morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-16
From: Franklin NC

To: cold spring shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Hiked with Loose Goose out of Franklin until mid-afternoon. He went 11 miles and made camp. I decided to move on anotherfive miles to Cold Spring shelter. There i met Sarvis, Deeds, and Crank. They through hiked in 04 and were great to hang out with. Sarvis treated the whole gang to Oreo cheesecake, and gave me some leftover pepporoni. I had a meal of lipton alfredo as well. Sarvis and Crank had a black lab named Annie who seemed very tired from the days hike but was a cool dog. While i certainly enjoyed the food and companionship I did hyper-extend my knee a bit and it is really getting very stiff. Hopefully tonights rest will do the trick. Also met Juniper,Drew,Sean, and Daniel and another dog named Tashi. Well thats it for tonight .
Date: 2005-04-17
From: cold spring shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Well my right knee is really acting up. I hiked with Deeds, Sarvis, and Crank to their car where they agreed to take my pack to the NOC for me. The first few miles seemed ok, but then my knee got stiff. After i left the car my knee really locked up on me. I had to use my trekking poles as crutches for about miles coming down to the NOC. I am quite concerned and unsure i'll be able to continue.    I have met many people and have started asking people to sign my hat, and i already have quite a few signatures. Robin who runs the paddlers pub signed my hat and helped wrap my knee. She was a blessing to all the through hikers and a very sweet gal. Here i also met Graceful, Stump, Clock, Sherlock, and her boyfriend Bear. We all stayed in the hostels and shared a few drinks and stories. Stump and Clock are best described as a couple of funny good ole boys. and they were a riot. Bunks are $15 great place to be, so thats it for tonight hopefully knee gets better.
Date: 2005-04-18
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: nowhere but here
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day gang my first. I just cant get my knee to go. So i am giving it an extra day to heal and will decide what to do tomorrow. Did have a wonderful day hangin out with Clock, Stump and Graceful who all took zero's as well. The place is a water heaven along the Nantahala River and we took the day to enjoy it. Late that evening got to watch The Rock and play some cards and darts at the Paddlers Pub.
Date: 2005-04-19
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: few clouds

Only got seven and a half miles in today. Wrapped up at Sassafras Gap Shelter. It was all uphill and i wat to rest a lil more on a knee that just wont leave me alone. Blisters are all almost healed just need the Knee to do its job and everything will be fine. Grace , Stump, Belew, Taz, Tweeter, Shinali, and Terrapin, and Pogo were all there. Songline and Socrosse were also in attendance early but hiked out as did pogo. All the rest stayed and built a wonderful fire and shared stories. I had a meal of lipton red beans and rice with some hot sauce my new favorite i think. Some beef jerkey was also shared and was delicious. I am going to try for some more mileage tomorrow and pray the leg holds together. Wrote a lil poem tonight as well and caught up on journal for a bit.Up the hill i climbBeholding sites to seeSlowly passing timeSearchin for the me in meUp the hill i amberAnxious to reach my goal On knotted roots i clamberThe pain taking its tollUp the hill i laborCursing under my breathThis may be the end my neighbor Im walking myself to deathBehold there in the clearing A privy i do spyAnd laughs of people im hearingIm so happy i may cryHow was your day A piece of cake i must say
Date: 2005-04-21
From: cable gap shelter

To: fontana
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: light rain

Well we hit fontana dam today and it is a really cool place the lake and the views are great. we got to the marina and there were about 12 hikers. It took about an hour to get the shuttle to fontana village. There we split rooms and it cost about $20 per person. We all had a good meal and watched some tv. I got a ride to Tocona lodge and rode along what is called the dragon's tail. Apparently sports cars and motorcycles from all over the world come here to test their vehicles around the tight curves the hills overlooking the beginning of the smokies offer. This would be the perfect spot for a lake home. absolutely beautiful country. I wish i had investigated further the best shelter on the trail is located just a mile further up the trail and has rest rooms and showers. I should have saved twenty bucks. Oh well i still very much enjoyed the clean clothes and warm bed. Looks like wet weather. good night for now.
Date: 2005-04-22
From: fontana

To: birch spring gap
Miles today: 5.2

Wet and miserable. i started the hike out with grace and we got a shuttle to the marina. As soon as we started up the hill. it poured. we quickly ran back off the trail and hid at the rest rooms until the rain let up a bit. after about twenty minutes we started again and walked the wrong direction. We hiked to the shelter called the hilton and met a really cool seasonal trail caretaker named eric i think. he offered up some sandwhiches and snacks and we treated ourselves to some smoked turkey muenster cheese on whole wheat bread with jam and an apple. It was Delicious. We then followed this path down to fontana lake and realized we hadn't seen any white blazes. I also fell on me keister while climbing down this muddy slope. Come to find out we should have stayed on the blacktop across the dam so we backtracked. It was beautiful scenery but a sloppy muddy trail. We got such a late start the two of us both pitched tents at birch spring camp. Originally we had planned on Mollies Ridge. But i am growing increasingly concerned with the constant and nagging pain of my knee the slips and falls have not helped and the downhills have become sheer agony for me. The camp grounds are nice and we have a reliable water source. Weather has seemed to have gotten better hopefully no rain tonight. Turned in after a game of I spy something whatever color. Gets pretty boring sometimes after you have been in camp awhile. I have already read my toothpaste and tent flaps and thru- hikers companion several times. goodnight for now.
Date: 2005-04-23
From: birch spring gap

To: Mollies Ridge
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: light rain

Well bad news wet weather rained all night. Serious and hard thunderstorms. Luckily i took the precautions necessary and had my pack covered. My tent survived the first rain test but is a sloppy muddy mess now that it is folded and packed in the rain. Grace took out early. I got a late start. I met up with her again and got to meet her brohter icebreak. Cool guy they are heading back to fontana to meet their mom. I got to Mollies Ridge and was frozen a ridgerunner named greybeard got a fire going and i dried my clothes and decided not to go furhter. The weather has turned very cold and snow has started falling. We did see to yearling deer who were not shy they ate grass from not more than 20 yards from our shelter. some of the hikers got some photos but i was to slow. I was hoping i'd gotten a late enough start to avoid this weather but NNOOOOo.. Anyay we have a full cold house. Mild bill , Jelly bean , JKA, Chad , Nate , and the three blind mice are all in attendance. Sherlock and Bear showed as well and the ridge runner stayed the night too. thats it its cold im headed for a warm sleeping bag before i freeze to death.
Date: 2005-04-24
From: Mollies Ridge

To: Derricks Knob
Miles today: 12.2

Oh don't make me get out of this bag. it is freezing. Well i woke to a winter wonderland. Very cold got down to 19 degrees last night. I simply did not want to leave. everything i had was frozen it had gotten somewhat dry by the fire but the fire went out and everything that was dry i wanted to keep dry for tonights camp. so on with the cold shirt damp socks and frozen shoes and gloves. On with the rain fly and snow gear. There is only one way to get warm in this you have to hike. It was miserable ssssooo cold. It took about an hour and a half to finally warm up but the whole day was cold. beautiful to behold but cold. we got about 2 incheds of snow and it sleeted some throughout the day. We stopped for lunch at spence field shelter and quickly became frozen again. so it was short lived. Dang knee is acting up again. Hiked with JKA and one of the three blind mice most of the day but Jka left me late in the day once knee started tightening up again. Made it to Derrick's Knob at about 6pm and huddled in the top along with Mild Bill. 8 others below and sherlock and bear in their tent. Still cold. Not much to do but tuck myself away in my sleeping bag. thank you bill for lending me some water so i did not have to go get any in my flip flops. I had already started drying boots by a minimal fire, and really did not want to put frozen shoes and socks back on. There is a gap in the top of the shelter and cold wind is blowin in so its huddle up and try to sleep til tomorrow. Still hoping for pain relief from this knee. I have been eating ibuprofen like M&M's. I did lay out my tent to dry and will clean in the morning.
Date: 2005-04-25
From: Derricks Knob

To: Clingman's Dome /Gatlinburg
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Well woke to a warmer day. The hike was beatiful. Though we were woken a bit early by Raj. N8 he and Chad now known as Nokia all went to Newfound Gap. Me , mild bill and JKA jedi knight amoeba?? Dunno big star wars fan, all hiked to Clingman's dome the highest point on the trail. It was beautiful and warmer. it was a slippery, sloppy , muddy trail however and i did two 360 degree spins during the day to avoid falling into a muddy messy heap on the earth. Much to the laughter and delight of my two hiking companions i might add. But the slippery trail did its damage again i was forced to stop twice as my knee completely locked up during this trek. I just dont know what to do about the problem. It seems to get a bit better at times then sometimes it will completely lock on me. Well the spruce trees playfully threw snowballs on my head and down my neck the entire time. And it is quite difficult to win a snowball fight against of forest of spruce trees let me tell ya. But the warm weather and beauty and the fact that ive made it to the highest point on the trail more than make up for the difficulties in getting there. Again concerned for my knee but enjoyed the day immensely. Took pictures from the tower on Clingmans Dome. Got a ride instantly from tortoise and her husband who are meeting their son tomorrow on the trail. They are a family of hikers from Vermont. Trail Majik Lives. JKA , Mild Bill and me are takin it easy and ridin the trolly and doin laundry and eating heavily tonight. Hit it again tomorrow. I am going to try to find a place to upload some pics don't know if i will be able to remember where all were taken but will do my best. Pray for my knee and we'll talk again soon.
Date: 2005-04-26
From: Clingman's Dome /Gatlinburg

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

No way no how. it got cold and more snow forcast for the higher elevations. the three of us are staying put and i will nurse my knee for anohter day. i just don't feel like tackling the snow and sub-freezing temperatures again right now. I'll keep you posted hopefully this will give me an opportunity to find a place to develop digital pics. That's it for now maybe a movie and a newspaper tonight.
Date: 2005-04-27
From: Gatlinburg

To: clingman all the way to pecks
Miles today: 18.4

Whew what a day. I saw two bears on the road to Clingman's Dome and i have the pics to prove it. Well after a late start Mild Bill, JKA , and me headed out. Hitched a ride with Jerod and Elizabeth hikers and great people. We did not get started til 2:30pm and still JKA and i made 18.4 miles. Had to do about an hour of night hiking. Some beatiful scenery, but the mud and snow and cold weather are gettin' old. I have not had a nice day since i set foot in the Smokies. Left Mild Bill at Ice Water. There was only one spot left so Jka and i headed out. Did manage a nice pic of sunset and trail. I spoke with a good friend andy aka cocoon. He is coming out to hike with me on Sat. should meet at Hotsprings. Goodnight for now the other campers want me to turn the headlamp out.
Date: 2005-04-28
From: clingman all the way to pecks

To: standing bear hostel
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: broken clouds

ouch my dogs are barkin'. The longest day yet. Trying to make Hot Springs by saturday may well kill me. 24 miles is about 4 miles too long apparently. We did make Standing Bear by nightfall and also i ran into Phoenix again. It was great catching up with him. Met stovepipe and icebreak there again as well, along with Drew and Diane and their Dog Vetter who was delivered the next morning as there are no pooches allowed in the smokies. Well the day was Long it was cold and miserable. The smokies have been an absolute jinx for me, i have not seen a day of sunshine since i stepped foot in them. i am glad they are behind me. The day started with solid blue skies and not a cloud in the sky i am not kiddin, within 30 minutes it was snowing flakes the size of nickels the temperature dropped the wind picked up and i was wearin shorts and a tee-shirt. As the day progressed and we slid down the mountain it turned into a day of paradise. Yeah if you're a pig. Nothin but wet sloppy muddy trails and i was chilled to the bone. Now the plus we are out of the smokies and Standing Bear and Curtis who runs the place are outstanding. One of the coolest places i've been on the trail. a very rustic place that still gives you that outdoor feeling. I had a great time there. And caught up with some friends. The wood burning stove and shower refreshed my body and i am still looking forward to seeing Andy. Kick your feet up next to the stove and what the heck hand me a brew, whew that hit me pretty hard time to crash.
Date: 2005-04-29
From: standing bear hostel

To: lemon gap
Miles today: 19.0

Well another 19 miles today. It was a pretty good day it was still rainin and sloppy but the temperature was much better and my knee has been holding up for three days now, and i have not been easy on them by any means.62 miles in three days. i did buy a brace and i found a strap that was not adjusted on my pack. It was my left shoulder strap which was loose causing much of th eweight of my pack over to my right knee. hoping that was the cause. Now the bad news the blister on my left heel has gotten worse. what i thought was a callous has another blister behind it which peeled off and took the callous with it. Yeah i know YUCK! Don't read this while eating. Also got a bad heat rash on my inner thighs. If not for some Gold Bond from JKA i would not have made it today. I ran out of Body Glide and thought maybe i did not need it. I was wrong apparently going to have to use it throughout the hike. Got in just before dark bout 8:20 started at 12:30 hard to get started in the rain but we finally sucked it up and hit the trail. Got a picture of a bunny rabbit as well on the trail today. tomorrow its 15 to Hot Springs. Lemon Gap is where i am. Oh yeah also ran into tortoise and her son. She gave us the ride off Clingman's Dome into Gatlinburg. Mentally i am doing better even beat up. i can beat blisters and heat rash the knee had me worried. Later for now.
Date: 2005-04-30
From: lemon gap

To: what are you doin here
Miles today: 0.5

Well everyone but me and JKA left the shelter before sunrise to bout 7am. Me and JKA were havin none of that. We slipped back to sleep and woke when a strange new hiker ambled up to the shelter and woke me up. ANDY what are you doing here. Well my friend tracked me down. so it is .5 to the road for me. We then went to Hot Springs and dropped JKA's pack at the outfitters allowing him a slackers day. i will come back with andy and hit this section probably monday doin a Zero need to heal, and would like to spend a day in Hot Springs. We are headed to Atlanta to his brothers house i will update you more soon. Did see Ragman at the payphone in hotsprings and got to say hello. Really not much to the day. But i would have made it to hot springs by Sat., glad i didn't have to. three 20 somethings in a row take its toll on the body and mind especially in rain and snow. Good night and sweet dreams. Mine are filled with Hamburgers, Jasmine, and Ice Cream.
Date: 2005-05-01
From: what are you doin here

To: garrenflow
Miles today: 7.5

Well i was planning on doing 15 tomorrow. Me and andy went to atlanta and met his brother David and michelle his girlfrind last night. Saw Kung Fu Hustle fun show. Also had a wonderful chicken soup YUMMY. Had a good nights rest and headed out at about noon today. Since we arrived at 5 pm i went ahead and did lemon gap to garrenflow gap. Met many friends here in Hot Springs, including tarapin,shanali,tweeter,drew,dianne, and mild bill. Mild Bill broke his toe dropped a VCR on it. Ouch trail didn't get him the town did. On the trail saw the three blind mice now known as Ziplock, Moss , and Sweep. Honked at phoenix. thats it going to enjoy the paddlers Pub with a few friends.
Date: 2005-05-02
From: garrenflow

To: Hot springs
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: few clouds

Well saw Jka this morning and agreed to give Mild Bill a ride to Asheville he is out with a broken toe. Did the 7.5 slack packing from garrenflow. Early now me and andy are heading to Virginia to hit some trail he has not been on yet and i will catch this part later. Shelters have been pretty full anyway this should get us ahead of the crowd. See ya'll at traildays in Damascus May 13th-15th. After that it is off to the World Series of Poker for a month or so before i hit the trail again.
Date: 2004-10-10
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hey guys. My name is James Deane IV. The boys of Billville call me Captain Chaos. And this is my journal. On March 17th, 2005 I plan on hiking the Appalachian Trail. I don't really plan on doing any scheduled mail drops. I don't really plan on planning. I just plan on hiking. I don't want this trip to be a hassle to anyone. I just want it to be a time for me to evaluate who I am for about six months. Now I know I said I am trying not to plan much, but I do have one major plan. That plan is to hike for a charity. I feel that I am doing myself a service by following my dream but I also want to be of service to someone else at the same time. There is an organization called World Vision Ministries that does a major effort in helping people in third world countries. My goal is to get sponsors to make a certain contribution to the charity for each mile that I hike. This not only helps someone in the world out, it gives me a motivation to hike when times are rough.Right now this is all I have to say. So thats it for my first journal entry. If you want to know more about the charity hike, I will have more information coming up in future journals.Until Next Time,Captain Chaos.
Date: 2004-10-11
To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

Well it has been another day. Wake up at 7:00 A.M. Be at work by 8. Then come home at 5. Don't get me wrong, work is good. But everyday on my drive to work, I look to my left and see in the distance the Smoky Mountains. I can even see the ridge tops that the A.T. goes over. The view just eats at my heart telling me I have to wait till March to start.You see, I graduated High School back in May and decided to put off college till I am done with the A.T. So I found work. I work at a car dealership here in Alcoa, Tn. Recently people heard about my plans to hike the A.T. Along with that, I get thousands of questions. What will you do if you see a bear? I will probably take a picture. You gonna hunt that food ya eat? Sure, with just a buckskin nife. Why do you wanna go all the way to Maine? Then I have no answer. Sometimes you can't answer questions like that. I really don't know why I want to walk to Maine. I just feel called to do it. Well when 5 o'clock rolls around, I get that same view again. Yet this time its to my right. Yeah I go up there often for day hikes or weekends to satisfy my hiking urges. But is it really the same as going up there to walk for six months? The stories I hear about the A.T. just pave the way for my excitement to do this thru-hike. So in just five months and three days, I will be starting the trek of a lifetime."Now the night is gone, a new day is dawningAnd our homeless dreams go back to the streetAnother time or place, another civilizationWould really make this life feel so complete." -Neil Young
Date: 2004-11-04
To: Deepest Intellectual Thought
Miles today: 0.0

Good evening all. What a glorious day today. I slept last night with my bedroom window open listening to the rain. Simple things like that keep me anticipating my future journey. These last few weeks have been like Christmas to me. I originally told everyone I had all my gear. Well, I do. Only there is so much cooler stuff out there now. So these past few weeks I have been at my local outfitter rumaging through their selection. Got a new pair of shoes (Lowa Tempest Lows), Rocky High Gaiters, New socks, and this evening I am planning on buying a new fleece. One down side to my life lately has been that I have not got to hike as much as I would like. Although my schedule has opened up where I will be able to go on a small excursion this weekend. Now this is going to be a hilarious trip this weekend. It is me and a large group of friends from church. The plan is for us to carry in coolers and eat like kings and queens. The cooler idea was not my idea but I went along with on the fact that this trip is just to kick back and relax. Mileage wont be long, but I don't know how much I want to help carry a cooler full of food along a trail. An upside to the trip is that I will be able to test my clothing and fine tune what clothing I will be taking with me. The weather shows temperatures to be around what they should be like in mid-March. Well it is time for me to get my things together for my excursion this weekend. So that is all from me this time. I hope to post some pictures pretty soon."There's a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path." - Morpheus
Date: 2004-11-17
To: Silver Spaceship in the Sky
Miles today: 0.0

Today was yet another day at work. My day was filled with taking orders from people higher in authority than I. I also had to pay my cell phone bill. The days to come when I become independent of society and bills seems like it can only be a wild dream. Luckly this wild dream will come true. Continuous thoughts are filling my mind with the new lifestyle I will soon adjust to. As I was at work, I decided to take a quick break just to reflect on a few things going on in my life. I stepped out of the garage and peered towards the mountains. Nothing feels better than imagining my upcoming thru-hike. The anticipation is continuously growing. The new collection of gear is still growing. It seems like each week I budget my pay check to buy something new. This week was a new jacket by Montbell which will replace my fleece. I also bought a sarong. I am planning on making a new fashion statement with my thru-hike. Hikers have been known to be different and I definitly plan to be one of the different ones. This upcoming weekend I plan to go hiking on the AT to test out my starting gear. The weather right now is what I am planning for it to be around my start date. So this will be a good opportunity for me to do a little fine tuning. Hopefully a fellow friend might join me for this excursion. Many in the hiker community know him as Sgt. Rock. He has recently become a neighbor of mine. Well this is all I really have to say this evening. Nothing too different has happened. I have worked, gone home, watched the beligerant(Spelling?) television, and slept. May my dreams and anticipations soon be filled with the excitment of finally starting the trail."We go forth all to seek America. And in the seeking we create her. In the quality of our search shall be the nature of the America that we created."-Waldo Frank