morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-05-10
From: Low Gap campsite

To: Spivy Gap campsite
Miles today: 9.9

It was one of the coldest mornings I've ever had on the trail. It was windy and very moist. The trail was a sea of mud where I could have used a toboggan to slide to the bottom of the mountains. But on top of a bald with the clouds flying by on my level, it really was beautiful. Just had to keep moving to stay warm. I even hiked with jacket and gloves and never overheated.Later in the day it turned out to be a beautiful day. At one point I took a rest and was laying on a large rock. When I looked up, there was a deer watching me about 30 yards away. When it saw me move my head, it took off into the woods before I could take a picture.After about 10 miles I stopped at Spivey Gap and set up my tent. The campsite was much more level that last night and it was a dry night. I even hung my food in the trees but just before going to bed, the bag slipped down to head level. Making it more of a pinata for the bears. But I was tired and didn't care so I hit the sack.
Date: 2012-05-11
From: Spivy Gap campsite

To: Erwin, Tn
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

Another beautiful day and the trail was one of the best yet. Nice pine needles much of the way made a soft trail with gradual inclines. However the downhill into Erwin got the left knee really inflamed and it was very painful the last 3 miles limping with one leg straight while my right leg did most of the work. Bummer. I have to fix this in Erwin and get a knee brace. Hopefully I can get a shot of cortisone in the knee like someone I knew in 2002 with a similar injury.Coming into Uncle Johnny's was nice. A great hostel right on the trail. I've heard a lot about it and will rent a small cabin for a few days until I can figure out this knee thing.Oh yeah, and the new pack feels great ! Well worth the extra $$$. And it's good to have my thermarest back. I would have brought my old one on the trip but the cat chewed it and I wasn't able to successfully patch it.
Date: 2012-05-12
From: Erwin, Tn

To: Erwin, Tn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Posting pictures and video is difficult on the trail so from here out I'll do my best to get that posted.Today I went to a hospital in Erwin to see about getting a cortisone shot in my knee. The nurse on duty wasn't too sure about that and he was right. The doctor wouldn't do it and just wrote me a prescription for a type of ibprovin that was a little stronger than what I had. He also said to stay off the knee for a few weeks (right) and ice it.So when I asked the hospital if they had a pharmacy they said it had to close because local pharmacies were complaining that it was unfair competition. So I walked from the hospital to downtown Erwin to get it filled. The community was alive with people mowing their lawns and tending to their gardens. Pretty nice place and I enjoyed the walk through their suburban area. When I got downtown Erwin, I found this really neat old fashioned pharmacy. One from a million years ago complete with soda fountain (and homemade carmels). Next I went a few doors down to the choo choo cafe and the owner was just opening the doors. She invited me in and told me a lot of the history of that building. It was the company store of all railroad employees for many years. The lady could tell I was a hiker and she was very good to me. She gave me a whole bunch of extra food in addition to what I ordered. She brought me fresh fruit and some extra pasta salad and soup. So I gave her a couple of the carmels I just bought at the drug store. I enjoy meeting new people in different locations.After dinner that night, I was waiting for the shuttle to pick us up and a couple ladies approached me and asked if I heard the latest news about the hikers that apprehended a robber. Apparently they were by Beauty bald by Roan mountain and a guy with a gun tried to rob them. They were both in the coast guard and easily disarmed him and tied him up for the local police. The ladies told me that he messed with the wrong hikers.Had a nice day at Uncle Johnnies
Date: 2012-05-13
From: Erwin, Tn

To: Indian Grave Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

After icing my knee and purchasing a knee brace at the drug store I decided to try out the knee on a slack pack. A slack pack is where they drop you off at a road crossing with a minimal pack and you can hike the appalachian trail back to the hostel thus getting to sleep in a nicer bed for the night in addition to the easier weight on your back.I hiked with a girl I met and her sister and another couple that I met in the Great Smoky national park last week. It was a good test of the knee brace and the prescription. The knee seemed to be ok. The knee brace in addition to walking better makes a big difference. So I'm all packed up and ready to go again in the morning.
Date: 2012-05-14
From: Indian Grave Gap

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

A rainy hike all day. That coupled with a heavy pack loaded down with food made for a very tiring day. So when I got to the shelter with the rain coming down I decided to sleep in the shelter instead of my tent. Even with the mice activity at a high level. Camping with me that night were a couple of brothers from Iowa. They had massive packs and carried extra boots and instruments to play. The packs must have weighed at least 50 pounds each.Just before I went to bed, I noticed an empty jar of peanut butter in the rafters next to where I was sleeping. Sure enough in the middle of the night, the mice knocked the jar down and it fell on me. When I woke up you could hear the constant scurrying of little feet all over the place. I was kind of half asleep and didn't know what hit me at the time. The two brothers tie their packs to a tree to keep the mice out of them during the night.Oh and during the day I hiked with the couple who lived in Japan for 4 years. The lady was just getting back on the trail after taking a few days off because she was fatigued and had no appetite. They were hoping that the slack pack and this hike would have her feeling back to normal. Unfortunately she said she felt like it was the same and she was getting off the trail as soon as she could. I camped with this couple a few times and enjoyed their tales from Japan. The Japanese have some very strange customs ... quite comical actually.
Date: 2012-05-15
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

Not a bad day hiking today. Some rain but nothing too bad. Today I saw at least 30-40 Orange Salamanders on the trail. Very funny looking ... almost like a toy.When I got to the shelter, it was empty but I still decided to set up my tent. Then I proceeded to blare Frank Sinatra music in the shelter while I cooked my dinner. Something about Sinatra in the woods with dinner. The only bad thing about this shelter was water was down down down a steep hill. Not what the knees want after a day of hiking. Eventually the 2 brothers showed up and stayed in the shelter. Slept pretty good but after a few days you get pretty disgusting out here.
Date: 2012-05-16
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Roan Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: few clouds

A very tough climb up to the highest shelter on the Appalachian trail at around 6100 feet. On the way up I stopped at the visitor center to drop off my trash. Saw a few chipmunks on the way up the mountain as well.The climb really beat me up and by the time I got there, there was no way I would want to go farther. The two brothers I was hiking with decided to keep on going so they could get to trail days.There was a really nice guy at the shelter on Roan Mountain and he had his dogs with him. Unfortunately he let them run loose and while I was cooking my dinner one of the dogs came back into camp completely covered in human waste. It was the most disgusting thing I ever seen. So I ducked into my tent and decided to avoid this. He washed his dog off but not very well. In the morning I avoided the dog and he still smelled awful. I finally was able to inform the other hikers who stopped into the shelter to wash their hands as everyone was petting the dogs who really wanted attention. I was glad to get away from this place. The temperatures at night were in the low to mid 30's so I was glad for the down sleeping bag.
Date: 2012-05-17
From: Roan Mountain Shelter

To: Doll flats
Miles today: 13.5

Coming down off Roan Mountain was a beautiful but long day. Many gorgeous grassy balds to climb up and down with views that were outstanding. Between the balds were forests and rocky trails. Today I saw 5 snakes. Almost stepped on one and almost bumped one on a rock. But none of them bothered me. Not sure what types of snakes they were.While at the top of the highest bald, I noticed a storm heading my way. When I saw the lightning, I decided to get off the mountain as quick as possible since there were no trees and I was the highest thing out there with my metal hiking poles. A few other hikers were not as lucky as me and were on the way up the bald when the storm hit. They abandoned their packs and ran to lower ground when lightning started to strike the mountain around them.After going 13.5 miles, I decided to camp instead of hiking another 3 miles on rocks in the rain and at night. Plus my body said it was time for a rest. Got my tent set up in a nice grassy meadow next to the forest. Spectacular views. Looks like more rain.
Date: 2012-05-18
From: Doll flats

To: Mountain Harbor 
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up early and got into the hostel today for a few days off. Will wash, get my clothes cleaned and get some good meals before going to trail days. My body needs a few days off after walking 100+ miles in the last couple weeks. I'm having a lot of trouble uploading the videos from youtube and my phone. Looks like android file manager is corrupting the files on my phone !!! I think I lost a lot of video. Wish I had a laptop with me as the library is very limiting in the time they allot and resources.
Date: 2012-05-21
From: Mountain Harbor 

To: Florida
Miles today: 0.0

I never did make it to trail days. Unfortunately I came down with the flu after I returned to Mountain Harbor.   After partially recovering from that I was pretty wiped out and decided to just head back to Florida. I had a great time on the trail and am very grateful that I was healthy enough to be able to backpack 108 miles in one of the most beautiful places in the world. And I was especially fortunate to meet some of the nicest and most interesting people you can imagine. And that's just another reason I often refer to myself as the "lucky guy".A journal can describe a small piece of the journey but to really experience it you have to get out and just do it.
Date: 2011-11-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This journal is a joint effort between Reinhard and John. Neither Reinhard nor John have a trail name yet. For now we will use the trail name "In-laws" since our wives are sisters. This journal will have some entries in english since John is an American and some entries in german since Reinhard is German. In case you are wondering, my german is not great and Reinhard's english is not great. Guess you could call this language immersion - especially for Reinhard.
Date: 2012-02-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

   One month to our start date. Reinhard has his Visa, plane ticket and equipment and is ready to go. I made my next to last trip to REI before our start date and finally upgraded my pack. Osprey Atmos 65 - 2012 version. I was really pleased with the help I received and believe this pack is what I was looking for. I debated for almost a year on this decision. I will focus on household activities for the next few weeks. I really do not want to have any major distractions once we hit the trail.   One question for anyone who has recently walked the trail or has agonized over what type of communications device to carry. I know a phone is not necessary but.... Also, is it worth to carry a phone and camera? What "plan/carrier" is best along the trail? I know personal preferences are important but I am looking for opinions. You can respond in the guest book. Thanks in advance.
Date: 2012-02-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

   Three weeks until we fly to Atlanta. We still haven't decided how we will travel from Atlanta to our start point, but like everything else - time will make us make a decision. Today I updated my gear section on this blog. Once Reinhard arrives from Germany (he flies to Chicago from Frankfurt, Germany on March 1) we will update his gear. He bought much of his gear in Germany so it is a bit different.   I really need to thank my wife for all the support she is providing me. She has tolerated and participated in all the shopping trips for gear, food, etc. She is also our support person for mail drops. And, most importantly, she is picking up our son after he completes his freshman year of college and they will meet us (somewhere) along the trail. Both her and my son will hike with us for some time. My wife and I have backpacked numerous times so I have confidence she will do well. On the other hand, I am not so sure about my son (and possibly his girlfriend). He is in excellent physical shape but has not hiked before. Ought to be an adventure.
Date: 2012-03-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Reinhard, the other in-law, arrived in Chicago yesterday from Germany. He was able to receive a 7 month Visa so we can take our time hiking. If you read the other journal entries, you noticed he is German. His language immersion training began yesterday when we stopped at REI and when he arrived at my house and he met my dad, sister, and brother-in-law. We made arrangements with the Hiker Hostel for a pick-up in Atlanta on March 12th. Like so many of the other journal entries I read, we are anxious to get started. We will use the next week to prepare mail drops, compare equipment, and take a few shake-out hikes. I still haven't packed my pack with all the gear I plan to take. I guess I'm procrastinating on the inevitable -- how much does my pack weigh.
Date: 2012-03-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

OK. We fly tomorrow. Reinhard (Reinhard the German) and I (no name) did a 6 mile test hike this week and everything worked out. Our packs, with food and water for 5 days, weigh between 35-40 pounds. We could probably leave a few things behind to lessen the weight but it would not amount to much so I think we are set. I can't thank my wife enough for all the support I'm receiving - before and during the hike. And, great news - she booked three nights at the Woods Hole Hostel (google it) in VA for early May. The hostel has two indoor rooms and a bunk house. She booked the two indoor rooms. She will drive from WI to pick up our youndest son and his girlfriend from Old Dominion University. (My second son attends the Univ of Hawaii and my oldest son teaches English in Japan so they are unable to hike with us this year but they are providing moral support.) They will then link-up with Reinhard and I on the trail. We will all slack-pack a few days and then do some "real" hiking for a few days. The AT Guide says the hostel is a "don't miss" location. Our challenge is to start our hike in GA in March and meet up in VA on an exact date in May at an exact spot.   Another timing challenge involves Reinhard's wife. She may also join us. She lives in Germany and will visit the Isle of Wight (England) in April. She may fly to Chicago on May 1 where my wife could link up with her. Then they could do the above trip to VA together. Lot's of moving pieces but it looks as if it is all coming together.      Yesterday, I asked my son who attends school in HI to help keep this blog updated. His girlfriend is also very good with the German language so she can help post Reinhard's comments. This is a great help because we want to capture our adventure without spending too much time with electronics.
Date: 2012-03-12
To: Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Finally, last preparation entry. We departed Milwaukee this AM, flew to Atlanta, and were picked up by Hostel Hiker folk at the REI in Atlanta. Great accomodations here - last night sleeping in a real bed for a while. The hostel is full so I assume there will be quite a few hikers starting tomorrow. It is raining now and the forecast is for more rain. As they say - no rain, no pain, no Maine. -- no name  Hallo, heute sind wir von Wisconsin nach Atlanta geflogen. Und von dort sind wir abgeholt und zu unserem Hostel gefahren worden. Es regnet und morgen geht es los. Heute Nacht schlafen wir noch in einem Bett, ab morgen geht es in die Wilnis.Schoene Gruesse an alle: Reinhard, the German
Date: 2012-03-13
From: Hiker Hostel

To: Springer Mountain; Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: broken clouds

We started at Amicalola Falls State Park and walked a strenuous 8.8 miles to Springer Mountain--the souther terminus of the Appalachian Trail. We walked an additional 2.8 miles to Stover Creek Shelter. About 16 college students were there (hiking in the mountains) on spring break. -The In-laws
Date: 2012-03-15
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Great day and great weather. Need to buy some suntan lotion at the next opportunity. Spent the night at a campsite last night with a bunch of college students on spring break. They were exteremely polite and didn't see any drinking or smoking. Someone ought to do a study comparing college students who hike the mountains and the ones who go to Florida. Had to call it quits a bit early because there is an advisory for bears along a certain portion of the trail. We can walk through it but cannot camp in it.
Date: 2012-03-16
From: Lance Creek

To: Neel Gap - Mountain Crossing Hostel
Miles today: 7.4

Big rainstorm last night - lots of rain, thunder, etc. Tent held up fine -- that is obviously good news. Our plan before we started was to make it to Neel Gap and we are here. Had a shower and washed the only pair of pants and two pair of socks that I own. Saw some kids today who had camped in a no camping area because of bears. Guess what - the bears had fun playing with their food. They said the bears liked brand-name tuna over generic and peanut butter over Nutella -- picky bears.   We had a great dinner tonight at the hostel with the Georgia Mountain Christian group, who came and provided all the hikers dinner tonight. We had vegetable spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, homemade cookies - everything was homemade. They gave it to all of the hikers in the hostels for free. We had a really good time with good food. It's really amazing how many people are nice out here on the trail and give us stuff! Hallo ihr lieben Wanderer und alle die mich kennen. Heeute ist der 3 Tag auf dem AT. Heute habe ich das erste Mal Waesche gewaschen in der Wildnis ach ja Regen gab es auch. Ich habe im Regen mein Zelt aufgebaut. Und jeden Tag Wasser besorgen und filtern. Ich trinke ca 3 bis 4 Liter am Tag das ist notwendig. Ja viele Erlebnisse. Fuer heute Scluss aus der Widnis. Reinhard the German
Date: 2012-03-17
From: Neel Gap - Mountain Crossing Hostel

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up this morning and listened to the weather forecast. We're supposed to have rain from Saturday and all the way until next Thursday. Everyone is getting their rain gear on. It's strange though, because everyone is still in a really good mood and ready to start hiking. Since today is St. Patrick's Day, the pirate (the chef at the hostel we're staying at) made some green pancakes this morning for breakfast. Nobody is losing their spirit and everyone is in a good mood so far on the trail. We've experienced a lot of "Trail Magic" from "Trail Angels" (definitions below) in the past 24 hours. We've had two different groups of people that did hotdogs for us at random places. As we were walking on the trail, two different people offered us apples and a lady offered us tuna fish salad and some other tuna stuff. The Southern hospitality is really amazing. -Trail Angel: a person who delivers trail magic. -Trail Magic: a random act of kindness uniquely provided to AT hikers whereby an individual delivers a good deed to a hiker in need; most commonly in the form of food, beverage, and/or transportation.Hallo, heute ist Freitag, wir haben eine Nacht in Neels Gap verracht. Gestern waren wir auf dem Blood Mountain, 4400 feet hoch. Der Abstieg war anstrengend, da sehr steinig. Aber wir haben es geschafft. In Neels Gap habe ich einen Bag-Check machen lassen um Gewicht einzusparen. Mein Zelt, was wirklich gut ist, habe ich zurueck geschickt da es zu schwer ist. Ich habe ein neues gekauft, welches ca. 1kg wiegt. Gegen Abend war eine College-Klasse da, die fuer die Hiker gekocht haben. Anschliessend kam ich mit ihnen ins Gespraeech, sehr erfrischend. Und zum Schluss haben sie mir einen Segen fuer die Wanderung ausgesprochen, wir alle zusammen. Great!! Fuer heute wieder Mal Schluss, ich gruesse alle Wanderer und die mich kennen. Ich liebe euch, take care! Reinhard the German.NOTE: Hope everyone is enjoying the blog so far. Feel free to leave comments and hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day! - Chris and Rachel
Date: 2012-03-18
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Old Cheese Factory 
Miles today: 13.4

Today was a butt-kicking -- over 4,000 ft of vertical climbs. We were supposed to go another 2 miles but the vertical elevation change really whipped everyone. Interesting fact: where we're camping now is where the movie Deliverance was filmed. The picture today is of us hanging our "bear bag." In order to protect our food from bears at night, we have to hang the bear bag over a tree limb a specific way -- 10 feet off the ground, 4 feet from the tree trunk, and 4 feet from the branch it's hanging on. Last night was a fun experience. We were on the trail out in the middle of nowhere, and there were people who lugged in ten 30-packs of beer, hotdogs, chips, oranges, chocolate covered pretzels, and a banjo player. It was a St. Patrick's Day party and a bridesmaid party for somebody--in the absolute middle of nowhere. Everyone was running around in St. Patrick's Day costumes in green, and they invited us to their party. It was a great time, and we listened to a lot of AT banjo music.
Date: 2012-03-19
From: Old Cheese Factory 

To: Dick's Gap/Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: few clouds

Tough 13 miles. Heard that GA is the toughest miles until New England. Not sure if that is true but hope so. Received food drop number 2 at Blueberry Hostel. Thanks Beate and post office. Wanted to stay at the hostel but they were full. Ended up going 10 miles to Hiawassee and stayed at Budget Inn. Any time you have the opportunity of taking a shower while on the trail is ecstasy. It was also full of hikers --late arrivals had to camp in the front yard for a $10 fee. Can't imagine that happening in downtown Sheboygan Falls. Will be in deep wilderness for next 4 days - always hope the phone and camera hold a charge while out there. Am going to have to figure out a charging system while in the woods. Any thoughts??Hallo, ihr lieben Wanderer und alle die mich kennen! Heute bin ich 1 Woche auf dem AT unterwegs. ES ist anstrengend, da es immer hoch und runter geht, so das wir gut essen und trinken muessen. Minimum bei mir sind 3-4 Liter Wasser am Tag. Morgens gibt es Muesli, ueber den Tag Muesliriegel und alllerlei Kleinkram und abens warmes Essen, alles in der Wildnis! Ja, so ist das.Fuer heute genug, ich liebe euch alle,die mein Block mitverfolgen, danke.Reinhard the German
Date: 2012-03-20
From: Dick's Gap/Hiawassee, GA

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

Crossed the GA/NC border today. They say GA is the most difficult terrain until New England. I hope so as it kicked our butt. NC hads something to say about this though. The first 4 miles in NC were some of the most difficult miles. In case you didn't know, the AT starts in GA and ends in ME. It runs through 14 states.