morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-03-23
From: Horse Creek Gap

To: south of Woody Gap
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: light rain

Good Morning from Helen, GA. more about how/why I am here later. Summary of day 2. I got up at 7:30am and was on the trail at 8:30am. It is taking me a little time to get the unpacking/packing to a fine art but that should get better with time. I am just eating dried fruit and breakfast bars for breakfast as I really do not have an appetite and certainly do not want to cook anything. As I mentioned on day 1, I ran out of water and it was 11:20am before I got to the first spring at Justice Creek. I got water and ate some lunch. I passed Gooch Mt shelter at 1:00pm but I did not stop. The temperature today was not as hot as yesterday which was in the low 80's, so overall a good day. At 4:45pm I was exhausted and found a camp site, I had hoped to have gotten to Woody Gap, but I stopped south of that. I set up my tent and ate some instant mashed potatoes.These are not as bad as one would think, they have come along way in the taste and consistency. There is old story of me having to eat instant potatoes 40+ years ago when I was late for supper one night when we were camping as a family. They were terrible but I dared not say anything at the time. I was in my tent by 6:30pm and it started raining at 7:20pm and it rained continuously. At 10:30pm, the wind picked up and really started storming. It progressively got worst so at 11:30pm I turned on my radio and found the national weather station. It stated that there was a tornado watch for a bunch of counties in north Georgia, including Union County. Since I did not know what county I was in, it did not do me a lot of good, other to know that I was close to the stated counties. The wind was terrific, probably 30 mph but when one is laying on the ground, with the tent whipping all about, it seemed like it was 50-60 mph. The hubba hubba tent was excellent, it just gives and takes even though I had visions of the wind lifting me up and blowing the tent, my gear and me wherever it pleased. It is amazing how many short one sentence prayers one can lift up to God in these times and they were answered. I had read somewhere to utilize gutter nails for stakes instead of the lightweight stakes that come with the tent. I am glad I took that advice as they go deeper into the ground, have grooves in them to help secure them and are overall better built. I know it is a few more ounces but I believe it is well worth it. I did spray paint the heads bright orange so I will be able to find them in the leaves, at least in the spring and summer months. It finally stopped raining at 2:30am but the wind never let up. Needless to say, I got little sleep that night, but it is all part of the adventure.
Date: 2011-03-24
From: south of Woody Gap

To: Blood Mt shelter
Miles today: 9.6

Day 3. Being awake most of the night, I did not get up until 7:50am. The wind was still howling and it was very cool, 54*F. I went to get my food bag and crawled back into my tent to eat my fruit, dried dates and raisins. I wrapped my toes, they are tender but no real blisters. Actually my body is doing ok, no pain in the IT bands, hip flexors or quads, every place that causes me pain if I run to long or far. I am not able to stretch as I had hoped to but I have no issues yet. As I mentioned yesterday, I had visions of the tent being lifted up and blown away and while taking it down that is exactly what happened. Again, I am impressed with the construction and durability of the hubba hubba, no bent aluminum poles and nothing torn. I had a good day, just extremely tough up and down, very windy and cold. Spring has not arrived in the north Georgia mountains yet. There are few spring wild flowers, only a few dark maroon trilliums ready to bloom. Also, the woods are void of wildlife, I have seen a few squirrels, 2 white tail deer and heard 1-2 hawks but I thought I would have seen more. I've seen one robin but no other birds. I got all the way to Blood Mt shelter which was my goal for the day. The wind blew all day and it was very, very chilly. They were forecasting frost for the night so I needed to be inside a shelter. In the shelter was Kebban (retired recently from the Indianapolis fire department), Bree (environmental engineer from Boston) and Turtle from Birmingham. We boarded up the windows to cut the wind out but that also prevented any residual daylight coming in. We decided we would rather have less wind and just use our headlamps, which we did. I ate dinner, set up my sleeping bag and I was in it by 8:00pm. One of the downside of shelters is being over run by mice, but that was not the case during the night. I believe it was too cold for them, I only heard one squealing during the night. We had hung our food bags outside to keep them away from the mice and bears, even though a bear would be crazy to be up on that mountain. I sleep off and on during the night, kept trying to bundle up. Kebban's thermometer said it got down in the 30's, my watch thermometer indicated 41*F when we woke up.
Date: 2011-03-27
From: Helen, GA

To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

Day 6. My first zero day was earlier than I expected, but my feet and shoulders appreciated it. I spent several hours updating my journal. The nasty weather that was forecasted for today did not materialize, but it is now predicted for tomorrow and Tuesday. I will get a ride from the hotel tomorrow morning back to the trail. A couple of tidbits that I had neglected to capture in my earlier journals have to do with bears. When I went to retrieve my food pack that I had hung from a tree on Day 1, there were bear droppings directly below my pack. All food articles have to be removed from your backpack and cooking should be done some distance from your tent due to the bears' sensitive sense of smell. On Friday, a trail maintenance man told me that a couple had lost their food between Neal's Gap and Whitley Gap. They had lost their food when the bear figured that it could scratch or bite the rope that was holding their food bag. All the food articles in the bag were not necessarily eaten, but they had been destroyed and strewn into the woods. Most shelters actually have steel cable pulley systems to elevate the food pack, but these are only located at certain shelters. The bears have not figured out how to operate the pulley--yet. Thanks for everyone's notes, thoughts and prayers.
Date: 2011-03-28
From: Helen, GA

To: Vista
Miles today: 14.1

Day 7. Thunder and rain woke me at 4:30am and I got up at 7am. It was 40*F, raining, with the wind chill at 32*F. Peaches and her owner took me 9 miles to the trailhead and I was on the trail at 9am. It was very misty and foggy the entire day, but it did not actually rain. I saw an outcome of the electrical storm on Saturday when I saw wood splinters 80-100 feet from a tree that had been struck by lightning. I also heard and saw a Pileated Woodpecker. Also along the trail, someone had lightened their load by taking out two baking potatoes and hung them on a tree. I arrived at Vista at 6:15pm, having traveled 14.1 miles in 9 hours which equates to 1.5 miles per hour. My neck did much better today; I contribute that to three things: first,the many prayers that people are offering up on my behalf, second, I took one Alleve instead of 6-10 Motrin and third, I am attempting to walk more upright, using my eyes to look down instead of bending my head down. This is excellent news particularly if I can use one Alleve in place of 10 Motrin per day, I can remove the Motrin and further reduce the weight in my pack.
Date: 2011-03-29
To: Campsite near Rich Cove Gap
Miles today: 9.2

Day 8. I was in my bag Monday evening by 8:30pm and I tossed and turned for several hours, unable to sleep. I finally flipped my sleeping bag so that my head was uphill, which helped. It started raining after midnight and rained on and off the balance of the night. I stayed in bed until 8:00am; it was very chilly and damp. I left Vista at 9:00am and I was at Dick's Creek Gap at 10:15am. I got an immediate ride from Gary going to the Blueberry Patch Hostel. I picked up my box that I had mailed to myself containing food and then got an immediate ride to Hiawassee with two other hikers, Romeo and Juliet. Gary took us to Daniel's, which was a typical Southern, all you can eat buffet. We arrived there at 10:45am. I had a pork chop, green beans, cream corn, mashed potatoes (probably instant) a salad, strawberry shortcake and Sandy kept my tea glass full. I apologized to Sandy about my smell and her comment was she'd rather have someone in there with body odor versus perfume! I re-packed my back pack, filled my water bladder and gave my surplus food to Romeo and Juliet. I had sent myself way too much food--I am not eating as much as I thought I would and it was too much to carry. I walked to the Dollar Store to get batteries for my radio and I was on Highway 76 at 12:50pm attempting to get a ride back 13 miles to the trail head. Howden picked me up fairly quickly and took me part of the way, he works for the Georgia DOT and raises cattle. After waiting 15-20 minutes, Mike picked me up (he runs a shuttle between Hiawassee and the trail head). I was back on the trail at 1:30pm. It was still overcast until the sun came out at 3:20pm and turned into a fairly nice day. I arrived at the campsite at 6:15pm having gone 9.2 miles in 7 hours for a 1.3 mile per hour rate. I am now at 74.2 miles. Supper consisted of peanut butter and raisins. Monroe showed up later and camped at the same site. He is originally from Baltimore and graduated from Virginia Tech and quit his job as a cook to hike the trail.
Date: 2011-03-30
From: Campsite near Rich Cove Gap

To: south of Standing Indian shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: moderate rain

Day 9. Rain began to fall at 2:00am and started lightning at 2:55am, that seems to be the norm for these first few days. I got up at 7:20am and it was 54*F but no rain. I am getting fairly good at packing my pack in the tent. This way, all I have to do when I get out of the tent is dismantle it and it attaches on the outside of my pack. I left at 8:30am and crossed into North Carolina at 10:45am, one state down and thirteen to go !!! As soon as I crossed over the state line an east wind picked up and it got terribly windy and cold. The first NC mountain was a beast too. I got to Muskrat Shelter at 12:15pm and fixed some tuna and rice, filled up my water reservoir and headed north once again. It never really rained during the day but as moist and misty as it was it was nearly the same as rain. I got to Deep Gap at 4:05pm and Red Truck had left some trail magic, snicker bites. I had several of those and actually it served as my supper. The forecast for the night was temperatures in the low 30's with frozen precipation. I stopped at 4:45pm, set up my tent and was inside for the night at 5:30pm. This was earlier than I wanted but I did not see any additional campsites within a reasonable distance north of me and I was pretty tired. Much of the day was up and down, having to calculate where to step. In a lot of cases, as in chess, you have to plan your next 3-4 steps so you have to pay attention. My thoughts on Georgia, I believed I have read that the entire AT portion in Georgia is through National Forest land. What a massive stretch of nothing but woods. I did not have too many days where I could see views because of the weather but there was beauty in just being enveloped by trees. What really impressed me was not the standing trees but the huge fallen trees. If my arm reach is 6 feet some of these fallen trees must have been 25-30 plus feet in circumference. I am assuming they were oaks but also wondering if they could be old chestnuts.
Date: 2011-03-31
From: south of Standing Indian shelter

To: Bearpen Gap, south of Albert Mt
Miles today: 14.0

Day 10. I slept OK, still had a lot of rain and wind during the night and it was 45*F when I got up at 7:30am. During the night I smelled tuna and I thought "Oh no, (or something to that affect) a bear has gotten into my hanging food sack or I smell like tuna." Both of these would have been bad but neither one occurred. I guess I must have burped and that is what I smelled since my head was entirely inside my sleeping bag. I was on the trail at 8:30am and I was on a mission. I had nearly 24 miles to get to Franklin and I wanted to time it so I could take a zero day there on Saturday. I moved along pretty well all day and covered 14 miles in 8 hours (1.75mph). I got as far as Albert Mt and I knew that there was a shelter/tent site north of the mountain but according to my elevation map I did not want to attempt Albert this late in the day. That ended up being a wise decision. I set up my tent, ate some peanut butter and raisins and called it a night at 6:30pm. The forecast was still calling for low 30's and frozen precipation. I was camping in a thicket of mountain laurel and rhododendron and there were no high tree limbs to hang my food. I finally found a limb that was 15 feet off the ground but I could not get a good throw because of the low hanging limbs of the mountain laurel. I was finally able to throw the stick with my rope attached but it got hung in between a limb and the trunk of the tree. I pulled and tried to shake it free but to no avail. I went back and got my gloves so I would not cut my hands with the rope and pulled again.... and BOOM, you guessed right...the stick shot straight toward me. I never saw it coming, I only felt the impact on the left side of my face. I did not see any blood dripping so I continued and finally got the bag hung. I was so fortunate that it did not hit my mouth or one of my eyes. Maybe a little divine intervention and God needed a good laugh at my stupidity. I did take a picture of my face to see if it was bruised or if I needed to do anything but it was fine. I had a good day, actually listened to the Braves and Nationals play their opening day game. First time I had listened to a complete game on a radio in a long time, if ever. At this point, I have walked enough miles to be out of WSB's radio range. Luckily, I was able to pick up the Braves on another radio station to hear the entire game.
Date: 2011-04-01
From: Bearpen Gap, south of Albert Mt

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 11. I woke up at 2:30am and it was 36*F inside my tent. I struggled most of the night trying to keep my feet warm. I finally wrapped them in my silk sleeping bag liner and then wrapped my down vest around them. I got up at 7:50am had to clean the sleet off my tent. My food bag rope was frozen and my fingers were too by the time I got everything packed and ready to go. I started up Albert Mt at 8:40am, it was another beast. The water on the rocks was frozen and it was a tough vertical climb. It was a beautiful site but I did not have time to sit and admire God's handiwork. I got up to the Albert Mt firetower and went up the 56 steps (without my pack) and looked around. It was terribly windy but blue skies and a beautiful day. I hiked hard all day and got to U.S. 64 at 2:35pm. I did the 9.8 miles in 5.5 hours (1.78mph). I was able to hitch a ride into town from a gentlemen from Anderson, SC. Then I did a really stupid thing. I had loaded all my gear into the trunk of this gentleman's car and when he dropped me off I retrieved my gear, all but my trekking poles. They have a new home in Anderson now. The trekking poles are a critical part of my gear, they have saved me from falling two dozen times already. Plus, on the up hill climbs you actually pull yourself up using them. I will have to go into town tomorrow and replace them. Just a dumb oversight on my part but I will be more careful next time. This weekend in Franklin is the hiker's bash, live entertainment, vendors, etc. Included in my hotel rate was a spaghetti dinner at the Methodist church sponsered by the local Rotary club. It was good and I wished we could have had a second helping. I have discovered 3 blisters on the little toe of my right foot. They cover my entire toe, including the toe nail. I went ahead and cleaned the area with disinfecting lotion and pierced all 3 of them and drained them. It will be good to be out of my boots on Saturday and let the blisters recover a little. In looking back through my entries, I know I spend a lot of time discussing the weather. I am not complaining when I do this. I know I am doing this hike because I want to and I am putting myself in this predicament. When I start feeling sorry for myself I remember all the women and men serving in our armed services around the world protecting our freedom, who have it much tougher than I do. I know any day if I choose, I could walk off the trail and go home. I also know that there are many people who would like to attempt doing what I am doing but due to circumstances beyond their control they will never have that opportunity. So the weather conditions are not complaints but they do control your day. It controls how/when you pack up, it controls your speed along the path, it controls when you stop and get water, it controls the weight of the pack. I am sure with my tent and rainfly soaked, I am carrying a half pound more weight. When you are constantly out in the element you have to adjust to the conditions for that particular day.
Date: 2011-04-02
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 12. A beautiful, warm, windy day in Franklin. I actually did my wash yesterday so I am back in clean clothes. I hung out my tent, rain fly and sleeping bag in my room to dry, again. I had mailed my hair clippers here so when I got up this morning I went outside in my shorts and found an electrical plug next to the vending machines and gave myself another hair cut. Now my whiskers are longer than my hair. I walked to Ms Lois' for breakfast, had 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, bacon, hash browns and tea for $8.00, pretty good deal. From there I walked to the Post Office to mail surplus food and clippers to Fontana Dam, my next off the trail stop. I walked up to the hikers outfitters and replaced my trekking poles, bought a pair of water proof gloves and some heavier wool socks to sleep in. The fleece gloves that I have are ok but once they get wet they are useless. I will leave them in the hiker's grab box here at the hotel. There is a BBQ dinner tonight that I will attend, eventhough I had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich at lunch. There is a Lutheran Church on the way out of town, if I can get a ride there tomorrow morning I will attend church before hitting the trail northbound. In addition to my little toe blisters, I have also developed a poison ivy rash on my left forearm. I remember having to climb over a fallen tree sometime during the week and saw the poison ivy vine, no leaves but just the vine. I remember commenting to myself that one would need to be careful not to rub up against it but I guess I already had. All I have to put on it is insect bite stuff but the ammonia seems to be controlling the itch. Thanks again for all the many notes, thoughts and prayers. I appreciate you taking time to post your notes. Take care,
Date: 2011-04-05
From: NOC

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 15. It was still raining when I got up at 7:20am. My main mission this morning was to eat and do a load of laundry to dry out my clothes. I was at the restaurant at 7:50am but they did not open until 8:00am but the lady let me in to get out of the rain and wind. There was complete chaos in the restaurant, evidently several of the servers could not get to work because of the down trees, etc. I was glad I was the first one there and ordered my eggs, bacon, biscuit and gravy. I left there and found the single washing machine available so I was able to accomplish that task as well. The forecast was not that promising but I could not afford to spend a day off the trail. It was suppose to turn cold but as long as I was dry I could handle that. I left the NOC at 10:15am and hiked out of the gorge, back above the budding vegetation. The climb out of the gorge was 3,339 feet. I was much slower today but I was working my way north. I hiked in sleet twice, which was ok because it just bounced off me, instead of rain which would have soaked in. It was very windy, I kept putting on clothes, gloves, hat and then turned right around and took them off. I hiked all the way to Cove Gap, a total of 10.4 miles at a 1.5 mph pace. I am now at 145.6 miles total. It was suppose to be cold tonight, in the upper 20's*F but no precipitation.
Date: 2011-04-06
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Cable Gap
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 16 - I slept OK, all bundled up. I had the wool socks on that I had bought in Franklin, my hat and my down jacket. I would have slept much better if it had not been for all the snoring going on around the campsite. There were probably 8-10 of us, in tents, and 2 campers were snoring but they were not in sync. One would exhale just as the other would inhale, they never got any rhythm going. The Robbinsville temperature was 28*F at 7:30am, so I imagine we were a few degrees cooler. However, it was dry and really was not that uncomfortable. For the first night, there was no wind. Between the snoring, I actually heard aircraft flying overhead. It dawned on me that I had not heard that before because every night we had either rain or wind or both. I left the campsite at 8:20am and headed north. I stopped at Brown Fork Gap shelter to get water and have a hot lunch (mashed potatoes and tuna fish). I arrived at Cable Gap shelter at 5:20pm, having travelled 11.5 miles at a 1.4 mph rate and I have covered 157.1 miles total. There were no real events today except climbing up Jacob's ladder. It was a nice day, 60*F and sunshine all day. Jacob's ladder was straight up, nearly 600 feet straight up. There were no switchback, but just like climbing a ladder. No amount of training by climbing the grandstand at the local high school track prepared me for this. A few words concerning ascending and descending a mountain. Not all of these are created equally. My normal resting heart rate is 58 +/- a couple of beats a second. When climbing up a mountain, it can either be with steps or just a gradual incline. The steps can be anywhere from 4 - 15 inches high. You use your trekking poles to push yourself up, however, your legs still do most of the lifting and pushing. When I am doing this, I have to stop every 25-40 steps and rest. My heart rate will be in the 150 bpm range. This is the same range if I am doing speed training, running quarter mile intervals, when training for a marathon. If the ascent is more gradual, my heart rate only reaches 100-110 bpm range. However, as I mentioned earlier I still have to lift my feet otherwise you trip on hidden roots or rocks. The climb down a mountain is similar. You have to use your trekking poles on the steps down to take the impact off your knees but it is very slow and deliberate. If it is a gradual slope down it is much easier but you still can't shuffle your feet or you will go head first. If the trail is not well maintained or if it is sloppy wet you really have to be careful. The trail maintainers, members of various hiking climbs do an outstanding job in keeping their portion of the trail in good shape.