morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-09-23
From: Cheshire

To: Stealth cpsite
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: broken clouds

September 23--Cheshire to stealth site--2 miles or soCrickets woke me at 5:30 this morning--alarm crickets on my phone. I had slept well and struggled to awaken. My zero days were over, and it was time to return to the trail. I sadly said goodbye to Bob as I boarded the bus to Boston. The ride was comfortable, and we arrived at South Station on time. As I was walking from the bus area to the trains, a guy with a backpack stopped me and asked me if I did the AT. We started chatting, and I discovered that he had done the AT last year. He said my name sounded familiar, and he wondered if we had met. I couldn't be sure. But we did discover that we both knew Why Not. He had met her in Duncannon while staying at the Doyle and then again on the PCT which he had just completed. And now he was on his way to do the Long Trail. He offered to buy me a cup of coffee. We had a wonderful time talking trail until it was time for me to hop on my train. His name was Phantom. When I reached the boarding platform for the train, I discovered that the email with my ticket had disappeared. Horrified, I ran, full pack and all, to the ticket desk, gave my reservation numbers and id to the clerk and ran back to the train. I just made it!Catching my breath on the train, I saw that my water bottle had leaked into my pack. Luckily, I caught it before it emptied or soaked stuff. As I lie in my sleeping bag, however, I can feel that my long underwear is damp. The train arrived in Pittsfield on time and Buddy, my shuttle ride was waiting. He drove me to Harbour House where Eva merrily greeted me. What a sweetheart she is. I managed to talk Eve into hiking up to the Cobbles with me. We climbed into her convertible and sped over to the trailhead. The skies were clear and the warm air made for an exquisite hiking day. We started up the trailhead and walked slowly, chatting the whole way. At the top of the climb, we ran into some friends of hers who were wowed by me hiking alone with my big pack. The view from the rocks was magnificent. Eva pointed out where her B&B was and other sights. We took some pictures then hugged goodbye. Friendships form quickly on the trail, and Eva had become a friend. After we parted, I sped up, racing the setting sun. I saw lots of possible campsites but nothing that looked established. Finally, I reached a grassy woods road that looked like it might be a snowmobile path. Logs obstructed the way so I knew I would not have motorized visitors in the night. I found a perfect spot with a log laid across two logs, forming a bench. I set my tent up on a flat grassy space, hung my food cable and made dinner. I love the quiet of a stealth site. There is not a sound in the woods. Hiker midnight is here and I'm snug in my tent. Life is good!
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well this is my first entry and I thought it might be a good time to start learning how this site works. Things are looking good on my preparations for the 2014 Thru-hike. I finished my Top Quilt and I think it turned out very nice. Third times a charm. I have not had a chance to use it yet. It looks like it should be good to at least 10* as it has a good 2 3/4 inchs of loft. I'll post after I get a chance to test it out.
Date: 2012-01-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I did a test of my top and bottom quilts last night. The temperature got down to a nice 22* with a 5 MPH wind. With the new dutch clips holding the under quilt in place I had no problems at all. It was toasty warm. After several tries I think I'll be ok in my hammock down to what I believe will be the lowest temps I should encounter with an April 2 start day.Weighed the pack with everything for a base weight. Every thing except food and water that is. I now have a base weight of 15lbs 04oz.
Date: 2012-07-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I was able to use my Top Quilt and the new Under Quilt on a short Section hike. I went from Davenport Gap to Hot Springs. Night time temps down into the 20's with 20+ mph winds. The only time I got cold was when the Under Quilt fell off on the second night. I need the make attachments better than just a knot.
Date: 2012-11-04
To: Hot Springs NC
Miles today: 0.0

Well it¢s November 4, 2012 and I¢m 4 days from what may be my last section hike before I attempt a thru-hike. I've loaded my pack and with five days food and water it came in at 24lbs. The weather should be similar to what I will have when I start my thru-hike,so this should be a good last test of my cold weather gear. Forecast has the nights in the high 20's and days in the 50's. I'll make a post when I return.
Date: 2012-11-05
To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0

Did a section hike from Sams Gap to Hot Springs, Started in Nov. 12, finished Nov. 18th. Total was 44.2 miles. Had night time temps down to 25* on the first night. Low 30's the rest of the hike. Three nights I did not open my tarp. It was nice to wake up and look at the stars while I drifted back to sleep. I tried to take a picture but it did not turn out. Use my ULA pack for the trip and I'm going to have to get another pack with some modifications. I want a little more padding and the left side pocket extended to store things that I want to get without opening the pack. Right now it¢s only about 8 in. It¢s meant for a water bottle. Hope to do one more section hikes before the big hike.
Date: 2013-01-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well with only 13 months to go before I start my hike I thought I¢d put down on paper why I want to do this thing known as a ¢Thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail¢. My wife says I¢m weird, but she still loves me, and friends look at me like I¢ve lost my mind. Why would I want to give up the every day necessities that we have come to expect? Why would I want to be away from my wife, children, and grandchildren for up to six months? Cheryl tried to get into hiking, she¢s a real trooper. She hiked Springer to Neel Gap, she hiked Clingmans Dome to Fontana Dam, then Clingmans to Davenport Gap. She did this without complaining and through some horrendous weather. Several nights were into the teens, for several days we hiked in the rain, or fog so thick you could not see 10 feet. Alas, but in the end she decided hiking long distance was not her cup of tea. So she puts up with me being gone for days, of even weeks so that I can go on a hike. I know that she is not looking forward to me being gone for maybe six months. Things like a shower everyday, heck, running water in general. A home that is warm or cool, and dry. A TV that you can sit and relax in front of. Good hot food at your fingertips. A drawer full of clean clothes, allowing you to change any time you want. All these are things that someone doing a long distance hike gives up. I have spent most of my life doing the right thing, finishing school, getting a job and then retiring. I tend to be a big planner; I try to plan everything out. I have done a section hike where it was planned out day to day. I even scheduled where I was going to stop for lunch. My schedule was so detailed that Cheryl would say I was obsessing. Well in a way maybe I was, but only because I had a need to know what was going to happen most of the time. I have spent a lot of time planning a hike of the AT, I have an agenda that I have not bothered to print, and it would be wasting paper. One thing my longer section hikes have shown me is you can¢t plan on everything. There is just no way to plan how your trip is going to go when it rains for 72 hours straight. The terrain, weather, or your health all play a factor in what you can do day to day. I expect the plan I have on my computer will be 100% accurate for the first day on my Thru-hike, after the first day it would be of little use. I think it¢s the challenge of pushing yourself to the limit each and every day, having to be flexible all the time this is the biggest attractions for me.
Date: 2013-04-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Well today I made reservations at Lens Foot, for the 29th of March 2014. Seven adults and a child. My lovely wife Cheryl, her sister and husband, my brother and his wife, my daughter and grand-daughter will go with me to Lens Foot, where I will start my hike. To make it easier on everyone, I planned my hike to start on Saturday.
Date: 2013-10-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well today I received the last of the freeze dried food that I¢ll be using. All #10 cans, 8 hamburger, 6 sausage crumble, 6 chicken, 6 corn, 6 green peas, 4 mushrooms, 2 carrots. I¢ll re-package these into smaller packs before leaving and have Cheryl send them to me along the way. These are all things that I have found are hard/impossible to get when you go into town for resupply. These will supplement what I will be buying when I get to town. I¢m anticipating having 15 to 18 mail drops. Most mail drops I¢m planning will fit into one of the "If it fits,it ships", so shipping is around $13 per package.
Date: 2014-02-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

As the days tick down to the start of my Thru-hike, a friend put a bug in the ear of a local reporter. He did a wonderful article in the local paper.http://www.independenttribune.com/news/article_ac896c8e-869a-11e3-8da2-001a4bcf6878.html
Date: 2014-03-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

I had some disappointing news yesterday. My brother Steven and his wife Dana will not be able to make the hike up to Len Foot Hike Inn. He is coming down to eat with us at the I-Hop and see the rest of us off at the park. His company will be missed that last night before I start my hike.
Date: 2014-03-30
From: Let Foot Hike Inn

To: Hawk Mountain Sheltrr
Miles today: 8.1

Day 1. I'm sitting at Len Foote Hike Inn waiting to get breakfast before starting my hike to Springer Mountain. We walked to Hike Inn yesterday in the rain. It wasn't too cold though so not to bad. Cheryl, Nichole, Kylee, Jeff, and Katie walked with me. They all took the rain in stride. I started today with a wind advisory for 30 to 40 MH with gusts of 50. I left the Hike Inn at 9:30 and did the 4.9 miles to Springer by 11:55. I only spent a few minutes there as the temperature was about 30 degrees and very windy. I did the 7.9 miles to Hawk Mt and arrived at 4:45 in the afternoon. By the time it got dark I counted 35 tents and two hammocks.
Date: 2014-03-31
From: Hawk Mountain Sheltrr

To: Goose Gap shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 2: I got up at 5 a.m. and was on the trail by 7:22 a.m. It was a very tough day with several challenging climbs of 5 to 700 feet. It makes me think that all the walking in the park was a waste of time. I got to Gooch gap shelter about 3:45. It was only 7.7 miles. Feels like more.
Date: 2014-04-01
From: Goose Gap shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: few clouds

Day 3. Not to bad of a night at Gooch Gap Shelter. Camped next to Retread and Satch. They used to work together in the food service industry. Both are married but their spouses do not like to hike, so last year they decided they were going to do the trail together. I started hiking at 6:30 a.m. and decided that since I have had some medical issues I needed to go to town. I caught a ride at Woody Gap down to Dahlonga. Staying at the Circle 8 for the night. Walked to the local Walmart to get some toilet paper and meds. This is leaving me with a 10 mile hike tomorrow instead of an 8 mile hike.
Date: 2014-04-02
From: Woody Gap

To: Blood Mountain/Neel Gap 
Miles today: 11.7

Day 4. I started out at Woody Gap about 8:00 am after I got a shuttle ride back up the mountain. First three miles were not too bad as most of it was downhill. The next 4 miles were a steady climb from 2,500 feet to 4,461 feet at the top of Blood Mountain. Then 2 miles back down to 3,125 ft. I made it to Neel Gap by 2:45 pm. My legs were spent so I'm staying at Blood Mountain Cabins tonight. Hoping that in a few weeks I'll be able to do more miles. I had planned to go to town and eat but the shuttle to town and back is $40 so I made spaghetti with freeze dried hamburger.
Date: 2014-04-03
From: Bold Mountain/Neel Gap 

To: Chattahoochee Gap
Miles today: 16.5

Day 5: I left Neel Gap at 7:45. I had a good day. I saw my first trail angel of the trip at Hog Pen Gap. He had drinks and snacks. For those who don't know what a trail angel is, it is nice people who are at road crossings who have food and or drinks for hikers. Did 16.5 miles today. Heavy rain is coming in so I hope to make it to Hiawassee, Ga early on Friday.
Date: 2014-04-04
From: Chattahoochee Gap

To: Unicoi gap
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 6: I woke up at 6:15 and started packing up. I was out of camp at 7:00. Clear skies, but that didn't last long, within an hour the skies started getting dark. By the time I reached Blue Mountain there was mist and fog. I could only see 50 ft. It stayed that way all the way to Unicoi Gap. Got there at 9:45. There was a nice older couple with a grill set up in the parking lot. They had sausage biscuits for the hikers when we came out of the woods. I had one, before I finished a lady from Louisville, Kentucky, who had just dropped off her husband and picked up her sons asked if I needed a ride to town. Her husband is thru hiking, and her sons were only out for spring break. Lucky me, for about that time a light rain started. She took me to the Days Inn where my mail drop was. Only one washer in the hotel and each time I went to do mine some one had just put in a load. So I stood by the washer until I could do mine.
Date: 2014-04-05
From: Unicoi gap

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 7: I got on the trail at 8:08. There was a 1200 foot climb right off the bat followed by a 900 foot decent and then a 1000 foot climb. there were lots of ridge hiking. The most interesting thing all day was a Terrier that was hiking with a pack. It was very cute. The owner said he's been hiking with him for years. Then one more time over 4000 feet to finish out the day. I'm camping at Deep Gap, there were about 15 other hikers in camp. I had a nice talk with an older couple, 65+, who were out volunteering as ridge runners. A ridge runner is someone that walks a section of the trail and cleans up after those that don't understand what it means to pack out what you bring in. They said they carry out 3lbs to 5 lbs of trash each time.
Date: 2014-04-06
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap.
Miles today: 5.7

Day 8 & 9. Short day 5.7 miles staying at the Top of Georgia Hiker Hotel. They have my third mail drop. Its $20 and includes a free shuttle to town. Over night heavy storms moved in and it was still raining hard with more storm's coming in later in the day. I took the early shuttle to town and all the streams are flooded. Decided to stay another day to wait out the storms. Makes me feel wimpy this early in the hike but temps in the high 30's, I didn't feel like being cold and wet.
Date: 2014-04-07
From: Unicoi Gap.

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: moderate rain

Day 10. Got to the trail under cloudy skies at 8:15 No rain though. Had a good day. I started out to just do 12 miles but ended up doing 16.7. I hiked to Standing Indian Shelter. Had a milestone of sorts, as I'm no longer in Georgia. At mile 78.1 I entered North Carolina. One state down 13 to go. There's an old twisted tree just past the border. It's reported to be the most photographed tree on the AT. Had to do my part.
Date: 2014-04-08
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 11. Out of camp at 7:30. Good hiking until I got to Albert Mountain. The last 2/10 of a mile I went up 800 feet. It took me almost one hour to make the climb. I got to the shelter at a little before 5 after hiking 16.3 miles. It was full. There wasn't even a space for my hammock. I ended up going to the next shelter, which was 3.5 miles away. So I ended up going 19.8 miles. This section was supposed to take me 4 days and I was going to town on day 5. These two big days put me ahead 2 days. There's a mail drop in town but I don't need it. I guess I'll put it in the hike box. The hiker box is so the people that have nothing can go on a little longer. There are some out here that think they can hike for as little as $50 a week. When reality sets in all they have is the kindness of others. Unfortunately, for these hikers the boxes have less as people drop out and you learn how much you need.
Date: 2014-04-10
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 12. Coldest night so far. When I got up it was 27 degrees. I had a 3.7 mile hike to the road where I was going to catch the shuttle to town. I wanted to be let off at the three Eagle Outfitters but the shuttle took us to the Budget Inn. It was a free shuttle so I guess they take you where they want you to stay. I've stayed there before but it's not my cup of tea. I picked up my mail drop and put most of it into the hiker box. I walked 1.7 miles back to the Microtel where I was going to stay. It was $15 more then the Budget Inn but a lot quieter. It was just my luck there was no washer so I had to walk 1/2 mile to do laundry. It feels funny only washing 6 items. I relaxed the rest of the day and I am ready to get back at in the morning.
Date: 2014-04-11
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: broken clouds

Day 13. It took forever to finally arrange a shuttle for today. Got Larrys Taxi at 9:30 last night. Got back to the trail at 10:30. It was later than I usually like to start the day. I was still able to do 12.1 miles. I stopped at Wesser Bald shelter for the night. My feet were absolutely killing me today. They were hurting so bad that it caused me to step funny and I twisted my ankle 3 times. The two notable views today were Wayan Bald with a stone tower and Wesser Bald which has a observation tower. Both have nice views. You can drive up to within a 1/4 mile of Wayan Bald. Wesser is a 1.4 mile hike but it would make a nice day trip.
Date: 2014-04-12
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

After a two day break I got back in the woods at Davenport Gap. With in an hour my feet felt like they were on fire, and tingled with every step. I only did 7.3 miles but it took almost 5 hours. It was raining and continued all night. Second day back I started hiking at 6:50, at 11:00 I had only covered 4 miles. I was in pain with every step. When I reached Max Patch I called Bluff Mountain Outfitters for a ride to town. I got a room and after talking to Cheryl sat and thought about what I was going to do. So far I had covered about 145 miles in 16 days but taken 3 days off because of foot pain. Now after two days I needed to take more time off. I made arrangements for Ricky to pick me up on Wednesday. After 2 days home the tingling in my feet is going away and the pain has stopped. In the next week or so I'll see about making an appointment with a foot doctor to see what can be done about what is going on with my feet. Thanks to all those that wished me well and that were following me.
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Damascus Va.

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: few clouds

I said goodbye to my sweetie at 9:20 and got back on the Appalachian Trail. Hiked from Damascus to the Lost Mountain Shelter. 13.7 miles. Just as I suspected, it was like starting over. My legs were like rubber by the end of the day.
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked out at 6:39.am. It was a long day from Lost Mountain Shelter. I had some nice views from Buzzard Rock. I stopped at Thomas Knob Shelter for the night. It is near the top of Grayson Highlands. It's only a 1900 foot elevation gain but you would go up 500 then down 300 then back up 500. Took me 9 hours to hike 12.2 miles. Thunder storms rolled in little after 7 pm. They need the rain. The water for the shelter was at a trickle, it took about 10 minutes to get one liter of water. The rain sent everyone to bed early. I need to get a good book for nights like this when it is to0 early to sleep. At 1:00 am there was some one screaming for help from inside the fence. It turned out that the couple that set there tent up inside the fence were yelling for help because the ponies decided to come and check them out. Apparently they were head butting and nipping at the tent. The wife was freaking out. I was too slow to get up and several of the younger men in the shelter ran to ther aid and ran the ponies off.
Date: 2014-05-14
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Got an early start. I thought there was a herd of ponies in the Grayson Highlands. Turns out there are several herds, totaling over 300 ponies. So for the first 3 hours of the day I went from 1 group of ponies to another, some were far off, some no more than 10 feet from the trail. It was really kind of neat. About 1/2 way across the Highlands I come to a tunnel called The Fat Man Squeeze. It was tooo tight for me so I had to go around for fear that I'd get stuck. Grayson Highlands are great but oh the rocks kill your feet. It is less of a trail and more a rock scramble. It is a good thing there are white blazes to follow. I ended up hiking to Old Orchard.
Date: 2014-05-15
From: Mt Rogers visitors center

To: Atkins Va
Miles today: 11.9

4. Got up to study rain. After short 2.5 mile hike I reached the road at Dickey gap. No phone service but the word is 100% chance of rain all day. Third car that by picked me up and took me to the Econo lodge in Marion. $20 discount for hikers. Spent the day doing laundry and taking care of my feet. Soaked them in Epsom salt for couple houres. I'm glad I came to town because it rained all day very hard at times. The town run a bus that goes back out to the trail and they only charged $0.50 I'll get the 9 o'clock bus in the morning which is the first one of the day. Plan to hike about 12 miles to Aiken Virginia. the trail goes under interstate 81.
Date: 2014-04-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Finished with preparing my maildrops, not doingtoo many. I'll send one totter NOC and one to Fontana Dam for now. I may send some others depending on how the hike goes, my family has been kind enough to prepare them and send them off when the time comes. Less than a week to go, still feels like a dream.
Date: 2014-04-04
From: Test Entry

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well it's the last weekend before I head down to Atlanta and begin the journey to the Appalachian Trail and what better way than spending it in NYC with friends and family. The last week has been amazing meeting up with friends and just catching up before I leave. The words of encouragement and the support I have received has given me a new level of confidence that I will use on my thru hike. It's nice to know people have my back and will be cheering me on, I may be out on the trail hiking solo but I know I have a solid team back home who has my back and that's an amazing feeling.