morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Standing Bear Farm (Hostel)

To: Standing Bear Farm (Hostel)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This morning¢s big decision was to stay at Standing Bear Farm for another night or push on toward Max Patch. Shortly after waking up that decision was made due to the weather. Even though it continued to rain most of the night this morning¢s forecast called for storms most of the day today. After hearing that news Salt and I decided to stay another night, but Jane, Baro, Donkey, and Gringo decided to push on towards Hot Springs, NC. They just couldn¢t stay another night in a dry bed as the wet tents were calling their names. Just after eating breakfast they packed up and headed out for the trail. After saying a few goodbyes Salt and I moved our gear over to the cabin across the stream where Jane and Baro stayed last night. This gave us a little extra room to spread our gear out to finish drying. This cabin had a little more room in it than the main cabin and the beds were also a little bigger. The best part about this cabin was that it bridged over the creek and the rushing water from all the rain sounded great as it ran beneath the floor. After everyone that was leaving today set off for the trail Salt and I borrowed Natem¢s car and went into Cosby, TN to eat our breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. It was nice to have dry cloths on and to be eating a hot breakfast with fresh coffee. All the way to the Cracker Barrel and back it continued to rain and we knew that we had made a wise decision to stay and that by now the rest of the group was probably wishing that they had stayed as well. When we returned to the hostel the man that Salt had hired earlier in the week to keep Pepper, while we hiked through the Smokies, delivered her back to us. She was excited to be back with us. Since most everyone checked out this morning and were already gone I took advantage of the washer and washed everything that I could get inside a load and then dried everything in the dryer including my tent. While doing so Silverfoot, Sage, and The River Weasel came strolling into the hostel wet and ready for a break from the trail. Throughout the day many others arrived until all the bunkhouses were full and a few even used the barn as an overflow space. I figure there are probably 30 hikers for the night crammed here and there, but no one seemed to mind because it was dry inside the cabins, which was much better than setting up a wet tent. As the evening progressed the weather began to break and slowly cleared off to a nice night. Just before dark a couple named Pebbles and Ox showed up and provided some really nice trail magic for everyone. They had a cooked ham, yams, beans, drinks, salad, and even desert pies for everyone. It was definitely unexpected but truly a treat. To top off the evening we built a nice fire and all set around attempting to dry out our shoes before heading off to bed. For the two-day stay and a few supplies out of Curtis¢s store I paid about $40. It may sound a little high compared to other trail hostels but I had a good time and will be leaving dry and well energized for tomorrow¢s hike.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Standing Bear Farm (Hostel)

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: moderate rain

This morning it was raining once again so Salt and I decided to set off for Hot Springs, NC anyway. After getting all my gear packed up I stopped in the cabin with the cooking supplies to eat my leftover biscuits that I kept from my visit to Cracker Barrel yesterday. I slipped them into the pizza oven and in no time they were hot and soft just like they were freshly baked. To make things even better I had a few packets of back berry jam to spread across the top of them. We settled our tabs with Curtis and set out for the trail just after 8:00am. It continued to rain and by the time we reached Ground Hog Creek Shelter we were soaked to the bone and cold. We set up under the shelter and cooked some hot soup to hold us over for a while. We were trying to hold out because Pebbles and Ox were planning to be set up just a little further up the trail with plenty more trail magic for us to enjoy. Sure enough not long after getting back on the trail we ran across the two of them at Brown Gap. They had everything under the stars laid out on the tables from fresh fruit to hot cheeseburgers and treated us like we had known them all our lives. The two of them were great and I can¢t wait to cross paths with them again. After getting our guts full Salt and I set off for Max Patch. The hike over the bald was nice because it had once again quit raining and the clouds were breaking. On top of the bald it was a little windy and cool but Salt and I took a break anyway to enjoy the 360-degree views for a bit while pepper rolled around in the grass scratching her back. We also met up with a couple out of Maine by the names of ¢Lincoln¢ and ¢Genie or also Sour Dough¢. Some call them the ¢Bread Makers¢. They seem to be a really cool couple and cook all their meals on the trail. Genie mixes up dough and bakes bread daily while out hiking. We chatted with them for a while and watched a few guys flying radio-controlled gliders on top of the bald before deciding to push on. Just after entering the woods at the bottom of the mountain I stopped and observed an owl for a few minutes. This is a rarity because they are rarely seen during the day. We made a push for Walnut Mountain Shelter and reached the clear-cut area just before dark. While passing through we picked up a few pieces of firewood and built a fire at the shelter to stay warm. This was nice because the skis were clear but it was still a bit cool outside. I set my tent up on the hill just past the shelter and after staying up by the fire until nearly 11:00pm. I then went off to bed to escape the chill and read up on Hot Springs, NC. Tonight and Walnut Mountain Shelter: Salt, Pepper, Slim, a section hiker, and I
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

This morning Salt and I got up with intentions of heading out of town petty early. I packed everything and headed down to the post office to pick up my drop box that Mom mailed out earlier in the week. Yesterday the post office was closed due to it being Sunday. Learning from that I have decided that Sundays could be a huge issue with future mail drops if not planned correctly. As I came out of the post office I stopped and talked to Tipper and Bright Eyes for a few minutes in front of the little red caboose there in the center of Hot Springs before returning to the cabin at the campground. When I got back to the cabin Salt was just about ready so we did some final packing and checked out at the office. I needed to stop by the post office one last time before leaving town to drop off my bounce box. It had some extra supplies that I needed to ship up to Erwin, TN. After dropping the package off everything soon became a blur. At this point I was packed and mentally ready to hit the trail for a good day¢s hike. I was walking through town when over my shoulder and across the street at the Paddlers Pub The River Weasel started calling ¢Mouse¢. He was waiting on the pub to open and motioned me to come visit. So I did!!! They opened the pub doors shortly after that and since I was already there and hungry I decided to have lunch before hitting the trail. The next thing I knew the pub was closing some 11 hours later and we were still sitting at the same table. While hanging out Donkey¢s buddy Corey showed up all fresh and clean cut ready to hit the trial. He had caught a flight into Atlanta I believe and then hitched a ride up to Hot Springs to join us on the trail. We all ended up sharing a pitcher of beer and that pitcher later turned into many pitchers. During that time we ate both lunch and dinner at the Paddlers Pub and squeezed in a couple of snacks in between. These meals included a huge cheeseburger, a whole 16¢ pizza, and a bunch of other stuff throughout the day. To entertain us during this time Silver Foot showed up and disappeared inside Bluff Mountain Outfitters just across the street for several hours. Come to find out she had gone in to look for a new tent to replace the little kids tent that she was currently carrying and had gone to sleep in one of the tents on display in the upstairs loft. Once Weasel and I found this out we acted like the paparazzi and took tons of pictures of her asleep. Since she doesn¢t like pictures in the first place she really didn¢t like us after this event. It was fun though and the Weasel and I got some great pictures of the sleepy one. We returned across the street to the Paddler¢s Pub and ended up closing the place down several hours later. By this time it was 9:00pm and we ended up checking back into the same cabin that we stayed in last night for a zero mile day on the trail here in Hot Springs. We may not have gotten our normal leg workout from hiking today but the arms were worn out from all the cold beer mug curls.Tonight at the Hot Springs Campground Cabin: Salt, Pepper, River Weasel, and I
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Allen Gap

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: moderate rain

This morning was really soggy after camping in the storms at Allen Gap all last night. It was still raining so I packed up all my gear inside my tent and waited for the rain to stop so I could cook breakfast. I ended up sticking my stove outside my tent and boiling enough water to make a few packets of oatmeal. Eating breakfast inside a 20 square foot tent isn¢t the best way to start the day but is much better than sitting in the rain eating. This morning out of camp I hiked with Shasta and H-bomb for a while before stopping to take a break out of the rain at Little Laurel Shelter. While here both Salts and both Peppers showed up and the two pups aren¢t getting along very well. So much for a love at first site match!!! After the shelter the trail was poorly marked all the way up and over White Rock and Back Stack Rocks. The trail was also extremely rocky and slippery from the rain. I hiked a lot of this section by myself and stopped at both outcroppings for pictures and to enjoy the scenery. Getting out to these two areas was a chore in itself though because of the think rhododendrons. I ended up dropping my pack and crawling through much of the side trails to the view points due to poor trail maintenance and overgrowth of the underbrush on the side trails. The interesting part of this ridge though was the bad weather route that detoured around the side of the mountain. It was put into place to keep hikers off on the ridge during lightning storms decreasing their exposure to the elements. Also along the ridge was some of the best rockwork that I have seen on the trail to date. The local trail crews have moved huge boulders and rocks creating steps to traverse the ridge. I guess that is why this section is called ¢The Boulder Fields¢. Weasel and I decided to push on and break the 300 mile mark before calling it quits for the day so we trudged on through the mud until we saw a big ¢300¢ spelled out into a pile of leaves. From this point we were only three miles from the next shelter so we took it easy the rest of the way. When we got to the shelter it had started raining again so I set up camp and ate a cold dinner inside my tent. Tonight I journaled a little and went to bed at 9:00pm to the sound of more rain. Tonight at Flint Mountain Shelter: Slim, Gringo, Salt, Pepper, Jane, Baro, Scarecrow, Chardonnay, Cabernet, River Weasel, and I
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap (mile 317.9)
Miles today: 14.9

We were up to another rainy morning today. I even slept in until 8:00am trying to avoid wet shoes and a wet rain suit but it continued to pour. The crew hung out around the shelter for a while but we all got anxious and started hiking in the rain anyway. I ended up hitting the trail at 10:00am wet and cold. The most exciting thing this morning was crossing all the stiles and getting chased by an old mutt dog that lived in a nearby trailer park. Later on I found out that it didn¢t chase any of the girls but it scared the hell out of all us boys. Showing teeth and loud growling just isn¢t my description of fun with a strange dog in the woods. After battling Fido the trail took a quick ascend. This section was next to a stream and passed two old graves on the way up to Sugar Loaf Gap. This section was really nice and by this time the weather had broken and the sun was shining. When I got to the top of the gap I stopped and spread my tent out to dry while having some lunch. While there I met a new hiker named Miles from California. He hiked awfully slow but still seamed to get the miles in everyday from what I could tell. Not sure if he had a trail name at this point but Smoke Stack would suit him just fine as big puffs of smoke rolled out of his pipe every other breath he took. After drying out and a snack I hit the trail on my way to Hogback Ridge Shelter to meet back up with the crew (River Weasel, Sage, Scarecrow, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Lincoln, Genie, and Gringo) for an afternoon break. Just past the shelter at Sam¢s gap a group of former thru hikers had a little PBR trail magic for everyone to enjoy. We stopped for a few minutes and sucked the bottoms dry before starting the 1500¢ ascend up Bald Mountain. It was long and steep so Gringo, Chardonnay, Cabernet, and I ran out of steam at Low Gap and call it a night. While setting up Jane, Shasta, H-Bomb, and Baro showed up and decided to stay here tonight as well. Tonight at Low Gap: Jane, Shasta, H-Bomb, Baro, Gringo, Chardonnay, Cabernet, and I
Date: 2006-04-28
From: Low Gap (mile 317.9)

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

This morning was off to a cold start from Low Gap around 9:00am. After the rain moved through the region last night it brought a wave of cold weather behind it. We didn¢t sit around camp long before setting out trying to get warm. The good thing about this morning¢s hike was the climb. Not normally a good thing, but the ascend got our blood flowing quickly and warmed us up some. We only hiked about 4 miles before stopped for a long break on top of Big Bald. The balded area on top hints its name Big Bald gave some great 360-degree views and best of all some warm sunshine. Jane, Baro, Shasta, H-Bomb, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Gringo, River Weasel and I spent about an hour and a half soaking up the warmth and taking pictures of the views. This was much needed after the last few days of cold rainy weather. After the long break we made our way off of the bald over to Big Bald Shelter and then proceeded on after that. Just before Spivey Gap a few of us stopped at Spivey Gap Creek and soaked our feet in the water. The creek was freezing cold but felt really good on the tired aching feet. We all sat and watched Shasta pick through her trail mix and complaint about how much she didn¢t like it while Baro crashed for a nap beside the creek at the base of a huge oak tree. Back on the trail and across US19 the trail took a steep ascend but followed a nice waterfall most of the way up. Jane and I hiked this section together and continued on to No-Business Knob Shelter together for the night. At the shelter we ran into Model-T and Ranger Dawg, so from the start we knew it would be an entertaining night. We set up camp while Ranger Dawg built us a fire. If Ranger Dawg is around there will be a fire. The rest of the crew gradually filtered into camp and we all gathered around for some stories by Model-T. He proceeded to tell us about the old man that lived on Big Bald Mountain and about hanging the elephant in Erwin, TN. He is full of trail knowledge and I can¢t wait to read a few of his books when I get home. As night started setting in we cleaned our plates of everything left in our packs because we would resupply in town tomorrow. Jangles ended up putting Baro to shame by out eating him in a little eating contest. Hopefully this will show up in the next addition of Model T¢s book. Tonight at No Business Knob Shelter: Model T, Ranger Dawg, Jangles, Baro, Shasta, H-Bomb, Miles, Mystic, Gingo, Sage, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Scarecrow, and I
Date: 2006-04-30
From: Erwin, TN

To: Deep Gap (mile 350.8)
Miles today: 12.1

This morning we woke up around 8:00am and went down to the lobby to treat ourselves to the continental breakfast. Generally people just grab a cup of coffee and a muffin from the lobby to hold them over but we treated this like a buffet. While sitting in the lobby I met a few guys that have always wanted to take a big adventure like this but never took the time to do it. After a little talking to them you could tell in their eyes that there was still hope for them to take a long trip because the sparks were flying. This Probably just caused a few divorces in the near future but they should get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Also while in the lobby I ran into another fellow hiker named Post Card. He hiked the trail in 2004 and afterwards wrote a book about his adventure. He is planning to write a second book after this hike and inside will include a few sketches from along the trail this time. I will keep an eye out for a copy when I get home. After breakfast the usual packing took place and then we checked out of the room for a cold return to the trail. When we stepped out of the hotel the rain front had pushed on and left an unseasonable cold front behind. Jane, Baro, and I walked up to Uncle Johnny¢s about a mile up the road for some last minute supplies and to ship a few boxes back home. While there we all weighed our packs and some how mine is around 50 lbs. I know the little rubber duck that I bought last night would weight a little but not nearly that much. After some chit chatting and some sitting around we crossed the river and returned to the trail just after 1:00pm. The next 2 miles of trail was really nice and for the most part flat. This all ended shortly before Curley Maple Gap Shelter because we crossed a few fallen trees form last night¢s storm while making our climb up to the shelter. We stopped at the shelter for a quick break and ran into Marley. I hadn¢t seen him in a few days but would surely get to see him during this next section over to Damascus, VA. We had initially planned to stay up on Beauty Spot for the night but due to more approaching storms we hiked just past the ridge and into Deep Gap which is the valley below to seek shelter from the wind. When we got there a school group was already camping nearby so we for shore wasn¢t going to be lonely tonight. After setting up camp the temperature started to drop so we quickly ate dinner. This is about the time that I realized Uncle Johnny had given me something other that alcohol for my stove because my stove was now a flaming inferno. The results of the bonfire in my stove left my pot covered with suit and me fuming. If you ever get alcohol from him you better double-check it before hitting the trail because it sucks to have suit on everything and no way to wash it off. To pass a little time before setting off to bed we watched Jangles brush her teeth with some brush ups that her team back home send and we all shared interesting roommate stories from our times in college. Just before dark it started raining again so we went to bed early. Tonight at Deep Gap: Jangles, Gringo, Baro, and I
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Deep Gap (mile 350.8)

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Burrr it was cold this morning. It is always hard to get started in the mornings when it is cold and today was no exception. The school kids from Ohio, camped just below us in the valley, pulled out of camp a couple of minutes before us heading southbound. Baro, Gringo, Jangles and I took off around 9:00am headed north. We had a little bit of a climb up to Unaka Mountain and once we got there wished we had pushed on a little further last night. The top of the mountain was covered with a really nice stand of Hemlock trees and had a lot of nice flat camping spots. Once over the peak of Unaka we caught up with Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Scarecrow and hiked with them down to Cherry Gap Shelter. It was just after Cherry Gap Shelter we picked up Roxy before continuing on to Iron Gap where we took a few pictures of the group in front of the Pisgah National Forrest Sign and ate lunch.  When we got back on the trail we crossed an area of pointless ups and downs also known as PUDS before coming to a side trail that lead to a place called Greasy Creek Friendly. With a name like that and a note in our guidebook that mentions ice cream we just had to investigate. Greasy Creek is listed as a hostel/friendly in the books but Connie and Pack Rat the owners will also serves meals to hungry hikers that stop. We all stashed our packs in the bushes and tried it out. We took off down what Wingfoot calls an old jeep road on the North Carolina side of the mountain. It was more of a footpath these days. Connie greeted us with open arms at the front door as if she had always known us and had us sit down at the kitchen table to order order a meal. There was nothing really elegant here at Greasy Creek but no one seemed not to mind because Connie whipped us (Jane, Baro, Marley, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Scarecrow, Gringo, Commando, Little Spoon, and Mandingo) up what ever we wanted and then some. She then topped it all off with one of the best sundaes I have ever had. Just about the time we finished eating Pack Rat came in the front door of his own house full of hikers and just as Connie had done greeted us like we were part of the family.  They even graciously left me us there hosepipe to clean the suit from my pans and stove after last night¢s episode with the bad fuel and refilled my alcohol bottle with clean fuel. After stuffing ourselves we all returned to the trail and shortly found ourselves at Clyde Smith Shelter for the night. When we got there Shasta and H-Bomb we sitting there after putting in around 21 miles just to catch back up with us. Since we had already eaten dinner at Greasy Creek we built a fire and treated ourselves to smores made with dark chocolate while soaking in the heat from the coals. As we went off to our tents for the night around 10:30pm, Roxy bedded down for the night just outside our campsite. I hope she is still with us in the morning.             Tonight at Clyde Smith Shelter: H-Bomb, Shasta, Jangles, Baro, Gringo, Lincoln, Genie, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Scarecrow, Marley, Roxy, a few others and I