morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-12-10
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

I left my four new friends at the Woods Hole Shelter and walked down to Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap. As I walked over Blood Mountain (elev. 4,461 ft.), I saw nothing but fog/clouds. It would not have been fun to stay at the Blood Mountain Shelter with no fire (plus no windows or doors!) and sleep on a cold, hard concrete floor.Going down the mountain, I met a man and woman going up on a day hike. I greeted them. She said, ¢WILDCAT! I¢ve been reading about your hike on Trail Journals. Have you recovered from your hernia surgery?¢ It was Prayer Walker, who hiked on the AT in 2013 and posted on Trail Journals. She and her husband recently completed the Camino de Santiago.I hiked on down to Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap. There I met SOBOs Special Agent, Super Fly, Cake, Don¢t Panic, and Little Agnes. All of them recognized me except Cake¢since he and I hadn¢t met previously.* I was with Special Agent at the Green Mountain House in Vermont. * I met Super Fly in the 100-Mile Wilderness before he had received a trail name.* I met Don¢t Panic in Pennsylvania.* Little Agnes was Freedom Fries the last time that I saw her. She is from France. Big Agnes is a poplar brand of backpacking gear headquartered in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Her real name is Agnes.I gave them my cherry pies from Food City. I got them for $0.69 each¢about half the price of Little Debbie pies. I should have bought a full case; now I¢m out of pies!After my SOBO friends got back on the trail, I packed up my resupply box and visited with Zack, who works at Mountain Crossings, while I charged my electronic devices. He was Blue Eyes and hiked the trail NOBO in 2011. He worked as a ridge runner for the ATC in 2014. Good guy!Later in the afternoon, I met Little Spoon and Bo Line. Little Spoon was at the Graymoor Friary pavilion in NY when we got trail magic from a local Methodist Church on Sept. 10th. Bo Line apparently was in the Navy and was named by Chatter¢s brother after he showed her brother how to tie a bowline (a useful knot!).I arrived at the Low Gap Shelter after dark and after fifteen miles. Too much time spent talking to SOBOs, I guess¢just doing what WILDCATs do!
Date: 2015-12-11
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Cheese Factory Site
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

I left Low Gap as soon as there was enough light to see the trail. Last night¢s night hiking pretty much sucked!I stopped for lunch at the Blue Mountain Shelter. It was starting to sprinkle, and the wind was picking up; but there was a tarp on the front of the shelter. I checked my phone, and there was a text message from Solar Body. He and his hiking companions are planning to stay at the Cheese Factory site tonight. I had been planning on the Tray Mountain Shelter, where I stayed in ¢04 and which would give me twelve miles. I just hope the weather clears!I met Chatter. Her home is in North Georgia, and she is slack packing today. She and her brother hiked with Bo Line in the 100-Mile Wilderness.Then I met Blackbeard/Chris, whom I had met and camped with in October just outside Harpers Ferry. He¢s from Durham.I arrived at the Cheese Factory site at about 4:00 PM. The weather was perfect! I was sending Solar Body a text message when he walked into camp. He was excited, to say the least! It was great to see him again.Solar Body started the campfire, and I set up my tarp. Power Slide and Jolly showed up. They are father and son from Alabama. Jolly is eighteen. It¢s great that they can do the trail together!After dark, Rockfish came into camp. He¢s a Triple Crowner.Solar Body showed me some new gear that he had purchased. ¢Just like yours, Wildcat!¢ he said.It was a great evening!
Date: 2015-12-12
From: Cheese Factory Site

To: Top of Georgia Hostel
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

When I got out of my sleeping bag, Solar Body already had a morning campfire going. His ¢team¢ has only 56 miles left. Power Slide has arranged rides for them when they get to Springer.The weather was warm last night! Unusually warm for December. I guess that we should enjoy it while we can, because it won¢t last!I was the first one to get packed up and hit the trail. Someone had told me about the Top of Georgia Hostel at Dick¢s Creek Gap. That sounds a lot better than hitchhiking from the gap to Hiawassee to stay at the Budget Inn motel. So I called the hostel from the trail when I finally got a good cell phone signal and talked to the proprietor, Bob Gabrielson, who is also a Triple Crowner. If I can get to the gap before 4:00 PM, he¢ll give me a free shuttle to Hiawassee to pick up my resupply box.I met Handsome Dave and Huckleberry on the trail today. Handsome is from Mississippi; we first met in Vermont and again in Hot Springs at Miss Janet¢s Thanksgiving dinner. The boys recognized me immediately, and we had a good visit.I made it to the gap with ten minutes to spare! Bob gave me a ride to Hiawassee to get my resupply, and I had dinner at Daniel¢s Steakhouse¢AYCE salad bar and prime rib. I remember eating there in 2004.We returned to the hostel and had a good evening talking about the trails. Bob/Sir Packs A Lot, did the AT in ¢03, the PCT in ¢05 and the CDT in ¢07. We hadn¢t met previously, but knew of each other and knew a lot of the same people. I told him about the Trail Chaplain program. A great evening, even though I was the only guest at the hostel.
Date: 2015-12-13
From: Top of Georgia Hostel

To: Plum Orchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Another nice warm December day!Bob fixed me a good breakfast. Then I used his computer to print out my Smoky Mountain thru-hiker permit. Naturally, there was a glitch in the system, and it failed to send me the PDF file with the permit. So I called the Park Headquarters, and they gave me my permit number over the phone. Progress! Bob showed me his store and hiker re-supply, and we talked about gear.I finally got on the trail at about 10:00 AM. I climbed out of Dick¢s Creek Gap and then wasted too much time and almost a full charge on my phone battery on Buzzard Knob and two other peaks, trying to send pictures to my wife for Trail Journals and Facebook. Basically, there is no Verizon service in this part of Georgia.I arrived at the Plum Orchard Gap Shelter mid-afternoon and ate a late lunch. This is a really nice shelter, with a good piped spring. It is unusual in that it is post-and-beam construction with mortise and tenon joints. Everything is held together with wooden pegs. There are three sleeping platforms, so it is supposed to sleep 14 people.I would like to have stayed here in 2004; but I was with a group, and it was fairly early, so we went on. Something told me that I should quit early and stay at the shelter on this trip. Also, I had extra food and fuel to get me to Winding Stair Gap.About an hour later a section hiker came up to the shelter. He introduced himself as Kokdro/Tom Murphy. He too was spending the night here. He was the first backpacker that I had seen all day¢no SOBOs.We gathered firewood, and I lit a fire at sunset. Tom had met Solar Body earlier on his trip, and Solar Body had told him about WILDCAT; so he was excited to meet me.We talked about backpacking and then about religion. It became obvious to me why I felt that I was supposed to stay at this shelter.We fixed dinner and then talked some more. Tom is interested in Buddhism and Muslim, as well as Christianity. He has read and talked a lot about the book of Thomas¢one of the Coptic Gospels that they left out of the Bible. I know just enough about that stuff to be a good listener. Tom¢s website address www.presentdayguru.com speaks a lot about his interests. I answered his questions about backpacking.I finally went to bed at 10:00 PM!
Date: 2015-12-14
From: Plum Orchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

A storm blew in during the night, and it was raining hard when I woke up at 6:00 AM. I decided to wait for the rain to let up and stayed in my sleeping bag until daylight.Tom and I had breakfast together and talked some more. He was impressed by my freshly brewed Kona coffee!The rain finally slowed to a sprinkle, and I got on the trail. Tom decided to spend the day at the shelter since it was raining. The rain picked up again, and I hiked in intermittent rain until just before Muskrat Creek Shelter.I finished Georgia and entered North Carolina at Bly Gap.I met a young couple at the Muskrat Creek Shelter. They were from Louisiana and were wet and cold. I told them to stay in their sleeping bags until they got warm. I also told them about the Top of Georgia Hostel¢it would be a good place for them to get hot showers and dry their clothes and gear. They said they didn¢t have mountains like this where they live! This was the first day of their first ever backpacking trip. They¢re planing to hike to Springer Mountain.I hiked on to Standing Indian Shelter, arriving just before sundown. I¢m the only person here tonight¢surprise, surprise!
Date: 2015-12-15
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Long Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was a good day: (1) the sun was shining¢there wasn¢t a cloud in the sky! (2) I did 16.2 miles today. (3) I met three of my SOBO friends!Today I got to climb Standing Indian Mountain (5,498 ft.) and Albert Mountain (5,250 ft.). Blood Mountain was only 4,461 ft. In a couple of days I¢ll cross Wayah Bald (5,342 ft.) and be able to see the Smokies, if the weather is still clear as it was today.Long Branch Shelter is 102.5 miles north of Springer Mountain¢which means that I only have 710 miles to go! This is another nice shelter with post and beam construction. Not quite as elegant, elaborate, or well-constructed as the one at Plum Orchard Gap.I met the Cheeseburglar on the trail this morning. I was with him in the hostel in Waynesboro, VA. I had lunch with Dirty Rotten Liar at the Carter Gap Shelter. He¢s doing a flip-flop from Harpers Ferry and is from Charlottesville, Virginia. He¢s been working with undergraduates at UVA. I met Soy Nuts on the trail this afternoon. I had also met him at the hostel in Waynesboro, VA. He¢s doing a 30-mile slackpack today. Soy Nuts is from Hungary. I should meet their friend NapTime (from Peru) tomorrow.One of the interesting things about meeting SOBOs this past week is the stories that they tell about their experiences in the Smokies. Several SOBOs have met weekenders or section hikers who have met this backpacker who is known as WILDCAT. They seem to enjoy telling the SOBOs stories about WILDCAT¢s adventures. When the SOBOs ask why I didn¢t tell them those stories, I tell them, ¢Well, you know how I am¢¦I try to maintain a low profile and not attract a lot of attention. Besides, you didn¢t ask me!¢I¢ll hit Winding Stair Gap and Franklin tomorrow.
Date: 2015-12-16
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap, Franklin, NC
Miles today: 7.3

Another sunny day¢shorts and T-shirt weather in mid-December!Easy day today¢seven miles downhill to Winding Stair Gap. I met NapTime and Shepard on the trail this morning. I met NapTime at the hostel in Waynesboro, VA. Shepard I had not met. She is a young lady from Nashville, TN.I¢m staying at the Budget Inn in Franklin tonight. I¢m having dinner with my niece, Lara Lundy, who works nearby at NOC.
Date: 2015-12-17
From: Winding Stair Gap, Franklin, NC

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

I woke up and walked to the Normandie Diner for breakfast. It had rained during the night, and light rain began falling again. Good breakfast: sausage, gravy, biscuits, grits and eggs. Then I had to go to the post office to pick up a replacement buckle from ULA. The post office didn¢t open until 8:30 AM, and I had a shuttle to Winding Stair Gap scheduled to pick me up at 9:00 AM.On the way up to the gap, the rain stopped; maybe we got above the rain clouds. I climbed up out of Winding Stair Gap to Panther Gap¢about 2 miles. There I met a young couple who was packing up their gear that had gotten wet in last night¢s rain.Their names were Karen and Drew from Raleigh. She had just finished college; he had a year to go. They had just survived the first night of their first backpacking trip: winding Stair Gap to Clingman¢s Dome. They had lots of gear and backpacking questions. I felt as though I had been sent to help them.I spent the day hiking with Karen and Drew¢in the rain¢to the Wayah Bald Shelter. I had a fire going and water from the spring when they arrived at the shelter.John Z, a SOBO, stopped by the shelter while I was building the fire. When he completes the AT, he will be a Triple Crowner.
Date: 2015-12-18
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center, Lara LundyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs home
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

I had breakfast, packed, and left Wayah Bald Shelter before 8:00 AM. Crew and Karen were still in their sleeping bags when I left.The weather was clear and cold. I wore my parka and gloves all day. The trail had several 1,000-ft. ups and downs and then about 3,000 feet down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. I passed the Cold Spring Shelter and the Wesser Bald Shelter and met a SOBO named Murphie. There were no views from the Wesser Bald tower because of clouds over the Smokies.I arrived at NOC at about 3:30 PM and located Lara Lundy¢s office. (Lara is my niece.) While we were standing outside her office, a few flakes of snow were starting to fall.Lara was still working, so she loaned me her car to go to Bryson City to resupply. When I got back, we went to the restaurant at NOC for dinner.I spent the night at her house. Thanks, Lara!
Date: 2015-12-19
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center, Lara LundyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs home

To: Stecoah Gap, Cabin in the Woods
Miles today: 13.3

I woke up and packed while Lara and her roommate fixed breakfast for us.Nightengale had sent me a message, before she got back on the trail at Newfound Gap, about meeting me at the hostel at Stecoah Gap. I¢ll reach Stecoah Gap this afternoon, but I¢ve been unable to contact Nightengale since she got back onto the trail. Poor cell phone coverage on top of the Smokies! So I tried to contact Nightengale one more time in order to know how to plan my day and know where to stay tonight. I left a voice mail on her phone, sent a text message, and sent an email...nothing!So I decided to try and call the Cabin in the Woods Hostel at Stecoah Gap to make certain that they were still open in December. No answer! So I left a message on the answering machine. There are two bed and breakfasts listed in the guidebook for Stecoah Gap, but they charge $60/person/night, compared to $20 for the hostel.My phone rang! It was Donna at the hostel. Yes, they are open! I went ahead and made reservations for tonight for myself and told her that another SOBO named Nightengale might call her sometime today.Lara drove me to the trailhead at NOC after breakfast. We hugged and said goodbye, and I started up the hill to Cheoah Bald. It¢s a 4,279-foot climb over eight miles going north on the AT out of NOC.After four miles and two hours, I stopped at an overlook called the Jump-Up to take a picture of NOC below and to check my phone for messages. I tried one more time to call Nightengale¢and she answered her phone!Nightengale was coming down Shuckstack Mountain and would get to Fontana Dam this afternoon. Well, shit! That¢s fourteen miles/one day hiking away from Stecoah Gap. But she still wanted to meet up with me.After discussing all of the options, here¢s what we ended up doing: Nightengale called Donna at the Cabin in the Woods and arranged for them to meet at Fontana Dam. Donna shuttled Nightengale from Fontana to Stecoah (for $25!); they picked me up at 5:25 PM¢sunset¢at Stecoah Gap, and then Donna drove both of us to the hostel. That was a lot of work and planning!While all of this was going on, I continued up Cheoah Bald. I met a hog hunter on the trail. It had snowed on Cheoah Bald the night before. I met a young day hiker, whose name was Nick, and his black Lab on the Bald. Nick took a couple of pictures to prove that I actually climbed Cheoah and didn¢t just ¢yellow blaze¢ from NOC to Stecoah Gap!Back at the hostel, we did showers and laundry, and Donna served us a really nice chicken dinner with all the trimmings.Then we stayed up until after 11:00 PM talking abut all of our experiences since we last saw each other. Nightengale had actually met Short Stop, last year¢s chaplain, on the trail between Mollies Ridge Shelter and Fontana Dam. She had also met two NOBOs, Bonnie and Clyde, at the Fontana Hilton Shelter.
Date: 2015-12-20
From: Stecoah Gap, Cabin in the Woods

To: Stecoah Gap, Cabin in the Woods Hostel
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Donna served us a really good AYCE pancake breakfast at 7:00 AM. Nightengale and I agreed that the Cabin in the Woods was a really great hostel.Now what should we do? We both need to hike the 14 miles of trail between Fontana and Stecoah. It made sense to spend the day hiking it together.I had left a resupply package at the Fontana Lodge on my way to Springer. I had originally planned on staying at the Fontana Lodge tonight. A room at Fontana costs $69.00/night; a room at the Cabin costs $20.00/hiker. We both agreed that we liked the Cabin.So Donna dropped us off at the Stecoah Gap trailhead, and we slackpacked back to Fontana Dam together. Donna picked us up at the marina at 3:30 PM and took us to the lodge to retrieve my resupply package and then drove us back to the Cabin to stay one more night.Donna prepared another great dinner. After spending the day hiking together, we didn¢t need to stay up way past ¢hiker midnight¢ talking.
Date: 2015-12-21
From: Stecoah Gap, Cabin in the Woods Hostel

To: Fontana Dam, Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: clear sky

Breakfast at 7:00 AM. French toast, sausage patties and scrambled eggs. It was all that we could do to finish it all¢but we did, just because we¢re thru-hikers and we felt obligated to uphold our reputations!At 8:00 AM we dropped Nightengale off at Stecoah Gap and said goodbye to her. Donna drove me back to the marina where we ended our hike yesterday.My goal for the day was the Russell Field Shelter¢a respectable fifteen miles. My pack as awfully heavy with yesterday¢s resupply!I decided to stop by the Fontana Hilton Shelter to see if Bonnie and Clyde were still there.Not only were Bonnie and Clyde there, but there was also a SOBO, Riptide, from Hawaii. Bonnie and Clyde were still waiting for their resupply packages to arrive in the mail, so everyone was running low on food. So I set about continuing my ministry and reducing my pack weight. After I performed a ¢feeding the multitudes¢ ¢Christmas miracle,¢ Riptide continued his hike south.Bonnie and Clyde wouldn¢t find out until 2:00 PM, when the mail was delivered to the lodge, if they would receive their packages today. 2:00 PM would be too late to begin even a 12-mile hike up Shuckstack Mountain to the Mollies Ridge Shelter. So basically they would be forced to spend at least one more night at Fontana¢even if the packages arrived.So I decided to take my ministry to an even higher level and spend the night with them¢even if it meant doing only 2.4 miles today. 2:00 PM came and went, and the lodge received no packages! We built a nice fire and had dinner together. They enjoyed the freeze-dried meats and vegetables that I had provided. Clyde fell in love with my folding Sven saw.We were standing by the fire outside the shelter when a man walked up to the shelter. He had a box for Bonnie. It wasn¢t the resupply that they were expecting, but it cheered them up.
Date: 2015-12-22
From: Fontana Dam, Fontana Hilton

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We had rain during the night, but it let up before we got out of bed.Clyde fixed coffee for Bonnie and me, and we had breakfast. Our newly revised itinerary calls for us to walk up Shuckstack and over to the Russell Field Shelter to spend the night, then down six miles to Cades Cove, where my wife Becky will pick us up. We¢ll spend the Christmas holiday at our house (the Wildcat Hiker Hostel!) and then get back on the trail ASAP at Russell Field.We got up Shuckstack Mountain and climbed the 60-foot steel fire tower just before the clouds obliterated the view of the dam and the lake. Then we enjoyed lunch at the base of the tower.On to Birch Springs, where we stopped for water; then over the hill to Mollies Ridge Shelter. This was Bonnie and Clyde¢s first view of a Smokies shelter. They were excited by the stone shelter with a fireplace inside. I assured them that Russell Field was even more luxurious and had a better fireplace.Only 2.8 miles to Russell Field, and we made it in record time (3 MPH). We had just enough time to gather firewood and get water from the spring before darkness came. We built a great fire and had supper. The wind blew hard and it rained, but we were warm and dry.
Date: 2015-12-23
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Maryville, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Bonnie & Clyde and I slept in, then walked six miles down the Russell Field trail to Cades Cove, where Becky picked us up after she got off work. This was six ¢bonus miles¢¢since they weren¢t on the AT we don¢t receive credit for them.We stopped at Full Service Barbecue on the way home for dinner: pulled pork, beef brisket, and ribs! Then showers, laundry, etc.
Date: 2015-12-24
From: Maryville, TN

To: Maryville, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

After breakfast we drove Bonnie and Clyde to Fontana Lodge to pick up the late-to-arrive resupply packages. Fifty miles each way on Highway 129¢the famous ¢Dragon.¢Back in Maryville, we went to the store to resupply.Later in the evening, we went to First United Methodist Church, Maryville for the candlelight Christmas Eve service.
Date: 2015-12-26
From: Maryville, TN

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After breakfast Clyde got a haircut. Then we went to Little River Trading Company to buy new backpacks for Bonnie and Clyde.We packed up, and Becky took us back to Cades Cove. We walked six more ¢bonus miles¢ back up the Russell Field trail to the Russell Field Shelter. This time we were surprised to find that we had company at the shelter: Melissa Thompson/Working Girl, Mark Thompson/Pep Talk, Gage/Peanut and NOBO section hikers on the AT across the Smokies.
Date: 2015-12-27
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

Back on the trail! We stopped at Spence Field Shelter for water. Then we climbed Rocky Top and Thunderhead in the fog and clouds¢no views of Cades Cove today!The weather cleared as we hiked on to the Derrick Knob Shelter. We met two SOBO AT thru-hikers today: Carpenter (from New Hampshire) and Gonzo. I hiked with Gonzo in New Jersey earlier this year. It was great to see him again, and we had a short visit on the trail.At the shelter, we gathered a good supply of firewood. We were joined by our friends from last night at Russell Field, plus four guys from Greeneville, SC, who are doing a section hike from Newfound Gap to Fontana Dam: Zack, Joe, Nolan, and Brad.