morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-03-20
From: Blue Ridge Gap

To: Blue Ridge Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I still have no idea what I have. I woke up this morning and my voice was almost gone. I keep hacking crap up like I have respiratory stuff going on as well. My stomach definitely feels better compared to yesterday but I still have to run to the bathroom when it hits, and I mean right when it hits. The great part is that the toilet paper is sitting right next to the porcelain thrown waiting for me to use it. No need to bear hug a tree or worry about slightly stepping backwards into a pile of misery like the few close calls yesterday. I think I finally broke my fever last night because the shakes were pretty much gone by noon today. Tahlor dropped me off at my mom's house on the way to work. I'm pretty thankful this crud hit somewhere that was within a hour drive from my home town. I washed every piece of clothing I had today and ran all my eating utensils through the dish washer to make 100% sure there is not the chance of getting this again. I also cleaned out my water bladder just to be safe. Even the sleeping bag and bag liner got a fairly good cleaning. Besides those few rigorous activities today, I will not be leaving the bed. I absolutely hate being sick, but I want to get back on the trail within a day or so, so this is what needs to be done. I was able to upload all my pictures so far as well as update all my journal entries which was nice. I have also been hiking in Smartwool socks that already have 800 or so miles on them so I am switching those out for the brand new L.L. Bean hiking socks I had in my drawer; why I decided to do this two weeks into my trip and not before I left for springer I am not sure. I plan to slack pack from Blue Ridge Gap to Deep Gap and then from Deep Gap to Winding Stair Gap once I feel better. I can do that in two days and it puts me in Franklin, NC which is where I wanted to be, just not when I wanted to be. If I can get there by Sunday, I will be happy. I will be hitting the trail as soon as I feel even close to 80% normal again. I literally lay down in the bed and before I know it I wake up hours later. Anyone who knows me, knows it takes me hours to fall asleep, I usually sleep a few hours, and then I wake up ready to go. I have a feeling my dad is shaking his head in agreement as he reads this entry because he does the exact same thing. A lot of fluids and rest today! I have been drinking water and Gatorade like I have not have something to drink in days. The food is starting to work out fine with my stomach so that is a plus. It's 12:30pm....so goodnight, for a few hours. I'll wake up, eat, drink something, and pass back out. I am very thankful for every individuals that surround me and the support I receive from everyone. I'm still amazed at how well this situation worked out. Thank you Miss Janet, Gene Roll, Tahlor, Brandi, Mom, and everyone else! Instead of this crud staying around for days on end, I was able to get off the trail, rest, and recover in a matter of a few days thanks to so many great people!
Date: 2014-03-21
From: Blue Ridge Gap

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

I felt a lot better today when I woke up. I ate a massive lunch and since I was so close to the trail, I decided why not slack pack the 10 miles to Deep Gap so I did. Absolutely beautiful day and a quick hike. It was almost 70 degrees in town today. I am back in a bed tonight which is great. I feel a little spoiled but hey, why not take advantage of the opportunities that exist? Just as I remember the hike after the NC/GA border was straight up, steep, and rough. The section after Bly gap was intense. Slack packing is always awesome and I feel like I am literally flying down the trail. It will be a long slack pack tomorrow but I will be able to catch up with everyone I was around and make up for the miles I missed while I was sick. Probably the last slack pack for a while unless I get lucky. Albert Mountain will be great to see again tomorrow. The section from Albert Mountain to Wesser Bald offers three great towers about 10 miles or so apart. After Albert Mountain the hike to Winding Stair should not be that bad. I did not see many people at all today but my guess is because of timing and the short section of trail. Early to bed tonight and off to the trail very early tomorrow. I am glad to be over the sickness and feeling like myself again. A short but bad whatever it was.
Date: 2014-03-22
From: Deep Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 24.4

Today was a very long but great day. I stopped at Rock Gap on our way to Deep Gap just before sunrise and hid my gear way back in the woods so I could slack pack to Rock Gap and only have to carry my gear the three miles to Winding Stair Gap. This way, my mom would not have to wait around all day just so I could get me gear from her. I left Deep Gap right at sunrise and "hauled the mail" as B Man would say. I saw a bunch of people today so that was awesome. I made it to Rock Gap around 3pm and got my gear (about .2 miles behind the trash cans is an awesome hiding spot). I hiked to Winding Stair Gap with Denali and Goat. Right when we walked into Winding Stair Gap we got a ride into down. I noticed a lot of people hitched into town from Rock Gap instead of Winding Stair Gap. I am at the Budget Inn Motel which is owned by Ron Haven. I am sharing a room with McGyver. They were completely full tonight but thankfully McGyver was by himself and offered me the other bed for half the room cost. It was worth every penny of $20. I took and shower hung out outside with all the hikers before ordering Dominos. Safety, Forest, B Man, Jo Cool, Wrong Way, Ramblewood, Young Gun, McGyver, Crazy Horse, Nomad, and many others are here tonight as well. The weather people are calling for rain tomorrow so I may take a zero day here with everyone, but we will see how I feel tomorrow after breakfast. I want to be in Hot Springs, NC by April 7th or so. I have plenty of time to cover that ground so taking it easy is not a problem at all. I am going to breakfast with everyone at 7am. The church up the road offers all-you-can-eat pancakes and bacon for the hikers along with coffee, fruit, and juices. I love hanging out with all the hikers here and it has been a great day and night!
Date: 2014-03-23
From: Winding Stair Gap

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

I was up and ready to go by 6:30am. The church picked us all up at the motel around 7:15am. They took us up the road to the church where the breakfast was held. We had to sign in and then got all the pancakes and bacon we could eat. They said a quick devotion and that was it. I signed the class of 2014 wall paper which was cool to see who was in front of me. Forest was playing the piano and smiling the whole time while doing so. He has musical talent that is for sure. After breakfast I just hung out around the motel until noon or so when my mom arrived. She took Flinch, Jo Cool, and I out to lunch. We had the all-you-can-eat Sunday lunch buffet at the Boiler Room. It was beyond good! They had desert and of course the best part, ice cream! I feel like I cannot stop eating. I am always hungry. Flinch is staying at the Comfort Inn which seems a lot nicer than the Budget Inn but is a lot more expensive. It was great to see her and hear about how well she is doing on the trail! My mom ran her around to a few places to pick up some things she needed then dropped her off. She also ran Young Gun to the grocery store for a few things. Then, after dropping all of us off, she gave a lady a ride to the bus station in Asheville who decided the trail was no longer for her. She deiced to go back home to MA. One last breakfast at the church tomorrow before taking the 9am shuttle to the trail. There was great entertainment at the motel tonight when a guy literally caught a chair on fire in his room and drug it outside into the parking lot before the motel caught on fire. He was smoking a cigarette and lit the arm of the chair. The fire department and police came. They sprayed the chair down in the parking lot with the fire hose which was cool to see. After it was out a fire fighter walked over and talked to us a bit. Shortly after they left, Ron Haven showed up and disposed of the chair in the dumpster and was laughing a bit. He then grabbed his fiddle and played for us which was very cool. It is colder tonight. I did not end up getting in bed until midnight or so. It was a great last night at the Budget Inn hanging out with all the hikers.
Date: 2014-03-24
From: Franklin, NC

To: Wayah Blad Tower
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up at 6am and took a shower. I got bitten by a bed bug three times behind my knee last night. I guess what can you expect for $20 a night. I went to the church breakfast again which was great of course. I came back to the motel and packed my stuff while waiting for the 9am shuttle. Ron drove us back up to Winding Stair Gap. I hiked slow but steady up to Siler's Bald which was beautiful. It was 50 degrees and sunny today. I left the bald around noon and continued on to the Wayah Bald tower. I arrived there around 4pm. It was windy and chilly but still a very nice evening. Clear skies as well! I set up my sleeping bag and pad in the tower to claim my spot since I knew a few others may be coming behind me. I cooked dinner and packed up all my stuff in my bag and put my bag cover over it in case of bad weather tonight. I hung out by the fire and cooked smores that Denali brought with him. It was very cold just before bed. I saw Uncle Fool and Cavey today. We took a picture and talked for a bit before they left to night hike to NOC. Wrong Way is also in front of them night hiking to NOC. I guess they want to beat the storm that everyone is talking about. Still clear skies but cold just before lights out at 11pm. It was a fun night hanging out with everyone at the tower tonight.
Date: 2014-03-25
From: Wayah Blad Tower

To: Natahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 17.8

Cold is an understatement for today! I woke up around 2am to snow pelting my lips through the small slit I was breathing through in my mummy sleeping bag. I got up and looked around to find snow covered everything. I laid there and tried to fall back asleep but was too cold to sleep. I got up and got the snow off my sleeping bag, pad, and backpack. I took all my gear down into the bottom of the tower to pack it all up in a semi-dry place. At least it was out of the snow which was still blowing. I did not even bother to eat breakfast. I just wanted to start moving to warm up a bit. There was 3-5 inches everywhere including on top of my sleeping bag and pad before I packed up. I was the first tracks on the trail leaving the fire tower. Some were still sleeping when I left. It was like a winter wonderland, a very cold one. It felt like a was hiking a completely different trail today. I almost missed the split where the AT turns left and the Bartram trail turns right. Thankfully, when I saw a yellow blaze, I turned around and saw the white blaze in the opposite direction. Paying attention to the blazes was a must today. I had every layer of clothing I had with me on and the wind was the only thing beating through it all. I picked up two peoples tracks who had already left the shelter early this morning. Their tracks did not even look fresh because of how much snow was being blown around by the wind. My water bladder and water bottle are frozen solid so I drank right out of the water source every one that I found. The ice along with a soaked sleeping bag and pad added a nice amount of weight to my pack unfortunately. Today's terrain was great for a quick winter hike to the NOC. I only stopped today to wiggle my toes and fingers to try and warm them up. I'm not soaking wet, but definitely damp. The wind was so bad I heard a few huge trees fall at one point. Two fairly easy climbs and a long downhill into the NOC. I was so pumped to see that river! I walked right to the restaurant and order the biggest chili cheeseburger they had along with a local IPA and a few classes of water. I was in heaven. I saw Wrong Way who night hiked in last night and was trying to rest his feet and warm up. There was no snow on the ground when I arrived but the snow keeps coming in large amounts every now and then. I'll be resting the remainder of the day and all night tonight. If this weather is still around tomorrow, ZERO! I'm glad to be out of the cold weather that is for sure! I am getting my pass for the Smokies today as well.
Date: 2014-03-26
From: Natahala Outdoor Center

To: NOC Cabin
Miles today: 0.0

I got up around 7am and had some coffee then hung out for a bit. I called my friend Bobby to see if he was off work today and could give me a ride back to the NOC. He picked me up around 11am and we got to the NOC around noon. I got a 6 person cabin for the night after talking the manager into letting me have it for just one night instead of the 2 night minimum. We ate lunch on the river and had a few beers outside. My cabin filled up pretty quickly. It is myself, Young Gun, Uncle Fool, Cavey, Long Bow, Malibu, All Day, Jo Cool, B Man, and Crazy Horse. It was a fun day and night with all the hikers! A bunch of hikers stopped by for beers this evening. Uncle Fool and Cavey came back after a man gave me Uncle Fool's wallet. He tested me to make sure I knew who he was before he gave me the whole wallet. Nothing was missing which was great! It was really cool hanging out with them because I haven't been able to do so yet this far. I'm off to bed around 11am. Breakfast in the morning with B Man and Jo Cool before I hit the trail. It is a LONG CLIMB out of the NOC so I will be taking it slow and easy.
Date: 2014-03-27
From: Natahala Outdoor Center

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.4

Today was a great day. After an awesome night in the cabin, B Man, Jo Cool, and I ate a huge breakfast. They bought my food just for letting them stay on the floor. It is a great family I have out here! I left the NOC around 11am after drinking a massive Gatorade. I headed up the steep climb and took my first break at the dirt road crossing only 1.5 miles in. Cheesesteak passed me and then we were on and off passing each other all day. I got to the shelter around 2:30pm. I did not realize it was so early until I asked someone what time it was after I had already set up my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. So, I packed it back up and hit the trail again. I stopped and talked to Gandof, Cheesesteak, and a few others at Locus Gap where they were camping for the night. I left and did the 3 more miles to Stecoah Gap. Young Gun and Crazy Horse were already set up there camping off the road a bit. I arrived just after 6pm. I had an apple from the trail magic on the picnic table. Video and Whitewater were setting up to do trail magic for the weekend and I heard there was a McDonald's in Robbinsville. Young Gun quickly packed his stuff and we put a thumb up to see if we could get a ride in. The first car we saw pulled right over and said "boys jump in!" We both ate at least 10 McDouble's and got a cheap motel room for the night across the street. There is supposed to be a lot of rain moving in late this evening so we figured why not? We are going to hitch back up around 8am and try for Fontana tomorrow.
Date: 2014-03-28
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: light rain

Today was so much fun! Young Gun and I were up by 9am and out of the room soon after. We ate breakfast at McDonald's and went by the Sheriff's office next door so he could print his pass out for the Smokies. We walked down the road a bit before throwing a thumb up for a hitch back to Stecoah Gap. A couple old men pulled over and gave us a ride in the dirtiest truck bed I have ever seen, but we got a ride. We arrived at the gap by 10:30am only to find the trail magic actually set up by Video and Witerwater. We sat around and had a few beers with them along with a big burger they made. We were then motivated to hike and hit the trail. Cheesesteak, Young Gun, All Day, Pepper, Morris, Malibu, Long Bow, Sound Power, and Griz are all here tonight. Griz did not arrive until 11pm after night hiking for a while. We arrived around 5pm and did not want to try for Fontana this evening. We had a huge fire tonight and the rain held off all day which was great. Jacob's Ladder was a bitch as I expected but seemed to go by a lot father than I remember in 2011. It was not long, just steep. We only have 6 miles to Fontana from here so I plan to get up pretty early and head out. I will be at the Fontana Hilton Shelter tomorrow night. I definitely plan on going into the village for a few beers and some hot food that is for sure. We have an awesome group here tonight and it was a fun hike to this shelter. No rain yet and absolutely perfect sleeping temperature. I was in bed my 10pm and do not even remember falling asleep I was so tired.
Date: 2014-03-29
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: light rain

I woke up to the pouring rain around 6am. I finally started packing my gear up inside my tent by 8am. Cheesesteak was the only other one up. Morris had already packed up and left by the time I looked outside. We stopped by the shelter and talked to Griz for a bit about his night hike in last night. We finally hit the trail by 9am. It started pouring the rain again soon after I started hiking. Therefore, I just hiked the 6 or so miles straight to the Fontana Dam Shelter. I had on all my rain gear but I was still soaked inside from all the sweat. I took a nice fall right into the mud and my pants and pack cover were covered. Cheesesteak showed up shortly after I made it to the shelter. She was also soaked. I changed clothes after claiming a spot in the shelter and I was ready to go to the village for a beer and hot food. When I arrived at the shelter I saw "the bum" had already claimed his spots days ago and was taking up enough room for 3 hikers. I said "so I know you did not hike here since you never passed me, so I assume you got a ride?" His reply was "yeah! I was out of food and wanted to get here." In reality, he had bummed so much for free as well as slipped into the hostel for free so many nights in a row at the NOC he was finally kicked out and decided to head to the Fontana Dam Shelter. This kid is a punk! I offered Cheesing and Lovingcup anything they wanted to literally sit next to my gear as well as Pond and Cheesesteaks gear while we were gone to the village. The shuttle dropped us off at the Pit Stop where I saw Uncle Fool and Cavey. I mentioned the bum was at the shelter. They had already had enough of this kid. So, they went down and told him he had 10 minutes to pack his stuff and get out. That is exactly what he did. Another man had already called the cops on him. Therefore, as he was running up the road, he also emptied out every drug he had in him including the following: meth, light bulbs, DMT, weed, brown bottles full of liquid, acid, and a few others items. He ran into the woods and apparently got a hitch into town from a stranger only to find the cops waiting for him at the Pit Stop. He had already been banned from Fontana Village after trying to "work for food" several times in a row. He was arrested thankfully which left us a nice, worry free, peaceful night at the shelter. I had a pizza and a few beers before resupplying at the general store. I was out by 9pm. It was a great day despite the minor incident with the bum. I am glad to be out of the rain. Apparently they are calling for snow in the high country tonight. The temps have dropped and the wind has definitely picked up.
Date: 2014-03-30
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

I kept waking up every few hours having to pee because I had so much water before I fell asleep. I felt terrible for those around me so I tried to be as quite as possible. A few guys showed up and did not say anything for a few minutes. We soon learned their names were Subway and ERob and they were there to do trail magic and were more then pleased to see the size of the group at the shelter. Subway hiked NoBo in 2012 and is the MAN! They took a group of hikers up only to return with coolers cool of soda and beer along with brots, hot dogs, chips, snacks, and man other items. They told us they would be cooking dinner for us as well. Subway said "man, I was hoping we would meet people who liked to drink beer!" Little did he know, how much we could drink. We killed two cases before a bunch of us went to the village for lunch and a few more beers. After I got back to the shelter I spent a while drying out all my gear. We all tried to pitch in and give Subway more money to get beer only to find out him and Griz were on the way back with 9 cases and he would absolutely not let us pay for any of it. He told us if we wanted to pay, then go drink somewhere else. He was one of the nicest guys we had met on the trail and had a blast hanging out with all of us. It turns out the bum was bailed out of jail and released on something called "R and R?" No idea what that means but he had some old looking used up jeans on and a different rain jacket. He showed back up only to get run off and finally someone picked him up and gave him a ride over 50 miles away from us. I plan to head out by 10am tomorrow morning and hopefully make it to the second shelter in the Smokies. The weather says it is going to be a beautiful few days so I'm ready! I'm in for a great nights sleep before a long day tomorrow. Bring on the Smokies!
Date: 2014-03-31
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Russel Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!!!!!!Again, the start of the Smokies kicked my ass just like it did in 2011. I woke up and charged my phone in the outhouse near the shelter before I packed up my stuff. Subway gave Pond and I a ride to the general store where we got a few things as well as a sandwich to pack out for lunch. Subway and Griz showed up early this morning with over 50 biscuits from McDonald's. He did WAY TOO MUCH FOR US! I finally hit the trail by 11am after Pond and I checked out the visitor center and the dam for a bit. We hiked on and off all day up the steep climb to Shuckstack Fire Tower. It took us 3 hours to hike the 5 miles from the shelter to the fire tower. It was great to see that the tower is being restored and is not in the condition it was when I hiked by in 2011. I ate lunch and was back on the trail by 2:30pm. I was already worn out! The climb up to Mollies Ridge Shelter killed me. My feet were on fire and were hurting pretty bad. The trail is like walking in a foot wide path of cow shit. It is muddy, slippery, and snow covered in some spots. I did not walk on one dry section for the 14 or so miles to this shelter tonight. I got walker, cooked dinner, and did not move out of my sleeping bag after 7pm or so. Pond built a fire in the shelter which has a fire place which kept it pretty warm inside. The shelter is completely full and there are some people camping outside in their tents. I am hoping to hit the trail pretty early tomorrow and go for a 14 mile day to Silers or a 16 mile day to Double Springs. We will see how I feel. The Smokies, again, are killing my body. I'm glad to be back though!