morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: snow

Sunday, April 15, 2007 Day 30We had heard from some men in the park that a nor¢easter was coming. Not knowing what a nor¢easter was, I wasn¢t too impressed. It was only cloudy and misty when we left Groundhog for our morning climb. We had also heard there might be trail magic at Brown Gap, which I was happy to believe. I know what trail magic is. We got to the gap, and there was this monster yellow Mountain Hardwater tent. Inside were Foot Machine, Echo, Bear Killer, Scout, and Apple. Apple came up from Texas and was feeding hikers hot dogs and cocoa, so we ate and drank. He kept going out and coming back in, announcing ¢the temperature is down 3 degrees in the past 20 minutes¢, and other ominous pronouncements, so we put our packs back on and pushed over to Max Patch. As we climbed Max Patch (a bald, or mountain with no trees), the wind climbed over 40 miles an hour. We recognized the rocks we had taken a break at last year, went over the top in sideways snow, and down the other side. We found out later that several hikers did circles around the bald, looking for the right trail. One doubled back to the trail magic, another hitched out on a Forest Service road in near hypothermic condition. We pushed on in deepening snow to the Roaring Fork shelter, which was a 3-sided log building with no chinking between the logs. Recognizing the sheer folly of stopping in the wind and cold at 2:45, I got us moving again toward the next shelter, which at least afforded the opportunity to get to Hot Springs the next night. We passed Echo, tenting down low in Lemon Gap, climbed up Walnut Mountain, and found the shelter with only two others, a pair of sisters who had pitched their tent in another, this time very old but porous shelter. Jeannie cleared the snow off the floor, I laid our Tyvek down and following the women¢s lead, put up our tarp in the shelter. We ate cold. It was way too windy to try and cook, and we didn¢t even get water. We climbed into our makeshift shelter, ate some candy, cheese and salami, and went to sleep.
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: HOT DAMN SPRINGS, North Carolina
Miles today: 13.1

Monday, April 16, 2007 Day 31It was tough getting up. The tarp was soaked from our condensation, and the sleeping bags were wet. I had a horrible time getting my boots on. They were frozen, and my weird second toe kept hanging up on the way in. Both feet. Finally, I got them on, got packed, and we were gone. The wind was still roaring like a freight train through the tree tops, but the snow had ended, and it was just a few degrees below freezing. My shirt was damp, and instead of pants, I put on fleece and rain pants. Our morning climb today was Bluff Mountain, another 2,000 foot-plus climb. In places, the snow was four inches deep, and a hinderance to fast walking. The sky began to clear, and as we dropped below 3,000 feet, the snow softened, turned to mud, then began to disappear. We got to a sunny spot, I changed into my pants, stripped off some of the cold weather gear, and had some lunch. With the wind still howling, the sky cleared and the day became almost pleasant, especially on the back sides of the hills. We made our way past the last shelter south of Hot Springs, North Carolina, and reached town about six. We got a teeny cabin, a burger at the Paddlers Pub, put our names down to stay at Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn tomorrow night, and stormed around town until way past eight.
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Tuesday, 17 April 2007 Day 32 We lounged in our cabin until way past sunrise, then cleared out and headed to the post office. Score!! Tina had sent a new water filter canister and some Easter goodies, and Weeks and Harley had sent about 20 pounds of chocolate, plus Peeps. We did our laundry, ate some chocolate, moved up to the Sunnybank Inn for the night, ate some chocolate, resupplied, ate some chocolate, and went up to the library to update my trail journal. We got a tub at the Hot Springs Resort, then back to the Sunnybank for dinner. At dinner Jeannie threw out some possible trail names, like Workin' On It, Snow Cone, Tree Grabber (since sending her poles home, to get down big steps in the trail, she grabs trees. In the Smokies, this resulted in her dumping liberal amounts of snow on her head and pack. Ergo, Tree Grabber and Snow Cone) and the name she used last year, Gus. After brief discussion, a vote was taken, and Jeannie is once again Gus.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Day 33 We left after breakfast, sent a couple things home from the post office, and stopped at Bluff Mountain Outfitters to pick up a couple of items. After calling Tina, we finally got out of town at 11:45. After crossing the French Broad River, we headed up into the hills. Six miles after leaving town, and after a stiff climb, we crossed the highway into Hot Springs and climbed toward Rich Mountain. It was about five when we passed the trail to the lookout, which last year we found to be trashed out, so we kept going. We stopped for a bite to eat, then on our last mile of the day, saw an owl flying through the forest, about 50 feet away. As we approached the last hill before the shelter, Gus spooked a mama and two yearling bear cubs. They were down the hill, and when I saw them, they were scrambling away from us. When we let everyone at the shelter know, they made sure they got their food bags hung properly. And the weather? Well, finally we had a nice day, with an early shower becoming partly cloudy and breezy.
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

Thursday, April 19, 2007 Day 34 We got going near 9, beating several people out of camp, but as usual, they all soon passed us. As we approached Allen Gap, we spent a few minutes talking to a trail maintainer who has been keeping up part of the trail for 17 years. At the gap we saw a sign from Hercules and Fal advertising their trail magic, so we went over and had Belgian Waffles and stew, a root beer float and something called tiramisu--I don't know the proper spelling, so someone feel free to correct me. We headed out after an hour and broke new trail ground for me. Last year I went off the trail from Allen Gap to Erwin due to a shin splint. After a big climb, we reached the Little Laurel shelter about 3:30. I was up for continuing, but the weather was cool and threatening, and we were headed higher, so we settled in after a short (8.6 mile) day. I napped, since I haven't been carrying a book, and had to get a wakeup call about 7 pm to make dinner.
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday, April 20, 2007 Day 35 We had an early climb, up Camp Creek Bald. After reaching the not bald bald, the trail went up to a rocky ridge. The trail was up and down and over a narrow, rocky crest with lots of views, but very slow going. We finally got past and down the ridge and stopped for water and lunch at the Jerry Cabin shelter. The trail veered onto an old road with very few blazes, then past a burial plot where a couple of civil war soldiers were buried. After a steep downhill, we reached the Flint Mountain shelter a bit after 6, and shared the place with some other thru-hikers we had met at Jerry Cabin. The flowers are starting to bloom again, among them spring beauties, trout lilies and wild irises. What started out as a cloudy day had become clear by dusk, with a three-day old moon, and it was neither hot nor cold most of the day.
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Spring past Sam's Gap
Miles today: 11.9

Saturday, April 21, 2007 Day 36 The weather is so nice right now it's not even worth remarking upon, so just ignore this sentence. We got going, just about last out of the shelter, and soon enough, the last one out passed us. We don't pass many people on the trail, but we seem to be catching them in towns along the way. As we drop down, we see some spring, some flowers blooming, when we climb, we're still in brown. By mid-afternoon, we approached Hogback Ridge shelter and turned in for water. We met another thru-hiker, Jay Silverheels, who had taken a zero day in the shelter after feeling out of energy the day before. We had a long walk to the spring, filled up, and headed out after a long break. As I was walking down toward Sam's Gap, I met a hiker headed south who said she was going to Erwin. I was surprised, as I was headed toward Erwin in the opposite direction. After a couple questions it was clear I was going the right direction, and she wasn't. She turned around and I followed. We reached Sam's Gap and I sat down to wait for Gus. We crossed under the interstate (26), droppped our trash into the convenient cans, and headed up looking for a spring and a place to camp. About a half hour later, just before a big climb, we found the spring and the campsite right off the trail.
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Spring past Sam's Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

Sunday, April 22, 2007 Day 37 We had rolling climbs, up then down, and up again. So what, just another day on the AT. At one point we were near a ridge with access from the other side, and found a bag of apples, a thermos of coffee, creamer and sugar. We don't drink coffee, but we eat apples, so we did. As we approached Big Bald, we found the scene we met in the Smokies last year--the hillsides covered with blooming spring beauties. From there we went up over Big Bald, for once a bald bald, with fabulous views in all directions, except for the view of the massive development covering a nearby mountaintop with roads and expensive houses. Que sera. We stopped for lunch at another shelter, then stopped for water a long way off the trail. We had to climb up to a point called High Rocks, and had some of that rocky trail that is slow going. I was looking for a campsite with a water source that never was obvious, so we ended up at Spivey Gap, next to a road, with a creek. Good enough. I tried changing the water filter canister, but the parts wouldn't go together. Made a long day tougher, but the weather was again superb, and we spent a cool night in our tent.
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Spivey Gap

To: Miss Janet's House, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Monday, April 23, 2007 Day 38 Hey!!! We got out of camp before 8:30! A breakthrough!! We crossed the road, climbing up along a creek on another beautiful, sunny day. Today only involves three climbs of any duration. The first was 600 feet, and we were over soon. We reached the No Business shelter by about 11:30, stopped for lunch, and moved on. We had stopped for water, and the new filter canister worked well even though the handle isn't secure. I can't get the retaining pin through the locking hole, but the pump works fine. Fully watered, we keep going past the shelter, and began to see Erwin by about 2 in the afternoon. It was a 1,500 foot drop to the Nolichucky River that took until past 3. When we reached the bottom, we hiked in toward town on a road with very little traffic and finally got close enough to catch a ride from a fellow interested in the trail, who quizzed us about Hot Springs. He dropped us off at Miss Janet's, where we secured at least floor space. We headed off to the laundromat, then Miss Janet picked us up and we went to Pizza Hut for a pizza pig-out. After dinner we had fun getting out of Miss Janet's car in the parking lot and taking group pictures, then resupplied at White's, RiteAid, and Dollar General, then back for the night to Miss Janet's. Tomorrow--north to Damascus.
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Miss Janet's House, Erwin, TN

To: Past Beauty Spot Gap
Miles today: 11.6

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 Day 39 When last we met, Gus and I were finished with our resupply, spent the night at Miss Janet's hostel in Erwin, Tennessee, and were ready to attempt an escape from the Erwin Vortex. We made it. After picking up protein bars (which I had forgotten the night before) at Walgreen's and breakfast at Miss Janet, Janet gave us a lift back to the trail, and we were on our way before 11. We hiked up past the Nolichucky River to find Lumpy and Caveman celebrating Lumpy's birthday--in the woods, with cute little birthday party hats on. We stopped briefly and made it to the Curly Maple Shelter for lunch. We shared the place with GG, Rhodo, Moon Goat, and his dog, Otto. We pressed on, crossing through Indian Grave Gap where we took another break, then climbed up toward Beauty Spot. We passed a couple of backpackers sporting GPS units on their shoulder straps. One of them told us the water at Beauty Spot Gap was stagnant. It was getting warm as we finished the climb over Beauty Spot, then down into the gap where we found the stagnant water flowing nicely below the quiet pool near the trail. We mosied on past a tent set up below Beauty Spot and set up near a big tree in the middle of a nice meadow.
Date: 2007-04-25
From: Past Beauty Spot Gap

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.7

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 Day 40 We were up by 7, but a few minutes later, a lone hiker walked up. Her name was Grambo, and she asked if we had any extra water. I offered her some of my stagnant water and told her where the next spring was at Deep Gap. We stopped at that water just before the big climb of the day over Unaka Mountain. On the down side of the mountain, we passed some northbound hikers going south. If I haven't explained slack-packing, let me be brief. Some hostel operators and some outfitters will take you ten or twenty miles up- or down-trail to a gap and then you hike back to the start point with water, lunch, and rain gear. No tent, no sleeping bag, no five days of food. In short, faster and easier. But still backwards. Gus and I are slightly puritanical about slacking. It's fine for some, but not our cup of tea. So we got to Cherry Gap shelter, and there was Grambo taking a break. M&M hiked in from the north, slacking. We ate and got water, then followed Grambo to Iron Mountain Gap, with the newly hatched grasshoppers stirring in the leaves as we passed. It got hot. We got more water at a spring below an open, grassy field, pressed on over a section of relocated trail that we later found out had been opened less than two weeks before, and arrived at Greasy Creek Gap about 6:15. It had been an especially nice day for flowers. We saw red trillium (don't know what their real common name is), larkspur, trout lilies, spring beauties, bluets, and more.
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Greasy Creek Gap

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Thursday, April 26, 2007 Day 41 After a quick couple miles to the Clyde Smith shelter, we stopped for water. No one was there, or had been there the previous night. On our way to Hughes Gap, we passed two guys out hunting for ramps (a garlic-type plant, apparently makes good eating). We passed M&M, slacking again, then took a break in the gap before pushing on up the steep and long slope to Roan Mountain. The rain hit as we climbed, and we made a totally unnecessary stop at Ash Gap to get water. The spring was so far down the side hill I didn't want to look at the altimeter on my watch, because I didn't want to know how far I had to climb back up. (The climb from Hughes Gap to Roan Mountain is about 2,200 feet, without side trips.) We reached a fogged-in Roan summit by mid-afternoon, found the Forest Service restrooms closed until May 1, and hiked on to the Roan Hike Knob Shelter, at 6,285 feet the highest shelter on the Appalachian Trail. We got there early, but decided since the weather was bad, and the next shelter nearly five miles away over some high balds, to spend the night. The shelter is an old cabin once used by those who manned the fire lookout tower, and we had it to ourselves. No cable, no internet, no furniture. We set up on the second floor, ceiling maximum height four feet, and had a quiet night.
Date: 2007-04-27
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Doll Flats
Miles today: 12.2

Friday, April 27, 2007 Day 42 We scored a bit of trail magic at Carvers Gap, below the shelter. Apples and a Pepsi. We walked into a picnic area with a rest room to find trash strewn about the place. We added ours to the overstuffed trash can, and after Gus changed into her damp clothes, headed up into the sunshine and over Round Bald. We stopped at the Stan Murray shelter for a break with a couple of section hikers, passed the ever-popular Overmountain Shelter, which we believe a bit drafty on a windy night, climbed up over Hump Mountain after getting water in the gap below, and enjoyed the view we missed the year before when we hiked this stretch in fog and rain. We reached Doll Flats near 7, set up the tent and settled in for the night.
Date: 2007-04-28
From: Doll Flats

To: Mountaineer Falls Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Saturday, April 28, 2007 Day 43 When we got up the weather had turned cold. It was windy and cloudy and 38 degrees. We got going, and as we dropped the sun came out and we lost the wind. We reached Highway 19E, walked down to Mountain Harbour B&B for stove fuel, then hitched back up the road to a small market and resupplied. We hitched back down to the trail, then up through old farm fields in the rain, where we lost the trail briefly. We spotted a turkey, but the turkey had previously spotted us, so it was a brief look and gone. We passed a cemetery, crossed a couple roads, and got down into the woods again, and made it to Jones Falls for lunch and a couple pictures. The trail follows the Elk River for a time, and we touched the North Carolina border one last time before turning back into Tennessee. We found the new Mountaineer Shelter, built last year after Trail Days in Damascus, and when we got there found GG and Rhodo, with Medicare Pastor not far behind.
Date: 2007-04-29
From: Mountaineer Falls Shelter

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: broken clouds

Sunday, April 29, 2007 Day 44 We hiked for about three hours before reaching Laurel Fork. At the fork we turned and hiked a quarter mile west to Abby's Place, looking for my friends Ben & Jerry. When we got there, we found neither Ben nor Jerry, and I was crushed. We visited briefly with 75-year old Van Go, formerly of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, then headed back to the trail. Undone by the missing B&J, we stopped at Moreland Gap shelter about 3:30, sapped of energy. (Or could it have been the heat? Who knows?) What we found there was the shelter register, going back to May of 2006, so we amused ourselves by reading about the 671 webs Weeks had snapped on May 13, and his new invention, the Webmaster 3000. We read about all the great Denver food Kish was craving, and the song resulting from those cravings, and about the butt kicking Harley Hogpit was receiving that day. M&M rolled in later, and after that Suess and two of his merry band.
Date: 2007-04-30
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 6.1

Monday, April 30, 2007 Day 45 The traffic was passing before we got on the trail, but we made it to Dennis Cove in nice weather only to hear chainsaws in the distance. We passed a farmer planting potatoes, passed the tree cutters, and made it to Kincora hostel before noon. Bob Peoples, one of the proprietors, came out of the house before we had a chance to shower or start laundry, so we headed into town for a fast resupply. Along with four or five days of food, I bought some Ben & Jerrys, some root beer, a dozen eggs, and pork sausage. It was 85 degrees in Elizabethton when we drove through. Back at Kincora we did our chores, separating the food, and hanging out with Music Man, who was nursing a bad ankle, and swilling a couple of root beer floats. Bob and Pat put on a Beltaine celebration feast that night, with corned beef, cabbage, green beans, onion pie, potatoes and something called trifle, made from cake, pudding, strawberries, and cream. There was a big group there that evening, and we all stuffed ourselves.
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Tuesday, May 1, 2007 Day 46 I got up early and cooked up the entire dozen eggs and package of sausage, save the two eggs begged from me the night before. Gus and I ate the whole thing. We also had strawberries and pineapple Gus had the foresight to get in town. Then I finished the B&J and root beer. We got a late start and were barely past Laurel Falls and the blooming azaleas when M&M, Foot Machine, Wonder, Blue Meanie, Hiker Chic and Butch all slacked past us. It was a hot day climbing Pond Mountain, especially without the musical strains of 'Stairway to Heaven' as performed by Kish. We picked up water at Pond Flats and pushed on over the top by midafternoon, arriving at the shore of Watauga Lake and making our way around to the shelter on the far side late in the afternoon. It was 81 degrees at the shelter at 6:30, and as if that wasn't enough, a tree fell in the forest near the shelter, and we all heard it.
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

Wednesday, May 2, 2007 Day 47 We got going earlier than yesterday, as it promised to be another hot day. Coming out of the woods, we crossed over the Wautaga Dam, hiked up the road, then back into the woods. The trail met the road from the dam further on, and after a break we began the long climb up a ridge overlooking the reservoir toward Iron Mountain. We took another break to get water a few miles up and stopped for lunch at the Vandeventer shelter, the last shelter we stayed in before I was forced off the trail last year. We had just enough water to get the four miles to the next spring. Bob Peoples from Kincora told us the water source for the Vandeventer shelter, which was about a half mile downhill from the shelter, was there because the trail used to come up past it. There've been a lot of relocations of the trail over the years. There used to be a lot of road walks, but with work the trail now stays more in the woods and on the ridges, and it has become much longer because of the relocations. After getting water we pressed on to the Iron Mountain shelter where we caught up with Moon Goat and his dog, Otto. M&M was there, along with Castaway. His friend Matt had gotten off at the dam with a bad knee and a yearning to see his girlfriend. It was 81 degrees at 5:30, another hot day.