morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-08
From: Stealth camp south of Cloudland Road

To: Stealth camp south of The Lookout
Miles today: 13.0

Day 33, August 8th. Stealth camp south of Cloudland Rd to stealth camp south of The Lookout. 13 miles.Choo-choo and woodys guide to gaining weight on the trail in 5 easy steps:1. Eat normal hiker food until lunch2. For lunch have a pint of ice cream3. Wash that down with half of a full size blueberry and peach pie4. Purchase a pack of frozen sausages to cook over a campfire for dinner later that evening5. Limit your mileage to an easy 13Vermont is awesome. Love this state. We slept in before spentding a beautiful day in beautiful weather hiking beautiful trail. We took a long lunch break at On The Edge Farm, a little farm store where we ate pints of ice cream, a whole pie, got Vermont maple sausages for dinner, and they were nice enough to refill our water bottles. My plan to put some fat on Woody is going well!In the afternoon we called it quits early since woodys shin was still hurting. After a campfire with delicious sausages on a stick we were in bed by 7, ready for an easy 12 miles tomorrow into the town of killington for the night.If this is what lazy hiking feels like I'm all about this lifestyle. I'll never do more than 15 miles again! No aches, pains, soreness, tired, anything. I do feel bad for all the nobo hikers leaving this pleasant trail for the tough whites and mahoosics. They're not going to be happy campers.While it was dry all day despite a chance of thundershowers its looking like they're finally going to roll in tonight. Hopefully they pass us but a cold wind has picked up. I just hopped out and readjusted my hang so the ridgeline of my nest is just inches below the ridgeline of my fly. Now it will take some really sideways rain to soak me through. Only problem is my hammock is now high enough off the ground that I need to do a high-jump style flop to get in. Either that or build a small mound of sticks and foliage. Or rig up a swing with my bear bag rope. Or use my trekking poles to vault in.
Date: 2013-08-09
From: Stealth camp south of The Lookout

To: Motel in Killington, Vermont
Miles today: 12.5

Day 34, August 9th. Stealth camp south of The Lookout to Motel in Killington, Vt. 12.5 miles.After what turned out to be a warm night we slept in a bit to beat the drizzle. When it petered out we packed up camp and started hiking, though Woody got himself a five minute head start. He said he would hike slow so I could catch up. Liar.5 hours of hiking later I finally caught up to him once we made it to killington. Every nobo hiker I passed said he was just 5 minutes ahead of me. It was like chasing a ghost. To compound the problem of the vanishing Woody (heh) it started raining. And not just a little drizzle, Vermont decided to make up for the past few days of good weather by simply pouring rain for the rest of the day.Luckily vermonts famously muddy trails never appeared and it was a warm pleasant rain. Even the downpours in Vermont are nicer! The hike into town was pleasant, and once we got there we ate a big lunch at the general store/deli and found a decently priced hotel room. After that our day got really lazy as we kicked our feet up and watched TV for the next few hours. I figure we earned some laziness.Tomorrow will be goodbye day as Woody keeps hiking south and I have to find my way to Rutland to train to NYC to bus home. Shouldn't be too hard, and the train doesn't leave until 5pm so there's plenty of wiggle room.
Date: 2013-08-10
From: Motel in Killington, Vermont

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

Day 35ish, August 10thish. Motel in Killington, Vt to Home.This day was actually 2 days long since my travels home blurred together.The morning was leisurely as we moseyed around before getting lunch at the general store next door. As that was wrapping up a guy who had thru hiked years ago offered me a ride to Rutland where my train would be departing from. Sweet!After killing a few hours in Rutland, checking out the Walmart and the local farmers market it came time to board the Amtrak train down to NYC. An uneventful 5 hour ride brought me in to Penn Station at 11pm, and then it was a matter of wasting more time until my bus left at 6am. I walked up to Times Square because it was somewhere familiar from previous NYC trips and spent some time people watching (and being watched, I didnt exactly blend in..). After a while I caught the subway and met up with some friends and we hung out for the night.Saying goodbye to the pleasant company I took another subway ride back down to Penn Station and made my way over to the Megabus stop. After boarding I finally caught some sleep for the first time in 36 hours and slept most of the way home to Pittsburgh.Getting off the bus in Pittsburgh was surreal. Like saying goodbye to a great summer but hello to a long-lost friend. The hike is over for now, but there is plenty of time during this next year to do some fall, winter, and spring hiking to finish off the bits I've missed.
Date: 2013-01-29
To: Gear
Miles today: 0.0

Here is a list of all of the gear that I will be bringing on the trail, and the weight of most of them:Pack:-ULA Circuit, 40 oz.-Z Packs cuben fiber pack liner, 1.8 oz.-Z Packs cuben fiber pack cover, 1.2 oz.Shelter:-Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo tent (stakes included in weight), 25.8 oz.Sleeping:-Sea to Summit 32 degree bag, 29 oz.-Sea to Summit thermolite liner, 8.1 oz.-Thermarest Z Lite sleeping pad (small), 10 oz.Food-Primus Express stove, 3 oz.-GSI soloist cookset, 9.9 oz.-Titanium bowl, 1.6 oz.-Platypus 2 liter bladder with hose, 5.5 oz.-Aquamira water treatment, 4 oz.-Z Packs blast cuben fiber food bag, 1.4 oz.-Bic Lighter, 0.6 oz.-Gatorade bottle, 1.8 oz.-Titanium spork, 0.6 oz.-Sea to summit stuff sack, 0.5 oz.-50 ft. paracord, 2.5 oz.Clothing-Marmot Super Mica rain jacket, 8.7 oz.-Marmot Precip rain pants, 12 oz.-REI Revelcloud insulated jacket, 12.5 oz.-Smartwool socks 1.6 oz.-Ex Officio briefs, 3 oz.-Smartwool long sleeve crew, 6.3 oz.-Smartwool long underwear, 8.1 oz.-Patagonia R2 fleece jacket, 12.5 oz.-Smartwool beanie, 1.0 oz.-Smartwool liner gloves, 1.6 oz.-Mountain Laurel Designs eVent mitten shells, 1.3 oz.-Bandana, 1 oz.-Adidas sandals, 4 oz.First Aid/Hygiene, 25 oz.Misc.-Leki trekking poles-iPhone with charger, 6 oz.-Canon S100 Powershot, 7 oz.-Headlamp, 4 oz.Total weight: About 16 lbs. base weight!This should be everything, but if anything changes I will come in and edit this entry. Blood Orange
Date: 2013-01-30
To: Picture test!
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I am planning another hike at Clear Creek Metro Park this Sunday, and I am looking forward to it. I am also pleased that the weather forecast is saying that the weekend of 2/8 will have temperatures in the 50's. That means I can finally take this gear out on a weekend trip and actually do some camping with my hiking. I am planning on going down to Zaleski again for this trip. What a great birthday present that will be.I also attached a picture that I took at Clear Creek a few weeks ago to make sure I know how to use the photo upload feature on this site. I think I got it figured out, although I can't see how to caption it. That's all for now!Blood Orange
Date: 2013-02-11
To: Don't zone out while night hiking
Miles today: 0.0

This past weekend I went down to the Zaleski State Forest backpacking trail and did a two-night backpacking trip. It was a great chance to test out all the gear I'll be bringing on the AT and to get the feel of being alone in the woods. I had a lot of fun, despite being cold. The picture I attached to this entry is of my tent all set up on Sunday morning.I got to the trailhead around 6 on Friday evening. It was about a 2 mile hike in to where my first campsite was. It turned out to be about a 2.5 mile hike after losing the trail. At one point after zoning out, I accidentally started following an old route of the trail for about a quarter mile. After a bit, I realized I hadn't seen an any orange markings on any trees lately (that is how the Zaleski trail is marked). I then looked carefully and saw the remnants of an old marking covered by some tree-colored paint. So I backtracked and joined back up with the current trail. After that brief detour, I arrived at my first campsite and made camp, ate dinner, and then went to sleep. I was the only one at the campsite, and it was a neat feeling. I heard a bunch of coyotes howling for about 10 minutes while falling asleep, which was very cool.On Saturday, I hiked about 11 miles to my second campsite. I didn't start hiking until about 10 AM, and arrived at the second campsite at 4:30. It was somewhat tough hiking, but not too bad considering how beautiful a day it was. The sun was out all day, and it got up to 34 degrees which was plenty warm enough for me to be in shorts. I got a chance to try out my new flexible tripod for my camera, allowing me to take the new "about" picture for this journal. After arriving at camp, which I again had to myself, I pitched my tent and ate dinner. I was glad I was alone so that I didn't have to be embarrassed about hanging my food in a bear bag while camping in Ohio. I knew it wasn't necessary, but I wanted to practice doing it at least once before I had to perform in front of a crowd on the AT. I slept decently well Saturday night, despite the temps getting down to about 20 degrees. To give you an example of what trail meals will look like, on Saturday I had oatmeal with raisons and some Starbucks instant coffee for breakfast, a peanut butter-salami-cheddar cheese tortilla wrap for lunch, and a Knorr alfredo pasta side with foil-pouch chicken breast for dinner, with a Cliff bar for dessert.Sunday morning I packed up camp, had a quick breakfast and hiked about 5 miles back to the trailhead. I saw quite a few day hikers out, and one family that looked like they had possibly spent the night at a different site on Saturday. It was a great trip, despite being cold, and has gotten me very excited to get underway on the AT. Today begins my one month countdown! -Blood Orange
Date: 2013-03-04
To: One Week!
Miles today: 0.0

Today begins my one week countdown to hitting the AT approach trail in Georgia. I cannot believe I am this close! I am beginning to feel very antsy, although I have enjoyed seeing so many family and friends this past week and I am looking forward to seeing many of them this week too. Friday, March 1 was my last day at work with my preschool class, and it was very sad to leave my kids. My wonderful coworker Rachel put together a survival guide written by all of the little kids. It was a very thoughtful gift and a very entertaining read. The term luxury item is thrown around a lot on the trail and refers to items that are ultimately "dead weight", as you could certainly survive without them. Some examples would be a camp chair, a pillow, a Kindle, or a frying pan. Many hikers, including myself work hard to cut down on these items, and I really have done a good job making sure I don't have (m)any of these. The only item I have packed so far that I might consider a luxury item are a pair of lightweight knock-off Crocs from Wal-Mart to wear in camp in order to get out of my boots. The point of this spiel is that I decided that this book will easily be worth it's weight as a luxury item. There are many blank pages at the end as well, so I will be able to use it as my personal journal, which I was planning on bringing anyways. I will miss my kids but I am glad I will have these pictures and anecdotes to remind me of them while I am gone. Here are some examples of their comments and advice:- "Get some meat from deers and stuff and walk a lot!"- "Maybe he will eat watermelon, and eat jellybeans for his treat when he goes potty in the woods."- "He should bring a car, so he can drive and not walk."- "He should not eat a tree, he should drink a Pediasure."- "Him should wear pink clothes. Him jammies because it will be night."- In case I see a bear: "Say 'Ahhhh!' But if him see a bunny rabbit, say 'Hi bunny rabbit!'"- And my favorite, to avoid feeling lonely, "Him should take me with him!"The only stuff I really have to worry about doing this week will be getting everything packed and making sure I don't forget anything. I will probably hike once or twice this week somewhere in the area, as well. If you are in the Columbus area, I will be heading to Harrison's on Third this Friday night (March 8) as a last hurrah, and I'd love for you to stop by. I think I'll get there around 8 o'clock. I may squeeze one more preparation entry on here before I start, but if not, I will next update from the trail. I will end with a quote I recently read in a book called "AWOL on the Appalachian Trail", which is a book written by the same author of my guidebook about his 2003 thru-hike:"We spend an inordinate amount of time indoors, and the physical confinement limits the metaphorical bubble of our aspirations. Large rooms, like the vaulted interior of a church, are uplifting. Outdoors, we are free to reach for the sky."Blood Orange
Date: 2013-03-10
To: AT Eve
Miles today: 0.0

It feels surreal to be here in Georgia and to be getting ready to head out tomorrow. I am thrilled and excited to be here and to have this opportunity! I had a great drive down and evening with my Mom and her husband. Many thanks to them for taking the time to bring me here.Tomorrow I will only hike about 7 miles, and I actually won't be on the AT until Tuesday. I am walking the approach trail that goes from Amicalola Falls to the trailhead at Springer Mountain, which isn't officially a part of the AT. This evening I did the first mile of the approach trail which goes straight up the Amicalola Falls via 604 steps. Tomorrow I will pick up where I left off and walk until I am about a mile away from Springer and camp on the approach trail. I likely won't be updating this journal until I'm in a town, so if you don't hear from me for a weeks time or so, do not fret. I remembered a great quote from Winnie-the-Pooh that I will use as my signature on these entries, as it sums up this hike and the strategy I will use to complete it beautifully. Blood Orange
Date: 2013-03-11
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Black Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was my first day on the big hike! It was a nice hike, and very foggy. The woods looked awesome with the fog. I reached Black Gap Shelter around 2:00 and was settled in my tent by 2:30. This was very lucky, as it started raining soon after I was in my tent. I've been in here since then and it hasn't stopped raining. The shelter had a cool pulley/cable rig to hang your food, so luckily I didn't have to look for a good bear bag tree in the rain. I have met a couple people so far and they have mainly been section hikers. I'd like to go up to the shelter to talk to the folks staying there, but the rain is not allowing that.I'm looking forward to summiting Springer tomorrow and actually walking on the Appalachian Trail.Blood Orange
Date: 2013-03-12
From: Black Gap Shelter

To: Hickory Flats Cemetary
Miles today: 6.2

This morning was cold! When I fell asleep it was still raining, and when I woke up everything was frozen - including the raindrops to the top of my tent. Someone said it got down to 22 degrees. Everything stayed dry though. I didn't start hiking until 10:45 because I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag. I summited Springer soon after and got a picture. It was cool to see my first white blaze and start the real AT. I had lunch at Stover Creek Shelter and then hiked to the cemetery. It's a very neat, very old cemetery. One of the gravestones had the same birthday as me.... creepy. A couple guys named Max and Bo-rown showed up soon after me and were cool. We had a bonfire and passed around the little bit of Laphroaig that I brought. Hope no ghosts bother me tonight, I'm tired.
Date: 2013-03-13
From: Hickory Flats Cemetary

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

This morning I got up, had breakfast, broke camp, and was on the trail around 10. I had an almost ten mile day planned. In this area there is an army ranger base, and they use the area to train. There were very loud and low flying choppers last night and all day today. I saw two rangers on the trail with assault rifles and they told me that the area was about to get "real kinetic", and encouraged me to move along. I wanted to stay and watch but I got the idea that that was not an option.I somehow missed a stream that was the last water for six miles and soon after climbed Sassafras Mountain which was a tough climb. Luckily there was a giant water tank in the gap after Sassafras that the army leaves for hikers. A welcome surprise to be sure. I stopped at Gooch Mountain Shelter, and found one of the last tenting spots. There was a campfire and I got to hear some stories from past and repeating thru-hikers who were there. Somebody said it is supposed to get cold tonight.Blood Orange
Date: 2013-03-14
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Lance Creek Gap
Miles today: 8.5

Wow! 18 degrees last night! I went to bed warm and woke up freezing. I woke up at 7:30 and got on the trail at 8:45 after two honey buns and a Starbucks instant.I have really been enjoying drinking stream and spring water. It is so cool and refreshing, and is a new experience for me. I hiked 5 miles to Woody Gap and hitchhiked for the first time ever. I went in to Suches, GA and bought three cans of Coke and two Snickers. They were sublime. I packed one can in for dinner tonight. I got rides from two nice old local guys. I am camping tonight with a girl named Peyton and a guy named Paranoid. Paranoid has thru-hiked the PCT and CDT. He is going for his triple crown. It's only supposed to get down to 35 degrees tonight, which will feel great after last night.
Date: 2013-03-15
From: Lance Creek Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 7.4

Getting out of the sleeping bag was easier this morning, but still cold. Today Blood Orange conquered Blood Mountain. Apparently an old Indian battle took place here and the ground flowed red with blood, hence the name. For some reason I was thinking that the Blood Mountain Shelter, where I was planning to do lunch, was at the base of the mountain and had water. After a tough climb, I reached the top of the mountain and found the shelter, but no water. Instead of having lunch here like I planned, I just hiked the last two miles into Neel's Gap, getting water on the way down. It was a hard, steep descent. I now believe all those who have said they would rather climb than go downhill. I was reminded today of how small this world is. At the top of Blood Mountain, I met a Kim Rask, who grew up in Upper Arlington and graduated a year after my mom. Amazing. Today was a gorgeous, warm day. Unfortunately, my boots have been giving me blister problems and pain, so I picked up a pair of lightweight trail runners and sent my boots home. Hopefully this will help.I am staying at Neel's Gap hostel tonight, which is full. I did laundry and had a shower, both of which felt great to do. A local church group came by and grilled burgers and hot dogs, along with baked beans, salad, chips, and desserts. It was an amazing trail magic dinner. I got to call home, which was nice. I should be in town in four or five days, so look for more updates then. Thanks for all of the great guest book posts - they are keeping me motivated!
Date: 2013-03-16
From: Neel's Gap

To: Whitley Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: few clouds

Sleeping on a soft mattress last night was a wonderful treat. I got a great night's sleep despite a few snorers in the hostel bunk room. Pirate is the manager of the hostel, and he made us coffee this morning.The store opened at 8:30 and I got a chance to resupply my food for the next few days. I got a picture at the spot where the AT passes under the building. This is the only place on the whole AT where the trail passes through a building. I got on the trail at about 9:30. There were some awesome views today at the top of a couple climbs. On the way down Cowrock Mountain there were a few day hikers handing out fresh, crisp apples. It was a delicious pick-me-up. They said they were out encouraging hikers because they knew that this was a point where hikers lost heart and dropped out. They asked me for my name and said they would be praying for me tonight. It was a very kind and thoughtful gesture. Speaking of that, they say that up to 20% of thru-hikers drop out by Neel's Gap, so I am happy to be moving on with a hopeful and still-happy outlook. It is the first big mental checkpoint.Tonight is the first night I am actually sleeping in a shelter. I am staying at Whitley Gap Shelter despite the fact that it is 1.2 miles off trail. Some local section hikers told me it is a nice shelter and often pretty private, as not many hikers are willing to make the trek to stay here. It certainly is a nice shelter, however when I showed up there was a whole Boy Scout troop camping here. Not so private. It actually worked out great and I am fine with the result, as I have a group of Boy Scouts to keep a fire going for me all evening, and I have enjoyed talking to the dads that are with them. They are all tenting, and I have the shelter to myself. I have a big 12 mile day planned tomorrow, as the terrain will be pretty mild. I'm looking forward to hiking on tomorrow, and I hope to avoid shelter mice tonight!Blood Orange
Date: 2013-03-17
From: Whitley Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: broken clouds

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today was a long day.After breakfast and breaking camp, I started the 1.2 mile hike back to the AT. I was really regretting my choice of shelter on the climb out. Shortly after I was back on the trail, I came to Hogpen Gap and encountered MORE trail magic. A church group (different from Neel's) was grilling hot dogs and also had chips, sodas, snacks, fresh fruit, Chapstick, gum, etc. It was really amazing. They were very kind people and the food hit the spot. After hiking a few more hours, I stopped at Low Gap Shelter for lunch and met Andrew and Eleanor and their dog, Stella. They are a nice young married couple out for a section hike. We leap-frogged each other a couple times in the afternoon, and then hiked together for a last mile to where we thought we'd camp, at a site where there used to be a shelter and where there was SUPPOSED to be water. Well, we couldn't find water, so we hiked what seemed like a very long mile to Blue Mountain Shelter where we set up camp. We had a bonfire with the folks staying in the shelter and enjoyed some good old fashioned potty humor and some bear talk. One of the couples in the shelter had their food stolen by a bear last night! Someone had a pint of Jameson that we passed around for St. Patty's Day. Counting my hike out of the shelter this morning I did 13.3 miles today, and my feet are feeling it. I only have 8 miles planned for tomorrow, but that includes two big mountains. We are expecting rain as well. Good night!