morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-08-12
From: White House Landing/Mahar Tote Road

To: Rainbow Stream Shelter, ME
Miles today: 15.6

Day 10715.6 miles in 10 hours White House Landing/Mahar Tote Road (2143.5) to Rainbow Stream Shelter (2159.1) Weather: Sunny, pleasantDinner: Chicken ramen prima VeraHikers: Same group of yesterday's White House Landing NOBOs, plus a handful of new SOBOsWildlife: Loons on Nahmakanta Lake, random garter snakesI didn't sleep well last night¢or at least not until I took the last Benadryl I've been carrying ostensibly to soothe any problem poison ivy encounters or bug bites, and also known to cause drowsiness. First of all there remains this little issue of nightly foot pain. Then I could feel every spring in the thin mattress. Finally as I was drifting off to sleep, I thought I was being bitten by no-see-us. Or wait¢¦.could there be bedbugs??? Now I really can't fall asleep. Finally got up to take my pink narcotic and crept outside to look at the full moon. There wasn't a breath of air and the lake was flat and glassy. Rabbit came out to look at the night sky while I was up. I resisted asking the time as I was certain he'd tell me it was 2 a.m. or some late hour reinforcing how little sleep I'd be getting. I learned later it was only midnight, so I suppose I hadn't been tossing and turning as much as I thought. One would think that a 20-mile hike would render most people unconscious by the end of the day. Had a lovely big breakfast and subsequently a late start this morning. Not sure if it was the after effects of taking Benadryl or not having taken ibuprofen, but I found the first half of this beautiful Maine summer day to be excruciatingly difficult. The tops of my feet hurt and the trail seemed exceedingly rooty and rocky. We are not pleased. But we did manage to pull off seven miles by lunch, which turned out to be closer to 1 p.m. than noon. The goal was to take a break at the sandy beach of Nahmakanta Lake. Spent an hour there in the company of Bald Whistler, his niece, Cruise Captain and four loons. Something changed in the afternoon and it wasn't the trail conditions. Perhaps the ibuprofen finally kicked in or the Benadryl cleared out, because I enjoyed the afternoon so much more. We continued to follow lake shorelines, rivers and cascades over roots and rocks all the way to tonight's shelter/campsite area. I kept hoping for¢and expecting to find¢another stealth site, but this piney tenting area within earshot of the waterfalls will just have to make due. Plus, everyone who stayed at the fish camp is here tonight as well. Plans are beginning to form about pre- and post-summiting. Katahdin is only 30 miles away.
Date: 2016-08-14
From: Abol Bridge, ME

To: Katahdin Stream Ranger Station
Miles today: 9.9

Day 1099.9 ambling miles in 6.5 hours Abol Bridge (2174.1) to Katahdin Stream Ranger Station (2184)Weather: Sunny, pleasantDinner: Lobster in Millinocket Hikers: Spirit, Rabbit, Subman and Suds, Squirrel, Bald Whistler and Cruise Director, Blues Brother, Purples and her dad, Blues, Moonshine, lots of Baxter Park day hikersWell at least our campsite payment included a shower and breakfast because I sure didn't sleep much last night. The bachelors and rafters were having a really good time. I was reminded why my idea of camping means not being able to drive to a site. Sam is on his way to meet me at 4 p.m. Or at least that is what we both assume since neither of us has had phone coverage the past three days while he drove from Wisconsin via Canada to Maine. Because the miles were short and the trail actually was flat for the first time in days¢and at least for the first few miles¢Spirit and I took several breaks. The first was around the three mile mark only a little over an hour of hiking and under some pine trees along the West Branch of the Penobscot River. We watched a flotilla of rubber rafting boats glide by and chatted up theological perspectives. Just another Sunday morning in Maine. Pine Point, a smooth granite outcrop on Nesowadnehunk Stream, lured us in for a second break only 1.2 miles later. Having already eaten second breakfast, it was time for the leftover IPA. But first, the clean scrubbed boulder worked well for a few forced perspective photos of bottle and yoga.Lunch was at scenic Big Niagara Falls. Flip-flopped attired day hikers (not to be confused with flip flopping hikers) also shared the vista¢and yes, a parking lot was not far away. But first, a few more roots and rocks on the last three miles of the AT for you hikers. Arrived at Katahdin Stream where we met up with a freshly summited Purples and her Dad, ¢Blue¢ and Slug. And now we wait to see if Sam shows up. And at 4 p.m., just as planned, he did. Along with a hiker to whom he had given a ride. Introductions, some celebrations, some talk about tomorrow's weather and postponing our summit day to catch a clear day, and off we go to Millinocket. Spirit, Purples and Blue are staying at the hostel and Sam and I at an inn¢as soon as we eat some pre-summit lobster.
Date: 2017-04-16
To: And She's Heading Back...
Miles today: 0.0

Attempting to figure out the way to either update this blog and/or transfer to this year, but long story short. I'm heading back to finish what I began. Starting point will be Georgia in early May with the intention of hiking north back to my original starting point in Shenandoah. Food drops are packed, plane ticket purchased, heading out just as soon as we celebrate the one year birthday of a sweet little boy would brought me back home for a few weeks last May. Stay tuned!
Date: 2017-05-07
From: Tray Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap/ Top of Georgia Hostel
Miles today: 12.3

Day 6Sunday, May 7, 2017 Tray Gap (57.3) to Dicks Creek Gap/Top of Georgia Hostel (69.6)Miles: 12.3 miles (+ .5 miles to hostel) in 9 hours with two breaks including an hour long breakfast2017 AT trip miles: 69.6Total AT miles to date: 1376Weather: Sunny, pleasant, 50s to 60sDinner: Green Edaname and Chicken RamenHikers: Full hostel of hikersWildlife: One 4¢ black snake along the side of the road en route to the hostel Number of falls to date: TwoMy trailside campsite had a nice coffee rock vista where a sunrise was entirely possible, but when I awoke at dawn, the wind was still howling and everything was icy. It had been another evening of glove donning. Decided to pack up and stop for breakfast and a water resupply at the shelter on the other side of Tray Mountain. Arrived before 8, but didn't leave until after 9. The folks staying there were quite social. So much for a head start getting to the hostel. I took my second fall soon after breakfast. The trail was still wet from last night's rain and I slipped going down some leaf strew rock steps. Nothing major--my pack bottom took the brunt of this one. Speaking of other falls, my ankle is still stiff in the morning, but not really bothering me. Am able to ice it again tonight at the hostel.The day was sunny and beautiful and I ended my day around 3:30. Unfortunately the miles didn't end at the road¢the hostel was another half mile down the road. But that's when I saw my first wildlife that wasn't rodent or feathered. I saw the black racer snake along the edge of the road assuming it was dead, but it was not. But it was quite sluggish as it's photo was taken. I'm sure I had some interesting thoughts earlier today, but tonight finds me clean, tired and in the company of many of the hikers I've been seeing the past few days.
Date: 2017-05-08
From: Dicks Creek Gap/ Top of Georgia Hostel

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 7Monday, May 8, 2017 Dicks Creek Gap/Top of Georgia Hostel (69.6) to Standing Indian Shelter (86.6)Miles: 16.72017 AT trip miles: 86.6Total AT miles to date: 1380.4Weather: Sunny, pleasant, 50s to 60sDinner: Cheesy Vegie Chicken RiceHikers: 8 at tonight's shelter (Bree, Mike, Waldo, etc all)Wildlife: A mother bear and two cubsSo that was exciting. I talked to Sam this morning about 2.5 miles shy of the North Carolina border¢and while that might have been considered exciting¢only between us¢it was what happened ten minutes after I hung up. Hiking with a dog is fairly common, so when I first saw the moving black object ahead on the trail, I thought Labrador. Then I quickly realized it was much too big. Cool! A bear! Which was almost immediately followed by something to the effect of ¢Oh, crap¢¦there are cubs.¢ I made my presence known by yelling. A lot. Then I waited a bit to see if any other hiker's were catching up to me. When no one else appeared, I took out my phone¢rapidly searching my playlist for someything louder than Joni Mitchell¢and turned up the volume as high as it would go. This is generally considered poor form when hiking, keep yer dern music to yerself, but I felt the situation warranted special dispensation. I let that sucker play two songs and continued to announce my intentions such as ¢OKAY BEAR, I¢M WALKING NOW. HERE I AM! WHERE ARE YOU BEARS???¢ Stuff like that. I didn't start out with the idea of hiking this far today, but it was a gorgeous day and the first 10 miles out of Georgia were really nice. Plus I was fueled by three bowls of cereal including a surprisingly tasty combination of Cheerios topped with Cocoa Puffs. Then I just kept adding more Cocoa Puffs instead of Cheerios. Then it was pretty much all Cocoa Puffs. And this is a test to see if either of my children are reading this blog. Cereal like Cocoa Puffs have always been forbidden in our household. But my goodness¢were they ever delicious. Chocolate for breakfast! Who knew? Well they did, for starters¢¦Hit the state borders by noon and just kept going. North Carolina started out a bit beastly¢an 800¢ climb that was steep. Then the last few miles descending to a road were rocky¢rocky as in Pennsylvania rocky. Erggg. A few bad flashbacks. Georgia has been so gentile. Tonight's shelter/campsite area is halfway up Standing Indian Mountain adjacent to a clear running creek. I was even able to soak my ankle and wash up a little tonight. And there is an awesome sunset happening right now over the mountains the trail passed today. Legs¢and unlike last year¢feet are still holding up well. I remain under the opinion that Glucosamine is a miracle drug.
Date: 2017-05-09
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Long Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 8Tuesday, May 9, 2017 Standing Indian Shelter (86.3) to Long Branch Shelter (102.5)Miles:  16.2 in 9 hours with an one hour lunch break and a couple shorter ones2017 AT trip miles: 102.5Total AT miles to date: 1396.6Weather: Sunny, hot, 60s to 70sDinner: Curry NoodlesHikers: 9 at tonight's shelter (including Waldo, Midnight Chocolate, Angela, Robie, Kansas and a couple from NC out for an overnight trip)The hike today was terrific. Started off with a hike up to 5,498-foot high Standing Indian Mountain, a mountain as high as some of the peaks in New Hampshires¢s White Mountains, but it didn't feel like it. For one thing there are switchbacks. For another, the trail is primarily composed of dirt instead of rocks. My measly single oatmeal packet breakfast didn't last long and I was grabbing for my first power bar by 8:15 when I reached the summit. The next 10 miles was pretty even¢only a few baby bumps¢tracing streams, running through arched canopies of rhododendrons and passing by trailside springs. Most of the trail since we've started hiking in North Carolina thus far has been burned over. There were massive fires all along the trail last year and I'm not sure if these are a year old or more recent. The bases of the trunks are charred, but ferns and other greenery dot the ashy forest floor. Dappled sunlight creates Rorschach patterns. I hiked the first 11.3 miles by 1 p.m., then took a one hour lunch break by Betty Creek, soaking my feet among the amber rocks and clear flowing water, then writing. The afternoon was more challenging¢the sun was intense today and the final climb up to the Albert Mountain fire tower, while short, was 400-foot vertical ascent with stairs and boulder scrambling. Albert Mountain marks the first 100-mile mark on the AT from Springer Mountain. Spending tonight set up in the corner of the very nice Long Branch shelter which is purported to be relatively mouse-free. Tomorrow is a short day with a stay in the town of Franklin.
Date: 2017-05-10
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap/Franklin, NC
Miles today: 7.3

Day 9Wednesday, May 10, 2017 Long Branch Shelter (102.5) to Winding Stair Gap/Franklin, NC (109.8)Miles: 7.3 miles in 2.75 hours2017 AT trip miles: 109.8Total AT miles to date: 1403.9Weather: Sunny, very hot, 70s to 80sDinner: Lazy Hiker Brewery taster flight, cheeseburger and enormous onion rings, saladHikers: Waldo, Bree, Mike, Harley, two Canadians and their dogs, others A very hot day spent in the lovely little town of Franklin, sampling their local food and beverages after a quick 7.3 mile early morning walk. Passed my 1400 cumulative mile mark today.
Date: 2017-05-12
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.9

Day 11Friday, May 12, 2017 Cold Spring Shelter (125.6) to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) (137.5)Miles: 11.9 miles in 6.5 hours with three stops2017 AT trip miles: 137.5Total AT miles to date: 1431.6Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny, 60s to 70s (rain was forecast to begin around 1 p.m.)Dinner: Sherpa Chicken Rice Dinner thing at the NOC Riverside PubHikers: Same group as last night plus someWildlife: Pileated woodpecker, heard two rough grouse, two black racer snakesNumber of bugs swallowed: OneWoke up in a cloud this morning, so no view after all. Because today is only a ¢short¢ 11-something mile day, I stayed in bed for a while, listening to the leaves drip and reading. Made a delicious tomato soup for breakfast and finally left camp well after 8. I was one of the last ones out. After 1.5 miles, I reached a blue-blazed side trail to Rocky Bald with a sign that included handwritten notes like ¢Don't pass up!¢ and ¢A-Team Approved!¢ It also promised breath taking views and now that the cloud had lifted and I was ready for second breakfast, I obliged. So that set me back a half an hour, but it was a nice break. I hiked alone most of the day today and took a second break to climb the Wesser Bald Observation Tower. The mountains stretched green in every direction. Most of the day was spent hiking through more burned forest areas. The AT is more of a brown/black tunnel than the green tunnel in this section. The understory is ashy and trees are charred. In places cavernous holes have been created where roots burned away. My third break was for lunch, perched on the edge of what was noted on the map as ¢The Jumpoff.¢ Here the trail left the ridge line and began its four mile descent to the NOC. Yesterday, I had a near miss swallowing a bug. Today, not so lucky. The thing flew into that back of my throat and I couldn't hork it out. It actually had flavor. Bitter. Like my feelings toward choking it down.After that little incindent, I caught up with Rawhide, a retired grandfather of two from Massachusetts with whom I¢ve been leapfrogging with the past few days, but didn't know his name. We were together when we saw the snakes, one on a mossy log guarding a low flowing spring and the other right on the trail a few hundred yards further. Even with all that excitement, it still seemed to take a long time to get here. But once I checked in at the General Store for my bunkhouse stay, I espied a frozen ice cream treat and immediately went to work on that. Made up for the bug. Since I¢ve been writing, the predicted storms have arrived. Good call on the bunkhouse tonight. Now to just get over to the brewpub across the river in this mess!
Date: 2017-05-13
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Locust Gap Tentsite
Miles today: 10.1

Day 12Saturday, May 13, 2017 Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) (137.5) to Locust Cove Gap (147.6)Miles: 10.1 miles in 7 hours with one stop2017 AT trip miles: 147.6Total AT miles to date: 1441.7Weather: Sunny, pleasant, 60sDinner: Pepperoni ramen salad, piece of NOC chocolate fudgeHikers: Square Space, Magic Mike, General something, Cindy Lou, Birthday, No Stress, Katie and Nicola, and a few others, plus a group of NOC day hikersThe climb out of the NOC is intimidating¢or at least the map profile and other hiker blogs strongly suggests this. I decided that I would take my time and either hike to the first shelter seven miles away or the campsite ten miles away. So I took my time getting up, ready and then decided to join Robbie, the New Zealander who is hiking only halfway in four months and who decided to take a zero today, for breakfast at the restaurant. Then I headed over to the outfitter to print out my Smokies National Park permit, browse the clothes and gear I couldn't carry, noticed that they had copies of Boundary Waters and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail books (noting that I should get in touch with them post-hike about stocking my thru-paddler guidebook), and thus  it was not until 10:30 a.m. before I finally headed out. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to that and I was really dragging. Plus that huge skillet heap of breakfast goodness consisting of two eggs, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes and cheese over a heaping pile of homefries, was now resting heavy in my stomach. It seemed to take hours to reach the first 2.5 mile mark, but once I got going it was a fine day for hiking. Decided to push on past the shelter and tackle another 5000¢ summit at the end of the day to end up at this campsite village consisting of a dozen tents and hammocks. Tonight I'm with a completely different group of people. My little group wanted to push for a 16-mile day, something that wasn't in my wheelhouse for today. Unlike my group, most of this group of hikers seem to have trail names¢something that hasn't happened to the unnamed people I've been hiking with the past week. Katie and Nicola are also from New Zealand and also lack trail names. I met them at our bunkhouse last night. This group has a fire going, one person had music playing (Grateful Dead, Stones, CCR¢strange coming from a 20-something¢s iPhone, but acceptable to my ears) and they are still arriving as I write at 8 p.m.A fun highlight today was crossing paths with ¢Kremlin.¢ We had stopped to chat and I asked if we¢d met before. When she told me her name we figured out we had indeed met once before¢last year at the Lake of the Cloud AMC hut in the Whites of New Hampshire. She was back finishing a section she missed last year due to all the fall fires. A not-so-highlight was hearing that a hiker ahead of me had warned of a rattlesnake on the trail. Never saw it, but for a while every serpentine root made my heart jump a little. Ultimately no wildlife sightings beyond the usual birds, butterflies and furry woodland rodents.
Date: 2017-05-16
From: Fontana Dam

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 14Tuesday, May 16, 2017 Fontana Dam Visitor Center (166.3) to Russell Field Shelter (179.8)Miles: 13.5 in 8 hours with two stops and lots of moments trying to catch my breath2017 AT trip miles: 179.8Total AT miles to date: 1473.5Weather: Sunny, hot, 70s to 80s, no windDinner: Rice Lentil PilafHikers: Flash, General Hendricks, Cindy Lou, Red (Sobo sectional), two hikers just out to hike the Smokies, Gazelle + ?, Shane, passed nine hikers going the other direction Wildlife: Several deer, one heart-stopping ground nesting bird that flew out by my feetToday was a roller coaster of energy levels. Woke up early, but had to wait for the restaurant to open at 8 a.m. Watched the sun hit the mountain tops where people I now know are camping. Once the restaurant was open, I joined a father and son who are hiking a section of the trail with very light gear and doing almost double the miles I do per day. Hello¢and Goodbye. From the table we looked up at mountains we were going to tackle today. They seemed high, but it's sort of cool to know your body will be powering you up and then you'll be looking down. Just like those friends of mine are probably doing.The 8:30 shuttle dropped me off at the Visitor Center at Fontana Dam, missing .3-miles of the trail, a sidewalk between the shelter and the visitor center. Only a single boat was fishing in the reservoir side in an otherwise vacant dam. I walked across alone, no cars passing and no sign of any other hikers. Sir Bob at Top of Georgia Hostel has told folks that the first day hiking into the Smokies ranked a number one in difficulty. The trail would be hard. We ascended 2100¢ over 4.4 miles. But like the expectation of how great the movie ¢Bridges of Madison County¢ was suppose to be, neither lived up to the hype¢at least for me. It was a long haul, but compared to parts of New Hampshire and Maine, this wasn't as difficult. What was difficult was the heat. I reached the first shelter, Mollie Ridge, at 3:30 and considered stopping there, but it was still early. But reaching that shelter took a lot of effort. I was soaked in sweat and had been guzzling water. I was so hot that I reached that point when I wasn't even hungry. But then I remembered the Heath bar I had packed in my side pocket. Stayed in the shade of the shelter for a half an hour, ate the Heath bar and another protein bar, then decided to walk another 2.8 miles to the next one, which is where I am staying tonight with a small group of known and unknown hikers. The last 2.8 miles were actually some of the best today. The trail was no longer in the sun and it was mostly downhill. A kinder, gentler trail. Or maybe it was the Heath bar. Arrived here before 5:30 and headed toward the small stream where a pretty good shower opportunity awaited with the aid of a water bottle, well away from everyone else. Nothing like a dump of cold spring water to wash away the sweltering feel of the trail. And dirt. And salt. And bug bites. The little buggers are starting to make an appearance.