone had walked down the trail to find her and carried her pack for her the last mile. She would probably still be struggling up the trail right now if she hadn't been rescued. We heard that her pack weighed 43 pounds. I saw her umbrella as we approached her and suggested she might want to leave it behind, but she assured me that she would need it as she was traveling further north. I know that I would not want to waste any pack weight on an umbrella! I can imagine trying to actually use an umbrella, with a full heavy pack in a high wind, and that image is not a pretty picture!
Date: 2004-03-13
From: Len Foote Hike Inn

To: Round Trip, by way of AT approach trail
Miles today: 0.0

7:10 AM The program last night got interesting when Eric got to talking about bears. Eric explained that he had been a student of Doc Findley, a bear researcher from South Carolina. Eric's description of bear smells was extraordinarily entertaining.The night was a bit noisy. I thought about how my nights at shelters might seem very long - even in these private rooms, I experienced snoring, thumping, as people turned over and tried to get comfortable, doors opening and shutting. At 4:00 AM, a loud thump sounded like either someone fell off a bunk or a loaded pack fell down. Periodically, from then until 6:15 AM, when I got up, there were vigorous noises - talking, laughing and one "damn it." I did sleep a little. Finally it was late enough to get up. Now after tea and a view of the sunrise, I am more than ready for breakfast.Scripture read this morning: Psalm 32, Luke 36:00 PM I was anxious this morning about getting Rose and Mama down to the car in time for Rose to get to her dance class by 1:00 PM. I practically shooed Mama off the porch to get her going before Rose was ready, since I knew Rose could fly down the mountain and that Mama would have to be a lot more deliberate with her steps. Then I felt compelled to catch up with Mama in case she wanted to change her shoes and to bring her some water. I came up behind her after about a mile, 15 minutes after I left the Inn and 30 minutes after she had started. Rose and John went on ahead and got to the parking lot about 10 minutes before Mama and I did at 11:30 - perfect timing. She had changed her shoes to give her a little more stability going down the last rocky slope.I probably flubbed the good-bye time by wanting them to go on and go. I want Rose to know that I am thinking of her changing situation, but I really was having a hard time thinking about her missing me the next 3 months. I was so in the moment of needing to get her back home to dance class. I need to be more in the moment. It is easier for me to be in the moment when I am walking. The hardest times today was 9:00 AM trying to move Mama and Rose down the trail and at 11:30 in the parking lot trying to get them in the car and moving down the road to home.John and I then flapped around a little, trying to decide how much lunch to eat, whether to go look around the lodge, and when to start up the approach trail to Springer Mountain (to go back to the Hike Inn). After we started walking north on the trail, I felt relaxed and happy. The highlight of the walk for me, was a side trip to High Shoals Baptist Church and Cemetery. It was touching to see an old church restored and kept open for visitors, all clean and orderly. I had never seen a piano with a hardware cloth cage over it before. The printed flannel picture of Jesus with a flock of sheep was a wonderful touch of country.Before our hike ended back at the Hike Inn, we had almost run out of water. That, and how dry the mountainsides were today helped me realize we really do need to take a full load of drinking water tomorrow when we hit the trail with full pack.
Date: 2004-03-14
From: Len Foote Hike Inn

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: broken clouds

11:45 AM It feels good to sit in the sun writing at the Black Gap Shelter picnic table picnic table. We left Len Foote Hike Inn at 10:00 AM after a huge breakfast, but I am hungry enough for lunch now. I was happy to tank up on water at Nimblewill Gap. I was still tasting the 2 sausage patties that I had at breakfast. I'm sure glad they tasted good. The packs are heavier that I intended but I didn't want to run out of good water before stopping for the night. John's pack weighs about 44 pounds. Mine was 41.5 pounds. The platypus was full of water.The shelter here is pretty Spartan. Joanne stayed here alone last night.1:45 PM Springer Summit. It was 44 degrees Fahrenheit this morning at Len Foote around breakfast time. 53 degrees at the junction of the approach trail. 63 degrees coming up the side of Springer. I am hot!John and I had a prayer at Black Gap shelter. Psalm 150. Song: "Praise ye the Lord Hallelujah!" I read from Luke: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?" Sang "In the Lord I'll be ever thankful." We had a pork sandwich and trail mix for lunch. Rachael joined us while we were eating. She had left Amicalola Falls this morning and plans to stay at Stover Creek tonight. Her mother in Western Pennsylvania made her promise to sleep where there are other people.She said that the report from Neels Gap is that 300 thru-hikers have already come through this year.
Date: 2004-03-15
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: overcast clouds

9:50 AM A pleasant enough night at Stover Creek shelter. We had a pack failure at Springer Mtn. shelter yesterday. The bear-damaged hip-belt on John's pack came loose and I spent a few minutes repairing it while listening to unhelpful suggestions from Joanne. She had looked really tired. She said she was going to stay there for the night, even though is was only 3:00 PM.We hit the trail again and ran into Glen, the ridge runner, at that parking area below Springer Mtn. We had talked to Glen about bears, Joanne, etc. We ate a snack and then moved on to the Stover Creek Shelter, arriving about 4:45 PM. Setting up camp, cooking dinner, and filtering water took until dark. In the sack by 8:00 PM.A long night with light rain, animal scritching and John's light snoring. I finally got up in the dampness at 7:00 AM. Breakfast was tolerable, but we forgot that you have to pump the stove periodically. Next time we will get it right!6:30 PM I am in the tent at Hawk Mountain Shelter. A light rain is falling. The wet things I had hung to dry on shoelaces would not get a bit drier before morning. So now they are in a heap on top of the tent bag under the tent fly/ vestibule. At least fewer tree debris fragments will fall on them tonight.This is a very crowded shelter area. The tent city is as dense as the average state park campground. At least there are no engines running to generate electricity for an armada of RV's! The shelter sleeps 12 on two levels. Those who have no tent are going to be either very crowded or very wet by morning.In the conversations during dinner preparation the last 2 nights I found that there was some competition regarding who had the lightest stove set-up. Some hikers seem to eschew stoves completely and depend on filtered water to reconstitute milk or other cold food powders. It is true that the stove can be a pain, but I want my tea and soupy warm food! Trail mix is good for a quick snack or dessert, but the comfort of mashed potatoes with milk, Romano cheese and margarine really hit the spot tonight.I feel a call to join the fringes of the laughing group around the campfire, where John is, as soon as I make a small attempt at a journal entry before dark.I remember that "Notes" said he had to go back to work today; his warm feelings for the group at Stover Creek shelter last night and this morning prompted him to promise to buy ice cream for everyone at the Walasi-Yi. I will be thinking of him fondly for many weeks. Maybe John will go to the Crescent Moon in Decatur and give him a big tip.The hike today was very pleasant. We saw very few hikers on the trail, but they sure wound up at Hawk Mountain Shelter. One man is here with is son and nephew. His daughter and niece didn't want to stay with the crowd and hiked on. I wonder if John and I will hike 8 miles to Gooch Gap or stay somewhere else along the way. Tomorrow will tell the tale. Lord show us the way.
Date: 2004-03-16
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Justus Creek 
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

9:25 AM It was a very wet night but this new tent kept us remarkably dry. I am not eager to break down a wet tent again, not knowing where we would put it up again or if we would be able to find a dry place to get things dried out before bedtime tonight. If we pack up everything into the packs, everything will become evenly moist, even the clothes and bags which are now dry. John wants to do something, not hang out in a tent all day, so that will be the deciding factor.It looks like 4 meals use about 1/3 tank of fuel, so we have 8 more hot meals before we need a refill. That should take us al the way to Neels Gap. John is worried about running out of toilet paper. I'm not. I will be able to make do without any, as long as there is water and soap. I know we have everything we need right here.Psalm 29 & 30 - Long Creek Falls yesterday was a delicious display of power. Verse 29:4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice. 29:3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, the Lord of glory thundereth.9:35 PM We left Hawk Mountain shelter at 1:30 PM after the rain stopped and we got most of the gear dried out. I still had wet clothes hanging on the outside of my pack, but we left hoping to make Justus Creek before dark. We did but just barely.We took instructions on setting up a bear rope. I hope it works out. We used my 11 yards of rope, two 60 inch shoelaces and a packing strap. I think we ought to get up early to reduce the laughingstock factor.Supper was great. I am so thankful for a headlamp. It made cooking in the dark actually possible. The 6 miles we walked today was VERY strenuous. It wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't been racing the sun. But we're set up for the night. Tomorrow is another day.9:35 PM We left Hawk Mountain shelter at 1:30 PM after the rain stopped and we got most of the gear dried out. I still had wet clothes hanging on the outside of my pack, but we left hoping to make Justus Creek before dark. We did but jsut barely.We took instructions on setting up a bear rope.I hope it works out. We used my 11 yards of rope, two 60 inch shoelacs and a packing strap. I think we ought to get up early to reduce teh laughingstoc factor.Supper was great. I am so thankful for a headlamp. It made cooking in the dark actually possible. The 6 miles we walked today was VERY strenuous. It wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't been racing teh sun. But we're set up for teh night. Tomorrow is another day.
Date: 2004-03-17
From: Justus Creek 

To: Big Cedar Mountain
Miles today: 7.4

6:45 AM It was a long night for me. I'm glad it's finally light enough to write without the headlamp. I would have gotten up to write, even in the dark if I had been alone. It was 45 degrees in the tent. The wind is roaring in the trees overhead. I'm glad I'm not camped at the top of a mountain. Nature calls. I'll have to postpone the writing.7:20 PM Summit of Big Cedar Mountain. We hiked 7.4 miles today. It was supposed to be an easy short hike day, but things turned out differently. Gooch Gap was a thoroughly unattractive campsite, and we were discouraged by the thought of making our way to Suches. It seemed like a long way out of the way for toilet paper and powdered milk. Woody Gap was an even more unattractive campsite, but the spring down the hill was very nice. I didn¢t really want to lug 2 liters of water up a mountain, but it seemed best to be on the safe side.I didn¢t really like the idea of camping on a mountain top, but this site seems sheltered enough to be OK. The view is spectacular, even though we can still hear road noises. I hope the bears don¢t make a ruckus with our tree line and food bags.
Date: 2004-03-18
From: Big Cedar Mountain

To: Slaughter Gap
Miles today: 6.0

8:05 PM Foot of Blood Mountain. We are occupying one of the new tent pads built for this site, tent pad No. 5. Some people pay no attention to the campfire ban. There are fire rings set up at many of the tent pads. I threw the wood that was stacked by the fire ring at our pad into the woods.The bears didn¢t get our stuff at Big Cedar Mountain. John said it was the coolest place he had ever camped. I got more sleep than most previous nights. Awake at 3:30, I waited until 5:15 to wake John. I couldn¢t stay quiet any longer. I needed to get on with the day. It was a great one. We did 6 miles, in a little over 5 hours, including stops for viewing scenery and socializing. Tomorrow will be 4 miles out to Neels Gap. I want to hike to Slaughter Gap first thing to see what it looks like.
Date: 2004-03-19
From: Slaughter Gap

To: Walasi-Yi
Miles today: 3.3

9:25 PM I am soaking in the aroma of thru-hikers here at the Walasi-Yi hostel. I don¢t mind it at all. It is a rather exciting smell of extreme exertion, those ketones released during fat burning. John and I arrived at Neels Gap at about 1:30 PM to find Ray waiting for us. The chocolate ice cream was also waiting in the freezer. John, Ray and I shared it with 3 spoons. Ray bought me a CokeThe laundry and shower situation was pretty primitive. I was getting very hungry and the shuttle was leaving before my clothes were completely dry. I threw the pile on my bunk, grabbed my jeans and the fleece pullover and ran to the truck with the clothes in my arms. I had already been wearing my down sweater and parka, so I wasn¢t too chilly.The food was plentiful and good enough. The table talk was about diet, training tips and mail drops. I don¢t have a lot to say about those things. I wonder how the night will be in the bunkhouse. I am sure there will be someone who snores.Last night was not an easy night for sleeping, with howling wind and some animal scritching and doing something indefinable right outside the tent. We finally brought all the gear inside except the stove. The animal must have finally lost interest because John and I both fell asleep later. I woke up and John and I walked to Slaughter Gap down the closed AT. It looked like a war zone. The GATC was serious about the old trail being closed. They has so much brush piled in the old trail, it was a real challenge to get through. I tripped on a stump and fell. I got a bruised knee out of it, but I was so glad I didn¢t have a full pack when I tripped. I learned to make sure I am fully awake and have washed my face before hiking out in the morning!Well, it is 9:45 PM, and someone is already snoring. I expect an interesting night of identifiable sounds. God, help me benefit from this experience. I really did choose to be here, knowing full well that it would likely be noisy. I trust that I will get as much sleep as I really need.
Date: 2004-03-21
From: Whitley Gap 

To: Chattahoochee Gap
Miles today: 10.0

8:25 PM Chattahoochee Gap.I hiked with a full pack more than 10 miles today. I know I enjoyed hearing the birds, seeing the various springs and the steep coves and mountains in the distance, but I can¢ place any particular spot as remarkable. I think I like the spring at Whitley Gap shelter better than any other place I saw today. I finally got a stick. I couldn¢t have made it the last couple of miles without it. I am too cold to write anymore now.
Date: 2004-03-23
From: Cheese Factory campsite 

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: clear sky

10:00 AM Cheese Factory Campsite.I have been awake since 4:30, out of the tent since 5:00 and I am still not on the trail yet. It got down to 20 degrees last night. I wanted breakfast, so I got out of bed to build a fire. I was awake more often last night. It seemed like I looked at the time every hour from 2:00 AM on. I got up at 10:30 PM and 2:00 AM and dozed after that. I must have gotten at least 6 hours sleep, maybe 7. I knew I would have to wait until dawn to get my stove going and get water, but I wanted a warm place to cook. I¢m glad that campfire from last night still had some coals in the ashes. The challenge was finding wood to start it up in the dark, especially trying to be quiet and not disturb my neighbors. It turns out I didn¢t disturb them at all. They all stayed in their tents until nearly 8:00 AM.Its 10:15 now, and if I hope to make Deep Gap, 9 miles away before too late, I¢d better get going.8:10 PM Sassafras Gap. I went 6.4 miles today. It was the hardest day so far. I cried a few times as I walked along, taking all my will to put one foot in front of the other. I just wanted to go down one of the coves and stay, not move another step. I cried because I can¢t bear the thought of going back to work right now. If I didn¢t keep walking, I don¢t know what I would do right now. I have thought of coming home for Easter from Fontana and skipping the Smokies completely, maybe do them some other time, with John if he is willing. Putting the bear bag in a tree remains a challenge. I let Jeff do it last night. Marty helped me tonight. He also whittled on my stick to make it safe. I love my stick. Maybe I can make it to the Blueberry Patch tomorrow. I sure hope so. I need a banana or orange juice or something. I¢m whipped. It is 40 degrees in the tent. Time to turn in.
Date: 2004-03-24
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Blueberry Patch Hostel
Miles today: 6.1

9:45 PM Blueberry Patch HostelThis day has been such an amazing contrast to the day before. I realize that when Marty and Nancy (Old Fogies Ltd.) came down the hill into Sassafras Gap last night I felt safe and that I really was in the right place at the right time. I had been looking forward to getting to the Blueberry Patch to borrow a saw to work on my stick. I mentioned that to Marty and he just went to work on it with his knife. I really love that stick now. It is almost like it really has a personality. As if when I decided I needed it, I looked down and there it was saying, "Pick me." If the GATC volunteers hadn¢t been clearing the treadway, it might have been growing by the trail for me to pull up on. As it is, it came with me because it had been cut down. Tomorrow I will take it easy, buy groceries and find a place to put my tent. I like my tent.
Date: 2004-03-26
From: Little Bald Knob Campsite

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

8:30 PM Bly GapI am now in North Carolina. I unintentionally walked 7.7 miles today plus 0.4 mile to the Plum Orchard shelter and a steep 400 yards to a spring at Plum Orchard Gap. I am so tired I am dizzy. I assume I will recover by morning. I usually do. The suspicion about fluid weight was probably right. I woke up about every hour to pee last night. I hope it isn¢t as bad tonight.Bly Gap is crowded with tents tonight. Tomorrow will either be a short 3 mile hike to Muskrat Creek or a 7 mile day to Standing Indian shelter. It will depend on how I feel and what time I arrive at Muskrat Creek. I saw more of those white flowers today. I seem to recall they are some sort of anemone.