morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-03
From: capsite past walnut mountain road

To: denis cove road
Miles today: 13.0

i am not sure if it is unfortunate or not, but the further into the trip i get, the more it revolves arounds towns. yes, i know the journey is the destination, but waking up on this cold and damp morning it was clear that we wouldnt be wasting any time getting to the next crossroads with civilization, denis cove road, where the legendary hostel kincora is located.and so it was, we hauled ass. i felt really good today, i had pep in my step for the first time in a long while. i think it was yesterday's cheeseburger. man, it got butt-ass cold out there! we were shivering pretty hard at our lunch break at moreland gap shelter.the last mile to the road passed through some abandoned property, a collapsed cabin and long overgrown grass and weeds. stuff like that makes me realize that i am walking across country. i am a blue-blazer at heart so when i arrived at the road i followed the blue blazes. unfortuneately they led me to the wrong place, laurel creek lodge, kincora's "competition." bob from kincora is not motivated by money, he asks for a four dollar donation, so competition does not seem to be the right word. however, bob is the competition for this bonafide buisiness with manicured landscape, cabins, and generally nice facilities. so i looked at the shiny little place and thought "crap, am i going to turn around and walk the other direction, or am i just gonna take these guys up." i was befuddled, standing in the middle of the road scratching my head when ski bum emerges from one of the buildings. alright, good to see him. i guess its decided. we call joe flamingo at kincora and he comes down also. apparently the crowd at kincora was a little wack anyhow. but the caretaker at LCL, john, was kind of an ass. he said to me "see, you havent been brainwashed! everyone is brainwashed: go to kincora, go to kincora. kincora doesnt have [blah blah blah]. but everyone thinks its the place to go!" just sort of a bitter dude that will tell you how he is only motivated by love for hikers and in the next moan about money and how overworked and underpaid he is and make little cracks about kincora. man, enough of these hostel wars. leave me out of it.so we played some horse and lamented at our complete lack of grace and skill, drank some brews, had some laughs, now we go to bed. sorry if this entry is lackluster. cant win em all.
Date: 2004-05-05
From: vanderventer shelter

To: low gap
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

a sqaul of rain had the three of us up and grabbing everything in silent unison around 8:00. in the same silent unison we tossed our pads and bags in the empty shelter, and laid back down. good morning. noble of us all to think we would get more sleep, but alas, the hikers clock comes on with the daylight regardless of when you went to sleep. so we laid in our bags for a few hours, chatting and such.lumber gets a burst of inspirado and within 30 minuites has his pack on his back and proclaims that he his going for the 33 into damascus. me and ski bum wish him luck from our bags. it was 11:00.finaly get going and the going is slow, that night hike has thrown me way off. i stagger on the smallest hills, wondering why i am so empty for the first four miles to the first water source. take a 2 hour break, laying down drinking water. ski bum joins me. 3 miles to the next shelter, where there will certainly be another break.the energy starts coming back and it starts to sink in that this is a fantastic section. a mellow ridgewalking cruise through a greeeeen forest. green green. subtle beauty.1 hour at the shelter talking trash with the bum, laying around feeling stylish. the feeling of last night's hike lingers still.here are my legs! how the hell have you been? lets rock this funky joint. the trail comes out at a road and then leads us up the long dirt driveway of an abandoned farm. a big, green, rolling farm. the trail done good, showing us surprise and delight under big, big puffy white clouds, past decrepit barns, and across the most rollingest of fields. i get to watch ski bum about a quarter mile ahead of me, a small backpacker on the horizon, a most pleasing prop for the scene. he stops and waits for me to get in the frame of his camera so he can get one of those national geographic shots, and as i get in earshot he just says "man, this trail is so awesome." he looks around "so awesome." and he hikes on into the forest. i drop, lay in the grass, and absorb.ski bum talks me in to going another couple miles to put us closer to damascus. it is kind of understood that we set out to do this section together, i mean i dont want to do my last leg alone. so i concede and cook dinner while he moves out. two miles is the deal, but as i hike into the evening it becomes aparent that the campsites more or less dont exist. but the bum has scraped notes into the trail, nice guy. so i huff on, still on this endless ridge, watching a red full sun light up the clouds and disapear under the valley on my last night on the trail.
Date: 2004-05-06
From: low gap

To: damascus, virginia
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

somewhere i know this is my last day out here, but really its just another day as i routinely pack up my stuff in the same way. a sunny and cool morning. another morning. destination damascus. i hike like i hike, feeling good, awestruck by this endless ridge, moving fast, stopping to read the registers and smoke with ski bum. probably be in by 2:00. you run to town, thats what you learn to do. its instinct. but when i crossed the virginia border much sooner than i expected, a whole wellspring of stuff rushed up and hit me. hit me, looking at that sign. f***n virginia. wow. four miles left. wow.i sloooooowed down, at times feeling like i could cry. certainly because of the circumstances, but also because the trail was so gorgeous, so green as it cruised down into the valley that is home to damascus. i thought i was going to forfeit my plane ticket to hawaii, because who needs hawaii when i have this. i mean beauty is beauty, i dont need the novelty of an ocean when i have the hospitality of these hills and so many friends who will be around to celibrate trail days. i could stay in these appalachians where i belong and hitch up to penselvania for the ridgerunner training and then start my job in the new england hills. smooth and continuous it would be. who needs kauai?anyhow, the emotional walk dropped me into the beautiful town of damascus, white blazes on telephone poles led me down the street. off on a side street i see lumber and ski bum outside the side track cafe where they are enjoying some beer. i turn off main street, and off the trail. that is where the walk ended.
Date: 2004-05-24
To: Epilogue
Miles today: 0.0

i tried to resist the temptation to write this post script, but i have given in to traditional-moral-of-the-story-cheesery. really, i want to let everyone know that i have touched up the journal with numerous new pictures which greatly enhance this journal experience. and so now you may take one last vicarious stroll with the freewheeler, this time i will join you for my own vicarious stroll down what is now memory lane. check the pictures, some are dizz-nope.i resist the moral of the story because that gives creedence to the notion of a conclusion, an end, a lesson learned from a neatly packaged experience. whatever i learned out there i did not learn in retrospect or in the context of one short journey. it all flows together. thus the lessons are already well documented. i refuse to simply give you a fortune cookie now. i went to hawaii, kauai specificaly, and it was more spectacular than you could expect. stunning running a narrow, narrow ridge that was washing away into the ocean 2000 feet below, steep countours carpeted in green all around, helicopters shuttling lazy chump-asses looked like flys to me gazing in awe from the edge of the world. despite the spirituality of the whole affair, i still was sure to moon a couple of the things. powerful currents tossed my treading body about as i flailed to ride some of the waves, body surfing. thrilling. intense things were in the cards, it seemed, for my two boys both of whom were expecting seedlings this summer. mr dillman's wife gave birth to leonard surprisingly early the day he was going to fly, this rattled the other baby daddy, and niether ended up joining me. and i am glad for that, glad for leonard. this all gave some real weight to the island beauty as i strolled down the beach one last time and carefully selected a rock to mark the occasion forever. leonard's rock. now i am at my folks house in weymouth mass where i have been binging on tony hawk underground before i drive out to western mass to start ridgerunning tomorrow may 25. cant wait to see all the friends i met when they get to new england. thats that. look out for future adventures from the freewheeler. the PCT? a cross-country bike tour? a walk across europe? a freewheel across canada? (a "freewheel" is the schollarly term for a trip which combines hiking, hitchiking, and traditional european backpacking in one trip which centers around the phenomenom of the whim.) all are spinning in my mind like the big wheel in the price is right and i am shouting "one dollar! one dollar!" we will see where it lands. thanks for checkin me out. peace.
Date: 2004-01-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The plan is to leave for Springer on 2-26 and start hiking on 2-27. Chet Nicholson, will hike with me to Fontana Dam. Chet and I hiked through the Smokies together last year. He is a former thur hiker(Ice Falcon-99). Chet is one of the most positive people I know. His positive attitude would be invaluable on a long distance hike. Mississippi Mule
Date: 2004-01-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I'm going to use a tarp until it gets buggy. then I'll switch to a light one man tent. I've never used a tarp. so its going to be an interesting start. This thing weights 12oz.+ 5oz tent pegs. The late Feb. early March temps worry me some. A tent should be about 10 degrees warmer than a shelter. A tarp & shelter should = about the same temp..Mississippi Mule
Date: 2004-01-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I have been trying to cut pack weight. I'm doing a late winter or early spring hike. I don't want to cut corners to much and have a problem with the temps. It won't be a problem while hiking. I figure at night I can put on more clothes. My pack wt. with food and water should be 30-35lbs..Mississippi Mule
Date: 2004-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I'm going to change my start date to 3-14. My wife's mother has developed some serious health problems. So I'm going to wait and see how things progress. I feel in a couple of weeks things will be much better. This is only a temporary set back. I'm really anxious to start my hike. I have every thing ready to go. Maybe the weather will be a little kinder in mid-march. Mississippi Mule
Date: 2004-03-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I have to again change my start date. The pain and suffering has come to an end. My wife's 90 yr. old mother died on 3/11. She was a great lady, and we will all miss her a lot. The new plan is for me to start hiking on 3/22 or 3/29. I'm still very excited about my hike. I'm just having a little trouble getting started. Life does not always follow our wants and wishes. We just have to adjust and deal with it. I will know more about my start date later.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2004-03-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My new start date is 3/22/04. Bill Matheny will shuttle me to the trail. We will leave early Sun. morn. for Amicalola Falls. We will stay at the Amicalola Falls Lodge Sun. night and head for Springer Mon. morning. Bill is a ultra marathon runner and has hiked some of the AT. He is a good friend, and I really appreciate the ride.Mississippi Mule
Date: 2004-03-21
From: Long Beach, MS

To: Amicalola Falls
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

It's time to go! Bill Matheny will shuttle me to Georgia. We left at 5AM, destination Amicalola Falls, 477 miles away. We're leaving the beaches and 80 degree temps for mountains and freezing temps. We spent the night at the Amicalola Lodge. Bill and I hiked some of the approach trail, then back to the lodge for supper and bed.
Date: 2004-03-22
From: Springer Mountain

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

It's a cold morning. The temps are in the 20s. We left Amicalola early. We took Forest Service Road 42 that leads to a parking lot 0.9 miles from the top of Springer. The ride took about 45 minutes. Then we had to hike the 0.9 miles south to the top of Springer. We turned around and headed north on the AT. It's a sunny cold beautiful morning. In the mountains it still looks like winter except that the pine trees are leafless. You can see a long way through the forest. We did walk through a pretty tunnel of Rhododends, no blooms yet but still pretty. The trail was excellent! It was cushioned with a nice layer of pine needles. Bill left me after about 4 miles. We had lunch next to a fast running creek. Bill, I really appreciate the shuttle. Maybe we can hike a little longer another time. I hiked the rest of the day alone. I went over 4 tough mountains arriving at Justus Creek around 5PM. This is where I will tent tonight. There is a nice babbling creek right behind my tent. The temps are supposed to be in the teens tonight. It's about 7PM and I'm in the sleeping bag with just about all of my extra clothes on, hoping I can stay warm. I also have my water in the bag with me to keep it from freezing. Happy Trails!
Date: 2004-03-23
From: Justus Creek

To: Slaughter Gap
Miles today: 13.8

I was up around 7AM and it was very cold. It's hard to get out of the bag, take all of your clothes off, and put on your smelly hiking gear when it's below freezing. I climbed 5 mountains today. I felt good in the morning but faded fast in the afternoon. Hiked about 8 hours today. I saw a good many people on the trail. I remember a few of their names: Indy from Florida, Red Hank from Ohio (retired train conductor), Ranger Rick who has one good arm, and Walks-A-Lot. There were a lot of Trillium and Mayapples near the trail getting ready to bloom. I plan to be at Neels Gap (Walasi-Yi Center) early tomorrow. I may stay at the hostel overnight.Happy Trails.
Date: 2004-03-24
From: Slaughter Gap

To: Neels Gap 
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: few clouds

It was not as cold last night. Blue sunny skies with brisk temps. This is great hiking weather. The hike this morning was over Blood Mountain. This is the highest mountain in Georgia. The trail down was much tougher that the trail up. I got to the hostel around 10AM and decided to stay the night. I can take a hot shower, wash clothes, and eat hot food. Sounds like a winner to me.Happy Trails.
Date: 2004-03-25
From: Neels Gap 

To: Past Poplar Stamp Gap
Miles today: 11.8

The overnight stay at the Walasi-Yi Center went well. I walked in about 10AM and spent the day taking a hot shower, washing clothes, eating, and catching up on the journal. That night one of the hostel guys shuttled a group of us into Blairsville for supper. We ate at the Cookie Jar restaurant. It was an all-you-can eat buffet and we really put away some grub. The hostel was full of hikers. I was expeting some heavy-duty snoring, but things were relatively quiet so I got a good night sleep. I headed out at 8AM. I need to start getting up a little earlier so I will start hiking by 7AM. It was a warm morning. I saw yellow daisies and some type of yellow lilies along the trail today. I also saw a lot of pretty pine trees. This helped brighten an otherwise gray-looking forest. I hiked pretty much by myself today. I did see Red Hank, a young man named Kyle, and a preacher ministering to a small group of young people. I also met my first trail angels. They were set up in a parking lot at Testnatee Gap. Myrtle and her husband Critter had cold drinks, apples, bananas, and donuts for the passing hikers. This was really a super deal and it was much apprecitated. Trail angels enjoy helping hikers and thirsty, hungry hikers appreciate their efforts. There were a couple of really tough mountains today. However, it was not that bad. I had hoped to go a little faster but I just ran out of gas. I got a maildrop at the Walasi-Yi Center, so my pack was a little heavier. Tonight I am camped at a little spot right off the trail. It's 6PM and I need to eat, clean up, and hit the bag.Happy Trails.
Date: 2004-03-26
From: Past Poplar Stamp Gap

To: Tray Mountain
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

I was up at 6AM and started hiking at 7AM. I think getting up earlier works best for me. It gives me more options at the end of the day. The trail was very kind for the first 6 miles. It was clean and well graded. Daisies and pretty little purple flowers lined most of the early parts of the trail. The middle and latter parts were much different. There were some tough parts over Rocky and Tray mountains. The treadway was very rocky in places. Trail Walker was near Red Clay Gap and he had Cokes for the hikers. He completed the trail a few years ago and now wants to give something back. That's great! A little later in another gap, a family was waiting to pick up a hiker. They had cold drinks for the hikers coming down Rocky mountain. I got to Tray Mountain Shelter at 2:30PM. This is where I plan to stop for the night. It's really too early to stop, but I did close to 14 miles. I don't want to push too hard too early. So I will stop and give the body a chance to recover. I'm sleeping in my first shelter tonight, which means that I won't have to take the tent down in the morning. That's a good thing.Happy Trails
Date: 2004-03-27
From: Tray Mountain

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

I started hiking around 7AM and saw a very pretty sunrise coming up over Tray Mountain. Most of the animals along the trail seem to be out in the early morning and late afternoon, and this morning I saw some deer. Later in the day I had a tough pull over Kelly Knob. Then I met a group of scouts going up Powell Mountain. The boys and their leaders seemed to be having a hard time. I got to Dicks Creek by 12:30, that's ten hard miles from Tray Mountain. I felt the pull of Hiawassee. When I got to US76 I met Tater who thru-hiked in 2000. He had hotdogs and cold drinks, so I ate three hot dogs and had two cold drinks. Tater also shuttled me to the Hiawassee Inn. I will stay the night and be back on the trail tomorrow morning. The trail has been just gorgeous. Some of the mountain flowers are starting to bloom and it's like the forest is waking up from its winter sleep. I have already had a hot shower and am now washing clothes. It has been so hot lately that most of my clothing has stayed wet from sweat. It's nice to have clean clothes even if they won't stay that way long. I'm off to the post office.Happy Trails
Date: 2004-03-28
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

I had a great stay in Hiawassee. The Hiawassee Inn has new owners and they are super nice people. They went out of their way to make hikers feel comfortable. I ate really good at buffets, Hardee's, and Dairy Queen. My body also had a chance to recover. The hike out of Dick's Creek was not too bad until the Georgia/North Carolina line. The beginning miles in North Carolina were some of the toughest I've hiked so far. I walked through green tunnels of Rhododendra and Mountain Laurel today. There were not many people on the trail but I did see Jim with his dog Bo. The weather has been great but that may be about to change. Rain and colder weather are in the forecast. It's been a very tough day and my body is not in hiking shape yet. I'm holding together but my little toes and left heel are hurting. I am at Deep Gap where I will tent. I have to get the tent up and cook supper. Happy Trails.
Date: 2004-03-29
From: Deep Gap

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

It's a nice cool sunny morning. The birds are chirping and woodpeckers are hammering. This is the kind of morning you're glad to be out hiking. The big mountain today was Standing Indian Mountain. It was about a 2.5 mile climb. I met two guys day hiking. We talked and they gave me an apple, that was a real treasure. The day continued to be nice, but thunderstorms are forecasted for late tonight and tomorrow morning.
Date: 2004-03-30
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Wallace Gap
Miles today: 9.1

It rained very hard during the night. It's 6AM and it's still raining and temps are in the 40s. Each morning I have to change from my dry sleeping clothes into damp hiking clothes. The tent is too small, so I change out in the open, which is pretty tough when its cold and rainy. There is a lot of water on the trail. My feet got soaked quickly and will probably stay wet all day. The highlight of today's hike was Albert Mountain. It's not a long climb, but it's nearly verticle. You get a beautiful view from the top. I made it to Wallace Gap by 1PM. Rainbow Springs Campground is one mile off the trail. When got to the campground I ate a microwave pizza, washed clothes, and took a shower. Then I took everything out of my pack to let dry. It's about 5PM and I am going to the camp store for a microwave cheeseburger and Ben & Jerry's ice cream.Happy Trails
Date: 2004-03-31
From: Wallace Gap

To: Wayah Bald
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

I could not get a shuttle from Rainbow Springs Campground back to Wallace Gap until 9:30AM. The weather wasn't bad when I started out, but the higher I climbed the worse things got. It started to snow and the wind picked up. It was near blizzard conditions at the higher elevations. There was probably 4 to 6 inches of snow on the ground. I had already passed up the first shelter. I had a long sleeve shirt and a short sleeve shirt on with a Frogg Togg on top. I was also wearing shorts with long gaiters. I really didn't want to stop and put long pants on because if I could keep moving the cold wasn't too bad. I had planned on tenting but there was just too much snow. The next shelter was too far. I seemed to be running out of options. Just as I was getting really concerned I came to Wayah Bald. Now a bald is probably the last place you could want to camp. A bald is usually high atop a mountain with little or no protection. Wayah Bald, however, has a fire tower on top. Under the fire tower there is a small stone room. There is a window and a large doorway that are uncovered, but I am pretty much out of the wind. So I think I'll be okay. The AT is always unpredictable. You take what it gives you and make the best of it!Happy Trails
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Wayah Bald

To: NOC
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: light rain

I didn't get a bit of sleep last night. My little stone room was a very cold place to sleep. Wind blown snow kept coming in through the open window and door. It was, however, a much better choice than sleeping outside. When I got up this morning, it was windy and snowing. The temp was in the 20's. My hands were numb and it was hard to pack my pack. My plan was to try and make it to the NOC today. That's an outdoor center that has a hiker hostel. It's farther than I planned to hike, but I need to get out of the snow. Most of my gear is wet, so I will need to dry it out. My feet have been wet for two days so blisters are becoming a concern. I'm feeling pretty tired, I think I've been pushing too hard. The plan is to spend the night at the NOC hostel and start back hiking tomorrow. I could take a "0" day and rest a little longer. I'll wait until tomorrow to decide.Happy Trails