morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-03-30
From: Rocky mt

To: Deep gap
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked mostly alone all day for the first time but came into deep gap shelter and a good group was there including Chris who I knew from the first day. I got my trail name! Told the story bout going to see the Grateful Dead when I was 15 with some friends and having our car towed. We had no money and had to steal it back. They all gave me the name Car Jack. Note to future hikers: be careful the stories you tell around the campfire.
Date: 2017-04-01
From: Dick's Creek gap

To: Muskrat Ceek
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Took a shuttle to dicks creek gap and hit the trail. Today we crossed into NC. Steep ups and downs right away and evidence of last year's fire.   Passed a beautiful creek, muskrat I assume. Hung for a bit and realized the shelter was right there.
Date: 2017-04-02
From: Muskrat Ceek

To: Carver gap
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Hiked alone through a lot of burned forest sadly. But carved gap was lovely and I set my tent up on a ridge with a view of distant mountains. Chris, Benkt, Juells and Jayhawk were there. I successfully hung my first bear bag in only about 4 tries!
Date: 2017-04-03
From: Carver gap

To: Long Branch shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up today to rain. This is the first really hard day but ended great. I took my time packing up trying to stay dry as long as possible. I was the last one outa camp at 9am. It was so foggy it was hard to see. Drizzle turned to an absolute downpour. I didn't see anyone and sang every song I knew to keep myself going. My rain gear held for about two hours. After that I was soaked to the skin. Then the thunder started. I found a rhododendron tree and huddled under it waiting out the storm. One bolt and thunder was almost simultaneous it was so close! Suddenly a hiker in a big orange poncho came out of nowhere. It was Benkt, a German guy who had been the last few shelters i was at. Never was I so happy to see another human! That big bolt had been right next to him. We waited out the thunder and decided to hike the rest of the way together. We got up and over Albert Mt (and passed the hundred mile mark!) before the thunder started again but finally made it to the shelter at about 2pm. Long branch is a new shelter and really nice. It's clean and well covered and there was room for us among the other hikers who were all in their sleeping bags getting warm and dry. Chris and Juells were there and we met MacGyver, & Kevin and a nice das section hiking with his son and friend. It finally stopped raining and we all enjoyed dinner and some laughs. Now everyone's snug in their bags again at 7pm. Short day into Franklin tomorrow.
Date: 2017-04-04
From: Long Branch

To: Winding Stair
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Town day today and a zero tomorrow in Franklin! Hiked to Winding zstair gap and caught a shuttle to town and stayed by myself at the budget inn. It was kinda nice to have a night alone, spread out my stuff to dry, reorg and catch up on stuff. Got my chores done, post office, shower, laundry, smokie mt permit and had an great Rueben at the frogtown deli.
Date: 2017-04-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

That morning I went to the Baptist church all you can eat pancake breakfast free to hikers. A bunch of hikers I knew were there and we had a great time eating and talking and writing letters home that the church mailed for us! They are so supportive of hikers. Franklin is awesome!I moved over to the gooder grove hostel for my zero day and had a great time simply hanging out and talking to other hikers. A hiker named Aida and I hatched a plan to stay an extra night and slack pack the next day. That's when you hike with no pack and someone picks you up at the end. With that plan in place a bunchof us went to the Lazy Hiker Brewery.
Date: 2017-04-06
From: Winding stair

To: Wayah gap
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: light rain

Slack packing turned out to be a good idea. We ended up hiking in snow. We cut our intended 10 miles to 6 and went back to the hostel. I really couldn't wait to get out of town and back on the trail for real. It was all getting to be overwhelming. I later learned that a bunch of people who had been out in the snow had cut days short and holed up in shelters in their sleeping bags. Guess it was good to be in the hostel after all!
Date: 2017-04-07
From: Wayah gap

To: Cold spring shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

It was cold when I got dropped off alone at with gap. The trail went immediately up and there was an inch or two of snow still on the ground. The wind was bitter and the rhododendren leaves were all closed in on themselves. The trail was beautiful in the snow tho. I was alone all morning following huge boot prints in the snow. They were ginourmous! I thought "that has to be Max!" Max was a hiker I knew who earned the name Bigfoot for having size 16 feet. I finally made it up to Wayah bald where there's a bathroom and parking lot. Guess who was there. Big foot! We had some lunch together in the sun and a past thru hiker named Pyrite who looked like a pirate gave us each a banana. Fresh fruit on the trail is the best! I hiked on and finally made it to Cold Spring. Several hikers including Benkt were in the shelter snug in sleeping bags. They were all chatting and laughing and two sisters said "come join us"! I prefer my tent to shelters so I checked out the tenting area. it was on a ridge with a beautiful view but the wind was frigid. I opted for the shelter and was glad I did. It was protected from the wind and though it was below freezing I slept with all the clothes I brought and was toasty warm and in good company. The next morning all the hikers who tented said they were freezing and each had huddled alone in his or her tent.
Date: 2017-04-09
From: NOC

To: Locusts cove campsite
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Treated myself to a yummy breakfast of eggs bacon homefries and a biscuit at the rivers end at NOC. Chris max Atlas and I shared our last meal together before parting ways. Chris and Max (big foot) were headed back to Franklin to recover from a bad cold and a bad knee respectively. Atlas was off to do a 16 mile day. True to form I lollygaged around the NOC enjoying the river, getting stuff at the store and chatting with people and didn't get on trail til close to 11am. Lots of others were even later. Today's hike was a challenge. Wicked steep ups and downs. Mostly ups. I had lunch at a shelter and a hiker i knew, Matt was there resting sore feet. Most others I knew including Benkt, Kevin, and MacGyver would likely be at that shelter later but I needed to move on. Steep and tough climbs continued but I was finally rewarded with an amazing view from Cheoah Bald. Rippling mountains spread out every where below us. Jody was hanging there waiting for me. He'd been asking hikers "have ya seen Car Jack?" A few girls came and decided to camp there. We were nearly out of water tho so made dinner there on the bald with the amazing view and then headed to the campsite. It was getting late so we hiked together. It was only the second time I hiked with someone else but good to do those last 2.5 miles with some company.
Date: 2017-04-10
From: Locusts cove campsite

To: Cable gap shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Got on trail at 9:30. Late start as usual. Gotta get better at that. Did enjoy a mocha and oatmeal though:) 10.5 miles tough hike first part of day. Yesterday's steep ups and downs continued right through Jacobs Ladder. I had lunch at Brown fork shelter and lingered a bit too long so put the push on for the last 6 miles and kept up a 2 mile an hour pace getting into camp at 5 or so. It's lovely here up on a hill with mountain views through the trees. Set up my tent and spent the first 20 minutes just relaxing and stretching and enjoying the view. Danyell showed up and we chatted a bit. Now I'm ready for sleep.
Date: 2017-04-11
From: Cable gap shelter

To: Fantana Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

Last night I slept under a gorgeous full moon. For the girst time It was warm enough to sleep with my tent door open and truly feel the night. I woke several times and just stared at the silhouette of the dark trees against the silver moonlit sky. Today turned into one of the funnest days on the trail so far. Danyell and I started the day with mochas at sunrise! Then it was a short 6.5 mile hike to Fontana to resupply. I could see the lake getting closer through bare trees all day as I hiked down from the mountains. As I was almost at it I suddenly realized I had hiked into spring! There were woodland wild flowers everywhere and the trees were beginning to leaf out. It was green! I caught the shuttle to Fontana village, resupplied and had lunch wirh Cornchip who I hadn't seen in a week. Hiked the last mile to the shelter and was hot and sweaty and the lake was clear and blue. I group of us went for a swim and it was amazing! I can't believe a few days ago we were hiking in snow and now were swimming. Stretch gave me a beer and we all hung out for a bit then Theory, who's a yoga instructor in real life led us in a yoga session at sunset surrounded by mountains. An amazing day! Tomorrow, the Smokies!
Date: 2017-04-12
From: Fantana Shelter

To: Mollies ridge
Miles today: 11.7

Felt good hiking today. Left camp at 8:45. Hiked a good pace with lots of water weight. The first half of the day went by fast. I didn't take breaks but had an hour long lunch and that worked well. Yesterday I had hiked into spring. As quickly as that happened yesterday, today i hiked right back out of the green and up into bare trees again. But later in the day I came around a bend and tiny white and pale pink flowrrs carpeted the forest floor all the way to the shelter. I tried to get a photo but just couldn't capture how beautiful it was. It was magical. During lunch I was joined by a hiker i know who talks non stop. Secretly I dubbed him "the Talker". As I was leavimg , my young German friend Benkt came along and stopped for lunch. I said goodbye and hiked on. A short while later Benkt came running down the trail. I started to say something but he ssid "I can't stop, the Talker might catch up! He's driving me crazy!", and flew by glancing over his shoulder just long enough to yell"Run!"  It was hilarious and kept me entertained all afternoon. Mollies ridge is gorgeous. A deer browsed in the woods and had no care that we were there. We can see mountains on eithe side of the ridge and are enjoying a campfire. It is 8:50. Past hiker midnight.
Date: 2017-04-13
From: Mollies ridge

To: Derrick knob
Miles today: 0.0

Danyell camped next to me last night and this morning we got into a long conversation as we drank tea a nd coffee and broke camp. We didn't leave until 10am but I decided it was okay. I knew I could hike 12 miles by 5:30 and accepted my late start. It was worth a bit of girl talk and I'll get back on timing track tomorrow. :)  Yesterday's magic continued today with the forest floor covered in tiny flowers,deer browsing and birds flitting around. I wish I could capture it all in words or pictures but it would take a poet. Tbe woods this morning was like a fairyland. I had lunch on Rocky Top Tennessee! And had the song in my head the whole time. The hiker hunger has kicked in and I was still starved even after my pepperoni rollup. I was chatting with some young guys on a day hike. They had an extra peanut butter sandwich they were trying to pawn off on each other. I could smell the f'ing peanut butter wafting up to me as they passed it back and forth. Finally I said I'll take it if none of you want it. They gave it to me and it was awesome. I spent the next 5 minutes explaini g that I would never do that in real life and thourouly enjoying their sandwich. Today's hike had some steep sections and I was beat when I got to camp and worried cause I was low on fuel. A family of weekenders overheard me talking to another hiker about it and gave me a canister with enough fuel to get me to Gatlinburg. So I had a good hot meal. Now I'm hitting the sack. Living the life out here.
Date: 2017-04-14
From: Derrick knob

To: Mt. Collins
Miles today: 11.6

Today I hit 3 milestones. My longest day, highest point on the AT, Clingmans Dome at 6667 and passed the 2 mile mark. Clingmans for was a scene with hundreds of tourists coming from the parking lot and I was glad to be gone and back to the peacefulness of the woods. It was mainly for trees and mossy forest floor and reminded me of new Hampshire.
Date: 2017-04-28
From: hogback ridge shelter

To: Bald mountain shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

Decided to take it easy today and hike just 10 miles. We were in a cloud during the second part of the day that made it seem as though it was raining. I went over Big bald which i know has wonderful views of distant mountains but I could only see about 30 feet in the mist. But they had its own mysterious beauty as trees appeared out of nowhere in the white mist. I got to the shelter at 3 and Sun was there. I stayed in the shelter and has a nice relaxing night.
Date: 2017-04-29
From: Bald mountain shelter

To: Erwin, TN at Uncle Johnny's hostel
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

Today's highlights... being in sunshine and looking down onto clouds settled in the valley making the mountains look like islands... enjoying the sun all day and cooling off in streams... walking down from the mountains changing from  bare trees into a burst of spring leaves.... hearing but not seeing a rattle snake. Didn't know what it was but I knew it wanted me to keep moving. So I did. Found out later from another hiker there was a rattle snake right next to the trail. Getting to uncle Johnny's and seeing trail friends there, eating shrimp boil, and playing drinking games!
Date: 2017-07-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

For years before undertaking my own hike, I read other hikers journals. I learned so much from them and so appreciated that they shared their journeys with me. So I had all good intentions when I started my own journal recording my "half-thru". In the end I had too much trouble uploading my entries using my phone and found that while I love writing the old-fashioned way (with pen and paper) I do not enjoy typing with thumbs on a tiny screen. So, alas, I did not keep my TrailJournal for very long. I am home today. I made it to Harpers Ferry on June 23, 3 months from when I began. I accomplished my goal. To say that it was and is the most amazing experience of my life is an understatement. I'm back at work. But I think about the trail every day, in every spare moment. I miss it and miss my trail family. This past weekend I went back to the trail for one night, hiking in to a shelter in Southern VT to meet two of my "tramily". It was great. Someday I will finish the rest. I look forward to meeting great people and being part of the trail community again; to be surrounded by beauty every day, to listen to birds, revel in peace and quiet and clear my mind. To have fun in town. To live in a tent! Until then, happy hiking to everyone out there right now and future hikers to come!
Date: 2023-09-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I started hiking the AT on March 23 2017 with a ¢half through¢, about 1000 miles from Georgia to Harpers Ferry. I had hoped to finish with a second ¢half through¢ in 2019 but injury prevented it, and instead I have been a LASHER (Long-ass Section Hiker), hiking long sections every year since.The Maine section was my last. Maine was rough this year, a buggy, boggy, wet, muddy, sloppy mess. The sun rarely shone and rain left wet tents to pack in the morning and ankle deep mud and water. Our feet were always wet. It was morale crushing, the only time in 2000 miles that I didn¢t love the trail. I never considered stopping but for the first time ever, hiking the trail was for the challenge, not for the joy. I looked forward to the end¢¦.. ¢¦Until the end came. My last few days on trail shone beautiful, bright and sunny. I reached the summit of Mt. Katahdin and the end of the Appalachian Trail on Thursday, August 24 and it was, I am sure, one of the best days on the mountain all year¢¦. My summit day was not what I had always dreamed it would be - surrounded by and celebrating with trail family. I finished the trail alone. And it was amazing! Without a full pack (I had left my gear at the ranger station) the trail was a blast - hand over hand climbing, miles of trail above treeline, views all around. It was stunning. And I didn¢t want it to end. I took my time, savored it. It took four hours to get to the summit and it felt like one. All too fast I saw the sign that signifies the end. It was over. I am grateful to so many family members; friends; and trail angels who picked me up and dropped me off at bus stations, train stations, airports and trailheads or gave me a place to stay. I couldn¢t have done it without you all. And I am so very grateful to all the people I hiked with over the years, who became my trail family. Helping each other through the hard stuff, laughing together and living together is what got me through. I miss you and think about you all lots¢¦. And will continue to think about the trail every day.
Date: 2017-02-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I first caught the AT thru-hiking "bug" back in 1999 when I co-led a youth trip on the AT. We hiked the last 50 miles or so over 5 days, ending at Mt. Katahdin. Our leaders were former thru-hikers themselves and planned this trip as a fun and meaningful experience for the five teens who were in our charge. We met a few thru-hikers and they seemed to us like a rare but friendly breed in themselves. They happily relieved us of any spare food we had, it being the last half of the 100 mile wilderness and all. My 14 year old son was one of the youth on this trip. I know it made a big impression on him, because he thru-hiked in 2010. His stories combined with my own impressions from the youth trip planted the seed, and so here I am, about to embark on my own adventure of a lifetime.
Date: 2017-02-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Little snow storm (Niko) came through New England today and my employer canceled work due to the weather, so I used the time between shoveling sessions to go through my gear again and figure out how to fit everything into my pack. I had taken a class at REI on AT thru-hike preparation, and the instructor said you should buy your backpack last (after you have all your gear that needs to go in it), but most people make the backpack the first purchase. That was true for me too. I have a Gregory Baltoro 65 and somehow I'll have to make it work. Just a little over a month before I leave for Georgia. Getting excited and hoping I'll be ready for this.
Date: 2017-02-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I want to thank my family, and most importantly, my wife, for supporting my crazy dream. We have talked about it (thru-hiking the AT) over the past couple years and by now I think she knows how important this is to me. Thanks Darlin'. I owe you big time. I also want to thank my co-workers who are picking up the slack during my 6 month leave of absence. I realize I am creating somewhat of a hardship since it's such a small department, and just hope you'll have me back when I'm done.
Date: 2017-02-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So with a couple pretty major snow storms coming through New England in the last few days, I have been getting some exercise by shoveling snow. Not sure how that will translate to hiking exactly but it all good cardio, right?I also got to do a little cross country skiing which I missed last year because it was kind of a bust snow-wise. In the last outing I managed to irritate the skin on my heel, and got to practice good foot care afterwards by applying moleskin on it. I also went shopping for typical groceries so I could gauge the weight vs. calorie content. I hope this is not boring anyone but soon enough I should be able to write about ACTUALLY hiking, places and people, etc.
Date: 2017-02-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

With less than two weeks to go before departure, this thru-hike attempt is beginning to feel very real. I booked my flight to Atlanta today, and expect to be on the approach trail on or about March 13th. I say attempt because I know the odds of making it all the way to Maine are not in my favor. But I'll take it one day at a time and do my best to hang in there. My hope is that the hiker community I am about to become part of will help sustain my drive to continue.
Date: 2017-03-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

With only one week before departure, I am getting quite anxious to begin the journey, and so focused on wrapping up loose ends at work in the best way possible, check and re-check me gear, etc. So focused in fact that I was completely taken by surprise when my family threw a birthday/ bon-voyage party for me on Saturday. It was so wonderful to see all the family, friends and neighbors who came to wish me well, I felt like I could float through the first days and weeks of the trail without my feet ever touching ground. Thanks to all who came and even those who could not (I admit that answering all the questions about gear, food, snakes, bears, etc. was a bit exhausting).I will hold all of your well wishes close as I'm sure I will need them from time to time.
Date: 2017-03-17
From: Hightower Gap

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 12.0

 Gaps and KnobsFirst off, most if not all of what I plan to write about is not for my fellow thruhikers; they know all too well of this Experience we share. No, my intended readership is family and friends, on whom I hope to impart some understanding of the day to day. And also for me of course, to have something to look back on. Although I am now in Franklin,North Carolina, my recollection of a lot of the Georgia hiking was a series of gaps and knobs. Georgia, and for all I know, most of the AT, is like this. As the trail winds through the hills, at some points there are creases in the landscape known as gaps. Some of these have paved roads, others have unpaved Forest service roads, and still others are deep in the woods. The nice thing or bad thing depending on your hiking preferences is that the trail leading into gaps is downhill, which of course means the trail leading out is uphill. Some gaps are frequented by Trail angels ( more on that later). The knobs are often good places to get a good view of the area, at least in nice weather. So on a daily basis I might go thru several gaps and knobs on my journey. Gaps are good places to drink water, eat a candy bar, etc. to provide energy for the upcoming climb. Knobs are where at least for me, I need to stretch before beginning my descent in order to prevent knee injury. So yeah, gaps and knobs.