morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-10-04
From: 2189.1

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

This may be the last entry - not sure. Tired. Hurting very bad. Decided to take a zero, as the bus left at 0900 today. Thought I could NOT make it and I was right. Last night, I-walks and Trail Talker (two ladies who had summitted the same day) were trying to decide if they were going to leave today. I explained my reasoning and they took a zero as well. One of them got the number 1040 for her Kahtadin permit. Heh. I had 1042. Sunset came in - planning to summit tomorrow. Have leapfrogged him for several days. Gave him 10 Mt House packs, as he still has 200 miles to do in the next 3 weeks. Good guy - did not know it, but I believe I was told this is his third AT thru. Hobbling down to cafe to eat - protein and rest now. Really, really overdid it yesterday. Holy crap. I'm a Thru-hiker.
Date: 2016-09-15
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 109.4
Weather: clear sky

In 2016, my plans to return to the trail and complete what I started in 2015 was struck down with when I was dealt with unexpected health issue. As a result, my hiking was limited to just  96  miles. Funny, that was 20 miles more than last year. I got to get better at this! I hiked the 95 miles between Dicks Creek Gap in three different 3 day trips.  The first leg from Dicks Creek Gap to to Winding Stair Gap, 40.2 miles. An aquantance from home had introduced me to an individual that was interested in thru hiking the AT. I told him to come along with me on this short trip to get an idea of what he was thinking about doing. At the end of the trip, he was hooked. It was much more difficult than he had ever expected, but he was game to give it a go. He decided section hiking the AT might be a better idea and we discussed him joining me in 2017.   The 109.4 miles posted above includes the 70.5 miles from 2015 and the 38.9 miles hiked on this trip. I have not figured out how to combine miles from different journal miles. I want to be able to show total miles hiked. thats just me
Date: 2016-09-25
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: The NOC
Miles today: 27.3
Weather: clear sky

Two weeks later, I went out for 2 hike day hike continuing my staggered journey from Winding Stair Gap to the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center.), 27.3 miles. It was a beautiful fall weekend with quite a few hikers out on the trail. I ran into a number of SOBO's who were near completion of their thru hike.
Date: 2016-10-15
From: NOC

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 30.1
Weather: overcast clouds

One more short 30 mile hike from the NOC to Fontana Dam ended my 2016 section hiking. Again, it was a beautiful fall weekend. The leaves were starting to change, SOBO's we getting closer to their ultimate goal and I was ready to get serious about finishing the AT. My plan was to section hike the remainder of the trail in 3-4 years. See you in the spring.
Date: 2016-02-12
To: Houston, TX
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I finally quit my job this week and have found that when people find out about my upcoming adventure they usually fall in to one of two groups, skeptics or supporters. Regardless of which group someone falls in they all have the same question, ¢Why did you decide to hike the AT?¢ I honestly don¢t have just one answer, I wanted to take a breather and reevaluate my life and goals, I liked the idea if this intense physical and mental challenge, I wasn¢t happy in my current job and didn¢t want to change jobs just to be in the same situation, I like proving people wrong, I want to do something that few other women have attempted, etc¢¦ You can take your pick from my reasons above but in the end I just want to live life with no regrets and nothing holding me back, not my own fear and especially not that of others.
Date: 2016-02-29
To: Corpus Christi, TX
Miles today: 0.0

This past weekend I visited my Mom to purchase and package supplies to get my drop boxes started. I don't intend on relying on boxes alone for food along my hike but for a few small towns with limited selection and to receive supplements like protein powder, HEED, wild salmon oil, Prescript-Assist Probiotic, etc¢¦ We even took some time on Sunday to make homemade bars!Below is what my daily meal plan looks like which adds up to about 3,700-4,200 calories per day. Breakfast: -Oatmeal: 1 cup of instant oats, 1 flavored oatmeal packet, protein powder and 1 tbsp chia seeds Snack 1:-Bar: white chocolate pb crunch bar, dark chocolate cheery energy bites OR survival bar Lunch:-Bagel-Cheddar cheese-Spam OR Tuna-Butterfinger OR Reese¢s PB CupsSnack 2:-Trail Mix: 14 cup craisins, 14 cup peanuts, 12 cup pb stuffed pretzels, 14 cup almonds, 2/3 cup granola-Trail Mix Bonus: Peanut M&M¢s, PB M&M¢s OR Brookside Dark ChocolateDinner: -1 box of Mac & Cheese OR 2 packets of Ramen-Little Debbie Cupcake, Twinkie OR Oreos On my practice hike I started off with 4 days worth of food and my pack weighed in around 36lbs. Since each days food allowance weighs about 2lbs and this time I plan on hiking a week before resupplying my pack will definitely be heavier, hope it all fits!
Date: 2016-04-16
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 69.2

Day 25 on the trail (Tuesday, April 12) marked the end of our little break, it was time to leave the cute hiker town of Hot Springs, NC and get back on the AT. We (Sea Biscuit and I) took our time packing and tried to wait and see if the weather would improve but when 10:30am rolled around and it was still raining we decided to start hiking. The first 5 hours of that day were spent in a sort of drizzle/fog but the sun finally came out when I reached Spring Mountain Shelter. We decided to push on a few more miles and stay at a campsite near Allen Gap where another hiker named Shamona ended up joining us for the night. Wednesday was neat because there was about 1 mile of exposed ridge line which was challenging and made for a great view. I hiked to Flint Mountain Shelter and had a great night hanging out by the camp fire, eating marshmallows and meeting new hikers. I even met a southbounder named Rock Man who was completing his thru-hike after recovering from breaking his leg in Erwin, TN. Thursday we hiked 18.9 miles but I made the mistake of rushing through the first 11 miles to get to Sam's Gap after a hiker named Nomad mentioned there would be trail magic. By the time I reached the gap there was no magic in sight and to make matters worse I found out later from Yeti that I had missed trail magic in the first gap by hiking too fast. The best part of the day was reaching the top of Big Bald where you could see hills and mountains for miles. The view was so good we decided to cook dinner up there and it was a meal to remember. We ended the day at Bald Mountain Shelter and in addition to catching up to Fire Cat I met new hikers including a man named Odyssey West who is thru-hiking from New Port, NC to New Port, OR, roughly 3600 miles!!Friday we had planned on taking it easy and stopping just before Erwin, TN but after running in to a group of hikers that had just come from town and hearing about it we pushed on and were at the hostel in plenty of time to make the 5:30pm dinner shuttle. We decided to get Mexican food largely because of all the talk of the jumbo margaritas and man they weren't lying. After one mango margarita I was feeling pretty tipsy so naturally I ordered another. It sounded like a great idea until I got my huge steak burrito and had a hard time finishing everything but I did it! After eating we had thirty minutes to resupply at Walmart and considering my intoxicated state I did a great job and only splurged on a pint of Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream. We finished the day by piling in to a friend's cabin and watching Lord of the Rings. Today I ended up spending the morning hanging out on the hostel porch talking to fellow hikers. We are all about to go in to town for all you can eat pizza and then I'll continue on... It's a good life =).
Date: 2016-05-28
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Ashby Gap
Miles today: 127.7
Weather: mist

We (Sweeper, Caboose and myself) entered Shenandoah National Park on Sunday May 22 and were out of it by Thursday May 26, solid 5 days of hiking if I do say so myself . The first two days the weather was quite cool and either drizzling or raining. While the weather wasn't great the terrain sure was, it was level with relatively few climbs which made it much easier for us to do big mile days. Especially when the sun finally came out on Tuesday drying up the mud and making us warm and mostly dry (until it became so hot we were drenched in sweat). We saw deers on day one but it wasn't until the fourth day that we finally saw bears. They were much smaller than we had imagined and looked quite cute but we still gave them plenty of space and admired them from afar. Although when we saw two bear cubs I really wanted to cuddle with them, they were so cute! We saw a fawn that was only a few days old and I was almost attacked by a grouse protecting her chicks near the trail. Mice are quite common around camp and shelter sites but I've never seen so many as when eating dinner at Rock Spring Hut, good thing I tented. The park was very well maintained and had plenty of lookout spots to take in the rolling hills and green landscape. Since it gets so many visitors there are frequent campsites with picnic tables, trashcans, water pumps and restrooms (the comfort stations even had running water :O) which was a nice place for breaks. There are also Waysides which are gas stations with a gift store, small convenience store, restaurant and restrooms. We had dinner at Big Meadows Wayside and the food was just play but the blackberry milkshake was delicious. We hiked over 20 miles everyday except for Wednesday when one of my best friend's from back home who currently lives in Virginia picked us up and took us in to the nearby town of Luray, VA so that we could have lunch and resupply. We had Burger King for lunch but the highlight was the sundaes from Flotzie's Ice Cream. (Thanks again for coming to see me Marta, it was wonderful to catch up!) Well that was my SNP adventure and since then we have hiked another 23 miles to Ashby Gap where the lovely Mrs. Nail Gun (ie thru hiker wife and trail angel of the year) picked us up so that we could take a day off at her home and relax.
Date: 2016-06-14
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Campsite
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Good morning from the thriving town of Delaware Water Gap. Today is Sweeper's birthday and while we celebrated with hot dogs, ice cream, burgers and beer yesterday we are heading to the bakery for some fresh goodies before hiking out.We crossed over the Mason Dixon line and are officially in the North. I have hiked more than half the Appalachian Trail and finally have less than 1,000 miles to go! I completed the half gallon ice cream challenge at the Pinegrove Grocery Store to "celebrate" as well as stick to tradition, 1hr and 11minutes later I was cold and sick of ice cream but done. We checked out the AT museum, found a place to camp and returned for burgers and fries (the hiker burger is phenomenal). Since then we have been hiking through Pennsylvania which as promised was extremely rocky and easily my least favorite state we have gone through so far. A couple days we got rain making it less humid but also causing a lot of mud and making the rock crossings even more challenging. We spent one night at the Doyle an old Budweiser hotel in Duncannon (an experience to say the least) and had a half day in Hamburg. We sprayed down our clothing with permitherin which I really hope works as I've found over 4 deer ticks on my legs in the last week.The biggest change I've noticed is that since Harpers Ferry the number of Northbound thru-hikers has significantly dropped. Whereas before I'd meet new people on a daily basis we pretty much all know each other by now and also know friends that have decided to stop hiking for one reason or another. While Nobo's are becoming sparse there are a ton of flip floppers, hikers who are beginning in Harpers Ferry or somewhere around the halfway point and hiking North until they reach Maine after which they'll go back to where they started and hike South. Also as expected the number of day and section hikers out for a few days of hiking has increased as well and will continue to as Summer arrives which should make things interesting (ie probably crowded and popular destinations). I'm really looking forward to the remaining states as I've never been further North than to New York and have heard there will be some gorgeous sites! Happy trails to my fellow hikers and to those reading at home enjoy the little things.
Date: 2016-06-29
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 11.2

Hiker trash is a description for people on the trail who regardless of their age, education level, wealth, etc... Have come to develop new habits and behaviors that aren't exactly "proper." Here are a few examples:- Washing your underwear and socks in a public restroom and then tying them to your pack as you hike so they can hopefully dry off.- Taking a shower whenever you get the chance even when it is from a cold, exposed shower on the side of an ivy covered building that people drive by (thanks Falls Village, CT).- Making sure there is never any leftover food regardless if it is yours, a fellow hikers or even a strangers. Plus there is no rule for how long food can be on the floor, you just eat it. - Trying to wash all of your laundry leaving you to wear only rain gear or maybe even a towel for 1-2 hours.- When the church hiker hostel restroom has a line in the morning and you really have to pee so you go on the front lawn behind a tree.- When you use any item of clothing or material to dry off after a shower. Which for some means the same towel that they use to wipe dirt and condensation off of their tent in the morning.- When your feet hurt pretty much all the time so any break over 30 minutes means you get to take of your shoes which usually stinks up the place pretty bad.- When things like burping, farting, blowing snot rockets, etc... Become common place and you think nothing of them. Unless certain men are hiking in front of you and letting it rip constantly... Rude! - When you enter an establishment and the first thing you look for are outlets to charge your electronics. The examples above may seem horribly inappropriate and even gross but until you're out here hiking for several months you just can't understand. I am hiker trash and this is a very unique experience haha.P.S.I will be posting a blog about my latesy hiking adventures tomorrow!
Date: 2016-08-09
To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.1

On Sunday August 7th, 2016 the Pizza Bubble completed our Northbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail!! We waited for some of Sweeper's friends from back home to join us and started our final hike up Katahdin around 7:15am. I was excited and nervous to be so close to the end and very eager to get the show on the road. Regardless of our varying hiking speeds we all waited within sight of the summit for the entire group to arrive before going all the way to the top. I wasn't as emotional as I'd expected but simply could not stop smiling from feeling so happy and relieved to finally be done. However, watching Sweeper and Caboose touch the sign together and him begin to cry after accomplishing this amazing feat which he had been hoping to do for the last 40 years was something I'll never forget. After taking our group shots we celebrated at the top with a toast of sodas and snacks. We hung out for about an hour and then all got antsy to descend and be back on flat ground with hiking behind us (at least for now). I put away my trekking poles as they were no use and flew down the mountain and was rewarded by being the first to arrive to the little welcome party of Sweeper and Caboose's family and friends at the bottom. It's now been two days since we finished and it honestly still hasn't hit me that we are really done. Granted it doesn't help that the five of us are all still together hanging out in Maine at Sweeper and Caboose's home. I'm sure in a few more days when we aren't having to pack up our gear and get dropped of at the trail head and worse we will have to say goodbye to each other is when it will sink in. I'd like to be able to conclude this entry with some sort of epiphany about life or maybe even just what my next move will be but unfortunately that is not going to happen. I can say that hiking the Appalachian Trail is one of the best decisions I have ever made and definitely the most challenging both physically and mentally to complete. I am so grateful to have not had any serious injuries or illnesses along the way, thanks for all the well wishes and prayers . The trail was absolutely gorgeous and I saw more natural beauty the last few months than I have in my entire life but what made my thru-hike was the people. I met so many amazing people and made friendships that I hope to keep in the many years to come. So thank you to anyone and everyone I met along the way and especially to Sweeper, Caboose (my trail bestie), Ginger Patch and Mismatch the other members of the Pizza Bubble and my trail family!P.S.Eventually I will post another entry with my hiking figures/stats as well as a gear review.
Date: 2015-10-04
To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After 10+ years since my last thru hike attempt which ended near Harrisburg, Pa I am planning "Round 2" of E.R.I.C. vs A.T. The more I contemplate returning to the trial (sic: "trail" - is there an actual difference?) the more I recall from my last hike. It is very interesting how time can dull your memories of the challenging moments and sharpen your recollection of the fonder ones. I remember how life's simple pleasures on the trail are significantly smaller in stature to those in "civilian" life... for me anyway. A bottle of cold water in a cooler on the side of the trail becomes magic compared to the same bottle purchases from a convenience store on the way to work, school or where ever. I met a number of amazing people on the trail and I am sad to say I have managed to keep in touch with only one of them whom I now consider a dear friend. I have a number of stories to share about my travels with him but suffice it to say for now that I am looking forward to seeing him again around Roan Mt. I found an old photo from previous attempt. Ice cream never tasted better.One could say you have to be just a little crazy to attempt a thru hike on the AT. Then again, one could say you have to be crazy NOT to attempt a thru hike on the AT!
Date: 2015-10-04
To: Tent Selection
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I used my tent one time in 2002. Starting in May after the crowds there always seemed to be room in the shelters. Starting out in mid February I'm thinking I may find a tent more useful. Like everything else thinking one thing in your living room is way different than thinking done with a pack on your back! After agonizing over the multitude of options for "shelter" I decided on a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2. Time will tell if this was a wise choice or NOT.
Date: 2015-10-05
To: Thoughts on Tent selection
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I decided to go with the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 after considering a number of other options. In 2002 I had a Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 - which was/is still a good tent - 74oz's of good tent all included - that I used on the trail just once. (another story from the 2002 hike I'll get into more at a later time) I found after the one use and a stop at Neel's Gap I really didn't need it/I really didn't need to carry it! I opted to just sleep in the shelters most nights or if weather permitted - under the stars. Starting out in Mid Feb 16 I am concerned there may be times when there is no room in a shelter so a tent would be required. I also have minimal experience hiking in colder weather and my understanding is that a tent would be significanly warmer than a shelter. I am always open to ideas, suggestions, comments, free advice or whatever you want to call it. Actually - free "anything" is usually good - but NOT always! I considered many other tent options - tarptents Notch was a strong contender, as was the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1, REI quarter dome 1/2, a hammock tent (which I did purchase one to test out from REI - but I suspect my back may not agree to sleeping on hammock    Weight of course was a major deciding factor. Condensation was another consideration as I don't like to be wet/damp. Free standing / minimal staking out was also a consideration as I am not sure how frozen the ground will actually be and if there will be room - I "guessed" if there are a lot of hikers - finding a spot to squeeze in a more free standing tent may be easier. Again - I am guessing and surely will comment further (multiple times) after real life experience(s) with it. I theorize tents are like Pizza's. Every town has numerous pizza shops and some how they all stay in business - everyone has their favorites, their edible and their inedibles. With pizzas - most people will try any pizza once Tents I guess are similar to pizzas - only it is considerably more expensive to try one! I'm sure in time some Uber person will come up with something.
Date: 2015-10-06
To: Put a lid on it ???
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I have heard of "Gold Fever" people come down with when they set out to hunt, dig, mine, or pan for gold or just generally looking to strike it rich. I am wondering if "Trail Fever" is a similar affliction? I think I have it!!! I woke up early contemplating if I really need the lid to my Snow Peak 900 pot. I do not plan on using the lid for any frying. Mostly I will be boiling water for tea or to hydrate and warm prepared food or soup. I think I'd rather leave the lid at home than carry it. If anyone has any comments to add feel free to voice your opinion(s). The only advantage I can think of is water may boil faster with a lid on the pot but I am not sure that justifies the extra weight. Thank you in advance to all who comment.
Date: 2015-10-09
To: A short walk
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I went out for a little walk tonight to clear my head and decided to bring a back pack to get used to carrying a little weight. I didn't weigh it before I left as I didn't want that to influence my walk. I just walked a comfortabe distance from home then turned around and went back. I checked the distance on mapquest was a little surprised I had gone about 3.25 miles and even more surprised when I weighted the back pack and found it was about 17 pounds. I am seriously trying to keep under 20 lbs for my hike so 17 isn't a bad start.I find myself thinking of the trail and hike prep and keep coming back to a couple of issues I would like to resolve. If anyone reading this has any suggestions or recomendations please leave your comments in my guest book.First one is - starting in February it is going to be cold and most likely cold and wet. How do you dry out gear when it is cold out? If your shoes get wet and cold - freeze over night - how do you thaw / deal with that or similar issues? Thanks in advance.