morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-12-17
From: Unicoa Gap

To: Hog Pen Gap
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: snow

Too wet to take pictures today. Made great time in the rain and had less distance to cover since I hiked the next 6.9 mile section (Hogpen Gap to Neels Gap) two days ago. Crossed paths with 7 weekend hikers and 3 dogs. Finished at 2:45 pm. and headed to the Hiker Hostel. A hot shower felt good after being cold and wet on the trail.
Date: 2016-12-18
From: Cooper Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

Got an early start. Was on trail just after first light. Headed NOBO today. Took a break from the drizzle at Gooch Mountain Shelter. Half Fool showed up and we had a good chat as we ate some snacks. He will finish the trail today and get picked up by family at Amicalola Falls State Park tomorrow. Pushed on through the fog and rain. Summited Blood Mountain and checked out the Blood Mountain Shelter. Sure didn't look like a comfortable place to stay. A lot of rain had blown in through the window and door openings onto the uneven concrete floor. My only views of the day were here, I could see only the tops of the clouds and the very tips of the mountains. Arrived at Neels Gap before dark
Date: 2016-12-19
From: Cooper Gap

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Had breakfast at the Hiker Hostel, then headed out for my last day on the trail. Met numerous day hikers. Trail was well worn with lots of campsites. I tried to imagine the Northbound bubble of thru-hiker wannabes that will be on this part of the trail in 3 short months. I was stopped by a former thru-hiker and congratulated on finishing. He had been talking to Sheryl (my wife) earlier at the Springer Mountain parking lot. I met up with Sheryl at 4:00 pm and we hiked the last mile, to the peak of Springer Mountain together. I posed for some pictures and then we headed back down the trail to the car. The hike is now complete. Time to head home.
Date: 2016-02-07
To: Work
Miles today: 0.0

If I sat here and tried to write down everything that I'm feeling right now, you'd either rapidly lose interest, or you'd be concerned for my well being out there on the trail. Every spring, I regret not joining the crowds of future thru hikers in GA. Every summer, as those crowds surge through my home here in the Berkshire hills, I regret not being part of the adventure. No more regrets, no more wishing. This winter, I train for what will surely be my biggest challenge to date- and I welcome it.This is for my family as they nervously wait in the wings for my departure. This for my friends whose enthusiasm has fueled my trip. The energy from both parties has allowed me to dream, and I thank you all for being there for me. This trip is the gateway to whatever this world has in store for me.Come here to find all of the stories you expect, and the ones you don't.
Date: 2016-02-10
To: Sleep
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

It's official, I have a link. My new home here on the web is www.trailjournals.com/berkshireblazer. This is where you'll tune in to hear me rant, gloat and surely entertain. I have begun the process of giving out this link to all of my friends and family out there in this big wide world of Western Massachusetts. Shout out to all of my friends from the Ranch that have been kind enough to show their support and take an interest in my journey. I encourage you to wander around the page, and send me a message from time to time. I will do my best to respond when I get into towns or have enough service and battery to respond.To my family; care packages are a wonderful gesture! No, I'm not in any position to beg for food...yet. Give it some time though. From here, you'll be able to find out where to send the goods. If you are so kind as to send me a few things, I encourage you to get creative. Any food is good food, healthy food is better food, but when it comes down to it, food is just where it's at!
Date: 2016-02-11
To: Heritage House??
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Looks like the official departure date will be Monday 2/29. This should put me in line to be at Amicalola Falls on 3/2. A few months back, my buddy Gray offered to drive me down to the trailhead. For this I am a million times thankful. Monday we begin the two day drive down the east coast. The plan is to overnight in Virginia, once more in Georgia, and then head to Amicalola Wednesday morning. Originally, we had planned to be on the Approach Trail for Saturday 3/5. Once we found out that Saturday would be the peak of the AT Kick Off event in the park, we decided it would be best to leave a little earlier. I'm sure that when we arrive, the area will be crowded either way, but at least we won't have too awful of a time getting up the trail itself.I've been through my entire pack contents over ten times now in the past week or so. Each time, I try to pull a few things out, and imagine trail life without them. So far, this has allowed me to cut back on about a pound and a half.When I first bought my pack, I took the top canister off so that I could cut down on weight. Everything fits into the pack without it, but I have a feeling that I want the little bit of space for my extra winter/cold weather gear. I'm weighing in at just under 21 for a base weight, but once the cold weather lifts, I anticipate to be somewhere in between 17 and 18 pounds as a base weight.
Date: 2016-02-29
From: Virginia Beach

To: Georgia
Miles today: 480.0

Logging these entries from an iPhone is a different animal than typing on my sleek little MacBook Air. But I figure I'll run with it until my thumbs cramp up, or I go blind from looking at this tiny screen.I've felt the entire spectrum of emotions ever since I started saying goodbyes to my friends and family in the past few days. Today on the 10 hour ride to our halfway mark, Virginia Beach, I had plenty of time to reflect on what I'm embarking on, and isolate each individual emotion.As I left my home in the hills, I couldn't help but feel apprehension coupled with a drive to succeed, mixed in with nostalgia for what life has provided me with up to this point. The further we drove, the more I realized how awful my feet are going to feel when this is all said and done -occupational hazard.I sat around a dinner table tonight in the home of my good friend, Gray's, family. I couldn't help but feel embraced with love. We laughed and shared stories about the different adventures we've all had. In that moment I realized that this was what the AT represents. These kindhearted people, not knowing me, or having ever have met me, opened their home and cooked me one of the finest jambalaya' ive had in a very long time. We looked at family photos together and they gave me a glimpse into their family and how they got to where they are today. I hope this pattern of love continues as I go forward, and I can offer whatever I have to give. Tomorrow we tackle the second 10 hour leg into Georgia. Time for sleep now. This pillow is calling my name.
Date: 2016-03-03
From: Stover Creek

To: Gooch Mountain
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was my first full day on the trail. Woke up at stover creek and went roughly 11 miles to cooper gap. What we all anticipated as "torrential downpours," turned out to be 3-5" of snow. I hiked along a ridgeline, up, up and higher up until it was a complete whiteout. In the middle of the whiteout, I met Kevin who continued hiking along with me until cooper gap. We met "Rescue" and her service dog, "bear" as we continued down sassafras mountain. She was in need of water so I gave her a spare bottle I had. Once we got talking, we realized that Gooch mountain shelter, my destination for the day, was completely packed full. The blizzard was causing stranded hikers to set up right along side of the trail. We all pooled on on a shuttle ride to the nearest hostile to get out of the wet, cold monstrosity that had become our first day. Alpine, our shuttle driver and former thruhiker, explained to us that all hostiles in town were full due to the storm. We skipped up to Blairesville, aka "Blairsvegas," and grabbed a motel for the night. Rescue treated us to the room, and dinner for helping her out of the storm that had her in a complete panic. I was able to clean my hiking boxers and socks in the motel tub with the camp soap I brought. I also grabbed a shower. In a way, I felt guilty for abandoning the trail so early and night fighting through the storm. I guess one of the largest parts of this journey is keeping your head straight and not making poor decisions based on impulse and a "purist" desire to hike every single foot of the trail.
Date: 2016-03-04
From: Neel's Gap

To: Whittlesly Gap
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Started at 8am at season hotel. Alpine picked us up with the Subie Shuttle in Blairesville and we made our way to Neel's gap. He told us he'd worked at the outfitter there for 6 years and had been married out back on the cliff in a Cherokee style wedding. The outfitter there is amazing to say the least. These guys give "pack shakedowns" to help lighten hiker's loads. At this point, 30 miles in, people are all feeling the weight. I talked to some other hikers that were carrying upwards of 55 pounds. My initial pack weighed in at 35 with food so I declined the shakedown and figured I had gone through my pack enough times to know what I did and didn't want/need. But, what I did do was switch up my footwear. I cashed in my big Asolo Fugitives for a pair of Oboz Traverse trail runners. For a long while I had convinced myself that I needed a full boot for ankle support, but as the staff member there, Squirrel, pointed out; hiking poles are ankle support. I couldn't be more satisfied with how they run. Absolutely amazing. They fit well with my insoles as well. I suspected that the blistering I was having from my boots was due in large part to the way my feet sat on the insoles in the boot. I also grabbed some athletic tape for my blister which did the trick for me.Kyle stuck around for the day with me to hike, and we parted ways with Rescue and Bear. We stopped early at 2:30 to give our bodies a break and to set up camp early. The hardest part right now is remembering that I have a long time to do this, and a lot of miles to cover. It's challenging to not get out there and just go full speed ahead. This break in period is only temporary, and once my body is accustomed to the weight, then I'll be able to put up the big mile days. I spilled some chunk chicken on myself as I was picking up trash around the site. Hopefully I don't turn into bear bait...sorry mom. I rubbed some soil on the clothing to mask the scent, and that seemed to do the trick.Signing off for tonight. I'm warm on top of a windy ridgeline listening to the rainfly flap around above me. Warm thoughts and sweet songs will carry me off to sleep.
Date: 2016-03-06
From: Old Rocky Knob Shelter site

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

Finished the day today at 4400' above the town of Hiawassee GA on Tray Mountain. I put up 9.5 miles from the former Rocky Knob shelter to be here. Nothing too eventful happened, just walking and thinking. They say that's about 90% of this whole thing. You walk, you think, and walk and think. Every time I summit a south facing mountain, I can't help but wonder which ones I have and haven't come over. Maybe all of them, maybe just a few. We as hikers come out here to walk up one side of a mountain and come back down the other side. That's just the reality of it. Whether or not you favor going up or going down, you'll be doing your fair share of each every single day. As I walk past locals on the trail, they all ask if I'm going to Maine. I respond in a positive way that going to Maine is my intention and that's why I'm here on this trail. Some ask, "Are you a thru hiker?" And to this, I also have a response; "We are not thru hikers until we reach Kathadin. For now, we are are simply hiking through"But it feels good to be walking through. I always looked up to the thru hikers as if they were super heroes. I'm not making any bold statements here, I'm simply saying that it's an honor to join the ranks of those who inspired me. That's the honest truth.
Date: 2016-03-07
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept well last night. I was warm in spite of the wind rolling over the side of the cliff. Every night I fall asleep to the flapping of the rainfly as it dances above me. Once it warms up, and the wind of the changing seasons dies down, I'll sleep under the stars. But for now, I'll have to poke my head out from time to time to catch a view. I made plans around the fire last night with a fellow hiker, Eric, to head into Hiawassee to grab a resupply and a hotel room. He left early and I caught up with him a few hours later about 5 miles down the trail. Before I ran into Eric though, I was passed by another hiker. This is not me tooting my horn, calling myself a speed demon, or claiming to be the best hiker out here at all. But this guy was the first person to actually walk past me on the trail since I've been out here. Sure other people have hiked farther in the day and gone on further, but I've never been physically passed. I didn't realize he was behind me until he was right there. I kindly swallowed my pride and stepped aside for him as I watched his pack disappear over the hill.This is the part where you expect me to disclose some profound lesson I learned about be passed, right? Nope. I chased him. I jumped a respectable distance behind him and chased him up the mountain. He didn't know I was there, and when he stopped for water he heard my poles clacking, faster and faster. This time, he turned around, and it was me right there. He laughed and darted up the hill. I chased him uphill for about a mile. Then I saw he had stopped to talk to someone, it was Eric laying on his pack, to the side of the trail. Eric looked at me and said, "What'd you run here? I left over an hour before you and that was 2 hours ago!"The nameless man I had been chasing chuckled and responded that he could tell I didn't like to be passed. He said he could feel me pushing him up the hill. I told him as long as he pulled, I would push.So I made another friend, Slug ironically was his name. Slug confessed to me that he felt like a mechanical rabbit being chased by a dog. He asked me my name and I replied simply, "Andy."He told me that they should call me Greyhound for hiking like that. There it was, Greyhound. Now to the folks out here, living among me in our one night tent villages, I am Greyhound.
Date: 2016-03-07
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Hiawasse
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After 11 miles of racing over hills with Slug, we reached Dick's gap. I met Slug's brother, Ripple, somewhere in between one hill and another. Eric arranged for a hitch into Hiawassee with a robust southern man who sported the Georgia AT plate on his Wrangler. This guy was a fellow hiker and you could tell he was honored to be our saving grace at the end of the day. He dropped us off at the Budget Inn in town. Centrally located, and with on site laundry machines, this place was perfect. But when they called it a "budget" inn, they meant it. Our towel rack was a piece of PVC pipe, and they made no attempt to hide it. Our room was down a long hallway, with a moldy, paint chipped concrete wall on one side and the decrepit motel room doors on the other. There was a green plastic roof covering this stretch so that when the sun beat overhead it had a green light about it. That beating sun also agitated the smell of the stale cigarette smoke that had seeped into every crevice of this hell. Now I mention this not because I'm unappreciative of what I had. I even commented to Eric as we walked down the highway to hell that this place was the Ritz Carlton of trail life. This is the reality of it. This is what we do out here to save a buck, grab a shower and clean our clothes. When I was standing in the parking lot of the Inn, waiting for Eric to book the room, a car pulled in. "Hey Greyhound!"I turned around and it was Slug and Ripple. Cold beers in hand and huge smiles on there faces. They were staying in the room on the other side of us. I felt right at home knowing that other hiker trash were going to infest this place with us for a night. After grabbing cold beers of our own, Eric and I hit an all you can eat buffet up the road. We certainly ate all we could. It was unholy. There was pain, there was bloating and there were sounds gurgling coming out of my stomach that I'm pretty sure weren't healthy. But damn did it feel great. We retired to the Bates Motel to soak our sore feet and watch reruns of "Cops."
Date: 2016-03-08
From: Hiawasse/Dick's Creek Gap

To: Old and Twisted Tree
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: broken clouds

"He who has the longest beard has the right of way."Eric decided to zero out the day at the Budget Inn to catch up on some rest. We bid each other farewell and I jumped into the rusty Ram Van shuttle that the Inn offered for hikers. We rattled out of the parking lot in this death trap, gears grinding and squeaking, and we ascended back up into the mountains. We were dropped off right at Dick's Creek Gap where we had left off the previous day. Slug and I made a pact to take it easy on one another. An armistice if you will. The plan was to go in about 5 miles, camp the night, and cross the state line in the morning. Once we hit that shelter, we felt great and decided to just push further.We wound up totaling in at 9 miles for the day, and crossed the state line into North Carolina. Not bad for what I had anticipated to be a zero day. My body feels amazing. The few issues I had with my feet were solved by the implement of Epsom salts, new footwear, exposure to air and Curad Silver Solution. I also made a stop into an outfitter being run out of a shed in the parking lot before I left. The guy in there running it was awesome. He filled my brain with all sorts of hiker know how and advised that I use body glide on my feet to prevent blisters and hotspots. I bought a dry sack for my food, sock liners, a titanium spork and a fuel canister from him also. Slug and Ripple have been great friends so far. They're older guys than me, but they have good spirits and like to have fun. Ripple is going to be pulling off the trail up ahead in NC, but Slug is staying on. I have a feeling I'll be hiking with Slug quite a bit since our personalities mesh well and we like to push one another as we hike. It's a good thing. Plus he's a fellow hammocker.The two brothers gave me a 45 minute demonstration on the PCT bear bagging method they had learned on YouTube. I think they need a little more practice, but we had quite a few laughs through the struggle of getting the bags up.I retire tonight to my comfortably hung hammock. Some nights are more comfortable than others, but I think I'm getting this thing down. I popped my head out earlier to look at the night sky. In those few seconds I saw a plane and a shooting star. It's a sign of good things to come as I've now crossed the border into North Carolina. It's a chain of small victories that lead to a large success. Today was a victory.
Date: 2016-03-16
From: Fontana Village

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: few clouds

Fontana to mollies shelter 12.5After grabbing breakfast, and a hot cup of coffee I called for the shuttle. I said goodbye to all of the guys I had met the night before at the hotel bar. "T Minus" and his crew came from New York to drive with a group of people to Miami. The drivers had flown in from all over the country to be there. They were part of a road rally of Ferraris, Porches and Lamborghinis.After breaking a cardinal rule of mine, buying a bottled water, I hopped in the van with two younger guys, 16 and 17. The younger of the two had spent the past few days holed up at the lodge after a round with the Norovirus. It wasn't confirmed, but news of his sickness spread quickly throughout the hiker community. Norovirus to a thru hiker is like the plague. It spreads quickly, and everyone is terrified of it. It usually entails about 1-3 days of puking and diarrhea. It's an inconvenience to say the absolute least. I'm doubtful that what this guy had was the Noro. Everyone has been on such high alert about the sickness, it's like a witch hunt. It seemed more to me like he had food poisoning. When I left the shuttle I headed out on the 2 mile hike around Fontana lake. The cliffs were about 100 feet down to the shore line. It looked to me like the water level had been drained significantly for the winter. I passed the notorious Fontana Hilton, ground zero for the Norovirus, and went directly to the dam. Fontana Dam was even more amazing than I could have possibly imagined. It stands as the highest dam east of the Mississippi River. I spent about half an hour there listening to music and soaking up the sunny view. A lady bug crawling across the rails was subject to 10 minutes of my time as I tried to get the perfect picture of it. From the dam, I made the steep ascent up into the Smoky Mountain National Park. After 2 or so hours of climbing, I reached the Shuckstack fire tower. My adventurous side wanted to climb up into the dilapidated old tower to see the beautiful view that I knew was up there. My rational side saw the pieces of the tower on the ground and cautioned that this would be a sketchy move. Naturally, my irrational adventurous side won the battle and I worked my way up into the 50 foot tower. The steps were narrow and creaked as I stepped on them. There was just enough room to make a turn to each flight of stairs. The wind picked up as I reached the top. The old glass panes that remained in the windows rattled in the gusts. I took a couple of quick videos and headed down after a few minutes of tempting fate. With a new appreciation of being back on the ground, I headed back onto the trail. I went further than I had originally planned. There was a campground about 7 miles in, but I decided to make it a full day and went 12 up to Mollies Ridge Shelter.Just before the shelter, I ran into Journey Man again. We walked into the site together, both relieved that we had finally made it up into the Great Smoky Mpuntains.