morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-21
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I must have woken up atleast ten times last night, because I'm not used to sleeping outside in the cold. The moon was beaming down through my tarp like a street light. What's really strange is that I had a vivid dream a few months earlier about waking up in the middle of the night on the trail to a full moon and not being able to sleep ...How wierd!The sky is overcast this morning, and light seems to diffuse evenly around everything in the woods. Rhododendrons compete for space next to Chester Creek, and they make the calm body of water even darker and more soothing with some help from the hemlocks and pines. However, the great mood I'm in lasts about thirty more minutes because the side of my knee starts to bother me. As I go on it gets worse and worse, and of course, I'm so cheap that the Ibuprofrin I brought is outdated and probably useless. Here I am, worn out after the SECOND day out... what a pansy. Am I really getting old at age twenty-five? I don't see how yesterday was strenuous enough to make me sore, because I've hiked that much before with no problems.When I stop for lunch at Horse Gap, I meet a fellow named Mickey-One-Sock (whom looks like Mickey Rooney). He likes to talk A LOT, but I don't mind at all because he's dishing out volumes of long-distance hiking advice, which I absorb like a sponge. Mickey also compliments my home-made gear and what-not, so I start to feel a little more confident about my chances of a thru-hike success. And besides, who doesn't like compliments?Afterwards, I meet Cola, who's at a trail junction fixing the duct tape around a blister forming on his big toe. When I continue on I'm not paying attention because I take a sharp right instead of going strait. That's right... I get lost on the SECOND day out too. I get to the top of the mountain and notice that the eroded trail looks increasingly like nothing at all. Fortunately, I packed a compass and a map, so I know I'm not totally screwed, but I'm still angry at myself for being sooo stupid... on the SECOND day out. Furthermore, it looks like it's about to rain. So it turns out that I'm on Hawk Mtn, and all I have to do is bush-wack down the other briar-infested side to find the trail below. Mission accomplished. I later run into Yappi and Dead Animal who've thru-hiked together three times! I'm pleased to see that Yappi, like me, also has a Vapor Trail on her back. How many people am I going to run into with these things?Camp is a much welcomed sight. When I find Loren and Cola at Justus Creek, I decide to call it a day. I was walking so slow that they've already arrived here several hours ago. After cleaning up and eating, I join them by the campfire to feel awkward and insecure once more. What a day!
Date: 2005-03-22
From: Justus Creek

To: Dahlonega, GA
Miles today: 6.3

My knees are hurting like HELL today... both of them. So now I'm glad that I brought hiking poles out here, because they really help take some of the weight off my legs. On the bright side, I saw a violet emerging from the dead and crispy leaves covering the ground. And every now and then, I'll pass a blow-down and marvel at the roots sticking up in the air. One section of trail is especially interesting because it takes me over three mountains really close together. Because the leaves aren't out yet, I can see through to where I'm going and I get a funny feeling like walking along the tracks of a rollercoaster. Some of the trees are so tall and strait that I feel dwarfed among giants. Rain has been threatening all morning, but I make it to Woody Gap right after the bad weather blows in. Shelter is found below the narrow overhang of a LOCKED restroom facility (ha, ha, very funny God). This does, however, turn out to be a blessing for several reasons:First of all, the lightweight, breathable, and home-made raingear that I spent hours upon hours sewing is merely water resistant and obviously NOT waterproof; I'm soaked! It's really good to find this out at Woody Gap instead of deep in the wilderness when I'm miserable and possibly hypothermic.Second of all, there happens to be a group of Ohio State kids out on spring break and another thru-hiker who begin to accumilate and huddle under a small shelter nearby. One of them runs over to ask me if I have the number to a nearby hostel, because they have a cell phone. We get to talking, and they mention forcasts of hail and tornado warnings and how they're all going to take refuge at the Hiker Hostel, and "Do I want to come?" Now here's a delimma for me because it's only my third day out and I want to prove that I can tough it out in the woods. But then I think about my failing rain gear (as well as silnylon stuff-sacks) and how I'll have to set up my shelter in the rain and be miserable all night long. ...HECK YES I WANT TO COME!!! So what could have been a bad night turns out to be a little more pleasant. Josh and Leigh, the couple who runs the Hiker Hostel come rescue us from the rain and are amazingly hospitable. We take showers, dry our stuff out, use their internet, go out to an Italian restaraunt, and sleep in their newly-renovated mountain house. For fifteen dollars, what more could we ask for?
Date: 2005-03-23
From: The Hiker Hostel

To: Slaughter Creek Campsite
Miles today: 7.4

I'm not in a good mood today. I'm very concerned about my knees because I could barely traverse the stairs last night, and I don't feel much better this morning. I may have seriously injured myself the other day. It was also really uncomfortable being with so many strangers last night, and the mood has carried over into today. The Ohio State group knows each other pretty well and have some sort of a click going on. Being in close quarters with a group like this makes me quiet and reserved, and when that happens I get depressed and can't snap out of it for a little while. Some of the hostel-goers were actually thu-hikers. Jeff (later as Louisville) came in with us yesterday (And who else? I'll eventually discover some to be Peanut, Spoonman, Num Tum, and Captain Rehab).The mist is beautiful this morning, despite my foggy mood, and Josh gives us a complimentary ride back to Woody Gap. As we ascend towards our drop-off point, the road twists wildly, and the thick fog becomes thinner until some patches of blue sky are revealed. It looks like it's going to be a nice day after all! And as soon as I climb Big Cedar Mountain, I'm rewarded with an impressive view; An ocean of clouds stretch from the valleys below into the infinite horizon. I'm taking A LOT MORE Ibuprofrin today, and it's finally working ...a little. And as I'm s-l-o-w-l-y climbing another "hill," I notice a snail (how ironic) that's upside down and appears to be surfacing through the dirt. Do snails come from the ground? I don't know, but I finally get a reason to use the macro function on my camera!Camp comes early in the day for me as I stop short of Blood Mountain with Jeff and the Ohio State bunch. I finally start to warm up to the group as time drags on at the campsite. I talk some with Jeff which helps break the ice. He has a funny lisp that makes his "R's" sound like "W's," but I like it. He's really easy to talk to and is probably the first hiker I've bonded with so far.
Date: 2005-03-24
From: Slaughter Creek Campsite

To: White Oak Stamp
Miles today: 10.5

I got up around four o'clock this morning because I went to bed extremely early last night. This rarely happens, so I've decided to take advantage of the situation and break camp to watch the sun rise from Blood Mountain. Jeff told me to wake him up when I'm ready to leave, but I don't think he meant THIS early. When I told him the news, he made a comment that went something like, "What time is it? ...JESUS! ...I guess I'll catch you later on today, man."The wind that started late yesterday is still blowing strong and cold this morning. It swooshes through the leafless trees in waves while the limbs creak together in unison. And the nearly-full moon casts a silver light upon everything in view until every few seconds when a cloud passes below it and darkens the campsite. I can't wait to see what I find on top of Blood, so I pack my gear , suit up, and stumble out onto the trail sporting my headlamp. I don't have to use it, but I'm kind of creeped out, and I don't want to get lost again.At 4,461 feet, Blood Mountain is the highest point on the AT in Georgia, and it's peak is now submerged in clouds that block out the moonlight. When I finally near the summit, the stone-walled shelter is deserted. I've heard rumors about rats living up here, and the register warns about skunks too, so now I'm even more creeped out and decide to leave. By this time, objects are coming into recognition as the sky lightens up little by little. After waiting in the cold for darkness to go away, the pale light grows more intense, so does the view. Clouds are rushing past the peak obscuring everything at one moment and then revealing some sky at the next. I have a feeling that this is going to be an interesting sunrise if the clouds go away in time. I'll never forget the first time I see it. The clouds are temporarily blown away, and the pale grey disk erupts into a ball of fire! It's like the ceiling just ripped away from my house! For the first time, I'm on top of the world watching life unfold from nothing. I'm having an awesome time, and it occurs to me that I'm lucky to have seen such an inspiring site. This is what I acme for! I'm out here to witness nature in ways I've never seen before. I feel reborn!I resupply at Neels Gap around lunch-time, and it's a beautiful warm afternoon. The place is swarming with activity, and the spring-breakers finally catch up. When Jeff and I leave to climb the next bastard of a hill, it's so hot that we have to change into tee shirts and shorts.Later, after putting in a respectable day of hiking, we settle into a remote campsite fully exhausted.
Date: 2005-03-25
From: White Oak Stamp

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

I've seen enough people now to know that this isn't going to be the solitary spiritual journey I imagined. I hiked up to Blood Mtn. yesterday not just to catch a sunrise, but also because I have to find something alone. Although I like Jeff's personality, I'm worried that we'll end up as a hiking pair, and I'd really prefer to hike alone to experience things that way. Oh well, I'm not going to worry about it anymore. Whatever happens... happens.Today's hiking hasn't been very strenuous, but it's been pretty hot, and the trail is dry and dusty at times. I'm even starting to get sunburn... on the fifth day of spring! Who woulda thunkit? I took a much-needed siesta around three o'clock in the long shadow of a tree trunk. I'm quite exhausted from these past few says. The nap feels great although I have to move my head an inch every few minutes due to the sun's motion across the sky.One section, however, is complete murder, and I wonder if I can make it to the shelter tonight. The whole side of this montain is littered with large rocks, and the trail goes right through it. In fact, I think it was put here JUST to kick my ass. I've got to be moving at a half-mile an hour over these damn rocks. Every time I move to the next stone, I have to bend my knees with excruciating pain.I finally arrive at the shelter to find Jeff and another thru-hiker named Jeff (later Squid-Jerkey) who's out with his uncle Brad and 11 yr old niece for a few days. We all cook dinner together and have a great time hangin' out. Some other people are there, but I don't know their names. A woman called Trail Snail is kind enough to sacrifice her knee brace to me, and I'm very gracious. She told me it's no big deal, and jokingly said for me just to take a picture at Katahdin holding it up in the air, but I don't want to think that far ahead right now! Wow, my first trail angel! People are so nice out here.
Date: 2005-03-26
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Helen, GA
Miles today: 2.2

It's time to try out the magic knee brace! ...DAMN, it doesn't work.I make it down Blue Mtn. to Unicoi Gap where the two Jeffs, Uncle Brad, and his daughter are waiting around. By the way, I'm highly impressed with Brad's kid because she kept up with those two for the last few days without complaining on 10-12 mile days. From what I hear, she was bouncing along the trail like an energizer bunny. I think she's really smart for her age, and she was pretty entertaining last night at the shelter. The hike for Jeff's family is over and they must now get back to real life in Alabama. "Their" Jeff is planning to stay in Helen a day or two to let a blister on his foot heal, and they ask me if I need a ride into town as well. I really don't want to go into town again, because I'm hard headed, cheap, and I bailed out only a few days ago. But they convince me that a day or two of rest is the wisest thing I can do right now, so I can get back on the trail at full force. I give in, and the other Jeff continues to hike on.It's a gorgeous day in Helen, despite a sinking feeling of personal defeat. The town was built to look like a cheesy stereo-typical version of Germany, and boy did they hit the nail on the head. It's centered around a beautiful river that flows through the town's center. It's definately a tourist's town, but not as annoying as some of the other's I've seen in the southeast. Uncle Brad is kind enough to treat us out to lunch, beer, and dessert. He keeps suggesting that my trail name should be "Martha Stewart" because of all my home-made gear. There's no way in HELL I'm going to let that happen, but I'll forgive him since he treated me to lunch. We continue to explore the sights of Helen on foot, and I walk like I just dropped the prison soap about ten minutes ago. Jeff and I decide to split a hotel room by the river (at The Helendorf Inn) for only fifteen bucks a piece, and Uncle Brad and his daugher say goodbye and hit the road.I always thought I could quit smoking completely when I started this hike, but due to the time I've been having I decide to split a pack of Camels. Jeff and I find a pub where he introduces me to an Irish car bomb (take a glass of Guiness and drop a shot glass of whiskey/irish cream inside then gulp it down). What a great idea! Talk about making the best of what's around! We try to waste the rest of the day as best as possible.
Date: 2005-03-27
From: Helen, GA

To: Helen, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Today is pretty boring, and the weather is cold with misting rain. I stayed in the hotel a lot to rest, but I also walked a few blocks to get some real Ibuprofrin and eat at Wendy's. No one wants to visit Helen on a day like this, so it's quite dead around here. Even the paid musicians have nobody to play for. After loitering at a deserted restaraunt for a while, we stop into a shop that sells colorful stones and other trinkets. Jeff was a geology major and is interested in that kind of stuff, and there's nothing else to do here. He says he wants to go back to school to be an air traffic controller someday. Later on, sitting in our hotel room, while watching the weather channel, we see thunderstorm warnings all over the place and are glad that we're not out hiking right now. Shortly thereafter, a massive hailstorm comes from out of nowhere and drops millions of marble-sized ice chunks outside our room. How cool is that! Now I'm REALLY glad that I took a zero! Perhaps the weather and my knees will be better for a hike out of here tomorrow. The rest of the evening is devoted to resupplying and organizing our gear for tomorrow. Jeff calls up his brother (who's hiked the trail before), who recommends that my trail name should be Thrifty Nickel. I think it's a thrift store like Goodwill or some kind of local buy/sell/trade paper. I have to admit that I've been thinking about a trail name for a little while now. The whole idea of one sounds kind of silly, and I can't think of a single word that describes myself anyway (or anything that I'd want to be called). As I clarified earlier, I don't want something undesireable to stick... like MARTHA STEWART. I'll have to think over this "Thrifty Nickel" thing. It's original for sure, but sounds kind of long to me. We'll see...
Date: 2005-03-28
From: Helen, GA

To: Helen, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Today being Monday, I'm finally allowed to pick up my bounce-box from the post office. Fortunately, the Helendorf gives daily shuttles into Hiawasse for thru-hikers like me. I recharge some batteries and exchange a few items in time for the bus to come back and take me to Unicoi gap. I'm riding with another hiker named Drifter who's thru-hiked several times. When I'm dropped off and the bus is long gone, I realize that I left my hiking poles on the bus. WHAT AN IDIOT! Dammit, what do I do now? I can't go on without them, and they're too expensive to leave behind.I realize that I have to get back to the Helendorf somehow and waste yet another day in Helen. What a bummer! However, someone up there must be feeling sorry for me because the first car I stick my thumb out to puts on it's brakes and gives me a lift. It turns out to be a nice young couple on their honeymoon. I swear that they're hippies, but they're actually a very religeous couple from the country. Either way, these folks are very gracious and offer to put me up in thier cabin tonight. I decline because it's too far away from town, and I don't want the guilt of being shoffered back and forth on their honeymoon. They said that they would've enjoyed my company, but I just can't do it. This boy ain't payin' for another hotel room, so I scout out the river for a place to stealth camp. I finally come to a rafting center that's closed for the season. It's got a wrap-around porch in the rear that seems protected enough from patrolling police (It feels sooo wrong, but oh so right). I try to endure the rest of the cloudy day as best as possible by going to a nearby thrift store, where I find a book to read. So the precious ounces I unloaded at the post office earlier are now replaced by "The Catcher in the Rye." My knees are still giving me problems, so I guess I could use another day of rest here. I tried to call my doctor back home to ask his opinion on the situation, but he can't be reached.If Blood Mountain was the high point of my trip, this is by far the lowest. I'm illegally sleeping under a porch after being stuck in a dead tourist town for three days. And what's worse, I have a knot in my stomach that say's I'm not going to finish the trail. The last year of my life has been devoted to planning and preparing for this hike, and now I'm forced to bail out after only a week. What am I going to tell everyone back home? Sure, I can wait and start again next year, but what's the point? I don't know if I can hold on that long. It took almost all of my energy to wait this long already. I can't describe how depressing this is.
Date: 2005-03-29
From: Helen, GA

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: clear sky

I'm feeling a little better today! The weather has improved, and It looks like a good day for being outdoors. I'm gonna give this hike another shot and head out again, because I'm not ready to quit just yet. I really think the extra day did some good, because I feel less stiff in the legs (and because the knee brace and in-date Ibuprofrin are probably starting to do their job).I catch a ride with the Helendorf van again, but this time it's loaded with hikers. I recognize some of them from the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega (They hadn't begun their hike yet and are already catching up to me). Cracker is also there with a friend who's from Florida, and I remember seeing them both come off the trail yesterday right before I hitched back into town. The driver's named Pittsburg, and his wife has made us all some delicious cookies to start the day off right. I swear, people are so nice out here.To my great surprise, hiking is not as painful today, and I feel like I might actually make it to Maine after all! I meet a retired man in his 60's or 70's named Wanderer who's done this trail three years ago. A really nice guy, his secret is to take a break every hour on the hour, so I think I should definately start doing that too. Later, I meet Aviator and Eagle up the trail. They obviously smoke a lot of weed. Aviator got his name from the giant old-school sunglasses covering half his face. They seem to be having a great time.I call it a short today, although I'm feeling pretty good; I don't want to ruin what these last three days off have done for me. Tray Mountain Shelter is where I stop this evening to meet some more new faces. Zeno is the first person I talk to. Self-named after an ancient philosopher, he is from Washington D.C. and knows about the Ethiopian restaraunt (called Zeds) that I visited on a field trip a few years back. What a small world! And Sailor Sid, who I met on the approach trail, is also here. Cup is from Connecticut, and has a knack for entertaining people. We listen to his fowl-mouthed but delightful stories by the campfirefor a few hours into the night. There's a great view of the valley below us. And since we're on a ridge, man-made lights can be seen scattered over the distant lands below, almost like a mirrored reflection of the stars above.
Date: 2005-03-30
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: McClure Gap
Miles today: 8.2

I'm walking a little farther today because I'm feeling up to it, and because I can't bare to stop so early in the day again. It's really hot today, and I'm wearing my shirt over my head and shoulders to stay cool and prevent further sunburn to my ears. I discover a nice secluded spot off the side of the trail that's near an unofficial campsite. So I finally get a chance to camp alone and experience some solitude in nature (other than the back porch of a closed tubing center). The sky is clear so I'm I'm attempting to sleep under the stars tonight.About three in the morning, my eyes open to a charcoal sky. I can't see any stars, and I hear a deep but subtle thunder roll off in the distance. The tree tops above me are gently swaying in a delicate breeze. I'm thinking, "Hmmm, now would be a great time to see if my tarp-tent still works." And... I'm glad I went to the effort to set it up in a hurry because as soon as I finish the rain finally comes and I'm dry and cozy inside. Score one for "Thrifty Nickel?"
Date: 2005-03-31
From: McClure Gap

To: Campsite
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

It was still raining when I woke up today, and it's been drizzling all morning long. I'm wearing my useless raingear over a cheap rain jacket that I got from my local outfitter, but water still manages to seep through in places. Rain is persistant... It's funny how it permeates just about everything out here. Atleast I'm not cold! I used to keep track of the new plants I find, but I'm starting to realize it's a task doomed to failure. Every day reveals something new I haven't seen. One spot on the trail catches my attention just as the rain stops and the fog begins to lift. Rhododendrons appear from out of nowhere, while moss and lichen grow on almost everything. Also, the wide wall of rock beside me that trickles with water is just a few inches from the trail. And since the woods are moist, colors are intensified dramatically. Bright yellow-green coincides with dark emerald-green, which resides next to mint green, apple gree, blue green, and so on. I've always taken green for granted in nature. It's a welcomed change from the wintery browns and greys I'm used to. Plumorchard Gap Shelter is pretty cool. It's got three levels of flooring to sleep on as well as plexiglass windows. It's a great place to dry out my soaked tarp and eat some lunch. I'm really pissed that my silnylon sacks aren't keeping the water out of my stuff. Zeno's here along with a few others. It's much too early in the day to stop so I hike on a few more miles hoping to find a good campsite. When I find one, it's still not raining and I can set up my tent and cook dinner easily. Great sunset throught the trees to cap off the day!