morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-12-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It seems every time I buy the last gear item needed, I find something else I can't do without! This time it was Patagonia's hoodini jacket. On a recent trip my hiking buddy was wearing his hoodini during a steady day long rain and it kept him bone dry. I was impressed and at 3 oz it seemed almost negligent not to buy it. So I bought it. When my rain jacket is too warm to wear, this looks like a viable alternative.
Date: 2014-12-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I've been going back and forth on whether to check my backpack in at the airport or not. I don't know if my stove and fuel bottle will make it thru the scrutiny and be confiscated or the pack itself will be damaged or lost. I'm leaning toward boxing it up fully packed with the exception of fuel and mailing it ups to the hiker hostel. I'll wear my hiking clothes and boots for the flight which will give me the added bonus of not having to mail anything home when I arrive! The only thing I will have on the plane is awols trail guide which will give me something to do during the flight. Only 69 days left of a career of 30 years. I will not miss going to work, I'll be too busy enjoying the fruits of my labor. My wife will also be retiring at the end of the school year and meeting up with me here and there. I will have 5 weeks before I leave to dehydrate food, box up mail drops and attend to various chores on the home front. See ya on the trail!
Date: 2014-12-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Now that I have decided on all my gear and purchased it, my attention has shifted to other matters. I've been plagued with a case of plantar faciitus since around July. Icing and stretching helped some but it was still painfull. So I had a stiffer pair of orthodics made which, once again, helped but didn't take care of the problem. My doctor then gave me a pair of booties to wear in the evening after icing to stretch the ligaments. I fondly call them my Forrest Gumpers. The right heel is now pain free but the left has not improved much. I also have been doing stretching exercises which seem to give some short time relief. Back to the Podiatrist. Considering I'll be on the trail in about 3 months, he gave me a shot of cordizone in the left heel to get this thing cleared up. I'll be seeing him again in a month for assessment and either a clean bill of health or another shot. One thing is certain, I'll be on the trail on March 24th. I will be taking it easy as far as prep hikes go for the duration but after that its full speed ahead!
Date: 2014-12-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Went crazy at the grocery store yesterday. Bought enough energy bars and snickers to cover me for almost the entire trip. Also bought enough food for about 20 weeks worth of meals. Most are Knorr sides, pasta, rice, mashed potato and couscous. I'll be dehydrating up a storm after I retire on 2-13. I borrowed a couple of dehydrators so I'll have 3 of them going at once. Next stop will be staples and the post office to see which will be best for getting boxes for mail drops. Lastly, I'll get all the drop boxes filled, labeled and ready to be sent. Originally, I had planned on only about 9 drops, but it seemed like everywhere I'll be staying accepts drops. I figured my time would be better spent pounding food and beer down in town than wandering around Walmart, which I've never been in, or some other food store. Can barely contain myself, getting sooo close! --- Shrub
Date: 2015-01-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I was going to take advantage of the cold weather in ma. to spend the night in the tent and to see if my sleeping bag could still cut it. I'v got a nf cats meow 20* bag which has worked well for me. I was going to use it for the first part of the trip but when I put all my gear in the backpack, I had a hard time getting everything in. The cats meow took up a lot of space and its 20 years old so there was some question in my mind as to its ability to keep me warm. So after arguing with myself for a while, I convinced the part of my brain that doesn't like spending money to loosen up, a lot! I bought a bag from Feathered Friends. It's the swallow UL 20* bag. 900 fill, weighs in at 1lb. 10ozs and once packed in its stuff sack its 7x12 in. I figure in a compression sack I can get that size down to a smaller footprint and free up a lot of space in my pack. The cost was, with a 10L OR air purge compression sack about $500. A lot of cash but this bag will last the rest of my life, which will be a very long time I hope. 56 days to Springer, can't wait to start running into some trail mates!
Date: 2015-02-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Tic-Toc, Tic-Toc. The clock is counting down. I've only 3 weeks left on the job and I'm taking off the middle week and going up to the Whites to play in the snow. Dehydrators have been going full tilt. Only things left to do are repackage food for drop boxes and UPS pack to the Hiker Hostel. This retirement thing is still a little surreal. Hard to believe after 47 years I won't be punching a card. I think I'll get over it real quick and what better way to distance myself from work than to take a long walk, a real long walk. Only 44 days to lift-off and muddy boots!
Date: 2015-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Only 27 days left to Springer mtn. Will finish up my food drying over the weekend, make my granola and go over my gear one last time before sending it to the Hiker Hostel Monday. Will have enough supplies to get me to Dicks Creek Gap. I'll be heading into Hiawassee for resupply and town amenities. Next stop will be Fontana dam for another night of easy living and pick up my drop box. After that the magic eight ball gets a little hazy. I'm hoping to start hitting my stride at that time. Like everyone else at this point, can't wait to get this thing started. No more anticipation, just wide eyed awe that the adventure has started. See ya soon!
Date: 2015-03-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I did something that makes the hike more real than any of the prep work, gear selection, gear buying, trail planning, plane ticket, drop box figuring. I sent my backpack to Georgia. A year and a half of planning, 44 years of waiting, countless backpacking trips, section hikes, ice climbing, rock climbing, winter mountaineering, and, of course, day hikes, have brought me to the cusp of a dream! I'm going to thru hike the A.T. Did I forget to pack something, Oh well, I'll buy it when I can't find it in my pack. Didn't do my homework on a piece of equipment, Oh well, I'll figure it out before I get to Katahdin! Not in the shape of my life, Oh well, the trail will tell me where I'm lacking and show me the way! The only thing left to do is lace up the boots and start hiking. 20 days, 20 days, Lord Almighty, 20 days.   Shrub
Date: 2015-03-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, made it thru the first full week of retirement and I have to say it was very, very, nice! Finished up with my drop boxes. What a pain in the ass those turned out to be. Hopefully it will have been worth it. I ended up with 12 boxes, after that I'll be resupplying as I go. Once I get up around n.y. or ct my wife Sue will be seeing me about once a week so resupply will be easy. Got the dentist and doctor visits out of the way. Meds are updated and precautionary scripts have been bought. I can't think of anything I may have missed but I know that something was overlooked or forgotten. 11 days and it all starts. Hoping for nice weather, little rain and plenty of water sources. My next entry will be from Georgia and the A.T.   Shrub
Date: 2015-03-25
From: hawk mtn shelter

To: Gooch shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: moderate rain

Another 8 my day. A couple of good climbs followed by steep decents. Stayed in the shelter with denmark. We hiked together today and seem to be alike., old and slow compared to the youngsters out here. Made it to the shelter, did my chores and hit the hay. Started raining about 10pm. Glad to be in the lean to tonight.
Date: 2015-03-26
From: Gooch shelter

To: stealth camp
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

Started off with some rain on and off. Made a beeline for Gooch gap 30 15 tarp set up with trail magic. Trail magic is when people give you food drink or what have you to thru hikers. We like trail magic.hot oatmeal tea fruit. Thank you james.
Date: 2015-03-27
From: stealth camp

To: neels gap
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Getting a signal out here has been tough. So I'm going to condense this while I have a signal. Broke down camp and packed up a wet tent very cold fingers numb. Felt good to get hiking. Lots of climbs. More magic burgers and everything else. Put onot by some ministry for further reference god people. Cold all day hiking in shorts and tee with rain jacket for warmth. Stayed at low gap shelter got down to about 18 degrees. Warm in my super bag. Got up and skipped breakfast too cold. Went about 11.5 miles yesterday and 9.5 today. Got to Unicoi gap and got a shuttle to top of ga hostel. Town food. Shower and a bunk. Heavenly. Went to an all you can eat buffet.
Date: 2015-04-02
From: Unicoi gap

To: muskrat shelter
Miles today: 65.6
Weather: moderate rain

Left the shelter at 8:45. Foggy, cold and wet. Went over standing Indian mtn at 5498 ft.. could not see more than 50 yes all day. Got to carter gap shelter but it was full. The germans, roadrunner and his brother chim, and about 5 others where there. We refer to them as the young horde. Their faster than us and usually get the shelter spaces first. Trying to talk them into hiking further so we have a chance to get a spot in the shelter. Yesterday we talked a couple of guys into giving up there space for a couple old guys. I don't think that's going to work again since were doing the same milage as they are. We decided to keep hiking another 3.5m to a tenting area. If we're going to set up in the rain we might as well get a few more mies in. Got the tent up, dinner cooked, and set for bed. Listening to the rain hitting the tent. Good night. 16.2 my today.
Date: 2015-04-03
From: Betty creek gap

To: winding stair gap
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Packed up a wet tent and had breakfast on the fly a honey bun and protein bar,yum! The big climb of the day was Albert mtn at 5250 ft. It was a steep climb and long. There was a fire tower at the top and after climbing the 4 flights of stairs I Found it padlocked. Still, had a nice view. It was a clear day but cool and windy, good hiking weather.had one other steep climb but it was't too long. We got to winding stair gap at 2:00. 13 miles in six hours. Not too bad, 2+ mph. Called Ron haven for a ride to one of his hotels, the sapphire inn. Had dinner across the st at Mi casa Mexican restaurant. 5 enchiladas a beer and a pitcher of margaritas, feeling much better the town were in is franklin. A very touristy town with a large Scottish population.
Date: 2015-04-04
From: winding stair gap

To: zero day in Franklin n.c.
Miles today: 0.0

Took a zero day, that means I did no hiking. Needed a day off after 11 days hiking. Had laundry to do, resupply for the next 2 days and rest the body. Went to an ace breakfast at the 1st Baptist chuch. They picked us up at the Inn and drove us to their church hall. All you can eat pancakes, bacon, juice and coffee. They brought us back to the Inn after eating a pile of food. I think the hiker appetite is kicking in. Did laundry on site at the inn. Roadrunner told us there was a free lunch going on at an outfitter store in town so at noon we walked the half mile to the store and enjoyed ace hotdogs and chips and soda. They also had a small draft beer room neededwhich I couldn't resist an ipa waiting for lunch. Most of the hikers from our bubble were there. A bubble is a group of hikers who are doing the same milage so you see each other at the shelters and towns. On the way back to the Inn I picked up a six pack to split with Denmark. At 4:00 we were shuttled to Walmart to rwsupply. Now, I have never set foot in a Walmart before today because they are evil. However, I needed food and that was my option so what can I SAY. In the same area was an ace Chinese place so it was another food orgy. Nice thing about hiking every day, you can eat very large amounts of food and lose weight. Back to the Inn and getting all the gear packed for tomarrow. We're going back to the church in the morning before we start hiking for more pancakes. God bless these people. Got enough food for two days when I pick up my food drop at the n.o.c. just hanging out in the room for the rest of the evening. Life is good!
Date: 2015-04-05
From: winding stair gap

To: cold spring shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Happy EASTER! Went to the ayce breakfast at the 1st Baptist church again, got a love it! Got back to the Inn, grabbed our packs and got the shuttle back to the trailhead. This was, I think, the hardest day yet. Unrelenting steep climbs, all day. When we defended it was just to set us up for a longer climb up Wayah bald. There's a pretty neat stone tower at the top with 360 views. There was also some trail magic, chicken, soda, easter candy. We stuck around for about a half hour and it being 3:30, we decided to keep hiking to the next shelter about 5.5 miles further. The fact that they were calling for rain the next day played a big part in the decision. We arrived at 7:00 to a full shelter and all the level tenting spots taken. We finally found a couple spots aND set up the tents, cooked dinner,and hung our food.
Date: 2015-04-06
From: cold spring shelter

To: Nantahala outdoor center
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Up at 6:00 and on the trail at 7:10. Light rain on and off all day. Had a decent climb for about 3 hours and then a 6 mile decent on a steep, rocky, root infested muddy trail. Denmark and I both slipped and fell in the mud; no hikers were injured, just mudded up a bit. Arrived at the Nantahala outdoor center, a big rafting complex. Unfortunately, the were no bunks left but they had a 6 person cabin available for $300 + a $75 cleaning fee. We declined. Made some calls and got a cabin for 4. We found 2 more hikers looking for a place so it ended up costing $25 each. Made dinner, plotted our course for fontana dam and the entry to the smokies. Feeling good and looking for more!
Date: 2015-04-07
From: Nantahala outdoor center

To: Stecoach gap
Miles today: 13.4

We were on the trail at 8:45 and the start of a 7.9 mile climb on a wet, muddy trail. It rained off and on all day and it was very humid just to make it more enjoyable. We finally made it to the top of cheaoh bald at 5062 ft. Then it was a 2.5 mile down, slipping and sliding with every step. Then it was about 4 smaller peaks with downs between them.We only saw 3 hikers going north and that was early in the day. Nobody passed us on the trail today! They all had better sense to hike today. It was a brutal, dangerous climb down to stecoah bald and that was it for today. Up and at them again tomarrow.
Date: 2015-04-08
From: Stecoach gap

To: cable gap shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Started hiking at 9:15 from Stecoah gap. Did 8.5 miles to cable gap shelter. 1st ones there so we had a spot in the shelter But it filled up fast. There were 14 tents and 5 in the shelter. It was a hot day about 75 and we had our usual puds, pointless ups and downs. Denmark brother is going to meet us at fontana lodge tomarrow so we had a light day. Addendum: Had to take the journal back out. I was sitting in the shelter and I saw a man coming down the trail with a rucksack on and 2 large pizza boxes. As he got closer, I saw that it was Steve, our shuttle driver from the morning ride to the trailhead. He comes over to the shelter , sits down and says "you can thank these 2 guys for this, they ordered delivery this morning. There was pizza for about 25 people and soft drinks and beer. Priceless!Addendum 2: Had to get the journal out again. A squirrel guy about 5'5 comes into the camp and sees there's one more space so he says he's going to stay in the shelter. then he tells us he has nightmares and doesn't know if there real or not and then he gets violent. I immediately get my knife figuring I might need it tonight. Just as its getting dark he tells us he's going to set up his tent instead. There are crazy people evwrywhere, including the a.t.
Date: 2015-04-09
From: cable gap shelter

To: Fontana dam
Miles today: 7.1

Started hiking at 8:00 for Fon tana dam. Denmark brother is going to meet us at the fontana lodge. That's why we did a short milage day. Pretty uneventful day; we hooked up with Denmark brother, Dennis and went to do laundry and pick up supplies. Showered up and went to dinner, pizza and a couple of beers. Dennis picked up the tab, thanks Dennis! Met up with a lot of hikers we've seen on the trail. Everyone is gearing up for the Smokies tomarrow. It's going to be crowded at the shelters.
Date: 2015-04-10
From: Fontana dam

To: mollie ridge shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Denmark brother dropped us off at the dam and walked.with us for.about a half hour. It was raining and warm so no rain gear was needed. We had our usual ups and downs till we reached the shelter around 3:00. In the smokies, you have to stay in the shelters till their full, then you can tent it. However, if you reserve a spot in the shelter ahead of time ( $4.00), you can bump the last.person out of the shelter and take his spot. Weird! But it's a crappy night so there was plenty of space for the thru hikers. Finished dinner, cleaned up, food bag is hung on the bear cable and my pack is hangoing in the shelter. Just need to brush my teeth and then I can relax on my pad and bag. Day 1 in the smokis is over!
Date: 2015-04-11
From: mollie ridge shelter

To: Derrick knob shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

On the trail at 8:30 and headed for Derrick knob shelter. Do hikers shit in the woods? They do in the smokies. Outhouses are few and far between. They do supply you with a shovel to dig your cathole, gotto love it. N.C. is a lot harder then GA was. I'mean done in by 4:00. My left knee starts to ache a little by the afternoon, as does my heels and feet. 2 alive and I'm good in the morning. We had quite a few steep climbs and decents but we made it to mile 189.
Date: 2015-04-12
From: Derrick knob shelter

To: mt Collins shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Went up and over Cling man's dome, the highest point on the A.T. at 6655 ft. With about 2.1 miles to the summit my left knee started to hurt to the point that I couldn't bend it without incredible pain. Denmark continued on and after resting for about 5 min., I took a couple of alive and tied my bandana around the base of my knee for a little support. I kind of stiff legged it to the top where there is a short spur trail to a observation walkway and a store. I skipped that part, not wanting to walk anything extra as its not part of the a.t. A hiker I knew told me Denmark had gone to the top. I told her I was continuing on to the shelter. She said she would let Denmark know. By the time I reached the shelter my knee felt ok. Turns out Denmark never got the message and there was almost a search and rescue mission cause I never showed up. I learned this later when Denmark showed up at the shelter. A perfect day in the smokies! Oh ya, at 202.8 miles.
Date: 2015-04-13
From: mt Collins shelter

To: newfound gap
Miles today: 4.5

>Hiked down to newfound gap. Decided to go into Gatlinburg to get a knee brace. When we got down to the gap we were met with trail magic. Had a sausage and biscuit sandwich and a orange soda. Another guy gave us a ride to gatlinburg,15 miles away. Got a room at the red roof inn, went to 5 guys, bought my knee brace. Hope it works! Gatlingburg is like wallyworld, and that's the main st. It's definitely for the.redneck, hillbillie tourist.It's got all sort of strange hillbillies arcades,amusement rides moonshine stores. Pretty wild.Back on the trail tomarrow.
Date: 2015-04-14
From: newfound gap

To: pecks corner shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We hitched out of gatlingburg,2 quick rides. Started out at newfound gap heading foe.pecks corner shelter.It was a nice day of hiding although it rained all day. I'm happy to Report that I had no knee pain. The brace seems to have done the trick. Back at it tomarrow.
Date: 2015-04-15
From: pecks corner shelter

To: Tri corner shelter
Miles today: 5.2

Poured all night. Got up @ND started hiking.It was raining hard , and it was a cold rain. The trail was a running stream. Soaked, cold and miserable. We went about 5 miles and stopped at the nearest shelter. Before the day was over there were 30 people in a shelter built for 14. Some people tented. Still pouringipouring! All the gear is wet, no chance of drying anything. Wrung out my hiking tee and put it back on under long John top to use my body heat to dry it. It sorta works.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Tri corner shelter

To: standing bear hostel
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: clear sky

Got going at 8:30. No rain, mud and some running water on trail. The sun came out and life was good again. We had some climbs, but a lot of easy downs. We ended up doing 18.4 miles, the most so far. It did end up raining briefly a couple times but not hard. We hiked to standing bear hostel. Nice place, ha be a bunk in the bunkhouse. Had a frozen pizza and a couple of sprites. I yogi ed a I PA from the guy running the place, sweet. Oh yeah,we're out of the smokies. Saw some deer and a quick look a a bear. It grunted and Ran. Cool!
Date: 2015-04-18
From: groundhog creek shelter

To: Walnut mt shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

Left groundhog creek shelter heading toward maine. Two cool things today. Went over Max Patch. It's a maintained bald mt top At 4629 ft. Nothing on the bald except grass with 360 views. We took a break on top with a group of thru hikers. Whiskey appeared and we all took a gulp. Hung out for a bit and took off. About 20 minotes later we ran into trail magic on a grand scale. 12 thru hikers from last year got together and planned this. They jumped in from the maX patch parking lot, roughly 20 minutes, coolers of beer, BBQ chiken, breakfast casserols, all sort of chips and dips. They had soda, juices, candy, cookies, summer sausage.Dinner was baked potato, steak and grilled asperagus. We only stayed for about 40 minutes. Ate, had a couple of beers, raided the to go box and hit the trail with a little spring to our step. If I had 1 more beer, I think I would have been putting my tent up and indulging all evening. I was later told that when the beer finally ran out, the whiskey and tequila appeared. We made it to walnut mt shelter and went into our make camp routine. Started to rain after we were settled in. Should be in hot springs tomarrow.