morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-29
From: NOC

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

Eighteen days since I left Springer and this is the closest thing to a bad day I have had. I am, however, comforted by the fact that it is most or all due to hormones. Gentleman, you may want to skip ahead here if you don't want to read about women's issues. Having my period on the trail just plain sucks. I had thought a lot about dealing with hygiene issues on the trail (which also sucks, though not as much as it would without my Diva Cup), but I had not given a lot of thought to the other aspects. I have felt awful all day: I hurt, my stomach is more easily upset, and I just feel rundown and am lacking in energy. Most importantly, though, I hadn't given much thought to how my period can just make my mood take a nosedive and my emotions can run wild. Most of this hike, I have felt so "right," happy, and at-home in the woods. Today, though, I feel helpless, out-of-place, clumsy, and generally sort of incompetent. I always think a good deal about some big-picture life issues as I hike, but today, a lot of this thought just made me sad. I won't go on and on here, because it'll just be whining, but you get the picture. Now, the good to all of this is that I can see the hormonal link, and intellectually, at least, I know that everything is under a cloud that will go away in a few days like the rain. This doesn't help me feel great at the moment, but I know that this, too, shall pass. I am camped tonight with Longhaul, Aikido Jo, and three others I don't know. Dr. Beef Stick, Roughin' It and Sherlock all hiked further. I was very tempted to hike the remaining 5.5 mi to the shelter, but didn't. I'm still not sure I made the best decision (largely because hygiene issues at this time of the month are easier at a privy), but I guess it's probably smart to take it slow. I also know if I hiked to Fontana Dam in 2 days instead of 3, I'd want to take a zero before heading into the Smokies, and this would mean more $. I've decided that some friendships on the trail are like constantly reaching the end of summer camp. I've spent a lot of time with and grown close to Roughin It and Beef Stick over the last few days, and I miss them already. Oh, one bright spot here - I just learned something new (or maybe re-learned, as I think perhaps I knew it before). I thought that I couldn't sit up in my hammock, so when hammocking I had to journal and do any other writing before crawling in. Not true! I just discovered that if I sit right in the middle, I can sit up to write just perfectly. I love all the little things that make trail life easier. I may not be super happy right at the moment, but I still feel very lucky to be out here, on the loose. Postscript, March 30, 2011: This was my first, but of course not last, bad day on the trail. I think they have helped me to look differently at bad days in the "real world." Sadly, I never did get very comfortable writing in my hammock. It worked when I really needed to, but I found that sitting on the ground and writing before crawling in was much easier and more pleasant.
Date: 2010-03-30
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

What a lovely day today. I was a little slow-moving this morning (left at 10:15 rather than my usual 9ish), but all the rest of the day, I have felt a million times better than yesterday! The sun has been shining beautifully pretty much all day, and the hiking has been nice. Parts of this morning were quite difficult (apparently, some of the NC trail designers don't believe in switchbacks), but all afternoon after Brown Fork Gap Shelter was lovely. At some time or another, I hiked along chatting with both Longhaul (in the morning) and EZ Hiker (afternoon), and I enjoyed the company. For some of the day, I listened to my book, Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. After the first couple of chapters, I thought it was pretty awful and contrived. It is contrived, but now I've gotten sucked into the story, and I'm really enjoying it. The rest of my hike today, I just walked in silent thought, listening to the world around me. I am really enjoying my book, but most of the time, this is my favorite. I am so lucky to have the chance to be out here. I am sitting in blissful peace right now. I have strung up my hammock down towards a creek, about 50 yards from the shelter and my closest neighbor. I am sitting in the sun as my gear dries and my dinner rehydrates in its cozy. I can barely even hear voices from the shelter. As I began to set up camp, it occurred to me that I haven't had much eventing time to myself since my zero at home from Unicoi Gap. As much as I enjoy my trail friends, I'm also enjoying the quiet time right now. I decided not to even go up to the shelter to cook. It's lovely. Did I say how lucky I am to be out here?
Date: 2010-03-31
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: North End of Fontana Dam
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am now officially 1.5 miles past where my 2006 thru-hike attempt ended! This would be pretty incredible in and of itself, but on top of this, I feel AMAZING!I got up and out pretty early this morning (8:25), and hiked fast. This morning's was a happy hike, and I spent most of it thinking about my future and what in the world I'm going to do after. I had more thoughts "click" this morning than they have in years. I have lots of thinking to do, so I'll keep this to myself for now, but it sure is good to have some ideas. Late morning, I hiked over Fontana Dam, just to the North end of the dam itself, and was picked up by Jeff Hoch, owner of The Hike Inn. I had planned to stay in Fontana Village, but was convinced by Longhaul to stay with him here at the Hike Inn. I am SO glad I did! Jeff and Nancy are wonderful! I'm sharing a room with Aikido Jo, and Longhaul is just next door. When Jeff pulled up in his Tahoe with the three of us, Nancy came out to greet us. Shortly after, we took her our nasty, dirty, hiker laundry, which she returned a couple of hours later clean and neatly folded. She also took lunch orders from a nearby diner, which Jeff went to pick up. The catfish sandwich and fries about a half an hour after I ate my normal trail lunch turned out to be the perfect-sized lunch for this hungry hiker. I think perhaps it's time to increase the food I carry! All afternoon, I've had my gear airing out in the sun, and much of the time I've aired myself out in the sun, as well. I haven't had shoes on in hours! Best of all, I got trail magic in Longhaul's mail. Socks, a friend of his from his 2005 thru-hike, sent six completely edible and beautiful Easter basket for he and his friends to enjoy. They're so creative - the base is made of a peanut butter cup and peanut butter cookie, with coconut grass, a Twizzler handle, Robins Egg & jelly bean eggs, and a big marshmallow bunny in the middle. It made my day (as if my day wasn't amazing enough as it is!). Thanks so much, Socks!!!Jeff & Nancy even called the post office to have them deliver our mail here with theirs. WOW. I just finished going through my mail - two packages and a letter - and I feel so amazingly, wonderfully, incredibly, unbelievably loved. Mom, Dad, and Ashia - thank you all so very much! You made me cry twice (if only I were kidding...), but you sent my day over the moon. Postscript, April 1, 2011: That was SUCH a great day! I still remember floating on air as I hiked on past the spot where I gave up on my 2006 attempt. That was a big moment for me!
Date: 2010-04-01
From: North End of Fontana Dam

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

Woah! What a long day! It was a fabulous first day in the Smokies, though this 16-miler felt WAY longer than the last one. The weather was absolutely beautiful all day. There are tons of people here at the shelter tonight, but it's a fun crowd. This is gonna be a short entry, cause I'm exhausted, but a couple of other things to report - my good run on blisters ended today. My feet hurt more today than they have since I left Springer, and I'll have to tape them all up in the morning. Also, I realized that I planned poorly - I have a maildrop at the post office in Gatlinburg, but I'm going to get in late Saturday afternoon and plan to leave Sunday. I'm going to find cell service tomorrow and try to get them to send it on to a hotel, but I'm sure not holding my breath. Oh well, not the end of the world, and I'll figure out something. Oh, Happy April Fools! We've enjoyed some good humor in the shelter logs. One last note before bed - Aikido Jo just pointed out to me that we just dipped under the "2,000 miles to go" mark. We now only have 1,998.7 miles to hike. No big deal...Postscript, April 1, 2011: You know, ONLY 1,998.7 miles. It was pretty easy from that point on...
Date: 2010-04-02
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Today was a great day!!! The trail was really tough, but the hike was fun. We hiked over Rocky Top & Thunderhead Mtn., which were both breathtaking. Aikido Jo and I hiked together again all day, which was also a good time. A huge thanks to Door Mouse and Dirt Stew who helped me doctor my blisters with tape that stayed in place perfectly. This was at lunch (a fabulous, boots-off lunch, which I should do more often!), which created a huge improvement over the morning, when my duct tape was slipping and sliding. There's a great crew tonight at this beautiful shelter, and it's been a fun evening. I'm getting up at 4:00 tomorrow morning to try for a nice sunrise on Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT. I hear there's rain coming in, so we'll see how that goes...Goodnight from the AT!Postscript, April 2, 2011: I'm not sure if it started from this point on, but by the end of the trail, I ALWAYS took my boots off at lunch, and it made all the difference in the world!
Date: 2010-04-04
From: Newfound Gap/Gatlinburg, TN

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

It's late and I'm the only one not in my sleeping bag so today's journal will have to be short. Today was a great day! I took a really leisurely morning and left the hotel just a little before 11. As I was about to leave the hotel for the NOC store, which runs shuttles a few times a day, another guy who was just heading out said he'd be happy to give me a ride to the trail. I spotted Dirt Stew across the street at the Grand Prix, and he and Door Mouse ended up riding up as well. After a trip to KFC, the three of us rode up in the back of a pickup truck, courtesy of Venus and his young friends, Justin, Brandon, and one other whose name I can't remember. They talked to us for a long time, too, and all were extremely nice and hilarious! Thanks, guys!!!I finally got rolling from Newfound Gap at about 12:30. I was floating on a cloud all day because for the first time on this trip, I was hiking brand new trail I've never explored before! The hike today was beautiful, staying on very small ridgelines much of the day. The snow wasn't nearly as bad as it was south of Newfound Gap, though there was still a lot. Charlie's Bunion was beautiful!!! Everyone says this, and it was awesome to experience it for myself. I took a long lunch break there (yes a second lunch after my KFC). After a while, a big group of hikers came in, most of them without packs. Moments later, my shoulders were grabbed by none other than Donner! It was great to see him again!It's a great group at the shelter here tonight, all thru-hikers, and we've had a bit of a party because several of us packed in Easter trail magic we received - Girl Scout cookies, Hershey kisses, and a big bag of candy from Beefstick's mom. I'm surprisingly tired after less than 11 miles, but all in all, it's been a really fun day! Happy and lucky to be out here on the loose...
Date: 2010-04-05
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a beautiful, peaceful day. Best of all, I think I'm finally out of the snow! We were in the snow most of today, and I've almost forgotten what it's like to hike with dry boots. My feet are taking a beating these days. They were doing great for the first few weeks, but for the last few days, they've just been rough! I'm really looking forward to a zero and a nero (or two) this weekend to help them heal. Also, before I get off my whiney kick, I had my first major fall. I've fallen 11 times before today, 10 of those happening over the last two days in the snow. Most of them, however, have been gentle falls on my butt or side. Today was a different story. This morning, I slid on a wet log and took a tumble. My left hand and left knee hit first. Then, my forehead hit and I rolled onto my left shoulder and over on my pack, landing on my back. I was a bit stunned, but almost entirely unharmed. I got a small cut on my knee and a fancy bruise on my hip, adding to the many others on my legs from postholing through ice-crusted snow. I'm definitely beaten and battered more than I've been since leaving Springer, but I'm still thrilled to be out here!Today's hike was breathtaking! Gorgeous vistas from long ridges, and late in the day, shades of green everywhere. It is again a great group here at the shelter tonight. I was in before 5 o'clock, so I've had chores and dinner done for a while and have been hanging out, journaling, and talking, and it's not even dark yet. It's really nice to have a leisurely evening. Tomorrow, it's only 10.4 miles into Standing Bear Farm Hostel. Life is good out here, on the loose.
Date: 2010-04-06
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Oh, what a glorious day! I flew through my 10 miles to Standing Bear, and have had a relaxing afternoon at this incredibly cool hostel. I usually take a mile or two (at least) each morning to warm up into any decent pace. This morning, however, I just soared right off the bat! Today's hike was beautiful. I truly hiked down into Spring. The further down I went, the more flowers, tiny leaves coming out of buds, and overwhelming green I saw. As I neared the Pigeon River and the Northern edge of the Smoky Mtn National Park, a nice, calm stream morphed into exquisite, cascading waterfalls. Before I knew it, I was heading underneath I-40 (our first interstate crossing). Another mile later, I came to a gravel road, where I turned left and hiked the few hundred yards to Standing Bear Farm. This is such a cool place! It's this little collection of buildings in front of owner, Curtis's house. Shortly after I hiked up, Curtis gave me a short tour of the bunkhouse, shower building (one of the two waterfall shower rooms has a wall of colored glass bottles), outhouse, kitchen, laundry, internet and provisions shed. The laundry is a couple of sinks with soap, a washboard, and a ringer. The internet is a computer in its own tiny shed, 15 minutes/$1. The provisions shed has mail drops stacked up (sift through and find your own); a refrigerator and freezer full of frozen pizzas, burgers, and cold sodas; a shelf of dry foods and a shelf of other hiker supplies. All during my stay, I've kept an envelop listing my itemized expenses ($15 for a bunk, .75 for a soda, $10 for a whole Digorno pizza, $1 for internet, etc.), and I'll just total and pay tomorrow morning before I leave. I soaked my feet in the stream that runs right through the property (steps lead down to the perfect soaking spot), and I've laughed with friends, both old and new. Some are here for the night, and some came in for a relaxed afternoon and hiked on for a few more miles. I've even been able to hike up a small hill and get decent cell reception. This brings me to the thing that has taken some of the glory out of the day. I once again received terrible news over the phone today. Molly, love, I cannot believe you have left us, and I miss you so much already. You touched so very many lives in your time in this world, and I am grateful that you touched mine. I have been very tempted to fly to Bozeman to say goodbye to you properly, to hold my friends (family, really) close, and to once again surround myself with all those who have loved you and known your love. I know, however, that you, of all people, would want me to do my grieving out here on the trail and to enjoy and celebrate my life, continuing my journey. This weekend in Hot Springs, I will have a margarita and a milkshake in your honor, and I will toast all of the adventurous, kick-ass women in the world. This is the way I will always remember you. I love you so much, Moll. One foot in front of the other... Postscript, April 6, 2011: RIP Molly O'Brien. Miss you.
Date: 2010-04-08
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: moderate rain

For this and the next few entries, I have gotten behind. Unless I get the chance to come back and write them properly, I'm just going to leave them as a list of highlights, primarily for my benefit. Here goes...- RAIN! Most soaked I've been since Springer.- Longest day yet - great feeling!- Hiked fast - left @ 8AM, into Hot Springs at 4.- Ended up at the Duckett House - hiker rate for a room & laundry & breakfast was less than a room above the Rock Bottom bar. - Duckett House is far out of town, but amazing! worth the walk!- Dinner @ the diner w/ Dirt Stew, Dormouse (just found out we've been spelling it wrong), Sherlock, Donner, & iTrod.- Hung out @ Rock Bottom later w/ Beefstick, Roughin' It, Aikido Jo, & all from dinner. Celebrated Dirt Stew's birthday with ice cream sandwiches.- Trail magic! Old Drum & family greeted me in the morning with yummy chocolate when I passed their campsite. Very cool to see really young kids out backpacking. Postscript, April 8, 2011: Gosh, I really was SO soaked hiking into town that day! That made me all the more excited, however, to be there. I remember feeling fairly lost in my quest for a place to stay (all while still soaking wet), but as soon as I got to the Duckett House, it felt like home. There was a lot of great trail camaraderie that night!
Date: 2010-04-09
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Tanyard Gap
Miles today: 5.9

- Amazing breakfast at the Duckett House - homemade biscuits, quiche, incredible vegetarian gravy.- Persistent & Eric drove me up to Tanyard Gap for a beautiful SOBO slackpack back to town. - Very social experience, b/c I passed 25 hikers in 6 miles, most of whom I knew.- Strolled like a dayhiker and had a blast; Lovers Leap was beautiful.- After, lunch w/ iTrod @ Sweet Imaginations.- Toasted Molly w/ iTrod w/ a Cookies & Cream milkshake. Thank you, iTrod! I love you, Molly!- evening - Dad arrived!- sooo great to see him!- dinner at Iron Horse with Dad, iTrod, Red Hat, Persistent, & Eric - Wonderful dinner! Good food, great company, fun music (bluegrass quartet) Postscript, April 9, 2011: When I pulled up this picture, it just filled me with joy. That was such a great day!
Date: 2010-04-10
From: Tanyard Gap

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

- Awesome zero day! Perfect!- Another fabulous breakfast- Laundry & chores, got birthday present & card for my wonderful brother (can't believe he's 30!)- Lunch at the Diner- took leftover 1/2 pizza, 12-pack of Bud, styrofoam cooler, ice, & pretzels to Max Patch for trail magic. Dad carried cooler all the way up!- Shared magic with Nesta, hiker with much easier-to-remember name, whose name I can't remember, Braids, & Tiger Woods.- Was thrilled to meet Braids. Although it took a while to make the connection, we sort of knew each other pre-trail. She is niece of long-time family friend, Frank Henry. It was great to meet her & I hope she catches up at some point!- After Max Patch - drove quickly back to make appointment at hot springs- Soaked in hot springs - amazing! Took fun, silly underwater photos- New boots! After hearing so much about trail runners, I've made the switch. More on this later. Thanks for the help, Wayne!- Incredible dinner! Went to the Mountain Magnolia Inn. It was perfect! - Perfect end to a perfect day...Postscript, April 11, 2011: It's funny- meeting Braids is so understated in this journal entry, but that moment changed my life. Yesterday, we celebrated the first year of our life together. If Dad and I hadn't gone up to Max Patch that day, she and I may have never made the connection and she probably would have kept hiking fast and blew on by me. How lucky we are to have avoided that fate!
Date: 2010-04-12
From: campsite near Fox Cabin Gap

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

I'm beat! Today has absolutely whipped my tail like no other day since the beginning of my hike!So, do you remember that whole story from yesterday about camping with no water and eating random snacky foods for dinner? Well, this morning I packed up & left early. Literally 4 minutes down the trail, I come to a big, flat campsite and trees blazed like crazy pointing to the water source just below. Seriously???Oh well. Regardless, I had a great night. I got to the shelter quickly and got water and cooked breakfast. I was delighted to hike up and see iTrod sitting at the picnic table. I had hopes that Dormouse & Dirt Stew may be there, but alas, they were not. After breakfast, I took off a little after 9. The hike over Big Butt was lovely. On the way down, though, things got less fun. I got LOST. As I wrote, a few weeks ago I got off the trail for a bit. This time, though, I was truly, completely lost. I was able to retrace my steps back to the trail, but when I finally realized I was definitely not on the AT, I sat down and looked at my map, and I had no clue where I was. All told, I think I added 1.5 - 2 miles to my day. More than the added mileage, though, it was simply demoralizing. I took an earlier lunch than planned and felt much better after that long break.The rest of the day went more smoothly, but it continued to just beat me down. I had a 2.5 mile climb coming up late in the day. I wasn't really worried, because I had great plans to turn on my iPod and just cruise. I got to the base of the climb and pulled out my iPod.   My eye immediately caught sight of the "key lock" switch. It was clearly unlocked instead of locked, like it should be. Sure enough, it was dead as a doornail. It had clearly been playing all night. Sadly, this discovery immediately made the climb 10 times harder.I found my energy reserves completely drained on the climb (and rest of the day), even more than usual. I wonder if I was still fighting a calorie & water deficit from the night before.As I said at the beginning of this entry, today really did kick my butt more than any other. All in all, including getting lost and the LONG trail to get water, I hiked about 18.5 miles today. That was a big plenty! I'm so happy to be here & settled in, and I even had two dinners tonight. Life is good!By the way, my priority has now shifted. I am exhausted, and suddenly catching up with folks has taken a back seat. I still miss them, but I can't do big miles again for a couple of days. We'll see...