morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-25
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 6:March 25,2005Today we left Neels Gap after two nights @ the Hostel. The day off did us some good b/c we were able to rest Dave's knee & my blisters. We also got to know Crazy Horse who is held up @Neels w/ankle trouble. He reminded us a lot of our good friend Brendon. It was nice to get to know him. We hope that we see him down the trail. We spent a lot of duckets @ Neels but we lost weight. We feel that every purchase has really benefitted us. Today we decided to push it a little and do 11 miles to the 2nd shelter b/c the first was 1.5m off the trail& that seemed like way too much mileage off trail!! I have to say that 11 miles kicked our asses. We left Neels after mailing some things home, we headed out @ 9:00AM and arrived @ Low Gap Shelter(11 miles down the trail) @ 2:45. We were moving pretty slow & were running really low on H2O when we arrived. I have to say that I do not want to do that again, I was so so thirsty...I was so low energy. We arrived and used our new H2O system (Aqua Mira) which we had to wait 20 minutes for, but luckily I had an orange, so I downed that for some hydration. All is well now...We have had a lot of H2O & some lemonade, chicken & rice for dinner & a snickers for dessert. We are in good company: EagleEye,Freightliner,Moon Pie,Billy Goat & Bruce. I'm sitting by the fire as it gets dark. Cool Clear Full Moon Night!This day is not one of the best so far. I have had some major knee trouble and got a little taste of how an injury can take you out fast. I will need to be much smarter and go many less miles. We are however having a great time and are spending the night in the shelter. It is not one of the nicest and to top if offf there is a minefield of toilet paper scattered behind it. There is nor privy so the area seems pretty contaminated. Mckay is doing well but does have a couple of big blisters. We might have to take a second zero day tomorrow if our physical condition does not improve, mostly mine. We are as always loving the trail. Tonight the shelter is full.
Date: 2005-03-26
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 7: Saturday,March 25,2005Last night we slept in the shelter under a beautiful full moon that lit up the entire sky. I woke up in the middle of the night & the moon was directly in front of the shelter. Just magnificent!!! We had a nice quiet morning. We woke up @ 7:30 and leisurely made breakfast, oatmeal & coffee. It was our first time having oatmeal on the trail so it was great. Dave's knee was feeling better so we decided to trudge on...which was a great decision b/c we would have been so bored @ the shelter all day. We had a really nice 7.2 mile gradual climb. We began hiking w/Moon Pie & Billy Goat who we have a lot of fun with. We stopped for lunch in the shade on a rocky part of the trail. Lunch for us was bagels w/peanut butter & Fruit Roll-Ups for dessert. Then the 4 of us took off to climb the last 1 mile or so to the shelter. Along the way we caught up to Jared & Bruce w/cute little Kai! I love to see her b/c she reminds me of Casey so much! Shelter was full when we arrived @ 12:15 so we set-up camp, had dinner(bagels w/summer sausage, mayo&spicy mustard) Yum Yum!Mother,Tim,MadDog & Libby just arrived. We're bracing for the storm that we hear is coming. Nice Group! Praying for no rain!! MckayI would have to call this a good day! We woke up at Low Gap. We slept in the shelter with Freight Liner, a guy who started a day after up at Amicalola and is carrying a 52# pack full of camera equipment;Eagle-Eye, a thirty something who hiked 700 miles of AT last year,met a girl and ended up getting off trail; Billy-Goat, a funny guy that dragged a huge tree out of the woods and tried to put it in the fire (he does not know how far he wants to go) and Moon Pie, a very nice girl who has been feeding me ibuprofen all day for my knee and made us some hot chocolate. We ended up hiking up to the Blue Mtn. Shelter and my knee felt much better. A guy I met yesterday,Drifter,explained how the knees can be tricky in the beginning. He would know, this will be his third thru-hike. The shelter was full of spring breakers when we got there so set up the tent, eventually a lot of people rolled in and a tent city was erected. Things got a little crazy when a very large man came limping and wincing into camp. A few people helped him and checked him out and it was determined that he had a broken ankle. A rescue team was called in and arrived about 3 hours later. They came with a 4 wheeler and helped him to it. You could see a deep burning pain on the man's face. I took a few pictures of the rescue and lit the trail for them with my headlamp. The wind is really blowing and we are expecting a big storm tonight. We are ready this time. That's all until tomorrow. David
Date: 2005-03-27
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Trey Mountain
Miles today: 7.7

Day 8:Easter Sunday, March 27,2005Last night we had a pretty interesting night..in the hiker world. A man came hobbling up toward the shelter w/ a very severely sprained ankle. The call to 911 was made & we all waited eagerly to see how the rescue would go down. We were all up past our bedtime by the time we saw the light & heard the motor of the ATV. It was an exciting moment for some reason. We all watched as "Rehab" was assisted to the ATV limping every step of the way. He was a larger man(6'2",300lbs) so we had all been wondering how he would be taken down the mountain. Dave flashed pictures to document the situation. The ordeal was over & we all went to bed. Almost as soon as we were in our tent the harsh winds started. IT seemed like a storm was on the way. I woke up in the middle of the night and the rain had arrived, but we were dry & I slept very well.In the morning (6:40AM) it was very hard to think about waking up. Dave was motivated & started to organize. He started moving everything to the shelter(where the Ohio State U Spring Breakers had crashed) to get everything undercover & to keep it dry. I finally got moving & we got the tent down quickly. We then packed our bags in the shelter.All of the Ohio kids were up & we were all chatting. It was their last day out so they generously let us look through their food bags for anything that looked good. We grabbed some oatmeal & mashed potatoes. Jeramiah also gave Dave some much needed IB500. We appreciated their generosity so much!! This Easter Weekend we have been very lucky to have received some nice trail magic. Last night @ camp a gentleman came up the trail w/his yellow lab & started handing out food2) 1lb bags of Easter m&m's, a bag of oranges & a bag of apples. It was such a nice surprise. Then this morning the OSU kids generosity & when we got to Unicoi Gap someone had left a cooler of H20,Pepsi&Mountain Dew, a tupperware of kleenex, moleskin,Cadberry Eggs, Reeces bars& toilet paper. It was a hiker's dream. We stocked up & headed out. We cruised the 7.7 miles to Trey Mtn. through the cold & rain. There was 1 person @ the shelter when we arrived so we were able to save room for the crew behind us. It's wet & cold so Dave hung tarps across the shelter entrance to block the rain & cold. It really helps. The thunder is roaring & we just saw the biggest hail. We're hunkered down & waiting for the storm. Again w/ the same crew: Famous Dave,Maytag(that's me),MoonPie,BillyGoat,Mother,Tim,Mad Dog&Vogue. Tomorrow we will do about 10 miles & head into town. Warm shower & laundry here I come!
Date: 2005-03-28
From: Trey Mountain

To: Dick's Creek Gap-The Hiawassee Inn
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

Day 9:March 28,2005We woke up & it was still raining so we decided to walk 10.6 miles to get to Dick's Creek Gap so that we could meet the shuttle,that Dave had set up the night before,& have an evening @ the Hiawassee Inn. We had scheduled to have the shuttle meet us @3PM so when we came out of the woods,sopping wet, we were thrilled to see the shuttle there since it was only 1:15. We happily jumped in & joined Billy Goat for the ride to town. We pulled up to the Inn & were psyched to see a Dairy Queen next door. The gentleman who worked there showed us to our room, we immediately put our stuff down & headed to the DQ. We gorged on a foot long hot dog. I got a swiss burger w/mushrooms & Dave got 1/2 lb. burger w/cheese and all the trimmings! We were happily stuffed. We then went back to our room to relax. I started the laundry & we both took some much needed showers. That was a wonderful feeling!! Then we took out all of our stuff to dry & I cleaned all of the dishes. We took the shuttle into town @ about 6:00PM For All You Can Eat Buffet@Shoney's. My favorite part of the buffet so far has been the salads b/c I don't get a lot of greens when I am out hiking. After dinner Dave & I got dropped @ Ingle's supermarket for resupply. We got a ton of stuff & went back to our room to organize & pack all of our stuff for departure in the morning. We had some beers & watched the tube & hit the hay pretty late for us, aroung 11:00. Sweet Comfortable Clean Sleep!!!
Date: 2005-03-29
From: Dick's Creek Gap-The Hiawassee Inn

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 10:March 29, 2005We woke up around 7:30AM after a nice peaceful sleep and started to get ready to go. We both took showers & then heard a knock on the door, it was one of the owners coming to tell us to come & get some breakfast. We headed to the office, we had toast, bagels, cereal, juice, and coffee. We felt all fueled to go. The hospitality @ the Inn was very nice..for the 20 hrs. that we spent there we were treated like family. It was a very pleasant town stop. We hopped in the shuttle after breakfast and hit the trail @ 9:30AM. We felt refreshed & we took off for North Carolina! The climb was tough & our packs are pretty loaded w/food, full fuel bottles & H20 bottles. It was a beautiful 70 degrees day and the hiking was a bit slow going. We got to the GA/NC border & then stopped for lunch. Yummy bagels w/mustard,mayo,& salami. I also had some crackers & Gorp. I felt ready for the last climb to the shelter but North Carolina kicked my butt(edited by Mom). We rolled into Muskrat Shelter @ 3:45. Dave got some H20 and we set up in the shelter b/c we were too tired to set up camp & we didn't really like any of the sites. I am enjoying the last of the sunlight & we will probably have dinner soon.I think it will be an early night!!
Date: 2005-03-30
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: few clouds

Day 11: March 30,2005We had a leisurely morning @ Muskrat Shelter. The night before Dave made a great fire & we chatted w/a family from Houston,TX who is thru-hiking. The mom is w/3 kids: a boy who is 12 & 2 girls ages 8 & 11. It was pretty interesting to get their perspective on the trail. It seemed like a lot of work for the mom but we hope to see them down the trail. We had a lot of oatmeal & coffee for breakfast to get us fueled for the hike. We were planning a short day but looked at the terrain & saw the the last 6 miles to the shelter would be mainly downhill so we decided to go for it. We had a wonderful clear sunny day & the hiking was fairly easy going. We stopped for lunch on top of Standing Indian Mtn. The rest of the walk was mostly even or downhill terrain taking us through some beautiful rhododendron thickets. I have never seen this type of old growth rhododendron,just great!! We made it to the shelter,right now it is the same crew that we were in the shelter w/last night..Eagle Eye,Freightliner,Dave & me. Knees I blisters are feeling good...we are getting stronger. Another 12 mile day tomorrow. Trying to get a weather report. Hope rain is not on the way!!!
Date: 2005-03-31
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: moderate rain

Day 12: March 31, 2005The rain began last night @ about 3AM. The hail began pounding the tin roof of the shelter and I was awake immediately. When I opened by eyes, hours later, the rain was still coming down and it looked like it was going to be a wet day. There was talk of a zero day for a few minutes but we both knew that we would be so bored if we spent the entire day @ the shelter. We began packing up, had some quick breakfast and were on our way by 8:30. I foolishly decided to just wear my Prana's(yoga pants) w/out my rain pants. What was I thinking? Soaked in no time. We were trudging along, pushing hard to get to the 1st shelter which was 6.8 miles, which was where we were planning on stopping for the day. All of a sudden we heard music & smelled a fire. Then I saw a hand carved wood sign that read "Trail Magic". Our eyes lit up!! We turned the corner & there was a huge tarp covering a fire, food cooking on the stove & a table of hot/cold drinks. We were welcomed & immediately offered soda & coffee. The folks running the place, Barry & Terry w/the help of Gatorade & another nice man had this wonderful trail magic spot running! I started by downing a root beer & then burritos started coming, hot beans w/corn & rice, cheese, jalapenos & homemade salsa!! It was just delicious. Dave & I each had 2 burritos & then some coffee & hot chocolate.Our bellies were full & we were getting nice & dry by the fire. The shelter that we were planning on staying @ was about 1 mile down the trail so we decided to leave this oasis and get to the shelter. We started our climb up Albert Mtn. I was so happy to have all the energy from the burritos, it carried me up this tough mtn. The rain had stopped so I started to dry out more. It was too bad that it was such an overcast day b/c I think that we missed a great view from the H2O tower on top of Albert. When we got to the shelter we were warm & the sun began to come out so we dried while we basically had a downhill walk. We were happy that we pushed on. We made it to the shelter before the rain started. I am sore but happy to be dry & in a shelter. Tomorrow we'll do a bit of a shorter day. Cruisin' into Nantahala Outdoor Center.
Date: 2005-04-01
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: moderate rain

Day 13: April 1, 2005Last night was a miserable night. No sleep & many trips out to the privy. Dave and I took turns using the facilities & our stomachs rumbled the entire night. I think we are going to have to blame it on the burritos we had earlier in the day. I guess our systems couldn't deal w/ the black beans... whatever it was I was feeling very sick & low energy. I felt that I had nothing left in me. Miserable! We contemplated a zero day but had no desire to stay in the dirty rodent infested shelter, so we decided to do a short day & head to the next shelter. After both popping some Amodium AD we felt much better & started off for the day. Right as we started hiking it started to rain a bit & then died down & was a bit windy.We were trucking along eating snacks on the way to make us feel better. We arrived @ the shelter & met some nice people who made room for us. Everyone is trying to start a fire right now..it is COLD!!! Where is my puffy jacket when I need it?!?! I am hopeful that I will get some sleep tonight!
Date: 2005-04-02
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: snow

Day 14: April 2, 2005This morning we awoke to a winter wonderland. I felt like I was @ home in VT. It was really chilly & snow was coming down. We were up & at em' though & I started breaking down while Dave cooked a hot breakfast! We were out & hiking @ 8:30. We had some serious climbs today & when we were coming up a big hill, feeling pretty low energy, 2 big trucks pulled up & some really nice folks jumped out & started offering us soda, cookies, coffee, fruit, toilet paper & even handwipes. It was such a wonderful trail magic surprise!!!While we were standing there more cars pulled up & we continued stuffing our faces w/cookies & coffee. We took soda,fruit & snickers for the road.THANK YOU so much to all of the generous & friendly folks who made this cold, snowy day warmer for us & giving us the energy to trudge on!! Cheers! With our new found energy we moved on. Today we hiked w/Eagle Eye who we have been traveling w/since leaving Hiawassee. It is much smarter to travel in groups when there is bad weather & more eyes to find blazes!! When we were up a little way we passed some south-bounders who told us there was a tent set up @ Burningtown Gap & some hot food on the stove! We were psyched for some more Trail Magic! How lucky we were today! We put it into high gear. We cruised the 5 miles & then we saw the huge tent!! We all shouted out w/excitement & two guys, Redneck & Father Ounce stuck their heads out & said come on in! We happily got out of the cold. They started offering us breakfast or lunch, soda & coffee. We were so happy to be under shelter. Redneck got the coffee started cooking up some bacon. Then we had some burritos w/eggs & salsa(yes we risked the burrito factor) & then burritos w/onions,green peppers,garlic,beef,cheese& salsa!! Yummy! I topped it off w/pepsi & more coffee. It was definitely hard to leave the cover of the tent but we had 1.2 miles to go & we really wanted to make it to the shelter. We thanked the guys & headed on our way. It was like a slap in the face when we walked out of the tent, it was snowing really hard & there was a serious chilly,breezy wind. I started running to try & warm-up but I would soon enough b/c it was a serious uphill climb to the shelter. After the food I thought I would have more energy but I was wiped when we hit the 1933 log cabin, snow filled shelter. It is just the 3 of us in here right now..hoping it stays that way. Eagle Eye & Dave rigged our rain fly over the hole in the wall to block the wind, it is working great!! We're all in our sleeping bags trying to stay warm! Tomorrow we will be @ the Nantahala Outdoor Center...Hotel here we come! It could be a long night, we'll see..Pray for sunshine!!
Date: 2005-04-03
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 15: April 3, 2005Last night was a very chilly evening, I was able to stay pretty warm & actually slept pretty well! We woke up & 5:40AM & wanted to get a jump on the day b/c of Daylight Savings Time. When we woke up the snow had stopped & Dave peaked out the shelter & reported a blue sky with the sun just coming up!! it was going to be a nice day! As we hiked the weather became nicer & nicer. The snow began to melt & the sun was beating down on us, warming us up. We decided last night to head into the NOC today so that we would have a hearty meal, a warm shower & a comfy bed.The hiking was pretty hilly..but that's expected on the AT. We had to constantly keep stopping to shed clothing b/c when we started it was 32 degrees & snowy & by the end of the day it was sunny & 68 degrees. Crazy how the weather can change out here!We walked up to the NOC & we had a certain order that we were going to tackle things: hotel room,food,laundry & shower. We got our room, a quaint little room in a log cabin style hotel,we also have a little balcony which was great to air our camping gear out on! After dumping our stuff in the room we headed to the restaurant. We started w/2 pink lemonades & ice H2O. Then we ordered a spinach salad & 2 cheeseburgers w/bacon & fries. When that came Dave ordered Chili cheese fries & for dessert we had doublechocolate cake & blackberrry cobbler both a la mode! Yum!Yum! Were we stuffed. Then we showered,did laundry and made all of our phone calls home.The trip so far has been really amazing! The friendliness & generosity of people is more than I could have expected. The trip is really showing me how much I love being w/Dave & I know we can do anything we want to. We are a good team & it shows out here. Thank you to everyone for your wonderful guest book entries! We love all the support. Thank you.
Date: 2005-04-04
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 16: April 4,2005Last night @ the NOC Dave & I had a pretty good night considering that our bed sunk down in the middle & squeaked loudly w/every move that we made. It was still better than the hard,dirty floors of the shelters. When we woke up food was on our minds. We showered & headed down to breakfast. When we walked into the Rivers Edge Restaurant we looked in the corner & there was a big table of people & there sat Janet Reno(Former Atty. General) having breakfast before her kayaking lesson. It was crazy start to our day to see Janet Reno in this little place in North Carolina. I have to tell you now that I would not recommend the breakfast @ the NOC. I really enjoyed the lunch but breakfast was not what you want to eat right before you go hike up-hill for almost 7 miles. The pancakes were like lead in my stomach all day. I feel like I can't eat greasy food before hiking, it really slows me down. The NOC was a nice place but it really does put a dent in your wallet. Today we trudged up-hill 6.9 tough miles. The weather was very nice..70 & sunny! Sun screen,shades & hats are really important out here. We had an early dinner, Alfredo w/ broccoli. Dave is listening to the radio & we are about to light a fire. Very quiet & tranquil back in the woods.Mckay
Date: 2005-04-05
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 17: April 5,2005This morning we actually slept in a little, we woke up around 8AM. We are still getting used to Daylight Savings Time. We knew that we were going to have a short day, so we took our time getting ready. We are running a little low on food so breakfast consisted of splitting 1 oatmeal packet & 2 cups of coffee each. We headed out & the weather was perfect: blue sky, cool & partly overcast so the sun was not very strong yet. Perfect hiking weather. Today was a typical AT hike, up & down w/more up & down. Along the trail we had some snacks & stopped @ Stecoach Gap for a quick lunch. Our low food supply has brought us to the conclustion that we will probably go into Fontana Dam tomorrow. We were going to stretch it out a little more but now we want to just be there. We got to the shelter about 2PM & just hung out & met some new people. We said a little about how we were low on food & Eagle Eye gave us some crackers, a gronola bar, grits & tuna, while 2 South Bounders from Louisiana, Brian & Chris, who are section hiking gave us 4 granola bars! It was so generous & my stomach was sooo.. happy!! We are still going to push to Fontana tomorrow. We are told that the Inn is relatively inexpensive so we will crash there & contemplate a zero day depending on the weather. Here we come Smokies!!!
Date: 2005-04-06
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Inn
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 18: April 6, 2005Today we had decided that we were going to push into Fontana Dam b/c we heard that the weather mat be getting bad. We got an early start, no hot breakfast, and we were out of camp by 8 o'clock. The day started out beautiful, it was cool & the sun was slowly rising. It just feels like the perfect time to hike. The terrain was very easy going & the hiking was very enjoyable. We arrived @ the next shelter (6.1miles) @ 10:30 & we sat down to make lunch. B/c of our food shortage Dave cooked a dinner for lunch, Mac & cheese w/tuna. It was really great & gave us a ton of energy for the second half of the hike. Beautiful weather & we cruised into Fontana Village. Our hiking buddies, Eagle Eye & Freightliner had left us a note. We called the shuttle & hiked the last 1.4 miles to the Visitor's Center. We arrived there @ 2:00 and waited for the shuttle until 3:45. We checked in @ the Inn, the rates were very reasonable & everyone here has been very helpful & friendly. We got our maildrop & headed to our room. We both showered, oh it's so nice to be clean!! Chicken,potatoes, salad & rolls! The only thing we could do for the rest of the night was veg in front of the TV. Comfy bed, great nights sleep! Mckay