morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-03-11
From: beech gap

To: .5 mi past glass mine gap
Miles today: 0.0

So hard, but so rewarding! This morning was miserable. I twisted my ankle and got shin-splints. But we made it to lunch time. We did 7 mi before lunch. Good day! I felt like a new person after lunch. I went ahead and was gonna stop at the next water source. I stopped at this stream that crossed the trail, but the other 4 found a different water hole that I didn't see. So I waited at this spot for like an hour. THey finally make up to where I was after I went looking for them up the trail a half mile. Thank GOd.Anyways , we start a climb that about did me in. But when we got to the top, it was all worth it! The best view we've had yet. I think we were at 5220 ft. We could see for what looked like a hundred miles in every direction. Gorgeous! We even sang some worship songs at the top, very inspiring!We left ther at about 4:00 We were headed to Glasmine gap to camp. We ended up passing that cause ther were a bunch of guys there and we couldn't stay. We found a campsite about .5 mi past Glasmine. When we were in town the other day, we couldn't find the kind of fuel we needed for our stoves, so we tried something else. Didn't work too good and wasn't exactly safe. I tried to cook with the gas that we shouldn't be using and was almost successful. Almost. It got the ramen noodles warm, but not hot. Then the stove burst into flames. Nothing to worry about. We had a little place cleared so a fire wouldn't break out. But it was good for entertainment! Now back in the tent. Anxious about getting to Franklin NC tomorrow! Hopefully before lunch, but we'll see. Good food! Hotel! Shower! And we get to go to Kmart to buy the right fuel for the stoves!Big relief. We've been talkin about pizza and burgets for 2 days. SO tomorrow will be very good.
Date: 2003-03-13
From: .5 mi past glass mine gap

To: lick log gap
Miles today: 0.0

We spent yesterday in a hotel in Franklin NC. Very nice. Good to just rest. We also went to Pizza Hut and ate like we have never eaten before!Also got to talk to my family and that was nice. We got a ride from some guy this morning back to the trail. We got started around 10:30 The first half of today wa so amazing. I felt good. Nothing hurt, which was a first! We must have climbed for 5 miles. Them at about 2 we stopped for a little snack and after that I was miserable. My shin-splints flared up again and pretty much ruined my day. Me and OOPU were really strugglin! It's funny, but the trail does weird things. It's my least favorite part. You can be doin great on minute and then WHAM!... everything sucks! You go from not hurting at all to everything hurting. Not fun. We got about 8 miles until everything turned for me. We ended up doing 12.5 miles today, which is good. We were shooting for 16 but oh well, when the body says to quit, you need to quit. So we did, then walked 2.5 miles to find a campsite. Its good we only have 14 miles tomorrow cause we're going to NOC ( Nantahala Outdoor Center) We'll get a hamburger, which Iv'e been craving for a few days and we'll pick up our supply box, which will be good. I'm out of ramen noodles! I need some more! We finally got the right kind of fuel so I had some ramen tonight. Very good! I can't wait til we get to the Smokies! Just 3 more days. They're gonna kick our tails but it'll still be fun!
Date: 2003-03-14
From: lick log gap

To: a rufus morgan
Miles today: 0.0

Kick butt! 8 miles uphill and 8 miles down. You'd think the down hill would be easy, but no, it kicked our butts. We got rained on and it stayed pretty cloudy all day. We got a great view at Weser bald. Ther was a nice firetower at the top that we went up and got pictures at ,Sang some songs, had a good ole time. Then the "great descent" down to the NOC, except it wasn't all downhill. Up and down for a few miles. Kinda tricked us a bit. The book showed a big descent but it wasn't as bad as we thought. Until it kept going and going. I didn't feel like we were getting anywhere. We were supposed to be at the NOC tonight, but we got really beat from the never ending downhill. So we stopped about a mile short of the NOC. The shelter was full of Spring breakers that were just waiting until tomorrow so they could leave from the NOC. When they learned that we were thru hikers and we had just done 15 miles, they were willing to go down by the creek and pitch tents so we could have the shelter. How awesome! Thanks guys! It's pouring down rain so we were really excited. It's our first night in a shelter so we'll see how that goes. The rats and all that are gonna be fun! Tomorrow is gonna be a killer so I'm goin to sleep. Two weeks done!
Date: 2003-03-15
From: a rufus morgan

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I am actually writing this on the 16th. I didn't write yesterday because I was playing guitar and singing for everyone all night. Anyways, we went to the NOC and ended up staying for lunch so we could get a hamburger. Man, was it good!We got our supply boxes and I was surprised with a box of Thin mint Girl Scout cookies. Mom knows what I like! They were a big hit with everyone! The funny thing about that is that the night before, I told OOPU what really sounded good right now is thin mint GS cookies. THe Lord provides! We picked up a few small things at the store and then headed back to the trail. We knew it was going to be a hard day, but dang! It was a little harder than I thought. Huge climb, all day! I think we went from 1700 ft to 5400 ft in 5 miles. I was prepared ,but it still kicked my butt! It's funny, but I get my butt kicked about everyday. Very humbling. We'd climb and climb and then climb some more until... the shelter! Ah! And it was nice, big, new shelter. We had planned to go a little farther past the shelterm but wae were beat and it was so nice. It was also raining. It has been for 3 days, fun, fun! We did stay at the shelter and had a good time. There were only 2 other guys there so we had plenty of room to lay all over. Definitely nice! We played guitar and sang for a good while. Then they all wanted me to play while they wrote in their journals and then went to sleep. I did for a while but I got too cold after a while so I quit and crawled into a nice warm sleeping bag. I got a good night's sleep.
Date: 2003-03-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Glad I got a good night's sleep cause today was a killer! Up and down, over and over. We started with a huge climb. Something like 900 ft in .7 miles. Not fun! Straight up! I was tired and ready to stop then, but it was only about 9:00 then. We had all day to go. So I was tired all day. Most of the day was just miserable. Lunchtime was good cause Ox was down at the Gap waiting for us with a whole bunch of food! Donuts, cookies, fresh fruit! Oh so nice! He's the coolest! I will always remember Ox! Thank you, Ox! He also clued us in about the next couple of miles. Big climbs! And man were they big! This one was the biggest yet! Whooped me to death! I actually screamed at the mountain a couple of times! But I made it! Even made it another 4 miles beyond that. It feels like when you have run as far as your body will take you but you have to keep going. For hours and hours, miles and miles. It's beyond a workout. It's getting your butt kicked over and over! Did I already say that? I think I got 12 butt kickin's today. Very fun!! But you know I wouldn't be anywhere else right now! THat's the wierd part. Tonight we're wet, we stink horribly, and we want some more real food! We have 11 miles to Fontana Dam tomorrow. We get a nice hotel room, some real food , and a day off. Our first real "zero day". I'm excited. Tomorrow's not supposed to be that bad, but I'm going to prepare for the worst anyway. Never know what the trail will do! I swear it knows what you're thinking, just so it can give you exactly what you don't want! That's the only battle we have to face out here: where's the next mountain to climb and will it rain today or tomorrow? Nuthin too bad. The Lord is still breaking me. Every mountain I climb, the bigger He gets and the smaller and weaker I get. It's all by His strength not mine. Great is He who placed the mountains and the streams along a path that I might see, enjoy, and praise Him for them! Amazing!
Date: 2003-03-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Bank on the trail after spending a "zero" day in Fontana. It was definitely nice to be able to just sit and chill and let everything air out. Showers are sooo good! Stayed up all night pretty much on Monday. We got resupplied today, shipped home some stuff, and talked to Mom for a long while. Good to hear her voice. Good time all around. Now, I'm back on the trail. Very hard day! Climb, climb, climb! Going from 1200 ft to 5000 ft in 10 miles is so much fun! Well it really wasn't too bad until about the last mile or so. It was 11 miles to the shelter and straight up. It was so windy and the threat of rain all day. Finally got to a sign that said 'Molly Ridge Shelter-2.5 mi' So we're all excited cause we thought we were cruisin. We thought we had only done 6 miles, but if the sign was true, we had done 9. About 4 miles later we finally got to the shelter. I thought it would never come. It's raining, foggy, and just plain cold! But we're here! Had good big dinners. Lasagna! ANd some of OOPU's jambalaya! Definitely a happy tummy! There's even a fireplace here in the shelter so we got a fire goin to stay warm. Nice and cozy. It's exciting to be in the Smokies. It's so beautiful! Tomorrow we'll be at the highest point on the whole AT! I'm expecting the view to be specatular! CLingman's Dome is some 6200 ft. And we hear that the climb isn't so bad. Whatever it gives us I'm susre the view and the accomplishment will by way worth it! So, I'll take lots of pictures. Everything is good! I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here!
Date: 2003-03-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hard to get up today! Waited for just about every body to leave the shelter before we started. Pop tart for breakfast. Good for quick. The first part of the hike was very nice. All except for the mud. I don't think Iv'e ever been this dirty. It was so muddy that it even slowed us down a bit. Despite the rain and the mud all over my legs, it was a good morning. Then I realized that we had been going uphill all day. I kept getting cold and then hot. Not consistent. We ate lunch on this really cool spot on the mountain. It was sort of like a bald, but not really. We got pictures. We thought we were at the top of the mountain, but we soon found out that it went up another 1000 ft. We got to the highest point we've been so far, 5440 st. We didn't get to Clingmans' DOme yet. That's tomorrow. I think we're gonna try to eat lunch on CLingman's. I doubt we'll see anything cause its been incredibly foggy. We didn't get one single food view today. Kinda bummed. But it's cool. Take the good with the bad. We got a few cool pics at the top. You couldn't see 20ft away. Smoky Mtn I guess. We go down, then up, then down, then up. Then way down and now we're getting really tired. Ready to get to the shelter. Find out it's like 4 miles away. So we push and push. This part of the trail was very rocky. Not easy to get up and down, especially since its wet. I fell for the first time. Not hard, so it's not bad. Slickrock fell and hurt her knee so she's been hurting the last 2.5 miles. Not fun. But we keep pushing. Finally make it to Derek's knob Shelter. Same thing as last night. I had fun washing off the mud. Ended up getting even dirtier hiking down to the water hole. Got some food and hung the bear bag. Now , just chillin, or actually warmin! Ready for bed. Sleep is good. Not looking forward to having to get back up.
Date: 2003-03-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Long day! 15.4 miles. Beautiful day! Clear, sunny, just a little cool! Started out kinda dreary, but we got to Newfound Gap and at some food that Eric(for the moment)'s Mom brought. Definitely good. Gave me some much needed energy. I didn't sleep at all last night. At all! We were all crammed in a shselter. Uncomfortable. So I did 15.4 miles on no sleep. We pushed and pushed all day. We had 6 hours of daylight to do 10 miles to Pecks corner shelter. It was all fine, great view! Got pics. About 2 miles before the shelter I started feeling bad. My stomach hurt and I was starting to feel really tired. So for about an hour it was miserable. We finally made it. We had to. Decent shelter. Lots of people, weekend hikers mostly, but it's cool. There's like 15 of us packed in here. So glad to be here and in my sleeping bag. Hopefully good sleep awaits me!
Date: 2003-03-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Another long day! But very rewarding. Left Pecks Corner aroung 8:30. Got to the first shelter at 11 and decided to eat lunch. The whole morning was miserable. I haven't gotten much sleep lately, so I've been tired. The break at lunch was very good! I felt really food after that. It was all generally downhill at this point, which was good for me at the point I was at. So I cruise for about 5 miles ahead of everyone else. Good viewpoints! Coming down out of the Smokies, is absolutely fantastic! So I got to the shelter a little before 4 which is really good. I've been saying for a week that it would be nice to get to a shelter early enough to just sit and chill for a little while, cause we've been getting to them at dark, which stinks! So its really been nice! Got to cook and fix my french vanilla cafe (another surprise from the family back home) without being in a rush. So I'm happy! It's good to know, despite how good the Smokies have been, that we're fixin to be out of them! Hamburgers are waiting for us tomorrow! Well, we're gonna play some cards and chill by the fire. Enjoyed it guys!
Date: 2003-03-24
To: 2 mi short of Mountain Momma's
Miles today: 0.0

Today started wonderful! 8 miles to Davenport Gap, all or most downhill, which was good for me. I seem to excel at downhills. It was hard, no doubt, but downhills don't use much energy, just the muscles to stop yourself. So I'm excited the whole morning. We got to Mt Momma's at around 12. Good lunch! Cheeseburger and fries. And a Mtn Dew! Very good! Got our supply boxes. GOod surprise... peanut butter and honey, and fresh bread! I got to make a sandwich. So good. And chicken and dumplings! Didn't rehydrate very well but were still very tasty. Chilled there for a couple of hours just to let the food settle so we didn't get sick and them set out for the trail at about 2. The first 2 miles were awesome! Followed along a creek that had some falls. Got pics. Beautiful! Corssed our first Interstate (40) and then headed back up to ove 4000 st. Not fun! Started getting tired quick. We were aiming for a campsite, but couldn't find it so we kept on going. 6 miles straight up. It sounds familiar to earlier days but this climb takes the cake! The longest and steepest! But I think we're at the top here where we decided to set up camp. I've never been this beat! I almost passed our when I was on the phone with Mom at the top of the mountain. Oh well, down hill tomorrow...we think.
Date: 2003-03-25
From: 2 mi short of Mountain Momma's

To: hot springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Slept great last night! Probably the best night of sleep so far. Today was a pretty good day. Started with a couple of good climbs. Really tough, but definitely worth it. Nothing too exciting til around lunch time. We ate on top of Max Patch mountain. Amazing! There were 2 trail angels on top giving away cokes, cookies, and beer. Didn't get a beer, but had a coke and some cookies. The next 6 miles were awesome! At least for me. Flat! I was lovin it! We went around all the huge mountains, instead of going stsraight over them. That's my kind of hike! We really wanted to push another 2 miles to the next shelter so we'd be closer to Hot Springs. So it was all uphill. But not too bad. Took my time. Decided to pitch the tents instead of sleeping in the shelter. Figure we get better sleep in the tents! The girls go down to get water, only to find that the stream had dried up. This is not good cause none of us had any water at this point. We passed six good streams today, but were just gonna wat til we got to the shelter to get water. So... were out of water! Meanwhile... me and OOPU hang the bear bags. We're getting pretty good at that now. Got it up on the first try. The girls were roasting marshmallows over the stoves. Definitely a sight! Got pics of that! But now, just chillin, fixin to go to sleep. We've had a long, but very good day. Can't wait until tomorrow. We get to Hot Springs and we get a shower and Clean clothes!! It's been 8 days since we've washed. Very nasty! We've got smells that we've never smelled before! That's all for tonight!
Date: 2003-03-27
From: hot springs, NC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Slept so, so good last night. Got here yesterday afternoon and just kinda got settled here aat the Cody House Hiking Hostel. We went out with all the other hikers in town tonight. The town is pretty cool. Everything is so close. All within walking distance. Got to bed a little after 11, woke up at 6:30. I guess we're used to waking up early now. Speck's Mom and grandpa cane with a whole bunch of food! Fresh bagels. So good. Breakfast was great! We just kinda chilled for a couple of hours til the laundromat opened. Started laundry and went down to the outfitter store. Good variety of stuff. I actually bought my new pack there. Going lighter. I'm down to 33 lbs! I dropped 16 lbs! Crazy stuff! Anyways... lunch! All kinds of good food. Sloppy Does. Venison sloppy joes. So good! All kinds of other stuff. Cire and Mr Cranky Pants came over for lunch. GOod guys. Hope we see more of those two. We ate out on the front lawn of the awesome place we got! It was a beautiful day. Sunny, cool, amazing! Then we went to the Hot Springs. Can't come to Hot Springs, NC and not visit the hot springs. I highly recommend going there. Natural hot tubs is what they are. Nice!! Then we go back to the outfitter. THis is when I bought the new pack. Speck got one too. Actually the same one I got only the womens version. We're both very happy with them! On to dinner! We went down to the pub to eat dinner tonight. Very good, a little expensive, but worth it! Good cheeseburgers and oysters, too! Then I finally got to use the phone. We've had to use the pay phones cause there are no phones where we are staying. There's always someone on all of them, all day. Finally got to talk to Mom. Good to talk to her. Wanted to call some friends, but it was getting late and I was just tires. I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow. Shoney's all you can eat!!! Gonna tear it up! But I have to turn the lights off now or I'll get in trouble, so I'm out!
Date: 2003-03-28
From: hot springs, NC

To: spring mtn shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a good day! Didn't actually start hiking til 1:30 this afternoon. So we pushed a little but it was good. Again, I slept so well at the Cody House in Hot Springs. Got up and packed everything up, drove to the nearest Shoney's about 25 miles away. It was so worth the trip! I ate so much. Even had a salad cause it looked so good! But it was only 9 am, I don't think I've ever had a salad for breakfast before. Anyways... I got some odds and ends at the pharmacy and headed back to the trail. Got started around 1:30 and hiked up and up then down. Then up and up and up! Got 9 miles to a campsite at around 6:30 or so. Decided to keep going and tru to get to the next shelter, 11 miles. It gets dark at 7. So we hiked about an hour in the dark. It was a new moon, king of cloudy, and cold! Wasn't very fun. But we made it. Had to eat quick. Peanut butter and honey sandwich. So So good! Had a good ole time hangin the bear bag tonight. Pitch black. Not really any good trees to hang them from either. Needless to say we got very frustrated! But finally, we got them up. Nice to be back on the trail, in a tent. Sounds wierd, but it's becoming like home. Hopefully no rain and we'll get some good rest. Got 15 miles tomorrow I think!
Date: 2003-03-29
From: spring mtn shelter

To: Jerry cabin shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Rained all day! Started kinda cool, but warmed up. Cooled off a lot towards the end of the day but we wanted to at least get to Jerry Cabin shelter. Set up camp and got settled in. Woke up at around 2am and had to use the bathroom. Layed there in the sleeping bag for 2 hours debating whether or not I wanted to get up and go. But after 2 hours of pain I decided to get out of my nice warm sleeping bag and go. Much to my surprise, ther was a foot of snow on the ground! It was blowing into the shelter. Our sleeping bags and all of our gear was covered with snow. David laughed at me because I made such a big deal about the snow. I went back to bed and got another hour or so of sleep.
Date: 2003-03-30
From: Jerry cabin shelter

To: devil's fork gap
Miles today: 0.0

Cold! Snowy! After the exciting night, it was kinda tough to get out of the sleeping bag to get started. But we got up and it was miserable. I have never been so cold! Early Riser and Denmark went ahead and ended up coming back cause the snow had covered the trail and couldn't tell where to go. But we decided to go anyway and just try to find our way through the snow. It was the most miserable day. I think I was on the verge of hypothermia about halfway through the day. Everyone said I was acting funny. I guess thats an early symptom. We found a road to follow into town and came upon a house. OOPU went and asked them if they would take some very cold, weary hikers into town to a hotel. They were such a complete blessing! They took us to the Holiday Inn in Erwin TN. So nice and warm! Got cleaned up and just rested. I am so thankful to be warm!
Date: 2003-03-31
From: devil's fork gap

To: US 23
Miles today: 0.0

Today was awesome! I think we did 10 miles.We "freedom hiked" today. Left our stuff back at the hotel and hiked with very light packs. Stayed warm and it was beautiful with the sun in the snow. Got to US 23 at around 6:50pm and Miss Janet was ther at 7 to pick us up. Perfect timing! She took us in to get the famous Erwin Burritos! Then she brought us back to the hotel. Shes so amazing! She does it all for free. Anyways...we're doing laundry now and are anxious to sleep. We're gonna try to make it 18 miles tomorrow. It will be a long day, but it's gonna be cool. Good times, bad times. It's all good now!
Date: 2003-04-02
From: sams gap

To: 2 mi past bald mtn shelter
Miles today: 0.0

its been a pretty nice day. hard climb from sams gap to big bald mt. i did struggle. i started out kinda slow cause everyone's been sick and i wasn't sure how i was feeling. i was the only one out of 7 that didn't get sick. we took a break about every hour or so. just to make sure everyone was ok. and we could see big bald for miles but it never seemed to get any closer. its about a 6 mile climb to the top. but when we got about 2 miles from the top i just decided to bolt it to the top. i was so tired of climbing so i just wanted to get up there. and dang! it was so beautiful up there today. clear, not a cloud in the sky. you could see forever. all the mountains weve been over and all the ones that are yet to come. we took a big break up there. took a bunch of pictures. the snow has mostly melted so its a bit muddy today. the hike down off the bald was fairly easy. we tried to make it to spivy gap, but since we got a late start today - around 1:00 - we knew we couldn't make it before dark. and we were starting to get tired. probably due to the fact that everyone was sick and throwing up just yesterday and were just drained. so, we found a flat spot i'm guessing about 2 or 3 miles short of spivy gap. i was starving when we got here so i had to, of course, fix some ramen noodles! dinner of champions! or maybe just thru hikers! so good though. got the bear bag hung with no problems! in the dark too. anyways...so nice to be in the tent again. and not in the snow and cold. its nice and toasty in the tent. and its not really that cold outside tonight. around 45 or 50 i'd say. but its just nice! i just can't wait to get to sleep! ive really needed more rest i think. zzzzz.....