morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Winding Star Gap

To: Unnamed Campsite in woods
Miles today: 10.5

Stephen Findlay dropped me off at Winding Stair Gap at 9 AM to begin the day of hiking. My friend Keith was at the trail waiting to see if I would arrive soon and we got to spend the day hiking together. About 11AM we passed Silar Bald Shelter . It was 55 degrees and sunny. Great day for hiking. Silar Bald is a very interesting place. It is like a football field running up a hill (or the side of a mountain) looking like brown mowed grass. We streched out in the grass and had lunch. Near us was a small pile of timber like someone was trying to build a fire and a pile of snow had accumulated near it. We were joined for lunch by Meanderthal and Hiker formerly known as Craig. After lunch we had quite a climb up Wayah Bald. When we reached the top we found there is a road to the top for the motoring tourists. Lots of people were there. There is a loop going to the right for a great overlook. The book said there was a stone observation tower. The tower I saw was a privy for men and women. But then I found another paved path which did lead to a very tall observation tower. The view was something else. We could see Clingmans Dome with snow on it. The guide map said it was 26 miles away as the crow flies. Looking the other way we could see Silers Bald where we had eaten lunch four hours earlier. I hiked on to a campsite in the woods where we pitched out tent. Tree Frog and several others joined us for the evening. Eric now known as Hot Rocks was there and two guys who were not thru hikers. I went to bed about 6:30 that night.
Date: 2004-04-07
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: US19, Wesser, NC, NOC
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Once again I was up at 7 am having gone to bed at 5:30 the evening before. It was about time to hit the trail. I was packed and moving by 8 AM. Eric was the only other one moving in the camp. He was moving a little behind but passed me before the morning hiking was over. Tree Frog had passed our camp the night before at 5 PM and said he was going to hike on the Rufus Morgan Shelter about another 5 miles. I was so tired I could not even consider going on. So at 8 that morning I started out thinking about cheeseburgers, cokes and fries at NOC. There were a few slight climbs but nothing too bad. Then the long haul down to the Nantahala River bed. I got to the NOC about 11:30 and saw tree frog there. He had made it to the shelter the night before and stayed until about 9:30 this morning. He made it to the NOC just before me. I had several cokes and a ham and cheese sandwich instead of the cheeseburger but it was good. We looked around the NOC store for hiking equipment but did not purchase anything. I am still waiting on my original stuff to wear out before replacing anything. As we dropped in altitude from 4000 ft to 1750 ft at NOC the flowers began blossoming out. There were some Trillium actually blooming. May Apples were just coming up. Lots of Blood Root were blooming and greeting us along the trail. They are a very refreshing flower. Ferns were beginning to open their fiddle heads up. Some of the trees were beginning to show green limbs. What a difference the altitude makes. Eric and I had lunch together. Then I waited for Gail to pick me up at 1:30. She was right on time but she wanted one of those Wesser Burgers so we had lunch. I just drank several glasses of sweet tea and I did eat some of her fried green tomatoes while she ate the burger. The place where we ate was better than the sandwich shop I chose across the river. We headed to her house where I showered, washed clothes and we went to a Mexican restaurant for supper. Returning home we watched the Cubs lose a ballgame and tried to watch West Wing but only found out it was not on that night. About 10 we retired to bed for a good night sleep. Thursday morning we did some shopping. Tonight we will take in Maundy Thursday service at their Presbyterian Church. Tomorrow morning I begin hiking again. That is about all for now. This weekend I hope my son-in-law can have my first batch of photos loaded up to add to this site. Keep checking. Once again, thanks to everyone for writing. I will try to get around to answering the emails. It really is encouraging to hear from all of you.
Date: 2004-04-09
From: US19, Wesser, NC, NOC

To: Stecoah Gap, NC
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

Thursday I went with the Findlays to their Bryson City Presbyterian Church for Maundy Thursday service. They were joined by the Methodists and had a good turn out. We had a pot luck supper afterwards and I got lots to eat. Dick Lonnee is going to be their new interim minister. Friday,10:00 am the Findlays dropped me off at NOC and I started hiking one of the roughest parts of the trail.11:30 was at Grassy Gap and lunch at 1 PM at Grassy top. Cheoah Bald was a very rough climb and I got there at 3PM. 5062 ft up from NOC 1740. Great views.5 PM Simp Gap and at 5 PM and out of water and I came out at Stecoah Gap at hwy NC143. There was an old man named Turtle Don and he was the third hiker I had seen all day. A guy drove up and sat at a picnic table and began to eat a Chinese take out dinner. I sat and chatted with him. He said if I would wait he would take me to a water supply. Tar Heels was his trail name and he had thru hiked in 1979.Jerry Parker is his real name. He is a pharmacist for Kerr Drugs and said he had written the original trail guide. Someone plagiarized it and Wingfoot bought the rights to the book from him. He drove me to Robbinsville to the Chinese place and I bought a carry out box.Tar Heels said he is also known as the Omelet Angel. Each Easter he goes to Deep Creek Gap and cooks Omelets for the thru hikers. We look for a good day of hiking tomorrow.Today was so rough at times I was thinking of quitting. He then drove me to the Hikers Inn and it was full. He ended up dropping me off at the Fontana Hilton Shelter. Tree Frog and Eric were there so I ate my supper and enjoyed the visit. It was a great place to stay.
Date: 2004-04-10
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up to a beautiful day and knew it would be a very tough day of hiking. Shuckstack was ahead. This shelter had been a nice place to stay, but we were excited about entering the Smokies. You had to get a permit to hike through the park and there were none at the shelter. So Tree Frog and I hiked up to the Visitor Center. There was a sign that said closed. Another sign on the store said hour were 9 to 5. We waited from about 8 am until the 9 am opening hour. Nothing happened. No one showed to open up and give us our permits. Tree Frog hiked across the dam and tried to use his cell phone. He called home. Then he roamed around looking for permits. He did find a park policeman and got one permit from him. He returned to the Visitor Center and we loaded up our packs to begin the hike. As we were about to begin to leave a woman came up and asked if we were thru hikers. We said yes. She had a group of young girls who were hikers and they had lots of questions for us. So we finally crossed the dam at about 10 am to begin the hike. When we reached the woods there was a sign with the registration forms for us. So we were now legal. We had seven nights and eight days to cross the park. You have to spend the night at shelters. If the shelter is full the thru hiker has to pitch their tent near the shelter and must move out of the shelter to give room to others. Usually this was fine since I prefered sleeping in my tent rather than the shelter unless the weather was terrible. The climb up Shuckstack was pretty tough. But I finally reached the top. There is a turnoff to go to the firetower on the top. It is 0.1 miles from the trail. I chose not to visit the firetower. The hiking continued through Sassafras Gap, Red Ridge Gap, Doe Knob and Ekaneetlee Gap. Finally about 5 PM I had gotten so tired that the last hill I approached looked impossible to climb. I had hit the wall. My energy was totally gone. I thought about pitching my tent where I was and spending the night there. I could not go further. To my best calculations I was still about a mile and a half from the shelter. Park rules say you must stay in the shelter. My body said I could not make it to the shelter. What to do? I took my pack off, sat down and had a Snickers candy bar in hopes that I could muster up enough strength to finish the hike for the day. Along came High Trailer. We chatted and then he went on. At the top of the hill and about 100 yards from me, he called back and said he could see the roof of the shelter. What good news to me. I loaded my pack and made the final distance. Sure enough the shelter was just over the hill. What a wonderful sight. We were crowded in the shelter that night but had a good time. I thought I had gotten a good nights sleep. But rest was still needed. I was failing.
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: few clouds

It has been six weeks since I ended my hike at Spence Field Shelter. Now was the time to pick up where I left off. Janet dropped me off at Cades Cove about 8 AM. I hiked the 6.6 miles uphill all the way on Bote Mountain Trail to get back to where I had left the AT. Several groups of horses passed me on Bote Mountain trail going up. They made some messes on the trail so you had to watch where you stepped. It was a beautiful day for hiking though. I made it to Derrick Knob Shelter by the end of the day. That would give me only 6.3 miles on the AT but with the 6.6 miles up to the trail I had hiked over 12 miles with a fully loaded pack, carrying 7 days of food to get me to Hot Springs, NC. I was pretty tired when I strolled into camp. The hike for the day had included the climb up Bote Mountain trail, then going over Rocky Top and Thunderhead mountain. When I got to the shelter there were four guys from Nashville, and a guy, Tony and his two friends. It was a good group to be with. I slept pretty well. Glad I had my heavy sleeping bag. It got down to about 40 degrees that night. Good to be back on the AT. Sorry I am not with my old group of friends, but I missed that chance when I dropped out. They are up to about 800 miles now.
Date: 2004-06-03
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Ben and Antone had been at the shelter last night and I last saw them at Clingmans Dome. They are just on short hikes and are from DC. There was also a young couple from Hershey, PA that spent the night in the shelter with us. I had the best nights sleep that I have had on the trail.   The hike was long today and covered Clingmans Dome which I had been dreading, but it was not too bad. Then on to Newfound Gap. I talked to a man from Louisiana there and he told me he had been in Memphis Sunday and there had been a lot of storm damage with plenty of trees blown down.   At 12:30 I was .5 miles from Mt. Collins shelter and it was tempting to stop and spend the night there but I decided to go on. At Newfound Gap the black clouds were rolling in and thunder was booming. I only had to hike about two hours in a gentle rain before I reached the shelter. There was a man named Tom Bone from Sevier, TN who said he had thru-hiked in 1976. He waited a while and then left. There is a youn couple from Anderson, Indiana here tonight hamed Flain and What's That? We have lots of room in the shelter. It is 7:30 and I am already in the sleeping bag. I will be glad to get out of the Smokies so I can sleep in my tarp tent again.   About 8:30 a guy came in, ate a quick supper and jumped into his sleeping bag. He did not have much to say. He had hiked about 28 miles today up from Davenport Gap. It was one heck of a hike. He is a Ranger from Ft. Bragg and had a pack weighing about 20 pounds.    It rained a lot during the night. When we woke the next morning the rain was still coming down. The Ranger ate a quick breafast, got dressed and packed up and hit the trail about 7 AM in the rain. Go ARMY!    Flail told me they were awake about 2 AM and three deer were eating just outside our shelter.    By the way I did bring the wrong fuel for my Pepsi Can stove. I have been heating water ok but it blackened the bottom of my pots and I think it has melted the little stove. I may have to buy a new one when I get to Hot Springs.   All is going fine and I am feeling fine. I passed the 200 mile mark today and am currently at 206.8.   Well off to another day of hiking when the rail stops.
Date: 2004-06-04
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

The morning started off with a bad rain storm that lasted until about 8:30 and I started out hiking about 9 AM. We had a ranger from Ft. Bragg come in the the shelter about 8 PM last night in the rain, after completing about a 28 mile hike for the day, up from Davenport Gap, one heck of a day of hiking. He was up and left the shelter about 7 this morning, in the rain. I hiked until about 5 pm this afternoon and got to the shelter with about 8 guys there. There is a presbyterian who is an MD in an ER and good to have him in the shelter with us. There is a group of 40 year old guys who went to college together and hike once a year. So, we have a good group in the shelter tonight. There is a good water supply here, bear cables and a privy. The hike today was like going through a tropical rain forest. There were really dark areas. I went by Charlies Bunion Loop trail and got to Pecks Corner Shelter about 1:20 and I had lunch there.    It is getting dark now and rain is falling. It will be another good night of sleep tonight. Tri Corner Knob shelter is in the process of being remodeled and has a tarp for a roof. I hope it does not drip during the night. Off to sleep now.
Date: 2004-06-08
From: Max Patch Camping area

To: French Broad River-Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: light rain

The night alone in the woods had been uneventful. There was a light rain falling most of the night, but the trees protected me from the wind and the rain. I slept well. The next morning I was awake and fixing a quick breakfast about 7:30. A little after 8:30 I was packed and out on the trail once more. The trail stayed in the woods most of the day with only a couple of vistas. Not much to see otherwise. About 10:30 I passed Roaring Fork Shelter. At 12:30 I was at Walnut Mountain Shelter where I stopped and had lunch all by myself. I tried to rest a little but knew I needed to be covering miles. With a light rain still falling I hit the trail again. The entire day of hiking, I saw no one. I was entirely alone.   I enjoy hiking alone and that was no problem. However, in case of an accident or my back going out or some other problem, I would like to think someone would be by on the trail in two or three hours. Since Mountain Moma had said the hikers had gone through May 20th, and I was out of the Smokies where most of the hikers are, I was beginning to have second thoughts about being out on the trail all alone. As I approached Hot Springs I began to think. My wife is in Baltimore visiting our daughter, Betsy. She is to drive to Lexington, Ky today or tomorrow to visit our other daughter, Sarah and then head for home in Memphis. She could drive down I 81 to I 40 and over to Hot Springs to get me with no trouble at all. We could spend the night in Hot Springs or head for Memphis. The more I hiked, the closer I got to Hot Springs, the more this made sense to me. I really wanted to hike to Damascus this time out but maybe Hot Springs would be a good enough goal for this hike. I could pick up here later.    About 8 PM I hiked out of the woods into Hot Springs. I missed the blaze to the left and went a short distance to the right before realizing that was the wrong direction. I got out the Thru-Hikers Handbook and looked to see where the Super 8 Motel was. I had been finishing the trail thinking about the Super 8 and ice, air conditioning, TV, shower, telephone and a bed. But, wrong town. That was Erwin that had the Super 8. I had to settle for the Alpine Courts. I checked in and found out there was no ice, the tv was in the room but no tv shows, you could get a free VCR movie to watch on your tv. No phone. There was a bed and a good shower, and air conditioning, so all was not lost.    I cleaned up and walked downtown. The Paddler's Pub was the only place open. I ate most of a 16" pizza and took the rest to the motel room for eating later. There are two payphones in town, one at each end of town. I finally got my wife on the phone about 10 PM. She said she would pick me up about 5 PM tomorrow at the Alpine Courts. I returned to my motel room and got a good nights sleep.
Date: 2004-06-09
From: French Broad River-Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

One more hot shower. Off to the laundramat next door to get some clean clothes. When they are clean I am off looking for a good place to eat breakfast. I find out that there is only one restaurant in town that serves breakfast. They have been closed for about a week getting new asphalt on the parking lot out front. It is supposed to be open this morning. I walk the short distance to the restuarant to find that for some unknown reason, it did not open this morning. The barricades are still up.    So, back to the motel and eat the left over pizza. I wash it down with some Gatorade. Not exactly the breakfast I had planned, but it was better than nothing. The town starts slowly. Sweet Imaginations opens at 11 AM and I can get coffee there. I head for the public library. Maybe I can spend some time there on the computer and sit in air conditioning and read all day. I stop at a service station and ask a guy driving a church van for directions to the library. He says it is up the hill. "Get in and I will drive you up there" he offers. I jump in and we drive up the hill. Oops! On the door of the library is a closed sign. I get out and check it out. They are closed all day Wednesday. Today is Wednesday. So, I am in town all day with no library.   I walk back down the hill to downtown. It is now almost 11 AM. Bluff Mountain Outfitters is now open. This is the greatest store. I kill some time just looking around. I purchase a book to read and then head off to Sweet Imaginations. They offer free refills on coffee after you purchase the first cup. I explain to the nice owner that I will probably be spending the day until 5 PM in his store. I plan to eat lunch about 2 PM, but until then, I will drink his coffee and read my new book. He says that is fine and will keep the coffee flowing. These guys are just great! I drank my coffee, read my book, and had lunch about 2 PM. Then I was bored and got my camera and roamed from one end of town to the other taking the pictures shown in my photo section. Right at 4 PM I was headed back toward the Alpine Court motel and saw my wife pulling into the parking lot. After telling her about the Sweet Imaginations store, we walked down there for a milkshake and some sweets.    Then we loaded up my pack and I said goodbye to Hot Springs, NC. We were off to Memphis. The guy at the Bluff Mountain Outfitters said I should consider returning around September 1st and hike north from there. The weather should be nice, leaves changing and other hikers should be out then. I think I will do just that. I would like hike into Virginia this time. Then return in 2005 for a couple of months or so. I hope one day to complete the whole AT but I think it will take several years to accomplish it.    It has been fun! I know in a week or so I will be wanting to be back on the trail again. Well, maybe in September.
Date: 2004-09-02
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Start Hot Springs NCEnd Spring Mountain sheltermiles today 11.0total 281.9Janet and I spent the night last night at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn in Hot Springs, NC. We watched Seven Years in Tibet on the VCR before going to bed. I had just read the book and wanted to see the movie. It was not great but not too bad.This morning we were up early, too early for the breakfast at the Inn. We had one of those good old country breakfast at the Smokey Mountain Diner. Janet drove me to where I had left the trail in Hot Springs and at 7:30 am I was again hiking on the AT.I am going to try and at least make Damascus this time. The hike today was 11 miles and I was trying to get my trail legs back. It will take several days at least for that. The temperature was about 60 all day today. The wind has been blowing very strong and I don't know if that is Hurricane Frances causing that or not. I have a radio on this trip and will be trying to keep an eye on the weather. I brought a novel this time and it is now 6:10 and I am getting ready to climb into the sleeping bag and read for a while. Bush and the GOP is all that is on the radio tonight so I won't waste the batteries listening.I had a good supper of Ramen noodles tonight. Maybe something special tomorrow but I doubt it.Well, off to reading time. This shelter is one of the old ones and it is pretty dirty, but it does have a picnic table to read, write, cook, and eat on. Looks like I am the only one staying here tonight which is fine with me. I did see several other hikers today. The temperature is fine for hiking. And a few of the leaves are changing. I may continue this for a few more days. More adventures tomorrow.
Date: 2004-09-03
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

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

Miles today 8.6Began Spring Mtn ShelterEnd Little Laurel Shelter 290.5I had planned to hike 15.4 miles today but I don't have my trail legs back yet. I covered 8.6 and reached the shelter at 2:40 this afternoon. I saw one day hiker today who was walking his dog. There is not much activity on the trail. Most of the weather today was beautiful. There was one brief shower just before I reached the shelter. I got NOAA on the radio and it does not sound like Frances will be any problem for me.My left heel started hurting around noon today. When I stopped for lunch I pulled off my boot and found a hole in my sock. I checked my spare pair and one of those has a hole in it. Must buy new socks in Erwin. I was reading the journal at the shelter and saw an entry 6-9 from Flail and What's That to Bamboo and me. Thanks, I finally was here to read it.I was up to 9:30 last night reading. Will probably be asleep sooner tonight.It is now 5:45 pm and I have had supper and cleaned up. I will read for a while. Raindrops fall every now and then but it is still very light.