morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-03-23
From: Three Forks 

To: Gootch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

My intent was to return to the point in the trail from which I left but the fire service road to get there was impassible, I¢m not sure how we did it the day before. Mike, my shuttle driver, mentioned that we must have come down a different way because the gate across that road was closed, locked and hadn't been opened for awhile as far as he knew. (could it have been a true miracle that got us off that mountain?). Anyway, Mike dropped me off at Three Forks, a point on the trail that I¢d previously trekked; meaning I retraced 2.5 miles from earlier in the week but this time I took my time and a side trail to visit Long Creek Falls, see photo.Around 2:00, I stopped for a snack and to change out my socks before assenting Sassafras Mountain (750 ft in 1 mile) my most challenging climb thus far. I was told that it will kick your butt, and it did but it¢s a good warm up for what I¢ll be seeing as I progress up the trail. The decent brought me into Cooper¢s Gap where I made the acquaintance of two young ladies, both recently retired from the Army, Spirit and Diamond. As I hiking along minding my own business, I heard rustling from the wooded hill above me to my right.  At first I didn't really see anything but all of a sudden two army solders in full combat gear complete with rifles jumped out and settled on the trail about 40' ahead of me.  As I stood there and looked at them, I saw several other soldiers moving down the hill. I casually passed the two without much of a comment and continued down to the gap where I met a few more military personnel in vehicles with food and water.  it turned out, the army was conducting Ranger training exercises in the hills surrounding the trail; their commander was kind enough to refill my water supply as Sassafras nearly drained it. Note to self: water is priceless out here. (You can never have enough, but who wants to carry it?) I settled in at Gootch Gap Shelter for the night after an 11.5 mile day, it was nice to get some solid miles in after the unfortunate distraction of getting the Mayor out safely. Most of the day seemed like just a long hike...alone. In addition to Spirit and Diamond, I met hikers along the way, many still without trail names, but no one that I knew and that made for a lonely day.
Date: 2018-03-24
From: Gooch Gap

To: Henry Gap
Miles today: 9.6

I was the last one out of Gooch Mountain Shelter this morning. A slow steady drizzle seemed to keep several of us hanging around. Once the Shelter was cleared out, I hauled all my gear up there to pack it away more carefully. You can see by the photo that I solved my tent problem, at least temporarily.  This tent belongs to the Mayor, who obviously doesn't need it right now.  I sent my one person tent home via my sister for my bride to return to REI and to shop for a larger two man one.  While this is a real nice, light weight, compact tent, it is made by Z-pack and is pretty expensive.  if I damage it I'll have to replace it and still buy a tent for myself.  So why not save $600 and just get my own ASAP?  By the way, this is the first shelter sight I've seen with tent pads, very nice!  Everywhere else I've had to find the flattest ground without rocks and roots, clear the debris and pitch the tent.Shortly after I departed, I received my first experience of trail magic at Gootch Gap. A local Christian ministry sets up a tent and tables on the side of the trail and encourages hikers with hot food and drink, a smile and even a prayer if you so desire. By the time I arrived, the menu was changing over from eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, coffee and juice to a fully stocked taco bar! This group has done this every weekend for 11 years. Three plus (long) miles later coming off of Ramrock Mountain and into Woody Gap, I experienced another incidence of trail magic. This time a roaring campfire, hamburgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers (!) homemade biscuits, water, soda and even beer. This was a completely different group servicing hikers and again, every weekend.  This was my welcome into the Blood Mountain Wilderness and my approach to big Cedar Mountain. A pretty tough climb but incredible views from the top. My decent from Big Cedar Mountain was rather unremarkable because it was basically just walking through the woods, the trees were thick and the air was chilly.I finished the day with 9.5 miles coming out and Henry Gap. I hitched a ride into the town of Suches, GA, where I was collected by my college roommate and shuttled off to a nearby lodge to address some foot blister issues. New boots are in my future.
Date: 2018-03-26
From: Henry Gap

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.25

I was forced to take another zero on Sunday due to foot problems. No blisters yet, except on the back of my heel, but the bottoms of my feet are getting really hot. So my roommate from college, who lives in Atlanta now, came to pick me up and took me down to REI in Alpharetta. Had a hard time finding boots that are going to replace the ones I had, but I got some and I¢ll see how they work out. His daughter Jessie was able to join us for lunch so it turned out that he was my shuttle and she was my trail angel because she bought me lunch.It was a rather short day going just over 7 miles, but the climb up and down Blood Mountain (the highest point in GA) was pretty tough, lots of rock ledges and the path itself is quite rocky. The view from the top was spectacular. A local day hiker that had been up there six times previously said it¢s the first time he was ever able to see through the clouds. The photo in this entry is a stone shelter for hikers at the top of Blood Mountain. Needless to say it was quite windy and pretty cold.Coming down off Blood Mountain I ended up at Neel Gap, also known as Mountain Crossing. Mountain Crossing is a hostel and outfitter, hikers literally walk through it. This is where I¢ll be spending the night, with 11 perfect strangers and Three Socks, a hiker I met on the first night camping.
Date: 2018-03-28
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 7.5

Just under 7.5 miles today. My boots are still taking some getting used to and I¢m not really sure I¢m Liking them; they¢re heavier, my feet are still hurting at the end of the day and the trail is nowhere to break in new equipment.  Today¢s ascent was long and gradual, roughly 1100 ft, but the terrain is what kept it from being only a stroll. Several of the same hikers from the previous two nights settled into the Blue Mountain Shelter but this bubble is thinning and faster hikers are catching up. Which means new characters and new stories.Things also seem to be greening up a bit, especially on the forrest¢s floor. If we could get some sun to balance out the dampness that hovers in the mountains, there should be quick increase in color.Today¢s elevation began at 3025 ft. and finished at 3880, ascending 1100 ft., descending 577.
Date: 2018-03-29
From: Blue Mountain Shelter 

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 2.3

Another really short day today, only 2.3 miles. My feet are really driving me nuts and I need to get off the trail to see what I can do about getting some inserts or something for my boots. Mountain Crossing, the same outfitter that is in Neel Gap, has a satellite store in Hiawassee. I stopped in there to get the inserts I needed. In addition, I was instructed on how to tie my boots properly so that my feet don¢t move forward and back and my heels don¢t lift up and down. It¢s really uncomfortable but seem to work better. I¢m still exhibiting some hotspots but hopefully this will work out.
Date: 2018-03-30
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Tray Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 6.0

Happy Good Friday.The White Blaze lines the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, all 2200 miles of it. It¢s painted mostly on trees but also appears on rocks, if there are no trees and even posts and stair steps if the trail crosses a road. It lets the hiker know they are still on the main trail and it¢s on both sides of a tree because hikers are going in both directions. This morning I hadn¢t seen a blaze for sometime so I stopped to look around to be certain that I was still on the path. I didn¢t see a blaze but within two feet of my face, at eye level, I saw the ¢blaze¢ (photographed) carved into the tree. I am on the right path, even if it's not on the Appalachian Trail.It was a great day to hike, sunny and reasonably warm with 6 miles to Tray Mountain Shelter. The view from the top is incredible! The sunset was rich and colorful while the full moon that followed faded the pitch black sky full of stars. The shadows cast by the silhouette of the leafless trees was eerie and amplified by the hushed silence of the night. It¢s exactly what I hoped I would find out here and what a way to begin the Easter Weekend!Elevation for the day started at 2950 ft. and finished at 4330. I ascended 1720 ft. while descending 1000, it the hike included two mountains, one 1100 ft. over 1 mile and the other 1400 ft. in 2 miles.
Date: 2018-03-31
From: Tray Mountain Shelter 

To: Deep Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 7.5

The day started off with a nice climb down Tray Mountain. I say ¢climb down¢ because its still a lot of work to maneuver over the rocks and roots while your backpack is pushing you forward. That¢s not to say there wasn¢t a lot of uphill too, the day finished with a very challenging 800 foot ascent. The weather was another perfect day with lots of sun and temps in the low to mid 60¢s. Many came into camp this evening with sunburns.I¢m managing to hike and camp with the same few people for awhile, June Bug, one year to the day older than me, she¢s from Houston and Apple, whom I met on my first day. Apple got his trail name by going down a mountain trail with an apple in his mouth the entire way and June Bug¢s came from a name that her grandmother gave her years ago.
Date: 2018-04-01
From: Deep Gap Shelter 

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.5

Easter Sunday. I woke up inspired at Deep Gap Shelter, mile marker number 65.4. The sun shone brightly and the 20 or so hikers that camped on the grounds were hustling about eager to get back on the trail. Knowing that I was probably going to make it a short day, I was in no hurry to get going. My hiking activity was all of 3 1/2 miles where I exited the trail at Dicks Creek gap. I walked down the highway a little more than half a mile where I would spend the night at the Top of Georgia Hostel and Hiking Center. Once assigned a bunk and settled into the bunkhouse, I requested one of the staff members that he shake down my backpack in an effort to eliminate some of the weight that I¢ve been carrying. Hopefully this would alleviate some of the discomfort in my feet. After we went through everything in my pack it was determined that I could send home between 4-5 pounds, most of it was clothing and some items that I have yet to use on the trail.That afternoon several guests were shuttled into the town of Hiawassee, where at the grocery store I assembled the most incredible tossed salad that I¢ve ever had in my life! It probably wasn¢t the most incredible salad that I¢ve had in my entire life, but it¢s the first one I¢ve had in over a week and it was really, really good! Once I finished my dinner, went grocery shopping to restock my food stores.  every single one of the other guests that were shuttled in, went shopping first and then ate dinner.  Everyone's heard that you don't shop on an empty stomach, we they did and bought a ton of food!  Actually, they all carried between 20-30 pounds of food back onto the trail with them.  Food stuffs that you would never carry out there; ham, a bunch of bananas, whole boxes of cereal, whole bags of apples and oranges, big bags of chips, cans of soda and beer...it went on and on.  And they all complained about it as soon as we started to get back into the shuttle to back to the hostel.  The next day the complaining was even worse. I finished the evening sitting on the porch of the hostel talking with and missing terribly, my wife Cathy, as I watched storm clouds rolling in over the distant mountains. Fortunately, I am staying in the bunkhouse tonight, out of the weather.
Date: 2018-04-02
From: Hiawassee 

To: Hiawassee 
Miles today: 0.0

I didn¢t sleep well at all last night in the hostel at Top of Georgia. I got maybe three or four hours of sleep after having gone to bed at 8:30. Not sure why, it was just a miserable night. But the speech that Bob, the owner of the hostel gives to his guests every morning at eight, was very inspiring and made us all excited to get back out there and attack the trail again.Sadly, today was a zero, meaning I didn¢t hike at all. (Doubly so because Michigan lost in the finals of the men¢s NCAA basketball tourney). These zeros are starting to bother me, I¢ve now taken three because of my feet in 13 days. But the day was not a waste. My college roommate Craig, (remember him?), drove nearly 120 miles up to see me and cart me around to pick up some supplies I needed including things to address my feet. Thank you again Craig!My feet are feeling better having not taxed them all day.The signage on this page is planted on the grounds of Top of Georgia Hostel.  It's called Top of Georgia because within the next day or so, hikers will be exiting Georgia and entering North Carolina!
Date: 2018-04-03
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Stealth campsite
Miles today: 7.2

After another zero on Monday, and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express with Craig.  I put in back at Dicks Creek Gap. After a 7 mile hike I ended up at a stealth campsite on a ridge with valley surrounding me on three sides. The sun should be setting in about 15 to 20 minutes and I¢ll have a really nice view as it sets behind the mountains that I probably climbed today. It¢s hard to tell. Rarely do I hike in a straight line it always seems to be around something or a switch back to make the climb ¢easier¢.According to the AWOL guidebook, I¢m at mile marker 75.7, just shy of the North Carolina border by about 2 1/2 miles. (This mile marker does not include the 8.8 miles of the approach trail that I hiked with the Mayor on March 20 or the 2.5 that I retraced getting back on the trail after the Mayor left). I expect to cross the border tomorrow and do somewhere between 6 and 10 miles depending upon how I feel. My feet are still hurting and I¢m looking forward to getting to Franklin, NC to visit an outfitter to see about new shoes.Nothing out of the ordinary happened today. I didn¢t see any hikers that I knew, they¢re probably at least a day or two in front of me by now. I did meet other hikers but none are staying at this campsite, so I¢m not getting to know anyone new.Today¢s hike was mostly up-and-down as it is every day. I started the morning at 2700 feet and finished at 3400. My ascension was 1750 feet and I descended 1500.
Date: 2018-04-04
From: Stealth campsite

To: Standing Indian Shelter 
Miles today: 10.1

The sunset was not given justice by the photo that I posted here last night and I¢m finding that to be the case when I want to capture and share or remember something. Anyway, it was a real nice evening all by myself.  Though 2 hikers that I'd not met yet saw my tent and decided it would be best to settle in for the night.  A father and son, not yet named, from the Cincinnati area set up a single 4 man tent on the approach trail to my ridge.  by the time they arrived, I had finished my dinner, washed up and found a secure branch for my food bag.  By the time these guys were done eating it was getting dark and they had a terrible time of hanging their food.  The weighted rope used to hang ones food, got stuck in a tree a good 15 feet off the ground.  I offered help, though there wasn't much I could do, including offering my branch and rope, but they declined so I sat quietly watching as they found the longest two sticks they could and taped them together using duct tape. It was really quite comical and they knew it but they succeeded after about 20 minutes or so and got their food secured in the tree.  I told the younger guy that based on what I saw last night, I wanted to name him Duct Tape.  He smiled and declined, hoping something better will come along.Around 930 or so it started to rain but only lasted for about half an hour. It was so loud against the tent, it sounded like dozens of drummers all beating on my tent with drum sticks and it kept me awake. But those showers made way for the incredible thunder, lightning, rain and monsoon type winds that showed up from 230-5 this morning. Never have I been so close to that much power with nowhere to go for protection. Plus I was a good 100 feet off the trail. It continued to rain most of the early morning, which meant I broke camp in the rain, packed up a wet tent and headed off for the day's fun.After a nice gradual climb over 2 miles, I crossed into North Carolina! (See photo) this was really exciting and gave me a real sense of accomplishing something out here. I thought about only doing 5 miles today but instead went on and did 10. Which I¢m glad I did, making Franklin, NC that much closer.Right now I¢m settled into the familiar three sided shelter at Standing Indian Mountain. Temps are expected to get below 25 tonight with clear skies and winds up to 20-25 mph. I¢m bundled in pretty good with any electronics and my water filter in my sleeping bag with me to keep them warm. Today¢s elevation started at 3400 ft. and ended at 4750, with ascension at 2295 ft., descending 1199.Thank you for following along, I hope you¢re enjoying my entries. Please feel free to comment in my guestbook.
Date: 2018-04-05
From: Standing Indian Shelter 

To: Carter Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 7.75

One more thing about yesterday¢s shelter experience, I met Mary. Mary is a pediatric ER doctor in SE Tennessee, training to be a Chaplin and she spends one week a month hiking a 20 mile section of the trail in NC. She camps, interacts and administers foot care to hikers. Treating blisters, massaging feet and ¢anointing¢ them with lavender oil. She was all packed up and ready to go this morning when I found out what she was doing out there. She did offer to address my foot issues, but like I said, she was all packed up. Looking back, I wish I would have...what an incredible service!Today¢s 8 mile hike was highlighted by a view from the top of Standing Indian Mountain. Again, just a beautiful view at over 5400 ft. Though the views are always subject to the weather and often look the same as the last mountain, I can¢t get tired of them. It¢s just hard climbing the mountains to get the opportunity to see them.I¢m sleeping in the shelter tonight. Because of the possibility of heavy rains. Even if it¢s not raining in the morning when I break camp, everything is wet and heavier. But there are two guys here with me both busting +20 mile days. ¢My Way¢ is 65 and has done 1100 miles of the trail 3 times.  He was named by his wife because that¢s the way he is. ¢Forgiven¢ is 20 and a real joy to talk with. I got the feeling that he couldn¢t wait to be my age to see what sort of impact he¢ll have had on people¢s lives, especially his own family when he has one. He told us that he received his name from God, that seemed to turn "My Way" off in a hurry.  Because I¢m so much slower than these guys, I¢ll likely not see them again.Today¢s hike was the first to take me over 5000 ft. It was a pretty tough climb as most are anymore as the terrain seems to be getting rockier and the altitudes are increasing. An experienced section hiker told me that this is good practice for farther north.The starting elevation was 4750 ft. ending at 4528 while ascending 1091 ft. and descending 1275. The Standing Indian Mountain climb was from 4750 ft. to 5435 over 1.5 miles.
Date: 2018-04-07
From: Long Branch Shelter 

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 7.3

Woke up to the rain again today, and for most of the night the rhythm on the steel roof of the shelter kept me from a real good sleep. But the constant chill that I¢ve experienced ever since I started doing this was finally gone...until I put on yesterday¢s wet clothes. I fixed breakfast and hit the trail. Because of all the rain we've been getting, the trails are flowing like a stream. Sometimes the water is 2 inches deep and I¢m walking from rock to rock to try and keep my feet from getting wetter...but how could they?  I looked around for the white blazes just to make sure I was on the trail and not walking in a stream or river)My goal this morning was to get to Winding Stairs Gap and catch a ride into Franklin, NC to see about new shoes. A young man from Binghamton University in NY was on spring break with some friends hiking, was going into Franklin and offered me a ride. He dropped me off at Baltimore Jack¢s Hostel, where I reserved  a bunk two days ago. I paid my $20 and went to Bunk House #2 as assigned. It was full and even the couch was rented out, that's where I met "Orion", he also reserved a bunk but got the couch.  I returned to the office and pointed this out to the ¢helpful¢ counter clerk, he gave me a puzzled look and returned my $20 without query or comment. I replied, that¢s it? No bed? No customer service? Can you at least point me in another direction? He simply said, ¢what do you want me to do?¢ So I left, made another call and am comfortably settled into Gooder Groove Hostel, still in Franklin. The place is clean and "Zen", along with his staff, ¢Dead Pan¢ and ¢Everywhere¢ are very accommodating.According to the log book, I just missed "Apple" by a day but I did run into "Forgiven". He and I enjoyed a Chinese buffet tonight, a decision I feel that I¢m going to regret within the next few hours.
Date: 2018-04-09
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter 
Miles today: 4.5

I was unable to accomplish anything with my feet on Sunday 4/8, so I numbed around the the town of franklin for most of the day after attending the morning service at the First Baptist Church. Later in the day my old buddy Craig showed up so we we had lunch and went to a movie, Paul the Apostle, his treat.This morning after a failed attempt at a few hikers breakfast at the same church, we made our way in to the target of the weekend, Outfitters 76 for new shoes. Score! I picked up some La Sportiva trail runners, these are a lot more comfortable than the boots and weigh probably half as much. So I was pretty excited, though I didn¢t feel much like beginning my hiking day at 230 in the afternoon.I left the 65 degree sun filled streets of Franklin and headed for the 50 degree cloud/mist covered mountain I left on Saturday. I targeted Silar Mountain Shelter just 6 miles in. It was a brisk uphill hike and I landed at the campsite in just under 3 hours. The shoes felt pretty good. The hot spots were greatly reduced and just slightly irritated from continued use, the day off worked wonders. Let¢s see what happens with tomorrow¢s hike.It just after midnight and I¢m having trouble sleeping, so I stepped out of my tent to have a look around. Finally (!) the sky was black and completely filled with stars. There must be dozens of them out tonight. The only interruption of the stars and the perfect pitch black of the sky, were the distant lights down below the mountain of the town of Franklin some 15 miles away.