morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-24
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: clear sky

Today was a good day. I was a little apprehensive to again hike a relatively short distance, but everything turned out just fine. I took my time getting started in the morning, totally understandable given the lack of sleep I got from my sleeping bag sliding down to the bottom of my tent every chance it got. By the time I broke camp, it was 9:30 am. Then, within the first half-hour, my pack decided to start to squeak with every step. In addition, my "kitchen" (mug, stove and fuel) started rattling, again with every step. With nature's bounty all around, nothing is worse than bouncing down the trail and having your pack produce artificial noise. I stopped to successfully fix the problems (a little duck tape goes a long way!), and proceeded to enjoy another sun-filled day. The weather for the past two days has been heavenly.I hiked into my first two bits of trail magic today. After crossing a road at Woody Gap, I found two retired couples from Ohio handing out water and cookies. They come down to Georgia every year to the same spot, seeking out thru-hikers to talk to and ply with refreshments. At the same location, I found a public toilet that I had not expected, but needed badly. Granted, it wasn't the cleanest, but it was serviced somewhat regularly, and it was a welcome change from trail privies or the woods. In previous times, I would have opted for anything but; in hiker mode, it was a palace. It's amazing how your perspective changes once you're carrying all you own. Tonight's tenting spot, Lance Creek, is incredible. The creek provided a nice spot to wash myself (badly needed) and rinse my hiking garb. The tent areas are flat as a pancake and I don't foresee any sliding problems. Tomorrow, I climb to the highest point on Georgia's section of the AT, the summit of Blood Mountain, just under 4,500 feet. After the climb, I walk down into Neel's Gap, where I pick up a few things to resupply.
Date: 2016-04-25
From: Lance Creek

To: Baggs Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

As you can see in the photo, the Loch Ness Monster is alive and well and swimming right in the middle of the AT! Georgia is treating me to a run of incredible weather! I climbed 4,457-foot Blood Mountain today, and found it to be just a great hike. There had been some pre-climb chatter about the ascent's steepness, but it really wasn't bad at all. In fact, I loved the hike up. At the summit stands a shelter constructed out of stone in 1934 by the CCC, and it is just beautiful. After chatting with a few folks at top, I descended to Neel's Gap, picked up a bit of food for the next three days, and grabbed a shower, paying $5. Well worth it at any price!I ended up hiking farther than first anticipated when the group of hikers I've been seeing each night decided to push onto Baggs Creek Gap. This was an excellent decision, as the campsite sits on a ridge, and the wind will be blowing a lullaby all night. Prior to turning in to write my journal and hopefully fall asleep, we chatted around a campfire, my first fire of my AT trek. With good company and wind blowing steadily, it was magical.
Date: 2016-04-26
From: Baggs Creek Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: few clouds

After hiking 47 miles in 5 days (if you include the Approach Trail), and thus meeting my goal of averaging no more than 10 miles a day for the better part of the first week, I was ready for more miles. By hiking 14.5 miles today, I've set myself up to arrive in Hiawassee, Georgia, on Thursday around noon, instead of late in the day. I had originally planned a "zero" in Hiawassee on Friday -- taking a day off without any miles hiked -- but by getting to town early in the day on Thursday, I can accomplish instead that afternoon all that I had wanted on my planned Friday zero: pick up my mail drop from Alison, do some other resupply, make some phone calls, check some email and do laundry. Thus, the result of my 14.5 miles today is that I now have the choice of hiking on Friday, or taking a zero....we'll see how I feel. There's only one small catch: I need to follow today's miles with something like 12 or 13 tomorrow to allow my early arrival Thursday, and tomorrow's terrain will be the hardest yet I've seen on the AT. Today's 14.5 miles was on the easy side until the last two miles. By then, I was tired and had to climb up to a ridge where Blue Mountain Shelter sits. Thus far, I have chosen not to stay in any of the shelters, preferring to camp in my tent in the adjacent camping areas. Why, then, hike to shelters if you're not going to stay in them? Because shelters generally have good water sources (the reason the shelters are located where they are!). Having said that, the water source here at Blue Mountain Shelter was basically a trickle and made the daily water chore more onerous than usual. (I'll explain how one gets potable water in a future post.)I'm here tonight with Rambler, Two Rock and Boney, three of the hikers with whom I've shared a number of campsites. Rambler is a thru-hiker; Two Rock and Boney are hiking only the eighty Georgia miles. Each has a trail name - a moniker that either they chose for themselves or was given to them by other hikers. To date, I simply hike as Don, preferring to await that moment when a fellow hiker has a bolt of insight and bestows upon me an incredibly apt trail name. (It's possible.). But more probable, I make some rookie mistake and someone is there to catch it, thus earning me a less flattering trail name. I'll hope for the former.....Today, I developed my first two blisters, not from heel or toes rubbing against my shoes, but rather from the pounding: I have a small blister on the ball of each foot. I've prepared a doughnut of Moleskin to apply to each spot in the morning, but don't have high hopes that they will be effective against the multiple thousand-foot ascents and descents that Georgia has in store for me tomorrow. Maybe that zero on Friday will be a welcome necessity.
Date: 2016-04-27
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

Today's roller coaster was a great follow-on to yesterday's hike. Starting from Blue Mountain Shelter, the trail descended right away for 1,000 feet to Unicoi Gap, then immediately climbed for 1,000 feet to the 4,017 foot summit of Rocky Mountain, then dropped for 700 feet and then ascended for 1,000 feet to the 4,430 foot summit of Tray Mountain. The whole day more or less went that way, and when I made camp at Sassafras Gap, I had put in a strenuous 12.8 miles. The weather again was divine, and the day passed quickly. As a pleasant surprise, Boney and Two Rock appeared in camp a bit after me. It's been great getting to know these two Gainesville, Florida men, and I will miss them when their hike concludes at the Georgia/North Carolina border. As I expected, the blister on my right foot didn't survive the climbs and popped in the late morning. No matter, however, since I was going to have to pop it myself at some point. I threw some Neosporin and a band-aid on it and was good to go. As long as it doesn't get infected, it will remain an insignificant reminder of just what I'm putting my feet through. Quite interestingly, there is no muscle in my body that's disagreeing yet with the hike. I awake every morning raring to go. While I can't point to any one reason, I'm thinking that the supplements I'm taking, combined with the work I put in at Fit Body, are paying off. A close cousin to a zero is a near-o, or a day with just a few miles hiked. Tomorrow, with hiking just the six miles to Dick's Creek Gap, I will pull my first near-o. From this gap, I will grab a hotel shuttle bus and travel the eleven miles to Hiawassee, where I have a hotel room waiting for Thursday night. My plans for Friday are still up in the air, although I expect I'll leave Hiawassee and put in at least some miles in the afternoon. Alison has shipped me a summer-weight sleeping bag and I pick it up in Hiawassee. The bag I am now carrying, one good down to 20 degrees, is simply too hot, even when I open it up and just use it as a blanket. Once I get the lighter weight bag, I will ship my heavier bag to myself at Fontana Dam, NC, where the Great Smokies National Park begins. When I arrive at Fontana Dam around May 7th, I will have to decide which bag to carry through the Great Smokies. Much to the surprise of many folks, the highest point on the AT is the Smokies' Clingmans Dome, which is several hundred feet higher than NH's Mount Washington. Clearly, temperatures could be cold. Fortunately, there is a week of hiking between Hiawassee and Fontana Dam, so I'll have some time to gauge the lighter bag's warmth. At this point, I'm thinking that I'll be fine in the Smokies with the lighter bag, as I'm carrying a silk liner which adds to a bag's warmth, and I can wear a down jacket, long underwear and down booties to bed in case of a cold snap. I'm looking forward to my town day tomorrow. Hiawassee is very hiker-friendly, and there's something completely charming about trail towns on the AT.
Date: 2016-04-28
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Dick's Creek Gap (and then Hiawassee)
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: clear sky

I finished the 6.3 miles to Dick's Creek Gap by 10:30 am, and waited for the shuttle bus from the hotel to pick me up. While waiting, I met Grady, a fellow thru-hiker, and we decided to share a room in town. I have a feeling that he will soon outpace me on the trail, and I won't see much of him, until I flip-flop and we pass each other, he coming north, and I moving south. Tomorrow is the last day on the trail for Boney and Two Rock. We had lunch and dinner together in Hiawassee, traded contact info, and shared a few more laughs. I wish them both the best of luck in their future endeavors. I have decided to hike tomorrow, feeling that I had a good afternoon and evening in Hiawassee, and wanting to leave on a high. I have a full food bag, and my lighter sleeping bag in hand. I worked on my feet a bit, grabbed a shower, shaved and did laundry. Feeling somewhat like a new man, I'm off to the woods again. After hitting the Post Office in the morning, I'll try to catch a ride to the trailhead and resume my journey to North Carolina. With any luck, I'll cross the border tomorrow.
Date: 2016-04-29
From: Dick's Creek Gap (and then Hiawassee)

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Today was a reminder of how tough the AT is. For the most part of my 11.8 mile hike, it was, "Whatever you do, one foot in front of the other."Several things conspired to make the day a trial. First, from Dick's Creek Gap up to Couthouse Bald, there was 2,003 feet of elevation gain, topping out at the bald's summit of 4,708 feet. The terrain was simply tough. Second, I was thrown off my game by my hotel stay in Hiawassee last night. When I awoke in town this morning, I didn't do my usual pre-hike hydration routine, nor did I eat my usual breakfast. Third, I received my first resupply food box from home and thus left Hiawassee with ten pounds of food, quite a heavy load. Fourth, a spring I was counting on for water around noon time was dry, causing me to hike another 2.3 miles of hard trail before I could get my water bottles filled. Finally, today I said good-bye to Two Rock and Boney at the GA/NC border (photo), and hiked alone for the toughest part of the day. In the end, a couple of good things did result. I crossed the border into North Carolina, and bid Georgia good-bye. (My time in Georgia was truly stupendous: the weather was gorgeous, the people I met most welcoming, and the countryside drop-dead beautiful.). The other good thing was that when I was indeed tested, I just kept walking despite it all. The one lesson I learned the hard way today is that you don't skimp on water to avoid carrying weight. Each liter weighs 2.2 pounds, and I usually have two liters with me. But because I was carrying ten pounds of new food, I chose to only carry one liter of water, expecting to refill often when I passed running water sources. But, I started out the day under-hydrated, and then couldn't refill on the trail as often as I needed. Thus, I spent most of the day thirsty, and tuckered out. Before I chalk up today to experience, I want to thank Two Rock and Boney for indoctrinating me to the AT and for providing me with some seriously great company for the first 79 miles of my journey. I will miss your camaraderie. I am at Muskrat Creek Shelter tonight with people I have not met before. There's a pretty sizeable group of twenty-somethings, and a smattering of other ages. While I like to hike alone during the day, it's nice to see familiar faces in camp at night, just as I had with Two Rock and Boney. We'll see what develops in the days to come. Tomorrow I climb over 5,000 feet for the first time. And, I hear that we may run into some rain both on Saturday and Sunday. More challenges!Note: I have been journaling every night. I upload to the website right away if I have service. So please know I am doing my best to update daily, but I am at the mercy of the Gods of Verizon.
Date: 2016-04-30
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Last night, I met two thru-hikers at Muskrat Creek, FloMo and Dirty Girl, the former, a woman, the latter, a man. We ended up together on the trail today, alternately passing, and then being passed by, the other. At one bend, I was told that they had my trail name. It was inevitable. You can't meet me or pass me on the trail and not notice. Except for my shoes, everything I wear on the trail or in camp is blue. So, it didn't surprise me at all when FloMo and Dirty Girl simply exclaimed, "You're Blue Man."While I might have liked something a bit more far-reaching into my soul, I can't argue with Blue Man. And, as FloMo said, "everyone will remember your name or know it's you if you haven't met yet." So, I have a trail name, and I like its simplicity. After an incredible stretch of weather, it has come crashing to a halt. Sitting now at camp at 4,528 feet, I am being treated to a real mountain thunderstorm, replete with strong winds and heavy, heavy rain. My tent is performing admirably, but I did just avert a disaster by noticing that the wind had blown one external flap inside of an internal one, allowing water to drip inside. Had I not been journaling, and instead sleeping, I would have awoken to a serious amount of water in my tent. Let's hope I'm high and dry in the morning.Despite the fact that I summited Standing Indian Mountain, at 5,435 feet, the highest mountain I have climbed in the east, today's hiking was the easiest of the trail thus far. The ascents were long, moderate grades, and the trail didn't dip into any extreme gaps. After yesterday's tribulations, I'm thankful for today's uneventfulness.
Date: 2016-05-01
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

Before I get to today's events, let's back up for a second. Why am I thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail? For a couple of reasons.First, in my 57 years, there are two life-defining achievements that I can point to with pride and a sense of accomplishment: my marriage with Alison, and my helping to raise three wonderful young adults. To those, I would like to add a third: a thru-hike of the 2,189 mile AT. The trail speaks to me. The simplicity of its concept, the beauty of its journey, the love of its hiker community, the challenge of its completion. If I am able to complete the hike, I will be forever proud of something I did, something that had true meaning to me as an accomplishment. When all in this life is said and done, I will be able to say to myself with pride, "Good for you. That was worthwhile." And the second reason: I would like to be lighter in this life. I believe my path to "lighter" lies through the principles of simplicity, living closer to nature, living in community, and being at peace with myself and where I am in life. I know that the Appalachian Trail speaks to each of these and puts me on my intended path. I am now ten days into my adventure, and I am content. After last night's torrential rains which began in the late afternoon and continued unabated until 5:00 am this morning, it was a pleasure to awake to clearing skies. Packing up a wet tent is never fun, but at least it wasn't raining when I broke camp. Today's hiking was, for the most part, relatively easy. I say for the most part because the last quarter of mile up to the summit of the 5,250 foot Albert Mountain was as tough as anything I've seen in the White Mountains or Maine. Seemingly vertical in spots, I had to toss my hiking poles up ahead of me to allow use of two hands to scramble. Once at top, the 360 degree view from the fire tower was stunning. It just so happens that the base of the fire tower sits at the 100 mile mark on the AT. So, another milestone passed. The rest of today's hike was uneventful. But the weather forecast for both tonight and tomorrow night is as bad as last night's, so FloMo, Dirty Girl and I are taking the opportunity to duck into Franklin, NC, and avoid one night of rain by spending tonight at the Gooder Grove AT Hostel. I plan to catch a ride back to the trail tomorrow morning, probably in time to hike in the rain.
Date: 2016-05-02
From: Rock Gap

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a good day. Last night, it indeed rained and I was happy to be at the Gooder Grove AT Hostel. Its owner, Colin, is a great host. I grabbed the 9:00 am Town of Franklin shuttle back to Rock Gap this morning, and by the time I started hiking, it was already 10:00 am. I had my designs on the Wayah Bald Shelter, but I knew the 14.7 miles to reach it were going to be tough, as the trail summits Wayah Bald, elevation 5,342 feet, before getting to the shelter. Besides, I was getting a late start, so I didn't hold out much hope. It would take some real effort, and, if I were to get to the shelter, I would need to log my longest day yet mileage-wise. Anyway, the good night's sleep at the hostel must have helped as I felt great and cruised along, including on the rather long uphill climb to Wayah Bald. While I hiked, thunder bellowed all around me, but, amazingly, it never rained where I was. At the Wayah Bald summit stands a stone tower with incredible views, so there was a good pay-off for the hard work. I walked into the Wayah Bald Shelter campground at 5:00 pm, having hiked 14.7 miles in seven hours. It is now 8:30 pm and it is pouring. But I'm warm and dry in my tent. A good day, indeed. Today's photo is of blooming and flowering trees at 5,000 feet. Spring is just arriving. But down below, in the valleys and gaps, the vibrancy of the greens is breathtaking. Knowing intellectually that elevation has an impact on the timing of Spring, and then seeing it in action, are two totally different animals! Tonight might be a good time to update the injury report. Since I last shared that I was dealing with blisters, FloMo relayed what a ranger had suggested to her: loosen the shoe laces, and not just a little, but so much so that your foot sloshes around in your shoe. This advice sounded a bit kooky to me, as well as dangerous. If you allow your foot to have that much play in your shoe, aren't you inviting even more blisters? And how can one walk if their shoes are wobbling all over the place?Despite my skepticism, I had nothing to lose and was out of ideas myself. So, loosen I did. And the results were immediate! My left foot is no longer a concern, and my right is well on its way to becoming an afterthought. Once you deal with one problem, you move on down the list, and when you are a thru-hiker, there is always a list. I have been getting a burning pain in the middle of my back after hiking one or two hours each day. I have willed my way through it, but with each day it gets a little bit harder to ignore. I now realize that I must do something about my pack, so I have decided to accelerate my hiking to be able to get to NOC Outfitters before they close for the evening on Wednesday. Before I leave you for the night, a few additional words. I have heard from quite a few of you that you are enjoying my posts. Thanks so much for the words of encouragement, and for taking the time to follow me on my journey. Knowing that I have readers makes all the difference!
Date: 2016-05-03
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 16.5

In yesterday's entry, I contrasted the newly-flowering trees at 5,000 feet to the vibrancy of the greens down in the gaps. Here's a photo from down below. Tonight, I am camped on a river, listening to a cricket choir so loud that sleep will be difficult. I am about a mile off the trail, having pitched my tent a ways from the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where I will go tomorrow morning and pick up my new pack. Switching packs is not an easy decision; I know just where everything goes in my current one, and can tell if I've left something behind just by sense. There is no doubt that I need to change my pack. The real question is will the next one be any better?My current pack, the Gossamer Gear Mariposa, is an ultralight pack and has very little structure to it. It has a wonderful set of seven external pockets, and each is stuffed with those things that I use all the time so that I don't need to go rummage for them inside the pack's main compartment. The Mariposa weighs under two pounds, its chief benefit. But to get the weight savings, you give up structure and strength, as well as the myriad ways one can adjust other packs. As a result, I find it impossible to get it to sit right. So, in the morning, I pick up a new Granite Gear pack, heavier but hopefully better fitted and more comfortable. I hope it works out!To get to NOC Outfitters by 4:00 pm, I left Wayah Bald Shelter at 7:30 am and set a spirited pace. It had rained quite heavily the night before, and insisted on continuing for much of the morning. My trekking umbrella again came in handy, but the footing was precarious to say the least. How I remained upright for all of the day's hike I know not. At times I felt like I was walking on the back of a greased pig. The last two days have left me a bit worn out. After I pick up my pack in the morning, I have a furious climb to undertake, moving from 1,700 feet to over 5,000. I would like to put in 13 miles tomorrow and another 15 on Thursday. That would put me at Fontana Dam a day earlier than I recently planned, and allow me to rest up for two days before starting out for the Great Smokies National Park, the site of the highest AT elevations. As Week 2 draws to a rapid close, I am reminded of how special the AT is. It truly is a national treasure, a gift to all those who choose to enjoy its splendors. I feel privileged to be out here, listening to the hum of nature, and sharing the experience with others who hear it, too.