morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

May 20I slept in. Hotel stay is like a resort. I ran into a Canadian couple from trail days who offered me a ride. They were super chill. I was on the trail walking Thru many rhonedendrom trees. It was cool and ran into boorah talking about quarter way inn. After many pasture walks and a bout of some stomach issues I got to the quarter way inn and the place is immaculate. It¢s a great spot and Tina is really nice. 21 miles
Date: 2019-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

May 21What a breakfast! Tina made the best spread that would make you wanna zero. I was off right after walking Thru meadows all day with a great ridge view once at the top. The foot bed got rocky last 10 miles tho. My shoes are spent, soles are coming off. Every step is an annoyance. I reached the shelter and I just of ran into another bubble. Over 30 people here. 600 mile marker is tomorrow. 24 miles
Date: 2019-06-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

June 21It¢s been a month since my last entry. I¢m in a rhythm. I passed 1000 miles and the halfway point. My mornings are dialed in and there¢s something special waking up in a stealth campsite. You pack everything away quicker then yesterday and it happens like tying a shoe. I have 20 miles in my mind every day and look for camp either close or beyond that number. I can go hours with no interaction and also stumble into a group. I keep one thing in mind, HYOH. The state parks in PA have been awesome, bathrooms and potable water. The people are friendly and crossing the mason dixon line I thought different. I can¢t seem to think of words when describing the solitude while the weather is low 70s and dry. PA has been rather tame as well as WV. The roller coaster was hard but fun. Other hikers complain and I know they have never been to the whites. There¢s a certain understanding of what difficult is when your day hikes are thru out the whites but with a pack and shelter is a new endeavor.
Date: 2019-07-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

July 11I¢m close to 1400 miles and NY/NJ has been easy but my feet and knees are painful. I decided to get off trail for a few says and ice up. The heat has been tough. Every day is humid and close to 90. The knees are painful as well as the feet with every step. Discouraged and disappointed I¢m not close to VT by now.  The mileage is low and minimal 20 plus mile days. I¢m hoping I can get back on trail and get into CT.
Date: 2019-03-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This Appalachian Trail journal is meant to be a collaborative effort with my beautiful and talented wife, Linda (AKA Mrs. Sharkchow).The plan is that I will be in daily cell phone contact with Linda to fill her in on my location, plans, and details of that day's happenings. She will then post an update to the journal. During some periods I may be outside cell phone range. In that case and update will be made as soon as possible. Posts made by Linda will be signed by her (Mrs. Sharkchow), and posts by me will be signed by me. Feel free to send any comments, thoughts, advice, or questions. We'll try to respond when we can.Sharkchow
Date: 2019-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Every year in late winter or early spring, I would visit this website to try to find someone to follow as they hiked the Appalachian Trail. Even though I wasn't myself on the trail, it gave me a daily dose of trail life -- a small respite from work and "civilized" city life. At some point during these accounts, the author would come upon someone on or near the trail offering food and cold drinks to hikers. In some particularly dry sections of the trail, containers of drinking water are left near the trail in anticipation of thirsty hikers headed that way.These folks are called trail angels, and the gifts they bestow are known as trail magic. This is one of the reasons I want to hike the Appalachian Trail. Not to get free food. Hopefully, I'll have my act together enough that I won't have to rely on a chance encounter with trail magic to avoid hunger or thirst. But I like the idea that so many people -- many of whom have completed thru hikes of their own -- take time off from their lives to return to the AT to give something back.Folks say that hiking the AT is a life-changing experience. I guess I'm about to find out. But that must be some pretty powerful magic to have such a hold on hikers long after their time walking the trail has ended.It seems to me the AT is something more than just a footpath from Georgia to Maine. It is an entire community of like-minded folks drawn to something challenging and rewarding. You can't just sign up for this. You have to prove yourself worthy. Day after day with each additional mile, you earn your way into that community.Sharkchow
Date: 2019-03-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

¢And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.¢   Luke 9:3I always considered Ray Jardine the pioneer of ultra-light trekking. But apparently Jesus had something important to say about long-distance travel as well. In my preparation for life on the AT I¢ve been borrowing a bit of wisdom from both, but will likely end up carrying more than I should nonetheless. There will be plenty of time to tweak what¢s in my pack. The weight on my back after each passing mile will provide ample incentive to get the load as light as possible. I¢ve found experience is the best way to trim extra pounds from my pack. Experience isn¢t thinking of all the stuff I might need out in the woods ¢ that technique would fill a moving van. The trick is knowing that the few essential things I¢m bringing will get the job done.To be clear, I don¢t consider myself an ultra-light backpacker. My base weight will likely be between 18 and 20 pounds without food or water. That isn¢t great, but it will get me started walking north.As for the Big Three, my pack is a ULA Catalyst. I¢ll be sleeping in a Hennessy Hammock under a Hammock Gear Dyneema tarp. And I¢ll be wrapped in a 20-degree Enlightened Equipment Enigma quilt.I do not consider myself a gear head. But I do believe there is wisdom in the words of both Ray Jardine and The Bible. It boils down to three words: Less Is More.Sharkchow
Date: 2019-03-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

In the last few weeks I've found myself in the aisles in the grocery section at Walmart taking notes. There are several places along the AT where a Walmart will provide the best resupply option. I want to be able to walk into the store and go directly to the places on the shelves to find the food I need.To speed the process I keep a grocery list on my cell phone. Among the items: tortillas, tuna packs, Knorr rice sides, peanut butter, Snickers bars. I like to tell myself that I'll linger in the fresh produce section and stock up on carrots and kale. We'll see.In some places, the only available resupply is at a gas station. It will be interesting to see how that goes. In other places, like Hot Springs, North Carolina, and Damascus, Virginia, the trail takes hikers right through the center of town. Most trail towns are five to ten miles from the AT. My pre-hike rule is that if it is within a mile, I'll walk to town. Anything longer and I'll either hire a hiker shuttle service or hitchhike. For the record, it has been about 43 years since I last stuck my thumb out to hitch a free ride somewhere. They say the folks in trail towns are friendly and understand the whole thru-hiker experience. But after a few weeks on the trail I'll have a pretty good idea of how I'll look... and smell.Sharkchow
Date: 2019-03-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

What do you do when you are training for a hike in the mountains but you live in South Florida and don't have access to mountains or even a high-rise staircase? You load up your pack and walk the levee out into the Everglades.Total elevation gain: about 12 feet (144 inches). This trip was 3.5 miles out and 3.5 miles back. Five alligators. Red-winged blackbirds. Egrets. A Great Blue Heron. A whole lot of water, a whole lot of sawgrass, a whole lot of sky, and me.Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.0

Day One, Sharkchow hiked about 10 miles from basecamp to Springer Mtn and beyond, stayed at Stover Creek Shelter. Day Two (today), 13 miles hiked, he will sleep in his hammock tonite. It rained all morning - and he loved it: ¢It was fantastic hiking in the rain!¢ says Sharkchow. Poncho and rain skirt worked well.This morning, about 4 miles in, a guy burst onto the trail and announced ¢trail magic!¢ - hot dogs and other treats. Sharkchow skipped the dogs, but went for grapefruit juice, fruit, and hot chocolate. Thank you, Trail Magic Guy! Sharkchow didn¢t have a whole lot of time to train before starting the hike, so I¢ve been counseling him to take it easy. Train as you go. This is not a race! Tomorrow or the next day, he¢ll hit a trail town. He says he¢s ¢sore but moving¢¦ If I have a good day tomorrow, I¢ll put in more miles.¢ Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-06
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Mountain Crossings hostel at Neel Gap
Miles today: 16.7

Day 3, 16.7 miles. Sharkchow made it past the famous ¢boot tree¢ at Neel Gap, where supposedly 20 percent of AT ¢starters¢ drop out (after a mere 31.7 miles on the trail). The tradition is, take off your boots, fling ¢em into the tree, and call it a day. But not Sharkchow. Now he¢s at the Mountain Crossings hostel at Neel Gap. Rinsed out his clothes, did some resupply at the store (plus fresh fruit and OJ for immediate consumption), took a hot shower.Last night Sharkchow slept in his hammock, which he says was ¢fantastic.¢ Fell asleep at 8:30 pm. He sleeps better in the hammock - woke up ready to go, not sore. Tonight he¢ll sleep in the basement hostel, where the bunk room smells "abysmal." ¢But it doesn¢t bother me," he says. "You kind of adapt.¢Plans to hike just 10 miles a day the next few days. ¢It will take a few weeks or a month to get up to speed.¢Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-07
From: Mountain Crossings hostel at Neel Gap

To: Near Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

Sharkchow hiked 11.5 miles today. The hostel last night at Mountain Crossings (Neel Gap) was indeed stinky, but the hot shower alone was worth the $20 it cost to stay there, he said. Tonight, back to the hammock near Low Gap Shelter. (See picture - the hammock is under the tarp!) It's supposed to rain tonight, and all day tomorrow, but Sharkchow is fine with that. The tarp will keep him dry tonight, and he's got rain gear for the hike. Aiming for another 11-mile day tomorrow. He doesn't want to overdo it. "I'm matriculating up the coast," Sharkchow said, in an homage to the late Coach Hank Stram (who once said, "Just keep matriculating the ball down the field, boys!").   Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-08
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It was windy and rainy all day, and his boots are wet, but Sharkchow persisted. Forget what he said yesterday about doing 10 miles a day. He did 15.4. "Today, I was walking in the clouds the whole day," he said. "I could tell there was a spectacular view, but all I could see was white clouds." He started hiking at around 8:00 a.m., got to the Tray Mountain Shelter at 4:30 - slow, he says. "I still consider myself in training mode." Tonight, he'll sleep in the hammock again, which is a good thing. "The more I sleep in the hammock, the better off I am," he says. Besides, the shelter was full. There are also a lot of people in tents - including a family with kids. Everyone's asleep. After all, it's "hiker midnight." 9:00 pm.Tomorrow: heading to a famous hostel called Top of Georgia, which is about 11 miles away. For $35, you get a bunk and all-you-can-eat pancakes. Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-09
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Top of Georgia
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Laundry! Hot shower! Resupply! All you can eat dinner! Those are the headlines out of Hiawassee, Georgia, where Sharkchow is bunking down for the night. He hiked 11 miles today, from Tray Mountain Shelter to Dicks Creek Gap. From there, a van picks up hikers and takes them to the Top of Georgia Hostel in Hiawassee. From there, hikers head to Daniel's Steakhouse for the all you can eat buffet. Cost: $8. Really. "It was very southern, very fried," says Sharkchow. Pork and chicken, plus salad bar with fresh lettuce and veggies, including beets. He was sadly misinformed about breakfast at Top of Georgia - it's all you can eat cold cereal, not pancakes. :( But it'll do. Then the van takes hikers back to the trail.Sharkchow is still trying to get the weight of his pack down (starting weight was 26 pounds, he says, not 27), and so he gave away his jar of peanut butter. Up next: Three-day hike to Franklin, NC.  Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-10
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today, some firsts: Sharkchow crossed his first state line, from Georgia into NC. Later, after arriving at Muskrat Creek Shelter, he hung his first bear bag. So his food is up in a tree, and his backpack is tied to one of the trees where his hammock is.The breakfast buffet of cold cereal at the Top of Georgia hostel sounded ¢¦ underwhelming. But it was something. While hiking, he then had a bagel, then 2 poptarts, then beef jerky. At Muskrat Creek Shelter, he made a backpacker meal - a ¢3-person serving,¢ but he could have eaten more. After nearly a week on the trail, I asked Sharkchow if he had gotten into a rhythm. He paused. ¢Sort of. I¢m still fully in training mode,¢ he says. ¢You can feel your body adjusting.¢ Here¢s a tidbit from yesterday¢s all-you-can-eat buffet in Hiawassee: Sharkchow ate with two other hikers, one an 80-year-old (!) man from South Africa (who has hiked the AT 2-3 times before) and a talkative woman named Wonder Woman. She came to the table with her plate piled high, put it down and photographed it. Must be a millennial. Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-12
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Franklin, N.C. 
Miles today: 12.2

Sharkchow made it to Winding Stair Gap, where he hopped on a $3 "hiker bus" into Franklin, N.C., 10 miles east. Now he's at Baltimore Jack's Hiker Hostel, where he'll spend the night for $20. Dinner was a hoot. He and a bunch of other hikers went to a restaurant where, if you can eat their triple-decker hamburger - the El Dorado - in 45 minutes, they'll put your picture on the wall and give you a T-shirt from the restaurant. A guy from Kansas - trail name Toto, of course - took the plunge. And he did it. He consumed the El Dorado (the equivalent of 6 hamburgers) and a pound of fries in under 45 minutes. Sharkchow ate just one hamburger and was still full. Toto is now Toto Frodo. As Sharkchow and I were talking, Todo Frodo ambled by and gave an update: After dinner, he went to the Lazy Hiker Brewery for some beer and ice cream. Those, shall we say, came back, but the El Dorado burger and fries stayed down. Good night, Todo Frodo. Good night, Sharkchow.Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-13
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 10 began with an all-you-can-eat pancake and bacon breakfast at First Baptist Church, Franklin, NC. This is their famous ¢hiker breakfast,¢ which they do between mid-March and mid-April, a tradition since 2008. It's just for thru-hikers, free of charge. Sharkchow says there were 40-50 hikers there - including Toto, who seemed to have recovered from last night¢s triple-decker cheeseburger, fries, beer, and ice cream.Tonight, Sharkchow is in his hammock, near Cold Spring Shelter, after hiking 15.8 miles. ¢It was the perfect day for hiking,¢ he says - and for a wedding, which he happened upon as he walked by the Wayah Bald outlook. Sharkchow is getting a kick out of the place names - like Swinging Lick Gap. Who¢s thinking this stuff up? he wonders.He called kind of late, because he was at a campfire organized by a young couple - thru-hikers from Texas. A guy and a girl in their 20s who had sold everything and hit the trail. Nice. Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-14
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 11 was payback for Day 10¢s perfect weather. Overnight, there was torrential rain and high wind, maybe even the remnants of a tornado, Sharkchow said.  ¢There were times when I thought the whole hammock would blow away,¢ he said. But it didn¢t. Through it all, he stayed dry. This morning, one hour into the hike, more rain - intense rain, winds gusting to 60 MPH, trees down, branches flying. Sharkchow soldiered on, and hiked down to the Nantahala River and the Nantahala Outdoor Center. There, the skies cleared and it was beautiful and sunny. He thought about staying there, but the room was expensive.Then Sharkchow saw a guy he recognized from the night before - trail name Montana Jesus - and the two of them decided to walk to the next shelter, more than 6 miles away. About a quarter mile in, it starts raining. And this time, there¢s thunder and lightning, and branches flying. They see a tree come crashing down, right near them. Sharkchow and Montana Jesus arrived at Sassafras Gap Shelter just as daylight was disappearing. No dinner, straight to ¢bed.¢ Sharkchow called from inside his hammock, where he was warming up. It was his longest day yet - 18.9 miles. Why was the other guy named Montana Jesus? I asked. ¢Because he¢s from Montana and he looks like Jesus,¢ Sharkchow said. Of course. Maybe he also kept them safe. Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-15
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Monday was a 15.4 mile day - from Sassafras Gap Shelter to Cable Gap Shelter, where he slept in his hammock. At Sassafras it was really cold, and it rained more that night, tho he did warm up. Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-16
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Village Resort
Miles today: 5.5

Day 13: Today was easy - a 5.5 mile hike to the jumping-off point for picturesque Fontana Village Resort in Fontana Dam, NC. Special room rate for thru-hikers: $79. The place is crawling with them. Sharkchow was eating dinner in the restaurant, and a nice older couple (thru-hikers) from Ashville, NC, walked up and said, ¢You look like a thru-hiker.¢ So they joined him. Maybe it was that lean and hungry look, though in fact he¢s not all that hungry. ¢Hiker hunger¢ hasn¢t kicked in yet.Last Saturday I had sent Sharkchow a resupply package full of backpacker meals, Snickers, Cheezits, beef jerky, and some crumpled up pages of the New York Times, and it got to the hotel yesterday. Tomorrow he¢ll venture into the great unknown - across the dam and into Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where at some point he¢ll cross into Tennessee. Who knows when we¢ll hear from him again. It could be days. Bad weather is predicted for Friday. And on Saturday it might snow. He¢s hoping to get over Clingmans Dome - the highest point in the park at 6,643 feet - before the snow. Sharkchow has also started using his little transistor radio. ¢I¢m becoming an expert on country music,¢ he says. ¢It¢s the only reliable station out here.¢ Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-17
From: Fontana 28 AT Crossing

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 14: First day in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the hike was all uphill. 14.9 miles¢ worth of uphill. It was a long slog. Sharkchow is tired. But at least the weather was beautiful as he walked right along the NC-Tennessee border - left foot in Tennessee, right foot in NC.Early in the evening, Sharkchow sent Mrs. Sharkchow what she thought was a nice photo of trees - a ¢proof of life¢ picture, as it were, just in case he couldn¢t make a call later. But he did call, and when I told him I liked the picture of trees, he said that¢s not just a picture of trees. Look closer.¢The whole forest floor is blanketed with little white flowers,¢ he said. Why so it is. Sharkchow is bracing for the possibility of snow on Saturday. He¢s now at Russell Field Shelter, almost 20 miles from Clingmans Dome - the highest point on the AT. He hopes to get over the mountain before snow hits. If he has to divert and go into Gatlinburg for a day or two, then so be it. Then I asked about bears. Sharkchow¢s food is hanging from bear cables, and his pack is hanging from a tree. ¢The park has a lot of bears,¢ he says. ¢I hope we don¢t get visited tonight.¢Sharkchow has seen evidence of bear(s) - things dug up, bear scat on the trail. A hiker said they saw a bear - but in the distance. Montana Jesus is also at the shelter. Good!
Date: 2019-04-18
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

News of the release of the Mueller report did reach as far as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but for Sharkchow, there were far weightier concerns. Like, when will it start to snow? And will he have to divert into Gatlinburg, and maybe wind up at the Hampton Inn?Tonight, Sharkchow is sleeping inside the Double Spring Gap Shelter, and not his beloved hammock, because of expected rain and high wind overnight. At about 7 pm, the wind was already at 25-30 MPH. Sleeping in shelter = sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of other (snoring, stinky) hikers on a hard floor. Last night, in the hammock, ¢was the absolute best sleep of the trip so far,¢ Sharkchow said. ¢I was sore when I went to bed, not sore when I got up.¢ Today, he hiked 16.4 miles. Tomorrow, it will be just a 3-mile hike to Clingmans Dome, the highest spot on the AT, then another 7 miles to Newfound Gap. From there, he¢ll decide if he hitches a ride into Gatlinburg or keeps going. He would rather keep going. Mrs. Sharkchow
Date: 2019-04-19
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Sharkchow¢s teeth were chattering, his feet all wet, when he called from the appropriately named Icewater Spring Shelter. He hiked 14.4 miles today in rain and sleet over Clingmans Dome - at 6,644 feet, the highest point on the entire Appalachian Trail. But it wasn¢t a day for hanging out and enjoying the view. Given the weather, I¢m guessing there wasn¢t much of a view.At one point, ¢the trail became a raging torrent of water,¢ Sharkchow said (see photo). In other words, he was walking in a stream. He made it past Newfound Gap - the halfway point thru Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the jumping off point for Gatlinburg. So no side excursion to Gatlinburg. Tomorrow is a big question. If it¢s icy and snowy, it will be hard to move, he says. If it¢s just snow, not a problem. If there¢s ice, that¢s a problem. Mrs. Sharkchow