morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-11
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: clear sky

We woke early and got an early start. The knowledge of getting clean and washing smelly clothes gave us good incentive. We made the journey quickly and got to Standing Bear before nine. I was lauging as I was walking up the road toward it. I told Break that here we are, all excited about getting to civilization and that the civilization was a farm! In my opinion, Standing Bear Farm is a great place to stay while on the trail. It is run by Curtis and his wife Maria. Good people and the whole operation is run on the honor system. It has such a laid back feel that it is hard not to relax here. The first people we saw were Gypsy LuLu(Gypsy), Touk, and Bassline. It was great to catch back up with them. We sat on the porch while Gypsy and Linux played penny whistles. Then Gypsy, Touk, and Break started singing. The three of them sound really good and it added that special touch to a perfect morning. Gypsy and crew headed out around one with the promise to Go Light, Go Easy! We will see them again in Hot Springs. Just before they left Brownie and Souleman stopped in. They were heading on and just stopped for a break. Once again, the AT leapfrog is in play! I had talked to Curtis when we arrived about a work for stay. He had some work for Linux and I so we proceeded to work on a trail he had on his property. It was fun to work with something other than your legs. Work for stay is not always available but when it is I try to do it. After we got done we got cleaned up. The shower was wonderful! Shortly thereafter, I looked up from where I was sitting and there was Scholar. She had pushed 18 miles to get here. It was good to see her again. Now all we need is Weatherman, whom we will hopefully pick up in Hot Springs. The rest of the day and evening was spent relaxing, catching up on journals, and reading. We started a fire and it turned into a late night. I don't think I went to bed till after eleven. Bed consisted of sleeping near the fire because it was such a pleasant night.
Date: 2005-04-12
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Painter Branch
Miles today: 2.3

Linux and I had decided to cowboy camp by the fire last night. It was a good night for sleeping but I had a hard time. At four AM I threw in the towel and got up. I made a pot of coffee. A real pot of coffee in a real coffee maker. It was great! I read my book and drank coffee till people started stirring. The original plan for the day was to leave around noon and ead for the next shelter area. That began to change as the weather changed and as we found out what other people there were going to do. We realized that there would be no room in the shelter so we decided to just do the two miles or so to the campsite. This way we could wait longer and see if the weather cleared.We tried to convince Serenity to stay and walk with us. She felt she had to do more miles than that. Have to work on that girl and show her the goodness of "Go Light, Go Easy". Go Light, Go Easy is the phrase we have adopted for our hiking style. It doesn't mean have a light pack. It is a whole state of mind thing. We are working on gathering converts as we go! We settled down and read, wrote in journals and napped. Well, I took a little nap because three hours of sleep just doesn't cut it. Around one Linux and Pacman were getting antsy so they took off for the campsite. We told them we would meet them there. The afternoon progressed and the rain didn't seem to want to lift. Around five Scholar started talking about staying. Break and I wavered but Break said she had to move cause all she had done all day was eat. With that the decision was made to go. The decision was made but the feet did not readily follow. We did not walk out of Standing Bear Farm until 7:00. Talk about a late day! It only took an hour to get to the campsite where we saw Pacman and Linux. We thought for sure that they would have pushed on but they said they had taken a nice long nap. Pacman had a fire going so after we set up camp we all gathered around the fire and relaxed. It was a good couple of days! The next goal is Hot Springs which we plan to hit Friday morning.
Date: 2005-04-13
From: Painter Branch

To: Roaring Fork Shelter(new)
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

It rained during the night. I guess it rained for quite awhile but I heard nothing. When I went down I was out like a light! The lack of sleep the night before caught up. We packed up and headed out around eight. That seems to be the usual time lately. It was overcast and we knew it was going to rain again. The goal for today called for camping on or near Max Patch so we could see the sunset. This option seemed to fade as the day progresses. Around ten we got to Groundhog Creek Shelter where we stopped for a break. I'm not sure what was going on but I was feeling really lightheaded when we got there and everyone's voices sounded as if they were in a tunnel. I felt as if I had to keep moving in order to shake it so I told everyone I was going to move on. I headed out and a little while later the rain started. I was near a rhodedendrum clump so I took shelter there. I sat and waited and this seemed to do the trick. My head cleared and I started feeling normal again. The crew caught up to me while I was there and we moved on. It was really aining now but we just pushed on. We got to Max Patch and it was shrouded in fog so we weren't going to get any views there. Because of the weather we decided to push on to the site of the new shelter they were building. Once again, we knew there weren't going to be any spaces at the shelter further up. Our decision now was where we we going to camp. We arrived at the shelter site and it was still pouring. Unfortunately it was not a warm rain and everyone was feeling a little miserable. We tried to wait it out but the rain would not let up so we teamed up and got everyone's tents up as quickly as possible. As we were doing this NumTum came in and decided to toss her tent up with the rest of ours. She had come from Standing Bear that morning. After the tents were up we all dove inside to change into dry clothes. Not much to do after that but get into the sleeping bag to stay warm. It continued raining during the evening and I eventually drifted off.
Date: 2005-04-15
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I had a great breakfast, prepared by Elmer, this morning. We were joined by Serenity, Butterfly Moon, BearBait, Miss Priss, and several others. During breakfast I learned that the rest of the crew had already made it into town. I found them having breakfast and we caught up on the happenings from yesterday. Based on everything that has happened, weatherwise, in the last couple of days it looks like Hot Springs is going tp be filled up today. Sure enough. We found that there would be no room at Elmer's tonight and since I didn't want to burn my second night stay there without the group I checked out but we all put our names in for tomorrow night. Break, Scholar, Linux and myself got a room in the motel. Paxman had family coming so he checked in elsewhere. It was a perfect day and everyone did the usual town chores. I want to thank those that sent letters and boxes. It was greatly appreciated! By late morning a lot of people were in town. Poet and Feelin Free came in and it looks like they may hike with us also. Feelin Free's achilles is bugging her. It sounded a lot like what I had last year so we discussed things for awhile. Hopefully she does join us becuase the slower pace may help her out. There were a lot of people here and I mean a lot! One of the pleasant surprises was that Eagle Eye caught up to us. Scholar and I chatted with him for awhile about last year and what was going on this year. Good fun! The rest of the day went pretty much the same way. A lot of talk amd a lot of resting. Late in the afternoon Weatherman showed up. It was the first time since two days before NOC that the four of us have been back together. It was a great little reunion! In the early evening we went to Elmer's and raided his music room. Linux was on banjo and piano, Weatherman on guitar, Touk on the drum, Gypsy and Break on flute, and Bear Bait and I on tambourine. It was a blast! We don't plan on heading out until Sunday so tomorrow will be another casual day. I did learn that a couple of people have gotten off already due to stress fractures. This bothers me a bit because I know how quickly they can occur. I hope the pace we have set will keep then from occuring to me this time around.
Date: 2005-04-16
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Another fine day in Hot Springs. Most of the day was spent just hanging out and talking with other hikers. We moved back up to Elmer's around eleven and shortly thereafter an idea started to form in my head. Tomorrow's plan was only to go five miles to the meadow by the pond. The first day out of town is always a good day to carry fresh stuff to cook for dinner. I asked the crew if they would be interested in a veggie bake. The word was positive and Scholar said she would bring dessert. We started passing the word and by early afternoon we found that there may be as many as 16 people stopping for the cookout. It was going to be great! Potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes were purchased. Linux and my pack's were going to be a bit heavier tomorrow. I also found out that Scholar had decided on S'mores for dessert which was a great idea. The evening went quickly and it was soon time for bed. Good day!
Date: 2005-04-17
From: Hot Springs

To: Campsite at Meadow
Miles today: 5.1

At 8:30 I was on my way. I wanted to get up there early so I could get the fire going and get a good bed of coals ready so we could cook the veggie packs on it. It was going to an all day munchie fest. After about three miles I ran into Serenity, Freedom, and Thatch. The power of the Go Light, Go Easy(GLGE from now on) persuasion convinced them to stop, or maybe it was the food! I told them I would meet them there and off I went. It was a perfect day and I reached the meadow around 10:30. I set up my tent and began to gather wood. As I was getting the fire lit Serenity came in. She proceeded to do food prep; cutting potatoes, onions, etc. She had cheese and spices and she added that to the mix. Thatch and Freedom came in and they set up a tarp for sun protection. Weatherman and Scholar showed up and Weatherman began preparing a bean dish and an avocado/tomatoe dish. Others started coming in as the day progressed. It was a good time. Some people just stopped by for an hour or so but by time everything was said and done we had 23 people camping in the meadow! After everyone had there fill we cleaned up and stoked the fire to a campfire instead of a cooking fire. A large group gathered round and Break started up a game of Mafia. Everyone had a good time and there were a lot of good laughs. Bedtime was not till quite late that night!
Date: 2005-04-18
From: Campsite at Meadow

To: Campsite at Log Cabin Drive
Miles today: 9.6

Once again it looked like it was going to be another great day. Scholar was in one of her cruising modes so she headed out early. The rest of us were ready to leave around 8:30 when Pacman looks at his watch and exclaims with disgust, "Not even 9:00 and we are going! Everyone into the office right now"! We all cracked up at that one. GLGE is beginning to permeate everything we do. We hiked on and took a break at the Rich Mountain Firetower. From there we moved on to the next shelter, which we arrived at around lunchtime. We ate and the rest of the crew decided they wanted to take a nap. I felt like pushing on so I told them I would see them later. It was a pleasant hike and I kept my pace to a minimum. I wanted to hike but I didn't want to bust out the miles. During the afternoon I ran into Serenity, Thatch, and Freedom. They were planning on going till they felt tired. I arrived at Allen Gap where I saw a sign for trail magic. I followed the directions and came to a nice home. I knocked and was led inside by Fal and Hercules, thru-hikers from 1999. Seated at a table were Scholar, Feelin' Free, Cycle Hiker, and Andy. I sat down and Feelin' Free and I started talking about her foot again. She was icing it but she said that it felt a little better. I was about to say something when a bowl of hot stew was placed in front of me. After the stew a bowl of ice cream came next! Nirvana! Once again the kindness of strangers overwhelms me. Many thanks to Fal and Hercules! As Scholar, Andy, Feelin' Free and I were getting ready to go Thatch, Freedom and Serenity came in. We all laughed at how hikers can't turn down food.The goal for the day was Little Laurel Shelter. We reached Log Cabin Drive, a whole 1.3 miles from where we just left when we ran into Nean. He is another past thru-hiker and he offered us treats. We talked for awhile and then we got lazy. We decided to set up camp right near where we were. Feelin' Free was game and I congratulated her on accepting the ways of GLGE. We were settling in when Break, Pacman, Linux, Gypsy, and Touk came by. This was around 8:00! They had spent most of the afternoon where I had left them. They were going to go on but before they left they dubbed us "Go Light Go Easier". We laughed and said we would see them tomorrow. Overall, it was another good day on the trail!
Date: 2005-04-19
From: Campsite at Log Cabin Drive

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: few clouds

I found something strange in my pack this morning. A bottle of perfume. Estee Lauder's, Beautiful, if anyone is interested. It seems it found its way there via Feelin' Free. It all started when we were looking through the hiker box that was near where we were. A hiker box is where hikers drop off stuff they don't want and if you want it you grab it. The perfume was in it and we were laughing about putting that in someone's pack. The only reason I found it was because Feelin' Free (Free from now on) said she was feeling guilty about it. I was laughing and told it was nothing to feel guilty about and then I reminded her about paybacks. She took the perfume away from me and a little while later the four of us headed out. We took several breaks and Free was into it. I told her that not only had she converted but she had become a fanatic! We reached Little Laurel Shelter around eleven. Free says, with a grin, "Is it against the GLGE rules to eat lunch early"? Scholar and I laughed and said there are no rules except don't overdo the miles and to have fun. After lunch we went over the boulder hop. This is a section of trail that was completed last year and invovles a boulder crawl along a ridgeline. It was toward the end of this part that I got my first scare on the trail. I did a pretty good ankle roll and my first thought was "Uh-Oh". I sat down and checked for range of motion and the ouch factor. Overall not to bad but I was walking gingerly! We got to Jerry Cabin Shelter around 2:30 where we ran into the other GLGE group. It seems their mode of travel is the same as yesterday. Lay up till late afternoon and press on. It didn't take much for Scholar, Andy, Free, and myself to decide to stay at Jerry Cabin. I wanted to rest my ankle and Free's foot was feeling a little tired. Free is packing a nice little cream that acts like an icy hot without the hot. Feels good when you rub it in. Weatherman also provided a spray of his essential oils. Speaking of Weatherman, his ankle has been bugging him a lot so he is bouncing around until his ankle brace is done. We leave notes for him telling him when we will be at certain places so he can meet us. Free was asking if anyone had a deck of cards. She wanted to play euchre. Scholar and Retro knew how to play but they needed a fourth. I said I would play if they showed me the game. Problem was, no cards. So we made our own euchre deck and we played for a couple of hours. Scholar decided she would pick up a deck of cards in Erwin. After the game we sat around the fire for awhile and then it was time for bed. The ankle looks like it will do OK.
Date: 2005-04-20
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was quite the day but it evolved as we went. The original plan was to go to Hogback Ridge Shelter, 14.7 miles away. That was soon to change and the beginnings of the change began at 8:00. I was packing my pack and I opened the top pocket to throw some odds and ends into it. What did I find? That fine bottle of perfume had found its way back in. Free immediately began protesting her innocence and that she was being framed. I looked at her and said the game was on. In the back of my mind I was believing her but I was not sure yet plus I wanted her to sweat a bit. I packed the bottle into my pack and we moved out. While walking I would drop a few hints about the bottle until she turned around laughing and said,"Am I going to have search my pack everytime I put it down"? To which I replied, "Probably" as she tosses a stick at me.We reached the Shelton Graves where we took pictures. These are the graves of an uncle and nephew who fought for the Union during the Civil War. They were ambushed and killed when returning to a family function. There graves are right off the trail.From there we went to the Flint Mtn. Shelter for lunch. At lunch, Free said she wanted to pick up a Frisbee. This was getting good. A deck of cards and a frisbee. We would be entertained when we got to camp each evening. After lunch we walked to Devil Fork Gap where we came across our first stile. A stile is a set of wooden steps that go up and over a fence. We crossed over and sat down to take a break and that is when the plan fully developed. We knew GLGE 1 were going to camp at Low Gap that night. We checked the mileage and we figured we could get fairly close and pull off our mission. The mission was to night hike to their camp, sneak in and try to drop the perfume on someone there. From there we would push on to Big Bald and catch the sunrise. This would require us getting up at three AM and be on the trail at 3:30. We agreed it was a good plan so off we went. We got to Hogback Ridge Shelter where, once again, we ran into Break, Linux, and Pacman. They were getting ready to head out once again. Break and I talked awhile. It was wierd playing catch up. We are on different patterns right now and I knew it would happen sometime. The ebb and flow of the trail. We made it seem we were staying there but we told them we would see them tomorrow night at No Business Knob Shelter. They left and we ate dinner. An hour later we pushed toward our planned site. We reached our goal around eight, just in time to catch the sunset. Our site was on a rigde and we decided to cowboy camp to save time in the morning. Cowboy camping is where you just throw out your bag and not worry about a tent.Free set her alarm and gave me her watch becaue I was the designated waker upper. We got to bed around nine knowing we were only going to get six hours sleep.
Date: 2005-04-23
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin,TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

And the people keep rolling in. It is getting bad in the hills. High winds and blowing snow and sleet. People have been bailing off the trail from the north and south to wait out the storm. Free and I were lucky enough to catch a ride to the post office and drug store from Low Gear and Jake Break. We didn't have enough time to hit the grocery store but we would do that later. Erwin is a great town but it is pretty spread out which makes it tough for hikers to get around. Pacman, Linux, and Break were thinking about heading out today but they changed their minds in the early afternoon. We all ended up at the grocery store where we stocked up on goodies. Free and I decided we would eat well the first night out so we bought some Bar-B-Que Sauce and some precooked shredded beef for Bar-B-Que. More weight but it would be gone soon enough! We were lucky enough to get a ride to and from the store with minimal walking in the bad weather. That evening Poet, Stilts, Andy, Thatch, Freedom, Serenity, Linux, Pacman, Free, Break, and myself sat in the hallway of the motel passing around pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. We had a good time and I got my hair cut! I had shaved the beard back at Standing Bear Farm and I was trying to find someone who would try to cut my hair. When I ran into Free she said she would even though she hadn't done it before. All I wanted was it cut above the ears. I told her I had about four months for it to grow back if she messed up. So, this evening she went to work. She did a great job although I winced everytime I heard her say "Oops". I told her "Oops" was not an option and then asked her to taper it in the back. She started laughing so hard she couldn't cut for awhile. Thanks Free, much appreciated! We are planning to head out tomorrow afternoon. It will be cold but the precipitation should be done before we head out. We will see.Note:Sunday morning and there is snow on the ground in Erwin! Means a lot more in the hills. Going to be interesting. Next updates will be from Kincora Hostel.Side Note: I want to thank everyone who has emailed me and signed my guest book. I appreciate your reading the journal and even if I don't manage to get back to all of you I will try eventually.
Date: 2005-04-24
From: Erwin,TN

To: Indian Grave Gap
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Snowing in Erwin on April 24. Supposed to be a lot more in the hills. Some people were staying another day but some of us planned on leaving. Freedom, Thatch, and Stilts opted for another night over at Miss Janet's. Poet, Andy, Serenity, Free, and myself were going to head out in the early afternoon. The snow/rain was supposed to stop by then. Someone had the perfect line today... I don't mind walking in the rain, I don't mind camping in the the rain, but I hate starting out in the rain... Pretty much says it all. I went downstairs to get some breakfast when Pacman showed up, ready to go. He was antsy and just wanted to get going. Probably wasn't going far he said but just going. Touk came down also and she said that Gypsy and she were staying another night also. I went back upstairs where I ran into Break. We talked a bit and she said she was going to go out today also but, most likely, to the first shelter, four miles out. We also heard from Scholar but she wasn't sure what she was doing yet. Around noon Break and Linux left and we followed not to long after that. The precipitation had stopped. It was cold but the hiking warmed us up. On the way to the shelter I passed Burn. He is hiking to Damascus so I will see him again. We got to the shelter around four but we wanted to keep going for awhile. Pacman, Bruce Spruce, Bruce Moose, Linux, Break, and a few others were staying there. We pushed on. The sun actually broke out for awhile while we walked. It is good to have Poet and Serenity with us. First time Poet has walked with the group and we are going to see if we can keep her around for a few days. This is also the first time that Serenity has actually walked with us. We would see here a lot during the days but now she is with us. As we hiked Free and I started a little,"see who can knock snow from trees onto one another battle". It came to a draw but I did get one last snowball shot at her. I, of course, would never instigate such an act.(cough,cough)We made another four miles and found a place to camp. We cooked a lot of dinner and got a little fire going. I still thank my stars that I was able to learn what to do from that night at Wood's Hole when it comes to building a fire in the wet. It has come in handy more than once. This should be a good week. We don't plan on a lot of big days and at the pace we have chosen we will hit Kincora early Friday morning. We probably won't zero there. Just go in early Friday and head out around noon or so on Saturday. Too many zeros lately. Time to do some hiking! On another note, getting to town is fun but leaving town with a full food load stinks. Your thoughts are not on what to eat but what weighs the most and that gets eaten first!