morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-29
From: NOC in Wesser - by Lefty

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

By BuoyToday we are starting a long stretch of hiking. We are planning to do a lot of hiking without another 0 day. Last night we sat down to do the math. In order to make it to Maine on time we have to average about 90 miles a week. Like most hikers we are currently well below that mark. So we have to speed it up a bit. This dayhike was a long and rough one. NOC is down at a river. The AT is all the way up there on the Mountain ridges. So Lefty and Righty had a 3500 Foot climb and I Buoy had the same amount going downhill. We started early out of NOC with a big breakfast in our bellies. The weather was wonderful. I started to listen to Podcasts (trailcasts) on my IPOD. Lefty had found these great interviews with people who are legendary hikers. We downloaded them from the Internet and now have them on our Ipods. I was listening to this one womans tale who fell into a Ravine in the kings Canon National park. She broke both legs and had to crawl to the next trail. She was alone with her injuries for 3 days and would not have survived another one. While I was listening to this I looked at all the steep ravines left and right of me. Than I listened to an Interview with ¢Wingfoot¢ he is probably one the most famous AT throuhikers. I sat down and listen to him talking about the beauty of a trail while I was watching a bee feeding from a flower right next to me. But than all the fun was over. The 3500 foot downhill was tough on the knees. And very long. Right and Lefty were already waiting for me at the trailhead in NOC. We had one of our routine afternoon conversations. For me the first order is to shower. I absolutely do not like to be dirty. I am not even hungry or particulary tired before I get a shower. My second priority is food and beer. Than accommodation for the night. Than everything else. The ladies in my team have a totally different opinion about this. I thought usually it¢s the women who want to take showers and be clean and fresh. Lefty and Righty could not care less about a shower. They I believe did not even really take one today. For them the first priority is the accommodation which has to be as cheap a possible or free. They will negotiate with 5 motels like buyers in large corporations negotiate with suppliers. Than they will want to go to a campground because its cheaper. When accommodation is found they want to eat. Than they want to go on the internet. I do not even thing the shower makes their list. Ok back to the conversation I was mentioning. The reader can probably guess what it is about every afternoon. I wanted to take a shower at the NOC before anything else but was voted down.
Date: 2006-04-30
From: Stecoah Gap 

To: Yellow Creek Gap 
Miles today: 7.6

By BuoyToday everybody was still tired from the day before. We could not get ourselves exited about a 15 mile day. So we decided to cut that next section in half and to only go as far as Yellow Creek Gap. We had a great night at the Turkey Creek Campgound. On a beautifull night there is nothing better than a tent. We are right next to a little stream ( I guess the Turkey Creek). The moon was out, it was not too cold and we had a nice flat spot. I slept like a baby. I ended up with a late start this morning because I had a real hard time to find the next trailhead. Somebody had taken down the AT sign at that trailhead and the blazes could only be seen from the other side. The side I was not coming from. The hike was a quick and easy one. I really flew over it and did the almost 8 miles in 3 hours. Still Lefty and Righty were waiting for me at the trailhead. I can never beat them. And guess what our first conversation was about. Right. The Shower topic :-).
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Yellow Creek Gap 

To: Fontana Dam 
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: few clouds

By BuoyToday we broke camp after a rainy night. The tents are dirty and wet. One last short day before we hit the Smokies. All hikers are talking about the 70 mile AT section in the Smokies. It is the longest section on the AT without road access. It is also the section with the highest elevation. And one of the sections with the most bears. And a section were you go up and down 2000 feet three times a day. Also a place where about 50 inches of rain fall every year(or something like that). One moment you can have 80 degrees and sunshine and just 30 minutes later you can find yourself in cold wind and hail. In the lower elevations people can die from heart attacks, bee stings and hypothermia. In the upper elevations the most danger is coming from lightning. Once you start the hike you are committed. If anything bad happens in the middle it is not easy to get help. Hikers talk a lot about the Smokies. About 20 % of Throughhikers leave the trail in Fontana probably partly because of all that talk about the smokies. These mountains really seem smoky. The fog often comes right out of the mountain like the smoke of a fire would. Smokies towering over Fontana looking very dark wet and uninviting. But for now we just have to take a 8.2 miles stroll to Fontana. So I thought. I had forgotten that Fontana is a lake and that my hike would start with a 2000 foot climb. It was a hot day and the switch-backs never ended. Whenever it gets hot the knats come out to hunt the hikers. First hundreds of no-see-ums (tiny little flies) will start flying around your head. Than the Knats will come to committ suicide in your ears, eyes, hair and mouth. I think they are attracted by sweat because they always hit me on my uphill stretches. So I had lots of company between Fontana and Yellow Creek. Once I had arrived on the summit I had a fun and easy second half of my ¢stroll¢. Tonight we are staying in a nice little family motel in the middle of Robinsville. They allowed us to put up our tents in the front of the motel to dry. Again no Beer here !!
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Newfound Gap 

To: To Jillie 
Miles today: 0.0

I MISS MY SWEET JILLIE ¢ by RightyLast week, just before entering the GSMNP, I had to say good bye to my sweet Jillie. Dogs are not allowed in the GSMNP because of the black bear population. I had called my son who lives in TN to ask him if he could come and pick her up and keep her for me. Even though she had turned out to be a great hiker and was really enjoying herself; I decided that since this was a lot harder for me than I had expected it to be; that I probably should not take her any further. It was a difficult decision for me to make and I already miss her so much. She is such a good girl and always HAPPY and basically no trouble. However, my final consideration was that if I was going to be able to make it to Maine, I needed to do whatever it took to make it as easy for myself as possible. The upside of saying good bye to Jill was getting to visit with my son, Matt and my grandson, Lowe for a couple of hours. I¢m so sorry my daughter in law, Kathy, was unable to come; but she had to work. Hopefully we¢ll get to see all of them as we get a little further up into Tennessee. Thanks Matt, Kathy and Lowe for taking care of Jill. I know she¢ll enjoy her visit. Please give her hugs and kisses from meGood Bye to Jillie - by BuoyBefore any hikers goes into the smokies they have to find somebody to take their pet. Pets are not allowed in this national park. Therefore we always knew that we will have to part with Jillie for about 10 days. During the first 2 weeks of our hike we had the impression that Jillie did not really have a great time on the trail. While we understood our muscle pains Jillie had no idea why all of the sudden she could not walk in the mornings. She looked so confused and worried all the time. One day she kept jumping back into the van and really gave us clear signals of defeat. In doggy language she made clear to us that there are more fun ways to spent one's time than to hike up and down mountains. I think she was ready to divorce Righty and find herself another owner / pack.Now a few weeks later the situation has changed dramatically. Jillie has found her trail legs and to her happy go lucky self. She does 14 mile days without any problems has learned to drink enough and to find shade at every possibility. In the morning she gets up and is ready for another long day of hiking. She clearly loves all the attention and loves to roll in the mud all day. Nobody constantly gives her a bath and she is never alone. And we all love her. I must admit that in general I just do not like dogs much. However Jillie I fell in love with. She is always in a good mood and a great company. I will really miss her.
Date: 2006-05-06
From: New Found Gap

To: Pecks Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY - by RightyWhen I got into camp this eveniang after hiking 10 miles from New Found Gap to Peck's Shelter, guess what I said to Lefty. I said, "GOSH, THAT WASN'T SO BAD!!!" Can you believe I'm saying that? I don't know why but for some reason I actually enjoyed today's hike. Maybe it was because yesterday we only had a 5 mile hike out and we stayed in town last night where we had good food ( if you consider BBQ GOOD) and a soft bed. Or maybe it is because it finally stopped raining and today dawned a beautiful day. Of course I wasn't up at dawn but when I got up it was clear and cool --- a hikers perfect day. Or maybe it's because I finally started taking my daughter's advice and started taking Vitamin I and my knee isn't bothering me quite as much. Then again, just maybe it's because I'm finally getting my "hiking legs" and it willl stop being so tough. Whatever the reason, I LOVE IT! This morning we met many fellow hikers at the monument at New Found Gap and had the above photo taken. Look how clean and fresh we all look after a night in town. After the 2 mile uphill stretch (which I handled better than usual) to get us back up to the creasts, the rest of the day consisted of many ups and downs but none were too long and strenuous. We were hiking from crest to crest sometimes on the western ridge and sometimes on the eastern ridge. The views were absolutely beauiful from both sides. Occasionally we hiked on the spine of the mountain and had panoramic views. This isn't for anyone who is afraid of heights because there is no more than 1 or 2 feet of path and then vast drop offs on both sides. This was no place for a misstep! Our shelter tonight was fairly full with some old friends and thru hikers: Mountain Dew, Rainbow Bright, Ben Here, and Muddy Shoes. There were also 3 weekend hikers from Alabama, Derek, Lisa and Chris.
Date: 2006-05-07
From: Peck's She1ter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES - by RightyI woke up about 5:30 am to the sound of thunder and heavy rain on the tin roof of the shelter. At 7:30 it was still raining so I snuggled back into my sleeping bag with the intention of staying in bed till it stopped. Lefty and I were planning to hike 14 miles that day to Crosby Knob Shelter so we really needed to get up early and get moving. About 9:30, I could put it off no longer, I had to get up...nature called.. We had a quick breakfast, donned our rain gear and took off. This was not the fun, beautiful, scenic hike from the day before. It was cold, wet and foggy. You could barely see the path in front of you. I knew that we were following the ridge but couldn't see over the side so I was very careful where I put my foot down. Add to that, the trail went deep into the woods where the pine and fir trees were so dense they created a canopy over you. It was very dark and erie. I was waiting for a big bad wolf (or bear) to jump out at me. When you hike alone, as I do so much of the time, your imagionation can get the best of you. I found myself stopping every so often and looking behind me. About 4 miles before we reached the shelter it started to rain again and even though the trail wasn't difficult it was very muddy and slippery. By the time I got to the shelter I was soaking wet and chilled to the bone. Fortunately there was still "room at the inn" and the hikers already there were very gracious and willingly made room for Lefty and I. There were two thru hikers there: Ben Here and Wild Poodle who we met for the first time. There were also 4 section hikers in "residence". I used that term because 3 of them were doctors from Jacksonville, FL. Tom Virtue (aka Tom Cat) and his brother Jay Virtue (aka Wheezer) who is a stock broker from St Louis. The other two were Bill (aka Minno) and Bo Tucker. We had a great time talking with them and sharing AT stories. Thanks guys for sharing your water when we came in during the rain storm and for being such great shelter mates.
Date: 2006-05-08
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap 
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

A LITTLE MORE OF THE SAME - by RightyWhat's new? I woke up during the night to the sound of MORE rain. I also woke up once to find a mouse nibbling on my hand which was outside of my sleeping bag. Most hikers bury themselves in their sleeping bags so the mice can't get to them. I can't stand being wrapped up so tightly and not being able to move around so I run the risk of the mice pestering me. One morning I woke up to find that my hair was all snarled up and I had scrtches on my head and I realized the mice had been playing in it. I wondered why everyone wore hat to bed even when it was not cold. Needless to say, I now wear a hat to bed like everyone else. By the time we left the shelter the rain had subsided to light drizzle but the fog was heavy. The path going uphill was like a river coming at you and going downhill was extremely mudddy. Add to that the fact that the trail was also a horse trail with horse droppings everywhere, you can just imagion the mucky mess. Fortunately we only I had 8 miles to hike that day and the Smokies were history.
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Davenport Gap 

To: Max Patch Road 
Miles today: 0.0

By Lefty - Hiked 15.2 today from the northern boundary of the Great Smokey National Park to the base of Max Patch. The weather today was rough. As usual I tried to hike through the cold rain and wind in my short sleeve shirt. I have never had the problem I encountered today. I definitely learned a lesson today. Once I reached the bald of a mountain about 4 miles in on our hike I was hit with very cold winds and rain. I was already drenched from the last hour of rain. First I noticed that my right arm felt like I had hit my funny bone. A minute later, my right wrist started to ache. Then my fingers started to get stiff an tingly. I knew that it wouldn't be long before I was off of the top of the mountain, so I pushed on. About five minutes later I was back in the woods and nestled below a tree for cover, I took my pack off and wanted to find my gloves and raingear. I noticed quickly that my fingers, wrist and arm were not being cooperative. It took me over 5 minutes to get my gear on. No, I won't make that mistake again. I pushed it a little too far today. Davenport Gap to Max Patch - by RightyThe morning started out foggy. We were able to slack pack today so the 15 miles was easier than it might have been. Lefty and I got caught in a thunderstorm on top of the mountain. The rain and wind was really cold and soaked us before we could get all our rain gear on. I had failed to pack a hat or gloves and my hands were soon frozen and almost useless. I had to keep moving fast in order to get warmed up. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I will always have gloves and a hat in my pack, no matter what the weather. We were planning on staying in a campground that allows thru hikers to camp for $5. but about the time we were going to set up our tents, it started pouring again. We ended up staying at a local hostel - Elmer's Sunnydale Hostel in town. The hostel is in a beautiful old Victorian house. Lefty and Bouy had a nice big room on the second floor that even had a bathroom attached. I, on the other hand, was taken to the basement to a small, very damp and musty room that is used by his staff. I wasn't quite as pleased especially since the price was the same. Breakfast was served family style the next morning and was quite good.
Date: 2006-05-12
From: Max Patch 

To: The Town of Hot Springs
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

By Lefty - Today's hike was our longest yet; over 20 miles. It took me over an hour to get off of Max Patch because I couldn't stop snapping pictures. It was a site to behold. Buoy told me this evening that tears came to his eyes when he stood on the bald of this mountain. The 360 views were incredible; the best we have had so far on this hike. We are so incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity. How did we get so darn lucky!Tonight is our third night in the town of Hot Springs. We are camping at a campground that only charges $5 a night for thru-hikers. Gotta love that. We have eaten breakfast and dinner at the same diner every day. We'll hit it again Sat am before we do our next 15 miles out of Hot Springs. I am working on two enries I hope to have up soon, "Sleeping with the Enemy" and "Trail Obsessions". Thanks to everyone who is signing in on our guest book. It means the world to us! .by RIGHTY Max Patch to Hot Springs 20.6 milesWe slept in the campsite on Thursdaay night, no more basement for me. It rained that night, of course. The hiker area of this campground is right next to a railroad track. The train came by at 11 pm and again at 5:30 am. Actually, you knew the train was coming even before you heard it because the ground would shake long before. Once it got into town it would blow it's whistle. What a wake up call! Hiking today was LONG but not too hard. Our morning started in dense fog but as we were getting our boots on the fog started to lift and it turned into a beautiful day with beautiful views. We met 2 day hikers on the trail: Ken and Richard Peebles. Ken is from Ottawa, Canada and Richard is from Rochester, NY. We hiked with them for about 5 miles and had a great time sharing stories. We also ran into Rainbow Bright and Muddy Shoes on the trail. The really neat thing about this hike is that you end up hiking right through the middle of town. That night we saw the 3 redheads, Mountain Dew and Bonzo. I went to bed by 9pm as I was done in from my first 20 mile day.
Date: 2006-05-13
From: Hot Springs

To: Allen Gap 
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Hot Springs to Allen Gap - by RightyThe only thing to report today is that I could hardly move my legs after yesterday's hike.   I might have over done it a little. Oh yes, we got kicked out of the campground. Lefty went to pay for 2 more nights and they wanted to charge us A LOT more than the lady had two days before. Apparently she had given us a really good deal. Well, actually she just messed up. Anyway, we liked the $5 charge for the 3 of us and decided we'd just move to the National Park Campground down the road that was just $4. after my discount. We had dinner in town at the diner as we had done for the last 3 days. Muddy Shoes joined us. We also saw the two sisters, Linda and Jody, who were leaving the next day to head home.
Date: 2006-05-14
From: Allen Gap

To: Devils Fork Gap
Miles today: 21.2

Allen Gap to Devils Fork Gap - by RightyI was awakened at 6am by Lefty who reminded me that we had to hike 21 miles that day. A little later we're having breakfast at the diner and Lefty overhears someone saying Happy Mother's Day. So she said, "Happy Mother's Day, Mom .... and yes you still have to hike the 21 miles today."The first 9 miles were all up hill (I kid you not). Then the last mile, still uphill, and over rocks and boulders to the top of a rocky summit. It was beautiful up there though so it was worth it. We took lots of photos. On our way down the mountain we stoped by a shelter for a break. The shelter was old and run down and had the words "HELTER SHELTER" written with spray paint on the wall inside. Very Creapy! We saw several thru hikers who we hadn't met before. We knew of them because Buoy had met them several times hiking North to South. One gentleman named Pie, another named Flying Tortois. We also saw two brothers, Cosmo and Nicknme. We also met UpHill, Eagle and Wanderer that day too. It was a very busy day on the trail. We got into town late that night and found only one restaurant open. The kids treated me to dinner for Mother's Day. I had a great meal of steak, baked potatoe and vegetables. What a treat!!
Date: 2006-05-18
From: Indian Grave Gap

To: Hughes Gap and the Storm
Miles today: 20.2

By BuoyToday we had an incredibly rough hike. It rained all day long. For 10 hours I hiked in driving heavy rain. My feet got heavy and wet. This section was the worst roller coaster ride yet. We probably had to climb 20 little mountains with no switchbacks. The ground was like soap and it was not easy to keep the boots on it. Pretty soon I knew that this also would become my first nighthike.I just could not make any progress all day long in these conditions. Than after 10 hours of rain the sun came out for about 2 hours and I had a great intermezzo of beautifull views. I came down from Uakka Mountain during sunset and saw the clouds and mountains dancing around each other. Just amazing. I took some pictures and was so happy that this hike was almost over. That was when I heard the first thunder. Soon after the first thunder the sun was gone and darkness came over me. I hiked without my headlamp for as long as possible. I often stopped and looked behind me and into the woods. I had visons of carnage and sensed big scary creatures behind every turn. That day had a great remedy in store for me to heal my fear of darkness and wild animals. The day just came up with something that was even scarier than all of that. I just walked under some powerlines when the first lightning strike hit the ground. I could feel the heat of the lightning on my face and in a split second I was not afraid of animals anymore. I just ran as fast as I could. I did not want to be in that storm. I had no chance. I stood in the woods and I could hear the wind approaching. It sounded like the biggest ocean wave I ever heard.The ground actually shook. Knowing that this wind will hit me in just a few seconds was very scary. And than all hell broke loose. I could not see the hands in front of my face. The rain came sideways . Hail hit me all over my body. The air was full of water and leaves. All kinds of stuff started falling down from the trees and I started falling down to the ground every few steps. I basically crawled down that trail. Than I saw the headlights of our car. I was so happy to see that light. I really do not want to have a repeat of that experience.