morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-10
To: Four more reasons
Miles today: 0.0

That's all we have left. The final four. Tomorrow is the day we hit the road and then we are on trail. Hard to believe all this time has passed since our idea of hiking the AT was born. We are busy stuffing our packs and trying to figure out how to get it all in! I am worn out from trying to get everything ready to go at home. I am looking forward to getting a good nights sleep soon(not tonight though) reason number four to hike the AT: sleeping well on the trail.........................................................................
Date: 2010-03-11
To: Three
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is the beginning of our journey as we head out of out driveway and start the yrek to springer. I realized the banjo was too big and the pack to full for it to make the trip with us :-( I will keep my eyes open for the opertunity to play someones elses banjo along the trail. I will miss my music. Reason number three for hiking the at: trail magic in the form of someone letting me play their banjo!....................................................................
Date: 2010-03-12
To: seeing family
Miles today: 0.0

notes from Ham's journal...........Good to see my cousin John and Brenda. Food was terrific!! Dessert by my cousin Lee Ann was terrific. She needs to become a caterer¢¦any of you reading our journal knows my passion for sticky buns. John made us homemade ones this am!! Tonight we are in Bristol, VA ¢ passing a few towns we will be hiking through. Looking forward to a good nights sleep after a hectic day of driving in the rain. 55 degrees here! Night all¢¦.
Date: 2010-03-13
To: notes from Ham's journal
Miles today: 0.0

Early start today so we can get to Dawsonville and Park at a decent hour. We saw our old friend Bob K. at Maggie Valley, NC and then on the MTN. Crossings. Hikers Party! Miss Janet is here for any of you concerned about her. Good to see Baltimore Jack again. Of course her was holding court. Off to Amicolola Falls and Lodge. Sun came thru clouds and day improved tremendously. Rachel got an ice cream urge and we were on a hunt!! Finally we saw a big open sign advertising ice cream. Almost killed 2 chickens getting to the parking lot!! AND NO ICE CREAM!!! I could spend hours describing our surroundings. Surprise at AFSP and Lodge. My old croo chief from AMC Cardigan Lodge, Elrod and his sister, Emilie were here to surprise us! How wonderful to see them and catch up with their lives! LONGHAUL is here!
Date: 2010-03-14
To: One
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

What a great place to start a hike from! We are at amicalola falls lodge and this place is amazing! High on top of the ridge with enormous views and so many thrus showing up to start their hikes. The word so far is the forest service road is in tough shape but we are waiting for the folks from the hiker hostel to pick up Longhaul and will get an update. Our turn tomorrow! Reason number one for hiking the AT : Living the dream!
Date: 2010-03-14
To: So close!
Miles today: 0.0

We just left the hiker hostel in Dahlonega after having a great visit with Leigh and several thrus. We arranged to be shuttled by Josh in the AM so we don't have to worry about buying a new rental car! Things are in good shape. The poles showed upthis morning, we purchased our lunch supplies for the first 4 days and we are scheduled for a 9:15 pick up for Springer delivery!Wooohoooo!!!..................................................................
Date: 2010-03-14
To: notes from Ham's journal
Miles today: 0.0

March 14Elrod and Emilie coming back this am. Weather is looking fine for next 6 DAYS. Rainy up in Boston. Seeing Longhaul off today and we shall see him out on the trail. Good Luck, LH. Relaxing with some thru hikers at Hiker Hostel and meeting new hiker Cory this afternoon. We are ready to go. Finding reception for phones poor. That¢s okay by me! Heard from Dr. Lisa that Emma and Betty are settling in well. Hard to believe. I want them to, but hope they miss us. Foggy and drizzly here today-but the rest of the week looks good. No snow here, but Franklin got a foot in the mountains. Daffodils are out here and forsythia are budded up. Wind has picked up this afternoon. Looking forward to a nice comfy bed with Brian tonight and a warm shower in the a.m.
Date: 2010-03-15
To: Holy hat!
Miles today: 0.0

D-day is here! We have been awake since 4 am and looking down on the valley to see how the weather is holding up. No fog so far and a decent report is good news to us! If you ate planning a through hike in the future and haven't been here, Amicalola Falls Lodge is a great place to stay the night before. It sits high above the falls with an amazing view out over the mountains. It's time for our last showers and to pack up our gear and wait for out 9:15 ride. The fun begins
Date: 2010-03-15
From: Springer mtn Georgia

To: Hawk mtn shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: broken clouds

3/15 our first day on the trail! After a very exciting four wheel drive ride to usfs road 42 from Josh of the hiker hostel we made it to Hawk mountain shelter today. It was a tough day for Ham. She didn't hydrate enough and was completely exausted by the time we got here. I ran ahead dropped my pack and went back 1.5 miles and carried her pack back for her. She is much better after a good nights sleep and a big breakfast! Must have been 30 tents set up here. To bed by 9 pm and get a good nights sleep!........................................................................March 15 6:00 a.m. We have been up for an hour and it is so dark outside. N.E. getting beaten down by rain and wind. Here: overcast and 50 today. We are being picked up by Josh from Hiker Hostel and he is taking us to N.F.S. Road #42 to start hike. Ruts are about 12¢-15¢ deep here. Thanks everyone for your support especially Dad Glass, who has been working overtime for us. WHAT A GEM OF A GUY!!The ride with Josh to F.S.R. #42 was wilder that anything at 6 Flags or Disney World. Hair pin turns in a 7 passenger van on mucky, murky deep rutted roads. It was a crazy ride with Rachel going crazy and saying the rosary (quietly). Rachel volunteered her bottle of water so the windshield could be cleaned off. The white van had no color but light caramel brown all over it! Went to Springer, but I wasn¢t hydrating enough and had mild side effects by being stupid. Made it to the shelter, thanks to my personal trail angel, Brian. EVERYONE DON¢T FORGET TO HYDRATE! Lots of H2O and cocoa got me in better shape for the next day.DT
Date: 2010-03-16
From: Hawk mtn shelter

To: Justice creek footbridge camping area
Miles today: 6.0

3/16 - 6.0 miles to justice creek foot bridge camping area. I took as much of Ham's weight as I could bear- maybe 45 lbs in my pack now. She had a much better day today but we will need to drop gear at Mtn. Crossings so I won't have to carry so much of the burden. Icing my back and took some Aleve to reduce the swelling. Feet are sore from the extra weight but no blisters unlike Rachel who has a couple of beauties! Iced my feet in the creek and gave them a good rub and they should survive. I hope we can get the girls in better condition so we can do longer miles but it will take a few weeks to get conditioned. Nice camping spot above the creek and a quick dinner before hitting the sack around 8:30. Will try for an early start tomorrow to see if we can do a little better. Morning: we were woken up sometime before midnight by a helicopter flying directly overhead and close enough for his tail lights to illuminate the inside of the tent! I was asleep 30 seconds after it passed.....Zzzzzzz................March 16Weather holding up but still finding my hiking to be challenged with pace and breathing. And my DOC TOLD ME TO GET OUT OF DODGE! 70 and sunny Tuesday and I got a bit of a tan. Hiking and hydrating better, but still challenged by MYSELF. Terrain goes around mountains here-not up and over as in the N.E. DT
Date: 2010-03-17
From: Justice creek footbridge camping area

To: Woody gap - The Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: light rain

So after a raw day of hiking we thought we would treat ourselves to a warm bed and some store bought dinner - Thank you Pink Angels! We got up around 6:30 this am and were off by 9 am and managed to get to woody gap at 2:30. I think maybe the thought of making some adjustments toour gear was a determining factor for a faster day... Beautiful scenery along the way and we have met so many nice people already. Ham is feeling much better already and in a few weeks willno doubt be doing fine. No rain as of yet :-) just added a video from this day at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IGbPgyr2CYMarch 16-17Rhododendron, Mtn. Laurel and Daffodils are in bloom. We will miss the show here in GA> Mud is orange and it sticks to everything. Sucks in the hiking poles. We are at Hiker Hostel tonight ¢ a 3 year old log home. Great friendly people who can¢t do enough for us. Meeting lovely people out here so far. Family from the North including Jack, a huge black friendly poodle.Brian wore a huge green bowtie for St. Patrick¢s Day¢¦we hit Wal-Mart in Dahlonega and he got many stares. What fun.DT
Date: 2010-03-18
From: Woody gap - The Hiker Host

To: Slaughter creek campsite
Miles today: 7.4

3/18  slaughter creek campsite.  7.4 miles. Had a nice night at hiker hostel. Before we left this am Mad Mike, George and Troll showed up for a brief reunion. They leave for Springer Mtn. tomorrow am. A few good laughs before we got a ride to Woody Gap. 50 degrees and sunny.  I m still adjusting to all of this. It's about 7:30 and we are lying in our tent watching the sunset over the mountains. Scenery has  been minimal because of all the trees at 3500'. The sky is tiered in shades of blues, whites and yellows. Although not in the Smokeys, there is a blue haze everywhere.  Taking a few more photos then to sleep!March 18Tomorrow a huge hiker breakfast here. Sending a box home as we are carrying too much. No blisters yet for me. Rachel has 6. Of course, I have plastered my feet with duct tape, pink of course and it sure works! Thank you all for your emails, esp. Ruth, Gene, Dr. Lisa, Commando and Cheryl, Jackie, Miss Sharon Iram! Thank you Bob and Joy and good luck reading this chicken scratch!DT
Date: 2010-03-19
From: Slaughter creek campsite

To: Wolf laurel top campsite
Miles today: 6.6

3/19 wolf laurel top campsite. 6.6 miles. We broke early to watch the sun come up at slaughter creek and could see all the lights from the surrounding towns. Made our way over Blood mountain and thought we were on the whites for a few minutes. Down to Neels Gap and Mtn. crossings for a hiker feed by the local baptist church. I ate 3 burgers while ham and city slicker both had 2. Off again for another 3 or so miles and found this camp site with more amazing views. 70's and sunny day. Nice group camping with us tonight. Called mom after sending her a birthday photo from our mountain perch. Cabana boy is now my trail name and I have decided that we will camp no more than 1/4 mile from water!  -B I have met two people over the last five days who have lost family members to breast cancer. Our ribbons on our packs are being noticed. My Martha Porter tribute hair cut is now taking on certain q-tip qualities! -Ham 3/19 notes from HAM'S JOURNAL...................All is okay. Adjusting to the trail has caused me a pain or two. No blisters. Good people. Today at Mountain Crossings we were treated to fantastic handmade hamburgers by Georgia Mtn. Resort Ministries. Lovely generous people. On to Cowrock, we hope. Left Blood Mtn. @ 9:30 after being in Slaughter Creek camp site. Blood Mtn. Rock House on top could be cleaner(glad we did not stay there). Beautiful views and patches of snow. We have gone through our first food mail box and are sending a full box back to Brian's Mom and Dad. DT
Date: 2010-03-20
From: Wolf laurel top campsite

To: Low gap shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: broken clouds

3/20 low gap shelter. 7.4 miles today brought us through Hog Pen Gap where we were treated to another round of trail magic by the Glen Loch Baptist Church! Today they had hot dogs, cold sodas and water, chips, candy, nuts and more! AYCE free food makes for the most enjoyable day of hiking! We left there at 1:30 and arrived at the shelter around 4:30 to a large crowd. The chores are done and we are battened down for a rainy forecast tomorrow and possibly our first day of wet hiking. Thinking about heading to Helen GA Monday for a day off and resupply. We will see what the wet weather does to our plans. Ham got her trail name tonight from her Pennsylvania roots and love of duct tape! It's Dutch Tape from now on!
Date: 2010-03-22
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Helen GA
Miles today: 0.0

3/22 zero day in Helen. Hung out with Grolar Bear, River, Fable, Smoky and Mustafa today. We all walked the length of main street and had breakfast at Helens Country Cafe after we cleaned out the continental breakfast here. Strolled along the store fronts and hit the grocery for resupply and were on the look out for ice cream all day! Back at our room we made phone calls, cleaned our gear, updated the journals and relaxed for a few hours before the call of food took us all out to Bigg Daddy's for a few drinks and dinner. Got a call from Mad Mike who was staying tonight at Mountain Crossings and learned the weather last night was as bad as we thought it would be. Glad we decided zero here in Helen. Out early for the shuttle to Unicoi Gap at 8:30 tomorrow and into the unknown!Cabana Boy3/22 Toilet paper. This is a most precious commodity on the trail. We have given 3 ¢homemade¢ rolls away. Demonstrations will be given to those interested; you must be 18 years of age or with parents consent if under 18. All the exchanges have gained us 3 snickers bars BARTERING works well here. City Slicker was in great need of some T.P. and we all know how shy she can be about asking for something sometimes. HA!!!!!!! BLSTERS ¢ as in the 3 DAY this must be addressed even before getting on the trail. Of course my answer to this problem is DUCK TAPE. I am the queen of D.T. I have it wrapped around my poles, my powder, my milk container, my water bottles, on my pencil. It¢s everywhere. Even Cabana Boy has lots of it. CB is decorated with it. Time for a continental breakfast and to meet the people of Helen, GA. NO COP KISSING DOWN HERE!!! We just had 3 breakfasts in a row. Making up for the eating on the trail. Weather is clearing in town after snow squall. Have just met 3 new hikers. Not so many women out here so far- Rachel (C.S.) and I bring count up to 10. Our buddy Shawn is off trail due to a very bad raw heel. Off for a walk thru town and hopefully we shall find a bakery. Chat with you later. Jenny- thanks for pics. Love you all. We struck pay dirt at a Bavarian pastry shop. The 6 ¢high cr me puffs were too good to pass up. 6 of us went to breakfast again. ENOUGH EATING FOR AWHILE. Enjoyed a relaxing day with many hikers roaming through town. It¢s about 9:30 and time for bed. Up at 6:30 am tomorrow ¢ breakfast at 7:00 am. Weather looks good- 50- or so- and partly cloudy with a chance of showers. DT
Date: 2010-03-23
From: Helen GA

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: few clouds

3/23 Tray Mountain Shelter 5.6 miles. We left Helen on time after the too small taxi showed up for the six of us. We had arranged for one trip at thirty dollars in a large truck and got a standard size car instead. River gave the taxi a piece of her mind and got the driver to except the agreed upon thirty and off we went. 1" of snow greeted us at the trail-head along with blustery and cloudy skies and cold temps so we wasted no time getting started. An hour or more later the clouds cleared but the winds remained and we topped out in the lower fifties. We found a great overlook near the former cheese factory site and had lunch for six enjoying the warm sun and pleasant views. In camp the wind continues and we are on an exposed ridge so it will no doubt be cold sleeping tonight. The usual gang is here, the three of us, Grolar Bear, River, Fable, Joey the dog, joined by Brushy Bear, Sabbath Keeper and half a dozen others. Early to bed (7:30) to keep out of the cold. Warm temps and sunny skies expected tomorrow. Still having a great time hiking the AT. Cabana Boy 3/23 Due to a mix-up with our 8:30 am pickup to take us to the Unicoi Gap trail head we got a cab driver named Karen with a history of many breast cancer scares. We all gave her a big hug when she dropped us off and wished her well. Our cloudy windy 44 start at 2980¢ gave way to a brilliant sunny day with some views. Two huge ¢ups¢ and a hefty down plus ¢puds¢ got us to Tray Mtn. shelter at 4200¢. Its an early day- @ 4:30 pm. Still sunny and windy. Should be a great sleeping night if there are no bears. Met Ron Havens today when he was dropping off some hikers. Tonight we will enjoy the company of Bushy Bear, City Slicker, Fable, River, Joey and Grolar Bear. Am I hungry. Cabana Boy¢s knees ached a bit today, but I think they are fine. Both of us will be taking vitamin ¢I¢ with dinner. Before leaving Helen today we made sure City Slicker had an ample supply of t.p. Another night on a different mountain with similar views of past days is a great way to spend the end of a fun and satisfying day. DT
Date: 2010-03-24
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Deep gap shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

3/24 deep gap shelter. 7.5 miles. Had a cold night in camp last night and tried our best to get out early. On trail by 9:30 as the sun began to take the chill out of the air. Lots of blow-downs heading north on the trail that we climbed over and around and made for slow going for the first hour or two. The hot sun beat down on us and the temps made it into the 70's. I discovered poison ivy on my wrist and hand and noticed it's progression around my body as the day went on. I now have it on both hands and in one of those places my mother taught me not to scratch in public! We arrived at deep gap shelter at 4:30 and I, Cabana Boy, lived up to my reputation and walked the 528' to get us all water for the evening. Good dinner followed by Oreo cookie bites for desert! Here with half a dozen other hikers tonight. Another tiring day of hiking behind us!3/24 We left Tray Mtn. shelter late as I was dragging ¢ I did not sleep last night. Because of this I was slow (more than usual) today. Had lunch while sitting on some logs and Cabana Boy noticed a rash on his hands (POISON IVY) there are vines everywhere. No leaves on them as yet, but fine hairy tentacles are everywhere! We are at Deep Gap Shelter tonight. Hope I sleep tonight. It¢s about 50 and no wind. 8:00 pm and we are off to bed. Tomorrow we are in Hiawassee to pick up our food drop and to meet an old friend Emilie. We will do laundry and go to an outfitter to check on a new stove. My one pole is slightly bent too so maybe the outfitter will replace the half part that¢s slightly bent. Am lying in my sleeping bag and that is where I usually write in the journal. Re: City Slicker. Today we had to crawl over, side step, go around many blow downs from the recent storm that hit GA a few weeks ago. SNOW AND WIND tore up a huge area of the Mtn. side. WELL Miss City Slicker became enamored with a huge tree. Of course much laughter got us through this section. Photos of her getting up close and personal with this huge tree will be posted at some pointing time. Cabana Boy had the opportunity to move some of the blow downs. Where was the GA trail maintenance crews?? Nice job C.B. Great to have a Paul Bunyan type on a trek of this kind. We got a bit of a burn today as temps were around 70(because of no leaf cover). Great to talk to Jenny & River& Quinn today. Bob Tina you are terrific. DT
Date: 2010-03-25
From: Deep gap shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: light rain

3/25 Dicks Creek Gap 3.5 miles. Ham finally got a good nights sleep and we all hit the trail early to get to Hiawassee GA for our mail drops. Ham and I are at the Holiday Inn Express relaxing after being picked up by our friend, Emilie Travis. Emilie drove the three of us around town taking us out for a great lunch, ICE CREAM! resupply at the supermarket and hardware store and finaly dropping us at our hotel. Unfortunately for us, we had committed to staying here before we knew Emily was so close by because we would much rather have stayed with her. She was generous enough to take Rachel back to her cabin in the woods to meet her Mountain Momma and show her the sights and we hope to get a full report from them in the morning. Although I am not sure how reliable they will be if the 12 pack of beer we saw is any indication of their evenings events...... We hit the barbecue joint next door and stuffed ourselves with good food, showered and did our laundry in the hotel sink. I am treating my poison ivy here and picked up some preventative medications and hope to avoid it in the future! The shuttle is scheduled for 9am so that should give us plenty of time to shower, pack and fuel up at the complimentary full beakfast in the lobby!!! The only drawback to our day is we have fallen behind River, Fable and Grolar Bear and already miss our new trail friends.CB & Dutch Tape
Date: 2010-03-26
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Blue Ridge Knob
Miles today: 5.8

3/26 blue ridge knob. 5.8 miles. We met Emilie an City Slicker at Dicks Creek Gap parking lot for our days hiking and Emilie slacked us so we could go back to her house and see the sights. This turned out to be my hardest day! for some reason my body ached with only a lite pack and a short walk so I was glad to get picked up and taken to her beautiful log cabin. What an amazing property she is sitting on. Later that night, her friend, Eddie, called and offered us her guest room and we jumped at the opportunity to stay in a comfy bed. She has built a beautiful post and beam home in a little valley. What great trail angels we have! We will try for muskrat creek shelter in the morning and make our way into North Carolina!