morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-20
From: Unnamed camp site

To: Wolfsville Rd. Freestate Hostel
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

Jun 20, day 88, mileage 17.9I woke up inside a cloud. I somehow escaped the heavy dew that rained down on me each time the wind blew. The scenic vistas were also shrouded in whiteness.I got the the Washington Monument as the clouds started to burn off. This is not the Washington Monument in DC. It the first monument to honor George Washington.Later I ate lunch on the Annapolis Rocks. This gave me an awesome view of the valley below.The rest of today's hike went downhill. Not in the sense of downhill elevation but downhill in my attitude. Can you get the Virginia views in Maryland?Anyway, my attitude today was less than chipper. What I needed today was some trail magic. When I got to Wolfsville Rd. there was a sign for a hostel. I looked the hostel up in my guide. The phrase "pizza and Mexican food delivered" caught my eye. Sold! I was on my way to the hostel. After a shower and food, my attitude was back to normal.
Date: 2013-06-21
From: Wolfsville Rd. Freestate Hostel

To: Waynesboro, PA.
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Jun 21, day 89, mileage 12.6Today my attitude was somewhat better. But I did not have the mileage to put in to get me tired and cranky.The hike started with a quick five miles to a nice scenic view. I sat there and ate my morning snack. Later I crossed the Mason Dixon Line, the highlight of the actual hiking today. The highlight of my entire day was lunch in town. I am having some mental fatigue, especially concerning food I am eating from my pack. I will be taking a few days off of the trail to refresh my mind and body. I should be back on trail Tuesday afternoon.
Date: 2013-06-26
From: Waynesboro, PA.

To: Unnamed camp site
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: moderate rain

June 26, day. 94, mileage 8.5I drove from Columbus, Ohio today back to the trail. I spent an extra day at home because I still felt very tired. I slept most of yesterday and felt pretty good last night.I got to the trail about 2:20 this afternoon. After going the 8.5 miles the sky opened up with a cold heavy rain. I already knew I was not going to eat tonight so I did not need to get to the next water source. So I stopped to make camp.I felt pretty good today. I was moving about three miles per hour without really trying. But I have no appetite. I have decided to continue to my next resupply at Boiling Springs, PA. That is my next place to resupply. If my appetite has not gotten better by then, I will leave the trail.I do not know if it is the heat causing my lack of appetite or other reasons.   But the next few days will help me make a decision on what I will do.In case you have not figured it out, today was NOT good. I have been having the poor appetite for a while. I was hoping that my rest break at home would help it. It did not appear to have helped at all.I am experiencing difficulty uploading photos today. I will try again tomorrow.
Date: 2013-06-27
From: Unnamed camp site

To: US 30
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: moderate rain

Jun 27, day 95, mileage 6.81071.0 to 1077.8 to US 3)I still enjoy backpacking. But for the last couple of weeks my missing home has gotten stronger.Me desire to see my friends and loved ones is strong. My desire not to stink is stronger than the stench of my shirt, which is pretty strong. I really miss having decent food to eat.My trail friends have made the last few hundred miles fun but I want and need to go home.As I was walking this morning, I really enjoyed the woods. But I decided I do not want to do this for the next two to three months. I am done with my AT thru hike. I will return again to the AT some day. But today I am coming home.After I left the woods today, the trail took care of me one last time. A couple on their way home, Fred and JoAnn, stopped to give me a ride. Learning that I was leaving the trail, they took me back to their home so I could shower and change clothes. I offered to give them a few bucks to cover the gas of taking me all the way into Chambersburg, VA. They asked that I not pay them but pay it forward. I shall.I hiked just 15.15 miles short of half of the AT. My total mileage is 1077.8 miles. I lost over thirty pounds and six inches from my waist. But the big stat is the thousands of smiles that I had and the number of hikers that I have enjoyed spending time with. I shall miss my trail friends.Dave.Previously known as
Date: 2013-02-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Well the trip of a life time is fast approaching. The Appalachian Trail has been on my mind for several years now at this point. I am originally from a town outside of Boston Massachusetts and I attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst where I was a member of Theta Chi fraternity. My original desire to hike the Appalachian Trail came in 2004 when my old camp counselor told myself and others about his trip on the Appalachian Trail. Since then I have had a desire to hike the Appalachian Trail and I have watched several of my other friends from my camp accomplish the hike and my desire to hike the trail grew. Since I graduated from UMass last year I have been preparing to hike the trail. I would like to give big thanks to my friends Doug Belliveau and Jake Mehlman for their insight on their trips and the advice that they have given me over the past year. I also want l thank my boss Joe Hattabaugh for all his help as well. While on this trip I will be hiking with my good friend from camp Nate Gordon and we plan to start hiking March 1st from Springer. Recently we have been hanging out in Washington DC seeing the sights and it has been awesome to see my friend Becky from home who now lives in DC. Today we plan to finish up our sightseeing out the nations capitol by paying a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. Tomorrow in the early morning we head out to Georgia.
Date: 2013-02-27
To: Athens, Georgia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Last night at 12:05 am Nate and I left Dc and arrived in Athens Georgia around 9:00 pm the next day. I can't say it was the most fun either of us has had on a bus trip but it got us to where we needed to be. Tomorrow we go out and gather the last of our supples before we head out early on Friday for Springer. At the same time we plan to enjoy the town of Athens. However the thought of starting this trip has constantly been on my mind and I know that neither of us has been this eager to start hiking. I have wanted this trip to start for so long that at times I feel that it isn't even here. I have been feeling slightly nervous at times but my excitement continues to trample any feelings of nervousness I have. Can't wait to start!
Date: 2013-02-28
From: Athens, Georgia

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well tomorrow is the day I start hiking the Appalachian Trail. It weird to write that and have it be a reality. As I have mentioned in earlier posts I have waited a long time to hike the Appalachian trail. Now after years of waiting the start of it is right around the corner. It truly is hard to imagine but as I stated before my excitement is trampling my nervousness. The forecast for tomorrow is said to be sunny with a chance of rain. We will leave Athens early in the morning getting a ride from Nates friend who will drop us off at the trail head at Springer and join us for the hike up. After that we are on our own but look forward to meeting new people as well as meeting up with several friends along the way. From here on out I will try to update this journal as often as possible. I would also like to let everyone know that due to limited service my cell phone will be off but please feel free to leave me messages. My next update will be from the Appalachian trail!
Date: 2013-03-01
From: stover creek shelter

To: gooch gap
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Quick update because my phone is loosing battery due to the cold. We had a good first day on springer and met a lot of great people on the mountain. Together with the group we met at stover we hiked to gooch shelter. Spirits are high but the temp has been low both nights. Tonight it is supposed to get into the teens. Tomorrow it should be warm in the fifties. Also I am happy to say I have accepted the trail name Nickalodian. I will give more updates from Neels gap where there is a store and a place to charge my phone. This most likely wont be until Monday.
Date: 2013-03-04
From: gooch gap

To: whitney gap
Miles today: 20.0

I had just written a massive entry but it got deleted when I tried to upload it because I forgot to take my phone off airplane mode. BecAuse of that I'm going to keep this short. Yesterday we logged a good 16 miles but today I paid for it physically. I twisted my ankle and earned several blisters from the hike. I had a pretty rough morning but some good views around mid day made my day better. We decided to Do a short day so I could rest my feet and I'm thankful to Nate and the other thru hikers for understanding. Several others seemed eager for a low key day after the big push we had yesterday and we enjoyed spending the night hanging out at Whitley shelter. Tomorrow we might take it easy again depending on how my feet feel and if I'm up for it we might try to push back into the double digits for miles again. I am happy to say that it seems like Nate and I have found a good group of people to hike with. We are all in high spirits and ill be sure to fill everyone in on more the next time I write. I will be updating as much as I can in the future and sorry for the short update. The next one will be more up to date and have more to read. If I get service tomorrow night ill be sure to write!
Date: 2013-03-06
From: whitney gap

To: Unicoi
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light snow

Alright I finally got my miles right on this journal. Please ignore all past entries on how many miles I did in a day because it was badly calculated. However we have officially hit 52.9 miles. Today it was nice to chill at the budget inn and rest my ankle and take care of my feet. It has gotten much better and I feel that I am prepared for the days to come. I am very happy that the group Nate and I have been hiking with decided that they too could use a day of rest as well. It was nice to get into town to resupply and get a cold beer or two. I feel I have learned my lesson about packing too much food and I packed smarter this time. On top of that I don't plan to pack soy sauce again anytime soon due to a small leakage I had in my food pack. Tomorrow we are getting up early and plan to try for a 13 mile day to test my ankle and we hope to increase our mileage as time goes on. Hopefully we will be out of Georgia in the next two days and into North Carolina/Tennessee.
Date: 2013-03-13
From: Unicoi

To: Wayah
Miles today: 67.6
Weather: light snow

Sleeping 4899 feet in the air makes it a cold night for sleeping especially with high winds. I have to apologize yet again for the lack of entries. I am still getting my trail legs but I think I am starting to fall into the swing of a thru hikers life. Here is a short update before I curl into my sleeping bag for the night. Nate, myself, and the group we have been with crossed into North Carolina in the early evening last Saturday and camped out just beyond the border. My ankle has been doing much better as the days have passed but blisters became a big problem. Thankfully I was hopefully able to deal with the problem yesterday while I was in Franklin North Carolina for a rest day. We visited outdoor 76 to get our permits for the smoky mountains when the owner mentioned he knew the ins and outs of what thru hiking can do for your feet. When I asked him about the blisters he spent well over an hour explaining ways to avoid injuring my feet to me and set me up with a pair of orthopedics. I won't lie today was my strongest day knocking out 15 miles to our current tent site with no foot pain minus a pre existing blister on my foot. To anyone of my friends who are honking of doing the AT you must stop by outdoor 76 in Franklin. Alright I'm getting cold And I'm looking forward to a good night sleep. I will try for more frequent posts in the future.
Date: 2013-03-17
From: Wayah

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 61.7
Weather: broken clouds

Happy ST Patty's day folks!! Missing being home in Boston for the celebrations but today was an awesome day of hiking. On top of that the past few days have had many ups and a few downs. After Wayah we headed down the mountain intending to stay at Rufus Morgan. Instead we decided to head to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) so we could get good food, a bed to sleep on, and to resupply a little bit. We ended up chilling with a few of the people who were in river guid school, some other thru hikers who were staying at the NOC, and at the restaurant a man realized I was a thru hiker and gave a me a load of onion rings. The next day we headed out and I ended up having a pretty bad day from the start. About a mile into the hike one of the blisters on my heels ripped open and I ended up hiking the next 14 miles with intense pain. I also broke my pot that night which meant I could not cook my beans. However the new group we were hiking with have been great and we ended up enjoying the rest of the night. That night ended up being one of the warmest nights yet and I was happy to sleep in shorts for once. When we woke up I put some pain reliever cream on the blisters and the next day wasn't so bad. I was able to reach Fontana Dam (the only dam on the AT and the start to the smoky's). Nate and I decided to take a zero day at Fontana's shelter the day after we got there. That day was full of trail magic. At the beginning of the day some very nice ladies brought the people at the shelter donuts, honey buns, fruit, and orange juice before they started their own hike. Later another woman whose trail name is Stickchick provided more trail magic for the day. She was willing to drive four of us into town to resupply and get food as well as drive us back. What we didn't know is that she got a lot of food for us all to eat for the rest of the day as well which we were all very grateful for. Today though marked the day that we entered the smoky's. We all ended up hiking 17 miles today and we ended up at Spence Field Shelter. We got lucky because thru hikers normally have to give up spots in shelters to weekend hikers (or in this case spring break hikers) but due to possible bad weather tomorrow the shelter was empty and everyone gets to sleep inside. Tomorrow we only plan to hike About twelve miles tomorrow to a shelter that is about 3 miles away from the top of Clingmans dome which is the tallest point on the trail. We plan to climb Clingmans very early the next day to watch the sun rise from the tower on top of the mountain. I hope everyone is enjoying their st pattys day back home!Ps: apologies ahead of time for misspelled words or random words that were corrected by spellcheck that I missed. Using my iPhone for this is not easy.
Date: 2013-03-31
From: Hot Springs 

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Well it has been an intense week. While in hot springs I found out I had an infection from a open blister on my right heel with another infection starting in my left heel. Nate had his dad hiking with him for the week and I wanted him to go on with his dad to enjoy the week. I was left in hot sprigs by myself but I got to meet up with shutterbug who was behind us and I got to meet several new people. The next day I decided to do a southbound hike back to hot springs with houser and sparks. The idea behind this was that I could hike back to hot springs where the medical clinic was instead of into the mountains. It ended up being one of the most beautiful days iv had on the trail. The night before snow had fallen in the mountains and the whole scenery was untouched. I met up with my group who were headed northbound and was happy to see them. After passing the shelter where they stayed the trail became untouched and I started blazing the trail for the two guys behind me. Being alone in this area with the fresh snow truly felt like a winter wonderland. The best part of this day was the fact that I was hiking in tevas to avoid friction on my heel. And I still got to walk through all the snow (this was mainly due to the fact that I could dry my socks at the hostel. The next few days however were not as enjoyable for myself or several other hikers on the trail. The snow made it difficult to climb up the mountains and on top of that the nights were freezing. Also......it's supposed to be spring!!! I pushed my myself for the next several days to try and catch up with Nate and the others. It was hard but after a few days I came to the last shelter before Erwin to find several people from my group chilling. Nate and his dad had pushed on the night before to Erwin but I was happy to be back with everyone else. The next day we got to Erwin and took a zero in the town for Easter. This recent weather has brought more bad news. Due to the extreme cold and the snow there have been large drop outs in the smoky's and after. I hope everyone who is behind us is hanging in there and is doing ok.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Partnership shelter 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Alright I know I have been really bad at writing here and I am sorry about that. Instead of just telling everyone how the past several days have been I will just give you a run down about how things have been. From now on I will try to post updates as much as possible.....I promise this time! Anyway our group has grown recently and we have also sadly lost some people to injury. The two guys who have been traveling with us since the smoky's (patches and carjacker) have been with us for several weeks and the idea of hiking without them seems strange. I am hoping they stick with us for a while and possibly until the end as well (they have the same end date as us). We have also started hiking more with Trailname and Dirty Mike as well as Tarzan and Coffee Pot who are a brother and sister who have been hiking the trail together. Sadly we have had to say good bye to G who broke her foot on the trail. however at the moment she is driving in Nomads van with several other people who have been injured on the trail and we get to see her whenever he does trail magic. Along with everyone in our group we have found ourselves hiking with another group for about a week and a half now creating our own little bubble. Although our camp sites have been crowded it has been a lot of fun to have a large group of people around. We entered Damascus (as well as Virginia) about a week ago. I was extremely excited for this because Damascus is a major emotional point on the trail. We all ended up loving Damascus and I was able to resupply and get my new shoes that my parents had sent from home. I was extremely happy to get these new shoes because it means no more blisters (hopefully). The hiking has also been awesome. We recently went through the Gracen Highlands which has been one of my favorite parts of the trAil. The wild pony's were friendly and let us let them. Dirty mike was even able to ride one for a while. Currently we are at a camp site outside of Atkins Virginia. Tomorrow is another day on the trail and I'm excited for it. I plan to take notes every night from now on and post them up. With no cold at nights I can actually type everything out on my iPhone. It's actually spring in the south.....bout time!!!Also a side note I will upload my distance when I can but nate and i are close to 550 miles!
Date: 2013-04-15
From: chestnut knob shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday we had an intense day and at the same time an easy day. We left crawfish campsite late since we were only doing 16 miles to chestnut knob shelter. However the terrain was pretty intense with 4 climbs including one that was 2000 feet. I was tired from the night before from not sleeping well and was not in the right mindset for the day. When we reached the first shelter after about 7 miles we all agreed to sleep. Coffee pot and Tarzan ended up slack packing through (they are visiting with their uncle for a few days) the shelter while we were sleeping but they woke us up and it was nice to visit with them. Next we had to tackle the big climb. The whole way up I was praying that the other group had pushed on and we would get spots since the weather had changed and it was predicted it would rain last night. Thankfully it was empty. We all got a spot and we were happy to be joined by one of our Canadian friends on the trail Gummy Bear. Although today is supposed to be rainy it is easy terrain and I got a good night sleep last night. Now it's just the matter of getting out of my sleeping bag to hike today's 24 miles......this might take a while....
Date: 2013-04-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So today turned out to be an interesting day. We left chestnut knob shelter in the rain and headed out for what should have been a 24 mile day. The terrain wasn't that bad but we all were tired and in one way or another injured. We got to the first shelter about 10 miles in for lunch and it was still raining outside. Someone jokingly said "so we are staying here right?" And for we all ended up agreeing to stay and immediately fell asleep. Others came in during the day including Hoosier, Sparks, Coffee Pot, and Tarzan. So basically......yeah this ended up being a lazy day. We plan to push major miles for the next few weeks. Also Nate and I don't plan to stop for lunch anymore.
Date: 2013-04-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

For hiking news Nate, myself, and our group have passed the 600 mile marker and are enjoying a comfortable stay at woodhole hostel.As several people know there was a bombing that happened during the Boston marathon this past Monday. I was born in Boston and raised outside of the city. My immediate though was that I hoped that my family and all of my friends were ok. I was able to find out from my father that my family is ok and over the course of the day I got several messages from friends letting me know they were ok. I'm finding it hard to describe how I feel about this attack. The shock of finding out that the city I love so much was attacked during the marathon is still difficult to accept. All I can say is that Boston is full of proud people and it is a city that will rally big time to overcome what has happened. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-KXHN-ETDig