morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-04
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

April 4, 2008Much milder this morning. The wind had stopped and it was only misty rain with fog. The forecast was for deteriorating weather, so a group of us decided to make for Unicoi Gap to catch a shuttle into Hiawassee.It was damp, but otherwise pretty nice hiking weather. The forest was beautiful, everything moist and greening with buds piercing the soil.Just about 2 miles from the gap the rain started coming down in sheets and the trail down was treacherous with steep rocky drops and slick mud. What a blessing when the shuttle arrived. Colleen, Bluebell and I decided to share a room. Soooooooo good to have a hot shower and to be clean, warm and dry for the night with a roof over my head!!!
Date: 2008-04-05
From: Unicoi Gap 

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: moderate rain

April 5, 2008We've given Colleen the trail name of Forest Gimp! Her leg is bothering her and she's limping, so it seemed to fit and she embraced it.The two of us have arranged to "Slackpack" (slackpacking is where you hike without your pack and only carry rain gear and your food for the day!) to Dick's Creek Gap and stay at Cloud 9 Hostel. Last night there were tornado watches and baseball sized hail. It continues to rain steadily, but is mild this morning and we've decided to go for it!We hiked hard in the rain to Trae Gap and there was a Boy Scout troupe there feeding hikers! Woo Hoo! We drank some of their water, ate a burger and were on our way!It was a long day and we were very grateful to meet Hans (owner of Cloud 9) at Dick's Creek Gap. We were soaked, but headed for the best hostel on the whole Applachian Trail! Jacuzzi, hot showers, stocked kitchen, big screen TV, free internet, trout farm-fish for your dinner if you like, large kitchen, dining great room with comfy chairs - the works!A fellow who goes by "Crutch" was our host and really lavished us with care. We soaked our feet in epsom salts, soaked in the jacuzzi, ate LOTS of food and watched some NCAA Basketball. There we met "A-T RED" ( a 12 year old boy with his dad)" Rock star, and others. There was lively conversation and then we all retired to our bunks for a good night's sleep.
Date: 2008-04-06
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

We crossed into North Carolina today. My first state line crossing. Woo hoo! Didn't get started until 12:30pm, so we (Forrest Gimp and I) arrived at the shelter just as the sun was setting, tired but happy. What a GORGEOUS day. It was sunny and in the low 70's with a cool breeze. There were beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountains along the way.Have been having some problems with my rubber dicky aka "The Weenis" (as renamed by Forest Gimp). For those who don't know about my 'rubber dicky,' it's a plastic tube with a wider portion that is designed to be used by women to allow them to unzip their fly, slide it in under their nethers and stand there and pee out of it just like the boys do out there in the woods! It's completely modest as everything remains totally covered, and your bum isn't hanging out in the rain like a neon sign inviting all mosquitoes in the area to come wafting in for lunch. I practiced with it in the shower at home until I was consistently able to use it without any mishaps, but every now and then I don't seem to get it positioned correctly. Today I didn't get it to seat properly and I wet myself a bit. It ran down my leg, soaking into my pants in the end. Aaagh... SO disgusting! Had to change clothes and do a little trail laundry. I have to figure this thing out.My new friend Colleen/Forest Gimp is a wonderful hiking partner. She's bright, upbeat, playful and has a fine sense of humor (a MUST out here on the trail!). I hope our paths continue on together for a time.
Date: 2008-04-07
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Another gorgeous day! Excellent trail with beautiful vistas today. I hiked in the morning with Forest Gimp, and then powered on to Betty Creek. I was going to try to make it to the Albert Mountain Shelter, but after soaking my feet in the creek and starting back on the trail my feet let me know in no uncertain terms that we were going no further today! They're pretty sore.Since I didn't go all the way to the shelter, I camped under my home made cuban fiber tarp in the area with four other fellows (Gobbles, Ref 4418 are two of the names I remember) and two brothers with one of their young sons. I'm about 2 1/2 days out from NOC and the start of the Smokies. If my feet are still this sore, I may need to take a zero day there (NOC) before walking up into them. I sprained my left ankle again today pretty badly, and a fellow who goes by Sweat Hog stopped on the spot to dig through his pack and literally gave me his nice, medical grade ankle brace. It REALLY really helped. Sweat Hog, you're my hero! The fellows with the boy are smoking a pipe. Every critter in the forest will smell it. Hope they're not drawn to investigate...especially the bears!I passed through beautiful rhododendron thickets today and had some great views of the mountains at various points along the way. I'm bear bagging my food up in a tree for the very first time tonight. Gobbles showed me how it was done, bless him.It's dark now and I hear someone snoring... Time to put in my earplugs and go to bed!
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke this morning at 5am and was wide awake so I decided to get up and get moving early. It rained last night, and the forest is misty with limited visability. Very primordial! I keep expecting to see a dinosaur. By 7am I was on my way up the steep climb to Albert Mountain. It became very steep and rocky, almost trecherous. Once I made the top, however, I was out of the foggy mist and the sun was shining brightly above a thick layer of clouds with mountain peaks poking up through them. I was literally on top of the world!I was able to get phone access up there so I called my folks and my brother Bruce. I'm hoping to get to see him while I'm here in his part of the country. I also tried to reach my friend Tami. She and I have been climbing at a rock gym in Portland for the last year, and the rock scramble to the top made me think of her. She'd love it out here.I had a beautiful hike to Winding Stair Gap and was picked by by the AT famous Ron Haven and his wife who brought me back to their place (the Budget Inn) in Franklin. Once in my room, Colleen called wanting to share it with me. YEY!My hiking appetite has really kicked in and famished, I went to the Cody Road House for a big meal. When I got back to the room Colleen was already there. Ron took a gaggle of us hikers around town in his bus to all the places hikers in town need to go. The outfitters, grocery store, etc. Along the way, he entertained us with all sorts of stories about folks and events in the area. What a character!
Date: 2008-04-09
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Colleen had additional errands to run this morning, so I hiked on without her. I still didn't get started on the trail until 9:20am. I hiked all day with Ref 4418, a retired Pennsylvania state trooper who got his name because he referees soccer. A great guy, he also started on April 1st. He's a good hiking companion and I really enjoyed his company today. From the sounds of it though, I think he's a little homesick for his family. His wife and kids sound really special, and he's obviously proud of them.An older structure made of logs, we arrived at Cold Spring Shelter and had it all to ourselves. There's a lovely (very cold!) spring right here at the shelter with a soothing sound of a fountain. Nice.
Date: 2008-04-10
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

I had my first encounter with a shelter mouse last night. I woke abruptly to the sensation of something on my head and thrashed violently to wipe whatever it was off. After the fog cleared from my head, I convinced myself that I must have only been dreaming and went back to sleep, but this morning I found mouse droppings in my fannie pack next to my bed! Since I keep my journal material and head lamp in it, I have it right by my bed at night, but during the day while I'm hiking, I carry my snacks in there as well so it must have smelled the lingering odors and investigated. As instructed by experienced hikers, I always leave it unzipped so nothing chews through it to investigate, but I wasn't thrilled with the discovery. I consoled myself with the fact that it was otherwise unmolested and washed my face and hair thoroughly with Bronner's soap and water from the creek. Eeeewwww!Today was absolutely gorgeous! Sunny, breezy, upper 70's. It was very rugged hiking though, and although we only hiked 11.4 miles it felt much further than the 15.8 we hiked yesterday. It seemed to go on and on, and the hike down into the river gorge was very steep and hard on the knees and feet. Today we saw lizards, butterfly's, a snake, a grouse and lots of wild flowers popping up. The leaves on the trees are beginning to unfurl and the forest is magical.I found out Ref's name is Ivan Taylor. Once we arrived at NOC, picked up our mail packages and soaked our tired feet in the river, we headed for the restaurant. I'm trying to save money, but the the lure of a huge plate of food is INTENSE! God help me when I finish this journey. I'm going to have to force myself to eat huge quantities of salad before consuming any calorie dense foods until my appetite calms back down or I'll surely gain a ton of weight.Soon Colleen and other friends from the trail joined us and we decided to share a room at the hostel for the night. To be honest, the facility for hikers here is shoddy and expensive for what we got. The shelter we stayed in, though new, has nails sticking up all over the place so we have to keep our shoes on to avoid gouging our feet on one! Sadly, I don't recommend this place to other hikers until they get their act together here.However, a thru-hiker from 2003 brought a large cooler full of free ice cream to share with the current thru-hikers! It's great to be among friends.
Date: 2008-04-11
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

A disappointingly short mileage day, but we're supposed to get thunder storms this afternoon so after a very steep climb out of the Nautahala River Valley, I decided to stop for the day as it was already raining and the next shelter was nine miles away and there's more steep climbing to get there. I was concerned about getting stuck in the storm high up on the bald before getting a chance to get down to a safer place and didn't feel like getting soaked either!So here I am, cozy in my bed in the loft and feeling a nap coming on!Later...   Actually, the sun has now just come out... Perhaps the storm will blow over...or not, but it doesn't matter, I'm stopped for the day remember? (I'm talking to myself here.)Ref hiked on, but Forest Gimp has joined me, as have "Team Peace Train" (Kirt, Kate, Amber & Confucius) a great group of "youngsters" (early 20's?). There is also a sweet young couple, Flute Walker & her curly blond headed friend, Twine Man and three who came in after we all went to bed at 9:30pm! We enjoyed a really rich and fascinating group conversation this evening about religious traditions, different cultures, et cetera. Flute Walker's music was hauntingly beautiful in the background...During the night there was lots of rain throughout the night and into the early morning hours, with thunder and lightening in the early evening. However, it all stopped in time to start hiking this morning.A final word about the privy here...scary!
Date: 2008-04-12
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked all day with Forest Gimp. We pulled a very long day on into Fontana Dam. We talked at length about many things along the way. Stories from our lives, turning points, hopes for our hikes and our lives, etc. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for hiking. Cool, sunny & breezy. Folks from Louisville, TN, had a "hiker feed" set up at a gap along our route and fed us all sorts of food that we probably shouldn't have eaten. We ate too much of it and suffered with bloating on the climb out. Hopefully we learned our lesson!We were beat when we finally made it to the shelter at nightfall.  The temperature is dropping fast (45 degrees?) but I just HAD to clean up and used my shower hose attachment to get a cold shower in the blustering winds round the back of the shelter before starting to journal for the day in my bed up top. Whooo that was cold! My teeth were chattering by the time I'd finished, but I just can't stand to go bed with 20 miles of sweat and salt coating my skin and unlike any other hikers I've seen out here I bathe every evening before putting on my clean sleeping clothes each night before bed. It's worth the effort to me to go to sleep clean and refreshed in my AT "pajamas." Everyone else is dirty and salty...and smells it! Sorry, but I just can't do it. It will have to get damned cold before I'll skip my nightly bathing ritual out here.I'm the last one awake in the shelter and exhausted by my longest hiking day so far...need to sleeeeeeeeeep......................
Date: 2008-04-14
From: Birch Spring Gap Campsite

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: light snow

I woke several times in the night and knocked the accumulated snow off my tarp as each time it was weighted down to within an inch of my face! It was really cold outside and still snowing when we woke in the morning, and we decided to start a fire to try drying our sleeping bags out a little as moisture had condensed on them from our breath. A damp sleeping bag, especially a down one, is a colder one to sleep in, and we had some success with it although it delayed our start for the day.There was a lot of contrast in the day for me. It was gorgeous in the woods with the new snow everywhere on the branches coating every tree and twig. I was comfortable while hiking for most of the day. But it was cold and windy and continued to snow and blow off and on and the snow got deeper (6 - 8") as we gained in elevation. As the day wore on, we became fatigued and wet and had to keep breaks very short as hypothermia began to set in quickly if we didn't. When we finally reached the shelter we were cold, wet and tired, and the thermometer was again dropping into the teens. Those of us in the shelter scrounged enough wood from the depleted area to get a small fire going as the shelter actually contained fireplace with a chimney just inside, and I managed to get my mittens relatively dry. But the cold was so frigid that doing any task required a trip to one's sleeping bag to warm up before attempting another. First it was going down to the water source to get water and back to my bag to warm up and get feeling back in my hands and nose. Then it was cooking dinner and back to my bag. Each time my hands would be so cold that as they warmed they burned! Needless to say, as soon as the essentials were done, I crawled into my sleeping bag and stayed there for the night even though it was only about 7pm. Although I slept relatively comfortably in my warm ten degree rated bad, I woke often and the night dragged.
Date: 2008-04-15
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Still Freezing out, but the snow has stopped and the sun is shining brightly - a very good sign! We're climbing higher today, almost to Clingman's Dome, which is actually the highest point on the entire AT. It will be interesting to see how deep the snow gets as we climb.This hiking thing seems to bring out both the best and the worst in people. During this rather extreme weather, folks in the shelter were pretty grumpy and pessimistic (as were FG & I), yet even then people were generous with courtesies. The hiker community is a truly wonderful thing on the trail. Fine people.Now I am loth to confess a terrible oversight on my part. Because of the severe cold last night, I used a plastic ziplock bag last night and very early this morning as my privy. I left it outside the shelter to freeze and planned to empty it into the privy this morning before leaving and pack out the bag, but I TOTALLY FORGOT and was five miles down the trail before I remembered it! This is absolutely mortifying; truly one of the most heinous crimes a thru-hiker can commit... I pity whomever discovers it. Whoever you are, I BEG your forgiveness. I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!There's a very large group here at this shelter, maybe forty people or more! Mostly new folks we hadn't met yet: Papa Prophen (as in ibuprophen), Pod & Rhody (father and adult son from Rhode Island), Why, Vigil Auntie, Mooch & Buffet (husband and wife, Papa Prophen is one of them's father). There are quite a few out here in tents as well. Pod and Rhody may be interested in splitting the cost of a room with us in Gatlinburg tomorrow night. We'd hoped to hike the entire Smokies without a town stop, but everything we have is dirty and wet & we stink!All & all I'm very pleased with our progress today. We were pretty pooped when we got here. This was a stellar day for hiking. Gorgeous, almost blindingly sunny, fresh snow everywhere and amazing views at the various high points. The trail was snowy in the morning, and VERY wet and muddy later in the day, but oh well... It was gorgeous hiking... absolutely gorgeous!
Date: 2008-04-16
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

We were the first ones out this morning headed for Newfound Gap and our first "hitch" into a town. It's another stunning day, sunny, crisp and DRY except for the trail itself which is still very wet and muddy with the melting snow.Despite the low mileage, we were tired and hungry when we got to the gap. Fortunately, we only waited 15 minutes before a young man named Cory offered us a ride into town. He'd recently left culinary school because of the high tuition and was planning on pursuing a career in mechanical engineering instead.Gatlinburg wasn't as bad as the guide books let on. We were dropped at a restaurant Cory had recommended, and it was at that point that Colleen realized her winter coat was missing, and with it her wallet! She remained amazingly calm about it, and blessed be... Pod and Rhody had found it somewhere along the trail where she'd taken it off during a break and brought it into town with them! After her bounce box got lost in the mail and various other mishaps, things are finally starting to turn around for the Gimp.We stayed a the Grand Prix hotel and shared a room with Pod & Rhody (Rich and Ryan Tanner). I really like these two. They have a calm, relaxed way about them and are a real pleasure to be around. They're master carpenters who specialize in building custom homes of all kinds, particularly timber frame houses, the old fashioned way. Friday is Ryan's birthday.SOOOOOO good to be clean (all of our clothes too) with our sleeping bags draped over chairs drying and airing out, warm, dry, well fed and in a comfy bed for the night!
Date: 2008-04-17
From: Newfound Gap

To: Tri Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: scattered clouds

The most gorgeous day on the trail by far! I hiked most of the day by myself today which I enjoyed immensely. 90% of the trail today was on a very long, narrow ridgeline with stunning views of the Great Smokies in all directions. "Charlie's Bunion" was a beautiful spot. We met a group of women there who were day hiking together called "Adventures in good company." They were a wonderful group of gals and had many questions about thru-hiking, our gear, etc.I finally caught up with FG late in the day with about 5.5 miles to go. While I had just decided to mosey along to enjoy a more leisurely day, I had an excuse all made up for falling behind today which went like this: I was hiking along on the ridge and my leg gave out and I slid down the slope about 200 feet off a shear drop! I managed to grab a tree branch as I flew over the side and found myself dangling in mid air. So I pulled myself back up onto the slope again only to be face to face with a large bear that I fought off with my hiking poles. Finally I began to crawl upwards towards the ridge only to be attacked by a grouse for getting too close to her nest. When at last I managed to drag myself and my pack back up the trail, I was promptly accosted by a 18" AT worm that tried to strangle me! But along side of that, why I'd 'ave caught up to youins easy! Tee hee!Those last 5 miles we were pretty tuckered out and out of water, but we hung in there and finally arrived at the shelter only to find it packed to overflowing! Even the tent sights were packed with tents, one brave (or perhaps foolish) soul even pitching his tent directly under the bear bags in the final remaining level space. In the end, we slept on the dirt floor of the shelter just inside a tarp that was strung up as a wind break. A group of hikers were still up "partying" at 10pm just outside the shelter which was pretty obnoxious for those of us trying to get some sleep, but whatever.Tomorrow we're hoping Heartfire will meet us at the gap and take us home with her for a zero day in Ashville! She is one of the women I corresponded with a lot on the Woman's Hiker group chat room who gave met loads of valuable advice about getting my food ready and packed for my hike, and I couldn't wait to meet and thank her in person. I was also hoping to see both my brother and possibly Randy Bishop (my dad's best friend since childhood) & his new wife there as well. We'll see. For now I hope to get some sleep and get out of this carnival EARLY tomorrow morning!A final note on the day... The strength of the pine fragrance on the trail today was positively intoxicating, perfuming the air all day as we hiked, and wild flowers are popping up in profusion!
Date: 2008-04-18
From: Tri Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Another day of spectacular weather on the trail. The strong scent of evergreen was accented by the fragrance of wild flowers that grew more dense as we descended out of the Smokies at Davenport Gap. There were also several kinds of birds whose beautiful songs charmed us along our way.It was a very long day by the time we arrived at our "home" for the night. Standing Bear Farm Hostel is run by Maria and Curtis, and is a wonderful place with everything a hiker could want - Kitchen, store, bunkhouse, shower, internet, great hospitality & tent sites on their plush lawn. Maria's Mom owns a Mexican restaurant in the area, so a group of us piled into their van to go. The food was fantastic home cookin' and there was a live bluegrass band playing! I sat across from Brahma Bull and his wife Sweet Potato and had a wonderful time getting to know them better. A grand time was had by all, and then to bed! I set up my tarp on the carpet like lawn and the Gimp decided to forego setting up her tent and rolled out her bag under the tarp too. I love sleeping outdoors...