morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-03-15
From: Tray Mountain Shelter 58.6

To: Hiawassee 69.6
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today we got a nice, early start at 8:30. We hiked with Craftsman for awhile, enjoying the gentle terrain, then again encountered trail magic in the form if candy bars from "Dr. Pepper " and Rolf. Wow! Thanks! (Random note: We can't believe these friendly, helpful southern folks, so eager to help us thru hikers.) We arrived at Dick's Gap at 2:00 and hitched a ride into Hiawassee. This was our first time hitchhiking since we'd hitched a ride in college after hiking the southern half of the Muir Trail. (Random note: Even though many thru hikers really don't enjoy hitch hiking, it's frequently the only way to get to towns to resupply, unless you don't mind walking lots of extra miles. Hiawassee, for instance, was 11 miles west of US 76.) A friendly guy who just likes to help thru hikers picked us up and took us to the Hiawassee Budget Inn, where they go out of their way to help hikers, with washers and dryers, complete with free soap, a location close to a market, a "hiker box," and a free shuttle back to Dick's Gap! (Random note: a hiker box is a box or plastic tote, usually in or near the offices of motels or hostels, or at post offices, which have food and other items left for hikers. As a hiker, you may take what you need, and leave items that may be of use for other hikers. It has been reported that some thru hikers are able to resupply entirely by taking advantage of these hiker boxes.) Once settled into our room, which was named the "bridal suite" because of its huge size and jacuzzi tub, we resupplied and ate at the local market, then took care of washing ourselves and our clothes. Lots of other thru hikers were enjoying the motel: Blue and Snail, August, Jonas, and Craftsman, among others, and signed up for the 9:00 a.m. shuttle back to the trail. Once these chores were done, I caught up with my online journal and Facebook, using my smart phone. Life is good when you get to your first trail town, and get to stay in a motel and eat town food!
Date: 2012-03-16
From: Hiawassee 69.6

To: Muscrat Creek Shelter 81.4
Miles today: 11.8

After breakfast at the South Side Cafe with Hat Hat and Cat Napper in Hiawassee, we caught the 9 am shuttle from the motel back to the trail at Dick's gap. We hiked UP the trail towards the Georgia /North Carolina border, just shy of Bly gap, in the partly sunny weather. We were excited to be done with our first state, and have only thirteen more to go! (Random note: State borders were always an excuse to stop for a photo op and a break to celebrate.) The air was still cool, but we warmed up quickly with the exertion. At Bly Gap we stopped to admire a gnarled old tree, and to refill our water bladders. The climb from Bly gap was the steepest so far. We "put it in first gear" and slowly slogged our way up to the top, then back down to Sassafras Gap, then back up to the Muskrat Creek Shelter, our day's destination, which was two thousand feet higher than Hiawassee! (Random note: we've recently noticed that the mountains in general are getting steeper, the climbs longer, and the gaps higher in elevation. We've needed to drink more water as well. We've also noticed a few buds on trees and shrubs, including the rhododendrons.) At Muskrat Creek Shelter, we met "2 Dogs" and "Paul" with his "observer," a Halloween kind of rubber head, on his pack. 2 Dogs and Paul continued on, leaving Les and us for dinner. Soon Jonas (from Germany), Spice, Brian, and BLT (better late than). We had a brief thunderstorm- followed by an incredible sunset...A red glow reflected from the sun, through the clouds above onto the lakes below. (Random note: We were always happy to be able to WATCH a thunderstorm from the comfort of a shelter, rather than HIKE in one, soaking ourselves and our packs.Life is GOOD when you start the day clean from town, cross a state line, and get to watch a thunderstorm from a dry shelter with new friends.
Date: 2012-03-17
From: Muscrat Creek Shelter 81.4

To: Betty Creek Gap 97.6
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: scattered clouds

It rained at night, but let up as we prepared to hike- wonderful timing. (Random note: We appreciated sleeping in the shelter rather than in our tent, so we didn't have to pack up a wet tent, only to have to dry it out later.)The hike seemed pretty easy, with gentle undulations. We hiked with BLT (better Late Than) for awhile, then passed him, then caught up with Brian. We stopped at Carter Gap Shelter for dinner. It was very buggy, and our ancient freeze dried dinners, circa 2008, were vile and disgusting. We continued on to Betty Creek Gap, another 4 miles on the easy, undulating trail, for camping. Our congenial group included Jonas, Spice, an art teacher from the D.C area, Spidderman and Waker from Georgia, and 2 new faces, Goober and Couch, among others. (Random note: This was our first 16 mile day. We were gradually increasing the length of our daily hikes, so we could eventually average 15-16 miles per day on our hiking days.) Life is great on the Appalachian Trail when you start to meet the same congenial thru hikers again and again!
Date: 2012-03-18
From: Betty Creek Gap 97.6

To: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC) 109.8
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

We were up, packed, and "fueled" in record time today, so were hiking by 8:30, after a rainy night. (Random note: Breakfast for us was Instant Breakfast with dried whole milk. It wasn't exciting, but provided us with protein, vitamins, and calcium, and was quick to prepare and eat.) We've noticed that we're finally getting up the learning curve with setting up and breaking down camp, though we still have a ways to go. We're also sleeping better in the ground. Nice. After a gentle climb to the base of Albert Mountain with Goober, the trail steepened. There were steps and some hand over hand climbing near the top. (Random note: This was the first hand over hand climbing we encountered on the trail. It was fun and different, and we were rewarded with a beautiful view and a retired fire tower on top.) From there, it was a gentle downhill down the other side of the mountain.) Later we encountered 2 instances of trail magic: the first by a former thru hiker and present forest ranger, who had hung baked goods in.a big plastic tub on a bear proof line from a tree. The second was a galvanized pail full of home made cookies, oranges, and crisp apples. Mmmm! the apples just hit the spot. We continued up the well graded trail up our final climb if the day, then back down towards Winding Stair Gap. Partway down, we called a motel in Franklin, to have them send a shuttle for us. When they shuttle arrived, Jonas, Spice, and the two of us hopped aboard for the ten mile trip into town. Once checked in we trekked a mile and a half or so to resupply for the next few days, and to get dinner. We found a great little taquaria. Mmmm. Life is great on the Appalachian Trail when you get a shuttle into town and unexpectedly find a great little authentic Mexican restaurant, with super food!
Date: 2012-03-19
From: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC) 109.8

To: Cold Spring Shelter 125.6
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

As we were waiting for the 9 am shuttle back to the trail at Winding Stair Gap, I got to thinking how grateful we are to you who are following our blog and sending words of encouragement. I haven't figured out how to answer comments using my Droid, but please know we appreciate each one. To Grasshopper and Brakeman, we will be treating our gaiters with repellant once we find it. Thanks for the tip. (Random note: this was a particularly bad year for ticks, so we were especially grateful for advice as to how to avoid them. Deer ticks sometimes attach themselves to hikers as they walk along the trail.)As we started up the trail, Les passed us on the hike up to Siler Bald.We caught back up with him, Chip, Dessicated Bones and Rafiki at the top, where they had stopped for a snack. After a short break, we hiked down to Wayah Gap, where there was more trail magic: sodas, water, chips and oranges, then up to Wayah Bald. On the way up, as we stopped for a breather, we saw some lovely purple flowers. Then saw our first grey squirrel leaping from one tree to another. We continued, climbing steeply, then gradually, back and forth up to the top, where there was an observation tower. We hung out a bit with Rafiki, Les, Dessicated Bones and Maine-iac, a young girl who graduated from high school half a year early so she could hike the Appalachian Trail, and who was hiking home to Maine.We continued hiking to Wayah Shelter for a snack but decided it was too early to stop for the day, so we hiked on another five miles to Cold Spring Shelter. Since it was buggy in the shelter we set up the tent up on the hill, where there were fewer black flies. After dinner we refilled our water bladders, and sat by the campfire until bedtime. Life on the Appalachian Trail is great, especially when you can find a delightful place to camp, and enjoy a delightful campfire with other thru hikers.
Date: 2012-03-20
From: Cold Spring Shelter campsite 125.6

To: Nantahala Outdoors Center 137.1
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

We hiked out of Cold Spring Shelter at 9:10 and hiked the undulating trail to Tellico Gap, where we met two young couples taking a break by the road, Scooter and Aimster, Hungry Bear and Amber Cat. We visited for a bit, then climbed steeply to the Wesser Bald Observation Tower. The rest of the day's hike to the Nantahala Outdoor center consisted of gradual downhill switchbacks alternating with steep downhills. We noticed lots more wild flowers today, and our first lizard. Once we made it to the Center, located in Wesser, North Carolina, we first located the outfitter and bought supplies to repair Gary's pack. Then we got rooms at the hostel at the NOC, and ate lunch, half pound cheeseburgers, fries, and salads. Next, we hitched to a store to resupply, since they had warned us that the walk to the store was dangerous on the narrow road. We stuck out our thumbs and soon a van passed us, then turned around and stopped. It was full of students on a road trip during spring break, and even had a professional driver. They seemed to be having as good a time as we were! Once we'd resupplied, we took our chances walking back on the narrow, curvy road, since there didn't appear to be a safe place to a car to pull over to pick us up. We passed by a derelict building covered with kudzu. (Random note: Kudzu is a plant that grows so fast it is said that if you leave your car for an hour, when you return you will find that it's buried by this non-native pest!) Once we got back safely, I did laundry and worked on my online journal while we visited with other hikers. When we finally went to our respective bunk rooms, Gary ended up with a snorer in his bunk room. He even had to use his ear plugs for the first time in order to get some sleep. I was luckier. My bunk mate, Bookworm, was fascinating. We chatted far too late in the night, but it was well worth it! Life on the Appalachian Trail is great, especially when you can sleep in a hostel after a day of hiking, and visit with new friends!
Date: 2012-03-21
From: Nantahala Outdoors Center 137.1

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter 153.1
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: few clouds

After a relaxing evening visiting with the other thru hikers and a great night's sleep at the Nantahala Outdoor Center hostel followed by a huge breakfast at the NOC restaurant, we were ready to tackle the first mountain -with a seven mile climb. While at breakfast, we met Rambler, who thru hiked in 2011 from March 14 until June. (Random note: At breakfast today we were chatting to a young man who had decided to "get off the trail" at the NOC. Apparently he had come into the NOC with the intention of continuing his hike, but after a day or two at the center, rafting and otherwise relaxing, he decided he was tired of hiking, and would rather ride a bike home. Interesting. We didn't try to get him to change his mind, but felt sad for him.) (Another random note: Last night I thought I had plugged in my phone to charge it, but I discovered in the morning that it was down to 5%, so I charged it at the restaurant during breakfast. Thru hikers were always looking for opportunities to charge their phones, since one never knew when the next opportunity would be. Fortunately, I HAD charged Gary's correctly, so we still had a working phone.) At the first shelter, 5.8 miles up, we stopped for lunch and to refill our water bladders. There we met Achy Breaky, from Germany, and Sean and Tribhu. After lunch we continued our climb to Cheoah Bald, then down, then up and down, finally crossing NC 143 at Stecoah Gap. The last 2-1/2 miles to the Brown Fork Gap Shelter was STEEP...or perhaps just seemed that way at the end of this tough 16 mile day! All day long we noticed many, many wildflowers: yellow and purple violets, grass of Parnassus, buttercups, and others. We also saw centipedes and butterflies. Once we arrived at the shelter, we saw Lefty, Philly Ben, Sean, Tribhu, and Achy Breaky. Overall, it was a tough but satisfying day. Life is great on the Appalachian Trail when you're able to complete a tough sixteen mile day.
Date: 2012-03-22
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter 153.1

To: Fontana Village Resort, Fontana Dam 164.7
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

We got out early this morning from the shelter and started down the trail by 8:30. There were even more wild flowers today, including trilliums, and violets in four colors: yellow, purple, white, and white/purple. There was also some kind of white composite flowers. Tribhu, Achy Breaky, then Lefty and Philly Ben, then Sean passed us. We were dragging and realized we needed to take our first nero day. (Random note: Taking a nero day means hiking very few miles.) Once we arrived at the Fontana Marina we called the Fontana Village Resort for their free shuttle. (Random note: This beautiful resort had very reasonable rates for thru hikers. Within walking distance there was also a post office and a general store and also a gas station with a small store for resupply. Although neither place had much in the way of resupply, together they had enough for us to resupply for the next six or so days on the trail.) As soon as we were settled in our room the skies, which had been cloudy, let loose some rain. Soon we'd showered and were on our way to do laundry resupply for our hike through the Smokies, then a nap before dinner at the resort. The restaurant at the resort had great burgers for a reasonable price, and the view from the dining room was lovely. Since we were tired from hiking 160 miles in the last two weeks without a break it was early to bed. Life is GOOD on the Appalachian Trail, especially when you get to spend the night in a beautiful resort, and are looking forward to a very short day ahead!
Date: 2012-03-24
From: Fontana Hilton 165.8

To: Russell Field Shelter 179.6
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: broken clouds

We were the first out this morning...8:30, and were feeling energetic from our "day off" yesterday. We started out by hiking across the Fontana Dam and into the Great Smokies National Park. The dam is one of the TVA dams constructed during the 1930s to provide electrical power. It is the highest dam in the eastern United States! I would have been interesting to go through the visitors' center, but it doesn't open until May. Once inside the park we followed the white blazes for a bit on the paved road, then, when the road ended, we took the trail to the left up the hill. The first 5.9 miles were uphill, but the trail was well-graded. We arrived at Shuckstack, and took the trail to the rickity old fire tower. Parts were missing and the wood was rotted out in places, so we only climbed a little way up. A short time later we encountered "Kentucky Graybeard", the local ridgerunner. He suggested we go on to the second shelter instead of the first one, where we'd planned on stopping. Since the trail was easier than anticipated, we followed his advice. Along the way we saw thousands, or more likely millions, of 5 petaled white flowers with pink centers, carpeting the woods on both sides of the trail. There were also purple and yellow violets. Once we arrived at the first shelter (Mollies Ridge Shelter) it started pouring-for 5 minutes. The trail was also still wet and slippery from last night's rain, so we had to be careful. When it stopped, we continued up the trail for another 3 miles to the Russell Field Shelter. Sean and Dessicated Bones ate there with us, then continued to the next shelter to spend the night, but not before Sean let us know that Chip had to leave the trail due to an old ankle injury, aggravated by hiking with a pack. Jared, Bookworm, and Yenz (a section hiker who thru hiked last year) arrived and spent the night. Since the shelter had a partially transparent roof, we were hoping for another light show. We were not disappointed. Life is great on the Appalachian Trail when you're able to hike farther than you'd planned, and feel energized from a day off!
Date: 2012-03-25
From: Russell Field Shelter mile 179.6

To: Silers Bald Shelter 194.3
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up to a cold, drizzly, misty morning. We felt inefficient as we packed up our things, and had difficulty remembering where we had just put our stuff sacks, etc. (Random note: was this from the cold?) Amazingly we were on the trail by 8:30, with nothing MIA. As we started warming up, we realized that the green colors look even greener than usual in the mist. We passed Sean after a couple of miles...going the opposite way on the trail. His Achilles tendon was hurting VERY badly, and he decided to hike back to Fontana to have it checked out. We sure hoped it was just inflamed and not torn, so he wouldn't have to leave the trail for the year. The whole day today the trail was up and down...almost no flat sections... and the air felt cold and raw, but at least it never rained. Even the flowers seemed to be hiding from the cold mist. Ones that were open yesterday were closed today. Perhaps they didn't like the cold weather any more than we did. By the time we arrived at Silers Bald Shelter we were both exhausted...(Random note: Could this been from the cold, raw weather?) We rested for a bit before I got water and Gary made dinner. Soon Yenz showed up, then Bookworm, then Nak. We saw a deer from the shelter, and photographed it. They aren't afraid of people here in the Smokies; they must not be hunted here! We were happy to get into our warm sleeping bags early tonight, and to finally get really warm! Life is great on the Appalachian Trail when you see your first deer!
Date: 2012-03-27
From: Icewater Spring Shelter (209.8)

To: Tri-corner Shelter (222.4)
Miles today: 12.6

This morning we were treated to a beautiful sunrise. Since we planned to only hike twelve and a half miles today, we had a late start. It was nice to have a relaxing start for a change. The mountains were more gradual as we hiked north, making for a very pleasant day. We also noticed spring has been moving north faster than we have! We've been hearing more birds, and seen many more flowers lately. We haven't seen any bears yet...no surprise..they seem to hang out at lower elevations this time of year..but we did see some dried out bear poop. We arrived at Tri-corner Shelter early, and met Spice, Jonas, Philly Ben, and Lefty, along with a father and son enjoying a spring break. Later on Achy Breaky, Spider, You Again, Run Off, Nak, Spidderman, and Waker showed up. Again we enjoyed a nice fire before sleep. Life is great on the Appalachian Trail, especially when you see lots of spring flowers, and hear lots of birds on the trail!
Date: 2012-03-28
From: Tri-corner Shelter (222.4)

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel (241.0)
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

This was our second day of crossing between NC and TN over a dozen times, depending on which side of the ridge the trail is on. (Random note: The Appalachian Trail seems to form the state boundary between Tennessee and North Carolina here.) We planned to stop at Davenport Gap Shelter, but since we arrived at the shelter so early we decided to continue hiking to the Standing Bear Farm hostel. The hike itself was mostly a gentle downhill, with one good uphill section. As we neared the hostel, we noticed the flowers were mostly the same ones we'd seen coming out of Fontana. There were violets in purple, yellow, and purple/white, trilliums, Senecios, and others. The trees were also starting to bloom. About a mile past the Davenport Gap Shelter we came to a road, crossed it, found the AT on the other side, and followed the white blazes up. Soon we were next to a lovely stream, with waterfalls and lots of wildflowers. We crossed the stream several times as the trail wound its way steeply downward. Eventually we came to a road marked with white blazes. We followed it under old US40, then followed the blazes back to trail. The trail went up some steep steps, than continued one more mile to the turnoff to the hostel. The hostel was in a nice setting on a brook, and was very low key. It felt good to get off our feet after eighteen miles, our longest mileage so far. (Random note: Standing Bear Farm hostel had a self serve resupply store, bunk house, shower, laundry, shuttle services, and a kitchen...everything a thru hiker just out of the Smokies needs. It even allows dogs outside, and offers kennel services.) We enjoyed a nice relaxing evening by the fire, and met a few more thru hikers, including Morgan and Esther, college students from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, and Two Isles. Life is great on the Appalachian Trail when an 18.6 mile day seems easy, and ends with a bunk and a break from trail food!
Date: 2012-03-29
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel (241.0)

To: Roaring Fork Shelter (255.9)
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

We left Standing Bear Farm hostel at 9:00 after a nice low key evening. At breakfast we bought 6 eggs to share between the two of us, which we cooked in the self-serve kitchen, and Gary had a Danish as well. We also resupplied with food bars, and candy bars for the next couple of days to get us to Hot Springs. We hiked uphill for the first two hours, then down, then UP to Max Patch Bald. We saw wildflowers we hadn't seen before along the way. The climb up was beautiful, and the view from the top even more spectacular. We could see mountains in the distance and a field with hay bales close up. The AT marking posts were lichen covered, and looked like they'd been there a long time. Once off Max Patch, the trail was downhill, eventually going beside a stream...very lush, but with surprisingly few bugs. Lefty and two others were already at Roaring Fork Shelter when we arrived. This shelter was built by the Marching Mountain Mamas. Getting water was a four minute hike down the trail, but the water was cold and clear. I took a few pictures and then we cooked dinner: rice and cheese flavored grits, with tuna and pepper jack cheese...surprisingly good after a 15 mile hike. (Random note: We used grits often in the south either as our primary carbohydrate for dinner, or to stretch the instant potatoes. They were available in several flavors. However, as we hiked north, they became more difficult to find.)Later on more more people arrived: Dickle, Philly Ben, Morgan and Esther, Spidderman, Motown (a college student from Boston, who earned her trail name while singing), Eagle Eye and Jack (a well behaved German Shepherd,) and Spider. After dark, Waker came in. He'd stopped at Max Patch Bald to watch the sunset before coming down to the shelter. (Random note: many people, especially the twenty-somethings, enjoy hiking at night, either to a full moon, or with a headlamp. We are not among them, since we've both run all night numerous time so it is not a novelty. Besides, our headlamps are tiny, and we don't want to miss a white blaze.) Life is great on the Appalachian Trail when you get to climb a bald in clear weather, to enjoy a great view.