morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-09-29
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Hawk Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 7.2

7.4 miles on the AT and 17.2 miles total. Slept poorly Friday night and had lots of muscle cramping. I didn¢t get up til 8:15 and it took me awhile to break camp. Everything seemed to be in the wrong place, and I had trouble finding things. I had a cold breakfast and left camp around 10.  I caught up with Megan (Bear Bear), Amy (Machete), and Kim. We¢ve started talking about trail names and and Megan and Amy both mostly have theirs. Kim isn¢t sure yet. I walked with them through midday. I learned they were all ICU nurses. Kim is a grandmother and Amy has twins. I felt fatigued all day and seemed to have run out of gas. Even going downhill, and there was a lot of that today, was tiring.  There was lots of people on the trail today. Probably saw more than a dozen dogs, including two German Shepherds. There were lots of families, including kids and toddlers. Even one stroller. They clearly hadn¢t followed the same path I had.  The trail crosses multiple places where folks could park, and park they did. We stopped around 1:30 at Long Creek Falls to rest, eat, and enjoy the COLD water.  It was refreshing. I met Hunter at this stop. The nurse trio had met him the night before. He¢s a young man who may be going as far as Fontana Dam as well.  Hunter left first, followed by me. I was tired and ended up going to the Hawk Mountain Campsite at 5:00, which was 0.7 miles before the Hawk Mountain Shelter, which had been my original destination. I¢d already emptied my pack when I realized my mistake. I didn¢t have the energy to repack and go on so I made the decision to stay. I met an older couple and their friend who were southbound on day 7 of their trek. They are going to finish tomorrow.  While heading down the path to get water, I saw Hunter. He¢d made the same mistake I did.  He and I are both planning to get to Gooch Mountain Shelter tomorrow, which should be an 8.3 mile day which sounds easy, until you¢re carrying a 50+ pound pack over rough terrain. Hopefully today will be the day the body starts getting stronger, rather than breaking down :) I had no cramping today which was wonderful. I¢m off to bed early, before 8, and will be up earlier tomorrow. I want to be on the trail before 8:30.  Mostly sleepless night. Started raining around 3 and was off and on for hours. I fantasized about just staying in the tent but once I stuck my head out I saw it wasn¢t too bad. Of course the clothes I¢d put out to dry overnight, hadn¢t. Took me forever to make water and pack up in the light rain. I didn¢t leave until 10.
Date: 2018-09-30
From: Hawk Mountain Campsite

To: Gooch Shelter
Miles today: 8.3

Sunday was not fun day.  I¢ve done 25.5 miles total.  Felt a bit stronger but still pretty weak. Hiked from 10-6.  Took a long time to get packed up.  I do still have dry clothes but my wet sack is growing.  Took around 1:20 of down time in the day. It was lovely.Can¢t wait to drop some wait on Tuesday at Neel¢s Gap.  Met M&M (mike and Mitchell) a father and son backpacking.  Met Sweep, Bear, and Friz.  Sweeps was an Irish MountAin man.  His two kids were  9 and 10.  They were finishing on Monday.  Southbound thru hike in 99 days.  Wow. 33,800 steps, 186 floors
Date: 2018-10-01
From: Gooch Shelter

To: Lance Creek Campsite
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: broken clouds

Day 4. Today was supposed to be my longest day, at over 12 miles but we heard there was no water at the shelter at that point. Instead we stopped at Lance Creek, which did have water. I¢d hoped to report that I¢d turned the corner and was feeling better. Instead it was a really tough day. I¢m not eating well and just am not hungry. I¢m forcing myself to eat some but really I feel ill afterwards. I¢m having serious chafing on my inner thighs :(. Thankfully one of the nurses brought some A+D cream and I¢m using that. The raw spots are uncomfortable. I also have raw spots on my lower back and shoulders. It¢s not all grim news as my ankles and knees are doing well.  Had some excitement with a rattlesnake on the trail. Hunter saw it first and reported it back to me via some college kids heading in my direction. I must have mistaken 100 roots for that snake, which I never did see.  Hunter is going off the trail tomorrow to take care of some personal business and may be joining a band. We will miss him. Plus I have good feelings toward him because he thought I was 40. The three amigas are doing well and getting stronger. It was weird for me to be bringing up the rear today, but I was just wiped out. Don¢t feel like I¢ve turned the corner yet on getting stronger. The 5 of us had a nice dinner together. Bear Bear pulled out a flask of whiskey which we added to our drinks. They made sure I ate some.  Saw some beautiful views that distracted me for a while. Still felt run down after a longish break midday.Learned that Mike of M&M did Philmont with his son Mitch in 2009. I hope I¢m in as good shape as Mike when I¢m 60. Tomorrow the destination is Neel¢s Gap and if I can get there early enough, a cabin and clean laundry (and dry clothes) awaits. I do have to leave early in order to make it at my current sluggish pace. Steps: 31,000, Floors: 172
Date: 2018-10-02
From: Lance Creek Campsite

To: NeelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap
Miles today: 7.3

Day 5 was brutal.  It looked easy on paper but the terrain is tough.  Gained several thousand feet in elevation before heading steeply down into Neel¢s Gap.  I slept ok and got an early start. I was second off at 8:45. M&M got off around 8:30.  I never did catch them.  Hunter caught me around 12.  I saw him again at the top of Blood Mountain a little after 1.  I was pretty shattered but the views were beautiful.  Am dealing with some intestinal issues so was glad to stop.  This was around mile 5.  With only a little more than 2 down to Neel¢s Gap.  A cakewalk I thought. The three amigas caught up with me at the top of Blood Mountain and we had lunch and took pictures.  Kim is struggling, as am I.  I signed the book at Blood Shelter and then met an older couple.  They had been here around 10 years before. And taken pictures which she subsequently drew.  She was 71 and he was older.  They¢d come back up from Neel¢s Gap to revisit this special place. It was really heart warming. I headed down, having no idea what I was getting into. It was very steep. I slippped and fell badly at 0.7 miles on the way down. I strained something (hamstring?) in the back of my thigh. It went pop and then cramped up badly.  I fell three more times on the remaining 1.4 miles down. It was not my finest moment. It was slow going  I made it to Mountain Crossings just before 4, an hour later than what I thought it would take me.  I picked up a box of food I don¢t want and walked to Blood Mountain Cabins. They¢re doing my laundry.  Dry clothes, what a treat.  I ordered two pizzas and 6 sodas.  I have one pizza and three sodas for later.  I took a shower and was shocked by how painful it was. It was all the chafed and abraded areas. It was clear I¢m in bad shape. I decided to take a zero tomorrow.  That¢s a down day when you don¢t hike. I need to heal some and assess my thigh after a rest day.  I was already slow and am slower with a gimpy thigh. The three amigas didn¢t get into Nlood Mountain Cabins till an hour after I did.  Kim was really having a hard time of it.  I can relate.  This is so much harder than I¢d expected. She¢s decided to come off the trail tomorrow and is heading home.  Bear Bear and  Machete are continuing on.  M&M is also planning to keep goi tomorrow. I may have to follow Kim off the trail on Thursday if I¢m seriously impaired.  Hopefully I¢ll be mostly good by Thursday. Steps: 29000. Floors: 243
Date: 2018-10-03
From: NeelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap

To: NeelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I¢m taking a 0 today to assess my left hamstring. All the friends I¢ve made on the trail have left. I saw M&M this morning and they gave me a couple of pizzas and encouragement to continue, even if I cut down the mileage further.  They were both dealing with blisters but we¢re back on the trail with clean clothes. Bear Bear and Machete also left this morning continuing on. Hunter¢s dad picked him up earlier this morning.  Kim just came by and is leaving too.  Her uncle is picking her up.  She¢s exhausted as she¢s sleeping awful in the tent.  Physically she¢s strong enough to continue but the trail takes an emotional toll as well. I started the trip alone, not knowing anyone, but it¢s hard to say goodbye to those I¢ve met.  I¢d like to think I¢ll catch Bear Bear and Machete but that doesn¢t seem likely. This is an intense experience.  Time moves so slow. I¢ll stop to slow down my heart or catch my breath, then continue on. And then after what feels like a long time later I¢ll need to do it again, but when I check my watch only a few (like 5 or less) have passed. It¢s so different than normal, not trail, life. My hamstring is not any worse than yesterday, and it seems that I can do the things I need to do.  I¢ll be in pain, sometimes quite sharp, but it seems to calm down.  I¢m not ready to come yet. So I¢m planning to be back on the trail tomorrow, though I¢ll be going slower and have lower mileage targets.  Once I leave Neel¢s Gap, I can get off the trail easily around 22 miles north of me.  If I find tomorrow I just can¢t do it, then I¢ll turn around and return to Neel¢s Gap. That¢s my plan and we will hope for the best and see how it goes.
Date: 2018-10-04
From: NeelÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: mist

Day 7Wow. What a day. I started worried whether my hamstring would let me make even 5 miles, and instead I was able to do 11.5 miles. I had pain but really it wasn¢t too bad. I was careful and shortened my stride and really focused on relaxing and conserving energy while walking. The zero day helped me and I had a lot of fuel in the tank. I hiked from around 8:00 to 18:20. Longer than I¢d planned for sure. Water was an issue today and in short supply. I was able to fill 3 liters and drink a 4th at Hogpen Gap mid afternoon and that gave me a lot of choices. I could stop at any likely spot or continue on to Low Gap Shelter, where there was water.  I crossed three named mountains: Levelland, Cowrock (didn¢t see any cows), and Wildcat (didn¢t see any wildcats, though Kim saw one on Tuesday). And also crossed two ¢tops¢ which seemed like mountains to me as I trudged up and down them: Wolf Laurel and Sheeprock Top. I guess a Top isn¢t high enough to be a mountain but my legs and heart would beg to differ. I hiked alone but saw over a dozen people. I saw red tshirted Tom and Mike again. They¢re the ones doing southbound sections swinging cars north. I may see them one more time as they move north, then hike south.  I met George and Cindy twice and thought I¢d see them at Low Gap, but they weren¢t here when I arrived. I spoke at length to another George, who was on a 3 mile day hike. He¢s quite senior and has been retired 16 years. He¢s a past president of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Conservatory. He and Mike/Tom knew some people in common. George tells me that water tomorrow will be plentiful. That brings a smile to my face.  I met purple haired Michelle who was on a 10 mile day hike who offered to take me to get water if I wanted to wait for her at her car. I saw her car but didn¢t want to wait the hours it would take for her to get back to it. I heard from Kim that M&M we¢re coming off the trail for good. I didn¢t hear why but my money is on blisters, the bane of hikers. So far I¢m free of blisters. When I was close to Low Gap I ran into a southbound guy all dressed in black. He looked like a ninja hiker. He was planning on 4 more miles. That¢s crazy as it was almost 6 and it¢s dark dark at 7:45. His name was ¢Big Toe¢. Haha I met Sandy and some other dodgy guy at the Low Gap Shelter. They are south bound. The last bit of drama for the day was that I couldn¢t find my spork. That made eating dinner a messy affair. I was thankful when I found it with my sleeping stuff, which was the last place I looked.  I sure am hoping that tomorrow my hamstring is the same or better than today. Steps: 43,400. Floors: 361
Date: 2018-10-05
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Rocky Mountain Peak
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 8Daily Miles: 11.1AT Miles: 53.7Total Miles: 63.3Folks staying at Low Gap Shelter get up early, like 5:30ish.  3 of the 5 were ready, waiting for the sun to come up so they could leave. Sandra, an elderly lady hiking solo south bound, was our fourth.  I brought up the rear and was on the trail at 8:00.  The first 5 miles were wonderful.  Easy terrain and slope.  Those were knocked off by a little after 11.  The day was much harder after that, filled with treacherous boulder fields, steep descents, and grueling ascents. I saw George and Cindy who bypassed Low Gap and stealth camped a mile onward. There was also a young family staying at that location.  Father/mother and 3 girls, 4, 6, 8.  They caught me three times as I was either resting or making water.  The 4 year old was so funny.  She¢s a red head.  Her trail name originally was ¢Cheetoland¢ because she seemed to drop alot of cheetos.  But she wanted it changed to ¢Babyland¢.  She was having a blast hiking with her daddy And so funny.   I wanted to camp at a higher elevation so that there would be a breeze and dryer air than the shelters which seem to mostly located in the gaps, with no breeze, humid air, and no cell service. The difficult thing is that this meant I ended the day with a tough climb.  Once I was sure I was going for it, I had an awful 1000¢ descent, through boulder fields and steep slopes which eventually took me to the base of Rocky Mountain.  Note that this is singular, and yes I did see a lot of rocks.  I was exhausted at this point.  I crossed GA 75, which was heavily traveled, and started the slow 1000¢ climb to the summit.  It was excruciatingly tiring. And took twice as long as it would have in the morning. I passed a young man on the way, but he caught me at the summit. I¢ve given him his trail name of ¢Rambo¢.  Rambo just got on the trail at the base of Rocky Mountain.  He¢s pretty green but certainly game.  He and I camped at the summit of Rocky Mountain. It¢s his first night in a hammock and he¢s used to going to bed around 2:00.  That¢s a hard schedule to keep on the trail.  He¢s 26, and planning to be on the trail until it gets too cold.  I like him and think he will enjoy the AT.  Note, I sure wish it would cool off as it was in the 80¢s and did I sweat :(The campsite is good and we got here around 5:30, early enough to have time to easily prepare for the night. It¢s 8:30 now and I¢m signing off.  Sure is nice to be able to post in real time. Number of steps: 44,400Number of Floors: 336
Date: 2018-10-07
From: Addis Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: few clouds

Day 10Hiked 5.5 miles, AT miles: 69 miles, total miles 78.6 miles. The night started rough.  I was stealth camping at Addis Gap.  I was totally alone.  I was camping by river just off of a couple of Forest Service Roads.  Everything was fine till around midnight and I realized I forget to put some summer sausage in the bear bag.  That¢s a major bear attractant.  I was freaking out.  I got up and tossed it as far as I could.  Thankfully, there were no bears or I¢d have been white meat for a black bear  Needless to say I didn¢t sleep well.  Then around 2:00 it started pouring rain and unfortunately I had a lot of water between my bottom tarp and tent  It was hard to get up to a wet campsite  I had a hard climb up to Deep Gap Shelter and was glad I didn¢t do it yesterday  I trudged down to Dicks Creek Gap and hooked it over to the Top of Georgia Hiking Center where I am planning to spend the night.  I¢m glad I did   I met 4 through hikers and had dinner with three of them. It was amazing.  I had Mexican food with ¢trailblazer¢ a Doctor from Wisconsin, ¢River Dancer¢ a grad student from GT and IDHATN (I don¢t have  a trail name)  So much fun  They were inspiring  I met Wind Rider later in the evening.  These are great guys finishing up their thru hikes.  Remarkably humble after finishing this epic accomplishment.  I couldn¢t be more impressed after meeting them.  I¢m back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2018-10-08
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a really fun day.  I felt good, the weather was cooler, the trail was pretty smooth.  I did 12.1 miles, up to 81.1 on the AT, and 90.7 overall. It was a little cooler and there was lots of wind. It felt wonderful. And being cooler and less sweaty was a blessing. I said goodby to the thru hikers Id met the day before and whom were also staying at the Top of Georgia Hostel. Trail Blazer and Skinny Santa were slack packing. That meant they were going to stay another night at the hostel, and were shuttled down around 17 miles south to Unicol Gap  Theyd then hike north back to the hostel in day packs  I love that idea but havent been able to do it. Instead I carry my backpack everywhere I go  I feel so light when its not on my back  Riverdancer wasnt slack packing and heading south. I was sad to say goodbye to those great guys and applaud their pending completion of the AT  There werent many day hikers on the trail probably since it was Monday. I met Ole mid morning. Hes another SOBO (south bounder thru hiker).  He of course knew the guys I met yesterday and would see them later that day.  Later I met Mogli from Tennessee, another SOBO.  Hes 32 and a professional hiker if I ever met one. Hes an Eagle Scout who served in the navy, and now he hikes.  This will be the second time hes completed the AT. Hes done the PCT and the Continental Dive Trail. Thats over 8,000 miles I think.  He was really . Hed broken one of his hiking poles and was hiking with just one.   That was really throwing him off. He probably spends more time with poles than without. I walked through many places where I brushing against leaves or plants. I kept thinking about Mother Tick and her kids. Shes telling them here he comes get ready, one, two, three...jump.  I sure hope they missed. I had terrible cell coverage most of the day, unfortunately, so Im posting this on Tuesday  I got to Muskrat Creek Shelter around 4:30.  I made good time and felt good. I met Saint there, a restaurant executive rebooting his life.  Red Hot and Better in the Woods arrived a bit later.  The three of them stayed in tents. I spent my first night in a shelter. Shelters are the Ritz on the trail. They are roofed buildings around 12 x 15, with walls on three sides. Theyre known to favorites of mice and thus have been avoided by me till now. I really didnt want to get wet (it is getting colder) and rain was expected and did occur. Fortunately there were no mice (that I heard) and I slept well in the shelter.  The two girls were leaving early the next day as they were going off the trail and getting picked up at Deep Gap.  Saint and I were planning to head to next Shelter and assess the weather.  I was dependent on him as he had cell service (I didnt) in order to arrange a shuttle pick up if we decided to evacuate the trail due to weather. Steps: 40,300Floors: 458 (my biggest yet, and boy do I feeeeeeel them)
Date: 2018-10-10
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Nowhere 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 13I was warm and safe (and bored) at the Carolina Motel in Franklin, NC waiting for Michael¢s arrival.  There were scattered showers throughout the day, and it began raining in earnest in the evening and throughout the night.  The rain was mostly light to moderate.  I don¢t think there was even much lightning. The rain had let up and moved on by Thursday morning. I¢ll spend another quiet and restful day in Franklin on Thursday.  I¢ve arranged a shuttle to get me back on the trail Friday morning.  And arranged a final pickup for Sunday afternoon. I fly back to Houston on Monday.
Date: 2018-10-12
From: Deep Gap

To: Albert Mountain Peak
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 15What a glorious day to hike.  I was dropped off at Deep Gap at 7:45.  It was chilly, in the 40s.  I hiked up to Standing Indian Shelter with my jacket on before generating enough heat to take it off.  There was a Frenchman  there about to head off when I arrived.  He reminded me of the Parisian French.  He was heading to Long Branch Shelter, which I didn¢t make it to today.I¢d been warned about submitting Standing Indian Mountain but really it wasn¢t too bad.  I was at the 5500¢ peak around 9:45, making good time. It was cool, with clear skies all day.  There was a strong breeze at time. Strong enough to blow my hat off at one point, which was a first for the trip. I didn¢t see many people in the morning but met a SOBO thru hiker midday.  His trail name was ¢Hell Yes Jesus¢.  He¢d not been aware of Hurricane Michael and ended riding out the storm in a Shelter.  He was worried the roof would blow off.  Apparently it was creaking. I¢d planned an easy day and intended to stop at the Carter Gap Shelter.  I got there 1:30 and wasn¢t ready to stop.  So I went on. Option 2 was Betty Creek Gap tent site.  That was a little over 12 miles.  I got there at 4:00 and still had energy to move on, so I did.  Option 3 was the FireTower on top of Albert Mountain.  It didn¢t seem that far but the last 1/4 mile was a scramble on hands and knees over steep rock surfaces.  It was also 1000¢ higher than Betty Creek. I think 400¢ was in the last 1/4 mile.  When I arrived, there were two seniors from the University of Georgia already here.  They¢d driven most of the way up, bastards.  They were playing catch when I arrived. There was plenty of space for me so I set up camp.  The views from the fire tower were beautiful.  Another group of two guys arrived and wanted to camp, but had no water.  I gave them a litre and they went onward down the mountain looking for more water and a place to camp. Then a group of four more college students arrived.  They¢d had a long hike.  It was one guy and three girls.  And they had a two person tent for the four of them. That should be interesting. They¢ve set up camp and climbed up the tower to eat. It may be a loud evening. Really spectacular day with lots of views.  I¢m cold in the tent and about to climb into my sleeping bag.  I¢m planning on an easier day tomorrow.Steps: 49,000Floors: 386