morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Fontana Dam Village

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Landmark: From this spot I now have an even 2000 miles remaining!Officially I now have entered Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Regulations for hiking in this park are stringent. No dogs allowed. No camping except at designated shelters or campsites. Registration required. Reservations required for shelters by non-thru-hikers.The day's hike began with me wearing my rain jacket but 30 minutes into the hike I was able to shed it. Only a few sprinkles fell throughout the remainder of the day. The sky stayed mostly overcast, giving us a perfect cool day for starting our climb towards Clingman's Dome. From Fontana Dam we conquered a beast of a climb from 1715 feet to where we sit now at 4570 feet. Actually, only the first and the final climbs were huffers. Most of the day was pretty easy, I thought. Departure from the village was later than hoped, 9:30, but the day proved perfect in both weather and terrain, and I put my feet down at 5:00. Tent set, supper inhaled, bear bag hung, water filtered, and it's bed time again. Seeing a pattern here? Eat, hike, eat, hike, eat, hike, eat, chores, sleep and start all over again in the morning. What a life!The mountain flowers are blooming. Tried to get a pocket-sized flower guide at a store yesterday, but the book must have weighed three pounds! No way! I was treated to a Currier & Ives postcard as I reached the top of Doe Knob. Quite suddenly the ground cover looked like the first light snow of winter. The ground was totally white. But not snow - flowers!! Tiny, delicate white blossoms were blooming as far as the eye could see. I'm guessing they are a type of violet. Learned later they are appropriately called Spring Beauties. In Gatlinburg I must purchase a flower guide, study it and send it ahead in my bounce box.I realized today I'm being passed by so many hikers because I spend half my time gawking at all the flower petals, butterflies, playing with frogs and caterpillars, and trying to spot the birds which are serenading me. Sometimes I even forget to note the view of the mountains on the horizon. Aside from a couple deer, I've not spotted any large wildlife. We've been treated to the crooning of coyotes and the calling of owls. No bear, no skunks, no raccoon or porcupine.For other interesting facts, details and experiences of the trail you might want to do a search on Leslie, Eric, Andante (new name: Now or Never), T, Little Chicken and Saffron. I do believe all are keeping online journals and I'm certain each of them has more knowledge to share than I.Here tonight: Saffron, Baby Blue, T, Timex, Scoutmaster, Java and sister, Blue Carp and Five Beers. Rooney Tunes came RUNNING back 2.5 miles from the next shelter to retrieve his pocket knife and then ran back! Crazy Boy!Fire tower view today. Stick (Steve) from Germany and I hiked together briefly.   Got a good photo of him with our pet frog! He's out for 9 days but stayed at the 7 mile campsite. 9:15 - 'nite.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Typical hiking day! I'm getting better at this. Managed to get up and on the trail in 45 minutes this morning. My tent is quite tidy in the evenings and I've got the repacking down to an art. I pretty much averaged 2 mph throughout the day in spite of some balds granting us even more spectacular views. Some feisty winds gathered steam overnight and continued throughout the day into this evening still. Had it not been for some challenging climbs, we'd probably have been in long pants and jackets all day. Red was approximately 30-35 feet behind me crossing a bald. He asked if I had seen any copperheads. Nope. He had seen 3!! All babies, which he said are worse than adults because they can't control the level of venom injection. Wonder how close I was to them without knowing!Thirty minutes before landing at this shelter I came upon One Leg. He is thru-hiking with a prosthesis. Today it was giving him a royal headache by not fully recharging and then going limp instead of taut as it is supposed to do. So his 13-year-old son backtracked, tied a hiking pole to the leg, carried his pack for him, and they arrived here about an hour after me.Interesting and varied group tonight, some new faces which is always fun. Little Chicken, T, Baby Blue, Saffron, Bone Spur, April Showers, Timex and son, Mother Nature and Smokestack, Scoutmaster, Bear Bait, Clothesline and husband and 3 children (the Garland Five), Java and sister.It's 7:10 central time. My friends with the Rochester Orchestra and Chorale should be in rehearsal for this Saturday's concert. THE PROMISE OF LIVING has permeated my endless humming all day. I'm starting to miss my real life and the people in it.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Finally, I got a level spot for my tent last night. It was in a small indentation (read "gully") but was covered with leaves and looked so soft and appealing. And it was. I knew if we got a cloudburst I'd be in the middle of a river. 11:45 p.m. the rain started. An hour later I was still awake wondering what I was going to do. Dashing into the shelter at 2 a.m. would not be looked upon kindly by those asleep in there. Ah, but I was blessed yet again. The rain was gentle, never puddled, and I stayed warm and dry!8:30 out and onward to Clingman's Dome, highest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountain Park at 6643 feet. It was an invigorating climb to the top, and the vista was worth it. I failed to mention the pig killer who came into camp last night. He sleeps during the day and hunts these nuisance creatures at night. The bears follow him and consume the kill. So far this year the four rangers have destroyed 46 pigs. I seem to have settled into another group. Tonight: Saffron, T, Baby Blue, Five Beers, April Showers, Bone Spur, Mother Nature, Smokestack and Little Chicken. Early start in the morning as we all want to get a full day for chores in Gatlinburg and not spend two nights there. Chilly now, sun is setting, and I'm nearly ready to sleep. I'll try to get online from town to post a few entries. What I can't get done goes to my transcriber via snail mail: thanks Ann! My other mission is to get my pictures transferred from memory card to CD and sent home for posting. I'll let them figure out how to do that. And so ends yet another peaceful, scenic, satisfying day in the Smokies, the end of my first 200 miles. Emotionally and now physically too, I'm pumped to continue into my 4th week and next 100 miles. Love to all. Swan
Date: 2004-04-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Just a quick note from Gatlinburg, TN ... this is Fri, the 23rd. My knee pain is gone! I'm a day ahead of the gang which got ahead of me for the sunset on Cheoah Bald and I'm going forth in great spirits and clean clothes, with a full tummy and complete healing!!! Thanks everyone for the prayers and notes.This marks mile 203. Love to everyone from the spectacular Great Smoky Mountains. Rochester --- get to the Orchestra and Chorale concert tomorrow night! Copeland, Schoenberg, and the great Beethoven 9th!! My musical spirit will be in attendance.Time for an all-you-can-eat buffet. YUMS! ~~ Swan a.k.a. Jan
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

(Ann -- I'm ahead of you .. you'll have to go back and fill in the missing days!)Short miles today, getting us into tourist town Gatlinburg, TN, by mid-morning. Yesterday's hike to the observation tower on Clingman's Dome took us from a deciduous forest (of which 90% of the mountains so far have been) into a primarily evergreen forest. The balsam firs and spruce were a pleasant change, making me feel as though I was back in Minnesota. Walking on pine needles provides a base for a gentle footfall; most often the soil underneath is sandy and soft. The simplest pleasures are the most delightful! Most of the gang is here, each small group finding its way in throughout the day. The usual business was tended to in the usual order: shower, eat, laundry, resupply food, eat, phone calls, computer perhaps, eat, miscellaneous tasks, eat, sleep.Being in a single room as opposed to the 4-to-a-room I was tidy'd up and ready to move out before anyone else. So I struck out for the library to check e-mail and update my journal only to learn the computers were down for two hours. So I searched the downtown area for some envelopes - just plain letter-sized envelopes in which to send my journal to Ann. None to be found. Nowhere. Nohow. Ziltch. Magnets, knick-knacks, souvenirs, old-tyme portraits, specialty items, film ... but NO envelopes. Incredible. But I think I saw all of the touristry downtown main drag!So I trucked back to the library for a couple hours' work. Kenton (bless you my Dear) gave me a lift back to the hotel. By then the others were out. It wasn't a problem; I'm comfortable alone. I landed at the Peddlar Restaurant which was correctly purported to have a superb salad bar. There was a twenty-minute wait, which is nothing out here in the woods; but when it's a wait for food, it's TOO long! On a first-come, first-served basis I could order from the lounge, so that's where I headed. I found a table for two just right for a famished hiking swan. Put in my order for a Mich Gold and proceeded to the salad bar. My table was adorned with my beer, two salad plates, and a basket full of fresh rolls. Well, let me tell you - it was a beautiful sight, lovely enough for a picture. So I took one. The flash brought the attention of others my way. I simply said "Don't mind me; I've been in the woods three weeks." Then I inhaled my meal like a savage I located a camera store to transfer my pictures from memory card to a CD. It's traveling snail mail to Ann who will be able to get some posted online ... soon -- along with the missing pages of this journal!! LOL Just be forewarned: fashion and make-up aren't priority issues out here.Gatlinburg: too much noise, too many lights, too much movement. The Swan needs to return to the woods.
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

What bore potential to be a lousy day ended up being one of my most enjoyable. The post office didn't open at 8:30 as I was told, but 10:00. The trolley ride to/from was very scenic but very time-consuming -- 1-1/2 hours total! So, no return to the library this morning. Finally I checked out of the hotel at 11:20, paused briefly at The Happy Hiker to get my photo taken and posted on the thru-hiker wall (pix since 1992!) and was off to the road with thumb pointed up for a hitch. I thought hitching was supposed to be so easy. This was only my second time; the first took 45 minutes, today a full hour. Wanting to do 10+ miles today and already past noon, I was getting a little upset.   But eventually that lift came and at my drop-off point I met up with a few other thru-hikers I knew, so all was well once again. AND I experienced some grand trail magic from trail angel Tweety, thru-hiker alumnus 2002. Goodies out of her car's trunk included two apples!!! I carried them all day to this campsite, shared one and treated myself to the other. Tweety, an apple has never tasted so good! I really miss my raw food diet. Bless you my angel.Another highlight of the afternoon was coming upon Tara, trailname Firecracker. Tara and I shared a hostel room at Fontana Dam where she was held up for a couple days waiting for her hiking shoes to arrive. Kind of a major piece of gear to have left behind! But they arrived, she started making tracks and our paths converged along the trail today. We spent the remainder of the hike chatting away like two magpies. It sure helped pass the miles by more quickly. She has five more miles on her feet today than I. The shelter was a welcome sight about 7:00 tonight. Once again, the gang is all here, the evening sky is crystal clear, the forecasted rain hasn't begun, the forest is singing us its lullaby.Firecracker, thank you for enhancing my day with inspiring conversation. Sharing today's view from Charlies Bunion with a lovely new friend was a Heavenly gift. God's blessings to all the hikers sleeping under this sky tonight. Pleasant dreams everyone.
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow! I nearly slept through the night last night for the first time. I went to sleep under a gorgeous clear night sky humming Beethoven's Ode to Joy as I knew the Rochester Orchestra and Chorale were in performance of the work. The morning's air is warmer now, so crawling out at 7 a.m. isn't nearly the shock as it was last week.Thanks to my improving organization and packing skills I was back on the trail by 8:15 for a 13.5 mile day. The first .5 was simply to get from shelter to the trail. With a full days' worth of water, an additional 5-7 pounds, the first climb of the day is always a huffer. Today was no exception. Overall, however, we are in consensus the terrain is noticeably less difficult in this second half of the Great Smoky Mountain Park. Of course, we're all gaining strength and endurance, but there definitely is an increase in frequency and length of flat(ish) trail.At the 5.7 mile mark I realized I was hammering out the miles at a ridiculous 2.3 mph tempo. Having only 13 miles to travel today, getting an early start, and knowing I was tempting re-injury on the downhills, I drastically reduced my speed. I still landed here at Cosby Knob Shelter at 3:15. The last few miles were not pleasant. We'd like for the person who spread all those rocks on the trail to come remove them again, please. As Rooney so aptly described: "it's like walking down a dry river bed."The weather gods blessed our day yet again. The day started out with very chilly winds, the sun came out briefly, the sky clouded over, spit a few raindrops, and then graced us with a quiet sunny evening. So far the "significant rainfall" forecast for last night/tonight has not materialized.In attendance tonight: Firecracker, Don't Mind/Don't Matter, T, Baby Blue, Scoutmaster, Ben, Java, Gefilter, Rooney, Saffron/Rick, 5 Beers, Rufus/Daisy, Puck Finn, and Swan.The lax time this afternoon gave me opportunity to complete my thank you notes finally. As I am befriended on this journey, I'm attempting to express my gratitude with a note sent from further up the trail. I've sent many -- I've been extremely blessed. Trail angels take many forms. Thank you everyone!
Date: 2004-04-27
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: scattered clouds

18.5 was not today's intended miles! We were all aiming for Max Patch Bald at 4629' for an evening of star-gazing. However, when I summited, a fellow hiker's thermometer read 45 degrees and I know that wind was at least 50-60 mph. Figure out that windchill Minnesotans! Flash Hand was watching me attempt to cross this 369 acre bald and laughing because I was traveling at a 45 degree angle trying to stay upright. There was a campsite just across the bald but the wind there was pretty brisk too. So I trucked on 3-1/2 hours, and 4.9 miles later I arrived at this shelter. I knew Myst was ahead of me; he verified his existence by scratching an arrow and his name in the muddy path. So I scratched Swan alongside his and kept moving.I'm in company tonight with Myst, 5 Beers and Flash Hands. And it is c-c-c-cold! Matter of fact it is so frigid I can barely write so I'll finish this tomorrow. 9 p.m. Nite all.
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

Every day as I hike I am writing my journal in my mind. This morning it started as just another pleasant walk in the woods. So I had tons of personal thoughts and information to share in lieu of exciting details about the hike. By day's end I can barely recall the first four miles because of the incredible surprises awaiting me as the day progresses. Ah, let me try to regurgitate regardless.Up and at 'em by 8:15. T'was going to be a long day if I wanted to catch April Showers and Ursa Minor at Jerry Cabin Shelter by nightfall. They had slackpacked 14.5 miles out of Hot Springs, returning then to the town for another night. Of those 14.5 miles I did 11 yesterday. So I guessed what time they might be starting from Allen Gap this morning hoping to get the remaining 3.5 miles done before they began. The end of the 3.5 came out at a road. I could not see whether to go right or left. Immediately a vehicle stopped and I was offered a ride to Hot Springs. Nope, just needed a quick direction which she gave me, adding she had just dropped two women off at that point. "Was one blonde and one brunette?"   "Yep!" Whoopie .. it had to be April Showers and Ursa Minor. Sure 'nuf. What a glorious start to the day, 10:00. Company makes the miles go by quicker which was crucial today as the next seven miles were all uphill. Lunch at Little Laurel Shelter where I met Roadster (from MN) and Half Moon, was delightful. Ursa Minor treated me to a foot massage during lunch. The next 1.3 mile upward was a challenge after the break.But the day's highlight was yet to come. We came upon a sign reading mountain ridge trail right, bad weather trail left. Thank goodness it was a good weather day. We hung a right and were treated to the most incredible hike! We are fairly certain this ridgewalk is a new relo of the trail and the bad weather route the old. Thank you AT maintainers and clubs for the immense amount of hard labor you exerted to make this change. I tried to photograph the views, but no matter how awesome the pix, they will never do justice to the scene. On one side of us was the usual multitude of uninhabited mountainsides. But on the other side was a view of the magnificent Tennessee Valley. We were at 4400' looking down at homes and flat farmland as far as one could see. What happened to the mountains?! We surmised the TN/NC state line was drawn using the mountain ridgeline as the determinant for the border. A rough guesstimate is a full mile of hiking on top of the world. It slowed our progress considerably as we landed at this shelter a full hour later than I had calculated. But what a unique happy conclusion to the day!Only four in attendance: we three ladies and Ghost Dog. 9:15 and I'm the only one still stirring. Tomorrow appears to be a 14-mile day so I'd be wise to roll over and say my prayers, too. So, no contemplative, intuitive, deep thoughts today. They'll have to wait for a boring day ... could be a long wait!!!!
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

There's not a whole lot of good to say about today unless you are a duck. Even this Swan wasn't overly excited. Rained last night but looked as though it was clearing when we departed at 8:30. Ten minutes later the rain jackets were on. It was 5.9 miles to the shelter but we were only slightly moist. Even our socks were still dry. We took a 30 minute break with 8.0 miles to the next shelter - very doable. Two hours of clearing and we were totally dry. Hallelulia!Whoops, spoke too soon. The Heavens opened the faucet yet again and here we are at 4:15 soaked through to the bare skin. Boots are swamped. My supper was the first one ready. Matter of fact, my second course was almost gone before anyone else finished their first. (Did inventory and realized I had two more meals than needed before Erwin ~ wanted to drop pack weight ~ had nothing to do with a voracious appetite!)My day started out very sluggish. This was the first time I thought it would be nice to be home in my bed instead of out here. Notice, I didn't say I even considered leaving; it simply was an exercise in comparison and contrasts. But I struggled up the first few climbs. My pack didn't feel quite right and my back muscles were tired, probably from yesterday's huge mileage day. After the first couple miles all was well. I kept my spirits up in spite of the rain, noticing how lovely the foliage was when wet, enjoying the lovely fast moving mountain streams crossing the trail, and pausing to see an old old barn beside which was a small cemetery. Dorothy Hensley, born May 2, 1865. Happy Birthday Dorothy.And, before I close - Happy Birthday Mom M!! Hope you've had a marvelous (and dry) day. Love you tons.Stopped at Flint Shelter for lunch. Bones was hanging out there for a second night to avoid the rain. Smart move. He constructed a swan of rhododendron leaves and a pine cone as a tribute to me. Gosh gee Bones ~ mighty sweet! Here tonight: April Showers, Ursa Minor, Rob, Roo, Blue, Tarzan, and Matt who has been in his bag trying to stay warm since we landed.Two 14-mile days gets us into Erwin Tuesday night. We just read the Holiday Inn Express has a hot tub and a free pint of Ben & Jerry's per night! Three of us are traveling together. I think that's our destination. It's a rough life out here -- he he!
Date: 2004-05-03
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Oy vey! What a day! We actually were foolish enough to think the sky might clear, we'd dry out and hike past the shelter to a campsite for the night. Instead we froze through the night and awoke to one of the coldest mornings yet. All those lovely fluffy soft clouds in the sky are anything but soft and fluffy! We were totally socked in. The moisture in the air was so heavy I'm amazed it wasn't dripping. This morning a couple hours into an uphill climb I was ready to shed the outer garments, reclothe in yesterday's garb, thinking it was warming up and all would dry in a very short time. WRONG ... it's a good thing I hung my wet shorts on the pack to dry instead of on my body. Everything did a 180 degree turnabout. I pulled another "Ann & Jan", putting up a prayer that it wouldn't rain today but I didn't think to pray for no snow! The wind came up and the fog began to mist, the mist turned to sleet, and the sleet turned to snow. Of course the worst occurred as we were crossing another huge bald. And then it happened ~ Swan missed a turn on the trail. Reaching the top of the bald, I took a few steps left to read the sign, then continued down the wide ravine/road from that point instead of diverting right. I suppose I traveled five minutes before I decided to turn to see if April Showers was close behind. Visibility now was about 10 feet maximum. No April Showers. So I yelled to her and she answered about 50 feet to my left! Argh. I'm so glad the AT was nearly paralleling the road I took and doubly thankful I had the wherewithall to turn around for a look-see. I was back on the trail with a 50 foot hop across this pasture-like terrain and then we started worrying about Ursa Minor behind us. We decided to drop our packs and reverse direction to make certain she didn't make the same wrong turn as Swan. But as I was slapping on warmer headgear and about ready to head back up, she appeared out of the mist and fog at our side. By the time we hit this shelter 15 minutes later the sleet and snow were accumulating everywhere. So we sat here and shivered for a while before deciding to put down for the night. The next shelter is 10.6 miles, too far. Lower elevation campsites might be a little warmer, but the snow might turn to rain. At least we were somewhat dry. Expecting noone else to show, we set our tents up inside the shelter to mitigate some of the wind. I carry a very lightweight two-person tent which is roomy but doesn't appear large out in the woods. However in here it takes up three full sleeping spaces. And of course, people started coming. Rob and Blue popped over, but continued on. Bones came and stayed and built us a warming fire. K-Bear and Pepe came, warmed, ate, and are staying. Impulse came but after "contemplating his naval," the naval told him to "move on." So, with room for five on the lower level, I can keep my tent up. And all's well that ends well.