morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

ZERO DAY!We had discussed taking our zero day today instead of Saturday, and for multiple reasons, I think we made a fine choice. I woke around 6:40 to the sound of thunder. I sat up very quickly and began to rush to pick up. Steven woke up and also heard more thunder. We rushed as much as we could to pack up before it started raining. No one likes to pack a wet tent. We relaxed a bit when some blue sky made an appearance, but we were still all put away within 30 minutes. We each made stops to the restroom and headed out in sprinkling rain.... which turned into a more steady rain. We stopped for coffee at McDonalds in Hiawassee, GA and spent over an hour there, using our phones (on their Wifi) I called my mom, too. Then we headed to Andrew's Cove Campground after the rain had stopped. I was nervous about getting a spot, but I shouldn't have been. The area is far more "primitave" than Standing Indian. More than half of the sites were available. We are at site #7, at the top near the trailhead of Andrew's Cove Trail. Everything is damp and the tent platform is rocky from runoff, but it will do. It is also way cheaper here per night. We like that!We read until a bit after noon and decided to go to the closest town south of us, Helen. What a complete shock to arrive in a "European" tourist traip! I was quite overwhelmed. The German shops and restaurants were blended with some country/western overtones. There were draught horse carriage rides, tons of gift shops and even a German restaurant with tacos on the menu. LOL! We chose to eat at the Bodensee Restaurant. Steven had some kind of wurst with sauerkraut, potatoes, and a giant mug of imported dark beer that even I liked. I had spaetle with bacon and mozzarella, but realized too late that I should have gotten veggies. I also had a drink called apfelschorle. I ate half of mine and Steven ate all of his and the rest of mine! We thought the waitress' dress was cute and I asked where it came from. She told me the name of the shop, but I couldn't remember after we left. I should have made her spell it so I would. She said she'd gotten hers from Amazon, though, because it is cheaper. After lunch we poked around, kind of looking for the dress. Steven freaked out with glee at a Dr. Who matryoshka. I had to make immediate use of the restroom - an unfortunate thing that now happens to me often after eating foods I don't normally eat. Sigh. We got some fudge and went back to camp. We both read more - Steven read 4 magazines and I finished my book. Now he is doing crosswords and I'm writing. My stomach is still unsettled, and I ohpe to be better by the morning.
Date: 2019-05-18
From: Deep Gap

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 15.8

A group of young 20-somethings showed up in camp last night. They took the site closest to us and had loud music playing. The white noise of the river drowns some sound out, but not all. I heard one proclaim that Fireball is his liquor of choice. Oh, son. I was awoken at 1:36 AM due to their loud music still being played with a loud drum beat. I considered asking them to turn it down, but I forced myself to lie down. Soon after that they turned the music off. I woke around 6 AM and they were awake! WTH? They are crazy. And I'm a cranky middle aged woman. We drove to Dick's Creek Gap and started hiking by about 8:00. I felt really logy and it was super humid. I just hiked as I could. Eventually the day grew warmer, but less humid. It was a mostly pleasant day, but I wasn't really in the mood for hiking. The biggest thing to note is that we now have ONE STATE LEFT to hike! Woo hoo! At some point, I either strained a muscle in my right shoulder or messed up my rotator cuff. It hurts to use my shoulder now. And then my left Achilles tendon was finished working and let me know. It was a pretty miserable end to the day. We did meet three nice men at the Muskrat Creek Shelter. We hung out with them for 30 minutes or so. My favorite part of today was walking through an understory of ferns. The forest was heavy with their sweet scent. This morning was tough because we had to avoid poison ivy which was everywhere plus not step on the thousands of millipedes that were out. I did crunch a snail. I was so sad about that. We saw two salamanders in a little spring, but I'm pretty certain one was smushed dead. :( We saw tons of crunched millipedes today. People must not look where they're stepping or they don't care. There are so many of them, but I still feel bad.We stopped in Hiawassee to get more power aid and went back to our camp to eat supper. When we got back to camp our tent fly had tiny ants all over it and a tick was on the door screen. I tried to take the tick off, but it latched on! Gross. Then a bit later, Steven flicked it off... so somewhere there's a tick near our tent door. Great.For some reason, tons of tiny beetles kept dive-bombing our Ramen! It was insane! I picked out at least 10 of them from my soup. I believe it was the least pleasant eating experience I've ever had. We went down and soaked our feet in the creek. It was nice. There was a young couple walking through the brush for some reason. The girl was pregnant and the guy was helping her over logs and stuff, but ... do they not realize there is poison ivy hidden in the plants? Sigh. I hope they don't have problems. 69.3 miles left - 5 more days!
Date: 2019-05-19
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 16.7

This morning, very shortly after I woke up, a dog started barking like crazy. It was in a crate in the campsite. It saw someone. Let me repeat that ... some people took their dog to the woods and put it in a crate barely big enough to turn around in. At least get a screw stake and leash the dog. People who crate their dogs make me crazy! If you crate your dog, consider this: crating dogs is illegal in Sweden and Finland (with exceptions like taking it to the vet or a dog show). I got ready for the day and made Steven stop solving puzzles so he could get ready too. It was a big day; not necessarily a big mile day, but a big hill day. We started hiking around 7:45. I was in an awful mood. My achilles tendon still hurt, my should still hurt, and I didn't want to move. Plus, our very first thing to do was hike.... yup, you guessed it - up. But up 1,000 feet. Luckily the trail wasn't overly rocky or rooty like it is sometimes.We had a snack break at Troy Mountain Shelter. It was 0.2 off the trail, but it was flat. Yay! From there we went down and then stayed mainly flat until we stoped for lunch, at the Swag of the Blue Ridge. Apparently, a "swag" is a very wide gap between mountains. The next two miles went quickly and then came the third big hill of the day. I let Count go first, but told him he had to wait for me every quarter mile. He did and I kept myself going by singing mainly Christmas hymns in my head. After that, we went down (duh) about 500 feet. We needed water at that point, so we went 0.2 off the trail for that and Count did another .1 to the shelter to take care of some important business. There were a few men at the water source, mostly on their phones with wives and kids. I prepared the water while Count had his privy meeting. I rinsed off the salty sweat from my face, neck, and arms. I wish I could have sat down in the water, but it wasn't deep enough. We made it to the car by about 6 PM, I think. There were two hikers there waiting for a taxi that they'd called 2 hours previous!! We drove them into Haiwassee and left them in a parking lot. I would have driven them further in, but they said it was fine. One guy also offered money, but we refused. Silly hiker - MAGIC!We had a Mountain House for dinner and ate the fudge we bought the other day in Helen for dessert. The bugs were pretty annoying, so we cleaned up and went to the tent to play crosswords and write. We have three pages left of the AWOL book!!! Fifty two point six miles left!! 2.5% left of the ENTIRE TRAIL!!Oh - we saw a bear today. In fact, Count saw two, I only heard the 2nd one. :)
Date: 2019-05-20
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Tesnatee Gap
Miles today: 15.2

We left the tent door open last night to save us from the humidity. It helped so much! I wasn't sweaty when I woke up, so that was nice. My fingers were less swollen, too. After we packed up the tent it began to rain a little bit. I ate my breakfast in the car. We drove to Unicoi Gap to switch the cars and continued to Tesnatee Gap. The first couple of miles were tough, but after that the trail was so fabulous I wondered if we were even on the AT. It became an old carriage road after Low Gap Slehter, which is where we stopped for a snack and I had a call to make at the privy. It was to nature, if you were curious. the hiking was lovely and I decided that we would have definitely finished our through hike if the trail was like that the whole way. As Count was standing up from lunch, he put his hand on a bee of some kind and it hit his finger! :'( I immediately pulled out benadryl and gave it to him. It hurt, but he was okay. Phew!! Then a bug flew directly up my nose and I swear I could feel it wriggling inside, but I couldn't blow it out. The trail was pretty rocky until Blue Mountain Shelter. After that it was a smooth incline to Blue Mountain and then down to Unicoi Gap. We drove to Dockery Lake Campground, stopping for gas on the way. I was tail-gated for much of the drive on a winding, no shoulder road. It was VERY annoying, especially because the giant pick-up truck's lights were really bright.This camp is so much nicer than Andrew's Cover. There are lots of frogs and birds, including owls, that I've heard. Plus it is farther away from the main road. Andrew's Cover is right on the main road!We had supper and took a walk around the lake which is quite small. I went down to the lake after 8 to see the fish eating. I got down on my knees right at the edge and put my fingertip in. Several fish were curious, but not brave enough to try a bite. I did see a salamander in the water too. It was cute. Now the tree frogs have joined the chorus of bullfrogs, and the breeze is getting cooler. I think I'm headed for the tent. 37.4 miles left! Tomorrow looks like a tough day.
Date: 2019-05-22
From: Woody Gap

To: Hightower Gap
Miles today: 12.0

Apparently after 1.5 weeks of being in the woods and away from home is my breaking point. As exciting as today should have been, the SECOND TO LAST DAY, I had a hard time cheering up. Count noticed and he suggested I drink some 5 hour energy to perk me up. It worked a little but not much. I felt dirty and crusty. My achilles was acting up again, my pinkie toe blisters were like someone sticking pins in my feet, and a new, yet to have ever experienced feeling was occurring in my left shin. It was like the sun was shining on it - just oddly hot. No pain, just hot. I don't know what that means.The trail from Hightower Gap north was full of people. Mostly older folks slowly picking their way. Alone. That makes me nervous for them, but they know their own bodies, and they're old enough to make decisions, so I say to myself "good for them" and try to stop worrying. We stopped for lunch at Justus Creek with an older, slightly unsteady fellow and Rachel. It took the older man a bit of effort to cross the creek on the rocks, but he did it. I tried to rinse off my scalp in the icy flowing water, but I wasn't entirely successful. I just smelled more like a dog than ever. The older gentleman reminded me a little bit like my grandpa for some reason. He was very nice. He told us to tell his wife he was still alive if we saw her at their planned meet-up spot. She wasn't there when we arrived. I was sad and more than a little nervous for him since he was so wobbly. There was a second stream crossing that required more rock hopping. I pray that he is okay. We met Bean again today. We chatted for a short while and then parted. I hope we see her one last time tomorrow. Seeing her perked me up a bit. She seems so cheerful. At Woody Gap there was a man handing out trail magic, but we don't usually feel right taking it, so we didn't. Especially since our car was right next to his. haha We decided to drive to Amicalola Falls State Forest/Park, where we are now. We are staying the night in campsite # 23. We hiked down the 600+ stairs to the bottom of the falls and then back up! I was totally sweaty after that! We then went to our campsite and I took a long shower at the bath house with a couple of moths and one scary spider. Then Count took one while I made supper. We finished reading our Southbound book and both cried. There will be tears tomorrow!The sun has set now, and I'll be turning in shortly. Good night. Our last night "on the trail." :'(
Date: 2019-05-23
To: SPRINGER!!!
Miles today: 8.6

How does one write a last journal entry? It is hard to know, so I guess just like all the others.Last night, around 1:30, the wind began. It was odd since it had been so calm earlier. I didn't sleep the greatest because of it. Neither did Count. We packed up and drove to the Springer parking lot (thank God for Google Maps) which took about an hour. On the way I had top stop because I had diarrhea!!! NOOOOO!!!! We also saw several military type vehicles. It felt unreal to be so close to the end. We hiked north toward Hightower Gap. It was downhill... and very soon after we started my foot caught on a root and I fell forward, landing on my elbow. I only scraped my lower shin from the root and I miraculously didn't land in poison ivy! I picked up my Powerade that had flown out of my pack and made sure I was okay otherwise. I was, and turked to hike on when I thought of my cell phone which had been in my other water-bottle pocket in my pack. It was gone! Luckily, it had landed screen side up and I spotted it easily (a little bit off the trail) from the reflection of the sun. Phew!We stopped at the first shelter we came to where there were three women resting. They were very nice. I talked to them for several minutes. They hike, bike, and kayak! We moved on before they did. It was quite humid. We walked by some streams, so that made sense. We ran into Bean after a few miles. We calculated that she'd summit before us, so that was sad that we'd not see her again. I cheered "Excelsior!" to her as she continued south toward Springer. We took the side trail to Long Branch Falls - WORTH IT! And after a mile of so we heard a motorbike or motorcycle VERY close by. We thought the person was on the AT or the Benton MacKaye Trail. It kind of freaked me out. However, we ended up being really close to a road we couldn't see. Duh. We made it to the car earlier than expected and drove once more to the Springer parking lot. It was a fairly easy mile to the top. When we were nearly at the summit, I took Count's hand in mine and we walked the final steps together while Bean sat near by waiting for us!! How awesome! I cried, but only a little bit (I might be crying more now as I type this). We ate lunch and talked with Bean for about 45 minutes. We wrote in the journal and Bean went toward Amicalola while we turned back and walked the mile back to our cars. Others passed us as we hiked down, but no one knew what we had just accomplished. But, you know what? It wasn't those final steps that were the accomplishment. It was every single one of them. Ever step, every blister, every sunset, every tear, every raindrop, animal sighting, lightning bolt, every face-plant into a spider web, every refreshing swim, every fall, despair, wonder, beauty, glory, love. For the first time in my life, I truly understand that the journey was more important than the destination. EXCELSIOR!!
Date: 2012-04-09
To: Prologas
Miles today: 0.0

Dar 2006 metais maniau kad tapsiu thru-haikeriu, t.y. nueisiu vis Appalachian Trail (https://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail), pradedant ir u34baigiant tais paiais kalendoriniais metais. Nebuvo lemta. L«34o koj ir beliko kelion baigti tik 2008-ais. Po to sek dvisavaitiniai 34ygiai 2009-ais, 2010-ais ir 2011-ais metais. Per tuos tris metus sukoriau apie 800 myli3. Sportinis azartas ir savoti¡kas u34sispyrimas vis da34niau vert galvoti apie nauj bandym nueiti AT vienu atsikvpimu. A¡ tam ruo¡iausi, a¡ apie tai svajojau ir kai 2012 metais pasitaik savoti¡ka proga, gavs i¡ Rimos palaiminim, i¡jau 34ygin. 2181 mylios ilgio. Planas ¢ keturi su puse mnesio. Kiek bus tikrovje ne34inau, bet tikrai ne ilgiau. 12ygi3 patyrimas ir reikalingos  rangos paie¡ka dav ger rezultat. Turiu ger avalyn: La Sportiva Raptor sportbaius. Viskas kita: palapin, miegmai¡is, pripuiamas matraciukas, ¢virtuv¢, r«bai, kuprin buvo naudota ankstesniuose 34ygiuose, todl dl j3 nekilo joki3 abejoni3. Na ir atitinkam sum pinig3 susitaupiau.12ygio prad34ia buvo numatyta gegu34s 15d., taiau labai ankstyvas ir ¡iltas pavasaris tai pakoregavo. A¡, ilgai nedvejojs, j paankstinau mnesiu ¢ baland34io 14d.Dabar klausimas buvo - kaip nusigauti iki Amicalola State parko? Gerai kad pa34 stamas Vladas sutiko nuve34ti.                                                     ---|---In 2006, I thought that I will become thru-hiker, i.e. will go the entire Appalachian Trail, starting and completing the same calendar year. It is not destine to fail. Broke ankle and remained trip completed only in 2008-s. A two-week hiking 2009 s, 2010 s, and 2011 s year followed this. During those three years, I've hiked about 800 miles. Sports passion and stubbornness pushed me to think about the new attempt to hike AT in one breathe. In 2012, becomes clear that I have the unique opportunity, upon receiving a blessing from Rima, I went for hike 2181 miles in length. The plan - four and half months. How much is in reality, I do not know, but certainly no longer. Hiking, mountain climbing experience and equipment gave an excellent result. I have good shoes: La Sportiva Raptors. Everything else: tent, sleeping bag, inflatable sleeping pad, kitchen, clothing, a backpack I used in previous outings. So here is no problem, as well as the amount of money by saving. Hiking start was scheduled on May 15, but unusually early and warm spring adjusted departure date. I do not hesitate a long time, and April 14th becomes my starting point. Now, the question was how to get to Amicalola State Park? Well, friend Vladas agreed to drive me to Amicalola.
Date: 2012-04-14
From: Springer Mtn

To: Stover Creek
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I¡va34iavome su Vladu dar gerokai prie¡ septynias ir po penki3 valand3 kelions jau buvome Amicalola State parke. Nelipau laiptais palei kriokl , bet buvau u34ve34tas. Tas praleistas gabaliukas labai padidino mano ¡ansus nepavargti. Taigi ant vir¡aus suvalgme po apelsin ir kiekvienas pasukome savo keliu. Vladas gr 34ta namo tiesiai prie stalo su sveiais, o a¡ pdinu vir¡ a¡tuoni3 myli3 iki Springerio kalno ir po to dar 2.5 mylias iki numatytos vietos nakvynei ties naujuoju Stover Creek ¡elteriu. Smagu buvo eiti ir prisiminti savo 2006 met3 tak. Tada kai pasiekiau Springer , galvojau kad gal gausiu. O dabar tik juokas ima. Taigi neu34ilgo jau stovjau pietiniame AT ¢terminale¢. Atsi34ymjau 34urnale para¡ydamas: ¢Let¢s get The Big Fun¢ ¢ leiskime sau apturti Didel  Malonum. Likusios kelios mylios iki Stover Creek buvo jau visai lengvos. Palapinei pasistatyti vietos reikjo pasie¡koti, nes ¡elteris buvo pilnas ir visa stovyklaviet margavo  vairiomis palapini3 spalvomis. Net trys ¡unys buvo. Taiau jie buvo ram«s ir neamsjo be reikalo. Kaip ne keista, bet savo palapinje jauiausi lyg namie.----|----We left the house with Vladas long before seven, and after a five-hour trip we were already in Amicalola State Park. Drove over the top of the waterfall. We ate the oranges, and each went its own way. Vladas returns home straight to the table with guests and I hiked over eight miles to Springer Mountain, and then another 2.5 miles to the place lodging at the new Stover Creek shelter. It was nice to hike and remember the 2006 trail. Then when I reached the Springer, I thought that I die. Now I¢ve laughed.Soon I stood on the southern AT terminal, and wrote in the journal by writing, "Let's get the Big Fun". The remaining few miles to Stover Creek has been quite mild. Setting up the tent was somehow challenging, because the shelter was full and the whole camp shined in various colors of the tents. Even the three dogs were. However, they were quiet and do not bark unnecessarily. How not surprising, but the tent felt like a home.
Date: 2012-04-16
From: Gooch Mtn

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Gera ¡iandien eiti. Visur pavasario gls 34ydi ir oras geras ir naujas stogas u34dengtas ant Blood Mtn ¡elterio.O takas lyg senas pa34 stamas pasitinka su tais paiais pos«kiais, pakilimais ir nusileidimas, lyg sakydamas ir klausdamas: a¡ nepasikeiiau, o tu? Wallace-Y centr pasiekiau beveik nepavargs ir ¢u34simu¡iau¢ viet hostelyje. Po to sek du¡as, vakariens darymas ir kiti malon«s, smulk«s ir visai nevarginantys darbai. Teko remontuoti savo palapins sudedam ir lanksi ark, nes dar vakare bestatydamas palapin Gooch Gap stovykloje,  lau34iau viena jos dal . Susiremontavau, gavs i¡ Outfiterio parduotuvs superklij3 ir dakroninio pluo¡to. Outfiterio savininkas pamats kaip a¡ darau, pasak kad a¡ esu in34inierius. Neneigiau, nors nemaiau ia, kad esu padars ka34k ypatingo. Vakare dar gavau tro¡kint3 pupeli3 ir ger keptos kiaulienos gabal. Taip Hostelis pamaitina haikerius, kurie ia nakvoja. Puiki vakarien nuteik stebtinai gerai ir tolimesn mano kelion nu¡vito soiomis ir ¡viesiomis spalvomis.  ---|---Everywhere the spring flowers are blooming, and the weather is balmy.The Blood Mtn shelter was covered with the new roof. The trail like old the familiar friend greeted with the same twists, ascends, and descends, as if asking: I didn¢t change, do you? Walasi-Yi Center reached almost not tired and " got killed " place to stay in the hostel. Then took a shower, got dinner and did other nice, small and quite not tiring work. I had to fix my tents flexible arch, because last night at Gooch Gap has broken one part of it. Outfitter¢s owner offered me superglue and Dakron fiber. He saw how I was doing and told me that probably I am an engineer. I do not deny, though not seen here, that I did something noteworthy.In the evening, everybody even got baked beans and succulent roast pork cuts. It nourishes hostel hikers who stay here. A fabulous dinner predisposes surprisingly well and following my journey brightened in bright color.