morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-19
From: max patch bald

To: to deer park mtn shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

day 26 mon apr 19   16.6 mi 267.7 mi totalto deer park mtn shelter   the night sky, and then the sunrise from max patch bald were both beautiful. the hiking was relatively easy going. we saw a lot of burnt terrain for several miles north of lemon gap. the downhill switchbacks off bluff mtn passed through a great, steep, beautiful meadowland. deep down in the core of it, some of us stopped at a spring and cooked lunch, a rare thing for most of us.   here tonight are zach, luke, brian, kate, wizard, palmtree, and willie wallace.   this has been the 6th bright sunny day since the snow on clingman's.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: deer park mtn shelter

To: hot springs nc
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

day 27 tues apr 20 3.2 mi 270.9 mi totalto hot springs   "they are picturesque smiling people of great filth and huge feet."      -janet wulsin, speaking of the mongols of the alashan desert, 1923      from her daughter's book, "Vanished Kingdoms"   wizard and i teased palmtree about leaving us some food at the smoky mtn diner, when he took off ahead of us at 7:30. and then when we caught up with him there we just about cleaned the place out.   later at the library, i'm sitting by the front door at a computer when coyote comes in! we hug, she all clean, and me all whewy with five days of trail grime. sorry about that, coyote. and she's onward, ahead of us again.   after visiting the library, i found elmer hall's sunnybank inn and freight train gave me a tour. he's from northern alberta; he's working for stay at elmer's while he heals, and is hoping to continue his thru-hike in a week.   dinner at elmer's was very nice, with perhaps 18 of us present, including scott mckinnon, a former NPR radio personality (in the 80s), and his daughter, beezer. beezer tried to give me a didgereedoo lesson before dinner. also present were brian, kate, and stands with a fist, a colby grad who competed in axe-throwing contests.   wizard and i decided to go on hiking in the morning, instead of taking a full zero day.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: hot springs

To: spring mtn shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

day 28 wed apr 21   11 mi 281.9 mi totalto spring mtn shelter   great breakfast at elmer's.   at the outfitter's, i happened to meet baltimore jack, a 7-time A.T. thru-hiker, who actually lives in hot springs, nc and hanover, nh. he says he will be writing a thru-hiker prep book. he spoke well of miss janet and bob peoples.   wizard and i started out about ten across the French Broad River bridge, then took a sharp right upriver, to switchbacks along steep cliffs looking down on the river.   shared shelter with hotrock and palmtree, while wizard, keith, fire, dreamer and boonie camped nearby. i met brandon, aka underpants, who thru-hiked sobo from july to year's end last year. he mentioned hiking with spoon, a sobo'er i met at zealand hut in nh last september.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: spring mtn shelter

To: flint mtn shelter
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: broken clouds

day 29 thu apr 22 21.2 mi 303.1 mi totalflint mtn shelter   in an effort to extend our pace, we tried for 21 miles. at mid-afternoon we stopped at jerry cabin shelter where palmtree and keith had decided to stop for the day. wizard and i cooked early dinners with the aim to go on to the next shelter. in comes a tall, dark sobo'er. "may i ask your trailname, sir?" "spoon." "spoon! you and i met at zealand hut last september, hiking thru the remnants of a hurricane."    he remembers. i say, "you made quite the entrance, coming in out of the dark, the rain, and the winds." he flashes a big grin at the memory. he's a tennis coach from chicago, and had to stop his sobo trek in virginia because of winter and work. now he's restarted, and not that far from finishing. it's really funny to meet him again, way down here.   we make it to the shelter before dark. willie wallace (the young scot) and i talk politics and literature.
Date: 2004-04-23
From: flint mtn shelter

To: hogback ridge shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

day 30 fri apr 23   8.8 mi 312.0 mi totalhogback ridge shelterstill sunny   mid-morning wizard and i find two simple graves for joe riddel and a woman whose name escapes me, tho i do remember she died 2 days shy of 100. i think the stone read joe was born in 1867. a quarter mile up the mountain are the remains of a farm and a few sheds. i bet they were joe's. we walk through his history. it's a beautiful stretch of steep mountain hollow with streaming cascades.
Date: 2004-04-24
From: hogback ridge shelter

To: high rocks, tn
Miles today: 15.7

Two days ago, in an effort to extend our pace, wepushed ourselves to hike 21 miles, including therockiest stretch yet, across Camp Creek Bald at 4700feet. It was too far, too fast, with too much weightfor me. A serious muscle cramp has taken root in myright thigh. To add insult (or at least a good laugh)to injury, yesterday I got disoriented and headedsouth for a half mile. And I've lost Wizard; he's ahalf day ahead somewhere.   Today I'm trying to cover 15 miles of rollercoaster hills, including Big Bald at 5516 feet. Mycramp has turned into a massive knot, and is gettingworse. Up on High Rocks, I can't flex the leg anymore.I'm all alone, stumping along, Boonie's seven milesback and PalmTree's three miles ahead. What if it'snot a cramp? What if I've torn some major muscles? Icould collapse in convulsions right here and Booniewouldn't find me until the jackals and the vultureshave picked my carcass clean.   to be continued...
Date: 2004-04-25
From: spivey gap

To: erwin, tn
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

day 32 sun apr 25 11.2 mi 338.9 mi totalerwin, tn   in our last episode, our hero had made it to frostbite falls, just as boris and natasha...whoops, sorry, wrong reverie. the truth is, i struggled slowly with that cramp down into spivey gap and joined palmtree and keith at a campsite there. i slept out under a large pine and the stars. two big owls called to each other from far on either side of us, and then one joined the other right nearby. they both obviously gave a hoot for each other.   palmtree rousted us early and we made it into erwin before 1 p.m. keith went to a campground, and palmtree and i got a motel room. a shower after five days without is simply quite wonderful.      to michele at the ellsworth library: the only thing i really needed was a note from you in my guestbook. thank you very much.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: erwin, tn

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

day 33 mon apr 26 zero day   we decided to hang around a day or so to recuperate. we caught a shuttle to miss janet's world-famous hostel with a old grizzled gentleman name of harvey. we both had maildrop packages waiting there. the place was busy with young people. out of nowhere didi strides up and gives me a very warm hug, and we trade updates.   we all separate; i go to the library, then to the elm diner to do further research into the wondrous restorative properties of pizza and hot fudge sundaes.   back at the motel, palmtree is on the phone with lonesome dove and catdog, making dinner plans. a little later harvey calls; his oil pump has died, and he can't shuttle anyone for a while. palmtree and i go on foot for pizza nearby, and lo, boonie, lonesome dove and catdog walk in from their motel two miles away. after a while i bow out, as i've just discovered the sole is about to come off one of my boots. looks like i'll be here at least two more days, piecing together plans b and c.
Date: 2004-04-27
From: zero day in erwin, tn

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

day 34 tues apr 27   zero day in erwin, tennbusted flat in baton rougewaitin' for some bootsfeeling nearly faded as my jeans                              -with apologies to cris christofferson   ohhh, let's see, palmtree headed out early, on foot, as if to say to heck with shuttles, i'm a gittin' back on that trail, muchacho. i hope you make it, palmtree.   in an effort to get closer to library, p.o., and a wider variety of food, i call for the super8 motel shuttle. the owner himself drives up with great promptitude (yes, faye, i know it's not in the dictionary), and shuttles me to his biz, but only after engaging in some mid-level motel owners' warfare with the people of this best southern, where i have been staying until now. right in front of me, they're fighting over me. they're both from india. i feel like i'm in a scene from mississippi masala. they stay civil, but there is some tension in the air, the kind you can cut with a knife. not to worry, it was really quite funny.   forward to mid-afternoon. the scene: miss janet's hostel. slowbarbara, a mild-mannered thru-hiking first grade teacher, is looking for a place for the night. i offer her the other bed in my motel room. she is delighted. on our way there on foot, miss janet pulls over in her van and offers us a ride. she is marvelous. in response to my questions, she says she's been here since she was 14, but she spent some time in childress, texas in her formative years.   she tells us about an AYCE spaghetti feast this evening, nearby. i go later; it's great. it's a church supper. again i imagine i hear andy and opie whistling around the corner. filling one table are a dozen thru-hikers, looking a bit too insular. two local families adopt me at another table, and we trade stories and much laughter. i eat til i die. it's a wonderful evening. there's magic in the air here.
Date: 2004-04-28
From: zero day in erwin

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

day 35 wed apr 28 zero day in erwin   roger, surry control, this is intergalactic master and commander meanderthal reporting from the planet erwin that back up boots are now on board, am firing retros, readying for new launch set at T minus 15 hours and counting. i feel obligated to honor special refueling breakfast invitation issued by the right royal Miss Janet herself, set for tomorrow morning.   you rock the cosmic casbah, commander barb. and Happy Birthday!!!
Date: 2004-04-29
From: erwin

To: cherry gap shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

day 36 thu apr 29 16.3 mi 355.2 totalcherry gap sheltergoodness, actual mileage again   breakfast at miss janet's this morning is for 14 folk, set at a great table in the sunshine in the backyard. some of us help her to get it ready, peeling apples, cooking scrambled eggs. miss janet has been studying to be a clinical psychologist, and has worked with some severely disabled people. she mentions how she has really learned a lot from some of them.   at the table she poses a question for all: if you were given a million dollars (to go to charity), what kind of charitable organization would you set up with it? the answers are far-ranging and all are imaginative.   i gather my gear and walk to the library, p.o., and on out of town. two people offer me rides before i'm done with my errands. then i'm done, and there's a third offer to shuttle me out to the edge of town. say what you will about erwin, i found it wonderful.
Date: 2004-04-30
From: erwin, tn

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: moderate rain

Day 37Friday, April 30 15.2 mi. 370.4 total mi. Roan High Knob ShelterNow there's a blonde coming down the steep trail. Looks about 33, wearin' faded blue denim and a baseball cap. She's carryin' two heavy burlap bags, and she's the spittin' image of Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain. Sounds like her, too.She drops the bags at my feet. I ask her what she's carrying. "Crap." Through the loose weave, I can see it's all the same shade of green. "Where y'all headin'?" "Maine." She sighs, "Seems everyone I meet on this trail is goin' to Maine. How far is it?" "2,174 miles." I ask, "How come the crap is all green?" "It's not crap; these are ramps." "Ramps! Can I try one?"She tells me how to peel one; I get it backwards and throw the good part away. She's chewin' tobacco, fires a gob at a tree trunk, and then sets me straight. The ramp is great, it tastes like onion, and I ask for another. She gives me two; one is big and double-headed. She says the higher up the mountain you go, the bigger you find them. then she asks how far it is to the top. i think it's three and a half miles. her eyes get real wide at the thought of that distance. it is a big mountain.She asks me if I want to take some with me. No, thank you, I say, my pack is right full of food. Her hands are black with dirt from digging them. My hands are black from peeling them. I reach out to shake her hand. "My name's Mike." "Mine is Becky."Spittin' image of Renee, she wuz.high roan knob shelter is the highest shelter on the a.t. at 6275 ft, and hobbes (a physician's assistant from iowa; he's taken his name from calvin and hobbes) and i have it to ourselves to share. it's rainy, misty, and relatively warm for 6000+ ft.i could sense the presence of the ghosts of picts and druids and cherokee in the half-krummholtz.
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: apple house shelter
Miles today: 14.7

day 38 sat may 1 14.7 mi 385.1 total miapple house shelterfog, showers, clearingrollin', rollin', rollin'tho the streams are swollenkeep them dogies rollin'rain and wind and weatherhell-bent fer leatherwishin' a gal wuz by my side                           -ned washington   it was a day of steadily improving panoramas. from little hump mtn, i could see two isolated rain shower cells to the west, with sunbeams on either side of each. rounding (bigger:5587 ft) hump mtn, i'm suddenly face-to-face with a dozen great longhorn cattle, all recumbent, all looking at me warily. i take a chance and walk through the middle of them. i live to tell about it, unscathed. i get pictures. details at eleven.   i share a shelter with half-moon (from boston), sunshine (from atlanta), and many, many, lively, loud, young college-age mice who converse and dance into the wee hours.
Date: 2004-05-02
From: apple house shelter

To: moreland gap shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

day 39 sun may 2 18.0 mi 403.1 total mimoreland gap sheltershowers all dayi went down virginia seekin' shelter from the storm                              -john fogarty   it wuz a jungle out there today,with lots of rhododendron, thick forests, and no distant views, tho a beautiful river (the Elk) did run through it. met up with a stray blue-tick hound running through a creek, excited about the scent of some creature long since gone. the sights brought all sorts of john fogarty songs to mind.   shared shelter with sunshine, moojuice, and beagle. sunshine noticed a scarlet tanager right in front of us. it flew from tree to tree, coming closer.   we got to talking about clothes and laundry. i mentioned the sign back in hot springs: customers must wear clothes while using laundrymat. sunshine tells us that back in hiawassee, in a laundry there, he stripped down and got in his sleeping bag, so he could wash all his clothes. people came in and gave him some funny looks. he hopped, while still in his sleeping bag, with difficulty, from washer to dryer. we hikers do have our priorities and fresh, clean clothes can take precedent over transient pride.   in the morning my three friends found strange food in their boots. they suspected mice. little did they know of my devious plot to slow them down.
Date: 2004-05-03
From: moreland gap shelter

To: kincorra hostel
Miles today: 6.1

day 40 mon may 3 6.1 mi 409.2 total mikincorra hostel, tenn.   wonderful group of hikers (and hosts) here, including joann, slowpoke, granite, brian, kate, wildman, moojuice, beagle, pilot, poler, and sunshine. moojuice and pilot are sick and are shuttled to a clinic. slowpoke has a trail injury. joann has been tending to him; this is a perfect place to recover.   it turns out bob peoples, the host, is boston irish (he asks: is there any other kind?) and is deep into celtic history and clans. he's been going for long hikes the last several summers in ireland, scotland, and wales. he puts on a celtic new year's feast here annually. i just missed it.   i can say this without being sarcastic or critical. granite is the single most hands-down, loudest, most powerful world-class snorer i have ever heard. at breakfast many agreed. we were in awe. we could feel the sonic vibrations through and across the floor and bedboards. it had the roar of grizzlies in it, the growl of tigers, the shuddering roll of expansive thunder: 8.2 on the richter snore scale. oh granite, you are most impressive. it was a command performance. (he agreed i could tell you this, provided i did not give his christian name.)   deep down in the dark of the night, coming back from the loo, and going up the stairs to the loft, i spy a mouse ahead, caught in the light of my headlamp.he's moving fast, frantic, frenetic, scurrying left then right. as he gets to the top of the stairs, we're nose to nose, and i hear a squeaky voice call out, "mouse the lifeboats; we're goin' down. we've hit a thru-hiker, and we're sinking! abandon ship!" and then he runs for the shadows, towards poler's big golden retriever, jack, before i can call out a warning. hopefully he made it around jack and to a lifeboat standing by.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: kincorra hostel

To: watauga lake shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

day 41 tues may 4 10.6 mi 419.8watauga lake shelteroh, i'm being followed by a moonshadow                                    -cat stevens   at daybreak, bob peoples comes into the hostel, and mentions it got down to 23 degrees last night.   after breakfast i call home to talk with dot noe, and sharon bray, and john king, who thinks i'm calling him today cuz it's his birthday. i know, i should have played along with it. but it was just a coincidence. it was great to talk to you john, and i would like to visit after this hike. maybe i could find seth, go out and kill us a pizza and drag it down to your place. thank you for your kind note. and thank you to everyone else as well: catherine, lynn, miss moneypenny (faye jordan), patti, connie, sharon, sarah p., lonesome dove, mom of lonesome dove, and debra tucker. your kind words amplify across the miles.   it's a beautiful morning, the nicest since starting, and today's trail matches the weather. it runs through laurel fork gorge, a deep, sheer-walled valley with waterfalls and rapids and high energy. the air and light are cool and sharp like some late september mornings in maine.   up, up and more up to pond flats, and then in the distance, watauga lake. at the shelter are cbiscuit, skibum, lumber, milo, poler, pilot, and jack. some of the young men have scored quarts of moonshine, and lumber (not his real name, remember) shares his with me. well, in the past i will confess to a set-in-my-ways rainman mentality, and i am intent on trying many new things on this trip.   the guys get real shined up and decide to nighthike ahead ten miles.
Date: 2004-05-05
From: watauga lake shelter

To: iron mtn shelter
Miles today: 13.7

day 42 wed may 5 13.7 mi 433.5 totaliron mtn shelter, tennesseefor moojuice and slowpoke, one injured,one ill, back at kincorrasometimes you find yourselfflying low at nightflying blind and looking forany sign of lightyou're cold and scared and all aloneyou'd do anything just to make it homeit's a mad mission                  -patti griffinyou're not cold, scared, or aloneyou want to get better and continueand many of us are thinking of youand hoping you do get better sooni'd like to see you againfurther up the trail   shared this shelter with cbiscuit while polar, pilot, spot, jetski, and southern man tented out front. i don't know why, i can't explain it, but in the middle of the night i woke up in the shelter, sat up and witnessed a novel thing. a sliver of the full moon started to rise above some invisible horizon of either mtns or cloudbank or mists, about a hand's width above a string of town lights sprinkled in a long necklace below that unseen horizon. it rose bit by bit, slowly revealing more of itself until it appeared full and clean and buttery yellow and then slowly melted, diffused by mists. it was awesome.
Date: 2004-05-06
From: iron mtn shelter

To: damascus, virginia
Miles today: 26.3
Weather: few clouds

day 43 thu may 6 26.3 mi 459.8 totaldamascus, virginiasometimes i feel like a motherless childsometimes i feel like i'm almost gonea long, long way from my home                           -old Negro spiritual   at daylight, spot, jetski, and southern man are whispering nearby about "a marathon to damascus." and then they're off and gone. i set out later with the intention of making it to the next shelter, 16 miles away, planning to do the last ten into town tomorrow, but a light load, an early start, easy terrain, and 6 weeks of conditioning allow me to reach 12 miles by noon, and 5 more before two pm. i leapfrog with the other three guys and get into town by 5 pm, and lordy mama, it's a brand new state, Virginia, and there on the main street at a phone, i see wizard, no less. and palmtree's here, and hotrock, hawk, lonesome dove and catdog. we convene for dinner and trade stories, and a lot of laughter.
Date: 2004-05-07
From: damascus

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

day 44 fri may 7 zero daydamascusrub, rub, hererub, rub, thereand a couple of fa-la-lasthat's how we while the day awayin the merry ole land of oz                           -a.y. harburgdoing some serious r and r, and further research into the restorative powers of pizza and hot fudge sundaes. should i apply for a grant, do you think?namaste,
Date: 2004-05-08
From: damascus, virginia

To: whitetop laurel creek
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

day 45 sat may 8 14.0 mi 473.8 totalwhitetop laurel creek   big breakfast at the maples B & B, courtesy of sarah and russ, sets me up right for a late morning launch. after some last minute shopping, a visit to the p.o. and library, and i'm hoofin' it out of town. it's door to door to door yard sales, from one end of town to the other, a big tradition the weekend just before the trail days festival. i miss the left turn off the paved road and have to backtrack to find it. two miles up and in, and i meet eduardo rodriguez (trail name colocho, spanish for curly; he shaves his head) and mayita (for little mayan). they are from miami, tho he is originally from santo domingo, in the dominican republic, and she is from guatemala. when i mention my friend silvana cuello (back in the ellsworth area) is also from the dominican republic, colocho breaks into a grin. i tell them she teaches spanish, salsa, and marengue. bigger grin still from colocho. he's full of laughter and handshakes. great people.   later i catch up with good time and blueberry bert, from connecticut. there's a lot of thunder and dark clouds ahead of us. by early evening i cook supper under a footbridge that crosses laurel creek. i set up a tarp and my hammock in the trees nearby, in a light rain.