morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-23
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel

To: Campsite
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 8 AM, groggy but excited about breakfast. Forge had bought bacon & eggs; we¢d bought sausage & potatoes. He cooked the meats while I fried potatoes & made scrambled eggs with cheese & ramps-a HUGE pile of food for all 3 of us. After breakfast, we lounged around in the sun enjoying the day. Mid-afternoon, Sunny & Share, Equinox, Pony Boy & Bear Bait & Bulldog all showed up. We chatted with them & Share shared her birthday cake & extra GORP from her mail drop ¢ as well as the by-now-infamous Trail Balls. Listening to Bob Dylan in the kitchen area ¢ good to have music. Team Caboose showed up, and Gouda played his harmonica and guitar while I sat drawing in the sun. Finally, we had to get back on the trail. It was brutal in the sun and I was having a TOUGH hike thanks to the heat, our laden food bags and hormones. We found some morels, though, and a grapevine we could swing on. We got to the top of Snowbird Mountain and the clouds were piled in great fluffy white masses above the bald mountain top. The glory of the sky lifted my spirits. When we got over the ridge, we found Forge setting up camp & we stopped for the night. The view of the mountains stretched on for miles- one of the best vantage points of the whole trip. We watched the clouds & the shadows on the mountains for hours. The sun¢s going down now ¢¦ everything is illuminated. We made a little fire before bed, then cowboy¢d on the ridge watching the stars. Perfect evening & even saw some shooting stars. Slept wonderfully, got up late.
Date: 2008-04-24
From: Campsite

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

Moving slow, hot morning, lots of annoying little ups & downs. The trees are all leafing out now. Finally got to Max Patch. There was green grass, dandelions, panoramic views of all the many¢hued mountains, layer upon layer surrounding the bald. We laid out in the sun, reading & eating peanut butter for a few hours. The hike off the bald was fascinating. The area had been burnt and little flowers were pushing up through the ashes...beautiful, easy walk to Roaring Fork Shelter. We prepared a meal of red beans & rice with chicken and lounged around. Always Fine, Forge, Slightly and Half Ounce wandered in followed by Daisy & Bulldog. There were reports of rampant bear activity, so we threw our food bags on the roof and gathered rocks to throw if it showed its face. It was a warm night ¢ mice were running up through my pack all night, but no bears.
Date: 2008-04-25
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Hot morning, slow going, dripped sweat. Hiked a way with Slightly. Amazing fields of wildflowers ¢ perfect white trillium everywhere. Bluebell was with her brother, John at Grafelo Gap doing trail magic ¢ cooking hot dogs, sodas, homemade oatmeal cookies, Fritos ¢ so full! The ¢blessing Princess¢ had also left care packages of crackers & chocolate, which was greatly appreciated. From there, it was an easy 3.1 miles to Deer Park. Full house here ¢ Bar Fight , Always Fire, Paxalot & Buckeye and a slew of sectioners. I¢m tired; it¢s a short day to Hot Springs tomorrow.
Date: 2008-04-26
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite by the French Broad River
Miles today: 3.2

A quick, easy day down into the valley (3.2 miles). It rained a little but it was warm enough to be comfortable. We stopped at Elmer¢s to raid the hiker box and picked up some good food bits. Then we spent the afternoon roaming around town, catching up with friends. Slayer gave me some awesome smoked herring and I got cheese, honey fruit & snacks from the ¢hillbilly store¢. The food bag¢s SO heavy. We dumped our gear by the outfitter and wandered the festival area ¢ arts & crafts & such. We picked up some loose leaf tea, which will be awesome in camp. Also, got a larger pot, which I can use as a frying pan, too. The library was having a book sale and I nabbed a Balzac text. Baltimore Jack, Matthewski & Minnesota Smith showed up with Rock Hound from Standing Bear. ALDHA had an ice cream eating contest ¢ free pints of Ben & Jerry¢s. We were slow & lost, but Bloody Mary, in a bestial and gruesome show, crammed it down her throat for the win. I didn¢t care about the loss ¢ just enjoyed free Pistachio ice cream. Sweathog, Keychain, Slow Go¢en, Y2K and Sea Bass came rolling into town in the evening. It was awesome to catch back up with them. We all went to Paddler¢s Pub and spent the evening hanging out & sharing a few drinks & food. We left town after dark, hiked out to a campsite by the French Broad River near the AT. We washed our laundry in the stream & Wild Oats practiced her penny whistle. So Live won the duck race and bought a didgeridoo with the prize money. He¢ll be hiking with it to Trail Days. Turtle Fast and Little Bear are now on the trail, and shuttled to Trail Fest with Ron Haven along with a group of others. Glad to see they¢re out hiking now! We also met the man, Burr Ass, whose PB we¢d picked up at Stover. Fun night in town.
Date: 2008-04-27
From: Campsite by the French Broad River

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

We slept dry, woke to the sound of geese on the river-beautiful morning, steep climb out of the gap. Dense rocks in massive outcroppings by the trail. Ran into Matthewski at the top of the ridge and we hiked with him for half the day. Got a bit dehydrated in the afternoon and the constant mean-spirited ups and downs quickly drained & disheartened me. I was NOT a happy hiker. We got to Spring Mountain Shelter with the sky threatening rain & thunder in the distance. Slayer & Ularu & Turtleback were having lunch, so we decided to settle for an 11 mile day. Matthewski showed up and made coffee & mac n cheese with bugs. He got a killer fire going, and there were some fun tree-shimming acrobatics getting old bear line out of the trees. I managed to scrape my foot a bit in the process, but the operation was a success. We cooked rice n chicken & veggies & made some tea. Full & dry & warm hoping for a better day of hiking tomorrow. The shelter is packed wall-to-wall, food & gear hanging everywhere. Madness.
Date: 2008-04-28
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

Rain all night. Had a hot breakfast & decided to wait for the rain to let up- chilly morning. Played Rummy with Burr Ass & Shine until 11, then set off down the trail in a thick, wet fog. Easy hike to Allen Gap, where we were directed to trail magic at FAL and Hercules¢ home. They¢d thru-hiked some years back and now they live near the trail and feed hikers. Very generous folks with a beautiful log home and a fluffy Lab/Poddle mix named Hedi. They cooked a huge lunch of Belgian Waffles, hot pork stew with beans, tomatoes and corn, coffee, cornbread and hot bread pudding with vanilla and pears topped with caramel and vanilla ice cream. ABSOLUTELY delicious! Full of caffeine and calories we motored up the trail to Little Laurel Shelter. On the way, we ran into Amoeba and her lady friends who we¢d met section hiking in the Smokies. She¢s declared my rat¢s nest the ¢best hair on the trail¢. Also saw Peregrine slack packing south. Glad she¢s still on the trail. Sometimes when we¢re hiking up a mountain, I'm amazed by the sheer mass of earth that¢s underneath of me. It¢s not something I notice as much when we¢re up on the ridgeline. Matthewski, was just getting the fire started and Burr Ass, Turtleback arrived a little while later. We¢re dry and warm and the weather should be nice tomorrow. So we hope to actually pull some good miles. It feels like we¢ve been slacking off a great deal recently. Daisy and the Four showed up. Oatmeal¢s earning a reputation for being a general trail mom, sewing Burr Ass¢ pack for M&M¢s fixing Matthewski¢s rain pants for coffee. Daisy was sitting by the fire telling Shine about his fiber bar induced gas problems, concluding the story with ¢But I stopped eating them and it¢s better now¢ followed by a huge eruption of flatulence. We all laughed so hard I could hardly breathe. It got dark and we could see lightning in the distance. The wind kicked up and we scurried to the shelter. I had some issues with the irregular edge of the shelter and fell on my backside pretty hard. Once we were settled everything was quiet for a few minutes until the rain started hammering down. The temperature dropped drastically and it was a miserably cold night for sleeping.
Date: 2008-04-29
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Freezing fingers, we ate a cold breakfast and hit the trail fast as possible. A few yards up the trail from the shelter, everything was frozen. Plants killed by a hard frost. It was a winter wonderland delicate white frost furring all the trees, blowing like snow down on us. The hike wasn¢t hard at all and we made good time trying to keep our fingers warm. Eating a block of cheese like a candy bar. The area around Blackstaff Cliffs was just stunning ¢ like climbing up a Pyramid in Peru, all green-mossed white stone blocks with snaky roots wrapped around them. There were some tricky climbs over massive boulders, but the view from the ridgeline was superb. The valley was dappled with sun but the ridge was glazed with frost and topped by grey clouds. We got to Jerry Cabin Shelter after passing two signs pointing to ¢Andrew Johnson Mountain¢. Amoeba and her friends (whose names I can¢t remember, sadly) were eating lunch and shared their date cookies and crackers and pepperoni. It warmed up slightly and we easily walked to the next shelter. We decided that 13 miles wasn¢t enough, so after a brief break, we pushed on. After the second road crossing, we filled our water bottles at a beautiful, little creek. A little ways from there, we came across Slayer & Ularu camped by the creek near some tumbled down log cabins, so we joined them. It was another cold night, so we cooked Teriyaki noodles and went to bed. Before we fell asleep, Always Fine and Shine arrived to pitch their tarps.
Date: 2008-04-30
From: Campsite

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

It was a sunny and cool morning. Beautiful waterfall, steep climb among spring flowers. Newly-unfurling May Apples glistened, sticky-looking and newly green. Beautiful morning in the mountains, sweeping views from grassy knobs. Eating raw muffin mix for lunch because we¢re almost out of snack food. Ramps & Solomon¢s Seal everywhere ¢ so much shining green. Trail magic ¢ some local woman fills a Rubbermaid bin with cupcakes, coffee & cookies everyday. They were delicious and welcome sugar boost. A brief, rocky climb to the top of Big Bald, it was the first panoramic view since Max Patch. It was a wild and beautiful evening. How privileged we are to walk amongst such majesty every day. Slow walk across the meadow, down through a grove of gnarled oaks to Bald Mountain Shelter. It¢s a big double decker, clean shelter surrounded by Trout Lilies ¢ gorgeous shelter site. A local man, Bill, hiked in with beer, oatmeal pies and hot dogs with mustard and onions for the hikers. Slayer and Ularu, Matty, Shine, Sky Pilot and Always Fine. We had a fire and lots of food and went to bed early and slept warm.
Date: 2008-05-01
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a lovely morning view from the privy ¢ sunrise on the flowers. Matty made biscuits and gravy for all of us and we took off with full bellies. Nice, easy day of warm hiking. We stopped at High Rocks ¢ jutting, craggy multi-hued rock faces towering above my head. Right before Spivey Gap, in the middle of a pine grove, there was a green, grassy clearing with May Apples and mustard blossoms everywhere, so we stopped for lunch to enjoy the beautiful spot. While we were there, a wild turkey went running across the glen. At the gap, Miss Janet and Jack were waiting with her dog for Matty. We took another break to chat with them. Leaving the gap, we got to walk beside a beautiful stream before veering into a dry pine forest. There had been recent controlled burns, and the forest was blackened and smelled heavily of charred pine. We found a little running brook and stripped down to bathe and do laundry. Very cold, but refreshing ¢ I feel much cleaner now. Got to No Business Knob Shelter and stuffed our faces while talking with Slayer and Ularu and Always Fine, Sunny and Share stopped for dinner and shared some chipped beef which we mixed with tuna and mayonnaise and wild rice pilaf. Finally, I felt full. Shine, Half Ounce and Pilgrim showed up late. It was a full shelter again, all packed into our little cinder block jailhouse. The wind is ROARING ¢ the evening howl of wind in the trees makes me anxious for some reason.
Date: 2008-05-02
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Curly Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

Awoke to a hot, sunny morning ¢ soggy freeze dried bacon and eggs for breakfast, then we jogged down the trail towards Erwin. White azaleas blooming by the trail, sunlight sparkling on the Nolichucky River in the valley below. The beautiful trilling song of the birds, sweet heavy smell of flowers everywhere. We raided the hiker box (at Uncle Johnny¢s) found oatmeal and bananas and potatoes. We haven't had to buy oatmeal yet--every hiker ox is overflowing. We also bought a bunch of giant Snickers for 40 cents a piece ¢ Good Deal! Slayer & Ularu, Equinox & Sunny & Share were there too. Then Shine showed up and we called Miss Janet, who¢d offered to shuttle us around town. She took us to Dairy Ace, this great little burger joint with an old-fashioned lunch counter and delicious fries and chocolate PB shakes. We did our resupply at Wise buys, the discount food store. We got about 2 weeks worth of food for $9. We¢re still staying under budget easily. Janet took us to the thrift store so Oats could get a new book and skirt, since hers is disintegrating. Matthewski and Jack were at Janet¢s place and Jack had been cooking. He offered us a second lunch ¢ green peas, a huge salad, Nachos supreme with sour cream and sausage, a cheesy pasta dish ¢ I can¢t believe how much we managed to eat! Jack did our laundry for us, then Janet took us back to the AT. She made the day SO much easier for us. What an awesome lady!!! [Trail angel extraordinaire!] Back at Johnny's, Daisy, Burr Ass, Taz & Cheeseburger had all arrived so we spent some time with them before hiking out of town. We had to wait for a train to cross the trail, and our packs were brutally heavy due to all the food. The walk was lovely, trail along a nice creek, but it was humid! Got to Curly Maple Shelter with Shine ¢ no one else there except a solitary sectioner sleeping in his tent. The night was windy and we stayed up late eating cookies and leftover salad and playing Rummy.
Date: 2008-05-03
From: Curly Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept well, warm woke to an overcast morning. Slow start as the sky threatened rain and we were hiking through another burnt area, charred trees everywhere. Stopped to eat lunch under our ponchos, got sprinkled on a bit. Beauty Spot had a nice view but had been brunt and it was damp so we moved on. Easy climb up Unaka Mountain, fueled by Share¢s cast-off GORP. Wild,windy afternoon but a wonderful hike through thick spruce groves, the AT almost obscured by the needles on the ground. A very profound green light amongst the trees. This weather makes me think of al the bits of country songs that I haven¢t forgotten. One of the best hikes in awhile feeling content, enjoying the wet green of the woods, the cool evening birdsong, owls, the sky clearing for a pastel sunset. We napped after a dinner of black bean soup with tomato paste, onion, chiles, cheese and crackers, we¢re eating good right now! Have the shelter to ourselves tonight ¢ Shine¢s attached himself to Team Raging Hippie for the time being, and Oats is kicking his butt at Rummy again.
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.2

Sunny day, the hike felt great ¢ 15 miles to the top of Roan. Stopped and talked to Barfight, slacking south with a bunch of SOBO section hikers including Wingheart and two guys from the Eastman Hiking Club who do an amazing job maintaining the trails around here. They pointed out Branch Lettuce, which we¢ve added to our pantry of tasty wild foods. Also found an ENORMOUS morel today. The hike up Roan was hot and steep as all get out ¢ definitely the most strenuous climb so far. It took two Snickers and 3 liters of water to get us to the top, which is covered in spruce trees, densely growing, the ground covered with gnarled tree roots. Reaching the shelter was very satisfactory. The location is beautiful ¢ an old fire warden¢s cabin surrounded by evergreens, red dried needles carpeting the ground. Always Fine, Mild Bill & Equinox were there along with Shine. We made a little fire and we cooked a huge dinner but our food bags are still WAY too full. Chilly night but a good one sleeping in the attic.
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Roan High Mountain Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Only 7 AT miles today and I feel like we¢re a couple of slackers but we managed to lose Shine, so we have some solitude which is good.   The hike down the mountain was easy ¢ well graded and beautifully maintained. Enjoyed a leisurely hike across the bald hills north of the summit. We climbed the side trail up Grassy Ridge, the highest natural 360 degree viewpoint on the AT. It is very secluded, awe-inspiring mountains stretching to the sky, colored by the morning shadows, grey clouds overhead. We sat on a rock and watched the day unfold. There was a man named Greg from Detroit hiking on the bald and we spent some time chatting with him and he shared fresh pecans and grapefruit with us, so Oats played him a tune on her penny whistle. Easy hike through lush green forests with kamikaze Chipmunks to Overmountain Shelter. Saw Equinox & Bulldog right before the trail to the shelter ¢ glad he¢s back on trail.. The shelter¢s a big old red barn overlooking a green meadow full of yellow flowers with a stand of spruce trees in the middle and mountains unfolding beyond the valley, all smoky-blue in the cloudy afternoon light. It¢s very quiet here now with flies buzzing around and mourning doves cooing, which always reminds me of evening, even in mid-afternoon. We may be alone here tonight..full house after all: Worldwide, Slayer & Ularu, the Team with No Name, Hot Sauce, Burr Ass & a couple others. had a great fire and Duckfeet shared her marshmallows with us. Cool evening. Slept oddly.
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Mountaineer Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Longest day yet ¢ you run the trail out behind you, slowly, like a silkworm spinning its thread. The progress is slow, but you advance. The day started cold, frost on little plants by the trail, gradual climb up the grassy ridge of Little Hump, looking back at Roan, how far we¢ve come since then. Big Hump was a steep climb, sunny morning, wind whipping around the grass growing in thick tufts with mounded grey rocks pushing up above it in places. These views remind me of the moors of Great Britain. It is good to be here¢¦I get so bogged down by ¢getting by¢ that sometimes I forget that this is American out here. It was hard to leave the lofty places and descend to the valley but it was a beautiful hike over rocks down to Rt. 14. Saw a 3 12 foot black rat snake that lay in the trail watching me with his glistening snaky eyes. Stopped to cook some lunch, then headed off through the afternoon heat ¢ the trail lead through old farmer¢s fields, great clumps of green grass, buttercups and ragwort blooming, blossoming apple trees, magnolias, flower petals on the trail, bees buzzing loudly¢¦a perfect day in the country. I was chewing on a grass stem hiking along. We stopped to climb a massive magnolia tree growing out over the trail. Acorns have fallen in abundance, all sprouting up little trees. The heady-sick scent of hot, green magnolia surrounding us. We took a blue blaze to Jones' Falls, a spectacular cascade where we soaked our feet. Had a nice walk from there down the banks of the Elk River. Oatmeal was hiking in the water. Finally, got to the shelter, hot and tired but happy. Only Rookie & Hot Sauce here. Nice triple decker shelter with a carved bear totem. Time for spicy lentils and trashy Mickey Spillane novels.
Date: 2008-05-07
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Kincora
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Hot, dry morning ¢ plenty of water for the first 6 miles, then parched pine groves, hot rocks, sweating, a bit dehydrated and cranky. So grateful for water, lovely farmland before Dennis Cove Rd, filled with the thick, sweet smell of Russian Olives. Hot road walk to Kincora- wonderful hostel. A log cabin bunkhouse with sprawling armchairs scattered around the common room, a great kitchen, walls papered with summit photos from former thrus. Sunny & Share & Equinox were there, as well as Bulldog, Always Fine & Baltimore Jack, who was in the kitchen cooking a huge pasta dinner. We got our mail drops ¢ mom had sent us chocolate & venison jerky, which everyone enjoyed immensely. Got our laundry washed and a good hot shower. There were loaner clothes so Oats was walking around in these baggy cutoff blue jeans. Dinner was amazing after a crowded town run ¢ lots of hikers crammed into the back of Bob¢s Pickup. We ate spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, brownies and cheese cake. Slayer and Ularu showed up and we stayed up talking, then had a good nights sleep.
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Kincora

To: Kincora
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up at 6 AM to cook breakfast for everyone. We ate scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, sausage, coffee, OJ and biscuits, fruit¢¦everyone was stuffed. The hostel cleared out, aside from Slayer, Ularu and us. We cleaned the hostel a bit and sat around reading all afternoon. Daisy finally showed up, along with Burr Ass and some other hikers, so I cooked another round of breakfast. Ularu cooked an Ethiopian Lentil dish on fried flatbread with steak for dinner with Ice cream in coffee for dessert. We sat around asking Trivial Pursuit questions, with Jack answering every one correctly, more or less. Stayed up late again, slept on the couch as it was a crowded hostel..
Date: 2008-05-09
From: Kincora

To: Kincora
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Got up early with Jack, cooked the leftover bits from the previous day¢s breakfast, along with stacks of buckwheat pancakes. The day was cloudy and we decided to slackpack back to the hostel, so Bob drove us up to Watauga Lake along with Cool Breeze and Roo and Burr Ass. Easy hike ¢ very fast 9 miles. Saw lady slippers blooming. The trail ran along Laurel Fork, a beautiful rushing river, over rocky outcropping. We saw a HUGE rat snake. Laurel Falls were fantastic, surrounded by blooming rhododendrons. We took a detour to a swimming hole, but it was too cold to swim, so returned to the hostel. Cool Breeze taught Oats some penny whistle songs and I began cooking a massive pot of chili, cornbread and sugar cookies. {MAN, will you come live at my house!!! Editor} everyone ate TONS of food. We slept in the tree house so very comfortably. Got up before dawn.