morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-07-11
From: US Highway 201

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a day of 14 beautiful, muddy as always, relatively flat miles. We left the Northern Outdoors lodge and took the ferry across the famous Kennebec River. It's the largest bridge-less river crossing on the AT and the only one you're really not supposed to ford, ESPECIALLY in high water like this June. The ferryman sits on one shore from 9-11am and comes to get you to shuttle you across. The canoe has a white blaze on it, which just tickles me. The ferry man said that it's the ATC's attempt at making the ferry the "official" crossing so all the crazy purists who HAVE TO pass every white blaze from ME to GA (or else it's not a real thru-hike) will take the ferry, rather than kill themselves trying to ford the river.The hours create a kind of bottleneck at each end since you can only get through during that 2 hour window. At the next shelter, which has a spectacular view of another mountain lake. We meet four Northbounders who have pulled a 17-mile day by noon. Now they're stuck at this shelter since they can't get across the river till the next day. They contemplate fording it anyway but decide against it, not wanting to die just 150 miles short of finishing a thru-hike. Wise choice.By the end of the day we've caught back up with Ron and Kim, and also Dawn and Anja. We're also camping with "Beast" and "Runner," two recent high-school graduates who we met way back in Monson the first time we were there. I'm so surprised we've caught up with them since we were four days behind but they tell us they've been taking several zero days in a row just because they felt like it. They also get up just short of noon every morning and get into camp way later than the rest of us, sometimes after dark. They aptly call themselves the "Slacking Southbounders."Tomorrow we tackle the first of the Bigelows, Little Bigelow. The Bigelows will be our first 4,000 footers. The 4,000 feet or higher mountains start here and go all the way through the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Starting tomorrow, we will be hiking the hardest section of the Appalachian Trail for about 200 miles. To give you an idea, Baxter Peak of Mount Katahdin, which I think nearly killed us with the wind gusts (again, no joke) was 5,268 feet above sea level. We will be climbing to 4,000 ft or higher ALMOST EVERY DAY for the next month or so. We pray for good weather.-Anya
Date: 2009-07-14
From: Stratton, Maine

To: Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero miles today. I wanted to sleep in because I just felt so tired all over last night but I woke up with the sun at 5 am and could only manage to go back to sleep again till 6 am. My legs were so stiff this morning that I thought seriously about using my hiking poles to help me get down the stairs. I hobbled down at 6:30 am wishing for coffee and was happy to find that the diner across the street was already open. Josh and I went for breakfast-- pancakes with whipped cream and warm cinnamon apples for me, french toast, eggs, and an english muffin for him. After we went to explore all 2 blocks of Stratton and came back with a half-gallon of frozen yogurt, a bag of multigrain chips, hummus, and Swedish fish. We ate everything before 11 am. If I ever become a psychologist, which I won't, I'll name an eating disorder after thru-hikers. It's kind of a mix between binge eating and exercise bulimia. Except you're not trying to lose weight. You just walk and walk and walk and then eat and eat and eat. I hear it's only going to get worse once we've been walking for a month or two. The two thru-hikers we met at West Peak on Bigelow yesterday said that eventually you won't be able to carry enough food to keep yourself satisfied. Every night he looks at his food bag and thinks, "what else can I eat? Nothing. I have three (or whatever) more days until town and I have to leave that food for then. But I'm hungry." His exact words were... "Every night 3 million children in the world go to bed hungry, and so do 300 Appalachian Trail thru-hikers."The rest of the day was spent lounging and sleeping. To make up for getting up so early I slept from 11 am to 4 pm, at which time I got up to eat. Ron, Kim, Josh, the Slacking Southbounders, and I went to the other restaurant in town, a pizzaria/pub/gameroom. Josh and I split a pizza and I beat him at darts. By the end of the meal we were all yawning so I looked at Josh's watch and it was already 8:30-- bedtime. Everyone has long gone to bed but I am up, updating. If I had more time I would put up the long-promised pictures of our adventure but it's already midnight and I have the Crocker Mountains to handle tomorrow. Morning will begin with more coffee, pancakes, and a 6 mile climb uphill with freshly re-supplied and heavy packs to our second 4,000 footer... or third if you consider the second peak of Bigelow a separate one. Ideally we will make it to the lean-to, some 13 miles away but I highly, highly doubt our legs will allow that as it means climbing ANOTHER big mountain in the afternoon. I think more likely we'll end up at a campsite just down the side of the Crocker Range, a short but respectable given the conditions 7 miles away.Until next time. Sleep tight. Don't let the mosquitoes bite. (As I was typing this last paragraph I killed a particularly huge one that met its ill fate trying to bite me through a sweater. How'd it get in here?)-Anya
Date: 2009-07-15
From: Stratton, Maine

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Because Ron and Kim are doing it and we are such followers, we decided not to stop in Rangeley to resupply in three to four days. That means we have to carry seven days worth of food to Andover. My backpack doesn't quite close right and is so heavy I almost fell over carrying it down the stairs. Granted we're packing out three apples, a bag of celery (which weighs a TON, surprisingly... who would have thought?), and two huge deli sandwhiches. So those will be eaten soon. None the less, in about 30 minutes I'm going to start carrying this mess 6 miles straight uphill. And, as if this isn't bad enough, cruel fait has placed the highest mountains and steepest climbs right at the beginning of the week, rather than at the end when I'll be carrying 15 pounds less food. If I survive to tell about it I'll update the journal in a week once we hit Andover.-Anya
Date: 2009-11-06
From: Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 123.5
Weather: clear sky

Hello friends,We are at the Wood's Hole Hostel just south of Pearisburg, VA. We stopped in Pearisburg to resupply and shower yesterday and had perhaps the sketchiest motel room on the trail to date. It was called the "Rondezvous Motel" if that gives you any idea. The room was stark white with linoleum floors and one tiny window. Our laundry came out smelling almost worse than it went in. I suspect that the 100 year old-looking washing machine just swished around all our nasty clothes water and drained it. My fleece sweat shirt smells like dirty socks....In other news we are spending a fantastic morning at Wood's Hole. The family that runs this fantastically rustic cabin in the middle of the woods is out of town. They have friends that are inn-sitting for them. We slept last night outside in the hiker loft, housed in it's own little cabin. This morning they invited us in to the cabin proper to warm up (it's been below freezing for several nights now) and for a huge trail magic breakfast. Now we're sitting around the wood burning stove with full bellies not wanting to leave. The owners, Neville and Michael, are massage therapists and artists whose art work is all over the cabin. They even made and fired the ceramic plates we ate off of. We'll just have to come back to actually meet them since we've been enjoying their home so much.Today we'll have to hike late since we're still trying to hike a regular length day. Since our rest in Roanoke and Blacksburg we've been trying hard to make miles. It's hard with the short days; we've hiked into the night since we left Blacksburg (5 days in a row). But the alternative is getting to Georgia when it's too cold to hike, which means not getting to Georgia at all. So onward we go, into the nights...Anya
Date: 2009-11-16
From: Damascus, VA (Josh) & Greensboro, NC (Anya)

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

HowdyI¢ve been home for three days now and am slowly thawing out from the effects of thru-hiking. My cold is gone but my body still hurts all over, though significantly less than when I arrived here. My mom wants me to stay at least till next week but I can¢t bear to miss that many miles. Plus, I¢m fairly positive that once I get used to a warm house and lying around, I won¢t be able to walk 20 miles a day in the cold anymore.One of my high school friends kindly offered to drive me back to the trail so that I could spend another day at home. She¢s taking me to northern Tennessee where Josh will wait for me, and then we¢ll walk to the next shelter together. Though only a month or two and a LOT of yoga will be able to reverse walking so far, I¢m pretty sure that I¢m well enough to at least crawl to the end. We¢ll let everyone know how it¢s going in the next town. Thanks for all your support.Anya
Date: 2009-12-06
From: Fontana Dam, North Carolina

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Surprise! I¢m starting to feel more like myself again. Thank you, antibiotics and Netflix streaming video, thank you. Josh is also somehow getting over his cold, so no mountain rescues were necessary after all. I¢ve been feeling okay since Friday (it¢s Sunday now) and wanted to hightail it back to the trail on Tuesday, when Josh is supposed to be in Franklin, NC, as that was our planned re-meeting place. However, my mother refuses to drive me the almost five hours to the southern NC mountains so soon after I¢m un-bedridden. I gripe about it but it¢s probably for the best. Last time I went back basically the first day I felt normal again and was feeling horrible a square two days later between the hives and untreated sinus infection. Unfortunately, this means that by the time I get back out there I¢ll only have four or five days to hike before we hit Springer.Josh says it¢s for the best too. He¢s been cold and unhappy for a few days and says that he¢s generally ¢over it.¢ He is out of the Smokies now but they gave him a hell of a time trying to hike through, just as we¢d feared. The morning he was to descend to Fontana Dam (the southern border of the Smokies) his boots, water, and rain gear had frozen solid. He said that he wanted to quit right there and then but it¢s not like you can just press a stop button and game¢s over. Even if you decide you want no more of this thru-hiking nonsense you still have to get out to a road somewhere, and then hope that someone will find you. When he warmed up a bit from hiking he realized it wasn¢t bad enough to quit just 10 days before the end. I spoke with him somewhere just before the descent to Fontana and his spirits were teetering but better.And so the countdown begins. I can¢t believe how this journey has flown by. Last thing I remember I was doing the don¢t-break-my-ankle rock dance in Pennsylvania, cruising over the Mason Dixon line, and dancing with my little ipod (thanks Bearwalker!) into Virginia. And now¢¦ well, now I¢m taking antibiotics and coughing up phlegm¢¦ but in spirit am about to cross into the promised land of Georgia.Anya aka Smokin' Loon
Date: 2009-02-09
To: Northbound
Miles today: 0.0

So, I am planning on hiking nobo on the AT this spring/summer. I plan to leave around march 17 and hope to be hiking by the 19 or 20th. the problem is... i am a 24 year old female whose parents are going to have a heart attack if i do this alone. so far, im doing this alone. so does anyone feel like being a hero and saving the lives of my parents, susan and peter, and hiking the trail with me? or at least starting out with me? i am really exciting, but totally nervouse at the same time. i have been on the trail before for only one month. it was hard and blistery but amazing and have put it on my life 'to do list' ever since. now it seems is the time to do it since i am unemployed. (at least i can see the good in that, hehe).anyone out there from buffalo, ny (where i'm at) planning on hiking? well feel free to contact me at anytime anyone. kelly.costanzo@gmail.comits great to connect with all of you excited hiking companions.
Date: 2009-02-26
To: the tickets are purchased 
Miles today: 0.0

So I just bought my plant ticket to Atlanta, GA and then my bus ticket to Gainsville, GA and finally my reservation for a shuttle and a nights stay with breakfast. So I'm really leaving, March 18, 2009, and planning on being on the trail on March 19th, 2009. Craziness. My parents are still in denial and say "your not going" so I'm not really sure whats going to happen when it comes down to the night before I leave. I'm so excited, but super nervous at the same time. I just really hope my stupid knee doesnt give me problems enough to stop hiking and not finish. I have a pretty good idea what I'm getting into I think, cause of that month I hiked in 2005, BUT it was also during the spring so I didnt erally deal with snow or crazy ass bugs. Alright, well, If anyone is planning on getting down there at the same time I am and staying at the hiker lodge where they put you up and feed you breakfast and then take you to the trail head, let me know, cause thats where I'll be!!!
Date: 2009-02-26
To: please help my petrafied parents
Miles today: 0.0

So I have a very nervous Mom and Dad. And I totally understand, I mean, I'm the youngest of four girls, 24 yrs old and going to walk to east coast for 6 months by myself. I get it, I know.So I was wondering if anyone out there has experienced this as a parent of a thru-hiker, or a thru-hiking parent, or a thru-hiker with scared to death parents too at out there. cause if you are and would like to give my mom and dad a line or two of confort and tell them everything will be ok, I would love it! I dont know who else to do and I'm leaving in 2 1/2 weeks and I am honestly scared they are going to have a heart attack. so please, for my sake, for my parents saftey, please reach out to them and tell them I am not as crazy as I may sound for doing this. my moms emial address is SoozieQ1952@aol.com her name is Sue. thank you everyone!
Date: 2009-02-28
To: just love the cold
Miles today: 0.0

So, Im in buffalo, ny right now and man is it cold. i mean, obviously its cold in buffalo at in febuary. but i keep thinking about how cold im ganna be when in out there on the trail and it makes me nervous. i may have lived in buffalo my whole life but that doesnt meant im used to the cold or like it at all.what im hoping is that ill feel totally and completely connected to the earth and feeling alive and actually living for once, that i will hopefully embrace the cold once im out there. well at least feel alive and appriciate it as one of earths beautiful parts of life. every other animal out there will be cold and living in it, and so will i. maybe itll be a way to feel connected to all the other living parts of the world, ya know.. the animals and plants and water and stuff. i dont know... this is at least what im hoping ill feel once im out there. cuz all i know is that i sure as hell dont feel like that now everytime i gotta go outside...
Date: 2009-03-21
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: the not so fun parts
Miles today: 8.0

i know when i talk to people i sound like im having the time of my life. its true. but it isnt, as i put it 4 years ago, 'a bed of roses' or 'a walk in the park' it has some of the highest highs and lowest lows all put together. but i think thats what makes the experience so amazing. so here are some things that are not so great out here:- hiking up mountains with a backpack on- hiking up mountains with a backpack on that just never seems to end- hiking down steap mountains with a backpack on, my knees!- the bugs in your face when your trying to sit down for lunch and relax b/w miles- blisters- bottom of my feet in pain from too much walking- hiking in the rain and cold- being completely soaked, cold and having 10 more miles to hike- my left butt cheek aching- getting into camp and having to pump fresh water with my water pump. its not easy and the last thing you wanna do after hiking 10-15 miles- sleeping in a one person tent in the rain and then having to pack up camp in the rain and mud- having to cook dinner every night. sometimes i just dont feel like doing that- cleaning your dishs after eating dinner- sleeping on the hard ground, the sleeping pad doesnt give much cushion- sleeping in the freezing cold!! wearing every piece of clothing i own and still being freezing! - sleeping with no pillow- sleeping with no roger robbit - waking up in the freezing cold- packing everything up in the morning in the cold and changing in the cold- going to the bathroom in privys (very smelly)- beign away from freinds and family- sleeing in shelters where there are mice running everywhere looking for food. running by your head and over your arms and legs- sleeping in the shelters with people who snore louder than anyone should be able to snorei think thats about it for now. or for at least what ive experienced so far. but al these things only make you appriciate the little things in life so much more.
Date: 2009-03-22
From: From Springer

To: and im off
Miles today: 10.0

Well, its started! ive made it to Neels Gap (the first town stop). i've only hiked about 7-12 miles a day so far, i wanna take it slow in the biginning. but so far so good. i one only one blister which isn't giving me too much trouble and everything else is feeling ok. my left butt muscle gets a little sore after climing for a long time. i have made some really really great friends out here so far. there is a couple from new zealand (orginially from england) their names are 'light weight' and 'mr ed' and they are soooo nice. there is "Richard" and 'skip' and 'Patrick' that ive also become really good freinds with. the 5 of us are really close and tend to end up at the same shelters and in towns at the same time. oh and 'the dude' and 'baltamore jack' are great people too. they are both experienced thru-hikers so its like having our own personal guide, they can answer anything! so thats reallly nice.no snow yet, thank god! but it is freezing at night. i mean, i cant sleep most of the time b/c i am just sooo cold, and i have every piece of clothing on that i own! i just dont know what ill do if it does snow! ive slept in the shelters every night so far. so thats great. i dont wanna have to put my tent up unless i have to. its been full shelters though every night. lots of people have tents up all around, but ive always gotten a spot no rain yet, its actually been really nice during the daytime. i got sun burnt actually. it was soo nice to take a hot shower and clean my cloths at neels gap. i baught a sleepnig bag liner which will add about 15 degrees so i hope that helps at night. so its ganna be a good nights sleep tonight in a bed, i cant wiat!
Date: 2009-03-23
From: my average day

To: my average day
Miles today: 10.0

my average day-wake up at 8am and make hot cappacuino- start packing everything up, go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and change into my hiking cloths.-eat breakfast (usually pot tarts, im too lazy to cook in the morning)-start hiking around 9am until about noon.- find a nice clear spot in the sun and eat lunch (snickers bar, cookies) then i take a nice 1-2 hour nap in the sun. its amazing. its usually on the top of a mountain where there is a beautiful view, its quite, the hawks are flying by and the birds are singing with the sun shining. its probebly my favorite part of the day. its my alone time to relax too - then its off to hiking again til about 3pm-4pm when i reach the shelter.- i find the nearest stream and pump some water to purify it, and change outa my wet sweaty hiking cloths and hang them on some near by trees to dry.-set up my sleeping pad and sleeping bag and usually reeelax for about an hour or so before i do anything else.- dinners usually around 5pm-6pm (usually mac'n'cheese, rice, ramon noodles, or mashed potatoes) - then we all sit around and talk and laugh for 2-3 hrs-crawl into my sleeping bag around 8pm-9pm and write in my journal- and then its sleepy time! -so far thats been the usual day for me. i really love my afternoon naps. its just so great out there. i mean, you just do what you want. you get up when you want, eat when you want, hike when you want, stop when you want, sleep or nap when you want, hike as far as you went. its so amazing.
Date: 2009-03-24
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: the little things in life
Miles today: 12.0

so you really begin to enjoy and to appriciate the little things in life out here. i mean, the little things.... like...- sitting down- food, any food- water- shower- doing laundry, i never loved doing laundry so much in my life!- cocca-cola- beer, any beer- buffets- real food in town!- dry clothes- laying down- warmth- hot coffee- a car- a real bed- a pillow!- the smell of soap- brushing your hairall these things i had at any time i wanted at home. i never thought much of it. but now, these are the luxurys on the trail. its amazing.
Date: 2009-03-27
From: Franklin, NC

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: moderate rain

so today was my longest day yet. and i felt really good too! it was pooring all day though. ugh. but i better get used to it cause itll be raining for a next few days too. i mean, i guess thats all part of it, but its really cold which is poopy. the first shelter i stopped at was about 12 miles in and it was packed. i mean the porch area was even packed. so i only stayed there for a couple of minutes, ate some lunch and the moved on. everyone there looked a little cranky, which i dont blame them when everything you own is cold and wet! and today was a big day, we walked into north carolina today!! "so long Georgia!" i cant believe we've finished a state already! well, i still have like 13 to go or something like that. but it was quite lovely actually, they had the state line marked on the trail so that was cool, but then pretty much immidiatly after that was what i would like to call "the welcome to north carolina mountain" it was reeediculous! so i was yelling as i was climbing that stupid thing. it was only 4.9 miles to the next shelter and i was feeling pretty good, since i zeoroed the day before. i must have been flying cause i got there in under 2 hours! which is sweet! we squeezed 8 of us in the shelter that night, cause we didnt wanna leave anyone out in the rain having to tent and stuff. so we "snuggled" thats for sure, it kept us really warm though, so warm that i acutally had to take some clothes off in the middle of the night. it was nice though. snug, but i slept nice. you get to know everyone real quick that way.in the middle of the night though i woke up and felt my sleeping bag and everything was wet, everything! i think the wind was blowing the rain in the shelter, but luckily by the time we woke up it was dry, thank god! packing up a wet sleeping bag is not cool. i met a few more people, "trukin", Neil, "turtle" and a few other people i cant remember their names. but they're all soo nice. i think i know about 20 people now, which is really great, cause then ya get to know the people infront of you and then people behind you.it felt amazing getting into some warm dry cloths at the shelter, then i snuggled up in my sleeping bag to get the chill out.well its off tomorrow in the rain again!