morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-01
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Glassmine Gap
Miles today: 10.6

Happy April Fool's Day! All in all,it was a pretty wild hiking day. First, I {2/3}, went off into the snowy woods for my morning "bathroom moment" and learned the hard way that you should not choose a steep slope. Before I knew it, I fell forward and somersaulted about three feet in the snow and was covered in snowflakes! The first thing I did was look around to see if anyone could have seen me.When I told 3/3 about it, he said he was sorry there wasn't a video of it.The beginning of our hike was sweet, but I knew it was going to be a challenging day since we would climb the infamous Albert Mountain. A not-so well known mountain called "Big Butt Mountain" well deserves its name! The trail narrowed to about eighteen inches with a dropoff that would either hurt or kill you with a misstep. I know this was the area Jean Deeds mentioned in her book, There Are Mountains To Climb. She said she felt like she could fall to her death. Adding snow, ice and slush made it even more perilous! At one point there was a steep stepdown covered in mud. I couldn't make myself move forward, so I just sat down in the mud and scooted on my bottom. I was wearing my last set of clean clothes, but chose safety over fashion!Albert Mountain is at 5220' and is a combination of steep trail and large stone faces which you have to climb over. It was the most difficult and scariest thing I have ever done! I managed to get most of the way up until I came to one large rock that I just couldn't climb up with the weight of my backpack making me feel unbalanced. Poor 3/3 {with his 50 lb pack on}, tried to give me a hand but I panicked and almost sent both of us flying down the mountain. I had no choice but to take off my backpack and leave it for him to go back down and get after we reached the summit.He has been a real angel and is always encouraging me. I am very lucky and could never do anything like this without him. There's a firetower on top of Mt Albert. Bob went up it to take pictures because the view was amazing. It was quite a day for both of us!
Date: 2003-04-05
From: Franklin NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

It's now day four at The Franklin Motel and day four of the antibiotic regimen to get rid of this respiratory grunge. Talk about bumps in the road!We had heavy rains and thunderstorms last night and this morning, but now it's really nice outside. More heavy rains are predicted for Sunday afternoon and all day Monday. 3/3 and I talked it over and decided to wait until Tuesday to go back to the trail. The thought of having a relapse doesn't appeal to me at all! And anyway, the folks in Franklin are starting to recognize us! Our friend, Sheltowee, got in touch with us here and is coming over tonight. We're going out to dinner and are excited to get to see him. He's just finished writing a book and it's at the printers. Can't wait to hear about it! Sheltowee, Potato Picker and 3/3 {Waterboy}, thru hiked in 1999 and have stayed in touch since then. Potato Picker will begin his hike of the PCT in less than two weeks.Talk about trail angels, two great ladies in this area, Anne and Kathy, provide shuttles to and from the trail and help hikers any way they can. They've invited us to dinner tomorrow night and are picking us up at the motel. Kathy said all the stores and restaurants close around here on Sunday, so it's hard to find anything to eat. How nice is that!1/3 called from Fontana Dam NC last night. She and her friends were taking a down day and then planned to head out again this morning. She's now six days ahead of us! I gave her the info she needed to make a journal entry, so maybe she'll do one soon. We just sent more photos to Chris and David to add to our journal entries and photo page, so check us out in the next 7-10 days.Don't think we're thrilled to be lounging around in Franklin. I feel like we're getting further and further behind everyday. But, I'm learning that you just have to accept the things you can't change and not get disgruntled when things don't go as planned. Take care and see you up the trail. 2/3 and 3/3 :}
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

For 2/3 and 3/3, the best description of our hike so far is "connect-the-dots hike." We have talked about bumps in the road due to severe weather and illness, but today's news stops us in our tracks. After a very difficult hike out of Fontana Dam up to Birch Spring Campground on Monday, we decided to go back down the mountain to Fontana Dam and get to a doctor in Gatlinburg. Turns out, 2/3 has pneumonia and cannot hike for three or four weeks {we have to wonder if the bronchitis diagnosed in Franklin wasn't pneumonia all along}. 3/3 also has a respiratory infection, but should recover soon with antibiotics.On a happier note, we saw Christine in Gatlinburg today, and she is doing great. She seems to thrive out here and is looking healthy and fit. We were relieved she and her friends were able to come off the trail because up to a foot of snow is predicted in the Smokies tonight. She has shown a lot of good judgment on this hike,and we are extremely proud of her.We will leave Gatlinburg tomorrow morning in search of a place to stay the next three or four weeks. Hopefully, we'll find something in Hot Springs, NC, a small town along the AT. When 2/3 can hike again, we'll head north and continue our dream of a family thru hike and will make up every mile we've had to skip. We appreciate the interest and support of those who have followed us on Trailjournals. Christine may add some entries along the way, but we won't post any further updates while we are recuperating. We intend to resume our hike and hope you will join us then.
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Good news, Diane saw the Doctor today and was given a clean bill of health.Clear lungs ready to climb big mountains. The Dr did say she should be prepared to tire more quickly for awhile and to start slowly. After 3 plus weeks off the trail its going to be like starting over for both of us. We have been here in Hot Springs NC for two weeks today. We have had the great fortune to rent a great place from two really nice ladies, Suzie and Anna. They started out as our temp landlords and have become our good friends. We hope they will come and visit us in Florida once we are home.If we had to spend this much time off the trail we cannot think of a much better place than Hot Springs. The trail goes right through town and we were able to stay connected to the trail because of this. Every day we met new hikers as they came into town and were able to keep up with the trail news.We plan an early start in the morning and our next stop will be Erwin,TN.We are allowing 6 days to Erwin so we will be out of touch for awhile.We really want to thank everyone who sent us well wishes and words of encouragement.Suzie and Anna have just opened a B&B in Hot Springs and are listed with the Hot Springs Chamber or are also known at the Bluff mtn outfitters. So if you need a nice place to stay with great folks, call our friends.Christine 1/3 spent four days off the trail here with us due to an ankle injury. But she has been back out on the trail for several days now. We hope to hear from her before too longand hope she is thriving as she was before.Well, time to get to bed for an early start out of town and over Lover's Leap and on to Maine.2/3 and 3/3
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Erwin, TN

To: erwin
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Hi Everyone, this is 1/3! I have typed several entries on my pocketmail but have not figured out my neighbors correct email address. I keep sending them and they never get sent and well, i've been pretty lazy..... BUT here's a quick update and i will try to send the rest soon! I am now in Erwin Tennessee. It took me 3 nights to hike the 65 miles in to town, so needless to say, my ankle is doing better. Yesterday I hiked 27 miles and had my first night hike. I hiked from 7:30am to 10pm!!! I am taking a zero day to relax and am very happy to have caught up with my hiking buddy litewalker. We got the the road which is 3 miles out of town at 10pm. We hitched into town with a man named Scott and his three sons, on 20months, one 9 and one 7. The two older boys were still in their baseball uniforms and the youngest was in camoflauge and overalls and he kept pulling my braids. All I could do was apologize for smelling so bad. Scott offered us ("us" is myself and a hiker named grizzly allen from boston)a beer, since he had some cool ones he was driking at the time. Instead I took the chips, mt. dew, and ice that he offered. He was so great. He drove us on into Mrs. Janets. It is a lovely home that I showed up at and it was full but she told me, "honey, I'm never full this late at night." SO, I showered, washed clothes, talked with some buddies i have reunited with after about a week, and finally made it to bed on the floor around 230 am! ONe great story.... a hiker named FUBAR met the woman of his dreams on the streets of hotsprings, she is a hiker from last year. Well, after an amazing two weeks together, he asked her father for permission for her hand. They are getting married, after hiking on August 31 down here in this area. They will spend the next several weeks searching for a spot. HOW GREAT!!!!! His story gave me chills! Well, I plan to head out in the morning. Thank You to EVERYONE for your kind letters and encouragement in all of our ailments! I think we're all finally back in hiking conditions!
Date: 2003-05-02
From: St. Chesota Bridge

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today is a sad day for me. It s my first day on the trail without 2/3.I know its all for the best that she has left the trail to gain her strength back after her bout with Pneumonia, but I sure do miss her.I think it is hitting me the hardest now since I have stopped hiking and have set camp for the night. If the Pneumonia bug had not hit 2/3 she would have been well on her way to Maine.The guys from the FSU Film School came up to Erwin today and did a litle bit of filming to finish their project, JP and Ben came and I have to say they are really fine young men and it has been a pleasure to meet them.After JP and Ben left I started hikingout of the Erwin area around 2pm. The trail was real pretty with a real nice creek and lots of little water falls. But there were some serious climbs along the way. As I was getting near the first shelter a strong thunderstorm with high winds,lighting and heavy rain hit real fast. I stopped to put on my rain gear and then started hiking. It turns out I was much closer to the shelter than I thought so if I had not stopped to put on my rain gear I would have beat the rain and been in the shelter.I waited out most of the rain and when it let up a bit I started out.I went about 4 more miles to this camp site. I am the only one here and as late as it is,probably will be.Well, it is geting dark and cooling down so I think will call it a night.3/3
Date: 2003-05-08
From: springer

To: Damascus
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I made it! I've always thought it would be so great to get to hike inot Damascus Virginia, and now, here I am. I found my good hiking buddy litewalker in Erwin and we're back hiking together now. We left out of Erwin and walked until we got to Dennis Cove where there is a great hostel by the name of Kincora. On our way there, passing over Roan Mt. we experienced quite teh thunderstorm. Running along the Mt was a boundry fence that was mostly made up of old wodden posts. Every few post was made of medal. Well, we're trucking through the rain and we hear bzzzzzzzzzzz BAM! About 8 feet from us a metal post got struck. It was the brightest flash I have ever seen! We high tailed it to the overmountain shelter, which is a lovely old barn with an amazing view. On our way to Damascus we hit at least 3 more threatening lightning storms. Walking into town yesterday was great. You could hear the lawnmowers going and the sounds of a happy little trail town. I found a note for me from 2/3 duct taped to a sign letting me know she was in town and how to go about finding her. After an hour of trying to figure out the phone number to her palce and about 3 beers, we were finally reunited. I left my friend litewalker at the bar (found out this morning he was there all night!!) and rode with mom out to her new place. It is VERY nice, right on a creek and the woman, PW, who owns the cabins is very nice. I feel happy knowing mom is in such a great place. Well, I showered, which seems to always take forever, and waited anxiously while mom cooked up a wonderful spagehtii dinner. It's amazing how much I can eat!! We had a lovely time together and I ended up passing out in the living room, after watching the "Bachelor" of course. I am now in Abbington VA with Litewalker. I needed to go to the orthodontist to get my broken retainer fixed. Which, the orthodontist set me up with NO COST! AMAZING PEOPLE OUT HERE! We plan to go on a tour of Martha Washingtons home and to simply take it easy. We're good at that! We will head out tomorrow and try to get another 100 miles in before we come back to Damascus for the Trail Days Festivities!
Date: 2003-05-10
From: erwin

To: Damascus
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We're at the library in Mountain City TN today, so thought we'd update you on our hike, the connect-the-dot trail. Bob (3/3) hiked from Erwin to Dennis Cove in lots of bad weather. Meanwhile, I found a great place to stay just outside of Damascus, VA. We're staying in a cabin in Mountain City TN for awhile while I (2/3) continue to gain strength after my bout with pneumonia. On my birthday, May 1st, I had a harrowing 20-hour ride on the Greyhound bus to return home and get our car while 3/3 continued his hike. 1/3 and her friend, Litewalker, arrived in Damascus a few days after I got settled in. It was nice to see them before they headed out again on the AT. 1/3 is thriving on the trail. No matter how bad the weather has been, she is so positive and in high spirits. Hiking really suits her and we're so proud of her strength and spirit. All three of us came up with the same idea about the rest of 2/3 and 3/3's hike. We plan to resume hiking, starting slowly and building up the miles as we go and as I gain my strength. I really miss hiking and want to be back out there again. We'll start by walking the Virginia Creeper trail, hiking in Greyson Highlands and continue north. We plan to hike the entire length of the trail through Shenandoah National Park (about 100 miles), then see where we go from there. We hope everything goes well and we will be able to also hike other areas in every state of the AT. When things didn't go as planned, it was very disappointing to our entire family. But, we'll make this hike one to remember and have plenty of wonderful memories and pictures for our Smith Family Scrapbook. A special thanks to Billie and Rich, our wonderful friends, who welcomed me with open arms when I came home. Billie cooked an amazing dinner, then invited the neighbors for birthday cake and coffee. When I realized I couldn't complete a thru hike, I was really down on myself. I didn't even want to see any friends/neighbors when I went back to get our car. But, you know, friends make the rough spots smoother and it would have been a terrible mistake to have been that close to them and not see them. They offered so much support to me and to 3/3 and we thank them for their friendship. We'll keep entering our journal and 1/3 will, too. Thanks for keeping up with us on the trail! Happy hiking!   2/3 and 3/3
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Springer

To: Bland
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

So, i made it out of damascus after a few days with mom and back again for the trail days festivities. it was grat to see mom and dad and theyare doing wel. they have a nice plan to drive along and hit the pretty spots. im glad mom is going to have a chance to finally se new england. trail days was a good time, probably too good of a time. one night everyone was upwatching the lunar eclipse. that same night proceeded to last until the morning, i actually saw the sun come up before i went to bed! we watched dads buddy give a nice talk about his walk acros america and then i went to phil orins foot clinic, where i spent about 3 hours and ended up with nothing except the confirmation that i need new shoes. ive bought these new shoes and have developed new blisters. Mom made an amazing dinner of steak, trout, chicken, salad, baked potato, bread and browines with hot fudge and ice cream. AMAZING!! So i pulled myself from the lure of damascus and am back on the trail. i!t feels so good. it has been a nice hike through virginia so far, all though it has been a we one. we have started doing aconsistent 13 to 20 mile days. no less or more, so far. iam verysore today. my heels are getting blistered up badlyand my shoulders are cramping up. but, i feel great mentaly and am happy to be out here. i maybe going with afriend to a wedding in richmond, va. if any of my family members in that area are reading this, i would love to tryand meet up! tonight i am at a lovelycampsite right bt a creek. the sound of the water is so soothing. ive picked up a paperback version of the last of the mohicans and plan to get into my sleeping bag, listen to the creek and read until i fall asleep. quick thing about the hiking: im getting quick with my up hills. i sweat a lot but am rarely out of breath. my confidence on the downhills is improving, but i still replay twisting my ankle ove again in my mind.the terrain is similar to all other parts so far. a o!t of up and down but it has been very enjoyable going through the pastures that seem to be pretty common in these areas. i wanted to add a few more things thati remembered and that havehappened since last night. before we reached camp yesterday i walked up on a large red cooler full of fruit and tomato juice. on the cooler it said "welcome hikers" what a great suprise! last night arond 10pm there was a scratching at my tent. i clapped atit and it went away. then about an hour later i feltsomething move under the tent but directly under myhead! so i sat up and it ran. this continued several times during the night. one time it started moving around and i tapped it on its head and it just sat there. after that we sem to have an understanding and this creature moved around alot les and let me sleep! and finally, this morning we came across a spot where someone left several jugs of waater with a weather forecast and a note about being in memory of soleman,the hiker who passed away just 3 days before starting his hike. thank you
Date: 2003-06-06
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Greetings from Damascus VA. We're heading out on Monday, June 9th, to resume our hike northward to Maine. Our goal is to hike in every state that the AT goes through, ending with the 100-mile Wilderness in Maine. We plan to hike as many miles as we can before we return home on August 31. We'll continue to make entries as often as we can. Christine (1/3) continues her thru hike and has now completed roughly 700 miles! She'll be making entries also.Since we've had to be off the trail while 2/3 regains her stamina after pneumonia, we couldn't have asked for a more picturesque area. However, we're ready to move on to new adventures. Thanks to Chris and David Sears for the new photos they scanned this week. The new ones begin with "2/3 Entering The Smokies" and include some pictures of 1/3 as well. If you're in the Shenandoah's next week and see two gray-haired hikers huffing and puffing on the trail, say "Hey, 2/3 and 3/3!"Happy Trails to All of You. Thanks for following our journal.
Date: 2003-06-16
From: Waynesboro

To: shannendoah
Miles today: 0.0

Well, this is 1/3, and I've made it to Waynesboro VA. I'm now at 846 miles. I feel great and am excited about entering the Shannendoahs today. My friend, actually, ex-boyfriend Jason has ridden the Greyhound bus all the way from FL to come and hike with me for a few days. I'm very happy to have him here. I have been hiking "alone" for the past 12 days. Litewalker, my hiking buddy wanted some time on his own. At first I was offended and nervous. But, now I've reaaly appriciated this time alone and feel that I have grown from it. I do hope that he will slow down sometime in the future so we can hike together again sometime. I have seen a number of deer with their babies, chipmunks, rabbits, black snakes, and a rattle snake. It has rained CONSTANTLY, it's almost weird when the sun is out. A lot of people are aqua blazing the shannendoahs. That is where you take a canoe down the river instead of hiking. It sounds like a blast, maybe I'll come back next year and try that. I have also experienced tons of trail magic in Virginia. Virginia seems to be full of people wanting to help hikers out. I came across a local chef on the Blue Ridge Parkway cooking up hamburegers and hotdogs on his grill for hikers. I had one of each. I found out later my appitie was the topic of conversation with some other hikers that day! Well, we're headed into the park today and I will reach Front Royal sometime later this week and then on to the half way point!!! I've picked up a tape player walkman and have solicited some friends to make me a mix tape, I love all music. I really do miss music out here, so hopefully this new luxury item will be fun to have! If anyone reading this would like to make one, I'd LOVE it. I plan to be in Harpers Ferry around the first of July and hopefully some friends will send me some tapes. It's general Delivery, Christine Smith, Harpers Ferry WV (zip code????) hold for thru hiker. That would be a GREAT Suprise from anyone. I will also send a unique AT gift to those friends/strangers who i recieve a tape from. OK, TRAIL TIME!