morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Standing indian shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter on Albert Mtn.
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Try this: Go somewhere (the beach, mall, etc.) and pick out six random people of all ages, sizes, genders, backgrounds, etc. Now all of you go sleep side by side like sardines in an 8' x 10' tin roofed box (with one side of the box missing) while it pours down rain all night. That was my night last night and I had it good. Poor John was the odd man out and had to sleep on the shelter floor with rain and wind whipping his face all night. The people I bunked with couldn't have been more delightful. It just amuses me that a couple days ago we were all strangers to each other and now we're perfectly accepting of lining up our sleeping bags practically on top of each other.Given the cramped quarters, we were eager to hit the trail this morning and set a new record - on the trail by 7:30AM! Hiked mostly in chilly, misty conditions all morning but beautiful blue skies welcomed us by afternoon. With the early start, we'd already hiked 11 miles by 2PM. With backs and feet begining to wimper, we decided to reach Bearpen Gap at the base of Albert Mtn to set up camp for the night. The climb into Bearpen was exhausting - lots of roots and wet, steep rocks. Just as we were ready to throw in the towel for the day, John spots a sign saying "Trail Magic" with an arrow pointing ahead. We wandered on to discover at least half a dozen "trail angels" who had set up tents and where handing out cookies, sodas, and making grilled cheese sandwiches and burritos for the hikers coming through. I nearly wept. Many of our bunk mates from the previous evening were also there enjoying the magic. I figured we'd stay there for the night as planned, but the food and kindness gave us the burst of energy we needed to climb Albert Mtn at the end of the day! This is no small feat. I recalled this peak from a previous hike with Scott and John years ago. It's insane, requiring hand over hand climbing at times. The only nice thing that can be said about the climb is that it's over rather quickly. On top of Albert there is a firetower which you can climb and see 360 degree views of the peaks all around (some of which we have hiked). Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night - that view and the incredible trail magic earlier were rewards for our longest mileage to date.Tomorrow we have about a 9.5 mile hike into Franklin where hot showers, beds and all the greasy food we can eat awaits us!(Note to Tanya: "Nothing but pears!" was recently been amended to "Nothing but bears!"
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Big Spring Shelter on Albert Mtn.

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Trail magic continued to insire us today. After a steep climb out of Wallace Gap, I spotted something shiny ahead. There in a small stream flowing down the mountain were a couple dozen Capri Suns sitting in the chilly water just waiting for a tired thirsty thru-hiker. And at Winding Stair Gap (today's destination), we met 4-5 college students serving as trail angels during their spring break. Everything from sodas, fresh fruit, and even AA batteries for my water purifier were offered up generously. Even rides to Franklin were available. John's mom arrived at the gap a few minutes after we did and whisked us away to Franklin for hot showers, real food, and a warm soft bed for the night. Severe thunderstorms are predicted for tonight. I know John will be disappointed to not be riding the storm out in the filthy floor of a shelter. Speaking of which, I bring you...Deep Thoughts from John: "Dude, caramel is like a really awesome invention!"Almost forgot...we added two more animals to our wildlife spotting collection yesterday: a black salamander and the highly endangered, often lethal, saber-toothed mountain bunny.
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Just before Burningtown Gap
Miles today: 13.8

(Transcriber Note: Little Wing here, in Hot Springs NC taking a couple zero days to recover from the Smokies. Figured I'd catch up on the journal while I'm here and save you all from Scott's grammar for a few entries. The missing few days are probably sitting in our Gainesville mailbox, as Scott joined us for the past week.)First of all, GO GATORS!!! John and I didn't even know UF was in the Final Four until some thru-hikers mentioned it to us on the trail last week. In a fun coincidence, the guy who shuttled us back to the trail this morning told us that both he and his wife graduated from UF in the 70's. Sounds like we missed quite a party in Gainesville last night!Chilly day today (not sure it ever reached 50 degrees), but sunny skies throughout--perfect hiking conditions. Made decent mileage today so that we can set ourselves up with a cabin room at the NOC tomorrow after a nearly 14-mile hike into the Nantahala Gorge. The descent into and ascent out of Nantahala Gorge are 'memorable' (euphemistic for 'kicks your ass!')--each is a half day's hike at minimum.Saw lots of thru- and day-hikers today. We're tenting tonight on what appears to be a fairly sheltered ridge. High winds and rain are predicted and we'll probably reach freezing temps tonight. I have returned to my five-layer mummy sleeping state in preparation for a cold night.Passed a section of the Bartram Tail today near Wayah Bald, where there's a beautiful stone tower that provides panoramic views of all surrounding mountains (Blue Ridge and Smokies). It was neat to see the Bartram Trail as I'm reading about him in the Carter book. Actually, due to few other entertainment options available at night in the woods, I finished my first section of the Carter book before I finished hiking the physical section. (I read faster than I hike--no surprises there.) Picked up 'The DaVinci Code' at a grocery store in Franklin a couple days ago and am tearing off chunks as I read them and giving them to John. (I realize we must be the last two people in America to NOT have read this book yet.) Reduces my pack weight and encourages literacy in John, who read one book about every decade. Pain in my shoulders today blocked out any discmfort in the knees or feet. Resupplies are a necessary part of the AT, but the resulting increase in pack weight sure is a bummer. Certainly motivates one to EAT.
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Just before Burningtown Gap

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

The NOC is a great place...TO DRIVE TO. The descent into Nantahala Gorge afforded beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, but was BRUTAL on the feet. I expected blood to come pouring out of my boots when I took them off at the end of the day, but miraculously all toes are intact.The day brightened considerably after a burger and hot fudge brownie sundae at the NOC restaurant, where we saw at least a dozen other familiar thru-hiking faces also gorging themselves. We have comfy beds tonight in an NOC cabin and I'm about to plunge myself into a wonderful hot shower.Tomorrow's up will resemble today's down, so we've planned for fewer miles (like half!) Just talked to Scott and he should be able to meet us at a gap on Saturday evening about eight miles south of Fontana Dam. The terrain between here and Fonata looks pretty unforgiving, so we plan to back our daily mileage down to 8 or 9 miles (which is what we'd originally planned for this leg of the journey anyhow). Weather permitting, we should have no problem meeting Scott by dinner time on Saturday.
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

To: Locust Grove Gap
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

A joyful 8.1 of today's 10.5 miles were up, fo a climb of over 3,000 feet. John's AT guide book claims that the climb into and out of Nantahala Gorge is 'the most challenging terrain until New England.' ...'nuff said.It's supposed to rain tonight and possibly tomorrow. It's drizzling a little on my tent now. I pitched it so that I'm protected by a rhododendron thicket on two sides, so hopefully that we'll keep me from flying away in a thunderstorm.I'm grateful to have the Nantahala Gorge behind me and still be in one fairly pain-free piece. We heard from one hiker today who was held up at NOC for three days while a pulled Achilles tendon healed. Also heard about a woman who broke her leg on the climb upthat wicked Albert Mountain a few days ago. Hope these old bones of mine keep hanging in there!
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Locust Grove Gap

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 3.1
Weather: clear sky

While rain didn't bother us too much last night, my ongoing feud with mice continues. Woke up around 2AM to the sound of a mouse nibbling at my tent. I'd seen one earlier in the evening while collecting water, so I knew they were in the area. These mice apparently hadn't received the memo that they're supposed to be hanging out at shelters. Thankfully, I saw no holes in my tent this morning, so my attempts to shoo them away before any permanent damage resulted were successful. This time. Grrrr.This morning presented itself as a glorious April day. Partly sunny, about 65 degrees, and a cool breeze keeping us comfortable. We reached Stecoah Gap and a major highway at about 11:30AM and found Maya there doing trail magic wth sodass AND his weather radio. 'Listen to this,' he says as he pushes the radio across the picnic table. While the day STILL looks beautiful as I write this (at 4PM), Maya and his weather radio predicted all meterological hell was about to break loose--huge thunderstorms, hail, and winds gusting to over 60 mph--by late afternoon and evening. It was a tough call whether to hike on 7 more miles to the next road and then try to find a ride into nearby Robbinsville. Maya was willing to take us to town right then, so we figured a 'ride in the hand' was probably worth jumping at with such dangerous conditions heading our way (and likely dozens of other hikers competing for rides and hotel rooms at day's end).So here we sit at a Microtel in Robbinsville, washing our laundry in the sink and waiting for the storm of the centtury. (Hey, did you know that Woolite doubles nicely as bubble bath?) Movie buff Joe might be interested to know that Robbinsville is a famous Hollywood town...the movie 'Nell' was filmed here. I swear I'm not making that up. Anyway, hopefully whatever bad weather is coming our way will get through here by morning so that we can hike the eight miles to meet Scott as scheduled. It's exciting to be within a day of our first mail drop!
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Yellow Creek Gap
Miles today: 7.6

The heavy rains hit in the wee hours of the morning. After a big breakfast at a local BBQ joint, we were able to manipulate one of the ladies at our hotel's front desk into driving us the seven miles back to the trail. Today was a pretty easy day mileage-wise and offered up only one (practically vertical) climb out of Sweetwater Gap. Endured about a half hour of rain AND John singing 'You Light Up My Life.' (Conditions improved immensely once I got him switched over to some Queen tunes.) Songs are a funny thing out here. About all you can do while walking and attempting not to trip over roots and loose rocks is think. When you're thinking and walking for 10+ hours per day, songs pop into your head--esp'ly ones that fit the tempo of your stride. Often the songs are dreadful and won't leave your brain, although I enjoyed humming most of the tunes from the musical 'Chicago' the other day. Scott met us as scheduled around 2:30PM. (For those who don't know me well, John is my hiking partner and Scott is my REAL partner--despite lacking grammatical skills.) He drove us to the 'Hike Inn' mail drop and then to our Fontana Village hotel room. The BEST part of today was opening my awesome box-o-goodies from Tonya and Helen! Thank you, ladies!!! The food is wonderful and delicious. The crayon art is first class. And I devoured the back issues of the Alligator (even doing the crossowrd was a treat!) and both Tonya's and Lauren's letters. And Diane's inspirational postcard of Mt. Katahdin currently adorns our hotel room mirror.Tonya, thank you so much for catching me up on all the news--I'm glad to hear you and Ben finally made it to the Keys. Every day I hike I wonder if you guys have found a house in Orlando yet--am keeping my fingers crossed for you. Scott said he ran into half our office at Brasington's a few nights ago, which is really funny. Lindsay, I want to hear all about your upcoming AT adventure! Hopefully, your trip to Neels Gap will be considerably less snowy than mine was.
Date: 2006-04-09
From: Yellow Creek Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

Slack-packing ROCKS the universe! For those new to the term, 'slack-packing' refers to leaving most of the stuff in your pack behind and taking just the essentials for a day's hike (water, the purifer, some snacks). We left most of our stuff behind at our Fontana hotel room and caught a shuttle to where we left off the trail yesterday about 8 miles south of Fontana Dam. Without a full pack, I literally skipped over the mountains. After this whole AT experience is done, I think I will feel very light on my feet without 30 pounds strapped to my back.Tomorrow we head to bear country--Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The first four miles will require a climb up to over 4,000 feet, with a full pack. Ugh. Will be good to get that behind us.Today's weather was flawless--blue skies and temps in the 60's. Continued weather like this will help us reach our goal of getting through the Smokies 70 miles in five or six days. Challenging terrain awaits us--the AT's highest point (Clingman's Dome at 6,643 feet) is in this section. Our packs are laden with all kinds of treats provided by UPO. Thanks again, Helen and Tonya! I may be the first thru-hiker in history to return weighing more than when I started.
Date: 2006-04-10
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Challenging day in beautiful weather. The climb up Shuckstack Mountain from Fontana Dam certainly got our attention, but the views from the fire tower atop the mountain made the effort worthwhile. Things didn't exactly get easy after Shuckstack though. So far, the Smokies are a rollercoaster ride with constant ups and downs. We were very happy to see our shelter come into view at day's end. About a dozen hikers are sleeping inside it tonight.Scott and I (and a handful of others) opted for our tents outside the shelter. So, we'll be the first line of defense if/when the bears come to snoop around tonight, but hopefully our shelter friends will keep the mice all to themselves. There's a bright, nearly full moon tonight and we enjoyed good conversation and toasted marshmellows around a campfire. Hope to get an early start in the morning so that we can increase our mileage. I'm sitting here in Scott's spacious two-man tent, which is a luxury condo compared to my tiny one-man, one-walled tent. We mailed my tent ahead to Hot Springs since we can use Scott's until then.
Date: 2006-04-11
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Where-oh-where did I get the notion that the Smokies would be easy once we got past the climb out of Fontana Dam??? The brochure lied. The Smokies kicked our butts today. A mere 11 miles felt like 20. We were rewarded briefly atop Rocky Top Mountain with amazing views (despite the wretched song), but the ups and downs after that about wiped us out. Reaching Newfound Gap (with the possibility of a ride to Gatlinburg and REAL FOOD) will require an 18-mile day tomorrow, and I just can't fathom that possibility. We'll be pushing hard to reach Mount Collins Shelter at 13.5 miles.When I'm not too exhausted and zoning out mentally, I have noticed that the trail is beginning to meander through fields of pretty little white wildflowers--almost looks like it's snowed. No bear evidence yet, other than scat on the trail, mauled logs, and what looked like a little tuft of bear fur. Time for bed (8PM). Among tomorrow's fun-filled miles will be Clingman's Dome--the tallest point on the entire AT. God help us.
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Derrick's Knob Shelter

To: Clingman's Dome
Miles today: 10.1

Scott and I celebrated reaching the AT's highest point by getting the hell off the trail. We bummed a ride from Clingman's Dome (there's a parking lot a half mile from the top) into Gatlinburg from a wonderfully kind trail maintainer, nabbed a hotel and the best hot shower in the world, and proceeded to stuff great gobs of steak, fresh rainbow trout, mashed potatoes, and an obscene chocolate concoction into our gaping mouths. Life at the moment is very, very good.John, on the other hand, is being a much better behaved hiker and is still on the trail--likely tenting at Mount Collins Shelter (as we should have) or growing wings and hoofing it to Newfound Gap where he might also be able to hitchhike into G-burg. We'll likely meet up again in Hot Springs next Monday or Tuesday. I know we need to get out of here first thing in the morning as Scott is already talking about 'taking a zero day to go to Dollywood.' (I'm pretty sure he's joking.) Today was chilly and windy, but skies cleared just as we were summiting Clingman's Dome, so our views from the tower there were fantastic. Seemed like a great way to cap the day to me.
Date: 2006-04-13
From: Clingman's Dome

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, I think we more than made up for our Gatlinburg indulgence with today's miles. The terrain today was MUCH friendlier, otherwise we could have never knocked out over 18 miles. Outlaw's 5PM gift of a king-sized Pay Day candy bar before our final 7.5-mile sprint contributed hugely to keeping my energy up as the sun was setting. The last half hour we walked in total darkness with headlamps on, which make finding secure footing on a loose rock strewn trail an ever more interesting challenge. The experience did permit us to see our first full moonrise of the hike--incredible.Managed to catch up to John at this shelter, but our reunion will apparently be brief as he hopes to spring 20+ miles to finish the Smokies tomorrow and meet Richard and his dog Cocoa. Doubt we'll overlap much with them in the days ahead, so we'll look for them in Hot Springs early next week where we all plan to get LOTS of rest.Today's trail followed a ridge line and the views on either side were breath-taking. Flawless weather, too--we really couldn't have asked for a better day to (as Scott repeatedly and annoyingly likes to say) "kick it up a notch!"
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

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

Today we lolly-gagged a little, esp'ly in the morning. Turns out that an 18-mile day lingers on one's bones a little. Perked up some after lunch and a Mounds bar. My two most important food groups have become Mounds and Skittles (hiker's crack cocaine). I've hiked whole mountains on a Skittles high. Sadly, I ran out today. You know it's bad when you're admiring the beautiful view of a small town from the crest of a mountain standing next to the man you love and all you can think to say is "I wonder if they have Skittles down there...?"With a little luck and energy, tonight will be our last night in the Smokies. While they've been beautiful (and certinly the weather has been more than accommodating), I think most thru-hikers look forward to finishing them mainly due to the restrictions placed on where you can stay each night. Hikers (day or thru) must stay in (mouse-ridden) shelters or tent right beside them if they're full. Some shelters are a mile or two apart; others require 18-mile days. It will be good to return to throwing our tents down wherever and whenever our bodies tell us it's time to at day's end instead of killing ourselves to reach the next shelter.Speaking of miles, one of the thru-hikers we've seen lots of this week ('Snickers' from NH) told us that we have now passed the point (gatlinburg) where two-thirds of AT thru-hikers call it quits. We're now sort of in the 'final four' of the AT world...maybe the 'thick-headed third'...? We've also now passed the 10% mark in terms of total mileage. As the ever encouraging Scott points out, "You just have to do what you've just done nine more times and you're done!" Hmmm.   Why am I not encouraged by that statistic...? (Editors note: What no mention of the plane? So we are walking along the trail and come across LOTS of BIG military plane pieces. There is some evidence of rust on some of the parts so they have been there for a while but the weird thing is no one seems to know anything about it. I would think there might be some coverage of an F-16 crashing into the AT but no! Mulder? Scully? hey what are those guys all dressed in black doing in my house...)
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm off Waterville School Rd
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It was the worst of times, it was the best of times. Started out early and feeling strong this morning--ready to get the Smokies done. About five miles into the hike, my stomach took a turn south (always a good time on the trail). Also started feeling a little hot and clammy, but it was also a hot day today--so it was hard to determine how much of this was internally vs. externally caused. We finally reached a wonderfully cool creek with small waterfalls cascading down. I practically laid down in it, and that helped erk me up a little...until the climb out of Davenport Gap during the hottest part of the day. First, it was a little surreal crossing a major interstate (I-40) with semi's roaring by after being ensconced in the woods for over a week. Second, the climb felt vertical and it was well over 80 degrees. I usually sprint past Scott on the ups, but not today. A mile past I-40, our guidebook mentioned a hiker hostel called Standing Bear Farm just 0.1 mile from the AT that offers beds, showers, make-your-own pizzas and burgers. SOLD. Note to Joe: I am living as a character in 'Drop City' tonight. This place is a riot. Very rustic, sort of hippy/hiker charm with techie touches. In this building that looks like an old wooden tool shed that you'd find behind an 1800's era barn is a computer with Internet access. The bed we're sleeping on has a frame made of logs that look like I cut them into shape with a dull ax and a matress that feels like it's stuffed with slinkies and straw. Yet, given what we've all become accustomed to on the trail, this place is a slice of heaven. We arrived around 2:30PM, and I'm hoping a little extra loafing today will put me in better shape for bigger miles tomorrow. We have abuot 35 miles to go to reach Hot Springs, which we'd really like to do in two days if possible. Now, everyone repeat after me: "Jill does NOT have giardia."