morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-03-25
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I crossed Fontana Dam and entered the Smokies! I made it out of the shelter at 7:00 after two other girls. When I came upon the dam the sky was still dark and the lights were illuminated. It was really cool. I hung around the visitor center for a bit and looked for back country permits but the center was closed down for at least another month it two and I couldn't figure out where the permits were so I moved on. You're supposed to have a permit to go through the Smokies but obviously the permits weren't in a convenient locations so it's their loss. (Apparently they were near the bathrooms?) Bootstraps ended up adding me to his later on but I wasn't worried about it.I crossed the dam as the sun was coming up and it was really pretty, though the horrible ring around the lake from the autumn drain was a big eyesore. The climb into the Smokies was long buy not horrible. I came to a side trail to a fire tower and decided to walk up to it. It was windy and chilly but I climbed up halfway the rickety stairs for a nice view. I saw the top was open and decided to brave it and head up for an even better view. It was totally worth the slight panic of the whole tower shaking as I walked up. I didn't see too many people today, just a few NOBO's and one person sectioning southbound.I made it to the shelter close to 2:00 in the afternoon which surprised me because I thought it would take me a lot longer. I had an early dinner since I hadn't eaten much for lunch. The shelter here has wooden dividers for each individual sleeping space which is interesting.Shelters in the Smokies have 4 spaces reserved for thru-hikers and the rest have to be made available to section hikers with reservations when they show up. There was a tarp hanging over the open front to keep the heat in and there is a fireplace to add some extra heat. It is cold now but I heard the weather is supposed to be excellent for the rest of the week. We have been extremely lucky with the weather so far this trip.We had lots of post dinner conversations about hikers, dreams, injuries, etc. It is nice to socialize and chat with people from so many walks of life. It's always cool to see how everyone is so similar yet so different at the same time. Another interesting subject I was pondering today was how trail towns act as choke points on the trail. We all seem to meet up in towns, spread out along the trail between when we hike our different paces, but then we all seem to meet up in town again. Of course there are those going super fast or taking all the time in the world to stop and smell the roses, and those individuals you don't see that often. But you do see them again.We also passed the less than 2000 miles to go mark today. Life is so good.
Date: 2012-03-26
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

I got a late start this morning at 8:10 but I slept well last night after I mummied myself in my sleeping bag. It was funny to see everyone lined up this morning; the whole top row had their heads out of their bags and the lower row were all mummied in their bags.I ate poptarts for breakfast but they were hard to swallow as I wasn't in the mood for anything sweet. But I definitely can't complain about the convenience of a cold breakfast.The weather today was perfect, absolutely amazing. We went through a series of balds on the way up to Rocky Top mountain and I had lunch sitting on top of the last bald and laid around in the sun. Rocky Top Mountain, TN was awesome and I was smiling the whole time even though I was out of breath on the climb up.There was a lot of uphill at the end of the day. At one point I got so fed up with walking slowly up the hills that I tightened all my straps on my pack and literally started running. It didn't last long but it was a change of pace.I finally made it to the shelter and my stomach was grumbling. It wanted to be fed. But it wad way too early for dinner so I snacked on some trail mix, read my book, and lounged in the sun for a relaxing afternoon. Blue, Maine-iac, Phoenix, Bootstraps and Frenchy all showed up later.The shelter is full again tonight. There is one sectioning pair, a father and a son, in the shelter. The son said his name was "Night Talker" and when I asked why that was his name he said he talks in his sleep. Up to that point my sleeping pad was next to his but then I quickly moved to the top row of the shelter. Looks like it will be an ear plugs night.Oh, there is no privy at this shelter... again. Just a "toilet area". I can't wait to get back to the land of the privies.
Date: 2012-03-29
From: Gatlinburg

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero Day!Our first zero day of the hike. I woke up at 8:30 and everyone else soon followed. We were all hungry so we walked to Bennett's BBQ for their AYCE breakfast buffet. The food was pretty good and all of us left sneaking food in our pockets, but who can blame us?After breakfast I headed over to the NOC outfitter and walked around for a while. It was a large place and there was a lot of neat gear. I bought some stickers and a hose for my Platypus bladder so that I can prevent becoming dehydrated while hiking. After browsing the NOC, we walked back to the motel and turned on the television where we sat and vegged out for hours. First we watched Serendipity, then Miss Congeniality, then Pretty Woman. Somewhere in the middle of Serendipity it started to rain and I became antsy from sitting still for so long. Maine-iac and I donned our rain coats and went on a walk through the streets of Gatlinburg to go exploring and people watch. It felt nice to walk around without our packs on. We found a sketchy stair case that lead down to the river and we walked along that for a while. Maine-iac bought an umbrella hat and I bought a cup of Schweddy Balls Ben & Jerry's ice cream. It was delicious. Oh, I also bought a razor and finally shaved my legs. I was getting a little self-conscious walking around town with really hair legs.After a while we went back to the room and joined Phoenix and Blue in watching TV and eventually ordered some pizzas. After Pretty Woman was over we all climbed into bed and fell asleep. It felt wonderful to not do anything all day.
Date: 2012-03-30
From: Indian Gap

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at 7:30 this morning and took a really quick shower. I feel bad for the person who has to clean that shower, thru-hikers are pretty dirty and girls have a lot of long hair that seems to fall out all at once. Maine-iac said she had a dream where I was driving everyone and it was a terrifying experience. But I assured her that I drive well and from what she had described I think it was more the road that I was driving on was terrifying. We all tried packing this morning which was quite an ordeal given the amount of food we had and new gear we picked up. We also split some food between Blue, Maine-iac and I, to carry for Phoenix and leave at a shelter just to help her out. It was hard saying good bye to Phoenix and leaving her behind.I was ready to start hiking this morning. Zeroing was both a good mental and physical break, but I wanted to be back in the woods. We walked up the road a bit and hitched back into the Smokies. Patrick, who works at the NOC, picked us up and brought us back to Indian Gap. He was a really interesting character.We did the 1.7 from Indian Gap to Newfound Gap in a half hour which was awesome. There we saw Ryan and Tarzan of the Three Amigos among other hikers. Medicine Man showed up as well, but he was heading into Gatlinburg and planning on zeroing so he is a few days behind us. We were treated like celebrities again by all the tourists. It's amusing how excited people get when they find out we are thru-hikers. We also met a few past hikers who talked to us about their experiences.We went passed Charlie's Bunion which was a really cool rock formation. Afterwards there was a large uphill that I decided to take a break on. Unknown to me, Maine-iac had stopped about 50 feet up the trail on the same hill and was taking a break while blue was about 100 feet behind also taking a break on the hill. We all met up and watched a rain storm move across the valley below. It started getting closer so we decided to we should move on to the shelter and that's when Blue and I saw a cloud to ground lightening strike and we decided we need to move fast. We hiked on and the thunder grew louder and closer. It started to rain as well. We had to follow a ridge line for a while and it both thrilling and nerve wracking with the lightening being so close and the thunder sound overhead. Blue and Maine-iac pulled ahead and I found myself alone on a ridge line in a thunderstorm. What an adventure.I finally made it to the shelter and came splashing down the hill with a grin on my face. When I came within sight of the shelter everyone noticed I was smiling - it must have been a big grin.I did the usual chores, ate dinner, changed into dry clothes and crawled into my sleeping bag where I stayed for the rest of the night.
Date: 2012-03-31
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: light rain

I slept in this morning and didn't get up until 7:45, didn't make it onto the trail until 9:00. It was very foggy and windy this morning so it was cold and there weren't many views. Though, it was still a fun hike. After a few hours I decided to take a snack break. I thought I was close to the shelter but I really needed to eat something. Blue caught up to me and agreed that the shelter had to be close. It turned out that it was literally just up the hill, how frustrating. I ate lunch at the shelter, a spinach and cheese wrap and an apple. Blue, Maine-iac, Aimster, Scooter, Hungry Bear and Amber Cat all stopped in for lunch as well. The sun decided to peek out while at the shelter which was a nice surprise. I filled up on water, too much water, so my pack was extra heavy. My pack is still so heavy after coming out of Gatlinburg. There were only 7.7 miles from the shelter to where we were staying for the night and the weather turned nice to I hiked fast. I caught up to Blue at a nice view point with a bunch of spruce snags. I decided that they were perfect for climbing and climbed one. The next few miles had some nice views but were pretty uneventful. We did run into some men on horses, unfortunately they were stopped on a very narrow part of the trail and we had to squeeze by. As I walked by I slipped on some moss and found myself with an excellent vantage point of the underside of the horse. That was a bit frightening. My bum was also a little sore from the fall. I made it to the shelter and found Bogey and Hats there! It was nice to see them again. The shelter is packed too. It's only supposed to hold 12 but there are 16 of us in here. Though, I'm on the top and there are only 6 of us up here and 10 on the bottom. I'm enjoying my space.
Date: 2012-07-07
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Bromley Shelter
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: light rain

Four months to the day. Today is my four month anniversary on the trail and I am currently sitting at a table in Manchester Center, VT appreciating the mozzarella and tomato basil panini that is sitting in front of me. Rook, Teton, and I are hanging out in town for a while to catch a movie then Rook and I are planning on hiking two miles out of town. The forecast is calling for rain and storms this afternoon so we're planning on waiting for the worst of it to pass. I also sustained some sort of injury probably due to tripping on a root and have a swollen and bruised right ankle. Rook and I have hiked about 80 miles in the last 4 days through the Vermont mountains. Vermont has been very pretty so far, the forest composition is gradually changing over from the deciduous trees of the south to a more coniferous  dominant one. We heard that Vermont was supposed to be muddy but the abrupt change to soggy, black mud from hard packed dirt at the MA/VT border was a little startling. Yesterday I officially crossed the 3/4 way point of the A.T. but there was no celebrations. At the end of my fourth 20 mile day in a row I was only focused on putting one foot in front of the other and making to the Green Mountain House Hostel.  Though I have been tired and have experienced a bunch of small downers, including the opportunity to slackpack over Mt. Greylock and hiking a half mile off trail yesterday due to missing the trail turn off, I haven't been demoralized. In fact, I have recently renewed my sense of excitement and adventure, though I do not know where it came from. Perhaps it's the cooler weather, new state, pretty scenery, or the fact that I am so close to Katahdin that it seems like I might actually reach it now. My body seems to almost have reached its limit. I used to still have energy after a 20 mile day and wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and fine. Now I am exhausted halfway through the day and wake up the next morning stiff and a bit sore. But then there are those days that I pump out 19 miles starting after noon and feel energized the whole way through.Blue, Phoenix, and Maine-iac are all about a day and a half ahead right now but I hope to catch up to them by Hanover.
Date: 2012-08-12
From: The Birches - Baxter State Park

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

I did it.I made it all the way from Georgia to Maine and up Mt. Katahdin. I summited Katahdin the morning of August 12th. Katahdin was harder than I imagined it to be, I can see why they advise you to only carry a day pack. Despite the less than ideal conditions, I was happy to be climbing. The mist made it feel as though I was climbing to ten thousand feet instead of only half of that and gave everything a very surreal feeling.Rook and I set off at 6:30 from the Ranger Station and in three hours of climbing and scrambling I hear Rook say ¢guess what I see.¢ There it was, the summit sign for Katahdin. Cue the tears. Rook and I walked up together and on the count of 3 we both touched the sign, the end of our thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. We were officially successful thru-hikers. I put my head against the sign and cried a bit. The last few weeks of the trail had been tough physically and mentally and it felt awesome to know that the hard work and continual pushing had paid off. Not long after Arius (who we had first met in Vermont) made his way to the top. Together we all celebrated by sharing a beer (Arius stuck with root beer) then took pictures. For a while I had been wondering what the back of the sign looked like. You see tons of pictures of the front but no one ever shows what the back of the sign looks like so I had my curiosity satisfied. We made our way back down the mountain not too long after. The mist made everything wet and it was slow going for me. Due to the rain we had received the last few days in the wilderness, my boots and socks were wet and had been for days. This resulted in nasty blisters on my feet that had me limping to the Ranger Station by the end of the descent. I even contemplated just taking my boots off and going down in my socks but stuck it out. I can¢t complain about the blisters though, over 2100 miles and I didn¢t get any until the very end of my hike, literally. When we made it down we ran into Austin, Gato, Squidward, Professor Oak, and several others who were planning on summiting the next morning. They all congratulated us on our summit and we wished them a happy summit for the next moring. From there Rook, Arius, and I hitched out of the park then called the shuttle for the hostel in Millinocket to come pick us up. It didn¢t really feel like I was finished with my hike, that we were just having another town stop before having to get back on the trail. But this was our final trail town stop. Rook jokingly promised we could take a zero day the next day.While sitting and waiting for the shuttle I couldn¢t stop yawning. I think my body knew that I was done hiking and decided it was time to rest. Once we made it to Millinocket we showered, put on some very fashionable town clothes the hostel lets hikers use, and grabbed dinner at the AT Caf©. The Caf© has a summit sundae challenge but I opted for a regular dinner. Not long after I was in bed, exhausted, and ready to sleep.
Date: 2014-06-01
To: Planning for the next big adventure
Miles today: 0.0

So it has almost been two years since the completion of my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I headed down to Catawba, Virginia a few days ago to do some trail magic for thru-hikers passing through. I ended up catching a little bubble and handed out fruit, gatorade, and snacks to 17 hikers as well as giving a nice couple a ride to the Homeplace. I forget how genuinely thankful hikers are for the help of a complete stranger. Baby Steps and Daddy Longlegs invited me to come down to Knoxville to stay with them whenever I wanted. They were such a wonderful couple. Many of them were surprised that I had brought the trail magic TO them, carrying a backpack full of treats southbound on the trail. I was happy to give back to the trail community.Life has been good these two years. I have had several adventures, hiking the C&O Canal and most recently coming back from spending three months in Wyoming and Utah on a NOLS semester. I'll be moving to Richmond soon and hopefully working as an EMT (while still working for the same outdoor retailer that I so love). And my next major adventure? CDT 2016 anyone? Happy hiking!
Date: 2012-02-23
To: No vaccine for Springer fever
Miles today: 0.0

   Well it's only 31 days till I start on my great adventure! Monday I organized a local book club meeting where Jean Deeds spoke to the "club" as well as some invited guests about her excellent book concerning her hiking the AT about 17 years ago. It's an excellent book very well written, spiritual and indeed inspirational called There are Mountains to Climb. I recommend it to anyone who wants a thoughtful memoir of the AT experience.   Also, I'm making lists, weighing everything, eating dehydrated food such as grits, potatoes, trail mix, noodles, etc. to see what might work on the trail. I have three piles of stuff in my great room, things I'll take, things I'll leave home and a larger pile of stuff I'm not sure about. I'm remembering some good advice Gipcgirl gave me when she said that, other than rain gear, if you don't use it every day you probably don't need it.   I've also been blessed with good advice from Scribbles regarding water usage and my friend Kebban who has been patient with my extensive list of stupid questions. It's surprising to me how helpful former AT hikers are to an aspiring hiker.   Time to go weigh something.   NE on the AT is NEAT   Funnybone
Date: 2012-03-14
To: Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

   Time for another quick entry before I go exercise. I'm busy rooting through all the 'stuff' I've bought for my great adventure, organizing my potential mail drops, attending going away parties (this weekend), giving away any food that will become outdated while I'm gone, etc. To make things worse there's an REI store opening up about 15 miles from me in 2 days. I'm sure I'll get more stuff I really need. BS with that.   It's just 11 days till I take the first step, maybe 12 till I take the last step. Does confidence seem to be an issue? I think this AT hike has the potential of being a truly great adventure. We'll see. Just received a very helpful email from Gipcgirl, a thru hiker in 2011. She and Scribbles have been GREAT in providing patient advice.   Better go exercise. I've got babysitting duty for the next 2 days so am trying to get stuff done around home today.   Funnybone
Date: 2012-03-18
To: Good Byes
Miles today: 0.0

   Well, part of the preparation to attempt to hike the AT is the personal side too. I've had a "going away" party with many friends yesterday and today I've had a party with my 10 grandkids, their 8 parents, my 3 siblings and their spouses and a few others folks who enjoy coming to my house, drinking my beer (not the Gkids) and eating my pizza. We also had cake and ice cream so the Gkids put a major dent in those as well.   My best gift, except for their company, was a gift certificate to the new REI store in Indianapolis. I'm going there tomorrow and get things I can probably do without. It's so easy to spend free money!   In just one week I'll be at the Hiker Hostel thinking about the pizza, ice cream, cake, beer I won't be having for a while. I'm ready to get started, to see what the Trail brings me and where it takes me. I'm a firm believer of the concept "it's the journey, not the destination" that defines us. I'm about to put that to the test.
Date: 2012-03-18
To: Good Byes
Miles today: 0.0

   I just wrote a really great entry that this site apparently flushed down the toilet so here goes again.    There's a personal side to preparing to hike the AT too. I had a party last night with a number of friends and again today here with my 10 grandkids, their 8 parents, my 3 siblings and their spouses and a few others. They enjoyed eating my pizza and drinking my beer (not the Gkids). They put a major hurt on the cake and ice cream, however.   My best gift, except for their company, was a gift certificate to the new REI store in Indianapolis. I'll go there tomorrow and buy stuff I don't need because it's so easy to spend free money.   A week from now I'll be at the Hiker Hostel dreaming about the pizza, beer, cake and ice cream I don't have, and won't, for a long time. I am looking forward to what the Trail teaches me. I'm a firm believer of the concept "it's the journey not the destination". The time is fast approaching to stop talking and start hiking.
Date: 2012-03-22
To: Labor pains
Miles today: 0.0

   Yes, all the anticipation about hiking the AT, the planing, the study, talking to other hikers, the training all have gone by so quickly. The days were slow but the weeks were fast. How does that happen? Now the start is almost here, suddenly, and it feels a little like what going into labor must feel like. All the waiting is over and now, OMG it's time! I suppose I'm ready but I know the trail is, so here goes.   Sunday friends are driving me to the Hiker Hostel then Monday Scribbles, a 2011 thru hiker that has taken me under her wing, will hike with me for a few days. Her generosity of her time and talent is a treasure to me. I feel blessed in so many ways. Jean Deeds, who hiked the entire trail 17 or 18 years ago has also been supportive in a sophisticated way.   I've said most of my goodbyes, tried to forsee everything that will be effected by my absense and now just need to stop talking and start walking.   N.E. on the A.T. is NEAT!   Funnybone
Date: 2012-03-26
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Hello from the Trail! Everything is great. On Sunday, 3/25/12, Allen Stout drove me to Dahlonega, GA where we spent the night with other thru hiker wannabees at the Hiker Hostel, an excellent place. The next morning I met Scribbles and her husband Garry, hiked to the start at Springer Mt, then headed northeast on my great adventure. I was thruhiker number 559 at the State Park. Scribbles, a thru-hiker from last year, was a very excellent mentor! She hiked with me for the first 4 days and was an abundance of wisdom and excellent company. Thanks again Scribbles!!! We spent the first night at Hawk Mt. shelter with about 20 other people. That was the site of my first crisis....I lost my spoon! No, I don't have a spare or even a fork or knife. But I was able to find it so eating for several days with my fingers was averted. Yeh!!!   The weather has been perfect. Time to head out.