morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-06
From: Fontana Dam 

To: Russel Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, after days of rain and a whole lot of miles. We had sun today. I¢d like to write more but I am exhausted. The Smokies kicked my butt a little, but it wouldn¢t have been as bad if not for the bypass trail because they didn¢t want people to walk across the dam (complete BS) and skipping the first shelter to avoid crowds. OK, maybe the 4000 feet of elevation gain and 16 miles today was the real problem. Last night in ¢the Hike Inn¢ was totally needed. I ate a huge amount of Mexican food (with room for Cherry Garcia dessert) and dried just about everything off. Watched TV for the first time since the start of the trail. Also I saw myself in the mirror. I am starting to look like a hiker again.
Date: 2008-04-07
From: Russel Field Shelter

To: Siler Bald
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

A lot of miles but a lot of smiles. I caught up to Lotus and Brett. It was nice to meet them face to face. I am looking forward to lots of zeros after Clingman¢s Dome tomorrow. It is getting chilly so expect a short journal today but lots of word ¢manana¢.
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Siler Bald

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

After the last 2 big days, today is a short one with a gorgeous overlook from Clingman¢s Dome. I got to hike a bit with Lotus and Thinker (a couple cool people). The whole group included: Willow, Gentleman Jack, Red Dog and Lucky Dog (who had a big day today to catch up). So the campfire was full of good people. Glad to have the highest point of the AT behind us as well as cross over the 200 mile marker. I am continuously surprised at how poor the cell coverage has been, given us being at 6000 feet. I just want to share some of my joy with people back home.
Date: 2008-04-09
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I pushed ahead of Lotus and Thinker and their crew so I could skip Gatlinburg. I was running low on food for ¢during the day munching¢ but God does provide. Trail magic and ¢Yogi-ing¢ was at a prime as I got an apple, 2 bananas, a tons of candy, peanut butter filled sugar water crisps, pretzels, dark chocolate chips, red beans and rice¢¦..Happy to lighten a day-hiker¢s load.My metabolism is starting to kick in. Another day and a half and I will be out of the Smokies. Another beautiful day and views abound. The flowers are starting to bud and we saw a lot of evergreens. Kind of like hiking in NH.P.S. Thanks to the Indiana crew and the Jones family
Date: 2008-04-12
From: Standing Beur Farms

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I can¢t believe it has been this long since I wrote. My mind swirls with much to write during the day but food and rest become the priority at camp. Then there is too much noise to concentrate. The sun sets and everyone crawls into their sleeping bags until the sun starts to peak the next day.My metabolism has been ramping up fast. I can eat 2 dinners and in an hour later be able to eat more. Yesterday I bet I ate 5,000 calories and was hungry the next morning (it¢s starting!!!).My final day coming out of the Smokies I saw more wildlife than the entire trip beforehand. A decent size snake, a deer, a couple lizards, butterfly and of course lots of birds. Up until now it has mostly just been all kinds of birds. Today I wish I had taken more pictures as I am afraid the views might not be ideal on Max Patch tomorrow. I would probably be on Max Patch now, but I lost my cell phone (fell out of my pocket) in Butterfly Moon¢s Mom¢s truck yesterday when she took us into town. I am hoping she is heading for this shelter today and I will see her and New York Minute. I saw Lotus and Thinker again as we continued the game of Leap Frog. There is snow expected in a couple days so everybody is pushing hard to get to Hot Springs, while I am thinking that if weather is too snotty, I¢ll just hang back and read a little bible. I am probably carrying enough food to last five days. Not bad considering I could push to Hot Springs in 2 days if needed. But why push? It¢s hard enough to convince myself to take a zero day, never mind all the zeros I have between now and Tennessee. For now I will stick with ¢neros¢ (near zeros) like today.
Date: 2008-04-14
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Well what can I say? It¢s been cold and snowing for most of the past 24 hours but I held back and stopped 3 miles short of Hot Springs. I figure since I have 3 days there, I¢ll save some money and hang back a little. I feel like I have been holding my body back. Today I didn¢t start until 8:30 am and had 15 miles in by 3 pm. I think I could have pulled a 20 miler, no problem. It will be interesting to see if I still have it in me when I leave Hot Springs with several days rest and a big belly.
Date: 2008-04-16
From: Hot Springs

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

Stayed at KC CabinsHello! My name is Jaime and I am Rick¢s girlfriend. Rick thought it might be fun if I wrote a couple entries about our weekend in Hot Springs. If you don¢t know me I am not a morning person, but I was looking forward to seeing Rick, so I got early (3 am)to hit the road for the 13 hour drive down to North Carolina. My drive was going well until I got off the interstate in Tennessee and then I got lost. My 45 minute drive to Hot Springs turned into 2 hours and I was not happy about that. When I finally arrived in Hot Springs it was so nice to see Rick. He has the ¢Abe Lincoln¢ beard and hair (actually stubble representing hair). He seemed to be in his element, hanging out with other thru-hikers waiting for me to show up. I got to meet a couple of his friends (Fire Socks, Butterfly Moon and New York Minute). Rick and I rented a cabin outside of town, a cute log cabin with a grill, hot tub and a comfy couch. Rick made dinner and then we relaxed that night, watching the sunset on the porch of the cabin.
Date: 2008-04-17
From: Hot Springs

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

Journal entry from Jaime: Rick and I got into town around noon today. We walked around and he showed me Elmers, the hostel he stayed in the night before. As we were walking pass the local pub, we ran into a couple thru-hikers, especially Blues Traveler and his wife (who was also visiting). We chatted for a bit but continued on to hike Lover¢s Leap, an easy hike on the other side of the river. It was nice to hike with Rick and to see the view of town. After our hike we went back to the pub and had a couple beers and chatted with other thru-hikers. The funniest part of the afternoon was I met a guy, from Maine, who knew my old roommate (small world).
Date: 2008-04-18
From: Hot Springs

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Journal Entry from Jaime: We checked out of the cabin in Hot Springs and traveled to Asheville for the day. We drove around for a bit and then decided to park in town to walk around. After having lunch in a quaint outside caf©, we checked out the local shops and art galleries. Rick found a lap harp and was quite taken by the instrument, so I persuaded him to buy it as a symbol of his journey and our trip to Asheville. So if you ever find yourself on Rick¢s porch at his farm in Auburn, be prepared to hear some music from his lap harp. ?After a couple hours of walking around the city and enjoying the warm weather we decide to sit down and have a beer. On our way to the pub we ran into Blues Traveler and his wife again so we joined them for a couple beers before meeting up with my old friend and roommate, Brittain (who lives in the area).Eventually we met up with Brittain (who I had not seen for 7 years) and her fianc©e, Pat. We went out for dinner with them and had a lovely meal at another outside bistro. After dinner we went back to Brittain and Pat¢s house and spent hours chatting. We had a great time visiting them. Thanks Brittain and Pat for your hospitality!
Date: 2008-04-19
From: Hot Springs

To: Allen Gap
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

After a whole lot of sun during my down days, it was back into the rain. I had planned on just going to the shelter, but it was full, still raining and I got a message from Butterfly Moon that the trail magic at Allen Gap was real and only good until 6:30 pm and closed the next day¢¦¢¦so off I went. Almost 4 miles in an hour and a half, but the Belgium waffle, chicken soup and apple crisp with a place to dry out (a little) made it worth while. As a bonus I was able to camp in the Gap and set up under now clear skies (with Thunder Thighs and his brother). I didn¢t need to go anywhere the next morning to meet Paul which was handy since it was raining again at our meeting time. Great Christian trail magic-Thank You!
Date: 2008-04-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Rick has asked that I, Paul Donaldson (AKA P¢Ditty), make an entry for the trail update for Sunday and Monday April 20-21.Monday April 21 we broke camp and headed off about 900 am with a plan to push on until we determined what our real plan would be for dealing with the extra 10 miles of unplanned hiking. The day started with a 2000 ft increase in elevation which was a good way to wake up the body. We arrived at Jerry¢s Cabin Shelter, re-supplied with water and pushed on. Once we made it to the ridge line we were rewarded with a nice meadow like terrain for a mile or so. This offered us (ok me) a chance to catch my breath and have some nice views. As we continued on this forgiving part of the trail we discussed our plan of attack for getting to the car. The easy answer was to take an extra day and make a reasonable pace. This however was not an option as I needed to get back on schedule because my mom had gone into the hospital 3 days earlier. We decided that if we could get about 5 miles into the last 10 mile leg we would be in good shape for making the car on schedule. As the day wore on it was clear this plan was not going to pan out and than we needed a plan B, C and/or D. Plan B consisted of going as far as Flint Mountain Shelter where we would call it a day. In the morning we would depart early with each of us hiking at our own pace. Rick would arrive at the Hwy 212 intersection and leave his pack for a ridge run to the car while I stayed at the 212 intersection with the gear. This in itself was going to be tuff as the first 2.5 miles was all up hill with 2000 to 3000 elevation increase. We therefore opted for plan C. We decided to push to the Hwy 212 intersection as quickly as possible and the try to hitch a ride to the car. If we could not hitch a ride we would be in a good position for Rick to push to the car in the morning without gear. We made good time on the rest of the trail while still taking time to enjoy the hike and each others company. We arrived at the intersection about 3 PM and set out to hitch a ride. It became obvious to us that the cars (all three of them) only travel at that time of day in the wrong direction. The 2 that were going in the right direction consisted of female drivers. I don¢t blame them for not stopping for 2 guys hitching that looked the way we did.   Karma was on our side however as after about an hour this guy comes off the trail and how it was going. We explained our situation to him and as it turns out he was the president of the AT and would be delighted to give us a ride. He and Rick discussed Rick¢s hike to date and the state of the trail and shelters he had stayed in thus far. Rick and he exchanged e-mail information as we arrived at the car. We then departed for food, home, showers and good nights rest.
Date: 2008-04-22
To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: broken clouds

From Paul:Tuesday April 22 we left my house for a little tour around my old stomping grounds and took the back-way back to the Hwy 212 intersection. About 4 PM I dropped Rick off to continue his pilgrimage across the eastern US. Rick once again tried to kill me and once again I made it through. In all it was a great time and it was good to get back on the trail, even if it was brief, with an old hiking buddy. From Rick:A cool group of people are staying here including ¢Hoover¢, ¢Mustang Sally¢, ¢Earthbound¢, ¢Snowplow¢, ¢Hot Tang¢, ¢Catfish¢ and a whole slew of others. Generally a crowd closer to my age compared to what I have been used to¢¦Many took a shuttle to Erwin, so I don¢t know when I will see some of them again. It was nice to get shower, laundry and a tour of the area Paul grew up in. The only real painful part was watching all the local farmers preparing their fields. I have to keep reminding myself that I have a lot of years in the future to do that.
Date: 2008-04-23
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I had my first taste of big bugs visiting under my tarp (that I am aware of). I saw one that I thought was a dangling cord (real hard) but it turned out to be something with teeth! Once I tossed him out of the tarp, I flashed it with my headlamp he balled right up-not so tough after all.
Date: 2008-04-24
From: Spivey Gap

To: Curly Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Not the best day. Mostly I didn¢t get a much needed ice cream fix in Erwin and chaffing was horrible. I was starting to get a little worried that it might be a limiting factor for me to break the 20 mile barrier. I had the shelter to myself for the first time, which turned out to be a blessing when I was able to get some reading and writing done. The next morning I had some close-up visits with rabbits and birds that I wouldn¢t have gotten if there had been more people. As usual, active mice in the beginning of the night, so I wonder- how long before I break down and get a trap?
Date: 2008-04-25
From: Curly Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

I had a short day with a late start and an early finish. It was either this or 20 miles to the hostel and chaffing is still a problem so that is not going to happen. The highlight of the day was when I got to witness, walk along and talk to firefighters during a controlled burn forest fire. Pretty cool to watch them light the blaze and then walk along with flames only a few inches from my feet. Watching the trees and brush go up and feeing the heat. Unfortunately hikers behind like ¢Clothesline¢, ¢Dust in the Wind¢ and ¢Liberty¢ only got to breathe the heavy smoke. Tomorrow I am planning a short day to the hostel before the push over Roan.
Date: 2008-04-26
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 8.4

Highlights:¢¢        Ben and Jerry¢s Ice Cream Pint¢¢        Microwave burger-pretty tasty!¢¢        Outback restaurant-Shiner Brock tribute¢¢        Carnival/Gravitron¢¢        C.C.-nicest owner of a hostel ever!
Date: 2008-04-27
From: Greasy Creek Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Highlights:¢¢        Best view from the shelter¢¢        Fireman said this was the best part¢¢        Hypothermia and heavy rain (first time I needed to wear my rain pants)¢¢        Met ¢Maine-iac¢ from Auburn, Maine
Date: 2008-04-29
From: Mountain Harbor B&B

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

It is still cold and I am starting to really wear through my insoles. I need new/better ones. I am still hanging out ¢Liberty¢, ¢Dust in the Wind¢ and ¢Maine-iac¢. I spent the day hiking with ¢Mary Poppins¢ and ¢August¢. I realized at the B&B that I was focusing too much on catching up to people in front of me and not taking enough interest in those around me. I am going to fix that tomorrow, as soon as I thaw out.P.S. Over 900 miles after today!!
Date: 2008-04-30
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

I had the earliest start and a late finish but I had my best average while hiking. I spent about 4-5 hours at Kinkora Hostel just catching up and learning about new people. Then I had the best reception ever on the top of the mountain with no chance of passer-bys so I mad calls home to all that haven¢t got calls recently or just deserved a return call. Afterwards I chatted for a half hour with ¢Pip¢ and ¢Krought¢ and ¢New York Minute¢. Not to mention stopping to smell the roses a lot, eating a lot and saw two decent size snakes mating¢¦..Only regret was that I didn¢t see ¢Fire Socks¢ and ¢Butterfly Moon¢ because they were doing trail maintenance with Kinkora. I couldn¢t stay because I want to get to Virginia before it rains again because my insoles wear out faster when my boots are wet. Peace to all that are reading these entries back home.
Date: 2008-05-01
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Nick Grindstaff Monument 
Miles today: 15.8

What a day! I took it easy and spent time throughout the day just chatting with people I passed. I took lots of rest stops. I know I am on schedule and I expect the weather to hold out until I get to Damascus. I am still worried about my feet. I was talking to ¢Brushstroke¢ and I realized how lucky I have been with regards to the weather. He started on March 1st and had a lot of rough stuff happened between the 1st and the 20th. I am actually passing a lot of people from the 1st to 10th crowd. Also I met ¢Catfish¢s¢ girlfriend. If she¢s reading this, sign my guest book and please know that Catfish talks about you fondly on the trail. I think you guys have what it takes to survive the thru hike. For the rest of you, if I haven¢t mentioned it before, Catfish can hang the highest bear bags of anyone I have ever met (20-25 feet). He was a pitcher in high school. If you walk into a site and see a near bag sky high in the trees then Catfish is nearby ?
Date: 2008-05-02
From: Nick Grindstaff Monument 

To: Spring
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I had my first 20+ mile day. I met a few people that started on April 1st and one girl that started on April 9th (of course she couldn¢t stop to chat). I met one guy that was going for the Kinkora to Damascus run (50 miles) in 24 hours. He didn¢t make it but he was close. I walked through some beautiful farm land. It was another hot, sunny day and towards the end of the day the bugs were starting to annoy me. I decided to stay at the spring shelter, 2 miles outside of Damascus, where I plan on spending all weekend.
Date: 2008-05-03
To: Damascus
Miles today: 1.9
Weather: overcast clouds

It was just great seeing everybody. Lots of people that I haven¢t seen in forever and others that it had only been a few days. Blues Traveller was in town so I had dinner with him as well as Liberty, Dust in the Wind and others that I just met. All you cqan eat but they started pushing desert too soon. I could have eaten that homestyle food at the Old Mill all night. Lotus and Thinker were in town and it was great to catch up with them and find out Lotus¢ plans to get back on the trail. I hadn¢t seen most of these folks in town since Hot Springs or even Fontana Dam. I bought a hiking kilt to help with chaffing. I said all along that I didn¢t want to spend money on gear until Damascus. It is amazing how much money I have seen other¢s spend by this point (>$1,000 not uncommon)
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Damascus

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Stayed at Hiker¢s Inn.Took a zero day.Let me just say thank you to SAIC for the gift cards they went towards a dry bag for food and sleeping bag way back at Neel¢s Gap and the remainder went towards my new ¢Superfeet¢, a pair of gaiter¢s to keep all the leaves/rocks/sticks out of my boots, and a new pair of socks. Thanks to Laura Barlow, your gift card went towards a new stove system (I am burning alcohol now). Less parts to break and awesome at simmering, not to mention less space. Today I got to see everybody that was a day behind me¢¦¢¦once again too many to mention but Firesocks and Butterflymoon were among them. Outside of Trail days, I don¢t know that I will see them before they finish. Same for most of the folks I will leave behind when I leave town tomorrow. On another bright side I got to see Pop Top who is jumping on with Blues Traveler for maybe a couple weeks. I haven¢t seen him since near the GA/NC line. I also went to Sunday Service at Damascus First Baptist.
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Damascus

To: Bear Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.5

After continuing to eat tons of food in town I am officially 6 pounds over when I left Rhode Island. Compared to most guys losing 20-30 pounds that is quite a feat. I left town around 1 PM and still managed to get a decent number of miles in considering breaking in all this new gear, especially the new superfeet. I spent another night by myself in the woods. I am definitely ¢hiking my own hike¢ and I think that has allowed me to befriend more people 1-2 days in front and behind me compared to most folks.
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Bear Creek Gap

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: broken clouds

What views today! Words can not begin to express. I ate probably the most amount of protein in a single day on the trail thus far. The MSU trips converged on the shelter from the North and South but the leaders were great and the students were too. They gave us the shelter so I got a good night¢s sleep (for a shelter). Got up and on the trail early the next morning for more great sunrise views.
Date: 2008-05-07
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Campground Trail
Miles today: 19.1

Phenomenal views! Similar in some ways as the PCT. The feral ponies in the Grayson Highlands were cool too. I started to take a snack out of my pocket to eat and the crinkling wrapper brought horses towards me full speed! After hearing how they will eat packs for the salt, I put the snacks back for later another night tenting by myself. I am loving the new alcohol stove, thanks for the recommendation Lotus (I met Etowah Paul the day before the purchase).
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Campground Trail

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

I chased a storm for half the day. Lightning/thunder/downpour caught up 30 minutes before the shelter. Lucky me this is the Mac Daddy of shelters. Hot showers and Pizza Hut delivers to it. Also running water to fill your water bottle. Luxuries like these really helps you appreciate the small things in life. I came within a few hours of catching Pop Top and Blues Traveler.
Date: 2008-05-09
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, Virginia
Miles today: 11.6

Stayed at Relax Inn in Atkins, VirginiaOriginal plan was to stay at Davis Path Shelter but when we got to the road crossing, I found out the shelter was gone from south bounders. With big thunder booners coming and opportunity to split 2 motel rooms 7 ways..and a short day was had. I had a late night with a big (my first) game of ¢chubby bunny¢. I think I might have felt hungry for the first time on the trip (since leaving Rhode Island) today.
Date: 2008-05-10
From: Atkins, Virginia

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Still not happy with my feet. Met my first group of ¢wrap arounds¢ (Harpers Ferry- Georgia, Maine- Harper¢s Ferry). The shelter was packed and lots of people tented in the area. People are slowing down in front and going faster behind all because of Trail Days. I am getting the reputation again as the gourmet cook on the trail. But I am not letting anyone change my name yet. I had lots of cool hikes through pastures and really tall fences to climb over. All things considered it was not too bad a weather day. I think this makes three days with Mondo and Walka Walka. I am still hiking with Catfish and Bondi.