morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-03-29
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

Yesterday we got up at 6, left at 7:15, and arrived at the road to Fontana Village at about 1:15. We took a shuttle with Euchre and India into ¢town.¢ We got our mail ¢ LOTS and LOTS of presents ¢ Thanks everybody! Euchre and India were both taking zero days so we took the shuttle back to the trail. The Three Wise Men were waiting there to take the shuttle back to town for the night. We continued another mile and stayed in Fontana Hilton, supposedly the best shelter on the trail, and certainly the nicest yet. Unfortunately, one of our shelter mates had not washed his socks since he started and stunk up the whole shelter. As an interesting side note ¢ socks not washed in 2 weeks smell more like poop than feet. Also, at the Fontana Hilton we met a guy named Lumberjack. Dressed very much like a Boy Scout, this young man was sawing up trees with as 8 inch ¢bad ass¢ blade. His axe, he said, he mailed home at Neels Gap ¢ it was too heavy!. Now, as if we didn¢t think Lumberjack was crazy already, he then informed us that he had been staying the the shelter a week, and was going to stay until he caught a fish. What was he fishing with, you ask? Not a fishing license, not a fishing pole, or reel - Lumberjack had been (and still is) fishing with a beer can, a hook, and some line. What was he using for bait? A wide variety of critters including baby snake which be chopped into pieces with his sword.        Anyhow, we showered before going to bed (free public showers 10 min. away from Fontana Dam Visitors Center) and this morning experienced some nice breakfast trail magic, crossed the dam, and so sooner were we on our way than it started to pour. So as we entered the Great Smokies, we were back to FOG & SLOG. I do not like FOG & SLOG! I had enough of it the first week we were out, so I was grouchy and miserable for the first 5 miles. Then we stopped for water and when we got going again I felt dizzy, cold, and slightly hypothermic. About 2 miles later I woke up from my dizzy, soggy daze and resumed the normal pleasant conversation, joking, and singing Ned and I normally engage in.                                        We pulled into the shelter about 2 p.m. with all of our clothes steaming. There is one other thru hiker staying here and the rest (6 of them) weekenders, stand-up comics, everyone. They are giving us candy bars, jerky, tangerines, and crackers. One is cuddled up in a wet blaze orange 1970¢s sleeping bag. He is the butt of everyone¢s jokes ¢ including his own. Dinner was bean burritos (mmmm!) with cheese, followed by bread batter (haven¢t figured out how to cook it yet). Now it¢s time to read and go to bed. (7:05 p.m. ¢ almost dark).               Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-03-30
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: snow

Mother Nature has sent Ned the most beautiful birthday present. Soft and white, clean and bright, a blanket of snow has quite the opposite affect as say, a blanket of fleece or wool!        This morning we awoke to find all of the things we hung up the night before to dry covered in snow and frozen. Our shoes were filled with snow and frozen I did not want to put mine on. I don¢t mean that as in, ¢I didin¢t want to put mine on, but I did anyway.¢ I mean that I flatly refused to put them on! This made Ned frustrated, and not a happy birthday boy. I stubbornly refused to put my frozen shoes on until I had to pee so bad I had no other option. After my trip (not fun in 6-10 inches of snow!) I got back in my sleeping bag and so did Ned. The compromise was that I would put my shoes on and leave, just not until about 10:30, when I hoped it would be warmer. It was not warmer, but we left anyway. We got to the next shelter (only 2.5 miles away) at 12:40. We had intended to make it much farther, but as beautiful as snow is, it is not easy to hike in, especially when no one has yet broken the trail. When starting from this shelter, the trail was untouched, so we settled down to fight off hypothermia.        We are not joined by 4 other thru-hikers. The Drifter, who kindly broke the trail from the last shelter to this one where he too decided to give up, Fido Dido, who hiked all the way from Fontana Dam arrived here 15 minutes after we did (he will be breaking the trail tomorrow), Justdoit, who we met the first day at Springer Mt, and a new acquaintance, Fremont, who has the same sleeping bag as me.        For dinner, we had high hopes. We had a fresh red pepper and saut©ed it in olive oil (a solid at this temperature) with garlic powder, onion flakes, lemon pepper, and hot red pepper flakes. Added to parmesan cheese, this mixture was to dress some whole wheat macaroni, but the macaroni turned to mush and dinner became the closest thing to GRUEL I think I have ever seen. Only the red pepper made the texture bearable!!!! Thank you Jim & son for the red pepper!!!        So now we settle down to sleep, tummies full of warm mush and sleeping bags full of wet clothes (in this weather, sleeping with your wet stuff is the only way to dry it).        Oh, and it¢s still snowing.                                                Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-03-31
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Walking in the snow means walking slow, for me at least, but that just means more time to enjoy the wonderland. Yesterday I had a less than optimistic attitude about the snow, but today I was glad to have it. On a normal day it seems the scene changes very little ¢ forest, forest, forest, skinny trees, branchy trees, leafy trees ¢ it¢s all still forest, but with snow, everything changes. Snow magnifies, sharpens, and brightens every feature so that around every corner lies a new magical winter scene. This , of course, was to Ned¢s chagrin, for it made me want to stop and take pictures every 100 yards or so. It took us 6 hours to walk 9.2 miles ¢ not a great pace, but we¢re here now and tomorrow it¢s supposed to be 70 degrees F. But that might be a mean April Fool¢s joke.        We ran into Foobar again today ¢ hadn¢t seen him since we passed him our 3rd day. He and Beth went on ahead of us. Fremont is with us again tonight. I like him. He is funny and sings a lot. ¢I¢m a lumberjack¢ now, and previously ¢The Sound of Music¢ Justdoit, Drifter, and Gearfoot are also here.                                                Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-04-05
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

We made it to Standing Bear Farm just in time for lunch. Standing Bear is by far the best hostel we¢ve been to. It is a farm run by a family, but Curtis, the owner, has built several outbuildings for thru-hikers. For $15, we got to do laundry, take a shower and sleep in a very comfy bed. Curtis gave us some beer and we all sat and listened to him play guitar. His wife, Maria, took us to the Mront Porch, a restaurant she owns. We had great Mexican food and listened to an amazing bluegrass band. We¢re all hanging out, taking care of odds and ends, and we¢re going to stay another day- our first ¢zero day¢ so far.                                        Flanders
Date: 2003-04-06
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: near Max Patch
Miles today: 12.8

We left Standing Bear at about 11a.m. this morning. We were going to hike 7.5 miles to the first shelter, but when we arrived Euchre convince us to press on another 7 miles for Max Patch, a tall mountain with a bald patch and nice campground. Most of our buddies were headed there too, he said. However, on the way the wind started howling, rain started pelting, and thunder started dapping. We ended up stopping about one mile short of the campground because we found a spot (an old grown over road) that was much more shielded from the wind than the campground and lower, so we don¢t have to worry about lighting so much. We ate wheat macaroni with Parmesan, olive oil, and spices and it was delicious. Then Ned pigged out on everything else in sight giving, ¢I¢m big,¢ as his excuse for his pigliness.                                                   Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-04-09
From: near Max Patch

To: Deer Park Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

Apr. 9        We made it to Hot Springs yesterday. We started early the day before because we knew we had a pretty big day. As we went over Max Patch, the first thing we hit, we were hit with mist and howling winds. It was quite difficult to stay on the trail because the wind blew us sideways with every step. At the Max Patch campsite, we ran into Euchre, the Three Wisemen, and Cobra and Splash, all waking up. We ate a small first lunch and then a big second lunch in a small field. We really like the days right before a town because we get to throw all rationing out the window!! We knew we¢d be in hot Springs tomorrow so we ate until we were stuffed. The salmon jerky was especially delicious. Euchre met us right after lunch and tried to convince us to skip the shelter and go the extra 3.5 miles to town. It was very tempting considering we could watch the NCAA final and hit the pub (plus we kinda figured the shelter would be full). We went over Bluff Mt. and finally made it to Deer Park Mt Shelter, just as Euchre was leaving. We¢d gone 17.4 miles, our longest yet, and we decided to pass up on the extra miles. Instead, we hung out with Bill, the Gambler, Jersey, Fremont, and Indiana George, Pop Top, and Hat Passer (the Georgians).        The next morning everybody left at the crack of dawn to get to the Smoky Mountain Diner in Hot Springs. We got there and had eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns until we were stuffed. It was great to have a ¢real¢ breakfast. Then we stopped by Ricker¢s Grocery. For those that don¢t know, the AT runs directly through the town. So, all of these stops were on our way to Maine. The grocery had steep prices and poor selection. Then we headed for the end of town to get a campsite. We¢re trying not to stay in hotels to save a little money. For $7 we got to put up our tarp and take a shower. Of course, we did get rained on all night, but hey! Then Chicken Feet got a new pair of socks at the outfitter. We ate lunch at the Paddler¢s Pub. Then we rounded up some people and we all sat in the Hot Springs Spa (they claim it¢s natural). Then we ate dinner at the pub and went back to our tent to sleep.        This morning we were awakened by a train and then a bunch of resident roosters. We ate another great breakfast at the diner. Then we did our last few odds and ends ¢ drying a few items, buying some last minute groceries, and sorting out issues back at home. Chicken Feet got her acceptance to the Curry Ed. School (UVA) and she had to sort out some confusion there. After some chili dogs and chips and chatting with some locals, we finally hit the trail again. The first few miles were steep, but the rest was relatively easy. We got to the already full shelter (only slept 6) around 6 o¢clock. Unfortunately, the forecast is calling for more snow. We set up our tarp tight so the snow wouldn¢t weigh it down. We ate Lipton for dinner and now it¢s time for bed. Hopefully it won¢t snow too much.                                                                Flanders
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Deer Park Mtn. Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: snow

Well, luckily it didn¢t snow overnight; however, it turned out to be the most miserable day so far. We woke up and it was pouring rain. Chicken Feet¢s knee kinda bothered her during the night so we almost decided to stay put, but when I sat up I found a puddle of water at our feet. We don¢t know where it came from. Both of our sleeping bags were soaked at the feet. So, we decided to pack up and move on the shelter 8.6 miles away. Almost everybody was planning to do around 20. As we were packing up, snow started mixing with the rain. We hiked higher and the temperature went lower. As we got closer to the shelter, the snow was really starting to stick, We were worried that everybody that was going for the 20 would stop and fill up the shelter. Today was the first day I had trouble staying warm while hiking. The snow from the trees was falling between my jacket and pack. Luckily, when we got to the shelter there was still room. We got here just after noon. Only Pop Top, the Gambler, and Hat Passer were here. Since then, Bill, Medicine Man, Jersey, and Josh showed up. We have a crammed house right now. We¢re all just chatting in our sleeping bags trying to get warm. My bag and clothes were really damp for the first few hours, but they¢re almost all dry now. I¢m not really looking forward to getting out of this warm bag to cook dinner. We¢ll just have to see. It¢s not supposed to clear up for a couple of days so hopefully the shelters will leave room for us. Staying warm!!                                                        Flanders
Date: 2003-04-11
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mtn. Shelter 
Miles today: 12.6

Well, we just plain deluded when we thought we¢d seen the worst of the snow leaving the Smokies. The snow today was nearly as deep and much wetter. And the temperature today was also colder than our snow day temps in the Smokies. And, because the snow is so wet and heavy, the Appalachian Trail becomes the Appalachian Obstacle course. The snow leveled entire thickets of Rhododendron trees, and a great many fall into the trail. Some you can go around, some you can step over, some you can fit under (if you crawl like Fremont), but for some, none of this is possible and you just have to push your way through. And no matter what, you always get a nice snow shower, with better pressure than our last real shower. Our pack covers are both ripped to shreds (luckily we use trash compactor bags and we have extras). In one place the snow bound trees obscured the trail so badly that all 11 people from the shelter last night went off on the wrong trail. We were near the end of the train so we didn¢t get as far as the rest of them- Redeye came marching toward us when we had gone about a quarter mile too far and turned us around. The rest followed soon after, complaining that they¢d gone a full mile on the wrong trail. When we got to the shelter everybody but Fremont had decided to stay, so we were pretty much obligated by shelter space to keep moving. We are a quick lunch of blueberry bagel, Parkay spread, and summer sausage sandwiches and left at 1:30. The second half of our day went much better. This shelter (Flint Mtn) is much more wind proof and we are happy to have hiked the extra miles. Dinner was delicious- fresh garlic, macaroni, olive oil, tuna, mozzarella, and lemon pepper. Now we lay ourselves down to sleep with Fremont, Meg and Dag, Border Rievers and Melissa. Night.                                                         Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-04-12
From: Flint Mtn. Shelter 

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: clear sky

A Beautiful Day weather wise. We had a tough hike up ¢frozen knob¢ past a waterfall and once we got a little way up a lot of snow. Ned¢s feet were hurting this morning when we got up, and after a couple miles in the snow his ankle was hurting too.         Let¢s talk a moment about our pace. I walk slowly. Ned walks fast. Sometimes he¢ll walk behind me so that we are close enough to talk and sing. Sometimes, especially when his feet are cold, Ned hikes out in front of me and when I think that I¢ll never catch up to him, I see him tromping back forward me. He gives me a kiss and then tromps away again.           So, now you will know how badly Ned¢s ankle and feet were hurting when I tell you that today I walked faster than Ned. Poor Ned. We are now sitting at the Hog Back Ridge Shelter. (8.7 miles from Flint) We would have moved on today, as it is simply beautiful today, but instead we are icing (snow is the solution as well as the problem) Ned¢s poor foot. And I must do all the chores. I¢ve been spoiled until now. Earlier I had to walk 400 yards to the water source, carry ALL the water, and wash Ned¢s socks. But his poor foot is very swollen, so I do not mind. Tomorrow I will take some of his weight too.         We are joined by Mag and Dag, BordenRiever and the Gaulbler. Everyone is drying their wet stuff in the sun and snacking. I like Mag. She is very pleasant and not at all cranky. She says she is cranky, but I don¢t see it.                                 Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-04-16
To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

April 16        We have a lot of journal catching u to do. Sunday morning (the 13th) we got up from another crammed night (we squeezed Euchre in). I slept with my feet elevated since my ankle (and feet) had been bothering me. Chicken Feet very generously took a bunch of my pack weight so that I didn¢t aggravate my ankle, but luckily, my ankle and feet weren¢t bothering me at all! 2.5 miles later in Sam¢s Gap, I got all the weight back! I was having so much fun with the light load.        We climbed Big Bald around noon. It was our favorite mountain so far. We got to see the huge bald way before we had to climb it, so it was a satisfying climb. The views on top were incredible. As we were eating lunch, two of the three Wise Men showed up among other section hikers. We played a game of euchre even though it was kind of windy. Two and a half hours later we headed on to Spivey Gap for a camping spot. The trail was so muddy that we had to walk beside it. If we stepped in, the mud went over our shoes. The Lorax and John (of the Three Wise Men) showed up with Euchre. It turns out, Danny, the third Wise Man, has the flu. He hitched into town to recover. A lot of people we¢ve been hiking with have been catching the flu. We have our fingers crossed, hoping we don¢t get it.                                                                Flanders
Date: 2003-04-17
To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

April 17        We left Deep Gap a little after 8 in the morning. The first few miles were brutal. I¢m glad we decided not to push for the shelter last night. Luckily it didn¢t rain over night so we got to put away a dry tarp. Anyway, the day was filled with lots of hard ups and downs. Nothing too major, but we still have way too much food. The worst part is most of it is junk food. So, I keep making myself sick trying to eat lots of sugar to make our packs lighter.                 We passed lots of thru-hikers slackpacking Southbound. Slackpacking is when your pack is waiting for you and you hike without it. These people had gotten a ride from Erwin, and they were slackpacking back because going north had a lot more uphills.We took lots of breaks and got to the shelter 15 minutes after the rain started. Luckily, it wasn¢t raining too hard. We¢re in a full (but not crowded) Clyde Smith Shelter. Other people here: Fremont (aka Big Money), Cool Foot, Just Do It, Itchy Foot, Scott (who has terrible shin splints) and a couple others. They¢re calling for an inch of rain tonight, but it should clear up tomorrow. So, maybe we will get good views off of Roan Mountain. It¢s a very leaking shelter, so we have to avoid the drippy spots.   Flanders
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

April 17        We left Deep Gap a little after 8 in the morning. The first few miles were brutal. I¢m glad we decided not to push for the shelter last night. Luckily it didn¢t rain over night so we got to put away a dry tarp. Anyway, the day was filled with lots of hard ups and downs. Nothing too major, but we still have way too much food. The worst part is most of it is junk food. So, I keep making myself sick trying to eat lots of sugar to make our packs lighter.                 We passed lots of thru-hikers slackpacking Southbound. Slackpacking is when your pack is waiting for you and you hike without it. These people had gotten a ride from Erwin, and they were slackpacking back because going north had a lot more uphills.We took lots of breaks and got to the shelter 15 minutes after the rain started. Luckily, it wasn¢t raining too hard. We¢re in a full (but not crowded) Clyde Smith Shelter. Other people here: Fremont (aka Big Money), Cool Foot, Just Do It, Itchy Foot, Scott (who has terrible shin splints) and a couple others. They¢re calling for an inch of rain tonight, but it should clear up tomorrow. So, maybe we will get good views off of Roan Mountain. It¢s a very leaking shelter, so we have to avoid the drippy spots.   Flanders
Date: 2003-04-18
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

April 18        Dreary, foggy, windy day. We went over spectacular Roan Mountain today, but we missed everything about it except for the exertion, which we actually enjoyed. After Roan we continued to mill all the cool views of all the balds. Finally after fog, fog, mudslicks, and fog, we arrived at Over mountain Shelter ¢ a converted barn. Everyone was talking about how great the valley looked when the fog lifted for 30 seconds, but we missed that too. We gave Red Eye a Happy 20th Birthday Snickers and cooked dinned in the Barn Window. There were about 15 people in the Barn and it wasn¢t even crowded.                                                        Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Overmountain shelter

To: Near Elk River
Miles today: 14.3

April 19        The barn was neat to wake up in this morning ¢ deep blue light came in through all the cracks just before dawn. We started out at about 9 am ¢ a late start, but we were planning to take our time in order to arrive at the ¢King of the Road Steakhouse¢ which opened at 4 pm. When we started hiking it was still very foggy and we were getting ready for another dreary day when the fog began to lift off the mountains. From then on the day was beautiful ¢ my favorite day so far. The views were magnificent. We climbed one bald after another ¢ we could see the trail tretching over them for miles in both directions.        Later we came to Rt. 19 which leads to Elk Park. We stowed our packs in the woods and walked a half mile east where we ate steak, potatoes, salad, and blackberry cobbler a la mode. Ned drank enough sweet tea to make himself sick for the next half hour and the bill for the two of us was under $25. We left, full and satisfied and walked another 6 miles down the trail. We are setting up camp now and it is dark. This was the latest we¢ve hiked so far, but I think we will do it more because it is just so pleasant. The only sad part of today is that my feet hurt the most they¢ve hurt so far ¢ lots of downhill and road walking today!                                                        Chicken Feet
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Campsite near Elk River

To: Campsite in field
Miles today: 13.9

April 20        Today started out really awesome when upon returning from the morning pee, I discovered that I had stepped in someone¢s pooh. Human feces, smelly and soft, were al over my sandals. After a good amount of pouting and cursing the hiker who used leaved to camouflage his turds as harmless forest floor, I got them cleaned up and we continued with our day and named my sandals ¢pooh shoes.¢        So enough about pooh, sorry.        We hiked most of the day thirsty because we didn¢t pass any springs and several of the streams our handbook declared ¢contaminated.¢ Finally, after a few hours and many ups and downs spent in dire thirst, we reached a shelter with a spring. There we guzzled water and met a new friend ¢ Slowride. It was apparent after talking to him for less than 2 minutes that he is from the Boston Area. We wanted to get a little closer to the hostel we¢re going to tomorrow so we hiked a bit further to a beautiful grassy spot which to our delight also has a spring. We will not be thirsty now for at least two days!                                                        Chicken Feet