morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-13
From: Blood Mountain Cabins

To: Mountain Crossings
Miles today: 0.0

2157.5 miles to goHad my first "Zero" today (0 miles hiked), and I am surprised to find myself even MORE tired than days I hiked. I guess it's the 'busy pace of city life'. There is so much more to do when not actively on the trail: pay bills, contact friends and family, deal with the outside world, go to town, get supplies, look at hiking equipment, etc, etc, etc! On the trail, it's pretty simple: you can walk, eat, or camp, and if you happened to camp near other hikers, you can socialize.Most of the "pod" has moved on, only Andrew and I remain in Neel Gap. We both did the traditional "pack shakedown" at Mountain Crossings, which I won. They culled about eight pounds of useless, excessive, and redundant gear from his pack, while the only thing they advised me to eliminate was the 50 feet of paracord that I had for hanging my food bag out of the reach of bears. When I kindly informed the employee that his very fine establishment had sold me that exact cord exactly one week ago, for the express purpose of being my bear bag cord while hiking the AT, he smiled awkwardly and apologized. Lucky for him, I was too bemused by the whole thing to be upset over it.I did stock up on food (including some fresh fruits and vegetables, yay!) while we were here, as well as showers and clean laundry. Too bad the clean laundry won't last and I can't take a few extra showers on the trail with me!
Date: 2015-04-14
From: Mountain Crossings

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

2146 miles to go.Andrew and I fixed a nice a breakfast again this morning (eggs, biscuits, sausage, gravy, and pancakes), which we enjoyed with Nathan and Penny. After I wrapped up some loose ends at Mountain Crossings, we headed out on the trail again. The climb out of Neel Gap was a little steep, but much of today's mileage was fairly gently sloped.I got my first taste of "trail magic" today. Coming down off of Cowrock Mountain into Tesnatee Gap, I saw a pop-up shelter with several hikers sitting in camping chairs. There were tables with some snacks and basic medical supplies on them. A guy met me and introduced himself, offering me coffee, hot cocoa, or a soda. These people just drive out to the trail and provide free services for hikers: food, drinks, etc. Yes, this is a thing that people do.We crossed Poor Mountain and Sheep Rock Top, then set up camp at Low Gap Shelter. I hung my hammock by the stream so I could listen to its burbling through the night. As I was setting up the hammock, I noticed my 'make do' carabiners that I hang the hammock with were actually peeling open. It was too late to try to make it to town, but I'm going to have to stop at Unicoi Gap tomorrow and get a ride into Hiawasee. It's two days early, but I'm not going to take a chance on getting dumped on my butt in the middle of the night.... if I can help it. Apparently, I don't have a choice tonight - I just have to take a chance. :-/ (Pics of hammoc, tarp and carabiners in photos.)
Date: 2015-04-15
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 9.7

2136.3 miles to go.Andrew didn't want to hit town with me (after all, we had just left town), so he hiked on alone. I hiked from Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi Gap, almost 10 miles, without seeing a soul. They say 30% of people trying to hike the AT get off at Neel Gap. I don't know if it was because of that, or just because of the wet, but it was a first for me on this trip.It was very wet, but I can't say with certainty that it rained on me yesterday. It was more like it had rained right before I got there, and all of the woods were dripping from it as I walked thru - except it was like that the entire day. I didn't even wear my raincoat most of the day, that's how NOT wet it was. The clouds, however, were everywhere: overhead, below me on the mountaintops, and all around me as I walked.Once I got to Unicoi Gap, I caught a ride into town and found a room. I just hopped in the shower, clothes and all. I was covered in mud from the knees down, but after a good shower I (and my clothes) were relatively dirt-free. I walked to a nearby restaurant and enjoyed the buffet, then picked up some more fresh fruit on the way back to the room. Back in the room, I spread all of my gear out to dry, and made a few minor repairs. Tomorrow I'll hit the town and hopefully pick up my carabiners.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

2136.3 miles to go.I ended up taking another Zero today. :-/ I did, however, get some carabiners! :-)Had a nice omelette for breakfast at a local haunt. Went to what is apparently the ONLY music store in Hiawassee to replace my broken E string. Even at 9:50, they were not open ... and judging by the looks of it, it's the kind of store that will open whenever the owner feels like showing up. It looks like more of a second-hand instrument store than anything, it's in what might have once been a gas station, and everything (inside and out) looks dirty, rundown, and shabby.So, I hoofed it across town (probably not even a mile, but I did pass the Ingles) to take care of more pressing matters. At the Three Eagle Outfitters Satellite (their main store is in Franklin, NC), I was able to pick up some carabiners - but mainly because I had called already and the guy threw a pair in his car before driving down today. I also picked up a small drybag for my AT passport, and a rain hat since it looks like it will be raining a good bit.After that I went to Verizon - yes, I am still wrapping up a few loose ends for this journey. It also gave me the chance to catch up on some other things: check email, download a digital copy of my guide as a backup, etc, etc. Then, after calling to ensure they were open, I went back to the music store (passing the Ingles a second time) and got my new E string.By the time I had done everything, to include picking up my two resupply packages at the town Post Office, it was late afternoon and more rain was imminent. I didn't want to get back on the trail to do just a couple of miles in the rain, so I called a hostel and got a bunk for the night. Luckily for me, they had a free shuttle to town which made pickups at .... you guessed it, the Ingles! So back to Ingles I walked for a third time.I caught the shuttle and got settled in for the evening. With a new E string and two new carabiners for my hammock, I should be ready to hit the trail again tomorrow.
Date: 2015-04-17
From: Hiawassee

To: Addis Gap
Miles today: 11.3

2125 miles to go.Hit the trail early today: got the first shuttle and after about an hour of dropping off and picking up what seemed like every other hiked on the entire trail, I was on the trail at about 9:15. Coming up out of Unicoi Gap first thing in the morning sucked ... I'm beginning to hate starting my morning with a hard uphill climb. Much easier to camp on top of a mountain and then begin the morning with a descent.So, after about an hour of climbing, I reached the top of Rocky Mountain. It only took about 40 minutes to hike down into Indian Grave Gap. Hmmmm .... Blood Mountain, Slaughter Creek Trail, Indian Grave Gap .... it seems the settlers had very graphic naming tendencies! Anyways, after a little over three hours of hiking, I arrived at the top of Tray Mountain. I stopped to enjoy an apple at the top and soak in the view.The view is pretty impressive, but what strikes me about Tray Mountain is what a miserable little mountain top it is. No big, lush, curved dome sloping away on all sides for Tray Mountain, no sir! This mountain is topped by a narrow, cramped, scraggly, uncomfortable tangle of jutting rock, squeezed between a bunch of flora that can't decide if they want to be large bushes or small trees.I hiked down the backside of Tray and found the shelter about one half mile below the summit, which is where I had planned to camp for the night. After lunch and a little guitar time, I got bored and decided to put in a few more miles before dark. I knew it was going to rain, but I figured I'd take my chances. Of course, as soon as I headed out of the shelter, I felt the first few drops of rain.On the way, I passed a guy who was clearly just day-packing from the size of his minuscule pack. What caught my eye about this guy was his day-glo yellow racing jersey. He looked like some kind of Lance Armstrong wannabe that couldn't afford a bike. He was heading south, so we passed each other without comment, and I continued on.I hit Sassafras Gap, which I had been considering as a campsite, but apparently so had everyone else - there were already about eight tents there. I stood around for a minute and didn't even bother taking my backpack off. It was just too crowded for me, so I decided to push on yet again.In about a mile, I hit Addis Gap. I wandered down the old fire road about a half mile and found the campsite I was looking for. It was deserted, next to a stream, and had great options for hanging a hammock. Oddly enough, there were piles of produce scattered all over - a pile of apples here (still edible), a pile of oranges there (definitely NOT edible), a pile of potatoes there, a stack of corn on the fire ring. There were also a few odd tomatoes and lettuce mixed in here and there. I wondered if it was some kind of strange "Blair Witch" style prank, but I was ready to camp at this point. So, I pitched my tarp to get out of the rain, changed into dry, warm clothes, then made and ate a hot dinner and crawled into my hammock for the night.
Date: 2015-04-18
From: Addis Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: clear sky

2119.6 miles to go.I slept late again today; don't think I got out of the hammock until 9:30. After messing around for awhile with breakfast and packing, etc, I hit the trail just before 11. So much for starting my mornings off easy! Mental note: if you spend the night in a "gap" (notch, hollow, saddle, etc), then you're going to start your morning off with a climb. This morning, the climb in particular was Kelly Knob, or as I later heard one hiker call it: Disneyland. He called it that because "it was like a line that never ended."After a few more ups and downs, I reached the top of Powell Mountain. A small wooden sign marked a side trail with a single word carved in it: Vista. Somebody had scrawled above it "Epic!" with a Sharpie. How could I resist?A short scramble up and over led me to a truly epic vista. Multiple mountain ridge lines in the distance, blue skies streaked with white, fluffy clouds, and a long, shimmering lake winding through one of the valleys in the distance - I could just make out the white wake of a boat cutting across the lake, but it was so far away that I couldn't make out the actual boat. At one point I thought to myself: "This is why I'm making this journey."After soaking in the view, I reluctantly headed out. In another hour or so, I made my way down to Dicks Creek Gap. I hitched a ride in the back of a pickup with a few other hikers to the hostel were I plan to wait out tomorrow's monsoon (I've been keeping an eye on the weather). I gave them all of my laundry to wash (pretty much everything was wet and muddy), and they loan you a pair of scrubs to wear while you laundry is being done. Man, scrubs are comfortable!
Date: 2015-04-19
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

2119.6 miles to go.Another Zero day for me, this one makes three: one planned, one emergency equipment, one rain day. Oh well, I suppose over the course of the summer I'll have plenty, and I shouldn't sweat it or keep track of them.I spent the day watching the downpour through the windows while I mostly tinkered with my gear and chatted with other hikers taking the day off. There were several times throughout the day we just looked at each other as the rain pounded down and said "Yep - good day to take a Zero!"I made Reese's dessert bars in a cast iron skillet on the hostel stove - they were a pretty big hit with the hikers. Several of us splurged at Ingles, so after sharing, we were all very full and very happy.
Date: 2015-04-20
From: Dick's Creek Gap

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

2107.8 miles to go.Made it into NC today!!! Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself.Fixed myself a nice breakfast at the hostel, then took one last shower, packed my gear, and headed out. Weighed my pack on the way out: 22 pounds, plus 8 pounds of food. Definitely over-kill on the food, but part of that weight is the fresh fruits and vegetables that I've started carrying - and I eat those up quick, so the pack will lighten considerably. It should be down to 25 pounds total when I hit Franklin, NC.After catching a ride, I got to walking a little after noon. Today was almost all uphill, with a few short downhills only when needed to get to the next uphill. I gained just under 2000 feet in elevation today. Most of it was steady climb, though, and not the steep torture variety, so it wasn't too bad. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the snakes were sunning ... oh yeah, I almost stepped on a baby snake who was just chilling (or rather just warming, probably) on the trail. He was about two feet long, and just lying motionless on the trail until I walked right up on him. He was a sort of tan/brown camo, and blended right in with the trail - another two steps and I probably would have stepped on him. As soon as I saw him, I stopped and looked for his tail to see if he had rattles .... he didn't, so I don't know what kind of snake he was. After about a second of me staring at him, he wheeled and dove off the trail and into the dead leaves. Then he turned back around, stuck his head out, and just stared at me! I decided to keep walking before he could form an opinion.We did get a quick little rain shower at one point, which came from behind me and blew overhead relatively quickly. After it passed, I heard thunder crackling and grumbling behind me as I was heading uphill. I thought I was about to get caught on the high ground in a serious storm, but when I crested the ridge I could see the storm drifting past to the east, less than a mile away. The ridge line to the west, almost as if in an alternate reality, was all blue skies and bright sunlight.The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. I made it into NC about 5 and felt like walking some more, so I did. I think when they were routing the trail through NC, they found the two closest, tallest, and steepest hills and routed the trail straight up those, one after the other, as a welcome ... or maybe as a warning? My impression of the AT in NC so far is "So you want to hike a trail? Well here's a mountain just because, that's why!" That, and NC has more weird trees in the first three miles than in all of GA.(Weird tree pics in photos.)
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Beech Gap
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: light rain

2098.5 miles to go.Crossed Standing Indian Mountain today with some beautiful views. Pictures just don't do it justice.Pretty quiet day on the trail today; not many creatures, two-legged or otherwise. Plenty of time to think my own thoughts.Made camp at Beech Gap with Jake & Brandi (or was it Brandy?) and a few others. They had given up on a fire, but I wanted one so I built one. By that time, the sun had set and they were all getting in their tents so I had the fire and the waxing moon all to myself. I played my guitar and enjoyed the evening before turning in myself.
Date: 2015-04-23
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: overcast clouds

2083.2 miles to go.Since I only had three miles to do today, I slept in until about 11. By the time I got out of my hammock, everybody was gone and it had warmed up (thankfully! it got pretty chilly out there last night). I ate some breakfast, and that's when folks started dropping in at the shelter for lunch. After chatting and playing my guitar (and making a trail strap for it out of some paracord abandoned at the shelter), I finally packed up and headed out.I stopped at Rock Gap Shelter for the night; it's the last shelter before Franklin, NC. I could have easily made it to town today (or yesterday even), but I've kind of been dragging my feet the last few days. I've been keeping an eye on the weather, and the forecast for Saturday is one word: wet. Actually, I think it was three words: really, really wet. So, I've been pacing myself so that I can ride out the storm in town ... the nearest town being Franklin, NC. It's a popular trail stop, with two big outfitters and a hiker-tailored brewery. I've also got some food, as well as my gear upgrade, waiting for me there.I ate dinner and congratulated myself on my eight pound food bag back in Hiawassee - all I have left now is a half a serving of oatmeal, a packet of almond butter, and a Larabar. It would be perfect for breakfast, but actually I'm going to hit town early in the morning, find a breakfast buffet, and DESTROY it.After dinner, Black Dynamite (part of Pipi's crew) and I made a fire. Then we sat around the campfire and talked while we watched the stars come out and I played my guitar a little more. Actually, I am lying under the stars in my hammock right now - rough life, I know. :-)
Date: 2015-04-25
From: Franklin, NC

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: moderate rain

2074.8 miles to go.I checked the weather first thing after waking up, and based on the suddenly revised forecast of NO rain, I decided to hit the trail instead of kill another day in Franklin.Today I had a visit from Trail Angels Original Momza and Mary Bridges. They brought me a trail box full of food and equipment in the morning, then we headed out to get a good breakfast. After breakfast, they chauffeured me around Franklin to make some more gear upgrades and stock up on groceries. I bought a new water bottle to replace the broken one, and tried it out by filling it with water, attaching my screw on water filter to it, and giving it several long, hard squeezes to test for leaks. I had heard that the Sawyer Walter filter wouldn't screw on securely to some of the Platypus bottles, so I was pleased to find that this one didn't leak. I also picked up some new shorts to replace my blue ones - they split down the side during a weird sideways step over a stream. Once that was done, we enjoyed my traditional town guilty pleasure of Reese's Cups and Mt. Dew, then they drove me all the way back to Winding Stair Gap.I set off at about 4:30. The walk to Siler Bald was a nice one; uphill but generally moderate in slope. I bypassed the Shelter and pressed on to the top of Siler Bald itself, hoping to hammock on the summit and catch a sunrise. As I neared the top, I saw a couple of trees that looked like exciting candidates for hanging, but as I crested the top, my excitement turned to disappointment: there were already two hammocks hung there! With no room left for me, I turned and ended up going all the way back to the shelter to make camp.At the shelter, I was reunited with Pipi, Black Dynamite, and Chris once again, along with about 10 new faces. They already had a campfire going, so I ate dinner. It was then that I found out my Sawyer water filter DOES leak with this Platypus bag ... these stupid water bags have been the most annoying piece of gear thus far, but at least it works somewhat, so I'll be able to get water. I then played around on the guitar a little while the evening wound down. Later on, Black Dynamite lent me his harmonica and I tried to see if I could remember how to play one - a little, but not much.
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Springs Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

2063.6 miles to go.Rain woke me up last night at about 3 am. In the morning, another hiker asked if I stayed dry. Uhhh, duh? I have this huge tarp and I know how to use it, of course I stayed dry. Apparently some other hammockers try to get away with a minimalist tarp for rain protection, and then complain when they get wet. Not me - I've weathered multiple storms already, and I haven't gotten wet yet. The only time I'll get wet is when I gamble it won't rain, and lose. Although, when it's warmer, I may switch to a smaller (lighter) tarp .... but for now, hypothermia is about two or three bad decisions away, so I won't tempt fate.Started today off by heading right back up the same mountain I had climbed last night when I was looking for a good place to stay. After that, I dropped down into a gap and then started climbing again...(warning, hiker humor ahead)the AT: it has its ups and downs... after a couple of hours, I topped out on Wayah Bald, which has a beautiful stone tower offering a magnificent view. I could even make out Standing Indian Mountain and the tower on Albert Mountain from last week. Twister and Fox Feet caught up to me while I was enjoying the view, and we all headed out together. It started sprinkling as we approached the Wayah Bald Shelter, so we all ducked into the shelter to have a meal and see if the rain intensified or fizzled out. I ate the biggest meal I've eaten on the trail yet: oatmeal with ghee and honey, a bag of beef jerky, a banana, carrots, and raisins."This Guy" was there as well, and as the rain fizzled out the four of us set out for the next shelter. At Cold Springs Shelter, we all stopped and made dinner. We all sat around talking and eating, and I just kept grabbing more and more food out of my bag. At one point, Fox Feet looked at me and said "You just _keep_ eating!" I just smiled at her and took another bite of my Colby Jack cheese block. Yep, hiker hungry .....
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Cold Springs Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

2051.7 miles to go.Got up after Pipi, Black Dynamite, and Half Full had already headed out. This Guy, Twister, and Fox Feet were getting packed up. I enjoyed a good, hot breakfast, packed up and headed out.Today was a day of spectacular views: several high peaks, back to back, all with impressive vistas, with clear bright sunshine all around and just a handful of white, cotton-ball whisps of clouds to break up the monotony of the gorgeous clear blue skies. On Wesser Bald, the view was a complete 360 degrees, and so magnificent that my camera couldn't capture it, even on panoramic mode!After those views, I hiked down to the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center), where I was able to get a hot meal and shower before hitting my bunk for the night.