morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-03-18
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up early--0700. That's EARLY for us. After wind and some rain last night, we woke to more heavy drizzle and fog. We slept pretty well--warm and fairly dry. We "fired up" the stove and after the flames died down a bit, we had some coffee and oatmeal. We've perfected cooking oatmeal in a ziplock bag (no clean up).    After taking down our very wet (and heavy) tent, putting on our muddy, wet rain pants and boots, we hit the Trail at 1030 sharp! We'll get better. We weren't the VERY last ones out of camp.    It was another lovely day of hiking--mud bogging! But the temps were great even if the views were lost in the fog. Sassafras Mountain tried to kick our butts, but we prevailed. We love our sticks!! Our hiking poles nearly propell us up the mountains and ease the load on our knees on the downs. (We use them just like cross country skiing uphill.) Also helps keep us upright in the slippery mud. No quad burn going up hill. Wow! Just get into the rythym and go.    We'd planned on stopping at a campsite near a stream, but decided to take advantage of the cool temps and pressed on to the next shelter. Too bad we were the last ones in (again) and all the good tent sites were taken. We pitched the tent on a hillside. Hopefully we won't slide out! We settled for Cheerios for dinner and thanks to Nestle Nido (and Vickie and Luis) it was great.   We're starting to get to know a few folks. The scene last night was a bit much--crowded. There are only about 15 people here tonight. And a very nice fire.   Today we met Melissa Anderson from St Paul, Gordon (Slip Slider) from Florida, the Connecticut Kid, and we saw the English Sisters.
Date: 2003-03-19
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Creek after Granny Top Mountain
Miles today: 8.2

We woke up to thunder and lightning, and of course, more rain. Pouring down, soaking rain. As we packed up to go, we stopped at the shelter to sign the register. Itchy Foot was there trying to dry out his stuff! He was going to take a "Zero Day" because his 51 pound pack was heavy enough without the extra rain water weight. We headed out around 10:00 a.m., last as usual--but earlier! We figured we'd do 5 or 6 miles--relatively easy walking.    It just rained all day and on the mountain tops it was SO windy! But, in spite of it all, it was still a good day to be in the woods. We saw a bright red salamander, some cool orange centipedes, and a beautiful waterfall.    Some parts were a little spooky. Along the ridges the tall, bare trees were swaying in the wind and fog. There were no other hikers around for most of the day.    We caught up with Two Step and her friends at the roadside picnic area at Woody Gap. We got our first Trail Magic there, or at least hiker kindness. Lorna was out of water and Two Step's friends thoughtfully filled her bag, since they were leaving the Trail there. Two Step is thru hiking. Soon after Beer Meister caught up with us. If we run across him again we'll ask him to develop dehydrated beer so Roger and Jim will hike with us.    We decided to push on a few more miles and found a nice spot beside a creek. We set up camp and ate dinner (Stove Top Suffing and packaged turkey in a ziplock, our best meal yet! And no clean up). Then we proceded to try to hang our bear bags from a tree for the first time. What a hoot! Sassafras threw the line attached to a rock about 10 times as Brenda giggled away. We finally got it over the branch and hoisted the bags up, only to realize it's probably too close to the tree. Oh well! It started pouring and lightning too, so we decided to leave it as is. If the bear gets it--better the food than us!
Date: 2003-03-20
From: Creek after Granny Top Mountain

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

Well, we woke once again to rain, fog, drizzle, baby rain, you name it--WET! And eau du skunk. Our bear bags survived the night--yeah! We had to decide how far to go today. Should we stop at the next shelter, only three miles away; should we go on to Slaughter Gap and pick a tent site; or should we attempt to go up and over Blood Mountain and on into Neels Gap? We packed up and headed out around 0945 (our best time yet ) and decided to wing it. We needed to be at Neels Gap and Walasi-Yi Center to meet Jim on Friday so we could take an easy day.   The weather wasn't pouring rain and the on-the-Trail scenery was beautiful (we still haven't seen the mountains), so we just kept on hiking. We met some fun people today. There was a delightful family--Mom, Dad, and three kids doing a couple days (and NO whining!) and a few thru hikers.    We passed up the Woods Hole shelter--it was .4 miles off the Trail. When we got to Slaughter Gap, we figured "Why not?" and up Blood Mountain we went. It was absolutely beautiful! Rocky ledges, overlooks (too foggy to see anything), and a cool old stone shelter built in the 1930s at the top of the mountain. (The hike up was nowhere near as bad as Sassafras Mountain.) Then down the other side--VERY interesting indeed. It started out over large areas of solid rock. We saw what we think was the sun for a brief moment--it's been so long since we've seen the sun we couldn't be sure. Then it was a nice gentle path in the woods. "What's so bad about this descent?" we asked ourselves. Then we hit the rocks! Big boulders we had to scamble down ever so carefully. You don't want much forward momentum when you're carrying 35 pounds on your back! It was very cool and we took our time. Several people passed us (including Blue Jean Man sans jeans and sleeping bag!)--bet their knees were hurting later on. We leaned heavily on our poles knowing that with 2140 miles to go we needed to spare the knees.    When we finally got to the road to cross to Walasi-Yi, we were excited but a little sad Jim wouldn't be there to watch us "Mountain Women" emerge from the woods, soaking wet and all muddy. We crossed into the parking lot and heard a car horn honk. It was Jim sitting there in our car "Big Red"! We got so excited, we "about" burst into tears.    Tonight we are showered, fed, and watching TV in a nice, warm, DRY motel room. What a guy! We love you, man! Check out our gear list to see how our equipment has fared. We are happy campers!
Date: 2003-03-21
From: Neels Gap

To: Blairsville GA
Miles today: 0.0

Aaaah! Soft beds and a hot shower! What a life! We hadn't planned on a Zero Day, but since we were ahead of schedule, we decided to take advantage of ot. WE got all our stuff washed and dried. Jim even scrubbed our boots clean. Gotta love him! While Lorna did the laundry, Brenda updated the journal at the library. Such a deal.    After our chores were done, we girls went back to Walasi-Yi to do some business. Our hero, Nathan, worked with Lorna on her boots. After having worn them for about an hour, her ankle tendon was swolledn and tender. Ther verdict: a low cut boot. A bit of a compromise, but there wasn't much of a choice. The folks at Walasi-Yi are the best. So patient and kind. Lorna generously gave her "Maine Black Bears" hat to one of the guys. Unfortunately, Jim was a little let down. He had given it to Lorna to wear all the way to Maine for him. Whoops!   After a great pizza, repacking, and preparing a bounce box of all our extra stuff, we called it a day--around midnight. Guess we needed the Zero Day.
Date: 2003-03-22
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

Up at the crack of dawn (6:15) and on the Trail by 9:45 sharp! We had a great last meal with Jim at Chef Dave's and headed to our favorite hangout at Neels Gap. Lorna's nerves were a little on edge and she didn't feel real well. Not to mention she had to really say goodbye to Jim. For awhile there, he was afraid he'd have to buy a pack and join us.    Lorna put on her hiking face and off we went. Up and down, up and down. It was a gorgeous day. No FOG!!! Georgia IS beautiful after all.    We were blessed with Trail Angels twice today. Cola Monkey (AT'00), her hubby, and Trail baby were handing out cokes at Testnatee Gap--just before a monster climb (burp!). Once up and out of the gap, Butch Cassidy and his dog, Sundance, greeted us with a van full of goodies. Oranges!   We met so many nice people today. Although there were a lot of day hikers, we only saw three thrus until we got to the shelter (NO privy ) The English sisters are here. Someone has a guitar and a flute. Very cool.   We're pooped today--our longest yet. How will we EVER average 12 mpd?
Date: 2003-03-23
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Top of Rocky Mountain
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today we were up at around 6:45 (for those of you who know Lorna and Brenda, you know this is significant) and heading out of camp at 9:00--our best day yet. We expected six relatively easy miles (it wasn't) and then a killer descent to Unicoi Gap and a worse climb up Rocky Mountain. It was VERY hard and VERY buggy, but we made it. Along the way today we met Brown Bess. He was just enjoying himself, looking at a little waterfall. We also saw a beautiful little fairy cave right on the side of the Trail. It was lined with moss and there was even a tiny waterfall inside. It was so pretty!   Tonight we are camped on the TOP of Rocky Mountain in wonderful company: The English sisters Helen and Jeannette, Brendan (Yogi), Wanderer, Wolfman and Tripod, Humble Harmon and Jiggles, and several others (Rubberband Man, The Tamminator and Fenri). Nice campfire, fun conversation, beautiful sunset - pinks, oranges, purples. Life is good.   As we were lying in our tent, pitched right next to the Trail, someone outside was commenting how the bears like to walk on the Trail. Great!
Date: 2003-03-24
From: Top of Rocky Mountain

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

We were up with the sun- 6:30. IT was a beautiful sunrise (as they go). Beleive it or not, we hit the Trail at 8:15. You can do that when you have just enough water for a cup of coffee and nothing more. Once again, no sign of bears, although a late arrival (10:30 pm) did make us wonder.   We leap frogged with the Rocky Mtn group all day. It was gorgeous--70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Met several day hikers with their nice dogs.   Water has been scarce the last couple of days. So we fill up our bottle whenever we can. We did try to filter once today--but it took too long. One water stop was "only" 150 yards off the Trail--STRAIGHT DOWN. And me with no poles to get me back up the "cliff". A lot of effort for a measley quart of water. By the time I got back up the hill, I needed to drink the water!   At 4:00 we stood at the foot of Kelly Knob. 900 feet in 1.1 miles with the shelter another 1.1 beyond. To go or not to go? We went. It was steep--whatever became of the switchback concept? We made it and hobbled into camp at 5:30. Not bad. We're doing fine, but the bottoms of our feet huuuuurt!   We caught up with Margie "Molasses". Met Serendipity, Bill and Edna, and Smokey. There are about 14 people here. Tomorrow we all make a mad dash for 3.5 miles to Dicks Creek Gap and the Blueberry Patch Hostel--the first 10 get in! For clarification, Brenda does have hiking poles but had laid them down before she started her 150 yard trek for water.
Date: 2003-03-25
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Blueberry Patch Hostel
Miles today: 3.5

We made it! Wanderer, Yogi, and the English Sisters beat us to the Blueberry Patch, but we're in! And we did our first hitch. No problems. We waited by the side of the road where the Trail comes out. A few cars passed by, but we got a ride after just a few minutes. It was a guy handing out flyers for Trailfest (Hot Springs).   The BP is wonderful. It's run by a Christian couple who see this as their way of ministering to the wandering herd.    I've officially taken on the Trail Name "Flying Cricket". Lorna calls me Cricket after Jiminy Cricket for being her conscience when she's tempted to take shortcuts or slackpack. I added the flying stuff. Met Turtle today.    Keep praying for our feet and knees. So far we're holding up okay. Several people are DNF already for various reasons."I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Blueberry Patch Hostel

To: Georgia/N Carolina border
Miles today: 8.7

After a wonderful stay at the Blueberry Patch, we hit the trail full of pancakes, blueberry syrup, oj & cheese biscuits as light as a cloud! Gary and Lenny are an inspiration--we want to be just like them when we grow up It was a wonderful day to hike-not too hot, a little breezy, overcast. Our packs were chock-full with resupply and our water pouches filled w/fresh, clean water. We met many new people at the shelter for lunch and then more this evening at the campsite. We camped with Bill and Edna, Carnathy Bob and his daughter Vericity (?) aka Thistle, Two Speeds (Gordon), the Boonies, Humble Harmon and Jiggles, and met the Two Petes from Boston.Sassafras had an excellent day-must have been those lighter-than-air pancakes! However, Cricket could be heard grousing a little for the first time But here we are, one state down and 13 to go! We were so excited to see the state-line sign that we got all giddy! Cricket stuck her head into N Carolina and left her behind in Georgia!PS: As I was getting dressed this morning, I looked everywhere for one of my socks only to realize I had put 2 socks on the same foot!
Date: 2003-03-27
From: Georgia/N Carolina border

To: somewhere beyond the summit of Standing Indian Mtn
Miles today: 10.8

Last night was a lot of fun, good company, hot meal, and a campfire. When we finally got into our tent, we heard a mouse crawling around on our packs. I could see his little silouette as he ran up and down! We were on our way at 9:30 and climbed out of Bly Gap into N Carolina-YEAH!!! It wasn't nearly as bad as everyone said! Today's hiking was quite varied-lots of rhododendron tunnels, rock ledges, little streams, and some open woods. The rocks here are full of garnets. Papparazzi took our picture by the Chubby Gal Trail sign. How appropriate!Most folks stopped at Standing Indian Shelter, but we pressed on hoping to get in a couple more miles. Our plan was to get to the top of Standing Indian Mountain and find a campsite. Unfortunately, someone said we were due to have some thunderstorms ¢ so we opted to leave behind some beautiful campsites and outstanding views at the top of the mountain. We headed on down ¢ just knowing we¢d find some folks gathered round a campfire. No such luck. We finally found a semi-level piece of ground in a kind of creepy area. The wind is blowing hard. Wonder if the bears know we¢re here yet? ¢Worry about nothing, pray about everything.¢ Philippians 4
Date: 2003-03-28
From: Somewhere over Standing Indian Mtn.

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We survived the night ¢ howling wind, rain, alone and all. Thank you, God! We woke up to fog and ¢chicken birds¢ startling us.   We ate a quick breakfast of Cheerios (no coffee, believe it or not) and packed ourselves out of there!      Down the mountain we went and had a great day of hiking. The morning was spent meandering thru what looked like a tropical rain forest. We crossed several springs and streams where the plants were lush and green. The rocks and trees were covered with thick moss and the mist added to the illusion. We expected Tarzan to come swinging by! Then we went up on a ridge that looked almost like a garden maze.    The afternoon had some surprises for us, though. We had to climb Big Butt Mountain (was no big deal) and Albert Mountain before getting to the shelter. As we crossed the road heading to Albert Mountain, there was a little sign that said ¢More Difficult¢. We thought, ¢How difficult can it be?¢ HELLO! What were they thinking? It was straight up a rocky cliff with some steps here and there! It was an awesome climb, but not meant for full backpacks! Anyway we scrambled up and then Cricket climbed the Observation Tower on the summit. It was amazing.    Tonight we are camped with several folks we¢ve already met ¢ Boonies, Gordon, Bluejeans Man and a few we met today ¢ Mutton, Devin (Budha) and others. Tomorrow, we head into Franklin. We also met Ranger Rick today. He's the guy who started with something like a 57 lb. pack! That is until he got to Neels Gap where they pared him down to a mere 37 lbs!
Date: 2003-03-29
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

We were up and out ¢early¢ (8:30 a.m.) and on a mission to get to Franklin by 1:00 p.m. We were close, we walked out of the woods at 12:55 p.m. ¢ not bad! Along the way we met a troop of Boy Scouts doing an overnight; saw and smelled beautiful pink and white Trailing Arbitus (May Flowers); and had a shuttle ride waiting for us as we emerged from Neverland ¢ (Thanks Pete & RePete). We landed at the Haven Motel and got our chores done. Now it¢s off to sleep and back on the trail in the morning. Ranger Rick & Steve were at the Bates, I mean Haven Motel, too.
Date: 2003-03-30
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Siler Bald
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: broken clouds

What an ¢interesting¢ day. About 6:30, Ranger Rick knocked on our door to let us know he wouldn¢t be catching a ride with us back to the trailhead. His cold was worse and it was snowing!? The weather channel said snow would be North of us. Yep, big, beautiful flakes. We got about 3¢ in town. By the time we girls got back from our less than fruitful search for breakfast, the snow was melting quickly and the clouds were moving out. We decided to take our prearranged ride and hit the trail.The trail was gorgeous. Just as we headed into our winter wonderland, we came upon a footbridge over a wonderful waterfall. The Boy Scouts we¢d met yesterday had come down from Siler Bald, so the Trail was pretty easy going. We hiked in just long sleeves. For a while. Then it started to get colder. Most people took the side trail to the shelter. We pressed on hoping to get in about 10 miles. By this time, we were following just 2 sets of footprints in the snow ¢ about 5 inches deep.We got to Siler Bald and saw "OFF" written in the snow ¢ one step and Steve had taken another side trail and headed back to the shelter. After weighing our options, we followed suit. It was snowing again ¢ this is NOT what the weather channel showed.The shelter was packed to over capacity. Hmm, we saw the Boonies, OFF, Steve, Sheep Stuff, Mighty Mouse, Little Man Tate and his companion (Garret?)and a couple of others! We set up out tent in a recently vacated patch of grass. With our emergency blanket for extra warmth under us and our 15 degree and 20-degree sleeping bags, we¢re pretty warm. The snow should stop soon, all the folks in the shelter will pack down the snow on the trail and we¢ll make it the 12 miles to the next shelter tomorrow. Lord willing!Thanks to Ron St. Savior, our outdoor camping instructor, we know we can get through a cold night.As a birthday gift, Lorna built me a cute Hula Backpacking snow girl. She used rhododendron leaves for the skirt and backpack. Ain¢t she clever! What a birthday to remember.
Date: 2003-03-31
From: Siler Bald

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: few clouds

The Lord was willing yet again. We had a great day. The snow did stop last night after dropping another 2-3 inches. We were a "bit" cold during the night, but we survived. After slogging the .6 miles back to where we got off the trail, we took off our packs and trudged up the snow covered Siler Bald. It looked like a ski run. The view was unbelievable! I tried sliding down on my butt, but the snow wasn't packed down enough.   Our next significant find was not one but 2 privies with toilet paper, cool. The 2nd was at Wayah Bald. There¢s a beautiful stone observation tower at the top of the mountain. We were able to see many of the mountains we climbed. The town down below was sunny & green. We walked through woods with up to one foot of snow.    As usual, our last mile was uphill. There are lots of people here, Ranger Rick, the Boonies & the Greyhounds, OFF and Gazelle, among others.It's going to be another cold night.
Date: 2003-04-01
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Wow! What a cold morning! We tented under a frozen rhododendron tree, out of the wind last night. We zipped our bags together and used our trusty emergency blanket inside, so we stayed toasty warm in the tent. Our boots, however, were frozen, so it was cold getting started.    We were determined to make the 11 miles "downhill" to NOC, an elevation descent of 3,180 feet. Of course downhill never means all downhill on the AT. Just for fun (torture) they throw in some ups too. One of them took us up to Wesser Bald and an old fire tower, which Cricket climbed. Another took us to the "Jump Up", an absolutely gorgeous rock outcropping from which we could see for miles! We watched a hawk just floating on the wind currents. He circled all the way around us. We met Eli, a writer for a newspaper in Tennessee. By this time we were hiking in practically summer weather. We had to make a quick stop to take off our winter clothes and cool off.    The further down we went, the more flowers and critters we saw. Bloodroot, violets, bluettes, trailing arbitus and white trillium in bloom and another snake (that makes three), a couple of lizards, butterflies and tonight a big fat toad.    Now we are showered, fed (restaurant style), laundry done and relaxing in our bunks. NOC is on the Nantahala River, on which some of the Atlanta Olympic races were held (or at least qualifying races, I'm not sure which). This is a great place, kayaking, rafting, restaurants, outfitters, etc. We are in a cabin at "Base Camp". It's pretty cool!
Date: 2003-04-02
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

Despite the gravity of the beautiful Nantahala River and the comfortable accommodations of the NOC, we pulled ourselves away. Lots of folks took a zero day at NOC and went river rafting. It sure was tempting. But Swim Bald was calling our names. By the end of the day we were calling Swim Bald some names too, like "Kick Butt Mt." and "Never Ending Knob". A mere 7-mile trek felt like an Everest expedition. Up, just up! We had Georgia on our minds today - not many switch backs, just up. It's a wonder we haven't snapped our Achilles tendons yet. Nonetheless, it was a good day. We saw a flock of butterflies and some tremendous views of the Smokies. The rock formations were very cool. Fortunately there weren't too many flowers to linger over or our five-hour hike would have been even longer. The Sassafras Gap shelter was kind of dismal so we camped at the top of the hill - nice sunset and view of the bear filled Smokies. We sort of crashed Dirty Frank's campsite, but he was very gracious and helped us start a little campfire and put our food bags on his bear rope! Speaking of bears, one girl in our gaggle had a close encounter with a bear the other day. She had taken a rest stop and when she stood up she was face to face with Yogi. She looked at him and he looked at her. He jumped forward and slapped at the ground. She screamed and he ran. A couple of guys found her sitting on the ground pointing her pepper spray at them. She's recovered and hopefully the bear has too. We finally got to meet the Greyhounds. We benefited from their "hiker box" donations - enough food and fuel for three days. Also met Smokie and Just Allen a couple of section hikers and good cross word puzzlers.