morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-16
From: Cheese Factory Site

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Started the day with a bit of Hail but ended with a nice day in the 50's!!! Getting used to the pack weight! Started to develop some left knee pain.. Jenn is getting it on the right. Small amount of swelling... Will go into town tomorrow to ice and rest it. I'm sure it's all part of getting my Trail Legs!First night sleeping in a shelter. I was a bit nervous because right before going to bed a girl talked about how she was bit on the finger by a mouse last year in a shelter. So I slept with my mummy bag wrapped tight and I wore my gloves!!!! Like that was going to protect me!!! I did hear some mice scurrying around and heard them in someone's backpack....luckily when I woke up in the AM my pack was safe with no holes!!! I guess a guy in the shelter left some food in his jacket and they ate a hole through the netting to get at it!!
Date: 2006-03-17
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: HIAWASSEE
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: broken clouds

A NERO DAY!!! WE hiked 3.5 miles into town. We are staying at the Blueberry patch Hostel..... very nice place. Happy St. Patty's Day!!!! NO Alcohol for us today we are in a dry community!!!! Went for AYCE meal..southern cooking...lots of fried meals and had some sweet tea to drink....have to stay hydrated!!! ICE to the knee and rest is the adgenda for today....Thanks for all the love and support. Tomorrow, we will be in NC. We have hiked 66.6 miles!!!~Cindy
Date: 2006-03-18
From: Blueberry Patch Hostel

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Great Breakfast served by Lenie and Gary....consisted of pancakes with Blueberry Syrup from their own fields, eggs, sausage and cheese biscuits...it did make it hard to walk on a full stomach (but so worth it)!! We finished up the state of Georgia today and we are in NC!!!! We made the NC sign out of our bodies on the ground...picture to follow...Once we hit NC we hit many hills. Exhausting after a long day. Slept in the Muskrat Creek shelter with five other people..Those ear plugs sure came in handy for all that snoring that was going on!!!! Met some new faces....Smiley, Ketchup, and Mike
Date: 2006-03-19
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

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

Brisk morning that turned into a great day filled with sunshine in the low 60's....felt cool just when taking breaks...I am very surprised by how cold it gets here in the South!!! No wildlife sightings today.TIP FOR THE DAY>>Avoid poison ivy - it is not your FRIEND!!!!! It is everywhere on the trail. Watch before you squat!! So far I have been lucky!! Scott, on the other hand, has it on the back of his neck...but its healing up well. My blisters are doing well; they are on my callouses that I already had on my heels...I won't be showing these feet off at any beauty shows!!! We are staying at the Carter Gap shelter tonight..there are 2 shelters..the new one is filled so we are staying in the GHETTO ONE!!!! Tin Roof....... Rusted..... and patched with duct tape!!!! Our water filter also broke today!!!! so Steven was really sweet to let us use his iodine drops.....just needed some crystal light mix to cover up the taste!!!
Date: 2006-03-20
From: Carter Gap Shelter 

To: Franklin NC
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

Carter Gap Shelter~ there were a few RATS that came out when it was dark!!!! but the good news is they didn't run over my sleeping bag!! Rain started around 1:30 am.....long wet hike....and then it started to turn into freezing rain!!!! Jenn continued with pain in her ankles...we took the gear out of her bag and carried it in ours to take off as much weight as we could. (Scott carried most of it!!) Then out in the woods we came across the best TRAIL MAGIC....it was Gatorade and Fishing Fred and they had a great set-up. It was a huge tarp system...with a fire...huge grill made out of a circular blade....they made eggs, bread, coffee, tea, cookies...you name it they had it!!!! They were so kind they used their cell phone to get us a ride so that Jenn could have her ankles looked at in the local clinic. Ron and his wife came to our rescue and brought us to the Budget Inn that they own. Everyone here is so nice. Its great to come in contact with so many sweet people. Ron had some funny stories about the locals!!!! had us laughing so hard. Tomorrow we take a much needed ZERO DAY!!!! just in time....cold weather in the forcast...
Date: 2006-03-23
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 27.3
Weather: clear sky

Hiked from Winding Stair Gap - It was sunny, and there was ice melting off the trees falling my head as I was walking. Siler Bald was bearutiful. Stayed at Licklog Gap campsite. Used my aqua-mira drops for the first time as my water purifier broke and I'm waiting for the replacemnet . It was me and 7 other guys; a few from the south, 1 from MI, and 1 from NH. Where are all the girls hiding??!! There sure was a lot of testosterone around the campfire!! Weather was 25 degrees; hiked to the NOC. Long day with many ups & downs. Ate a great meal and a local took a group photo and treated us to blueberry cobbler with ice cream. His friend Jericho was starting the trail the following day.
Date: 2006-03-24
From: NOC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Freezing rain overnight; 50's in the afternoon. Jenn & Scott returned from her healing time; YAHOO!! Jenn & Scott were laughing at me that I didn't know that peepers were little frogs. Bought trail runners today!! Bumped my boots to the next town just in case my feet don't like these. It snowed during dinner, but no accumulation. Hey, I was trying to get away from this stuff!! Finally got my water filter back. I guess Hiker-Pro has had some problems with defective equipment lately. A Girl from work (Chickety), who hiked last year, and who has given me so many great tips, let me know I will be getting a package in Hot Springs.... Can't wait!! So I got my trail name today. "Centipede" It takes me about a hundred steps to get to the same place as it would to take another person one step!!
Date: 2006-03-25
To: Sassafras
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Went into the Sassafras shelter today around 2 PM. So cold and snowy with lots of accumulation (about 4 inches so far). 6 of us here right now; we had to get into our sleeping bags to saty warm. 2 guys and a dog came through around 4 PM and wrote in the shelter journal about how the mummies are here!!! 17 hours later, we were out of our bags. Eli carried up Coors Light and was kind enough to give us one. Gotta love the NH hospitality!! Scott ended up with the stomach bug. Sucks to have the runs in the woods.... Sorry, Scott. Jenn is still not able to hike bearing the full weight. They decided that they needed to end their hike because it wasn't worth doing permanent damage. I will miss them so much. While I'll be on my own a little sooner, I have met some wonderful people, so I will meet up with them at night.
Date: 2006-03-27
To: Clingman's Dome
Miles today: 58.0

Jenn & Scott headed out on the bus. Miss you guys already. I have my permit and I'm ready for the Smokies!! Started hiking with Phoenix. Great guy... an ex-Navy Seal. He's on his 3rd thru-hike. He's 65 yrs. old and he kicks my ass on this hiking thing. Stayed at Mollies Ridge Shelter, which is haunted. And I am SO superstitious, I can't believe I did it!! Good crowd... Beer:30, Sandman, Goliath, Phoenix. Sandman loves to snore, but he says just tap him and he will roll over. Too funny!! Nice weather has melted the snow and brought the mud!! Saw my first bear. It was a little scary when he grunted; it made my pulse rise to 100 BPM, and I was almost hiking up someone's ass!! The shelters in the Smokies all have fireplaces, which are great and allow for you to dry out your boots and wet clothes. 4 Squirrels around the shelter today. No flying ones, though!! took a photo of a centipede today. Sandman shared a girl scout cookie. Yummy, always nice at the end of the day! Reached Clingman's Dome, the highest peak on the trail. A great day with great views!!
Date: 2006-03-28
From: Clingman's Dome

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

A very sad day on the trail today. My hiking buddy Phoenix passed away in his sleep at the Mt. Collins shelter. He will be missed. I was very lucky to have some great people with me, who stayed with Phoenix while Beer:30, Goliath and I went to went to notify the park rangers. I am glad I had the opportunity to hike with Phoenix and listen to some of his great stories. Staying in Gatlinburg to just take some off days and refocus. Thanks, everyone, for your kind words. Miss you all.
Date: 2006-09-13
To: KATAHDIN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

FAMOUS LAST WORDS* It's fireproof.* He's probably just hibernating. * What does this button do?* I'm making a citizen's arrest. * So, you're a cannibal.* It's probably just a rash.* Are you sure the power is off?* Yeah, I made the deciding vote on the jury, so what of it? * The odds of that happening have to be a million to one!* Pull the pin and count to what?* Which wire was I supposed to cut?* I wonder where the mother bear is.* I've seen this done on TV.* These are the good kind of mushrooms.* I'll hold it and you light the fuse.* Let it down slowly.* Rat poison only kills rats.* Just take whatever you want, this is a ghost town.* It's strong enough for both of us.* This doesn't taste right. * I can make this light before it changes.* Nice doggie.* I can do that with my eyes closed.* I've done this before.* Well, we've made it this far.* That's odd.* You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses on, would you?* Don't be so superstitious.* Now watch this.* What duck?YADDA-YADDA-YADDA I climbed up the big hill they call Katahdin on labor day weekend!!!!
Date: 2005-11-21
To: Home in NH
Miles today: 0.0

Hello, world!Most people know that Lindsay and I plan on hiking the AT in 2006, but I wanted to get our journal up and running so you all will know where to look for us and will make a habit of doing so.I'll start out with a little bit of our history since lots of you may not know one or either of us. Lindsay grew up in Massachusetts and majored in Earth Sciences and Biology at Boston U. I'm a New Hampshire native and studied Environmental Science. She loves drumming and horses, I love backpacking and tap dancing! Though our paths probably crossed on campus at some point during our first three years (we actually had a class together and never knew it!), our true meeting came in Fall of 2004 in Woods Hole, MA. We were both participating in SEA Semester (check it out- www.sea.edu). I needed a room for the following semester, she was a roommate short, so I moved in that January. We actually had two classes together. We're pretty different- she's neat and particular, I'm disorganized. She's early, I'm late. She's responsible, I'm....you get the idea.At some point we decided that despite our differences, we have similar views and goals. We love to travel (she's in Ecuador right now, I spent the the summer in Alaska!). We refuse to get sucked into the "Real World" just yet. Sure, we have ambitions....we'll likely go on to grad school and have jobs and families someday, but when that point comes, we don't want to regret not having done things. The old people and the young people get to have all the fun, and we aren't waiting to retire to enjoy ourselves.So it's all good and idealistic, but reality has to jump in somewhere. Lindsay hasn't done much backpacking before. In fact, she's done about three nights! I spent time outdoors growing up and worked for AMC shelters for a couple seasons, so I'm comfortable in the backcountry and have an idea about what challenges we have in store. But don't scoff at Lindsay- she's a tough cookie. She has attacked the gear situation like it's a scientific endeavor (I guess it is, right?) and she's sure to keep me on my toes. I have absolute confidence in her.To end this very lengthy first entry, I will say that our loyalty is to each other first and foremost. Sure, our goal is to finish the trail, but we're in it for the hike. We're there to support each other, motivate each other, enjoy each other's company, and adapt so the challenge of hiking the AT will be (besides grueling, uncomfortable, exhausting mentally and physically) truly enjoyable. Geez I can't wait!Happy Thanksgiving,Erin
Date: 2005-11-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I thought I'd put in a little spiel for the Mt. Washington Observatory, just because I adore the place so much. The website is www.mountwashington.org, and you can check out my bio at http://www.mountwashington.org/observatory/staff/interns.html. Nice fish, eh? At any rate, I'm interning up there doing weather stuff until January, and every day I'm there I stare north and south and can see the AT for miles and miles. Mmmmmmm.... If you like the weather, it's definitely a good website to frequent. Plus, I put up crazy pictures and comments sometimes! I'm a lucky girl to live in a such a beautiful place, and the incessant shoveling is a small price to pay for the experience.
Date: 2005-12-23
To: Mt. Washington Observatory
Miles today: 0.0

Could I be more excited?!Lindsay finally flies home from Ecuador today, so we start planning out this hike of ours. It's my last week working at the observatory, and it also happens to be Christmas. We're definitely making the best of it.I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and hopefully we'll get Lindsay to write to you all soon enough.Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-02-20
To: A word from Lindsay 
Miles today: 0.0

Hello hello,I figured I should write something in here before we leave for Georgia, since Erin's written everything so far. We finally bought plane tickets to Atlanta and we leave the morning of March 28th!! I've been back from Ecuador for almost 2 months now and I've settled back into the routine of work and life in the suburbs of Massachusetts. It's a rough transition from my trip in Ecuador (which was amazing!) and even living in Boston. Needless to say, I can't wait to hit the trail! I guess I'm the wild card out of the two of us. I had never backpacked before when I asked Erin if I could go with her. Erin was originally going to hike by herself but then she agreed (eventually) to let me tag along. I don't even think she believed that I was serious until I bought a sleeping bag. I didn't have any gear at all, so I got to buy everything brand new - a blessing because I could pick out great, new gear, but a pain because I had to spend a ton of money to get it. But oh well, the money is worth my comfort on the trail. And let's be honest, gear shopping is fun. Well, I bought enough gear to convince her and our "test" hike last May went well, so I get to go. Personally, I think Erin's crazy for ever wanting to hike alone. I know that plenty of women have done it before, but I like to share my experiences. I have no problem being alone, but I prefer to do things with other people. It's just more fun that way. Besides, I would never make it all the way to Katahdin by myself. I'll need her motivation on the days when I don't feel like moving. We'll pull each other out of slumps (hopefully). And it's also a plus to have someone else to carry part of the tent, dishes, etc.Anyway, as for why I'm hiking the trail...I officially graduated in January after I finished my semester in Ecuador. And now...I have no idea what I want to do. I don't know what field I ultimately want to get in to. I would love to go to grad school, but I can't do that because I don't know what I want to study. I'm hoping that maybe I'll come to some kind of decision on the trail, but I don't expect it. Hiking the AT sounds like a much better idea than getting a "real" job. Unlike Erin who has dreamt of hiking the AT for years, I first thought of it when I read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods a couple years ago. And here I am, with 4 days of backpacking under my belt, about to try it myself. How cheesy, huh? Basically, I'm going because it sounds like fun, a challenge, an adventure, and a better option than working. And because I may never have the chance to do it again. And I think we have a shot at making it to Katahdin. I guess we'll see...
Date: 2006-02-20
To: Getting ready to go
Miles today: 0.0

I went up to Erin's house in NH a few weekends ago and we finally started planning our trip. We'd both been in different places for so long that this was the first chance we had to plan. We sorted through all our AT planning books and picked our desirable mail drops. We're so lucky because Erin's mom has volunteered to mail our food/gear drops along the way. We're trying to help her out by buying as much food as possible before we go. So far we've bought 111 pounds of bulk food - trail mix and dried fruit, 285 harvest & luna bars off ebay, and all sorts of dinners and snacks. We also taste tested some foods that made me feel pretty sick all weekend. We're saying no to deviled ham spread, no to lemon spinach couscous, maybe to canned chicken, and yes to instant mashed potatoes. We're planning on having "fancy" store-bought dehydrated meals once a week, and I really hope that's not the only time we enjoy eating. We're trying to find a way to fit peas/veggies and meat (not jerky) into our diet. For now it looks like we'll be eating a lot of pasta/macaroni and cheese. I'll definitely be taking vitamins. We're going to have one more planning weekend before we leave and hopefully everything else will just fall into place. We're going to try hiking with the little alcohol stoves made out of Pepsi cans, so we have to mass produce those in a few weeks. We also have to set up our bounce/bump box and our first couple food drops. ~Lindsay
Date: 2006-03-06
To: Still Prepping!
Miles today: 0.0

Holy Smokes!Our planning for the past year has been quite laid-back. Mostly along the lines of "Oooooh, what a beautiful sleeping bag I just found, and such a bargain too. Shall I buy the pretty crocs? Perhaps, perhaps not." Well, we both finally realized it's crunch time!I had the very silly idea that a 10-day trip to Ireland the week before we head to Georgia would be brilliant. Now I'm feeling very stressed out about all of it!At any rate, Lindsay and I got together in NH this weekend to tie up loose ends. We have already purchased about 3/4 of our food and my room is mail central for my parents who will be doing maildrops. Should we get off the trail early, we can live for months without ever visiting a grocery store. It's very tricky to plan out so many meals with nutrition, weight, price, and ease of preparation all taken into consideration. I already miss my days as an AMC caretaker, where I lugged food to one site and sat there for 11 days. Finally, the true highlight of the weekend was making alcohol stoves. We're pretty serious about keeping our pack weight down, and ran into some folks on the trail and saw first-hand that the stoves really do manage to boil water in a reasonable amount of time. Sold- we're cheap and crafty and whine when our packs are unreasonably weighed down. What a project! They're tricky to make, but hopefully we have 21 brave little stoves that can be sent out in mail drops. Excessive? Do we need more?This seems to be a common theme in our preparations. How much of something do you need? What's best? Most practical? How cheap can you be without sacrificing function? Lindsay and I tend to be planners, but in this case we realize it's silly to plan out a 6-month hike day-by-day. Better to prepare ourselves but not set up such a rigid framework that we can't bend when we need to.This is probably it until the end of the month when we fly to Georgia! We're extremely excited and anxious. And though we're pretty confident folks, we realize there are hundreds of possible outcomes to this adventure. I believe my family has started a pool on where we stop hiking- my brother Brandon puts his bid on Virginia due to a bear attack. Hey, Virginia's pretty far- I'm flattered by his confidence! If we make it to Katahdin can we keep the pool money? We'll need it desperately at that point!Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-03-29
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

We had a very smooth trip from Boston to our start on the AT. I spent time looking into ways to get from the airport in Atlanta to the trail, and the cheapest way was to stay at the hiker hostel in Blairsvile, GA. For $55 each we got picked up at a MARTA [their T] stop, a night in a beautiful hostel, and a ride to Springer. Perfect.We couldn't have asked for better weather - temps hit 70 degrees and it was clear and sunny all day. The hiking was fairly easy but we're still sore. We're taking it easy at first and not worrying about the miles until we get conditioned. The best advice we've gotten so far [and we've gotten a lot of it] is to focus on little goals like getting to the next town instead of getting to Katahdin. I'd never really thought of that before.Our stove worked great! We did a fine job. Erin says about tonight's cooking experience, "really, it was magical."And we got good luck at the start because we got hugs from the ridgerunner on top of Springer. We spent an hour by the waterfall at Long Creek and really enjoyed it. We were lucky to have a great first day. We're going to bed [early] with high spirits.~Lindsay
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: few clouds

Another wonderful weather day. Our spirits are still high but we're waiting for our trail legs- the ups are very slow. The trail in Georgia is relatively soft on our feet and winds through stands of oak trees. Occasionally we get to trudge through a rhododendron forest and we were also cheered by violets and blood roots.It is a lovely night with good company and even a campfire. Everyone is sore but chipper.Me, I need to get rid of a few heavy items and add a book to my pack. My body is done at 7 pm but my mind isn't ready for sleep.Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Gooch Gap

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It's our first night at a shelter, hope we sleep well! Lindsay has earplugs, at least she'll be rested.It doesn't seem like much, but today was our biggest mileage day and we're pretty tired. The prospect of showers tomorrow is pretty exciting.For those of you who are concerned about us, know that we are far from alone out here. We have a group of about a dozen northbounders that we play leapfrog with all day, and there's always plenty of company at night. We have several surrogate parents, brothers, sisters, probably as far out as second cousins all looking out for us. Honestly, it would be tricky to find a good campsite to ourselves. We were lucky to get here early tonight, so we have a place in the shelter. Nice to save energy by not pitching the tent.Not much else to report. We're excited for Neels Gap, if nothing else than to shave some weight off our packs.Cheers,ErinPS: Still trying out various trail names! Will accept one soon.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Walasi-Yi Center at Neel's Gap
Miles today: 3.7

Hello all,We got a windy thunderstorm last night, but stayed dry because we spent the night in a shelter. We got to Neel's Gap this morning and decided to spend the night at the hostel. An easy day never hurt anyone.We did laundry and took showers, so we feel clean and refreshed. We also happened to be lucky enough to stay on a day when they had a cookout, so we got to stuff ourselves on burgers and hot dogs. Beats a dehydrated dinner anyday!We're loving it so far and having fun with all the new people we've met the past few days.~Lindsay