morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-09-08
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Before Columbus Mountain
Miles today: 14.0

After a beautiful summer it has decided to start raining, a lot. I feel for the hikers of 2009 and god forbid 2003 when apparently 93% of the days had rain!Maine has been rather wet, and the 100 mile wilderness, so named bacause of the lack of paved roads, is soggy, foggy, and cool. It is as if the east saved up all of its weather for September.So today we started late, slogged 14 miles and camped in a well drained flat spot. #rd and 4th mountains did have some pleasant views this afternoon with a short break from the weather. The clouds parted enough for a western view across the verdant north eastern forest.As far as actual walking goes? It was tough. Slate is quite slippery when wet. Both of us had a couple nearly catastrophic falls. I slid on both feet sideways down a slanted slate rock, my right foot falling off the edge, skinning my calf a bit and almost landing on some nasty sharp jagged razor sharp stuff. Danger: Slippery when wet. Heads and limbs ended up numerous times mere inches from said sharp stuff.We would like to summit Katahdin on Sunday but that may be too many miles. The weather forecasts show clearing over the weekend before more rain on Monday. We shall see.
Date: 2010-09-09
From: Before Columbus Mountain

To: Sidney Tappan Campsite
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: light rain

Weather: RainyTarp: Wet and droopyHands: ColdMileage: HardMorale: LowishLadybird said it well:"The variety of obstacles formed by roots rocks and mud is astounding."So we slogged up Chairback, scrambled and slid down the other side toward Gulf Hagas... Waddled through the vaguely flat terrain, waded a river... I am fairly miserable, but warm and dry. I am looking forward to some sun, even 10 minutes of the stuff. I don't know what to write about today without sounding bitter, so I'll keep it short.We went slow and skipped the apparently awesome Gulf Hagas due to rain and hoping to make it over Whitecap. We failed, laying up short several miles. It is wet. We are tired, looking forward to even light cloud cover, please?
Date: 2010-09-10
From: Sidney Tappan Campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

More of the same: Persistent tree drip and dampness. But we did make our goal today! Maine does indeed get flat after Whitecap Mountain. We are hoping the flatness will lead to our first 30 mile day since New Jersey, well 29.6 actually. We need some big miles to get back on schedule.So Katahdin has yet to show itself. We gaze northward through the fog hoping for a miraculous opening only to be greeted by a wind gust charged with icy droplets of moisture. We will see the beast when we are upon it.
Date: 2010-09-11
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 29.6
Weather: few clouds

We are back! Ladybird and San Gabe are on the high mileage comeback tour! And it was barely after dark when we got in! And we met a familiar hiker who flipped up from Kent, Freeman, with whom we had eaten in Deleware Water Gap. And I came up with a silly rhyme.In days of old when nights weren't coldAnd temps were much much hotterWe often did 30 and were rather dirtyAnd dreamed of mountains yonderWe can still hoof it, but mostly did due to time constraints. Voyageur and Stilts, two hikers who I know from the PCT and CDT are meeting us to climb Katahdin and drive us away from the isolated park. If we didn't have to get Ladybird to a train out of Portland and such, we might have gone for several swims. It was a fantastic sunny clear day with visibility for many miles. For the first time, we saw Katahdin. It stood out tall above the lakes, texture, rocky bands clearly visible. I knew it was going to be a brilliant clear day today. I knew at 3:00 am when I awoke to see dark skies and bright stars, too many to be able to pick out constellations. I woke up, however, due to the mouse chewing on Ladybird's GORP bag. I batted at the food bags. Satisfied that all vermin were banished to the forest floor, we moved the bag to a more well protected critter hanger. Ten minutes later I stood with headlight in one hand, Ladybird's flip flop in the other. I could see the outline of a rodent on the bags. I turned my light on, catching the vermin red handed and swung hard with the flip flop, hearing a satisfying *thunk* as the mouse hit the ground. Crafty little critters... Poisoned a perfectly good bag of trail mix...
Date: 2010-09-12
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campsite
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Back to reality... almost.We made good time over rocky rooty flat terrain in the morning leaving Rainbow Stream Lean-to. All five of us in the shelter awoke early. The two section hikers had insanely light packs. I think that is saying something as I still have a base weight around seven pounds. One had a home made pack that couldn't have been more than 22 liters or so. Very snazzy!At the only climb of the day, to Rainbow Ledge, we had a good view of Katahdin, capped in clouds. Up on the rocky terrain we could hear voices, familiar ones. We rounded a bend in the trail to find Voyageur and Stilts, two hikers with whom I have hiked the last couple years. They brought food! Stilts pulled from his pack a small watermelon and a whole apple pie! What a treat to eat fruit and pie with a view of Katahdin.The four of us walked on to Katahdin Stream Campground. The ponds along the way granted views of the mountain. Daicy pond was particularly picturesque, though high clouds prevented a perfect reflection on the still water.Tomorrow we climb!
Date: 2010-04-07
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I am about to embark on this journey. It took me all day to arrive at the Hiker Hostel outside of Amicalola State Park. The traffic in Philadelphia helped me miss my flight and misdirection from the train conductor in Atlanta helped me reach the drop-off point within 20 minutes of the departing shuttle. So here I am in the middle of northern Georgia - with the Deliverance banjo player's song ringing in my ears - as I prepare to depart on what will hopefully be 8.7 miles of 2,179.2. I am frightened, excited, anxious, in disbelief and many many other things. Tomorrow is calling for thunderstorms and I am hoping to reach the shelter before they hit. The first step of 5 million starts in 12 hours...Good night!
Date: 2010-04-11
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Dick Gap
Miles today: 59.0

i am in walasi-yi - which if spoken real slow sounds like we'll see ya! it is the first drop off point. a third of the thru-hikers quit here. i am pushing on. i am overwhelmed by the immediate sense of community here. my stove - which was generously made for me by a former colleague - blew up my pot, melted my lid and spork. i almost gained the trail name "pyro." fortunately everyone lent me their cooking supplies and i have had delicious dehydrated meals made by my mom. i do have a trail name. it is very appropriate for anyone who has lived, worked or been friends with me. i am scatter because all of my stuff is always scattered around. right now my soda is outside, my pack is in the outfitters my poles are on the railing and i am at the computer. typical. anyway, i am glad i have one and it definitely suits me well.off to the shower!
Date: 2010-04-13
From: Hiawassee, Georgia

To: North carolina
Miles today: 20.0

Today I took my first real shower in a week. I feel like pigpen would be an appropriate trail name too. I must've washed my hands a dozen times and still they were caked in dirt. I also did laundry. This is a chore I normally hate and today I ran the last three miles in hopes to do laundry. It's funny how simple things take precedent on the trail.Today's hike was 11 miles. I climbed 7 mountains today. Thus far I've gone 67.5 miles. When I thought about how it took me 7 days to walk the same time it would take to go the same distance in a car. I don't know how to process that. It seems less incredible when I put it like that but nonetheless this is the hardest challenge I have ever put myself through. I cannot even begin to express how hard it is to walk twelve miles over 5000 vertical feet with a 36 pound bag on your back. I am loving every minute of it too.Now I want to talk about Screamer. He is a thru-hiker on his second trip. He was named Screamer because he screamed all day long due to rain. He has crazy blue eyes, a homeless man beard and wardrobe, canvas rucksack, horse blanket and a hand-rolled cigarette dangling from his hand at all times. He knows weed prices in all of the continental US. In the beginning he creeped me out but now I am finding him endearing. He picks up all the trash he sees on the trail, leads campfires and is very helpful. I still get creeped out when he gives me his evil eye but he reminds me of why you should never judge a book by it's cover.Happy trails!
Date: 2010-04-18
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

I have arrived at my first trail town in North Carolina. It is now when I realize that I haven't seen very much of America. This town is sprawling and the only places to shop are Walmart, K-Mart and a grocery store. The waists of the people down here are a lot bigger than those up north and everything moves at a snail's pace. That being said, the people are kind and picked us up and taken us all over town. It is my first zero day and I am loving it. My muscles are rebuilding and my feet are resting. I was feeling it yesterday as I trekked nearly 16 miles. I guess I should be glad that day 12 is my first zero. I am doing better than I thought and am averaging 10 miles a day now. I need to get up to 15 soon.I would also like you to know that I am not traveling exclusively with Screamer. He just meets us at the campsite. I have been hiking with a group of 5 others. Giggles, Metric, Powder, Snowflake and Vegan. We have been together since day one and still are hiking together. It is a little family we've got and I am happy to have it. Who knows how long we will hike together but for now it is working.Giggles is from Maine, she recently graduated from college and obviously giggles quite a bit. Metric is from Auckland, NZ and can convert anything from imperial system to the metric system. Powder is also a recent college grad and drinks a full package of powedered milk everyday. Ick. Snowflake is a big burly recent college graduate who unfortunately volunteered for the name as a joke and now is cursed with the whimsical trailname of Snowflake. Vegan is a former Marine and PETA-activist. I feel like I am in the middle of a weird age on the trail. Most people are either fresh out of college or are 40+. I am hoping to meet some other people my age but that doesn't seem to have happened yet. Soon maybe.I will keep on moving on. I am headed to the Smokies in the next week and hopefully onto Dollywood.
Date: 2010-04-24
From: Franklin, NC

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 56.0
Weather: light rain

after hiking 163.7 miles of the AT I have figured out how it was created. My take on it is that the group that went to lay the trail were very competitive and the first guy said "see that mountain. The one with the highest peak I'll climb that." then the next person said "oh you think you're tough, I'm going to go to that huge gap and then climb that mountain that's even bigger." and so on and so forth until every summit and gap was covered. That means there are no flats and it is constantly up and down. I'm going to have very good legs at the end of this.I am almost in the Smokies. I'm very excited because it will be my second national park! I've been averaging a bit more than 13 miles now. At this moment I'm sitting on a porch in a resort town called Fontana Dam. At the gas station here they serve draft beer. I'm serious. They literally were serving 5 motorcyclists drafts of bud during a break from driving one of Norh Carolina's curviest roads. got to love the south.So an update on Screamer. I think he's found love on the trail. There is a gal out here that has been hiking with a Pangea blister - a formation that was created when five blisters merged, severley chafed and scabbed thighs and sun-poisoned shoulders. She doesn't believe in sunscreen or doctors. They've been hanging out and spooning. I don't know how to process it and it kind of sleeves me out. mainly because I am afraid the girl will be passed out on the trail because she is not listening to her body. Anyway, I thought that would be of interest to those of you that are reading this.
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Erwin, TN

To: Uncle Johnny's
Miles today: 68.1
Weather: clear sky

I am in Erwin, TN waiting for a mail drop. I love the US Postal Service. I did my longest day 2 days ago at 22.3 miles. I am on my way to Damscus for trail days. There are a lot of miles to cover before May 13th and hopefully I will reach my goal. I thought I had my trail legs before Hot Springs but I don't think they told my feet. I am definitely getting stronger and my feet are undoubtedly growing. Right now I feel like a vice grip is crushing my feet everytime I walk. Thankfully new shoes are coming on Saturday! It couldn't come sooner.North Carolina/Tennessee is much harder than I thought it would be. Yesterday when I was walking I knew there was one final 400 foot climb. I ran up that hill hoping to get to Erwin only to realize that there were 4 more hills to climb of about 200 feet. That is when you have to remember it is about the smiles and not the miles. By the fourth one I was thinking "bring it on AT, I can take it."Sorry this is short, there is a time limit. Enjoy!
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Hampton, TN

To: Damscus, VA
Miles today: 51.0

Kincora Hostel is operated by the legend, Bob Peoples. Bob is 66, comes from Boston, wears 2 hearing aids and is one of the most endearing men I have ever met. He is a wonderful friend of the trail and runs a hostel for hikers where they can take hot showers, do laundry for free and stay as long as they like. He runs Kincora on a donation basis and I hope the hikers are as generous to him as he is to us. When Bob talks everyone listens. He started out with the AT doing trail work in New England. He has lived in Hampton, TN for the last 14 years and has seen over 15,000 hikers come through his door. He does trail maintenance all over Tennessee and when he talks about it you realize what passion he has for his work. And his work is hard. The day I left he dropped me off at the trail head and he was off to cut new trail. Doing that involves climbing up the mountain with the tools you need to cut the trail - probably close to 20 lbs or so - then digging the trail. When you dig the trail you need to get rid of all of the roots to any plant life that is on the trail. Obviously you wouldn't remove a tree root, you have to leave something for hikers to trip on, but you have to remove all the roots of the wild flowers, poison ivy, rhododendrons, mayapples, and the list goes on. Bob is a master gardener so he must have a gift but that work requires a lot of sweat, toil and strength. He does all this because he loves the Appalachian Trail. I hope I find a passion I love as much as he loves the AT. He is one of those amazing people you meet every so often and I am grateful I had the opportunity to be in his company, if only for a couple days.Bob slack-packed me over Pond Mountain. Slack-packing is when you hike without your backpack. Slack-packing was amazing. Climbing 1800 feet without 36 lbs on my back helped me remember why I hike. Obviously, I won't be doing it every day but it was such a pleasure for those nine miles. After the 9 I stayed at Kincora again and then did a 23.3 and 18.5 to get into Damascus. I did the final 18.5 in 5 hours 50 minutes. I had officially arrived at Trail Days.
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Damscus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Trail Days is an annual festival held in Damascus that celebrates all things Appalachian Trail related. Damascus works very hard to make it as hiker friendly and AT comprehensive as possible. They succeeded.The very first thing I did at trail days was go to Mount Rogers Outfitters and sit with Jeff for a 2.5 hour shoe fitting. I tried on every variety in that store to figure out which ones worked. None of them did. It was the pits. I have never had chronic pain like this in my life. I don't know how to describe it. The shoes feel like they don't want me to have toes. The ball of my right foot gets a stabbing sensation every time I step on it and the bunion on my left foot has sharp pain in it all the time. Maybe it is because I am redheaded and I am supposed to feel pain more intensely but it stinks. The pain needs to stop too because I fear that it will lead me to insanity. Anyway, after trying on a dozen shoes in a last ditch effort he gave me a pair of Oboz and they worked! At least in theory they did. I didn't feel pain in them and they were easy to walk in, they were wide enough and sturdy enough and I was happy. When I was doing laundry an amazing thing happened. A lady I met at Kincora - Gram Cracker, she is finishing her AT hike this year after 900 miles last year and is a grandmother - allowed me to stay with her in her B&B suite. This saved me from having to stay in tent city. Tent City is where all of the hikers from every year sleep. Usually it is in a field but Damascus is building a baseball field in the normal tenting area so they moved the hikers into the woods. There were about 1,000 people camped out and it was mayhem. Bondfires everywhere, beers being poured and a river flowing right next to it all. This made me concerned that someone would drown, but thankfully that didn't happen. The worst story I heard was about someone who put their hands in a fire. The guy was so drunk he didn't think he injured himself and the next day he discovered he had third degree burns all over his palms. Ouch!The primary highlight of trail days for me was the Cake Eating Contest. I am the first female winner! I won a forty degree summer sleeping bag and saved about $200 because I didn't have to make that purchase. I ate half a sheet cake (8"x12") in three minutes. It was probably the grossest thing I have ever done and my body paid for it. That being said it was worth the glory and the prize. The guy that came in second was not please he lost to a girl. Squirl took a video of it so once I get it I will send out the link.
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Damascus, VA

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 127.0
Weather: light rain

Heading out of Damascus was a challenge. I decided to slack-pack 23.8 miles back to Damascus to stay one more night in a fluffy bed and see friends from the trail. This didn't turn out to be the best idea as I had given blood the day before. I was sluggish and lethargic and it took me about 10.5 hours. I should've been flying without my pack. I was also breaking in the new shoes. As I walked nearly 24 miles I realized that my shoes did not want me to have pinky toes. I was in so much pain for the last six miles. I haven't figured out how to amend this shoe situation but I think Chacos might be the answer. The next day I got a ride back to where I left off and attempted to go 18 miles but a thunderstorm came in and I only got 5. The thunderstorm came in so quickly that I was on top of a bald with no coverage and was running down the mountain to get to a shelter. Seeing the lightning flash and hearing the thunder crash was not comforting at all. I have never been so thankful to see a shelter. There were 13 of us cooped up in the shelter from two o'clock onward. We all just sat there watching the never-ending storm. The next two days it continued to rain without the thunder and lightning so I was able to cover 35 miles and see the ponies of the Grayson Highlands. But the storm ruined my schedule and I had to be in Bland, VA by Friday. So on Wednesday I walked my longest day yet and my feet still hate me for it. 25.6 miles is not an easy feat. Especially in new shoes that don't want you to have pinky toes. I was in a lot of pain and popping Advil and Aleve was not helping at all. I had to soak my feet twice along the way and tape up a hot spot. The hot spot was on the back of my right heel and if that had turned into a blister I would have been out of commission for a few days. When I got within 2.2 miles of my destination I came across an older gentleman with trail magic who insisted I have a Dr. Thunder and an oatmeal cream pie. I wasn't feeling well and tried to explain that but he insisted it would make me feel better. I followed his advice and knew something wasn't right but continued on. I had to climb 600 feet over half a mile and then it was gently rolling downhill to the shelter. I thought it would be a cake walk with this fuel in my belly. Alas, I was not so lucky. When I summited the mountain my stomach was so tight that I got sick. I was nauseous the entire way down and went to bed without dinner. I believe this was my body's way of telling me I am going too fast and that I need to slow down. Unfortunately I couldn't because I had a deadline and did 19 the next day and a quick half marathon to meet my mother at the road. I went 67 miles in 3 days. Now my feet hate me for it. I am hiking with my dad this week so I will be able to slow down and show him that the trail is not easy which he thinks it is. I'm hoping this will give my feet time to heal and put me on a better pace.