morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-11
From: Govenor Clement Shelter

To: Killington mountain
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Over Killington Mountain today with some great views on top. Last year could not see because of clouds. It was a beautiful day. Went around Kent pond where I saw a fish trying to jump up a water fall and several fisherman around the pond. Beautiful Day but I said that already
Date: 2015-07-13
From: Wintturi Shelter

To: Near Podunk Road
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Long day. Went past a town, West Hartford, that was basically obliterated by hurricane Irene in 2011. 24 houses were destroyed. Pretty desolated. The water rose 37 feet that year. Had to go into Woodstock to get a new pair of reading glasses and some Clorox for my water disinfectant. Then up to South Pomfret to send on a supply box to Hanover.
Date: 2015-07-16
From: Moose Mountain Shelter

To: Smarts Mountain Ranger Cabin
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

It got really cold. 47 Degrees. Glad I picked up a Down Jacket in Hanover. SO today we get free Ice Cream at Bill Ekerly's, The Ice Cream Man. Played Croquette and moved on. Big grind up Smarts Mountain. The place all changed, trees fallen, cut down. So I stayed at a tent area nearby. Great view. It got down to 47 again, but great sleep.
Date: 2015-07-17
From: Smarts Mountain Ranger Cabin

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Made it to Hikers Welcome Hostel. long day. Went thru a alpine swamp, my pole went 2 feet down with no resistance. Glad I did not fall in. Moose sign all around but no moose seen. It was all downhill and flat today.
Date: 2014-09-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I have been prepping to hike the AT for a year and a half now. I have spent countless hours looking at trail blogs, gear lists, reading books and magazines, and preparing every way possible. Most of my research has lead to the same conclusion: the hardest part of hiking it the mental aspect. How does one get up every morning, pack up, and walk until exhaustion only to get poor sleep in various conditions and turn around and do it again day in and day out? I have not yet experienced this since I am not on the trail, yet I have however thought long and hard about this and practiced pushing myself to my physical and mental limits. This thought crossed my mind very clearly the other day as I was pushing through a tough, hot, and humid 9 mile run. As I turned at the halfway mark to run back to the house I was meet with a clear view of Katadhin. There she stood in all her beauty towering over me reminding me of my goal! I am truly blessed to live in her shadow. Every day I have a constant reminder of my future. In roughly six months I will be walking toward her and many nights will be spent thinking of reaching her. So for now to prepare my mind for six months in the woods I take every opportunity and every glimpse of Katahdin as a reminder of what it will take to make it home from Georgia. As I run toward Baxter Park or as I drive home into Millinocket or as I look out my window to see the peak it says to me, "I symbolize your dream, don't forget that, I'll be here waiting for you in a year." - E"let's go places, not just the ones you can find on a map, but the ones you can find in your heart. because inspiration doesn't favor those who sit still, it dances with the daring & rewards the courageous with ideas. ideas that inspire, ideas that take you places you never imagined, ideas big enough to make the heart skip a beat and, in some cases...maybe two."
Date: 2014-10-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Trail magic is a hikers favorite site! It takes on many form: cool drinks by the trail, homemade cookies, rides, homes to stay in, laundry, and many many more forms. It's all part of the fun and the community of the trail. You may feel at times that you are out in the woods all alone or with just a handful of other people, but I reality there are hundreds of people out there who are connected through giving, reading these blogs, and trail magic! I recently had experiences with trail magic going both ways, giving and receiving. First I had an overnight layover when traveling so I had booked a hotel. I went to the pub in the hotel and started up a conversation the the guys next to me. I shared with them that I was just working seasonally right now because I was leaving in March to hike the AT. These guys were so impressed and into the trip that they bought me a beer. I know that may seem like a small act but it speaks to the investment that people can make into your trip. The other act I received was my friend Allen (already a trail angel) offered to drive us down to GA to start the trail. This was such a blessing because now we have a ride directly to the trail head!Part of receiving trail magic is also giving it! I also had an opportunity to do this. As I was moving home from my summer in millinocket I saw three (cute) guys standing by the onramp we a sign stating that they were through hikers who just completed and they needed a ride south. I was their girl! I picked them up and we had a super fun ride to portland! Thanks guys for the Starbucks, good company, and good advice. I hope to see you along the trail next year! -E
Date: 2014-10-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The bane of every through hiker is how to get the optimal gear in the least weight. I have read many stories of hikers who start with one piece of gear and come first opportunity swap it out for something lighter, more efficient, and more suited to his/her needs. This game began for me this past weekend. I had previously bought a primaloft jacket and a down vest. The jacket was good to 15 degrees sedentary and 0 degrees active; the vest was a fleece lined down vest. Both items I bought with the intention of using on the trail...until I went shopping. I took a little trip to LL Bean (always a good place for me, never a good place for my wallet). While there I decided to upgrade both pieces of gear. So no instead of a 0 degrees jacket I have one good to -15 degrees. This may seem like overkill because it will most likely not drop that low, I am that girl who is always cold and only warms up with a hot shower. Since hot showers will be few and far between I am better off with a jacket that keeps me warmer so I don't get cold in the first place. I also updated to a primaloft vest for fear that the down will get wet or loose its ability from being balled up in a pack, this vest is also considerably smaller and lighter. So with new gear in hand (and pictured above) I have already started the fun game of updating gear - I am sure many more reforms will come. Also I read this super awesome line in a book about the "dangers" of hiking. The author writes, "There are two ways to look at the dangers of hiking: One, something crazy and dangerous could happen to you while you're hundreds of miles away from home, and no one will know where you are or or you're safe. This scenario is very unlikely. Two, you could stay at home and not get enough exercise and maybe put on a few extra pounds or eat an unhealthy diet, and there could be serious health consequences down the road. This scenario is more likely. Humans are more apt to fear the wild, fantastical images in their nightmares than the start, mundane possibilities that confront them everyday."The sums up my feelings on the matter as well and that last line is pure gold! -E
Date: 2014-11-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This weekend I went to Chicago to visit my friend Ben and to run a race (10k). This weekend merits space on this site because Ben is one of the guys with whom I will be hiking the AT. A year ago this same weekend I went to visit him and we had a lot of hypothetical talk that accompanies plans that are so distant in the future. This year however we came to the stark realization that the trail is no longer a distant event but just four short months away. Yikes!During this weekend we had many talks about trail dynamics, possible problems that may arise, our personal views and expectations of the trail, and many trips to REI. I left Chicago feeling solidified that there is no other group with which I would rather hike the AT. We are all on the same page on distance covered each day, stopping along the trail, etc. These guys form my Dream Team! So excited to have had the opportunity to spend a weekend so involved in trail planning. Looking forward to what's next and the arrival of March. -E
Date: 2015-01-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The actually mountains havn't started but the figurative ones have. As we move into 2015, the year I have been counting down to for two and a half years, I have had to serious question my ability to start the trail in March. In November I was playing a pick up game of soccer and tore my meniscus. This injury inhibited my ability to move my right knee: I can't run right now, which is incredibly tough, espically mentally! However it has steadily been getting better and the doctors have told me that I should be just fine. So I had a major scare which only has made me more steadfast in my will to finish this trail! Though some very supportive friends and family I am confident that 65 days from now I will be in a car headed to Georgia! And hey, if I can get through this, then the Virginia Blues shouldn't be too bad!
Date: 2015-01-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Since my sophomore year of high school there has been one time of year I look forward to each year: ski season! This is the time of year from December till March or April during which I spend every free day at the mountain cross country skiing. I used to live the other 9 months out of the year solely for these three; training year round, running, and playing other sports just to stay in shape for skiing. Once I graduated high school and no longer competed in the sport, I still continued to ski for fun....for the love of it! Not a morning goes by in December that I don't first glance out the window to see if there is fresh white snow covering the ground! I have noticed this year however that I have been trying to rush through the winter to get to spring to start my hike. Even after skiing today in perfect conditions I found myself longing for warmer weather. This evening I was reading "AWOL on the Appalachian Trail" and as scenes of summer were being described my heart raced with anticipation of the summer to come. I couldn't help but to take note of this and I know I am incredibly excited, apprehensive, and every and any other emotion possible about starting the trail, but if I already have a hurry-up-and-get-to-what's-next attitude then that will carry over with to the woods. This is not an attitude I want to have while hiking, or skiing really. I want to take my time enjoying every aspect of my hike. It's a long way from Georgia to Maine and if I'm always looking to what's next, I will miss out on the here and now. So today was an attitude check. Yes I am excited, yes these next two months will fly by, and yes before I know it I will be hiking in the heat of July looking forward to the next time I can hop on a pair of skis. In the meantime I will enjoy this winter! The skiing, the snowy runs, the hushed world that only fresh snow can produce, the iced capped trees, and the cold and when March arrives I will transition to spring having taken full advantage of all that winter has to offer. Today was a reminder to slow down, take it in, and enjoy what's around you soaking in the beauty and joy of it all!
Date: 2015-01-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

If I ever begin to doubt my ability to complete this journey I'm about to embark on, all I have to do is go skiing at Sugarloaf. While there I can look across and see the same view as countless others: Bigelow Mountain. Though many probably just glance over at its snow capped peaks and don't see any significance to Sugarloaf's little Brother, I see a view steeped in personal significance. I see the 2,000 mile mark, "I though you said hollaback!", first bee stings and first kisses, and a symbol of my personal achievements and independence. I then remember that the mountains are in my blood and am rejuvenated in my love for them.
Date: 2015-02-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

As I check in today, exactly one month out from leaving for the trail, I am sitting here at a local coffee roastery in North Conway admiring the beautiful snow capped peaks of the Whites on this absolute bluebird day! I am slightly envious of the weather today though it's a beautiful day out. I am harboring slight resentment thinking, "Why couldn't it have been this nice yesterday as I made a summit attempt on Washington?!" Instead I hiked the 2.4 miles up the Ammonoosuc trail to the Lakes of the Clouds hut only to get blasted with 45mph winds, -50 degree windchill, and whiteout conditions. For this I say c'est la vie and admire the peaks from below, and let me say they are still breathtakingly stunning! Though I complain about the luck, I actually resigned yesterday when, from the start of the day, we knew there was a slim chance at summiting, to use it as a lesson. I took away two things from the day: 1. There will be days on the AT when reaching a summit or certain point will not be possible in the expected timeframe due to conditions. Let's be real summiting an exposed mountain in a lightning storm just to reach the shelter on the other side of the peak is not safe nor smart. So maybe my day will be cut short by a few miles to remain safely in shelter below tree line on the other side of the peak. Or maybe the view for me one day will be clouded in and those hiking the following day will get a great view. C'est la vie, nature is not always fair. 2. The other thing is to take the experience for what it is. So I didn't reach the summit, does that make my first mountaineering experience anything less? Not at all, I still got sub zero hiking experience, needed to use crampons, learned a ton, and made an attempt on one of the deadliest mountains. So if you ask me, that's still pretty badass! Sure there was an initial disappointment but the experience, friendships made, and lessons learned far outweigh that fleeting thought of failure. These are thoughts and realizations that will push me through some less than ideal days on the AT. On those days I'll eat a little extra chocolate and say c'est la vie and push on!
Date: 2015-03-17
From: maine

To: amicoola falls state park 
Miles today: 0.0

Happy St. Patty's day. After one long car ride we have made it to Georgia! Huge shout out to trail angels John Mark and Allen who drove us. I am lying in my tent in the state park that is home to the approach trail for the AT and I am feeling every emotion possible; I'm feeling excited, questioning, anxious, elated, etc. There are a million questions running through my mind: did I cut enough weight? Too much? Is there stuff I should have kept? Will I have enough food? And many more. Of course there are no answers for these questions now. All I can do is fall asleep to the wind and rustling of my tent and know that in the morning after the last chance to use a real bathroom for a few days my friends and I will set off on the adventure of a lifetime. Let the hike begin!
Date: 2015-03-18
From: amicoola falls state park 

To: stover creek shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

3/18/15 - day 1: amicoola st. Park to stover creek shelter about 10 miles Today was our first official day of the trail and it was awesome! We had a warm and sunny day to send us off. Plus let's be real, I was just excited for an opportunity to wear shorts and a tee shirt for the first time since probably October. The hike today was filled with gradual ups and downs but nothing outrageous. We summits Springer Mnt. and took a break for a while to take pictures and relax before moving on. We hiked around 10-11 miles throughout the day. We ended for the night at stover creek shelter, though we are camping. Upon arriving to camp we did what will soon become routine: set up tents, filter water, cook diner, hang bear bags, and retreat to the tent. For dinner I made rice with dehydrated vegetarian chili in it. This will become a staple trail food for me seeing how delicious it was! I topped it off with a chocolate brownie z bar. Now I'm in bed for the night and will sleep till morning when we are expecting rain so we are thinking a shorter day tomorrow.
Date: 2015-03-19
From: stover creek shelter

To: hawk mnt. shelter
Miles today: 5.5

3/19/15 day 2: stover creek shelter to hawk mnt shelter 5.5 miles Rain galore today! It started raining in the night and we made the rookie mistake of camping though we knew rain was coming instead of staying in the shelter. Nevertheless we woke up and packed up and hiked about 5.5 miles in the rain to hawk mnt shelter. We are hiding out here for the reminder of the day. We are in the loft of the shelter and it's pretty neat. We plan to hike about 12 tomorrow. Today is a good day to rest after short miles to recoup from yesterday's miles - we are getting out trail legs.
Date: 2015-03-20
From: hawk mnt. shelter

To: gooch gap
Miles today: 9.7

3/20/15 day 3: hawk mnt. Shelter to gooch gap.Trail magic for days!! Today we ran into a bunch of trail magic! We unpacked ourselves from the sardine way in which we were packed into the shelter last night, did morning chores, and hit the trail. It was rather muddy out today but we had the most varied terrain this far. We hiked from hawk mnt. Shelter to Justus creek before lunch. We had the most challenging climb yet over sassafras and justice mountains. Right before the climb up justice some one had left water to refill water bottles. Trail magic number 1. Then we rested by the creek for a while and had lunch. Then we moved on to gooch mnt. Shelter where we left Ben for the night and Toby, Kyle, and I hiked on to gooch gap (only about a mile further). We had plans to continue but we were lured into camping there by a hot meal, hot cocoa, and fires courtesy of a church group and the AT yearbook group. So after food and company we moved settled into tents for the night. We will see how far tomorrow.
Date: 2015-03-21
From: gooch gap

To: neel gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

3/21/15 day 4: gooch gap to Neel gap 14.9 miles. We did our first long day today and by the end I was feeling it. I didn't sleep well last night so I was not at a good start in the morning. However the church group set up again this morning and fed us oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit, oh and coffee. Thus far what I have missed the most on the trail has been fruit and veggies so this breakfast was on point. With that we hikes the 4 miles to woody gap in about an hour and a half and upon arrival we found some powerade packed on ice; Toby, Kyle, and I split one and enjoyed this trail magic. We continued to hike up some terrain that had a little more up and down but it wasn't too bad and we made it another 3.5 miles to lance creek where we stopped for lunch and to dry out our wet gear. After lunch we hiked the remaining 7.5 miles to Neel gap over blood mountain which was our toughest climb yet. We arrived at Neel gap at about 5:50 and set up tents. We quickly picked up a few things for dinner and ate out on the patio; it was a pretty spot to eat. We spent the rest of the night using wifi, a real sink, and charging devices before settling into our tents. We are expecting rain in the morning to we shall see how far we go.
Date: 2015-03-22
From: neel gap

To: low gap shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

3/22/15 day 5: Neel gap to low gap shelter 11.5 miles We got up at our normal time this morning and went to the store at Neel gap, I didn't need much so I just bought some clif bars and honey roasted peanuts to get me through the next two days. We decided to go about ten miles today even though we had planned a half day but to take it easy. We hiked the 4.5 miles to the top of cowrock mnt and stopped I have lunch, the view here was incredible! After lunch we hiked the last miles to low gap shelter. During the afternoon we got caught in the rain that had been threatening all morning. We got into the shelter area and set up tents, the shelter as full! There are a lot of people here tonight! We made dinner in the over hang of the shelter and I are a heaping portion of tortalini. We retired to our tents early on account of the rain. We plan to bust out the nearly 10 miles into town tomorrow.
Date: 2015-03-23
From: low gap shelter

To: helen, ga 
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

3/23/15 day 6: low gap shelter to Helen ga 9.7 milesIn the morning we woke up to pack up our muddy tents and quickly do breakfast down near the shelter. Toby and I also had to filter some water. After a relatively quick morning we headed out to do today's hike which was over some flatter terrain. We were about a quartet mile from camp when Kyle remembered he had forgotten his water. He hiked back to get it while Toby and I took a break and brushed out teeth and cleaned up a little. Once reunited we continued our way. Since we were hiking into town we didn't want to take too many breaks so we stoked sparingly and kept trucking. We got to unicoi gap at about 2:00. We then hitched a red into Helen Georgia, which turns out is like little Germany. We got to our hotel and settled in for a bit. We first did some chores like drying out our gear since we had packed it away wet and then showered. It was the best shower I have had in a while! After we had all cleaned up we did town chores like resupply and dinner. We decided not to go out to eat but instead bought food at the grocery store and had a picnic. After dinner we hung out in our room and enjoyed the best nights sleep I've had yet!
Date: 2015-03-24
From: unicoi gap

To: low gap shelter
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: overcast clouds

3/24/15 day 7: unicoi gap to low gap shelter 5.5 milesIn the morning we woke up at our normal time and went to eat at the huddle house restaurant because our hotel gave us vouchers. I had eggs, hashbrowns, grits, and toast - it was the perfect greasy food I needed. After eating we went back to the hotel and slowly packed, stretching, and showering. We all hung out and are food most of the morning. Out hotel left out food for continental breakfast all day so we helped ourself to cereal, coffee, and juice all morning. I also took a short walk to the post office to send off some post cards, walking without a pack was nice! After a well needed amount of rest we hit the trail again. We hiked from unicoi gap starting at about 2:30pm. The trail immediately goes up a steep climb leaving the gap. After that ascent we came down only to have another climb up tray mnt. The top of tray opened up enough for a view. We took it in and then headed over to the shelter about a mile past the summit. Again there were a ton of people at this shelter, though most were camping or hammocking. That evening a couple guys got a fire started and we all hung out by the fire and talked for a while. I crawled into my tent about 9, which is really late for me.