morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-07-30
From: wildcat shelter

To: Harriman ,NY
Miles today: 10.0

Day24,A short but challenging jaunt through the New York Mountains. With a funny little decline at the end called "agony grind". This is just a boulder field that drops about 800 ft, in .2 miles. Ha. Wow any way you look at it, it is difficult, but fun none the less. New York is not difficult, it is challenging. The grades, and rocks are more technical hiking than anything really. Climbing on your hands and knees, constantly going up and down, over and over. So after a long water logged day, and some brutal rocks, jeff and I decided to stop off in Harriman,NY for a little R&R. We hit up the local motel, and a TGI fridays for delicious fried food, and sweet raspberry tea, and the like. Movies on tv, and more food. I needed a resupply at the local grocer, and this was a good location for Jeff to get back to where we dropped off his car. So A solid night sleep, and a hot shower were had and enjoyed. Handbook info: The Applachian trail became an official trail with passage of the National Trails System Act in 1968. Its termini were established as Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin in Maine, and its official route is recorded in the Federal Register. This makes the A.T. a distinct and separate trail, having legal status that cannot be changed by any individual or group but only by an act of Congress. Furthermore, the A.T. is not part of an "eastern continental trail," which doesn't even exist officially, though it is possible to walk continuously from Florida to Canada using state highways and five distinct and separate hiking trails.
Date: 2009-07-31
From: Harriman ,NY

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Day 25,yes another short day out of town, but good. Kinda crappy weather, more rain, and more rain. Hiked alone all day, and got to the shelter by 2 pm and just got in my sleeping bag and tried to get some rest. The rain got worse, and I was glad I was in the shelter, and not dripping with wet. I had alot of time to myself and to my thoughts, I slept, listen to the ipod, wrote in my journal, did a little reading, and ate. It was dark and lonely for a while, but about 8 oclock some of the old crew rolled in , and we had a few laughs, and some good fellowship. I finally won a game of solitaire. I was beginning to believe that the deck of cards I had was cursed, or that there were only 51 cards. I have decided to finish my hike early, and leave the rest of the trail for another time. I figure that as long as there is trail left to do, there is a reason for me to keep coming back, and enjoying the great big forest. I am enjoying myself, but feel like this is just not the right time to finish and reach Katahdin. Once you realize and rap your brain around the length of the trail, it is much easier to see the difficulty. I have no grief about leaving the trail, only respect for those out here day after day, put in work.Handbook note: Earl V. Shaffer of Pennsylvania was the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail from end to end in one continuous journey. Earl Started at Mt. Oglethorpe, then the southern terminus in Georgia, on April 4, 1948, and finish atop Katahdin in Maine on August 5, 1948. His historic thru-hike is documented in his book Walking with Spring. Earl died in 2002.
Date: 2009-08-01
From: William Brien Shelter

To: Graymoor Friary
Miles today: 16.0

Day 26,Well the first day of August was pretty good;and another hard fought day on the A.T. Lots of good folks to hike with. Pretty much the whole crew was rolling together today, in full effect. Besides the yellow blazers(people who catch car rides from town to town)everyone was there to see Bear Mnt. NY. The Hudson river is huge and gross. It kinda looks like the Trinity but wider. There were tons of folks out on the water in jet-skis and motor boats doin their thing. Bear mnt. NY is a place where the poor folks from NYC go for the weekend to BBQ in the park and fish, and swim, and relax with the fam. So there are a few folks on top of Bear Mnt., which is a stellar view, but at the bottom in the park there are thousands of people everywhere, and every kind of language is spoken there. All kinds of food, and interesting smells, and sights. And they all look at you like you have just crawled from underneath a rock. You are staring at them with hungry confused eyes, and they are staring right back. Cool and wierd. Then you make your way to the town zoo, which the A.T. actually runs through, and it is a sad zoo. It only has local animals, so you see, in cages: squirrels, coyotes, snakes, bears, beavers, etc. Which for us is weird, because we see these guys everyday, and there are all these folks from NYC staring into the cages, and we are think "these poor trapped animals". But thats how it is. The hike today is a bit of an ass kicker. NewYork wants you to remember it, even though it is one of the shortest states. The climbs were pretty short but extremely vertical. I hiked with "lonewolf" "rubble" "matthew" "luke" "cattywampus" "Iceman" "squatter" "scarecrow", and would later meet up with "Manimal"(the most positive guy on the trail) "aqua-fresh" "the saint" "george and gracie" "journey".Well the day ended solidly and the sleep was very nice. I took a cold shower, that the camp site offered and it was freakin sweet to get most of the sweat build-up off , after a long day hiking. good stuff.
Date: 2009-08-02
From: Graymoor Friary

To: RPH shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: moderate rain

Day 27,BRutal!!!The rain was out of my mind most of the day. I had it under control, but by the 7 or 8th hour of non-stop pounding cold rain, I was ready to kick a dog. I developed a nice rash hiking 19 miles, and got to the shelter just in time to find at least 14 other people there. But it was an old hunters cabin so it was spacious enough to accommodate everyone. Many good laughs were had, and we were able to order pizza from the road near by. I ate way to much and felt sick. I then lay on the floor, and pant like a dog that has over eaten. I am constantly laughing though, b/c of our friend "manimal" who is just being himself, and telling great stories. He is one of those people that just lights up a room with his great energy, and laughter. He seeks out those who are weird and maybe a little bit crazy, and gets them to come alive. What an individual he is. He speaks in some of the craziest slang you have ever heard. I can only begin to describe it as, ghetto southern hippie slang. He makes everyones day a little bit brighter. And is always saying "Amazing!". So the day seems always worth it.
Date: 2009-02-27
To: Careers and the Mental Preparation of a thruhike
Miles today: 0.0

I went through a lengthy job application process for my dream job during January and February. I decided that if I got this job, I would not be going on my thruhike. I mentally made the choice of a great job in this economy with benefits over my thruhike. I did a lot of self-analysis and a difficult interview process. I did not get the job, but now know what I expect of myself in my career and my future.The process shut me down mentally in preparing for this thruhike. Before the application process, I had all my gear and everything bought and ready to go. I had all my decisions made and could have hopped on the trail anytime. I still could hop on the trail anytime.I¢ve been playing a mental game with myself now about my career path and this hike. Is taking 6 months to go for a walk completely taking me out of the game? I have a decent reputation in my field in the area now. Some alright offers of work that I¢ve been taking. I eek out a decent life right now. Never mind that we don¢t have heat in our apartment...I¢ve got a pretty good thing going on in Chapel Hill. Why am I leaving?I can¢t come up with a good answer to this right now. I have wanted to do this hike for years, have planned and created an opportunity to do it, and now want to stay in my comfort zone and work. Perhaps part of my problem is that I have set my start date at a permeable time: the first day I can get a ride to Springer after Carolina is out of the NCAA tournament. However, I don¢t want to be thinking about how to listen to or watch games while out in the woods. Reasonable, no? I think it is because my time to leave is rapidly approaching. And I am just intimidated about it. I haven¢t been scared of this hike in all my time planning it. I haven¢t been scared of the trail in all my time spent building it. Why am I afraid now?I hope that as I continue to think about it, as my start date approaches, as Carolina basketball season ends¢¦I will find my answer.
Date: 2009-03-22
To: Sweet Sixteen!
Miles today: 0.0

My Tar Heels made it to the sweet sixteen, and that means I am two weekends of basketball away from starting this hike. Originally I was planning to start mid-March and set a date of March 28. But then I was obsessing with how I would follow Carolina basketball while I was hiking: radio, tv and town during gamedays? And was trying to plan my hike around the tournament. Well, why plan around it when I can just wait to hike until after it is over? Got me all kinds of march madness.
Date: 2009-04-11
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Black Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I hiked my first day on the approach trail and that guy seriously kicked my butt. I had a late start to my hiking day after driving from Charlotte to Georgia. There is a big group of people at black gap shelter. A whole lot of section hikers and a couple of guys named Matt and Louis attempting a thruhike. I spent most of the hiking day today singing the Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show. I stopped far too early in the day because I was attracted to the large group of people at the shelter.I didn't cook anything for dinner, but had some peanut butter and tortilla.
Date: 2009-04-12
From: Black Gap Shelter

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

I got started with my hiking day around 9 a and finished up around 3p. I kind of wanted to hike on but the next shelter is another 7 miles and I am not ready to camp by myself yet. There is a lot of folk here at this shelter, and it is overwhelming to try to remember everyone's names.Summating Springer Mountain this morning was so exciting. Many Sleeps--the GATC caretaker--said it got to 36 degrees last night. I definitely wasn't cold in my hammock and that is a very very good thing. This morning I was singing Ben Kweller's These Are the Things that I like to Do. This afternoon was the Carolina fight song. The temperature is starting to drop and it will probably be another chilly night tonight, It is also supposed to rain. Ick.
Date: 2009-04-13
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: moderate rain

My underquilt is damp, hammock damp, sleeping bag damp, feet damp. Everything is wet. I hope I stay warm tonight.The wind was blowing hard and it was raining sideways last night. My boots were underneath my tarp and there was about an inch of standing water in them this morning.Overall, it was a decent hike today even though it was dreary and wet. This afternoon I hiked with Danger--a section hiker to Hot Springs-- and Tater and Springer (out for a week and his wonderful black lab). Springer is the perfect hiking companion. She loves to run up the trail and then run back and ask you what is taking you so long. She also likes to run around your legs and try to trip you.At Hawk Mountain Shelter there was another dog staying there as well, Rooster. Rooster is the perfect example of a bad trail dog. He barked all night and was not well trained. Springer is the perfect example of a good trail dog. I'd love to have a dog like her one day. Molly--I hope you can train Kylie to be as well behaved on the trail as this dog. Seriously, I've never seen a dog so loving and well behaved. She is 4.
Date: 2009-04-14
From: -

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

(Note: Due to a communication error with the earlier entries, these and the following days are being posted before those for 4/11-4/13.)Today was a butt kicker. It started raining again last night. Luckily it was not as driving a rain as the night before. I stayed much dryer last night. It kept raining all morning. I have decided that if I ever design a set or lighting for a Hansel and Gretelesque show, I would make it look like the woods did this morning. I think there had been a controlled burn in these woods so a lot of the trees and forest undergrowth looked dead and charred. There were only brief pops of color--green, purple and white flowers and plants peeking through the burned ground. The fog was thick and you could only see 10 feet in front of you. Everything was wet and dripping, and everything seemed alive but creepy at the same time. Like I said, Hansel and Gretel. It drives me nuts that even with all this natural beauty, I am thinking of how I would replicate it in a theater.As I was huffing and puffing to climb Big Cedar Mountain, I was definitely feeling burn in my calves and shins (still am in fact). As I reached this nice rock for viewing the clouds burned off and I got some spectacular views of Georgia and the Chattahoochee forest.Savage and Fiddle left some Pop-Tarts for raspberry and raindancer so I decided to leave a couple of chocolates for them as well. I spent a long time enjoying the view and sending journals and emailing Mom and Will.I spent the afternoon bunny hopping with Savage and Fiddle. They are cousins from Stanley, NC. I enjoyed chatting with them and we hike a similar style and pace. We met another solo female thruhiker who misinformed us about the distance to the next shelter and to Neels Gap. We had visions of Neels gap and dry clothes dancing in our heads.It took us until 5 to get to Woods Hole Shelter. Nope, no Neels Gap tonight.I got blisters today on both feet because it was so wet and my feet just became prunes. The shelter is about a half mile off the AT but it felt brutal at the end of the day. There has been a lot of bear activity at this shelter and when we got here there was a lot of trash and stuff that the bar had ripped through. I decided to sleep in the shelter tonight, but we've been hearing the mice squeaking since we got here. We will see how it goes. I was hoping to be able to get a quick early start tomorrow. The day starts with a serious mile climb up Blood Mountain before you descend into Neels Gap.I tried out Fiddle's hiking sticks today, and I plan to pick up some at Mountain Crossings tomorrow.I haven't decided yet whether I am going to stay at the hostel at Neels Gap or hike to the next shelter. There is a camping ban for the first 6 miles after Neels Gap due to a very active smart bear who has learned how to get down bear bags.It's about that bedtime. I hope I stay warm and don't get attacked by bears (unlikely) or mice (likely).It is kind of weird adjusting to getting called by your trail name, but I'm happy that I got one that isn't weird or embarrassing.-Carolina
Date: 2009-04-15
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: clear sky

I took a short hike today into Neels Gap. I was the first one out of Woods Hole Shelter this morning because it is hard to sleep in a shelter. I only have a Walmart blue foam for a sleep pad and that floor is hard. It was a cold night-- not quite freezing but 35 degrees at the lowest.I discovered there was a mouse living in the chip bin in the privy and we definitely startled each other.I hiked past the campsites at Slaughter Creek and all the folks there--including Kyle--had their bear bags slashed by a bear. So I guess the bear moved on from Woods Hole to that area.The climb up Blood Mountain was not as bad as I psyched myself into thinking it would be. I sang out loud the entire climb just in case that bear was listening.Because I've done a lot of trail building, I think a lot about the conditions of the trail I'm walking on. There was a lot of really good trail work and some impressive rock work going up and down Blood Mountain. There was also some bad things GATC is fighting. There were a lot of places coming down the mountain where the trail split a bunch of different ways and a lot of places where it wasn't clear what was actually the AT. A lot of places people had cut the switchbacks like bad hikers.Mountain Crossings was everything it is talked up to be. I rolled in there with all the trash from the destroyed bear bags at Woods Hole Shelter and all the staff gave me bonus points for packing it out.I got the famous shakedown and Cool Breeze told me I made a lot of educated and very good decisions. I'd already decided to change to an alcohol stove and get a smaller pot. I also got hiking poles.Cool Breeze gave me a couple of cans of PBR to drink with my dominoes. I'm pretty sure it is because I packed that trash out and am an awesome Girl.Time for pizza. Nom nom noms.Love,Carolina
Date: 2009-04-16
From: Neels Gap

To: Mile 41.5
Miles today: 10.8

Somehow journal emails to my brother are getting lost in the wild. I thought I had sent all of them daily from 4-11 to 4-15 and things just seem to have disappeared. It is frustrating because I spent some time on it. Curses to you, peek. I will rewrite the entries next time I am sitting at internet.I am laying in my hammock by a creek at low gap shelter. Today was a hard day.Today was a very hard day.The blisters from the rain a couple of days ago have only gotten worse not better.It was very sunny and warm today,which was pleasant. I got a little bit sunburned before I put on sunscreen.My pack fits much better thanks to cool breeze and company at mountain crossings. The new hiking poles are a godsend. And the grits I made with my new stove were some tasty tasty grits.I am a little bit sad because I doubt I will keep up with the group of guys I am with much longer. Aesop, Sweet Lou, Fiddle, Savage, Kyle--Y'all are all so much fun and interesting. I wish I would be able to keep pace with the kind of miles those guys will be doing soon.I read about half of a walk in the woods last night at the hostel. I would probably be so annoyed by Bryson and Katz if they were out here with me.I wish that I had found a hiking partner but hiking with the pack is okay. I need to pick up a novel next town stop. It will probably be Hiawasee on Sunday or Monday.I think I am in need of a zero there.Hopefully everything will work out.Love,Carolina
Date: 2009-04-18
From: Rocky Mountain

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a group of boy scouts bust into my campsite last night at 10:30. It was definitely very startling and when I started hearing the voices, I was coming up with all the different ways I could protect myself. Because it is all guys, I don't think that they understood that it is scary for a young girl.They gave me hot chocolate in the morning, which pretty much made up for it.I watched the sunrise from Rocky Mountain and it was very surreal that I was sleeping on top of a mountain watching sunrises and sunsets. All the boy scouts left and Kyle followed shortly thereafter. I relaxed on the mountaintop some more and stretched while looking out at the rolling mountainscape of Georgia. Danger rolled through as I was packing up, and we hiked most of the day together. I love hiking with Dan because he stops to take pictures of all the wildlife and gets drawn in to wildflowers or bird calls or that sort of thing.The climb up Tray Mountain was a good push. I am moving slow because of the blisters still, but it okay because I have time to stretch the miles and days out to meet my mom at Dick's Creek Gap Monday morning. It is 6.2 miles away from my current camp spot.At the summit of Tray Mountain, another thruhiker Gnarley helped me tape up my feet and blisters really well. It was much needed and appreciated help. I'd already used all of my moleskin and tape when I first started getting the blisters, and I forgot to buy more at Neels Gap.I lunched at Tray Mountain Shelter where I ran into the scouts again. They gave me some ritz crackers that were buttery delicious with the cheese I had. I couldn't believe I ate an entire block of cheese today. But it was only 400 calories.Danger and I decided we'd hike a few more miles to here or a bit further to Addis Gap.We decided to stop here because the water source is closer and frankly we were just pooped.We also are camping with a guy named Bill and Lizzie. Lizzie is an awesome woman from Scotland who is hiking to see the states.The scouts ended up camping here too.They were cooking their dinner and had steak, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, french bread, kool-aid, cookies. All kinds of yummy goodness. Of course they packed too much, and we were all too happy to fulfill their request that we eat their food. The best thing they had was a bag of baby carrots that were still cold. They were so crisp and delicious. In town, I want to eat so much salad and greens. Nom nom noms. But many many thanks to the boy scouts of Peachtree, Georgia. Y'all are an energetic and fun group. And you managed to satiate my budding hiker hunger.That was definitely some amazing trail magic. I wish them the best of luck at Philmont.I'm very tired and am thinking it might be this hiker's bedtime. I hope the scouts manage to quiet down while I get to bed.
Date: 2009-04-19
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Powell Mountain
Miles today: 4.0

Today has been a slow, rainy Sunday. I parted ways with Danger, Liz, and Bill this morning. They all had the town of Hiawassee on the brain. I hung out in the hammock all morning waiting for the mood to strike to get motivated. I finished reading Harry Potter. I got motivated enough to look at maps and plan out how I wanted to do food the next couple of weeks. I made a breakfast of oatmeal from the hiker box at Mountain Crossings and remembered exactly why I really don't like oatmeal. I started packing everything up when the rain stopped only for it to start again! Maui Bob passed me this mroning. We met my 2nd day out at Hawk Mountain SHelter. He made it to Neels Gap and lost over 20 pounds of packweight! It seems to me that he is flying now.I finally left my camp site at Sassafras Gap around 1 pm. There was one major climb today--Kelly Knob. It was about 900 feet of elevation gain. It felt good to stretch out the legs after being lazy all morning. My blisters are so taped up now, I could barely feel them.Hopefully these low mileage days today, tomorrow and Tuesday will really help the blisters heal. I talked to my dad a bit. It's kind of weird that my entire life right now is on the internet and posted to trail journals. Anything I might have to talk about, he has already read on the internet. I ate lunch/dinner at Deep Gap SHelter and pressed on for a couple more miles so that I can hike even less to meet my mom tomorrow. There was a blue blaze marked "Vista" and I decided I couldn't pass that up. There are a ton of great places here at Powell Mountain to hang my hammock and a lot of places to tent for you grounddwellers out there. I sat at the beautiful open view and decided I'd camp here so that I could watch the sunrise there tomorrow. It is my first time ever camping alone and I am a little bit nervous and excited. I hung my hammock, arranged my gear, took many many attempts with a final success to hang my bear bag. At 6:30 I crawled into the hammock to journal when the rain started coming down hard. I hung my tarp and hammock low to try to stay as warm and dry as possible. It is pretty windy, but I think I will stay warm. Tomorrow I am looking forward to the exciting goodies my mom has to bring: new hiking pants without holes in the butt, cold sodas and, of course, seeing her. I am 11.1 miles away from saying Goodbye to Georgia and hello to my lovely North Carolina. I'll also be done with my first map. Time to curl up and reread Harry til the sun goes down. Luckily, I've got a new book coming my way that my dad picked out for me. I guess it is the little things that become so exciting and important.--Carolina