morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-09-08
From: Rice Field Shelter, VA

To: My brother's house in Lewisburg, WV
Miles today: 7.8

9/8/17, Miller House, Lewisburg, WVMiles hiked: 2100.2, Miles to go: 90.1Getting out from under my down quilt was tough this morning. It was 43 degrees and breezy when I woke up at 7:00 AM. I learned early in the hike (when we were still having winter weather) to open the valve on my air mattress and pillow and deflate them. Once I was lying on the cold, hard ground it wasn't so comfortable under the down quilt. In fact, you could always tell when the day was starting in the shelter because you would hear one mattress after another deflating. Anyway, I used the deflating mattress trick on myself this morning to get moving. Since I was only planning to hike 7.8 miles into Pearisburg, I didn't worry about getting up and out too early. The hike was smooth and gentle all the way down into Pearisburg. The trail came out of the woods onto Rt 460 right next to the Celanese viscose plant. The incongruity of hiking through the woods and suddenly coming upon a chemical plant makes most people on the AT uncomfortable. I had a completely different reaction. The familiar brick buildings, reactors, storage tanks, and distillation columns made me homesick. My earliest childhood memories are of growing up near the FMC and Union Carbide plants in South Charleston, WV. Later, as a professional chemist at Union Carbide's Technical Center in South Charleston, I found myself visiting the Union Carbide plant often. It made me miss being a chemist and an infrared spectroscopist. I crossed the New River on Rt 460, continued through the woods another mile, and hiked an additional 0.7 miles down Cross Avenue into Pearisburg, where I came upon the Lucky Star Chinese buffet (can you say, "All You Can Eat"?). I laughed when I finished eating and opened my fortune cookie and read: "You will obtain your goal if you maintain your course." Even the Chinese buffet is rooting for me to finish this journey. My brother Kenny, who lives in nearby Lewisburg, WV, picked me up at the Lucky Star. He was on his way to Radford, VA, to pick up my niece, Sarah, from college for the weekend. After picking her up, we returned to Lewisburg for the night. After going to Walmart to replace my leaking Sawyer water filter bag and resupplying for the next couple of days, we returned to the house and had homemade beef stew and yeast rolls, prepared by my sister-in-law Janet, for dinner. I also repaired the ripped mesh side pocket on my pack. I am now good to go for a few more days. Now, as long as Irma doesn't come this way, I may be able to finish this hike off once and for all.
Date: 2017-09-10
From: Trent's Grocery, VA

To: Stealth Site, VA
Miles today: 25.2
Weather: clear sky

9/10/17, Stealth Site next to VA Rt 615, VAMiles hiked: 2151.2, Miles to go: 39.1We awoke to fog and a heavy dew at the camper graveyard behind Trent's Grocery. Courtney was slackpacking me today, so I planned to knock down another 25.2 miles. She had even brought me a daypack I could use so I didn't have to carry my backpack. Courtney drove me back to the trailhead and I was on my way by 7:45 AM. Today's hike was a little hillier than yesterday's; but, it was  still fairly flat and the treadway was great. I climbed up out of the fog into full sun and blue skies - another beautiful hiking day. With the lighter pack, I was able to cover ground pretty quickly. I saw a couple of northbound hikers; but, once again, the trail was very quiet. Even the streams were quiet. What were once burbling streams are now just dry, quiet stream beds. After hiking about 10 miles, I stopped for lunch, enjoying a 12 inch Subway sub that Courtney had brought me. Around the 18 mile mark, I crossed US Rt 52 and came upon Courtney sitting at a picnic table next to the road. I refilled my water bottles and ate snacks before heading out to finish off the last seven miles of today's hike. Courtney told me that a Flip Flopper named Dancing Bear had passed about an hour ahead of me. I had first met Dancing Bear in Maine right after Mahoosuc Notch and had seen him off and on through Maine, last seeing him at Abol Bridge when he joined me and the rest of the Fellowship camping under the power lines. I was excited to finally run across another thru hiker that I knew. Of course, it happens with only two days left on trail. Courtney invited Dancing Bear to camp with us tonight and to run into Bastion, VA with us for pizza this evening. I headed out to finish off the last seven miles of the hike with visions of pizza slices dancing in my head. I arrived at Rt 715, where we planned to camp around 5:30 PM. Courtney arrived soon thereafter. We rounded up Dancing Bear and headed to Pizza Plus in Bastion. After a yummy pizza dinner at the Pizza Plus, we drove over to the Dairy Queen on Bland for dessert. What a great evening! I had expected to be eating Knorr Rice Sides by myself at some trail shelter. Now, here I was eating ice cream with Courtney and Dancing Bear at Dairy Queen. We returned to our stealth site next to Rt 615. We built a fire and the three of us sat around it reminiscing about all the hikers, hostels, and shelters we'd come across on our hikes. It was a very pleasant evening. Tomorrow, I plan to hike another 25 miles to Knot Maul Shelter, setting me up for a 14 mile hike in the rain on Tuesday to finish this thing off. Dancing Bear is also making for Knot Maul Shelter. I will be nice to have another thru hiker sharing the shelter with me on my last night on the trail. I am very indebted to Courtney for coming out and taking care of me for these past two days. It has been great to see her again and really nice to have the slackpacking and the food run to town. She really made this last little piece fun.
Date: 2017-09-11
From: Stealth Site, VA

To: Knot Maul Shelter, VA
Miles today: 24.4
Weather: clear sky

9/11/17, Knot Maul Shelter, VAMiles hiked: 2175.7, Miles to go: 14.6I was up as soon as it started getting light. The forecast was for rain in the afternoon, so I wanted to get in as many miles as possible before it arrived. I had a 24.4 mile hike planned to Knot Maul Shelter, leaving me less than 15 miles of hiking on Tuesday to reach the Barn. I bid farewell to Courtney and thanked her once again for coming out to visit me on trail. Camping last night with her and Dancing Bear felt like the old days on the trail. Dancing Bear was planning on hiking to Knot Maul Shelter today too, so I assured him that he would pass me shortly and headed out. It was overcast and windy all morning; but, the rain held off. As expected, Dancing Bear passed me fairly quickly into the hike. It felt just like the old days, with the young guys blowing past me as I trudged up the hill. He was the only other person I saw on the trail today. I settled into a steady pace, listening to Shogun as the miles slipped away. About 15 miles into the hike I stopped for lunch at Chestnut Knob Shelter. I arrived just as Dancing Bear was heading out. He told me that he was sorely tempted to stop for the day at this shelter because it was so nice. It was located in a meadow on top of a mountain. It was a fully enclosed shelter with windows, bunks for six, and a picnic table in the shelter. I agreed that it was definitely a beautiful shelter; however, I did not want to have a 25 mile hike tomorrow. I finished my lunch and reluctantly headed back out into the wind and light rain. Another ten miles of hiking brought me to the Knot Maul Shelter. It was the standard three sided shelter and not nearly as nice as the last shelter; but, it was dry and out of the wind. Dancing Bear was already at the end shelter reading a book when I arrived. I had stopped for water at the bottom of the hill, about a mile before the shelter. Most of the creeks are dried up, so I figured I had better get water here where there were a few puddles in the mostly dry streambed. We had a pleasant dinner at the shelter, both of us grateful for the company of another thru hiker. It's a shame that I just caught up with him two days before getting off the trail. We would've enjoyed one another's company. It still hasn't quite sunk in that tomorrow is my very last day on trail. I have been doing this since February. Although I'm more than ready to be finished, I know that I will miss the simplicity of this lifestyle where all you have to worry about is putting one foot in front of another. I will also miss the easy camaraderie of the thru hiker community. No matter whether you are on trail or in a trail town, you can immediately pick out a thru hiker and almost always be assured of a warm reception. That's the part of the trail I'll  really miss.
Date: 2017-04-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, it's official. I've turned in my resignation at work and I have 2 weeks to finish up any outstanding jobs and get my stuff together for my trip to Georgia! The decision was a tough one and I have a lot to do and a very short time to do it all. The window to get on the trail and still have time to make it to Katahdin before October 15 is closing fast. I have to thank my amazing girlfriend Lisa who has given me the support to do this. She's been tolerating my hiking stories for years now and probably hopes this will shut me up once and for all (I'm thinking it won't). The reactions I've gotten from my friends and coworkers are awesome. I'm pretty sure it came as a surprise to everyone when I announced my resignation, but the time was right. Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging and it means a lot. At first I was telling people I might have a journal so they can follow along and at some point it just evolved into I AM going to have a journal, I'll send you a link when I get a trail name. They have so many questions about my decision and about living on the trail for 5 months. I will do a separate entry and answer the questions that I'm asked most often.
Date: 2017-04-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I have 2 weeks to buy supplies, set up some mail drops, pay up all the bills, make arrangements for the house and pets (Thanks so much Denise!!!), and wrap up everything where I've worked for the past 15 years. Lots of goodbyes to be said.The plan is to be in Georgia on May 8th and start hiking on the 8th or 9th. After that, everything is subject to change.
Date: 2017-04-22
To: About me
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

My name is Mike,I'm 43,from South Jersey, and I've wanted to hike the entire AT since I met my 1st thru hiker in Shenandoah National Park back in 2000. I went on my 1st long distance trip in 2008 to the 100 mile wilderness in Maine and since then it's really just been a matter of time. I've done sections in VA, WV, MD, PA, NJ, NY, NH,and ME.   Every Feb/Mar I start reading trailjournals and have gotten a ton of info following people as they make their way to Maine (I only read northbounders for some reason)I always wondered if I'd keep a journal WHEN(not if) I went. Let's see how this goes.
Date: 2017-04-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Only one more work week left! Still so much to do! Setting up my resupply boxes, still have to get my ticket to GA and about 200 other details that have to be addressed. It's amazing how excited I'm getting to just go walking in the woods. I'm trying not to overhype it in my mind - I've walked in the woods before - it's not all that exciting. But there are the moments....I'm looking forward to meeting the other hikers and stopping in the trail towns. I want to see some sunrises and hike under a full moon at least once. I want to sleep outside, without my hammock, next to the campfire. I've read others peoples adventures for years and years and now I get my chance!WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
Date: 2017-05-07
To: Amicalola Falls Visitor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The day is here!! So fast! It's been an emotional roller coaster. One minute I'd be worried and anxious followed by excited and right back to worried. Fear of the unknown I guess.  Sitting here on the train ride down to GA, the anxiety is slipping away as the miles pass and I come to terms with my new reality. Unemployed and homeless.  Temporarily anyway. My new job is walking all day and my new home is wherever I stop walking each day. So simple.Met another thru hiker on the train- Yogi Bear. He has to hike the entire trail in 3 months before school starts back up in late August. I won't even attempt to keep up with him. Besides, slow and steady wins the race.
Date: 2017-05-08
From: Amicalola Falls Visitor Center

To: Stovers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

5/8/17 approach trail to stover creek shelter (8.8) + 2.8 (11.6)It got real when I saw the mountains from the train window this morning as the sun rose. Looking at the ridges, wondering which ones I'd be walking along.  Train pulled in at 7 am and Yogi and I walked about a mile to the IHOP for one last restaurant meal.  Took an uber for the 55 min ride to the Amicalola Falls Visitor Center to register and get my hiker number. I'm thru hiker 2039 to start the trail this year.  Perfect weather today for the hike up to the top of the Falls. Met a bunch of section hikers and thru hikers. Set up tonight next to Stover Creek shelter. I prefer my hammock to the mice infested shelters but I'm sure I will stay in a few when the weather is bad enough. Should sleep well tonight after an awesome 1st day.Top of Amicalola Falls
Date: 2017-05-09
From: Stovers Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

5/9/17 Day 2 Stovers Creek Shelter- Gooch Mountain ShelterSlept through the entire night. 8:30-6:30.After packup and breakfast, on the trail by 7:30. Passed by so many nice campsites along the Three Forks area. I'll have to stay there next time. 5.2 miles in by 9:45 where I took my 1st "pack off" break. 10 miles in by lunch at 12:15. Had to stay at the next shelter 3-4 miles away or else walk an additional 10 to the next( which wasn't happenin on day 2). Sometimes they just aren't spaced out right. One of the harder things to do is to take it easy- don't want to risk injury. The 20 mile days will be here before you know it. Got to the shelter nice and early and took a nap. Had dinner and snickers bar for dessert There must be 30 people here all spread out. They can make all the noise they like- I'll sleep right through it. View from look out point
Date: 2017-05-10
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Blood Mountain Cabins
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

5/10/17Gooch Mountain Shelter to Neels Gap (Blood Mountain Cabins) 15 milesTrue to my name, Quick Start was 1st out of camp this morning at 7:05. The plan was 15 miles to Neels Gap due to some rumors of norovirus in the stream water. Totally unfounded. There were about 10 different water crossings today, all from different sources. Also, there was no camping between mile 10-15 due to bear concerns. As I stopped for some noro water and to treat some hotspots on my feet, I met another hiker named Bearman who was getting a cabin. I asked if he was willing to split it and just like that I was living large! Shower! Re supply store! Air conditioning! Electrical outlets!! This place even had a tv! Rough day but so much better after a shower and hot meal.
Date: 2017-05-11
From: Blood Mountain Cabins

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: broken clouds

5/11/17Day4Blood Mountain Cabins to Low Gap Shelter11.5 milesQuick note* pictures will be coming soon, it's been hard posting entries too- just not good service in the gaps. Also, I've heard that the signing the guestbook hasn't been working so well- I'll reach out to the site maintainer to see what's up. But thanks for all the personal messages, I'm glad you're coming along on my adventure!Slept 10 hours in the deluxe cabin and it's amazing how much my body heals every night!! I go to bed feeling so beat up and wake up feeling like a new person everyday. It takes about an hour or so for the muscles to loosen up though. Got resupplies for 4 more days at Mountain Crossing- the trail runs right through the building! I thought the original hiker bubble would have been long gone by the time we got to the trailhead, but everyone was sticking around to hitch a ride 6 miles into town for a BBQ. I figured I'd wasted enough time (and money) here and it was time to get back to hiking. Of course it's straight up out of town with a full heavy pack, up and over the 1st of 4 mountains today. A lot of incredible views today too(coming soon). Bright and sunny, nothing but mountains as far as you can see.  Legs and lungs are getting stronger, but still have to be careful not to overdo it. Nice and exhausted after a hard day and writing from my hammock as the sun is setting. I can hear a barred owl directly over my hammock- so cool.
Date: 2017-05-12
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 15.5

5/12/17 Day 5Low Gap Shelter to Tray Mountain Shelter15.5 milesWoke up feeling completely healed. Didn't even take any ibuprofen for the 1st time. Time to feel the pain. Knees are holding up well and the feet feel fresh for the 1st 8-10 miles anyway. There was the threat of rain today so the original plan of 8 miles got thrown out the window so we can get closer to town for showers and resupply. A couple of us had decided on Tray Mountain 15 miles away. I had the original 8 done by 10:30 and had a big lunch and a nap. Had a couple 1000' descents along with the obligatory 1000' ascents right after. The views really came in the second half of the day. Thank god the rain also decided to hold off. I got to stop and have a water and snack break at 3 of the viewpoints- incredible. Pictures will be coming - I promise. The rain finally came through after I was all fed and relaxing in the hammock. Sounds like it's let up for a bit but makes no difference to me, I'll be asleep in minutes.
Date: 2017-05-13
From: Tray Mountain Shelter 

To: Dicks Creek Gap - Top of Georgia Hostel
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

5/13/17 Day 6Tray Mountain Shelter to Top Of Georgia Hostel 11 miles The rain was steady all night into about 7:30 in the morning. Perfect reason to sleep in. I also needed to get into Hiawassi to resupply for another 4 days.  The trail was misty all morning like walking in a cloud which kept it cool . The last few days have been pretty hot and I could use the time to let my sunburn heal a little.  Had 8.5 miles in by about noon so I had lunch at the Powell Mountain vista (pic included). There was a storm forming off to my left and it looked like it was headed my way so I didn't wait around long after I was done eating. I had about 3 miles left to go to get into Dicks Creek Gap and the hostel.  The rain started coming down just as I stepped onto the front porch and 20 minutes later, I'm showered, in clean clothes, and taking the free shuttle to town to eat cooked food!!!! We all walked to the grocery store with full bellies to load up our food bags for the trail again. Gotta watch how much junk we buy cause we're carrying every last ounce. We got back to the hostel around 7 and hung out getting to know one another. We had Sherlock and Baguette(mother/daughter), Brian (FL), Ryan (TX), and PT (FL). It was awesome- electricity, wifi, running water, and a nice bed all for $25.The crew at TOG were incredible too. Thanks!
Date: 2017-05-14
From: Dicks Creek Gap - Top of Georgia Hostel

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: few clouds

5/14/17 Day 7Top Of Georgia Hostel to Muskrat Creek Shelter11.7 milesSlept great last night in the bunk and got up to all you can eat cereal. It may not sound like much but we didn't have to carry it here. Got the free shuttle to the trailhead and we were off. Crossed the GA/NC border around noon! 1 state down, 13 to go!! Had lunch right over the border and then got welcomed to NC with 3 huge climbs straight up. I was totally beat after that.  We all came to a nice overlook to watch the sunset for the 1st time this trip. Pictures will be posted in the photos section as soon as I get good service. The plan for now is to stop in Franklin in about 30 miles to resupply. We'll see if I can stretch my food till the NOC 56 miles away.
Date: 2017-05-15
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter 

To: Stealth site near mile 99
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

5/15/17 Day 8Muskrat Creek Shelter to stealth site at mile 9917.2 milesThe knees were a little stiff this morning so the plan was to take it easy and stop at the next shelter 5 miles away. I got there by 9:30 and couldn't sit there all day so I pushed on to the next camping area, 4.5 miles away. On the way there, I climbed Standing Indian Mountain. It was a nice 1000' climb over 2 and a half miles which wasn't steep at all. The views were incredible(check out the pics). You could see the damage from a fire over the past winter that took out huge sections of not only this mountain, but the others around it as well. Most of the walk today was through charred forest.  I reached Beech Gap camping area around 1:00 and couldn't decide whether to stay or not so I took a nap. I woke up about 30 minutes later and decided to push on to Carter Gap Shelter 3.2 miles away. Got to the shelter at 5 and had dinner but I was feeling so good from the nap that I decided to push on, again, to the next camping area 3.7 miles away. Got there about 7 but there were no good hammock sites so I just kept on walking. I don't know what happened to the hikers I was with for the past couple days- I took so many breaks. Anyway, the sun was going down and I had to find a spot to set up. Found a little clearing at mile 99 just before a huge climb and set up my hammock without the rain cover. The night was perfectly clear with a million stars. I was whooped and slept like a baby.
Date: 2017-05-16
From: Stealth site near mile 99

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

5/16/17 Day 9Mile 99 to Rock Gap (Gooder Grove Hostel)6.9 milesSlept awesome in my stealth site under the stars last night but still woke up with sore knees. Planned on going to Winding Stair Gap about 10 miles away and hitching a ride into Franklin for resupply and maybe a 0 day to rest the knees. Went up and over Albert Mountain 1st thing- best views so far on the trip! There's a fire tower on the top but it's locked so I didn't see the sense in climbing the stairs.  I got to Rock Gap (6 miles) at around 10:30 and met a guy named Zen who runs the Gooder Grove Hostel.  He was there picking up victims like me who were beat up by the trail and just want to get a shower and town food. I was easy pickins. For $23 I got a bunk at the hostel and a shuttle to the Walmart to resupply. For an extra $5, I got my laundry done too. He drove me through the town of Franklin to show me all the good spots but I just planned on staying off the feet for the day. There was also a trail maintenance crew staying at the hostel and we had a big family style dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, and veggies!! All cooked by Baloo - a huge 6'5" German guy with a kilt who was staying at the hostel for a few days to help out Zen. I was so rested after 1 day, I decided that I would get back on the trail tomorrow.