morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-03-22
From: Blood Mountain Cabins 

To: Unicoi Gap and the Top of GA Hostel
Miles today: 21.2

We were up early and talked over breakfast and coffee. I was going to hike on and they were going to take another zero as there was a good chance of rain. I had hiked this section before and decided to slack pack and give my back a rest. I had my pack shuttled to the Top of Georgia Hostel and I kept my fanny pack, tp, Sawyer mini water filter and two water bottles, rain suit and food for the day and departed at 9:00 through the hallway in the Hostel/Outfitter building and up the trail. I flew up the hills and had fun with the hikers saying that the outfitter had got all my gear to fit in my fanny pack. First came Levelland Montain with its beautifu view and then Cowrock Mountain which wasn't bad. At the parking lot at Tesnatee Gap I was refilling my water and helped filter the water for another hiker as I already had my equipment out already. Then it was up, up, up and away! I have heard that Blood Mtn. Was bad but no one ever talks about how hard a climb it is up Tesnatee Gap and Wildcat mountain which is a monster of a climb! The rest of the day was easy except for the end, as many miles of the trail follow an old,road making for easy and fast hiking. There were many springs and waterfalls along the way until a section towards the end. I had run out of water awhile before the Blue Mountain shelter and the water source was such that I couldn't fill my platypus. There were 4 ladies, the college students from Hawk Mountain shelter, there that filled my bottle with filtered water and were trail angels to me. I called the hostel at the Blue mtn. shelter at around 5:00 and started the final leg of the days hike.The rocks are a small preview of PA from what I'm told. Having hiked in Texas I'm used to hiking in wobbly rocks so I did o.k., but it slowed me down and wore me out. Somewhere in the rock pile I lost my first rubber foot for my hiking pole when my pole sunk a foot between the rocks. There was no way I could pull the rocks apart and recover it. Luckily I had brought extra, just in case. It was about this time that I got a tickling in the back of my throat causing me to cough. I felt good arriving at the gap where I didn't have to wait long for the shuttle. I was asked if I needed to stop anywhere as their store and kitchen had closed. I asked and was happy to stop at the Subway restaurant where I informed the server that I was hungry from hiking 20+ miles. He piled the sandwich so high he had a hard time closing it! When I finished my sandwich I had a salad from the vegetables that fell from the sandwich! I arrived at the hostel and ate, then showered before calling it a day. I was put in the new "Wolf Den" where there were 4 bunks for hikers with dogs.
Date: 2015-03-23
From: Top of Georgia Hostel 

To: Top of Georgia Hostel 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Breakfast was served early and it was great and the coffee was strong. I got to meet with "SirPacksALot" and talked to him briefly. I had developed a cough yesterday so I took some cough medicine, decided to take a zero and slept away the afternoon. I woke up about 4 or so hours later feeling better. After picking up some supplies at the hostel store, I got to visit with the Warrior Hikers. The Top of Georgia Hostel gave a free night's stay to the Warrior Hikers and made them very welcome, thanking them for their sacrifice and service to our country. I showed my appreciation as I bought the 7 who stayed icecream to thank them for their service to our country and talked to them for awhile, especially the one who was hiking with a large German Shepherd. There was a big difference between the German shepherd and his owner and the owner of a poor hound dog. The hound dog's pack didn't fit well and had worn the hair off down to the skin, which was inflamed and irritated. The poor dog's feet were a mess and it limped from it's feet and hips as well. Every day the Shepherd's partner would spend time rubbing the dog and applying balm to it's feet to condition them for the trail. The lady and her dog ended up leaving the trail due to the dog's poor condition. Dinner was good, plentiful and filling and I sat in the dining room, lounge and checked out the giant AT map on the wall, noting that our journey had just begun. I did laundry, showered went to bed early and slept well.
Date: 2015-03-24
From: Top of Georgia Hostel 

To: Top of Georgia Hostel 
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up and felt good, the cough was gone! After Coffee and a good breakfast I borrowed a day pack and took a shuttle to Unicoi Gap and began a slack pack hike to Dick's creek gap. The Rocky Mountain was tough, but had great views and then it was off to Tray Mountain, which was a tougher mountain to climb. It was a beautiful day and I found the 17 miles to be much harder than the 21+ mile hike from Neel Gap to Unicoi Gap. Along the way I met Ginger Tea and between us we packed out 3 lbs of trash that we had found along the trail. It was sad that people just littered instead of packing their junk out. I even found a croc in the middle of the trail that had obviously fallen from someone's pack! It was just a half a mile of road walking from the trail to the Hostel so I just walked there instead of waiting for a possible shuttle. When I got back and ordered sausage bites, a drink and then a pizza which filled me up. The sausage bites were spicy and awesome! During the evening I was able to sit and talk with SirPacksALot for awhile and learned a lot from him. I asked the SirPacksalot why, as a triple crowner, (he also completed the challenge on the popular reality show "Naked and Afraid.") he didn't have question and answer sessions to share his experience with new hikers. He liked the idea and said he would think about it. He said the only problem is with the hiker's who think that they know it all would be disruptive as some believe that theirs is the only way to do things. I took a shower while everything cooked and dropped off my laundry to be washed. I felt exhausted but good and got a great night's sleep.
Date: 2015-03-25
From: Plumb Orchard Gap shelter 

To: Plumb Orchard Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: broken clouds

I was up early and had a liesurely breakfast and coffee. I put off hitting the trail due to the pouring rain until it had slacked off considerably. The trail was slow going due to the wet conditions and I didn't want to push myself after recovering from the cough that I had. It was too late in the day to push on to the Muskrat Creek Shelter which would have been a 20+ mile day so I just stopped in at the Plumb Orchard Gap Shelter where my wife and I had also stopped back in '13. During that hike we had found a rattlesnake behind the shelter and a hiker self named Zoro (AKA Snorasaurus by the other hikers for his thunderous sleep apnea! who started the night in a hammock, but finished in the shelter due to his belief that a bear was trying to rock him to sleep! He woke up and something was pushing on the tarp covering his hammock, so he hopped out with his stuff and fled to the shelter. I also remember Ron Burgundy who had shown up at the shelter with a bag full of candy - which he handed out to everyone, and had tried to cook a frozen pizza on the firepit which didn't work, and hot dogs that did. He spotted the rattlesnake and at first wanted to kill and eat it, but everyone was against that so he didn't.) It was very cold so after some consideration I choose to set up on the third floor of the shelter, in the loft above the Porch. It was mostly enclosed and out of the wind and would trap any body heat rising from below and be protected from the wind. Seeker, Strider, Coed and many others showed up and the shelter was soon full. We had a fire going and visited around it as we cooked and ate dinner on the picnic table. It rained for a good part of the afternoon and night. Laying down for the night, I put on some music as I lay down to sleep and it helped me to unwind. Soon I was sound asleep.
Date: 2015-03-26
From: Plumb Orchard Gap shelter 

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a very hard climb into North Carolina and I was sore and tired when I reached the Muskrat Creek Shelter. The climb was every bit as hard as I remembered from when we had come through back in 2013. From the most photographed bent and misshapen tree on the trail, the climb begins and it seems to never end. Just when you breath a sigh of relief thinking it's over it starts to climb again! There seemed to be so many false summits along the way to raise and then dash your hopes of reaching the top. I hiked with Coed for part of the day right before reaching the shelter. My back was hurting and I was exhausted when I reached arrived. There was a hiker at the shelter called Grey Wolf, who had zeroed at the shelter, and we talked for awhile as I cooked my dinner. Feeling a bit refreshed Grey Wolf and I started a fire which was soon roaring and warming everyone up. We got to visit with two tripple crowners - #Irish and #Atlas . Two great hikers who love giving back to the hiking community and it was awesome to sit and listen to their stories. My back was hurting and my exhaustion kicked in so I turned in early. Late in the day Sour Patch and Gummy bear showed up and hung their hammocks behind the shelter. We talked for awhile and we talked about the weather. I heard that it was going to be very cold so I put on my wool socks, thermals, baclava and hat before sliding into my sleeping bag. I unwound while listening to the Bible on audiobooks, getting ready for a warm night's sleep.
Date: 2015-03-27
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter 

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 0.0

After a long night with back pain and no sleep I took Sodium Naproxin and applied some deodorant stick Bengay along with a zero to rest up. Breakfast was oatmeal and coffee again and it warmed me up quickly. We got another fire going and just rested around the shelter all day. Grey Wolf and I spent the day sharing stories as the hikers started pouring into the shelter area. I even walked up the ridge to the plane crash site where a drug smuggler had crashed into the side of the mountain. The pilot and a bear was found at the site. The bear had died from inhaling cocaine! The ridge was the only place around where I could get cell phone service and internet, as well. Back at the shelter I ate lunch and rested by the fire. One of the hikers, a female named Cindi Laupers decided to spend her first night in a shelter. She had pony tails and tall striped stockings. It was fun getting to know everyone at the shelter around the fire. We started hearing reports that the temperature would dip into the mid teens that night which had everyone concerned. Soon it was supper time and I had coffee with my meal to help keep warm as the temps dropped. I took the large garbage bag out of the pack and slid it on the end of the sleeping bag, put my rain suit above that, slid my 25o bag liner in and put on my thermal underwear, socks, baclava, wool cap and as ready and warm as I could get. Before bed it started snowing which got everyone excited and talking. Many took pictures to memorialize the event and to prove what we went through on our hike. Meanwhile, the temperature dropped off quickly as the fire died down. Everyone soon bundled up and burrowed into their sleeping bags with barely anything exposed to the cold. I was up against the right wall, looking in the shelter and the man on my right was already talking in his sleep as I lay down for the night. Nothing specific that I could understand, just mumbling sounds. I listened to my audio book which is becoming a nightly ritual for a half an hour and drifted off to sleep
Date: 2015-03-29
From: Micro hotel in Franklin, NC 

To: Micro hotel in Franklin, NC 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I took a zero today and was up early and went to at breakfast which I had bought at the grocery store the night before. I called a church and asked for a ride to their services and asked Snail Pops if he wante to go. He did and we went and waited outside until the pastor came by to pick us up. We didn't know it but the church wasn't that far at all down the road. We went to bible study and answered many questions before class about our hike and we were even announced to the congregation during the service. After the service the Pastor and his wife invited us out to lunch at the Boiler Room, a Railroad themed restaurant with a great all you can eat buffet. There was model train tracks all around the place on the walls with a train making the rounds. There was even a dining car inside the place that you could choose to sit in! I asked if there was a Walmart nearby and was given a ride while Pops walked next door to the hotel. After Walmart I decided to visit the outfitter for a new 2 liter platypus and a lightweight 2" thick Therm-a-rest sleeping pad, some new smart wool socks and pack cover. Somehow I had lost my pack cover sometime during the night of the snowstorm, possibly from the wind. While at the outfitter we were given complementary beer which didn't hurt. I also picked up a couple of the small A.T. Maps in the ziplock bags. I stopped by the store for something to eat on the way back to the hotel and watched some TV and called it a day and went to bed.
Date: 2015-03-30
From: Micro hotel in Franklin, NC 

To: Standing Indian Shelter. 
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: clear sky

Grey Wolf stayed in town for another day and I caught a shuttle to Deep Gap and hiked up the Forrest service road and on up to the shelter. On the way I saw a package service that I had to do a double take when I saw it. It was called "Going Postal!" I had to laugh at the name and pointed it out to Doc who was with me on the shuttle. I missed about 2 miles of trail but did about 8+ miles off trail to get there. Doc had hiked in with although I got to the shelter awhile before he did. I had to guess the way back to the trail as they're weren't any blazes to follow. I just guessed that the trail would be at the highest point at the end of the main road and I was correct. I was a long walk just to get back to the trail as the road wasn't open yet. He arrived and not long after had set up his hammock near the shelter. I got settled in and started collecting firewood, there was an abundance in the area, and fixed the fire ring which was full of dirt, and all messed up. I got it cleaned up and rebuilt before starting the fire. There were two groups of hikers with dogs near the shelter which makes some uncomfortable, and comforts others as bears do not like dogs. A man with an angry bird hat was very afraid of bears and was very agitated. He didn't like the fact that people were hanging food from the mouse cables under the porch of the shelter and even woke up Doc to tell him that his water had finished filtering. We reassured him that no bear was coming anywhere near the shelter with as many people and dogs were nearby but it didn't help calm him down. I am loving the trail but miss my wife so it's sort of bittersweet as I wish that she could have come with me and share this adventure. I really feel like I have to find myself as I am not the person who I want to be. I find myself to be more self centered and short tempered. I used to be more active in my Church and more gentle in spirit. I want to rediscover that person so that I can become a better person and husband. I already feel the changes taking place as I have the time to think about where I have come and I spend time in prayer and meditation along my hike and as I listen to the Bible on audio book before switching to music. I am lifted by the wonderful people who I meet daily who are kind, generous and open. I think that the trail tends to bring out the best in everyone who treads it's winding ways.
Date: 2015-03-31
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at 6 and quickly packed up and ate breakfast. Doc was soon on the trail. As I walked I noticed, much to my confusion that the sun was to my left and I was hiking south. I immediately wondered if I had made the noob move of going the wrong direction upon leaving the shelter. I knew I had turned the right way but still pulled out the phone and checked out the Guthook's AT GPS app and sure enough I was going south and the right direction but is sure messed with my mind. It was just a short, but tough 7 miles to the Carter Gap Shelter and there were some beautiful streams along the way and at one of them I sat on a fallen log to eat a quick lunch and listen to the birds and the brook singing and making music. I love the shelter with it's benches and tarp to keep the wind out. I had been hearing from the hikers as they arrived that the Bionic woman would be coming along later in the afternoon and I was excited. I had been here for some time when the Bionic Woman arrived. I had heard about her on Facebook about how she was a PCT thru-hiker, had ridden all across America on bicycle and was into canyoning and had made it to the semi-finals in the Olympics in Kickboxing. One day while she was rock climbing, had suffered a 40' fall from a cliff onto the rocks below. Her pelvic bone was broken along with many other bones and her leg was shattered beyond repair below her knee and as a result 18 months ago her leg had been amputated from the knee down. This amazing woman is thru-hiking as rehabilitation on the AT and is inspiring many, including myself. She asked if I could get her water while I was getting mine so I took her platypus with me to the water source. I asked her if I could do an interview with her and she consented. Doc had arrived and was helping to build a fire. Someone with a guitar came along and several people who knew how played, including Doc, and many were singing around the campfire. It was good to have some cell service and internet at the shelter. Doc had produced a whiskey bottle which he shared around, including with the bionic woman, and apparently drank to much and made an ass of himself in the process while I was in the shelter. I turned in at 7:00 to listen to audio books and was asleep by 8:00 or 8:30. I have been getting up at 5 or so and have been getting on the trail around 6 or a little later.
Date: 2015-04-01
From: Carter Gap Shelter 

To: Long branch Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early at 6:00 and was on the trail by 7:00. I was rewarded with breathtaking views and a squirrel who posed for pictures. I also viewed a tree that was wrapping it's roots around a giant stone as if it wanted to consume the rock with roots. The climb up Albert Mountain had some of the best views on the trail so far and was the first to involve hand climbing as it was so tough! I had to climb the fire tower twice as the first time the video I was recording turned of and the video didn't take. The top of the tower was closed but you could still climb the stairs to the top access. The second time I smartened up and left my pack at the bottom and the video turned out well. One of the crazy things I noticed at the fire tower was that there was a privy out back that didn't have any walls, just the toilet! Then it was down the side of the mountain where the trail was nice to the shelter, passing a camping site that was the former site of a shelter, which still had the bear cables. The shelter was shiny and new and it was a double story log cabin affair with stairs instead of a ladder to the loft. There were concrete blocks on the railing outside to cook on so, hopefully people would stop burning holes in the tables and shelves. I really liked the shelter and it was fairly new and in great condition. There were few tent sites around the shelter and the privy was directly behind the shelter. I collected firewood for the fire and stashed some under the porch as trail magic for future hikers and started reading the shelter journal. A hiker with the trail name of Hemingway, whose quotes I had been following, had written a poem which inspired me to do likewise. I wrote a Japanese haiku and a traditional poem about the trail in the shelter journal. The Bionic woman had asked me to save her a spot in the shelter so I did, but soon found from other hikers that passed through that she had hiked on to the next shelter, so I gave her spot to another. During the afternoon I went up a side trail to the top of the hill before the shelter in order to find cellphone service and found a firepit and tentsites. We had a good fire that evening and some of the hikers were even cooking on the fire to save fuel, which I thought was pretty smart and cool. I climbed into my sleeping bag around 7 and listened to the Bible on audio book for awhile before going to sleep by 8.
Date: 2015-04-02
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Budget Inn, Franklin
Miles today: 7.3

I woke up at 6:00 and quickly ate, packed up and was on the trail by 7:00. The trail was pretty good so I made good time and was at the Winding Stair Gap by 10:00 in time to catch the free shuttle to the Budget Inn. I showered after checking in and then met Grey Wolf at who was staying at the hostel across the street. We did our laundry in the tiny basement at the Budget Inn, where we drank a trail magic beer that one of the hikers had given us. We both walked to the Dollar store, where he picked up supplies and Ingles grocery where I bought supplies, breakfast and the makings for smores for trail magic at the shelter the next night. When I returned to the Inn I saw the Bionic Woman who had arrived before I took off for a little country style restaurant behind the building with the Domino's pizza. The special was huge slabs of meat loaf, Texas toast and salad served with an ice cold Arnold Palmer. I then met up with Gray Wolf and we hiked up to the 76 outfitter. I asked for a strap and the worker wanted to argue that I needed a compression bag instead. I gave up on talking to him and bought myself, Gray Wolf, Vulture and her friend a cold beer before leaving. I thought that the outfitter had a good selection but they came across to me as being overbearing, and not listening to what I wanted. We then walked through the historical district looking at the plaques commemorating its part in the Civil War, before stopping in at a pub by the Sherrif's department for another pint of micro brew and some local history. A beer representative was there with samples so I managed to yogi Grey Wolf and myself a free sample. We met up with Doc at the Inn while he was doing laundry and decided to check out the karaoke at the local bar later. It wasn't to be held until way after hiker midnight so we tried at Mulligans, with no success so we ate dinner there instead. We were greeted with torrential rain on our departure so we asked for garbage bags which we converted into makeshift rain parkas and hurried back to the Inn where Doc asked me to split the cost of the room,to which I agreed. He also bought one of my spare batteries for the Samsung Galaxy s5, and because I had 3 spares I sold him one, covering my half of the bill and my dinner too! I was up to 11 packing and making single portions of smores in zip lock bags, each holding graham crackers, 2 Hershey select chocolate minatures and two marshmallows. I put my groceries and gear together and got my pack ready for the morning. Tired I crawled into bed and was soon asleep.