morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-18
From: Painter Branch

To: Max Patch Summit
Miles today: 11.3

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty good day. It rained off and on through the night, so I awoke to a soggy tent - I just hate packing a wet tent. But we relaxed at camp and got a late start, which was nice. The day was going well until we stopped for water at Brown Gap and I discovered that my water filter died. I coaxed a few liters out of it, but it looks like it will be iodine from here until Hot Springs. Yummy! Once I get into town, I'll get some Aqua Mira or bleach to treat my water (the replacement filter cartridge is WAY too expensive to be replacing every month). Oh, well. Perhaps that reduction in pack weight will allow me a pillow.After the water incident, we hiked up to Max Patch Summit, where we spent the night. Max Patch is an enormous bald (or mountaintop with no trees) and the views are amazing. I saw the sun rise from my tent and it was absolutely gorgeous. Last Minute is heading out for a 17-mile day, hoping to arrive in town on Sunday morning. Leanna has friends meeting her on the summit for lunch, so she and I are relaxing this morning and planning to arrive in Hot Springs on Monday.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Max Patch Summit

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: clear sky

Our morning of rest was wonderful. I was greeted during breakfast by a trail angel who gave me a Sunkist and a cupcake. After chatting for awhile, he left, and Leanna and I lounged listening to NPR. Her friends arrived and brought lunch - yummy fresh rolls, easter eggs, and carrot cake. We hiked an easy, relatively flat 5 miles to Roaring Fork Shelter where we were greeted by even more trail magic - brownies, soda, easter candy, and fruit. Our second trail angel left and not even an hour later a third and fourth arrived. They arrived bearing...beer. Apparently they thought "Trailfest" was going on this weekend in Hot Springs. When they discovered that it was last weekend, they decided to do some trail magic. Currently "Healer" is doing some chiropractic work on one of the trail angels. Lots of cracking and popping, only some of which is coming from the fire. Overall, it was an easy day with lots of trail magic. Happy Early Easter!
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

One day until Hot Springs! Woo-hoo! And not even that - just one night and 3 miles in the morning.Today was a pretty uneventful day, as hiking goes. Leanna's friend gave her dyed easter eggs yesterday and we hid them around the shelter this morning. Hard boiled eggs for breakfast were quite a hit!The hike itself wasn't too bad. 10 miles with a lot of up and down - a rude awakening from the terrain of the Smokies. The scenery today wasn't too noteworthy. No overlooks, but I did notice leaves sprouting on the trees. Have we descended a lot, or has spring finally reached the mountains?I got some trail magic earlier today from Tripper and Still Bill, who stayed at Roaring Fork Shelter with us last night. They let me use their water filter. Yea! The only downside was that I had to lug 4 and a half liters of water up and down mountains all day. I made it to Deer Park Mountain Shelter today, about 3 miles outside of Hot Springs. Civilization is so close...I can actually hear a train from the shelter. It's kinda cool. After 12 days on the trail, I can't wait for a nice hot shower and clean laundry. Life is good.
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: light rain

I'm now officially in Hot Springs, NC. It's been a long and interesting day. I awoke at 6 and rushed around to get packed up and ready before the rain started. I made it...almost. I only had my food and stove out when the first drops fell. It was quite a challenge keeping everything dry while cooking and I don't think I quite succeeded. Despite the rain, the three miles down to town went fast. Once I arrived in town, I checked into Elmers (a hostel) and met Leanna at the Smoky Mountain Diner for second breakfast. Yum! I spent the entire day running frantically around town trying to finish my errands. The biggest fiasco, surprisingly enough, was getting a shower. First, there was only one shower for the hostel. Second, there was a limited amount of hot water. So I was not completely surprised when the hot water slowed to a trickle. I was, however, surprised when it stopped entirely along with all the COLD water. Still a little soapy, I got out of the shower to find Elmer. He is speaking with someone in the kitchen, so I stand in the doorway and wait. He finishes and wordlessly brushes by me. I follow him and inquire about the water. He nonchalontly informs me that the city is working on the water system and has turned it off for several hours. Great. So I trudge upstairs to wait it out. I eventually did get my shower, but was not at all impressed with Elmer's helpfulness or with his hostel. My opinion changed with dinner, however (I guess I can be bought). Elmer and his staff serve organic vegetarian meals and even I had to admit that it was excellent. Fresh bread, black bean soup, salad, fettucini, stroganoff with veggies, and spice cake for dessert. After dinner we went down to Paddler's Pub where I enjoyed a beer and then went to bed.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

If yesterday was hectic, then today was chaos. I awoke at 6:30 and hustled to get myself together. Breakfast, cleaning my pack, playing with my water filter, packing, going to the post office... All these things were done in record time. I attempted to add minutes to my phone card, but it was a fiasco that lasted over an hour. By the time everything was done, it was 12:00 - I dislike starting out that late and was completely frazzled and upset because of all the chaos. My mood was also off because Leanna was getting off the trail for a week to attend Merlfest. Although I've known about it for a while, I still wasn't completely prepared to hike on my own. And I hadn't really relaxed since the snowstorm in the Smokies. So it didn't take too much convincing to pay $10 to sleep on the floor of a hotel room. Coyote, Runaway Axl Rose, and KC got the beds and Leanna and I got the floor. I relaxed in the room a while and then went to the indoor seating at the "camp store" to write, eat my fruit, and drink some water. While I was there who walked in but Hopeful! Between the rest, familiar faces, and humorous long distance phone calls, my spirits were revived. I may just be ready to hike tomorrow!
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Today has been an interesting day. I awoke refreshed, which was a bit surprising. It was surprising not because I was sleeping on the floor, but because the cottage was near the train tracks and a train would pass every hour. Have you ever seen the "I Love Lucy" episode where they are in the hotel room near the train tracks? And when the train comes all the beds roll around the room? Well, that was our hotel room last night. Okay, the beds weren't actually rolling, but the train was very close.The room had a coffeepot and microwave, so I made my coffee and oatmeal in the room. Very nice. Leanna decided to forget Merlfest because of the hassle involved in getting there, so she, Hopeful, and I set out around 10:30. The first 5 miles of the hike weren't bad. We passed a huge meadow and old country roads that looked like they should lead to someone's farmhouse. The second half of the hike seemed to drag on. I felt like I was hiking in slow motion and not really going anywhere. I hiked ahead of Leanna and Hopeful earlier in the day. I kept taking breaks and waiting for them to catch up, but they never did. When I finally did arrive at the Shelter, I learned that Leanna's knee was really bothering her and she was hitching back to Hot Springs. Hopeful was helping her get a ride and hoped to make it to the Shelter before dark. Hopeful did arrive at the Shelter before dark and gave me the scoop - Leanna's going to rest her leg and hopefully meet us in Erwin. I had to admit that I was a little bummed. I met Leanna on Springer Mountain and we have been hiking at the same pace ever since. It's not the same without her, but we will manage.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Nothing too exciting to report today. I guess I was pretty tired yesterday because I slept through my alarm... twice. Apparently it woke up nearly everyone in the Shelter BUT me. I finally awoke around 7 when Hopeful began poking me. The morning went by pretty quickly and before I knew it we had hiked the 9 miles to Little Laurel Shelter. I ate a nice lunch and enjoyed the company of Hopeful, Still Bill, Tripper, and Sniper. Like yesterday, the afternoon was long. After lunch we immediately had a climb. The ascent was only a mile long, so I figured it couldn't be all that bad. But it was. Apparently the state of North Carolina does not believe in switchbacks, so the mile was straight up. You would think that stairs built into the side of the mountain would be a good thing, but it makes the climb hellish. Okay, perhaps it wasn't that bad, but it was still long and very much uphill. The remainder of the 6 miles wasn't nearly as bad. We did some nice rock scrambles - my feet will be sore tomorrow! Tomorrow is another 15+ mile day. I've never done two really long days in a row before, so we'll see how my poor body holds up. I can't wait until 15+ miles a day feels normal.
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Today was good, but long. The morning went by quicky. I chatted with Hopeful and pondered how far I have come. Then, out of nowhere, I saw something on the ground. It was a bunch of stones arranged to say "300". 300 miles! Not too shabby! I even got my picture taken with it. The afternoon seemed long, and we had another mountain to climb. While it had steps built into it, the mountain also had switchbacks. The best of both worlds. There were some highlights including a very cool waterfall, an abandoned barn, and an old family cemetery.I'm now enjoying the fire and the company, sipping hot cocoa and eating oatmeal currant cookies (thanks Rod). Tomorrow will be an easy day - 10 miles. I can't wait.
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

Today was indeed a pretty easy day. Hopeful and I hiked a fast (2.7 mph - wow!) few miles to Sam's Gap. This is our biggest road crossing to date - a 4-lane "highway" of sorts. In the past, I've told people that I don't run. Well, apparently I do in fact run. I guess the sound of oncoming traffic and the glare of the headlights will do that to a person. After the crossing, Hopeful and I decided to stop for a snack. As usual, he was teasing me. Recently, Tripper, Still Bill, and I decided that for every wisecrack, Hopeful owed me one burrito from Erwin Burrito. I told him that he owed me a burrito. Then Sniper came up the hill and Hopeful teased him saying, "You missed the trail magic." He then admitted that there was no trail magic and he needed a new victim to tease. Sniper promptly replied, "A burrito for Sprout!" For tonight, it looks like I'm at +1 burrito.The big sight for today was Big Bald, which is in fact a big bald (think Sound of Music). On a clear day, the views are beautiful 365 degrees of mountains. Today was cloudy and very windy, however. Lucky I had my pack, otherwise I would have been in serious danger of blowing off the mountain. After about a half hour of hiking, we arrived at the Shelter. It was wonderful to get in before 5. Three guys from USC were staying at Bald Mountain Shelter with us and built a fire. The way they built it tipped us off that they were Marine ROTC's. They had teeny tiny sticks of uniform size in one pile, tiny sticks of uniform size in another pile, and bigger sticks of uniform size in a third pile. Pretty funny. (update: I'm up to +2 burritos)
Date: 2003-04-27
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

Today was a pretty uneventful day. We got out of camp around 8:30 and walked 5 miles to Spivey Gap. The road crossing wasn't nearly as scary as the last. Only 2 lanes and I didn't have to run for my life. We had a rather big climb after the road crossing, so Hopeful and I had a Crystal Light lemonade party. Note to self: do not consume 1 liter of Crystal Light prior to a 4-mile hike along sidehills. (Sidehills are areas where the mountain goes straight up on one side of the trail and straight down on the other.) And why not? Because the time it takes to hike 4 miles exceeds the time it takes to digest 1 liter of Crystal Light. Ouch! Luckily I made it to a flat spot and to the Shelter at a relatively early hour. Axl Rose, KC, and Runaway, who we met in Hot Springs, have made it to the Shelter and are keeping all amused. Runaway just created a gigantic fireball with her stove. It's almost like a sitcom. If nothing else, it should be an interesting evening. On to Erwin tomorrow!
Date: 2003-04-28
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: clear sky

Today has just been a wild and crazy day. Hopeful and I got up at 5am to get into Erwin. 5 AM! Aside from the early start, the hike into Erwin was nice - mostly downhill. We managed to hike the 6 miles in two and a half hours. Not too shabby!We hitched into Miss Janet's (a hostel) and arrived just in time for breakfast. We were greeted with hugs b/c both of us know Miss Janet and told that our names were already on the bunk list. Awesome!After taking care of all my errands, Hopeful and I attempted to arrange our schedules. Who knew that arranging the schedules of 2 people could be so difficult? After discovering that a "mystery donor" had donated money for us to stay two nights, we decided to take a zero and then slackpack for two days. (Slackpacking is hicking with a daypack or no pack at all. You can be returned to a hostel, or your pack can be delivered to you further up the trail.)This will be my first time slackpacking. I only have one worry... that I won't want to go back to regular backpacking!
Date: 2003-04-29
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today I had my third zero day of my trip. I was hoping to plant veggies for a friend of Miss Janet, but Miss Janet and I never connected today, so I ended up just chilling out. It was a nice day. I took a little road trip with two former thru-hikers, Spur and Ready, to Johnson City. I didn't buy anything but had a lot of fun looking around the outfitters.Tomorrow I get to experience my first slackpack. Yea!
Date: 2003-04-30
From: Carver Gap

To: Iron Mountain Gap
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: few clouds

My first day of Slackpacking is an official success, despite the rough start. Originally, Hopeful and I were supposed to hike the 19 plus miles from Iron Mountain Gap to Erwin. As it turned out, that hike was not in the cards. Our shuttle, Miss Janet, was supposed to pick us up around 10 AM. We waited and waited and finally got picked up around noon. Apparently she got unexpectedly ¢hijacked¢ by some hikers in the north and was delayed.Now we all know that late start + big miles = bad idea, so Hopeful and I brainstormed and decided to slack 14 miles from Carver Gap to Iron Mountain Gap.For the most part the hike was nice. I did, however, almost die atop Roan Mountain. We hiked in showers for most of the day, but when we were on top of Roan Mountain, the lightning and thunder started. The storm moved closer and closer until ¢ CRASH ¢ BOOM, it was right on top of us. Hopeful dropped to the ground while I stood clueless on top of the mountain. Then we started quickly hiking down the mountain.My brush with death was by far the most interesting part of the hike. Also noteworthy, was my first adventure with night hiking. It wasn¢t too much different than regular hiking except that it was, ¢¦well,¢¦dark.Stay tuned for more adventures in Slackpacking!
Date: 2003-05-01
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Erwin
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today Hopeful and I hiked the 19 plus miles that we intended to hike yesterday. We called a shuttle in the morning and got dropped off at Iron Mountain around 8:30. Although there were no thunderstorms, there was a lot of rain. Normally that wouldn¢t be a problem, but my rain pants had a gaping hole and I refused to get them muddy before I could patch them. So when it started raining, I stubbornly refused to put them on. The result? Soaked hiking pants. Fortunately they are made of a synthetic material, so they dried before I made it back to town.The hike was good, but long. Among the sights we saw were hikers going North, cute red salamanders, and a beautiful river. We got back to the hostel around 7:30, relatively early, but I was still a tired hiker!
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Carvers Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 4.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today has been a defining day. It is the first time, since Springer Mountain, that I have hiked alone. Hopeful just got off the trail to attend his son¢s graduation, Last Minute is up ahead doing serious miles to meet his girlfriend, and Leanna is behind nursing a knee injury.Overall, the day hasn¢t gone as badly as it could have. Actually it¢s been okay. I was quite sniffly when Miss Janet dropped me off at Carver Gap. I was the only one at the gap and the only one getting out of the van. After I waved goodbye to everyone in the van and they drove off, I was completely alone. I put my radio on and tried to put on a happy face (okay, I lie ¢ I tried to put on a not ¢ too ¢ sad face). The 3 + miles to the first shelter were emotionally rough, but once I arrived my spirits lifted. I chatted with some weekenders, then Elizabeth, Amanda and Steama arrived and I chatted with them too.I had heard that there were serious thunderstorms in the area, so I thought I might hang out at the shelter for a while. Sure enough, the sky darkened and down came the rain, hail, and wind. Boy was I glad that I had decided to stay awhile!Eventually I decided that the rain and lightning had let up enough to hike to Overmountain Shelter, 1.7 miles away. Wow did I enjoy the hike! The scenery was beautiful. I had to stop a couple of times to take it all in ¢ to my left the storm clouds were over the mountains and all was dark, but to my right the sun was shining.The shelter is absolutely beautiful ¢ an old converted barn with TONS of room. I¢m enjoying the company and the views and ready for a good day of hiking tomorrow.
Date: 2003-05-03
From: Over Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: light rain

The view this morning was not quite as nice as yesterday. I guess I should say the lack of view, because everything is covered in a thick blanket of fog. I had the pleasure of climbing Little Hump Mountain and then Hump Mountain. Up, up, up into the fog and over the bald! The fog made enjoying any view impossible and the winds threatened to blow me of the mountain.What came to pass after crossing the mountains, I can only describe as the longest day EVER. Apparently there had been a re-route that added 3+ miles to the trail. I wondered why it was taking me so long. So I hiked and hiked and hiked. When I could hike no more and was literally about to collapse, I set up my tent. It was my first night tenting alone. Although eerie, it was a pretty cool experience. I cooked dinner, pitched my tent, found water, and hung my bear bag completely on my own. No assistance from anyone. No one even passing by. How¢s that for developing confidence?
Date: 2003-05-04
From: Campsite

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 11.6

As I sit in a comfy armchair at a hostel, I can say that I¢ve had a pretty good day. Of course a hot shower, clean clothes, and hot food in my stomach would make any day turn into a pretty good day.This morning I broke camp solo and hiked 6 miles to Moreland Gap Shelter. Although it sounded easy, those 6 miles were filled with a ton of PUD¢s (pointless ups and downs), which completely aggravated me. I would ascend and descend without a view and without a point. I was about to yell out in frustration when a shelter appeared through the trees. To make things even better, Tripper and Still Bill were sitting in the shelter. Familiar faces! I ¢flip flopped¢ with them until I reached Dennis Cove and Kincora Hostel. Although there wasn¢t room in the bunkhouse, I snagged a spot on the front porch. Dry and pretty clean, it works for me!So yes, I think I am justified in saying that I had a pretty good day.
Date: 2003-05-05
From: US 321 (Hampton, TN)

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 8.9

This morning I once again earned the name "slacker." Yes, I have indeed been bit by the slackpacking bug. I think that Mother Nature has cured me, though, with my near brush with death. (okay, not really, but it sounds exciting doesn't it?)Today I hiked a relatively easy slack into Kincora. It started out as a rainy morning, for once actually FEELING like a Monday. My profile map showed a big climb, but I was surprised by how easy it felt. The mountain had lots of switchbacks and NO stairs built into the mountain. As I climbed up and up the mountain, the weather became more and more intense. In addition to the rain, the wind began blowing fiercely. Big trees began blowing back and forth, back and forth. With the creaking of the trees and the dark sky, I was convinced it was the apocalypse. Trying to save my butt, I was trucking along at a quick pace. Suddenly, I heard a loud "crack." Thunder? A tree? I was about to flee, when it occurred to me to check where the sound came from so I was hiking AWAY from it instead of TOWARD it. I looked back and say a tree lying in the middle of the trail where I had been standing not 30 seconds before. Then I started MOVING. Not speed walking, not hiking quickly, running... with my trekking poles out like ski poles. Eventually I got out of the wind storm and back to the hostel.The story doesn't end here, though. I got revenge on the tree that almost killed me. It may have won the battle, but I won the war. More about that later....
Date: 2003-05-06
From: Dennis Cove

To: Dennis Cove
Miles today: 0.0

Okay, onto the revenge on the tree...When we left off, Sprout was viciously attacked by a tree and vowing revenge.Little did I know what I was in for when I agreed to do trail maintenance with Bob Peoples at Koncora Hostel. The day began with rain. Lots of rain. So much rain that the formal trail maintenance was canceled. Always up for a challenge, Hopeful planned to do "informal" maintenance along the route I slackpacked yesterday. Wanting to see what maintenance was all about, I was tagging along.Most of our work involved clearing small blow-downs from yesterday's storm. We would hike, clip or saw some branches, and then continue hiking. As we were hiking along the ridge, I saw it. It was a large tree. The diameter of the trunk was close to a foot. A branch with a diameter of about 6 inches lay across the trail with smaller branches going in every direction. I attacked the tree with a small saw. I sawed and sawed and sawed until finally I had cut through the branch. Victory! The final score: tree 0 Sprout 1.