morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-27
From: Blue Ridge Knob

To: Standing Indian Campsite
Miles today: 10.0

3/27 standing Indian campground. 10.0 very tiring miles. We left Emilie's good company today when she dropped us 1/2 mile from Blue Ridge gap at 10 am. A late start with some very tough uphill climbs for the first 5 miles. We crossed onto North Carolina Today! We almost missed the sign on the side of the tree. After the obligatory photos we moved on to Bly Gap and the Old gnarled oak tree for lunch.  We got to muskrat creek shelter around 2:00, took a short break and decided to push on to standing Indian shelter. We made great time for the next two hours and then things got tough. We were all getting very tired with 2 miles left to go and it was getting late. We made it here at 6:45 amid cold temps and blustery winds. Got the tent up in a hurry and tucked a very tired Dutch Tape into bed while I did chores and made us dinner. After a nice camp fire to take off the chill, the three of are loaded up on vitamin I and drifting off to sleep. :-)CB 3/27 We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express where we picked up our drop/food box. Since Rachel didn¢t plan on spending the money ¢ she spent the night with Emilie. We got up and had a big continental breakfast at the hotel. Stuffing our clean clothes(we washed them in the shower) in our backpacks we got out of there by 9 as we were being picked up and taken back to trail head at Dick¢s Creek Gap. We ended at Blue Ridge Gap as Emilie had slack packed us ¢ as we were joining her tonight at her Cabin in Clayton, GA. We checked out her amphibian monitoring project. It is on the old Charlie Wharton estate. Charlie was a naturalist, describing the eco-regions of GA. and NC. 5.6 miles today. Cabana Boy is hurting today. Poor sleeping is no doubt contributing to this. I have slept well one night and it certainly affects how I perform the next day. Today was a short day on trail, with lichens and mosses everywhere. Turkey/table lichens were exceptional ¢ Cabana Boy took a few photos which I hope turn out well. City Slicker is staying with Emilie again tonight and Cabana Boy and I are in Emilie's friends home a beautiful post and beam. I am in heaven¢¦a well designed structure- A BED AND INDOOR RUNNING WATER. Trail angels are many- Last years hiker couple ¢ Tagless and Tag-a-long had drinks and fruit!! What a treat!! Also today chili and fixings at Dicks Creek Gap. Weather got sunny this afternoon with decent wind (about 15 mph) Time to cook a meal and get to bed. Thanks Jeff A, Ruth, Elaine and Sharon.
Date: 2010-03-28
From: Standing Indian Campsite

To: Beech Gap tenting area
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: moderate rain

3/28 Beech Gap tenting area. 5.3 miles. Yuck! It's wet and windy and cold today. We got through most of the night without rain but it was wet by the time we got up. Made a quick getaway to try and keep the tent dry and traipsed off to Standing Indian Shelter for a quick snack and to rearrange our gear. Up at the summit the winds howled and it was exposed for a mile or two and snow decorated the trail in places. We had hoped to go to Carter Gap shelter but after 5.3 miles of exposed weather, we were all ready to call it a day. Rachel was in the worst shape so we got her set up and tucked in and then did our camp chores. My boots failed after two hours of this and most of what I wore is damp.  Should make for an uncomfortable day tomorrow!CB3/28 Started at Standing Indian Camp ground because we were too tired to go the extra 1.9 miles or so to standing Indian Shelter last night. At 3:00 am we got a huge rain storm coming through obliterating the almost full moon. Slept in until 7:30 am. C.B. was up and running! I got cocoa in bed and a power bar. (I will be glad to have bacon and eggs for breakfast soon!!) Only 5.3 miles today as Rachel was tired and heading straight for hypothermia. Temp had to be in the low 40¢s, high winds, rain showers, fog and a most soggy trail. Dropped in to Standing Indian shelter where everyone was trying to stay dry and warm. Everyone in a good mood despite the bad weather. We are all in our tents at 3:15 pm. Gonna be a long night!! And we shall be dry. Back to writing again. Freeman has lost one pole! He had his umbrella in one hand and hiking pole in other with his second pole attached to his pack. He hiked back 4 miles(he is a marathon and triathlon competitor) to tell us of his loss. We shall keep our eyes peeled for the next 4 miles. NOTE: Mtn. Hardware switch -20-20 F is proving to be a good sleeping bag. Compresses easily, soft. NOTE: Marmot rain jacket has City Slicker and I very wet. As a wind jacket ti is fine ¢ add the rain to the equation and we have major issues. We are layering properly so there is no argument here. That jacket was supposed to keep us dry! **Leki 3 way head gear is working for me so far in all weather. **The silk liner is wonderful. Cabana Boy has been chilly some nights and I have been toasty warm. I think if I were to do this hike again (did I say that?) I would get 2 bags that zip together. Two bodies can throw much heat if severe weather or hypothermia arises. (Took pictures of heifer oak and chunky girl trail sign yesterday.) 27th March.
Date: 2010-03-29
From: Beech Gap tenting area

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

3/29 Big Spring Shelter. 10.0 miles. The rain ended overnight and we were treated to a bright full moon. By morning the clouds were back but we manage just a quick shower for the day. We stopped at Carter Gap Shelter for early lunch and then moved on to Betty Creek camping area. We had plenty of time left so we moved on over Mooney Gap and up Big Butt Mountain singing and talking the time away. Big Butt was a beautiful trail with perilous cliffside treking and gorgeous moss covered ledges drenched in dripping water. My favorite part of the trail so far! We came across some trail magic from Fishing Fred and his Chihuahua, Elvis. He made us all grilled cheese sandwiches and had ice cold rootbeer on hand. Yummy! An hour later we hiked into Big Spring and set up camp. All of our wet gear is strewn about the rhododendron bushes and it looks like a rained out yardsale. The three of us shared a communal dinner of couscous, cream of spinach soup and grilled chicken. All this was followed by Oreo bites and vitamin I. A nice camp fire down at the shelter was throwing it's warm glow on us but alas, hiker midnight came early (8:00) and we are tucked warmly in our tents tonight. Tomorrow is forcast to by warm and sunny - Yeah!CB
Date: 2010-03-30
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

3/30 Winding Stair Gap. 9.1 miles. What a difference a day can make! We woke to frosty weather at Big Spring and the clouds of yesterday had sunk below the mountaintops so, at sunrise, I ran back 1/2 mile to the top of Albert mountain and up the fire tower to take some photos and stood in awe of the beauty of the sights.... This one morning made my entire hike worthwhile to me. I was moved to tears by what I saw and felt up there. See the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoZC2-yfRJkLots of photos later I was back in camp working on breakfast for the gang. We took our time since we were only planning a 5 or 6 mile day to relax and position ourselves close to town for the next day. We left camp at 10 and were cruising along in some of the most beautiful trail so far and, in no time, put 4 miles under our feet. We passed Glassmine Gap trail and down the trail came 2 faces I recognized from last fall when I climbed Mt Moosilaukee and fed some south bound hikers. (see earlier journal entry Sept. 09) Apparently Lonnie and Nancy had been following our journal and went out on a hunch to find us and here we are! We met them down at Rock Gap, our original destination for the day, and they offered us too many options that we gladly accepted. So Dutch Tape & City Slicker hopped in the car and went to Franklin to get us rooms at Havens Budget Inn and, at the same time, I ran the 3.8 miles to Winding Stair gap - only took me 1:10 minutes including three vista stops! So now we have been shuttled to the outfitters where we updated our stove and got a few essentials. We cleaned out the local grocery of lunch foods and ate 10 lbs of burgers, steak, salads, fries, potato skins and more. Our laundry is done, the hot water from our showers is gone and we are in hiker heaven once again. In the morning the girls are taking the shuttle back to Rock Gap to do the 3.8miles to Winding Stair and the three of us are joining Lonnie & Nancy at their place tomorrow night.CB
Date: 2010-03-31
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Franklin NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

3/31 zero day for some... We spent the night at the Budget Inn in Franklin NC along with many other hikers. 7 of us went to Cody's Road House for dinner last night and had way to much food and fun. Today, DT and CS are slack packing the 3.7 miles to winding stair gap from rock gap shelter and then Nancy and Lonnie will be picking us all up for some hiker fun! DT & CS bumped into our friends River and Fable and we may be able to catch them yet. While waiting for their ride, they also met Yule the Mule who they have been talking about for months in anticipation of meeting!DT & CBMarch 31Wed. met up with Lonnie and Nancy Reeder( last years SOBO - South bound hikers) slack packed C.B. and Rachel and I went on to Haven¢s Budget Inn. Gypsy Girl broke her leg ¢ out of Unicoi Gap_ and she was alone!!!! We found her at Havens, today and going to Lonnie and Nancy¢s home after hiking today.DT
Date: 2010-04-01
From: Franklin NC

To: Wine Spring Camping Area
Miles today: 8.2

4/1 Wine Spring  8.2 milesWe had a great time in Franklin yesterday with Lonnie and Nancy taking us to the Mexican place for a huge lunch. We also stopped at the outfitters and grocery store for a few more items before heading back to their place to camp out for the night. After dinner and a movie, we all chatted away and laughed for hours before hiker midnight called us away to bed. DT and CB set up their tent out on the deck taking in all of the great views from their amazing spot in the hills. CS took the couch and had a great night of sleep.  In the morning, they returned us to Winding Stair Gap but we were reluctant to go! They were the perfect hosts and trail angels taking care of all of our hiker needs. They made us feel so welcome at their home and offered us great food, great company and a fantastic place to relax and enjoy ourselves and never batted an eye at any of our requests to go somewhere for any need. They have far outdone themselves in the hospitality department. We hope we can convince them to come visit us in the north sometime in the future so we can do the same for them. We may not have seen the last of them yet as they could join us in a few days at NOC. We left Winding Stair Gap, after being dropped off by our hosts, and headed north again trying to catch our friends, River and Fable, but didn't have any luck. We managed to cover good ground though and will be crossing into New Jersey sometime tomorrow. April Fools! We had a very warm day In the lower 80's and were very tired after rolling into camp tonight around 5:00. We crossed below Siler Bald and Cabana Boy decided to hike the half mile up for a little photo opportunity with the 360 views and 5200 foot elevation. Siler Bald is not on the AT but is a blue blaze trail and means a little extra credit hiking but is a tough up hill climb. We went down into Wayah Gap and crossed over NC route 1310 under bright sunny skies. Up up and up we went from 4180feet to 5290 at our campsite and the last mile and a half was exausting!  We tried our new stove in camp tonight and are happy to say that it was worth spending the extra money on! There is a big hiker bash starting In Franklin tomorrow hosted by Ron Havens and thousands are expected. We hope to come across some of the rumored trail angels on Easter Sunday and City Slicker & Dutch Tape hope to make it to church for the holiday service. That's all for now! DT and CB
Date: 2010-04-02
From: Wine Spring Camping Area

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

4/2 cold spring shelter. 7.7 miles. The trail whipped our butts again today. We have decided that the mileage on our guide is only an estimate at times and today was a prime example!  The last "mile" seemed to go on for hours and was incredibly steep and tiring. We got our first glimpse of Clongmans Dome from the Wayah Bald tower and it was only 26 miles away! Another great camp site with terrific views. I want to take a few lines up here today to talk about the rhododendron tunnels that we have read so much about. No one ever talks about how soon you come across them - in the first mile - or how often, we are walking in them daily many times. Nor how huge some of them are. We went through one tunnel that was easily 1/2 mile in length back in GA. They also occur at high altitudes. We are cresting mountains over 5000 feet and they are right there at the height of the land. I also want to take a few lines to talk about switch backs. These are the bane of any hiker who has grown up hiking in New England. Up north, when you climb a mountain, you go pretty much straight up and over them. Not down here! For some reason the designers of the trail want to torment you by making you think you are going one way and then, about face, you are going another. We have been on some ridiculously long stretches of switchbacks going back and forth a quarter mile switching six or seven times and only dropping 75 feet or so in total. Who's idea was this? I am pretty sure that the trail must have 4 or 5 hundred extra miles of unnecessary walking because of them! Well that's it for tonight. Hiker midnight has come and gone and the day will break anew in 10 hours......
Date: 2010-04-03
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

4/3 NOC 11.5 miles. Our longest day to date. We heard River and Fable were heading here today so with an extra push from the peanut gallery, and a hard trail in front of us, we arrived at NOC at 5:00. Just in time to watch them lock the doors at the outfitters with our mail-drop inside. So we hit the Rivers Edge Restaurant and ate everything on the menu with all of our hiking buddies, Fable, River, Yule the Mule, City Slicker of course and saw Popeye and Sabbath Keeper among others. I crossed the street in search of Oreo cookies but the store also closed at 5:00 sharp! With nothing more to do we checked in to the hostel by sauntering up to the bar and coughing up $19 each for the worst accommodations yet. At least there is a common bath area and flushing toilets! We are clean, our clothes are clean and our bellies are full for the next fifteen or so minutes. CB & DT
Date: 2010-04-04
From: NOC

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

4/4 NOC zero day! Well we caught up to River and Fable and we all enjoyed a day off watching the water roll by the NOC area. Lots of hikers that we have been playing tag with have stopped and said hello and stayed a little longer than they wanted to. While we were hanging out in front of the outfitters I spied someone carrying a banjo case! Next thing you know I am jumping up and down pointing and yelling "Banjo! Banjo! Banjo!" and my new friend came over and played a few songs for me and then handed me his banjo! Now that made my day. I picked away at a few songs for a while and was very happy to have a little time with my music. Now I know I need to get my banjo sent to me sooner than later. DT was playing some elastic plane game back and forth across the roadway while the traffic roared by! Nancy and Lonnie joined us for a late afternoon snack and we had a blast with them again. Off towards Fontana Dam tomorrow and we should be there by Thursday if we take our time. Mom and Dad, the cookies were a big hit with everyone as was Ham's blueberry lemon bread. Until tomorrow!CB & DTApril 4thHappy Easter! We are at Nantahala outdoor center taking a zero day ( doing no hiking ). We ate breakfast at 8 am; lunch at 11:30 am and dinner at 4:00 ¢ snacking in between. We eat a lot. Our food box was waiting for us with my homemade blueberry lemon bread and Mom Glass¢ cookies. Did we share food with fellow hikers!!! One cookie exchanged was for a small bag of ¢cheese its¢. I figure Lola got the best deal with a homemade cookie. Thanks Mom for the jumble puzzles. Our friends Lonnie and Nancy came to NOC for dinner. We have met 2 guys today that have been following our trail journal. Tomorrow we head out to Fontana Dam and its all UP¢¦we are leaving early to beat the hot sun - @ 8:30 tomorrow. Great to talk to Heidi and Dean today. Thanks Jenny for the pics of the boys. Use TJ to get in touch with us ¢ trail journal.com DT and CB or NOBOHOBOS@gmail.com Love you all - Dutch Tape and Cabana BoyP.S. Have met up with Fable and River again. Islack is here too. Yule the Mule left today. Jeb from N.H. left also. Over and out. Night all.
Date: 2010-04-05
From: Bob Tina - Comments

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: broken clouds

4/5 Sassafras gap shelter 6.9 miles. Some hills beat you up worse than others. Today was one of those days. The climb up out of NOC started off easy enough with nice views back where we had come from. The climbs continued for the whole 6.9 miles and got steeper as the day wore on. The last 2 miles were obviously twice that stated in the guide and beat us both to a pulp. We made camp by 4:30 after an 8:15 start. It better get easier.....April 5Ran into Jeb on the trail and her spent half of Easter with a family. Really nice as he is missing his wife and son in N.H. Trail Angels everywhere. We left NOC, Wesser, N.C. @ 8:45 am and headed for Sassafras Gap Shelter. The day was long, long, long. It was hot and ONE mile from the shelter I was losing my sense of humor. The heat was just too much. The out crops of granite were huge and magnificent. Many small wild flowers lined the trail. Mad Mike and Troll are hot on our trail. We saw Islack again doing a SOBO slack pack. Tomorrow we go to Brown Fork Gap Shelter. Night All. CB & DTSMOKIES--- a gift from Mother Nature this year. No rain, no hail, no snow ¢ just cool and clear weather. Since I-40 was shut down due to rock slides there were no tourists in the mix, especially @ Clingman¢s dome, which is named after Thomas Lanier Clingman, a confederate general and U.S. senator.
Date: 2010-04-06
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

4/6 Brown Fork Gap Shelter. 9.1 miles. We are enjoying a quiet evening with our Ramen noodles after another arduous day of uphill hiking and hot weather. We came out of Sassafras Gap and started right up Cheoah bald. A fast 732' climb and then worked our way down to Stecoah Gap and a road crossing. Our guide showed water available here but we searched for 30 minutes and found none. I was getting ready to head up a dirt road with the filter when a trail angle pulled over and asked if we need water. Yes was my answer and he gave me a half gallon jug full. Thanks Jeff! As I walked back to the parking lot, a couple that Dutch Tape was chatting with produced a half dozen bottles of water for those with us. Thank you trail angles number two! Another long hard uphill to where we are now has left all of us nearly crippled. Too many steep climbs in one day can make Cabana Boy a grumpy guy! Last night as we were saying our goodnight Johnboy's and darkness fell a very throaty Bard owl landed in the tree over our heads and let out a mighty hoot. City Slicker, not being very accustomed to the country life, nearly jumped out the side wall of her tent! At one moment she was convinced that it was Cabana Boy playing a joke. Another owl joined in the chorus and she nearly had a bird of her own. This lasted about ten minutes and as things began to quiet down, several of our fellow campers started in with some calls of their own. Everyone had a great laugh and we all drifted of to a star filled sleep. Off towards Fontana Dam tomorrow!
Date: 2010-04-07
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana 28 road crossing
Miles today: 11.6

4/7 Fontana 28 AT crossing. 11.6 miles. At lunch today we learned what it feels like to be without food as we finished what was left in our bags. We could have easily camped somewhere close to town and made it until morning when the PO opened and picked up our mail drop but the call of a warm bed and hot restaurant food was too great and so we find ourselves at the Fontana Lodge tonight. We had no idea where City Slicker or River or Fable would wind up as they were out of camp before us this AM. As we checked in we bumped into Sabbath Keeper who informed us that the gang was all here. The climb out of Brown Fork was steep but quick and we bounced along on the puds all the way to NC route 1242. Then up a steep 800' climb to High Tops and a few more puds over the Summit and a long down hill into Fontana. We stopped at mile 160.1 to cool our feet in the stream for a half hour and took a much needed break before the last big push down the final 3.3 miles. Once again we bumped into I Slack, Dutchess and Grinder all working their way down. The spring flowers are hitting their peak. We hit the road at 6:15 pm and picked up the curtousy phone for the shuttle to the lodge 2 miles away. Five of us had dinner in the in-house restaurant in our hiker finest and chatted with a very nice local couple seated next to us for over an hour. Another great day on the trail. Rain tomorrow so we will take the day off to clean up and resupply. Cabana Boy's back is acting up as well as a muscle pull in his abdomen so rest is in the forecast.DT & CB
Date: 2010-04-08
From: Fontana 28 road crossing

To: Maggie Valley, NC
Miles today: 0.0

4/9 somewhere in North Carolina..... Well, things have taken a change today because my poor body has decided to lock up and I realize it is time for a few days off. We have decided to shuttle up to visit our friend, Bob K, in Maggie Valley NC and give my back some time to recouperate. City Slicker has gone on into the Smokies with River & Fable and we plan to meet up with them at Standing Bear Hostel later in the week. If all goes well we will come back down to the Smokeys and make up the section in a few months. So for the next few days we are going to put up our feet, eat and nurse our bodies back into prime trail shape...Until later,CB & DT
Date: 2010-04-15
From: Brown Gap Camping

To: Standing bear hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, after a week off, we have decided to shuttle to Standing Bear and try to pick up with City Slicker and the gang. Turns out we are a day or so ahead of them so we will start out slow and hope they catch us soon. Our friend Bob K took excellent care of us for the last week and though we are feeling better, we know we have lost some ground on our stamina for the long distance walking. We also need to thank our friend Karen who lives close by to Bob and knows her way around the area. She was able to drive us 2.5 hours on back country roads to get us here tonight. Of course this would normally have been a 30 minute ordeal if the highway was open but they insist on having gargantuan rock slides in Tennessee that close the roads for months at a time (try since October!) We knew we weren't ready to tackle the Smokies in our current condition and therefore decided on Standing Bear. We hope to come back later in the season to fill in the void in our journey. For those of you who have asked, there is NO ATT service anywhere near the Smokies save on top of Clingmans dome. We are lucky enough to be staying in a few hotels that offer wifi so we can update. So Standing Bear is something you need to experience and we can't even begin to capture it in words. A true hiker haven and lots of people staying hear and having a little too much fun after compleating the Smokies. If you thru hike, make sure to spend a night. Back on the trail in the morning!CB and DT