morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-03-28
From: The Hike Inn

To: Middle Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.4

Sunday3/28Location: Middle Ridge ShelterMileage: Daily: 12.4, total 174.1We¢re in the Smokies! It¢s my first time to this national park and if the food here is any indication, it is going to be a great stay!The trick with the food, of course, is that we lugged it all in ourselves. (Ed. Question ¢ who else was going to bring it in for you¢¦your Sherpa? H.W.) Dinner tonight was hamburger, peppers, onion, mushrooms, and carrots. Tossed all these ingredients into aluminum foil and cooked over the coals of a wood fire. Oh, yeah and tortilla chips and salsa as an appetizer. Did I mention the bad part yet? Entering the park with seven days of food and a PACK WEIGHT OF NEARLY 40 POUNDS! I've carried more than 50 lbs. before, but not in my minimal suspension Mountainsmith Ghost pack! My onion and salsa were two pounds by themselves! Looking forward to not carrying them tomorrow! Dinner was planned and eaten with D and the Jaybirds, Rockhound and Nick ¢ a young British guy we met yesterday.Also staying at this shelter are three slightly older guys who have been hiking the AT in sections with two other friends and relatives for the past seven years. Unfortunately one of the guys mum is in the hospital and the other was having trouble with Sciatica and turned back. So we had to help them finish the awesome steak they had brought. A thruhikers life really does revolve around food!Good 12 miles up the some tough terrain today. Met Yertle ¢ He¢s walking at twice our pace. And met Boudreaux - a SOBO hiker who started in VA, is hiking to Springer Mt, then to Maine and hiking south again to VA. Looking forward to running into him in New England. Time to sleep and dream of bears¢¦
Date: 2004-03-29
From: Middle Ridge Shelter

To: Siler's Bald Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

3/29MondayLocation Siler¢s Bald ShelterMileage: Daily 17.2 Total 191.3My knee hurt intermittently and I picked up some pain above my right ankle ¢ feels like shin splints to me. Let¢s see how it feels tomorrow.The Smokies regulations force hikers to stay in the Shelters available, so we¢re behind a chain link fence tonight with the Jaybirds, Rockhound, Chris & Anna and a new couple, Blue Sky and Sir Fix-a-lot. Hopefully the mice will behave themselves.No rain/snow today ¢ let¢s hope it behaves itself tomorrow too!
Date: 2004-03-30
From: Siler's Bald Shelter

To: Ice Water Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.5

3/30TuesdayLocation: Ice water spring shelterMileage: Daily 15.5 Trip 206.8Ok, in yesterday's journal entry I mentioned some rain at the end of the hike. Today¢s entry dwarfs that one! It seems that my stiff-legged walking style has caused some severe shin splints in my right leg. The last 5 miles today were pretty ugly.Lets take it back to the beginning ¢ we woke up to poring rain and wind. It had started at 2:30 AM and carried through 15 minutes after we left the shelter. Amazing how you can psych yourself out when the day¢s going to be wet and miserable. Then the rain stops, the fog lifts a bit and it¢s wonderful walking.We summitted Clingman¢s dome in some blowing fog ¢ there¢s a cool tower on top, I think. It was kind of lost in the fog 6,634 ft ¢ and all downhill from here! This is the highest spot on the Appalachian Trail!The Smokies have been pretty cool ¢ lots of different environments: Rhododendron groves, balds, evergreen thickets, and beech forests. Today we walked through a lot of small streams crossing the trail. The wild hogs in the park have dug up huge stretches of terrain- they¢re invasive and hunted in the park. They also grow up to 500+ pounds and are one of the reasons hikers are not allowed to hike at night in the park. The 2000 black bears in the park are the other reason ¢ but we have yet to see either. The worst part of the park is that we have to stay in shelters. I would have loved to set up camp after 10 or 11 miles today, but there was not an option until 15.5. That translated to 5 miles of teeth gritting pain, unfortunately! The funny thing was that I came upon Newfound Gap during this stretch. Now this is the major road into the park and the area was full of tourists, little kids, women wearing perfume - and me! With 3 weeks beard, covered in mud, stinky and eyes wild in pain. ¢Look honey ¢ there¢s a thruhiker! Quick ¢ hide the children before he eats them!¢ I was not at my conversational best and was massively taken aback by the crowds.Camping tonight with 4 section hikers, Iron Lion, Chris, Chris & Ana as well as Rockhound and the Jaybirds. D & I have been with the Jaybirds for newly 2 weeks now. Rob & Robin sold their home in Maine, quit their jobs, and are great company on the trial.7:30 PM, bedtime for another 10-hour night¢¦
Date: 2004-03-31
From: Ice Water Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

3/31WednesdayLocation: Tri-corner knob shelterMileage Daily: 12.6 Total 219.4It has been a delightful nice fire, great company, lots of food, all at the end of the 12+-mile day. Aahhhh¢¦.Of course, there¢s another way to look at this one. Perhaps you¢d note the 30 degree temperature all day, or the 3¢ of snow when we woke up. Or the additional 5¢ that fell on us during the day. Perhaps you¢d see the number of people struggling to get warm and dry or the 45 minutes of work to find wood under the snow and the same amount of time for us to get the fire lit. I burned the back of my ALDHA thruhikers companion ¢ the birdcalls, the animal tracks and most of Maine. Best use of the book yet! (Ed. Note, see if he gets another book from me! ;-) H.W.) If you¢re thinking about a thruhiking, do yourself a favor and buy/carry the Thruhikers Handbook by Dan Bruce instead!My right leg shin splint was only fairly brutal today. Really looking forward to some time off and TLC in Hot Springs in 3 days.Staying tonight again with the Jaybirds and Rockhound as well as Chris and Anna. Also Chris ¢ a high school senior from Ohio out for spring break. Preacher (GA -> ME ¢01) and his friend Ted are here hiking part of the Smokies. And we met Eagle ¢ an interesting character spending the night here too.That¢s about all ¢ time to wrap up and stay warm and dry. 7 PM bedtime tonight- long day tomorrow descending 3000 foot and perhaps exiting the park!
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

4/1ThursdayLocation: Davenport Gap ShelterMileage: Daily 14.8, trip 234.2 First of all, I¢d like to say I¢m happy to be writing today. After breaking camp in the morning, I took off with the crew following close behind. It was 22 degrees and snowing again, and I was breaking trail with 3¢ to 9¢ of snow on the ground. Conditions deteriorated with wind and fog increasing and my hands went AWOL. I lost a bit of feeling, but never all sensation. The worst part was that I lost my dexterity ¢ my hands got too cold to open hand warmers or even a candy bar. Luckily Rob was behind me and, after opening my hand warmers, switched gloves with me for 4 miles until lunch! 2 miles later my hand strength returned enough to manage the candy bar wrapper and I was safe again. Silly ¢ If I were alone I wouldn¢t have let things deteriorate to that point but I was trying to make time, break trail, and take pictures and just pushed it too far. Thanks Rob!It¢s been great hiking with this crew ¢ not always together but supporting, joking and having fun regardless of the conditions.We descended to within a mile of the southern end of the park. Passing an absolutely wonderful spot where the sun broke through, the snow stopped and we were treated to a view of snow-free forest only 1000 feet below us! How our spirits soared! We¢re camping in comfort tonight with Will, a hiker who did a bunch of the trail in ¢01. We¢ve had a huge fire going in the shelter fireplace tonight with the hundreds of feet of clothesline strung like cobweb across the shelter. 45 degrees in here and comfy!
Date: 2004-04-02
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: snow

4/2FridayLocation: Groundhog Creek ShelterMileage: Daily ¢ 10.7 and Trip 244.9About 4 days ago Rob (1/2 of The Jaybirds) mentioned that he¢d like to see 12¢ of snow. What he appears not to have wished for is that he see the snow only momentarily. Today we hiked through snow, again. And we we¢re camping, packed like sardines in a shelter, thank god ¢ in 34 degrees rain now warm enough. Semi-dry and still eating and hoping for sun tomorrow! We enjoyed leaving the park ¢ the allure of camping somewhere other than shelters is strong. But in weather like this staying dry is more important than making miles. We hit a hostel 3 miles out of last night¢s shelter ¢ Standing Bear Farms. Curtis and his family have built up an awesome place where we did a quick resupply (2 days until we get our next big mail drop at hot springs) I interrupted Heather in class to say ¢Hi¢. Then got warm for a few minutes before heading on. We have Harmony, Freight Train, Midays and Wumbah staying here with us. Some tenting out, we fell short today so we are hoping to make about 18 miles tomorrow to set up a short run into Hot Springs on Sunday. We¢ve been joking about Rockhound¢s pulled muscle in his¢¦posterior and Green One¢s (my bro) habit of losing his spoon. He lost his original a number of times before losing it permanently, and then whittled a replacement out of a stick (Ed. Note, Ouch, and splinters! H.W.) When he was done whittling, it looked like a stick with a slight depression in it. Since then, he¢s found a plastic spoon. Burned/Deformed it in a fire, then broke the handle. We still ask him whether he has his ¢stick¢ handy. 6:30 now, The Jaybirds are playing cribbage, everyone else is eating, talking and just trying to stay warm. And my hands in my gloves are freezing! Hey, it¢s snowing again!
Date: 2004-04-03
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Garanflo Gap
Miles today: 20.0

4/3SaturdayLocation: Campsite just past Garanfld GapMileage: Daily: 20.0! Trip: 264.9The wet cold is bone chilling. It takes a long time to get warmed back up after up after changing in hiking clothes (Shorts, wind pants, shirt, rain jacket) in 35 degree weather! But we had motivation this morning ¢ Hot Springs lay 26 miles ahead. After fighting off my hunger for 2 hours. I got up with the crew at 6 AM and was hiking by 7.We went into the snow, dropped below the snow line, ascended above again and dropped below it once more, climbing and descending about 7000 feet today. And we finally hiked a 20-mile day! My right heel is blistered and my left leg has grown jealous of the right leg's shin splints so has decided to join it. On the other hand the instigator of the whole revolt, the left knee, was pretty happy today! Max Patch was awesome ¢ great views of the mountains bright sun and 40+ MPH winds whipping the snow into drifts. The rime ice was 8¢ long in places!Tomorrow, I hike 6 miles into town and get to eat a ton, relax, shower, do laundry, call loved ones, have a beer for the first time in 3 weeks, then take Monday off! A zero day! Wheeeeeee!
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Garanfld Gap (sp?)

To: Elmer's Sunnybank Retreat
Miles today: 6.0

4/4SundayLocation: Elmer¢s Sunnybank Retreat, Hot Springs, NCMileage: Daily 6.0 miles, total 270.9Another cold morning in the 30¢s, but who cares?!? Made some eggs (freeze-dried, blah!) and some instant grits, ¢cause I¢m out of other food and need the Calories then strolled 6.0 miles to town. TOWN!!!!The last bit of the walk was a hard downhill with both shins aching. Pain before pleasure, alas, and as they say: No rain, no pain, no Maine!We¢re staying at a famous hostel. Elmer¢s been hosting hikers here in this Victorian house for over 25 years. He and his staff of former thruhikers cook up gourmet vegetarian meals and charge only 15$/night for some nice accommodations. The money we saved on lodging went towards dinner at the Paddler's Pub.. I had the oriental chicken salad dinner followed by the shrimp po¢ boy dinner with a couple of Guinesses. Would have been great except for the hour wait between ordering and being served. Great beer ¢ don¢t bother with the food at the Paddler¢s Pub!On the other hand, we walked across the street (We being me, Green One, Rockhound, and The Jaybirds) to Sweet Imaginations and Ice Cream Shop and my faith in humanity is restored! I picked up some Jelly Bellies, chocolate pretzels, and bulls eyes while the rest of the crew hit the candy and ice cream heaven.I was up until 11PM reading and eating jellybeans before collapsing into a real bed. Ahhhh¢¦.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Elmer's Sunnybank Retreat

To: Elmers
Miles today: 0.0

4/5MondayLocation: Still at Elmer¢s!Mileage: 0! Total 270.9Wake up in a comfortable bed, read for a while (while munching chocolate graham pretzels). Go down stairs at 8:30 to a heaping breakfast of organic food ¢ pancakes, granola, and all kinds of toppings - and then start the day. Ahh. 5 big pancakes and a bowl of granola and I am stuffed ¢ Hey I had appetizers!Took care of errands to the post office (Thanks, Heather & Melicca, Mom and Dad, Margaret & Phil, Patti!) Outfitters & Laundry after nearly losing my hand in the Smokies. I picked up some sealskins waterproof gloves. Also replaced my useless ALDHA companion (well, the 1/2 I used for a fire starter was actually pretty useful) with the Thruhikers handbook. I don¢t like the attitude of the author, but it does the best job as a Thruhikers guide. I¢ve been without camp shoes- something to wear in camp and town other than boots ¢ since the beginning of the trip. Trying to save weight, finally picked up a pair of Waldies, 9 oz molded plastic cloggish shoes and it¢s been great getting out of the boots!Went over to the natural hot springs and shared a hot tub with the crew in the afternoon. 102 degrees for an hours melted a few aches. I¢ve been nicknamed ¢Grimace¢ by Green One and Rockhound ¢cause of the look on my face when I stretch my calves. (Ed. Note ¢ glad it is not because he has turned purple¢¦H.W.)Dinner was awesome at Elmer¢s. All the food is either grown on their 2-acre organic farm or bought at the local Co-op. We had a 4-course meal of black bean soup, an enormous salad (I crave greens more than anything at times) w/ tahini & miso dressing, and lasagna and shepard¢s pie. All vegetarian and a citrus pie with mint-ish tea for dessert, oh ¢ it cost $8, $8!! (Ed. Note ¢ I paid more for a single martini in NYC this past weekend¢¦H.W.)Stay at Elmer¢s, amazing library, music room, cool people, and THE place in Hot Springs! Among my dinner companions were a couple who had stayed and attended past events there; Bob¢s a chiropractor who runs a single room, no reservation/appointment office on the honor system (Leave your money under the rock on the way out! His wife, Lydia, is a master gardener and herbologist with some wonderful insights!Finally got some much needed phone time with Heather (Tally ¢ stop eating pens!) and packed up for an early exit Tuesday AM.
Date: 2004-04-06
From: Elmers

To: Allan Gap
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

4/6TuesdayLocation: Campsite past Allan Gap, N.C. Mileage: Daily: 15.0 Trip 285.9What a wonderful day! Up early and out of Elmer¢s around 7:15, I climbed the steep cliffs overlooking the French broad riverThe Jaybirds have had a name change. Robin is now Jaybird and Rob has accepted the name ¢Burning Boots¢ in the memory of the damage he inflicted on his, Jaybird¢s and Green One¢s Boots while trying to dry them near the fire that frigid night at Icewater Spring Shelter a week ago. I played tag with Jaybird & Burning Boots, stripping clothing as we warmed up and stopping to take picture as the sun rose on the river by Hot Springs. We cruised through 11 miles and had lunch at a shelter when Green One and Rockhound caught up. They tend to get a later start most mornings. We had planned on staying at the shelter but continued on 4 more miles down a tortuously steep downhill until we found this site.Having made great time, we played a bunch of games of chess and mancala (Green One has the chess pieces and drew game boards on his Thermarest.) We shared snacks and had dinner and hung out for 3 hours before bed. The current trail mix Melicca created included my favorite wasabi peanuts and dehydrated cantaloupe and is just awesome! For dinner Green One and I had some great Asian noodle soups my Mom & Dad sent with dried cod strips tossed in. Wonderful stuff, thanks Mom & Dad!We start tomorrow with a 6-mile gradual climb to 4800 feet and walk along the ridge all day. Should be beautiful in the predicted 60 degree weather and there¢s only one downhill at the end of the day to aggravate my shin splints. I saw a turkey today and got to hang out at a really pretty manmade bass pond.
Date: 2004-04-07
From: Allan Gap

To: Flint Shelter
Miles today: 17.3

4/7WednesdayLocation: Tenting @ Flint ShelterMileage: Daily: 17.3, Total: 303.2We ran along a beautiful quartzite ridge today with views down into the farming community to our west after gaining 2500 feet. We were treated to 70 degree weather, great, interesting trails and super views for 8 miles.Hung out and talked with thruhiker Burn (on Trailjournals) briefly. We hiked for many miles in melting snow including a section of neglected trail that was essentially a small stream for 2 miles. We detoured around a dozen blow downs (trees fallen across the trail that can be stepped over or ducked under) and detoured around many deep puddles. 3 miles before the shelter we passed a grave site and continued down a steep slope (1000 foot descent over 34 of a mile) that slightly annoyed my shins and absolutely killed my left knee. I hobbled into the shelter in pain, but with the pack off was able to walk normally an hour later. My body confuses me sometimes!The stretching I¢ve been doing for my shins has worked wonders (Thanks for all the advice!)We had a raven croaking at us over lunch and I got within 10 feet of a ruffled grouse for a nice photo.Gear Guy and Gumby¢s dog Bo is pacing around the shelter tonight so hopefully we¢ll be untroubled by bears and rodents. I miss Tally (Ed. Note. She misses Jeff too, finally had to close off the office because she would go in and find Jeff¢s pens and eat them during the day, then barfing them up at night. Barf = Love for a dog¢¦H.W.)Still hanging out and often walking with Green One, Rockhound, Jaybird and Burning Boots. Rockhound changed into a blue shirt, but rising temps have reinforced his nickname of ¢Salt Lick¢. Only two days outside of town, but all cleanliness is long passed already! 36 miles to Erwin, TN and another institution on the trail, Miss Janet¢s Hostel.
Date: 2004-04-08
From: Flint Shelter

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 14.8

4/8ThursdayLocation: Tenting at Low GapMileage: Daily 14.8, Total 318.0We had a beautiful day of hiking following a night of poor sleep. Toe-ritis was up late at the shelter and making some serious wakeup noise by 6 am. In between, Bo chased mice and got sprayed by a skunk! Tough to sleep with that smell roaring through the tent!As usual I hiked a number of miles alone, then joined Green One, Rockhound, Jaybird, and Burning Boots at various times during the day. We tend to meet at a shelter or campsite for lunch then hike together a bit before meeting again to camp, have dinner and hang out a bit. Gumby, Gear Guy, and Bo are camping with us again tonight.I¢m happy that my shins continue to improve. My left knee tendonitis is unpredictable but was happy for about 12 miles today. Otherwise there is just the constant pounding on my feet - never really painful, just constant soreness and fatigue.The funniest thing is the strap tan I have on my hands my hiking poles ¢I¢ll have to take a picture after my next shower!Rockhound provides much of the humor during the day. He¢s an engineering/geologist from PA who¢s been working in NY. We make plenty of jokes about his continued sore butt and he retaliates and usually ups the ante. He¢s a gifted mimic and does accents, movie roles, songs, instrumentals and even birdcalls. Bedtime isn¢t until 8:30 or so now that daylight saving time has kicked in. Daytimes temps have been in the 70¢s, nights in the 40¢s and its getting easier to talk, read, and write at night now that it¢s light out longer and not freezing all the time!Looking forward to walking 15 miles again tomorrow to set up a Saturday stay in Erwin¢¦
Date: 2004-04-09
From: Low Gap

To: No Business Shelter
Miles today: 14.6

4/9FridayLocation: Tenting at No Business ShelterMileage: Daily 14.6, total: 332.6No pain today! For the first time since the 3rd day of the hike I was able to hike without any significant pain! Sure my feet hurt ¢ I hiked 330miles ¢ who cares!?! What a wonderful feeling! I was churning uphill, motoring down hills, took an hours worth of boot-off time during the day and still did 15 miles by 3:30, THIS IS GREAT!I set up my tent in a pretty bad spot last night, first you need to know that one of my adjustable hiking poles forms the center support for the tent. Well, I set up on a side slope and was slipping all night. I woke up at first light like a victim of a car accident, bent around my hiking pole! Rather than trying to pack up in the tent as usual. I just chucked my stuff out the door, climbed out and did it all in the chilly 35 degree morning air. I¢m set up nice and level tonight and looking forward to a good night¢s sleep. All but about a mile of today¢s hike was solo. Some nice thinking time. The terrain over big bald was pretty ¢ nice views from these open grassy summits. There was a lot of trail along streams and waterfalls in the afternoon as well. I¢m used to hiking along flowing water in New England, but it has been largely absent down here.Lots of hikers out today. We¢re camping with Nox and angler ¢ a father and son duo who've been great company in camp. Nox is in the same scout troop as the son of Tin Man ¢ the former thruhiker who made my pot cozy (see my gear page) and Angler is a good friend of Tin Man¢s During the day, I was thinking about a series of young adult Fantasy books by Anne McCaffrey. In the Crystal Singer series visitors to Ballybran are infected by indigenous organisms that attempt to form a symbiotic relationship with their bodies. Among the changes are massively increased appetite, sharpened senses and an overpowering desire to be outside (Cutting Crystal). Sounds like thruhiking to me! I was affected first, but now all four appetites have soared and we are just plowing through food. Lets see what goodies Erwin Provides tomorrow!