morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-04
From: Simp Gap

To: Fontana Dam Village
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

WoW! What a day!! Up and on the trail by 8am after a very cold, uncomfortable night (we were on a slant - I kept sliding to the bottom of the tent)... We'll be a little more choosy on our sites from now on..of course, if I had picked it....Hee Hee It was another day of ups and downs with saddles in between. One place was really neat called the 'unnamed cliffs'. A rocky area with great views. It was a little hard today because of the all day climb yesterday and one really steep down to a gap today. It really gets to your knees and toes (hitting the end of your boots). Once we were within 5 miles of Fontana we started seeing Fontana Lake - beautiful! It stretches a long, long way..The water looks pretty low as you can see how high the banks were from a distance away. We meet a couple that we had seen yesterday obviously doing some notch to notch hiking and one couple with a poodle (cute -ruff, ruff) out for a day hike. The views were great and we were getting our first close up view of the Smokies. They actually look clear - could we be so lucky after no views in 03'? We decided to take a zero day at Fontana after a couple of tough days out of the NOC, and because we can :0) Maybe our age is catching up (60ish for the Poolerbears and 30 dog years (210 human years for me). Of course I was ready to go but had to give the 'old' folks a rest....Hee Hee Oh, I almost forgot our ride to the Village. It was in the back of a pickup truck that had logs loaded to the top. We had to sit on top of these while going around sharp corners, wondering if they would slip out...ride em cowboy! My fur got all ruffled - geez....From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-06
From: Fontana Dam Village

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

Got started after breakfast in the Village. Got a ride about a 1/2 mile from the Village from a nice guy who was going the other way. Shortly after starting out we met 3 guys on Spring break. They are planning to hike to Davenport Gap. As always, we hiked up out of the Gap. The day was relatively warm and we hiked in tee shirts and shorts. It was so good to have views and the sun all day. We stopped at Mollie's Ridge Shelter for a break and decided to hike on to Russell Field Shelter since it was still early. We got in around 4:30 or 5:00 and there were two other guys there, also on Spring break. Papa Bert and Beeline (both thru-hikers) showed up shortly after us. It was getting cold quickly, as the sun went down and the guys decided to build a fire. They have heavy poly covering the chain link fence, which helped keep out the worst of the wind, but it was COLD! The fire didn't throw off much heat, but it was nice to look at! Beeline called me a HAND PUPPET! Pa had to explain that I was a regular Dog! Of course we had to tell him not to say anything, since dogs aren't allowed in the Smokies....HeeHee He's a nice guy so I won't hold it against him.... The two college students told us that they had hiked towards Ice Spring Shelter and was told that the ice was really bad and that you needed some type of crampons, so they hiked back South. We'll check with the Outfitter in Gaitlinburg, when we go in for our package. Time to crawl into a sleeping bag tonight..BurrrrrrrrrFrom the Inside of Pa's Sleeping Bag
Date: 2006-03-07
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Double Springs Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: few clouds

Got up this morning and one of the college students said a mouse had eaten his trail mix and left some in one of his boots. Oops, I must have dropped some when I was stuffing my mouth......at least the mice got blamed...Hee Hee We left early after a COLD, COLD night. Pa said he had to put on all his clothes to keep warm! I was nice and comfy snuggled in the sleeping bag....HUMANS!!!! The ground was covered with ice crystals/snow this morning. For most of the day we saw crystals on everything. As the sun came out it started falling from the trees and we kept getting hit. Just as we got to Rocky Top the sun broke through the clouds and what a beautiful 360 degree view (best yet)! The views all day were great as we walked up and down the ridges. It was icy in a few areas and some snow is still on the trail, but it was doable. Clingman's Dome tommorrow! It was a tough and long day, but worth it, just for the views alone. Oh, Ma did a turtle today! She didn't get hurt, but needed help untwisting her foot from a limb. Pa had to take a picture before helping her up! Tonight we had Papa Bert, Beeline and a guy called Sunset. He plans to get up at 3:00am to hike up to Clingman's Dome for the sunrise. NOT ME!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-08
From: Double Springs Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Surprisingly it was relatively warm when we got up this morning. The night was cold, however. We were up and out by 7:30 heading for Clingman's Dome. The views again were spectacular all the way up. At one spot I decided to see what it was like to be a 'polar bear'. Pa and Ma covered me in ice crystals and even took a picture. Burr, I'll stick to being a 'pack potato'! Hee Hee We came around one corner and the sun was shining on some fir trees that were covered in ice. WoW! Also we saw a Hawk today - I wanted to chase it but Pa wouldn't let me, so I just barked. Ma got a picture - hope it comes out ok! When we got to Clingman's, we climbed the tower (looks like a spaceship). They have signs giving all the names of the mountains you can see in all directions. NEAT! Today we crossed a couple of specially made ramps (metal) that keep the wild boars from destroying the vegetation. They also use fences as well. They evidently do a lot of damage. We haven't seen any yet, but it would probably be 'boaring' anyway. Hee Hee Got down to the Gap around 1:00 pm and passed over from North Carolina to Tennessee (2 states down).From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-11
From: Newfound Gap

To: Tri-corner Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Left town late because Taxi was almost an hour late. We went up to Charlie's Bunion on trail that was ice/snow covered. It really makes the hiking slow and tiring. It was worth the view however, once we got there. Ma remembered this area was where we did a lot of ridge walking. She likes what she calls "high/low" walking. It's when one side of the trail is just below the top and the other side is a drop off to a valley below. It's great walking and lots of views from both sides. We enjoyed the trail a lot today and it made the miles go by quickly. We finally got in around 5 pm and there was a hugh group of people already there. We were a little nervous that there might not be enough space for us, but there was. There were several guys from the local area (really nice)! They built a fire for us and told us stories and even gave us some advice about the trail and places to stay. There was a couple and one of their father's out for a day or two, one guy also out of a couple of days. We meet Pebbles and her brother Trev (no trail name yet) and Moleman, all thru-hikers. It was one of the nicest evenings we've had on the trail. One thing the local guys told us that we didn't know - evidently they reintroduced Elk into the Smokies and they are doing well. They tried Red Wolves, but evidently they didn't work (some disease). Time to crawl into my space between the sleeping bags! Oh, one guy said he had read our journals and wanted to see what I looked like! Ma told him not to say anything because dogs aren't allowed in the Smokies....Hee HeeFrom the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-12
From: Tri-corner Shelter

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Got an early start at 7 am! Moleman was out 1/2 to 3/4 hour before us and Pebbles and Trev we out about 10/15 minutes befores us. The ridge walking continued all day with about a mile of ice/snow covered trail. Lots of views, but it was really warm as the day went on! Saw some groups coming up as we headed down and even saw a couple of day hikers. About 5 miles out of Davenport Gap, we came upon two hunting dogs on the trail. Knowing dogs aren't suppose to be in the Smokies and there was no one with them, we figured they ran away. I barked for them to come with us and we'd at least get them to the gap, but after about 2 miles, one of them got a scent and that was the last we saw of them. I hope they make it home ok...Ruff I wanted to go with them, but decided I might get lost..... Got to Standing Bear Farm hostel around 3 pm, tired and hungry. We cooked some maccarone and cheese, Pa/Ma took showers, and did laundry and we're having some popcorn before calling it a night. Yawn.....long day.............. Oh, we're about a week behind our schedule, if you are sending anything...Hint, Hint From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-13
From: Davenport Gap

To: Max Patch
Miles today: 14.0

After a restless night - mouse noises - we were up and out by 7:30. Nice stay at Standing Bear Farm. The climb up, out of the gap, was tough. We climbed for about 3 hours to Snowbird Mtn. We saw an FAA Tower that looked like a spaceship. I thought the Alien's had landed, but Ma assured me that it was just a building...Whew! I thought I might have an Alien abduction story to tell... Hee, Hee It was WIERD looking, REALLY! We continued to climb several more minor (right) peaks before coming down to the road before Max Patch. We got water, just in case we decided to tent, rather than go to the next shelter. The signs said it was 5 miles, but the book said about one mile. Wow..Max Patch was beautiful. Even a panoramic shot wouldn't catch the beauty! I got my picture taken at the top (my ears were blowing all over the place)sitting on one of the post that mark the trail. We were tempted to camp on top of the Patch, but decided to tent on the other side in a designed campsite. It was good we did - we had a BIG storm during the night! The wind came up and it was getting cold, so we ate, hung our food and climbed into our sleeping bags. Pa and I were arguing today about me gaining weight and slowing him down. He said I was gaining weight while he and Ma were losing weight! Dur, I sit on the pack all day and eat snacks, what does he expect! People! I was getting a little dizzy today. We were either going up, so I was leaning back, or going down so I was leaning forward. The life of a traildog is not easy! Hee, Hee Today I got caught up in a vine (there are so many on the trees down here) and Pa got a picture before untangling me! I kept thinking about scary movies. We could call it "The Vine".   Oh, today was the first time we ran into "BLACK FLIES". It was only in one area near Snowbird Mtn., but I guess we'll be seeing more!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-14
From: Max Patch

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

Wow! Last nights storm was really bad! I was swinging so much in my hammock that I thought I would need Dramamine! It actually felt like the tent would collapse a couple of times. It lightening and thundered and the wind sounded like a freight train coming! First the wind, which coated the tent with dust, then the rain! It was the kind of night that is good to test your tent to see if it will stay dry! It did! We packed up a very wet, dirty tent and wet food bags and started out towards Hot Springs. We climbed up (as usual) then did ridge walking for a better part of the day. There were some gradual inclines but nothing like yesterday. Lots of nice views of mountain ranges - wish we knew which ones we were seeing... In one area they are doing a BIG restoration project. They cleared a bald of trees/brush to retore it to the original agricultural site. There are several acres, as far as we could tell, so it's a major project! We saw a small cavelike area and I decided to do some splunkering! Ma & Pa said it was just a pile of rocks, but I wanted to explore. I got just out of site and realized they might actually be something in there, so came right back out quickly! I said I didn't want to hold them up, so I had Ma take a picture and we got out of there quick!! We meet a group of kids on Spring Break from college, who were out for a week. We haven't really seen to many people, since it's early in the season. It stayed cool and windy all day so Ma & Pa kept their jackets on and even put gloves on a couple of times. I just hunkered down in the side of the pack! We decided, in the afternoon, to go into Hot Springs - a long day! It was 6+/- miles to go and it was 1:30, so we had time. We got in around 4:00 and checked into Elmer's, a well known Hostel. Pebbles and Trev and Spiritual Pilgrim are here, so it was nice to see them all. We meet the staff, took a shower and looked for a place to eat. Nothing was open and we had just missed supper at Elmer's, so we went to a store and bought stuff to make sandwiches! They tasted good! Later we found out the River Cafe was open for supper, so Pa & Ma went down to have something, while I ate the left over sandwich stuff!! Yummy! Nuts should be here tomorrow, and since we decided to take a zero day, we should see him. Time to eat some more snacks before Ma & Pa get back....and hit the hay!From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-16
From: Hot Springs

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

After a zero day (15th) we were ready to start out again. We ate breakfast at the local diner (good) and while there meet Mrs. Gorp. She was planning on leaving later in the day, so we should see her down the trail. We left around 9:30 or 10:00 climbing Lover's Leep, which is a good climb out of town. You can see the Broad River as you switch back and forth, climbing steadily for about an hour. Nice views and lots of pictures. There was a cool breeze and the sun was out - great hiking weather. We saw lots of farms from the ridges today. Later that afternoon we saw 4 deer (first wildlife other than the Hawk in the Smokies). Around 4:00 we saw a group that told us there was trail magic at the next gap (Allen Gap). I thought "soda, snacks, etc." YUMMY! Only a day out of town and I was excited about trail magic....Hee, Hee When we got to the bottom of the gap, there was a sign that said, "Breakfast all day, plus lunch and supper", and gave directions to Fal & Hercules (99' thru hikers) house. We almost hesitated since it was getting late and we needed to get to a tent site..............but, come on! TRAIL MAGIC! What a great time we had! Fal & Hercules have a beautiful Log Cabin home where they serve meals to thru hiker and long distance hikers. We had pulled pork sandwiches (I've been craving Kathy's, since she mentioned making it!) plus potato salad, beans, a jello fruit mix, dill pickle, a drink and home-made dessert. I'm stuffed (literally) Hee Hee Also I meet the dog of my dreams "Heidi" who is a poodle mix......Aah OK, OK but she was cute! We talked about the trail with Fal, Hercules and Mary, who is the mother of Sunset (a thru hiker we meet in the Smokies). What a great time, but it was getting late and the sun would be going down soon, so we had to say goodbye and thanks for the great trail magic and visit. Ruff, ruff to Heidi....   We started looking for tent sites since we knew the next shelter was quite a distance. Where are all the sites when you need them - you can see dozens throughout the day, but when you're looking for one............. We ran out of light, so had to put on our headlights to see (Ma wasn't too happy doing a night hike)! We had to stop once, so Pa could change his batteries which were getting weak. Ma was nervous about seeing some animal, but not me (RIGHT)! We came around one corner, around 6:40) and thought we heard someone talking - it was Warren Doyle, a well known hiker who takes groups on AT hikes. We talked to him for a while and asked how far we were from the Shelter. He said about an hour, but there were some flat spots for tenting before then, so we started hiking again. At 7:40, after looking for a place to tent, we finally saw the shelter! Wow! What a long day and were we glad to see that shelter.... Since we didn't have to get supper (after that great trail magic) we hung our food and crawled into our sleeping bags..........Yawn, yawnFrom the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-17
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

We had some rain last night, so we were glad we didn't have to pack up a wet tent! We packed up and started the usual climb up to a ridge. For the next couple of miles we climbed over exposed ridges with GREAT views on both sides. It was hard hiking but worth the views. Also, it was a change from the regular type trail, so it was fun. It's been overcast most of the day and cool enough for jackets and hats. You could see the sun in the valley's but it didn't come out much up here in the mountains. In the afternoon we came across a couple of miles of fields that were also nice hiking. In one was a family gravestone, where there must have been a homestead. We also saw a couple more stones erected in memory of people, one of which hiked the AT and their ashes were scattered there. We got to the shelter around 2:00 and were pretty tired, mostly from the rocky hiking, so Ma decided to call it an early day. We meet "Trail Sweeper" and his dog "Pepper" and Mrs. Gorp joined us. Trail Sweeper and Mrs Gorp got a fire going, but we were already in our sleeping bags, chilled from the damp cold. Early night into the sleeping bags...From the Top of the Pack
Date: 2006-03-18
From: Flint Mtn Shelter

To: Sam's Gap
Miles today: 11.2

Left the shelter around 8:00, just after Mrs. Gorp. Trail Sweeper planned to hike out shortly. Not a lot of views today, mostly in the woods. It was pretty cold today. Ma made an Instant Breakfast and within a few minutes it started to freeze! Hats, gloves and coats today! When we got to Sam's Gap, Mrs. Gorp said she had called Ms Janet's and was waiting for a ride into Erwin. We decided to join her and have Ms Janet bring us back to the gap in the morning. It was nice to be in a warm bed (temps tonight are dropping to the teens or lower in the mtns) so being the "Wooshes" we are..........From the Hotel Room
Date: 2006-03-19
From: Sam's Gap

To: Erwin
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: broken clouds

After a nice rest and REAL food, we are ready to get back to the trail. Ms Janet dropped us and a man (Allen) at the trailhead around 9:30. Allen is out for a couple of days to finish a section. We climbed for quite a while to Big Bald, Big Stamp mtns. This is a large bald area that is also as nice as Max Patch. Great 360 degree views! Took lots of pictures, as usual! We did a lot of ridge walking after the initial climb. We also went over Litte Bald, which is a more wooded. We did quite a lot of minor climbs (100/200 feet) which add up as the day goes on. We took a lunch bread at Bald Mtn Shelter, with Allen, then headed to Spivey Gap. We had 9.5 miles to No Business Knob shelter, where we planned to stay tonight. Where do they get the names for shelters? As we hiked in the afternoon, Pa started getting a sore throat and headache (cold?), so we decided to see what time we got to the shelter, to see if it would be possible to get to town, so Pa could get some cold meds. We got to the shelter around 4:30 where we meet Bonepac, another thru-hiker. We had around 6+ miles to town, so we were cutting it close, but Pa was afaid that spending a cold night in the shelter might make his cold worse, so off we went. There were several 100/200 foot climbs and then we started a loooong, slow down, weaving in and out of vally's. We came out to a point where you could see the Nolichucky River, then we would do a long switchback, then repeat the same process many times. Great views, but when you know you are running out of time, it's is hard to realize you're making such slow progress.. A couple of times I had to close my eyes - we were so close to the edge and I thought, "Wonder if Pa's slips or trips"! Well, we did make it off the mountain at 6:30 just before dark! We got Pa some medicine, ordered food and took HOT showers. It's SO nice to crawl into a nice, warm bed after a long, long day.............. We'll take a day or two off, so Pa can recuperate - he's feeling better already, after taking some cold medicine. Cough, cough - am I getting a cold?????From the Bed of the HotelJust a note: Ma will be sending the rest of the journals to Tracey, who will be doing the entries, from now on, so it will be a couple of weeks before you see an entry....more to come Ruff, ruff Ma & Pa said "Thanks" to those who have sent notes of encouragement and to Kathleen for the "goodies" Yum, Yum. Reboot, thanks for checking the trail. It snowed here yesterday and is suppose to rain/snow today and tonight. Heading out tomorrow :0)
Date: 2006-03-23
From: Erwin

To: Cherry Creek Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

Out of Erwin early, after 3 days of Pa fighting a cold. We went up along a ridge which overlooked the river, for about a mile. After climbing a while longer we continued ridge walking with views looking back at Erwin. It's amazing that you can travel several miles on a trail and still see the town you left hours before.   We saw 4 guys (brothers) who were heading for Erwin and hamburgers, and one thru hiker (Yatzee) who was hiking from Indian Grave Gap back to Ms. Janets, with her dog Fabian. We also saw some maintainers just beyond Indian Grave Gap who were clearing a tree that was about to fall. They asked up to watch for a tree that was reported down and let Bob Peoples know where it was. We did see it just 1/2 mile or so after Unaka Mnt, going north. The afternoon over Unaka and a couple of smaller peaks was tiring. On top of Unaka there was some snow and icy spots, which makes for slippery hiking. The other interesting thing about Unaka is across the top is mostly fir trees. It was overcast and the fir trees shut out some of the light, so it was eerie going through there (forest primevil) Hee Hee We got into the shelter around 4:00 and had sandwiches we brought from town. Ma also had a cup of hot tea (I had some left overs). Just as we were settling in, Dreamer, another thru hiker showed up. He's from PA. We talked a while and he said he was meeting his wife at Carver's Gap on Saturday, so we probably would be staying at the same shelter as him tomorrow. We had heard that we would be getting a couple of inches of snow tonight, so we hoped that it wouldn't be any more. There is a road crossing at Iron Mtn Gap and a hostel at Greasy Creek Gap, so we were covered, if we needed to get out. Everything hinges on the weather for the next couple of days. Ma is starting to feel like she's coming down with a cold and Pa is still not a 100% (I'm fine)! Off to the sleeping bags, as the temp is dropping...From the Top of the Pack