morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-04
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up in a funk this am. I was a bit sad that the others were leaving and I was moving on without them and that we hadn't yet caught up with "Iron Chef" et.al , but was mostly mad at myself for letting the actions of others dictate my general mood. I hinted to "Boiler Plate" about my mood and he reminded me to "...just be in the moment...". That one comment really made a huge difference in my mood and gave me the push I needed to get out of the funk. I decided to hike at my own pace again. I stopped trying to keep up with others and stopped worrying about catching up to my other friends and found that my whole attitude did a complete 180 and my spirits were back up again. At Dicks Creek Gap I met "Smokey", "The Viking", Ben and Christie. They told me that they had seen "Iron Chef" et. al this am and that we weren't too far behind them. I was SO thrilled at lunchtime when I ran into them taking a break at the shelter where I was planning to eat my lunch. "Iron Chef" waited and chatted with me while I ate my lunch and then we took off together. I was so happy to be with them again. "Superman?" and Heather were planning to camp where we were headed but had already pushed on when we arrived. Crossed our first state line today! Moved from Georgia to North Carolia about .1 miles from our campsite. Had a great time tonight catching up with "Iron Chef" and "Mr. McGoo" and met new friends "Grettle", Paul & Sharon and their dog Bayla.
Date: 2003-04-05
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! :) It rained on and off ALL night last night. Not sure how being that it was so cold, but dreamed there was a Baskin' Robbins right over the hill in front of us and that we were able to get a Baskin' Robbins ice cream cake for my birthday...woke up and it was cold and wet and no Baskin'Robbins in sight. Was going to get up and get going in the rain, when it started down pouring. Follwed by thunder and lightning. "Mr.McGoo" and "Grettle" both have radios and said that the storm would blow over shortly but after laying in my hammock cold for almost 4 hrs, I decided I didnt care how hard it was raining, blowing or WHATEVER, but I was getting out of there. I convinced "Iron Chef" and "McGoo" to come with me. Of course, we pack up all our crap in the pouring rain and have everything in our packs not more than 2 minutes when the whole damn storm blows over and it clears up to be a beautiful day(lesson learned, if they say its gonna blow over soon, just wait it out). Was tempted to get off the trail and go into Franklin early because my bag and everything else was soaked from the storm, but after a long lunch and newly dried gear it was easy to push on and make my goal of spending a full 7 day stretch in the woods. 4 miles past where we had lunch we step out of the woods and onto a dirt road where we meet Tom and his kids Hunter and Burton who have a BBQ going with burgers, hotdogs, sodas and all the fixin's! WOW , "Trail Magic" is so cool. I ate both a hamburger and a hot dog and the dogs were each allowed a hot dog and 1/2! Everyone was happy. This all happend less that 1 mile from our destination which meant that when we got there we were able to throw out our sleeping bags and relax. Its so nice when you don't have to cook or clean dishes. I opted for a stream bath and felt SOOO good and tingly after the Dr.Bronners peppermint suddsing. Noticed that Cade is limping on her leg where she had the ACL repair, not good... will lighten her load tomorrow and keep an eye on it.
Date: 2003-04-06
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Deep Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4

Biggest day yet!! Left this am ahead of "Iron Chef" who was planning to be right on my heals, but he never caught up. The hiking was pretty mild until the end when we reached Mt. Albert. STEEEP is the only word for this one, can you say "Rock Climbing?". I met "Medicine Man" (a section hiker from TN)1/2 way through the day and ended up hiking the last 3.1 miles up and over this monster (Mt.Albert) with him. "Medicine Man" is a cool guy. Sleeps in a hammock, the same as mine, and is a plethera of information. He gave me soo much information, I was glad when I had some ideas for him that he hadn't heard of before, like the spices in the straw idea (learned from "Windtalker", you cut off both ends of a straw, fold one over and put the cut off end over that, fill the straw with your spices then fold over the other end to close it off... makes for a really lightweight way to carry your spices).Gave Cade some asprin this am and her limp seems to have diminished (yay). Showed up at the shelter and was thrilled to see "Clifford (the big red dog)" along with "Mr.McGoo", "Strawbale", "Big Paw" and others I had not yet met. Into Franklin with "Clifford", "Strawbale" and "Grettle" (who showed up later)tomorrow.
Date: 2003-04-07
From: Deep Spring Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

WOW!! HUGE storm last night. I've seen winds like that in Colorado, but NEVER have I been in rain like that before. Luckily we were in a shelter last night and stayed warm and dry. It cleared out around 7:00 this am. We all took off for Wallace Gap so we could hitch into Franklin for a shower, laundry and night in a bed. 1 mile before our destination what do we find but some unexpected TRAIL Magic! Mud Butt's (look her up on trail journals, we've been playing leap frog with her for a few days)...anyway, her parents decided to surprise her and meet her on the trail, but not before stopping at McDonalds and the grocery store for some treats which they shared with everyone! WOW SOOO COol. I've been hiking with "Medicine Man" (a section hiker from North Carolina) since yesterday and he offered to drive me and the crew I was with into Franklin. So awesome. Two acts of kindness in one day... truly amazing. It feels so great to be clean and wearing cotton!! (I am sending a "bump" box to myself in each town with jeans and a sweatshirt). So now for the bad news, :( I brought my journal from the hotel with me so I could transcribe the other days between 4/1 and today , but I accidentally left it back at the hotel when we were dropping people off in between errands. Appologies to all for the slip up :(. I will have internet access in 3 days so I will be sure to update from there. :) Shannon "Two Dog Night"
Date: 2003-04-08
From: Wallace Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

Stayed at the Franklin Motel last night, got some laundry done and resupplied food. Marcia, a "Trail Angel" picked us up at the hotel, took us to the post office to send out our bump boxes and then dropped us off where we were picked up yesterday all at no charge! Truly amazing people out here at every turn! We had an easy hike to the shelter. I wanted to hike further, but it was down pouring again and hiking in soggy shoes and pants sucks ass. We huddled up in the shelter starting around 1:30. It finally stopped raining around 6:00 but by then it was too late to move on. "Grettle" got a forecast from her radio, 100% chance of precip tomorrow. Spent the rest of the evening hanging out trying to stay warm and dry (a definate challenge) only one day behind "Superman?" and Heather plan to hook up with them soon at the N.O.C.   http://www.noc.com/
Date: 2003-04-09
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

LONGGG haul today. Up and over 5000' 4 times today. "Iron Chef" finally caught up to us last night so leap frogged with him, Sharon & Paul and Bayla today. Wind and strong rain last night into this am. Should have had some GREAT views today but the weather prevented it. At one point it was so foggy I could barely see 30 ft in front of me!. Made it to the shelter (which by the way is the crappiest shelter we have stayed at). Also, I was finally able to figure out how to stay warm in my sleeping bag (a true triumph as I have been freezing most nights since I started). Had fun joking around with the "Iron Chef" tonight.
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Natahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: moderate rain

Another cold night last night. Woke up cold around 3 am and dozed on and off til about 7 when "Grettle" came from her tent to inform us that another 8-10" of snow was expected today. Looked out of the shelter to see that it had already snowed about 2" (no wonder I was so cold). Everyone packed their shit up as quickly as possible in a mad rush to avoid the snow and for a bunk at the NOC. Hiked a muddy treturous 6 miles to the next shelter where I met up with "Iron Chef", Paul & Sharon for lunch. "Windtalker" showed up 10 mins later and reported she had just "scampered" 12 miles in the same time it took us to walk 6! Cold and wet from having stopped I decided to leave after only a 15 min break. Basically ran the next 6 mi to NOC with "Windtalker" in front of me setting the pace. Showed up to the NOC completely soaked having hiked through rain, sleet and snow to get there. Found out NO DOGs allowed at the NOC so had to board them at a local kennel who luckily was willing to pick them up. Also, was able to save a littl $$ by sharing the additional pick up cost with Paul & Sharon who arrived about an hour after "Windtalker" and me. Had a GREAT burger and fries at the restaurant here and was so happy to finally catch up to "Superman?" and Heather. Had a birthday dessert with them as it was Heathers birthday today. Everyone who I have been hiking with since I started is here! Even "Boiler Plate" and "Stargazer" pushed 20 miles to get here today! Stayed up late in the community room sharing stories and conversation with everyone. Was reminded of the MEGA trail magic enjoyed by "Q" and "Jonatchi"... They had arrived at the Rainbow Springs campground and, unimpressed by the hospitality or the accomodations decided to go into Franklin. Picked up a ride from some local kids who stopped at a BP for gas when a guy walks out and asks "Q" if they were brought there by the kids and if they were planning on paying them. She told him they had planned to give them $5.00 for gas. The guy proceeds to give the kids $20.00 and thanked them for the ride on behalf of "Q" and "Jonatchi". Turns out he was the owner of the gas station and told them to go in and pick out whatever they wanted. Then, called and reserved a room at a motel in Franklin and paid for it with his credit card... THEN as he was dropping them off he gave them $100 and told them to enjoy their dinner! I'm, telling you... GREAT PEOPLE OUT HERE!!Slept in a warm, dry ... albeit stinky as hell from all the drying gear, bed at the hostel at NOC (it really did feel great to be warm and dry tho, no matter how much it stank!).
Date: 2003-04-11
From: Natahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Hardest hike YET! Pretty much 7 miles straight up!Some places we were practically rock climbing again. I think they made a mistake on the map and we actually hiked Mt.Everest. The hike was made enjoyable tho, as I was with "Superman?", Heather (now "Headlamp") and "Boiler Plate" again. About an hour or two before we got to the shelter it got SO Cold. It threatened to snow again, but never did. The fog was really thick again and got wet because of it. Got to the shelter to find it full with a bunch of people who were completly disinterested in scooting over to make room for a few more (a dissapointing experience and the only real negative event yet). Doc showed up about an hour after us and he and I decided to force our way in anyway as it was too wet and cold to deal with tents and hammocks.
Date: 2003-04-12
From: Sassafras Shelter

To: Chetoah Shelter-I think
Miles today: 15.0

Headed for Fontana Dam which we will reach tomorrow however, cannot move past there until Monday as the post office will be closed when we arrive and we all have packages to pick up. We decded to push big miles today so that we would have an easy stroll into town tomorrow. Took a few long breaks including some "Trail Magic" from "The Flintstones" a couple who had attempted the trail last year. Got to the shelter late (around 8 pm) just after the sun went down (a beutiful sunset behind the mountains).
Date: 2003-04-13
From: Chetoah Shelter-I think

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: clear sky

Arrived in Fontana Dam around noon after what seemed like endless PUD's (Pointless Ups and Downs). Had fun hiking and singing songs with "Sleepy Floyd", "The Viking", "Superman?", "Headlamp" and Michelle. Sang "It's getting hot in here" to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb and can't get it out of my head! Also sang it "Frank Sinatra Style". Caught a shuttle to the Fontana Inn where we had lunch. Then called Nancy and Jeff of the Hike Inn for a pick up. "Superman?" and "Headlamp" had reservations but I didn't and they were full...:( they were the only hotel in town that allowed dogs... I couldnt beleive it when they told me to take their reservation so I could stay in a hotel and they stayed at the "other" hotel in town for the night. What a great place ! Nancy and Jeff are wonderful people and provide a great service. For only $40 you get a great room, information about the park, laundry service and shuttled around to town (40 miles away for dinner). I had the best afternoon! I relaxed in my room, took a bath and soaked for what seemed like an hour! Ahhhhhh.... niiiice. Then Nancy took us to Bryson City for dinner and groceries.
Date: 2003-04-14
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Entering the Smokies tomorrow and no dogs allowed. So Cade and Dylan were picked up by Lida of Loving Care Kennels this am. Such a great lady. I can tell they will actually be well loved while I'm gone. She will then drop them off next week on the other side of the park. Mostly just relaxing today. Jeff dropped us off in Robbinsville for the day so we could have some lunch and get internet access at the library. So here I am been here well over my time limit updating this online journal and now must leave as my eyes are about to pop out of my head. Hopefully can update in another week or so!:) "Two Dog Night" - Shannon
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Fontana Dam, NC

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

The terrain wasn't too bad but the sun was hot and our packs were heavy with a 7 day supply of food. I felt sick most of the day. Hiking was slow which was discouraging in the moment, but moments pass and I felt much better after finishing miles for the day. We crossed the Fontana Dam which is the highest dam in the TVA (Tennesse Valley Authority) system then entered the Great Smoky Mountains.
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrik Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I felt drained today. 2.0 miles seemed to take forever. I was feeling in a bit of a funk but was releived to find that almost everyone else was feeling the same way. Hiked with "Superman?", "Dam Brite", "Sleepy Floyd" and "MasterGator" today. The high point was reaching "Rocky Top" (as in the John Denver song) which had BEAUTIFUL views that reached for miles and were 360 degrees. The pack is STILL heavy... working on eating the heavy stuff first! :)
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Derrik Knob Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter-(the other one)
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: light rain

Slept in til 8 am today! ahhh that was niiiiiice. Took my time getting out of camp then in for a day of MUDS and PUDS (Mindless Ups and Downs and Pointless Ups and Downs). Stopped for lunch at this shelter after a drerry morning of sprinkling on and off. Within minutes of arriving here it started to down pour. Decided to stay (heh). Proceeded to pack in as many people as wanted to stay in the shelter (day end totals 23 in a 12 person shelter - not bad). "Gunner" was AWESOME and stoked up a fire in the fire place which warmed the whole place considerably. We all had such a great time hanging out despite the fact that it was cold and wet and we were packed in like sardines (although we could have squeezed more if we had to). Stayed in my sleeping bag all day and stayed warm, joked around with "Iron Chef Conneticut" , "Windtalker" and "Pipes". Listened to music supplied by "Windtalker"'s MP3 player which really set the mood. I attempted to take pics to illustrate the utter chaos, but I seriously doubt the mood will come through in a picture. Anyway... all in all its been a great day. :)
Date: 2003-04-18
From: Silers Bald Shelter-(the other one)

To: New Found Gap
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Laughed my a-- all day while Chef made stupid Chicken Jokes (You know what?... Chicken Butt....) I have absoulutely NO clue why that was so damn funny. Had a great time at Clingmans dome (what would have been a great view- highest point on the at with a tower to climb and 360 views) but we were socked in with fog and couldnt see crap. Oh well... still had fun anyway! :)Caught a ride from Wendy at New Found Gap and spent the night in Gatlinburg. What a weird place. Good times at Shoney's AYCE (all you can eat!)....Was happy to be warm dry and freshly showered in our hotel room. :)
Date: 2003-04-19
From: New Found Gap

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: few clouds

Good views at Charlies Bunion, relaxed in the sun...miles went by fast due to cool conversations with Christie (now Auntie Em), "Pipes" and "Windtalker". Sprits are high and I'm glad to be back on the trail. Small bump= having some heal pain. :)
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Cosby Gap Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: moderate rain

15 minute miles all day today thanks to the flat/downhill terrain!! Standing Bear Farm is SOOO cool. I highly reccommend a stay there if you are attempting a thru- hike or even if you are just in the area. Curtis and Maria are soooo great and their kids are really cute! We are staying in this cute little cabin that has a creek running under it and sleeping in soft beds with cute patch work quilts. The vibe here is amazing, laid back and relaxed. Exactly what every hiker needs after a long day on the trail.
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Random Campsite on side of trail

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

Was in a lot of pain today. I think I pulled a mucsle in my chest or something. It really hurts to hike with my poles and tighten the shoulder straps on my pack. Breathing is painful on the uphills with the pack pulling back on my shoulders. Hiked 10 miles, but then took an out 7 miles from town when we came upon Hammock Hanger in her Jeep on a mountain road. THANKS TO HAMMOCK HANGER for the ride! Sat in the "Hot Springs" with Iron Chef, Pipes, Michelle, MasterGator and Crazy Talk. Had SOOO much fun, couldnt beleive I actually worked up the nerve to skinny dip with them. First time for everything!! ;) (dont worry... there was no funny business...)
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Firetower Campsite
Miles today: 8.3

Planned on leaving early but the vaccum effect of town sucked me in a prevented it. Didn't make it as far as planned but the campsite we stayed at was beutiful with a plentiful water source. Stormed most of the night but luckily the wind was absent (for once) and the dogs stayed dry under my hammock.
Date: 2003-04-28
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

Got up early and hiked to the Jerry Cabin shelter where we stopped for a 3 hr ciesta so we would miss hiking in the heat of the day. Shortly past the shelter we reached the 300 mile mark!! :) Someone was cool enough to write out 300 in using rocks in the middle of the trail so we stopped and had a short celebratory photo shoot. Pretty funny story before we got there though....Wendy (the trail magic lady from previous entries) had told me a story about her daughter hiking in Florida where some locals decieded to misroute the trail by placing blazes on trees that lead her to a circle with all kinds of freaky warning signs... they routed her in circles and she ended up having to use her compass to find her way back to the trail. Anyway... the trail today seemed to litterally wind in circles around a small but steep mountain and then back tracking on a road that we had already been on... so I was telling this story and was a little nervous that we might be in a similar predicament...when we come to some writing in the trial made out of rocks and Pipes (who I was hiking with) screamed... I looked and at first glance thought it said "BOO" and was all freaked out for a second... turns out it said "300"... ewps
Date: 2003-04-29
From: Flint Mtn. Shelter

To: Bald Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 18.8

Crazy day today... we woke up planning to hike 14. 4 miles to Low Gap. A long uphill in the am and a nice lesiurly walk down hill into camp. Crossed a road halfway through the day. At lunch time we were discussing how they should post signs at all of the road crossings that would let us know if there were any services (convenience stores, restaurants etc..) within a few miles or less of the trail so that we could hitch a ride and get some food or sodas if we wanted. It was then that Mr. McGoo let us know that in fact they did, it was listed in our Guidebook that there was a restaurant 2.5 miles from the trail at the next road crossing (Sam's Gap)which was only 2 miles further along the trail. Excited about the prospect of a cold soda we quickly gathered the remains of our lunchs, stuffed our packs and took off for Sam's Gap. Hitching a ride with 8 people and 2 dogs is not the easisest task to accomplish... everyone had given up and were just getting ready to pack their stuff up and leave. I on the other hand was determined to get that damn soda so I stayed by the road trying to hitch a ride. As luck would have it a couple of college kids saw me and decided to be generous! They pulled over to pick me Up! As there wasn't room for everyone Superman? and I took everyones orders and $$ and headed to the convenience store. THey were so NICE, they took us all the way to the store then waited while we got our stuff and drove us back. Due to the delay of waiting to get our food we were at Sam's Gap when "Farmeer" came down off the trail going the wrong way. He explained that he was slackpacking (a practice of having someone in a town keep your pack for you while you hike between road crossings packless). He let us know that we could slack pack the next day if we made it to the next road crossing in time...the only problem was that it was 13.4 miles from where we were and it was now 5:30 pm. We arranged with him to have Miss Janet pick up our packs at the road crossing at 11:00 the next morning. As we did not want to miss Miss Janet and we had so far to go Pipes, Crazy Talk, Moxie (michelle) and I decided to hike an additional 3-4 miles on top of the 4 miles we already had to hike to make it to low gap. In addition to the extra milage we also had to climb 1500 ft in the last 3 miles with the majority of the elevation gain being in the last mile. It took us until well after sundown (10 pm) to get there, but we made it!
Date: 2003-04-30
From: Bald Mtn. Shelter

To: Nolichucky River
Miles today: 16.9

Got up at the ass crack of dawn today hiking by 6:30 am. Got to Spivy Gap where we met Miss Janet. She is SO Awesome! She picked up our packs and then we hiked 11 miles into Erwin. Started off sunny and warm then moved to thunder showers, lightning, hail.. the whole bit... was nervous walking on the ridge. Probably a really bad move considering the weather, but since we didnt have our packs and couldnt sleep out of town, we had to move on. Obviously, made it there alive. Stayed at the Holiday Inn in Erwin as Miss Janets house was already full. It was a great place tho, really nice rooms, a hot tub, free internet $ ben and jerry's ice cream.