morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-06-03
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Slept well and on the trail by 7:15 trying to get a lot of miles in before the midday heat. Kimberling Creek would be a river at home it is big. Cool bridge crossing it to Va. 606 and a left turn to walk .5 mile to Trent's Grocery for a Cheeseburger fries coke and ice cream at 11 am. A great early lunch and then back to the trail. Got up to Dismal Falls trail and it was a long .3 miles off trail but it was worth it reminded me of a smaller version of some of the great swimming holes in Wilson's Creek (hunt fish falls, Gragg Prong Falls and Harper Creek falls) Great trail and it followed the dismal creek on a steady climb for about 5 miles to Wapiti shelter. Ran into another large rat snake in the middle of the trail and he was looking at me and we talked for awhile and he was having a good day sunning and catching mice. We made an agreement I would go around to the left and he would go to the right and wished each other well and off towards the shelter. Came to a pond and there were a lot of hikers there chilling out and one fishing. Now this shelter was the scene of two  horrific attacks many years ago. The first attack two  hikers lost their lives in 1981 and then years later the guy got out of prison and then attacked two fisherman both survived but the criminal died trying to escape. So the story is that the shelter is haunted and about 15 hikers moved on not wanting to camp here. Great shelter and a great location. Myself and Labman a cool guy from Germany hiking with his Labrador stayed as well as a southbounder that is doing a flip flop and a couple of more hikers. Got time to take a bath felt good to be kind of clean. In the hammock by 8 and around midnight I was awakened by something walking in the woods below my hammock camp. I had set up on the back side of the shelter away from the trail. The shelter is on a slight ridge and on the west side is the AT. At first I was not sure what it was but noises keep up of something walking up and down through the woods most of the night. With the lab in camp I was not worried about any bears or other critters coming into camp. Just made for a restless night. The answer was evident in daylight there was a game trail that deer and other animal frequently used below the shelter. No the shelter is not haunted but a sad history. The family that donated the money for this shelter was to honor their son. There is another Wapiti Shelter near Mount Rodgers Headquarters of the same name but there is a plaque there about the son and family.
Date: 2017-06-04
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg 
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: broken clouds

I was on the trail by 7:30 am with a 1100 ft climb to Sugar Run mountain and a horseshoe shaped ridge around Wilburn Ridge leading to Pearisburg. Got to an intersection with no blazes and as the AT 99% of the time goes up I took that route for .1 mile to Dismal Peak fire tower lol wrong direction. Went back down and got back on trail. I met the 74 year old  Texan was slackpacking southbound. I had last saw him on Standing Indian Mountain in early April near the Ga border in NC. Around 11 I got to woods road near Woods Hole Hostel a well known and respected hostel in the AT community but alas I would have to skip to get to Pearisburg today. I met a couple I had met yesterday and they were slackpacking southbound again and said they were only 500 miles from completing the AT. Stopped at Doc's Knob shelter for 20 minutes for lunch. I got to a powerline and could see the New River in the distance and it starts in my home town but a lot bigger here. Made it to Pearis Ledges by 2:30 and the view was amazing of Pearisburg and the valley below. I could feel the weight loss by this point and decided to change my strategy and would get my car and then continue up the trail slackpacking or no more than a two day walk between. It should take care of the issue as I can't seem to carry enough food. Food equals weight so it slows your millage. made a call to an amazing trail angel and was picked up in Pearisburg and home.
Date: 2016-06-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This picture was taken mid May 2007 when we signed in at Harper's Ferry. Just look at these young fit hikers! Its hard for my wife to believe i am the same person now 60 lbs heavier and 11 years older. Time is a cruel master but it will have it's way with all of us. I look forward to getting back down in weight but nothing I can do about the 11 years darling.  Butch Cassidy
Date: 2016-06-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello Wild Bunch friends and family. We are moving along with the Prep and instead of a new entry I decided to edit this one. Sundance bought a new palace of a tent, the Copper Spur HV UL 2. It has bunches of room and is very light. I will be using the REI Quarter Dome 1 that I purchased last summer. It's the 2016 version and is a little lighter than the new one. Not enough room for 2 but fits me well. I might switch to my hammock when the weather warms up. I will use a nature hike pad that I have that is very comfortable, quiet and under a pound. I have a couple of thermarest pads but prefer the cheap one. I will add a few ounces to try to rest better this time. After 2 thruhikes we know what we need but always trying improve on things. The Gear will not make or break a hike. There is no wrong way to hike the AT but for me I need to be as light as I can but still able to rest and recover each day. I have at least 6 stoves, canister, remote canister , 2 different jet boils,. alcohol, wood burning, probably start with a .8 oz Chinese canister stove and snow peak ti. pot.  I expect to upgrade the cooking when I lose weight and the hunger kicks in. I don't train a lot before I start. Nothing gets you ready for the AT but the AT. I will walk some and try to trim down a few lbs but we always start slow and increase our miles gradually. I don't expect a lot of days over 20 miles this time. I am 64 and have to not get into the big days I have done in the past. Yes it's cool to say , I did over 35 again but its better to say I Thruhiked for the third time . I will have to be smart and lucky to get this old worn out body to Maine again. Our general plan is 10 a day average to Erwin, then up to 15 from there to the Whites, slow and easy. I have to force myself to slow down and smell the flowers, swim in more places, take time to talk to more people instead of the head down walk all day every day I get into. I have always been very goal oriented and can become obsessed with things. In 07 I did 84 miles in the whites in 4 and a half days. I don't remember very much about them that year. In 05 I took more than a week and took a lot of pictures. The trail is different every year.Enough for now, please sign our guest page with any questions or comments good or bad. Being a bunch of outlaws we can take it. lol I look forward to meeting the class of 18 GAME. SEE YA uptrail   Butch
Date: 2016-08-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Hello Everyone,Well the dynamic duo is jumping the fence and running to the mountains again. Butch (Dad) and I have both hiked the trail twice but we are feeling the itch to escape the madness of society today and have another grand adventure. We both plan to post for this trail journal to try and document all the ups and downs of this hike. I make no promises for daily updates and entries but there should be some hilarious differences between mine and Butch's entries to fully document the AT experience. I wont go into great detail about our backgrounds but we are both vagabond outlaws with a taste for adventure. We have drank our way through the highlands of Scotland, chased white blazes to Katahdin, and driven the IED infested roads of Afghanistan and those are only a few of our adventures. Legends in our own minds at least, we also have a strong sense of duty and both of us served in the military. Butch flew attack helicopters for the Army and I went Marine Infantry. So how are we getting to our 3rd hike? Well in 2005 I was fit Infantry Marine working at Parris Island as a Primary Marksmanship Instructor and crazy Butch takes off to the AT for a thru-hike. I took leave and met him in the Shenandoah National Park to do a little hiking. Not only did Butch walk me in the ground he infected me with the terrible condition known as white blaze fever. You know what it is, that's why you are reading these journals and contemplating your own hike. Needless to say I began to ponder the possibility of walking to Maine. Butch was successful in his 2005 hike (Paladin was his trail name that year) and reluctantly agreed to hike in 2007 with me. I say reluctantly because there is quite a bit of pain involved in a thru-hike and his hike was still fresh in his mind only 2 years later. We successfully finished that hike and its one of the greatest memories of my life. I think Butch linked that journal to this one if you are interested. Anyway in 2011 after working overseas again I decided I needed another break and took off to the mountains. Without Butch kicking my tent every morning at 0600 I took a more leisurely pace on this hike but once again I was successful in hiking every mile to Katahdin. So here we sit with 2 hikes and Butch is looking to retire next year so what better way to celebrate retirement than with a 10 year anniversary hike?    I'll finish there for now. We are planning to post a few more times pre-hike but we are not going to fill the journal with preparation entries. So we look forward to seeing the class of 2018 out there and welcome those that follow on our adventure northbound. Cya up the trail!The Sundance Kid
Date: 2017-10-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hello Wild Bunch Fans and Family!   Due to circumstances we had to cancel the 2017 hike. My retirement had to be delayed for a year, Building a new log cabin on our farm for the retirement years, just life getting in the way. We have decided to make it happen in 2018. It is very hard to get the stars to align for two people to take off for 6 months and this year we are adding a third. My Daughter Melissa the baby of the family has decided to make the trip with us. She wants to add to the family total of thru hikes which currently stand at 4 complete thru hikes. How lucky am I as a Dad to get to spend 6 months on the trail with my adult children. Sundance and I had a great time in 2007 and I am sure it will be fun to watch Melissa adjust to the hardships of the AT. We are in the logistics and planning phase so that part is fun also. See ya uptrail...  Butch
Date: 2017-11-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hey guys and gals, Sundance here just updating on our 2018 hike. Like Butch said 2017¢s hike was halted due to unforeseen life events and tragedy. This coupled with the insanity and political divisiveness seen every night on the news has me running off to the woods again. Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is an amazing once in a lifetime adventure for most people. I am fortunate to have been able to experience that twice so far. In 2007 after getting out of the Marines with my dad (Butch), and again in 2011 solo. Both times were amazing vacations from all the stresses and fears I experienced in the ¢normal¢ world and one of the greatest adventures of a fairly adventurous life (in my humble opinion). Since the 2011 hike I am sliding comfortably into ¢middle age¢ being 37 now and working a job that I feel is important and makes a difference. However In the back of my head is the inner child who wants to run off and have fun. Fortunately or unfortunately based on your view point, I have listened to that inner child more often than not. Over the years this has hurt my career path I¢m sure and there is a possibility that it will in 2018. I am going to request a leave of absence for the hike but it being granted or not will have no bearing on me walking. As the great Alabamian Helen Keller said ¢Life is either a daring adventure or nothing¢. While it works for many, the idea of grinding away at a job in the hope that one day I can retire and do whatever I want seems insane. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, especially those of us who do the types of jobs I have the skillset for. So, how did we choose our start date? Years ago I was a young Marine Squad Leader taking a group of heroes into the uncertainty and dangers of combat in the city of An Nasiriyah Iraq. March 23rd 2018 will be the 15 year anniversary of the beginning of the battle. Most of my battle brothers will be gathering in Texas to reconnect and remember our fallen. For me, I hope to honor our brother¢s sacrifice by beginning another thru-hike in the hope that I am living a life they would be proud of. If you are interesting in supporting this gathering or sponsoring a Gold Star Family, you can find them on Facebook at The Battle of An-Nasiriyah Reunion. Enough for now, I¢m updating some of my gear and may post on what I¢m starting this hike with later. Ultimately I will try to start around 26 pounds total pack weight. I run pretty light on water on the AT with it being so available. Thanks for taking interest in our adventure. Also since today is November 10th, Happy Birthday Devil Dogs! Stay Safe.  Cya up the trail!The Sundance Kid
Date: 2018-03-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hello Wild Bunch fans. We are closing in on the start date and completing final preparations. The road to Springer is reported to be in bad shape so that could complicate things. Sure hope we don't have to do the approach trail! Travel plans for my wife to see us off are in order and the room at the lodge is waiting. We are very excited to start and its hard to watch our Buddy Twofer leaving today.    Just a little of a rant. I am so tired of politics and the news that I don't know if I can last 20 more days! The great thing about the AT is getting away from all the BS that is day to day in real life. in that line I don't care what you think about guns, Trump, religion, or the price of steel so don't try to enlighten me with your wisdom. Now that we have all that out of the way let's go have fun.  Sundance has fallen in love with Zpacks like the rest of the hiking world ? While I am sure it's quality gear I intend to prove that you can still hike to Maine and not carry one single item from this magic company. One more person tells me it weighs nothing i will scream! Throw it into the air, if it hits the ground at any point in time, It weighs something!. My pack with winter gear, food and water leaving springer weighs 17.5 lbs. with reasonable lightweight gear. I'll be OK. Calamity Jane is getting more excited about the trip but is a little apprehensive I think. We are going to be very careful with mileage in the beginning to allow bodies to adjust to the strain of the adventure. I plan not to mention to anyone that we have thruhiked before. I find that its more fun for people to learn on their own as they go and not have some know it all give their opinion. I will offer assistance if someone is in danger but other than that I plan to be low profile and try to learn myself. The internet is full of experts, Facebook groups, whiteblaze, other forums all have brilliant minds with the sure best way to do things, Maybe some of them will actually go out and hike the trail someday. lol I am really a nice guy, I just need a few months in the woods to reset again. See you uptrail and say hi as you pass me on your way to Maine.  Butch Cassidy   After this one what's next?
Date: 2018-03-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Hello Everyone, Final post before we start our adventure. I was granted my leave of absence from work with a scheduled return date no later than October 1st. While ultimately this would not have determined if I went hiking or not, it still is one less worry. So with that out of the way we have finalized packs with Butch coming in at 17.50 lbs and my pack weighing 21.50 (both with water). I am an avid reader so I brought out my Kindle and some other electronic accessories which brought my pack weight up a bit. I know there are a few ounces I could cut, but I am pleased with this weight. It is also the lightest I have ever started the AT with. We took a road trip last week and dropped off our food drops at hostels and outfitters we will see when we come through all the way to Damascus. Not really cost effective but it is something we have done with our previous hikes and I had a Marine buddy come out and join us. The hangover after Gatlinburg¢s moonshine tastings notwithstanding, it was a fun trip. Not much more to cover for now. Last few days of getting things in order before disappearing for 6 months like everyone else. Hopefully we will have a decent start on the 23rd but the extended forecast seems to be calling for rain the days following. Oh well, the mountains are calling and I must go!  Cya up the Trail!Sundance
Date: 2018-03-23
From: Springer mountain

To: Three forks campsite
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: broken clouds

Day 1 - Hello Everyone ,  After a great night at the lodge  with the buffet  breakfast , we signed in at the visitor center. We were hiker 1423, 1424 and 1425. There are a lot of people out here .  We drove around the forest service road  and went up Springer Mountain. We signed the register,  took required pictures and off we went. It was an easy trail for the first 4.3 miles . Mr. & Mrs. Cassidy had great spaghetti dinner and did marshmallow on the fire Sundance built . Mrs. Cassidy is officially a section hiker. Butch Cassidy
Date: 2018-03-24
From: Three forks campsite

To: Justice Creek campsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Day 02 - We had an early breakfast of grits and bacon, We positioned the cars so Calamity Jane and I could slack pack to Horse gap where Mrs. Cassidy waited for us. I got my pack from my beautiful wife at Horse gap and walked to the woods. I wont see her for a month!The Sundance kid did not slack pack so I was behind to start with. Wow, over sassafras mountain wore me out! All camping was full and so was Gouch mountain , we had no where to go and a storm was moving in! We got to the creek and put up our tents , Sundance convinced the ridge runner that we would not be moving. I did not even cook dinner and just ate cold food in the tent and put my feet up for 11 hours.We had a little tent village in the creek, so many people out here! - Butch Cassidy
Date: 2018-03-25
From: Justice Creek campsite

To: Woody gap 
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: light rain

Day 03 - I woke up at about 6am and packed up in the tent . I stayed dry inside though it rained very hard and my one shoe got wet in the vestibule. I left first and made it to Woody gap at 1130.  I had a good time there , there was a trail magic going on , I had  hamburger, hotdog and chips and 2 cups of coffee later . I was very happy! When Sundance, Mia and Fred got there , we all decided to go to a hostel because of bad weather condition . We  got a shuttle down to the Wolf Pen Gap store and hostel. I could not recommend the place after our stay.  It was clean, warm and the shower was great . The caretaker was friendly and brought us bottled water and apples . Now, for the bad side , the plywood bunks have no pads, no bath towels , we had to use paper towels to dry with and charged 5 dollars if you needed more, there was also no laundry. It was expensive for a hostel for 32 dollars a night with 18 dollar deposit .  We had pizza and wings but the lady at the store was not very friendly . Not a great choice ! - Butch Cassidy
Date: 2018-03-26
From: Woody gap

To: Neels gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 04 - We woke up at about 7. I had bear claw , oatmeal and coffee for breakfast pretty good actually . We got our 18 dollars each deposit back and called the shuttle . The hostel owner charged us 5 dollars each of which was half of the price ! Of course Fred and I had to ride in the back of the truck and it was 36 degrees outside.  Burrrrr..Wind was rough all day but we had nice views . We pushed pretty hard and had our lunch at Slaughter gap , after that we went up and over Blood mountain. First time I have had a view on Blood. Sundance and I took off for the gap and passed several people on the rough and Rocky down. The 10.8 miles took us 6 hours. Mia and Fred arrived about 20 minutes later and we checked into our cabin at Blood mountain . 110 dollars are a great price for 2 beds and a pull out couch and laundry. We had full kitchen , extra towels and cable TV, great place and friendly staff ! Sundance, Mia and Fred had pizza again but not me . I have no appetite for pizza that much so I ate out of my food drop It will be a tough day tomorrow as we head  to low gap .Falling rock signed our guest book and said that Twofer is 200 miles ahead of us. There is no way we can catch him , he is moving right along and I am give out with 10 miles . I have to sign out for now  cause it¢s past my bedtime . - Butch Cassidy
Date: 2018-03-27
From: Neels gap

To: Low Gap campsite
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 05 -I had poptarts and oatmeal packed up and left this great cabin . Sundance, Mia and Fred slept late and left later. I got my passport stamped at Mountain crossing and I started walking slow and steady. It took me an hour to climb out of the gap, we got trail magic at the first road crossing to power us up Wildcat Mountain. It was a hard day with lots of uphill climbs. I was about an hour ahead of the others to the campsite , i found an area big enough for all of us ( the perks of getting there early) . I ate noodles for dinner that I did not want and we laughed at the bear bagging efforts going on . Good day on the trail and there were probably 50 people in the area. - Butch Cassidy
Date: 2018-03-28
From: Low gap campsite 

To: Cheese Factory campsite
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 06 - I had breakfast and chatted with the group for a while this morning. Sundance had a sleeping pad failure and did not get much sleep . He claimed it was because he jumped up when the mouse ran accross his shoulder? Fred also had a mouse visitor running over his tent . I did not hear anything after I went to bed.We had great trail for a few miles then the AT showed up and smacked us. We got to Unicoi gap and got amazing trail magic , the best Cheetos I've ever had with chocolate and a Gatorade that powered us up for the long climb up Rocky Mountain.A big thank you to Jetlag who thru hiked in 2013 and Mrs. Auburn fan. Sorry I did not get your name.The last 3 miles were brutal but we pushed out the miles and every one is worn out.It is still a great day with good weather for hiking but Im falling asleep at 830. - Butch Cassidy
Date: 2018-03-29
From: Cheese Factory campsite

To: Deep Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 07 -  I started a long climb up Tray Mountain.  We had hoped for the Boy Scouts doing Trail magic but with no luck.  We stopped by the Shelter for a break then hiked on. Sundance and Mia decided to go into Hiawassee and Fred and I would  stop at deep gap . My legs are tired so no 13 miles for a couple of days. Fred and I struggled  with Kelly Knob and made it to the Shelter at about 430. We set our tents and ate our dinner just as the rain started. Sundance texted a picture of the bed at the Holiday Inn just to rub it in , lols ! I had Mountain house meal that I got from Fred and it tasted pretty good,  I have not been eating enough  and lack energy.  - Butch Cassidy