morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-10-06
From: PA 309 Blue Mountain Summit

To: PA 309 Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 0.0

The truth is, it¢s so hard for me to sit still. Part of me is afraid if I stop that I won¢t continue with the momentum that I¢ve had. It¢s 5 pm here at the Blue Mountain Summit and I¢m still anxious to go¢¦however, I¢ve waited this long¢¦hopefully the music will be worth it and tomorrow I can attempt to break my AT mileage record of 26.2 miles.         I have been reading Earl Shaffer¢s book ¢Walking with Spring¢ since Connecticut in my ¢spare time¢. Tonight as I sit listening to a local bluegrass band Earl gets to Maine. I close the book. Just as he reflects back on all of his adventures, all of the people he has met, the miles hiked, the ¢giant hills¢, I think back on my hike so far this year. Earl will not reach Katahdin tonight- I don¢t want the book to end, just as I don¢t want my journey to end yet. And, it¢s not quite over, but Harpers Ferry isn¢t that many miles from here and that will be my stopping point for this year. Damn, I hate getting off trail.
Date: 2007-10-07
From: PA 309 Blue Mountain Summit

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 26.7
Weather: broken clouds

Poop. I accidentally set my alarm for 8am instead of 7. Poop, poop, poop! Today I was going to try to beat my highest AT mileage record. (Last weekend I did 31 but can not count this since 6 miles were a roadwalk back into town). My old record 26.2 was set in 2001 while I was navy blueblazing (chasing) after Brooklyn into Damascus. Well, maybe I could still do the 26.7 I¢d planned into Port Clinton, only time would tell.        Packed up, left a note for Ken and Lisa thanking them, downed a cup of coffee and headed out. It wa very chilly out which was perfect and I cruised along ignoring those pesky PA rocks. Stopped in at Eckville Shelter to cook up lunch. The caretaker showed me around but was busy with a football game inside. I saw dozens and dozens of people today out hiking and enjoying the Fall foliage. I love to see families out hiking but today there were a couple out that were obviously in over their heads. They kept stopping me to ask, ¢How much further¢ carrying sleeping kids in their arms.         The walk from Eckville to the Pinnacle was extraordinary following a lovely old woods road and making it easy for Teatree to get in a quick 5 miles (yes, I did just refer to myself in 3rd person). The crowds at the Pinnacle were too much for me and I glared at one man who answered his cell phone right there. I feel it¢s perfectly fine to have one but important to respect others wishes to be away from that nonsense. Step away from others to use it. On the other end of the spectrum I wished there had been someone at Pulpit rock to take a photo of me, but I had the place to myself.         I stopped and pounded some Goldfish for fuel at Windsor Furnace Shelter- 6.1 more miles and not a heck of a lot of daylight left. I could do this! It would mean dinner in Port Clinton and I was all about that. I somehow managed 3 miles in 45 minutes to Pocahontas Spring- I had to recheck the data book like 4 times to be sure because these were probably the hardest miles of the day. How¢d I manage that?! I enjoyed some tunes on the final ridge walk and then began the decent. I caught up to an older man that I seen earlier near the sanctuary. He was doing a 22 mile loop! He was the perfect person to hike down to 61 with- he totally understood my record breaking excitement. He had logged over 6000 miles in 5 years (pretty close to what I¢ve done!) in hikes near his home. He was happy to have me along for his decent as well since he too was feeling the miles.         We parted ways and I followed the smelly river into Port Clinton. I¢d arrived! Hooray! I made my way to the hiker pavilion and changed into warmer, dryer clothes. Dinner was in order- NOW! Although it was overwhelmingly loud at the bar at the hotel I managed to enjoy my fish sandwich and Yuengling. Holy hell am I utterly exhausted. And achy I¢m set up across the street from the pavilion- the highway is loud. There is an absolutely amazing Harvest Moon out. Wow. If I weren¢t so unbelievably tired I¢d night hike. That¢s how bright it is. What a great, fun day!!!
Date: 2005-12-25
To: Happy Holidays!
Miles today: 0.0

Happy Holidays Everyone!2006 will be a very adventurous year for me. in march, i will start hiking the appalachian trail in georgia. although the AT could take me all the way to maine, i will be getting off after about 400 miles to journey west for the real challenge: the pacific crest trail!i have been dreaming of hiking the pct for at least 3 years. now that i am done with college, i can finally begin the journey...i am very excited about the trip and love talking about it. luckily, i have not tired of explaining to my family and friends what i will be doing and that yes, it is safe, and no, i don't need a cell phone.more later
Date: 2006-02-25
To: The Moment of Realization
Miles today: 0.0

it started with the car ride. no. it started with the last minute caving trip saturday morning. or was it the trip to the bathroom last night. the moment i realized i was going hiking. not only on 1 trail, but 2. i sat on the toilet and thought, 'but i don't want to go hiking!' i had thought of the possibility of injury, illness, or weather changing my hiking plans. but it had never occured to me that i may just not like hiking. i have been planning to hike for so long that i had forgotten that there was another option. to not hike. and this is my train of thought as i'm sitting in the car headed towards johnson city to pick up a 10 hour bus ride home. trail yeti's in the back seat, krispy's driving, and they are both reminiscing about their 2002 AT thru-hikes. yeti has decided to start hiking after he graduates in may. he's got springer fever real bad. they're talking trail, comparing alcohol stoves, and recalling trail days 2002. meanwhile, i am making a mental list of everything i have forgotten to take care of. here it is: a 6-pack of nc beer for dad, my down jacket at the dry cleaners, my little leatherman squirt, and the dry erase board on the back of the apartment door. a sense of dread has washed over my entire body. yeti asks me if i am excited, i say i am nervous. he laughs. maybe he thinks i am kidding. i am a sickly combination of nerves, fear, and excitement. why? why why why why am i hiking? why do i feel the need to hike? why not get a job, go to grad school, or join the peace corps? for my sake, i hope the answer to these questions comes quickly. right now, i have blocked all negative ideas from my mind. my dad's driving us to the springer mountain approach trail on wednesday morning!
Date: 2006-03-01
From: Amicolola Falls

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

i woke up this morning at 4:30 after only 5 hours of sleep. last night we went out to jim 'n nicks for bbq, did laundry, and packed. mom made terrific sunglasses cases and off to bed. we left for amicolola falls at 5:30, stopped at a greasy diner named pat's, and got there after 4 1/2 hours. i was nervous the whole way. i could feel the butterflies in my stomach. but the weather was gorgeous and as soon as i got my pack out of the car and saw the arch at the bottom of the approach trail, i knew i was doing the right thing. my pack weighed in at 30 lbs. dad hiked about 1/2 way up with us. considering how terrible most hikers remember the approach trail, it's really not a bad climb. i had heard that the georgia mountains were severe, that 30% of people drop out in the first 30 miles, that it was not just a walk in the woods. but really, it was not bad. it is not 8 miles straight uphill. wo got up to springer mountain shelter around 3:30, set up the sweet go-lite tent, cooked a yummy meal, and went to sleep.for you calorie counters, i am going to try to write what i eat every day. it might also give some ideas to other hikers:breakfast at pals: 2 eggs, 3 slices bacon, biscuit and gravylunch: rice krispie treat, chocolate covered chewy bar, almond joy, 2 pieces of dad's rolled oat chocolate bardinner: mac n cheese, onion, kielbasa, garlic, some powdered milk (i found whole milk in the mexican aisle), cheddar cheese, and cream cheese.
Date: 2006-03-02
From: Springer Mountain

To: Cooper Gap
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

A True Wilderness ExperienceSpringer Mountain was very windy. i woke up with the tent slapping around in the wind. the tent had come off the stakes (still firmly planted in the ground) and the tarp kept slapping the bug netting next to my face and was so loud. i woke up in a fog that did not lift until much later in the afternoon. after packing up very quickly, we walked down the trail, debating if our friend from boone, otto, was going to be at the next road crossing with his promised trail magic. he was indeed, with grilled cheese to get up through the day. otto slack-packed us from about 1 mile north of springer to cooper's gap. that means otto drove our packs around to the next road crossing for us. stephen lee came out and hiekd with us. it was misty and foggy all day, but warm. when we got to cooper's gap, otto drove us into suches, ga to get them some food. we saw a hiker with an alice pack containing a grappling hook, 300 feet of heavy rope, and a fishing rod. some go lightweight, others make up for it.i saw rhododendren that looked almost neon green next to the muted brown of decomposing leaves. i saw a big hollow tree that keebler elves or jockeys must live in. i got trail magic from friends that were so excited about sharing with hikers (they spent the whole weekend around springer and made chili and grilled cheese for passing hikers), that they forgot to bring food for themselves. i have decided i like hiking. and eating: 2 grilled cheese, rice kripsie treat, chewy bar, pieces of chocolate, bag of doritos, 20 oz root beer, nutty buddy ice cream bar, bagel and cream cheese, zatarans instant jambalaya rice with summer sausage, cheese, garlic, onion, and green pepper; a beer, and popcorn.
Date: 2006-03-03
From: Cooper Gap

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Woke up this morning to an insane wind. last night otto, stephen lee, krispie and i sat around a fire, made popcorn, and drank a couple of beers. at one point, stephen says, "geez, this wind must be going 35 mph." to which to rest of us replied, "no way. you'd hear the trees creeking and see them saying back and forth if that were the case." later that night, i looked up and saw the trees swaying back and forth, creeking and moaning. there was not a cloud in the sky. needless to say, it was a very cold night, but our shelter kept us very warm. about 1/2 a mile up the trail, there is a leeward facing alcove that would have been a fantastic place to keep. i would highly recommend it to any future hikers. gap has become a four letter word around here. it seems that all the winds get channeled in between mountains and into these gaps. if you walk up the mountain a bit, you'll gain at least 10 degrees. otto took us on another freedom hike (slack pack) from cooper's gap to gooch gap. then we had some egg, ham and cheese sandwiches, met orangutan and stinky, and went on another freedom hike (with otto this time) to the start of the chattahoochee national forest and the blood mountain wilderness area. then it was up to woods hole shelter, which is about 1/2 off the trail. we had been telling other hikers it was a waste of time to go there, but it was so cold by the afternoon that we decided it was better to hike that extra mile (in and out) than possibly end up in another gap for the night. well, the campsites right before blood mountain are fine, and it is indeed a waste of time to go to woods hole shelter.what i ate today: chewy bar, 2 1/2 egg, cheese, and ham sandwiches, a sunkist that made me sick and gave me a sugar headache (i was dehydrated), another chewy bar, loaded potatoes (idahoan brand) with onion, garlic, powdered millk, cheese, summer sausage, gravy (brown and turkey). each gravy packet was 4 servings and contained 260 mg sodium. and some of dad's chocolate.
Date: 2006-03-04
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Cowrock Mountain
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

last night was terrible. we didn't want to set up the tent because it was so cold, so we slept in the shelter. it was so cold. we boiled some water to put in nalgenes to use as sleeping bag heaters. and even with my silk liner, 30 degree bag, and a 40 degree overbag i am using on the at, i did not sleep so warm. i think it was the wind that really did me in. anyway, we woke up, quickly packed our bags, ate some pop tarts, and started to hike. we went up blood mountain, which really wasn't that bad of a climb. i didn't realize that it was blood mountain until i saw the wonderful stone shelter on the top. it's a good thing we didn't press on to blood mountain last night, because we would have been even colder. the shelter has a non functioning fire place and wooden floors to sleep at least 8. maybe more. there are windows in the entry way as well as the back room, and no glass. (i didn't expect glass windows, but some of the newer shelters have plexiglass windows! fancy!) blood mountain itself is beautiful. hiking north, you climb down these large rock faces that would be very trecherous at night or in icy conditions. the hike down into neels gap is slow going at first because you have to do a lot of rock jumping. neels gap consists of 3 buildings on the side of the road. there is an outfitter, a hostel, and warm showers. we resupplied and talked with heeled for a while. i ate some hot dogs and a cinnamon roll and we hiked on past neels gap. there is a wonderful camping spot (or 2 or 3) about 5 miles past there on cowrock mountain. there is a campfire and a magnificent sunset.
Date: 2006-03-05
From: Cowrock Mountain

To: Chattahootchee Gap
Miles today: 10.9

Today was a nice day for a hike. the weather was warm, the sun was up and blazing, and the wind was mild. a good time was had cruising up an old well graded logging road. apparently the AT used to be about 40% logging roads but moved it to do more logging??? i don't know. all i know is following a ridge line at 6 degree grade is better than at 30 degree. remember, the pct is all pack grade! it's a piece of cake...tonight we camped with 2 thru-hikers from atlanta named stinky and orangutan and their friend. an aluminum and titanium drum circle appeared around the fire for about 10 minutes. i played the sporks. we have been passing micky one sock and turtle d and turtle m for 2 days now. it's still cold in the morning. there is hore ice on the ground. this is what happens when the water in mud freezes and leaves tender ice crystals with muddy tips. it's very pretty and until the sun comes up, you can see it line the trail.what i ate:2 cinnamon roll oatmeals, 2 scoops milk, 1.5 bagels, cream cheese, bit of sausage, handful of triscuits, almond joy, pb crackers, and for dinner, 1/2 of the following: lipton strogonoff and mushroom ramen with cheese, cream cheese, powdered milk. and 10 thin mints and a glass of powdered milk.
Date: 2006-03-06
From: Chattahootchee Gap

To: Holiday Inn, Hiawasee
Miles today: 4.4

This morning I accidently woke up at 3am. You see, not having a watch, once the sun goes down, it is rather difficult to tell what time it is. especially with no moon. so we woke up at what we believed to be just before sunrise. we packed up, figuring by the time we started to hike, we would have some light. then we started hiking, thinking the sun would be up any minute. nope. we walked 4.4 miles to the road into helen, georgia and were there by 6:45. we met a fellow hiker named nugget about 2 miles before the road crossing. we got a hitch with a young college student on his way to class. he dropped us off at the huddle house, which is just a very fancy waffle house.helen is really adorable. it is a swiss styled village in the middle of the georgia mountains. as i gathered from the townspeople i asked, a WWII veteran and architect was asked to help create a tourist economy in helen. many tourists drove by on their way to hiawassee, but never stopped at helen. when he saw the layout of the town, he was immediately reminded of his time in Switzerland. or Germany, depending on who you ask. so they made a European mountain village. in georgia. the zoning laws still remain in place and no wal-marts are allowed in town.after a lovely breakfast, we decided to hitch into hiawassee, thus skipping 15 miles of trail and take an almost 0 day. we almost stayed at Mull's Motel, which is just as terrible as it sounds, but it turns out the Holiday Inn is just as affordable. ($60/night, up to 5 hikers per room, i think) there is a pool and a hot tub. i didn't know this until the morning.I met a woman named laura who has just opened a hostel about 1.5 miles from Dicks Creek Gap. It is called Cloud 9, but the sign says U catch trout. it's @20/night, and you can catch trout, use the jacuzzi, ping pong tables, and satellite TV. check out www.upperhightowertrout.com. Going into town is a nice change, but i am glad to be going back. What i ate:huddle house western omelette, hashbrowns with green peppers and onions, raisin toast. krispie treat, 1/2 can pringles, big salad from ingles, cottage cheese, lots of veggies, 1/3 lb potato salad
Date: 2006-03-07
From: Holiday Inn, Hiawasee

To: Plumorchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: clear sky

the continental breakfast at the holiday inn is awesome! you get cereal, yummy cinnamon rolls, waffles, eggs, bagels, milk, good juice, and more!Krispie's calf is still bothering him, so we are doing another quasi-zero day.we're staying in our tent at Plumorchard gap Shelter with Blondie and Bags, two young thru-hikers from orlando that really enjoy relaxing. The shelter is very new. it has 2 sleeping lofts and is in a cove of rhododendron and pine trees. i started reading Chuck palahnik's Survivor. So far, so good. The weather has been rather agreeable.I had a Strange Moment In The Woods tonight. I was off in the woods getting firewood, which was difficult because at this particular shelter, many people had made fires. I had to go pretty far off the trail. I went down a very steep hill with a crick at the bottom. i heard two animals running around the crick. each time i stepped closer, the animals were still down there, making sounds. so perhaps it wasn't an animal. anyway, as i am collecting firewood and hearing unexplained sounds, i felt a strong connection to the woods around me. Was it out of my fear or perhaps because i was finally concentrating on my surroundings? for the first time, i felt as if i were taking firewood from something else. like stealing someone's oatmeal creme pie at lunch. or even more severe. it only hit me for a second, and of course i still took the wood, but it was an odd, surreal moment.what i ate: b'fast: 2 cinnamon rolls, 2 hard boiled eggs, bagel and cream cheese, english muffin with butter, cream cheese, and one aforementioned egg, a fig newton bar, a kudos, and a banana.dinner: 1/2 of this: deluxe mac n cheese, ramen, cheese, and 2 tuna packets
Date: 2006-03-09
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

Almost Doesn't Count Except For In Horseshoes and Hand GranadesLast night we had decided not to take the shuttle into Franklin today, even though we were promised a very short trip into town and another shuttle out. This morning was a different story. we decided to go into franklin with Pogue, Big Un' and Adam. It was out 4 miles to Winding Stairs Gap where Ron from the Budget Inn came to pick us up. Ron offers free shuttles many times a day from Winding Stair and Rock Gap into Franklin. Ron is a hiker and an ex pro wrestler. he is also fluent in spanish and sang a few songs for us. one was about smuggling cocaine across the border in eggs. "and if the white powder doesn't go, we've got black powder too." ron also told us that you can't get a liquor drink in this county without having 2 tennis courts. interesting.after eating a deliciously large meal at pizza hut, a trip to the outfitter, and a resupply at the shell station, ron picked us up and we headed on up to siler's bald shelter. The shelter, a delapidated old shack, was full, so we pitched our tent, even though a storm was definitely heading straight for us. d rock, cayenne steve, dustin and his dog, and some other thru hikers were there. as the winds picked up, i went to bed, hoping that the go lite shelter would protect us.the night was rough. the tent was whipping around in the wind and our one tent pole in the middle (2 trekking pole bottoms and a connecting piece) was bending under the weight of the moving tent. the rain was coming in sideways, but we didn't get wet. in the middle of the night, a sound like a barrel rolling towards, well, came towards us. i woke up and krispie asked, "what was that?" to which i replied, "it sounds like a barrel rolling towards us." and went to sleep. where a barrel would be found, i haven't the faintest. the next morning, krispie went up to the bear lines to fetch our pop tarts. 1/2 the people at the shelter had gotten pretty wet. a hiker said, "you guys are pretty lucky!" and krispie says, "yeah, we stayed perfectly dry the whole night" and the hiker says, "no, look" and points to the very large poplar tree in the photo above. lightning had hit this tree and split in the middle of the night about 20 feet from our tent. it was leaning towards us, but the wind snapped it the other way. there was no barrel rolling down the hill to our tent. it was just a gigantic tree. what a relief.ate: kudos bar, fat salad and 1/2 a medium pan tossed chicken garlic pizza at pizza hut, and 1/2 a risotto packet for dinner. don't get the lipton risotto. it takes 20 minutes to cook.
Date: 2006-03-10
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

It's Not Just About HikingThe last few days I have been meeting a lot of cool hikers. At Rock Gap Shelter we started hiking with Pogue and Big Un' and got to hang out with a good group of hikers dedicated to the trail as well as having fun. At Siler's Bald Shelter, I played rummy with D rock and steve. this afternoon, we had a wonderful spot of trail magic from Apple, who has set up the biggest trail angel tent i have ever seen. it reminds me of the book sales in the parking lot of century plaza. he will be grilling up hot dogs and passing out candy and cokes for 2 weeks! And tonight at Wesser Bald Shelter, I met Scott or Maniac and his family.   he is a very cool guy who is hiking with his two sons, ages 3 and 6, his wife, and 2 friends. he also thru-hiked in 1991 in something like 55 days! really incredible. his friend mike gave krispie a light weight snare so we can catch a marmot on the pct. there is something both delightful and absolutely grotesque about the idea of frying a marmot in its own fat...so. there is a tempting road walk up to the wayah tower. don't take it. it adds about 1 mile to the trip. there is an old ranger station on the way up that is really neat, but you can't even go inside. the miles today were cruising. i wish i could say it was my trail legs that are getting stronger and propelling me forward, but the trail was just downhill all day.ate: pop tarts, hot dog, pita, pb, sausage, cheddar, fig newton bar, kudos, 1/2 of: lipton and potatoes and gravy, a coke, and 2 reeses cups.