morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-02-27
To: Turning off the real world
Miles today: 0.0

Wow, this turning off the real world is harder than you think! The house will be done tonight, except for our thermarests on the floor. We turn in the keys Wednesday morning after I drop Suzie off for her last day of work at the hospital after 24 years. The gang at Suzie's work had a party for her and I Saturday night (thanks Therese). My last day of work at my parttime job is tomorrow followed by a goodbye dinner with everyone there (thanks Becki). After Wednesday we will be staying in Myakka State Park finishing up our trail maintanance duties until we leave for Springer on the 11th. It looks like we will begin our hike on the 13th! Looking forward to the birds as our alarm clock, and a peaceful walk in the woods. . .
Date: 2012-02-29
To: Last chapter
Miles today: 0.0

Today we became homeless and unemployed. . . Now the hike is beginning to feel real. We were up at 5 to load up our camping gear in the truck and to do the final sweep and mopping of the house before we left. I dropped Suzie off for her last day of work and then dropped off the keys to the landlord. I headed out to the park to set up our campsite for the next 10 days before we head north! Suzie's work had another goodbye party for her at the end of the day. At 3:30 we walked out of her work for the last time. Today was the last page of this chapter in our lives. . . We are going to take tomorrow to decompress!
Date: 2012-03-11
To: On the road. . . finally!
Miles today: 0.0

We are on the road heading to Springer! Reality is beginning to set in. . . We were beginning to think this day would never get here. We hope to get on the trail tomorrow at some point even with the rain that is forcasted. We want to thank everyone for all of the great going away parties. We also want to thank Jill from Myakka State Park for allowing us to stay in the park while we finished up. Hopefully this is the last prep entry and we start putting miles under our boots tomorrow.
Date: 2012-03-12
From: Springer

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: light rain

After a very restless night we got up at 6 and started to get ready for our first day on the trail. We were staying at our friend's "cabin" in Hiawasee. Three of our good friends drove us up from Sarasota to deliver us to the trail. A huge thank you goes out to Greg, Steve, and Andre!   We all got ready and headed for breakfast. After that we headed to Amicalola Falls to sign in as the 295th and 296th thruhikers of the year. Then we were of to forest road 42 for the ride to the top of Springer. The day was overcast and as we began to climb we were soon in the clouds. After a quick goodbye session in the parking lot we backtracked to Springer to officially start the trail at about 2 o'clock. As the day passed we crossed several streams, passed mountain laurel, and towering trees that disappeared into the mist. Because of the late start we pushed all the way to Hawk Mountain shelter. We arrived at 6 and began to set up the tent. As soon as we had it laid out the sky opened up and we got pretty wet getting everything set up. We dove in the tent and changed into dry clothes so we could get warm. Dinner was 2 cliff bars and we called it a day.
Date: 2012-03-13
To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

We woke to rain this morning again. This time we waited it out and were still packed up ny 9. The morning hike went well and by 11 the sun was out and we began to dry out. Our first climb of the day was Sassafras Mountain which was quite a pull. We then had to climb Justus Mountain, still a good climb but not as bad. After that we had a downhill cruise to the Gooch Shelter. We were there early enough to get everything dryed out and have a nice hot meal. What a difference a day makes!
Date: 2012-03-14
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: few clouds

After a night of sleeping on a slope we were up at 5:30 and hiking by 6. We were hiking by the moonlight for about 45 minutes until dawn broke. It was amazingly easy to see the trail in the moonlight. We had our breakfast sitting on a log watching the sunrise over the mountains. Before long we were at Woody Gap and took full advantage of the real restrooms! Shortly after we began our only big climb of the day. Big Cedar Mountain was big! The legs were toast after that so we took a 30 minute break at the top. The view was incredible. After that we headed on down and settled on a campsite at Lance Creek. We cooked some dinner and did some laundry in the creek downstream from the water source. We are resting up for tomorrow, our journey takes us up and over Blood Mountain and into Mountain Crossing for a resupply to get us to Hiawassee.
Date: 2012-03-15
From: Lance Creek

To: Wolf Laurel Top
Miles today: 11.1

Up at 5:30 and gone by 6 again. The moon is starting to fade so we hiked with the headlamps this morning. We came to another great spot for breakfast on Gaddis Mountain just in time to watch the sunrise again. We decided that we enjoy hiking before dawn. After breakfast we started our ascent to the top of Blood Mountain. There are several cross trails along the way so it made it easy to keep track of our progress. We arrived at the top at 9:30 to the coolest stone cabin shelter. We signed the hiker register and moved on. The hike down was a little more challenging as we had several rock scrambles to get past. Finally to the bottom we crossed the road and walled into Mountain Crossing, one of the most well known outfitters and hostels on the trail. You actually have to walk through the building to be on the trail! We resupplied for the next 4 days and hung out for a while waiting on a few other hikers to come down off of Blood. We have met quite a few thruhikers and are enjoying their company. After that we headed back out into the woods. We had hoped to go another 2.9 miles but didn't like the spot so we went another .8 mile to Wolf Laurel Top. The thunderstorms didn't get us today but we expect rain tomorrow.
Date: 2012-03-16
From: Wolf Laurel Top

To: Rocky Knob
Miles today: 14.2

What a day! As you can see we did more than our 8 to 10 mile day we had planed. In reality though there was a piece of the trail that must have been an old wagon road with a nice grade that went for about 4 miles. Without that we would not have done 14.2. We were supposed to have thunderstorms today but they came through last night. Being up no the ridge we were in the clouds so we didn't get much rain but the wind was impressive. You could lay in the tent and hear the wind hit the mountain below us and then race up the mountain over us. So cool! We were up before dawn again and on the move with our headlamps on. Our first climb was Cowrock followed by Wildcat Mountain. We then had a bit of a ridge walk until we went up and over Poor Mountain. The next climb was Sheep Rock Top and then we dropped down to Low Gap Shelter for lunch. After lunch we filtered more water amd soaked our feet in the ice cold water! Man did that feel great! We headed out with the intention to go another mile and four tenths. That's when we came upon that wonderful stretch of trail. We kept going because the miles were going so well. Of course as we decided on the spot we would stop at the trail turned to nothing but rock for the final mile. We made it in, got set up, and had dinner. We missed our buddy Ed today. He is a friend from home who was doing the run from Springer to Neel Gap. We enjoyed our time with him on the trail. One good thing about our distance today is we will get to go into Hiawassee tomorrow morning for a town day and our first shower. Not to mention a pizza and a cold beer!
Date: 2012-03-17
From: Rocky Knob

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke to rain at 5, and waited until 6:15 for it to stop but it didn't so we packed up everything in the tent to keep it dry and then packed up our wet tent and were moving by 7. We had 3.3 miles into Unicoi Gap for our shuttle into town at 10:40. We arrived at the gap at 9:15. The shuttle didn't get there until 11:15. We got to town and did laundry, got a shower. The parents of one of the hikers were doing Trail Magic at the motel so we had a burger and a dog for lunch. After that we headed to get enough food for the next 5 days into Franklin, N.C. With that done we went to the Buffet and ate way too much. We definently do not have our hiker stomachs yet. We spent the rest of the evening loading pictures, listening to some great guitar playing, and having a cold beer. We head out tomorrow on the 9 o'clock shuttle.
Date: 2012-03-18
From: Hiawassee

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: few clouds

We rose at 5:30 and finished up packing. We then headed out to find some breakfast. We ended up at the Georgia Mountain Restaurant and enjoyed their breakfast bar. We headed back to the motel and waited for the 9 o'clock shuttle back to Unicoi Gap. We headed up the hill at 9:30 and it was quite a climb to the top of Rocky Mountain. When we reached Indian Grave Gap the Glen Loch Baptist Church was there giving out trail magic. We sat down and had a hotdog and a soda. Man did that hit the spot. We said thankyou and headed up for our next big climb up Tray Mountain. Half way up we came upon another trail magic site. Two guys were there on the dirt road handing out sodas and candy bars so of course we had another soda and grabed a Snickers bar for later. The rest of the day was filled with ups and downs until our last 2.7 miles. You wouldn't think a hill called Kelly Knob would be over 4000 feet high would you? Well, it was and it kicked our butts. Not only did we climb up it we also had to climb down it to the shelter. To add to the overall fun three quarters of the day anytime we stopped for more than 30 seconds we would be swarmed with biting gnats! When we finally got to the shelter we grabbed some water at the spring, set up and ate couscous with tuna and called it a day.
Date: 2012-03-19
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Muskrat Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

What a big day! Our first 15 mile day and we finished Georgia! We didn't wake up until twenty after six after being in a coma all night. We headed out by 7 and were soon at Dick's Creek Gap. We said hi to the shuttle driver who had dropped us off yesterday and then moved on up the mountain. We hiked over Buzzard Knob, As Knob, and dropped into Blueridge Gap. At that point we had a little over 3 miles to the border. It seemed to take forever for us to reach the state line. We finally arrived and took the standard picture standing by the sign and then moved on. We were soon at Bly Gap which is were we had planned to stay for the night. This is the site where the most photographed tree on the trail resides. Sadly, the gnats that haunted us yesterday were there. We had just commented how we hadn't had any all day. That meant we had another 2.8 to go to Muskrat Shelter. Of course it was all up hill again. We really need to stop ending our days with these big climbs. We got to the shelter and did our usual chores and hit the sack.
Date: 2012-03-20
From: Muskrat Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: broken clouds

Up and off at 6. The morning started off with just a nice walk in the woods. We had the only climb of the day mid morning and we were on the top of Standing Indian Mountain by 11:30. We tried to make a few phone calls but only got one through. The rest of our day was pretty much all down hill. We arrived at the shelter a little early so we moved on to another camp site. All in all it was a pretty easy day for 16.2 miles. Tomorrow we will head into Franklin, N.C. in the afternoon and resupply in the morning and get back out to head to Nantahala Outdoor Center. On a side note we'd like to thank everyone who is checking out our journal and leaving notes for us in the guest book. We draw strength from your words!
Date: 2012-03-21
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Wallace Gap
Miles today: 9.1

We woke this morning at 5:30 and were gone by 6. We had an easy uphill until we stopped for breakfast. The temp was 50 with a heavy fog blowing by. We had to put our sweaters on to keep from getting chilled. The sun was peeking in and out of the fog and Suzie got some good pictures. We shed the sweaters after breakfast and headed on. The climb of the day was just ahead. The climb up Albert Mountain was the most difficult of the hike so far. For most of it the hiking poles were replaced with hand over fist climbing. There is a lookout firetower with a great view. . . or so we are told. The fog was so thick there was no point in climbing the stairs so we moved on. From there we had a nice downhill for several miles. Our plan was to get to Winding Stair Gap and hitchhike to Franklin N.C. for a quick resupply and hitchhike back to the trail. As we came down the hill into Wallace Gap there stood the one and only Ron Haven and his Short Bus Shuttle into Franklin. Ron owns the hotel we stayed at in Hiawassee and he owns 2 motels here in Franklin. Ron is a huge help to hundreds of hikers every year. We took a room at the Sapphire Inn and went and grabbed a pizza and a beer.(Thanks Mark and Kathy from ATCF). At 4 Ron shuttled everyone to the Walmart and the grocery. We also stopped at Willy's Barbeque and ate again. Back at the room Suzie worked on pictures and I finished up the journal. Tomorrow we head for the NOC and should be there in 2 1/2 days.
Date: 2012-03-22
From: Wallace Gap

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

We woke at 6 and finished packing, then headed out for some breakfast before the 9 o'clock shuttle arrived. We were hiking by 10:00 and the day looked like it was going to rain all day. We spent the day putting on and taking off rain gear. We got back on at Wallace Gap and began our hike north towards our first 2 bald mountains. A bald mountain is one that has no trees on top. It is believed the indians cleared them to raise crops but no one knows for sure. Our first was Siler Bald at 5000 feet. We had lunch and moved on as the rain started again. We had our eye on a campsite 4 miles away but as always we were to early so we went on to see Wayah Bald which is also over 5000 feet. There is an observation tower there and the views were amazing. After the photo session we headed a mile down to tent by the shelter for the night. It looks like rain for tomorrow but we are going to try to make it all the way to the NOC by sundown. We shall see if that works.
Date: 2012-03-23
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

Let's just say it was a day for dancing with the rocks and roots. We woke at 5 and Suzie asked me if I wanted to get up and I said we should since it wasn't raining. I of course rolled over and 20 minutes later the sky let loose. So we packed up in the rain amd were gone by 7. We had planned on a 16.5 mile day which would have taken us right to the NOC. After realizing there was no free tent sites there we stopped at the shelter a mile from it and will hike in the extra mile in the morning.   Even though the day started with rain the morning hike was smooth and we moved along quickly. The first climb was up to Copper Ridge Bald. There were supposed to be views from there but our view today was of the fog. It was the same view at Rocky Bald. We dropped down into Tellico Gap before our biggest climb of the day up Wesser Bald. By now the ground had turned to mud from all the rain and the rocks and roots were very slick. We made our way up slipping and sliding. There is a lookout tower there but there was no point in climbing the stairs. We did take a break and had some lunch. After that we had a ridge walk unlike any we have had yet. For most of it we were right on the knife's edge with dropoffs on both sides. This made for slow going with everything so slick. We finally came to a spot called the Jumpoff! Trust me, you would only get one jump. That began the loooong downhill. Slipping on roots amd rocks all the way. We were probably less than 100 yards from the shelter when one of the roots got Suzie and sent her face first into the dirt. She was Ok other than the split lip she got. We got down to camp and set up the tent. Suzie went to the creek to work on her lip and had the bleeding stopped quickly. We had some pasta and potatos and called it a night.
Date: 2012-03-24
From: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Cheoah Bald
Miles today: 8.9

Having just a mile to go to the NOC we laid in until about 7. We packed up and headed in to a great breakfast. Suzie had biscuits and gravy, I had a breakfast burrito and we shared an order of hashbrowns with sausage gravy on them. We needed a small resupply to get to the Fontana Dam so we headed into the outfitters and were able to get our lunches and dinners taken care of. We headed to the general store and found our peanut butter for breakfast. Most of the group we have been hiking with decided to go white water rafting at the NOC but something about white water rafting in March didn't sound like a good idea to me, call me crazy. We knew we had a 6 mile climb out of the gorge to the top of Swim Bald so we got started about 10:30. The climb didn't start off to bad but it was all up. By the time we reached the Jump-up it had become very steep and continued on all the way to the bald. We wanted to camp at Cheoah Bald so we moved on down the trail past the Sassafras Gap Shelter. We had another climb up to Cheoah but it was worth it. The view was spectactular. The only problem was there was a storm moving in fast so we grabbed the tent and were set up and in the tent in five minutes. It's a good thing to because it was raining in six. The storm blew through and it turned cold. About an hour passed before the sun came back out. We hopped out of the tent and Suzie fixed lasagna while I hung the bear bag. As soon as dinner was over we dove back in the tent for the night.    There is something I have been wanting to talk about but haven't until now. Suzie and I can't believe the amount of trash that the hikers throw on the trail. Why in the world would you want to trash this wonderful trail. Suzie spends half her time stopping and picking up trash. I think we could do another 2 or 3 miles a day if not for the trash, well maybe not but you get my point. Come on hikers, you carried it in full, the least you could do is carry it out empty, just saying. . .   Oh, and by the way Suzie's lip in doing fine!
Date: 2012-03-25
From: Cheoah Bald

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

We woke to a cold foggy morning. The thermometer read 40 degrees and the wind was blowing. We opened the front door of our tent and you could only see about 30 feet. We packed up quickly so we could get moving to warm up. It had rained most of the night so the trail was slick and slow going. As we dropped from 5000 feet to 4000 feet the fog eased and we could see into the valley below. It wasn't long before we could see the sun trying to break through the clouds. Most of the morning was downhill but slow going. By the time we dropped into Stecoah Gap the sun was out in full but the wind still had a chill in it. As we got to the gap there was a couple there with Coke, Mountain Dew, all sorts of Little Debbies delites, and apples! There were several of us hikers there and more arrived while we were there. We had quite a sugar rush as we headed out to climb Jacob's Ladder. Let me just say we were not singing the song as we were climbing. We had to stop several times to get to the top. We watch the young kids fly up these hills and wonder if our legs will ever get that strong. After Jacob's Ladder there were a few more ups and downs but the rest of the afternoon's hike flattened out pretty well . We were .9 tenths of a mile from the Cable Gap Shelter when we came to a road crossing. As we crossed we saw a man on his bike and three dogs heading up the road toward us. We said hi to the man and the dogs. The man informed us the dogs were not his but that they had followed him up the hill. As he road on the dogs decided to follow us to the shelter. Suzie noticed the dogs had collars on with the owners name and phone number so she thought we could call and let the owner know where his dogs were after we got to the shelter. Of course there was no cell signal at the shelter so after we set up and ate Suzie decided to go back around the ridge to hopefully find a signal. She lured the dogs with her by carrying an almost empty tuna pouch with her. There was no signal until she got back to the road but of course no one answered. So despite all of Suzie's efforts to return the dogs home they are back at the shelter. We will see if they follow us to Fontana in the morning or if they headed home.
Date: 2012-03-26
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

Up at 5:30 and gone by 6. No sign of the dogs when we left heading for Fontana before dawn. We knew we only had 6.6 miles to do before we had our hiking done for the day but I think our minds were already relaxing because there was no energy in the legs at all. Every climb seemed to take forever and was such a struggle. Our mistake was not stopping for breakfast. We were holding out for town food instead of putting fuel in our bodies. We made it to the Shelter by 10 and set up the tent. Next was the shower! Let's just say hot water is a wonderful thing. With our showers done we gathered up our laundry and called for a shuttle to the Fontana Village. We tossed the laundry in first then headed to the general store to grab a soda and a snack while we waited for the laundry. Imagine our suprise when we saw one of the dogs from last night tied up outside. We asked about it and the lady said one of the hikers brought him in this morning. She said those dogs show up here all the time. Maybe it's time someone called animal services, ya think? With laundry done we went hunting for food. We stopped at one spot but they only had hot dogs or pizza, not that that's a bad thing but we were looking for something more. We headed up to the lodge and found the only restraunt open this early in the season but man was it good. Suzie had the French Dip and I consumed the Ruben which we both washed down with a very good nut brown ale. With bellies full we headed back to the store to resupply for the first part of the Great Smoky Mountains. With that done we decided on a pint of ice cream and a shuttle ride back to the shelter. Once back we knew we needed to get our back country hiking permit for the Smokys so we walked down to the visitor's center were we knew we could get them. Believe it or not they were closed for remodeling. Luckily we found the hiker box on the back of the building and got our permit filled out. Now we're legal. . . Ok? We finished off the evening hanging around the shelter listening to all the conversations. . . Wow! Off to bed as we have alot of 6000 foot mountains calling our names.