morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-28
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: NC Route 28 (Fontana Resort)
Miles today: 11.6

DAY 17A rainy night led into a rainy morning. But at the end of the day I planned to be in a warm hotel room at the Fontana resort. Bones left the shelter before I did and I never saw him again. Although a good part of the day was downhill and not overly strenuous, the footing on the wet rocks was treacherous. Fortunately I had only minor slipsThe hike down to North Carolina Route 28 has been otherwise non-memorable. The highlight was finally seeing Fontana Lake appear in the distance. I saw no other hikers during my walk today. I reached the road in mid afternoon. At the road there is a kiosk with a phone from which I called the Fontana resort for a free shuttle to the hotel there. This is also an unlocked, and warm, restroom where I was able to get out of the rain while I waited. Shortly the shuttle came by and I was delivered to the sign-in desk of the hotel. Spartacus and Rainbow were also in the shuttle, although I don¢t know where they are going to stay tonight. The Fontana resort is quite spread out. The sign-in desk is not at the hotel. The restaurant is not at the hotel, nor is the continental breakfast bar. I will be doing quite a bit of walking here. I plan to take my first Zero Day here tomorrow before I tackle the big, bad Smokies. My room is a bargain at the off season rate of about $30 per night. It is a very nice room with two queen size beds.As I was getting things cleaned up and organized in my room, Senator Daniel and ¢Cotton Joe¢ came by. They asked if they could take a shower in my room. I was more than happy to have them use my shower and enjoyed talking with them. Later this evening, the three of us had dinner with ¢Snuffalupagus¢. I had met Snuffalupagus at Ox¢s hiker feed three days ago. He is a heck of a nice guy, but he is going home tomorrow due to an injury. This is sad, as this is his third thru hike attempt. He insisted on paying for the dinner for the four of us. I thought this was a wonderful gesture on his part and I really appreciate his generosity. It was a great dinner, and we also saw Jersey Judge and Acronym at the restaurant. They are on a different budget than the four of us. They ordered the most expensive steak on the menu. Our dinners were mostly hamburgers, but we enjoyed the heck out of them. This has been a great ending to a less than pleasant day of hiking, with great fellowship.I am learning that this is the way of the Trail: some great moments in the same day with less than great moments and occasional misery. It seems like such a long time ago that I was a working man. Actually it was less than three weeks ago. Hard to believe.
Date: 2005-03-29
From: NC Route 28 (Fontana Resort)

To: NC Route 28 (Fontana Resort)
Miles today: 0.0

DAY 18 This has been my first Zero Day and I have enjoyed it. I walked to the breakfast area this morning. It was a great continental breakfast, and I said a sad goodbye to Snaffalupagus. It is sad to see a nice young man have to give up his dream. I think his problem is that he walked too many miles too fast. I spent the day washing clothes, picking up a mail drop and doing some resupply at the local outfitter. Food prices at the outfitter are somewhat high, but I have to carry seven days of food to get me through the Smokies. I bought a canister stove, similar to the one that Jersey Judge showed me at Sassafras Gap Shelter. The weight saving over my Whisperlite and its fuel cylinder is about a pound and a half. The canister stove is much easier to start as well. I also bought a light weight rain jacket and glove liners. I sent the old gear home. I also lightened my Alpine Lowe backpack a bit by cutting out compartments and extra straps. Because the resort is so spread out, I have done a lot of walking today while doing all my errands. But it has been a nice day and I don¢t mind the extra walking. I also had time to relax, read, and watch TV. Weather looks good for tomorrow.Tomorrow I enter the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP). I have been apprehensive about the Smokies because of the unpredictable weather.
Date: 2005-03-30
From: NC Route 28 (Fontana Resort)

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: broken clouds

DAY 19The resort shuttle took me back to the Trail at the kiosk where I left off two days ago. At the trailhead, the kiosk has forms where hikers self register for free permits to hike in the Smokies. You fill in your name and tentative schedule for crossing the Smokies. In this manner the National Park Service (NPS) can keep track of who is on the Trail in the GSMNP. I imagine these permits would be invaluable in the event a hiker had an emergency.I crossed Fontana Dam, largest dam east of the Mississippi, and entered GSMNP. It is a great day to start into the Smokies. It is clear and cool. As I crossed the dam, a very athletic goddess of a hiker caught up with me. It was ¢Odyssa¢. I chatted briefly with her and tried to stay with her. However, as we started the climb, she left me far behind. I hate being passed by a girl.The initial climb in GSMNP is Shuckstack. It is a climb of 2700 feet over four miles. It has not been as bad as I thought it would be. Near the end of the climb of Shuckstack, I came upon ¢Chef Boyardee¢ and ¢Lojack¢. They are an interesting pair that I had met earlier in my hike. Chef Boyardee, as his trail name implies, loves to cook real meals on the Trail. He is carrying an enormous load of food, much of it fresh. When I passed them, he was preparing fresh carrots for their lunch meal. I continued on and saw no one on the Trail until I got to Mollies Ridge Shelter. Vitaman was the only one here at the time. It was good to see him again, as he is a very nice man. He is a cancer survivor from Indiana. Eventually other hikers have come in to the shelter area. Most seem to prefer to tent as it has been a nice day.On this my first day in the Smokies, I hiked 12.4 miles quite easily. Perhaps the Smokies won¢t be so bad after all.
Date: 2005-03-31
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

DAY 20Today has been kind of non-memorable. The weather has not been pleasant with on and off rain. At least the temperature has not been particularly cold. Because of the clouds there have been no views to speak of. I hiked alone for most of the day. I stopped in at Spence Field Shelter for lunch to get out of the drizzle. Then I did the climbs of Rocky Top and Thunderhead. I didn¢t have much problem with either, but I wish the weather had been better for some views. Tonight in the shelter are many of the same people with whom I shared Mollies Ridge Shelter last night. Because of the weather the shelter is more crowded than last night.
Date: 2005-04-01
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: broken clouds

DAY 21April Fool¢s Day brought another drab day. It was another relatively easy hiking day, despite the continued on and off rain and clouds. I stopped into Silers Bald Shelter for lunch today. There were a few other hikers there getting out of the rain. I met a Ridgerunner for the first time today. He was busy scrubbing graffiti off the bunks. He was annoyed that I was eating lunch and spilling crumbs in the shelter, as this would attract mice. I guess he is right, but I was not thrilled about eating lunch in the rain. I continued on to Double Springs Gap Shelter. I briefly considered going on to the next shelter, Mt. Collins. However the thought of an additional seven miles in this rain is not appealing. So I am home for the night here at Double Spring Gap Shelter Vitaman is here, along with ¢Red¢, and the young couple of Colorado and his girl friend Marshmallow. I had first met the last two at Ox¢s hiker feed at NOC.It is raining tonight but it is not that cold.
Date: 2005-04-03
From: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg TN)

To: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg TN)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

DAY 23An unexpected Zero Day. This morning I asked Red if my snoring kept him awake. He showed me his hearing aid and said he took it out at night and heard nothing. I didn¢t realize he had a hearing problem. Guess my snoring didn¢t bother him.We went to an AYCE breakfast place near the Motel with ¢Mouth of the South¢. Mouth is apparently the self-appointed leader of a foursome that has been hiking together for sometime. The ¢Foursome¢ includes Mouth, ¢Freeze Dried¢, ¢Captain Patagonia¢, and one female hiker, ¢Bubbletoes¢. They are all sharing another room at the Grand Prix. Also at this Motel are Vitaman and Tim from Ohio, Colorado and Marshmallow. All have interesting tales of how they got off the mountain and into Gatlinburg.It is shorts and t-shirt weather in Gatlinburg, in contrast to yesterday¢s snow and cold on the Trail. Gatlinburg is a chintzy touristy town, with a charm all of its own. You can get married here quickly or get outfitted as an Elvis impersonator, and spend money in many different ways. However, for me it has been an R&R Day and I have enjoyed the relaxation. In the afternoon Skylark and Nu-B came into the Grand Prix Motel. They also had a harrowing time getting off the Trail. Later, Red, Mouth, Skylark and Nu-B and I went out to eat dinner. Someone suggested a Pizza Hut, which was about a half-mile walk from the Motel. I had to laugh when Skylark said that it was too far to walk. The irony is that we have all walked over 200 miles in the last few weeks. We did go to Pizza Hut, as we thought we could get a beer there. However, it turns out that Gatlinburg is dry on Sundays. You loose track of the days of the week when on the Trail.We have found out that the NPS has reopened the Trail for tomorrow. The Motel owner will take a carload to the Trail for a total of $30. We have put together a group of six (Red, Vitaman, Tim, Colorado, Marshmallow, and me) which cuts the cost to five dollars each. So tomorrow after a good night¢s sleep it¢s back to the Trail.
Date: 2005-04-04
From: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg TN)

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

DAY 24When we got back to the Trail this morning at Newfound Gap, it was cold and clear. Red took off rapidly and I never saw him again for the rest of the day. I hiked the whole day with Vitaman and Tim. Although they are younger than me, apparently I¢m a bit faster, but we pretty much stayed together for the whole day to Pecks Corner Shelter. Colorado and Marshmallow were also in the car load that came up to the Gap with us and they lagged behind. We never saw them again after starting today¢s hike. The snow was almost knee deep along the Trail. In the sun the snow was wet and slushy. As a result my feet got wet from the top down. As my socks got wet, the water got down into my boots. I had wet feet all day. This is the first time in my hike that I had wet feet. Otherwise my boots have been quite water repellant. The views from the Trail were spectacular today. The northern part of the Smokies is more scenic and wilder than the southern part. I passed the side trail to Charlie¢s Bunion. However, I elected not to take the time to go to the Bunion.I am sharing the shelter tonight with Vitaman and Tim.
Date: 2005-04-05
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

DAY 25I hiked again today with Vitaman and Tim. At least I started the day with them. The Trail was still very wet and slushy, although it has been a clear day. After we had hiked about five miles, we came to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter. We stopped there for a long rest and lunch. Vitaman questioned whether he could do the additional 7.7 miles to the next shelter. He and Tim decided to stay at Tri-Corner Knob Shelter for the night. I debated for quite a while whether I wanted to call it a day also. However, I was feeling strong and it seemed too early to stop for the day. Also, had I stayed at Tri-Corner Knob Shelter, it would take me an extra day to get out of the Smokies. It would be thirteen mile day to Cosby Knob Shelter, but I felt it was in my capabilities. So I decided to continue. I am disappointed that I would be hiking alone for the rest of the day. I have enjoyed the company of Vitaman and Tim. As I pressed on after lunch, there were actually snow free areas along the Trail. I caught up with Josh and Adam shortly before I got to the Cosby Knob Shelter. When I arrived at the shelter, ¢Jersey Jones¢ and ¢Hawkeye¢ were there. Hawkeye is actually his real name, not a trail name. His mother must have been an Alan Alda or MASH fan. There are also two father and son duos in the shelter tonight. They are doing a section hike during Easter week.Hawkeye is an interesting young man. He has served in the Navy. He says he started the Trail with seven dollars in his pocket. His gear has obviously been scrounged from a variety of sources. He has no air mattress or sleeping pad. He has a very light sleeping bag for the current Trail temperatures. He is also incredibly dirty. However, I have to admire his spunk to start the Trail on a shoe-string.The two father-son duos have a lot of food that they are willing to share. After I finished my meager thru hiker dinner, they gave me spaghetti and salad made from fresh ingredients. I love section hikers!Tomorrow I will be leaving the Smokies. They have been as challenging as I had expected.
Date: 2005-04-06
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

DAY 26Last night¢s sleep was disturbed the loudest snoring I have ever heard. It was as though the shelter floor was vibrating. It turned out that it was Jersey Jones doing the snoring. Jersey Jones is a heck of nice guy in his forties, who has worked in Alaska. However, I do not plan to ever be in the same shelter with him again. Today is the day I left the Smokies. The big, bad Smokies are behind me after eight days. Other than wet feet I am no worse for wear. I descended 3300 feet this morning to a low point at the Pigeon River. As I descended, the weather and the vegetation changed. It was noticably warmer and trees were leafed out as I neared the River. I hiked with Hawkeye as we approached Davenport Gap which is the northern boundry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When we reached the road, Tennessee Route 32, Hawkeye turned to the right to go to Mountain Momma¢s for a hamburger. Mountain Momma¢s is one of those Trail institutions I have read about. However, I turned left as I wanted to get to Standing Bear Hostel for lunch.It was another two and a half miles to Green Corner Road, north of the Pigeon River and Interstate Route 40. A short walk to the left took me to Standing Bear Hostel. I got here at about lunch time. This hostel is quite rustic. I was the first hiker to arrive today, so I got first choice. I elected to stay in the Cabin rather than the bunk house. The Cabin costs an additional five dollars, but so what. The Cabin is beautiful. It is built over a stream and has real beds. I will have a babbling brook beneath me tonight to lull me to sleep. Soon afterwards Jersey Jones arrived. He was considering staying in the cabin also. I strenuously discouraged him and he graciously elected to stay in the bunk house. Hawkeye came in next and asked for ¢Work for Stay¢ as he is broke. The hostel owner, Curtis Owen, is a kind man and agreed to provide work for Hawkeye¢s stay. We were also joined later today by the Foursome of Mouth, Freeze Dried, Captain Patagonia, and Bubbletoes. They are all staying in the bunkhouse. They may be in for a rude awakening (literally) by Jersey Jones. It had looked like I was going to be alone in the cabin over the brook. But later in the day, Vision Quest arrived and elected to stay in the cabin. I have not seen her since Day 3 at Hiker Hostel. Once again we are going to be roommates tonight. It has been a nice evening. We had a campfire and a lot of laughs. Mouth is in good form as he always seems to be the center of attraction. Today he has on a kilt. He has partially dyed his hair green and has a nose ring and a gigantic ear piercing. I am out of the Smokies and Life is Truly Good on the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2005-04-07
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Old Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: light rain

DAY 27Today was my longest day on the Trail so far. However, it was not by choice or plan. I¢ll explain.It has been a pleasant day for hiking. After a few miles of hiking this morning,I stopped for a rest. Then Vision Quest came by and we chatted a bit. I was sitting on a nice soft bed of pine needles while she remained standing. She suggested that I might not want to sit on pine needles as that is a good way to get ticks on your butt. I got up quickly. Advice tasken!In the early afternoon I climbed Max Patch, a beautiful grassy bald. At the top, resting in the sun, in a very stiff breeze was the Foursome of Mouth, Freeze Dried, Captain Patagonia and Bubbletoes. They were actually considering tenting on top of the mountain. This would not be a bad idea in calmer weather as there is a beautiful view from the summit. On a windy day like this one, it would be difficult to set up a tent. After resting a bit and chatting with the Foursome, I pressed on and descended the north side of the bald. I was headed for my night¢s objective, the Roaring Fork Shelter, which supposedly was recently reconstructed. However, I never saw the new shelter. I also managed to miss a turn in the Trail and went some distance out of my way. Eventually it dawned on me that the new Roaring Fork Shelter does not exist. So I decided to continue to the old Roaring Fork Shelter, four miles further along the Trail.Along the way I encountered another older hiker, ¢Michigan¢. We sort of alternated passing each other. The hike to the old shelter seemed interminable. Eventually late in the afternoon I reached the old shelter, where I am now. Besides Michigan, the Foursome also came into the shelter later. Almost at darkness, Vision Quest also came in. There is adequate room for all of us in this shelter, as some of the hikers set up tents, rather than stay in the shelter. It looks to be a mild and dry night.I had originally planned to take three days to do the 33 miles from Standing Bear Hostel to Hot Spring, North Carolina. Today¢s long day has cut the remaining distance to Hot Springs to only 14.9 miles. So it¢s going to take me only two days to make it into Hot Springs.So the day has ended quite well.
Date: 2005-04-08
From: Old Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

DAY 28I was eager to get started this morning, as I was going to be in Hot Springs tonight, preferably at Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn, another Trail institution. During the course of today¢s hike, I was passed one by one by the Foursome. Those youngers can move! In early afternoon, I rounded a bend in the Trail and saw Hot Springs over one thousand feet below. It was quite an inspiring and welcome sight. As I descended toward the town, I went through significant climatic changes. It is spring in Hot Springs, and much warmer than at the higher elevations of the Trail. The Trail passes right through the middle of Hot Springs on the main drag through town. As I entered Hot Springs, I met Bubbletoes. She told me the Foursome was already checked into Elmer¢s. I had a mail drop to pick up at the post office on the main street. Then I went over to Elmer¢s to check in. I have been anxious to stay at Elmer¢s based on past readings of Trail Journals. Elmer¢s is an old and rambling Victorian house on the main street. The furniture and decor reminds me of a museum. There is a music room with a piano and various musical instruments, a library with tons of books, and bedrooms spread out over four stories, including the basement. There is a beautiful dining area and a crowded kitchen. However one thing wasn¢t room for was me! Elmer¢s was fully booked for this night. I made a reservation for tomorrow night, as I plan a Zero Day in Hot Springs tomorrow. I was disappointed so I walked the short distance to the Alpine Inn, which is also on the main street of town. I registered for a room at $40 for tonight. The owner of the Alpine Inn is not particularly pleasant or hiker friendly. When I asked if he had a discount for hikers, AAA, or AARP, he told me, ¢You¢re just another customer to me.¢ I was further disappointed when I got to the room. It is big enough and comfortable enough, but there is no TV or telephone. When I mentioned this to the owner, he told me there was a pay phone at the laundry. He gave me a bunch of movie cassettes I could play. But I don¢t want to see a movie. I want to see the news and weather forecasts. I¢d like to talk to folks back home and call my father in Philadelphia. My room is also closest to road and the resulting road noise. But I least I will only be here one night. Dinner tonight was at the Paddlers¢ Pub restaurant. The Paddlers¢ Pub is quite a popular place but tonight there were no other hikers there that I recognized. So I ate alone. There is quite a choice of eating places here in Hot Springs. To my knowledge, there are no other hikers staying at the Alpine Inn tonight. With all the places in town to stay, I have made a bad choice.
Date: 2005-04-09
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

DAY 29This is third Zero Day of my AT hike. Unlike the Zero Day in Gatlinburg, I planned on this one.   This morning as soon as I could I moved out of the Alpine Inn and into the room I was assigned in Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn. Elmer Hall, the owner, is an interesting man. The book titles in his vast library reflect his political viewpoints, which are far to the left of the political spectrum. Let¢s just say that a follower of George W. Bush would not be at home here. I had a big breakfast at the Smoky Mountain Diner. There I met Double Healer who I last saw three weeks ago at the Blueberry Patch. I asked if he had seen Rocky and her partner "Hareball" lately. He mentioned he had, and that they were doing okay and were ¢cute¢. The only pay phone in town is at the Laundromat, so I called my Dad in Philadelphia. It is the first time I talked to him since I left for the Trail. He is almost 95 and I do worry about his health.   It has been a wonderful Zero Day. The weather has been a sunny and breezy. The town is full of hikers and it has been great to renew acquaintances with hikers I had met earlier in this adventure. I met Sandman, Cubby and Boston as they were leaving town to resume their hike. I ran into Jersey Judge and Acronym. They insisted on showing me the Bed & Breakfast they were staying. They had a luxurious eight bed suite. Jersey Judge joked that they were doing the Trail on the ¢Hundred Dollar-a-Day Plan¢. They talked about the tough time they had in the Smokies during the snow storm. Michigan was at the Paddlers¢ Pub with his wife who was in town. This afternoon, while I sat in the sun at the tables in front of the Pub with some of the Foursome and some other hikers, we had some unexpected Trail Magic. ¢Cumberland¢, a former thru hiker came by and bought us a pitcher of beer. The free beer was nice, but the spirit of Trail Magic is even more appreciated.      The services in Hot Spring are all on the main street and within a quarter mile. I walked up and down the main street a number of times today. I did some minimal resupply to get me to the next Trail town stop at Erwin, Tennessee. I chatted with ¢Baltimore Jack¢ at the outfitters. He is a Trail institution and quite a character. He has thru hiked the Trail multiple times and is currently working at the outfitters. Dinner tonight at Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn is best described as ¢spectacular¢. All meals at Elmer¢s are vegetarian and wonderful, in a candlelight setting. Additionally each person at the table is asked to respond to Elmer¢s ¢Question of the Day¢. This evening the Question was, ¢If you were a work of art, what would you be?¢ There were a number of interesting responses, but my unimaginative answer was to the effect of, ¢Since I am an engineer, I would probably be an impressive building¢. Anyway, dinner was a memorable ending to a memorable day.