morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-05-14
From: Laurel Creek

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The Trail this morning was NICE - smooth, well-graded. At one point I was hiking on a bed of pine needles, and I thought, "My feet could get used to this!"Had a bit of excitement today - I was surprised by a snake while I was bushwhacking to find a place to go to the bathroom. ("Oh, that's a bad time to be surprised by a snake!" Rain said. "I know, I could have had an accident!" I agreed.) The snake and I were oblivious of each other until I was about a yard away - then it took off. I didn't know animals that moved by slithering could move SO FAST but it did. Which was fine with me, I had no desire to get any closer to it that I already inadvertently had. It was about 5 feet long and pure black. (And yes, once it left I found a place to use to 'little hikers room'.)I got to the shelter early - around 2:30 - and as I was hiking the 0.3 mile approach trail to the shelter, I figured no one would be there yet. A lot of hikers have temporarily gotten off the Trail for Trail Days, and others hitched the 2 miles into Bland to spent the night. I figured the shelter would either be empty, or perhaps a couple of section hikers.Then I see a tent set up and think, oh, someone is already here. Then I realize it's Barley and Rain's tent, and I'm so excited! I thought they were a day and a half ahead of me and I would see them again for a few weeks! They're not in their tent, but I'm so excited I'm not thinking clearly. I plop down on the ground with my gorp and figure they'll be back soon. After ten minutes I realize - DUH, they're probably sitting at the shelter, 50 yards away! I head down there and sure enough, there they are. It was nice to have friends at the shelter for a relaxing afternoon.The weather forecast is for rain today and tomorrow, but so far it's held off. I hope it rains tonight! I love sleeping in a tent in a rainstorm, you feel so secure.
Date: 2008-05-15
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: A little past VA 606
Miles today: 16.7

I meant to "ride the 5 a.m. train" - get up at 5 and start hiking by 6, but I overslept a bit. Still, I was hiking by 6:30, which was great. (Miles before 8 a.m. seem to come for free - and miles after lunch feel like double the distance!) I hiked with Rain and Barley for a bit, then solo for a while. I rain into Poleclimber and his friends again! He gave me more trail magic - a Butterfinger and a Rice Krispy Treat. Yum! It tasted extra good since I was down to the bottom of my food bag, as I was rolling into town later that day. I had lunch at the shelter, then pushed on.I regrouped with Rain and Barley at VA 606, and hit the SIX HUNDRED MILE MARK together. Six hundred miles!!!! Then we walked the half mile to Trents Grocery. We all sat down (which felt fantastic) and had dinner (which also felt fantastic). For $6 we could camp, shower, and do laundry. We pitched our tents in between the pastures with horses and the area where the pigs are. (I woke up at one point during the night to the sound of galloping hooves and briefly thought, "What the...") It was worth six bucks. And the food at the store was very good!
Date: 2008-05-16
From: Trent's Groceries

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, dear reader, I can't put off telling you this any longer. I am ending my hike. I've been feeling really burned out on hiking for over 100 miles now. If I were hiking the Trail to prove something to myself I may have pushed on. But I haven't felt the need to prove anything to myself since my 20s! No, I wanted to hike the Trail to clear my head, meet other hikers, camp out and wake up to the sounds of the birds, and just erase the future regrets I would have had if I'd never tried it.I'm really proud of my 600 miles - when I'm 85 and sitting on my porch, I'll have a great photo album to flip through and bore the grandkids with, rather than thinking 'Drats! I never got to hike the AT!'Basically, if you ever get the chance to start the AT, your life is already really awesome. To hold your happiness about the hike hostage unless you finish is short-changing yourself.A cynical person may feel I'm 0-2 with my grad school and my hike. But I say: I got a masters in Biomedical Engineering and I backpacked 600 miles! I accomplished a lot more by just going for it and seeing how it would turn out, then by playing it safe and only starting what I knew I could finish. Where is the adventure in that?I now know what direction I want my life to go. I'm looking forward to a 'normal' routine where I get to eat perishable foods and see my husband every day. And never again when someone mentions the AT will I be filled with that longing and regret that I never got to see what it was like.I hope everyone reading this has a chance to pursue their dreams!!"My definition of failure is only starting things you know you'll succeed at." -Bananas P.S. When we hit mile 590 yesterday, I said to Barley "This is the last 10 miles of my AT adventure!" He said, "Do you remember your first 10 miles?" I said, "Yeah -- it took me THREE DAYS!" If you check my journal you'll see I didn't hit the 10 mile mark until day 3 of my hike!!P.P.S. I cannot WAIT to make a photo album of my trip.
Date: 2008-05-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My junior year in college I had all sorts of projects and exams at the end of the semester (the life of an engineering student!). When I finished my last exam, I went back to my room, lay on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and thought 'I don't have a stitch of work I have to do!' Then I thought 'But I'm too tired to care!' Then I slept for 15 hours. That's about how I felt yesterday.I got a ride to Pearisburg, got to my motel room, and lay on the bed thinking: I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I finally got up and got some take-out Chinese food, went back to my room and ate it while watching a movie on TV (Diehard). It felt SO luxurious. I fell asleep early, but the funny thing was I kept getting woken up by noises I'm not used to: traffic, music, a car alarm. I'm not used to tuning these sounds out! (Now if a deer were to wander into my motel room, that I could tune out!)The funny thing is I clearly remember my first week on this hike when I couldn't fall asleep in my tent and every time a twig snapped I thought "What was THAT?"Ground Control is driving down today, he's due in any minute. We're going out to dinner with Rain and Barley, then tomorrow we'll hit the road for NJ!
Date: 2008-06-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A number of people mentioned they're still checking my journal for updates, so I decided to put one up. A lot of people have been asking me similar questions, so I figured anyone who knows someone coming off the trail may be curious about these topics too, so I'll post my thoughts here.A lot of people asked what the first thing I did when I got off the Trail was. I LISTENED TO MUSIC! I didn't bring an iPod with me on my hike, so when Ground Control showed up we sat in the rental car in the parking lot of the motel with the windows rolled down and the CD player blasting. Boy did that feel good.One thing that surprised me about 're-entry' is how prone I am to motion sickness now! On the car ride home, on a train ride to Philly, my stomach gets queasy. Hopefully this will pass!Another interesting fact is that after the first 100 miles of hiking, town water started tasting disgusting to me. You'd think I'd be glad to have water at the turn of the faucet without little floaties in it, but it just tasted so processed I would think, gosh, where is a stream? (Luckily town water is now palatable again.)The first week I was home I slept 11 hours a night, and I couldn't walk without lurching. My feet and knees hurt a lot more once I stopped hiking, for some reason. At one point Ground Control and I were walking through a store, and I had to ask him to slow down - I couldn't keep up! Ha! ("Honey could you slow down? What, do you think I just hiked 600 miles or something?")It's great to be home, but it's also a bit strange. For the last year I've been prepping for this hike, training for this hike, buying supplies for this hike, etc. Now I don't know what to do with my free time!It is bittersweet that I didn't hike the whole trail, but it simply wasn't in the stars for me. Whenever I get the slightest bit wistful I pull up another hiker's journal who is still out there, and read about the heat and the bugs, and I know I'd be miserable if I was out there.I simply need a new dream to work towards!!P.S. Last weekend I was happily planting my garden, and later that day I ran into a neighbor who said, "I knew you had come home when I saw the flowers out back!"
Date: 2008-10-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Just wanted to drop a note to say that post-hike life is going GREAT. During my hike, I realized what I really wanted to do next in life: teach math to adults who don't like math, or feel they're not 'good' at math.One thing I realized during my hike is once you decide what you really want, just keep chipping away at it until you reach your goal. (The hard part in life is deciding what you really want!) Don't talk yourself out of it. Don't get discouraged. Don't think you "can't" or you're not up for it or it would never work for you.So when I got home I drew up a list of every community college within an hours' drive of my apartment. (Yes, a long commute, but if it's something you really want...) A lot of them listed qualifications I didn't have, like previous college teaching experience or (ahem) a PhD. I ignored that, and sent out my resume and cover letter to every single community college on my list.And I got two jobs - I'm now teaching basic math and algebra at two different community colleges, and I LOVE it. And I had my first observation last week and I got a glowing review of my teaching. That felt great!This other post-hike tidbit is quite random, but on the Trail hikers always say the Trail gives you what you need. Well, part of the reason I went on this hike was for my health - for the last several years I've been having a horrible problem with hives. Every allergist I saw couldn't explain it, because I didn't test allergic to anything. Some people feel these tests aren't completely accurate, so I was hoping my hives would clear up on the Trail. (After all, I'd be away from the dust, mold, laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, lotion, perfume, cats, air conditioning, etc).Imagine my disappointment when I was still getting bad hives during my hike. I pretty much resigned myself to having this life-long problem.After I got back from my hike, I went to the dentist with a throbbing front tooth. I had a root canal done on this tooth 20 years ago, and it has been in a delicate state every since. I had a bit of an accident during my hike where I bopped this tooth pretty hard, and the dentist confirmed it: I cracked the root, the tooth would have to come out - and I couldn't get a permanent implant for a year, it was so damaged. Did I mention this is my VERY FRONT TOOTH? I was so upset when he told me, I called my husband and broke into tears.Well, the tooth came out, and lo and behold, there was a VERY bad chronic infection in there, that had been brewing for years. And guess what? Once the tooth came out my hives cleared up. Completely! So, because of one misstep on the Trail, I inadvertently was finally able to get myself back to great health. I can't tell you how thankfully I am about this.And yes, I do look really funny missing a tooth, but I have a denture I wear around and no one can even tell it's fake. (When my husband first saw me after the extraction, I had the denture in, and he said, "Why didn't they take your tooth out?")Some would say the Trail gives you what you need. I go one step further: Life gives you what you need.
Date: 2008-01-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So just another "prep" entry. I'm pretty much ready to start this thing now. I have 53 days left...As I was trying to fall asleep last night (and trying to drown out the "mexican polka" music someone was thumping off in the distance), I really thought my first night on the trail cannot come soon enough. What an adventure this is going to be. I have been reading so much about other people's experiences lately and I just really can't wait to form my own.
Date: 2008-03-21
To: almost time...
Miles today: 0.0

Well the time is upon me. I leave tomorrow. It has been a lot of planning, a lot of thinking about it, and pretty soon I will be taking my first steps on the trail...the excitement/anticipation/nervousness is at an all time high.Just to let everyone know, I will be trying to update this journal about once every week or so, so check back here for updates along the way.I had a good send off from work...we had the City Tavern special...called a Dusty. A Dusty is a shot of Jack and a PBR in a can...I can think of no better way to start an epic journey than with that. My head still hurts while i type this. Thanks to Sam, Daniel, Alli, Juan, Jessica for the good times!Well, I have got rid of my car, shaved my head, packed my pack 60 times...I think I am ready...next stop Amicalola State park and the approach trail.
Date: 2008-03-23
From: Amicalola Lodge

To: Along Approach Trail
Miles today: 1.5

Pete and I flew in to Atlanta and then had an arranged shuttle from the airport to Amicalola State Park to start the long journey. We arrived at the State Park about 5:00, took some staring pictures at the visitors center and then hit the Lodge for a nice big dinner. After a nice big supper, it was time to start this thing. The first night on the trail...wow I am filled with excitement, nervousness, anticipation, and an amazing feeling of 'finally I am here and hiking' after all the prep work. It is just awesome.   We hike about a mile and half, found a nice spot to camp, and decided to stop early to make sure we had plenty of time to set up camp and get situated. The first attempt at hanging my food was quite a spectacle to watch I'm sure...I hope I can get better at this soon!
Date: 2008-03-24
From: Approach Trail

To: Three Forks Campsite
Miles today: 10.4

Well I think everyone has heard or read "bear story", so I will leave that out for now. Our first day started on the approach trail on the way to Springer Mtn, the official starting point of the AT. It was very cold and the snow started about mid morning. What a way to get started...cold and wet. We made it to Three Forks for our first night (and the site of the bear incident). We backtracked to Stover Shelter that night to get away from the bear, and spent a very cold/windy night there.
Date: 2008-03-25
From: Three Forks Campsite

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 3.7

This morning we hiked back to Three Forks, packed up, found the remains of Pete's pack and got a ride from Dust in the Wind's Husband into Suches, GA.   From there we got a ride to Neels Gap to get new gear. We spent most of the rest of the morning and early afternoon at Neels Gap.Then we headed south over Blood Mtn, the tallest point in Georgia. We decided we had to make up the miles we missed by driving ahead, so we keep heading south, with Suches our goal. We camped at Woods Hole Shelter that night. Met some cool people there, Preacher, Papa Bear, Ed Benton, and a couple that was hiking for a week, Brian and Stacy I think were their names. Fun group to chat with around the fire.
Date: 2008-03-26
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Cow Rock Mtn
Miles today: 11.6

We are still heading south...the opposite direction of Maine today. We got to Woody Gap and ran into Dust in the Wind and Daniel. We hitched into Suches and the got a ride back to Neels gap to continue where we left off. From Neels we hiked, northbound again, to Cow Rock. What a great campsite, on top of mountain with views all the way around. Watched the sun set behind the mountains while I ate my noodles. After dark, the lights of the small mountain towns made the valleys light up. We are finally heading the right direction again, which is good.
Date: 2008-03-27
From: Cow Rock camp site

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Short day...great weather. Lots of people at the shelter. Some familiar faces, Preacher, Russell, Ed Benton, FlameThrower, and lots of new faces. I got my first blister today, on my pinky toe. So part of the evening's activities is to treat that before it gets worse.
Date: 2008-03-28
From: Low Gap

To: Tray Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

Very long day today, big 15 miles over 3 mountain peaks, Blue Mtn, Rocky Mtn, and Tray Mtn. Got into camp later in the afternoon. It was rainy and foggy all day, and a wet night. Feet are feeling it tonight. Another crowded shelter. Met some new folks, and Flame Thrower, Ed Benton, Why, and Vigil-Auntie are all here too. Crocatoah is from Dallas also, and is currently hiking in crocs...freakin crazy man.
Date: 2008-03-29
From: Tray Mtn. Shelter

To: Dicks Gap
Miles today: 11.0

Long, soaking wet day today...all the way into Dicks gap. A nice couple gave us a tube of girlscout cookies, which we ate while we were hitching for a ride into town. After only about 15 minutes, a nice older gentleman gave us ride to a motel...Mulls Motel in the heart of Hiawassee. We cleaned our clothes, showered, and hit the buffet. It is good to be clean, dry, and full!
Date: 2008-03-31
From: Dicks Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Istarted out the day with another good breakfast from the Georgia Mountain House...I'm gonna miss the town food! Still very foggy and wet. I got a ride back to Dicks Gap with Pete and hit the trail. The fog is so thick it is closer to rain, its just dripping off the tree branches. After a lommng wet day I made it to a very crowded shelter...Pete and I got the last 2 spots in the shelter...and it rained all night long.We finally made it to the North Carolina border...it feels good to have a state under the belt. And NC welcomed me right, with a nice steep climb out of Bly Gap...thanks NC.
Date: 2008-04-01
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek campsite
Miles today: 16.2

Longest miles yet...and it was not easy. About mid morning the crazy fog finally lifted and the sun came out, a very nice change of pace...and we can finally see further than 30 feet. The rest of the day was great sunny weather. I ate dinner are Carter shelter and then continued on to the campsite at Betty Creek. Met Kennekuk(sp?). He was a cool laid back guy...nice to chat with. Right as I crawled into my tent, it started raining...perfect timing.
Date: 2008-04-02
From: Betty Creek campsite

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Cool morning, but turned out to be another great day weather-wise. Today seem to be quite long mostly because my feet were hurting quite a bit. As I came upon the drop into Winding Stair Gap it was a very welcome sight! And to add to the fact that I had finished up the days hike, there at the road were our first Trail Angels. This group comes to the gap every Wednesday with cold and hot drinks, snacks, and a lot of cheer! We had a cold coke and visited for a bit, then one of them gave us a ride into town. Staying at Ron Haven's Budget Inn. He is a great friend of the trail and of hikers!
Date: 2008-04-03
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Resting and staying in town. I have made it past the first 100 miles and man that feels good. I decided to replace and add a few pieces of gear: I bought some Leki trekking poles and replaced the simmer lite stove with a jetboil.Thanks to all who have left me messages and are interested in keeping up with my trip. It is really a treat to read them when I get a chance to. Heading back on the trail tomorrow. Should be into another town in a little over a week or so.
Date: 2008-04-04
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

After a zero day in Franklin, we headed back on the trail. We started the day with a free pancake breakfast at the First Baptist Church in town...very nice people, and good food! Then Ron took the yellow bus and a bunch of hikers back to the gap to get hikin' again. The weather was cold, windy, and wet all day. I got to experience the first of many balds. A bald is a mountain that has a treeless summit. I really like walking over the bald and getting a sweet 360 degree view, even though it was foggy and the visibility wasn't too good. I made it soaked to the shelter and was asleep by 7:45...a new record. This shelter is quite nice and was built this past year. Met Mr. Bones & Stubbs today on the trail, had lunch (a treat in and of itself, leftover pizza)with them and Ed. Tonight at the shelter is Sherlock, Freebird, Hungry Jack, and Adam.
Date: 2008-04-05
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

Got up and on the trail early today...to enjoy the miserable cold, foggy, wet weather. When it is wet like this for days in a row, it really gets to be a beating. I knew I was going to get a dry bed and shower at the NOC, so it was a little easier to hike fast to get there. Once at the NOC, which is a big outdoor center for rafting the Nanthala River, Pete and I discovered the Paddler's Pub, so after getting cleaned up we headed directly there. Cold beers and the basketball games...awesome. What a treat to see some Final Four games!
Date: 2008-04-06
From: NOC

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero'd in NOC today to let Pete's knee rest. It was nice, I just sat on the patio on the river and had some beers, ate some good food, and rested. Ran into Adam and Flame Thrower today, along with Dust in the Wind and Mr. Bones & Stubbs. Pete and I had few beers with Adam and Flame Thrower. Tomorrow, back to business.
Date: 2008-04-07
From: NOC

To: Cheoah Bald
Miles today: 8.1

Had a great breakfast and hit the trail by about 10. The climb up out of the NOC was pretty challenging. I had heard it was tough, so I planned a short day. It ended up not being as bad as advertised though. Ran into Adam and Flame Thrower at the first shelter, and talked Adam into pushing on to Cheoah Bald to camp. A bald is a top of a mountain that has no trees...so they offer some pretty great views. What a great campsite. We saw Georgia to the south and the Smokies to the north...just an amazing place to be with such great weather. Pop Tart was also camping there, so we had a cool group for the night. We made a fire and sat around until after the sun had set. The next morning, the clouds rolled in and we got some different, but equally cool views.
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Cheoah Bald

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

Started the day off with our campsite above the clouds and it was quite a site. At Stecoah Gap, Bare Bear (¢06) and ShuffleFoot had some sweet trail magic set up for hikers. They had hot dogs, sodas, chips, cookies. I helped myself to all of it¢¦several times. It was awesome. What was not awesome was the climb out of the gap in the noonday heat. If I had known the climb was so difficult, I would have tried to limit my intake a bit! That made the afternoon a long one. Made it to Cable gap shelter pretty dehydrated, and not feeling well, so going hit the water tonight.
Date: 2008-04-09
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: broken clouds

I had pretty easy hike into Fontana Dam with some pretty nice weather. Pete and I got a ride to the Hike Inn to relax the rest of the day to prepare to tackle the Smokies tomorrow. Had a run into town for re-supply on food and grab a massive dinner. I ate with Pete, Dust, Forge, and Liberty. The look on the woman's face at the cash register as Pete rattled off all he had eaten was priceless...they thought he had listed a meal for at least 2 people...we all had a laugh at that. Had a great stay at the Hike Inn, run by very nice people.