morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-30
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast after a very nice night of rest. My ankle is still a bit sore so I reckon I will stay there another night. After a very nice breakfast with BandAidKid and his very nice parents along side Cathy & Mary Ann who are a couple of very cool Georgia gals. I filled my ziplock bag with ice and grabbed my book and journal and headed for the same table and chair I spent hours on yesterday. Cathy & Mary Ann were heading to Max Patch Bald to day hike a bit. They said they are in the 60's but I would have never guessed. They are some happenin' gals. As I was sitting outside this morning enjoying the birds once again, they were leaving for their day hike. They stopped as they were passing me and they invited me to dinner tonight. Wow what a couple of trail angels. I hurriedly agreed to go and they sped off to the AT for a days adventure. I spent all day in the same place as yesterday, that being on a chair on the porch facing a few bird feeders, icing my ankle and enjoying every moment as if I might awake from a dream. The roosters were crowing a fair amount today which was good because I often found myself lost deep in a daydream. Ahh, this mountain air. If you stop and take the time to really breathe it, cleanses not only the body but more so the mind. Yet, nothing I can write on this paper can possibly convey the total effect of it. The effects run much deeper than I can feel yet.The BandAidKid and his parents pulled out this morning. Hopefully I will see more of him. What a nice guy. Cathy & Mary Ann returned from their day hike around 7 this evening. They stepped out of their jeep and I knew they would have a story to tell. They cleaned up for a few minutes then we boarded Cathy's brand new tricked out Denali for a ride to town. What a luxury vehicle that is. Everything in town was closed except for the diner and the pub. I told them what I had thought of the pub so we headed to the diner. We caught them right at closing time but they fixed us up anyways. I think we all had the trout but with various fixins. Over dinner they explained how they got turned around on Max Patch, which is easy to do, and had hiked south instead of their planned northerly route. Once a thru-hiker told them of their mistake they decided to have fun anyway and just keep on hiking. When they had stopped from lunch, Mary Ann had started to feel ill. Despite many short breaks on the way back they made it in good time and spirits. Both are avid hikers and have done many miles on the AT. I hope I don't get turned around out here. We returned form dinner and watch a bit of "Deal or No Deal" on the television before turning in.I MUST SAY...OF ALL THAT I HAVE SEEN IN THIS WORLDTHE MOST CONTENT OF ALL IS A LITTLE BIRDBigShanty
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Woke up this morning and had a nice breakfast at the Inn with Cathy & Mary Ann. They offered to drive me into town on their way through so I got a ride into town. After loading up my pack and stopping by the dollar store for a few supplies, we parted ways. They sure are a couple of really cool gals. I walked painfully to the convenience store in town and called my parents via payphone. My ankle is still hurting me badly. Except the pain isn't from the "injury" it's now coming from my achilies tendon which I have now stressed due to walking on my ankle for a week. So after talking with my parents, I wisely checked into a hotel room for a few more days worth of rest. When I checked in, the manager Brian saw that I was limping. He showed up to my door with a huge bag of ice, a five gallon bucket, a bottle of vinegar, and a carton of epson salt. He told me how to mix the vinegar, salt & water to make my ankle feel better. What a super nice guy. So I spent the rest of the day icing and hot-soaking my ankle. I bought an ace bandage for compression when I can't elevate my ankle. I hate being laid up with a bum ankle but an injury like this if not taken care of properly & thoroughly can be a show stopper. I have over 1,900 miles to go. I'll gladly take the time to let my ankle do its thing. Right about dinner time I went to the service station and bought beer. Made myself an "in sink refrigerator" then got a large pizza to go from teh pub. I spent the rest of the night tending my ankle and eating pizza, drinkin beer, and watching TV. What more could one guy ask for right?BIG UPS TO BRIAN @ THE ALPINE COURT MOTEL IN HOT SPRINGS, NC. YOU'RE A LIFESAVER! BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Awoke this morning and my ankle is much better but still a bit sore. I think the hot-soak is working well. I lounged around and soaked my ankle for the first half of the day until just after 1pm when I see a very familiar sight outside my window. It's my dad on his motorcyle. I haul ass out of bed and dry my feet off and run outside to greet him. This was totally unexpected. He said he was having a bad day so he decided to ride the Goldwing back up to see me and stay for the night. I was so happy to see the old man. My spirits have been pretty low since yesterday but as soon as he got there I felt so much better. We hung around for a bit and smoked us a cigar apiece outside the room while we watched the birds. Then round bout dinner time, we rode the bike up to the diner. I had a burger & fries but pops on the other hand ordered the chicken livers & various fixins. When it got there it was the biggest plate of chicken livers in Hot Springs history. I don't know if they were just trying to get rid of their chicken livers or what but that was a huge plate of food. Pops put a pretty big dent in them before thowing in the towel. After dinner we went down to the pub and met I-AM-NOT and Kevin for a few beers and some nice conversation. We all got outta there around 11pm or so and headed for bed. What a nice surprise.JUST WHEN MY HEAD WAS LOW I LOOKED OUT MY WINDOW.THANKS DAD!BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-03
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Well, except for my old man snoring me half to death last night, I slept ok. The early morning dump truck parade outside my window didn't help either. My dad & I went over and had another good breakfast at the diner. After breakfast we donned our rain gear and helmets and board the bigwheel. We rode to Ashville, NC to check out some nice outfitters & such. We had some much needed Mellow Mushroom pizza for lunch. God I've missed the Mellow so bad! After lunch we hopped across the street to a nice little tobacco shop. They had a nice perfect little pipe and some good smooth tobacco so I bought me a pipe and round 2 oz of some mightly fine pipe tobacco. It should make for some comfortable sunsets along the trail this summer. On the way back to Hot Springs we took I-40 to Hwy 209. He wanted to take me down Hwy 209 because he said it was an absolutely beautiful ride. He was right. We went right through God's country. Hwy 209 is also a ton of fun on a motorcycle. It twists & turns an climbs & falls. What an awesome ride. We got back to Hot Springs around 2:30pm and it was time to say goodbye. It was really cool of my dad to rop in like that. I never expected something so good to happen at the perfect time like that. This was the best time I've ever had with my dad. He's a really cool guy and an even cooler dad.DAD, YOU'RE A LIFESAVER...THE MAN I INSPIRE TO BE. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-04
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Went to the outfitter this morning and bought a new terptent. It's made by SixMoonDesigns. They have a .com I'm sure. I bought 4 days of food for the trek out of there whenever that may be. I hope soon but if not that's ok too. I just have to be patient with my ankle. I lighted up or risk injuring my ankle even worse on the way outta here. So I boxed up 12 lbs. of stuff to send home. I am so friggin happy to get rid of all that weight. If I could say one thing to anyone thinking about hiking the AT, it's this: "get your pack weight under 30 lbs. 25 lbs. is is even better". I wish I could have done this a long time ago but because of possible bad weather I couldn't. Well I'm tired of 40 lbs so now I'm in the 20's and I feel so much better. The pack almost disappears when it's on. I haven't hiked in it yet but I'm excited. I wish my ankle was at 100% because I could do marathons with this packweight. I hope and pray it heals soon. Aside from getting lunch and dinner, I stayed in my room all day hot-soaking and massaging my ankle. It's almost there I think but no quite. My achilles is still inflamed so I need to let it heal. I have all the time in the world so I'll spend some of it here. The hotel I am staying in is booked up tomorrow because of the festival in town so I'm out of a place to sleep tomorrow. I'ts supposed to storm & rain tomorrow so I hope I can find a place.It'll all buff out,BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-05
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up this morning & headed to the outfitter to send my box of stuff home. Got back to the room and it's pouring down rain outside. I packed my pack and put on the raingear and it's out into the rain I go. I called my dad & he said Adam & Angela are vising family in Erwin, TN and they want to come and see me. The payphone wouldn't call Adam's cellphoen so my dad called him and told him I'd be wondering around downtown Hot Springs. Along about noon I see a familiar car coming my way. I flagged them down and they pulled over down the street just past me. I gave them both a big ole hug. It was so good to see them. Before they showed up I was sittin on a bench next to a store praying they would come. We went to the pub for lunch and had a good time talking & catching up. Adam & Angela had some emergency family business to attend to and were out of state when I left the AT so I never got to really say good-bye. I was bummed for quite some time but seeing them today made it better. Adam made fun of my hair and my beard and Angela slapped him and told him to be nice. I have missed that! It's been hard being away from them but it's only for a little while. They had to leave and go back to their family business in Erwin, TN and couldn't spend much time in town with me but they spent more than enough. I am so happy they came to see me. Thanks Adam & Angela. You are both amazing friends. Not long after they left I found a nice room at the Bridge Street Cafe & Inn. It's a cozy 'lil room. A bit expensive but it's raining outside so I'm happy. For dinner I walked next door to the pub. I sat around for the most part. I had some hot wings & fries washed down with some cold beer on tap. This couple seated nearby began talking to me and asking me questions about my hike. We had some nice conversation. Roger & Robyn from Roan Mountain, TN. They are a very nice couple. Roger is a chiropractor and Robyn is a massage therapist. They were in town celebrating their 12th anniversary. They were staying in a cottage behind the bar and were going back there to enjoy a fire, the adjacent river, and invited me to join them. We hung out by the fire for a bit before Roger offered me his professional services on the spot at no cost. I have never been to a chiropractor before because the idea seemd a bit silly to me. Well now I'm a believer because after he got done cracking & popping all sorts of things that aren't supposed to crack and pop like that, I felt like a brad new man. I think I'll see one on a regular basis from here on out. Thank you Roger for helping me out. I feel much better. We hung out by the fire and enjoyed some nice conversation for a bit before I headed in for the night.I did't think I would see any of my friends until this most grand of adventures was over. THANK YOU ADAM & ANGELA!BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-06
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up to a beautiful day. The rain has moved on for now. I tried to hike .5 of a mile into the woods on the AT. I have heard there is a nice campsite there. Indeed there was but it was full of tents already. My ankle hurt so darn bad that I was limping like never before. So I decided to go back into town and get a room at the Alpine Court Motel again. Once again, Brian the really cool manager lent me that same big bucket so I could soak my ankle. Last night Roger suggested that my pain also may be due to inflared tendons and ligaments throughout my lower leg. I decided to give my whole lower leg a good massage and I'll be a monkey's uncle if he wasn't right. Immediately almost I felt my ankle lossen up and the tension go away. But I have a lot of work to do because my right leg below the knee is a mess. Everything is way too tight and will take a while to work out. But I'm glad something is working. I am finally making headway. Thank you once again Roger! You da'man! If only I would have thought of that sooner. I would be north of Erwin, TN today. But oh well, God has a plan for everything I guess. Around dinner I headed down to the pub. There were some good movies on TV tonight so I ordered a full rack of ribs, fries and coleslaw to go I snagged a rootbeer from teh store and took it all back to the room for dinner and movie. What a life!PORK RIBS AND AN ACTION MOVIE...OH YEAH BABY!BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-07
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Not much different today than the last couple of zero days. I hung around all day and soaked & rubbed my leg. I hobbled up to the diner for lunch then it was back to the room for a little more rest. For dinner I hobbled down to the pub and ordered a dozen oysters and took them back to the room to watch TV again. So today was a pretty boring & uneventful day. I can't wait to get back on the trail.BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-08
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke up this morning and the ankle was feeling pretty good but it's still not ready. My calf muscle is a mess of knotted tendons & muscles. Stretching it out hurts like crazy. I'm ready to chop it off & be done with the whole thing already. Around lunch I hobbled down to the spa and scheduled an hours worth of excrutiating pain. I told them I wanted someone to spend an hour on my right leg and pound the knots out. So I scheduled it for 6pm this evening. I washed all my clothes at the laundromat in the meantime and got some lunch. I walked back down to the spa for my appointment and the girls at the spa said to wait for someone named Tripp. Well Tripp showed up and I knew this was not going to be a peaceful affair. Tripp is this big dude about 6'4" tall, 235 lbs. and his big ole banana hands. I told him what the problem was and he said he'd take care of it. I spent the next hour writhing in pain as he mashed my leg into bits. I gotta say, he knew what he was doing because I walked out of there a brand new man. For the 1st time in weeks my leg was limber & flexible and my ankle didn't hurt. Tripp...you're a lifesaver! Thank you! On the way back I dropped by the pub for some grub and my friend I-AM-NOT showed up and we had a couple of beers and enjoyed some nice conversation.I'M FEELIN' BETTA'BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-09
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up this morning and was laying in bed and my ankle moved fine. My leg was a bit sore from the deep tissue massage yesterday but altogether I was a lot better. I was so afraid to get out of bed this morning. I was scared that as soon as I put my weight on my ankle I would crumple in pain. I was ok though. I could put my full weight on it just like nothing ever happened. I could walk normally without favoring my ankle at all. I was so happy! I walked normally up to the pay phone up the street and called my parents to let them know the good news. I decided after taking their advice to rest it for a few more days yet because if I leave Hot Springs now I will just have to spend a lot more money on a hotel room in Erwin, TN. I am going to wait for my parents in Erwin. They are coming to Trail Days in Damascus, VA and the original plan was for me to hike there and meet my folks there. But due to my injury I won't be able to hike into Damascus but if I leave in the next few days I can make it to Erwin. Not what I wanted to do originally but it works nontheless. I'll just have to make the section up that I'll miss this fall. I got a big ole' pizza from the diner and some brew from the corner store and vegged out in front of the tv all night. Kind of a celebration party of sorts.GOD IT'S GOOD TO WALK AGAIN!BigShantyGame Out
Date: 2007-05-10
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

I checked out of the motel today because I'm tired of giving up my money to lay around all day. I packed up my "much lighter than before" pack and headed for the campsite by the river that I tried for a few days ago. I got there and it was all mine. I set up my new tarptent and applied the seam sealer to the seams to make it water proof. This is the best place I have ever camped. I pitched only 10 feet from the French Broad River. I have probably a half mile walk to town from here and the trail goes right next to the river the whole way. I just bought a new book so I spent all day lounging on the bank of the river reading it with my feet in the water. Around dinner time I walked back into town to the pub for a couple of beers and a burger. It was so nice out so I sat at a table outside. I-AM-NOT and one of his buddies came strolling up from Elmer's hostel where they both are living and working. I-AM-NOT was totally surprised to see me and I him. They sat down and we all drank a couple of beers. When it was time to head back to camp I put on my headlamp and walked back. It sure seemed like a long way in the dark! But I eventually made it.DOWN BY THE RIVER,BigShantyGame07
Date: 2007-05-11
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Hung out by the river all day and read my book. Worked on my tan & soaked my feet in the river. It was nice to have a day all to myself without a TV and an air conditioner making all sorts of racket. Sunshine and fresh air is just about all one would ever need to recharge and recenter. Around dinner time I headed to the pub one last time. I got a few beers and a big ole burger. I waited until 10pm for I-AM-NOT to show up and have a few beers but he never did so I walked back to my tent site and crashed. Around 1:45 am I was awakened by a flashlite & loud voices stumbling past my tentsite. A couple of guys lugged a case of beer past my tent and up the top of the cliff that was probably 200 feet away. Their voices dred away and I drifted back off to sleep. Around 4am I was awaken by flashlights & voices once again. Only this time someone fell off the cliff and broke their leg. I heard screaming & moaning for a minute before the other guys carried him through the weeds & back to town. I was pissed about being awaken so rudely at such an hour. So pissed in fact that unless someone mentioned "stopping the bleeding" I was going to let him lay there all night in pain. Thankfully some of his buddies were there to carry him away. The moral of this story is don't climb a cliff sober, get drunk on top, and try to climb back down drunk. DUH!!!
Date: 2007-05-12
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mt Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Woke up this morning & I'm feeling great so I decided it's high time I got back in the woods. Got some breakfast at the diner and walked over to Elmer's hostel to say goodbye to I-AM-NOT. We chatted a bit and said our goodbyes. It was sad parting ways with such a cool and inspiring person. I walked down to the payphone and called my folks and told them I'd be in Erwin, TN in a couple of days. Mother's day is tomorrow so I wished my mom a happy Mother's Day over the phone. She started crying immediately which made me cry because this is the first Mother's Day I haven't been with my mom. After I talked to my folks I headed north on the Appalachian Trail. FINALLY I'm pullin out of town and hiking again. I had one very hot & hard pull out of town for the first couple of miles. I favored my ankle and took very good care not to twist it or step on any rocks that might possibly send me back into town. My ankle did great all day. I had a few ghost pains for a bit but that is to be expected I'm sure. I stopped for a bit at a random pond and watched the frogs do their thing. I made really good time to Spring Mt Shelter. It's an old shelter & I'd rather push on to the next shelter but since this is my first day of hiking on my newly healed ankle I'm going to do the responsible thing and stay here for the night. Diesel and his dog were walking on. I met Moose and HotLips as well. Good day of hikingBACK IN THE WOODS...WHAT A WONDERFUL FEELING!BigShanty
Date: 2007-05-13
From: Spring Mt Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Got up & got moving at a decent hour this morning. Made it to Little Laurel Shelter for lunch and everyone who stayed there last night was still there. I had lunch with everyone and pulle dout to head up to the next shelter. Had a pretty hot & steep up for a bit until we got to White Neck Cliff. I am running low on food so I ate a little bit on teh cliffs and was wishing I had more. I am carrying barely enough food to get to Erwin because I want to see how light I can get my pack & still be comfortable. I wish I would have brought more food though. Food is one thing I will never skimp on again. I came across this craptacular little water source but I really needed water so I had to wait for over 15 mintues as drip by drip my bottle filled up. I sent my filter home in Hot Springs so I'm using AquaMir drops to purify my water. So I had to wait another agonizing 20 mintues for my water to become potable so I could drink it. Just past Blackstack Cliffs, I came to a trail junction which gave me the optoin of hiking the exposed or unexposed trail. Of course I chose the exposed ridgeline trail. This section of trail has been the coolest trail ever. Rock steps, rock hopping, rock climbing. Anything I have ever seen pales in comparison to this little piece of trail. This is the most rugged piece of land I have ever layed eyes upon. Great hiking though. Tons of fun. This section wore me out hard though. Right before the shelter, I saw the biggest pile of bear crap I have ever seen yet. Kind of alarming but oh well.HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM!BigShanty