morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-03-23
From: Blue Mtn Shelter

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 2.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I started at Blue Mountain Shelter and made it to Unicoi Gap. Achilles tendon still bothering me so I hitched into Hiawassee. I am staying at the hostel. I saw the doctor today. He said I over used my Achilles tendon. He said I should not hike till Tuesday. So I am going to listen to him. I watched some TV tonight. I am taking it easy. Well I guess they need to keep calling me youngNdum. Maybe when I make it to Maine they can just call me young. I am having fun. Everyone is very nice here. Hope all is well.   still walking
Date: 2007-03-24
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well I am still in Hiawassee right now taking it easy I hope it gets better soon. It is only $15 dollars a night so it is not that bad. I just want to be hiking. I am going to the library today to pass the time. Hope all is well. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-03-26
From: Hiawasee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hi my name is Luke Kaim. I live in NY and am 19 years old. I have always wanted to hike the AT so here I am. I am in Hiawassee right now because my foot is bothering me. all is well I have been having a great time and plan to leave tomorrow. there are a few things I like to say before I start this journal. First of all if you are looking for a journal that has no spelling errors this is not the journal for you. If you write in the guest book that I don't know how to spell then you should not mind going through and editing it all. I would really like that by the way. I will make one promise and it is not that I will make it to Maine but if I get off trail and decide not to hike any more I will write a journal entry within 24 hours of deciding not to hike any more. That is the only promise I will make. At this point all is going well. youngNdum               Still Walking
Date: 2007-03-27
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Plum Orchard Gap 
Miles today: 20.4

Day 10I did 20.4 miles. I started at Unicoi Gap. I made it to Plum Orchard Gap Shelter. Who says you can't hike in crocs? My feet are doing ok. I am going to go in to Franklin and get new shoes. All is well. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-03-28
From: Plum Orchard Gap 

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 11It was a good day. I made it 20 miles. I made it to Carter Gap Shelter. All is well. I think I need new shoes. I met a lot of new people today. I am still rockin in my crocs. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-03-29
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 12All is well. I made it to Franklin, NC. It was only 16.1 miles today. I started at Carter Gap Shelter to Winding Stair Gap. Franklin is a really nice town. It is interesting because everyone from the north says it is a dump but it is not. Also everyone is very nice. Hitching was easy again which was nice. I made it to the hiker bash which was very cool. Everyone got drunk except me. I am back at the motel now. All is well. youngNdum still walking
Date: 2007-03-30
From: Franklin, NC

To: Shelter out of Franklin
Miles today: 0.0

Day 13I made it to the shelter right out of Franklin. I took some time off and then said I might as well hike on. All is well. I have met people I have not seen in a few days which is nice. My first zero. Well I think someone said it best. If I did not take 5 days off, I would be in the Smokies right now or in the hospital somewhere. All is well. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-03-31
From: Shelter out of Franklin

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 14I made it to wesser bald shelter. It was about 16 miles. I am about to send some more stuff home. I headed for Noc tomorrow to do about 15 tomorrow. I am all most up with evil eye. All is well. First day of rain. Oh well it had to rain sometime. Hope my shine fells better. It feels a lot better than it did.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-01
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Day 15Made it to Noc today. Still having fun. I pushed to the shelter pasesed Noc. It was like 13 miles. My shin is still a little sore - everything else is fine. The first privy with a door - go figure. It only took 130 miles. All is well I am off to bed. I look forward to another day. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-02
To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

Day 16All is well. I did 15.4 miles. Started at Sassafras Gap Shelter and made it to Cable gap shelter. It was a good day. First trail magic of the trail. I got a good lunch. They also helped me get rid of some more stuff. My shins are still a little sore. I am going to take a few zero in fontana. To make my foot feel better. All is well. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-03
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Day 17A little enlightenment. Ok so me and another hiker started together. He is going slower but doing consistent mileage. I am hiking longer mileage but I need to take the next day off. My way is not working. He is at the same point I am and he is not so sore. It is the tortoise and the hare. Great I can bang out 20's but then I need to take a day off. I got good at doing 80 miles in 4 days in a section hike but then I had the whole week to recoup. You cant do that here. You need to hike everyday to make it to Maine. I thought my way would work just like when I section hiked, but it has not. All it has done is get me hurt and made my hike a little less fun. I am going to stick with them going through the Smokies and maybe even to Damascus. How say you can't learn anything new.
Date: 2007-04-04
From: Fontana, NC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.1

Day 18It was a good day. I left Fontana Dam this morning. I hiked 15.1 miles. All is going well. It is the coldest night in the last month. I dont know how cold it is going to get - really cold. I hope I stay warm. I am off to bed.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-05
To: Silver Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 19I did 14.7 miles. I stayed at silver bald shelter. Ok, so I thought when I got to Maine I would have a great psychic answer to why I walked to Maine. I think I can answer it now. I am freaking crazy. Ok so I could be in a warm bed looking forward to Easter dinner or I could be out here when it is ten degree and snowing. I must be out of my freaking mind to choose to be out here. Of course I sent home my warm cloth and it is going to get very cold. I must be out of my mind to hike when I could be in a warm bed. But then I would not get to see the country. So oh well. Onward. I hope we don¢t get snowed in. I don¢t have very much food. Another day another time. All is well. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-06
From: Silver Bald Shelter

To: Silver Bald Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 20Man it was cold. I stayed at the same shelter. It was snowy and I thought it was too snowy to walk. It was very cold. I hear it is going to be the coldest night in the Smokies in April. I am still at Silver Bald Shelter. Man it is cold. I am off to bed.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-07
From: Silver Bald Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.5

Day 2115.5 miles closer to Maine. My G-d, I froze my balls off last night. It was the coldest night in the Smokies in April. It was 6 degrees. I am happy I can be out in a record low. It was fucking cold. The section hiker who was hypothermic hiked out today to rangers who came down to meet us. He is going to be fine. We gave him Warm water and he was ok. We climbed Clingmans Dome today, the high point on the AT. That means its all down hill from here. Right? I got some trail magic today. That was so good. Well, I am off to bed now. All is well.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-08
To: Cobay Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 22It was another great day. Well I did this cold weather thing. Now I would not mind if it warmed up a little. Let me tell you, putting on frozen boots is a project. I could barely put them on. I did 20.3 miles today. The only reason I did it was because I am out of food. I am staying at Cobay Knob Shelter. All is well. I am going to need more food. Good night.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 25I did from Roaring Fork Shelter to Hot Springs. It was 18 miles. I crossed into Hot Springs. I did it in 6 and a half hours. The hostel is called the Hot Springs Inn. It was an old Victorian house that they let hikers stay at. It was very nice. The food was amazing. It was vegetarian but it was very good. I would stay there again if I could. It was only 31 dollars to stay there and you get two meals. You can't beat that.
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Water Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 26It was a great day. I started by eating all the pancakes I could eat. Then I walked over to the hot springs and went in them for about an hour which was very nice. I ate lunch and then hiked on. I did 11 miles. I am staying at spring water shelter. All is well. Good night. I am thinking about either getting rid of my pocketmailer or my cell phone. But I like both of them so I don't know. I need to think about it more. It seems to me though that it is a little redundant.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Spring Water Shelter

To: Flint Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 21.3

Day 27Logan, I think I ate better then you today. Well it started out like any other day. I woke up and got packed. After about an hour I got to a road and there was sign that said there was trail magic 300 yards to the right. So we walked to the house. It was a really nice wood cabin. They let use in and we had Belgian waffles. Then we had fresh fruit. Then we had a root beer float. Then we had a Caribbean dish that was meat over rice. That was very good. Then we had dessert which was bread pudding and ice cream and caramels. I think I did better then you Logan. The magic was very good except they started talking about Christianity which was a little annoying. That is not the right place to be talking about religion. It took away from the magic. It was good though. I did 21.3 miles. The trail was very nice today. We walked on a ridge that was exposed so it was very nice. It was a good day. I am staying at Flint Mt Shelter. All is well. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Flint Mt. Shelter

To: Miss Janets
Miles today: 18.8

Day 28Well, it started out like any other day. I got to the next shelter and had lunch - wouldn't you know that it got really cold and started snowing. It got very windy too. It kept snowing. I kept hiking. It got very cold and very windy. I got to the big bald and it was very cold and very windy. It was very windy. It got so bad I could not even walk in a straight line. I kid you not. It got a little dicey. I made it to the shelter. I crawled in my bag and tried to get warm. It was a long night. I timed it perfectly to send my down jacket home and then it snows - go figure. At least I have a down vest. I woke up in the morning and thought it would be wise to try and get into town so I called Miss Janets. They were waiting for me at the road. I made it 18.8 miles. I made it to Bald Mt Shelter. All is well. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Miss Janets

To: Miss Janets
Miles today: 0.0

Day 29Well I thought it was best to get out of the mountains for a little while. It was only 5.8 miles to US 19 so once I made it there I could get some shelter so that is what I did. I hiked pretty fast but in places it was still knee deep in drifts. So it made the walk down fun. The shelter was waiting for me when I got there. It was time to go into town. I like walking through snow but there was a lot of it. I made it to Erwin but I did not walk there on the trail yet. It was a nice day and I am staying at Miss Janets. I don¢t care ...I am hiking tomorrow weather be damned. But, it is a very nice place. Hey Dave, what is the bet up to that I won't finish? All is well. It is warm in here. Good night.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Over Mountain Shelter

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 30Well, I can see why everyone loves Miss Janet. For breakfast we had pancakes with apples, maple syrup, sausage, eggs and orange juice. It was the best breakfast of my trip. You should stay there if you are passing by. She is very nice. I got a very late start. It was 11:30 before we got underway. I said I would be hiking weather be damned so that is what I did. Hiking into Erwin was very pretty. I made it to Uncle Johnnys and broke down and got a filter because it is lighter than water. I was using aquamire but the problem was you had to carry so much water it did not make sense. I did not do that many miles because of the late start. I only did 15.4 miles. I am not that far from Damacus Virginia right now. I am staying at Curley Maple Gap Shelter. Hope all is well.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Over Mountain Shelter

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 31Not a bad day. Did 20 miles. I am staying at Clyde Smith Shelter. It was a good day. I caught up to a person who I started hiking with. His name is Chill Out. There is not that much snow left. I am going to keep going. I met someone named Texan. He started feb 26. but you know what - he probably has a better shot at finishing than I do. I wish I was a little farther on but everyone says you can fly though Virginia so I am not all that worried. Either I will finish or I won't. It is that easy. Hope all is well at home.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Miss Janets

To: Over Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 32Well, I want to make sure I get this right. Ok, so I want to make sure I get this right. I have hiked in the rain, in the snow, in the ice but this is a new one for me - hail. It was not that big, but still. Now all I need to hike in is a hurricane and a tornado and then I can die a happy man. It was pretty nasty out but I am still walking. I caught up with someone that I started this hike with. His name is Chillout. Nice guy. I did 12.9 today. I was going for 20, but this weather sucked. I am staying in Over Mountain Shelter, which is a barn. All is well. I could have done without the hail, but it is part of the experience. Ok off to bed. Hope all at the house is ok, too.FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE. I CAN ONLY UPDATE MY JOURNAL WHEN I GET TO TOWN. SO IT IS ABOUT EVERY 5 DAYS. One more thing for all you saner hikers out there. Is there anything that I can add to my journal to make it better?youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Over Mountain Shelter

To: Moutaineer Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

Day 33Did 17 miles according to Chillout. It was a good day for hiking. My filter I think is busted. I mean it works, but it is very slow. When I get to Damacus I am going to get it fixed. I really want to pitch it off a cliff though. I am staying at Mountaineer Shelter. All is well. I am getting very close to Damacus, too. I have almost caught up with people I started with which is kind of nice. I ate it on some rocks today. I did a number on my leg but the thing that really gets me is I bent my Leki poles. Looks like I will deal with that in Damascus. All is well here. Dave, I can't wait for the dinner. Anyone out there want to send food to a poor hungry hiker out here? If you want to send anything, call my mom 914-238-0728. She knows the Post Offices that have general delivery.Thank youyoungNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Moutaineer Shelter

To: Kanica Hostel
Miles today: 15.0

Day 34Well, my plan was to go from Erwin to Damascus without stopping, but it is funny how things change. I was going to run out of food anyways so it was time to do some laundry and get a shower. I will be in Damacus in a few days so that will be cool. This hostel is really nice. It is only 4 dollars a night. Everything down here is so much cheaper. I know I need to check my email, but have not had a chance. I am planning big miles tomorrow so we will see how that goes. All is well. Did 15 miles and am staying at Kanica Hostel tonight.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Kanica

To: Damascus
Miles today: 50.2
Weather: clear sky

Day 36This entry is for two days because we did not stop at night, so I did not write. Ok, so I left Konica Hostel at Dennis Cove and I was thinking I was going to only go 23 miles. That would have been a good day. So I hiked Iron Mountain Gap and saw a hiker on the trail. Her name is Drip Dry. She had a dog, his name is Boris. I asked her where she was hiking to tonight. She said Damascus and said it was about 40 miles that way and pointed up the trail. I asked her when she was going and she said now. I said I guess you like night hiking and she said she did. I had no intention when I left the hostel this morning to push that far, but you know how it is. I still did not think I was going to D-town that night, but we started hiking together. Her dog is really nice. It was a poodle. So we kept hiking. I still did not think I was going all the way. We hiked until about 7:30 and then had dinner together. By that point I knew I was going to give it a go. So we left the shelter at about 8:00 and had 27 miles to walk. We kept walking. We would take breaks, but we hiked together. Let me tell you, Boris is a machine. So we kept hiking. It was a long night, so we just kept walking. It was nice to have someone to hike with because at that point you are sleep deprived and you can make really bad decisions sometimes, so we kept each other going. Everything felt fine until about 40 miles, and then I started going downhill. At about 6:10 we walked into Virginia and I needed a break, so I took a cat nap on the ground. I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt, so I knew I could not lay there all that long because you get cold. So after 15 minutes I got cold and said it was time to keep moving and that is what we did. By then we only had about 3.5 miles, so I knew it was in the bag. We made it to town before 8. It was a long day. I did 50.2 miles in 23 hours 17 minutes 46 seconds. We made it to the outfitter in town and we asked if there was a place to stay. I wanted a quiet place that I could sleep, so I did not want to stay in the hostel. He said the Lazy Fox Inn was a good place, so that was where we went.We got there and I got a room, but because she had a dog, she had to find another place to stay. I went in and had breakfast because it was so early. Breakfast was really big. Then I took a shower and went to bed. I slept pretty well. I woke up at 3 and ate lunch and then relaxed. Let me tell you, Drip Dry is a hiking machine. I would not have done this without her. I know what you are going to say - hiking 50 miles is dumb and it probably is, but I did not think when I left the hostel that morning I was going to do it. It just happened. That is the farthest I have ever walked in a day. I have eaten dinner and now it is time for bed again. I want to say thank you to Drip Dry for her company during this hike. I would not have done it without you. I am off to bed. I hope I never wake up. I am a little sore!!youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Damascus

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 37Well town was good today. I got new shoes and some other stuff. I took it real easy today. I was in no hurry because I did such big miles yesterday so I stayed in town until 7 pm and got a subway sandwich. I ate half then and am eating the rest right now. The outfitter was really good. Cool town, Damascus. It would be neat to come back to the south and stay in this town for a while. I made it to the first shelter which is Saunders Shelter. It was 9 miles. I got there at 10 so I thought that was pretty good. Hope all is well at home.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Troutdale
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 39 Well, I lost my phone. I did 21.2 miles. I am staying in Troutdale. All is well. Can't wait till Travis comes down and we do a little hiking. All is well. I ate at the best place in town - seeing as it is the only place in town. It was pretty good. youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-25
From: Troutdale

To: Chatfiled Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 40 Did from Troutdale to Chatfield Shelter. It was 21.6 miles. Partership Shelter was awesome. You could order pizza from the shelter and they would deliver it to you. Too bad you can't do that at every shelter. It was a great day. Hope all is well.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Chatfiled Shelter

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 41Did from Chatfield Shelter to Knot Maul Branch Shelter. It was a good day. My leg is bothering me so I should take it easy. I think I am going to zero in Bland. I hope I feel better in the morning.youngNdumstill walking
Date: 2007-04-27
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

Day 42 Well, it was a good day of hiking. I did from Knot Maul Shelter to a campsite. It was a beautiful day. I got to Jenkins shelter at 6:30 in the night and saw there was a feast at a local church, but I had to be at the road at a certain time the next morning, so I cooked dinner and then kept hiking. I had to get to the road to get to the feed. I did 23.7 miles. I got to the campsite at 10 o¢clock. It was the free food that kept me hiking. I made it to the campsite and could not wait until free food.
Date: 2007-04-28
From: Campsite

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: broken clouds

Day 43 I got up early for the hiker feed. We had to be at the road at 9:30, so I made sure I was there. They picked us up. It was my first time in the back of a pickup for that long a trip but we made it to the church and there was all this food. It was glorious - there was so much. We had pancakes and eggs and biscuits and cookies and it was all you could eat. They were really nice. They even took you into town which I needed to go to for two reasons. I needed food and I also wanted new shoes. I bought new ones in Damascus, but they did not feel that comfortable in the store, but he said if I did not like them, I could mail them back and get a store credit. I figured if he was willing to do that for me, I would give them a try, but they just did not work. So I need a computer with internet so I could order new shoes. I walked to the library and ordered them form Moosejaw. I overnighted them to Pearisburg in hopes that they would get there before I did. I also needed to get some food from the grocery store. It was not very big. It is true if you can eat whatever they have and you don't have any dietary problems, you can resupply at a gas station. I had to carry part of a loaf of bread because they didn't have tortillas. I asked them if they had tortillas. They said they were out. Then I asked them if they had bagels and they told me, honey, we're in the south. I took that to mean they did not. It was ok though - you have to eat what they have. I did not get back on the trail until about 1 o'clock. Again, that church was so nice. It was great. I started hiking. I was stuffed. I got to the next shelter at 5:30 and kept going. I got to Jenny Knob Shelter and there was no one there. That is the first time there has been no one else at a shelter. It was kind of cool to have it to myself. I did 18.9 miles and took half a day off. That was not bad.youngNdumstill walking