morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-01
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: light rain

We woke to a cool, constant rain. There were a dozen or so hikers in the shelter, and most of them took off early despite the rain. Moonlight and I held off until about 8:30, hoping the rain would dissipate, but it did not and we got going. There were more huge ups, but we made Tricorner Gap Shelter (5.5 miles) by noon. A quick meal and off again. But this time it had stopped raining, but only briefly. Around 4:00 we crossed a ridgeline, and were faced with huge thunderclouds and lightning. We were still 1.8 miles from our shelter for the night, and this included a 800 ft up and a 400 ft down. Moonlight and I almost ran the distance, covering it in less than 50 minutes. We were soaked, but we were at the shelter by 5:00 and able to get in dry clothes. Had a pleasant evening dinner, saw a couple of warbles I couldn't identify, and had good conversation with Moonlight, 2-Bob, Tulley, Strider, Forrest, and Willow. Willow is an interesting hiker. An Irish step-dancer from CT, she thru-hiked the AT in 1997 and enjoyed it so much she decided to do it again, with her husband's support. Strider is a 6ft 10in undergrad at the University of CHicago who plays on their volleyball team. It's fun to talk to so many different people.We went to sleep about 8:30, with it still raining. 8:30 is staying up late by hiker standards. But around 9:30, we heard a lot of commotion as 8 section hikers came stumbling in through the dark. They entered the shelter and announced they had reservations for the shelter, and expected the thru-hikers to clear out for them. (In fact, thru-hikers are supposed to make space for section hikers with reservations, even if that means going out and setting up a tent.) However, it was wet and rainy and cold, and the five thru-hikers in the shelter were in no mood to relocate. Someone said that we too had reservations (which was sorta true) and that they would have to make do as best they could. Everyone scrunched up together and it did not prove to be a problem, but it's no fun being woken in the night by folks who want your sleeping space.
Date: 2009-05-02
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: light rain

Still raining in the a.m., we left early and moved as fast as possible. Truthfully, I didn't really see a lot because of the rain and slop. In the rain, the omnipresent rocks become sheets of ice, and the tangled mass of roots seem determined to cause you to slip. Attention is paid to walking, of you fall on your fanny. We reached I-40 at 12:30, officially getting out of Smokey Mtn. National Park. We saw no bear, saw no wild boar, 3 deer, a handful of rabbits, and a lot of really tall mountains. After a while of being confused about directions, we finally found our way to the Standing Bear Hostel. Here, we are sharing a room with Bluto, whose injury has turned out to likely be tendonitis. He needs to be off it anoght week, but doesn't want to lose touch with the tribe. It's good to see the big lug -- he's loud and opinionated, he has a great heart and would do anything for you, but just pushed himself too hard. I hope he is able to get back on.NOTE: Thru-hikers hike for many reasons. More than a few are seeking time to think through matters they don't have time to think about back home. That, in part, is why I am out here. There are major things to spend time considering: What do I want to be when I grow up, particularly now that I've retired? How do I intend to spend the rest of my life? What is my relationship with the Creator? What I have found, however, is that you can't think about such stuff whey you're gasping for breath and stumbling blindly in the woods. To the extent that I've thought about the Creator, it's been: "Please God, let me just get up this Mountain." or "Jesus, get me to the shelter and I promise I'll be good." That's really not the sort of in depth conversation I'd been anticipating. To the extent that I've engaged in personal reflection, it's not been on future options but, rather, on lost opportunities or cruel or thoughtless remarks made years or decades ago. I need to get in better "hiker shape", and I hope it comes soon, 'cause I think God's getting tired of my constant whining.
Date: 2009-05-03
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Yet another wet day when nothing ever dries out. There was a large hike up and out from the Standing Bear Hostel, a climb of some 3,000 ft. I wish I could say something notable about the morning hike, but I spent my time gasping for air and grunting under the weight of my pack. In the afternoon we hiked across Max Patch, the large artificial bald where, on a clear day, you can see Mt. Mitchell, 60 miles distant and the highest peak east of the Rockies. Of course, the day was not clear, and no view was to be had. We did get some luck, however, as the rain broke just as we got to Max Patch, the birds started chirping, and we had at least decent short views. We reached the Roaring Fork Shelter at 6:00, having put over 15 miles behind us, the longest day yet.
Date: 2009-05-04
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a long, wet, cold day. During the night at the Roaring Fork Shelter, mice had fun scampering around at the foot of my sleeping bag, but they didn't get into anthing and were more of an amusement than anything. Up at 6:30 and a quick breakfast bar, packing the pack and off we went. After about a quarter mile I took a wrong turn and led Moonlight and I straight up a mountain on a nonexistent path. About 10 minutes later we were back where we stared, with Moonlight leading this time. The morning went fast, with the two of us walking 5 miles by 10:30. There we had a quick lunch. The plan had been to hike 15 miles today, to the next shelter. This would leave us 3 miles short of Hot Springs, a quick walk in tomorrow morning. However, as the rain kept coming down and soaking us and all our belongings to the bone, Moonlight suggested going all 18 miles, getting a motel room, and actually getting dry. Outstanding idea....One problem was there were several steep ups, climbing about 2,000 ft. in mud, slop, and tripping over thickly matted tangles of roots. That said, we reached the next shelter, at 15 miles, before 4:00 pm and didn't even stop to visit the shelter. We kept on, hiking up one last mountain, then a long 2 mile downhill to the town of Hot Srpings. The last mile was sheer torture, but we arrived at 5:30. Hot Springs is a small, isolated town whose major industry seems to be river rafting, kyaking, and catering to hikers. There's a general store, an outfitter, a hardware store a couple restraunts, and that's about it. There is one motel, which we found was completely booked when Moonlight and I staggered in to inquire. We then turned to the local hiker hostel, "Elmer's". They too were full, but were kind enough to provide us cots on the back portch for half price. That, a hot shower, and a full meal were more than enough to make us very happy.Elmer's is an interesting place. Very low key, it is socially and politically progressive, serves vegan meals, and has a communal atmosphere that is rooted in part in 1920s Appalachia and in part in modern egalitarianism. It's quite pleasant in a distinguished but slightly run-down way. After 2 very long days of hiking, my body is feeling the stress. My feet hurt, I have trouble walking erect, and I fear I'll fall over whenever I walk without hiking poles. The plan tomorrow is to resupply, get some things at the outfitter to repair failing equipment, and go to use the hot springs for a massage and a hot tub. At least, that's the plan.
Date: 2009-05-05
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Now this has been a comfortable down day. Vegitarian breakfast of melon, home made granola, nut and berry waffles, apple juice and coffee. Very nice. Then Moonlight and I went through the process of reserving a room for the night to make sure we did not once again end up sleeping on the porch (it rained hard again last night and we got damp, but what else is new), went to the outfitter where I resupplied with food, got a couple items to fix my boots and hiking poles, got maps for the next 150 miles, etc. Moonlight ended up buying a new pack, as the one he has been using does not fit him well and he's had a lot of unnecessary difficulties. Then to the public library to enter information and check e-mails, and then back to the hostel. In the afternoon Moonlight, Willow, Forrest, P&M, and several others all went to the Hot Springs Spa. Located at the site of an old ante-bellum hotel, the Spa rents out hot tubs down by the French Broad River. An hour in a hot tub melted my aches and pains away. But then, I got a hour-long deep tissue massage by a former football player named Trip. Big guy, with very sharp elbows. For an hour he beat and knocked all the aches and pains out of me. This is my first ever massage, so I'm not sure how I'll feel in a couple hours (I'm just now wanking back to the hostel), but the chronic ache in my left side seems to be gone, and I can walk like a near-human again. Life is good. Of course, we're off tomorrow morning and the forecast is for more rain.
Date: 2009-05-06
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We were all set to leave. After a vegitarian breakfast at Elmer's, Moonlight and I walked down the street planning to leave town. Moonlight wanted to visit to local outfitter one last time to fine-tune the new pack that he just bought. At the outfitter, the owner asked us if we seriously wanted to hike today. He showed us the computer map of the weather, which indicated rain all day all along the Southeast. But in western North Carolina, there was a flood warning, a tornado warning, a hail warning, and, in all probability, and end of life as we know it warning. We decided to get a motel room and ride it out comfortably in Hot Springs. It was a hugely boring day. A bit of sleep, a bit of reading, a bit of TV. Wish I could say I did anything constructive, but there isn't a lot to do in Hot Springs in the midst of a flood. I've gotten about a third of the way though the book I'm reading, Moby Dick. I read it in high school and got nothing from it, and figured it would be a good exercise to read it during down time. Unfortunately, I haven't yet gotten a lot of of it this time round.
Date: 2009-05-07
From: Hot Springs

To: Allen Gap
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: few clouds

Finally, we are getting out of Hot Springs. We tried to leave the motel at 7:00, but no one was there to pay so we had to wait until 8:30. Instead, we went to the diner and had coffee and egg biscuts. On leaving, we made good time getting across the river and up Lover's Leap ridge. By lunch we got to the top of Rich Mountain and had lunch atop a fire tower. Would have been nice views but for the rain.We made it the 11 miles to Spring Mountain Shelter by 3:30. Reading the trail register (there's a register at each shelter where hikers can leave comments or messages to hikers to follow), we saw a note from 2-Bob from yesterday. He had stayed at the shelter and noted that before yesterday he had seen very few animals during his hike. But yesterday, he observed that he had seen all the animals of the forest...bears, deer, wild boar, racoons, chipmunks, etc., They were all lined up, two-by-two, to enter a large ark (The ark, no doubt, was on loan from some curio shop in Gatlingburg). I learned today that Bluto seems to be off the trail for good, having sever bronchitis. Eitai the Israeli also left the trail. A couple others have skipped significant miles in order to go to the Trail Days festival in Damascus VA. Leaving the shelter, Moonlight and I hiked a few more miles to Allen Gap. We had a dry camp and lacked water. In a forest that is in the midst of floods, I need water! I need to be more careful not to run out of water.
Date: 2009-05-08
From: Allen Gap

To: Big Butt
Miles today: 13.5

More rain and very buggy during a long day of hiking.Just a quick word on the bugs. I'm not sure what they are. They are bigger than gnats, but not so big or aggressive as mosquitos, but on occassion there are ever-present, getting into your ears, eyes, noce, mouth and wherever else they can get to annoy you. They aren't terribly fast, and a quick slap can get one. But I swear, if you kill one, you can hear a very soft voice making a final squeal of "Avenge Me!!" And, as if no que, a dozen of the bug's bretheren attack up your nose in into your eyes. Anyhow, we left our campsite and moved as fast as we could the 4 1/2 miles to the next shelter, just beating a torrential downpour. We stayed at the shelter for 2 hours, trying to wait out the storm. When it let up enough, Moonlight and I took off for what we expected to be an easy afternoon....Wrong. The map indicated it was a relatively level hike. What the map did not say was that we were on a ridgeline, climbing rocks for 4 miles. This was hopping up and down on rock after rock, with no end. It was supposed to offer great views, but as it was raining, no views were to be had. The pounding on the knees and ankles was just awful. Personally, I didn't see what this had to do with hiking from Georgia to Maine; it just seemed to be a sadistic joke on AT hikers. By the time we got to the next shelter both Moonlight and I were in foul moods and hurting. At the shelter the bugs were horrible and we decided to move on. But we ate an early dinner at the shelter and hiked on to Big Butt. Moonlight was particulalry interested in getting there: first because it was at mile 300 on the trail and, second, because he liked saying "Big Butt". Tented on a relatively small and quiet bald.
Date: 2009-05-09
From: Big Butt Mountain

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

Yet another night of rain. Not heavy, but enough to keep everything damp. It sounds like I'm complaining about the rain, and I guess I am. The rain is all invasive. Everything gets wet. Even with a pack cover my clean clothes get damp, my sleeping bag gets damp, my food gets damp. When hiking, I don't wear a rain jacket because the jacket just causes me to sweat and overheat. So I hike in the rain in short a sleeved shirt and long pants. As long as I'm moving, it's ok, but once I stop, I start shivering. If we stop for more than a 10 minute break, I need to put my fleece on. Anyhow, the rain lifted in the morning and we made good time down to the next highway crossing, at Devil's Fork Gap. We arrived there at noon, and there we met a Boy Scout troop from Johnson City TN serving hikers tacos and peach cobbler. The orchestrated Trail Magic was greatly appreciated, and there were a half dozen hikers eating as much as they could. I had two tacos, some cobbler, and a lot of cool-aid, and I fell comfortably asleep in an easy chair. Much appreciated guys.Moonlight and I left at 1:30, and as if on que it started raining. Actually, it was a downpour. We had a 6 mile hike with a 1,500 up. We arrived at the next shelter, Hogback Ridge, at 5:15, still full from the Boy Scout food. Moonlight seems to becoming a stronger hiker than me. Earlier, we would basically split the lead, with me taking the lead on most of the ups. Now Moonlight is leading on 80% of the milage. We still walk largely together, seldom separated by more than 100 yards or so. We still are comfortable walking with one another, but I suspect we each are spending more time on our own private thoughts.   I was feeling a cold coming on so my dinner was a Snickers bar and a dose of Theraflu. Just too tired to be sociable, so I went to bed early.There was a largely new crowd in the shelter. New were: BonBon, a ornithology student at Ohio State; Scavanger, from Nashville; Strider, about whom I know nothing; Transition, who just graduated college and had a birthday yesterday. Tully and Wendy were also there.
Date: 2009-05-10
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Spivey's Gap
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a genuinely beautiful day, the wort of day that you think of when you want to go for a walk. It was 70 degrees, a nice breeze, and, most unusually, sunny. The first sunny day in a week!!!We were up and out of the shelter by 8:15. Not a huge rush there. Walked a quick couple miles to Sam's Gap, then followed by a long, long hike up. Up 1,800 ft. in the next five miles. This is a bit deceptive, however, because you'll walk up 600 ft., then down 250, then up 500, then down a couple hundred, theun up 800, etc., etc. It's like this every day, and gets old when it's rainy, foggy, and no views. But today was different. We had great views. The reward was getting to the top of Big Bald, a space of several thousand acres of naturally low-cut grass with almost no trees. We had 360 degree views for a hundred miles in every direction. Mt. Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi, was visible in the distance. At the top of the Bald we met some tourists from Charleston, SC, who were interested and disbelieving of our hike. They had a lot of difficulty understanding why people would want to do something like hike for months at a time. That's a hard one to answer, since I'm not really sure myself. In fact, I still have difficulty with the concept that I am a thru-hiker. I feel like a poser, pretending to be a hiker and just ready to jump in my car and head back to my condo. But it's been five weeks, so I need to start adjusting to the fact that I am an AT hiker.Moonlight and I pushed on to the next shelter, signed the register, and refilled with water. Because we want to get to Erwin tomorrow afternoon, we decided to push on to Spivery's Gap, another five miles down the road. This will leave a relatively easy 11 mile day tomorrow. (It's a bit amazing to me that I think of 11 miles as a relatively easy day.) We tented on the side of the trail, about a quarter mile from the road at Spivey's, and was joined by one other hiker, a guy named Strider (I think he's the third Strider I've met on the trail). He kept to himself and talked fairly loudly to himsolf, so we gave him some room.Dinner was a Snickers and a Mountain House pork and rice dinner. It was about a thousand calories, which is not nearly enough for me to keep up my strengh. But I just couldn't eat any more. I'm still wondering where the hiker hunger is, because right now I have trouble eathing much of anything. Tomorrow Erwin and clean sheets.
Date: 2009-05-11
From: Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

No surprise, but the morning started with more rain. Rain started about 3:00 a.m., and it made getting up very hard. Just so sick of being wet. Moonlight and I agreed to stay in our tents until about quarter to eight, at which time we figured there was no way to get away from being wet. So up and out, but neigher of us particularly happy.While soggy, we made good time. It was mostly down-hill, with only a couple of 500 ft ups. by 11:00 we had done the 5 1/2 miles to No Business Shelter. The shelter was empty and a bit dirty. There was fairly vulgar grafitte on the shelter, more so than usual, where it was made clear that previous thru-hikers had issues with local hikers. Anyhow, a quick early lunch and off for a final 6 miles to the town of Erwin. This was accomplished by 2:30. 11 1/2 miles in six hours -- pretty impressive notwithstanding the relative easy miles.We stopped at an outfitter and hostel just as we got off the trail, and bought cokes and a couple basic supplies, but neither Moonlight nor I were interested in repeating the hostel experience. We did see a number of hikers we've been camping around, and it was good to see them. But our goal was the Holiday Inn, which had advertized on the trail that it had a swimming pool and hot tub. It was a mile walk on the highway, but this went quickly. Checking in, we were told that the pool was not open yet and the hot tub was broken. Hugely, hugely disappointing, and not at all pleased at the false advertising. That said, the room is nice and we have a laundry so our stuff is now drying out. We arranged a ride into Erwin proper, a distance of 3 miles, from Ms. Janet. Ms. Janet is a hiker institution. She's been going way out of her way to help hikers for years, following a tradition started by her mother. She picked Moonlight and I up at the Holiday Inn, then drove to the hostel to pick up Tully and Scavanger, and drove us to the Food Lion and the CVS Pharmacy. We shopped, had Chinese food for dinner, and she picked us up to ride us back to the hotel. She didn't charge us, but accepted whatever we could offer. A genuinely nice person.I weighed myself at the hostel, where it suggested I've lost 31 lbs. since I started hiking. This is probably a bit more than I've really lost, but it certainly feels good to be on a downward trend. Back into the woods tomorrow, but tonight I am warm and dry, and watching TV.
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Deep Gap

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.2

Another absolutely great day! No desire to get up and out of the sleeping bag this morning, but finally got up around 7:15. It was cold, and windy, but the sun was shining and it was great hiking weather. There were a couple 1,000 ft ups, but nothing too difficult. After a couple hours of walking, Moonlight and I ran into a number of hikers coming from the opposite direction. These were folks we'd left in Erwin yesterday (Charlie, Scree, Tulley, Scavanger, etc.), and they were slackpacking 19 miles back to Erwin. Slackpacking is when you get a hostel owner to give you a ride 15-20 miles forward, and then the hiker returns to the hostel to stay for the night. The advantage is that they walk without the 35 lb pack, and can make significant mileage without beating up their bodies. Some "purists" look down on slackpackers; personally, a I haven't made up my mind. Thus far, I've done my hiking with my fully loaded pack, but I'm not ruling out slackpacking in the future.We stopped at the Greasy Creek Hostel, where we are staying for the night. We got in a little before 4:00, and are hoping to arrange a ride to Damascus tomorrow. Damascus is hosting the Trail Days Festival, the largest annual hiking festival on the East coast. I'd like to go and talk to a couple of gear suppliers, and possibly get a smaller belt for my backpack and some repairs for my tent. Not sure it can be arranged, because Damascus is still 70 miles off, but we'll see.The owner of the hostel, Peggy, is a really sweet lady who just enjoys hikers. She offers services cheap and invites everyone into her living room. It was as comfortable an evening as I've had since starting my hike. Her neighbor, on the other hand, is certifiably psychotic. He's in his 70s and apparently hates people, especially hikers. He apparently keeps putting signs up on the trail saying that the hostel has gone out of business due to illness of death in the family, of whatever. Peggy keeps taking the signs down, but the come up again. The US Forest Service would charge the guy if they caught him red-handed (since the signs come up on Natonal Park property), but otherwise they can't do anything. At 5:00 in the morning, the neighbor turned on his riding lawn mower, leaving it on for several ours as close to the hiker bunkhouse as he can get it. Oh, I weighed in today on what I think is an accurate scale, which showed I've lost 28 lbs.