morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-10
From: Laurel Creek

To: Fort Bastian
Miles today: 26.0

Today was fun! I slack packed for the first time! Slack packing is when you only take a small day pack full of water and snacks and leave everything else back at the camp. After a great breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes, TruBrit drove me and another hiker 26 miles down the trail for us to hike southbound back to camp.It rained lightly all day, which was actually kind of nice. Not having any weight on my back made me feel like I could fly. I actually ran a lot of the trail today. It was so fun to go fast and not be phased by it! I also ran into many familiar hikers and some friends who had been hiking in front of me while they were headed northbound. Around 20 miles I hiked over I-77. It was interesting to be on foot over such fast moving vehicles! The trail continued up a road and lead to a really great view of the highway cutting through the mountains.I hiked the rest of the miles a bit slower from there, but was very proud to complete my first marathon! TruBrit was on the other end to pick me up, and then we headed back to camp to pick up some other hikers staying there. We all headed into town to grab food and some adult sodas. I went to Subway and had myself two footlong subs. I have my hiker hunger again... We then headed back to camp and had a nice night with some good conversation around the fire.I plan to zero here tomorrow and just relax. I am meeting a friend who hiked last year in Pearisburg on Wednesday to head to Trail Days, so I don't need to move to quickly from here. Trail days is a huge hiker festival that is all weekend long and full of fun. I'm really looking forward to this upcoming week!
Date: 2014-05-11
From: Fort Bastian

To: Fort Bastian
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a really nice zero day. I hung out by the creek in a hammock swing and just relaxed. There has been so much on my mind lately, so it was nice to try to work some things out. I still am figuring out my next move, but am happy to know how much I'm growing from this experience. My mind has been all over the place, but I know whatever happens, I'll feel good. The hikers who got here today are awesome. I've met them many times in passing, but never have had the opportunity to hang out. They are extremely supportive in my decision to possibly leave the trail because they too know what it is actually like out here. It was a really nice evening hanging out and chatting with this group all night. They are all headed to trail days, so I'm excited to remain in touch and have a crew to hang out with.
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Fort Bastian

To: Dismal Falls
Miles today: 1.8

Another spontaneous day! This week has been so much fun! Today I got dropped off from where I slack packed from two days ago. I planned to hike about 15 miles to a shelter and then hike into in Pearisburg tomorrow evening, as I'm getting picked up for trail days 2 days from now. I walked about two miles and came across a trail sign that read "Dismal Falls - .3 miles". In black sharpy multiple people wrote on the sign "great swimming hole, great camping", "waaaaahooooooooooo", and, "this is all 100% true". I decided that all of that information was good enough for me, so I headed down the trail.The falls were beautiful. It was such a neat spot! I started to eat a snack when a hiker I've met before, Stevie Wander, came out of a tent not too far down the way. Then, another girl, Kickapoo, showed up. We all sat in the sun for a bit and then decided to jump in the water. It was pretty cold, but bearable and worth it. After about an hour, we all decided that we were just going to stay there all day and camp! I'm so glad we did. It was my best Nero yet.Multiple people we knew showed up throughout the day, some staying and some leaving. Stevie Wander and I caught some crayfish and decided to boil them up for dinner. It was such a nice day with beautiful warm weather, and the people I'm with couldn't be cooler. There are a few of us here tonight camping in various locations around the falls. It should be a nice nights rest to the sound of rushing water. Even though I only did 2 miles, I still have plenty of time to get into Pearisburg by Wednesday - I think it's only 20 something miles total.
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Dismal Falls

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a great day of hiking. I woke up next to the water and had a waterfall breakfast view. I got hiking around 8. The first shelter I passed was Wapiti Shelter. Apparently two people were murdered there by the same man two separate times! It was a bit creepy walking up to see it, but the man who did it is no longer around, so I knew I was safe.The day got hot, but there were scattered large clouds that often blocked the sun and made it cooler. The views today were EXCELLENT. Some of my favorite sights on the trail. Virginia is very pretty, and I was able to get a lot of great footage. I got to the shelter I was going to stay near around 2:30pm. It was earlier than I expected, so I debated weather I wanted to move on or not. Pearisburg was 9 miles away, which meant around 3 hours of hiking. I decided around 3:30 that my body could handle it and that I would make it to town by evening. The hike out was also very pretty. There was a great view from the ridge - way down below you could actually see Pearisburg! The cars were like ants moving - I didn't realize how high up I was! After a long hike down, I finally made it to the road. The town was actually another mile and a half up the road, so I finished out about another marathon today by walking not on the AT. I got to a gas station and bought 2 liters of Gatorade. I had ran out of water a few miles back, so I was very thirsty.I wasn't sure where I was going to stay, as all of the hotels were booked and the hostel was a very far walk away. I luckily ran into a recently made trail friend, Cape, who had extra room in his hotel room for me. It was nice to be able to have somewhere to stay after so much spontaneity in the day. I walked over to the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet and chowed down 3 plates full of bad (but awesome) Chinese food. I looked like the kids in the Jurassic Park scene eating all of the food after they finally got back to the headquarters, just before the Raptors got in the kitchen. My check was only 6 bucks, so I figured I had some spending room for some DQ. I'm now comfy in a nice (but actually really gross) hotel bed. I'm staying on my sleeping bag over the dirty sheets - but still comfy! Tomorrow I'll be getting picked up in the evening to head over to Wood's Hole hostel for the night, and then on to Damascus for the Trail Days Festival!
Date: 2013-12-18
To: Getting Ready
Miles today: 0.0

I am planning to start a NOBO thru hike in early April, 2014. In 2012 I did two sections - northern Virginia to Harpers Ferry and Norwich, VT to Rangeley, ME (total of almost 450 miles). When I started my first section it was something to try. I had almost no backpacking experience. I am born and raised in northern New England, so loved hiking the Whites and into Maine. The trail community is awesome. I will add more as we get closer to departure.Looking forward to being a part of the Class of 2014.
Date: 2013-12-26
To: Why? you ask
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Why hike the Appalachian TrailThis is a very common question and one I do not have a great answer to, the typical ¢Because it¢s there¢ works for me. Long time Alaskan mountain guide Willi Prittie says it well ¢ ¢If you have to ask the question, you will never truly understand the answer.¢ I have always enjoyed being outdoors, but have never been a back packer. For some reason the trail just struck a positive cord with me in 2012 when I did two 200+ mile sections. The trail community is certainly the main draw. I really enjoy the various personalities and the simplicity of life, the adventure of being in new places every day and experiencing the east at 3 miles per hour.I am a little concerned about staying motivated during the first month on the trail. The early going will be more crowded with lots of hikers dropping out. It will also be cold. I now live in Phoenix. It is funny that someone (me) who grew up in Vermont and climbs snow covered mountains for a hobby is worried about the cold. The key for me will be to stay around the positive hikers, which there will be many. In 2012 I was in northern Virginia with the early thru hikers. It was a predominately male group that was into dropping the miles. There was a lot of great energy within the group and no real problems that I saw. The only guy that I saw drop out gave no warning. As he was hiking out of Harpers Ferry he said he was going back to get some new socks. He ended up getting those socks at home as he took the train into DC and caught a flight out that same day. I was surprised in 2012 how the weather was not really important to me. Hiking in the rain was not a big deal. I did tend to shorten the days but once at a shelter and into my dry camp cloths it was no big deal. The thing with the trail is just going with the flow.New Hampshire and Maine was like being on my home turf. I grew up in Vermont and have lived in both NH and Maine as an adult. I really enjoyed the terrain and am already looking forward to giving Mahousic Notch another go. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn¢t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. ¢ Mark Twain
Date: 2014-01-02
To: Tangled Roots
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

For Christmas my mother gave me a book authored by Sarah Mittlefehldt ¢ Tangled Roots, The Appalachian Trail and American Environmental Politics. This paragraph is from page 14 of the book.¢Living has been considerably complicated of late in various ways ¢ by war, by questions of personal liberty, and by menaces of one kind or another. These menaces included unemployment, class antagonisms, the degradation of natural resources and a kind of spiritual malaise that came from being disconnected from nature.¢ MacKaye had begun to witness mental health problems spreading from his urban friends and family ¢ most devastatingly exemplified by his wife¢s suicide. By putting people¢s spare time to productive use through voluntary service in the out-of-doors, MacKaye believed that the Appalachian Trail would help ameliorate the angst of modern life.The MacKaye Sarah references is Benton MacKaye, who wrote these words in his proposal to build the AT in 1921. Seems fitting to today's issues as well.
Date: 2014-01-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I am waiting at a doctor's office and figured may as well practice updating my journal using my phone. I am getting more excited each day to get on the trail. It is so much fun to read the other hikers stories. The class of 2014 will be another diverse group of great people. I look forward to meeting as many as possible. For me that is the main draw of the trail - the thru hiking community.I have to run for now. Happy trails.
Date: 2014-01-20
To: Getting Mentally Prepared
Miles today: 0.0

I just finished reading Zach Davis' book Appalachian Trials. That is not a misspelling, trials, not trails. (http://appalachiantrials.com/) He brings up a very valid point - we talk about how the physical challenge of thru hiking while great is but a part of the challenge. Conquering the mental aspect of spending 6 months in the woods is a huge part of a successful journey. As Zach also points out, we don't want to just finish, we want to enjoy the adventure as much as possible. There are tons of how to books out there, but most address the logistical and physical side. Zach does a great job discussing the mental side in an entertaining and realistic way.This is a topic I think about a lot. I hike pretty much every day and have completed 2 - 200+ mile stretches of the AT. My gear is all top quality and recommended by former thru hikers. The physical side of the hike should come naturally for me. I live in a nice house with a stocked fridge, hot running water, heat, AC, etc. To give that all up to walk through the woods from Georgia to Maine seems a little odd, even to me. The AT has not been a life long dream. Just 4 years ago I told a couple friends who were talking about it - "Not for me".So why am I doing this? During the first section hike I really caught the bug. It is the whole trail community - the hikers, trail angels, towns, that struck a positive cord. I foresee my biggest challenge to be staying motivated. I have the advantage of having already hiking through NH and southern Maine. Having been born and raised in Northern New England, I loved that stretch and can't wait to do it again.I enjoy motivational quotes - so I am compiling a list to use while doing my daily journals. This thought process is not necessarily for the readers, but to enforce the positive thoughts for me as I write my entries. One of the reasons for writing a journal to share online is to draw from the wonderful energy of the trailjournals community. I have enjoyed reading and writing to hikers the past couple of years.I have a college degree in Mechanical Engineering and my wife often picks on me for my engineering thought process. A big goal this summer is to really tap into my artistic side. I have purchased a nice camera and am reading books on nature photography. Hopefully I can work on my writing skills in this journal. Maybe with some work, emotions will come through my written words. My wife would love that.If all goes as planned, in 12 weeks the first on trail entry will be made. 12 weeks sounds like a long time. Less than 3 months sounds better.
Date: 2014-03-21
To: A Very Big Thank You!!
Miles today: 0.0

Unlike many AT Thru hikers, this has not been a life long dream of mine. I started 6 years ago climbing mountains - Whitney, Rainier, Shasta. The next level in mountaineering is a big step up from here. You need to go outside the continental US to get bigger mountains. They are not only higher, but tend to be steeper and colder. At the encouragement of Greasepot (AT 2002, PCT 2004)I decided to try a section hike in 2012 on the AT as a change of pace. I actually did two - 200+ mile sections and when I got off the trail in Rangeley, ME in August I thought it would be fun to go back and hike the last 200 miles to Katahdin. Once I was home the thought of a true thru hike started to come to life. Leaving Arizona for 5 months was a big challenge. I started planting the seeds with my wife - referred to as Miss Arizona by the hikers I met in 2012. She was not (still isn't??)totally thrilled with me leaving for an extended period of time, but she is 100% supportive of me getting this out of my system. Without her backing there is no way I could be doing this. For that I am extremely grateful.The other person I could not do a thru hike without is our younger son. He is 23 and will be taking care of the day to day of my business while I am away. I have 14 great employees. I will have a phone and tablet to stay somewhat in touch, but he will be taking care of things while I am unavailable. Being my own business I want to know what is going on. This hike is all about a new adventure, there isn't anything I am trying to get away from. I leave 3 weeks from tomorrow. Things are in great shape here, just waiting for the weather to warm up in the east before I start. I will be doing a few posts between now and when I hit the trail, then will do my best to post daily updates. More later - thanks for reading.AZontheAT.com
Date: 2014-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I am in that time period where I am ready to get going, but have another 17 days to go. I am sure it will go quickly. Reading others journals and seeing snow in Georgia I am glad I am waiting til mid April to start. I won't rub in the fact we have had great weather all winter in Phoenix.The exciting news is my personal website is ready to go. As part of my hike I am raising money for charity, and matching a generous sum so I have skin in the game as well. The kids and staff at the Civitan Foundation have been a tremendous help setting up the site and offering their creative ideas. Please visit AZontheAT.com to learn more.I realize that the trail stories are much more interesting than the prep stories, so not much to say for now. I do plan to post daily stories once the trail is under my feet. The initial support from friends and family has been tremendous - thank you so much. I will need all your positive energy to help me find my way to Maine.
Date: 2014-04-03
To: Getting closer to departure
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Probably not many views like this in Georgia. I am looking forward to getting started. Tomorrow I can start watching the 10 day weather forecast, for what it matters. I will be using the Sawyer water filter this trip. It will be great to drink at the water source and not have to wait. That and a lighter sleeping bag are my gear upgrades from my 2012 section hikes.Unfortunately a couple friends who have already started are fighting injuries and are temporarily off trail. I wish them all a speedy recovery. The charity fundraising is off to a wonderful start. Thanks to all who have donated already. To help me support kids and critters please visit my website. The kids at the Civitan Foundation have done a great job assisting with the setup of the site. I really appreciate the help.
Date: 2014-04-13
From: Springer Mountain

To: Gooch Mtn shelter
Miles today: 15.8

Hiker Hostel was awesome. After breakfast we headed to the trail. 6 of us started at the Springer parking lot and 5 others went to do the approach trail. We had to hike a mile south to get to the southern terminus. Then j t was game on. Four of hiked the first 8 miles tigether, then Eric and I went ahead. Many people on the trail on a perfect weather day. We left Springer shortly after 10 and got to the shelter a little after 5. Hump, the third guy from our starting group just arrived. He is doing a 200 mile section. A wide variety of hikers here. Most have intention of Maine, but no bold prdictions. A mom and her 3 young kids (9 - 14) are here with intentions of through hiking.Tomorrow want to do another 16 miles to Neels Gap. There is a store and hostel there.Hikers are still streaming in. Sketchy reception so no photo today.
Date: 2014-04-14
From: Gooch Mtn shelter

To: Mountain Crossing
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: few clouds

After a perfect weather day yesterday we got the opposite today, cold, windy and rain. It was cloudy and dry at the start, but that didn't last. Before the rains started we hiked through Woody Gap. As we showed up Ryo, a hiker I met last night was eating a muffin. I commented that it looked good. Some section hikers overheard us and said they had just thrown some away. I was hiking with Eric. He opens the trash bin and sees the muffins and they were fine. We chowed down on those and offered us milk. Then they say there are jalapeno mango meatballs in the trash as well. They were awesome,too. Second day on the trail and we are already dumpster diving. They ended up giving Eric a beer, food bars and cheeze. We were psyched. It started raining just as we walked off.We still had over 12 miles to go. It was very wet. At the end of the day we had to go up over Blood Mountain, Georgia's highpoint. It was great to get to the dry hostel. Pizza and a shower.Good group of people here. Again very diverse.Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy in the morning, so I plan to get a slow start and rest in the morning. It is supposed to be cold the next couple days, hi of 50 and lows about freezing. It is supposed to be 70s by the end of the week.
Date: 2014-04-15
From: Mountain Crossing

To: Red Clay Gap
Miles today: 17.2

Today was supposed to be a short day to rest a little. It continued to rain all night with the forecast for it to stop by noon. There were high wind warnings for today and a freeze warning for tonight. I have been hiking with a 23 year old from the start. He picked up the trailname Yogi today.On the trail if you get free stuff it is called Yogiing. He just has a knack for getting stuff.Anyway he has been a great hiking companion. Today we hiked through the rain and winds and arrived at Low Gap shelter at 3pm. It was 42 with a blustery wind. Must have been 15 other hikers already there. I could nit see killing 5 hours in the cold till sunset so we talked about hiking the 7.5 miles to the next shelter. Someone mentioned a hostel 5 miles up BBC the trail so I called them. Yes cell reception in the middle of nowhere. We get to the unmarked turn off and hike an additional 1.5 miles, all downhill and arrive at this beautiful lodge. It is off season so we may be the only ones here. The owner had left instructions tacked to the front door for us as they are not here. We have a great cabin with warm beds, showers, cooking access. Sure beats a tent in 30 degree windy conditions. The downside is we left some new friends who did not want to keep our pace. Maybe they will catch bavk up. I am feeling great so far. Maybe tomorrow will be an easy day. I'll figure that out aftrt I eat.With the cold and rain today was a hiking day, not very social, so not much for trail stories. Forecast is pretty good for the next week, warmer and no big storms.Line of the day from Yogi- This is awesome, it's like being a kid again. Everyone goes by a nickname, you eat junk food and have no responsibility. When talking about hiking the AT.
Date: 2014-04-16
From: Red Clay Gap

To: Sassafras Gap - Camping
Miles today: 14.4

After spending 2 days in the clouds and rain it was finally nice to see a view and blue skies when we woke up. It was 26 in town - so very cold in the mountain. A nice fresh breeze all day kept things quite cool. Yogi (yes - Eric) and I had a 10 person bunkroom to ourselves. It was nice to sleep in a warm bed. After eating our breakfast I decided to check out the lodge while Yogi got finished getting ready. The lodge was very nice. Yogi showed up and we ended up talking to her about suggestions to lure thru hikers to her place. We told her a 1.5 mile hike down a steep hill was very hard to overcome. Only reason we did it was to get out of the cold. She offered to let us cook our own breakfast with her farm raised eggs. We were anxious to get started and said no. A decision we regretted 10 minutes later as we headed up the 1,000 vertical climb back to the trail. It is a beautiful valley following a stream, but does not get you any closer to Maine.Anyway - once up on the ridge again there was lots of ice. The spring trees absorb lots of water and being on a ridge the trail was in great shape considering all the rain of the past 2 days.The trail was very quiet. We started in between anything and the weather has driven lots of hikers into the nearby towns. It is still so cold you tend to keep moving and not take breaks on the side of trail. About 3 miles in we passed 3 kids we saw the day before - Jen, Hanna and Max. They were packing up their tents. We thought we would see them, but they never caught us. We did pass 2 guys and 1 women as well as a couple southbound section hikers. Water was more scarce today. We ended up having to hike .3 miles off trail to get water, that obviously adds .6 to the hike. When you add the 1.5 to start the day it makes for a 16.5 mile day total. We plan to go into Haiwassee tomorrow, so the further we go today the shorter tomorrow. Yogi struggled a bit at the end of the day, but about 6PM we made it to Sassafras Gap. Perfect - only 6.3 for tomorrow. There were 3 other tenters in the area, but everyone was in their tent because of the cold wind. I had wrongly assumed the leaves would be out by now in Georgia, so wind would not be an issue. The past 3 days wave been windy since we are on the ridge 90% of the time. All night the winds were blowing quite hard. My tent is made for summer - so well ventilated. I tried tying down one end, but to no avail. At 7:30 I crawled into my sleeping bag to get out of the cold. Forecast is for warmer weather - looking forward to that.