morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-02-03
From: Buffalo Ranch Day 3

To: Buffalo Ranch Day 4
Miles today: 2.0

The weather overnight was considerably warmer than yesterday, only 20 something below zero overnight. At breakfast, it was reported that Big John had gotten up in the night for a trip to the bathhouse and walked into a bison on the trail. There was plenty of scat in the trail and we were wondering if this was from the bison or Big John.Since I chose the wolf documentary option, I spent most of the morning checking on my gear. My primary lens is now non-functional, so I started to checkout all by back-up equipment. The documentary preview began mid-morning to a full house. The ¢wolfers¢ had been out all morning and were quite pleased with their sightings. This documentary was made by Bob Landis, who is considered the expert in the wolf community, and took over 7 years to shoot all the video. The documentary will be broadcast by National Geographic and also be out on DVD later this year.   It was most enjoyable and I highly recommend it.Lumpy arrived later with the shooting group and we went out again. We ¢shot¢ several images of the bighorn ram and what was once some promising photo weather, had quickly changed to garbage time. So, we went back to the bunkhouse, processed images, had dinner, general photo discussion and then bedtime.
Date: 2011-02-04
From: Buffalo Ranch Day 4

To: Buffalo Ranch Day 5
Miles today: 3.0

The weather has really warmed up, relatively, as the cabin was rather comfortable last night. The class had originally considered going out for another photo shoot in the am. However, it was snowing lightly and the light was not very conducive for photography. So, we stayed in the bunkhouse and worked on our photos. We had a short macro class by wo_! (Tom upsidedown) and then a slideshow of our photos as a conclusion to our class. About half left for other destinations, and the other half stayed over another night. Lumpy and I drove to Cooke City for a roadside photo op and also to try out a burger at one of the local cafes. On our drive, we saw a frozen coyote on a snow bank near the road. The return trip was interesting. A truck hauling snowmobiles left the road and was being towed out by a wrecker. It took well over an hour for us to get back on our return to the ranch. It was well after dark when we arrived at the ranch and were fortunate to have had only a slight accumulation of snow to navigate. At the ranch, we went to the bunkhouse for a rousing bull session, as there were 6 of us 60+ seniors. We had some great converation and then retired for our last evening on the ranch.
Date: 2011-02-05
From: Buffalo Ranch Day 5

To: Jackson Hole, WY Day 1
Miles today: 2.0

We had a another comfortable night. We were up early and loaded up the vehicle, and then drove to the bunkhouse for some coffee and breakfast. The bull session resumed for a brief period while we waited for the day to brighten up a bit and maybe even the snowplows. Eventually, we said our good-byes and were on our way out. The ride was soon halted for a close buffalo photo op. The bison were totally disinterested in their surroundings until the snow plow passed by and they quickly moved farther out from the road. After this, our next photo op was another close photo op with a few elk and a good group of bighorn sheep. Eventually, we left Yellowstone NP, had brunch in Gardiner and then continues on to Jackson Hole, WY. We stopped in Bozeman to confirm that my best lens was inoperable and may be repairable by factory technicians. One chilling sight was 3 fly fishermen wading in hipboots in the river in 20+ degree weather!! On our way to Teton Pass, we had some great sunset light and took a couple of quick photos. Finally, we arrived in Jackson Hole, checked into motel, had dinner and then retired.
Date: 2011-02-06
From: Jackson Hole, WY Day 1

To: Jackson Hole, WY Day 2
Miles today: 2.0

The morning weather/light wasn¢t very good and we slept in a little late. We had breakfast at the motel and then went to the local visitor center to confirm road access and photo op access. We traveled thru most of the Grand Teton NP and took a number of photos. We also scouted positions for sunset and sunrise photo ops. During the afternoon drive we saw a grouse and a coyote that caught himself a meal in the snow. We looked for moose without success; but saw the huge herds of elk at the national refuge.   The evening light wasn¢t very good at all. So, we called it a day, returned to town, had a surprisingly good meal at local Mexican food restaurant and then retired to the motel to catch the last half of the Super Bowl
Date: 2009-03-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

   I hiked the AT this year with Matt. Just to give a warning, I repeat myself, I blue-blaze, I give tedious and cliched descriptions of nature, I complain profusely about the rain and the mud, and I'm not always the most positive and social person around.Table of contents--Georgia3/24 to 4/2North Carolina & Tennessee4/3 to 4/29Virginia4/30 to 6/7West Virginia and Maryland6/8 to 6/10Pennsylvania6/11 to 6/23New Jersey6/24 to 7/3New York7/4 to 7/8Connecticut and Massachusetts7/9 to 7/18Vermont7/19 to 7/31New Hampshire 8/1 to 8/14Maine 8/15 to 9/6
Date: 2009-03-24
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Black Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

Day 1, (7.3) miles, 9:30 am - 2:15 pm   36 hours on the train is hard. One night is okay, but 2 nights is enough to put you over the edge!   We stepped off the train and immediately procured a ride from Wes Wisson, who was already shuttling another hiker, Leebo, to the park. So our ride ended up costing only $45, and we got to AFSP easily enough at 8 am. We ate a breakfast of cold cereal and instant coffee, adjusted our packs, and were off and up the trail by 9:30.    The "up" was immediate but not too bad, because I hiked slow, slow, slow.    I thought a lot today, and I am neither excited, nor nervous, nor anxious about anything. It's just time to walk again. It's what I'll be doing for awhile, and that is just fine.    The approach trail is not the strenous monster, flat cakewalk, or amazing beauty walk that the conflicting reports will give you. The falls are nice and the trail is well maintained, though it is still a mountainous trail with a fair grade. The woods are pretty. There are patches of bright green holly trees and mountain laurel mixed into the brown wood, and pine, too. Bare trees, open sky, and surrounding ranges in view. Not a bad hike today. People make such a big deal about the approach trail that I didn't know what to expect.    The social aspect of this trail is something I'll have to get used to. There are a lot of people everywhere and it's a bit distracting. I'm used to having the woods to myself! Tonight we are tented near the shelter, but for the most part I think we'll be avoiding them. * * *Afterward--   I could see forsynthias were blooming in people's yards during our ride into the park. The sky was streaky and pretty that day. We walked slowly and inadvertantly missed the stairway to the top, talking the old approach instead. Good hike. Already I met someone going south who was complaining that "this was supposed to be all downhill!" Good Lord. I was exhausted and a bit beyond the pale from the 36 hour train ride to Georgia. We camped with a few at the shelter, one who asked if the bear cables were a game, and what a privy was. He was also looking for a portal and wearing corduroy pants and tube socks. It disarmed me a bit. The spring at that shelter was great, though. I like the last line in my first entry, because the rain started that night, and before long we were just shelter hopping our way up the trail. It didn't give us a break for months. You just never know.
Date: 2009-03-25
From: Black Gap Shelter

To: Sassafras Mountain
Miles today: 12.7

Day 2, 9.3 (+1.5) miles, 8 am to 6 pm (inc. 4 hours of breaks)   What a hard day, it rained all night, all day today, and it is projected to last through the night again. Matt's sleeping bag got wet, the tent had to be put up wet and is becoming saturated. I don't know how we'll stay dry tonight. I don't feel like writing. * * *Afterward   Indeed it was a hard day, and it was just beginning. A front stalled out over Northern Georgia and would stay on us for 5 nights and 4 days, nonstop. We had a low point pretty early on in the trip. I go into it more when I get time in a few days.
Date: 2009-03-26
From: Sassafras Mountain

To: Big Cedar Mountain 
Miles today: 10.5

Day 3, 10.5 miles, 7:30 am -6 pm   Today was a miserable rerun of yesterday for the most part. We had the worst morning imaginable, with hard rain, darkness, and fog resembling the mist. Georgia supposedly has nice views but so far visibility is about 10 feet. We hiked 4 miles without breakfast to Gooch Mountain Shelter, where we took a 3 hour break to eat, drink coffee, get water, organize, and dry our feet. A working break. 15+ people went into town at Woody Gap, but here we are tenting again. This horrible weather is bringing me down and psycologically I can't take much more. Much of what we have, including ourselves, is saturated and muddy, camping is a nightmare, everything is generally more difficult to deal with when soaking wet, and we have nothing but fog for our surroundings. * * * Afterward--   Oh, man. This is when we started meeting hikers who later became Motor (whom we actually met on the approach trail) and Bunyan. We got some room at the trailhead to cook our dinner, while tons of people milled around to get rides into Dahlonega. I found it too soon to go into town. Up the mountain we went. We camped on a blue blaze, with a rocky outcropping that I assume would normally have a great view, but all we saw was whiteout.
Date: 2009-03-27
From: Big Cedar Mountain 

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 4, 9 miles, 7:45 am to 1:30 pm   It's the third day of nonstop rain. We broke camp in showers and started walking. The trail conditions are finally deteriorating and it is muddy, slippery, and covered in inches of water. Depressing day with only grey, dark fog, and mountain laurel to see. Blood Mountain was interesting, a steep and rocky climb that was a waterfall and stream that we had to walk on. I'm sure that it is a beautiful hike normally but there is nothing but whiteout from the rocky top summit.    Lots of ups and downs today didn't make for the fastest time, but we got to Neel's Gap and procured a room for tonight, money I didn't anticipate spending so soon, which includes $130 for breakdown gear purchases, (mostly I needed a new raincoat) but I cannot stomach this rain any more. Hiking is not fun, camping is downright unbearable. You can't pee, take a break, eat, or do any relaxing when it's raining like this. 3 days and 3 nights and it's too much for me to handle. Today I am wet down to my underwear, my pack is soaked, and I drip when I walk.    Now I'm lying here trying to decide whether to hike out tomorrow into weather that is forecasted to be even worse than it has been, with torrential rain and thunderstorms lasting through tomorrow night. I should be strong but I don't know. Most hikers are waiting out the rain, some have been here at Neel's Gap for days already. I just don't want the compulsion of running into town every time the weather is bad. Normally rain doesn't bother me so much but I am positively dreading walking out of here tomorrow. * * *Afterward--   I had reached the end of my rope and here we were with a whole 4 days of the trail. Blood Mountain was a trip, we were walking up waterfalls, negotiating slick rock, and trying to get to Neel's Gap in a timely manner. When we finally did get to the gap, it was a zoo. There were hikers everywhere! Crazy. We gratefully took the last available room that they had. I was pretty comfy there but anxious about bailing off the trail so soon. At the same time though I wondered when I would actually get to see any of Georgia. I was really sick of the fog.
Date: 2009-03-28
From: Neel's Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 5, Zero Day in Neel's Gap   Yes, it's true. I zeroed. 4 days, less than 40 miles in, and here I am, parked in our "cabin" room here at Neel's Gap.    Rain this morning wasn't worse than any other day, but I woke up and discovered that I'd gotten my period, which made zeroing a done deal. It's a week early, too! Indoor plumbing it is. It's hard enough to deal with in the woods, but combined with rain, forget it.    We got a ride back to the gap to secure the room another night, and to buy a few limited provisions for the day. I can't wait for a real grocery so I don't have to only eat processed crap. Anyway, we came back here and had most of the place to ourselves, since all of the hikers here last night moved into the hostel. We were able to wash and dry most of our gear, watch "Point Break" which was hilarious, and make noodles for lunch. I took a nap after all that, and now it's nearing 3:30 pm. It's peaceful and quiet here, and I like it a lot. We had a great day.    Matt read me an article about Scott Williamson hiking the PCT 10 times and doing 40 mile days and such, which makes me feel great about being tired on the 4th day in and hiking as many miles over four days as he does in 1, but what can I do? I can't be influenced by what other people are doing. If I want to zero and watch Point Break and rest and dry out, I should. If there weren't so many around I don't think I'd be hemming and hawing so much. Any other trip I wouldn't think twice about what I want.    Also, I have to let go from any plan or expectation. I didn't expect to have to buy a new rain jacket or zero or get my period a week early but that all happened, and it's going to have to be okay.    It's still raining really hard, but supposedly it will finally blow out by the morning. Back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2009-03-30
From: Red Clay Gap

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 7, 14.2 miles, 8:30 am - 5:45 pm   I was freezing last night! The temperature plunged down toward 20 degrees, and it was crazy windy until early morning. I didn't sleep well, but eventually I did warm up, and I was grateful for that.    We woke to unbelievable sun and blue skies. Too cold to linger at our camp, but we were easily able to pack and eat because finally it's a morning where it's not raining!    I did have the unsettling experience of hearing hunting dogs, pit bulls we saw last night, go after a wild hog. The dogs were barking like crazy and I could hear the hog screaming. I'm not against hunting the hogs in general, but perhaps that is an exceptionally violent way to die, being torn apart by pit bulls, and it freaky to hear all that with breakfast.    Besides that, we had a happy morning admiring dry trail, mossy rockslides, Georgia pines, and the dark surrounding ridgelines. There was nice ridgewalking with mountain views through the trees, but long ups and steep downs over Blue, Rocky, and Tray Mountains.    We took a long break at the Cheese Factory Site, which I really liked. Matt showed me where he & Jill camped in 2004, and I loved it, it looked like a secluded place in the laurels. After that I was hiking on fumes to Tray Mountain Shelter where we were treated to our first trail magic--Doritos and vanilla pudding. Then, at the shelter, Kevin shared a Subway sandwich with us. Wow, all in one afternoon. We made dinner there and headed on to the last part of the day, which was uneventful except for seeing a huge pack of wild hogs. Some were black and huge, some were little and white. They really destroy the woods, though, you can see rooted up trail everywhere.    I was dying to rest and lounge today, and soak it up in streams, but our food supply doesn't permit a long day tomorrow. So I'm pretty proud of us for hiking 2 longish days in a row.    Our campsite tonight is soft and level, has a great spring, and even greater view of the sun going down. We're the only ones here so it's quiet.    I am still feeling a bit anxious and questioning if I can walk for over 5 months over tough terrain to Maine. Every day is challenging for me. I told Matt that I am not a good backpacker because I am afraid of strong wind, thunderstorms, and heights.    We are now down to 3 more days in Georgia.
Date: 2009-04-01
From: Dick's Creek Gap/Hiawassee, GA

To: Dick's Creek Gap/Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 9, Zero Day    A new month, but instead of being out on the trail, I'm propped on pillows and drinking cold beer. More rain this morning, and more on the way tonight, so I'm not too sad about being indoors! I am sore, my knees feel tweaked, so it's probably a good idea to rest and repair. And eat. I've lost 3-4# so far. Admittedly that makes me pretty happy! I sent a mass email out, and I've gotten about 5 replies, so that makes me happy, too. The lobby has hot choc chip and oatmeal cookies. Happiness. I'm feeling good about the hike again, despite a lot of forecasted rain and t-storms for this week. Onward!* * *    A lazy, happy day for us. Hiawassee is a cute town, and in the morning, before the rain, we walked around a bit and took in the sights. I think it was one of our better town stops.
Date: 2009-04-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Recap of the last 3 days...(written out in Hiawassee)   Coming out of Neel's Gap with no rain trying to drown us was unbelievable. I could FINALLY see more than 10' in front of me, being able to see out into the woods and surrounding ridges was so wonderful.    The ridge after Neel's Gap has good views and a lot of good campsites. Lots of people left the gap that day, so we were passed and passed others all day long. Most were headed to Low Gap Shelter, but we made dinner there and moved on.    After dinner, the wind picked up and the temp. continued to drop. The trail was routed on a mostly level woods road. The sky was darkening and the wind howling, making me agitated and wanting camp! Finally we stopped at Red Clay Gap and managed to stake out the tent in a grove of laurels. It was more protected in there.    The next day was our first sunny day on the trail and I finally relaxed a little. Finally a good day to hike, one that you fantasize about before you head out. We walked steadily all day that day.    During the day I am very tired. Right now I think it's because we don't have a ton of snacks. Our next food drop is better and hopefully that will help the problem. I think I will have to deal with taking time off to rest and recouperate from the trail. Not everyone needs to do it but I think I do. I always feel better about everything after I sleep well, eat, and relax. I hit a wall easily and I haven't been sleeping well.    Most likely we will do 12 miles into NC tomorrow. I am excited for a new state, but I am sad to already be leaving GA with its good treadway, generous grades, big trees, and nice views. Parts of the trail have been recently relocated, for the better, for sure. Matt says the trail is completely different from the GA he remembers from 5 years ago.
Date: 2009-04-02
From: Dick's Creek Gap/Hiawassee, GA

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Day 10, 11.8 miles 10:15 am - 5:15 pm   7 pm now and I am cold and damp in the shelter, pinned in my bag, waiting for the mice to come out. Surprisingly there are only 3 others here, Kevin and the Browns. We are up at 4600' with more wind, rain, and cold. April, it's spring on the AT, bringing us shitty weather, and a steep trail that welcomed us to North Carolina. I wanted to be here, this is my life.    Trying to push away negative mood, we'll get there. * * *   I go into this day more later, but it was our first night in a shelter and I was convinced I'd be eaten up by rodents, from all the horror stories I'd heard. Actually it was fine and the vermin was no where to be found. Mice in shelters didn't show up for us until Vermont.
Date: 2009-04-03
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 11, 12.5 miles, 9 am to 4:15 pm   Oh, we were lucky last night. Only 5 people in the shelter, no mice to bother us, and torrential rain with tons of wind all night. I am so glad that we stayed "inside." We ate breakfast, drank coffee, and generally delayed going out into the rain, wind, cold, and fog.    I sound like a broken record with that.    Except for the constant wind, and rain on my gear, it was a quiet day on the trail. Not much to see but mud and laurel tunnels. Up to 5600' we went, on a woods road, to Standing Indian Mountain.    Now it's finally breaking up a bit, but I wanted to sleep in the shelter again tonight. I arrived here very tired for some reason, and I wanted to cut down on chores. 6 here tonight with a few tenting.    Hiking today was only okay. Sometimes you have to do your miles. Hopefully tomorrow will be nicer and we can go farther. Some are doing 19, 25 mile days but I am not ready for that--if I'll ever be. This trip is still daunting, but I feel better, I think. * * *   That morning we ran into Motor, Bunyan, and Pellet, who stayed in the shelter north of us. They said that there were 25+ people there! I feel sorry for anyone having to tent through that crap. Ugh. At camp we met Chele, who is also from Indiana. He was excited to see us. He hikes fast, though, so he quickly moved north of us.
Date: 2009-04-04
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Stream MP 108.6, 1 mi N of Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 12, 16.8 miles, 7:30 am - 6 pm   A freezing but clear morning. At the shelter I stood covered in every layer I had, crunching down cereal, too cold to sit down. We changed, packed, and ate in 45 minutes this morning and starting hiking as fast as we could to warm up.    We quickly hiked the 4 1/2 miles to Mooney Gap in sun shiny skies. When we reached the gap, there were a bunch of hikers and trail angels giving out magic. I had a doughnut, banana, and coffee and took an apple for the road. It was great! Everyone was so nice. Jakebrake '04, who we met in NY, we also there. Crazy how you meet up with people. We hung out for 1/2 hour, and then took off up the ridge.    The sight of the sun and the clear day was amazing. The moss and rock dripped with water, and we could see out and far. The wind, for once, was calm, and the day was bright, silent, and peaceful. The woods are brown and finally dry, with the sun lighting them all up. Everything looked so pretty. It was great to finally walk in the woods sans horizontal rain, cold scouring wind, and fog obscuring the visibility.    Not too many people on the trail today, I think everyone took off for the party in Franklin. Not me! Today is too nice a day to be in town, especially since it's going to start raining tomorrow, with snow forecasted!    Nearly 17 miles today has tired me out and tweaked my knees a bit. I hope I hold up. We finally walked 100 miles today, but we have a long way to go. * * *   What a great day! Trail magic, sun, dry trail, and views from Albert Moountain. Actually I had a funny conversation with one of the angles at Mooney Gap. I mentioned that we didn't take the stairs on the Approach Trail, that we took the old route instead. This guy said, "Well, you can go back and do it later." I started laughing until I realized that he was dead serious. Then I just blew it off. Really? Go back and hike a 1/2 mile section that I missed on a blue blaze? I still thought that the honest suggestion was funny.