morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-12
From: Lonesome Lake Hut

To: Greenleaf Hut
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: thunderstorm

Weather was okay it the morning just a little damp and misty. Afternoon was about the same. We started the Franconia Ridge with moderate winds and no views. It was like walking in the clouds. Thunder flares up and we try to pick up the pace to get to the next hut. We are 1 mile away from dry safety when a rainstorm floods the trail and soaks the both of us. A little while after reaching the hut Uke strolls in and tells us about the lightning that was hitting the rocks around him on the ridge. We have a warm place to sleep but our wet stuff from yesterday is still wet today and continues to be wet even into the next two days.
Date: 2013-09-13
From: Greenleaf Hut

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: light rain

Shorter hike today. We start the morning off in the middle of lots of wind and sideways rain. At one point the trail mixes with a water source and turns into a rushing downhill rapid almost like a waterfall but with boulders to navigate around. We get to the Galehead Hut around 5:30pm and do work for stay as we did in the previous huts. One of the croo members was nice enough to let me charge my phone for a few minutes. All of the huts run off of green technology for energy sources and normally do not allow any guests to use the hidden power outlets.
Date: 2013-09-14
From: Galehead Hut

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 7.0

Easy hike today. Weather stayed dry but cold and windy. Work for stay here was not as good. The croo was indifferent to the thru-hikers. The hut was smaller than the others and since it is a Saturday all of the bunks were full so we were asked to wait outside while everyone ate dinner. Nobody ever came out to get us so after waiting in the cold for an hour we one by one went inside to get some leftover scraps of food. No work chores were request of us tonight because of an issue with the water at the hut.
Date: 2013-09-15
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: unknown 
Miles today: 1.0

Best weather day that we've had in a week. Instead of walking the official Appalachian Trail we take a side trail for about 7 miles and then sit out front of the first store we find. There looks to be a major highway a quarter mile away. Smirks and I haven't talked to each other in 24 hours. I am emotionally wore out.
Date: 2013-09-16
To: a very successful failure
Miles today: 0.0

It saddens me deeply but I feel it's best to end my thru-hike early. I want to give a huge thank you to all whom have helped me along the way. Thanks to those who have donated money to my trip, thanks to those who have brought me into their homes, thanks to all who left me encouraging messages on the guest book, thanks for all the tips. I feel like I let all of you down just as much as I've let myself down. I will be happy to see my family and friends once again but the rest of the year is going to be as equally as depressing too. Not only will I have to cope with accepting my failure of not reaching Maine and Katahdin but I will also have to deal with the physiological and psychological issues that are common with another drastic switch in daily routines. I wish the best of luck to all who are still out there hiking this year. Even those lame southbounders
Date: 2013-11-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Smirks and I have decided to break up. We started dating on the trail the last week of June and continued to date after leaving the trail. I have many thoughts about the trail. I assume I will one day attempt another thru hike. I just don't know if I plan on doing another slow social 6 month pace or if I'd rather blow through it in 3 months. Can't predict the future.
Date: 2013-03-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It is midnight and I am finally packed and ready to go. My pack weighs 35lbs, a little over what I'd like but it's just the beginning so I'll take it. It snowed here at home today (VA) so I am ready for the freezing, rainy, snowy, windy weather in the mountains.
Date: 2013-03-22
To: Springer Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 0.9
Weather: clear sky

After a 10 hour drive from Va to GA with my dad and my dog, Bailey, we arrived at Byron Reece parking lot to meet our shuttle driver Lumpy. He sure was a character! "Bout an 80mile roundtrip for some Jim Bean." My dad, dog and I hiked to Springer Mountain Shelter in ~30minutes. It was chilly but nice. There were already 10 people there. We got shelter space, hung our food on the bear cables (we weren't hungry due to nerves I guess) and walked a few minutes to the Springer Mountain plaque. I'm standing here with my dog at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The journey of a (two) thousand miles begins with the first step. I'm so nervous I couldn't eat dinner and I feel like I might throw up. I'm so ecstatic I'm having trouble talking. My dad is telling me to smile for the camera, but all I can do is look out at the mountains. This will be my home for the next 4 months.There's a fire going back at the shelter, gathering everyone to keep warm. When the sun goes down everyone goes to their sleeping bag. There's 3 tents up and 2 hammocks. Five of us are on the first floor of the shelter and three on the second floor. I snuggled down into my bag with my dog leashed beside me. I had on my pants, shirt, fleece jacket, and down coat. Bailey was up most of the night trying to get comfortable, warm and figure out where she was supposed to be. She kept me up most of the night, hoping she wasn't already disturbing other hikers. It started raining hard in the middle of the night and a guy came in soaked and freezing. He set up across the front and shivered until morning. I slept in because I didn't want to be in all the hustle and bustle. My dad and I got up after a few people left. I cooked oatmeal and hot chocolate on my alcohol stove. Bailey went with me to the privy and got muddy all over. She's a white Australian Shepherd with brown patches and tags...she was no longer white. I put her pack on, got mine on and away we went.
Date: 2013-03-23
From: Springer Mtn Shelter

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We hiked through the misty fog, light rain and lovely mud. I noticed my pack wasn't adjusted right when my shoulders starting aching. We stopped at Stover Creek shelter to readjust. It was there that I encountered my first trail magic, milkduds! My dad had a few and lost a tooth cap, whoops. The guy who got soaked was there trying to dry his stuff off. He had packed sausage and a cheese block for a snack. Bailey was super muddy and her pack was not waterproof. We head back out and towards the next shelter. I'm saddened by the rain and fog as it means no view. If I'm going to struggle up this mountain, I want to see what is has to offer! We arrive at the shelter at about 6pm and find a flat leafy spot to set up the tent under our tarp. There's several guys feeding a fire in front of the shelter. I met a guy from Ireland named Lucky, a guy from Holland, a guy with a deep southern drawl, and several others I saw at Springer. I'm still too anxious to say much but Bailey sure is an icebreaker. I hear about the hippies ahead of me that are growing dreads and smoking pot. I listen to the guys talk about growing out their hair and beards, maybe dreads, and I'm glad AI brought a comb to keep my hair tangle free. My dad cooks dinner as I watch everyone fiddle with their stoves and their different equipment. My dad heads to bed under the tarp, next to my tent. I sit with my dog next to the fire. These guys are finding dry wood even when it rained all day. It gets super foggy and I struggled to walk straight back to my tent. The dog slept in the tent and shivered all night. My dad got wet so he moved in the tent with me. It was a long night. We cooked oatmeal and hot chocolate in the morning under the tarp. Packing up was tough in the cold rain. My pack seemed heavier than when I started. Bailey was super excited to get going, even in the rain when my dad and I weren't in good spirits.
Date: 2013-03-24
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We hiked and hiked and hiked...and it was only half a mile..urgh. I thought my quads would be burning but it was my calves. Shoulders still hurt, feet were starting to. It had only been 2 days yet I was covered in dirt already. There were times I thought, "Am I really going to do this for 2000 more miles?" My hiker hunger kicked in...I wanted to eat but I was too tired to. Dealing with my pack cover was frustrating. There were too many steps to get to my trail mix. We checked the map .8miles before the shelter and that was the longest .8 ever. My uphill hike goes walk 10-15 steps, stop for 10 seconds. I do fine going downhill but I'm pretty sure mountains have twice as much up as down. We finally arrived at the shelter and I was too exhausted to say hi to people. The shelter was slam full and there were at least 10 tents around. Finding a flat tent site was tough. I settled for an angled spot, set up the tent, stuffed my pack under the cover and my dad, dog and I all dove in. My dad was wet so he bundled up and tried to get warm. I was too exhausted to cook so I had a granola bar and trail mix and got in my sleeping bag. After an hour or so, my dad woke up and cooked mac n cheese and angel hair pasta under the tent flap. Bailey slept fine because she was worn out too. About 7am my dad woke me up saying it's snowing. I peeked out my sleeping bag at the top of my tent, saw the snow collecting, and went back to sleep. A couple hours later, I realize I can't stay in my tent all day. I slowly pack everything up. My fingers are frozen, snow is swirling everywhere. I cooked breakfast in the shelter. It takes me awhile to pack up but I eventually succeed and stumble off into the snow.
Date: 2013-03-25
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: light snow

We marched through the snow at times freezing, sweating and amazed. It was possible to get hypothermia because you could sweat a lot then get bone numbing cold. The wind was fierce, causing us to get wind burnt. The forest looked so dangerously beautiful. The snow clouds didn't obstruct the view but the ridge top was brutal. Mountains covered in snow are gorgeous from a distance, even when seen for just several steps. The wind and snow rushing, swirling, freezing you and amazing you at the same time...unbelievable that I'm walking in this. We decided to get out at Wood Gap, so I called my mom to arrange our shuttle. Lumpy got us and took us back to our car. We drove to Blairsville, got a motel room, and ordered pizza. Ahh, garlic bread, pizza, heat and cranberry lemonade all really hit the spot. It kept snowing and I hoped all the other guys that were up there made it out for the night. The plan was to go back the next day but the weather stayed the same so I'm in for another night at the motel. My dog will be going back home with my dad because she shivers all night and is just difficult to deal with for food, shuttles, and hotels/hostels.
Date: 2013-03-27
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: broken clouds

My dad, dog, and I started off today at the motel. We got some good eggs, sausage, pancakes,and biscuits and gravy before leaving town. I said bye to both my dad and my dog at Neels Gap. I think I'm going to really miss my dog, especially her laying on my feet at night keeping me warm. It was super cold starting out, with ice, snow, and icicles coming up from the ground. The ground icicles are so gorgeous! The hike wasn't too bad, no big ups or downs. I kept leapfrogging a guy named Berkeley. After a big down, I spotted people and coolers as Tesnatee Gap. It was trail angels! They had coolers full of soda and all sorts of different yummies. I grabbed a Little Debbies oatmeal pie, a twix and looked at the soda. I've gone soda free for almost 3 months now. The guys doing it were from a church 2hours away. The food and soda gathered up 3 hikers from in front of me and 7 from behind. It felt pretty cool to be standing there with other thru hikers. The rest of the day I spent leapfrogging this same group of hikers. The trail was super muddy and a couple times I almost did the splits. I made it to the shelter at 4 and set up my stff. I'm writing this sitting on my sleeping bag in the sun and it feels so good. I set up my stove, boiled my water, and poured my PastaSides in. And waited. And waited. After forever, my noodles were not hydrated or even warm anymore. I felt really dumb but I ate several bites anyway and threw it away. Steve, a guy who had a bear canister and kinda bums along the trail, boiled up some water and passed out hot chocolate. That was real nice. I shivered all night and couldn't get comfortable. In the morning, I couldn't light my stove, 5 matches and I tried using the lighter. I can't stand lighters...anyone else hurt their thumbs trying to light? So Steve boiled some water for my hot chocolate and oatmeal. I got going at 9:30.
Date: 2013-03-28
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

It was a beautiful chilly day. The icicles were out and there was still some snow on the ground. I took a few pictures of the 6foot tall icicles. After about 5miles, my hips started really feeling bad. I had a good lunch of trail mix, perky jerky, banana chips, and a ho-ho. I got my pack on and started back up. My hip screamed and it wasn't long before pieces of my right leg started going numb. This was not good. I moaned and groaned up the trail, at times holding the belt off my hip or unbuckling it. I finally made it to the shelter at 2. I layed out in the sunshine and it felt glorious. A guy named Gothi pumped my water for me and later shared his curry turmeric quinoa. It was spicy compared to the bland pasta I'd been eating. I got my stove lit and water boiling for my angel hair pasta. There's 7 girls and 9 guys here that I can see. We got a good fire going that gathered most everyone. My front half is feeling like fire and my back is frozen still. I woke up earlier and got going quicker than the previous morning.
Date: 2013-03-29
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: broken clouds

It was down, down, down to Unicoi Gap. Then up, up, up. I passed Hot Sauce as she was coming back down because she was sick with bronchitis. A hobo jumped on the trail, startling me out of my trail daze. She was cutting the switchbacks. I made it over the mountains and the sun finally came out as I summited Tray mountain so the view was pretty awesome. I pounded the last half mile toward the shelter and arrived after the group and Dana "Gumby" (she carries a gumby in her pocket) It's kinda annoying learning everyones real names then having to relearn their new trailnames. There was an odd guy at the shelter, Blackjack. He had a wide brimmed hat, long coat and deep dark circles under his eyes. He didn't look so good. It'd been a tough day with hard ups and downs but the group was talking about continuing on to Sassafras Gap. It was forecasted to rain the next day so the idea was to do less mileage in the rain and to get to town quicker. I said I'd wait to see if Jessie Sunshine wanted to go before heading on. They left and Sunshine came in 15minutes later. Lucky, Phil and Holland caught up to us at the shelter. Sunshine took a 30minute break and then we headed on down to Sassafras Gap. We hiked together for a bit til it got tougher. It was pretty frustrating hiking at the end of the day, hoping I'd make it in before dark. I finally had friends that wanted me to come along yet there I as, the slower weakling, struggling along. I got to a sign that said, "SWAG of the Blue Ridge." No idea what that meant but it amused me. I cried going up and down the next mountain because my hip hurt bad and I thought I wouldn't be able to make it to the gap before dark. I came around the bend and saw a bunch of tents...such a glorious sight! I set up my tent and forgot the groundcloth so a guy helped me push it under, after my tent was all staked down already. I felt pretty dumb. I made dinner and my noodles didn't really hydrate again. Cold hard angel hair pasta...mmm yay. The group gather around on the logs around the (unlit) fire pit. The comraderie was great and everyone was joking around, laughing at our mileage miscalculations. Gumby made shepherds potato mix and hated it so she passed it around. I thought it was alright. Then a guy bought out his glass bottle of rum and that got passed around. He had carried it all the way! Gumby, Sunshine and I hung our food packs together over a tall vine. It was a pretty good set up, no bear or critter was going to get our food. We all decided to wake up super early, around 5 or 6am, to catch the 11am shuttle, 6 miles away. It rained during the night but I slept good and was mostly warm. I got up at 6:15 while it was still dark and cooked breakfast by headlamp. It got light as I took down my tent. Everything was still dry, no leaks anywhere. I got all packed and ready to go at 7:15.
Date: 2013-04-01
From: Blueberry Patch, Hiawasee

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Gary from the Blueberry Patch took a shuyttle to the trail and then the next group of us went up. It was a beautiful day. I stopped at the sign for Plumorchard Shelter for lunch. I didn't want to go to the shelter, I wasn't going to go that extra .4miles. Some of our group caught up. It's hard to find a tree to pee behind when the forest is bare and I keep catching up to people or they catch up to me. I passed a guy with a Border Collie, Tucker. The dog had good manners and picked up and dropped a stick at my feet when I approached. Gahh, I miss my dog. I hiked on and soon I came upon the NC/GA line! Woohoo! I'd seen this sign before and thought for sure it'd be around the next bend. There were several other people there and soon some of my group approached. They'd found a dog wandering. He was rather skinny. Chuckwagon called the number on the collar and talked to the guy about his dog. There wasn't good reception on the owners end but he asked if we could tie him up at Deep Gap when we got there the next day for his buddy to come get him. We thought about it and thought tying him up was weird. I trekked on to the crooked tree. As I went up the hill, the wind started to pickup. By the time I got to the tree, it was so cold I could hardly wait for my picture to be taken. The trail past the tree went straight up the mountain. We all said we hated North Carolina because of the super wind, cold and steep trail. I struggled the rest of the day as the trail didn't get any better. The wind was howling and I wondered if we were in for a weather change. The other hikers passed me as I sat down probably less than half a mile from the shelter. I had my own little pity party there on a log, shivering and sweating and huffing and hungry as it was close to 6:30 dinnertime. I eventually made it to the shelter and apparently I looked how I felt as people asked if I were okay. I think I just looked at them like, uh, do I look ok to you? I made dinner, went to the privy and got in bed. Breakfast was cold watery oatmeal and hot chocolate.
Date: 2013-04-02
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today wasn't too bad, a nice soft up and down. I stopped at Standing Indian Shelter for lunch. I continued on toward the summit. The actual trail skirted teh summit but I took a side trail to the top. It was pretty awesome on the top. Nice view atop a rocky grassy tree free area. There were two older guys eating lunch up there as weel. One had lived in Newport News, VA. Therey were about my pace going down the mountain. The guy from Newport News asked my about what people 'out there' talked about: asking me about jobs and what to do after hiking. I was thinking, um, one: I can't talk well while I'm hiking and two: stop talking about jobs and majors and websites to find jobs. Seriously. I got to Beech Gap where I thought about camping. I took a long break there with some of my group. People with dogs came by and it was a dog party! There were about 6 dogs all sniffing each others butts. One was the wolf dog. Day hikers had found him (he had run away from our group in the night) and they heard the story about us being told to tie him up. They didn't like that so they took him and were going to adopt him. I'm glad they decided to keep him. They named him Nantehala as we were in the Nantehala wilderness. We all pushed on toward the shelter, which didn't look too far. There were at least 20 tents set up before I got to the shelter but luckily only a few in the shelter. I felt much better and much more alert. There were two new girls there, rather girly girls, Firefly and Headbutt. Headbutt had super long hair like Hot Sauce. I don't know how they deal with waist long hair in the woods. Berkeley had been thinking of trail names for people and had come up with Lavender or Violet for me, as I wore a lot of blue and purple. Scavenger had thought of E-Pack because I'm the only person out here with an external frame pack. But I rejected all those names. While at the shelter, Berkeley comes up with Indigo...I like it! So I'm Indigo from here on out. I've been eating a snack before dinner of banana chips with Jif peanut butter to go packs. It's so delicious! And I need my fruit. After I make dinner, standing around the shelter just chit chatting, Berkeley decides to make a fire. After dark, rangers come up to get a guy who tore his ACL. They sounded rather annoyed at hiking up in the dark for a guy who was just hobbling around the shelter. Breakfast was 'deluxe' caramel hot chocolate and oatmeal. I got up around 7:30 but didn't leave until just before 9:30. Two hours to get going, oh well.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap, Sapphire Inn
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I was supposed to leave no later than 7:30 to catch the 9:15 shuttle at Winding Stair Gap. So at first, I started out slow thinking I'd make the 11:15 shuttle instead. I came up to the ridge and the wind and fog hit me hard. I picked up my pace and I prayed, "God, don't let that shuttle van leave without me."I flew down that mountain, slipping and sliding in the black squishy mud. It was full on raining now and I was booking it. I entered the parking lot and turned towards the group of soggy frozen hikers just as the van approached. Oh yeah! I didn't have to stand there in the open wind, getting super soaked and cold. We all piled into the van, packs in the back. I think there were 18 of us in the 15passenger van. The Budget Inn was full and the lady at first said she didn't have my maildrop. I kinda freaked out just a bit and called my mom. She said it was supposed to be there. I asked the lady for the colorful duct taped package and she brought it right out. Chuckwagon, Lola and I shared a room at the Sapphire Inn with Amazon coming later. We all layed our stuff out to dry and I unpacked my box. Shower then food. Dominoes sounds good for a quick food. We jumped aboard the 4pm shuttle along with 19 other hikers that's going to the post office, Wal-mart and the outfitters. I wandered Wallyworld , picking up just a few items. When the van rolls up to the outfitters, Lola and I run down the road and across the street for some Dairy Queen. A chili dog and a midnight truffle blizzard...Mmm! Back at the motel, people were getting ready to go out to the bars or drink what they got or smoke. I just sat there eating M&Ms and updating my blog. My hotel mates decided to stay in for the night. Amazon and I shared a bed. I got under the covers and he had bought a polyester sheet set to keep him warmer on the trail so he wrapped up in those. I slept fine and got up at 7 for the shuttle to the free pancake and bacon breakfast at the local church, First Baptist Chuch of Franklin. So many people wanted to go, there were 2 shuttle vans. I saw many people I knew at the breakfast and signed the Class of 2013 Appalachian Trail thru-hiker poster.