morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-02-19
From: Best Western

To: Best Western
Miles today: 0.0

We went to church where Mandy went. The people were so nice and loved us well. We met alot of great people. Clay and Branch a couple we met took us out for lunch. They are cool. So we got to talk about the hike and Christ. It was great. They also invited us to stay at their apartment tonight. So we will not have to use other peoples money any more for hotel rooms any more. My life is crazy and I love it. We will be hitting the trail again on Tues. after we finally get our packages.
Date: 2006-02-20
From: Best Western

To: Helen Ga.
Miles today: 0.0

I am ready to be back on the trail. I have had so much fun here. But am ready to be back in the woods. Though everyday out there is so challenging and when I am in the mist of it seems like I would rather be anywhere else, but even though I complain everyday I do love it. I love the struggle (now that I am in a warm hotel). I learn the most when I am in the most tumult. I get beat down and there in that holy moment is when I am the most moldable. I finally listen, I finally hear even though the silence is sometimes deafening. As I reflect on the small amount of the trip I have done already, its nothing like I thought. We are about 75 miles short of where I thought we would be. I kept telling myself "I am a collegiate athlete, I am going to dominate this puny trail" but as the majority of 60-70 years old have blown by us with their cains flipping grains of dirt in our eyes and as a troop of girl scouts ran by us skipping and giggling, I have truly been humbled. I am no longer anything. I am just a slow struggler. The trail is the great equalizer. But I don't care how long it takes me any more. I will finish. I may be on this thing till 2009 but I will make it to Katahdin. And I will grow, I will suffer, I will love, cry, laugh, continue to feel millions of conflicting emotions but most important I know that in this journey God will move and I will be gloriously transformed.
Date: 2006-02-22
From: Addis Gap

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: overcast clouds

These last few days have been very trying. Not physically. But internally. Spiritually, emotionally draining. At times I feel hallow. A walking zombie. So many different smaller voices. "You should quit", "What are you thinking", "You are going to slow" And those are the edited ones. So as my head lays low and the internal battle ensues, I start to ask why? I once again reevaluate my trip. I mean there has already been so much struggle. It does seem so much easier to quit. But my initial reaction is not my true reaction. I know when trouble comes I always want to run. I always want to hide. To cower. To give my strength to something less noble. And that is why I am on this pilgrimage. I do not want to be that man anymore. And I won't be. The smaller voices are always quieted by a much louder calmer voice. Maybe it's God, maybe it's schizophrenia. Personally I think it's God, but whatever it is it is reasuring me that everything is going to be okay. Telling me I have the strength of a lion. As he whispers words of life into my weary bones my eyes moisten and I know I am where I am suppose to be and I am safe here in this wild unknown.
Date: 2006-02-23
From: Hiawassee

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We started out this morning totally blessed. Last night we stayed at the blueberry patch. A hostel. This morning we got to pray with the couple that owned it. They prayed with us and we prayed for them. It was awesome.We hike about 8.6 miles and we finally crossed the NC/GA state line !! Whoaa.. GA was rough for us young bucks. But the thought of a new state makes us sing. I actaully ran with my 46 lbs pack on my back to the state line..We hiked with spiritual pilgrim, red blaze, sunset, nuts we all had a crossing the state line party.
Date: 2006-02-24
From: Bly Gap

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I felt good today woke up at the normal 11 oclock and started hiking and just kept going. I have realized if I eat and drink about every hour I feel much better. So after a normal day of about 7.7 we ate dinner as the sun was setting and decided to keep going. We then proceded to hike 7.6ish more miles in the dark over Standing Indian mountain 5,498 feet. We made it to carter gap shelter around 10:30pm but it was full so we tented near by. I was truly exhausted, my feet felt like I was wearing shocks with shards of glass in them. I set up my tent and was gone.
Date: 2006-02-25
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Got up a little earlier this morning. Made some chicken, cheese and loaded mashed potatoes for breakfast. I went up to the shelter and threw the frisbee with Red Blaze for awhile as Messenger was awaking. Finally starting hiking around 11 and felt alright the first 8 miles..Then got a little rough Albert Mountain was like climbing up a ladder on the side of a house..seriously straight up.But we made it to the shelter after dark, 9 people were already there..So we hung out by the fire ate a much needed dinner and crashed outside the shelter. My feet hurt. But we pushed hard these last few days so we could try to make it church in morning in Franklin.
Date: 2006-02-26
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.5
Weather: clear sky

Sunset's mom was there at the shelter and was kind enough to drive us into Franklin this morning so we could catch a church service, restock on food and tomorrow get our mail drop from the PO. I prayed that God would lead us to the right church. I don't know why I doubt God so much, because everytime he blows me away. Sunset's mom (mary) dropped us off downtown and we started walking around trying to figure which one of the 12 churches on each corner we should attend. Finally we walked by one that seemed alive and a couple was so kind and invited us in for a breakfast and coffee! I don't think this entire trip I have smelled this bad..I mean I could smell myself quite strongly and got sort of dizzy from my own odor. But we walked in laid our packs down and Gus introduced himself to us. We had some breakfast had some good laughs. Gus then invited us to his house to shower before the service..He then served us another breakfast! Oh it was nice.Gus then invited us to stay the night when he found out that we had to stay here for the PO to open in the morning! We went back to church for a great service. My weary spirit was encouraged. We met another man who said he would take us to the trail head in the morning. This time we havent ask for anything and it was all provided for! We have been so blessed, and are so thankful for all the love that has been shown to us. It's a beautiful thing, isn't it. We are all connected. Humanity one. Struggling toward the same destination of joy. But even more intimate the body of Christ. Struggling toward faith, towards heaven. Even though I have no idea who these folks are I feel united to them. I feel loved and accepted my smell and all. I think it is our common faith that binds us, our common love for a savior, who loved the unlovely like myself. These folks are tangibly being Jesus to us and it's beautiful. Though I feel somewhat guilty of accepting people's gift's I am learning too. I think it's pride. A common pride that we all share, gift's are much harder for me to accept than for me to give. Maybe that is why Christ's gift of himself is so hard for me to accept. I want earn it. I want to work for it. But that is not how this mysterious faith thing works. It's here. He already gave it to me. I don't have to earn it, even though I try so hard too. I must open my hands and my heart to Christ sacrifice and embrace it as my own. I am learning so much. "Remember me Lord, even when I don't remember you"
Date: 2006-02-27
From: Franklin

To: Campsite past Wayah Bald 
Miles today: 14.1

The honeymoon has officially ended. Reality for the most part has set in. I wake up in the freezing cold. I pack up my stuff and I walk. I eat, then I walk, I eat, then walk some more... eventually near dark I set up camp, eat, do some reading, maybe write a bit, then I sleep and do it all again the next day. This is my life.. This is what I do. Though I am not riding on the "high" of this trip anymore and the monotony of the routine has nestled its ugly head into my life, I once again feel something greater, something truer. The truth is that the "fairy tale" has not ended and is only just beginning. I feel like I am in some sort of wild tale that is in the process of being written. As of right yet I do not know all the villains, I do not know all the heroes, I know the triumphs and the downfalls will come but I do not know what they will be. I am caught up in a story that is much grander than myself. I wish I knew the ending maybe I could rest a little easier. Maybe it will be ¢they all lived happily ever after.¢
Date: 2006-02-28
From: Campsite past Wayah Bald 

To: Nahtahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

¢It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly... who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.¢ Theodore RooseveltMaybe I am just a selfish, arrogant _____. You can fill in the blank. But so many times this quote has run through my mind as I walk. So what does it mean to me now in my journey? Let's play with this imagery for a bit. I feel as though I am now "in the arena" of sorts. Standing there in the center of a grand coliseum. The dirt beneath my toes. Staring into the unknown faces that are glaring back into mine... "What do I do?" I scream "Why do you all watch?" I quickly think to myself "Do I perform for them? No, I can't.. I don't do any tricks..." "LIVE!" I hear the crowd chant just "LIVE!" Then slightly embarrassed by my own childish oblivion, it becomes clear to me why the crowd has gathered. They have come to watch me live, to fight for this true life that is so hard to attain. They have come to see me sweat and bleed. To see me fail and see me succeed. Some come to try to find hope in another doing battle despite the odds, and some come only to gaze at the potentially defeated. But all come to watch. This is only true because we are all on a similar journey together; we are intrigued when one leaves the comforts of his home for the dangers of the arena. It's something deep down we all long too do, to step into the arena and give it our best shot, and regardless of the outcome, having a quite confidence knowing that your place will not be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. So with that being said. As scared as I am I ask you to join me, in some arena, somewhere, please "LIVE!"
Date: 2006-03-01
From: Nahtahala Outdoor Center

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I hit yet another bump in the trail, literally. We were about at 13.4 miles for the day and were heading about 2.5 more miles to Brown Fork Shelter when I took a step down off of a small ledge right onto a small sharp narrow phantom root that stood straight up and was covered with leaves. My foot stepped onto the top of this crazy root from the pits of hell and my right ankle (that has the strength of a pile of cottage cheese) took a violent turn to the right, my foot was lying parallel to the ground while my body was still upright. Then I started to fall. I yelled as my body picked up momentum due to the weight of my pack, then after what felt like eternity I finally landed, on my face in the middle of the path. I just lay there; I could not believe what just happened. A thousand thoughts went through my head. I didn¢t want to move my ankle in fear that it was as bad as the fall looked. After a few minutes I slowly rolled it around. It was not broken. It was not even seriously sprained! I finally some put pressure on it and took walk but with a significant limp. I wanted to go on. But knew it probably would not be the smart thing to do. To compromise the trip over a silly ankle sprain. So divinely placed only a few hundred yards down the mountain was Sweetwater Creek Road. So we hitched a ride down into Bryson City. Messenger¢s and I old college and my home town was only a few hours away. So our friends Carly and Jessica picked us up. We have decided to take a few days with family and friends while I recover and should hit the trail again sometime at the beginning of this coming week. As I write this my ankle is feeling much better the limp for the most part is gone. For now on as I walk the trail I will wear two ankle braces so hopefully this will not happen again. Thank you so much for the prayers and your encouraging messages make my heart nearly jump right out of my chest. Stumbling Forward-
Date: 2006-03-02
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Ankle Recovery
Miles today: 0.0

I feel like the character Tozer writes about when he says "He stands upon the earth and feels the wind and rain in his face, and he knows that they are real. He sees the sun by day and the stars by night. He sees the hot lighting play out of the dark thundercloud. He hears the sounds of nature and the cries of human joy and pain. These he knows are real. He lies down on the cool earth at night and has no fear that it will prove illusory or fail him while he sleeps. In the morning the firm ground will be under him, the blue sky above him, and the rocks and trees around him as when he closed his eyes the night before. So he lives and rejoices in a world of reality."The wilderness to me is a firm reality. I can trust it. Though it gives me its beauty and stillness, it gives me no relational interaction. Here back in the society it is so hard to determine what is real, what is true, what certain peoples motives are, it feels so out of my control. I don't like feeling that way. But I have too because these relationships are partly what I am made for. They have the greatest potential for the most heartache and for the most joy. So if I never take relational risks I will never taste the greatest joy of love. So though I believe the woods offers a more firm tangible reality, it does not and cannot offer another facent that I long for so much more, which is a relational reality. Seeing my friends and my family has made me see all the more how much they mean to me. How much I am wired for others. Just some thoughts from my heart... Be back on the trail in a few more days.
Date: 2006-03-06
From: Seeking

To: Getting Back on Tomorrow
Miles today: 0.0

I am reminded time and time again that this is just as much of a spiritual journey I am on as it is a physical journey. Though I am getting muscle in places I didn't even know I had places, I am more being ripped raw internally. Being recreated. Into something much purer. Something much different than what I am now. I think I will like the finished product..though I guess it will never quite be finished until beyond. I once again have more questions than answers. Life even in the woods is bewildering! Confusion seems to be a second home for me. I find much comfort in David's (the man after God's own heart) own cry. He communicates this commonplace burden of confusion well in the 22nd Psalm "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent." But a few verses later David says he will "declare" God to his brothers and will "praise" him. Despite his not understanding his own circumstance he chooses to praise God for who he is anyway. wow. I want to be like that. God is not Santa Claus and I can't just praise him when he gives me great gifts, that is not true worship, that is just self-seeking gratitude which is easy to do and anyone can do and everyone does.At times I feel as though God does not hear my groaning. That I will always live with this heavy heart. Do I just not have enough faith? Maybe so. I don't know. I want everything to be wonderful and grand and I only see God a little right now in my pain. But I know that is okay. David did it. He chose to worship despite struggle. I know I could give God lip service right now, but I don't want to fake anymore. I have to choose to trust him, wholly, even though I don't feel like it, nothing makes much sense and I want control back. I wonder what that whole trust looks like?Stumbling Forward-
Date: 2006-03-07
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: clear sky

Well I got back on the trail today. It was actaully quite strange and quite appealing. I felt like a 5 year old trying to learn how to ride a bike. Everything felt so akward. My ankle was feeling a bit weak. But I am a man on a mission at least until about 3 miles in when I realized all I have been doing the past 5 days was eating cheetohs and watching old American Idol episodes. But my wind eventually came back to me and the blood starting moving to the correct places again. Messenger and I ran into 12 college kids from Ohio and then we ran into Red Blaze again for some reason he was now hiking south? We then ran into 12 more kids from high school and about 4 other college age kids! It was crazy. About 30 people in only a few hours. I love the weird random short conversations with folks who are complete strangers but by some bizarre madness in each others eyes that you feel connected with, merely because of the same dirt you walk on.
Date: 2006-03-10
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knobb Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: clear sky

I can't think about Maine quite yet. It doesn't seem real to me. I only think in sections. I think about the next campsite where I can eat my next snack. I think about the next shelter that is only 3.2 miles away where I will eat my long awaited lunch.. I think about the next few days but even those seem so far off, they seem a unreal. So I was thinking about this goal of mine, Maine. And how absolutely absurd it sounds to me right now, as I have about 1,900 something miles to go and I starting comparing it to my "final" goal. Heaven. (These thoughts aren't normal, I have about 8 hrs a day of silence so something has to run through my mind) Heaven also doesn't seem real to me. Maybe just becuase I am not a very good Christian boy, but I have a feeling that others may feel this same way. I know it could seem very real to me in a moments time if God chooses to call me out of this world, but right now it seems as distant as Maine. So what do I do? I think I should take little steps, set little goals. Love people here, show someone Jesus's kindess here, live from my heart in freedom and truth, enjoy this small glimpse of heaven through this sunset here, and slowly as I move closer and closer to my goal of heaven I may see more promise of what is to come.
Date: 2006-03-11
From: Derrick Knobb Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. - T.E. LawrenceI walk, I dream, I live.
Date: 2006-03-12
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Hitch to Gatlinburg for Church & Resupply
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: broken clouds

We hitched two rides into Gatlinburg for church and for a resupply. This was my first trip to Gatlinburg. It was quite the change. I went from 6 days in the woods mostly alone to the complete opposite. It was like a theme park without the park. So many people. So many crazy things to do. I really wanted to go to all 7 of the different haunted houses. But we first went to the First United Methodist Church and met so many amazing people. I actually got to address the church in a time of praise and tell them a little about how blessed we have been to worship with so many different people along our journey and still being so united in Christ body. After the service I talked to the Pastor awhile about our education, favorite books and inspirational authors etc.., he ended up being a counselor and in ministry which is something I dream of blending someday. But then the kicker...We were talking about graduate school stuff and the Psych. department at Reformed Theology Seminary and I brought up my mentor/father figure/role model/ friend/ counselor/former professor/ Dr. Coffield and Eric the Pastor knew him. They used to counsel together in TN back in the day. It was amazing! Pastor Eric actually gave us a key to the church to store our stuff for the day while we cruised Gatlinburg. We went back to the church for the night service and a meal which was great. Cyndi (another lady we met at church) picked us up after service where we went to her house and hung out and had some beer and some laughs. We are now at Ali's house (her daughter) who is an avid hiker herself and she has hooked us up with laundry and showers. Tommorrow we are going to do some work for their family which will be great, because they have been so kind to us and we will be back hiking again in the afternoon. This has been yet another encouraging stop to renew my aching spirit.I live a crazy life don't I. It's beautiful, yet so strange and blessed that only God could be writing it.
Date: 2006-03-13
From: Gatlinburg

To: Icewater spring Shelter
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a great day. In the morning Ali helped me drop some more weight out of my pack, I have now dropped about 12 lbs. We had breakfast, then I played around on the internet for a little, tried to download some sermons on my music player(which didn't work). We then went over to Ali folks house (Cyndi& Don) to start some gardening..haha. oh man it was funny. I am not the gardener type, but I had a blast. Don has been battling cancer for quite some time and Cyndi told us how blessed she was having us around and that she hadn't heard Don laugh like that in some time..wow huh. They blessed us so much and gave us so much and by some miraculous way we brought them a little joy, crazy how that works isn't it?Well Ali drove us around to the grocery store and PO and final brought us to the trail late afternoon. We made it to the shelter only 2.9 miles up the trail. There were so many people there. About 20 of us packed into the shelter and tented all around. About 19 of us were in our 20's! It is spring break time in the mountains. We had alot of fun and I got to talk to tons of cool people.
Date: 2006-03-15
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: few clouds

I started early this morning..With a new freshness. I missed messenger at the Tri-Corner shelter and figured he thought I was still ahead of him. I had no idea where he was..so I just kept going. I finally got to Davenport Gap and saw no one. I saw a small sign for a place called Mountain Momma's and hitched a ride down the mountain. I got a burger and ask around if anyone had seen him. A girl walked up named Julie Ann who I had met at Icewater shelter and told me he was ahead of me by a couple of hrs. I was exhausted, so I stayed there and recouped and was going to try to catch him tomorrow. I called a hostel a few miles up the trail and gave them the message that I was behind and they said they would pass on the word and that he came through there about 15 minutes before.