morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-28
From:  Cold Spring Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Cold Spring Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

We set out with the intention of meeting up at the NCC. Everyone had a break at Wesser Bald, and later Cassie and Becka headed out ahead of the group while Kim and I were the last to leave. All were dreading the 3000' 4 and a half mile descent to the Nantahala River. My right knee starting giving me some trouble, Nowhammies! feet were killing her, and later we found out Josh had some serious quad issues. Brutal is a fair description of that section. The others had just started having dinner at the Riverside Restaraunt when we arrived. "I'd like a double swiss burger with bacon please!" Josh kindly payed the bill. After the meal Kim and I set out for a store a mile away, and no one stopped to give us a ride. I am beginning to imagine its the kilt. We got a ride in a pickup on the way back, I was showing a little more leg this time. Our first hitch was accomplished thus. We hadn't figured where we were staying for the night, when up comes Josh to tell us he rented a cabin for the group. Generous guy huh? The best part was it turned out to be more like a chalet. Just wait til you see the pictures. There were lots of other hikers staying at the Hostel and some came over to hang out for a while. It was past midnight when we started getting ready for bed. As I layed down I sayed to myself that this is too much luxury for a thruhiker, but you wont catch me complaining eitheir. Yet another awesome night amongst new friends.
Date: 2006-04-29
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center to Sassafrass Gap Shelte 

To: N.C.C to Sassafrass Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.7

I had a hot shower this morning and then had to put my dirty clothes back on. We had a late breakfast feast together. Josh and Cassie will be taking a few zeros while their significant others are coming for a visit. We all exchanged contact info just in case our paths did not cross again. I hope Josh's leg gets better soon, as it would be nice to spend some more time with those two. We hit the trail around 12:30 thinking the long climb we would be as bad as the descent. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise to find nicely graded groomed trails for most of the way. We passed Buoy again, and he told us there was a tent city at the Locust Cove Gap and no one at the shelter. We arrived at the shelter around 4:00 P.M. Bonzo, Rio, Red Sox, and Eye Forget were taking a break before moving on to Locust Cove. We decided to stay and have the shelter for ourselves. I dug out the fire pit with an entrenching tool that was left there. The wind added a bit of chill to the night air while I made dinner by the fire. Sean showed up around 8:00 P.M., he had just done 27 miles trying to ctach up to everyone. He mentioned how happy he was to see the fire on the way down to the shelter. I caught up on journal entries before going to bed on a cold night. I woke up to a few kicks and punches, it was No Whammies! as she tried to get fetal to stop from freezing her ass off. We heard some owls and a bobcat last night, and as the rain came down I thought how happy I was to be in the shelter.
Date: 2006-04-30
From:  Sassafrass Gap Shelter to Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Sassafrass Gap Shelter to Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The cold morning made it hard to get going, and I didn't want to get out of my bag. Shortly after we started hiking the sun came out and the layers started coming off. There were some nice views of Cheoah Bald. We crossed a road towards the end of the day. A man that had spent the weekend fishing with his father was taking a break at the rest area. We chatted for a bit and he offered us two bannanas, fritos, and some sugar wafers. Its funny how something like that can make your day.
Date: 2006-05-01
From:  Brown Fork Gap

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter to Fontana Village
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: few clouds

Started out early and met Faithwalker on the trail. She got turned around and was heading the wrong way. I heard a turkey call coming from over the rise, but No Whammies! diasagreed and said it sounded like a dog. Turns out we were both wrong beacuse a few minutes later we came upon the source. A turkey hunter in full camo came lugging his shotgun up the hill. It was the first time for us seeing someone hunting on the A.T. The descent into Fontana Dam wasn't nearly as bad as the one into N.O.C. I called for the shuttle from a kiosk near the marina and we were soon off.Fontana Village is a resort near Fontana Dam complete with pools, sauna, archery, tennis courts, baseball field, game room, outfitter, and general store. There were a bunch of hikers we had met staying there, 8 of them had jammed into one room to save money. We decided to stay, but got a room for ourselves. Our mail drop and bounce box was waiting for us at the post office. Our room had a fireplace which turned into a joke with Gastank about making s'mores. He went into the store and bought the necessary ingredients. We stopped at the grill and had hamburgers and curly fries....yum. I went out for firewood after relaxing for a bit. NoWhamiies!, Grimace, Ti85, and I went to the game room for a few games of pool. GasTank, Grimace, Jumpstart, and Ti85 came up later for some s'mores. This thruhiking is so hard
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter to Fontana Village

To: Fontana Village to Fontana Shelter
Miles today: 1.4

Another late start today, and our packs are heavy with food from the mail drop. I'm going to try and eat lots of food and start out early in the morning. We're staying at the Fontana Hilton, one of the nicest shelters we've seen so far. I made a small fire in a corner of the huge metal fire ring and roasted some hot dogs for lunch. Captain Nemo will be here for a while, his knee is bothering him and his speed slowed accordingly. John, Red-Sox, Big Foot, and Cornhead showed up later in the afternoon. Bonzo and Eye Forget had just dropped off Rio, and had hitched many miles to make it here. I could tell it was hard for them both. I have found another use for my traveling companion Archie. I'm using him as a lightstand with the Petzl wrapped around his neck. Had a good time at the shelter with fellow hikers, the talk around the campfire was about the excitment of the Smokies to come. Found that I had to buy a map at the outfitters, somehow the one for the next push was missing. We will have a lot of climbing to do tomorrow, but once we're up at elevation the change doesn't look too bad.
Date: 2006-05-03
From: Fontana Shelter

To: Fontana Shelter to Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

The walk over the dam was nice and had a great view of the lake. The trails are well groomed with gradual ascents. We stopped at the observation tower on Shuckstack Mtn. for lunch. I'm guessing it was a fire tower thats no longer in service. While we climbed to the top No whammies! was a little freaked out because the lack of fencing could have you falling a long way. Awwww, wittle miss skydiver is afraid of the wittle fire tower. She went back down, gripping the handrails for dear life while I stayed up top to get some more great pics.There were a couple of hikers at the shelter when we got there. They're doing a section and aiming for Virginia. Momma's Boy rolled in shortly after the rest. The delicacy of the night; the swarms of bugs that forced their way down my throat. I went for some firewood before starting dinner, and luckily the smoke forced some of the bugs away. During dinner time we saw a buck wandering around the shelter. We stayed in an old stone shelter with a fireplace, its nice having the fire inside the shelter. The crew from last night arrived while I was on my second meal, I had three and some snacks. A ranger came in while I was making the fire and asked for the register, with a shotgun over his shoulder he joked he was a poacher. There had been some bear activity reported recently so he was in the area to investigate, a short time later his partner arrived. They explained that they use rubber bullets, bena bags, and sometimes tranquilizer darts to knock down the bear and tag/tattoo it. Another one of their duties is to kill feral pigs. I'm guessing our chances of seeing a bear have dropped for the moment. I climbed a tree by the shelter, I just couldn't resist. Believe it or not, thats the first tree I've climbed since we started hiking. At the end of the day, as I lay down for bed, I love to listen to owls hoot.
Date: 2006-05-04
From:  Mollie's Ridge Shelter

To: Mollie's Ridge Shelter to Derrick's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

We had some great hiking today. As we stopped for lunch on Rocky Top we had great views all around us, which included a couple of eagles soaring above us. Bouy came along heading south, he looked extremely tired. He was using a backpack, not the daypack he usually carries. We took pictures of, and for, each other before he headed down the trail. Faith Walker and four section hikers were already there when we got in.Another round of bugs had settled in for the night. I went for a water run and then for wood. We had a small fire going in no time, and with the heat and smoke we all enjoyed a bug-free dinner. Red Sox, Eye Forget, and Bonzo came in a little later in the evening. We were ready for bed by 8:30, and even though it was still light out the day was done for us.
Date: 2006-05-05
From:  Double Spring Shelter

To: Derricck's Knob Shelter to Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: light rain

The Smokies, and with them come the fog and rain. We didn't go as far we intended today due to chilly precipitation. Waited out the rain for a few hours in Silers Bald Shelter with Bonzo, Eye Forget, and Red Sox. We made a break for it, but only got about a mile before the rain picked up again. Shared the shelter with Kiaro, Faithwalker, Bonzo, Eye Forget, and Red Sox. The fire helped keep away the chill. With a fence up at the shelter I felt like we are in some crazy zoo exhibit.
Date: 2006-05-06
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter ro Newfound Gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

We were in no hurry to leave in the morning, it still looked like rain. A young deer came to pay us a visit and Bonzo, Eye Forget, No Whammies!, and I got pictures with it standing a few feet away. When we finally started hiking the skies cleared and our hopes for views from Clingmans Dome were high. Seeing Mt. Caconte made me want to hike closer to get a better look. Bonzo, No Whammies!, and I had been trying for a half hour to hitch from Gatlinnburg to New Found Gap. Finally, a huge (I mean huge) trucked pulled over, and did I mention the red flames on the front? It was an awesome ride into town with mountains all around us. Bonzo was off to pick up his van to go and get Rio. We did a little bit of shopping and got a room at the Grand Prix. We bumped into Cassie and Ryan and caught up on things.
Date: 2006-05-07
From:  New Found Gap

To: New Found Gap to Ice Water Spring Shelter
Miles today: 2.9

We had a huge breakfast feast at a Pancake House with Cassie and Ryan. The weather didn't look very dry so we procrastinated throughout the morning. Around noon we forced ourselves out the door with the task of hitching back to New Found Gap. Not 150' from the door someone asked us if we needed a ride. YES!!!! A fellow hiker, Jeff, was heading that way and gave us a ride. He is a photographer by trade and he took some pics of us. He later gave us his card so we could get in touch with him to get them. He was a very nice guy. We reached the shelter and two minutes later the rain came down. A Ridgerunner came in about 20 minutes later soaked to the bone. I ventured out to collect fire wood when the rain slowed. He said "good luck getting a fire going with wet wood." He obviously didn't know who he was talking to While I was out exploring the forest in the fog and rain, which was spectacular, a few noobs came in to camp. We had a fire going soon enough. We see juncos everywhere, I watched them hop all over the leanto and they peeped out little greetings.
Date: 2006-05-08
From:  Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter to Tri Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

The noobs made some serious noise this morning. It was like watching the three stooges as they flailed around the campsite. We hiked for a long stretch surrounded by fog. We took a side trail to Charles Bunion, a large rock outcropping. We sat on the rocksand took a few pictures in asea of white. We had super long stretches of ridge line hiking, but unfortunately came up with no views. Tri-corner shelter was taken over by section hikers by the time we got there. Nickname, a Nobo, was trying to get a fire going. I set out to gather some wood, and after climbing uphill with a huge pile Nowhammies! tells me we cant make a fire inside the shelter. It turns out someone had asthma, so the fire was "put on the back burner." The section hikers had taken over the fire ring in front of the shelter, but try as they might, couldn't get something to burn for more than a couple of minutes at a time. I'm sure that building it on an elevated grill didn't help. Tortoise and Uphill came in a bit later in the evening. Like oil and water, the section and thru hikers gravitated to their respective groups. I went out for a smoke after dark leaving a spot empty next to me. Soon after I returned I started getting chilly, and as I started feeling around for my gloves I realized I was patting down one of the section hikers. Ooops, he wasn't there ten minutes earlier.
Date: 2006-05-09
From:  Tri corner shelter

To: Tri corner shelter to Davenport Gap shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

By the time we stopped to sit in the sun at a clearing a couple of miles from Tri corner the clouds were gone. Most of the day was easy downhill. We stopped regularly at vistas and rock outcroppings. The views seem to have a way of slowing us down. There was one rock outcrop that was bowl shaped, so I put my z-rest in it and layed in my rock crib. I went off to climb on some other rocks while Nowhammies! relaxed in the crib. I climbed a dead tree nearby, and she got mad enough to yell up to me "I'm not carrying you off this mountain!" We had a lunch break at Cosby Knob Shelter. Strange that we would find a set of panties there, I cant figure why someone would leave them?We were going to stop at Davenport Gap Shelter for a rest and continue on to Mountain Mommas or Standing Bear Hostel. Nickname, Uphill, and Tortoise were there with a fire going so we decided to stay and stop somewhere close for a resupply in the morning. I went out for firewood when the pile was gone, not to take any of tortoises' glory, he did all the hard twig work. It was one fire you would not want to get to close to. With the drying of boots and socks you couldn't come within ten feet without a gas masks.
Date: 2006-05-10
From:  Davenport Gap shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter to Standing Bear Hostle
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We didn't have any cash for are impending stay at the Standing Bear Hostle so we were hoping to get a ride to an ATM in the area. This place is way cool in a rustic sort of way. It used to be a farm, and today one of the buildings has been turned into a bunk house. The other is a cabin that is built over a stream. No Whammies! says it reminds her of Little House on the Prairie. A couple, Curtis and Mary, run the hostle and live there with their son and two young daughters.Mary gave us a ride to get some cash, which turned into BBQ, trail food, and beer. Slow goin', a section hiker from NH, came in a while after us. He was just one of a steady stream that kept arriving. A few thruhikers and Jody and Linda, who we met previously in Franklin, were also among the arrivals. They brought news of Ryan and Cassie, in turns out they were resting beacause of his knee troubles. Curtis started a fire for us before dark. I sat by the fire chatting with Mary as the two girls threw pieces of cardboard into the firepit. They all liked my kilt. It turns out Curtis is a member of the Makenzie Clan, the tartan I'm wearing. I was happy to see that my boots had dried out nicely while in the sun, and our sleeping bags had aired out nicely too over by the cabin. It started to rain and I ran over to put the bags inside, but in my haste forgot about the boots. So much much for the fine work the sun had accomplished. Even after a long sit by the fire they are still pretty damp, I don't know when Kim will let me forget it. Max Patch is the place to be tomorrow. I'm hoping the weather gods smile on us, we have plans to tent on the top. I've decided to alter my trail name. The "god" part is a little over the top, so I'm going with Fire Monger. No Whammies! suggested Fire Hog because I take over the fire making wherever we are. Yup, she's a regular smart ass.
Date: 2006-05-11
From:  Standing Bear Hostle

To: Standing Bear Hostle to Max Patch
Miles today: 13.6

The weather was spastic today. It was nice when we woke up, but a little while later it started to rain. We were in no hurry to get wet so we lingered at the Hostle all morning. There was a break in the rain just after noon and we rolled out towards Max Patch. We bumped into Righty and Lefty at the trail and hiked with them for a bit. Not long after that the rain started up again. Snowbird Mountain would have been a nice place to relax except for the fog, wind, and rain. My hands were numb by the time we got to Groundhog Creek Shelter. Some locals that were out for the weekend already had a fire going. I ate a little something after thawing my hands out. It cleared up again as we hiked on, and Max Patch didn't seem so distant. Before beginning the ascent we found a bucket with a note attached, it said "thruhikers, take one and enjoy the view. Pack out the trash." There was one beer left with our names on it. We arrived at the summit around 8:30 amid a wicked stiff wind. I was blown off the trail a couple of times by really strong gusts. Perhaps the wind was a blessing however, because the summit views were clear and beautiful. It was so cold I threw on some extra clothes and set up the tent as quickly as possible, I found my hands numb again. Nowhammies! came over to visit before going to bed, she was too cold and tired to eat very much. I made some boiling nalgenes so the princess could sleep a little warmer, and then settled down for some dinner. I was so hungry I ate until 11:30 p.m. Almost a full moon and the sky is lit up with stars. Its a shame the weather was not civil enough to let us go tent free, it would have been lovely.
Date: 2006-05-12
From:  Max Patch

To: Max Patch to Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. to try and watch the sunrise, but found nothing but clouds. I went back to sleep til about 9:30. Woke up to clear skies and great views in every direction. We had some breakfast and took some pics before leaving. Lefty came along a little later, we chatted for a bit before getting her to take some pics of us before leaving. Another late start after 12:00. Along the way I saw a junco fly out of the underbrush. I looked around and spotted its nest full of tiny, fuzzy, baby Juncos. Kim got a picture of them. One had its beak wide open in hopes of getting a treat. We met Lorax, who had hiked in 04'. He lives in NJ and came out to hike for a few days with Spiceman and another friend. Rainbow Brite and Muddy Shoes were at the shelter when we arrived, and the Lorax, Spiceman, and friend were tenting nearby. We found out that Cassie and Ryan were just ahead of us and Josh is back on the trail. Go Josh! Lorax came over while we were making dinner and offered us some Jack Daniels, it was a nice treat after a long walk.
Date: 2006-05-13
From:  Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Deer Park Mnt. Shelter to Campsite near Tanyard Ga
Miles today: 8.1

Got an early start today so I could get to the post office. It closes at 10:30 a.m. so I knew I had to move. Found a huge crablike spider on my tent this morning, I got a pic, but not to close. We picked up our bounce box and mailed a few things home. It seemed like the whole town was filled with hikers. A friendly cat came by while we were next to the post office, it reminded No Whammies! of her cat; Hamlet. We bumped into Uphill on the way to the Diner. He told us to stay at the hostle he had been staying at and get the beer left behind in the fridge. It seems no one was willing to carry it. We had breakfast at the diner with Rainbow Brite. Its too bad we probably won't see his register entries anymore, they are too funny. Stopped by the Dollar Store to resupply and stopped by the hostle to pick up the beer. I also found a clove of garlic and some incense ( a real bonus.) Nowhammies! found another book. Cassie and Ryan are here! They had an appointment for a mineral water soak and told us where they were staying. We're planning on hiking with them to Erwin and riding up together to Trail Days. We wanted to relax in the hot mineral bath, but they were all booked up for the day. Made some phone calls and wished our loved ones Happy Mother's Day. Its tomorrow, but we are not counting on any reception. Since we didn't leave town til after 3:00 p.m. we only did about 5 1/2 miles before we found a campsite a called it quits for the day. I rebuilt fire pit # 8, I was on vacation through the Smokies due to all the fireplaces. Ryan, Cassie and Kim helped collect fire wood. We sat around having dinner and talking into the night. No Whammies! and I walked over to a pond in the dark to listen to the frogs and sounds of nature. A bat did a fly by and scared kim away. I told her that bats dont crash, they know were they are going.
Date: 2006-05-14
From:  Campsite near Tanyard Gap

To: Campsite near Tanyard Gap to Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

We set up our tents without the rainfly last night, and guess what, thats right..it rained. I was sleeping so soundly that I would have been pretty wet if Kim didn't come over. She put the fly on for me, she's the best. We took a sidetrail up to Rich Mountain fire tower for some snacks and views. A lady came by with a beautiful dog that played with us for a bit. We caught up with Cassie and Ryan at the shelter. They were having lunch with Mr. K, a teacher from York, PA. A tendon in my knee was strained on the climb up to the shelter, it definitely got my attention. We headed out together after lunch aiming for the next shelter 9 miles away. We took a break at Adam's Gap to get ready for the climb. I took it easy on the way up. We took another break by a big log later on. I noticed a woodpecker hopping around on a tree peeping. Next thing you know we hear lots of little peeps. That woodpecker made over a dozen trips while we were there, making all those trips to feed the chicks. Got to the shelter soon afterwards. Mashes taters, teriyaki noodles, ramen, and some snacks for dinner. We finished off the fancy bottle of maple syrup we brought from VT. Took a picture of a bunny that was hanging around the shelter. It started drizzling after dinner, hope the weather stays nice. We've got some big days ahead in order to reach Erwin by Thursday.