morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-03
From: Sassafras Gap Campground

To: Cloud 9 Hostel / dicks creek
Miles today: 6.1

Hiked out alone> Met Bulwinkle and fishstick and made it to Dicks Creek about 2:00 Caught a ride to the hostel, showered and am heading into town to stock up. Back to the Hostel, bad weather tonight, tornado warnings. I have my own bedroom with cable TV and queen size bed. The people up on the trail have got to be hating it. Well Futurama is coming on.Goodnight
Date: 2007-04-04
From: Cloud 9 Hostel / dicks creek

To: GA NC line
Miles today: 10.6

My journal entry's from this point to Fontana Dam are lost. Along with all the pics. Thanks to Doc and Bear for giving me there pics. Actualy all pics up to Fontana are lost. Doc and Bear were either a day or two behind or ahead so they are good shots as far as the weather go's and things that I remember. I am writing these next sections from memory in Denver CO. More on that later. Hiked today with Ms Pinky, met Copperhead. Crossed the border and decided to stay at campsite with big group, including rooster and crew. Ms. Pinky hiked on. That was the last time I saw her. Copperhead showed me a new way to hang my bearbag.
Date: 2007-04-07
From: betty gap

To: wallace gap
Miles today: 9.1

One more brutal day on the knee. Climbed Albert mt. most techinical section so far. Bullwinkle and Fishstick on top. Lots of pics taken. Still really cold so hauled ass to wallace gap. And got a ride from KTR to Franklin. I really am worried about the knee. Sharing hotel with Combat, fishstick, Bullwinkle. Tonight warm in hotel.
Date: 2007-04-09
From: franklin NC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Cannot leave yet. Knee is not good. I have my own hotel room now, everyone else is gone. I can barely walk 2 blocks to steakhouse. It is worth it, the girls let me take a doggy box from the buffet table every night. I have been hee three days. I bought a knee brace. Hiking out tommorow.
Date: 2007-04-10
From: wallace gap

To: silar bald
Miles today: 4.7

Knee messed up pretty bad, I will try to spend as much time in woods as i can. Cannot keep staying in town. Made it to this shelter. Lots of people I haven't met before. Missing my Friends already. These people are jerks. I think I messed up, should have stayed on the trail instead of this shelter trail. It doesn't look like a good trail out. Met the goat people today. They are training goats for service. Goat Lady told me how she could fix me knee, got me all excited and then said it would cost 50 bucks. I almost told her to go to hell, I was able to keep my mouth shut. Weatherman was there to and felt the same way. It just go's to show that al ot of people well you can imagine. I think her husband was embarrassed. Ran in to Combat and Sugargrits so shelter wasn't so bad after all. It just sucked having to hike steep hill to there Oh yea I had a pint so sleeping was good today
Date: 2007-04-12
From: licklog gap

To: wesser bald
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: clear sky

Rain all day, got to the top of Wesser Bald about an hour before sunset. Some how got on the Wrong trail coming down in the rain. Ended up camping on a nice flat spot and drying out reasonably well. It is nice having a bigger tent. It actually worked out getting lost and I was able to call sister. Tomorrow night is calling for snow so I have to Get to NOC. I won't have a chance to dry everything.
Date: 2007-04-13
From: wesser bald

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Days 21 22 23 Met Reckless and Sparten today, Reckless has the worst blister ever. I will never hear the word infection without thinking of it. He is getting some antibiotics in the mail tommorow. I also met treework. Today was the VT shootings and treeworks brother goes there. Cell's are not working here so he is freaking out try to get info. Last thing he heard was that his brother was allright, but his brothers girlfreind is missing. He knows a lot of people that go there to. Reckless Sparten Treehouse and I have a killer cabin on the AT. I will enjoy the weekend. Snow hit climbing down into NOC, I made it warm and dry today. Knee has taken some pounding but I made it!!!Day 22Miled off my ill fated camara card and journal entries today. Just relaxing and eating at the breakfast buffet, drying out my tent, got some sealer for my boots and raingear. No liquer in town so I am drinking some pretty good wine, it is some kind of backpacking wine I guess, look for it if you are ever at NOC. I really am impressed with this Kelty tent. It is a little heavy but not one drop of rain has gotten in it. Bear and Doc are back from the music fest, treework hiked out, he is meeting his girl in Hot Springs NC.Day 23 Knee feeling alot better, also the chaffing from the brace is healing. Weather looks pretty good for the run to Fontana, about 60 miles. Will be hard to leave NOC sat at a water fall on the river. Wathching the kayakers.
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Pretty good hiking today. Kinda cloudy and soupy but nice and cool. 10 more miles to Fontana. The is a resort there and if I remember I got a cabin back in the early 90's. I may stay for a few day's rest. Knee is starting to swell again. Tommorow should'nt be to bad looks like one 300 ft climb.
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Fontana Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Sharing a cabin with Bear and Doc. There are a bunch of people at the resort with RX7 and Porshe. They all come here to drive Hellbender. It is some road that has a bunch of switchbacks. They all get together at the bar at night and watch video's of themselves driving around corners. Doc is going to rent a golfcart tommorow. It should be fun.
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Fontana Shelter

To: Birch Spring Gap
Miles today: 5.9

Reluctantly left the resort this morning and took the shuttle to Fontana Shelter. Really good uphill. I heard a rattlesnake and looked ahaed and there it was. He was not very happy with me trying to push him of with a stick. I climbed up and around him hoping to sneak up behind him but he was on to me and turned around to stand up to me. I knew Bonnie and Clyde were not far behind so I waited. You can't leave a pissed off rattlesnake in the trail when you know people are close. They walked up and Bonnie threw a stick and got it to turn around. I was able to swipe him off the trail. Then we all climbed a fire tower on shuckstack. We got to camp and had a beer.
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Birch Spring Gap

To: russell field shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night I fell asleep with my rainfly off. It started pooring about 4 am. Luckily I had my rainfly ready and hardly got wet. Dirty Sparten and Reckless didn't and they all got soaked. I am in a shelter tonight, I will explain why in the morning. Nova is on the radio. later
Date: 2007-04-24
From: russell field shelter

To: Derrick nob shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

Good day of hiking crossed rockytop and thunderhead. Filter is messing up on I need a new cartridge from Gatlinburg . I will try to get to Climgmans in A.M. before the thunderstorms that are forcasted. In the Smokies you have to sleep in the shelters, it is nasty and dirty and infested with mice. I would so much rather be in a tent.
Date: 2007-04-25
From: Derrick nob shelter

To: clingmans dome
Miles today: 4.2

Got out of the shelter early and had a great hike up Clingmans. After the weather finaly broke the views were pretty nice. There was also alot of destruction, some was from the last few weeks and some was from the storm Josh and I witnessed in Oct. Hitchhiked from clingmans to Gatlinburg with "Austrailians on Tour". I hit every bar in town and loved it.
Date: 2007-04-29
From: State Line Branch Campground

To: standing bear hostel
Miles today: 1.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Got to hostel early, Got laundrey done. It was a bear last night, Two Dogs saw it walk thru the camp. Sprocket showed up at the hostel with coolers of food. It was like a food drop in Ethiopia. There was all this fresh fruit. Ended up feeding about 20 hikers. Baltimore Jack cooked it all, we had lobster ravioli, fruit salad, real salad. By far the best food in a month.This weekend I am getting a new stove. Te alcahol works good to boil, I want to be able to cook up stuff.
Date: 2007-04-30
From: standing bear hostel

To: Ground Hog Creek
Miles today: 7.2

Hard hike up this morning. I could not fall asleep in the bunkhouse so I tried to sleep in a bench around the fire ring. Sprocket who lives at Standing Bear kept waking me up so I went back in the bunkhouse. That didn't work out so great, I tossed and turned till about 3 am. I finally went back out and fell asleep on the ground. Some trail runner guy woke me up at 5 am ripping duct tape of a role about 3 feet from my head. I almost lost it. It took everthing I had to contain myself. I know he saw me sleeping there to, he said he didn't but his headlamp was right in my face.Anyway Jack cooked everyone breakfast from the leftover food. Had quite a climb and didn't feel like hiking to far. The next good water is anther 7-8 miles and I don't feel like cameling my cooking water as exausted as I am. No more bunckhouses or shelters unless the weather forces me inside.
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Ground Hog Creek

To: Lemon Gap
Miles today: 11.6

I slept great last night, got up and hiked out by 7:30 with a major climb, about 1800 feet to the top of Max Patch. Great views of the thunderstorms coming in from the west. We founda good campsite and Bear Doc and I made up a potluck dinner. The rain started up shortly after dinner and got heavy at times. Glad I have this condo of a tent. Hike down into hot springs tommorow just in time for Cinco De Mayo.Just got done working on my feet, I have only had one blister. There are 3 Geckos eating the bugs that keep getting traped under the rainfly. Pretty cool.
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Lemon Gap

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Mad it to Hot Springs after hiking in the rain for a few hours. Eagle bought me lunch and I got a tentsite at the Ducket House. Blue, Cpt Jack and Broken Mule are in the bunkhouse Nuttella, Caboosee and Bum Bum are at the B&B. There is a big Kayak Fest and we all snuck in and managed to yogi some booze. Were were able to hear some good music to.
Date: 2007-05-03
From: Hot Springs

To: hotsprings
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Went to the post office to get my mail drop and had breakfast with a bunch of hungover hikers.My mail drop is messed up. It was supposed to be a 6 day drop and it only had about 2 days. I cannot get a hold of Jash to see if the next one is O.K.. I am beginning to wonder what is going on down there. Now I will have to re-plan this next stretch. I snuck back in to the Hippy Jam tonight. Lots of fun getting to know all the kayak'ers. The Duckett house is great, although a little far from town. Even on days that I don't hike I still end up walking a few miles.
Date: 2007-05-04
From: hotsprings

To: Campsite on river
Miles today: 1.0

Hiked about a mile down the river were I met up with Bonnie, Clyde, Cap Jack And Lightning. We bought pork chops and fresh vegies and had a fun day drinking beer and watching rafters and kayakeers go by. We will all hike out in the A.M. I have enjoyed my time in Hot Springs. Met some really nice locals, my knee is feeling better but I think I am going to have a time with it. I will hike until trail days and then decide if I will go on. It is going to be quite a decision. One good thing about this next section is that I have done it already and know what to expect.
Date: 2007-05-05
From: Campsite on river

To: Rich Mt. Fire Tower
Miles today: 7.3

We all made sloppy joes for breakfast on my new stove. Hung out at the campsite till 12:30 and hiked up to the tower. It is a little cold so I tented. My original plan was to sleep on the tower, it was a little to windy for my taste. I am kinda scared of hieghts by the way. WE had some great nightime views from the tower. We could see Hot Springs, Asheville and Johnson City. We even got to see a fireworks show from Ashville.Knee is sore again so the hiking is slow but steady.
Date: 2007-05-06
From: Rich Mt. Fire Tower

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

Good hiking today, pretty hot, tommorow should be a lot cooler. The hiking fog that I have been for the last few weeks seems to be over. I am sleeping good now.   The crew I have been with has come up with a plan to make it to Damascus in time for trail days. It includes some pretty heavey hiking. I do not think I will be able to make it with my knee.
Date: 2007-05-07
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

Another great day of hiking. Bear and I climbed 1000' to "Big But" mountain. Today was also the hottest day so far. Being from FL it doesn't bother me as much as everyone else. I drink 2 liters of water before I even leave camp, and at least one liter at every water hole. Plus I am draining my camal back between stops. Bear did not feel well in the heat of the day today.
Date: 2007-05-18
To: Trail days
Miles today: 0.0

Well here I am at Trail Day's. It is a lot different then 1996. I have the Tahoe here so I have had a good time shuttleing everyone around. Tent city is pretty cool, and I have met up with all my buddies from the beginning of the all this. The knee is feeling better and I may be able to hike again out of Erwin. We will see what happens.
Date: 2007-05-19
From: Beuty Spot

To: Spivy Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: few clouds

Trail Day's was fun, glad it is over. Today Doc, Brother T and I hiked from Beuty spot back to the river in Erwin. There was a great party up hear last night with a bunch of 05 and 03 people. Pretty crazy bunch. I have made my decision about my knee. I have to get off of it. It is not a light desicion, I will miss trail life but I want to get better. I will be back in 2009 for another shot. Thanks to everyone for all the support along this misguided adventure, I am heading to Denver.
Date: 2007-10-16
From: denver

To: denver
Miles today: 0.0

Well here I am. The AT was great. My knee was not. I have learned a lot this year. The people I have hiked with are increadible. Jamie later "Roast Beef"Uncle Tom and the Maineiacs,Life Traveler,Mountain Squid,Tobbaco later Slow Poke,Bullwinkle and Fishstick,Rocky and Parker, Weatherman,Combat and Sugergrits,Kabell, Rooster,Moneyshot,Copperhead,Reckless,Sparten,Treework,Pete,Brother T,Zack,Big Old Boy,Ali Baba,The Dude,Balimore Jack,Two Dogs,Seven,Jones,Fox,Jet,Turd Nugget and His brother,Lightning,Bonnie and Clyde,Skip Trace,Captain Jack,Bumm Bumm,Nutella,Caboosee,Broken Mule,Starfish,Gazzelle,Bobcat,Pinnball Wizard,The Hobbits,Stranded,Are all just a few of the people I had fun with.and especiallyRoast BeefMs. PinkyBearDocEagleAlso thanks to Frank and Laura from Cloud Nine, Ron Haven,Miss Janet,
Date: 2006-04-05
To: debutante ball 
Miles today: 0.0

I recently earned my graduate degree, started a profession which I love, settled into a great rent-controlled apartment in nyc¢¦and now I¢m going to chuck it all and hike the A.T. How did I get into this predicament?I fell in love... with the A.T.I¢ve never had a man, job, or interest fill me with such a swooning sort of affection and mania the way the A.T. has. It all started in August 2005 when a group of friends and I went on a two day backpacking trip to celebrate my 29th birthday. I was hooked.   I¢ve been hiking on and off since I was a teenager (more off than on) and I had almost forgotten how fabulous it was to hike. After that initial trip, my friend, Jodie, and I decided to go hiking the next weekend.   And the weekend after that. I took a weeklong hike by myself in the fall and decided that it was way too short. I needed something like five or six more months of it to really quench my thirst. And my thru-hiking madness began in earnest. The freedom, challenges, and relaxed atmosphere of the trail really appeal to me. There¢s so much more to it that I¢m not able to articulate. And I¢m hoping as I progress through this journal and through my hike, I¢ll be better able to define the appeal of the trail and the thru-hiking lifestyle.   I was initially on the fence as to whether I¢d do an online trail journal or not. Reading other hikers¢ journals on this site has been a great help in planning (and even deciding to hike) and I decided that I¢d like to contribute to this online community of information. Also, starting this journal has served as a way to solidify and communicate my decision to thru-hike. It¢s a way to go public¢it's my debutante ball for thru-hiking. So here I am, in white kid gloves and gaiters¢¦counting down the months until I¢ll be standing (one part freaked out, one part elated) on Springer Mountain.
Date: 2006-04-08
To: Zen and the art of Kwik Mart 
Miles today: 0.0

I¢m a librarian by profession. This means that I love helping and educating people but, most of all, I love order. I¢m sure you¢ve heard of the Dewey Decimal system¢it¢s the archaic method of organizing all things in the known universe by numbers (for example, you¢ll find backpacking books in the 796.5 section). While Melville Dewey wasn¢t an overly successful philosopher (that was his official vocation), he did manage to establish librarianship as a profession. He was obsessed with simplifying life and attempted to do so through language¢taking measures such as shortening his last name to ¢Dui¢ (I suppose we have him to thank for phonetically unchallenging business names such as ¢Kwik Mart¢). His minimalist forays into phonics aside, Dewey embraced the spirit of simplicity and order and felt that these two things were inherently connected. I like the concept of ¢a place for everything and everything in its place¢ and how everything I need for backpacking folds, stuffs, and packs away into a small well-ordered bag that I carry on my back. It¢s so self-contained, so tidy, so economical. A pack is the epitome of functional order. Dewey had his numbered system of classification and I have¢¦my pack. For me, backpacking drops the extraneous junk in life, it simplifies, creates order. But it¢s more than a matter of the arrangement of physical objects¢the imposed simplicity of backpacking works to condense and heighten action, emotion, and intent. When the everyday miscellaneous business of civilized life is eliminated, one¢s actions become uncomplicated and achieve more authority. On the A.T., things such as sleeping and walking become significant and, the fact that they are of the few stripped down activities of the hiker¢s life, they demand more contemplation and appreciation. That said, there¢s something incredibly Zen about fitting all of your winter gear into a z-pack and having space left over.
Date: 2006-04-08
To: good-bye winter
Miles today: 0.0

I had the last few days of the week off so I headed upstate and did some hiking in NY and CT. And I¢m pleased to report that spring has arrived. I am so ready for spring and the warmer weather that accompanies it. I spent the whole winter sleeping out in some disgustingly cold conditions (and having a good time doing it¢but a girl can only take so much frozen snot). The recent cold of the winter reminds me of a passage I recently read:¢Separated from his party, Danish explorer and prolific author Peter Freuchen dug a trench in the snow to escape a blizzard. He lay in the trench and slept. When he woke, he found himself buried beneath the snow and a thick, ice-encrusted surface. He tried to sit up but the ice pinned him down. He clawed at the underside of his ice coffin until his frozen fingers were bloody, but he could not scratch it away. All his equipment lay uselessly above him on the sled. Without a digging tool, he was certain he would die. He carried absolutely nothing he could use as a tool¢¦or did he? He slid his arms down the back of his trousers and defecated into his cupped hands. He quickly formed his own feces into a chisel shape, with a wide, slightly curved sharp end. He pulled it out into the cold air and it instantly froze as solid as steel. He dug his way out with a dung chisel. He ultimately lost one foot, but not his life.¢ (excerpt from North to the Night by Alvah Simon) It¢s a story that I¢ll need to keep in mind next time I start belly-aching about being chilly. No matter what hardships I encounter on the A.T., I¢m pretty sure needing to use a frozen turd isn¢t going to be among them.
Date: 2006-04-27
To: A beard primer
Miles today: 0.0

During the winter, in a fit of mid-winter boredom and madness, I hiked some miles of the A.T. sporting a fake moustache. I looked more like a gigolo than a mountain man¢and more like bad transvestite than anything else. But, when the temperatures are in the single digits and you¢re all alone in the woods, you have to make your own fun. One of the patrons from the library I work at saw a photo of me sporting my fake ¢stache and, disturbingly enough, found it to be a flattering look for me (thanks for the props Mr. Gomez--I¢ll have to remember to throw the ¢stache on next time I go out on a date). The New York Times recently ran an article questioning if Paul Bunyan is the modern-day sex symbol. The article was about beards¢more specifically, the recent trend in urban beards. Now, being a hiker who currently lives in a major metro area, I can tell you that there¢s a large difference between the coiffed chins of the lads talking on their cell phones on the Jersey Turnpike and those getting mugged by bears on the Jersey section of the A.T. The urban beard is an effeminate imposter¢a stand-in for the manly bristles that seems to only sprout on the chins of real outdoorsmen. From the dudes in ZZ Top to Sigmund Freud, the beard is a power look. It says, ¢I know what I¢m up to¢ and indicates that the wearer is able to do amazing things such as treat neurosis or sing ¢Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers¢. The beard is a symbol of virtue and simplicity, virility and leadership which can be expressed in a variety of designs including the Van Dyke, the Chinstrap, and the infamous Royale. There are many websites on the subject of beards including one devoted to infants with beards (www.secretlair.com/babieswithbeards), the World Beard Championships (www.worldbeardchampionships.com), and a cancer fundraising event called ¢Beards for Cancer¢ (www.wastedapples.com/BFCbeards.html). But the granddaddy of beard websites has to be ¢All About Beards¢ (http://beards.org), a site that features a bearded character who suspiciously resembles Will Oldham. This site gives beard ¢success stories¢, beard galleries, beard links, and even beard videos(!?). So, male thru-hikers, I want to see you showing your beard pride next year. After all, if the uber-judgmental John Martin from Vice Magazine approves, they must be okay.
Date: 2007-01-02
To: happy new year, happy fools
Miles today: 0.0

In his book, News from Tartary, Peter Fleming stated that, ¢He who starts on a ride of two or three thousand miles may experience, at the moment of departure, a variety of emotions. He may feel excited, sentimental, anxious, care-free, heroic, roistering, picaresque, introspective, or practically anything else; but, above all he must and will feel like a fool.¢Well, call me one big happy fool. Actually, all of us on trailjournals are a bunch of fabulous fools (this is meant as the ultimate compliment, of course). I wish all of you a happy new year and the best of luck with your upcoming hikes. I can¢t wait to meet you on the trail; so many of you have compelling stories and personalities. I wish I had more time at work to illicitly sneak peeks at your journals!Twelve weeks until I hike and, yes, the countdown has begun. My tickets to Georgia are purchased (funny, buying one-way tickets¢¦I¢ve never done it before. A great feeling ¢ so absolute), the bunk at the hostel is reserved, my gear is ready to go, as are my legs and mind. All I have to do is write my letter of resignation and, of course, buy a new pair of shoes.