morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-03-30
From: Low gap shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.7

I woke up today with mud totally covering my tent. It was on the fly, the body, and the under cloth. A puddle of mud water formed under my tent. I took my time cleaning it so mud wasn't packed away.  We had a late start but it was worth it! A couple of hikers gave us most of their snacks since it was their last day. We gladly expected all of them. I was excited to receive extra calories. I'v been eating more and more calories eat day to counterbalance the amount I burn.Patrick and I hiked 10 miles today. We hiked over old avalanche rock beds and up a 1000 foot climb. My calves were feeling sore today. Everyday a new body part is sore. Eventually I'll have my trail legs and will be used to the up and down hikes.  At Unicoi valley we tried our hitchhiking skills. We fashioned a sign for Helen GA specifically for beer. Within 10 min we had a ride from Jake. He was a land manager who worked for the national forest service. He explained the importance of minimal impact on the forest and gave us a good tips on the best bars in Helen. Helen was rebuilt to resemble a small German town even though it didn't have any German heritage. The boulevards were filled with souvenir shops and kitchy restaurants. We took the advice of Jake and went to Catch 22 for craft beers and gastropub food. We gorged on salad and had a pint. After dinner we stopped at the local liquor store and picked up beer. We stuck out or thumbs and was picked up in 5 minutes heading back to Unicoi Gap. The gentleman who picked us up worked for the dental industry. He showed us all the damage a tornado did to the trees on the hillside from a few years ago to just 10 days ago. Trees were splintered like tooth picks along the windy road back to Unicoi Gap. Luckily the damage only occurred on the south side of the mountain. We were camping on the other side.In Unicoi Patrick and I setup our tents and drank the rest of the beer. We stumbly hung our bear bags and tucked in for the night. The wind rolled in and the weather dropped. It's about 32 degrees right now and the wind is howling!
Date: 2018-03-31
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

Last night we camped near the Unicoi gap parking lot. We were visited by many cars blaring music all through the night. I was able to sleep through some of it. We packed up around 7:30 and ate a cold breakfast. I had cherry poptarts which I haven't had since college.  The trek today had a greater climbs then the other treks we've had. It was a 1000 foot climb, then 1000 foot descent, then a 1500 foot climb. We were greeted with spectacular views of the Georgia landscape with clear skies. During the trek my right knee started hurting. It seems everyday a new body part hurts.  On our way to Tray gap a hiker told us there was a trail angel giving out food and drinks. I was excited about having a second lunch. A man named Cookie Monster was giving out free drinks, chips, candy, fruit, and soup. I had it all. A hot cup of soup made my day after doing all those climbs. Cookie Monster supports thru hikers because it inspires him to hike. He's gained a lot of weight over the years and was looking for a way to lose it. While devouring all of Cookie Monster's food we met a boy scout troop leader named Crabby from Akron, Ohio! I mentioned I went to Highland High School and he tried giving me the trail name Highland. It didn't really resonate with me. After snacking, Patrick and I headed off on full stomachs and lifted spirits.  We made it to Tray mountain shelter around 2 pm. We decided to call it a day there. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze in the air. We hung up our tents to let them dry out from the rain storm two days prior. I took care of my feet by popping a few blisters that have been forming and covered them with leuko tape. Hopefully, no other ones form.Tomorrow we're staying at the budget inn in Hiawasee, GA. It's supposed to be really run down, but it will be nice to sleep in a real bed and have a hot shower. We'll be resuppling there, eating our fruits and vegetables, and doing laundry. It's the little things that lift our spirits to get us back in the woods.
Date: 2018-04-01
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek
Miles today: 11.0

Last night was one of the best rests in awhile. The night was a bit cool but I didn't need all my layers. Patrick and I got moving around 9:30. We had a reservation at the budget inn in Hiawasee today. We were looking forward to showers and washing clothes. We needed to make it to dick's creek about 11 miles away to make it into town.The trail was pretty moderate today. There were a few heavy climbs, but the descent was gradual. My right knee started hurting on the descents and I started using my left foot to take the pounding down the steps. However, the ball of my foot started hurting on that foot. I'll just need to keep walking, soreness is going to be part of the trail.  We met up with Crabby and Cuz. They started calling me "no name" since I didn't have a trail name yet. I didn't know I would need a trail name so soon. We also met up with another group that gave me the trail name heartland since I was from Ohio. I'm still waiting on an event that gives me a trail name. Patrick has the trail name Booger Bear. He got it when he was snoring because of a cold and people thought he was a bear. We'll see when my name comes.We eventually arrived in dick's creek. An old Ford van from the 80s rolled up. It was our ride to Budget inn. The van was falling apart from the inside. Duct tape held together the door handles and the floor was peppered with mud from other thru hikers. When we checked into the budget inn, it was exactly as you would expect. Old carpet, old beds, bathroom from the 70s, and an early tube tv. It was paradise.Patrick and I stopped at Subway and got a sandwich with all the veggies. That really hit the spot. At the motel we started so shaking down our stuff. We have a better idea of what we needed and what we don't.  I shook down my bladder, my stuff sacks, part of my first aid kit, my toilettre bag. I probably shedded at least 1 1/2 pounds. When summer hits in Virginia, I'll be shedding my cold weather clothes.Right now I'm laying in a squeaky bed watching cable access television. They have a channel totally dedicated to the town Helen. One man is narrating how he came up with the fake German town. It's riveting.
Date: 2018-04-02
From: Dick's Creek

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 9.0

Last night's stay at the budget inn was not too bad. I didn't get any bed bug bites nor was it too loud. We stayed up until 1 am which is way past hiker midnight. We headed out around 8:30 am to finish a few errands. The budget inn van took hikers back to the trail at 9 and 11 am. At the post office one of the clerks said you must be hikers in those puffy jackets. Puffy jackets are light weight and versatile. At the grocery store we were stopped in the dairy asile by a trail angel buying grub to feed hikers. His cart was filled with hot dogs, chips, cookies, and other junk food. He asked is this food good for hikers? It was definitely good with all those calories. We headed back to the motel just in time to catch the van back to dick's creek.The trail today was not too strenuous, but day after day my feet and legs are taking a pounding. I started wrapping my right knee to take the pressure off it when going down hills. The ball of my left foot was also hurting on most descents. We originally planned to do 6 to 8 miles, but ended up doing 10. It's weird that my ankle is not hurting but these other body parts are. Hopefully I'll have my trail legs soon to overcome this pain.All along the trail was signs of spring. Flowers and small plants were pushing up through dead leaves. Bugs were coming out in numbers as the temperature rose. The sky was clear and it was a Sunny 70 degrees. I ended up zipping off my nerdy convertible pants into shorts.  We crossed the Georgia / North Carolina border around 5:30 pm. Patrick and I cheered and drank our beers that we packed out. Nothing tastes better than a beer after a 10 mile hike over mountains. Very soon afterwards we made it to camp.The sky is clear tonight and I see twinkling lights in the distance from people's homes.
Date: 2018-04-03
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

Last night was one of the quieter nights on the trail. The wind wasn't howling, the trees weren't cracking, the critters were not making a sound. I still woke up a few times during the night because of leg and hip pain. Shifting yourself in a sleeping bag is a challenge. Sometimes I've had the zipper move to underneath me. Then I'll need to do a few log rolls place the zipper on the right place. This morning I packed up a little faster since I have less stuff to pack after the shakedown. I cooked oatmeal with strawberries and cream. Then made it a "one stop shop" with added instant coffee.We got trekking around 9:30. The start was an uphill battle. The trail seemed to go straight up the mountain. It was slow going until we reached the top. We did a celebratory leg stretch. I made sure to stretch my it band and took some vitamin I. That greatly helped my knee from the downhill pounding. It was slow going over the next 8 miles. We were leap frogging the same group of hikers all day. For lunch, I ate tortillas with peanut butter and pepperoni. It wasn't that bad! The last stretch was all uphill to the shelter. My walk became almost a crawl but we made it.We decided to sleep in the shelter because it was supposed to rain. I was tired of cleaning mud off my tent and having a damp tent to pack up. With our sleeping bags added, the shelter was almost full. One more person showed up and asked if there was space. He said his name was Santiago. My cousin Kate told me about him before I started hiking. He was her sister in law's dad! He was surprised to meet me on the trail. I'll be sleeping next to him in the shelter tonight. A group of hikers started a fire and we joined them. One hiker's name was Lieutenant Dan but everyone wanted to call him Baywatch because he was half naked all the time. He wasn't wearing a shirt had short shorts and his legs and feet were covered in mud. Eve was from Vermont. She was vegan and had a hard time finding vegan resupply options. She had to lax some of her restrictions when food contained milk and eggs. The woman from bolder showed up with her dog Theodore. That pooch was super cuddly with everyone. A dog on the trail seems to brighten everyone's day. She was trying to eat mashed potatoes from a bag with the same collapsible spork that Patrick had. This spork always fell apart and into your food bag.  She was having the same issue.  Her hands were covered with mashed potatoes as she was trying to eat the last morsale of food. We called it a night around hiker midnight. I tried putting my sleeping clothes in the dark since I forgot my headlamp. That prooved to be a challenge. I snuggled in with 5 other hikers in the shelter. Some started snoring loudly and a rain storm is one the way. It's going to be a long night.
Date: 2018-04-04
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Long Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

Last night was a loud one. Patrick and I were kept awake by Eve snoring like a wet sloppy balloon. The downpour started at 3 am, the metal roof echoed the noise inside the shelter. I hardly got sleep. When we awoke, the area was misty and rainy. Almost everyone left early in the rain except us. Patrick and I left a little later but the rain stopped and the sun was coming out. It pays to start late.Our initial climb was up to standing Indian mountain. It was the tallest mountain we've climbed so far. There wasn't much to see with all the fog at the summit. We met up with Fuiji Pump who we didn't see since Bly gap. He was named fuiji pump because he was expecting water facets every 10 miles. Most of the trail was pretty gradual. Hiking seemed easier today than the last few days. I met Anne and Wizard on the trail. We joked around about getting tons of pancakes in Franklin NC. The first Baptist Church gives away all you can eat pancakes and bacon. We were thinking about packing out a gallon bag filled to the brim of pancakes, bacon, and sryup. Mmmmhmmm After 11 miles, we arrived at Betty Creek. We decide to push further to the next shelter 5 miles away. The only problem was that Albert mountain was in the way. The initial climb was gradual until we saw the fire tower at the peak. Then it was a straight shot up over bolders and steep stairs. At the top you could walk up the stairs of the fire tower. It was a breathtaking view. The wind was fierce and it felt like it would blow me off the mountain. Leaving the peak, it was another gradual 3 miles info l until the shelter.The tenting area was packed at the shelter. There was two horizontal areas in the shelter were Patrick and I had space. We set out our sleeping bags making sure that we were not going to be kicked in the night. We made dinner and joked about Overkill. Apparently he got off the trail and couldn't finish it with his cart. Patrick almost caught his leg on fire when he didn't realize that his alcohol stove was still lit. I yelled Hey hey hey! Everyone thought it was so funny that maybe that should be my trail name. I'll see if I can shorten it.It's cold tonight in the shelter. It's supposed to be below freezing. Eve is also in the shelter with us. It may be another long night....
Date: 2018-04-06
From: Winding Staircase

To: Franklin NC
Miles today: 0.0

We had a zero day in Franklin today. A zero is no trail miles, it doesn't count all the miles you walk while you're in town. We set our alarms for 6:45 am to wake up in time for free pancakes and bacon. It was rough waking up after partying until 1 am. However the free food was worth it.  The First Baptist Church gave us all the free food we could eat. They even gave us letters that we could send home to our families.  I had two plates of food but couldn't eat anymore since I ate so much the night before.  We got back to our motel around 8:20 and chilled until 10 am. We headed to dollar general for a resupply. The prices there were far cheaper than the grocery store. We filled up on all the hiker necessities. Tuna, instant mashed potatoes, pasta sides, pop tarts, granola bars, summer sausage, and Snickers. Basically all the stuff you shouldn't eat on a normal diet. We needed high caloric food to sustain ourselves for 10 to 15 mile hike days. Patrick bought extra to ship to Fontana Lodge which is the southern boundary of the smokies. We're planning on not resupplying in Gatlinburg since it's so expensive.  Patrick broke down the food he bought while listening to his pasta and sunglasses playlist. We walked to the post office about 15 min away. He picked up his package drop that his parents sent. It was filled with homemade cookies, towels that expanded when water was added, journals, a miniature kite, and plastic bags. As I waited for Patrick, a woman asked if I needed a ride in town. I told her I was still waiting on my friend. When we were finished we tried hitching back into town but with no luck.  We stopped at Outdoor 76 who had a local shoe guru. We haf heard from many people about his expertise in shoe fitting. I told him that I had been having knee pain, but other than that I was fine. I told him the weight of my pack and the number of miles we've been doing. He said to cut back on the number of miles we're doing to 6 - 8 miles a day. Katahdin isn't moving and were not in a race. Patrick ended up buying new shoes since he discovered his soles were falling off the old ones. He buried the old shoes in a planter in front of Outdoor 76. They'll grow some beautiful flowers someday.We're going bed too early tonight, then waking up early to eat more pancakes and bacon again! Then we'll be headed back to the trail.
Date: 2018-04-07
From: Winding Staircase

To: Wine spring campsite
Miles today: 8.2

This morning we decided to sleep in and not get free pancakes and bacon. It was a hard choice, but sleep overruled. We got McDonald's breakfast instead. It was Patrick's first time and said it was not bad. We needed to get to Baltimore Jack's hostel before 11 am to take a shuttle back to Winding Stair Gap.  We put our packs together and checked out of the Sapphire Inn. We tried hitching to the hostel but with no takers. It seemed harder to hitch in town then on the trail. When we arrived, I bought 2 knee braces at the Three Eagles Outfitters. The shoe guru said I had Jumper's knee and to look up treatment. I was using the brace to help with the downhill descentsAt winding stair gap we hiked up to the summit. My legs were feeling better with the new knee braces. The mountains were covered in mist. At some points we could see the mist reach out partially over the trail. It felt like we were in a giant cold suana. We stopped at the first shelter to figure the rest of hike and eat lunch. It started drizzling. As we hung out Aladdin, Scissors, Mr Clean, and Mateo showed up. They were going to have a short day, then a long push tomorrow. Mateo was trying to figure a trail name for me when I saved Patrick from setting himself on fire. He was thinking aspestos. Aladdin said he liked my trail name Ya-ah since I won't meet another person with that name. He told story about two people named Seabiscuit on the PCT. One would sign the trail logs as the real Seabiscuit. Eventually the two caught up in the same town. One was a beautiful woman from Europe the other was a guy from the states. They decided to have a foosball tournament, the winner would get to rename the loser. The guy was up by 5 points but then the woman crushed him. She renamed him to Sea Cookie. That story traveled all over the PCT that year.  We headed out and the drizzling stopped. We've been pretty lucky with the rain so far. We went another 5 miles then found a campsite that was mostly filled. It started sprinkling again we rushed to setup or tents. We made dinner in the drizzle, I ate mashed potatoes with lemon pepper tuna. It wasn't that bad.  Tonight it's supposed to drop to 26. Maybe I'll see snow in the morning.
Date: 2018-04-08
From: Wine spring campsite

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

When I awoke I found water inside my tent. It was from my own breath. The ground was frozen and my rain fly had ice all over it. My gloves had been wet from the night before and they were useless in the cold.  I ate chocolate pop tarts and coffee for breakfast. As I packed up, I would pack a few pieces away then blow warm air into my hands since they were so cold. I would then put another few pieces away then blow into my hands. As I was tightening my backpack, I heard a snap. My internal carbon frame broke from the cold. With it broken, it affected the load lifters on my pack were weight wasn't evenly distributed. I would need to fix it somehow.Patrick and I left the camping area. It was a gradual climb up the mountains. We made it to the fire tower which was supposed to have an amazing view. There was too much fog cover to see anything. I decided to fix the frame with super glue and duct tape. As I was fixing it, Aladdin, Lt Dan, Mateo, and Mr Clean showed up. We ate lunch at the fire tower. The fog eventually lifted and we could see the entire valley below. The super glue dried and I tried putting it in my pack. As I was trying to put it in, it snapped again. I would need to fix it some other way. I sent an email to Chris at ULA to see if he could send me a new one.  We left the fire tower and headed to the shelter about 5 miles away. As the sun warmed up the trees, pieces of ice started raining from the branches. It felt like we were in a hail storm. You could hear thoughout the woods ice sprinkling down on the leaves below. We made it to the shelter around 3. Lt Dan already had a fire going. He's pretty good about getting wet wood to burn. The fire was warm and it kept everyone there. Strider, a man in his 50s was staying the the shelter. He was super fast. Sometimes he could hike 10 to 12 hours to cover 30 miles in a single day. Patrick prepared his dinner by momma birding sausage into his dinner. Some of the people noticed him spitting meat into his soup. I met another woman who had a dog with her. The dog was super cozy with his own sleeping bag and pad! That was one spoiled pup. She said she couldn't wait until it was warmer so she could shed the warmer winter gear. I met another guy from Ohio. He started talking about cedar point, an amusement park in Sandusky Ohio. It's one of the greatest ones with many rollar coasters. I haven't been there in years. I was eventually able to be fix my frame by using my tent emergency field repair time. People hung around the fire until 8:30. Hiker midnight was setting in early.I crawled into my tent around 9 pm. The air was starting to get cold enough that I could see my breath. I can't wait for warmer weather.
Date: 2018-04-09
To: NOC
Miles today: 11.7

It was sprinkling down rain this morning. No snow just cold rain. My rain fly was wet and I had to pack it up with my tent.  I went down to the shelter and everyone was about to clear out. I ate chocolate poptarts. It was a great start to my birthday.  We headed out around 8:30. The area was covered in a dense fog. We had a 3000 foot descent into the NOC which was about a 12 mile hike. The trail was slick mud all the way. In the fog, the moss was shooting up sprouts that looked neon green.  It looked like an alien planet. Part of the descent was over steep rocks that had a cliff with trees on the other side.  After slipping down the trail we finally made it to the NOC. Aladdin, Lt Dan, Zero, and Mr Clean were already there. I picked up my package drop from the supply store. It was filled with goodies from back home. There were dinners, protein bars, cookies, summer sausage, cheese. There was so much that I shared it with Patrick. We ate at the restaurant on the river.  From the restaurant you can watch canoers paddled up stream. I ordered a salad because my body was craving greens. People found out was my birthday and they sung using Ya-ah instead of my real name. Patrick bought me dinner for my birthday! Yay! We ended up getting a bunk at the NOC with Wizard, Anne, and Two Crows. Aladdin said he completed the 12 mile trek today in 3 1/2 hours. He was skipping down those steep steps. Strider told us that we should almost be out of food before we get into town. You will know that you brought just enough then. He told us a story about him hardly having enough food on one of his treks. He was so hungry on the last day that he slurped his entire bottle of mayonnaise. He said it tasted amazing. I tried eating more of my food in preparation for the 3000 climb tomorrow. We drank beer and played drawing telephone and heads up.I'm in a cozy warm bunk house tonight. It was a great birthday.