morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Garenflo Gap

To: Hot springs
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: few clouds

We all started hiking at different times today with Swampfoot taking point and scouting out places to stay in town. He ended up getting a ride to Ashville with a friend, so Donny, finnegan, Sniper and I found a 4 person loft over a barn at the Ducket House B&B for $15 a person. It was nice not to have to cram into a crowded bunk house. The snore factor is good with this crew as well... we ate a good meal at the local diner and enjoyed a quiet evening in the barn loft.we met the owners, 2 nice giuys and did laundry and took showers in the main house. Good stuff!!! We are taking a zero day tomorrow to relax and maybe, just maybe get in a hot spring bath!
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Hot springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Sniper moved on after breakfast since she just had a zero day not too long ago. Finnegan was expecting a girl thru-hiker that he had met at the April Fools hiker feed back in Franklin to shuttle in to Hot Springs and continue her hike with him, atta boy Finny! The empty bunk would be filled. Donny and I went to the spa and took a warm spring bath; at only 99 degrees, we were a tad dissapointed, but the hour long soak did remove every speck of dirt on us which was nice. I had Dunc send me my Montrail trail runners to try them out for a while and see if the lighter foot wear would help my climbing. I sent the boots up to Miss Janet's Hostel in Erwin TN in case the shoes didn't work out. I bought gaiter for the shoes at the Outfitter in town and new long john bottoms. A few re-supply items for the 5-6 day trip to Erwin and I was set. Zero Days are very nice! Hot Spings though small and curious was a nice place to stay.
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mt Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Finnegan and his new hiler-babe, Bottle Cap decided on another rest day in Hot Springs. She seems very sweet and cute, I'm happy for fin, but worried about what the dynamics of the group we have formed will become, more so for Donny than me, as those two are so close! Donny and I did our post office chores, ate lunch and left town around 2:00 The AT runs right down mainstreet in town, so that was kinda neat, all the stpes we took leaving town counted! Thats important for me! we hiked a semi-easy 11 miles to a tiny, packed shelter, packed with many of our current hiking aquantences, so we tented nearby. It's very windy, but my Tarp-Tent does well with cutting the wind down. Folks we have been hiking around: Tree and Bluebell, Thunder, Dog's Life, Crank Bait, Bag Lady, Willing and Able, Tabasco.
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Spring Mt Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

At about noon today Donny and I came up on Allen Gap, a road crossing, (NC 208, TN 70.) There was a sign directing us down the road a few hundred yards to some trail magic that they promised would be worth the walk. we didn't need much promting and took the chance. We ended up in the beautiful home of 2 former thru's named Fal and Hercules, and 2 hours later could barely move from all the great food they fed us! Belgian Waffles, BBQ, stew, desserts, all homemade and scrumptious! Tree, Bluebell, Thunder, Crankbait and dog's life were all there. The hoists were very kind and warm and offered us there testimony in a non-pushy way and offered us books to take with us for free. They have been feeding hikers for many years and are quite famous on the Trail. After all that food we needed a nap but pressed on at 2:00 and covered many well fueled miles. The new shoes, while lighter than the boots are pounding my feet. I didn't break them in as well as I thought, I hope they break in soon! We sheltered with M&M and Father Christmas and Thunder, the champ snorer showed up late with Crankbait and dog's life. A hiker from early in the hike named Shasta had heard of my night previously with Thunder and his Apnea and bought me some ear-plugs! They worked famously1 Thanks Shasta, I can now stay in a shelter with Thunder!
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was my first big mental challenge. We woke to chilly, windy conditions this morning. My ear plugs worked great and I survived the "Thunder Storm" last night. The hike today was hard for me, my fett hurt from the shoes, my first blisters developing on my heals, and I was feeling drained, my raincoat's zipper was busted, THANKS MARMOT, it rained and the 14.7 miles were hilly and long. We are trying to get to erwin and the legendary hospitality of Miss Janet's Hostel and out of this weather. I text messaged Dunc tonite to get a weather update for the area and it looks crappy for the next couple of days; cold, wet, and windy. We are sure paying for the nice weather we had at the begining of this hike! On a bright note, we did pass the 300 mile mark today and I'm now over a month on the trail, and I'm not working for AMI anymore. I sheltered with Donny, Father Christmas, an English fellow with a great wit, and Red Dog, new on our scene, former Thru and now hiking to his sister's wedding near the Delaware Water Gap, and beyond...
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Bald Moutnain Shelter

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We awoke to early to 4-5 inches of accumulated snow. The wind was still blowing but had subsided a bit. We packed as quickly as we could, mostly with no breakfast, to start our hike down to the Gap to get the hell of the mountain and our arranged shuttle to Erwin, THANKS TIM AND MISS JANET!!!!!!   Warmth and hot food were close! Since I had my tail runners instead of boots, I stuffed my feet into two Wal-Mart bags and then into my shoes to act as a vapor barrier; a trick I remember from growing up only we did it with bread bags in our tennis shoes! Thanks Mom, it worked great! The hike down was extremely hard, mostly going up hills in the deep snow, some drifts thigh deep! I was not a happy hiker at this point. My gear is 3 season gear and we were most definitely in the 4th season. Thankfully it was mostly downhill to the gap. We made it to the road crossing and Tim was waiting for us; Miss Janet¢s boyfriend who had stayed with me on their FL trip a few months back. Tim took us into Erwin TN to Miss Janet¢s where we dropped our gear and made for the Erwin Burrito for a hot meal. Unfortunately, Miss Janet¢s was super packed and was currently housing some folks that Donny and I did not particularly want to be bunked up with. That and the fact we were so tired prompted us to check into a Super 8 motel. Finnegan and Bottle Cap called and let us know they were too bugging off the mountain, a day behind us, and catching up to us in Erwin. Though still windy, the weather in Erwin was nice. Many hikers gathered in the lobby of the motel to discuss the weather and make sure everyone we knew had made it off the mountain safely. The bed will be like Heaven tonight!
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Spivey Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

After the Super 8 cold breakfast, we checked out and hopped a shuttle to Uncle Johnny¢s Hostel on the south end of Erwin, cheaper than the motel yet very nice! It¢s very close to the AT trail head and had private cabins as well as a bunkhouse. We checked in and borrowed some bikes the hostel provided and rode to the A & W for burgers, got some snacks and returned to relax for a while. The 4 of us rented a cabin. We were tired but warm and well fed. We spent the afternoon strategizing our next couple of days with regards to re-supplying more often without staying over night at too many hostels in order to be able to carry less food at a time. Food makes up a big percentage of our pack weight and we found that carrying 5-6 days of food can really wipe one out the first couple of days after leaving a town or re-supply point. We used the map and Companion to map out our next few moves.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Spivey Gap

To: Chestoa Bridge
Miles today: 11.2

Donny Keyhote, Finnegan, Bottle Cap and I took a ride into town to the Huddle House for breakfast, the post office to mail out bounce boxes on ahead to the next stop loaded with cheap food we had bought in Erwin, and then rode back to Spivey Gap where we had bugged out of the snow. We were going to be hiking right back to Uncle Johnny's so we left our full packs and slack packed the 11.2 miles back to retrieve our full packs and hike the next 4 miles to the next shelter. However, upon arriving back at Uncle Johnny¢s, we decided to stay in the bunkhouse and stay one more night, and do a 16 mile day tomorrow. Bottle Cap fixed us a nice breakfast-dinner so we didn¢t have to go into town and eat. The slack packing was easy and pleasant, providing nice views of Erwin and the Nolichucky River from above. The weather was better, but we had soggy trail conditions from the melting snow. We'll be back in full gear tomorrow and back into full swing. Hopefully, our re-supply plan will keep our zeros and neros to a minimum until Damascus. I really enjoy the crew I'm hiking with and we look out for each other. These guys really care about me and I them. They are genuine and honest, good folks all. Thanks Donny, Finnegan and the sweetest girl on the Trail, Bottle Cap.
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Chestoa Bridge

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

Back in full gear today. The rain decided to rejoin us for most of the day, drizzle to full on most of the day. Good thing Dunc got my back up rain coat to me, Teva Elements jacket, not to be confused with the decidedly inferior MARMOT RIM JACKET that suffers from zipper issues obviously. It got cold again as well¢¦again¢¦   The hike up out of Erwin was tough at first but I kicked out 16.4 miles! The views of the river and town were really nice in the beginning. The shelter was packed due to the rain; 2 section hikers a nice elderly couple, Triple A and my crew, and also Kiwi. Finnegan and Bottle cap graciously pitched a ten in the rain to allow us all more room in the shelter.
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Greasy Creek Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

We climbed hard today over Roan Mountain, the last climb over 6000 feet until the Whites in New England. I felt good climbing today, I¢m must be finally getting into the ¢Trail Shape¢ they all talk about. I¢m stronger on the big hills than before and feel better on the big downs as well, infamous for shredding hiker¢s knees. There were awesome panoramic views today. Little Hump and Hump mountains were bald and offered amazingly clear shots of the surrounding towns and landscapes, probably another reason I felt strong today! One of my favorite days yet. The shelter is a converted barn and one of the most famous shelters on the trail. It definitely offered the best view of any shelter I¢ve stayed in to date. This was a weekend, however, and there were many section/weekend hikers already at the shelter with many thru-hikers yet to arrive. There was a great clearness in the air tonight. As the Thru-hikers started to arrive we all kind of decided since it was so nice out to camp outside the shelter. I borrowed Donny¢s bivy and slept cowboy style under the stars. As we all sat out and looked up at the stars watching the satellites move by, a huge shooting star blew past and left a visible trail for several minutes, the likes of which I had never seen! Very cool night!
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: U.S. 19E Roan Mtn TN
Miles today: 8.7

Coming out of the highlands today was extra tough. The steep downhill was extra rocky today and took a toll on everyone's knees. We had planned on a 16 mile day. At the Apple House Shelter, where we had planned on meeting for lunch, I was finishing up a PBJ when Donny arrived and announced he had heard of a steakhouse at near the road crossing .5 miles away that was open for lunch and he was gonna press on. He left a note in the shelter register for Finnegan and Bottle Cap and headed out. Fin and BC showed up a half hour later and were feeling the leg issues from the steep down that I was and we decided that the next shelter was gonna be too far and Finnegan was running low on dinners, and I on snacks. I searched the companion and found a hostel with a shuttle available at the next road crossing as well. We would walk to the road, wait for Donny to come back from the steak house and tell him the plan. The problem was we didn¢t know if Donny had finished lunch and moved on already or not. So we figured we¢d walk to the hostel and wait for him there. Unfortunately, the hostel and the steak house were in opposite directions at the road crossing so we missed Donny altogether. Finnegan got a ride to the steak house but missed him. We decided to stay the night at the hostel; Finnegan and Bottle Cap would get up way early and catch Donny, a notoriously late sleeper, at the next shelter. I decided to sleep in and catch up with them later in the day or the next. I took Aleve today for one of the few times out yet. We shuttled to the Dollar General and got what we needed, went back to the Mountain Harbour B&B/hostel and slept above the horse barn with Kiwi and some random new guy I don¢t know yet. An old college Buddy, Brian Womack, called me and informed me he was going to come and pick me up and take me to Wilson NC where I went to school, for a reunion. He agreed to take me back to the trail where I left off as well, so I agreed.
Date: 2007-04-23
From: U.S. 19E Roan Mtn TN

To: Dennis Cove USFS 50
Miles today: 23.8

Finnegan and Bottle Cap arose early and decided they would catch Donny and maybe go the 24 miles on to Dennis Cove Rd and one of the Do Not Miss Hostels, the Kincora; I hadn¢t decided if I would do the 24 miles or not. I would see how I felt as the day went on. Finnegan and Bottle Cap left at about 6:30, I slept in until 8:30. But I did it: 23.8 miles, that¢s right 23.8 miles. That wasn't just flat walking either, that was ups and downs. I wasn't planning on it, I was still sore from the day before. But I caught up to the early risers in the early afternoon and our unexpected reunion pumped us all up and we decided to make it the whole way to Dennis Cove and the Kincora Hostel there. Their plan to catch Donny had worked as Finnegan caught him at the shelter before he was even up. Donny, being very fast went on ahead. We got to the Dennis Cove Trail head and got a ride to the Kincora Hostel. Unfortunately, this hostel had such a good reputation, it was packed. Donny had arrived earlier and secured a bunk, Finnegan, BC and I called the lesser known hostel down the road and had them come get us 3. Turns out, the Laurel Fork Lodge and hostel was very nice as well and we got a cabin for the 3 of us, Donny would join us tomorrow for a zero day that we all needed after the long 24 mile day. We talked an employee into taking us to town for food and beer and after a full belly and a beer we all crashed. We were proud to have done such a long hard day, but all vowed not to make a habit of it!   One theme I¢ve noticed at the majority of hostels we have stayed, most of them have streams or rivers running through the property, don¢t know why, just seems to work out that way. It¢s kind of cool though.
Date: 2007-04-29
From: Dennis Cove USFS 50

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Brian womack drove me back from Wilson to Damascus to The Place Hostel. Meet back up with Donny, Finnegan and Bottle Cap. Missed them. I skipped 50 miles from Dennis Cove to here to catch up with my crew. I'll make up the section when we go back to Damascus in late May for Trail Days; while everyone is a party-ing, I'll hike the 50 miles I missed. Donny had pulled a 40 miler in 16 hours! I miss the Trail. wilson was fun, but softened me up.
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Damascus VA

To: Campsite
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

We finaly get out of Damascus. All 4 of us started off but after 4 miles, my backpack started feeling a little weird. I tought it was just from being full of food and from my taking so many days off. I stopped to look it over after a while and noticed the left stay of my Osprey pack was snapped placing all kinds of pressure on my shoulders. I called the outfitter in Damascus and they sent a shuttle out to get me at the nearest road crossing. Donny came with me into town too. I ended up buying a new pack and sending my old one to Duncan. I sent my Montrail shoes home too after the second trail run with them. Nice light shoes, but they chewed my heels up, I missed my heavy Asolo boots and got them back. Lone wolf gave Donny and I a ride back to the Trail. we completed out 11.7 miles after 4 hours in town getting re-geared. I fell off a log bridge into some mud just to get my clean self back into Trail dirty shape! we found a cool tent site near a pond and spooked a deer. It was a tough hike after the time off!
Date: 2007-05-21
To: I'm done
Miles today: 0.0

Thank all of you for watching and for your thoughts and prayers. After over 2.5 months and almost 700 miles, I have decided that I will be leaving the Trail, for now at least. I had a great experience and learned a lot about myself. I made some life-long friends, I hope, and that made it all worth while right there! Thanks again for all many of you have done for me to make this possible.Special thanks to:MomDuncMelAlbertNickDanNoahDaniellMarshaDavidJames MJack T
Date: 2006-01-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It took a lot of planning and saving and preparation but we finally hit the Appalachain Trail on March 26, 2007 at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia. We started up the hill at 9:00 am. The Park Ranger told us that if you can make the 8.8 mile approach trail you have a good chance of being able hike the whole Appalachian Trail. Well we made it and it was tough. We are reminiscing the places we saw 10 years ago. The Trail is much the same just bear cables for food now instead of throwing a rope up into a tree. The Trail will, hopefully, always be the same-rocks, dirt, roots, trees, flowers and people. It is a National Treasure where one can go to experience the feeling of wildness, that they are in a wilderness setting where they can ponder the many folks including native Americans who've walked this land, have lived off what it has provided and show gratitude for those in our time who cherish and protect it from those who would ravish it in the name of progress which shouts to develop every piece of land everywhere at any cost. Our sincere thanks to the Appalachian Trial Conservancy, all the Trail clubs and the thousands of volunteers that make this miracle called the A.T. possible. And, oh Yes! Trail Angels. We invite you to read our journals and enjoy hiking along with us.
Date: 2006-10-10
To: It's a beginning
Miles today: 0.0

If you'd like to know what makes us tick click on the ABOUT link on left. We finally decided its a "GO" for a northbound thru-hike in mid to late March 2007. We have followed many hikers on trailjournals.com for many years and longed to be there with them. Last year we thought things would go our way and we could thru-hike but it didn't work out. We are getting close to the big 60 and its getting scary whether our health will hold out. All things are pushing us through the crucible and soon it will spit us out on Springer. Wow! Can't wait. Layoff from the factory, No income, No jobs, Nothing but our insecurities to hold us back. Jobs will be there when and if we need them but we've waited 20 years for this window to open. Soon......
Date: 2006-10-11
To: Its all about the weight
Miles today: 0.0

Still Preparing our Trail Journal. We listed all our gear on the "Gear" Link. Our Clothing is the only thing that is seasonal, some will go home when the weather warms up. We have a hard and fast rule that came from our "Old Hiking Days" when we carried 45 and 35 pounds respectively. No More! We totally adopted the Lightweight philosophy and after 7 years of field testing we know we can hike the whole trail never carrying more than 25 pounds each. Our Vapor Trails Packs are rated to no more than 30 pounds and we feel that is pushing it. We used to take many "what if's?". Those "what if's?" weigh a whole lot. Unexpected things will happen and we will deal with them when they do but never could a person plan for all contingencies in a wilderness setting. The freedom of being "Out There" makes all the insecurities insignificant. The dream goes on and we're loving it. Like dogs pulling at their chains to break loose and run free - we are.
Date: 2006-10-17
To: So Many Details
Miles today: 0.0

Here we are at home still planning and dreaming. Its so cool to finally know we are going to hike the trail. It is the only place we feel at home so we will call the direction of our hike HOBO, aka HOmeBOund. We have our transcriber, a good friend who also loves to hike. We gave her a trailname, Sweet Violet after she shared a song with us when we hiked together. We made a few busines cards with our TrailJournals URL for friends and family to follow. Our family will "house sit" and a good friend offered to take care of the lawn. Now we need to get the bills paid automatically and get all things in order at home: cars, insurance, etc. Slim's employer, Gary was very supportive when she told him of their plans, saying he had a feeling we were going to do a hike. Slim even had surgery in early October so that she will no longer have pain from a Morton's neuroma on the ball of her left foot. The surgeon removed about 2" of the nerve. On the Hike we do not want to carry a Pocket Mail machine (because of the weight) or send photos (because of the wait) or email (also because of the wait) from libraries so we will write in our journal and send it via USPS to Sweet Violet who will post it here. We will stop at Post Offices and check for incoming mail. We have a couple of CF cards for our photos that we will send with our journals to our transcriber. We plan to supply information on our journal such as daily weather reports, type of clothing we wear in the cold and or rain and how we layer it, where and how we camped.Best wishes to all hikers, thru, section, weekenders, SOBO's, NOBO's and HOBO's!Slim and Bogey
Date: 2006-10-25
To: Travel to Georgia
Miles today: 0.0

We talked with Woodensticks who hiked last year and he gave us some good advice about transportation to Georgia. He took the bus to get to GA and it was s-l-o-w, stopping frequently along the way. Passengers were late to get back on the bus, delaying the trip nearly every time. He said to take the A-Train and since a long train ride has been a dream of Slim's for all her life we will take the train. Two dreams satisfied in one LONG fell swoop. Slim's mom is computer illiterate so she will not be able to view our journals. The kids will have to show her the site and read the letters to her. She is so supportive but cannot look at the CRT screen but she will want to follow along on our journey somehow. We are going hiking again when this foot surgery heals. We've been chomping at the bit. Usually we hike 2-4 days each week. Its been 3 weeks without a hike. We're getting withdrawal symptoms. Soon....
Date: 2006-11-13
To: Kindness of Strangers
Miles today: 0.0

Still at home dreaming and making plans. Thinking of all the things we have to do to get out of here. We're itchy and ready to go. We think we'll post a lot of pics of friends we meet and have met along the way. The hills are wonderful, the breze, the rain, the streams, the vistas all pull at our heart strings but its all about the good people we have met and will meet on our journey. It makes one reflect on how the news reports give a bad report on humanity while the Trail is all about the goodness in all of us. So many Trail angels have already read our journal entries and are making offers to help us along the way. What a community! Thanks to everyone. We are grateful for the offers and are willing to do all we can to assist others. And we hope to take you up on your generous offers. Thank you. May the sun always warm you, the stars brighten your darkest nights, the wind softly speak in your ears, and may the rain, cold and pure, quench your thirst. See ya later.