morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-03-30
From: Davenport Gap

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: light rain

Standing Bear Farm - Groundhog Creek Shelter(7.2mi)The rain was coming down lightly this morning, but consistently at about 6am. Stayed in the hostel until 8am and then got ourselves together. Left the farm around 10 am after settling with Curtis and said goodbye for now to Takoma. Takoma decided to stay and rest a sore knee and to help Curtis build a chicken coop.About 1/2 mile into our hike the rain stopped and we shed the rain paints and jackets. This was good as the sun really warmed the humid air and we were sweating bullets.We hiked fast and reached Groundhog Creek Shelter around 1:30pm...what to do? The weather was going back and forth all morning and the skies could open any minute or then again it could be sunny. If we pressed, we would likely have to tent camp and run the risk of bad weather.It was decided that we could still make it into Hot Springs early enough in the day to take advantage of a hot mineral water soak and run our errands without braving the elements outside of a shelter.Soon after we reached the shelter, a large group arrived. Included: Grass(Sarah), Scuba, Seiko, Timber, Sevi, MC, Bramble, Flyboy and the sisters, Flora & Fauna, coming in late. The group, at least some, are planning to get up at around 3am and hike up to Max Patch(7mi) and catch the sunrise¢¦weather permitting, of course. Pat and I may join them if they go. This will be a good incentive to wake up early and get in the miles we are hoping for.The group is pretty wild and boisterous, especially Bramble and Seiko. All leisurely made dinner and attempted to lighten their food loads as they anticipate an early arrival to Hot Springs. Man!, do Sevi's boots stink!It's around 7:30pm and most are in their bags for the evening. I'm not very tired a will most likely stay up a bit and read. Tomorrow will be the first of two long days of hiking, so I hope I sleep soundly. Although, with Bramble howling, this may be tough. All in good fun. Most are hanging their food bags in the shelter...hope the bears do not find them. To each their own.Off or now.
Date: 2004-03-31
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Deer Park Shelter
Miles today: 23.0

Groundhog Shelter - Deer Park Shelter(23mi)Pat and I stuck to our guns this morning and left Groundhog Shelter at 8:30am. We were able to get all our morning chores completed in 1 hour...a record. This did of course mean cold oatmeal...mmm. Actually, cold oatmeal is not much different as hot oatmeal.It had rained all evening, which made the hike all the more strenuous. The soft ground really sucks up your energy and effort on the ascents. Our first landmark was Max Patch, a bald up and around 4300ft or so. The hike up to this elevation was tough on my (Michael) legs. Once we reached the base of Max Patch, the temperature really started to drop fast. Just before summating, we needed to adorn the fleece, jacket, gloves and hats. Snow and sleet was falling. The wintry mix would be a constant for the remainder of the day.(PICS: Pat and Michael Hiking on Max Patch).It was 7 miles to the summit and 6 more to our original destination of Walnut Shelter. Roaring Fork Shelter was our lunch stop for the day. Once we arrived, we were greeted by Flyboy, Bramble, Sevi, Flora and Fauna and a new face, Chris. Chris, it seemed, was out hiking until June. Bramble and Flyboy were taking a break as they had planned to hike straight into Hot Springs that evening...a 26+ mile hike. Chris asked if he could hike along with them and Bramble said, "As long as you think you can keep up with our pace." Chris replied, "Oh, I can keep up...no problem there". It was evident that this was unlikely as Chris was wearing Corduroy Pants, etc. Most of his gear, including his sleeping bag appeared to be wet.In a few minutes, Grass, MC, Tinder and Scuba arrived for lunch as well. The only one missing from the previous evening was Seiko. In a rush, Bramble and Flyboy bolted from the Shelter headed for Hot Springs with Chris in tow. Pat and I left a few minutes later, with only 1.8mi to Walnut Shelter, where we had decided to stay the night. Along the way, we ran into Chris. He was alone, hair caked in snow(not wearing a hat and looking the worse for wear-it only had been a little over a mile). I asked, "Bramble and Flyboy's pace to hard to maintain?" He replied, "They were out of my site after 5 minutes". We reached Walnut Shelter and found it occupied by Timber, MC and two other hikers sleeping in their bags at 3pm. There was only enough room for two more hikers. Timber and MC told Chris that Bramble said that they should not let him go any further in the snowy weather and that he should stay there for the evening....good call, Bramble.This left Pat and I with a choice to make. We could either return the 1.8 miles back to Roaring Fork Shelter or continue and tent when we are out of steam(in the snow, sleet and rain) or go for gold. Gold being Deer Park Shelter, another 10 miles from Walnut Shelter. Pat said no the option one, I said no to option two and we were off to Deer Park.Hiked like madmen, until finally, we reached Deer Park Shelter. Sevi had arrived a bit earlier and Grass, Scuba, Flora and Fauna were there too. It was quite cozy. Hot Springs tomorrow!
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Deer Park Shelter

To: Hot Springs 
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: light rain

Deer Park - Hot Springs(3.2mi)Stayed on B&B(hotel), but at hostel prices of $15.Pat and I got up early and pushed the 3.2mi into Hot Springs.Once in town, we headed to Elmer's Inn to check on lodging. It was 9:30am and we got our name on the list as the previous night's guests were still milling about.To kill time, we headed across the street for breakfast at the local diner. After a great meal, we ran some errands, including picking up our mail drop w/ our maps.Once we returned to the Inn, Elmer set us up in a room he usually does not allow hikers to use. Elmer's Inn is a bed and breakfast in a big Victorian built in the 1840's. It is beautiful.Laundry and showers followed. Lunch at the local ice cream parlor (great sandwiches) and a espresso smoothie. Then it was off to the Hot Springs Spa for an hours soak in their 102 degree pools. It was great to relax the muscles.Dinner at the Paddler's Pub w/ great microbrews on tap. The place was packed with hikers: Bramble, Flyboy, Hoss, K-Less, MC, Grass, Flora, Fauna, Sevi and more. Then back to Elmer's for bed.
Date: 2004-04-02
From: Hot Springs 

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: snow

Hot Springs - Spring Mountain Shelter (11mi).Stayed in shelterBreakfast at Elmer's: Oat & Granola cereal, melon, coffee, juice, waffles with Strawberries and apple syrup. It was wonderful...thanks, Elmer!(PIC: Pat with Squirrel--Elmer employee at the B&B)Once we finished breakfast, we packed up and headed out of Hot Springs. It sleeted and snowed all day. It is quite cold. At the shelter this evening: Shot and his dog General, Tailwind. Sevi and MC arrived shortly after. The "Wrens" showed up as we were eating our dinner, but opted to press on a bit as the 5 person shelter was pretty crowded with 6 guys and one dog (although, we offered to make the room). Just before dark as we were climbing in our bags, Bramble arrived. He is planning to eat some grub, take a nap, and then press on to the next shelter. This is happening now, so not sure if he will actually move on. It is now dark and the temperature is 36 degrees and dropping fast.
Date: 2004-04-03
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

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

Spring Mountain Shelter - Jerry Cabin Shelter (15.4mi)Stayed in tent.Bramble left around 5:30am.Next to leave was MC, then Tailwind. Finally, at around 10am, Pat and I left the shelter, just as the sun broke through the clouds.The sun was short lived and would only showed a few more times during the day. The temperatures were mild.We reached Little Laurel Shelter to find the "Wrens" having left a nasty register entry about how unwelcoming the group was as they approached the shelter the previous night (us included). Not exactly sure where this was coming from, as all six of hikers in the shelter were in agreement that room could be made for the two of them (the shelter sleeps 5 and with the Wrens, we would have had 8) although it would be extremely tight. It appears that the group did not shuffle about their gear fast enough and this is why they moved on so quickly.Pat and I are hopeful to run into the "Wrens" in the future and apologize for any part we may have played in a less than enjoyable experience.The shelter was full and surrounded with tents. There were thru-hikers, weekenders, and Boy Scouts. We are going to see more crowds like this on weekends in the future I'm sure.After pitching our tent in the snow, Pat and I cooked dinner in the vestibule of the tent and ate quickly as the temperature was headed well below freezing. After dinner, I, Michael, did a little reading and then went to sleep. Well, I would not call it sleep exactly. As the night crept on, I became kinda cold in my bag and thermals. Sleep was off and on. Our Ultralight Thermarest sleeping pads are not up to providing the amount of insulation needed for nights this cold, sleeping on packed snow!
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: broken clouds

Jerry Cabin Shelter - Flint Mountain Shelter (5.9mi)Slept in Shelter. Pat and I left the Jerry Cabin Shelter area late. It was hard to get going as it was freezing and windy, boots were frozen, had to tear down our tent...just very uncomfortable. We left our tent-site around 11am (adjusted for time change). The hike was strenuous as we were hiking in packed snow that turned to ice the evening before. It was exhausting.We reached Flint Mountain. Shelter just before 3pm. Tailwind was there and informed us that "Georgia" and "MC" emptied their packs and huffed it down 2.7mi to the road to hitch into town for beer and food. They intend on taking a "0" day at the shelter tomorrow hoping much of the snow in the higher elevations will melt. Pat and I discovered the previous evening that we had miscalculated our food provisions and were traveling too light. So, "Georgia" and "MC"'s idea was a pretty good one. So, we emptied our packs, ran down the 2.7 miles to the road and held out our "Hiker to town" sign. We were on the TN/NC border.After around 15-20 minutes a pickup stopped and asked where we were headed. We told them we just needed to find a place to purchase some food provisions to get us to Erwin, TN (2.5 days out). They drove us around to a convenience/gas station about 20 min. down the road. Unfortunately, the county is...yes, you guessed it, dry. So no beer. Not much to stock up on, but we were able to grab some food. We were hurried as our ride was nice enough to wait and return us to the trailhead (nice people).Once we returned to the shelter, "Dead Man Walkin" and "Lovebug" were there. We checked out our loot and discovered that we still had barely enough food for the hike to Erwin, although more than we had previously. A bit later, after helping Tailwind build a fire, we could hear "MC" and "Georgia" coming back from the trek into town. The first words out of there mouths were, "It's Sunday". No alcohol sales on Sunday in rural TN. They did not come empty handed, as the two were toting 10 hamburgers and shared with all. This was good news as we were prepared to eat a small dinner to reserve food for the next few days. We returned the favor with a cold Dr Pepper from our trip.Thanks "MC" and "Georgia"!After dinner, "Dead Man Walking", "Lovebug" and I found ourselves in our sleeping bags. Pat, Tailwind, MC and Georgia talked around the fire until after dark (this is happening now, as I, Michael, type). Again, it is very cold. I am in my bag wearing my thermals, long pants, hat, a light fleece and a heavy fleece jacket...I am still cold. This will be a long night with a long hike awaiting us tomorrow. 36 miles to Erwin and we need to be there by Wednesday. Our plan is to hike two 15 mile days and then skip into Erwin after a short six miles. Of course, we are headed back up to snowy elevations tomorrow, so hiking will be slow. Not sure if we will take a "0" day, but I will probably need one.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Another cold and windy night. It was 27 degrees when we got out of our sleeping bags. The sun was shining and we would have blue skies again all day, but the air is cold and the frigid wind would plague us all day...again.The good thing was, for the most part, we have good trail under our feet. No snow, slush, ice, or even too much mud. We were able to keep a good pace. The icy wind is all that keeps this from being a great hiking day. It is very frustrating trying to regulate your body temp when you reach the top of a hard climb all hot and sweaty only to be blasted by a freezing wind when you get there. Put clothes on, take clothes off, put clothes on, take clothes off. We're working up a sweat and freezing all day.We stopped in at the Hogback Ridge Shelter for lunch. Tailwind arrived as we were about to leave around 3pm. He is going to take it easy and stay for the night. We pressed on for Low Gap and made pretty good time. Since there are no signs or anything we had a hard time trying to identify the gap. About the time we thought we should be there we started to ascend up into the snow zone. We checked the elevation and it was too high. We must have passed it. Knowing that there would be no place to pitch our tent out of the snow if we kept on, we turned around and headed back down to find a clear spot for the tent near a spring. As it was getting late, neither of us was up to the 4 more miles over Big Bald to the next shelter. We set up our tent facing away from the constant cold wind and cooked from inside. Our tent is the only place safe from the icy blast. We hope when we wake up it will be gone, we have a big mountain to hit first thing. We are beat, time to stop typing and get some sleep.
Date: 2004-04-06
From: Low Gap

To: No Business Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Low Gap - No Business Shelter (14.4mi)Stayed in shelterOur prayers were answered! The morning brought warmer temperatures and the horrible artic winds were gone. We slept late (9am) and hit the trail at 10:30am or so. Right off the bat, we ascended 700ft to the summit of Big Bald Mountain. It was beautiful, with 360 degree views of the Appalachians. On our way up, we ran into the "Slackers". They are slack packing a bit of the trail. (PICS-Pat and I at summit of Big Bald and a couple of us individually).After we descended Big Bald Mountain, we arrived at Bald Mountain Shelter to find Flora, Fauna, Camel and two New Zealanders, Wayne and Paul (?). Our paths would cross throughout the day. Flora, Fauna and Camel night hiked by moonlight (beginning at 3am, passing our campsite around 5am). They appeared quite tired when we found them at the Shelter. Once we reached Spivey Gap, we said goodbye to the "Slackers" who had reached their vehicle (Just missed an opportunity for a soda, but Camel was nice enough to share an orange with us...it was delicious!)As we began the final 4.7mi to the shelter, out of nowhere, Bramble came running out from the trail. It appears that he hitched into Erwin and has been staying at Mrs. Janet's place (hostel). From this location, he has been slack packing. A few hellos and see ya' laters and he ran down the trail.Camel, Pat and I hiked the 4.7mi left to the shelter, picking up the New Zealanders along the way. A bit later, Flora and Fauna would arrive for a last night before town. Tenting outside the shelter are Freedom and Carefree. Have not met these two yet. Maybe in the morning.Tomorrow, we are planning to rush 6mi down the mountain for Mrs. Janet's/Erwin for a much needed town break. I cannot speak for Pat, but this last stretch out of Hot Springs has been a tough one. I, Michael, have also been in a "funk"-missing my wife, friends and family. There are a lot of hours in the day to think about your loved ones and the sacrifices you make when embarking on this journey. Sometimes, you question your judgment and the adventure¢s worth.
Date: 2004-04-07
From: No Business Shelter

To: Nolichucky River/Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

No Business Shelter - Nolichucky River/Erwin TN(6.3mi)Up early and left just after Kea and Kepapa(?) along with Flora, Fauna and Camel. We arrived at the river just after the New Zealanders and waited for Camel, Flora and Fauna at Uncle Johnny's Hostel to catch up. The other three were hopeful to stay at Mrs. Janet's hostel in town, so we gave her a call. It appeared that Miss. Janet's was full, at least did not have bunks for the five of us. Regardless, we chose to head there and check it out for ourselves. The group headed up the road thumbing for a ride and eventually it paid off. A nice woman in a small Honda stopped, but could only take three passengers. Pat and I opted to keep walking as the others piled in. A little time later, she returned to pick us up...Very Nice.Our ride dropped us off at the Pizza Plus to meet up with the others and we all enjoyed a pizza and salad buffet. Once we finished devouring many a slice of pizza and more than our share of salad, we continued down the road towards Miss Janet's. A nice man, who runs a furniture shop, stopped us to see where we were headed and offered to give us a lift in the back of his pick-up. On the way, he took us on a tour of the town; pointing out the post office, library ,etc. It turns out that Miss Janet's was indeed full and we needed to make other plans. It seems that many hikers extended their stay and had chosen to slack pack with Miss Janet's shuttle assistance.The group decided to stay in the town proper, close to post office, library, grocery, etc., and stayed at the Best Southern Motel. Miss Janet gave us a ride back to the motel and we got a room and did laundry/showered.Miss Janet would later return as she was shuttling about 30 hikers to dinner at a local restaurant. This was a real treat as we were able to catch up with GG(Arlene) who was still in town. It was so nice to see her again...she looked great. The entire group ate, listened to songs performed by Takoma Ted, danced and had a wonderful time.Thanks Miss Janet!!
Date: 2004-04-08
From: Nolichucky River/Erwin, TN

To: Nolichucky River/Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy Birthday Jack!Stayed in HotelPat and I decided to take a "0". I, Michael, was not feeling well in the morning(product of eating way too much the previous day, no doubt) and general exhaustion from the strenuous snow/ice hiking the week prior. This gave us the opportunity to hit the grocery store, library and post office. All errands we failed to take care of the previous day.
Date: 2004-04-09
From: Nolichucky River/Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

The owner of the Best Southern Motel was nice enough to give us ride back to the trail and we were hiking by 10:45am. As usual, coming out of a town means uphill, uphill and more uphill. We began at 1700ft, would reach elevations over 4700 ft. At a shelter along the way, Curley Maple Gap Shelter, we met "Ashtray" who was out slackpacking with Miss Janet's dog, Fabian. Also there was Castro who we would hike off and on with the rest of the day.Once we left the shelter, GG(Arlene, Mickey One Sock, Woody, and Miss Janet's daughter passed us going South on another slackpacking hike. GG is sure getting some miles behind her.The hike today was pretty brutal(at least for me, Michael). Not just due to the trail difficulty, but Pat and I are packing way more food than usual. We did not want to find ourselves running low like last week and felt we were not eating enough in general. THE PACKS ARE HEAVY! This equals more intense pounding on the feet and knees. This should get better each day as we consume our pack weight.Reached Cherry Gap Shelter around 6 or 6:30pm to find Flora, Fauna, MC, Tinder, Camel, Condor and Satori. Later Castro, Scuba, The Mule, Bam Bam and a couple others showed to stay the night.
Date: 2004-04-10
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's hike would be the most demanding to date for me, Michael. The packs are stil heavy and we need to see ourselves to the top of Roan Mountain(6285ft) after hitting a low of 3725ft. The climbs were intense, some of the steepest we have seen. For lunch we stopped at Clyde Smith Shelter, passing Flora and Fauna on their way out. They plan to hike over Roan Mountain to Carvers Gap to be picked up so they may attend church service on Easter Sunday. At the shelter when we arrived were Georgia, Castro, Scuba and Satori. All, but Satori, plan to stay the night and push for Roan Knob Summit the next day...I do not blame them. Rain is in the forcast.Pat and I, although tired and sore decided to push on and get it over with. The hike up was brutal. It was beautiful, however. Much like the high elevations of the smokies, we found ourselves among hemlocks and firs. It is like Christmas, including the snow. The temperature dropped significantly as we reached elevations above 5500ft. Tonight may get below freezing. After a lot of huffing and puffing, we reached the shelter, just after passing "Country" headed South for a short hike to check out the Cloudland site. On the summit of Roan Mountain, there was once a hotel many years ago. Too bad it is gone now, my hands are freezing as I type this journal entry. Once we reached the shelter, we found "Dead Man Walking", "Love Bug", "Freedom", "Carefree" and "Rambling Man". All, including "Country", would be staying the evening. Rambling Man would keep us company as we made dinner and then we would hit the sack upstairs in the shelter, which used to be an old fire wardens cabin.
Date: 2004-04-11
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 14.7

Happy Easter all!Clouds rolled in during the evening. We stayed in our bags until all left and then crawled downstairs. It's cold up passed 6000ft. Left the shelter at 10:30am, so we anticipate reaching Apple House Shelter late.It threatened to rain all day with a few sprinkles here and there until we reached Overmountain Shelter. The shelter was awesome, with beautiful views. It is a converted old barn...enormous. We ate lunch talking with Freedom and Carefree, who decided to stay the evening. I do not blame them as the location is very romantic.Just as we left the shelter, for many miles uphill over a couple of balds, it began to rain. This would continue off and on until we reached Apple House Shelter. Our rain gear and pack covers performed well, but some things did get a little damp. Up on the balds there are supposed to be Texas Longhorn cows, but we did not see any. Actually, we could not see more than 20-30 yards for the cloud cover.Once we reached the shelter, we found MC, Tinder, Country, Sweet Cheeks, Willow, Satori, Ramblin' Man, Dead Man Walking and Love Bug. The last to arrive, we were very thankful they were willing to make room. The Easter Bunny, Pat, left us a couple of eggs filled with M&Ms and Reeses Cups. Thank you Easter Bunny, Bwak..Bwak!