morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-06-08
From: Big Walker Motel -- Bland, VA

To: Big Walker Motel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

From Fatboy:Zero days are usually a lot of fun.  There's the novelty of being in a new place and the luxuries of coffee in bed and exploring the local area.  We walked to what appeared to be the center of Bland and had breakfast in a restaurant located in a gas station.  The food was good with big servings and reasonable prices.  They served some of the biggest, fluffiest pancakes I've ever seen!  We went to the grocery store and bought salad stuff for dinner and we stopped at Dollar General and resupplied our food and also bought a beard trimmer.  I was beginning to look homeless and was badly in need of some grooming.  There was a wonderful lady named Melissy who we'd spoken to briefly at the restaurant who pulled in to the Dollar store parking lot and offered us a ride back to our hotel.  These random acts of kindness happen more often than I would have thought possible and I'm always grateful.  We napped for a while in the afternoon after I mowed my beard and went to Wytheville with Angie (the lady who worked at the front desk of the hotel) and Bubba (the shuttle driver who is married to Angie.)  They were going to Wal-Mart and offered us a ride so I could look for a knee brace.  I may walk funny sometimes but if there's a way for me to patch my legs together so I can keep hiking I'm going to try it.  They dropped us at the Dairy Queen near the hotel and I got some special blizzard they're making that's filled with Reese's peanut butter stuff and candy too.  It was delicious!  Ginger says she's had enough Blizzards for a lifetime and was able to find a fruit alternative and seemed to enjoy that instead.  We finished our day in a quiet room with a comfortable bed.  It was great.
Date: 2017-06-09
From: Bland, VA

To: Jenny Knob shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:We had coffee in bed and then walked to Dairy Queen for breakfast.  Not spectacular but filling.  We spoke to Bubba and asked about a ride back to the trail.  He was going to be busy so we were offered a ride by Trina (a lady who works at the hotel.)  We were back hiking by 1100 and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.  It was clear and warm and the hiking was good.  We met a couple of other hikers and had brief conversations.  One man stopped and asked me if I was a veteran.  I sometimes wear a camo baseball cap that has a flag patch.  He thanked me for my service and that always makes me feel good.  I remember the way some of our veterans were treated when they returned from Vietnam and I'm glad those incidents are mostly in the past.  We were also passed by another hiker who was grumbling about the trail markers not being clear enough.  Some people seem to be able to find something to complain about no matter what.  The day continued with wonderful weather and we stopped at a shelter for a lunch break.  The grumbler from this morning was having lunch there also and she continued with her grumbling and negative comments.  The only positive comments she shared were about the hostel we'd avoided two days ago.  Taste is subjective.  Our hike began on a high note today but ended somewhat down.  Ginger developed sore feet and was tired and in pain over the last few miles.  We tried to stop before Jenny Knob Shelter but the water sources were dry and we wouldn't have enough for dinner or coffee.  We finally arrived at Jenny Knob and decided to tent.  The water source was only a trickle but we did have water so we were grateful to have our needs met for the day.  Tomorrow will bring its own challenges but today we were successful and happy.
Date: 2017-06-10
From: Jenny Knob shelter

To: Dismal Falls
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: few clouds

From Fatboy:When we went to bed there were only 5 hikers at the shelter but a group of hikers came into the area around Jenny Knob Shelter late in the night.  They had two-way radios and made quite a bit of noise for a little while but I went to sleep soon after and only noticed some snoring later.  I woke at 0515 and stepped out of our tent to find tents everywhere.  I mean everywhere!  There were about a dozen new tents that hadn't been there when I went to bed.  Our late night arrival was a Boy Scout Troop of 11 scouts and 5 leaders from Raleigh, North Carolina.  Ginger and I were out of bed shortly after 0600 and it was entertaining to watch the scouts pack up and get ready to hike.  They were just kids but they had good equipment and mostly seemed to know what they were doing.  I spoke with a couple of the adults to warn them about the scarcity of water on the trail because they were headed south.  They were appreciative of the information and left camp soon after.  We actually started hiking at 0730!  The early wake-up from the scouts had us moving earlier than usual.  We had the goal of Trent's Grocery Store 6 1/2 miles up the trail for lunch.  We arrived at Trent's before noon and had good cheeseburgers with fries for lunch.  We also met up with Cash Back, King Cake, Tunnel Rat, and Red in front of the store.  It was good to see each and Tunnel Rat told us about Dismal Falls and the good tenting in the vicinity.  The way he described it we had to go. We hiked to the Dismal Falls side trail and descended toward the falls.  The area was everything Tunnel Rat described and had the added benefit of a good swimming hole at the falls.  We selected a tent site and made our camp before we walked a short distance to the creek so I could swim.  The water was frigid and the cold on my feet and legs felt really good.  I didn't really swim but I cleaned my body in the cold water and washed out my stinking clothes.  It was glorious!  This was the type of experience I hoped to have on this hike and it was finally happening.  I laid my clothes out on bushes to dry and really enjoyed sitting in the sun in my wet underwear talking with Ginger and other hikers.  We gathered our water and went back to our camp and had coffee and dinner of Spam and garlic mashed potatoes.  Delicious and filling.  We hung our food in a bear bag and retired to our tent to read and write and escape the bugs.  We plan to make it to Woods Hole Hostel tomorrow so we need to rest up for a long day.
Date: 2017-06-13
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Plaza Motel -- Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:Oh my!  What a glorious day.  Ginger walked to the gas station before I was awake and brought me coffee in bed.  Does life get any better than this?  We enjoyed talking about our adventure and reflecting on how interesting this trip has been.  We had breakfast at Hardees.  I can't recall the last time I'd been to this restaurant but I certainly enjoy it now.  There are menu items called "Aporkalypse" which have insane calorie contents.  I had a biscuit combo with over 1000 calories and it was delicious.  I know I won't be able to continue eating like this once this hike is complete but I'm enjoying the free pass right now.  I've lost about 10% of my body mass and, other than torn up knees and feet, feel pretty good.  We spent the rest of the day resting.  I took a nap, read and played games on my Kindle.  We went to a Mexican restaurant last night (at Neville's recommendation) located right across the street from our hotel and enjoyed a taste of home.  Usually I avoid Mexican restaurants when we travel because they are generally not up to the standards of the places we go in Texas.  This Virginia version of Mexican food was very good and compares favorably to the real deal from home.  We watched TV and generally stayed off our feet.  It was a great zero-mile day.From Ginger:We're staying at the Plaza Motel, where Linda is taking great care of us. This place was recommended by Cash Back, and he is here for his second visit. The room is basic and very clean. Laundry services were provided free! There's no refrigerator or microwave, but we're OK without them. We're writing postcards in between our other activities. Tomorrow we'll check out another public library. Look out any window or from any direction as you walk outside, and the landscape here is beautiful. We've walked hundreds of miles and I can't get over these mountain views. I'm knitting a cosy for our cookset so Nathan doesn't have to give up his fleece every morning. My pack weight is down so much that I don't mind the extra items. One of these days we need to detail all the things we're carrying. We've tweaked it, of course, since the colder months, but it will be interesting to review them sometime in the future. It's hard to believe how little we need to use out here.
Date: 2017-07-16
To: Home, in Corpus Christi, Texas
Miles today: 0.0

Our adventure has continued but our AT hike has been interrupted. The pain in my feet and the swelling and pain in my right knee became so intense that I wasn't able to enjoy the journey. Ginger had also begun to have pain in her feet and we came to the joint decision to stop hiking. That was very emotional but also a big relief. Neither of us wanted to keep the other from attaining our goals but we also had agreed to not suffer. I have had the privilege of hiking with my best friend over 620 miles on a beautiful trail over some of the most interesting territory I can imagine. We've met some fascinating people and become friends with a few who will remain a part of my life forever. My faith in the goodness of strangers has been restored and my sense of awe and wonderment towards the power of nature has been renewed. I'm grateful and humbled and I'd do it all again without question. I'll always be glad I had the opportunity to go on our walk in the woods.Thank you for reading our journal and sharing our adventure.Fatboy
Date: 2016-12-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I've dreamed about hiking the Appalachian Trail for 25 years and began seriously, but hesitantly, considering it three years ago. Though I didn't admit it even to myself, subconsciously I was planning. Little by little I replaced all my heavy gear bought in the 90s with the newest lightest weight stuff I could afford thinking with every purchase "will I want to carry this on my back for 6 months?" Still I never spoke the words out loud, "I'm going to hike the AT!" I followed hikers on TrailJournals, read every book I could get my hands on, and talked about the trail to my friends til I'm sure they were sick of me. Though I'd hiked some of the AT in New England on day trips and short backpacking trips I'd never spent more than a few days on the trail. Then in late summer of 2015 I "officially" began section hiking with my first "longish" distance AT hike, a 12 day trip, with my friend Terry, hiking from Salisbury CT to Bennington VT completing my home state of Massachusetts. Publicly it was a section hike. Secretly, it was a shake-down hike. It was indescribably beautiful. We took our time, appreciating the crystal clear streams, farmland, rivers, beaver ponds and mountains. What it really did was to fuel the desire to really hike the trail. I'm not a risk-taker and I'm not particularly brave. But I want this more than anything. So I at least have to try. I asked for and got a three month leave of absence from work and in late March will hike the approach trail to Springer Mountain. My goal is to hike half the trail this year ending in Harpers Ferry. While I couldn't see leaving my job for 6 months I am grateful to have three. And if all goes well I'll be back for the rest. So I've told my co-workers. I've told my family and friends (who of course were not surprised.) I'll be backpacking alone for the first time in my life which is truly scary. Still it doesn't seem real. I am nothing but excited to do this but am waiting for the fear to kick in. Then, I think, the dream will finally feel real.
Date: 2017-01-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

So I was right. Fear kicked in over Christmas. Away from home and visiting family for four days I was staying in a strange house belonging to a friend of my sister's. On day one I got homesick. What the hell! I'm gonna be gone from home for three months walking through the middle of the woods alone! I panicked. I had already told everyone I know that I'm doing this and started the process of renting out my house. There's no going back. The one thing that calmed me down is this: I will forever regret if i dont try. And anticipating something is always scarier than doing it. And I love my tent. It truly is my home away from home and i always feel good when I'm in it. And I'll be surrounded by people and i always push myself to talk to strangers when I'm alone and have met many interesting people that way. And really the whole Christmas thing was because I usually have Christmas at my house and i missed it. A glass of wine and catching up with family and i was fine.It was really a fear of lonliness. I will for the first time in my life be backpacking alone, something I thought I'd never do. When I got home I made a playlist of my musician friends' songs so I can hear their voices on the trail. I reached out to the hiking community on line. I talked to friends who assured me I can call and text them any time. They'll still be here when I get back. That fear finally made it real. I know it'll come back again,probably when I book my flight to Georgia - one way. But for now I am simply excited!
Date: 2017-01-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Things are falling into place. I found someone to rent my house for three months! They are a nice young couple referred to me by a friend who are saving money for medical school. In exchange for low rent, they will be taking care things while I'm gone - watering my plants, mowing the lawn, watching over the house. So I'll be moving this spring - to the Appalachian Trail!
Date: 2017-02-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Booked a one way flight to Georgia. 26 days to go and I am so excited! I had been so caught up with planning that has nothing to do with hiking - getting my house ready to rent, finding a temporary replacement at work - I was losing sight of how much this hike means to me. I had been feeling more scared and anxious than anything. Finally I got my old excitement back!I have only two goals in life. One is to complete the AT, even if in sections. The other is to climb a mountain every month of my life for as long as I can. (I won't be moving to Florida anytime soon!). I have been pretty faithful to the second one since I began five years ago. Of all the times to be falling short of my monthly hike goal now is not the time, yet somehow I missed December and January. Last weekend I finally got back to my favorite mountain to hike in winter and totally rekindled my drive to do this! Mt. Monadnock in southern New Hampshire is less than 2 hours from Boston and at just over 3000ft it is small enough to be manageable on short winter days but challenging enough to be tons of fun! Last Sunday the sun was warm, the sky brilliant blue, ice and snow were streaming down the mountain all around my friend Jude and me, and from the summit we could see the tiny skyline of Boston about 70 miles away. It was a rare day! Boston has been having the kind of weather you dream about. I love all the seasons, including winter ¢ cold, snow, all of it. But every New Englander knows there is something insanely amazing about a 70 degree day in February. The city streets fill with people. Street musicians come out to play. A sense of euphoria fills the air. We haven¢t seen anything like this since the Patriots won the Superbowl ¢ again. Okay so that was only three weeks ago but you get the drift. These are the days that get you psyched for walking in the woods, eating, sleeping, and living outside. I¢m completely prepared for winter camping at the start, at least as much as I¢ll ever be, but this weather has got me daydreaming about nights by the fire and sleeping in my tent. I can¢t wait to get down there and begin.
Date: 2017-03-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Two days to go! Thursday was my last "official" day of work for a while though still wrapping things up today. My co-workers gave me a card with good luck wishes. They have been incredibly supportive picking up extra work to cover my responsibilities while I'm gone. I am grateful to them all - especially Rachel G., Bonnie and Helaine, and Ronnie for giving me the time off to do this. Though I am not doing this hike as a fundraiser I want to let readers of this journal know about the great work my organization does. The Irish International Immigrant Center is a non-profit based in the Irish traditions of social justice and "Welcoming the stranger" that supports immigrants and refugees from all over the world with legal, wellness and education services. Some of our clients have endured hardships far beyond what I will experience on the trail.I am extremely proud of the work IIIC does and to work with such an amazing group of dedicated people.If you are interested in learning more, check out our website: http://www.iiicenter.org/
Date: 2017-03-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Got a one way ticket to Georgia flying out tomorrow morning! Doing my final packing preparing my pack for the flight. I am excited and nervous (still!) and trying not to think too much. I decided that I don't want to start without a trail name (very important!) Until (or unless) someone gives me a better one I'm using JJ which is a nickname my father and stepmom call me. Feels a little more natural than something like Squeaky cause my boots squeak every time I take a step. Probably shouldn't have told you all that!
Date: 2017-03-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Staying at the Hiker Hostel. It's as beautiful as everyone says it is. I had my shoes off, hung out on the porch and chatted with other hikers. It was a fun day of swapping stories, weighing packs and debating the merits of taking the approach trail verses going straight to Springer. At least 5 of us will take the approach trail which is a tough extra 9 miles to get to the AT. But it looks really beautiful and I may never come this way again so I'm going for it. Tomorrow begins the hard journey.
Date: 2017-03-23
From: Amicalola 

To: Springer Mountain 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Updating only on town to save battery. Sorry for delay...Spent the night at Springer Mt Shelter after hiking the approach Trail. The falls were beautiful and I'm so glad I took the approach. It was a bit chilly but I was cozy in my tent. Enjoyed my dinner - chili - and the company of other hikers. Amanda, Chris from Connecticut, Satchel, Little Bug Devon and Susan his mom and a few others. So happy to have started this journey.
Date: 2017-03-24
From: Springer Mountain 

To: Hawk Mt Shelter 
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: broken clouds

First day on the AT. Springer to Hawk Mt. Had fun meeting interesting people. One who stands out is Happy Pants. He's a Southbounder who was hiking his last day on the way to Springer Mountain and the end of his hike. He and his buddies hiked through the winter!  I asked him how it was hiking the trail through the winter. He said "gnarly"! I bet!Another one is Lucy "Tequila Mockingbird"  who was spectacularly ill prepared. She decided five days earlier to do the trail and came on with a 3 pound child's sleeping bag with turtles on it and no rain jacket. She was quite entertaining (loud talker!) and a great sport. Others were trying to help her out but last I heard she had left the trail. Being an obsesive planner I have to give her credit for just jumping in.
Date: 2017-03-25
From: Hawk Mt Shelter 

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Working on getting an early start which is hard for me. I skipped coffee and hot oatmeal today and just had an instant breakfast. Got on about 8:45?? I'm guessing. It's so dark in the morning still at 7am. I see other people moving around with headlamps but it's tough to begin when you're snug in your bag. I'm developing a routine of starting each morning by stretching inside my sleeping bag. No sore muscles yet son must be working These Georgia woods are beautiful. I hike all day with views of the mountains on either side through the bare trees, and through rhododendron tunnels. I have lunch listening to streams and wake up listening to barred owls calling to each other. It's a good life.
Date: 2017-03-26
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter 

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

So while we were hanging out at the shelter a guy came up the trail with apples and said that he and a group of people would be treating hikers to breakfast the next morning down at Gooch gap. Trail magic! That got my butt out of bed early! Whenever I got down to the gap and saw the canapy set up and hot coffee and egg and sausage muffins, fresh fruit and yogurt , banana bread, chairs to sit in I nearly cried. It amazed me that people would do this. This group had been providing trail Magic for nine years. They had been there all week offering dinner and breakfast to hikers. They were people who loved hiking and the trail community and this was their way of sharing their spirituality.The group I was hiking with were all there. Chris, Satchel, Little Bug, Pecostin? And his dog who are from Germany. We continued on to woody gap and got there at about lunch. More trail magic! Hot dogs burgers a fire and oldies on the radio. It was a bit drizzly and so nice to warm by the fire and have hot chocolate. These guys just loved hiking and became trail angels to be part of the community. My plan that day was for nine miles. But all that food got me to Lance Creek at 2:30 pm. I thought about pushing on another 2.5 miles but it was so pretty I stayed. Then I was antsy. Lesson learned: if you have daylight hours and energy left keep hiking!
Date: 2017-03-27
From: Lance Creek

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: light rain

Enjoyed a gorgeous view from my tent over looking distant mountains and the creek below. And a cup of coffee in my tent. I had 7.4 or so miles to Neel gap and reservation at Blood Mt cabin where shower and laundry awaited. Hiked through cloud all day and up Blood Mt. Met Satchel and LB at the top and several other hikers. We were thick in cloud and mist, missing some great views I know but it was lovely in its own way. Coming down the mountain it was steep and rocky in sections kinda like the hiking back home and it was tons of fun. Familiarity can be good. At Neel Gap saw Amanda who had gotten ahead but had to take a 0 day because of her knee. Chris was th er email too and Satchel and Little Bug. So most of the people I started with were together again.Satchel, LB and I split a cabin at Blood Mt Cabins. They are awesome.
Date: 2017-03-28
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

Contaminated water at hog end and low gap so filled up and had a heavy load. King Tut was giving trail magic at Tesnatee gap. Ended a beautiful day at Low Gap and had a nice little group to camp with including Satchel, Little Bug and Amanda, Pecostin? And his dog. We had been together off and on since Springer. It was a nice night.tiff
Date: 2017-03-29
From: Low Gap

To: Rocky Mountain
Miles today: 11.1

Today's the first night I am hiking separate from the group I started with. They are one shelter behind me but I wanted to do a longer day. It was a hard decision to separate from the people I knew but in needed to move on. In the end it was a good decision. I camped at the top of a mountain and watched sunset and moonrise and fell asleep under the stars. It was truly beautiful. A few other campers including a nice family were there and built a fire to chat by. An odd thing about these mountains: you can hear wind howling somewhere on another peak but it can be completely still where you are. So it was on Rocky Mt.