morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-25
From: A stream at mile 23.3

To: Bull Gap
Miles today: 8.5

I was up this morning at 8:00 am in 51 °F temperatures. The weather was overcast and threatening. I was hiking by 8:40 am in shorts, a T-shirt, and a rain jacket. The Trail was a little greasy in spots but got dry as I went along. I hiked up and over Blood Mountain at 11:30, taking it really easy going down to save the knee. I will see how it fared tomorrow. I arrived at Neels Gap at 12:45 pm and was met by a local church group that was cooking hamburgers for thru-hikers. I went into the store there to get a bunk in the hostel but they were all gone. Instead I got a 20 oz Coke and went back to get 2 hamburgers. They were a real treat. The first Trail Angels on this hike! I did my laundry, took a shower and chatted with other thru-hikers. I also met Miss Janet who used to run a hiker hostel in Erwin, TN. Now she is helping out there. She is a very nice lady with a lot of hiking knowledge. Since there was no room at the hostel, I hiked out a mile to Bull Gap and am in my tent now. Lindsay & Crag from Athens, GA, are also tenting here. They are quiet but the wind is not. It is howling and that will have to lull me to sleep tonight. It seems like I have managed to get some blisters on my right foot ¢ two on the toes and one on the sole. I have used second skin, mole skin and athletic tape to hopefully correct the problem. (Note from Transcriber: I am using my editing power and NOT showing the photo of Trog¢s feet from the tent.) The left foot is fine so far. It is 8:30 pm and 49 °F in the tent now. There were light showers off and on today. I expect rain tonight ¢ we will see. Time to turn off the headlamp.
Date: 2010-03-26
From: Bull Gap

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I hiked for 5.5 h; ascent 1900', descent 2600'. I¢m making good progress. Got my journal put together and will hopefully ship it when I get to Hiawassee. It was wild last night. There was high wind, off-and-on light rain, and a few thunderstorms with heavy rain and the attendant loud cracks of thunder. My tent held up well in the wind and the rain but it was wet packing up and heavy in the pack. I was up at 7:40 am to a tent temperature of 43 °F. It was overcast and the wind had changed direction. I was hiking at 9 am in rain gear to break the wind but it was not raining. The hike was in the clouds most of the day. Much of the time there was a wicked wind, wild and howling. It was like the jet stream had just dipped down over the Georgia mountain. Then suddenly it was as if the hiking Gods threw a switch and there was just silence. It was eerie quiet, weird. The hiking temperature was only 45 °F ¢ it was cold and I did not stop for lunch. I arrived at Low Gap shelter at 2:30 pm and, as expected, it was already full. So I am tenting again. Today I met Trudger, Razor ¢ a trail runner that is sleeping under a Cube (?) Fiber Tarp, Eric, and Safari. A lot of hikers are tenting here tonight. Razor said he met 80 thru hikers yesterday when he was hiking south. It is 7:10 pm and 45 °F in the tent ¢ time to crawl into the sleeping bag. It is quiet here but the shelter is still loud. The sky is blue and the sun is setting. Tomorrow should be warmer.
Date: 2010-03-27
From: Low Gap

To: Cheese Factory
Miles today: 13.0

It was cold this morning (35 °F) when I got up.   The first five miles today were like a golf course without grass: smooth and only a few rocks and inclines. It was smooth going. Today I climbed up 3740' and down 3130'. I was up at 7:45 am in 35 °F temperatures. It was a cold night and slow getting going but I managed to get started by 9:00 am. The wind was blowing, making it interesting taking down and packing up the tent. It was party sunny but temps only got up to 55 °F. I had a leisurely lunch at Blue Mountain Shelter and hiked on to Unicorn Gap. My hope was to tent at a stream 1 mile past but there were no campsites. I continued hiking to Rocky Mountain that did have some good tent sites at the summit but it was very open there and the wind was blowing. So I bit the bullet and hiked another 2 mi to the Cheese Factory where I am now in my tent. I can hear the wind but it is not affecting the tent yet. I met Whippersnap, John and his 79 year-old dad Allen, Chris, Max Factor and Mother Nature. JRMMS is also camped here and was working on a Trail wood stove (see picture). Pretty cool. It has been a long day. It is 8:30 pm and time to shut off the headlamp.
Date: 2010-03-28
From: Cheese Factory

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: moderate rain

Stats for today: ascent 3630', descent 4390'. It was raining this morning ¢ that made it a lot of fun taking the tent down and packing it up in the rain. It rained the whole day too. When the wind stopped blowing, all I could hear was the squish, squish, squish of my boots as I walked through the mud. I wonder if this is the same sound that Italian women made when they crushed grapes with their feet to make wine. I was up at 7:45 am in 45 °F temperatures and moderate rain, as expected. The wind is low ¢ a nice change ¢ and my tent is dry inside. I packed up a wet tent this morning and put it in a waterproof stuff bag to keep the rest of things inside my pack from getting wet. I¢m sure that helped but was not perfect because of the opening at the end of the stuff bag. I will try to get a lightweight trash bag for use next time. I was hiking by 9:00 am. After about 30 min, there was a group of Trail Angels from Adventure Ministries that provided hot drinks. I had a large cup of coffee and an apple. They were good. The forecast was for rain continuing through tomorrow with thunderstorms predicted for tonight so I decided to hike an extra 3 miles today and get a shuttle into Hiawassee for the night and take a ¢zero¢ tomorrow. I shared a shuttle into town with Safari, Lola and Sunset Over Sea. Safari and I had an AYCE dinner at Daniels Steakhouse. Yes, I even got the senior discount. When we came out of the restaurant there was a beautiful almost full rainbow over the mountains looking north. Hopefully this is a good omen. I watched roundball T for a while then turned off the light. Even though I was tired, I couldn¢t go to sleep. I think it was because the motel room was so quiet. At about 11 pm, I got very hungry so got up and finished the lunch I didn¢t eat today - a half stick of cheese and half tube of Ritz crackers. And this was after an AYCE dinner! I must be getting my hiker¢s appetite. Anyway, it did the trick and I immediately fell asleep. I met Ripple today named after that Grateful Dead (Transcriber thanks Jon for correcting this!) song that I have never heard.
Date: 2010-03-29
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Motel in Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a Zero Day. It was a relaxing day but there was plenty to do: laundry, post office, groceries, fuel and miscellaneous things to buy. Of course, every day has a story. Today I assembled all my journal pages, photo log and memory chip and took them to the post office. This time I used a padded post office envelope so hopefully like the whole package containing the first 7 days, this will make it to Transcriber. On the way to the post office, I found where I could purchase denatured alcohol by the ounce. When I got back to the room at noontime, my fuel bottle and my two water bottles had disappeared. As it turns out, the cleaning lady had taken them by mistake when she cleaned the room. I told the front desk and when I returned after lunch they were back in the room. That was my exciting day. Actually there was one other notable event. My Thru-Hikers Guide was starting to break in half so I went to the post office to get some tape. They only sell it by the 6 ft roll but the postman taped my book with his Priority Mail tape and then stamped the official post office date on it. I took his photo. Tomorrow I will be back on the Trail. It looks like we will have a spell of sunny days with cold nights. I will have to watch out for sunburn. The trees are just starting to leaf out so in a few weeks I won¢t have to worry about sunburn since most of the Trail is tree-covered. Time to do some more blister treatment then turn in.
Date: 2010-03-30
From: Motel in Hiawassee

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Today was goodbye Georgia, hello North Carolina! I was up at 7:30 am, checked my email, ate scrambled eggs and bacon (came with the cost of the room), taped my toes again and grabbed the shuttle back out to the AT at Dicks Creek Gap. I started hiking in shorts and a rain jacket in 41 °F temperatures. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there was no wind to speak of. It was a beautiful day for hiking the AT. The temperature got up to 58 °F this afternoon and the trail was in great shape. I crossed from GA to NC at 3 pm this afternoon. My first ¢YEH¢ of the hike. One state down, 13 to go. They will not all be this easy. NC welcomed us with a couple of steep climbs. I arrived at the Muskrat Creek Shelter at 5:00 pm, pitched my tent, set up to hang the bear bag and cooked dinner. Today I had a gourmet lunch (bologna and cheese on hamburger buns) and an equally gourmet dinner (hotdogs on hotdog buns). They were good. Kumquat gave me some mustard for my hotdogs that made them taste even better. It is 8:00 and starting to get dark. The current temperature is 42 °F ¢ it will be cold tonight. Today I met Mark, R_ky, Kumquat, Three Bears, Dapper and Brian.
Date: 2010-03-31
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

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

Today I was up at 7:15 am in a 36 °F tent. It was slow getting started in the cold but I managed to get hiking by 8:30 am. Today¢s weather: blue sunny skies. The temperature hit 70 °F in the afternoon and actually felt hot. Today¢s hike seemed hard, maybe because of the ¢heat¢. I arrived at Carter Gap Shelter at 5:10 pm and was glad to get there. I am tenting again because it is much quieter in a tent away from the shelter. I hiked most of the time today except for a 1 hour lunch. The hiking was at elevations between 4200 ft and 5500 ft. There was still snow on the trails near the summit of Standing Indian Mountain. It is 8:30 pm, dark, quiet and time to turn out the head lamp.
Date: 2010-04-01
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

At this point I have now gone >100 miles! This morning I was up at 7:20 am in 46 °F temperatures wearing rain gear and a long sleeved shirt. By 9:30 am I was hiking in shorts and a T-shirt. It warmed up very rapidly and during the afternoon it reached 82 °F. What a difference a few days make. A group of us had lunch at the base of the fire tower at the summit of Albert Mountain. It was a scrambling and steep climb at times and everyone had a good workout. After lunch (bologna and cheese sandwiches) I hiked on, reaching the Rock Gap Shelter at 4:00 pm. I was glad the hiking was over for the day. There were no good tent sites near the shelter so Safari and I walked 100 ft down the hill where we pitched our tents. Tomorrow we get the 11:00 shuttle into Franklin, NC. Friday and Saturday is their April Fool¢s Hiker Bash weekend. I plan to get a room for the night, resupplying, doing laundry, stopping at the post office, and using the internet if available. Then I will return to the Trail on Saturday morning. It is 8:30 pm, dark and someone is strumming a guitar in the shelter. His melodies will have to lull me to sleep tonight.
Date: 2010-04-02
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: clear sky

Today I hitched into Franklin, NC with Safari and am staying in a hotel tonight. I was up at 7:05 am in 42 °F temperatures. It felt good to be in a sleeping bag. Last night it was 59 °F when I turned in and the bag was much too hot so I had to leave it partially open. I was hiking by 8:05 am in rain gear that came off by 9 am. At 9:45 am, I arrived at Winding Stair Gap for an 11 am shuttle pickup. Since we were early, Safari and I decided to try hitching into Franklin. It only took 30 seconds to get a hitch and we were at the motel by 10:30 am checking in. The rest of the day was spent getting cleaned up, doing laundry, purchasing supplies for the next 4 days, enjoying town food and relaxing. I am looking forward to a free pancake breakfast for hikers tomorrow morning and then getting back on the trail. I measured a temperature of 92 °F this afternoon here in town. Today I met Jinky (short for jinx, like bad luck), Captain Radish, Lona and Nick became Alkaline.
Date: 2010-04-03
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Today was just good hiking even though it was raining. I was up at 6:45 am in the Franklin Motel and went to a free-for-hikers pancake breakfast put on by the United Baptist Church of Franklin. It was delicious. They are nice people, too. I checked out of the motel and took a shuttle out to Winding Stair Gap. I was hiking again at 8:55 am. Most of the day I was in shorts and a T-shirt. Temperatures got up to 71 °F, and the weather was mostly hazy and sunny with a gentle cooling breeze once in a while. There were calling for showers in the afternoon so I skipped lunch and just hiked. Today is the first day that I began to get my hiking legs and it felt good. Maybe this is the result of the town food I just had. I arrived at the Cold Spring Shelter (built 1933, sleeps 6) that was already full of hikers and mice. There was a nice camping area up on a ridge behind the shelter and that is where I am now in my tent. Nightcrawler and Silverback are also tenting here. Today I met Bronco, Nature, Skywatcher, Michigan, Carlos, Mad Mike, Gypsy Girl (who broke her foot and was in a walking cast ¢ she wants to return to the Trail) and Berry (thru-hiked in 2009). I have been hearing a Ruffed Grouse off and on since I arrived. It sounds like someone trying to start an outboard but it never catches. I also heard a coyote several minutes ago. It is 8:30 pm, 56 °F in the tent, dark, and all quiet. I guess the lack of sound in the woods will have to lull me to sleep tonight.
Date: 2010-04-04
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nanatahala
Miles today: 11.5

This morning I was up at 7:10 am in 52 °F temperatures which was cool enough for the sleeping bag. Last night was exciting. I got up and went to ¢use the woods¢ at 3 am, returned, zipped up the tent, and crawled into my sleeping bag. As I was about to go to sleep, I heard something that seemed to be coming from the outside of the tent like a little animal. I decided it was no problem and tried to go back to sleep. Then it seemed like something ran across the top of my sleeping bag. I sat up, put on my headlamp, and there it was ¢ a little gray mouse inside my tent. So I got the only weapon I had (not counting my bare hands) ¢ my Thru Hiker¢s Handbook ¢ and went after it. I took a few whacks at the tent floor before I managed to stun the mouse. I quickly picked it up by the tail and tossed it out of the tent. The lesson I learned: always zip up the tent even if there are no bugs. I started hiking at 8:10 am in mostly sunny skies. The Trail was more demanding today and it got up to 82 °F. I took a 30 min lunch break and got to the Nanatahala Outdoor Center at 3:00 pm, picked up the key to my reserved motel room (it is really like a cabin with a separate shower and bath but no A/C). It is clean. I took a shower, did laundry, had a super hamburger dinner (more good town food), and am ready for bed. Breakfast will be here tomorrow and then I will hike out. Today I met Ham (now Dutch Tape) & Brian (now Cabana Boy) from MA, River, and Ziggy. Nightcrawler & Silverback hiked out and I wished them good luck.
Date: 2010-04-05
From: Nanatahala

To: Camping past Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

I slept well last night in a cabin on the hill. It was somewhat rudimentary but had all the basics except A/C but that was not needed. I was up at 7:15 am and had breakfast at 8 am then got a few needed supplies at the general store when they opened at 9 am. I was hiking by 9:30 am and it was basically a continuous ascent of 3200 ft with one 800 ft gap in the middle. I reached the top (Chehoah Bald at 5062¢) at about 3 pm. Over the past few days I have hiked through rhododendron tunnels, rhododendron thickets and rhododendron forests. They seem to be between 3000¢ and 5000¢ elevation and they grow large. Some have trunks with diameters greater than 6¢ and exceed 20 ft in height. My thru-hiker¢s guide indicated water at mile 11 and again at mile 12, so I had planned to get water at one of those places and then camp. Unfortunately there was no water at either place, so I hiked on to Stecoah Gap where it said there was a spring 400 ft to the left. By then I was out of water. I hiked along the highway to the left as instructed but found nothing. Then a pick-up truck with an ATV in the back stopped and I asked where to find water. He said to go down the upper trail and around the bend ¢ in the hollow there is a spring. He was right on. I got water, hiked on a bit, pitched my tent by the trail, and cooked dinner as the sun was setting. It is now 9:20 pm. I hear traffic in Stecoah Gap below. I met I Slack today ¢ he worked on Windows97. I also met Inwoods who was named by his wife and kids.
Date: 2010-04-06
From: camping past Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam/NC29 at mile 162.6
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I was up at 7:10 am this morning in 59 °F temperatures. It was a good tent spot ¢ very comfortable sleeping. I was fortunate to find it so late in the day. While I was packing up my backpack inside the tent I heard another hiker scamper by on the trail. He was humming and it is unlikely I will see him further on the Trail. I started hiking at 8:15 am. I had decided to carry my gaiters and knee warmers to hopefully reduce the sweating in my socks and reduce the blister-causing friction. I think it helped but I still stopped twice during the day to apply/reapply blister treatment and change to dry socks. The temperature got up to 88 °F on the trail today, so it was another summer-like hiking day. I pushed a little further than I intended in order to catch a shuttle into Fontana Village, get a room, and take a zero day to try to dry up the blisters. I made it to the shuttle at 4:30 pm, got my room, took a shower, had dinner, did blister treatment, and was in bed by 9:30 pm. I was lulled to sleep by the TV in the next room. Once advantage of being so tired is that noises don¢t bother me.
Date: 2010-04-07
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It was an easy relaxing day with the major goal to dry up some blisters on my feet. I was up at 7:15 am, had breakfast, went to the post office (mailed package with latest journals and photo chip to Transcriber), did laundry, made phone calls, had lunch, checked email, resupplied, decided on the next section plan, and had dinner with 71-year old Koyotte. It has been an interesting day with not too much walking. I did have breakfast with MaxFactor and his wife. He has to leave the Trail because of knee problems. A nice person. He gave me his Fontana Dam mail drop food, some of which I took and the rest I put in the hiker box of the Post Office. Thank you, MaxFactor. It is 8:50 pm and past my bedtime. I can hear the faint sounds of a TV next door. I don¢t expect it will bother my sleep in the least.
Date: 2010-04-08
From: Fontana Dam

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: heavy intensity rain

I did not sleep well last night ¢ laid awake to almost 4 am with an upset stomach. Koyotte who I had dinner with was also ill and awake all night long. The only thing we both ate was bean soup and we believe that was the cause of the trouble. I felt somewhat better when I woke at 7:15 am so I had a regular breakfast and decided to hike. Inwoods and I got a shuttle back to the Trail and started hiking at 9:15 am. At the same time we were hit by a thunderstorm with thunder, lightning and a heavy downpour. Fortunately it lasted less than 10 min. The day was continuous rain up until about 4 pm when the rain gradually stopped and the sky brightened. I hiked to my planned destination, Russell Field Shelter, arriving at approximately 5:45 pm. The shelter was not full but several hikers were already asleep so I decided to tent. That is where I am now trying to warm up and dry out a bit. I hung my food bag on the bear cables and hope the bears don¢t bother me in the tent. I feel much better tonight and hope to sleep well. I met Steve, Chris and Tony from OH who are doing a section hike in the Smokies.
Date: 2010-04-09
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: few clouds

This morning it was very cold and windy when I got up at 7:30 am. It was tough packing up the tent in the wind. Last night I heard wild pigs squealing ¢ 3 episodes. Also one of the other hikers thinks he saw a bear at the edge of the campsite. Nothing bothered me during the night. I was hiking by 8:40 am. At 10 am I stopped at the next shelter to treat my blisters. This took over 1 h. The ground was frozen on the Trail and there was Rhine ice on the trees in the mountain. I hiked all day but it was slow going. Around 6:30 pm, I reached the shelter. Only Southern was there. He took the top shelf and I took the bottom shelf. By the time I finished dinner I was too cold to write in my journal so this is being written one day later. We saw a deer at the edge of the campsite clearing during dinner.
Date: 2010-04-10
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

This morning I was up at 7:00 am to a 34 °F tent temperature. It was even colder outside since the ground was frozen. I treated my blisters, packed, ate breakfast and was hiking at 8:10 am. Today I hiked over Clingmans Dome that is the highest point on the AT (6643 ft). It was a long slog up to the summit with snow on the trails in places. Southern and I did the photo op at the tower on the summit. He took off to meet his girlfriend and I took off to get to the shelter on the other side of Newfound Gap. It was a tedious descent because of all the snow and blow downs in the trail. I eventually made it to the Icewater Spring Shelter at 6:40 pm. It took a long time to go the 15.5 miles. I pitched my tent, cooked, and am ready to lie down. The campsite has quieted down. It is 9:30 pm with a 39 °F tent temperature. It will be cold again tonight. Hopefully the wind (which is calm now) will not pick up.
Date: 2010-04-11
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Medical leave
Miles today: 0.0

Last night I had a medical issue and decided that it would be best to have it checked out. So this morning after packing up, I hiked from the shelter back the 3 miles to Newfound Gap, hitched a ride into Gatlinburg, TN and made my way home the next day where I consulted with my doctor. He made the diagnosis, did some treatment, and cleared me to go back on the trail. This trip back home also offered me the opportunity to deal directly with some retirement issues that had surfaced over the past three weeks. All is good now, and I'm ready to get hiking!