morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-02-26
To: THE FINAL TEN
Miles today: 0.0

Daisy's son and daughter, Bobby and Alena, provided the shuttle back to the trail this Sunday morning. They were going to walk with us all day, but Alena had a headache so she just met up with us periodically through out the day until the final three miles. Bobby joined us for the first two and the last three. It was fun to have them along. Just as we were entering the Crystal Beach area, a young woman, maybe 20 years old, with long brown hair and pale skin, suddenly pulled off the road into the driveway of an R.V. park we were approaching. "What are you guys doing?" she asked excitedly as she ran toward us trying to read our signs. I think she thought we were protesting the war. We told her about our hike and fundraiser and she thought it was pretty cool. She donated a couple of bucks so we asked for her name to add her to our donor list. "I'm Snow White" she said. "My parents were hippies and named me Snow" came the explanation. Her enthusiasm was charming and she asked to take our picture. She also invited us to a big "hippy-fest" in Brooksville this weekend. We thanked her and bid Snow White farewell as we continued toward our destination. It was very windy out today. Everytime we crossed a street, the wind would gust, blowing our dangling signs every which way. The darn thing kept beating me in the face all day long and I ended up with a nice cut on my brow from the corrugated plastic edge.The best part of the day came at about mile seven. Our new aquaintances from Maine picked us up in Tarpon Springs. We went to a nice little Greek restaurant near the sponge docks and had a delicious lunch. Skip and Robyn are from Andover Maine and have a winter place here in Florida. When they saw our story in the news a couple of weeks ago, they decided to contact us. They have offered to bring us to their home in Maine when we get to that part of the trail: our first trail angels and we haven't even left home yet! We thouroughly enjoyed our brief visit. When they put us off back at the trail, Robyn gave us a little gift. She gave us each a zipper pull for our packs. I've decided my little red heart shaped pull will be my good luck charm!As the kids joined us for the last three miles, we joked around about letting poor ol' mom slack pack. Not a chance with these two. I had to tough it out till the end. The end of the trail was an anti-climactic dead end at a barricade underneath U.S. 19. This may not have been the most scenic trail there is, but it was adventurous just the same.
Date: 2006-03-06
To: FRIENDS IN BLAIRSVILLE
Miles today: 0.0

FRIENDS IN BLAIRSVILLE   We had a pleasant drive up to Blairsville with Russ and Kitty Sams, Mudflap¢s stepparents. We stopped at REI in Atlanta because Daisy left her gaiters back in Florida. We arrived at Harry and Sandy Burchardt¢s home March 5th. They built their own home in the country 20 some years ago. It is situated a few miles out of town on about 50 wooded acres. They have a nice trout pond with a gazebo and a trail that goes around the property.While staying with them, we have enjoyed delicious home cooked meals, taking in gorgeous views and good conversation out on the wrap around porch.   In the morning we begin our hike at Amicalola Falls State Park. It will be an hour¢s drive from here, so we will leave by 6:45 a.m. It has been nice relaxing here for a couple of days, but we have our minds set on making it up to Springer Mt. tomorrow.
Date: 2006-03-07
From: Amicalola Falls

To: SPRINGER MT.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

APPROACH TRAILA crisp, cool morning and sunny afternoon made for a great first day of hiking. Pam Mesmer, Exec. Dir. of Brookwood, along with her daughter Jessie, met up with us at the Amicalola Falls Visitor Center. Harry and Sandy Burchardt drove their car with Mudflap and Daisy riding along with Russ and Kitty Sams. We had plenty of witnesses therefore when we weighed our packs on the scale outside. Mudflap¢s pack weighed in at 45 lbs. with Daisy¢s not far behind at 41 lbs. I¢m sure we will be sending something home at Neels Gap.We took photos and said our goodbyes to friends and family. Pam and Jessie decided to walk with us for a while. Without packs those two seemed to just float up the trail while we lagged far behind. After 3 hours and as many miles, we stopped for a short break. As we sat on a log many hikers passed by asking if we re going all the way and wishing us luck. One hiker named Eveready has section-hiked up to Harpers Ferry. He was here doing the approach trail as make-up for not doing it before. He gave us lots of encouragement and advice, but said most of all to hike your own hike.Pam and Jessie then headed back down as we headed up, and up some more. We arrived at Springer at about 3 p.m. We were a little tired. Daisy had a splitting headache, but overall was in good shape. At the top of Springer, we met more thru hikers: Eagle, Falcon, Frosty and a bunch of young, sporty types who look they could sprint the whole way. Then there was this big guy from N.Y. who carried 3 of everything. He was giving stuff away at the shelter; he just had way too much on his back.The beef stroganoff with our dehydrated green beans and carrots tasted pretty good after a long day¢s hike. The Miox water purifier gave us some trouble, though. It keeps indicating we don¢t have enough salt in it or it will say low battery. We don¢t have enough tablets to make it to Neels Gap. We are already considering going back to the pump filter method.The sun has gone down, it is getting chilly out, we re tired, good night.
Date: 2006-03-08
From: SPRINGER MT.

To: HAWK MT.
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

GOOD MORNINGWe woke to another cool sunny day, great hiking weather! We took our time this morning having a hot breakfast. It was nice to slow down after so many months of being so busy. It¢s a long way to Maine, so if we want to get there, we¢ll have to be good to ourselves along the way. Our late morning paid off when the ridge-runner stopped by our campsite for a visit. I didn¢t catch his name, but he¢s the same one we¢ve seen in a couple of hiking videos. He¢s an older fellow with a long white beard. When granddaughter Briauna saw him in the Walking With Freedom video, she said ¢Nana, he looks like Jehovah!¢ He does sort of remind one of Father Time. He was there to advise us of leave no trace ethics, after which he gave us match books that we could later trade for bandanas at Walasi Yi. He then gave Daisy a hug for luck and we were on our way to Hawk Mt. It was an easy 7.6 miles. At the shelter here we met Railroad, Critter, Mike, and once again Eagle, Falcon, and the guy with all the stuff ¢ now aptly named U-haul.
Date: 2006-03-09
From: HAWK MT.

To: WOODY GAP
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

WORN OUT IN WOODYCold and cloudy was the morning as we left the others behind at Hawk Mt. We started at 7:30 a.m. in order to reach Woody Gap before dark. Since we only had a 4 day food supply, we knew we would have to put in a long day somewhere. We did this section the same way a year and a half ago, so we figured we could do it again. After an easy downhill into Hightower Gap then Horse Gap, we began our climb up Sassafras Mt. The pack seemed especially heavy as we grunted our way up the switchbacks. All the young sporty types greeted us kindly as they passed in a flash. At Justus Creek we caught up to John and Lilly, who are triathletes, along with their friend, a tall quiet one. There, Lilly showed off her collection of trash she picked up as she hiked. Good for her! Now if only everyone would be so conscientious. Maybe she should have a name like Clean Sweep or Trail Vac! There were 14 total uphills today: I needed to keep count to keep myself going. I was fine until we reached the top of the first peak of Ramrock Mt. That was uphill number 12, at about mile 9. My body had had enough and no longer wanted to lift the feet. From there on I stumbled a lot. Plus the wind was blowing hard against the SW side of the mountains, at times nearly blowing us over. Earlier in the day, we came across the Army Rangers training in the woods. The leader warned us of 30 to 40 mile an hour winds and heavy rain tonight. We thought about staying at Gooch Mt. shelter, but that's 4 miles short of our goal. We pressed on. Then the craziest thing happened about a half mile from Woody Gap. The trail was rocky but had leveled out for the most part. Mudflap and I were making our way across the side of the hill when all of the sudden my trekking pole got stuck under a small rock which somehow caused the handle end to jam up under my hip belt. There was nothing I could do to stop myself from being catapulted into the side of the hill. I managed to land on my pack, so there I lay like a turtle on its back waiting to be rescued. Mudflap gave me a hand up and we hobbled our way into Woody Gap. There was a group of at least a dozen giggling teenage girls in our favorite spot by the "rock quarry", so we chose a spot surrounded by small, berm-like hills. We were out of the wind but down in a gully. Will we be dry in the morning after the storm? Thank goodness Mudflap is here with me. I'm hungry and tired. I hurt all over. He's making the ramen noodles tonight. If I were alone, I would go to bed hungry. This day took all the effort I have.
Date: 2006-03-10
From: WOODY GAP

To: SLAUGHTER CREEK CAMPSITE
Miles today: 7.4

LAKE FRONT CAMPING Woke to "lake front" camping this morning. Luckily we had the good sense to put our tent on a high spot. As we were packing to go, Frosty was already passing by on his way from Gooch Mt. shelter. When he saw our tent surrounded by water, he stopped to take a picture and said, "Now that's how you set up a tent!"First thing was a climb up Big Cedar Mt. This climb rewarded us with beautiful views at the top. On the way up we met Nick and Erin, a young couple from Maine. They're thru-hiking back home but taking it slow due to Nick's knee pain. So far so good for my knees. Last time we came through here my knees were screaming, too. The ankle is still sore from when I turned it on day two. It hurts more as the day goes on, but not enough to stop me. Still not recuperated from yesterday's 12 miles, so today's 7.4 pretty much wore me out. Mudflap says it¢s not just me, he¢s feeling it too.We are camped near the base of Blood Mt. with pretty sunset views from here. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention another highlight of the day. His name is Piece Of Work; a thru-hiker about 50-something, grey ponytail and beard, bandana wrapped pirate style around his head. We kept passing each other all day long. He seems quiet yet interesting. He also seems to hike at about the same pace. Maybe we'll see more of him.
Date: 2006-03-11
From: SLAUGHTER CREEK CAMPSITE

To: NEELS GAP
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: light rain

SHORT, BUT STEEPWe climbed Blood Mtn. in the morning fog with heavy condensation from the trees raining onto our packs. At the top of our short but steep ascent, we found Piece of Work hanging out in the dark, dank stone building which serves as Blood Mountain's shelter. It's a wonder how anyone could stay in that thing. The wood floors are rotting out and it's infested with rodents.We followed P.O.W. down the treacherous rocky mountainside into Neels Gap. The Mountain Crossings Walasi-Yi center was a welcome site to these weary hikers. I didn't stop to drop my pack before I headed straight to the pay-phone to call home. I was missing the grandchildren something awful by now. The phone rang: I got the message recording. Oh well, next stop: food.After hotdogs for lunch, we checked into nearby Blood Mountain Cabins. George, the proprietor, extended the utmost in hospitality. First of all, he gives thru-hikers a discount rate, and since we called ahead, he left the key in the door for us so we could unload our gear before we walked up the hill to the office. Not only that, as we were shopping in the quaint general store there, he said, "We'll just run a tab and you can pay up in the morning." We had free use of phone and laundry as well.The hot shower was heavenly. Once we got cleaned up, we caught the Mountain Crossings shuttle into Blairsville for a buffet dinner at the Cookie Jar. "Alpine" drove the 15 passenger van 14 miles down the winding road as hikers carried on lively conversation. At the restaurant, there was a table waiting for the nine of us hikers. We quickly filled our plates with salads, hot foods, and of course, soft serve ice cream. Animated conversation resumed as we all became acquainted. Around the table sat the Maniacs (Nick & Erin), Golden Waldo, Able Jack, Walkabout & Caboose, Piece of Work and, or course, Mudflap & Daisy. Dinner ended as quickly as it started, so we piled back into the van full-bellied and content.
Date: 2006-03-12
From: NEELS GAP

To: BAGGS CREEK GAP
Miles today: 4.2

ALMOST ZEROWe had so many details to attend to it seemed we'd never get out of Neels Gap. We had to purchase supplies, exchange equipment, make phone calls, send emails and much more. Mountain Crossings was teaming with people this sunny Sunday. There were dozens of motorcyclists rumbling in and out, Boy Scout Troops returning from weekend hikes and an assortment of others mixed in with all us backpackers. What a busy place.We waited two hours to get a pack "shakedown" which is to let the experts tell us how much extraneous stuff we can send home out of our packs. Alpine, the van driver, also delivered a dose of "tough love" as he put it, when he strongly suggested I send home my camera pouch, compact mirror and sample size lotion. No amount of "love" was going to get me to let go of my hand sanitizer though; that's where I draw the line. Mudflap gave up some extra clothing and all total we dropped 10 lbs.. So I guess it was worth it.We finally hit the trail at 3 p.m.. Yikes, we almost had a zero miles day! We're not ready for that though, so we headed for Cowrock Mtn. 4 miles away. Right off the bat I had to do battle with bugs. There were about a million of these little black flying things that look like overgrown weevils. We're hiking along, enjoying a nice pace, when next thing I know, one of those pesky little buggers did a kamikaze dive right into my open mouth and hit the back of my throat. I'm hacking and gacking and spitting, totally grossed out, when another dives directly into my right eye. Dang! They're out in full force. If it's like this in March, what will summer bring: the plague?Okay, so we're hiking along some more when out of nowhere, a tree branch with human-like appendages, reaches down and grabs me by the hair on the top of my head..."Aaaagh!" Mudflap had to come along and release me from its relentless grip.We reached our campsite just before dark. Turtle Scout, Ranger Cortez and Crazy Horse are already there. We continued to battle the flying black devils as they tried to join us for a dinner of linguini Alfred with imitation crab.
Date: 2006-03-13
From: BAGGS CREEK GAP

To: BLUE MTN. SHELTER
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

MUDFLP'S WEEKLY REVIEW #1Since I ain't the writer that Daisy is, I will do a recap of the highlights and low points of the week. We were dropped off at Amicalola Falls State Park by some friends and family. We were even escorted up the trail for 3 hours. I believe this was to feel out if this was for real! On our way we met a hiker about 30-ish, Pete. His pack was as big as he was, and he's a big dude. Later his trail name became U-HAUL due to all the stuff he carried. We ended the day at the beginning of the A.T.Day 3 was a ball buster. We did 12.3 miles since we only had 4 dinners to get to Neels Gap. Daisy, towards the end of the day, attempted some kind of pirouette with her hiking pole into the side of the mountain. She landed on her pack looking like a stranded turtle on its shell. We hobbled into camp ready to collapse.Day 4 we met Piece of Work, a hiker in his early 60's, but you would never think he was that age from the shape he was in. We ended our day at Slaughter Creek campsite.Day 5 we summited Blood Mtn. which is mostly big rocks. We came down to Neels Gap to re-supply, shower and eat. We smelled like two hobos who hadn't had a bath in a month. We stayed in Blood Mtn. cabins down the road. We were shuttled to Blairsville for a dinner buffet with 9 other hikers.Day 6 we made a decision to have the outfitters at Mountain Crossings do a shakedown of our packs. Alpine went through everything to lighten our load to make our trip successful. It hurt to get rid of extra clothing and comfort items. We hiked as far as we could after our shakedown.Day 7 was our biggest mileage day to date: almost 14 miles. We were tired as hell. One of my heels was screaming the other was whining pretty loud. We also met the ridge runner "Gizmo". We recognized him from two hiking videos we have.   That's my review of the week as I see it. We have no broken bones, haven't killed each other yet and haven't been eaten by a bear. A successful week.
Date: 2006-03-14
From: BLUE MTN. SHELTER

To: TRAY MTN.
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

WINE ON TRAYWell, it's been another couple of days of digging in, head down, nose to the trail hiking. Today was easy compared to yesterday's 13.6 miles, but we still encountered some respectable climbs.Last night we experienced our first thunder and lightening storm up on Blue Mtn.. It began about midnight and rumbled on for a couple more hours. Due to poor sleep, we got off to a late start. Soon however, we were climbing Rocky Mtn. where we caught some spectacular views. The ascents were steep as usual, but the wind chill kept us cool as we churned out the miles.Our day was highlighted by hiking along with U-Haul, then Cathy and Craig. Later at Tray Mtn. Shelter, Caboose was kind enough to share some Yellow Tail wine that she and her husband Walkabout picked up earlier in Hiawassee. These two kids are amazing! They left Blue Mtn. this morning, hitched a ride to town, went to a wine tasting and were back on the trail by 1:00 p.m. Wow, how'd they do that?!
Date: 2006-03-15
From: TRAY MTN.

To: DEEP GAP SHELTER
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: clear sky

CRAZY WINDSWe awoke to ice chunks under the tent. I stayed cold all night long in my zero-degree bag. The wind blew like crazy all day and all night from every direction up on top of Tray Mtn.. Some hikers said it got down to 28 degrees and others heard reports that the wind blew at 35 miles per hour. It was good to come down into the gap.Today's hike was mostly sunny and pleasant. That is until we got to Kelly Knob. We were not going to get off easy today. The trail rose straight up the side of the mountain and kept going for what seemed like forever. Every time we reached a peak or a bend in the trail, there was more. While looking straight up so much, I did notice the striking contrast of light grey bare tree branches against the deepest azure sky. Then, when I would look down, I spied little tiny bright red, insects shaped like mites. They were almost neon bright. I would have liked a closer look.Down at the shelter we found Caboose and Walkabout chatting with U-Haul. Later came Christmas and Chief who have hiked the GA section 6 times. It was nice to make camp early for a change. We had time to socialize and relax. I especially enjoy the company of Caboose who is in her late twenties and teaches music to Jr. High-aged students. Tomorrow we hit the town in Hiawassee. I could go for a nice pizza about now!
Date: 2006-03-17
To: PLUM ORCHARD SHELTER
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: broken clouds

BACK ON THE A.T.This morning was a little frustrating for us. We have not yet figured out how to get our photos onto the website. You get 30 minutes at a time on the computer at the Holiday Inn and we just didn't get it done before it was time to catch our shuttle back to the trail. We will try again in Franklin, NC.The manager of the hotel, Bob Madden, provided the shuttle back to the trail. He also shared his two extra cheeseburgers and fries with us. On the way up the highway, he stopped to show us the house he's having built way up on a hill with a magnificent view. The 11 miles back to the A.T. didn't take long at all: Mr. Madden drove his Ford pickup like a moonshiner running from the law! We thanked him much for the ride plus all the hospitality and grabbed our packs out of the back.With fully loaded packs, we trudged uphill 4.3 miles to Plum Orchard Shelter. When we arrived, U-Haul and Possum were already there. Possum is a young man about 30 years old or so, with quite a colorful sense of humor. Some of it's a little too spicy for my taste, but he's a constant source of entertainment. Later, another young man named Eli showed up. He seems quiet, just out of the Coast Guard; says he wants to become a boat builder.On a different note, I'm disappointed about the conditions at this shelter. There are food droppings everywhere, trash everywhere; who leaves this kind of mess in the outdoors? We are firm believers in "Pack it in/Pack it out". This place must be crawling with mice at night. Luckily for us, we sleep in a tent.
Date: 2006-03-18
From: PLUM ORCHARD SHELTER

To: STANDING INDIAN SHELTER
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

CROSSING THE BORDERWe pulled another long one today. Instead of stopping at Muskrat Creek Shelter as originally planned, we decided to press on to Standing Indian Shelter. It was exciting to cross the state line from Georgia to North Carolina. That's one state down and thirteen to go!Shortly after the border line we came to Bly Gap where the famous old twisted oak still stands. We stopped there for lunch in a warm sunny spot out of the wind. While there, some section hikers warned us of upcoming freezing temperatures and possible snow beginning Sunday night. Darn, Franklin is still at least 3 days away.We left our spot in the sun and began our first miles in NC. I just want you folks to know that in case one gets overly confident having finished one state, NC is here to knock you right back down to size. The trail in this section takes you straight up, I mean vertically to the point my pack was pulling me back down hill. Sheesh! Welcome to North Carolina!By mid-afternoon we reached Muskrat Creek Shelter, but at only 7.1 miles thus far it was not enough to call it a day. I had my eye on a site just before Standing Indian Mtn. which was just over 11 miles for the day, but Mudflap insisted we would be much happier at the shelter which is another .7 miles UPHILL. He likes the privies and bear cables that are conveniently located at most shelters. Being the girl that I am, I pouted as we proceded UPHILL. When we reached the shelter, we were greeted by none other than U-Haul, Possum and Eli. There was another hiker named Marta who was out for the weekend there. It was nice to see another female. She had a quiet, intelligent, good humor about her and told good stories too. Plus, she brought trail magic: bags of snack sized chips! Thanks Marta.