morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-03
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Hogback GAp
Miles today: 10.0

Today started pleasantly enough: blue sky, birds singing, and food bags undisturbed. We met 3 hikers from various parts of Canada before we even broke camp. Cadence, Michel and David. All lovely people. We had camped with Dirty Frank and also met "Trail Name Pending" shortly after setting out. We leap frogged with them for most of the day.We finally emerged from the woods at a roadside picnic area, where the water source was too far away, but the grass was deliciously cool on our bare feet. It was a little bit of hiker heaven and we caught up with lots of familiar faces. Off, Pete & Pete, Marie (who doesn't know how far she is walking), Pending, Fish, 2 Paw and a few others.Then... someone at the North Carolina ATC has completely lost their mind! What started as a pleasant and humane climb with violets and bloodroot lining the path turned into one of the most excruciating climbs yet! It was hot, steep, without footholds and brutal. Sassafras was on the verge of tears. She took off her pack and threw it on the ground. Then Pending came up from behind and chatted for a moment as Cricket waited patiently. Sass grudgingly hoisted her pack back on and somehow made it up. (Lots of praying). We bravely went on and arrived at the shelter. We took a short break, got some water, and decided to strike out for a few more miles. Now we are camped alone on a ridge. We can see Fontana Lake from here and can't wait to get there tomorrow.*We optimistically hoped to get 3 or 4 miles away. Our bodies, however, were not willing. We found a campsite about one whole mile beyond the shelter and called it a day. Of course after we got the tent up, we looked around at our rather dismal little spot. We were set up under a dead tree, a so called "widow maker". And the wind was blowing! Lots of prayers again tonight, Lord, we're just too tired to move it!
Date: 2003-04-04
From: Hogback Gap

To: Fontana Dam Village
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We got an early start today, 7:20. We wanted to head out before our buddies who stayed at the shelter saw we only got a mile further than them. Not long after we started, they all began to pass us. It wasn¢t a bad hike. It was a cool, cloudy day ¢ good hiking weather. But we were beat from the two previous tough days. As we descended into the gap (GAP = God Awful Pitch) we passed a gorgeous area just full of flowers in bloom. It smelled wonderful. The purple and yellow trilliums and trout lilies were spectacular.We finally reached the bottom of the hill and as we crossed the road to the shuttle stop, the van was pulling up. We saw all the guys who had passed us earlier begin to pile in. ¢Wait for us!!¢ we shouted. There just happened to be two seats left, just for us. Thank you, Jesus. The guys had had to wait an hour for the van. The scene at the Fontana Dam Village was great. We met a few new folks--E-Dogg, Circuit Rider and Sherlock, and got to know others better, and saw some folks we hadn¢t seen for a while. The village was built as a housing area for the dam construction workers in 1946. It now serves as a summer resort. Check it out next time you're in the area. Quite cool and campy. Were taking our zero day tomorrow. We need to pack up a bounce box and send home a couple of things ¢ like our water filter (just as Bluebearee told us we would).We enjoyed getting packages from family and friends. Wonderful surprises, especially the lace camouflage undies! Thanks Ms. Judy!!
Date: 2003-04-05
From: Fontana Village

To: Fontana Village
Miles today: 0.0

We enjoyed a wonderfully quiet Zero Day. The sun was shining and it was warm. Just great for sitting in the sun and reading.   We ended up sending a bounce box of stuff--some clothing and lots of toiletries--on to Hot Springs. We sent our water filter home. We've only used it a few times. Normally we boil water in the a.m. and p.m. and use the Aqua Mira drops during the day. Didn't lighten our load much. Too bad.   One good thing about Zero Days is we get the chance to get to know the people we've been traveling with better. We had a wonderful conversation with Gazelle. She's leaving the Trail for a week. Hopefully we'll see her again. She's a sweet Christian young lady.   The best part of this adventure is the people. We have met people from such diverse walks of life: from an attorney to a homeless person, students to retired professionals, 18 to 72 years old. One of the books I read described thru-hikers as forming a human chain or bracelet from GA to ME. I prefer to think of us as a string of pearls--natural pearls--each one unique and beautiful in his or her own way. Sometimes we are clustered together in little groups, other times spread out along the way, but always connected. I will always think fondly of Pending, who stayed with me for just a few minutes when I was ready to give up; Sheep Stuff, who taught us the "rest step"; Brendan (Yogi) who gave us a big smile and a hug when he finally caught up to us in Fontana Village; OFF, who signalled to us in the snow when he left the trail; the Gentlemen Petes from Boston; and so many others. Everyone cares about everyone else. We share what we can, when we can. We worry about who's sleeping bag might not be warm enough in the snow. We talk to a Mom on the phone to reassure her that her son is doing okay. We wait on the side of the road with a girl who is hurt and trying to hitch to town. We share a motel room when someone doesn't have anywhere to go and is running short of cash.    The PEOPLE are the Trail; the adventure; and it's the trip of a lifetime.
Date: 2003-04-06
From: Fontana Village

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

What a great day! The hiking was musch easier than it has been, the weather was cool, and we had some great sightings. Oh, AND it was our longest day yet.   We started off the day by walking up to and over Fontana Dam. It was at least a mile of road walking--flat, no-need-to-carefully-place-your-feet walking. What a treat! Once we got back on the woody Trail we were greated by a red-headed woodpecker laughing at us. We had wondered what kind of bird we'd been hearing.   Just before reaching the shelter, Flying Cricket saw a mama and baby bear. They were about 100 feet away. The bears were just fixin' to cross the Trail when they spotted us and turned and ran back downhill. How cool! We can check bear sightings off our list now.    Another first is that we are sleeping in the shelter tonight. The wind is howling and whipping the trees around. We know most of the folks here and appreciate not putting up the tent in the cold (45 degrees) and wind. It's a pretty stone shelter with a chainlink fence across it so the bears can't get us. The mice may be another thing.    We all celebrated with a yeehaw when we realized we have less than 2000 miles to go!
Date: 2003-04-07
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

This morning was interesting, waking up with a shelter full of other people. We all fumbled and bumbled trying to dress, cook, pack, etc. One by one everyone headed out in the fog and drizzle. The first five miles were lovely-e-easy, relatively smooth walking, even if it was gradually going up. We passed two shelters and knew our plan was to do 11+ miles. Once we got by the second shelter, the terrain changed. It was grassy and very foggy and made us think of a Scottish Highland.    The the climbing started! Once you've committed to go to the next shelter, you can't primitive camp in the Smokies. You MUST stay in or in sight of a shelter. So, up we went, first to Rocky Top, then to Thunderhead. Then it's down into a gap and then...yup, back up again!   We finally reached the shelter at around 6:00 p.m. Lots of our buddies were already here--Window, Oompala, Pete & Pete, Circuit Rider and company. Best of all, we finally caught up to Journey. We've been a day or two behind her all the way. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll get beyond Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT.
Date: 2003-04-08
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was...interesting. We awoke to drizzle, fog and rain again, but we packed up and headed out to do our biggest day yet. We were determined to get to Clingman's Dome and the shelter beyond. It started raining as we passed the last shelter before Clingman's. On we pressed, now in the fine company of Sean-O, a pleasant and interesting 72 yr old fellow from Sedgewick(?),ME. We passed through a beautiful fir forest that smelled like Christmas. And the rain picked up. We climbed lovely rocks and moss-covered logs. And the rain came harder. We reached Clingman's Dome and walked up the tower. And the rain came in torrents. We had 4 miles to go to reach the shelter. We slogged down the mountain on a trail that was now a stream.    We were soaked thru! We spotted a road thru the trees and Sean-O decided he'd had enough. He's an ultra-lite hiker with not as many clothes as we have. He headed off thru the woods to try to hitch to town. We finally started climbing again (yeah--Mt Collins!) and started to warm up with the exertion. We were booking, or so we thought. We got to the sign pointing to the shelter: it was a 1/2 mile in off the trail and there was a sign warning of high bear activity in the area--we hiked our fastest 1/2 mile yet!   Thank the good Lord, there was room in the shelter for us. We are fed, dry, and if the rain lets up, I can even go pee in a privy!
Date: 2003-04-09
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

We decided to head into Gatlinburg to dry out today. We struck out at the early hour of 10:50 just as the rain was letting up. As we got almost back to the trail (1/2 mile), Cricket was wondering if one of our shelter mates had taken his tent fly down when he left. Being the thoughtful person she is, she decided to go back and check. I kept going at a snail's pace so she could catch up to me. We had wondered as we were leaving the shelter whether the bears come in and take a look around after everyone is gone. This thought loomed in her mind as she headed back to the empty shelter. She sang LOUDLY as she went. I was thinking about bears lurking in the lush, dark forest and I was singing aloud as I went ahead. Fortunately, she soon caught up with me and we had a good giggle at ourselves. Oh, by the way, the tent fly was not there. We eventually ran into Sean-O hiking back in to make up the miles he had missed. He could not believe we had gone on and made it to the shelter. He apparently was in the early stages of hypothermia when he got picked up on the road by a fellow hiker who had met his dad. We thank our extra "insulation" aka chub, for keeping us warm :) We celebrated reaching the 200 mile mark with a mom and her boys who were taking a little walk on the trail at Newfound Gap. One of the boys looked at us and asked, "What, are you camping or something?" When we told him what we were doing he was awestruck--go "Mountain Women"! They gave a round of applause when we said we had done 200 miles.
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Newfound Gap

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

We had to take a zero day today. They were closing the road due to a snowstorm in the mountains. A good chance to catch up on the journal and e-mail. Thanks to all for kind thoughts and prayers. We're doing well and enjoying the adventure!We were hoping to make it to Trailfest in Hot Springs this weekend, but if we head out tomorrow, there are no road crossings to catch a shuttle between here and there. Oh well, life on the trail!
Date: 2003-04-11
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another Big Donut in Gatlinburg. The road to the Great Smokies National Park is STILL closed due to snow and downed trees. Blah blah blah.   We'll get to hang out with Dale, Lenny, and the rest of the Grand Prix locals for another day.
Date: 2003-04-12
From: Newfound Gap

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

We finally freed ourselves from Gatilinburg. The sunrise was wonderful, the sky was blue and the road into the Park was open! We hitched a couple of rides with some kind souls and were on the Trail by 9:00.   The views today were stunning. Most of the Trail followed a righ ridge. Sometimes it was scary--steep drops on both sides. We walked out to Charlie's Bunion, a very picturesque rocky outcropping. Bradley's View was another outstanding place to see miles and miles of mountains--just like the paintings we saw in Gatlinburg.   There were lots of reminders odf how strong the strom was--lots of downed trees to crawl under or over. The snow was at least 18 inches deep along the lip of the ridge. The tall dead trees had big clumps of ice on them--we had to duck falling ice a few times. We slogged through snow, slush, mud, and water all day.   We're in the shelter tonight. There are no bear gates to protect us. It's going to be cold tonight. We're snug in our bags, but darn it, we left our water bags hanging in the cold. They'll be solid ice in the a.m. Just like our feet.    Sharing the shelter with Petes, Dirty Frank, Oopala, Beesknees, and Relentless.
Date: 2003-04-13
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Another day of slogging through slush, mud, water, and horse poop. It was literally up to our ankles--not good, especially for Sassafras whose boots end below her ankles. Fortunately, it was another picture-perfect day otherwise. The Smokies really are fabulous--the views and the trails are the best so far. (Even with names like "Hell Ridge" anmd "Snake Den Ridge".)   This section's Ridge Runner, Jeremy, has been working hard to clear the blow downs. Between him with his hatchet and Dirty Frank with his machete, they've got the trail in great shape. Now if we can get them to work on some stairs to the privy. It's a steep, slippery slope.   Sharing the shelter with Dirty Frank, Window, Ridge Runner Jeremy, Red, Beesknees and Relentless. Petes, Oopala, and Romeo and Tough Cookie are enjoying snow-free tenting.
Date: 2003-04-14
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Beyond Davenport Gap
Miles today: 9.2

Today we finished the last leg of the Smokies. It was, again, beautiful hiking weather. Yeah! As we lowly descended the 3400 feet, we saw summer busting out all over. The sun was shining and everything was quickly warming up. No more mud! We saw lots of new flowers today: Dutchman's Breeches, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, tiny irises, wild geraniums, rattlesnake weed, Soloman's Seal, and one we can't identify yet. We also saw a deer. He was grazing right beside the trail and couldn't have cared less that we were watching him. Then we saw an amazing beetle. It was a bright,irridescent green. Cool!   While it was kind of sad leaving the Smokies, it was another milestone to check off. We stopped at Mountain Mama's, a (over-rated) hiker tradition, for a cheeseburger and to resupply for the next leg of our journer. Tonight we are camped by a beautiful stream. Beesknees and Relentless are here and so are 1/3 and her friend. Tomorrow we push on toward Hot Springs. We should be there on Thursday.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Beyond Davenport Gap

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: few clouds

For some reason, today was a hard day. It was hot, dry, and uphill. Sassafras wasn't feeling great, so we made a couple of stops along the way. Our goal was Max Patch--seven more miles, but when we got to Groundhog Creek, it was just too inviting to move on. So we had a nice, cool soak for hot, tired feet in the creek, dinner, cocoa, and a nice campfire. Most of our hiking group has moved ahead of us and there are many new faces here tonight. Oopala and Romeo and Tough Cookie are here. We met Cackalackie, Soynut, Scotland, Prince Albert, The Frenchman, and Papa Bear. All nice folks. Tomorrow we will push on to Walnut Mountain Shelter--13.1 miles. If need be, we can stop and have dinner along the way and then hike a little later. It says light until about 8:00, so that would be fine.    Flying Cricket had been polishing her Yogi skills. She scored some fudge poptarts for our dessert tonight!
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy 25th, Sara. :) I love you!   Today was an awesome day for hiking! The weather was cooler, with some breeze and clouds. We were the next to last out of camp at the stunning times of 9:26. One of these days we'll figure out how to get out of Dodge earlier. Anyway, the trail was good and the flowers were better. We passed through huge patches of purple and white trilliums, tiny white bleeding hearts, and loads of little spring beauties that look like snow from a distance. We went up over a maintained bald called Max Patch. It used to be farmland and the Forestry Department keeps it cleared, so it's just this great big grassy hilltop. A family was picnicing (KFC) and Cricket was going to try her Yogi skills, but "chickened" out.    Tonight we are camped on the mountain top, just above the shelter. We built a nice campfire and Oopala came up to visit and enjoy the warmth. While we were talking, we could hear rustling in the woods behind our tent. We all crept over to check it our and saw two deer just walking by. We believe we heard at least one more, but couldn't see it. Tonight is a full moon and the wind is starting to blow, so probably not good for meteor watching. Guess we have to wait for the next shower.   Speaking of showers, we will beat feet to Hot Springs tomorrow. These two stinky girls need a bath and some clean clothes!
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The wind blew hard all night and the moon was full and bright...Sounds like the beginning of a great story. It's always great when you wake up to realize you've survived another windy night without a tree crashing down on you. When those trees do fall they sound like a shotgun--we heard one the other night. No worries on this day, though.   They say the best way to cut down on pack weight is to not carry too much food. We gauged this one right. We each had 1/2 a bagel with peanut butter and a cup of coffee for breakfast. Lunch consisted of two packages of cheese crackers and a handful of raisens. We were hauling butt for Hot Springs and food! (Actually we had our "reserve" two packages of ramen in case of emergency.) Oopala did offer us some tortillas--guess our Yougi skills are improving. We leapfrogged with with Clover and Snort, two young women from Canada, today. They had excess food--but were a little slow on offering any of it to us. Just as there is a fine line between carrying the "right" amount of food and risking "starvation", there's a fine line between yogi-ing and begging. We are learning.   The hike today was good. The wind calmed down shortly after we started. We had a pretty steep climb early on to warm us up, then it was pretty much easy climbs and descents. We spotted a couple new flowers we haven't been able to identify yet. There were tons of blueberry bushes in bloom. Lunch, meager as it was, was next to a pretty stream with a waterfall.   We made good time for a couple of grandmas. We made the descent into H.S. finishing our 13 miles in a "mere" 7 hours.    Our first stop was the local outfitter to pick up our bounce box and bug head nets (thanks, Sara!) They had a scale for us to weigh ourselves on. Looks like we've both lost about 10 pounds each. Cool. At this rate, we'll be at our elementary school weight by the time we get to Katahdin.      The puppies are tired, but the bodies and clothes are clean. We had a nice dinner and benefitted from the generosity of a former thru hiker who bought us dessert. We'll head out into the rain tomorrow with seven days of food. Oh, the joy!
Date: 2003-04-18
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Okay, so maybe we won't head out into the rain afterall. After six days of hiking, a night with little sleep, not enough accomplished, and seven more days of hiking til the next town, we did the smart thing and took a big donut ("O"). A good idea.   We've decided we want to take things easier for a while. We could do the next segment to Erwin, TN in fewer days, but our feet and legs will be happier if we take it slower.   We've lightened our load, too. The very excellent Bluff Mountain OUtfitters carries the ultralight Lynn Whelden (?) backpacks--22 ounces. That's nearly four pounds lighter than our Gregory Foresters. Flying Cricket took her fully loaded pack to them and challenged them to get everything into the lightweight pack--no problem! It weighed in at 26 pounds (without water). We had to get compression bags for our sleeping bags, but that's okay. The compromise was worth it. (Compression bags squish oursleeping bags real small--good for packing, but it can make them less fluffy in the long run.) We also sent our light weight fleece and our bowl home.   We met up with some folks we haven't seen for a while--Wanderer and Sheep Stuff--and met some new folks we'd been hearing about Pippi and Baby Step. We FINALLY got to meet the rest of the Smith Family. We had a nice visit with Mama Smith who is recovering from pneumonia.   Hot Springs is a good vacation spot for outdoorsy people. There is water rafting and fly fishing on the French Broad River (we never did find out who that French Broad was). There are lots of nice hiking and mountain biking trails nearby. And of course, there are the famous mineral hot springs for soaking in (for a price). There's a Bluegrass band at the pub next door tonight, but it's off to bed early for us. The Trail is calling our names.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Hot Springs

To: Rich Mountain
Miles today: 8.3

Where to start, let's see. We had a lovely breakfast at the inn, packed up and headed out of Hot Springs with our new, light-weight packs. Fifteen minutes down the Trail, we were struggling to adjust our new, light-weight packs. Half and hour down the Trail, Cricket was "almost" in tears, stuffing her fleece shirt around her neck and under the shoulder pads. Sassafras used socks. Lesson learned: Lighter is not necessarily better. Actually, we have the packs loaded to maximum capacity (and perhaps a bit more) and we need to figure all the straps, loops, and buckles out. Hopefully in a day or two when we eat the heaviest food, they'll feel better.   As for the hiking, we came across an old concrete dam that has made a small pond fed by a spring. The Trail followed along the edge and there was a bench to sit on. We took a nice, leisurely half-hour break, watching the fish, two snakes, frogs, and dragonflies. It was very warm and quite peaceful there. Finally along came Dirty Frank who was contemplating a swim until we mentioned the snakes swimming in there!   We moved on and promptly took a wrong turn. After about a half mile downhill with no blazes, we turned around and went back UPhill. We yelled down to Frank (who was now making a fishing pole out of one of his hiking poles), got the correct directions, and set off again. Eventually we arrived at this lovely campsite, complete with fire circle, work table, and a bench to sit on. Romeo, Tough Cookie, Romeo's parents, and Truckin' are here. We ate our heaviest dinner and are calling it an early night. Good idea!