morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Beauty Spot Gap

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

Caught up to Little Tree and Talking Stomach today. We were really happy to run into each other again. Leap-frogged with them most of the day. Today was an excellent day for Trail Magic. At Cherry gap shelter, some weekenders had left lots of food. I snagged three items including a 20 oz. Mountain House dinner! And at Iron Mountain Gap, 2 cents had left a 6 pack of cold Pepsi.It was also a day for people going the wrong way. Grizzly dave walked the worng way for a while after a side trip for water, and another hiker took the wrong way on a side trail to a hostel. Both showed up a little put out. The shelter is crowded because it looked like rain today, which never materialized.on the trail today, there were Maxapples, and Jabberwocky picked some ?????? and shared them with everybody. I put some in my mashed potatoes.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Over-Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: moderate rain

Grizzly Dave woke up still a little grumpy, and then I mistakenly pointed him in the wrong direction back to the trail, but he took it in stride. A light rain lasted through the morning and early part of the afternoon, but cleared up as I was ascending the Jane Bald. The balds are starting to become more common, and are great to go over in good weather; bad in bad weather. If there was a bad weather route around Jane, I would have taken it. Roan High Knob was a fantastic and rugged climb in the neighborhood of 2000 feet, and would have been more enjoyable dry. I was soaked despite good rain gear by the time I got to the summit, and was looking forward to getting into dry clothes for a couple of hours at the shelter before pressing on. But, I walked right by the side-trail and never saw it. I was not a happy camper when I realized it. Stan Murray was only about 4 or 5 miles away, but required going up and over Jane Bald in the rain. Going up was cold, and I stopped to put on my windbreaker over my raincoat. Fell 7 times coming down steep and muddy trail on the backside of Jane. At Stan Murray shelter, a hiker nearly died at my hands when he told me that I just missed out on 'trail magic'. His friend did a nice job of lying and telling me that it was only bread and water. I appreciated that. Another hiker gave me some delicious and peppery beef jerky that was tough at first, but softened up quickly. Arrived at Over-Mountain shelter 1.7 miles later. It is an old barn renovated shelter style with a section cut out for sleeping platforms and cooking area, and a terrific view of the valley below and Little Hump Bald above. When the sun shined, the top of the bald seemed to glow. The night was cold, but not terribly so. Fell asleep as Julia (Yippee) read "Lord Of The Rings" to husband Mike (Jabberwocky).
Date: 2004-04-27
From: Over-Mountain Shelter

To: Elk River
Miles today: 14.9

Awoke to a cold morning and took awhile to get moving. Started with about a mile and a half to climb to first of two balds today, Little Hump Mountain. Descended into Bradley Gap, then climbed into 50+ mph winds up Hump Mountain, which looks more like a real mountian than anything so far. Very few trees on it. Out past the summit was a fence with a gate for hikers, and then a walk right by a herd of Watusi; longhorn cattle from Africa, owned by one of the locals. That was quite a thrill, then a long five mile descent to the highway, and an easy hitch to Elk Park to pick up mail drop and get lunch. The hitch back to the trail was even easier, only thumbed for a minute before I was picked up. Walked about six more miles before making camp just above Elk River. A four mile trail relocation was routed to take in Jones Falls, .1 mile off the trail and close to 150 feet tall. Shin splints made travelling slow and sometimes painful. Sleeping under the stars tonight.
Date: 2004-04-28
From: Elk River

To: Moreland Gap
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Awoke very cold with frost on sleeping bag and everything else. Took a long time to work up nerve to leave sleeping bag, but need to pee was pressing. Too lazy last night to cook, get water, or set up tent. Paid the price in the morning. After a very interesting hike yesterday, today's hike was very featureless and colorless. Very little green and few significant ups and downs to let a hiker know where he is. Only Laurel Fork stood out and the last hill before Moreland Gap. A stray bloodhound belonging to someone back at the town of Roan Mountain followed a couple in and followed two other hikers out. Shin splints bothersome again today. Stopped to stretch several times today or I would have made it to Kincora. Instead, I am at Dennis Cove Rd as are a few other hikers.
Date: 2004-04-29
From: Moreland Gap

To: Kincura Hostel
Miles today: 6.2

Short walk down to Dennis Cove, mostly downhill. Have heard many praises heaped on Kincura, so eager to check it out. For only $4, they give you a bunk to sleep in, hot shower, laundry, 2 shuttles daily to town, use of kitchen, lots of reading material lying about and a general great hiker ambiance. The prices in town were good, especially $5 large one topping pizza! ready to hit trail tomorrow.
Date: 2004-04-30
From: Kincura Hostel

To: Watauga lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

Pardon my brevity for the next several entries. I got way behind on journaling: I am writing this one on May 22nd.The hike down was rocky, but not as treacherous as I had heard. Laurel Falls was big and pretty, emptying into a large pool. A light misting of rain was coming down. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera. The Hobbits and Navigator had done some trail work that day where the trail comes to the river. They did such a good job that I didn't even notice. Arrived at Watauga Lake and sat around with a few thru hikers. There was a rope swing that was tempting to swing on. I had heard that a few days earlier Beatboy was seen swinging naked from the rope into the lake. The trail wrapped around the lake and then up a slight hill for a mile. Walking Stomach and Little Tree were there, as was Dave. The night was pleasantly mild and we all slept soundly.
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Watauga lake Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: light rain

This day was the start of 40 miles in two days. I was impressed with myself until some hikers did 26, 33, or 40 in one day to get into Damascus. Of course, some of those who did big miles needed to take time off after doing so. Coyote and Salt Lick took a "Holy Crap, we just did 26 miles" day off, then took a zero! (wink, wink) Stopped for dinner at Iron Mountain Shelter, which was already 14 miles. I left thinking I could do a few more miles, but I ended up doing almost 8 in 3 hours. When I got to the shelter, I was so stoked on adrenaline, I felt I could do another 10. But, after a few minutes, I was ready to crash. So I did.
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: "The Place"
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

wettest day on the trail so far. From the emergency shelter on, around 10 miles, it was just a deluge. The only really bad cold, rainy day on the trail that I have had. The horror storeis have not come really come true, of day after day of all clay of all day rain slogs. But, one was enough. Knowing that hot pizza and showerswere ahead, sourred me on. The place was a ????? place. You got a bunk and shower for $4, and it was good.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Damascus

To: Lost Mountain
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

After leaving Tennessee, the attitudes of the trail clubs towards the shelters seems to have changed for the better. In Tennessee, the shelters were ugly little things of concrete, with no privies and often badly littered.   The first shelter in Virginia that I encountered, Saunders Shelter, was very picturesque, well worth the 2 mile hike off the trail. There's just something about having pine needles on the ground everywhere that adds to the beauty of a campsite. Possibly because it looks better than bare earth, which often happens in a well used area.   The trail temporarily coincided with the Virginia Creeper trail, a bike and pedestrian path, paved, which included a walk over a scenic 500 foot bridge, Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge. I briefly thought about camping on the river along the Virginia Creeper, but instead pressed on to Lost Mountain shelter, another fine Virginia shelter.
Date: 2004-05-05
From: Lost Mountain

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

What an amazing day! I wish I was not writing it 25 days(!) after the fact. Or maybe that's a good thing. Having it so far back in memory might keep the length down. This was a long day, with rock outcroppings, feral ponies, extremely rugged trails, Mt. Rogers, a solar privy, and plenty of open views. The day started with a climb to Buzzard Rock, a nice-sized rock outcropping alone at the top of a bare hill. After passing Mt. Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, I arrived at Thomas Knob Shelter. Waiting there were Switchback, so named because he hates switchbacks (for some odd reason, he'd rather go straight up these hills) and Zippy, brother of Pokey. Zippy is skinny and a very fast hiker of 37. Pokey is an attractive woman of 45 with family back home and aptly named. The siblings hike to the same spot every night, with Zippy usually being there for a couple of hours before his sister. Kalooke, and 1 or 2 other hikers, were also there. Back behind the shelter was a small herd of feral ponies that Grayson is semi-famous for.   Several mothers and colts were present. The ponies showed little fear of humans, though they tended to keep the young ones away from us. The next 2.3 miles proved to be some of the rockiest of the trip thus far, making progress slow. This was the section from the shelter to the border of the park. The park was a little less rugged, but even more scenic, as large rock outcroppings on tree-less hills dominated the landscape. The trail wound around the park almost aimlessly before heading to Wise Shelter and Little Wilson Creek.
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Wise Shelter

To: Troutdale Baptist Hostel
Miles today: 16.1

The first part of the day featured a windy climb out of Wise Shelter onto a treeleass ridge, then down into "the Scales", where there was once an actual scale for weighing livestock. Now, it is just a big corral that the AT passes through. It was here that I learned the origin of Hungry Mother State Park. Eventually, the day went back to the Virginia norm, the "Green Tunnel", and finished with a stay at the Baptist Church with BearTrax, LL Fuzzy, Stargazer, her dog, Sadie, Grizzly Dave, Rooster, and Ranger Jim. Dave slept in the bunkhouse, I cowboy camped, and everyone else tented on the hill above the church.
Date: 2004-05-10
From: Chestnut Ridge

To: Jemkins Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Walked the remainder of Chestnut Ridge to the shelter, a very nice and spacious stone structure where I met Beatboy, who is known for his silly sense of humor and goofy poems in the shelter registers. Descended from the ridge, got water at Walker Gap, then climbed up to Garden Mountain, which was very unexpectedly rugged and everyone hated sinse it looked like an easy walk on the elevation profile. I think we were all just angry that we had been fooled. I had intended to go further today, but was starting to get burnt out and (Rock) Garden Mountain just totally deflated any enthusiasm I had for hiking for a while.
Date: 2004-05-11
From: Jemkins Shelter

To: Bland, Big Walker Motel
Miles today: 0.0

Today seemed to start as bad as yesterday ended. Within 5 minutes on the trail, I banged my shin painfully on a downed tree, prompting a few curses and kicks. The bugs were also annoying as was the heat. Little Wolf Creek had to be crossed a blue(?) million times until it dumped into Laurel Creek, where my mood was improved by a wade in the water, and the knowledge that I would be getting a week-long break soon.
Date: 2004-05-16
From: Damascus, Va.

To: Kinkora Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Day three of three. The resting and partying over, now it's time for work. Two days well spent with the Kinkora hardcore crew, learning as you go how to build trail. Good, hard sweaty work, with a terrific dinner at the end of each day. The hostel was extremely over-crowded, however, and I was dying to get back on the trail.
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Passed by Keffer Oak today, 18 feet around and over 300 years old. Unfortuneately, I had no idea at the time. I only know because I read the guidebook. See what hiking at thru-hiker pace does to a person?
Date: 2004-10-20
To: It's a Crash! Bang! Thang!
Miles today: 0.0

Coming soon! New journal entries under Crash! Bang! I just finished copying and pasting entries from my old trailname (which I never even got to start with, as I was re-christened the night before I started thru-hike) to my new moniker, which everyone knows me as. Next step is to start writing new entries. No more entries will be made here, and soon new entries will appear at Crash! Bang! I just requested a direct link, and soon, when you type in "www.trailjournals.com/crashbang", it will take you directly. Until then, go to the trailjournals main page and click on Crash! Bang! under 2004 Appalachian Trail hikers. Sorry for the delays everyone. I slowly got further and further behind, slipping from a day or two, to a few days, to a month behind, to several weeks, til eventually I decided I would wait until finished with the trail to finish writing and not even pretend to myself I was going to get any more writing done. I hope the journal does not suffer from the lack of immediacy, but maybe I that can be compensated with perspective gained from having distance from the events. We shall see.
Date: 2004-04-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

ok, here goes. i'm back in florida for three days taking care of things so i can be gone for another hike. i just got done with a short section hike last week from carver's gap in tenn. to hot springs, nc with jan liteshoe and that is when i decided to do this thru hike. i don't believe in long preparations and this seems to be long enough. after all, it's been about a week since i decided to do this hike and i will be at amicalola falls starting to walk north on saturday may 1st. of course, anyone that knows me from two previous thru hikes (nobo in '02 and sobo in '03) knows that i'll have to stop off at the lodge about a mile up the approach trail for the breakfast buffet. i'm going to my daughter's house this afternoon and setting up my computer so my grandaughter can email me. her computer broke down and mine would be just sitting for the summer, so it just seems like the right thing to do. ok, that will take care of day one for the preparations for this hike.
Date: 2004-04-29
To: still in florida
Miles today: 0.0

ok, day 2 of preparations. i've only got 48 hours ands i'll be walking up the approach trail to springer (with a full belly from that buffet at the lodge). i took my computer to my grandaughter's yesterday and got her all set up. i was showing her how to type in some things and she looked at me and said; grandpa, move over and let me try. she typed like a professional secretary. i said; nice, now move over and let me show you how to get online. i was showing her how to click on this and poke on that and when i looked over at her, she was rolling her eyes. i said; what?? she said; move over grandpa and she proceeded to show me some shortcuts. i said; well, it looks like i've got you all set up here while she was going through the computer's settings and changing all the formats to suit her. she had all kinds of things happening to that computer that i didn't even know it would do. yeah, i knew i bought a good machine. i just never knew how to use it. the thing that i can't get over is that she is only eleven years old. there's no way i'll ever challenge her to a game of chess. i stopped by my mother's house and had her change my summer sleeping bag into a quilt. it was a kelty liteyears and i hated the 1/2 zip on it. i removed the zipper and she slit it down to the foot box and sewed it, so now i have a 1 lb, 5 oz quilt. i will bounce that to hot springs and see how the weather is then. today i'm doing laundry so i have some clean clothes when i get done with the trail. i vacumned the trauck so i'll have a clean truck when i'm done. i have to cut a hole in my left pair of superfeet so my heel spur doesn't bother me. i once told a podiatrist that i know what i did to my insoles so i could walk with my heel spur and he said that he would probably do the same thing. that was a free consultation on the trail. i don't have anything to do to my backpack to get ready for this thru hike because it is always ready. it always has three days of food in it when i'm not hiking.....never know when you might decide to do a long distance hike. my lekis will make it to trail days where i'll get them tuned up. the leki people are the greatest.    ok, i guess i better go and put my laundry in the dryer.
Date: 2004-04-30
From: still in florida

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

i'm cheating tonight; this is tomorrows journal entry, but i'm getting up early and driving to amicalola falls state park, so this is my last entry for the preparation of this hike. it's been grueling getting ready. i got my laundry done this morning, then i sat around drinking coffee with kathy and i had to make my own breakfast....can you believe that, my neighbor made me make my own breakfast. at least i got to use her eggs and fry pan. then i weighed my pack and with ful food (3 days) and full water (one liter), my backpack weighed in at 18 pounds. i am still carrying my western mountaineering 10 degree back until i get to hot springs and i always carry my 2 person tent. i love my tent. it is a wanderlust 2-4-2. i've got well over 300 nights in that tent and it still looks like new. i haven't used a ground cloth with it except for maybe a week. i have had to replace the zipper slides on it two times. this time i put two zipper slides on it. i just sewed one out of the way and when i need it all i have to do is cut a thread and it will be ready to go. i'm carrying enough gear to take me down to single digits, but i doubt i'll carry that much any further than hot springs. my backpack should be around 15 pounds from then on and that is still with full food and water. i bought two new pair of asics running shoes and will change them out about every 300 miles. those two pairs will last me all the way to katahdin. i get between 1000 and 1200 miles out of each pair. this will be the first time that i switched them in my bounce box every few hundred miles. after a short nap this afternoon, i went out to dinner with my neighbors, red and kathy. they treated me to my first trail magic, even before i got on the trail. thanks for dinner you guys. i'm really going to rough it the first day. i've made reservations at the lodge at amicalola. that way i will be right there when they start that buffet in the morning. i should be getting into hiawassee in 4 to 4 1/2 days so until then....adios. if that is spelled right, it means good bye in some foreign language. bet you didn't know that i knew that unless you don't know me. ok, ok, i know, it's been a long day. here i come amicalola!!!!!
Date: 2004-05-01
From: visitor's center/amicalola falls

To: 1/2 mile past gooch gap
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

what a great day to start a thru hike. i got to amicalola falls state park yesterday and decided to spend the night in the lodge. had never stayed there before and wanted to see what it was like. it was nice but when you add in the $10.00 of taxes onto the 70 bucks, it seemed a little expensive. i did manage to make it down to the restaurant for the seafood buffet!!! who knew that would happen??? i woke up early and went down to the visitor's center and registered as a thru hiker and made arrangements to park my truck and started hiking at 7 a.m. i walked for almost 1/2 hour and i took the side to back to the lodge for the breakfast buffet. i can really get into hiking like this....walk a half an hour and eat for an hour. i grabbed my pack and when i went to tighten the waist belt, it seemed like it didn't fit as well as the day before....could be eating too much. at about 10 a.m. i stopped and took a break and for the first time in quite a while, i felt like i was at home. it was absolutely beautiful, even though it had been raining since i woke up this morning. i hiked the 8.8 miles on up to springer mountain and signed the register. i said hello to pamela. i hiked on past the shelter because i had heard that a ridge runner that i knew was down at the parking lot. i got there and gizmo was there with another ridge runner. he said to be careful because there is an aggresive bear in the area. i told him i wouldn't be in the area long. we talked for a while and i ate an apple and then hiked on. i ate lunch at stover creek shelter and then hiked on to hawk mountain shelter and took a break. hiked on to gooch gap shelter and ate dinner and talked to postcard and bell (at least that's the name she's thinking about taking). i hiked on and found a nice soft stealth spot on a bunch of leaves and went to bed. i did get to see two indigo buntings (one of my favorites) and lots of wildflowers and flame azaleas today. it's great to be home!!
Date: 2004-05-02
From: 1/2 mile past gooch gap

To: low gap shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: moderate rain

at about 1 a.m. this morning a thunder storm rolled in. i made sure i was on my z-rest and rolled over and went back to sleep. i love sleeping in the woods. i woke up to rain and thought to myself that it was too bad i didn't have a book. i packed up in the rain and had my coffee (my one luxury on the trail) and started walking. the sun peaked out for about 10 minutes in the afternoon after some very heavy rain most of the morning and then the fog rolled in along with a very cool wind of about 30 mph. i hiked into neels gap and ran into g-man there. i had seen him up in maine last year at steve longley's place. i also met hiway there and they gave me two krispy kream donuts.....my first trail magic and greatly appreciated.....thanks. i resupplied at mountain crossings and got to say hi to restless and cornbread. always good to see old friends. i saw one of the largest orange newts or salamanders that i've ever seen before. he was pushing 4" long. i'm used to the smaller ones up in vermont. i woke up a deer and was greeted with him snorting at me and then running off and i saw a wabbit.....i say this because you don't see many wabbits on the a.t. i got to gooch gap and had planned on hiking on after dinner, but decided to stay because it was out of the hi winds and i sleep better when it's not so windy. i met a german girl there by the name of rita who had been there for two days because of the rain. it was only 7:45 p.m. and the whole shelter was full of hikers who were already sleeping. glad i sleep in my tent.