morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Cosby Knob Shelter 

To: Groundhog Shelter 
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Our earliest start-7 am-for our longest day! It was so good to wake up and not be shivering. It never got below 50 degrees last night. We started out for Standing Bear, a hiker hostel, to pick up our mail drop. No snow!   After leaving the Smokies the elevation really dropped and the temperature warmed to 75 degrees. We actually found flowers blooming abd saw butterflies. We arrived at Standing Bear at noon and were surprised with homemade cookies from Cathy's mom. We shared a few but must confess we made lunch of more than half the box! We were also very surprised to receive a package of treats from Cindy from Connecticut who has been following our trail journal. What awesome trail magic! Thanks, Cindy. And then Craig received a great card from his friends from where he retired. We also talked with Boulder who had been at Standing Bear since the 28th. He has a bad case of shin splints. He said he was going to try to walk a little with his pack tomorrow to see how it goes. We repacked our food bags and left Standing Bear for the next shelter-7.2 miles away. Rain is forecast so we want to be sure to make it to the shelter before showers. We saw some beautiful brooks and rapids--and no snow this afternoon! Elevation gain today was 5320 feet. We had to go up and over Snowbird Mountain just before the shelter, which is especially hard at the end of such a long day.   Tonight we're sharing Ground Hog Shelter with Ozzie, Calumet, Jaws, and Casey and Doodle are tenting nearby.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Groundhog Shelter 

To: Walnut Mt.
Miles today: 11.0

We both woke up at around 6am to birds singing. They had left us when the SNOW came and it's great that they're back. We decided to get an early start so we could get to the shelter early and relax for awhile. The first half of the walk was mainly uphill but the rest was either flat or down hill, a much appreciated change from having to climb the last few miles. We did climb 4,430 ft but there were a lot of switchbacks which made the climbing easier. The views weren't all that great today except for Max Patch. It was a huge bald at 4,629 ft. The winds were incredibly strong and almost blew Cathy over a couple times. She had to "draft" Craig through one section as she couldn't stay up against the force of the wind and the weight of her pack. Everyone at the shelter was commenting as to how expansive it was, and how winds almost took you off your feet. We got to the shelter at 1:30pm and decided that four days of not cleaning up was too much. As a result we took water from the stream and washed ourselves and our cloths. The sun was out and it was 70 but that water was cold, not just cold, but COLD! We hung out our clothes to dry and then relaxed for the rest of the day. We were later joined at the shelter by Jaws and Mr. Rogers. Doodle and Casey showed up at 4pm but decided to keep walking because they want to go in Hot Springs tomorrow. Ozzy also decided to keep going as long as he was feeling good. It was a warm evening so we spent some time reading and then planing where we'll stay at night between Hot Springs and Erwin, so we'll know how much food to bring.PS: We just got cellular service today 4/5/06. As a result we we unable to read our guestbook or download to our joural. Thank you for your concerns regarding the storm. We were safe in a shelter which was located in a gap during the storm. The service was very slow so we'll try to download more to the journal tomorrow.
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Walnut Mt. Shelter 

To: Dear Park Mt. Shelter 
Miles today: 12.0

It is so nice to wake up to warm mornings and sunshine! We had our oatmeal and hot chocolate and were on our way by 8:30. After two miles we came to the "real" Walnut Mountain Shelter. The one we had used was a "no name" no longer on charts or signs. Still, it worked out better for us in dividing our miles between yesterday and today. We had two big climbs, but most of the day was on switchbacks and ridges. Elevation gain for today was 3445 feet. Saw several streams and footbridges built across. We came across a southbound section hiker, Alton Pitts. He recognized us from Trail Journals and said his friend Mike Stephens told him to watch for us. Quite a coincidence to meet up-since Alton is hiking between Hot Springs and Standing Bear for just 4 days! We took his picture and said we'd say HI to Mike. We arrived at Deer Park Shelter at 2. No phone signal (boohoo) and I finished my book yesterday, so it will be a long afternoon. We were soon joined by Texas, Pond Water, Snickers and Wandering Bill, so there was lots of conversation until bedtime.
Date: 2006-04-03
From: Dear Park Mt. Shelter 

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

We had a stormy night at the Dear Park Shelter, strong winds and rain, but we stayed dry and again didn't have any incidences with the MICE! With the time change we didn't wake up until 7:15 but were off by 8am, just eating a bagel while we walked theTrail. We wanted to get into Hot Springs NC ASAP, so we would be sure to get a room at Sunnybank Inn. It's a B & B for hikers and a place you have to stay. It's a beautiful, old, Victorian home were Elmer and his staff prepare vegetarian meals from food grown in his organic garden. The trail goes right through this small town and right past Elmer's place. The rain stopped soon after we had started walking and only took us an hour to walk the 3.2 miles into town. When we arrived we were warmly greeted and were invited to have coffee in the sitting room. After seeing our beautiful room we quickly decided to stay an extra night. We did our laundry, cleaned up and then went shopping for food, and then went to the library until they closed at 5pm. When we arrived back at the Inn Craig heard a familiar voice, it was Miss Parkay. We couldn't believe she had caught up to us. She and Coach K will be staying here tomorrow night. The 4 of us sat in our room and caught up on the past 2 weeks, until the 7 o'clock dinner bell. Dinner was a 4 course meal which was fabulous. Dinner started with conversation which sadly informed us of a fellow Thru Hiker's death. We only know that Phoenix, a 66 yr old, who has Thru Hiked before, died in his sleep, while at a shelter. He was a couple days behind us and we had never met. There was aslso more positive conversation and and it did not end until 9:30. It was a great way to end a great day.
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Hot Springs

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

The coffee was ready at 8am and the staff were busy making breakfast-a nice change from the Trail. This was our 3rd zero day after 4 weeks on the Trail. We went to the post office to send out some letters and to get a box to send a few winter items home. We spent a couple hours at the library and then relaxed in the sun sitting in lawn chairs in the backyard. Parkay, Coach K and Betty joined us latter. We again ended the evening with a four course vegetarian dinner and lively conversation. A few guest went to Paddy's Pub to watch the women's NCAA basketball finals but we went to bed.PS: The Pub closed at 10pm and they were made to leave with 6 mins left and a close game. At breakfast no one still knew who won the game. You gotta love small towns.
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mt. Shelter 
Miles today: 11.0

Once again the coffee was ready at 8, and there were busy hands in the kitchen making our breakfast. We could really get used to this! We relaxed at Elmer's until 10, then resumed our thru-hike with a walk through town. The AT goes right down main street of Hot Springs-the white blazes are in the sidewalk. It was a beautiful, sunny day with clear blue skies. However, it wasn't very scenic and Craig felt quite deprived in not having enough to take photos of! We did stop by a clear man-made pond where we met two teachers from Minneapolis who were section hiking and who were thinking of hiking the AT . It felt good to be back on the trail, even with the 4680 foot climb. We sheltered at Spring Mountain Shelter with Betty-a.k.a. The Energizer Bunny-and Mosey (as in 'mosey-along). We had a good time talking around the fire until we went to 8pm.
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Spring Mt. Shelter 

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

One month hiking today! Overcast but clear skies as we ate our oatmeal and hot cocoa.   We were only four miles down the trail when we saw a sign inviting us for trail magic-breakfast at the home of Fal & Hercules. John and Jodie thru-hiked in 1999, and now live near the trail and provide trail magic throughout the hiker season. We had coffee, homemade breads, breakfast burritos, fresh fruit, and peach cobbler with ice cream. We left their house stuffed and reminiscing about pleasant conversation. Before long it began to rain; we donned our rain jackets and covered our packs. The rain lasted about four hours. Today was or first encounter with a blue blaze alternate trail provided in areas where the white blaze trail would be too treacherous in inclement weather. Since the rain had stopped and the wind was light, we followed the white blazes. It was the most difficult and most dangerous hiking we have done on the AT. The ridge was all rocks and boulders, and continuously up and down. There were some beautiful views. In fact, we stopped on one peak to take a picture of the mountains with plains and cities in the distance (see pic). After carefully putting the camera away, Craig turned to leave, forgetting he had a huge pack on his back. Cathy was nearly bumped over the edge. She screamed and Craig grabbed her-- A momentary scare and a lesson learned! The rocky cliff trail really slowed us down and we didn't arrive at the shelter until 6. Betty and Mosey were already there and two spring break hikers had stopped for dinner and started a fire. We were feeling pretty cozy when we were joined by three additional hikers who are proponents of not purifying water, sleeping with their food bags as pillows, and with the worst smelling feet we have experienced on the trail! Well, the shelters are for everyone, but the four of us are are not as comfortable as we were. One can get spoiled quickly. Elevation gain today was 4153 and it felt like it.
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter 

To: Low Gap Campsite
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: clear sky

We couldn't get going fast enough due to the odor in the shelter. The morning walk had few climbs and we made good time. It was mostly sunny and the temperature worked it's way up to 77 degrees. Cathy hikes uphill much more slowly than craig, so he will often get 400-500 feet ahead and wait for her. When Craig stops to take a picture, Cathy will go on ahead, so there are times when we may be separated by a few hundred feet. Today Cathy went on ahead. After Craig had hiked for some time, he became concerned that he couldn't see Cathy anymore. He began yelling her name but got no response. He said he'd never been so worried and scared. Cathy heard something in the distance and turned to listen more closely. When she turned around, she discovered she had wandered on to a blue-blaze trail. Immediatey we both started calling and making our way towards each other. That fear of being lost in the woods is one we don't ever want to experience again! We stopped at the next shelter for water-which was a very long distance away-then said goodbye to Betty and went anoter 6 miles to Low Gap to camp. Even though rain is forecast, we wanted to get closer to Erwin than the shelter locations would allow. We were able to get the tent up and have our beef and rice dinner-although the pre-storm bugs were eating us up! Today was our longest day-20.7 miles and 5960 elevation gain. We are exhausted and went to bed early!
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Low Gap Campsite

To: No Business Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

It stormed all night, but Cathy slept through it. The tent felt really cramped after so many nights in shelters-NO panic attacks though! The rain subsided briefly and we were able to get the tent down and get going, but without breakfast. At times we were walking in the mists of clouds; other times we were in the clouds' downpours. We crossed Big Bald where you can get a 360 degree view. We could barely see from one blaze to the next. We were soaked and so happy to reach No Business Knob shelter at 4.   We fixed hot cocoa right away and drank it while we fixed our rice and beef dinner. As soon as dishes were clean and wet stuff was hung on nails, we crawled into our sleeping bags to read. Elevation gain today was 3120.
Date: 2006-04-09
From: No Business Knob Shelter 

To: Erwin Tennessee 
Miles today: 6.7

We heard Ja Ja Spiderman getting up, and as badly as we wanted to snuggle back down in our sleeping bags, we knew we needed to get going. It felt sooo.. Cold, even though it only got down to about 30 degrees and even though we've had to sleep in much colder temps, it was very uncomfortable. Everything was damp-or wet-from yesterday. Anyway, today we were headed to town, which is a stimulus in itself! We were off by 7:30, hiked 6 or so miles, and checked into our motel at 10;30. We decorated our room with all of our wet stuff (tent, sleeping bags, pads, etc.), took hot showers, then headed to Huddle House for breakfast/lunch and then the Laundromat. The town is very spread out, so we hitch-hiked our way around. When we got back to the motel, Cathy soaked in the tub (something she never did at home!) and Craig updated our trail journal. After a continental breakfast in the morning, the motel will shuttle us back to the trail at 8;15.P.s. We've been showing you pictures of the shelters, and they must look pretty rough to you-three walls, dirt floors, flat surfaces for lining sleeping bags along, etc.-but to us, getting to the shelter is a very welcome site!
Date: 2006-04-10
From: Erwin Tennessee 

To: Cherry Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

We had a good nights sleep, at the Super 8, had breakfast there and were shuttled to the mountain at 8am. It was a sunny morning but cold. We started walking in 30 degrees but then it warmed to around 60. It was just a great day to walk. The terrain change frequently from walking on the sides of mountains with tall hard woods trees, to pines, then to a couple balds. We walked on ridges that were very rocky. The Unaka Mt. was all tall pine with no view at 5,180 feet. There were also a lot of Rhododendrons throughout the day. The "Beauty Spot" which was a beautiful bald were we could still see Erwin after having walk for over 5 hours. We climbed 5,470 feet and most of the day seemed like we were always going up. We ran into a couple section hikers and met a new Thru Hiker, Gary, who has lived his past 10 years in Hawaii. He did a Thru Hike in 99 and started this hike on February 8th. After a great day of Hiking, we got to the shelter at 4:30. We were joined latter by Texas and then Gary. After dinner the four of us had a good talk and Gary ended the conversation with this quote. "Every shelter's a castle, every meal a feast, and every day an adventure". You can see how the Trail changes one's perception of their world. We then settled in our bags, read and were asleep by 8:30.
Date: 2006-04-11
From: Cherry Gap Shelter 

To: Roan High Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

It was a cold morning, and we didn't want to leave our sleeping bags, so we procrastinated. By the time we finished breakfast and packed up, it was nearly 9:00. The sun felt good by then too! And we got going. At first we felt like it was a day of MUDS-meaningless ups and downs. The terrain was varied; the sun continued to shine. Latter we caught up to Gary, who had left the shelter before us. He said he was only going a few more miles so we took his picture knowing we may not see him again. Before long we realized we were doing a lot of climbing. At the end of the day we accumulated 6685 feet in elevation. Much of it occurred at the end of our day when at one point, we climbed to 5385 feet, only to go down to 4002 feet, then back up to 6234 feet. That last climb about did us in, but we knew our shelter was at the top! We arrived at Roan Mountain Shelter at 5:30 pm, following a path that still had snow and ice on it! This is the highest (elevation) shelter on the AT. After getting water and a quick pasta and chicken dinner, we crawled into our sleepng bags to read. Texas came in a little latter and he was the last one in.
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Roan High Knob Shelter 

To: Apple House Shelter 
Miles today: 14.7

The morning wasn't as cold as we feared it would be since our shelter was all enclosed. We started out at 8:20 in hopes of completing the 14.7 miles before it rained. There continued to be patches of ice on the trail until we got below 5000 feet elevation. Today we crossed over several balds--grassy, treeless mountain tops. There is some uncertainty about how they originated: cleared by Native Americans for religious ceremonies, harsh conditions at high elevations, extensive grazing and cropping, or created by spacemen! At any rate, they offer beautiful views-sometimes 360 degrees-and it is possible to see the trail up to the mountaintop from one bald to the next. It was a great day for hiking, both weather and terrain. We climbed 2764 feet and arrived at Apple House Shelter at 3:30. Unlike the forecast we had heard, it was sunny and warm. In fact, we washed some clothes and cleaned ourselves up. We were ready for dinner at five, and hungry again by six. All we could talk about all evening, it seemed, was how hungry we are! We have decided to set our alarm to get up early and go into town for breakfast as we are just .5 mile from a road where a restaurant is less than 2 miles away. We'll see how we feel when the alarm goes off...PS: Craig said he had been thinking about how good we feel when we reach a shelter. He said it reminds him of how he felt on our sailing trip, after having a hard day at sea and then coming into port. It's such a good place to be.
Date: 2006-04-13
From: Apple House Shelter 

To: Moreland Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

We didn't hear the alarm but when we woke up at 6:30 we still had that breakfast on our mind. So we packed up in record time and were on the Trail by 7:00. It took us awhile to get a ride but we got to the restaurant by 7:30 and had the breakfast we were dreaming about. We had a hard time getting a ride back but were hiking by 9:00. Today we had two "hallmark" events; we completed our 2nd state, N. Carolina, and we passed 400 miles. It started raining at around 9:30 but cleared up by 12:00 and was beautiful the rest of the day. We had another long hiking day climbing 4,026 feet and going 18 miles. We had few mountain views today and the trail reminded us of our hiking in Michigan. The climbs were less steep, without rock with a mixer of pine and hardwoods. There were also many small streams and one larger river. We only saw 2 section hikers all day who were going north. It was a good feeling when we finally reached the shelter at 5:30. Then after taking off our packs, we still had to get water (hiking 2/10's of a mile, down a steep hill, to the stream and then filter 2 gallons of water), empty our packs, roll out our pads and bags, and then make, eat and clean up after dinner. We still found the energy to make a fire and then had hot chocolate and read the guest book entries in our joural. We were the only ones at the shelter which made it so much more roomy for us. We went to bed tired at 8:30 but it was still another great day.
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Moreland Gap Shelter 

To: Hampton TN
Miles today: 8.6

There were animals fighting under the shelter last night. Cathy tried shining a light on, them but only succeeded in waking up Craig. He pounded on the shelter floor which quieted the intruders for a couple of hours, but something was back rustling through the leaves again in the middle of the night. This time Cathy was able to ignore them and go back to sleep. We expected a short day of hiking so had poptarts and juice for breakfast. It was a beautiful morning-didn't even need to start with fleece jackets on.   Although we had planned to stay at Kincora Hostel at Dennis Gap, we arrived there before 10 and decided to continue on to Hampton, TN. The trail took us past Laurel Fork Falls-a breathtaking site. Be sure to look at the pictures! We got a room at the Braemer Castle, then went to "town" for lunch and supplies. We think this is the smallest town we have been in. But people have been very friendly and helpful. After a great barbecue dinner we returned to the Castle to read until we fall asleep! We enjoy reading the notes in our guest book each night (when we have a connection). We were pleased to hear from a friend from home who thru hiked in 2005. He's confident we'll make it to Katahdin. Thanks, Buzz!
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Hampton TN

To: Vandeventer Shelter 
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had cereal and milk for breakfast-a treat-while watching the morning News! We were on the trail by 9, but had to begin by hiking .8 mile to get to the AT. The trail led us to Watauga Pond, a beautiful spot where we got...trail magic! A family was having a picnic and invited us to join them for cold Gatorade and fruit and donuts. It was our warmest walk getting up to 81 degrees . We had great views of the Watauga Pond for the entire day. We had some steep ups and downs but most of the days hills were gradual. Our elevation rise today was 5230 feet. We arrived at Vandeventer Shelter at 5, where Bronco Billy was already lodging and was about to build a fire. The water source was down .3 mile on a very steep blue-blazed trail. Our legs were burning down and back up, but we got plenty of water for our first Ramen noodle dinner of the hike and our Tang. Dessert? Peanut M&M's!
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Vandeventer Shelter 

To: Abingdon Shelter 
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: clear sky

HAPPY EASTER! We would have liked to be in our church back home for Easter, but instead we were in a beautiful natural sanctuary. The sun was shining all day; trees are budding and there are many wildflowers dotting the forest floor. We even saw some daffodils. Today's hike was along ridges and mountain crests, which for the most part provided few great mountain views. Hikers refer to this stretch as "bumpy" because there are few steep climbs-just rolling "hills". Still we climbed 4183 feet (lots of hills!). From the mountain crest we could see a gorgeous lake, primarily undeveloped. Nearby were pastures and a small community. Of course, the continuous mountain range provided the perfect backdrop. Thank you, God.
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Abingdon Shelter 

To: Damascus
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

It started to rain around 5 am but it stopped just before we started hiking at 7:15. We wanted to get off early so that we might find a room in Damascus. We only had 10 miles to walk and mostly down hill. We only climbed 740 feet. We left Tennessee today and will now be in Virginia for the next month or so. The Trail is 500 miles long in Virginia, and we've only come 456 miles so far. However Virginia's much flatter and the miles come much more quickly. We got into town at 10:10 and were able to get a private room at Mt. Rogers Hostel. Texas and Bushwacker were there and Turtle M and Turtle D came in shortly after us. We've been following them since we started the the trail. After a shower and lunch we hung out with other hikers and spent some time at the library and doing some shopping. We had a good dinner at the Baja Caf© and then sat outside our hostel talking with new friends until we decided to walk over to "The Place", to see who might be staying there. We ran into some old friends we hadn't seen for a couple weeks.(see pic) It was a good way to end a great day.