morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-05
From: pinefield hut

To: bearfence hut
Miles today: 20.0

tough 20 miles to bearfence hut with scarce water.40' today spooking over 30 deer. the mice just kicked something off at me as i journal. they visit nighly. i have been cold most every night. i have walked off the trail 1.5 miles the wrong way twice, and fell down hard 4 times (1 in snow , 1 in mud ) but i dare not complain. a bad day on the trail is better than good day at work!
Date: 2006-04-06
From: bearfence hut

To: skyland lodge
Miles today: 16.0

16 miles to skyland lodge on a nicely graded trail.got in at 4;pm, plenty of time for showers (multiple),maildrop,restaruant,taproom. no t.v. with this room and no laundry service. looks like sink and tub luandry tonight. made phone calls and saw live entertainment in the taproom, where they also serve "shiney" drinks. local shine.rainy forecast so i will pass up the horseride in the morning.
Date: 2006-04-07
From: skyland lodge

To: pass mt. hut
Miles today: 11.5

11.5 miles to pass mt. hut. nice rocky peaks today. check out time was noon so i got a scone for breakfast and watched people for a while. a very busy resort. met "junker" and headed out into the rainy forecast. the rain blew over and i got a lucky dry day.10 people at this shelter tonight (too many). the rain keeps me in though. a good group, older eagle scouts. with all the gear in the shelter the mice were busy all night searching through it.
Date: 2006-04-08
From: pass mt. hut

To: tom floyd shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: light rain

23 miles to tom floyd shelter. probably the coldest wettest day for me ever.13 mi. pouring,7 mi. drizzle, 3 mi. snow. the forecast was for morning showers then 70'. instead it rained til dusk then froze.7 mi. in i passed elkwallow wayside, with grill and snacks. got to shelter , had to disrobe and thaw out in bag. hands were frozen around my hiking poles,hard to do little zippers and stuff sacks. things got better with a hot noodle and some shenendoah apple candy.hoping for a better tomorrow.time for cold ,out of bag responsibilities;dishes,teeth,bladder. brrrr! cool sunset. cold night. busy mice.
Date: 2006-04-09
From: tom floyd shelter

To: dicks dome shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

18 miles to dicks dome shelter. shivered in late because it was just too cold to get out of the bag.boots were frozen stiff to the floor,and the laces were as stiff as uncooked spaghetti. stomped most of the moisture out by days end. never pleasant. listened to nascar in texas. k. kahne won spending his day at 200 mph. i felt i also won. spending my day at 2 mph. with 65' and sunshine.dried gear all day ,hanging it from my pack.this shelter is a little dumpy but i like it that way.it has a nice flowing stream and the moon is getting brighter each night.
Date: 2006-04-10
From: dicks dome shelter

To: bears den hostel
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

20 miles to bears den hostel.(13$ bunk)tough miles through the "devils rollercoaster". senseless ups and downs with no rewarding views.65' and sunny all day.very neat hostel with many bunks, open kitchen, internet, luandry ,shower, phone, pizza, ben+jerrys.what else does a hiker need?
Date: 2006-04-11
From: bears den hostel

To: hilltop house hotel
Miles today: 20.0

20 miles to harpers ferry. tough mileage with sunshine,and scarce water. got the hiker room at the hilltop house;no t.v., no alarm.(44$) built in 1888, the greatest feature here is how crooked the whole structure is. my bathroom is uphill from my bed! i am right over where the shenendoah dumps into the potamac river.the restaraunt is too pricey so i went to the pizzaria for a salad and sand.
Date: 2006-04-12
From: hilltop house hotel

To: roach hotel
Miles today: 0.0

woke up in my crooked but soft bed and had leftovers for breakfast. went down to the a.t.c. headquarters and got my photo in the hiker book,and grabbed a couple of t-shirts.the amtrak to d.c. was 4 hours behind (i am getting used to this)! it sucks to be at their mercy as a foot traveler. so i had plenty of time to get to know harpers ferry.a very neat civil war town full of history and tiny museum-like displays.got a gyro at the cannonball diner then a 1 hour train ride to d.c. landed in union station and proceeded to hike the the monuments. capitol,lincoln,the mall,WWII,viet nam,washington,white house. got a braut and sat on the curb as the presidential motorcade came by. whistles,sirens,and bells at least a block long! i drew plenty of curious looks carrying a 35 pound pack. nobody seemed to know anyhting about the american youth hostel so i learned the subway system as it got dark and rainy.found out that all the rooms by the airport were $200. so i found the man with the mop.this is where you get your non-tourist info.he told me the cheapest lodging was at the end of the line (ghetto). so i got to the end of the line and walked a mile through the d.c. ghetto at 9:pm. got a massive cheeseburger and watched my broken crummy t.v. the next morning i got up at 5:am and walked the mile back to the subway and caught my train to reagan airport.urban hiking!found the wrong terminal so i barely made it. i was the last one to board at 6:45. an all around succsessful section hike.very cold weather and very trying circumstances. one hiker had mentioned during foul weather "you really have to want to be here". very true. i shall return. thanks to all i met and those who helped and supported me. see you next year at harpers ferry!
Date: 2006-02-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

"We should go forth on the shortest walk, perchance, in the spirit of undying adventure, never to return ... prepared to send back our embalmed hearts only as relics to our desolate kingdoms. If you are ready to leave father and mother, and brother and sister, and wife and child and friends, and never see them again, if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settled all your affairs, and are a free man, then you are ready for a walk."                                          ¢Henry David Thoreau, "Walking"What a drama queen, eh? Still, Thoreau has captured part of the spirit of a thru-hike. In preparation, Marc & I have forsaken jobs, apartment, and car. Our debts are paid, affairs settled, and we are free. We haven't taken the morbid step of making any wills, since the AT is actually a rather safe place for a walk, and we don't have any money anyway. Thoreau's hyperbolic metaphor aside, this this hike is no crusade. That embalmed heart stuff is more fairly representative of our bus-riding, working-stiff ways, which we'll trade in (soon) for the temporary and uncertain lives of wanderers. Our family and friends have taken the news with the utmost grace and very few disparaging remarks. They seem to instinctively understand another position of Thoreau's: "A saunterer, in the good sense, is no more vagrant than the meandering river, which is all the while sedulously seeking the shortest course to the sea."
Date: 2006-02-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The Equipment NightmareThoreau may have approved of my last post, but he'd never condone this one. Living on borrowed money & land on Walden Pond, he was free enough to philosophize: "Beware all enterprises which require new clothes." Excellent advice, in theory.After an inventory of our weekend-hiking/car-camping gear, we came to the same realization many thruhikers do: NOTHING WE OWN IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR A THRU-HIKE. It is not small enough (tent), warm enough (sleeping bag), sturdy enough (stove), techwicking-enough (clothing), or light enough (everything). Well, we can make our contributions to the national economy for the next 5 years in one fell swoop, right? Outfitter associates (they must work on commission) now salivate at the sight of us. I can't help but think fondly of the fearless John Muir tossing a few pounds of bread and tea into a sack and "jumping over the back fence" to explore the high Sierras for a few months. Maybe someday soon, with a few hundred miles under my belt, I'll feel competent enough in the woods to shed some of that "newbie equipment," though I don't think you'll ever find me (alive, that is) on a mountaintop in March without a sleeping bag and a tent.
Date: 2006-02-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This is so ridiculous I decided to put it in a new entry. It's not very interesting, but I include it to demonstrate our insanity -- we have never bought so much stuff, ever. I am really rather embarrassed.Our purchases:Clothes (and this is just mine) --1 long-sleeved and 1 short-sleeved nylon/polyster shirt, 1 pair fancy quick-drying hiking pants that turn into shorts, 1 pair men's nylon swimming trunks, 2 pair synthetic hiking socks, 3 pair nylon dress socks, 1 pair light khaki-like pants for town, 1 micro-fleece vest, 1 pair gloves, and 1 pair Gore-Tex rain paints.Other --An orange 2-man hiking tent, 2 lightweight sleeping bags, 1 titanium cookpot/pan set, 1 titanium mug, 2 titanium sporks (these probably unnecessary, but once you've bought this much stuff your judgement can get a little fuzzy), 1 MSR cookstove, 1 sleeping pad, a set of telescoping hiking poles, boots for Marc, some rope, camp shoes, first-aid supplies, biodegradable camp-soap, duct-tape, sewing kit, camp-towel.The few, the proud, the suitable items we already had: 2 backpacks, 1 sleeping pad, 1 headlamp, some cotton T-shirts, my boots, 2 rain jackets, 2 pocket knives, 4 hats (do we need this many? I don't know), 4 bandanas (these I am SURE we will need many of), and 1 very old enamel mug (undoubtedly destined for family heirloom status), .Hard to believe we're going to carry it all on our backs.
Date: 2006-03-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Don't let us get sick...I've heard the health insurance system in the US is badly in need of an overhaul. It's the truth, I tell you. There was a time, not so very long ago, when I truly believed that middle-class people who willingly went without health insurance were taking a stupid and unnecessary risk. It's just money, I said ¢ isn't the peace of mind worth it? Think what could happen! You could fall off a cliff! Break your leg! Hantavirus, appendicitis, lyme disease ¢ all this and more! And do you know how much that costs? And suddenly I find myself among the ranks of the uninsured. Not, I protest, for lack of trying. But no inexpensive company will insure, even in the short-term, someone with a history of... well, anything. So my options are the $300/month COBRA plan, or go without. Well, I learned a lesson... Judge not, lest ye be stuck without health insurance.
Date: 2006-03-26
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

It was cold this morning but we warmed up fast on the trail. I've heard folks say the Approach Trail is rough, but we liked it -- I'll take that as a good sign. There was one other couple starting at the Falls today, and on the mountain we met at least six more thru-hikers. The woods are still bare, of course, but some of the earliest spring ephemerals are coming out of the brown ground, particularly violets. The highlight of our day was watching the sunset. Everyone's really excited, and I think a little nervous. Someone said, "There's, like, 8 of us here... you know, most of us probably won't make it." To which someone else answered, "What? Of course we will. We're all going to finish." And in the magic light of the setting sun there on the bare rock of Springer Mountain, it honestly felt like either one of them might end up being right seven months from now.
Date: 2006-03-27
From: Springer Mountain

To: Horse Gap
Miles today: 10.0

Cold but excited this morning. After breakfast we headed down Springer for about 4 miles. Rhododendron sprawling everywhere. These huge hemlocks in the old-growth forest by Stover Creek are an example of what I came out here looking for, in case anyone was still wondering why on earth I'm doing this (see also the bloodroot photo, an early flower of spring). Hit Hawk Mountain shelter around 2:30, not tired yet. So we kept going, and ended up in Horse Gap before the sun went down, in not much of a campsite, right next to a road. And we're not the only ones, either -- there's about 8 of us here! You can imagine how crowded the shelters are. Still, you have to appreciate the freedom of just plopping your house down wherever you happen to get tired. It was a good day for hiking ¢ cold enough to keep you moving but not too cold. Sunny and bright. Glorious.
Date: 2006-03-28
From: Horse Gap

To: Lunsford Gap
Miles today: 10.5

Today we are at a campsite all alone, despite the crowd we saw at Hawk Mtn. Shelter yesterday. It's a little off the trail, unmarked ¢ a nice little clearing with grass and a firepit ¢ the perfect site.We passed through the vicinity of some kind of military training camp today -- it punctuated a nice portion of our walk with gunfire. Nice.I got to thinking about what they call "Trail Culture" today as we clawed our way up Sassafrass Mtn. All us brand-new thru-hikers are like a bunch of actors dropped into a famous scene that no one really knows the lines to. We've heard Trail People are kind, and fun, and easy-going -- and that's who we are now: Thru-Hikers. We're fitting ourselves in as best we can, while also adjusting to the vagaries of life in the woods. We're all kind of figuring each other out -- but it's an awful lot of new people to meet all at once. Of course, I never expected solitude on the southern AT this time of year. Still, I'm kind of glad our pace doesn't seem to match the shelter spacing at all -- there seem to be 12-15 people at each shelter at night!Physically, I feel pretty good so far: a few blisters, achy feet & knees, but I've gotten farther in two days than I expected. I'm worried about my feet especially, having heard so many nasty-infected-blister stories, some of which were so bad they contributed to people's leaving the trail. Unfortunately, it's hard to keep clean. In the morning and at night it's so cold, and I'm so tired, I don't want to get wet (or there's no water at our chosen campsite), and during the day it's quite an effort to take off the shoes & socks, get out the soap, etc., etc... I guess I will get used to this? Today's nature sightings: 1 woodpecker (red sides, white belly, and white speckled tail); 2 fawns visited our campsite tonight, and more violets & bloodroots.
Date: 2006-03-29
From: Lunsford Gap

To: Blood Mountain
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

My feet were cleaned this morning. That's important, as I have some blisters. We're at yet another site with no water, but the view more than compensates. It was nice to do a short day, relax a bit before dinner. I can supposedly see Springer from here ¢ I'll just say it's that big one way out there. Today was warm and very sunny. The walking was not too hard until the end, and then Blood Mtn. was just a little hard. I'm starting to get a feel for these trekking poles. I suspect the pokepokepoke of poles all day long contributes more to trail erosion than just boots would, but my condition of my knees sort of demands their use. Blood Mountain is a high-use area -- there's a lot of wear & tear up here. It's basically a forest of rhododendron and azalea over a very thin, rocky soil. There's not undergrowth to speak of, I think in part because hikers have made trails just about everywhere possible. There's some graffiti, and tp strewn about the grounds. Our "tent site" I'm sure was not really intended for this purpose, but the ground is totally bare, so I guess it's alright to pitch. There is absolutely no way I would sleep in the dank, decripit horrorshow they call "Blood Mountain Shelter". Even the name is creepy. I'm not just being prissy here, people -- according to the shelter register, there is a family of skunks living under what's left of the floorboards. Here's an experience unique to camping: today a purple butterfly flew circles around me while I brushed my teeth.
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Blood Mountain

To: Walasi-Yi Center (Neels Gap)
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: few clouds

Very short day today. Doing laundry, showering, shopping. Mostly sitting around. This place feels very luxurious (see photo -- it's like the freakin' Taj Mahal to us)! Lots of folks are doing a little gear re-structuring, including us ¢ I replaced my canteen with a platypus, and Marc got trekking poles, too (seems like most people have them) I ditched the foot powder, because my feet are too blistered to use it. But overall, I think we did okay with our equipment (god knows we spent enough money on it), we haven't had to ditch many extras or replace anything yet. This place has GOT to be raking it in this time of year -- looks like a few people have totally re-outfitted here, with new lighter tents, backpacks, everything. We're all carrying everything we use on our backs, and money is already becoming somewhat less of an object when it comes to lightening the load. I, for example, am carrying a rather heavy jacket because I didn't want to spend money on a lightweight raincoat -- and I'm already regretting it.Today we experienced our first "trail magic" (that's when people give you stuff for no good reason, because you're a hiker). First, a section hiker gave us some powerbars & backpacker meals since he was done his hike. It felt a little weird taking charity (that's what it is, right?) -- I mean, we're not exactly needy. We are priviliged enough to take a six-month vacation, after all. Then a lady in a car gave us half a bag of Reese's cups, because, she said, "You won't get fat, but I would!" So I got over it and took the damn chocolate. Yummy. Finally, two other thru-hikers shared their pizza with us, and also told us a lot about the climate & vegetation in their home country, South Africa.
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Walasi-Yi Center (Neels Gap)

To: Campsite somewhere between Poplar Stomp Gap and Co
Miles today: 14.0

This is a whole different universe -- hard to describe how peaceful it is. All we hear are the (many different) birds singing. And walking through the fog makes everything seem a little ethereal, like we're in a grainy photograph of life -- only the flowers are bright. Marc says we're done 2% of the trail. God help me if I'm going to be counting the percents! Still no rain. I've heard it rains one out of every three days on the AT, so we must be in for some soon.Bluets! They are my favorite flowers, so small and simple. Some daffodils on the trail reminded me of home, because that's what we grow in the suburbs to show that spring has arrived. As for wildlife, so far we've seen only grouse and juncos and what was probably a buzzard. The shelter was super-crowded again so we are at a campsite by ourselves once more. This was a long day for me ¢ I'm tired!
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Campsite somewhere between Poplar Stomp Gap and Co

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

I was clawing my way out of Unicoi Gap today when a friendly day-hiking couple invited us to a BBQ. It turned out to be what they call a "Hiker Feed": planned Trail Magic that seems to usually involve a group of former thrus or future thrus who come (sometimes from far away) to meet the current thruhikers and feed them. So a few miles later we emerged from the woods to offers of beer and burgers at Cheese Factory, which is a huge campsite, right on the trail, and accessible by car. So we had a good time talking of thru-hikes (past, present, and future), of gear, of bears, and other things. Everybody thinks that, as a thruhiker, you're on a fantastic journey and should have many swashbuckling stories of high adventure and grand romance. So I apologize for having not been attacked by bears yet and talk about all the pretty flowers, which usually makes whoever I'm talking to scan the campsite for something more interesting to do.We decided to move on when the company started taking orders for a "liquor run." Nothing good could possibly come of THAT in the morning. We thanked our patrons and headed up Tray Mountain, only to find a SECOND hiker feed, 1 mile up the trail. We'll call this Trail Tragic -- these guys had come out to hang with thruhikers and were wondering why we were the first they'd seen... They wanted, naturally, to feed us (they had a lot of food), but we were stuffed. We couldn't even stop to talk, since night was falling and we had another mile or two to go. Maybe Trail Magic isn't all it's cracked up to be -- today the trail felt more like a food fair than a place to reconnect with nature. Well good night, I hope there's no mice in here, our first shelter. Forgot to mention: rained like hell last night, but we stayed dry in our tent.
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite 1 mile N. of Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.7

Today the AT betrayed me. The relationship I've got with this trail gets more complicated every day. The hike's been going so well, and we've been getting along great, so we thought today we'd do 15 miles -- 7 before lunch. I ended up cursing this trail, which so far I've only been in love with, on Kelly Knob. I hate Kelly Knob. I was slow, exhausted, aching, and a light rain was starting to fall when a few super-fast ultralight hikers literally RAN by me up the mountain like it was a path in Central Park. Grrrr... I cursed them too (they didn't hear me, they were going too fast). I know, that wasn't very nice -- it's not their fault they're taller, stronger, and have better equipment than me. Grrr...We finally ate lunch on top of that stupid mountain (which, for the record, is NOT a "knob". It is a MOUNTAIN). It took me FOREVER to do the 3 miles down to Dick's Creek Gap. So I said to myself, "you are on the AT, on vacation, doing what is most fun in the world, so ENJOY IT for god's sake!" But see, I have this painful rash on my hands from holding the poles. My right ear is sun-scorched, my hands were so sweaty I can't hold my poles, and my knees feel like boulders suspended in jello. At the bottom of the hill the Hiawassee Inn had left some warm orange Fanta's for hikers to drink, which honestly just made me want to go to the Hiawassee Inn and get a cold orange Fanta. But if we go into town early, it'll feel like giving up on our hike. Anyway, the last mile to our campsite was beautiful, snaking through rhododendron hells on the banks of Dick's Creek, skirting piles of bluets and violets and other small spring blossoms. It would have been perfect, if Marc hadn't got out the GPS and proceeded to tell me at regular intervals exactly how fast I was going ("2.4 mph! 2.8! Uh oh, you're down to 1.5!"). He thinks this is uproariously funny. I curse him. Still, I'm glad we're out here.
Date: 2006-04-03
From: Campsite 1 mile N. of Dick's Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

New state! The weather in NC is weird so far: very windy (last night we were camped atop a little ridge and despite the protection of trees all around I stayed up awhile, absolutely sure the wind was going to rip our tent apart, or carry it clean away with us inside. Yes, I know that's ridiculous, but you weren't there). And I hope I never forget the sound of the wind crashing through the bare trees this morning. A little rain today and the first hail I've seen since I was small. Butterflies all over the trail today -- yellow ones, brown ones, purple ones, blue & black ones, all different sizes & colors. We're at the shelter with those fast guys from the other day. They've resupplied out of the continental breakfast at the Hiawassee Inn -- I can't decide if that's cunning or irresponsible...