morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-03
From: Walnut Creek Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night was the coldest night yet! I don't know how cold it got but my fellow hikers thought low teen or even single digits! There was also really high winds of 60 mph or more. The metal on the shelter tore a little bit and at a shelter a couple of miles away, other hikers said that there were branches falling and a tree fell close to the shelter. I could not sleep good last night because I was too cold and was just trying to stay alive. Because it was too cold to sleep I just started hiking early. I got up to pack my stuff and found that my water froze up in my pack. It was not a top layer freeze, the water froze all around my water bottle and totally clogged up my hose on my camel pack. So last night was pretty miserable. Thankfully I had something to look forward today in getting to Hot Springs to keep my moods up. I had really easy terrain compared to my last couple of days, so I was able to cruise down to Hot Springs. I met my family there and we went to go get some good food. I will be taking double zero days on Monday and Tuesday to rest up my legs after doing 3 20+ mile days in a row. I am pretty sore, but I am looking forward to spend a couple of days in Hot Springs and rest up with my family. I did 13.1 miles today to Hot Springs, North Carolina. Total 273.9 Day 26
Date: 2016-04-04
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I took my first zero day. It was awesome and I did absolutely nothing. I can already feel my legs are getting stronger with the rest, but they are still sore. I slept in very late today, snacked all day, and spent a good time in the hot tub massaging my muscles. I then went to Wild Wings and watched the Braves play. Now I will go back to the cabin and probably watch the March Madness final game. I really could get used to this doing nothingness, but soon I will have to get to real life and hike again. I hear that there is suppose to be snow on Friday, so I have that to look forward to, but I got another zero tomorrow which is cool.
Date: 2016-04-05
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was my second zero day and it was cool. Bert & Ernie left around noon to go back to Pennsylvania and I want to thank them for hiking with me and making my hiking trip fun. My mom then came at noon too. She came to hang out with me and my dad and chill before I hike tomorrow. I then hiked for a little less than a mile from the one side of town to the other, so that tomorrow morning I can just hit the woods right away. We then packed up my stuff, so that I can get my pack right away in the morning. We chilled a day today and it was awesome. The next couple of days I am going to hit the trail hard because this weekend is suppose to be cold and there could be snow, so I am going to try to hit a hostel or something on Saturday when it is really cold. I hiked less than 1 mile.
Date: 2016-04-06
From: Hot Springs

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

I woke up around 7:00 and packed everything up. I left around 8:30 this morning to go back on the trail. It was hard for me because I had such a great time in Hot Springs for a couple of days with my parents. It was time though and I needed to get back on the trail before I just get used to doing nothing, so it was time. I do have something to look forward to in getting to Damascus, Virginia in a little over a week and having another zero day and spend time with my family, so that is good. Anyway I had a pretty tough climb to start out with and today was mostly uphill. I made great time and got to my shelter at 5:00. It is cold and windy! I have heard that the forecast is not good and it's suppose to rain tonight, tomorrow, and rain/snow Friday with temperatures forecasted in single digits. I just hope I will be able to stay warm and dry in these next couple of days. I am having to do some extra planning and know where roads are in case things get dangerously cold. I will probably follow the other hikers lead. I hiked 19.2 miles today from Hot Springs to Laurel Fork Shelter.
Date: 2016-04-07
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Hiker's Paradise Hostel
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: few clouds

It rained last night and quite early this morning. I was able to stay pretty warm last night which was nice. I got going at 8:00 this morning. I had some pretty tough terrain. I hiked a place called firesclad bald. It was very beautiful, but took me a while to hike because it was very rocky. I kept on hiking for a while and got to a shelter at 2:00. I planned to keep on going, but the weather made me think twice. I decided to call my dad to see what he suggests and he said he would stay at the shelter. I didn't want to stay cause it was too early and because I felt guilty of not going to my goal, so I told him that I think I will keep on going. He was ok with that and said that if the weather gets bad then stop somewhere and camp so I can stay dry. I agreed and started to walk again. Just a few minutes after I got going it started to sleet and rain freezing rain. I wished then that I would have stayed at the shelter, but I kept on going. I called my mom because i was feeling a little discouraged. I just wanted to have some company, but once I heard her voice I couldn't help but cry because I missed them a lot. She helped me get my feelings back together and stay calm. A little over an hour later I found out that there was a hostel down a road that I was going to cross. I called my dad and asked him about this hostel and he said to go, so that I can stay warm tonight. He really liked the idea and wanted me to go so he don't have to worry about me today. I felt bad in going because of money and not reaching my goal, but my parents said that it was of best interest for them and I agreed. So I was able to eat some good food and take a shower. The way it's going I will probably stay at a hostel tomorrow too because of weather and and distance. I am in the hostel now writing this and I look outside and see that it is thundering and lightning and storming, so I am glad I am here. I hiked 15.9 miles today.
Date: 2016-04-08
From: Hiker's Paradise Hostel

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: few clouds

I woke up early this morning and started hiking at 7:30. I wanted to get out early cause I knew that I had a long day. I was feeling very homesick this morning for some reason so I called my dad to talk to him. I couldn't help but cry a lot when I was talking to him, but I felt a lot better after my dad gave me an encouraging word. I started out on a hard climb again today. It was very cold and there were flurries when I was hiking up. The higher I got up on the mountain the more I noticed that there was some snow on the ground. I then realized that it would be a good idea to stay at a hostel tonight cause it will be freezing. I hiked up bald mountain then and I would say there was probably an inch to 2 inches of snow at some places, so it snowed some last night. I got down to Spivey Gap at around 5:50 and there was a wonderful couple (Dave and Barb Martin) there at the gap to pick me up. They saw me on trail Journals. The husband, David Martin (Iceman) is section hiking the AT and was happening to hike at the same area that I was. They picked me up and took me out for supper. They took me to my hostel and gave me a free shuttle. I want to thank them for the great encouragement and everything they did for me and all the other hikers. They are a generous people! I hiked 21.4 miles to Spivey Gap It is going to be very cold tonight. I am so thankful I am in a hostel.
Date: 2016-04-09
From: Spivey Gap

To: Erwin Tn
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: few clouds

I woke up this morning after a great night sleep. I was very warm in the hostel, but once I walked outside it was very cold. Barb Martin picked me up at 8:00 and took me to Spivey Gap, so that I could hike into Erwin. I started to hike at 8:30 and there was a lot of snow where I started to hike. It was very cold. In the morning when I was hiking my hose on my camel pack would try to freeze, so that is how cold it was. I had a very easy hike today and was able to hike into the hostel at 1:00. I will be staying at the hostel again tonight. The weather is suppose to clear up tomorrow and get warmer which is awesome. I took a shuttle into Erwin and I ate Mexican and now am at Walmart waiting for the shuttle to pick me up. Today was a good day in an easy hike and being able to chill the rest of the day. The next week I am going to try to hit it hard and get to Damascus by Saturday, so I hope all goes well. I hiked 11.2 miles today to Uncle Jonny's hostel in Erwin, Tennessee. I have also decided to get rid of my stove. That way I do not have to carry a pot, fuel canisters and extra water to cook with. I feel blessed this evening!
Date: 2016-04-10
From: Erwin Tn

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early this morning after a really good night's sleep. I got started hiking at 8:15 from Uncle Jonny's hostel. I had mostly uphill today, but it wasn't as steep as what I thought it was going to be. At 12:00 I ran into some trail magic. A hikers family from Spartanburg, SC was putting it on, so I had lunch there. After that I started hiking and had uphill to hike. I hiked Unaka mountain which was the steepest, but also very beautiful in the way I was hiking through a spruce tree forest. There was snow up there from a couple of days ago, so felt like I was in Alaska or somewhere like that when I was hiking the mountain. I got to my shelter at 4:15 today and will rest up. Tomorrow I got a pretty long and hard day, so I am nervous for tomorrow. I hiked 17.0 miles to Cherry Gap shelter.
Date: 2016-04-11
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Over Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: few clouds

I woke up really early this morning and got out at 7:30 cause I knew I had a big day. To start out I didn't have that bad of terrain, but a little after lunch I had to hike Roan mountain and that took a while. I hiked pretty fast and got to my shelter at 5:45. It is a old barn and a really nice shelter. Also when I got to my shelter there was trail magic. There were burgers cooking, chips, soda, cookies and other great goodies. I had a really good supper tonight. It is suppose to rain tomorrow and tonight, buy luckily I got a short day tomorrow. I hiked 23.8 miles toady.
Date: 2016-04-12
From: Over Mountain Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour Hostel
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up early this morning to the trail magic people making pancakes and sausages for us hikers. I had a great breakfast and got a good start at 8:15 for my hike. It was also raining in the morning so that was the only bad thing. I didn't have too much hard terrain other than little hump and hump mountain. I knew I had a short day so I tried to take it easy because of the rain, but I still slipped and fell two times. There were also a couple of times where my poles saved me from falling. My one pole was bent at the end of the day from me leaning on it too hard. The trail was very muddy from the rain, but I got to the hostel at around 1:30. I was able to wash up pretty good from the mud and do my laundry which was nice. Also my dad surprised me and drove over 3 hours to come see me and take me out to eat and watch the Braves. I really enjoyed that a lot. It has been a week since I have seen my family, so to see him was pretty awesome. I am now at my hostel getting ready to have a good night sleep. Also I have a problem with my feet. My toes are getting numb after I walk. My feet are also very callused and I am worried about my feet. Are there any suggestions on how to better take care of my feet and actually feel my toes. I hiked 9.2 miles today..
Date: 2016-04-13
From: Mountain Harbour Hostel

To: Black Bear Hostel
Miles today: 24.4
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up this morning and had probably the second best breakfast of my life at the hostel, the best being my mom's cooking of course. After the breakfast I headed up to the trail and didnt get started on the trail till 9:00. I had some pretty easy terrain today so I was able to cruise. I wanted to get to my shelter pretty early so I decided to put on my second gear and hike really fast. I did good till I got close to the shelter, but then I got pretty tired because I was walking as fast as I could. There was a guy i was hiking with for a little bit and his name is Hoosier. He said that he got a reservation to a hostel about 6 miles down from the shelter. I thought that was a pretty good idea so I decided to do that too and hiked an extra six miles to Black Bear Hostel. I then got this crazy idea of hiking to Damascus a day early and spend an extra zero day at home. I have to go home for an orthodontist appointment on Monday to adjust my braces. I don't know if I will do that yet because its 50 miles in two days and that is a lot so I will hike as far I can tomorrow and see how I feel. It is about 8pm and I will soon go to bed and try to get a good nights sleep before what could be a long day tomorrow. I hiked 24.4 miles today to Dennis Cove road.
Date: 2016-04-14
From: Black Bear Hostel

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: broken clouds

This morning I woke up at 6:30 to get an early start to my day. I didn't get on to the trail till 7:15 though because I had to walk a half mile from the hostel to trail. I had some really pretty scenery in the beginning with Laural Fork Falls and the trail was really neat following the river. It was like they had to chisel the trail out in the wall of the rock. I didn't have too hard of a climb in pond mountain and after that it was relatively flat. It was really hot today so I ran out of water at like 1:00. I had to refill my water bottle as much as possible. I got really tired and didn't get to my shelter till 6:15, but I got there. I will be trying to get to Damascus tomorrow and hike 26 miles, so it could be a long day. I hiked 24.3 miles today
Date: 2016-04-15
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 25.9
Weather: clear sky

I woke up really early this morning wanting to get going and get to Damascus. I left the shelter at 7:15 and had some really easy terrain. All I was thinking about was getting to Damascus as fast as possible, so I was hiking as fast as I could. I wasn't running, but I was pretty close to like jogging, so I made some really good time. After a while I got wore out and my feet started to hurt. I kept on hiking, but I did get a little slower. I hiked to the Tennessee/Virginia border at 4:00 and took about a half hour rest there. There I switched to my crocs because my feet were hurting to much and I only had 3 1/2 miles to go, so I wanted to see if hiking in crocs would help. At first hiking in crocs helped a lot. I met my dad on the trail with about 2 miles to go. He hiked up to meet me which was nice. Once I got to Damascus my feet started hurting again, so I was glad to get to the truck. I got to Damascus at 6:00. I am going to go home for a couple of days and rest up. I got an orthodontist appointment on Monday, so I will have to stay till then. My plan is to head back to the trail on Tuesday, so I will have a good couple of days of rest at home. I am very excited in being at home for a little bit and being with my family. I did my longest day so far and hiked 25.9 miles today to Damascus, Virginia. I have now put 3 states behind me and have 11 to go.
Date: 2016-04-16
From: Damascus, VA

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I had a great zero day today at home. It was nice to do nothing today and rest up my feet and legs. I woke up really early this morning because of being used to waking up to go hiking. I was happy to realize that I didn't have to hike today and I can rest up. Later in the day me and my dad went to REI and got me new pants, soles for my boots, new hiker poles, and some socks. We are now soon going to go watch God's Not Dead 2 in theaters. I had a great zero day and I am looking forward to a good zero day tomorrow. I hiked 0.00001 miles today to go get some food to eat.:-) I have also lost 27 pounds so far. Not a bad side affect I guess.
Date: 2016-04-19
From: Home

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at 5 am to pack up and head to Damascus and continue my hike. Mom and I stooped at Shoney's for Breakfast on the way and I was so nervous I had a hard time eating my breakfast. Leaving for the trail after zero days is so hard! Mom and I got to Damascus around 10:30 and Mom hiked the first mile with me through town. When the trail turned into the woods out of Damascus and Mom had to turn back I wanted to go with her, but Mom encouraged me so I hiked on but the going was tough. I got to shelter around 5:30 and Hoosier and DC were there! It was great to see familiar faces!
Date: 2016-04-20
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Va 603 Fox Creek
Miles today: 25.2
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early and was hiking by 7. I knew I was going to be going through some beautiful territory with wild ponies so I was excited. I had a few tough climbs with Mt. Rogers being the toughest. After that it was easy sailing except for the rocks. I bet I saw 30 wild ponies today! Grayson Highlands was beautiful! I got to Wise Shelter at 3 and my feet hurt and I thought about staying there but decided to go 6 more miles to the next shelter. I got there around 5:30 or so and met a hiker I had saw at NOC! We decided to hike a few more miles to Fox Creek and camp. Here is where Dad, Josiah and I had gotten to in our section hiking, so from here north is new territory! I am a little nervous about that. Today I crossed over 500 miles!
Date: 2016-04-21
From: Va 603 Fox Creek

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at 6:15 and packed up and started hiking. The territory was unfamiliar and I was nervous. It made me homesick so I called Mom and Dad. It was good to hear their voices and I felt better. The terrain was on a ridgeline today so it was beautiful but a lot of ups and downs. I ran out of water around 1:30 and had 7 miles to my next water source! I was pretty dry by the time I got there! I need to plan better. Partnership shelter (really nice shelter) was only another mile and next to a road with a town close by so we can order pizza tonight! I ordered breadsticks, pizza, and a 2 liter of mountain dew! My stomach is growling while I wait for it to come. There are a lot of hikers here tonight. Tomorrow is a short day. I hike into town and get my food box and Dad is going to come see me!
Date: 2016-04-22
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins Va
Miles today: 11.4

I had a hard time sleeping last night, probably because of my 2 liter of Mountain Dew, so I just got up and started walking. I knew I was going to meet my dad today, so I was excited about that and getting to rest up. I have been physically and mentally drained in the last couple of days so having a some what short day is what I needed. It rained last night and this morning so I hiked in some rain today. It didn't pour until I had about 2 miles left then it started raining hard. I got to highway 81 and that is where I got a hotel and cleaned up. I got there at 1:00 today. There my dad came and now we are going into town and are getting some good food stuff to eat. I think that I am going to probably have to slow it down and just start hiking with someone, so that I can enjoy the trail. The last couple of days I have been discouraged and lonely and wanted to come home, but thanks to yalls encouraging comments and texts I have decided to keep on going. I am going to have to think of my trip differently though and try to find someone to hike with, so please pray that I can find a great partner or partners to hike with. I hiked 11.4 miles today to Interstate 81
Date: 2016-04-23
From: Atkins Va

To: Quarter Way Hostel
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

Last night I slept really good in a nice soft bed. I am still on Hiker schedule as I woke up really early, but rolled over and slept till 8. I had a dream that I was at home and that kinda messed with my head for a little. Dad and I went for breakfast and had a prayer meeting and talked about next steps. I got the idea to contact Hooshr and see if I could hike with him for a while. . He was very generous and said he would welcome my company.It turns out he was really close to where I was and we were able to hook up. So now I am hiking with Forest, DC and Hooshr. Note: Forest and Hooshr keep a journal on trail journals. Check them out! We passed the official quarter way point on the A.T! 554 Miles!
Date: 2016-04-24
From: Quarter Way Hostel

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

I had a great night sleep at the Quarter Way Inn. My hiker routine woke me up at 6:30, but I was able to quickly sleep again. We were able to have coffee and captain crunch cereal in the morning which was awesome. We didn't get on the trail till 9:20. I took it pretty chill today in my hike. We took a nice break at a shelter to eat lunch, then came across a river, so I took off my boots and soaked my feet in the water for a little bit. Then we came across our water source for the shelter and it was at a nice opening, so I rested there and just about fell a sleep. The terrain today wasn't too hard, but at the end we had a nice long steep climb that was pretty tough. We got to the shelter at 5:45 today at Chestnut Knob Shelter. It is really nice and has some great views that look out to Burks Garden. Again I am very glad that I was able to find Hooshr, DC, and Forest and they are great guys to hike with. I also want to thank y'all for the comments and encouraging texts y'all sent me. I was going through a tough time and the encouraging notes I read kept me going, so thanks for that. I hiked 14.0 miles today to Chestnut Knob Shelter.
Date: 2016-04-25
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Bland Va
Miles today: 22.0

We woke up early this morning at 6:00 to get an early start. We started hiking then at 6:45 and hiked a mile to a road where my fellow hikers were going to slack pack. Turns out that the shuttle guy got mixed up where to pick up their packs, so we had a long wait. We got going again and went pretty fast. I hiked fast, but rested a lot to wait up for my fellow hikers. We had some pretty easy terrain to hike in which was nice. We got to the road at 6:00 and got a hitch hike into town where we were going to stay at. A fellow hiker, DC, was behind us and still on the trail when we hitch hiked. We knew he was going to get in late, but it turns out that his bad knee got really bad and he can't walk on it. So now Forest, Hooshr and I are going to have to go out with the search and rescue and go carry him off the trail. So I am going to have a long night tonight and please pray that everything goes ok.
Date: 2016-04-26
From: Bland Va

To: Va 608
Miles today: 13.1

We were able to sleep in this morning, and had to make sure DC is OK. His knee is very bad and he is going to have to go home for the year and have his knee heal up, so I hope he has a fast recovery. We weren't able to hit the trail till 11:00 because the shuttle guy was late. That was OK cause we had a short day. The terrain was pretty flat today and we were able to cruise and get done at 4:30. There we got picked up and headed back to Bland to check up with DC again. His wife is coming tomorrow to pick him up, so we wanted to make sure he is OK. I hiked 13.1 miles today to road VA 608. Over 600 Miles!