morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-03-11
From: Stealth Camp

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

3-11-09 WednesdayI was up at day break, packed tent and every thing else, ate a couple of pop tarts and hit the trail. I went a couple of miles and came upon a huge dome tent. A former thru hiker named Apple was doing trail angel work. I stopped and had a hotdog, banana, oatmeal cake and hot chocolate. He has done this every spring for the last 7 years. I then ran into a trail maintaining group and had to stop and talk. I saw three deer this morning early. I climbed the observation tower at Wesser Bald. It was a little hazy but still had good views. I decided I could make the Nantahala Outdoor Center (N.O.C) for supper. Six Shooter and Oober and 4 other hikers also made it to Rivers End Restaurant for supper. I had a big burger. I decided to pay 15 dollars for a bunk and shower and so far am alone in the bunkhouse at 9:19 p.m.
Date: 2009-03-12
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Simp Gap
Miles today: 13.0

3-12-09 Thursday ¢ I had a good night sleep at the N.O.C. I had breakfast at the Rivers End Restaurant. $10.00 is too high for bacon, eggs, home fries and coffee but it was good. I bought some stuff to repair my shoes. The sole is coming loose on the toes. I was on the trail at 10:10 a.m. I had good views looking back into the gorge. It took me 4 hours and 26 minutes to climb out, a distance of 5 12 miles. I had great views from Cheoah Bald today. A few green plants are starting to show through the leaves. I hope to get to Fontana Dam tomorrow. I¢m tenting tonight at Simp Gap.
Date: 2009-03-13
From: Simp Gap

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

3-13-09 FridayI slept fairly well in the tent. I hit trail at 8:10 a.m. after eating pop tarts and jerky. It was an overcast day with no views. I saw a barred owl, pileated woodpecker, chipmunks, and squirrels. I pushed myself 15 miles to get to the Fontana Hilton. I walked in a light rain off and on all day. The Fontana Hilton had no water, no shower or bathroom near the shelter. They were having some kind of water line problem. Lone Wolf, Six-Shooter, Oober and a section hiker here tonight. Three guys with duffle bags came in late. It¢s a crazy world. I may zero tomorrow. It looks like cold rain.
Date: 2009-03-14
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: moderate rain

3-14-09 SaturdayI decided to hike on out since there was no water at the shelter. A young man named Jackson gave me a ride to a service station and I got some snack food. He dropped Six Shooter and Oober off at the Fontana Village for a zero. I later found out they had trouble with the T.V. in their room and they moved them to the Honeymoon Suite. I hiked in the rain all day and am at Mollie¢s Ridge Shelter. Da Leader and Lunatic are here as well as a ridge runner and 6 others. I saw absolutely no views today.
Date: 2009-03-15
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: overcast clouds

3-15-09 SundayIt rained hard all night and none of my clothes dried at all last night. I put on my wet clothes and wet shoes and wet socks. Burrrrr. I packed up and hit the trail in the rain. I decided to do a short day and stop at Spence Field Shelter. I need to get there early to get a place in the shelter out of the rain. Lunatic and Da Leader did the same thing. There are some section hikers, Fast Foot and his dad Piddler, and a couple of others here too. It looks like I miss figured my food and I will have to ration the next couple of days.I hope to make it to New Found Gap Wednesday morning.
Date: 2009-03-16
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Siler's Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

3-16-09 MondayI stayed at Spence Field Shelter last night and when I got up at 3 a.m. the moon was shining brightly. By morning it was raining again. I hiked 12 miles in the rain today. The temperature was about 50 degrees. I got one view of the mountains. I took Fast Foot¢s picture on Rocky Top and he took mine on Thunderhead. I am at Siler¢s Bald Shelter tonight. There are 7 other hikers here. Only 3 are thru¢s. I hope the weather is better tomorrow.
Date: 2009-03-17
From: Siler's Bald Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

3-17-09 TuesdayIt got down close to freezing this morning but it stopped raining at last. The sun came up and burned the fog off. It turned out to be a nice day. I hiked up to Clingman¢s Dome. It was odd that no one was there. The road is not open to cars this early in the year. A few day hikers came and went throughout the day. I heard a couple of birds singing. I am staying at Mt. Collins Shelter with 5 college students. I have about 4 miles to hike in the morning to the road at New Found Gap. There I will catch a ride to Gatlinburg. I am out of food and feel weak. I think they are flying supplies to Mt. LeConte today as I keep hearing what sounds like a big helicopter every few minutes.
Date: 2009-03-18
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: New Found Gap (Gatlinburg)
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: few clouds

3-18-09 WednesdayI hiked the 4.5 miles out to Newfound Gap. There were a lot of cars and tourists there as usual. I watched people¢s reactions to a stinky, bearded old man with a big pack on his back. Most have no idea of what I¢m doing so probably think I¢m a bum. Most of the vehicles that left the parking area went toward Cherokee instead of Gatlinburg and northbound traffic was scarce. After about an hour and fifteen minutes a young Cherokee couple came along in an old pick-up truck and picked up myself and four other hikers that had arrived after I did and took us to Gatlinburg. I went to both outfitters in town to buy a hiking shirt and hiking shorts to have to wear when I came into town. Remarkably neither outfitter had any synthetic clothes suitable for hiking. I finally called Diana and she went to Evansville and bought them and brought them down a few days later. I stopped in at the Pancake Pantry and devoured a stack of 5 blueberry pancakes and 3 sausage patties and a large quanity of real coffee. Then it was off to the East Side Motel to get a room and clean up. We have stayed there many, many times and consider Tom and Marlene Trentham who own it as friends. Tom let me use the motel¢s laundry facilities and loaned me his truck to go to the P.O. Later I cleaned my tent and dried it on his basketball court. Then it was time for pizza at The Best Italian Pizza and back to the motel to rest.
Date: 2009-03-19
From: New Found Gap

To: Gatlinburg, Tn.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

3-19-09ThursdayI was up at 8:00 and went up the street for breakfast at Flapjack¢s Pancake Pantry. I was hoping that John would be working but he was off today. I did talk to his wife. He is a good waiter and very funny guy. After a big breakfast I went back to the motel to get organized for hiking out tomorrow. My daughter Melissa is going to hike with me for 5 days. Scott and Melissa arrived about 2 p.m. and we got caught up on family news and looked at the pictures I had taken so far. We went to the P.O. and mailed my bounce box to Erwin TN, went to Wal-Mart for trail food and made a CD of my pictures. After eating we went back to the motel and repackaged our food and packed up.
Date: 2009-03-20
From: Gatlinburg, Tn.

To: Tri Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

3-20-09FridayI woke up at 6:15 and took one last shower. Met Melissa and Scott outside our rooms and we went up to The Pancake Pantry for blueberry pancakes. I love their blueberry pancakes. Scott drove us up to New Found Gap and we were on the trail at 9:00. It was a beautiful, cool, clear day. We had great views of the ongoing mountains. I was so glad the weather cooperated for Melissa since I had missed virtually all the views in the western part of the trail through the Smokies. We walked all day. I was surprised how well Melissa hiked. She had no trouble keeping up with me, in fact it was the other way around, and I had been out there for nearly a month. We ended up at Tri Corner Knob Shelter for the night. Melissa¢s first night in a shelter.
Date: 2009-03-21
From: Tri Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: few clouds

3-21-09 SaturdayWe fixed oats for breakfast and were on the trail at 9:30. It was a nice day but not as clear as yesterday. The haze that normally hangs in the Smokies was coming back. We stopped at Cosby Knob for a break. We also took the 0.6 mile side trail to Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower. Melissa had never been there and I wanted to show everything I could to her while we were in the area. We commented on how nice it would be to spend the night there although there is no water there and it is off limits for camping anyway. There were several day hikers there. After we left and were back on the trail going down to Davenport Gap we met a lady Ranger going up the trail. She was carrying a shotgun as well as her standard side arm. She said they had killed a record number of wild pigs in January this year. I asked her how many people were at the shelter as I really wanted to tent. You are not allowed to tent unless the shelter is full. She said it was not full. I said ¢You wouldn¢t give me a ticket if I put up my tent anyway would you?¢ She said, ¢Let me put it this way. I won¢t be coming back this way tonight.¢ I slept in my tent. Melissa slept in the shelter again.
Date: 2009-03-22
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Groundhog Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

3-22-09 SundayWe took our time eating breakfast and didn¢t get on the trail until 9:30 again. We met some hikers who told us that Downhill and Cabot got busted for sleeping in the fire tower last night. $50 fine plus $25 court cost each. It was another great day weather wise. We left the Great Smokies and had a short hike to the Pigeon River Bridge. We had rafted the Pigeon a couple of years ago and had used the same bridge to get to the launch area. We crossed the bridge and went under I-40 through an underpass for the road. We hiked a couple of miles to the Standing Bear Hostel. We stopped there for an hour or so and chatted with Curtis the owner and some other hikers that were there. We filled our water bottles and started the long 4 12 mile climb up Snowbird Mtn. It took 3 12 hours to climb to the top. Once on top we found a FFA navigation tower. I had seen it gleaming in the sun a few years ago from Mt. Cammerer but did not know what it was. We enjoyed the sunshine for a while then hiked on toward Groundhog Shelter. We met a couple of section hikers who told us they stayed there last night and a bear stayed there all night with them keeping them up. When we got there we found the picnic table pulled right up into the shelter. It probably had food odors on it and the bear probably smelled them. We moved the table away from the shelter about 50 ft. but decided it might be best to tent away from the shelter and table. We set up our tents 50 yards up a little hill away from the shelter and eating area. Blondie and Longlegs showed up just before dark and decided to tent away from the area also. We saw more green sprouts and wildflowers today. Spring is coming.
Date: 2009-03-23
From: Groundhog Shelter

To: Walnut Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

3-23-09 MondayWe had a real good day today. The bear did not show up although Melissa had a restless night after hearing ¢strange¢ noises outside her tent. We were on the trail at 8:50 and had a couple of hard climbs but finally reached Max Patch at 1 p.m. We ate lunch and took some pictures and began a gentle 4 mile downhill walk through rhododendron thickets along Roaring Fork stream. We went back into the forest and had one final climb up Walnut Mtn. to the shelter. The shelter log said they were having bear problems there also, so we went 100 yards up the hill above the shelter and set up our tents. Blondie, Longlegs, and Downhill are staying in the shelter. All in all a very enjoyable day.
Date: 2009-03-24
From: Walnut Mtn. Shelter

To: Hot Springs NC.
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

3-24-09 TuesdayI talked to Diana on the phone and she said rain is coming in tonight so we decided to try to get to Hot Springs today instead of tomorrow. No use spoiling 5 days of hiking in really good weather by getting ourselves and all our gear wet on a final short day into town. We were on the trail at 8:00 with 13 miles into town. The trail started off with a gentle downhill section then we had a nice 1 12 mile uphill. Then it was a 4 mile downhill, a really nice section of trail, but I tried to go too fast and made my knees and feet hurt. I had to stop and remove my boots and let my feet rest a couple of times. Not a lot of views today just a lot of walking. I saw my first snake today. I stepped right over it but Melissa saw it and yelled at me. It was solid gray the best I could tell. I did not get a very good look at it as it escaped under some leaves and I could not find it. We had a lot more downhill today than uphill and I hiked too fast. My left leg is hurting and both feet are sore. We got to Hot Springs about 4 p.m. and it was 75 degrees there, much warmer than we were used to. We walked up the street toward the Paddlers Pub to get a burger but it was closed for renovation. About the time we got there Diana and Paige pulled up beside us to take us back to Gatlinburg. We all went to the Smoky Mountain Diner and had really big burgers. I will have some family time in Gatlinburg with Melissa, Scott, Paige, Zach, Mallory, and of course Diana. Then Friday Diana and I are going to Martinsville, VA to the NASCAR race. I should be back on the trail Tuesday 3\31\09.
Date: 2009-03-31
From: Hot Springs NC.

To: Spring Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

3-31-09 TuesdayAfter spending one last night with Diana in Gatlinburg, she drove me back to Hot Springs to continue on the trail. It was a hard good bye. Instead of watching her drive away I just turned and walked down the street toward the French Broad River Bridge. I should say limped because my left leg has not improved at all during my seven days off the trail. I did not know how I was going to be able to hike any distance at all but there was only one way to find out and I was not ready to quit the trail. I managed to make 11 miles in 6 12 hours but it was painful. The trail was good and the climbs not too steep. I went through areas of Mtn. Laurel, rhododendron, pine, and hardwoods. Lonewolf and 3 others are in the shelter. I¢m at Spring Mtn. Shelter tonight. I set up my tent and now it is raining lightly and the wind is blowing about 40 mph. I¢m fed, dry, and warm and glad to be back on the trail but my leg hurts.
Date: 2009-04-01
From: Spring Mtn. Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: overcast clouds

4-01-09 Wednesday Last night after it got dark I could see a large lit up area to the east. Nightwalker said it was Ashville. The wind blew all night long and it rained off and on. I was nice and warm and dry in my tent. I only walked 8.6 miles today. I didn¢t get started until 10 a.m. then when I reached Allen Gap a sign said to come 350 yards east for waffles, stew, and dessert. I ended up staying there almost 2 hours. Hercules and Fel were doing trail magic from their home. They thru hiked in 1999 and now they open their home to hikers every spring. They have hosted 1900 hikers in 7 years. So I am at Little Laurel Shelter tonight. I dried out my tent and am tenting again. I like sleeping in my tent. I had red beans and rice, Fritos, summer sausage, and raisins for supper.
Date: 2009-04-02
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 12.7

4-02-09 ThursdayThe wind blew all night again but not as hard as last night. I slept the best so far on the trail though. Could it be all the Aleve in me? I was packed up and on the trail at 8:00. I had some really tough ridge walking today with some very large rocks to navigate through especially in the high winds. Lone Wolf and I hiked together over the ridge for safety sake. One gust of wind hit Lone Wolf when he was off balance and put him on the ground. Luckily he was not on the edge of the cliff at the time. We had great views to the North and South as the clouds lifted just as we got on top of the ridge. My sore leg took a beating though. I met several new people today, Jones and her two dogs, Serena and Brian, Soaring Solo, and some others. Serena and Brian are triple crowners meaning they have hiked the A.T., P.C.T., and the C.D.T. I passed the 300 mile mark today and am tenting at Flint Mtn. Shelter with Lone Wolf. It is supposed to rain tonight. I sliced my thumb open while cleaning my knife after supper. A man from Chicago helped me patch it up. I couldn¢t get it to stop bleeding and he wrapped it tightly with a big wad of gauze and it finally quit.
Date: 2009-04-03
From: Flint Mtn. Shelter

To: Sam's Gap
Miles today: 11.2

4-03-09 FridayThe wind blew and it rained off and on all night. I stayed warm and dry in my tent. I didn¢t get on the trail until 10 a.m. I had a nice 2 mile downhill section then went up into the clouds. I walked in the clouds the rest of the day. I saw in the Hogback Ridge Shelter log where someone had seen a bear. I think it was Long Legs. L-Train took a picture of me and said she was going to put it in her blog on the internet. She asked me if my socks were dry. I said they were. I¢m camped at Sam¢s Gap where the trail crosses under I-26 near Erwin TN. I¢m probably not over 150 yards from the interstate. Most of the trucks pull over on a pull off here and check their brakes before proceeding down the mountain. Normally you don¢t camp this close to a road but I¢m behind some trees so I don¢t think I will be noticed. I came down here to get out of the wind and clouds. I¢m still at 3850 ft. but it is better here. I have no water for breakfast so I will have to hike until I find a spring before I can eat. There is supposed to be a spring a couple of miles up the trail.
Date: 2009-04-04
From: Sam's Gap

To: Stealth Camp Near Spivey Gap
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

4-04-09 SaturdayI awoke to a beautiful day. It was a little cool at first but it soon warmed up. I packed up and crossed under I-26 then went back into the forest. I found a spring just 1 mile from where I has camped last night. So I fixed my normal breakfast of oats, jerky, and coffee. The trail was mostly dirt for most of the day. That is so much better than having to walk over rocks and having to watch every step. I crossed over Big Bald, 360 degree views, awesome. I think I could see a gazillion miles. The trail was mostly downhill after that. I¢m camped in a 2 acre meadow tonight with Smiley. He is 53 from MA originally. The moon is shining and I¢m in my bag. Gosh its 8:50 already, ten minutes until hikers midnight.
Date: 2009-04-05
From: Stealth Camp Near Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, TN.
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

4-05-09 SundayAnother beautiful day on the A.T. I had one moderate climb out of Spivey Gap this morning but it was mostly downhill after that into Erwin, TN. There was not much to look at today. I¢m staying at Uncle Johnny¢s Hostel tonight. Looks like I may be here for a couple of days as there is another snow storm coming in and Uncle Johnny says the trail is not marked good up on Unaka Mtn. They are predicting as much as 12 inches above 5000 ft. and Unaka is 5180 ft. The wind seems to always accompany the snow which makes things even worse.
Date: 2009-04-06
From: Erwin, TN.

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

4-06-09 Monday I¢m spending back to back zero days at Uncle Johnny¢s Hostel in Erwin, TN. I¢m finishing the book I got from Hercules and Fel and watching some movies. Of course there is a lot of eating going on and a lot of new people to meet. The weather has forced most hikers off the trail. Conditions above 4000 ft. are very bad. High winds, cold temps, and knee deep drifts are being reported by hikers coming in to town. Johnny¢s is full and they are sending hikers to the Holiday Inn, Super 8, and The Best Southern Motel. It¢s great to see how the business places work together to take care of the hikers needs. My leg is feeling a little better but is still sore. The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow and several hikers are planning to hit the trail. I¢m going too. You just can¢t get to Maine sitting in a hostel. I calculated my average last night. For the first 42 days I¢m only averaging 8.2 miles a day. Of course that includes the week¢s worth of zero days. Actually I¢ve had 9 zero days already. I want to finish by September 15 so I need to average 10.9 miles a day. I¢ve got to get going. I have two big mountains to go over in this next section, Unaka at 5180 ft. and Roan at 6275. It is 1700 ft. here. It is 48.3 miles of tough trail. I should make it in 5 days so I¢ll carry 6 days food just in case. It¢s 11:30 p.m. and time for some sleep.
Date: 2009-04-08
From: Erwin, TN.

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

4-08-09 WednesdayI woke up a bit later that I had intended but was on the trail at 8:30. I had purchased extra food for breakfast yesterday to be eaten today to save time. I had three biscuits, one with sausage and cheese, one with bacon and cheese, and one with ham and cheese. I also ate three chocolate donuts. I was ready to go. The trail today was not as bad as I thought it would be. The higher I climbed the snow became deeper but never was really a problem. By 3:45 I was at Deep Gap and had 12.1 miles under my belt. Standing in front of me was Unaka Mtn. which I didn¢t feel like climbing today. It is listed at 5180 ft. I am at 4100 ft. It looks higher than that to me. I found a spot where the wind had blown the snow away and set up my tent. There are 3 other tents here. The sun shined most of the day today and made the snow slick. I fell down once. That¢s 4 for the trip. The best view today was from an area called Beauty Spot but the cold wind was blowing so hard you could barely stand up so I took a few pictures and moved on. Beauty Spot is another big bald with 360 degree views. I could still see Erwin in the valley below but it was several miles away. It is going to be cold tonight but I have enough to keep me warm. Time to fix supper and get organized for bed. Looks like more people are coming here to stay tonight. 3 women and 1 man just arrived. Now it¢s snowing again but just looks like a flurry.
Date: 2009-04-09
From: Deep Gap

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.2

4-09-09 ThursdayI woke up at 7:40 a.m. The sun was coming over the mountain. It was cold. I got my food bag down from my bear line and cooked my oats and coffee just outside the tent while I was lying in my sleeping bag. After I had eaten I packed up and was on the trail at 9:30. The trail up Unaka Mtn. was snow covered and frozen. It was very hard to walk on because the foot prints left by those that went through here yesterday were frozen into a rough mish-mash. After the temperature warmed up the snow turned to slush and mud. It was very slick and hard to keep from falling down. It was a hard morning. After I hiked over Unaka I walked back down to where there was no snow. I came upon a crew doing a trail relocation to eliminate a short section of that was eroding. Heading up the crew was none other than Bob Peoples. Bob is another trail legend and owner of the famous Kincora Hostel. I walked on the relocated section although they were not quite finished with it and they took my name and told me I would be mentioned on White Blaze.Net as one of the hikers that christened the new section. That¢s all for tonight. I¢m tired. I am camping at Greasy Creek Gap with 3 section hikers.