morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Had a hard night sleeping for some reason. I was awake at 5:30am and could see where the sun would be coming up. The skyline as orange and red, it looked so awesome. I woke Patches at 7am and we were ready to go by 8:10. It was cool but it was warming up nicely. We had some spectacular views of where we had come from and where we were going. It certainly makes up for all the lost views Sunday and Monday. We took the time to climb a rock and get pictures of each other with the mtn view in the back. The trail was wide and beautiful with it's full foliage and the ground cover fighting for space. I was so excited when we got closer to Davenport Gap. Finishing the Smokies felt like a big accomplishment for me since I didn't get through them in 2002 when I boke my ankle. Patches was keeping a watchful eye on me to make sure nothing would happen with me being so close. Just before we came out of Davenport Gap there was a waterfall to the right of the trail and a log had been placed to where the water ran through it which formed the first series of the falls. It was an awesome site. As we were walking up Waterville road towards Standing Bear Farm a white van stopped to give us a ride. It was Curtis the owner of Standing Bear Farm. As we drove past a cabin I saw Navi & Corinne sitting on the porch and I waved as we passed them. As I appraoched Navi I said,"I made it." She said she had a bottle of Asti Spinelli chilling in the creek to celebrate me getting through the Great Smokey Mountains. As we settled down I took my boots off and the hammer toe on the left foot did not look good. Navi, Corinne, Patches, even Jordan all helped getting an epsom salt bath ready for my foot. The foot soaks I do every chance I get really help. After our showers Navi,Corinne, Patches and myself drove over to Mountain Mama's for her famous cheeseburger. They were delicious. When we got back to the hostel I got the Asti from the creek and Navi, Corinne, Patches, Jordan and myself toasted to the succes of the Smokies. As we were doing that Kentucky Gentleman walked in just in time to get the last of the champagne that he drank right out of the bottle. Navi and I were going to sleep in the cabin that is built right over the creek, you can see the creek through the cracks in the floor. Patches had gotten a nice fire going in the bunkhouse so we decided to sleep over there. Patches and I talked about leaving tomorrow but I said it would depend on how my feet are in the morning. I wouldn't mind leaving especially because some other hikers who had hiked with Patches were hoping to see him again and Navi and they had talked about celebrating his birthday at Hot Springs. It sure has been a wonderful day.      LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-05
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Brown Gap
Miles today: 10.1

Had a great night of sleep and still awake by 6am and went over to the cabin that Navi & I decided not to sleep in. Good choice because it was damp and cool as I started patching up my feet for the 10 mile hike today. The swelling had gone down and the toe didn't look bad at all. It took me an hour to get the feet ready to put back in the boots. At 7am I went back to the bunkhouse and everyone was awake except Corinne. I told Patches it was a go to hike today so he could call his sister to meet him in Hot Springs on Friday. We all sat in the kitchen area to to have breakfast and chat awhile. We got pictures of the group before we left. Navi & Corinne will be heading into Waynesville today then to Hot Springs. Standing Bear Farm is a very unique hostel. Thanks Curtis & Maria. Navi & I would like to have a hostel in the near future. We started our ascent that lasted over two hours to the top of Snowbird Mt which had awesome views at the summit. We stopped at Groundhog shelter for lunch where we ran into the British Couple. We had met them yesterday at Mountain Mama's. Everyone agreed that Snowbird was hard. Kentucky Gentleman started off with us but just can't keep up because he's only been on the trail for four days. It will take him at least another week before he gets his hiking legs. Almost one day down and two more to go to a hot tub and a massage. Can't wait! Not to mention a birthday party for Patches. Hope my feet will be okay. I'll have a down day to rest them up. We made it to Brown Gap and we found a place to make camp and get water. Tomorrow Max Patch. We ate, chatted awhile and waited for the stars to come out before turning in. Nice day. Tomorrow will be hot.LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Brown Gap

To: Walnut Mtn
Miles today: 10.2

Woke up at 3am thinking it was daylight but it was the moon, went back to sleep and up at 6:10am. It was warm enough that you didn't need to cover up. The temp today was supposed to in the 80's so we got an early start so we can get into the shelter before it gets hot. The hike up to Max Patch was really nice. Patches & I were on top first then Kentucky Gentleman came up 10 minutes later. The views were spectacular. There was plenty of water for hiking with streams all down the trail, not to mention the trail was the best we've been on in a while. I saw a bird with an orange & red body and black wings, very pretty and unusual so I took a picture. I also saw a huge Hemlock that stood at least 110-120 ft tall. There are not many trees that size left in the forest. We got to Roaring Fork shelter early and then we only had another 1.8 miles to Walnut Mtn shelter where we are staying for the night. When we got in at 3pm boy was it hot, my temp guage read 81 degrees. Our main subject we talked about today was getting into Hot Springs; food, hot tubs, massage, and seeing Navi again. My feet felt great today and I hope that continues for tomorrows 13 miles into town. Waker came in around 5pm and said SugarPlum might make it tonight. The shelter is one of the oldest one I've seen so far and only sleeps six. We are planning an early start in the morning so we can get into town early.   LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-07
From: Walnut Mtn

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

My day started at 5:30 am with the full moon shining directly into the shelter. I got my feet prepared for the journey into Hot Springs. I got everyone up by 6am and myself, Patches, Waker and Kentucky Gentleman were all hopping around packing, had breakfast and out of camp by 7:05am. Sugar was up but didn't start out with us, he tends to be a late starter. What a beautiful crisp morning for a hike. Our biggest obstacle was Bluff Mtn at 4,686 ft which proved to be an eye opener to say the least. Waker with his long legs disappeared when we gave him the chance to pass. Kentucky fell behind because of his knees and he doesn't have a week on the trail yet. By 11am we were at Deer Park shelter which blew our minds because we were at least 2 hrs ahead of what we thought it would take us. It is a small but very nice shelter and the campsites in the back were the flattest I've seen yet. It almost made you want to set up your tent for the heck of it. We spent about an hour there and then it was time to finish the 3.2 miles into town. Kentucky did catch up at the shelter and he was surprised at his time also. We were on the move and we could hear and see the town of Hot Springs through the trees. We reached the trailhead at 1:05pm. As we walked down the street Patches noticed NaviGator with her pink shirt waving at us as she stood across the street at Paddler's Pub. It was great to see her standing there. She said she had a campsite at the campground just on the other side of the tracks. Corinne, Hobbit, Jared and Deb all came to Paddler's Pub where we were having iced tea, Patches, Waker and Kentucky G were having beer. Afterwards we went to the Bluff Mtn Outfitter's for Ben & Jerry's ice cream, what a treat! Then it was on to the campground for a shower and the soaking of the feet. My trail angel Navi had already made a reservation for a hot tub at 6pm and a massage for me at 7:15. There was 8 of us in the hot tub at once. We had a great time. The tubs are filled just before getting in with the natural hot mineral water from the spring. Chad, the massage therapist, was very nice and we talked the whole time. I felt very relaxed. Everyone else had gone back to Paddlers Pub for dinner and was waiting on us. Navi had gotten a cake complete with candles and a card that everyone signed for Patches. He was surprised when we came in with the cake glowing with candles and everyone sang happy birthday. I got to meet his sister Sheila, one of five. They will be leaving tomorrow so Patches can be back to work next week at a Ford plant in Michigan. I will miss my hiking partner. Back at the campground a Bluegrass music festival was in full swing. Earplugs are in order this weekend! Navi & I slept in the truck and Corinne & Hobbit slept under the stars. Zero day tomorrow.      LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Hot Springs

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We lounged around camp drinking coffee this morning. Patches and his sister stopped by to say goodbye and Patches gave out small gifts from his backpack. I got a filter and a Mountain House Rasberry Crumb dessert. We both said we would keep in touch and off they went. We went for breakfast with the group but they had just stopped serving breakfast so we had lunch. Navi remembered she had made another hot tub reservation for 12noon so Myself, Navi, Corinne, Waker, SugarPlum and Kentucky G all went to enjoy it for the last time. Deb & Jared( now known as Crazy Legs & Tall Tales ),Everglades and Hobbit got back on the trail before a thunderstorm hit. There was lightening and thunder was popping all over and the rain lasted awhile. Navi and I worked on my food for the next 5 days in the tent while it rained. We met SugarPlum, Waker, and Kentucky Gentleman for dinner. Everglade came back after hiking .5 miles because her foot is still hurting and she is going home until it heals. She and Corinne went to the music festival. Earlier Baltimore Jack who was working at the outfitters helped get my filter working after I discovered it would not pump. "Lesson" learned don't let a hiker use your filter unless you're there to see what the water source looks like. Too much silt can mess your pump up fast. The pump seems to be working fine now and has a new filter. I called my Mom to say Happy Mother's day. It's been quite a day and my feet look good. I should be able to get to Erwin in 5 days.LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-09
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I was up at 6am of course, and working on my feet. My stomach has ben upset since last night after dinner. Maybe I ate too much pizza. Navi was up by 7am and we had coffee as I got ready to leave. Waker and Kentucky G plan to leave with me at 8:00. As I was eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts Kentucky Gentleman came over to say he just found out his grandmother is very ill and in the hospital and he wants to go home. NaviGator is going to take him to Asheville to the bus station. Waker ended up needing to go to the campstore so he had to wait for them to open. I left after kissing Navi goodbye and saying I'll see you in Erwin at 8:40. I still wasn't feeling too good but kept on going up the trail. There were great views on top of the mtn outside Hot Springs. I stopped 3-4 times for pictures. My feet were doing okay even tough my stomach stayed messed up. As the hours went by I could here thunder behind me. I wanted to make it to the shelter before the lightening and rain hit. I stopped for water at a small stream and had problems with the pump again but I still managed to get water. The temp was about 80 and with the heat and my stomach I was feeling my strength diminish. I met the mother and daughter who are doing sections once again, this is the 3rd time we met since Max Patch. I was only about 300 yards from the shelter but had to stop for water and something to eat. Waker caught up with me and we went on to the shelter. I said I was staying here because I just didn't feel good so he went on. I just layed down for awhile but the feeling wouldn't pass even with burping and passing gas. SugarPlum came in and is staying here. When he heard how I was feeling he gave me some Pepto Bismal tablets. Thanks SugarPlum, they did help. I managed to eat dinner and journal now it's time for lights out. LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-10
From: Spring Mtn Shelter

To: Allen Gap
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: broken clouds

Had a good night for sleeping and the sick feeling is gone. Yesterday was a terrible day. It was hard to enjoy the fragrances of the forest as I moved along the trail. We never did get the storm. Sugar Plum was still sleeping as I'm getting ready to leave. When I went to put on the left boot I had a pain so bad in the ankle that I almost went to my knees. I couldn't believe it! A 15 mile day was not looking good. I took an IB and a tylenol but that wasn't going to help for maybe another 20 minutes. I threw my pack on and started hiking to see if maybe walking would ease the pain. I have almost 4 miles to Allen Gap to US 70 where I can get off the trail. Every step was painful, it wasn't long before I decided to get off and go to Erwin. I hoped nothing was torn in my ankle. I decided to rest for the rest of the week before trail days, I'm down but not out. Once at Allen Gap it took a while before I could get a ride. I walked north on Hwy 70 and eventually a young man in a blue Jeep Cherokee picked me up and offered me a ride into Greeneville, TN. He let me use his cell phone to call Navi but I only got the voicemail. I thanked him and told him I appreciated what he did for me. I called Ms Janet's from a payphone and she said Navi wasn't staying there but she would try to find her. Which she did. Thanks Ms Janet for your help. I was able to reach NaviGator by calling the payphone at Uncle Johnny's. It was about an hour before Navi pulled into the parking lot. We hadn't planned on seeing each so soon it seemed unbelievable that are plans changed. One thing about planning a hike such a as this, "Don't Plan, Just Do It". We went back to Uncle Johnny's for the night. Corinne stayed in the bunkhouse and we were in a small cabin. Uncle Johnny's place is on the Nolichucky river with mountains all around right off the trail. It's a neat place. We went into Erwin and had a burrito at Erwin Burrito. I think that was the biggest burrito I ever had and probably the best. A must do in Erwin. I still can't believe the way this day has turned out. I should have left a note for Sugar Plum so he would know why I disappeared off the trail. News travels fast so I'm sure he and Waker will hear it pretty soon. Life on the trail is amazing. I felt like if I didn't get off the trail today I would have jeopardized my whole hike. Sometimes you have to beat the ego in you and let common sense prevail. Model T can tell you about egos.   LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-11
From: Allen Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It was nice to have a mattress to sleep on again and having Navi with me a bigger comfort. The feet are feeling better this morning and the area hurts just a little and is still swollen and red. It may take the rest of the week to heal. We decided to do some trail magic lemonade. At Sam's Gap we waited 45 min and then Doc Narley came along. He enjoyed every drop. Good luck with your hike Doc. Then we drove over to Spivey Gap and didn't wait too long before we saw the English Couple and Chris. Chris has just gotten back on the trail. We went back to Erwin and dropped Corinne off at Ms Janet's. She will come to Trail Days with her on Thursday. She enjoys greeting the hikers as they come in. We drove over to Kincora, Bob & Pat People's place. What a great location for a hostel, 0.2 mile off the trail. Their hospitality is well known on the trail. There were a bunch of hikers on the porch when we got there. One of the first hikers I saw was Lint, then Austin and a few more I hadn't seen in awhile. We saw Slow Poke in the livingroom, we hadn't seen him since he left the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega. He is recovering from a leg injury. Then we met Honey & Bear who own a hostel in Andover, ME. They were here cooking up a sphagetti dinner for the hikers complete with cake & ice cream. The cake read Happy Hiking to the Class of 2004. It was really neat and very tasty. All of us enjoyed it. Thank you Honey & Bear. Fine food from some fine people. The hostel was full and people just kept coming in so we decided to move on and maybe find a place to stay in Mountain City. Well that didn't work out so we drove on in to Damascus. We are at the Maples B&B. We are both very tired so Navi is reading while I soak my feet then it will be lights out.   LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-12
From: Damascus

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Damascus 0 milesEverything feels great this morning, my feet, my back, nothing hurts. I had a grate night sleeping even though the bed is old & noisy it was comfortable. Navi is still sleeping of course, she doesn't get up at 6am unles she has to. I wake up with the birds singing. I sat downstairs in the living catching up on my journal and Russ brought me out some coffee. Ms Sarah does the cooking and what a great breakfast she puts out. After Navi was up and showered we sat down to a spread of a bowl of fresh fruit, egg & sausage casserole, spiced baked apples,biscuits, sliced tomatoes and bread pudding with lemon sauce. There was one other guest who joined us whose name is Tom, trail name Ace. We all put a pretty good dent in the food but I think we'll be having a late lunch. We decided to spend one more night here at the Maple'so that will give us time to find a place to camp for the rest of the week. We found out the campground won't be open until tomorrow and they might be able to accommodate our truck tent. We also checked out the Place. There we saw Joanne who is 72yo, we had first met her at the Hiker Hostel. She said she is a sampler, she plans to sample sections of the trail. You can follow her progress on www.whereisjoanne.com She is quite a character. I left my filter at Mt Roger's Outfitters so they could look at it becaue it is still not filtering properly. Hikers are begining to come into town as the day goes on. We went to Abingdon for dinner and than came back and enjoyed sitting on the porch. LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-13
From: TrailDays

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

TrailDays0 milesI will condense Trail Days because at the end of each day I was too tired to journal. Thursday was beautiful day. Navi & I spent time at the Superfeet and also with Dave who was glad to see us. They will be working on the boots and insoles this weekend. All the vendor's were set up and ready for the hikers. The Place is starting to look like tent city. We sat up our tent on the lawn next to the place after getting permisssion from the owner. Corinne camped at the campground-party central. On Friday our friends from Florida, Tim & Kaye and their son Matt arrived. It was great to see them. Thanks you guys for all your support. I spent a lot of time with Dave and Jeff as they tried to work on the problem areas. Navi sat at the ALDHA booth for a couple of hours. We saw Corinne once in awhile. MRO fixed my filter by exchanging the casing of the filter with a new one. Thank you once again. I don't know what hikers would do without the Outfitter's along the trail. Josh & Leigh arrived in their RV and invited us over for a cookout. We met people we havn't seen for awhile. We were really happy to see Footnotes again. Saturday Dave & Jeff continue to work on the boots. The parade was a lot of fun. We had dinner at the Old Mill with Tim, Kaye, Matt and Dave befoe they left to go home. Great time spent with good friends despite lousy weather outside. Sunday the finishing touches were put on the boots, they look good and they felt great when I put them on. They liked the idea of the rock and think I should hang on to it. We said goodbye to everyone Dave, Phil, Doug, Jeff, Austin,Up&DOWN, Cliff Dancer, Bear Bait, Gypsy, Inspector Gadget, Junker, Bear Killer, Waker, Sugar Plum, Tall Tales, Crazy Legs, Hobbit and all the others. Sorry if your name isn't here, there are just too many to remember. Corinne & Hobbit rode back to Dahlonega with Josh & Leigh. Navi will meet them there then go to the Dr to get her cast off before taking them to to the Atlanta airport. They are flying home together after realizing they live within a couple hours from each other. I decided to get back on the trail at Erwin. That will leave about 50 miles to make up in October. I hope Navi can hike it with me. We also found out this week that our friend Ready fell and broke her foot in her home. Hope you have a quick recovery, so you can do your hike with Spur.   LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-17
From: Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

Navi & I were up early had our coffee, packed up and headed to Uncle Johnny's to see if Tall Tales and Crazy Legs were ready to hike. They were still sleeping so I started hiking at 7:32am for a 16.3 hike to Cherry Gap shelter. At about 3 miles into the hike the left ankle started acting up. Hopefully I can figure a way to ease the pain. I cant't go back now Navi is gone to Dahlonega. As the day went on it eased up. It was a tough day but I got to the shelter at 4:20pm. There were four hikers there, three of them were young hikers I had passed now and then today and Aleganey who I had met on the trail before. The boots passed the test today. LIFE IS GOOD Paul & Jaime
Date: 2004-05-18
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

Started my day at 6am patching up my feet. Everyone else was up by 6:30. Aleganey gave me some banana bread he bought at Trail Days. Man was it good. Thanks again. I got on the trail at 7:30am but ended up stopping about 30 min later to work on the ankle, but the feet are feeling pretty good. The weather turned bad as I started the ascent to Roan Mtn. Roan is certainly a challenge at 6,285 ft a gain of 2200 ft. The ascent was pretty tough and for the first time I felt pain in my right knee but it's ok. I drank plenty of water today so I'm sure it helped the climb. I reached the top about 5pm but there were no views beause of the rain and fog. I reached the shelter at 5:30 and boy was I glad today was done and I could take the boots off. I took my wet clothes off, got dry and had something to eat to warm up. I'm going out to sit by the fire. There are seven of us here tonight. The shelter is a two story log cabin. This has been a strenuous day.LIFE IS GOOD