morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-23
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Yellow Creek Mountain Rd.
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Slack packed from Stecoah Gap back to the B&B. First time hiking on my foot for five days. Walked 7.7 miles. Climbed & descended Jacob's Ladder. Averaged only 1 mile an hour - painful downhills on my foot and knees. Needed ice when done - but I made it! The B&B allowed me to register and print my Great Smoky Mountain permit.
Date: 2016-01-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 273.0
Weather: light snow

So here I am four hundred and three miles from what I once called home. Hiking hundreds of miles does something to you that only those who have walked this journey understand. It forever alters your mind and heart. Being so close to so many wondrous things and meeting kind strangers who want nothing from you but to help aide you on your quest for peace restores your faith in humanity. We walk everyday with aching feet and knees to question all we believe. We wake every morning to see the sunrise and sit in silence as it sets. Relying on only our limited gear and strength of our will and bodies to get us to the next shelter. We are among the ten percent to finish. We are strong, resilient, and persistent. No one will ever be able to take this from us, and as we walk fear falls away again and knowing that we can create anything stands out amongst any other thought that might try and poison our existence. We are strength undefeatable. We are beautiful messes of human beings who know excuses live only in fear and insecurities of minds and hearts untested. We have tested our limits and found that there truly are no limits to what we are capable of. Only the false ones we create in our own minds and thoughts, that no longer exist in us.
Date: 2016-01-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The strong beat of a mad woman's heart"I have a weariness in my bones I've never known before and an ache in my brainI wake I walkAnd wake and walk againBut my thoughts of you late at night still keep me awakeAnd I don't know what I am doingBut I am happy and I am freeWhen I get back- but back to what? Is the question I keep askingI have no homeNo job, no truckAnd I'm down to just one pupMaybe I'll save upBuy a camper or RVMaybe I'll just drive around the US and write and drink until I'm used up. That would be just fine with meI'm living life and it's never easy being bold200 miles in and I still don't give two shits about what I'm toldI'm a mad woman with a heart as pure as gold and I'm walking 2000 miles just to test the strength of my mind and rebuild the beats in my heartMaybe that's where I'll finally startIn the strong beats of my mad woman's heartYeah, maybe that's where I'll start in the strong beats of my mad woman's heartAnd every story on this trail is the sameWe are all looking for something, life's filled us up with disdain And as we walk in winters snow Onlookers point assuming we're insane But I've never felt more saneI've never felt so sane So maybe that's where I'll startWith every step and every beat in my strong mad woman's heartYeah, that's where I'll start in the strong beat of my mad woman's heart
Date: 2016-01-29
To: Smokies
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light snow

I would keep walking with your memory weighing down on my back, but you¢ve grown too dense for my taste. Besides, I¢m not going that way, no- I¢m not walking back your way. No, I won¢t stay.So I climbed to the top of Snow Bird to sit and watch as the last sliver of sun slipped out of view behind the ridge to bed.I unpacked our moments right there on that mountain top. I dumped them in a pile. I left you there, you always did like it at the top. And my face never could shine as bright as you would have liked. Then I packed up what was left of mine. Yeah, then I walked away. Walked away, leaving you behind. I walked away, without saying goodbye.And I can¢t remember the last time my minds felt so lightAnd I can¢t remember a time I¢ve been this highAnd I haven¢t held a stranger through the night in a long long timeBut I just might, yeah, I think I mightAnd with every step I take This heart of stone keeps melting with the snowNow that I¢ve found my sense and lightened my loadAnd I know it¢s hard for you to see but walking on my own has been good for meThis trails been good for meI have been good to me
Date: 2016-02-10
To: Amicalola Falls State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I will be updating this blog throughout the 100 days that I will be hiking the Appalachian Trail. I hope to add to it regularly, although I can not make any promises because I imagine I will be a bit distracted at times. There are 10 more days before Cheetah (Ria's trail name!) and I are dropped off in Amicalola Falls State Park. The anxiety of preparation has set in and I feel more frantic every day. Today, I cut off all of the tags on my gear, hopeful that at least a tenth of an ounce has been shaved off my weight. Ironically, i proceeded to sew a small St. Christopher charm to my pack, surely negating any of the weight I thought i was saving by cutting off tags. Oh well, I would rather have the weight of St. Christopher than any of those tags (thank you Donnellys)!!There are many tasks I have left to prepare before we depart...last minute gear needs to be bought. Most of these items can be purchased from Wal-Mart (moleskin, leukotape, trash compactor bags, antiseptic towlettes, etc). Gear to be ordered...gaiters, go pro, sleeping bag liner, storm matches. Besides gear, I will also be preparing my bounce box and meal drops. Food desperately needs to be bought. Logistics are also important, however, Cheetah and I have not set mileage goals for each day of the first week. It is a large weight off our shoulders to not care where we end at the 100 day mark. Our journey feels less technical, more emotional. Not sure who will be following this trail blog but wanted to include a link for those of you that are interested in our location throughout the hike. I will be carrying a Spot GPS which will regularly update our progress along the way. Please feel free to save this link to your browser and share with whomever you please. http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=09TshVGE1JbznAVNVzJ7qO7qGRJBeze6C
Date: 2016-02-26
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 2 - Hawk Mtn Shelter to Gooch Mountain ShelterToday was a hard day. Rain allllll night, mouse chewed through my tent, then cold rain in wet cold clothes. Ultra was with us until Sassafrass Mtn and then he fell behind and we haven't seen him since. My tent bottom was soaking wet from putting it up in the pouring rain. Being on the trail makes me realize how well prepared Ria and I are. Gear-wise but also we are able to take on the terrain more so than other people we thought were in great shape. Short but steep climb up Sassafrass then longer climb up Justus Mtn. Down for a long time into greenery. Level terrain and then gentle uphill til shelter. 7.7 miles that felt like 25. It's around 6pm but still no sign of Ultra or our other friend Emily. Ria and I are a little worried about them. Sinatra (another new friend) has been a fun guy to be around. He is from NJ and sounds just like Sinatra. He wears indoor soccer shoes to hike in, brought a 5 person outdoor shower, 6 books to read, 4 pairs of shoes, among other things. He gave away all of his water before a 7 mile really tough stretch and still rolled on past Ria and I even though he started an hour and a half after us. Thunderstorms all day tomorrow with Blood Mtn... Which is 9 miles uphill and grueling after about 2 miles. My body is really fatigued, especially my hips and shoulder but we are trying to make it to Neel Gap which is 15 miles from here. Ria and I are staying in Gooch Gap Shelter with around 12 other people. Hopefully not many mice. I did hang up my food bag tonight so that's good. Tonight we met Turtle (a Knoxville, TN computer engineer who grew up in Dayton). He only has one pair of shoes and uses an umbrella instead of rain gear so hopefully he doesn't get too cold. We also talked to a guy from Chicago who has already hiked the AT once and the PCT. He is planning on hiking as much as possible until May when he leaves for the PCT again. He gave us a lot of good tips, especially on shoes... need a pinching heel to keep foot from sliding forward and causing blisters on downhill. He said he didn't feel in shape on the AT until week 8. Sinatra and a fellow named Spaceman went off down the trail to try and find Emily who I bet set up camp. Had fettuccine Alfredo, cheese and crackers, and snickers for dinner which was tasty. Put too much water in the pot so I kind of messed up the Alfredo but it still tastes good. There is a guy named Gator from Miami who is sleeping on the direct surface of the shelter and is already thinking about quitting. He has been asking for snacks and does not have a sleeping bag or even a blanket. Sinatra gave Gator half of a zebra blanket, so nice. It is getting colder and is supposed to start raining at 10pm. Hopefully our bodies our bodies are ready to put in some work tomorrow. Also, blisters have popped up on my pinky toes and arches because I didn't wear my hiking liners today. They are currently hanging on a line to dry right now and I hope they actually do because I need them to make it through tomorrow. Need a positive attitude.
Date: 2016-03-03
From: Top of Georgia Hostel

To: Top of Georgia Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 13 - Zero at Top of Georgia Hostel 3/5/16Ria and I woke up this morning very refreshed. Most hikers were up and moving by 6:30am. We headed to grab breakfast at 7am. So delicious they had wonderful homemade apple bread with Apple butter on top. I had two pieces of that along with a sausage biscuit. Ria and I sat by Journeyman and Pampa. Journeyman turns 64 on the trail and is headed for Katahdin. He was pretty funny, especially when he said that sitting on the privy at Blue Mtn Shelter was like barely avoiding sitting on a stalagmite of poo. He's right! Some of these privys are coming close to overflowing. Pampa turns 59 on the trail and was an air traffic controller for his main career. He had some inventive ideas for how to fix the privy problems. One of them involved helicopters dropping port-o-potties at each of the shelters. Not sure how that would turn out.After breakfast Ria and discussed our ailments and whether we felt the need to take a zero or not. We are both apprehensive but we are in this for the long haul and are interested in getting as much healing as possible. We decided to take the zero.Also, Truitts father just sent me a text saying he bought a stem machine and would be willing to send it to me!!!All day Ria and I have been feeling a bit stir crazy. I went out on the back porch and found Ria in her sleeping bag laying on the ground which was quite a sight to see. We also met a few new people who arrived at the hostel today. I would say most of the hikers here are heading out tomorrow morning and seem to be pushing out high mileage. Almost everyone I've talked to is experiencing knee problems...one guy there has an infected blister on his arch.Some new faces that stick out are Snap, Eric, Emma and Mountain Man. Snap has been here since yesterday and has a really nice digital camera. He works in an ER in New Jersey and worked in an ER in NYC. Very crazy stories. He told us that he keeps vodka and a certain type of honey in his first aid kit. Also cayenne pepper powder is good to throw in wounds. They have a ton of different uses. I really enjoyed listening to him. Eric is a 50 something year old from Pennsylvania and he is fi to talk to as well. He loves to watch wrestling and has season tickets to Penn State's wrestling matches. We talked about UK basketball for a while and he said he loved Coach Pitino when he was a UK and only UK. Good for him! Emma is a junior at Duke taking a semester off to hike the trail. Very bubbly and sings a lot. Mountain Man is exactly like he sounds...camo buff on his head, big gray and black beard, 35, tall and big. He is sleeping on the bunk above me. Real nice jolly guy. He just spent an hour going through his pack trying to find gear to send home and is planning on only eating snacks and "cold cooking." Tomorrow we plan on getting up early, packing up our stuff, eating breakfast and the. Heading back to Dicks Creek to start toward Franklin, NC.
Date: 2016-03-07
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: broken clouds

Day 15 - Muskrat Creek Shelter to Carter Gap Shelter 12.5 miles 3/7/16Today was our biggest day as far as mileage goes. 12.5 miles, woohoo! We are women hear us roar!!! Yesterday was a doozy so we were a little concerned about where our legs would be this morning but besides a little stiffness everything felt good. Our new routine is to head out around 8 or 8:15am and to hit about 2 miles per hour. The terrain was very pleasant, lots of straightaways until Standing Indian Mountain which was a 3 mile climb. It must have been an old logging road bc it was very wide and the switchbacks were on very level and lovely inclines. So far our tallest point at 5,500 ft. NC is beautiful. Birch trees with silver bark and many groves of Mtn Laurel interspersed among miniature waterfall streams. Today we talked a LOT about food. We are both severely craving milkshakes. Franklin is a day and a half away so you better bet that's one of the first stops in town. AK joined us for a while today. We also ran into new fast ppl from Michigan, Mara and Jeremy. Doubt we will ever see them again. Sunshine and Rags were a father/son section hiker team out for 7 days from ATL. Very nice and motivated. Told us that his father/grandfather had thru-hiked back in the 90s.We felt very weary at mile 11 with 1.5 left but we finished strong and camp location/shelter is very nice. We also like the ppl with us. There is a guy with knee problems from Miami named Shrink (he is a counselor) and he goes a little slower pace than us. He is fun to be around bc he is super animated, funny and talkative. Also, Santa and Wonder are here again. Wes "Quick" is here too. He is an interesting fellow. In his 30s and out of the Navy. He is going to law school in the fall as well and wants to specialize in environmental law. There is also a new face who I suspect we will only see once, Noah. From NYC and very intelligent. He studied physics and mathematics. Goes on 20 mile days so I doubt we will see him again after this but he was interesting to talk to. Shrink built a fire after dinner so we all sat around and laughed. Oh! Ken was here too. He is such a nice quiet guy. Looking forward to Albert Mountain tomorrow. Supposedly it is a hand over foot climb at some points. We are almost to 100 miles!
Date: 2016-03-12
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 20 - 3/12/16 Wayah Bald Shelter to Wesser Bald Shelter 10.6 milesWoke up around 6:30am. Slept in the shelter and was paranoid about mice all night so slept semi-ok. Warm night, I don't think it went down past 55 degrees. I got hot in my sleeping bag so I unzipped the lower part of the mummy to air out my hot feet. We left camp at 8:15am and hiked uphill toward the last shelter sign we saw...which was .25 of a mile away. Once we arrived, we realized that we had gone the wrong way on the trail...whoops! We cursed ourselves and turned around and went the .25 back down to the shelter. We were doing a good pace. While passing the shelter (for the second time) we saw Strange and he told us not to feel bad. While he was thru-hiking the PCT he once went 15 miles in the wrong direction. I would hate my life if we did that. Ria and I hiked on at a good clip. Passed a lone camper, flat terrain until we passed Sinatra, Minute Man and Farmer Joe. Once we passed them we went 1 mile uphill. Legs felt good. Knee felt good. We talked about middle school and memorable experiences. We passed Turtle and Rusty Bridges. Then a 2 mile uphill. Passing the 1st shelter we ran into Corncob and Shrink. I needed to eat and air out my feet desperately so Ria and I stopped at a small overlook shortly after seeing them.There was a 30ish section hiker and his 2 dogs on the vista. He is doing two 40 mile trips a year until he finished the whole AT. He said it will take him 25 years. We hiked on, flat terrain on the ridge. Ria climbed the Rocky Bald while I went ahead and found a quiet spot to journal and wait for her. I did not enjoy hiking alone. I think I would need to listen to a book or music to occupy myself. Had a long downhill then an exhausting uphill with 1.8 miles until the shelter. This one was a doozy. When we made it to the top we saw Shrink, Corncob, and a couple others. We climbed the wooden, rickety observation tower and took pictures. I was pretty scared. Oh, Rhodo was there! Rhodo is Noah's trail name. We christened him with it yesterday. Rhodo is short for Rhododendron. He uses the leaves as toilet paper. He says he prefers the leaves to toilet paper. Love it!Anyway, climbed down and headed to the shelter. Supposed to rain tomorrow so we grabbed a spot in the shelter. Shrink built a fire, Corncob told jokes, we met a new girl named Ash, an older guy named Slug. Sinatra and crew showed up. Nutella is camping here. We head to Nantahala Outdoor Center tomorrow. It is 6 miles of downhill from here. Goodnight.
Date: 2016-03-15
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 23 - Sassafras Gap Shelter to Cable Gap Shelter 3/15/16 15.1 milesHuge day today. Tough terrain and hot blazing sun. We did 6.7 miles in about 3 hours. Ups and very steep ups but also today was a roller coaster so some downs. The environment was not my favorite. The trail covered in a carpet of dead brown leaves that hid pesky roots.We climbed Jacob's Ladder in 20 minutes. I felt so powerful I smiled the entire time. This trail is building me, ass kicking climb by ass kicking climb. My mind and body feel strong. Corncob, Cheetah and Rhodo celebrated by peeing on the top of Jacob's Ladder.More steep climbs and brown landscape. Sun, sweaty everything, sunburnt. Lots of bird sounds. Last mile was killer.
Date: 2016-03-17
From: Fontana Dam

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 25 - Fontana Dam to Russell Field Shelter 3/17/16 13 milesHappy St. Patricks Day! Woke up at 5:30am to the sound of something walking through our camp. There were also coyotes howling all night long. At one point the coyotes seemed as if they were right next to our camp. scared me to death. Didn't sleep much. I don't think I will be stealth camping again anytime soon.So much uphill today. Around mile 3 we ran into "throne rock." We were able to get service there so we spent about 30 minutes calling our moms and working out the details for Gatlinburg. They plan on picking us up at Newfound Gap which is mile 207. I also called Truitt to tell him I love him. Can't wait for April when I get to see him.Continued uphill to the firetower on Shuckstack. Very steep climb but bonus miles so we left our packs at the bottom. It felt like we were moonwalking. I felt myself pushing off the ground much harder than I needed. 30-35 lbs changes the comfort level of walking so much. My feet have gone from supporting 130lbs to supporting 165lbs and it takes its toll. I made it up two flights of stairs on the fire tower before sitting on my butt and going back down. One handrail was missing and at each turn there was no definitive hand railing. I am such a scaredy cat. But I like living and think going down will improve my chances of a longer life. Cheetah and Corncob made it up to the top.We still had 10 miles to go after the fire tower and by the time we left it was 2pm. This lack of time efficiency gives me anxiety. I don't like the idea of relaxing/eating/setting up in the dark. It's just not as easy to decompress from the day. It was tough but we made it to Russell Field Shelter around 7pm. We got our stuff up and then the sun set. Tessla and Rash were there. They are 16 & 17. Tessla got Norovirus which is freaking everyone out. He seemed fine but he wasn't touching anything. He said it was 2 days of hell. Apparently it's all through the Smoky's...which we entered today.We had to pay $20 and register online. Upon entering the park you had to rip off the bottom half of the permit and drop it in a box. We keep the top half. If we are stopped by a Smoky's Ranger we have to present the permit or be fired. Also, you are not allowed to stay in the shelters if day/section hikers have reserved them. No camping in our tents either. We set up our tents tonight for fear of Norovirus in the shelter but with the plan to take them down around sunrise. Also, we crossed into Tennessee today! Our 3rd state. Scenery has changed for the better but TN has a law prohibiting privys. So they have designated "privy areas" with a shovel, woof!
Date: 2016-03-20
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Day 28 - Zero day in Gatlinburg 3/20/16Woke up to the most amazing breakfast spread. Chocolate chip banana bread, bagels, muffins, eggs, fresh fruit, juice, etc. Gorged myself and then began more laundry and airing out the stuff in my bag. Lunch was another delicious spread w/ muenster cheese, turkey, lasagna, etc. Oh, the most delicious salted butter. I would toast focaccia and then put the butter on it and then sprinkle salt on the buttered bread.Went to Food City and mom paid which was really nice of her. Sorted through all my clothes and food. Decided to send home my heavy rain pants and balaclava. Added my shorts and tshirt to my clothes bag. Sprayed my clothes, tent and pack with Permethrin which kills ticks, mosquitos, etc. Then spent a majority of the afternoon updating my trail journal with Pride Prejudice playing in the background. Mom and I laid in bed while I typed away. She had brought her laptop which made everything so much easier. Went to a BBQ place for dinner and then we watched videos of Corncob and Rhodo on YouTube. Rhodo is a really good cellist and Corncob is a wonderful singer. Packed up my pack and then bed time.
Date: 2016-03-21
From: Newfound Gap

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: light snow

Day 29 - Newfound Gap to Icewater Spring Shelter 3/21/16 2.8 milesAnother wonderful breakfast spread. I took a bath in the morning and actually shaved my armpits and legs (cut myself like it was my first time ever shaving). Started cleaning up and we eventually crammed into the car and went to the post office to bounce box some food to Hot Springs. Then on to Newfound Gap. We got to Sugarland Visitor Center and the road up to the top was closed bc of ice and snow. We stood in line to talk to the Rangers and they said no to our idea of road walking the 13 miles up to the gap. We had pretty much resigned ourselves to staying in Gatlinburg another night when they unexpectedly opened the road. Woohoo!The views were gorgeous. The temp dropped from 48 degrees to 22 degrees really fast. Got to Newfound Gap and it was a touristy circus. Mom and I had one last hug and a tearful goodbye. We ate lunch in the public restrooms and then set off in the 6-8 inches of snow. Beautiful, gorgeous views and snowy surroundings. I've never been in such wonderful settings. My arch and heel started experiencing a weird shooting pain. My right foot. I don't like this feeling. Got to the shelter around 2:30pm. Very cold out around 20 degrees. Dropped our packs and went to the JumpOff for views. I turned around early bc of foot pain. Then cold night. Very cold but thankful for full shelter. Beautiful views from shelter.