morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-22
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 13.8

I was up at 0545 and out by 0615. I was not taking any chances. White House Landing stops serving 1 pound cheeseburgers at 1300 and I'll be damned if I'm gonna miss out. So, I hiked fast. CJ and I had no problem making it. We both made it by noon and it could have been earlier. White House Landing is a very unique place. It is .9 miles off trail and leads to a dock on one side of a cove. There are instructions to blow an air horn, which alerts the owners to come pick you up by powerboat from across the cove. Although this place isn't the cheapest place in the world ($35 for a bunk), it certainly has style. It is off the grid, but is powered by solar and wind. Most appliances run off propane, including the refrigerator, stove, lights, and water heater. We ordered our 11 dollar cheeseburger deluxes and waited outside while wafting the scrumptious smells coming from the kitchen. The burgers did not disappoint either. CJ and I both took a nap afterwards, organized our packs, went 1-1 in chess and talked to some SOBO's about the trail, gear and everything in between. Cool kids. Eventually a trivial pursuit game got underway where I had a decent performance considering we were all somewhat inebriated. I'm off to bed to rest up for an AYCE breakfast tomorrow morning and perhaps some hiking as well. "The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult." ~ Madame Du Deffand
Date: 2008-07-23
From: White House Landing

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I hiked 16 miles, but none of the hiking was all that exciting. There was one puny mountain and several lakes and ponds but what made today particularly exciting was talking with CJ the whole time. It's weird how hiking etiquette and pacing works but since CJ and I were dropped off by boat at the same time today and we both hike at essentially the same pace, we walked within talking distance the whole time. I think we really got to know each other. The woods bring out an honesty in people that society simply can¢t come close to duplicating. Our conversation went everywhere. It included String theory, both our pasts and futures, economics, CJ's AT book ideas, purism, the Halliburton military contract, the inner working of the US Forest Service, girls and other such things. I think it was educational and entertaining for both of us. Both of us usually jam out on our Ipods, so today was a bit different. We pulled in to Rainbow Stream Lean-to around 1630 and relaxed for a while on the "baseball bat" floor. Instead of a flat wooden shelter floor, some of the older shelters in Maine still have baseball bat diameter logs acting as the floor. It is not that uncomfortable, even for my closed-cell-foam pad. (Several people have questioned me on the comfort level of my foam pad.). Although a bit behind schedule, Fester and his friend Dave (recently dubbed Mothball) showed up around 1900. Dave comes in first very silent followed by a limping Fester. He needed full support on both his trekking poles to take every step. His face looked livid as he explained that he busted it up on Nesuntabunt Mountain a few miles back. CJ and I were thunderstruck. There was no way he could climb Katahdin like that. With every new person I hike with, I implement a single rule: no getting hurt¢¦especially in Maine. Fester seemed to have broken that rule. However, after 15 or so seconds, Fester gave a big grin and relieved us of our stunned faces. He was in fact fine and dandy. Joke over. However, Dave (Mothball) has been struggling though the 100 mile wilderness and has decided not to climb Katahdin, so it looks like it will just be CJ, Fester and me for a 25 miler tomorrow. "The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it." - Epicurus
Date: 2008-07-24
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: The Birches Lean-tos
Miles today: 24.9

To celebrate our last full day of hiking, we made it count. We did 25 miles through lots of rain and mud. That's the one problem with flat terrain¢¦the water has no where to go. I kept my eyes out for my first moose sighting but no success. I was told that I was essentially guaranteed to see a moose while hiking in Maine but all 3 of us haven't seen one. CJ saw one in town but I'm not sure that counts. Rainbow Lake and Rainbow Ledges would have been gorgeous had the skies not been clouded but you can¢t see em all. Rainbow Ledges had approximately 8 trillion blueberries on it but I had other items on the agenda. I wanted to get to Abol Bridge for hot dogs and soda. I called the parents from a "cellular pay phone" to tell them that tomorrow looks like summit day. I also saw a decal sticker inside the store for the Maine Blackfly Breeders Association. (see Photo). Their motto is "We breed 'em, you feed 'em!" Awesome. A ridgerunner showed up and warned us that there is a tornado warning for the area. Unphased, I ask her if she knew Isaac Needel (my friend from Berwick who works as a ranger at Baxter State Park). She replied "You must be Dynamite!" Yes I am. She said she would alert him that I was here. Fester, CJ and I did the last 10 miles into Katahdin Stream Campground together which included beer (while walking), obsessing about the awesomeness of Powerwheels and making Pterodactyl sounds at white water rafters on the Penobscot river. Since it had rained all day, we had the pleasure of seeing some NOBO hikers, who would have planned to summit today. Hit and Miss were in Millinocket with family, Time Traveler and Sinker were stealthing somewhere (avoiding paying 10 dollars to stay in the Birches shelter) but Dirty Harry and LT were here at the Birches. We checked into the Ranger Station to find out that I was NOBO #49¢¦which was my number at Harper's Ferry too. Cool. Since CJ and Fester are waking up at 0200 and starting their hike up Katahdin at 0300 for a sunrise summit, they took one of the two shelters. I joined Dirty Harry and LT in the other. Soon Isaac showed up and we got to talking. I graduated from Berwick with Isaac and he is now a ranger at Baxter State Park. When I congratulated him on graduating from Colby College, LT chimed in and mentioned that he went to Bates. After some further investigation, they discovered that they both were Classics majors and went to Greece in the same study abroad program but 1 year apart. They stayed in the same apartment in Greece, knew all the same professors and really kicked it off. Small world. Well, big day tomorrow, so I need my rest. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep. "Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being & walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
Date: 2008-04-10
To: At work
Miles today: 0.0

Only 9 more days of work left to go! April 22nd will be my last day actually in the office, then I use up the rest of my vacation time to get to the 30th of April. After that, I'm free! I fly out to Atlanta on May 3rd, and start my hike on May 4th. It sure seems like a long way off right now, but I know the time will pass quickly. My preparations are going well, I have all of my gear. My pack, with everything I'll have with me (except my hiking boots) weighs in at 24.5 lbs (no food or water included). I think this is reasonable, given that I'll be wearing some of the clothes. I figure I'll on average have about 10 lbs of food and water. So a 35 lb pack is what I'm planning on. Other preparations are already completed. I have my flight to Atlanta booked. My girlfriend, Amber, is still up in the air on whether or not she can go to Atlanta with me, so getting to the trailhead is something yet to be figured out. I have almost all of the food packed for the initial leg - from Springer Mountain to Neels Gap. I am planning on a full food resupply in Neels Gap, bought at the store there. Currently I'm planning for 4 days of hiking to get to Neels Gap. If Amber ends up going to Atlanta, we'll start closer to the official AT trailhead than if not, and so save a day's hiking. Other than trip logistics, I've just been slowly working on getting stuff at home ready for my trip. I have a big list, about half of the items are completed already. I figure once I'm not working I can probably knock out most of the rest in pretty short order.Still no trail name figured out yet. I've thrown around a bunch of ideas, but haven't settled on anything yet. I need to get that decided pretty soon, at least that's how I feel right now. Maybe I'll wait till I'm out there and see. It took me three tries to name my dog, maybe it'll be the same for a trailname.
Date: 2008-04-17
To: Work situation
Miles today: 0.0

Well, today I figured out what's going to happen with my job. I talked to my boss yesterday and proposed the idea of taking a leave of absence. I wasn't sure what to expect, but had prepared myself for the worst - that being that they'd say no and I'd have to quit. Today he came back and said that they agreed to it! The details have yet to be worked out, but at a high level, they agreed to give me time off without pay, but still officially an employee of the company. This is what I was hoping for all along, and puts my mind at ease a bit.Other than that, not much to report. My girlfriend is starting to get sad about me leaving (and obviously I'm sad to be leaving her as well). She started a countdown. I think it's tougher on her than me right now, because I've got this huge adventure and challenge to look forward to, whereas all she gets is my absence for 5.5 months.I haven't heard from my sister in a while, guess she's busy getting ready to go herself. She had less time than me to prepare, and more to do, so I guess that's to be expected. I guess that's all for today. It's kinda odd, having most of the logistics taken care of. I don't feel as though I should be relaxing, but don't have that much else to do before I leave. I guess I should just be glad and enjoy it. Less than a week of work left now!
Date: 2008-04-23
To: Uh-oh
Miles today: 0.0

   Okay, last night was not a good night. I decided to go for a trail run on my way home from work. So I stopped at the trailhead, changed into my running outfit (running shoes and a pair of shorts - no shirt, it was too hot), and headed off. I was planning on going for about an hour. Well, just over an hour into my run, off on a new trail that I haven't been on before, I sprained my ankle! Dammit! That sucks. I walked for a bit, then ran the final 2 miles to my car. Why this really sucks is that I sprained my other ankle about 2 months ago, and have been trying really hard not to re-sprain it before leaving. Then I go and sprain the other one. What luck.    I rushed home and iced it, took some ibuprofin and wrapped it in an ace bandage. Luckily it seems as though its not very severe, there is only a little bit of swelling today, and I can walk without a limp. But, I've only got 12 days left before the AT hiking starts.    On a different note, my girlfriend has decided that she can't go to Atlanta with us, so we're on our own for getting to the trailhead. I made a reservation today with the Hiker Hostel run by JOshua and Leigh Saint. Seems like a really good deal, they pick you up at the train station, provide lodging overnight, breakfast, a stop at an outfitters, and a shuttle to the trailhead, all for $62. Hopefully it is as good as it sounds once we get there.    I also planned out out (tentatively of course) our town stops for the first month of hiking (up to Hot Springs, NC). Looks like 5-6 days will be the longest section, not bad as far as food carrying purposes goes.    In other prep news, my girlfriend is throwing a big send-off party for me on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it, we have almost 40 people coming so far. I've been doing house cleaning and other prep for it. It should be a lot of fun and good chance to talk to my friends about what I'm going off to do. I get a range of responses when I tell people, from "your nuts" to "wow, I've always wanted to do that!".    Only one more day of work left, I decided to work through Thursday this week. I should stay pretty busy next week making final preparations, as we leave on Saturday morning.
Date: 2008-05-03
To: In Georgia!
Miles today: 0.0

We successfully made it to Georgia today, we're about a 50 minute drive from the trailhead. The day started bright and early in Austin at Amber's house. Got up, showered, had really great cinammon toast for breakfast, and headed off to the airport. After saying my good-bye's to Amber, off we headed. No real problems on the flights, although we were delayed about an hour and half getting out of Houston. We arrived in Atlanta shortly after 3:30 PM and took the MARTA train to the North Springs station, where Leigh from the Hiker Hostel picked us up.We drove the hour or so to the hostel - it is a really beautiful place, a newly built log cabin with a great deck, fire pit and even a hot tub! Leigh is great, she gave us all kinds of good advice about the trail, food, etc.. We ordered Chineese food for dinner, they even deliver out here! So the hike begins tomorrow. Breakfast is at 8:00, we get on the road about 9, and will be hiking by ~10. The plan is to do somewhere around 10 miles, I haven't yet looked up what shelters that puts us near. I'm looking forward to getting started on our grand adventure.
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Springer Mountain

To: Sassafras Mountain
Miles today: 11.2

First hiking day today! After breakfast at the hostel and a 45 min. drive to the Springer Mtn parking lot, we were off! Too bad it was the wrong way - we had to go 1 mile south on the trail to get to the official start of the AT. At the Springer Mtn. plaque, we met Roger, who took down our names and origins. We were thru-hikers #734 and 735. After taking a couple of pictures, having a snack and some water, we started for real in the right direction (at 10:30 AM). It was 70 degrees and sunny, perfect weather. We passed some boy scouts on their way out. One was walking barefoot (with a sock on), and as he passed he said "my foot hurts", and was looking at us, as he stubbed his toe - ouch!! I decided to write down the time as we come to the landmarks that are in the guidebook. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it up, but it might make for interesting data later.We had lunch near Stover Creek shortly after noon. I had a bagel with peanut butter and jelly (Shar gave me one of hers), 2 beef sticks, 2 pieces of cheese, a quart of grape cool-aid. I was too full to eat the cheese and crackers that I had planned to eat.We refilled water at Long Creek Falls, took enough for the rest of the days hiking, dinner and breakfast and the start of the hike tomorrow.Going up from Hightower gap we passed Wonderwoman (aka Elsa). She had been out for 2 days prior. She said when she got to the hiker hostel she had a 62lb pack! They helped her cut it down to 41 or so - still way too heavy. But I gotta give her credit, she's out here by herself trying it, which takes guts.We found a campsite atop Sassafras Mtn, at about mile 11.2. That makes for 12.2 total miles today, not bad for our first day. It took us 7 hours 36 minutes.Notable quotes from today:"It's as good as an easy chair!" - Doug, after sitting down leaning against his pack on the ground on some leaves."We did 11.2 today, only 2165 left, its as good as wrapped up now!" - Doug.
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Sassafras Mountain

To: Stream at mile 23.3
Miles today: 12.1

It was 45 degrees and breezy when we got up, bright and early at 6:30 AM. Had my standard breakfast of two packets of oatmeal and hot cocoa. We were on the trail by 7:30. We passed "Mule" at his campsite, short of Justus creek, not long after starting. Had lunch on a beautiful overlook. Passed through Woody Gap and got rid of trash (always a nice bonus), also reloaded water. The last 3 miles to camp went slow. At Woody Gap we met Gummy Bear and 2 guys from Tennessee. I got into camp (mile 23.5, stream crossing just past Dockery Lake turn off) and waited 45 minutes for Shar to arrive. Set up camp, then took an hour and a half power nap. Made a nice fire, cooked dinner - had beef stroganoff meal and cookies. We covered 12.1 miles in 8 hours 6 minutes today. All the guys we had leapfrogged all day long continued on. I washed out my socks and undies for the first time today - the water was freezing! My fish line clothes line isn't working out too well because you can't tie a know that can be undone easily. It also doesn't work very well as a bear bag line - too prone to tangle.
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Stream at mile 23.3

To: Baggs Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.6

   Got a bit later start than yesterday - we were hiking by 8:00 AM. The first part of the hike was great, pretty easy and I was in a great mood. Made it to the summit of Blood Mtn by 11:00, where I met up with Mule again. He said he only had till Aug 29 to finish - has to be done before school starts back up. Saw my first shelter up close - Blood Mtn shelter, as it was right on the trail. Took some pics - they say you can see Springer Mtn from here but I didn't know which one it was. Made it to Neels Gap by noon (7.4 miles from camp).    Ate lunch, tried unsuccessfully to call Amber from the pay phone, then the manager of the place let me borrow his cell phone - jackpot! We only had a couple of minutes to talk though. When Shar arrived, she ate lunch and then we did our food resupply shopping. I bought a new lighter, a nalgene, and a new stove fuel. With food added, I spent over $70. Shar also got new boots and hiking poles as her knees were bothering her. We took showers, refilled water and headed out (after enjoying an ice cream). All told, I was there 4.5 hours.   As we were getting ready to head out we saw a cat come up with a chipmunk in its mouth. It dropped it, and the chipmunk shook itself off and ran up the stone railing, with the cat in hot pursuit. At the top the chipmunk launched itself as far as it could, it dropped like 15 feet down to the stone patio. It scampered off into the shrubs, apparently okay. Wow, quite the leap that was!   At Neels gap we met up with Tweedle-Dee and Dum (the guys from Tennessee), Gummy Bear and Daddio (his father). They all did gear shakedowns given by the manager, and got rid of some unnecessary stuff. I skipped it.   On the hike up from Neels Gap Shar told me about the lady on Blood Mtn, who had asked me if I was Tweedle-Dee or Dum when I passed her (I thought "how rude", as I didn't know the guys from Tenn. were going by that yet). When she asked if I had passed yet, she said something about a guy with nice well-muscled calfs had gone by. Thanks for the compliment!   I was starting to worry about finding a campsite near water, as some of the landmarks listed in the book as having water didn't. Finally at Baggs Creek Gap I found a spring and reloaded, then set up camp. It's kinda windy on the ridge, but I'm already worried Shar might not make it here.   I've been here almost an hour and still no sign of her. Total today was 11.6 miles.
Date: 2008-05-07
From: Baggs Creek Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

   So last night after dinner and writing, I went back, headlight in hand, to find Shar. I thought I found her at the top of the hill, but it turned out to be Pangea. He said he saw her a ways back. I ran/jogged back to find her - took just over 20 minutes. I found her all curled up in her tent already! She packed up her camp, I carried her pack, and we walked ~30 minutes back to my camp.   Got up early today - 6:45 AM, had oatmeal and cocoa, and headed out by 8:00 AM. The first part of the hike was easy, then after the road rendezvous it got really steep and that was the last I saw of Shar till almost dark. Tweedle-Dee and Dum passed me at the top of the hill past the parking area. I went to Low Gap shelter for water and lunch. Met Indie and Towanda. Tweedle-Dee and Dum were also their, their water filter broke, so they were heading to Unicoi Gap to get into town for a replacement.   I was dragging a bit after lunch, my shoulders were aching. Took an ibuprofin. Had a pretty hard walk, even though the trail wasn't too bad. Eventually the trail got really rocky. At one point I put my hand into poison ivy (there's a ton of it out here) on a tree, I washed as soon as I could with soap - hope it helps, we'll see in 3-4 days.   Made it to Blue Mtn shelter at 4:40. Set up my pad and tried to nap, the flies were bugging me too much for that. I saw a couple of mice running around as well. I read the register entries and it was nothing but complaints about the mice. Also, there was no one else there. So I packed up and went looking for a campsite. Found one right at the trail intersection, and set up camp. Made dinner, and then Pangea showed up. Eventually Shar wondered into camp about 8:00 PM. Our longest day so far - 13.8 miles.
Date: 2008-05-10
From: Dicks Creek Gap (Hiawassee)

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

   Got up early, showered (always a bonus!), cooked scrambled eggs for breakfast. Took the first shuttle back to Dick's Creek Gap and got back on the trail by 8:30. My pack was really heavy due to all the new food - we bought way too much and too heavy of items. The hiking felt easier today, and the miles went by quickly. Missed the "vista" that was my destination for lunch (I saw one but it seemed too small/insignificant to warrant a guidebook entry), so sat along the trail and ate. When I got up, not 100 yards up the trail was the Georgia/NC border! I should have waited just a bit.    The hike up from Bly gap was tough, really steep and long. Hiked most of the way to the shelter with Gummy Bear. Got into the shelter at 2:45.    While killing time before dinner I hiked the blue-blazed trail to a nice overlook. On the way back saw plane wreckage from a crash. Some guys later said it had been there over 12 years.   I hiked the 11.7 miles in 6 hours 20 minutes today, it all felt pretty smooth and easy.   Looks like its going to be me, Ulysses and Needles in the shelter tonight. Shar is going to ride out the storm in her tent.
Date: 2008-05-11
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek 
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

   Thunderstormed hard last night, was glad to be in the shelter. Started hiking by 7:45. Got stuck hiking in the rain for 40 minutes in the late morning, used my umbrella for the first time - it worked great!    Sat for about 10 minutes to eat lunch, got too cold and so got going again and finished while hiking.   We covered 16.2 miles today, camped at Betty Creek. Shar kept up all day long - guess the cold weather is good for that at least!   Set up tent and took a nap. Got up, made dinner, it was really cold and windy - 45 degrees or so. No fire tonight, my tent is too close to the fire pit and the wind is too much. This is going to be our coldest night so far.   Talked to Mom to wish her a happy mother's day.   Time for bed, its 7:50.