morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-12
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up to rain and cold. Got started around 8 clad in raingear and my boonie hat. I love my boonie hat. Military issue hat which is rain resistant, shades the ears, and keeps the bugs from flying into my face. It has something to do with a wide brim and the CO2 you breathe out. Keeps oxygen away from the bugs. The hike quickly turned from the AT trail to the AT stream. All the rain and melting snow flowed into the trail and it became a stream. Waterproofing your boots is good for rain and such but not walking in water. Your feet will get wet! At Indian Gap there was an unexpected surprise .. trail magic ..by Dee,Jane, and Tom. I managed to put away a couple of sandwichs, two bananas,some OJ,an egg, and an orange. I have been craving fresh fruit lately and grab it when I can. Made it to the shelter around 2:30. There were people there already from the last shelter. The rest were going into Gatlinburg. It was nasty weather and we all hunkered down early. It was going to be the first night where I knew by boots would be wet in the AM. One thing I always make sure of; I have something dry to change into for the night. Nothing worse than being wet and cold at night! At the shelter tonigt was:Kristen,Vagrant,John,Nathan,Rebel with a Cause[he thru hiked in 2002],Sunshine[whom I last saw in NOC and had to layup due to a slight injury], and a few others. Foot is still sore but hiking is doable. Tomorrow I am shooting for 12 miles.
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

The AT stream turned into the AT river overnight. There were times that I thought I would need a canoe. It was another cold,rainy and foggy day. If you weren't walking in the river you were walking in mud or snow. Are we having fun yet? Made it to the shelter around 6. The same group was there from the night before. Wayne and John got a fire going and the shelter was soon filled with the essence of dirty sock.[The shelters in the Smokies have fireplaces]. To top things off it started to snow. Rain at 5900 feet tends to turn to snow and we were a miserable bunch. The general consensus from all of us was "I want to get the hell out of the Smokies!" Off to bed where I can get some semblance of warmth.
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To:  Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

We woke to 2-3 inches of new snow. Since I was going to push for close to 15 miles I had to start early. My pace is not the fastest in the world. The problem with being the first one out is you become the trailblazer. When you become trailblazer you get to be the first to find the snow covered rock and root. You also get to uncover the low snow covered branches. The branches became uncovered and you became snow covered. This continued for about 3 miles when Wayne[now Torch] and Snail[she is finishing a thru hike] passed me and they trailblazed. Incredible morning of hiking .. could not see for the fog,snow, and a lot of wind. The only saving grace was that we were going to drop to 2600 feet and maybe some spring like weather. Made it to Cosby Knob Shelter where I grabbed a quick lunch. Too cold to stay long. From Cosby Knob there was one more climb and then it was downhill for about 5 miles. As I went down the trail got better and the sun actually came out. It got warm and I saw signs of spring! I got to the Davenport Gap Shelter and my feet told me it was time to quit. 1 mile before the end of the Smokies. Kristen,Sunshine, and Nathan also stayed there for the night. Tomorrow I will be out of the Smokies!I plan on stopping at Standing Bear Farm to send these entries and get a few supplies. Next entries will most likely be on Sunday from Hot Springs, NC. Signing out for now.
Date: 2004-04-15
From:  Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: few clouds

Amazing what sunshine will do for a persons attitude. I was on the trail at sunrise. My original plan was to go to Standing Bear Farm and spend the night there. As I was walking I decided to push on after stoping there. It was too nice of a day not to hike. I got there about 9:30 and Snail,John,Torch, and Vagrant were there. They had come in the night before. I stocked up on some food to get me to Hot Springs,sent some entries, and hung around chatting and enjoying a nice spring day. Sunshine,Nathan, and Kristen showed up shortly after I did. They were staying there for the night. I said my goodbyes after a bit and headed off. The hike was a 7 mile,3000 foot climb. It went pretty well. The ups still get me but not as badly. Trail shape here I come!. At the top of Snowbird Mtn. is an FAA tower. Looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. As I passed it I had another "Oh Wow" moment. The view was fantastic and I realized that a sight like that made up for bad days like the Smokies. I got to the shelter around 7 and I was the only one there. John,Torch, and Snail must have pushed on a little more. After a bit Wrong Turn showed up. He also started the same day I did and I am just now seeing him. We ate and talked a bit. Sidenote - While I was at Standing Bear I looked up and there was Scholar. She had made it through the Smokies but got sick. She went back to Gatlinburg for a couple of days. She is fine now so I told her to pass the word to the crew that I was on the way. I hope to catch some of them in Hot Springs. There is somethig called Trail Fest there this weekend and if all goes right I will get there Saturday afternoon sometime. Time for bed.
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

Today was an all around good day to hike. In the morning the journey took me over Max Patch. Great views! In the afternoon the trail followed a stream for a good while. It was pleasant hearing the sound of the water. Once Wrong Turn passed me I did not see another person until I got to the shelter. At the shelter were Mouse,Little Chicken, and Steve. Last time I saw Little Chicken was in Fontana. I had a note from Skirt in the register. Looks like I might catch them in Hot Springs, which I will get to early tomorrow afternoon. I plan on getting out real early in the morning. Not much else to talk about today but I will mention that yesterday had 3 things happen that I thought of today:1] I have been on the trail for 30 days. I have taken 6 zero days[4 not by choice] and have hiked 257.8 miles,averaging 10.7 miles a day[not counting 0 days and the approach trail]2] I got out of the Smoky Mtn. National Park.3]It was tax day - enough said about that! Time for bed.
Date: 2004-04-17
From: Walnut Mtn. Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

Lot to talk about today. It may sound disjointed at times but I am going to write it as I think about it. First off, I could not sleep last night. I fell asleep fast enough but I awoke at 2 AM, tossed and turned for an hour and finally decided to make the move ... night hiking. Several people have done it and have enjoyed it. I never gave it a second thougt until 3 AM. At 3:30 I was on the trail, my only world was the diameter my headlamp cast on the ground. It was an interesting way to hike. Every now and again I would look up and look for that familiar white blaze to make sure I was on track. Funny how you get a sense for the trail and what it should look like after a month. Come daylight I ran across my first sign and realized I had covered half the distance of my hike. This thrilled me no end because it meant I would get into Hot Springs before noon. I got into Hot Springs around 11:39 and the first people I ran into were Scholar and Skirt. We caught up a bit and I found there was a room available at Elmer's Hostel. Elmer's has been putting up hikers for a long time and it is large,old house. After settling in I went downtown[Hot Springs is very small so downtown is main street] where Trailfest is going on. Trailfest is an annual event where the town celebrates hikers and the hiker community. The AT goes right through the center of town so they see a lot of hikers. There was food, music, and a whole lot of fun! There was also a rubber duck race down the river and I won a new Miox water purifier. Pretty cool little unit and about $150 at retail! I will try it out and see if I like it better than my existing one. It was great to catch up to some of the crew. I saw Sweetleaf,Kristen,Vagrant,BooBoo,Bear Pocket,Krispy Kritter,Dingle,Yertle,Kickstand,Torch,Snail,John,Scholar,The Honeymooners, and Skirt. Some of these folks were a couple days up the trail and came back for the festival. Others had been in Hot Springs for a few days. Most will be heading out tomorrow for either long or short days. I will,most likely, spend time in town in the AM. Do laundry, resupply,etc; and then head out for a short day. I do not want to take a zero yet because of all the time spent in Gatlinburg. All in all the day was a good one. It was a nice,hot day and it felt good to relax. Next entries will come from Erwin,TN about 6 days up the trail so look for new ones next weekend.
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Campsite
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Sunday morning in Hot Springs. Quiet town with that down home American flavor. The day started with an AYCE breakfast as the final act of Trail Fest. Good food and it looks like all the hikers were there. Mention AYCE and hikers will descend like locusts! After breakfast I went to the local outfitter and picked up some more food,enough to get me to Erwin. I use the term food loosely. Lipton Side Rice and Pasta dishes,Ramen Noodles,Instant Oatmeal, and Snicker bars. Snickers are a hiker staple[until you get sick of them],because they are a source of energy and protein. I also had to pick up some batteries and other odds and ends. From there I headed to the local laundry to get clean clothes again. I also checked my pocketmail and found an email from my brother saying that he posted 20 pictures on my page. Go to the photo section of my page if you are interested in seeing what he posted. Finally got out of town around 12:30 knowing that it was going to be a short day. The weather was good and the climb was uphill. There were some good views of Hot Springs as I climbed. Today was the hotest we have had yet -80 degrees- and I was loving it! I got to the pond that was close to where I wanted to stay and wished I had a fishing hook and some line. I would have been eating fresh fish tonight! I arrived at the meadow area on the top of the climb and decided to set up there. Yertle came by after a few minutes and he stopped in for a rest. He was going on a couple more miles to catch up to Kickstand. After he left 8 other people showed up at various times and decided the meadow was a good place to stop. Part of the 8 included Scholar, Sweetleaf, and Skirt. Everyone got set up and when night fell we started the cowboy TV. It was a great night! Clear sky and stars galore. Hit the sleeping bag around ten which is late for us hikers.Special Note - Mrs. Fire Marshall, Thank you! It was much appreciated.
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Campsite

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I got an early start, as usual. Nothing exciting happened for most of the morning until I stopped for water. As I was filtering two people arrived from the north. We said our hellos and exchanged names. When one of the names was told I said "What, who are you?". The reply was "Jan Lite Shoe." I could not believe it. She thru hiked last year and I followed her journey the whole way. She was doing a hundred mile section hike with Stump Knocker. We talked for a little and I headed out. I have now met all the people that I followed all the way last year plus some that I followed on and off. All except one and she and I have exchanged emails. GOLDBERRY, are you out there? Will I meet you at Trail Days? The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. As you hike you fall into a pattern. Short steps, poles close on ups. Little longer steps, poles further out on downs. Full stride, poles barely hitting ground on level. Pulled into camp around 5 and there were quite a few people there already. Looks like we have a group of 11 to 13 hitting the same camp each night. You may see only one or two during the day but everyone has a goal in mind where they want to stay each night. I am glad to be able to use my tent again. I do not like to use the shelter unless I have to [or if it's pouring rain]. Off to bed.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a fun day. Not a lot to report but what made it fun was the new section of trail that was opened this year. From what I understand the NC trail group resposible for the section to 5 years to complete it. When you get to the new section there is a blue blaze trail for bad weather and the white blaze trail that says ridgetop walking. It was a fairly nice day, no rain but it was threatening, so I took the white blaze. What a blast! It was a boulder walk. Lots of boulders and rocks to climb up and down and you were definitely on the ridge top. Great views! Congratulatons to the crew that made it. Lots of time and hard work went into it. AfterI finished that section it started to rain a little. I would not want to hike that ridge in the rain. It would become very slippery. The rain didn't last long. The only thing I put on was the pack ocver. I don't plan on using my raingear unless it is pouring and cold. I got to the campsite and it was small. 6 tents were crammed into a small area. Those at the site were The Honeymooners, Scholar, Pappa Bear, Badger, and Skirt. Kickstand and Yertle passed by. They were going a couple more miles. The usual ritual ensued and then off to bed.Special Note - Mrs. Kickstand, Your son says "Hi Mom".[Of course I had to charge him 37 cents to deliver this message!]
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Campsite

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

Rough day today. Mostly uphill all day and in the distance you could see the ultimate goal. Big Bald. None of us planned on hitting it until tomorrow but it looked foreboding from where we were. Today was the first time I crossed a stiles. It is an A-frame ladder going over a fence. From what I understand there a lot of those further north. I guess you pass through a lot of pastures as you go. I finally made it to Low Gap, where I had planned to stay that night. Thank goodness because my feet had had enough. I got in a little earlier than usual whic was good. More time to rest the foot. The rest of the group filtered in and when all was said and done there were 12 of us there including Yertle and Kickstand. A couple more days till Erwin. Good thing! I cut this food carry a little to close. I am going to walk into town with zero food. I do not want to do that again. The appetite is starting to kick in! A lot of talk at night is starting to center around food!
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Low Gap

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

Another nice day. It was partly cloudy and not to hot. Good thing because the first part of the day was uphill. The goal was Big Bald. I reached the top of Big Bald, took in the views which were awesome, and took out my water bottle. Raising it into the air I toasted Jenny and Nancy [friends of mine who are familiar with Big Bald area] wishing it was that cold margarita we had talked about before I left for my hike. I continued on and the day got warmer. As I mentioned yesterday I was low on food and I was wishing I had some snack foods left to munch on. Amazing how just a little snack will give you the energy you need to push on a bit. I reached a wooden bridge over a stream and did something I have wanted to do for days. Took off the shoes and socks and slipped my weary feet into the cold water. It was real cold but it felt great! I took the oppurtunity to wash up a bit. I cannot believe how dirty your legs can get by just walking, even more so since we are all hiking in shorts now. I made it to the shelter area and prepared the last of my food. Tomorrow would be a short 6 miles and I will reach Erwin,TN. I plan on taking a zero day on Saturday and maybe one on Sunday. I need to rest my foot. Been pushing it for 13 days and about 100 miles now and it is telling me to back off a bit. I want to mention some of the names of the people that are hiking in the same "group" I am walking in right now. Yippe and Jaberwock, Walking Stomach, Little Tree, Indy, Taiwan John, Andrew, Zippy and, of course, Kickstand, Yertle, and Skirt. I also met Lady Di, who was doing a section hike. Almost everyone was planning on spending at least one night in Erwin before moving on. -Simple Thought- How grateful you are when you can find a nice level spot to set up your tent.
Date: 2004-04-23
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin,TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It is amazing what a motivator civilization can be. I was on the trail at 6:45 AM and by 9:30 I was down the mountain. I have been averaging a little over a mile and a half an hour. Today it was a little over 2. There are 2 hostels in Erwin. Miss Janet's and Uncle Johnny's. There is also a great debate on the net and in the hiker community which one is better and for what reasons. I am not here to say waht one is better. I decided to stay at Uncle Johnny's for seceral reasons; it was right by the trail, Miss Janet's was full, and I wanted a single room. When I arrived Scholar, Kickstand, and Yertle were already there. Yertle and Kickstand were heading into town to stay and Scholar was deciding if she was going to head out. [she did end staying in Erwin another night] I got my room and got cleaned up. By that time Indy,Zippy,Jaberwock,Yippe, and the rest of the crew pulled in. They got one of the cabins and soon sleeping bags and other gear was spread out across the area, airing out. My foot was still bothering me and all I wanted to do was rest it for a bit. I decided that I was not going to leave until Monday AM in order to give it two full days of no hiking. Like I mentioned previously, I am going to have to put up with it for quite awhile but I can take action to minimize the "knock out of the hike" factor. I could sit for weeks and still not have it completely better so I am trying the next best plan, in my opinion. When I get to town I like to take care of all the litle things first so I do not have to worry about them. Supplies was high on the list so I got on one of the bicycles that the hikers can used and headed into town. I have no idea what I was thinking. I got three bags of food figuring they would be easy to pack back by hooking them over the handlebars. What I should have done was bring my pack! After several attempts to position the bags so they would not rub against the tires I realized I was in tight spot. Things were not working and I was wondering how I was going to get back without killing myself on the bike. Along comes Stacey Robinson. A local citizen who offered to pack the bike and I back in his truck. Problem solved and another Trail Angel helps out. Thank you for your assistance! [Let me know if got the spelling of the name correct] I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the porch chatting with other hikers and with Hillbilly. Hillbilly has been working the hostel since October and is a nice guy. I never saw Uncle Johnny until that evening. Hillbilly is a hiker who will be getting back on the trail at the end of May. Early in the afternoon Skirt rolled in and we talked a bit. She wanted her own room and was thinking of a motel room in town so she headed off. Around 5:30 we were shuttled into town for dinner and then back to the hostel. We had picked up some beer and we spent the evening sipping suds, talking and staring into the campfire that was started after dark. Good times!
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Erwin,TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I took two zero days to give the foot a break. Feels better today, at least enough to get me the 115 miles or so to Damascus,VA. Or so I hope!. Have not done a whole lot the last couple of days. I did go to the post office on Saturday morning where I managed to get rid of 3 pounds worth of stuff from my pack. I know 3 pounds doesn't sound like a lot but when you are carrying it every day, all day it definitely makes a difference. While I was at the post office Dingle, Coyote, and Skirt walked in. We talked for a bit and said we would meet up the trail somewhere. They were heading out that afternoon. When I got back to the hostel Indy and crew were still there. They couldn't work up the energy to get out of town and decided to stay another night. You always have good intentions about leaving the next day after you get into town but sometimes the body rebels and says it isn't going anywhere! They did head out early Sunday AM. During the course of the day on Sunday Pappa Bear, Badger, Sunshine, Ranger Rick and Wizard came in. Some were new faces and introductions were made. We shuttled in for dinner around 5:30 and when we got back I headed for the room to get things ready for tomorrow's departure. I plan on doing ten miles tomorrow to Deep Gap. The next resupply stop will be at Kincora Hostel which I will probably hit on Friday. After that it is Damascus,VA. A major milestone in the hike! Ihave enjoyed my stay here. Good people, friendly and outgoing. The hostel is right on the river and it is a comfortable place. One thing I have noticed is that within the last week all the trees have just exploded into green. It is nice not to look at bare trees all day but it will limit the views we get.   Simple Thought - How wonderful a fresh orange tastes when you can get one. In the same vein how wonderful a cold Pepsi tastes. Signing off until Kincora.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Erwin, TN

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: moderate rain

My timing, as usual, is impeccable. I woke to rain this morning. Of course it was raining, I was heading out from a zero day. Three out of four times after I zero it has either rained or snowed! I waited till 9:00 and it was not going to clear so I took off anyway.As I was crossing the bridge I noticed someone else was getting on the trail. I thought to myself, "At least I a not the only idiot out here today"! I made it to the first shelter around 11:30. It was still raining and the guy I saw ahead of me was there. I learned his name was Hawk and he had the same idea I did. Wait in the shelter for awhile to see if it would quit raining. Around 1:30 it had stopped but it still looked like it might start up again. I decided to head out and Hawk said he was going to wait a bit longer. Off I went. It never did start up again but the wind and fog moved in instead. I climbed up a bald named Beauty Spot and there was no beauty that day. I could not see 25 feet in front of me because of the fog. I had a hard time keeping track of the trail over that section. As I mentioned earlier, my goal was Deep Gap. I reached it around 6:30. The wind was blasting through the area and there was no way I was going to set up a tent there. I decided to push on to the next shelter which was about 5 more miles. At my pace I knew I would be hiking in darkness toward the end. When I could not see anymore I put on the headlamp and pushed on. I was on the backside of the mountain where the wind was not bad at all. I hit a spot where I saw a fire ring in my headlamp to my left and the trail led uphill in front of me. My decision was made. I threw off my pack and set up camp. Long, wet, foggy day. Tomorrow the rain is supposed to stop but it is going to get cold again tomorrow night. Off to bed.