morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-04-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

What a good day. It was hard but good. I started off with my knee and both achilles tendons just killing me. It was freezing cold and that just made them stiffen up. Which made me glad to have slept with all of my water and electronics. I got under way about 8am after a quick breakfast of oatmeal and honey. I took it nice and slow all day to take care of my knee. So I got passed a lot but it¢s a long game not a short race to get to the end. I wish I could say getting passed was not big deal but it does still mess with me when people I passed over the previous day, are now passing me. I¢m working on that.>span class="s1">In both gaps I went through today I got Trail Magic!! Trail Magic is the special gifts that people give you while you are a thru hiker. The first was just some fruit and coffee. But the coffee was so good. The lady in charge told us about how her husband was diagnosed with cancer years ago and he was out hiking the section we just did afterward. God told him that He would get him through it and give him the compassion to do Trail Magic. It was really sweet. On the way up the next mountain their was a cute little family and the little boy (age 9ish) was out front. He came flying up toward me and was saying things about trail Magic at the next gap. I couldn¢t understand him because he was so out of breath and mumbling. His mom got him to slow down and tell me. I asked him a few questions which got him talking more. It was cute.>span class="s1">So over these first couple of days I have been praying ¢God, just like Jesus went into the wilderness or Moses did, would you show up and make yourself known to me.¢ I have stood on top of several amazing mountain peaks and looked out on beautiful landscapes, I have slept under a storm when the wind threatened to break the trees, I crossed by a waterfall that is truly incredible. Yet while God¢s glory is there in them, He is not in them. The verses in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah went into the mountains to speak with God came to my mind today after pushing on from the Trail Magic. The chapter talks about how a great wind hit the mountain, and yet God was not in the wind. Then an earthquake, and then a fire, but still God was not in them. After these there was a still small voice and that¢s when Elijah knew to go out from the cave to speak with God. After thinking of this story while hiking I felt the Holy Spirit move in me and God whisper in a small voice ¢my son, I will speak when you are ready.¢ I burst into tears. God said ¢when YOU are ready.¢ Me. He is ready and willing. There is nowhere I can go that He cannot find me. Even now, as I write this, tears are running down my face. God is waiting on ME. After all of the things in my life that have been breaking down over the past year there must still be more God has to work in me before I am ready. I know God will speak in His timing when I am where I need to be. I am still struck that God is further down the trail, sitting on a rock, just waiting for me to walk by.
Date: 2022-04-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

It¢s been a hard but good day today. I slept. Really well with just my fast fly over my tent poles. I¢m doing it again tonight. I was concerned about a mouse crawling over me and I think one did at one point but it¢s just a mouse.My knees and ankles were killing me this morning. And I discovered that I had blisters on my feet last night so I planned to take it slow. When I was about to push out I discovered that my InReach tracker was dead. I thought it had 25% last night so I guess I forgot it on or something. When I reached the top of one mountain I had enough signal to call my mom and tell here that they would be able to track me throughout today and tomorrow. After talking to my mom, I started thinking about how the wrong shoes can mess up your ankles and knees because it¢s forcing you to walk differently. So I called my mom back and we talked about it. The plan is for me to get new shoes while I am in town tomorrow or the next day. There is an outfitter in Hiawassee.I have booked my first Hostel stay and I am going to take my first zero day. I am going to be staying at the Hostel Around the Bend. They are right by the trail head in Dick¢s Creek. I¢m glad I booked this a few days ago. Because they are completely full now and other hikers I¢ve been hanging with are having to book hotel rooms in Hiawassee. I got a twin bed in a room with four beds and a shared bathroom. So I don¢t know who I will be sharing a room with yet but they will likely be other thru hikers who planned ahead. I can¢t check in until 3:00pm and it¢s going to start storming around noon tomorrow. So I need to get into town. I missed out on people going in on getting a shuttle into town. So I guess I will also have my first experience at hitch hiking into town. There are several older hikers here around the shelter tonight who will be going into town as well. So I feel like I won¢t get kidnapped if I¢m with them.I¢m staying the night at Deep Gap shelter. I am about 4 miles from Dicks Creek Gap where I can get a ride into town.After sleeping on it and considering it today. I don¢t think I am settled with the trail name Fat Pony. I had to explain it a few times today. It¢s fun to tell people of camp but it¢s a long way to explaining a name. There is a guy here named Cowboy. He has a cowboy hat, cowboy boots (which I haven¢t seen him wear yet), he wears either American flag running shorts or a blue plaid kilt. He also has his Great Pyrenees dog named trooper with him. His friend who is doing the trail as well is named Angel. They are pretty cool.>span class="s1">With going into town tomorrow there has been a lot of talk about food and what we are looking forward to eat. There is an all you can eat buffet that I think a lot of people are going to. I am so hungry. I have food to eat but it just felt odd to keep boiling water to eat. This is only the beginning of hiker hungry and it¢s not going to be fun.
Date: 2022-04-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a short day of hiking. I woke up and got moving with everyone down to the road trying to beat the weather. It was going to start raining at 10am. As I was coming out of the woods and crossing the road with everyone Gordon, on of the owners of the Hostel Around The Bend, was pulling up in his Jeep Gladiator. As I walked up, he called out asking if anyone was going to the hostel. So I raised my hand along with two others and he said jump in. He took us the 0.6 miles to the hostel. We had only been inside for about 10 mins when it started raining hard.>span class="s1">After a shower, which unfortunately was cold but I will live, and getting my laundry going, I unpacked my bag and rested. Then at 2:30 I rode into town to get an amazing burger at a brewery. Then walked down to Ingles (a whole 0.8 miles with no bag. I was in heaven.) to get some Starbucks and a few groceries. Then it was a shuttle back to the hostel from Gordon at 5:15ish. I sprung for a twin bed in a room with four beds. They have a bunk room with bunk beds. As well as private rooms. After being on the trail this is enough privacy for me.Tomorrow I plan on going into town to get new shoes and resupply food for my bag. It will be nice to take a day and not have to walk anywhere. I¢ll also have WiFi to call people and catch up. At the brewery, just before we ordered, Mamaw called me so I answered. She was so shocked that I did. She asked if I had quit yet, I said no. She then asked if I would tomorrow, I said no. Then she asked if I¢d come home, I said I couldn¢t do that yet. She got mad at me. I know it¢s just the way she is showing she cares about me. I love her so much.Now that burger I had. It was the most life giving food I have ever eaten. It had the crispiest bacon on it. It was cool to medium rare. It was just incredible.Well I¢m going to watch a little tv and pass out.
Date: 2022-04-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was my first zero day. I stayed at the hostel and rested pretty much all day. I slept in until 9:30. I made coffee and cinnamon rolls. Just chilled and listened to music. I took the shuttle into town and bought new shoes. I went with Altra Lone Peaks 5. They feel so nice on my feet. I think these will really help. I also picked up some Injinji toe socks. They are supposed to help with not getting blisters. I will try them out tomorrow. I then calculated the shipping for sending my other shoes home along with a few things I don¢t need. I¢m looking forward to getting back on the trail. I spent the day talking to my parents and a few others. It was really good for my morale. I also got a nice hot shower today. I loved it. I got to meet a lot of people today.
Date: 2022-04-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Today has been good. I slept really well at the hostel. There was a thunder crack that shook the house and woke me up. I was so thankful to not be out in it.I met some people last night who came in just for the night. They were heading out this morning and I happened to catch a ride with them up to the trail head. I stayed with them all day. They all stayed together in single file on the trail. They called it the Pain Train. So I got to take part in that today. Their names are: Shelby (the conductor. She is very type A), Matt (he is from the UK), Austen, Tyler, and Tim. Around lunch we caught up with someone they called ¢Mountain Doctor¢. I haven¢t learned his real name.We crossed into NC today! It is so exciting to be back in my home state. I told the group I was with that NC has some hard and Rocky Mountains. As soon as we crossed the state line we had a mile long climb up the rockiest slope that we have seen in a while. We got to the top of the mountain and took a breather. Matt turned to me and said ¢man, your (explicative) state doesn¢t mess around.¢ Hahaha I told him no we don¢t. >span class="s1">I can¢t fully explain it but since crossing into NC I have felt more at peace. Some of it is likely that I have come so far and I have done a few resupplies. Some of it is having people around me I know a little bit now. And some of it has to be that I¢m in my home state. I may not have ever been here, this area, but i know this state, I have explored the NC mountains my whole life. Whatever leads to it all. It¢s nice to be breathing a little easier.
Date: 2022-04-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

I have come a long way today. It was freezing cold when I woke up to people already up and ready. I debated staying in my bag for an hour or so more but I knew rain was coming. Most evenings while we are sitting around a fire someone has enough service to pull up the weather forecast so that we at least have a general idea for the next day. So I dragged myself out of my warm sleeping bag and started packing up. I was out of camp by 8am. I passed a few people I knew throughout the morning. other than that I was by myself. I had my rain pants on for the weather later and it was nice to have that extra layer as it was so cold and windy. Going up Standing Indian Mountain I caught up with the guys of the group I had hiked with yesterday. So we summited it together and the rain clouds were bearing down on us. So we put our rain gear on and pressed on along the ridge. So sooner had we taken off it started to snow. Snowing! In April! It was better than having cold rain and it soaking into us. So we kept moving. It was really cool to be on top of a mountain as it snowed. Except we could really see anything as for views. I fell behind the group because I was taking pictures. I finally rolled into Carter Gap where we planned to stay for the night around 2ish. I had come 12.5 miles in 6 hours. I am impressed. I had enough signal to call my parents and get a little weather forecast from them. We are getting more snow now. I will take some more pictures.
Date: 2022-04-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow what a day! I came 15 miles today. I started out at 7:40am. That¢s the earliest I have pushed out of camp so far. It felt good to grab some nut and fruit bars and pack up. I didn¢t bother messing with a hot breakfast today. It was a climb today. I think I gained and lost over 4000 feet in elevation throughout the day. On the climb up Wayah Knob there was a really cool section of trail that I would love to come hike again. Without a 30 lbs pack it would still be a challenging climb but so worth the views at the top. It hailed on me on my way Wayah Knob. At first it was just so crazy. But then it picked up. I ended up hiding behind a tree because it was coming down to hard. It was just the size of BB¢s but it hurt. It didn¢t last long and then I could move on. There is an old fire watch tower built out of stone on top of it. Just incredible views all the way around. There is also a road that drives to the top so the easy way up might be worth it too. I took lunch next to the tower with Moon, Skip and Stork. It was a good time. I then made a quick phone call to my dad to say hi and catch him up on my plans. I am about 10 miles out from being at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). The group in with is planning to stay at the shelter that¢s just outside of the NOC. I might push on in. The NOC has a bunk house and is charging $25 for a bed and a shower. Sounds like a great deal from what I have seen. So maybe I can get a bed. They fill up quickly so I might not.I am at Cold Spring Shelter. Prosecco was the first here from our group and claimed the shelter for who would fit. You could get 7 people in the shelter if we all squeezed. Money Stash and Nugs were here already and took two spots. So Onions and Candyman are tenting just up the hill.Well after all the talk about giving me a trail name I think the group has decided. After coming up with Precious yesterday. Yes, Precious. From like the Lord of the Rings. I¢m listening to the audio books on my phone occasionally. So I end up bring it up. Which is cool. I really love the books and films. Well yesterday I also had a ton of energy. I was just moving really fast and I had songs to sing. If I wasn¢t singing I was whistling. I had a great day yesterday. Well that got the group thinking about the energizer bunny. So I have been named Precious Bunny. Or Precious for short. It¢s a lot better from Fat Pony or anything else people have tried so far. So I will try it out tomorrow and see what I think.
Date: 2022-04-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

It¢s been a good day. Some incredible views. I slept well enough in the shelter last night. Money Stash snores pretty bad. And like I thought every time one person rolls over we all hear it and roll over.I climbed to the top of Wesser Bald and then up the tower on top of it! Wow what views! There was a full 360 degrees view of the surrounding mountains. I was thankful the fog that had been hovering around all morning finally cleared by that time and I was able to see.>span class="s1">We are camped just one mile from the NOC. I thought about pushing on in but it started to rain so I put my tent up. If the decent continues as it has been going. In the rain that would be asking for a mistake and injury.After feeling the name out and calling my parents I have decided I don¢t really care for the trail name of Precious Bunny. As funny as it is. I¢m just not feeling it. I told the few from this group who are in camp already and they seemed to accept it. I need to not be in a rush to get a name. Something will come or happen and I will earn a name in time.I covered the nearly 11 miles in 6 hours today. I¢m feeling good even after the 15 miles yesterday. If there wasn¢t a just insane climb to get out from the NOC I might have pushed on regardless of the rain. It was plenty warm and I was sweaty. I¢m looking forward to upping the miles.>span class="s1">Tomorrow the plan is to sleep in and wander the one mile into the NOC for the restaurant to open at 11am. I wonder how late I will actually sleep.
Date: 2022-04-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

I slept alright in the cable gap shelter. The floor was bowed upward in the middle. I was on the far left (inside looking out) so I spent the whole night sliding into the log wall. The logs were so cold and I could feel it through my sleeping bag. Thankfully it did get very cold. The guides said that there was a huge mice infestation at the shelter but I didn¢t hear one all night. The crew slept in and took out time getting up and out because we only had 5 miles to go to come down into Fontana Dam and we couldn¢t check in until 3pm.When I was about to leave I noticed that a small trash bag had been left at the shelter. The guy who brought the Trail Magic the night before was supposed to carry it out but he had left already. So I tied it up and attached it to the back of my pack. I was next to last to leave the shelter but I passed everyone in the crew fairly quickly. It was a beautiful decent down into Fontana Dam. I could see parts of the lake and the dam throughout the morning.When I made it down to the Fontana Marina I dropped my pack and headed off to to the floating marina. I was able to buy a hot pocket and a soda. It was so good! Just what I needed.We hopped into a shuttle up to the Fontana Village Resort where we had rooms for the next two nights. We couldn¢t check in yet but we dried out by the giant fireplace and rested on the couches. Others in the crew were going to eat at the grill on the resort at 12:30pm. But I had a visit from Daniel. He was at a work conference in TN and was diverting to come by and see me. I didn¢t have cell service so I couldn¢t call him. But through my parents I was able to communicate where I was to him. It was so good to see him. We caught up on things. I told him about the trail and we went to the grill for burgers. Mine tasted so amazing!! Dan treated me to the burger. Thanks Dan! I was able to send some unneeded items home with Daniel. So that saved me the shipping to get rid of them.I am looking forward to taking a zero mileage day tomorrow. It will be good to rest before going through the Smokies. While waiting for Daniel I found several hikers around whom I had met previously. Uncle Paul is here. I met him at Hostel Around the Bend.  He is really nice. It was cool to catch up with him. He has hurt his ankle pretty bad. So his wife is coming tomorrow to pick him up and take him to have it looked at.After Daniel left I got into our room and took a long hot shower. It felt so nice. Candy man and I got laundry done and then the crew had pizza at the grill. I ran into Tim sitting outside. He was apart of the Pain Train group that I rolled out of the Hostel Around The Bend from. The group broke up is what he tells me. Shelby (the conductor) pushed on without really stopping here at Fontana. Tim¢s legs have been giving him some issues so he stayed for a couple of zero¢s. The other guys pushed on today. Later in the evening several hikers ended up in the game lounge playing ping pong, pool, air hokey, etc. it was a lot of fun to hang out in a ¢normal¢ way with these new found friends.
Date: 2022-04-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept in until almost 8am. Went to breakfast. It isn¢t included in the room rental but it was buffet. So I had 3 biscuits with gravy, 1/2 pound of bacon, an orange, orange juice, coffee, and some frosted mini wheats. I knew I could have eaten more but I told myself I had all day.Other hikers that I knew started showing up around 10am. Gluepert and Almost arrived. Chief showed up a little later. It was cool to see them.I have been considering the Smokies. Most people take around 6 or 7 days to go through them. The crew I¢m hanging with are planning to do it in 5 or 6. I have been intrigued by the idea since I first learned about it. It¢s called the Smokies Challenge. You cross the 75 miles of the Smokies in 4 days. It¢s a hard challenge considering the elevation gained and lost. As well as going over Clingman¢s Dome, the highest peak on the AT. I¢m considering attempting it. I don¢t want to hurt myself by and I don¢t really want to do it on my own. I mentioned it around to see if anyone else wanted to attempt it with me but I didn¢t get any takers. I met a guy named Dubz who was interested but he really wants to take pictures from the peaks. He had a nice DSLR. So I told him that he should take his time and enjoy the views.I was talking to Uncle Paul this morning about how we have each had a couple of zero days and we don¢t know if we like it. To rest is nice but we have gotten our bodies used to moving everyday and to just sit around all day gets boring. I called my parents and discussed the idea of the Smokies challenge. I played disc golf with Stork, Gluepert and Almost. It was a lot of fun. The course here on the resort was good! >span class="s1">The plan for tomorrow is to get a shuttle at 7:30 back to the Marina and hit the trail. This will be the first time I break my rule of not setting alarms on this adventure. I don¢t want to but if I am going to push for the big miles then I want an early start.
Date: 2022-04-25
From: Laughing Heart Hostel

To: Rich Mountain Lookout Tower
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: clear sky

Today was another easy day of laying around and then a really challenging climb up and out of Bot Springs. I went to breakfast with pretty much every hiker I have met so far at the diner in Hot Springs. They are apparently the only place that has breakfast. I ordered something different this time and it was really good. While waiting for our food I got to have a conversation with Grandmaster¢s father. He is really nice. He is a teacher for adults with disabilities in Holland. So when I talked about camp and my experiences we both got excited. We ended up sharing stories of the things we have seen and the people we have worked with. Grandmaster and his dad were going to hike with us but it is too much for his dad. So they are going to drive around and camp for the next week or two. They will have a blast I¢m sure.I had originally thought about heading out as soon as we finished breakfast but it was so hot when we finished that I decided to just wait and Nero out with the group. When we did leave we went to get smoothies and then went to the other side of the French Broad River. There was an area that rafts out in and out and we all waded out into the river. It was so cold but it felt so nice in the heat.I had my first bear sighting today. I had stopped to filter some water at a small spring. Strider and Messenger had caught up and passed me while I was there. Messenger had only just left when I was finishing up. Since there was more water in my bag I left it hanging and the water coming out of the filter to wash my hands, head and neck. While I was doing this I heard a grunt. So I looked up thinking Someone might be on the trail behind me but then I realized it came from above me on the ridge. I then saw a black bear through the trees. Him looking at me and me looking at him. He was maybe 40 feet up on the ridge from me. So I made a loud noise and then said ¢Hey Bear!¢ But he was already running down the ridge line and then down the other side away from me. He clearly saw and smelled me before I had made a noise. I think his grunt was his was of exclaiming his surprise before turning to run. It was cool to see one finally.We pushed out with just enough time to go 8 miles in to the Fire watch tower for the sunset. The sunset was ruined by some clouds but it still was nice. Gumby, Igor, Strider, Messenger and I decided to sleep in the tower. It has a roof even though it¢s open air. We can see city lights in the distance. It will be really cool to stay up here.