morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-09-19
From: Carl A Newman Leanto

To: cooper brook falls
Miles today: 18.9

One of those days when I just jotted down really brief notes as if I'm going to remember what I was talking about.The first note indicated it was cold last night and something about a guy rolling around. I don't remember this but if someone was rolling around to try and stay warm that sucks because rolling around only accomplishes the act of pushing out what little warm air you have in your sleeping bag. It also results in scratching an itch you can't stop itching: rolling is like that in the sense that it makes you realize you're uncomfortable. This usually leads to erratically flopping about every 2 minutes and waking everyone up near you. It's a vicious cycle.The other notes of the day was more stuff about how it stayed cold all day and other things in which I have no idea what I'm talking about. The trail was frozen, my snacks were stiff, water was getting there, and I resorted to going up White Cap really slowly so I wouldn't break a sweat. Also since I don't have gloves, I was wearing darn tough socks on my hands all day.There was a strange moment when I was having a lunch break at a lean to when 2 large groups of sectioners suddenly converged exactly where I was except they were going opposite directions. I had passed one group while going down White Cap and they were mostly high school girls doing a program. The SOBO group were older people. I kept to myself for the most part because every one of these people were talking at level 8+/10 using outdoor voices with the kind of excitement that only extroverts get when they're deprived of people for too long. They talked about getting trail legs now that they have backpacked 4 days and discussed the best trail food to have.I watched a chipmunk frantically scurry among them and watched the birds as I ate instead of partaking in the conversation. Someone screamed in surprise when I hopped out of the lean to so I can carry on hiking.
Date: 2014-09-20
From: cooper brook falls

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 21.5

I had a low mental day. Not the kind that had anything to do with hiking. It started by listening to a podcast in the morning as I prepared to take on the day. It was a depressing topic that went into a deep discussion about everyday people struggling with their own mental health. Was not a good way to start in hindsight because the conversation continued in my head without the host. There was nothing but rocks, trees, and a trail so I had few distractions to keep me from thinking deeper.At some point I also thought deeply about a family dog. I realized there was one pivotal moment where I had failed her. Granted I was no more than 12 years old and had plenty of personal issues at the time, but it hurt to understand how I may have lost her trust. This was a dog that saw me out to school everyday and waited in the same spot until I returned. Watching her opened the mental door for me to get inside the head of an animal in its element. To be as it is without having to think. But as we got more used to her being our dog, I think our family drifted away. We all kind of drifted apart from each other continually but I guess I failed to realize we detached from this giant wolf like dog and left her to be confined in a 2 acre backyard by herself. There was a time that I was the only one visiting her in her domain to specifically play and spend time. Then something happened and I forgot for a week. From there on out something started to go missing and she started to become just an animal who happened to live with us but restricted only to the backyard and sometimes the basement and kitchen. She was a part our family, but what kind of family were we?On top of this thinking tangent, my brother's dog was on my mind. I was just informed that his dog's last days came when I was leaving Monson. That's a real heart breaker because they truly loved each other.If you want to get even more bummed out by this post, be sure to look up "Last Minutes With Oden" by PhosPictures. It's a very powerful and emotional video. It's a reminder that life is precious. I took a long moment today thinking about those who undertake a duty. A life truly devoted to a duty does not care for a reward because the act comes from love. How do you honor a life that voluntarily serves you until death? This thought eventually went to mercy. When they are ready to leave, it seems to me that it should be our obligation to gift them death. Not going to sugar coat the words. Anyways. I'm sure the day was beautiful. The hiking was easy with this stretch of the trail being flatter. I just was more or less too much in my head today. Felt pretty low energy but obviously depressing thoughts all day was the reason.As for how I feel about the end of the journey being so close, I don't have much to say about it at the moment. I'm just calling it a lazy day today and going to get to sleep early.
Date: 2014-09-22
From: Abol Bridge

To: The Birches campsite
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Kept running into hikers I did not expect to see when I got to Millinocket yesterday. Some have been hanging out for days after summiting Katahdin (I've been working hard to coin K-titty). It was great to catch up with people I thought wouldn't see again since I've had the most erratic hiking style. Also, it was strange to still be meeting even more northbound thru hikers I've never met or heard of before.The situation for today was a little bit of rain during the morning. I still wanted to get back out and finish the last 10 miles before reaching Baxter State Park anyway. However the skies should be completely clear if I wait a couple days to summit K-titty. Doesn't feel right to hang back now that I'm so close so I set intent to get to Katahdin Stream Camp today. Since it didn't look like I could get a ride out back to the trail until late afternoon I hung out in town and ate. A lot. Didn't go to the other side of town where there were more hikers because I didn't want to miss a ride out. Paid off because I ended up catching one with a lady who was helping out another thru hiker. The 10 miles to the Birches were really easy. That leaves the last 5.2 miles of the AT for tomorrow.
Date: 2016-04-28
From: Southern Terminus

To: Lake Morena
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It has begun... Have not had any service since Campo (sprint) and currently on very spotty wifi. Will have to update day by day later on.Update: so I've decided to try and organize each entry into sections. The first will be a short description of trail conditions. The second will just be a few of the day's events or happenings. Then I'll ramble about whatever I want to talk about. Kind of like the Chautauquas in the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Seems appropriate because I might as well be a crazy person. So let's get on with it:Trail -arrived at the southern terminus just after 8 and there weren't many people around. Just one guy section hiking and another family taking pictures as I was leaving. The trail is just paces away from the Mexican border and is incredibly mellow. It's like a walk in the park. Except at first when you're all ready to take off, you spin around for a second scratching your head wondering where exactly the trail is. I remember passing a yellow sign pointing the direction of the PCT when driving up to the terminus so I just walked back along the dirt road and found the trail from there.At my pace, 4 liters of water was good enough to get me to Lake Morena after cameling up in the morning and drinking a lot of water throughout the past few weeks.Events -Not much. Just starting a really really long hike so you can expect a lot of monotous walking. The weather was perfect for hiking though. Cloudy skies and about 50 degrees so I was really happy about not getting sun kissed right from the start. Passed maybe 14 people throughout the day and hit 20 miles in less than 8 hours. I may not be in trail shape yet but a 3mph pace on this trail was a breeze when you remember the steep rocky trails on the AT. There were a good handful of PCT thru hikers at Lake Morena. Ran into Rambler around mile 10 who is an AT thru hiker I had met in 2014. I hiked with him to Lake Morena just talking about the AT the whole way. By 4pm, Rambler and I were set to cowboy camp. Kinda. As everyone else set up tents on the rock hard dirt, we laid out our sleeping pads under the PCT hiker pavilion. Later I took advantage of the cement fire pit and started a fire which instantly attracted every hiker like moths to a lightbulb. Two hikers from Alaska saw some clouds and worried about how ominous they looked. They passed in no time and were uneventful. Most clouds in Southern California don't hold enough water to drop downpours like in Alaska I guess.Chautauqua-To be continued. No need to dive right in when I've got over 2650 miles to think about it. Perhaps it will be a cultural talk of how I ended up thru hiking and why it is so important. Not only is it a life changing journey, it seems to be a lifestyle that continues beyond trail life. It is also cultivated well before one even decides to start hiking. It's true that when you have a Chautauqua in your head that it is sometimes hard not to inflict it on other innocent people.
Date: 2014-02-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Wow....It's really going to happen! I've been planning/obsessing about this trek for a year, and I'm still not ready! I guess it's one of those things that you're just never really ready for and you just have to jump in. The 'Trail Magic' has already begun for me: iPhone help, music loaded, enticing books on kindle, oodles of granola bars, hiking and gear tips, trail contacts....on and on! I hear about all the magic on the AT, but I've already experienced so much magic and the journey hasn't even begun yet. This is a picture of my recent backpacking hike from Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Ocean. It was sponsored by the Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association. They took me under their wing; I tagged along for 3 days and made mental notes of everything. I really don't know what I'm doing...truly out of my comfort zone and I'm loving it! Super excited for shove off day...March 28th.Thanks for reading!
Date: 2014-02-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Completing the entire estimated 2,180 miles of the AT in 1 trip is a mammoth undertaking--if you're successful you're considered a thru-hiker. Each year about 2 thousand hikers attempt a thru hike; only about 1 in 4 make it all the way. Women make up 25% of the total hike completions reported. And (clear throat) who knows the % of 56 (kind of achy) year old women that complete it! So I've been getting in shape. We don't have hills in Florida to train so I (with my sister, Laurie, and friends Val and Ann) signed up for a 25K Trail Race in the Everglades....to be more specific...we went to the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park "The Amazon of North America". It's the only place in the world where bald cypress trees and royal palms share the forest canopy. It's a linear swamp forest approximately 20 miles long by 5 miles wide. We could have signed up for the 50K race or even better for the 50 MILE but...we're not that crazy. They issued orange whistles...just in case...yikes. So I'm running along and from out of the corner of my eye I see this massive, gorgeous, huge, 9 foot alligator...I fumbled for the whistle but trail angels on bicycles just happened to be pedaling by and I sprinted past fast! I figured the gator would get them first! We had a blast at the race and I could walk the next day...so it was a win, win! I'm getting super excited for my 6 month AT jaunt.
Date: 2014-02-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I know...I know....it looks bad, but I'm truly getting organized! This colorful snap is all my hiking stuff on my guest bed! My brain feels as scrambled as my equipment is! 26 days until I summit Springer Mountain. I only have 15 days of school left...that's only 3 Mondays to go! I can do this! I have no idea what kind of work I'll do when I get off the Trail...but honestly I don't care about all that right now...I've got AT Fever bad!!! I'm so ready for an adventure!
Date: 2014-03-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Winnie is wearing a bright orange Appalachian Trail Conservancy Safety Hankie! It's really cool. Everything you really don't want to know about; Survival Starts With A K.I.S.S.,Hypothermia, hyperthermia, bites and stings, poisonous plants, clean living, Ground to Air Symbols, The "Umbles"..... I guess better safe than sorry!
Date: 2014-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

This is a picture of my mom, my husband, Albert, and Winnie. They're clowning around with my gear in the side yard. It was sad saying goodbye to mom last night but I'm very lucky to have her understanding, support, and enthusiasm towards my trip. Winnie is staying at The Fur Seasons tonight and tomorrow night. I explained to her that The Seasons was a resort for dogs but she wasn't buying it! Tonight we're in Forsyth, Georgia --about two hours away from Amicalola State Park and Lodge. Tomorrow night Al and I will be staying at Amicalola's Mountain View King Room, kind of a step up from our Days Inn tonight. Thank you Laurie and David for these accommodations. We'll check out the waterfall and I'll wander around the park to see if anyone else is going to start their journey on Friday. For the past six months, I tried to find someone to hike with to no avail! But I am okay with it, everyone says 'hike your own hole' so that's what I'll do! Oh boy, this should be interesting!
Date: 2014-03-28
From: springer mountain

To: hawk mountain shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: moderate rain

Made it up to springer in the fog, eerily beautiful all alone. I signed the ledger and then met 2 great guys from Miami. We enjoyed the waterfall and stopped at our shelter for the night. We had 12 sleeping there. A guy from Boston slipped off the ladder leading to the loft. The previous day his hiking partner was taken off the trail--heart attack. He was off to a rough start! Everyone has been so helpful and upbeat. So far so good!
Date: 2014-03-29
From: hawk mountain shelter

To: gooch mountain shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Up and out early, cold and rainy---no rain no Maine! Made it over Sassafras. Beautiful sights. Set up my tent, it got down to 28 degrees--cold feet. I could hear the branches creaking, thought the tent would blow off the moutain. Ice was on top of the tent in the morning.
Date: 2014-03-30
From: gooch mountain shelter

To: Lance creek
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: moderate rain

When I got up it was so cold. I was hibernating all night in my sleeping bag. I exerted getting my bag packed and sprinted up to the shelter and nearly passed out! Scary but everyone helped out and Poppy hiked with me that day . We were great for each other. We made it to Preachers rock and celebrated. Elevation was 3737. We had a great campsite and lots of laughs trying to bear bag our food!
Date: 2014-03-31
From: Lance creek

To: neel's gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had to get up and over Blood Mountain to get to Carol and Jock's house---they had pork chops ready for us! They were awesome. My mom and Carol's mom, Lois, were in nursing training together. We slept in a comfy bed, showered, did laundry---we felt human again! They were so wonderful. Blood Mountain was a challenge getting down but we did it! Pancake and bacon feast in the morning!
Date: 2014-04-01
From: neel's gap

To: whitley gap shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

As we left Mountain Crossings Outfitter (it's located right on the trail) we saw this tree. Look carefully, it's called the 'tree of sole'. Hikers throw their old shoes up into the branches. We (Coffee,retired cop, and Poppy,barrister with a fine arts degree) moved northward . We helped the family of 'ain't right' reunite and in turn they gave us lemonade and oranges! That's what it is all about---people helping people.when you get a chance go on mountain crossings website, you might see a picture of Poppy and myself.
Date: 2014-04-02
From: whitley gap shelter

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

Today is Day 6 on the trail. I'm still with Poppy and Coffee and I'm still in Georgia! I've reached the 43rd mile, I've gone over 13 mountains total. It was gorgeous out today, perfect walking weather. Tonight there must be 40 people here. We have a flowing spring and bear cables to use to hoist food high so that the bears don"t get at my snickers. There's a clean privy; you throw wood chips down the hole-- no flushing! Warfield Elementary kids, check out this picture carefully. Do you see that colorful bracelet hanging off my pack? A part of you is on this trip. Thank you for all my cards. My mother and I read every single one of them. You all wrote such nice words--thank you! You know that I love and respect all of you --even though I might still forget your names! I did my homework and really researched the AT, and that's why I'm having success. Please listen to your parents and teachers and study hard--and do your homework!I love my gear selections. I'm keeping my pack weight under 30pounds, taking care of my feet, and getting enough calories into me. Slow and steady !
Date: 2014-04-03
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mt.
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

Poppy, Coffee and I took off our packs in a shady, cool spot with logs to sit on and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. Maybe too leisurely, because injured Johnny Cash caught up to us! We listened to David Bowie and I snacked on tuna salad. We arrived at the shelter around 3:00pm, in time to listen to Corey play his guitar. Poppy and I stretched for 30 minutes as we were serenaded. I've tented every night except the first night. The shelters are good because they usually have picnic tables, fire pits, privys, bear cables and streams. Tomorrow we have to get over Rocky Mountain and Tray Mountain and a thunderstorm is predicted. Oh boy! I better rest up. This Florida girl has hand warmers on her feet right now. This is a challenge--but doable!
Date: 2014-04-04
From: Blue Mt.

To: Tray Mountain
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We met Kelly, the Naturalist, last night and she joined out little trail family today. When we got to Unicoi Gap, in Helen, Georgia, there was a family in the parking lot grilling sausages and bacon; their trunk was full of goodies for us to help ourselves. I didn't think Coffee was going to leave! We started up our second mountain and we named Kelly-Trillium-we didn't find any trillium but she identified the Spring Beauty and Blood Root flower. The blood root has 6 petals, if you break the stem and/or leaves, it bleeds red. We conquered Tray Mountain and set up our tents at the shelter. In the picture Trillium is showing where a bear sharpened his claws and we also found some bear fur. Coffee is also doing trail journals. You might want to check his out,he is more descriptive of the trail that we are treading on.
Date: 2014-04-05
From: Tray Mountain

To: Dicks creek gap
Miles today: 11.0

We woke up to freezing cold and a beautiful sunrise. On our way to the Top of Georgia Hostel, Dicks Creek Gap-Hiawassee. Georgia, we ran into two ridge runners. I had read about them and I was really excited to talk with them. The ridge runners make sure that everyone is following procedures/rules and they also look for anyone that seems to need some help. Well, the six of us were talking and I couldn't believe that I farted-loud- I was mortified. It must have been the Tang! We really laughed hard.We ended the day getting foot massages. TOp of Georgia filled individual tubs with Epsom salt and marbles. Abhh, felt great.
Date: 2014-04-06
From: Dicks creek gap

To: Plumorchard Shelter
Miles today: 4.3

We woke up and had pastries, eggs and bacon. We then resupplied at a grocery store. Albert had sent me a box of goodies so I fortunately didn't have to purchase much. We hiked into Plumorchard shelter and decided to stay in the shelter because of a serious threat of rain. It has three floors, very cool looking. That's where I met Cartwheel and Mouse and their parents. The kids were adorable. Cartwheel got her name because she can do cartwheels with her pack on. She's in second grade. Her family lives in Maine and decided to rent a car and drive to Georgia and then walk home! Her teachers let her off the hook and didn't give her any homework. I told her all about the nice Warfield kids. Her funniest memory of the trip so far was when her mom was reading to her and the air mattress popped. She trained for the trip climbing Mt. Katahdin;she loves breathing in the fog! Her mother ties her shoes because she just can't get it right! Their dog was extremely well behaved in the shelter. I shared my marshmallow peeps with them. Thank you everyone for signing my journal. I'm sorry that I don't write you each back, service is so spotty. Having an awesome time!
Date: 2014-04-07
From: Plumorchard Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow , what a day! We waited for a break in the rain and then started out around 9:30. It was cold! Freezing rain, but I had the right gear on and just kept moving! The marathon training has really helped me with pacing, knowing when to eat and hydrate and (when the conditions are rough) basically telling myself that this soon will be over! We crossed into North Carolina!!!! Can you believe it one state down and 13 to go! Trillium and I snapped a picture at the border and at the often photographed twisted tree. We made it up and over Courthouse Bald-4666 elevation . There was no room in the shelter tonight so when the rain lightened I threw my tent up . There were no bear cables so we had to bear bag ourselves--not easy in the freezing rain! Coffee was a great help with that, Tonight I ate a lot of beef jerky. I think the 'hiker hunger' is setting in . We saw a nice couple that has been in our hiker bubble heading south---we were curious why they were backtracking......the man's best friend got killed in an auto accident last night and they were getting off the trail. So sad.....I am appreciating each day.
Date: 2014-04-09
From: Carter

To: Long Branch Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: scattered clouds

It was freezing when we got up. I wasn't able to sleep all night. I tried putting a tarp over my sleeping bag and that just made things worse. But I got up at around 7:15. I'm embarrassed to say it takes us about an hour and 45 minutes to get going. Loved going up Albert Mountain ( guessing just love the name) I've heard so much about the gorgeous views from Albert's firetower and I wasn't disappointed. When i climbed down the fire tower, i celebrated that I hit the 100th mile! I was the first person to the shelter and had the whole place to myself . The shelter was built last year so it still has that fresh cedar smell. Next to show up was Navy Bean--funny girl that I met second day. Great people here tonight. Little Sam(aka Yosemite- we helped him find a trail name) was here--he's thru-hiking with his Dad. He's from Virginia and in the second grade . Lots of laughs as we ate around the picnic table. My polenta was a semi-success .
Date: 2014-04-10
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Franklin, NC. US 64
Miles today: 7.3

We all slept in the shelter last night so we were up and out. The sun came out, perfect hiking conditions, in the 60°s (hey Mike I figured out how to make the ° symbol!) We got into Franklin and John Kutzuba (neighbor from Stuart, FL) picked the four of us up. He smelled so good, so you know we smelled so bad! His wife, Pat, had chicken soup ready for us, it was packed with vegetables. We took showers, did laundry, went shopping, charged electronics......had spaghetti with meat sauce with a gorgeous salad and a huge breakfast. She served us everything we had been craving for. We were pampered for 24 hours. Thanks Pat and John, our trail angels!