morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-09
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: broken clouds

Really big day today! LOL NOT! Slept in today, as all of us knew we only had 2.5 miles for lunch. We wanted to go to Mountain Mama's, home of the AT's famous cheeseburger! But since it was only 1 mile on the trail and then 1.5 miles off it - we didn't want to leave too early.Easy hiking once we did leave. Missed the sign that said "turn left for Mountain Mama's" and ended up at a REALLY sketchy southern farmhouse - complete with barking dogs. A park ranger driving by helped us out, and we were soon at Mountain Mama's.The cheeseburgers were huge and amazing, and the fries were really good too! Felt stuffed and happy when we got a ride back to the trailhead. Walked 2.5 miles up the trail, passing beautiful waterfalls and walking under the highway. Got to Standing Bear Farm and parted company with the three redheads (Jane Doe, Nails and Dutchy) as only Muddyshoes, Mt. Dew and I were staying at the hostel.The hostel was really quaint and rustic. All the buildings were wood cabins outside. Did laundry, took a WONDERFUL shower, picked up and sorted through my maildrop and used the internet a little. Curtis (the owner) offered to take us to use the ATM in town and get dinner at the local barbeque restaurant. We agreed and off we went.Later that evening, after making several phone calls, I went to close the door to our bunkhouse for the night. When I did, I saw overtop of it a GIGANTIC spider. Now, those of you who know me, know that I HATE/am scared of spiders. You might also think, that when I say gigantic spider I might be exagerrating a little. I'm NOT!!!!! The spider was about the size of my palm (legs included)!!!!!! It was awful!!! I totally screamed and ran away from the door. After taking SEVERAL pictures of it, eventually Mt. Dew chased it outside. As a I was calming down, Muddyshoes decided to burst into the cabin holding an axe and screaming. He hadn't known what was going on, and it was really funny, but because I had been so scared from the spider, instead of laughing I ended up crying! All in all, a very emotional day!
Date: 2006-05-10
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Not much to report from today. Packed up and left he hostel around 10am or so. Had a 4 mile climb up Snowbird Mountain, which had fabulous views up top. Made it to Groundhog Creek Shelter by 2pm, but because of the bad weather predictions I stayed there instead of camping on Max Patch Bald. Hung out as the shelter got more and more full, with John Peterson, Dubbs and Tator Tot (as well as me and Muddyshoes). Eventually, we had filled up 5 of the 6 spaces, when three section hikers rolled in asking if there was room for 3 more. We said we could probably fit 2, but that the 3rd person would probably have to tent. They said they didn't have a tent, so we made room for two (and were crazy squished) and the third slept on the picnic table. Maybe they'll bring a tent next time!
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

Crazy day today! Hiked most of it with Muddyshoes, as it was raining - and I hate hiking alone in the rain. It was pretty yucky going - it was one of those days you wished you were doing something else. Max Patch Bald was crazy, insane and windy. My pack raincover almost went flying, and at one point the wind blew so hard it literally almost blew me off the mountain. Saw a few views as the clouds lifted momentarily, and overall it was really pretty on the way down. I saw three deer just past the Bald too! Got to the shelter wet and cold. I got into my sleeping bag after eating lunch and just lay there all afternoon. After dinner I made Jiffy Pop on my camp stove and shared with everyone. Met Mike and two section hikers, as well as staying with Muddyshoes.
Date: 2006-05-12
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

It was in the high 30's this morning when I woke up. Couldn't make myself get up 'cause it was so bloody cold. Finally I got up and warmed up some.The hike itself was very nice today - lots of flat with mixed easy uphill and not-too-crazy downhill. Overall a challenging, but enjoyable hike. The shelter, however, was another story altogether. It was built in the 1930's, sleeps only 5 and has floors that slope like crazy! It was definitely sketchy! Only 3 1/2 miles to town tomorrow!
Date: 2006-05-13
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: broken clouds

Because the stupid post office in Hot Springs closes at 10:30am on Saturday morning, I had to get up early this morning. I even had to use my alarm - the 1st time in a month that I've had to do so. Easy hike to town, where I got a mail drop from my parents, and maple sugar candy from a teacher at my dad's school. Yum! It was really tasty!Checked into the hostel, which was a really cool building built in 1840. Still lots of period decor and many other antiques. I ended up in a double bed room that was super cute! Oh, the thought of having a bed with linens on it! I ended up sharing the room with Jodi and Linda, 2 hikers I stayed with my very 1st night of the trail. It was really nice to see them again!I ate lunch/breakfast at the diner (2 pieces of pie with cold milk), did laundry, shopped at the outfitters, ate a 3/4 pound cheeseburger with onion rings and two slices of pizza at the pub and hung out at the hostel. Had yummy, organic dinner at Sunnybank, but I was so full from the afternoon that I couldn't eat very much. I couldn't eat my dessert at all, so I put it in the fridge for later.After dinner there was an impromptu concert. There was a concert pianist and his doctoral piano student fiance in the house, so they performed for us. It really made me miss Lawrence (my college), it's environment and my trombone! Maybe I'll see how much my small trombone weighs, I might be able to bring it with me!
Date: 2006-05-14
From: Sunnybank Inn

To: Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Well, when the day started, I had every intention of hiking today! As the weather looked yuckier and yuckier and my knees hurt more and more, I decided to stay in town. My morning started with breakfast at Sunnybank Inn - awesome canteloupe! I then went in the hot springs. Basically they just pipe in the spring water into a jacuzzi tup on the river. I went in with Linda and Jodi. It was very relaxing, and I actually stayed in for the whole hour! AFter I dried my clothes, did some shopping and phone calls, then had lunch at Sweet Imaginations with Muddyshoes. I had fresh fruit and homemade chili in a bread bowl. Very tasty!The afternoon was spent trying to get online, which I finally did do. I then had some fries at the Pub with Muddyshoes and then then went to read at Sunnybank for awhile. I manged to find a book about what to expect from jail and how to deal with it as a political activist. It was very interesting reading (and no, I'm not planning anything)!Muddyshoes eventually came back, and we went to dinner at the Bridge Street Cafe - an awesome experience! Juiceman joined us, and I had a salad with the best honey mustard salad dressing I've ever had! Mushroom and pepperoni wood-fired pizza and a flourless chocolate cake complete with edible flowers finished off my dinner. Juiceman also bought us a bottle of wine, and I really enjoyed that as well!As we were finishing up, Righty, Lefty and Buoy came in, so I went over and sat with them for awhile! I made some phone calls, then packed my pack. As I was going to bed, Juiceman invited me to watch a movie with him. We watched "Lord of War." I eventually collapsed into my bed about 1am!
Date: 2006-05-15
From: Sunnybank Inn

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Fabulous day today! The climb out of Hot Springs wasn't as bad as I had expected, and there were spectacular views to boot! I even got to go up in a firetower that had views but was not cold and windy. That's really hard to find! Got to the shelter at 4pm. It was a really sketchy shelter, but I slept in it anyways because it was supposed to rain that night. Uneventful day, but wonderful!
Date: 2006-05-16
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Long day today, I think my 2nd longest ever. It was threatening to rain all day, so it kinda put a damper on everything. Not much to report for the first half of the day. During the second half I got ot do a really exposed, ridgeline hike. It had gorgeous views, but my knees hurt a lot at that point, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I might've. Got to the shelter late, and John Petersen had a lovely fire going in the fireplace. I was was thankful for that and was also excited that Muddyshoes had decided to push on to that shelter too. Had some Pad Thai from Backpacker's Pantry, courtesy of my parents, and went to bed.
Date: 2006-05-17
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Holiday Inn Express
Miles today: 8.7

Mileage today was pretty low; however, my knees were really getting to me, especially on the downhill! Went through/over a really pretty bald in the morning, but it was foggy so I couldn't see much. Passed by two grave areas as well. The first was a memorial for a former thru-hiker whose ashes are scattered on the trail. The second was for three soldiers - one only 13 years old - who died in the Civil War.Got to the shelter just after noon and I was really unsure what to do. I needed to go on to get to Erwin by Trail Days, but I wasn't sure I should do that given the state of my knees. I finally came up with the idea of hitchiking out of Devil Fork Gap into Erwin and taking a zero day before Trail Days. Both John and Muddyshoes thought that was a good idea - so we quickly hiked the last two miles to the road. It took us an hour and a half (but only about 15 cars) to get a hitch in. Once there, we checked into the Holiday Inn Express and went to dinner at Long John Silvers/A&W. I really enjoyed dinner (it was my first time at either place.) As we were eating, Lefty, Righty and Buoy joined us. That was really fun to catch up with them again. To add to the enjoyment of the evening, the season finale of Bones (one of my favorite tv shows) was on, and I got to watch it. Even better was the hour I got to spend in the hot tub! Looking forward to a real bed with real sheets!
Date: 2006-05-18
From: Holiday Inn Express

To: Miss Janet's
Miles today: 0.0

Breakfast was awesome this morning! The Holiday Inn Express had a good spread, and I got to eat the pint of Ben & Jerry's that came with our room. I chose Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and it was awesome!Hung out in the morning, then caught a ride to town around lunchtime with Uncle Johnny. Went to the Post Office, then visited Miss Janet's and went to Erwin Burrito for lunch. Met up with Mt. Dew again, and I also ate with Muddyshoes, his wife and John Petersen. The burritos were huge and amazing, which made for a wonderful lunch - good food and friends! Bummed around town all afternoon, then went back to the Holiday Inn Express to go in the hot tub again. Yay!Had dinner at The Elms - I had Chocolate Lover's Dream Pancakes. They were rolled and stuffed with Bavarian cream and topped with hot fudge and whipped cream. Yum! In the evening, went to see Mission Impossible III at the movie theatre. It was okay, but it was really nice to just go to see a movie. Got to bed really late!
Date: 2006-05-19
From: Miss Janet's

To: Tent City (Trail Days!)
Miles today: 0.0

Went to Trail Days today! I got up in time to get to the Post Office when it opened. I got my mail drop and went back to the hostel. We left for Trail Days around 11am - 2 hours after we were supposed to. We stopped and picked up some other people at 19E. How excited was I when I discovered three of those people were Prana, Don and Estel. It was awesome to see them again! By this point, we had more people then seats, so Prana sat on the wheelwell and Mt. Dew sat on the floor. We stopped at a liquor store to stock up for Trail Days, and at a t-shirt supplier to pick up Miss Janet's t-shirts. They said "I slept with Miss Janet," and then the hostel info. They were pretty cute!Miss Janet dropped us off at Tent City, and we went to find a campsite. I ended up camping in the back with Don, Estel, Prana, Mt. Dew, Dave, Matt and two random people we didn't know. Went to the grocery store on the trolley, wandered around town and Trail Days and went to Sicily's for dinner. They had fabulous cheesebreadsticks, so that's what Mt. Dew and I had. Met up with the redheads on the way back, who informed us that there was free ice cream where they were showing "Appalachian Impressions." Since free ice cream is always welcome, we went and had some. Went back to the campsite and Mt. Dew, Estel and I built a fire ring and log seats (well, okay...they did 90% of the work). At this point, all I will finish off is, is that it was a very late night full of drinking, partying and huge bonfires with African drumcircles. I think it's safe to leave it at that.
Date: 2006-05-20
From: Tent City (Trail Days!)

To: Tent City (Trail Days!)
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up feeling pretty good this morning. Hugn out for awhile with Don and Prana in Don's tent, then went to breakfast with them and Mt. Dew. Breakfast was really good! We went to Damascus Eats, and I had an egg and cheese biscuit and a cinnamon bun with orange cream cheese icing. The cinnamon bun was to die for!!!!!Went back to tent city to change, then I went to get my free hot dog and line up for the hiker parade. Now, the hiker parade is no ordinary parade. It involves water guns, water balloons, hoses and any other water contraption possible from both the hikers and the locals who are watching the parade. There's friendly fire (between hikers) and real fire (between hikers and locals) and the whole thing is just a blast! I had tons of fun, and next year I will be way more prepared with water balloons and water guns of my own.After the parade, I continued to hang out with my friends, who had the wonderful idea of dumping buckets of water over other people's heads (since we were already involved in water wars). I got about half a bucket twice and it was all good fun! Eventually though, the police asked us (and some locals who were still playing with water) to stop as people were complaining. We did and then began to go our separate ways.I went back to the campsite and Mt. Dew, Dave, Matt and I went to dinner at Sicily's. Then we went back to camp and continued festivities of a similar nature to the night before (with the exception that we added cards into the mix). For those of you who would like the full version of what happened, please feel free to email me!
Date: 2006-05-21
From: Tent City (Trail Days!)

To: Miss Janet's
Miles today: 0.0

My zero day streak continues! Woke up feeling pretty sick this morning (I'll let you guess why and I'll even give a hint - there's lots of partying at Trail Days!). I woke up Mt. Dew, Dave and Matt and we all went to breakfast. I had pancakes and hot chocolate, both of which were decent. Afterwards we went back to the campground, where we helped Miss Janet load up her stuff. We then tried to pack up our own stuff in 15 minutes so we could catch a shuttle to town from Miss Janet. We missed it, but ended up catching the Trail Day's trolley. Crammed my stuff into Miss Janet's van and then got to sit on the wheelwell inside as all the seats were already taken. It was a long ride, as I was really squished, but we eventually got to Shirley's, an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) Southern family-style restaurant. It was AWESOME!!!!!! We had fried chicken and roast beef along with ALL the fixin's. After we were stuffed silly, we continued on - dropping people off at Watauga Lake, 19E and then finally Erwin. Spent the night at Miss Janet's relaxing, talking, writing in my journal, going to Sonic and figuring out sleeping arrangements (with 12 beds and 27 people that takes awhile). I was one of the lucky few who got a bed! Score for me!
Date: 2006-05-22
From: Miss Janet's

To: Stealth Camp past Sam's Gap
Miles today: 8.4

Lazy wake-up this morning with a nice shower! Went to the Post Office to collect my package from my mom, then went back to Miss Janet's for breakfast. There were 30 of us altogether, so we ate outside at a HUGE table. We all went around and introduced ourselves, then we got to give a snapshot of something we remembered from Trail Days. Mine was eating at Shirley's. We all parted company when we were done, and I went to go pack and get some stuff at the store. Muddyshoes showed up, and he and his wife took us back to the trailhead. As Muddyshoes and I got out of the car, it started to rain. To this, Muddyshoes and I both replied by screaming at the sky. =)Eventually, we got going, and a few minutes out we saw a toilet in the woods. Not one we could use or anything, just your generic old household toilet on its side in the woods. It was a bit strange.It was really nice to be back on the trail after so long, but it made really tired and my muscles were pretty sore and tired. Got to the shelter and had dinner, then decided to push on to Sam's Gap and a little after to stealth camp. Just about 4 miles away. Muddyshoes and Grizzly decided to come, and we made quick work out of the mileage. It was funny to have dinner at a shelter then push on to camp because it's exactly what I said I'd never do. The second night I was out, a bunch of people came to the shelter I was at, ate dinner, then decided to move on. I thought they were insane and though to myself, I could never to that. However, give me a few weeks and apparantly I can. It's nice to be a thru-hiker!We found a campsite and started to set up our tents. I was using Mt. Dew's as I forgot mine in Miss Janet's van, and she was gone when I had to leave. Mt. Dew didn't need it since he was waiting in Erwin for me to catch up, and it worked for everybody. However, it was strange to set up and then sleep in someone else's tent. We had a nice western facing campsite, so it stayed light 'til almost 9pm. Time enough to journal without a headlamp!
Date: 2006-05-23
From: Stealth Camp past Sam's Gap

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was one of the most fabulous days on the trail, as well as my biggest mileage day to date! The hike up Big Bald was enjoyable, and the top was just amazing! Words simply can't do it justice. I totally wanted to run around in the grass naked. =) Instead, I ran around and did some carwheels. Elvis (a thru-hiker I met on top of the bald) thought it was really funny. The views were just incredible, the sky was pure blue, it was warm but not hot and there was no wind! I just couldn't have asked for a better day up there. I cooked some ramen for lunch and just sat there soaking it all in for two hours!Finally I had to go, as I had many more miles to go. Had to say goodbye to Muddyshoes, as he wasn't going as far as I was. I was really sad about that, and I wish that I hadn't had to. However, Mt. Dew was waiting for me, so I had to go.The next ten miles or so to the shelter got harder and harder as they went on! By the time I got there I felt like my feet were on fire! I decided I was too tired and it was too late to try to push into Erwin, even though I was supposed to. Had a Mountain House Chicekn and Rice dinner (which rocked!) and went to bed. Got woken up about 10pm when Grizzly rolled in. In my dazed state, I misinterpreted his name and thought there was a real grizzly bear nearby! Even though there are non for many states! It was amusing. =)
Date: 2006-05-24
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up early to hike into Erwin - before 6am. Miss Direction and Elvis hiked in with me - I got a nice picture of them in front of the river. Met up with Mt. Dew at Uncle Johnny's, where I took a shower and did laundry. We went into town for lunch (yay for Pizza Hut lunch buffets) and to get some groceries. Relaxed in the afternoon, then headed out to Curley Maple Gap Shelter. We were the only ones at the shelter, which was a little weird. Went to bed early.
Date: 2006-05-25
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a long day today, although it was only 12 miles. Mt. Dew was having a hard time with hiking after so many zero days, so we were taking it slow but steady. Got some nice trail magic from Morris Davis and Jim in the gap right before our shelter. Trail magic is always fun!
Date: 2006-05-26
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Greasy Greek Friendly
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

So oops, not a very big day today. We were supposed to go all the way up to Roan High Knob Shelter, but Mt. Dew felt so tired that those plans were quickly trashed. We hiked to the Greasy Creek Friendly. It's really a hostel, but their neighbor is so "hostile" that they call it a friendly to make up for him.Well, we arrived there and had showers and soda, both awesome! Later that evening it started to hail, and it was definitely the largest hail I'd ever seen in my life. I was really glad we weren't hiking at the time. We spent a relaxing evening at the hostel and planned on doing some slackpacking the next day.
Date: 2006-05-27
From: Greasy Greek Friendly

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up to a nice day and a homemade breakfast at the "friendly". A surprise was that a local newspaper reporter was there to interview CC about her hostel, and he wanted to interview us too. He ended up taking a bunch of pictures and asking us a whole lot of questions.When breakfast was over we caught a shuttle from the hostel people to the top of Roan High Knob. We then proceeded to slackpack down the mountain. It was a really weird sensation to hike without packs on. Weird, but very nice!!!! Ended up back at the hostel, where we got to take another shower. The hostel people then shuttled us back to the top of Roan again, where we had to hike half a mile to the shelter. We dropped off our stuff, then went back to the parking lot to cook dinner and watch the sunset. We hiked back to the shelter in the dark and went to bed. Around 11pm some hikers came in and couldn't decide whether they wanted to come in the shelter or tent. They ended up tenting and I went back to sleep.
Date: 2006-05-28
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour Bed & Breakfast (& Hostel)
Miles today: 15.2

Today started out really awesome! Roan High Knob and all the balds around it were gorgeous! We met up with Buoy partway up the trail and got to talk to him for 10 minutes or so. We hadn't seen him since Trail Days, so it was nice to catch up. Passed through a shelter at lunch, and proceeded a couple of miles on to Overmountain Shelter.Overmountain Shelter was really cool. It was an old barn made into a shelter which sleeps 30 people! It had beautiful view and I really wanted to stay there. Unfortunately, the hostel at 19E was calling as well, so on we continued.From there, the day got progressively worse and worse. Little Hump Mountain was okay, but Hump Mountain was awful. It was full late afternoon sun climbing up this bald, and it just seemed to take forever! The way down Hump Mountain and the rest of the way into the valley took forever. My feet kept hurting more and more, and my knees were pretty bad from the decent too. I can honestly say that it was my worst day towards the end. I could barely walk when we got into the hostel about 8:45pm. However, the hostel was really cool so it was nice to be there.