morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-07
From: Walasi-Yi Inn

To:  Neels Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: moderate rain

I got off to a late start today but it was planned. With rain in the forecast I decided to hang out in the shelter to stay dry until 1:30pm. I figured it would take me about 5 hours to go the 10.6 miles today so that would give me just enough time to cook dinner and clean up before settling in for the night.I got lucky and avoided the rain during my hike. It may have drizzled on me a little or it may have just been the water dropping off the trees but in any case it wasn't so bad.The hike was very uneventful. I pretty much just pounded out the mileage because it was wet and foggy.....not much else to do. However just after I started today I ran into Jim from Tampa. He was unfortunately coming back with a pretty banged up hand. He apparently slipped and fell on a wet rock and then gashed his hand open. I saw a lot of blood and he was thinking he is going to need quite a few stitches. He already had a twisted ankle and now this. I hope he gets back out on the trail soon.Just after I arrived at camp tonight the rain began to fall. It started just as I was putting up my tent. The shelter was full so I had to stay in the tent tonight. After setting up my tent I cooked up some mac and cheese for dinner.I am in my tent now as it rains, thunders and lightnings. I am a little nervous as to how my tent holds up in the rain. I haven't tested it before but I'm sure it'll be alright. I thought it was leaking but it appears that it was just excess water that I dragged in from my rain gear. Its around 9:30pm or so and I am pretty pooped. I am going to play around with my camera for a little bit and then get to bed.
Date: 2005-04-08
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Cheese Factory Site
Miles today: 13.0

Today was my biggest day. I ended up doing 13 miles after planning on just 7.3 miles. With the off and on rain all day today, I just found myself walking and walking. My feet are pretty tired tonight.The weather wasn't supposed to be so bad today but the first rain came about a mile off the Blue Mt. Shelter. I hiked in the rain to the shelter and decided to cook my first hot meal of my hike since I had some time to kill with the rain falling.A bunch of people decided to go into town (Helen, GA)but I decided to stay away since I was in a hostel just a couple nights before.I'm at camp by myself tonight. I think I'm at the Cheese Factory Site but I might just be at some random site just a little bit before it. This is the first time that I have spent the night by myself. It is a little creepy but I'm really tired so I'm sure I will just fall asleep and forget about it. The other thing is I am not far from a dirt road. This creeps me out a little as well. It is best to camp away from roads as waco people would rather mess with someone close to a road than have to venture deep into the woods.Anyways, it's 9:30PM on a FRIDAY NIGHT and I AM GOING TO BED!Sport'n Around!
Date: 2005-04-09
From: Cheese Factory Site

To: Hiawasee
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather finally cleared up for me today. I took my time getting started today because I was planning on doing a lower mileage day after two consecutive double digit mileage days.I realized I stopped just short of the Cheese Factory Site the night before because I ran into it just after I started. I met up with Brad from NJ and we hiked together for the day. I met Brad, who is also hiking solo, back at Neels Gap. We went to dinner that night with Tom & Denis. He seems like a cool kid and actually seems to have more in common with me than anyone else I've met so far.1. We are both the same age. Most are younger with no work experience.2. We are both doing the same mileage3. We are both giving up a lot to attempt this thru hike.Anyway we were planning on keeping the mileage low, about 7-8 miles, but one thing led to another and we ended up getting to the road that took us to Hiawassee. We figured we deserved a night off the trail since we have been doing some big miles during this first week. To get to town we had to hitch a ride which was the first time I have ever done this(if you don't count the time from Orlando-Melbourne in the middle of the night). After about 15 minutes the 2 nicest older ladies picked Brad, Fancy Pants, Kate and I up in their nice SUV and took us to town. I was expecting some young redneck in a big old pickup. They asked us a whole bunch of questions on our way into town. The one lady, after asking me where I was from, asked me if I knew Jen Halloway. It didn't take me long to remember she is the lady from Bay News 9 in Tampa. Apparently Jen grew up in Hiawassee and used to baby sit this lady's grandkids. She was so proud to tell me she was also both Miss Hiawassee and Miss Georgia.They took us to the Hiawassee Inn and we then went out for Mexican. I figured it wasn't going to be that good but I was pleasantly surprised. Very Estella's like except they brought us what we ordered!!!!!!We all were so stuffed and yet we had to walk back .7 miles to the hostel and make a quick trip to the grocery store in between.Oh, by the way, the 4 of us got a 12 pack of beer to split and we were all feeling pretty buzzed after just 2-3 beers. Crazy what all that hiking will do to your body.I am going to try to get out of town at a decent hour tomorrow. If all goes as planned, I will knock out my first state and be camping in NC tomorrow night. Sorry who ever picked Georgia in the office pool!!!!!
Date: 2005-04-10
From: Hiawasee

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

We had another nice day of sunshine but it was a little too warm. I was planning on keeping the miles on the shorter side today so I can set myself up for a big day tomorrow. I am not sure that is going to work, however. I am not sure why but today was a really tough day. I am starting to think it was a combination of a few things.1. I only got about 7.5 hours of sleep. I have been sleeping about 9 hours a day.2. I had 2 beers the night before. I wasn't hung over or anything but maybe it contributed.3. It was about 80 degrees.4. I didn't drink as much water as I should have during my hike.5. I didn't eat much of a lunch.So yeah, I think all of these things contributed to me having a tough 8.8 mile hike. As soon as I got to camp today, which was early, around 3:30pm. I set up my tent and hopped inside because of all the gnats and ended up falling asleep for about a 1/2 hour. I woke up with a big pile of drool on my tent. I was wiped out!!On a more exciting note, I completed my FIRST state and am now in NORTH CAROLINA!I am really excited about this and look forward to more states. I will probably have another mile stone tomorrow as I should surpass 100 miles hiked!!!!!Some of the guys I have met early on have caught up to me today so I look forward to hanging out with them tomorrow. I am currently the last one up (as usual) sitting at a campfire Brad made. It is about to go out so I think it is also a good time for me to call it a night. By the way, it is another beautiful night. The sunset was awesome and there are countless stars in the sky tonight.One last thing that is pretty interesting. I am in the woods where Eric Rudolph, the Olympic Abortion and Gay Night Club Bomber was on the run for so many years. He is supposed to enter a plea bargain to spare his life and in exchange he is telling the FBI where he has explosives hidden in the mountains that I am hiking through.......pretty crazy!
Date: 2005-04-11
From: Bly Gap

To: Beech Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: few clouds

Oh Well, I felt good today. I was kind of hoping for a 15 mile day but my feet just get too sore. My condition is good. I feel I could do many more miles but my feet just haven't gotten used to the constant walking. They get really red and swollen and feel like they are throbbing like a heart you see in a cartoon. Never the less, it is only my 10th day and it won't be long until my feet can hold up better. My hike today included a climb all the way up to 5,498ft to the summit of Standing Indian Mt. I am not sure how many feet are in a mile and after asking about a dozen hikers, I believe I was over a mile high (I think a mile is 5,280ft.?) I took some pictures but I am not sure if they will look as good as in real life.I also saw two more snakes on separate occasions today. I'm not sure what kind but GOD I HATE SNAKES!!!!Rain is supposed to roll back in again for about 3 days. It might start overnight or else tomorrow sometime. Hopefully it stays dry until morning so I don't have to pack up my tent wet and the rest of my equipment in the rain. Take care,
Date: 2005-04-12
From: Beech Gap

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

What a Day!!I woke up expecting the worst day of my hike but it ended up turning into the best day so far. I was expecting the worst because of the weather. I packed up in a hurry because the sky looked ready to start falling and I made it out at 8:45am......the earliest to date. About an hour into my hike it began to rain. Shortly after, I made it to a shelter to get out of the rain and have a snack. It didn't look like it was soon going to stop so I decided to continue on. Before I new it, it had stopped raining and I had already done 7 miles in less than 2 hours. I new then that today was going to be my first 15 mile day. I was already ahead of the whole crew of about 15 that camped at Beech Gap.Shortly after, I came around a bend and saw a huge tent and I was wondering what was going on. I continued on a little further and saw a few people around a campfire, a big tarp, bunch of chairs and all sorts of other things. There was a sign saying "TRIAL MAGIC". Trail Magic is food, good deed or other things people do for Thru-hikers. There were a few people, Terry, Gatorade, Fishing Fred, that were camped on the side of this dirt road since 3/15/05 providing Trail Magic for Hikers. They gave us sodas and black beans and rice. The food and drink were nice but it was more the nice act that really won me over.It worked out great as the rain started back up and we were protected by the tarp. Everyone else moved on and I ended up being the first one in and the last one out. I stayed for 3 hours!!It worked out great because I waited for the rain to stop before leaving. Well, the rain ended up going away and the sun came through. I ended up surpassing the 100 mile mark on the trail which is another accomplishment. I also am feeling in great condition now that I am 11 days in. The only thing is   that my feet get so sore. I am not getting blisters or anything. It is just that my feet get swollen and red after a while. I guess I just need to give it time for them to toughen up.I am only 4 miles from a road crossing that goes into Franklin, NC. I am going into town tomorrow to resupply and hopefully hit up an All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Hut. I will be thinking of you Court, Burr and Breesman.OUT!!
Date: 2005-04-14
From: Wine Spring

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

As they say, 1 day on the trail could be horrible and the rest great. Today was pretty nice. However, after I finally got everything organized the temperature continued to drop and the rain turned to either freezing rain, sleet or snow. All I know is it did not sound like rain. Anyway my sleeping bag ended up getting wet because my tent was messed up. A bunch of us were talking today and we agreed that we were lucky that we stayed safe. Prime hypothermia weather. Everything was frozen over this morning and it made it very difficult to perk up. The temperature was in the upper 20's and I was freezing! The sky cleared up and was a bit cool but it was a beautiful day. I hit two mountains today over 5,100ft (Wayah Bald 5,342' and Copper Ridge Bald Lookout 5,150') and they provided an amazing view. I hope the pictures look as good as it does in person. The weather cleared up and warmed up so nice at one section that I took about a 2 hour break to dry out all my equipment from the night before and also stripped down to my shorts and took a nap and got a tan. I am at camp now and still hanging with !fester, !brad, !fancypants and Kate. We have been together for the most part since Hiawassee. I also caught up to !ezdoesit. He's an old timer I met my first week. Good guy who has already completed 4 thru-hikes and going for #5.It's 8:30pm and I am heading off to sleep. It is too cold to do anything else. FYI, with my tent messed up I am staying in the shelter tonight just my 3rd time since I have started.Good Night!
Date: 2005-04-15
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Grassy Gap
Miles today: 8.8

What a night last night!!There were 5 of us in the shelter and I was expecting a nice night after the mess I had the night before. I was also happy about cathcing up to !ezdoesit but I ended up having to hear him snore all night. It was horrible. EZ was sleeping on one end and I was right next to him. He had us all awake around midnight and I was yelling his name but he wouldn't wake up. It even got to the point wher I would yell his name very time he made a snore noise......so it was a constant noise of...snore...."EZ"....snore...."EZ....and so on. The rest of us were really annoyed but what could we do so we just laughed about it for a good while. This morning he asked me how I slept. I had to be honest with him but I didn't go into detail.I was looking forward to the morning hike because it was supposed to be 6 miles down hill to the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) where there is a nice little resort set up on a river. The hike was pretty rough however and I didn't eat anything because I was holding out for breakfast at the NOC. It was my earliest morning yet starting at 7:50am. I got to the NOC just before 10am and had a good breakfast.I ended up wasting most of the day away there.I got both my tent pole replaced that I snapped a few days earlier and also had my trekking pole fixed that I bent. I also checked in with my Mom about my mail drops and what not. I am going to have her keep sending me the great dehydrated food that she makes but holding off on regular food. I could get it just as easily in stores and I will be able to buy what I want to eat not whatever is sent to me. Hopefully next time I will have time to talk to my Mom about more exciting things other than what not be send me. As for everyone else, please still send me stuff if you were planning to.....PLEASE!!!!...PLEASE!!!!!!!I also did my laundry, got a shower and took a nap on a picnic table today. The sun was nice and warm. Before heading out of the NOC I ate a late lunch and had a pint of Ben & Jerry's I got my fair share of calories today.I hiked 3 miles out of civilization before setting up my tent. I am here with about 5 other people of which I have seen around but don't know that well.That's all for now.
Date: 2005-04-16
From: Grassy Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a big mileage day.....biggest in fact 19 miles!I decided to go big miles today because I didn't do many the day before. I also didn't realize that I did not have much food left so I needed to get to Fontana Dan ASAP. I hiked by myself today which was nice. Some tough up hills in the first 1/2 of the day and it got easier as I went. My conditioning is great and my feet are doing better but still a little sore, but hey, I walked 19 miles with about 35 lbs on my back.I came to a road crossing about 1/2 way through the day and I was hoping there would be some Trail Magic since I didn't have enough food. Sure enough there was. I got an apple, breakfast bar, cookie and some water. there was some more food but I left it for the others coming behind me. After getting into camp tonight I found out that there was also beer, turkey sandwiches, soda and a bunch more. I am happy that I got something but I seem to miss out a lot by a few hours.I have pushed on further today from the pack that I have been with and have met a whole new group of people. They seem pretty cool and close but have been really cool with me tonight even though I am a new guy. A couple of the guys were even Syracuse ESF grads so they must be pretty cool!!!Just hanging out at the campfire now.What A SATURDAY NIGHT!!
Date: 2005-04-17
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Visitors Center
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I made it an easy day today and was done by noon. I had an easy hike down into Fontana Dam. The view of the lake and dam were nice from the mountain top. I needed to stop here today because I have a mail drop here in Fontana and with it being a Sunday, I have to wait until Monday to pick up. However, this place where I am staying and the people I am with are pretty cool so I think I am going to take a zero day tomorrow to rest up. I have hiked 16 days now and over 170 miles so I guess one day off won't hurt. As soon as I cross the dam I enter the Smokies so I could use this day off because I hear the Smokies have a lot of elevation and climbing.I had a good lunch today which served as a good appetizer to dinner. For less than $10.00 I had an All-You-Can-Eat buffet and I seriously think I ate more than I ever had in one sitting.Between lunch and dinner !eric, (Austin, TX), !slim (Binghamton) & myself got a ride out of the county for a beer run. We came back with 84 beers and 3 bottles of wine for the 3 of us, !amy (Illinois), !crazylegs (Syracuse) & !mrsweepers (Jersey). We had a few beers but haven't really made a dent. After dinner we hung out and watched The Fugitive on TNT. It was a good movie but were watching it because the guy who drove us on our beer run pointed out the dam that Harrison Ford jumped from in the movie. Pretty cool and great timing that the movie was on TV tonight. Fontana Village is a pretty interestng place. It seems so cool but at the same time gives me the chills and can be quite creepy. It is almost midnight now so I'll save the details for tomorrow about Fontana Village.YIKES Scooby!!!
Date: 2005-04-18
From: Fontana Dam Visitors Center

To: Fontana Dam Visitors Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

So I wanted to write more about Fontana Village. The place was really neat but also a little spooky. I like to say Fontana Village is a village that has a little bit of everything, but not much of anything.The village, apparently built to house the workers who built the Fontana Dam, is now a little resort community. They have lots to do including tennis, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, volleyball, trout fishing pond, bike rentals, horseback riding, an outdoor shop, post office, general store, laundry, restaurant, etc.On the flip side it was a little eerie because there wasn't many people around and the buildings are a little old. I stayed in the hostel. Only one other person was there, and she really freaked me out. She just gave me a weird feeling at first even though she helped me out because I could not find the hostel. I did not get back to the hostel until about 11:00PM on sunday night and it was just this person and me. She started talking to me and telling me all kinds of weird stuff. She was telling me how she is a Dominatrix, had been addicted to crystal meth, something about her partner(inferring she is gay) how she had diarrhea and all other kinds of weird stuff without me asking her anything. Between the eerie feeling of the village, hostel and lady, I was pretty scared and decided to sleep with my knife in my hand. Luckily nothing happened last night but when I woke up, she told me how she still had diarrhea......weird!!!Today is my first zero day (meaning day off without hiking any miles) and I made the best of it. I did all my chores in the morning. Did laundry, got my mail, (thanks Mom & Dad, everyone else please send me stuff!)took a shower!! and ate breakfast.Jeff, Amy, Crazy Legs and I then drank some beers and played shuffleboard for the afternoon....lots of fun. We were also going to play some horseshoes but never got around to it.Before I new it, dinner time came and I made a quick decision that I wasn't going to stay the night. I was just a little too creeped out so I got a ride back to the dam where there is a nice big shelter named "The Hilton".Tomorrow I will enter the Smokies and will be hiking on the Tennessee/North Carolina boarder. I look forward to a new state and getting back on the trail.
Date: 2005-04-19
From: Fontana Dam Visitors Center

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Even after taking a zero day the day before, today was a tough hike. My feet and body felt it. I entered the Smoky Mountains today and will be hiking through the Smokies for the next 4-5 days. I am hoping to see my first bear soon. There is supposed to be a lot of them here in this region.My appetite has really picked up. My food bag and backpack were as heavy as they ever have been starting out today but I think I am going to have to deal with it because I am just too hungry. I had to pack 5 days worth this time but hopefully will have to only have 3-4 days in the future.Oh, I also wanted to mention that the trail runs on the North Carolina/Tennessee boarder while going thru the Smokies. In addition, while in the Smokies you have to stay in the shelters so you don't disrupt the heavily used areas. I hope I don't have many bad snorers like Trent to deal with.I also wanted to take a moment to thank my Mom for all her help on my adventure. She is not only transcribing my horribly written journal entries but is also dehydrating all kinds of food for me on this trip. Hey Trent, if you go hiking you could probably get Mom to make you more beef jerky!! Mom, you've also been great with helping me by sending my food drops and calling on my equipment suppliers when my gear breaks.Thanks so much!
Date: 2005-04-20
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was a really nice day. The scenery was beautiful and there were a lot of grassy balds on the tops of the mountains I crossed. I also crossed Rockytop today. It provided a great view and I thought of Matt Martin and his pathetic volunteers.I have been about 5,000 feet for most of the day and I am sleeping in my tent tonight at 5,507 feet. It got pretty cold as the sun was going down and I hear a cold front is moving in so I hope it doesn't get too cold tonight. I was lucky to be able to sleep in my tent tonight because the shelter was full. Last night Jukebox, who is a nice guy, was sleeping next to me and kept me up with his snoring. I have bad luck when it comes to the shelters so I am thankful to be in my tent tonight.I really hope I get a good nights sleep. I am usually refreshed in the morning but when I sleep in a shelter I am woken at least 5 times during the night. One Last thing, Professor saw a bear this afternoon. All I saw was a rabbit. I can't wait until I see my first bear!!!Oh and ONE MORE last thing. I listened to my radio for the first time while hiking. It was great! It was a great change in pace and had me pumped up. I had a classic rock and top 40 station out of Knoxville tuned in just about all day. Some of my favorite songs from the day included:1. Bon Jovi:   Its My Life & Livin' On A Prayer2. Hobastank:   The Reason3. NPR News4. Telsa:      SignsNow, with that being said, I am going to turn on the radio for a little while and go to bed.Earliest night yet at just 9:00PM.