morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-09
To: Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

David: It is only 2 days until we hop in our neighbor Ben's car and take off for Mt. Springer. Our packs are ready as I have gone through them again today and added a few items and removed a few others. We have found someone to lease our home for the time that we will be gone for the trip and who has agreed to look after our cat for us while we are gone. All that is left is to take one last trip to storage tomorrow and run some errands before getting a good nights sleep before hitting the trail on the 13th.    I alternate from excitement to apprehension about our upcoming trip. Am I really up for this? I believe that I can and am going to give it 100% and try not to think of the myriad disasters that lie in potential along the way and could derail our hiking trip. But Springer fever is strong and I feel the excitement overwhelms the apprehension and I am itching to go. Katahdin! Here we come!Erin: I'm apprehensive about going because I have a bum knee, but most of all is I've never camped or hiked for this length of time before. I hiked when I was a kid, but nothing of this magnitude. I know I can do it I've had people actually tell me that they didn't think I could do it, one of whom happened to be my grandfather, but I'm proving him wrong.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

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

We woke up and found Kelly O'Brian had chosen to sleep on the table.The funny thing this incident is that our sleeping bag was next to his and we had nothing, but one time I turned over and disturbed a mouse sleeping under the foot of our sleeping bag. So after recounting the events of the evening I was inspired to bestow upon Kelly O'Brian the trailname of Mousewhisperer which he took a liking to. We ate a cold breakfast after trying unsuccessfully to use the Jetboil again and we assembled our packs and took of down the trail. It was a beautiful hike and the weather was cool until later in the day when it began to sprinkle and that began to get harder as time went on. We arrived at the Gooch Mountain Shelter during a lull in the rain but it was quickly getting dark. I was in a zombie state when I tried to assemble our tent which was a last second replacement that I had never assembled. I was staring in confusion when 2 Germans at a nearby tent came to my rescue and helped set up our tent. My thanks go out to those trail angels as soon after it began to rain and we were able to stay dry as the shelter was packed. Remember the saying that there is always more room in the shelter is just a saying! Be prepared with a tent just in case. We snuggled up and slept well that night.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Suches but settled for Gooch Gap and Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We hung our tent up on the bear cable to dry while we ate breakfast. It was a hot breakfast as another camper let us use his stove and we had hot grits. We got our packs together and took off down the trail towards Woody Gap. Coming down the hill the trail was slippery and Sassypants slipped and hurt her knee and needed help to get up. Her knee was hurting so much that we stopped at Gooch gap thinking that it was Woody Gap that we heard from a hiker. We called the Hiker Hostel for a pick up and found that they were going to be there at 5:00. We waited until 5:30 and called again with only a couple of percent of battery left and found that we were at the wrong gap! They agreed to send out a rescue and came to our location and picked us up and took us to Walmart, Little Caesars and then to a warm bed back at the Hostel. We were so hungry that while the others were still shopping we walked to Little Caesars and destroyed a hot-n-ready and two drinks! We also had an order of wings that we finished back at the hostel. We ran into Mouse Whisperer who was also taking time off of the trail due to an injury and we watched Castaway together while we did laundry. We were sore and tired so we didn't visit too much and just got showered, did laundry and went to bed. We actually both fit in one of the bunks there although it was a close fit.
Date: 2013-04-16
From: Hikerhostel

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

We decided to take a zero at the Hostel and then to take a shuttle to Woody Gap and skip the short distance from Gooch gap as it had cost extra to get picked up there. We ate a great breakfast and afterwards a lady employee who had lots of previous hiking experience looked at our gear and helped to weed out some of the excess equipment and we shed about 10 pounds and learned how to put a trash bag inside of our packs to make them more waterproof. We rested and watched tv and I took our tent outside and cleaned it off and sprayed it with a nikwax coating for waterproofing and solar protection.I was talking to a doctor who worked with the army who had a wonderful vocation. The army would take a number of doctors into areas where there weren't any available and would treat people with physical and dental needs in low income areas. We talked for awhile and I shared stories from my youth. I explained that my childhood was spent putting square pegs into round holes and so he said that is your trial name! That is how I became Squarepeg. Erin piped up and said something sassy and thus she was dubbed Sassypants. We were pleased with our new trailnames. We ate lunch and dinner from the hiker box of noodle and rice dishes with beef & cheese sticks cut up in them. At 5:00 we loaded up and took the shuttle to Woody Gap where we unloaded and walked up to the abandoned rock quarry and set up our tent on the second ledge up. I gathered up leaves and put them under the tent for comfort. We visited for awhile and then turned in for the night.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Woody Gap

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: moderate rain

We packed up our gear and hiked an easy day. We hiked a short day as a storm was blowing down on us. We barely had time to set up our tent before it started to rain. Turtle and Wicca Witch were trying to throw a bear bag and asked me to toss it over a branch. I did manage to toss it over a branch but it kept looping around the branch and so Wicca Witch lost his bandanna and Turtle lost some of his rope as we couldn't get it to come loose. It rained pretty good that night and though we slept soundly we heard the others say that a bear was heard nosing around the edge of the camp.
Date: 2013-04-19
From: Neel's Gap

To: Blood Mountain Cabins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It rained all night and was still raining when we woke up so we decided along with Turtle and Mouse whisperer to take a zero and share the expense of one of the blood mountain cabins. We were given the Fox Cabin and there were stuffed foxes located in the cabin. We had eaten breakfast at the Hostel and so Turtle bought and cooked pancakes for lunch for everyone. We bought pizza, chips and jalapeno poppers for dinner. We watched tv and found out about the Boston Marathon Bombing and were horrified and relieved at the same time. Horrified that so many people were hurt or killed and relieved that more people weren't hurt or killed. We were graciously allowed the private bedroom while Turtle took the bed in the loft and Mouse Whisperer laid claim to the futon sofa. We walked to the outfitter and had them go through our packs and show us how to pack them and make the proper adjustments. These adjustments along with dumping about 15lbs of gear made the bags feel about half their initial weight! We got to bed early and settled in for a good night sleep on some soft beds.
Date: 2013-04-20
From: Neel's Gap

To: Whitley Gap shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

The rained had stopped sometime during the night and it was cold when we woke up that morning. We warmed up with Sausage, Egg and cheese biscuits and some juice. We walked back to Neel's gap and started up the trail. I had to run back to the store for some cough medicine for Sassypants and when I got back to the outfitter there was a boy scout troop forming up for a section hike to Low Gap. This was a very challenging day. We climbed several peaks and then had a serious climb down and then up the other side of Tesnatee Gap. On the way up the other side we brought up the rear of the scouts with Polkadot as we climbed up switchback after switchback in an extreme climb. The view from the top towards the shelter was amazing! See the pictures and videos on facebook and youtube. We played leapfrog with them all the way to the way to the Whitley Gap Shelter where we stayed with Polkadot and Razor the ridgerunner. The scouts pitched their tents in a grassy area in front of the shelter and began to prepare their dinners. One was discouraged and Sassypants sat at the picnic table and encouraged him. We cooked our diner. Our dinners usually consist of a Kerr Rice side mixed with a ramen noodle and a small can of chicken cooked in my Jetboil flash system. Once we got the fuel situation worked out it has worked very well for us since then. We cleaned up and got our water and put out our bedding. We actually have a sleeping bag for two rated at 30 degree along with two fleece liners that zip together and fit inside the bag that gives us extra warmth. We have come to love Sierra Trading Post.com where we actually saved enough money to make this trip possible, saving $1,500 over retail price. We crawled into bed and faded off into sleep.
Date: 2003-08-05
From: Crawford Notch, US302 

To: Crawford Notch, US302 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Aloha! Yippeee! I swear there's nothing better than friends and zero days! Yeehaawwwww!   As you've probably surmised it's been a pretty damn good day. It went way too fast. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that all either good, off or good and off days do. This one just went exceptionally fast.   One of the first things accomplished this morning was firming up an idea Pizazz, Gutsy and I had discussed on the drive from North Conway. According to the guidebooks we could stay at three huts for a mere $153; a savings of something like $60. Excellent idea.   The problem would be getting the days we want - tomorrow, Thurs, and Friday. Fingers were crossed. As it stands, they couldn't give us those days but they could do Thurs, Friday and Saturday! It meant another zero day but as long as Pizazz didn't mind we were good with it.   She told us to "book 'em" and we did. Wuhuuu!! We're slack'n through the Presidentials! Yeehaaw!   The topper to my day was the surprise kayak and canoeing we got to do this afternoon. Check it out! Pizazz has friends up the road who own a lovely huge home lakeside with several cabins scattered about the property and a boat barn.   Including the sailing craft and motorboat they also have a couple of kayaks and a canoe.   Our play toys for the afternoon! It was a blast! I haven't been in a canoe since probably Girl Scouts a hundred years ago and I haven't been in a kayak since leaving Hawaii. It was such fun! It was also fun to watch my friends play.   Short Job had never kayaked before and was a little leery to begin but caught on in no time. She was looking like a pro within 30 minutes. It was obvious that Gutsy had been in a kayak before and was off and paddling in record time. Pizazz of course is an experienced water woman so there was no waiting around on her either.   We were all good to go quickly. We didn't really go anywhere but around the lagoon/bay area of the property but it was still fun. As a matter of fact, now I want a lakeside cabin along with my mountain cabin. I had thought I never wanted a house on the water again but... I was wrong! Too good. Gotta get one. One day.   From there it was back to the house and a relaxing evening. Pizazz and David have prior engagements and are out. Gutsy was our guest chef this evening and she did a wonderful job with dinner - a lovely salad, corn on the cob and vegetable chili. Yum!   Short Job provided the wine. Double yum! I was the clean-up crew. That's about all I could be since I'm so stuffed. This whole day has been fantastic.   But now, I'm going to end it. Another day gone way to fast. Tomorrow, the unexpected second zero is going to go way too fast too I'm sure. Don't have any plans to speak of but you just never can tell these days. Guess we'll wait and see then.   You go do something fun now and I'm going to go... check out that pie in the fridge. Yummmm!BSandTs: ha!AandPs: knees are a bit sore going up and down stairs but nothing badMandGs: days off go way too fast!...waah!
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Whitley Gap Shelter

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

During the night we were treated to an owl who kept asking us "Whose cooking Dinner" and we were visited by an opossum and some shelter mice to our area. It was cold and we had to force ourselves out of our sleeping bag. I cooked blueberry muffin oatmeal and we had some nuttybars to get us going. We got some water, packed our gear and were off down the trail. We caught up with the scout troop at Hogpen Gap where they were loading up into vehicles. I asked one of the scout leaders who had led this Woodstock Troop if I could use his cigarette lighter to charge up our phones and he not only let us use his charger he gave us trail magic by giving us a two usb cigarette adapter so we could "yogie" charges along the way in future parking lots along the trail. We had a good day of hiking down to Low Gap shelter where we met up with Wicca Witch, Turtle, Polkadot and met for the first time Ron Burgundy and Zoro aka snorasaurus for his thunderous snoring. Zoro is from Spain and is here on a 90 day visa to see some of the US.We also met Harry who was from Bavaria. We cooked dinner and after a while Sassypants filtered water I took my first bath in the river. I stripped to my underwear and took my 3 liter platypus and filled it with frigid steam water and steeled myself to pour this icy water over myself. It was soooooo cold!!!! I did it again and then took the shammy that I had cut in half and made into a wash cloth and used camp soap to scrub myself off very quickly. I then used 2 more refills to rinse myself off and then I quickly got out of my undies and dried myself with a whole shammy and quickly dressed. I was sooo happy to see that Wicca Witch had started a bonfire so I was quickly able to warm up and have time to write and catch up on my journal in my note book that I had started to use. We visited around the campfire for a while and then everyone got sleepy and headed to their tent or sleeping bag for the night. Before going to bed Wicca Witch shared a story of one of his previous thru-hikes where a bear had come up to that shelter in the middle of the night and had put its paws up on the platform and woke up everyone and scared the bejeebers out of everyone! We crawled into our sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep with the sound of a brook's sweet lullaby.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: Low Gap

To: Unicoi Gap - Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

It was a chilly morning as we packed up our gear. It was quite a night. We had two people snoring so loud it seemed like dueling chainsaws. I don't know why people who snore are so rude as to stay in shelters knowing that they are depriving others of much needed sleep. Wicca Witch was so mad the next morning that he chewed out the culprits whose only defense was that everyone snores sometimes. I think that courtesy would dictate that if you are a loud snorer you should use your tent except in case of severe rain or other emergency. Well, off of my soapbox now. We again had oatmeal and nutty bars for breakfast. The nutty bars were pulverized but still tasty! We enjoyed the trail for awhile as it followed an old road and was an easy and gradual climb for some time before breaking off into the woods. We last saw polkadot resting along the trail and hoping to get to the gap as well. We crossed many streams gurgling with small waterfalls and it was a serene and peacefull walk until the trail left the road. The trail then began its climb of over 1000 ft up to Blue Mountain Shelter where we once again ran into Turtle and we met Jasmine and her canine companion Boogie along with another hiker named Paul. We all decided to call and catch a shuttle down at the gap to the Budget Inn in Hiawassee. The climb up 100 ft followed by a decent of over 1200 feet in 1.5 miles was brutal! We went down easy for some time but after some time we ran into some rocky areas that were very hard on the knees, feet and ankles. These slowed us down greatly and were followed by a steep set of switchbacks. We were so glad to hit the road and we called the shuttle and crossed the street to wait. After about an half an hour an old 15 passenger van showed up and we all piled in and off to town we went. We were talking food and I said that a sign that the world wasn't coming to an end was that Subway now had more locations than McDonald's! That made me hungry for Subway and I was happy to see one right next to the Budget Inn!! Sassypants, Turtle and I put our stuff in the room and took off for Subway while Jasmine and Boogie made a beeline for Dairy Queen. Sassypants had a footlong meatball marinara while Turtle and I each had the BBQ Chicken sandwich. I told the employee that we were thru-hikers and that we were starved and she piled the sandwiches so high that after I had finished the sub I looked down and found I had a salad left over! I managed to eat that too and so it was a cheap all you can eat meal for a little over $6.00! :P We paid for two nights as we wanted a zero day. Sassypants and I walked to the Ingles grocery store for supplies and we returned. We bought too much stuff so we shared some of our excess with Jasmine and Turtle. We all watched some tv before going to bed.
Date: 2013-04-23
From: Unicoi Gap - Hiawassee, GA

To: None- Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We had Sausage, Egg & Cheese biscuits with Jasmine while Turtle finished the other half of his sub from the night before. Sassypants, Turtle and I went to the Dairy Queen for Supper and I got the Spicy chicken finger basket, Sassypants got the popcorn shrimp and Turtle got a burger. We all got blizzards with our meals and they tasted soo good! I walked over to the outfitter and checked out their store which for such a tiny location offered a great variety. They could even get many items from their main location on the same day. Not much else to write about as we just rested and recuperated before going to bed.
Date: 2013-04-24
From: Unicoi Gap - Hiawassee, GA

To: Plumborchard Gap shelter
Miles today: 4.5

We woke up at 6;00 and Sassypants, Turtle and I walked down to a local restaurant where we ate a big breakfast. Sassypants & I ate Omelets and we were well filled afterwards. Turtle had pancakes for his breakfast and was happy too. We walked back to the Inn where we packed up and loaded up the shuttle for Dicks creek gap. We were cleaned up, had clean clothes and were restocked with supplies and were rearing to hike. Sassypants & I really liked hanging out with Jasmine & Boogie as it was so much fun. Sassypants said she had good conversation about being and showing love to others you meet. She told Sassypants that she wished that she knew more Christians like us and she almost cried at that. She told Jasmine that I just think that this is the way you are supposed to treat people and she was supprised that Jasmine was so appreciative. Sassypants she said she loved feeling that we had accomplished something good there. We took it easy and only hiked to the Plumorchard Gap shelter which was something to behold. It is actually 3 levels and was assembled elsewhere and flown in and located with the help of the army rangers. We arrived right before the rain did and we spotted Turtle already there contemplating moving on and was grateful that he hadn't. We met Timeout, Ron Burgundy, Phoenix along with several others. Zoro came in some time and had set up his hammock and tarp for the first time. Ron Burgundy was the life of the shelter. He plunked down a 55-60lb sack that was packed with candy and other odd items to cook like frozen pizza and hotdogs! He regaled us with stories, one of which I posted on my youtube channel. He went exploring and located a 5+ft eastern diamondback rattlesnake and led us to it's lethargic location where it consented to pose for our pictures and videos. (on facebook & youtube) We visited for some time before going to bed and drifting off to sleep.
Date: 2013-04-26
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Budget Inn - Franklin, NC
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Sassypants knee was bothering her this morning and after we cleaned up and watched the young adventurer set about getting the fire going again we set off on the trail. We made it 4 miles before deciding to look for the Standing Indian Campground which was supposed to be on a trail from Deep Gap. We stopped two men in a truck and asked and they had no idea where it was but offered a ride into Franklin which we accepted. Erin scrunched into the back seat of the truck which was so packed that she had to sit with her feet tucked under her chin on the seat while I was in a similar situation in the back of the truck. They had been out digging ramps and were headed back to town. At first I thought digging ramps had something to do with trail maintenance but Sassypants reminded me that ramps were a kind of plant. We said that we were just looking for the Budget Inn if that was on the way and we didn't find it so they dropped us off at the Micro Hotel where after looking at the price we called for a shuttle to the Budget Inn. We decided after looking at the storm rolling in to stay for the weekend and then after dropping off our packs we went next door to the Roadhouse where we had a great meal. I had Ribs and Erin had Salmon. We shared an appetizer sampler and we were stuffed when we were done! :O ! We dragged ourselves back to the Inn where we watched tv for awhile and then called it a day.
Date: 2013-04-29
From: Budget Inn - Zero Day 2

To: Budget Inn - Zero Day 3
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we ate in the room and walked around town some. We looked again at the Indian mound and stopped at an accupuncture clinic which was closed that I had hoped would be open. We found later that they were closed on Monday's but did not post their hours on the building. We did another load of laundry and walked to Ingles for supplies and went back to the room. Later that evening we went to Mulligan's Sports bar and had some fun singing Karaoke and we hung out with some of the other hikers for awhile before turning in.