morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-02
To: Wish I was hiking...
Miles today: 0.0

Hey Everyone,It's Wednesday the 2nd and I am sitting at work. I work at the Mt Bethel UMC Gym, my job consists of running the clock for basketball games, belaying people on the indoor rock wall or answering phones at the desk. I'm looking out the window wishing I was outside. It's a beautiful day, Temp in the high 40's but the sun is shining. I guess the treadmill will have to due tonight. I've been meaning to discuss with my cousin Justin about whether we were going to hike the 8 mile ascent from Amicolola to Springer. I don't believe the trail mileage actually begins until Springer. I was hoping someone could drop me a line in the guestbook and let me know what the deal is with that. I'm really excited and a little nervous. I hope that all my gear works out the way I plan for it to. I put a small tear in the fabric around the elastic band on my mesh pocket on my pack. It's pretty minor but my mom is going to take the sewing machine to it and fix it up. I tried dehydrated kiwi for the first time last night, it's quite tasty, almost like a sour hard candy. I have a few new additions to my gear including an emergency heat blanket and the makings for a first aid kit. The other two guys who I'm hiking with arrive in town tonight and Justin and I still have to seam seal the tent we will be using and I'm going to seam seal my pack as well.
Date: 2005-03-07
From: Springer Mt. GA

To: North (as far as we can go on the first day.)
Miles today: 7.6

Weather: RAIN RAIN and more RAIN Temp in the 40's, yet to see what it drops to tonight. Mileage:Around 8 miles Food:Cheese and potato soup, clif bar, granola bars. Location:Hawk Mountain Shelter Animals:A few birds Money Spent:0 People Met:Captain Caveman, Opie, Ken, Carolyn, Becky, Porter Today went fairly smoothly, except for the rain that started when we arrived at Springer and has yet to stop, it's around 7:30 p.m. now. The mileage was no problem, we got it done in around 3 hours. My feet feel fine, I was having some pain in my middle back which I believe has something to do with the way I had my gear packed, I'm going to reconfigure it tomorrow morning. The shelter was close to full so we decided to pitch our tents about 25 yds away. I think we'll be warmer in here than the shelter anyway. I met this guy named Chris who is the older brother of a girl I graduated high school with, it's a small world. We are all in our tents already, mainly to stay dry but I think I'll try to fall sleep pretty soon.
Date: 2005-03-08
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: overcast clouds

hello everyone,Weather:rained all last night until about 5AM when it turned to snow. Temp in the 30's today. Food:oats n' honey cereal, PBJ on pitas. dinner hashbrown sausage and eggs.Animals: Some birdsPeople: Lots, hiked with Opie and Captain Caveman most of the day. Good day today, it looked kinda rough this morning when we opened the tent door to see about 3 inches of snow. But after we left the shelter at around 10:45 it was beautiful. I was plenty warm last night in my bag with hardly any clothes on, but when it started snowing I had to put my hat and socks.I hiked mostly with these two guys from Memphis. They are really cool and they hike at a pace more suitable to me. We made a mistake last night by not fully venting the tent. Condensation rained down on us a little bit but it was bearable. My back feels fine today without reconfiguring my packing system. There's about 11 people in the shelter, all very nice, I've met them all but can't remember names. I accidently left my gloves outside and found them soaked on the inside. Thankfully I found a pair of liners in the shelter that lasted me the day. Most of my gear has dried out by now. There's not supposed to be precipitation tonight, we hope... But it is supposed to be colder tonight than last night. That sucks. Until next time...Taylor
Date: 2005-03-09
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

This is an update from Dennis & Nancy Smith (Justin's parents)who met the boys in Suches, GA at noon on Wednesday, March 9, armed with 14 cheeseburgers, fries, fresh water, 3 gallons of Gatorade and homemade chocolate chip cookies. It was 34 degrees at noon. The boys have walked about 20 miles to this point. They hope to make it to Blood Mountain Shelter tonight. That would be about a 13-mile hike today. They slept inside the Gooch Mountain Shelter last night. It was very cold, but all 4 boys looked great. They were keeping warm & dry. Justin Smith is the first one to get his trail name - it is "Gizmo." It is trail tradition for all hikers to get a trail name. Usually it takes about a week for someone to "name" the hiker. After that point, that's what they are called. The boys have been hiking with a few others they have met - Andrew, Jaws, Chris, Phil, Opie & Carolyn. The Smith's reported that the boys very generously shared their lunch & cookies (way to go boys!) The boys have heard that some bad weather is forecast for Friday night, so they plan to try to make it to Hiawassee, GA by Friday night to stay in a hiker hostel (The Blueberry Patch). This would mean they need to walk 20 miles Thursday & 20 miles on Friday. Doesn't sound too bad until you factor in the mountains & their packs!The quote of the day was from Nancy Smith, "The boys are doing great - they don't even stink yet!!!"Taylor's later update via Pocketmail:Weather: 20's with some snow flurriesMileage: 12Location: Woods Hole ShelterPeople: Ken, Carolyn,Becky,Andrew,WesMoney: 0Animals: Not muchLongest day yet, I have a small blister on my left pinky toe, but no other complaints. Justin, Brian and Justin all decided to make the extra 2 mile hike to Blood Mtn shelter, I was hurting so I decided to stay here. I'm pretty tired tonight and we have a 15 mile day planned for tomorrow so I am gonna call it a night, at 7:35. Tough life huh?Taylor
Date: 2005-03-10
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Weather:As cold as usual, no precipLocation:Low Gap ShelterMileage:17.2-Rough!Food:Cliff Bars, Packers Potatoes, PBJ'sPeople:We left everyone we have been hiking with to gain some extra mileage. Money:$9 for some gatorade, snacks, and AT patch Animals:birds, squirrelsToday was a looong day, I was about ready to collapse on my way into camp. My feet are doing good, my shoulders hurt worse than anything. When we arrived at the shelter there were tents and hikers all over. We met Creeky Bones(not sure of real name), an older woman who left the day beforee us. She is also on TJ, she told me. Two couples from England tented right near us, only caught the name of one guy Ian. Almost all hikers here are thru-hikers which is cool, they all left on the 6th. We're passing people! I'm exhausted and I need sleep.
Date: 2005-03-11
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Weather:Nice weather until about 2PM when it started to snow. Cold cold night. Location:Tray Mountain Shelter Food:Pop Tarts, PBJ, Spaghetti and meatballs(D-licious) Money:ZipMileage:15Long but enjoyable day, we finished the majority of the mileage before lunch which made the 2nd half of the day much easier. The downhills on the way down Rock Mtn really took a toll on my knees-Thank you Tiger Balm. There's a fresh spring on top of Tray so it was nice to drink fresh water with no purification. The shelter was full so we set up our tents in the snow, should make for an intersting morning. We all had a good long laugh tonight while eating dinner. My cousin, Justin S., was biting into beef jerky and his tooth chipped in the exact same way as Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber. For those of you who haven't seen this movie, watch it. We have official changed his trail name to Lloyd, as in Lloyd Christmas. We met some new people in the shelter including some girls who go to Lee University. They just happen to be friends of friends, it's a small world. My hands are cold so I'm signing off. Good Night.
Date: 2005-03-12
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek - Blueberry Patch
Miles today: 10.5

Weather:B-E-A-utiful day, no precipitation Location:Blueberry Patch Hostel Mileage:10 Animals:Cats and donkeys at Blueberry Money:0 People:Gary, Linney, Andrew and Amanda Food:Pop tarts, amazing seafood buffet at Shoney'sVery enjoyable day, easy mileage and great weather. My parents met us at Dick's Creek Gap and drove us over to Blueberry Patch. Great hostel, very cozy and well kept. Gary and Linney are the fabulous hosts here, they couldn't be any nicer. When we arrived we met Andrew and Amanda, a couple from Colorado Springs who are thru hiking. Gary and Linney gladly took our smelly laundry and washed it for us. We all went out to eat at Shoney's, this was a real treat. We got a chance to take a look at the guestbooks online, thanks to everyone who signed, it's great to hear from everybody. I am so comfy in my bed right now, I have to take advantage of a warm bed, good night.
Date: 2005-03-13
From: Dick's Creek - Blueberry Patch

To: Muskrat Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Weather:Amazing weather, sunny in the low 70's-no joke Location:Muskrat Creek Shelter Food:Blueberry pancakes, cheese biscuits, sausage and eggs OJ breakfast at the Blueberry Patch, pop tarts and apricots for lunch and pasta for dinnerMileage:11.6Animals:BirdsPeople:Scott who gave Smitty a ride back to the BB patch because he left his polesNicest weather we've had yet, a little too hot at some points. Breakfast at BB Patch was unbelievable, I would HIGHLY recommend this hostel. We have finally made our way out of Georgia, we are about 3.5 miles inside NC. The hike up once we hit NC was rough, the last 3.5 was tougher than the first 8 in my opinion. Some of the guys from Tray Mtn. shelter are here tonight. It just started to rain a little outside but it's light.There are no bear lines to hang food here, kind of suprising. We have two more 12 mile days and we plan to meet Dennis Tuesday night at Standing Indian campground for burgers and reprovisions. I figured that since I got a shower last night that maybe I would stay clean...nope. I already smell bad after only a few hours. Not much else has happened, it's a little more quiet without Cunha around. I'm about to call it a night.
Date: 2005-03-16
From: Rock Gap

To: Relaxin in the NC
Miles today: 24.5

Hey everybody,I am writing this journal from the Burnsville Public Library in Burnsville, NC. We came off the trail for today and tomorrow because of the hostile weather that is supposed to hit overnight. My Aunt and Uncle picked us up at Rock Gap yesterday afternoon and drove us back to their home. We enjoyed a great homemade dinner last night and a huge breakfast this morning. While in town I plan to look for a replacement tent for the Eureka Zues EXO we have now. I would not reccomend the Zues EXO to anyone who doesn't like to get rained on inside their tent. The tent we were using was a single wall and is very easy to set up. The downside is that condensation forms like crazy on the inside even when fully vented. I am looking at the MSR Hubba 1 person right now. I hope it was the right decision to come off the trail and not have this be a waste of 2 days. If the Weather Channel's predictions are correct than it was definitley worth it. We are currently in the process of updating some pictures on www.hikerguys.com. Supposedly there's an internet cafe in town that has computers capable of this, everywhere else we've tried has only given us trouble. It's nice to be back to civilization, but also very different. It's about 35 degrees and raining here so I can only imagine what it's like on the trail. We found out that the injury Brian sustained to his knee was a hyper-extension which has virtually ended his hike with us. This is news that no one wanted to hear at all, it's not going to be the same without him. He met up with us last night and we all had a good time visiting but I could tell that it was really tough for him to be around while we talked about our plans for the next weeks. I think it's better that it happened now and not somewhere down the trail which would only be tougher. Brian - You're the man, we'll miss you a lot. You'll still be hiking with us in spirit.
Date: 2005-03-18
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Wine Spring Campground
Miles today: 11.9

Weather:Nice day, 50'sLocation:Wine Spring CampgroundFood:English muffins, BBQ at Dillsboro Smokehouse, Spaghetti Money:0 Mileage:11.9 Animals:0 People:0First day back since our 2 day break, great weather. I think my stamina has digressed after the 2 zero days, uphills were rough today. We didn't hit the trail until about 1pm but still got decent mileage in. I am in my new MSR Zoid 2 tent for the 1st time, we'll see if I like it in the morning. It suprisingly feels really good to be back on the trail freezing my butt off. We talked about putting a 20 mile day in tomorrow to make it to the NOC for dinner but I don't think we will. I am exhausted and cold!Good night.
Date: 2005-03-19
From: Wine Spring Campground

To: A. Morgan Rufus Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Weather:Nice day, upper 40'sLocation:A Morgan Rufus ShelterMoney:0Mileage:18.2Animals:little snakePeople:No one all dayFood:Grits, Poptarts, chili and barsLongest mileage day yet, my body is definitely feeling it. My right knee was hurting today but I popped some Advil and it helped a little. Smitty went ahead another mile to the NOC to stay at the hostel; Webb and I decided to stay at the shelter. Someone left a menu in the shelter for the NOC diner, we plan to get some breakfast there. I didn't see a single person all day, this suprised me but made it more peaceful. It hurts for me to sit up and type so I'm out.
Date: 2005-03-20
From: A. Morgan Rufus Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

Weather:60's in the afternoon, 40's laterLocation:Brown Fork Gap ShelterMoney:$12 on breakfast, Gatorade and candyMileage:16Animals:NadaPeople:Uncle Bob, Traction, Cracker, ChinoFood:Hashbrown, eggs, sausage biscuits and too much coffee at NOC, bars and PB crackers, pop tarts and more barsVery rough day of hiking out of the Natahala Gorge. The first 8 miles was completely uphill and my right knee was really hurting. It didn't help that we got a late start out of the NOC at 11. Lloyd and I finished the final 3.5 together, 1.5 of it was the steepest section we've had yet. We watched the sunset as we hiked into the shelter at around 7:30. I was so exhausted I had two packs of pop-tarts and some granola bars and hit the sack. On the way up we met this dude named Traction from Virginia who had signed my guestbook before we left. He left Springer on the 13th, he hikes crazy mileage. With his 21 pound pack he averages at least 21 miles a day -craaazy. He's a cool kid though, probably won't keep up with him much longer. As I write Cracker is already snoring next to me-so glad I have my MP3 player. We meet Dennis tomorrow at Fontana for reprovisions. Hopefully I get a decent night's sleep through the snoring...Good Night.
Date: 2005-03-21
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Weather:50's up to 60'sLocation:Fontana HiltonMoney:$4 Tylenol PM and GatoradeMileage:12.7Animals:Nuttin'People:Uncle Bob, TractionFood:Oatmeal, Pop-tarts, Amazing BBQ at Sweetwater BBQHiking was not too bad today, went pretty quick. My knee felt better but my right Achilles tendon was burning like crazy after lunch, no idea why. Dennis and the trailer of food was a sight for sore eyes coming into Fontana this afternoon. We all took showers at the visitor's center and changed into clean clothes. We met ridgerunner, the park ranger at Fontana and he recommended a good BBQ place for dinner. He knows his stuff, it was amazing. Traction came out and ate with us and gave me my trail name, I have been dubbed SuperFeet. We got back to Fontana and stocked up with a week's worth of food and headed to the "Hilton." It's a very nice shelter, I have the upper level all to myself. There's only 5 of us in a shelter that could easily sleep 30. Tomorrow we begin the Great Smokies, I'm excited to finally be here, I hope my Achilles feels better in the morning. I think I'll sleep like a baby tonight. Signing off,SuperFeet
Date: 2005-03-22
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Weather:Windy 40's, afternoon showersLocation:Russel Field ShelterMoney:0Mileage:13.8Animals:0People:Uncle Bob, 6 spring breakers from KentuckyFood:Oatmeal, Bars, jerky and fruit, Bean beef and cheese burritosHad a great night's sleep at the Hilton, best night yet I think. Gradual inclines all day made for nice hiking. Dennis hiked the first 5 or so miles with us and headed back to the "real world." We got some good pics from atop the tower of the first ridge. My achilles was really hurting this morning but actually felt better as the day went on. I think the advils I took helped some too. The wind really picked up as we climbed today, almost knocking me over at one point. The shelter is not the nicest I've seen but has tarps on the fence to keep the wind out which is nice. The shelters in the smokies all have bear-proof cages on the front. I mixed refried beans, ground beef, cheddar cheese and spread it on tortillas to make some amazing burritos, one of my favorite dinners so far.
Date: 2005-03-23
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Weather:40's cloudy, scattered showers and brief hail Location:Double Springs Shelter Money:0 Mileage:16.8 Animals:0 People:Uncle Bob, Jason, Chris and about 8 others not sure of names Food:Grits, poptarts bars and jerky, corn spaghetti with meat sauceI'm chillin'(literally) in a crowded shelter with a fire brewing in the fire place. There's a bunch of spring breakers and 1-nighters. Last night Uncle Bob gave us our team name, Team Dumber. From now on all of our register entries will have a "Dumb and Dumber" quote. My ankle hurt worse then it has the past two days, if it's still this bad in Davenport I think I'll get it checked out. We hiked up the famous Rocky Top, TN mountain, Webb spelled UGA in rocks on top. Rocky Top wasn't all that impressive, much too foggy. A dark cloud has seemed to have followed us since we got in the Smokies. Doesn't make for very good views. We will be hiking over Clingman's Dome in the morning, I'm hoping it's clear enough for some good pictures. It's getting mighty cold in here, so I'm out.SuperFeet
Date: 2005-03-24
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Weather:50's, icy and muddy mixture Location:Icewater Spring ShelterMoney:0Mileage:13.8Animals:0People:Uncle Bob, Supercheese, Cocoa Bean, Nate, Tennesee Walkers Food:Granola, Pop tarts and cheese mashed potatoes, Beef Stew and Bean beef cheese burritos and vanilla puddingGreat day today, the mileage flew by after Clingman's Dome. We could not have picked a better day to hit Clingman's, clear skies and sun shining all day long. The view from the tower on Clingman's was unreal, my favorite scenic view yet by far. The trail down all the way to Newfound Gap was a mix of either ice, thick mud or deep snow. I had a good time walking behind Webb and watching him fall again and again and again, very funny. Newfound Gap looked like Disney World, kids and tourists with cameras everywhere you looked. We got stopped and asked the most ridiculous questions after telling people we were hiking to Maine. My favorite question was "Have you got toilet paper in that backpack?" Despite all the people there I was disappointed to not run into any trail angels. I talked with this nice guy named Don who was doing a day hike to Clingman's. Icewater Spring Shelter is very nice, it even has a sunroof on top. We plan to be out of the Smokies by Saturday and having Easter dinner with the Smith's and see Daniel before he gets shipped out. I have pretty much eaten all my snack food which was supposed to last me two more days, oh well. I noticed my Montrails shoes have a couple tears in the outside fabric, doesn't effect waterproofing only cosmetic so it's not that big a deal I guess. My ankle felt a little better today which gives me hope that the pain may go away on it's own... I'll see. It's almost 8pm so I better hit the sack to get my 12 hours of beauty sleep. Good night,Superfeet
Date: 2005-03-25
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

Weather:50's and SunnyLocation:Tri-Corner ShelterMoney:0Mileage:12.6Animals:0People:Tennesee Walkers, Uncle Bob, Diesel, Supercheese, Chino, Shatter, Andrew, 1/4 of the way there(don't ask) Food:Granola and chewy bars, pop-tarts jerky and bars, Chicken pot pie & Tennesee Bean special & ramen & puddingAnother beautiful day of hiking, great views every way you looked. Snowy sections slowed us down a little but not much. Webb pushed out 8 more miles to the next shelter for some reason unbeknowst to me. Chino and Andrew and Diesel caught back up to us, it's good to see those folks again. Dennis is going to meet us at Mountain Mama's tomorrow where we'll get some delicious cheeseburgers. The shelter is full of a bunch of good people, we're having some good laughs. The 3 members of Team Fantastic have combined with us Team Dumber and the merge has created Team DumbTastic. We plan to get up a little early to try and get to Mountain Mama's a little sooner. I'm glad that Denny is meeting us because I am on the low low food tip. This dude at the shelter told us about Moose Goo- Peanut butter, honey, and corn flour.
Date: 2005-04-12
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: light rain

Weather:50's down to 40's rainy Location:Partnership Shelter Money:$10 on pizza Mileage:23.6 Animals:0 People:Diesel, Chino, Traction, Scrubs, PJ, Whiskers, Lizard, Vevil Kenivel, Burger Food:Eggs and bacon, Pop tarts and bars, Pizza Today was my first day back on the trail after my 7 day detour through the Western Caribeean. For those of you who were wondering why I haven't been updating, I just got finished with my Royal Caribbean cruise. I met back up with Justin and Justin right outside of Damascus. The 200-odd mile section I missed I will be making up after Maine. It feels good to be back on the trail despite putting in a 23 miler in the rain. I am wet and cold right now but one good thing about Partnership Shelter is the perk of being able to order pizza! It's a very nice shelter with a big upstairs loft, where I am right now. I was glad to see Traction, Chino, and Diesel were still hiking with the guys. I don't think putting in 23 miles today was the best idea considering the size of my inflamed heel(tendonitis). I was sad to hear that Uncle Bob left the trail due to knee injury and homesickness, we'll miss you Bob. The rain isn't supposed to clear out until Thursday so tomorrow should be pretty drab. I'm pretty chilly and my belly's full so I'm out... SuperFeet AKA CruiseMaster T according to Chino
Date: 2005-04-13
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

Weather:High 30's low 40's rain rain and more rain Location:Rest Inn in Atkins Money:$17 motel and Dairy Queen Mileage:11.6 Animals:1 Deer People:Chino, Diesel, Scrubs, PJ, Burger, Traction, Jill Woke up this morning with some sore sore feet. Traction, Diesel, and us didn't leave Partnership until about 11:30. It rained all day long and made the 11 miles seem like forever. When I put my shoes on this morning my left heel bone hurt so bad I could barely stand on it. I took my knife to the shoes and cut myself a spot so my heel bones weren't rubbing. We went through Atkins, VA and all decided to just chill in a motel and get dry. We have a 22 miler planned for tomorrow so I've had my ankle on ice since I got to the hotel. The swelling has gone done a good bit which gives me a little hope that my tendonitis may get better. We just got done watching the Yanks beat the Sox, I'm about dead tired and ready to sleep so Good Night.