morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-14
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Wayah Picnic Area
Miles today: 9.6

Day 11 After a crazy night of wind and torrential rain, we woke up to clear blue skies. No clouds though so it was beautiful but cold. From my warm spot in the shelter between Swiftcreek and Yoohoo, I heard my first owls in the woods! Pretty cool! We got up early today to be sure and catch our ride that Crutch secured for us 4 miles north of Rock Gap. Got down to the road and took a quick 0.5 mile (both ways) detour to the Wasalik Poplar - the second largest poplar tree in the world. It was pretty big! Got a few pictures there before heading on our way. Made it to Winding Stair Gap right on time and got a ride into Franklin. Dropped our packs at the Budget Inn (very hiker friendly) and headed to Ingles for groceries. After we got that settled, we met Treefrog and Show Me at the Prime Sirloin for an all you can eat (AYCE) buffet. For the first time ever, I feel like I got my money's worth at a buffet. We are definitely starting to eat some serious calories. Got to check email and trailjournals today, too. Thanks for updating, Mom! Love you! And a huge thank you to all who've signed our guestbook! It was great to read all the entries today - definitely gave us a boost! Kerri - thanks for the heads up about the bathrooms! LaRae, looking forward to the package! Good to hear from you! Hello to Mrs. Kendall's 3rd grade class! Glad you're following our progress - that will ehlp keep us moving forward! Thanks again to EVERYONE! Wish I could write to you all. After we found a ride back to the woods, we had another 6 miles to go to this picnic area. We're in our tent for the first time in a week! Yoohoo packed in some hotdogs so we made a fire and roasted em. They were great - thanks Yoohoo! Mac McD - we cooked over a fire just like you said! Not sure if we'll switch our super-fast-boiling and light stove for a good old fashioned firepit, but we may make this hot dog night a more regular occurance. Marshmallows would've been nice, too but we forgot them. Think today was one of my favorite days on trail so far. Beautiful North Carolina mountains around every corner. I am definitely loving this state so far. Went up our first bald today - amazing mountains just as far as the eye could see. I can't even find words to describe the beauty I'm surrounded by day and night out here. I am truly blessed. Camped here on this COLD night w/Yahoo, Treefrog and Show Me. Have a big day planned for tomorrow so it'll be an easy 5 miles to the Nantchala Outdoor Center on Thursday. Looking forward to an afternoon of relaxing! Time for bed now - too cold to write!
Date: 2006-03-15
From: Wayah Picnic Area

To: Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 12 - - - Woke up to one of our coldest mornings yet. Someone said it was 25*, but with the wind chill I bet it was easily in the teens. Slept with almost all our clothes on. Plans for today included a 16 mile hike to Wesser Bald Shelter. Quickly changed our minds when we realized that the N.O.C. was only 5 more miles. What's 5 extra miles?! The pull of NOC was too great for our hearts to handle so we decided to go for it. Went up and over two beautiful balds today. Wayah Bald first and then Wesser Bald. Both had unbelievable views from the top. Just a sea of mountains in the distance. Saw my first bald eagle from the top of Wesser! Got to Burningtown Gap around lunchtime and found Apple doing trail magic! Hot dogs and soda and candy. Thanks Apple! We really appreciated the food and good conversation. From Burningtown Gap we had 12 miles to the NOC. Bring it on. Flew out of the gap and walked right past our would-be shelter for the night. We had bigger plans. Managed to do all of the 12 miles to the Rufus Morgan Shelter in 5 hours. Had just headed out for the last 0.7 miles to NOC when Yoohoo came flying back around the corner and said that the whole place was full. No rooms open at all. So - we ALMOST made it to NOC today! Holed up in the small Rufus Morgan shelter for the night then a quick 0.7 miles to NOC and breakfast! Planning to "zero" (actually 0.7) there tomorrow. Have plans to split a hotel room with Matt and Yoohoo. Lots of rest for our very sore feet and knees. Looking forward to a day off! Then a quick 2 days to Fontana Dam and then the Smokies on Sunday. We hear snow is on the way. We'll see! Very, very tired. Time for sleep. Love you family.
Date: 2006-03-16
From: Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 13 Our first zero day! Actually, a 0.7 day. Made it to NOC by 8 am (after about 12 hours of sleep-we were so tired we went to bed at 7:30 pm!) and had breakfast with a group of 16 hikers! Lots of people here! Most ended up hiking out today, but hopefully we'll catch them again! Met Thumper, Little Brother, Casino, Jazzy Pants, No Worries, Treegirl and others. Also caught Hodge and made plans to stay at the hostel in Fontana with him and Yoohoo. After breakfast we hung around the outfitter catching up on journals and writing postcards. Matt's mom was on her way from Atlanta to pick up Jackson and had offered to drive us to town. She got here around 1pm and took our stuff up to the hotel for us(we're sharing a room with Matt and Yoohoo) and then picked us up and took us to the grocery store where we bought dinner for tonight and microwavable breakfast for tomorrow. Then ran by the bank and lunch at Pizza Hut - mmm, pizza. Matt's mom actually bought us lunch. She also brought chocolate chip cookies that were so good! Thanks for the shuttle and food and conversation! Great to meet you, Gail! She took Jackson back to Atlanta - was sad to see him go. Such a great dog. Came back here to the hotel and just hung out eating oranges(they're like gold to me out here) and watching tv. Got to talk to my parents, sisters, grandparents and my cousin (who's actually leaving for his thruhike on Wednesday - catch up soon Brett!) Was so great to talk to everyone! Love you guys! Grilled a bunch of sausages for dinner on this beautiful night in Wesser, NC. Perfect end to a great and restful day. Had a nice shower and am looking forward to sleeping in a bed! Happy trails!
Date: 2006-03-17
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 14 Happy Birthday Aunt Jan! Happy St. Patrick's Day! Yikes! Tough day today! Got up around 7 and made breakfast before walking the ~1.5 miles back down to the NOC. Walked across a cable bridge and made our way down the railroad tracks (believe it or not, this was actually safer that walking down the road). Once at the NOC, we (me, Swiftcreek and Yoohoo) made some final adjustments to our packs, said goodbye to Matt (who stayed behind to meet a friend) and headed out. The first 8.8 miles of our hike today were all uphill , getting out of the NOC is tough! Did about 7 and stopped at Sassafrass Gap Shelter for lunch- we were all so hungry! Hung out there for a bit and met 2 other hikers (can't remember their names at the moment) before hitting the trail again. Had 9 or so to go. The first ~5 were fairly easy - winding around the sides of mountains, gently graded climbs, switchbacks. We eventually got to Stecoah Gap, took a break, ate a snack and moved on. What followed was unlike anything we've seen since early Georgia. In our guide book (Dan "Wingfoot" Bruce's guide), it simply says "Unnamed Cliffs". By the time we got done with them, we could think of lots of names - none of which would necessarily be appropriate for this journal. YIKES! We seriously were walking right straight up these things. No switchbacks, no nicely graded path, just straight up. Needless to say, it was pretty tough. Someone wrote in the shelter register, "I didn't know the AT crossed over Mt. Everest!". Haha! But we made it here and are thankful for that! Made dinner and did all the "chores". I had packed in three oranges from NOC and shared them around with the other 5 people here in the shelter. Think everyone enjoyed them. Funny - tonight everyone was in their sleeping bags (and some actually snoring) by 6:30 pm! It wasn't even dark yet! Guess the No name mountains wore everyone out. I actually felt great today. That day off really fixed up my knees and my sore achilles. I had a great day just taking my time, ambling along and enjoying the view. I love the fact that each day I'm out here, my feet step on new ground. When I was in middle school, I had my own room. I used to change it around at least once a month just because I liked to have something different. Out here everything is different every single day. New terrain, new mountains, new people, new place to sleep. I love it! Hiking is freedom, it's peace, it's living life. I am truly blessed. Hope you are , too! Heading to Fontana Dam tomorrow and staying at the Hike Inn. Thanks, Captain Hook, for the advice! Miss you out here. Come hike with us again soon! Money? Who needs money?!
Date: 2006-03-18
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 15We started this journey two weeks ago today. Hard to believe we are already at Fontana Dam. Heard today that 2/3 of those that begin don't make it this far. That makes me feel pretty good about what we're doing, but sad that more people don't make it. Woke up to a cold morning, had a quick breakfast and hit the trail at 7:45am. Everything is beautiful in the morning light. I love our trail schedule. Getting up early is easy when you are asleep by 8:30pm every night! I've never gotten so much sleep in my life!Steep has been the name of the game for the last two days. Lots of steep ups and downs yesterday that carried over to today. Felt a little tired today, but the pull of Fontana kept my feet moving forward. Had a great view of Fontana Lake for serveral miles as we walked across the ridgeline. Made it to the Visitor's Center around 1:30 and called the Hike Inn for our ride. This is a great place to stay - we would recommend it to all hikers. Free shuttle to and from the trail, free shuttle to and from town, free laundry (they do it for you, fold it and bring it to your door), and great rooms with showers and some even with little kitchens! Great people here, too. Jeff and Nancy are super nice and go out of their way to help hikers. Definitely a great place to stay. Thanks Jeff and Nancy!Got here around 2pm, took showers, had our laundry done and spent some time with the rest of the crew here. Hodge, Yoohoo, Treefrog, Show Me and Iron Wolf are here with us tonight. Headed to town around 5:45 to the Mexican restaurant for dinner, then resupply at Ingles, the grocery store of choice in the south. Will be carrying out biggest amount of food yet as we try to get through the Smokies without resupplying. Will take 4-5 days to hike through.Got to talk to dad tonight, sorry I missed you, mom! Love you both! And got to talk to Mama Phylllis - good to talk to you!Hanging out in our room watching the NCAA tournament. Wish Tech was playing - maybe next year. Oh, and I guess I should mention Virginia, too (just for the wahoos on Will's side of the family, right Mama Phyllis, Jeremy and Nick?!). Aunt Shelley and Joe may never talk to me again for putting VT and UVA in the same sentence, but I have to be nice to both sides of the family! Love you guys! Will try to get an early start tomorrow as we have about a 3000' climb into the Park. Should be a good way to start the day! Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. We've been thinking about everyone and praying for you lots. It's almost 10pm - way past my bedtime. Goodnight!
Date: 2006-03-19
From: Fontana Dam

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 16Welcome to the Smoky Mountains. A bubble of cold, crazy weather and rules around every corner. But I should start from the beginning...Had a great night's sleep at the Hike Inn. Comfortable, warm bed - nice. Got up around 7 and had the whole crew in our room for breakfast. Got shuttled to the dam around 8:30 and started across around 9:15. Really cool place - the AT actually crosses right over the dam on the road. Will have to come back when the water is higher. Hodge, Yoohoo, Swiftcreek and I had planned to stick together. Back with the old group! Miss you Captain Hook! Headed up the first 3 mile climb and had some nice views on the way. Came within about 10 feet of a deer - first large animal we've seen on trail. Made it to the fire tower on Shuckstack Mtn. and took a few pictures. Had a snack and some water and decided to meet for lunch at Mollie's Ridge Shelter 6 miles further. Got to the shelter around 2pm (thank goodness! I was so hungry!)and quickly ate some lunch and talked to the ridgerunner. Headed out for the last 6 miles of the day at 2:40. Walked the next 3.5 miles in record time - 1 hour! Got to the shelter, took a quick break and headed out for the last 3. Although the terrain wasn't tough, I started having problems with my recurring blister and had to slow way down. Still made it here by 4:45, made some dinner, and figured out the sleeping arrangements. The shelter is PACKED. And in the Smokies, thruhikers are on the bottom of the totem poll. If day hikers come in with passes, we have to get out. So we're in our tent tonight as are about 6 other thrus. Will be hard to shake this crowd. Also, you are required to stay in shelter or tent right beside them, so we can either do a 13 or 21 mile day tomorrow. Not sure yet what the plan is.Today was pretty easy compared to what we've done the last 2 days. Once we got in the park, everything was nicely graded with lots of switchbacks, and for the majority of the day, we were ridge walking or winding gently around the sides of the moutains.Unfortunately, after the initial climb, there wasn't much to look at. Found myself examining the many different kinds of scat that littered the trail today. Was wishing that Chase Davies, the ranger from the famous Krohn-Davis Colorado camping extravaganza, was close by to give me a lecture on what animals the scat came from. (Yeah, that Colorado trip is #2 on the list of all-time favorite vacations. No. 1 is definitely when we crashed mom and dad's anniversary trip to Maine. That cheese tasted really funny didn't it Carebear?!). Anyway, lots of scat but only one deer. Pretty sure most of what I saw was coyote. Hope to see one before we leave the park.Not sure I like the Smokies much yet. Maybe it will grow on me tomorrow. Hope all is well with family and friends. Thinking of you always.
Date: 2006-03-20
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: snow

Day 17   Happy 1st day of spring! Spring?! Are you sure? Well, I guess it had to happen eventually. Not much to comment on today besides the WEATHER. The one word that sums it all up is MISERABLE. Woke up to rain and eventually walked through ice, snow, more ice, lots more rain and now who knows what it's doing out there. We got to this shelter at 2:00 pm and decided to bag the last 1.7 miles to our original destination. Hadn't planned on going into Gatlinburg tomorrow, but if the weather stays like this, we may just do it. Wanted to get through the Smokies in 5 days or less but have found that they are a beast of their own. Tried my best to have a positive attitude today, but the last mile or so my glass became half empty. Still thankful to be out here, but at the moment, I am most thankful for this shelter. Our shoes, socks and gloves are soaked through and every 10 seconds or so we hear huge chunks of ice hitting the roof. It's like a winter wonderland out there - the trees are completely iced over. One of the guys in here has a thermometer that says 28*. Brrr! We're all in our sleeping bags and down jackets. Have a big crowd here tonight. We've got Whitey, Hodge, Compass, Sparrowhawk, Stinky, Orangutan, Yoohoo, Casino, Beef and Helium. Also three spring breakers. And once again, I'm the only girl. Funny how it always works out that way!Not too much in the way of scenery today since the clouds covered most everything. Really neat trail though up over a really nice bald and Rocky Top Mt. If I hadn't been so cold and wet it would have been a really great day. But hey, not every day out here is going to be perfect. I'm just glad to be hiking. If you are sitting in a warm house reading this right now, go take a hot shower and drink some hot tea (right Nanny?) for me! I'm thinking warm thoughts! Love you family!
Date: 2006-03-21
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 18 Ahh, Gatlinburg. What a crazy town. When we planned our hike through the Smokies, we definitely decided to skip a resupply in Gatlinburg, but here we are. After a crazy night last night (more on that in a minute), we decided to come in and dry out. Our shoes and socks were completely soaked, our rain gear was caked with mud, and we needed to grab some more lunch stuff. Gatlinburg is such a weird place - "Ripley's Believe it or not" stuff everywhere, gondola rides, candy and fudge shopes on every single corner and a million hotels. Tonight we are in the Grand Prix, a lovely little establishment with a pool in the shape of a shamrock. Hodge got our room for us and somehow got the guy to give us a $90 room for only $45. We've got two beds, a table and chairs, a pull-out couch and a kitchenette. Not bad. There are five of us here: Hodge, Yoohoo, Casino and us. Helium was here earlier but got picked up by his girlfriend who took him home to Knoxville for the night. So an unexpected town stop, but we're warm and dry so I'm definitely not complaining. Ok, last night. After I finished my journal yesterday, we had three more spring breakers from Iowa come to the shelter. All 3 of them were at least mildly hypothermic, but one guy was really bad. He pretty much collapsed on the floor and had no idea what was going on. We boiled lots of water and made them all hot chocolate and warm Gatorade and hot food. Had the one kid in about three sleeping bags and all three of them were wrapped in emergency blankets. None of them had rain gear, one of them was hiking in shorts - they really weren't ready for rain and cold. All their sleeping bags were wet. It was not a good situation. Everyone was fine this morning, but they decided to cut their trip short and go home. Can't say I blame them! Today we had a pretty good day. Got up and out by 8 am and made it to Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the entire trail at 6643', by 10:30 am. The weather was still not cooperating, but we went to the top of the tower anyway. We were literally standing in a cloud. No sooner had we gotten to the bottom of the tower and blue sky appeared overhead. Decided to keep going and felt like we were walking into a whole new world. The sun came out and the sky was a beautiful blue. Slowed down the last 1.7 mile to the gap so I could enjoy the beautiful views that kept opening up to our left. Really nice trail today through pine forest and also a beech forest that was fenced in to keep out the invasive wild hogs that live in the park. Walked through a creek today - the trail was covered with running water, really muddy mud, ice and snow. Slipping and sliding all over the place, we completely soaked our shoes again(not that they were anywhere close to dry this morning, and putting on wet socks and shoes is so much fun). But we hit another mile marker today - 200!! The second hundred went so much faster that the first. Only 1,975 more miles to go! YES! Hope all is well where you are! Love you family! Wow - way past hiker midnight - almost 11pm! Time for bed
Date: 2006-03-22
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Tricorner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 19 Getting a ride to Gatlinburg was easier than getting a ride out of Gatlinburg. Hitch-hiking is illegal not only in the park, but in the state of Tennessee. Thankfully, this morning we got a ride before we got arrested. While we stood in the snow wondering if the traffic would ever pick up, a wonderful woman named Dee actually turned her big SUV around to pick up all 5 of us. What a wonderful lady. She and some friends were headed to N.C. for a hike and gave us a ride back to the trail. Thanks for everything Dee! Great to meet you!When she dropped us off back at Newfound Gap, we stepped out of the car and onto the sheet of ice that was the parking lot. After a nice warm ride through the beautiful snow covered pine trees, we nearly froze when the wind hit us. Man, was it cold! But as soon as we got back onto the trail through the trees, the wind died down and we had the most amazing day on trail so far. Sure, we were slipping and sliding on the ice for most of the day (in fact at times, ice skates would have been really helpful), but hands down the best day of hiking we've had in the 2.5 weeks we've been out. I love the woods in the snow. Everything is so magical - like the trees from the Chronicles of Narnia, dancing and singing. Had to be careful to not spend too much time looking around for fear of stepping on a slippery spot. Hiking poles are extremely useful in any weather, but I was especially glad to have them today. It's almost like having four legs. They can be hazardous though, too. Once I lost my balance and through my hands in the air to try to help, and I almost knocked myself out with one of them! But for the most part they're very helpful. All the boys in our group today bit the dust at least once. (Don't worry Mama Phyllis, Swiftcreek was fine!) I, on the other hand, managed to stay on my feet all day (although I did have my fair share of close calls).Unbelievable scenery today. With the snowy mountains in the distance, around almost every corner was a picture-worthy view. Nothing I could write could possibly do justice to the beauty we were surrounded by. What I saw could take my breath away even if I looked at it forever. Scenes from today are forever burned in my mind and I will certainly never forget this day as long as I live. We had heard such mixed emotions about the Smokies. This just goes to show you that you can't let others form your opinions. And, although it's hard to separate the two, weather shouldn't be all that determines attitude. Swiftcreek and I will return here one day to get a good shot from Clingman's Dome and hike some of the other 900+ miles of trails that run through the park.Tonight we are at the shelter with Casino, Hodge, Yoohoo, Compass, Captain Kangaroo and four spring breakers. Supposed to be COLD tonight - in the low teens at the gap and most definitely colder up here at 5920'. Hope we stay warm! Love to family and friends - miss you and thinking of you.