morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-13
From: campsite after Cooper Ridge Bald

To: Nantahala Outdoor center
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: clear sky

A little chilly as we woke up but looks like it is going to be another beautiful hiking day. Broke camp and headed toward NOC. Mainly downhill except for the "Jump Up." Hard on the feet. Hiked down the whole way with Tim. We made 8 miles in about 2.5 hours -- whew! A huge group of hikers was already there. It was lots of fun seeing all the familiar faces. Pretty much everyone was chowing down on bar-b-q sandwiches and sweet iced tea. Tim offered me an overnight at a cabin that his parents have -- hot shower, laundry, and home cooked meal -- All FREE!! I told him I was IN! Just then, Nemo came running up and said "Hey Slogger, wanna go rafting?" She had even bought me a bottle of "HEET" as an inducement. But my mind was made up, I was going to stay at the cabin with Tim. I had a twinge of guilt since I had been hiking with that group for a week and a half but in the end I figured it was MY hike and this was what I wanted to do.So, we gathered up our stuff and tim's folks drove us to the cabin. Got showers, did laundry, and then went to Hiawassee for a good hamburger. After that it was back to the cabin for a great night's sleep in a real bed.Tomorrow will be a zero day. Back into Hiawassee for groceries and then get my pack ready for the hike out in the morning.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Nantahala Outdoor center

To: Cheoah Bald
Miles today: 8.2

After an extra day off at the cabin with Time and his parents it was time to hit the trail again. As much as I enjoyed and appreciated the rest, in some ways I knew it was going to hurt me. And that "hurt" was going to be in the form of an all day uphill trail out of NOC. The other "cost" of taking that zero day was that my "group" of hikers would all now be a full day ahead of me on the trail -- BUMMER. The good news is that in 2 days we will all hook up again at Fontana Dam.I had breakfast at NOC and was on the trail at 9 AM. I knew the reputation of this trail and was certain it was going to eat my lunch -- I was right, and then some. 4 1/2 hours of relentless uphill trail. I got to Sassafrass Gap Shelter just before 3 PM. My dogs were barking and I was out of water. Tim had already been there for a while and was thinking about going on a bit. In order to do that we would have to hike with enough water for the night and breakfast. Tim and Jane hiked on and I waited for "Jersey." He showed up and agreed to hike on the extra 1.2 miles so that we wouldn't have that climb first thing in the morning. It was a tough uphill 1.2 mile stretch and lugging 4 liters of water didn't make it any easier. But when we reached the end of the climb at Cheoah Bald we knew we had made the right decision. Good tent sites and fantastic views on 3 sides. I made dinner, hung the bear bag and then just kicked back and watched the suns et. I decided to roll up the front/back fly on my tent so that I could gaze out at the sky as the stars began to shine -- LIFE IS GOOD!
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Cheoah Bald

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Man oh man . . . talk about uphills! These NC trails are wild. If you see a mountain in front of you it's an absolute certainty you will be going over it -- and most likely you'll be going straight up and over -- no switchbacks! I don't make very good time on those "death march" uphills. Guess these old legs just don't have the juice in them that they used to. I can do the miles, it just takes me all day! I hit Stecoah gap around 11:45 and decided to have lunch. Nice picnic tables right alongside the highway. There were some other hikers there and the father of one of them showed up to slackpack them up the trail. They offered to take me along but I told them it was a little early in the hike for me to be considering that. For the benefit of those who might read this and are not familiar with that term, "Slackpacking" is a technique used by some hikers to walk without their backpacks. Someone takes the pack(s) ahead to an agreed upon spot where the trail crosses a road and then the hiker(s) do the miles without the load of the pack. Somehow, to me at least, it seems a bit like cheating. Maybe I'm a bit of an idealist when it comes to certain things but that's just the way I see it.OK, enough of that . . . back to the hike. The day seemed like it would never end. I finally reached Brown Fork Gap Shelter and took a little breather. I refilled my water wontainers and was back on the trail in about a half hour. I had 6 miles left to go to reach the next shelter and our overnight campsite. The miles drug on and on. I truly believe that this was my hardest day yet -- even though it was only a 14 miler and I had already done a 20 mile day earlier in the hike. You learn quickly out here that it's not the distance but rather the terrain that determines what kind of day you'll be having. I wanted this day to be over with but the only way to accomplish that was to buck up and walk the miles. I ended up taking a few breaks and cramming multiple Snickers bars down my throat to maintain my energy levels. At around 5 PM I rolled into the Cable Gap Shelter. I had been hiking since 8 AM -- that's a FULL day's work. Tim "Mellow Yellow" was waiting there for me. He had made a huge dinner and couldn't eat it all. He offered me some -- and he didn't have to ask twice. I scarfed that stuff down without even knowing what it was. I 'm not sure I even stopped to chew -- I just swallowed!!The weather started to look like rain and I wanted to get an early start in the morning so I decided to stay in the shelter. I spread out my mat and sleeping bag, visited the privy, brushed my teeth and I was down for the night. Tomorrow's another day -- Fontana Dam and a hot shower and laundry.
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: NC 48-- Hike Inn
Miles today: 5.5

Slept well and woke up raring to go. It was 3:45 AM and I had my 7 hours sleep. I took my time and tried to keep the noise down so I wouldn't wake the other hikers. Made my breakfast and got all packed up. Jersey had gotten up while I was eating but then crawled back in his sleeping bag. I told him I would hike out early and get the room at the Hike Inn and then he could join me later.It was still pretty dark when I started hiking at 5:45. The moon helped illuminate the trail but I needed my headlamp a few times when the trail got hard to follow. Once again (not to my surprise) the trail was loaded with uphills in the beginning and as always, it went straight up the sharpest and steepest part. Finally though I topped out and began my descent into Fontana. I reached NC48 at around 8:15 AM, not back for about 6 miles of hiking. I got on a pay phone and called the Hike Inn. Nancy answered and told me I was in luck -- as I had just gotten the LAST room! She drove down, picked me up and took me back to the motel. Really great place and super nice people. Nancy did my laundry and I made a few phone calls. A little while later Nancy walked by my room and said that Jersey had just called. She was going down to get him. In about 15 minutes, I heard Jersey's voice outside the door. So, tonight we hit Robbinsville to get food and visit the library for internet access. Tomorrow we get our passes and enter the Smoky Mountains National Park -- next step . . . Tennessee.
Date: 2003-04-18
From: NC 48-- Hike Inn

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

Had arranged for an early shuttle. Nancy, from the "Hike Inn" got us back to the trail by 7:45 A.M. The first part of the hike was an uphill to the Fontana Dam. We (Jersey and I) first went to the Fontana Dam shelter (also called the "Fontana Hilton") to see if we knew any of the hikers. We actually knew several of them and one hiker, "Lion King," said that "Moose" had been there the day before, looking for me. That seemed a bit strange, since he is a week ahead of me on the trail. So we took off hiking over the Dam and into the Smoky Mountains National Park. Really hard hiking at first, until we got above 4000 feet, and then began the "PUDS." First day hiking after re-supply is always rough because you're carrying a bigger load of food.So we climbed and we climbed and when we were done, we climbed some more. Finally we hit the approach trail to Shuckstack fire tower. I ate lunch but didn't go up the tower. The weather was cloudy and I figured the view wouldn't be worth the off-trail distance. The rest of the afternoon wasn't too bad. Made it to Mollie's Ridge Shelter by dinner time. Good thing too because I was FAMISHED! The appetite has definitely kicked in. We were originally planning on tenting but with the weather coming in I opted for a spot in the shelter. Fetched water for the night, ate dinner, and crashed.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: few clouds

Didn't get away as early as I would have liked. The temperature had really dropped during the night. It was hard to get started and the fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife -- welcome to the Smokies. It started to look as if the weather was going to clear so I decided to take my time with breakfast. Sure enough, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. I was glad I waited.The hike started off pretty easy but that didn't last very long. Quite a few ups and downs. Not sure if I'm just not eating enough or I haven't gotten my trail legs yet -- but these uphills are eating my lunch!! At times, I drop back to a really slow pace but I was able to keep moving . . . and that's the important thing. Jersey and I joke that it's not important "WHEN" you get there -- it's just GETTING THERE that's important.I rolled into the shelter around 5 PM. Tim and Jane were already there, along with Svenson and Looney. There was a family at the shelter also. Great opportunity to offload the bag of marshmallows I had been carrying since NOC. Up until now it's been too wet to even consider a fire. All it took was a mention of marshmallows and the kids were excited. It was fun watching them toast the marshmallows on the open fire. While they were doing that I set up my tent and made my dinner. It looked like rain and had gotten very windy. I was tired and after I got my food bag up on the bear line I crawled into my bag for the night.I was awakened around 2 AM by the sound of my tent flapping in the breeze. The wind direction had changed by 180 degrees and my tent was about to take off like a kite. It was too much work to take everything out and turn my tent around so I just untied the fly line and let it blow over the tent. That pretty much exposed me to the full fury of the wind. I just zipped myself into my sleeping bag and hoped for the best. Needless to say I didn't get a very good night's sleep. Couldn't wait for the morning to come.
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Decided to do a short day. It was either that or attempt a really long day, which would include going over Clingman's Dome (highest point on the AT). I had just enough food left for 1 day of hiking so it worked out well. The hiking was not too difficult, but for some other reason I did more sweating than usual and developed some chafing. I had to stop about half way to the shelter and do some perspiration maintenance. Changed into dry clothes and finished up the hike.I was at the shelter by 2 PM. It felt funny quitting so soon but at the same time I needed a break. Had lunch and the sun came out, which was nice because I got to dry out all my wet clothing. Several other hikers arrived including Baltimore Jack. It was a sort of lazy afternoon and gave me a chance to catch up on my journaling. Tomorrow the plan is to get an early start and hike over Clingman's Dome and then on to Newfound Gap, where we will hitch a ride into Gatlinburg for re-supply and maybe some laundry.
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg)
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up in the shelter and found that it was pouring rain. Knew I was going into town so I decided to sit out the weather for a little while. By 8:30 it was obvious that the rain was here to stay so I packed up, donned my raingear and started hiking. It was a miserable morning. My rain gear got saturated and I was wetter under the raingear than I was on the outside. On top of that it was difficult hiking and I was sweating like a race horse. By lunch time we had made it to the Mt. Collins Shelter. The rain had let up and the sun was pushing through the clouds. I got out of my wet clothes and did a little "chafe maintenance." After lunch, Jersey and I continued on toward Newfound Gap. The weather kept getting better and by the time we reached the Gap it was sunny and warm. As we hiked up off the trail into the parking area we saw Tim and Jane. They had hiked out early and had met some family for lunch in Gatlinburg. They were just on their way back onto the trail. We said farewell and stuck our thumbs out in hopes of getting a ride into town, which was 15 miles away. We scored a ride fairly fast (in the back of a pick-up truck) and found ourselves in Gatlinburg around 5:30.First order of business was a hotel room -- SCORE!! They had vacancies at the "Grand Prix" motel. Next item on the agenda was a shower. Last but not least was a good meal. We got a recommendation and headed straight over to the "Brewery" -- SCORE #2!! Best cheeseburger and mug of beer I'd had in ages. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and did laundry. I was getting madder and madder about my raingear by the moment. Here I was with supposedly "waterproof/breathable" raingear that leaked like crazy and got heavier and heavier as it got wet. Made up my mind that if the local outfitter sold "Frog Toggs" I was going to get them and send my other ones home.Got the rest of my gear dried out and ready to go and then called it a day.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg)

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up bright and early. Was concerned about my chafing problem. The hiking the day before had just about done me in.Jersey and I grabbed breakfast and then headed for the local outfitter "The Happy Hiker." After looking over their selection of clothing and gear I made a major decision -- I was going to buy a "Kilt" designed for hiking. Yes . . . you read correctly, the "Footslogger" was going to start hiking in a skirt! In thru-hiker parlance, hiking in a kilt is known as "free-balling" -- use your imagination! Rumor has it that hiking in a kilt is the best remedy for chafing, and I needed a fast solution. So, I donned my kilt and proudly walked down the main street in Gatlinburg on the way to the post office and grocery store. I can honestly say that I never before in my life had so many people stare at me (men and women). After a while it became a bit amusing as I caught people looking back at me for a second look after I walked by.All I know is that I was loving the newfound freedom. So, we mailed off some postcards, bought our groceries, and headed back out of town. A guy spotted us and asked if we needed a ride back to the Gap and we said -- Yup! -- He said "Jump in" and the next thing we knew we were headed back out to the trail. He even stopped and bought us some sandwiches -- and wouldn't let us pay him back. His name was Steve and he was a hiker (trail name -- Can Opener).NOTE TO SELF: Need to contact the people at Happy Hiker and find out how to get in touch with Steve.We had by now eaten up quite a bit of the day so any hopes of doing big mileage were out of the question. We set our sights on the Icewater Spring Shelter. The temperature at the Gap was in the low 40s and the winds were high. I was about to learn what women throughout the centuries have known about wearing a skirt in cold weather -- YIKES!! Let's just say that during the hike from the Gap into Icewater Spring Shelter I learned the true meaning of "shrinkage"!! But hey . . . at least I wasn't chafing anymore. You've got to look on the bright side.We got to the shelter around 5:30 and had to move pretty quickly since the temp was fallng and darkness was setting in. I decided to set up my tent rather than stay in the shelter. A good friend named "Moose" who had hiked with my wife in 2001 was there. He had started hiking a week earlier than I but had injured his knee and took several days off the trail to heal. It was great hooking up with Moose and we talked about hiking together for a while.Somewhere during the night the weather went really sour. I woke up and found frost on my tent and a partially frozen water supply. Nothin I could do about it so I rolled over and went back to sleep.
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

Talked things over with Jersey and Moose and decided to go easy today. We mapped it out so that we'd have a short day today, a 12 miler tomorrow, and then a short one into Davenport Gap, where we would be re-supplying and doing some laundry.The day was interesting to say the least. We started off hiking in sub-freezing temperatures. Oh Baby . . . am I getting a baptism with this kilt, or what! One thing for sure -- NO CHAFING! I'm free-balling and loving every minute of it.The terrain on today's hike was spectacular. Did "Charlie's Bunion" and a lot of ridge walking where we literally had uninterrupted views of the Smokies on both sides.Got to the shelter around 3 PM. Got water, made dinner, hung the bear bag, and crashed. Need my energy for tomorrow -- 12.9 miles.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Weird weather day. Started off cool and looking like rain. We (Jersey, Moose, and I) were on the trail by 8 AM. The sun started to come out and it got warm so we stopped and took off a layer of clothing and started hiking. The sun went away, the wind picked up , and the temperature dropped like a bomb. By the time we stopped for lunch we were all darn near hypothermic. Not exactly the best day to be wearing a kilt! But hey, it's got the chafing under control and that's what's most important to me.The uphills are getting easier which is a good sign -- I'm getting my trail legs! We had some spectacular views today. I've decided that I like the Smokies north of Newfound Gap much more than the earlier ones. Made excellent time today too -- covered the 12.9 miles by 4:30.Tonight is our last night in the Smokies. Tomorrow we hike out at Davenport Gap. Staying at Standing Bear Farm tomorrow night and will shower/re-supply there before heading on to Hot Springs. The Smokies were fun but I'm looking forward to a night in a hostel bed and also being able to camp anywhere I want to!!NOTE from BA Turtle: Footslogger's last comment about being able to camp anywhere he wants to has to do with the rules in the SMNP about tent camping. Hikers are required to stay in the shelters in the Smokies because of bears, and only if the shelters are full are hikers allowed to tent, and then they have to be close to the shelter. This limits a thru-hiker's options and sometimes requires either super short days or really long days to reach a shelter. (At least that's how it was in 2001!)
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

The day started off very cold and overcast. A hiker named Pops had a weather radio and according to him there was a 100% chance of rain. So, we donned our rain gear and headed out. As fate would have it, the rain never came and in fact the sun came out and things heated up pretty fast. So there I found myself, slogging along with perspiration running down my back and legs and into my boots. That's the main problem with rain gear it seems. You put it on to stay dry in the rain but you end up with more moisture inside than outside. After 10 minutes of that I had to stop and shed the rain gear. Of course now I'm soaking wet and there's a chilly breeze blowing so in an effort to get more comfortable I basically made myself less comfortable, at least temporarily. Once I got started hiking I warmed up pretty fast.The hiking initially was pretty tough. Then finally I started on the long downhill into Davenport Gap. Since I had stopped on the trail to change clothes, Moose had gotten quite a ways ahead. I ended up getting to the gap about 10 minutes behind him. We ate a Snickers and took a few pictures celebrating our exit from the Smokies.Then came the next adventure -- finding Standing Bear Farm. It was a pretty good climb to get up to Waterville Rd but finally we saw a sign painted on a rock advertising the farm. We walked in and were immediately greeted by other hikers and the owner, Curtiss. We got a little tour and then settled into the bunkhouse. Later that night we got a ride into town for a Mexican dinner. Got my laundry done, made some phone calls and hit the sack. Hopefully tomorrow we will head out toward Max Patch -- can't wait.
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: light rain

Steep climb out of the farm. Amazing how much energy and stamina you lose going off the trail for just one night. Hiked about 3 miles and ran into the "Rat Patrol" and had a really huge breakfast. This is a group of former thru-hikers who show up every year and put up a "hiker feed" as they call it. I gave them a little donation and then moved on -- was anxious to hit Max Patch. The sun was coming up and it was going to be a gorgeous (but hot) day. Got to the base of the patch at 10:45 AM. climbed up to the summit and was just in awe of the scenery. I spread out my ground mat and just laid in the grass for about 45 minutes. Then it was time to move on. the trail after Max Patch was pretty easy and we reached teh Groundhog Creek Shelter around 4 PM. Got camp all set up, lit a fire, and settled in for the evening. Some more hikers arrived -- Brother Ron, Dirt Nap, Take er Easy -- so we had a full shelter. Tomorrow gets us one day closer to Hot Springs -- yahoo!!
Date: 2003-04-27
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Good hiking day. Pretty cloudy and a bit cooler. Just more and more beautiful scenery. Made great time despite all the PUDS (Pointless Ups/Downs). Had to make a decision when I hit the first shelter. It was either do 11 miles today and 14 tomorrow or vice versa. Got into the shelter around 3:20. Sat down to rest for a few minutes and in walked a man and woman day hiker. They said they were taking some pictures. Shortly after that the woman showed up in front of the cabin carrying a dulcimer. I asked her if she played it and she said yes -- she proceeded to sit on a log and play 2 blue-grass songs for us -- FANTASTIC! What a treat. Our own little blue grass concert on the AT. Turns out that she's part of a dulcimer club out of Knoxville and they are about to release a CD. I got her name, email address so I could order one. By now it was too late to continue on so the decision was made -- this was home for the night!