morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-02-05
From: Sam's Gap

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: clear sky

Hi There.. and thanks for checking out my Journal!Here's how I ended up doing a restart:I hiked the AT for 318 miles last spring from Springer Mt to Sam¢s Gap which is near Erwin, TN. I had norovirus and was dealing with complications from my leg injury so I went home to recover. After taking the summer off, I section hiked another 185 miles in Northern VA and MD in the fall and winter.Today is the day that I re-start my Thru-Hike at Sam¢s Gap. I arrived in Erwin, TN last night at 10:30 pm after driving 8 hours from Maryland. I stayed at Uncle Johnny¢s Hostel which is right on the trail where I expect my hike to take me to over the next 3 days. I¢m obviously pretty excited to be getting ¢back on the trail¢ but the biggest thing I felt was the massive difference between the lack of energy I had when I quit last year and how I¢m feeling now. I was pretty worn down mentally and physically and I¢m doing a few things differently this year to avoid falling into that same trap.One big thing, for me, is that I¢ve had another 10 months for the nerve damage to continue healing in my leg and foot. If you didn¢t know it yet, I was in a dirt bike racing accident about 3 years ago. Four months ago I began a hike prep weight loss and training program. After an hour of daily elliptical machine at the gym, swimming twice a week, 30 minutes a day of physical therapy exercises, and of course eating super healthy - I¢ve lost 30 pounds. That's more than my pack weighs! The result of this is now I don¢t get out of breath as easily and my leg doesn¢t bother as much as it used to. Leaving Sam¢s Gap going up the hill I noticed I have SO MUCH more energy compared to when I stopped hiking last May.Today was a nice easy day so I took my time. In May the leaves were on the trees but now I¢m able to see off the ridge through the trees. This is one of the upsides to winter hiking. I arrived on top of Big Bald without running into any snow. The views were awesome and I considered tenting on Big Bald for the night but the cold wind knocked some sense into my head and I made my way down to Bald Mountain Shelter. At the shelter, I met Slipknot, a NOBO who started Jan 8th at Springer Mountain. We made a fire and shared stories while we dried our socks and warmed our feet. Turns out we¢re both retired and have kids about the same ages. Slipknot has experience with winter hiking so I learned a number of things from him including how to stay warm at night. Turns out this is the coldest night I¢ve been out on the trail, supposed to be about 12 degrees¢¦ Brrrr¢¦ I¢ll make a video and post it to my YouTube channel to show you the ideas I¢m using to keep warm if you¢re interested. So for my first day back on the trail - I¢m happy, mostly warm, and in a nice shelter.
Date: 2016-02-06
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Whoo.. Hoooo¢¦ It was COLD last night. The water bottles were frozen solid and I moved fast once I was out of my sleeping bag. I¢m glad I have my winter bag with me. Slipknot has a pair of down slippers he uses and I wished I had a pair last night! I noticed that some of my leg muscles were sore this morning despite my pre-hike training program. I¢m looking forward to getting in even better shape by actually hiking. I hiked for the first 3 hours in ALL my gear including my raincoat, rainpants, hat, neck warmer, gloves and a light pair of over mittens. The blustery wind kept me busy warming my fingers during the morning. I¢ve got a pair of lobster mittens in the car that I¢m going to add to my arsenal when I get to Erwin. I listened to an audio book called ¢What about the boy¢, a story about a family who works hard to assist in the physical and mental development of their son who suffered some brain damage at birth. It¢s an interesting story and like other stories about challenges or facing hardships, it¢s motivating to me as I limp my way along the trail today. I arrived at No Business Knob Shelter and found Slipknot sitting on the picnic table eating his mountain house meal for dinner. I made a meal of lentils which I enjoy. Plain lentils sound pretty boring but I like a simple meal at the end of the day. We took turns trying to start a fire but the wood was a little wet so we gave up and hit the sack early due to the cold weather. While laying in my sleeping bag waiting for my feet to warm up I decided to order some down slippers like the ones that Slipknot has. Then I remembered my father had said to make sure and look at the stars at night. So I got back up, dug my glasses out of my pack and gazed at the stars until the cold encouraged me to get back into my sleeping bag. Life is good - I¢m content, warm (except my feet), and in a nice shelter.
Date: 2016-02-07
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: few clouds

I got up this morning when Slipknot started moving around at 6:30 am.I skipped my nightly hot chocolate last night and had an easier night. For some reason this cold weather makes me need to get up at night numerous times. I only had to get up twice to relieve myself - Now I need to make sure I drink extra water this morning. Speaking of which, I heated up some water to put in my Nalgene to make a hot water bottle for my sleeping bag last night. It worked great - warmed my feet right up. Now I'm too low on water and the stream is .2 miles South of here. Looking at Awol's guide I don't see any water between here and Erwin, which is today's destination. I'm going to chance it.. this time of year there are small streams that don't show up in the guidebook. Worse case, it's a short day and I can make it with what I have on hand. There were a few small hills and then it was all downhill into Erwin. I DID find a small trickle of a stream and stopped to get a bit more water for the day. I also stopped to enjoy the nice views of the Nolichucky River from up on the ridge right before the trail headed downhill for the last mile into Erwin. This was a beautiful day, easy hike, less than 6 miles, so I took my time and tried to soak up everything. I try to remind myself during this journey that this is the only time I¢m likely to pass this way, so I need to appreciate and enjoy everything I see and all the people I meet. Sometimes on longer days I find myself thinking mostly about how far I¢ve hiked and how many more miles to get to the next shelter or where ever I¢m headed. I didn¢t make that mistake today. Slipknot and I went to dinner at the Italian place that¢s near the Walmart. There¢s a big storm headed in to the area tomorrow so we¢ve been checking all the different AT weather sites. I¢m setting down now at the Super 8 motel. Slipknot was nice enough to split his room with me. Life is very good right now. I¢m happy to have met Slipknot, I¢m just the right amount of tired, I¢m warm, and in an OK motel.
Date: 2016-02-10
From: Poplar Creek Farm and Hostel

To: Poplar Creek Farm and Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The storm is still blowing outside and it's wicked cold out there. (One of my brothers lives in Maine so I can say "wicked" if I want) Since I'm heading out to hike in the snow tomorrow I decided to show you everything that's in my pack for hiking the AT in the wintertime including some extra gear to help you deal with the snow. I"m working on the video which will be on my youtube channel that should be linked to this Journal somehow. I'm still editing the video so it's not posted yet, but should be within a few days. You get to hear about "breaking news from the AT" like this AS IT HAPPENS... In the video I'll show you how I went from a 37 pound pack down to less than 20 pounds including all of my winter gear. This is the actual stuff I'm using on the trail right now to keep me mostly warm at night and happily hiking. Maybe you can get some ideas from what I show you or perhaps even tell me where I can improve or cut weight further. Actually I'll let you know in a later Journal when the video is ready for you. Maybe I should just put it up and not worry about editing it perfect or including all the specs in the notes.... hmmm.. that sounds like a good idea, but not tonight. It's 10:47 and I'm hiking from Indian Grave Gap down into Erwin tomorrow. Good Night
Date: 2016-02-13
From: Johnson City TN

To: Washington DC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I arrived this morning at the Greyhound terminal in Washington DC after riding all night on my way home to celebrate our anniversary. There¢s were some interesting characters at the station and on the bus so I had a good time people watching. I had planned on editing my AT Thru Hike Gear video but was tired so I mostly tried to catch some sleep where I could. It¢s great to be home and see my beautiful wife who was waiting to pick me up at Union Station in Washington. I¢m going to take a nap and then get cleaned up as some old friends from Colorado are stopping by for dinner.
Date: 2016-02-14
From: Washington DC

To: Annapolis MD
Miles today: 0.0

I'm excited to have finished editing my 2016 AT Thru Hike Lightweight Gear video that I made for you. I go through my entire pack and show you everything that I"m carrying along with ideas on how I use different items. This is the result of buying and trying a bunch of stuff that didn't work out for me. Hopefully the ideas I share with you will help if you're heading out to hike anytime soon. To get to the video just search YouTube for:2016 AT Thru Hike Lightweight Gear - 19.8 lbsOr you can try to cut and paste this link here:https://youtu.be/FnAITbcZpssI can't seem to figure out how to embed the video here in my Journal. If anyone knows how to do this, please sign my guest book and send me a message. Thanks for tuning in... I'm trying to share hiking related stuff even on days like today when I'm not hiking.
Date: 2016-02-15
From: Annapolis MD

To: Annapolis MD
Miles today: 0.0

It's great to be home for a few days to celebrate our anniversary and Valentines day. I went over and walked in the water therapy pool today. This seems crazy to me, but walking in a pool has been a big part of healing up my shattered hip and nerve damaged leg. Even though it's been almost 3 years since I was injured, I walked in the pool most days during the last 6 months leading up to the restart of my thru hike. The buoyancy of the water creates the effect of weighing about 20 percent of my normal weight. This allows me to practice walking more normally - balanced between each leg - instead of my usual limping shuffle. The other thing this does is it allows me to use and exercise all the little muscles in my foot that need to be strengthened further. Some of you have shared that you're dealing with your own injuries, so if you're on a healing journey, or know someone who is, suggest that they give water therapy a try. Some places have a special pool for it, but you can use any pool with about 4 feet of water in it. I walk for an hour, forward, backward, and then forward again. Some people also walk sideways or do squats in the water. I'm going to enjoy my time at home so that I'm ready to take the bus back to Johnson City on Wednesday. Thanks for signing my guestbook. Just look for the "Guestbook" link on the left side, click on SIGN and then fill in the blanks. I'll do my best to respond to all the ideas, suggestions and encouragement that you're able to send to me.
Date: 2016-02-16
From: Annapolis MD

To: Annapolis MD
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm going to the doctor to squeeze in my annual physical today before catching the bus back to Johnson City, TN tomorrow morning so that I can continue my thru hike.In the Winter and Spring it's a good idea to keep an eye on weather and trail conditions before heading out on the trail. I've found a few different sites that provide decent information which I've used to help me know when to hole up in a town or hostel until the snow stops or the temperature climbs up a little higher. Here's a site that shows you the current weather and a five day forecast for every shelter on the trail:http://atweather.orgI also like to look at the forecast for nearby towns, with the understanding that conditions will be colder and/or snowier at the higher elevations of the trail. Here's one site that I like - It has a cool 10 day forecast chart that includes an easy to read temperature and precipitation graph. https://www.wunderground.comAfter doing some hiking in the snow recently I'm feeling less apprehensive about it but I still want to know if there is snow on the trail and if so, how much of it I can expect to have to go through. From a planning perspective, the more snow there is, the longer it'll take you to hike a mile of the trail. This site shows how much snow is on the trail, although during a storm it seems that it may take a day or so before it is updated. http://WeatherStreet.com If you know of any other helpful AT weather related sites please sign my guest book and send me a message. Thanks for checking in today and I hope that wherever you are you're safe and warm no matter what the weather is doing outside.
Date: 2016-02-17
From: Annapolis MD

To: Johnson City TN
Miles today: 0.0

Heading South today on a Greyhound bus. The driver totally yells at us "Do this!" "Don't do that!"Interesting way to engage with your customers...I'm eager to get back on the trail although somehow my wife didn't realize until yesterday that I may be gone for 5 or 6 months. I can be a lousy communicator at times : ( I'll have to plan some visits by going home or flying her down to zero a few days with me. I finished the Winter & snow gear video - copy and paste this URL if you want to see it:http://youtu.be/s2Iu6sCwfZ8I should get back to the room I rented by the lake at 10 tonight. Then I load my pack for a 5 am departure. I'm dropping the car off further up the trail and shuttling back down to Indian Grave Gap. Thanks for all the encouragement. Click the "Guestbook" link to the left to send me a message.
Date: 2016-02-18
From: Indian Grave Gap

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at 4:58 am right before my alarm went off. It took me about 40 minutes to get in the car and rolling despite having loaded my pack the night before. An hour and 15 minutes later I pulled in to park at Carvers Gap, elevation 5,512 ft.I was going to leave my car at Carvers Gap and shuttle South to start hiking again at Indian Grave Gap. I waited 45 minutes for the shuttle to arrive before heading back down the mountain. As I drove around a bend in the road and picked up cell coverage I heard a new message on my phone. It was Tom, the shuttle driver letting me know that he'd run off the road and hit a tree on Hughes Gap. After stopping to text and make sure he was ok, I headed down to the Mountain Harbor hostel to see if they could shuttle me. I like using my car to assist with my hike but on days like today it seems like extra work. While I waited for the shuttle at Mountain Harbor I got the trail update from Einstein, a younger NOBO. He said that the higher elevations were still covered with 2 or 3 feet of snow in places. "Well, shucks!" I thought, since I had optimistically left my larger Stabilicer snow cleats back at my room by Lake Holston. Einstein said that he had a hard time finding the trail due to thick fog, but that he didn't have any snow cleats at all. He also told me that another NOBO who was hiking with him, Bear Whisperer, was concerned about getting lost and turned around to go back South to Greasy Creek Gap. It was almost 10 am by the time I left Indian Grave Gap - headed North, on the Trail, oh yeah!The snow went from a few inches up to 6 or 8 inches as I climbed in elevation. I was able to follow two other hikers tracks until mid afternoon when the wind and snow falling from trees hid the tracks I was following. I was able to find enough white blazes to stay on the trail and picked up the tracks after a few more miles. I made it here into Cherry Gap Shelter by 5:45, just before sundown. There is a nice piped spring close behind the shelter and I'm cooking some lentils for dinner. It seems a bit lonely and cold here - my new digital thermometer is showing 34 degrees right now. I'm going to watch an Amazon Prime movie I had previously downloaded on my iPhone called "Intersteller".So I've got shelter, a warm sleeping bag, dinner, and a movie but something seems to be missing...I didn't see any other hikers today and it feels a bit lonely to be here at the shelter all by myself. Other hikers probably have more sense than I do to go out in the snow and cold like this. Thanks for following me - sign my guestbook and let me know any questions or advice you may have for me.
Date: 2016-02-19
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 7.1

I woke up this morning feeling a little isolated - out in the woods, in the snow, in a shelter by myself. I started hiking at 8:50 am with a goal to reach the next shelter which was about 9.5 miles ahead. My new digital thermometer is able to record the low temp at night - 28 degrees last night. My water wasn't frozen though and I'm now keeping my Sawyer inline filter tucked around my neck and inside my shirt so that it doesn't freeze up like it did last week. I bought a new one to replace the one that I froze while I was making dinner one night last week. I spent the day managing my layering system - putting my raincoat and down jacket on and off, on and off to keep from getting too warm or too cold. The temp climbed up to over 50 degrees but a persistent wind made it feel much colder. At 1:30 I stopped to sit down on a log and rest. I was worn out from working my way uphill thru snow drifts. I could either step into the holes made by the two hikers who had gone before me or try to stay on top of the drifts in areas where the snow had settled and hardened some. The combination of the wind and the uncertainty of "postholing" or breaking through the snow with each step seemed to bring up doubts."What the heck am I doing out here in the snow?" I asked myself. "Maybe I should wait until all this snow goes away".My original plan HAD been to wait for the snow to melt before restarting my thru hike. That's what I did, re-starting back at Sam's Gap on Feb 5th. Then another storm came through. I sat out the storm and the week of cold weather that followed it yet here I find myself hiking along in the snow. My feet are wet and cold and I'm not looking forward to another night out in a shelter followed by a strenuous climb up Roan Mt. tomorrow. The guidebook shows Greasy Creek Gap just 3 miles ahead. There's a hostel which is .6 miles off the trail called the Greasy Creek Friendly. I'm going to head in out of the cold tonight and take a zero (rest day) tomorrow to get some more energy and lift my spirits. I'm at the hostel tonight with Connie, the friendly owner, Gadget, and Cody Coyote. I'm drying out my socks and boots by the woodstove and watching the forensic TV shows one after the other on a huge 78 inch big screen TV. Connie drove down to a restaurant and brought back enough food for me to last tonight and tomorrow while I'm here. I just devoured a double cheeseburger along with a pint of Ben and Jerry's that I pulled out of the freezer here. I'm glad that I decided to take care of myself rather than pushing on. I need to pace myself even when I feel like I'm moving along at a snail's pace. I called my wife to let her know about my change of plans and she reminded me that I'm doing WAY better than I did last year - hiking just 2.6 miles the first day of my thru hike. It's nice to be warm inside and connect with some new friends.
Date: 2016-02-20
From: Greasy Creek Friendly

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 0.0

I'm enjoying taking a zero today at the Greasy Creek Friendly. It's warm here and I definitely needed a day to rest. We all played Yatzee last night on the dining room table which has a map showing several hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail near here. My plan is to rest today and then head out tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'm going to go all the way to Carver's Gap or stop to spend the night at one of the 2 shelters along the way. Thanks for reading my journal.
Date: 2016-02-21
From: Greasy Creek Friendly

To: Hughes Gap
Miles today: 5.5

I decided to rest my leg a little more today by slack packing an easy 5.5 miles to Hughes Gap today. "Slack packing" means that you leave most of your gear behind and just bring what you need for the day.It was rainy today, so I brought along all my rain gear, some water, and my lunch - a couple of protein bars. The trail was mostly clear of snow for a change - Yah Whoo!I didn't mind the rain at all today since every bit of it that fell was helping to melt the snow drifts on Roan Mountain where I'm headed tomorrow. Connie, the owner of Greasy Creek Friendly hostel came to pick me up at Hughes Gap. I'll stay another night and then catch a ride to Hughes Gap tomorrow morning to get an early start going up Roan Mountain. I saw only one other hiker today, a NOBO named Grok. He said he was going to stop in at the Clyde Smith Shelter for lunch to get out of the rain. I decided to hike on past the shelter when I got there rather than invest any extra time or hiking steps into taking the side trail to the shelter. In the afternoon, I found a pack of Keebler peanut butter crackers on the trail where another hiker had dropped them. Whoever you are, thanks! I felt a little weird eating something I found on the ground but yes, I ate them and they were delicious. I've really enjoyed my time here at the Greasy Creek Friendly. I was a bit worried because of some problems they've had with a neighbor who doesn't like hikers. He used to make noise with his lawn mower or motorcycle to annoy the visiting hikers. It turns out that Gadget, a friend of the owners, took the neighbor to court or mediation and since then the neighbor has actually started talking with them for the first time in 14 years and hasn't caused any more issues. I've been reading some of the other journals of hikers starting out in Georgia. Many of them are doing 15 to 17 miles a day already. I feel a little, uh.. slow and lame doing 5 to 10 miles a day. I mentioned this to one of my daughters and she said that if I was doing 15 mile days then I'd want to be doing 20. This is probably true. Slipknot reminded me in an email yesterday that it's not a race. I had a great day in the rain today. Thanks for reading this - I appreciate your interest in my AT adventure.