morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-11
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean To

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

We had a relatively short hike into Monsoon today. I still can't believe I'm at the last 'on the trail' town. Sometimes this journey seems like it just started yesterday while other times it seems as of I've been leading this nomadic life for ever. I know pretty much everyone else feels the same.I stopped by. The new hostel outside of town - 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures and Outfitters. Phil is a former thru hiker (3 times) and has great plans for a first rate hostel. He knows what hikers need and like. This is the first year and he is still doing a lot of work but good reviews are coming by word of mouth.I am staying at one of two options in town - Shaws. It was described to me as the quieter of the two. Fits my bill! Of course I did laundry and took a shower first thing. It's going to be rough going into the wilderness and not being able to take a shower for days! I can wash in a stream but the water is soooo cold!I met Long Skirt for dinner down where she is staying - the wild place with the pub - Lakeshore House. Monsoon is on Lake Hebron. So many of these Maine towns have been on lakes.After dinner we walked to the convenience store at the gas station so she could get some snacks for resupply. The general store closed last year so it's slim pickings. When Socks and Hoop came through here in 2011 they barely had two nickels to rub together and Tim at the general store gave them a place to stay for free. He was very good to them. I'll try to look him or his wife up so I can extend my thanks.I stayed up way too late talking to DB but really didn't mind. I'm taking a zero tomorrow - why not? I am ahead of schedule and it never hurts to rest my old joints. Night all.
Date: 2013-09-12
From: Monson, ME

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It rained off and on all day. I got caught in the rain when I was checking out the local cemetery ( it was a hard life in the early 1800's - most died young) and I watched it pour while I was at the library. Monson is a source of slate and you can still buy slabs in town. I passed a huge mountain of slate next to the quarry coming in. I'd love to have some for landscaping but really don't want to carry it through the Wilderness.hahaA recent practice on the trail is to cache food halfway through the wilderness; then you don't have to carry so much. This service can run around $20 - $30 depending on how many people you can get to go in with you. Lady and DB did it but I decided not to. First, I think you need to have control over your hike. What if something happens and the food never shows up (they meet you at a road crossing). Second, I am going to White House Landing hostel which is 70 miles in. I called them and they have ample resupply. It will be pricey but the savings from not caching will offset that. So I am going to be a little pack heavy in the beginning but will lighten up as I eat my way through. You always eat the heavy food first.The library was closed but I asked the ladies in the Municipal office if I could use the facilities. It is all housed in the same building. Sure, no problem. That's the advantage of small towns. And Socks - I did talked to Tim's wife and told her you and Hoop said hi. And I thanked her for letting you two lost kids stay at the trailer.Dinner was at the Spring Creek BBQ. It was okay but not as good as our barbeque places back home. Kinda spicy. There's a hot sauce I've seen around and that they sell at the restaurant called Slap Ya Mama. Must be what they use on it..dq..?
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Dennis Cove

To: Iron Mountain Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Iron Mountain InnI open my eyes and it takes me awhile to remember where I am.The room with it's tastefully decorated theme isdefinately not my tent.The smell of coffee and muffins drag me out of bed.Just o8utside the door is a table holding a coffepot,tea pot full of herb tea,and a basket of piping hot muffins.I am going to take Jerry coffee in bed.I pour him a cup,then add some sugar.I grab the lid off of the creampitcher,at least I thought it was the cream pitcher.There is a long wick attached to the lid and before I realize that it is a lamp and not a pitcher,I have drippled lamp oil all down my hand,over the table and into the cup of coffee!Nothing like a great start tothe day.I pour the coffe out and wash the cup and start all over.I do better this time.I open the little refrigerator under the table andfind the cream. We go down to breakfast,and again I am in aweof the food.Poached eggs over steamend asparagus.parsleyed potatoes,Iron Mtn .Inn's own special sausage,and adekightful breakfast drink called Strawberry surprize.It was hard ,but I managed to just about clean my plate. I spent the rest of the day,sitting outside on the whicker sofa on the porch,just doing nothing.Well,I did put my tent up to dry it out.I kept my glass full of sweet tea and kept tasting the homemade cookies to make sure they were good! I did get some spray paint and painted my tent stakes.A bright,bold neon orange.It will be really hard to lose one of them now. Before I knew it,it was time for supper.There was another couple there who joined us for dinner tonight.They were just starting a weeks vacation.The fare tonight was chicken Italiano,fresh green beans,wild rice with mushrooms,salad and a giner cranberry bread.Dessert was ice cream and cookies.Yum! Yum!Again,I had no trouble cleaning my plate.   I got my trail book out and did some calculations.Vikki is going to slack pack Jerry and I tomorrow.A 11.5 mile section.That will give me another chance to sit in the hot tub!! I still feel like quiting,but I try not to base my actions on feelings alone.That gets me in trouble every time.
Date: 2013-09-17
From: East Branch Lean to

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Good day today but keeping this short because of battery. Very cold in the morning but the sky was blue so it meant the sun would soon be up to warm us. We had one minor climb and then the trail was flat for the rest of the day. I did the mileage before 4 and was the first at Antlers Campsite. It is on a huge lake and my guess is it was a fishing camp at some time. Long Skirt and I listened to the loons as we ate dinner. I love Maine - if only the winters weren't so bad...
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Trail days parade

To: Campsite along Laurel Creek
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: light rain

We met Mudbutt and her family and Jitterbug and Hoover for breakfast this morning. It was so funny to see the meal ticket get snatched from hand to hand. Jerry thought he had the final hand but Charles was quicker. We said goodbye to Jitterbug and Hoover and watched our truck leave the parking lot. Mudbutt and her mom, Dixie took us into Damascus. We got there just in time for the talent show. There are a lot of talented hikers here. Just like I predicted Janachi and Q won the show. They are really talented. First prize was a Hennessy Hammock. Too funny for them to win a hammock. We walked to the other end of town and did our laundry. We grabbed a quick snack and said goodby to civilization. It seemed that the weekend went way too fast. Hikers are now heading out in many different directions. Some back on the trail, others going home, but for the most part after all of us being together the last few days, it is a sad note to end on. I know I am going to raise the ire of any of you purist hikers with this next bit of info, but so be it. Since Papermaker is breaking in a new pair of boots and since I don't have too many miles on mine, we decided to hike the Virginia Creeper Trail until it veers back to the A.T. It is an old railroad track that has been converted into a Rails to Trails. It runs along Laurel Creek for 10 miles. It is nice and smooth and assends very gradually. The idea of camping next to running water really appeals to me. The creeper trail is four miles shorter than the AT at this point. The countryside that the trail meanders through is beautiful, serene and quiet. We average three miles an hour so we make good time. Just before dark we find the neatest campsite and set up for the night. I want to try a new dish that I put together back at home. It uses a large packet of salmon, so I have waited until Jerry was with me to help me eat it. It turns out to be a delicious salmon chowder made with dried vegetables in a cream base. That, along with a couple of leftover corn muffins I brought from Cracker Barrel made us a fine meal. An entry from Jerry: You've been on the trail too long, A fine meal? A fine meal (Prime rib) we had in Damascus! Jerry built a nice campfire and we went to sleep listening to the water flow by. total miles 9.5
Date: 2013-09-30
To: Back in Ohio
Miles today: 0.0

It's hard to believe that a week has passed since I last hiked the Appalachian Trail. Like many of my fellow hikers, there is a sense of loss (or of 'being lost'). For six months life was so simple - you got up, put on your one outfit, hiked for 8 to 10 hours and ate the food you had preplanned for the day. The only real decision you had to make was where you were going to sleep that night. Although this never changed, everyday was different. You met new people, you saw new things, you traveled new trail. I totally adapted to the lifestyle and now 'get' why some people do this year after year after year. I have been going back over my pictures to try to process this journey. Towards the end, thru hikers used to joke that we couldn't remember the last shelter we stayed in, let alone the ones early in the trip. Days began to run together. It has been therapeutic to review the early days and the memories have been coming back like a cascading stream. I remember those early days in Georgia and North Carolina - when I first met ODAT and hiked with Cookie and Wolfgang. What wonderful times they were! I plan on going down to visit Socks and Hoop and redo some of the North Carolina trail while New England is still fresh in my mind. I want to see if it is as hard as I thought it was back then. I think the absence of roots and rocks alone will make it easier to me now.I've been reconnecting with the family. We have our first wedding coming up this February and it is so fun to see all Melissa has done during my absence. Definitely something I am looking forward to. Also went to the Octoberfest in Dayton with my sister Karen and daughter Blueberry. I hope I didn't bore them with the constant trail talk. Fortunately, Blueberry has met a lot of the people I mention. I kept looking for Burningman during the festival - he is originally from Dayton. I have been taking it easy to try to recover from the physical demands of the hike. In spite of hiking for six months, I was incredibly sore after the Katahdin hike. I wasn't aware of the new bruises and cuts I was incurring because my body was so cold. Plus I had pulled muscles in my shoulder the last couple of months that I kept messing up every time I fell with my pack on. It just takes longer for recovery the older you get so I feel sure that all will be fine in a couple of months. I should be good to go for the next hiking trip this springI'm sharing a picture from one of my best days on the trail. The climb over Little Hump and Big Hump was after two really cold rainy days. It was one of those times where I thought 'what a difference a day makes'. The weather was perfect - the views were magnificent - the sky was full of puffball clouds.Coming up will be my gear review and my favorites - hostels, trail towns, etc.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Hiawassee

To: View Entry
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: snow

4/4/13 My thru-hike starts today! Went out to breakfast with my grandfather. Then hit the trail. Got dropped off at the trail head, said our good byes and I was off. Oh..boy! What a beautiful day too ¢ NOT! Its 35-40 degrees out with rain. I can expect rain, but not when it's that cold. In the beginning it was ok. As long as I kept hiking I was fine. But then when I finally got to the top of the ridge line the temp dropped and the wind picked up. Let¢s just way I would be surprised if there weren¢t 30mph winds in certain places. The temp also dropped below freezing. How do I know this? Because there was ice on all the trees and my backpack and rain jacket had ice covering them. It would rain, then ice over. Then when the wind picked up it would blow chunks of ice on me. Which hurt a few times when they hit my head. Flicka was awesome. She was loving every min of it. She loves the cold and hiking. Pulled me up all the hills actually. Passed a few people on the trail. Had a cool conversation with a young man. He asked my trail name. It was super cool being able to use my trail name ¢Ladymac¢ for the first time. So, I think I made it 7 or 8 miles then I couldn¢t take the freezing cold, rainy, icy weather anymore. My hands were unbelievably cold. I couldn¢t bear it anymore. I needed shelter immediately. However, the shelters were too far away. I had to find an alternative. Once I got to the lowest possible evaluation, I got off the trail and headed down hill into the deep woods away from the wind. Found myself a big tree for additional coverage, then set up camp. Hung my tarp, then hammock, underquilt, put dry clothes on, and then climbed into my 20 degree sleeping bag. Thankfully it didn¢t take too long for me to warm up. Just being out of the wind helped drastically. It was only 3pm and I wanted to get more hiking in, however; it's just not possible today. I can¢t risk the possibility of hypothermia. Welcome to life on the Appalachian Trail LadyMac! Lol. I picked a real prime spot to set camp. For the longest time I could hear the wind howling on the other side of the ridge. I was out of the wind, dry and warm. I sure was cold earlier though. I haven¢t been that cold and miserable in a really long time and I¢ve seen some pretty crazy days back home in Maine. And I thought Maine was the only state that experienced weather like this. Wouldn¢t have expected this in GA. Then again, Im pretty high up in the mountain. The mountains here are quite steep. The only other times I¢ve seen this is out west and in Vermont. Today I was having doubts about my thru hike, but my spirits are still up.
Date: 2013-04-05
To: Blue Mt Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

4/5/13 What an absolute beautiful day! I truly mean it this time ¢lol. It was perfect! After having yesterday¢s weather it made me appreciate it that much more. I truly believe you have to have the bad days to appreciate the good days. Boy- did I ever appreciate it! Thank-you Lord! The sun was so warm and comforting. A perfect temperature too. I met a lot of people on the trail today. Everyone hikes north so by hiking south I got to see all the hikers. At the end of the day I saw only two southbounders. A mother and daughter hiking a few days on the trail. They had been counting all the hikers. 106 hikers that day! Crazy! That is a lot of hikers. I really enjoyed meeting the people on the trail. If I ever started feeling low, it's amazing how much people can cheer/brighten your mood. I met a father and daughter on the trail. I believe she was 13 years old. They had already hiked 400 miles of the trail. They plan to hike the entire trail before she graduates. She asked me to sign her pack. I believe every thru hiker she met signed her pack. So I of course I signed LadyMac. I wished her the best of luck! I also heard stories of a 13 year old girl that was planning on thru hiking the whole trail. Supposedly that would be the youngest thru hiker. Her parents were meeting her every few days. They would follow her with their camper. She is homeschooled and apparently raced motocross before her thru hike began. That¢s so awesome. I would love to meet her on the trail. Anyway, when I got to Tray Mt shelter I resupplied my water, ate lunch and dried out my gear, then hiked another 8.1 miles to Blue mt shelter. Spent the night there, so tired. Aprox 12 miles of hiking. People are awesome. Set my hammock and ate dinner. Then shared the fire with my new hiking friends under a luminous night full of stars. So amazing! The next morning God had a special treat for me. HE painted the most beautiful sunrise on top of Blue mt. A full view of North GA's finest mountains. The sun rise equals true beauty. After experiencing last night and the following morning, I knew why I¢m a thru hiker.
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Blue Mt Shelter

To: Whitley Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

4/6/13 Another beautiful day for hiking. Awesome sunrise again this morning. Met a lot of awesome folks again today too. Hiking was pretty easy. Not a lot of high elevation to climb. I started the day by hiking to Low gap shelter 7.3 miles from blue mt. shelter. Ate lunch there and rested. Then hiked another 4.8 to Whitley shelter. Yesterday, I started having pain in my left groin area, The motion that pulls your leg forward hurts. Today that pain increased thoughtout the day. I believe it¢s a strained muscle or tendon. Each step kills, I fear for tomorrow. According to the other two south bounders, we passed 240 hikers today.
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Whitley Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

4/7/13 Super awesome again outside. Took an easy day. Only hiked about 7 miles from Whitley gap shelter to Neels gap. Leg still hurts, but not as bad. Pushed the last two days too much. Stupid! Hopefully tomorrow it will feel a lot better. Especially for Blood MT. It was nice spending the last four days hiking with the mother and daughter. They have been so kind to me. I really enjoyed their company. Neels gap is super cool. Didn¢t even have to hike to it. The trail passes right thru the building. It¢s an old fashioned stone building. Has a resupply for food and gear. You can also get real food, showers and a real bed. They will even sort thru your bag to lighten your pack. It was so awesome getting real food into me. Had a coke and sandwich, ummm so good. Took a shower ,which felt amazing. Then hikes about 100meter up the trail and made camp for the night with two other girls my age that were also thru hiking. Got my first trail magic too. Met Superman, Turtle and Squirrel. They had all thru hiked the AT. They invited the two girls that I was camping with and myself to their campfire. They brought beer for us and we all sat around a campfire gossiping about the trail. Really enjoyed hearing the stories of their thru hike adventure. Thanks guys!
Date: 2013-04-23
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Walker Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Had an early start. Favorite time to hike is early in the morning when the weathers nice. Enjoy seeing the sun rise, the lighting is perfect. Beautiful and peaceful. Usually see alot of wildlife too. More trail magic. Some nice person left bananas for thru hikers. The best bananas Ive ever tasted. So thankful and it made my day. I needed them too. The rest of the day was super tough. Jacob Ladder kick my butt. No switchbacks just straight up. I was exhausted that night!
Date: 2003-06-17
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

Start Bailey Gap Shelterdestination War Spur Shelter There is only one word for today...WET. It was not raining when I got up this morning, but it had rained off and on all night. I fixed breakfast. Two Poptarts heated on my pot lid over the stove, and a hot cup of tea. You could see your breath when I first got up this morning. Hot tea was nice. I am not sure if it sprinkled rain all day or if the trees were just dripping from last night. Whichever it was it was wet. The views from the rock vistas were a breath taking white. It was as if you were in the middle of the clouds. In other words, you couldn't see a thing. There was a two mile stretch of nothing but rocks to hike on. Slow going, they were wet and slippery. At times the trail was actually a stream, flowing down, forming great puddles at every obstacle in the trail. I did not stop for lunch. There was no place to even think about sitting down, and everything was wet. Did I mention it was a wet day?? I got to the shelter by mid afternoon, just before the rain set in again. Pirate was already there. I took him up on his offer of hot water, and made another cup of tea. Again, you could see your breath! So much for warm weather!By the time Mudbutt got here, it was too late to go any farther, so we stopped for the night. That was okay with me, I was warm and dry and fed. If we can swim through the next few days, sunshine is predicted for the weekend. The wet weather makes it difficult to hike very far without getting blisters from your feet staying wet all the time. I fared well so far, just a couple spots to watch. Bring on the SUNSHINE!total miles 8.8
Date: 2013-04-24
From: Walker Gap

To: Fontana Hilton Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked three miles then got a ride into Fontana, NC. Cool little town. Resupplied my food there and then dropped Flicka off. So sad to see her leave. Ill pick her back up after I finish the The Great Smokey Mountains. First night sleeping in a Shelter. This shelter is the only one that has a shower and real bathroom. YES!! Fed, clean and ready for the Smokey tomorrow.
Date: 2003-06-19
From: Campsite

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

start campsitedestination Niday ShelterWell, today started off much like the last few days, wet. In fact, it rained all night long. The splats of rain on my tent woke me up too many times to count. That and the fact that I had more moisture in the tent than outside. At least that is what it seemed like to me. Everything was either damp or flat out wet. Such is life on the trail. You have to take what the trail offers, good or bad, dry or wet, flat or hilly. I am just tired of wet. The terrain was treacherous today to say the least. Along the ridge, one misstep could send you tumbling down the side of the mountain. At least it was not raining when I went over the rocks. Poor Mudbutt had a horrible time today. Her feet just kept slipping out from under her and down she would go. I think she fell 8 times today. The last time she fell, I was ahead of her and heard her calling for me to come back and help her. She had somehow managed to get wedged in between some huge rocks and was stuck. It took awhile to free her from her pack and help her climb out of the crevice, but she managed to heave herself up and we had a couple of good laughs. After we quit trembling. I got to the shelter and set up my tent in hopes that it would dry out some. Then I noticed that I had set it upright in the middle of a washout where the rain flowed. I debated for awhile, but decided that if I have learned anything on this hike, it is to err on the side of caution. I moved the tent to a different site. That is a sure way to make sure it does not rain.total miles 10