morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-12-10
To: Back to the trail
Miles today: 0.0

   It has taken a while but I finally have made my plans to get back on the trail. I am going to start my hike on January 9th. Last year I hiked from Amicalola to Hot Springs as part of a thru-hike attempt. I returned in the summer for a 100 mile section hike in Pennsylvania. I hope that the experience will help me with this hike.   This hike will most likely be a section hike due to financial and time constraints. I may have to get off the trail in April to start/run a business. If I decide not to buy the business I will most likely go to law school which will start in August. That would give me plenty of time but I do not have enough money saved to hike the entire trail.    I know January is not the best time to start a hike. January through March may be the only time I have to hike though so I don't want to pass this chance up. I'm hoping somehow I'll be able to hike the entire trail but realize that probably will not be possible. I'll be happy with however long I'm able to hike.   The start date may change from January 9th. I bought a plane ticket to Atlanta for January 8th. My brother who lives in Atlanta is now planning to come up here for Christmas. When he drives back to Atlanta I will most likely go with him. Then I could start my hike as early as January 1st.
Date: 2004-12-16
To: Winter Preparation
Miles today: 0.0

   I will be using most of my gear from last year but am making a few changes for the winter weather. I am taking a 5 degree bag rather than my 20 degree bag. I also have a silk sleeping bag liner which should add a little warmth. I was only cold a couple of times last year while sleeping and didn't really have any problems of being cold while hiking.   I have purchased a new pair of gloves and a balaclava. The rest of my clothing will be the same as last year. It hasn't really been cold enough here yet to test my sleeping bag. I've read different things on whether crampons or snowshoes will be necessary. I'm not planning on taking any. The snowshoes are expensive and would be a lot of extra weight if I didn't use them.   I read somewhere that snowshoes might be required for the Smokies. If that is true I'll either purchase some at that time or skip around the Smokies. I'm hoping that scenario never arises. In just a two or three weeks I'll be on the trail.
Date: 2004-12-19
To: Update
Miles today: 0.0

   This is just a quick entry to get my journal to show up. My last entry was about my winter preparations. I thought of one more change I'm making. I'll be cooking my food this time. Last time I went stoveless and it worked fine for me. Starting in the winter though, I think it will be much better to have a hot meal to look forward to at the end of the day.   Last year some people commented that I didn't include much of my personal life in my journal. It really isn't in my nature to share much personal info but in my next entry I will tell a little about myself and why I'm hiking.
Date: 2005-01-01
To: Why Hike?
Miles today: 0.0

   Many people asky why I want to hike and I don't really have a good answer for that. There is the appeal of not having to work for five or six months and the chance to lose weight/get in shape. Neither one of these though are my primary reason for wanting to hike.    I can't really explain my reason for hiking. I've known about the AT for some time and thought it was something I would like to do. In the summer of 2001 I read a short article about the AT and decided to find out more about it. I was soon reading everything I could find about the AT and hiking the trail was something I must do. It wasn't until last year that I finally got everything together so I could hike the trail. Although I didn't come anywhere close to thru-hiking I feel the experience will make me much better prepared for this year's thru-hike. It was great to be out on the trail after dreaming of it for so long.   Some people think that I am just wasting my time on the trail. At 37 years old I'm expected to have a house,family, and a career. I have none of that and am not sure if I really want them. I've spent most of my adult life making just enough money to live. I'm sure I've had well over 100 jobs since high school and I haven't really cared for any of them. I feel a much greater sense of accomplishment after hiking a day on the trail than I ever have after finishing a day at work. I'll most likely be starting law school in the fall so this might be the last chance I have to go on an extended hike for quite a while. This year looks like it could bring some pretty big changes and I'm looking forward to it. I hope this isn't too much of a ramble; I'm just trying to give some insight into why I want to hike.
Date: 2005-01-02
To: Leaving Today
Miles today: 0.0

   I should be leaving Atlanta in about one hour to head to the trail. I've had a fun time staying here in Atlanta with my brother and his girlfriend. My brother is driving me up to the trail and will walk from USFS 42 to Springer and back with me.   The weather is going to be nice. The temperature is forecast to be in the 60's or high 50's all week. Even taking off a few degrees for the altitude that is pretty warm,especially for January. I might be hiking in shorts today. My 5 degree sleeping bag is definitely going to be overkill. I'll enjoy it while it lasts,I'm sure I'll be needing my sleeping bag and all my cold weather gear soon. Next entry from the trail. I'm outta here!!
Date: 2005-01-02
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: broken clouds

My first day on the trail didn't go exactly as planned but it was still good. We started late from my brother's house. He was going to give me a ride to Springer and then I planned to hike to Stover Creek Shelter or maybe Hawk Mountain Shelter. With the late start I decided Stover Creek was more realistic. Somehow we missed the road to Springer and ended up at Amicalola Falls. Since my brother was in a hurry I decided to have him just drop me off at the top of the falls. Now making it to Stover Creek was no longer realistic.At Amicalola I went in to sign the register. I'm the first one to sign in this year. I know there are at least a couple of thru-hikers ahead of me but they didn't sign in at the visitor center, or they might have signed in on Dec. 31st.I started on the approach trail about 2:00 pm, it would have been a little earlier but the first time we arrived at the top of the falls I realized I had left my pack back at the visitors center. It was still there when I got back so it was only a minor delay but it wasn¢t the best start. Leaving things behind on the trail would be more problematic. I¢m unlikely to forget my entire pack though.The approach trail wasn¢t as hard as last year. That being said I was still huffing and puffing going up the hills. Skipping the first mile of the approach trail definitely makes it much easer. I arrived at Black Stump Gap about 4:45pm and decided to push on to Springer, I arrived at the shelter as daylight was beginning to disappear. I definitely hiked as far as I could for the day. My legs are a little fatigued but otherwise I feel fine. It was a great day to start a thru-hike.
Date: 2005-01-03
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I shared the shelter last night at Springer with two guys. They¢re doing a section hike to Hogpen Gap. I didn¢t sleep well last night. It takes me some time to get acclimated to the new sleeping conditions. Having to get up twice to use the privy didn¢t help either. I was toasty in my sleeping bag. I¢m guessing the temperature only got down to the 40¢sI woke up at 6:30 this morning and it was still completely dark. There was a dense fog that didn¢t lift until about 8:00. I didn¢t get on the trail until about 9.20.The trail was easer today. It was very pleasant hiking. I arrived at Hawk Mountain Shelter early in the afternoon. I didn¢t think I could make it to the Gooch Mountain Shelter so I stayed here.I¢m staying here with Mike and Tracy, the section hikers from yesterday. There are also two new section hikers here. They are from Chicago and carrying ridiculously heavy packs. We built a fire and just hung out until after dark.I actually hiked fewer miles today than yesterday. I¢m taking it easy at first and I¢ll gradually increase the miles.The weather was great again today. I hope it stays that way. It was another wonderful day hiking on the A.T.
Date: 2005-01-04
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today¢s hiking was more difficult. By the time I made it to Gooch Mountain Shelter I was beat. Also my stomach had been bothering me. After a few hours rest, food, water and presto! I felt much better. ¢Jaws¢, another thru-hiker arrived here last night and we made plans to go into Hiawassee on Sunday. According to the register there are five thru-hikers ahead of us. That has to be and unusual amount. Maybe everybody knew we would have great January weather.I plan on making my first double digit miles today so I got to get moving.
Date: 2005-01-05
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Bird Gap
Miles today: 12.0

Today¢s hiking was easier but it wasn¢t easy. I felt better today but the longer miles still took me all day to make. I didn¢t leave Gooch Mountain Shelter until about 10:00 and arrived here at Bird Gap just as it was getting dark. Mike and Tracy were already here. Tomorrow is the last day of their section hike. ¢Jaws¢ made it in about an hour after me. He had gone into Suches, GA to bounce ahead some of his cold weather gear. There¢s also another hiker here named ¢No Agenda¢.Tomorrow I¢ll go to Neel¢s Gap and shower, buy some junk food, and maybe do laundry. I¢m not sure how far past there I¢ll hike. I don¢t want to go to Whitley Gap Shelter since it is over a mile off the trail. I¢ll probably tent again tomorrow although it may rain. I can¢t complain, the weather has been great.
Date: 2005-01-06
From: Bird Gap

To: NeelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: light rain

It rained hard last night and continued this morning. Everything I had got wet. I wasn¢t planning on staying at Neel¢s Gap but I didn¢t want to hike in the rain so here I am."Bluevist" and "Jaws" are also staying in the hostel. "No Agenda" is camping out back. The hostel is OK. It was nice to take a shower, do my laundry and dry all my stuff. The cheeseburger and fries were also good.The plan is to hike to Low Gap tomorrow. We have to hike slightly longer miles in order to make it to Dick¢s Creek Gap for the shuttle to Hiawassee.There is supposed to be rain the next couple of days. It¢s still going to be pretty warm. The weather has been better than I could have hoped for. I called home and found out I had been accepted to the University of Arkansas law school. I have some more applications pending but it is good to know I¢ll be in somewhere in the fall. Now I just have to finish my hike before August, shouldn¢t be a problem.
Date: 2005-01-07
From: NeelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up at 9:20 this morning. I didn¢t realize it was that late because it is dark in the hostel. It was about 10:15 when I started on the trail. The weather was a little cooler today. It was great for hiking.I made it to the shelter about 4:00 pm. "Jaws" is here and also four section hikers. Today¢s hike was fairly easy. The only major uphill was coming out of Tesnatee Gap. Tomorrow we plan to hike 14.9 miles, I remember the trail not being too difficult between here and there, I hope my memory is correct. I¢m off to sleep as I need to get an earlier start tomorrow than I did today.
Date: 2005-01-08
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: broken clouds

   This was my biggest mileage day so far. I made good time to Unicoi Gap. The climb out of Unicoi Gap really fatigued me and I started slowing down. The last couple of miles I started feeling sick. When I got about a half mile away from the shelter I puked. I rested for a while after I arrived at the shelter to see if my stomach would feel better. Even water was upsetting my stomach so I decided to just go to sleep.   I'm not sure what caused me to get sick. I know I haven't been eating enough food or drinking enough water overall. I did feel like I drank enough water today although I was getting hot. Maybe I just pushed my body a little too far. Anyway I am going into Hiawassee tomorrow and then I can get something to soothe my stomach.
Date: 2005-01-09
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap (Hiawassee)
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

   I woke up early today to give myself plenty of time to make the shuttle to Hiawassee. My stomach didn't feel much better but I ate something anyway to have energy for today's hike. The food didn't settle well and water didn't help. I was able to maintain a decent pace when the trail was level or downhill but slowed to a crawl on the uphills. My stomach started bothering me more and eventually I puked up the little that I had eaten or drank today.   I managed to get to Dicks Creek Gap at right at 3:00 pm. Jaws had arrived there a few minutes before me. After settling into my room at the Hiawassee Inn I went out and got something to eat. I bought a chocolate milkshake and it seemed to settle my stomach. I ate a little more food after that and it stayed down. My stomach still doesn't seem quite right but it is definitely better. I'm hoping it will be much better tomorrow.
Date: 2005-01-10
From: Dicks Creek Gap (Hiawassee)

To: Dicks Creek Gap (Hiawassee)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

   I decided to take a zero day today to give my stomach more time to get better. It feels almost like normal but I don't want to get sick again. That was a miserable experience. I know I haven't been eating or drinking enough on the trail and am going to try to fix that.   I did the usual town chores today. Laundry,shopping, and going to the post office. I also went to the library and checked my email and took care of some other things on the internet. Unfortunately they have trailjournals.com blocked. All the services in Hiawassee are within easy walking distance from the Hiawassee Inn. The post office is right in front of the supermarket. There are also several restaraunts within walking distance. Unfortunately there is no longer an all-you-can-eat place in town.   I enjoyed watching the football playoffs yesterday but today I became really bored with watching TV and I'm ready to get back on the trail. I kinda wish I had just arranged a shuttle for the afternoon rather than staying another day. I ate alot of food today so I should have plenty of energy for the trail. Jaws and I are going to take the shuttle back to the trail tomorrow around 9:30 am tomorrow. The weather is supposed to remain warm until the weekend. We should have some good hiking days ahead of us.
Date: 2005-01-11
From: Dicks Creek Gap (Hiawassee)

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Jaws and I were shuttled back to the trail at about 9:45 am. Ron of the Hiawassee Inn was a great host. The motel is old and could be cleaner but Ron's hospitality makes it worth staying there. He is going to have regular shuttles once thru-hiker season starts. He hasn't decided what time they're going to be yet.   We had a very leisurely pace today. We didn't arrive at the shelter until after 5:00 pm. I only took a couple of short breaks. One at Plumorchard Gap shelter and one at the state line. I have now finished Georgia and am in North Carolina.   My stomach started acting up shortly after I started hiking. For a while I thought I might have to turn around and go back to town. I felt a warm sensation pass through my stomach and suddenly it felt better. It didn't bother me the rest of the day. I'm not sure what was causing the problem but I'm glad it is gone. It is great to be back on the trail.
Date: 2005-01-12
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: broken clouds

   I didn't get up until late today. I was laying in my sleeping bag questioning my reasons for hiking the trail. I know I'll have to leave the trail at some point to make money and get things set up for school. Right now I've decided to delay getting off the trail as long as practically possible. I'll probably have to get off the trail sometime in February.   As Jaws and I were getting ready to go some SOBO's stopped in. A couple whose names I've already forgotten stopped in first and then "Amazing Grace" stopped in shortly after.   I took a shortcut today so I actually only hiked about ten miles. Jaws preferred to stay on the AT so I'm a day ahead of him now. He is more of a purist hiker than I am. Since I hiked Amicalola to Hot Springs last year I don't feel bad about taking shortcuts or skipping sections on this part of the trail. My goal is to have hiked all of the AT. Skipping sections I have previously hiked doesn't violate this. HYOH as they say. I hope Jaws will catch up to me in a few days and we can hike together again.   When I arrived here at Rock Gap there were two section hikers here with their tents set up in the shelter. They were friendly and moved their tents to give me room for my sleeping bag. They were finishing their hike the next day and offered me some of their food. I accepted a little food although I didn't really need any. What I really needed was TP since I forgot to restock it in Hiawassee and was down to about two sheets. Tom offered me the rest of his TP. I was very lucky there. I certainly wasn't looking forward to wiping with leaves. Thanks again, Tom.   About a half hour after I had arrived Trippin' Ant arrived at the shelter. He has done the AT,PCT, and all but a small section of the CDT. This time he is out for a section hike from Springer to Fontana. The section hikers were very interested in his trail stories. Everyone stayed up talking about the different trails for a couple of hours and then we went to bed.
Date: 2005-01-13
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: light rain

   It is raining this morning. The section hikers are early risers and have already left. I have the shelter to myself now. I'm updating my journal and reading the register to delay starting hiking. I'm planning a short day so I'll have plenty of time even with a late start.   As I was packing up to leave this morning, the owner of the Haven Motel stopped in. It was tempting to ride back into Franklin with him but I resisted. In retrospect maybe I should have gone into town.   The hiking wasn't too bad for most of the day. There was intermittent light rain and strong winds. As I was climbing out of Wallace Gap I thought I might get blown off the side of the mountain. About a mile before I reached the shelter it started raining hard. I hadn't put on my rain pants since it hadn't been raining very hard and my pants got soaking wet. Also I had managed to keep my boots dry all day but they too got soaking wet during the last mile to the shelter   When I reached the shelter I discovered it was full of section hikers. I set up my tent in the cooking area as I didn't want to set it up in the rain. Right now I'm nice and cozy in my sleeping bag. I've already put on dry clothes and had a snack. It is supposed to rain tomorrow also. I hope not nearly as hard. The wind is blowing some droplets of rain in one me even though I'm at least two feet inside the overhang. I didn't think I would need my rainfly inside the shelter. Hopefully I won't get too wet. I'll let you know tomorrow.
Date: 2005-01-14
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

My sleeping bag got a little wet last night. I don't think it was enough to affect its performance. The section hikers offered to make room for me after I had already set up my tent. I declined their offer. It would have been nice if they would have offered during the two hours previous when I was sitting on the shelter floor trying to get warm. The temperature dropped much lower last night. I was still toasty in my sleeping bag. The forecast is for highs in the 40's and low's in the 20's. Which will be about ten degrees lower at the higher altitude. It looks like I'm finally starting to experience typical January weather.   Today's hike was pleasant. The climb up Wayah Bald was tough but not as bad as I remembered. I had to keep adjusting my clothing depending on whether I was on the sunny or shaded side of the mountain. It was comfortable walking in the sun but in the shade I would have to put on my hat and gloves and zip up my fleece.   Trippin' Ant passed me on the way up Wayah Bald. Later I passed a SOBO name C'est La Vie. It looks like I'll have the shelter to myself tonight. Tomorrow I'm headed to NOC where there should be plenty of hikers.
Date: 2005-01-15
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

   It was boring at Cold Spring last night. I arrived there at 3:45pm. It was early to stop but I didn't think I could make it to the next shelter before dark. After doing all my chores I still had plenty of time to kill before dark. There wasn't even a register to read. Now that I'm hiking solo I guess I'll have to get used to it.   I didn't sleep well last night. This shelter is slanted downward toward the back wall. I had to get up and turn my sleeping bag around. Also it got very cold last night. My sleeping bag kept me warm except for my feet. My feet would have been fine if would have had dry socks to put on. I had to draw the sleeping bag together so that there was only a small opening for my face. This caused a problem because I move around alot in my sleep. I kept waking up and my face would no longer be facing the opening.   It was another pleasant hiking day. It warmed up quite a bit in the afternoon. Wesser Bald was the only major climb. I left the shelter a little after 9:00am and made it to NOC a little after 3:00pm.   I was able to get a space in the hostel even though the SORUCK is this weekend. I got to see some great presentations by Spur,Weathercarrot, and others. I also got to visit with Hitrailer who I hiked with some last year. I also had a nice supper which is exactly what a hiker needs. I didn't get to bed until 11:00pm, much later than normal for me.
Date: 2005-01-16
From: NOC

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

   I decided to take a zero day today to enjoy the SORUCK and allow Jaws to catch up with me. After checking my email at the store I found out Jaws went into Franklin yesterday and won't be catching up with me for a while. I did my laundry and other chores yesterday so all I have to do today is hang out. FYI the internet access at NOC costs $1 for five minutes. It works reasonably fast for dialup but it has a weird browser which didn't allow me to view some web sites normally.   I spent most of the day sitting around talking to other people. Most of the SORUCK group left after lunch. In the afternoon Hitrailer gave me a ride to the convenience store about a mile up the road. I needed just a few things but the cost there was much less than at the NOC store. It was an enjoyable weekend but tomorrow I'm getting back on the trail. I felt like hiking out this afternoon when the weather was nice but I had already paid for the day so I decided to stay. It is snowing now so it will be interesting to see what the trail is like tomorrow.