morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

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

The Smokys had one more trick before we escaped their clutches. This morning there was an inch of snow on the ground. When I got up to get my food bag my boots had frozen so I had to force my feet into them. The row of socks hung to dry over the shelter fireplace were stiff as boards and dusted with snow.I turned the sleeping bag stuff sack inside out, put my boots inside then took them into my sleeping bag with me to thaw a bit. Next I ate poptarts, spooned cold-stiffened peanutbutter into my mouth and waited for another early riser to leave so I would not have to break trail. Despite my best efforts to procrastinate, I was still the first to hit the Trail. It was foggy and a cold wind blew tiny snowflakes about. Soon I was covered in snow and a stray lock of hair hanging from my balaclava slowly became coated with rime. It would have made a great picture, but there was no one to take it.At first the snow began to drift ominously but as I lost altitude it slowly began to relent. By Davenport Gap Shelter I was finally below the snow and the world turned green again.I hiked on past the Gap, out of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It had been a nice visit. I was glad to see so many of the moods of the Smokeys: clear, overcast, icy, wild mist and wind, thunderstorms, hail and cold and snowy.I hiked on to Interstate 40. An odd sight, being the first freeway I had seen since Atlanta three weeks ago. A mile past that, I reached Standing Bear Hostel, my first taste of civilization since Fontana Dam.Located on an old farm in a hollow, it is a bit primitive: bunkhouse with woodburning stove, outdoor showers, mouldering privy like the ones at trail shelters. But it has everything a hiker coming out of the Smokys could want. Shower, laundry, a warm dry bed, frozen pizza, burgers and other food to feast upon and assorted trail-friendly food to resupply for the next leg to Hot Springs.
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Brown Gap Campsite
Miles today: 10.1

Yesterday I found I had raw spots at my left Achiles tendon, probably from a seam in my boot, and on both heels. So I slathered them repeatedly with neosporin, kept off them and gave them as much air as possible.Today I limited my miles to 10, camping between shelters all by myself at Brown Gap. Nearly everyone else is headed for Max Patch, a bald that is said to be very pretty camping on clear nights like tonight, but it is four miles further. From the looks of my tendon, even ten miles was pushing it, but had I stopped at the shelter it would have meant a longer hike tomorrow. I'm slathering on lots of antiseptic and hoping it does not get infected. The ground is a lot drier and that is a big help, most of this started in the Smokys from long mileage in wet boots and socks. I spent this morning climbing out of Davenport Gap up Snowbird Mountain. True to it's name, it was covered with snow from yesterday's storm. But the weather is clear and warm for a change so it was not too soggy.I finally got to see the mysterious spaceship on the top of Snowbird Mountain. It looks like a building with a wide overhanging circular roof whose edge is lined with what look like large flourescent desk lamps and with a giant bowling pin rising up from the center. There are hiker tales of it being a UFO or a secret nuclear missle.Actually it is just a homing beacon for aircraft navigation. The bowling pin is the main transmitting antenna and the desk lamp looking things are receiving antenna used to calibrate the signal. But I am sure hikers will still tell tall tales about it.
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Brown Gap Campsite

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, Max Patch is as good as advertised. Not just the top, but the entire mountain was cleared. That means a breathtaking view from the top,(and people like me NEED to take a breath after getting up there). The Trail is marked with white blazes on posts since there are no trees. It looks very incongruous, as if a mountain from the Yorkshire dales were transplanted here.I added up the calories of the food I brought and found I had less than 1500 per day. So I'm eating everything to make it up. I had my spare breakfast of oatmeal when I got to the shelter and will have my spare supper too, so I'll have ramen and cooscoos. Then since I'm not getting hypothermia between now and tomorrow, I mixed half the jello mix I brought for hypothermia with cold water to drink. The jelatin makes it taste like fresh-squeezed orange juice. I plan to gobble up everything in my food bag, then start eating real food when I get to town. I see the next leg is about 70 miles too, so I need to plan my food more carefully. Wow, I'm starting to think about food, maybe I am starting to get the insatiable hunger hikers are known for.My heel looks a bit better. It ought to last 13 miles tomorrow and then I can take a day off to let it heal. Cuppa-Joe, Steve and Little Chicken have arrived so the shelter is starting to fill.This seems to be the shelter of walking wounded. Stretch has arrived and out of the five of us four have foot or leg problems. The other one, Steve, is an older local man accompanying Little Chicken, who had to take a week off for leg problems from going too far each day. Every able-bodied thru-hiker has already rushed ahead to attend the Trail Festival in Hot Springs.
Date: 2004-04-17
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

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

This was the first day since Clingmans Dome that I actually hiked on dry ground! It is also the first day in I don't know when that I did not see snow on the ground. What a novelty! Much of the day was spent hiking long gentle downhills so as an experiment I tried carrying my poles in one hand instead of using them. It is a bit easier on the Trail and changes which muscles get used a little.The world is getting more and more green. The leaves are even starting to peek out of their buds. That is a good thing, since it is getting warm enough for some shade to be in order.I could see Hot Springs long before I got there, nestled by a river in a valley far below. Who needs aerial photos when you have the mountains! My knees were popping by the time I got down to the street level.I came right into the middle of TrailFest so the town is crawling with hikers. There were booths and music and events. I ended up camping at a campground at the far side of town. All sorts of people are here, Little Tree and The Walking Stomach, Crash-Bang, Andrew, Two Cents who shuttled up from Standing Bear to see the festival and others I have not seen in weeks. Checking my email I found my old companion Danny had rushed ahead and was all the way to Erwin.After living on poptarts, snickers bars and peanut butter fortified ramen noodles I was happy to see the outfitter's well-stocked organic section. For the 70 mile leg to Erwin I stocked up on yummy nutritious things like textured vegatable protein, instant hummus, instant vegatarian chili, instant pea soup, Bear Valley pemmican bars and even calorie-drenched halvah bars. I'm in hiker heaven! Of course by the time I get to Erwin I might be so sick of healthy food that I switch to a diet of slimjims and donuts or something.Then I got a quart of milk and a pint of chocolate milk and sat down to overcome my 10 day dairy deprivation and enjoy the music. That done, I carried my loot back to camp and lay in the shade under the trees on my air mattress typing and giving my feet some air. The hurt spots are all pink instead of angry red, so another day of exhaustingly strenuous laying around doing nothing should get them in shape to hike again.
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, I found something to do even more strenuous than laying in my tent. After a wonderful $5 AYCE breakfast that finished off the TrailFest I went to the Hot Springs Spa. A hundred years ago there were big hotels here and people came from all over the US and Europe to "take the waters". There is still a little spa. So I went and was led to to a fenced off enclosure under shade trees by a beautiful creek and sat for an hour in a jacuzzi full of hot mineral spring water. Then I had an hour long massage. It made a new Mouse of me!Next I went to the Paddlers Pub for a half pound hamburger and a goatcheese-walnut-granny smith apple salad. In an hour I saw more bikers come through on their motorcycles than I had seen hikers the entire weekend. I gather that there is a twisty road near here that motorcyclists like to ride.
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Hot Springs Camp

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night at dark two women named Lonesome Dove and Coyote and a man named Saltlick moved in next to me. They had gone to Gatlinburg when it snowed on the day I left the Smokys, then have hiked such long mileage they caught up with me.This is the first Ibuprofin Day in a long time. When I first lifted my pack this morning my arches were popping. I went to the Post Office to send post cards and while there I did some pack-trimming. I mailed home my R3 fleece jacket and the sleeping bag cover I got at Neels Gap, cutting my load by over two and a quarter pounds. Hopefully it won't get too cold for my remaining things. That seemed to help a lot. But as soon as I made the climb up to Lovers' Leap and started walking on level ground the trouble started. Every time I put weight on the inside of the ball of my right foot and flexed it, OUCH! So I spent the day plodding cautiously, careful to keep the weight on the outside of my soles or on my heals. That helped, except for the occasional mis-step. Then as the afternoon went on my back chimed in too.Gee whiz, shouldn't I be used to this by now? I will cook my heaviest meal tonight and hope the drop in packweight solves the problem.Other than that, my high point for the day was passing Jan Liteshoe going the other direction. I did not know until I passed Barbara and she told me who it was.This day finishes my first month of hiking. Suitably enough, I am at Spring Mountain, NC, since a month ago I was at Springer Mountain, GA. Keeps things nice and tidy.Barbara arrived about 5:00 and at 6:00 Hitch and Mojo showed up with a surprise, their dog Dexter. I had not realized they had a dog because I met them in the Smokys where dogs are forbidden, so thru-hikers kennel their dogs until they reach the other side.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow, I actually made it. 15.4 miles, my farthest day yet.The day started nicely, a bit overcast and not chilly. I did 8.6 miles by noon. Then there was a shower. I tried my Goretex jacket but soon the inside was wetter from sweat than the outside was from rain.I had just dried out when the Trail sprang a surprise. First the geology changed. The soil began to resemble fireplace ashes and the trail began to be strewn with rocks to step on and over. Then I came to a sign. In white it pointed to a path marked "Exposed Ridgeline". In blue it pointed to another and said "Bad Weather Route.""Exposed Ridgeline" was an understatement. It led up to a ridgeline that was more rugged than anything I had seen since Georgia! Rude stone steps and scrambles went up and down for nearly a mile. It was the sort of place that makes me think of orks and trolls. The view was great until it started raining again. Then fog set in and hid everything but the rocks I was clampering over. It seemed to go on forever.Finally the trail got a bit more normal and then rejoined the bypass. By now I was ready for the shelter to appear. My feet were beginning to feel the effects of the long miles, scrambling and dampness. At last the roof of the shelter popped into view.Who should I find there but Kat! She had been ahead of me but took a laundry day and had things hung inside the shelter to dry. After a bit Chigger and someone else from last night arrived but all three plan to hike on.Four more men have arrived. Because of the bugs, they decided to build a fire. One of them proceeded to give the most unusual demonstration of how to build a fire I have yet seen upon the Trail.First he fetched a pile of large rocks, breaking the largest ones into smaller pieces. Next he disassembled the entire existing stone fire-circle which clearly had sufficed for uncounted fires. The stones he considered too small he threw off into the woods, placing those that passed muster in a pile to one side. Then he took his trowel and scooped aside all the ashes. He proceeded to build a new circle, smaller than the first but with the stones stacked a foot high. Then he carefully sealed the gaps between the stones with ashes. Only then did they pile tinder and kindling and light it.It turned out they rebuilt the firecircle everywhere they stopped as a way of giving back to the Trail.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow another 15 mile day! Or maybe I should say "Ow!" instead of "Wow"! Oh well, the important thing is that all of me arrived at the shelter.Both my feet are sore, the ball of my left foot especially so. Oh well, with luck now I can get to the Erwin Post Office before it closes Saturday.The Trail changed character in another way today. Up to now it has run through federally owned wilderness areas. Now it is more a thin corridor through privately owned land. That means seeing more barns close to the Trail, going through stiles in fences from time to time (Three today), once hearing a gunshot disconcertingly close to the Trail, and seeing more signs of human settlement. Going up a ravine with a fast stream tumbling down it, I saw a rather dilapidated barn, an even more dilapidated house, an old junk pile, and a tumbled-down log cabin and log shed. After that the Trail ran right along a fenceline up a high ridge, marking both the edge of the federal land and the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. So far, at 645 Poppins and his dog are here. I loaned him my knife to cut up an onion and oil to cook it in. I just made my best trail meal ever. 2/3 of a pot of boiling water with one package ramen and half a package of vegatable chili, a large dash of oil for calories, then TVP until the pot is full. It soaked up all the liquid making an entire pot of rib-sticking supper. Yum! Poppins gave it a thumbs-up when I offered him a taste hoping to taste his sauteed onions in return. It worked and the onions were great!Now it is 7:30 and Mojo and Hitch and Dexter, Kat and Treefrog have arrived. An older man was here looking for a young hiker, then left again. Kat informed me it was Warren Doyle. You never know who you will meet on the Trail.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Whistling Gap Campsite
Miles today: 13.4

A hard but pretty day. The first two miles led down to Sams Gap where the Trail crosses US Route 23. Then it went up a ridge, over some crests, including one bald whose grassy patch looked like a misplaced golf course.Then it went aggressively up 5,516 foot Big Bald. My feet were aching by the time I got to the summit but the view was wonderful when I joined Poppins, Skirts, and Mansooka at the top. We could see a 360 view of the surrounding countyside. The day was cloudy and cool with a stiff breeze at the summit.Big Bald Shelter was a mile on and it was tempting to stop and make it a ten mile day. I decided to cook my supper early and hike on to be sure I would get to the Erwin Post Office. I took off my boots and socks to give my feet a rest, dangling them while I sat and cooked and ate. Poppins stopped to cook to, then took a nap. Skirts and Mansooka just took a short rest and went on, hoping to get to the next shelter nearly 10 miles away.A little after three I left and went to a campsite with water at Whispering Gap about three miles further. That means 14 miles until Erwin, so tomorrow I have a choice of camping just outside if I find a spot or going all the way.Mojo and Hitch stopped to cook supper before heading on to another campsite about two miles further on. Poppins arrived after his nap and their dogs got to play together. Poppins decided to go to the further site as well, as did Treefrog when he got there. By 7:20 I was alone and will probably spend the night by myself for a change. Camping alone does not bother me too much, especially since I am over two miles from the nearest road. I suppose there are always the bears, but one is not really safer camping in a group than alone as far as bears go.
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Whistling Gap Campsite

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

After lunch at No Business Shelter I fell in with Poppins and Skirts and we hiked almost nonstop the remaining 6 miles to Erwin arriving a nice early 1:30 pm. Most of the day the Trail was fairly level, a welcome change from the climbs of yesterday. The view from overlooks of Erwin and the river were incredible, even better than those of Hot Springs. Another of those unexpected gifts the Trail brings.I started walking the 3.5 miles into the center of town but quickly got a ride to Miss Janet's House. The beds were full, but I got the last bit of floor space. Poppins and Skirts arrived later having waited for a shuttle from the bridge.Next I went to the Post Office for my bounce box, then the three of us went to Erwin Burrito for lunch, one of those legendary must go to eating places for thru-hikers.Miss Janet's has the usual hostel bustle with its own flavor. I helped carry in sheets of drywall for a renovation project and watched "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". One of the night's guests was a professional chef who cooked up some scrumptious lassagna for supper, which we ate out back by candlelight. Then I grabbed a space of dining-room floor to sleep on. After weeks of shelters, sleeping on the floor in my sleeping bag was second nature.Of course I also got a shower and laundry. For a change there were lots of choices of shampoo and even conditioner, my hair washed out without a single tangle, let alone the mats I've gotten used to undoing. And my clothes were the softest and fluffiest ever. Miss Janet knows how to get the important things right!
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This morning after a communally prepared and eaten breakfast traditional at Miss Janet's, I mailed my bounce box to Damascus, then walked to the grocery and bought food for the next leg. I had a lot of leftovers from the last leg, new items are summer sausage and dates for lunch and snacking. Sometime I want to try granola and powdered milk for breakfast but not on a long leg.I rested most of the rest of the day. In the afternoon Poppins brought his mother, who will be hiking 10 days with him. She is about my age and we had a nice talk. She mentioned an interest in attending library school and concern about entrance requirements. I could not resist taking her to the computer and finding what library schools were near her home and showing her how to find out their admission requirements. I guess once a librarian, always a librarian!Then I went to a local diner for a catfish supper and got organized to leave tomorrow. Tonght I get a real bed instead of the dining room floor.
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Erwin, TN

To: Deep Gap Campsite
Miles today: 12.0

I got up about 6:30 and went to help with breakfast. I made coffee, cracked three dozen eggs, peeled and sliced three bunches of bananas and sliced strawberries. Chef was making a cross between bread pudding and french toast topped with apples banana and caramel with fruit salad and bacon. Yummy!I love how Miss Janet gets everyone to share in the work. She has been both a mother and schoolteacher and draws on the skills of both as well as being a very good delegator. It gives a nice sense of community and lends a good flavor to staying there.Next I loaded my pack. Checking the hiker's box of castoff supplies for hand sanitizer I stumbled across a bottle of violet nail polish. It had to be the most impractical thing imaginable for thru-hiking, so of course I could not resist putting it on my nails as a momento of my stay at Miss Janet's House.It was a pleasure staying at Miss Janet's but at last the time came to return to the Trail. I was the only one going back from the house but Janet shuttled Coyote and Saltlick from a motel to the trailhead. Nearly everyone else in the house was going slackpacking: hiking a day's section of the trail with just water and lunch in a daypack, then going back to the house for the night. That cuts down on the effort needed to get to the next resupply point, but I was eager to get back on the Trail.Janet took one last picture of the three of us and Catdog with her dog Wags, who were also at the trailhead ready to leave. They had been brought to the trailhead by Catdog's husband.By 10:30 I was hiking again. It was 4 miles to the nearest shelter and 16 miles to the next shelter. Neither was a good distance, so I compromised and stopped at Deep Gap just after a rather pretty bald called the Beauty Spot.Catdog stopped at the first shelter to let her dog acclimate to hiking and Coyote and Saltlick headed on to the second. But I was joined for the night by the Honeymooners and Rob, all of whom I had met earlier.There were thundershowers predicted for today and tomorrow but so far there has only been a sprinkle.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Deep Gap Campsite

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: moderate rain

It is 7:00 a.m. and raining steadily. I lay in my dry warm sleeping bag and debate whether to become one with that wet world out there.I finally decide to get moving. With my tent as a cocoon I begin the metamorphosis from warm dry human to rainy day hiker. I stall by trimming my toenails, then pull on my socks. I pull out a poptart for breakfast and snacks for during the day. Sausage and dates go into my pack, energy bar and papaya into the pocket on my pack strap. I put my sleeping bag into its sack, then in two plastic bags, then deflate the mattress and stow it in its sack. Starting with the sleeping bag I squeeze all the stuff sacks into the pack and strap down the top pocket and add the pack cover. Finally I put on my goretex suit and boots.Only then do I unzip the tent door and step out into the rain. I pull out my pack, remove the poles, shake all the water off the tent, stuff it in it's bag and strap it to the side of the pack. By 8:15 I am hiking.I got to the next shelter at 10:45 and found Coyote and Saltlick still warm and comfortable in their sleeping bags. It was tempting to stay, but if I took a short day every time it rains I might not get to Katahdin before it is closed on October 15. So I ate some sausage and headed for the next shelter nearly nine miles away.It seemed to take forever, perhaps because of the rain. Along the way I unwisely topped off my filter bottle with cloudy runoff water. I had done this several times with no problems, but this time the prefilter clogged with silt and I could barely get water through it. Refilling later with clear water, wiping the prefilter and even scrubbing with gravel did little good.Almost by surprise the sign for the shelter appeared about 4:00 p.m. It fits 10 and there are about 3 spaces left. The group I ran into before Clingmans Dome were there. Right after claiming a bed space I attended to my filter. The nail file on my swiss army knife was too recessed to be much help. But the edge was sharp enough to scrape off the ridges from the prefilter and scrape the rest of the surface. That improved the flow somewhat. If I get really desperate I can remove the prefilter altogether and hope the main filter element does not clog between here and Damascus.