morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-02-17
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

Rain...Day 2 on the trail, I suppose it might as well begin before we start enjoying hiking too much. It poured.Notes on hiking in the rain on the AT.-Peaks and ridges go from beautiful and scenic, to no visibility locals with hurricane force winds. No fun on top.-You never see the top of a peak when approaching, but you can certainly hear it.-Rocks twist your ankles (this happens even when it isn't raining) and leaves make you slip and fall. Working together as a menacing duo, leaf masks rock, you trip, twist your ankle, slip, and then fall.About this knee, I think the rain actually may have been a blessing in disguise. Wet, and having 20 mph sustained winds acted like a big ice pack. Much less pain than yesterday. Even still, I'm taking a zero tomorrow to be sure and rest it up. Plus a hostel sounds fairly nice right now. I might crawl into a dryer when I get there and warm up. Only four quarters.Cheers
Date: 2008-02-18
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Short day. Trying to exercise my new mantra. The Walasi-Yi is awesome. The staff is all great to hang out with and talk to. Got to throw some football in the parking lot, and stay in the first of many hostels. The guy who takes care of it, Pirate, is one of the all around coolest hiking souls. He makes the hostel feel like home including navy bean soup for dinner, and movies with popcorn. I'd love to stay longer, but movin on is the way of the hiker.Couple more thrus caught up so they'll be some new people to meet over the next couple of days.Side note about Walasi-Yi. Cats and dogs make this place a zoo. I think, I know, one cat sat across a love seat not letting any hikers or even Pirate sit down for most of the day. (Probably around 5 hours it sat there) But I do hear there is croissant Quebec toast for breakfast. Thanks Pirate.Hoping for around 10 or 11 miles tomorrow, shouldn't be a problem. Now that all of my wet frozen gear has thawed.
Date: 2008-02-19
From: Neels Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Fueled by the incredible breakfast Pirate made, I made short work of the 10.8 miles to Low Gap Shelter. The plan was to stay there, but a few things happened that made me push on.-Made shelter by 12:45-As soon as I stopped, I froze. It started to flurry (nobody believes this). I had to get in my sleeping bag to stay warm.-The shelter didn't feel right. Too much vandalism and live ammo left behind.-Alex, my crazy friend from Quebec arrived and helped me out of my bag.So far there has been nothing close to a routine.Day 1: 7 miles healthy, 7 miles hurt. Good weather.Day 2: 12 miles slightly limping, rained, plus tornadic winds.Day 3: 3.7 miles into hostel with warm meals.Day 4: 18 miles feeling strong, but it is so cold with the winds.When things settle down and I get into a routine, I'll give the description of a typical day. Doing anything when your hands are frozen is no fun. But had a great sunset over the mountains we crossed today and turning around, we had the full moon rising over mountains we will cross tomorrow. Can't write anymore unless I switch my left handMore later (illegible)
Date: 2008-02-20
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

Setting out today we (me, Alex, Felton) knew it was going to be an up and down day. 1000 down, 1000 up, 1000 down, 1500 up and so on. I bet we did around 8-9 thousand vertical feet today. The first couple of mountains were no problem, but toward the end of the day, I was moving so slow. I snapped a picture because I wanted to see what I looked like in agony. Got so thirsty I drank right from the spring, not something I plan on doing a lot, but it was so refreshing.Some of the miles today were mentally the slowest I've had all trip. Usually you can go into Zen mode and mow down 5-6 miles without even thinking. Not so after lunch today. It took forever. Also, going uphill, the sun was out, the wind wouldn't blow and I would get so hot removing layers. Going downhill, clouds rolled in, wind picked up and I would have to put layers back on because I was so cold. (This happened every time, and I'm not even going to tell you what would happened when I stopped) Mountains are always playing tricks. Leaves and wind on a ridge, ice and moss on the north face.I'll be sleeping well tonight.Ps. Today's song was U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday, I don't even know the words, but I sang it all day.
Date: 2008-02-21
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dicks (Dry) Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was another short day on the trail and into Cloud 9 hostel for the evening. The place is awesome, got to catch up on the news, cook some massive burgers and resupply in Hiawassee. A trail veteran named Crutch, who works (hangs out for the busy months) at the hostel until he gets on the trail in the spring, picked us up and was great to chat with. Apparently that's what people do when they work close to the trail. Everyone sets north once the major push goes through and joins the traveling party.Anyway it was great cleaning up and hanging around. Too bad I'm an idiot and somehow managed to break the ceiling fan in my room. Sorry. Oh well, tonight its a king size bed and some real sheets.
Date: 2008-02-22
From: Dicks (Dry) Creek Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: snow

Man things change quick on the trail. Today was great in the morning. Pancakes and farm eggs cooked by the master chef Crutch. Got on trail a little late, 10:40. Started hiking and the miles flew by. Probably my best zenning yet (but no doubt aided by the cups of coffee). Got to see the most photographed tree on the AT (and took a picture), and crossed into North Carolina. NC had some tough climbs right on the border, but after that was pretty nice and flat. But I got overzealous. I stopped in at Muskrat shelter for lunch/snack at 3:20. I wasn't sure if Allgood or Alex would make it there (thinking back, I'm sure they would, but they had talked about camping a few miles back). So I decided to continue on to the next shelter thinking there might be some weekenders staying there. I arrived 4.9 easy miles, and 1 hour 50 minutes later to another empty shelter. Turns out the road and parking lot were closed until mid-March for weekenders to use. No people. Recent bear sighting (not sure how recent but the sign said 'no fear of humans') Its been raining/misting all day. NO cell service. It's still so humid and misty I can only see a few feet with my headlamp. Dark at 6:30. I just had to stop writing for a minute to pick up my stuff, mice are going crazy in it. (Addition: later that night, mice crawled into/under my sleeping bag, and were using my head as a springboard.)I want to start doing bigger miles, start to really cover some ground. But it doesn't seem like anything is in front of me. Empty shelters are no fun. In two weeks, it will be a zoo on Springer. So I'm torn, should I go slow for a while and wait for people to catch up, or just keep going and know that when the weather gets better there will be more people on the trail. Being alone makes you miss things. At least surrounded by people you can enjoy the trail. All I know is too many solo nights will not bode well for my adventure.Better days ahead...
Date: 2008-02-23
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was a much better day. No views in the morning from the 5500 foot Standing Indian Mountain. But around lunch, the three day cloud fest came to an end. I got into Carter Gap shelter, pulled out my sleeping pad, and took a two hour nap in the sun (and got burned). Also, before my nap, no cell service, when I woke up, full signal. Made a much needed call home. Went another few miles after lunch and there was a sweet fire lookout on Mt. Albert. Climbed as high as I could on the rickety thing, took a pic, and ran back down. When I got to the bottom, I had an encounter with another human being. A man from Franklin on a day hike, who quickly offered me Easter candy, (maybe slightly fearful of a hungry Thru) and told me a few hikers passed by only a few minutes ago. So I thanked him and tried to catch the new mystery hikers. I arrived at Big Spring shelter to find a couple dads and sons setting up their tents in the shelter. No problem, because I am currently right in between the two with a much needed fresh breeze. Dave, Paul, Tom and TJ have been so fun to listen to and hang out with. Just the type of people to rejuvenate my spirit after a couple gloomy days.Without question, the trail is about who you meet and the chaos that shortly follows, not taking a self portrait from every mountain top. So I think the decision for me is to take some more slow/zeros and see who catches up to me. My body is almost ready for big miles, but my mind tells me I won't make it alone.PS. Thanks Big Spring Crew for the fun evening, but if I can't sleep well due to weird smells or excessive enlarged soft palate bulldog snoring (Tom), I'm taking it back.
Date: 2008-02-24
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Franklin
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Quick and fast walk today and I reached the road to Franklin. I didn¢t really need anything from town, but I figured it¢ll be good to waste some time. When I got in, I realized it was about 12:30 on a Sunday. Walked to Subway (leaving my dirty pack outside) as everyone was in their Sunday best while I was fresh off the trail and people were looking at me funny, but on my way out a man and woman asked if I¢d hit any snow and how the trail was. That made me feel better. I got some groceries (pushing by pack around on the cart) and went outside to eat. I plugged my phone into an outlet used for the Coke machine and sat there for an hour. I felt like a bum. (Hobo?)Oh well, ended up staying at Ron Haven's Budget Inn and it was great. Very nice people and a great room.
Date: 2008-02-25
From: Franklin

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

This is a pretty awesome story. I had been trying to get a hold of a distant relative all day yesterday but couldn¢t. Missed a call from him this morning and I called him back leaving a message saying I¢m sorry we didn¢t meet and planned on heading back to the trail. Well, I walked outside, and my Great-Grandfathers first cousin ,Chip, decided to drive over and find me. We had lunch and ran some errands. I honestly felt like I was with my own Grandfather. This man, whom I had never met, invited me to stay with him and his wife. I of course did ----- my first actual zero day. I honestly had so much fun talking about the family and getting to know him and his wife, I truly felt at home. Thank you guys so much. Had an incredible dinner, listened to stories, and now, I¢m writing a few things down in a HOME Chip built with his own hands. This was a truly memorable experience that I had no idea would happen, probably would have never got to meet Bill and Linda. I am so blessed to have such a large family and am so happy I was able to make it a little closer.
Date: 2008-02-26
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

Today it was ¢back on the trail¢ for me. After an incredibly wonderful stay in Franklin, Bill took me back up to Winding Stair Gap. When we got there, Felton was standing in the mud. This is a guy I hadn¢t seen in 3-4 days, and he happened to be right there ready to continue on. The trail is mysterious. Couldn¢t have timed it better. Also met a couple, more Thru Hikers a few minutes later that were headed into Franklin for a mail drop. (I figured they would be sucked into town for the night)Went to Wayah Bald shelter, built in 2007. As new as shelters get. As soon as I lay down, I could tell it was going to be a bad sleep. We had walked through sleet during the day, but now it was picking up and blowing in the shelter. I sure hope my bag stays dry. I¢m paranoid about it. (Adam and Phil made it to the shelter at 9:00.) Impressive.
Date: 2008-02-27
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Nanathala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

Got a surprise this morning.   A Snow Day. I woke up covered in a (not so) thin layer of snow. Around 4 inches fell overnight and it was sooo cold. As I contemplated taking a zero in the shelter, Adam and Phil took control. These guys packed crampons (yaktrax). So I thought, what the heck, I¢ll just follow them. It was the most beautiful morning and getting pictures was tough due to my camera-sicle. I had the most fun I¢ve had on the trail walking, for the first couple hours. Miles are slow when you can¢t get a good push with your feet. One of every 4 steps my foot would stay where I placed it. My comment at the start of the day was if you fall and end up on you back, you buy a round of beer at the NOC. This didn¢t happen because everybody fell many times. Tumblin, stumblin, bumblin just like the Fergie song. After a tough day and a nearly endless descent (like 6 miles down hill, skiing) we came upon the glorious NOC. Dried out my sledding cloths, sleeping bag, and shoes, and am now in a warm bunk. Awesome day. Tiring day. (But probably not as bad as ascending back up to the peaks in a couple days.)
Date: 2008-02-28
From: Nanathala Outdoor Center (NOC)

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

After a big day yesterday, I decided it wouldn¢t be a bad place to take another zero. The NOC seems like it was built to handle hundreds of people. But the only visitors here are me and Felton. Dinner last night, breakfast today, hanging at the outfitter. Only us two. Oh well. The sun is shining, it¢s about 50 deg, and the Nantahala River is an excellent place to nap by.         At the outfitter, I bought a new hat and some socks and a spoon. (I lost mine somewhere and have been slurping noodles from the bowl the past couple of nights). My socks have several holes apiece, but I am having a hard time putting them in the trash. After 134 miles this year, and nearly 200 miles last year, it just seems cruel to dump them. These are the types of things I have to worry about out here.        Anyway, Great Day. Been reading and enjoying the break. Tomorrow is a 3000-foot ascent back into the mountains. Also, Alex and Allgood made it into town, along with another thru I haven¢t met named Lazer Chuck. So we¢ll have a good crew leaving tomorrow. Later
Date: 2008-02-29
From: NOC

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Leap Day. And with a few giant leaps, I made it back into the mountains. Felt strong and knocked out the 6.9-mile 3000-ft climb in about 3 hours. I would push on because it is still early, but I¢ve got a date with the US mail in Fontana on Monday. Since the Post is closed Sunday and I can¢t make it by noon tomorrow, it will be a nice couple of days moseying in to Fontana (about 22 miles).         The weather has changed today. Near 60 and sunny yesterday at NOC. Around 35, cloudy, and windy, and probably going to snow tonight. Walked through some deep snow drifts maybe 18 inches or so, which is deep in shorts with non-waterproof shoes. But got to see some wild turkeys, and coyote tracks that follow along the trail for miles. A couple guys saw bear tracks, not me.        We are barricaded in the shelter. My tarp is blocking the snow from creating another night of wet snow covered ----. I hope it keeps out most of the snow. At least I¢ll sleep better knowing I tried.P.S. mandolins are awesome
Date: 2008-03-01
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter 

To: Cable Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

We had a group of seven in the shelter last night. It was nice just having so many people around. We made it through the snow assault and I awoke to an unfamiliar sound¢¦ melting snow. Today was nice and warm, and the higher temps and lots of snow made for a crazy day.        Every single person walking today said how nice it would be to have skis -- I used my shoes. During one stretch with my ski (trek) poles and gravity as propulsion, I skied about 40 feet without taking a step. Felton said I was going to get hurt, I should have told him to get lost (which he did) and I stopped.        I told Felton to meet at the first shelter after lunch since we needed water. I made it, walked up the trail, and saw him look at the sign about 5 minutes later. I closed my eyes for a second thinking he would be down. Ten minutes later I realized he pushed on, so I chased after him (waterless) only to find him one half mile and one dry spring later backtracking and yelling. He didn¢t see the trail, or the shelter, or the water.        Oh well, we made it to the next shelter and things were ok even though we did 6 miles without hydration. But it was a nice day.
Date: 2008-03-02
From: Cable Gap Shelter 

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

(Too sick to write one for 3-2, but I will do it tonight. More to come later. Thanks for all the good stuff.) JMan vs. the AT.Round 1: Doing the miles. I got out to a good start, but then the early knee problems. Still good.Man 1Round 2: Rain. No problem so far, plus I¢ve made it through multiple days of snow.Man 2Round 3: Loneliness. No doubt the toughest contender. Adjustments took me off the original plan.AT 1Round 4: Sickness. Hiking sick is horrible. Without a question AT wins.AT 2So far 2 to 2, but I know eventually the AT always wins, we just try and keep the score close.More about this sickness. During the night, I had a dream I was cleaning ... something...(could have been a shelter) ... and I had to stop because I felt sick. Woke up. Same problem. Actually sick. Threw up in the morning, and also shortly down the trail. Trail says, ok you can handle the miles, how about 6.6 with a stomach bug? Didn¢t eat all day. Tried to sip water, and barely made it. For dinner I stole a small portion of spaghetti, boiled it up, drank the hot water, and ate the noodles, listened to music and was asleep by 7:15 in the nicest shelter on the AT. Couldn¢t enjoy it.
Date: 2008-03-03
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

F is for frustration. Woke up and puckish was not the first thing on my mind. Good sign. Packed up and got my first mail drop. (High point of the day). The dam was really neat and crossed into the Smokey Mountain National Park. Powered by 2 Jimmy Dean sausage biscuits that stayed down, I was enjoying the tough climb into the park. Then AT says, ¢Here you go, try it on a bum leg again¢. What is a knee for, flexing, extending, and producing motion? What good is it if these basic functions cannot be performed? I¢ll bet the cure to stop the pain is to stop using it. Bad design if I can¢t handle a 10-mile walk, after easy days. I was so mad, I almost used my trek pole as a lawn dart. (Until I remembered how valuable and expensive they are). So I broke a stick. Much better.Made the shelter and it actually was an enjoyable walk. But then I ate, didn¢t feel like cooking, still not 100%, but goldfish and a granola bar and I feel terrible again. I think on trail everything is hurt. Eating takes precedent.   Everything I feel like I write down is a complaint. But life on trail is tough and this is me venting, plus it is a lot easier to grumble than to try and describe views with endless mountain peaks. It is fun, I just wish there wasn¢t so much pain involved. The AT is now the HMDCYTT. (How Much Discomfort Can You Tolerate Trail).I¢ve no doubt I¢ll get over being sick, but not being able to eat will inhibit my hiking. I can already tell I have less power pushing up hills. I¢ve had to walk slower and take many breaks.I¢ve met some new hikers, always fun. So at least that¢s good. Writing by lantern someone packed is awesome. And actually feeling better since I¢ve started writing this.Again, Better days ahead.Jordan Real time journal entry for the trail posted3/11/08 Just a quick update from Hot Springs, North Carolina. I made it into town last night and am planning a zero for the day. Getting to catch up on stuff after several days. I made it through the Smokies and had some so-so weather. But the journals for that stretch are in the hands of the US Postal service and should be up in a couple of days. I want to take a second and thank everyone for the kind words on my guest book. It takes quite a bit of time to get the journals posted, so I'm letting the parents do that, but I have been able to get on and read what people are saying. It is so inspiring, comforting, uplifting coming out of the woods after a week and change, hopping on a computer, and realizing I had not fallen off the Earth and people are thinking about me. I have read every ones post several times and am surprised that there are so many voices. Thank you all. My only regret is that I can't respond very often or get journals up faster. The whole online process takes so much time, as does the hiking. If anyone has any specific questions an email or phone message is the best way to get a response. Here in Hot Springs I found a Rain Kilt...it is now my Rain Kilt. This will mean more when the journals from last week get put up. Jordan
Date: 2008-03-04
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrek Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

This journal entry is coming one day after the true experience of Mar 4. So the language will be milder and events not as colorful.        It is rumored that areas near here received 5¢ of rainfall. I wouldn¢t doubt it. The AT scenic footpath is basically a 2175-mile long creek bed. Today we had 6-10 inches of standing, flowing and falling water covering the trail. The wind was howling. At first the plan was to tiptoe around the trail. Eventually, I just dropped in like a child during a summer shower, splashing in the mud. Some of the AR (Appalachian River) had snow (icebergs) so the feet were pretty much frozen all day.         Some of the ridges were grassy and treeless. Giving excellent views¢¦ on a different day. I was screaming and shouting. Hiding in a little patch of bushes until I thought the wind died down, and then darting across the clearing in a real life version of Frogger trying not to get blown off the mountain.        At one point during a long shouting tirade, I noticed a sign for Thunderhead Mt, a pretty big peak in the Smokies. Looked at it and said, ¢Oh, I didn¢t know I was going over Thunderhead today", and then walked right down the back side continuing to vent.         I had a couple of enjoyable moments but mostly felt like I was so wet that I would never be dry again. I did do 9.2 mils in 3.5 hrs not wanting to stop and ignoring the knee screaming. Made it to the shelter by 1:00. After a few hours, me, Matt and Felton were comfortably warm and spread out. In walk seven Michigan State Univ. students soaked and looking for a dry place. Also three section hikers, 1 sick kid (who zeroed), and Chuck. We slept 15 deep in a 12-man shelter with 15 people¢s wet gear everywhere. It was chaos.        The walking was not fun, but the day overall turned out to be funny and enjoyable. Misery loves company.Changing my rain round of a couple days ago to an AT win. Man 1 ¢ AT 3. I¢m sure it¢ll get worse.
Date: 2008-03-05
From: Derrek Knob Shelter

To: Mt Collins
Miles today: 14.0

Woke up to the snow and ice¢¦ again¢¦ but clear skies. First few miles my leg hurt, I decided 3 more weeks and if in 6 weeks my knee can¢t adjust to hiking, that¢s it. After that I decided to slow the pace down. It helped. (I always say slow down¢¦ it¢s hard).        Today was finally one of those days you think about and dream about. Perfect temp, the only clouds were below us, and we crossed over Clingman¢s Dome. Views were spectacular, and I got to make some phone calls home.        See nothing funny about a perfect (almost) day on the trail, but it was much needed after that rain. The only thing funny is that I don¢t know how to describe a good day. Haven¢t had much practice. I¢m sure I¢ll get better.