morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-26
From: Blackburn Hostel

To: Harpers Ferry Hostel
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

The temperature is already rising at 8am. It is going to be another hot one. After another meal prepared by that wonderful youth group, I set out for Harpers Ferry. Today seems oddly bittersweet. I am reuniting with Birdman for the first time in over a month and it is the half way point. I was supposed to be meeting my girlfriend here as well. However, due to reasons beyond reason, she is not coming. As I started to hike, I realized that the DJ to my "inner radio station" had taken the day off and decided to play Pink Floyd's "Wish you were here" over and over again. I tried to call in a few requests, but to no avail. Not one to dodge emotion, I ran with it. "What the hell" I thought, it is a great song and helped pass the time. I met up with another youth group after a few very hot miles. These miles were made hotter(possible?)due to the fact that the gypsy moths devoured miles of foliage. The feeling was akin to a very hot day in November after the trees had dropped their leaves. Very, very odd. I happened to run into Sprocket and Peach who had just happened upon a few beers. Of course, they were warm but no one turns down beer on the trail unless you have psychological issues. The day was looking up already. Upon arriving in Harpers Ferry, I checked into the ATC to get my picture taken and what not. The place was crawling with thru hikers that I was happy to see. Chef had some whiskey he had gotten in a mail drop that he was more than willing to share. Unfortunately, the staff at the ATC frowns upon drinking inside the building. Go figure. We got busted. Zappos sent my new shoes overnight to the outfitter down the hill...or should I say waaay down the hill. A very nice couple runs the place. I replaced the shoes and continued back up the hill in the oppressive heat. It was time to meet up with Birdman at the hostel. By chance, I met up with Sleeping Beauty(sans Fireball), Tigger and Chuck Norris. Luckily we got a ride down to the trail where we tried to find the hostel. It was a wild goose chase. We missed the trail and ended up hiking about 1.5 miles more than we wanted. That might not seem like a big deal, but after walking this far, you do not want to walk more than you need to. Finally, at about 8 in the evening, I was reunited with Birdman. Very cool. It was great to see him. He had been waiting for 8 days in Harpers Ferry for me and I was thankful. Again, by chance, Mama Hen had procured a free tube trip down the potomac river tomorrow. I suppose I could put hiking off until tomorrow afternoon!
Date: 2007-06-27
From: Harpers Ferry Hostel

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: broken clouds

Yet another scorcher. Minds were at ease however, due to the knowledge we would be floating in the river for a fair amount of time. Birdman and I grabbed a couple bikes from the hostel. I hopped on a 35 year old singlespeed schwinn that must have weighed 40lbs. I pedalled it up a very long hill in the heat. I was happy to see my cycling prowess has yet to diminish. The trip down the river was pretty cool. I was a little worried about being in the Potomac. I feared my skin would either melt off, or I would catch some mysterious bacterial infection that would feed on my buttocks. Luckily, neither happened. To make it an easy day, we hiked into the first shelter where Troll and Doublebird were holed up. Having hiked in with Sprocket and Serial, there was whiskey and beer being shared. What a day. The Ed Garvey shelter is beautiful and very well engineered. Another great day on the trail. Unreal. So far, the new Inov-8 Roclites feel great. I hope it stays that way!
Date: 2007-04-03
To: One Year Later
Miles today: 0.0

I thought it would be fun to enter my "2007 AT Journal" notes one year later. In the past, I've always had fun writing out my journals after my hikes becasue it allows me to "re-live" the entire adventure. My plan is to write each trail entry exactly one year later, or, at least as Wille Goat would say "that's the plan!"I hope everyone can enjoy reading this as much as I will writing it.I'll be posting more pictures on my Webshots page with a link to those pictures listed on this entry as they are posted. The first album, which covers Springer Mountain to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is: Gforce on the AT - Part 1The second album, which covers Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Damascus, VA, is: Gforce on the AT - Part 2The third album, which covers Damascus, VA to Waynesboro, VA, is: Gforce on the AT - Part 3The fourth album, which covers Waynesboro, VA to Delaware Water Gap, PA is: Gforce on the AT - Part 4The fifth album, which covers Delaware Water Gap, PA to Hanover, NH is: Gforce on the AT - Part 5The sixth album, which covers Hanover, NH to Monson, ME is: Gforce on the AT - Part 6The seventh and final album, which covers Monson, ME to Mt. Katahdin, ME is: Gforce on the AT - The Final Chapter
Date: 2007-04-04
From: Amicalola Falls Visitor Center

To: Springer Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Upon arriving at Amicalola Falls State Park late in the afternoon, Sarah and I booked a room at the park lodge for the night. Around 2:30 in the morning we were awakened to the sound of wind, rain, and hail beating against the room's large picture window. The lightning strikes were so close you could hear a loud crack before the more familiar rumbles of thunder. I was so glad NOT to be out on the trail in that storm because it would have been a wild night. Needless to say, even though I was anxious to get started on my thru-hike, I was not that anxious! In the morning we woke up to a dreary looking day, with the visibility reduced to not more than a 100 feet by the fog and light drizzle. After taking advantage of the ayce breakfast buffet offered at the lodge, we drove down to the visitor¢s center. Once there I snapped the traditional beginning of the hike pictures, and finally, after dreaming for so many years about hiking the Appalachian Trail, I was on my way. Sarah drove her car back up to the lodge while I started the Approach Trail from the Visitor¢s Center. We met each other again when I reached the road crossing near the lodge, and she joined me for the rest of the hike to Springer. As the day progressed the clouds slowly cleared away making for a very pleasant 8 mile hike to Springer. There were many other hikers on Springer when we arrived, so we elected to tent rather than stay in the shelter for the night. After eating dinner we walked the short distance to the southern terminus of the AT to watch a beautiful sunset, and not long after the sun had disappeared, we were off to bed for the night.Total Ascent:        3,363'Total Descent:        1,371'
Date: 2007-04-05
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The wind really kicked up during the night, and of course, the temperature dropped dramatically too. So all in all, it turned out to be a very restless and cold first night on the trail. When we found enough courage to crawl out of our sleeping bags in the morning it was very cold (25° by my thermometer), and the wind was still howling. It reminded me very much of the start of Scott¢s (Crash! Bang!) thru-hike three years earlier. We decided to skip the hot breakfast we had planned and made do with some muffins so we could get an earlier start on the trail just to warm up. Sarah and I parted, as she returned to the lodge where she left her car, and I began my journey north. I spent the day playing leap frog with others who were also starting their journey north. As I approached Hawk Mountain I passed a battalion of soldiers in training, and I was really glad not to be carrying their very large packs. Not long after passing the soldiers, I stopped to cook a warm lunch at Hawk Mountain Shelter, where Texas Jack entertained us with his tales of past hiking experiences. After eating lunch I decided to continue on rather than stop so early in the day. As the day wore on I grew more tired, and the section of trail between Justus Creek and Hightower Gap was really kicking my butt. It was a major relief to finally reach Gooch Mountain Shelter for the night. There I decided to tent again because it was getting late in the day and there was already a good crowd in the shelter. By the time I had eaten dinner and put things away it was getting dark. I was in the tent for the night by 7:45, and after writing in my journal, it didn¢t take long for me to fall asleep.Total Ascent:        3,606'Total Descent:        4,423'
Date: 2007-04-06
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Neels Gap, US 19 & 129
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: scattered clouds

It was cloudy and cold again in the morning but not as bad as it was yesterday on Springer. It was bearable enough to take the time to fix a hot breakfast this morning, and after packing up, I was on the trail by 8:30. It seemed to be easier going on the trail today even though there was considerably more elevation gain than yesterday. The climb to the top of Blood Mountain was a long one with many ups and downs on the way to the summit. By the time I reached the summit the morning clouds had given way to a beautiful deep blue sky, and the views from the top of Blood were spectacular. I took a nice long break there climbing around on the rocks, soaking up the sunshine, and taking in the spectacular views. Even though it was sunny, the air still had a cold bite to it when you were exposed to the wind. My original plan was to stay on top of Blood Mountain for the night, but it was so early in the afternoon when I arrived that I decided to push on to Neels Gap for the night. After making the long descent to the gap I found out the hostel at Walasi-Yi Center was already full for the night. The owner offered to let me stay in his cabin for the night, which was only about 1.5 miles away. After picking up my food resupply box and checking out the hiking gear in the shop, the owner drove Erin, Willie, and I to his cabin. Later in the evening we downed some frozen pizzas and soda for dinner that the owner had so graciously supplied for us after we missed out on the hiker feed at the Walasi-Yi Center.Total Ascent:         4,170'Total Descent:        3,940'
Date: 2007-04-07
From: Neels Gap, US 19 & 129

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

I got off to a really late start on the trail this morning. By the time it took us to get shuttled back to Walasi-Yi Center and eat some breakfast there, it left me with a 10:00 am start. That¢s not to say I was upset or anything about the late start because it sure was windy and cold with the 1/2¢ of new snow that had fallen overnight. I don¢t think anyone was in a hurry to get out on the trail this morning. Once on the trail the wind died down considerably as I made the climb out of Neels Gap, and eventually, it turned into a really beautiful day for hiking. I stopped to take a break on top of Cowrock Mountain, and not long afterward, a day hiker stopped for a break too. He said the temperature was 17° when he left his house in the morning. Later in the day I had my first experience with some trail magic at Hogpen Gap. A church group had left some fresh fruit and trail bars for hikers passing through, and the cold, crisp apple I ate really hit the spot. My original plan for the day was to hike about 1.5 miles beyond Low Gap Shelter and stay at a tent site for the night, but when I arrived later in the afternoon there was no water source . . . at least none that I could find. So I picked up my pace and decided to push on to Blue Mountain Shelter for the night. I got to the shelter about 7:00 pm, and the temperature was already dropping. Needless to say, I wasted little time eating and then jumping into my sleeping bag for the night.Total Ascent:        5,260'Total Descent:        4,270'
Date: 2007-04-08
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: few clouds

I woke up to the sun shining brightly, but when I crawled out of my sleeping bag I found my water bottles were frozen solid. So I ate only a trail bar for breakfast, packed up, and hit the trail just to get warmed up. When I left the shelter I stuck one of the water bottles under my jacket, hoping that it would thaw out enough to get something to drink. There was only a short uphill climb to the top of Blue Mountain before making the long descent to Unicoi Gap, and just before reaching the road crossing at the gap, I found more trail magic. What a blessing it was to find bottled water and apples again. It couldn¢t have come at a better time because my water bottle was still frozen solid. I spent most of the day hiking alone and could still feel the tiredness from the previous day¢s extra mileage. The many ascents and descents, including Tray Mountain, only added to my tiredness. My final climb of the day turned out to be a 900¢ struggle to the top of Kelly¢s Knob. Shortly after reaching the summit I pushed on to Deep Gap Shelter for the night. It was nearly 6:00 pm when I got there, and after hearing about the black widow spider¢s nest in the shelter, I decided to tent for the night. Also there when I arrived was Alpine Strider, The Band-Aid Kid, and a few others who had also decided to tent rather than stay in the shelter for the night. It wasn¢t long after eating dinner and writing in my journal that I retired to my tent and decided to call it a night. Total Ascent:        5,090'Total Descent:        5,530'
Date: 2007-04-09
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap, U.S. 76
Miles today: 3.5

The clouds rolled in overnight, and it wasn¢t nearly as cold as it had been the past two mornings. So with only a short hike to Dick¢s Creek Gap I took my time cooking breakfast and chatting with the others who spent the night at the shelter. Once on the trail it didn¢t take long to hike the 3.5 miles, and when we arrived at the road crossing, Indiana Jones from Evansville, IN greeted us in the parking lot with some trail magic. Not long after I finished stuffing my face, Fran, the owner of the Cloud 9 Hostel, stopped by and shuttled us to his hostel for the night. After taking a shower and washing away all my accumulated trail grime, I spent much of the afternoon rearranging and cleaning my gear because I still didn¢t have things situated in my pack quite the way I wanted. I even started putting together a bag of some things I will send home the first chance I get. Later in the afternoon Fran shuttled a large group of us into Hiawassee for a trip to the grocery store. This was my first experience with resupplying at a grocery in town, and when we got to the store Fran announced we had 15 minutes to buy our groceries and make it back to the van. I thought that I would be pushing it to make it in that amount of time, but I found it not to be a problem . . . at least if you have a good idea what, and how much of each item you need when you walk in the store. As the day dwindled on the hostel really filled up with quite a crowd Among those there for the night were Willie, Erin, Snow Tech, Dan, Magic Horse, Diana, Ronin, and Circadian. Big-ol¢Boy took orders and cooked dinner for the night, and other than eating really late (9:30 pm), he cooked up a fantastic feast of country fried steak, potatoes, green beans, and peach cobbler. Of course, after eating all that it didn¢t take long to start fading away. So I didn¢t fight the urge and climbed into my sleeping bag for the night.Total Ascent:              870¢Total Descent:        1,760¢
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Dick's Creek Gap, U.S. 76

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: light rain

Well, Big-ol¢-Boy¢s planned 7:30 breakfast wasn¢t served until 9:30 because he had a little trouble getting up after playing cards until early in the morning. If I had not paid for the meal in advance I would have eaten one of my own breakfasts so I could get have gotten an earlier start on the trail. He cooked up another great meal, but I didn't get back to the Dick¢s Creek Gap and heading north again on the trail again until after 10:00 am. The trail from the gap was about as easy as it had been on the entire trip, traveling through the last miles in Georgia and crossing into North Carolina shortly after noon. I decided to stop and take a late lunch break at Bly Gap, and it was a good thing because the easy travel was just about to end. North Carolina¢s welcoming consisted of three successive steep climbs, all going straight up the mountain. Fortunately, after that rude welcome the grade of the trail lessened considerably. With the forecast for rain beginning sometime during the night I decided to press on to Standing Indian Shelter for the night. I wanted to get in as many miles as possible while the hiking conditions were still good. I made it to the shelter just as it was getting dark, and by the time I had eaten my dinner and jumped into my sleeping bag, it was definitely ¢hiker¢s midnight.¢Total Ascent:        5,600'Total Descent:        3,390'
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: light rain

As predicted, it started raining sometime during the night, so making it to the shelter instead of tenting last night turned out to be a real good decision. I took my time leaving, giving others room to pack up and get going since they all had longer days planned than I did. After eating and packing up I finally got on the trail around 10:00 am. It was raining very lightly at the time, and the uphill climb to the top of Standing Indian Mountain got me soaked under my rain suit. Unfortunately, on this day in the rain and fog there were no views on the top of Standing Indian. From there I slowly made my way downhill to the old Carter Gap Shelter. It was only 1:30 when I got there, and since it was so early in the day, I considered going on. I decided to eat my lunch in the dry confines of the shelter while I considered my options, but when the rain started pouring down while I was eating, I decided to stay there for the night. I hadn¢t gone very far the day, but I justified not going on because I had hiked a longer day yesterday just so I could avoid hiking in the rain all day today. As it turned out, it was a long cold afternoon, and I spent it just relaxing in the shelter. Slowly both shelters in the gap filled up for the night, and among those staying in our shelter were Circadian, Ronin, and Diana. Late in the afternoon the rain did finally reduce to a light mist, but the temperature was falling too. There really wasn¢t much to do except stay warm inside the sleeping bag, and that is what I did. Given the same conditions, I think I will hike on next time.Total Ascent:           1,430'Total Descent:        1,560'
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap, U.S. 64
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

The skies had cleared over night, but the wind was howling to make for a cold start to the morning. Fortunately, the temperature was not as cold as some previous mornings. The goal for the day was to hike to Winding Stair Gap and go into Franklin for the night since I was a day ahead of schedule for meeting my brother-in-law to pick me up and spend the weekend in Etowah, TN. Today was a sad day for me since it was one year ago that my mother died. I chose to hike alone today, and in a sense I could feel her with me as I hiked. It brought back many memories. The big climb to the top of Mt. Albert was the highlight of the day. It was the first real taste of climbing through rocks on the way to the summit, but it was not anything especially difficult for me. The views from the top were spectacular in all directions, but the bite of the wind kept my stay on top to a minimum. From there the majority of the trail was one long downhill slog with the occasional uphill thrown in just to keep you guessing. Just as I reached Winding Stair Gap a van pulled up to shuttle hikers into town, so timing couldn¢t have been better. I went into Franklin and booked a room at the Blue Sapphire, one of Ron Haven¢s motels, for the night. I was glad to get cleaned up, do laundry, and re-situate my gear before I was to meet Jim in the morning.Total Ascent:        3,520'Total Descent:        4,110'
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Winding Stair Gap, U.S. 64

To: Winding Stair Gap, U.S. 64
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Ron shuttled us back to Winding Stair Gap in the morning, and I waited there for my brother-in-law, Jim, to pick me up and take me back to their home for the weekend in Etowah, TN. It¢s still early in the trip, but it will be a nice break to visit with my sister and her family for the weekend.
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Winding Stair Gap, U.S. 64

To: Winding Stair Gap, U.S. 64
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I'm spending the day with my sister and her family in Etowah, TN. I'll be back on the trail some time tomorrow afternoon. I've posted more pictures on my Webshots page: Gforce on the AT - Part 1
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Winding Stair Gap, U.S. 64

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: light rain

It was late in the afternoon when Jim dropped me off at Winding Stair Gap, and the rain we had traveled through to get there was changing to snow. I had only a short hike to my destination for the night, Siler Bald Shelter, but the intensity of the snow slowly increased as I followed the trail up the mountain. When I got to the shelter it was already full, but everyone was kind enough to move over a little more so I could squeeze in. I had already eaten dinner before getting back on the trail, so I quickly jumped into my bag just to stay warm. The winds were howling through the open space surrounding the shelter, and at times, it looked like a blizzard outside with the snow blowing and swirling around in the wind. Also there for the night were Lee, Wolverine, Hong Kong Fuey, Usual Suspect, Ice Man, and Mignon. Only on rare occasions would I say this, but in this situation, it¢s good being packed in so close to each other because it will help keep everyone a little warmer on this very cold and windy night. Total Ascent:           1,020'Total Descent:           110'
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

It was clear, cold, and very windy when we woke up in the morning, and the ground was covered with about 2¢ of snow. I felt a cold coming on over the weekend, and this morning it was much worse with congestion in my sinuses and a general feeling of weakness. I considered staying here for the day, but after just getting back on the trail that was out of the question. After eating and packing up I started up the trail very carefully as it was snow and ice covered. As the day wore on I could feel the effects of my cold worsening, and I had a complete lack of energy. I stopped at the observation tower on top of Wayah Bald to eat some lunch and take a nice break. The views were spectacular from the top of the observation tower, but with the way I was feeling and the gusts of cold wind I really didn¢t enjoy it as I should have. The remainder of the day was nothing more than a struggle for me as I had to gather all the strength I could to make it up and down the continual string of mountains and on to the next shelter. It took me much longer than usual to cover what mileage I did because I had to keep stopping to rest. When I got to Cold Spring Shelter, Usual Suspect, Ice Man, and Mignon were also there for the night. Sven, Uff-Da, Big Daddy, and Ipod also came in a little later, but they all tented for the night a short distance from the shelter. Hopefully, I¢ll feel a little more alive tomorrow.Total Ascent:           4,270'Total Descent:        3,950'