morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

After an excellent night's sleep I went down to a great breakfast of scrambled eggs, biscuits, garlic grits, potatoes, coffee and juice. Will is here, plus a couple and another hiker who are all section hiking. After breakfast I sat on the porch for a long time catching up on the journals and email, and relaxing.I then went through and over my pack and removed anything that wasn't needed, such as wrist loops and the 'lid' of the pack that holds some things but seems to be always in the way. Also decided to take my small fly and start using the hammock, as the bugs are starting to come out. I will bounce the large tarp ahead just in case. The cell phone is taking a trip to Alabama - if Verizon has any coverage along the trail from Springer to Hot Springs, I wasn't able to locate it. And I tried mightily.I'm trying to lighten my pack so I can carry more food. I weighed yesterday at the outfitter and discovered that I have lost about 8 pounds in three weeks. At that rate I'll soon be blown off the trail by a stiff breeze if I take off my pack. Gotta start carrying and eating more food.In the afternoon I went to the post office and picked up a care package from Harry. Lots of good stuff like peanut M&Ms and packs of salmon - you can tell that he's done this hiking thing before. Everything was right on target and took care of about half my supply needs for the next leg. Thanks a million, Harry! I went to the outfitter store and bought supplies as well as some lightweight clothes. I'm hoping that warm weather is here to stay, But I'll keep my fleece for the time being. Over to the ice cream store for a sourdough bread bowl of chili.After lugging all the stuff back to the room I sorted it out and then went back downtown for a real meal. Brian, who runs (owner, part owner?) the Beckett House, is also the chef at the Creekside Cafe. I had a great inch-thick pork chop with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables, topped off with coffee and a chocolate raspberry torte. I'll be thinking about that meal when I'm on the trail eating noodles. Also met Yogi, the restaurant owner, who thruhiked in 1992. Afterwards I walked over to the pub to talk to Rainman, Joker and My Little Pony who had just come into town today. We swapped hiking stories and laughed about the trash talking in the shelter registers. Turns out that Lurch did hit the trail with his big duffel bag. They came upon him at the first shelter and had to put up with him for a night. He had food but no cookware or stove. He had decided to leave the trail already but had no maps or directions. The next morning they advised him that they were hiking fast, pointed out the nearest path out of the woods, and left him.Then it was back to the Duckett House for a late call home and to bed. Back on the trail tomorrow. Today was a nice day off.
Date: 2004-05-07
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Rich Mt.
Miles today: 8.3

I went to bed with intentions of getting up early and being ready to go right after breakfast. Then I slept all the way to breakfast - blueberry pancakes and all the trimmings, by the way. After packing it was downtown to buy fuel. The internet terminal was open, so I got a chance to read all the guest book entries to my journal and to answer the ones that left an email address. Thanks for the interest in my hike!I got lots of mail from the Monticello 4th grade, so let me answer some of their questions:Are you old? I'm 55 years old, which is just about as old as dirt. Think about your grandpa taking off to walk to Maine, and that will give you an idea of how nutty this trip is.What do you eat on the trail? Anything I can find, but mostly things that you buy in the store with lots of calories that don't have to be refrigerated. Peanut butter, cheese, tuna, salmon, chicken, noodles, rice, instant mashed potatos, bread, M&Ms, Snickers ... I'm getting hungry just answering this question! I also drink the floaties in the water to add fiber to my diet. I once found a bag of GORP (good old raisins and peanuts) by the trail. Since I didn't know who to return them to, I just ate them. Later down the trail I saw a teenager with a similar bag. But the evidence that I might have found his lost GORP was long gone.Have you seen any wildlife? Deer, wild turkey, grouse, squirrels, birds, a blacksnake and two garter snakes, and other hikers. The news in Hot Springs was that a hiker north of town was bitten by a rattlesnake a couple of days ago. He hiked back to town and the doctor gave him antibiotics, and he's OK. But you can be assured that my eyes are on the lookout for that kind of wildlife.I finally got out of town about 2:00pm, walking across the river bridge eating an ice cream cone. Hot Springs is a neat little town and I enjoyed my short stay. There is a music festival tonight down by the river and I was tempted to stay another night. But you don't get to Maine unless you pick 'em up and put 'em down. And there's incentive of another kind. "You're WHAT?! Staying at a BED AND BREAKFAST!? You get back on that trail!"The temps were in the high 80s as I hiked up the bluff. Sure enough there was a piece of duct tape on the trail with the message "Rattlesnake boulders ahead." But I didn't see any, and hiked slowly through the heat until near dark. The bugs have come out and a cloud of gnats kept pace with me.I left the trail at the side trail to the Rich Mt. fire tower. I started to tie my hammock under the tower, but remembered that this was a Friday night with a full moon, so I wasn't likely to be alone. Back into the woods to set up camp, accompanied by my cloud of bugs, happy that they didn't have to fight the breeze on the ridge any more. Into the hammock behind the bug screen and off to sleep listening to an owl.
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Rich Mt.

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at daybreak, then went back to sleep and finally got out of camp at 9:30am. Stopped at the Springer Mt. shelter for food and water where I met Dan and Tony, section hikers from IN who planned to hike up to Roan Mt. This is Tony's first time on the trail. Dan gave me an extra bug net for my head, which was much appreciated. As Dan went down to the spring for water (a path that I had just gone down and back up), a huge timber rattler (as big around as my wrist) was crossing. He had about 10 rattles (I didn't get close enough for a precise count). Seeker, down from a start in Harper's Ferry, came in also. Then the Joker, Rainman, My Little Pony, Crash and Cadbury the wonder dog stopped by southbound on a slackpack out of Hot Springs. The Pony was carrying the water and cokes for the crew.I took time to wash some clothes, then it was up, up, up to the Little Laurel shelter, on a hot and humid afternoon. I passed Dan and Tony resting on a long up. Since I got there around 5:00pm, I started to keep on, but there was a threat of rain and some thunder around, so I called it a day. As I was cooking, I heard a yell for help. Dan and Tony had run out of water, overheated, dropped their packs on the trail, and struggled on to the shelter. Tony was dehydrated and feeling dizzy. We gave them water, food and a jacket each, and they collapsed, completely spent.After a short rest, Dan took myself and one of the other guys back to the packs and we brought them back to the shelter. Dan was so tired that he had to rest several times, even with no load. You must respect the difficulty of this trail, and know your limits. Off to sleep about 9:30pm. Enough adventure for one day.
Date: 2004-05-09
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Frozen Knob
Miles today: 18.8

This is for the Monticello Fourth Grade. Most people hiking the trail have trailnames, and I've decided that you need one too. After all, you won't be the Fourth Grade for much longer, and you won't be the Fifth Grade until after the summer. So you need a trailname, and the one I'm giving you is the Monticello Trailtrackers. But before you can become a Trailtracker, you have to do two things. First, answer these three questions:1) What color is a blue sky?2) How many points does a three-point shot in basketball score?3) From which direction does a south wind blow?And the second is to give Ms. Lofton a great big loud ***Hooah!*** for being such a great teacher this year. Ready, one, two, three -- HOOAH!! --.That's great, you are now officially the Monticello Trailtrackers! Have a great summer vacation, and I'll still be walking when you come back to school.We had six people in the shelter last night, plus a dog. Dan and Toney felt much better this morning, and decided to continue their hike to Erwin (instead of the original plan to get to Roan Mt). Still about 50+ miles ahead of them. There were also two section hikers whose names I didn't get. One has had a stomachache and nausea for three days, and they planned to hike to the nearest road and hitch back in to Hot Springs to see a doctor. I noticed that the sick one had some of that pressurized Cheez Whiz and Chex Mix for breakfast, eating the Cheez right off his finger. M&M were there also; Melanie the owner and Murphy the dog. Melanie is from Florida, and quit her job at a Winn Dixie to hike the trail.I was out of camp about 8:30 and faced a stiff climb immediately as a wakeup to the day. After that was an interesting boulder climb and walk along the White Rock and Blackstack Cliffs. Got into the Jerry Cabin shelter about 12:30pm and took time to cook instant potatoes, which I had with tuna. I spent a couple of hours eating and resting, then hiked on. The trail led through some fields, which were a nice change of scenery from the woods. Thunder grumbled in the distance.Doc Gnarly and Daddio were at the Flint Mt shelter. I had last seen Doc at the Cosby Knob shelter in the Smokies, in a wet sleeping bag. Daddio had some bright yellow camp shoes. He said that they were hard to lose. M&M came in and set up for the night. It was too early for me to quit so I moved on.At the crossing of NC 212, Boy Scout Troop 257 had left water for hikers,so I filled up my bottle. Thanks to BS Troop 257! (I found out later from the shelter journals that the troop was making tacos for hikers coming through yesterday. Timing is everything sometimes). Then late in the day I came across a stream that crossed the trail and took advantage of it to wash up and do some laundry. After that it was up, up, up to Frozen Knob where I set up camp after dark at a campsite. The hammock fly flapped in the breeze until I got up and took it off. Fortunately there was no rain tonight.
Date: 2004-05-10
From: Frozen Knob

To: Big Bald Mt Shelter
Miles today: 12.7

I was out of camp this morning at 7:30. Walked over to the Hogback Ridge shelter for water, and there gave a section hiker some Second Skin for his blisters. On the way out I met Mike, a section hiker who owns a farm near Kingsport, TN. Then it was over to Sam's Gap, where Ropeyarn (thruhiked in 2001 or 2002) had left an ice chest with drinks and small boxes of raisins and fruit for hikers. Thanks, Ropeyarn, that root beer really hit the spot!Up from Sam's Gap I met Claudia and Dancing Wolf, a couple out for a day hike. A light rain started soon after I left them, but didn't last long. When I was almost to Big Bald I ran out of steam, strung my hammock to escape the bugs, and took a good long nap. Nothing like a good nap in the middle of the day to get you back on your feet! I woke to find the sun gone and rain threatening again. After stowing the hammock in record time, I started up Big Bald, only to hear thunder ahead. About half way up I stopped for about 15 minutes to let the thunderstorm get farther away. Lightning is my second greatest fear, right behind a hike-ending injury. Then up and over Big Bald, with great views all around.I stopped for the night at the Bald Mt shelter, where I spent the night with three section hiker ladies from FL (Leslie, Brenda and Sue). A couple of them have section hiked most of the trail, and we had fun swapping trail tales. I had the whole upper level of the shelter to myself. One of the ladies was a champion snorer!
Date: 2004-05-11
From: Big Bald Mt Shelter

To: Nolichucky River, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: light rain

After a good 9 hours of sleep, I was last out of the shelter at 8:00am. I passed Leslie, Brenda and Sue about 9:00am. The scenery was gorgeous, through stands of hemlock and poplar, and beside a mountain stream up from Spivey Gap. As I walked along the stream thinking of how good it would feel to take a dip in the cold water, I decided to stop and at least splash some on my face. I stepped down onto a rock and there went my foot, slipping out from under me on the moss. A quick grab of a mountain laurel branch was all that saved me from that dip! I had a wet foot and banged my ankle, but saved the pack from a dunking. That save would have scored at least an 8 of 10 in the Olympics! After that adrenaline rush, it was up to the No Business Knob shelter at 1:00pm, where I stopped to eat. There I met Ben and Rickey, section hikers from TN. About half way to Erwin the thunder and lightning started, and it poured rain. I sat back under a patch of mountain laurel in my rain jacket to wait out the lightning before going on up the ridgeline, and got thoroughly soaked. Finally the thunder moved on and I walked on down to the Nolichucky River through the dripping woods.From there it's about 4 miles to Ms. Janet's hostel, and I walked about two of them before a gentleman in a pickup gave me a ride the rest of the way. Nobody wants a wet hiker in their car! Things got better after that. After a hot shower and with clean dry clothes, I went down to the Erwin Burrito with Mike, a fast hiker who is resting his shin splints for a couple of days. There I met Chris and Nikki, husband and wife from the Isle of Guernsey, off the French coast. Word is that he loves the hike, but she's ready to quit. Also met Chris from Boston, now working for the NY City parks department, being paid part-time to hike the trail! He's going to Harper's Ferry, where he'll have to get off to start his MBA program at Harvard.I ordered a giant burrito, and it was so good that I followed it with another meal of sirloin quesadillas. Then a quick stop at the Sonic for ice cream and back to the hostel for a good night's sleep on a real mattress!
Date: 2004-05-12
From: Nolichucky River, Erwin, TN

To: South of Unaka Mt
Miles today: 12.6

I was up early to get some time on the internet. The hostel is full. There were two hikers asleep under a table in the kitchen area, one of whom had moved there from his bunk to escape the snores of someone in his bunk room. I went along with Ms Janet on a trip to the store before breakfast and everything looked so good that I bought lots more food than I needed for the next leg. Then it was back for breakfast with the gang at a long table in the back yard. The first shuttle was back to the river, so I had to hustle to get packed. Didn't even have time to do laundry. Back at the river I took time to use the phone, and just before I left my Smokies hiking buddy Dave came in. He has a foot problem that required a doctor visit and a couple of days off in Hot Springs, and I had not seen him since the night before we got to Hot Springs. If I go to Traildays and he doesn't, we'll be back on the same schedule.I was back on the trail about 12:30pm, big bag of Chips Ahoy strapped to my pack top, but had to stop shortly afterward and sit out a rain shower under my tarp. I hit the Curly Maple shelter at 3:30pm to find Joe Pacific curled up in his bag, done for the day. I caught up with The French Connection, Fugitive and Chris at a campsite just south of Unaka Mt, and decided to call it a day. Several ladies were also camping there. I had time to catch up on my laundry, then strung the hammock and off to sleep.
Date: 2004-05-13
From: South of Unaka Mt

To: Hughes Gap
Miles today: 15.6

The day started with the stiff climb up Unaka Mt. to it's fir-covered top. What a wakeup call! Just before the Cherry Creek shelter I came upon a deer standing in the trail. Again no picture as it moved up into the brush. Just as it moved away along came Rainman, Joker, and My Little Pony, followed a bit later by Crash and his dog Cadbury. They got into Erwin yesterday and are doing a 20-mile southbound slackpack back to Erwin. They plan to go to Traildays tomorrow and stay throught Sat.I moved on to the Cherry Gap shelter where I stopped for a second breakfast of cheese grits and salmon. I'm eating big time to help get my pack weight down. Hung my laundry to dry while eating, but it's a humid day again. At the Iron Mt Gap the rain started, and this time I strung my tarp, crawled under it and took a long dry nap to the sound of the rain. Not in the mood to be soaked again. After the rain there were bright orange salamanders out all along the trail. Maybe the bright color is a warning sign that says "Don't lick me!"I passed an older slow-moving lady just before the Clyde Smith shelter. When I got there, one of the ladies from last night's campsite told me that the older lady's trailname is Mosey. She's becoming something of a legend on the trail; she's 67 years old and moving right along - the first out of the shelter in the morning and the last one in at night. She bicycled about 2000 miles along the Pacific coast last year!I left the group there to make the rock scramble Little Bald Knob before stopping for the night near Hughes Gap.
Date: 2004-05-14
From: Hughes Gap

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 18.0

This was the best day of the hike so far. It would be hard to cram more scenery into a day. I spent the entire day crossing the Roan Highlands, big grassy mountains with outstanding views in every direction.First it was up Beartown Mt with great views at over 5000'. Followed by the Roan High Bluff at over 6000', with the cloud bases only a couple hundred feet above the ground. The temps were in the 50s before noon. I cooked up a meal there.Then down to Carver's Gap where the succession of balds started - Round Bald, Jane Bald, a long stretch through the woods and fields, then Little Hump Mt and Big Hump Mt, both over 5500' with magnificent views. The weather cooperated. There was a sprinkle of rain on Round Bald, then sunny skies with big white clouds and a stiff, cool breeze.At the base of Big Hump Mt was a small herd of what appeared to be Texas longhorns - huge cattle with horn spreads of six feet or so. They weren't impressed by a thruhiker, so I let them have the trail and hiked around them. I stopped for a late afternoon meal at the summit of Big Hump Mt and enjoyed the scenery. After that it was back into the woods and down long sidehill runs to the Apple House Shelter, a half mile from Hwy 19E where I may try to hitch over to Damascus for Traildays tomorrow. I met Smokestack and Mother Nature who had called it a day at the Dollhouse Flats campsite. At the shelter were John and Mary who had passed me earlier in the day. Mary hiked to NJ last year before a broken leg ended her thruhike, so she's trying it again, this time as a newlywed with John. What a way to test a marriage! Rainbow was there also, a former clinical psychologist who is walking home to Rockport, Maine.A great eighteen-mile day to end the first month on the trail. Life is good!
Date: 2004-05-16
From: 1.5mi South of Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Dennis Cove Road (Kincora Hostel)
Miles today: 7.8

I slept late this morning, not getting out of camp till 8:30am. I hiked over to the Moreland Gap shelter where I cooked a second breakfast, then hiked in to the Kincora Hostel about 2:00pm. Rainbow was there and she and I got a ride down to the Winn Dixie from Golden Sun who met her husband on a thruhike. Also picked up a delicious BLT from Arby's. Back at the hostel things were quiet for a while and I took a good nap. A huge thunderstorm blew in late in the afternoon. Interesting how much more you can enjoy a thunderstorm from the dry porch of a cabin vs. under a tarp in the woods.The hostel owner Bob is a trail maintainer for this section of the AT, and he had recruited about 50 people at Traildays to join the Damascus Hard Core two-day trail maintenance effort. A BBQ dinner was planned down at the lake for the crew this afternoon, but was washed out by the thunderstorm. Soon the crew showed up at he hostel and the place was jammed with people trying to take showers and find a place to sleep. Several set up tents outside when floor space inside ran out. Fortunately I had finished my laundry, taken a shower, and claimed a bunk before the crowd came in.It was an interesting evening. People from all along the trail had come to Trail Days and joined up with the crew. Stanimal and Bigfoot, who started in Feb, came back from PA, for instance. Several of the better-known people on the trail were there. Baltimore Jack, serial thruhiker (8 times?) fired up the grill and cooked hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone. SGT Rock, who helps run the WhiteBlaze.net web site, and who has a very good web site of his own, was temporarily back from deployment in Baghdad, and sat on the porch making alcohol stoves from Pepsi cans and hardware cloth, telling stories of life in Iraq. Someone testing a stove tipped it over and for a few seconds both the table and the floor blazed in a blue alcohol flame. Another hostel adventure.I crawled up onto my bunk before midnight, being careful not to step on Bigfoot, who was sleeping on the floor beside it in a narrow hallway.
Date: 2004-05-18
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Abington Gap Shelter
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: broken clouds

I was out of Vandeventer at 6:45am on a cool and cloudy morning. I stopped at the Iron Mt shelter at 10:00am for a second breakfast of Grapenuts. Leave It Behind, Teach, and Alf were just packing up. They're on a section hike down to Newfound Gap. Alf had a stuffed "Alf" toy with him and the resemblance was amazing. They had discovered a stray cat at the shelter and were planning to carry it with them down to the Watauga Lake ranger station to try to find its owner. I told them the true story that I read about the thruhiker who carried a cat with him on the trip. He had no problem with shelter mice, and the cat gained several pounds on the trip. They told me of the spectacle that they had seen at TrailDays - a hiker with a dog, on which was riding a cat, on which was riding a mouse.After the Iron Mt shelter was the Nick Grindstaff memorial constructed from the remains of the chimney of Nick's cabin. The story is that Nick was jilted by a woman when a young man, so he headed west to leave the pain behind. He got as far as Iron Mt where he built a cabin and lived as a hermit for the rest of his life. The epitath read "Lived alone, suffered alone, died alone." Rejection is hard to take sometimes.I motored on to the Double Springs shelter, up through a beautiful farm that was recently purchased by the Appalachian Trail Commission for $1.2million (according to a dozer operator who was burying the old house). It was a nice change to be out in the open for a while. I caught up with Will at the shelter as he finished lunch. He left first, and section hikers Wonder Woman and Diana Prince (Wonder Woman's alter ego) came in.A short way down the trail I met Medicine Man and L'AquaNa (French? for No Water since she drinks very little). They are both in the pharmacy business and have every other week off, during which they travel or hike. He took my picture and promised to post it on WhiteBlaze.net (and did - you may be able to find it among the photos, a sort of vacant stare on my face as I tried to comprehend this miracle of technology from the perspective of my simple life).The thunder started to rumble from the east both ahead of and behind me about 4mi from the next shelter and the footrace was on. I beat the rain in, but Frank (about an hour behind) got soaked. I set up in the shelter, but as I squished around in the mud in front of it I decided that I had had my fill of shelters and set up my hammock instead. I had to sit very small under the little tarp through a rain shower, but slept just fine during the night after a 20+ mile day. Can't wait to pick up my big tarp in Damascus.