morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-02-11
To: Approach Trail
Miles today: 0.0

After spending a great night at the Hiker Hostel, owned by Josh and Leigh Saint, we are ready to start the hike. I had been hanging out with Maggie, their dog, for about two weeks, waiting for the Poolerbears to arrive, with their friends Kathy and John. The weather report for the next two days is for rain and snow mix, wind and cold temps! RIGHT Everyone (but me) decided to brave the weather and get started. Leigh trying to take us up the road that brings us within .9 of Springer, to save us doing the Approach trail, however, it was not passable after the first few miles. We drove to the parking area at Amicalola Falls, to begin our hike. I snuggled inside the pack, under the pack cover and ate Pa's snacks (only a few) Hee Hee In the morning, we ran into some drizzle and snow flurries, but as the day progressed, it got much colder and the wind picked up. At Springer, although there wasn't much of a view, we signed in and took the usual pictures (I came out for that)! We were debating going on and just as we started out, we meet 'Almost There' who told us that we should stay at the Springer shelter, as it would be better protected from the wind. Since it was getting late, and we wanted to get out of the weather, we headed for the shelter. We meet 'Wayfarer', 'Braveheart' and 'Messenger', all thru-hikers. We ate quickly, hung our food (using a pully system) and crawled into our sleeping bags. Time for me to check out any left over food (Yum, yum) - on second thought, it's pretty cold, maybe I'll just crawl into Pa's sleeping bag!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-12
From: Springer Mtn

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

After a VERY COLD night, sleeping with most of our clothing on, we were up and packing quickly, planning on having breakfast at Stover Creek shelter. The water had frozen overnight, as did the water filter (my tongue stuck to the ice)! When we arrived at Stover Creek, we meet Gary, a former thru-hiker who was out again this year. We talked for awhile, then ate some breakfast bars, got water after getting Kathy's filter going, then headed out again (I was getting chilled). We walked, off and on with the guys we meet last night and Gary throughout the day. Again, it was pretty cold, windy and there was several inches of snow on the trail. We all took turns breaking trail (except me of course)Hee Hee We got to Hawk Mtn Shelter around three in the afternoon, pretty tired and cold. We had a GREAT surprise when we got there! Up in the loft were three tubs filled with all kinds of trail magic (food, socks, hot chocolate, first aid items and much, much more)! What a great time I had going through all the boxes and picking out all my snacks for the night - Ma told me to behave myself, but I was able to sneak an extra Mounds candy bar!! The Appalachian Outfitters of South Carolina provided all the 'Trail Magic' THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! (No dog food - I had to eat snacks) HEE HEEFrom the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-13
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We were up and out after a quick breakfast and another cold, windy night! We did get a fire going last night which brightened everyones spirit. I was hoping someone brought marshmellows, but NO ONE DID! I kept running out to warm my paws, but got cold running back! Everyone is joking about the change in weather from January and how we thought it would be relatively warm to start our hike. HAHA Again we ended up taking turns breaking trail most of the day. One thing we all agreed on was the beauty of the trail with the snow covered trees and plants. There was a beautiful Holly tree covered with snow, and teardrop icicles in a stream, that made the hiking worth the effort! We got in around three again, got our meal, hung our food and started a fire, to help thaw us out (almost singed my fur) getting to close to the fire. John burned part of his boots that were drying by the fire. I think I bumped them when I ran out to warm up (DON'T TELL HIM)! The same group stayed here, except Gary, who was taking a zero day at Hawk. We also had a new thru-hiker come in later 'Rubin'. What a great shelter setup. There was a main floor, loft and a covered area with a picnic table. Also they built a shelf to cook on. We talked to a couple who hiked up from their cabin, nearby. We're all having fun, making the most of the situation. From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-14
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

We were up early, ready for another great day on the trail. The water bag was iced over, but we were able to get enough pumped for the first part of the day. I woke up with my ear stuck to Pa's sandel (ouch - frost bite)! The temp is going up gradually, and the sun came out for most of the day. Again, the snow, although harder to hike in, was beautiful on the trees. We hiked with Wayfarer, Braveheart and Messenger plus Kathy and John. Rubin left just ahead of us, so we didn't see him after that. He's a faster hiker, so we may not see him again, but wish him the best (I liked him). Wayfarer told us, after catching up to him, that he had just seen a bobcat (neat)! I would have liked to chase after him, but I'm basically a chicken at heart. HEE HEE John's knee was starting to give him some sharp pain on the downhills, and we were all pretty cold, so we decided to give Josh and Leigh a call to see if they would pick us up at Woody gap for another stay at the hostel. We told Wayfarer, Messenger and Braveheart about the great time we had there and talked them into staying there as well. Josh picked us up and headed back to a warm bed, hot shower and Pizza (my favorite) HEE HEE.... Great night with great company. John will see how he feels in the morning and we all hope he'll be up to another day of hiking. I had to fill in Maggie on what happened over the last few days - DOG TO DOG!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-15
From: Woody Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

After a great night (again) at the hostel with Maggie and the Saints, and a great breakfast, John decided to try slackpacking from Woody to Neels gap. He and Wayfarer lightened their load (Wayfarer has been having some knee problems, as well) and Kathy, Ma and Pa carried their regular packs. Messenger and Braveheart were planning on picking some stuff up at Suches before heading out. Hopefully we'll see them down the trail. This has to be the best day yet. The first outlook was looking at sun rays over the valley below - WoW! What a perfect day for photos! The climb up Blood mountain wasn't as bad as we expected and the views were spectular - this is what it's all about! We even meet Mawee and Pawee from our 03' hike - what's the chances of that! They are back out here, missing the trail as much as we did. We saw several day hikers as well and even caught up with Rubin, who stayed at the Woody Gap shelter. He had taken a wrong trail or we'd never have seen him - nice for us, not for him! Pa went ahead to be sure to pick up our packages before the store closed at five and brought back some juice for us. He left them on a rock, but by the time we got down, all but one was gone. HAHA Some of the other hikers beat us to them. No problem, it was still trail magic! I saw two dogs today and we barked for a few minutes while Pa talked to their owners. If every day was like this, I could get use to this 'trail life'.From the Top of the PackNOTE: Since we're at the Hostel, I'm entering these few journals - Tracey will be entering the rest....
Date: 2006-02-16
From: Neels Gap

To: Campsite on Cowrock Mtn
Miles today: 4.7

We left the Hiker Inn AGAIN after a great breakfast. We said a final goodbye to Leigh and Maggie (sniff, sniff). Josh drove us to Neels Gap where we looked for sleeping bag liners (for the extra warm) but there wasn't any. We'll have to wait and hope the temps don't drop. John had decided to leave, the night before, so Josh was taking him to the train or bus station. We said our goodbye's to both Josh and John. John said he'd let Kathy know when he got to Florida (they have friends/family there) where he'd stay until Kathy finishes her 3-week hike with us. Wayfarer joined us as we hiked out of Neel's Gap, going up as always. We climbed for quite a while, up Levelland Mtn and over several minor peaks throughout the day. We also went over many saddles with views on both sides. After lunch, we started seeing some great campsites with great views. We started looking for a water source, in case we decided to tent. We got to Cowrock Mtn and found a campsite we couldn't pass up. Bruce offered to go back to where he thought there was a spring and get some water. It was about a 1/2 mile back. The views were spectacular and we took lots of pictures. We tried some instant mash potatoes that Wayfarer told us about. They are Idaho red potatoes. We added onion soup mix and some left over summer sausage (I called it squash) that Kathy had. IT was delicious. Personnally I would like to have had some pepperoni! We even watched sunset - great! We found two level spots - one for two tents and the other for one. We walked to an overlook and saw where people had camped in the pass - a really big area. Just after we got into our tents for the night, we heard something that sounded like a cross between a goat and a calf! I peaked out of the tent to see what it was (being the chicken I am) and didn't see anything, so hid under the sleeping bag. Wayfarer told us that he saw a bird the size of a Pidgeon but didn't recognize what it was. After several "squawks" it finally left. We had some rain during the night, but it cleared towards daybreak. The bird came back for one more visit, just before we got up (I knew it was a bird all along - RIGHT!)From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-17
From: Campsite on Cowrock Mtn

To: Blue Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

After packing up our wet tents and eating a quite breakfast, we decided to pick up some trash near the big campsite and headed down to Testnatee Gap. (This is where historians believe that John Muir crossed the mountains on his famous thousand mile walk from the Ohio Rive to the Gulf of Mexico in 1867-68). NEAT! On the way up to Wild Cat Mtn we meet two people and thier dog who thru-hiked in 2005 (Turtledove and Sundancer. I'm not sure if I got the names right as I was to busy playing with thier dog - Hee Hee At the top of Wild Cat we said goodbye to Wayfarer. He planned to go down to Whitley Gap shelter to get water, but we decided to take a chance on getting water at the road. It is 1.4 miles one-way to the shelter. We did find a stream and tried to yell to Wayfarer, but wasn't sure he heard. We hope to see him again somewhere up the trail. He is also planning to stay at Low Gap shelter tonight and we're going on to Blue Mtn shelter. We next saw a guy out to complete the Georgia section and he told us about a sleeping pad made by EXPED that weights about one pound and has goosedown feathers. It's suppose to be really soft and warm. We may have to look into it, for future hikes. Why are they stuffing sleeping pads with Goose feathers - wouldn't they need them for warmth? We stopped at Low Gap shelter for lunch and saw a note from Mawee and Pawee, saying 'Hi' and Mawee drew a picture of two bears (where was my picture?). There was a man out for a day hike that talked to us while we were there - nice guy. We got in to the shelter around 5 o'clock. We cooked, cleaned up and snuggled in for the night. Oh, the privy was brand new and had two doors that looked like the doors you see in the old western saloons. Ma had to take a picture - I just use the woods.... We heard there was suppose to be a mix of rain/snow tonight............we'll see...From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-18
From: Blue Mtn Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 2.1
Weather: snow

Good night's sleep and it was cold and misting when we got up. We decided that because of the weather report and that it was a Saturday (needed to pick up our food at the Post Office) that we'd go into Hiawassee. Also, Ma had twisted her ankle yesterday afternoon, and it was pretty tender this morning. As we were packing up, we noticed a group of guys that had tented just a little ways from us - we didn't here them come in, so it must have been late. It started to rain as we decended, so we knew it was a good idea to come out at Unicoi Gap. We got a ride to the bottom of the hill, just outside Hiawassee, by a couple of young guys, then the Manager of the local Holiday Inn (where we planned to stay) gave us a ride the rest of the way! We ate at a local resturant that has a buffet for lunch and went back later for supper. I got the bones left from the steaks that everyone had (Yummy)! Hi Hannah, Mikayla, Emily, Joey and the rest of the family...From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-19
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up to a cold, overcast day after not sleeping most of the night! Rather than trying to hike out with 8 days worth of food, we decided to do a long day so that we wouldn't be carrying so much weight. We carried our packs, but left the extra food at the hotel. We started around 8 o'clock, knowing we had a long day ahead of us. It was a long climb up out of the Gap. After about 15/20 minutes we ran into a forest covered in frost. It was as if someone sprayed the trees with snow. Ma tooks so many pictures, that I was beginned to wonder if we'd make it up the first mountain by lunchtime. Hee, Hee The whole day it was foggy and all the trees, plants and spider webs were covered with crystals of ice. If you've ever seen the ice crystals that form while the wind is blowing, so that one side of the branch is covered, then you know what we saw. The pine trees, fir trees and holly were they most spectacular. The crystals covering the webs show how delicate they are. It was one of the best scenes we have even seen on the trail. It made the long day worth the hike. At one place I asked Kathy is I could use her ear muffs - I was getting cold! I'm a whimp when it comes to cold! We saw a large group of scouts near Tray Mtn, which was another long climb. The view must be really nice on a clear day. We also saw a young couple going to Tray Mtn shelter. The afternoon included a climb up Kelly Knob and several minor peaks before we finally reached Dicks Creek Gap. We arrived around 5:30 and after a 10 minute wait, got a ride with a family from Tennessee. I'm (Yawn) ready for supper (Yawn) and bed (Yawn)!From the Inside of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-21
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

We left around 9 am after mailing a box to Gatlinburg, TN with extra food. The trail today was pretty much snow free. We had a lot of ups (as expected). There were a couple of false peaks that threw us off, but it went ok. At Sassafras Mtn we did see a lot of ice crystals on the trail which was neat! We stopped at Plumorchard shelter for lunch, which is a ways off the trail, but worth the hike. It is one of the nicest shelters we've seen. It is 3 stories and has 2 plexiglas windows on the 3rd deck. Ma took a picture of the plaque that tells all the groups/people involved in building/transporting the shelter. We arrived at Muskrat around 5 pm, tired but happy. We met Gungho and her two dogs (Corkies). She lets them sleep with her in the sleeping bag - I wish Pa would let me! I set up a hammock (made from a scarf) and after everyone was asleep, I snuck in between Ma and Pa, to stay warm. Hee Hee We passed our 1st state line today, which was really neat. Also, I keep seeing trees that look like those wrinkle dogs - the bark looks like it slipped to the bottom of the tree. Hee, Hee From the Top of the Pack (and Hammock)
Date: 2006-02-22
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained last night, so being the woosh that I am, I'm glad I didn't stay in the hammock! Gungho decided to take a zero day at the shelter, so we said goodbye and headed out in the mist. It stayed misty, foggy for most of the day, with some snow patches on the higher peaks. One place we had to walk in snow/ice for a few hundred feet. No view on Standing Indian Mtn but the Rhododendron tunnels were fun to go through. They will be beautiful when in bloom. According to the Cherokee legend, a great winged monster once inhabited the mountain, and during the monster's reign, warriors were posted on the mountain as lookouts. As the story goes, a tremendous bolt of lightning shattered the mountain and killed the monster. During the strike, a lone Cherokee sentinel was hit by the bolt and turned into stone, supposedly for being a poor sentry. I saw a squirrel today and wanted to chase it, but I didn't want to get wet! We got to Standing Indian shelter at noon, cold, chilled and tired. We had to decide rather to stay here or go on to Carter Gap shelter. We felt it better to keep hiking and stay warm. We kept an eye on the time and where we were throughout the afternoon. Ma kept us at a steady pace and we got to the shelter at 4 pm which was great. At first we saw a rundown shelter and were disappointed and then remembered that a new shelter had been built a few hundred yards North on the trail. Much better! The privy is new, as well. There also was a deck area below the main deck - we wondered if this was for dogs or used as an overflow area?? I'm not sleeping there!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-23
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Franklin
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

We left Carter at 8:30 hoping to do a long day into Franklin. It was rainy and windy all night. It did start clearing around mid-morning however. There was a stretch around Big Butt Mtn (Hee, Hee) that went along a rocky ledge for about a mile or so. I was a little nervous because it was so high and the trail was narrow. Next we climbed Mt Albert which went straight up! Pa and I tried to climb the fire tower on top which we waited for Ma and Sam (Kathy) but it was locked. I almost fell off - the wind was blowing so hard! Ma and Kathy took lots of pictures of the surrounding area and we ate lunch before starting again. We then went through a LOT of Rhododendron tunnels in the afternoon. After reaching Rock Gap shelter we decided to keep pushing on to Franklin. Ma's pack strap is starting to come apart so Kathy gave her a needle and thread to sew it for now! There is an outfitter here that we hope does repairs, so we'll check tomorrow. We will also do laundry and head out, hopefully by noon. We went to Shoney's for the buffet (Yum, yum)! Today we hit the 100 mile mark, another milestone! When we were going to the laundry, Moondog of '98 gave us a ride and waited for us to see if the laundry was open. It just closed, so he gave us a ride back to the hotel. Thanks Moondog! Also, Moondog said he assisted Earl Shaffer with his last thru-hike - NEAT!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-24
From: Franklin

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: clear sky

We did a short hike out of Franklin, since we had to wait to do the laundry and check with the outfitter(didn't open until 10 am). Got the laundry done but the outfitter doesn't do repairs. Hopefully the sewing holds! Ma & Pa got liners for their sleeping bags to give them a little more warmth with the Smokey's coming up! We got a ride to the notch with Al Bruce and his wife. Al is a member of the Nantahala Hiking Club and does a lot of the maintainance. He not only gave us information on the upcoming trail and shelters, he also printed off a 5-day weather report. We gave him info on trail conditions south of the notch and thanked him for his help. Nice people - that's what it's all about! We stayed a Siler Bald, although it's a 1/2 mile off the trail. It was really nice with a open field out front where I could run around... Tomorrow we climb our first Bald ... can't wait!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-25
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

After a windy night we headed out for Siler Bald. We dropped our packs and climbed to the top - what great views! Ma and Kathy took lots of pictures - even one of me on the plaque! After a break at the top, we headed back down and on to our next climb up to Wine Spring Gap. It was quite a long climb but we made it around noon and stopped for lunch. It was another 1.9 miles to Wayah Bald which was nice as well. Aong the way we meet several day hikers. At the tower on Wayah Bald there are signs that tell you what mountain ranges you are looking at. We spent quite a while here looking at all the views and taking pictures. We left there around 2 pm with 6 more miles to go! It was mostly up and the afternoon seemed long. We got in around 5 pm, cooked supper, cleaned up and got into our sleeping bags. Cold Spring sheler is COLD (Al Bruce told us it would be). Yawn, goodnight!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-02-26
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Boy was it COLD last night - all of us were shivering... burrrrrrr Our water was freezing, almost as soon as we pumped it! We ate quickly, packed up and headed out with cold toes and fingers! The trail was beautiful which made up for the cold! There was lots of ridge walking with great views off both sides. We saw the Nantahala Lake and the Smokies. We wnet by Wesser Bald where there was a fire tower. The view from the 'Jumpup' lookout was really nice. We hiked down a spine of the mountain which was the steepest down we've done so far. Since this is Kathy's (Sam) last day on the trail (has to go back to work) it was great that both the trail and the views were so nice! We'll be heading back to Maine with Kathy for a couple of days (Pa has a job he has to finish - then we'll be back). Don't go away!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-03
From: NOC

To: Simp Gap
Miles today: 11.6

Started around 10am from the NOC. It was a climb out of the Notch most of the day. The views were nice looking back at the Notch. Our highest peak, Cheoah Bald, was at 5062'. It was a beautiful spot and we were tempted to camp there, but it was too early to stop (probably should have anyway)! We left a notebook at Sassafrass Shelter, since there wasn't one. Thru-hikers really miss having a register to catch up on trail news (where people are, when they came through or just to leave a message for someone). The shelter is really nice but the privy needs work. We started looking for a camp site late afternoon and finally found a spot just beyond Simp Gap. We realized this is where we stayed in 03'.... We had started in shorts and teeshirts, but as the day progressed it got cooler and the wind started. We're in the tent now and enjoying the rest - yawn... Oh, one funny thing that happened at the Sassafrass Shelter. It was a steep climb up from the shelter and when Ma asked Pa to get her gloves from the top of the pack, her windbreaker (in small round pouch) fell out and rolled all the way back down to the shelter. Pa had to go back down and get it! Hee Hee Time to settle down between the sleeping bags....From the Top of the Pack