morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: clear sky

So much for backing off my miles. Today was an absolutely perfect day for hiking. Rain pounded on the shelter roof last night waking me to the thought of hiking in the rain. But when I set off about 8am it was nothing but sunny skies and a perfect breeze. Last night Ol Skool and I shared the shelter with Dave and Pete. We hiked into Neels Gap with them and they kept me laughing the whole way. Pete is attempting a thru while Dave is a buddy out with him for the first week. You sure would think its the other way around as it seems that Dave is the one making the plans and leading the way.Neels Gap was nice. It has an outfitter right on the trail. I Stopped for a hot dog, ice cream and some food for the trail. Sent my journal entries and just relaxed a bit. At Neels Gap the four of us talked about heading off for Low Gap Shelter, I got there by about 4pm and Ol Skool and I decided to push on to Blue Mountain. It was another 7 miles but they were not bad and we got here by about 7. The shelter was full so I am in my tent.The views today were awesome. The pictures would not do them justice. Blood Mountain was great and there were many others as well.Tomorrow I may try to make it in to Hiawassee to stay at a Hostel. It feels great to be slightly ahead of where I planned to be. The blisters are still a factor, but as Ol Skool put it No Pain No Gain - No Gain No Maine.
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Smiths Cabin (Hiawassee)
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was like a rollercoaster not just the very tough ups and downs of the trail, but emotionally as well. I pushed the pace hoping I could get to Hiawassee for my mail drop and then stay at the Blueberry Patch Hostel. The trail was tough but I kept the pace up and made it to Dick's Creek Gap by 4:00 leaving me an hour to get to the post office.This is when the fun begins. I have never hitch hiked and seeing that the PO was 11 miles away this was my only option. I switched into my crocs and strapped my sneakers on my pack and started walking toward town. When the first car passed I tried the thumb technique. The cars were whipping by on this winding mountain road and passed on by. So I thought if I hold up my trekking poles they will recognize me as a thru-hiker and stop. This got me some strange looks but no ride. I walked about a mile toward town when I saw a sign for cabin rentals. I spoke with the owner and the cabins were slightly over my budget so I asked if he would give me a ride to the hostel.We loaded up his Jeep and drove to the hostel. Things were quiet and I saw a sign on the door noting that the hostel closed for the season May 1st. Luckily Dave was still there and I decided to stay at the cabin. What a wonderful decision. First of all when we got back to his place and I took my bag out of the Jeep I realized I was missing 1 shoe. Dave offered to drive me back toward the trail and we found it about half a mile from the cabin. If I had stayed at the hostel I may have never seen my shoe again. Then Dave's wife informed me she could drop the price and my stay would include dinner, breakfast and a ride into town tomorrow. This place is awesome I ate dinner with Dave and his wife and stuffed myself with burgers fries and the best baked beans I have ever had. After dinner she gave me ice-cream and popcorn for later. (Yes the cabin has a full kitchen and a shower as well) So another day of ups and downs ends on a great up.
Date: 2006-05-03
From: Smiths Cabin (Hiawassee)

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

My day started with an amazing breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and biscuits with gravy. After breakfast Dave took me into town to pick up my mail drop and stop to get more band aids and other blister stuff. Then it was back to the trail. I got started hiking about 11am. I tried to hike in my crocs to give my heels a rest but I could feel the hot spots under my toes so I had to switch back. Today was full of more rugged climbs and it was fairly hot as well. Overall the hiking is perfect except for the blisters. It¢s funny how the trail can bring people back together. I am at the shelter tonight with Ol Skool and there is another guy in his tent. Hopefully I get a good night sleep; the registry says that the mice are really bad here. Oh yeah, I am in N.C. now. 1 state down and 13 to go.
Date: 2006-05-04
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Another day on the trail. The hiking wasn't bad today except Albert Mountain. Wow what a climb. The views were well worth it though. I have defiantly got my hiker appetite. I am a day and a half from real food and it occupies most of my thoughts while hiking.It feels good to eclipse the 100 mile mark. The miles would come fairly easy if it weren't for my feet. I have almost no skin left on my heels and one toenail is about to fall off. Once my feet toughen up I should be able to cruse along up to Maine. I have taken almost 100 pictures as soon as Danielle and I swap discs she will post some of them.
Date: 2006-05-05
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

I finally got a good start; I was on the trail by 7am. It is definitely nice to get out early and get the miles in before it gets hot. It really paid off today when the rain started to come down around 3pm. When it started raining I cranked it up a notch and made it to the shelter before it really started to pour. Now I am sitting in the shelter about 11 miles from the NOC which is a white water rafting resort right along the trail. I plan to get an early start tomorrow and stay there.Today was very quiet on the trail, I only saw 4 people all day. The crazy thing is that two of the people I met were from York. Hoc Doc and Berryman are a couple about my parents age that were out for a section hike. The weather was fairly hazy all day so the views were not all that great. Wayah Bald was really a cool spot even with limited visibility.Well it has been one week on the trail and today I made the following observation.Lowest moment - trying to hitch into Hiawassee Highest moment - staying on pace with my agenda despite the blister problems and the section hikers that say it is impossible Wildlife citing - One deer, several turkey vultures, and lots of mice Favorite thing to eat - Take Five candy bar Things I miss the most - Being at home with my wife and dogQuick update Ol Skool rolled into the shelter about 7pm. I did not see him all day and wasn't sure if I would.
Date: 2006-05-06
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Last night got very cold but I think it was my best night of sleep in a shelter. I think that was due to the lack of mice although the register said the reason there are no mice is due to the large snake living under the shelter. Today's hiking was mostly downhill which has my knees sore. I am staying in a bunk house with Ol Skool at about 1740 feet which is the lowest altitude since Amicolola. This white water rafting facility is really cool. I had an AYCE salad and taco dinner and I am stuffed. There is also an outfitter where I picked up some supplies to get me to Fontana Dam for my next mail drop.It was nice to finally do some laundry after 100 + miles in the same stuff. The shower was great as well. For me this felt like a zero day because I got into the NOC by 11:30. There are a number of thru-hikers around this place but mostly rafters.Hopefully the website is working OK Danielle said the server was down or something. I am also having problems with my Pocketmail so I may have to write my entries by hand and send them until I get this resolved. Thanks for all support and words of encouragement. It really makes a difference when I am feeling alone. I would also like to thank everyone that has contributed to Team Shad, I have not heard the latest update but hopefully I am closer to my goal of $2,175. Don't forget to go out May 19th and do some walking of your own at Dallastown High School.
Date: 2006-05-07
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.1
Weather: moderate rain

Wow a great night of sleep in the bunkhouse was ended when I awoke to hard rain. Today was the ugliest day of the trip but I can't complain because it wasn't hot. It rained on and off and then poured on me when i got close to the shelter.I am in the smallest shelter yet and I am sharing it with 4 kids and their parents. It is going to be a cozy little shelter tonight. This family is hiking all the way to Harpers Ferry WV. Well it is getting dark and I need to figure out my agenda for tomorrow and finish eating my second dinner. I will be going into Fontana tomorrow for a mail drop I hope it goes smooth.
Date: 2006-05-08
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: light rain

Yesterday kicked my butt. Getting soaked created some new blister. Plus the big miles are taking their toll on my knees. I didn't sleep real well so I got up early and hiked the 5 miles to get a shuttle into Fontana Village. It cost $2 each way so this was much easier than hitching a ride. Fontana was a neat little tourist attraction. I got my mail drop and had a cheeseburger and then I got back to the trail about 1:00 with a very heavy pack with enough food to get me to hot springs NC.The A.T. crosses right over the Fontana Dam which is the largest in the East. It was huge. Then it was into the Smokies. The climb into the smokies was tuff especially with the extra weight. It felt as if I would never make it to the shelter. But I did and it has been a very fun night. There are a group of Grad Students from Penn State here and they made me hot chocolate. And Danny a thru hiker was giving out chocolate. So it¢s been a good night after a long day.For the health classes at Dallastown I am going to try and keep a log of the food I eat each day for this week. They will use this info to study my caloric intake vs. my caloric needs.4-poptarts3 servings trail mixCheeseburgerFries2 cookiesSnickersHershey¢s barhot chocolate4 servings of spaghetti with sauce and parmesan cheese.
Date: 2006-05-09
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

The Smokies have been nice. I have seen lots of deer and a wild turkey. The weather has been perfect. There are lots of section hikers which can be nice. There are 5 section hikers at this shelter and they have a nice fire going. The fireplace is in side the shelter so it is nice and warm. The section hikers always carry more food then they need so they are happy to feed the thru hikers, so For the second night in a row I am stuffed.Soulman a section hiker is providing some nice sounds on his harmonica.The trails in the Smokies are fairly rugged narrow and rocky. The climbs haven¢t been as bad as Georgia but are still challenging. I have tried to slow my pace a bit so I can make my knees and feet last. It is hard to hold back sometimes because it is nice to have time at the end of the night to get things done and then relax.Today's food:2 pop tarts2 servings cereal with evaporated milk4 oz gorp4 pepperoni sticks2 servings cheddar cheese mix2 snickers1 cliff bar4 servings cheese soup with crab1 serving mac and cheese with chicken (someone¢s leftovers)
Date: 2006-05-10
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: light rain

I awoke to another very foggy day in the Smokies. It is like it is raining from all the dew on the trees. Luckily the fog lifted by the time I made it to Clingmans Dome which is the highest point on the A.T. at 6643 feet. The views were amazing.Today my left foot was in Tennessee while my right foot was in North Carolina. The trail runs right through New Found Gap which is a tourist attraction area. There were public restrooms and water here so I thought it would be a great place for lunch. At first the tourists looked at me as if I was a homeless man and finally someone asked if i was hiking. When I explained what I was attempting other people began to gather and before long I was a tourist attraction. One person even asked if he could take my picture.The miles were tough today my knee is really starting to bother me on the downhills. And then with about a mile to go to the shelter the rain let loose and soaked me. The shelter is fairly full there are 8 other hikers here. The crazy thing is I caught up to Matt (Red Hoya). He is the teacher from Conn. that I had been in contact with prior to my hike. He is taking a slower pace then original intended due to sore feet.I ate a lot again so here it is:2 Poptarts2 servings granola cereal with evaporated milk2 pepperoni sticks2 power bars4 oz trail mix4 servings of crackers with cheese1 Take Five candy bar4 servings Au gratin potatoes1 package of ramen noodles with Italian dressing
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: moderate rain

My last day in the Smokies was a rough one. It started in rain, which turned to hail and huge gusts of wind. I took a break for lunch and thought it was going to result in hypothermia so I flew along the trail to warm up. Hiking the trail today was like walking through an ice water stream. My shoes were going completely under the mud which may have helped keep me from being blown off the Mountain.Because I pushed the pace I ended up 3 miles past my destination at a neat little hostel. Basically it is everything you need and it works on the honor system. It is no Hilton but it feels that way to me. The best thing was I was able to dry my clothing and sleeping bag which have been wet or damp throughout the Smokies. The smokies had a few perks like the views, but overall I am glad to be done with that part of the A.T.Tonight is great. We are eating pizza, drinking beer, and telling hiking stories. Juiceman is here he had been hiking with Red Hoya and has some good stories. He has been doing about 20 a day so we may hike into Hot Springs together. Porkchop is also here with his Golden Retriever Jackson.I guess I have seen the last of Ol Skool. He was getting to far ahead of his schedule and had to slow up. It was fun hiking with him and I appreciated the opportunity to learn some things from a former thru-hiker.Food today:2 Poptarts2 Servings cereal with evaporated milkbagel with peanut butter2 tuna wrapssnickerstake fiveDigorino pizza (whole thing)6 servings of Pringles1 soda2 lager beers1 tasty cake(Original 5-11 update:Hello everyone I just wanted to let all of you know that I am through the Smokies and I an feeling good. I am currently at Standing Bear Farm which is a hostel that has showers and laundry. I needed the dryer in a bad way because I everything I had was pretty much soaked after the crazy weather in the smokies. I will try to get my Pocketmail fixed so I can get my journal entries on here. Some awesome pictures will be coming as well in a little over a week. I hope everyone back home is well, I miss you all dearly.Thanks so much for all of the encouraging words I have read in my guest book.)
Date: 2006-05-12
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Life on the A.T. is amazing. Yesterday I went from the being in a hail storm at 6000 feet just dreaming of shelter and warmth to sitting amongst a great group of guys stuffing my face and getting the chance to call home and talk to Danielle. I woke up today feeling great ready to make some miles. It was a great day for hiking. About halfway through my day I reached the summit of Max Patch which is a 4600 foot grassy mountain top. The views were unbelievable from this 400 acre grassy mountain. I sat and ate my lunch and just took it all in. It got pretty cold from the wind so after getting some pictures I was off to Walnut Mountain Shelter. This shelter was built in the 1930's and believe me it looks that way as well. It only holds five which seems tiny after the big fancy shelters in the Smokies.I didn't hike with Juiceman today, but he just rolled into the shelter. Well its time to cook some dinner.Today is the last day for keeping track of my food so here it is.20 oz Gatorade3 packs instant oatmeal2 granola bars1 power bar 6 oz trail mix1 serving beef jerky2 servings cheese crackers3 servings Lipton beef noodles1 4 oz pouch tuna1 Take Five candy bar
Date: 2006-05-13
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Sunnnybank Inn Hostel
Miles today: 13.1

Sunnnybank Inn Hostel13.1Juiceman and I hit the trail this morning with one thing on our mind "town food." We hiked the 13 miles in less than 4 hours which is flying on the mountains of the A.T. I am sitting on the porch of the Sunnybank Inn, which is a Victorian home that date¢s back to 1840. This home has served as a hiker hostel since Earl Shaffer's thru hike in 1948. Elmer Hall is the current owner and has been catering to thru-hikers since 1978. He prepares a vegetarian breakfast and dinner each day. Tonight I will not be eating dinner here because after checking in and showering Juiceman and I hit the Paddlers Pub. Hot Springs is a neat little town that is literally 1 block long. The A.T. runs right down the sidewalk through town. So once in town I couldn't wait until 7 pm for dinner so I stuffed myself at the pub. Then I went to the small outfitter and got some supplies to get me to Erwin for my next maildrop. At the outfitter I couldn¢t resist an ice-cream sandwich. On the way back to the hostel I stopped to use a pay phone to call Danielle and my parents (Happy Mother's Day) and while on the phone I saw an ad for a strawberry scoter crunch and had to eat one of those as well. I sit hear in this beautiful little mountain town stuffed beyond belief wondering how I can digest my food faster so I can go eat again before going to bed. Tomorrow I will be back to my long days of hiking. I am going to try and make it to Erwin in three days which is about 70 miles from here.
Date: 2006-05-14
From: Sunnnybank Inn Hostel

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

Once again I had to drag myself out of town. Hot Springs was by far my favorite trail town to this point. I had an awesome breakfast at the hostel cooked by Elmer, using all organic foods. Breakfast wasn't served until 8:30 and I called Danielle one last time before leaving town so I didn't hit the trail until after 10 am.I made it to the shelter by about 5 pm and decided I would eat dinner and then move on. After eating and looking at the skies which are showing signs of rain, I decided I would stay here and get an early start in the morning. I am meeting my Mom's cousins in Erwin 6 o'clock, Tuesday which means I need to hike 50 miles in the next two days. It will be worth it to see some familiar faces and get good nights sleep. (It looks like I made a good decision because it is now raining) There are 2 couples at this shelter all of them are thru-hikers.
Date: 2006-05-15
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 27.6
Weather: broken clouds

If you noticed my mileage today you can guess I am really exhausted. Today was the first time my legs felt like they just couldn't go on. My knees felt ok but my muscles felt like jelly, they were done. I had ambitions to do 31.5 today which would have gotten me to the next shelter, but when I saw the climb ahead and noticed a nice little tent site I decided that was enough for today. I did the big miles today so I will only have about 20 tomorrow to get to Erwin. I can't wait for tomorrow night to see my family and eat some good food.Today's hiking felt like Pa but with steeper climbs. It was very rocky and slow going at places. There were a couple of cool views.It is freezing cold tonight. All day it was really chilly, which isn't bad for hiking but once you stop it is freezing.I a not sure about this tent spot. I seem to be sliding sideways down the mountain. Hopefully it doesn't rain tonight. Well I am beat and ready to bundle up for the night.
Date: 2006-05-16
From: Low Gap

To: Irwin, TN (Tony & Trudy Keys Home)
Miles today: 20.2

Once I figured out how to position myself so I wouldn't slide to the side of my tent I slept well. It did rain though so I had to hike in wet shoes once again and carry a wet tent. The first several miles of the day were straight up Big Bald Mountain. I could really feel the long miles from yesterday in my legs. Big Bald is a treeless bald like Max Patch, except I wasn't as lucky with the weather. The visibility was about 10 feet the wind felt as if it was going to blow me off the mountain and is was maybe 40 degrees. So it was a different experience then my perfect day at Max Patch but it was a memorable one. The rest of the day was full of ups and downs but nothing to severe.I got to Uncle Johnny's hostel about 4 pm and called my Mom's cousin Freida. I was a little earlier than expected from yesterday's big day but it worked out perfect. Her brother Tony was able to get to the hostel and pick me up and then get me to the post office before it closed. (There's some more of that "trail magic") I got back to Tony and Trudy's house and got a shower, by the time I was out of the shower more of my family was here (Freida, Dean, Daniel, Lindsey, Mamie, Trudy, Tony and Terah). It was just an awesome night. Great food (Grandma - it was like our own little reunion) great stories and just a perfect night. Mamie (my grandpa's sister) had pictures of Allen from 1987 when he stopped in Erwin during his thru-hike. I thank all of them so much for making my short stay so memorable. And now thanks to Terah, who is sleeping on the couch, I will get great nights sleep in a comfy bed.(Ol Skool I got your message and yes I had a decent day for Charlie¢s Bunion. In about a week Danielle will have those pictures up as well as many more. I have taken over 300 pictures already.)
Date: 2006-05-17
From: Irwin, TN (Tony & Trudy Keys Home)

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

I woke up this morning still feeling full from all of the food from last night, but that didn't stop me from enjoying a big southern style breakfast at a local diner with Tony. After breakfast Tony took me back to the trail and I was off hiking north by about 9:30.Today on the trail my mindset was very different. I didn't think about miles or what hurt, I just kind of strolled along and thought about a lot of different things. After last night getting to see some family, and being able to call others and then getting to read my guest book entries I realized just how lucky I am. I am surrounded by so many great people that I often take them for granite. I also thought about how lucky I am to be healthy and have the ability to be out here hiking each day. So it was a pretty emotional day, I may have even had to wipe my eyes a little to see where I was going. But when I reached the summit of Beauty Spot I was sure what I saw and that was some trail magic. A group of thru-hikers were hanging out at the summit of this grassy bald sharing food, drinks, and some great music. It was a perfect place to stop and eat the sandwich I got at the diner and enjoy some time with some really cool people. Some of them are definitely more into the hanging out then hiking. One guy started March 29th which is a month before I did. But as they say you need to "hike your own hike."Well it is another very cold windy night so I am going to zip up my sleeping bag and call it a night. (By the way its 7:56 and the other 4 guys in this shelter are already snoring away.)