morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-03-09
From: Plumorchard Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

Been reading about Kabir from the first night flying down the trail. He's almost 4 days ahead of us. His trailname is Bad Humuus, funny. We met Riley last night, he was hiking with Kabir but had hurt his ankle. We saw the 4 sisters just as we were heading out of the shleter at 11am. They came from a town stop in Hiawasse. They are going to push onto Muskrat Creek Shelter after a quick lunch. Today started off easy, we left the final plans of how far to hike to Chris and Ryan. When we got to Bly Gap, they were feeling good so they decided to push on the 2.5 miles to the shelter, well . . . we probably should've stayed at Bly Gap, because that later section was tough and it was dark by the time we got to the shelter. However, I was happy, we had dried our tent during lunch at Bly Gap, because it was frozen solid in sections. We all opted to tent that night, partly because the shelter was already full and because we sleep better in the tent. Birdbath and I had a gorgeous tenting spot overlooking the valley. This is the last shelter we'll share with our sual gang since we are going to slow out miles for the next week. They have been fun and I hope we catch up with them again in the future.
Date: 2008-03-11
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Carter Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: light rain

Spent most of today hiking by myself since the boys were lagging behind playing some game of ambush the enemy or whatever. It was a peaceful rhodedendron forest, looked like ideal bear country. It was pretty walking and I had a lot of time to just think and sing to myself. It was drizzling by the time I got to Carter Shelter. Kirby, who we met in Logan finally caught up to us and passed us today. The rest of our usual gang has begun to get ahead of us now.   Today, my feet have been killing me. Wish I could figure out how to fix that. Off to bed early. The boys are off climbing trees or something.
Date: 2008-03-12
From: Carter Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: clear sky

We said goodbye and goodluck to Kirby and the gang today. My feet are doing a lot better today. The 2 Advil I took yesterday really helped. Elvis (Chris) tried to "ambush" Birdbath today but failed miserably. He had his red bandana tied to his pack and stuck out like a sore thumb. Even I saw him and couldn't figure out at first what he was doing crouched at the side of the trail like he was. Then just as I figured out it was some sort of game, Brian pointed his hiking pole at Chris and "shot" him . . . BOYS !!! I spent much of today dreaming of hot melty cheese. Guess my trailname really fits. I am missing real food already. Today we climbed Albert Mountain and it was so steep and rocky, I thought I was back in the White Mountains of NH. The steep part was short though and the views were fabulous. Loved it. I even climbed the tower which had great views. Hal, Mangey Mo and River caught back up to us today and we met Snake and Brock at the shelter. Also, Ryan got his name today. He is Chainsaw the Bear, cause Elvis says he snores like a Chainsaw or a bear, but I think Elvis is hearing things cause we have camped next to Chainsaw 2 days now and haven't heard anything. Tomorrow is going to be a real short day and after all these short days when we are hiking more than 6 miles, it is going to be really hard.
Date: 2008-03-13
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: clear sky

One thing I forgot to mention about our night at Carter was that Elvis gave me 2 of his Mountain House Scrambled egg breakfasts because he hates them and I added it to our Paneer Makhani and Lipton Rice dinner and it was indeed gross. Don't eat those nasty things. Yuck. The eggs have a strange consistency and the powdery bits give the rest of the meal a murky look. YUCK. But Birdbath liked them so this morning Chainsaw gave him his share of those. Not as bad, just plain like that except Birdbath drinks that gross water they are reconstituted in. We said goodbye to Hal and Mangey Mo because they are pushing on without stopping in Franklin. I asked them to say hello to the 4 sisters and hikefarm and chief daddy. Also, we are running out of food AGAIN. This time though we have less experienced backpackers with us who have overpacked and so we are getting all of their trip "leftovers". However, our snacks are fully depleted save for the single candy bar that I have gorded away for breakfast tomorrow morning. Crazy Brian, which should be his trailname, thinks we pack too much food but my answer to that is, then how come we are always running low? I am definitely buying more at the next stop in Franklin. Tonight we are camping just down the hill from Rock Gap Shelter. The boys have gone to see the Wasilik Poplar, guess it is a huge tree but it is dead and if I don't nap right now, I will be too . . .My feet are doing great today, guess the no food left lightweight backpack and the short miles help them. Tuit, Zoom, Buzz Lightyear (Jess) and the Professor (Baker) are all here today. Wingit had to drop out cause of his knees. Bummer. Ron Haven, who owns the motels in Franklin and shuttles hikers stopped by from a side road and Brian let him know we would be at Winding Stair Gap tomorrow morning at 9am. Elvis and Chainsaw have decided to wait at Wallace Gap (0.1 mile) and we will be hiking the almost 4 miles to Winding Stair Gap tomorrow to catch the shuttle. Oh yeah, the other person who caught up today was Dave (who actually likes to be called David, so I have to remember that). This has been a GREAT week with Elvis and Chainsaw, particularly for Brian with all the tree climbing. He will miss that since I most certainly am not going to risk hurting myself by climbing trees.
Date: 2008-03-14
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Franklin - Budget Inn
Miles today: 3.7

Brian and I got up at 5am and packed up in about an hour. We started hiking by 6:10am by headlamps and needed to be at Winding Stair by 9am for our shuttle into Franklin. It ended up only taking us a bit over 2 hours. Guess we were eager to get into town. We ate our one candy bar about half way through. We stopped a bunch and took in the beautiful views. Once we got to Winding Stair Gap, we just hung around for about an hour until Ron Haven picked us up in a big white van. We then headed to Wallace Gap to pick up Elvis, Chainsaw, Tuit, Zoom and Buzz. It was a tight squeeze but we all fit and Ron entertained us with his jokes and his stories all the way back to Franklin. We stayed at the Budget Inn and it was a small but nice enough room though the shower was kinda broken. Ron is a super nice guy and so friendly and accomodating to hikers, I really liked him and Franklin is a great town stop. The 4 of us showered and changed and went to an all-u-can-eat buffet where Leigh Anne met us to pick up the boys. Before they left, they took us to the Ingles Supermarket for our resupply and I bought a whole bunch of food. YUM !!. Back at the room, we took more stuff and food out of the resupply bag Leigh Anne brought us and then we said our goodbyes to them. It was sad to see them go. I then spent a couple of hours updating our trailjournals and Brian went on Ron Haven's town shuttle to get some insoles and some lotion and other items we needed. We also did laundry and made phone calls and before we knew it, it was late. So much to do, so little time. Wish we could stay another day but we have to hit the trail tomorrow, even though they are calling for heavy rains and thunderstorms. So hard to leave a warm dry room, particularly to venture out into that. But, we gotta do what we gotta do.
Date: 2008-03-15
From: Franklin - Budget Inn

To: Siler Blad Shelter 
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: light rain

Last night we stayed up way past our bedtime cause I think it was almost 11pm when we finally went to sleep. Woke up at 5am to check weather.com . . . nothing new, rain and thunderstorms all day today. I SO, SO, SO wanted to stay another night. It was so very very difficult to take all of our dry stuff and our dry warm bodies into the cold, wet and soaking rain but I could see in Birdbath's eyes that if I decided to take a zero day here today that he thinks this is how it will be with me fo the rest of the trip. I knew I needed to tough this out today to prove to him that I won't be zero-ing at every town stop. . . so as much as I HATE the thought of soaking all our dry stuff, I need to go. So, off we went onto the AT at 11am today. The rain was just starting and Ron Haven, KTR and Solace all mentioned that the rain was going to be bad and it was tempting but it was time to go. I didn't get a chance to finish updating trailjournals and since this post is being uploaded almost 3 weeks later, I won't be getting the chance to update like I did at Franklin again for a while. By the time we were on the trail for 30 minutes the rain was coming down hard in sheets. It was dripping into my eyes and everything was soaked including my boots which were full of cold water. The thunder and lightning were intense and VERY close together, 5 counts apart meaning about a mile away. Birdbath even suggested at one point that we set up our tent and get out of the rain. He was nervous that we are basically walking around with 2 metal roda in our hands (our hiking poles) . . . but I wanted to keep going . . . and he just shook his head and said, what am I going to tell your parents when you get hit by lightning? Such a worrywort . . . he and Nancy and Jen would make quite the team, hiding fom the lightning. Soon, it began to hail and those small but hard pieces of ice hurt like mad, I'll tell you. Ouch!! Almost hurt as much as the rime ice to the face since it was constant. However, we got lucky and it was only 3 hours till we were at the shelter, where we promptly got into our dry clothes and our bags. I got chilled pretty quickly and had no motivation to do my big chore of the day, cooking dinner . . . so Birdbath being the wonderful man he is, cooked dinner and I ate in my bag, yummy. Since I was still fighting a cold, I took 2 Nyquil and off to bed I went. What a day, hope tomorrow is better.
Date: 2008-03-16
From: Siler Blad Shelter 

To: Licklog Gap
Miles today: 8.6

Last night we spent the night in the shelter with Greg and Time Traveller and Tootz and Burples, who are actually from the northeast but go to school in NC. Today our goal was Cold Spring Shelter but we only left at about 10:40am and had to go 0.5 miles back to the AT on the side trail to where we left off, so we only started our AT miles at 11am. We knew we would likely NOT make it all the way to the shelter so decided to play it by ear. With the late start, I decided to skip the side trail but Siler's Bald but Brian went up there while I kept going. I was still having some significant foot pain and now had 3 different insoles with me, trying them in various combinations and alone, to see what works best. Something has to give with this foot pain because I cannot imagine hiking for 6 months with this much pain. I was well past Wayah Gap before Brian finally caught me, I was just starting to worry about him since I had stopped 3 times to wait for him. He had spent a long time on the Bald, talking to some dayhikers, who gave him our first trail magic of the trip. The boiled egg he got from them really hit the spot. What a nice guy for sharing it with me. We leaped frogged most of the day with Hammerdown and a group of boy scouts who had also been camped near the shelter last night. The weather was so much better than yesterday, the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day for the views we got on Wayah Bald. We could see standing indian mountain from last week. Wayah Shelter was near full when we got there, most of the group from last night were there and also Lil' Mak, Popeye and Captain Jack and a few others. There was space there but I wanted to push on so we got water from the shelter, and carried a whomping 8 gallons of water between us to our campsite which was more than a mile away. The effort however was WELL worth it. The campsite was beautiful and we had the entire gap to ourselves. Brian was being extra quiet, seemed in a bad mood and that was sad so we ate dinner and went to bed early, I was tired too . . .
Date: 2008-03-17
From: Licklog Gap

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

We woke to a glowing orange sunrise today. I slept SO well last night. My feet are really sore today but I am feeling super upbeat and happy and Brian is in a better mood so that makes me even happier. I spent a lot of the last 3 days thinking about a good friend of mine, let's call her "N" . . . she was just diagnosed with Stage 4 B-cell lymphoma and I haven't been able to stop thinking about her and how uncertain life is. I got an email from a mutual friend alerting me to her condition and I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet so I just keep thinking about her. I keep hoping she is doing okay and wondering about her treatments. It is unbelievable to me that someone as healthy and fit as "N" could be so ill out of the blue. Life truly is uncertain and I am glad we have taken the scary plunge to pursuing this dream because you just never know. "N", I send you strong wilderness vibes every day. I think of you often and hope you are doing well. Out here, it is a beautiful day, though a little overcast. My feet are sore but otherwise I am feeling better. The cold is winding down, I think the NyQuil has been helping. We also got our first on trail "trail magic" today. Apple had 2 huge tents set up in Burningtown Gap. He had cookies and coffee and hot chocolate. So, we stopped and enjoyed some of that. One of the boy scouts from yesterday was there waiting for a ride because he wasn't feeling well.We spent over an hour there before hiking on. When I saw Cold Spring Shelter today, I was SO happy we cut our day short yesterday and camped at that beautiful spot instead of this kinda yucky shelter. Someone had written the following in the register and it made me laugh . . . "If this is a shelter, I have to ask 'what is it a shelter from?' because the only thing it is keeping out is the sunshine" and boy was that hiker correct. Luckily this was just a privy stop and we are pushing onto Wesser Bald Shelter.We took a long and relaxing lunch on Rocky Bald and it was wonderful with a low breeze and sunshine. The descent from there was steep and rocky and when we got to the Gap, I took my shoes off to let my feet breathe and Birdbath treated me to a soothing foot rub. I am amazed he is willing to touch my nasty stinky feet . . . what a man !!! The hike up to the shelter was mostly uphill and I made really good time up there. We stopped at the tower on the top of the hill and Birdbath went to climb it and I headed to the shelter. The tenting spots near the shelter were all angled and so I decided we should just stay in the shelter since only Tootz and Burples were there. Brian agreed when he showed up so the shelter it was for that night. We talked about skiing and snowboarding and the Northeast. Then Burtples and I made fun of Birdbath because he was walking around with one pant leg hiked up his calf . . . like a Gangsta (said Burples) to which Brian gave his usual response "I'm a GOOD man" . . . another GREAT day of hiking and my feet feel okay.
Date: 2008-06-26
From: mile 1257.3 campsites

To: Wind Gap - to attend wedding in Austria
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: moderate rain

I have only uploaded my journal until March 17. I won't likely get everything typed up till after we finish, so stay tuned and sometime in October or November you will have the chance to read about the entire journey. I will try to type up an entry every time I get online, but no promises.
Date: 2008-03-13
To: Murfreesboro, TN
Miles today: 0.0

So I am just 9 days away from taking my first step onto the AT. I wouldn't say that I am nervous right now but I do feel quite a few emotions through out the day when I sit at my cubicle and dream about what it must be like. Yesterday I decided-correctly I hope-that since the AT will most definitely change at least something about myself I really wouldn't have anything to relate this experience to already to know how to approach it initially. I figure that that is the approach that I need though...no approach, just an open mind and a willingness to change and battle up and down hills every day for 6 months facing some extreme and some not so extreme odds. I will be quitting my job next Wednesday (a week from yesterday) and then I will take one day to myself for more preparation and to see friends and family and then I will be off on that Friday to hike the approach trail. Garrett, my trail partner, and I figured that if we went ahead and hiked the approach trail Friday afternoon then on Saturday we could take our first step on the AT on the first day of spring. Sort of symbolic to start a day, a hike, and a season all with one foot. It is about 6 am right now and I am about to make myself late if I don't get up and leave for work so...off I go! Hunter
Date: 2008-03-13
To: Murfreesboro, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, so I know that this is the second post on the same day but I wanted to go ahead and jot down my thoughts before it got too late. Today I went to work and took phone calls all day. Afterwards I came home driving my car which seems to be on its last leg-thankfully I will not be needing it anymore after this next week. I figured that this would be a good time to fill any of you in who are actually reading this on a little bit about who I am. I am 23-turning 24 April 21st of this year (on the trail!)-and I have been in school for what seems like all of my life until December 15th of this past year. I graduated with a bachelor of arts in Theory/Composition-which in essence means that I am a composer but would have to be one of the best to get a great career. Or I can teach-(that is if I went back to school and got my Masters or Doctorette). I love performing and composing and have been apart of several ensembles that have shaped and guided me for the past 13 years-of course it has always been the people that I have met along the way that made all the difference on my experiences...so thanks for the love and inspiration! I don't remember why I originally wanted to hike the AT but I do remember asking Garrett if he would be interested in hiking it with me. Garrett is a very stand up individual-honorable, moral, tactful, and of course catlike with his stealthy alertness to what is right (just being funny). We were in the middle of a hallway in the MTSU music building and right away after telling him about my interest and need for someone to come with he sprung to the call. Garrett, being an eagle scout, had been wanting to hike the AT for years but had just always kept it in the back burner (probably next to 'not likely to happen' and 'never going to happen'). After that day we started to plan and after tons of hikes and research and all of the other stuff that goes into preparing for a thru-hike we are finally there...well, almost anyway. Until then...we wait. Hunter
Date: 2008-03-14
To: Murfreesboro, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Well it's Friday! All right so I am exhausted right now from 11 hours of work with 3 hours of drive time between jobs. Man it is tiring to try and make the mark financially for something like the AT when you procrastinate. I work at Dell as a sales rep because it is the fastest way to get the money that I need to hike the trail. I took the job feeling pretty bad about only working there for 2 months before quitting but it was my only option-(I seriously put in around 35 applications in 3 separate towns). I have been trying to figure out how to tell my manager that I'm out so soon fearing his potentially suppressed rage but I'm sure that people quit all the time this early...I mean, it is a call center and we do deal with customers that are not exactly always friendly. Anyway, I think that is about it for today...tired and ready to go to bed. Night! Hunter
Date: 2008-03-15
To: Murfreesboro, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a great day...I woke up at around 9am and lounged around the house. Billy Madison came on sometime in the morning hours so of course, having not seen it in a few years, I had to take a few hours to sit and watch it-and enjoy. Went to the bank. Finished cleaning out my house. Then I hung out with Tim-one of my best friends from the drum corps/WGI/PASIC/marching band days. We blew probably around $250 collectively as I shopped for last minute gear and food...nothing like freeze dried food! Got some new fuel tanks and made sure the pocket rocket works while accidentally getting a little too much of the butane in my system-whew...a little light headed. Afterwards I spent what will probably be my last extended evening enjoying company with my brother and his wife Emily. Kind of sad but hey...I'll be back in 6 months to see little Aidan at the ripe old age of 5 months. Although I am very happy right now I am definitely a little sad to not be able to be here when Emily gives birth to Aidan, which should be sometime in early to mid April. I am very lucky to have such great family and friends that care so much for me though...kind of makes me want to stay, but hey...I've got a dream. Tomorrow should be another great day...Garrett and I are going to REI and probably Cumberland Transit to pick up the last of the gear. After that it's time to officially put together our packs for the trail. By tomorrow night I should be completely ready for the trail, gear wise. My roommates are making cake right now so I am going to try and butt in and help. Until tomorrow... Hunter
Date: 2008-03-16
To: Murfreesboro, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, so I can make stupid mistakes from time to time and today was a day in which I made one. I was out the door to go to Nashville in order to pack the packs and go to REI with Garrett when a mile or so down the road my car puttered to a stop...So I did what any other normal person would do when your car-with a long history of problems-dies. I assumed the worst. I kept thinking..."oh no, maybe it's the pistons-not enough oil, aghh!-or maybe it's the fuel injector, or the transmission, or the" etc...and the list in my head went on. I called my brother Adrien thinking that he may have a suggestion as to why my car would not start up again and while I explained the symptoms of my fair dying car my brother laughed a little under his breath and stuttered slightly..."Do you have any gas in there?" ...crap... So I made the walk to a gas station. Bought a $10 dollar/1 gallon gas tank! Got 1 gallon of gas for $3.15!! Walked back to the car carrying said gallon of gas while being mocked by a whole group of all my ex-girlfriends!!! And with much distress poured the remnants of my leaky gas tank into my car...(of course I had to fiddle with the gas can for about 15 minutes before I figured out how to use it-while people were honking and my ex-girlfriends were all chanting "I told you so"). Sure enough my car started right up and after all of that I decided that going to Nashville after already spending today and tomorrows budget on gas might not be the best idea. I figured at that point I might be better off just talking over the phone with Garrett as we packed our packs. Well, like I said, I was not exactly the brightest of people today but hey...kind of makes for a good story...and it's all true (that is except for the ex-girlfriends' taunting me part). Hunter