morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-05
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up early this morning ready to head to town. We hiked to Dicks Creek Gap and caught a ride from a swindler into Hiawassee who charged us way too much, but we were happy to get into town. We checked into the Holiday Inn Express, grabbed some breakfast, resupplied and then spent time in the room bathing, doing laundry and drinking a few cold beers. It ended up being a great day. I spent a good deal of time with Fin, who is now named Sideways. As I've mentioned, he's been having knee trouble and one of the characters we met (there are many out here) told him to start hiking down mountains sideways or backwards, which we found dangerous and hilarious and subsequently Fin was dubbed with a new trail name. After dinner, we sat outside drinking wine until late. The night was full of good conversation and laughs. Tomorrow we head back to the trail and continue our journey north.
Date: 2010-04-06
From: Hiawassee

To: Campsite after Wheeler Knob
Miles today: 6.8

I have to say, I have never trashed a hotel room like we did yesterday- I got some good pictures. Our stuff was absolutely everywhere and because we are so filthy, we can't help but leave some behind. We really tried to clean up as we packed up, but there were leaves everywhere and it looked like we'd had a crazy, wild party in there. But it was a great day and I have to admit, when we got dropped back off at Dicks Creek Gap, my heart was not ready to hike again. But I started walking, hit my stride and ended up having a very pleasant day. It's been really hot, so the bath I took yesterday is now in vain. Indiana, Sideways and I stopped a little short of the NC state line to camp and I have a nice little tent site. Sandman walked a little ahead to Bly Gap, just over the NC line as there is supposed to be a party there tonight to celebrate the completion of the first state. The rest of us decided to skip it, as we are trying to go slow after taking a day off so we can stay healthy. Hopefully we'll meet back up with Sandman tomorrow, but if not, the three of us talked tonight about the rest of the trip and decided that we will definitely try to stay together, and I sincerely believe that we can all make it to Maine. I'm still having an amazing time out here. This life suits me.
Date: 2010-04-07
From: Campsite after Wheeler Knob

To: Standing Indian Mountain campsite
Miles today: 11.4

We finished our first state today! I set out this morning alone and reached the NC state line about two miles into today's hike. I sat and waited for Indiana and Sideways and though the sign was small and somewhat anti-climactic, we took pictures and personally, it felt great. I know I have a long way to go, but finishing the first state was a huge milestone for me and I'm really starting to believe that I can do this. When we got to Bly Gap, Sandman was waiting on us and we were reunited once again, which is nice. North Carolina greeted us with a steep, arduous climb up an unnamed mountain, but the rest of the day was fairly tame as far as terrain goes. It's still hot and the gnats are making me lose my mind a bit. Any time you're not moving, the gnats surround you and make it impossible to relax. We've been able to make fires at night to keep them at bay, but I have to admit it is extremely frustrating to deal with when you're tired and need a break. Hopefully once we get into the Smokies and the temperature is a bit cooler, they will go away. Otherwise, I might lose it. We had our first experience with trail magic this afternoon when we hiked down into Deep Gap and found a thru hiker's father and friend there with food. I got to eat a clementine, which was delicious and we took a nice long break. We planned on just hiking another mile to the next shelter to tent, but once we got there, we felt inclined to keep going and pushed to a campsite another mile and a half up the trail. I'm really glad we did, as this is probably the best campsite we've had the entire trip. We're at nearly 5500 ft, which is one of the highest elevations we will experience. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and we're all hoping it will hold off long enough for us to get packed up. I have yet to have to pack up in the rain and while I know I will have to do that at some point, I'm dreading it and hope tomorrow is not my first time.
Date: 2010-04-08
From: Standing Indian Mountain campsite

To: Franklin
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

I'm writing this Friday, April 9th, as there was no way I was going to be able to write a journal entry yesterday. Yesterday was absolutely insane. The rain held off until after we were up and packed this morning, which was lucky, however shortly after setting out, it began raining, then pouring and did not let up for nearly the entire day. I have never been so soaked in my entire life. It was kind of fun at first. The rain lowered the temperature and the gnats retreated, which was pleasant, and once I gave up on trying to stay dry at all, it was like playing in the rain as a kid. The trail was a river and we went splashing through, making great time. The terrain was really easy for most of the day, save for Albert Mountain, which I'll get to in a minute, so we flew down the trail. We stopped at Carter Gap shelter for lunch and planned to get to Big Spring shelter for the night, cumulating in a near 13 mile day, which is still fairly long for us right now. We set out after lunch, cold, relying on movement to stay warm. Then we got to Albert Mountain. Albert Mountain ended up being a rock scramble, which was extremely dangerous given the rain and condition of the trail. And of course, as soon as we started climbing the mountain, we saw a lightening bolt and heard a rumble of thunder. But we made it safely up the mountain and headed to the shelter, unsure of what our plan would be once we got there now that we were all soaked and Sandman was fairly certain the contents of his pack were wet as well. We got to the shelter and it was so crowded we could hardly stand in it. The vibe was pretty unfriendly there as well, so it didn't take us much time to decide to keep pushing and try to make it to Franklin. Puma, another thru hiker, showed up and mentioned that they were going to try to get a shuttle from Rock Gap, which was just over five miles from where we were, so we all immediately agreed to get out of there and make it to town. We downed some trail mix and Sideways brewed us all some coffee which we passed around and then we set back out into the rain. It stopped raining shortly after and the trail was really beautiful, but I was in so much pain I couldn't enjoy it. My heels were aching badly and my knees were stiff. All of us were in bad shape, but we hiked as fast as we could and made it to the road to call the shuttle. Ron Haven, who owns several hotels in Franklin, came and picked us all up and offered an entertaining ride into town. We were all so very happy to be in a dry room last night and not in a shelter or tenting in wet tents. We got some dinner, drank a couple of beers and got dry. I had probably the best night's sleep I've had since I've been out here, which was much needed. It was really way too early for us to hike an 18 mile day, but we did what we had to do and we're really lucky we were able to make it. When we got to the hotel we confirmed that the contents of Sandman's pack were indeed wet and we would have been in bad shape out in the woods.
Date: 2010-04-09
From: Franklin

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We're taking a zero day today, which we desperately needed after yesterday's difficult hike. We're all a bit sore but in better shape than I thought we'd be in. We've already finished our laundry and later we'll head to the outfitter and a grocery store to resupply. Otherwise, we're not doing anything today. I am going to shave my legs today. I was wondering if I would be able to go the whole time, or maybe even a few months without doing it, but Sandman found some shaving gel in the hiker box here at the hotel so I decided to go for it. My good friend, Kristina, is joining us tonight to hike for a week, which I'm psyched about. It's going to be a good time. It looks like we may take a day off at the NOC in a few days to white water raft. Indiana is here from Belgium and he really wants to try it, and I figure, why not? I'm not in a hurry and this is my one shot for this journey, so I'm going to enjoy it. I'll never get another opportunity like this, so I have no desire to turn into a mile monster and lose the enjoyment of this experience.
Date: 2010-04-10
From: Rock Gap

To: campsite before Swinging Creek Gap
Miles today: 4.5

We had a late start out of Franklin today. Kristina and Katie had a few issues driving in from Nashville and didn't get into town until late, and we stayed up drinking wine and shaking down Kristina's pack. We were all slow to get ready but we finally got a shuttle and headed back to the trail around 11 or 12. We all agreed to take it slow and start with a low mileage day so we just hiked to the first campsite and hung out for the rest of the afternoon. The terrain was really easy, which we were grateful for following our 18 mile day. My right heel is still a bit sore, but I feel pretty certain that I just pushed it a little too hard going into Franklin. We've given Kristina the trail name Detour for several reasons, the most prominant being that it took her about 10 hours to get to NC due to a number of road detours. Katie- you are a great friend for making that drive and turning right around the next morning to drive back! It's been fun to have a lady friend on the trail. Our plan is to try to get to NOC by Monday evening and whitewater raft on Tuesday. Hopefully we'll have a bit more motivation tomorrow. The first day out of town is rough.
Date: 2010-04-11
From: campsite before Swinging Creek Gap

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

I had the best night's sleep I've had in the woods ever last night. Detour and I set our tents up right by a stream and it was beautiful to fall asleep to. It was quite cold last night, but I stayed warm in my tent. We hiked about 4 miles and found Indiana eating lunch in an amazing meadow at Siler Bald. There was a huge uphill meadow leading to the top of the bald and I convinced Indiana and Detour to roll down with me. It was really fun and we felt like little kids, though we have some scratches and bruises to show for it. We ended up staying there for nearly 3 hours laying in the sun and enjoying the spot. Sandman came and we all hiked to the very top of the bald, which offered a spectacular 360 view of the surrounding mountain range. Thee was an incredible campsite at the top and we had a hard time turning it down to continue hiking, but we finally got back on the trail. The trail this afternoon was not the most attractive and we spent a good deal of time hiking by roads, which I didn't care much for, but we were rewarded with a nice view at the top of Wayah Bald. We're all tenting tonight at Wayah Bald shelter. I have to say, thus far, the campsites in NC aren't as nice as they were in GA. It's hard to find a flat spot. But we're making it work. We had a nice fire and hung out with Barley and Jersey. Tomorrow we have a long trek to make it to NOC. I'm getting spoiled being able to go into town so often, but we figure we won't do it near as much the further we go. Plus, how can we turn down rafting? We have plenty of time to hike. By the way, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone that's following my journal and those that take the time to sign my guest book. The messages mean a lot to me. I apologize that I'm unable to email more often, but it's tough out here. But I appreciate it more than I can say.
Date: 2010-04-12
From: Wayah Shelter

To: NOC-Bryson City
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

Today was one of the most interesting days I've had on the trail thus far. As I mentioned, our plan was to push to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) today so we could whitewater raft tomorrow. The day turned out to be incredibly long. The profiles in our books looked as though we'd have two large climbs followed by a 6 mile descent to the NOC. We underestimated the time it would take us to hike the mileage today and the profiles were wrong. We hiked until dusk on what felt like a neverending mountain. The hike was absolutely beautiful however. The trees are starting to bloom and we hiked through a colorful, beautiful sunset. The last stretch of the day was especially pretty and I really wished I'd had a little more time and energy to enjoy it. I tried to pay attention to my surroundings but we were all really tired and beat. The night took a turn for the worse when we showed up at the NOC and everything was closed. We weren't sure where to stay and it was looking bleak when Sandman finally found us a room we could sleep in. We all grabbed our packs and started heading there, but we were intercepted by a guy that really made us feel unomfortable, so we decided to try to hitch to Bryson City to rent a hotel room. It's really dark by this time however, so no one would pick us up. Detour started calling hotels but no one could pick us up until finally a huge stroke of luck occurred and the nicest trail angel ever, Nancy, from the Ridgeview Hotel came and piled all of us and all of our packs into her car and saved our night. She didn't know anything about thru hiking and took such a huge chance in coming to get us. She did think we were a bit nuts for wanting to hike to Maine, but it was the nicest thing that anyone has done for us on the trail thus far. She took us to pick up pizzas and beer and checked us into the hotel. By that time it was after 11 and we ate, drank a few beers and went to bed. What could have turned out to be a terrible night (I was convinced we were going to have to pitch tents in the parking lot) ended up being a great day; one for the books.
Date: 2010-04-13
From: NOC-Bryson City

To: NOC-Bryson City
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We did not go rafting today. We had such a bad experience at the NOC and were so worn out from yesterday that we decided to just stay around the hotel and relax. Indiana started having some shin splints yesterday, and Sandman and Detour are both dealing with some nasty blisters. Indiana, Sandman and I all went into town and resupplied for all of us and picked up supplies to grill dinner at the hotel. Otherwise, the day was spent lounging around and doing laundry. Puma and Nepali ended up staying at the hotel as well and it was Nepali's birthday, so we all had some beers, dinner and birthday cake and hung out talking outside. It was a really nice night. Tomorrow we have to climb nearly 7 miles up what appears to be a pretty brutal uphill to get out of the NOC. Then we'll head to Fontana Dam- we need to make it there on Friday to get picked up to go to Gatlinburg to meet all of my friends at a cabin we've all rented. We'll see how tomorrow goes; getting out of town can be really tough.
Date: 2010-04-14
From: NOC-Bryson City

To: campsite 2.5 miles past NOC
Miles today: 2.5

As you can see by today's mileage, we had a slow start today and didn't make it too far. Most of the group was pretty tired today and didn't want to head to the shelter, where we heard a ton of other hikers were heading, so we decided to take a short day and try to camp. The problem was that the only sure campsite was only 2.5 miles in. We hiked up part of the huge ascent, which I was pleasantly surprised wasn't too terrible and set up camp at what turned out to be a really great site. I was disappointed when Sideways decided to break away from the group and keep hiking to the shelter. Apparently he's going to meet up with us tomorrow, but it made me sad that we weren't all together. I understand that everyone has to hike their own hike and I shouldn't expect that we'll all be together the entire hike, but if I'm being honest, it was disappointing. It made me once again wonder whether there will come a time when I'm alone again on this journey and what that might be like. I guess ultmately we're all on our own personal journey with this hike and I know I'm strong enough to do this on my own, but an experience like this bonds you to those you share it with. Whether it's reasonable or not to expect, I keep hoping this group, that I enjoy so much, will stick it out together. On a good note, the night turned out to be a great one. We had a lot of fun around the fire and made some awesome smores. Tomorrow we're shooting for a 13 mile day, but the plan is to get out of camp earlier to give ourselves plenty of time to hike leisurely and take breaks. We'll see what tomorrow brings and whether we'll catch back up with Sideways. I'm still extremely happy out here. This feels so much more natural than sitting behind a desk in a cubicle.
Date: 2010-04-15
From: campsite 2.5 miles past NOC

To: Brown Fork Gap shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Today was a really pleasant day. We got up early and Detour and I were able to start hiking by 8:30. The climb was long but the morning was cool, the trail was very lush and green and the incline was gradual enough not to be exhausting. We finally reached the top of the highest point, Cheoah Bald, and the view was incredible. We sat for over a hour and had a nice lunch and caught up with Indiana and Sandman. We pushed on and due to some afternoon clouds, the temperature stayed lower and made the hike more pleasant. It was a long day though, and Detour and I were ready for a break before the final climb. We descended into Stecoah Gap to the road and were stoked to find some trail magic from two section hikers that just finished their section today. They had some food and cold Cokes. We both grabbed a Coke and made some peanut butter banana chip tortillas and it was exactly what I needed to get up the final climb, which ended up being pretty brutal and steep. I swear, it was the best Coke I've ever had. A cold drink other than water is so great out here- and infrequent. We finally got to the shelter and I felt realy good physically despite the long day. I think I did a few things differently today that made a huge difference in how I felt at the end of the day. I took it slower, took breaks and ate snacks. I am sad to say that Sideways was not at the shelter and I'm afraid we may not see him again. I'm not sure what happened and perhaps he just pushed to get into town tomorrow to get a package he needed to get before the post office closes, but it made me sad. When we were in Neel's Gap, Miss Janet told us that groups rarely stick together for the entire trip and she scoffed at how devastated it makes people when they lose someone they've been hiking with. I thought a lot about this today and it's likely people that haven't had an experience like this won't understand why it affects you as strong as it does, but it does hurt when you lose someone you've gotten close to out here. I guess I can only speak for myself, but it does affect me and it makes me sad. But the hike continues.
Date: 2010-04-16
From: Brown Fork Gap shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: few clouds

Today was a really nice day. Detour and I woke up early again and were able to leave camp at 8 am. The terrain wasn't too challenging today. We thought there was going to be one notable incline after lunch up High Top, but it ended up being fairly mild. I broke away from Detour for the uphill because we thought it was going to be hard and she didn't need to be rushed with her blisters, so I pushed on the uphill and waited for her at the top. We finished the day together after that, which was mostly downhill to Fontana. The trail was beautiful today; so lush and green. We're really starting to see spring blooming around us and it's beautiful and refreshing. We got down to the dam and called for a shuttle to pick us up and take us to the outfitter where we were going to meet up with Indiana and Sandman, then get picked up to go to Gatlinburg for the weekend with all of our friends. When we got to the outfitter, we ended up running into Sideways, who apparently just pulled ahead to get to the post office in time to get his package. I gave him some grief for making us think he ditched us, but I was really glad we didn't lose him. After this weekend, we enter the Smokies, and we're going to push to get through without resupplying in a town or taking days off for a while. I'm really excited about the Smokies. Indiana is really excited about seeing a bear, but I know the first and possibly every time I see one I will freak.I'm interested to see how my new life meshes with my "real" life this weekend. Stay tuned.
Date: 2010-04-18
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam shelter
Miles today: 1.1
Weather: clear sky

It was really great to see everyone this weekend. We all had a fun time and my trail friends meshed well with my Nashville friends. It was strange to be in a town like Gatlinburg and to be around everyone again but it was a great time. I will admit, however, that I was ready to get back to the trail. I missed hiking, I missed my tent and I was ready to get back to the life I'm leading out here. We had a long drive so we just hiked to the first shelter today. But tomorrow we get well into the Smokies and as my friend Bern said, it's "proving it" time. We're cutting out off days for a while, carrying 7 days of food and working up to longer days. I'm ready for it. We all camped outside the shelter tonight and had a nice night back. We all miss Detour though. It was nice to have another girl around and she really worked well in our group. I'm exhausted after this weekend so I'm off to sleep. It's really cold! I'll take cold over gnats any day, though.
Date: 2010-04-19
From: Fontana Dam shelter

To: Birch Spring tent site
Miles today: 5.9

I just saw my first bear! We were down at the camp fire making bets on when we would see one (my bet was Wednesday) and while walking up to my campsite, I heard rustling and saw a mid-sized bear running down the hill around 50 ft. or so away from me. I have to admit, I've been scared about seeing a bear for the first time and now that we're in the Smokies. I figured it was going to happen sometime soon, but it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I do however prefer to see them as I did tonight; running away from me and from a safe distance. My first day in the Smokies was great. I was a bit slower today because my pack is so heavy, but it felt good to hike. I was surprised this morning by the amount of road walking there was to get from the dam to the official start of the Smokies- about 1.5 miles- but I got some great pictures around the dam. The climb out of Fontana Dam was longish but the park is beautiful and extremely peaceful so far. There was a moment after climbing Mount Shuckstack that I rounded a corner and was greeted with an incredible ridge top view of the mountains and it made me so happy to be out here. Our mileage was low today but we're trying to build slowly to avoid pushing too hard through the Smokies. The plan is to start hiking more around 10-12 miles per day, but the Smokies are difficult due to the placement of the shelters, which save for a few official campsites, you have to stay in or around. Sideways and I got to the campsite early, around 2 pm, so we had the whole afteroon to hang out. The campsite is really nice. We spent time gathering firewood and checking out the campsites so we could grab the best ones and made a small fire so we could smoke out the gnats, which are back in full force despite the cooler weather. There were a lot of people at the campsite tonight, including a couple of women who are section hiking their final section to complete the entire AT. I retired to my tent site early to journal and go to bed early as I'm beat today for some reason. I'm really excited about being in the Smokies and can't wait to see what's next.