morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-11-14
From: NC 28

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Super good sleep last night! I still got up at 5 am though. Got all my stuff together and went to breakfast at 8 when the restaurant opened. I sat with the two people who were in the restaurant last night, Alice and Greg. They are doing an overnight at a tent site in the Smokies tonight. After breakfast they took me to the convenience store so I could get some fuel and then to my trailhead back at the marina. Thank you so very much Alice and Greg and happy trails to you! At the trailhead I met Ben who is hiking the Benton Mackaye Trail going south. He just finished the Smokies section and loved it. Cool meeting a BMT Hiker. I hiked up the hill at 10:30am. It¢s hard to believe that I am back to shorts and a short sleeve T-shirt again! Today is feeling kind of tough. Lots and lots of steep ups and downs. The views leaving Fontana were very pretty but I didn¢t take pictures because there are just too many trees in the way. There was a very steep rocky climb that had a great view but the Peak has no name. Then I had to go down Jacobs Ladder! It was super steep. I am happy I am still wearing my spikes. I decided I am going to stay at as many hostels as I can for the rest of this journey. I called Lonnie at Stecoah Wolf Creek Hostel and he picked me up at Stecoah Gap at 10 after 6pm. He dropped me off at the diner. I had catfish, French fries, hush puppies and green beans. Then I got a coconut cream pie to go! I called Lonnie when I finished eating and he picked me up and brought me to the house. Guess what? I have the entire place to myself! I love when this happens. This is the house he grew up in but lives around the corner. So I took a shower and washed today¢s clothes and watched The Voice. Going to bed at 9:30pm. Goodnight.
Date: 2017-11-15
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

7:20am! That¢s how late I slept. Never has that happened on he trail. I guess my body just needed some extra rest. I felt great when I got up. Went to the diner right next to the house and had the greasiest sausage, egg and cheese biscuit with hash browns that I have ever had in my life. It was delicious but floating in grease. Lonnie picked me up at the house and dropped me off at the trailhead at 9:45 am. Up the hill I go but not until I put my spikes on of course. The big mountain today is Cheoah Bald at 5052¢ elevation. I met 3 men, Mittens, from Michigan, Lunchbox, and Diesel going up the mountain. They are out for several days and Diesel started at Amicalola Falls. Met Smoky Mountain Hiking Club volunteer Keith, aka Frosty, painting blazes while still going up Cheoah. Thank you Frosty. Finally got up to the Bald at 1:30pm. I forgot this is where a most gorgeous campsite is located. One day I will camp there! I called the NOC to get a bunk for the night and while I was on the phone Pineapple passed by me. I haven¢t seen Shenandoah. I hiked the long switchbacks and some steep downhills to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Sparky was there waiting for me with my baggy of stuff I had left at the shelter. We talked a little while and he took off to drive home. I came into the restaurant and had a pizza then went to find my bunk house. I am the only one in it. Pineapple is staying but in a a different bunkhouse. I took a nice hot shower and they provided me a nice thick towel. Going to bed by 9pm. Goodnight.
Date: 2017-11-27
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light snow

Thanksgiving was wonderful! I am so happy that I decided to get off trail to see family. Now it¢s back to business. My daughter dropped me off at the NOC at 4pm. Thank you Kari! It was too early to stop at the first shelter area so I had to make a decision about night hiking again. The weather is perfect! Absolutely perfect. Night hiking is not so bad when there is no wind or rain and it¢s in the mid 50¢s. I got to Wesser Bald Shelter at 6:40 pm. There are three people in the shelter. I found a great tent spot a nice distance from the shelter. I ate the rest of my Subway sandwich and hung my food bag on the cables. Yay for cables. It will get down to 27 degrees by 7 am but no wind. Still very cold. Tomorrow will be sunny and 56! I tossed and turned last night so I hope tonight makes up for it. Goodnight.
Date: 2017-11-28
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Siler Bald
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

Last night was so quiet. I didn¢t hear any owls, critters, or wind at all. When I woke up at 4:30am I was freezing so I put my extra clothes on and my down jacket and went back to sleep until 6am. Got my food bag and made coffee and chicken and rice. I packed up and went to the shelter to meet the three from last night. Nadine gave me trail magic homemade granola. It is some of the best I have ever had. Thank you Nadine! Also here were Hiker Bob and CCHiker. All three are hiking together for just a few days. I was hiking by 7:45am and stopped just up the hill to get water. It was a nice spring with a cement box that retains the water. First mountain and view of the day was Wesser Bald Tower. So beautiful and a 360 degree view! Hiking on I met up with Detour and Ishmael again at Cold Spring Shelter at 11 am. I have not seen them since Bland, VA. I hiked on and they passed me. Then came Wayah Bald at 5342¢ elevation and a pretty stone tower on top. The trees along this ridge after leaving the tower have all been burned. Not sure when it happened. It wasn¢t like that in 2015. I continued on and got to the sign for Siler Bald Shelter but decided to go up to the Bald to camp. I got up on top at 5:15pm and met a former thru hiker, NoNickname, up there. He has his tent set up down the hill. We talked and watched another most gorgeous sunset and then I set up my tent. Made spaghetti and mashed potatoes and hung the bag in a tree.  It¢s an early bedtime but that¢s okay I am tired. It will be another super cold night. It was a lovely day today. Goodnight.
Date: 2017-11-29
From: Siler Bald

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: clear sky

Woke up this morning at 6 am but I really tossed and turned a lot last night. It is 26 degrees and a little windy up here so I am sure the wind chill makes it colder. I am lingering just a little so I can see a sunrise before I leave. Made my breakfast and was hiking at 8:15am. Today was really very nice and it seemed like the trail was gentler if that¢s possible. The big mountain of the day was Albert Mountain at 5250¢ elevation. It was gentle on the ascent but super steep and treacherous going down and very rocky. There are so many leaves on the trail and they are so slippery when you go down a mountain. You better believe I am still wearing my spikes. They are not just for snow. So today after just a little distance south of is Albert Mountain, I reached 2091 miles! That means I have 100 miles to go!!!!! I hiked on to Carter Gap Shelter and found Mrs Joy here. What a nice surprise. She took a bad fall going down Albert. There are two others here who started at Springer not too long ago. I don¢t know how far they plan to go. All three are staying in the shelter but I set up my tent. Had dinner and sat by the fire for a few minutes. Hung my food and going to bed by 8pm. It is much warmer tonight. Maybe even in the forty¢s. Sweet dreams.
Date: 2017-11-30
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Plumorchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: few clouds

is my Birthday! What better way to spend the day but hiking! I slept better and it wasn¢t as cold. Got up at 5:30am, ate, packed, and said my fair wells and hiked out at 7:15am. I can feel the rain coming. Got to Standing Indian Mountain 5478¢ elevation at 10 am and took the side trail to the top. Beautiful but super cold wind. The trail today was a lot like yesterday. Going down to Bly Gap was a very steep descent. Got to the NC/GA border at 3 pm and met Scout and Clover there. They are sectioning going north. The rain started as I entered Georgia and it rained all the way up and over As Knob and all the way to the shelter. So happy it¢s not real cold. I arrived at the shelter at 5:30pm and I am the only one here. The rain finally stopped and I went down and got water and made dinner. As I was eating, a cute little mouse, yeah right, ran across the side railing and just stared at me. Ugh. Then there was another and another. I went out and found a spot and sat up my tent. I put my entire backpack and food inside the food storage box. I did leave my clothes line with my stinky clothes hanging in the shelter. I don¢t think, but not sure, that the mice can walk on my slick rope. I hope the rain is done for the night. It is a sweet, very quiet night here tonight. Looking forward to a nero tomorrow. It is only 4 1/2 miles to Dicks Creek Gap. I haven¢t had a shower since Sunday morning. That will be nice. Goodnight.
Date: 2017-12-01
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Nice sleep last night but it did rain for a little while. Maybe an hour or so. Had some condensation on the tent but it was manageable. Got up at 5:40am and brought all my stuff to the shelter. Made coffee and a chicken and rice burrito. I lingered for a while knowing I was only going 4 1/2 miles so I didn¢t start hiking until 8 am. The fog finally lifted about 9 and the morning was nice. I arrived at Dicks Creek Gap at 10:30 am and called Top of Georgia Hostel. Sir Packs A Lot picked me up and then we dropped off two hikers at Unicoi Gap and went to the hostel. Took a nice shower and relaxed. At 4 pm Sir Packs A lot took myself, Mrs Joy and another hiker, Sweet Monkey, to Hiawassee. Dinner and resupply. The Ingles Grocery carries Mountain House. I¢ve never seen that before but I didn¢t need any because I had Dave send me a box here to the hostel. When we got back there were several other hikers here. A few names are Sequoia, Camel, Smalls, Monk, Scar, and Granola. Having a very hard time getting to sleep with all the talking in the other room. There is no door to this bunk room so the light out there is not helping. I had to go out to the kitchen area twice and ask them to please be quiet. The pizza smells at 10 pm were lingering for hours. I guess I¢m venting. It got quiet at 11 but it was hot even with the window next to me open. Yes , I am writing this after 11pm. Okay I¢m going to try to sleep now. Goodnight.
Date: 2017-12-02
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: 2140.6 Tent Site
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

Tossed and turned in the worst way all night long. Got up to go to the bathroom at 3:30am and someone was hacking in there and then started the shower. I went outside to the port a potty. I slept well from 4 to 6 am. Got up and had to hurry for my ride at 6:30 am to Unicoi Gap to slack pack north back to Dicks Creek Gap. Jo and Sandy, two ladies doing a section, rode with us but they are going back to Dicks Creek to go North. I apologized for being cranky last night. They said they understood. Got on the trail at 7! No hiking poles!!! Yay. My pack might weight 5 pounds, if that. I feel like I can fly. I flew over Tray Mountain and then I started seeing some of the hikers that were at the hostel last night. I apologized for being cranky. The steep climb of the day was Kelly Knob. I had my tuna wrap lunch before going up so I had good energy. I was about a mile before Dicks Creek Gap when I saw Detour and Ishmael coming up the hill. There was a really cute bench at a little waterfall and Ishmael took my picture for me. I got to the gap at 10 minutes before 2 pm and decided to just walk the 1/2 mile to the hostel. I went in and talked with Sir Packs A Lot and asked if he would take me back to Unicoi today instead of in the morning and he said sure. 20 minutes later he said he can¢t because it would interfere with the Hiker shuttle to town at 4pm. Ugh. I hurried and practically begged him to take me now, please. He reluctantly did but softened up on the way there. Thank you so very much Sir Packs A Lot! I immediately went up Blue Mountain. What a big difference with all my gear. I got to the damaged sign that used to be a trail for water. There is a lot of blowdown from Hurricane Irma. Lots of damage. I carefully climbed down to get water and carried it to the tent site. Found a great spot up here all alone. The moon is HUGE. I called Dave and planned my pickup for possibly Tuesday. I am so excited. I only have 50 miles to go! Dinner is spaghetti and potatoes. Dessert is hot chocolate and Crunch N Munch. Bedtime 7:30pm. Goodnight.
Date: 2017-12-03
From: 2140.6 Tent Site

To: Slaughter Creek Campsite
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: broken clouds

What a great decision I made yesterday. I love this little campsite up here on the mountain. I am at 3500¢ elevation and I watched the moon rise last night, and then I watched it set this morning while the sun was coming up. It was even bigger this morning and had a most spectacular orange color! I only took a mental picture because pictures are not accurate. I videoed it for myself but again it is just not accurate. I slept from 8 pm until 5:50am. I still move a lot during the night, it¢s just the nature of camping for me. I roll over, sleep, roll over, sleep, all night long, every night. The dead tree I found last night to hang my food in held up. Made breakfast, packed. On trail at 7:45am. There are lots of shotgun blasts this morning. I guess the hunters are out in full swing. A man asked if I was doing a section and when I told him I did all of the AT this year so far, he said ¢Whaaaaaaat?¢ Haha. Funny. I love the day today. The weather is perfect. I got up to Cowrock Mountain by 1:45pm. Beautiful. Then on my way down a man asked me about my hike. He said I could probably get to Neel Gap today. Um, I had 4 miles to go and it was 2pm. I got to the gap at 3:40pm. I had a Parmesan sandwich and a soda there and hiked up Blood Mountain at 4pm. It is probably the last hard mountain on the AT. It is a very rocky uphill climb to 4442¢ elevation. I made it to Blood Mountain Shelter by 5:30pm and watched the sunset with several other folks up here just for that. Then I hiked on and found this campsite. There is someone down the hill camping here also. I didn¢t feel like cooking so I just had peanut butter on a tortilla but also half of a Hershey chocolate bar. I¢m also a little lazy and living dangerously by not hanging my food bag tonight. Tomorrow will be another good weather day but Tuesday has storms in the forecast but for the afternoon. I hope to get many miles of these last 28 done tomorrow so I can get to Springer Mountain early Tuesday. We¢ll see how it goes. I feel good. Bedtime is 8pm tonight. Goodnight.
Date: 2017-12-04
From: Slaughter Creek Campsite

To: Stealth 2183.4
Miles today: 21.8

What a great night. I slept from 8 pm until 5:40am. I am ready to tackle the day! Oh and I survived with my food in my tent. Another awesome moonrise last night and as I write this, moonset! I tried to be quicker this morning but I just can¢t manage that. After breakfast I packed and was on the trail only 10 minutes faster than yesterday at 7:35am. I am hiking pretty fast today though. I got to Woody Gap at 10:45 am and ate my tuna wrap since there was a garbage can and I could throw the stinky package away. It is very windy and a cold wind today. Got to Gooch Gap at 12:20pm. Speed walking! Lots of cars here but sadly no trail magic so I just moved along. Going up the hill I saw the people that were redirecting the trail. The man told me I would be the last thru hiker on the old section. I feel special. When I got up to Sassafras Mountain the Army Airborne Rangers were training. It was cool to see them! I got to Hightower Gap and not a car in sight. No trail magic again. I hiked up the hill and found a water source and filled up all my water bottles. Granola and Scar both passed me at the water. They are going to Hawk Mountain Shelter and I am going to keep going to get my last night of stealth camping in. I hiked just a couple of miles more and found a really sweet spot and I really don¢t want to hike in dark. I set up and made beef stroganoff and potatoes for dinner and hot chocolate and Oreo¢s for dessert. Took a sponge bath because I really stink. I really can¢t believe I have just 6.5 miles to go!!!!!!!! Praying that the rain holds off until the late afternoon tomorrow. Bedtime by 7:30pm! Goodnight.
Date: 2017-12-05
From: Stealth 2183.4

To: Springer Mountain 
Miles today: 6.4

Last night was my LAST night on the trail! I can¢t believe it! I will be home in my bed tonight. I fell asleep pretty fast but when I woke up at 4am I just couldn¢t go back to sleep. I got up and made my LAST cup of coffee and my LAST chicken and rice burrito and hiked out in the darkness for the LAST time with my headlamp at 5:45am. The past two mornings I would have been hiking in the moonlight. This morning is pitch black out. I Put my rain gear on at 6:30am but took it off again at 7:30am. I had some great memories hiking with Qinti as I passed the first Benton Mackaye Trail sign. I can¢t believe how fast the day is going! I arrived at Springer Mountain at 9:15 am! I didn¢t think I would be emotional but I am. I am here alone in the mystical fog. It is magical indeed. I signed the log book that is kept in the rock then headed down the 8.3 mile approach trail to Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge where Dave is picking me up. It rained the entire way. I am so happy to be done! Thank you to everyone who has visited my journal page. Thank you for your encouraging comments and your prayers. Today is the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice! And be glad in it. Ghosthiker is out!
Date: 2017-06-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

2 days until our departure... I stubbed my toe walking into the doctor's office today. It was bleeding all over the place and my toenail dug into my skin. On a normal day, this would not be a big deal. But 2 days before a long distance hike, I am a bit concerned. My feet really took a beating on our section hike last year without having a foot injury, so it's going to be tough starting out with this issue already. Believe it or not, one of the main reasons that hikers get off the trail is because of infected foot wounds. Hiking 15 miles a day on a stubbed, bloody toe and sensitive toe nail is not going to be pleasant. In addition, infection is a real issue due to sweating in socks day after day without showering.  I plan to nurse my toe as much as possible in the next two days and while hiking to prevent infection and further injury. I could not imagine having to get off the trail because of a stupid toe!
Date: 2017-06-30
From: Pen Mar Park

To: Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: moderate rain

We made it through our first day! The day started off through a rocky, unmarked mess called Devil's Racecourse. Then, we hit our first big climb. I must admit it was really hard. My legs were on fire! By the time we got to the top, I was ready to set up camp and we had only gone 3 miles. It was an easy jaunt to Raven Rock Shelter, where we had lunch with Mya and Daniel who we met along the way. After lunch, we had 5 miles to go. The terrain wasn't too bad, but the bottom of my feet were getting sore. I'm not sure why that was. Thank God, I didn't have any problems with my stubbed toe. Water has been flowing great down here, too. We're able to fill up every 2-3 miles for the most part. During the last few miles of the day, we were caught in a thunderstorm for 45 minutes or so. I thought that was going to be the miserable end to our first day, but it actually wasn't too bad. I wasn't completely soaked and we made it to Cowall Shelter for the night before it rained again. At this point, all I can do is hang my clothes and boots in the shelter and hope they dry by tomorrow. Overall, my body is beat. My feet are beat. And I need to adjust my pack because it's killing my shoulders. But it was a good day!
Date: 2017-07-01
From: Cowall Shelter

To: Dahlgren Backpack Campground
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: broken clouds

My night at Cowall Shelter did not quite go as planned. I had a bad case of dehydration and lost a lot of electrolytes over the day. I went to bed with a horrible migraine and woke up with nausea and cold sweats every few minutes. Finally around 12:30, I had to jump off the top bunk and run out of the shelter to throw up. Honestly, I thought I was going to have to crawl down to the nearest road to get a ride to urgent care. But, I brought my sleeping bag out into the grass and slept under the stars in the breeze. I was finally able to sleep until morning. Everyone at the shelter was so kind, giving me salt tablets, electrolyte chews, and helpful advice. When I woke up, I actually felt okay so we decided to continue with our original plan and hike 8 miles to the next shelter, an easy day. It may have been too easy because we reached the shelter at 1:30 in the afternoon. We had a whole day yet to take advantage of. After waiting out a small thunderstorm, we chose to extend our day and do another 7 miles, almost double what we originally planned. The blisters across the pads of my feet popped like balloons near the end. I was dragging myself along, but we made it to the HIKER'S ONLY campground. There is a great sense of community here. A woman even brought some trail magic for all of us that consisted of fresh berries, whipped cream, and ice cream sandwiches. I also got a hot shower and got to chat with a few people I was missing at home. I'm looking forward to the next two days where we will only be hiking a 10-mile day and a 6-mile day until we reach Harper's Ferry! Yay for a town and a hotel!!!
Date: 2017-07-02
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campground

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Since Yardsale encouraged me to hike the 14 miles yesterday to get to the hiker's campground, today was meant to be my day. I woke up at 9:30 and we headed to a fabulous brunch at a Old South Mountain Inn. I loved being able to have orange juice and eggs. We rolled out at noon for a ten mile day. It seemed to drag on and on. The heat definitely got to us today. I had sweat dripping off of every part of my body. The best sight today was a war correspondence memorial with ruins and an empty tomb. We also saw an old tombstone along the side of the trail. It was very cool to be walking through hallowed ground from the Civil War. It makes the trip a lot more meaningful. I started to feel a bit dehydrated again towards the end of the day, so I was thankful for the electrolyte packet the woman gave me yesterday. I will definitely be buying more of those and some comfy insoles in Harper's Ferry. The Ed Garvey Shelter is packed tonight!
Date: 2017-07-03
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: few clouds

I woke up with the sun this morning around 5:30. We hiked 6 miles down the mountain and along the Potomac River to Harper's Ferry, WV. Mom and I have now completed two states on the AT! Tomorrow we will be finishing West Virginia and heading into Virginia. We are doing two "Neros" (nearly zero miles) in Harper's Ferry. HF was such a welcome sight. We ran into so many hikers that we made friends with on the trail as they finished their journeys. My mom's friend, Deanna, met us at a pub where we ate plentifully and I drank 3 cokes! I headed to the hiking outfitter to get some advice on my blisters. She hooked me up with some blister-free socks and gel pads for the balls of my feet. She was a life saver! I believe we were the 386th and 387th section hikers this year to register at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Having someone in town to take care of us is such a luxury. What would be incredibly difficult tasks for a hiker are made so easy with a friend in town. Drinking a soda, using shampoo and body wash, buying groceries, and just being able to drive in a car are some of the little things that we take advantage of in real life, but are such a blessing on the trail!