morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center - NOC

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center - NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I slept until 9:00 this morning, which is unusual for me. We hikers usually get up and go down with the sun, but we also don't party like we did last night either.   Since I don't drink much anymore, I really thought I would wake with a headache, or find a horse head in my bed, but I felt fine. I said goodbye to all my hiker buddies except the few that decided to take a zero before heading out. It was like the circus packing up to leave town. Though sad in a way, I know we're all going the same direction and will see each other again. If not on the trail, i should see most of them at the Damascus, VA hiker festival in May. I heard today that many hikers left the trail after the ice storm experience. I look at , although a very dangerous situation, as a great experience that I will never forget. I also heard that CookIN had to leave the trail due to a medical issue. Too bad. He is a little older than me (62) and I thought he was a good guy. We have lost over a quarter of the hikers already this year, mainly due to nasty weather which is hard to deal with. You haven't lived until you've hiked 10 or more miles in freezing rain, got everything soaked, picked it up, carried it up a mountain and set it all up again wet. Life is good. Also, I learned that about 25% of hikers don't even make it out of Georgia. That's a testament to how difficult this is. I've passed the first two milestones of crossing a state line and surpassing the first 100 miles, and seen a lot of misery (and had some great fun).To actually hike to Maine is a long way off, but I already feel a sense of accomplishment. Maybe these small victories can help me keep the faith and finish this thing.
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center - NOC

To: Sassafrass Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Monday morning, we said goodbye to all our friends still left at the NOC, Indigo, Mothra, Fate, Tex, Quirky Dave, Ally's Son, Augustan's, and Belgium. Hiked 6.9 miles uphill all the way. Tonight we are at the nicest shelter yet, a double decker, at Sassafras Gap. Noodles made a fire next to the shelter and smoked everyone out. Nice weather, but a totally new group of hikers who don't appear to be partiers, but who knows. We're already missing our old friends, but they will probably turn up in Fontana Lake or at least Damascus. Bugs are just now starting to appear, a nice sign of Spring. Can't wait until the trees start turning green! Tuesday morning... After getting 10 hours of much needed sleep, I'm ready to hike again.
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: clear sky

I got up this morning and made a fire to cook breakfast. It's so nice to start the day and end it with a camp fire. It just makes camping more like camping, with the smell of burnt wood and watching the flames devour the dried wood of the forrest. I could tell today would be a continuation of yesterday as far as the heat, and I was right.   The heat is a new drain of energy that we have not yet experienced. I ran into a couple of guys from Ireland and the Netherlands named Lucky and Dutchy who said that's the big difference, the heat. They said they had never experienced this kind of heat. I warned them that it would get a lot worse than this. If they weren't young, I'd say their chances of finishing would be in jeopardy, but this is a young person's game, so they will finish if they can keep from getting injured. I'm not sure how hot it got, but I heard it may have been 82.6 degrees. I do know this for sure... it was my first hiking day in shorts, and it felt great! During my hike I met Tags, Peaches, Blimey from England, Jet Lag and Churon? (a type of hot sauce that I don't fully recall). They all ended up at the same shelter as I did tonight.. With only 11 miles to get to Fontana Dam where GMan's wife Lin rented a cabin for us for Friday and Saturday nights, we have time to waste. We decided to go to the next Shelter, Cable Gap Shelter, only 6 miles away, to get a spot in the shelter and take a zero day to get through the oncoming storm Thursday, which is expected to be pretty bad.   Once we arrived at the shelter that thought ended. The shelter was old, and the floor was very warped, like a tree was growing under it trying to bust through. The hike there was nothing like the day before, so I had regrets for not hiking an additional 5.5 miles to Fontana. I think I would like to see if anyone is interested in getting a room to wait out the storm Thursday. I'll get up early and maybe I can beat the weather, which is supposed to get bad by noon. Getting up early and getting packed have not been my strong points on the trail, so I'll see if how it goes. I have a habit of writing in my journal late at night when I'm alone in my tent, while everyone else is snoring, getting sleep so they can get up and packed early.   In fact I'm doing it right now....
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Village
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: broken clouds

Knowing a bad storm was on the way by noon according to NOAA, most of the hikers got up early to get to Fontana Dam Village before the storm hit. The hike started uphill for a while and then eased down for the last two thirds of the trail. All along the trail Spring was abound. More species of plants were opening their leaves and growing buds on their long dormant limbs. Hikers were showing each other their pictures of plants, insects and animals that were only recently hidden or unborn. I even saw pictures of garter snakes. It's hard to imagine that we were in a dangerous ice storm just days ago, struggling just to keep warm and avoid hyperthermia. After a short hike of 5.5 miles, several hikers coming from the same shelter, including Nema from Philly and Scavenger from NW Tennessee, crossed the road at Fontana and took the shuttle to Fontana Village. We were all thinking the same thing, to get out of the storm. Getting through a bad storm in the mountains is much different than watching it off your front porch. Hikers face a myriad of dangers in the wooded mountains. Besides getting soaked when everything you wear and much of what you carry gets wet, lightning strikes randomly hit the trees around you, and trees get blown down. Nothing will ruin your day like a tree falling on your parade. And I pass hundreds of trees lying on the ground in the woods every day. At some moment in time, they all fell without warning or permission. I can tell you that if a tree falls in the woods, they do make a sound. I heard plenty of it during the ice storm the other day. As it turns out, the storm didn't hit until late in the evening tonight. Though we could have hiked further, no one wants to be stuck in a thunderstorm that is spurring tornados, even in a shelter. The break gave me chance to see the start of the Masters Golf tournament, something I rarely miss at home. Tomorrow I have a cabin as well, so although I'm getting a little behind in the hiking department, I get to see more of the Masters.   I hear tomorrow we're supposed to have nice weather, which will make it hard not to think about not hiking but it will also be a good opportunity to rest up before hitting the Smoky Mountains. The first day in the Smokies is 11+ miles and mostly uphill, so it will be a tough day for sure. I will be sure to doctor my foot blisters so I can hopefully walk without too much pain. I'm getting stoked for the Smoky Mountains. Maybe I can make up some time once I get out of Fontana.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Fontana Dam Village

To: Zero day at Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Got to see several new and old friends including Icarus, Thor and Happy Grumpy, Mountain Man and Nomad, Piper, Tags, Strider, Indigo, Bojangles, and the usual Noodles and Gman. Gman's wife, Lin, picked us up to take us to the cabin. It was incredible, a really nice place to take it easy until getting back on the trail Sunday morning. Tonight everyone was drinking beer and having fun, but I seem to have the lower GI hiker blues, so I had a diet coke and went to bed early. Hopefully, I'll be better tomorrow. I've been very careful with sterilizing water, but we've been hearing about a stomach virus going around. I'll just try my best to get better so it doesn't interfere with my hike.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Zero day at Fontana Dam

To: Zero day at Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day at Yellow Creek outside FontanaStayed in the cabin taking in some R&R. Watched the Masters, went fishing, took a ride into Robbinsville and went to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, over ate and rested, getting ready for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park tomorrow. Thank you GBMan and Lin (his wife, who secured the cabin and cooked several awesome meals). I still have a sour stomach, but it's not so bad I can't drink a beer. I remember my dad telling me it helps a bad stomach anyway. That's my dad.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: zero day

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

After picking up my package at the Post Office and shopping, I once again have way too much food. My pack feels like it weighs 50+ pounds, and I have a tough uphill 12 mile hike in the Smokies. Lin let me and GMan out at the road in Fontana where we hiked in and caught a shuttle into town.   She then drove the truck to the bridge leading to the Smokies, which is out of service.   We hiked the mile and a half or so to where the truck was parked and we picked up our backpacks. Hiking with nothing but water while someone forwards your backpacks is called "slack packing". It's a common thing hikers do to get a break occasionally. The "purist" hiker would not likely agree that this is something backpackers should do and claim they hiked the whole AT, but the purists can bite my hind end. We're here to have fun, not make sure everyone stays within the very details of every rule. When it comes to hiking the trail, most thru hikers try their best to walk it all, but when you consider the scope of hiking 2,184 miles, if a hiker has a good enough reason to skip a couple of miles, then it would be ridiculous to claim they didn't do it. An example is when I was at a shelter that had a path coming into the shelter and another leaving the shelter, but connecting to the AT down the trail some. I actually walked a longer distance to get back on the trail, but some hikers chose to go back to the AT via the entrance trail so they could start at the same place they left the trail to go to the shelter. Gman and I were walking the trail and met a through hiker named "Borat". He was walking South without any hiking gear and we found out that he'd left his "chair" and was going back to retrieve it after walking about a third of the way up the huge mountain, one of the largest climbs yet. We then came upon a "Ridge Runner".   He was a real nice man who we talked with for about an hour, long enough to allow Borat to catch us again. I asked him what a Ridge Runner does and he explained that he talked to hikers to see where they come from, do trail maintenance, and helps with medical emergencies and such. Sounds like a cool job, doing what we do and getting paid for it too! After we had lunch we continued on down the trail. The weather was supposed to be nice, but it went South quickly. It got cold with a relentless wind, and started raining as we hiked. After a tough, mostly uphill hike of over 12 miles with heavier than usual back packs, we were extremely worn out. We finally arrived at the shelter. The shelter had a fireplace where we made a fire, as the weather got really nasty and cold. There was also a tarp covering the missing wall of the three sided building, which helped keep us dry and out of the wind. We met Borat again in the shelter. He'd met several friends on the trail he was hiking with. They were all probably in their mid twenties, and included Hand Me Down, TC, Shackleton, Snaggles, and Bootless. Later, at almost dark, Icarus came walking in and joined us. We made supper and hit the sack, knowing we had another difficult hiking day planned for tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

As we stirred this morning, we found that we had met a cool group of hikers. We also saw a baby buck that seemed to have no fear of humans. Since there is no hunting in the park, they never experience too many problems with humans. I got some good pictures of the first real wildlife I'd seen other than squirrels and salamanders, though it was a bit foggy from the overnight rain. Before we left, we were invited to join the group for their hike preparation routine. We all gathered in a circle and followed Borat's lead as he gave commands for stretching exercises that represented what we were about to take on. It was quite special with commands like, "Bring into your heart what you need for the hike, and throw out what you don't", as we brought our hands interlocked toward and away from our hearts. Icarus, GMan and I hiked together for a grueling 12 miles of what seemed to be mostly uphill and very steep. It was one of the top three toughest hikes yet. When we arrived at the shelter there were probably 25-30 hikers already there. The shelter was full except for one or two spaces, so we pitched our tents. We met up with many hiker friends, including our newest from Mollies Ridge. We sat around the camp fire talking and having some fun, then went to bed in preparation for what would be another tough day in anticipation of hiking to Clingman's Dome, the highest peak East of the Mississippi River.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Double Springs Gap Shelter

To: Clingman's Dome then Gatlinburg
Miles today: 3.1
Weather: broken clouds

I knew this would be a tough climb, as I was about to hike to the highest peak in the Eastern U.S. At least it's not another 12 mile hike. So I hiked the 2.9 miles up hill to Clingman's Dome. Once I got to a certain altitude I walked into a cloud which clouded the views. At the top of the mountain there was a tower we all climbed even though there was no view. As we descended, it started clearing up, but the view was lost. Later, coming off the trail, Icarus, Noodles and I got a ride from a really nice couple from Arkansas. They took us the rest of the way into Gatlinburg to the door of the NOC outfitter.   I tried on about 9 pairs of shoes before settling on a pair of Obis that are slightly snug, but otherwise comfortable.   Once I got the shoes I found a $34 hiker friendly hotel room I split with Icarus.   I went to a bar and found Noodles and Chugg, who got his name from drinking beer...really fast.   He chugged a 32 ounce beer and upchugged 10 minutes later.   We all had a good time, but Chugg paid dearly. Going back to the hotel I passed a shoe store that had a lot of hiking boots. I found a pair of Merrells that were wide and felt great...until I hit the hard sidewalk.   Now I have two pairs of boots, neither of which are great.   Because of my feet, though not in my original plans, i'm taking another zero to heal. If I hike these mountains with hurt feet I'll just put myself backwards. Gotta be smart.
Date: 2013-04-18
From: Clingman's Dome then Gatlinburg

To: Zero Day In Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

More hikers poured in from the trail and the Hiker Hotel (Grand Prix) filled up. Unbelievably, Thor and Happy-Grumpy showed up at the hotel.   Seems like everywhere I stop I see them. That's good because I really like them. They're cool. Another hiker at the hotel is Turtle. I also seem to run into him a lot, but that's not all good. Turtle is a cool guy and I really enjoy his company, but Turtle was aptly named because he is slow getting going down the trail. He is the last to leave a shelter and the last to arrive. So when I see Turtle I automatically know I'm getting behind. It's a good measure of how I'm doing as far as making miles on the trail. When I see Turtle, I know it's time to get serious about hiking.There have been rumors about a virus going around in the Smoky Mountains that affects the digestive system. Noodles told me a local bartender told him that hikers were getting sick and some were even landing in the hospital. I also heard from another hiker that rangers put out a warning about a stomach virus contracted in the shelters and for park vIsitors to take precautions. Because of this, many hikers decided to yellow blaze into Hot Springs, a whopping 70 miles of trail. Yellow blazing is when a hiker decides to travel by auto or truck instead of by foot. It is basically skipping trail. Does that mean they are cheating? Some would say so, if they hike only part of the trail yet claimed to have walked it. There is a saying among the biker community to "Hike your own hike". What that means is you define what your hike is about. If you want to skip trail to keep up with friends, or you don't have time to do it all, you can do it any way you want. It's each hikers own business how they want to complete the trail. There will be critics, but according to this motto, you can only criticize yourself. There are no steadfast rules on bow one should hike the trail. It's just there for all of us to enjoy. Do I agree with yellow blazing? Hell no. No way! But that standard only applies to me, not any if these other cheatin' wimps. (Sorry) Anyway, there is also a hiker bash going on there that everyone wants to be at, so maybe that's just a lame excuse. Personally, I prefer to do all of the trail, so I plan to hike the 7.7 miles from Clingmans Dome to Newfound Gap, then come back to the $17 per night each hotel and prepare to leave Gatlinburg the next day. GMan, Icarus and I decided to take in the Gondola today.   They had a special for veterans at half off the $11 price, so I got to do it for $5.50. It was fun, but at the top there was a $7 ticket to see captured bears. I have a little problem with that when there are billions of acres those bears could live in and some jackass is holding them captured for his/her greedy profit. That really makes me ill.I want to thank everyone who signed my journal. I know you're all rooting for me and that makes me very happy. I'm doing it for you.
Date: 2013-04-19
From: Clingman's Dome 

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: moderate rain

When I awoke, the weather outside was pretty bad. It was a grey day outside, raining and windy. G-man called and asked if I had seen the weather channel, and wondered if we should change plans because a line of thunderstorms was approaching with high winds and lightning. We hemmed and hawed for a while, debating how dangerous the situation was and whether we should brave it. In the end it came down to me not wanting to waste another day, so we decided to brave it out and go.   When we got to the shuttle, we were the only two guys going with five gals in tow.   Apparently the girls are tougher than we are because they didn't even think twice about it. We got a ride back to Clingman's Dome. It is raining buckets and I'm wondering what I'm doing there when I have a nice hotel room waiting for me in Gatlinburg. We got out of the van and started hiking. It is raining, and the trail is like a creek with water running down from the mountains. I had bought some new hiking boots less than 24 hours ago and they were getting drenched. Though waterproof, I'm not sure anything could hold up to what I was putting them through.   Within the first hour my feet were soaked just like the rest of me.   I'd heard the scenery was beautiful in this section, but it was so wet it ruined any inkling of enjoyment.   Oh well, I just wanted to get this done to get the trail miles so I hiked as fast as I could. Since I was slack packing, which is carrying only lunch and water in a bag or in my case, a mostly empty back pack at less than two pounds, I could move a lot faster. Despite having to fight the freezing water. I got to Newfound Gap by 2:40, which was only 3 hours and 20 minutes.From there we got a ride from a cool guy from Chicago who took us back to Gatlinburg where the hotel is. When I got out of the car, I was so cold I was shivering. I was so wet. I made my way to my room and immediately jumped in the shower just to warm up. I took my dripping wet clothes off, got in, and turned the water on. The warm water actually stung my skin, like needles coming out of the faucet. I can tell you, as miserable as this whole experience was, it was sweet being able to have a room I could get clean and warm in. The best thing of all is that I didn't waste the day and still got some miles in.
Date: 2013-04-20
From: Newfound Gap

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

I left the hotel and ate a big breakfast to prepare for a full day of hiking, over 12 miles, including the blue blaze trail to the shelter. It was colder after the storm, but an absolutely gorgeous day for hiking. Hikers like it a little cool (but hate cold) because we are working hard carrying stuff up and down mountains, generating plenty of body heat and sweat. Anyway, the weather was nice, though a lIttle on the. cool side, and the scenery spectacular. I think today was the prettiest hike yet. I walked on ridges 5 feet wide, sloping steeply down on both sides. I was actually walking on top of a mountain ridge. How cool is that? The woods were dotted with spruce and fir trees among fields of unripe berry stalks that feed the bears every spring. Rocks were scattered in majestic formations, creating cliffs where day hikers have lunch and enjoy the park. Once I climbed higher, I saw frozen streams of water captured from the rainy day before. Icicles hung down from rocks and overhangs, especially where the sun was shaded from melting it. There were mountain views around every bend. It was just a great day and a nice place to be hiking today. I started hiking with G-man and hooked up with Indie later on. While taking a break, we ran into Strider, and our old friends Stupid and Morris the Cat, who I thought were way ahead on the trail. When I asked Stupid how they got behind us, he said they spent 5 days in Gatlinburg having a good time. It's always good to see old friends. Funny, but I'd never met any of these people until a month ago. Old friends. Hya, Right.As the day wore on the temperature started dropping. By the time i arrived at Peck's Corner shelter, got settled and put my tent up and ate, it was freezing outside. We built a fire in the chimney in the shelter, the three sided shelter, beside the fireplace. I can just envision the designers talking:"Ralph, how 'bout we put a fireplace next to where we left out the fourth wall.""Y'know Earl, that would warm it up if any air comes through where the wall is missin'."I bought chicken wings from Kentucky Fried Chicken and hiked them in. This is becoming a routine for me, bringing wings every time I come from town, but I don't understand why more hikers don't do it too. The shelter is full, and I didn't meet everyone, but did meet Memphis, Danger Pants, who happens to be the daughter of the guy who cooked everyone's omelets at Deep Gap (such a small world).I also met Camel. Others here are the aforementioned Morris the Cat and Stupid, and Thistle from Long Island, one of the girls that rode in the van when we went to Clingman's Dome yesterday. She ended up only going 3 miles to this shelter because the weather was so messed up. Can't say I blame her. I'm in my sleeping bag now just as warm as I can be. I don't look forward to climbing out of it in the morning, so I'll probably sleep in until the sun comes in to warm it up a bit.   It's supposed to be in the teens tonight. Oh no...i think I have to pee.