morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-03-01
To: WoodyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hideaway
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

For those of us who are several weeks from hitting the trail, the wait is excruciating!  It¢s awesome to read the journals from the class of 2018 who are already out there...but boy oh boy I can¢t wait to change my status from ¢preparation¢ to ¢trail¢.  So what do we do in the meantime?  We hang out with hikers and talk trail!!That is what Curly Turtle and I did last weekend when we paid a visit to Woody¢s lovely home. He and his precious bride Velma hosted us and blessed us greatly.  Great conversation, remarkable views from their porch, and delicious food...thank you both so much. Woody will be about 3 weeks ahead of us in his hike so we probably won¢t see each other on trail, but such a great guy! We love you both.This weekend, we are traveling down to Amicalola Falls for the AT Kickoff. Very excited to be a part of this fun weekend and hoping to meet and greet with other hikers.  Perhaps we will see you there and if so, introduce yourself to us...you can¢t miss us; I¢ll be with the lovely lady with all the curls!
Date: 2018-03-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Curly Turtle and I drove down to Amicalola Falls SP early Friday to spend the night in tent city and participate in this years AT Kickoff. What a wonderful couple of days it was. The hiker community may not be all that well known, but within its own little world, it is very special and we are so glad to be a tiny little part of it. This weekend was a reminder that we have our work seriously cut out for us but there are amazing people along the way to support and encourage.We attended 4 different presentations, all of which were excellent. We learned a lot and added to our hiking tool kit. Spending the night in tent city was a great confirmation that our decision to leave in April was a good one. It's still just a tad bit cold for us, and I would rather be chasing spring than hiking with winter.Best of all though, was meeting amazing people face to face that I have been reading about for years. The author of one of my favorite AT books, Gary Sizer and his wife Katie were there...such a delightful team. As a side note, I highly recommend "Where's The Next Shelter?" for a fun and very enjoyable read. But best of all, by far, was meeting and spending a little time with Jimmy and Sherry ("I Believe"). These two are an amazing couple that spend a lot of time up and down the trail serving and ministering to hikers. They are kind, gracious and extremely encouraging. They are wonderful folks and I hope we get to see them again once we hit the trail. Thanks you two for letting Curly and I get some time with you. Bless you.Last thought...if you are contemplating any kind of extended hiking, not just the AT, I highly recommend going to the AT kickoff. The exerience is wonderful, you meet awesome people, and you will learn a lot, no matter how experienced you are!
Date: 2018-03-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Curly and I are four weeks away from this remarkable, unbelievable adventure called a thru hike! It would be impossible to comprehend were it not for all of the many things needed still to be done before we depart. This weekend we got our shopping mostly completed for our first week on the trail, and then for our time in the Smokies. In addition, we also serviced Curlys car and made our reservations at the Amicalola Falls Lodge for the 10th of April. Now that REALLY puts an exclamation action point on this trip!The butterflies have not arrived yet, but I know they are on the way. We are both over analyzing all of our present aches and pains, wondering if they are a threat to our hike. Amazing how such insignificant pains can be elevated in our minds when they intrude on epic opportunities. As I've heard it said many, many times, "getting old ain't for wimps!" And it's true, but thank the Lord for role models like Greybeard, who thru hiked last year and was 82 (I think) when he finished. One foot in front of the other...
Date: 2018-03-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Our original plans for this thru hike had us leaving mid March 2018.  We thought at the time that the weather would be good for leaving, and it would give us plenty of time to get up north before New England winter hit. Then we found out our third grand child would be due in early April, so we pushed the start date out to April 11, just to make sure we had wiggle room to tend to baby and big sister.Wow, how glad we are now it all worked out that way!  With the crazy March that has brought insane weather upon current hikers, I can¢t express how grateful I am to be out of those elements.  We also welcomed Ayden into the world last night just before midnight.  And on top of all that, the last minute check off items have multiplied rather than disappeared.  All that to say I¢m excited we still have two weeks remaining before stepping off.  Hopefully the spring we are waiting for will arrive and all those on the trail and all those headed to the trail will start making those big miles!  2 weeks to Springer!!
Date: 2018-04-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

You know, once a farewell party has been thrown for you, there is no turning back, right? This past weekend, our amazing friends Staci and Ben hosted a wonderful drop in for us, and it was a great evening. The best wishes, prayers, and generosity of so many awesome people was moving. Curly Turtle and I are extremely blessed to have such amazing people supporting and encouraging us. Of course, that definitely increases the pressure to get out there and succeed... in a good way naturally!We truly are in the home stretch at this point. Packs are loaded, two resupply boxes are packed and ready for mailing, our house sitter moved in this weekend...all that is left is 4 days of work and a drive down to Georgia. Next post will be from the trail and we are ready to get this adventure underway!
Date: 2018-04-11
From: Springer Mountain 

To: Horse Gap
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The dream has now become reality! With a drive to Georgia courtesy of our amazing trail bosses Ed and Lisa, we spent an incredible day in Helen, complete with German cuisine and ice cream...a great night sleep at the lodge, then was whisked away to the Springer Mtn parking lot by Lionheart (thanks Leonard you¢re the best!)We hiked the first mile to Springer Mtn which doesn¢t count for total mileage, then took our pictures at the summit! We are officially on our way; this is simply incredible. The sun was shining bright, it was a crisp 37 degrees, and we were simply enthralled with the moment.We took our time hiking, stopping at Laurel Creek Falls for lunch, then Hawk Mtn Shelter for a break and load up on water. We were definitely feeling the first day hiker pain by end of the day, but hit our destination at 430pm, Horse Gap. Total AT miles today was 10.5. We ate loaded mashed potatoes with pepperonis.The trail today was dry, relatively easy which I¢m convinced is simply a ploy to lull gullible hikers into complacency. Hopefully that is not us!  All in all a remarkable first day, so thankful to be out here
Date: 2018-04-12
From: Horse Gap

To: Dockery Lake Trail
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: light rain

Curly and I woke up to a beautiful clear morning after a pretty decent nights rest. Two things immediately struck me as being strangely familiar. The first was the ¢hiking muscles¢ barking at me after one day out. Never fails, that¢s just the way it is, yet I always forget the truth that ya gotta Hike to get into hiker shape. Second was my less than stellar attempt to break camp in a timely fashion. My plan was getup at six and hike at seven (a. m. that is)...so we did get up at six...hiking didn¢t commence till eight. You can draw your own conclusions.We camped at the base of Sassafras mountain and in spite of its reputation, pop tarts and coffee conquered it. Again like the day before, the trail was very generous to us and we made good time. Had lunch at Gooch Mt shelter at 1130am, and headed out for our planned destination, Woody Gap, which would be a ten mile day. Arrived there about 230 and got some water from the good folks at Zion Baptist Church and took a shoes off break. Decided to shoot for Lance Creek campsite, just shy of four more miles.On our way, we climbed up to Preacher Rock and the wide open vistas were incredible. A local who was up there pointed out South Carolina to us. We were told to expect big crowds at the camping area so when we came upon a large stealth site about 4 tenths of a mile away, we decided to call it a day. As I type this journal we probably have another dozen hikers camped here, including six guys headed southbound who flew in from Austin just to spend a few days together. Neat.Ate dinner, hung our food and chit chatted with the guys (Curly is the only woman in camp) for a while. Another wonderful day with one more planned tomorrow before the rain and reality strike!!
Date: 2018-04-13
From: Dockery Lake Trail

To: Bag Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

We are most definitely not one of that number, as our day took us well beyond Neel Gap, but not before we stopped to pick up a resupply box and drink an ice cold Coke! We arrived early afternoon and hung around with some other hikers who have been hiking about the same pace as us. Then hit the trail to knock out a few more miles before we ran out of gas. Bad weather is rolling in tomorrow and Sunday is shaping up to be very bad-so bad that we might move up our town day from Tuesday to Sunday just to avoid it. Gonna work hard to get in some big miles tomorrow, but we are very pleased with our current pace. Bodies feel like they¢re gettin stronger and attitudes are excellent. So grateful to be out here...thanks again to all who have made it possible.We are now tucked into our tent and snuggled under our sleeping bags. Thanks again for following we appreciate that so much!
Date: 2018-04-14
From: Bagg Creek Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up Saturday morning expecting the start of bad weather rolling in. Attempting to get to our first town visit since beginning this trip we decided to hike 14.5 miles to Blue Mtn Shelter. It would be our longest mileage day but set us up good for options if successful.Our morning began with Wildcat Mountain, which I dubbed ¢she devil¢, because it was much more than a wild cat, this mountain was from a darker place. I¢m not sure why it was so difficult, particularly since it was our first climb of the day which is typically our best climb (everything gets harder from there). It had switchbacks which are always appreciated. I think it caught us by surprise because it just never seemed to end! Thankfully the weather cooperated and we pressed onward and came up over the other side. Oddly, the trail gave way to fairly easy grades for most of the day afterwards, and we played leapfrog with some folks who started their thru hike the same time as us. Good things always come to an end, and in our quest to wrap up the day with going up and over Blue Mountain, we found ourselves not on a trail but what seemed like a rock quarry! For at least the last half mile, we navigated up over and around rocks, once again showing us that this trail has much more to teach us than we can imagine.We drug ourselves into camp and set up our tent, then cooked dinner at the shelter, socializing with the hikers congregated. (Shout out to Drew Noller - the red beans and rice meal was OUTSTANDING! Many thanks.)We said good night and zipped up the tent, to await the evening rains that would set the tone for the next day.
Date: 2018-04-15
From: Blue Mountain Shelter 

To: Tray Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: light rain

Well, the heavy rains commenced around 3am and were on again off again until 7am, when they just stayed on for the rest of the day...and which was also the time we attempted to pack up and head out. Our destination was Tray Mtn Shelter, 8.1 miles away.We decided since the temps would be in the mid 50¢s, we would wear shorts and save our long pants for the next day which was projected to be in the low 40¢s and snow. Even with rain gear on there was no staying dry today, truly some of the wettest weather we¢ve experienced. The good news is it would be our shortest hiking day, which really went well, no spills or accidents, and we actually hit the shelter at 1pm. Now we are not fans of staying in shelters, they are not private and they have mice and other critters, but our tent was soaked, we couldn¢t sleep in it, and snow was projected overnight with below freezing temps...so the dry Shelter it was. Understand that shelters are 3 sided buildings with a platform for sleeping on, some pegs to hang your packs, usually bear cables to hang your food out of Yogi¢s reach, maybe a picnic table...oh, and did I mention mice? Shelters are completely open on one side and exposed to the elements. And they are made for a certain number of people. The one we occupied held 7, and we squeezed in 11! Just like sardines!We spent the afternoon lounging inside glad to be out of the rain. Six guys from Orlando who were section hiking had put up their hammock tarps over the open end, giving us protection from the rain and allowing us some semblance of warmth (term used very loosely).Hiker midnight came (8pm ish) and soon all that was heard was the pitter patter of mice running over the tin shelter roof, the symphonic orchestration of people snoring (mostly out of harmony), and the wind outside howling it¢s good night to us.
Date: 2018-04-16
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

When we turned off the lights last night we had no idea what we would wake up to...and thus began what would become our worst day on the trail and our best day on the trail.The six guys from Orlando started rustling about at 530am. I poked my nose out of the quilt and was very glad to have layered up the night before. In a few moments all of us were beginning our morning rituals...privy call, food bags down from cables, fire up stoves for coffee, grumble about the cold...ya know, that stuff all of us do when we¢re at home. Within the hour (or more) we were off on an 11.3 mile stroll to Dicks Creek Gap and what we thought would be a bunk at Top of Georgia Hostel.OK, now for the worst. Poor Curly from the very first step just bonked. She had no energy, stamina, even the motivation of town couldn¢t get her to move. Feet were heavy like bricks and with the prospect of close to a thousand foot climb looming at Addis Mountain, we were struggling. The weather was nasty with temps at freezing and a vicious bitter wind blowing sideways. Our goal (my goal) was to get to our destination by 1pm to allow us time for town chores. We actually made good time at first, hiking 5.5 miles in the first three hours...then it all came crashing down and our hike slowed down to a literal crawl. We had a mountain to climb and it was a toughie! Simply one foot in front of the other was all we could do. Curly was feeling bad because she was feeling bad. I was feeling the stress of not making it to town and having to spend another night in a nasty, wet tent with a freeze warning in place. We just plodded, which is what us old folks do...both our phones were dead so no way to call the hostel, and then we found out with a couple miles to go that the hostel was booked solid! Oh gosh, huge disappointment which slowed us down even more...And now, the rest of the story. We made it to Top of Georgia at 2pm, finishing our hike in 7 hours. We won¢t win any races at that pace, but we are not in a race. Knowing they had no room and we had no phone, a young couple who are cousins, Squeek and Squatch, couldn¢t get a room cause they were too young and didn¢t have a credit card. Well, we are old and do, so they called Holiday Inn Express and we got the room! 4 nasty hikers in one room and, the cost ended up being the same as if we stayed at the hostel...and we didn¢t sleep in bunk beds!Showers were taken, wet gear laid out for drying, resupply accomplished, AYCE (all you can eat) at Daniels and laundry done! Best. Ending. Ever to the worst day yet.Tomorrow back to the trail for a three and a half day hike into NC and a push towards Franklin bringing us a bit closer to the Smokies.
Date: 2018-04-17
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 11.8

It¢s amazing how good life is when you are clean, your clothes are clean, and you slept in a comfy (clean) bed...all three of which we experienced last night. Waking up to fresh coffee and heat coming from an air duct was exquisite! We got ourselves around and took a 10 am shuttle back to where we were picked up yesterday. Our immediate and pressing goal was to get to North Carolina at Bly Gap about 9 miles or so. We had to hustle cause we didn¢t start hiking till almost 11am. The day was beautiful with bright sunshine, few clouds, about 50 degrees which is all great hiking weather. Unfortunately, Curly¢s lunch about 130pm didn¢t sit well, and she got nauseous. Which slowed her down and with some huge mountains in front of us, she struggled big time. I felt terrible for her but could do nothing...except to hike on. And we did. With a lot of grit Curly pressed on and we entered N.C. at 430pm today...one exact week since we began the journey. I was quite surprised then when Curly said she wanted to hike to the next shelter...but if she is game, I certainly am. We continued on and to be honest, I began to doubt the wisdom of this move, but hey, we were all in. Over the next 2.5 hours we hiked about 1,400 feet of elevation and 2.9 more miles. We limped into Muskrat Creek Shelter after 7, set up tent next to this amazing bubbling brook and ate a quick dinner. It¢s 9pm and waaay I past my bedtime. Tomorrow a 12.5 mile is planned, hoping that Curly is up to snuff. I will share in a future post some lessons we have been learning over the past week...definitely humbling!
Date: 2018-04-18
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter 

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up this morning feeling good and fully rested. Curly slept very well and was ready for the day. I can say that this day turned out to be one of our best, both in terms of weather and mileage. The trail was incredibly gentle with gradual ascents and easy descents. Even Standing Indian Mountain, which had over 1,000 feet in elevation change did so over three miles! We really enjoyed the day and ate a nice lunch at the topOf the mountain. The rest of the day was moving ourselves in position to tackle Albert Mountain early tomorrow and be ready for a short day into Franklin on Friday.I wanted to share some lessons we learned in this first week. No matter how long you do something you can always learn and get better. This trail humbles you if you think you know it all, so in the spirit of NOT knowing it all, here are some things we learned this past week:FAILSSharing phone charger - airplane mode won¢t cut it and neither will one charger for two people.Tooth powder - lighter but yuckier...we ended up paying $2 for a travel size toothpaste as a result.Waterproof socks - no such thing, $46 wasted, enuf said.Timely reservations at hostels - when every hiker in north Georgia is trying to escape bad weather, don¢t wait till day before to make a reservation, you won¢t get one.SUCCESSESGood mileage choices - we set goal of 10-12 miles per day and that has been right for us. No blisters, shin splints or any other aches beyond normal hiking all day aches.Dry camping - we have avoided shelters most nights and that¢s a great choice. Carrying in water to camp in solitude is worth the effort.Tray Mtn Shelter 8 mile day - this one time we did use a Shelter was literally a life saver. To sleep in a soaking wet tent in sub 30 temps with snow would have been life threatening. There are exceptions for most everything.Clothing choices - both of us are very happy with the clothes we brought. All pieces have been used, and we are warm when it¢s cold and cool when it¢s hot.
Date: 2018-04-19
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Rock Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: light rain

We did some big miles yesterday so that we could face Albert Mountain first thing this morning, and set us up for a 3.5 mile hike to Franklin on Friday. Because today would be a short one, we took our time getting around and were on the trail by 820am.It seems like with each day we face a new challenge, and today that would be our highest climb yet...Albert Mountain. It wasn¢t just thousand foot ascent to the top, it was an amazing scramble up. No gentle grades for this day. It felt like we were hiking in the Whites again, and it took us a solid hour to navigate the rock scrambles. But...it was a beautiful and clear day, and when we summited, the views were breathtaking. We lingered up on top for at least an hour, it was hard to break away. Sadly the pictures we take on our phones or cameras truly do no justice to the glory of what our eyes see. I wept most of the way up, not because of the pain but because of God¢s glorious creation on display. I could only wonder if earth, as broken as it is can display such beauty, how much more will the new heaven and new earth display? I hope I never forget the visual imagery I saw today.Sadly, it was time to move on and that we did. With another 5 miles to get under our belts before the day ends, we pressed on to our destination Rock Gap Shelter. Arriving at 130pm, we set up camp, ate a hot lunch and took a nap. All in all a fantastic day on the trail and before the books!
Date: 2018-04-20
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap - Franklin 
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: clear sky

We woke up to a beautiful morning and the prospect of getting into town for a full day of chores and....wait for it...town food! No Spam, no Peanut Butter, just glorious well cooked burgers and whatever else we were desiring. Our pickup from the Gap was around 10-1030am so we broke camp and were on the trail by 730am. It¢s remarkable how fast you can hike when deliciousness awaits you at the end of the trail.We hit the Gap with time to spare, and after a couple of fits and starts we made it to Gooder Grove Hostel, this very cool, neat place. Zen, the owner is an awesome guy who works hard to accommodate hikers, and he does a great job of it. We enjoyed our stay there and recommend it highly to all passing thru.After showers, we walked into town and I had a double cheeseburger with grilled onions and mushrooms while Curly had a watermelon salad with chicken. We haven¢t talked much about food up to now just because there are more important things to write about...but with town stories, how can I resist? After lunch we resupplied for the next 4 days and stopped for a chai tea (CT) and coffee (FF) and scone. Back to the hostel to clean up the tent and gold laundry. Then out to WalMart for another resupply then back into town for Dinner. We had Korean pulled pork and some kind of Nachos for dinner. With all the chores done, stomach full and bodies refreshed, we are looking forward to hitting the trail tomorrow!