morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-07-24
From: Katahdin Stream Campground 

To: Baxter Peak
Miles today: 9.1

We hiked the final leg of the Appalachian Trail from Katahdin Stream Campground to Baxter Peak, 5.2 miles. I looked at my watch as we were walking away from the campground. It was 7:06 AM. This is a strenuous hike with 4200 feet of ascent. But we had fantastic weather and even the mosquitoes seemed to leave us alone. We made it to the summit by around 10:45 AM. I felt like we made good time. We took pictures at the sign and then found a place to sit and have lunch. We started back down the mountain by around 11:30 AM. We decided to take the Abol Trail down. This trail is about 1.3 miles shorter than the Hunt Trail which is the route the AT takes. But the Abol Trail is very steep. It took a lot of energy to descend via this route. It made my knees hurt. The pain wasn¢t in my knee joints but in the muscles around my knees. We arrived at Abol Campground by around 2:15 PM where my wife and son were waiting to pick us up. So it took us less than three hours and 45 minutes to ascend Katahdin and it took us about two hours and 45 minutes to descend. So finally my 2,198.4 mile journey was complete. It felt good. Maybe sometime I will take the time to write down my thoughts on completing this journey. I didn¢t go into this adventure expecting it to change me. I simply wanted to experience the trail for myself. And I have. I can honestly say this has been the most difficult undertaking I have ever experienced. Very little can prepare a person for this kind of endeavor. After getting back to Millinocket and our Air B&B, we rested a bit and took showers. That evening my family and Splash met Kidding and her family at River Drivers Restaurant for dinner. It is hard saying goodbye to people you have spent so much time with. I had to say goodbye to Prepper on April 30th after hiking 460 miles with him. I had to say goodbye to Blue Bear on June 20th after hiking over 750 miles with her. And now I¢m having to say goodbye to Splash after hiking nearly 840 miles with him. I¢ve only been hiking with Kidding since around the time we started hiking in Maine although we had crossed paths several times prior. I have come to admire and respect Kidding because she is so sharp and reliable. I don¢t know how to express it; but when you have been around someone 24 hours a days/seven days a week for several weeks, it is hard to say goodbye to them. These people have become like brothers and sisters to me. I surely hope we will be able to stay in touch with one another.
Date: 2023-02-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

February 23We plan to begin our AT hike on Tuesday, March 7, a little less than 2 weeks away. As the time approaches the more anxious I get. This will be a very different experience for Kerry and me. We are used to the wilds of the West and are not sure how we are going to feel in the more populated lands in the East. Neither of us have spent any time there: the odd visit for work etc. In anticipation, we re-read Bill Bryson¢s book, ¢A Walk in the Woods¢ and found it to still be a good and encouraging read. I¢ve decided not to stress over re-supply boxes but rather to buy food as we travel along. For the last few years we have gone without a stove, most recently on our hike of the Arizona Trail last year and found we were fine. In fact, aside from giving up the weight of the stove and fuel, it also freed up options for camping¢¦water not being a criterion, we could stop when we wanted or when we were tired. I know it may be colder and wetter on the AT, at least to start, but even Kerry, Mr. ¢where¢s my dinner¢ was enthusiastic about losing the stove. Felix, the dog, doesn¢t care.I am worried about the winter cold, so we¢re looking at taking some warmer layers to start. For example, I ordered some lightweight neoprene gloves in hopes of keeping our hands a little drier and warmer whilst packing up in the morning. We¢ll see!
Date: 2023-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

February 24Today we had snow in the hills of Oakland, California. We are at 1200 feet and once in a few years (10??), we get a dusting but it¢s uncommon enough to make me think about it and wonder how cold we¢re going to be in Georgia. The East Coast also is getting a cold blast but not quite as far south as we are going. I¢m hoping the weather patterns will revert to predictable by the time we arrive.
Date: 2023-02-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

February 27Today, Kerry and I got serious about packing, we actually were serious yesterday, but I was sidetracked by a repair to the back pocket of my backpack. I had ordered new mesh to sew over the holey pocket but had forgotten to install it. So, packing stopped for the repair.Today, we started packing again. Then I realised we would not be able to take our knives in carry on baggage (we don¢t plan to check our bags, preferring to keep things simple). Anyway, then I had to figure out how to get the knives to Georgia. Long story short, I mailed them to Ron Brown who will shuttle us from the airport to Amicalola Falls Lodge on Monday for our start Tuesday morning.Not terribly interesting, this, but very indicative of the calm panic I feel right now. There are too many details that I know we won¢t cover in time and I¢m just going to do what I can and walk out of here Friday morning and let the rest go because it will be out of my need to control at that point.
Date: 2023-03-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

March 1I took Felix to the vet today for his annual physical and to update his shots before we go. The one I care about is Lyme disease¢¦I understand there are a lot of tiny ticks on the east coast, and it¢s hard to see them. We have big ones in California and after they grab Felix, they head straight for Kerry so I¢m happy Felix can get some protection¢¦.too bad the vaccine is only for dogs. On a positive note, I was very happy when the vet told me, unsolicited, that Felix is a very healthy dog¢¦a good way to start our walk. Today was my final weekly volunteer activity day until we return, I was so honored that the group presented me with a send off card. Totally unexpected but so kind¢¦what a great group of people, I¢m honored to work with them! If this sounds like a wrap up¢¦it is. In two days we head East and what we have not completed will remain undone. We had dinner with our house sitter tonight to orient him¢¦.knowing we can¢t prepare him for everything, and understanding that we just have to let go¢¦it¢s time to go.
Date: 2023-03-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

What a day! I don¢t know where to begin. From having a custom shuttle ride to Denver airport courtesy Comfort Inn (due to a mixup¢theirs) to being no-end of hassled at the airport by TSA security (carryon luggage) and lectured by a dragon lady flight attendant on the plane (no particular reason!) we arrived in Atlanta Monday afternoon more than a little stressed. Ron Brown picked us up at the airport (very helpful and informative) and brought us and a young couple to Amicalola Falls State Park. We had a good relaxing dinner at the lodge where we plan to spend the night.In the morning, we will register at the visitor center and start our climb to Springer Mountain, the official start of Appalachian Trail. I will be offline until we reach our next town.As Bilbo Baggins once said, ¢the adventure begins.¢
Date: 2023-03-07
From: Amicalola Falls Visitor Center

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.3

Day 1. Amicalola State  Falls Visitor Center to Stover Creek 10.6 (includes the unofficial Approach Trail). Ending: Elevation 2928 feet. Temperature 64 degrees.We are blessed. Today, the sun shone in a blue sky and a cool breeze kept us comfortable all day. Perfect hiking weather and a hopeful beginning to our hike.We didn¢t sleep very well last night¢¦on California time I was still awake at 1 a.m. finally falling into a restful sleep around 6 a.m. We dragged ourselves out of bed at 6:45 a.m., went for breakfast (they gave us the senior discount without us asking¢we must look old!), and then walked the 1 1/4 miles to the visitor center to register. Now, officially hiker #866 and #867, we walked up the approach trail to the top of Amicalola Falls¢¦.all 604 stairs (4 times as high as Niagara Falls according to Ron Brown), returning to the lodge to pick up our packs. Then the fairly steep climb to Springer Mountain, where the trail officially starts.The trees are still mostly bare, so we were treated to views of the dormant forest that will disappear into spring in a few weeks. The forest floor was soft with dead leaves from last fall with intermittent basalt rocks and other rocks sparkling with mica (?), After Springer we walked into forests of towering rhododendrons; full of buds and ready to bloom. Someone is in for a treat in the coming weeks. We stopped at Stover Creek shelter, put up our tent (lots of people here, but no one in the shelter! ).It¢s been a lovely day¢¦.a one foot in front of the other kind of day. Hope I sleep better tonight!People we met:Tim and Patty, retirees from Florida. Tim has a younger brother who wants to hike.Corey from West Virginia (near Washington DC) via Indiana.Dung Beetle and Georgia Rickshaw and Peanut brittleAt the Parking lot at Springer Mountain: Wounded Knee, Michelle and Happy Hippy ( the latter volunteered to sign us in at the beginning register, which we never saw atop Springer MountainPeople at the shelter: Kathleen and Evan
Date: 2023-03-08
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 14.8

We were up at 6:30 a.m. after a reasonable night¢s sleep in spite of late arrivals at the shelter, complete with bright flashlights and people hanging their packs on the cables right next to us! We vowed we would figure out a way to avoid repeating the experience, but more on that later.More rhododendron forests under the evergreens until after Hawk Mountain where we returned to more naked deciduous trees, very happy about this as we still had great views of the rolling hill/mountains around us. We saw tiny purple violets¢¦a first touch of spring a mid the dead leaves. We were passed by a lot of young people, which I expected, but we also passed a lot of not so young people, which I did not expect.Coming up ahead is a section where hard bear canisters are required, so we have to hike about 15 miles to reach Neel Gap to avoid camping in that area. We decided to hike past the Gooch Shelter and on to Gooch Gap parking area to put us closer to Neel Gap for tomorrow¢s hike. Here we are now, sitting by a fire after drinking a beer and eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich courtesy Matt, aka Moon Dog, who was sitting when we arrived looking like he was waiting for us. We are told a lot of trail magic happens in the south, and not to expect it as we move to ¢the North¢. We¢ll see. Meanwhile, my faith in humanity just took a step to the positive¢¦.random acts of kindness and all that.It¢s supposed to rain tomorrow and our goal is to get somewhere dry for the night!People we met today (only a few, whose names I remember)ChapsDiane and Mike 63Pine KnotTBone (Tom)Halfback (Chris)Kathleen and Evan againMark and his trail angel wife, Monica
Date: 2023-03-09
From: Gooch Gap

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 14.4

Day 3. Ending elevation 3125It rained lightly last night, just enough to require a bit of a fire drill to batten down the hatches to keep the rain outside. As it turned out the rain was too light to cause a real problem. For breakfast, Matt made us bacon, cheese and egg sandwiches¢¦that may seem like a silly thing to note, but it was an unexpected treat for us¢¦.set us up for the day.The terrain continued much the same with the browns of winter, but the grey skies turned our world a monochrome sepia locally, whilst looking into the distance, the misted rolling mountains looked blue¢¦quite foreign to our Western eyes. Tiny purple violets and petite white daisy-like bloodroots brought some welcome color. At the end of the day we climbed Blood Mountain, the highest peak on the trail in Georgia. It was quite a climb going up but much steeper coming down!We awoke to a mottled grey sky that darkened as the day wore on bringing more drops of rain in the afternoon, again not enough to make us uncomfortable. However, being rain weenies and with the threat of rain just about 100% for tomorrow, we decided to get off the trail at Neel Gap to stay dry and get cleaned up. We caught a shuttle to the Seasons Inn in Blairsville, which had been recommended by other hikers. It is 16 miles off trail, a $40 shuttle. The owners Colleen and Chris, clearly dedicated Christians as evidenced by ubiquitous signs and books, but not pushy about it, were very kind and helpful. Their hiker rate, good until the end of March, I think, is $60 a night.We have made good mileage over the last three days, and now seems a good time for a brief rest and regroup before moving on! Felix, happy Felix, as much as he loves to run, is very happy to sleep!Some people we met today:Corey, who passed on day 1, now hiking with JenAmy, aka Bird Dog, and her husband, Jeff, day hikers from South Carolina
Date: 2023-03-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We slept until a little after 6 a.m. one might assume, wrongly, more comfortably than on the ground. I can¢t explain that, but it¢s true.Today, we just sat around, catching up (?). Kerry was figuring out how to add photos to this journal, and the dog, well, he enjoyed an all day nap. In the evening, we went in search of dinner and a beer (for Kerry, beer gives me a headache). Eventually, we ended up at Lucky¢s, a mostly Mexican affair that was very good. Kerry had his beer and I had a very good, real margarita. We walked into the restaurant with Felix (the dog) and tried to slink off into a corner but were waived over by another couple, who clearly wanted Felix to sit nearby. It happened that they lost their own dog recently. We struck up a conversation with them; retired, they moved here most recently from Atlanta. They, Louise and Tony, were entertaining and have taken up pickleball. I¢m recording this here because I think it¢s amazing that you can sit down with strangers and just enjoy the moment. To me, this is one of the gifts of the trail. When we returned to Seasons Inn, we ran into Debbie, another retiree hiking the trail who is worried about the coming rain the day after tomorrow. The dilemma is whether to hunker down and leave on Monday (after the rain) or just go for it tomorrow. But the weather is a moving target¢¦.I/we have to decide.¢Tomorrow I'll think of some way... after all, tomorrow is another day."¢Scarlett O¢Hara, Gone with the Wind.
Date: 2023-03-11
From: Blue Ridge Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 18.8

Day 4, ending elevation 3889 feetHenry, our shuttle driver, met us at the coffee shop at 7. We all ordered coffee and we had a muffin before we set off for Neal Gap. It was 32 degrees and we felt the cold. The wind was blowing ferociously so we picked up our pace and soon we weren¢t so focused on it. We walked past many tents still closed up tight, probably against the cold. The scenery and walking continued much as it has for the last three days. climbing up and climbing down on duff and old rocks. We were enjoying ourselves. About five miles in, we came to Teenastee Gap where we met Lisa and David aka Granola and Donut, who were serving hot dogs, all kinds of goodies and soft drinks. They asked us if we would like a hot dog and we said ¢yes¢¢¦.it was 10:30 a.m and we thoroughly enjoyed the food!We walked up and down another mountain and came to Hogpen Gap, where we met Barry, Michelle, Bobby and Mitzi, who had prepared a veritable feast. Kerry had homemade vegetable beef soup (Bobby said his soup is the best in the world and it was!). Barry offered and we accepted a prayer for our safety (who can¢t use a prayer?)Thus fortified we had lots of energy and walked all the way to Blue Mountain Shelter. Tonight, we are sleeping inside the shelter, we tried to go to Enota Mountain Resort, to get out of the coming rain, but learned it was closed. So we decided to take the last two remaining places in the shelter to stay dry. I¢m hoping Felix will keep the mice away. Frostbite told us one ran across his face last night. Kerry has been enjoying the company of other hikers, talking up a storm.Today, as we were talking, I thought about my cousin, Suzanne, an only child like me. She died 10 years ago today.People we met today¢¦.maybe because it is Saturday, a very busy day!We passed 101 passed us25 people crossed us going south, day hikers¢¦In the shelter with us:"Fruit snack" and "Pepper" from Ashland, ORGeorge from the Czech Republic Joe, "2-Pot"
Date: 2023-03-12
From: Blue Ridge Mountain Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.0

Hiking Day 5We slept in the shelter last night and tonight we plan to do the same. Last night poured cats and dogs and we were mercifully well protected under the shelter. No mice either! We don¢t know if Felix scared them off or if it was just too wet and miserable for them. Felix doesn¢t seem too interested in mice, but he loves squirrels! The clocks went forward today and we slept-in until 8:30 a.m. it was slow going today. We got 2 miles down the trail and Kerry discovered that he didn¢t have his phone. So he left Felix and me in the middle of the trail for 1-1/2 hours while he went back to the shelter to see if he had left it. It turns out he didn¢t--he had unwittingly stuffed it in the bottom of his pack as he would find out later! By the time he got back to us, Felix and I were very cold. We walked a half mile to Unicoi Gap where we met trail angel, Dale (who also let me sit in his car to warm up),who had pastries for us and nearby, another trail angel, Mike, who brought McDonald¢s chicken biscuits. Again the kindness of strangers!The mist/cloud that we woke up in never went away. It was cold and white all day. Tomorrow is supposed to be better, but colder.When we arrived at the shelter, there was room for us, so we decided to stay in it. It¢s still damp and cold and we were feeling a little discouraged about the phone and the weather. Well, tomorrow¢s another day¢¦.Happily, when all hope was lost, Kerry found his phone wrapped in his sleeping bag! Thank heavens¢¦he was beside himself! BTW this explains why we only have one photo today.People at the shelter:"Holiday" from Cincinnati, OhioJen, whom we have met several times, from Washington DCAnd Anna from Vermont.We also met Jeremy, "Juke Box," with a Blue Heeler dog called Luna.
Date: 2023-03-13
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Hostel Round the Bend
Miles today: 11.1

Hiking Day 6We awoke to misted skies again, and ice cold wind. Kerry said it was 29 degrees this morning after we started walking and it had probably risen by then. It was only 39 degrees by afternoon and the forecast predicts it will get colder over the next few days. Based on this we decided to go in to the Around the Bend Hostel at Dick¢s Gap for the night.The terrain continued much the same today but we were treated to the sight of ice-rimed trees that look like they were covered in the white blossoms of spring. As we climbed the ridges between Addis and Dick¢s Gap we got icicled on: icicles rained down us. We had never seen such a thing. I imagined someone sitting in the sky throwing icicles at us like the trees throwing apples at Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. It turned out that the wind was blowing the melting ice out of the trees. It was quite magical.We met Boy Scout Troop 115 out of Tallahassee, FL up here for spring break working on their camping merit badge. Why so far from home? Apparently, 1000 foot ascents are impossible to find in Florida¢¦.one of the badge requirements.At Dick¢s Gap, what else? More trail magic, a cheeseburger and drink each, just to tide us over until dinner time. The angels came from the hostel so they gave us a ride up the hill. Full amenities: shower, laundry, bed to sleep in and FOOD.At the hostel, we showered, cleaned our clothes and ate. We¢re sharing a bedroom with 2 others, Crossroads who left the air force after 9 years, and DaVinci, who had two tattoos after Leonardo Da Vinci's famous drawings of a man with outstreched arms in a circle and square and another one I can't remember, who seems to be an AT veteran. Looking forward to a warm night before we sally forth into the cold end of Georgia Winter!
Date: 2023-03-14
From: DickÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap-Hostel Round the Bend

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.7

Hiking Day 7Ending elevation 4752 feetIt is almost 8 p.m. Kerry says the temperature is 29 degrees. He wanted to sleep in the shelter again because he thought it would be less cold on our hands trying to put the tent away in the morning, I¢m not sure that is so. We are alone tonight. I¢m tucked inside my sleeping bag trying to write this with shaking hands¢¦by the light of the dying day. Even Felix is shaking from the cold.It was a beautiful day, The endless gray dormant trees our constant scenery, stood naked against a deep blue sky. It made the walk joyous and kept our spirits up against the cold. It never got above the low 40s and the wind kept us a good deal colder than that.About eight miles in, we crossed the State line leaving Georgia and entering North Carolina. I did not expect to leave Georgia so soon and felt more than a little wistful about it. I can¢t convey how genuinely kind people people have been; they seem to reflect the gentle miles that we have walked. The rolling mountains have been tough, but the duff of last year¢s leaves beneath our feet have been more than kind, especially to Felix¢s paws. We will miss it¢¦¢Georgia, GeorgiaThe whole day throughThis old sweet songKeeps Georgia on my mind¢Today we saw lots of icy streams that never melted, lots of ice grown into crystal shapes we have never seen before¢¦.flowers, shards and feathers. Also, more dead wood that I forgot to mention before, that appears to be painted with a bright aqua green color; perhaps a mold?It was so cold we all drank very little: not only was drinking ice cold water unappealing, but the consequent need to pee was downright terrifying to me. Of greater concern to ladies I think, the thought of dropping one¢s drawers even for a second let alone the minutes the process takes was just too much to contemplate. It was positively torture.In sum, we were cold in the hostel last night. So we started the day cold and we never warmed up. Still shaking, I¢m bundled in all my clothes in hopes of sleep tonight.People we met today (some of them)Sharon and Mary from the Georgia AT ConservancyBruce Swift who took our picture at state lineDarren and Lynn (briefly)At shelter:Jen Anna who was already tucked in her tent against the coldRobert the English man we met at Stover Creek Shelter our first nightJackChaps