morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-01-23
To: Ready
Miles today: 0.0

Hello again everyone! Still doing some preparations for the trip, but my brother and I did manage to weigh all of my gear. Without food and water it amounted to 22.64 lbs. Not too shabby for a winter load I must say. I wish all of the current thru hikers the best of luck, but for now...I gotta go to work. Peace.
Date: 2008-02-18
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

Hello everyone! Wonderful 1st Day! My Mom graciously drove Keith and I to Amicalola Falls State Park where I met Spencer, my other thru hiking companion. We registered as a thru hikers around 9:45 a.m. After a few pictures and saying our goodbyes to our folks, Spencer, Keith, and I embarked on our journey by 10:30 a.m. **(Editor's note: I'm Keith, Kevin's brother, and will be transcribing his entries as I get. I took a week's vacation to hike the GA section with them and had a ball. It's now back to work for me and living vicariosly through them.)We could actually see the Atlanta skyline from the top of Amicalola Falls! Pretty cool! The Approach trail was a bit of a task, but we made it to Springer by 2:00 p.m. Once on Springer, we met a few other thru-hikers today. There was a comedian and his wife, Debbie and Johnny Millwater, (they are planning on financing their trip by performing comedy along the trail at various towns - they have a website laughteronthetrail.com and even gave us one of their business cards), and another man we met named, Piper. He is recently retired from BASF where he worked as a mechanical engineer. We met another hiker, Scott, who was a out for a few days.It's really hard to believe this journey is getting started. Can't wait to start hiking tomorrow!P.S. We actually only hiked 2.5 miles of the actual Appalachian Trail. The other 8.8 miles we hiked were on the "Approach Trail." I'm counting them...
Date: 2008-02-19
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Another great day on the AT! Left Stover Creek Shelter about 9 a.m. There were a few big climbs today, the most memorable being Sassafras Mountain. From Sassafras we could see the Atlanta skyline again, but I can safely say I don't miss that place. And believe it or not, we actually saw snow flurries from atop Sassafras.Arrived at Gooch Gap early this afternoon and have yet to experience a blister ~ pretty lucky. Piper is here tonight; he's a nice guy. Two other NOBO's named Ben and Raven are here, too. They are are married and just finished an assignment from the Peace Corp. Scott is here as well. Tomorrow we're planning on reaching Neels Gap; our biggest day yet. I cannot explain how great it feels to be out here. Fabulous day!
Date: 2008-02-20
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Another beautiful day on the AT! We left Gooch Gap Shelter about 8:30 a.m. and made it to Big Cedar Mountain around 11:30 a.m. From there we could see Currahee Mountain. This is significant as it's the mountain in my hometown of Toccoa, GA. It's also where the Band of Brothers trained as well as where some parts of the movie were filmed. Pretty cool to be able to see my old "Stomping Grounds."After Big Cedar, it was a pretty uneventful hike ~ mostly just windy and cold, until we reached Blood Mountain. The views from Blood are incredible! The descent from Blood was steep but not too bad. We're chilling here at Mountain Crossings. We've checked into the hostel, washed our clothes, resupplied, and washed off our hiker funk. There is supposed to be a lunar eclipse tonight but doubt will see as it's going to be past our bedtime.Tomorrow, we're headed for Blue Mountain. Hopefully will get there before the rain does. Peace.
Date: 2008-02-21
From: Neels Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a tough day to say the least. We were hiking by 8:05 a.m. and it was around noon when the rain started. It hasn't stopped since. The temps were in the high 30's and the winds were blowing the rain in all directions. We were really looking forward to getting to Blue Mountain Shelter to get out of the rain; however, when we arrived it was full. There were people actually sleeping on the gravel underneath the shelter's overhang. And walking up to a full shelter after 18 miles in the rain can certainly take the starch out of a man.After we set our tents up (4:30 p.m.) in the pooring down rain, we jumped in and quickly changed into something dry. It was quickly hot food next and then came the reality of knowing it would be another 14+ hours until a new day was here. But let me be clear, I'm Katahdin bound. Like they say, "No rain, No Maine." It's all part of the GAME.
Date: 2008-02-22
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap ~ a la Holiday Inn Express
Miles today: 2.2
Weather: light rain

Beginning your morning by putting on cold soaking wet clothes is unquestionably a great way to get the day started, right? My brother, Spencer, and myself made the executive decision to do as they call on the AT a "Nero" ~ a near zero mileage hiking day. From Unicoi Gap, we got an easy hitch into Hiawasse by a nice man on his way to Hayesville, NC. Given the fact we were three nasty, wet, stinky hikers, we had our doubts about getting a hitch in the 1st place. What a nice guy! He wouldn't even accept the cash money we offered as a way of saying thanks!Once in Hiawasse, we checked into the Holiday Inn Express. My brother and his wife, Lisa, are paying for our stay tonight and tomorrow night. We are forever grateful. It's a very nice hotel I might add, too ~ really hiker friendly. There is free internet access, bikes for hikers, an amazing continental breakfast (eggs, omlets, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, fruit, bagels, powdered donuts, coffee, juices, and cereal), jacuzzi, big rooms with small kitchenettes.Lisa, my sister in law, is coming up tonight and she and my brother are going to "slackpack," another hiker term for hiking with just food and water, us from Unicoi Gap to Dick's Creek Gap tomorrow.
Date: 2008-02-23
From: Unicoi Gap ~ a la Holiday Inn Express

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Slackpacked today. More to come...1st of all I must go on record saying thank goodness for Ace Bandages...if not for them I don't believe I could have made it through today as fast as I did. My right quad was aching on my climb out of Unicoi, so I applied an Ace and was on my way; mostly pain free:-) Spencer and I slackpacked from Unicoi Gap to Dick's Creek Gap thanks to Keith and Lisa (Gills and Samoa). This is supposedly the toughest section in GA as it has the most elevation gain/loss. But without the weight of our gear, we made pretty good time. We started about 7:45 and were at Dick's Creek at 1:15 p.m. Slackpacking is the way to go! To add icing on the cake, My Dad, sister, and my girlfriend Jessie came up to Hiawassee for a visit! It's only been six days but it was definitely great to see everyone again. Spencer's parents came up, too. We all went out to eat at the Yacht Club and got our fill. Nothing beats hanging out with family, friends, hot wings, burgers and a cold beer! After our meal, Dad drove us back to the Holiday Inn Express where we sat in the Jacuzzi and rested our weary bones/bodies. The water was boiling hot and felt awesome!Another AWESOME day!
Date: 2008-02-24
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Plumorchard Gap
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Keith and Lisa said goodbye this morning around 8:30 as they were headed back to Smyrna. Jessie, Spencer and I feasted on the continental breakfast shortly after. We had to check out by 11:00 so we packed up our stuff at a leisurely pace. Jessie drove us back to the trail but not before getting one last nutritious meal at Dairy Queen. Today we'll be taking it easy.Spencer and I just finished gathering up some firewood for a good ole' Cowboy TV to watch later. This is a nice shelter and it appears to be out of the wind. We had a little rain on our walk in today but nothing too serious. It's been quite the peaceful day.Today makes the 1st day without the Big Bro around. Spencer and I are definitely missing him. He's hoping on hiking with us again which will definitely be a good boost.Tomorrow, we complete our first state and enter into NC. That will be one down and 13 to go:-) We also hope to catch up with Chuck whom we hiked with through the better part of GA.
Date: 2008-02-25
From: Plumorchard Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

For only a 12 mile hike today, I was definitely surprised at how much of a challenge it was. We crossed into NC today and soon after it greeted us with some pretty tough climbs. Beautiful vistas were plentiful today!They're calling for rain tonight, so we decided to stay in the shelter. Maybe it will be gone by morning:-)Livin' the dream out here. Livin' the dream.
Date: 2008-02-26
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap - Franklin, NC or bust
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: light rain

Today could be easily described as a roller coaster. It was filled with up and downs both literally and figuratively. There were some wicked thunderstorms that blew in around 6:00 a.m. that lasted until about 8:30 a.m. We were prepped for a gloomy day...After the rain stopped, we started our day around 8:45. It was pretty uneventful until 1:30; then the clouds started to break thus allowing great views! We also met up with two good friends, John and Amanda. They both recently graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. I believe they started on the 17th? Counting them, that makes three people we've seen in two days. We made it to Big Spring Shelter by 3:30 p.m. and decided to press on to Rock Gap Shelter. From there, Pizza and Yuengling sounded too good so we agreed that Franklin, NC would be our final destination.When we reached Winding Stair Gap, we called Ron Haven, who owns the Budget Inn, and he gladly came and picked us up. The snow was really coming down when he arrived, too. Ron said they were calling for heavy accumlations in the higher elevations. Currently, Spencer and I are chilling in our room eating our hearts out and watching Sportscenter. Can't beat it!
Date: 2008-02-27
From: Winding Stair Gap - Franklin, NC or bust

To: Winding Stair Gap - Franklin, NC or bust
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Our first Zero day. (A "Zero" is what we hikers call walking zero miles in a day. Kind of a vacation from a vacation.) I'll say it was well deserved.The word of the day is rejuvenated. Now "The Dos Amigos" are recharged and ready for action tomorrow. While here at the Budget Inn, we were able to meet up with our two buddies, Adam and Allen. They were leaving Neels Gap (back in GA) when we were getting there. We've been hop scotching each other ever since. They're also staying here and taking a zero as well. They're nice guys; it's cool to hang out with people who have the same goal in mind.And talk about a small world, Allen actually went to college with one of our best friends from back home. Well, until tomorrow...Love, peace, and hair grease.
Date: 2008-02-28
From: Winding Stair Gap - Franklin, NC or bust

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Today was tough; however, the views were without a doubt awe-inspiring. Our good friend, Ron Haven (a former Pro Wrestler), gave us a ride back to the trail head ~ Winding Stair Gap.After we had walked for a few miles North, we decided to blue blaze up to Siler Bald and the views were incredible; definitely one of my favorite vistas so far on the AT. There was also a good 5-6 inches of snow on her summit as was it for trail, too. Today was actually our 1st day to ever hike in ankle deep snow. Definitely fun at first, but soon became very tricky to hike in without falling over or tripping over roots that were now invisible because of the snow.Great day overall...just a little challenging. Oh yeah, we met a pretty funny guy from New Zealand today. His trail name is Donkey Legs. He's only carrying like 16 or so pounds. Pretty dang light for a winter load:-) He chilled with us up on Siler's Bald but that's the last we saw of him today.Tomorrow is the N.O.C (Nantahala Outdoor Center). I can smell the PBR and pizza from here.
Date: 2008-02-29
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: N.O.C
Miles today: 11.5

This morning I opened up my tent to 3 inches of snow and an amazing vista! I can get use to this!After we started our hike today, we were soon at Wesser Bald's Fire tower. We climbed to the top to take advantage of the views. It was a little scary to climb that frozen tower, but there were some awesome views of the snow capped covered Smokey¢s to our North. While up there we decided to eat lunch.Today was only 11.5 miles...but they seemed tough?! We made it to the NOC by 3:30 and we decided to stay at their hostel.We dined at the River's End Restaurant and it was quite tasty I must say. But I'm starting to think my appetite is like a bottomless pit, seriously. Tonight¢s meal included:Cup of ChiliBowl of salad1/2 lb Cheeseburger (the Wesser Burger) - I highly recommend1 Newcastle and a bowl of Ice-cream for desertOh...I had a water, tooAfter dinner, we caught up with a guy named Max or (Yetti). He's from Detroit and just graduated with an engineering degree. Lot of cool people out here.
Date: 2008-03-01
From: N.O.C

To: Brown Fork Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a pretty tough day. It started out great though. We had an awesome breakfast at the River's End Restaurant, but leaving the NOC was as expected ~ pretty tough. 6 miles uphill laid the beat down on my feet. Cheoah Bald was the highlight for today. You could see Blood Mtn from there as well as Standing Indian. 360 degree views are hard to beat.We met a new trail buddy today, too. His name if Bryan Allgood. He's got a mini-mandolin and its sweet.! Lot of fun to be around music again! This guy can jam!Well, we've got Fontana Dam tomorrow and we'll take on the Smokey's bright and early Monday.
Date: 2008-03-02
From: Brown Fork Shelter

To: Fontana Inn
Miles today: 13.0

Quick day today. Caught up with our good buddy Chuck around lunch. We haven't seen him since Hiawassee, GA! We also met Alex who if from Quebec. We made it to Fontana by 2:30. Great to be checked in here at the Fontana Inn. It's a great place. We've already resupplied, eaten supper, and have our tentative plan mapped out through the Smokey's. Can't wait until tomorrow!
Date: 2008-03-03
From: Fontana Inn

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

We had breakfast with our buddy Chuck this morning at Fontana Village. We got back to the trail and were hiking by 9:00 a.m. We came within 15 feet of Bambi this morning shortly after we started our hike. I must say, however, I felt a little sluggish coming out of Fontana today. Shuckstack Mtn worked the Dos Amigos. It was a good 4 mile climb...that's for sure! Once at the top, we chilled on the fire tower. North Carolina has been a pretty tough state so far with all the climbs and snow, but quite beautiful.Made it to the shelter around 5:30 today and had a fire in it. There are some cool people here, one of which (Trevor) gave us a nice and really informative map of the Smokey¢s. Random thought for today: As I was hiking today, I started thinking about how lucky I am to be out here. This is so much better than studying for midterms, finals, etc. I'm truly blessed.
Date: 2008-03-04
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: moderate rain

Twas a bit challenging today. Rainy and windy ~ the WHOLE DAY! But we're thankfully in dry clothes now. It was like walking through a creek today. Keeping your self dry in scenarios like these are impossible. No matter how much rain gear or gore tex you have on...you get wet, period. Made it to the shelter by 3:15 today. Spencer and I are both in high hopes that we can get a hitch into Gatlinburg tomorrow from Newfound Gap. Ahhhh...the thought of real food. We'll have the highest point on the AT tomorrow, Clingmans Dome, and it looks like we may get to cross it with decent weather. Tomorrow it is, amigos.
Date: 2008-03-05
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Newfound Gap ~ a la Gatlinburg
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

Hello everybody! Well, we had a fairly short day. Clingmans was nice but the clouds below blocked a lot of the view below. in and the trail was icy. The latter made it a tough hike. I even broke my Leki trekking pole just before Newfound Gap. We were successful in getting a hitch from Newfound into Gatlinburg. Spencer has the family hookup on hotels...we got the family rate at the Marriott. Family guy is on right now and we're just sitting here living it up. Tomorrow looks like a short day as we've got to wait on the Happy Hiker Outfitter to open...and that isn't until 10 a.m.!Hopefully, Leki will hook me up with a new piece for my trekking pole. I couldn't imagine hiking out here on the snow and ice without a these poles!
Date: 2008-03-06
From: Newfound Gap ~ a la Gatlinburg

To: Peck's Corner
Miles today: 10.4

We didn't even get back to Newfound Gap until 2:30. It's a long story on my trekking pole, but I got it worked out.Today can easily be described by using just one word. Wow! It was probably the best day on the trail so far. This part of the Smokey's is almost surreal. I've never hiked on anything like this. It's easy for one thing, but hiking on these ridgelines is just absolutely incredible. You look to your left and there is Tennessee. You look to your right and there is North Carolina. There are rugged mountain on one side and more gentle and forgiving slopes on the other. Totally sweet! And let me tell you about Charlie's Bunion. It was a side trail off the AT but well worth it. It's a huge rock outcropping with probably a good 200 foot drop-off on either side, and the views were like no other.We got to the shelter about 7:30. If we hadn't stopped for so many picture breaks, we would have been here lots sooner, but today was too pretty to be in a hurry!At the shelter we met several new folks. There was Adam and Phil who we've been tailing for quite a while. We also caught up with two other guys named Jordan and Felton; all cool guys. Seems like we¢re developing a group¢¦Hoping for the best tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be nasty...such is life.
Date: 2008-03-07
From: Peck's Corner

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: light rain

Greetings from Standing Bear. Today started out pretty grim. It was pouring when we awoke so we didn't decide to make a break for it until 9:15.The rain let up around 2:30 which was about the time we made it to Cosby Knob Shelter for lunch. From there we decided (once again) a hot shower and a pizza sounded just too good...so Standing Bear quickly became today's new destination point.The hike out wasn't bad at all. It was mostly down hill and the miles seem to melt away.We caught up with our buddy Chuck again and also met up with another fellow named Ethan aka Tradewind here at the hostel. Tradewind is from Maine and owns a restaurant up there. It's nice to have a roof over our head tonight. It's supposed to be snowing in the in the mountains. I think we're going to zero here tomorrow as we've got plans to meet up with Will, one of best friends from back home, in Hot Springs on Monday.
Date: 2008-03-08
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we just chilled at Standing Bear. It's pretty cool around here. Alex, who is from Quebec, and Allgood (the mandolin player) showed up today as well as Jordan and Felton. Baltimore Jack, a trail legend who has hiked the AT many times, made a presentation here tonight. He also cooked an amazing meal. This guy is truly a character; a very nice man. It was really interesting listening to all of his trail stories.
Date: 2008-03-09
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was a lot of fun. The first 4 miles or so were uphill but it wasn't too bad. The trail was covered in snow and scenery was unbelievable. Max Patch, a huge bald, was definitely the best vista we've seen on the trail. The skies were crystal clear which allowed us to really appreciate the 360 degree views. Truly amazing!Side note: Although it was great to be in a hostel over the past couple of days, I really didn't sleep as well as I do out here in the great outdoors. I'm looking forward to getting a good night's sleep tonight. We're looking forward to hanging out and hiking with Will tomorrow. He'll be hiking with us until Friday which will be great. Editor's note: This entry was really hard to read. Kevin said, "P.S. It's cold as _____ out here, sorry about my penmanship." Pretty funny.
Date: 2008-03-10
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

We got started this morning around 8:15. It was pretty cold out this morning. Neither Spencer nor I have a temp gauge. I guess that's good and bad. Tough day today even though it was mostly downhill. We came out of the woods and entered into Hot Springs (the trail actually goes right through this town) at 3 on the dot.Our best friend, Will, was waiting on us in his truck. We hopped in and toured the town for a while. We checked into a tiny cabin on the river, and shortly after gorged ourselves at the Smoky Mountain Diner. We've got an easy walk ahead of us this week and our muscles really need it. My folks, Erin (my sis), and Jessie are coming up this Friday. We coordinated with my Step dad, Bill, to pick us up on Friday at Devil's Fork Gap. That's only 30 or so trail miles North of here but seemed to be the most logical point for a rendezvous. If we went to Sam's Gap (I-26), it would be too far of a drive from Hot Springs to make any sense.It's going to be a great week. We'll probably zero tomorrow! Why not?
Date: 2008-03-11
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Since we only have 30ish miles before Friday, we decided to Zero...again. My left shin is a little sore thanks to the Smokey's, but it's all groovy. Hot Springs is pretty dead this time of year, so we decided to go into Davenport and watch a movie. That was about as much as we did today. We were basically pretty worthless. Looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.
Date: 2008-03-12
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Spencer and I will be taking full advantage of this easy week ahead of us. The walk out of Hot Springs was nice. It gave us a great view of the French Broad River.Definitely a slower pace today, but it was nice for a change. Great to see Will again. Doing 11 miles off the couch isn't exactly easy and Spencer and I we're quite impressed with the way Will handled it.Today was overall a great day. Good to be back on the trail again.