morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Campsite on Watauga Lake

To: Camp near creek mile 444.8
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: clear sky

Today, after a beautiful sunrise over the lake, iI had 2 hard boiled eggs, pepperoni, and pepper jack cheese on a jalape±o cheddar tortilla for breakfast. It was a very hot day and I had pretty bad heartburn for most of the morning. We got an early start out, moxie being the first! I wasnt far behind but lagged back because I wasnt feeling well. Kat and Firehands and their new dog Lucy Jones passed me and I caught up with them at the first water source. Lucy ate, drank , and fell asleep while Kat, Forehands, and I ate and rehydrated. I sat there for around 45 minutes before moving on. I found Trisha, Cricket, and Roscoe at the next shelter where Trisha was sleeping. I rested for a while and enjoyed all the Bob Peoples jokes written in the shelter. Bob Peoples runs Kincora hostel. (Examples: Jesus asks Bob Peoples for forgiveness; Bob Peoples gives boots blisters; etc).Tracker came through hoping to hike 30 miles. I left soon after him and struggled along a ridgeline with great views. I took lots of breaks and at one point just lay down in the shade for awhile. With no foliage yet and no wind or clouds it felt a great deal over 70 today. At one point the trail widened up into an old road and became much more manageable than the steep climb following my crossing of the Watauga Dam this morning. I filled up on water before the second shelter where I met Baker and Sweet Tea. They told me my crew was 4 miles up the trail. I sat with them and ate before pushing on. They each suffered in the heat today, flirting with dehydration. I left the shelter at 6 and pulled into camp after 7. Everyone seemed surprised I took so long and was the last one to camp. We did around 20 miles today, including some good climbs. A short while after I settled in we were joined by Cricket and Trisha and then Baker and Sweet Tea, making our group 9. Camp is a tiny clearing near a nice creek. There are plenty of frogs chirping and it is warm.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Camp near creek mile 444.8

To: Campsite 2 miles outside of Damascus
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I was slow leaving the camp site. By the time I left the camp at 9 everyone else had been gone for some time. I crossed TN 91 and entered a handicap accessible portion of the trail. I think more of the trail should be like this! It was a beautiful gravel walkway through a very pastoral scene, framed by the Appalachian Mountains. I stopped and spoke to a couple of turkey hunters."See those mountains there?" one asked me, "You're gonna climb every one of them today on your way to town."It always looks worse from far away but once you get up on the ridge lately we have not been doing much elevation change during the day. It was warm again and I was sure to drink plenty of water. I met up with Moxie at Double Springs Shelter and then again at the next road crossing. I lay down in the shade while my cooking pot collected water from me from a slow dripping pipe out of a spring. A couple of locals pulled over to say "howdy" and warn us about the bears. I am always surprised at how scared some people are in the woods.I have had a great experience so far and hope to see bears and other wildlife. From this gap we had a good climb but my legs really impressed me. I climbed up hills without a hiccup that would have had me gasping for air a month ago. It is great to see the change in my physical abilities as well as in my attitude and determination. When I began my hike I struggled often, and still do, but I am now armed with the knowledge that I can succeed, rather than just the hope that I might!I stopped for a rest and to cool off in an unnamed, disused shelter. It was pretty decrepit and poorly built. You would be lucky to fit 4 hikers in it.After a short time I moved on and found Trisha, Cricket, Fly, Baker, Sweet Tea, and Slapp at Abingdon Gap Shelter taking a siesta. I got some water from Slapp and we all soon moved out. I was told Paraguay, Twix, Flounder, and Daddy Long Legs were going to be camping 2 miles from Damascus at a water source and we planned to join them. At this point we had 8 miles to go and I stuck with Dragon for the duration of it. This was his last real section of hiking on the trail before he gets off in Damascus so it was nice to hike with him after being solo so much lately.We took a picture at the border between TN and VA (GOODBYE TN!!) and soon ran into the encampment of thru hikers. Baker and Sweet Tea pushed on to town but Kat came and joined us. Firehands dropped back to take care of his new dog Lucy Jones, who is just skin and bones and can't hike very many miles yet. Dragon built a good fire and I enjoyed some macaroni and cheese as well as some mashed potatoes that Fly shared with me. I am so tired of Pasta Sides it isn't funny. My next resupply will not include any as I can no longer even bring myself to eat them, with the one possible exception being teriyaki noodle with peanut butter added....
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well I have to apologize for being so late to update my journal! Unfortunately my phone was destroyed in a rain storm as I hiked to Partnership Shelter near Marion VA, losing all my notes I use to update my journal, as well as my photos. I will do my best to go back and update my progress now, though it will not be until I have access to a computer that I can do it fully. Yesterday we woke up in the loft of the Wood's Hole Hostel to the sounds of chickens and guinea fowl. Soon we heard the breakfast bell ring and Fly, Woodrow, many others, and I made our way to the main cabin built in the 1800s. Breakfast was coffee, orange juice, sausage and peppers, eggs, home made bread and jam, and a peach crisp made with oatmeal. It was really fantastic and all the ingredients were either grown here at the farm or acquired locally. The communal meal was great and the owner of the Hostel, Neville, joined us. After breakfast I paid for my stay and food, picked up a loaf of bread baked that morning, and got a new food bag in the mail. This food bag is a good bit larger than my old one and I plan on carrying more food now. I am getting pretty skinny and have noticed my energy levels decreasing. I am trying to up my caloric intake as much as possible to curtail my weight loss. A forest service officer passing by the hostel gave me a ride to the trail head and talked to me about the controlled burns going on in the area in the next few days. I got on the trail   and had easy hiking along a ridge line all the way to Pearisburg. I met Slapp at the trail head in town as he was headed back out. I hope to catch up with him in Daleville. Woodrow, Fly, and I began the biggest climb of the day, a long steep hill up towards the hotel. I put out my thumb for a hitch and was surprised to see an Alabama script A on the back of an SUV that pulled over. Turns out to be Grits, an Alabama fan who thru hiked south bound last year. He saw the "Roll Tide" I have written on my pack and told me he'd take me anywhere I needed to go. He gave us a ride to the hotel then took me to get my new phone from the post office. I resupplied before dinner... Maybe a big mistake.... My food bag weighs about twenty pounds. I am getting ready to head out now...
Date: 2013-07-10
From: Hanover

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I couldn't stay away. I'm flying from Gulfport MS and will arrive in Lebanon, NH tonight. A friend of Fly's has graciously offered to get us to the trail. I'm excited and nervous. I heard New Hampshire was easy hiking so I figured I'd knock out a few hundred miles more. Hanover to Katahdin. I haven't done anything to maintain any degree of fitness while off the trail so we will see how she welcomes me back. I'm anxious about returning to the trail as a non thru hiker. I don't care what other people think, it'll just be a new experience. .... That and I'm coming back to the trail fat with soft feet!
Date: 2013-07-12
From: Hexacuba Shelter

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

By the time I got up only Fly, White Out, and Duckey were still at the shelter. Fly WO and I climbed Mt Cube and had fantastic views. Wild blueberries grew in the cracks of large boulders on the summit. From the top I called Hikers Welcome Hostel to arrange a shuttle from 25a. We figured we aren't purists any way, better to do a short day and rest for Moosilauke tomorrow . Well we waited and an hour after the shuttle was supposed to be there there was still no sign. With no cell service we hitched to a general store and called the hostel. Apparently a parade in warren shut the road down so no shuttle for us. We tried hitching for 30 minutes before a black ford ranger pulled over with GA plates. Fly and I were just saying we missed the south where people seemed quick to offer rides and here we are on the NH/VT border in the back of a truck from Georgia! The couple took us to the Greenhouse where we had a nice lunch and then walked downtown to the village green to check out the founders day carnival. In the middle of the city there is a red stone rocket from Huntsville , brought up in 1971 as a monument to Alan Shephard a native son of New Hampshire. The village was not what I expected! There was a chicken bingo game where you won if the chicken pooped on your square, atv clubs, camo, and confederate flag clothing items. Pretty interesting. We sat on the green and I had a sausage dog (conecuh is better). After taking in the sights we walked to the food market and ran into Legion who was shuttling hikers to the hostel. Resupplied, got dinner, showered, at hostel!
Date: 2013-07-13
From: Hikers Welcome Hostel

To: Lost River Campground
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up early at the hostel but was slow to leave. Samson, Hoosier, Lost and Found, Roadrunner and Foxy left very early and Fly and I followed them north close to 9. After a short road walk we came to a significant stream crossing. We used a down tree to cross safely. A section hiker named Whitehead coming behind us was not so lucky and he fell into the creek. I helped him onto the bank and we began our climb of Moosilauke. The ascent was steep and long but the trail was very nice and beautiful as well. There were several streams going up so we had plenty of water. We took our time but my body is starting to feel like it used to once more and the climb was difficult but didn't leave me as exhausted as those of the previous days. I was excited to break tree line and as we got closer to the summit the forest got shorter and the trees thinned out. Fly and I checked out the south peak which was covered with people but offered great views. From this vantage point the main summit was obscured in clouds. We hiked along an old carriage road towards the summit. The last time a vehicle came up moosilauke was a jeep in 1949. There used to be a hotel on top but it burned down a long time ago. Rock piles called cairns marked the trail as we hiked first through shrubs then just grass and clouds to the peak. Out of the fog bank loomed a crowd of people. It was strange to see so many up top!We sat down and took a nice break and ate with section hikers white head and lord willing before descending to the Beaver Brook shelter where we found Foxy fast asleep. This shelter had an amazing view of beautiful mountains. We hiked on and ended up on A very steep and crowded trail. There were plenty of day hikers and this was the most treacherous trail I have ever hiked. The trail descends sharply parallel an amazing waterfall for over a mile. The rocks were slippery and signs warned us to mind our footing to avoid "tragic results." I only fell once and managed to keep from tumbling all the way down. Definitely an exhilarating trail. At the bottom we got some snacks left at the trail head as magic and started to try to hitch to the campground where Slapp, Woodrow, Dragon, his girlfriend Mary , Clark Kent, and Flip were. A couple we spoke with on the descent saw us and gave us a ride. Our reunion with everyone was great! We cooked burgers over an open fire for dinner and showered and did laundry. I had a chai tea and juniper berry beer after dinner with mountain pies- bread with pie filling inside toasted over a fire covered in powdered sugar ( Flip's recipe). We sat around the fire and visited late into the night. I'm sad to say this will probably be my last time seeing this crew for a while. They are many miles ahead of me on the trail and have their eyes on the finish line.
Date: 2013-07-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

AMWoke up around 5:15 and packed up my gear. Kelly, one of the croo, played guitar and sang to the guests up stairs to wake them up for breakfast. After the guests ate Fly and I helped clean up and then ate. The menu was porridge, quiche with broccoli onions and shrooms and a really good blueberry coconut cake. The croo was great to visit with and gave us some correspondence to carry to the next hut , Lakes of the Clouds!Immediately leaving Mizpah Springs hut I climbed up a steep rocky incline above tree line. From there the trail weaved around several summits before Lakes of the Clouds hut came into view. I went inside, delivered my messages, and spoke to the croo about weather on Washington as I had been told earlier it was going to be bad. Current conditions were wind gusts to 75mph expected to build to 100+ later with severe t storms. I asked if it was safe to go over or not and the croo encouraged me to push for Madison Spring Hut, so I did. The summit of Washington was a quick rocky ascent away and on top there were plenty of people who drove and took the cog train up taking pictures. I went to the snack bar and got some food while weighing my options. I decided that since I wasn't in peak shape yet I better get off the ridge line. I was not prepared for 6 more miles of hiking in those types of winds with no opportunity to seek cover under tree line. A list of hikers and other people who perished on Washington which was posted in the snack bar area cemented my decision. I took a shuttle down to Pinkham notch with fly and another hiker. From there a series of hitches got us to Gorham where we met up with Slapp Woodrow Clark Kent Flip Roadrunner Whiteout and a young hiker named Ebo. We went out to eat and caught up before returning to our rooms at "Hiker's Paradise."
Date: 2013-06-11
To: T-17 Hours
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I finally got everything in my pack today! We leave tomorrow on an early flight to Bangor, Maine - I hope I'm able to sleep tonight! I've been taking three showers a day the past couple of days since those are about to be a luxury. All that is left for me to do today is call people one more time before I leave, and eat a ton of food. People keep asking if I'm nervous, I'm not really all that nervous, more excited than anything and anxious to get started.I can't believe this trip is finally here! =)
Date: 2013-06-12
To: Bangor, Maine
Miles today: 0.0

Today we slept for only 2 hours, got up at 4am and flew to Detroit, then to Bangor, ME. There we met up with Phil who is AWESOME! And super helpful. He showed us downtown Bangor, Stephen King's house, and the famous truckstop of America which was once featured on the Travel Channel or something. We then picked up two other guys, Wes and Andrew. All of us just graduated from college and are about to start a thru-hike to GA! Phil took us to his beautiful log cabin in Springfield, Maine and along the way told us tons of stories and gave us a lot of advice about thru-hiking... he's done it three times and has devoted his semi-retired life to assisting hikers and meeting all of their needs. He's a pretty cool dude. He also scared us a little with stories of people he dropped off at Katahdin and has already had to pull out o the 100 Mile Wilderness. Hopefully I don't become one of those people! Another early morning tomorrow... I can't believe this day is finally here! =)
Date: 2013-06-13
From: Bangor, Maine

To: Katahdin Stream
Miles today: 5.1

Today, I climbed a mountain!!!! Mt. Katahdin (pronounced kuh-TAH-den)is the 2nd highest peak on the trail at 5261 ft. It. Was. EPIC!! Kevin (Flip), Wes, Andrew, Isaac (Mulligan), and myself all summitted together. We went up the Abol Slide which is essentially straight up for about 2 miles. Boulders. Some the size of cars! There was no hiking involved, it was climbing hand over hand and was so much fun! And difficult. Normally people go through 14 states to build up to this mountain, but we did it the first day, and conquered it! COming down was even worse, though. We went down the Hunt Trail which is the actual start of the AT and is 5.1 miles. Those boulders were even bigger and more inconveniently placed. I did a lot of butt-sliding. Once we got down the most ridiculous part (with random rebar contraptions to help you down in weird ways), we could see both the Abol and Hunt trails. It was cool to see them kind of that close up together because you look at it and think "that is impossible," but it's not because we did it which is an awesome feeling! Today was literally the most perfect weather for climbing a mountain, it was absolutely GORGEOUS out and clear and bright, at the top, you could see so far into the distance, I can't explain the beauty of it all. Katahdin is going down in the books as hands down the coolest thing I've ever done!
Date: 2013-06-14
From: Katahdin Stream

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Day 1 of actual hiking! Man it feels good! Except I have a cold, but that's fine, it could be a lot worse. There are two things I'm really looking forward to about Maine: fording rivers, and seeing a moose! By "looking forward to," I mean "obnoxiously excited." Today we got to our 1st river fording. I hike at a slower pace than Flip and Mulligan, but they were waiting for me and the river so we could ford together. Since I was super excited about it, they let me do the honors of going first! Where the trail crosses was moving very fast, so Mulligan had found another, calmer, spot to cross. We thought. I got in and made it 1/3 of the way across just fine, but when I went to put my poles in front of me for the next step, they didn't touch. Though the current wasn't too strong, it was strong enough that I wasn't going in chest deep with my pack because that'd carry me away for sure. So we blue-blazed around the first river fording. (Blue-blazing is when you go around the actual AT by use of side trails which are marked by blue blazes instead of the AT white blazes). Smart decision, but I was still disappointed. However, we forded plenty of bogs today! Most of the first 10 miles was lake overflow onto the Trail so I was hiking waist deep in stagnant water. Good thing Maine's water is cool and clear because if that had been GA water, I would have come out with leeches EVERYWHERE and maybe a water moccasin bite or two! The last 3.2 miles were pretty brutal, but a good introduction of what is to come for the next 100 miles. Some other SOBOs (South-Bounders) were at the lean-to tonight, three of them just graduated from Boston and call themselves the Sobros which is VERY fitting. We all talked for a bit then passed out at 7:15 pm.
Date: 2013-06-15
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Rainbow Stream Lean to
Miles today: 11.5

Today was kind of rough. I wore my knee brace today and that helps, I'll definitely appreciate that in the long run, but it causes extra blisters and I know I'm going to have enough of those to deal with already! Here's some imagery of the "trail" through Maine: giant roots. Rocks (big, slippery, pointy ones). Logs (as "bridges"). Mix all of that together and drown it in three feet of water or a foot of mud and you have the AT! There's a lot of streams. Those look cool until you realize that the pretty stream coming down the mountain is actually the AT that you're supposed to follow UP the mountain! It's very challenging, but still fun so far! We've done more miles per day than I thought we'd start off with, so I'm glad for our easy 8 mile day tomorrow, but it hasn't been too much, just slow-going for me as I take it easy these first few weeks. It's nice to have so much company at the lean-to's. There were four guys everyone calls the "Boy Scouts" even though they aren't Boy Scouts - they just kind of look like it. They're just doing the 100 Mile Wilderness and seem pretty cool. Mulligan, the Sobros, and another guy are all moving further tomorrow because they don't have a midway resupply of food so they have to get through the 100 miles quicker, hopefully we catch back up with them at some point!
Date: 2013-06-16
From: Rainbow Stream Lean to

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I saw a snake today! It was a little one. Still no sign of a moose though. Today was really good for the most part! I took my time and was just really enjoying life and the AT. It was a low-mileage day so I was in no hurry. I talked to a guy who attempted to thru-hike years ago and had made it from GA to Connecticut. He was very uplifting and convinced that I will have a blast. Then, there was a perfect break/lunch spot I stopped at which had a beautiful view of Katahdin. It was cool to see because it gets further away each time and it's HUGE and it's awesome to know I CLIMBED that! And then hiked HERE, this far away from it!By the last mile, I was just ready to be at the lean-to. It started pouring a few minutes before I arrived. We squeezed 7 of us (Flip, Wes, The Boy Scouts, and myself) into the 6-person shelter. It was a tight fit and I hardly slept, but the rain was pretty cool to listen to. I definitely prefer tenting though.
Date: 2013-06-17
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Antler Campsite 
Miles today: 13.6

I don't really want to talk about today. Knee popped weird climbing over a tree. It was pretty excruciating the last 9 miles. Hope tonight isn't my last night, I'm not ready to give up yet... the good news is that I made it to this GORGEOUS tentsite where Flip and Wes were waiting. Flip and I will probably split up in Monson since I will now be going a lot slower to take care of my knee and he can go a lot further in a day than I can. It's definitely for the best. This place is one of the most beautiful places ever though, so I'm glad we skipped the lean-to and came here =)
Date: 2013-06-18
From: Antler Campsite 

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: moderate rain

Toady was probably the best day yet of hiking. Going to bed last night, I really thought I'd be texting Phil to come pull me out today, but, today the terrain wasn't bad, nor was the elevation and mileage. AND we got our midway food resupply!!!! Glorious. So I was in a much happier place today. The knee is sore but not nearly as painful as yesterday and last night. We'll see how it goes to Monson and I'll go from there. One day at a time! BUT back to today: I got to the leanto at 1:30, we set up our tent, then went for a swim in the river! It was FREEZING! But beautiful and so refreshing and just FUN =) I'm thankful for today because starting tomorrow, the days are going to get rough. I'm going to take it slow,one step at a time and hopefully that'll keep me going all the way to Springer!In other news: still no sign of a moose. I'm going to be real upset if I don't see one soon!