morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Standing Bear Farm- Davenport Gap

To: Hike Inn - Fontana Dam
Miles today: 74.4
Weather: overcast clouds

YAY! Finished the Smokies! I am so glad that I waited until spring. There were flowers and trees with leaves and WATER. It rained a bit the first day. After that - the sun shone all around. I even got a sunburn.Lisa met me at Mollies Ridge last night. She hiked all the way up by herself - first time with a backpack. However, she popped something in her knee. Then, today, we really went slowly back down. She favored the other leg and now both are in bad shape. She's headed home for a few days and hopefully will rejoin me later next week before trail days.Well, off to Hotsprings tomorrow.
Date: 2008-05-09
From: Hike Inn, Fontana

To: Holiday Inn Express - Erwin
Miles today: 14.0

Last night was fun- Tom, a section hiker took me, Lisa and Bear out for a fabulous dinner at the Fontana Resort. Thanks, Tom! Then, farkel and wine till the wee hours.So, I was a little foggy this morning. Lisa took me to Standing Bear to fetch my car. Then she followed me to Hotsprings, and shuttled me up to Allen Gap.This was a stretch that I missed because I got caught up with trail magic at Allen Gap and needed to get to Hotspings for my Smokies permit beofre the Ranger station closed (the Wednesday before Tday) - at least I thought that's what I had to do. So, I got a ride to town. I would have had to blue blaze the section just below lover's leap rock anyway since it was iced over.So, that's done. Another beatiful day. Had burger and beer in Hotsprings before driving to Erwin.I had made a reservation to stay at Uncle Johnny's - and confirmed it since I knew I'd be comming in late. Somehow though - it got messed up - and I was offered the bunkhouse. Seems like some serious management (or lack of) issues going on. Well, Holiday Inn Express was a much better option.We'll have to see if they can manage the shuttle I arranged in the morning.
Date: 2008-05-10
From: Holiday Inn Express - Erwin

To: Kinkora
Miles today: 14.0

Uncle Johnny's did get the shuttle off this morning - though it seems that nothing was actually planned until I arrived. So, I had to wait around while arrangements were made. I dropped my car and Iron Mountain Gap and was shuttled up to Carver's Gap.I missed this section last fall because there was a big snow storm the day I was to get dropped off at Carver's by the owner of Mountain Harbor B and B. He didn't want to drive up there and frankly, I didn't want to hike in that since my knees were killing me and my water filter was busted. So, we went on around to Erwin. The slack from Erwin to Carvers with a pick up at Iron Mountain would have been prohibitively expensive at the time. The hike started out windy and rainy on top of Roan. Great for hiking. Then the sun came out and dried things up a bit. Drove to Kinkora - Bob Peoples' place. I got the next to last bunk. hung out for a while with the 08 Nobos. I miss the 07 Sobos. It's just not the same.Hong Kong Fooey was there- a peep from Tom Lavarti's. Good to see him again - all decked out in his salvation army finery.
Date: 2008-05-11
From: Kinkora

To: HoJos - Salem
Miles today: 0.0

I deserved a zero today - though unplanned. My ankles can sure stand a rest.I got very little sllep last night - folks were up talking and playing till 11 p.m. and then the raging snoring began about 2 a.m. I finally packed up at 4 and took off in the dark.I was ready to hike around Catawba today - mostly because I thought Lisa would like this area - McAffee and Dragon's Tooth. She's not here though - so, I opted for a motel room. Had a morning nap and then headed to the Homeplace for lunch - wow - even busier than the first time I visited. It was Mother's day - great timing huh. But, oh so worth the wait.Just catching up on communications today and prepping for the coming week. Lisa, her husband and his brother are supposed to be joining me for the Mt. Roger's bit right before Damascus. But, there no confirmation on that and I'm headed back to the woods. So, for my purposes, I'm on my own till the weekend. Sorry guys - you're on your own.
Date: 2008-05-12
From: HoJos - Salem

To: Huffman House
Miles today: 0.0

Yes, it's true. Two zeros in a row. Why backpack in bad weather when you don't have to? I spent the day in Blacksburg, lovely little town. I purchased a pair of Chaco trail runners after several hours of deliberation at the outfitter. Then, I refueled at Gilley's, a fabulous vegetarian spot downtown.The weather is supposed to clear tomorrow and I will test out my new shoes on a pretty challenging twenty.
Date: 2008-05-13
From: Huffman House

To: Baptist Church Yard
Miles today: 20.0

Excellent hike today - I got an early start and managed to finish up around 4:30. I had a couple of steep ups and downs, but the views were worth it. Be sure to check out Wind Rock some day.So, I started driving, thinking I would hike in somewhere and camp near Mt Rogers. But, I ended up staying in Damascus as I was spretty exhausted at 7 p.m. when I arrived. The Baptist Church was gearing up for Trail Days. I'd guess there were aout 50 tents set up - lots of folks in town early.I ran into Hong Kong Fooey - again since I saw him at Kinkora. He will be doing my shuttle service in the AM. Found Worldwide - 07 Nobo at Dot's and chatte the night away - thanks for seeing me back to the Church!I've decided to go ahead a hike the entire last stretch tomorrow instead of over two days. I don't know what Lisa and her gang is up to exactly, but they are supposed to meet me at Lost Mountain Shelter tomorrow night. I don't want to take the chance on not finishing for some reason after I meet them.
Date: 2008-05-14
From: Baptist Church Yard

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow - what a fabulous day - I finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I left my car at Bear Tree Gap and shuttled up to Elk Garden and hiked back - beautiful, especially along the Creeper trail. Then, I drove back up to Elk Garden, parked the car and hiked North for 4.2 to the shelter. Lisa, Bill and Paul were already there. We celebrated with a little whiskey.The shelter was extremely full. I could tell that they were uncomfortable with the situation. It was raining though and so we decided not to pitch tents.Lisa was expecting a "snorkestra", but fortunately, all was quiet through the night.
Date: 2008-05-15
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Econolodge - Marion
Miles today: 4.3

Had to come out closer to the highway for a night. Classes started this week and I needed reliable internet access for our first meeting tonight. Then, I also needed phone service for an interview in the morning. I don't know where the others ended up - camping somewhere. We are meeting in Damascus tomorrow.I'm eating too much thin crust pizza hut!!
Date: 2008-05-18
From: Econolodge - Marion

To: Carty Place - Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Trail Days was worth the while this year. It was almost as if there were two separate festivals - one slightly out of town in the hiker campground, and the other with the locals and daytrippers in town. The only time they all got together was the talent show and the parade.We stayed in a beautiful house right in town. Friday night, Promethius was kind enought to walk me back from the campground to the house, and we picked up a doggie along the way. It was pretty sick and decided to stay at my place. Promethius lost a bet on its gender and was supposed to take it back with him, but apparently, it wouldn't go.So, "Wilson" is now a member of the Lisa and Bill's household. Their first dog. Good luck guys.I am disappointed to say that I did not see one SOBO from last year - at least that I recognized. Trail days was fun, but without that dimension of reunion with one's class, not really worth the future travel expense for me.All the best to hikers everywhere.This completes my AT journal.
Date: 2007-03-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Getting Ready to GoMood: a-okNow Playing: Hello, Hello - Sophie Ellis-BextorIt's getting close!I got a lot done in the way of preparation this weekend. I finished laying out my tentative itinerary, deciding where I will pick up mail drops and/or stay in town. Now I have a fairly good idea of where I will be when, which I needed to hook up with people. Dawn will be meeting me in North Carolina, to hike and/or take me back to her house for a shower, dinner and a movie. Laurie is trying to arrange a week-long hike with me in southern Virginia. Penny and/or Lou are going to take me off the trail somewhere in Virginia for a pit stop at their house. They are also my emergency backup. Thanks to everyone in advance for letting my stinky self into your cars.Saturday I went food shopping. Then I put together bags of dried fruit and nuts and got together the food that will go in my backpack for the first four days. I still have to get my first two maildrops together, as they will need to be mailed before Steve gets home from Georgia. Naomi and Bryan came by for a visit and went out to dinner with Steve, Rowan and I.Yesterday, Steve and I got together the rest of the gear, figuring out what we already had and what we needed to get. We made an extremely efficient shopping trip and got everything that was left on the list, except a cooking pot, which he ordered for me online. We tested my new alcohol-burning stove - it worked like a charm. Steve made me a little asbestos pad to put under it. Then I spent some time gathering smaller items together and weighing them. My goal is to have the pack weigh a maximum of 25 pounds loaded with 5 days of food and including water. I should know where I'm at with that later today.One thing that will be different with me compared to most other backpackers is that I am on a low-carb diet (Paleolithic type of diet). I intend to stay on it during the hike. Right now my maximum carb intake is about 130 grams a day. I will experiment with going up to 200 max. I'll let my body tell me what it wants. Right now I am having Steve send me approximately 4000 calories of food per day, with one extra day's worth in every box. If that's not quite enough I can supplement it in towns along the way. I'll publish the macronutrient ratios later if it turns out that they work for me. (For those of you who don't know me, I am a 51 year-old female, five feet, 2 inches tall, weight 133 pounds.)
Date: 2007-03-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Going, going......Mood: luckyNow Playing: Rocket Man ( Vibelicious Mix) - Daphne Rubin-VegaThe last three days have been hectic. I did more running around than getting ready. On Monday I went skiing. It will be my last time for the season. Last week it was spring skiing, but it was back to winter again up on the mountain - a foot of new snow and about 20 degrees. Perfect! And speaking of perfect, my skiing is so much better after working on my posture with exercises, Rolfing and dancing. I think I am a pretty hot ticket out there (which is usually what I am thinking right before I end up sitting in the snow).Tuesday I went to Boxboro to talk to my friend Cynthia about possibly starting to work in her acupuncture practice in the fall. We had a great time, as usual, and she is going to meet me in New Hampshire to hike for a day and take me off the trail to a B & B or something. Yay!Later on Tuesday I gathered more gear together, including clothes and made a pretty accurate estimate of what my pack will weigh. Its going to come in at about 30 pounds, with water, 4 days worth of food, and assuming I will be wearing the minimum amount of clothing. Maximum amount of clothing worn at one time will be another 2 pounds, which means I still will be carrying it, just not in the pack.Tuesday night Steve helped me set up the tent in the sunroom, but we were both too tired to seal the seams, so I did it yesterday morning. Then I had an appointment in Northampton, thank God, because the house is completely toxic from the fumes. I also went to WEBS and bought the yarn to knit an afghan on the trip. Its done in rectangles, one per 50g ball of yarn, so it will be very light to carry - much lighter than a book. And I have my handy dandy plastic modular knitting needles with the interchangeable tips that are also very light.Laurie called last night and we set a date for her to meet me on the trail. May 1st, probably in Damascus, VA. Exciting stuff! Today I am going to pack and clean up around here. My stuff has exploded all over the downstairs of the house. I still have to put together a couple of mail drops and I want to go over and see Ralph and Barbara before I go. I looked at my list and realized there are a couple of things I can wait and do in the car on the way down to Georgia, and a couple of things I can bail out on (like doing my taxes, we'll file an extension). I didn't want to do them anyway.I'm not stressing about it. I'll leave when I leave. This is fun. I'm big on fun.
Date: 2007-03-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Going, going......Mood: luckyNow Playing: Rocket Man ( Vibelicious Mix) - Daphne Rubin-VegaToday I am going to pack and clean up around here. My stuff has exploded all over the downstairs of the house. I still have to put together a couple of mail drops and I want to go over and see Ralph and Barbara before I go. I looked at my list and realized there are a couple of things I can wait and do in the car on the way down to Georgia, and a couple of things I can bail out on (like doing my taxes, we'll file an extension). I didn't want to do them anyway.I'm not stressing about it. I'll leave when I leave. This is fun. I'm big on fun.
Date: 2007-03-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I almost forgotMood: happyNow Playing: Toxic - Britney Spears (B in the Mix version)It still stinks in here, but Steve put an exhaust fan in the window so its not as bad.I almost forgot - Steve came home with a great present for me yesterday. Even with all the amazing gear he has bought for me, this was the best.A few years ago our credit union was giving away mugs. They had the credit union logo on one side and on the other they said, in great big letters, "I come first." Steve saw one, asked what he had to do to get one, the teller gave it to him and he gave it to me. For obvious reasons it was my favorite mug. We washed it in the dishwasher and the writing came off. A couple of years later we saw one at a garage sale and bought it. I very carefully did not let it go through the dishwasher, but that one got broken when Tyler dropped it on the garage floor. Yesterday Steve came home with yet another one! It was sitting on the counter at the credit union with pencils in it. Steve told the teller the story and said he really wanted that mug. She went to look for another one and when she couldn't find one, she took the pencils out, put them in another mug and gave the "I come first" mug to Steve. Later he told me it was the second time he had tried for it. The first time he tried a different teller wouldn't give it to him.We are both looking forward to having lots of fun on the drive down to Georgia. I'd better get busy.
Date: 2007-03-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

On the RoadMood: lazyNow Playing: Extraordinary Machine - Fiona AppleWow! It was busy getting ready to go.On Thursday I finished getting my mail drops together, moved all the gear to the dining room, gathered up the last few items, organized the supplies and food that Steve will be sending me, trimmed down my trail guide, etc, etc, - all the last minute details.On Friday morning I went over my list one last time to make sure I have everything. Steve took down the tent. Then he rolled the sleeping bag and tried to put it in the pack. Uh oh, gear malfunction. The stuff sack is so large that the sleeping bag expands inside it and won't fit in the pack. So we decided to get a smaller stuff sack on the road (which we did yesterday - problem solved) and we decided to just bring all the stuff and put it in the pack on the road. That will be happening as soon as I am done here.So we have been driving for the last two days. We watched it turn to spring as we drove down. It's like the season change on fast-forward. We are outside of Knoxville and the forsythias are blooming.Three days for the drive was very reasonable. Unfortunately, when we wanted to stop last night at around 7 pm, we had gotten into Nascar country. All the motels were full or very expensive. So we drove another 3 hours. It was a stretch, but today will be very easy because of it.I love to plan for traveling, but I also love the things that happen that are impossible to plan. Yesterday it was getting off the road for lunch and finding a Japanese restaurant with great sushi. Having the leftovers to eat sure made that last 3 hours easier.
Date: 2007-03-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Gear ListMood: caffeinatedNow Playing: Goodby Stranger - SupertrampI'm putting the gear list in a separate post, so that those who aren't interested can skip it.I'm putting in weights, but I never got a chance to go back and weigh some things in a more organized fashion. I started weighing things as I gathered them up, so the groupings don't necessarily make sense. Notes: I'm not sure exactly what my backpack weighs. I don't have an accurate way to find out. We also stripped it down a little (took off extraneous straps and bars).The tent and sleeping bag weights are what the manufacturer says. The tent weighs more after sealing the seams.The weight listed for clothes assumes I am wearing the least amount possible (1 pound 8 ounces). At times I could be wearing up to 2 pounds more. Two pounds is also the amount of winter clothing that I will send home as soon as possible.Backpack 5 lbsSleeping bag 4 pounds, 3 ozTent 3 pounds, 1 ozClothes 3 lbsStove with 8 ounces of fuel (alcohol) 13 ozTitanium pot, .9 litres, 4 ozWater filter 13 ozFour days of food 8lbs, 6 ozCompass, thermometer, knife, disposable camera, flashlight, whistle, trowel, moleskin foam, spoon, matches, disposable lighter 11 ozChapstick, tweezers, insect repellant, neosporin, comb, bandaids, moleskin, acu needles, 4 x 4's, nonlatex tape 7 oztoothbrush, tooth powder, floss, tampax, bulb syringe, toilet paper, olive oil, talc, RAM, soap, sewing needles (2), safety pins, spare knife, camp towel, misc first aid supplies 22.5 oztrail guide (trimmed, binding removed), paper, pencil 6 ozknitting 2.5 ozrope 2 ozcamp sandals 1 ozmisc hats, gloves and socks 9 ozgarbage bags (2), extra ziplock bags 2 ozcredit cards, phone card, drivers license .5 ozextra stuff sack 5 ozI think that's it. I'll be able to have the pack weighed and get an official total weight at the terminus.
Date: 2007-03-25
From: USFS Road 42

To: Springer Mountain, Southern Terminus
Miles today: 0.9
Weather: clear sky

Steve and I slack packed up Springer Mountain so I would not have to backtrack in the morning. When Steve bought coffee at a gas station on the way up the next morning ($1.05 for two cups!) he struck up a conversation with the clerk. When she found out that he was not hiking along with me she replied, "At least one of you has some sense."
Date: 2007-03-27
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Sassafras Mountain
Miles today: 3.4

I woke up with my neck in spasm and with one of those ridiculously awful headaches I get. That, combined with my left knee not wanting to go downhill caused me to stop and camp at about 3.5 miles. but it was great - I stopped near the top of sassafrass mountain which was a much nicer place to camp than down below. My tent was dry in the morning - such an exciting event when you are out here thinking about where you will get the next supply of water and where you will sleep.
Date: 2007-03-28
From: Sassafras Mountain

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: broken clouds

I got out early today and did almost 10 miles into woody gap where there was a shuttle to a hostel. There was only a double pull out couch left, so I said I would sleep with Mark. Only 3 days out and I am already sleeping with a man I barely know! I sure didn't want to walk any farther.Today was a great day. Gorgeous surroundings and lots of gradual terrain. There was a lot of ridge walking. One section reminded me of the Uga Ravine on the right. I sure didn't want to tip over - it was a long, steep way down.Everything is feeling pretty good. Tired, but good. My quads haven't gotten sore to the point that I can't sit down or squat. My arms, it turns out are in great shape from the skiing. I am getting a lot of milage out of them, especially on the uphills.We'll see how I am tomorrow after today's miles.
Date: 2007-03-29
From: Hiker Hostel, Suches, GA

To: Hiker Hostel, Suches, GA
Miles today: 0.0

the seduction of the carbsMood: a-okNow Playing: Takin' It easyI headed out this a.m. at about 9. Went about 40 minutes when my guts started complaining. I tried to deal with it for about an hour and then made the difficult decision to backtrack to the hostel for a day of rest and some real food (including carrots and apples, some of which I will carry instead of water tomorrow).while I was waiting along the side of the ridge a hawk flew by me about a hundred feet away and just about at my eye level. He circled a couple of times and took off.I've had a good day at the hostel. Paul, an older, experienced hiker went through a first time hiker's pack with him in my room (bunks for 4). Jay was big into electronics and backups (3 flashlights). His pack weighs about the same as mine because his tent, bag and backpack are lighter. I thought about buying a lighter pack along the way, but mine is working really well, so for now I will try to shave a little more weight. I am going to ship back the water filter and go with aqua mira water treatment drops and filtering sludge through a bandana. Paul said he gets water intelligently (from springs, and fast-moving streams uphill from human activity) and only treats 25% of his water on the AT. He said giardia is not really a problem except in New england south of vermont. I learned a lot from him.This is the Hilton of hostels. a very nice place with super-nice people. great service - I highly reccommend. Here is their website: http://www.hikerhostel.com/Jamie made me a Cafe Americano this afternoon. Is this backpacking? As to the title: 16 oz of o.j. this morning tasted soooo gooood! But I felt my blood sugar shoot up. Its like a drug.