morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-08
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Grand Prix Motel, Gatlinburg
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

5/8 5 miles, 4.5 hours, $133.88LadySub said it was supposed to be around 30 degrees last night, so I put on my rainpants and slipped pieces of space blanket between my liner sox and bedtime sox. I stayed warm all night. I was up around 6:30 and outta there by 7:15. I was kinda slow on account of a few miles up the trail, there were so many fir trees blown down. Their roots are shallow but spread out and they take a HEUGE amount of dirt and rocks with them when they topple over, as well as spread a carpet of fir boughs across the forest floor. I am fascinated by this and have to check all the newly exposed roots for arrowheads or two-pound gold nuggets or sacks of $100 bills. I took a few pictures; one tree took part of the trail over with it! I popped out at a touristy place - the Rockefeller Memorial. I wandered around a bit then stood by the stop sign with a sign that said ¢Gatlinburg¢ for about 30 minutes until I got cold and started walking with the sign held out. There really weren¢t many cars going to town around 12:30-1pm. Another half hour and I got a ride in the back of a southern couple¢s truck. I was loving the mountain views! I checked in for two nights ($45.07 each, king bed, fridge, and microwave), showered, and headed out. First stop: Happy Hiker outfitter for fuel, a one liter Platypus, and two Mountain House dinners (I did actually need a couple day¢s supply of food since Mountain Momma¢s is closed) for $36. I got kleenex, wet wipes, etc. at a little mom & pop drugstore that didn¢t have my gel pads. I continued on past the Ripley¢s and gift shops to Shoney¢s buffet for lunch. I sat and watched all the soft, pudgy tourists walk by. I couldn¢t resist all the little candy shops and spent $8.50 on taffy and fudge. On the way back to the room, I went to a little market around the corner for Diet Coke and snacks. I got back just in time for Dr. Phil. After I had laid around for an hour, I did laundry while updating TrailJournals in the office.Thankful for: flush toilets.
Date: 2007-05-09
From: Grand Prix Motel, Gatlinburg

To: Zero day
Miles today: 0.0

5/9 a couple miles, $76.36I slept fairly well last night. I didn¢t make it out of the room until about noon. I caught the trolley right outside the motel office. I took it as far west as it would go without having to transfer and walked the rest of the way to a store for a Mother¢s Day card, which I put some wildflowers inside, to the post office, and to Food City. Luckily they had gel pads for my boots. One time when I had plantar fasciitis, I could not walk without them, if I seem a little obsessed about them. I asked about a shuttle in the morning; there are two other hikers going but I don¢t know what time. I guess I was supposed to go knocking on their doors to coordinate our schedules, but somehow I didn't feel like that was my job. I¢ll just take my pack and sit around in the office tomorrow morning.Thankful for: running water.
Date: 2007-05-10
From: Zero day

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: scattered clouds

5/10 3 miles, 2 hours, $40I was up at 7am, showered, walked down to the corner for pancakes, and sat in front of the office at 9am for a ride back to the trail. At 10:30 another hiker said to me ¢I hope the driver isn¢t waiting for us - we¢re not leaving till around 5pm.¢ I went inside and asked to use the phone to check taxi rates. That started a big ¢shuttle fiasco¢. The manager had told the 5pm guys that they could get a ride any time. The driver said she was leaving at noon, when she closes the office for lunch, and could only make one trip. It would¢ve been nice to know these things before I had sat around for 1 1\2 hours. I wasn¢t in a hurry with just three miles to the first shelter, but still, these people have been doing this for five years! I paid the $40 for the 15 mile ride to the trail head. I don¢t think I would use Gatlinburg as a town stop in the future.I hit the trail at 11:30 and was at the shelter at 1:30 with my taffy and hotel water. There were a few tourist couples getting in my way, but the views from this shelter are awesome. There is also a privy (Yay!) and it is a virtual Geocache site. I asked the 15-miler guys taking a break here if they knew of Potion - they didn¢t. I wonder if he has dropped out. Two young guys who had done 21 miles to get here rolled in; one guy was going on another 7-8! I just wondered how many snails he must¢ve stepped on.When it was getting dusky and time for bed, I suddenly knew very strongly that I much prefer hotel rooms to shelters. I thought about bolting the three miles down to the gap and getting another ride to town!Thankful for: green.
Date: 2007-05-11
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: scattered clouds

5/11, 7.9 miles, 5.5 hoursThis morning the anxious people were up around 6am. Although they rattled around for over an hour, I drifted back to sleep. I hit the trail at 8:30. The views were great, but I found myself getting bored and watching the clock today. All I could think about was Dolly, my Boyz, and Ponderosa Steakhouse. I scared a small grayish doe; she didn¢t fly down the mountain though, she just jumped a few yards off the trail and watched me pass. The birds in the park will come close, too. I guess I owe it to myself to complete the Smokies; I keep thinking of ways to get home, though. Maybe we could find a last-minute cruise special in July. But alas, there are also a few things north I¢d like to see: Hot Springs, Damascus, Grayson Highlands, and the Virginia Creeper Trail. I suspect somehow I will continue putting one foot in front of the other, as that secret force drives all A.T. hikers northward.I got to the shelter at 2pm. About 90% of the trail today was rocky, so my feet were very sore. I only took a couple short sit-down breaks and all I had to eat was a Moon Pie for breakfast. I kinda had to gag down the Lipton noodles last night, so I¢ll probably have a freeze-dried dinner tonight. Well, I¢d better get ready to meet the next pack¢o strangers.Thankful for: a home to go back to.
Date: 2007-05-12
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Tricorner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: light rain

5/12 5.7 miles, 3.5 hoursLast night I was awakened at 11:40pm by the campfire people going to bed chatting, with flashlights. Little did they know, I had Santa Fe chicken for dinner. The main ingredient was black beans. As soon as everyone settled down and the last light went off, I rrripped a big manly one. No sooner had I wiped the tears from my eyes (results of silent laughter), I felt another one brewing. Much to my relief, a late-comer came to bed at 11:55. I rrRIPPED an even bigger one for him. He whispered/ gasped/ laughed something I couldn¢t understand. If anyone would¢ve said anything, I was prepared to say ¢Oh, how inconsiderate of (me).¢ Sometimes a well-placed fart is worth a thousand words.It was smoky and humid all morning. About .75 from the shelter, it started to sprinkle. I thought I was almost there, so I didn¢t stop to put on my pack cover or raincoat. I just put on my hat and walked faster. I wasn¢t there long when the ridgerunner (LegThings) and Brillo, from Pecks Corner shelter, showed up for lunch. Brillo looks like my uncle Phil, but his voice does not match his face. He was entertaining, especially when he put his rainpants on backwards. He heard one of my farts last night (I think he was the latecomer); LegThings had heard them both and said they were ¢impressive¢. I was able to talk about them without giving away whodunnit as we were talking about the snorer in the shelter. They asked me to go on to Cosby Knob with them at 2pm, but I told them it might take me eight hours to go eight more miles. I¢m glad I stayed, because it remained overcast and sprinkled a little bit more. I took a nap but was awakened by a daddy longlegs who climbed up onto my face! Oh, and I did get out the Smoky¢s trail map and wondered if Potion might¢ve taken the Benton McKaye trail through the park in order to avoid people. I am sooo sick of shelter people.Thankful for: my sanity.
Date: 2007-05-13
From: Tricorner Knob Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

5/13 7.7 miles, 4.5 hoursThere were only two other guys in the shelter with me last night - it was very quiet - until 6:30am, at least. I hit the trail at 7:30 with high hopes of going 15 miles to the last Smoky¢s shelter. Whatthehell was I thinking. My feet were sore after three miles. I stopped for a break at Camel Gap and half-expected Potion to come up the hill to join the AT. I busted a move, and it was almost all downhill, horse-graded. My sore feet and I arrived around noon. This is the bear shelter; there are several register entries about a bear grazing just downhill of the shelter.The people kept pouring in all afternoon; two old guys said there was a crowd coming and left after a short break. I wish I could¢ve. There were 20+ hikers, about six tenting, by evening. I had to climb over people to cook, and eat sitting in the dirt outside the shelter. I spent most of the evening doing SuDoKu.Thankful for: my mental health.
Date: 2007-05-15
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: scattered clouds

5/15 4.3 miles, 2.5 hours, $???Last night a nice couple tented outside the mouse-infested shelter. There was one other girl inside with me; I didn¢t even know she was there until I turned my light on at 2:30am to write in my journal and what I thought was the couples¢ pack moved. Eeewps. Then she apologized in the morning for being so restless. I love my plugs. I didn¢t even hear the couple leave this morning, but found them at the hostel. The Moving Pack was only going to Hot Springs, so she didn¢t have a guide book. I nearly got lost WITH a guide book today; as of 2pm she hasn¢t arrived. The trail went over a bridge, under the I-40 overpass, and up an exit ramp! I went up 38 steep steps, back down, about 1/4 mile up a gravel road, back down, and back up the steps looking for the hostel. Finally I gave up and figured I would be going 7.7 to the next shelter. Luckily if you follow the white blazes, you can¢t miss the rock-painted sign for the hostel. I took a shower - forgot how and went in with no towel. I used my fleece jacket to dry off, then threw everything in the washer. There is an awesome hiker resupply area - it has everything you want: noodles, moon pies, Pepsi, frozen pizza, tuna, snickers, Ziplocs, etc. You take what you want and keep a tab on an envelope, then settle up just before you leave. There are tons of books to read; I narrowed it down to three and will have to decide which one to take with me. I had a McRib for brunch and will have DiGiorno supreme for dinner. I¢ll bet I can eat the whole thing.I tried to find a Geocache just .2 from the hostel but only found a hollow tree with a rope swinging in the breeze. The GX¢s I downloaded are now almost two months old so I¢m bound to get some defunct ones. When I looked it up, there were already four frownies logged.Thankful for: relaxation.
Date: 2007-05-16
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: light rain

5/16 7.9 miles, 5.5 hoursThis morning I was able to sleep until 7:30, when a car went by on the gravel road. I had the last three pieces of my pizza and hit the trail by 8:30. I went uphill for 3.5 hours and drank 1 3/4 liters of water, only to go downhill to the shelter in order to go uphill again in the morning. Maybe I should¢ve taken the bus. Anyways, it was overcast and sprinkled off and on all day. Not enough to put on the raincoat, but enough to make me say ¢Damn, no hammock tonight.¢ I was so hungry when I got to the shelter with my sore feet that I ate more than half an 8oz block of cheese, a Moon Pie, and some peanuts. I was thinking about cooking noodles, but BluePrince was there watching me. He saw me eating pizza this morning, too.As I did laundry yesterday, I put on my smaller shorts and decided to wear them from now on. I guess the pockets are a bit smaller, because I lost a page out of my guidebook somewhere after Snowbird Mountain. BluePrince didn¢t see it; I am going to copy his book up to Hot Springs and hope someone brings the lost page along. Also, I walked right past a Geocache today - even had the GPS on in case of survey markers on Snowbird Mountain, but didn¢t check for nearby waypoints till I was 1.3 away at the shelter. Dammit. It was a large one, too.Rain, sore feet and uphills got me wondering whatthehell I¢m doing here, in a shelter with two old hard- of- hearing men. I guess I should keep walking and losing weight through June, till my kid finishes summer school. I hope by then he will have missed me enough to enjoy my company and it won¢t be so unpleasant trying to get him to do things with me.It did continue to rain and the shelter filled up. There were five of us. Here we go again¢¦ I¢m not going to like hiking in the rain tomorrow without gaiters. Please God, cut me some slack!Thankful for: my poor abused body.
Date: 2007-05-17
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

5/17 8.6 miles, 6 hoursThis morning an inconsiderate person¢s alarm went off at 6:20. It took them over two hours to gettheirass out of the shelter. I was able to fall back to sleep, thanx to my earplugs. I didn¢t hit the trail till about 9am. Two girls I saw as I was leaving SBF, then on Snowbird Mtn. had found the page of my guidebook I had lost and gave it back to me this morning. I kissed it right in front of them. I was wondering what I would do after Hot Springs without it.On a different note, whoever told me after the Smokys the trail levels out and you start doing more miles was a damnliar. I spent 90% of my time today going uphill. I was in a foul mood over this shattered expectation until I got to Max Patch. It was gorgeous like nothing else I¢ve seen on the trail so far. Thank God, there was a reward for all those uphills - I needed that! There were basically no downhills till coming off of Max, a mile or so from the shelter. If it would¢ve rained today, I would¢ve been in a REALLY bad mood. Although it didn¢t rain, it was quite cold. I wore my gloves and baseball hat much of the day and had to put on longjohns just after arriving at the shelter. Too cold for hammocking. As of 5pm. it is just BluePrince and I.Thankful for: weight loss.
Date: 2007-05-18
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: scattered clouds

5/18 5.7 miles, 2.5 hoursLast night it stayed cold, but my feet were the only part of me that turned blue. We could hear a dog barking in the evening - I hoped he wasn¢t hungry. The earplugs went in, although BluePrince doesn¢t snore too bad. I slept until 9am!!! It was cold enough for rainpants and gloves. The trail was a breeze (all 5 miles) until the last mile or so. Then I felt like I had hiked. Walnut Mountain has been slashed and burned for an ¢agriculture restoration¢ project called WASP. I¢ll have to look that up when I get home - it seems to be a step in the wrong direction for the ATC. This tiny old shelter only sleeps five; it was full by 4pm and there were some tenters downhill, out of the cold wind. The water source is way downhill and a way murky lil¢ puddle. I hope the boys have earplugs, because I¢m wearing the space blanket tonight. There are big airy cracks between the wall boards, and a squirrel came in and out near the roof. At 2pm my thermometer read 48 degrees.I found out that BluePrince is only going as far as Erwin, TN. I hope by then Potion will have caught up to me - how hard can it be?Thankful for: being in a good mood.
Date: 2007-05-21
From: Alpine Court Motel

To: Hot Springs Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

5/21 0 miles, $87.90I was up from 2-4am surfing, then slept till 8:30. I hit the post office, along with a small gaggle of other hikers. CA & PA from Davenport Gap shelter and SBF were there; they will be in Erwin Thursday, four days (it will take me seven). Anyways, after I got my food together, I still needed a few things. I put on my new "MidgetMom" embroidered hat and went to Rikker's Market, which is now called Hillbilly Market and isn't much bigger than the convenience store on Main Street. I couldn't resist a pint of Pet chocolate ice cream, which is the smoothest brand of chocolate I've ever had. I had pimento & olive loaf sandwiches and sat around in front of the window for a while. When I headed out to ship my old pack home, I told Harold I would stay another night. Hiker Tom, who fitted me with my new pack, was at Bluff Mtn. Outfitters to open the door for me. I think he made about $30 commission when I bought my pack (I overheard him talking to another employee). I found a wooden train whistle for BluePrince and updated TrailJournals while I was there. I had to kick MetalLog off the computer when my sign-up time came around, then he invited me to lunch. I told him I just had ice cream for lunch. I started getting sleepy as my sugar rush wore off; I slept about 1 1/2 hours. I got up and had a nice house salad, pulled pork BBQ sandwich, and potato salad at Smoky Mtn. Diner. I paid for my room in case I wake up early and want to leave before Harold is up. I had to strap my clothes bag to the outside of my new skinny pack with the 7-day overloaded food bag inside. Overall a very nice day. I'd stay another if I had a good excuse! As I was walking through town yesterday morning, I decided when I get old I want to move to a small house in a small town and die there. Hot Springs is just that sort of town.Thankful for: flush toilets.
Date: 2007-05-22
From: Hot Springs Zero Day

To: Spring Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

5/22 11 miles, 8 3/4 hoursI was awake at six but laid in bed till 7am. I showered and hit the road/trail at 8am. I found a benchmark on the bridge over the French Broad Lick River. I took a picture of the same area that was on a postcard I sent to one of my sisters. My pack got MUCH heavier once I put the seven-day foodbag in it. It was slow going today. I was planning on 10 miles of uphill, but it wasn't all that bad. It was better than climbing out of Fontana. There were about a dozen tourists, and one of them dropped a big stanky load in some rhododendrons. I struggled along with nothing in particular on my mind. It was awfully hot and buggy today. I need to re-pack my pack better tomorrow - it kept trying to pull me over backward today.BluePrince and my old friends Oregon Boater and Super Granny are here now. I was very surprised noone passed me NB today. I hope the crowd remains thin.Thankful for: being done for the day.
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Spring Mtn. Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: broken clouds

5/23 8.6 miles, 5.5 hoursIt was just me and the rats in the shelter last night. They probably gathered around my mousetrap and snickered at it. Oregon Boater and Super Granny must¢ve stayed at the hostel 3 miles back, since it rained. Usually they take a whole day off in a shelter after it rains ¢to air things out¢. I got up to pee at 6am, read a little, and dozed until 8am, when the others were leaving. I fooled around re-loading my pack, and was able to get the clothing bag inside today. I think when my foodbag shrinks, I will be able to get the sleeping bag inside, too. I left at 10am after eating two bagels with chili sauce/dip while RambleWood talked nonstop. It started sprinkling at 1:30pm. I never put the raincoat or gaiters on, but wanted the pack cover on!I finally got up the hill of eternity, wondering whatthehell I¢m doing hiking up a hill towards the thunder, abusing my feet, living on carbs and no fresh fruit or vegetables. It would be so much easier to go home and use the treadmill 20 minutes per day! I guess I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I¢m very proud of myself! Now, can I make it past Erwin??? I had no inclination to run home while I was in Hot Springs.Thankful for: warm & dry shelter.
Date: 2007-05-24
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: scattered clouds

5/24 6.8 miles, 6 hoursThis morning I slept through two SB'ers rattling around. I woke up at 8am to see BluePrince staring into space. He said it was only four hours to the next shelter, and didn't want to get there too early. Hahaha. First there was a 1000' climb over one mile (which took me 1 1/2 hours). I took the .2 blue blaze to a firetower wich doesn't exist. It has been replaced by a cell tower, a generator station, and an Embarq microwave tower. You would think the guidebooks would be updated - these things didn't spring up overnight.After the nasty, long climb, there was a nasty, long, exhausting boulder-bounce over Big Firescald Knob. My left foot, where the toes bend, suddenly started hurting. I had to go up and over the Knob without bending my left toes or right knee. I nearly killed myself several times and had to stop for rock breaks a couple times to keep from getting too clumsy. When I looked back at the firetower area, I saw smoke a couple mountains over to the right. I think I saw a peregrine falcon too; I've never heard the Suweee, suey, suey, suey call before. When I got to the shelter, it was poor BluePrince sitting in a corner surrounded by over a dozen dreadlocked hippies. They were out collecting and eating wild plants and starting their campfires the old fashioned way, by friction. BluePrince ended up having a great time after chatting with a few hippies, though, and wrote "Highlight Day" in his journal.Thankful for: good days.
Date: 2007-05-25
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Flint Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 6.9

5/25 6.9 miles, 4 hoursI slept pretty well last night despite BluePrince's report of an evil red-eyed black beast of some sort creeping around the shelter. As usual, the three weekenders were up later than us and much louder despite two full, still sleeping bags in the shelter. I guess they don't have the same sense of "group" that we do - if someone is sleeping, you don't go into the shelter, rustle around and yell out to your friends, because it's all about You. Anyways, thank God for earplugs - I slept till 8am again, after the weekenders and all their chaos was gone.The hike today was unbelievably pleasant. We actually followed an old unnamed road for about a mile. We passed two civil war soldier graves with their 13-year old "lookout" gravesite. It got me wondering if America would be better off, concerning the state of our race relations, if the South had won. No doubt the slaves would've been freed eventually; if the South could've done it their way, maybe it would've resulted in more equality, sooner, for the blacks. But then there wouldn't be a footpath from GA to ME without some sort of border crossing.Thankful for: good days.