morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-03-13
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

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

Today was a wet, rocky and slippery day! But it was so beautiful!! So far NC is gorgeous, filled with Rhododendron tunnels, and galax and a moss-lined trail. I woke up this morning to the sound of a few drops of rain hitting my tent. I got up earlier than I was going to (6:45) and scrambled to take my tent down before it rained any harder. We were on my trail at 8:30 and pretty much hiked non-stop for 6 hours. It rained all day and stopping for lunch just wasn't going to happen. So I ate while i walked. The climb up Standing Indian Mountain was really nice but we were totally socked in and didn't have any views. We're staying at Carter Gap shelter with the same crew as last night. This was the longest day so far at 12.5 miles. But the trail was so pleasant that the miles flew by. Although my feet are sore! I'm off to make dinner and then back in the tent to escape the rain!
Date: 2009-03-14
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light intensity drizzle

A crazy day for the packadivas! We woke up to soaking wet tents. It poured all night and was only getting wetter. Wow. I packed everything into my pack while I was still in the tent and then we all helped each other run our tents under the shelter and disassemble them there so they wouldn't get too wet. It was as good a system as we could figure out, but everything was still soaked! We planned to hike straight through for 7 miles to the first shelter for lunch. This included a ridiculous hike up Mt. Albert in the pouring rain. Whaaat?? It was nuts. When we got to the shelter for lunch we all looked at each other and were like "We're going all the way to Franklin." The rain was just insane, everything was soaked, and all we could think about was sleeping somewhere dry. So, we pushed on for our longest and hardest day yet at 16 miles all the way to Winding Stair Gap. We called Ron Haven when we got there and he picked us up within 20 minutes. Amazing! The Budget Inn was all booked so we ended up at the Sapphire Inn. Storm, Egghead and I have a room and Grommet and Loon are next door. We met up with Walkabout and went to Cody's Roadhouse where I ate a lot of food. A lot. We're zeroing tomorrow to rest our feet. I'm looking forward to letting my feet rest and reading and staying dry!
Date: 2009-03-16
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: overcast clouds

A short hiking day today. We had our first much needed zero yesterday in Franklin where we stayed at the Sapphire Inn, hung out with Ron Haven(who informed me that,yes, pro wrstling IS just an act!) had breakfast with Miss Janet (which was INCREDIBLE!!) and rested our feet. The 16 miler we did the day before did a number on my feet and the bottoms were red and swollen and now there's a nice sized bruise on the side. Ouch! Thank you to Cori's mom for all your help, advice, and compassion for our ailments out here!We made it to Siler Bald shelter which is quite a way off the white blazes. It was a rainy afternoon and we all stayed under the shelter roof and kept each other entertained. When the rain lifted I set up my tent and am now getting ready for bed at 8:30. Everyone seems to know us before we arrive somewhere. We get to a shelter or a hostel and people say 'you must be the packadivas we've heard so much about!' We hope it's all good stuff they've heard!
Date: 2009-03-17
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

The rain the past few days was worth it if it had anything to do with how gorgeous it was today. What a day out here! 12.1 miles to Cold Spring shelter where we have our own beautiful campsite with a great view and a star-filled sky. Today we climbed up to Wayah Bald where there was an awesome fire tower and a diagram with a list of all the mountains we could see. We got a good view of the Smokies. It was a great lunch spot. About a mile before the shelter I came upon a sign that said "Trail Angel up ahead." There was a huge Mountain Hardware tent (like Everest Base Camp style) and inside were chairs, a wood stove, snacks, soda, and hot dogs. A man bamed Apple had this set up since March 1. Incredible! I had a bunch of cookies and a soda. Thank you Apple! A final climb up to the shelter where Loon had picked out a great spot for us to camp. The trail is definitely more crowded than our first 2 weeks and we're all getting anxious and excited for the Smokies. We had a terrible time hanging our food for the night so it's way past my bedtime rigt now! Off to sleep.
Date: 2009-03-18
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Today seemed like a long day. It was a long walk down to the NOC! Loon and I hiked together and saw some beautiful wildflowers as we got to lower elevation. And then the beautiful sight of the NOC! We booked it and went right to the office to get some bunks for the packadivas. We then headed straight for the reStaurant for fries and beer. The Tagteam was already there and we made plans to meet them for dinner. A shower afterwards and I was a whole new woman! We met up with all the hikers that are staying here for dinner and our long awaited pizza!! Man, that was good. Room for a snickers bar afterwards, too. Tomorrow we're zeroing and going rafting! I think everyone else is going on, but I'm excited for our day tomoorow. Egghead is parting ways with the divas temporarily because she needs to get to the P.O. in Fontana Dam. But we will meet up with her again to head into the Smokies together.
Date: 2009-03-19
From: NOC

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Another zero day for us today. We just couldn't resist taking a white water rafting trip down the Nantahala. It was awesome. Our rafting guide let Smiley Mike take the reigns and that made everything hilarious. Turns out he is a great raft guide and we all had a blast. And no one fell out! Afterwards we got some INSANE trail magic through '08 thru-hiker Stride. Stride's friend Amber picked us up frm the NOC, took us on our resupply errands, took us out to dinner and gave us a free place to stay at the camp she works at. WHAT!? It was SO incredibly generous and awesome of Amber and Stride and I had a incredible time stuffing my face at the pizza buffet. THANKS Stride! I'm already thinking of ways that I can repay the trail community by helping out future thru-hikers. This community of people continues to amaze me.
Date: 2009-03-20
From: NOC

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

Amber's friend and co-worker was nice enough to buy us breakfast at Mcdonald's and then drive us back to the NOC this morning. (p.s. hot cakes at Mcdonald's rock my world). We hung out there for a little bit while I bought more denatured alcohol because I lost my bottle. And then I had to call my bank because I forgot the PIN number to my debit card (I must be sleep deprived). We walked 6.9 miles up hill today. The up hill was good practice for the climb out of Fontana next week. It seems like every time I go into town I lose something or forget something or have a near panic attack in the supermarket. It's great to sleep on a mattress, take a shower and eat some good food. But I'm always itching to get back on the trail. The routine is just so much easier. Eat, hike, drink water, eat, hike, eat, sleep. Also, the little things mean so much more right now. Like we can go for hours without seeing anyone and then just meeting a new person or eating a delicous candy bar, or seeing one of the packadivas smile; any of these things seem to make my day.I still miss my family, cats, and friends. I miss dinner cooked by my Mom. I miss Philly. But I'm so happy to still be out here in these mountains having a new adventure every day. Today's reality changing moment: Grommet let me try out hiking with her sock liners to see if I liked them. I didn't. I LOVED them. I'll have to pick up a pair at the next outfitter.
Date: 2009-03-21
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cody Gap campsite
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The first full day of spring was pretty chilly out here! We hiked 11.9 miles to Cody Gap campsite. We got kind of a late start because we let each other sleep in for once. A quick up and we were on top of Choeah Bald which was beautiful. I was starving so I had snack number 1. It was a nice hiking day today and we made it to Stecoah gap for a late lunch. Since we were only 2.4 miles to the shelter we discussed possibly going further and decided we would decide when we got to the shelter. Wow, the climb coming out of this gap was INSANE. It was definitely the hardest climb of the hike so far. There were times when I felt like I as sliding backwards and I had to hike on my tippy toes. I passed a big group of guys who were really huffing and puffing their way up. It was a great feeling to get to the top though. Everyday I feel little aches and pains in different parts of my body and some days are easier than others. I feel so tired. Like i could fall asleep while hiking. But in general I'm feeling stronger everyday and climbs that would have made my heart pop out of my chest a few weeks ago just seem more doable. It feels good.Anyway, we got some water at the shelter around 4:30 and headed onto the campsite 3 miles further because the shelter was already so crowded. The night before the shelter wa so full that it as annoying. I could barely find a place to pee. The camspite tonight is quiet and peaceful with only 4 other thru-hikers and Yukon Rasputon made a fire for us. Today is the first day where I felt like my appetite is out of control. At lunch I had my usual cheese and crackers and then a entire bag of chocolate covered pretzels. Like 600 calories worth. Then reese's peanut butter cups at break. And then for dinner lipton rice, dried fruit, a peanut butter moon pie. I got in my tent at like 9 and a STARVING!! I'll be dreaming of pop tarts tonight...Todays reality changng moment: Loon gave me one of her Cliff Shot Bloks to eat. DELICIOUS!!! Mmmmm.
Date: 2009-03-22
From: Cody Gap campsite

To: Fontana Village Resort
Miles today: 8.8

What a beautiful day. We had a sweet campsite last night and we got up nice and early and hiked the (mostly down) 9 miles to Fontana Dam. About 4 miles into the hike we started to see views of the Dam and the 30 mile long Fontana Lake. That got me motivated to head down the steep climb. That and half a block of cheese, a roll of ritz crackers and a hershey's bar. Down down down and as we lost elevation we gained Trilliums! There were some spots where they were as far as the eye could see. Only a few were totally opening, but they were gorgeous. Both red and yellow were blooming (wake robin and yellow trillium). We also spotted sharp-lobed haepatica down by our water source last night and then again on the trail today at lower elvation. Grommet is just as excited as I am about all the plants out here so it's great to hike with her. She's showing me southern plants that are new to me. So cool! We made it to the road where Grommet ran into an old hiking buddy. Such a coincidence! A woman from the Village Resort picked us up and showed us the little village. We saw the General, Leaf-e, and a couple others wondering around. It was so exciting to check in and get my maildrop box. Birthday cards and treats from my Mom and Sis. Wow, it made me miss home. We saw Smiley while doing our laundry! Yay! And after laundry we had dinner where we ran into the Goodfellas and learned that Swifty's pack strap broke and that Jack Straw and Rehab would be hitting the Smokies tomorrow with us but Swifty is taking a few days off. The hiker special at dinner was quite a dose! But it was tasty and the beer was much needed.We're in our room now and looking forward to heading into the Smokies tomorrow. The forecast looks good for the first half of the week at least!
Date: 2009-03-23
From: Fontana Village Resort

To: Birch Springs campsite
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning we got up nice and early to get a good breakfat before hitting the trail, only to find out that the staurant at the Fontana Village Resort was not open for breakfast! Too early in the season I guess. I ate mt poptarts, bought a danish and had some coffee. It was so disappointing. Otherwise it was a good place for us to stay. We all got one room and with the hiker special came out to be no more than a bed in a hostel would cost. But we got nice showers and hbo! We watched Flight of the Concords before bed last night. Sweet. I also had my first maildrop sent to me and it was exciting to open it up because I totally forgot everything I put in there! My family added several really nice birthday cards and marshmallow bunnies and my favorite candy of all time- orange slices. I felt sad reading the stuff from home and knowing I wouldn't see my Mom or sis for my bday.Anyway we heaed down to the PO after we realized there would be no awesome breakfast and Loon, Grommet and Storm bounced some stuff to Gatlinburg. While we were waiting for the shuttle back to the trailhad (which cost $3 each way...ridic!) a woman came out of the General store and was like "is there an Elizabeth Haegele here??" We all kind of laughed as I slowly raised my hand. I felt like I was getting called into the principal's office. Turns out the front desk had just forgotten to give me a letter that was sent to me. It was a bday card from my incredibly amusing old co-workers. Thanks guys, that picture totally made my day!!! The shuttle came to pick us up and who was on it but Egg! She had already done the mile or so from the road to the dam so we told her we'd meet her at the dam while she sorted through her maildrop. The dam is ridiculously huge. We met up with Egg and walked across it. A quick lunch stop and we headed up Shuckstack mountain. It was 80 degrees. Ouch! There was about a half hour where I was like "this sucks" but after a break and a snack we pushed through and started to see some of the amazing beauty of the magical forest called the Smoky Mountains. We partially climbed the firetower at the top and got some incredible views. We hiked 1 more mile to Birch Spring campsite where we managed to squueze our tents into 2 spots. We're here with Smiley, Grandpa, some spring breakers, the Portland sisters, Brickyard, and a few others. Smiley built a fire and we all toasted the marsmallow bunnies over the fire. Thanks, Mom! The spring breakers had some questions about thru-hiking and Granpa said we probably burn 6000 calories a day. So that explains why I'm eating like 3 snickers bars a day...We chatted a bit, hung our tents and went to our tents where we played 2 games of Mad Libs courtesy of Storm's maildrop. Love it. I'm sleeping with my vestibule open because the stars are incredible and it's pretty mild. A great day. A really nice final day of my 28th year. I'm looking forward to having my birthday tomorrow here in the Smokies.Today's reality changing moment: entering the Smokies!!
Date: 2009-03-24
From: Birch Springs campsite

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a day of celebration and reflection. My birthday on the trail! Leave it to the packadivas to ensure a proper celebation was had. I woke up in the morning to 'Happy birhday, Rocket' written on an ACE bandage and taped to a log outside my tent. I got a card signed by the crew, something I'll cherish forever! Then two Take 5 candy bars at snack time and a lollipop at lunch. Grommet gave me Mr. Leaky to sleep on (the 2" thick inflatable sleeping pad from Big Agnes. AMAZING) and pecan pie and a bottle of wine with dinner. I never thougt I would meet people nice enough to carry a wine bottle up Shuckstack mtn for me. And I'm lucky enough to hike with them everyday!!! I only hope I can repay them all on their birthdays. Storms is in a couple of months!!So, it was a really nice hiking day with nothing too strenuous and a beautiful bald just before we approachd the shelter. Blue sky and sun for most of the day. I was feeling a little tired because we were all awoken at 3 am to the sound of a very large animal right outside our tents. We were convinced it was a bear so Storm got out her whistle and Grommet an I startd clapping. Loon and Egghead were tented on a platform below us and we heard them start clapping too. Soon enough the noise left and we eventually fell back asleep. In the morning Egg told us she looked out her tent and saw two deer. On our way back to the trail this morning we saw them. They were very sweet looking, but man did they scre the crap out of us!!Otherwise the Smokies have been great. It definitely feels more wild out here. And I can only imagine being in this place when things are blooming!!We took a nice long lunch break and talked about how tired we feel. I feel like I could sleep for a day straight. And eat a week's worth of food. I think we all felt a little contemplative today. I missed my family so much. There's a lot I miss. It's hard to be away and it's hard to hike all day everyday. But not many things truly worth doing are ever easy, I guess.I think a lot about what I'll do when I get home. About what I've done so far with my life, about what I want my life to be like, how thankful I am to still be out here, how lucky I am to have this hiking team, how even just after hiking for three weeks I feel like things have changed for me. Today Smiley reminded us that we've gone about 180 miles, so the little number is out of the way and we finally have under 2000 miles left. We all cheered.The wind is howling insanely here tonight. Loon and Grommet are in the full shelter and me, Storm and Egg are tenting. Smiley, Granpa Hugh, the Portland sisters, Brickyard, Leadfoot, and a bunch of overnighters are here with us.Reality changing moment: learning that Grommt carriee a full bottle of wine up Shuckstack for my birthday. I think that's one of the nicest things anyone has evr done for me!!
Date: 2009-03-25
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Well, our good luck with the weather certainly ended today! I tented last night and woke up to insane rain punding on my tent. We packed up and decided we'd meet for lunch at Derrick Knob shelter in like 6 miles. The wind was out of control. The summit of Rocky Top was a complete white out with ridiculous winds. I felt like I was never going to make it to that shelter. We finally made it and it was so cold I put my fleece on under my rain jacket. Today was also the first day where I hiked with my rain pants, mainly just to block the wind. They really worked. I got so cold while being stopped at lunch that I hiked for awhile with my fleece. The afternoon was really hard. Constant rain and intense winds and lots of ups and downs. By the time we got to Silers Bald I was beat and thankfully there was space in the shelter for us all. Of course there is a leak above my spot so I'm sleping in the most awkward place ever. We're considering how to get out of here earlier because the thunder and lightening has just started. Maybe we can hitch a ride from Clingman's Dome which is just 4 miles from here. In the meantime this is my first night in a shelter on this hike and I'm already watching the mice. Should be fun. Loon is next to me and Egg is at my feet.7 girls from a college in NY are sharing the shelter with us and 2 guys out for a week just built us a fire. Sweet. Definitely my hardest day out here yet. We'll see what tomorrow brings!
Date: 2009-03-29
From: Newfound Gap

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

This morning we had a tough time getting a hitch back to Newfound Gap! After about 45 minutes a man named Hugh picked us up and was happy to help out a few hikers. We met up with Egg and were on our way. The sun was shining and I was so incredibly happy to be back out in the woods. We finally got some views and were lucky enough to grab a lunch spot on top of Charlie's Bunion. But then we saw the clouds rolling in and the temperature really dropped. I hiked with Storm and Grommet this afternoon and we had lots of good conversations. Good times. The views disppeared and it was pretty much a white out all afternoon with a mixture of snow, sleet and fog. We made it to the shelter which is .5 miles off the trail and saw some bear scat on the way down! It's very crowded tonight in the shelter. We're here with Ziggy Stardust and Thin Mint, Leaf-e, McBride,and so many others that I can't even remembr them all...
Date: 2009-03-30
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

What a cold morning! We got a slow start because it was so cozy in the sleeping bag. But my water wasn't frozen so it couldn't have been too bad in the shelter. You know what i hate? I hate sleeping 3 inches from a snoring, farting, smelly dude. Seriously I got like 10 minutes of sleep because of this guy next to me. I wanted to punch him. If I ever see him again I'm filing a restraining order against him. Kidding. Kind of. My ear plugs and tylenol pm did not drown him out. So the hike today was the most beautiful day out here so far. The trees were covered in snow and frost and the sky was as blue as ever. I took dozens of photos but there's no way I could captute today in a picture. Wow. We stopped at Tri Corner shelter for a long lunch and sunned ourselves like turtles in a sunny patch. We stopped at a helicopter landing patch in the afternoon and relaxed and napped in the sun. So nice. A few more miles later and we were at the shelter. Today was beautiful, exciting and fun. A great way to celebrate our 4 week anniversary out here.So, I've been gone for a month. Here's what I miss:My mom and sisMy petsThe philliesWalking around the cityMy friendsDinner at my Mom'sThings I don't miss:Being employedNoiseCommutingDriving
Date: 2009-03-31
To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

What a day. We woke up nice and early because people were talking pretty loudly in the shelter. We left the shelter around 9 and made our desent out of the Smokies. It was a pretty overcast and windy day, but not too cold. I hiked in my long sleevd shirt and hat and gloves with my usual pants. Down down down we went and stopped for lunch before finally leaving the Smokies. At the road crossing 2 guys were having lunch and let me know that I officially left the park. Then there were so many wildflowrrs evrywhere as we got down. Trillium grandiflora, solomon's seal, bloodroot, false soloman's seal, dog hobble, geranium, yellow and purple violets. Incredible!!! It is my favorte part of coming into a town or road crossng...seeing what's blooming down below. So exciting!Loon and I stuck together for the road crossing where we promptly got lost looking for the hostel. It was actually petty amusing because it started to rain right aroung the time when we thought we made a wrong turn up the road instead of the trail. Loon called the hostel and it turns out we were pretty close so we just kept walking and soon enough we were at Standing Bear Farm. Turns out the road we were walking on is the old AT. Works for me! Standing Bear is quite a place. We're in the Diva cabin and sharing it with thin mint snd Ziggy Stardust. In the bunk house are like a dozen people including Maggie(yay!) Nick and Blue, McBride, and a bunch others. Tenting are the Baltimore girls, so nice to meet them. Reality changing moment of the day: eating Easter candy sent from my Mom in my maildrop. Love it!!!