morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-15
From: Mill Ridge

To: Hemlock Hollow Hostel
Miles today: 11.3

It was an uneventful day of hiking. Still sunny, but a little cooler and breezier, which was nice. There's little shade in the mountains as the trees have not leafed out. I haven't been ambitious enough to put up the umbrella yet.I was camped at Mill Ridge last night, which is a wildlife sanctuary for grouse and turkeys. I heard whip-poor-wills and turkeys this morning. I also heard frogs most of the night. At one point there was one frog peeping over and over for several minutes. All of a sudden a bunch of them joined in. I'm not versed in frog behavior so I have no idea what that was about.It was foggy when I got up, probably because I was camped above an old mill pond. I got out at about 7:20 and I hiked steadily all day. After the turn-off to the Rich Mountain Fire Tower Trail, the terrain was rolling all day - up and down, up and down, up and down....I met Seeker and Little Feet today. They had passed me when I was heading into Hot Springs a couple of days ago. And I met Moment when I stopped for a break at Spring Mountain Shelter.I got to Hemlock Hollow about 5 p.m. I was the only one in the bunkhouse, which was nice. I checked into the possibility of slack packing tomorrow, but the options were too long or too short. The long one was 19.4 miles, including the road walk to the hostel, so I decided against it.I spent a half hour on the internet, showered, made myself some supper and was in bed by eight.
Date: 2010-04-16
From: Hemlock Hollow Hostel

To: Hemlock Hollow Hostel
Miles today: 18.7

I slept 10 hours and woke refreshed. I didn't even want to think about strapping that heavy pack on my back, which is unusual for me. I didn't want to take a zero, so I got myself together quickly and went down to the store to se if it was too late to change my mind about slackpacking. It wasn't, and Fred got me up to Devil Fork Gap at 8:20 a.m.It was kind of slow going at first - stopping for breakfast, stopping to chat with northbounders, going down to a creek to get water. It was sunny, but a little cooler and even breezier than yesterday. It felt like the weather was shifting.In the afternoon I picked it up and began to hike faster. It was wonderful to hike without the weight. I worked almost as hard, but my energy was put into covering some distance rather than lugging weight. I was especially glad not to have the weight over the mile or so around Blackstack Cliff. The trail was rocky and serpentine along the ridge - more up and down, but on boulders. I was southbound today and I met at least 50 people going north over the course of the day! I saw 21 people I knew, 18 of them by name. In the late afternoon I really picked up the pace. I did the last 3.4 miles of trail in an hour and 20 minutes. One of the most beautiful sights of the day was the setting sun illuminating the valley as I approached Log Cabin Drive. Just as the sun set I saw the metal roof of one of the houses down at the trailhead. A couple of minutes later I got to the road - exactly at eight o'clock.I got to the hostel 15 minutes later. It took me 2 hours to shower, eat and go through some of my stuff to bounce forward to Damascus, mostly food, but I also sent my stove and pot. I have to hike pretty much all day to make the miles. I seldom have the time or inclination to cook. Tonight I'm sharing the bunkhouse with a thru-hiker named Joe.I'm really proud of myself for today's miles. With the roadwalk to the hostel it was a total of 19.4 miles - a personal record. My feet hurt a little and kept me awake awhile, but then they felt better. And while walking 19-plus miles might not seem the best way to give a sore and numb big toe a break, it actually feels a little better.
Date: 2010-04-17
From: Hemlock Hollow Hostel

To: Sam's Gap
Miles today: 8.5

It was raining when I woke up. When I got down to the store Fred said it was supposed to clear by noon. I was the only one who headed out. Joe and another hiker decided to stick around to see if the weather would clear.I settle up with Hattie. She asked me to send a picture of me summitting the K mountain, the name of which I can't spell. I had a nice chat with Fred as he drove me back to Devil Fork Gap. He said to come back and stay with them any time.The rain wasn't bad. The umbrella was plenty to keep me dry. It felt kind of warm to me and I was slow for an hour or so. It always takes me an hour or so to warm up and after that hour I felt better, although slackpacking yesterday make me want to cut my weight even more - and RIGHT NOW!By the time I got up to the first ridge the rain had stopped. It was windy and cooler - nice for hiking. I got a cell signal and finally had a good conversation with Steve. He is going to look into options for some lighter gear for me. An hour or so later, when I came down off the ridge I went to turn my phone off and saw I had a strong signal, so I called again and we brainstormed about gear. My pack probably only weighed about 25 pounds today with 2 days of food and a liter of water. Its just that yesterday I got a taste of what I could do with a 10-pound, ultra-light pack.While we talked I was kind of bumming out because I realized that I couldn't have instant gratification on making my pack lighter and I realized that I was tired. Whenever I get depressed out here it almost always means that I am too tired. So I called Uncle Johnny's to see about slackpacking and arranged for a 4:30 pick-up at Sam's Gap. I hd 2 hours and 45 minutes to go what I thought was about 5 miles.It was sunny by then, although still breezy. I pushed it up the ridge to Hogback Ridge Shelter. When I got there at 3 p.m. (with 2.4 miles left to go) I knew I could make it.I slowed down then, although not entirely by choice. I didn't have much gas left in the tank. I got to the gap 10 minutes early, just as my ride was pulling up. I went to the hostel, picked up my box and arranged tomorrow's slack. I had intended to start back at Sam's Gap and go north, but Uncle Johnny suggested that I do the section north of the hostel (19.2 miles which will be a stretch) because he already had a shuttle going up there.The hostel was full so I'm sitting in the Holiday Inn, sweating in my rain gear. My laundry just finished drying. I'm eating some chicken cashew curry dehydrated backpacker food (not as good as it may sound) with 14 ounces of spaghetti sauce mixed in it (much better than it sounds). You know you're a thru-hiker when not only do you dump a whole jar of spaghetti sauce into one serving of food, you also lick that little clump of tomato paste off the lid.You also know you're a thru-hiker when you clean out the lint filter in the dryer at the Holiday Inn and its filled with little bits of dried leaves and goose down. I guess what you really know is that a thru-hiker has been there before you.
Date: 2010-04-18
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Nolichucky Hostel
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: clear sky

Well, I slacked today from Iron Mountain Gap to Nolichucky Hostel in Erwin, TN. It was billed as a 19.2 mile hike, but my book says it was 19.9. Who knows?The shuttle picked me up at the Holiday Inn. I got on the trail at the Gap at about 7:40. I didn't want to have to make a big push at the end so I tried to hike steadily and take fewer breaks. Of course, everyone else was ahead of me right from the get-go. It was colder than I expected. I could have used a windbreaker and my headband for the first hour, but I knew it would warm upIt was another beautiful, sunny day. The climb up Unaka Mountain was fairly easy. The mountain itself was beautiful, shady fir and hemlock forest - my favorite kind of place to hike.When I was with Friar Tuck he kept asking me about Beauty Spot. He really wanted to see Beauty Spot and I couldn't remember what it was like. Ironically, I didn't get to see it this time. The trail was diverted to the road just north of there, all the way to Indian Grave Gap where there had been a wildfire. (It seemed like it was out when I went past.) So I did a three-plus mile road walk on a surface of small rocks, which got pretty old.I leap-frogged all day with Ted (Gavel) who was out for several weeks doing a section hike. He insisted he would be slower than me. When he passed me I commented on it and said, "you just need to be right, don't you?" He laughed and said that he was going to stop ahead just to make sure that I was first.I passed him at Indian Grave Gap where he had stopped to talk to the rangers, then he passed me a few minutes later when I took my halfway point break. I changed to clean socks at that point, which felt wonderful.The last few miles to Erwin were mostly downhill, but I couldn't make any time because most of it was rooted or rocky. I saw the biggest blowdown yet. It was huge tree that had broken into three pieces when it fell and took a bunch of rock off the slope with it. Luckily, there was room to go around it because no way would I have been able to climb over.I got to the hostel at 8 p.m. There was nobody there to tell me which cabin was mine. James got back about quarter to nine and said that Uncle Johnny had overbooked - given my reservation away - and that my consolation prize was to get to sleep in the bunkhouse for free. There wasn't much I could do at that point. I was exhausted so I said that would be fine.And the bunkhouse was fine. Everyone in there had their lights out by 9:30. I fell asleep but was awoken at 10:30 or so by the party outside, particularly by the loud voice of one young woman whose identity is unknown to me.They were loud until midnight, when they ran out of beer. I played my mp3 player to drown out the sound of people talking outside. Talking and headlamps flashing through the door went on until 2:15 a.m. At one point I almost got up and walked to the Holiday Inn which was about a mile away. But my stuff was all spread out and others in the bunkhouse were actuallly able to sleep and I didn't want to disturb them. I finally fell asleep and got about 4 hours that night.
Date: 2010-04-19
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I was exhausted when I got up this morning after 19 miles and not much sleep. I wasn't sure what I was going to do except that I was not going to spend another night at Nolichucky Hostel. I thought maybe I would hike south, take 2 days to get to Sam's Gap and call Hattie and Fred at Hemlock Hollow to have them shuttle me back up to Iron Mountain Gap.I had just about packed up when James came in and asked me if I was taking the shuttle back to Iron Mountain Gap and I said no, but I was taking off and he said he needed to cash me out. While we were doing that I changed my mind and decided to take the shuttle and continue northbound.I got on the trail and I was whipped. There was some steep uphill and I was barely moving. I called Steve and cried into the phone for about 20 minutes. Then I moved on. I had no idea what I would do about the 25 miles I had skipped. I thought, oh well, if I finish the rest of it this season I'll just drive down and hike it with my dog. Then I started seeing the notes on the trees that some hiker had put up for Connie, at the Greasy Creek Friendly. (She is not allowed to advertise on government land and does not do so.) Someone had put up an excerpt from one of the trail guides that said she did shuttles and I thought, aha!So I went to Greasy Creek Friendly and turned today into a nero. I had a cheeseburger and some ice cream. I hung out with Connie and Lou. Connie went to take her elderly neighbor to the store and I took a nap. For supper I had popcorn, finished my pint of ice cream and then Connie shared her chicken salad with me.
Date: 2010-04-20
From: Sam's Gap

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

I had Connie take me back to Sam's Gap. I left as much gear and extra food as I could back at the hostel. We arranged for her to pick me up in Erwin tomorrow night at a quarter to seven.I started out about 10:20 a.m. The weather was rainy. I had planned to hike until about 6 p.m. I was hoping to get to a campsite at Whistling Gap - about 11 miles - but when I got to Bald Mountain Shelter at five it was raining hard and it was windy and cold so I stopped. Its going to make it a stretch to get to Erwin tomorrow, but oh, well.I was passed by a few people today that I didn't know. Jerry was one of them. I also was passed by Doodlebug and Didgeridude. It was nice to see them. This may be TMI, but I have had diarrhea the last 3 days. I told Steve to send some herbs in case its giardia, although it doesn't feel like it and I have been careful about water.The trail along this section has been very different than I remember it. I asked James the other day if the section into Sam's Gap had been rerouted and he said that most of the 8 miles south of the Gap had been changed since I was here is 2007. It felt that way today, too. I missed a switchback and when I was trying to figure out what was up I noticed a path that looked like old trail.Tonight the shelter was full so I pitched my tent, which I was planning to do anyway. I was in bed by six, so I read some of the book I borrowed from Connie - The Verbally Abusive Relationship, but Patricia Evans. Its a very good book, although reading it bummed me out a little. Tomorrow I'm planning to get up early so that I can get into Erwin to meet Connie on time. I could call her and take two days to get there. I don't want to do it unless I have to, but it is an option.
Date: 2010-04-21
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: light rain

I meant to get up at 5 but didn't have the self-discipline to stick to it. I got up at six and was out by 7:20. Of course, at five it wasn't raining and at six it was. But it didn't rain very long this morning, although it stayed cloudy until abut noon. Yesterday, the walk over Big Bald was windy and kind of cold. I was glad I stopped a little early for the night because it was much nicer out today.I got to Spivey Gap in the late morning and stopped and took a break. The last couple of miles before that gap must also have been rerouted, because it wasn't anything like I remembered. I think my memory of it is pretty clear, because I slackpacked it in 2007 and I remember I had to jog for the last couple of miles to make it to the shuttle on time.I stopped briefly at No Business Knob Shelter in the mid afternoon. There were quite a few people there who were going to stay and go into Erwin tomorrow morning. There was no privy and no pen in the log book, so I didn't linger. After I headed out, I hiked with Cody, her companion and his dog for a ways. They moved on ahead when I stopped to make a phone call to confirm my shuttle pick up. I told Lou that I would hold up at the bridge if I was running late and otherwise I would meet Connie down the road at the boat launch place, as we had arranged.I got to the bridge in time to keep going - about 35 minutes early. I almost stopped, but it was windy and there wasn't really a good place to wait. I got down to the meeting place right on time, but Connie wasn't there. I waited half an hour and then started back up the road. I really didn't want to walk up that road, so when I saw a truck come out of the boat rental place, I turned around and stuck out my thumb for the first time ever. A nice young man and woman picked me up and took me back to the bridge where Connie was waiting. The message had gotten mixed up. We went to Walmart. I got some barbecued chicken wings, which were awesome. When we got back to the hostel there were lots of people there, including Captain Swift and Doctor Evil. I was already going to check with Connie about slacking from Carver's Gap south tomorrow. Dr. Evil was planning to do that, too, so we will be able to split the cost of the shuttle.Since I had already eaten on the ride in, I went straight to bed.
Date: 2010-04-22
From: Carvers Gap

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I had a nice day slack packing with Dr. Evil. His feet have gotten bigger and he had to swap out to a new pair of shoes because his feet were in pain. Today was his first day in the new shoes so he wanted to go fewer miles, slower. So he walked behind me to pace himself. We had a lot of good conversation. The weather was good - sunny and not too hot. I climbed Roan Mountain going northbound in 2007 with a full pack and the hike today was much, much easier. We met a few people we knew going the other way, including Captain Swift and Blue. Blue thru-hiked last year and he thought we were smart to take Roan Mountain southbound. He seems like a really nice guy. I like him.We got back to Greasy Creek Friendly to find people there who are sick. Seeker, in particular, was really down for the count. Evidently there is a stomach bug going around. People are attributing it to something or someone at Uncle Johnny's. I don't know. Supposedly the same thing happened last year. The story is that some people have been to the doctor to have it checked out and it is viral. I don't know if that was what was affecting me a little the last few days, but I'm fine now. I'm trying not to touch anything and I'm washing my hands often..I got to watch Survivor tonight. Yay! Dr. Evil tried to give me a hard time about it but I wasn't having any of it.
Date: 2010-04-23
From: Carvers Gap

To: Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast
Miles today: 14.2

Dr. Evil and I started out together today. In the morning it was cloudy and raining just slightly. I put up my umbrella, but the one bungie cord I had left broke. I tied it and it worked until I took the pack off and put it back on. The weather wasn't too bad, so eventually I just took it off. We didn't have the views I remember from Carver's Gap, but we did get to see some amazing views of the mountains with the clouds rolling around all over them. It reminded me of pictures that you see of really high mountain ranges.We hiked together for an hour or two, had a nice conversation about movies, then when the uphill started I was too slow. I wasn't comfortable with him behind me - I tend to push myself too much when someone is behind me, so I let him pass.I was feeling pretty tired today. The hiking was a bit of a struggle for me. I was up in my head a lot, which didn't help. I just had to slow down and take my time. The hike up the two balds - Little Hump and Big Hump - was gorgeous. It was the kind of day with that clear crisp light that you see at the higher altitudes. There was a scary group of bovines on Big Hump. I came up to the fence and realized that I had to hike inside it with them. The scary part was bulls with big wide horns. They were right on the trail. I hiked around them and they didn't bother me.I got to Mountain Harbour and a nice song was playing on my mp3 player so I danced down the driveway. Then I realized someone was watching me.Dr. Evil had gotten me a room and gone into town and picked up supper for me when he got his. Very nice. His room was in the house and he also took my laundry over there for Mary to wash. I was beat. I took a shower, ate my bbq pork and laid down for a couple of hours, although I didn't sleep. Later, someone put Back To The Future on and I got up and watched most of that.
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I got up this morning and had no idea what I was going to do. I went downstairs pretty early. Mary was already working on breakfast. I asked her if they could shuttle me into Asheville and she said yes.To make a not so long story a little shorter, Terry shuttled me into Asheville (Mills River, actually) right to my friend Laurie's door. We got stopped on the way for President Obama's trip to the airport. When we went by the airport, the parking lot was full (usually there are about 3 cars) and people were lined up on the opposite side of the road with binoculars. On the airport side, soldiers with guns were crouched along the road.So I'm here for the next few days until my foot heals. It was expensive to get here, but it was a no brainer. Hang out in the hostel being bored, or come visit friends.
Date: 2010-04-26
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Today was Laurie's day off. She took me to the outfitter and I bought new boots. Also some underwear and socks. Then we had lunch (Mexican) and went and had a session on the Migun beds.For supper we had crab and gruyere quiche and a salad. I can eat and eat. And sleep and sleep. Its super nice here.
Date: 2010-04-27
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I hung around updating the trail journal. Stephen took me to the Migun bed place again and I accompanied him grocery shopping. Naomi called me while we were driving and we had a really nice talk.Lula picked me up at six and took me into Asheville where we met Dawn at Kubos - a Japanese restaurant. I had another really great meal. Tempura and red snapper. After dinner I went swimming with Lula at her club. I swam about 20 minutes. I hadn't done that in a while and I could feel the different muscles - out of shape muscles, I might add. Then I took a hot tub and sat in the steam room for a few minutes.Lula and Teresa have rented a cabin for Trail Days. Friar Tuck and I will be joining them there.
Date: 2010-04-28
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

My foot is healing. I thought about leaving tomorrow morning. Dawn can bring me back tomorrow or Friday. Laurie was disappointed that I was leaving so soon and I do want to be sure my foot is o.k. so I decided to leave on Friday.Early this morning I updated 3 more trail journal entries and played aroudn with my Forex account. Dawn came and picked me up later this morning. We went and had lunch and took care of a quick appointment that she had. I came back and took a nap. Stephen made steak, asparagus and potatoes for supper. Yum. Think I'll go eat some leftovers. Then we played Yahtzee. It was a fun evening.
Date: 2010-04-29
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday I talked with Steve on the phone for about an hour. My new pack has arrived, but not my new quilt. We both think it will be warm enough to send back the tent, so maybe I will swap out gear in Damascus. I can't wait to lighten the load.This morning I took Laurie to work so I could use her car. I need to mail my boots, etc. back home. I stopped to get gas on the way back to her house and the little convenience store had a post office in it. The woman was super nice. I took two boxes home to see which one works best.I'm going to leave early this afternoon to go pick Laurie up. I'll do my post office errand and go take a short hike to a waterfall. Laurie works at the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest.Tonight I'll watch Survivor. Tomorrow morning Dawn will take me back to Walnut Mountain Road where I will re-enter the alternate reality of long distance back packing.