morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-01
From: governor clement shelter

To: killington vt.
Miles today: 10.0

rained most of the night but not in my tent/porch. started by 8 but could only get 1 mph. all uphill into snow crusted elevations.postholing up to my waist at times the miles were hellish. the fog moved in and the rain held off. the blazes were hard to see and the trail hard to find. mid-day i was exhausted,sweating,soaked and off the known trail.i found the side trail to pico camp and crawled inside feeling lucky for my life!(you really have to want to be here!) inside the 4-sided shelter i checked my long trail map to find i was 3 miles from the highway via the sherburne pass trail. since it was mid-day and all down hill i took this side trail to highway 4 vt. the inn was closed for the season so i walked 2 wet highway miles to killington. got a room and a ride to the scrub-a-dub-pub for cheeseburger and laundry. had a beer with a guy that skied off the mountain i hiked over. he didnt believe me at first. i hiked an extra 1/2 mile today back to retrieve my pack cover. my first shower here left bark and pine needles covering the drain. i really dragged myself through the forest today, hopefully its never like that again!
Date: 2009-05-02
From: killington vt.

To: stony brook shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

nice climbs on a snowfree day in the 50s. i like to keep clean on the first day oout of town. todays temps are no sweat and i have walked my boots dry. nice. the water is clean up in the vt mountains. dodging puddles to stay dry today. unlike yesterday i was running,splashing through deep puddles just to get off the mountain!
Date: 2009-05-03
From: stony brook shelter

To: winturri shelter
Miles today: 10.0

slept in til 8:30 as the sun came in to warm me. a great sensation. no hurries. cleared a lot of branches from the trail. no one has hiked through these parts yet this year.the trail is covered in leaves and hard to read. thick vt. forest with not many views. i spoke on my cell phone today and distracted myself a 1/2 mile off the trail!. in for another solo night.
Date: 2009-05-04
From: winturri shelter

To: thistle hill shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

slept in as the sun warmed me up again. smooth miles with a few climbs. typical thick vt. passed through a few pastures today and also met "freebird". he resides in the area and has hiked the a.t. twice and the cdt twice! in the shelter solo again, other than the critters that come to check you out.bird,bat,squirrel,mouse,porcupine...
Date: 2009-05-05
From: thistle hill shelter

To: happy hill shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

nice easy day with low elevations through green pastures.had a nice lunch stop in w.hartford(cheesesteak). i packed some beers up the last 4 miles for my last night in vt. i got to the shelter and met some squatters from maine.they had bummed canned goods from local homes and already been checked by the law, they had told me. i let them use almost everything i had;stove.fuel,phone,meds,t-paper,water treatment,pan,maps.this still wasnt enough. in the middle of the night they threatened me for cigarette money. i told them hell no. needless to say not much sleep clutching my possessions with knife and mace ready,in the dark shelter during a rain storm!
Date: 2009-05-06
From: happy hill shelter

To: velvet rocks shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

waiting for the sun to rise and the rain to slow,as i set against the back wall with knife and mace ready. after the goons on the loft verbally threatened me i immediately put on full gear and packed and waited in the dark. i snuck out into the rain without a peep. steady drizzle on the 6 miles to hanover n.h. all downhill to another state line! got some blueberry pancakes then went to the dartmouth college outdoor center. here they let me use the bathroom and internet. they also sent the proper authorities back up happy hill to deal with the squatters. (i win!) hanover is a clean college town.the shelter was close enough to town i hid my gear and went back for beer and pretzels.slipped on a velvet rock and bumped my head(before beers. huh?) got a goose egg now. mp3 screen cracked sometime yesterday, still plays though.
Date: 2009-05-07
To: burlington vt.
Miles today: 0.0

woke with the rain on the clear plastic roofed shelter. out by 6am to catch the only bus to burlington vt. at 8am. lous breakfast again(all local produce here). washed up in the lobby restroom of the "hanover inn"($260). getting on the bus with 6 days of trail on me! i was the only passenger to white river, where i waited 2 hours for the bus to burlington. watching the rain fall from inside now. tansforming back to civilian;concrete,asphalt,handrails,painted posts,doors,plumbing,and people,. got a room at the ho-hum hotel,then took the bus to church street. a neat no cars neighborhood with shops and eateries. irish pub for sliders and potato cakes!
Date: 2009-05-08
To: indy
Miles today: 0.0

breakfast at the tiny diner and a 1/2 mile walk to the airport. i got the extra security screen/massage??. then a small 40 passenger plane to laguardia airport for a 2 hour layover. flying in the big plane to indy the pilot announced that the landing gear will not retract so we will fly in circles to burn 4000 pounds of fuel, then back down. lucky me remember? after a 6 hour maint. delay we will try agaian. back on the runway we were halted by federal regulations that this flight crew had exceeded its hours. after 2 meals in the food court they now give me a voucher for a room across the street. none of this bothers me because life on the trail allows you to sit back, and view this other silly life we know. some other people were not so happy. half of that flight will now miss indiana university graduation commencement. at the customer service desk people were crying,cursing,and kicking the walls. very ugly.
Date: 2009-05-09
From: indy

To: indy
Miles today: 0.0

i missed the early flight in purpose because i know there are i.u. parents on standby. this way they can have my seat and at least show up late. i dragged in at 9am and asked them what now? so they sent me from ny. to charlotte, to indy. the greyhound bus took me 24 hours to get to the trail. u.s. air took me 32 hours?? i know it sounds like a rough trip but i cant complain. it makes everyday life fairly easy. see you out there next year!
Date: 2009-05-12
To: One Week To Go
Miles today: 0.0

I guess this will serve as my first entry in what will become my online trail journal, chronicling my many adventures over the next few months.About a week from now, I will begin a journey I promised myself I would do six years ago. Now that is commitment, isn't it? How many people keep a promise that long to others, much less themselves? It can be pretty easy to change ones mind when no one is expecting anything of you. As for me, though, I have always been a very strong willed person. If I say I'm going to do something, if I get it in my head, then you damn well better believe that I'm going to do it. This is a trait that could be related to a stubborn person, which I will admit that I can be at times.However, in the case of this trip, I believe this character trait I possess will allow me to overcome the many pains of the trail that can stop hikers dead in their tracks. We'll see, won't we?Since graduation on Saturday I have been preparing like crazy for this trip. I have nearly all the gear I need already thanks to the 6 years of preparation under my belt, but things like getting my license renewed, moving out of my apartment, seeing friends and family one last time and getting those last pieces of gear really add up to equal a frantic rush to get ready in time.I have one week, though, so I've still got time...maybe.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Springer Mountain

To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.1

Dad and I got to the parking lot below Springer around noon and hiked up to the summit and back down. The southern terminus of the AT is at the top of the mountain and it is only about a mile from where we parked. The alternative is to start at Amicalola Falls State Park and hike in 9 miles on the approach trail. I have done this twice in the past, so I was glad we took this route so I could get on the actual trail immediately. We ate an early lunch down by the car. After that I said goodbye and I was off. I found it harder to leave my family than I thought it would be. The lonileness is tough at the beginning of a hike and this one is no exception. I'm not sure how far I will make it, but I will press on.
Date: 2009-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.6

Stayed with interesting folks last night. Two guys from Long Island, NY. A couple other guys going to at least Fontana Dam, a grandfather and grandson going somewhere north--that old grandfather guy was pretty annoying too. I could barely understand him. There was another solo hiker whom I had met the day before on the trail. He wasn't very talkative. I left about 8 AM and headed towards Neels Gap as my ultimate goal. I made it--just in time too. I got there right when they close at 6 PM and got a bunk for the night and a shower for $16.00. There were two college age couples there, a guy from Brooklyn and a husband and wife ridgerunner team. They were all cool. I mostly listened to everybody else swap stories because I was too tired to contribute. The employees made a fire and had a drum circle for us which was pretty cool. Learned about trail trees. The indians apparently made their own natural cairns to mark their trails. 60% of the AT was built on old indian trails. Trail trees have branches which look like an "L" because they were bent in that shape while still growing. I looked for some on the trail, but wasn't sure if I saw any.
Date: 2009-05-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.0

Today hurt pretty bad. I went from Neels to Blue Mt. Shelter, quite a long day after two other long days. I was doing fine until about the last three miles. Then I hit a wall. I got in around 8 PM. There were already four people there. One guy going south who had only come from Unicoy Gap--2 miles away. That ridgerunner from the day before. A guy named Mack from D.C. and a guy named Mike from New York. They had a fire going, however all but Mike were in their sleeping bags so I really only met him.
Date: 2009-05-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.3

Today I took off with Mike planning to get to Deep Gap Shelter so we could go into town tomorrow and stay at a motel. It started out OK. It began drizzling around noon and got foggy which seemed vaguely familiar because it happened last time I was hiking this part of the trail. No view on top of Tray Mt yet again. Stopped at Tray Mt. Shelter for some lunch. I had some disgusting freeze dried Mac and Cheese. Backpackers Pantry sucks! All the other freeze dried brands have been pretty good, though. Mack caught up with us at the shelter and we all took off together. I got pretty far behind and got to the shelter 30 minutes after them. Not before getting rained on. It kept almost raining all day. I must have pulled out my rain gear 100 times. Oh well, tomorrow will be dry in town. Also, I picked up a copy of The Road somebody had left. Cool book so I hear.
Date: 2009-05-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 3.5

Light day today. Needed rest and resupply. Mike, Mack and I got up and it was raining. It rained all night actually. It was kind of comforting being in that shelter knowing I was dry and not out in that. We made it to Dick's Creek Gap around 10 AM and started to hitch hike, but some guys who had done an overnight trip told us they would give us a ride into Hiawassee. We got into town and I immediately smelled something heavenly...garlic bread. We went and checked into the Hiawassee Inn. The owner there, Sam Duke, was an interesting character. He was like some kind of drill sargent or something. He said so many things, so fast, I almost couldn't follow. It only ended up being $31.75 for a room (split with Mike) laundry, and shuttle back to the trail, so not too bad. After that we went to Daniel's Steakhouse and had a $7.50 buffet. Mack bought Mike and I lunch, so that was cool. The restaurant was strange. It was like a cross between Gone With The Wind and Christian themed. Remember that part in the movie where they went to Daniel's Steakhouse and Buffet? Me either. Afterward we went to this antique shop and looked around. Mack bought this Nazi coin for some reason.We came back to the Inn and Mack found a ride to Atlanta to catch his plane. Resupplied at Ingles Grocery. And that's about it for the day. Tomorrow we hit the trail again. I hope I'm rested.
Date: 2009-05-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 4.5

Short day today. I really need to recover. My back will heal, I just don't know when. Hopefully soon, though. It is a result of not having some of the straps tight enough. Thankfully Mike told me before I let it go for too long. The first day back on the trail is never my favorite of days.Note to self: Incense is great for getting sweaty, gross, smelly hiker stink out of the shelter. Would make a good hiking accessory. I can't wait to lighten my pack even more in Franklin. I wish I had my smaller pack on hand so I could test it out to see if I could go with a smaller size. I think I could just about pull it off. By the end of this I am going to try for sub 20 lbs!
Date: 2009-05-26
To: North Carolina
Miles today: 12.2

My first day to reach NC! There was a sign that marked the border. I'm feeling a ton better now that I took a couple short days to rest. It ended up being another rainy day. Thankfully I was only a mile from the shelter when it really started coming down. Really crowded shelter tonight. It was crowded last night as well, but there was a lot more space at the other shelter. This one sleeps 8 and we've got 7 in here. At least everyone, save Mike and I, are taking a shortcut trail to get closer to Franklin tomorrow. I'll be taking the long hard road in the morning. G'night!
Date: 2009-05-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 14.4

Today was great until the very end. It started raining HARD when I got to the top of Mt. Albert. The shelter was less than a mile though, thank God. Didn't see another soul today except mike and a lady camping at the shelter. Caribbean Queen was her trail name. She was very nice. I want a trail name.Everything is damp. I'm ready to get into Franklin tomorrow.
Date: 2009-05-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 9.1

Today was a relatively easy one into Franklin. I got down to Winding Stair Gap around Noon and we managed to hitch a ride within 30 minutes. A nice older couple on their way to Nashville picked us up. Said they often do so for hikers. We were very appreciative. They dropped us off and we found the place where we were staying. Then I went and ate a Big Mac, large fries and an apple pie. Mmm. After a long, arduous trip to the outfitters store (had to cross roads and interstate overpasses...not walker friendly!) I checked the internet and uploaded the pics I've taken. Town days can be some of the most busy days. I also had to wash clothes, let stuff air out, decide what I was going to mail where tomorrow. And I had to go get some ice cream.I capped off the night with a trip to Cody's Roadhouse. 1/2 a rack of ribs, loaded baked potato, a salad, some rolls and some refreshing drinks. I'm full, I think. Smoky Mts. here I come!
Date: 2009-05-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.0

Left Franklin today. Got a ride back to the trailhead by an interesting fellow by the name of Ron Haven. He told us off color jokes in spanish, interpreting them for us as he finished each line. He knew Spanish because he worked on a tomato farm when he was young. He's a former pro wrestler. When asked about how the trail looked for us today he gave us an unbelievably detailed account of what we would encounter not just that day, but the next as well. He obviously cares a lot about the AT and those that hike it. He was a really nice guy. The people you meet in and around the trail make the hard parts worthwhile.The trail was ok until Wayah mountain. The trail went up for seemingly forever, but the view from uptop was gorgeous! Went another mile down to Wayah shelter for the night. I thought it would be a great idea to set up my tarp. I ended up getting water all over the ground cover. Probably mailing it back in Fontana. That'll save a few lbs!
Date: 2009-05-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.3

Loooong day today. I decided to go to the closest shelter to the NOC which was less than a mile away from it. Somehow I missed it and came right down to the NOC. I immediately got some chili cheese nacos which were so big that there would be no way I'd be able to finish them if I hadn't been hiking. I guess I'll stay here another day. I need to wait on my food drop at Fontana Dam anyway.
Date: 2009-06-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.0

Today was a long, kinda boring one. Don't know if it was the breakfast, the zero day, the energy shot I had to take so I could use the empty bottle for my cooking oil, or some combination of the three, but I flew up the Mt. Eight pretty tough miles in four hours. I decided to go on to the next shelter when I summited Cheoah Bald (great view!) Mike wasn't planning to go that far. So after ten days, our hiking partnership had seemingly come to a close. Easy come, easy go. I got to the shelter and found two older gentlemen. They were all right I suppose. Someone to talk to at least.
Date: 2009-06-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.7

Today was hot! Luckily it was also mostly downhill, something my legs enjoyed. Got to Fontana road crossing and called a $3 shuttle to take me to the Post Office to get my mail drop I had sent myself. They call the shelter here the Fontana Hilton and I can see why. There are bathrooms, a nearby shower and a water fountain. Also, I walked 3/10 of a mile to the visitors center and got some ice cream. Talked to some weird guy at the shelter who had a machete. It was kind of hard to talk to him because no matter what topic I started talking about he would have some sad or depressing story to mention related to it.
Date: 2009-06-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.7

Last night was probably the best sleep I've had in a shelter. The shower I was able to take was definitely a contributing factor. Besides the guy next to me snoring (why is it always the guy RIGHT next to me? Never the guy at the other end of the shelter!)Today started out slow for me, but I sped up as the day progressed. Got to the shelter before the heavy rain started. Talked w/ an older gentleman for a while and this girl carrying a violin for some reason. I heard some people talking about a weird guy they had heard about, but not seen yet called John the Forager. I realized I had met that guy the day before. What a sad situation that guy seemed to be in. I guess I'm pretty fortunate to be where I am right now. Debt free, plenty of money and plenty of time.Note to self: Look into a Henry Shires tarp tent
Date: 2009-06-04
To: North Carolina/Tennessee
Miles today: 13.5

Today was another long day of hiking. Not too much to say about it. My feet got more wet today than any other day yet. And it wasn't even raining. The tall grass just held a lot of water from the previous night's rain. Also, I determined that I am running low on food. If I do two twenty mile days I get out of the Smokies in three days and only have to eat crappy for one day. On the other hand I could resupply in Gatlinburg tomorrow.Decisions, decisions.
Date: 2009-06-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.8

Today sucked as far as staying dry goes. It rained last night and never really quit. I hiked up Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT. Couldn't see 10 feet in front of me. That's ok. There will be other views.I think I met the strangest guy thus far last night. This kid, from Florida was wearing sunglasses and a hat cocked forward in such a way that screamed arrogance. He had no stove, no water treatment system. He was carrying three flashlights, way too many clothes and he asked questions non stop. Dumb questions too. It was like he had a severe case of ADD or something. He just kept asking me the same stuff over and over. People like that do not belong on the AT.Anyway, I decided to go into Gatlinburg because I needed a little extra food to get me to the next resupply, but also because the rain was really bad and I figured I'd give the trail a little while to dry up. Hitting the trail again tomorrow. Looking forward to mile 300!
Date: 2009-06-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.6

Did I ever get lucky with hitching in and out of Gatlinburg.Going in--I set my pack up against a sign at Newfound Gap and I go take a picture. I come back and a family asks me to wait before moving my pack because they wanted it in the picture they were taking. Come to find out that their son had hiked the AT not too long ago, they asked me if I needed a ride into Gatlinburg. I graciously accepted.Coming back was even crazier. So I figure I can get a shuttle back to the trail fairly easily. There are a few options, but they are either too expensive, going to take too long or wont be able to do it till the next day. So, defeated, I start walking towards the direction of Newfound Gap (15 miles away) so I can get to the edge of town and start trying to hitch.At first I'm thinking, "there's no way I'm getting a ride, these tourists are not even going to think about picking me up." Well, after a couple blocks I think to myself, "wait, I need to think positive" Like that video The Secret we watched in pro practice. Think about what you want, not about what you don't want. So I change my perspective and right as I'm about to reach the edge of town I pass a gas station. A guy is just getting out of his car to go in and yells at me, "Hey, are you hiking the AT? Going to Newfound Gap? Need a ride?" (Keep in mind I have a pack on my back that makes me stick out like a sore thumb) "Yes" I say.And just like that I'm back on the trail. As far as the rest of the day, it started with lots of day hikers bugging me as I passed them, followed by hours and hours of seeing nobody. Finally, I come upon two guys going my way. They were weekend warriors from the area and I really enjoyed talking to them. Not a terrible night of sleep in the shelter neither.
Date: 2009-06-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.1

Just like any long hiking day, it always seems to begin easy, but by the end I'm huffing and puffing. That'll probably continue no matter what, I suppose. I'm used to my pack weight now though. I got to the hostel I was staying at for the night around 5 or 6. Standing Bear Farm. The guy running it, Curtis, seemed like a genuine, nice guy who is really in it for us hikers. Violin lady, as I call her, was there. As was a south bounder coming from Harper's Ferry. He said it took him 67 days from there. But he had taken 8 zero days. He reminded me of Chuck Norris both with the way he talked and his likeness. He could have easily passed as Chuck's younger, less successful brother.
Date: 2009-06-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.4

Today I started out with violin lady from the hostel around 8 AM. Davenport gap gave us a nice 5 mile uphill climb to a grassy bald. One of the most surreal experiences I've had hiking is, after being in the woods for two hours hiking uphill, mostly looking down at the ground and slowly trudging forward, and then, right as you are about to give up hope, you see a clearing up ahead. Before you know it, you are on top of a mountain, 5,000 feet above sea level, where, curiously, no trees are growing. Just acres of grass. It's pretty awesome. We had the pleasure of summiting two of those aforementioned balds today. The second, Max Patch, was the best view I've seen yet. We got down to the shelter around the same time, violin lady and I, and met a guy named Mike (no relation to the first mike) He had come from Springer as well. We were entertained for the better part of the evening by some crossword puzzles he was trying to finish. I should get a book of those in Hot Springs!