morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-02-09
From: Trail head #11 near Cleveland, Tx

To: Lone Star Hiking Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Our shakedown hike was a success! We spent three nights on the Lone Star Hiking Trail and had a lot of laughs. We carried WAY too much stuff and it was hot. The important thing for us was: we learned a lot about our water filtration and what clothing really is important. It rained very lightly one night so we had a wet tent but nothing else got wet and we were comfortable. We did have one water crossing that wasn't much fun, but we made it without major incident. Fatboy has been wet and muddy before. Ginger made it look easy, but that wasn't really a surprise because she's the athlete! We decided to walk the roads to avoid the water crossing on the return trip and met a very nice lady named Kim. Her car had a paw print sticker that said "Who Rescued Who?" so we knew she must be OK. It seems there are a lot of people who are intrigued by seeing people out walking with packs on their backs. We also met a Texas Wildlife Game Warden named Brown. She was very helpful. When we told her we planned to walk a gas line easement to get back to the trail she informed us that we would cross a deer lease if we did that and if caught we would be prosecuted for trespassing. She suggested she give us a ride back to the trail head, which we accepted because we wouldn't be able to access any public land with the remaining daylight. It turns out that she delivered us back to where our truck was parked. That was a good thing because Fatboy had a recurrence of a chronic foot problem that was making walking become increasingly painful. We finished our hike one day early and headed home. We accomplished what we wanted with this hike and are looking forward to starting the AT soon.I've never been sorry For being nice.
Date: 2017-02-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We aren't sleeping well. Visions of hiker meals are dancing in my head. We've spent the last few days exhausting all of the local grocery stores' supplies of dried vegetables and fruit bars. I'd ordered some items from Amazon but I wasn't prepared for the quantity of food required for 125 trail days. We both are committed to eating nutritious meals as much as possible and don't want to have to rely on what we can get from sources on the trail. I found a website called My Yummy Life written by a lady who makes hiker meals for her husband. This was very helpful and included lots of tips and tricks for making meals tasty and easy to prepare. Our kitchen was the assembly line and lots of zip lock baggies have been filled and proportioned into boxes for delivery to friends who've agreed to mail supplies to us. Our meals are almost set!The details of leaving our home for six months are almost all complete and we are both ready to just get started. We're going to miss our dogs (Cleopatra, Droo, and Pete) and all of our local friends but we both recognize how blessed we are to be able to participate in this experience with each other.I've never been sorry for being nice.
Date: 2017-02-21
From: Corpus Christi, Texas

To: HIker Hostel, Dahlonega Ga
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We had three flights scheduled to get us to family en route to begin our hike. Our earliest flight was at 0530 and was without any trouble. We arrived in Houston on time but the plane nose gear steering mechanism needed repair so we were delayed past the connecting time for our flight to Newark. I have a map so I already know that Newark NJ is NOT between Houston and Akron OH. Airline travel makes for interesting journeys. At the end of the day we arrived in Akron at 2115 instead of the 1345 as per our original schedule. We did have the pleasure of meeting a mother traveling with her 8 month old son, Joseph, and sharing some time playing with him and listening to her story. It was wonderful to be with a young mother who really seemed to enjoy her child and let him be a baby without worrying about everything. He crawled around and played with the straps on our luggage and never became fussy once. She was refreshing.We spent the next few days celebrating family birthdays and explaining why we were going on our adventure. Most of the people in both of our families don't seem to understand why we would begin a trip like this but they are all very supportive and loving. We're very grateful for that.We had a day of travel via rental car with an overnight in White Sulfur Springs W Va and a final destination of Dumfries Va. We spent a couple of nights with family and somewhere along the way both started to feel sick. We flew from Washington DC to Atlanta and were met by Josh from the Hiker Hostel. (Here's a hint. If you need to use the restroom in the MARTA, ask before you exit the station. The restrooms are very poorly marked, locked and require an attendant to give you access. You have to pay $3.50 to get back in just to use the facility. It's a bummer but if you have to go, you have to go!)The Hiker Hostel was really nice and the people were very helpful. We were both feeling quite ill and fortunately had arranged to be in a private cabin. A private bathroom was a benefit for everyone. I can't imagine what a nightmare it would have been for us to be in a communal living situation. We decided we weren't ready to hike the next day so we arranged to stay at the Amicalola Falls Lodge. We arrived at the lodge early in the morning and the staff was very helpful. At this point Ginger was almost curled into a fetal position and exhausted and I could barely stand. The staff made a room available for us and we both fell into a glorious bed and slept most of the next 24 hours.
Date: 2017-03-04
To: Sleep
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I can't sleep. Woke up with the beginning of this Thoreau excerpt on my mind. Sharing the full paragraph here. I think it helps explain why we -- I'm -- here. I shouldn't speak for Nathan, who is sleeping peacefully.From Henry David Thoreau's "Walden":"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."Feels like I'm awaiting this morning like I did Santa as a kid.Jen (at 2:32 am ... 2:42 ... 2:55 ... here's hoping for more sleep ...)
Date: 2017-03-04
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Black Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

From Ginger:After slack-packing the Approach Trail stairs, we paid for it with our first day uphill, on the trail, feeling our full packs, post-flu. But we did it. Huffing and puffing, but done! We each picked up a little rock to carry to Khatadin, Maine. There's granite everywhere. It's prettier in nature than in countertops, and it stands out even in the forest. Also spotted today: acorns and what we think are buckeyes. Nathan had his first Go Raw bar. My thoughts: "Mmmmmmmm ... a full serving of organic, dehydrated fruit with flax seed." Nathan's: "It looks like somebody already ate it!" That kept me laughing nearly to the top of Frosty Mountain.
Date: 2017-03-05
From: Black Gap Shelter

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: clear sky

From Ginger:We chose to spend our first trail night in the shelter at Black Gap. It was just the two of us in there, and probably a good thing since we sound like the Typhoid Duo, coughing and sniffing and shifting all night long. There was a sea of tents at the campsite. We were both extremely cold all might; we'll likely join the tenters in the future. After reading about mice in shelters and snorers and myriad other commentary about shelter pitfalls, I was reluctant to try a shelter, but this was a large one, and I'm proud of us for giving it a shot. Another reminder of how "contempt prior to investigation" could have been limiting!At Black Gap we met two Greenville, S.C., guys section-hiking for the week. They blessed us with their instant coffee packets on their final morning. Coffee for us is like cash to others. One of them has the trail name Cleanshave for now. Not sure if that's the new resident physician or the commercial realtor. I've been calling them The Handsome Twins. Nick, the guy in commercial real estate whose dad was born where I was (Shaw Air Force Base in S.C.), introduced us to his Instagram series: Bad Yoga in Pretty Places. Then they entertained us with poses. The Emery grad trackster was more flexible than he gave himself credit for.Reached Stover Creek Shelter after a short day hiking (just 4.3 miles). Lots of time to claim a tent site and get to know our temporary neighbors. Kentucky Morning, a career Marine, first joined us on site. Followed by fellow sailor Eric and outdoorsy Kate; Sophia the landscape photographer and undergrad; Spencer; MountANDmusic; Big Daddy; and two other married couples!I'm relieved to be hearing other people share their fears about the trail -- that they don't always know what they're doing, that they "hope" to get to Maine (some of us hedging it, as if that makes the possibility of not finishing more acceptable), that gear might need to be changed out. Maybe I expected more know-it-alls. I'm grateful for people's vulnerability. We're in it together.
Date: 2017-03-06
From: Stover Creek Shelter campsite

To: Horse Gap
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:I hiked too far today. It was very windy on the peaks and I knew we would be too exposed and cold to camp there. We finally made Horse Gap and I was exhausted. It was our longest day yet. By the time we stopped, I was nauseated and not processing information clearly. Set up near a road on an incline. Sophia suggested sleeping there wouldn't be too bad. Her wisdom earned her the trail name "Sunshine" because she was definitely blowing sunshine up my skirt. It turned out to be brilliant! We didn't cough as much, which was likely helped by having our heads elevated. Before bed, Jen told me she was going back up the trail for privacy. I was sitting on a log and heard a crashing noise down a steep gully below our campsite. I became fixated on the idea that Jen had fallen and needed my help. I stumbled down the hill and began yelling her name. I got kind of frantic because it was almost dark and I couldn't find her. I scrambled up the hill to get help searching g for her and she was at the tent worried because she couldn't find me. Our new protocol is to repeat directions back to each other so there isn't that confusion. It really works best if we just don't separate beyond visual contact. My imagination goes nuts with the universe of bad things that could happen to her when we're apart.I think I smelled a bear during the night. I didn't hear anything but there was a definite zoo smell that was strong enough to wake me. Another camper who was near us confirmed that he smelled something too. No sightings yet but there's a lot of talk on the trail.
Date: 2017-03-07
From: Horse Gap

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: scattered clouds

From Fatboy:We hiked all day with intermittent rain. It wasn't too cold so it was tolerable. Sassafras Mountain wasn't as tough as we were warned. Water didn't turn out to be an issue because there was a military water buffalo at a road crossing. Sweet water tasted really good and it was a welcome change to not have to filter it. We finally made the shelter and it was packed! It was raining pretty hard so everyone was crammed into the table overhang area. We set up our tent on another incline because all the flat areas were already occupied. Another night on the slip and slide. The conversations with hikers are interesting. Tarzan and Kate are here with Sunshine and Spencer. Kentucky Morning aka Pegleg is here as well as Big Baby. The crazy bipolar guy with the psych service dog. An English teacher living in Brazil, Jacob is doing a five day section with his 65 year old dad, Don. The most amazing trail magic happened. A guy showed up, announcing himself as a firefighter, because the shelter was overcrowded!! The stunned looks turned to smiles as the guy explained he began his thru-hike in 2015 and finished last year. He brough in two pizzas and a bunch of 16 oz sodas! I got half a piece of pepperoni pizza and a Mt. Dew! The rain abated a little and we decided to retire. I fell and got covered with mud on the way to the tent. It continues to rain but we're warm and dry. Tomorrow promises to be clear skies. It'll be nice to dry out. We're actively making our shopping list to resupply and upgrade some gear at Neel gap. We're both suffering from coffee withdrawal and I need some candy!
Date: 2017-03-08
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Lance Creek area
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:It stopped raining during the night but everything we packed in the morning was wet. It was a bright sunny morning so the hiking was good. We came to a gap and met "Ray of Sunshine" at his truck and he had sodas, chips, and tangerines. This is the same angel that brought us pizza last night. He now drives here from Louisville, Kentucky, just to give trail magic. A tangerine and a Mountain Dew never tasted so good! We hiked to the start of the Chatahoochee National Forest. We said goodbye to Jacob and Don and look forward to hearing from Jacob again. We hiked a few more miles and found a really great site (near Dockery Lake Trailhead) with Tarzan, Squirrel, Sunshine, and Hawk Man. These four are the most interesting young people I've ever met. They all are experienced outdoors people and seem wise beyond there years. Tarzan (Eric) crewed on the Alyssa in Galveston and is a wilderness Instructor. Squirrel (Kate) just graduated from Ohio University and has a farming background. Sunshine (Sophia) is only hiking during her spring break from OU. Hawk Man (Spencer) is 23 and has worked at a raptor sanctuary and is also a wilderness Instructor. I'm.grateful for the time we shared. We had a fire and really enjoyed the evening.
Date: 2017-03-09
From: Lance Creek area

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.8

From Fatboy:Long brutal day over Blood Mountain. The views were spectacular but the rocks were treacherous. The Blood Mountain Shelter is all stone and stands exposed at the peak (pics and captions coming from Ginger). We signed the log book and it was fun to see entries by familiar names. Descending was more rocks and I fell on and broke a hiking stick and made a small blood donation of my own so I had to come most of the way down with only one stick. That wasn't as much fun as it sounds but I did it. We met a local named Donny who day-hiked part of the way up Blood Mountain just to hang a hammock and read. He was upbeat and positive and made a painful descent seem a lot easier. We finally made Neels Gap around 1600 and at Mountain Crossings immediately found Pegleg and Big Boy (formerly Big Baby). They gifted me with soda and candy. Jen bought dried mangoes for her, more candy for me, and I felt much better. We never had lunch and I was running on fumes. We said goodbye to Sunshine but will probably meet up with some of the others as we continue. Jen rented us a room at Misty Mountain and the manager, Craig, picked us up at Neels Gap. We stopped at a convenience store and I recognized it from a one of my long bike rides. Booger Hollow! Craig waited as we ordered pizzas and went nuts buying snacks and stuff. He delivered us right to the door of the cutest little cabin, did our laundry, and gave us breakfast oatmeal with dried fruit and lots of nuts. It was heavenly to get full, get clean, and get into a soft warm bed with my beautiful wife. The coffee pot is set to go for the morning and I am a happy old man.From Ginger:We got our first resupply box courtesy of Mountain Crossings, and Ann in Portland, Texas. Thank you! Loved the feeling inside this cozy outfitter. It's a hiker's dream after days in the woods, plus goodies I'd like off the trail: tees, stickers, car decals. Maybe I'll get to use their online discount when we're home. The owner started stocking those mangoes I bought after meeting the company founder while hiking in Nicaragua. I'm diggin' hearing all these little connection stories.Also digging how excited Nathan is to be in civilization. He's truly a great sport out here, and now giddy in town. And I'm discovering new things about him. Like how much he enjoys the scent of clean laundry. He buried his nose in our freshly cleaned clothes for at least a minute.
Date: 2017-03-10
From: Neel Gap

To: Misty Mountain Inn, Blairsville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:Great day. We zeroed at Misty Mountain Inn & Cottages. Craig Griffiths shuttled us around town to resupply and buy new hiking sticks. I've learned that I really need the stability and shock absorbing I get from using the sticks, especially on descents with difficult footing.   We had a great lunch of some kind of Alfredo stuff with black beans and garbanzos and tortillas stuffed with salad. The fresh greens were delicious! Then we had the vital task of napping and reading for the rest of the day. We return to Neel Gap at 0830 so Ginger can get another pair of hiking pants. It's really a shame that some women's gear is so much less utilitarian than men's. Her pockets are so small that they're almost useless. Her clothes cost as much as mine but they aren't the same quality. I hope some manufacturer figures that out and fixes that problem. We're packed and ready for a return to the trail for a 7.8 mile hike to Whitley Gap Shelter. The weather is threatening snow tomorrow night so if we can't get a space in the shelter we will plan on a shuttle back into Blairsville.From Ginger:Also got to meet Inn co-owner Patty Griffiths, who showed us around the main house and shared with us her vision for the place. They bought it in October. We're so coming back to this serene place with good people.
Date: 2017-03-11
From: Misty Mountain Inn, Blairsville

To: Whitley Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:The hike today was reasonably uneventful. It drizzled and spit snow intermittently all day. We paused at a road crossing and I saw a grandfather with his grandson playing in the snow. We talked for a couple of minutes and the old man said I was living his dream. We get that a lot. Either people are just saying that as a conversation filler or there are a lot of people who forget to live their dreams. We discovered that Whitley Gap Shelter was 1.2 miles off trail and debated the merit of going there. We decided to check it out anyway and passed a multiple of good camping spots on the trail. Each becoming more inviting. We arrived at the shelter to discover that we were alone! Score for team Porter! We decided to put our tent inside the shelter because it was supposed to snow more. We broke the end off our center ridge pole on our tent and I was able to repair it with the multitool I brought on a whim. It really is as good as new after the repair and I finally had the feeling that I could excel at something because repairing things is my hobby.Through the course of the evening we were joined by Just Jim. A through hiker from Pennsylvania who had two solar panels hanging on the back of his pack. I was making coffee and offered him a cup which he, somewhat reluctantly, accepted. I found out later that he was hiking without a stove of any kind. He chose to have a charged cellphone instead of hot food. I really don't understand. Another couple showed up and set up their tent in the shelter also. Veronica (Tequila Sunrise) and her husband Edwin (Happy Feet) are from Florida and are originally from Venezuela. They are really friendly and very interesting to talk to. I took some cold medicine and was able to sleep the whole night through with minimal coughing. That was amazing. We were been serenaded by a group of owls.From Ginger: Those owls literally sounded like monkeys calling to each other! I actually asked Nathan whether he thought it was possible that monkeys were out there! Another guy suspected an animal was sniffing and grunting near his tent ... until he realized that the sounds were someone snoring nearby. I don't think Nathan nor I are sleeping well enough for that yet. I'm definitely warmer, though, since our trip to Walmart. We found individual bag liners there. At the last minute we ditched ours at home, expecting two bodies in one double bag would be warm enough. We couldn't have predicted just how chilly it can be out here.
Date: 2017-03-13
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:We awoke to ice on the tent and the ground as frozen mud. We could see our breath misting inside the tent. I always have a whiny, bitchy time first thing in the morning. I hurt all over, my plantar fascitis is at its worst and I am dreading having to walk up a steep, muddy hill to a privy that stinks to high heaven. My hands were frozen and I had to retrieve our ice encrusted bear canister from the bear cables before I could even make coffee. At least I didn't fall this time. We had our coffee, ate our breakfast, and packed up our stuff. Ginger takes care of most of the heavy lifting of the process and is gracious enough to not complain. She is my beautiful wife and best friend and I'm grateful every day for her.We decided to make it to Unicoi Gap and I made the silly assumption that we would have an easy day based on the topography shown in our guide book. There were some areas of level, soft trail but there were a lot of rocks. Lots of rocks. We had ups and downs with a constant cold wind that was very uncomfortable while traversing the peaks. We passed Blue Mountain Shelter with only 2.5 miles to Unicoi Gap. I kept trudging and was becoming more uncomfortable but our goal was approaching. We debated calling a shuttle or trying to hitch a ride when we arrived at the parking area. Ginger was looking at the map and I was hobbling along behind her while joking about how fast I was moving. I noticed a car approaching and I waved at it. The driver immediately pulled over and one of the kindest men I've met gave us a ride to Helen. Randy D. Is a trail angel in the finest sense. He shared his time and offered suggestions about restaurants in Helen while delivering us directly to the door of our hotel. The trail magic was just beginning. We were greeted by a gracious staff at the Quality Inn who gave us coffee, fruit, a room on the ground floor, and a hiker discount. They have a free hot breakfast and coffee 24/7, too! One of the staff even offered to give us a ride back to the trail when we were ready. He shared his dreams of hiking the trail and was very interested in our journey.We retired to our room. Ibuprofen, showers, delivery pizza, salad, soft drinks, and a warm soft bed.Perfect.