morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-06
From: Jarrod Gap

To: Baggs Creek
Miles today: 9.2

I had planned yesterday to move to slaughter but those two miles would of been cruel at the end of a day. Being strong and fresh from a good sleep I motored off early. I kept hearing a knocking noise, I narrowed it down to a large frog, bird with sore throat or a woodpecker. I go with woodpecker but who knows. I passed cotton, vocal and norway. I met cotton at hawk shelter, Ive really pushed the trailname cotton. He wears cotton clothes and sometimes jeans. Also being from the south, cotton fits nicely. He ran away from the army after 8 weeks of boot camp and only got caught a year ago. I was shocked when i summitted Blood mountain, the highest point in Georgia. It was a easy climb. Great views were gifted to me, that alone makes the whole thing worthwhile. This was the only place so far on the A.T where you could go down the wrong way but as vocal said 'when in doubt, follow the white blazes'. Cotton makes me laugh aswell. When Tal was talking about his service in israel, cotton said 'is there a war going on there?'. He also asked tal if he was from islam. 'unintentional humour' is the phrase im looking for. I arrived at Neels gap at 11am and hung about for 3 hours. Got a shower, ate some cookies and chilled with obi,cheesecake, vocal, norway and cotton. i rang mum which was good. Feel better they know im doing well but was disappointed dad was not home. Obi gave me a dana design add on for my pack. I can now have my trailguide and 0.5 L water bottle handy. superb.Norway introduced me to the hiker box concept and I took some noodles from it. At camp i watched the other guys cook. I really enjoy trying new foods and watching other people make their food. I ve discover beef jerkys and poptarts so far. Vocal caries broccoli and garlic and makes a soup with it. Me and Tal are planning to push a little harder in the next two days to get to Hiawassee for saturday. I can resupply and get in touch with home again. Dandy
Date: 2005-04-07
From: Baggs Creek

To: Blue mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: moderate rain

Last night it poured.The tent held well in the rain but as the ground became muddy the wind blew it under the flysheet and up the inner tent. My yellow inner tent now looks like a wasp. The terrian to low gap was comfortable, even in waterproofs. I met jelly bean and her partner along the way, they have a support team helping them get to maine. I hung some stuff up in the shelter and made some lunch. soup and pasta. Since it was too unpleasant to stop on the trail i had a long lunch.The guys came along not long after. They must of walked pretty fast as they werent even packed up when i left. Jellybean is a photophile, I am envious though as the film i bought in neels gap i think i left there. They boys plan to go to cottons home 2o miles away at unicoi gap. I am invited but they will probably skip to dicks creek after that. I aint yellow blazing. Tal came along late. He walked to whitely gap by accident. The blazes were a pale blue as i remember that junction well. Somebody should sort that out. Obi caught up aswell which was cool and they plan to be in Hiawassee on saturday night, I would like to dine with them if they managed to seek me out. The trail became rocky as I approached Blue mountain. It was a head down and plod job. The shelter was full with lots of girls! excellent.4 of the girls were aged 12 to 19. They had heavier packs than me and were going for 6 weeks. I am impressed. Thunder and lighting made it a wet camp. A puddle was growing under my tent. Talked to a guy called ice break. He's a good guy who is out here to do things better than his last hike. He said he aint out here to party like last time and wants to make it all the way this year.Hope to do some mileage with him but his sister is holding him back a bit i think. Lets hope i dont sink tonight.Dandy, sorry for grammer but I am short on time.
Date: 2005-04-08
From: Blue mountain Shelter

To: Deep gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Tent really wet and muddy but I packed up and got on the move as I had planned a big day to land me near Dicks creek. Enjoyed socialising last night at the shelter. The view from Blue mountain was mystical. There was a sea of cloud flowing around the mountain tops.Walked alone alot today and did alot thinking about how I wanted to hike this trail.I decided I wanted to do 9-12 mile days most the way till Im in virginia, We'll see. My early rising makes it hard for me to hike with people. Tray mountain was tough, today was the first day I felt tired. I cooked up alot of stuff because I'll be in town tomorrow.The shelter at Deep gap was kick ass, really well built. There were some cool guys there and we hanged out all evening. Me and this other guy shared the upstairs section of the shelter and we talked till about 10pm. The mice made it hard for me to relax and when one jumped onto my face I nearly hit the roof. I aint use to sleeping with mice and I'll try to keep to my tent as much as possible in the future. I really didnt get much sleep. Onto town tomorrow. Dont really need to stop but it should do me good.Dandy
Date: 2005-04-09
From: Deep gap Shelter

To: Dicks creek
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The mice kept me awake all night, i caught one with my torch and he looked kind of cute but when one fell on my head later on I really hit the roof and suddenly they were not so cute to me anymore. I left the guys drinking coffee. Andrew was having vodka in his coffee, he's so passionate about his food and coffee. He can talk for hours about herbs he will buy to add to stuff. I thought alot about my hiking, I need to pace myself to what my body is telling me but I guess im still anxious to burn some miles which is dumb. So i told myself off. Made Dicks creek by 11am and got picked up by the holiday inn hotel shuttle. Hiawassee has a food city and everything a hiker needs. The room was great but cost $60 because I could'nt find anyone to share with.No idea where tal is?. free internet has been great, spent 3 hours on here in total. I've been hanging in room 108 which has 6 people in there! i felt a little on the edge of the group for a while but I started talking to Phoenix and amy and found they were all really nice people. Phoenix was saying she wanted to come of the trail which was sad to hear as I heard she had been planning the trip for ages however later on in the evening she came into room 108 and said she was going to double check her decision and hike uncoi to dicks creek. I think its a wise move and wish her best, if she decides to leave after that and go to Italy then she wont think 'what if'.I ask Jeff if he wanted to crash at my room so he could have a bed, he snapped up the offer. Beds so compfy but back to the trail tomorrow. dandy
Date: 2005-04-10
From: Dicks creek

To: Muskat creek shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Managed to get out by 9am. The breakfast was good but I aint got the thru hiker hunger yet.I was going to ride in the back of the pickup truck back to the trail but I wanted it to be authentic. Like the movies, i want to hitch a ride and jump in the back, cruising along on the open road.Made some cheese sandwiches at break and met Obi and cheesecake again.Crossing the border into N.C was a euphoric moment. First state down, 13 to go. I enjoyed hiking with the group and stopped at Muskcat. I shared the wonders of the jetboil with slim who just bought one. Slim is a older guy who uses his dads nickname.We decided to climb up on the ridge and watch the sunset. It was really peaceful and beautiful. Then it occurred to me this is a mechanical formality at the end of each day and I hardly ever watch it.Dandy
Date: 2005-04-11
From: Muskat creek shelter

To: Carter Gap shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: few clouds

New state, New day, Same goal. Me and Slim set off together this morning around 8:30am. We made fast tracks through the easy terrain. Superb weather again. We passed flying pig and the guy who wears a wooly jumper, he must get so hot. Slim told me about his annual trip to the west. They had planned to hike down to the bottom of the grand canyon but all paths were closed due to 3 deaths down there. The temp hits over 100 and these people got lost without water and that made for the sad ending. They eventually did get to hike down on their third trip, i think it was a 18 mile round trip down and back. I made some oatmeal for lunch as Obi and cheesecake came round the corner. They find it amusing that I am always cooking. Rain is meant to be threating tonight so im going to stay in the shelter. Talked to obi alot, hes ex military and now a massage therapists. No wonder he was keeping that quiet with all these tired hikers around.He thru hike in 2000 and tells his tales well. He lives in New Mexico and was part of the world record breaking tortilla which was the longest in the world.Felt really strong today and had good company all day. At Ridge trail junction earlier, Slim went down the blue blaze for water. He had been gone ages but this guy was giving me food so I didnt notice. I went down the trail for about half a mile and found slim tired and broken. He had gone so far down the trail he had started going uphill again. There was no water down the trail as it was the wrong path. He was so annoyed at his pointless excursion and i ribbed him about it for some time.Meant to be bear problem here so Im hanging up food early.dandy
Date: 2005-04-12
From: Carter Gap shelter

To: Rock gap shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

People were like greyhounds out the traps today. I caught people up quickly as i was feeling really strong again. I had a break at mooney gap. As i climbed out of there i was approaching Mt albert and expecting a steep climb instead i came around the corner and found a marque and lots of people. The people who had run rainbow springs campground were living up here doing trail magic. I took a seat and they were filling my plate with beans and rice with a mug of coffee. It was so awesome, especially since the rain was coming down hard. they had been up here since march 15 and were leaving this weekend.it was truely magic. I left on a full stomach and the climb up albert killed me. My hip belt stopped me taking my food down and at one point a nearly chucked up but managed to swallow it back down. nice.Passed the 100 mile mark today.You cant conquer the trail, you really have to compromise with it.If your impatient then you could burn yourself out. Since Hiawassee I have found my pace.Slim and co decided to push on to Franklin but i wanted to avoid that twon so i stayed, i hope i catch them again along the way.found tal again. trying out know it tal as his trailname because he always says 'no' when he disagrees rather than 'well, i think its more like this'. gotta godandy
Date: 2005-04-13
From: Rock gap shelter

To: Close to wine spring
Miles today: 11.9

wow, what a storm last night. It was kind of exciting. I didnt sleep to good, i aint getting along with shelters yet. There is meant to be like the 2nd largest poplar tree in world or something like that. I didnt go as it seemed a long way off but apparently it looked kind of dead. I had a late start as I didnt plan to go far today. When i arrived at winding stair gap a guy pulled up and offered me a ride but i beat back temptation and carried on. I struggled on the climb to siler bald but as soon as i stopped and ate something i felt really good. Met easy does it today, I saw him smoking and would not of guessed this was his 6th thru hike, you just cant judge people out here. The highlight was when i met this guy at a road. He stopped in his truck and came out to talk. He was really nice and gave me some peanut butter snacks. I got a life story but he was a real doom merchant. He just got out of prison for growing weed. He went on a hunger strike and because he's got cancer doesnt care about living. He then showed me the bumps he's developing on his back...lovely. He is now in N.C looking to grow some more.I asked about the cancer but he refuses to see a doctor about it.Seems sad how he has given up on life. I struggled today in my hiking but made it to this spot near the bartram trail and camped up. broke my bear rope today which sucked but i should maybe learn how to throw. N.O.C is in sight now, I cant wait to try this burger there obi keeps talking about.dandy
Date: 2005-04-14
From: Close to wine spring

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

It was cold last night as I never overheated in my bag like usual. The morning was sharp and my food bag was frozen when I got it down. Me and easy does it got to the top of Wayah bald early and I got fantastic views from the top. I went up the tower aswell and it really made my day. I could see Albert in the distance, where i got the trail magic and got my first glimpse of the smokeys. The tower on top was dedicated to John bryne (i think) who was a young forest supervisor who died early in his life. His premature death was linked to his service in WW1 in france when he was caught in a gas attack. I felt a great sense of achievement when i could see how far i had come in the last few days. I was hiking alone the rest of the day and day dreamed extensively. I recalled a memory of when my English teacher had a huge go at me for writing slowly, when she had stopped shouting I pulled up my sleeve and showed her my broken arm. She looked pretty stupid.. ha ha..good times. After teleco gap I met the first hiker since i was with easy does it. Her name was Grasshopper and she was from Indiapolis. She like many others out here quit her job and was out searching for something. She didnt really know what she was looking for but felt a strong need to hike the trail. She seems very confident that all will fall into place when she goes home. We got on really well. We met a SOBO, my first one! he hiked since september! hardcore. It sent goosebumps up our spines as we realised how early on we still are in our hike. He was full of advice but what stuck in my mind was this "Listen to your body, the miles will come and in a few weeks you wont be able to stop yourself hiking long days". I still have not stuck with anyone group but i am enjoying meeting new people. Made friends with fancy pants and goosebumps today, they are really nice and fancy pants has a guitar but is shy about playing. I hope he does decide to play in future. dandy
Date: 2005-04-15
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Near Tyre top
Miles today: 8.2

Up and away early. The bronze light on the mountains which was contrasted by the shadows was beautiful. I love the early mornings. I got down to the NOC, which was like a little village. Lots of activity in this little complex, rafting being one of them. Had breakfast with Fancy pants and goosebump, not as good as a full english breakfast but still better than ramen noodles Resupplied and rang home. Grasshopper came along which was awesome. I could really relate to what she was saying to me about missing family. It seemed a negative point to focus on, and thats why she does not say it to her partner on the phone. Then her partner thinks she isnt missing her. which of course is not the case. We and hitman were sitting by the river chucking stones.I pigged out at the cafe and had the wesserburger which was really good. I had pudding and then went and bought a pint of ice cream. it was albert mt all over again. On the climb out i was hurting with the full stomach. Obi and cheesecake caught me up. Obi has such a cool job, he gives massage and explained to me what it was really about, im grateful for the chance to hear about it. When he interviews people for jobs they have to give him a massage...how cool is that?Grasshopper taught me some yoga in camp.......it was harder than i expected but i have been hiking and eating all day. dandy
Date: 2005-04-16
From: Near Tyre top

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: few clouds

Was up at 7.30. nobody at home would believe how early i get up out here. you were lucky if i was up by 10am back at home.My legs were not smooth today which sucked but Cheoah bald was so awesome. The grassy balds enable sweeping views, I could even see Fontana dam from up there. Today was steep but bagel,grasshopper, hitman and asis helped me along. The switchbacks down to Stecoah were teasing but i was real happy to find trail magic at the bottom. Some cookies and oranges, even soda!After Sweetwater gap there was a killer climb...really caught me out big time.But as Grasshopper says 'its all good out here in the woods'. Nearly 2 weeks out here and its seemed a lifetime. crazy. Had good laugh in shelter today, I was trying to justify having this poptart, I was sharing my plans that i would hike extra miles to get to fontana, which would mean i could eat the poptart. If you can rationalise something out here, its okay. Everyone watched me eat my poptart that i had worked so hard to justify eating.dandy
Date: 2005-04-17
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Stream after Walker gap
Miles today: 9.1

Finally slept well in a shelter. I had a short day planned so there was no need to rush.Bagel watched me eat my last poptarts. He's a really funny guy and could not get over how much i loved poptarts. I've never had them before. Was thinking about if i would grow a beard, I'll see what happens. I stopped at Cable gap shelter for a break. I had this idea that when i go home i will order trail food at restaurants, 'could i have ramen noodles with bacon flavouring and some mountain spring water with a hint of iodine. possibly a fudge poptart for pudding'. I think about all kinds of rubbish out here.Hitman gave me some food at camp which was really cool. Taking nero tomorrow in Fontana and plan my zero in Gatlinburg. Hopefully i will be refreshed for the smoky's. Im really hyped up about hiking them.dandy.
Date: 2005-04-18
From: Stream after Walker gap

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: clear sky

Hitman was out the traps before me and I talked with Grasshopper a while as she was taking a zero day here in the woods. It was a easy stroll into the Marina and i thought i was pretty much there however the next mile went up and down and really caught me out.Caught out by the trail again! Got shower by the dam, its cool they let you shower there. It was a communal shower with a mirror and one chair which seemed a little wierd to me. The water came out like a fire hose and i could not stand still too long or the jet of water would start to cut open my skin. Hitman had sorted out a shuttle into the village by the time i got out and Obi and cheesecake came along as we were getting in. I still dont feel comfortable in town but coming in with obi and cheesecake is cool because they look after me. They let me chill in their room while we resupplied and ate. Those two activities are the core of town days. After eating I managed to get a ride back to the Fontana Dam shelter, or fontana hilton as its known. Phoenix was there, she really does just spring up any old place. Shes now doing trail magic for a littlw while till she figures out what she wants to do. I talked with this guy called OC1 for a while and he wrote his name and number in my book. He lives 3 miles off the trail in PA and said ring up when im there for lunch and shower. Some awesome people out here.His son had hiked a few years back i believe. Im ready for the smokies.dandy
Date: 2005-04-19
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

None of the water taps seemed to work at the shelter or the electric light. That seemed strange to me seen as we were 10 feet from a hydro electric dam with a resevoir behind it, this is America i guess. The restrooms were not flushing as Dandy Andy discovered when i saw him walk into the toilet and run out due to the smell. The smokey mountains national park is real bear country, theres a estimated 1600 bears which is a high density for this area. The trail travels through 70 miles of the park. There is alot of pressure on the park also because like the peak district back home its very accessible to many big cities. Thats why the regulations are tighter here. The climb out was incredibly well graded and i was on shuckstacks in no time. There was a firetower i went up on top, it took me some guts to do it. There were railings missing and bolts. It was high and near the edge but i did it!I left my camera at the bottom because i dare not take my hands off the rails.I kept wanting to shoot pictures but had to resist because you can only take so many pictures of wooded valleys despite how cool they look. Dandy andy and prof nutbag encouraged me to go up, i guess i bailed to pier pressure. The other highlight of the day was when i reached Doe knob and there was a layer of sweet white violets sweeping between the trees. It was great to see some colour in the woods. Signs of spring. These shelters are big and crowded. dandy
Date: 2005-04-20
From: Mollies Ridge shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

I was impressed at my speed this morning and was first away. I missed a bear sighting by a few minutes. Prof nutbag was just ahead of me and he said he saw a bear and it bolted. His heart was racing. Not sure who was more scared...the bear or him.I finally met Crazy legs today, Ive heard alot about him but never met him till today. He explained to me that today was 4/20, apparently its the potheads unofficial national holiday. Nobody really knows where the phrase came from but he told me a few possible explanations.The balds were beautiful today, the smokies are not much different to the rest of the trail so far but the balds and paths are really good. Looking forward to my resupply in Gatlinburg, I've been limited in choice recently. I hiked with Obi and Cheesecake alittle before tearing off. I decided to stay at this shelter, I'll do bigger miles after Gatlinburg. Obi talked about his favourite show as we all just lazed around on the grass, it was called 24 and seemed like a very over the top drama. Its like a beach out here in the sun, everyones taking pictures. If you went by the pictures you would think all hikers do is lay around in the sun. I have to cover up in the sun to stop my pale skin burning. This shelter has a fence on it still, i heard they are taking them down because people were putting food outside to attract bears. They would then lock themselves in the cage and take pictures. People are stupid sometimes. I feel like a caged animal, i guess i am. dandy
Date: 2005-04-21
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mountain Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5

Redwolf was not up for the hike today but surely Gatlinburg will motivate him. I set off quick and was burning along. I saw a deer and which was cool, but still no bears. I was almost skipping up to Clingmans dome. I was excited about hitting the highest point and was the most positive ive been on the hike yet. No doubts about being out here, I was even thinking that one day me and dad would come out here and hike the trail! The tower was cool and the panoramic views were awesome. i met some people up there. One lady said her son was thru hiking and another lady knew someone doing some trail magic in Virginia. The tourists who came up made me laugh a bit. They were like "im so proud ive made it up here, take my picture" despite they only hiked up from the car park. The dome was cool but also looked like something in milton keynes, its just a big lump of concrete. I was in and out of my rain jacket on the second half of the day. I met Swinger at the shelter, hes got a pyshcology degree and seems a easy going guy. The girl quartet made a suprise appearance. I met them way back on Blue mountain. They pumped some life into the camp and then suddenly marshmallows appeared. We joked alot all night. I was making fun of Tal because he's spending passover with some jews in tennesse, hill billy jews? is there such a thing. His mum found them on the internet and they pick him up in Gatlinburg tomorrow. dandy