morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-03-13
From: Gooch Mt Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept a lot better last night with Jeff on one side and a trio of young North Carolinians on the other. I had a vivid dream about living in a flat with an old schoolfriend while workmen were sawing and chiselling away in the room above. I woke to realise that a mouse was somewhere above my head gnawing on one of the joists. Then I noticed flashes of lightning and the distant rumble of thunder. I went back to sleep. In the morning several others mentioned that they had caught the smell of a skunk and just lay praying that it would move on.Today has been the hardest yet at almost 12 miles and 9 and a half hours of walking. Fortunately much of it was blessed with small creeks streaming down the mountainsides, every one an opportunity to wet my bandanna, fill my hat with water and empty it over my head, and sometimes filter more water for the rest of the day. A water filter is a Godsend (Thanks a lot, Mick). I've had to clean it twice already. Initially I thought I was doing something wrong, but "Spur" insisted it was normal in Georgia, the streams give up a lot of sediment. In the middle of the day, and just before we endured Big Cedar Mountain, we had our first "Trail Angel" experience; a polystyrene crate packed with ice and Mountain Dew soda left beside a boulder at Woody Gap. It was from "Spur" who had finished his 5-day round trip and was headed back home to Atlanta. Woody Hole shelter was our destination, an endless half-mile off the AT, and we got there just before dark. It's the poorest quality shelter so far, and already full when we arrived. No chat from anyone tonight, we're all too tired, everyone just plodding around, heads down, getting their chores done and then off to bed. Ken struggled in well after dark. My final thought for the day is "I need a shower!". And we should get one tomorrow at Neel's Gap.
Date: 2013-09-06
From: Beaver Brook Shelter

To: Kinsman Notch
Miles today: 1.5
Weather: broken clouds

Day 112 - Kinsman Notch I woke up and left Bud and The Voice at the shelter around 8.   It was quite a steep, treacherous descent down Moosilauke, and it took me over an hour to go 1.5 miles to the road. Once at the road, I walked a half mile to the Lost River Gorge tourist area - Claudia agreed to take me to the airport so I could catch my flight to Wisconsin for my buddy's wedding. I'll be off trail for a few days, but am looking forward to seeing Haley and my buddy and his bride-to-be!
Date: 2003-03-14
From: Woods Hole

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today the weather changed. And just as well as we tackled Blood Mt. in the morning. At almost 4,500 feet it's the highest point on the AT in Georgia, and named after a huge battle between the Creek and Cherokee Indian tribes on its slopes. In usual AT fashion we were led to the top of it. After the tough day before, the climb was difficult but the descent of over 1500 feet on the other side was killing. Much of it was scrambling over large rock formations. My pack is way too heavy and feels top-heavy too, so coming down the hill was slow work. We staggered into the Walasi-Yi Centre at Neels Gap around 1.30 pm just as the rain started to fall. We registered for the hostel and weighed our packs on the scales outside the outfitter's store. My pack was re-confirmed at 50lbs so I made an appointment with one of the experts to go through my pack next morning. "Wee Toe" is struggling too, but decided to go through her pack herself. We'll be sending a number of things home or onwards. Once settled in my bunk my first act was to buy a coke in the store, my second act was to drink it and my third was to buy another one. Then a shower and laundry.Tom and Ken from Maine, Charlie from Ohio, plus the three North Carolinian youngsters are all here. Also "Tripod" and "Einstein", two very pleasant young lads from Washington state.Big news of the day was that the Walasi-Yi* would be putting on a shuttle to take hikers down to an AYCE (All you can eat)at the Cookie Jar restaurant in Blairsville. Ten of us were up for that. We well and truly stuffed ourselves at the unlimited buffet for the princely sum of $6.99 per head.*Walasi-Yi is a Cherokee name meaning "Place of the large Frogs" which were apparently instrumental in helping a Cherokee prisoner escape from his Creek captors. Maybe one needed to be there!
Date: 2013-09-09
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Camp Spot Near Gordon Pond Trail
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

Day 113 - Camp Spot Near Gordon Pond TrailI got picked up at the airport by Claudia and her granddaughters, who drove me back to the trailhead. Meeting them was great, and I really enjoyed getting to know them!I hit the trail around 4:30 and only went a couple miles before stealth camping near the trail. It was nice to have a weekend in Wisconsin, but it was also nice to hit the trail. I'm ready for the last chapter!
Date: 2003-03-15
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

All through the night I tossed and turned going through the contents of my pack working out what I didn't really need. Sleeping wasn't helped by the coughing and spluttering of the guy in the bunk below mine who had a terrible head-cold. I was torn between sympathy for his plight and concern that I was in prime position to catch his germs. By 6.30am I was up to make a list. Main culprit was too much food. Anyway, I re-weighed the pack at 45lbs, went back to the outfitters for my appointment and knocked off another 2lbs. We had to re-supply though for the next four days, so that weight has probably gone back on. "Wee Toe" has cut her pack to 35lbs. We both felt a lot better, and after 24 hours' rest, plus the previous night's meal, we decided to make for Low Gap shelter, i.e. 10.6 miles in 6 hours if we were to get there in daylight. This was easily our fastest pace to date but we made it. The day was very misty. Low Gap Shelter is known for being where a 2000 hiker woke to find a black bear slapping him about and straddling him. His reaction isn't recorded! The betting is 10-1 that he rolled over muttering "Not tonight, darling, I'm tired", and 1-3 that he shrieked blue murder until it wandered off.We put up our tent. Here we met a very pleasant Floridian couple, "Retro" and "Orbit", who asked if we would like to use their stove (already assembled), to save us some time in the fading light. I still haven't got used to my trail name. As we were putting up our tent, I heard Retro calling "Bob!" repeatedly from inside her tent. I couldn't understand why Bob wouldn't reply, until the penny finally dropped,"Hey, that's me!" So it's goodnight from Bob.
Date: 2013-09-10
From: Camp Spot Near Gordon Pond Trail

To: Campsite near Franconia Notch
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 114 - Camp Spot Near Franconia NotchI slept in until about 7:30 today, even though my alarm was set for 6:15. I definitely needed the rest after a quick wedding weekend in Madison!   It was overcast pretty much all day, and by the time I had gone 5 miles to the first shelter, it was raining pretty steadily. I decided to rest for a couple hours at the shelter and wait out the rain, and in so doing met another hiker named Blast and his dog. Shortly before I left, a familiar face showed up - Hail Satan, who I hadn't seen since CT. It really is amazing how you cross paths with people again and again out here.   He and I hiked together up and over Mt. Kinsman and to Lost Lake Hut.   Kinsman was quite tiring, as it was pretty much a 1900 foot boulder scramble. It was definitely harder than Moosilauke, even though Moosilauke's climb was much bigger. After we reached the hut, Hail Satan and another hiker named River headed down the trail ahead of me in hopes of getting into town. I didn't need to go to town, so I took my time and ended up stealth camping near Franconia Notch. The rain has held off most of the afternoon, so here's hoping for some good weather tomorrow!
Date: 2013-09-11
From: Campsite near Franconia Notch

To: Galehead Hut
Miles today: 13.0

Day 115 - Galehead hutThese White Mountains are showing me how tough they are! I started by ascending roughly 3400 to Little Haystack mountain - and it was mostly stair stepping over boulders the whole way. From there I hopped onto the Franconia Ridge, which is a 2 miles stretch along a ridge above tree line. If you Google "white mountains", this is probably what you'll see, and it was really incredible. I've waited for this section the whole trip, and here I am! The beauty of this place belies its difficulty, however, and climbing Mt Lincoln and Lafayette was tough. I started getting some pain in my tendons on the inside of my left knee, which made the day tougher. I sure hope it's a one day thing!The descents in the Whites are super steep and difficult too, so you're pretty much working your butt off all day. Once I got down Lafayette, I still had to get over Garfield. By the time I got over that, I was beat and my knee was hurting pretty good, so I decided to stop at the Galehead Hut and ask about work for stay. For through hikers, there's usually a couple spots available at each hut. In return for an hour to two of work, you get to stay at the hut and have dinner. Sounds like a good deal to me! We ended up eating leftover baked mac and cheese, salad, peas, soup and bread. And for our chore we did all the dishes and cleaned up the dining room. Not a bad deal! I had a good time chatting with the Croo (the people who run the hut), as well as the other hikers participating in the work-for-stay. There were a couple of middle aged guys named I believe Jeff and John, as well as Dimples, who was camping with us the night in Vermont that the moose ran through Pop Tart and Salamander's camp. I definitely enjoyed the hut experience, so maybe I'll do it again!
Date: 2003-03-19
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Last night we ate at a nearby steakhouse offering an AYCE option and we were joined by "Retro" and "Orbit". Their real names are Christa and Jack, she originally from Ohio and he from D.C. Both about 30, he was a computer programmer, she worked for a dot.com company. I use the past tense because they both gave up their jobs, sold their homes and put their property in storage in order to do the AT. Afterwards they plan to relocate from Orlando to Vermont and settle down. I hope it all works out for them, they are a fine couple and very good company. Christa has one of the dirtiest laughs I've ever heard, you can't help but smile back when you hear it. Jack has set up a web site to record their progress, something like www.retrogradeorbit.com (this may not be right). Incidentally they mentioned that they had received a similar reception to us at the Trey Mountain shelter the night before and had been just as unimpressed. Our main realisation today is that we aren't well. We've both got head colds, I'm coughing all the time, and we have no strength in our muscles. Even walking uphill from the Post Office back to the Inn was an effort. No way are we going back to the hills like this. We'll stay here another day or two if neccessary to get ourselves in shape.I have to say that staying in Hiawassee is no hardship. It's a beautiful place, population about 850, sitting on Lake Chatuge, and surrounded on three sides by hills and mountains. As I write there is a thunderstorm in progress, and the hills look spectacular as they poke through layers, threads and wisps of mist. It's quite a prosperous place I think, quite a number of second and vacation homes here, but nothing pretentious about it and people are very friendly even to smelly hikers. So here we remain about 10 miles from the North Carolina border.
Date: 2013-09-12
From: Galehead Hut

To: Campsite Near Mt Webster
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: broken clouds

Day 116 - Camp Spot Near Mount Webster Today was infinitely easier than yesterday. The climb up South Twin Mountain (just after Galehead Hut) was reasonably tough, but it didn't last too long. Then from that point all the way to Crawford Notch it was a piece of cake. The trail is quite water logged, but aside from having to rock hop it was easy. I stopped for lunch at the Zealand Falls Hut, where I treated myself to some coffee and a brownie before heading out. From there I was able to average over 2.5 miles per hour all the way to Crawford Notch, and the weather had cleared up (it was rainy for the first couple hours of the hike).   I got to the notch (my intended destination) by 3:30, and decided to tackle to steep climb up to Mt. Webster - I wanted to give myself the opportunity to get over Mt, Washington tomorrow if the weather allows it. Of course, about a mile in, the skies quickly changed from blue to grey and there was thunder in the distance. It didn't take long for that thunder to be right overhead, and for the rain to start coming down. I got up and over Webster and had to set up as soon as I found a place in order to get out of the impending thunderstorm. Luckily I found a good spot and got everything set up before it got too bad. Now I'm riding it out, and it seems to be passing. Tomorrow I start the Presidential Range - bring it on!
Date: 2003-03-21
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Still here in Hiawassee! This virus is flu-like and has floored us both. Nights are restless and feverish, mornings we catch breakfast and then go back to bed to rest, then we do some chores in the afternoon. I woke up through the night last night bathed in sweat and suddenly realised that much of the ache and tiredness in my limbs was gone, so I think I'm on the mend, apart from the cough. "Wee Toe" is still very drained and has lost her voice. We're staying here another night. We've resupplied and are ready to go but will decide tomorrow morning whether to get back on the AT or leave it another day.The weather has turned again, today has been sunny and is set fair for the next few days. The town is pretty, awash with white-blossomed trees called "Bradford Pears", but we need to be getting on. I've seen a good bumper sticker here which I'm tempted to get. It's the Stars and Stripes, and below them "These colors don't run!". Not sure when I'd use it though. A future French camping vacation might be good.
Date: 2013-09-13
From: Campsite Near Mt Webster

To: Lake of the Clouds Hut
Miles today: 8.3

Day 117 - Lakes of the Clouds HutI did an easy 3 miles to the Mizpah Hut, where I stopped for some coffee and free oatmeal (the Croo seem to incessantly be trying to offload their extra oatmeal). I talked with a couple of the Croo members and headed out after about an hour break. Within a short time I got up above tree line and into the desolate, rocky alpine zone. By this time I was literally in the clouds and the wind began increasing in intensity as the temperatures dropped. There was also a fine mist perpetually blowing in the wind. I loved the intensity! By the time I reached Mt. Eisenhower Coon had caught up to me (from where I don't know, but I had last seen him in Hanover). So we hiked the rest of the way with limited visibility to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. Just was we skirted past Mt. Monroe, which is within a couple tenths of the Hut), the clouds momentarily lifted and we had an awesome view across the tundra and down into a valley to the east. It was the first time I could really see what I was getting into, and I was in awe. It was really beautiful (but, I'm a sucker for the alpine-type, barren places).   We got to the hut around 1, as the weather was worsening. A cold front was moving in, and it was coming quickly. I asked about work-for-stay, but since I was so early I had to reserve a place in "The Dungeon" for $10 instead (they don't accept WFS until 4, because after then they pretty much have to let people stay since it could be dangerous to turn them away). "The Dungeon" is an emergency shelter located beneath the hut in its cellar. It is pretty disgusting, and so I crossed my fingers that no more than 3 other hikers would come in (4 is the max for WFS). I hung out until around 4:30, drinking coffee and reading Dead Poets Society, until another through hiker named Willow showed up. She and I hung out in the dining room for most of the evening and, luckily, she and I were the only through hikers that showed up so I got WFS! We had multiple plates of chicken, salad, green beans and bread before doing some dishes as part of our chores (more to come in the morning we hear).   There were approximately 35 guests tonight - much more than the handful at Galehead the other night - and it was fun to watch the Croo in action. They make everything a spectacle, from the announcement of dinner (our call was "Thruuuuuuu Hikeeeeeerrrs, assemble!") and all had good senses of humor. They even did a couple talks on things like lichen and the energy efficiency of the huts. It was quite entertaining! After lights out, I finished Dead Poets Society and hit the hay as the wind howled outside - glad to be in the dining room instead of the dungeon! What a great, relaxing day it was!
Date: 2003-03-25
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I can't remember the date of my last entry which I've sent home - was it Friday? Instead of getting back to the AT on Saturday, I spent most of the day in bed, all the flu-like symptoms back with a vengeance. On Sunday I felt much better and we planned to get on our way on Monday. But on Monday we were both coughing even more and I felt as bad as I had on the Saturday. I made an appointment for us with a local M.D. that afternoon, and now we're on some expensive medication to help with the congestion and to deal with "walking pneumonia", a term they use to describe a bronchial condition that "shouldn't become life-threatening" but is quite common with hikers and seems to fit our symptoms well. So we are still in Hiawassee and I'm making no more predictions. We'll leave when we leave.
Date: 2013-09-14
From: Lake of the Clouds Hut

To: Camp Spot After Mt Madison
Miles today: 12.3

Day 118 - Camp Spot After Descent of Mt. MadisonOur chores this morning consisted of scrubbing mold off of walls, so I didn't leave the hut until 10. But we did get some pancakes in exchange! The hike up to Mt. Washington was a short, blustery, cold experience. The mountains were again in the clouds, but just as I got toward the summit, blue skies appeared overhead.   The power of the cold and the wind as I got to the top was exhilarating, and I was pumped to get there. From the top, there were views looking down onto the clouds, and it was beautiful. There was also a snack bar at the touristy, auto accessible summit, and that was beautiful too. I got some homestyle mac and cheese and a Coke, thank you very much.   Willow wasn't too far behind so we hung out for a bit as well while we both charged our phones. After I left Mt. Washington, things got a little hairy. The power of the weather is unbelievable up here, and there's a 8-9 mile stretch of trail above tree line so you have to be committed and prepared to make it to your destination. The wind chill was in the mid 20's, and the 20-30 mph winds carried mist/sleet with it. To top it off, the visibility was pretty low, and up above tree line it's all boulder and no discernible path. You have to look for cairns to have any idea where to go. As I approached Mt. Jefferson, the wind and mist really picked up and it was quite intense for a while. In the end, with all my layers, gloves and hat on, I was pretty comfortable and dry when I stopped into the Madison Hut for a rest. I had a cup of coffee and some snacks there before heading out to climb Mt. Madison. It was a steep, boulder filled scramble, and the weather continued as it was before. Luckily, once I got up and over Madison to its eastern side, the weather calmed down significantly. The winds were calmer and there was no precipitation. It's really amazing how the mountains can affect the weather. After another mile or so above tree line, I descended steeply a couple thousand feet   Shortly thereafter, as sunset approached, I found a good campsite to post up for the night. Today was crazy - one I'll never forget!
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Hiawassee

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We checked out of "hospital" today, a last-minute decision prompted by the weather forecasts predicting rain on Saturday and snow on Sunday. We still don't feel good, but if we delay any longer we could find ourselves during Saturday/Sunday at over 5,000 feet tackling Albert Mountain and its horrors (see Bryson) in a snowstorm. We were picked up in Hiawassee by two upbeat middle-aged ladies, Joyce Munro and her friend Sally. They are both from St. Pete, Florida, but decided in the late 80s to buy some land here and eventually made it their home. They were great fun, they'd just arrived from catching their neighbour's cow on the road and returning it to its field. Sally spoke very fondly of her tour round Scotland with her parents 20 years ago - they hired a car and bed-and-breakfasted all the way up western Scotland and over to Aberdeen, and made a number of friends with whom they are still in touch. We were dropped off at Dicks Creek Gap at 12.30 which gave us a maximum of six hours to get somewhere - at the very least Plum Orchard Gap Shelter (only 4.3 miles away). Better would be Rich Cove campsite 6.6 miles. Probably out of the question, given our state of health, was Bly Gap campsite on the N.C. stateline 8.8 miles away. We coughed and wheezed our way to Plum Orchard quickly enough so we decided to press on to Rich Cove for the night. Either we missed it or the campsite just doesn't exist! By 5.00pm we still hadn't reached it which couldn't be right. Verity wasn't feeling at all well, obvious because she had been lagging behind me all afternoon. By 6.00pm I was seriously worried. The light was fading and there wasn't anywhere remotely suitable for throwing up a tent. Mostly we were walking on narrow paths along mountain sides sloped at about 60-70 degrees. By 6.30 I was well into my limited repertoire of prayers when on a tree ahead there was a strange metal pipe and a plaque. It said "GA/NC". We were at Bly Gap! Verity could see a tent in a clearing up ahead, and I resolved at that moment to try and be a good human being, well, forever. Three major climbs and almost nine miles in an afternoon. I hadn't thought we were capable of that. And we are now in North Carolina! Verity has been a real trooper today, and my heart goes out to her.
Date: 2013-09-15
From: Camp Spot After Mt Madison

To: Campsite after Imp Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 119 - Camp Spot Near Imp ShelterBloody HELL, the Whites are hard!   The first couple miles were ok as I made my way to Pinkham Notch. But from there, as I climbed Wildcat Mountain and the Carter Mountains, the trail put me to work! And don't even know how many times I slipped and fell on the wet, moss covered rocks. I might even say that Wildcat was the toughest climb yet. It's 2000 feet of climbing - from slippery rock faces to huge boulders it was relentless. There were some cool views back across the valley toward the Presidential Range, which helped keep me moving. Then there was a 1000 foot descent to the Carter Notch Hut, where I took a much needed break before going up another 1000 foot climb to Carter Dome. Then it was up and down the rest of the day as I went over another 3 peaks. Let me tell you, it takes some big effort to do 15+ in the Whites!I ended up stealth camping about .3 after the Imp Shelter, and I can already hear the wildlife arousing for their nighttime festivities. Tomorrow, it's to the town of Gorham and I'm going to CRUSH some McDonald's.