morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek Campsite
Miles today: 16.2

I am not accustomed to sleeping in crowded shelters. Last night we were cramped so close together I stole the pillow of the guy next to me (who I had just met), quite by accident, in my sleep. Poor guy had to wake up and get it back. Very embarrassed.It was freezing (literally) when we woke up at the shelter. We left right away after breakfast, and just walked all day. Had lunch in some grass on the side of a road, watched the pick-up trucks go by. The highlight was a mile-long green tunnel of rhododendron and mountain laurel -- kind of cage-like and claustrophobic, but a nice change of scenery from the brown tree walls and brown leaf carpet we walk through all the time. It was a beautiful day, and the walking was mercifully flat for once. Still, 16 miles was too much for my feet, and I am so tired.We met some really nice people at this campsite -- Willow, Jesse, Bill, and others. Everyone's having a great time and they've built a fire, and it's too bad all I want to do is sleep!
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Betty Creek Campsite

To: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC)
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

Mt. Albert is the best climb so far! We heard it was REALLY tough and I've spent the last few days in frightened anticipation of the mighty Albert. Turns out we had a super fun time chucking our poles ahead and climbing up the rocks on all-fours. So don't let anyone tell you Albert is hard -- it's only 1/2 mile long. The sky is bluer here than I have ever seen it. I saw not a single cloud today.I look forward to trail registers ¢ it's like signing everybody's yearbook every day. Sometimes the entries make you laugh, and I feel like I'm getting to know people ahead of us who I might never meet. Staying in Franklin tonight for our first AYCE and 0 day tomorrow. Time to rest, get clean, heal. Got a hitch right away from an old guy with very few teeth and very thick glasses. He brought us directly to Ron Haven's Budget Inn (I won't say "straight" there, because he veered regularly out of his lane, a little too close to the guardrail for my comfort). It felt weird to be covering 10 miles in just a few minutes -- a feeling that's amplified from the back of a pick-up.
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC)

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I could see myself really liking zero-days. Franklin is an okay trail town -- it has everything we need (groceries, outfitter, Kmart), though it's a little spread out. If Ron Haven didn't run a shuttle for his guests it'd be a lot tougher to get around.The oddest thing about Franklin: the liquor laws, which apparently state that only businesses that have 2 tennis courts are allowed to serve alcohol. We thought Ron was joking with us, but it is true. So we headed out to the local bowling alley, which happens to have 2 tennis courts and a tiki bar. I ordered a double whiskey, but was shushed by the bartender -- apparently, one cannot order a "double" in Franklin (it's against the law). One can, however, have a "tall" which is the same thing.   At the bar, Marc & Jesse & I met an '05 thru-hiker called Crutch, who's driving shuttles for Ron. Here's his take on trail-life: "It's all good, we're like one big dysfunctional family!" He had many stories and lots of advice (he says send home my jacket at Erwin, TN). He didn't seem real sure we'd make it to Katahdin, but I guess no one's really sure at this point, and I guess a lot of people won't.
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Franklin, NC

To: Licklog Gap
Miles today: 12.3

Crutch promised we'd get rained on within the next two days, so I guess it's gonna be tomorrow. Yes, another beautiful day. Fresh from our rest, it was a good one. Siler Bald is great: a grassy hilltop with just a few shrubby red-stemmed plants growing in the middle. Wayah Bald is now overgrown with azaleas, and has a pretty stone watchtower from which you can see Standing Indian, Mt. Albert, and even the Smokies in the distance. I like that these balds are still somewhat of a mystery -- no one is sure why they're bare (cleared by humans, some result of weather or soil conditions, or natural disasters?), yet here in the south many are being preserved for historical or habitat places. Some of the trees are starting to show very big buds ¢ I think they're about to open any day now. It's really exciting to watch spring come on day by day. Usually at home I'm so busy indoors all the time that one day in April I wake up and suddenly things are green. But that's not actually what happens, believe it or not.We're sharing our campsite here with Mike & Roseanne (a pair of Australians who we've known since our very first day on the trail), and our new friend Cherokee. Cherokee is exceedingly friendly and has been talking since Wayah Bald. I'm not sure which of his stories are true (like the one about chopping of a snake's head with his trekking pole and frying it for dinner?), but definitely not all of them. He finally stopped yapping just moments ago, when he started snoring. He's a good example of what's politely referred to as a "trail character."
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Licklog Gap

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: light rain

I was beginning to think it only rained at night on the AT. Not so! It drizzled all morning... Then bright sunshine!... Then rain again!... Sunny now, we'll see how long it lasts. Wesser Bald is a nice shelter, going to be full tonight with all the rain. Dick Tracy is telling us his many bear stories. I still don't have one, but Marc tells a pretty good yarn about a bear and some bacon grease.The view from the firetower on Wesser Bald was the best view so far. Here there's very little development, just trees and mountains as far as you could see ¢ I'm sure the North isn't like this, so I'm trying to appreciate it. Most interesting thing on the trail today was the lichen ¢ growing everywhere, in big cauliflower-bunches, smothering trees all the way to their tops, hanging in great lime-green beards from the branches. The giant cloud we trekked through all day made it all a little creepy and cool. We're also inordinately psyched about getting cheeseburgers at NOC tomorrow - we've heard they're huge.
Date: 2006-04-09
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Swim Bald
Miles today: 11.7

Today we went down into NOC & back up, though lots of other thruhikers stayed at NOC. Can't imagine why. I mean, it's ONLY a 5-mile, 3000 foot climb (this immediately after 4.5 miles and 2500 feet down). The cheeseburger at NOC was rather small, and didn't really live up to expectations, but I was ecstatic to sit in a restaurant. Around NOC is a prime wildflower-viewing spot. Today I saw rue-anemone, trilliums, more violets, and lots of others. The forest floor was full of color. I'm getting to know some of the bird songs, though I don't know the names of the birds. One particularly common songbird keeps asking, "Hello, how are you?" all day long. I watched an earthworm for a long time -- it was neat to watch him laboriously turn himself around. Nice to have time for these sorts of diversions for once. Everything seemed to have started growing today. The white shadbush flowers are out and the other trees are starting to unfold their buds into leaves¢¦ Amazing how much potential lived inside the little buds all winter! The small trees remind me of puppies, with extra-huge leaves instead of feet and ears. We met a guy who hikes all night instead of all day, using a head-lamp. We've seen a different hiking style for every person out here. Personally, I'm slow but walk pretty much all day. Others walk real fast then sit around at camp ¢ I always wonder if they have time to look at things, and how come they don't trip. Marc went swimming in the Nantahala River, but not me. He has this to add about today: "Everyone had oatmeal for breakfast except us and the weird guy. Julia took pictures of every flower on the mountain. We saw fighting butterflies."
Date: 2006-04-10
From: Swim Bald

To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

For the record, I think this trail is hard. Some people don't! This morning I didn't want to get up, let alone walk¢¦ Flowers & butterflies all over the place, and I couldn't have cared less for the first few miles. That said, the view from Cheoah Bald is great, and we saw pussy-willows blooming up there. The walk was a little tougher than usual today -- the plummet into Stecoah Gap and then the climb out of Sweetwater Gap were rather vicious. In between there's a section that reminded me of one of those kiddie roller-coasters, slowly up and down in a quite comfortable way. But when you hit a section like that it's hard to enjoy because you know what must be coming up... At some point you've got to go up. And you know what? It doesn't look that bad on the map, only about 750 feet in .6 mile. But it was hard. It was! And my feet, my feet are killing me. I think my shoes are too small, every step is agony. Then we got to camp and there was instant pudding and a beautiful near-full moon. Marc is appalled at the amount of food I'm eating. The "hiker appetite" is kicking in, and suddenly I've got a perma-hole in my stomach.
Date: 2006-04-11
From: Cody Gap

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: clear sky

They call this the "Hilton". That may be a stretch, but there is running water and showers (which are only like a half-mile away). But it's big ¢ I think there are 15 people in here and it's still roomy. We're all having a great time, talking about the Smoky Mountains (coming up tomorrow), our various injuries, and how much we would like some pie, or ice cream, or roast beef... There's a boisterous card-game going on, some folks talking politics or writing in journals. Most everyone seems happy and tired. Willow explained that my toes are numb because my sciatic nerve is pinched -- seems to be a common ailment, and nothing to be concerned about. There is a group called "Hikers for Christ" who have set up their motor home nearby and are giving out hotdogs & chips -- they've also promised pancakes tomorrow morning. They're really nice guys, but they sort of remind me of a Christopher Guest movie. One of them wanted all the thru-hikers to sign his apron... But they're not preachers, and if they want to give me free food, well, they're okay by me.The wildflowers South of Fontana Dam are truly spectacular ¢ they are what I came here for. Too bad I was so tired! Note to self: Don't do over 5 miles without a proper sit-down break (that means, with the pack off!).
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was the kind of perfect day that keeps hikers on the trail, if indeed they're considering getting off (which of course I'm not!). Clouds this morning kept the climb out of Fontana Dam from killing us, and the rest of the day was (dare I say it?) pretty easy. The trail is smooth and well-packed. The sun came out on a massive patch of spring beauty while we ate lunch on a log. In fact, Great Smoky Mountains National Park so far appears to consist almost entirely of a massive patch of wildflowers.In GSMNP, hikers are required to stay in the shelters, for very good reason as far as I can see: the place is CROWDED! The areas around the shelters are rather trampled, the "toilet areas" littered with tp, etc. However, the trailsides here aren't thickly dotted with campsites like the less-controlled areas. The overall effect is, aesthetically, preferable.This particular shelter is caged ¢ apparently mostly to keep out wild boars, rather than bears. A favorite yarn 'round these parts is the one about the family who, safe behind the fence in the shelter, encourages the visitation of black bears by setting out some victuals. You can guess how this one ends: the tourists get their bear-sighting, but end up quite uncomfortably trapped in the shelter. It seems the wild boars are still around, but less common then they used to be, and the cages are being phased out. Incidentally, this is the first time I don't feel totally wiped out upon arrival at camp.
Date: 2006-04-13
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

The Smokies are much grassier than the other mountains we've been in ¢ but they're also much less steep. The weather is very sunny and warm, it's been in the high 70's or 80's, I would guess. Some of the hills are totally covered in rhododendron, still not blooming.   Today we saw a woodpecker, a Baltimore oriole, and lots more wildflowers ¢ many spring beauty and some trout lily. There's been an awful lot of bear scat, but no sightings yet -- I think they are accustomed to avoiding the crowds.Felt good again today ¢ the terrain is so much easier here. Hardest was Thunderhead Mountain. Had a great, leisurely lunch by the stream in Beachwood Gap. We were napping when Davy-do and Smokin' Herb came by ¢ Davy was eating beef ramen mixed with cheddar cheese and mashed potatoes. I am inspired to try more creative dishes. We washed our socks with stream water and hung them on a tree ¢ we usually don't have time for such things. About 25 people are milling around the front of the shelter (yeah, not a lot of solitude around these parts), so we moved out back to watch the sun go down on the spiderwebs.
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: few clouds

Today somewhere just before Clingman's Dome, the forest changed from beech/oak/maple to spruce/fir. The dramatic fresh pine smell, the comforting shade. A fellow hiker testified that the trail used to be far shadier before the wooly adelgid began attacking the firs. Their skeletons make a striking sight, towering over the little spruces and baby firs. It is glorious to walk on pine needles ¢ little iron bars as soft as feathers. This new softwood forest is brimming with a whole new set birdcalls. The deciduous forest changes pretty dramatically with elevation as well. In Fontana Dam, most of the trees had leaves, but they disappeared fast as we climbed out. So if anyone was wondering: no, it doesn't get boring walking in the woods day after day.The shelter is crowded again, but there's always a quiet place to sneak off to and read or write while the sun fades. We're going to Gatlinburg tomorrow (just for supplies), but I don't feel any desire to leave the woods, yet. It was disappointing to see a road next to the trail today (to allow tourists to drive up Clingman's Dome). Last night the lights of Gatlinburg were visible from Derrick Knob, so the wilderness is by no means all-encompassing.
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Ah, Gatlinburg! Jewel of the Smokies, tourist mecca, money-pit, writhing vipers-den of overweight consumer-zombies in hotpants... whatever you want to call it. Everyone here has a fanny-pack (I wish I could trade my pack in for one of those...) I think we stuck out a little. But it was good to see a few other hikers on the street and wave at them (we're in a club, now, you know). We ate everything we could find (foot-long bratwurst, soft-serve ice cream, Pepsi, and fresh vegetables). Hitching the 15 miles in and out was not so hard. A family of 5 picked us up in their minivan, I don't think they'd ever picked up hitchhikers before, but they were on vacation and (I think) determined to do something a little wacky. Then we got a ride back to the trail in a PT Cruiser. So the final verdict on Gatlinburg? A fairyland of wonderments.
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

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

The crowding is starting to get to me. Last night there were 14 people at the shelter, and that was the least so far! Only one more night in the Smokies.The park is really awesome, though, so I guess it's not surprising how many people are here. Today's highlight was Charlie's Bunion, an interesting rock outcrop from which we could see great views, including an old rockslide scar across a crevice.Saw a lot more dead firs today, surrounding a barren area that looks like a recent landslide -- maybe due to the loss of the trees? Then we thought we heard a lawn-mower starting up in the distance. Turned out to be a grouse, drumming for a mate. The sound seems to travel through the ground and come up under your feet.Thought a little about our wilderness paradox: First, there is the idea (if you buy this) that time spent in the wilderness is good for modern people. But there's also the reality of over-use, like here in the Smokies. How can we encourage the use of our public lands and still take care that they remain wild?
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Little flowers under our feet, big hemlocks overhead, and tall spruces waving in the Smoky Mountain wind -- that is what I'll remember of Cosby Knob, another mountain with its very own personality. Still seeing tons of rhododendron and mountain laurel, so it must be spectacularly colorful in the summer. It was great to see a lot of fir trees on Cosby Knob healthy and tall. One thing about the AT around these parts is that it really keeps you up on the ridge. So today we took a 2-mile detour for lunch: down Snake Den Trail and then Maddron Trail to campsite #29. We were rewarded, finally, with a big, beautiful stream -- complete with cascading waterfalls, giant moss-covered rocks, and giant hemlocks. And solitude.We met a few guys heading down to the campsite on our way out -- they seemed pretty impressed that we'd gone 4 miles out of our way just for lunch. But I guess that's a luxury you only have when you're out for as long as we are. A lot of hikers in the Smokies are just out for the week or a few days, and most of them are looking at us a little jealously... Yeah, we DO know how lucky we are.After a little swim, the second half of the day passed pretty pleasantly. We've had uncharacteristically gorgeous weather for the Smokies, but today we got a tiny taste of what it can be like when the wind starts howling. We just stopped in our tracks and watched the mist speed across the valley from a high ridge, and the tall evergreens bend like rubber. You get a feeling of really being close to the elements when there's no shelter in sight, which is pretty exhilarating.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Painter Branch Campsite
Miles today: 12.7

GSMNP is so beautiful, but have I mentioned we're glad to be leaving the cramped living conditions? Last night, we were intrigued and delighted not to hear any mice in the shelter. This morning I found out why when I woke up to the sights and sounds of a happy bat carnival. Okay, it was just one bat. But it seems like more when it is flying back & forth 1 foot above your head (we were on the 2nd floor of the shelter). Then we got our trailnames ¢ we were being silly, and signed our register entry: "Marc, Julia, and Pepperoni Jambalaya" because that is what we had for dinner. I ate so much of it, it seemed like it was deserving of a place in the register (I think I'm developing a bizarre, unfunny hiker sense of humor). Plugger noticed this, and took it for our trailnames ¢ and for lack of any better ones, we took them. It's silly (and they are silly names, and it's a silly story), but I feel more like a real thru-hiker now.Next took a short (1.2 mile) side trip to Mt. Cammerer Lookout, a little octagonal CCC building from 1937. Someone had left a family history there ¢ the story of a woman who raised 11 children right on that mountain and all her descendants. Marc thought it was weird but I liked it. And then we started really hiking down to the Pigeon River. On the way, about a dozen new kinds of flowers: irises, jack-in-the-pulpit, mayapples, showy orchis, and others. The forest was really green by Davenport Gap, with most of the leaves out. At the Pigeon River and I-40 we stopped to watch the swallows swoop around and the white-water rafters drift downstream.After that, we hit up Standing Bear Mountain Hostel for some snacks (when I say "some" I mean one of each of whatever they had. I had no idea how much I was capable of eating until today) ¢ it was a cool place but we didn't stay. Finally, just 2 miles up Snowbird Mountain to the campsite, which is big, pretty, private, and has a nice big stream.
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Painter Branch Campsite

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Just yesterday Dancer & I were complaining about how we've been carrying these Gore-tex rainpants around for almost a month and never used them. Turns out they're pretty handy after all. Today we got the works: thunder, lightning, and hail, all the rest of the way up and halfway down Snowbird Mountain. Snowbird has a bare top, which was terrifying (for me) to cross in the lightning, even though the storm was pretty far away. Couldn't take pictures, so I tried to memorize these sights: two snowbirds racing across the trail in the storm, and a huge patch of mayapples standing bravely like little umbrellas in the pouring rain. Last night was exciting -- it's fun to camp with thunder crashing all around and rain pounding the tent, knowing you're surrounded by tall trees. Just be careful not to pitch underneath any dead branches... By the time we got up to Max Patch, the sun was out. The Patch is a big green grassy hilltop ¢ nice views, and VERY windy. We had lunch hunkered behind the one big rock up there.Didn't see many people today ¢ 1 old guy headed SOBO and 3 day trippers. We're tenting at the shelter, though no one else is here yet ¢ very odd for this time of year!
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, having done the whole raingear thing yesterday, we decided to walk the last 1.5 miles today in the pouring rain in our regular clothes ¢ they needed a washing. It was pretty fun, not too cold. I was really just sick and tired of taking the pack/parka-raincoat on and off. Really hate that raincoat. It's funny the relationships you develop with your gear out here -- or maybe it's just me?. No, I'm fairly sure other hikers have those pieces that they're just so grateful to everyday, and those that they know aren't the best but put up with 'cause they have to, and those that they just want to rip to shreds and stomp on. Yeah, this parka-raincoat thing is getting personal. But I lo-ove my Thermarest.All the wet stuff is hanging 'round the tiny, full-to-capacity shelter (sleeps 6). It's a small space, but we're all happy to be inside, sharing stories and candy. It's stopped raining now and we can head outside to heat up some Ramen for dinner.Halfway through today we came across an ominous sight: a ring of recently charred vegetation, about 10 feet in diamenter, right next to the trail. Apparently, lightening had struck a RHODODENDRON BUSH. Never thought of rhododendrons as being major lightening-rods. Still, being hit by lightening is apparently one of those trail-hazards that's real -- maybe not as common as lyme disease, but also not as far-fetched as hantavirus.Walnut Mountain clearcut is something I read about before we came out here. It looks real ugly now, but the signs claim that it's a "historical restoration site," being converted back to pasture to preserve the historical character of the area. The commentary in the register is fascinating: believe it or not, most hikers are of the opinion that cutting down trees is bad. REALLY bad. It does seem like an unlikely place for a history lesson, but there's probably more to this story.Today we saw: Bluff Mountain blanketed in thick fog. Beautiful, huge patches of a flower that resembled Dutchman's britches (but I don't think it was), trillium, and more showy orchis. A crazy green metallic bug, and a red squirrel. Healthy dogwoods, sick pine trees (southern pine-bark beetle?).