morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-18
From: Beech Gap

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up a little before 3:00 AM. I was still awake just before 4:00 so I grabbed my watch to still it quickly so it wouldn¢t disturb my neighbors. It didn¢t go off! Bu, ha! I know why. It only goes off when the watch is set on military time. Eventually, I will figure this whole thing out. It was raining so I went back to sleep and didn¢t wake up until eight! I got up and got water, had breakfast, had fun chatting with Patches and Keelan, I didn¢t get out until 11:30. The terrain was fairly easy today. I made good time even with breaks. The sun came out for awhile this afternoon. I stopped for almost an hour at Carter Gap Shelter, got water down at the spring and called Lula to firm up our plans for Saturday. I thought I would catch up with Friar Tuck tomorrow, but he wrote in the log at Carter Gap that he continued down to Betty Creek Gap at 400 PM yesterday. I was impressed.I camped at Betty Creek Gap. I put my tent on the flattest spot, which was practically on the trail (Betty Creek Trail). There were spots in the woods but they were still wet or snowy. I had time to cook some rice noodles. I saw my first mosquito.I was a little nervous, probably because the tent felt so exposed but I had a good night. My chamber pot cracked and sprung a leak during the night, but luckily I was on a very flat spot so nothing got wet. Yesterday when I squatted down to get water from a creek, my right ankle gave me a stabbing, shooting pain. I was careful with it, but it tweaked me a few times today. Once was after a truly stellar stream crossing. Picture a log slanting down into a creek, slanting down 6 or 8 feet to where it has cracked and the rest of it is slanting up to the other side. Now picture, on the near side, that the access to this log is blocked (except for a space one boot width wide on the left) by another large log (at least 2 feet in diameter) lying across it perpendicularly from the right. Imagine Tango sitting on this log, sliding her left foot down to the other log hoping she can reach it, maintain her balance, and get her right foot over. Did I mention these logs were wet? And that there was a three foot drop to the creek below?Success! A good Moment.
Date: 2010-03-19
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

I knew it was supposed to be sunny today so I stayed in bed until the sun came up. I hit the trail about 9:30 AM. It was beautiful sunny weather all day. Yesterday and today I saw the first signs of spring ¢ some plants growing that were the first I¢d seen other than trees.I was pretty slow in the morning and up to Albert Mountain. Later in the day I made good time. At one spot the trail turned into a creek. After I followed it for a short way there was a beautiful spot on the right where the water was running down from underneath a tree.I really enjoyed the walk from Big Spring Shelter to Rock Gap Shelter. It wound all around the sides of the mountain. I was having fun looking up ahead and guessing where it would take me. I was enjoying looking down the steep slopes. Its amazing land and you only get to see it if you walk this narrow foot path.I stopped at Rock Gap Shelter. I was going to sleep in the shelter, but as the sun went down I could feel the chill so I quickly pitched the tent next to the shelter. Superstar showed up shortly after I got in the tent. She kindly moved my food bag from the mouse hanger to the bear cables, which I hadn¢t realized were there.
Date: 2010-03-20
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: clear sky

I took my time packing up, had a nice conversation with Superstar. The Prophet stopped in briefly and than a man along with two women whose husband's were running from Springer Mountain to Fontana Dam in 4 days. That¢s 40 miles a day. They were there supporting him. They brought snacks and I sat and chatted with them for awhile. A female thru hiker called Stamble (Steady Amble) joined us. She was a very humorous lady.I left at about 9:40. I hiked down the trail to see the Wasilek Poplar. It¢s a big, dead tree. Very big for a poplar. I¢m glad I did it, but really I get more pleasure out of the little things I come across more than the famous land marks. It was a pretty steep climb.Then I hiked to Winding Stair Gap and met Lula (Hawkeyes) at a little after 2:00. We picked up Smokey and The Bandit and took them back to Franklin. They were great kids. They were 20-year-olds who had been home schooled in the un-schooling style that we did with our kids. They said that the hiking hadn¢t turned out to be what they thought it would be. They didn¢t like getting up every day and hiking all day and they couldn¢t think of any good reason to stay out here.I had a great time seeing Lula. We took the 2 guys to the Sapphire Motel and decided to stay there ourselves. We went to Wal-Mart, Ingles and the Laundromat.Lula brought a little DVD player and we sat on the bed and watched 2 episodes of Boston Legal. Lula also brought organic roast chicken, grapefruits, dehydrated chicken sausages (my favorite trail food) and some dehydrated ¢cookies¢ that taste like carrot cake. Hikers ¢ we always want to talk about food.
Date: 2010-03-21
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I was tired and they were calling for thunder storms this evening so I stayed in Franklin for a zero. In the morning I hung out with Lula and organized my stuff. I put as much as I could into the drop box Lula brought. she is going to meet me again next weekend to help me re-supply at Fontana Dam. I am so appreciateive of her help plus it is really good to see her. We made another quick trip to Ingles and then Lula took off. I spent the rest of the day resting, reading, channel-surfing and mending my pants. They had a big rip in the seat at the seam. It was so bad I'd been wearing my shorts over them the past few days.It did pour and lightening and thunder so I was glad I was inside.
Date: 2010-03-22
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Bald
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light snow

I started at 9:30 AM after being dropped off at Winding Stair Gap. I almost missed the shuttle. I went down to the office at 8:20 to see when it left. I thought one of the free guide books said 9:30 but it came between 8:30 and 9:00 AM. I hurried back to the room and packed up. I stripped the rest of the meat off the chicken in about a minute flat. I made it to the shuttle with a couple minutes to spare, but the pack was very disorganized.It was snowing when we got to the gap. The snowflakes were perfectly formed stars. It snowed most of the day. The hiking wasn¢t too bad, but it was cold, which makes it hard to stop for very long. When I came up on the sign for Swinging Lick Gap someone had changed the ¢L¢ to a ¢D.¢ They did such a good job that they got me for a few seconds. I started laughing and thought that Dick really gets around. He¢s got two gaps named after him.I walked with Afro Blaze for an hour or two and that was fun. The condition of the trail wasn¢t too bad until a couple of miles before Wayah Bold, where it was icy with today¢s snow on top. It was extremely slippery. At one point today I was walking along watching my footing and I walked head first into a blow-down that was blocking the path. It had been trimmed but still over hung the trail at my head height. Maybe it had slipped back down onto the trail after it was cut.Just before Wayah Bold I stopped and ate supper so that I would warm up walking the last mile to the shelter, pitch my tent and get into the sleeping bag before I cooled down.When I got to the shelter all the tent spots were taken. I shared the shelter with Friar Tuck, Jill (Cowgirl), Afro Blaze and one other person who was in his sleeping bag asleep or quiet the whole time. We had a great time talking and laughing until 11:00 PM.
Date: 2010-03-23
From: Wayah Bold

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

I was up a lot last night. I had planned to get up at 5:30, but the alarm didn¢t go off and when I did awaken I heard the wind blowing hard. (Lula tried to re-set my watch and she couldn¢t figure it out either. So I¢ll quit with the boring details. I still haven¢t figured it out, but I feel vindicated)I got out about 9:30 AM. I hiked most of the day with Friar Tuck. About mid morning we got sunshine! It was still windy most of the day though. Before the sun came out I knew it was getting warmer because the wind was blowing down the ice that had coated the trees and it was falling on me and my pack.We ran into some trail magic at Burningtown Gap put on by Grits. His ground beef had frozen over night, so I ate some of my chicken with chips and root beer, sitting in a tent out of the wind.My head started to hurt right after that. I figured it was because I smacked it yesterday. It was king of a tough day for me. There was a fair bit of uphill and I hiked quite a ways on little sleep and with a headache.Friar Tuck let me listen to his iPod from Telleco Gap to the Wesser Bald Shelter and that helped immensely. We got to the shelter shortly before sunset. I ate the rest of my chicken and an apple, pitched the tent, called Steve briefly because I had a cell signal and went to sleep.
Date: 2010-03-24
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: clear sky

I woke up and I still had the headache. I took 2 ibuprofen and it didn¢t do anything so a half an hour later I took 2 more. I couldn¢t eat breakfast. Friar Tuck and I both got out about 7:00 AM. Is saw a beautiful sunrise. The weather was great. It was sunny and 62 degrees according to one of the trail maintenance guys heading south. We saw several people out doing trail maintenance a big thank you to all of them. We¢ve climbed over some pretty challenging blow downs the last couple of days.It was fairly slow going. The headache finally let up. We stopped near the Rufus Morgan Shelter about a mile from the NOC. I gave myself a ¢bird bath¢ with baby wipes and changed into clean clothes. What a difference! We went straight to the restaurant and had hamburgers. Then we rented a room in one of the cabins. It¢s great. I hear peepers outside. There¢s a common room with a TV. I sat and talked to Dr. Evil while the laundry was washing and drying. He was going down to the restaurant so he brought me back supper. I briefly met Diamond Digs, The Young One and Squash, but I needed to organize my stuff, and update my journal. Now I am going to listen to a comedy bit on Friar Tuck¢s iPod and go to bed.
Date: 2010-03-25
From: Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Sassafrass Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

I got up early, but I was slow getting things together this morning and I didn¢t get hiking until 8:30. About a half an hour up the ridge I stopped to make a couple of phone calls ¢ one to Ross, my therapist, and one to Lula.I found a small lump in my breast about a week and a half ago and I was trying to decide what to do. I¢m fairly certain it is just scar tissue at the biopsy site. They were both very helpful in helping me clarify what I wanted to do. Ultimately the decision is mine and I decided to keep on hiking ¢ at least for now.I had planned to go to Locust Cove Gap, but the late start and the steep terrain put me at Sassafras Gap Shelter at about 4:30 in the afternoon. The weather was deteriorating ¢ intermittent rain with lots of wind on the ridge, so I stopped. I pitched my tent in front of the shelter so I could get out early in the morning. The shelter was pretty full by night fall. I didn¢t pitch my tent on the flattest spot. I pitched it on the spot where I thought it was least likely to get hit by a tree. There were lots of blow downs on the way up here. Lots of big trees that fallen over at the roots. I cooked and ate in the shelter and went to bed. Since the tent was on a slant I sacrificed my rain jacket at the bottom so that when my bag slid down it would hit the jacket and the jacket would hit the end of the tent, which is single walled and will get wet if something is up against it.The storm didn't hit until almost midnight. I was disappointed in myself that I hadn¢t gotten out sooner and gone as far as I wanted to go. But, with the weather the way it was, and how slow my pace was today, it was the right decision to stop.
Date: 2010-03-26
From: Sassafrass Gap Shelter

To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

I got up early. I started hiking at 7:20 Am. I could have been ready a little sooner, but it was so foggy that I had to wait for daylight.I hiked from 7:20 AM to 7:20 PM, right on the nose. It rained most of the morning. I caught up with Friar Tuck after Locust Cove Gap where he spent the night. I was passed by Cowgirl (Jill), Squash, Young One and Make Time who wanted me to be sure to note that he was polite, friendly and gentlemanly. Also that he was at least 6 feet tall and the sexiest man I have seen on the trail to date.It was very slippery today. I fell 3 times. The rocks looked dry, but they weren¢t. A young woman was right behind me the first time and she said don¢t worry, she fell all the time. Shortly after that we saw her a few feet down off the trail lying among the branches of a small tree that was down. She had slipped on a rock; her feet slipped out in front of her and the weight of her pack pull her backwards down the hill. Fortunately, she wasn¢t hurt. Her brother took a video of her lying there. Friar Tuck and I got to Stecoah Gap around 2:00 PM. It was still cold and gray and spitting a little at the gap. As we came down the steps, Will and Way, 2009 Thru-hikers pulled up to do trail magic. They put up a little awning and we sat and rested, chatted and ate for half an hour. I don¢t eat wheat so Way started looking for other things for me to eat. She said, ¢You don¢t want celery do you?¢ I Said, ¢I¢d love some ¢ I¢ll take all the fresh food I can get out here.¢ I ate a candy bar and took a small coke and an apple. Way took two envelopes with my journal entries to mail to Mary for me.Friar and I made time the first 30 minutes out of Stecoah Gap. It took 2 hours to get to the top of the ridge. We caught our first look at the river leading up to Fontana Dam. It was fun to share Friar Tuck¢s excitement. It was like watching a kid seeing something for the first time. The stunted trees at the top were covered with green lichen and hanging moss. It was beautiful. We passed the turn off to Brown Fork Gap Shelter and hiked another 1.8 miles to Cody Gap. It was a gap only in a relative sense. It was t 3,600 feet and pretty exposed. The sun was setting so we pitched our tents quickly, which was challenging in the wind. When we went down the hill to get water we wished we had stealth camped lower. Down below there was no wind and so spitting from the cloud that had rolled over us while we set up camp, so it was much warmer.I forgot to mention that the sun came out before we reached the top of the ridge where we saw the views. And we watched the cloud coming in most of the way to Cody Gap. Even though it was sunny, it didn¢t warm up.
Date: 2010-03-27
From: Cody Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

It was a cold night and very bright with a waxing, gaseous moon. It was another night where I was only warm enough down in the seeping bag with the top completely closed off. I was awake for 2 hours in the night.I got up with the alarm at 4:00 AM and Friar woke up a few minutes later. It was cold. The water on the outside of my tent had frozen. It was another moment when I wanted to call it a day. I was tired of the cold. I¢ve been out in it almost a month. I wished I had the top to my sleeping bag that makes it a -10 degree bag. I knew I needed it; I just couldn¢t fit it in the pack.We got out at 5:30 AM and hiked by headlamp until daylight. My light was very dim and Friar let me use his for awhile. I heard some coyotes howling in the dark which made me little nervous.We got to Cable Gap Shelter about 8:00 AM where some people were just getting out. I ate breakfast, used the facilities and layered down. It was still pretty nippy, even though the sun was out. To save time this morning I left my ¢p.j.¢s¢ on. I hiked in my long underwear with a short sleeved shirt and shorts on top. It was really comfortable, but if I¢m heading to town I have to keep those longies dry and dedicated to keeping me warm at night.We got to Fontana Dam right on schedule to meet Lula. She and Teresa drove up when we were at the parking lot by the ¢Hilton.¢ We all went down and toured the dam and sat and demolished a roasted chicken. We drove Friar Tuck to the Fontana Village Inn. He got a room and I went with him to shower and to take care of my stuff while Lula and Teresa went for a hike. I spread my tent outside on a chair to dry so I can have Lula mail it ahead for me. Friar Tuck, Lula, Teresa, Dr. Evil and I all ate dinner in the lodge restaurant and Lula and Teresa decided to spend the night here.It was a good 3 days of hiking. This section from the NOC to Fontana Dam is a tough one. My knees were just starting to feel it on the descent down to the Dam. It was a beautiful sunny day, but not too hot. I ate that big apple about an hour before we arrived and it was awesome.
Date: 2010-03-28
From: Fontana Village

To: Fontana Village
Miles today: 0.0

I crashed hard at about 8:00 PM last night. I was going to move my stuff over to Lula and Teresa¢s room after they got settled, but I never even hard Lula knock on the door.I went over to their room early this morning to go through the supply box they brought me. Friar Tuck and I decided to go through the Smokies and on to Hot Springs together so that we could reduce our combined pack weight by one tent, one stove and one food bag rope. I sent my stuff on to Hot Springs and I¢ll carry some of his to split the difference. In the Smokies if there is space in the shelters you¢re required to stay there. I didn¢t use my tent once when I hiked it in 2007, so it seemed silly to carry two tents that we probably won¢t even use.I had fun hanging out with Lula and Teresa. We were yacking (well, I was yacking) so I missed a couple things I was going to bounce but overall I did pretty well.We had breakfast and Lula drove me down to start my laundry. We said goodbye and she drove off, but a couple minutes later she was back because I was wearing her clothes! Friar Tuck loaned me some shorts and I went over to the store and changed into those and my jacket. Lula left again. I puttered around in the store and when I came out it was pouring. I was going to wait for a lull after my laundry was done, but I was so happy to see Lula and Teresa drive up to chauffer me back to the lodge.I hung out all afternoon, resting and watching TV while I planned my resupply box for Hot Springs. Steve is sending a bunch of stuff and I am going to divide it up and send boxes ahead for the leg from Hot springs to Damascus. I had a couple of nice phone conversations with Steve.It poured most of the day with thunder in the evening. I was glad to be inside. Originally Friar Tuck and I were going to check out Monday AM and spend the rest of the day in the shelter but I decided to spend Monday night here too.
Date: 2010-03-29
From: Fontana Village

To: Fontana Village
Miles today: 0.0

I'm at the Fontana Dam. I'll be heading into the Smokies tomorrow morning. I sent a bunch of journal entries to Mary the other day, so it should be updated soon. We are having trouble getting the picture piece of it together. Its a lot to hike all day and to try to get this done, too. It will happen soon, though, I hope. Bear with us.
Date: 2010-03-30
From: Fontana Village

To: Mollie's Ridge
Miles today: 12.8

Friar Tuck and I were down at the general store at 8:30 AM to meet the shuttle because that¢s what the people at the front desk told us to do when I asked last night. Turned out we could have saved ourselves the walk as the first stop was back at the lodge!We got to Fontana Dam at 9:00 AM. Friar Tuck called his parents and I placed a quick call to Steve and Naomi. Then we started off. The sun came out after two days of rain and it was spectacularly beautiful. Some of the trees were finally starting to bud. The four plus miles up to Shuckstack Mountain were not as hard for me as in 2007. It was steep uphill, but graded. I paced myself and did fine. The air was crisp and amazingly clear. I hesitated at the first landing of the fire tower, but then continued on up, even though it was scary. The tower felt solid even though every old, wooden step was missing at least one bolt. I joined Johnny Walker at the top. He ate lunch up there in the little cubicle. I just took in the views and headed back down, partly because I knew I still had about 7 miles to go to reach the shelter. I got a great look at Clingman¢s Dome. It¢s snowy up there so it was easy to spot. After that break both Friar Tuck and I were slagging. We took a short break and Johnny Walker passed us. We passed Birch Spring where a bunch of fellow travelers were taking a break. It had only been half an hour since we stopped and both Friar Tuck and I still had water, so we kept on going. Unfortunately, the next 2 springs that the book showed weren¢t marked on the trail so we had to go the rest of the way to the shelter on the water we had.Lula had asked me to pay attention at Ekaneetlee Gap and tell her what it was like. Indians used to run buffalo through there to hunt them. So at Doe Knob I started to pay particular attention to my surroundings. The area had a good energy. There were several old trees in interesting shapes. There were three large quartz rocks, randomly in the path. Ekaneetlee Gap wasn¢t marked. There was an old sign post with no sign on it that was probably the spot where the buffalo ran through. It was getting late, I was almost out of water and I wasn¢t sure it was the gap so I didn¢t linger to try to picture the hunt.We got to Mollie¢s Ridge at about 7:30. It was full so Friar Tuck pitched the tent. I pumped up my air mattress outside on my tent footprint, which worked really well. We made supper and chatted with Sonic (from Seattle of course). The moon was just pas full. It was a clear moonlit night.