morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-23
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Spent the day hanging out with Crutch, Becca, Spiller, an others at the NOC. Had a creepy Cherokee guy named Skyhawk try to plan my future love life with his astrology banter....spare me. I escaped him, but many others did not...6 hrs long of his mars vs venus vs aries was a little too much for me. Tonight me, Spiller, Angie, Peter, Matchstick, and Tailgunner went down the road to a BYOB place called Pizza on the River....very bohemian, but great pizza. Hiking out tomorrow.
Date: 2008-04-24
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

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

Tough climb out of the NOC. Joining me here tonight is Crutch, Becca, Mountain Lion, Dawahea, and a couple from California. Unfortunately, Spiller woke up to find her ankle swollen up pretty bad, so she arranged a ride from NOC to CLoud 9 to heal up...hope to see her down the trail. Big miles planned tomorrow....we'll see how I do.
Date: 2008-04-25
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: light rain

Long long long day. The climb up to Brown Fork shelter was hell. Near vertical trail for 1/2 a mile in the rain....it was "fun". Got to see a tree fall over 20 feet from me..that was very eerie and cool at the same time. Atleast I can say I know what a tree sounds like when it falls in the woods...its loud. Crawled into Fontana Dam shelter around 7:30. Prolly 30 people here tonight. Lots of beer and cards going on. This shelter i amazing. Right on the lake with views of the Smokies....A+
Date: 2008-04-26
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero day...picked up my maildrop from the post office in Fontana Dam Village. Went to breakfast buffet in the village with 7 other hikers...and a great couple (who plan on hiking the AT in 3 yrs) picked up our entire tab plus tip! Trail magic at its best! I pretty much just hung out on the porch of the general store all day. Stormed this morning. Hope weather is better tomorrow.
Date: 2008-04-27
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Rained alllllll day. Made it down to the dam with my pack ready hike when a deluge came. Pondered whether to climb into the Smokies (first 4 miles have 3000 ft of elev. gain) in the rain all day. Chose to take another zero.
Date: 2008-04-29
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

Finally hiked out of Fontana early this afternoon. Crossed the dam (tallest in the East) then entered the Great Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park. Well, 3 miles in...Spiller lets out a "holy sh*t!". I look up and about 100 yds up the trail is a full grown black bear. It eyed us then gently walked up the ridge and looked back down at us. We could see the brown in his face. Our first bear! Awesome. We climbed the fire tower on Shuckstack Mountain, good views of the smokies. Aiming for 17 miles tomorrow....
Date: 2008-04-30
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Okay, today sucked. 2 miles in I realize I forgot my guidebook and maps at the shelter. Had to backtrack and get them....four uncredited miles REALLY made my day, let me tell you. The views from Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mtn nearly made up for the crappy start to the day. Not quite 17 miles, but made it to Derrick Knob around 7.
Date: 2008-05-01
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

Amazing day! Me and Spiller finally made it into the evergreens. The flora changed in an instant...it was wild. This was the first real scenery change of the entire trip. Summited Clingmans Dome (highest point on A.T.) aound 3 pm with clear skies. Tons of tourists up there. They took pictures of us like we were a circus attraction. They looked clean and portly, and we looked like weve been in the woods for 3 weeks....it was pretty surreal.
Date: 2008-05-02
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap - Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Made it into the gap around 930 this morning. ALOT of tourists...and we found a rare NC/TN state line sign (the entire trail in the smokies IS the state line) and took pictures as a group. Hitched into Gatlinburg. If you have never been to Gatlinburg, um, skip it. The most tacky place I have ever been in my life. More t-shirt stores, fudgeries, and ice cream stands than you can imagine. Ate at Wendys, went to the post office, and got a room at the Grand Prix Hotel with a big group. Bad storms are forcasted for tomorrow, so we might be here till late tomorrow.
Date: 2008-05-03
From: Newfound Gap - Gatlinburg, TN

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Was shuttled back up to Newfound Gap by the hotel owner around 1 pm today. Temperature dropped 20 degrees by the time we reached the pass. It was cold, rainy, a foggy as we made up our way north. We reached Charlie's Bunion and took pictures, the view was nonexistent to say the least. The weather cleared up by 5 or so and had a beautiful easily graded hike down to the shelter. Not bad for leaving so late today.
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: clear sky

Wow, huge miles today coming out of the Smokies. It was a ridgewalk all day so we had limitless views for the entire duration. The morning was nice looking down into the valleys with low layer fog everywhere. Above the clouds! We exited the park at around 6 pm, crossed under I-40 then made our way to Standing Bear Farm. Standing Bear is a hostile run by a guy named Curtis nestled in a narrow valley just inside the Tennessee border. A very bohemian place. Just a bunch of shacks, but had a great group of people. I love this place. 23 miles was a new high for me today!
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel

To: Max Patch Bald
Miles today: 13.6

Finally crawled out of Standing Bear around 1130 in the morning and immediately trudged up a long drawn out incline. Once we reached the top of Snowbird Mtn we could see our destination for the night. Max Patch is a huge bald with 360 deg. views. 5 hours later we got there. Despite the wind, it was amazing. Had a an amazing sunset.
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Max Patch Bald

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: clear sky

Long day, but worth it. Got to Hot Springs after only 8 hrs of hiking, not bad for me. I suppose it helps with most of it being downhill. Oh, thank God we camped up on the bald...every shelter and campground to Hot Springs had reported a bear stealing food bags. Hung out at a campfire with some friends tonight. Will try to make it out of town tomorrow.
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Was able to get out of Hot Springs at around 1230 today. Hard climb out of town, but was rewarded with a good view looking back at town. Took my time getting to the shelter and was lucky enough to snag a space to lay down my bag. Good thing cause it rained hard later on. Here with Mr. J, Silent Prayer, Campfire, Samson, and Free Wil.
Date: 2008-05-10
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

A relatively easy day today despite the crappy water locations. Had a good view from an unnamed peak of Sam's Gap and the interstate. I know it doesnt sound exciting, but seeing a major highway means a town is nearby with real food...Erwin in a few days...cant wait.
Date: 2008-05-12
From: Sam's Gap (I-26)

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow, what a day. Instead of carrying 30-35 lbs on my back, I carried less than 10 today. Was shuttled back to Sam's Gap to make up the miles I skipped out on yesterday. Hiked with Campfire and Samson. Made it to Big Bald at at around 1130 and summitted with 50+ mph sustained winds on top. I had to lean forward at a pretty drsatic angle just to stay on my feet. We had zero visibility on top with the fog. Amazing experience to say the least. The rest of the day was uneventful but the sun did finally come out. Finally made it into the Hostile at around 645. Today was my biggest mileage day so far....small pack or not, im hurting.
Date: 2008-05-14
From: Erwin, TN

To: Trail Days- Damascus,VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

caught a shuttle to damascus, va for trail days. Trail Days is the premier festival on the AT. All the major gear vendors and trail enthusiasts make it out. Was able to help out with a company for a little while. Having a good time so far. Oh, my pinkly toe will be fine, these next few days of rest will really help.
Date: 2008-05-19
From: Erwin, TN

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

It felt good hiking again today. Got out of town around 130 pm and hiked till the sun was setting. Found a great campsite just past Beauty Spot. Here with Dawahe, Flutterby, Firefly, Archaeoptrix, Storyteller, and Panama Snail.
Date: 2008-05-20
From: Deep Gap

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

One hail of a day. The day was going great until I made it up on top of Iron Mountain. I heard thunder and thought I could outrun the storm and make it off the ridge in time....I was wrong. Luckily at the summitt of the mountain there were a group of very large boulders for me crawl under just as the first round of hail came. I was huddled there for over 40 minutes as the second hail storm came in. I finally thought the storm was done and headed down the mountain, but alas!...it hailed once more for good measure. I made it in to the shelter soaked just as the sun came back out....fun day....
Date: 2008-05-21
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

By far the single best day of hiking for me on the trail so far. Once I was able to get up and over Roan Mountain (the last 6000 ft mtn until NH) every step I took was amazing. I finally entered the Roan Highlands. This is a section that I have looked forward to since I began researching the trail. A series of balds without any tree cover for miles. I had a view at all times...amazing. To top it off, I stayed at the most famous shelter on the trail..Overmountain Shelter, a huge red barn that looks down into an endless valley....PERFECT
Date: 2008-05-23
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Kincora Hostile, TN
Miles today: 15.6

A good hiking day today. The weather has continued to be great and the semi-level terrain we're on right now has been amazing. The hostile I am staying at is awesome. A very rustic place run by great people. Was shuttled into town (Hampton, TN) for a resupply and some Arbys.
Date: 2008-05-25
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: clear sky

A loooong day. This morning i hiked across the dam then straight up Iron Mountain. Stayed up on its ridge for the next 14 miles before diving down into a little valley with a scenic little meadow. Made it into the shelter around 7. Pushing for the Virginia border tomorrow, woohoo!
Date: 2008-05-26
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: few clouds

Ahhh. finally a new state. Unfortunately I will be in Virginia for the next 550 miles, a quarter of the entire trail! Made it into town around 3 promptly took a shower at "The Place"...a hostile owned by the Methodist Church in town. I get to eat real food and update this site today...hope to get out on the trail again tomorrow.
Date: 2008-05-30
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a very nice day. Had good views from Buzzard Rock and the area around Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia. After MT. Rogers the trail took us through the Grayson Highlands, an area known for unusual rock outcroppings and wild ponies. The landscape reminded me more of the West than anything I've seen on the trail so far. Very nice hiking today and I got to feed some ponies!
Date: 2008-05-31
From: Wise Shelter

To: Troutdale, VA
Miles today: 16.1

A relatively easy hike today as I made my way into Troutdale. Troutdale is a very small town that pretty much is made up of a post office, diner and a church. I had a good meal at the diner, then I went to a bunkhouse behind the church and took a shower. I shared the bunkhouse with one more hiker and two guys from Baltimore riding their bikes to San Fransisco. Oh, saw two more bears today.Trip Bear Count: 5
Date: 2008-06-01
From: Troutdale, VA

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

Got back on trail today with intentions of going 20+ miles but the weather had other plans. At around 1 pm it started storming pretty bad as I was making my way across a ridge. With lightning crashing all around all I wanted to do wasget off the ridge, but with no easy way of doing so, I kept pushing forward. 3 hours of drenching rain I finally came off the ridge and made it to a shelter. Everything was soaked. My pack cover did not work, instead water seaped inside and completely saturated everything including my sleeping bag. Not a fun day.
Date: 2008-06-02
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Made it down the mountain today carrying an extra 20 lbs or so in water weight from the day before, not fun. Got into Atkins around 1 pm and laid everything out in the sun. Share a room with a few other hikers and watched espn. A drying out day...
Date: 2008-06-04
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: few clouds

Whelp, saw 2 more bears today...2 cubs hiding up a tree..very cool. After seeing the bears, I lunched up on Chestnut Knob. The last 12 miles today I went without water....not a fun day. Worst day of hiking by far on the trip. Very hot and humid with annoying PUDS (pointless ups and downs) ALL DAY.
Date: 2008-06-03
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings. Officially less than a month away from the long walk. I decided that I was going to hike the trail about a year and a half ago. It was between that and becoming an MMA fighter and I'm just not sure that I could give Kimbo Slice a match. Although, those of you that know me know that it would just take a couple of beers for me to think that I had a shot. As I was doing my training hikes Jeff came up from LA and accompanied me on a couple of outings. He did not express interest in joining the trip outright, but I could see that he was giving it some serious thought. I was pretty sure that I wanted this adventure to be my own. Well, a few months later I asked Jeff if he wanted in. I figured that out of all of our friends and family we just may be the two that could get this done together. He called a couple of weeks later and said he was in. Let the planning begin!I had already begun to get my equipment on my gear list. Jeff had just started and was bouncing ideas off of me on which gear he should consider. Needless to say, we now have several pieces of identical equipment. Not all due to Jeff mind you. I managed to buy the exact same rain jacket soon after he had purchased his. So if you all see two dudes hiking up Kathadin with black Marmot Precip jackets, REI day pack/stuff sacks, and Asolo Flame boots well... that's us.We took a three day shakedown trip in the Smokies a couple of weeks ago and found out several things. Our gear is is as comfortable and easy to operate as we could have imagined. We are pretty confindent that we can put in the necessary miles with our current loads. Deer are feerless of humans in the park as opposed to the two guys in their tents who couldn't sleep due to the fear of a Squatch encounter on the first night. We came out of the woods in good spirits. Now let's hope we can apply that to a 6 month trip!This journal should be a good way to keep tabs on our progress as well as our countless misadventures. Cheers to those of you going southbound!Patrick
Date: 2008-06-14
From: None

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Fifteen days and counting! So I think Jeff has taken my bear encounter action plan to heart. I told him that all I had to do was outrun him. He pointed out that there is some debate as to which one of us is more fleet of foot. Then I explained to him that any doubt is erased when I grab and toss him toward the bear before displaying my world class speed.Jeff has purchased bear spray. As he digs in his pack for the spray I will be a half mile down the trail. Brilliant.All of the gear has been purchased and tested. I have to pick up some rain pants and a dromendary bag at the Nashville REI on the 26th. It gives me a chance to have a final visit with the Wilson's before the trip.Spent last weekend celebating my brother Bendon's wedding to the lovely Amanda. It was a great chance to spend time with family and friends. Fun was had by all. I love fireworks.Trebor and I had lunch the other day to finalize our drive up to Maine. Treb is my benevolent friend who has volunteered to drive us to Katahdin from Knoxville, Tennessee. Quite a guy if you ask me. His trip has a dual purpose as he gets to spend some time in Boston to visit family and friends (and make a movie?).Should be a good time.Patrick
Date: 2008-06-22
From: Home

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Wow. The final week of prep begins. Now that Donovan and Mandy's wedding is now in the rear view, I can focus on ramping up for Maine. What a wedding it was! For those of you keeping tally, that makes 16 weddings that I have been in. Not to... IN! I have come to the conclusion that it has nothing to do with friendship or personality. I just look so damn good in a tux. Tails... four times. Seersucker... once. Dress blues... been there. These guys just can't resist having a good looking guy like me in their wedding party... yeah right. But I am going to write a book.Sarah and I had to cancel our plan to crash Brendon and Amanda's honeymoon in NoCal. Being 8 months pregnant just is not conducive to travel. We didn't have enough time to get them lifesize cutouts of us so that we could be in all of the pictures. I know that they were crushed.Jeff get's to Knoxville tomorrow. We will have a list of our mail drop locations so that those of you that want to send us goodies will have an idea of when and where to send them. All that stuff about sending too much... we'll eat it (or drink it). Pastries, cookies, meatballs, Jack Daniels... all will be accepted and appreciated. Please sign the guest book when you stop by. We would love to hear from you.Patrick
Date: 2008-06-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Leg one of the journey, gulf shores to knoxville wahoooo!! just need to buy a few pair of socks and i am done. Knees are a little creaky after playing basketball a couple of times and putting on a freestyle dance clinic at the hangout in the GS, but i am ready to go. sign the guest book Jeff rueben el jeffe' jackson
Date: 2008-06-30
From: Knoxville

To: Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Finally made it to Maine!Treb picked Jeff and I up at 3:40 at the condo and after 27 hours of driving we are holed up in the Econo Lodge in Millinocket, Maine. We drove straight through to Littleton, MA to meet up with Treb's buddy Shim at his house. Absolutely a great guy considering we showed up at his doorstep at 7:30am! Thanks for everything Shim. We had plannned to drive in shifts so that we could still get some rest on the way up... not a chance. The only one that could sleep in the small bench seat in the back was Jeff. Go figure. In his defense, he only slept a couple of hours. Treb and I split the driving 50/50. No small feat considering my passenger issues.The trip was a breeze until about 150 miles out of Millinocket when the skies opened up and our comedy of errors began. After a stop to add a few items to our packs (which I did not have any room to add any more weight... but I digress), we took them out of their trash bag cocoons under beautifully clear skies for the final leg. The Chinese Fire Drill that followed the first drops of rain would have made Mao proud. I apologize to any folks that saw us on the side of I95 on three seperate occasions in the driving rain rearranging our gear. What a mess.   Long story short... we're here and we are so completely exhausted that we cannot get to sleep. We plan to get to Baxter in the morning and decide if we want to hike Katahdin then instead of waiting until Wednesday. We are a day ahead of schedule and have a few options on how to proceed. Will post tomorrow on what the final decision was. Many thanks to Trebor for getting us here. You are a true friend and I cannot wait to see you in Georgia.Did you all see that 215lb Sasquatch on the diving board? Priceless.Patrick
Date: 2008-07-01
From: Millinocket

To: katahdin springs campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Despite all of our excitement on arriving last night we have made a wise decision and are taking a mostly rest day at the campground today and will climb katahdin tomorrow. Very excited about starting, and also a more than little nervous about the trail but that is a big part of what makes it an adventure. I think we have everything, but if we dont't oh well.See you in Monson.
Date: 2008-07-13
From: katahdin springs campground

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 114.5
Weather: broken clouds

Hey folks! We made it through the hundred mile wilderness. We learned a lot to say the least. We saw a gigantic bull moose on our first day out. How fortunate for us! Otherwise, the trail in Maine has been both beautiful and challenging. We are in Monson at the Lake Shore House getting some much needed rest time before we head out this morning for Stratton.Jeff has aquired a trail name. Tree. The name is appropriate for several reasons not the least of which is is knack for falling from, bouncing off of, and running smack dab into his namesake. Great comedy for all... or maybe just me. I have yet to have one but I am certain that he has a couple in mind that he is hesitant to say aloud.We will try and get this journal updated in a more timely manner as soon as we get a system down.Our "for sure" mail drop location will be in a couple of weeks in NH. This does not include the boxes that Jeff left for folks to send, just a place that we know we are stopping so that you all can send something.Patrick WrightGeneral DeliveryGlencliff, NH 03238Please hold for through hikerThanks to everyone who has signed in and said hello. You have no idea how good it is to hear from you!Welcomed Lila Rose Wilson to this world on Tuesday! Congratulations Sarah, Brad, and Grace!Having a great time and miss you all.Patrick
Date: 2008-07-15
From: Monson

To: Carratunk(Northern Outdoors Resort)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

So... decided to make a pit stop in Carratunk to fill up on micro brew and greasy food to celebrate the birthdays. Jonathan, a member of the Austin, Texas Trio's is today with mine following tomorrow. Heard this place had good beer and a hot tub so we could not resist.We had a little tough going up until our break in Monson. Jeff and I miscalculated our daily caloric needs... by a whole hell of a lot, which led to some miserable climbing days. I'm not sure that I have ever bonked like that. After some grilling of some northbounders we have the problem solved. Food, or the lack thereof, is no longer a problem. Our trail legs seem to be just around the corner. Hope everyone is well. We will write more in Stratton in a couple of days.Patrick