morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-03-22
From: Hawk Mountain 

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a restless night punctuated with spliting headaches. I kicked myself for not drinking enough water and becoming dehydrated. It didn't rain all night until 6am when the pitter of rain started. It was pointless lying in my sleeping bag so I noticed Mountain Dew's tent alight so got up and and asked if he wanted to get going. He was keen so we ate quickly and hauled ass (as they say). The next shelter was 7.3 miles away and we made steady progress, especially as the weather report predicted rain all day and we wanted to be the first to get a sleeping spot!Everybody had mentioned how tough Sassafras Mountain was, but I didn't find it that tough. Mountain Dew had a bit of a fright because his Camelback had leaked and he had little water. Normally it wouldn't be a problem as there are lots of streams in these mountains, but there wasn't one for the next 7 miles. I offered to share of course, but we were delighted to come across a few ten liter containers near a gap that Ron my shutter driver had left. Another example of trail magic. We were the first of about 35 people to leave Hawk Mountain and only four passed us, so we got a good place in Gooch Shelter. We were met by Tom the Trail Runner, who is employed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to hike over the ridges, which is where it runs, and monitor safety and littering. The rest of the hikers from the previous shelter arrived in drips and drabs through the rest of the afternoon, and it was interesting to meet lots of new people. At about 4pm a handful of teenage girls arrived from the opposite direction with the excellent news that a church group was making chicken stew for dinner for hikers. More trail magic! At two milss to walk in the ran with no shelter there, some of us decided not to go but about 15 did. They tended to be the younger men, many of whom had been in the military. We did promise to be there at 8am for the English muffins, coffee, hot chocolate and oat meal porridge, they promised. The next question is, "How many rats will run over our faces tonight?"
Date: 2015-03-23
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter 

To: Lance Creek 
Miles today: 8.5

 Motivated by the prospect of hot breakfast most of us in the shelter rose early and walked the two miles towards breakfast in double quick time. We were not disappointed and the Adventure Minsteries group provided us with hot coffee muffins, fruit and Christian literature. The next few miles traversed some good hills for a couple of hours with amazing views across the valleys of North Georgia. The vegetation is still very much in winter mode with millions of leafless trees blanketing the Appalachian range. The ground is carpeted with dead brown leaves from red oak, hickory, cedar, poplar and all the other trees I can't identify yet. The distant hills look like they are swathed in soft grey smoke. Only the occasional patches of green pines and red bud blooms adding a smidgen of colour. At about lunchtime we passed through Woody Gap which is a road through the mountains and incredibly there was more trail magic. A young couple who had thru hiked last year had set up a table at a parking area and were cooking chili and burgers and giving away sodas, fruit and chocolate bisuits. I managed to get a cell phone signal and called Helen. It was the first time we had spoken and we started to make plans for her to visit me on the trail. Mountain Dew had walked ahead to find a good camping place near Lance Creek which was full of hikers preparing to climb Blood Mountain the next day. He found a lovely spot in the woods on a ridge away from the biggest group. A young German couple joined us then so did a young Texan couple, and then a doctor from Indiana. We had a perfect evening around the fire under the stars and saw a Luna eclipse. I learned what the Big Dipper looked like and various northern hemisphere constellations. We all ate well because tomorrow night will be spent at a hostel and resupply point. After five days I'm looking forward to a shower, and to wash my clothes.
Date: 2015-03-24
From: Lance Creek

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: few clouds

 The coyotes howled and squabbled a bit last night but I had the best nights sleep so far. No headaches - yay. Mountain Dew is very efficient and I scrambled to get everything packed so we could get going while he patiently waited. As usual I took the lead as I'm faster up the hills which the days normally starts with. Within half an hour I heard a rustling above me on the hillside and a silver and black coyote came rushing through the trees, crossed the trail and vanished into the woods. I was delighted and the positive feeling sustained me up and over the next ridge. The usual ridge line walking was punctuated with dips into valleys where there was plenty of stream water. I came over a rise and there in font of me were two white tailed deer, which again filled me with delight. Further on the trail apparently they are plentiful, but these were my first.Blood Mountain was named before the settlers after a disastrous battle between the Creeks and the Cherokee, at Slaughter Gap. The all round views were spectacular and I could have looked for ages, but the wily Mountain Dew encouraged me to get to the cabins at Neel Gap before they were taken by the hikers coming up behind us, because I was the fastest. The downhill was brutal and took a bit of a toll on my knees, and twinges warning me to take it easy. As usual Mountain Dew caught up with me on the home straight and the stone building next to the main road was the first bit of civilization we had seen. Inside was a very well equiped outdoor store and bunkhouse. The sales people have all hiked the trail, as evidenced by their beards, and offer a free shakedown service. This means they go through your pack and chuck out and anything you don't need, and then sell you more stuff you do. Their prices are quite high but it's quite a remote location so not unreasonable. I only bought a simple water filter for $25 which I should have bought in the first place instead of my $89 pump. I can just see Helen rolling her eyes at this!We agreed to share a cabin with the young couple we had camped with the previous night, so the cost was only $15 each. This incuded them doing laundry for us, a not insubstantial consideration. The shower was heavenly. Mountain Dew, Shades, Tattoo and I will share a couple of hot pizzas tonight and turn in early. We plan to do nearly 13 miles tomorrow which will be our biggest day so far. We will go back to 9 or 10 for a few days then start pushing toward the 15 mile level and see how the bodies fare.
Date: 2015-03-25
From: Neel Gap 

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: broken clouds

 We left the cabin just as it was getting light about 7.30, anticipating a sunny day as per the weather report. Within minutes it started raining, so it meant taking off the pack, putting on the rain jacket and pants, and slogging on. The rain pants were sweltering within half an hour so I took them off and could just imaging Joe Fubel, saying, "I told, you rain pants weren't necessary." Hiking the 13 miles (20.8km) wasn't too bad and I am reasonably happy with my fitness level. I got into Low Gap camp and shelter at about 2pm which meant 5.5 hours hiking which isn't bad given the rain, the very rugged terrain and a 35lb pack. My intention is to average 14 miles per day so I'm not far off. The big question is if I can sustain that for 25 more weeks without physical injury. Hiking down some of these very steep rocky mountains in the rain is a bit tricky especially when you are concentrating less at the end of the day. I did see my first burst of daffodils which was a ray of sunshine in a gloomy day, and dedicated them to Marina, my Mom, who loves them. The wildflowers are starting to appear which adds another layer of interest to the wintery woods. At Low Gap we pitched our tends and went to look around. On the plus side a pretty stream ran through the camp so water was easy to refill. On the negative, the privy was overflowing, so campers had to make do in the woods. The other hikers from the last shelter arrived in one's and twos throughout the afternoon. At this stage I am in the top quarter in terms of arriving at each campsite. Maybe it's because I leave earlier than the youngsters!
Date: 2015-02-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I've been planning a thru-hike of the AT since December of 2013. It's been fun and exciting, but now that's it's less than 2 months away, it's getting real. Seriously, what kind of a fool would leave a good job, with little chance of returning to it, to go hiking for 5-6 months? I've ask myself that several times in the last few weeks and the answer is without a doubt, "me".I can't explain why with any clarity, it's just something that I must do. My 2 sons, Eric and Jared, are being as supportive as I could imagine, for which I am so grateful. Thanks guys.Brian
Date: 2015-02-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I've worked for a major contract security company for about 12 years now and I have to say that I like the people I work with. I've been with the same client for about 8 years now and work with some really good people on that end as well. This last Monday I told my boss and our client that I was leaving to do a thru-hike of the AT and I'd be leaving March 27th. They were both very cool about and being pretty supportive, after the initial pause of surprise. They're even trying to see if they can give me my job back when I return, but I personally think it's a bad idea considering the circumstance. I'm blown away by the sentiment though. It just goes to show what good people I work with. My boss even suggested that I wear the company brand, take a GoPro and do some interviews with some company marketing folks during my hike. The offer is amazing, but its not what I envisioned for my thru-hike. still mulling that over.I'm in the process of trying to get everything wrapped up on the home front by automating bills, making sure things are fixed around the house and getting my 2 wonderful sons to help out with the house when I'm gone. Cheers.
Date: 2015-02-26
To: Just a Month Away
Miles today: 0.0

And a few days. I fly out to Atlanta on April 2nd and will hit the Approach trail the next morning. I already have reservations at the Hiker Hostel and it seems like it'll be a nice place to start out from. I'm exited and a little nervous, which is probably a good thing. I have enough gear to get stated right now, but I want to update some before I leave. Maybe a new rain jacket and a warmer puffy. I hear the weather back east is pretty cold this year and want to be well insulated.The folks at work have been super supportive and it looks like I'll have a job to come back to, if I want it. Not what I expected and I'm very grateful.What I've discovered is that getting ready for the trail isn't half as difficult as trying to tie up loose ends on the home front. Making sure the bills are going to be payed on time, the house taken care of, etc. It sure helps to have good people you can count on to help out.
Date: 2015-03-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The last month went by faster than I expected. My last day of work was on Friday, but I don't think it's hit me quite yet. It's a pretty liberating feeling, but I'll certainly miss the people I worked with. I'm fine tuning my packing list and probably stressing a little too much on what to pack. The big dilemma is weight vs. comfort. It looks like my base pack weight (without food, fuel, and water) will be around 18 1/2 pounds. Fully loaded, I'm looking at around 27-28 pounds. Not too bad considering I'm packing for colder weather.I'm going to double check my plane and hostel reservations today, and work on my menu for the first 3-4 days on the trail. I'll also look at the first few days of my AT Guide, for tenth time or so.I'm really looking forward to this.Cheers.
Date: 2015-04-03
From: Amicalola State Park

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: clear sky

4/3/15 Day 1 - I left the Hiker Hostel with the shuttle at about 8:30 am and made it to Amicalola State Park 45 minutes later and the driver, a nice guy, told us to go into the visitor's center and register as a thru hike. Once I inside we were greeted by a couple of nice young ladies who asked me, and the rest of the group that came I the shuttle, to weigh our packs and then come back and sign the register. My pack weighed in at 32 lbs. I signed in and receive the number 957 as my hiker number. Myself, Katie, Doren, Ingo, Andy and his wife each had our pictures taken at the archway leading to the approach trail right before starting our hike. The approach trail isn't officially a part of the AT, but quite a few hike it to take in the beautiful waterfalls. Weaving back and forth right in front of the falls are stairs and walkways that provide a close up view. A teenage couple were taking what was obviously a romantic walk a short way in front of me for about half the climb up the stairs. http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=920562 The approach trail is no joke. I reached the summit of Springer Mountain in the early afternoon. I signed the register and had a couple of pictures taken. Ingo got there a little after I did. From there, we hiked another 2.8 miles to Stover Creek Shelter. It's a pretty nice shelter with a nearby water source and privy. I set up my tent, ate dinner and talked to a few of the other people staying the night there to include Superman, Patrick and Corey. In the middle of the night the rain started and came down hard and lasted for several hours. My shoes, which I left out of the tent but under the awning were soaked and some of my other gear was damp from rain splashing to the sides, but for the most part it turned out fine.
Date: 2015-04-04
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

4/4/15 Day 2 - The rain stopped and while breakdown was a little wet, I was on the trail fairly early after some coffee and a Honey Bun. Honey Buns are valued not only for their deliciousness, but their high fat content which is what hikers are looking for. Hikers burn 4-5 thousand calories a day on the trail.I was in excellent spirits as I walked through the beautiful forest alongside a stream lined by plush vegetation. After a couple of miles I encountered the Georgia Adventurer's Club putting on some pretty good trail magic. They had this white trailer that they ask hikers to sign with Sharpie markers. It looked like there were just about a hundred or so signatures on it until I got a little closer, then I saw the layers of faded signatures. Hikers must have been signing this thing for years, a testament to how long the club's been doing this. The weather was good and the trail was pretty smooth so I pushed on to Gooch Gap where I caught up with Jedi and first met Tarp Man while getting water. There was a nice fire going that night and some good conversation while we all stared at the fire. Very primal and comforting.
Date: 2015-04-05
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Lance Creek Campground
Miles today: 8.5

4/5/15 Day 3 - Today was a good day. I hiked around 11 miles the first day, April 3rd, and 13 miles the second day. My right knee starting hurting some going down hill yesterday, and about the same today, but I've found a duck foot way of going down the steeper parts that prevents it from hurting too bad. I've met so many interesting and cool people on the trail so far but having a little trouble remembering everyone's name. I hiked with Patrick yesterday, an interesting young German who just finished university. I kept pace with a young couple today and kind of leap frog throughout the 8.5 miles we hiked. We started at Gooch Mountain Shelter and decided to camp out at the Lance Creek campsite. I forget the young man's name (Cody?), but his wife's name is "B" and their 3 legged dog's name is Lash. They're a fun couple to hang out with. The big push for tomorrow will be for Neels Gap. It's suppose to rain in the morning and everyone wants a stop at the hostel there so they can shower, wash clothes, and sleep in a bunk. I have a feeling there's going to be a bit of a mad dash. The problem is that there's limited bunk space and at least 20 people hiking in tomorrow. There's a bit of an obstacle between here an Neels Gap and that's Blood Mountain. It's an elevation increase of 1200 feet in just a couple of miles which make for slow going. It's also restricted to camp there unless you have a bear canister because there's a clever bear who's learned how to steal food bags that hikers hang every night. Of course no one has a bear canister, they weigh over 2 pounds for the smaller ones!The hiking is good and the company is hard to beat. Hitting the sack in a few so I better get organized.
Date: 2015-04-06
From: Lance Creek Campground

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

4/6/15 Day 4 - I woke up at 4:15 this morning and laid in my tent for a while before getting up. There was a group of about 20-25 people at the campsite and no one else was awake yet. My sleeping bag is nice and warm, by the way. Glad I payed the extra money.Got up around 5:15 and packed up. "B", Cody(?), and Lash (their 3 legged dog) were on the trail about 10 minutes before me. We talked about stopping At Woods Hole Shelter for breakfast. It was still dark when I hit the trail so I was using my head lamp. Not something I want to do often, but I wanted to beat the crowd to Neels Gap. I almost caught up to the trio at Woods Hole and thought about breakfast, but felt a few raindrops on my arm so I kept going. It would have been another half mile to go to the shelter and back to the trail. I stopped on trail and had a honey bun and some trail mix for breakfast. I continued on to Blood Mountain Shelter which is on top of, you guessed it, Blood Mountain. It's a 1600 foot climb. I was passed by Cole and Mountain Man Matt before reaching the top where we met some local campers. Cole and Matt asked if I wanted to share a cabin with them at Neels Gap. About half of today's 7.5 miles was in some impressive rain. It wasn't too bad though because I was wearing a good jacket and generated some serious heat with the 30 lb pack on my back.We got to the cabin and it ended up costing us $15 a piece after bringing in another hiker, Mover. Mover is an interesting person. He's hiked the entire PCT and now hiking the Florida Trail and the AT. He's got some serious blond dreadlocks, and I swear they make him go faster. He can put in the miles.We all put our very dirty and smelly clothes in a bag and the staff at Blood Mountain Cabin washed them for us. What a deal. Me and Matt each devoured a Red Baron Pizza and went to the outfitter for resupply. Cole and Mover decided to hitch to town to get some beer and resupply. I'm sitting her planning my hike for tomorrow and think I'll shoot for 12 miles to Low Gap Shelter. Looks like rain for the rest of the week, but that's ok, I'm just glad to be here.
Date: 2015-04-07
From: Neels Gap

To: Undesignated Campsite
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

4/7/15 Day 5 - I got up around 6:30, had some breakfast and started hiking at 8 am. The plan was to go about 12 miles to Low Gap shelter.   It was misty and a little foggy for most of the morning, a dim lit forest out of a Grimm Fairytale. Mountain Man Matt showed up and we hiked in the fog for about five and a half miles. It was nice, even with the mist. At around 11 am we came out of the woods onto a road where we were met with some "trail magic". A few people from a local ministry set out some coffee with a bunch of Little Debbie cakes. It's always nice to meet up with Trail Angels, Whether it's an outdoor club, a religious group, or just a person doing it on their own, they truly enjoy feeding and talking with us hikers. I've come across trail magic 3 times so far and I'm just blown away by it. We were making good time, even though there were a couple of fairly steep hills to climb, so we decided to go to a campsite about 1.4 miles further to avoid the shelter, which isn't the nicest and purported to have a rat or two that stops by to steal food while your sleeping. So we walked on at a pretty good pace but couldn't seem to find the campground. After close to an hour we figured we must have passed by it and actually went 3 miles more instead. We were pretty close to a water source and there was a makeshift camp spot beside the trail, so we decided to stop. 6 of us set up our tents of hammocks for the night to include myself, Mountain Man Matt, a young woman named More Please, G-Man, Andrew, and anther young man from Boston. 15 miles today. A little more than I planned but it turned out to be a good day.
Date: 2015-04-08
From: Undesignated Campsite

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

4/8/14 Day 6 - Got up this morning just before the sun rose and was on the trail a little after 8. G man, More Please, Paul, and Andrew left a little before me while Mountain Man and Tarp Man left a little after. We all met up at Blue Mountain Shelter for a break, aired out our feet, and used the nearby privy. A privy is a luxury that shouldn't be passed by. Were all pretty much keeping similar paces and would see each other when a good place for a beak became apparent. We came across trail magic twice today, once at Unicoi Gap when we crossed the road, and again a few miles later. Gotta love Trail Angels. I think I'm being a bit too ambitious with my miles. I planned on 10-11 today but then decided to go just a couple more to Tray Mountain Shelter. I'm just plain wore out tonight and the arch of my left foot is pretty sore. I do enjoy hanging with our informal group though. The gnats were pretty annoying around the shelter until Paul broke out some incense and lit them in the shelter. The gnats disappeared and all 7 of us just sat there for a while winding down from the pretty difficult day. Gnat free. It's the little things.I'm only going as far as Dick's Creek Gap tomorrow where I'll try to find a bunk at the nearby Top of the Mountain Hostel. It'll be about time for another resupply as well. I hear the nearby town of Hiawassee is a pretty good place to visit. I might just   take a zero there to recuperate.   Not sure though, the GA-NC state line is only 20 miles away and that's a milestone I'm looking forward to.
Date: 2015-04-09
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 11.0

4/9/15 Day 7 - The forecast called for rain today but fortunately the weatherman is off his game. I fully expected to wake up to rain beating on my tent, but the stars were out instead. It was a beautiful day and aside from being a little wore out, the hiking was good. It was a pretty steep climb up Addis Knob and then a long descent into Dick's Creek Gap where we were met again with some trail magic. There were a lot of hikers there, some deciding where to stay for the night, and others moving on. The forecast of thunderstorms persuaded a lot of us to stay in Hiawassee tonight. A veteran hiker named Flappy Feet was at Dick's Creek Gap in a Prius, but offered to call his wife to bring his truck by so he could give 4 of us a ride. Paul and Andrew hitched a ride before his wife arrived with the truck. The 6 of us decided to go spend a night at The Holiday Inn Express in town. I'm sharing a room with More Please (MP) and Paul, while Mountain Man, Andrew and Tarp Man are downstairs. G man decided to keep going down the trail. We met up after cleaning up and went to Daniel's All You Can Eat buffet, and we did. Another good day.