morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Whistling Gap

To: Nolichucky River
Miles today: 13.4

Today was a nice day hiking. It was a 2.5 miles hike to Spivey Gap which was harder than the trail profile would indicate. The hike from Spivey Gap to here was prettier than I had expected. I was enjoying myself so much that at times I was feeling ambivalent about stopping my hike. I feel like I've "hiked my hike" so am ready to stop.When I got to Uncle Johnny's Hostel it was like old home week. Dandilion, High Life and Scott are here. A big surprise was that Three Day is here! He had hiked back to Hemlock Farm Hostel and "yellow blazes" (rode in a car) to here. We're all going out to eat Mexican food.Jim and Bonnie Hall are coming to pick me up in the morning and deleiver me to Boone where I'm going to catch the PART bus to Greensboro. It only cost $10 which is a whole lot less than the gas for someone to come pick me up. I told Becky we should leave a car in Boone and ride the bus back and forth.I'll post some thoughts about my hike in a few days.
Date: 2007-01-31
To: I've got nothing better to do...
Miles today: 0.0

I'm finally finished with college, so the next step is, obviously, to hike the Appalachian Trail. Well... I'm not technically finished with college, but close enough.This little walk has been in the planning for about two years now, although in its initial stages it was supposed to be me and two other folks. Considering one of them was Adam O, who was most likely not a product of this solar system, how serious could those plans have been? It's a surprise I've even made it this far.As for this journal thing.... I don't "do" blogs, but I guess this doesn't count, does it? This is here for anyone who is so bored with their usual internet surfing that they have to resort to my inane stories. Or people who I meet on the trail and want to stalk me. I know there will be many (like Cletus).The plan, now, is this: Start hiking at Springer Mountain in Georgia on 2/24/07. Walk north. Get to Katahdin on or before July 1. The only things that will stop me are:-Cataclysmic bad weather-Very large animals with sharp teeth-Cletus-A big cliff-Giardia-Running out of beef jerky and shlog.-The SyphWith odds like that, I'll be strolling up Katahdin in no time! Maybe I'll even have most of my limbs attached to my body. I'll see you (all of you) just before the moose charges.
Date: 2007-02-09
To: A training hike in Acadia
Miles today: 0.0

On monday I drove up to Bar Harbor to see Jeremy before he heads out on his road trip, and for a nice little hike somewhere in Acadia. Before leaving home, I started the car to warm it up, and it was the first time this winter that the temperature was low enough to make starting the car difficult. Yes, it was a bit chilly.We decided to hike up Cadillac Mountain along the ridgeline trail, then down the other side. There was just enough snow and ice for Jeremy to test out his crampons, and I brought along my nearly new stabilicers just in case. Good call, I say.As with every one of our expeditions, this one didn't go as planned. The temperature was a sweltering 8 degrees (F in case you're wondering), which was just fine until we got above the treeline. Then the wind, which I'm guessing was around 40 mph, got to be a bit nippy. Aside from getting nearly knocked over by the gusts, we had to stop every few minutes to get blood flowing back into our extremities-- my nose and thumbs were damn near frostbitten.So we decided to turn back before the summit and have hot cocoa instead of freezing our asses off. We took the Connor Brook trail down, which was sheltered from the wind, but a little bit icy. And by a little bit icy, I mean we walked down what looked like a set of frozen waterfalls. One slip, and we could have wound up a couple hundred feet down the trail from where we'd started, being slowed down only by the many trees in our path. As I said to Jeremy, I think in my old age I'm getting less excited about stupid things like that. But hurray for crampons and stabilicers. No deaths here.The only other exciting note for this hike was Jeremy's snot-icicle. When we got to the car, he had an icicle hanging off his nose that was easily two inches long. That's a lot of snot! Unfortunately, we didn't have a camera, so there is no proof aside from our childish excitement.The best part of this hike... I'm pretty sure it won't get nearly that cold down south on the AT. Thank goodness for that.
Date: 2007-02-15
To: One week to go!
Miles today: 0.0

One week from now, I'll be messing my pants with nervousness and excitement. I'm doing that already, but it'll be even more next week.Let's see... Starting from Springer on 2/24, which is more than a week from now, but who's counting. I have to make it to Katahdin by July 1st, so that's about 17 miles per day on average. I'm going to have some serious work cut out for me.Considering I'm not nearly as in shape as I was a few years ago, this 17 miles a day for four months idea is making me nervous. But when I think of it a bit more, I'm only 23, and not completely lethargic. Two years ago I did a 70 mile section of the AT in Maine in 5 days, wearing heavy boots and carrying 40-50 pound pack, so I imagine if I take it easy in the beginning this time, I should be all set. I've never done the speed-hiking thing, but I've got lots of good advice from whiteblaze.net and Eric (hiked on the same schedule two years ago). I know to not push myself too much, and my pack weight is down to 25-30 pounds. It's like nothing!Of course, the hard part will be keeping some semblance of sanity. I think I'll be alone for most of the hike because of my schedule, although I expect a few visitors (hopefully the two-legged variety, and without big teeth). Maybe I'll splurge on the weight and bring a book and notepad to keep me company.One week to go. Yow!
Date: 2007-02-18
To: Another Training Hike: snowshoes and cement
Miles today: 0.0

Geez, I wrecked myself good today. It was a short hike, up The Roost in Evan's Notch, NH. Half a mile up, half a mile down, with a mile along a road each way to get to the trail. The catch was that all of this had about two feet of fresh powder from Valentine's Day's dumping, so we were snowshoeing through all of this. And I had a 50 pound bag of cement in my backpack.I managed to handle the hike pretty well, considering I haven't carried that much weight on my back in quite a while, and the pack was my old junker, so it didn't distribute the weight very well. But considering how easy it was to carry a 70-lb pack by the end of NOLS, I've still got a long way to go. I even have the beginning of a blister on the bottom of my foot, which hasn't happened in a long time, either. I only just noticed that my feet aren't nearly as leathery as they used to be.Speaking of feet, I aggravated my broken toe a little bit more on the way downhill, which is probably not good. Something about keeping the momentum of the cement in my backpack from pushing me down the mountain just wrecked my legs and managed to do a good number on my toe. I wonder how many people plan on hiking two thousand miles in four months with a slightly broken toe. We'll see how that turns out. My heels and soles are killing me at the moment, but it's about bedtime. I'll have to get used to that real fast.In the meantime, the countdown is really on. Nervous? Holy crap yes. But here's another thing I won't have to deal with down south (I hope): two feet of snow slowing me down, and 50 pounds of useless weight on my back.
Date: 2007-02-20
To: Sleeping outside ain't so bad
Miles today: 0.0

I dug out a coffin-sized snow shelter on Valentine's Day when we got some nice snow, and just spent last night in it. Zero degrees, no problem. Super tiny space, no problem. First night spent outside since September... a little problem. My back hurts a bit, and I had to take a nap after I got inside this morning, but I don't think it'll take too long to get used to this.
Date: 2007-02-22
From: Belfast

To: Freeport
Miles today: 0.0

I just took the last shower I'll take in my house for a long time. Tonight I sleep in the cousins' house near Freeport, then wake up at 3 AM to get to the Portland Airport. "Sleep" is probably too strong a word, considering the waking up at 3 AM part, so maybe I should say nap. I'll take a nap before I start my hike.Right now I've got about six or seven hours before I leave, and the only progress I've made in packing is putting all of my gear in a giant garbage bag. Time to get on top of that. I'm probably forgetting something important, like underwear or a steel brick.
Date: 2007-02-23
From: Freeport

To: Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I'm chilling out at the Hiker Hostel, and I'll say what everyone else has already said: Leigh and Josh rock my socks. Good place, good atmosphere, good way to start the trail.Pirate, John Love, Harmony and Song were here ahead of me, and Rob showed up later along with a few others. I can't wait to be walking rather than sitting in the back of the plane/train. oooooh yeah.Looks like I'll stick with a few of these folks for a day or so, and we'll see where I end up.
Date: 2007-02-24
From: AFSP

To: Springer Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

I started out with Harmony and Song after getting a group picture. This is pretty crazy... I'm thinking what everybody else seems to think on their first day: I'm finally here!My first food on the trail, after all the planning I'd done, turned out to be half of a domino's pizza from the night before at the Hiker Hostel. Seems a little strange to be eating pizza right off, but damn did it taste good.I lost Harmony and Song when they stopped for lunch, then I hiked with Grizzly until about a half hour before summit. I haven't seen any of them since, but I guess that's what happens when you walk fast.At the shelter, I met Kentucky Blue and two older guys whose names I forget, but they were delightful sheltermates for that first night. We hung out and had ourselves a good time while I stuffed down my excessively large dinner (I'm still getting the hang of making just the right amount) and the college kids had a roaring campfire. The wind was crazy, and the boyscout troop tenting nearby was terrifying, but I definitely slept well that night.
Date: 2007-02-25
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

The rain! The wind and rain! It started pouring in the middle of the night, so thank goodness for shelters. After my oversized oatmeal breakfast, said goodbye to the guys I'd stayed with and started packing my bag. In the middle of packing, though, the boyscouts overran the shelter. I think a few of them were traumatized by the weather and the camping experience. Good for them, though. It builds character. I ended up throwing my pack together as fast as I could to get out of there. Turned out one of the college folks was starting his thru-hike that day, too, but with a french horn. Kudos to you, dude! That's awesome.I started out in the rain, stopped for a quick snack at the next shelter, then caught up with Kentucky Blue after a few hours. We had lunch at the Hawk Mountain Shelter, by which time the sun had come out and the wind had dried everything up. Beeeautiful.At Gooch Gap Shelter, I came across Turtle (previously John, whom I'd met at the Hiker Hostel just a few nights before) as well as Dan and Dean (Carefree, and no trail name yet that I know of) from the Hostel. Bushwhacker, Taken, Chip and Hatchet Jack were there, too. Quite a group, although Bushwhacker, Taken, Dan and Dean left for a campsite a few miles up right after we got there.The rest of us had ourselves a group foot-first-aid session before passing right out. Sleep is fantastic.
Date: 2007-02-26
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Wood's Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

It was wicked cold this morning, but my dinner went right through me and I had to jet out of that sleeping bag. That's no way to wake up in the morning.The whole lot of us stopped at the picnic tables at Woody Gap for our first major road crossing of the trip, and a very civilized lunch. Turtle didn't make it there, and I heard that he took out at the Gap later that day. I hope he's continuing on, though. With eight of us sitting at that picnic table and eating lunch, I finally got the feeling we were a real community of hikers. It was a damn good crowd, too. Good spirits and all.I made it to Wood's Hole Shelter first, with Kentucky Blue not far behind me. Bushwhacker, Taken, Carefree and Dean filled up the shelter, and the others went on ahead. We were all looking forward very much to hitting Neel's Gap the next day and dropping a lot of weight from our packs. No matter how light these things are, a few dozen miles will weigh them down on your back like nothing else.That night was... entertaining. I had some wicked diarrhea to deal with, Bushwhacker had some thunderous snoring, and Carefree an epic case of flatulence. We had a good time. Bushwhacker is definitely a top notch guy, and the same goes for Carefree and Dean. They are all going to rock this trail's socks all the way to Maine.
Date: 2007-02-27
From: Wood's Hole Shelter

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

That diarrhea last night got me worried, but thanks to the good company at the shelter, I was pretty happy in the morning. I hauled ass up Blood Mountain, then down to Neel's Gap where Chip and Hatchet Jack were already trying on boots. I scarfed down an icecream sandwich so fast it made my head spin.I stayed two hours there, clearing things out of my pack, enjoying the sunny weather, and listening to Pirate ramble on. Sure is nice to be around good folks like that on a nice day. I left just as Bushwhacker and Taken were rolling in, so I said my farewells and headed out. Best of luck, all of you.Even with my pack down to an insane 25 pounds (it started out at 38 on the first day, and I'm used to 50-60) I had to run fast to make up the remaining ten miles to Low Gap, where we met Cough-Drop and Wonder, two wildly entertaining folks. Cough-Drop seems to have the entire data book memorized, so we looked over our future plans with him, and after finding out that Wonder works at Cloud 9 we decided that I would bake up some pies and such when I got there. Oh so happy!Hatchet Jack, Chip, Kentucky Blue, Cough-Drop and Wonder at the shelter that night. Another wonderful crew.
Date: 2007-02-28
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

Another scorcher of a day. We booked it out of Low Gap and made the first seven miles to Blue Mountain in just under three hours. That sure felt good. Cough-Drop and Kentucky Blue and I had a snack there, then continued on.On the way up, we'd met Putt, who is doing some extremely rugged miles for someone who hasn't done any backpacking before. He's hiking the trail as a retirement gift to himself, he said, and I can't imagine a better thing to do at that time of your life. Also, Easyfeelin, who was two days from finishing his southbound hike. Congrats, dude!I got to Tray Mountain Shelter, where the privy is easily visible from the shelter (good times) and met Beater and Commando going southbound, and Woodstock going north. Woodstock is on an even quicker schedule than me, and I have no doubt he'll make it. Cool guy, too. Kentucky Blue and I went over our hiking schedules and it looks like we'll be hanging out until the end of the Smokies at this rate. It'll be nice to have a hiking partner for that long.Again, a good group. Looking forward to pies at Cloud 9 so much!
Date: 2007-03-01
From: Tray Mtn Shelter

To: Cloud 9 Hostel
Miles today: 11.6

Happy birthday to me! It started raining like crazy as soon as I got on the trail with Cough-Drop, Woodstock and Kentucky Blue. I decided not to stop until Deep Gap Shelter (snacktime) and then not again until Cloud 9. The pain!I was soaked all the way through in no time (although my pack was surprisingly dry. yay!) and when Woodstock and I stopped at Deep Gap for lunch, he changed his mind about pushing on... a warm, dry hostel for the night was just too much to turn down.After a 1.5 mile roadwalk, which killed my feet even more, we came into Cloud 9 all hootin' and hollerin' with joy. Showers! Laundry! Dry beds! Couches! This place is amazing! Kentucky Blue rolled in not much later, and Cough-Drop a few hours after us. Sitting around on cushy sofas in bathrobes with tea and cocoa has never felt so good. It rained hard the rest of the night, with tornado warnings and all.I baked a few pies and cinnamon buns at the hostel, and we were going to go to a pizza place for a 16 pound pizza, but I ended up in the emergency room instead while the rest saved leftovers for me. I'm sure the pictures of me with tampons up my nose will be circulating on the internet in no time. That was one hell of a bloody nose, and hopefully that's the last of my medical woes until after Katahdin.Man.... with the rain continuing all night, I am so glad we made it here today. And what a killer crowd! I can't imagine a nicer group of folks to spend a birthday with.
Date: 2007-03-03
From: Cloud 9 Hostel

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

After a little zero day at Cloud 9, I thought it would be easy to get back on the trail. I guess Bly Gap isn't the easiest thing to do after a day off, but it was much easier than Otto and Mala made it out to be.I ran into Weapon of Mouse Destruction at the shelter, but he was on his way to finish up his yo-yo. Good guy, although he's easily the most intense backpacker I've met in years. Wouldn't want to get in his way.Carefree and Bobcat hiked the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue into the shelter and left it there, but it provided plenty of entertainment for us young 'uns for a while. Ooooh, to be back on the trail.
Date: 2007-03-04
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: clear sky

It got wicked cold last night. Everybody's stuff froze solid. Good times. Clem's platypus was a giant brick. Luckily I'd drained most of mine, but my gatorade was a bit chunky that day.I kept moving to keep myself warm. Oh, the pain. It warmed up by Standing Indian Shelter, though. That shelter is hilarious. I love the non-private privy. The outhouse is wide open with no door, only fifty feet from the shelter so anyone taking a dump is subject to good views from the shelter. Great times!
Date: 2007-03-05
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

It felt like a long day today, probably because of the long break I took at Rock Gap shelter when Crutch showed up to chat. I had some tasty soda (courtesy of Crutch) and hung out at the shelter for a while, heard about Bobcat and Carefree's little yellow blaze, and then tried to hoof it out of there.The Siler Bald shelter that night was entertaining. Carefree and Bobcat had been there half the day, and I got in just before dark. The shelter looked like it was about to fall down, and when the wind got going it sounded like the roof was going to fly off. Not bad.
Date: 2007-03-06
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

Cough Drop and I hauled ass today to try to catch up with Kentucky Blue at the NOC the next day. Within half an hour of starting, though, my broken toe flared up worse than it has yet, and I thought I'd never walk again. Thank god for vitamin I(buprofen).Not a very eventful day, although I managed to hustle real good down from Wayah Bald to the shelter. Had plenty of time to chill out alone and watch the sunset.
Date: 2007-03-07
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

Big day! I ran to the NOC by 10, met up with Kentucky Blue again, had a tasty burger at the restaurant, grabbed my resupply, took a shower, did laundry... and all that before noon. Afterwards Kentucky Blue's friends came to visit and I headed out with them to Bryson City and Sylva in search of spandex shorts and food.Took most of the day off just to relax and whatnot. Sleeping and eating are such good pastimes.
Date: 2007-03-08
From: NOC

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

After a big ol' breakfast at the NOC, I hit that giant uphill stretch that everybody keeps talking about. It didn't seem so bad for the first 7 miles, but once I got to that last hurrah up Cheoah Bald, I was pouring sweat like crazy. Humid, hazy, and hot. Damn!Then it seemed like easy sailing for the rest of the day.... until the last two miles before the shelter. Who made that last section of trail, anyway? It just kept getting steeper and steeper... gah!Our little hiking group of Kentucky Blue, Cough Drop and I were back together again, and we met up with Hatchet Jack again for a little while. Good group to hike with, I'll say.
Date: 2007-03-09
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: clear sky

Another fast morning trying to get to Fontana Dam for my resupply before hitting the Hilton. Thank god for the bathrooms just before Fontana Village, because I nearly pooped in my pants on the way down the mountain that morning. Literally. Prairie-dogging all the way from Brown Fork Gap... should've used the privy.I won't say much of Fontana Village except that it's a huge culture-shock. Every building was heated up to about 200 degrees, including the bathrooms, where I'm not sure if I was peeing or just sweating rivers.Hatchet Jack and Kentucky Blue and I stayed at the Fontana Hilton for the night, where there were no working bathrooms and no places to dig good catholes. Yikes! That plus the people getting into the shelter at 1 AM and 3 AM kind of scared me. On to the Smokies!
Date: 2007-03-10
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

First day in the Smokies... oh boy. It was getting crowded with Spring Breakers already, but no problem here! I got all kinds of food from the day-hikers, including some home-made beef jerky and candy from a group of 40-50 year old guys out for the weekend. They sure know how to party!The trail was nice and evenly graded, which made for some nice traveling. The only problem was that mile of road walking at the beginning. Oh, the dogs were barking after that.
Date: 2007-03-11
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: few clouds

The trail was not quite as easy this time around, but the weather was just as nice. We had some damn good weather coming through the Smokies, I must say. Not very eventful today, but we did have a full shelter at Double Spring Gap, and we saw some forest fires in the distance.
Date: 2007-03-12
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Cough Drop and Kentucky Blue convinced me to go into Gatlinburg with them for the night, and man was it great! We hauled ass up Clingman Dome, where we had a rare good view with good weather, then had a fun slide down the iced-over trail until the ice disappeared and the blowdowns clogged the trail. Adventure!!!Newfound Gap was terrifying, with thousands of people stopping for the photo ops and driving around. Good lord! So many people! At least there were toilets. And great trail magic! Vince ('03 I think) brought up KFC and mountain dew, and some guy brought beer and coke.... Kentucky Blue used her dirty sock as a beer cozy, which we thought was pretty priceless.Gatlinburg... well what can you say about Gatlinburg except "HOLY CRAP!"
Date: 2007-03-13
From: Newfound Gap

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

We went out to breakfast, then back to Newfound Gap to run up the trail some more. There were some more icy spots on the trail, and a few human poops directly on the trail(!), but other than that, not much to tell. One of those turds was less than 50 yards from the privy at Icewater Spring shelter, too. Some people need to work on their poop-etiquette.Tri-Corner Knob shelter is quite nice. We met The Dude there, along with some spring break folks. Good times. Got to sleep early.