morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-08
From: N.O.C.

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 28.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Hey all. I have to be quick. I'm going to enter Smoky Mountain National Park tomorrow for up to 8 days. I don"t know how signal will be. I'll post when I can. My phone also is already at 53% charge and nowhere else to charge until I'm out of the park. I'll do my best. My body is good overall. I Just picked up my food drop from home so my pack weight is up again. But, there are no Arby's or road side rests until I'm out of the park. Entering prime bear territory and the highest point on the entire A.T. That is Clingman's Dome which is over 6,000 feet high. Make sure to look at my photos.   Thx honey for sending me my food and gear. It's turning out to be a royal pain in the (insert your favorite body part here).
Date: 2015-04-11
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 30.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Short entry today. Charge on phone has to last 4 more days. Seeing snails, pileated woodpeckers, and spring flowers along the trail. Clear views. Nice weather. Will be hiking up and over Clingman's Dome tomorrow, the highest point on the entire AT.People are asking about my "Today's Miles." Total miles are automatically calculated by the Web site, and in order to get total miles correct, you have to enter the number of miles since your last journal entry. Like most hikers on the trail, I cannot update every day. So the miles you are seeing in "Today's Miles" are actually the number of miles since my last update. They are not necessarily miles for one day.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Lemon Gap
Miles today: 64.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hi again y'all. See, I got the accent even while I type. First, the daily mileage is a total since I last posted. I cannot change how the software works so take it as I write it. I'm writing that because a couple folks asked me about daily miles a couple times. Although I actually did a couple 18 and a 20 mile days through some tough up and downs. (And for my Ayersville group, I has spoken!). Well, I am through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I had some pretty days and some not so pretty days. However, I am telling you that they all were pretty days. One day I did a scene from Titanic where the girl stretched out over the bow with her hands outstretched. I did that in a torrential windy downpour. It was awesome. I was drenched and I didn't care. So, you can make good from what you may not think is so at the time. I posted almost 20 pictures from Smoky Mountains. For convenience, I labeled them sm1 through sm18. Please look through them. I am at mile 260 at a place called Lemon Gap in N.C. That is 25 miles beyond Smoky Mountains. I am getting off of the trail through Sunday. I am on my way back home for a 2 day event that I have to attend. I'll start back up Monday April 20th. HUGE THANKS to my wife for making the 9 1/2 hour 1way trip to get me and take me back. I was freezing my booty off when she picked me up in the sticks. She is making sure I get to the event and back. We are actually driving in a rain storm as I post somewhere in the great state of Kentucky. Thx to all for following me and I hope I'm giving you a good feeling of what the A.T. really is.
Date: 2015-04-20
From: Lemon Gap

To: Hot Springs N.C.
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Hey and hi to all. After a 4 day hiatus to go home and get inducted into my high school hall of fame, I am back on the trail. First, thx so much to my family and friends who attended my induction ceremony. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it and love you all. Now, back to the trail. My wife brought me back to where I left off and she is staying with me for a few days. SWEET! Not only do I get to see her a few more days, but I also get to "slack pack". Slack pack is when you don't have to carry your entire huge pack with all of the gear, water, and food. Instead you carry only what you need to eat and drink on that particular day. This allows hikers to go farther or to go easier for the slack pack time. That is hiker paradise. I'm living that right now. Thx honey! I hiked about 15 miles today. I plan to do the same tomorrow and then hope to do 20 the next day. We'll see. The weather is supposed to be good the next couple of days. Check out my turtle picture. Can anyone identify it for me? If so, sign my guest book and I'll let everyone know. Until I post again.
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Hot Springs N.C.

To: Allen Gap N.C.
Miles today: 14.4

Good evening students. Today's topic is flora and fauna as it pertains to specific geographic areas. I'm going to begin by discussing the differences south and north of Hot Springs N.C. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday things were pretty much status quo as I knew it. The leading bird contender was the Junco by far. Today, leaving H S N.C. not so much. The most seen bird today were Cardinals. I also saw my first Gold Finch.   Saw only my second Hawk too. As for plant life, please view my photos. Except for the Trillium, all of these plants were new to me on the trail. Hot Springs drew a very distinct line. I also have a picture of a local turkey hunter that let me take his picture with me. Pretty cool what you run into. Right now we are eating at a restaurant in Hot Springs with about 30 other thru hikers. I actually know 3 of them. My wife asked me to tell you that you can share my posts on Facebook by clicking share at the bottom of my post. One more thing, the turtle from yesterday was identified as an Eastern Box Turtle. Oh, one more one thing. I saw a 5 inch long frog today. Pretty cool except that it's in our hotel room. It came into the bathroom while I was, well use your imagination. I thought it was a spider because it came under the door. It was really its front paw coming in. Oh well
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Allen Gap N.C.

To: Devil Fork Gap N.C.
Miles today: 20.8

I passed the 300 mile mark today with no major issues. Today is also my last day hiking without all my gear because my wife leaves for home in the morning. I have lots to do tonight to get my things ready so I'll be short. The weather was very chilly and windy today. That is better than really hot and windless. You see, it's the little things that make the difference. Mile marker 297.3 today was the first time that I had to step over bear scat. Not too bad. Only one indication in 300 miles. It's probably for the best that I didn't see the bear for the Bears sake. I would Kung Fu'ed that Panda. Down the road Mi Amigos.
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Devil Fork Gap N.C.

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 32.9
Weather: clear sky

No signal last night. That was the coldest and windiest night for me to date. Waaaaay cold! I kept my socks and hat on for only the second time. I used my brothers emergency blanket again and it really helped. Thx Donny. Two other hikers had dogs and they slept in the sleeping bags with their owners. Two hikers water froze overnight. Of course last night was the first time I HAD to go tinkle in the middle of the night. That was pleasant. The Stars were cool and so was I. Speaking of Donny, he is running a marathon this weekend. He has been practicing for a long time in good and nasty weather. Good luck bro! My wife left me yesterday morning which makes me sad. She hates the ride alone and told me she would next see me in Maine. I'm really hoping she was trying to pull my leg. My body is still in pretty good shape except for my left collarbone. It is very sore. I'm constantly readjusting my pack to relieve the hurt. Talk at y'all later.
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Erwin, TN

To: Greasy Creek Gap, NC
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: light rain

Lots to tell. Yesterday I took a zero day. That is when you don't hike. It was nasty weather in the morning and it was supposed to rain all day and night. So all of us who stayed at Uncle Johnny's Hostel stayed again. Bad that I didn't hike. Good in that the hostel had their special trail days weekend. I got free dinner Fruday that was a shrimp, corn, red skin potato, and sausage boil. For breakfast on Saturday, I got pancakes and sausage along with orange juice and coffee. That was courtesy of a church group. For lunch I got free hot dogs and hamburgs along with all kinds of salads and desserts. Then for dinner I got free chili from an outfitter. About 2 hours before dinner, the lunch church groups showed up and gave us all the leftover food. Can you say oh oh? Need I tell you that I had more lunch! I also took multiple desserts and ate them for breakfast today. I won a pair of hiking socks last night. I got a pair of shoes from a hiker who quit yesterday. His are wider than mine and my feet are getting wider. My little toes look like Roma tomatoes. The bad news on that is that I found out they are slippery when wet. Combine that with the fact that another hiker asked me if I had fallen yet? I told him no and thanked him for asking. Needless to say, I fell today. I was on a ridge that leaned towards the downhill side (that's common). I stepped with my right foot onto leaves and a root. Then I was laying on my right side. The first thing I noticed was how pretty the ground looked from that close up. I'm fine. I have a couple ouchies in my arm and leg, but that's all. I actually did hike 24.3 miles today. That was a little too much. To end the day I had to hike .6 more to a hostel where I sit in borrowed clothes while mine get washed and dried. That's all for now.
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Greasy Creek Gap, NC

To: Overmountain Shelter, NC
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Hey y'all. Hope today finds you well. I'm good and have a couple new friends on my feet. I'm calling them blister one and blister two. What else should I expect? Today I am thanking all of the trail volunteers who help clean up and reroute trail sections. I had a hard and high uphill today called Roan Mountain. Much to my happiness, a large portion of the ascent was switchbacks. In case you don't know, switchbacks do just what it implies. They are fairly easy sloping parts of the trail that zigzag up around a mountain. It adds length to the trail, but it is safer and easier. You still probably have rock steps and cut tree trunk steps which are difficult, but it is worth it. The other way to ascend is rising and snaking up. That way is usually very steep in certain sections and can be quite slippery when wet. The A.T. Is wet most of the time. Thanks to all who are signing my guest book. I now have some of my niece's science class students signing with over 80 questions so far. I will do my best to answer as many as I can. Not today though because it is very windy and cold out. I will be indoors tomorrow night at a place where my wife sent me a resupply box.
Date: 2015-04-28
From: Overmountain Shelter, NC

To: Mountain Harbour B + B , TN
Miles today: 9.2

Today marks the end of my first full month of hiking the A.T. I'm happy to say that I am ahead of schedule to complete the hike in 6 months.   Today's mileage is called a Nero because it is near to zero even though it is over 9 miles. The reason for that is I had a box sent here with food and other supplies. I would have had to paid $5.00 for the box if I didn't stay there tonight. Plus I built in body care (oh so nice). I'm sitting on their porch looking at a creek and some horses enjoying some sun. It's supposed to rain the next 3 days here.Today took me up 3 "balds". Again, I know a mountain when I climb one. It was really cold and windy (go figure). I slipped a few times going up in the mud wallows and then realized that the mud was covered with ice. Oh well. I like eating my mountain climbs for breakfast. The rest of the hike was a lot of those dreaded rocks and roots. The trail is actually marked for repair in those areas, but that didn't help me or my feet. To Miss Ramsdell's students, yes I miss my family. A lot! They are keeping me updated on this journal. Oh, Happy Birthday Miss Ramsdell. Many more to come. Read tomorrow for a couple of milestones (I hope).
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Mountain Harbour B + B , TN

To: Moreland Gap Shelter, TN
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

Long story short is I typed for a half an hour and got knocked offline. This is take two. It will be short. Passed the 400 mile place today. Students note that I made the leaf design myself. I do have some talent. Completed North Carolina. Saw great countryside and met some nice local folks and other hikers. Tomorrow's destination has changed due to heavy bear activity where I was going to stay. I still will hike 15 miles and will have to climb 1.900 feet in under 3 miles. Note to self - load up on water. Congrats to my brother Donny who beat his time from last year in his Marathon run. I guess all those 20 practice runs in the snow with shorts paid off. And congrats also to cousin Sue P who is receiving an award for National (that's the entire country) Bowling Proprietor of the Year. Way to go Sue!Check out the pictures. I have one of Jones Falls which are a few hundred feet tall. Best one I've seen by far so far. The falls tomorrow are supposed to be better.
Date: 2015-04-30
From: Moreland Gap Shelter, TN

To: Braemer Castle Hostel Hampton,TN
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started out well with a couple 400 foot climbs. But, let me tell you about last night. I ended up being the only person in the shelter. Yes, it was cold and windy. But I would like to talk about the mice. I knew I was in for a long night when I heard little work trucks and earth movers pulling up right after sunset. I heard all the doors open and close and immediately the little group of mice went to work finding and moving food scraps. They were sooooo noisy. They were banging everything including the metal roof. I got the broom and put it by my sleeping bag so if I needed to I could play mouse hockey with some of them. They went on all night. My stuff is OK due to my guarding it. I climbed into Laurel Fork Falls literally. There were hundreds of stone steps and also rock scrambles. I kinda tweaked my knee because the steps were so tall. All my weight had to be put on one foot and that wore on me. I'm good though. I ain't letting anything like an impossible climb stop me. The falls were very pretty. As I mentioned last night, these falls are the widest on the entire A.T. The weather at this time was clear and sunny with forecast of more of the same. Well, the forecast was wrong. During my 1,900 foot climb out of the falls, I heard the rumble of thunder. I looked up and I didn't like what I saw. It was dark blue above me. 15 minutes later on the ridge that always tilts downhill the games began. It started raining for a bit (cold rain) and then it started to hail. Hard. That went on and off for a couple of hours. It didn't stop me. Hello to all students at Corvallis Elementary in San Leandro California. Thanks for following me. TSA students, here are some answers to your questions. It will take me about 5 1/2 months to do the entire trail. A snake is the most dangerous animal I have seen. It did not try to hurt me. I sleep in my tent about once a week now. I plan to do it more often when the weather gets better. Lastly, my friend Bill M punched the time clock for the last time today and he is now beginning his retirement. Great job at work. You will be sorely missed.
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Braemer Castle Hostel Hampton,TN

To: Iron Mountain Shelter, TN
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

OK, follow me on this. First, look at the picture to see what the weather is like today then come back to me here. Go ahead and look...........Ok, I see that you're back. Ready? This is just for entertainment purposes. This is your A.T. roaming reporter coming to you from Northeast Tennessee. Here is your travel outlook for today. Light to moderate rain most of the day with winds out of the North Pole at 10 to 15 mph. Visibility is 1/10th of a mile due to heavy fog (see how I brought the picture into this little exercise?). The surface conditions are wet and slippery. Hiking traffic is being hampered in both directions. Falls are inevitable. I witnessed one first hand today while I was walking and suddenly found myself laying on my left elbow and backpack looking up into the fog with my feet hanging precariously over the edge. (sit all the way back in your chair and close your hanging jaw because I'm OK). I heard of 2 other similar incidents from Southbound day hikers. However, it is that same rain that fills the streams which gives us hikers water to drink, cook, and clean with. It also gives the trees and plants their water to sprout and bloom. So I basically witnessed nature in action. Also look for fallen trees at the 441 mile marker. Remember not to step on the trees when they are wet as you might fall. One other obstruction is a downed tree that called for a detour into bushes and down a three-foot mud slip-and-slide. Proceed with caution. Alright I'm done for now. I hope you enjoyed my real experience today. Until next time.
Date: 2015-05-02
From: Iron Mountain Shelter, TN

To: Secret Location in TN
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: few clouds

Today was the best elevation change day of the trip. I only had 1 600 foot up and then lots of 50 to about 150 ups. I also had the corresponding downs. Ahh! I'm camping off the trail at an unmarked location on the maps. We call it stealth. I will be totally alone tonight which will be my first for that. I'm not scared yet, but it's not dark yet. The weather is very much warmer than last night so I believe I'll be fine. I had to go into a field, by hopping the fence via the provided steps, and walk with some cows for a while. That's new. Cows are big and can hurt you if they want. Today they didn't want. I put a picture of a rare and endangered flower on the primary picture place. Please enjoy it. I hope it came out clear. I also posted other flowers for you to view. I read all of your guestbook signings and look forward to reading them each day. I hope you like reading my posts. I try to give you real situations good or not and try to add some humor. I think it would be terribly boring saying I went X many miles today from there to here. Tomorrow I'm going to go from this place to that place. That's all for today.
Date: 2015-05-03
From: Secret Location in TN

To: Crazy Larry's Hostel Damascus, VA
Miles today: 8.5

Of the 14 states that the A.T. traverses, which one has the most trail miles?If you answered West Virginia, then you are absolutely incorrect. In fact, West Virginia has the least trail miles coming in with a whopping 2.3 miles. The headquarters of the A.T. is in West Virginia. The correct answer is Virginia which boasts 550.6 miles. Since I am at mile marker 470, you can see that I'll be in Virginia for some time. In fact, I passed into Virginia this morning. So it's farewell to Tennessee, which I am calling the twin of North Carolina since the trail hovers their borders for weeks. I very much liked the scenery of Tenn and I have enjoyed watching the plant life bloom and change as I passed thru the Volunteer State. What's different to me is that about 90% of the Trillium plant has gone away. That is the first plant that I noticed in Georgia that was new to me and has been with me all along so far. I only saw about 20 individual flowers yesterday. Tennessee is also the state in which I raised my blister babies. They are now in their teens and have insisted on bigger space. So today I bought new shoes. They are a size and a half larger than the ones I have been raising them in. The expert shoe dude at the local outfitter shop told me that he couldn't believe that I had any toenails left. I truly was limping into town. I am switching to single socks instead of the inner liner and outer sock combination that I have worn for years. This is the recommendation of the local expert plus from me talking to other hikers. I hope it works or I'll be crying by tomorrow afternoon. I'm spending the rest of the day planning more food and supply drops with my wife. Crazy Larry is really nice and has been helpful to me. I am recommending that you stay there if you are hiking thru or want to rent bikes. That seems to be the thing here. I'm going to miss Trail Days here. It's in 2 weeks. It is the largest one on the entire A.T. Oh well. Former hikers come to it and maybe I will too.
Date: 2015-05-08
From: Crazy Larry's Hostel Damascus, VA

To: Relax Inn, Atkins VA
Miles today: 72.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Sorry for long off time. Technology in the woods is not so good. In fact, it is very frustrating. Enough on that. I'm still out here and making progress. I actually developed a shin splint the first day I wore my new shoes out of Damascus. It is bothering me to the point that I will not be hiking tomorrow. I'll reevaluate after that.A lot has happened since last update. Too much to ramble on about. Suffice to know that I have gone over 13,000 feet uphill since last posting. Those of you who thought the trail leveled off after the Smokies or Roan Mountain or Big Bald can rest assured that it does not. The next couple of days also has a couple 2,000 uphill climbs too. And they are steep and even worse rocky. All thru hikers are talking about is how bad the rocks are tearing their feet, knees, and shoes up. I hope that part ends soon.Look at my pictures and you'll see that wild ponies came right up to one of the shelters I stayed at. That was VERY cool. I've had a lot of great views along the way and I also have been deep in the forests. It's really rewarding to be surviving on my own in the great outback. Finding water to filter, where to stop for the night, what to mix with what to eat from my food bag is all satisfying. My walking pace is putting me in contact with new hikers almost daily. I started March 29th and I am running into others that started as early as March 11th. I won't post tomorrow, but will the first chance I get along the way.
Date: 2015-05-10
From: Relax Inn, Atkins VA

To: Quarterway Hostel
Miles today: 9.8

Today I walked a short distance to test my shin splint out after a couple of days of rest. It really did not bother me too much. I still have swelling and have iced it twice since I stopped for the day. I am going to continue on tomorrow if I get up and it feels OK. I might be out of service on my phone for days again. I'm not sure though. I will post as often as I can. Happy MOOthers Day to all mothers and anyone else that wants to be happy today. I did see a 4-foot all-black snake and posted a photo if you are interested.   Also in the photos is a picture of the official 1/4-way completed sign that I passed today. That is a big accomplishment. Talk to you all again when I can.
Date: 2015-05-11
From: Quarterway Hostel

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter, VA
Miles today: 14.0

Hey all. Finished hiking an hour ago and I fe-eel good (da-da-da-da-da-da-da). Shin splint didn't really bother me much and doesn't feel bad as I sit here posting to y'all. It's pouring rain, but it just started a few minutes ago so I am high and dry in the shelter. I have a picture of a bunny that was two feet from me, but I sent it home and deleted it. Basically, you can't see it unless you are friends with my wife on Facebook. Sorry, my bad. I climbed 3,700 feet today with some of it on a ridge with a view. The rest was in the forest and mostly steep. It was a very sweaty day. I drank 5 liters of water and dripped sweat profusely most of the day even in the shade going down. That's a first for that. Welcome warmer weather. I like it!Onward tomorrow. Thx again for following me. I'll be funnier next time. Adios for now.