morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-01-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I have the pre-hike jitters/anticipation with less than 40 days before I fly to Atlanta to try this adventure again. I have my gear ready to go for the most part. I¢m in the process of getting my clothes protected by Insect Shield, which I did last year too.  I plan to ship my gear 7-10 days ahead of departure date, and then will be tracking that via UPS daily until it arrives, after which I will call the hotel to make sure they take care of it. My pack weight looks like it¢s a little heavier than I¢d prefer, but includes a few items that I may jettison, or ship ahead. I¢ll decide as I¢m leaving if I¢ll carry my microspikes before the Smokies, or add them to my box for Fontana.  When Thru hikers register their hike with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, they are assigned a registration number; I¢m #119. The ATC issues a plastic hang tag for your backpack, and this year unlike previous years, they are not mailing them, but rather are only issuing them at Amilcalola Falls State Park, Harpers Ferry and Monson (I think).  I decided to go get mine at Amicalola the day before I actually hike, which will allow me to revisit the visitors center and the arch where I left last March 20th, and get a hiker number (last year I was 993).  I rented a car at the airport and will drop it off near my hotel, so that little jaunt will keep me busy once my flight gets in. I plan to drop by REI in Atlanta for a few minutes to buy fuel too, and it all will work logistically I think. I¢m continuing to stay active, at the gym, on the treadmill and in the woods, hoping the eventual miles on The Trail won¢t be too painful. I¢ll post again when the day arrives.Today's picture is of a card my son's girlfriend gave me last year, that she hand made.  Thanks Julia!
Date: 2018-02-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I¢m one week away. I mailed my gear to Atlanta and a resupply box to Neel Gap at mile 31. I made up 2 more boxes, one for The NOC at mile 136 and one for Fontana Village to get me through a few days of The Smokies. I¢ll plan to resupply in towns at Hiawassee and Franklin and if I need more than I shipped, I can augment that at Neel gap and Fontana. I don¢t want to have too much extra food, so tried to budget correctly, but it will be a work in progress for the entire hike.  After The Smokies, I don¢t have a box plan yet.I thought I¢d address a few standard questions that come up whenever I tell someone that I¢m attempting a thru-hike.Are you going alone? Yes, I am. Won¢t that be scary? Not really, there are lots of people out there and I¢ll meet people.Are taking a gun? No, I don¢t own a gun, and it would be a major turn-off to others if you were packing a side arm. It¢s a social experience with like-minded people. Plus you¢d need permits in 14 different states and they¢re heavy.What about Bears? Yes, there are bears; I¢m not worried and will follow guidelines to use bear boxes, bear lines and will hang my food from a tree if I am camping in a place without bear boxes etc. There is a fair amount of disdain in the hiking community about the need to hang food, but I figure why chance it?Where do get/what do you do for water? I filter water from a stream or spring. I also have a backup system that uses chemical purification called Aquamira.Where do you sleep? I carry my tent, or sleep in a shelter if it¢s not too full. I carry earplugs to block the sound of snoring. I¢d rather not use the shelters if I can help it because there are typically mice that live around them. If there¢s a big storm forecast and I¢m near a shelter I will likely sleep in it. In The Smokies, regulations require you to sleep in the shelter unless it¢s full and there isn¢t time to get to the next one, and then you can set a tent up near the shelter.How long will it take to complete the whole hike? The average hike is just under 6 months. I don¢t want to rush it and need to be careful not to hurt myself. I don¢t know how long it will take me. I just need to finish before Baxter peak closes on October 15th. I'll post again once I get going.  If you have any other questions I didn't answer, feel free to ask in the guestbook entries; Also a reminder that last year's journal is to the left under My other Journals.  One of my first posts last year has a bunch of terms/definitions that may be useful to understand The Trail.
Date: 2018-03-01
To: Atlanta
Miles today: 0.0

Winter storm Riley, a classic New England Nor¢easter with wind gusts forecast to be 60 plus mph made it likely that my mid-morning flight out of Boston on Friday would be canceled. Jet Blue waived change fees, so I rescheduled for a late-afternoon flight today (Thursday), booked a hotel room near the Atlanta airport and made my rental car pickup earlier for Friday¢s visit to Amicalola. The best plan is a flexible plan! Thanks to my wife, the angel, who is supporting my adventure and drove me to the airport on our wedding anniversary, a day earlier than we were planning. I couldn¢t do this if she didn¢t encourage me to pursue my dream....thanks honey!  I¢m ready to get on The Trail; the weather for the next few days, through Monday looks great: mid-fifties and sunny with nights in the low thirties. No rain forecast until Monday night. Tuesday looks like a day of hiking in the rain, but you can never tell.  When I decided what date to start this year, I wanted to wait until after our anniversary and also wanted to be near a full moon. There¢s a full moon tonight. It will be nice Saturday and Sunday night to have a clear sky and a nearly full moon. Riley blew me up on the anniversary.
Date: 2018-03-02
To: Atlanta
Miles today: 0.0

I went back to the airport this morning and the to the Hertz rental counter to get my car. I drove to Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia. 347 days ago, I was there starting my 2017 thru-hike.   This year, I¢m not climbing the 675 stairs along the falls or hiking the 8-ish miles of The Approach Trail to the start of The A.T. at Springer Mountain. I registered at the visitors center and am hiker number 518 this year. I got my AT Hang tag and chatted with the folks in the registration room about Trail preparations and hostels. Last year I was number 993.  I poked around, got some pictures of the Arch and got my AT passport stamped.  I drove up to the lodge to see who was around and setting up for the AT Kickoff which will be held this weekend. I visited with a couple people who had their booths up, and then headed back to Atlanta to hit REI for fuel, check in to my hotel and get my gear sorted and packed, got some dinner and set my alarm for 5:00AM to get up and ready as ¢Survivor Dave¢ is picking me up to shuttle me up to Big Stamp Gap at 6:00. More on this in the next entry.  Big Stamp Gap is where the parking lot is closest to Springer Mountain. You have to drive up a rough forest service road to get there. The parking lot is about a mile north of Springer, so to get to the start you hike South to the summit and then turn around and hike back to the parking lot and continue north towards Maine.Today was sunny, no clouds but windy and chilly. I understand that Massachusetts is under water.  Tomorrow I will start again, start following the white blazes and become Detail. Until then, thanks for reading and take care,  Tom
Date: 2018-03-03
From: Atlanta

To: DevilÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Kitchen
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

My shuttle got to the hotel right at 6:00 AM, we stopped and picked up another hiker and headed to Springer. Dave, the driver suggested that we stash water at Cooper gap, at mile 12.3. I left a 50 oz water bottle there and we continued to Big Stamp gap.  We got there at about 8:30. I hiked up to Springer, signed the log book and took some pictures. I started north at 9:15.  I hiked alone most of the day except for about an hour when I hike with two gents from Georgia. I got to Hawk mountain campsites at 1:00; too early for me to stop. I set my sites on Justus creek and the camp sites just above the creek known as Devil¢s kitchen. I stopped back to fetch my water on the way.  Dave and Lyndsey were already set up and let me use their bear line. Philip arrived a little later.  I got my tent up, cooked hung my bag and was in bed by 7:30.  It was an incredible day, mid 50¢s not a cloud in the sky, the trail was in great shape thanks to the amazing work by the volunteers that maintain the trails. There are a lot of downed trees and some of them are massive. If only I could get a few out, there would be a lifetime of firewood!  My lungs were congested today, maybe from the hotel I stayed in on Thursday night-I think they must get Febreeze for free.  It is supposed to be at or below freezing tonight so I hunkered in with my winter duds on. Tired but happy with a big mile first day.
Date: 2018-03-04
From: DevilÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Kitchen

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 9.4

I was cold last night. I had my down jacket and fleece on but still felt cold; woke up shivering a couple of times, made a quilt adjustment and went back to sleep. Eventually, it was morning and I got myself out the tent and got myself some coffee and packed up.  I left camp at 8:30. My legs were sore from the muscle cramps I had overnight. I decided I would try to make it to Lance Creek at mile 23.8Another fantastic weather day. I was treated to Trail Magic by McGyver at Gooch gap. He hiked the AT in 2015. I spent about 30 minutes with him-nothing like a hot dog at 10AM for 2nd breakfast! Thanks McGyver much appreciated!  As I left Gooch gap I started hiking with a section hiker and we came across a man and woman (married 42 years) painting blazes. We thanked them profusely for their service to The Trail. He was also one of the crew that cleared a lot of the blow downs from Irma in January.  I ran into another couple and we exchanged hellos and I mentioned that he looked really familiar. Turns out he worked at The Hiker Hostel, and when I stayed there last year he and the owner Josh got one of my ¢Got Wood¢ T shirts. What a hoot running into him.I got to Woody gap at about 1:30 and there was another group of folks with their grill set up and doing trail magic there! I only had one hot dog for breakfast, so got another one at lunch! I also refilled my water bottle from those nice North Georgia folks. Thank you so much.I hiked out of Woody gap to Lance Creek camping area and found a spot to set up. Did all the camp chores (get water, cook, set up sleep pad, cook, clean up, hang bear bag) and then sat by a campfire with a few folks from about 3 generations. I turned in at about 8:30.
Date: 2018-03-05
From: Lance Creek

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.3

It didn¢t get as cold last night by about 5 degrees so I slept warmer and consequently better. I got up to a beautiful sunrise of pink and reds. I broke camp pretty slowly, sat and had a cup of tea and started walking at 8:07.  Today, the goal was Blood Mountain Cabins at Neel(s) Gap, mile 31. 1. As the name implies, the cabins are on the north side of Blood Mountain. Climbing Blood Mountain seemed harder this year than last year and the decent was easier than I remember; last year I started at Woody Gap but had spent the night before at The Hiker Hostel, so maybe I was just better rested. In any case, I got to Mountain Crossing at Neel Gap at about 12:45, got my drop box and a Gatorade (blue, like Will Farrell) and headed to the cabins. Atlas who is also a Trailjournals blogger and I are sharing the cabin. We got laundry done, showered and ate pizza.  Our loose plan is to hike to Hiawassee by Thursday.  Tomorrow looks like rain in the morning and then cooler temps for the next few days, maybe even snow.  Lest I forget, thanks to my trainer Andy for the work over the last 3 years and especially the last 6 months, Bulgarian split squats and sumo squats are the way to go! I was much less sore today and hope after today¢s short day, tomorrow will be even better.
Date: 2018-03-06
From: Neel Gap

To: Stealth site
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I¢ve been out of cell range at camp the last few nights so I¢m posting multiple updates; you can use the previous/forward button to read those entries if you want.  Atlas and I decided we¢d hike together today. I left the cabin and headed up to mountain Crossings msg to ship a box home. I lightened my pack by about 2 pounds getting rid of a few redundant items. I also wanted to look at a pair of insulated pants to help with the overnight cold issues I¢ve had. I bought a pair of Montbell thermal pants that got warm immediately when trying them on. With that done as I was leaving the store Atlas said that his wife surprised him and he was going to slack pack to Hog Pen Gap. I appreciated the offer, but just couldn¢t bring myself to slack pack on day 4.I went ahead in the rain and Atlas caught up with me and passed me in about 2 hours. He is a faster hiker than me (more training and in better shape).  When we got to Hog Pen Gap, Mrs Atlas was there with hot soup, bread sticks, bananas and water doing trail magic. Such a welcome surprise, thanks again! I even got to sit in the car for a few minutes out of the rain. When I got out of the car I knew I had to get moving as I was suddenly cold from being damp. Lucky for me, the trail went up hill!Eventually the rain stopped, the sun came out and it was a glorious afternoon.  Atlas waited for me at Low Gap shelter and we decided we¢d try to find a camp spot I stayed at last year. We got there but it was basically all blow downs. We needed water and so decided to keep going. Eventually we found a nice spot with a nice fire ring and room for our tents. We had a nice fire, ate our dinners and looked st the glass ceiling before turning in. The stars were amazing.
Date: 2018-03-07
From: Stealth site

To: Steel Trap Gap
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light snow

I slept pretty good overnight. We broke camp in a cold wind that blew in overnight.  We got going at 8:50.  It was a long cold day. Depending on which side of any mountain I was on, the wind would bite, so I hiked in my fleece, windbreaker, knit cap, and gloves and used my hood as a heat regulator. I leapfrogged with a few college aged hikers most of the day after Unicoi Gap.  At Unicoi, my plan was to go to either the Cheese Factory Site or Tray mountain shelter. At The Cheese Factory site, I got a second wind, and decided I¢d try for the shelter. It was still really windy and I figured I may as well be hiking rather than camp and stand around freezing, so I kept going. In hindsight it feels like it was quite a bit of uphill-most likely-but I haven¢t gone back to look. I was going to go check out the Tray mountain shelter camping to see how the wind would be, it is at a pretty high elevation...but I missed the turn and refused to go back uphill to get back to it.  Now low on water, hiking to find the next water and a place to camp with daylight fading, I went as fast as I could safely.  Eventually I got to the water source and found a Texas gentleman named Mart setting up camp and asked him if minded company. He said he¢d like that. I went for water way down a steep trail and then got back up to set up my tent etc by headlamp.  Mart offered to share his Mountain house meal with me, and we made coffee and had pasta primavera and chatted before crawling into the cocoon with the wind absolutely screaming.
Date: 2018-03-08
From: Steel Trap Gap

To: DickÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Gap
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

The wind blew hard all night. It was loud and must have been sustained 35mph with gusts of 50+.  I stayed mostly warm in my tent bundled in my new insulated pant, my fleece, puffy and gloves. I was worried a little about getting crushed by dead fall, but obviously made it.  I got up and packed, made coffee and stuck some snacks in my pack belt pocket. Mart stayed back to cook breakfast and I took off.  I was trying to get to Dick¢s Creek Gap and Hiawassee as early as possible to resupply and do laundry, shower and eat town food.  I called a shuttle at 12:30 and arranged for a 1:30 pickup and was in my room at The Holiday Inn Express by 2:30 PM. I did my laundry and shot out the back path to Ingles to buy a couple of days of resupply.  I met Atlas and we went to Daniel¢s Steakhouse next door for a burger before hearing back to our hotel. We arranged a pick up for 8:30AM and turns out we were traveling back to Dick¢s Creek Gap with Mart who got in late in the afternoon.
Date: 2018-03-09
From: DickÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

We got dropped off at Dick¢s Creek Gap at 8:50 and started the uphill climb. We set our sights on Standing Indian Shelter. We were focused on making miles as there was a big rain storm that looked like it would be soaking on Saturday and we¢d be able to get to Franklin on Sunday to dry out if we did a couple of big days. Today I crossed the GA/NC border, a big psychological win. As I remembered, getting there was a long serious of climbs. I also remember the climbs after the border and was not wrong. Immediately after Bly Gap is Courthouse Bald which is a punishingly steep climb that lulls you into thinking it¢s over and then smacks you around with another big climb.At about 4:30, I decided I would keep going and go for Standing Indian Shelter, as it was dry and cold, so again, better to be moving than sitting still.  I had to battle hard to get there but made it at dusk, got water and set up, cooked and got changed in the dark by headlamp. The shelter was full, so used my tent. I found someone else¢s bear line and got my food bag onto it. I was spent.  I didn¢t get to sleep until 9:00-long day.
Date: 2018-03-10
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Long Branch Shelter 
Miles today: 16.2

Again, posting multiple days, so if you¢re interested, you can use the previous entry button to see those entries. I saw the moon through my tent overnight. The wind blew hard again and it was cold, but I stayed pretty warm.  I was awake a lot and at 6:00, I got packing up my stuff. I fetched my food bag and made some oatmeal and coffee and got hiking at 8:10.  Today the terrain was more forgiving as it had less uphill except right out of the gate, I continued up Standing Indian Mountain, but it was relatively tame. Albert Mountain was challenging and reminded me of parts of The Long Trail in Vermont. I remembered it as challenging and it certainly was. The Trail did not give up any view at the summit as it was clouded in. Atlas and I walked the remaining couple miles to Long Branch Shelter and got there at about 4:15.  This shelter was built in 2012 and has capacity for 16, but there were only 2 other hikers there, so it was spacious and comfortable.  We made dinner, chatted and settled into our beds by 8:00. We all felt good about the last 2 days distance and were thankful that the predicted storm didn¢t pour on us.
Date: 2018-03-11
From: Long Branch Shelter 

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

I didn¢t hear the rain last night because I had my earplugs in. I slept soundly and only woke up a few times, which is par for shelter life.  The guys on the 2nd floor mentioned that the mice were active up there, but I didn¢t see or hear them near me. No one started moving around until it started getting light, which was obviously later because of the time change.  I got going about 9:15. I only had to hike about 7 miles to Winding Stair Gap to get to Franklin. I had one tough incline after Rock Gap, and the weather was just fine, no more rain, still cloudy, with a slight breeze, so I took my rain jacket off before the incline thankfully. After that it was literally all down hill from there.  At Winding Stair Gap, Atlas and I caught up with Culligan who had been there for 30 minutes trying to hitch a ride. I hadn¢t even taken my pack off when a car stopped and a woman jumped out to greet the 3 of us and asked where wanted to go. She went out of her way to drop us off at the Microtel. Thank you!We were able to check in immediately and they offered to do our laundry-score! 45 minutes later, we were all showered, our laundry was in process and we were on our way to The Lazy Hiker Brewery via a shuttle driver named Jim.  When we were done with a burger and a beer, we were about to call Jim back and in he walked to see if we were ready to go! Timing karma today. We got back to the hotel and said so long to Atlas who is heading out tomorrow, while we¢re taking a zero here.
Date: 2018-03-12
From: Franklin

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Today was a zero day, neaning I didn¢t hike any miles on The Trail.  I got up and enjoyed the continental breakfast at the Hotel and then headed to Ingles, got a Starbucks and bought a few things I needed. I was right on time for the Macon County Transit Mountain Gem bus that took me on a tour of Franklin on my way to Outdoor 76. I bought a fuel canister and some energy gummies and headed out to catch the bus back to the hotel. I took a shower and walked over to Three Eagles Outfitters and then to a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, I went back to the hotel organized and packed my gear and kept my legs up. I arranged for a shuttle for 8:00 for Tuesday morning and called The Aquone Hiker Hostel and reserved a spot for Tuesday night as the weather forecast was for sub zero wind chill temperatures .On reflection from last week when I camped at Steeltrap Gap, when the conditions are so cold that it¢s painful to do normal tasks like make or break camp, cook or make coffee, it becomes work and it¢s not fun. Survival becomes paramount in these conditions, and I don¢t have the right gear or experience to deal with these low temperatures. I could make it I¢m sure, but I don¢t have to, so I¢m going to be warm and dry and comfortable when I can be.
Date: 2018-03-13
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Burning Town Gap
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

The shuttle driver picked me up at 8:00 as planned. I was hiking by 8:20. Uphill for most of the morning. It was cold and and the ground was frozen. I zipped and unzipped my jacket and put my hood up and down as I went from the warm to the cold side of the hills. I got to the base of Siler Bald at 10:30.  I decided not to take the trail up to see the view as it would have taken about and hour and a half to climb up and down, and I knew there would be views at Wayah Bald later.  I made Wayah Gap in about 45 minutes and then slogged my way up to Wayah Bald for about 2 1/2 hours. It had started to warm up a bit in some places and the track was starting to get muddy and slippery. I had a few stick saves - my hiking poles kept me from falling on my butt- wouldn¢t have been pretty. There were lots of places still snow covered up on Wayah and the views were incredible. I could see Albert and Standing Indian Mountains that I had hiked last week. There is some real progress on reconstructing the roof of the stone tower that burned in the fires of 2016.  As instructed, I called the hostel as I was leaving Wayah on my way to Burning Town Gap and estimated that I¢d make the remaining 4.4 miles in just over 2 hours, which I did.  I was picked up by Steve, given clothes to wear in their place (they control what you bring into their cabin) after I showered. Maggie, the hostess, made dinner for me and her one other guest and I relaxed warm and comfy, ready to get to The Nantahala Outdoor Center (aka The NOC) tomorrow.