morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-29
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: few clouds

I was the first one out of camp this morning. I was making breakfast when everyone else was still in their sleeping bags. I was on the trail by 7:15. Rainbow-brite caught up with me and hiked all the way to Blue Mountain shelter together. We hiked so fast that we made Blue Mtn. Shelter in 2 hours. Thats 7.2 miles through the mountains. I went on to Unicoi Gap and stopped to work on the blisters on my feet. I had to reapply some moleskin and band-aids. When I got to the old Cheese factory Campsite I was pleasantly surprised with some trail magic. This is usually when some ex thru-hikers come out and support the hikers. Two couples were camping out cooking hot dogs and serving chips, cookies, fruit, drinks, and BEER. Ummmm... I sat around a while and let some others catch up. We all hiked up to the Tray Mountain shelter afterwards. I met the newlyweds and another couple. Pigeon and Tattoo. The newlyweds got married the day before they started their hike and are thru-hiking as their honeymoon. I set up my Hammock on Tray mountain and left the tarp off. The view was great. the stars were out all night. It was hard going to sleep because I just wanted to lay there and watch the sky.
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up early and left camp before anyone got up. I watched the sunrise while I was on the trail. I hiked fast so I could make it to the highway to catch a ride. There is a hiker Hostel called The Bluberry Patch in Hiawassee. The owner gives rides back and forth to the trailhead. I just missed him. I made it to the highway at 10:45. I had a snickers and some water and decided to hitchhike into town. I only made it about a hundred yards before a woman stopped and asked me if I needed a ride. She works at the NOC as a whitewater kayak instructor. She gave me a lift to the Bluberry Patch and wished me goodluck. The owner showed me to my bunk and said he was going into town to the post office if I wanted a ride. While I was getting ready Buddy and Rainbow-Brite showed up. We all went to Hardees where we absolutely pigged out. This is where Buddy got his new trail name. He had 4 Double cheeseburgers, 1 large fry, and 2 large cokes. We had Dairy Queen for dessert where he had 2 more hot dogs. His new trail name is Hamburglar. We picked up a few supplies in town and headed back. We got a ride from another local. The people here are just so nice. Everybody just wants to help you. We ordered pizza for dinner and pigged out again. A couple stayed in a tent out back and the guy played bluegrass guitar while we were all going to sleep. He was really good, but it was a little creepy considering the location. All in all it was a great time at the hostel. The company was great and the breakfast was phenominal.
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We had breakfast at the hostel. I wanted to eat so much but I new I would regret it on the trail later. The owner dropped us off at the trail head and we all started hiking again. I caught up with Rainbow-Brite and we made it to the GA/NC border by 1:30. It felt great to finish my first state. We took pictures and kept going. 1 down, 13 to go. We made it to the shelter and quickly claimed a spot. A section Hiker named Wayne (aka Mr Breeze) came in. We all made our introductions and settled in. He mention some plane wreckage up a side trail and a great spot to see the sunset. Everyone was tired but I decided to go check it out. The wreckage was from a cessna that crashed a couple of years ago. It was scattered everywhere, just shredded by the trees. We went further up the trail and it came out to the side of a cliff. The trail ducked back into the woods and went downhill for a little ways and came back out to another cliff. Although there wasn't much of a sunset, ther was a great picture opportunity. I got a great shot of me standing out on the cliff. We made it back to the shelter just before it rained. I slept great that night. I think it was the rain that just put me to sleep.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Big Springs Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: light rain

I was 4th to leave the shelter today. A little ways down the trail I noticed a rabbit. He wasn't afraid at all.   Just sat there and looked at me. I spent the next part of the day trying to catch up with Hamburglar and Rainbow-Brite. I walked into some trail magic again at Bearpen Gap. They cooked some grilled-cheese and rice/bean burritos. They also had lots of snacks. I couldn't believe that they had been there for 3 weeks supporting the thru-hikers. We caught them on their last day. I met another hiker named Christie. Her trail name is Red Truck. We all climbed Albert Mountain together and were rewarded with a spectacular view at the top. We eventually made it into Big Spring shelter. Some other people there were: Melatonin, One-day, Identity Crisis, red Truck, Hamburglar, and me. Still no trail name.
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Big Springs Shelter

To: Wine Springs Campsite
Miles today: 17.3

I hike alone all morning. I was enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest in the early morning. I was coming up on a road and I could hear people talking ahead. While I was paying attention to this a Turkey jumped out in front of me. I think my heart stopped. I watched him fly off through the trees. When I made it to the road I met some people with a local church youth group. They told me of some trail magic ahead at the next road crossing. I started up the next hill and saw what I thought was trash in a spring. As I got closer I realized that they were Capri-sun drinks placed there for hikers. I didn't realize I would encounter this much trail magic. I made it to the next gap and sat and enjoyed some snacks. Thank you to those that set all this up. It was very appreciated. I met up with Rainbow-brite and Cupcake. Another guy with a funny trail name. They all have funny stories behind them. We stayed at the gap until the weather started looking bad. We started up the trail and decided to make it to Siler Bald Shelter. When we got there it was raining hard and the shelter was full. We decided instead of putting up all our equipment in the rain we would just go on to the next shelter. Its only 12 miles away. After hiking for a couple hours the rain stopped and the sun came back out. We found a great spot at Wine Springs Campsite and decided to stay there. We had a big campfire, relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. Little did we know what the night had in store for us...
Date: 2006-04-03
From: Wine Springs Campsite

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: light rain

Wow, What a storm! We stayed at 2,068' at a spring when the storm came through. It felt like we were in the middle of the storm cloud. We probably were. I stayed dry and so did Cupcake, but Rainbow-Brite slept in a puddle of water all night. He was mad in the morning. His Bivy leaked and he thought it was water proof. We packed up and started our long trek back into civilization. Because we had been hiking such long days we were way ahead of schedule. I arrived at the NOC to discover my mail drop had not made it yet. Turns out it was just mailed this morning. No problem, I'll just take two zero days. The NOC is a whitewater kayakers dream. It's a nice little spot to hang out and take a hiking break. I rented a cabin for two nights. Rainbow-Brite, Cupcake, and another thru-hiker we just met (A.T.O.M.) split the bill. We hitched a ride into town so I could update the journal. I hope everyone is enjoying the reading. I'l try to get some pictures up and some more postcards out too. See ya at my next drop.
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Simp Gap
Miles today: 11.5

I left about 1:00 in the afternoon. I felt really out of shape getting back on the trail after two days in NOC. I made it to Simp Gap just before Stecoah Gap. I set up camp just off the trail and made a small fire. After my dinner it started to rain so I moved into the hammock. I was just going to write in my journal and relax, but it wasn't long before I was out. I slept great till the wind picked up and made a lot of noise. I slept in till about 8:00 and then moved on. Out of Stecoah Gap it was a steep climb. It was a long day and a longer descent into Fontana Dam. I thought I would never get there. I made it to the Fontana Dam Shelter about 2:30. Its called the Fontana Hilton. There was a great view of the resevoir. Tomorrow I'm of to the Smoky Mountain National Park.
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Simp Gap

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I left about 1:00 in the afternoon. I felt really out of shape getting back on the trail after two days in NOC. I made it to Simp Gap just before Stecoah Gap. I set up camp just off the trail and made a small fire. After my dinner it started to rain so I moved into the hammock. I was just going to write in my journal and relax, but it wasn't long before I was out.
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Simp Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 17.2

I slept great till the wind picked up and made a lot of noise. I slept in till about 8:00 and then moved on. Out of Stecoah Gap it was a steep climb. It was a long day and a longer descent into Fontana Dam. I thought I would never get there. I made it to the Fontana Dam Shelter about 2:30. Its called the Fontana Hilton. There was a great view of the resevoir. Tomorrow I'm of to the Smoky Mountain National Park.
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

Big storm last night. A little foggy today. Started the hike in a cloud and crossed the dam. The weather looked promising but that turned ugly quick. As soon as we got on the trail it started raining. I picked up the pace a bit and hiked soaking wet all the way to the shelter. We stopped at the first one and there was a fire going. I couldn't help but stop and warm up. After an hour we moved on to Spence Field Shelter. I dried out clothes and equipment by the fire and made some dinner. Banjo Man was there and he played some music for us. Very talented. Bedtime came and wouldn't you know it, Boy Scouts. They came in at the last minute. I grabbed a spot on the ground to make some room and Furtune Cookie took a spot on the bench. Two of their leaders never showed up. They got too cold and just climbed into their sleeping bags on the trail. Could have been a scary situation but it all turned out ok.
Date: 2006-04-10
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

Got up at 3:45 to night hike to Clingmans Dome for the sunrise. What a show! Well worth getting up early and stumbling over all the rocks. Ran into some trail magic at Indian Gap From Jane Brewer and friends. It was very appreciated. Thanks for everything. We got a ride into Gatlinburg by some really friendly people. They dropped us off at the post office so I could pick up my mail drop. The rest of the day I pigged out and rested. Tomorrow I hike again.
Date: 2006-04-11
From: Gatlinburg

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

I pigged out at breakfast this morning at the River's End Restaraunt. We walked about two miles till a couple from Ohio picked us up. They were on their honeymoon and offered us a ride back to the trailhead. We hiked to the first shelter and it was still kind of early. There were lots of tourists walking around so we decided to go on to the next one. On the way we stopped at Charlie's Bunion. It's a popular rock outcropping with spectacular views. We showed up around 6:00 and claimed a spot at the shelter. Banjo-man and Rocket were there along with some section hikers. We built a fire and listened to Banjo-man play some music. I was out by 8:00.
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I was second out of bed today. Banjo man made the first move this morning and got everybody moving. I made it out of camp by 8:30. I wished everybody good luck then Fortune Cookie and I took off. The views along the ridges were great. Sometime around 10:00 I stopped for a snack and that was the last time I saw Fortune Cookie. I made it to Davenport Gap Shelter around 3:30 and waited. There were a couple of local hikers there and Seattle showed up later. My dinner was suppossed to be beef stew, but it turned out that it was just a mix. There was no beef so it was like gravy. Not very appetizing. The company was great, we talked till time for bed.
Date: 2006-04-13
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Painter Branch Campsite
Miles today: 5.6

This morning my mind was set on breakfast at a local diner called Mountain Momma's Kuntry Kitchen. I hiked the 1.3 miles down the hill to the restaraunt/hostel. I forgot they didn't take cards and I only had $7.00 cash on me so my breakfast was small. 4 tiny pancakes and a mountain dew to go. I was the only one there so I made a quick stop. I grabbed my bag and started back up the hill. About 2/3 of the way back up I realized I forgot my hiking stick. I stashed my bag in the woods and ran all the way back down to get it. When I finally got back to the trailhead I was tired. I sat down to take a break and Rightside and Chris of Goldbar came up the trail. They said Fortune Cookie and Rainbow-Brite were right behind them. I was mad that I wasted time at Mountain Momma's but it worked out all right. We all hiked together to Standing Bear Farm where we had burgers, pizza,and beer. We thought about staying for the night but it was getting crowded. Baltimore Jack recommended that we stay at painter Branch Campsite. Me, Rainbow-Brite, Fortune Cookie, and Red Truck hiked up to the campsite. It was a great site situated between two streams in a bowl in the hills. We had a great fire and sat up to watch the moon rise. It brightened up the forest like daylight. Sometime during the night a tree crashed nearby the camp. There was no wind. Our imaginations were awake!
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Painter Branch Campsite

To: Hot Springs, NC Tentsite
Miles today: 31.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Rainbow Brite left camp around 8:00 and said he was going to make it to town and catch up with Hamburglar. Fortune Cookie and I said bye to Red Truck and took off. We talked about shooting for Hot Springs, but it was over 30 miles and it was getting hot out. We made it to the top of Max Patch and rested for a couple hours. Max Patch is a treeless hill covered with grass. There were great views and we lounged around just being lazy and enjoying the sunshine. We watched 3 deer in the distance climb the hill and eventually make their way over the AT. We hiked to Walnut Mtn Shelter and had dinner with Red Truck. We rested and hiked to the next shelter. There we me up with the Wanderers and Seattle. The shelter was full so we decided to keep hiking into the night. When it got dark we turned on our headlamps and continued hiking. We rounded a bend and a bear cub shimmied down the tree and met up with another bear. Apperently it was the mother. We watched for a minute then decided to move on. Quickly. Our senses were heightened the rest of the night. We saw the eyes of deer all night and heard them rustling in the leaves as we walked by. When we arrived at the trailhead at 1:30 AM we were tired. We were going to crash at the parking lot but there was another bear just inside the bushes. He was probably there for the trash cans. Nonetheless we decided to go across town to some tentsites. I hung my hammock and finally fell asleep around 2:00 in the morning.
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Hot Springs, NC Tentsite

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

We saw lots of hikers in town. We checked in at Elmaer's hostel. The hostel is an old victorian style house built in the 1840's. It was a very interesting place. I recommend it to anyone hiking ar passing through, looking for somewhere different to stay. I sorted my mail drop and stopped by the outfitters to pick up some new stuff. I bought a new raincoat and a new t-shirt. the rest of the day was spent preparing to hike again and just relaxing in town
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Elmer's Hot Springs, NC

To: Campsite in ravine mile 279.0
Miles today: 8.3

We had b-fast at the diner across the street. I made some phone calls, stopped by the outfitter's one last time and hit the trail. AFter we crossed the river outside of town we ran into a copperhead snake crossing the trail. I took a picture and we let it be. We felt lazy coming out of town. we made a few miles then took a 2 1/2 hour break. Jericho, Chris if Goldbar, and Thelma and Louise stopped by for a while. We eventually made it to the campsite. We set up and walked up the trail to watch the sunset from a fire tower. Later, me,FC,and RB went back up to the firetower and watched a meteor shower. what a show!
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Campsite in ravine mile 279.0

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

We got a late start today. We hiked about 5 miles when we came to a road crossing with a sign at the trail head giving directions to a house nearby for some trail magic. We thought it was a bit strange at first but I'm glad we went. We arrived at the house of FAL (Free At Last) and Hercules. They were past thru-hikers that wanted to give some trail magic. They invited us into there home and fed us waffles,orange-juice,soup,and then made us a banana split. It was awesome. We didn't make it very far before we took another break again. We were just too full to hike. we decided to night hike again along with Buford, Fleurdalyse and Jaybird. We camped just on the other side od Jerry cabin shelter.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We slept in late this morning. When I woke everything was soaking wet. A cloud moved in and just saturated everything. We had b-fast and hiked.   Guess what we did at the first shelter? thats right. We took a break. We entertained ourselves by playing this game that Fortune Cookie made up. He calls it schwo-ing. We basically tossed a lighter wrapped in duct tape to each other but we would catch it on the backs of our hands. It's pretty difficult but hey, we were easilly amused. People started showing up so we started a fire and cooked some lunch. Jaybird, Jericho, Birkenstock,Riverside,Fleur dalyse and Buford all stopped. We had a good time. Riverside said we were good at creating a vortex which no hiker could escape. Rainbow-brite was talking to Jericho about some bug bites he had on his legs. Jericho said it was from chiggers. He said to put a little super glue on it to kill it. When Rainbow-brite opened the tube it spilled all over his hands. Everything he touched was sticking to his fingers. We all had a good laugh about it.
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: moderate rain

Morning brought some huge thunderstorms. I was awakened by a deafening boom that shook the whole shelter. It startled me so much that I sat straight up in my sleeping bag. People were getting out of their tents and seeking shelter in the shelter. Lightening was flashing all over and we seemed to be right in the middle of it. We tried to convince people to stay in the shelter and not hike but some dared to hike anyway. I came up with an idea to pass some time. We had a hiker food swap. In the shelter was: Me, Fortune Cookie,Rainbow-Brite, Single-malt,Buford, Fleurdalyse, Sundance, and Tater. We all put a snack in a bag and then drew numbers out of a hat to see who got what. I ended up putting in a king size Baby Ruth and got some Menthos in return. We had fun and passed the time till the weather calmed down. we hiked all afternoon and stopped at a shelter for dinner. We decided to night hike into Erwin. The climbs were difficult that day and we overestimated our stamina. We stopped in a grassy clearing after dark. We turned out our lights and watched the stars for a minute. when our eyes adjusted to the night we noticed gloworms in the grass. I've never seen them before so I didn't know what it was. We didn't quite make it to Erwin so we decided to just go to the shelter. We were getting very tired and just wanted to stop anywhere. Fortune Cookie finally just said, "thats it, I'm stopping here". We tried to reason with him and explained that the shelter wouldn't be very far. He just laid his bag on the ground and proceeded to go to sleep.   Me and Rainbow-brite gave in and did the same. Rainbow-Brite mentioned something about my hammock to me when all of the sudden from out of the woods this voice says, "Rainbow-Brite". We looked around trying to figure out where it came from. Turns out we were camped just 50 feet from the shelter. we grabbed our things and moved in. It was Hamburglar all by himself in the shelter.
Date: 2006-04-20
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early and hiked in to Erwin. We stopped at Uncle Johnny's hostel and got a room. They gave us a ride into town where we resupplied and had lunch. We borrowed some bikes and headed back into town look around. We visited the library, Ms. Janet's house and then had banana splits at Sonic. Later, we watched old movies back at the hostel. Today was a lazy day, but we still got a few things accomplished.
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Uncle Johnny's Erwin, TN

To: Uncle Johnny's Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

We were undecided all day about whether or not we should hike. When it started raining we decided to stay. When we told Uncle Johnny he said all the rooms were full but we could stay on the front porch. So, thats what we did. Hamburglar and I slept under the picnic table and Fortune Cookie slept in the rocking chair. Rainbow Brite set up his tent in the backyard.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Uncle Johnny's Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: moderate rain

It was still raining this morning, but there was no way we were going to stay another day. We hiked in the rain. The water was coming down the trail so fast that it was hard to tell the difference between the creeks and the trail. It didn't take long for me to go from rock hopping over the water to sloshing through the water. I wished at this point that I had my keen water sandals. As we gained altitude it got colder. I wanted to stop and rest but I knew I would just get cold if I stopped. I kept on to the shelter where I knew we could make a fire to warm up. The rain finally stopped when I neared the shelter. We quickly gathered firewood and made a fire. It felt so good. We all dried out clothes and gear by the fire. Some got a little too toasty. OK, I burned my socks, but they were still wearable. The shelter soon filled up with people and the area around the fire looked like a tornado went through an outfitter's store. When we all went to bed RB and FC put the rest of the firewood on the fire. I could feel the heat in my sleeping bad 20 feet away.
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: broken clouds

This morning we rekindled the fire and warmed up. We soon came to a road crossing where we found Pokey laying beside the trail in her bag. She had slack packed the day before and planned on picking up her pack in the woods where some friends were going to leave it. Unfortunately when she got there it was dark and she couldn't find it. She stuffed her clothes with leaves and found a spot out of the wind. At first light she was able to find her pack. I was impressed at her survival skills. We faced a long climb up Roan Mountain to 6,285'.It was cold and windy at the shelter on top so I kept moving. I moved on to Overmountain shelter which was an old barn converted to hold hikers. The view from the shelter was awesome.