morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-20
To: Last Day At Home
Miles today: 0.0

It's starting to get real today. I now have everything packed and ready to go. I've called my credit cards and let them know I'll be traveling so that hopefully I don't have any issues with them. I have all of my bills either paid for the next 6 months or they are being automatically paid, and I've got my insurance all in order in case something happens. It was strange enough when I left all of my belongings and my car in a storage unit in North Carolina, but now I'm having to leave the few remaining things that I had brought with me to Indiana and leave with just my backpack. It's strange to think that I will be living off of just what I can carry on my back for the next 5-6 months. My dog, Belle, knows something is up and has been extra attached to me today, which of course is breaking my heart even more. Even my cat, Tuna, seems to be hanging around me more than usual. I am going to miss those furry animals so much while I'm gone, but I know they will be in good hands. It looks like it's going to rain for the first couple days on the trail, but I guess there is no better time to get used to it than at the very beginning. 3 am tomorrow can't come soon enough. I am so ready to head to Georgia and start the trail.
Date: 2013-03-21
To: Last Day Before I Start The Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It's finally here. Tonight is the last night before I begin the trail. I'm so happy that I was able to spend my Mom's birthday with her before we start the trail in the morning. I feel surprisingly calm about everything right now and feel like I am as prepared as I possibly can be to begin this journey. I will take whatever comes at me and deal with it as best I can. It looks like we may get some snow and definitely rain, cold tempuratures, and heavy winds. Why not start out with a bang. It has really helped having my Mom, Angie, and Whitney here to start the trail with me because everytime I second guess a piece of gear or something small I can talk it out with them and I quickly realize I already thought through my current questions. All of my preperations for this adventure has once again proven how supportive and amazing my friends and family are, and I feel so blessed to have them all in my life. I also can't wait to meet all of the other hikers on the trail and start this next chapter. My main goals for this thru-hike are to have an amazing adventure, meet awesome people, and be open to all of the changes that are coming my way. Let the journey begin!
Date: 2013-03-22
From: Springer Mountain

To: Shelter Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.3

I'm the 573 northbound thru hiker to check in at Amicola St. Park visitor center and my pack weighed in at 25 pounds. It's cold but I'm so excited! The approach trail was beautiful and definitely a workout. 11.4 miles total for the day but only 2.3 on the actual AT. We stayed at Stover creek shelter and had the entertainment of about 10 boy scouts. It was a great first day and I really wasn't too sore.
Date: 2013-03-23
From: Shelter Creek Shelter

To: Gooch mountain shelter 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Last night it starting raining around 3 am so we started our hike in the rain. We quickly warmed up and started shedding layers even though the temps were cold. We had a fairly easy 5 mile hike to the first shelter where we had lunch and then I had to say goodbye to my Mom, Angie, and Whitney. It was sad to say goodbye but I'm so happy they could share in this adventure with me. The next 8 miles were pretty tough but I made it to the shelter around 5. I was the first at the shelter but seconds later more hikers started showing up. We ended up having about 15 people at the shelter and it was one thru hikers birthday so we sang and helped him celebrate. It was another good day. Tomorrow should be a shorter day because you either have to do an 8 mile day or a 16 because you can't camp without a bear canister between the two sections. I think I'm going to go for the 8 mile day.
Date: 2013-03-24
From: Gooch mountain shelter 

To: Lance creek 
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night it started down pouring and then a thunderstorm rolled in. I was definitely glad to be in the shelter! This morning I took my time getting ready because I knew if I left too early I would have pushed through to neel gap and I really wanted to take it ready today and allow my body to recover. I ended up hiking with Shan and Bruce all day and we stopped at lance creek around 1:15 after a fairly easy 8.5 mile day. We could have pushed on but decided to play it smart this early on. This will be my first night sleeping in my tent on the trail. We heard it might snow tonight but we'll see. My body is feeling pretty good except my shoulders are a little sore and my right knee is a bit sore but doesn't really hurt while I'm hiking. Hopefully the rest does me good and I feel refreshed tomorrow!
Date: 2013-03-25
From: Lance creek 

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I made it to neels gap after hiking blood mountain in the snow and ice. Fell twice and bruised my knee pretty good but I'm staying at the hostel tonight and it's nice to be in a warm bed tonight and have dinner made for us. We're also watching old vhs movies which is pretty sweet! The snow and wind is pretty crazy today so I'm glad to be out of it. I'm staying at the hostel with Bruce, Shan, Day Pack, Kristen, and 12 others. It's suppose to snow again tomorrow and then turn in to rain but we've been taking it ready the last couple days so we plan on a longer day tomorrow.
Date: 2013-03-26
From: Neel Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Staying at the hostel was such an amazing experience. Pirate made us blueberry pancakes for breakfast and we set off on for an 18 mile day. We were all feeling great and got in 10 miles before 1. At that time we were all talking about skipping the next shelter and doing a 20 plus mile day but a few hours later we were dragging and couldn't wait to get to the next shelter at blue mountain. When we finally arrived at the shelter there were already 3 people there but since it was freezing and snowing we squeezed 5 more people into the 6 person shelter. The wind was blowing like crazy and the temperature was in the teens but luckily there were two tattoos blocking the side of the shelter so we didn't get all of the wind. Staying at the shelter were Shan, Bruce, Robert, Bitter Goat, and myself. We quickly made dinner and got into our sleeping bags and then laughed and talked nonsense for the next couple hours. The topics included bee pollen (in great depth), super heroes, food, and our plans for the following day. Trying to sleep at night was extremely difficult due to the cold and inability to move because we had the shelter packed so tight but we made it through the night.
Date: 2013-03-27
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

Originally the plan was to try and make it into town today and stay at a hotel but we quickly realized that town was a little further than we originally thought. The day was beautiful though and the temperature was getting warmer and we could see views for the first time since today was the first day that it didn't rain or snow. We took a short break for lunch and decided that we would get to the next shelter and then go into town the next day. When we got to the shelter it was really full but a lot of people were camping and we were able to squeeze into the shelter. Some trail names have been established now but I still don't have one. Shan is now Ratagasta (from the Hobbit) and Bruce is Long Trail (because he starts tons of stories with "when I hiked the long trail"). Tomorrow's plan is to get up at 6am and hit the trail by 7 to hike 4 miles and catch a 9am shuttle into town. Today was a great day and with the weather getting nicer, I'm getting even more excited for the weeks and months to come.
Date: 2013-03-28
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I did not sleep much at all last night and was very ready to get up at 6am. We packed up camp and were on the trail by 6:40. We watched the sun come up while we hiked and bitter goat gave me my trail name this morning which is K2Summit. It has many meanings one of which is Kristen to summit Katahdin. Long trail's name has also changed to LT. Cookoo Bird. Robert's name is now Walmart. We all made it into Hiawassee, GA and got a room at the Holiday Inn. We then walked to Hardy's and pigged out on some of the most amazing food I've ever eaten. Next we hit up the grocery store to resupply and also got stuff to make nachos that we plan to make before going to the all you can eat buffet for dinner. This was a much needed easy day and the soft bed feels amazing! My right knee is pretty sore, especially on down hills, so I will ice it good today while we take it eaay and give it some time to rest. Tomorrow we will continue towards Franklin, NC and we will complete our first state in a couple days.
Date: 2013-03-29
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Whiteoak Stamp Campground
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The day in town was a much needed rest and I think I ate enough to last me a few days. We've figured out that we are burning at least 5000 calories a day so we are always either eating food it talking about it. All you can eat buffets are definitely the way to go and as a group we destroyed the one last night. Sleeping in a bed with real pillows last night was such an amazing experience and I was able to catch up on all my missed sleep. The plan was to get up at 6 30 for breakfast and then go back to sleep and get up by 9 for a second breakfast but when my alarm went off we all ignored it and slept in only leaving time for one breakfast. After eating we packed up our stuff and got a ride back to the trail head. We started hiking about 12 30 and around 4pm we crossed the boarder into North Carolina. It felt pretty great to complete GA in a week. Quickly after crossing into NC the terrain changed and we started climbing straight up. It was very slow going but we managed to make it to the top and even stopped to play in a tree for a little bit. When we got to the shelter it was already full and there wasn't any room to camp so we hiked about another mile and found a place to camp along the side of the trail. It was pretty cold out and there was snow on the ground but after we set up camp and made dinner, we stood outside in the dark and cold and hung out and laughed for a while before heading to bed. Walmart now goes by the name Walmart Dirtbag because he makes hiking gear out of random things he find. However at night Walmart dirtbag doesn't like to sleep on his own sleeping pad and has acquired the name night rapist. We've found that hiking all day and being cold at night makes for pretty hilarious conversations and keeps us very entertained. Our group really works well together and we have a ton of fun together.
Date: 2013-03-30
From: Whiteoak Stamp Campground

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

It rained a bit last night so we all had to put our wet tents into our bags which defiantly added some weight, but since it was raining, it was at least above freezing and I slept fairly warm. Last night was probably the best night of sleep I've had on the trail yet. We made a communal pot of hot chocolate/cappuccino for breakfast and it was delicious and helped to warm us up. Bitter goat also made some broth using a bullion cube that was rather delicious. After breakfast, we were back on the trail and after a couple hours of hiking we came across our second experience of trail magic. A couple was just setting up a table with fruit, brownies, cookies, sodas, and they made us chilli cheese dogs that were absolutely amazing. They were such nice people and we stood around and chatted for a while before hiking over Indian mountain, the highest point we have climbed so far. I feel like I am definitely starting to get my trail legs because the ups are not as hard as they were when I started. We got to the shelter early, around 3, and decided to enjoy the rest of the day and make a fire. Ratagasta and I made dinner for our group to use up one of walmarts heavy meals while the boys made tea for everyone over the fire. After dinner we sat by the fire and enjoyed talking with the other hikers in camp. About 10 minutes after we went to bed in the shelter, it started raining and rained throughout the night.
Date: 2013-03-31
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 15.9

Although it rained all night, it stopped just in time for us to leave the shelter and begin hiking. We started off very fast today and hiked 3.5 miles in a little over an hour. We continued with that pace and completed 12 miles by 1 15. In that 12 miles we climbed Albert Mountain which was the steepest clime yet and I had to throw my hiking poles ahead and use my arms to climb up. It was challenging but very fun. On top of Albert mountain we also hit the 100 mile mark on the AT. Since we were making such great time, we decided to keep going and hike the 4 more miles to town. When we got to the gap before winding stair mountain we ran into more trail magic from Happy Jack. He gave us bananas and beer and we chatted for about an hour before deciding we should move on. It started training near the end of the hike, but I was happy that it held off most the day. The trail has been extremely muddy from all the snow and rain but today I started to get into a stride where I would glide in the mud and it made for a very fun hike. Once at the gap, a shuttle picked us up and took us to a hotel in Franklin, NC. We quickly showered and then got a ride to a Chinese buffet where we ate as much food as we possibly could. We all felt pretty terrible after eating so much food but Lt. Coocoo bird felt the worst and threw up all of his much needed calories as soon as we got back to the hotel. We chilled out at the hotel for the rest of the evening and it felt amazing to have a bed to sleep in again.
Date: 2013-04-01
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Franklin NC
Miles today: 0.0

We woke up at 7am and got picked up by a van and taken to a church for a free pancake and bacon breakfast. The breakfast was amazing and all of the church volunteers were so friendly. In the last 2 weeks, the church has already served over 300 hikers. We will definitely hit up this free breakfast before leaving town tomorrow morning. After breakfast we walked around town and resupplied at the grocery store. Next we went to the outfitter because Lt. Coocoo Bird wanted new shoes. We ended up getting a very thorough lesson an how to properly fit your feet and how to fix common foot problems. I learned that my very sore foot and knee were due to me over pronating when I walk and I got fitted for new insoles to fix the problem. My foot and knee already feel better after just walking around town. Thanks 76 Outfitter for helping me fix what could have grown into an even bigger and more painful problem. After talking to the guys at the outfitter we also decided that we are going to slow down and stop doing such high mile days this early to allow our bodies time to adjust. Also if we are going to make trail fest in Hot Springs, we need to average no more than 10 miles a day. The new plan is to start enjoying our down time more by playing Frisbee and hackie sac at the shelters. I'm kind of excited to slow down because I think we will have as ton of fun hanging out at the shelters and relaxing. We are also going to start actually stopping for lunch and taking time to enjoy our food. We went to the Chinese buffet again for dinner and then headed back to the hotel to relax and get all of our stuff around to head back out onto the trail tomorrow. This zero day was a much needed break and my body feels refreshed and ready to start hiking again.
Date: 2013-04-02
From: Franklin NC

To: Franklin NC
Miles today: 0.0

Change of plans! We decided to take one more zero day in Franklin because we learned that Ratagasta's foot issue is pretty serious if she doesn't take care of it now. She has achilles tendonitis from walking so many miles so fast when her body wasn't used to it. It's something that could definitely take her off the trail if she doesn't take care of it. Walmart, Bitter Goat, and Blue decided to push on and will take a zero at Fontana Dam to wait for us. Another zero day is going to help us out and give our bodies time to recover and start repairing our injuries so that hopefully they don't get worse. The new plan for today is to just take it easy and try not to spend too much money in town. Tomorrow we will hit the trail again and start working on our new and difficult mental challenge of slowing down. We also need to work on telling each other when we are hurting and stop just pushing on and on in pain. A lot of people drop out due to injuries so we are trying to work on actually listening to our bodies and resting when we need to. The high mile days will come and once they do, we should be much better prepared to properly handle them. It's difficult to get out of the mindset of just pushing past the pain, and if this was a short trip, it wouldn't be much of a problem, but if we are all going to summit Katahdin, we need to start thinking about what injuries and pain will do to us in 3 or 4 months and not just can I hike through this pain today. I think this is going to be much easier said than done. Everyone in our group is the type of person that pushes themselves physically and mentally so a lot of what we are trying to do now goes against our instincts. This is definitely going to be a much more challenging mental battle than physical. Despite all this, I think it's a pretty good problem to have that we are hiking too much and want to push ourselves too much. This will definitely come in handy later when we are doing 20 and 30 mile days in Virginia. We ended up having another great zero day in town but we are very ready to hit the trail again and are looking forward to being back in the woods.
Date: 2013-04-03
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We decided to sleep through the free breakfast and enjoy sleeping in a bed a little longer. After getting up we ate a delicious breakfast at a nearby restaurant and then packed up our packs. We caught the free shelter back to the trail and starting hiking again around noon. Since our new goal is to slow down, we decided just to hike to the first shelter and relax for the rest of the day. We made it to the shelter by 2pm and it was so hard for us to stop but we knew it was the smart thing to do. We played hackie-sac and enjoyed the rest of the day and chatted with the other hikers at the shelter. It was a very easy day but it felt great to be back on the trail. We will see what tomorrow holds.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Holy Crap! This morning we woke up to freezing rain and it was absolutely miserable out. Our bear bags were frozen and the ice on the trees just kept getting thicker and thicker. Lt Coocoo Bird thought it was best to take a zero at the shelter for the day instead of risking getting sick or hurt. I knew it was the smart way to go but we had just taken two zero days and I really wanted to hike. After a lot of discussion we decided to stay at the shelter and stay warm and dry since we weren't sure if we would be able to get space in the next shelter. It was the hardest day for me yet and I really missed my dog all day. We managed to have some fun though and made up a story for about an hour using names that were written on the shelter. It became a pretty crazy story about a scientist, sea otters, river otters, and other jungle animals. As strange as the story got, at least we were having fun. We played a few other games and then a group of boy scouts showed up at the shelter and were covered in ice. Three of the boys were in various stages of hypothermia and they were working to get the boys dry and warm in their sleeping bags. They ended up canceling the last two days of their trip and called to get a ride home. They provided some needed entertainment and left us with some food, which is always nice. After they left ET and Martin showed up and stayed in the shelter with us. Throughout the afternoon and evening we watched and listened to tree branches falling all around us. A few branches fell on the shelter and a couple big branches fell about 10 feet from the shelter. There was a huge dead branch directly above the shelter that we were worried may fall and kill us which led to a very sleepless night. Luckily it didn't fall on us and we survived the ice storm!
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

It was great to see the sun come up and watch the ice begin to melt. I couldn't wait to get back on the trail after staying in the shelter all day. As soon as we hit the trail we starting seeing more of the damage from the ice storm. Trees and branches were down all over the trail and we had to climb over, under, and around them. There was still ice falling from the trees so we also had to dodge that, as well as walk through fallen ice inches thick. It was a strange experience but also kind of fun. Being back on the trail felt great and all the negative thoughts from the previous day quickly went away. The sun came out and it ended up being a beautiful day. We got to the shelter around three and hung out with Long Gone who we met earlier in the day. It was amazing to have a warm day and nit freezing cold night. Spring may really be here.
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.7

Today was a beautiful day and it felt amazing to see the sun all day. We climbed Wesser Bald and climbed to the top of an observation tower which gave us the best views we have had so far. Finally a day without rain, snow, ice, or fog. We got to the Nantahala Outdoor Center around 2 pm and found out that we could tent for free because they were having a hiker weekend. After we set up or tents we headed straight to food. I ate a 1 lb burger and then got a brownie supreme for desert. After eating we wandered around and did some town errands and then hit up the free hiker dinner of chilli dogs. There was live music and it was greasy to see some people that we haven't seen for a few days like G-man, Nimble, Blue, World Peas, Story Time, Pack Rat, and many others. Tomorrow we will resupply for a couple days and hit the trail again.
Date: 2013-04-07
From: NOC

To: Cheoah Campsight
Miles today: 7.9

It was a beautiful and warm night last night and it felt great to not have to sleep with my hat on. The plan was to get on the trail by 10 but we ended up going to breakfast and wandering around the NOC before hitting the trail around noon. The hike today was all uphill but it was a very enjoyable day. The weather was perfect today and the views amazing. We decided to push about a mile past the shelter and camp on top of a bald. It was gorgeous from the top and the plan is to wake up early to watch the sunrise. Today my knee and foot felt great and I'm hoping that continues, although tomorrow is a lot of downhill. Lt. Coocoo Bird, Ratagasta, Long Gone, and I enjoyed the evening and laughed from the time we got to the top of the bald until we went to bed. I'm still having such an amazing time out here and so much of that is thanks to the awesome and beautiful people on the trail. G-man explained it best when he said the trail is like a kids playground. None of the differences matter and all the people you meet are instant friends.