morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-02
From: Hemlock shelter 

To: great Barrington, MA
Miles today: 8.0

Today is day 100, Saturday. I walked about 8 miles today ... And as I crossed route 7, near Great Barrington, MA., I decided to hitch a ride into town. It took about 15 minutes to catch a ride. When Rachel asked where I wanted to go... I paused and said, I really don't know. Maybe just drop me in the middle of town. As we drove the 4 miles into town I asked her to bring me to the Days Inn. I had NO intention of stopping in GB but when I came upon the road crossing ... My heart said to do it. I have struggled so much with the decision of staying on the trail or going home. I have received some great advice from former thru hikers, strangers and loved ones. The constant is.... Do what will make you happy. So, I am going to stay here for two nights.... Think long and hard and then make my final decision. I need to feel at peace with whatever I decide... And I know that. Here is at least one funny for the day: when I asked the clerk at the Days Inn if he had any rooms he said, yes. So I walked outside to tell my ride that I would be able to get a room. As I took my back pack out of her car, the clerk came outside to inform me that the rate was $225 a night. I am sure he saw total shock on my face and he then said , but I can give it to you for $155. I asked him to give me a minute. As I stood in the parking lot I called Chrissy and of course, I began to cry. Then the clerk came back outside and said.... Ok, I'll give you the room for $99!! I actually thought to myself.... Ok, I'm going to try that from now on whenever I travel. Cry and I might get a better rate. After checking in I gathered my clothes, the few that I have, walked to the Laundromat and washed clothes.   I then found the Mexican restaurant ... Had a margarita and chicken tacos. Now, I'll sit in my $99 a night room, relax and NOT think about my decision until tomorrow. Ironically, I received a message through trail journals (today) from someone who asked what was the toughest part of the trail .... For me it has been the mental. Yes, the physical is the toughest thing I have ever attempted but I can fight through that. But, the mental is constant... Even when sitting and having a snack. I think it is different for everyone but for me... The mental is by far the biggest challenge. Right now... I feel very good about sitting for the next day.
Date: 2016-07-03
From: great Barrington, MA

To: 0
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

After 100 days, 1520 miles, 10 states, tons of support, well wishes, advice, suggestions, questions and prayers I have decided that my Appalachian Trail journey is complete. I met such wonderful people both on and off the trail. I have made friends that will last a lifetime. My memories and lessons from the Trail will last forever. No, I did not make it to the official end of the trail but I feel as though my journey is complete. For those of you who are thinking.... Oh, you have gone so far, you are so close, keep going, don't stop, you will regret this decision, go home but...come back to finish, etc... I understand and appreciate your wishes for me but please remember.. This journey is and will always be something special to me and I am very proud of myself. I feel at peace with this decision. I have sat, relaxed, rested, talked to loved ones, visited with a dear friend, gave it lots of thought and to be honest (as I have been throughout) I do not feel the trail calling me back. As one former thru hiker (thanks Outliner) wrote to me: no matter how far you make it... The lessons you learned will last a lifetime. I believe that with my every fiber. Thanks to all who followed along and provided support to both myself and Chrissy. Most of all... Thanks to Chrissy for her love and never wavering support. Without her... None of this would have been possible. To all my trail Angels... On and off the trail you made me realize that there is so much goodness in this world. While we are all living during a time that so many bad things are happening around us ...we must not forget that we are blessed and WE need to be kind to others and hopefully that kindness will be contagious and passed forward... If you are thinking of doing a thru hike... Go for it! The journey will be YOURS to keep forever... However far you make it. To my fellow 2016 AT hikers... All of you rock. Thanks for sharing the trail with me.
Date: 2014-04-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Given that I am still working and not ready for retirement, I will not be able to take off the five or six months necessary for a thru hike. So, I have decided that a 30 day "rehearsal" hike would be possible now, in preparation for a thru hike post retirement. My plan is to step off at Springer Mountain the morning of 27 April 2014, and head north for 30 days.
Date: 2014-04-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

One week until my bus ride from St Louis to Atlanta. Arrangements have been made for me to be picked up at the North Springs MARTA Station later that afternoon, taking me to the Hiker Hostel at Dohlonega, GA for the evening. The next morning the Hiker Hostel staff will deliver hikers to the top of Springer Mountain. Still getting my hiking gear in order. Plan on making one more run to REI this morning to pick up a new backpack cover that fits my GoLite backpack. In the past I have used my REI backpack cover that I originally purchased for my REI Timberland, a much larger external frame pack. As far as I know, I have everything else I need to take care of my needs for a late April thru May hike from Springer to...however far I can hike in 30 days. Also have printed off a copy of my Smokey Mountains back country hiking permit to take along with me. With no rain in the forecast here at home, I plan on setting up my Lunar Solo tent in the yard today and spraying it down with the hose to see if there are any leaks. I sealed it a few years ago, so it's best to make sure there are no leaks before hitting the trail.
Date: 2014-04-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Practice entry from my cell phone. Made my REI run yesterday to pick up a backpack cover. Also thought I'd try some compression sacks for my sleeping bag and extra clothes. I've been looking for a way to attach my cell phone to my hiking stick to take photos creating more distance from the shot. Purchased a GearTie. An 18 in. flexible rubber coated wire to hold my cellphone to my hiking stick. One week away from Springer Mountain.
Date: 2014-04-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

It's Easter morning and the girls will be up soon hunting for eggs. Later this morning I will take down my tent after having tested it yesterday with the water hose for leaks. No leaks! I will have to get everything packed and see what the weight of my pack will be with everything I am planning to carry; without water and fuel for my stove. Early next Saturday morning I will be catching a cab to the Greyhound Station for my trip to Atlanta. It will be tough saying goodbye to my wife and daughters for a month. Not looking forward to that.
Date: 2014-04-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Attempted to pack up last night and it seems I have more gear than I had expected. My 4200 in3 Go Lite is to capacity. This is a good indication that I am taking more gear than I need, so will do some soul searching tonight and see if I can eliminate a few things. At this point I have decided not to take my running pants that I planned on taking for additional warmth; will just take my rain pants and merino wools for sleeping and the unexpected cold front. Also, I think I will leave behind my MSR 100 oz./3.0L H2O Reservoir and just go with two 1.0L Gatorade bottles that I will carry in the external mesh pockets of my backpack. I should be able to "camel up" at water sources, then 2 full Gatorade bottles should be enough to get me to the next source of water. Since my sleeping bag, tent and sleeping mat are fixed, I will be scrutinizing my clothes and food bags tonight. With a late April start, I will be able to get by with fewer warm clothing and water sources should be plentiful with the Spring rainy season. After tonight's going over, the next step for me is to pack up and weigh all my gear.
Date: 2014-04-25
To: Atlanta, GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Well, it's Friday night and just returned from the Father/Daughter(s) dance. Finally packed up and weighed my pack and waist pack for the first time...which came in at 25.3 lbs. w/o water or fuel. I was pleased. With fuel and water I should still be under 30 lbs. since I am for the first time going to experiment with two 1 qt. Gatorade bottles for a total of 64 ozs. This is less than the 100 oz. Camelbak and additional 1L bottle that I normally carry when I hike. Decided to save weight here because I believe that water supply points will be plentiful during the month of May before, thru, and after the Smokey's.
Date: 2014-04-26
From: St Louis, MO

To: Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Woke up early at home this morning and was waiting for a local transportation company (ACME) to pick me up at home. At 0235 I decided to call since he was 5 min. late and my bus departure time was 0340. No answer...called again 10 min. later...again no answer. my wife and I decided it would be best if I drove myself to the bus station and park the car and she would arrange to pick it up later. This worked and I am now at the Nashville Greyhound waiting for my next bus to Atlanta. I miss my girls already.
Date: 2014-04-27
From: Hiker Hostel

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: broken clouds

Woke early this morning at the Hiker Hostel. For the first time used the "red" light on my headlamp to grab my towel and head for the shower without disturbing the three others sleeping in the bunk room. After showering, I grabbed the rest of my gear and headed out to the front porch to organize my gear before breakfast at 0730. I hear Leigh, one of the hostel owners, in the kitchen starting to prepare breakfast. After this entry I am going to see if coffee is ready. Today is what I call AT + 1, or the first day of my 30 days on the AT. With the majority of thru-hikers having already started their hikes in March and early April, I expect that there will be plenty of shelter space along the way, and on those rainy days and nights, will be a nice luxury to enjoy and at least make things less miserable. Today is the first day of my rehearsal hike. The Hiker Hostel arranged transportation and dropped six of us at the parking lot about .9 miles north of the starting point. We then hiked south to the Appalachian Trail (AT) southern terminus...uphill I might add. After a short rest and calling home to announce my arrival I told my wife and daughters I was ready to hike north. Tough day considering that I have not hiked for a year and that was a single overnight and hiking two days. I ended up hiking past the shelter .5 miles down into Hightower Gap before I realized I has passed up the shelter. I turned around only because other were no water sources nearby except back at Hawk Mountain Shelter. When they say a "GAP", that means a low point between two mountain. So it was all uphill from Hightower Gap back to the turnoff for the shelter. After I settled in, a group of five hikers filed into the shelter area looking for a place to set up their tents. As they walked past me I greeted them with "Gentlemen", but as the third hiker walked past, he stood out because he was a really big guy wearing a camouflaged hiking kilt, I could not help myself by greeting him with "Ma'am" as he passed. He took about three more steps...stopped...turned to me and said, "did you just call me "ma'am", which I said "yes". Luckily he turned away in what I thought was "disbelief" and kept walking with his buddies. Later that evening, a couple of his buddies came by the shelter where I was and asked if I was the one that called their buddy "Ma'am", and they added that he has a good sense of humor, but that the big guy definitely has anger issues. They also added that they were all X-Army Rangers. I decided to stay clear of him that night and if we did cross paths I would address him as "Sir". There was a brief shower, but it cleared up in about 30 min. Tomorrow should be a good day but heavy thunderstorms are expected. Thanks to my wife and daughters for supporting this thing that I just have to do.
Date: 2014-04-28
From: Hawk Moumtain Shelter

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

Pulled into Gooch Mountain Shelter and there were already a trio of thru hikers there planning to let the storm pass that evening. The storms started in the mid-west heading east with tornadoes and ended up killing about 35 people before it lost power after passing though Georgia. That evening around mid-night they were hitting us. The severe winds, lightning, thunder and rain hit our camp. We were all probably thinking the same thing "I hope a tree does not fall on the shelter". The storm passed and we were able to get back to sleep. There were two father/daughter teams there that night. One of the girls got sick in the loft area of the shelter. I asked myself how I would feel if it were my daughter, and I got up to pour some of my drinking water on a cloth and offered it to her Dad. He said that he believed she was dehydrated from the long day of hiking and just needed some electrolytes. Just so happened that I had a tube of electrolyte tablets and gave them to him. He was very appreciative. I got up early the next morning and packed up in the dark so as to get an early start. As I was hiking that morning the rain started again so I put on my new, high speed Arc'teryx rain jacket that I had just purchased before the hike. I kept noticing things during the day like "I wonder why the Velcro tabs have all this lint stuck in them" and figured that it somehow happened while packed in my backpack; then I noticed when looking down that the seams were sewn a little irregularly and thought to myself that in the reviews of my jacket they raved about the meticulous craftsmanship, so maybe the reviews were a bit exaggerated; it also was not breathing well (i.e., I was perspiring inside more than I had hoped), an then...as I was going to place something into one of my two vertical chest pockets, I noticed that the pockets were not vertical but were lower and horizontal!!! Finally I said to myself "hey, this is not my jacket"! So I figured that I must have left my blue jacket at the shelter and I must have packed up the "Dad's" blue jacket in the dark. I was little disappointed for three reasons; the jacket was not breathing as well as I hoped, the water from the rain was not balling up and rolling off like I expected from my Arc'teryx $375 jacket, and that due to my error I no longer had an Arc'teryx $375 Gore-Tex jacket! So if the "Dad" ever reads this trail journal and wants to exchange jackets, he can contact me via this journal and I will will gladly pay for postage to mail the two jackets to their rightful owners.
Date: 2014-04-29
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: clear sky

Headed north to Lance Creek around 8AM, still fretting that I no longer was the proud owner of an Arc'teryx rain jacket. There was plenty of rain and high winds expected tonight, so I set up my tent in a location that looked liked flooding would not be an issue. I pressed the tent stakes deep into the soil and placed large rocks over them to help ensure the winds would not pull them from the ground. I made it thru the rain that night, but due to me getting my Lunar Solo tarp tent as close to the ground as possible there was very little air circulation that is needed with these single walled tarp tents. What happens without adequate circulation is condensation builds up and the interior still gets very wet along the the occupant and all his gear. Rain stopped around 6am, got up and hung much of my wet gear from nearby trees with little result. Packed up and headed north.
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Lance Creek

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 7.4

I will have to conserve power on my cell phone as I hike because I was unable to make any updates to my journals for the past couple days. Hiked up and over Blood Mountain (4450' elevation) in the rain. Rained pretty hard up and down the mountain. Made it to Neels gap, and decided to get a cabin that night so that I could spread my gear out and get it dryed. Stayed over at Blood Mountain Cabins. Not a bad deal for $60. The cabin was nice and I could lay out all my gear. They had food for sale in the office; of which I bought a pizza and a can of ravioli's. The best part of the deal is that they did my laundry for me at no charge. Not sure where I will camp tonight. Will have to work around where I can find water and potential campsites. When I was unpacking all my gear, guess what was in the bottom of my pack? MY BLUE ARC'TERYX GORE-TEX RAIN JACKET! I was initially very happy for about two seconds and then the thought came to me that "Dad" was without his rain jacket. I convinced myself that he was probably getting off the trail since his daughter was ill, so I felt less bad. I asked at Neels Gap Mountain Crossings Walasi-Yi Center the next morning if anyone was looking for a blue Gore-Tex jacket. I ended up mailing it home. So if "Dad" reads the journal message, I hope your daughter is feeling better, and I am so sorry for taking your rain jacket. Please contact me and I will mail the jacket back to you. By the way, the rain does really ball up well on my Arc'teryx rain jacket, so I highly recommend it as a very good rain jacket that repels water and also breathes well.
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Neels Gap

To: Hogpen Gap
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: moderate rain

Headed north out of Neels Gap and decided that the next shelter, Whitley Gap Shelter, was not that inviting. You would have to walk east off the AT for 1.2 miles to get to it, and I even think it was described as a steep trail down. The water source from there was an additional .3 miles downhill. I don't think so! So I kept going towards the next water source which was about 50 yards off trail for resupply. After filtering my water (by the way I thank my wife for buying me the Sawyer Water Filter, which is much lighter than my MSR pump type filter and is working well) I hiked on to the next campsite I came across, which was at Hogpen Gap. Made my Raman Noodles, had a candy bar and continued to set up camp. The evening was windy and cool, but there was no rain. Woke up to a cool 48 degrees and packed everything up. So nice to pack up dry gear! Had two pop tarts for breakfast headed north. Will try to get in 10 miles today. Trying to carry less water and resupply more often. These "ups" are really slowing me down.
Date: 2014-05-02
From: Hogpen Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Made it to Blue Mountain Shelter this afternoon. Walked up to the shelter and there were two older German gentlemen already there and settled in. I talked with them a bit and mentioned that their Chancelor was visiting the White House today, which they did not seem interested in discussing. I asked what they thought of Russia and their actions in the Ukraine. One of the gentlemen said he believed that Russia was partly correct by doing so and that the Europeans were partly wrong because they were too overbearing in trying to Europeanize the Ukraine. I could see we had different perspectives and I added that I believed Russia was wrong in the manner in which there were "protecting Russian citizens" and if Putin was in the "right" why would he send in his forces covering their faces and no indication of Russian markings on their uniforms. The conversation ended there and we did not have any meaningful conversations after that. I am just making all kinds of friends out here.
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: few clouds

Arrived early to Tray Mountain Shelter. There were four thru hikers there. One that I camped with the previous night at Blue Mountain Shelter, a real speedster doing 20 mile days, and a young married couple that I had arrived with at about the same time back at Neels Gap, and the fourth was one of the Ridge Runners, Blue Eyes that helps maintain the trail and tries to ensure hikers adhere to the "leave no trace" method of hiking. The speedster, his trail name was "Squirrel" by the way, and the young married couple were departing to get in more miles that afternoon. With the next shelter being over seven miles away, and having already hiked 8.1 miles, I did not flintch in starting to unload my pack and get set up in this shelter. Shortly after the three hikers left, a female hiker rolled in and it ended up being the three of us there that night. Her trail name was "Repack". I ate my last Raman Noodles for dinner, so at least I would have an empty food bag to carry into Hiawassee tomorrow.
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Walked out of the forest onto U.S. 76 and hitched a ride into the small town of Hiawassee. The driver, a retired steel mill worker out of Ohio dropped me off in the middle of town. I looked for a place to stay. Since I was feeling pretty beat up, I decided to take a zero day on Monday and stay in town an additional day to relax and take care of few things before getting back on the trail. Had dinner a Daniel's Steak House, which had an all you can eat buffet style set up. A good deal for a hungry hiker. Total without tip came to $11.60. The food was plentiful and very good. Went back to my room, talked to my wife and daughters on the phone and went to sleep.
Date: 2014-05-05
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0

Got up this morning and walked down to the laundry facility about a quarter mile away. While doing laundry, I noticed a Radio Shack so I replaced my watch battery which was getting low, and picked up a couple AAA lithium batteries for my AM/FM radio. I will say that my watch with altimeter is really useful to me as I am trudging up these mountains. I use it as a motivator as I try to go at least 20' in elevation before stopping to catch my breath. Some of these mountains are about 45 degree inclines for a mile. They are beating the heck out of me. Anyway, I find my altimeter very useful in letting me know how much more the pain will last before I reach the summit and can enjoy the down side. Also, I enjoy my radio in keeping up with the news so I can question our foreign hikers with things like "did you know your Chancelor was visiting the White House today"? After laundry and getting batteries, I went to the local grocery store to stock up on enough food for five days. The next resupply for me will be Franklin, NC. After purchasing the portable charger I walked up the main street to a Subway for lunch. On the way I saw a Verizon store and made a decision to go in and purchase a portable power charger for my cell phone. I will be in a little hot water for this because my Mother-In-Law had previously given me a portable power charger, and my wife tried to convince me to take it with me. I decided not to take it because of the extra weight. I thought I could smooth things over a bit with my MIL by purchasing and sending from the trail a Mother's Day card since next Sunday is Mother's Day. After mailing the cards, I headed to the library to update my journals and try to correct typos. Tomorrow morning back on the trail.