morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-03-13
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: few clouds

Not too much to write about today. Me and Walk DMC left Low at about 9:30. Dave was ahead with me and Chris in the middle and Murray bringing up the rear. Chris¢s knee is pretty messed up, though, so I wound up hiking with Dave for the first five miles. He¢s 62, used to run marathons, and lives in Bel Air. We talked quite a bit of drywall and tile.We stopped at Chattahoochee Gap for a cold lunch and for everyone to catch up. Two guys from last night, Roy and something, came up. They¢re older and grew up here, so they know the trails really well. Nor¢easter also came along. He¢s probably my age and hiked from Springer to Pearisburg in ¢98. When we got going again, I hiked in the back with Chris because his leg was really messed up. We¢d come five miles and only had about two to go, but it took awhile. After a bit, Murray and a guy named Kyle caught us. Murray was walking with him because Kyle apparently has like seven ferocious blisters. Murray is 60 and a retired Alabama lawyer. He¢s a real character and is full of crazy sayings and stories. We got here to Blue Mountain early enough for a very leisurely dinner and to gather some wood.   We had a good fire and Chris and I sat around about an hour after everyone else went to bed. We¢re about two miles south of Unicoi, which is the jump out point for Helen. All those guys are spending tonight there. I¢m super tempted, but I¢ve got Hiawassee, which is a bigger town like two days later, so I¢m not sure what to do. It would definitely be fun, but we were just at Neels and I don¢t really want to be spending every third night in a bed.
Date: 2011-03-15
From: Swag of the Blue Ridge

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Entering this myself here at the Hiawassee Inn in Hiawassee, GA. It started raining at 5:30 this morning and pretty much didn't stop all day. I got on trail at 10:45 or so. Right as I was leaving, Jake and Timmy were stopping to look at the map. They said Ron was about a half hour ahead, so I set out.I got passed by a young couple, who were pretty fast, then continued on up Kelly. I have to admit, it was a pretty terrible day hiking. It was below 40 the whole time and either raining or so thick with fog that it might as well have been. I ran into a guy and his son and asked if they'd seen a pair of older guys (Ron and Curahee), but they said just one guy.I then caught Ron, who said he hadn't seen Curahee all day, which was a little worrisome. They'd camped about an hour behind me at Steel Trap, but had started an hour and a half ahead of me this morning.We finally wound up at Dick's Creek by the road and I tried to hitch while Ron waited for Curahee. After a while with no luck, an SUV pulled over, which turned out to be the Sheriff. I wasn't sure if I was going to get a ticket or a ride, but luckily it was the latter. Sheriff Tim was very pro-hiker and told me about being on the committee to make this a trail-friendly town or whatever the designation is.He dropped me off at the motel, which is where I am now. Clothes are in the dryer, Subway is in me. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I might let the weather dictate. My package wasn't at the PO, so that might help keep me here another full day as well.Oh, I got a cheap cell phone from the Radio Shack, which took forever. The plan is $2 for a day of unlimited calls and texts, billed only on the days I use it, which seems perfect for this.
Date: 2011-03-16
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day two in Hiwassee. I've got the room one more night and will most likely be taking a zero today. I need to resupply and plan out the next phase of the trip.I ran into Ron and Curahee and Mrs. Curahee (Barbara) this morning in the front of the motel. Curahee got in okay yesterday, just had kind of a rough day like the rest of us. We might all run over to the Ingles, which is a big grocery store down here. I need to do a full resupply pretty much. I also need to plan out my next big stop early this time. I looked briefly this morning at the book and it will probably be NOC, although I expect I'll drop into Franklin for small stuff. Dave has a drop there and if I'm lucky, I'll cross those guys again in the next couple days.I guess these people don't make sense since my written updates haven't gotten to Erica to transcribe yet. I've met a ton of people out here and hiked off and on with the same bunches for a lot of the way.
Date: 2011-03-17
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Bly Gap, NC
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Back in the saddle. This is now the longest outdoor trip I¢ve ever had, time-wise. I¢m not sure how to think about that, though; three nights of it have been in a bed. I¢m sure yesterday won¢t be my last [day of] zero [miles hiked], but I kind of didn¢t like it. It felt like sort of a waste of time.I got my package this morning and just had time to get back, repackage food, then get back to the post office to forward the extra to NOC. I caught the 11:00 am shuttle and was the only one on board. The driver, Bill, is a hammock guy, so we talked about that most of the way.When we got to Dick¢s Creek, there were a bunch of people, including Murray. He and a few others grabbed the shuttle back. I¢m sure he¢ll be mayor of Hiawassee this time next week. He wasn¢t sure what happened to Chris and said Dave should be just behind, but I didn¢t see him all day. I hiked behind Jim and Walker Guy (I think) and passed them after a bit. I had a Subway footlong in my mesh pocket. Jim said if a bear came after me to throw it back to him.The hike went well at first. Even with my town weight, I felt good. I was planning on getting lunch at Plum Orchard, but it was a little far off trail, and a guy sitting against a tree said it was full of Scouts, so I ate with him. He was a retired guy called Swift, and it turns out this is his third thru-hike in a row, which I find hard to imagine. I told him if I make it, this time next year I¢m going to be eating ice cream out of a bowl balanced on my stomach on the couch. We actually had a really nice time and a leisurely lunch.I finally got going at about 3:00. I¢d been thinking of just Plum Orchard today, but was feeling fine and a little bad about the zero. Everything else felt totally fine, but my feet really started hurting. I hit the North Carolina state line at about 5:15 and Bly right after. I¢d have pushed the three miles to Muskrat Shelter, but my feet were awful. Nothing sharp, just very sore across the whole bottom. Hopefully it¢s just the time off, because I otherwise felt like I could have gone a lot further. Jim was here at Bly and Swift rolled in a little later. Jim had eaten, but sat with us for dinner. I¢d brought two 500 ml box wines from town and passed them around. Jim wasn¢t drinking, so Swift and I each had one. In bed now, glad to be back out. I haven¢t really looked at the new map yet, but I¢m excited to be in North Carolina. Oh, one bit of news. That guy Tater dropped out. He was a big dude, but I feel bad. I actually looked at his Trail Journal while I was in town and his family had thrown him all these going away parties and everything. It would be pretty bad to be mowing the lawn or something in May thinking I should be out here.
Date: 2011-03-18
From: Bly Gap, NC

To: Beech Gap
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: few clouds

Kind of a rough one today. It didn¢t help that I didn¢t get up until 10:00 and on trail until 11:00. I slept like a rock and was much too comfortable to get up.As I was getting started, a guy from Hiawassee, Rambler, rolled in. Turns out he started from Dick¢s Creek before sun up. And he went on from where I am now, which means like a 24-mile day. He passed me after I got going, when I stopped for a snack, then I saw him at Muskrat shelter, then not again. He and one hiker sitting on a side trail were the only people I saw all day. Because I started so late, I didn¢t make breakfast, just had a granola bar and then some nuts and raisins about an hour later. I¢m not sure if it was that or the crazy climbs at the start today, but I felt lousy. The three miles to Muskrat took two hours. When I got there, I cooked my oatmeal, which helped.I felt more energized, but my feet started really hurting again. I was planning on stopping at Standing Indian shelter, but there was a note in the journal that Swift was heading here. I¢d also been doing the mileage math in my head in the afternoon and realizing that I¢m going to have to start picking it up.I got a second wind up the 1.5 miles to Standing Mountain, but the three down were bad. My feet are just wrecked. Not really anything specific, just extremely sore in general. I have enough food to get to NOC, but if this doesn¢t improve, I might jump off at Franklin for a night. It¢s only about 20 miles to the crossroad and they look pretty easy. By my math, I have to average 12.4 miles a day for the whole thing to make it by August 28th.
Date: 2011-03-28
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (Bryson City, NC)

To: Sassafrass Gap, NC
Miles today: 7.0

Short one today. I hiked into NOC yesterday just in time to clean up and get some food. I saw Chris and Kyle by the river and we had dinner at a great place with the ¢Voracious Vegan¢ burger. I paid for a double, which was really just a room barely big enough for bunk beds with painted OSB walls. Another guy came in after the office closed. Chris and Kyle¢s room was full, so I said he could stay with me. Backyard Boogie was up in the nicer place, so we took some beers up, watched some of the [NCAA] tournament, and bummed his washer and dryer. After that, we hung out in the common room for a bit and I called Tom to figure out our trip.I got back to the room late and that guy was snoring like mad. It¢s not his fault and I know I¢m hyper-sensitive to it, but it was a miserable night. I didn¢t get to sleep until about 6:30 AM. It really reinforces my commitment to never sleep in a shelter or bunk room.Anyway, the hike into NOC wasn¢t bad. Six miles of downhill, some really steep, but the weather was really nice, which was more than enough for me. I didn¢t get out of town until 3:00 today thanks to a real fiasco with the package place. NOC is all about paddling and not really hikers. Chris and this guy, Greg from Buffalo, got an earlier start and Kyle hiked with me. The trail here is 7 miles all uphill. Chris¢s heel is bothering him, so we caught him an hour or so in. He was going to camp there, but decided to push on. The climb wasn¢t horrible, but we kept thinking it was over and it would go back up. I¢m camped well away from the shelter, next to the stream. I can¢t hear anyone down here. I¢m in my hammock, not some horrible bunk and I can sleep in tomorrow. Heaven.
Date: 2011-03-29
From: Licklog Gap

To: Brown Gap Shelter (I think)
Miles today: 9.0

Hiked with Chris, Kyle, and Greg again today. At Cheoah Bald, I went on and hiked a good part of the day myself. I saw Nightwalker off and on. I stopped for a long lunch at Simp Gap, where Greg and Kyle caught up. They said Chris was behind and Nightwalker was hiking with him. They were just ahead going into Stecoah Gap, where there was some great trail magic. Sodas, multiple kinds of chips, Little Debbies, apples, and strawberries. I had a ¢Mountain Explosion,¢ a ton of chips, strawberries, and took an apple.The climb out of there wasn¢t super long, but it was easily the steepest so far. We made the shelter at about 7:15. Moondoggie and a kid we¢d seen before starting were both here. He¢d started early from NOC and had a Cuben Fiber backpack. Said his load was 18 pounds, which is the lightest I¢ve seen by quite a bit. I came out of NOC at 35.After setting up and changing, I went back up to the shelter. It was just dark, and Kyle and Greg were making a fire. At about 9:00, we saw a headlamp and got excited for Chris. Unfortunately it was Nightwalker with bad news. Chris¢s foot had gotten worse and he hitched out at Stecoah. He¢s going to rest up then hitch ahead.My feet felt pretty good today. The pains now are more normal and getting used to the shoes as much as anything else. We did nine miles up some pretty varied terrain, and I felt like I could have done a few more without a problem.The goal for tomorrow is to do 13 to the shelter right before Fontana. That will mean time to get my packages Thursday and still get a good start into the Smokies. Unfortunately, it¢s definitely raining tomorrow, so we¢ll see what happens.
Date: 2011-03-30
From: Brown Gap Shelter (I think)

To: Fontana Hike Inn, NC
Miles today: 12.0

Today was strange. Woke up to everyone gone at 10:30. Over breakfast a very nice young couple from California came by, Rocket and Spaceman.I got going at 11:20 in a fog that would last all day. I flew through the first six miles in under three hours and didn¢t stop at all. I had lunch at Cable Gap Shelter with Rocket, Spaceman, Nightwalker, Moondoggie, Flutewalker, and Leap. My feet felt great. In the register, I wrote, ¢Suck on that, plantar fasciitis.¢ Five minutes after lunch, my feet were killing me. The second six miles were horrible. I¢d been planning on the shelter, but called the shuttle at the marina and got a room. This hotel is super nice. I¢d guess the nicest I¢ll see on this trip. Kyle, Greg, and Moondoggie split a room and just had me over for a beer, which cheered me up. I¢m guessing I¢m going to be here a day or two. It¢s rough given how much better I¢ve been feeling.
Date: 2011-04-02
From: Fontana Hike Inn, NC

To: Birch Spring Campsite
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: broken clouds

So, three nights in Fontana. I got back on the trail at noon today. The weather is gorgeous. Not a cloud in the sky and extremely windy. The trail crossed Fontana Dam, which was really something. I got a lot of pictures of that. It went right into the Smokies, but stayed on the road a while, which confused me. The trail feels very different here. The climb to Shuckstack was very gentle. I went over to the fire tower, but only got a couple flights up before chickening out. I¢d have made the top, but the wind was insane. I made the campsite here at about 5:30 and took my time setting up. There are a few folks here, but no one I know. My feet are sore, but not terrible. I was thinking today that the worst has been following hard pushes uphill. Which matches what Swift was saying about his coming from pushing off hard with his toes and calves on the steep stuff.I¢m hoping to do better than eight miles a day through the park. My plan is to start earlyish each day, go very easy, and take very long breaks to stretch and rest.
Date: 2011-04-03
From: Birch Spring Campsite

To: Spence Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.5

Followed the plan exactly today. Got on trail at 11:00, hiked 90 minutes, rested 30, hiked 90, lunch for an hour, hiked 90, rested 30, hiked 90, stopped for the day. So six actual hiking hours, two hours of resting and stretching. I think it worked well. I can feel my feet, but they¢re not terrible.I got a great surprise when I got here. Natty and Cotton (Rob and Galen) were both here. They¢re the guys I left Springer with. I figured I¢d never see them again, but Cotton hurt his knee and had to take time, then go slow. It really cheered me up to see some familiar faces. Oh, there was another nice surprise. There was a full shelter here, so I got to set my hammock up. [Ed. note: In the Smokies, the Park rules require back-country campers to sleep in shelters, as opposed to pitching tents or hammocks in the woods. If the shelters are full, then you can camp away from them.] It¢s crazy, insanely windy, but it¢s not really cold. The trees I¢m on are moving quite a bit, but they¢re small. I was extra careful to set up somewhere with nothing big at all overhead. Tomorrow evening there¢s supposed to be a big thunderstorm. I¢m going to try to get going a little early so I can be set up before it, if possible. There are shelters at six and 12 miles. Hopefully my feet are good enough for the latter, but I can live with a short one tomorrow if necessary. I¢ve seen a couple KAQ fan comments here on my Trail Journal. It¢s nice to be remembered. I¢ve hammocked every night I¢ve been out and been loving it. Still waiting to see my first KAQ out there. Seems like Arrowhead is doing a great job. I¢m really glad they¢re offering DIY kits. That¢s something I always wanted to do.
Date: 2011-04-04
From: Spence Ridge Shelter

To: Off Greenbrier Trail, GSMNP
Miles today: 6.5

What a day. Started off with Cotton. He actually took my picture all day for his photo documentary thing. He would run up ahead or drift behind. Very difficult not to stare into the camera. We were trying to beat this crazy storm. It was in the 70s all day without a cloud in the sky. But any time we¢d get up on a bald, we could see a wall of clouds across the whole horizon to the west and they were moving pretty quick.Natty caught up to us after a while and Cotton put the camera away because the light was not good. They got ahead of me after my first break and I wouldn¢t see them until the shelter.The day was deceptively hard. It didn¢t seem like there was anything particularly bad, but I was wiped by the time I got here. If I wasn¢t already going to stay, the new forecast was for the storm to hit at 5:00 and be horrendous.There were a lot of people in the shelter, so I put my stuff in a spot, then cooked an early dinner. When I was done, I decided to bail. Everything in the shelter was dirty, there were going to be a million people, and I don¢t have real bottom insulation for it. I¢d have to spread my underquilt and clothes and stuff, and the sleeping platforms are covered in dirt. I said goodbye and headed for a side trail about 0.3 miles down. It was in a gap and on the west side, so I figured I could get low and out of the wind, which is all I need. It can rain buckets forever and I¢m dry and comfortable as long as there¢s not a ton of wind. The trail got near a creek right away, so I jumped off and followed it down. It started to rain as I was setting up, right over a giant log over a muddy arm of the creek. I¢m in a pretty good spot, but one bad thing happened that never has before. The storm is calling for ¢destructive winds,¢ so I made really sure there was nothing big over me. As such , I¢m tied to two pretty small trees and so is my tarp. When I get in, the weight is enough to band the trees slightly, which leaves my tarp ridgeline floppy, which isn¢t great for a windy night. I did set the tarp sides up probably more vertical than I ever have.It¢s been raining off and on for a while, sometimes very hard. I¢m staying pretty dry, but occasionally getting some mist from the foot end. Hopefully nothing to worry about. At least it¢s pretty warm. There¢s a ton of thunder and lightening, too. That¢s my other reason to get really low. None of it is super close to me down here. There is quite a bit of wind, though, more than I¢d have thought given where I can. The shelter must be getting pounded. Anyway, kind of a strange day. Feet were sore, but not horrible. It was the motor that seemed to be having the most trouble.
Date: 2011-04-06
From: Behind Double Spring Shelter

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

Boy, did I get a late start today. I don¢t even remember what time I woke up, but I putzed around camp awhile, talked to some folks passing through, and didn¢t get on trail until 1:15.The trail was still super muddy and slushy, but it was much warmer. I wore my regular pants and windbreaker all day. The hike to Clingman¢s was nice and pretty easy. Someone had even built a little snow man on the trail. Clingman¢s itself was a little disappointing. The tower there is neat. It¢s a huge cement one with a giant spiral camp to the top. I was the only hiker in a sea of folks who¢d driven up. I got the thru-hiking 20 questions from some ladies.What I didn¢t like was that the trail itself is just in the woods the whole time and there¢s no marker or anything for where it's the highest AT elevation. I¢m actually not even sure exactly where it was. I planned on staying at the shelter a few miles to town early tomorrow. The trail was a little crazy with the ice. It was all down and fairly technical, so it was slow going.As I started getting close to the shelter, I was really thinking about town. I figured if I saw the shelter by 5:30, I could make the 4.5 miles to Newfound Gap before 8:00 and find a ride. I was really kicking myself for the lazy start today.I made the shelter at 5:45 and confirmed that the rest of the trail was fairly easy. I killed myself, but I made Newfound right at 7:45. Oh, just before it, I saw a bobcat. He was about 100 feet up and to the right of the trail. He was moving slowly up the hill. The first thing that went through my mind was cougar because his color was very even. I tried to get close to get a picture, but he heard me and took off. It was really something. When I hit the parking lot, there was a hiker by the wall, so I went over to see if he had a shuttle coming. His name was Skidmark, and he immediately said his wife was coming and I was welcome to a ride. We waited about an hour and then she pulled up. They¢re super, super nice. They¢re retired and live fairly close. I could not have felt more welcome. We tried a few hotels and wound up at the Family Inn next to each other. So, quite a day. Boy am I glad I pushed instead of staying at that last shelter. I¢ve got an extra large pizza on the way and those suckers are sleeping in the mud.