morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-21
To: Partnership Shelter to Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.6

I woke up at 7:30 am, ate a couple of breakfast bars, packed up, and started hiking south at 8 am. Soon, I saw two white-tailed deer, one was a buck with a small set of antlers. At noon, I came across some trail magic by Valley View Baptist Church and drank a grape soda. At 12:30 pm, I headed down a blue blaze path to the Trimpi Shelter as four trail maintainers were coming from the shelter. I mentioned they were likely to be caught in the rain and they replied they had a short distance to the parking area. Very soon it was pouring rain and I was fortunate to be in the shelter where I made my lunch. After 75 minutes, it stopped raining and I hiked onward. It continued to rain lightly, but another downpour broke out at 4 pm. All I could do is put on my rain jacket and hike on. As I approached Comers Creek, the sound was like Niagara Falls.I had planned a 16.6 mile day to a campsite, but with all the rain, decided to continue hiking to the next shelter. After a 19.7 mile day, I arrived at the Hurricane Mountain Shelter at 7 pm. There was one other person in the shelter, Dr. Dan, who had set up his tent in the shelter and was reading about German Intellectualism. As it was getting dark, I made and ate my supper and hit the sack.
Date: 2013-08-22
To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter to Wise Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Today I woke up around 7:30 am but did not get on the trail until 8:30 am. I talked with Dr. Dan, who started out as a through-hiker beginning at Springer Mountain in late April, but quit upon reaching Damascus, VA because there was so much rain this year. He was now just doing a section hike before returning to his practice in North Carolina. Because there was so much rain yesterday, the ground was saturated and the trail was full of water. I reached the Old Orchard Shelter at 10:50 am, but it was too early for lunch and I wasn't hungry anyway. So I kept on hiking, reaching the Grayson Highlands State Park, elevation 4460 feet, at 1:30 pm. Within the fenced campsite, I met two local elderly men who were there to pick berries. Their hill country accent was so think I could hardly understand them. There were blueberry and black raspberry bushes everywhere. I kept stopping to pick and eat since I hadn't had lunch.At 4 pm, I saw the first herd of wild ponies. Shortly thereafter I arrived at the Wise Shelter at 4:15 pm. I thought I had hiked a lot further than the 10.9 miles I really hiked, but picking and eating berries slowed me down. Dr. Dan showed up around 4:30 pm and we spent a lot of time talking about Obamacare, among other things, since he is a doctor and actually supports it. Dr. Dan is one year older than me. He loves his practice and would do it for free if he could, but it is so expensive practicing medicine today because of the influence and pressures of litigation.
Date: 2013-08-23
To: Wise Shelter to stealth campsite
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Dr. Dan and I got up about the same time at 7:30 am and hit the trail around 8:30 am, although he left about 10 minutes ahead of me. We caught up with each other twice before he took a side trail around 9:30 am to a parking lot where he left his truck. As it was raining lightly, he offered me a ride back to Damascus, but I said "no thanks". I was committed to hiking all the way to Damascus. Around 9:45 am, I came across another herd of wild ponies.Around 10:45 am, I started up a rock scramble on Wilburn Ridge in a light rain with thunder in the background. At 11 am, at the summit of Wilburn Ridge, I squeezed through a crevice between two huge boulders and the thunder was getting louder. As I got to the other side, the downpour began and thunder claps were getting much closer to the lightning flashes. Since I was on the summit, I decided to take shelter in the crevice. I squirmed into a recess in the rock as much as I could to avoid the rain water coming down the sides of the boulders while a small river of water flowed before my feet and the lightning seemed to be right above me. I thought, people get electrocuted in bathtubs, and here I was in a lightning storm and trying to keep my feet out of the water. I was concerned about starting to shiver, the first sign of hypothermia, but the heavy rain and lightning finally subsided after 35 minutes. After several attempts to count to 200 between thunder claps before I thought it was safe to continue, I started hiking again in order to warm up. At 12:45 pm, I reached Thomas Knob Shelter for a 55 minute lunch break. There were ten college students there who were singing as I approached the shelter. They were from different parts of the country and came together under the Student Conservation Corps. At 8 pm, I had hiked 16 miles, it was getting pretty dark, and I was still more than a mile short of the next shelter. So I set up my tarp for the night on a ridge. Fortunately, it did not rain during the night and I slept pretty well.
Date: 2013-08-24
To: Stealth campsite to Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I awoke around 7:15 am and hit the trail at 8:30 am without eating breakfast. I guess it took a little extra time to pack up from a stealth camp. At 9 am, I arrived at Lost Mountain Shelter for a 30 minute break to filter more water and eat a few cheese crackers for breakfast. As I was getting ready to leave, a group of four women day hikers came by from the other direction and asked me a bunch of questions about my hike. At about 10:30 am, I came upon the Virginia Creeper trail (the bike path that Pam and I rode on Monday), as the Appalachian Trail followed that for about one mile then spun off back into the wilderness. It turned to be a very nice day all day. No rain for a change.At 12:45 pm, I arrived at the side trail to Saunders Shelter and was nearly out of water. However, the shelter was 0.2 miles downhill from the trail, and the water source was further downhill an unknown distance. I decided to skip stopping there for lunch and seek another water source along the AT. I finally came upon some water and ended up skipping lunch altogether. I arrived in Damascus at 4 pm after hiking 17.1 miles for the day, and stopped at the Smokey Mountain BBQ for a big pork BBQ sandwich with cole slaw and baked beans. Then I checked in to the Mount Rogers Outfitters' hostel for a $20 room and took a shower, my first after five days. After my shower, I went to the Blue Blaze Cafe for a second dinner, this time a 12 inch steak and cheese sub that I had no problem finishing. The next morning, I packed up my gear in the car that was parked at the Outfitter for the past five days and drove home.
Date: 2013-09-28
To: Gear Reviews
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Many folks post a gear review after their thru hike. I was reading Lady Grey's final 2013 TJ entry where she observed many who bought all their gear at one time and never trail tested it before starting a thru hike. That is amazing to me also. I've section hiked for five years with a purpose of testing out my gear before beginning a 2015 thru hike and found that some of my initial gear purchasers were not good decisions. I've also replaced some gear as newer products come to market. Periodically I will post my gear reviews, which are still evolving in some cases. I'll start with an essential item that is not carried on the trail.PLANNING: Being an engineer and program manager, I enjoy planning a vacation or trip just as much as taking the trip. I've spent many enjoyable hours planning my 2015 thru by reading other TJs and using the Appalachian Trail Mate software program available at www.barker-innovations.com. I've plotted my itinerary and made numerous changes based on comments from others' TJs. My current schedule is departing Springer on 8 Apr 2015 and finishing at Katahdin on 24 Sep 2015, which includes ten zeros and an average 13.7 miles/day. This plan is subject to change on the fly as weather and other unknowns are encountered. However, I don't want to depart earlier than 3-5 Apr 2015 as that will be my daughter Amy's 24th b-day, my 60th b-day (OMG) and Easter.
Date: 2013-10-12
To: Backpack review
Miles today: 0.0

For four years, my pack was a Gregory Z55, which weighed 3 lbs, 15 oz. It had nice features with a side zipper, detachable top flap storage, and hip belt pockets. Only problem was that after about three days, the shoulder straps would start to bother me. I'd tighten the hip belt to relieve pressure on my shoulders and I was constantly playing with the load lifters. Also, it was a pukey yellow color that was looking ratty after a few years. Last spring, I bought a Granite Gear Crown VC 60 pack and used it this summer. What a wonderful pack, and at 2 lbs, 2 oz, almost half the weight of the Z55. I did buy the optional hip belt pocket which holds my camera and snacks. The mesh side pockets are great for storage of my water bottles, which are easily reachable without taking the pack off. It has a ton of space inside and additional storage for my rain gear and water filter in the front mesh pocket. This pack was very comfortable every day. It will be the one I use for my thru hike.
Date: 2013-11-01
To: Shelter Review
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Five years ago I bought a Hennessy Ultralight A-Sym hammock based on reviews of comfort and ease of set up, and that it is. However, my underside would always be cold in the middle of the night, particularly the pressure points of my rear end, heels and shoulders. I bought a quilt undercover from Jacks 'R Better, but I could never resolve my underside being cold, even in the summer. After three years, I gave up and bought an Exped SynMat UL 7 mat and slept in shelters with either the quilt as a blanket or my 30 degree Marmot Hydrogen sleeping bag. I found that was more comfortable for me, allowed me to sleep on my stomach and sides, to toss and turn, and to regulate warmth by throwing open the quilt or sleeping bag. For days when I did not reach a shelter, I had a hex shaped cuben fiber hammock rain fly that I had previously bought on sale from Larson. I figured a way to set it up as an A frame tarp using my hiking poles, or if it was raining, I just kept hiking until I reached a shelter.However, a tarp is not going to work for me on a thru-hike. I'm going to buy a tent. The choices I've narrowed down is either a Six Moon Designs Skyscape Trekker (24 oz), the Tarptent Contrail (25 oz) or Notch (26 oz), or the LightHeart Gear Solo (27 oz). I have lots of time to wait for one of these to go on sale.
Date: 2013-12-07
To: Shoes or Boots?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

For four years of AT section hiking, I wore Asolo Fugitive GTX boots. These are great boots, excellent toe protection, high top ankle support, and hardly any wear after 400 miles on the AT. "GTX" stands for GoreTex, which is waterproof fabric that keeps water out, but keeps sweat in. My socks were always wet. Even when I rotated socks each day, they would never dry out. Invariably, I occasionally would hyperextend my weaker ankle by mis-stepping on rocks, then my ankle would swell up for a week. I realized that high-top boots weren't a lot of ankle protection, at least for me.Then I read that wearing boots is like having an extra five pounds in your backpack. The Asolo boots weigh 3 lbs for the pair, so I decided to try trail runners during my 2013 section hike. I found a great deal on the previous year's model of Inov-8 Terroc 330. At 1 lb, 10 oz for the pair, they're 45% lighter than my boots and I found that made a big difference for me in leg endurance. They're not waterproof, but they don't trap in sweat as a result and they dry out quickly. I love them, but I'm still worried about ankle support. So I got one of those ankle supports from the local drugstore. It's not any thicker than a sock, and far superior for ankle support than high-top boots. So that's my plan for footwear for my thru-hike, trail runners and throw on an ankle support if/when I have an ankle problem. If this info helps anyone trying to decide about footwear, great. However, I'm not making any recommendations as there are a lot of different models of boots and trail runners, just saying what works for me.
Date: 2014-03-02
To: Chikungunya
Miles today: 0.0

Oh-oh. One more thing to worry about with those damn mosquitoes. The following was reported in yesterday's Wall Street Journal."Public-health officials in the U.S. are girding for the arrival of a debilitating mosquito-borne virus that is sweeping the Caribbean and could soon break out across large parts of the Americas. The virus, chikungunya, first identified in 1952 in Tanzania, Africa, has been endemic for decades in southern and eastern Africa, according to the World Health Organization. But in the past decade it has spread to Asia and Europe, causing fever and intense muscle and joint pain for hundreds of thousands of people for weeks and, in some cases, years. The virus is transmitted rapidly by mosquitoes to humans and vice versa. There is currently no vaccine or cure. Besides fever and joint aches, it also causes headaches, nausea and rashes. It is rarely fatal but "people that get chikungunya probably wish they would die" because it is so painful, said Robert Novak, global-health professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Experts are concerned because the chikungunya strain in the Caribbean is being spread by a type of mosquito, Aedes degypti, that is common from the southern U.S. to northern South America. Officials in Florida, Louisiana and as far north as New Jersey are preparing for potential outbreaks. Chikungunya's spread has U.S. public-health officials on high alert because other mosquito-borne illnesses have quickly established themselves in the country in recent years. West Nile Virus, a pathogen from Africa that can be transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, first arrived in New York City in 1999. Today, it has spread across the U.S. and from Canada to Venezuela."
Date: 2014-03-15
To: WikiTrail
Miles today: 0.0

I stumbled upon a new web site recently, www.wikitrail.org. It was created by Rhymenocerous after hiking the AT in two parts in 2010 and 2012. It's pretty basic now but has maps and cool elevation profiles of the AT with links to info on shelters and towns that are downloadable to PC or smartphone. Like wikipedia, development will depend on user inputs. Thus, over time, it has the capability to become THE source for real-time free data on the AT; maybe by the time of our 2015 thru.
Date: 2014-06-21
To: Hike up Old Rag
Miles today: 0.0

Today I did my favorite day hike, the rock scramble up Old Rag Mountain in the Shenandoah Nat'l Park. It was very foggy, but I've seen the views before. This was a test of my new La Sportiva Raptors, which have a unique outsole that is supposed to grip extremely well. It did grip granite rocks with 45 degree slopes very well, and held my feet snugly with no slip. Hence, they're a keeper. As a secondary test, I replaced the insole of one shoe with a Green Superfeet insole and left the manufacturer's insole in the other. After a five hour hike, I couldn't tell the difference but I expect it would in a multi-day hike. The only problem today was that I was not wearing my Cho-Pat knee brace on my right knee, which was beginning to hurt before the end of the hike. Not using poles probably contributed to that. After reading so many thru-hikers quit in 2014 due to knee pain, I need to see a doctor about my right knee while I still have time before 2015.
Date: 2014-09-15
To: Major Life Event
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I had a major life event today. I submitted my retirement papers to punch out effective January 2nd when I will join the ranks of the unemployed. Then on March 28th my transformation to hiker trash will be complete. Restoration back to a normal citizen won't occur for another five to six months when I pay homage to the mighty Katahdin. While that event will be climatic (no pun intended¢¦well, yes really), I¢m really looking forward to the journey and the smelly new friends to be made.So while I¢m¢¦oops, that TP¢s byline!
Date: 2014-09-16
To: Somber Anniversary
Miles today: 0.0

Just a reminder that life is sometimes very serious and very tragic. Today is the one year anniversary of the Washington Navy Yard shootings where 12 patriots in my building were senselessly murdered by a deranged individual. Others were physically and emotionally scarred. However, we persevered. We always will.One of the great things about hiking is that it allows the mind to wander off on its own non-chemically induced trip, to relive past experiences and fantasize beyond the boundaries of reality. I suspect I won¢t need an anniversary to remember 9/16.
Date: 2014-12-03
To: Chiggers
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

At Trail Pilgrim's initiation, my "ticked" off story is from my first one week section hike in August 2009 through Shenandoah National Park. Sections of the AT were flowing with tall grass that hadn't been mowed down, and I was wearing shorts. Little did I know that the grass was full of chiggers and I never felt the little buggers jumping onto my bare legs like excited kids in a candy store. But I felt it a few days later and had insatiable inching for nearly two weeks. It was horrible. Lesson learned: I treat all my clothing with Permethrin and keep the lower legs on my convertible pants. While this looks dorky while everyone else is in shorts, my coolness is restored with Dirty Girl gaiters.
Date: 2014-12-17
To: Logistics
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

For the past month or so I've been checking airfares on Tuesdays, the day of the week supposedly flights go on sale. I've noticed that airfares do come down about five months from departures, spike up about three weeks from departure, but are relatively stable in between. Just my observations, your results may differ. I was hoping that flights out of Richmond, VA would come down given that crude oil prices have dropped significantly, but many airlines have hedge contracts that stabilize their jet fuel costs, so I decided yesterday to lock in the lowest fare out of Baltimore-Washington Int'l.So my plan is for the morning of 3/26, Pam will drop me off at the local commuter lot, I will slug into DC (free), take Metrorail from L'Enfant to Greenbelt station ($4.85), the B30 bus to BWI ($7), Delta to Atlanta ($112), MARTA red line to North Springs Station ($3.50), and Hiker Hostel shuttle to Dahlonega, GA (included in the thru-hiker special). 99 days to go, not that I'm counting!
Date: 2015-01-01
To: 2015 is here!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy New Year. 2015 has arrived. For me, that means three things. Tomorrow I retire as Director of the Navy's Inactive Ships Office, later this year I will complete my 60th orbit of the sun, and I will go for a walk in the woods, stretching 2,185 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to the summit of Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Along the way, I will pass through 14 states, 8 National Forests, 2 National Parks, and hike the vertical equivalent of summiting Mt. Everest 16 times.
Date: 2015-02-16
To: DIY Rain Skirt
Miles today: 0.0

Over a year ago I bought a kit to make silnylon rain pants that involved some complicated sewing and zippers. It didn't turn out well. It would have been a hassle to put on and take off, and I'd just sweat underneath them anyway, so what's the point. After reading about the virtues of a rain skirt, I decided to make my own using one tool, a pair of scissors. I grabbed the Hennessy Hammock Undercover out of the basement, since I've converted to tenting, and cut a 47"x23" rectangle from the silnylon fabric, retaining the continuous loop on the top edge. Through this loop I inserted an 84" length of shock cord, which wraps around my waist twice, and secure the two ends with a cord lock. Then I turn the skirt around 180 degrees so the slit is in the back where it is sheltered under the backpack. The result: 59 grams/2.1 oz and zero cost. The only disadvantage is that it is somewhat translucent, which might be a problem wearing at the laundrymat!
Date: 2015-03-03
To: Health Check
Miles today: 0.0

I had my annual physical today and am cleared for take off. Doc could find no issues with my knees, but my right knee still worries me. Doc recommended daily quadricep exercises before departure. He gave me a prescription for Doxycycline in the event of Lyme Disease symptoms. I still need to treat my clothes with Permethrin before mailing my pack to Hiker Hostel.I've updated my gear list for this thru-hike. 22 days to go for the flight to Atlanta!
Date: 2015-03-09
To: Permethrin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

One of my last preparation steps is to treat my hiking clothing with Permethrin, an insect repellent that kills ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers and mites. My method comes from Stick's Blog (sticksblog.com). Stick has a You Tube video on his blog for treating clothing with Permethrin SRF, which you can get in a 32 oz bottle from Amazon (mix 2 oz of Permethrin with 1 gallon of water in a bucket, let soak for five minutes, wring to dry using rubber gloves, then hang to dry). I've done this for the past few years for section hikes on the AT and not had any issues with ticks and chiggers. The DIY method doesn't last as long as treated clothing you can buy directly from Exofficio or Rail Ryders, but I save residual permethrin containing water in 3 oz spray bottles which I'll send to myself in mail drops for the northern states. This method should really be done outdoors, but I hung the clothes to dry in my basement and put the exhaust fan on. If you do this, read the warnings available online. Permethrin is poisonous for cats.
Date: 2015-03-18
To: Backpack shipped
Miles today: 0.0

Today I shipped my backpack to Hiker Hostel via USPS. $27 including insurance, which is the online price with printing the shipping label at home. Not bad considering that it would have cost a lot more to check it at the airport in an oversized box, plus having to lug it around enroute to the airport. One less thing to worry about. Eight days to go for the journey to begin.
Date: 2015-03-26
From: Home

To: Hiker Hostel 
Miles today: 0.0

Completed the journey to Dahlonega, GA to the Hiker Hostel. Traveled with five other hikers on the hostel shuttle, including one from Australia. There are 26 hikers here today and we are all comparing notes of our anticipation of the coming challenge. The trees are all budding and the weather is nice in the day, but it will rain in the next day or so with night temperatures below freezing. This will be an early test of my preparation.
Date: 2015-03-27
From: Springer Mountain 

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 8.1

I did not sleep well at the hostel, waking up several times. They fed us breakfast of french toast, grits, eggs and oatmeal. We weighed our packs and mine was the second lightest at 24.1 lbs with feed and 1 liter of water. Then 10 of us were taken up to Springer Mountain where we had to walk 1 mile south to the terminus for pictures, so we hiked 9.1 miles today. The trail was muddy so I had to hop around to avoid sinking my trail runners in the mud. Two guys I met at the Atlanta metro station where the hostel picked us up, Bruce and Jeff, who are about my age, have formed in inpromto team hiking together. I dubbed us the 3 amigos. We hiked together most of the day, then I broke ahead. We tented at Hawk Mountain Shelter, along with 17 other tents and two hammockers. It got down to 29 degrees tonight but it was 40 degrees in my tent. I'm glad I got a 15 degree bag.