morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-27
From: Nick & ChristinaÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs home

To: Nick & ChristinaÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was supposed to go like this. Nick and I get haircuts, Walmart for a few items, pick up Bash at school at noon, lunch in Dahlonega, check in at Amicalola Falls State Park, drive up to Springer Mountain and off I go. What really happened was a long wait at the barber, picked up Bash an hour later than planned, and spent two and a half hours at lunch in Dahlonega (the kitchen never got our order).By then it was too late to register my thru hike so we came up with plan B: go gold and gem mining, drive back to Nick¢s and drive up in the morning. The day was not a loss as we actually had fun at the restaurant and Bash had a blast at the old gold mine. At this point I feel like I¢ve taken too many days off and am anxious to get hiking again.
Date: 2018-04-28
From: Nick & ChristinaÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs home

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Nick, Bash and I left early and got to Amicalola Falls State Park where we listened to a former thru hiker working for the ATC give a talk to thru hikers starting out. When he told us to look mean and yell to ward off a bear attack, Bash offered that he¢d use his AC/DC voice. He¢s forever cracking me up.We picked up directions to Springer Mountain as I wasn¢t interested in hiking the 8.8 mile approach trail. The parking lot up there is at mile 1 on the AT so we all started walking south toward Springer. Bash and Nick stopped early and waited for me as I hiked to the inception of the trail, took the obligatory photos and hiked back. Nick and Bash saw me off as I hiked north to start part two of my three part hike.I didn¢t start till 2:40 so I didn¢t arrive at Hawk Mountain Shelter till 6:15. It¢s good to finally be hiking again though I¢m not happy that my right heel was bothering me most of the way. I hope tomorrow morning¢s hiking will be pain free.
Date: 2018-04-29
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter 

To: Lance Creek campsite 
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

Back on the AT at 7:10 after coffee and oatmeal. I stopped for lunch at Gooch Mountain Shelter and wanted to get to this campsite because the next two shelters are in a ¢must camp with a bear canister¢ zone. No thru hiker carries a bear canister so lots of hikers stop here, just before the zone. But rolling in after 5:00 left me with little to choose from in camp sites. I ended up at what might be the last spot. I found two trees suitable for hanging my hammock, but they¢re up against a steep drop off. After I hung the hammock it dawned on me that I wouldn¢t be able to pitch my tarp, the drop off being too steep for me to secure the guy lines. So I¢m left to the mercy of the rain gods to spare me. The forecast calls for no rain.I hit 500 miles this morning which feels like a big milestone. The woods down here in northwest Georgia seem to be celebrating my achievement by displaying the most beautiful wildflowers I think I¢ve ever encountered. They stop me in my tracks. My right heel is acting up. I stopped a couple of times and removed my shoe so I could give myself a nice stretch which seemed to help. The problem is that it slows me down and it takes longer than I¢d like to put in a 16 mile day like today. It took over ten hours. I¢d like to be able to do more twenty milers but I don¢t like getting to camp late. I¢ll try more stretching.Tomorrow I¢m looking forward to Neel Gap. I need to get up and over Blood Mountain first. Neel Gap is Home to Mountain Crossing, a hostel and outfitter right on the trail. I will most likely spend the night there.
Date: 2018-04-30
From: Lance Creek campsite 

To: Mountain Crossings Hostel 
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

The rain gods showed mercy upon me last night and I stayed dry despite not being able to pitch my tarp. Thank gods!Up and over Blood Mountain today. At the top sits one of the oldest shelters on the AT, Blood Mountain Shelter. It was built in 1933 by the CCC, the year the AT was completed. It¢s a four sided stone structure which is now listed in the National Historical Registry. I felt strong today powering up Blood Mountain and with more attention paid to stretching, my foot held up pretty well. But today¢s hike was only 7.2 miles. I have an ambitious goal for tomorrow to go 18.8 miles. So much depends on the terrain and what¢s underfoot. I¢ll make it to Hiawassee in three days in any case. But I¢d like to arrive early to get town chores done. I¢ll be crossing into North Carolina on my first day out of Hiawassee.Mountain Crossings, where I¢m bunking tonight, is another interesting place. It too was built by the CCC in the 1930s. Today it is a full service outfitter, very well stocked, a hostel featuring a bunk house, shower, toilet, kitchen sink, frozen pizzas they¢ll cook for you, but no laundry facility. What¢s very cool is that the AT literally runs through it, passing under an archway. The only such hostel on the AT. Located at mile 31, it¢s also the first outfitter new hikers encounter. Wisely they offer a free pack shakedown service sending over a ton of unneeded gear back home each year. There¢s also a big old tree festooned with hundreds of discarded hiking boots.The weather is perfect and the wildflowers continue to dazzle. Nick told me about a phone app called iNaturalist which works great at identifying both flora and fauna. I¢ve identified trillium and columbine thus far.
Date: 2018-05-01
From: Mountain Crossings Hostel 

To: Blue Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I felt strong this morning and my foot felt good. I started hiking at 6:45 and by the time I stopped for snacks and a stretch at 9:40 I¢d hiked 6 miles. And for the second time I achieved the 10 by 12 goal I¢d like to see happen more often. That¢s 10 miles by 12 noon. At my slow speed, particularly in the afternoon, I need to start early and push out the morning miles. I passed my first hikers today. Being so used to hikers passing me, this was a big deal. Were they young thru hikers? They were neither. It was two old lady day hikers, though I could tell they were deeply impressed. Nearly 19 miles today. It was going pretty well until the last two miles which consisted of steep climbs and a rocky horror show. I was a zombie walking into the shelter. Tomorrow I¢m shooting for 15.5 miles which sounds doable except that the elevation profile is devoid of any flat sections. It¢s thousand foot ups and downs pretty much the whole way. But if I can do it, it¢s less than four to the road to Hiawassee the next day. That way I have most of the day there for town chores. More wildflower identification today thanks to iNaturalist. I¢ll post pics.And gnomes. I ran into a cute gnome home this morning. My second gnome encounter. The first was on the short little stretch I hiked with Nick and Bash. Bash loves gnomes and will be thrilled to learn they¢re a thing on the AT.Tech MomentMy brother Nate thinks readers might be interested in learning about some of the gear I¢m carrying, clothing I¢m wearing, and some of my food and snack favorites. I¢ll begin here with a note about my shelter. I sleep in a hammock. It¢s a bridge hammock from Jacks R Better. Rather than the typical hammock with the fabric gathered at both ends, a bridge hammock has a spreader bar at both ends and the fabric is suspended from the ends of the bars. I think it makes for a more comfortable lay. It has a bug net which allows me to look out and it keeps most of the wind out. I pitch a tarp over the hammock. It¢s a Dyneema (cuban fiber) tarp made by Z-Packs. For insulation I have a down underquilt that hangs under the hammock so that my body weight doesn¢t compress the down. It¢s also from Jacks R Better. Inside the hammock I have a 20 degree down quilt from Katabatic. On really cold nights when I¢m expecting temps below 25, I have a Thermarest Neoair inflatable sleeping pad that I inflate part way and slip between the hammock¢s two layers of fabric. The pad can also be used on nights where I choose to sleep in the shelter. The pad is a shortie, mostly just covering my torso and butt, so shelter sleeping is not comfortable.
Date: 2018-05-03
From: Deep Gap Shelter 

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 3.6

No need to set the alarm this morning with only 3.6 miles to Dicks Creek Gap and the road to Hiawassee, 11 miles to the west. I clocked 2.6 mph on the short 1.5 hour hike.I hitchhiked into town and was picked up by the third car, a lovely couple out for some mountain biking. Unfortunately my good luck was tarnished by my leaving my trusty green hiking cap, all sweaty and salt-encrusted, in their car. I had to venture out and buy a new cap with a dumb fishing company logo. I don¢t even fish.I¢m staying at the Holiday Inn Express which in the AT Guide shows the AT symbol which I think means they have hiker rates. Turns out they do, but at $150, I wonder what their normal rate is. That¢s expensive for down here. I got a shower and laundry done in short order. They¢ve got coin operated machines here. Lunch was a dismal burger at Hardee¢s. Each time I took a bite the burger patty would slide out due to the excess of gooey material included. Dinner was at an AYCE (all you can eat) joint nearby called Daniel¢s Steak House. The buffet offered no steak but the salad bar was decent as were the fried chicken and ribs. Why is it that almost every time I order lemonade the wait person warns that it¢s pink lemonade. If they¢re so ashamed of their pink lemonade, why don¢t they just serve good ol¢ yellow lemonade? Then they can dispense with the apology. My resupply was minimal due to the food box that Joan sent. Just Pop Tarts, Orios, and paper towels. I stole a few sheets of TP from the hotel. I¢ve got an ambitious plan to get me to Franklin by Sunday. A 16.7, a 16.3, and a 7.2 stroll into town on Sunday for a zero on Monday. Tomorrow¢s hike includes climbing out of Bly Gap which I¢ve heard tell is a monster. Tech Moment I¢ve covered shelter and clothing so now I¢ll tell you about my backpack and cook system. I carry an Osprey Exos 58 pack. I had a bigger model that I liked, but this one is lighter and everything fits in it just fine. Osprey is by far the most frequently seen pack on the trail. My stove is an MSR Pocket Rocket. It screws directly onto the fuel canister. My cook pot is a 4 cup GSI for which I fashioned a cozy out of Reflexit material. This way my dinners don¢t get cold while I wait 10 minutes for them to fully rehydrate after taking them off the stove. The Pocket Rocket stows nicely inside the pot. I use the stove for making coffee and oatmeal for breakfast and for cooking dinners. I¢ll cover other food choices in a later post.
Date: 2018-05-06
From: Rock Gap Shelter 

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: light rain

I chose to sleep in the shelter last night for a few reasons. The shelter area was on a hill, it was going to rain, and the shelter was nearly empty. I¢m glad I did. Though I¢m not as comfortable and don¢t sleep as well, the rain did come at around 1:00 AM and came down hard with winds and lightning. I had to relocate my gear back further into the shelter as the rain was getting blown in. With only 3.8 to the 9:30 shuttle into Franklin this morning, today¢s hike was a walk in the woods, blessedly cool after last night¢s rain. Gooder Grove is a nice hostel. I¢ve taken a private room with its own half bath. At $43, a bargain. After showering and laundry I walked to Motor Company Grill for the promised excellent burger. The wait was way too long and the burger was ok, not great. Same with the vanilla shake. Afterwards I walked to The Lazy Hiker Brewery and joined my fellow hikers with an excellent IPA. They have a food truck which the hikers said serves good food.I¢m down to 190 lbs. Maybe I should write a book when I get home. ¢How to lose weight by simply exercising 8 to 12 hours a day¢. A sure bestseller.I walked with some other hikers to the other end of town to get some dinner. It was a longer walk than I was expecting and I was wearing my camp shoes without my orthotics. Not a good idea. We went to the other brewery in town that also has a food truck, but being a Sunday the truck closed early. I decided to head off on my own and discovered a sushi restaurant nearby. I figured I¢d eat sushi and take a Lyft or Uber back to the hostel. Lyft said the fare would be $6.50. Wonderful. But there was nary a Lyft or Uber available so I walked back. Always good to get a little exercise while thru hiking the AT. I haven¢t decided whether to zero in town tomorrow or hit the trail at some point. I¢ve already done my resupply but I need a lighter weight blanket for the warmer weather. My down quilt is steaming hot. Tech MomentI haven¢t mentioned my water bottles. Like most hikers these days I carry two one liter Smart Water bottles. They¢re lighter than the sturdy Nalgenes. I have them attached to my front pack straps so I can get to them easily without removing my pack. I collect water at water sources with a one liter Nalgene wide mouth collapsible bottle into which I can submerge my SteriPen UV light.
Date: 2018-05-07
From: Franklin, NC

To: Wayah Bald Shelter 
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

I woke in my private room with my own bathroom undecided as to whether to take a full zero in Franklin. I like the hostel and I¢ve yet to take a zero on this leg of the trip. But I¢ve been here since 10:00 yesterday morning. Then I did the hilly walk into town and found the donut shop to be out of business and the outfitter, Outdoor 76, had nothing to offer in the quest for a sleep covering in warm weather. That cinched it for me. I¢ll hit the trail today. I arranged for the town transportation bus to pick a bunch of us up from the hostel at noon and I was hiking by 12:30. It was 11 miles to Wayah Bald Shelter with the threat of rain all afternoon. The view from atop Wayah was an awe inspiring 360, made more dramatic by the threatening rain clouds. Three miles into the day I hit my 600 mile mark. In order to get six fingers into the picture I had to prop up the phone and use the ten second delay. Joan wonders what I¢ll do when I hit 1100 miles.
Date: 2018-05-08
From: Wayah Bald Shelter 

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center 
Miles today: 16.5

I¢m rethinking the 10 miles by 12:00 thing. Today is a good example of why it¢s become a problem. I started hiking at 6:45, a little later than my 6:30 goal. Because I made a few short stops in the morning and because I had some longish climbs, I wasn¢t sure if I¢d make that 10x12 goal. So when I crested Wesser Bald at 11:30 where the views were great, there was a fire tower to climb, and two friendly hiker ladies were going to climb the tower and have lunch, instead of joining them I hiked on to see if I could make 10 miles by noon. Yes, I made 10.6 and had lunch alone at a dank shelter. I missed a nice opportunity for views and friendly chat. Seems pretty foolish and OCD of me. I think a better goal is to get hiking early when I have a big mile day and allow myself the freedom to stop for lunch or climb a fire tower before noon. It was a tough day. The climb down Wesser to the Nantahala Outdoor Center was very long, often very steep and often rocky. It beat me pretty badly. I pulled in at 4:45 after nine hours of hiking. The NOC is a major white water center that attracts hundreds of kayakers and others each day. They have a hostel with bunks where I¢m staying tonight. I had a big salad and a half pound burger at the restaurant there. After today¢s arduous hike I¢ve got a 16 mile day planned for tomorrow. The problem is that it starts with a 3000+ foot ascent. I¢ll have to see how I feel after that. Last night I sketched out a plan to get me through the Smokies so I could coordinate a plan with my friend and trail angel Ruthie. She¢ll be meeting me just north of the Smokies to get me to a car rental for my drive back to Daleville, VA for the start of my third and final leg of this journey. After today¢s hike I¢m wondering if my plan might be too ambitious.
Date: 2018-05-09
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center 

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 6.9

I brewed a pot of coffee and cooked oatmeal in the NOC hostel¢s kitchen and got back to the AT at 7:15. Almost immediately I noticed pain in my left shin. The day before getting to the NOC was the longest continuous downhill of the trip thus far. Because it was the afternoon and my right heel was feeling its usual minor pain, I was favoring the right foot and coming down hard on my left. Today I paid the price. I was feeling shin splints for the first time ever. It was especially painful on even the slightest of downhills. My plan was for 16 miles but by the time I was a mile or so from the first shelter, I was hobbling at a snail¢s pace and in considerable pain. So I called it a day at 12:45 after just seven miles. Google told me that the best course for curing shin splints is, you guessed it, RICE. Fortunately this shelter has a nice, close by piped water source with a rock seat just in front of the pipe. So I sat with my shin in the stream of cold water. My legs are naturally elevated when lying in my hammock. From Amazon I ordered a set of calf compression sleeves to be shipped to Fontana Dam and I¢ll not hike tomorrow if the pain returns. That covers the whole RICE thing. This is my first stress injury and I¢m not happy about it. My tentative plan to get me to and through the Smokies is scrapped. This is not the kind of injury I can just walk through. I¢ll just take it a day at a time. On a positive note, the shelter is full of nice people, many of whom I¢d met previously. I get a kick out of today¢s photo. I had stopped to pull out some snacks and hung my two water bottles and poles and removed my pack before I noticed a crude bow was hanging on the same tree. A shout out to my cousins Bob and Joan. Thank you for your words of encouragement. Joan, though married to another Joan, you shall remain my one and only JWP. And it¢s been fun to hear from my other cousins, the not so horrible Hinchliffe¢s. Tomorrow is another day.
Date: 2018-05-10
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter 

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today marks two months on the trail, having started March 11. Too bad I spent the day staying at yesterday¢s shelter resting and trying to heal my shin splints. I even wore calf compression sleeves loaned to me by Grasshopper. I hope to see her at Fontana Dam to return them and pick up my own at the post office. I know the day off was good for me. I just hope I can hike tomorrow. I¢d like to get the nine miles to the next shelter. If it¢s too bad I can get six miles to a road where I can call a shuttle to get me to a hotel. It does feel better, but not completely and I hope that if I take it easy I can do alright. It was interesting to me to be at a shelter during the morning hours as I¢m usually one of the first out. The last hiker out today didn¢t leave till 11:30 and by then the first of the lunch breakers had arrived. In fact I was never alone the entire day. Lisa came in for the day at 2:00 and soon others arrived. Those that came before 3:00 missed being out in the rain. It rained hard for about two hours. I had left my hammock and tarp up all day and watched as the rain and hail pummeled down on it. I¢m happy to report that it stayed dry through the storm. All things considered, if I had to take a zero at a shelter, this was a good one. With a big porch overhang and a nice and convenient water source, I didn¢t mind the stay. I took a nap at around 1:00 and with my feet naturally elevated on the hammock, I woke feeling better.I¢ve seen so many hikers these two days at this shelter, many of whom I¢d met before. Lisa is one of the two women I mentioned on Tuesday¢s entry that I saw at the top of Wesser Bald who I didn¢t get to meet and have lunch with because of my compulsive need to make ten miles by noon.I¢m in bed early today so my leg can be elevated. I¢ll try hiking tomorrow but won¢t make an effort to get out real early as I doubt I¢ll feel like a big mile day.Today¢s photo is of one of wildflowers growing beside the shelter. For such a small flower the Canada violet has so much detail. Look at the perfect black lines.
Date: 2018-05-11
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter 

To: Robbinsville, NC
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a leisurely morning packing up and having breakfast as I was pretty sure I¢d be going only 6.7 to Stecoah Gap, Highway 143 into Robbinsville. Once I started hiking it was clear the shin splints were there and I needed more rest. I called a local shuttle driver who told me he was booked solid for the day as were the other two drivers he knew but that I¢d have no trouble hitchhiking into town. Here¢s the plan I devised with input from Joan. I¢ll take two full days of rest in Robbinsville Saturday and Sunday, then take two short hiking days to Fontana Dam. There On Tuesday I¢ll decide if I should continue on into the Smokies (Plan A) or go home to New Jersey for a week or two and come up with a Plan B for completing my thru hike. Joan had pointed out that though I¢ve always dreamed of that iconic finish atop Katahdin in Maine, by far my most important goal is to complete my thru hike. By taking two weeks off I¢d be in danger of not making it to Katahdin in time. I¢ll need to be hiking more cautiously, especially on the downhills, to avoid further injury. I can always finish the missed southern sections later in the year. All that being said, I was happy with my hike today. Fast, powerful and pain free up the hills and by going extra slowly downhill I managed to avoid the painful experience of two days ago. I actually passed a few hikers and everyone I encountered from the shelter wished me well and offered encouragement. I met up with Emily/Groundhog Day at Stecoah Gap and within five minutes a young man in a pickup gave us a ride into town, taking us right to our hotels. That¢s when we learned we were in a dry town. He told us each time it comes up for vote it stays dry. ¢Too many preacher types live here.¢I must have been dirty indeed because after drying off from my shower the towel was brown with dirt. Then to the laundromat across the street and to a family run restaurant for dinner. Back in my room I iced my leg and read my book.
Date: 2018-05-13
From: Robbinsville, NC

To: Robbinsville, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I spent the entire weekend at the Quality Inn in Robbinsville, arriving Friday afternoon and leaving tomorrow, Monday morning to continue hiking. When I arrive in Fontana on Tuesday I¢ll make the decision as to whether to continue or go home for a week or two. I¢m ok either way. What¢s most important is that I finish the entire AT this year. Not much to report about my weekend here. I mostly relaxed and read an entire Dean Koontz book. I¢m ready to hit the trail and have a shuttle driver picking me up at 7:30 to take me back to Stecoah Gap. Today¢s photo shows my plan for if I decide to hike on. It gets me to the end of this second leg of my journey a week from Tuesday.