morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-06-01
From: Franklin, NC

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Went for breakfast with the Raleigh guys. I asked the waitress for iced coffee and Dave whispered to me "We don't have iced coffee in the South". So I got coffee and a glass of ice, which worked out fine. Gorgeous weather again and nice hiking. There was a stone observation tower on top of Wayah Bald (which wasn't that bald). You could see Deep Gap, which I passed 3 or 4 days ago but is less than 10 miles away as the crow flies (oh, if only I were a crow). You could also see Clingmans Dome in the Smokies, where I should be in a week or so. 4 people in the shelter, but also about 10 tenting. As we were making dinner, we heard this sound that was either a jet or thunder. When it got closer and there was lightning, it obviously was thunder even though it was still sunny. Eventually we got pea-sized hail for a few minutes and then it cleared up. Again needed help getting the bag hung. Hope a bear doesn't jump for the bag because it will land on my tent.
Date: 2009-06-02
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Got off to a good start - another beautiful day. I keep looking at the nests of those blue-gray ground nesting birds. The nest are like straw baskets and meticulously woven. When there are eggs, they are about almond sized. Well, today I saw a nest with 2 teeny tiny baby birds. How cool is that? After a hot sweaty climb I got to a spring 0.1 mile from this shelter. I drank water, soaked my hair and my T-shirt, and felt rejuvenated enough to keep going the next 5.8 miles to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Then after about 15 minutes as thunder was getting closer and I wasn't sure how well I could handle a 2300 foot drop on tired knees - I decided to go back to the shelter as a few drops fell. Fifteen minutes later a TORRENTIAL downpour started so guess I'm happy with the decision.
Date: 2009-06-03
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Bryson City NC
Miles today: 5.7

When I got to the shelter before the torrential downpour last night, the Raleigh guys had just arrived. The shelter supposedly could fit 8, and we tried to figure out who was coming. There were 2 guys from TN (Bear bait and Mountain goat) but they decided to press on. There were also 5-6 guys from Florida who had tented at the Wayah shelter. They were quite odd - they had this freaked out deer-in-the-headlights look when we pulled in, and they were all different ages. I thought they were some kind of survivalist sect, but Dave said they were in a church group. ROFL (Dawn) came in and said she had seen them tenting near Tellico Gap and they had these white boxes with flexible PVC tubing coming out of them and she heard all these gunshots (and not paint ball gunshots). ??I was trying to empty my food bag and the Raleigh guys helped by finishing off the (heavy) Jelly Bellies. However, they wouldn't go for the Little Debbie fudge brownies. This guy came in with his 2 teenage daughters and fortunately they pounced on the brownies. Also they tented so it was just me and the Raleigh guys on the platform (with Dave right under the creepy mouse nest) and Dawn in her tent in the shelter.A short but very downhill hike to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. I met the guys in the River's End cafe where we were just a tad too early for lunch. I ordered an Asheville brewed India Pale ale because I didn't want to drink anything too heavy before 11 am. Then had a fabulous burger. I was hoping to do some rafting and signed up to rent a "duckie" which is an inflatable kayak. The NOC people load you in a bus and drive you 8 miles upstream. The ride was pretty tame but very pleasant. Sunburned my legs really bad though.After the rafting, the guys came and picked me up and took me to Bryson City where they had found a really nice and cheap hotel (Rosewood Inn). We went out for BBQ even though John and Dave insisted west Carolina BBQ isn't any good (tomato base) compared to east Carolina BBQ (vinegar base). Whatever. At the restaurant, this guy said to us "Good to see you got off the trail" and we eventually realized he was one of the Floridians. Dave went and chatted with them and came back and said he thought they really were a church group out backpacking. I still think they're a cult.After dinner we walked to this very cool retro ice cream place called Sodapop's and I had a root beer float. Mmm mmm.
Date: 2009-06-04
From: Bryson City NC

To: Bryson City NC
Miles today: 13.6

Today I did a slackpack (hiking without pack) southbound from Stecoah Gap to the NOC, courtesy of the Raleigh guys. I would run into AT hikers who knew I should be going north and they were generally pretty envious that I was slack-packing.I ran into a group of scouts at Locust Cove Gap and asked the scout master if they'd had wet night and emphatically said yes. One of the scouts piped up " We had fun". Apparently, not only did it rain but there were also piles of hail.Even with slackpacking, it was kind of a rough hike and my Achilles tendon was killing me. And there was about a 30 minute period where it just poured.I listened to my mp3 player all day and finished "Home to Big Stone Gap". Bearbait asked me if what I was listening was instructions "Left. Right. Left. Right." and I said no, it was "Breathe in. Breathe out."Got back to the NOC and we went out for Eye-talian in Bryson City. I wanted something with maximum dairy, like cheese cooked in a butter-cream sauce, but settled on the manicotti, which was very good. But by the end of the night, what with supposed to rain the next day, and my Achilles tendon bothering me, I had asked Dave to give me a ride to Raleigh the next day so I could make my way back to Delaware
Date: 2009-06-05
From: Bryson City NC

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Not sure why, but when I got up this morning I decided to get back on the trail. Did laundry, said good-bye to Dave and John, then Jack dropped me off at Stecoah Gap before he went back to Raleigh. Started hiking just as it stopped raining. Went to the Brown Fork Gap shelter for lunch and this guy John was there. I had run into him the day before and he had camped at Locust Cove Gap and had a wet miserable night. He set up his tent and then it started raining. He waited for 2 hours for it to stop and then gave up and hung his food bag in the rain. He said it rained for 12 hours straight (I was in a hotel room and didn't really notice). He has hiked the entire AT in sections and it was gratifying to hear him say that he thought the NY section was brutal, which I totally agree with.Did not get rained on at all. Also, my Achilles didn't bother me at all today. Who knows, but a think a couple days ago I had my shoe laced too tight and it put pressure on it. Was very slow though. I wished I was lying on a couch with a Law and Order marathon on TV but that I was sleeping through it.At the shelter with John and a group of 11 (4 adults, 7 kids) out for the week. Have to get up early tomorrow to make it to the post office to pick up my mail drop. Just heard lots of shrieking from the shelter - looks like the kids have just discovered the mice.
Date: 2009-06-06
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: broken clouds

I was in a hurry to get to town today because I had mail drop and my guide said the post office was only open 10 am to noon on Saturdays. It helped that it was a perfectly gorgeous summer day. I got to road at 10:30, which was pretty good, and then I had 2 miles to go to Fontana Village by road. It was a really windy road and the asphalt was killing my feet. Finally, I cut through a "disc golf" course that had 2 guys caddying all their frisbees - that is a silly sport. So I found the PO at 11:30 and saw the sign on the door "Beginning February 21, 2009 this post office will no longer have retail hours on Saturdays". NOOOO!!!! Fortunately a woman came out when I knocked on the door and got my mail drop. Love the USPS. Then I found a restaurant and had a fabulous pulled pork sandwich. Then off to the general store for fuel and then laundry. Yeah I only did laundry yesterday morning but clothes get real muddy in the woods. I saw Joe and McKenzie and 2 hikers I saw at the NOC (one of whom got bit by a brown recluse spider). Then I got a shuttle to the shelter which is nicknamed "the Fontana Hilton" (even has a sign on it which says that). It is a very spacious (sleeps 24) and 2 open ends with beautiful views of Fontana Lake. However, I had heard that it had showers and bathrooms. I know this sounds whiny, but the showers are a 15 minute walk away at the Visitors Center. Which I did go to - the displays about the dam were pretty interesting. It was made by the Tennessee Valley Authority and because aluminum was in such short supply (being used for WWII airplanes) they had to get creative with concrete. Also while I was there, I got my permit for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On to the Smokies tomorrow!
Date: 2009-06-07
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollie Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

Ok, the exciting bear encounter first. Around 12:30, I heard mama bear barking at her 3 small (still fuzzy) cubs to get up that tree - which they did very fast. I think she had heard me coming and knew although she could get away the cubs couldn't. Then mama starting huffing at me and made some charging feints. So I tried to look big and talked calmly and slowly backed away. Then once I was far enough away I went back and found John (whom I met at Brown Fork gap shelter). So we walked back together and mama was on her hind legs checking us out. So we went back and basically were in a stand-off. These 2 guys came along and wanted a picture so they went ahead and mama went a little way up the tree. So we followed them and although mama was still huffing we got past.So back to last night. Joe and McKenzie had decided to stop hiking in Franklin and had hitch-hiked to Fontana. They were trying to find out if they could volunteer at the Bonnaroo music festival and were meanwhile trying to build a raft from logs. Kirk (guy bit by a brown recluse) and his cousin Brent were there and we had a great fire. And it turns out there are showers a 3 minute walk away from the shelter.Nice weather today, but 3000 feet uphill. I saw a female white-tailed deer who saw me and was completely uninterested. John came up behind me and I said "Guess they know there's no hunting here". John said not to miss this side trail to Shuckstack Mountain. There was a fire tower up there and I had 360 degree views of the Smokies and Fontana Lake. Later I saw a couple of turkeys.Then the bear thing happened. John and the 2 guys and I were up the trail looking at bear photos and Kirk and Brent came walking up. They HAD to have just walked by mama and her cubs. Staying in the shelter with John and also Summer and Chris from Dayton, Ohio. Summer and Chris had 3 kids and I guess this might be their first trip alone since having kids. Chris had been to some military survivalist training program and was really frustrated he couldn't build a fire (wood was too wet) because he said he had built one in a mud pit filled with water. Which was a problem because they were planning to use the fire to cook. Chris saw me and John using our stoves and said "That's a really good idea".About 10:30 pm I saw people near the food hoist cables with head lamps and thought it was my shelter-mates investigating some animal but it was 5 people getting into camp (2 slept in the shelter, 3 in hammocks).
Date: 2009-06-08
From: Mollie Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

Long day of hiking while yelling to keep bears away.Didn't see any people or wildlife larger than a squirrel all morning. Went up on Rocky Top and Thunder head Mountains but the mist the Smokies are so famous for meant I had no views. Took a bunch of photos of moss and fungi though. I met a couple who had stayed at the Hike Inn with John and had seen me at Fontana Dam - "aren't you Judy - we heard all about you". About a mile and a half from the shelter there was some serious wind and thunder and I made excellent time. I tried to remember if this was the shelter where 2 hikers were killed by lightning while in the shelter in 1980 (it's not). When I got to the shelter I ran down to the spring with my full pack and got water. I was waiting for my water to purify and heard footsteps, and looked up, expecting it to be John and it was a male turkey and his harem of three - strange birds.At 7 pm 2 guys in their 60s from Georgia showed up. Also sharing the shelter with a tagged pigeon who obviously feels quite strongly that this shelter is its proper roosting place.
Date: 2009-06-09
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mount Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

Last night we again had some late arrivals. The one guy said he was hiking ahead of his buddy in the dark and his buddy came running up and the first guy asked him "Where's your stuff?" and his buddy said he had dropped his pack when he got charged by a boar.It was odd hearing the pigeon cooing while sleeping in the woods in the Smoky Mountains.I got to Double Spring shelter (after 6.2 miles) at 11:45 and had to decide then to stay there or go for a total of 14 miles to the next shelter. So I kept going up to Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT (6,643 feet - I know, wimpy compared to other mountain ranges). I was starting to get excited because I was going above the tree line and the people coming down said the views were great. Also, it was spruce forest so it had that Christmas tree smell. The last part of the climb the sun was just beating down and I thought I was going to get heatstroke. When I got to the top where there is an observation tower I was having culture shock - there was about 100 very clean people complaining about the 0.5 mile walk from the parking lot. John came up the trail and we started the final 3.8 miles to the turnoff for the shelter. Took forever. I thought we must be lost. Then it was a 0.5 mile walk to the shelter. The shelter is an older style with a chain link fence across the front and dirty and depressing. The chain link was originally put up to protect people from bears but people starting throwing food from the shelter so they could get bears to come in for a photo op. I went and got water first and then John went. I was setting up my sleeping area and turned around to see a small adult bear. I yelled at him and threw sticks and then went to grab my food bag and he took off. About 5 minutes later he came back from a different direction and left when I yelled. While we were making dinner a park ranger and an intern stopped by and asked if we had seen bears. They put up bear activity signs and stayed for about an hour talking about bears and white nose disease in bats. The ranger said the bear was probably one they call Willis. He said last summer a bear peeled off the roof of this shelter like a tin can. So now we are locked into the shelter although John keeps asking me if I wouldn't rather tent. Ha ha ha.
Date: 2009-06-10
From: Mount Collins Shelter

To: Gatlinburg TN
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

No night visitors, human or bear. Then a short walk to Newfound Gap. John got his shuttle back to his car in NC and I had to wait for my Cherokee transit shuttle to Gatlinburg. The last few days the AT has been right on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee so I still have to finish the Smokies to finish the AT in NC. Now I'm in Gatlinburg and it's like I died and went to hillbilly heaven. So I'm hanging up my trail runners for the year....
Date: 2009-04-01
To: The News
Miles today: 0.0

The NewsWell if you haven't heard by now, here's the latest news:I got laid off last week so I've decided to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.woah. typing that feels pretty crazy. A week ago I would have never guessed I'd be planning a shotgun thru-hike. I've wanted to do this for a while; I even planned a thru-hike 4 years ago that never came to be. (more on that later) Somehow everything has seemed to come together and this just might work...I'm definitely entering a new season of life and I think it would be appropriate to begin by reflecting on (and mourning in a way) the last one. I have worked at North Point Ministries (www.northpoint.org) for the last 5 years or so in some fashion. I did various contract work for a few years and later came on full-time staff. The whole experience has seriously been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I've worked with some really great people and have learned a ton about life, love, leadership and just good old general not sucking at life. Getting the chance to serve under Andy Stanley and the rest of the leadership has been a really great experience and I want to publicly thank you for the opportunity. I was sad to hear that my position was being eliminated and that it was time to move on, but I'm definitely excited about what's next! Here's a list of the things I will probably miss most from NPM:1. Rachael Walkup. Everyone should be so lucky to have as cool a boss as Rachael.2. "Oh, awkward."3. Cat food, pineapple, and pacifier. (safe words)4. Ice cream freezer.5. "Tickling" the server.6. "Molchan Mail."7. A TON of other amazing people.Now to figure out how to pull together a thru-hike in just a few weeks...
Date: 2009-04-02
To: The Decision
Miles today: 0.0

The DecisionIn a little over two weeks, I'll be here, the top of Springer Mountain GA. This is the beginning of the Appalachian trail, or the end, depending on which direction you're hiking. I first got the itch to hike this thing my freshman year of college in 2004. I had been on the trail a few times in high school so I decided to take a few days of my spring break to do a little solo hike on the AT near Springer Mountain. Until this weekend I had only vaguely heard of people who attempt to hike the trail all at once. Now I had met some. I had an incredible time that weekend and as I left a shelter one morning to head back to my car, I remember wondering what it would be like to just start hiking the other way instead, and not stop until I reached Maine. The thought stuck and I began to seriously plan a thru-hike for 2005. I bought all the gear, went on training hikes, obsessed about the weight of my pack, bought books and videos on the trail, I even went so far as to start memorizing all the important information in the guide book so I wouldn't have to carry it. I had planned on taking a semester off from school, starting the trail in February and returning to class in August. (There's even a journal on this site that I started in 04 which you may be able to find by searching..) Unfortunately, I never took the trip. I won't get into the reasons why but I will say that they weren't nearly as important as I thought they were at the time. Eventually I decided I really should have gone but realized it would be very unlikely that it could happen since I was working full time and had all kinds of responsibilities. I would think of the trail often and occasionally visit but more or less completely forgot about trying to hike it all at once.Fast forward to last Friday afternoon as I sat at the Dwarf House with Chelsea having a good conversation about life, having just found out I was being laid off, I had a passing thought. I could hike the AT now. I barely took it seriously enough to mention it to her but I did and by the time it left my mouth, I realized it could be possible. There are a million things yet to figure out before I leave but it's official, I'll finally be hitting the trail April 18th.
Date: 2009-04-03
To: Some Thoughts on Gear and Mail Drops
Miles today: 0.0

Because I already own tons of backpacking gear, I should only have to purchase a few things before I hit the trail. Even still, I have a pretty extensive list of things to accomplish before I leave. Some of which include: moving every thing I own, finding a way to get health insurance that I can afford, finish my taxes for 08, doctor and dentist visits and a whole lot more! I've decided I'm not going to do any mail drops on my hike. I'm doing this for several reasons. The first of which is the freedom. This way I will never feel like I HAVE to enter a certain town because I have to pick up a package. Another is I know I would get sick of picking up the SAME box of food every week and I'd buy other food anyway. I hear there are a few places along the trail that really call for a mail drop and in those cases I will mail myself one from the resupply point before it. Starting in mid-April, I hope that I won't encounter much winter weather although I have to be prepared in case it does so I will bring some extra clothing but will probably ship it home after a month or so. I'm trying to go as light as possible which means sacrificing some pretty big comfort items. I'll treat my water with chemicals instead of bringing a filter. I'm using a small alcohol stove I made from aluminum cans instead of a heavy camp stove. I'm not bringing camp shoes or a real tent (it's a kind of tarp/tent hybrid) All of these things combined should keep my pack weight pretty low which means I should be able to enjoy everything much more! Lot's more planning to do!
Date: 2009-04-03
To: Concerns and Q & A
Miles today: 0.0

I thought it might be good to share a couple of lists with you, some things that I'm really excited about and things that are worrying me as I prepare to take off. I'm excited about:- Time to think, rest, and reflect.- The physical challenge.- Completing the trail.- Meeting really cool people along the way.- Staying in cool towns and hostels. (I'm especially excited about staying at the Blueberry Patch hostel)- New England. (I've hiked all over the south, can't wait to get up north!)- A couple of side trips. (maybe white water rafting or maybe even NYC)- Certain trail traditions. (half-gallon ice cream challenge, 4 state challenge, trail magic, hitch hiking)I'm worried about:- Missing people back home.- The physical challenge.- Not making it to Maine.- Losing too much weight.- Getting really sick or injured.Planning so far has been a lot of fun despite the wide range of emotions I'm feeling. I'm definitely focusing on the top list!So here's an idea! I know lots of you reading this probably have some questions about how all this works or how I will not surely die, so if that's you, ask me whatever in the guest book to the left. (which you should sign anyway!) Soon, I'll grab all the questions and do an entry that answers them all for everyone to read!
Date: 2009-04-03
To: The Trail Name and Pictures
Miles today: 0.0

One of the traditions of the trail is that no one goes by their real name, but a trail name instead. There aren't specific rules on how you go about selecting one. Some people use a nick name they've had a long time, just make one up, or let fellow hikers give them a name. My trail name will be Kage. This nick name was gifted to me by none other than Ryan Shove. It comes from my initials, KJ. So just like DJ Tanner used to go by "deej," on Full House, I will be known as Kage.Also! If you haven't found it yet, there is a link at the bottom of each page which will take you to a web photo gallery. I will be uploading pictures to this while on the trail. You can even subscribe to an RSS feed of the gallery if you're that type I hope to upload at least one for every day. There will also be lots of pictures posted here as I make progress!