morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-03-13
From: Dick's Creek Gap (Hiawassee Inn, Hiawassee, GA)

To: Muscrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 6:30, breakfast in town, on the trail at 9am. Temps in the low 40s and cloudy to begin the day and stayed there. Begain to sprinkle at 10am and continued off/on all day. Made the GA/NC border at 2:40pm. Just after you cross the border you come upon probably the most photograghed trees on the entire trail, the Bly Gap tree. Immediately behind that is the toughest climb of the AT so far. This to the top of Sharp Top. Over 800 feet in less than 1/2 mile...and the top half is steeper than the bottom half. Dragged my butt into Muscrat Creek Shelter at 4:30pm.Someone asked me in a private e-mail to compare the trail so far to the trails we've done on the Superior Hiking Trail, the Border Trail (through the BWCAW) and Isle Royale. These trails are very similar to those back home, just as rocky, just as rooted and just as wide. The main difference is matter of scale. Ascents and descents can be a thousand feet or more instead of a hundred or so.
Date: 2009-03-14
From: Muscrat Creek Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: snow

Up at 7am, on the trail at 9am. Temps in the lo 40s all day with rain, wind, fog. A very raw day. I stopped for lunch at Standing Indian Shelter. I was soaked to the bone and while I wasn't hypothermic yet, I was getting there. Decided to stop there and ride it out. Whitey was already there bone dry. He had made it there the night before and slept UNDER the shelter out of the weather. He was also staying put, too. By the time it got dark there were 7 people in the shelter and 3 sleeping underneath.Whitey has hiked the entire AT before and another time hiked part of the AT (as a warmup I guess) then flew out west and did the entire Pacific Coast Trail. This summer he was again going to do the AT until June then fly out west and d part of the PCT beginning north of the desert.Anyway it was so raw that I decided (with some trepidation) that for the first time I would sleep in a shelter rather than put up my hammock. We'll see how that works out.
Date: 2009-03-15
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Up at 7am. Sleeping in the shelter was a big mistake. I was warm and mostly dry, but my back and hips were extremely sore by morning. Weather or no weather I am sleeping in the hammock tonight. Temps in the mid 40s this morning, got up to near 50 in the afternoon, but rain and wind for most of the day. I have decided to wait it out. A very unwelcome zero day. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit nicer so I will be out of here as early as possible.Spent a fair ammount of time talking with Whitey and getting some good tips on the trail ahead. It remains to be seen whether I will remember any of them.One of the things I learned was how Whitey got his trail name: A few years back he purchased a limited edition backpack from Kelty. Only 100 were made. The material used was the same NASA uses for astronaut spacesuits. Very lightweight for a backpack at the time and very white. Hence the name Whitey. At the same time there was another guy hiking with him who's last name was Graham. As a child his family called him Graham Cracker. For the trail he shortened it to Cracker. And although Whitey didn't know its origins there was a third guy hiking with them called Buckwheat. So what you had was three middle-aged white guys named Buckwheat, Cracker and Whitey hiking through the deep south. I will leave it at that.
Date: 2009-03-16
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 5:30, on the trail just after 7am. Temps in the mid 40s (again) and would rise to about 50 (again) with rain, drizzle and fog all day (again). Thankfully no wind to speak of. Several small mountains to go over today and one big one...Albert Mtn. There is a fire tower on top and it is said that you can get some incredible shots from there. Unfortunately when I got up there the entire mountain was socked in with fog. Made my biggest one day milage to date and gratefully crawled into the hammock at dusk. Tomorrow I go into Franklin and hope to meet AT icons Ron Haven and Miss Janet.
Date: 2009-03-17
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: clear sky

Up at 6am, on the trail at 7:30. Hiked over Rocky Cove Knob to Winding Stair Gap to await a ride to Ron Haven's Budget Inn in Franklin, NC. As I came down into the gap I was met by Bill and Elaine, trail angels for the local Baptist church assoc. They welcomed me and offered hot drinks and munchies as well as a soft chair to relax in while I waited for Ron. Ron showed up about an hour later and took me into town. Ron is well-known throughout the AT hiking community for the way he will cater to thruhikers while in town. I took a shower and did my laundry and only found out today (Tues) that the Gophers made the NCAA basketall tourney. At 4pm he shuttled a number of us around town for grocery resupply and over to the local outfitters. Most of the rest of the day I just vegged out and updated this journal. Tomorrow I will have breakfast served by AT matron Miss Janet and then back onto the trail. I want to get to Nantahala Gorge (27.3 miles) by Thurs. afternoon and spend the night at NOC (Nanahala Outdoor Center). Maybe they'll have a TV and I can watch the Gophers get stomped by Texas.
Date: 2009-03-18
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Burningtown Gap
Miles today: 14.6

Up at 6am to pack. Temps this morning in the upper 30s, highs today around 60 with lots of sunshine. Wandered over to the hostel across the street to have breakfast served by Miss Janet. Turns out she wasn't cooking breakfast since there was only one hiker staying there the previous night. But she drove me and that hiker out to an nice place where we had a big breakfast and a nice chat.Found out today the M&M girls (Mollie and Megan, two teenagers from New Hampshire) had to leave the trail when one of then wound up with a stress fracture in her foot.Got back to the Budget Inn at 8:30 and Ron drove Brickyard and I out to the trail. On the way I climbed over Wayah Bald. At the top is an impressive observation area and my first chance to take some really nice pics of the mountains. It was then I discovered the batteries I had just bought were dead. There was a great caterwawling and gnashing of teeth. Fortunately a lady there had a set of rechargable batteries that fit my camera and I got a few decent shots. Just a little more trail magic.Hearing and seeing a lot more wildlife as the days get warm. Lots of grouse beating their wings. My plan for the day was to get almost all the way to NOC so I could cruise into there early tomorrow. But as I entered Burningtown Gap I spotted the biggest tent I have ever seen. It was the the kind of excursion tent used as a base camp for mountain climbers. The base dimension of this geodesic must have been at least 15 feet. Appal invited me in, offered me a chair and a couple of sodas. He had been handing out hot dogs earlier in the day. This setup had a very quiet Honda generator running out back so there were flourescent lights, a microwave oven and a gas stove...all for our use. Appal left around 8pm and said we were welcome to sleep inside and use whatever was available. As tempting as it was I don't like sleeping on the ground...even if it is carpeted. So I set up my hammock. Laura & Kate (two sisters from Maine), Leaf E, Brickyard and Tekla (just met him) took advantage of the big tent.
Date: 2009-03-19
From: Burningtown Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: clear sky

Up at 7:30, on the trail at 8:30am. Overnight lows were in the lo 40s, during the day the temps got up to the lo 60s. Partly cloudy all day.The first 8 miles today went over several balds and one mountain. The last 4.5 miles or so was all downhill. A 2300 foot drop to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, which the National Geographic says is one of the best outfitters anywhere. But let us back up just a bit. About a mile or so from the NOC is the Rufus Morgan shelter. I was going to blow right by and stay in the hostel at the NOC. The shelter itself is not right on the trail but about a hundred yards away. It was at this point that every bad joke that all my northern friends made about my trek became a reality as I heard the unmistakable sounds of.....banjo music. Dare I investigate or should I slink on by? Being the courageous (or foolhardy) sort that I am I decided to investigate. Imagine my surprise when I spot Laura (one of the Maine sisters) sitting in the shelter with her sister, Leaf E and an unknown young man pickin' away. I had seen her pack the previous night and I knew she wasn't carrying a banjo. Turns out the young unknown man was just learning how to play and he would hike out to this shelter for a little quiet practice time. Seems Laura had some previous banjo experience. I hung around for a bit then cut out for the NOC.Got to the NOC offices just before the 5pm closing time and scored a spot in a bunkroom. I was very surprised to find I was sharing it with Brickyard and Broadcast. (A note to my MPR friends: Broadcast is not in radio. Leaf E gave him his trailname after watching him brush his teeth. Leaf E said that he didn't just spit out his toothpaste, he "Broadcast" it all over the forest.)That evening there was a huge group having dinner at the NOC restaurant. Those in attendance that I remember included: Brickyard, Broadcast, Tekla, Grandpa Hugh, (Not So) Swift, Leadfoot, Pogo, and Lefty. Lefty btw is from Mpls. He owns a condo that overlooks the I-35W bridge. He had a ringside seat for the whole event. After dinner there was a bit of male bonding on the balcony behind the bunkrooms. Yukon Rasputin and General showed up late. The partying continued on well past the time I went to bed.
Date: 2009-03-20
From: NOC

To: Sassafras Gap shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

Up at 5am, on the trail at 11:15am. Didn't note the temps for the day, but it was a warm one.Spent the morning at the NOC doing laundry, getting some supplies and waiting for a package from home. Called Mary and heard about the St. Patrick's evening incident involving the car and the MPR building. ("I swear Occifer, that building pulled right out in front of me.")Once I got organized I began the long climb away from the NOC. I don't know if it was the pancakes, sausage and OJ for breakfast, the double-burger with fries and root beer for lunch, the stack of Girl Scout thin mints my wife snuck into my package or some combination of the above, but I practically flew the 3000 feet up out of the gap and arrived at the Sassafras Gap Shelter at 5pm. And it was here that I met for the first time the Pack-a-Divas. Just a group of 4 20-something eastern seaboard college girls out for a hike. I told them about Col. Mustard's travails on Blood Mtn., to which there was a group, "Awwwwwwww" and with Brickyard's help told them about his recovery and sitings on the trail, to which there was a group, "OH, good."
Date: 2009-03-21
From: Sassafras Gap shelter

To: Cody Gap campsite
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 7am, on the trail at 8:30. Temps in upper 20s when I got up, got to the upper 50s in the afternoon...sunny all day.Some very nice views on Cheoah Bald. Shot a video there to get a sort of panoramic view. Thought about stopping at the Brown Fork Shelter but it was already crowded and I knew there were more coming so decided to press on to the Cody Gap campsite.No shelter there, which is okay since I don't like shelters unless the conditions are horrendous, but there was water. Arrived around 5:15pm. Spent the night sharing the campsite with Tekla, Leaf E, Yukon Rasputin and the 4 Divas.Interesting conversation between tents/hammock in the dark: Since it was Saturday night one of the divas let out a groan because she had missed A Prairie Home Companion. (Picture me here in my hammock smiling.) From an earlier conversation one of them remembered that I was from St. Paul and asked if I had ever been to the Fitzgerald Theater and seen APHC. (Picture me here in my hammock smiling even more.) When I told her through the dark that not only had I been there and seen several shows but that I actually worked for MPR here reaction was one bordering on astonishment.Oddly enough this is not the first time this has happened to me. Last year while doing a shakedown on the Superior Hiking Trail the same thing happened. Just go to the link below.http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=248590It just stuns me the attraction GK holds over these young ladies.
Date: 2009-03-22
From: Cody Gap campsite

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Up at 5am, on the trail at 6:30. Temps in the mid 30s in the morning, got up to near 70 in the afternoon....sunny all day.Descent down to Fontana Dam was a long and hard one...2000 feet over the last 4.7 miles. Arrived at the Fontana Dam Visitor Center (closed) at 12:30pm. Picked up by the owners of The Hike Inn. Did the laundry/shower bit and they took a group of us into town for Mexican food....I had steak. I'm not into Mexican and since it was a Sunday evening there wasn't much else open. Lefty and Slowburn were also staying there.
Date: 2009-03-23
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 7am, dropped off at the Fontana Dam at 9:15. Lows that morning around 40, high that afternoon in the mid 60s...mostly cloudy all day.Entered the Smokey Mountain National Park beginning with a 2100 foot climb over 4.8 miles to the fire tower on top of Shuckstack Mtn. Got some neat pics up there with Brickyard and Leaf E while doing lunch.Today is day 20 and for the first time I am experiencing the mental fatigue that can get to folks on the AT. I think part of it is the monotony. Always climbing or descending, very little level hiking. Still seeing only the occasional wildlife, once in a while hearing the grouse beat there wings and all the trees are still leafless. The rhododendrum bushes are everywhere haven't begun flowering yet.
Date: 2009-03-24
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

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

Up at 7am, on the trail at 9. Temps in the mid 40s in the morning, in the mid 60s in the afternoon...partly cloudy and breezy all day.Took a little longer to get on the trail this morning as I had to deal with my first major blister (right heel). This is a very interesting part of the trail in that there are times while hiking that your left foot is in Tennessee and your right foot is in North Carolina.Got to the top of the famous Rocky Top and was rewarded with some spectacular views. I can see why they call them the Smokeys. Even on clear days the more distant hills/mountains look shrouded in smoke.The ascents and descents in the Smokeys are not harder than any of the previous ups/downs that I experienced in Georgia or North Carolina, but for some reason I was having a lot of problems with fatigue. It wasn't until I got to the top of Thunderhead Mtn. that it dawned on me why. The elevation there 5527 feet, over a mile up. ("Hello, Denver.") Until I reached the Smokeys I was spending most of my time in the 3000 to 4000 foot range. I think it's that simple...the air is thinner.
Date: 2009-03-25
From: Derrick Knog Shelter

To: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg, TN)
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

Up at 7am, on the trail at 9. Temps in the morning mid 40s, highs lo 50s...wind, rain, fog since midnight.Most of the folks in my vicinity are pushing on to the Mount Collins shelter, which is about 4.5 miles short of Newfound Gap. From there one catches a ride in Gatlinburg, TN for resupply. The wind is unceasing, blowing steadily in the 20-30 MPH area with gusts up near 50 MPH. Many times the trail is on the leeward side of the trail/mountain and hiking is not a problem. But when you are up on top or (in this case) on the south side you are right in the teeth of it. I arrived at Clingman's Dome, one of the highest points on the entire AT (elev. 6643 feet) at around 3:30pm. On a good day there are some really spectacular views from the observation platform there. Today no such luck, but the masochist in me made me go to the top anyway. The winds almost blew me over. It was at this time I decided to skip the Mount Collins shelter and go directly to Newfound Gap and get into town since I was wet and needed to keep moving to stay semi-warm.As I began going down the 7 mile access road to Newfound Gap I met a guy from Pennsylvania riding a bike up the road. The access road was closed until April 1st but he didn't know that, so he went into town, rented a bike and rode all the way up to the dome. He caught up to me a few miles down the road as I was stripping off my entirely soaked clothes and putting on the only dry things I had left in order to fight off hypothermia. He said he would ride down to his car, take the bike back to town, then come back and take me to town. For the the next 5+ miles I plodded down the asphalt road in the fog, wind, and now that I was at a lower elevation, lots of rain. I finally arrived at Newfound Gap at 6:45pm. I stood out in the raging wind and held out my thumb looking for a ride. Many cars passed....none stopped. As each car approached I prayed it would be that guy from Pennsylvania. No such luck. A little after 7:30 I was so soaked and shivering so much that I knew hypothermia was a real possibility.I walked over to the building which housed the restrooms. On the way I had the terrible thought that it might be locked, since the one at Clingman's Dome had been. My relief when I opened the door indescribable. I began stripping off my wet clothes while planning what to do. It was a bit warmer in the bathroom and, of course, there was no wind or rain. That's when I decided, "SCREW IT" and set up my sleeping bag and ground pad for a night in the men's room. And that's where I slept. Only once during the night (around 10pm) did anyone come in. All in all it was rather comfy.
Date: 2009-03-26
From: Newfound Gap

To: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg, TN)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Woke up 7am. Wind, rain, fog still strong in the morning. I had hung up most of my wet gear the night before, so while it was still damp, it wasn't wringing wet. I went out at 8:30am but still couldn't catch a ride. A park ranger came by on his rounds and lent me his cellphone. I called the folks at the Grand Prix Motel and they came up and brought me down into Gatlinburg. After doing my laundry and showering I took the local trolley to an outfitter where my dropbox from home was waiting. Other hikers were also coming in to get out of the weather. It was at this point I discovered that my camera had somehow gotten wet and died. I guess I will stick around tomorrow and find another.
Date: 2009-03-27
From: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg, TN)

To: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg, TN)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

After getting up I spent the day getting resupplies, sending unneeded stuff home and finding a new camera. In order to do these things you need to ride the Gatlinburg Trolley system. With some time to kill I took a stroll down the city's main drag. If you were to look up the term "tourist trap" in the dictionary you would find a picture of Gatlinburg. It is totally amazing. And on this foggy, damp Friday afternoon the city was packed with tourists. The main topic of concern amongst those of us here at the Grand Prix is whether we should go back into the mountains tomorrow morning. The National Weather Service is painting a pretty grim picture of what's going to happen up there this weekend.Thunderstorms, heavy rain, even the talk of snow at the higher elevations on Sunday. The temptation is that there are only about 30 miles of the Smokeys left to traverse which any of us can do in 2 days. Most of us are holding our decision until tomorrow (Sat.) morning......stay tuned.
Date: 2009-03-28
From: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg, TN)

To: Icewater Spring shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

Up at 7am. Finished packing, had some breakfast, then hummed and hawwed with some other hikers as to whether to go or not. Weather in Gatlinberg was okay but that didn't mean it was okay at the higher elevations. Finally said, "Heck with it" and caught a ride to Newfound Gap. On the trail at 11am in pouring rain and wind with temps around 50. By the time I got to the first shelter (Icewater Spring shelter) I was soaking wet...again. Had some lunch and decided to wait for better weather tomorrow. Kate and Laura (the sisters from Maine) started at Newfound Gap at 3pm and showed up at the shelter bone dry. Figures. Today I met Spokes, Debbie (NTNY) and Preacherman.
Date: 2009-03-29
From: Icewater Spring shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

Up at 7am, on the trail at 9. Temps in the low to mid 30s in the morning, got up to the 50s (briefly, when the sun came out) in the afternoon.Lots of frost in the trees in the morning. Fortunately the sun came out just as I was approaching Charlie's Bunion, a prominent rock formation with some really great views. At around 1pm the fog/clouds descended and the temps dropped noticably. Little ice pellets were in the mix. Arrived at Tri-Corner shelter at 5pm. Huge crowd piling in as temps are supposed to drop into the 20s tonight. Supposed to be sunny and warmer tomorrow.
Date: 2009-03-30
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 7:15am, on the trail at 9:15. Weather clear and in the 20s when I started out, was partly cloudy and in the 60s later.Trees and bushes coated with rime ice overnight. Ice was being blown off of trees as I was hiking. Started out frozen boots and hands but was warm within an hour. It was a crystal clear morning and took lots of pics. Finally saw some flowers blooming. Entire hillsides were covered with these little white flowers with a tiny orange stripe down the middle of each petal. Arrived at the Davenport Gap shelter just after 5pm. This shelter can sleep at least 12 people (on two levels) but there were only 5 of us there...me, Kate & Laura, Maggie and Red Bear. Since it wasn't crowded I hung my hammock inside the shelter. The others were amused by this.BTW Red Bear lives over in the Midway area of St. Paul.
Date: 2009-03-31
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 6:45am, on the trail at 8:45. Temps through the day ran from the upper 40s to the mid 50s. It was cloudy all day with occasional sprinkles.Put in a quick 3.5 miles, exited the Smokeys and shortly arrived at the Standing Bear Farm Hostel. Hung around for a bit, got some supplies, bought a pizza and two root beers and lamented not spending two days here instead of in Gatlinberg. SBF has a wonderful, laidback atmosphere where you can read, sleep, play board games and just, "...mellow out, man."Left there (reluctantly) at 1:30pm, climbed 2800' over 4.7 miles, then descended 1700' over 2.5 miles to arrive at the Groundhog Creek shelter at 5pm. Saw a lot more flowers, greenery and (with the warmer weather) bugs. The gnats are huge but slow and easy to smash. They're also slow so as long as you keep moving they are not a problem....yet.
Date: 2009-04-01
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 6:15am, on the trail at 8:15am. Temps in the morning around 50 with clouds, rain and fog. Later became partly cloudy with temps near 70.Was a wet hike until about 1pm when the clouds cleared a bit and temps raised noticably. Went over the famous Max Patch Bald before lunch. This is an enormous grass area above 4600'. You grass is short enough you could play golf up there (winter rules). Many people make an effort to spend the night up there and watch the sunsets and sunrises as there are no other big mountains nearby. Unfortunately my schedule didn't jive with the weater as it was totally socked in with fog when I got there. When I met some folks who came over Max Patch later the same day the skies had cleared. Rats!