morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-02-25
To: Fundraiser for Mental Illness
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

While I expect my thru-hike will be the experience of a lifetime, it is also an excellent opportunity to raise money for a cause that my family and I have personally experienced through close friends. Mental illness may not be as widely publicized as other diseases, but it is a devastating condition that impairs an individual¢s ability to function in ordinary life. Its impact on family and friends is just as overwhelming and disturbing. I want to do something about it and a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail is an excellent opportunity. I need your help, though.The charity I have chosen to receive all the donations is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI.org). Any donation is, of course, welcome and much appreciated. From a more selfish standpoint, donations will also keep me accountable on those inevitable days when I will want to throw in the towel. Are you willing to bet that I can finish the entire hike to benefit a great cause? Go ahead and wager an amount per mile...I dare you. The fundraiser is on Crowdrise under Michael Falduto. It is called 'Dute's Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike 2016'. The Crowdrise link for the fundraiser is here: https://www.crowdrise.com/dutesappalachiantrai1/fundraiser/michaelfalduto.
Date: 2016-03-11
To: Gear
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Two weeks until Amicalola! It¢s time to finalize my gear. This list is EVERYTHING I own for the next five months, including my home. Everything on this list has been tested multiple times in varying conditions including rain, snow, and cold temperatures as extreme as 4° Fahrenheit. I should be good to go, but I¢m sure there will still be some surprises. Here goes: Cooking and Water -Aquamira Water Treatment drops 3 oz-2L Platypus Hoser Water Bladder 3.5 oz-2x 1L Platypus Water Bottle 2.4 oz-Cook System (Pot, Pan, 4 oz MSR Fuel Canister, Stove, Lighter) 18.4 oz-Spork 0.3 ozPacking -Boreas Buttermilks 55 Backpack (w/ Waterproof Pack Cover) 51.2 oz-2x Loksaks with phone, case, charger, credit cards, cash, permits 9.25 oz-4x Sil-nylon Stuff Sacks 6.75 ozShelter and Sleeping System -Tarptent Notch Tent 27 oz-100% Silk Sleeping Bag Liner 4.6 oz-Gossamer Gear Polycryo Ground Sheet 1.5 oz-Kelty Cosmic Down 20 DriDown Sleeping Bag 45 oz-REI Flash Insulated Air Sleeping Pad 16 ozClothes (Worn + Spare)- Arc'Teryx Atom LT Hoody Synthetic Insulated Jacket (Sent Home)16 oz -LL Bean 200 Fleece Jacket 16.75 oz-SmartWool Merino Wool Gloves (Sent Home) 1.75 oz-Marmot Leather Gloves (Sent Home) 5.25 oz-2x Ex Officio Boxers 6 oz-3x SmartWool/Darn Tough Socks 7.35 oz-Columbia Evapouration Rain Jacket 11.3 oz-Red Ledge Thunderlight Rain Pants 8.9 oz-Silk Long Jons 4.25 oz-Balaclava (Sent Home) 1.125 oz-Smartwool NTS Lightweight Crew (Sent Home) 8.75 oz-Icebreaker Sphere Crew T Shirt (Mail Drop) 5.375 oz-Prana Zion Stretch Pants 14 oz-Kuhl Shorts (Mail Drop) 9 oz-Boardshorts (Mail Drop) 6.75 oz-Sunglasses 0.875 oz-Fleece Hat (Sent Home) 1.75 oz-Snapback (Mail Drop) 3.9 oz-Synthetic Long Sleeve (Sent Home) 7.25 oz-Synthetic T-Shirt (Mail Drop) 5.125 oz-Keen Targhee II Trail Shoes 36.8 ozMiscellaneous-Duct Tape 0.5 oz-Compass 0.32 oz / SPOT 4.5 oz-Headlamp (w/ Batteries) 3.4 oz-3x AAA Batteries (Spare) 0.75 oz-2x Bandana 1.5 oz-Notepad 1.9 oz-Pen 0.25 oz-Eyeglasses + Sunglasses (w/ Cases) 3.5 oz-AT Guide by AWOL 7.8 oz-Mini Deck of Cards 1.375 oz-Knife + Leatherman 13.75 oz-4x Latex Gloves (Waterproof) 1.5 oz-Parachute Cord 3.875 oz-Trash Compactor Bag 1.625 oz-Spare Ziploc / Trash Bag 0.875 oz-Mountainsmith Trekking Poles 24 ozHygiene -Includes TP, Ear Plugs, Chap Stick, Hand Sanitizer, Pack of wipes, Castile Soap, Contact Case, Contact Solution, 3x Spare Contacts, Toothbrush, Toothbrush, Sunscreen, Bug Spray, Gold Bond Friction, Gold Bond, Medicine 21.5 ozFirst Aid -Includes Floss, Moleskin, Gauze, Band Aids, Tape, Antiseptic Wipes, Crazy Glue, Scissors, Tweezers, Whistle, Safety Pins, Sewing Needle, Povidone Iodine 2.75 ozFire-Includes Fire Starter, Lighter, Tinder, Matches 2.75 ozTOTAL (Cold ¢ Worn + Pack) 27.3 lbsTOTAL (Warm ¢ Worn + Pack) 24.6 lbsThough my pack base weight will hover between 19 and 21 lbs (not counting the clothes I¢ll be wearing). I have a mail drop planned for Bland, VA around mile 587 to exchange my colder clothes and gear for my warmer clothes and gear, which will definitely make my pack lighter. This list could obviously be better, but I don¢t care. I¢m happy with it.
Date: 2016-03-24
To: Mar 24, 2016
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

- On the way to the airport this morning, the anxiety was tangibly building, but in a good way, I think. I received a complimentary upgrade to a first class seat on the plane so that was definitely a good start to the trip. The rents and I stopped in a town called Alpharetta, which is on the way to Amicalola, for a crazy evening of walking around town and grabbing an early dinner. While talking, we realized there's actually nothing to do around Amicalola Falls and, rather than wallow in our collective anxiety all day, we agreed that I'll start the hike tomorrow morning. Plus, this way, my mom can attempt to hike the 8.8 mile approach trail with me like she wanted to.
Date: 2016-03-25
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Hawk Mountain Campground
Miles today: 7.4

Mar 25, 2016 - And so it begins...what was my first thought as I started walking into the woods? My own rendition of the Hi Ho song that the dwarves sing in Snow White: "Hi Ho Hi Ho it's into the woods we go!". Don't ask me why though because I don't know. The sign at the start of the Approach Trail said the 8.8 miles required an average of 6 hours. After taking my first step at 8:30, I didn't think it was too difficult and managed Springer Mountain in about 3 hours. I'm glad I did the Approach Trail tho as it was very satisfying to summit Springer and see the first white blaze.My initial plan was to stop at the Stover Creek shelter for the night, but I got there about six hours before sunset so I pushed the remaining 5 miles to the new campsite near Hawk Mountain Shelter. All in all, my first day was 16.2 miles.I can't find my spork so I whittled a small spoon from a thick branch...honestly probably won't even buy a new one because the branch is killing it. So far I've met three other thru-hikers: Todd, Aaron, and Joe. No trail names yet though.
Date: 2016-03-26
From: Hawk Mountain Campground 

To: Rockram Mountain 
Miles today: 11.6

Mar 26, 2016 - A beautiful day yesterday began with a pretty amazing sunrise this morning. After some breakfast, we broke camp at Hawk Mountain campsite and headed north. We crossed Horse Gap, hiked Sassafras Mountain, Cooper Gap, Justice Mountain, Gooch Gap and finally Ramrock Mountain where we made camp - 11.6 miles. We experienced trail magic a whopping three times today. At the bottom of Sassafras, someone had stowed three bottles of beer against a tree and they were cold! Plus beer at 10:00 am always tastes great if you're not hungover. Next, at Cooper Gap, someone left a large truck full of water for a quick refill.Finally, at Gooch Gap, a family had set up a tent and were giving away apples, cold cut wraps, coffee, hot chocolate and cheese. If it wasn't for this last bit of magic, I would not have made it to Ramrock.I think I earned a trail name today too. I had planned on 'Dute', but I found I kept introducing myself as Mike. On the hike up Ramrock, Chuck stopped, pulled to the side and addressed me as Mountain Goat when he told me to take the lead. I hate the downhill, but apparently on the uphills, I just stride all the way up to the top without trekking poles, which just about everyone uses for both uphill and downhill. I like it - we'll see if it sticks.It's about 13 miles to Neel's Gap tomorrow where a few of us will be renting a cabin so we can shower and sleep indoors. Blood Mountain stands in the way. Oh yea so I'm now crawling into my sleeping bag and a cloud of some exceptionally foul air has collected at the bottom and is continually assaulting my face. Just Imagine trying to sleep in an ice hockey bag with your wet jock strap...
Date: 2016-03-27
From: Ramrock Mountain

To: Neel Gap 
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Mar 27, 2016 - The rain started around 9 pm last night and did not stop until mid afternoon today. We woke up to extreme fog, which crushed any hope of a beautiful sunrise from our perch on Ramrock Mountain. In fact, we couldn't tell the sun had risen until mid morning. Todd, Jared, Iron Man and Pillows set out from camp with Neel Gap as our ultimate destination for the day. On our way to Woody Gap, we met a woman dressed as the Easter bunny walking south and passing out candy from a basket. Trail Magic! Blood Mountain was the big challenge of the day. The mountain is a slow, drawn out climb up to 4,457 feet. We also had to beat a thunderstorm that was scheduled to hit later that day. As we approached the summit, I said aloud "I bet you the storm hits as soon as we hit the summit". Sure enough, lightning and thunder struck about 50 yards from the summit - bad timing. Honestly, it was exhilarating even though we were soaked to the bone. A steep descent of about 2 miles brought us to Neel Gap, home of the famous Mountain Crossings outfitter and hiker hostel. The hiker hostel there was full so the cashier called a local to see if she would have the five of us in one of her cabins for the night. We waited about 45 minutes for 'Happy' to pick us up from the outfitter and take us to the cabin. It was immediately obvious why people called her Happy - she was the most bubbly person I've ever met. Not only did she drive us to the cabin, she drove us to Wal-Mart to resupply, to Little Cesar's (bonus points in my book) for pizza and then insisted on doing our laundry for us. This was all for $25, but honestly I almost feel guilty. That kind of southern hospitality just doesn't exist where I come from. The cabin was beautiful - 5 beds, two stories, a bathroom and small kitchen. The shower was indescribably amazing. When you can smell your own brand of stink, you know it's bad.
Date: 2016-03-28
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Mar 28, 2016 - Happy needed to get to work by 7:15 so she dropped us off back at Mountain Crossings at about 5:30. The hiking began around 8:45. We covered a total of 13.9 miles today - we summited Levelland Mountain, Cowrock Mountain, Wildcat Mountain, and Poor Mountain. Unfortunately, we said goodbye to Pillows and Ironman as they ended their section hike at Hogpen Gap. All day we heard stories about the hiker hostel the night before and it sounded like a blast. I already made reservations at the next one near Hiawassee: Top of Georgia Hostel at Dick's Creek Gap. We made camp at Low Gap Shelter with around 60 other hikers - from above it looked like a shanty town in the middle of the woods. So, of course we made a large campfire and I had the chance to meet a bunch of other thru-hikers: Tim, Moonshine (Todd's new trail name), Survivor (he actually thought the trail was a survival thing - he must have researched it for all of 10 minutes), Hand Turkey and her dog Lucy, Princess Peach (this is actually a guy that won his hat in an N64 Mario Kart Tournament), Rocky, Waterbug, Lauren, Harrison, and a few delightful section hikers. Bedtime was crazy late: 9:45 pm.
Date: 2016-03-29
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: few clouds

Mar 29, 2016 - My goal today was Trey Mountain Shelter: 15.4 miles away. That was until Tim mentioned Big Al's Pizza and Buffet in Hiawassee. So instead, Tim, Moonshine and I legged it 20.1 miles to Sassafras Gap - my first 9 hour workday. It's amazing what the words 'pizza' and 'buffet' can make you do. After summiting the unruly bitch that is Trey Mountain, we stopped at the shelter to eat some much needed lunch. There we met another Tim, 11:30 (he always sets up camp before lunch), Eucalady (she carries a eucalaly and yes I know I spelled that incorrectly), and Anna. Princess Peach was there already and had finished setting up camp. When we told him about the pizza and the plan (see below), he immediately packed back up and left for Sassafras Gap with the three of us. I left a note for Survivor in the shelter letting him know where we were. Just an aside, but Survivor and I split an entire box of Twinkies today and I forgot how damn good they were. So with storms forecast for Thursday / Friday, here's the grand plan:1. Up at sunrise 2. Hike about 6 miles to the hostel3. Launder and shower our filthy, foul smelling, sweat soaked clothes and bodies4. Shuttle into Hiawassee5. Hit up Big Al's and put them out of business by noon6. Each obtain a 12 pack of beer 7. Shop for food / supplies 8. Wait! At the gap, we heard of a 2nd buffet for $8 = dinner9. Sleep10. Huge $6 hot breakfast at the hostel11. Hike around 5 miles to Plumorchard Gap Shelter to beat the storms (11 miles in 2 days is basically a zero day so plenty of time to recover) 12. Drink beer and chill in the shelter until the storms pass 13. Friday - enter NCYes, they distribute Yuengling in Georgia. Finally, some of the lessons I've learned so far:1. Keep toilet paper in a very quickly and easily accessible part of your pack 2. Downhill in far worse than uphill3. Shitting in a hole in the ground is way more preferable to privies4. Baby wipes are to hikers as cigarettes are to prisoners5. If you look into the distance and pick out the tallest mountains you can see, the AT is sure to be in that direction The pic is of me at Swag of the Blue Ridge. Epic name though I don't get it because there was absolutely nothing remarkable about that section of the trail. Tim Adams, the pizza slice count is at 4. I will update you after tomorrow.
Date: 2016-03-30
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 6.3

Mar 30, 2016 - A hot, sunny day yesterday turned into a windy, beautifully clear morning that made it tough to crawl out of our sleeping bags. With buffet on our minds, we hiked a short six miles in less than 2 hours. We managed to catch the shuttle at Dick's Creek Gap for the Top of Georgia Hostel. Upon arriving at this lovely hostel, two hiker terms began to clearly define themselves: hiker hunger and hiker trash. For about two days now, food just isn't enough; I'm always hungry. Now, hiker trash is closely related to hiker hunger. This term was clearly illustrated when I walked into the hostel and sat down next to two complete strangers: Tom and Taylor. Both Tom and Taylor had purchased frozen pizzas and had half eaten leftovers remaining. No food related dialogue took place, but one look at their plates and they were unconsciously pushed in my direction while we made small talk. I crushed those leftovers without a second thought. This behavior is apparently pretty normal around hiker culture. My buddy Tim said that on his hike of the PCT, he would take unfinished plates of food off vacated tables at restaurants without even asking. We'll see if the hunger gets to that point. After a shower, the five of us donned the nurse's scrubs the hostel supplied us while laundry was being completed and took the shuttle to Hiawassee. Big Al's was way farther than we anticipated so we settled for an all you can eat buffet at a steakhouse for $8. Three plates later and we decided it was time for beer so we crossed the street and bought flights of craft beer. The owner recommended we take a few growlers down to the lake nearby and sit in the sun while we drank. Good man. Next, I resupplied with food at the local grocery store. Last time I didn't get enough food; this time, I bought far too much. It's a fine line between the two, but I can always unload some extra in the hiker boxes. Between the food, water and the 12 pack of beer, my pack will weigh upwards of 40 pounds, which will make for a long 5 miles tomorrow morning to Plumorchard shelter. I've lost 5 lbs already in 6 days. Tim Adams, the pizza slice count has risen to 7.
Date: 2016-03-31
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Plumorchard Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 4.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Mar 31, 2016 - Top of Georgia hostel is just beautiful. With no alarms, everyone there got up at 6:30 and made their way to the main building for a complimentary, homemade breakfast of pastries, biscuits, and sausage. The staff there (Bob, Jennifer, Jason, Renaissance, Maul and Paul) were ridiculously kind and extremely helpful. During breakfast, Bob's casual conversation with another hiker turned into an impromptu sermon about the 10 keys to thru-hiking that was definitely inspiring and full of tips for the next 100 miles. Tim temporarily said goodbye today - he made a cardboard sign with hopes of hitching a ride to Asheville to see his girlfriend and hopefully convince her to join us on the trail. I set off for Plumorchard Gap shelter around mid morning carrying 45 pounds including an overly large food bag of 11 pounds, 4 pounds of water and 9 pounds of beer, which I carried in my arms for 5 miles. I may have looked like an asshole carrying it but none of us waiting out the storms at the shelter felt like assholes after a few beers. On the way to the shelter, I met an older man section hiking southbound. We got to talking and he said he thru-hiked in 2008. I asked what his trail name was and he said 'Apostle'. He was the same guy that wrote the book Hiking Through that I read before starting my own hike - Paul Stutzman! Almost 2200 miles of trail and I just happen to meet this guy in the backwoods of Georgia! I mean, come on. The Plumorchard Gap shelter served as a nice gathering spot for those of us waiting out the thunderstorms: Princess Peach, Survivor, Moonshine, Splinter (he picks up a new wooden walking stick everyday), Which Way, Yackie (his wife thinks he talks a lot), Nicole, Sam (she made a dessert called crack last night so we're hoping that trail name sticks), Green Lady (he took some drug DMT and hallucinated this green lady that followed him for 6 miles...yea...plus all his clothes are green), Sebastian (he rolled in three hours later soaked to the bone), Michael, Crow, and Kane.Princess Peach made a cribbage board out of a dead branch and we used matchsticks and a deck of cards to play cribbage all afternoon and, of course, eat. Survivor had an emergency 2400 calorie food bar leftover from his misconception of the trail that we all tried because it looked disgusting. All in all, this Nero (nearly zero day) went by pretty slowly, but it was necessary to allow the legs to recover. Tomorrow, we cross into North Carolina!
Date: 2016-04-01
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Mountain Summit 
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: light rain

Apr 1, 2016 - The storms finally came during the night resulting in about 3 inches of rain. The huge amount of mud actually made the terrain pretty difficult today. The trail was actually a stream in many places. I am definitely hungover from yesterday so that doesn't help matters. After about 4 miles, we crossed into North Carolina. The picture is of me with the sign signaling that we reached the border. Other than that, today was fairly uneventful with a tough climb up Couthouse Bald. I did find a field of wild onion which kept me busy eating for about 20 minutes...of course, now I reek of onion and am looking at 6 days without a shower. Moonshine, Survivor, Princess Peach and I finished the day with a relatively easy climb up Standing Indian Mountain - the first summit above 5,000 feet. We met Lou and Louie at the summit where we made camp and campfire. They were cooking tequila marinated steaks on the fire and generously shared half. Moonshine realized he left his down jacket at the shelter 13.7 miles back. He quickly left for the previous shelter 1.5 miles away for any hikers behind us. He didn't come back with his jacket, but he did come back with burgers! Trail magic! Two former thru-hikers, Feivel and Littlefoot, were serving burgers, salad, beer and chips. Steak and burgers on the same day in the woods is just nuts.
Date: 2016-04-02
From: Standing Indian Mountain Summit 

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: moderate rain

Apr 2, 2016 - 100 miles! Only 2089.1 to go...I hiked most of the day alone today, which I think I enjoy the most. It's so easy to get lost in my thoughts, like I'm dreaming while awake. I'll usually have a very random song stuck in my head all day; today, it was Good Charlotte's 'Girls and Boys', which I haven't heard in years. I received some trail magic from a nice old man named Rodney. He had no ties to the trail, but just said he enjoyed spending his Saturday sharing his delicious homemade banana bread with hungry hikers. It's just ridiculous how nice people are down here. I hit the 100 mile mark as I summited Albert Mountain. There's a fire tower on the top that is freaking scary. The wind speed between the bottom and the top must have differed by 20 mph. I made a nice grab of my hat when it got blown off though. I covered a total of 18.2 miles today as I crossed Beech Gap, Coleman Gap, Mooney Gap, and Glassmine Gap to Rock Gap Shelter, situated in a valley. I arrived pretty late so I attempted to set up my tent as the wind howled down the mountain. It usually takes me about 5 minutes to set up my tent if I do it slow. It took me almost 30 minutes because the only available tent sites were on an incline, too small, and not protected from the damn wind. I didn't expect it to last the night and it didn't. Our usual group was joined at the campfire by Fireball, who killed it on his backpacker's guitar, Skinny Tall, and Zach Galifinakis. With temperatures dropping into the lower 30s, I crawled into my precariously pitched tent. You could hear the wind coming like it was gathering up forces for some last charge. Only an hour after I hit the hay, my tent collapsed and flew off of me with me inside. Stakes were ripped out of the ground and thrown into the night. Rather than try to stumble around in the dark trying to fix it, I just took my sleeping bag out and threw it down on top of the tent and slept cowboy style with no cover. Oh and as I look around with my headlamp, the two groups of over-nighters had slung up their bear bags less than 10 feet from my tent. I mean, come on. I actually did sleep pretty well though and only woke up twice when leaves and sticks were blown into my face. Ah it could've been worse.
Date: 2016-04-03
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Silas Bald Summit 
Miles today: 7.4

Apr 3, 2016 - Peach and I got up early to try to hitch a ride into Franklin, NC so we could get some food and check out the Lazy Hiker Brewing Company. It took all of 2 seconds - we climbed into the truck bed of a couple on their way to church. Let me tell you it's damn cold sitting in a truck bed flying down the highway at 60 mph and it's below freezing outside. After 10 grueling miles, we stepped into the parking lot of the brewery and realized we had 4 hours until it opened. We quickly toured Franklin to realize that literally nothing is open on Sunday. We had to walk two miles outside of town to a Bojangles for chicken and biscuits, which were awesome despite the fact that they are a fast food joint. After stuffing our bellies, we hitched back to the center of town and waited outside the brewery until it opened. We were eventually joined by Moonshine, Survivor, Zach Galifinakis, and a day hiker named Emily. Six beers later, we called a cab, purchased half of the items on Arby's menu, and returned to the trail to hike 7.4 miles to Siler Bald Summit, our campsite for the evening. This place was unreal - 5,216 feet above sea level and completely open on the summit. With a completely clear sky, our group, which included the regulars plus Jukebox (he carried an actual stereo with him), Little Heater, Voodoo, Blister (he had 18 blisters at the time), Skywalker (whose real name is Hans and he looks just like Luke Skywalker), Mama Cheddar, and Smoky, got a fire going and watched the sun set. Finally, the stars came out and it was the first night you could see the Milky Way stretched across the sky. I cowboy camped (voluntarily this time) on the summit under the stars and looked forward to an amazing sunrise the next morning.