morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-02-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

For the past few weeks, Shrugs and I have been focusing on our physical preparedness. Of course, hiking is the only real way to prepare for a hiking trip, but, alas, we are unable to go on practice hikes unlike some lucky people. Prior to our section hike, we had been consistently going to the university¢s gym and sticking to a fairly balanced strength training program. I was confident this would suffice and that I would breeze along the Trail. My expectations were not met. By far, the worst pain was located in my shoulders; surprisingly, my legs never protested too intensely. In any case, I finished my internship/degree in September, so I thought I had plenty of time to get ready before hitting the Trail. Unfortunately, my training has not been going so well: I hurt my hip while running sometime in October (never got a proper diagnosis, but it¢s most likely a trochanteric bursitis). Stretching (mainly in the form of yoga) and some light weight training had helped. By the first week of November, the pain had mostly subsided. We had taken a trip to New York City that week and I¢m pretty sure the pain was lifted from my hip during a BABYMETAL concert. Thank you BABYMETAL for your miraculous curative powers!My hip is still ¢grumpy¢ at times - there still seems to be a lingering soreness, a persistent stiffness in the joint. I am concerned about this, especially as our departure date draws nearer. I still have a few weeks and I will be seeing my GP in a few days, so hopefully I can eliminate this permanently. Other than that, our main activity is walking with increasingly heavy packs for couple of hours, trying to gradually ease our body into hiking mode (especially my upper body). We have been trying to do this every few days and, as our departure date approaches, will be increasing our frequency and total walking distance. We can¢t emulate walking up mountains, but we DO have to walk in the snow and slippery ice¢¦so there is that. Since we live in Montr©al we also have the Mont Royal, a glorified 233 m/764 ft high hill located in the downtown area of the city. Most of the footpaths are neatly maintained and sets of stairs lead you up the steep inclinations. I bet there are a lot of stairs on the Trail....r-right guys? Until I leave, I will forever fret over my level of preparedness and obsess over what I could have done. Shrugs, staying true to his name, is not too worried about our exercise regimen, citing that many hikers of varying physical ability have successfully hiked the 2,000+ miles of the AT. I understand this and, while it is encouraging, I still cannot downplay the 70-75% failure rate among thru-hikers who were, after all, highly motivated and determined.
Date: 2015-02-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Only ONE week left!!!I am nervous; Shrugs is mildly excited. As part of my emotional preparation, I thought I would list the reasons motivating my decision to hike the AT. Some of this may sound hippy-ish, bear with me: - First and foremost, to take a ¢timeout¢ on life ¢ escape the daily routines, materials concerns, worries about the future- To challenge myself physically and mentally- To do something that goes against society¢s expectations, to satisfy ourselves only (we are rebels)- To meet fellow hikers and experience Trail Magic- To explore the United States- To eat poorly but abundantly - To feel exhausted, yet satisfied, after a long day¢s hike- To get new ideas about life, perhaps learn to reprioritize certain thingsNow, here are the reasons why I must not quit:- Brother #3 is staying at our apartment while we are away. This will be his first ¢living alone¢ experience (he¢s still at the Parentals¢) and he is QUITE impatient for me to leave. He told all his friends that he will have a cool pad and he even plans to buy champagne to celebrate his first day of living independently. IMAGINE HIS DISAPPOINTMENT IF I COME BACK EARLY!- Corollary: Brother #1 is also still living with the Parentals, but if Brother #3 is gone, he will be the only sibling left and he will greatly appreciate the calm and silent house. - Brother #2 is not involved in these arrangements, but I like to think he still wishes for me to succeed. - In the same vein: It would be embarrassing to tell everyone (even the dentist) that you are leaving for 6 months, only to come back 2 weeks later- If I quit, I would not be proud of myself.As I said, my anxiety is growing. During the school semester or while working this summer, I would think about my future hike and be SO positive about it, thinking it was going to be awesome and WAY BETTER than working/school. Since September however, school and work are over and I have been a big loser staying home, binge watching ¢Doctor Who¢ on Netflix.(Side note: Seriously, why is Doctor Who so good? Is there even a better show?! NO)Anyway, it¢s just to say that I anticipate a maybe brutal transition once I step on the Trail and realize that this is finally real.
Date: 2015-02-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This is a small test to see if I can manage to upload a journal entry from my phone. My camera has an integrated WiFi function so I can, from my phone, access my pictures. I type faster using a keyboard versus a touch screen, but I think this system should work once on the Trail.The picture I've included is that of something I will greatly yearn for when I'm gone: authentic Montr©al bagels. Yes, if any New Yorkers are reading, New York bagels are good, really good even. Montr©al bagels however have an added sweetness to them and have a crispier shell as opposed to New York bagels which are big, puffy and doughy. Bagels are good.
Date: 2015-03-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, this is irritating. The ¢too long, didn't read¢ summary of this entry is as follows: our flight got cancelled and was subsequently rescheduled for tomorrow morning. This means we will be ¢ hopefully ¢ on the Trail on March 4th. Our intended flight was to depart at 6:15 AM; I checked around noon yesterday and everything was in order so I contacted the Hiker Hostel to confirm our shuttle pick-up time. So, Sunday night comes around, we had a final farewell dinner and got back to our apartment to finalize our preparations (mainly putting new music and e-books on our devices). Since we had to leave our apartment around 3:30 AM, I was anticipating little-to-no-sleep. At around 10:30 PM we get a call (automated voice) saying that the flight was cancelled. I had been breaking at the seams from this massive build-up of stress and anticipation and was now faced with this (quite anticlimactic) turn of events. Murphy¢s Law being in full effect, I contacted the Hiker Hostel this morning to see if we could bump our arrangements to the following day but ¢ OF COURSE ¢ they are completely booked on the 3rd, no room whatsoever, hikers have even occupied all their floor space (although they have plenty of room on the 4th...)So, if staying stuck at home was not disappointing enough, I have been scrambling all morning to get some last minute arrangements. I booked a room at a hotel near the MARTA North Springs Station and contacted Survivor Dave who offers a shuttle service. I need to call him back later this afternoon to confirm that everything is in order although he seemed fairly certain he could fit us in early in the morning. He might also bring us to Springer Mountain directly rather than Amicalola Falls which was the original plan. I wouldn't really mind going to Springer directly as this would somewhat compensate for the lost time...Please Survivor Dave, you are our only hope!-Axon
Date: 2015-03-03
To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We're here!So a follow up from yesterday. We had our flight rescheduled for this morning. Mom of Shrugs gave us a lift (merci beaucoup!!!!) and we made it to Atlanta by 3:45 pm, (after tons of aiport security and after having to convince customs that yes, we were leaving for over 5 months and no, we didn't havea job or any school lined up yet but we were NOT trying to sneak into the States illegally)Survivor Dave could not pick us up as he was full but Ron Brown wad available and picked us up from the airport. Ron is great, arrived exactly on time too. 10/10, would shuttle with again. Give him a call: 706-669-0919!He got us to Springer around 6:30 and we hiked around a mile to the nearest campsite. It was foggy and getting quite dark; a almost surreal atmosphere. Tomorrow we will hike the final 0.2 mile to summit Springer - day 1 of our thru-hike- Axon & Shrugs
Date: 2015-03-04
From: Springer Mountain

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Shrugs here. Last night was really windy, I thought the tent wouldn't survive....   The shelter area is very different in daylight.Today was quite foggy, windy, muddy, warm and green. The hike was really fun overalll. We started by going to the top of Springer to see the plaque, sign the log book and take a few pictures (we couldn't see anything though). We went 8 miles to Hawk Mountain shelter and decided to go a bit further, past Sassafras Mountain (aka Kick-your-ass) after a good meal. The trail was pretty nice, with a few up and downs. I got out of breath after   a few seconds of climbing (because of the altitude, not because I'm not in shape...)Now I'm sore pretty much everywhere, nothing unexpected. My shoulders hurt the most, which is a bit sad because I can't shrug as much. We have about 4 blisters each and we have started stinking. I think our first day was successful.Also the Z-seats are a great invention, we can sit anywhere and still keep our butts dry. The Crocs, although ugly, are really nice after taking off our boots.-Shrugs
Date: 2015-03-05
To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 9.9

It rained really hard last night, but we were mostly dry in the morning. I don't remember if I said it, but the tent is rather crowded with two people inside. There is a lot of condensation, hence the *mostly* dry. Everything is a bit damp in the morning.Today was foggier, windier, rainier and much colder than yesterday. Fortunately, early on at Gooch Gap there was a guy (Fresh Grounds I think) who was making banana pancakes, coffee and hot cocoa for everyone. It was so good! He also gave out apples and bananas. Big thanks to him!We made a shorter day, under intermittent rain with lots of wind, ending at 2 PM. We set up our tent and it started raining really hard so we hid inside for a while. When we came out to cook dinner, the temperature had dropped and the rain had frozen on the tent and ground. It was really nice to have a few hours of rest though.- Shrugs
Date: 2015-03-06
From: Lance Creek

To: Campsite at Hogpen Gap
Miles today: 14.3

Axon here.The temperature dipped below freezing last night. We wore every single intem of clothing we own, yet we were only passably comfortable; I do not think I completed a REM cycle during the night. In the morning, our fingers were inflexible due to the cold, so packing up took longer. We also, unfortunately, did no properly empty one of our water filters. The leftover water froze in the filter, compromising its efficacy. We still have one filter but may this be a cautionary tale. Keep all filters IN your sleeping bag with you!The first challenge of the day was Blood Mountain, the highest peak in the state of Georgia. The trees and other vegetation were all trapped in a thin layer of ice. The whole Trail was white and the air crisp. The climb was done with ease and, I found, generally more agreable than the hike up Sassafras.In any case, we arrived at Neel Gap today, a small milestone for thru-hikers. We did our first resupply (they did not have any Sawyer filters left so we could not yet replace our recently defunct one) and we ate hot pizza - yay! We also met a furry resident, a fat cat who affectionatly sat in Shrugs' lap.We continued onwards. The clouds had lifted and the feel of the warm sun had the same effect on our spirits. The icicles which covered the trees had melted in chunks which made it seem as a thin coat of snow had covered the land. At this point, I had become over-confident thinking "well, we managed the highest peak, no trouble, the rest should be easy!", forgetting that the AT is, at times,.unforgiving. The numerous and redundant climbs and descents had somewhat soured my mood, but the Winterland scenery was refreshing and therapeutical.We finished a long day, and the cold is settling in again. - Axon
Date: 2015-03-07
From: Campsite at Hogpen Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

Endured another cold night; the long day yesterday coupled with little sleep made for a difficult departure. There were many steep climbs and I thought many times "this is such bullshit".However, after a good bowl of oatmeal for lunch, it became easier. The sky was cloudless and the warnth of the sun felt good on our skin; we were confortable hiking in T-shirts. We put our ipods on and the afternoon was pleasant. Later on, we met Hermes, a thru-hiker who completed his hike last year. He was doing trail magic in the form of donuts and Dr Peppers. Thank you Hermes for the moral boost, food and great advice; best of luck to you!In other (sad) news, the camera died during the night and our solar panel doesn't seem to be able to recharge it so we will have to wait until we get into town... This should be Hiawassee, on Monday. Until then, no photos -Axon
Date: 2015-03-08
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite near Addis Gap
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up today to sunny and warm weather. The morning started with two challenges: Rocky Mtn (4017') and Trey Mtn (4430'). Difficult task, but we were fortunate to stumble on oases of trail magic. First up was a man offering fresh fruit, coffee and Gatorade, perfect combo to energize ourselves for the climb ahead. Then, before Trey Mtn, there was a man with a fully fuctional grill serving up burgers and hotdogs. I snobishly admit that, on the surface, these burgers were anything but gourmet; that being said, they were de-li-ci-ous. What a great lunch! Finally, in a small gap there were Boy Scouts giving away fresh, crispy apples.Thank you residents of Georgia for demonstrating fine examples of Southern Hospitality!We took a lunch break at Trey Mtn shelter at which point my eyelids werre heavier than my pack. We rested for a bit and met Signage, a thru-hiker veteran residing in Virginia but who was actually born in Montr©al! In the same vein of coincidences, we met a man from Southern France. Who would have thought that we would find a fellow francophone in Georgia.The rest of the afternoon was exhausting. It was so warm, I think my body was unaccustomed to the heat, which slowed me down. We stopped before Kelly's knob for the night.- Axon
Date: 2015-03-09
From: Campsite near Addis Gap

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 5.4

First off: the photos are finally uploaded! You can check out the last few entries; I promise the pictures are nice!So we are in Hiawassee (pop. ~800), staying at the Budget Inn, a cheap motel that includes a shuttle service. We had to get up very early this morning to make the pick-up time. We had originally planned on doing a bit more milage yesterday, but the heat, time change (daylight saving time) and difficult terrain made it clear we had to stop - we were reminded that we had to abide by the Snail Way and not to lament slow progress. As Shrugs was telling me, it's the Trail that decides your pace. As I was explaning, we left the campsite early with light rain trickling down and a dying light source to guide our way through complete darkness. (PSA: cheap headlamp batteries, not even once). We climbed Kelly's Knob, a steep ascent: 1000' over a mile. Following that, the terrain profile ressembled the tracing of an ECG: up and down, up and down. Maybe this is a metaphor for life? However, our pessimism was invalidated as we arrived well over an hour before the planned 11 o'clock meet time. We waited with a man from Arkansas named Chad who works as a nurse and who is the first person who knew what an axon is! We resupplied and ate Subway sandwiches and Oreo cookies. I am about to have a shower which is great for all around me. Thus far, I have minimal pain, maybe a few muscle aches which were anticipated. My feet are not blistered but have built strange callouses which become irritated; blood has pooled underneath the skin's surface, discoloring the area. These trauma points have appeared symmetrically on my two feet... overall not a pleasant sight. I need to keep a close eye on them. We also both have a LOT of acne; hopefully the shower will help with that.Its a great half day rest!- Axon
Date: 2015-03-10
From: Hiawassee

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

NORTH CAROLINAAAA!We left Hiawassee and got back to the trail head rather late in the morning (no complaints, the shuttle was included with our stay at the BudgetInn).The hike was uneventful. A light mist dampened the Trail and heavy fog was permeating the forest. The air was still with the exception of a few sudden gusts of wind which would lift the fog away and the whole Trail became clear, though only momentarily; the fog would lazily drift back down. The effect was visually interesting.During our lunch break, I saw the dark silhouette of a bird of prey gliding overhead. I do not have the necessary knowledge to identify it. We walked on and, seemingly out of nowhere, we saw the GA/NC border marker! North Carolina greeted us with 3 steep climbs.Thank you Georgia for the great introduction to the Appalachian Trail!GEORGIA SUMMARY- The first couple of days were easy, although I concede that this may be due to my general anxiety which helped spur this great adrenaline rush. Springer was fine, Sassafrass was a good challenge and Blood Mountain was quite enjoyable to climb.- The section spanning from Unicoi gap to Kelly's Knob was more difficult: steeper climbs, more rugged terrain.- Trail magic was 10/10- We did not yet see any wildlife except these adorable, chubby gray birds who feature white bellies and beaks (ginkos? They are called something like that)- There was a random place called "Swag of the Blue Ridge". Best. Name. Ever!- Axon
Date: 2015-03-11
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek Campsite
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: mist

Longest day yet!We slept well this night, even heard deer noisily snorting outside. It's something that strikes me, a city dweller, as comical: I have always imagined deers as graceful creatures, elegantly prancing through the woods. But no; they are neither quiet nor bright. To paraphrase Louis CK, the stand-up comedian, deers are assholes.Today's highest point was Standing Indian Mountain (5498'). The elevation gain was smooth which was nice. The terrain thus far has been less abrupt, ascends and descends having been flattened out a bit. We were close to the following shelter when it began to rain. Hard. Torrential downpours. We whipped out our trusty ponchos who, if I may add, were sturdy and fully waterproof. Since it is impossible to set up camp in the rain and considering that our feet were already wet, we decided to push on. Besides, the terrain was relatively easy and when the Trail offers an opportunity like that, you cannot refuse!Hiking in the rain was alright. We had our Ipods to distract us. The Trail was punctuated with small lakes which had suddently swelled up. We crossed through tunnels of green oblong-shaped rhododendron leaves. Many of the plants had small buds so hopefully we will soon witness the blossoming of the rhododendron flowers.Do snails shy away from rain?- Axon
Date: 2015-03-12
From: Betty Creek Campsite

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early today to reach Winding Stair gap, where we could catch a shuttle to Franklin in order to resupply (and sleep there). Since the sun gets up late, we hiked for about an hour in the dark. There was a small viewpoint on the side of the mountain where we were able to see above the fog; it looked like we were on an island in a sea of clouds. A little bit later we reached the top of Albert Mountain, which happens to be on the 100-mile markerWe ate Subway sandwiches and chocolate cream Oreos in Franklin.- Shrugs
Date: 2015-03-13
From: Franklin, NC

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

First off: thank you to the couple of people who have messaged me regarding my butchery of the poor Junco's name. As you can tell, I am no ornithologist but I am learning! In other bird news, I saw another eagle this morning and asked someone who is quite knowledgeable about these things. He was quite confident that it might have been a bald eagle, which is quite cool. I'm happy to have seen the emblematic eagle!We left Franklin this morning. I had enjoyed our short stay in the small town (pop ~ 3,600) although it was a bit unanticipated. We had to go into town to resupply but since we arrived rather late, we decided to spend the night. I did feel a bit...guilty? since we had stayed in Hiawassee only a couple days prior. However, we did enjoy visiting. We walked around a bit, an activity that is apparently uncommon in Franklin considering the infrequent sidewalks and the two offers for a ride we received in a span of 15 min (which is very generous...although one of our would-be drivers positively reeked of alcohol so I had to decline his offer).And, if any non-Americans were wondering, the legends are true: the South has a high density of pick-up trucks and the music genre of choice seems to be country! I kid a bit; of course you need a sturdy vehicle down here to drive you up the mountains. I was suprised though by the gender of said pick-up truck's owners: I had imagined only big, manly men would be driving these trucks but I saw many, many little old ladies tearing up the roads in their massive trucks. These ladies, they were badass!Once we hit the Trail, it started to rain. It would rain all day, unrelentlessly. Everything was soaking wet. Everyone was miserable. You would feel completly hopeless, being unable to change the situation but it was entirely your own fault for having put yourself in such a situation in the first place. A bad memory. It's like when your brain decides to aggressively remind you of a stupid thing you did or said 8 years ago: a bad feeling you cannot change. The rain was cold too...my body was hot under the poncho but my fingers were in a state of permafrost. Small bodies of water had accumulated in our boots; the skin of my feet have shriveled up into a wrinkly, discolored mess. We set up the tent in the rain and hid in our wet sleeping bags. It smelled like the human equivalent of a wet dog. During the night we heard howling in the distance. I asked Shrugs if they were from coyotes. He said maybe. He then asked me if coyotes could climb trees to steal food. I assured him they could not.-Axon