morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-21
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Plum Orchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we left the Cloud 9 hostel and hiked up to the Plumorchard Gap shelter. We hiked through fog that allowed you to see only about 100 yards. The trail is probably even more beautiful in these conditions. You notice all the things in close to you that are easy to miss when you have views. The shelter is a triple deck that will hold maybe 20 people. We met 6 engineering majors from Georgia Tech. It was fun watching 6 engineers argue for 1.5 hours about whether to continue on that day. We're glad they stayed as we had fun talking to them this afternoon. Really cool guys.Our one week on the trail anniversary seems like a good time to reflect on some overall themes.Conditioning:We are finding that there are some "traditional thru hiker theories" that I am not too sure hold water. The first is about training before a thru hike. Some feel that you should not train - so that you start with more body fat and also so that your lack of aerobic conditioning is in sync with your feet not being trail hardened. Hmmmm... I wouldn't recommend this. The hills are pretty long and steep right from the start and any conditioning you can do before will serve you well on the trail. I do think that if you are not going to be dedicated to an intense program for at least 4 months that maybe this wisdom would hold and that you might as well "walk yourself into shape".I think we are doing great conditioning wise. We have yet to be sore - although we are playing it safe with Coyotebec's hamstring problem.Pack weight:We started with 27 lbs in Gumby's pack and 20 in Coyotebec's. This includes 4 days of food and a full load of 2 liters of water. I would recommend shooting for something as far under 30 lbs as you can get. You should be careful of some of the really ultralite stuff - especially packs as we've seen some instances of breakage already. As far as shelter, most folks are packing tents and a few have tarps. The Tarptent is VERY popular with thru hikers. For 1 person, they can still fit your gear inside. For 2, you have to leave the gear outside. So we are really happy with our tarp.Food:By and large we see a lot of people subsisting on pop tarts, noodle ramen and Lipton meals. This can't be healthy. Our food is working out well so far, and we are trying different stuff. Will report more later. On the food drop vs. buying food on the way, buying seems to definitely be the way to go. A surprising number of people are doing the mail drop thing, but there are a lot of problems with this.Mental attitude:Most former hikers point to this as a big key. There are all kinds of wisdom out there on this. We are doing great so far - and we'll try to keep you up to date as we learn more on this.
Date: 2006-03-23
From: Standing Indian Mountain Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

The temp was well into the 20's this morning when we got up. The water to wash out our breakfast dishes froze within minutes. As we walked, the clouds rolled in looking heavy and grey. We climbed Standing Indian Mtn, and then got to trail that featured a lot less climbing and we made really good time. We had started the climb to Albert mtn when we came across a sign that said, "trail magic". We wandered down a path to find a large tarp with a fire going. A former hiker named fishinfred welcome us in. He offered hot coffee (very welcome offer), apples, and oranges and even made us some pancakes. He had a tripod made of rebar over the fire from which was suspended a large sawmill blade that they used as a griddle. He told us that "last year, we served 4,000 tortillas in 28 days out here". We were there between meals, but we were so happy to have the pancakes and coffee. The Jersey boys pulled in about 30 minutes later and we stayed there an hour or two.We decided to head on to the shelter 2 miles away. The climb over Albert mtn is steep and spectacular, with a bit of rock scrambling involved. At the top, we met a woman named Linda. She had driven up an access road and was shooting some pictures. She said she worked for the Franklin newspaper and asked to shoot our picture. So maybe people in Franklin will see our picture soon!As we began to descend, a few snowflakes were flying. We made it to the shelter by 3:30 or so. It's one of the older style shelters, but it looked great to us. We cooked some potatoes and got in the bags while our dinner soaked. Snow is falling off and on as I type this, but we are fairly snug here in the shelter.It's now 6pm and the snow is coming down hard. Big flakes and it's starting to build up on the ground. The plan was to hike to Winding Stair gap and hitch a ride into Franklin for a motel and resupply stop. It's a 9-mile walk from here - which isn't a problem, unless we get a ton of snow tonight.More tomorrow...From CoyotebecIt was a great day of hiking. They scenery is getting a bit more spectacular and there are higher mountains and better vistas. We didn't take it, but I heard about a nice side trail to Raven's Rock where there was a plane crash and a good view. We are going to try arranging shorter trip route for Pack and Paddle customers through this area.We stayed for the night at Big Springs Shelter. This was a beautiful setting in amongst the Rhododendron bushes. It was getting COLD! Kind of weird - we are all alone. This has not happened yet. It started snowing as we were getting ready for bed. We ate supper in the sleeping bags - then we woke up in the morning and ate breakfast before getting out of the sack.
Date: 2006-03-25
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: overcast clouds

After a great breakfast in Franklin, we got onto the shuttle to headed back to Winding Stair Gap. The shuttle is run by Ron who owns the Budget inn. He doesn't charge for any of the shuttles that he does (some of them 2 hours or more!). He loves hikers and will go to amazing lengths bringing them to stores, restaurants etc at all times of the day and night.We got to Winding Stair gap around 11. It was in the 30's with a few snowflakes. We took the trail to Siler Bald shelter. By the time we arrived, it was snowing pretty hard. Our plan is to hike the 4 miles today, then 2 - 12 miles sections into the Nantahala outdoor center.It snowed all afternoon and hikers steadily showed up, filling the shelter to the brim. We spent part of the afternoon listening to Coyotebec read her current book "Miles from Nowhere" aloud. It was a relaxing and special time. By the time we went to sleep, there was 6 or 8 inches of snow on the ground.Dreaming about tomorrow... Brrr....We've been thinking about something the last few days. It is how often the times that we've intentionally put our lives into a totally unknown situation, the long term payoff in our quality of life has been huge.This trip is certainly one of those times for us. So far we haven¢t been lonely - but we know that's coming. We really don't know what to expect in terms of changes - and we don't even want to define what those changes might be. We're just living life mile-by-mile, day-by-day.Getting really cold nowMore tomorrow....From Coyotebec - We followed our nose to a breakfast spot in Franklin with Pi and BearBell. We spotted a guy in a very old Patagonia sweater. While we were talking to them, we found out his wife is from Lake Charles and they now live in Franklin. He had sectioned hiked the AT from 83-89 and now serves as a trail volunteer maintaining sections of trail. They gave ustheir phone # and said if we needed help with any trail crossings to let him know. I asked how far up - Hot Springs? He said "no - Katadin." What a nice visit.We got a shuttle to the trail at 11AM. It was cold getting out of the bus. It was even colder as we walked up and then it began to snow. Our plan was to kike 4 miles to the first shelter and stay there - that's what we did. As we sat in the shelter bundled up, it snowed harder and harder. NEFFA came in - Sara. We enjoyed visiting with her. John put a tarp over the side entrance to keep out the plowing snow. I read aloud a chapter of my book - Miles From No Where by Barbara Savage.NEFFA loved it. She sat in her bag braiding and brushing her VERY long hair while enthralled in the book. It reminded me of when Matt was young - he loved for us to red a story to him. I was going to read another chapter, but a group of 3 from Michigan came in followed by Glow worm, Teddy, Shenanigan, Rambo, Sketchy, Snapper, and Luscious. It was a cold night - down to 23 degrees. We had hauled up my leftovers from last night and enjoyed them for the evening.
Date: 2006-03-27
From: Wesser bald shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center - Wesser
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

Today is our payoff for the longer miles yesterday. Instead of the 12 miles we had planned to NOC, we only had about half of that. We arrived around 9:30 - In time for breakfast!The Wrens were there and invited us to join them. This is a couple in their mid 30's from Maine that have hiked the trail before. This year, they are hiking half of it. We had a great meal with them and really enjoyed visiting. They invited us to call them when we pass through southern Vermont this summer (they are moving there). Thanks Wrens!After breakfast, we checked into our room and spent the rest of the day resupplying food, cleaning clothes and gear and relaxing. NOC is so nice...From CoyotebecWe woke and were on the trail by 6:45 AM. It is a bad thing to say "the trail is all down today" because it is never absolute. We had some serious steep ups today. I didn;t mind so much because we were cold! This is a pretty rough section. There was a lot of downs - some very steep and many roots. Wet roots can be a lot like patches of ice. I've heard of a few people getting hurt on this trail into NOC. After breakfast at NOC, we checked into our motel room and rested with our feet up - nice! We ate a pint of Ben & Jerry's (shared) for lunch. Then we resupplied at the outfitter Store - More rest, then supper. We had all our hiker friends join us around an evergrowing table. There was us, Pi, Bearbell, Critter, Railroad, GG, Brains , Brawn, and Long Pole Cat. After supper, we went to Relias for Ping Pong and visiting - then to our soft wonderful bed.More tomorrow...
Date: 2006-03-28
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center - Wesser

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I decided to do today's entry a little different. I am going to list some "mental snapshots" that I have from today. These are in no particular order:Feeling the cool air of the Rhododendron tunnel as we walked through on the way up Swim Bald.My first blister of the trip right on the back of my ankle.Breakfast with a group of hikers that have now become good friends at the NOC Restaurant.The view from the top of Cheoah Bald with mountains on top of mountains for as far as you could see.The 6 or 8 false summits going up Swim and Cheoah balds.Going all day without wearing gloves for probably the first time on the trip.Watching Coyotebec enjoy reading the trail register entries at the Sassafras gap shelter.Saying "I'll remember this for the rest of my life" about our trip on the way down the bald.Walking and climbing a narrow ridge for miles with thousands of feet of air below us on both sides of the trail.Watching nightfall from under our tarp with the wind roaring off the balds above us.more tomorrow...From CoyotebecThe climb out of NOC was not bad at first. Steady up - we're good at that. Then it got to a ridge where it would flatten out a bit then steep up to the next ridge. What a view!! John said at one point "I am so loving this. It is so special getting to do this with you, I will remember this for the rest of my life." We both feel so blessed to be one another's partner.The rain threatened day turned out to be nice. A bit warmer and the sun even came out a bit. We made it to the shelter after 7 miles and we were the only ones there. Obviously the Wren's were the only ones there yesterday afternoon for lunch. She wrote - "stopped in for a quicky with my sweetie." Fun!! Three more miles to the gap where everyone is staying (GG, Pi, Bearbell, Neffa, Ole Reb, Critter, and Railroad, along with a father and daughter section hikers from Wisconsin. What a fun group. Lots of laughing. Neffa is knitting a sweater - pink. We took pictures of her and thought of Tory.Everyone agrees this was a hard 10 miles. We have 12 for tomorrow, but we expect it to be easier.
Date: 2006-03-29
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Well - Not sure if it was all the climbing yesterday - but today I felt tired most of the day. We were on the trail by 7 - headed north. We had a really steep climb up out of Sweetwater Gap. I mean really steep. When we got to the shelter that we were eating lunch, I was happy to see all the comments from other hikers about the climbs.We got a treat when Bearbell showed up as we were leaving and he decided to walk with us. Bearbell is a 27 year old geologist from Tupelo MS. Let me say that Bearbell is a character. He kept us in stitches all the way down the trail. Later down the trail, we saw our first snake - a little garter snake sunning himself on the trail. We reached the shelter around 1:45 and just wanted to sit down, drink and eat. This was a pretty tough day.Slowly, hikers filtered in: Hindsfeet, Chou Chou, Oh2beehiking came in which was a surprise. They were ahead of us but took a couple of days off. Good to see them again.Then came: Bearbell, Ol Reb, GG, Freeze Out, Critter, and Railroad. We had a nice afternoon cleaning all the dirt off our faces, legs, feet, and hands. Then we aired out our feet for the rest of the afternoon - watching Bearbell doing his antics.The topper was a belching contest between Hindsfeet and Bearbell. It was classic.Full belly, great afternoon of rest...oops... More came at 3:30am when a search and rescue team showed up at the shelter. It was a training exercise, but a serious one. They asked a lot of questions to 6 sleepy hikers in the shelter. Very interesting. You have to be hard core to be on a search and rescue team.Side note - For the last 2 days, we have begun to see signs of spring. Trees with some buds and a few flowers.more tomorrow...
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Cable Gap Shelter

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

Most people know that a "zero" in thru hiker lingo is when you stay in the same place for a day to rest - thereby doing zero miles. We seem to have perfected the art of the "Near-o". This means we come into town or leave town on short mileage.Today was a near-o - but at least it was a respectable one. We hiked the 6.9 miles in from Cable gap to the Fontana Visitors center. This was a beautiful hike, which took us along ridgelines for miles. We could see Fontana Lake probably 4 miles before we got there.After arriving at Fontana, we were picked up by Nancy at the Hike Inn. This is a friendly little motel about 6 miles from the trail. In the afternoon, Nancy dropped us off in Robbinsville for the library (email and working on our journal), supper and grocery shopping.Tomorrow we head up into the Smokies. The weather is calling for rain and chilly temps. Brr... Hope we're ready for this. We are going to hopefully hike the 70 miles of the Smokies without a food stop, so our packs are kind of heavy.Pray for no snow!!!From CoyotebecWe woke on the late side for us anyway. I guess because of the late night comedy show and midnight rescue operation. It was a pretty hike. We started seeing yellow flowers coming off a plant I have been afraid of (leaves of 3).Relief - I guess the flowers prove it is not poisen ivy. I am also seeing Trillium as we begin our decent into Fontana.We met Novicane at the damm. He is funny - he decided he had to reduce his pack weight. His pack weighs 10 pounds more than John's and mine put together. From the damm, we caught a ride to the Hike Inn. They are doing our laundry - NICE! They gave us a ride to a little store which is having a celebration of the first day of the lottery. They were giving away free hot dogs - Hebrew Dogs - They were great! They back to the Inn to organize all our gear.Blueberry Cobbler - YUMM! Sleepy now.More tomorrow...
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We entered the Smoky Mtn ntl park today. The dam is truly impressive. It is extremely high. From the dam, you begin a nearly 3000 foot ascent through forested ridgelines.The terrain looked a lot like the landscape we've been seeing until we reached Doe Knob. At that point we started seeing green grasses in the trees as well as more moss on the ground and the downed logs.We arrived at the shelter just as Chou Chou, Hindsfeet, GG and Bearbell were moving on. Throughout the afternoon the shelter began to fill up. Pi, Neffa, Fog, Ketchup, Mule, Bud, Railroad and Critter all were in the shelter.Pops - if you are reading this, this is for you. We met two south bounders today at the shelter. One met you. His name was Bemis. He says that you are his hero. He's still on and about to finish. He's read all your trail register entries.A couple of things Bemis said that sounded tough were that they had hiked in waist deep snow on occasion and that he went 600 miles without sharing a shelter with anyone. He would camp sometimes near the lights of a town just to feel that other people are out there.We have 12 Miles tomorrow and 14 the next day to bring us near to Clingmans dome. After that, 3 more days will bring us to the end of the smokies.We are looking forward to the beautiful balds and high mountains.Right now we are snug in the shelter, but the winds are roaring outside as night falls. A storm is rolling in and it's raining pretty hard. It's 7:15, which is what we call "hiker midnight" - so I guess its time to put out the headlamp.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Mollies Ridge shelter

To: Derrick Knob shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

Today was a rough day. After a late start in the rain, Becky slipped on a wet root and got a multiple fracture of her right ankle.April fools!!!Well - the day was not THAT exciting - but it was an amazing day. We began our day in a dense fog. We could see maybe only 100 yards for the first hour or two of the hike.We reached Spence Field mid-morning. Spence Field is an awesomely beautiful area where the trail breaks free of the trees and you walk through a high field of grasses yellowed from the winter. After over 150 miles of trees, this was a treat.From Spence Field, we ascended ridgelines - some forested and some open - to the summit of a mountain called Rocky Top. We took a break to take in the view. Tennessee is on your left and North Carolina is on your right. The mountains roll away from you as far as you can see. After about 15 minutes, a cloud from the Tennessee side blew up the valley towards us. The wisps of vapor built until the whole mountain was enveloped in the cloud. The chill sent us heading off the top.From there we walked a thin ridgeline to the top of Thunderhead Peak. The view was minimal so we headed down to Beechnut Gap for lunch. We lolled in the sun while Coyotebec read aloud from her book. A cold wind sent us down the trail again.We arrived at Derek Knob Shelter around 3pm. Coyotebec decided that it was time for a bath. We headed down to the spring, put some water in a little basin and took a quick pack-towel cleanup.By late afternoon, the skies were clear and we had the same exact group in the shelter as last night.Tomorrow we have a 14 mile day - including the climb up Clingmans Dome - the highest elevation point on the AT.more tomorrow....
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Derrick Knob shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Wow - monster day. Our plan for the day was to hike 14 miles to the Mt Collins shelter. Part way through the day, we changed the plan on the fly.The first half of the day we were climbing narrow ridgelines moving upward towards Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 feet, it is the highest elevation on the AT. This section is amazingly beautiful. We were about a mile from Clingmans when we got our first chance to try out a piece of gear we've carried without using for almost 200 miles.The rain started to fall, so we ate a quick lunch of Great Harvest bread (thanks Tory and JP!) and peanut butter. Then we rigged our umbrellas to our pack straps and headed north. I have been a little worried about how well the umbrellas would work in "real life" trail use. Let's face it - it's not real cool looking to walk down the trail with an umbrella. Especially one destroyed by the first gust of wind. Well - I am happy to report that the umbrellas kept us fairly dry without wearing hot, muggy rain jackets. The way they were rigged to the pack straps still allowed us to use our hiking poles. It was pretty fun to hike down the trail through the weather with the coverage of the umbrellas. Goofy or not - I love my umbrella!After lunch, we hatched a plan. We decided that we could hike the extra 4 miles past the shelter to Newfound gap, and hitch a ride to Gatlinburg for a nice meal and hotel room.The trail was rooty, rocky and really, really muddy. Finally, around 5, we made it to the gap.At the parking lot, a former thru hiker named Crash Test Dummy (CTD) was doing trail magic. Gloworm, Snapper and Lush were leaving as we arrived. The gave us cokes, hot dogs and apples (yay!). Since it was late CTD offered for us to hang out and he would give us a ride to town (yay!). CTD was one of the first hikers to do the Eastern Continental Trail that runs from Canada to Florida. He had some great stories and was extremely gracious with how he treated us. Thanks CTD!After we got to Gatlinburg, we checked in, got a bath and went out to eat. We're planning to head back t the trail tomorrow, so:more tomorrow...