morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-30
From: Franklin, NC

To: Plum Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 5.1

The next morning we were up and ready to get back on the trail. I went to the front desk and asked if they knew of any shuttles that would return us all the way to Dick's creek gap. She immediately mentioned Ron and I asked for another option. I ended up with Narelle's number who'd thru hiked some years before. She picked us up and drove us 40 minutes to the gap. I was amazed at how tight my muscles were after two days off the trail. We didn't reach the trail until around 4pm and decided to take a short 5mile day and stay at plumorchard gap shelter. When we arrived at the shelter we ran into B-line, McData, Caboose, Staff, Oxy, and a few others. We settled in, ate some dinner and socialized with the group. We awoke in the morning to a startled Staff, claiming he went to the privy in the middle of the night and a bear was sleeping in there. Everyone in the shelter was very excited when he said it was still there. When we were all getting up to go check out the bear he kindly reminded us that it happened to be April 1st. No one was pleased seeing as it was 7am.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: wayah crest picnic area

To: wayah bald shelter
Miles today: 51.1
Weather: moderate rain

We woke up on the 4th to a dreary day. It was raining and chilly outside. We lay cramped in our fly creek ul2 debating on what to do. After an hour or so the rain nearly stopped so we jumped into action packed our bags and took down the tent as quickly as possible. We were at 4257 feet in a gap when we bagan our hike, something we maybe should have played closer attention to. We crossed wayah road expecting to see rain along the way. A few minutes later a small piece of ice fell at my feet. I thought it might start to hail, but I was incorrect. When I looked around, I noticed that the ice had begun to gather on all the trees. When the wind blew, it would knock ice down. The light rain continued to fall, and we continued to climb. The temperature dropped quickly and I mentioned to Stephanie I was nervous about the falling ice. "More people die from frostbite than from falling ice. Let's keep going." I think it was about 10 minutes after thst comment that a 6" diameter tree limb fell about 30 feet to our left with a roaring thud. The next 5 miles were probably the most frightening miles I have walked on the trail. With limbs dropping more and more frequently around us we felt as if they were closing in. We made it to the Wayah bald stone tower and took refuge with Banyon who had also hiked the dangerous path. He was planning to stay in the tower for fear of the shelter being full a mile down the mountain side. We made it down to the shelter after another scary mile of rain, ice, and falling trees. We decided to call it a day there because there was plenty of space. We spent the rest of the day trying to dry out and stay warm. The trees continued to fall around us due to the weight of the ice. All day and night they slammed down onto the shelters metal roof. We were glad for the safety of the shelter. We found out later from Banyon that he was not the only one seeking shelter in the tower that day. Multiple mice chewed through his tent, and were laying down to get warm with him inside his sleeping bag.
Date: 2013-04-26
From: Iron Horse Inn

To: Spring mountain shelter
Miles today: 160.1
Weather: clear sky

So I am going to give a brief update as to exactly where we are, and then I will fill in the blanks when we get to Erwin. I have been lackidazical and a procastinator about writing and keeping this up to date! But no more! Starting tomorrow, I promise to write everyday and post everytime we get wifi! Seriously though, starting today even. We left hot springs once already but I got sick the last 4 days so we caught a shuddle back. It has been awful up until now and Steph has been going stir crazy. She even read angels and demons after I finished it even though the whole time I was reading, "it was too similar to the davinci code." So we are headed out for the second time today. Im feeling better, and I can actually hold food and liquids in my body again. We plan on making it to Erwin in 4-5 days even though there is rain for the next 4 of 5 days. Covering 70 miles as quickly as possible. So there you are up to date to the very minute! I know my punctuation is awful on here, but lets take one step at a time. Writing again, and then I'll turn it to a more proper form. It will be easier when im not in a rush to check out. Thats all for now folks, watch for updates! We will make it through this weather!-I got sunshine on a rainy day
Date: 2013-04-29
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It was not motivating to slip into cold wet clothes to start the day. Therefore we lay in our bags seeking ways to avoid doing just that. Not that we laid there for long, as suddenly the inside of the tent brightened and we could feel the rays of the sun warming us. It seemed only sensible, and that we deserved it for the previous troubles, that we hang our sopping clothes from the trees for awhile to allow them to dry. We popped out of the tent, and soon the branches were fully dressed, and we agreed that after lunch we would don our (hopefully) dry clothes and set out for the day. Unfortunately, a full lunch led to a nap, and it seemed we weren't going anywhere. I was really feeling frustrated with the way things had been going, but I swore that we would hike out with full force the following day. We could hear other hikers swarming the shelter for the night, and took it upon ourselves to be social. We approached the bonfire, where an older gentleman had been piling the largest logs that he could into the pit. This produced a modest fire, as most of these logs were soaked from all of the rain. It wasn't a very lively bunch, and when Dan notioned to a hiker going southbound, and asked, "Is that Bee Line?" My only response was, "No, it couldn't be." Sure enough, Bee Line had hitched up to Erwin for a bluegrass festival, and was now heading southbound to cover the miles he had skipped. The hilarious aspect of this, was that all day he had been harassing the other northbound hikers, asking them why they were heading south. He would get them confused and full of enough self doubt to turn around and start heading the other direction before letting them in on his joke. It felt good to see a familiar face, having fallen behind our regular crowd, we'd mostly been having days full of introductions. We hung around the fire awhile, even after Bee Line headed out to finish his hike. The social aspect of the trail was once again soothing my frustrations. We hung around until the night made it too cold to linger longer, at which point we retreated to our tent for the night.
Date: 2013-06-07
From: Pearisburg Virginia

To: the captains
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

With tropical storm Andrea going up the east coast we are getting rained on in town. The plan is to hike out today as of right now. We didn't get a ton of time to update our posts with writing but we were able to upload 67 new pictures from in between our last post and now. We still intend to fill in the blanks when we get a chance. It would be so much easier with smart phones because we could update daily. We can only currently do updates when we have wifi available. All is well and we are ready to hike!
Date: 2013-06-13
From: Catawba VA 311

To: Angel's Gap
Miles today: 0.0

We got a ride to homeplace for some family style dinner, which we killed! The server asked if we were ready for dessert, we replied that we were ready for another serving of everything. We finished with some delicious peach kobbler. Afterwards, we walked across the street to the gas station to resupply for our walk to Daleville. We only needed one days worth of food, but arrived to find the building closed with no posted hours. We asked a gentlemen in the parking lot if he thought they would be open the next morning.      He said, "They have strange hours. I think I've only seen them open twice." That was troubling to hear. He offered to take us to another gas station that had a more stable schedule. On the way to the gas station he hesitated and said, "You know I wouldn't normally do this, but I'm reading this book...I think it's called 'A Walk in the Woods,' have you heard of it?" We laughed and told him we had heard of the infamous book by Bill Bryson as he pulled into the parking lot of the convenience store. While we ran inside to stock up on snacks he walked his dogs. When we came out he asked us, seeming a bit shy, if we'd like to relax for a bit at his home. We exchanged glances, trying to read one another's expressions. Neither of us wanted to impose, and neither of us knew how to accept the invitation.Finally he just decided for us, and we were winding down the road to his home.When we arrived the man, who we came to know as Craig, introduced us to his wife who graciously opened her home to us. Her name was Mary Ann, and she served us beer and wine as we huddled around a beautiful table on their screened in porch. It didn't seem long, but apparently hours had passed, and Craig announced that he was hungry, and before we could protest they were grilling steaks and vegetables and we were enjoying another wonderful meal.The conversation had been flowing so easily, with minor exits and entrances during which they allowed us to use their shower, and night was upon us before we were prepared to embrace the darkness. The two offered up their guest beds, and we crawled into that distant yet familiar comfort that a bed can offer.In the morning we agreed that neither of us had slept so well in weeks, and their hospitality extended even further as they fed us breakfast and offered us apples and cheese sandwiches to take, which we kindly refused.We exchanged e-mail addresses, and Craig loaded us up and whisked us away to the trail head.Our spirits were high, and we were still amazed by the generosity which had been bestowed on us. We still are now.We skimmed up the mountain with ease, and found ourselves at one of the most rewarding viewpoints the trail has to offer - McAfee's Knob.Overall that was one of the most amazing experiences that we have had along the trail, and we are extremely grateful.We are now in Daleville, and hopefully will have more updates soon.
Date: 2013-10-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

OK, so we are the worst bloggers ever. We admit that with enthusiasm. However, we decided we wanted to make one final post, to conclude that we did in fact summit.We were fortunate enough to reunite with a key member of the Trail Gods in the 100 mile wilderness, and finally assemble our AT dream team for the final stretch.We also were fortunate enough to head down Knife's Edge after our summit - an exhilarating experience to say the least.I've posted a few last pictures for everyone (as evidence) so enjoy.A final over and out.-Books
Date: 2013-01-19
To: Testing, testing...?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Just trying out this trailjournals thing... I'm not sure how much I'll wind up being able to update this while actually on the trail, but I'll be writing a paper journal anyway and adding stuff on here when possible would hopefully make my family and boyfriend back home a little bit less concerned/anxious/whatever. Organizing my planning here will also help me stay excited and goal-focused until I'm able to actually start in June- it seems so far away!   Right now, the biggest choice I need to make is whether I continue with my plan of going this year. I haven't done any backpacking except for a few light trips back in high school, and while I've done many day hikes since then it's not really the same. And so I really would like more time to prepare and do gear-testing overnights, etc. Problem is, that's not really possibly to any large extent while I'm in my current job. My weekly two days off aren't always in a row, and requesting time off can be tricky. My bosses also want me to take on more responsibilities, take classes, and whatnot but it's a field I'm not sure I want to spend the rest of my life in so... Right now I'm planning on starting this June, perhaps on the 10th or 11th- no set date yet because I've got time left to get a plane ticket, and my parents are living in Maine now so I've got accomodation handled. They're a few hours away from Baxter State Park, but I know at least my dad (and possibly my mom and brother) would gladly get me there, overnight, and join me for the hike up Katahdin.   I'm going to work on updating the gear section as things come in. I have some gear from backpacking/camping in high school, but much of it I have been working on obtaining new over the past few months. As of right now I have a pack, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and have ordered a Tarptent Moment which appears to be exactly what I want. I'm really excited for it to arrive so I can try it out!
Date: 2013-04-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

It's official! My last day of work is June 1st. Then it's just to get to Maine, spend some time with family, and set off for Baxter State Park.I haven't gotten as much conditioning in as I'd have liked to in the last month because of job-related stuff, but it's time to put that behind me and really start preparing in earnest for this endeavor. I've been getting so excited about this lately- now just to get my boyfriend to solidify his plans for this summer so we can work out the logistics for taking care of our dog and cat and I'll be set!
Date: 2013-04-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I went for a short hike today with Greg and Mazzy (boyfriend and dog, respectively). It was only six miles or so, but I'm not sore or overly tired, which is a good sign, I think- when I decided for sure that I was going to do this a few months ago, I would hike five or six miles and then be exhausted and achey that same evening- even more so with my ten-mile loop. I'm making progress, even with my limited time to actually get outside! And this week should be good- my days off aren't in a row, so no overnights, but I get off in the early afternoons on most days so there's plenty of time for walks.Also! I checked wikipedia and it turns out that Katahdin is only a little bit taller (and actually less prominent) than Mount Tai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tai), in China, which I walked up a couple of years ago, and which is probably the tallest point I've ever hiked to. I can totally do this! Taishan *did* have stairs, (no, really- stone stairs the whole way up) but it was also about 100 degrees fahrenheit at the base, which made things more difficult (or at least sweaty!). And I prefer clambering on boulders, anyway...And don't worry- Mount Washington, Clingman's Dome... I'll deal with you two in good time.
Date: 2013-04-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Tested my fanceefeest stove out on the porch today- works great, boiled 1.25 cups of water (plus seasoning and butter) for couscous with half an ounce of alcohol. The real trick was getting the dog to stay away so she wouldn't knock anything over...Also: reservations made for Baxter State Park! This is happening!
Date: 2013-05-07
To: Mini-shakedown in the rain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I went for a little hike with my full pack yesterday for my first solo overnight! I think the loop trail was six miles total and the campsite was about halfway around and it was all incredibly flat, but seeing as it's my first time actually living out of my backpack for even one night in a few years, it was a good test. It rained fairly heavily in the evening and then on and off throughout the night with thunderstorms, and my tent was great. I need to re-seam-seal one spot where the tiebacks for the door are, but even in heavy rain I was able to "solve" that problem by putting my towel on the floor where droplets ran down to and all the rest of my stuff stayed dry.People complain about rainy days on the trail sometimes, but I think I'll wind up liking them at least somewhat- I didn't see a single person yesterday, and while I'm sure that was partly because it was a weekday in a small state park that doesn't cater primarily to hikers, I've had similar experiences just about every time I've been out and about in the woods in the rain. I really enjoy interacting with people, but I am usually happier alone (for up to a certain amount of time, at least). I amused myself at my campsite yesterday afternoon by practicing hanging a bear bag, and if others had been around it would have been acutely embarrassing and frustrating to the point of my possibly giving up. Alone, it was fun and funny and I was able to practice (waterbottles are good to throw, just a carabiner is not. Sticks are not, because they get stuck easily and aren't very heavy. Standing on the cord is a great way to feel silly.)Also, I saw so many little frogs in the rain! They all hopped away before I could get pictures, but the camera-shy turtles couldn't so they just hid in their shells instead. The one pictured was sitting just across from me as I ate dinner!
Date: 2013-05-18
To: Less than a month!!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Less than a month!!! Aaaahhh!!!I'm so excited about this today, even though it seems like almost all my days off between now and then are going to be spent running errands to get ready to leave- dentist appointment, renew car registration, apartment stuff, eye doctor appointment, and so on. And work is going to be busy, what with training a replacement and another new hire at the same time... But it'll all work out, and a month from now I'll already be on the trail. I just have to keep focusing on that.
Date: 2013-06-10
To: In Maine!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

My maps arrived today! I had procrastinated ordering them because they're expensive and I was figuring I could get by with just the guidebook, but now I'm so glad I have them. I love maps, even if I sometimes forget that- they present so much information in one place. I probably didn't absolutely *need* them, but I like looking at them and they're a good safety to have- if I somehow manage to get lost and wander off trail they'll help me figure out how to get back, they can tell me about water sources and campsites on side trails and so on. It also means I'll be able to check things like What is that mountain I'm looking at from the top of this one I'm on?I'm staying now in the rustic cottage that has been in my family for generations. It's been wonderful to see my uncle and granddad who've lived in Maine for years and years, as well as my parents and their new house! It's somewhat a work in progress still, but absolutely wonderful.I've made a list of the things I need to pick up before my hike starts in a few days and it's surprisingly long and mostly stuff that I just forgot in North Carolina. I know exactly where my neosporin and duct tape and gloves are... On my desk. At least a 15-hour car ride away.It'll all work out.
Date: 2013-06-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's rainy, and it will probably rain tomorrow, so we won't be going over the Knife's Edge as hoped. At least the rain shouldn't last more than a few days- I'm so glad I didn't start last weekend. It seemed like it rained all last week!I'm settled in at he campground with my dad and Greg. We've got a fire going even in the rain, which is nice.I guess it hasn't really set in and hit me yet that tomorrow is the day. Maybe I'm just nervous- I do have that feeling right now like I just want to be alone. I will be soon enough...I just really, really fear that I won't even be physically up to Katahdin tomorrow. I haven't been training as much as I should have, and Grandfather mountain kicked my butt last weekend. Oh well. It'll all work out.My dad just misspoke and referred to the picnic table as a piano. Life is good.
Date: 2013-06-17
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I did it. It took us (me, dad, Greg) 12 hours. Such a long time. I'm very tired now.It was cloudy, very windy, and sometimes rainy on the rock scrambles. I hadn't imagined the rocks would be that tough. I'm glad we left early this morning. The tableland was gorgeous. So tired my brain is only doing one thing at a time. It's wonderful. Today illustrated the very important difference between having fun and doing things that make me happy. Today was not always fun, but I was *happy*. (The incredible views once the sky cleared a little helped with that, I'll admit...)At the end of today, I feel love for all the world.[That's what I wrote that night, this is me typing it up. I didn't take any pictures that day, but my dad did- once he sends them to me I'll add the one from the top!]
Date: 2013-06-18
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Hurd Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 13.4

I'm actually writing this in the middle of the night. When I got here, I was just too exhausted to do anything but make some couscous, refill my water, and go to sleep. I'm in my tent because the mosquitos are nasty, but there weren't many good tent sites so I'm on a bit of a slant and keep having to scooch my sleeping bag, pad, and pillow back uphill. I couldn't get back to sleep after the last scooch, and it's better for me to stay up for a little while writing than just lay in the dark feeling every mosquito bite.Before I talk about today, let me say some more about Katahdin yesterday. That was an incredible mountain, and it kicked my butt. I knew it would be tough, and that there would be rock scrambles. I did not anticipate, for some reason, that it would be miles of rock scramble, with rocks taller than I am by a great deal, sometimes with absolutely nothing behind me but a long drop to some more rocks. Both Greg and my dad said that they may have turned back if I hadn't been so driven to get to the top. I almost wanted to turn back, at some points- the wind picked up right on one of the steepest parts of the scramble, and then it started raining- but I persevered. I hope this bodes well for the rest of the adventure, rather than me just running out of perseverance. Oh, and the tableland was gorgeous- when we got up there it was all fog and clouds and rather dreamlike. The enormous boulders of our past few hours were gone, suddenly, replaced as far as we could see (up to 20 whole feet!) with scrubby grasses and lichens. I felt like I could have been anywhere. The fog only cleared after we were already on the way down from the summit, and the views were spectacular. The rocks were certainly no easier going down.Needless to say, my whole body hurt when I got up this morning, my arms and shoulders in particular- I don't usually use them as much as I had to in the rocks. I got a late start around 9:30, but it was a lovely sunny day. I had lunch as an amazing waterfall. After that, though, my day got a lot harder. My map says that the trail "crosses the bed of an 'Oxbow' lake. May be full of water in the springtime." Maybe if I had looked up what on earth that meant I would have expected the waist-high water that the trail went straight through. I do solemnly swear here and now that the next time I get to any water ankle-deep or higher I will take off my socks and take the soles out of my boots so they won't get as wet. No matter how buggy it is, or how much my arms complain when my pack goes off and on, it will be better than the soaking boots I walked in today.After all that, the last three miles today (the first in the 100-mile wilderness) hurt. I kept expecting to see the shelter around every corner, but it just wasn't there... Until it was. The only other people here tonight are a couple from Connecticut. I can't find a register in the shelter- there's a box for one, but all that's in there is an empty liquor bottle.