morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-17
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 13.0

I had enough water to cook my oatmeal and make a cup of coffee. I had a long hike to Fontana Dam and of course continued to be concerned about the drought conditions and feared dehydration. On the trail I apparantly stirred up a yellow jacket nest close to the trail. I heard a loud roar and stopped after a few steps to determine the source of the sound and was promptly stung on my elbow by a yellow jacket. I started running and didn't stop for 30 to 40 yards. Thank goodness I had no additional stings. I stopped at Cable Gap Shelter for lunch and was pleased to find a steam running with good water. I drank two liters and rehydrated. I passed several streams with running water on the way to the dam, so my water worries were over.I arrived at the dam area about 3pm and found Allen; he had been day hiking the same area. We visited the Fontana "Hilton" Shelter and walked to the Fontana Dam Visitors Center. We walked around the dam area and called Jeff for our shuttle back to the Hike Inn Hostel. I had country fried steak smothered with gravy at the Stecoah Valley Diner and it was well received by my tired hungary body.Obviously, the emotions of this section were centered around the drought and at times I could not enjoy the normal relaxed feelings of a good hike in the woods. Adversity sometimes is a good thing in life as long as there is a good ending. Take our experiences and multiply it many times over for all the other hikers in the southern end of the AT for the past few weeks and it has been a significant problem. The predictions for a dry winter does not bode well for my next section. I plan to start in early April at Fontana and hike the Smokies and get off in Hot Springs, NC. Until then, Happy Hiking to all my friends.
Date: 2008-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I will start my third section hike of the AT this next week. I was not sure that I would be able to go as planned because of some health issues with my wife but, for the time being, she is stable.On saturday I will join a group of fellow hikers from the Vulcan Trail Association, our local hiking club, and hike Mt LeConte in the Smoky Mtns. We have had reservations the opening week end for the past 30 years and there will be about 23 of us. If you are not familiar with the Lodge, it is a group of rustic cabins built in the 1920's with a central dinning room and a small room with a pot belly stove to gather around. There are five trails leading to the lodge and you can only hike to the cabins, no cars. One of the trails, Boulevard, comes off the AT near Newfound Gap. The supplies are brought in by llamas. The staff will cook Dinner and Breakfast for the guests. We always have a great time and I recommend it.I will travel to Townsend, TN on Saturday, climb to Mt LeConte Lodge on Sunday and decend back to the Gatlinburg area on Monday. I will drive to Hot Springs, NC and spend two night at Springbrook Cottage,recommended highly by Stumpknocker,and will be shuttled by Jeff Hoch, (The Hiker Inn), to Fontana Dam on Wednesday and start my hike. I plan to spend one night in Gatlinburg and one night at the Standing Bear Farm Hostel and the remainder of the time will be in shelters or tenting and will get off the trail in Hot Springs.
Date: 2008-03-29
From: Fontana Dam

To: Townsend, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Today I drove to Townsend,Tn to meet my hiking group from Birmingham. We stayed in a cottage on The Little River which drains out of the Smoky Mtns. We will have a big pot luck type dinner, enjoy a fire by the river and hike to LeConte tomorrow am.
Date: 2008-03-30
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mt LeConte Lodge
Miles today: 0.0

I ate breakfast at the cottage with my group and left for our LeConte hike. Most of us hiked the Alum Cave trail to the lodge. There are five trails to Mt LeConte Lodge, Trillium was closed because of blow downs and needs trail maintenance before it is opened. The llamas are carring the supplies up Bullhead Trail. Alum Cave is 5.8 miles and is the shortest trail, I decided on it rather than a loop because I did not want to worry about a car shuttle. There were 23 im my group and about 40 guest at the lodge. Our weather was pretty good we did have a few rain showers. The cabins are rustic with no electricty, we used kerosine lanterns and had one central propane stove. My cabin had two bedrooms with double bunk beds and one room with two single beds.The staff prepared a delicious meal of beef tips and mashed potatoes with all the trimmings. Our group always carry up apples and we cooked apple pies for the group and the staff.
Date: 2008-03-31
From: Fontana Dam

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up early and had a good cup of coffee in the gathering room. There was a great deal of snoring last pm but I managed to sleep resonably well. The staff served a great breakfast, pancakes, eggs, canadian bacon and yes southern style grits.I packed my gear and decended down Alum Cave trail to my car. I was close to Newfound Gap so I drove there to see if any AT hikers needed a ride to Gatlinburg and indeed I picked up Half Life and Poor Boy. I gave them a ride down into Gatlinburg and treated them to lunch. We had a nice visit and I dropped them off at the Grand Prix Motel.I drove to Hot Springs, NC and checked into my room at the Springbrook Cottage($50 per night). The lodging was highly recommended my StumpKnocker in his journal and indeed I stayed in the same cottage. He left a short note with his famous Happy Face sickers.I ate at the Smoky Mtn Diner and had a good reasoably priced meal. I went back to the cottage and watched a movie on TV and went to bed.
Date: 2008-04-01
From: Fontana Dam

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I am sitting in the library in Hot Springs, there are a number of hikers in town, most of them are staying ar Elmer's. I went to Bluff Mtn Outfitters and bought a few items and walked the town. Originally, I had planned a slackpack from Allen Gap back to Hot Springs but the weather forecast last pm was for heavy rains and thunder storms. I also talked with Jeff Hoch, who will shuttle me to Fontana Dam, and he informed me that the dam was now comletely closed to foot traffic and I will have a 2.5 mile extension on a blue blaze trail in order to get to the start of the AT trail. The closure of the dam will make it a longer day and of course I will start late because of the shuttle. Therefore, with bad weather coming in and a long day tomorrow I decided to make this a zero day even though I have not started hiking!Jeff will pick me up at 8am and I hope to be on the trail between 10 and 11am.
Date: 2008-04-02
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Jeff Hoch from the Hike Inn at Fontana was on time and picked me up at about 8am. It was about a 2 hour drive most of it was up the Spring Creek Valley and was beautiful. I arrived at the Dam at about 10 am and started hiking shortly afterward. The Dam was closed to foot traffic and thus I had a 2.5 mile blue blaze detour, thus I decended 480 feet to the Little Tennessee River and then had a 480 foot climb in addition to the almost 3000 foot ascent to Mollies Ridge. I met Shilo and Brad at the foot of the dam and we hiked a short distance together. I also met Ranger and TigerLilly at the Shuckstack Fire Tower.Overall it was a beautiful day but a little on the warm side. I slept at the shelter, as required by the Park Service since I was a section hiker. The shelter was full with a few people tenting. At the shelter I met TroutBum and Lindsey and Adam who were from Steamboat Springs, CO. I ate chicken almond rice, a freezer bag recipe, and it was tasty. There was a lot of snoring but I slept resonably well.
Date: 2008-04-03
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I departed Mollies Ridge Shelter at 8:45am and began my hike up the Devil's Tater Patch. The weather was a little cooler and cloudy. I passed Russell Field Shelter and stopped for lunch at Spence Field Shelter. For lunch I usually have either a peanut butter and jelly uncrustable sandwich or peanut butter and jelly wrap with dried fruit and a Nutty Bar. Backpacking Light recommends the Nutty Bar because it is a dense food ie high calories for a low weight. I arrived at Derrick's Knob Shelter at 3:30pm. I ate Mashed Potatoes with Ham for dinner with fig newton cookies for dessert. A number of the same people were at the shelter, Shilo, TroutBum, Ranger, TiggerLilly, Lindsey and Adam, Steelman and others. Again, we had a full shelter and a few people had to tent. The Park Service will not allow tenting in the Smokies unless the shelter is full. It began to rain late in the afternoon and continued to rain most of the night.
Date: 2008-04-04
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mount Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5

I slept resonably well, the rain helped to mute the sound of several loud snorers. I packed my gear and headed out into the rain. I was adjusting my raincoat hat etc and started hiking to the ubiquitous white blaze but I was stopped dead in my tracks when I reached a sign for Sugar Tree Gap, I had been heading SOUTH! So I turned around and climbed a big hill to again arrive at the shelter, a 2.2 mile mistake but it could have been worse. A long day made longer by my lack of attention in the rain.Once I was going in the right direction I passed Silers Bald Shelter and stopped at Double Spring Shelter for lunch.It rained hard most of the day with no views. It was especially wet and windy around the Clingmans Dome area. I arrived late at the Mt Collins Shelter, it was crowded with a large puddle of water in front and everybody had wet gear hanging in the shelter. TroutBum was in the shelter but most of the group was new to me. They had been in Gatlinburg the night before and decided to stay up and party to midnight. I had very little sleep and was looking forward to getting off in Gatlinburg to dry out my gear, rest and catch up on my sleep.
Date: 2008-04-05
From: Mount Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: clear sky

I packed up my wet gear and hiked with TroutBum to Newfound Gap hoping to get a ride. I was concerned with the rain and poor visibility that there would not be many tourist from Gatlinburg and also that they would not want wet muddy hikers in their cars.It was an easy walk to the gap and there were a few people parked trying to get a view. Within a few minutes a nice young man offered us a ride and took us straight to the Grand Prix Motel He was a thru hiker from Seattle taking a few days off to recover from an ankle sprain. He rented a car and was providing trail magic by going back and forth giving shuttles both ways for the hikers.It continued to rain all day, TroutBum and I were referred by the motel manager to the Log Cabin Pancake House for an AYCE buffet. The food was good but it was over a mile walk in the rain and we were both wearing our Crocks with no socks. TroutBum got a bad blister on his toe and I had a small one.I went back to the motel did my laundry and tried to catch the trolley to the grocery store but after 45 minutes I got off and went back to the motel. I had agreed to meet Lindsey and Adam at the Peddler Steak House at 5:30pm. We did have a great salad and steak at the Peddler. After dinner I went sraight to the trolley stop and 2 hours later returned from the grocery store. Most of the time, if not sitting on the trolley I was walking in heavy rain or sitting at the trolley stops in the rain. It was a bad experience. I returned to the motel at 9pm and still had to pack, so I did not go to sleep until 10:30pm. There were 20 to 25 hikers at the motel but I had very little time to be sociable.
Date: 2008-04-06
From: Newfound Gap

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

The same young man gave TroutBum and me a ride back to Newfound Gap. We started hiking at 9am in a light drizzle. By mid morning the rain stopped and it turned into a beautiful day. I had great vistas and wanted to take a picture at the top of every knob. I passed by the Boulevard Trail which lead to Mt LeConte and I could not help but remember all the good times that I have enjoyed at the lodge. I also passed the Icewater Shelter but did not stop. A number of hikers were out on Charlie's Bunion but I had been there before with my wife and friends on a day hike, so I continued to hike. I arrived at Pecks Corner Shelter shortly after noon and ate my lunch. It was very crowded and I decided to tent even though it was against the rules for me as a section hiker. There were 25 to 30 hikers at the shelter so I thought one more tenter did not matter.I met Pops, BrushStoke amd SlowStepper for the first time. They could have been at earlier shelters but I did not remember them. Steelman and 4 section hikers from Louisville, KY were there. Lindsey and Adam came in late and tented.It was a good night and I made a number of new friends.
Date: 2008-04-07
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a good night sleeping in my tent. I ate my usual breakfast, oatmeal, cereal bar and coffee and left at 8:45am to began a steep ascent to Mt Sequoyah (6000 ft) down to Chapman Gap (5650 ft) and up to Mt Chapman (6250 ft). It was a long day with many ups and downs. They were not PUD's because we had plenty of good views and another beautiful day. I arrived at Cosby Knob Shelter and again we had a crowded situation with a number of weekend hikers in addition to the thru hikers. I stayed in the shelter and it was full.
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 10.4

I woke up about 6am with a large black spider crawling on my leg; I jumped out of my sleeping bag and did not get back in. A number of people have reported Black Widow Spiders in the shelters so I did not want to take a chance on being bitten. I was on the trail early and immediately started a steep descent to Low Gap. There was only one climb up to Mt Cammerer and then a gentle descent to Davenport Gap, I did not stop at the shelter. Just before crossing under Interstate 40, a father and son from north GA were waiting for us with trail magic. They had sport drinks and cookies. Although the cookies were good the sport drink was a welcomed relief to my mild state of dehydration. The trail continued under I-40 and began an agonizing climb up to Green Corner Road. The Standing Bear Farm Hostel was 200 yds to the left.The cabin was full but I was able to get a bottom bed in the bunk house. The bunk house soon filled and a number of hikers set up their tents in the front yard. Curtis has done a nice job with the hostel, although primative, (outdoor privy, outdoor showers etc), everything worked well. I had a good hot shower but decided against scrubbing my clothes with a wash board. His resupply area was well stocked with all varieties of hiker's food including soft drinks frozen pizzas, sandwiches etc. The kitchen had three gas burners, a microwave and pizza cooker and of course plenty of potable water. Curtis said that we had the highest number of hikers stay thus far this year.A number of people were there including BrushStroke, SlowStepper, Mr Burns, DownHill, Leaping Turtle. Linsey and Adam came in for a stop but decided to hike to the next tent site, I did not see them again.Overall, the hostel was a pleasant and positive stop for me.
Date: 2008-04-09
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: few clouds

I woke up at daybreak, ate breakfast, packed up my gear and started hiking at 8am. I enjoyed a good night of sleep despite some snoring. One of the hikers was branded with coat hangers which were heated with the gas stove. Now he really wanted the AT logo bad. He was still asleep when I left but I am sure that his leg will be very sore and also susceptible to infection on the trail.The trail was long and hard for me with a lot of elevation changes. The most miserable I felt the entire trip was climbing a Mtn just after Brown Gap. It was staight up, directly into the sun, the temperature was about 70 degrees, I was slightly dehydrated and had no energy but I slowed down and made it.I had improved and recovered to some extent while climbing Max Patch. What a beautiful Mtn, I took a number of photos. Just as I reached the summit, I notice 6 to 8 hikers gathered and they asked me if I was hungry. Spider and a friend had hiked up Max Patch set up a grill and had cooked hamburgers and hot dogs. They had a cooler of beer, potato chips, ketchup etc. What a nice thing to do , I ate two hot dogs, ate a hand full of chips and enjoyed a beer. Needless to say, I felt much better as I descended Max Patch thanks to two nice men who gave not only me but all the hikers coming through Trail Magic!I arrived at Roaring Fork Shelter at 4:30 pm and set up my tent. Only a few people stayed in the shelter since we are now out of the Smoky Mtn regulations. The shelter area had platform tent sites which was nice.DownHill and several of the regular couples and hikers were there.
Date: 2008-04-10
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Originally, my plans were to hike a short distance to Walnut Mtn Shelter but I decided to extend my hike to Deer Park Mtn Shelter so I would be able to get into Hot Springs early. Most of the other hikers were either going to stop at the same shelter or keep going to Hot Springs.Walnut Mtn Shelter was an old shelter on a very windy ridge. I stopped along with a few other hikers for a snack but kept going. Walnut Mtn and Bluff Mtn were the primary climbs for the day along with a number of smaller ups and downs. We found trail magic just past Garenflo Gap. There was a box of goodies including sport drinks, peanut butter crackers, M&Ms and candy bars. The sport drink was the best for me because it was another hot day with the temp about 70. Too hot for hiking without a lot of fluids.I arrived at Deer Park Mtn Shelter at 4pm,set up my tent and ate supper. DownHill continued her hike to Hot Springs but Aqua Maria, her boyfriend, Ranger, Tiger Lilly and a section hiker stayed for the night.
Date: 2008-04-11
From: Deer Park Mtn Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

All of the hikers at the shelter decided to get an early start and eat a big breakfast at the Smoky Mtn Diner. Therefore, I did not even have my coffee but instead ate my cereal bar, packed up and started hiking.The trail had a few elevations but most of the time we were going downhill. I arrived at the diner at 8:30 and joined the other hikers for breakfast. I enjoyed pancakes, eggs and bacon.I checked into Springbrook Cottage took a shower and decided to leave for home since it was so early in the day. I did pay for cottage because I took my shower and they were kind to allow me to leave my car while hiking so I did not think it would be right to ask for a discount.Overall, it was a very enjoyable section to hike. I met so many nice people and plan to follow their attempt to complete their thru hike on the internet. Physically I did well and only had one small blister on my left heel otherwise I was in good shape. I may do something this fall but I have very little vacation time left. I leave on April 24th for a two week Mediterranean Cruise, in May I am going dove hunting in Argentina and in August a group of us will spend a week hiking in the Sierra Mtns, so most of my vacation days are gone. I plan to retire in December and will have plenty of time next year. In the spring I will probably start in Hot Springs and at least go to Damacus, VA.
Date: 2009-04-07
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Zero
Miles today: 0.0

Next week I will begin my fourth section hike of the AT. The biggest change in my life since my last section is that I retired from my practice of Urology after 35 years on December 31st. Therefore, I have time for a longer section this year. My intentions are to drive to Damascus on Monday, April 13th and spend the night at the Lazy Fox B&B. Mt. Rogers' Outfitters will shuttle me to Hot Springs early Tuesday morning and I will begin my hike. I have worked hard on my preparations ie physical training, food preparation and equipment decisions. Hopefully, my pack will be a reasonable weight. It weighs 23 pounds without food and water and that is a good weight for me.I hope to stay on the trail for about a month and will get off the trail in Daleville, VA. That will be about 450 miles.I will leave my car in Damascus, take a shuttle from Daleville and should be back in Damascus for Trail Days. I am looking forward to the physical challenges, the social interactions with people from all around the country and a chance to visit the various hostels and Trail Towns along the way.
Date: 2009-04-13
From: Zero

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I left my home in Birmingham in route to Damascus, VA to leave my car and get a shuttle to Hot Springs, NC to begin this year's section hike. The drive was pleasant and took about 6 1/2 hours.It is always a problem getting through Chattanooga because of construction and I had a detour in Knoxville but otherwise no problems. I arrived in Damascus at 3:30pm and went to Mount Rogers Outfitters to verify my shuttle for the next day and all was in order. I found the Lazy Fox B & B without any difficulty and checked in. I met the owner, Ginny, who is a sweet 85 year old energetic lady that is talkative and a joy to be around. She assigned me a room upstairs and since there were no other hikers upstairs the shared bath was all mine. A young couple from England were in the large room downstairs with their two small children.I ate a hamburger at Fatties and met two thru hikers,Unplug and High Tops and gave them a ride back to The Place. I took a couple of guys, Boomer and Sam the Jammer to Food City to resupply.My pack was ready and went to bed about 9pm ready to hit the trail in the morning
Date: 2009-04-14
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

I slept very well last night at The Lazy Fox. I woke up early and drank my coffee and was served a delicious breakfast by Ginny at 7am so I could be ready for my shuttle at 8am. Dave, the founder of Mt Rogers Outfitters, was my driver and we had a pleasant and informative drive of 2 hours to Hot Springs. I told Dave to drop me off at The Paddler and I would have a snack and begin my hike. To our surprise The Paddler had been torn down because of a kitchen fire, so no snack today!I crossed the French Broad River bridge at 11am in route to begin climbing to Lover's Leap. I had great views of Hot Springs and the valley but soon the clouds rolled in and obscured the visibility and rain showers commenced but I only had to wear my rain jacket twice. A number of hikers were at the shelter but I elected to tent and it is well because shortly the shelter was full with an overflow and two females hikers had to sleep on the ground. Patty and his dog Jack were in the shelter along with Truckin, Bound and several others.The rain subsided shortly after I went to sleep in my tent.