morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-04
From: Erwin TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 1.0

Day 12I decided to have a zero day. More rain was forecast and I needed to dry my boots and rest my blisters. Since Uncle Johnny's Hostel had a stream running through it with about 98% humidity in the bunkhouse I decided to stay in a hotel. I got a ride to the Super 8. I picked that one because it was relatively close to a Huddle House and a Walgreens. I turned my boots upside down on the air conditioning unit, walked a quarter mile in my flip flops to eat and buy blister remedies and an umbrella. I took a long nap and then walked back to the Huddle House for supper. So I actually got a mile in on my zero day by walking to get meals, but I had an umbrella and my boots stayed on the air conditioner all day and all night. Since it was the 4th of July they were playing National Treasure on TV. It made me think that one of our National Treasures is our National Forests along with our National Parks. We should be willing to invest in them as a society for our citizens now and in the future. I heard recently that part of the Knobstone Trail in Indiana is currently closed because of state logging. (Warning - I am about to get political) I don't understand several things about that. (1) Why do the same politicians that believe in small government, free market, and private enterprise think it is okay for the state to undercut private logging companies? (2) Why can't we see the value in forest land being kept as forest land for the environment and for recreation? (3) And for those who claim we are harvesting to maintain healthy forests, why would we believe man could do a better job of maintaining forests than the Creator who maintained them for millions of years without any help from us. The current state of affairs in Indiana is that we have increased logging on public lands by a factor of ten in the last ten years. I believe we should leave logging to logging companies on private land. State and National Forests should be treated as treasures that we must preserve for future generations. So that ends my July 4th political statement. Now if I could only get Governor Pence to read my blog...
Date: 2013-07-05
From: Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 13I hiked in a cloud all morning. I planned to do lunch at the beauty spot but I hiked right passed it without knowing it, I didn't realize I had passed it until I hit the dense spruce forest of Unaka Mountain. I think my hiking legs must have arrived; I made two major ascensions without having to stop and rest. I used my hiking poles for walking and not as resting poles on the way up the mountain. Of course Roan Mountain is still ahead of me. The spruce forest was amazing. It slowed me down because I kept trying to capture the essence of the scene with my camera, I don't think it worked. How do you capture the sense of the ancient soul of the forest? The moss makes everything seem as if it has always existed in its current green mantle. I took my third fall today. The first two times I fell back and landed on my pack. It was a soft landing. This time I fell forward coming down from the mountain and slipping on a wet rock. I fell on my left knee and my left hiking pole. My knee is fine; the pole not so much. It is almost nonfunctional. I hate carrying 6 ounces of useless weight, but I am hoping my friend Dennis can straighten it out and make it usable again for another hike on another adventure. I got into the shelter at 2:30. I spent the afternoon reading and relaxing. I ate supper at 6:00, set up my tent in the shelter since I had the place to myself and then 7 college students showed up at 7:30. Most of them slept in tents; three of them shared the shelter with me.
Date: 2013-07-06
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 14I hiked about three miles to iron mountain gap. There was what seemed like an isolated road crossing. Like almost ever road crossing it had one number on the Tennessee side and another number on the North Carolina side. Since the trail often followed the border, road crossings usually occurred at the state line. At this crossing there were several parked cars, two cyclists getting ready to ride down hill, and a day hiker getting dropped off in a fancy sports car convertible. I sat on a convenient pile if extra asphalt, had a snack and redressed my blisters. Many times while hiking the trail I thought that if I were in charge of the AT (which I do not want to be, because it is over 2000 miles long and I already have enough things to be in charge of), but if I were in charge I would add some benches. Sometimes it would be nice to take a break from hiking and be able to sit down. Maybe a bench every half mile or so. Although that would mean over 4000 benches.When I started up the hill the day hiker joined me. He told me his trail name and asked me what my trail name was. I said I didn't have a trail name and he said I needed to choose one for myself. We had a great conversation covering many topics. We even got into a conversation on politics- a topic seldom discussed on the trail. His wife had dropped him off and was going to pick him up at the top if Roan Mountain. I was impressed that with a drop off and pick up, he chose to hike up the mountain and not down it. I was also impressed with myself that I could keep up with him while I was carrying my 30 pound pack and supplies. I guess my "trail legs" really had arrived. Our conversation made the miles pass quickly. In fact my side trail to Greasy Creek Hostel came almost too soon. I was tempted to hike on to the next shelter, but I was trying to not aggravate my blisters, it was undoubtably going to rain soon, and I could not stand my own smell so I headed down and logging road to the hostel. As I hiked down. Down, down to the hostel I began to question my decision knowing I would have to hike back up to the trail in the morning. But later on after my shower , as I sat eating pork barbecue wearing clean clothes while it was pouring outside, I decided I had made the right choice.
Date: 2013-07-08
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 16A strange thing happened as I left Roan High Knob Shelter; the sky turned blue! I headed down the mountain to Carver's Gap. Gaps are interesting things. To many teenagers, the Gap is a place to buy clothes, in history we learned that discovering gaps like the Cumberland Gap made it possible for people to settle the western frontier now known as the Midwest. For AT hikers seeing a gap on the map means you are going to hike down, down, down and then you will hike up, up, up. If it has a name like "high gap" that could mean you don't go down too far. A name like ¢Low Gap¢ can only be bad news. But Carver's Gap was a special experience. I hiked out of the woods and into the sunshine and on the other side of the road I could see the trail going up a grass covered mountains. I had hit an entire series of balds and the sun was shining! I hiked over Round Bald where I laid out my 2nd shorts and shirt in the sun to dry while I ate my first lunch. I then hiked over Jane's Bald and even took a half-mile side trail to Grassy Bald. About a third if the way up the side trail I thought, "Why am I carrying this pack?" I set the pack beside the trail, took my lunch and one water bottle and headed on. I was pretty sure no one was interested in carrying an extra 30 pounds with a really strong odor down the mountain with them. I had a substantial amount of cash in the bottom of the pack, but they wuld have to dig past some really smelly clothes to get there. I decided it was all safe. The views were amazing - 360 degrees! I hated to leave, but I had about five more miles to the shelter. This would be my last night in a shelter and it turned out to be the perfect shelter for the finale. Over mountain Shelter is a converted barn on the edge of the forest with views of the next balds and views way down into a valley. There are often 30 hikers at the shelter. It has two lower bunk areas that would hold eight people each and an entire hayloft above that would hold about 40 people. This night there were four of us. I was on one bunk, Gray Goat was on the other, and a father and son doing a two day trip were in the loft. The bunks had one side open to the air and views. I went to sleep that night and woke up the next morning with million dollar views. And it didn't rain! It was the first full 24-hour period with no rain in days.
Date: 2013-07-09
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour Hostel
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

Day 17Leaving the shelter on the last day was bittersweet. In a way I was ready to be done hiking, I was definitely ready to see my wife, but I also knew I would miss the trail and miss the people I kept bumping into. Much if the trail on today¢s hike was out in the open or along the edge of the woods, with lots of views and blue skies. As I hiked up the first bald, rounding the corner behind me comes the " Rocket Twins." That is not there actual trail name, but one of my hiking companions back in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park dubbed them that. They are identical twins from Florida who have done a great deal of hiking on several trails including the AT and the Pacific Coast Trail. They pack very light and move very fast. They would actually be way ahead of me if one of them hadn't gotten the nurovirus. As they passed me we chatted a bit and then they said they would see me again, I said probably not because this was my last day and there was no way I would catch up to them. As I came to the top of Little Hump Mountain I passed the Rocket Twins! Well to be completely honest, they had stopped for lunch, but still, to pass the Rocket Twins was a major mile stone in my hiking experience. I stopped for lunch at the last "hump" on Hump Mountain, right before the trail goes back down into the woods. Of course the Rocket Twins passed me by for the last time. Another hiker came by heading south. I hoped he wouldn't stop so I could enjoy the setting by myself, but he stopped. As it turned out we had a great conversation. Sometimes I like to be alone because it can be too much work to carry on a conversation, but spending so much of each day alone on this journey has taught me to enjoy those conversations when they occur. My lunch companion had the trail name Hidy Ho, and of course he asked me my trail name. I said I don't have one and he said I need to pick a trail name. As it turns out he is a high school administrator from Missouri. He had just stayed at the hostel where I was heading and he was heading to Overmountain Shelter where I had just been. We shared superlatives about our previous accommodations. He also said, "Why do I feel like I should be singing, 'The hills are alive with the sound of music.'" It did feel exactly like the setting in the opening scene from the movie. We both hated to leave, partly the setting and partly the conversation. He had five miles of balds ahead of him, I had the end of my journey. But we did leave, me heading north, him heading south. And in five or six miles I came out of the woods and off the trail onto US highway 19. I saw the white blaze on the other side of the road and it was a little bit weird knowing that for me that white blaze didn't matter. Maybe on another adventure¢¦
Date: 2013-07-11
From: Mountain Harbor Hostel

To: Damascus
Miles today: 5.0

Day 19During my hike I met people with names like Walkabout and Long Haul, Gray Goat, Dusty Feet, Hidee Ho, and the list goes on. As people began asking me what my trail name is and as hiker after hiker proceeded to tell me that I needed to pick a trail name I began to give in to the peer pressure and contemplate a trail name. On my final day of hiking I made a decision. I had been contemplating something around perseverance and persistence after about the fourth day of hiking in the rain. I decided my trail name should be Percee which could stand for either Persistence or Perseverance. Besides one of my favorite composers is Percy Grainger, so it was kind of like having a namesake. Then when my wife met me at Mountain Harbour Hostel we went out for a short day of slack packing. I wanted to take her to a couple places that were accessible by short hikes. We drove to Roan Mountain where I had spent time under the restroom overhang waiting for a passing storm and we walked to the Roan High Knob Shelter. We drove to Carver's Gap and hiked up Round Bald. While at Carver's Gap we ran into the guy I had lunch with on the top of Hump Mountain on the last day of my hike. We were talking and he called me Dave, I said "It's Dale." and Izzie said, "Like over hill over Dale." And he said, "That's it! You needed a trail name and that's it." So much for the symbolic and meaningful Perseverance and Persistence, I think when I venture onto a section hike if the AT again, my trail name will be Over Hill Over Dale, or just "Over" for short!
Date: 2013-10-12
From: Spivey Gap, TN

To: Spivey Gap, TN
Miles today: 13.4

It's fall break and my wife agreed to my plan to head to Tennessee and do the section of the trail that I shuttled over this summer during all of the rain from above and blisters from below. The first day she hiked with me. (What a great wife!)Well, I actually lied to her about the first day. We dropped the car at Spivey Gap and got a shuttle to Sam's Gap. I told her it was a 12 mile hike and we were starting at 3800 feet to climb up to the top of Big Bald at 5516 ft. I thought the first day would be the one with the best views and she likes the views more than the hike. The distance was actually 13.4 miles, but I figured she would not notice. before we got to the top we met some trail maintenance volunteers - a 85 year old gentleman and his daughter and son-in-law. We sat and chatted with them and rested for a while, but I knew we had to jeep moving to reach the car before dark. We got to the top in time for a late lunch and in time for the clouds to roll in around us. We could see down into the first valley at times, and only about 500 feet out at other times. The wind was ferocious. We huddled down below the rim to get out of the wind and ate the lunch we brought along with the apples we had found along the way. After eating, I said we should get going and my wife said we should rest a bit. After 10 minutes, I woke her up and said we should get going and she said we should turn around and hike back. I said it was 6 miles back and 6 miles forward. (Lie #2) I also said if we hiked forward we would come out at our car. (Not a lie) I also said it would basically be down hill all the way to the car. (Not true, but not an intentional lie.) We hiked on and on and up and down. The light was beginning to fade and we were several miles from the car. Every time we hit the top of a peak, I would say that must be the last climb (speaking more from hope than from knowledge). We hiked on. It got dark enough that we debated getting out the headlamps. The problem is as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you sometimes see better without the headlamps. We saw a break in the trees ahead and I knew we were at Spivey Gap and the car...we were not. We were at a clearing and some campers. We hiked on. About 20 minutes later, and in pretty much total darkness we came to the car, drove into Erwin for supper, and to the Nolichucky Gorge Campground to our tent to call it a day.
Date: 2013-10-13
From: Spivey Gap, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

My wife shuttled me back to Spivey Gap to hike into Erwin with only a day pack. It was a great day for hiking and it felt great to not have a full pack. I was surprised how easy the climbs seemed both today and yesterday. It was either because my legs were still in decent shape from this summer, or because my only weight was my lunch and rain gear - and a head lamp just in case.The only views into the distance came at the end of the day as got glimpses of Erwin, TN and the Nolichucky River. I could also see the campground we had been staying in. I met a couple south bound hikers, but mostly was on my own all day. I loved hiking with my wife yesterday, but it was nice to be on the trail on my own again. Other than the amazing colors in the trees, it felt like last summer again. The temperatures were perfect, in the 70's. I was amazed how many flowers were still blooming, and for the most part, different flowers from the ones I saw in the summer. The best part of the day was hiking down into Erwin, coming out to Uncle Johnny's Hostel where I sat for two days of downpours this summer...and the sun was shining this time.
Date: 2013-10-16
From: Rich Mountain

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 9.0

When I woke up in the morning, it was cold outside. I wished I had brought a stocking cap and gloves. I had been toasty warm in my sleeping bag all night, but I decided to eat fast and start hiking to warm up. I had great views coming into Hot Springs as I descended to the French Broad River. Last summer I came into Hot Springs from the south and there were no views. In fact when I came out of the forest to a road, I wasn't even sure which direction to go to get to town. This time I felt like I was hiking into familiar territory. And unlike last summer, the sun was shining. I wasn't sure how I was going to hook up with my wife. I knew from last summer that there was no ATT cell phone coverage in Hot Springs. This time I hiked down from Lover's Leap (I wonder how many Lover's Leaps there are and if lovers have actually leaped from them.), across the bridge over the French Broad River, and into Hot Springs. As i came over the railroad tracks I spotted our Subaru parked at the laundry mat. It was a familiar spot for me because I had stripped down to my sleeping shorts and done my laundry there this summer, while I tried to wash off days of trail smell from my body using the sink in the restroom. It had only been one night, but it was great to be back with my wife and it was great to find each other so easily after our experience at the top of Camp Creek Bald.My Fall Break hike has come to an end, but my time on the AT is just taking a break. I thin next summer, I will actually start at Springer Mountain in Georgia and Hike to New Found Gap in the the Smoky Mountains where I stated my hike last summer. After that, I may pick up where I left off last summer on another trip and keep heading North.
Date: 2012-12-13
To: A Little Background
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I was born in West Virginia and a graduate of West Virginia University. Along with West Virginia, I have lived in Ohio, New York, Minnesota, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. I was an accountant for most of my working years and retired in 2010. My wife and I moved from Ohio to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 2011, and live about 20 miles from the AT. I have 8 grandchildren and one on the way, hence the trail name ¢PaPaw¢.Back in the 80¢s I was acquainted with someone who had attempted a thru-hike of the AT and have been intrigued ever since. I have thought about it off and on, but other things always seemed to get in the way. That was up until October of last year when I stopped at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) Headquarters in Harpers Ferry. I joined the ATC, hiked a couple of miles on the AT around Harpers Ferry, and have been hooked since then.
Date: 2012-12-14
To: Getting Ready
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

I have spent about 12 months getting ready for my thru-hike. I have spent many hours working out, visiting the local YMCA 4-5 days/week. Walking almost every day and going longer distances recently. I plan on walking 10+ miles a couple of days per week between now and early Feb. Will also throw in a couple of day hikes on the AT with a fully loaded pack. I have read several books and many journals of past hikers. I have spent considerable time on the 2012 version of Awol¢s ¢The A.T. Guide¢. Will order the 2013 version when available. I have researched gear on-line and made many visits to multiple outfitters. I have most gear I think I will need. Update on gear and impact from a start in Feb. in another post.This past March my wife and I took a trip to Amicalola Falls SP and hiked the approach trail to Springer Mt. Drove to Big Stamp Gap and hiked back the 0.9 miles to Springer. On the way back to Virginia stopped several times to hike bits and pieces of the AT. Also made a stop in Damascus.This summer I did a couple of multi-day hikes with a full pack to test gear and stamina. Hiking on the AT south from Harpers Ferry and the Allegheny Trail in the Canaan Valley/Blackwater Falls area. As a result I determined the need to work on both gear and stamina.Getting excited about this grand adventure¢¦can hardly wait.
Date: 2013-01-11
To: Shakedown Cruise
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Loaded up my backpack and headed out to the AT. Started at Reed¢s Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway and headed north ending up at Rockfish Gap, a distance of 19.3 miles. Reeds Gap is at 2,650 ft, the highest point on this stretch of the AT is Humpback Mt, 3,626 ft, the lowest is 1,594, 6.5 miles north of Humpback Mt at Paul C. Wolfe Shelter. The temp at the start was 39, the temp at Rockfish was 39, I suspect is was within 1-2 degrees of this most of the day. Rained on and off most of the first half of the hike, with some sleet thrown in for good measure. Several miles of the trail were covered with snow/ice. Good thing the trail was well marked or I would have probably not made it to Rockfish Gap before dark.Some thoughts on my hike today-This section of the AT is maintained by the Old Dominion AT Club. The trail was well maintained and marked, kudos to ODATC.Started with a pack wt of 34lbs, but only 2 days of food. Need to seriously work on getting wt. down.Walked the 19.3 miles in about 9 12 hrs. Not bad pace for me at this stage. No problem with legs and back, but the 19 miles and pack wt wore on my shoulders. Need to work on pack adjustment and seriously work on getting wt. down.Forgot my gloves¢¦need to be intentional about reviewing gear inventory before leaving home.Planning one more shakedown hike in a couple of weeks. This will be overnight, maybe around The Priest.
Date: 2013-02-21
To: How Exciting is This?
Miles today: 0.0

I have been planning my AT hike for about 16 months now. It is hard to believe that I will start my great big grand adventure in only 3 days. Will be leaving for Georgia tomorrow with my wife and two daughters. My brother and his wife will be driving down from Raleigh to join us for the week-end at Amicalola Falls SP Lodge. It should be quite the send off. Maybe I can even get someone to drive me up to Big Stamp Gap Sunday morning.My backpack is packed. It weighs in at a little under 31 lbs, still a little heavier than I would like but under my target of 35 lbs I set 16 months ago. This includes 2-1/2 l of water and 4 days of food. I¢m sure I will unpack and pack a couple more times before Sunday but this is pretty much it for now.I have put together an itinerary, although it will most likely change after the first week. If the itinerary holds I will summit Katahdin the week of August 5th, but who knows. I have 5 mail drops planned and all of them but one north of Harpers Ferry. The only firm date I have is to be in Damascus, VA the first week of April to meet my wife and travel to Charlottesville to visit my new granddaughter due that week.I have completed all my to-do¢s around the house¢¦well most of them. A new list of to-do¢s has already begun for my return in 5+ months or so. This is probably the point I should give my lovely wife Ellen a big THANK-YOU for letting me go off and wander in the woods for 5+ months. Ellen¢¦thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Also thank you to all my family and friends for their kind words, encouragement and prayers.To the AT class of 2013, best wishes for a wonderful journey. Hope to meet many of you over the next several months. It should be a hoot!