morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-08-02
From: Monson, ME

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Today is a zero day. Monson, ME is the last trail town we will go through. When we leave here, we will be going into the ¢100 Mile Wilderness.¢ Trail covers almost 100 miles without crossing a paved road and no towns for miles and miles.Shaw¢s is famous for their breakfast and we were not disappointed. Since Shaw¢s was so crowded, we decided to move to the Lake Shore House. They rent rooms above the laundromat and pub. Heavy rain was predicted so we figured we could do everything inside, they have a lot more washers and dryers and they said they would give us an early morning shuttle back to the trail. We moved to the Lake Shore House before lunch.The rain did not come so for lunch we walked two blocks to the Spring Creek Cook House and BBQ. A young hiker from Kentucky had told us they had great BBQ and he was right.After lunch, it was time to wash laundry, clean and waterproof boots and dry out gear. We have only seen a couple of days without rain since we have been in Maine. More rain is in the forecast and there are a lot of stream fordings in the next 100 miles. We are hoping to do this in 10 days but all this rain could slow us down.The town of Monson sits right on the edge of Lake Hebron and some of the buildings sit out in the lake. The further north we have gone, the smaller the trail towns have become. Ate supper in the pub and it was filled mostly with hikers since there are only two restaurants in town. Watched a little TV tonight for the first time in a long time. We finished eating the brownies that Kelley and Shanna sent to me while watching ¢Jeopardy.¢Looking forward to getting on the trail tomorrow because it will be the beginning to the end. I called home to let my wife Nadine know that it would be about two weeks before I could call her again. She is going to make reservations for First Shadow and me to fly home from Manchester, NH.
Date: 2008-02-17
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Springer
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

After picture taking and tear-eyed good byes with the send off committee, I headed North (my version). The weather was cool, cloudy, and little misty, but great to hike in. I was on my own for most of the day; a brief stop and meal at Black Gap Shelter, then I headed to the Springer Mountain shelter. However the weather turned ugly that last 1 mile to Springer. Rain, thunder, and lightening; a real sensory experience. I felt the rain, heard the thunder, and saw AND smelt the lightening. Scared me silly; smelling lightening is not a good thing.The Springer Shelter was overcrowded, but a welcome spot in a major rainstorm. Most everybody kept to themselves that evening. The next morning it was pack, eat, and move north. Overall, the hike went well, only 2 blisters, no twisted ankles, and a day long nature slide.
Date: 2008-02-18
From: Springer

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

After breakfast and packing up,I headed to Hawk Mtn.Shelter. I was by myself most of the day; the weather was very nice..sunny, a bit of wind, and no rain. During the day I stopped to check blisters, cool feet,and have lunch. Even though I was at the shelter sight, I tent camped. It ended up being chilly during the night; woke up to about 30 degrees.
Date: 2008-02-19
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Arrived at Gooch around 3pm; another beautiful day. Ben and Raven showed up as did 4 other guys. We all are committed to a thru hike. I thought of the numbers; out of 10 hikers only 2 or 3 will make it to Katadin. Of course I want to believe I am on of those that will make it, but the numbers are pretty scary. Overall, I feel pretty good, just a little sore and tired. My pattern of low miles and frequent stops during the day have helped.
Date: 2008-02-20
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Woods Hole
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The longest day so far; all due to losing by "bear rope",which is use to hang food from trees. While the chances of bears coming for my food may be slim, I didn't want to beat the odds, I trekked a bit further to Woods Hole Shelter where there are bear cables to safely hang food.The weather continues to go well.
Date: 2008-02-21
From: Woods Hole

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I have a day off coming tomorrow; kind of makes today Friday. At Neel's Gap I'll stay at the hostel to rest, clean, launder, and reorganize.Before I get there, I have to climb Blood Mountain, the highest spot in Ga. I start at about 3600 and get to 4500 feet. It was a fantastic view of all kinds of mountains..just breathtaking. After climbing Blood, the descent to Neel's Gap was from 4500 to 3200 in 2.5 miles; that was character building.The hostel is going to work out real well; the rain just started coming and supposed to continue to tomorrow. The place is hosted by Pirate, a thruhiker that has over 15 thru hikes to his credit. I rode into town with him; I had a very delicious Wopper at Burger King..oh yea.Tomorrow I will meet with Winton from the outfitter re: my boots and blisters. One day off the trail and 2 nites in the hostel.
Date: 2008-02-22
From: Neel's Gap

To: Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The bunk house was a nice alternative to the tent. I got my chores done and had my pack shake down; then met with Winton. He saw the problem with my pack and I changed to a Granite Gear; it is proving to fit and work better. He also fashioned some inserts for my boots which also seem to be helping. Still grateful for the zero day because it is still raining. A few hikers have come in from the rain ands it doesn't look good. Tomorrow is supposed to be a great weather day.I had a chance to review several e-mails and entries to my blog. The support I am getting is so very much appreciated. It struck my how many people are amazed at what I am trying to do; I am amazed at what I am trying to do. What makes me think I can hike 2260 miles with a backpack..what was I thinking when I committed to do this. Of course, people who know may ask who said I was thinking at the time I decided to do this. Thank goodness for friends, relatives (especially my wife) and folks who just happen to sign my guest book.
Date: 2008-02-23
From: Hostel

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

After hiking 10.8 miles I FEEL it, though not as bad as when brother-in-law Lenny and I pulled in 501 shelter in PA last year. We had done about 15 miles that day. Because of the mice that tend to crawl around and the fact that I was the only occupant, I set up my tent. I made dinner, Ramen and chicken, and went to bed. I didn't sleep as well as I thought I would, which was becoming a pattern of late. I used to think it was the stress of work that made me a restless sleeper. I was to discover the real reason for my restlessness later in the week.The weather during the day continued to be just beautiful. With the temps in the 40's and my hking with a pack, I was able to hike in my t-shirt (and shoes, pants, etc); just didn't need a jacket. The climbing was very mild today; I stayed above 3,000 and got as high as 3800.
Date: 2008-02-24
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

After another beautiful weather day, I pulled into Blue Mountain Shelter around 3:30 and started to set up in the shelter, sans tent. A few minutes later 2 brothers, Walter and George, came in and set up as well. It was evident that Walter had a lot of knowledge on hiking and on the AT. George kept busy making a fire while Walter cooked. Ben and Raven showed up after about an hour. I treid taking pictures but ran into battery problems, which I hope to fix. My mileage today was 7.2 and elevation change was a very gradual ascent from 3000 - 4000. After dinner, I cleaned up (as much as one can with out a shower) and went to sleep.
Date: 2008-02-25
From: Blue Mountain

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

I started at 8am with the plan to get off at Unicoi Gap, hitchhike to Helen, Ga, pickup a few things, then hitch back to Unicoi and continue hiking. Theguy that picked me up suggested I would have better luck finding what I needed in Hiawasee. Everything went fine until I tried to head back to Unicoi Gap to resume my trek. Turns out most hikers in Hiawasee, go to the Trail and head north. The locals couldn't quite understand why I wanted to go back south, then hike north. Being directionally challenged made my explanations meaningless to them I finally got picked up by an older couple who understood what I was talking about. Couldn't have been my accent.So I get back on the trail and head to Tray Mountain. On one of my rest stops, I was passed by Hammer and Nails; Hammer is from Oregon and does seem to "hammer" the trail with long hikes and the goal of doing a yoyo, south to north and back in the same season. His dog is called "nails", because he is tough as nails.Today's hike was probably the most challenging so far regarding climbing. I started at about 3800, went to 4000, the descended to 3000 and then back to 4000; the latter up and down was within 3 miles. That is an example of hiking not only distance "horizontally" but "vertically" as well. In some of research there is the stat that overall climbing on the Trail averages 217' per mile; that adds up to about 98 miles of climbing overall.
Date: 2008-02-26
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek 
Miles today: 10.6

Knowing I was going to have zero day tomorrow and sleep in hostel tonite (Coud 9), kept me going; actually knowing that I would get into town and have beer and pizza kept going. While my mileage was double digit (just barely at 10.6), the climbing and decsending was constant and was more difficult that just hiking. It went from 4300 to 4500 to 2700; that downhill stuff is as tough as uphill. The weather worked out well for the morning, then I could feel the temp begin to drop and winds pick. Within hours, the temp dropped to 20 degrees.The shuttle to Cloud 9 was there within just few minutes; after chekcing in and getting the rundown onthe rules from Crutch, the caretaker, myself and 2 other hikers, got a ride to town for groceries. I decided to experiment with gluttony; I mean it is not like there are a lot of sins one can commit on the Trail. So for dinner I had a half of a large bag of chips, 4 cookies, 3 glasses of water, 3/4 of a large pizza,& an ice cream bar. To make sure I didn't have any indigestion, I washed it all down with a couple of ice cold Heinekens.It turned out to be a good thing I had a zero coming up; a lot of processing was going to take place.
Date: 2008-02-27
From: Dick's Creek 

To: Dick's Creek
Miles today: 0.0

An easy day at the hostel. Crutch is very helpful with trips to town, answering questions re: the Trail, supplies, etc.Snow had fallen during the nite, a dusting by Chicago standards. The wind was constant all day and the temp stayed in the low 20's. I was glad to be inside and have a break from the hiking. While I didn't plan on the days off in the beginning, my luck continued to hold in terms of timing the days off with bad weather. That luck was going to run out.I did get into town again, to visit the library and pick up a few thngs as well as indulge myself with a cup of coffee and the paper at the local coffee house. In talking with Susan that evening, I shared my sleep issue with her, then suddenly remebered the chocolate bar Louisa had given me with the advice, that if I needed energy, just to take a chunk of the bar and suck on it like it was a cough drop. Turns out the damn thing was loaded with caffeine or something similiar. Since I had not had more that 4 cups of coffee since getting on the Trail, I had become a bit sensitive to caffeine. I'm still a little shakey from that bar.Even with the temp at 20 degrees and strong winds, I decided to get into the hot tub, located outside. It felt great on myu tired and sore muscles.tomorrow
Date: 2008-02-28
From: Dick's Creek

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: clear sky

Up extra early, 4:30; I packed then had breakfast and had Crutch drop me off Dick's Creek in 25 degree weather. The plan was to hike to Bly Gap, just over the NC stateline. I stopped for lunch around 1, then took off again. I ended up with 8.9 miles and some serious up and down hiking; up and down as in starting at 2700, then to 3700, down to 3300 then finished at 3700. That is enough to burn a few calories. Speaking of which, I had my supply box sent to me at Cloud 9 and made the mistake of not inspecting it. Turns out I had shorted myself a few meals and was going to change my plans a bit. I had enough food to get me through a few days, but needed to have more food soon. It would mean breaking 12 miles for the first time on the Trail. Amazing what I will do for food.I crosed the stateline into NC around 4:00pm; I was caught off guard by the stateline sign. It felt great to have one state down, only 13 more to go. Called Susan to share my milestone news.Ben and Raven pulled into the camp site a bit later. I stayed in the tent and slept well. Tommorow my luck with the weather was going to change.
Date: 2008-02-29
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

The mornign at Bly Gap was cool, about 25 degrees; that keeps one moving. That means eating (meagerly) quickly and heading out towards Standing Indian Shelter. Getting there would mean 23 miles or so over the following 2 days, which would getme to food and resupply. During the day the weather was mild..a bit windy and overcst. It would get cold if I stopped. After getting into StandingIndian, I ate my dinner and set up my tent in the shelter; that idea is the way to avoid the mice crawling around. Ben and Raven made it into the shelter. The weather turned extra windy and the forecasted snow moved in. Combining with the wind, the snow moved further, as into the shelter, my tent, and on my sleeping bag. The good news is that even though my sleeping bag was pretty damp, I didn't know it until the next morning. I was warm and dry druing the night, but would have to deal with a wet tent and bag the next day. Mother Nature was flexing her muscles and reminding my whose game this was. I couldn't complain much since I had escaped nearly all the bad weather.
Date: 2008-03-01
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Big Spring (at least I planned that)
Miles today: 17.2

I scarfed down the oatmeal and hot chocolate and headed to Big Spring, about half-way to Winding Stair Gap, where my next resupply was. Snow was about 2 inches deep and occassionally 4"; still a dusting by Chicago standards. The sun was out and temps around 45. Great hiking weather. Ben and Raven and I passed each other throughout the day. My last "heavy meal" at lunch ws great and much needed. I got to Big Spring Shelter around 4 and found the 8 person shelter taken over by about 14 college spring breakers. They were very nice and deferential (grey hair does have its priviledges), calling me "sir" and told me they would make room for me. I didn't know if they knew that this grey hair needed more than 3 square feet; I thanked them and said I would camp up the road, thinking a quater mile or so. Heading north, I ran into 3 southbound weekenders, Ken, Chrystie, and Ron, who were headed to Bog Spring as well. Upon hearing of the occupancy there they decided to head back north to a camp site "just up the road". The "just up the road" expression was going toake on new meaning. Ron led the way at a pretty good clip. I felt like the hungry dog being promised dinner not knowing how far I would have to go. It was another miles to the camp site and promised meal. Ron gave me a freeze dried Turkey tetrazinni; it took 9 minutes to cook and 2 minutes to eat. How wonderful. it didn't take long for me to fall asleep. Ken was gracious enough to take pictures and promised to e-mail them to me. It was not surpirse that I received those pix that evening. Those 3 probably still don't know how grateful I was for the food and their comany; they must be great neighbors, coworkers, etc. Having "only" 6.4 miles to go Winding Stair Gapand then hitchike to Franklin,NC, which means more food. Ah, life is good.So I get to Winding Stair, drop my pack, stick out my thumb and 15' later that same terrific trio drive up. I believe it is called serendipitous. They dropped me off at the shopping center in Franklin (after offering my another meal); I got a few supplies and got a terrific tasting Wopper Big Meal. "Gone in 60 seconds" .. just like the movie.While I was enjoying that meal outside at Burger King, A lady pulls up a nd asks if I am a thruhiker. Yes, I respond. She says that the hotles inthe ara are expensive, that her son is away at school, she andher hsuband are hikers a nd they would be glad to have me stay at their house. I have heard of this "trail magic", ie, gernerousity of people living near the AT. She was very understanding when I expained I had equipemnt to spread out,dry, and get resupplied, and it would more conveniant to be at a hotel. I hope she wasn't ofended.So she drops me at the Franklin HOtel ( not quite a "notell, motel), where I unpacked and spread my tent and bag out to dry. Forgot to mention it was 60 degrees and sunny in Frankllin that day. My next day was to be a zero, which was good as I had deveopled a blood blister on my heal and needed to let it dry up.
Date: 2008-03-02
From: Big Spring (at least I planned that)

To: Franklin Motel
Miles today: 6.3

I was up early the next day. Ken was gracious enough to take pictures and promised to e-mail them to me. It was not a surprise that I received those pix that evening. Those 3 probably still don't know how grateful I was for the food and their comany; they must be great neighbors, coworkers, etc. Having "only" 6.3 miles to go Winding Stair Gap and then hitchike to Franklin,NC, which means more food. Ah, life is good.So I get to Winding Stair, drop my pack, stick out my thumb and 15' later that same terrific trio drive up. I believe it is called serendipitous. They dropped me off at the shopping center in Franklin (after offering me another meal); I got a few supplies and got a terrific tasting Wopper Big Meal. "Gone in 60 seconds" .. just like the movie.While I was enjoying that meal outside at Burger King, a lady pulls up and asks if I am a thruhiker. Yes, I respond. She says that the hotels in the ara are expensive, that her son is away at school, she and her husband are hikers and they would be glad to have me stay at their house. I have heard of this "trail magic", ie, generousity of people living near the AT. She was very understanding when I expained I had equipment to spread out,dry, and get resupplied, and it would more conveniant to be at a hotel. I hope she wasn't ofended.So she drops me at the Franklin HOtel ( not quite a "notell, motel), where I unpacked and spread my tent and bag out to dry. Forgot to mention it was 60 degrees and sunny in Frankllin that day. My next day was to be a zero, which was good as I had developed a blood blister on my heal and needed to let it dry up. I watched a little tv, then turned in.
Date: 2008-03-03
From: Franklin Motel

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Even thought today was not to be a zero day (hiker parlance for day off, no hiking,"working"), a forecast of thunder storms in the mountins changed my mind. I walked around town and ran into Mike and Gonella in town; I made plans to join them, Raven,and Ben at a local rstaurant. When I got there I joined those folks as well as Banjo Kelly and Meltie; Banjo actually carries a banjo with her and Meltie earned his name by having his shoes too close to the fire, while trying to dry them out.I got back to the motel and ended up sleeping one hour the entire night. Combination of too much food too late and very anxious to get on the Trail>
Date: 2008-03-05
From: Franklin

To: Wayah Bald
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

I made arrangements with Ron, owner of another motel, to shuttle me to Winding Stair Gap, where I picked up the Trail. He dropped me off at 9am and I headed north. Around noon,I was stopped off at Silers Bald for lunch, rest and to cool the feet. That routine of taking a 30' minute lunch along with removing shoes and sox has a very invigorating effect. However, my lack of sleep did catch up with me and I stumbled into Wayal Shelter around 5. I was joined by Levi and Paul; Paul is section hiking and accompanying his friend Levi who is a thruhiker. After dinner, I got into my bag and read, while those 2 made a fire. Levi came into the shelter to get something out of his pack; he came over to my side of the shelter and asked if I wanted a night cap. I don"t typically drink whickey, but that shot of mash was perfect. Lights out.
Date: 2008-03-06
From: Wayal Bald

To: Wesser Bald
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

I left the shelter around 8 and headed North ( good to know what direction I am headed in) The weather continued to be stunning..warm temps, clear skies. The day was also a bit of a roller coaster with various ups and downs: 4000" to 4900" to 3850" to 4600' to 4100. The 4600' climb was to Wesser Bald, where there was an observatory where I had an unobstructed view of 360 degrees; still amazing to see all those mountains.With all this climbing and descending, my body in general is holding up well(thanks to the great work of my Glen Ellyn Chiropractor, Don Backstrom and his staff) though my feet continue to need attention. My podiatrist, Dr.Frank Russo, told me blisters are almost unavoidable, and proper foot care is important. Those mid day breaks with removing shoes and sox and reapplying moeskin is very helpful.This was another day where I hiked solo all day; Ben, Raven, and Lee joined me in the shelter that evening. Lee is a 40ish factory worker from Ga. who got a leave of abscence to hike the Trail; he must be under some kind of a time frame as he started 21/2 weeks after I did and has caught up with me. He is a very likable guy with a very practical sense about him. As an example, he needed to do laundry and didn't have change while at the NOC hostel. He took his clothes into the shower,washed them there and hung themup in the bunkhouse. He should work for the government with that kind of thinking.So it is another evening meal of Ramen Noodles with tuna tossed in, hang the food bag from a bear line, and hit the sack.
Date: 2008-03-07
From: Wesser Bald

To: Nantahala Outdoor Ctr
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: moderate rain

It is 7am with a pretty strong rain coming in; the plan is to hike to Nantahla Outdoor Center (NOC) and stay in the bunkhouse that evening. The NOC is on the Nantahala River and offers river activities such as kayaking, canoeing, etc. Great Staff and enjoyable setting. The bunkhouse comes with laundry and shower..both severly needed, along with restaurant food, more needed thatn anything.So I go hiking to the NOC, just under 6 miles but a descent from 4100' to 1700'; I made it about 2/12 hours. The downhill is pretty tough on the knees, though I have been fortunate to little trouble (yet) with that.I got there before noon, ate, did laundry, and got ready to head tomorrow.Lee joinded me in the bunkhouse; tomorrow was the last time I would expect to see him as he was doing 20+ miles a day on a regular basis.Lights out around 9pm.
Date: 2008-03-09
From: Nantahala Outdoor Ctr

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

This was almost a replay of yesterday. After getting close to the double blazes, I "let" Kelly, another hiker, take the lead, without telling him of my not being able to find the next blaze. I was convinced the blaze would be easy to find by another set of eyes. When he got to that point, he asked me if I could see the next blaze. At that point, I 'fessed up and told him of my predicament from yesterday and where I had looked. He found the missing blaze in about 10' minutes. He looked where I had not; how logical is that. The climb to Sassafrass was not very high, but was steep and tiring, which made me glad I did turn around yesterday. The shelter just seemed much further than I thought it was.