morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-03-12
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Stover Creek shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Wow. The approach trail was a real hike (not like the "walk in the woods" first day that you get if you start at Springer. Off to a good start and feeling pretty good. Was planning on going to Hawk Mtn shelter today, but rumor has it there are 20 boyscouts there.I actually did the first 1.1 miles of the trail yesterday (the staircase up from the welcome center to the lodge). Beautiful walk, but what a climb.
Date: 2011-03-13
From: Stover Creek shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

Amazing day. Ran into two groups of "friends of friends" from last year at the same time and wound up partying all night. As I walked into Gooch Gap, I saw the PA license plates and began to suspect... and sure enough, Geek, D Man and Tiger Woods were having a little shin dig. I sat down and cracked open a beer and in walks a few kids from Alpharetta, GA. One of them looked just like Xan, which was just a coincidence, but I asked him if Xan was his brother. They were not brothers, but these guys were all friends of Xan and Neutron from Atlanta. Next thing I know, we're having a multi-tiered safety meeting and several large bottles of Early Times were being passed around. I don't think D Man is ever going to let me forget that I could not find my way back to my tent when it was time for bed.
Date: 2011-03-14
From: Gooch Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Rough hike ending with a slug over Blood Mountain. Late start and very dehydrated from last night's festivities. Gonna take a zero here tomorrow and wait out the rain.3/15 Blood Mountain Cabins is awesome. She put me in the Beaver Cabin. So I got to hang out with Beatrice for a little while. Long, cold, steady rain all day.
Date: 2011-03-16
From: Neels Gap

To: Blue Mountain shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Good day, but a little long. Was really starting to feel it by the end of the day. Met a bunch of hikers today--most good, but a couple are a little frightening (like the guy who is attempting to try every narcotic substance in the world before he dies). Blue Mountain had a pretty good crowd and someone built a nice fire.
Date: 2011-03-17
From: Blue Mountain shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 2.2
Weather: clear sky

Was ready to push out another long day when I started out this morning, but when I got to Unicoi Gap, I just decided to go visit Ron Haven and celebrate St. Patricks Day properly. By the way, don't ever call Paddy's Cab Company in Helen, GA. $10 flag, plus $4 per mile. Charged me $46 to drive me from Unicoi Gap to Hiawassee Budget Inn. I have never felt so raped. AND I was offered a free ride, not once, but twice, while I was waiting. But I turned them both down because I didn't want to screw the cab company I had just called. Need some good food and a libation to get over this one.
Date: 2011-03-18
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Great day. I slacked south from Dick's Creek Gap and ran into Gip-C Girl about 3/4 of the way through. She came back to Hiawassee and we had a few beers and a nice dinner. Even slack packing, this was a tough run. It was pretty warm and we had to get over Powell Mountain, Tray Mountain and Rocky Mountain, which are all big climbs. I am absolutely spent and I think the other two guys who did it with me are gonna stay in Hiawassee tomorrow and sleep it off.When I got back to Hiawassee, I was carrying a load to the laundry room when all of the sudden, I was face-to-face with Guy. I was absolutely astounded. Suddenly Green Abe, B Man and T-Woods were there too (don't know what happened to Geek). They had stopped for a snack on their way from one party to another and spotted me from the parking lot. Wish I could have spent more time with you guys. Looking forward to seeing you all at Trail Days. Abe, I wish you could be there too, but congrats on the job. That is gonna be really cool.
Date: 2011-03-19
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Rough day. Stayed up all night drinking beer with GipC Girl. Got a late start and wandered off into the woods pretty dehydrated. It was a pretty steady climb all day and the temperature was unseasonably high. It didn't take much convincing to get me to stop at Muskrat Creek. GipC Girl and I are planning to spend tomorrow night at Betty Creek campground tomorrow (where I met a lot of good people last year) and then hike into Franklin on Monday.
Date: 2011-03-20
From: Muskrat Creek shelter

To: Big Spring shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Monster day, ending with Albert Mountain. When I got to Betty Creek campground, I just wasn't ready to stop. Would have broken the 20-mile-day hymen today, but it was starting to rain when I got to Albert Mountain. GipC Girl ran into her old buddy Snail at Carter Gap Shelter and decided to stay. I am more than a little surprised at how easy it is coming this year. Last year I didn't do 20 miles in a day until Killington, VT. The only reason I stopped today is because it was raining.
Date: 2011-03-21
From: Big Spring shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: clear sky

The shelter was packed last night and it had a tin roof. Not too cool a place to spend a rainy night, but that made it easy to get up at 6:00 am and head for Franklin, NC. Me and a guy named Tyler (who doesn't have a trail name yet) hit the trail at 7 on the dot and got to Winding Stair Gap at 9:50. That's over 3 mph. I've never maintained that kind of speed before. I can feel it though. I've got a pretty good "hiker hobble" and I am seriously contemplating spending tomorrow relaxing in Franklin. Had lunch with Ron Haven, the local king-pin, and his wife. That was very nice. They've got a great Mexican restaurant across the street from the Saphire Motel.
Date: 2011-03-24
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Burningtown Gap
Miles today: 14.0

After two zero days in Franklin (enjoyable little town), I caught the 9 am shuttle to Dicks Creek gap. It was a pretty long day. Hiked most of the day with an interesting guy named Backyard Boogie. He is a former navy SEAL who is trying to get in shape for the PCT. We finally pitched our tents in Burningtown Gap, had a quick dinner and crawled into our bags at 6:30. It was about 30 degrees and dropping fast with a howling wind. Long, cold night.
Date: 2011-03-25
From: Burningtown Gap

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

We got up early and hit it pretty hard to get to NOC. Caught up with Cheap Chardonnay, a very amusing general practitioner from Birmingham at about 9:30. We got the last two rooms at NOC and had a very enjoyable afternoon trading stories. Chardonnay's wife, Kay, joined us and we all had a nice evening. Saturday morning the rain was pretty nasty. So we all decided to stay. We spent the morning watching Kayak US Open at NOC. Then we went into Bryson City where we got rooms in a nice motel that looks like something out of the 1950s. Had a great little Carolina BBQ lunch. Tomorrow is still up in the air based on the magnitude of the rain. I am a lot less inclined to suffer through cold windy rain than I was last year when I was headed for Maine.
Date: 2011-03-27
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We decided to take yesterday off. We watched the Kayak U.S. Open at NOC in the morning. Then Chardonnay's lovely wife Kay drove us into Bryson City. What a great little town. Good food and good people. It was like stepping back in time to the days when small towns had real main streets. This morning, we stumbled upon the Calhoun House B&B for breakfast. This was a real treat. The house was beautiful. The food was excellent and Luke, the proprietor, entertained us with great stories about the region and its people. Some people started talking about speed hikers. I mentioned that I had been in a wedding with Jennifer Pharr (sp?) several years ago. Luke excused himself and ran off to the library and quickly returned with an autographed copy of her book Becoming Odyssa. He is a great guy to spend some time with. Next time I come through here, I will definitely stay there.I wish I could come up with an excuse to stick around another day, but the weather has cleared up for the rest of the afternoon. So I think I am going to have to head up Cheoah Bald after lunch. Probably only 6 or 7 miles today, but its a monster of a climb.
Date: 2011-03-28
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The stretch between NOC and Fontana Dam has conjured up a lot of memories from last year. The first overlook on the climb out of NOC is where I first talked to Wolfpack, who became some of my best friends on the trail. A mile beyond that, I ran into Islack, Dutchess and Not Bad. They were slacking south from Stecoah Gap. I had run out of water and Islack saved me with a little drink. Sassafras Gap is where I first spoke to Cityslicker. A mile beyond that I met River and Fabled having a little snack at Locust Cove Gap. Jacobs Ladder is where I first met old Cope.Chardonnay and I actually stayed a little beyond Sassafras last night. We showed up at the shelter at about 4:00 pm and there were more than 20 people there. So we watered up and moved on up the hill toward Cheoah Bald, found a spot in the rhodadenderon and built a fire. Alabama joined us later and we had a nice little camp. Made a real rookie mistake though. I looked at the forecast and saw that it was going to rain, but it wasn't going to be windy. I thought "no wind, no need to stake my tarp." I woke up with about a pint of water between my ground cloth and my tent. Guess that's why the tent makers call it a "rain fly" not a tarp. My soaking wet tent weighed at least 10 pounds when I shoved it in my pack this morning.The hike out of Sassafras is far more painful than the hike out of NOC (although I suppose they could be hiked on the same day if you really wanted to hurt yourself). Jacobs Ladder would be a monster on a dry day. Throw several inches of rain on that trail and suddenly you feel like you are mud bogging on a climb where the tip of your nose is closer to the trail than your knees are. But we made it eventually and I passed several nice camping spots because I am anxious to get to Fontana Lodge, one of my favorite trail lay-overs. Cable Gap Shelter was just as packed as Sassafras was last night so I had to pitch a tent in a less than perfect spot, but we had a nice fire and I got a good night's sleep next to a rolling stream.
Date: 2011-03-29
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: NC 28, Fontana Village Marina
Miles today: 5.4

After a great night's sleep at Cable Gap Shelter, I had a fantastic hike into Fontana. Last year, this is where I first saw green and flora bursting through the ground all at once. I thought it was much too early for that to happen this year, but the unseasonable warmth brought it around just this morning. About a mile and a half from NC 28, suddenly I was surrounded by tiny plants poking through last year's dead leaf carpet. Each one has a tiny little blossom that will be in full bloom by this afternoon. As I proceeded down the mountain, every time I walked over a ridge and into the sunlight, the flowers became more and more robust. As I recall, this situation will repeat itself over and over again as I head north and climb up and down the peaks in the Smokies. Don't know how the rain will effect this. Last year, we danced through the Great Smokie Mountains without a drop of rain (including two days in Gatlinburg). Looking at the forecast for this year, I think the piper has his hand out. The weather report changes dramatically every time I look at it, but one thing it always has is plenty of rain. Tomorrow is supposed to be torrential. If so, I may hole up in the Fontana Lodge where they have good beer and a good chef.
Date: 2011-03-30
From: NC 28, Fontana Village Marina

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 1.8
Weather: moderate rain

Rather than take the day off, Chardonnay and I decided to walk up to the Fontana Dam visitors center. It was a nice little walk and the rain held off for us. Met some nice folks at the marina who have a floating house on Fontana Lake that is only accessable by boat. They had a really friendly German short hair, too. There are several houses like that on the lake, but I bet no one will ever put up another one. Imagine trying to get a license for a floating house in this day and age!?!Last night we had a blackened prime rib in the dining room at the Fontana Lodge that was unbelievable. Cheap Chardonnay, a naturally charming individual to men and women of all ages, told the Chef Carl Eklund that it was better than the steak he had at Peter Luger's. Carl said he could do even better and said he is going to prepare something special for us tonight. Well... special doesn't even begin to describe it. We sat at the bar while Carl and his lovely wife Tiffany served us up a phenomenal dinner. We started with a sampling of his dry rub chicken wings and pulled pork sliders with slaw and fried onions. Then we had one of the best wedge salads I have ever seen. The main course was pork tenderloin stuffed with carmelized onions, seared mushrooms, blue cheese and spinach. He served this with mashed red potatoes and baby green beans with bacon and tomatoes. Carl loves what he does and naturally, the food here reflects his passion and talent. The people here at the Fontana Lodge are really great. This was one of my favorite lay overs last year and I think I enjoyed it even more this year. Don't miss this place.P.S. If you are going to stay here, give me a call and I will see if I can get Carl to do something special for you.
Date: 2011-03-31
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

This was a rough day. I stopped at Mollies Ridge to get water at about 2:30pm and while I was filling up, it started to snow. It didn't take me long to decide not to hike any further. Well... it turned into a carnival sideshow almost immediately. The temperature dropped like a rock. The shelter filled right up and the silly antics began.   I'm not going to embarrass anyone with tales of what we observed, but Chardonnay and I were in absolute disbelief at the foolishness. Suffice it to say that many of the people in the shelter with us that night would be clowns in ordinary society. Trying to stay warm in the Smokies on a very cold night, they were P.T. Barnum grade.
Date: 2011-04-01
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Pushed hard to get to Silers Bald today. Wanted to escape the large group in last night's shelter and the idea of getting to Gatlinburg in three days is very appealing to me. When I woke up this morning, the trees were full of ice and there was a little on the ground as well. The wind was howling and it was very, very cold, right out of the gate. It was a long hike to Silers Bald, but it was worth it. We had a great group of people in the shelter last night. Caps and Rango were there and a group of guys from Fredericksburg who I had never really met before. I said "I know a guy from Fred who is about your age. Patrick Brennan." They all started chanting "Paddy B, Paddy B." Apparently they know him quite well and love the guy. Patrick is one of my drinking buddies from Springfield. It never ceases to amaze me what a small world this is and how walking in the woods displays this quite regularly. Anyway, we had a good fire and survived another very cold night in the Great Smokie Mountains. I hope to catch up with these kids again in Hot Springs and buy them a beer.
Date: 2011-04-02
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up this morning with snow on the ground and the wind howling again. This is a profoundly different experience than last year (when Dutchess and Islack went skinny dipping in the Little Pigeon river). It is very cold, but at least the sun is shining today. I moved over Clingman's as fast as I could. I didn't go up the tower this time because it is Saturday and the place is packed with tourists (and I really want to get to Gatlinburg and take a hot shower... its been a long time since I was this cold). We got to Newfound Gap at about 4:00pm. We called NOC for their shuttle, but were told it only runs until 3. Great. Fortunately, we were able to find a very kind man with a cooler full of beer and another nice guy with a crew cab Dodge Ram who was headed for Gatlinburg. I am finally warmed up and am now looking forward to a good meal and a few cocktails.
Date: 2011-04-05
From: Newfound Gap

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Once again, I am finding it very difficult to get out of Gatlinburg. Steve (owner of Grand Prix Motel) shuttled me up to Newfound Gap this morning at 7:30, but it was snowing and sleeting and the wind was absolutely howling. Fortunuately, Steve offered to bring me back to Gatlinburg and I quickly accepted his offer. The Little Pigeon River is supposed to rise to 10 feet today (11 feet is flood level for the whole town). The holding tank at the sewage treatment plant breached and swept 2 people into the river... can you imagine?!? I think I'd rather be struck by lightning or even stoned to death. They are looking for the two guys who disappeared and worried about the black water that rushed into the river, but that didn't stop at least one local from GOING FISHING in the raging, muddy, sewage-contaminated Little Pigeon River. God I love Gatlinburg.
Date: 2011-04-07
From: Newfound Gap

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: clear sky

Those of you with any basic math skills and general knowledge of the trail will quickly detect that although I walked a long way today, I skipped ahead from Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap (about 30 miles). I had Curtis from Standing Bear come pick me up in Gatlinburg and drive me up to Davenport Gap. Since I'm getting off at Hot Springs anyway, it is not that big a deal, but I did it for two reasons. First, I need to be in Hot Springs in four days and although I can make it there in four days (~67 miles), if anything goes wrong, my mother will consider it a total meltdown if I am not in Raleigh on the 12th. Second, Chardonnay's wife Kay is coming to Hot Springs this weekend and I had such a good time with them last time she visited, that I didn't want to miss her visit this time.Anyway, Curtis and I had a pretty interesting conversation on the way up. Snowbird was a painful climb though. I think four days in Gatlinburg has really dehydrated me. I got a sharp pain in my hip that got progressively worse throughout the day. By the time I got to Max Patch, I could barely walk and I was still two and a half miles from the shelter. The frightening thing is that I cannot tell if its muscle pain or joint pain. If it is the latter, then I have aged about 15 years in the last several days.
Date: 2011-04-08
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: broken clouds

Hip felt better this morning. Now it only seems to hurt when I am climbing. Feels fine when I am not. I'm probably fooling myself, but I am inclined to think that is probably a pulled hip flexor, which, even though it hurts a lot, is something of a relief. I could really use one of those Hot Spring mineral baths and a little TLC. The climb up Walnut Mountain was probably a little more rigorous than the climb over Bluff. I was a little surprised. I was also amazed to see the roof blown off of the Walnut Mountain shelter. I had heard about this, but the sight was still surprising. I wonder if anyone was in there when it happened...Hot Springs is very relaxing. I really like this little town. Although, it could use one more good bar/restaurant as it appears the wheels are really starting to come off of the Rock Bottom Pub. The Rock Bottom was thriving last year. I wonder what happened.
Date: 2011-04-11
To: Off to Disney World
Miles today: 0.0

Well, my yellow blazing readily demonstrates the hikers' rule that you should never make major adjustments to the speed of your hike to keep up with (or slow down for) another hiker. Both of my reasons for skipping the last 30 miles of the Smokies turned out to be poorly reasoned. First, Kay wasn't able to meet Chardonnay in Hot Springs this weekend and second, I miscalculated the number of days I had to get to Raleigh. I thought I needed to be there in 5 days, but now it turns out I had 6 days to get there. So I had plenty of time. But the real disaster is that I missed Yonder and his pizza truck. Last year, the best single trail magic event I ever saw was Yonder and his wife making hand tossed pizza in the back of his pickup truck. I came out of the woods one day and saw Mad Mike and Professor sitting on the side of the road grinning from ear to ear. As I walked up Yonder and his wife introduced themselves and asked if I would like a pizza. Of course I accepted and was waiting to see how they would cook a frozen pizza in the back of a pickup when suddenly, he handed me a small, hand-tossed pizza with spinach, feta and tomatoes. It was superb in every way and I had to beg him to stop making pizzas for me when I couldn't eat anymore. Well... Chardonnay slack packed the 20 miles from Max Patch to Hot Springs yesterday and ran right into Yonder and his wife and their pizza operation... and that is exactly where I would have been yesterday if I hadn't yellow blazed 30 miles. I am starting to believe there may actually be a god and he is vengeful and ready to punish hikers who skip large sections of the trail. Perhaps this was my warning...Although, if I had hurt my hip the way I did, I would have gotten a ride from Standing Bear to Hot Springs anyway. I couldn't have walked two more days on that injury. So I'd have missed Yonder anway. I guess this is not a big deal for me. I was getting off here anyway.The good news is that after 4 days of rest and relaxation in Hot Springs, my hip feels almost 100% better. I hope that means it was merely a pulled muscle and that it will not continue to bother me.Well... I am now all the way over on the other side of North Carlolina in Raleigh waiting for a ride to Disney World for a little family vacation. I am sure I don't have to tell anyone that knows me that I am not a big fan of Disney, but at least I will get to play with my neices and hang out with my brother for a few days. Hopefully, I will be back on the trail soon. For my next trip, I am planning to join Mad Mike and Old Faht in Shenandoah National Park for a couple weeks before trail days. Perhaps I will see some of you faster kids then. The rest of you, I will see at Trail Days.
Date: 2011-02-16
To: ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂThe Trail is a Metaphor for LifeÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ
Miles today: 0.0

Awaken the sensesExplore and learnTreasure the reasonsNatures' beauty at every turnClimbing rocksWalking trailsLeaves and grassesThe surface we sailOpen yourself upListen with your heartHear the wild callingBecome a whole, not a partEnjoy the majestyTake in the sublimeDon't rushTake timeFeel the wonderThe breeze on the airFeel the sunlightAnd be awareMagnificent and beautifulAll coexisting Excellence and perfectionThe power of hiking
Date: 2011-02-16
To: The A.T. Dream to reality
Miles today: 0.0

Ok,so this is going to be my first official "Preparation" trailjournal entry.I got all my gear ready and sorted out,I will be living out my dream of doing a NOBO 2011 A.T thru hike shortly, really excited to get this started.My flight will land in Atlanta the 1st of March at around 12:00PM, if all goes as planned,I will hopefully be able to put in some good mileage on the first day.I will also hike the Amicalola Falls approach trail, which is an added 8 miles on the journey. Victus 2011 NOBO