morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-09-13
From: Birches Campsite (1,070')

To: Katahdin (Baxter Peak) 5,268'
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

70o Mostly Sunny with beautiful viewsCalled Bonnie 11:38 AM ¢ I DID IT!Standing here with Headin¢ Out, Taggin¢ Along and Montreal.Crying, laughing, looking, thinking¢¦5 miles up, much above treeline, nearly 4,200¢ from Birches Campsite (1,070¢). Behind me today are Katahdin Stream Campground, Katahdin Stream Falls and Thoreau Spring.Under me¢¦ Katahdin¢¦I stand on the highest mountain in Maine and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.I had a dream¢¦Spending the night in Millinocket and will start the journey home tomorrow. I will post ME AT THE TOP in the "epilogue"...Out through the fields and the woods And over the walls I have wended; I have climbed the hills of view And looked at the world, and descended; I have come by the highway home, And lo, it is ended. The leaves are all dead on the ground, Save those that the oak is keeping To ravel them one by one And let them go scraping and creeping Out over the crusted snow, When others are sleeping. And the dead leaves lie huddled and still, No longer blown hither and thither; The last long aster is gone; The flowers of the witch-hazel wither; The heart is still aching to seek, But the feet question 'Whither?' Ah, when to the heart of man Was it ever less than a treason To go with the drift of things, To yield with a grace to reason, And bow and accept the end Of a love or a season?       ¢ Reluctance¢      - Robert Frost -
Date: 2006-03-12
From: Springer Mountain, GA

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

After eating Quaker Instant oatmeal right out of the pouch, Teri & I set off back towards Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The two of us had been dropped off at Big Stamp Gap, which is actually located .9 miles to the north of Springer so therefore we had to backtrack.        Met Roger (AT Ridgerunner) atop Springer Mountain. Roger was in his 60¢s with a gray, bushy beard. Roger wrote my name down on a pad of paper after I told him I was planning on thru-hiking. He handed me a pack of matches with the text: ¢Leave No Trace¢ printed on the cover. Roger explained that if I took the matches to Neels Gap (30 miles down the trail), the outfitter there would give me a free bandanna. Sounded good. I needed a bandanna anyway for helping to filter water.                    Stephanie (Pokie) was the first thru-hiker we met along the trail. Not sure where she got her name. Also met a guy named Joe today from Tallahassee, FL. Joe was hiking without a shirt due to the fact that he had only brought a long sleeve T-shirt, and it was quite warm outside. Bad move buddy. Early on, he seemed to be struggling. I hoped he could pull it together. I wanted to see him make it all the way to Katahdin¢but then again, who was to say I was going to make it myself?                 After a long first day, Teri and quit after 14.5 miles (including .9 backtrack) at Justus Creek, setting up camp along the creek.
Date: 2006-03-15
From: Tesnatee Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: clear sky

Tesnatee Gap to Blue Mountain Shelter. 12.3 miles. 16 pieces of trash. Overslept. 11 hours I was in that tent and cold the entire time. Had lunch at Low Gap with a group of spring-breakers from the University of Georgia and a guy named Ryan (Redneck), a previous thru-hiker. Right before his hike, Redneck buzzed all of his hair off and after three days of miraculous weather, his neck and ears had been red, blistering, and bleeding. Thus, he became the Redneck that he is today. After lunch I passed a young girl of 22 named Kelly (aka: Buree) who was also thru-hiking by herself. Another hiker, Woody ¢Two Shoes¢ passed by me right before I got to the shelter. At the shelter, I would also meet Restless, Golden Waldo, Ryan, and Phoenix¢a guy that jammed up his toes so bad during his first thru-hike, that all ten of his toenails bruised and eventually fell off¢from which he made a necklace. Said "it looked like a claw." At dinner, my Whisper-Lite stove was acting finicky and both Restless and Redneck both to offer advice. ¢There¢s no simmer on that thing,¢ Restless tried to explain. ¢That thing¢s a blowtorch.¢ And it seemed he was right.***Random Register Entry: ¢Some who wander are truly lost. Keep one foot in front of the other.¢ Jay Walker
Date: 2006-03-16
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8

Blue Mountain Shelter to Deep Gap Shelter. 14 Miles. 37 pieces of trash. Restless: age 60, on second thru-hike, first completed when he was 55 years old, immediately following retirement. When previous bosses had questions about his department and needed to get in touch with him, Restless simply wasn¢t there to receive their calls¢he took to the trail. ¢Now, it¢s in my blood,¢ he told me. Restless is restless and he¢s the first one up every morning, and the first one to leave. Nice sunrise, but I was shooting black and white. Great views from Rocky Mountain summit, but my favorite part of the day was atop Tray Mountain (4530¢) with all of its windblown, gnarled and barren trees. Besides the shin-splints which haunted me from day #2, I had developed a nasty blister in between my first (biggest) and second toe on my left foot. At Tray Mountain, Redneck passed me while I was inspecting the blister. I wasn¢t sure whether or not to pop the sucker or to keep it wrapped with duct tape, as I had been doing. ¢I am a firm believer in popping things,¢ Redneck the wise offered his best, tactical advice. And so I did. Hurt for a while but got easier with every step. Came across a single marshmallow flopping in the wind, pierced by tree branch. Another one about a mile later. And two more further down the trail. One of them was either green or had turned it. Weird. Hips sore from wearing the wastebelt. Kept adjusting it, but it seemed to just make my back sore when I had it too high. Will eventually (hopefully) get used to it, I know, but nagging and annoying. Deep Gap¢really nice shelter. Two sleeping areas on bottom floor and room for two more on each top loft. As it turned out, I got a loft to myself and Two Shoes got the other. Also sharing our shelter: Restless, Redneck, Buree, Frosty, Jen, Scott, and Cyndi, all of whom I had just met. It¢s strange how you meet people on the trail and some of them just pass in the wind. I still haven¢t seen any of the people I had seen during my first two days hiking with Teri. As soon as the lights went out, the mice crawled out. I kept my headlamp on for awhile, writing these words down on my spiral bound notebook, hearing them crawl about the shelter, exploring packs and drying themselves off with Packtowls. ` Eventually, I slept. ***Random Register Entry: ¢Snake says as God as his witness he is stopping smoking. I bet that last until some offers him a butt. ¢Da Bear.¢
Date: 2006-03-17
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 15.1

27 Pieces of trash. Four of first eight were cigarette butts. The biodegraded ones aren¢t too bad¢at least they don¢t smell. Just a piece of filter that will never breakdown.Crossed through into North Carolina. Two Shoes and Buree were with me and we took a few photos. A few minutes later we breaked for water and I found out from Buree that I had been incorrectly treating my water for the past six days. ¢What do you mean, it¢s supposed to turn yellow?¢¢You have to let the chemicals react for five minutes,¢ Buree said.¢Let chemicals react five minutes,¢ I read, shaking my head. How had I not seen that? ¢It turns yellow?¢¢How had you been doing it before?¢¢I was just kind of stirring it together and throwing it in the water.¢¢Well, you¢ll probably be fine,¢ Buree assured me. ¢Most of the water we¢ve had has been pretty clean, I think.¢¢Most of it.¢¢Well, if I was going to get Giardia, wouldn¢t I have something by now?¢¢I heard that stuff can take up to two weeks,¢ Ryan told me. ¢Two weeks, huh?¢The North Carolina welcome is a steep, seven hundred foot climb which seems to never end. The trail takes you through a long winding Rhododendron tunnel and then jumps around up the side of a mountain, seemingly without switchbacks. There wasn¢t much to Muskrat Creek Shelter. Did some laundry with the little bit of sunlight we had left and then Redneck and I took a stroll out to a rocky outcropping to catch the sunset after dinner. Started out great, from a great vantage point, but eventually our little show was smothered by clouds. ¢I would give that about a 7,¢ Redneck told me. ¢Yeah¢¦¢ I shrugged. ¢6.6.¢Sharing the shelter tonight are Restless, Betty the Energizer Bunny, Buree, Ryan, and myself. Redneck and Woody Two Shoes are tenting it. Woody can¢t deal with the snoring too well, needed to get away. Apparently, last night while he was up in the Deep Gap loft, he heard Restless snoring down below him and climbed down the ladder to shake him. But when Woody got down there, he heard the snoring coming from above him¢from my side of the loft. So he climbed back up and tried to shake my feet, and I almost kicked him. I love the AT. I hope I can keep it up. My body is beginning to hate me.
Date: 2006-03-18
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

Longest day so far¢or at least most mileage. Earliest start¢left at 6:50am. Cold. Hands in gloves made it difficult to pack. Kept thermals/rain pants/ long sleeves and fleece vest on for nearly an hour. Slowly shed pieces. Sun didn¢t start to show until 11:15 or so.My early start consisted mostly of not cooking. Ate a Clif Bar and some trail mix/dried plums. Want to do this more often and get off of oatmeal. Throughout the rest of the day, I just snacked. Felt good. Never over did it and got too full and tired. Drank lots of water and kept moving. Passed Restless (for the first time) on the approach up Albert. I had been about to stop and take a break when I passed by a group of people and one of them asked if wanted some junk food and I turned. ¢We have Nutter Butters and Clif Bars?¢¢Are you serious?¢¢Yeah¢that¢s what it¢s here for.¢I took a pack of Nutter Butters and a lemon-poppyseed Clif and thanked him.¢Your only fee is you have to wave to us from Maine,¢ he told me.¢I hope I make it that far¢what¢s the name of your group?¢¢Venture Crew 149.¢¢Okay,¢ I nodded. ¢Happy hiking.¢¢You too.¢ I hope there comes a time where I can look down from Mount Katahdin and not only wave and thank Venture Crew 149, but all the other people that ever helped me as well. The AT is full of them.The next trail-magic offering was right around the corner, just as I was about to begin the final ascent up Mt. Albert (5220¢). 2 blue tarps were spread out and blowing lightly in the breeze, a few people gathered around talking beneath them. ¢Hiker!¢ I heard one of them say. ¢Trail-Magic! Soda, macaroni salad, Sloppy Joes,¢ and I found myself turning uncontrollably towards them.¢Got him,¢ somebody else said, causing laughter. It wasn¢t that I didn¢t want to go¢it was more free food after all, but I knew the mountain I was about to climb wasn¢t going to be easy¢especially on a full stomach¢and I was content already after the junk food I¢d already been given. ¢I¢ve got too much food already,¢ I explained, and it was true. We were due in Franklin the following day where I had a mail-drop waiting for me. ¢If you were just a little farther that way,¢ I said, pointing (like at the top of Albert). And I departed, leaving the all the taunting goodies behind and beginning the climb. It was tough after hiking 18 miles with a pack, but doable. There was a nice vista from the top, but not as nice as I felt I deserved. At the shelter, it was just Restless and I. The rest of our group had apparently taken full advantage of the trail-magic and had never came. Big Spring Shelter claims to have a ¢4 Star Privy,¢ but that was quite the joke. The moulding toilet is walled on three sides and offers a nice view of the bushes. Picked up 24 scraps of trash today, bringing my total up to 150."You can make any kind of Lipton meal into Thai food by adding peanut butter and hot sauce." -Redneck Rye, the Wise
Date: 2006-03-19
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap (then into Franklin)
Miles today: 9.1

At Glassmine Gap, gave a ¢Woo-hoo!¢ as I passed the 100 mile mark, and rambled off a bunch of alternative lyrics: ¢Well, I have hiked 100 miles, and I will hike 100 more, just to be the man who¢d hike 2000 miles and knock down Katahdin¢s door! Ta-da-da, Ta-da-da, Lambda Lambda Lambda Lambda La da da.¢I know¢stupid. But every single day I wake up with a song it seems I haven¢t heard in two and a half years. Trail-magic at Rock Gap: 4 cans of orange soda. I plucked one from the earth and took it along for my stroll. Then, just after Wallace Gap, a small waterfall was packed full of Strawberry-Kiwi Caprisuns, looking like something you¢d see at Willy Wonka¢s. I snatched up one of those too. At the end of Winding Stair Gap, I heard Restless calling me: ¢Come on, Scott¢we got a ride.¢ And then it was off to Franklin, where Restless and I gorged ourselves at two all you can eat buffets within five hours of each other. The first was at Shoney¢s, and then later (after Redneck, Buree, and Two Shoes had caught up with us) at the Prime Rib Family Steakhouse. And the metabolism race has begun! ***Random Register Entry: ¢All my stuff is soaked. Goin¢ in to town to dry off¢Ryan¢
Date: 2006-03-22
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.5

Woke up to find another mouse dead on Night Rider's trap. Total of four killed during the night. Slept horribly. Temperature in the twenties and an icy draft blowing on my back all night long from a hole in between the logs. Not to mention silk liner adds to claustrophobia of sleeping inside mummy bag. Difficult to escape when there comes a need. Woke up to a thin layer of snow on the ground. Beautiful sunrise changing the hilltop trees from white to pink and orange. Cold. Too cold to cook. Grey Fox had the theme song from the Golden Girls stuck in his head, and before everyone had escaped their sleeping bags, the chorus found its way flooding through the shelter. Camera dead¢or so it appeared. On suggestion by Grey Fox, took out batteries and warmed them up. Successful, which lead to photo frenzy.Breakfast: Peanut butter on a bagel. Skipped brushing teeth¢not enough paste in the tube and fingers too numb to squeeze. Toilet seat in privy frozen with no chance for relaxing sit down¢had to use one-hand-support-squat instead.Amazing view from Wesser Bald firetower. Half landscape covered in rime ice. Distant mountains half green, half white. Eleven miles to Nantahala Outdoor Center. Spent perhaps four of those miles singing: "...and if you threw a party, and invited everyone you knewwwww, you would see the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say...thank you for bein' a friend..." Ate burger with Redneck at River¢s End restaurant. Mmmmmm¢¦burger. Camped on river with Redneck, Buree and Two Shoes. Narrowly avoided wrestling with large poison-ivy vine the size of my thigh. ***Random Register Entry: ¢Today I peed w/out taking my pack off for the first time. What took me so long? N.O.C. tomorrow. Love, Doodle.¢
Date: 2006-03-23
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.0

16 mile day, ending at Brown Fork Gap Shelter. 44 pieces of trash collected. Theme from Sanford and Son never seems to leave my head now. Ended with a steep struggle up the Unnamed Cliffs¢the toughest part of the A.T. thus far, especially after taking a fall earlier in the day¢slipped in mud and drove left knee into root. Brown Fork Gap is nice, roomy shelter with billions of nails poking out of ceiling. Bumped head twice but luckily never punctured skull. One walled privy out back with planks missing from wall. Peek-a-boo! Good water source but difficult to get to because of steep descent. Worse is climbing back up to shelter. Legs tired and sore and wanted nothing to do with it.Supposed to snow again. Plenty of room in shelter but Craig and Kathy/ Sir Hawk crashing in tents¢Crazy. ***Random Register Entry: ¢Oh man, I had the greatest nap down in the field at Burningtown Gap. Then when I work up my legs mutiny-ed. They thought they were done for the day. I had to drag those two jerks by their heels for the next 1.2 miles. I can¢t wait to eat in a restaurant by the way. The AT is awesome.¢
Date: 2006-03-24
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 12.7

Night Rider¢s death trap unsuccessful. Peanut butter licked off. Could almost hear the evolutionary rodents laughing at him for wasting something as valuable as peanut butter. Extra Crunchy, no less. A few inches of snow on ground and another beautiful morning. Woke up with "Winds of Change" floating around in my head, but couldn't recall any dreams about Scorpions or going to see them (not that I would go see them). Craig and Kathy¢s tent looks buried. Left my camera batteries inside sleeping bag so they wouldn¢t freeze. Successful, however only 7 pictures remaining on roll. Not enough on a morning this magical. Rhododendrons frozen, withered and drooping, remind me of groups of pea pods hanging there. The trail visible by footsteps but disappearing in rocky terrain. Sometimes confusing. Tried tuna / peanut butter bagel today while breaking with Redneck. Not bad, but wouldn¢t recommend it either. ¢Its fishy¢its sweet¢its got nuts!¢ I said. ¢Reminds me of a girlfriend I had once,¢ Redneck commented. ¢She had nuts?¢ ¢No¢she was nuts.¢ Eventually snow on ground all but disappeared, leaving only white covered trees like spiderwebs. Very pretty¢contrasting with brown leaves and mud. Redneck and I paid two bucks a piece and took a shuttle into Fontana Dam where we did laundry and I picked up a mail drop from the post office. Two postal surprises: card from my sister, April which made me laugh (Thanks!) and another card from my Mom containing words of inspiration and encouragement from all of her coworkers(thank you all), as well as 35 tablets of Metamucil for keeping things¢¦well, regular. Thanks Mom¢please send T.P.!!! Clean, dry clothes feel wonderful¢almost make you forget you need a shower. Shuttle back to trailhead, and another 1.3 miles to the Fontana Hilton¢the finest piece of A.T. construction in all the land. 2 Double-decker platforms facing each other. Real bathroom with plumbing and tap water just a minute away. Hilton was occupied that night by Casey Jones and Doodle, Wet Dog, Tom and Molly, Energizer Bunny, Night Rider, Buree, Two Shoes, Redneck and myself. Trash- 11 / Trash Total: 340***Random Register Entry: ¢Rat Pukes¢ True Trail Stories¢One time while bar hoping across America to Alaska w/ my buddy low life, we spent all night in a bar called the salty dog where I ended up sleeping with what I believe was a dragon.¢
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Tri Corner Knob

To: Painter Branch Campsite
Miles today: 20.4

Tri Corner Knob to Painter Branch. 20.4 Miles. Picked up 13 pieces of trash in the Smokies. 12 after. 25 total. Early on, slipped on an erosion-prevention log and busted my butt, but nothing hurt. Glad nobody saw me though.Snow and ice continued to disappear as the day progressed. One minute I would be splashing through a black mush of leaves mud and twigs¢getting splattered up along my calves and shins, and then suddenly a patch of dry earth would appear with mossy rocks tossed about a mulch layer of dried leaves. Minutes later, the trail would give way to a long shaded section with more crunchy slush. I stepped past streams of muddy runoff, seeming like streams themselves. Roots that swerve across the trail becoming natural steps. Hollowed out trees. Groups of vines interwoven in an orgasmic frenzy. Other fallen trees rotting into the soil.I heard birds chirping in the distance and the wind trying to drown out their voices. The laughter and cries of small children as trees rubbed squeakily together. The nearly silent fluttery jumps of countless crickets landing on leaves and grass while trying to escape from out of harm¢s way.I was surprised that the Smoky Mountain Sheraton didn¢t have a privy. What kind of hotel do you think this is? Well, it's not a hotel at all¢it¢s a shelter. But still, you can¢t name something after a hotel and not have a toilet. This was supposed to be our stopping point, but Buree and I decided to continue on and get some more miles in. It had been a relatively easy day thus far, and remained so until the last steep 2 mile climb of 1500 feet. That probably wouldn¢t have been so bad either if we hadn¢t hiked 18 miles before. We camped at what I believe was Painter Branch, although there were no signs neon lights or city landmarks to let me know for sure.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Trash 22. Trash total 426.Surprisingly slept well in the cramped little shelter. Buree was the first to leave, I was the last. Got caught up in class with Professor Privy. Easy hiking day. Saw a mushroom on a log that looked so much like a plastic soft drink lid that I almost plucked it right off. Caught up with Sasparilla and Crumbs and tried some of their unusual trail mix, featuring wasabi peas and ginger. "Ginger's the secret weapon," Crumbs explained. I could only nod.9 months before I ate at Paddler's Bar and Grill with my Dad, Stepmom, and friend Chris. Had a giant burger and a glass of beer. It had been my plan ever since that day to go back to Paddler's when I finished up at Hot Springs, so that is where I met Buree and Redneck for possibly the last time. Redneck and I ate the same giant 3/4 pound burgers and chased it with a pitcher of Highland Oatmeal Porter. A well deserved meal indeed. After lunch and a final glass of beer, I hugged both of my friends and said goodbye, hoping to run into them again at some point in the future. Redneck is headed to the PCT this summer, and with my 2 week absence from the trail, Buree, Two Shoes, and Restless will be just about impossible to catch. I wish them all well. It was a pleasure hiking with them.And I look forward to my next group of hikers, and returning to the trail."I don't know what would be more impressive--seeing all the money that I'd ever spent on alcohol all piled up together, or seeing a swimming pool filled with all the alcohol I've ever drank."-Redneck Rye, quoting his friend.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Erwin, TN-Ms. Janet's House

To: NOWHERE
Miles today: 0.0

ZERO-DAY #3"Here, take this," Ms. Janet told Natty-Boh, handing him the iron triangle. "Go ring this through the house and get everybody's attention--we gotta run 'em out!" A few minutes later all of us (Janet, Dinosaur, Hellbender, Mule, Daisy, Mudflap, Baltimore Jack, Bruno, Sleepy the Arab, Carnivore, Natty Boh and myself) were sitting at a long picnic table in Janet's backyard with eggs, smoked ham, french toast, bacon, OJ and milk spread out before us. Halfway through our meal Janet asked all of us: "So when each of you get up to Katahdin and the sun is breaking and light coming down from the clouds...if you could listen to any one song during this moment...what would it be?"And although there were some great songs listed, it was Mudflap's answer that I liked the best: "I'm not really sure what song I'd like to hear--I guess I'd just like to hear the wind."