morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-03-14
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Quality Inn - Helen
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:An interesting thing seems to happen every time we stay off trail. I can't sleep very well. It's almost as though I have too much stuff around me. We watched TV for a while last evening while eating pizza and salads and I couldn't sleep. Maybe it has something to do with eating enough food for three grown men to survive for a week in one sitting? Ginger slept like a baby, but that always has been her super-power. Our complimentary, hot breakfast of waffles, eggs, biscuits, sausage gravy, fruit juice and limitless coffee was wonderful. We set out to explore Helen with our list of needs. We began by walking 1 1/2 miles to a fly fishing outfitter and found some neat mittens for Ginger. We're still on the hunt for a neck waiter for her. We stopped at Ace Hardware, the Dollar Store, a gun shop and had lunch at a German bakery. Back to the room for a nap.Random trail wisdom.¢¢Don't use dried refried beans as your protein in too many of your meals. The tent will begin to smell like a septic tank.¢¢Don't go overboard with flax meal and chia seeds. Digging cat holes in the woods after frantically searching for some privacy isn't as much fun as you might think.¢¢Don't run out of toilet paper. It is painful for bibliophiles to tear pages from their books.¢¢Always use hand sanitizer. Being on the trail really makes you appreciate the miracle of clean running water and soap.¢¢Never go to bed without enough water to make coffee and breakfast. Filtering water you've just dipped from a stream before coffee is barbaric.¢¢Never go anywhere without your knife and a hat. (Fatboy has known this forever.)¢¢When it's cold and windy it's better to be slightly chilled when hiking than sweating. When you stop you can add a layer and stay warm. If you're sweaty you're going to get very cold.
Date: 2017-03-15
From: Quality Inn - Helen

To: Around town in Helen
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:We were packed and ready to go by 0700 this morning and sitting in the hotel breakfast room watching the weather channel. Georgia and a lot of the East is experiencing extreme cold weather (dubbed Severe Storm Stella). It was way too easy to talk myself into staying for a second zero day. Ginger worked on the lobby computer for a while and I went back to bed. The daytime temperatures never exceeded the mid 20's and that's too cold for this South Texan to want to walk in the woods. We did walk about 3 miles in town. We went to the post office to mail our granddaughter's birthday card and yet another visit to the Dollar General. The wind was biting and cold even though the day was very sunny. I continue to suffer from plantar fascitis but these rest days walking without a pack are allowing some healing. I'm experimenting with a foot taping technique I learned of via YouTube so I'm hopeful to have some pain relief. We've arranged for a ride back to Unicoi Gap at 0800 tomorrow and we're ready for some better hiking conditions.
Date: 2017-03-16
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Sassafrass Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

From Fatboy:The manager of the Quality Inn, Cary, gave us a ride to Unicoi Gap. It was a pleasure to stay at that inn. Cary is young and enthusiastic and reminds me a lot of my son. The hike North from Unicoi Gap is a long climb followed by a long descent. I felt strong and my foot only hurt a little. The days off and taping really helped. I can't wait to get to Hiawasee to get some KT Tape so I can really tape my right foot correctly. The tape we found in Helen began to burn my skin so I had to remove it.We met a trail angel named LionHeart who had a camp stove in the back of his truck and was making hot chocolate. It was below freezing and the hot beverage was wonderful. He even had fresh fruit. It's amazing how generous and caring these trail angels are. We hiked our first double digit day and ended at Sassafras Gap tenting. The water was listed as 0.2 miles down a steep hill. That was an understatement. It was STEEP! We socialized with the other hikers for a little while and retired before 2000. It was cold and we plan on a short day tomorrow.
Date: 2017-03-18
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Mile 76
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: snow

From Fatboy:At 0800 the outfitter at the Budget Inn opened and Ginger found the neck buff she wanted. I bought a new aluminum spoon and some Body Glide. Chafing can become a problem and everything is more irritating when you're walking many miles every day. We were shuttled back to Dick's Creek Gap at 1100 and said goodbye to Bob. The weather was threatening rain and we took a while to get ready to hike. While we were preparing their was a church group setting up a grill and tables with trail magic. The smell of grilled burgers was too enticing to resist so we ate lunch courtesy of angels. Ginger even got another book! Our hike was beautiful, the weather stayed clear but windy and cold at times throughout the day. We paused at Plumorchard Shelter briefly but pushed on to a secluded tenting site near a spring about 2 miles from the North Carolina border. We have the site to ourselves and this is our first tenting night of solitude. My foot is better tonight than it has been at any time on the trail. It was a GREAT day with my best friend.
Date: 2017-03-19
From: Mile 76

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:We crossed the Georgia-North Carolina border today. It was fun but also for me had the feeling of a finish line too. There were lots of hard climbs after that milestone and way more rocks than I enjoyed. Each sharp rock seems to have my name on it with a picture of how many stitches it would take to close my skull back up. We had heard that Muskrat Creek Shelter was something of a palace from a crazy skinny dude who was running on the trail while training for a 100-mile ultra marathon. We heard the Three Stooges and their obnoxious music before we even saw Muskrat Creek Shelter. The Stooges were all getting high and talking really loud. One even was bragging about being so high that he didn't remember climbing Blood Mountain and how he needed a guide to get down.   I try to practice love and tolerance but these boors were too much to take so we refilled our water bottles and pushed on. We ended our day at Deep Gap at Kimsey Creek Trail. We have our solitude again and enjoyed a tasty dinner of ramen noodles and cheese. Our home made dinners are giving us horrendous gas and keeping us way too regular. It isn't an inconvenience to go to the bathroom 3 times a day at home but it sucks to do that when you have to hike off the trail with your little shovel and pack of TP! I had a challenging time hanging the bear can tonight. Either the branches were too high, dead or too skinny. I even lost my rock bag after it got stuck up in a tree. I ended up hanging the bag about 8 feet up on an old downed tree.   My only hope is a bear will be laughing so hard at my ineptitude that he'll have mercy and leave our food alone. We have a warm, dry tent and each other. I'm grateful beyond words.From Ginger:So many photos to load! Sprint is NOT the provider of choice out here. We rarely have cell phone service, so we're getting the off-the-grid experience we expected/hoped for, but I'd like to be able to fire off an occasional text message (Jenny Snyder, we reached your beloved home state!) and post new photos (just wait until I can show you Nathan's outdoor kitchen and some of the things coming out of it!). The visuals will have to wait for another day. Stay tuned.
Date: 2017-03-20
From: Deep Gap

To: Carter Gap shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:We had a good hike today. North Carolina is surprising both of us with the frequent water availability. Little streams and springs cross the trail at all elevations. It's easy to not carry a lot of water and having a lighter pack is something that you grow to appreciate quickly. Standing Indian Mountain took us over 5000 feet but wasn't too difficult of a climb. Maybe we're getting a little better at this hiking thing. We stopped at a couple of shelters and found that some friends, (Tarzan, Squirrel, and Hawk) are only 2 days ahead of us. It would be nice to see them again and I'm hopeful we catch them in Franklin. The trail today passed through a lot of areas that were burned in the forest fires last year. Some of the vegetation suffered badly but the rhododendron seems indestructible. We ended our day at Carter Gap Shelter. There was a nice group of people there and we even talked with another guy in recovery. He's walking the trail and his wife is traveling along the route being a trail angel. There is such a diverse group of individuals from all over the world who are doing this strange pilgrimage. This shelter didn't have bear cables or a bear box so we had to hang our food and all aromatic items in a tree. Usually this isn't a problem and I was prepared to do this but I'd lost my rock bag (the little bag you put a rock in and tie to your length of paracord to make a heaving line) so I tried a fist size rock to the line instead. Ginger goes with me to watch and help with this task. At least that's what she says. I think she's just getting some daily comic relief because there are often bouts of swearing and multiple futile tosses that just succeed in tearing dead branches out of trees.   It would be funny to watch but it's damned frustrating and not my favorite activity on sore feet at the end of the day. Back to the fist-sized rock. I tried this rock quite securely to my line and launched it over a suitable branch. I also held on to the other end, which created a perfect length of pendulum for this rock to swing around and smack me right in the face. Ginger was horrified; I was left with a sore face and a bruised ego but no permanent damage. We had a nice camp fire courtesy of Big Jim and retired with the sun to a warm, dry tent. It was amazing to hike today without plantar fasciitis pain. This is good! (Except the rock to the face. I could have done without that.)
Date: 2017-03-21
From: Carter Gap shelter

To: Long Branch shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:It was nice to be warm enough all night. We didn't have any unexpected events and were packed up and on the trail by 0920. That's the earliest for us yet. The trail through NC continues to be pleasant and has abundant water. Our first miles were gentle and easy. The weather was finally warm enough to hike in shorts for both of us. There were some beautiful vistas and we tried to take photos but realize they will be a poor likeness of our visions. We climbed the entire trail up to Albert Mountain Fire Tower. That was incredibly difficult. There were sections that were literally like rock climbing with a heavy pack and the elevation was near a mile high. I was pausing every few yards just to be able to breathe. Ginger said it was tough for her too even though she's one of the fittest people I've ever met. We met Papa Smurf and Jimmy at the peak and we took a few photos. Papa Smurf is from Niceville, Fl. and is walking from Florida to Canada. He's an inspiration and very interesting to talk with. He understands our recovery and we seem to share ideas and interests about quite a lot and I look forward to seeing him down the trail. Jimmy is a 19 year old from Virginia who's taking some time to hike before he enlists in the Navy. He's painfully young but nice enough. He spent the evening being a nurse for a baby mouse he found beside the shelter. Mice can be a destructive curse in the shelters but he and Ginger didn't see it that way so I stayed out of it as much as possible. We all ended up together in a very new shelter and had an enjoyable evening talking about many things. The water source was a very nice stream that I even had the chance to soak my battered feet in. The water was icy cold but felt very good. There was some brief hail and I felt fortunate to not be hiking or tenting in that weather. Tomorrow we hike about 3 1/2 miles to Rock Gap and a shuttle to Franklin at 1100. I'm really looking forward to getting my body and clothes clean, eating a lot of food, re-supplying, and sleeping in a warm soft bed. Our plan is to spend 2 nights with no hiking except walking around Franklin. I need the rest.
Date: 2017-03-22
From: Long Branch shelter

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: broken clouds

From Fatboy:The thunderstorms during the night were impressive. It was wonderful to be safely inside a very nice shelter and be dry and warm. Another very significant benefit is: we didn't have to pack and carry a wet tent. That's a major bonus. There was some mouse activity in the shelter but we didn't have any damage. We were back on the trail by 0820 and Ginger was on a mission of divine inspiration. She wanted pizza! Do not attempt to sway her from that goal unless you are prepared to lose the battle. She took off and didn't slow down until we passed the next shelter which was only a few hundred yards from Rock Gap. We waited at Rock Gap for our shuttle to the Budget Inn in Franklin and had the benefit of spending time playing with a beautiful girl Weimaraner. Ginger seemed to temporarily forget pizza and really enjoyed playing with this lovely dog. We miss our three dogs immensely and both of us spend as much time as we can interacting with the dogs we meet on the trail. Our shuttle driver was a hiker legend in Franklin and kept us entertained while educating us on our ride. We checked into a nice room and I immediately collected all of my dirty laundry and took a shower. Ginger ordered our pizza and soon after I felt clean enough to not offend a goat again we were eating pizza and drinking cold sodas. I didn't have ANY clean clothes to put on so Ginger did laundry while I lounged in bed catching up on emails, text messages, and Facebook posts. Did I ever mention that I won the marriage lottery? Ginger is beautiful, strong, sexy, brilliant, and the most generous friend any man could ever wish for. EVER. After clean clothes were available, I dressed and helped fold laundry while Ginger showered. We walked around Franklin, had coffee, and checked out a few stores. I found a sushi restaurant on Yelp and became obsessed with having sushi for dinner. We usually have sushi every Wednesday at home and their menu was enticing. We walked about a mile to the sushi place only to discover a sign saying they were closed every Wednesday in March. I was unhappy but realized that didn't hurt anyone but me and we started the walk back to the inn. We ended up at a pizza type sandwich shop that had wonderful salads and grilled sandwiches. We'll have sushi tomorrow night. We walked back to our room and had coffees and got to bed early because we have to meet the shuttle at 0715 to go to a local church which provides trail magic free breakfasts to through hikers. Life is good.Random trail wisdom:1. Your hike will be safer and less painful if you learn to use trekking poles.2. On any surface other than dry, flat ground, always have three points of contact with the ground. Two feet and one pole or two poles and one foot are preferred. I tried the two poles and one butt a few times and I didn't really like it much. 3. Having ten intact toenails is not an absolute requirement.4. Take your shoes and socks off as often as you can. Dry feet are happy and healthy.5. Take time to enjoy your hike. Today is the last chance you'll ever have to live this day.
Date: 2017-03-24
From: Franklin Budget Inn, Comfort Inn

To: Siler Bald shelter, NC
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: broken clouds

From Fatboy:I was awake at 0530 reviewing the KT Tape instructions for taping my knee. I think I favored my right foot so much from plantar fasciitis pain that I stressed my left knee. This tape and ibuprofen are making my journey much less painful. Ginger sleeps well no matter where we are. That's her super-power. We had breakfast in our hotel and started a conversation with another hotel guest. He is a boat captain and had a lot of interesting stories about living near the AT and his hiking experiences. Ginger spent a while updating our Trail Journal website and I returned to the room to pack and arrange a shuttle. Our shuttle driver, David, was 90 year old WWII vet and a very interesting man. We took pictures together and he said he would follow our journey. The hike today was very enjoyable and not very strenuous. We met Tequila Sunshine and Happy Feet and found we were all planning to stop today at Siler Bald Shelter. When we arrived at the shelter we discovered Pegleg was here. We had a great reunion evening and enjoyed seeing our trail friends. We decided to sleep in the shelter and had a quiet fun evening. It was a joy to see Ginger laugh so freely. Life is good.From Ginger:Raven, a young woman who is also on this Trail Journals site and we met briefly at the Hiker Hostel (Georgia) quoted my favorite poem in the shelter register. It's from Emily Dickinson:¢Hope is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul -And sings the tune without the words -And never stops - at all - ..."Another memorable Dickinson one for me starts like this:"There is no frigate like a bookTo take us lands away ..."I first read the Frigate poem in high school. Since I met Nathan,I often imagine the youngster him as the embodiment of her words, sitting, reading, engrossed in book after book. It's a lovely image that makes me smile. Out here, I've thought about how our feet are so much better than a book, no matter how wondrous the photos are. We are experiencing This with all our senses. And I get to do it with Nathan, and all he embodies, past, present, future.
Date: 2017-03-27
From: Nantahala Mountain Lodge

To: Nantahala Mountain Lodge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

From Fatboy:We took a zero today. This lodge is beautiful and way too comfortable. We arranged for a shuttle to take us to Franklin. Beverly had shuttled us before and said she would be along to pick us up after 1300. It's a 25 minute drive to the town so I thought we might get lunch there and I just snacked. Beverly arrived after 1600 and we were starved. We were delivered to Outdoor 76 for a shoe-fitting for Fatboy. The staff at this store take shoes to a whole new level. Corey worked with me for over an hour and I was fit with the shoes I should have started this trail with. Ginger got new shoes too after witnessing the care and detail that were required for this process. We spent lots of $$ but if the result is walking without pain, it's worth it. We left the store at 1930 and walked a few doors away to a terrific restaurant, accompanied by Rob, a section hiker also staying at Nantahala Mountain Lodge. The food was great and Ginger scored the biggest hit with her Carolina Burger. A half pound burger with pulled pork, cole slaw, and a berry barbecue sauce. She let me taste it and it was delicious. She ate the whole thing and we even had dessert. Rob was kind enough to give us a ride back to our lodging. We didn't get to our room until after 2200 and we were exhausted.
Date: 2017-03-29
From: NOC

To: Sassafrass Gap shelter, NC
Miles today: 6.7

From Fatboy:We decided to leave the lodge for good this morning and resume our NOBO journey from the NOC. We absolutely enjoyed Maggie and Steve (Wiggy) Bennett and were treated to a wonderful experience staying with them. The lodge is filled with artistic wooden furniture and cabinetry that Steve made and we had quite fun conversations about art, the military, the government and hiking. (From Ginger: We also flipped through the 2016 Hiker Yearbook they had. We found Sandals and Snail in it!) Ginger and I both talked about a return visit with family or on a Harley ride.We had our second breakfast at the NOC restaurant and were joined by Tequila Sunshine and Happy Feet. These friends are wonderful companions and we made reservations to be at Fontana the same nights soon. This is the best part of hiking. The people we've met are incredibly friendly and open and I believe we're making some lifelong friends. We shipped our old boots home and started hiking North. Our goal was the first shelter only about 7 miles away but almost a constant climb. IT WAS A CLIMB! Water wasn't available at all of the marked locations but we always had enough. We met lots of hikers who were headed to the same shelter and had fun playing with a couple of happy dogs too! We arrived at our destination after 1700 and we were both exhausted. We set up our tent, prepared dinner, hung the bear can, and were in bed by 2030. Fatboy's feet and knees held up better today so maybe he's going to be ok. This is the hardest physical challenge either of us has ever had but we're doing it together and loving each other more fully in the journey.
Date: 2017-03-30
From: Sassafrass Gap shelter, NC

To: Brown Fork Gap shelter, NC
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:We left the shelter after our usual morning routine. The only variation from usual was Ginger went to retrieve the bear can. She'd helped hang the thing the night before and watched me gracefully fall on my ass in the process. I haven't fallen hard or injured myself from the falls yet. I just periodically lose my footing and drop. I don't usually even try to catch myself because I know that's a recipe for a broken wrist with all of the weight I carry in my upper body. The trail resumed climbing. Resumed climbing! Our goal was the next shelter which was 9.1 miles away. We started the day optimistic but it was a tough hike. Only later did we discover that we were hiking "Jacob's Ladder" which is one of the more notorious sections of the trail. I'm glad I didn't know it from the beginning because I believe I would have been discouraged.We passed Papa Smurf as he slackpacked SOBO and he was in good spirits and having fun. Later we met Tequila Sunshine alone and she was struggling. This trail identifies and exploits any weakness you have. My feet are less an issue than before but she and I both have knee problems. She was all taped up (just like me) and had knee bands on both legs. The experience of planting your foot only to have your knee buckle is frustrating and becomes quite painful after repeated events as your knees swell and you get tired. Chafing is another constant companion. I started the trail using Vaseline between my thighs but discovered a better alternative in a product called Body Glide. This stuff helps skin slide without irritation and doesn't leave a greasy residue. I use it every day. We paused at a glorious road crossing and were treated to trail magic by Ramble On. He has thru hiked the AT twice (1996 and 2009) and was fun to talk to. He gave us chocolate covered Twinkies. They were delicious and a nauseated Ginger even ate one. I refilled our water supply from a source down an abandoned road a short walk away. It was tempting to camp near the water source because it was flat and secluded with a piped stream which made filling water bottles very easy. We decided to push on the last 2.6 miles but Tequila Sunshine and Happy Feet went to camp by the water source. I was almost jealous! We made the rest of the climb (here's where we started Jacob's Ladder) to the shelter and found another tent site on a slope. Our dinner was a delicious combination of bouillon, Stove Top stuffing, summer sausage, and cheddar cheese. It really was quite good and very filling. We placed everything with a scent in the bear can and I tied it to a small tree up-slope from our camp, hoping that if a critter tried to get into it it would roll down hill toward us instead of away from us. I hope it works.