morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-03-15
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

Well, the good weather couldn¢t last forever. It rained from noon on today, it is got heavier as it grew later in the day. We walked in slush for much of the day and is hard to have a good time in these conditions.When I got to the shelter there were five guys here, also on spring break. Again, another good group to share the shelter with. We were briefly joined by ¢Hikes Alone¢ and ¢Wonderboy¢ who are doing huge mileage days. Their latest goal was to get to Hot Springs by St. Patties day. They just stopped long enough to cook their dinners. They left at 5:30pm and were looking to do about 8 more miles before calling it a day. The last several hours would be in the dark and it was raining hard now. I wished them well.
Date: 2004-03-16
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: moderate rain

The radio said this morning that the rain was to break up and we would be seeing improving weather as we went in to the day. That¢s what it did. Lulu left the shelter at 8:00am and I left about 8:20am. Normally I would have caught her in the first few miles. Not today. Lulu was on a mission to get to Standing Bear Hostel to get cleaned up and wash clothes. I finally caught her about 3.5 miles before Davenport Gap.I got my clothes washed, picked up my mail drop and am just now catching up on my journals. I¢m glad to have the Smokies behind me. Six days is a long piece without a break. I was very fortunate with the weather ¢ only one day of rain. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I guess tomorrow I¢ll be headed for Hot Springs and should be there after 3 days and nights on the trail.
Date: 2004-03-17
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, this was an unplanned zero day. When my latest hiking partner, Lulu, woke up this morning she didn¢t feel quite right. She felt as if her head were spinning.She thought that maybe she¢d be okay once she had something to eat, but that was not the case. Curtis, the owner of the hostel, called a clinic and we took her over. It is an inner ear infection and she got some medication for it. Does that sound familiar? The same thing happened to me, except it was bronchitis. If you think a good hostel is one where you can get cold coke and a place to sleep then you¢re only looking at the surface. When there¢s a problem, ¢they¢ are the only person a hiker can look to for immediate help.So, if you want to know why hikers talk up certain places to stay, it is not just because of a cold coke. Standing Bear Hostel is a ¢good¢ place to stay.
Date: 2004-03-18
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Max Patch Campsite
Miles today: 14.1

The day started with rain, as we had anticipated. The starting elevation today was 1850¢ and the first order of the day was to climb Snowbird Mt at 4625¢, in the rain, of course. As I gained elevation it got colder and I started to see that it was starting to snow, but it didn¢t stick.I was keeping LuLu in sight today because of her ear infection yesterday. She was doing fine.We peaked over Snowbird and started down the other side. I was 50 or 60 yards in front of LuLu when something black flashed across the trail in front of us. It happened so quickly I wasn¢t sure what it was. LuLu caught up with me and I told her what I had seen. We approached the spot where I saw it. We didn¢t see what it was, but a very short distance up the trail we saw there had been some wild boar activity ¢ so that¢s our guess.Our plan was originally going 8 miles to Groundhog Creek Shelter. The problem was that we got there a little after noon and the rain had let up. We decided to cook our main meal of the day and push on. We thought we could get to Max Patch while there was still good light.We got a short distance from the Groundhog Creek Shelter, and of course, it started to rain again, but not hard. It was actually good hiking this afternoon. We could see Max Patch in the distance and we were getting closer.We finally reached the base of Max Patch and LuLu told me to go ahead and get there while there was still good light for pictures. In a very short time I was standing atop of this magnificent bald mountain. I can¢t describe the feeling of being in this unusual place. Here is the dome shaped mountain where the top 1000 acres is all grassy meadow. Some liken it to the scene in the Sound of Music. The pictures won¢t do it justice. But I hope you can gain a little appreciation of what I saw.We set up our tents that night in a small camping area in the tress about 12 mile from the summit.Years from now, when I remember this day I won¢t remember the rain we through to get there, but I will remember those special moments on the summit of Max Patch.
Date: 2004-03-19
From: Max Patch Campsite

To: Deer Park Shelter
Miles today: 16.1

It rained a couple of times last night. It even thundered a few times. The wind blew hard most of the night and into the morning. We had to be careful packing up, so that our tents wouldn¢t blow away as we were taking them down. It was very cold, too. My hands were numb by the time we put our packs on. It was too cold and windy to eat breakfast there. I wanted to get to lower elevation and out of the wind. In about 30 minutes we were at a stream with the wind blocked by the surrounding hills. We dropped our packs and made breakfast.By the way ¢ as we approached this place I saw 4 or 5 deer waving ¢bye¢ with their white tails.We were soon back on the trail, and had a big day in front of us. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Maybe the best weather to date. We had one big climb for the day, Bluff Mountain (4686¢). We reached the summit and started down. The trail down had many switchbacks and was very easy on the knees. We finished and reached the shelter around 5:40pm. It was a long, but good day. We shared the shelter with a great couple. We swapped stories for a while and then turned in (at about 7:00pm) ¢ I was tired.
Date: 2004-03-20
From: Deer Park Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: scattered clouds

LuLu was up early and on her way to Hot Springs, as she had to get there before the post office closed at 10:30. I took my time and followed 45 minutes later. I¢m staying at the Sunny Bank Inn hostel. My nephew and his wife are driving to see me tomorrow and I¢m looking forward to seeing them.In the meantime I¢ve gotten my clothes washed and my fuel refilled. I should be ready to go Monday morning.
Date: 2004-03-21
From: Hot Springs

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

I had a great day today. My nephew and his wife drove over from Winston-Salem to visit me here in Hot Springs. Thanks Joel and Shana, it was great to see you both!I had breakfast here at Elmen¢s, and it was very good. Afterwards, I walked up to the Presbyterian Church for their services, and was invited to stay for breakfast after the service. It was also very good, and people there made me feel very welcome.At about noon, Joel and Shana arrived and, what else¢¦ I went to eat with them. The only thing I¢m eating the remainder of the day are the cookies my wife sent me.It will remain cool for the next several days. Cool and dry is good. We will be pulling out in the morning with a number of others. It will be good to get back hiking.
Date: 2004-03-22
From: Hot Springs

To: Campsite near Spring Mnt. Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

After another big breakfast at Elmen¢s, we managed to pull free of Hot Springs. It¢s a nice trail town and the Smokey Mountain Diner was great.The goal for the day is Spring Mountain Shelter, 11 miles away. With every visit to a town comes the steep decent into the valley, and with every exit a steep uphill ¢ will a full bag of food and a heavy pack.So LuLu and I climbed up and out of town. The trail was good and the weather cool, but dry.About a half hour before we reached shelter a turkey flashed up in front us, and a short time later, three deer. Making it the biggest wildlife day yet.Once at the shelter, ¢Tells It Like It Is¢ and Ben, a section hiker, were there. Before me moved on to find a camping area, Ben gave us some banana nut bread that we did manage to save for breakfast.The shelter was in a windy location, and temperatures were predicted to go into the low 20¢s tonight. We made our dinner and decided to move to a camping area with a little less wind. We found such a spot about a 12 mile away and set up tents and crashed for the night. In the morning, my water bottles had ice in them.
Date: 2004-03-23
From: Campsite near Spring Mnt. Shelter

To: Campsite 1.2 miles short of JerryÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 14.6

The hiking today took us over a variety of terrain. It ranged from the typical up and down mountains to some much rougher rock scrambles. This rocky area really slowed us down and we fell short of Jerry¢s Cabin shelter by about 1.2 miles. I had enough water to get me through the next morning breakfast.I could smell smoke from a forest fire that I had seen earlier in the day. By morning the air was clear.
Date: 2004-03-24
From: Campsite 1.2 miles short of JerryÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early and hiked the short 1.2 miles to Jerry¢s Cabin Shelter. We stopped for water and breakfast.Today we passed through several special places. First was the Bassett Memorial. Bassett was a thru-hiker who had his ashes scattered here. It was a beautiful spot over looking Tennessee farm country below. Second was the gravesite of the Shelton Brothers from North Carolina who fought for the North in the Civil War. They had come home to see family during the war and were ambushed and killed on this spot. That alone says enough about that war. Later in the day I would meet a day hiker who¢s recently deceased wife was related to these men.I stopped at Hogback Ridge Shelter for the night, but again set up my tent because of the cold and wind. With me tonight are ¢Tells it Like it is,¢ ¢Red Beard,¢ ¢LuLu,¢ and ¢Fireball.¢ The weather today was great ¢ sunny, cool in the morning and warming throughout the day.
Date: 2004-03-25
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

The highlight for the day was ¢Big Bald¢ Mountain at 5516¢.The vistas from this bald, like Max Patch, are impossible to describe, and even the pictures can¢t capture the full beauty of this Mountain.LuLu and I stopped at the Bald Mountain Shelter for our main meal of the day and then hiked until about 5:40pm to Spivey Gap and camped near a road (US19). Another beautiful day, and the evening was warmer than I had been expecting.
Date: 2004-03-26
From: Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: scattered clouds

The goal for the day was miss Janet¢s Hostel in Erwin, Tennessee. I did the first five miles in two hours, which wasn¢t bad considering that the first mile or so was climbing up out of Spivey Gap. Lulu left the Gap ahead of me but I caught up with her just before the No Business Knob Shelter. The water sources from the shelter are pretty much non-existent, so I was trying to make it last.It was almost summer-like with all of the sun exposure we were getting. It was nice when the trail would wrap around the north side of a mountain to get a short relief from the heat.I got to the road at 12:30. I had done 11.2 miles in a little under 5 hours. After a short road walk towards Erwin, a nice guy in a pickup loaded me up and took me to Miss Janet¢s Hostel. I showered and walked to the Elms Restaurant and had the biggest burger I think I have ever eaten. I had five refills of Mountain Dew. What a pig.I¢ve gotten my clothes washed and we¢re ready to head out in the morning. Just a side note¢¦ The trail is more difficult for me in the hot weather; I¢m hoping that this early summer weather is only temporary.
Date: 2004-03-27
From: Erwin, TN

To: Deep Gap (campsite)
Miles today: 12.1

After a big breakfast at Miss Janet¢s Hostel and a brief stop at the hardware store we were dropped off at the trail at about 11:00 am. The highlight of today¢s hike was Beauty Spot, a bald mountain at 4437¢. (We started at 1700¢.)Hiking with me today are Red Beard, Tell It Like It Is, Lulu and a couple of section hikers. We camped next to a road (big mistake on a weekend). There was an outstanding spring at this location but the downfall was the nighttime traffic with the local kids. It wasn¢t too bad.
Date: 2004-03-28
From: Deep Gap (campsite)

To: Base of Roan Mountain
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

First thing this morning we started up Unaka Mountain. starting at 4100¢ we got to the summit of Unaka at 5180¢ in about 40 minutes. The summit woods were like I pictured Sherwood Forest to be like. I soon started down and after the first five miles I took a break at Cherry Gap Shelter. ¢Tell It Like It Is¢ was already there. Soon Lulu came, but no Red Beard, which we thought was odd as he is a faster hiker than both Lulu and I.Break Time over we were back to the trail. It was a tough afternoon with a lot of PUDS (pointless ups and downs) Lulu and I stopped at Clyde Smith Shelter to make dinner and get water. We were about ready to go and Red Beard rolled in. I was glad to know he was okay Lulu left ahead of us and we didn¢t catch her until just before Roan. Red Beard was going to go on to the shelter on the summit of Roan Mountain. Neither Lulu nor I had enough energy left to get up Roan. We went up the mountain a bit when we found a place to camp. This was a tough day, maybe the most tired I have been
Date: 2004-03-29
From: Base of Roan Mountain

To: Apple House Shelter 
Miles today: 0.0

Today is my Son¢s birthday ¢ Happy Birthday Tom! We got packed up early and started up Roan Mountain 6285¢, the last 6000 ft¢er before Mt. Washington in N.H. When reaching the summit we found some snow and ice still in the shaded areas. This after all the warm weather we had the last several days.Coming off Roan we came down into Carvers Gap. While there I decide to take advantage of the rest room facilities and Lulu decided to hike on. While I was coming back through the parking lot a couple asked me if I wanted to have some cheese and crackers. I perked up and said sure. Well, I not only had cheese and crackers, but a couple strawberries and grapes. Trail magic compliments of Jinny and Henry Barbee. Thanks! You made my day and I delivered Lulu hers and she sends her thanks.This afternoon was the afternoon of the Balds. First it was Round Bald, then Jane Bald, Little Hump Mountain and finally Hump Mountain at 5587¢. Lots of ups and downs, with the biggest down in our last 5 miles of the day ¢ down to 3000¢.On the way down Lulu¢s ear problem was acting up again. She was dizzy and having a difficult time. We had gotten down over the steepest part, but still had a couple miles to go until we reached the shelter and it was getting dark. I had Lulu put on her headlamp and I went in front of her. We finally got to the shelter, which was already pretty full at 8PM.
Date: 2004-03-30
From: Apple House Shleter (?)

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: light rain

I got up this morning and checked on Lulu and she wanted me to go on ahead without her. I was concerned about leaving her, but she insisted. So for the first time since the Smokey¢s I was without a hiking partner. On I went. Today the trail was quite a bit easier than the previous days. It was raining when I left and it rained pretty steady until 11:30. I stopped and cooked my dinner and was going again by 12:10. I needed to do 9 more miles to get to the Moreland Gap Shelter. I reached the shelter at about 4:30. Red Beard, Tells It Like It Is and a section hiker were already there. A short time later some additional section hikers pulled in. The shelter was soon full and tents were going up.Just as everyone was finishing up dinner we heard thunder in the distance. This was strange as it was already cold. Sure enough, it was soon raining and hailing. Later during the night it rained hard again and then got quiet.
Date: 2004-03-31
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 5.8

I woke up and looked outside and big surprise! The reason it got quiet last night was that the rain had turned to snow. I think we were fortunate that we weren¢t higher than 3815¢.I only had to get 6 miles this morning to get to Kincora Hostel. I arrived safe and sound. This is a great place, a must stay!
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

First, an update on yesterday¢¦ Lulu showed up at the hostel. I was happy to see that she was okay. She went into town with us and saw another doctor for her ear problem, and is hoping that this new medication will make her better in time. I ate yesterday at an all you can eat Chinese Buffet. Wow, I can pack away food ¢ all for $5.00. I hope the place doesn¢t go broke.Today is raining part of the time and snowing the rest. It¢s a raw day to say the least. Some of the hikers are doing a ¢slack pack.¢ Bob Peoples, who runs the hostel with his wife Pat, shuttles hiker ahead to a place where the AT crosses a road, then they hike back to the hostel with just a day pack ¢ which Bob and Pat kindly supply. My plan is to do this tomorrow and I¢m hoping the weather is better than today. I¢m going into town later this afternoon. Maybe this time I will pick on a different restaurant ¢ just to spread the pain around.
Date: 2004-04-02
From: US 321

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 8.9

Today the weather continues to be bad. I understand that the higher elevations I came through several days ago are now impassable. Hikers are backing up in places like Gathersburg, Hot Springs and Erwin. The snow in the Smokey¢s and the Roan Highlands is just about shutting down all the hiking behind us.I am currently in an area where the trail just gets over 4000¢ and there is snow, but nothing like what they are getting at 5000¢ and above.Today I am slack packing. I left my main pack at the hostel and took a day pack with just a couple items and did a 8.9 mile piece of the trail from north to south. Bob drove me north where the trail crosses the road and I hiked back to the hostel. I went over 3700¢ and there was snow there, but only 4-5¢.I passed Laurel Falls today and was very impressed with the beauty of the area. The falls, gorge and stream were beautiful, even in the rain.Tomorrow I hope to move towards Damascus, VA and the weather is supposed to improve. Staying at Kincora Hostel has been great. Bob and Pat are wonderful to us and what little we pay can hardly cover their costs. I¢ve said this before, but without these kinds of people along the trail, it wouldn¢t be the same. What a privilege it has been to stay here.
Date: 2004-04-03
From: US 321

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Bob dropped Captain Hook and I off at about 9:15AM and we were off and shooting for the Iron Mountain Shelter.The weather was cold, windy, and cloudy, but no rain or snow.We walked around Watauga Lake, which is a part of the TVA power network.I soon lost site of Captain Hook, hills don¢t seem to slow that 20-year-old down. After a little over a mile I was crossing Watauga Dam and soon after that was headed up a mountain.I climbed from 1980¢ at the Dam to 4125¢ at the Iron Mountain Shelter and somewhere near 3000¢ I started seeing snow on the ground. The higher I went the more snow I was walking in. Temps were in the 40¢s, so the snow was slushy in places.I caught up with Captain Hook at the Vandeventes Shelter where we had lunch. Behind the shelter was a great view of the valley below and so I took a couple pictures.After lunch I headed out ahead of Captain Hook and continued to climb toward the Iron Mountain Shelter. The hiking was sloppy in the wet snow and slush. I reached the shelter at about 4:15 and Captain Hook got there about 20 minutes later. It was cold and getting colder, so I fixed dinner and got in my sleeping bag. At about 6PM Moon Pie and Sunshine rolled in.The skies were clearing and it appeared that it was going to be a cold night. The soft snow and slush that we had hiked in today was likely to be like concrete in the morning.
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: broken clouds

We remembered to set our watches ahead an hour last night. It didn¢t help us get up any earlier as it was a cold morning. I got up first and was on the trail at 7:45AM. The plan from the younger folks was to try to get to Damascus in one day. If I was to have a chance of doing this, I had to get started. The snow was like concrete, as expected ¢ It made for some difficult hiking.I stopped at the Double Springs Shelter 7.6 miles up the trail. I got water and had a snack. As I was leaving, Sunshine, Moon Pie and Captain Hook were coming in. It was cold and I had to keep going.About a mile after the Double Springs Shelter the trail be came clear of snow and ice and I was able to quicken my pace.I stopped again at the Abington Gap Shelter another 8 miles up the trail. I ate some more snacks and started the final 10-mile section for the day.My legs were tired but the trail was good. I reached Damascus at 6:30PM. 26 miles in a little less than 11 hours ¢ not bad for and old man. I hope I can still walk tomorrow when I get up.I crossed into Virginia today ¢ that completes Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Virginia is 525 miles long, or roughly 25% of the entire trail. I won¢t be crossing any state lines in the near future!
Date: 2004-04-06
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I was able to escape the Damascus vortex and get back on the trail today. ¢Tell it Like it Is¢ and I left at the same time and we both planned to hike to the same shelter. She was soon in front of me as is generally the case with these 20 year olds. The trail today followed the Virginia Creeper Trail for a portion of the hike. The Virginia Creeper Trail is an old rail roadbed that has been converted to a bike trail (for mountain bikes). If you like biking, I suggest you look this up on the internet.The trail followed Whitetop Laurel Creek much of the day. This is a beautiful wild stream that is said to have nice brown trout fishing. I caught up with Tell It Like It Is as she was taking a break. We both commented on how nice the trail had been. We were soon in for a change as 50 yards ahead the trail started a series of switchbacks that took us to the top of Straight Mountain. We stopped at Saunders Shelter for lunch.Later in the afternoon the trail took us back to the Creeper Trail and followed it for a about a mile before heading back into the woods. Two miles later we were at Lost Mountain Shelter with Fireball, Shadow Moon and Pack Rat. It was a good day with nice weather and pretty sunny.**EDITOR'S NOTES:There is no journal entry for 4/5/2004. It was a zero day. I need to confim with Pilgrim that there is no journal entry.