morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-23
From: Spring campsite

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Sassafras Gap Shelter - a very tough 4.5 miles coming up out of last night's wet campsite. Stopped here to get some hot food (then why am I eating cheese?) and dry my gear. Clothes are airing on a makeshift line, tent is drying on a bench and I'm sipping coffee, eating cheese, and trying to write.It's a great view from this shelter. There's a privy to the right and it's only a little less charming than the ones I used growing up. Looks like it would be an easy tipper. No point though, with no one inside. In front of me lies the real view, a "notch", "gap", or gully creasing down the mountainside, with forest floor still of brown leaves, broken by a small zig-zagging stream. I hear a train in the distance and think of my cousin-in-law, Tom the Engineer. A nice guy who probably doesn't even want to do this hike vicariously.I see the dark blue of the Nantahala Mts. in front of me, contrasting with the lighter blue of the sky sprinkled with a variety of soft, fluffy clouds. The wind blows cold and my fingers cramp on this pen. You can't have a journal if you don't write, nor a hike if you don't walk -- still trying to balance the two. There's so much that passes my addled mind during the hiking day. I wish there were such a thing as a "thought recorder" (If there is it's likely called a "wife"). I'd never have to write until I was darn good and ready. I'd just sit at the table with pen and coffee, playback the "though recorder" and let 'er roll.Finished the day at Locust Cove Gap, a small distance of 8 miles, but significant climbs. Listening to some banjo/harmonica mountain music provided by fellow hikers, putting a cap to a great day.
Date: 2005-03-24
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Happy Birthday, Dorothy Lenihan, my mother. 83 years young today. You won't get a card or a phone call, but you do get featured in today's journal, whoopee! My guess is that at sometime during the day you're going to have at least one beer. Happy birthday, Mom. Here's to many more. I love you.Spring is in the mountains. Best weather so far. I can see next week's future, the Smokey Mountains, from where I sit at Brown Fork Gap. This morning a fella said that the climb to "Unnamed Cliffs" would be the toughest this side of the Smokeys. The beginning was a long switchback, moderate grade and I laughed as I walked, perhaps a little too soon. In a short time the incline steepened and just kept going up and up without switchbacks. At its worst (or best if you're one of those positive thinking folks) I leaned forward into my poles, kept going and chuckled to myself "this is where I'd quit if I was from Minneapolis". I'm saving Chicago for another hill and another day.I seem to be getting stronger everyday and, also learning a thing or two more about thru-hiking (Note: if it starts to sprinkle, stop and put on rain gear. Always keep rain cover on backpack). Thru-hiking and backpacking are two separate and distinct entities. Thru-hiking is about surviving the daily grind, enjoying the pleasures of the trail and the people you hike with. I think that I just now realized that I'm part of a thru-hiking community that stretches from Georgia to Maine. It's more incredible than I'd imagined. I guess I didn't followup on the differences between backpacking and thru-hiking, but I'm too tired and cold. Fingers are not nimble fingers. Perhaps another time.Camped for the night at Cable Gap Shelter with a nice young couple from Wales. A girl, Jerri, from Gainesville, FL, home from the Peace Corps, is tenting out back. As I write I feel the soreness from the rocks and roots seem to ooze from my feet as they begin to relax.Tomorrow will be Fontana Dam by midday. Time for me to buy a shower (they're not free you know), get resupplied, do laundry, get a real meal and head for 70 miles of The Smokey Mt. National Park.Soon I am going to discontinue, for the most part, this boring monologue of hiking on the trail. I intend to replace it with whatever pops into my head: people I meet, things that happen, trail magic, etc. Enough for now. I'm sleepy.
Date: 2005-03-25
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

Hiked in with Jerri, a former Peace Corps worker and soon to be Yale Law student, arriving at Fontana Dam about noon. We shared a room at Jeff and Nancy Hoch's "Hike Inn", who were warm and gracious hosts. For $25, they provided a clean roon with 2 beds and a shower, did our laundry and drove us to town for dinner and resupply. I gorged myself on a big, fat steak and baked potato. Any "real" food is absolutely delicious after a few days of subsisting on rice, noodles and gorp. I haven't gotten to the point of being crazed with hunger as so many others have, where a person is continually gorging themself because of the high calorie demands of thru-hiking. I do believe I'm getting by on stored fat and, thankfully, that supply is thinning out.
Date: 2005-03-26
From: Fontana Dam

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

My second best distance day thus far. It's nice to be resupplied with good food, but salami, cheese and candy all add significant weight to a backpack. We did some hard hiking in the AM, but the afternoon sun melted me before giving way to a cool evening breeze that _almost_ provided me wtih a burst of energy.The night was extremely windy, rainy and loud, my tent constantly buffeted by a fierce and roaring wind. Most of the night was sleepless because of the noise. Even when sleep doesn't come you still have to hike the next day.
Date: 2005-03-27
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: broken clouds

I should probably let you know that as of leaving Fontana Dam on 3/26 I was travelling in the 65 mile long Smokey Mt. National Park. There are two important points that come to mind when hiking in the Smokey's, first of all you have to sleep in the shelters -- no tent camping. In most cases, with the steep up and downs there are not many level pieces of ground, although hammock hangers would do fine. The second point is that there are over 2000 black bears in the Smokeys, and while they do not typically dine on hikers, they seem to love the very same food that hikers love and will take it if given the chance. Not cooking or eating in the shelters is important, though often ignored, and so is hanging your food bag in a tree. Shelters are often riddled with mice who will chew through your backpack while seeking food, eat through your sleeping bag while you're in it, and scamper across your bald head while you attempt sleep. It's not all bad though; they can be easily trapped and make the cutest finger puppets.With the lack of sleep due to the previous night's weather (I note here that you are all aware that I broke the rules by sleeping in my tent within the confines of the park, but I really enjoy the reckless lifestyle of the hardened outlaw) sleeping late, but having already lost two watches somewhere in the woods, I never knew the time the day's journey began.After hiking for a seemingly lengthy spell I asked the time of a fellow sojourner, expecting it to be about 11:00AM. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I discovered it was 3:00PM. Keep in mind that rain, wind and fog conspired to hide the sun all day. Such is the life of a thru-hiker in his world without a timepiece.In any event, with the time-altered day I was only able to hike 9.8 miles to Derrick Knob shelter where I once again met Ezra and Deborah, two thru-hikers I first met while staying in Franklin, NC. Friendships, though often transitory, form fast on the Appalachian Trail and soon I was lightening my heavy food bag by sharing my salami, cheese and chocolate-covered coffee beans with them. Reciprocally they were glad for the trail magic and I for the lighter pack and the cheerful, welcoming way in which they rearranged their gear and made room for me in the night-darkened shelter.
Date: 2005-03-28
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: snow

Cold, snowy, rainy and windy, but I had good energy knowing the hiking day to be short. Clingman's Dome, at 6,643 feet, is the highest point on the trail and I specifically decided on a short day figuring I'd rather tackle it after being freshly coffee'd in the morning rather than struggling after hiking 7-plus miles just to get there. That evening I stayed in the shelter with Davey from Maine, "I Can" from Minneapolis and "Seneca" from Rochester, NY, All being good-natured thru-hikers...and much faster than me.Tomorrow: Clingman's Dome or Bust!
Date: 2005-03-29
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Ice Water Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

The night spent at Double Spring Gap Shelter was memorable because of the combination of snow, sleet, and rain. They all seemed to adhere to each other and form some sort of conglomerate that positively sticks to trees. With the advent of violently whipping winds during the night, large chunks of ice would break from the trees and cascade upon the tin roof of the shelter. I have never experienced anything like it in my life -- and I'm getting old and have lived in lots of places. It positively rattled all night long. There was little sleep for anyone, but I was most grateful to not be in my tent.The short hike to the ascent of Clingman's Dome was stunningly beautiful, everything coated in ice with the rising sun shining through, creating incredible patterns as it reflected from the many facets and angles of the crystal pines.Going up Clingman's Dome was an unexpected piece of cake. The mountain, while high, gets there with a gentle, gradual incline and was never the beast I feared. Going down, however, was the real treat. The trail was alternately slick with ice, deep with slush or aswirl in the water of rapidly rising running water. Two of my fellow hikers were swept to their death in a flash flood, but I did manage to save their wallets (Just kidding!)I recall one stretch (all day long actually) where I was constantly pelted with chunks of icey snow as it fell from the wind-whipped trees, knocking me on the head, neck and arms. It was reminiscent of living at home with my 5 brothers. There was one particular descent that seemed coated with glare ice. I stood on the cusp of it for some time trying to discern the safest path. Suddenly a larger piece of ice broke loose knocking me in the back of the head. I quickly realized that not making a choice is also a choice and has consequences. Making my decision I somehow negotiated that treacherous little piece of terrain and moved a few steps closer to Maine...with just the tiniest knot on the back of Nimblefoot's Dome.
Date: 2005-03-30
From: Ice Water Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

Last night at Ice Water Springs Shelter I arrived in the light of my headlamp as it was well after dark. The shelter occupants greeted me with warmth and enthusiasm, making space for my gear, sleeping pad, and bag. Beyond enthusiastic was the greeting of Angie and Julia, recent college grads from upstate NY, who have since been trail named "Giggles" and "Box of Fun". They make "Red Rover" (who I have earlier maligned) seem positively dour. It was as if God had put Red Rover in my life as an immunization, that I might create antigens with which to protect myself from the boundless joy and energy of "Box of Fun" and "Giggles". It didn't work. They walk, they laugh, they sing and they take lengthy breaks while perched on sun-warmed rocks overlooking beautiful vistas. In short, they completely understand what a thru-hike is all about...enjoying the ride. They always make it into camp in plenty of time and all who are fortunate enough to spend time in their company are made better for it.I have had the continually humbling experience of being one of the slowest hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Early on the 20- and 30-somethings whizzed by me (as long as they're "whizzing" I'm glad it's by and not at me) on the trail, and then the 40-somethings would go by in a blur. My speed-hiker denial system was suffering badly, but still I could say that no one within 10 years of my age had passed on the trail. I recall exactly where I was when the thought first occured to me and how my poor little middle-aged hiker ego took refuge in its confines. Within half an hour Darcy (40ish), "I Can" (58) and Seneca (62) all blazed by, stomping all over my tattered delusion of hiking prowess. Speed is good for the ego, but absolutely non-essential for completing a thru-hike. The two young men, "Terrapin" and "No Legs", who were with me the day I sprained my ankle are now off the trail because of injuries. Both are really good people and I'm sad they're not here. However there's lots more to life than the AT and whatever they're doing I wish them the best.I think that it was on this day that I began to meditate on my hiking speed and eventually the "Nimblefoot Measurement of Thru-Hiker Speed" emerged into my consciousness. It works like this: Whatever my average speed happens to be it is deemed to be a rate of "1.0 Nimblefoot". Therefore, a person hiking faster than I would be at "1.1 Nimblefoots" or better. A slower hiker, should there be one, would hike at the rate of ".99 Nimblefoots" or less. The only person I have witnessed hiking at the rate of 1.0 Nimblefoots was a smart aleck hiker who had just passed me on the trail. He turned to me and began hiking backwards uphill, thus slowing his pace to 1.0. I think I threw a rock at him.
Date: 2005-03-31
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

My biggest mile day so far, the last 3 miles being essentially down hill. There was enough ice in the morning that sliding off the trail was a real possibility, but that didn't happen until the afternoon and what seemed to be drier conditions. I was walking along the trail having just stopped for a nutritious lunch of M&M's, peanuts and water (by the way, I've already lost 20 pounds) at Cosby Knob Shelter. About 500 yards into the afternoon hike I stepped on a very large, flat, and seemingly dry rock that sloped somewhat to the edge of the ridge. As my second foot came into solid contact with the rock surface, I slipped and flew through the air and off the ridge, landing with a soft thud in a mass of mud and pine boughs. Completely unhurt. No bumps, bruises or scratches. How I came out of it that well is completely baffling. I'm still not sure why it happened; the rock "looked" dry, but maybe my boots were muddy. Since my ankle injury I've been completely paranoid about where I place my feet, but thousands of those decisions have to be made daily, and sometimes we make wrong choices. I was either lucky or it was divine intervention. What would I do differently? Nothing. It's just not possible to hike the Appalachian Trail and not step on rocks, but I will continue to watch where I put my feet.
Date: 2005-04-01
From: Davenport Gap

To: Ground Hog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

I don't know that people consider me much of a complainer or a whiner, but since starting this adventure I've discovered that there is a little person inside me that drives me absoltely bonkers every morning. I call it "The Internal Whiner". Shortly after getting on the trail each day I discover that one shoelace is either too tight or too loose, my backpack isn't adjusted right, I have to pee again or a host of other problems. Generally I stop after about half a mile and make the needed changes. My internal whiner determines that nothing has improved and relentlessly continues the deluge of complaints. You cannot love the whiney voice away; being gentle is seen as weakness. The only thing that works is to tell it (myself) to shut the hell up and hike as hard and long as I can until the voice goes away. Once dealt with in this strict fashion everything is fine until the next morning.
Date: 2005-04-02
From: Ground Hog Creek Shelter

To: Max Patch Road
Miles today: 6.4

It rained hard the night I stayed at Ground Hog Creek Shelter and with morning came a lessening of rain, but the cold and wind continued unabated. "Figaro" and his wife, "Tofu", were up and packing as I arose and did the same. Three men continued to sleep as well as "Giggles" and "Box of Fun". Gradually the rain increased and then turned to snow. The three of us started out hard in the cold of the morning in an attempt to develop and maintain some body heat. We were properly dressed. Our plan was to hike 13 miles over Max Patch Mountain and stay the night at Walnut Mountain Shelter. Within a couple of miles it became all snow with a wicked head wind. It was difficult, but well within practical limits to continue.There may have been 3 to 4 inches of actual snowfall, but with the drifts from the strong wind, the snow was quite deep in some areas. Crossing Max Patch Road we soon forded a small stream and began the climb up Max Patch. Previously in the trees, we were now in open area with the wind screaming and the snow piling high. At the summit the winds were clearly dangerous and the trail could not be seen. Instantly we knew that getting off the trail was vital and so we turned and retraced our tracks to the road.The first passing vehicle, a father and his 15-year-old son returning from fishing for trout, picked us up and drove us into the town of Hot Springs, NC. Luckily we were able to rent the last 2 rooms in town, above a small restaurant.Again, I think we made good choices along the way. Today, April 3rd, is sunny and warm. I am writing this in my cozy room overlooking a small river and listening to music from the cafe below. A markedly different day and I am greateful to be here to experience it. I think I'll have a beer....and just celebrate how good it all feels.
Date: 2005-04-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hi,Just a quick note. I'm in Hot Springs, N.C. after getting chased off Max Patch Mountain due to a snow storm/white out that obliterated the trail. Everything's fine, 251.1 miles so far (but who's counting, right?) and having a great time. I'm revising some hand written entries today and will put them in the mail to my fantastic transcriber this early afternoon. Gotta go, terminal time is precious and others await their turn. Thanks for the support.
Date: 2005-04-04
From: Max Patch

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This was a trip to make up for the section missed when we got blown off the mountain when trying to get to Hot Springs. Since we were actually returning to Hot Springs I left about half my gear with some fellow hikers and took off with a lighter pack. As of this writing it's 6 days later and about all I remember was the day alternated between the melting snow from the earlier storm and dry ground and sunshine,depending on which side of a given mountain I was on. The lightness of pack made all the difference in the world and I tried my hand at running a mile at one point because I felt strong enough to do so...but only for a mile. This was my first attept at doing 20 miles which, to me, is the minimal standard for distance excellence. In other words, I didn't have to do it but wanted to and the conditions of both weather and the lighter pack made it the logical at the time. All I particularly recall is being completely tired when I finished and walking directly to the Smokey Mountain Diner when I got off the trail and eating a huge meal, following which I crept to my room and stayed there. Considering that the Men's NCAA championship basketball game was being played that night and I didn't even watch should be a true testament to my exhaustion. Nonetheless, I did the deed and am not anxious to do it again real soon. Next time I'll just let the mileage come to me.
Date: 2005-04-05
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mt. Shelter 
Miles today: 11.0

It was hot and dry with a noon start, quickly getting into a very steep and difficult climb that never seemed to end. Hiking in the heat is not what this Yankee is noted for (neither is hiking in the cold for that matter) and being preceded by a 20 mile day just compounded my struggle. I pulled into the shelter area at about 7:30, just as the sun went down. First I put up my tent, prepared and ate some noodles and then crept into my sleeping bag and slept.
Date: 2005-04-06
From: Spring Mt. Shelter 

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I left camp in the early morning to take advantage of the cool morning. As the day warmed to an uncomfortable level I took a 2 hour break in the shade of Little Laurel Shelter and then trudged into the cooler mid-afternoon. Hiking the White Rock Cliffs was scary. It had become overcast and the wind picked up to a high rate on the very exposed cliffs as I crawled through the rhododendron thickets and then onto the steep, exposed, white cliffs. It was a tough but enjoyable climb where I really felt pitted against the elements; one of those primal scream things as opposed to hiking in the heat where I just melt into the earth without so much as a whimper. Slow hiker that I am, the shelter was full when I arrived so I tented out and was unable to enjoy the dubious luxury of shelter mice running over my head. Maybe next time.
Date: 2005-04-07
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

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

Trying to get going earlier every day to take advantage of the coolness of the morning hour, I departed camp at 7:40. My last received weather forecast in Hot Springs called for rain and the mornings conditions gave every indication that it would come sooner rather than later. I had breakfasted on a brownie and a few gulps of water and ate nothing further until hiking about 6 miles wjem I inhaled some oatmeal. For me the cool weather was perfect and my energy showed it, finishing the day at about 4:30.Time alone in the woods can give you too much opportunity to think and oten I find myself laughing outloud at my thoughts. Unfortunately I rarely remember them, or if I do they're scarcely printable. Today, however, is an exception. Midway through the day I happened across a dead shrew on the trail. My immediate thought was "Oh my God, couldn't they have just tamed it?" I enjoy my company.