morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-30
From: Wilber Brook 

To: West Branch Pleasant River Stealth camp
Miles today: 16.8

It was pretty cold out so we ate muesli in our tent and Wistful didn't even make coffee. We got out around 620 and started off with a steepish uphill to the shelter. The weather was great and we had amazing views on top of Barren mountain. But Katahdin was not on the horizon yet. We continued through the Chairback range. Not too much bouldering there. But water was also scarce. We only came across four streams all day, some of which were from ponds and warm. As we headed down Chairback, the sky started to darken and thunder rolled in the distance coming ever closer. We tried to pick up the pace to get down to the river before the rain hit. Don't really know what the logic was behind that one. We weren't high up and we were going to get wet regardless. Also we did not make it in time. When we got down to the river, it was still drizzling and the water was low but at least 40 feet across with no bridge. It was an easy ford. The rocks were slippery but we both were able to keep our balance. When we reached the other side, however, Wistful looked down at her ankle where a drop of blood had suddenly appeared. More disturbingly though there was a black smudge there as well. When Wistful tried to remove it, we realized it was a tiny leech! We both started frantically checking our legs for more, examining every piece of dirt for signs of life. But there was only the one. By then, it was pretty late (6) so we decided to camp before the hermitage.
Date: 2017-07-31
From: West Branch Pleasant River Stealth camp

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

We got up at 4 am to be ready to walk soon as it was light. We left the campsite at 5:20am. There were several mountains to cross but nothing too terrible. On top of White cap we got the first glimps of Kathadin in the distance. Still 70 miles away. We still see SoBos every day and it is fun to see how enthusiastic and amazed they are. They just did or are close to having hiked 100miles. They are full of the adventure spirit, life out here is new and exciting. Just wait. It¢ all change soon enough and they will write things into the logbook like, and I quote from a NoBo:¢ only 5 more days in this bug infested hellhole called nature ¢.In the afternoon Relentless retwisted her ankle again and it was bad. We debated for a while what to do but with no cell service there wasn't much else to do but to keep going. We hiked to the next shelter which was 2 miles away. I went ahead and dropped my pack at the shelter then walked back to meet Relentless and take hers to make it easier on her foot. There was a dog on the trail who obviously had escaped his backyard and now decided to follow us. He walked all the way to the shelter with us. Later, much later, we heard his owner calling for him.
Date: 2017-08-01
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: White House Landing 
Miles today: 22.1
Weather: clear sky

I was so incredibly tired and we didn't get up as early as usual. We didn't know how far we would be able to go with Relentless¢ injury. But the trail got surprisingly level and easy except for some bogs and rocky areas ever once in a while. We eventually decided to go to Whitehouse Landing interestingly enough because Relentless wanted a shower. I am usually the one who wants to get of trail to get a shower but I didn't even feel I needed to. I also went swimming in one of the ponds with a sand beach and it was so nice. The water was so clear and it felt so good. We made it to the boat dock at 6:30 pm and Bill came in a motorboat to pick us up. I loved the boat ride. And the lake looks so prestine. We got a room in one of the cottages, got a hot shower and unfortunately we were too late for dinner so we had to cook one of our dehydrated meals.
Date: 2017-08-02
From: White House Landing 

To: White House Landing 
Miles today: 0.0

We had to give up on finishing the trail. Relentless¢ probably shouldn't hike another 45 miles with it, especially not up Kathadin and something has been wrong with my ankle for the last 350 miles and painful. We made plans to get out of here and home. We will get a ride to Medway tomorrow from there we will catch the bus to Bangor and then rent a car, get an X-ray and then go home. In the meantime we just relaxed in this beautiful setting. Took out the canoe on the lake and later watched the storm roll in being glad we weren't out in the wilderness. We took a nice afternoon nap. More people came in from the trail since the weather was so bad and the place is filling up. Nice to meet hikers again we haven't seen for a few days.
Date: 2015-01-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Less than two months before we begin our Appalachian Trail hike¢¦ We have told many family members, friends and co-workers about our upcoming adventure, and the response has generally been positive. However, this is somewhat of an unusual endeavor and we have been getting many questions! In case you wonder, here are a few of them:How long is the Appalachian Trail (AT)? The trail is 2,189 miles (3523 km) in 2015, although the distance varies somewhat year-to-year based on sections of the trail being rerouted. It goes through 14 states, from Georgia to Maine.Where and when do you start? We will be starting from Georgia and heading north towards Maine (north-bound or NOBO hike). Starting from Georgia allows us to begin our hike in March and start with more gentle terrain (though by no mean easy terrain!).How long will it take you to hike the AT? People generally take 4-7 months to thru-hike the AT. Given I am a pretty slow hiker, we expect it will take us about 6 months to complete the trail. Although we do not strictly have a hard stop, Baxter State Park (where the trail ends in Maine) typically closes in mid-October because of the snow so we are looking to get there before then.Where are you going to sleep? Most nights, we will be camping near the trail. Every few days, we will come off the trail and go to a nearby town to sleep at an inn, B&B, hostel or hotel. Since we are unsure of the distance we will be hiking each day (depending on the terrain, weather, how we feel, etc.), we have not made lodging reservations yet. We will either make short-term reservations or see what is available once we get off the trail What about food and water? We will carry the food we need while on the trail, typically 3-5 days at a time, and resupply while in town. Hikers need between 3,000-5,000 calories per day, so high density food is key to keep the weight down! Even so, we expect to carry 1.5-2 lbs of food per day (up to 10 lbs of food for a 5-day leg). Fortunately, the AT is generally a ¢wet¢ trail with many water sources available, which allows us to only carry a limited amount of water at any given time (2L or less). We will be using a chemical treatment (Aqua Mira or chlorine dioxide) in order to avoid water-borne illnesses.What about clothing? In addition to the clothes on our back, we will have one set of clothing in our packs. So yes, we will be hiking in the same clothes for days¢¦ until we get to town and do laundry. In order to be more efficient, hikers are known to wear their rain jacket and rain pants while doing laundry so everything gets washed at once.Are there showers on the trail? Nope! We will be showering when we go to town¢¦¢¦¢¦.. Yes, you did that mental math right; we will be showering every 3-5 days. Talk about deserving your shower!Another question that we have been asked quite often is about our equipment and the weight of our full backpacks. We are finalizing our gear list and will talk about that topic in a later post.In the meantime, please do not hesitate to ask more questions!
Date: 2015-03-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Living with our house on our back for 6 months requires some preparation! We are about to leave and our gear list is finalized (for now¢¦). Minimizing weight has been a key consideration when choosing our gear as we try to spare our joints and make our trip more comfortable. In addition to prioritizing items made of lightweight material, we also looked for multi-function items. For example, hiking poles will also serve as tent poles. When discussing gear for a trip, hikers often refer to base weight. The base weight includes all the items carried in your pack (including the pack itself), but exclude the clothes on your back and consumables (e.g., food, water, fuel), which will vary over the course of a trip. Sophie will be carrying the tent and some extra clothing, and her base weight is 19 lbs. Justin, on the other hand, will be carrying the kitchen and his base weight is 14.7 lbs. To make-up for the difference while we hike, Justin will be carrying more of the consumables.For a detailed list of all our gear, please click on the ¢Gear¢ link on the left. Sophie¢s items are marked (SD), Justin¢s items are marked (JR) and a (2) indicates that we each carry one of the item listed.
Date: 2015-03-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Our first two journal entries have been largely factual and technical. Now is time to talk about the softer side of our AT hike, namely ¢why would you do that?¢ Below are my thoughts and Justin¢s will follow in a future post.I have always loved walking outside. Hiking gets me to a place that few other activities can, where all my attention is focused on what is right in front of me. My mind sometimes wanders while I hike but it still feels very different from the perpetual to-do list running through my brain back in the ¢real world¢. Last year began a transition for me, which is still ongoing. After being a consultant for several years, I decided to join a group driving innovation in the healthcare policy space. Unfortunately, while I worked with fantastic people on an important problem, this job wasn¢t the right fit for me. This then led me to a choice: do I look for another job right away or do I take some time to go on an adventure? As you probably figured out, I decided to go for the adventure . Given how much I love hiking, I thought it would be the perfect way to take a break from work. I had been contemplating a hike in Europe for a while, but with the opportunity to take extended time off, the AT became a possibility. I am lucky to be healthy and to have functioning joints at the moment, so now is a good time to do something crazy like this!In addition to my own reasons for wanting to hike the AT, I am fortunate that Justin shares my love of hiking and didn¢t hesitate a moment to join me for this adventure. I am very much looking forward to sharing the experience with him.
Date: 2015-03-22
To: Welcome to Georgia!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The departure day is finally here! We flew into a rainy Atlanta this afternoon and were picked-up by Ron Brown, a shuttle driver who takes hikers to and from various trail heads in the area. The 2-hour ride to the Amicalola Falls state park (AFSP) flew by as Ron provided us with a lot of useful tips, advice and history on the trail. If you ever need a ride while hiking between Atlanta and Fontana Dam (the southern part of the Smokies), we highly recommend Ron!Upon arriving at the AFSP, we stopped at the visitor center to register as AT thru-hikers. We are #676 and 677 to start our hike this year. We then made our way to the lodge where we will be staying tonight before beginning our hike tomorrow. After checking-in, we took a little walk around the park, went by the waterfall (which is taller than Niagara fall!) and headed back to the lodge for dinner. I had BBQ and Justin had trout, both of which were excellent! If this is an indicator of southern cuisine, we will be in good hands .
Date: 2015-03-23
From: Black Gap Shelter

To: Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge
Miles today: 0.0

We began our hike today on the approach trail to Springer Mountain, the official start of the AT. Since this is not part of the AT, I am not including the mileage in the above calculations, but we hiked 6.5 miles and my Fitbit registered 20,622 steps.We started hiking around 11 am. The trail was generally very nice with a few short climbs. We planned to have a first short day, as our bodies are getting used to this new lifestyle. We reached Black Gap shelter (about 1.5 miles before Springer Mountain) around 2:30 pm, set-up our tents and went to get water. Another hiker named Joe was already there. Joe is from NY and also started his thru-hike today. Later on, we were joined by Michelle and Kevin from Baltimore, two other thru-hikers, and Mike, a section hiker from Florida. We hung-out with our new friends, made dinner, tried to start a fire for about two hours (everything was wet from yesterday's rain...) and eventually got the fire going. It was a great first day on the trail!
Date: 2015-03-24
From: Black Gap Shelter

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today, we hiked 1.5 miles on the approach trail, reaching Springer Mountain. This is the official start of the AT and where I began our mileage calculations above. Our total distance for the day was 9.6 miles and my Fitbit registered 28,633 steps.What another gorgeous day! We left camp around 10 am and made it to the top of Springer around 11 am. After taking a few pictures and signing the register, we continued down the mountain and met our first ridge runner, Jim aka Sisu (Norwegian for irrational persistence). Ridge runners keep an eye on the trail and help keep hikers safe. Sisu gave us many tips, including hygiene to avoid Noro virus, which has already appeared in Hiawassee. Hello Purel!At the Springer parking lot, we met a family and took each other's pictures in front of the sign. Turns out this couple met at the Hawk Mountain shelter on their thru-hike in 1998. They are now married with 3 young boys and taking their kids for their first backpacking trip. They had very fond memories of their hike and wished us well! We continued hiking among a rhododendron forest and met a few other hikers. We reached the shelter where we set-up our tent and cooked dinner. Sitting at the picnic table near the shelter, we counted 21 tents. This is definitely more crowded than last night! Some of the hikers we met today are JB from Baltimore, Sonya (CA) and Infinity, Josh from SC, Hot Chocolate from Australia, Salty from NY, Bounder (VT) and his friend Honda something (can't remember).
Date: 2015-03-25
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

Fitbit: 24,212 steps.The day started with fog and a little bit of rain. However, the sun came-out around mid-day and the temperature got well into the 60's. We have been very fortunate with the weather so far!There are fewer people at the shelter tonight as many continued on another mile to get Trail Magic. Trail magic is a random act of kindness offered by a trail angel on the trail. It can take many forms and tonight's version was a home cooked dinner served in a parking lot crossed by the trail. However, we had already set-up our tent by the time we heard about it so we decided to stay put for the night.We are staying with many of the people we already met last night as well as Shrub from MA and his friend, Mary Poppins and Oops who thru-hiked last year and are accompanying their friend Shane and his dog Dudley for about a week to help him start his thru-hike.
Date: 2015-03-26
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Lance Creek Campsite
Miles today: 8.5

We got our first real rain storm last night. Fortunately, we stayed dried inside our tent but the storm kept me up for quite some time. As a result, we were the last ones to leave the shelter around 10 am. When we got to Gooch Gap, the trail angel who made dinner last night was still there, this time offering fresh apples. Our first trail magic! Jim, his son and daughter come from Nashville, TN (5-hour drive) every year to do trail magic as part of their ministry. They were very kind and, after talking with them for a while, we continued on. We hiked another 3.6 mile and reached Woody Gap where we were greeted with trail magic again! Dexter, who hiked the AT last year, was cooking hot dogs and hamburgers and brought a cooler full of beer and sodas. I usually don't like soda, but it tasted so good after hiking! Many of our friends from prior nights were already there. The sun had come out, so we laid out our tent to dry and enjoyed the food and the company . After a while, we headed back on the trail and reached our campsite for the night. Many of our friends are continuing on another 2.4 miles, but our legs need a break, so we are stopping at Lance Creek. This is our 4th nigh in a row camping and our longest backpacking trip to date. We are still having a great time!Update on trail names: Joe (NY) is now Bagels (he did bring some with him!), Michelle is Whispers (she has a tendency to shout...) and Kevin is Twix-less (Michelle doesn't like sharing food apparently ).
Date: 2015-03-27
From: Lance Creek Campsite

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.4

Fitbit: 27,551 steps.There was another storm last night and the morning was pretty cold. However, the initial climb after leaving the campsite warmed-us up quickly. Today, we hiked Blood Mountain, our first 4000-footer since arriving in GA. We crossed Slaughter Creek on our way to Blood Mountain, which really made me wonder what happened there... Unfortunately, it was still foggy when we reached the top of the mountain, so we did not get any views. On the way down, we met this couple who was doing a day hike and spent quite some time chatting with them. It really feels different being a thru-hiker and having all the time in the world!Around 2pm, we reached Neel Gap, our first town stop since our departure. We picked-up a few boxed we had mailed ourselves and headed to the nearby Blood Mountain Cabins. We rented the Deer cabin, which was so cute! We also got to shower (today is Friday and we last showered on Monday morning...) and get laundry done (yes, our cabin included a load of laundry done by the staff!). After getting clean, the next order of business was food. We went back to the outfitter at Neel Gap, where we purchased food for the next few days, and were lucky enough to stumble upon more trail magic! A local church group was having a spaghetti dinner for hikers staying in the area. The dinner also included fresh salad, which made me really happy as I missing fresh fruits and veggies. Between the trail magic and the random encounters on the trail, it has been overwhelming to see how nice people are to thru-hikers...After dinner, we headed to a nearby cabin, where some of our friends were staying. There we met Red Hot (Bob) from ME. His trail name comes from the fact that he dehydrated Frank's Red Hot sauce to bring with him on the trail . Red Hot is in his 50's and has been thinking about thru-hiking since he was young. It has been really interesting to meet all kinds of people on the trail and to see that, despite how different our lives are off the trail, we all have so much in common.
Date: 2015-03-28
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: few clouds

Fitbit: 31,797 steps.Before leaving Neel Gap this morning, we got a pack shake down from one of the staff members at the outfitter. This is a process where you unload all your pack content and receive a critique, with the goal of making your pack lighter. Some people have a 40-to-50-lbs pack when they arrive and the shakedown can help them loose 10-12 lbs, which makes a huge difference! Our packs were already pretty light and the only comment we received was to swap our fuel bag for a bottle which is more resistant to leaks. Not bad! I guess all the prep research paid off It was cold and windy when we started our hike, but as we have seen in previous day, the sun eventually came out and the afternoon was much nicer, albeit still chilly. Today has been our longest hike to date and with our late start (11:40 am), we only got to camp around 6pm. We hurried-up to set-up our tent, make dinner and do our camp chores before it got dark. The temperature is expected to drop in the teens tonight, so we went to bed with all our clothes on...
Date: 2015-03-29
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

Fitbit: 24,197 steps.This morning was a cold one! The temperature dropped to 19 degrees F last night! We slept but this is about as cold as we can tolerate with our current set-up, and we may have to make some modifications before we get to the Smokies...It took us a while to get going, but moving definitely helped to warm-up. Eventually, the sun came out, the wind stopped and the temperature climbed into the low 50's. We stopped for lunch near the former Rocky Knob Shelter, where we met a group of 8 hikers and 1 dog. The young men were doing a section hike during their Easter break from a local christian school. They were extremely nice and we talked with them for a while. Some of their trail names were Big Spoon, Little Spoon, Banana Boots and WJ.After lunch, we made our way to Unicoi Gap, where we were to be picked-up by a shuttle to go to the Top of Georgia Hostel for the night (shower and laundry!). While waiting for the shuttle, we met Peaches and Steel Boots, two thru hikers from GA. We also enjoyed more trail magic in the form of beers left in the parking lot by a trail angel (yes, I even had a beer!).Our stay at the TOG Hostel was great. Sir Packs-a-Lot, Buttercup and the rest of the staff were so friendly. We stayed in a cabin with bunk rooms and a kitchen, where we made frozen pizza for dinner (calories, cheese and carbs!!!) while chatting with the other guests. Another great evening.
Date: 2015-03-30
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 10.4

Fitbit: 29,161 steps.We started our day with a hot breakfast prepared by the TOG staff and then got a ride back to Unicoi Gap, where someone had left Gatorade bottles (trail magic!). Last night was quite stormy and, while the rain had stopped, it was still foggy when we started hiking. We hiked 3.7 miles and came across more trail magic! Two couples who had hiked in 2004 had tables set-up with coffee, pastries, chips, sandwich supplies, fruits, etc! After chatting with them for a while, we continued our hike to the Tray Mountain summit. From there, it was mostly downhill to the Sassafras campsite.
Date: 2015-03-31
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: clear sky

Fitbit: 20,851 steps.Today is our last hiking day before our zero day (day off from hiking) in Hiawassee. This is so exciting! After breakfast, we broke camp and started hiking towards our next shuttle pick-up site. After a mile, we were greeted by trail magic. We have been really lucky! This time, the trail angels were members of the local hiking club who maintain this section of the trail (Mike, Mike, Donna, Gary and others whose names I forgot). We had hot dogs, hot coco, home-made baked goods, fruits, etc! Since we are doing a pretty low mileage day, we were happy to spend some time talking with these friendly trail angels. After a while, we started hiking again and crossed path a few times with Mike, Gary and others who were doing some trail maintenance.Once we reached Dicks Creek Gap, we got a ride into Hiawassee, where we are staying for 2 nights. We checked-in to our room at the Holiday Inn express and after cleaning-up, headed to Bear Meadows for dinner, based on a recommendation from our shuttle driver. Turns out it was trivia night and the whole place was completely booked, but we were able to get some seats at the bar. People were really friendly (as it has been the case everywhere in GA!), so we decided to stay for trivia after dinner. We had a really good time and even managed to finish in 3rd place. Not bad considering the other teams ranged in size from 6-12+ players!Tomorrow is our first day off and we will be exploring the town further.