morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-08-14
From: Cloud Pond lean-to

To: Newhall lean-to
Miles today: 16.8

Woke at 6am to Bonesaw stoking the fire. It was a chilly morning in the low 40's with bright blue sky. We headed out by 8am.Beautiful morning of hiking - over several peaks & along a ridge. Nice views of the surrounding lakes & ripe blueberies galore. I met up with Bonesaw & Tricycle at Chairback Gap lean-to for lunch & cat naps. Off to finish the day.I encountered quite a number of day hikers after the rocky, steep descent from Chairback mountain. An easy ford of the Pleasant River & more tourists around the "Gulf Hagas" area. I probably saw 25 people on the last few miles of the day - not exactly the "wilderness" I expected in the 100 miles.I made it to Newhall lean-to by 7pm & saw Tricycle setting up his tarp. There were 5 section hikers from Illinois in the shelter - none carrying tents! Not good planning on their part, but we didn't mind tenting. The 3 of us sat around our campsite, had dinner & into warm, dry tents on a rainy evening.
Date: 2006-08-15
From: Newhall lean-to

To: Cooper Brook Falls lean-to
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

Woke at my tentsite at Newhall lean-to at 6am & had breakfast with Bonesaw & Tricycle. We packed up our wet gear & headed out. I popped into the shelter & saw Lucky Dime & Sue - a brother & sister in their early 20's from Louisiana. Lucky Dime (the sister) was able to sleep in the shelter with the 5 guys from Illinois, but Sue tented nearby. Just a note: If you're on the Trail for a short trip, you'll find long-distance hikers to be a more amicable group if you can leave them some shelter space.The early hiking was a bit overcast, but quickly turned sunny & warm for the ascent of Whitecap Mountain. The mountain had 3 peaks before the final climb, so there were plenty of up's & down's, bogs & technical situations to deal with. But this was the last of the major climbing on the AT before Katahdin, so I enjoyed the challenges & views.After descending Whitecap Mountain, Tricycle, Bonesaw & I met up at East Branch lean-to for lunch & found trail magic. Someone had left a couple of pounds of tortellini with dehydrated sauce, so we took it to cook for dinner later in the evening. The rest of the afternoon was mostly flat hiking with excellent weather. The miles flew by.I arrived at Cooper Brook Falls lean-to by 7pm to find Tricycle talking to a southbounder named "Sketcher." Bonesaw soon followed & we got down to making our tortellini with sauce & setting up camp in the shelter. We built a fire & enjoyed our trail magic dinner. Sue & lucky Dime showed up seeking cover just as the skies opened up for a brief but heavy downpour.We were well fed, dry & happy to have a relatively flat run for the remainder of our journey to Mt Katahdin. Before retiring for the evening, Bonesaw, Tricycle & I agreed to wake early & make the dash (10 miles...by noon) for the "Whitehouse" by lunch for cheeseburgers.
Date: 2006-08-16
From: Cooper Brook Falls lean-to

To: Wadleigh Stream lean-to
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Bonesaw, Tricycle & I woke at 5am - before sunrise - & got fed & packed up by 6:30am. Beautiful, sunny morning - in the midst of "The Wilderness" I heard chainsaws & trucks in the distance...but lumber is a major industry in Maine, so I can understand. Smooth, fast & easy hiking had us to the turnoff to Whitehouse Landing by 11:30am & to the edge of Pemadumcook Lake by noon. We summoned the owner via airhorn & he soon arrived at the landing to take us across the lake in a small motorboat.The Whitehouse was an old, beautiful & large logging cabin with outbuildings for lodging. We sat & ordered 1 pound cheeseburgers, beer & brownies. Still hungry, we ordered a pizza. We finally felt full & said good-bye to the several section hikers who had arrived during our glut. The owner anounced lunch was over & we were eventually shuttled back across the lake.Back on the Trail - full & moving slow. We met up with Sue & Lucky Dime & all decided to take a break by Nahmakanta Stream. Somehow we got motivated, but only made a couple of miles before...trail magic! An older gentleman with the Trail name "Strider" had a large tarp set up & was grilling burgers & hot dogs for hikers & Trail crew. He and his party also supplied soda, brownies, cookies & other snacks. We were already well-rested & fed, but took an hour to get more of both.With the sun low on the horizon, we thanked Strider & headed off to complete the last miles of the day. Tricycle & I were to meet Bonesaw at the Wadleigh Stream lean-to to camp, but when we saw the beautiful beach camping on Nahmakahta Lake, we fetched him from the crowded shelter. The 1/2 mile backtrack was well worth it. A pebble beach awaited us with a flat tree-shaded tent site just feet from the water. We quickly set up our tents & collected firewood for a small beach fire. We cooked by the crackling fire - talking for awhile. I think we were all overcome by the beauty of the place - the moon & stars reflecting off the glassy surface of the water, voices of loons in the cool night air...and the realization that the end of an incredible journey was only 40 miles away. We sat quietly until almost midnight - just enjoying the peace of the place. With the fire out & the chill night air overtaking us, we reluctantly retired to our tents.
Date: 2006-01-22
To: king koopa
Miles today: 0.0

ahhh, the new year, and here we are with just over a month before we leave. yesterday me and my good friend stinky went to an rei thru hiking clinic to learn some tricks of the trail. we learned some good stuff but the one thing that they seemed to stress the most was the ol hike your own hike shtick which was good to hear from so many people who had actually finished the whole thing. its nice being reassured that there are a lot of different ways to get through the trail since ive been worried lately about how im gonna make it all the way.    i got some good stuff for christmas my favorite of which by far being my marmot sleeping bag. i think the hardest thing lately has been when me and patricio sit down and talk about the trail. not the logistics of it, but when we actually just sit down and think about how many great experiences were going to have and the good people were going to meet and all the beautiful sights were going to see cause it just makes me more and more anxious to get going. well, we will continue to plan and hopefully ill be able to get some more entries done. peace!
Date: 2006-02-07
To: Food is important for not dying
Miles today: 0.0

yesterday me and stinky went ahead and purchased our stove. we decided to go with the whisperlite internationale. like all of our important major purchases, this decision was made in about 10 minutes. quick decisions seem to suite us well, as they require less thinking. we went ahead and filled our fuel bottle up with gas and gave our new friend a test run using our secondhand titanium pots ($15(freakin sweet)) and some delicious chef boyardee ravioli. though i was scared pat may catch fire after having tried to pour the excess fuel into his car, only to spill it on himself, we finally managed to get the stove going and cooked our meal without anyone dying, which is always a plus. the ravioli was scrumtrelecent. hopefully by the end of this week, i will be 95% equipped, as i plan on taking thursday and friday morning to research and purchase the last of my gear which includes my trekking poles and my pack. i was going to go with an external frame but from what ive heard, thats not such a good idea. hopefully ill be able to find something for a good deal that works for me. ive never used an internal frame before so im a little nervous, but i think ill be ok. lastly, me and stinky were thinking about getting one of those steripens, but nobody seems to know anything about them, so if anyone can offer any tips or advise concerning that, it would be appreciated.peace~
Date: 2006-02-28
To: HOW TO CONTACT US
Miles today: 0.0

well tomorrow we are leaving and there is so much stuff to get done i dont even have time to be nervous. anyways, if anyone would like to try and reach us, there will be two ways to do so. the first is mail drops, all of which are listed in the mail drop section. if we happen to separate and the mail drops change we, will make those changes in either mine or pats account, so make sure to check the proper address before you send something. the second is by phone. we will be taking my phone (404 625 5224), but will only be turning it on probably once to twice a week to check messages. so if you have something important to tell us, would like to meet up and hike, or would like to let us know about a letter or package you are mailing us, feel free to call that number and let us know.thanks to everyone who came to our party and saw us off. we really appreciate all the support. we love you guys and we're going to miss you and everyone take care. peace
Date: 2006-03-01
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was our first day. We started off with a delicious breakfast at Waffle House, and from there we made our way up to Amicalola Falls to sign in. We then headed up to the short approach, and after many tears, officially set off on the trail. It was such a gorgeous day. I decided to hike shirtless and let the sweet mountain air keep me cool. After no more than 45 minutes, we came to assign saying our shelter was just .5 miles away. We soon found out that someone had carved into the sign, and that there were really 5 miles to go, which was disheartening because we thought we were really flying. We got into camp about 3, and immediately proceeded to set up tent and take a nap. After that we cooked up dinner, only to find out our stove is broken. We¢ll try and get it fixed when we hit Neel¢s Gap. I almost forgot, Stinky got his trail name today. Turns out, it¢s Stinky. He got his name from me calling him Stinky all the time. I think it suites him well. Anyways, tomorrow¢s another day and we¢re feeling great. Peace. Mom's Comments on March 1st While Waiting for Johnny's Journal in the Mail: Johnny and Pat wanted to get an early start today. The whole Rowland family was up and out the door this morning at 6:10am to eat at the Waffle House - the choice for the last big breakfast before heading out on the trail. We left the Waffle House at 7:50 with Pat and his mom following us to Amicalola Falls. We arrived there at 9:35 and Johnny and Pat registered for their thru-hike at the Visitor¢s Center. They were 3rd and 4th for sign-in today. The staff gave them a postcard to mail back later with their trail name and status of their hike, and took a picture of them under the arch to put up on the board of AT thru-hikers. Pat and his mom said good-bye, and Pat rode with us on the 45 minute ride around the mountain to the .9 mile backtrack approach to Springer Mountain. Johnny and Pat hustled up the .9 mile trail while the rest of the family walked a more leisurely pace. At Springer Mountain, Johnny and Pat waited impatiently for us to arrive and say good bye so they could get going. A man with the trail name 'Many Sleeps' registered Johnny and Pat as thru-hikers (10th and 11th for the day on his list), and reviewed the concepts of 'Leave No Trace' hiking. He gave them matchbooks with the 'Leave No Trace' concepts and if they turn in the matchbook covers at Neels Gap they will get 'Leave No Trace' bandanas. After lots of pictures and lots of hugs, it was time for them to set out on their yearlong-planned AT thru-hike, and for tonight¢s destination of Hawk Mountain. Johnny and Pat left Springer Mountain at about 11:40am with big smiles and great anticipation.
Date: 2006-03-02
From: Hawk Mountain

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we got a late start. We woke up about 10 and headed out around 11. It was pretty neat weather this morning. It had rained while we were asleep, so the air was very foggy. It was an interesting feeling walking through it, everything felt so distant. As we walked down to Cooper¢s Gap, we saw some people sitting at the bottom, so we decided to run down and greet them. That was when we got our first taste of trail magic, and I got my trail name, Orangutan. A guy named Otto had grilled cheese sandwiches and orange juice waiting for us. It was nice taking a break for a hot meal. We got a little snack before heading out, and then made our way to Gooch Gap. We arrived, borrowed a part of a stove, and cooked some delicious mac and cheese and turned in for the night.
Date: 2006-03-03
From: Gooch Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was fun. We got a little more trail magic from Otto and my trail name (Orangutan) has started to stick. It was our longest day, and we weren¢t sure if we were going to make it. We had to go over Blood Mountain and by the time we headed down to Neels it was dark out.We got in around 7:30 and Pat crashed while I stayed up for a shower and a sprite and met some new people. Anyways, I¢m tired so this will stay a short entry.
Date: 2006-03-04
From: Neels Gap

To: Baggs Creek Gap
Miles today: 4.2

Today was our shortest day so far. We slept in while we waited for Puckre Tucker to arrive. We had some chores to do like fix the stove and wash some clothes, but as soon as we stuck our clothes in the machine, they ran out of water. We ended up waiting 3 hrs to get our clothes washed while they repumped the well. It was nice taking a break though, as we were pretty tired from yesterday. We ended up getting out around 3:30 and put a couple easy miles in. After trying to hang our bear bag for about 30 minutes, and enjoying doing so, we decided to turn in. Me and Stinky then went ahead and wrote in our journals.
Date: 2006-03-05
From: Baggs Creek Gap

To: Chattahoochee Gap
Miles today: 11.4

Today was a fun day. We decided to put in some extra miles so that we could have more time in Helen, GA . Stinky, Puckre, and I had a lot of fun walking and singing songs. We had to finish hiking early cause it looked like rain. But that quickly cleared, and we got to enjoy our first campfire, provided by Crispy and The Janitor, who were preparing right now to hike the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). We shared a lot of good stories, had a big dinner, and I got some good advice about my blisters before turning in for the night.
Date: 2006-03-06
From: Chattahoochee Gap

To: The Cheese Factory
Miles today: 8.0

We woke up this morning and it was rainy out. We had to pack up all the wet gear in the cold and head out early so that we would have enough time to get to Helen and back. We made great time and were in town by 11:30. After getting an amazing lunch at Wendy's and some delicious cream soda, we ran a few more errands before heading out of town. We had hitchhiked in, getting a ride in the back of a pickup in no more than 5 minutes. from what i can remember, that was my first time hitching and i loved it. its nice to get a ride from a complete stranger. Getting out of town took a little bit longer, probably 15 minutes. we still had a lot of fun trying to get people to stop. most would just laugh at us or shake their heads to let us know that they just werent stopping for us. we even tried to show a bit of leg but no one was goin for it. we managed to catch a ride from a nice guy who did a little hiking himself and got back to Unicoi about mid afternoon. after a few more miles, we picked a nice little spot to set up and ended up building our first campfire which was just what we needed. after singing some songs and warming up, we all decided to turn in for the night. weve only got 12 miles to go before Casey leaves us and 2 days to do them, so me might take a light day tomorrow, play some frisbee and take it easy. peace
Date: 2006-03-08
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Campsite
Miles today: 11.7

This morning we woke up renewed and invigorated from yesterday, and it was probably the worst day physically that we've had so far. Yesterday we met a lot of new people, as we are apparently lagging behind the rest of the 3/1 group, though we'll soon be catching up, and had some good times. We got to toss the frisbee a bit and talked around a huge campfire. It was nice meeting so many new people.    There was even one guy who had come here all the way from Australia just to hike the trail. Today however, wasn¢t much fun. We had some tough mtns. to climb, and when it was all over, we had to say goodbye to Puckre. He will be missed. Anyways, there isn¢t much to say except that my feet look like they¢re getting worse. It¢s funny, the look of them seems to scare everyone else a lot more than it does me. Anyways, we have a really long day tomorrow and we need to rest up. Peace.
Date: 2006-03-09
From: Dicks Creek Campsite

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was rough. We got up early (probably around 7) and prepared for a 20 mile day. We managed to hit the NC border by about 12 and were happy about the change of scenery. After a good long lunch from our 8.5 mile walk, we headed out again. We hit some rough hills soon afterwards and the growing winds and foreboding clouds, depleted our morale to the point of the we ended up turning in with only 15 12 miles under our belts. It looks like getting into Franklin will take a little longer than we thought. Anyways, we¢re tired and the wind is about to crush our tent, so hopefully we can fall asleep and forget about it. Keep thinking about us. Peace.
Date: 2006-03-10
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

Today was been the best day so far. We woke up around 9:30 and packed up with a delicious breakfast of granola bars. It was a gorgeous day as we headed up our first mountain of about 5000 ft, and it couldn¢t have felt better. It was the first time so far where I¢ve really enjoyed a climb. Not only was getting to the top satisfying, so was the feeling that the last 10 days have started to really make me stronger. Once at the top, we got a really beautiful view as well as a nice change in our surroundings. The trees had really started to bloom and we got our first taste of some of the tree tunnels, where you¢re completely surrounded by trees on either side, as well as above you and the only place you can see is the trail in front of you. We had some good ups and downs later on, until coming to my favorite climb so far, which was Albert Mtn. At certain parts we were having to crawl uphill, the rocks were to steep, all before coming to a ranger station at the top with a great view. The shelter was about 12 mile away but we had 2 hours of sun and plenty of energy left, so we decided to push on for the 5 extra miles. The sun was setting as we were hiking and once again we got to see the sky painted up in watercolors as we walked to a good place to rest. We got into the shelter and found out a man would be coming to pick us up at 9 to take us into Franklin, from a spot only .1 miles away. It was also our first night in a shelter. The day was almost perfect, aside from the fact that 8 guys came in, right as we were heading to bed, looking to stay there. After drowning out their loud conversations, we finally managed to fall asleep and get some good rest.
Date: 2006-03-11
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Campground/Franklin
Miles today: 0.1

we had to take 311 day off. now would be a good time to mention some of the people weve met. Last night we got into the shelter late to be greeted by Snake, a big guy from Alabama, who told us Ron was coming to pick us up early in the morning just a little ways down the trail to take us into town and we got pretty excited after hearing that news. Soon after that, Bear, an even bigger guy with a 60 pd pack, came in to stay the night. We sat around and ate dinner together, discussing where we had come from and what our plans were on the trail, going to bed shortly after. This morning we got up and the owner of the Budget Inn was waiting to give us a free ride into town, to get a room at his place for only 35 bucks and we figured why not. After taking us to McDonalds for breakfast (one of the best breakfasts ive ever had) and spending 20$ between the two of us there, we walked around the town looking for a few supplies and a place to eat lunch. We got lost on the way back to our hotel and had to wander around a little bit til we found it. once back, we took the afternoon to shower, do laundry and watch Blow while we waited to go out to dinner. we met up with Kurly, Tofurkey, and Swansons, three people we had met at a campfire a few days earlier and headed out to an all you can eat buffet, where we had 3 full plates plus dessert to tie us over until later that night. once we got back to the motel, we kicked back, watched some tv and ordered some pizza. all in all, it was a very restful day and its gonna be hard getting back on the trail but i think we'll manage.
Date: 2006-03-12
From: Standing Indian Campground/Franklin

To: Siler Bald
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we slept in and got a nice late start going into town to pick up our food since the shuttle back to the trail didnt leave until 11. we talked to a guy named Crutch, who had thru hiked last year with a broken...some part of his leg and used a crutch and a giant sandle on his cast to get through the trail. he told us where to find the grocery store, and since we only have two days til our next resupply, we decided to pick up some extra goodies to carry out. i went with a can of icing and some cookies. we got back to the trail and were greeted by some hikers going into town by the names of ramble on, treefingers and helium, who looked to be about our age, and Crutch taking care of some trail magic in the shape of apples and sandwiches. we made quick work of the day and were in camp with enough time to enjoy some frisbee, a can of rainbow chip icing, and the warm sunlight before turning in for the night
Date: 2006-03-13
From: Siler Bald

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

i dont remember much of what happened on this date except a couple things. we got our first hiking rain, which was very light and didnt last more than 30 minutes. we saw some crazy fog which made it so you couldnt see more than 15 feet in front of you. we made it to our first tower which was advertising all around it the great view and all we could see as we looked out was pure white. we got drunk and beat up some midgets. we got some trail magically delicious hotdogs and reeses from a guy named apple, leaving to thru it on 4/1. and we wandered up a mountain in the cold and wind to set up tent downhill which we ended up in the bottom of that night. all in all, it was a long day
Date: 2006-03-14
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

i dont remember much of this day either except- we woke up. we ate. we hiked. we ate some more. we might have hiked some more. we got into the NOC, only to find that the hostel was full of 75 freaking guys out on a little boating trip. i got a mail drop full of delicious treats. we ate dinner for 2 1/2 hours. we sat under the bridge over the river. we pitched tent on the river in the middle of the NOC but nobody hassled us cause we did it after dark. i ate the aforementioned delicious treats. we went to bed.