morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-09-15
From: Sidney Tappan Campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: few clouds

Great day today. Got an AMAZING view of Katahdin waiting for us on the horizon. We are so close! Swam in a nice pond this afternoon and then decided to stay at this shelter where we swam as well. It's a "waterfront" shelter with multiple waterfalls and pools. Beautiful! Gotta rest now cuz we have 2 BIG days coming up. Oh... Great Grandmother wants to write something.When I started the hike, I was quite merry...People called me DINGLEBERRY.Just recently though, I got chancy...And decided to call myself CLANCY.The other day, when it became a game...GREAT GRANDMOTHER became my name.But now I have realized that forever more...I shall be called SKELETOR!
Date: 2003-09-16
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: light rain

We saw a moose today! It was a young male, walking through a wide stream, eating plants. We watched it for quite awhile. Very cool! It rained heavily all day long today, but it was an easy hike and there was space in the shelter for all 4 of us (Skeletor, Wanderer, Wildflower, and me). Our little foursome has traveled the whole wilderness together and we've pretty much been the only backpackers we've seen. We've seen a few day hikers and section hikers, but NO other thru-hikers! A kinda nice way to ende the trip eh? Everyone is one day behind, and a few are one day ahead. We were supposed to finish on the 20th, but as huge hurd of people are supposed to finish that day,so we decided to get ahead of the mass and finish on the 19th.
Date: 2003-09-17
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Closer and closer to the Big K. We had great views of the mountain this morning and again late this afternoon. It was amazing how much closer our second view was. We are so close! We hear it may very well rain Friday, so we may have to end up waiting until Sat to summit, but we'll see. Everyone's stuff is breaking in the 100 mile wilderness! Wanderer: the clip on his platypus. Wildflower: the sternum strap on her backpack. Skeletor: his headlamp, a shoelace, and the buckle on his waitband of his pack. Me: a grommet on a boot popped off, a hole appeared in a boot, a boot lace broke, and our stove broke (but we fixed it!). Luckily we will leave the wilderness in 3.5 miles at Abol Bridge where we will EAT (the wilderness makes one VERY hungry), drink a "pop" for Trentie, and get some supplies for the final day before KATAHDIN.
Date: 2003-09-18
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Katahdin Streams Campground 
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow. We are camped at the base of the great mountain. It's a crazy feeling that we will be summiting tomorrow and this experience will be over. Wow.Today was incredible. Beautiful weather, easy hiking, cool views, etc. This morning we met back up with Tadpole and Hover at Abol Bridge campstore. We hadn't seen them since Waynesboro, VA! It was very cool to see them and realize we will summit with them. We got some good food for the next couple days and then hit Baxter State Park. We talked to a nice ranger who said we should probably be fine with the weather. It is not supposed to rain until the afternoon/evening tomorrow! Yeah! Then we continued on to Big Niagra Falls for lunch. I had visited Big and Little Niagra 5 years ago when I was working for Trailmark Outdoor Adventures (wilderness adventure trips for teens), but had forgotten until I saw it! That was cool. Then we continued on to Daicey Pond where we had a breathtaking view of Katahdin. We are staying at the campground with the great little group of hikers summiting tomorrow. It's the 4 of us, the 2 girls I mentioned earlier, Gazer (who we also haven't seen since Waynesboro), and Scotland (who we haven't seen since Fontana Dam before the Smokies!). We all had special dinners, marshmallows over the fire, hot chocolate, and none of us will probably be able to sleep tonight due to the anticipation (and the sugar)!Tomorrow is the big day.
Date: 2003-09-19
From: Katahdin Streams Campground 

To: Baxter Peak, Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

It's hard to put today in words. Wow. It was definately one of the most incredible days of our lives. Amazing.We have finished hiking the Appalachian Trail. Wow.Katahdin was incredible. It was amazing. The weather ended up being beautiful. Quite windy and cold up on the mountain, but lots of blue sky and awesome views. Fun climb too. Lots of hand over hand climbing using a lot of upper body strength--- straight up into the sky! Jonathan and I got to be the first ones up top. We had a special moment by the famous sign and then hid from the wind to drink our little bottle of fancy wine from Deniz. (thanks so much D!). We also got to sit back and watch all of our friends expressions and reactions when they saw the sign. Quite an emotional experience. We all hung out on top of the mountain for 2 hours chatting,! sharing junk food, and not quite knowing what to do. Eventually we realized we had to climb down.The climb down was fun, but tiring. The views were so wonderful. This was definately the best mountain on the trail.We stopped at Katahdin Stream Falls for a late lunch and then continued the last mile back to camp. Jonathan was ahead of me and he saw a picture laying in the trail. He picked it up and realized it was a college picture of his mom! Took only seconds to realize that Pamela and Larry were there!   (We weren't supposed to meet them until that evening in Milinocket). What a great suprise. We got pictures and walked with them the rest of the way, chatting about the day and the trip. Signed out at the rangers station and the four of us hikers and our lovely parents headed into Milinocket where we will stay tonight.Well.... we'll write more when we get home. Wrap things up and what-not. For now, we will spend a few days driving to P and L's in Clemson, SC. We'll get lobster on the coast, stop in Boone and Ashevillel, NC. Back in Clemson we will hang out with J's grandparents who are there watching J's lil bro Caleb. Then we will go to J's uncle Glynn's for the Albino Skunk Festival (bluegrass festival). We will head back to Wilmington on Sunday to get back for our friends Heather and DAve's wedding reception. We'll see you all soon! Love you all! Thank you for everything! Can't wait to see and talk to everybody!
Date: 2003-05-01
To: may 1st
Miles today: 0.0

well, the month of may is here! i can't wait. next thursday dave and i will be on top of springer mountain starting our journey. i only have a million things to get done between now and then, i just hope they all get done.last weekend we were up at Merlefest in the mountains of NC, and if you missed it then shame on you. what an amazing festival it was, as usual. it rained a good bit, pretty freakin' hard some of the time, so dave and i considered it adding to our prep of just being out in the rain and having a good time.just buying the last of my food and small bits of gear here in the next few days, and then dave and i will be off. i can't wait until i'm actually writing from the trail. i hope that all is well for all of you- brandon
Date: 2003-05-08
From: FS road 42

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Joel and Chuck were gracious enough to give Dave and I a ride down to Springer today. Joel's choice for a book on tape was mildy painful- some Clive Cussler episode about Dirk Pitt, not exactly my 'cup of tea' so to speak, but I didn't choose. We got in at Amicalola State Park, signed in, and weighed our packs. Dave and I both were shocked; 45 lbs. for each of our packs! I am sure the weight will be dropping quickly. Chuck and Joel wanted to camp with us the first night, so we took the service road 42, up to just below Springer Mtn. and camped at the shelter. Great shelter and we have it all to ourselves. Great night, good food, and good friends. Thanks guys!Tomorrow we head to Hawk Mtn. shelter. Oh, and if you happen to see Chuck around ask him about hot schalaka? Happy and Thankful to be living it - Songline
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Springer Mountain

To: Gooch Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

6am, foreign language and a loud weather radio. On for 3 mins., then nothing. We didn't get up to check it out, who knows?How appropriate that our thru hike should begin with fog, mist, and wind. We parted with Joel and Chuck after some pictures and such, and set out for Hawk Mtn. shelter. We cruised for 7 miles and were at Hawk Mtn. shelter by lunch. We were feeling pretty good and decided to push on. Well, that proved to be interesting. The terrain quickly turned from cruising to straight up and down. Georgia trail clubs don't believe in switchbacks I guess - Only jokes, no offense to the trail clubs here, they are doing a great job. So it was hot and we were sweatting a lot, and cussed some uphills. Oh, and these military helicopters were everywhere. Kinda strange, since you could almost forget about current world events, until you felt like you were under attack. We ended up at Gooch Mtn. shelter, 8 miles further than we had expected to go. There are others here at the shelter tonight - Katie (Lady X), Lindsey (Luna), Ahmi (Mick), Chad (TicTac)and Cathy (Yona). The first 3 are the Michigan crew and seem pretty cool. They are going to TN. TicTac is headded to Harper's Ferry to finish the AT mileage. He did Harper's Ferry to Katahoin last summer. Yona is headed off soon to go to Alaska. Happy and Thankful to be living it - Songline
Date: 2003-05-10
From: Gooch Mtn Shelter

To: Wood's Hole
Miles today: 11.9

Saturday 5.10.03Gooch Mtn. Shelter to Wood¢s HoleMile 14.7 to 26.6Didn¢t sleep at all last night. I¢d say combined total sleep might have been 2 hours. The mice weren¢t bad, but the bugs were horrible! My feet and arms are bitten like crazy. Went out to get food from the bear lines and there was a huge black snake hanging out there. Everyone ate, complained about the bugs, and then split. We were the last to leave (imagine that, Dave and I last to leave). But quickly caught team Michigan. We saw them on and off during the day.OH, I forgot! Dave fell asleep while eating last night. I suppose that¢s funny for those of you who know Dave. My heels had finally had it about the halfway mark today. We still had 6 miles to go so I just strapped on my Waldies (camp clogs) and pushed on. The clogs were great even with a full pack on. I¢ll have to give my feet some attention in Neels Gap tomorrow. My heels are fairly blistered. We are tenting it tonight at Wood¢s Hole to avoid the bugs. ¢Mick¢ and ¢Luna¢ showed up around 7:30, as Dave and I were waking up from a nap. We just had a huge feast and are gonna crash out. Tomorrow is Mother¢s Day and I¢ll be able to call home from Neels Gap. Hopefully Blood Mountain won¢t take too much out of us before we get there. Then we push on to Low Gap as long as my feet are ok.2 Days in and we¢re bug bitten, and we¢re still riding high!Happy and Thankful to be living it!-Songline
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Wood's Hole

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: moderate rain

Mother¢s Day!Sunday5.11.03Wood¢s Hole to Low Gap ShelterMile 26.6 ------- 41.3DAYS LIKE TODAY ARE WHAT IT¢S ABOUT        Woke up to some serious wind. Wood¢s Hole is a cool site/shelter because it¢s off the trail a bit, so few stop there. I loved the privacy. Ate breakfast real quick and we headed out, myself still in the Waldies.        We caught Yona about 14 the way up Blood Mtn. just before it started to pour. And it came down; thunder, lightening, the works. We summited Blood Mtn. and just kept on going down the back side. We knew Walasi-Yi canter was waiting for us!        Strolled into Walasi soaked and hungry. Met a guy from Texas who took our picture for Mother¢s Day then we went into the center. Holy Moly, talk about overwhelmed. They seriously have anything a backpacker could want, and tons of knowledge too. I got help for my feet in the form of a good assessment of my boots and blisters, then a correct fitting for some shoe/boots. Ended up with a pair of Solomon¢s and some blister pads. Seems my feet had swollen and my boots were too small. Let me tell you, it was painful whatever it was.        Snatched up some food (milk and cookies!) and headed down to the hostel to use the phone, dry out, and eat. Met Lady X down there, saw Tic Tac, and saw ¢the Goliter¢s¢ (so I¢m calling them) from California, and met Sleepwalker. All really cool folks. Got in touch with my mom which was good (thanks for the support mom!).        Dave and I had decided we had wasted enough time at Walasi seeing how it was 2:30 in the afternoon and we still had 10 miles to go. Packed up (which I¢m getting better at), said good-byes and hit the trail feeling good. My feet were a million times better so hiking was lovely. The rain had stopped and we made great time climbing and descending the mtns.        ¢It¢s all night a pourin¢, but not a drop on me.¢ Man, the sun came out and we had some views today. Simply amazing! The rolling, lush, green Appalachians were everywhere you looked 360 degrees. We both had some serious permagrin going on. Hiking was tough, but happy feet let me enjoy it all.        Met another thru hiker, Jay, out at one of the gaps. Super nice guy and we will probably see a lot of him. We continued on to more breath taking views and difficult climbs. Dave¢s feet feel victim today, so with 5 miles left he switched into Teva¢s and trekked on.        Our last ridge on the way into Low Gap left us staring at the setting sun and the high moon. It was awesome. Low Gap is packed with folks tonight, I¢d say about 15 or so. Short day tomorrow with only 10 miles planned, then hitching to Helen, GA. G¢night.Extremely Happy and Thankful to be living it                -Songline
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

Monday 5.12.03Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi Gap41.3 ------ 50.7        Last night was beautiful. I fell asleep watching the moon in a cloudless sky. The wind rushed all night and was still doing so this morning. Still lots of sunshine though!        Great day to hike. Sunny, warm ¢ not hot, and a breeze to keep bugs away. Some up and down but nothing too bad. Tic Tac caught us about halfway, we didn¢t even know he was at Low Gap last night. From then on we were flying. Ended up doing our 10 miles for the day in 3 12 hours! We were standing in Unicoi Gap by 12:30 trying to hitch a ride.         Took about 45 mins. to hitch a ride, probably because there was 3 of us. Tough to fit 3 hikers plus gear into anything other than a truck/SUV. This guy picked us up in his Denali. Yeah we definitely sweat all over his leather seats. Nice enough guy though, and I was thankful for the ride.        First stop in Helen was the Blimpie sub shop. We chowed down with a quickness. Checked into the Helendorf Inn. I highly recommend this place to hikers. Super nice folks, and super nice rooms. $12.00 a piece for 4 of us. Sleepwalker came in around 8 PM and we were returning from ¢La Cabana¢. Man that was some good Mexican food and we definitely drank the $3.00 32 ounce XX¢s. So great.        Helen, GA is kinda strange. I¢m still holding to my claim of it being the gnome capital of the U.S. though.        Well I¢m having a blast here with Dave, Tic Tac, and Sleepwalker. Time to hang out and sleep in a bed.G¢nite.        Happy and Thankful to be living it                 -Songline
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

Tuesday5.13.03Unicoi Gap to Deep Gap Shelter50.7 ------ 63.3Woke up in the Helendorf after a solid sleep, heavy from lots of food and some beer. It was time to get going because we wanted to be on the trail by 10:00 AM. Tic Tac, Sleepwalker, and myself had breakfast at some cool bakery place while Dave searched for internet access at the library so he could order some shoes. His feet are still killing him. What a trooper pushing on through.My feet are still in rough shape. Open blisters on my heels, bug bites all over then from Gooch Mtn shelter, and general swelling and soreness. But with some blister pads and foot powder, I¢m still in the game and still very happy.Our hitch out of town was a quick one, seriously about 5 mins. We were hiking by 11 AM, only an hour late ¢ not too bad. We had 3 tough climbs today. The start was straight up out of Unicoi, then Tray Mtn. was a haul, and finally the Kelly Knob climb. Kelly Knob was the worst by far, I was hurting. From the top you can see NC and SC and that was kinda cool. We came into Deep Gap shelter around 5:30 PM or so. We made great time for 13 miles of hard climbs. Jay bird came in shortly after us, we passed him out on the Kelly Knob climb. Glad to see him in camp tonight. Don¢t know if we¢ll see Sleepwalker tonight or not?Might try to push for the NC state line tomorrow, it really depends on Dave¢s heels, but the terrain looks better. Would be cool to make NC in 6 days! Well I¢m off to get a fire going with Tic Tac and DaveSo Happy and Thankful to be living it- SonglinePS   the weather has been great. Warm, breezy, and bright blue skies!
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Muskrat Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Wednesday5.14.03Deep Gap Shelter to Muskrat Shelter63.3 -----78.4        The moon was huge last night and Sleepwalker and Flip Flop came in around 9:30 PM. Glad to see Sleepwalker making the miles and nice to meet Flip Flop.         This morning was an early one because we knew that we (Tic Tac, Snuggles, and myself) were going to try for 15 ¢ 20 miles. We said our good-byes to the group of Jay Bird, Sleepwalker, and Flip Flop as we passed them on the first climb. They all were headed into town, and I hope you enjoyed your hot tub and pizza Jay Bird.         There was a bit more climbing than we had guessed. After our 8:30 AM start, we had a break for water and snacks at Plumorchard Gap Shelter. Around 11:45 AM. I was really hungry and lucked out in finding some trail mix that someone graciously left!        Our next stop was the GA/NC line around 2 PM. Done with our first state! Snuggles and I danced a jig across the line. NC doesn¢t give you a friendly welcome though ¢ 2 hard climbs. I was beat and those steep climbs really took it out of me. Not to mention that it started raining on us as we got into NC. We cruised on for a few more miles then decided to crash at Muskrat Shelter. No need to push on any further because we only have to get to Standing Indian campground by tomorrow ¢ simple 4 miles on the AT and then 3.5 mile side trail.        We had the shelter to ourselves and did a little ¢done with the first state¢ celebrating then had dinner. I definitely have my trail appetite and I want to eat everything! Moose came in around 5:30 or so and we saw the Goliters ¢ short N curly- pass by the shelter.        Calling it an early night, 7:30 PM and I¢m in the tent. Snuggles is already asleep.                Tired, Hungry, and Happy and Thankful to be living it                        -Songline
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Muskrat Shelter

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: light rain

Thursday5.15.03Muskrat Shelter to Deep Gap78.4 ----- 82.4         It rained all night, but I slept hard. Yesterday was a tough 15 miles.         With the rain it was a lazy morning. Moose, Matt from Daytona, Ashely, Tic Tac, Snuggles, and I had good conversation and laughs over breakfast. We didn¢t get rolling until around 11 AM and the rain had stopped by then. It was a quick 4 miles over to Deep Gap where we parted with the AT and set out down the Kinsey Creek Trail. That took us down to Standing Indian Campground where we received some proper trail magic.         After showering, a couple from Florida had three bags of food waiting for Tic Tac, Snuggles, and I. How perfect! We waited around in the rocking chairs at the office for the rest of the afternoon, talking and reading. Got picked up by the LOVELY Janet Caskey (mom to me) and my sister, then we headed to eat.        That pizza was pretty good. Finished it off in no time. Now just chillin¢ in Franklin and we¢ve had some adventures trying to get directions to Deep Gap. Good stuff!Happy and Thankful to be living it                -Songline
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Deep Gap

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Monday 5.19.03Deep Gap to Rock Gap Shelter82.4 ----- 103.0First off ~ I¢m officially done with my undergrad at NC State! Man, going to Raleigh was strange after being adjusted to trail life.- Oh and sorry to those of you who I didn¢t get to see while I was there. It was a crazy graduation circus. Hope to see you all soon.Dave¢s mom got us back up to Franklin last night and dropped us off at Deep Gap this morning around 11 AM. Thanks a ton! We struck out and made great time over some decent terrain. Dave is moving much easier now with his new ¢kicks¢ and new poles. We did out first 20+ mile day today. WOO HOO! We walked in the clouds most of the day so no views, but we made some miles at least. Saw some deer on our way in, about 3 of them. Also met Ryan and Josh, a few other north bounders.Not sure what the plan is tomorrow but I¢m good and tired now ¢ so G¢niteHappy and Thankful to be living it                -SonglinePS ¢ Albert Mtn isn¢t that bad. Wish we would have had a clear day for the tower though.
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Tuesday5.20.03Rock Gap Shelter to Cold Spring Shelter103.0 ---- 122.6        Slept great in the shelter last night, Rock Gap is an ¢oldie but goodie¢. Got going around 9 AM because Snuggs and I haven¢t perfected the early morning starts yet. By the way ¢ 3 maybe 4 star privy at Rock Gap (by my standards at least).        Made 19.6 miles today. Right at 20 miles for the past 2 days, and feeling pretty good! I got in a bit of a pace today and luckily it was fairly quick. Had quite a few hills to climb but cooler temps keep them from being too hot and painful. A lot of clouds again today, so once again no views. The tower at Wayah Bald would have been a good one too. Hoping for clearer weather at the next tower so we can get a look at the smokies.         Lots of time to think out here and I¢ve been loving it. Getting lost in your head while hiking in the mountains is the best. If I¢m not too hungry, the random thinking I¢ve been doing is great.         Snuggs was in a bit of a funk today. Don¢t know what it was fully ¢ maybe a little to do with missing Kim, maybe a little to do with some nagging foot/ankle pain. I hope it all works out for him soon though. I think everyone could use some sunshine, and a beautiful day may cheer him up.        We¢re here tonight at Cold Spring Shelter with Critter, Josh, and Derrek. This shelter is super old, built in the early 30¢s by the CCC. We just made it in before a down pour, right before 5 PM. Hopefully it¢ll clear up overnight and we¢ll have a dry hike to N.O.C. tomorrow morning. We¢re gaining on Sleepwalker and Jay Bird, they were here yesterday, but I¢m still not sure how far Tic Tac is. Maybe we¢ll get to him by the smokies.        Fully Happy and Thankful to be living it                        -Songline