morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Most beautiful hike yet. Beautiful as I climbed through Balsam Fir forests. The fragrance was incredible as well as the views. Climbing Clingmans Dome was a milestone as the highest point on the AT. Taking a rest in Gatlinburg but trail angel who brought me to town will take me back to the trail tomorrow. Trail Angels are incredible!
Date: 2015-05-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: moderate rain

Today I completed the Great Smokey Mountains which were the most beautiful and fragrant part of my journey so far. As I came to the end of the trail off the Smokies I saw one of our trail angels and his som who were going to hike for a few days and we took each others photo. A couple miles later I reached Standing Bear which was a totally unique experience. This is a very rustic quaint hostel where I was greeted by the caretaker Lumpy who walked me around the facilities consisting of the shower, restocking store, kitchen, bunkroom and laundry room (washing machine is a tub with a washboard). Since I really wanted to sleep and not listen to snoring, Lumpy let me stay in the "couples room". The bed was made of some kind of discarded iron parts and the room was decorated by spider webs in the corners but the soothing sound of the stream out back and the private patio made it a great experience!
Date: 2015-05-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Today was a lot of climbing first from 1800' to 4263' where there were incredible views on top of Snowbird Mountain. Lots of hiker friends taking a break to enjoy the view. Next was famous Max Patch summit, 4629', which is a bald covered in lush grass and has panoramic views of surrounding foothills,mountains and valleys.
Date: 2015-05-07
To: leaving trail with knee injury
Miles today: 3.7

This morning was very painful getting started and my friends went ahead and I figured I'd see them at the end of the day. When I approached Allen Gap they were all there and Kamikaze was wrapping her foot she had just sprained. She was going to have to go back to Hot Springs to the medical center and I decided I had better get medical attention for my knee problem also since it was getting worse each day. I'd already been to a clinic so I'm going home for medical care and tlc and when I'm "fixed" I'll be back to enjoy the rest of this journey of a lifetime.
Date: 2015-12-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

We are keeping a blog so our families, friends and students can keep track of our adventure. We have fielded many questions about this endeavor and hopefully this post will answer the important ones...The Appalachian Trail is a nearly 2,200 mile hiking trail through the Appalachian Mountain Range in the Eastern United States.It is the longest "hiking-only" footpath in the world. It is also among the longest continuously marked trails. The AT is marked with approximately 165,000 2" X 6" inch white blazes along the trail guiding hikers the entire way.The AT travels through 14 different states. The southern terminus is Springer Mountain, Georgia and the northern terminus is Mt. Katahdin, Maine. The AT cuts through the oldest mountain range on the planet.It is is largest and longest running volunteer conservation project in the world. Thousands of volunteers contribute roughly 240,000 hours to the AT every year. This amounts to over 10,000 days of volunteer work from 5,617 volunteeers.There are more than 262 three-sided shelters along the trail.The elevation gain/loss of hiking the entire AT is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 16 times.It is estimated that about 99% of the entire trail has been either relocated or rebuilt since its creation in 1937.
Date: 2015-12-24
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

A little about us...We are in our early 50's and have 3 grown children. Our oldest is helping with our mail drop schedule (she loves spreadsheets and numbers), our middle is taking care of our house and mailing our resupply packages, our youngest is a junior in college.We are both teachers. Kelly teaches high school math and is taking a leave beginning at the end of February. Cheryl teaches kindergarten and has taken the whole year off. We are leaving at the end of February to give ourselves enough time to be finished by the beginning/middle of August because we need to be back at work the last week of August.We sold our house in Mass in July and live in an apartment in Mass so we can work and have a house in NH which is now our main home. We live 6 miles from the trail head for Mount Moosilauke. A question that gets asked often is, "Why do you want to do this?" Some thoughts...-When I was little my dad had a book with pictures of the AT and I thought it was "cool". My husband and I have hiked many sections of the AT and then I got obsessed (this happens to me). We hiked a section from Mount Greylock in Mass to Hanover, NH and he got the "backpacking bug".-I want to know if I am capable of doing this hike end to end,-Can I physically hike 2000+ miles?-Am I mentally capable of being challenged, bored, uncomfortable?'-Can I stay (happily) married while hiking 2000+ miles with my husband? How I will feel when I finish this thru hike:-proud of myself knowing that I did something that was hard and stuck to itHow I will feel if I quit:-embarrassed that I didn't have the staying power to finish,-disappointed that I let myself and my husband down
Date: 2016-01-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

New Year's Eve day hike: We walked a familiar 5 mile stretch on the AT near our house in the snow. We were the first to walk so had to be careful to look for white blazes on trees that were white from snow. We didn't get misdirected but stopped and backtracked twice because we thought we were misdirected. Take away: It was great and I know that my winter hiking gear was warm and comfy.New Year's Day hike:Its a tradition near where we live to climb Mount Moosilauke on New Year's Day. Our neighbors were telling us about it so we did our first annual New Year's Day hike. It was in the twenties and there was snow on the ground. We didn't leave until 9am so we just followed everyone else's bootprints to the top. It was cold at the top and 25 mph winds. We took a selfie and then headed back down into the woods to stop for a snack.Take away: My gloves kept my hands warm. My water froze in my water bottle so I was drinking chunks of ice. We had fun and were quicker than we thought we would be."My feet are aching, and my knees are a bit sore and my shoulders are tired, but I am a hiker and that¢s how we feel."
Date: 2016-01-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We are going to dehydrate most of our food for our thru hike. We have read the pros (having healthy, more inexpensive, and foods I will eat) and the cons (need to be more schedule conscious, could get tired of the food we have packed). After a lot of discussion, I like to discuss things A LOT, we think this is the best decision for us. I have found 13 recipes and have made a trip to BJs, the food store and have the dehydrator going. It's exciting to be preparing food for our adventure!
Date: 2016-01-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I am a worrier...I can worry about big things and little things and too many things! Today's worry is the weather. As I scurried from warm home to warm car in the blustery and cold winter weather today, I started thinking about hiking at the end of February/beginning of March in the northern Georgia mountains and the Great Smoky National Park and I began to ....worry...a lot.So, I unpacked my backpack and looked again at my gear. I have a warm base layer top and bottom, a fleece jacket. and rain pants and top, a fleece hat, a balaclava, warm gloves with a mitten overlayer. And still I worry. These were good enough to keep me warm on a cold New Years Day hike up Mt. Moosilauke but I also headed homw and took a warm (hot) bath. That won't be an option on the trail.When we get into camp, I have warm camp clothes and a down jacket plus a sleeping bag with liner and a tent. My debate is I have a 20 degree bag and a 0 degree bag. I want the 0 bag because of the warmth but the weight and bulk of it is holding me back. I have looked around on the internet and found a camping hack that will help me stay warm. I am also going to sleep outside in my 20 degree bag this weekend in New Hampshire to be sure that I am feeling safe. My husband is more of a "you will be fine and we can fix it if you are not" person and I am a "I want to try everything at least 10 times before I trust it" person, so this should be an interesting couple hike.
Date: 2016-01-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I am a worrier...I worry a little and then I worry some more and then I worry even more! My biggest concern (worry) at the moment is the weather. As I scurried from a warm home to a warm car in this blustery frigid New England winter weather I started worrying about the cold. So, I came home and unpacked my backpack and went through my cold weather gear. I have running tights, zip off pants, rain pants and wool socks for the bottom half of me. I have a running shirt, fleece jacket and rain jacket, liner gloves and warm over mittens for the middle half of me. I have a fleece hat and balaclava for the top half of me. There is a saying that you know what a hiker is worried about when you look through their gear. Yes, I am worried about the cold and I have a lot of stuff because of it.I wore everything at one point or another when we hiked up Mt. Moosilauke on New Years Day (except the balaclava-I didn't bring it) and I was warm enough. Though the balaclava has been added because the stinging sleet and snow at the top convinced me that I would be happier with this addition. When we get into camp I have warm clothes, a down jacket and a sleeping bag.My husband is a "if it's not working, we will fix it as we go" kind of person and I am a "practice it here until we get it right" kind of person. This should be an interesting couple hike. I will be sleeping outside this weekend in NH to be sure that my sleeping arrangement will keep me warm and safe-well I will settle for safe since it will be very cold this weekend.
Date: 2016-02-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It's February! And we are going to begin our trek north in just 25 short days. The excitement and nervousness are really beginning to mount.We have had a glitch in our pre-hike plans. Our family has been fostering children for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 16 years. In anticipation of our hike we were only doing hotline (emergency overnight or weekend placements) since September. Unfortunately a precious 4 year old who has lived with us off and on for 3 years came back into care. We got the call and we said yes. His amazing social worker is finding him a forever home before we leave but this is adding a large degree of stress to our late planning stages. And we are not getting much hiking in. He is a good walker and has been on the AT near our home in NH but a 4 year old really can't hike far or fast.I have been following Blizzard and Slipknot on trail journals and praying for better weather at the end of February but prepared if we have snowy cold conditions. Slipknot recommends yoga on the trail and suggested googling yoga and hiking for ideas. I found a post from Appalachian Trails that I had seen earlier and forgotten about. These seem like stretches that will help this older body have a more comfortable hike. Here is the link to Madison's post. (http://appalachiantrials.com/yoga-hikers-backpackers/).
Date: 2016-02-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Lots of vocabulary for this adventure. Here is the second half. Thank you to Two Peas in a Pod for the original post.Shelter -- A three sided wooden or stone building, spaced out a half day's hike apart, near a water source, and with a privy. The AT has many kinds of shelters, from barns to cabins.Skunked -- Failing to get a car to stop when hitch hiking.Slackpacking -- to hike without a pack, which is sent ahead for pickupStealth -- a manner of camping where there is no indication that you are there, and no trace of your being there is left when you've left. Sometimes used as a term for camping illegally on public or private land.Stile -- Steps constructed over a fence to allow people, but not livestock, to pass. Also known as Dodgeway.Tent Pad/Platform -- At some camping sites, tenting is restricted to built up earthen 'pads' or wooden 'platforms' to ease impact on the area.Trail Angel -- Someone who provides unexpected help or food to a hiker.Trail Magic -- Unexpected, but welcome, help or food.Thru-hiking -- is the act of attempting to become a 2,000-Miler in a single, continuous journey.Turtle-ing -- a tumble in which hiker lands on pack and struggles to regain footing.Umbles -- Stumbles, Bumbles, and Mumbles that may signal a more serious malady like dehydration or hypothermia etc.Vitamin I -- Ibuprofin an over the counter anti-inflammatory drug that many hikers use while backpacking.Waterbar -- is a log or rock barrier that diverts water off the Trail to prevent erosion.Web Walking -- to be the first hiker on the trail in the morning, thereby clearing spider webs, usually with one's face.The Whites -- The White Mountains of New Hampshire.Whiteblazer -- A term from the Appalachian Trail to describe a person hiking pure (see purist), that is, hiking past every white blaze - which are the standard trail markers on the AT.Work for stay -- Some hostels, the AMC Huts in the Whites, and a few other places along the AT allow some hikers to work in stead of paying the fee for lodging.Yellow blazes -- Term used to denote the yellow center-line that is painted on a highwayYellow blazer -- Someone who hitch hikes around sections of trail by following yellow blazes.Yogi-ing -- is the good-natured art of "letting" food be offered cheerfully by strangers without actually asking them directly (If you ask, it's begging!)YMMV -- Your Mileage May Vary', hiker jargon for 'this worked for me, but your results/opinions might not be the same.'Yo-yo-ing -- is the act of completing one A.T. thru-hike, then immediately turning around to begin another in the opposite direction.Zero day -- is a day in which no miles are hiked, usually because the hiker is stopping in a town to resupply and/or rest
Date: 2016-02-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

We were fortunate to be invited to the home of two thru hikers who gave us some great information and a fantastic dinner. They were not telling us how to hike but presented choices and what they did but no expectations that we would hike exactly as they did. Thanks for being excited about our hike, Baby Blue and Desolation and for taking the time to mark up AWOLs guide to show great places to stay and more importantly places NOT to stay. Can't wait to see you when we get to New England.
Date: 2016-02-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

We are at the airport waiting to board our flight to Atlanta! Nervous, excited- not sure what I am feeling. We have visited with family, friends and colleagues this week, packed up our apartment, loaned out our cars...hope we did everything!Mrs. Anderson's class and Mrs. Ross's class made me cards-so sweet and yes I will have fun and remember to breathe! I will see you all in August when you are 2nd graders and I am a teacher again Kelly's classes had parties for him and he went out for dinner with colleagues this week.Kelly sent out a link to our blog to both our schools. It's been really encouraging to read your kind words!His high school buddies and fraternity friends are also sending encouraging messages-thank you!We were so blessed to see KK looking good this week after a trying weekend KK I can't wait to eat fun food with you when you and mom come to visit. Get well soon! We stayed at his Kelly's brother's house last night. It rained so hard that a major route was closed this morning because of flooding and downed power lines which affected traffic lights. Thank you for the ride to the airport Martha!Here we go!Josh from the Hiker Hostel picked us up and we had pizza and stayed in a shipping container tiny house! Check that off my bucket list It's hard to post from my phone so please be understanding of typos.
Date: 2016-02-26
From: Hiker Hostel

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

We have finished our first day. Sitting in the sun at the shelter watching two guys try to start a fire. We just finished dinner and I am happy, a little sleepy and very content. We didn't get lost, crossed a few streams without falling in and didn't have a disagreement- amazing day!We saw two army Rangers and two black hawk helicopters while hiking today!!!Hoping there is no rain tonight and it doesn't get too cold. Excited for day two tomorrow
Date: 2016-02-27
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

It was a chilly night last night in the shelter. We shared with one guy on the first floor with us and there were three in the loft. Kinda noisy. I was toasty warm in my sleeping bag (thanks Courtney) but Kelly was a little chilly-he's working out the best way to use his quilt. There was artillery fire from the nearby Army base.Climbed Justus and Sassafrass mountains- did okay but took some "breath breaks".Came down into a gap and there was Courtesy and his wife with trail magic! I got a hot dog and a juicy crunchy apple . So good and made the next climb easier Met a nice guy from Texas named Chris but he's young and fast so we won't see him for too much longer.There are ridge runners that walk parts of the trail and stay near the shelter. They are educating people about Leave No Trace policies. The young woman ridge runner thru hiked last year we think we just missed her when she was near Hanover.Beautiful day with my wonderful husband!
Date: 2016-02-28
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

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

Beautiful tenting spot near the creek. There were four tent pads and they were full with two hikers set up under the bear cables. We were concerned that we would wake them up when we got our food but they got up and quietly hiked out at 3:30 am (we are hoping not to hike at night or that early!) We were able to chat with Jacob and Heather last evening. He is a seminary student in Kentucky. She is hiking with exercise induced asthma so these hills must be brutul. They both have great attitudes and are very friendly.We were all sitting around cooking our dinners when a horse came down the trail. Not a common sight on the AT since it is a footpath and pack animals are forbidden.
Date: 2016-02-29
From: Lance Creek camping spot

To: Blood Mountain Cabins
Miles today: 5.0

Good night's sleep at Lance Creek! The guys got up at 3:30 and quietly packed up, turned on their head lamps and hiked out. We slept longer! Beautiful hike up and over Blood Mountain. It was sunny and cool-perfect hiking weather. I could vividly remember climbing this with Courtney in the snow and ice. Truly terrifying! Views were awesome from the top.Kelly was disgusted by the garbage left in the privy. Nice walk to the outfitters and our cabin. Hot shower, clean clothes and a flush toilet- life is good! Jacob's parents took Heather and Jacob to town for a rest. We hope to see them again.Thanks to everyone commenting on our blog or Facebook. A special shout-out to Meg and the boys in period 7. Excited (and a little nervous) about the care package you are sending.
Date: 2016-03-01
From: Blood Mountain Cabins

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

Slept at Blood Mountain Cabins in the Raccoon Cabin. There were four stuffed raccoons on the wall! Awesome to have a hot shower, clean clothes and a bed with sheets.Today they were calling for rain but we only had sprinkles. Good hiking except for the hike up Tensenate Gap- it was brutal. But there was awesome trail magic before the nasty climb. A church group hangs at the gap twice a week for 6 weeks giving out drinks and snacks. I had hot chocolate and two moon pies. Yummy!We are at a shelter with five other people because they are calling for storms tonight and maybe snow. Don and Adam hiked in a large blue tarp that they put across the opening and we added our tent footprint. Not excited about possible mouse encounters but we don't want to get wet.
Date: 2016-03-02
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

Last night was intense! The wind howled through the trees and then the rain started. Thankfully the tarps kept most of the rain out of the shelter. It is cold this morning. People's tent zippers are frozen and our water bottles have lumps of ice inside. The wind is fierce and cold. Such a difference from the beautiful spring-like day of yesterday.Hiked in early; trying to be good about not overdoing things, so only did 7 nice miles today. Hopefully we won't be too bored waiting for darkness. Kelly and I play cards and I have a book.Met Irish Escape, Blue Bandana and GP. They had a hunting dog on a rope leash and were trying to meet up with the owner. He was out in the monsoon last night. Everyone is feeding him food from their bags but he's so hungry. Don called and left a message for his owner (he has tags on). The dog's trail name is Savage because he will eat anything and everything (except gumbo with okra). Savage spent the night in the shelter with the three of them and they are hiking him into town to the gap to meet his owner.Our stove didn't work at dinner but GP let us boil our water on his stove--nice kid.A little concerned about camping at the top of the mountain in these temperatures but we are in our tent and have good sleeping bags.Thinking about going into town tomorrow because they are calling for cold rain and we need fuel. Will decide in the morning. Trying to keep warm tonight!
Date: 2016-03-03
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: broken clouds

Happy to play cards and read my book in our tent with Kelly last night. It was cold at the top of the mountain.I have a love-hate relationship with my sleeping bag. I LOVE it at night when it's cold and I am toasty warm inside my bag. But I hate it when I am stuffing it into its stuff sack and then into my backpackEasy walk to Unicoi Gap where we got a ride to Top of Georgia hostel and bought some more fuel. We shared the van with the bear hunting dog that all the hikers have been feeding for the last few days. The owner has been located and the dog returned. We then caught a shuttle to Hiawassee and ate at a restaurant with a salad bar, ribs, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens... they also played church hymns in the background and decorated with Gone With the Wind pictures.Walked around town resupplying for the next five days in the snow. Hikers coming in later this afternoon said there are three inches of snow in the mountains we are hiking tomorrowShowered, took a long hot bath, did laundry, ate more sald and pizza, talked to our children and my sister. Now getting ready to watch Big bang Theory with Kelly. Haven't been up past dark for awhile.Excited to get back on the trail in the morning.
Date: 2016-03-04
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Swag of the Blue Ridge
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Beautiful hike today. Some tough climbs but we took our time and made good progress. There were some amazing views and we walked through snow in the sunshine. The only down today was when the snow and ice blew off the trees and onto our heads but the views were worth the temporary pain We are stealth camping at the Swag of the Blue Ridge Gap. It's pretty, close tot eh trail and not full of people. Looking forward to a warmish, quiet evening.