morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-05
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a tougher day. It's hard to predict how a hike will turn out. Today was supposed to be easy, but I did not hike strong at all. I left Watauga Lake Shelter at 7:30 and hiked about 2 miles to the dam. I think it is one of the largest earthen dams in the U.S. I got several pictures and moved on. Vandeventer Shelter was my next destination - about 5 miles ahead. The trail in this area climbs and then follows the crest of a high ridge nearly all the way to Damascus Virginia. There were some climbs and descents that challenged me, mostly because I did not feel my strongest today. As I traversed the ridge, Watauga Lake lay below to my right. It grew farther and farther away as I gained elevation. The lake is almost too beautiful to describe. It fills a large valley between two main ridges, with many large bays and small inlets formed as the water behind the dam backed up into the draws between smaller ridges. A very irregular shaped lake with some small wooded islands and many points jutting into the water. The shoreline is dotted with marinas, mostly in the narrow inlets formed between two fingers of high ground pushing out into the blue water. The countryside in many places is dotted with small, and some very large, homes in picturesque settings in meadows surrounded by forest. All this was viewed from around 3000 feet above the lake. I got to Vandeventer Shelter at 11:30 and rested and snacked. Ski Bum was there, but ready to leave. He, Milo and Lumber had night-hiked from the Watauga Lake Shelter last night to take advantage of a full moon, leaving around 9:30 p.m. and arriving at 12:30 in the morning. The others had already left for the day and Ski Bum was on his way. Pilot, Poler and Jack passed me while I was taking a break at Vandeventer Shelter, and I caught up to them on their lunch break. Meanderthal passed us as we ate lunch. We are all here at the Iron Mountain Shelter tonight. Meanderthal and I are in the shelter, and the ladies are tenting along with Jack the dog who is with Poler. I have eaten and prepared for the evening. It is 7:00 p.m. Meanderthal is starting a campfire. I enjoy the quiet talk around a fire as the evening sets in. Today I had a good time singing praise songs to myself as I walked along. It was a tough day and I asked the Lord for physical and mental strength many times during the day. Tomorrow is a 16+ mile day to Abingdon Gap Shelter, and I need strength for a fairly long hike (for me). It is also supposed to be in the 80's tomorrow, very hot hiking weather after all these cool breezy days. I thought about Marlene alot today. Last night I dreamed I was lying next to her and could touch her as she slept. It was so real, and it made me long to touch her today and talk with her. I miss her. I plan to read in the New Testament for awhile and then sit by the fire. After that I will get into my sleeping bag and read in the Heavilin's book - "Grief Is A Family Affair" - until time to sleep. I hope I sleep well tonight. Tomorrow might be tough. Goodnight Sweetheart.
Date: 2004-05-10
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

Second day out of Damascus, and I am right on schedule - here at Thomas Knob Shelter. The shelter is packed, I'm not even sure how many are here. Some have shuttled north and are hiking south to Damascus for Trail Days and others stopped here to get out of the thunder and lightning storm. I, in fact, may be the only one who actually intended to stay here. Flamingo Joe is here tonight. He shuttled up to Atkins Virginia on Saturday and I expected to pass him today on his way south. He probably would have hiked further, but he is here out of the weather with the rest of us. Today began at Lost Mountain Shelter with the normal routine. I was out by 7:00 and quickly made 2 miles to a road. After that was a long strenuous climb up Whitetop Mountain. It was a tough hike for me. I think Whitetop Mountain could have been named for the acres and acres of tiny white flowers covering the sloping mountainsides from halfway up, to the summit. All day today the trail had sections of very rocky and rooty (exposed tree roots) surface. I was not the strongest today but it was only 12.2 miles to this shelter so I did fine. The second climb was up the flank of Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia. You don't pass the summit but get very near - a side trail takes you to the summit but I was pushing for the shelter to get away from the lightning. The rain never came, at least not heavily, and the storm went around to the north. There were some very good views from Whitetop to high and distant ridges, and to very distant valleys. As I approached Mt Rogers, I began to get a taste of the highlands. Tomorrow I will cross the Grayson Highlands, and that will be a highlight of the entire trip. I am up above 5400 feet again so the trees are bare. Tonight will be pretty cold, everybody is bundled up. It is 7:00 p.m., and we are packed in here like sardines. I will just hang out for the rest of the evening. Goodnight Sweetheart.
Date: 2004-02-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

35 days to go. The countdown date is March 12, however, the hike actually starts March 14th. I am using the 12th because that is the day I leave dreary Indiana for Georgia, so the adventure really begins then. My best friend Jeff is going with me and is going to spend the night with me on Springer on the 13th. On the morning of the 14th, I will walk to the Springer Mt. plaque, pick up a pebble to carry to Katahdin, and be on my way while Jeff drives my car back to Indiana.Physically, I know I can do it. I am in good, not great shape. In the coming weeks I do plan on bolstering my shape some more, and I know the first month on the trail will get me ready for anything the AT can throw at me. I know I am in good enough shape to survive the first few weeks, and a few weeks in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennesee will whip me into good enough shape for the rest of the trail, especially since I hear it gets easier after the rough start. If I'm wrong about that, Oh well. Like I said, it is not the physical part I am worried about. It is the mental part. On long hikes, I often wear out mentally before I do physically. But, I plan on working on that in the time I have left. People with less experience than me have completed it. I have done some multi-day trips, in the Rockies, Black Hills, and Appalachians. Just last week I did 20 miles over 3 days near Hot Springs, NC, including one day of 11.6 miles. Last year I did a 14 mile day in Georgia as part of a 4 day hike (in January). So I am not COMPLETELY wet behind the ears.Gear-wise, I am pretty well set. The only major thing left is a bear canister, which is on it's way. I had ordered the expedition size, and when it came in the mail, I realized it is way to big for my means, so I sent it back and requested the "weekender" (it will actually hold a week's worth of food for one person, or a long weekend for two). The lightweight enthusiasts will think I am crazy for taking a bear canister into an area where a rope and a bag will suffice. Ounce-counters take note, it weighs only 1 lb 15oz. Compare that to the weight of your bag and rope. Not a big difference. Maybe a pound? I will gladly carry the extra pound to avoid the hassle of bear-bagging every night. I guarantee I will get jealous looks from other thru-hikers.My friends at TrailTalk have been bugging me about "where's your journal entries", so here is my first one. I know I have to make two more before my name shows up on the list, but y'all can search until then.
Date: 2004-02-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Looking at the elevation profiles, I'm thinking Vermont and New Hampshire will the most difficult states. Only time and experience will tell. Along with Maine, it seems the other difficulut states are Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The middle section of the trail gets a little too close to civilization, from an aesthetic POV, and as a temptation to spend too much money on motels, city food, and other "comforts". I'm really going to miss watching the Pacers play, since they are doing so well right now. At the moment, they have the best record in the league and are leading title contenders. I will try to catch as many games as I can. I think I'm really going to miss music, but probably not tv or internet. Dad, if you are reading this, don't forget to record "24" and any Pacers play-off games. And Olympic track and field. Boy, did I pick a wrong year to do this. It may seem weird to some, but I'm looking forward to the human contact. The uninitiated may think I'm LEAVING human contact behind for a solitary existence, but the fact is, the trail is where MY people are.
Date: 2004-02-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Ok, here is entry number three so I can be officially listed. I guess I could start by listing what I have left to do. The only major piece of gear I have left to get is the bearikade, and I have already returned the large 14 by 9 for the more reasonable 10 by 9. I can get that in my pack horizontally. I'm running low on tp and my hiking briefs are getting ratty (is that too much info?). I have yet to make a final decision on which tent I am starting out with. I got my Henry Shires Tarptent out today and inspected it, and am now leaning towards using that the entire way. That will be a game-time decision, I suspect. I'll test it out at home, and probably again on Springer. The north Georgia mountains and central Indiana have nearly identical weather, since the farther south latitude and the higher elevations of the mountains pretty much cancel each other out. So home is a good testing ground. Also, in regards to my tent, I need to seam-seal it when I test it. I'm wishing I had not bought all that backpacking food, but I did that before I realized how easy it is to re-supply every few days. Now, I am going to have a bunch of wasted postage on mail-drops. I hope I can get by with just one set of long underwear, to lessen the ounces. By mid-March, I do not think that will be a problem. It might be a good idea to buy some spare boot-laces.
Date: 2004-02-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Started officially "training" yesterday. Did 10 miles city-hiking with no pack. Flat terrain, pavement. Today, walked a mile and a half to the park, did 10 hills, and some slippin and slidin. The ice was very thick in some spots and I almost fell a couple of times. Gave me a chance to work on my braking muscles, since I usually fly down the hills. With a month to go, I figure I need to get my body and mind used to doing several miles a day, for several days at a time, but I don't need to get in tip-top shape. Six months on the trail will do that. I will probably be in my best shape ever as I am hitting the New England states. So, I am going to work on just doing high mileage, without killing myself, as my cross country coach used to refer to as LSD, long slow distance. Just stretchin' out and gettin' warmed up.
Date: 2004-03-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Minor bump in the road. Jeff broke his leg and won't be able to go to Georgia with me. Life is going to be a major pain in the ass for him for the next couple of months, so it's not just a minor bump in the road to him. Get well soon, brother! Gary (Gforce) of Northwest Indiana Backpacking Club and Trailtalk will be going with me, but a week later. We leave Indiana on the 19th instead of the 12th.
Date: 2004-03-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Locked myself out of the house today trying to get ready. Set my tent up outside and got it seam-sealed. Unfortuneately, the temps are supposed to be in the low 20's tonight and no more than mid-40's tomorrow. I doubt if the sealant will dry well enough before I have to take it down Saturday night. It is supposed to rain Sunday. Didn't have any other choice, really. I have to get it done before I start in a week, and the forecast for the rest of the week looks no more promising than now. I'll give it a chance to dry as much as possible outside, then hang it down in the basement to let it dry completely. Just have to be careful not to let any sealed areas come into contact with each other.
Date: 2004-03-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Four days to go! I need to do a few last-minute bill-paying chores and other stuff like that, make a couple of goodbye visits, and finish getting my bounce-box and mail-drops organized. Got my tent seam-sealed with no trouble. I probably over-did it, for there were only a few seams that were critical. It wasn't drying outside but we took it inside and strung it up, and the baby powder helped too. Saturday I went to the Westfield Galyan's and Trip gave a talk and presented a slide-show of his AT thru-hike. The pictures were gorgeous and got me more than a little excited, especially the ones of New Hampshire and Maine! I'm thinking the Whites could very well be the highlight of the trip. Treebeard of TrailTalk will be transcribing my entries from the trail. My first civilization stop will be Neels Gap, which I expect to reach on the 24th. I will mail my first batch of journal entries then, so look for me again around the end of the month if I do not make any more prep entries.
Date: 2004-03-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

In two days GForce (Gary) and I will be on our way to the southern terminus of the AT. I cannot wait to get away from the ills of modern society. The barrage of buy-this, buy-that, watching the sheeple eat themselves into heart disease and morbid obesity because they think a whopper is a food staple, the constant competition to be the alpha male or female, political bickering (I am glad that I am doing this during an election year), religious intolerance, creative stagnation in movies, music, and television, traffic, the uproar over Janet's breasts, stupidity in general, "The Littlest Groom", Ryan Seacrest, Paris Hilton, snipers, vanity surgery, and a million other things. I better stop before I start to sound bitter : )Who am I to talk? There is a lot I need to improve about myself. Hopefully, on this trip I can find my center, shed off the layers of b.s., and be a better person. It's going to take lots of meditation and reflecting. I need to be a changed man.
Date: 2004-03-20
To: Springer Mt Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up in Amicalola Lodge this morning. After breakfast, checked out the falls, then went to the Visitor Center and weighed packs. Even after removing some items, with G-force¢s encouragement, it still weighed in at 50 pounds! I can still lose some weight.Drove to Three Forks Trailhead, 4.1 miles from Springer. Did a section of the Benton MacKaye Trail. Met Dirtnap, who started at Key West on January 2nd, and Sylke, a German woman out for about 10 days, at Springer shelter. Also met the shelter caretaker at the summit, Glenn. The sun will be setting soon and Glenn says it is really something. It was so unbelievably warm today, 70 degrees. My body is still acclimated to cold Indiana weather. Just last week, we had 6 inches of snow! I¢m going to put my Kitchun away now and put on some slightly warmer clothes. As we were standing around the fire, Glenn (Gizmo) named me ¢Falls From Tree.¢ That is my AT name now. But, I will probably return to Stormbringer after the AT
Date: 2004-03-21
From: Springer Mt Shelter

To: Sassafras Mt
Miles today: 11.0

I am happy to report that the tarp tent held up well to the strong winds on top of Springer last night. I¢m pleased with its performance. Made my last visit to the summit this morning and hiked down the mountain. When we got to the car at Three Forks, I shed some more weight: camp shoes, some food and gaiters. It was only a few pounds, but it felt like a dozen. As a matter of fact, I felt so light, I reached around to see if both water bottles were there. And sure enough, one was missing. I must have left it at Stover Creek. G-force gave me one of his, so I was ok. Stopped at Long Creek Falls, first really scenic view after the Springer summit. Ran into Pele at Hawk Mountain shelter and met some other north-bounders.   I had stopped there for lunch. I am eating more as a thru-hiker than I normally do on short backpacking trips.   I¢m finding that having one of those mini spice carousels improve the taste of the freeze dried meals, and thus make them less tiresome. I figured out more weight that I could do without. My pillow. With all my rain clothes squashed into my lid, it is a better pillow anyway.I suppose that it is appropriate that my first night is alone. I could have stopped at Hawk Mountain shelter, but it wasn¢t far enough, and Gooch Mountain shelter is too far. I like to camp high, so I can start my day with a great view and a downhill, so I made Sassafras Mtn. my goal. And it is a good distance for my first day. The wind is blowing really strong again, but shouldn¢t be any rain like last night. Even though this is not extremely remote land, the rushing winds make it seem desolate, especially in the cold, and with most vegetation still not back yet.
Date: 2004-03-22
From: Sassafras Mt

To: Big Cedar Mt
Miles today: 10.0

Amazing! Saw only one hiker today, and he was not a thru-hiker. All the other thru¢s that I have met seem to be faster or slower than I am. There is one thru-hiker that, by the description, may be Pele. Whoever that person is, she¢s somewhere behind. I would imagine Redhank is behind and Dirtnap ahead. Already, I am of a mindset that the journey is more important than the destination, whereas, two nights ago, I would have not felt the same. If I run out of time or money, so be it! I had fun. I almost veered from twice from tonight¢s plan of sleeping on Big Cedars and I am glad that I stuck to the plan, because it is not that cold and the view is great! I can¢t wait to get rid of more weight at Neel¢s Gap: pillow, mug, food meals into townbox (???) and a possible switch to a lighter mattress. Tomorrow, Blood Mountain shelter and Walasi-Yi Inn the next day. After that, I need to pick up the pace and start churning out the miles.
Date: 2004-03-23
From: Big Cedar Mt

To: Blood Mt
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: clear sky

Original intent was to stay in Blood Mountain shelter. Walked in and it was just too cold. Walked on about 75 yards and set up on a grassy slope with a good view. There are some college students going from Amicalola to Unicoi Gap just down(hill) from me. They¢re up on the rocks with their free-standing tents.Earlier this morning, as I was packing up, a man and his dog walked up. The dog rushed up at me and barked, scaring the hell out of me. After I cursed and yelled at the dog, I met his owner, and he was a really nice guy by the name of Cameron. We chatted for a while, then he gave me a bag of trail mix. My first trail magic! Later on, I stopped for water and met three other thru-hikers, one man from Australia, one from Maine, and Little Chicken from Texas (who had goose bumps all over her legs). I leapfrogged them for a while, until I stopped for lunch at Jarrard Gap, when they passed me for good.
Date: 2004-03-24
From: Blood Mt

To: Walasi-Yi Inn At Neel's gap
Miles today: 2.4

Was visited by local skunk last night. Wasn¢t sure if it was the wind or an animal, but then the guys down from me said it came into their vestibule twice. Talked to a south bounder today! I believe he started on September 15. He¢s had nothing but cold weather the entire way. Guess some people want to do it the hard way. Hitched into town for an all you can eat Chinese/Thai, then got a shuttle for all you can eat home cooking at the Cookie Jar, and woke up the next morning starving! Got to talking about daylight savings time with the guy who gave me a ride back to Neel¢s Gap, and he recounted an old feller who wouldn¢t change his clock because, ¢the government don¢t tell me how to feed my chickens.¢ I¢m actually writing this a day late as I wait for the store to open, so I can re-supply.
Date: 2004-03-25
From: Walasi-Yi Inn At Neel's gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Got to feeling really low last night. Combination of homesickness, loneliness, cramped quarters in a hostel, etc. Took a long time to get to sleep. Feeling better now. Have a group that I have fallen in with (same group, more or less as at Neels, but feeling more comfortable with them). Was renamed again. Moo-Juice has named me, Crash-Bang, in honor of the loud entrance I made at Hawk shelter. Saw two deer on the trail and got a good picture. Had the toughest climb of the trip so far, out of Tesnatee Gap. The elevation profile on the map isn¢t right, or else the trail has been re-routed, because it is way more than a 300 foot climb. Right now, there are about 17 of us in the shelter and scattered about the shelter. The area ridge-runner is here, cowboy camping under a cloudless sky. I¢m sitting outside my tent now, but I am going to go inside after I write this. I suppose I should explain what a ridge-runner is. A ridge-runner is someone who walks the trail and cleans up the campsites and reports back to the trail maintenance crews to let them know of any work that might need doing, like clearing large branches, repairing eroded sections of trail, etc.
Date: 2004-03-27
From: Cheese Factory Campsite

To: Powell Mountain
Miles today: 10.3

Large panoramic vista from this campsite. I¢m surprised to have it all to myself. I am, however, glad to be away from the hustle and bustle of sleeping & camping in a large group. I like everyone in our loosely formed group, but I prefer the calm of being by myself or with just one or two others.Tomorrow morning will mark a full week on the trail since leaving Springer. I¢ve been making good mileage the last few days, but it is going to drop tomorrow since I have to stop at the Blueberry Patch, a delight available only to long distance hikers.For those keeping score on my names, I came to the trail by the name of Stormbringer. Gizmo, the caretaker of Black Gap, Springer and Stover Creek shelters named me Falls To Ground after I fell out of a tree on Springer. Then, Moo-Juice named me Crash-Bang for my noisy arrival, which also suits the crash-bang out of the tree.   It¢s kind of funny referring to people by such colorful monikers. Kind of like being in a community of super-heroes, or wrestling stars.
Date: 2004-03-28
From: Powell Mountain

To: Blueberry Patch Hostel
Miles today: 2.2

At the hostel are myself, Underground, Roadster, Granny Panties, Beagle, Moo-Juice, Walkalot. Hitching a ride into nearby Hiawassee has been remarkably easy. The theme of the day has been goats. I was picked up the first time by Chuck and his Cherokee wife Amy, on their way to Young Harris to pick up a goat. Later, I was picked up by a young man who was coming back from seeing his father's new goats. And in one of the hiker's stories today at the Blueberry Patch, there were goats. Must be a southern thing, or maybe a Georgia thing.
Date: 2004-03-29
From: Blueberry Patch Hostel

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

The pancakes this morning were the best I have ever had. Light, fluffy, and a little larger than a silver dollar pancake. The breakfast bell rang at 8:30 am and no one wasted any time getting to the table. Gary and Lennie are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Before they switched to donations, they charged $17, but I gave them $20.