morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-08-22
From: Stealth Site at 2090.8

To: Stealth Site at 2106.7
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

Today started cloudy and quickly turned wet. I had to go over The Chairback Range and we had agreed that we¢d meet at the Chairback Lean-To and decide whether we¢d stop or keep going. Maverick was in front and I got to the Lean-to at about 2:00; it was packed with about 10 people staying out of the rain. No Maverick. I asked if anyone had seen him and someone told me he had used the privy and moved on. Based on the day he hiked 37 miles into Monson, I assumed he decided to just go ahead. I waited under the eave of the Lean-to for Kilo and he got there about 2:30.  It turns out that Maverick was in his tent in the woods behind the Lean-to.The rain started to let up, so Kilo and I decided to move out and go down the steep descent of Chairback. Poet had suggested that we do that on fresh legs.  We were cold and shivering, so got our rain coats on and made the steep trip down a rock scramble that was challenging, but relatively short.  We found a spot to camp a few miles later and got set up.  The rain came again right as we were making dinner so I ate in my tent. It was damp but not cold and I knew that the next few days looked clear. Before I went to sleep I looked at my AT Guide and realized that we had a stream ford right away in the morning. I crossed 2100 miles on The AT today, it¢s getting close to the end.
Date: 2018-08-23
From: Stealth Site at 2106.7

To: East Branch Lean-To
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

Kilo and I got moving at 7:00. It was not raining and it was obviously going to be a stunning day. We left camp in or crocs to avoid having to change shoes to cross the river. It was an easy ford just below the knees.  Right after the river we entered an area called The Hermitage, a beautiful forest with a gentle wide smooth path for almost 2 miles. We had a long uphill climb afterwards and passed the Gulf Hagas loop trail.  As we climbed another hiker came passed and said that Maverick was behind us. Wow. We thought he had abandoned us the prior day and we¢d eventually catch up with him. We stopped at a rock with a K and an arrow painted on it. If you stand on that rock, you can just see Katahdin for the first time. A little flutter of excitement!Maverick caught up there and we all talked about how we had missed our meet up yesterday afternoon at the shelter. He had been hiking since 5:00AM. We went up Whitecap, our last big climb before the end (we thought!) We took a side trail and had a great long distance view of Katahdin! We could also see all the way back to The Bigelows, I love that. There was cell service up there, so I made us reservations for a camp site at Abol Bridge for Sunday night and Millinocket on Tuesday and texted with Shaw¢s to confirm our food drop for tomorrow afternoon. We¢re locked in to summit in Tuesday! 5 days. We descended Whitecap and headed towards the East Branch Lean-To. We carried water and looked for a stealth spot, but the terrain was not cooperative; it was beautiful with lots of moss covered rocks, but camping would be impossible. We eventually got to the Lean-to and there was a great spot for all 3 tents and we got set up and ate, hung our food and got our gear dried out before sleep.
Date: 2018-08-24
From: East Branch Lean-To

To: AntlerÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Campsite
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

Because we had pushed a little further the last couple of days, we had a short day today. We had about 12 miles to hike by 3:30 to meet our food drop. We were there by 1:00. On the way, we stopped at Crawford Pond for a break at 10:00 and enjoyed an easy pace over great track with lots of pine covered path and puncheons.We crossed Jo Mary Road and found Poppins, a 2017 Thru-Hiker set up with trail magic.  He had beer, soda, Gatorade, candy bar, chips, and apples.  My food bag was literally empty at this point; all I had was coffee and drink mixes, so I was able to fuel up while waiting for the food drop.  The food drop arrived right on time thankfully ( I would have been in big trouble if for some reason it didn¢t show up). I dropped it into my pack and took off. I cruised the 4.2 miles into Antler¢s Campsite in about an hour and 15 minutes. I was sweating but was purposely pushing my limit to get to camp.  I got set up and Maverick and Kilo came in after. I went down to the lake and went in up to my waist and changed into dry clothes and then back up to my tent to hang my clothes and cook dinner.  Lots of other hikers rolled in at and after dark and found spots to camp and quieted down pretty quickly. We¢re in a little end bubble that has us a little concerned about crowds at the summit. More on that later.
Date: 2018-08-25
From: AntlerÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Campsite

To: Rainbow Springs Lean-To
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: overcast clouds

As I hiked this morning, I was enjoying the quiet of the forest.  Occasionally I heard the chatter of a little red squirrel scolding me for daring to walk through his woods. They have a big attitude; Maverick thinks that when we walk by and they yap at us, they think they¢ve scared us away. Once in a while a frog would jump into a muddy pond or mud puddle or stream as I walked by. The path had lots of rocks and an occasional section of smooth pine covered trail and there wasn¢t much elevation so my pace was pretty good and I made good time. Something was blooming in the forest, maybe the acres of green moss covering everything, because I could smell a flowery aroma. I couldn¢t figure out what it was, (but knew it wasn¢t me!) but it was pervasive.The Trail was suddenly difficult and challenging. Lots of roots and rocks.  A surprisingly steep but short climb up Nesuntabunt kicked my butt and had me sweating and wondering if I had somehow lost my trail legs. I think maybe it was the heat. We got a murky view of Mt Katahdin from a side trail and then 5 miles of mostly downhill with some climbs up the sides of bluffs and finally to Rainbow Springs Lean-To. We found mostly flat spots for our tents and did our nightly chores. We were all tired from a big mile day that was harder than we expected. There were quite a few people here, so again we discussed our strategies for finishing outside of a big group. We have been discussing a potential night hike of Katahdin to get a peaceful time with ¢the sign¢.
Date: 2018-08-26
From: Rainbow Springs Lean-To

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

About 20 minutes out of camp I came around the corner and there were two other hikers standing there giving me the shhh sign.  I crept up The Trail and saw that they were looking at a big bull moose eating at a stream 30 yards away! Psyched! He was just standing there in the creek munching away. I got a nice view of him - he¢s a big boy with a nice rack on him. Maverick a Kilo came a couple of minutes later and I repeated the sign and we watch for a few minutes.  When one of the first guys left, the moose looked up at us and seemed concerned, we speculate that he thought he was being flanked, and moved awY from us into the brush. He disappeared quickly although he didn¢t move fast. I¢m so lucky to have seen him. Trail magic!As expected, the track turned flat at about the 13 mile mark, which is where we were waiting for it to turn and finally we got our wish. As I walked along the shore of the lake I could hear loons calling their high-pitched call.I moved ahead of the others and stopped a couple of times for a break, but only for 10 minutes or less each time. I rolled into Abol Bridge via The Golden Road, at 1:15, checked into our campsite, bought a styrofoam cooler, ice and beer and went to set up. I wanted to surprise Maverick and Kilo when they got there with an ice cold beer.  We finished the 100 Mile Wilderness. We had only the one day of rain and were blessed with fantastic scenery and long distance views.  The guys got in by 2:30 and we all set up our tents on the same site. We had a direct view of Katahdin.  We decided that I¢d walk to the edge of Baxter Park and get the specifics of the registration process for The Birches campground which only accommodates 12 hikers a day and is first come-first served. I walked the .8 mile and looked at the information and was back at the campground by 4:30 to do laundry and get dinner at the restaurant there. I bought a few things for resupply at their store and then headed down to the camp site.  We had a nice big campfire and decided we¢d leave by 6:00 AM to secure our spot on the list for Tge Birches.  We didn¢t know how many others would be trying, but figured (correctly!) that if we got up that early, we¢d beat most of the millennial crowd.
Date: 2018-08-27
From: Abol Bridge

To: The Birches thru-hikers Campsite 
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

We all set alarms for 5:00 AM and got our gear packed and were out of camp and signed in for The Birches before 6:00. We were first on the list. Plan executed.  We sat right there and made our coffee and ate breakfast before we left for our short hike to our base camp. It was less than 10 miles, a stunning day weather wise and the terrain was essentially flat. The Trail took along side the Penobscot River and then beside a tributary with many waterfalls and beautiful rocks.  We were at the Katahdin Stream ranger station at 11:30, where we paid $10 to camp at The Birches, a campground only for Thru-hikers and got our permits to climb Katahdin. The ranger, Nick, gave us lots of good information on the mountain and trails up and down before we set off to set up for the last time on The AT. I was permit number 526.  I was 518 at Amicalola and 316 at Harpers Ferry.  I took about an hour nap, then went back the quarter mile to the ranger station stream for water, had an early dinner and tried to get to sleep at 7:00- our plan was to leave at 2:00AM to get to the summit for sunrise.  I struggled to get to sleep. I was too excited and filled with anticipation to quiet my mind and ended up maybe sleeping 3 1/2 hours; at least I was prone and resting my legs. Tomorrow is it!
Date: 2018-08-29
To: Boston, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

¢Truckin I¢m goin home, whoa whoa baby, back where I belong, back home, sit down and patch my bones, and get back truckin on¢We went to The Appalachian Trail Cafe for breakfast before we got shuttled to Medway to catch the bus to Bangor and then Boston.  It was the simplest, cheapest and best way home. I haven¢t sat still for that long in a while. I listened to music and wrote journals to pass the time, but was antsy. My wife picked Maverick and me up at South Station and we stopped at Buff¢s for New England¢s best Buffalo Wings.  Nice to be back in The Hub!My dogs went bananas when I went in the house, first barking and then when they realized it was me, more welcoming.  I¢ll be writing a wrap up post in the next few days as I ¢unpack¢ my brain from this journey/great adventure.  ¢Lately it occurs to me, what a long strange trip it¢s been.¢Peace,Detail
Date: 2018-02-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

About 30 years ago I read a 2 volume set of books called ¢Hiking the Appalatian trail¢ . It was basically a collection of thru hiker journals from Earl Shaffer and Grandma Gatewood to thru hikes done in the 70¢s. The idea really appealed to me ever since. I retired from UPS 2 years ago and have gradually come around to the idea of actually doing this thing.The past few months I¢ve been gathering gear and watching a slew of advice videos. My sister generously volunteered to drop me off at Springer on her way to Florida. My tentative start date is Feb 27th. Yikes 13 days away!
Date: 2018-02-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night we had a family dinner to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Also sort of a farewell to me before I hit the trail. I¢ve dreamed about this trip for so long it¢s funny now I think about how much I¢ll miss everybody. My son gave me a short haircut I¢ll definitely need a warm hat.   Tonight I¢ve set my tent up in the back yard and will test out how I sleep. I know l should have done a shakedown backpack but never could get that done. I have done a lot of walking and hiking but very little camping practice. I think in Georgia I¢ll still have a lot to learn.
Date: 2018-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Tonight we are camping at Kings Mountain State Park in North Carolina. Tomorrow, hopefully we'll arrive at Amicalola Falls. My sister and I are driving her brand new camper and this is it's first night of use. My wife also came to see me off. The weather right now is perfect I hope for some like this on the trail.   Monday I start, so excited! Many thanks to family and friends for their support.
Date: 2018-02-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We arrived at Amicalola Falls at around 4:30 and drove straight up to the Campground. Whew that road was steep pulling a camper up. Asked at the lodge about checking in for my thru hike. They said to do that at the visitors center at the bottom of the hill that closed at 5. Oh well I'll have to do that tomorrow. Right now we're having dinner and listening to a light rain pattering down. Tomorrow I'm out in it.
Date: 2018-02-26
From: Springer Mtn

To: View Entry
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day one on the trail. We drove down to the visitors center and I registered as thru hiker 369. We then drove up the Springer mountain fire road picking up 3 girls from Florida on the way. They were glad not to have to walk that 6 miles. After parking Jennifer, Toni, and I walked the mile to the top. Took pictures at the plaque. Then back to parking lot. The hugs goodbye and I set off.
Date: 2018-02-27
From: Hawk Mtn.

To: View Entry
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

Tough day today. Sassafras mtn. was a steep climb. 2nd half of the  day things got easier. Everybody is crowding into the shelter because of predicted storms tonight. I'll be in my tent.   I'm now at Hawk mtn. shelter 8.1 miles along camping with about a dozen hikers. The hike here was sunny and beautiful. Past thru several nice glens with rushing streams. I got to end this and save battery.
Date: 2018-03-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Yesterday got only 5 miles hiking in increasing rain. Reached Woody gap. A truck pulled off the road and Trail angel Tony saved me with fried chicken and beer. Big thank you Tony. He also gave me and another hiker named Jeff to Dahlonega were we wait out the rain. Jeff has lots of hotel points so he's treating me. Thanks
Date: 2018-03-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Yesterday Jeff and I got shuttle back to the AT. As soon as we got out a cold wind was blowing hard. We put on more clothes. As soon as we got in the woods off went the extra clothes.  Blood mtn. had a spectacular view you could see Atlanta. Then on to Neels gap. Spent the night in the bunkhouse for an 11 mile day.
Date: 2018-03-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

The last 2 days have been tough. Made 11 miles to Low gap and got there around 5. Had to hustle to get everything done before dark. Very cold at night. Got up around 7 but didn't get going until 9:45. Got to get better at packing.   Today started out easy. The trail used an old road.
Date: 2018-03-05
From: Blue mtn shelter 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Set up the tent at Blue mtn. shelter. Beautiful view. We had a fire and I heard coyotes yipping for the first time.I slept comfortably but still coughed the first hour. Today went pretty well. I climbed 2 mountains Blue and Tray and am now at Tray mtn shelter. I think I will push on. It's still early and I want to get some more miles in before the rain sets in tonight.
Date: 2018-03-06
From: Stealth 2 miles past Tray shelter 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Hiking well yesterday. Continued 2 miles past Tray shelter. Stealth camped for the first time. Quite an experience all alone in the woods. Owls hooting occasionally. Rain started during the night but was light enough to get the tent down without getting to much soaked. The rain picked up while walking and soon I was soaked and cold. Kept walking to stay warm. Finally made it to Top of Georgia hostel. Now I'm in scrubs while they do my laundry. Finally warm and dry. Might catch the shuttle into Hiawasse at 4pm. A funny thing happened on the last part of the hike today, as my feet got soaking wet, foam started coming out of my left shoe. I would occasionally wipe it off with leaves but it would keep coming back and grew to the size of a baseball. When i slogged up to Top of Georgia Hostel, other hikers saw this foam, and wanted to give me the trail name of ¢Foam Foot¢. Quite a few people know me as Stacker so I think I¢ll stick with that.
Date: 2018-03-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Here¢s a summary of the last few days: I caught the 9:00 shuttle from Top of Georgia back to the trail. The weather had turned much colder overnight. Cold weather made for nice hiking. I made 11.9 miles to Muskrat creek shelter. As soon as it got dark everyone turned in. The temps. dropped to the low teens and it was a long night in the sleeping bag. The next day was a climb up Standing Indian mountain. Snow on the ground made the climb slippery but I made it Ok. Ice balls collected on the tips of my trecking poles that I had to hammer off with a rock. I stealth camped in Beech gap a hike of 9 miles. After another cold night I went to find my bear bag and spent 10 minutes looking in vain. Turns out I had walked the wrong way. That day I climbed Albert mtn. The path was dramatic clinging to the tops of cliffs then a challenging scramble to the fire tower at the top. The view was fabulous. Mountains rolling off seemingly forever. Spent the night at Long Branch shelter. The night was not as cold no frozen water bottles. Today I got up early and did 7 quick miles over 2 smaller mountains to catch the 11:00 shuttle into the town of Franklin. I'm staying at Goody hostel. Rain is predicted so I'll take a zero day tomorrow. These constant mountains are wiping me out. I just weighed myself. I've lost 15 pounds. When I put my shorts on I have to hold them up.
Date: 2018-03-11
From: Gooder Grove hostel 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I spent a zero day in Franklin. It was supposed to be raining but didn't. Well at least I'm well rested. I walked into town around midday but it being Sunday most everything was closed. But the Currahee brewery was open and I spent a pleasant hour or so sampling beer and talking to a few locals. The last week of hiking I've run into a young guy named Josh from New Jersey. He strides along in a serene way passing me not needing hiking poles. Then he lingers in camp late or sometimes hikes at night seemingly enjoying that. He's staying here also and I watched him make a breakfast of a bag of Broccoli, 6 eggs, and a can of black beans. It made quite a heap. Tomorrow I get going. Looks like it will be light rain turning into snow.   By the way my total miles so far are 109.
Date: 2018-03-12
From: Winding stair gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.5

Today Zin took me back to the AT. When we got to the trailhead he showed me and 2 other hikers some Tai chi. Maybe I can use it on this hike. Got going around 9 climbing with a heavy pack. I regretted buying that 16 oz. summer sausage, ate about 1/4 for lunch as a light snow started. Climbed Siler Bald then descended into sun. Next came Wayah Bald and into heavyer snow. It was sticking to all the trees and was quite beautiful. At the top was a stone tower and as I walked up to it the clouds racing along started to lift. I was treated to a dazzling view. White trees descending away and all the mountains stretching out to the distance. I whooped for the shear joy of it. Tonight I'm camped at Licking Gap. AT.  mile 121.5. It's gonna be another cold night. Hey 12.5 miles today. My best.
Date: 2018-03-13
From: Licking gap

To: Wesser Bald shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Very cold night and morning. Waited till the sun hit the tent before getting up. Was nice to get moving. Today was 3 climbs. The 3rd one was Wesser Bald with a fire tower on top. Again the views were fantastic, you could see part of Fontana reservoir and far beyond the snowcapped Smokies. Most of the day I've been hiking with 4 old guys like me. We got to the shelter first and now there's 6 of us crowded in.
Date: 2018-03-14
From: Wesser Bald shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: broken clouds

After my entry last night more hikers crowded into the shelter. I think we had 8. I was glad I stayed because it got really cold and the wind roared. Once I got going after a while the trail dropped into Nantahala valley 5 miles of decent. For a while the trail clung to a ridge with drop offs on both sides. Finally down with aching knees I had lunch in the restaurant right on the river. 2 beers a burger and salad and a extra chicken burger to take up the mountain. Now I'm stealth camping about 2 miles below Swim Bald.
Date: 2018-03-15
From: Stealth camp below Swim Bald 

To: Brown fork gap shelter 
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today was tough. I thought I was..near the top of Swim Bald but I had a lot more climbing to do. Then Chris Bald,then 2 smaller climbs. Lastly Jacobs Ladder. Slick mud on the downhills made things dicey.  Got to the shelter with less than an hour before dark. Pitched the tent, had the chicken salad mix, too tired to cook.  12.7 miles today.
Date: 2018-03-16
From: Brown fork gap shelter 

To: Hiker Inn
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Tenting during the night was interesting. The wind really picked up and buffeted the tent. I could hear each gust coming. Tent did fine thankfully. I always have to get up to pee. Quite a hassle but the stars have been amazing. Had some pop tarts and got going about 8:50. For many miles the trail was easy. Winding along the sides of hills instead of over them. I had lunch at the Cable Gap shelter. Said to be the oldest on the AT. Then easy was over. Tough climb, at the top Fontana lake came into view. But instead of going right down, the trail climbed a succession of false summits before finally descending. Steep descent but lower I started to see the first wildflowers of the hike.  Finally down to the parking lot I saw Spirit Man who I'd hiked with part of the day. He was waiting for a ride to the Hike Inn. I quickly called and got a room too. They shuttled 4 of us hikers to town for dinner, spaghetti with all you can eat salad. Then re supply for first leg of the Smokies.