morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-03
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Blueberry Patch Hostel / Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.5

It was about 40 degrees when I checked my thermometer. I don't think I slept at all last night. One of the guys that stayed in the shelter snored ALL NIGHT LONG. I definitely didn't have to worry about over-sleeping. I was actually out of my sleeping bag before the sun came over the mountains. We hit the trail at about 7:45, can you believe it? When we reached Dick's Creek Gap we had a bit of trail magic. Paul and Cindy were there with all kinds of goods. Juice, sodas, fruit, muffins, eclairs, lunch stuff. I had an eclair, an apple, and some apple juice. Then Gary from the Blueberry Patch showed up and gave us a ride to the hostel. A very nice place. Took a nice hot shower :-), had my laundry done and then Paul drove us into Hiawassee. Now we're all just sitting around on the lawn of the town square. Went to dinner at Daniel's Steakhouse & had the buffet. It was OK, not quite what I was hoping for. Mary, Steven & I got there about 4:00 pm, I feel like an old person eating so early but we were all starving. Everyone else slowly came in after us & I think we totaled about 12 or 14. The 3 of us plus Gretle hitched a ride back to the hostel. It took us a few tries before this wonderful lady picked us up. Once we got back here I packed up all my stuff & got my bunk ready. I'm in the middle layer of a 3 stack bunk. Everyone is going through their drop boxes and I'm just sitting here listening to all the chat. There is an older man here (Mr. Magoo) that reminds me of Grandpa Beldin, it is his eyes and his mannerisms. Very strange. It is now 8:30 and I'm ready for bed but there is too much activity around here right now.
Date: 2003-04-05
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Beech Gap Campsite
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up this morning to rain at 6:00. It was a pretty good thunderstorm but I managed to doze off till about 9:00. Not too many were up yet or at least had not ventured out to the shelter. I'm glad I bagged all my food in ziplocks, otherwise all my food would have been wet since my bear bag isn't waterproof. Finally made it out of camp after eating my oatmeal & hot chocolate & packing up all my wet gear by 11:00. The group plan was to hike to carter Gap Shelter which is an 11.5 mile day. As you have probably guessed, that's not where I am. I'm camped at Beech Gap with Viking, Smokey, & Clifford the big red dog. We got here around 6:00 and decided to stay since it was another 3.2 miles to the shelter at Carter Gap and we would be hiking in the dark. Not sure what this means as far as my staying with Mary & Stephen as they will probably push on to Rock Gap Shelter tomorrow and thats too far for me to get to in one day. The terrain today was much better than I had anticipated. The biggest climb was up Standing Indian Mountain and that was nothing. It looks so much worse on the elevation chart than it really is. I went up the side trail to the summit of Standing Indian and had some amazing views. Took a few pics, then on my way. When we reached Deep Gap earlier in the day we were greeted by Jim and his young grandsons. They were there making hamburgers and hot dogs for all the hikers. So 2 burgers and 2 cokes and 2 bags of chips later, we all headed on to Standing Indian. Today was a tough day for me even though it wasn't strenuous. I wasn't looking forward to doing the 11.5 to Carter Gap, my knee was bothering me, my pack isn't riding the way it should and I'm just plain tired. The plan for tomorrow is to get up & out of camp early and reach Big Spring Shelter (which is 10 miles away) at a decent time. It is about 40 degrees and I'm off to bed.
Date: 2003-04-06
From: Beech Gap Campsite

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I did it. I hiked 15.3 miles today! What's that you say? Am I crazy? Why, no I'm not. I did it for a good reason. The reason being that tomorrow I will hike 1.5 miles to Rainbow Spring Campground and do nothing the rest of the day while Smokey goes into town for her resupplies. Looking forward to relaxing tomorrow! Todays hike wasn't all that bad. There was one killer climb up Albert Mountain but now it's done with and I'm so glad. Stopped at the summit for a short break and gave Jason his trail name of Spiderman. The climb up Albert Mountain is a rock face and he scrambled right on up it. I did get a short burst of energy for a few miles, it must have been the Gatorade. I arrived here at about 5:30 to find a note from Mary that she went on. There was also a note in the shelter journal from Stephen that he went on to Rainbow Spring Campground. I think I'll be hanging with Christy, Cap'n Ben, Viking, and Smokey for a while. I am here at this shelter with the 4 of them and 3 young guys, Butcher, Pakabear, and Silverback. I thought I was doing good until about 4 miles before the shelter when Pakabear flew by me like I was standing still and what made it worse was that he was doing a 20 miler.
Date: 2003-04-07
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.7
Weather: light rain

Had a decent night last night although I didn't get much sleep. I was too tired to set up my tent so I stayed in the shelter with Smokey, Pakabear, and Butcher. Silverback stayed in the shelter also but slept out by the table. I'll put your mind at ease now. The name Butcher came about because he went a little crazy cutting off all the straps on his backpack. My sleep kept getting interrupted by my muscles screeming in discomfort. That and right after we got in our sleeping bags it started raining and it rained all night long. The nice thing about that was the tin roof. The bad thing was that I happened to be right under the leaky spot. Got up this morning and had a Pop Tart for breakfast. The rain died off by the time everyone was up and moving. Smokey and I headed out pretty early since we couldn't wait to get to the campground. As we were walking up to the road we saw a truck drop off 3 people but he pulled away before we could get there. One of the people dropped off was Stephen. We told him of our plans to go to the campground and he recommended we skip it and go straight to town because some of the people staying there were a little sketchy. He decided to go with us so we walked the .7 miles toWallace Gap where there was a man by the name of Night Stalker waiting with his pickup to shuttle people. He drove us into Franklin for $5 per person and dropped us at the Microtel. Nice hotel, located close to all the food places. Our other choice was the Franklin Motel but it is quite a walk from there to any of the food spots or the laundry. After checking in to the hotel, Smokey, Stephen, Chuck and I went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Viking, Cap'n Ben and Christy were also staying at the Microtel. After I was nice and full I made the walk over to the laundromat. Once the clothes were clean it was a quick stop at the outfitter's (nice place) where we saw Tom for Short and Senica (or as Stephen calls her Skip to my Loo, which for some reason is easier for me to remember). Once back at the hotel I called Val & Robbie. They came up around 7 and we went to dinner at a great little Mexican restaurant. It was Val, Robbie, the baby, their friend Stacy, me, Stephen, Smokey, and Viking. Not much happened after that. Went back to the hotel and watched the basketball game then off to bed.
Date: 2003-04-09
From: Campsite after Wayah Bald

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!Woke up this morning to more rain. Got up and packed up all my stuff before Smokey and Viking were up. I was so cold this morning I didn't even bother to make breakfast. I just had a breakfast bar and went. I arrived at Cold Spring Shelter at around 12:00, had some lunch and made some hot tea. I was so cold & hungry I ate all my candy bars. I think I probably could have eaten the rest of my lunch stuff but I had to save it. Smokey and Viking showed up at around 1:00. Several others wandered in while we were there, all headed for Wesser Bald Shelter. We finally arrived at the shelter at around 5 or maybe 5:30. There are 8 of us sleeping in the shelter and Smokey is under the table. Viking is the only one tenting tonight. This is a pretty cool group. We have Rachel and Josh (a young married couple), Goat, Spot (who is on his 5th thru hike), Gunner, George, and Pez. It's 7:00 and I'm sitting in my sleeping bag and will be going to bed in a few more minutes. Muddy Trails....Oh, I mean Happy Trails!
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: N.O.C.
Miles today: 5.7

So when I went to bed last night it was raining but when I woke up it was snowing. There was a pretty good layer on the ground. I slept pretty good between the warmth of my sleeping bag and all the bodies in the shelter. Had some cereal bars for breakfast then headed out to the N.O.C. Hiked for a while in the snow. It was so pretty hiking in the falling snow but then about half way down it turned into rain. We (me, Smokey, Viking) made good time but it felt like the longest 5.7 miles ever. Got into the N.O.C. at atound 12:00 or 12:30. Saw Rachel and Josh in front of the office and she pointed out that there was a note for us on the office door. It was from Stephen telling us that they were staying another night because it was supposed to snow. We decided not to make any decisions until after we had lunch. Went over to the restaurant and had a nice big cheeseburger, fries, and a big cup of hot cider. Then we made our way up to the hotel room. Stephen opened the door and wouldn't let us in until we took off all of our muddy gear. Once inside there was a ton of people. This place is set up really cool. There is a main sitting room, then there is like 10 or 12 bedrooms. Smokey and I bunked in with Stephen. Mary had her own room, Viking bunked in with Christie and Ben. Half the people from last nights shelter are here along with Heather and Superman. Laid out all my wet gear, got cleaned up, then did some relaxing. We all (me, Smokey, Viking, Ben, Stephen) went to the restaurant for some dinner and desert at around 7:30. The place was packed with hikers. Not much happened after that, just went back to the room and relaxed. It was nice to see all the people that had gotten ahead or behind. Ran into Clifford, he's going home due to a knee injury. He blew it out above Tellico Gap. People were saying we were going to get a foot of snow on the trail tonight, that's why everyone was hanging out at the N.O.C.
Date: 2003-04-11
From: N.O.C.

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a great nights sleep last night. It did get a little hot but I still slept great. Made some oatmeal for breakfast, packed up and headed out. Made it here by 3:30. I'm so glad to get into camp early for once. This place is packed. I was amazed to find Stephen here. I was almost positive he would have gone on. This shelter is a pretty decent size, has 2 levels. There's 9 of us on the 2nd level, 9 on the lower level, 1 on the floor, and 5 tents (and 3 dogs). I've been in my sleeping bag since 6:30. I tried to hold off as long as possible but I'm so cold. My bag is laid out between Booble and Pez (now going as Pants). I hope Booble doesn't snore because I know Pants does. I slept next to him at Wesser Bald the other night! Todays hike wasn't too bad. I was expecting the incline to be much, much worse. Had some nice views for a change today and then about 1 mile before the shelter the visibility went pretty low. Its not snowing but there is quite a bit on the ground. Evereone is in their sleeping bags and there are some interesting conversations going on. They were singing theme songs for a while. Well, I need to zip up and get warm...Good night all.
Date: 2003-04-12
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Woke up early this morning to the sound of people unzipping their bags and packing up. It was a beautiful morning, no clouds in the sky and not as cold as the night before. According to Booble it was supposed to be 65 and sunny today and I believe for once the weather man was right. Headed out this morning with the idea of doing a 15 miler so tomorrow we could get into Fontana Dam early. Let me tell you it was one long day. I considered stopping for the night at the 1st shelter which was 9 miles away but that would make for a long tomorrow and I only had one days worth of lunch left. Got up to Cheoah Bald this morning and had a little snack. Took some pictures and chatted with the small group that was there. The walking went pretty well. Smokey, Viking, and I managed to stay together for quite awhile. When we got to Stecoah Gap we were greeted by "The Flintstones" from Flint, Michigan giving a little trail magic. I had a soda and a donut, hmmm boy did that donut hit the spot, especially since Smokey and I had been talking about them all morning. Once we left there it was another 2.5 miles to the 1st shelter. Got there and had what was left of my lunch stuff, then pushed on with Heather and Mark (Superman) and 2 Dog Night. Viking ended up catching up with us farther down the trail. Cap'n Ben wasn't feeling so good so he, Christy and Smokey stayed at that shelter. The last 3 miles felt like they were never going to end. Did see a very nice sunset about 1.5 miles before we got here. Of course it was dark when I got into camp so I put my tent up as fast as my body would allow, them made dinner. Now, I'm ready for bed. It's 11:00, the latest I've been up yet. My feet are looking forward to an easy day tomorrow.
Date: 2003-04-14
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Still here at the Fontana Village Resort taking my first official zero day. I had planned on sleeping in today but of course that didn¢t happen. After laying in bed last night for what seemed like an eternity trying to fall asleep (must have been all the cokes I had with dinner) I was up at 6:00 this morning. I stayed in bed as long as I could watching Good Morning America, my favorite morning show, before I got up and moving. I made my way up to the buffet for breakfast and had scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, cinnamon rolls and a couple of glasses of milk. I can¢t believe I¢ve gone this long without having any milk. While I was sitting there eating, Mary showed up so we chatted for a few minutes (she headed out today) and before I knew it there were 7 of us gathered around the little table. I eventually made my way down to the Post Office to get my box, only to find out that it wasn¢t there. They did have a box there but it was filed under Sit instead of Sir. When I asked the lady to check and see if that was mine she suddenly couldn¢t locate it. So I, being very frustrated, had to hang around until the next load of mail was dropped off. This was fine because I just sat around in the rocking chairs with Stephen, Heather, and Mark. And again, no box for me. The lady eventually called my room saying she found it and wouldn¢t you know it was the one that they misspelled. I sat on the porch of my room with Stephen, Smokey, and Mary, made macaroni & cheese for lunch, and went over the mileages for this next leg. Made another trip down to the P.O. to get my box, did my laundry and stopped in at the outfitter¢s to get my fuel. Didn¢t really do much today, seemed to spend quite a bit of time in the rocking chairs down by the store / P.O.   Went up to dinner around 7:00 with Stephen where we met up with Ben, Christy, Chuck, and 3 others. I did meet Hammock Hanger today and she gave Stephen and me a ride back up to the hotel and ate dinner with us. After dinner we all just hung out in the lobby and chatted away while we had some ¢after dinner drinks.¢ Thanks to Dad for putting the little bottles of J.D. in my box, we all enjoyed it. We¢ve all been talking about having a beer since we started but every place we stop is a dry county. The gang is all headed out in the morning and I will meet up with them in a few days.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Another zero day. Woke up around 8:00 this morning and went down to the buffet where I had a huge breakfast. The gang all headed out this morning, some earlier than others. It¢s been nice to spend some time by myself, although I miss them all already. I will meet back up with them on Friday. Haven¢t done much today. I spent time working on my resupply but the rest of the day has been spent just relaxing. Talked to Beth earlier today. She¢s planning to meet up with me in Virginia. Now I have something to look forward to! Well, I¢m off to the Post Office and to find myself a ride.
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 34.0
Weather: overcast clouds

One last zero day before hitting the trail tomorrow. Didn¢t do much today. Got up around 8:30ish, watched a little TV, went down to the Post Office to mail out my packages, hopped on line for a few minutes to check my e-mail, the stupid thing wouldn¢t let me send any out, though. Went over to the pool (indoor, heated pool) and soaked my feet for a while, boy, did that feel good. Other than that I just lounged around. Getting bored and ready to get moving. I miss the Gang. Just thought you might like to know I made ramen noodles for dinner and crushed up some wheat thins and added it to them. It wasn¢t bad. I've added the 34 miles of trail on to this section that I've already hiked and am getting a ride around tomorrow.
Date: 2003-04-18
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

It was 45 degrees this morning. Surprisingly, I slept really good last night, normally when I sleep in a shelter I¢m up most of the night but not last night. Did the usual camp chores this morning ¢ pack up, eat breakfast. I¢m up to 2 packs of oatmeal in the mornings now. I was on the trail by 10:00 and during the hike to Newfound Gap I kept expecting to hear Stephen coming up the trail behind me. I reached the Gap around 12:30ish and had some lunch. Met up with one of the Blues Brothers, Cornbread (from Walasi-Yi), Molasses, Strider, and Redbeard. The lady that was giving them a ride into Gatlinburg gave us all some Easter candy. Headed for the shelter around 1:30 and just took my sweet time since everyone (according to Cornbread) was really far behind. When I got to the cut off for the shelter I stopped and talked with some day hikers and then Stephen showed up. Happy to see him! Came into the shelter and claimed a spot. There¢s a group of 9 here just out for a couple of days, full shelter tonight. Today was a viewless day, nothing but clouds. Stephen wanted me to mention, ¢We¢ve broken 200 miles!¢ Chuck, Silver Lining, and Hiker Biker Babe showed up sometime after 9:00 pm and Gunner showed up at dark.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: few clouds

Didn¢t get much sleep last night due to the continuous snoring that was going on. One of the guys in that group of 9 snored extremely loud all night long. We thought Doc would be the one to keep us up but nope, he was up with the rest of us. Doc had to yell at the kid to turn over a couple of times and then he would stop for a short time. The funny thing was after Doc got him to stop the first time, then Stephen started up. I had to elbow him a couple of times but to tell you the truth, it was easier to sleep thru his snoring than the other guy¢s, his was just awful. Got out of camp at a pretty decent time today. It was somewhere between 45 and 50 degrees this morning and warmed up into the 80¢s by the afternoon. Caught up with Sleepy, Heather (Headlamp), and Mark (Superman) at Charlie¢s Bunion where we enjoyed the views. Today was a take it easy day, none of us were in any rush, and it was absolutely beautiful out. We had taken quite a few breaks today. We took a nice long break on top of Bradley Mountain, we were there for probably 1.5 to 2 hours soaking up the sun and views and eating lunch. Aired out the feet while we sat there which felt great until I had to put my boots back on. Got to the shelter where there was quite a crowd. I had planned on pitching my tent but there really wasn¢t any place to put it so I just stayed in the shelter. I made mashed potatoes with tuna for dinner followed by a Snickers for dessert.
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Happy Easter! Today was another take it easy day even though it was a long one. Chuck & I stopped in at Cosby Knob Shelter for lunch then stopped again at the junction to the Mount Camerer side trail where we chatted with two previous thru hikers, Wildhair and Raincheck. I caught up to Sleepy, Headlamp and Superman at another little junction further up the trail where they proposed the idea of going 5 extra miles to Standing Bear Farm instead of Davenport Gap Shelter. So, after we checked our money situation, we marched on. Got in here about 8:30. This place is awesome! It costs $15, you get a bed, laundry, and a hot shower. For $10 extra we had a steak dinner with baked potato, salad and bread. So we gathered under the cooking pavilion and cooked our steaks in the dark. Had some awesome trail magic today. This couple stopped and gave us some Easter ham and a bunch of chocolate as we were heading across the highway. Did see a rabbit today and the wildflowers were spectacular. As much as I don¢t like getting into camp at or after dark, I have to admit that hiking in the later hours of the day (after 5:00) is pretty nice.
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: moderate rain

Up this morning around 7:30. It was a little rainy. Did my laundry and made some oatmeal for breakfast. Pretty much just sat around under the cooking pavilion watching it rain most of the morning. As much as I wanted it to stop raining so we could hit the trail, I didn¢t mind just relaxing at the farm. Caught up on some journal writing and made some ramon noodles for lunch. We finally made it out of there and hit the trail by 2:30. I know, I know, that¢s a little late to start hiking but who really cares? Our thinking was that if we could do 5 miles after 5:30 yesterday, we could definitely do 7 starting at 2:30. We made good time, into camp by 6:30, considering the difficulty of Snowbird Mountain. Thanks to Sleepy Floyd for leaving me what was left of his trail mix, it really helped get me over the mountain. It was pretty warm and humid today. Once in camp I set up my tent, got water, hung my bear rope so it would be ready for my food bag later (I find that when I¢m going to be hanging my food bad in the dark, it¢s easier if I get my rope in the tree while its still daylight). Made dinner ¢ mashed potatoes with tuna and a Snickers for dessert, sat around and visited with Superman, Headlamp, Doc, Magoo, and Viking before the final chore of hanging the food bag. Didn¢t see as many flowers today as I did yesterday but I did see what I think was a wild strawberry. Plan to be to the Hot Springs the day after next but it will be late in the day when I get there. Hopefully, I will meet back up with Smokey once I get there. Sleepy Floyd left the trail today for a few days (or until the Doctor says) due to a REALLY bad blister and swollen ankle. Get well Sleepy Floyd and hurry back to the trail, you will be missed! Looking forward to the views from Max Patch tomorrow!