morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-02
To: This is it!!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Leaving Gainesville in an hour, headed to Springer Mountain for the start of a new adventure. This time tomorrow I'll be on the trail, no turning back now.I need to thank my wife, Jane, for being supportive and allowing me the opportunity to pursue this dream. Love you and will miss you and the dogs.
Date: 2013-03-03
From: This is it!!!

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

Left visitor center at 10:25 and reached the top of Springer Mtn. at 4:45, via the approach trail. This included climbing the stairway at Amicalola Falls, which has a combined 600 steps. The training at the devils millhopper paid off. After reaching the summit, I set up my tent and prepared myself for a night of temps in the mid 20's and winds blowing 30-50 mph. Needless to say I only got about 3-4 hours of sleep. This is a climb most hikers avoid because it doesn't count as part of the actual AT.
Date: 2013-03-04
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 8.1

I woke up at 7am, fixed a light breakfast because of all the wind. By 9am had all my gear packed and was on my way. The trail was covered with a lot of ice and had two close falling calls. The trail got better with the lower altitude and was an easier hike than yesterday. I arrived at the shelter at 3pm and while gathering water I met three UF students on spring break. Set up my tent and fixed a little dinner. I haven't had much of an appetite, as I understand it may take anywhere between 2-4 weeks to develop your trail appetite. For some reason I'm experiencing some soreness in my shoulders and hips. Probably caused by improper weight distribution in my pack. I'm going to try and load it differently tomorrow. Not much to do when it becomes dark. Most hikers are already in their sleeping bags by 8 o'clock. It rained a little during the night, probably a rainy day tomorrow.
Date: 2013-03-05
From: Hawk Mountain

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 13.0

Left camp at 8:55am with occasional light rain and temps in 40's. Met Irish and his wife, he is on his 3rd AT hike and provided me with good information on the next several days of hiking sections. Crossed paths with the three gators a couple of times. As I arrived at Gooch Gap it started to rain again. It was already three thirty and the sign said 3.5 miles to Woody Gap, where I was getting off the trail to stay in a hostel in Suches, Ga. On the way the rain became a violent storm with winds of at least 70 mph. The trail turned into a stream, with occasional lightning and one strike had to hit within 100 yds. of me. What motivation to keep moving forward. I couldn't stop as I was soaking wet and I was afraid of becoming hyperthermic. With the temperature dropping and my hiking boots full of water, I made it to Woody Gap 2.5 hrs. later. Tried to call for a shuttle, but didn't have any success. A man in a pickup truck stopped at the lookout at the gap and I asked him how far it was to the closest hostel. In other words I asked him for a ride, which he said yes too. After checking in at the hostel, which was packed with hikers getting out of the bad weather, Outside Dog must have felt sorry for me and gave up his bunk so that I didn't have to sleep on the floor. The three gator boys showed up 30 minutes later and the other hikers couldn't believe that the four of us had attempted the last section trail in such bad weather. The joke around the hostel was that a little water wasn't going to stop the gators. This was my first life changing moment on the trail as there was no way myself or the other three guys were going to have an easy night on the trail in the condition we where in. The temps did drop down into the teens that night, along with 30mph winds and snow flurries.
Date: 2013-03-06
From: Woody Gap

To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

At hostel taking a zero day. Last night was very windy, with 2-3 inches of snow. This morning the temp was 15 degrees and the wind chill factor was in the single digits. The next section was 10 miles and went over Blood Mountain a1200 ft. elevation change. The problem was there was no place to camp until you arrived Neel's Gap. The forecast was for a better day tomorrow, think I'll stay at the hostel so that I can eat burgers, pizza and drink a little beer. I heard later that the hikers who stayed out in the weather had a miserable time, but everyone survived.
Date: 2013-03-07
From: Woody Gap

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 10.6

Left Woody Gap at 8:30am for a 10.6 mile hike to Neel's Gap. In between was Blood Mtn., the highest point in Georgia on the AT reaching an elevation of 4,450 ft. The day was sunny and clear, temps in the mid 40's and no wind. I reached the summit around 2pm and the view was fantastic. The climb up Blood Mtn. was the easy part, the descent was very rocky and the trail was hard to follow. Hobo, who had climbed to the top with me and had left the summit before me, suddenly showed up behind me half the way down. He said that he had missed a turn and was off the trail a couple of hundred yards before he realized his mistake and had to backtrack. It took me three hours to travel 2.4 miles, descending 1300 feet into Neel's Gap. Spent the night in the Walasi-Yi hostel, along with a lot of the hikers from the hostel in Suches. A church group from Alabama provided a spaghetti w/meatball dinner free of charge. This was one of their missions to help thru hikers. This was the best meal that I've had since leaving Dalonega last Saturday. Getting to know a lot of the hikers, most are in the age group of 20-30, with the next largest group in the 55-70 range. A lot of them seem to be trying to escape the hassles of everyday life or are unemployed and putting off future employment.
Date: 2013-03-08
From: Neel's Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Left Neel's Gap at 8:45 headed to Low Gap Shelter at a distance of 11.5 miles. Another beautiful day. Days like yesterday and today are what backpacking the AT is all about. The views from the vistas are sights most people will never see. I didn't realize that Georgia had so many mountains, as it seems liked I've climbed over every one. Every day is a challenge as there seems to be at least three mountain climbs every day. The best views today came from Cowrock Mountain. HoBo left the the trail today. His wife picked him up at a road access, as he has a job interview tomorrow. Don't know if he will return to the trail. He lives in Maine, hence the trail name HoBo (HOmeward BOound). Made it to Low Gap Shelter at 5:15. There are a lot of kids here tonight, going to be a long night.
Date: 2013-03-09
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Cheese Factory Campsite
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was the longest time spent on a daily hike. It took 9.5 hrs. between Low Gap shelter to the cheese factory. Over all it was a perfect day for hiking with temps into the mid 50's. The blister on my left heal is getting better and is no longer a factor in my slow speed. My right knee is sore when I make descents and have to be extra careful. After I reach Hiawassee tomorrow afternoon I am taking a scheduled zero day. Hopefully this will allow some time for my knee to recover. Another 13 mile day tomorrow.
Date: 2013-03-10
From: Cheese Factory Campsite

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Some days you reach your daily goal and some days the AT won't allow it. Today was my first where I was't able to hike the distance that I have planned. Had two steep climbs up Tray Mtn. and Kelly Knob, which wouldn't allow me to reach Dick's Creek Gap, where I was going to shuttle into Hiawassee, Ga. I was planning to spend two nights and take a zero day. (Zero days are where you hike zero miles so that you can rest and resupply). Today I met four guys from the University of Ga. on spring break who are doing a four day hike. We talked on and off during the day as our paths crossed and at the shelter that night. The topic of sports never came up. Really nice kids. Leo, who I've been crossing paths with since Woody Gap is continuing on while I take some time off. He is from Canada and is seventy-two. He is an experienced hiker, but this is his first AT hike. Says he will complete it this year. He knows his limits so probably he will.
Date: 2013-03-11
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: overcast clouds

This was an easy day of hiking, as it only took 2 hrs. to reach Dick's Gap for my shuttle into Hiawassee. Rained last night, but had no rain when I left the shelter at 8:30, just lots of fog. After reaching the highway, I called a couple of shuttles, finally got one to come out the 11 miles to pick me up. While I was waiting a car pulled up to ask if I needed a ride. So happens it was a couple who I met on the trail yesterday that live in Hiawassee. Thanked them and said that a shuttle was on the way. After over a week on the trail I entered a town with fast food. Naturally McDonald's was for lunch, Angus burger with bacon, fries, large coke and hot fudge sundae. Eating dinner at Daniel's Steakhouse tonight as it is AYCE (all you can eat). Have to replace those calories that the trail takes out of you. Somewhere I read most hikers burn 4,000-6,000 calories a day depending on the distance and how hard they press. Doing laundry now, probably take a nap and start posting some daily entries into my journal later. Had dinner at Daniel's Steakhouse. They had a home cooking buffet that was AYCE for $7.95. That hit the spot!
Date: 2013-03-12
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Plum Orchard Gap
Miles today: 4.5

Took the morning off as I had to resupply and mail my bounce box. Had the complimentary breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express and lunch at Subway before the shuttle picked me up at 1 pm. Returned to Dick's Creek Gap where the UGA spring breakers where eating lunch. Rubbed it in a little bit about the meals that I had enjoyed in Hiawassee , then started my 4.5 mile hike to the Plum Orchard Gap shelter. I think I'm the only one that's not on spring break. Oh wait...maybe I am. At the shelter there were the four from UGA, four from FSU and three from Univ. of Miss. Today was clear and sunny, tomorrow's forecast is calling for the same. Tomorrow is my longest hike this week until I reach Franklin, NC at 12.2 miles.
Date: 2013-03-13
From: Plum Orchard Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: few clouds

Today started out with temps in the mid 30's, sunny and very windy. Today was a moderate hike, no big climbs and lots of flat areas. The highlight of the day was entering North Carolina. One state down and thirteen to go. Hiked for eight hours today, only averaging 1.5 mph. That seems to be my average speed, includes rest stops, lunch break and generally not moving forward. Expecting a very cold night night with temps into the upper teens and lots of wind.
Date: 2013-03-14
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.3

Last night was cold, probably the coldest night yet with temps into the upper teens and windy. I had two water bottles mostly frozen, but the bottle with Gatorade in it was only slightly slushy. Guess Gatorade acts as an antifreeze. It was hard getting out my sleeping bag. Skipped breakfast, packed everything and was on the trail by 9am. Climbed the highest mountain as of today, Standing Indian Mountain, with an elevation of 5498 feet. It wasn't too hard as I was starting at 4760 feet. Today's hike was the easiest section so far, lots of flats and easy ups and downs. Arrived at Betty Creek Gap at 430pm and settled in for the night.
Date: 2013-03-15
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night was one of the warmest so far with temps in the upper 30's. When the weather is nice I take the time to make breakfast, which usually consist of two packets of instant oatmeal, a couple of breakfast bars and hot chocolate or hot tea. The day started with climbing to the top of Albert Mountain. At 5250 feet it is the second highest mountain so far. What made this so difficult was that the climb was straight up, no switchbacks. At times I was having to use my hands to pull myself up higher, which isn't easy with a 45 lb. backpack. I had allowed myself until noon to reach the summit, but made it by 11:15. I had actually planned to hike 8.6 miles today, but there was a type-o on one of the descents by 2,000 feet, so I thought I was going to have a more difficult day than anticipated. This allowed me to hike an extra 3.8 miles so that I was able to spend the night in Franklin, N.C. I had planned to take a 1 and a half zero day in Franklin, but will now leave Sunday morning, instead of Monday morning as originally planned. This gets me back on schedule. I met Grey JAY (her initials) on the trail around 2pm today. She is about 5'2" or 5'3", in her mid to late sixties with silver hair. She happens to be on the Board of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Assoc. She has completed the trail once, but it took her four years to do it. She goes out on the trail alone and does sections on a regular basis. She said that she and a friend were doing the Smoky Mountains National Park section next week.As I was drinking my beer and eating pizza at Pizza Hut, she came in and I ask her to join me, which she did. I had a great time listening to her stories and what to expect later on the trail. Almost two weeks on the trail and the diversity of people is unbelievable. Everyone is friendly and will open up to you if you start a conversation with them, doesn't matter if they are spring breakers or senior citizens.
Date: 2013-03-16
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Zero day in Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I didn't sleep well last night, only 4-5 hours of sleep. Guess I like sleeping in tent better than in a motel bed. I didn't do much today just the routine zero day activities, laundry, shipping bounce box, cleaning water filter pump and stove, grocery shopping and watching college basketball. Have everything packed for a 9:00am departure back to the trail.
Date: 2013-03-17
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Finally had a good night sleep in a motel. Ron, Colette and I shared a shuttle ride back to Winding Stair Gap. They are from Minnesota and are thru hiking. We've been hiking off and on together for five days now, staying at the same shelters and taking a zero day in Franklin . Had some trail magic at Wayah Gap. A guy had a spread set up for hikers with hot dogs, chicken soup, hot chocolate , coffee, Gatorade and an assortment of fruit. Timed it just right for lunch. Made it to the top of Wayah Bald, the view was fantastic looking back toward Franklin at 5,342 feet. Had my second fall since I've started the hike on the descent from Wayah Bald, the trail was relatively flat and smooth, but a root hidden under some leaves tripped me up. I went face down. Fortunately no harm was done, but it would have been embarrassing if someone would have witnessed the fall. Made it Wayah shelter about 4:30. Set up the tent and fixed a little dinner. Possible rain tomorrow. Hope it holds off until after I have packed up.
Date: 2013-03-18
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

A light rain started at 6:30 this morning. The rain only last about 15 minutes, but immediately I started packing as you don't want to get caught packing your gear in the rain. Left the shelter at 8:45, today's hike was fairly easy with only two moderate climbs, but two long and steep down hills. It started to rain again around noon and was intermittent until 4pm when it turned into a moderate rain. I arrived at the shelter in the rain, found a spot with good drainage to set up my tent. As I was getting everything squared away in the tent the heaviest rain of the day hit, along with lightning and small hail. The rain last about an hour and was a good test for the waterproofing on my tent and so far I'm dry. It's about 7 o'clock and the rain appears to be over, I need to go hang my food bag on the the bear cable while I have a chance.
Date: 2013-03-19
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

Woke up this morning at 6:45 to start packing. When I started to break down my tent, what I thought were water drops on the tent was actually ice drops. After knocking off most of the ice, I was on my way at 9:15. Even though this was a short mileage day, it was one of the most strenuous as it was over 2400 feet down and took over 4.5 hours. Going down hill just kills my knees, so I have to go slow and be careful not to strain a knee. My knee that I slightly strained over 10 days is improving. I arrived at the NOC at 1:45, got checked into my room, did some laundry, showered and picked up my bounce box. Unfortunately there is not any wi-if so I can't update my journal. Had dinner with Owl, Zag and Old Goat, the four of us are becoming our own hiking group.
Date: 2013-03-20
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Down loaded my Great Smoky Mountain Backpacking Permit at the NOC office, ate breakfast, shipped my bounce box and was on the trail by 9 am. Even though it was a planned short hiking distanced day, it was a three thousand foot elevation gain from the NOC to the the top of Swim Bald. The view looking back toward the NOC was very spectacular, such that several of us spent at least 30 minutes, basking in the sun and admiring the mountains in the distance. The temps tonight are expected to drop into the low twenties, so I decided to sleep in the tent. A group of 8-10 spring breakers from Towsen Univ. arrived about an hour after my arrival to the shelter. They are on a one week backpack training exercise for leading other groups.
Date: 2013-03-21
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap
Miles today: 9.1

Woke up this morning with 1" of snow on the ground and temps in the upper teens to low twenties. Today the weather and trail conditions kept me from reaching my original destination at Cody Gap. Ice on the trail this morning was a problem and had about a half dozen near falls and one fall. The temp stayed around 30 degrees all day and is expected to fall into the mid teens tonight. Hiked with Zag and Old Goat most of the day. Both of them left the trail at Stecoah Gap, as Zag has had two air mattress failures in the last two days and is shuttling into a near by town for a replacement. While resting at Stecoah Gap, Grey JAY and a friend came out of the woods looking for a shuttle ride into town so that they could get out of the cold. I decided that I was going to press on to the shelter as Owl was already on the way there. However, I had to climb Jacobs Ladder first. It was a real test, 800 ft. gain over a half mile and straight up, no switch backs. After I met Owl at the shelter, Movie Star and Rainbow Braids came hiking in. This was lowest number of occupants in a shelter that I have experienced so far. A lot of backpackers have temporary left the trail due to the extremely cold weather that has been forecast.
Date: 2013-03-22
From: Brown Fork Gap

To: Fontana Dam (Fontana Lodge)
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Even though the temp didn't reach mid teens last night it was still around 20 degrees when I left the shelter at 8:30. I thought today would be a relatively moderate hiking day. Wrong!! My trail guide book list all the gap elevations and some mountain peak elevations. Today there weren't any mountain peaks listed, so I had no idea how high I was going to climb. I thought the climb up would never end, which means the climb down to Fontana Dam would never end. That is the way the day ended at 4:30. I called for a shuttle to the Fontana Lodge, checked in, took a shower and on the way to the restaurant ran into Snowman and Escargo whom I had met five or six days ago. We had dinner together and later Snowman and I drank a couple beers together watching the NCAA basketball tournament.Every hiker in the lodge had planned to leave tomorrow so that they could enter the GSMNP, but the weather forecast is not good, calling for possible 5"-8" of snow in the higher elevations. These conditions are very hazardous as it is is very difficult to make enough time to get to a shelter. The GSMNP requires all hikes to stay in a shelter while in the park. So everyone is taking a zero day tomorrow to determine what the weather will be like. Hopefully we'll get out on Sunday, but Monday is more probable.
Date: 2013-03-24
From: Fontana Lodge

To: Fontana Lodge
Miles today: 0.0

Today is another zero day as the weather for the next several days is calling for rain and then snow. The conditions aren't much different than the weather we've already experienced. But why take a chance getting stranded in a cold wet shelter when you can stay in the lodge until the weather is favorable. Anyway, it looks like Monday is the day everyone is talking about hitting the trail again. So today I did laundry, resupplied, prepared a box to mail more unnecessary gear home and updated my trail journal. I decided that anything in my backpack that I haven't used yet was going home. I think this reduced my weight by 3-4 lbs. I originally started with 52 lbs in my pack, think I'm down to under 45 and that is with full water bottles and adequate food to reach the next resupply. The only thing to occupy the time is to hang out with Old Goat, Zag, Owl, Snowman, Escargot and the under 30 age group.
Date: 2013-03-25
From: Fontana Lodge

To: Fontana Lodge
Miles today: 0.0

Had to take another zero day due to the bad weather. Regardless of the conditions, I'm hitting the trail in the morning. While I was at the general store today I met Hermes. He's in his mid twenties and hikes wearing a brown kilt. I've heard other hikers mention his name, so it was nice to finally meet him. I also met Oatmeal. This is a long story so bear with me.About two months before my March 3rd start on the AT, I was training by hiking 8-12 miles a day around the area of my home. On one hike a woman, who was jogging, stopped me and started a conversation about what I was training for and when I was going to start. I didn't think to much about it at the time, because people where always stopping me wanting to talk about their hiking or lack of hiking experience. Two days before I left Gainesville I was taking my last local hike when this same woman was driving pass me, stopped her car and wants to know if I'm still starting the AT on March 3rd. I told her that I was and she says her son, Evan, has a girl friend that is starting on the same date. She didn't give me her name or trail name so I didn't know if I would ever see her. I told Evan's mom if I met her I'd keep an eye on her.Well three weeks on the trail and I had completely forgotten about her, until I was at the general store in the Fontana Lodge and the cash register clerk was asking every hiker to sign a register book with trail name and home town. A girl signed the book just ahead of me and wrote down Gainesville, Fl. as her home town. What are the chances that this was Evan's friend? I told her that I was from Gainesville and we started comparing story's . It was a match, Evan's mom had told Oatmeal about meeting me and that we were starting the AT at the same time. Oatmeal is hiking solo, 20 years old and will enter UF in Aug. as a junior. She says she wants to complete the thru hike, but I'm not sure she has enough time. Oh...and another strange coincidence, Hermes hiked with Evan last summer on the AT.