morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

We were told that the giant bear we saw yesterday hung around this shelter, but no sign of him.We found the 2 hammock dudes in or sheltered kitchen area in the morning. It had rained very hard last night and I guess there emergency blanket and tarp were not enough to keep dry.A guy named story teller was very worried this morning. He's not a though hiker and forgot to reserve spots in the shelters. It can carry a 5,000 fine, so I'm not sure what he did. We never saw him again.We had a trail ranger in our shelter last night. It was threatening rain in the morning, so this guy decides not to wear his boots, but rather wear sandals so that his boots don't get wet. He then rips up a big trash bag and makes himself a home made rain coat. He was very experienced, so I guess this stuff works for him. The mud was very slippery today, so I can't imagine walking in sandals.We got to the Derrick Knob shelter at 5:00pm. Five minutes later, the rain came down in buckets. We were so lucky to stay dry.Sometime around 11:00pm, 4 guys came to the shelter with their red lights. They didn't bother looking for open slots, just laid down on the dirt floor under the cover of the shelter. One of the 4 actually got rained on all night. They were all young and didn't seem to be bothered by this.Animal Tally:3 Bears
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

It rained most of last night. But was warming up by time we were ready to go around 8:30. The first 6 miles were a breeze, we even stopped in at Double Springs Shelter for a lunch break. We met Paul from Raleigh NC who was finishing up his Harper Ferry to Springer Section. He was very pleasant to talk with.When we left there things started to get harder. We got most of the way to Clingmans Dome, but made a wrong turn and went 1/2 mile out of the way, for a total of 1 mile extra walking. Ugh! We still had to climb Mt Love, but after that it was mostly downhill, but very rocky and muddy! We got to the shelter very tired around 7:00pm. This is the first shelter in the Smokie's with a privy. I think both my wife and I agree it's more pleasant to just go in the woods. The flies around the privies are no fun.The 2 hammock guys from Mollies are here. Their tarps with emergency blankets are extremely noisy through the night. Think aluminum foil crinkling all night as they toss and turn. They are very warm, but they have no padding so they are uncomfortable. They woke up around 4:00am to start hiking. Animal Tally:3 Bears
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: clear sky

Five miles to Newfound Gap. Once we get to the gap we are going to take a shuttle to Gatlinburg, but we have no cell reception. So we try hitchhiking. We must look like criminals, because no one will pick us up. They even go in the far lane away from us and then move over to go to Gatlinburg at the last section, just to avoid us. Where's the humanity?Just when we decide to give up, we see Matt and Josh getting out of a van. They call us over and when the driver of the van asks if we need a ride to town for the cost of gree, we gladly accept. It is a van from the NOC, they just opened up a new store in Gatlinburg and they offer free shuttles to thur-hikers! Sweet. They gave us a map of the town and told us of a cheap hotel that was only a block away.We checked in and then went to KFC and got a bucket of chicken and washed our clothes. We wanted to go to a real grocery store to get more items, so we started to walk. We did the first half of the map in 15-20 minutes and the second half was shorter on the map, so we continued to walk. Well the map is NOT TO SCALE. The second half was 3 1/2 miles long. Ugh! We kept thinking that the store would be around the next bend, but no. We finally got there and got our stuff, but decided to take the trolley back. Animal Tally:3 Bears
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Gatlinburg

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

Hey, it's my birthday. We went to McDonald's for Breakfast and then got on the trolley to go to the Post Office. We learned our lesson about walking to places in Gatlinburg. Unfortunately, the PO didn't open until 9am, and we got there at 8:30. Picked up our resupply box. We had to check out by 11am. We packed and checked out by 10:52.We walked over to the NOC store for our ride back to Newfound Gap. We had lots of climbs today. We went up to Charles Bunion at 5905 feet. Great views but then it started to rain. It only rained hard for 45 minutes, but we got soaked. Our shoes were fine, but we had to walk thru too many puddles and they got wet too. At least our clothes were dry by the time we got to the shelter.Animal Tally:3 Bears
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It was drizzling when we started to hike, but the sun burned away the rain clouds fast. We started up Mt Sequoyah and ran across 2 quail today. Both were protecting their nests. One shot out in front of me. They are about 3 times bigger when their feathers are up.The hike would have been great except for all the rocks, it felt like we were walking in a dried up river bed. Every step hurt the bottom of our feet and ankles. Think fist sized rocks all loose and jumbled.We watched a good size bear from our shelter. He was not deterred by yelling or a whistle. My wife finally started banging the pot lid against the pot and that annoyed him enough for him to move away, but very slowly. He really didn't seem to care about us. My wife went to change clothes for the night at the side of the shelter. She quickly came around the corner very nervous. The bear was 15 feet away drinking from the spring next to the shelter. We moved our bedding to the second story, and let the new guys have the bottom spaces. By 9pm, the bear was still chewing on leaves and only 5 feet away from the shelter. My wife watched him until she fell asleep.Animal Tally:4 Bears 2 Quail
Date: 2010-05-26
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

We were feeling good after 8-9 miles today so we thought we would walk another 7 to the shelter. One mountain later we decided to stay at the Standing Bear Farm. It was so nice. They had a super WalMart in a 12 by 9 shack. Everything a hiker could possibly need.Saw another bear on the trail with a cub near by. The bad part was the cub followed us up the trail a bit. We just picked up our pace until the cub lost interest. Whew!We also saw a black snake on the trail and had to wait until it crossed.We met Henry who is also retired. Ryder from Florida, who tried this last year and is trying it again. We met Vinnie and Hawk who stay at the farm. Hawk did the thru hike years ago and works at the farm. Vinnie is from Florida and knows that the FBI and CIA knows where he is, so he is not hiding out - (long and weird story) Animal Tally:6 Bears 2 Quail 1 snake
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Saw yet another bear today and a big fat black snake. We did 15 miles today. We were very tired after 12. I have the biggest blister I've ever had on my little toe. It was actually the size of the toe. We had to climb two big mountains today, Snowpeak and Max Patch- Ouch! We hope we can walk 15 miles tomorrow since we have to pick up our mail drop on Saturday. Since it is a Holiday weekend, if we don't get it on Saturday, we will have to wait until Tuesday to get it.The shelter is great, we are sharing it with 4 people from Virginia who section hike every year. Elizabeth, Seth, Ben and Dave. They are also going to do the 15 miles to Deer Park Shelter so they can get to Hot Springs where their section hike will conclude. We have a nice dinner and talk at the picnic table, while we watch them play cards.Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail2 Snakes
Date: 2010-05-28
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Shelter
Miles today: 15.2

A grueling day of 15 miles. We passed the 4 Virginians around noon, but after 12 miles we were really getting tired. Thank goodness the trail was still good, it was covered in old pine needles and so soft on our feet. It was just the distance that did us in, the constant pounding of our feet on the ground. It was worse because of my little toe and I got a new blister on the other foot. Saw 2 deer today before the shelter. We tented because the shelter was very dark and had hugh black spiders the size of silver dollars. Scary.The four Virginians got to the shelter soon after us, but decided to keep going, since the shelter was gross and their car was waiting for them in Hot Springs.Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail2 Snakes2 Deer
Date: 2010-05-29
From: Deer Park Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up early to get into Hot Springs. The post office is only open from 8:30-10:30 and we needed to get our food box. By the way, our trail food is becoming old real fast. We saw Mike across the street after we picked up our box. He told us that the hostel was full since this is Memorial day weekend. We checked the two hotels and they were full as well. Mike said that the campground was full too but we got lucky since someone cancelled. It was around 10am, and we were starving, but we had to go set up our tent, so we could throw our backpacks inside and then we could go eat Breakfast.While we were finishing setting up our tent a man comes over to us. He is carrying a big platter of pancakes, sausage and hash browns. He saw us from across the road and thought we were thru hikers. He was right, we were starving!! His name is Jared and Hot Springs was an important town during his thru-hike a few years ago. He had been dreaming of ice cream, but when he got to town, they didn't have any. A big group of thru-hikers had come in just before him and bought all the ice cream, he was devastated. That was the best trail magic and breakfast we ever had! Thanks Jared!! I can't believe I ate so much.Hot Springs is small but their library had 15 laptops so you can update your trail journals. We spent 3 hours there, updating and checking in with family and friends. Then we washed our clothes at the local laundrymat. Finally we went to the Sandwich Shoppe and had lunch/dinner. It was a really nice relaxing day. Our tentsite was right next to a big boyscout troop from Marion VA, so we thought they would be rowdy, but no, they had spent the day rafting on the river, so they were very tired and quiet. However, at 11pm were were awaken by the two trains that roared by since we were only 30 feet away from the tracks. We didn't see them earlier in the day, since they were covered by the large bushes and fence.Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail2 Snakes2 Deer
Date: 2010-05-30
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Hot Springs around 8:30am and said goodbye to the Scout Leaders next door and Jared.The trail was a little hard to follow today. We missed a few white blazes and had to backtrack. We had 3 big climbs today. The biggest was over Rich Mountain. We took off our packs and took the side trail up to the fire tower that gave us 360 view of the area. It was nice and breezy up there.We saw the very strange site of a small dam near the top of a mountain. There was another snake by the pond. Not sure about this one, so we stayed clear of it. We also saw the biggest tadpoles ever. They were the size of silver dollars. Maybe bullfrogs.We got to the shelter around 4:30, but the shelter was built in 1938, so it was very old and dirty. Lots of trash and flies. We walked up the hill and used our tent instead. We didn't have a problem with bugs all day until we got to the shelter. There were tons of gnats by our campsite. We tried to start a fire but the wood was wet. We got out our bug net hats and we were able to tolerate them during dinner. The only problem was I kept forgetting I had a net on and put my spoon into my mouth several times only to realize that you can't eat that way.Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail3 Snakes2 Deer
Date: 2010-05-31
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

It was raining hard. We didn't get out of bed until 10:30 due to the rain. We didn't get all packed up and on the trail until noon. It was a very messy experiance packing up a tent in mud and rain. We got to shelter around 5:30 and met Lou "Paul with bunions" and Don from Mandarin, FL - almost a neighbor of ours. We also met Sal "Agent Orange", Paul "the Georgia Boy" from Atlanta who likes to tent rather than use the shelters, and finally Opie, who arrived after 9pm.Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail3 Snakes2 Deer
Date: 2010-06-01
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Started the day with a really big climb over Big Butt Mountain. Had a tough rocky jumble to scramble over, but then it was mostly level or downhill. We passed Agent Orange sitting on the trail making phone calls. We decided to try some calls as well. We hadn't been able to call anyone for several days.We stopped at Jerry Cabin Shelter to take a pack break and get some water and there was Opie - taking a nap. He had used a hammock last night and got up at 5am and walked to this shelter. As we sat there talking, it started to downpour. What good timing. We just missed the rain again. We've been very lucky with avoiding rain. Then Agent Orange showed up. He was all pissed off that that rain was going to slow him down. It stopped raining and we packed up and started walking again, leaving Opie and Agent Orange at the shelter. We met Off Kilter at the shelter. He hikes the trail in a Kilt. He was getting ready for a night hike starting at 8 or 9 tonight. He started the trail weighing 350 pounds and is below 300 now. He eats gourmet meals and drinks starbucks coffee. And he makes a great campfire and has great stories to share. Larry "piper" also stopped at the shelter. Opie also made it to the shelter. He wanted to night hike with Off Kilter, but didn't have a good head lamp. Off Kilter's was so bright it was like daylight. It would have been dangerous for him walk at night with such a dim light, especially since it had rained so hard earlier today. Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail3 Snakes2 Deer
Date: 2010-06-02
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap Campsite
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Lots of Uphills the first nine miles to Hog Back Ridge Shelter.   We saw a nice waterfall and tons of water sources until we passed Frozen Knob and then nothing. We got a nice surprise this morning. We found a Smoky Mountain Cooler with ice cold soft drinks inside. We took 2 Orange Sunkist and left a thank you note. Love Trail Magic That really helped us get over Frozen Knob. Passed Old School, who is slackpacking. He was sitting on top of Frozen Knob, taking a break. We also met Bob "the Georgia Boy" at the Hog Back shelter while we were taking a break. He was talking about his bad luck about being caught in the rain, and we were telling him how lucky we were lately. Within 5 minutes of him leaving, it started to rain. He does have bad luck. We grabbed all our gear and threw it in the shelter. We thought he would come back, but he didn't. Walking stick and I played cards for an hour until the rain stopped.The last 6 miles to the Low Gap campsite were pretty easy, lots of switchbacks and downhills. In fact, since there was no signs for the campsite we weren't sure it was really Low Gap, until the next day, since we didn't pass another campsite. It was a little scary staying at a camp site all alone. We barely had time to eat dinner and do all our stuff before it got dark. There were many noises all night long. Branches snapping all night.Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail3 Snakes2 Deer
Date: 2010-06-03
From: Low Gap Campsite

To: No Business Knob
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a bad start to my morning. I apparently stepped in poop while getting our food bags down this morning and had every fly in the forrest at our campsite. Ugh! My wife finally noticed and I spent 15 minutes cleaning my camp shoe. I hope my trail name doesn't change to poopy shoe. We climbed Big Bald today, but there were too many clouds and we didn't have a view. We could only see about 30 feet in any direction. We saw a huge wild Turkey fly off over the trees. After about 12 miles we stopped by a mountain stream and soaked our feet. The water was freezing, but it was still nice on our tired feet. At one of our pack breaks by a campsite, I mentioned to my wife that I had enough of the woods. I was tired of the blisters, the bugs, and being dirty. My wife quickly agreed that we've had enough of this life. She's quite a woman and would never had mentioned quiting. She had about 50 bug bites on each leg along with some poison ivy areas.We got to the shelter and we were the only ones there. I made a wonderful campfire to keep away the bugs. We were starting to make dinner when 4 young men walked up. They had just graduated from college and out for the weekend. They had hammocks and set them up down the hill from us. We offered them some embers so they could start their own fire. At midnight it started to downpour. We were worried about the hammock guys, so we moved all our gear to one side of the shelter. About 20 minutes later, we heard some noises and turned on our flashlight. Two of the guys came running for the shelter with sleeping bags. Their tarp started to leak so they were getting wet. They took over the other half of the shelter and we all went back to sleep. In the clear morning while we packed up, they were still passed out. We saw some amazing sites, but not everyday. It was disappointing to spend the day climbing a mountain then having no view at the top due to weather or trees. We were amazed at the lack of wildlife in the forest (except for the bears in the Smokies) Where are all the animals? We met alot of cool people during our time in the woods.Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail3 Snakes2 Deer 1 Wild Turkey
Date: 2010-06-04
From: No Business Knob

To: Erwin
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky. It was our last hike. We would be going home from Erwin. We left the shelter around 7:15. I was speeding down that mountain to town. We passed a large black snake and a turtle on the way down the mountain. We got to Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel around 11am. They didn't have any cabins so we stayed in the hostel one last time. We got a diet coke and a 40 cent snicker bar. Then we took a shower after 6 days in the woods. We were filthy. We borrowed their loaner bikes and rode the 4 miles to town, where we ate at McDonald's. My wife had been thinking of a Mocha Frappe for days. We already had the menu chosen. A McDouble, Apples pies, 1 small fries, and of course a Mocha Frappe. I then ordered a second McDouble.We went to the Library and tried to figure out a way home. We thought of renting a car and driving home, it was only 8 hours away, so we called Enterprise, cause they always advertise that they will come pick you up, yes they will, but you can't drive their cars out of the state. Ugh. We got a car from National and Uncle Johnny would drive us to the Tri-City Airport to pick up the rental car. After the library, I noticed a bank was selling hot dogs for charity. Yes, I had second lunch.They had a scale so we thought we would weigh ourselves. I was shocked to learn I had lost 10lbs. I was eating about as much as I could. I didn't feel hungry very often and ate tons at all towns. I don't have 10lbs to lose. I have no idea what would have happend if I continued for several more months. My wife lost about 12.We took the dinner shuttle to a mexican restaurant and then came back to the Hostel and passed out in the bunkroom. There were only 3 of us in the room, so it was pretty quiet. Animal Tally:7 Bears2 Quail4 Snakes2 Deer 1 Turtle
Date: 2010-06-05
To: Jacksonville Florida
Miles today: 0.0

We made it home by 8pm, thanks to Kristine picking us up at the Airport where we dropped off the rental car. We had a great experience and are glad that we tried it. It is a very hard life and anyone who can do the whole trail is amazing. We now know what it's like to climb mountains and live in the woods day after day. We met alot of cool people.On to our next grand adventure. P.S. It took about 1 day to setup a Las Vegas vacation in July.
Date: 2010-06-08
To: Landstar Visit
Miles today: 0.0

I've updated many of my previous entries now that I have time and access to a computer.I surprised my Landstar buddies by stopping by with my full beard growth and my slim appearance. It was nice to see that so many people had followed my journals. I hope they got a sense of the adventure. I really enjoyed working at Landstar.I'll stop by again for lunch someday soon. I am retired and should have plenty of time. Funny how my days still seem busy. So much to do.
Date: 2010-02-23
To: as far as i can go 
Miles today: 0.0

Well today marks the first month of Prep . For hiking the AT . Mee and i are up to 16 miles a day with gear . ( Mee is my Yellow Lab that will be going with me ) This is the begining of another adventure ! I'm a long distance cyclist , but hiking is not new to me ! I'm a Marine !
Date: 2010-02-24
From: starting at southern end 

To:  not soon enough 
Miles today: 0.0

I would like to start the trail as early as i can in April . Finishing up loose ends here . If it was up to Mee or I , we would leave today . The start is only 10 hrs from where i live in Florida . Getting lots of time training (on the Florida trail )or the bike trail behind my home .
Date: 2010-02-25
From: As far as i can go north

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well it's 8:45 pm ,we walked today on the bike trail behind my home . Mee loves to run and be out side . i fixed dinner for both of us and now i'm just checking my gear and organizing food for mail drops . Mee has gotten his pack by the door and wants to go back out ( we do some of our walking at nite ) on the trail .. i guess we will be putting more miles in tonite . He would like to start the trail tomorrow if he could . Semper Fi
Date: 2010-02-26
To: Training
Miles today: 0.0

Today Mee visited the Vet. got some more shots. He wore his trail pack all day. Light easy walking today . It's cold here in Florida ( yes cold ) LOL LOL .Checking my gear again !. Trying to shave off more ounces < I'm under 50 lbs now . Time til i start is going slow . I can only do so much to be ready .   Looking forward to meeting other thru-hikers, My E-mail address is PAS971@AOL.com . Mee said , Woof woof woof woof .. Translated to Lets go and hike !
Date: 2010-02-27
From: why i'm hiking

To: why i'm hiking
Miles today: 0.0

After reading some of the Journal entrys here . I feel compelled to give my thoughts and reasons (why i will be hiking) I've always liked adventure. I have done several self-contained bike-packing trips . In 2009 while i was with a former girlfriend ,we stopped and section hiked a little of the AT ( south of I-40). We talked about Hiking it(the AT) (sometime). Well we broke up .I asked her to leave .2 days later i got a dog from the local shelter . 2 days later we were walking (he does not like to be inside much)on the bike trail behind my home . He enjoyed the walks , so we would walk alot ! we started walking the Florida trail . While sitting down resting , i realized i have a great companion to do the trail with . So we started training , and the rest is history. I had most of the Lite weight gear. I did need A pack ,and hiking boots. That was a little over a month ago. Now we train and have prepared best we can ! And it's counting down the days now . I will be looking forward to the day i take that first step heading North.