morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-12-01
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Sunnybank Inn, Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 26.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Welcome to December, and my last two weeks!!!!!! I was super duper excited to wake up and realize that I would only have 270.7 miles to Springer once I finished the day.We headed out nice and early, since the planned miles were pretty long. There were great views from some cliffs and a fire tower on top of Camp Creek Bald, which is no longer a bald. Caught up with Snack Time at the shelter where we had an early lunch, and headed on down the rest of our 7 mile descent. When we got to the bottom, there was a sign that said if we went left for 300 yards and up the concrete driveway at the Welcome to North Carolina sign, we would be treated to BBQ, Belgian waffles and many other things. We ended up eating tons of food, including ice cream sundaes, and had a great time. We had a wonderful time until they tried to send us off with a bunch of books, so I feigned interest out of a desire to keep the peace, but did not leave with any books.Spending 2.5 hours there definitely slowed me down, but I ended up making it into Hot Springs at 5:15. I got a place at the Sunny Bank Inn, which operates a hostel, and ate dinner at the local diner.I head into the Smokies here in a few days, and have planned out my days until I get to Springer, which I am pretty excited about.270.7 miles until good coffee!
Date: 2007-12-03
From: Walnut Ridge Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hiker's Hostel
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Another night inside! Woohoo.I woke up this morning to a damp sleeping bag and pad, which isn't good. Both of them are down, so wetness is a huge killer of their ability to keep me toasty warm, which they normally do a very good job at. I had planned on getting .9 miles into Great Smoky Mountain National Park, but figured that instead of doing the Smokies in three nights, I could stay at a hostel just outside of the park and then do the Smokies in two nights! So, here I am at the Standing Bear Hiker's Hostel. All of my equipment is dry, I've got a roaring blaze going in the bunkhouse woodstove, I cooked and ate a pizza for dinner, I have had one Coke and about to drink another, I took a super duper hot shower, and I only have to walk an extra 2.7 miles in the morning to be where I would have been had I stayed outside tonight (yuck!).It was frosty this morning, and it was snowing/icing/cloudy on top of Max Patch, which was kind of disappointing given that I was hoping to get a really good view of the Smokies. It did clear up, however, for coming over Snowbird Mtn, which had a really nice view of the upcoming terrain. I must say, the Smokies do not look all that challenging! I read in the shelter registry at Groundhog Spring that many of the NOBOs thought that the park was well-graded. They only had 244.5 miles under their belts at that point, so I figure if they thought it was easy, I think it'll be a joke.In order to complete my two nights in the Smokies challenge, however, I am going to have to pack on some miles for the next three days; 23, then 28, then 27. Tomorrow is quite a bit of climbing to get up onto the ridge, so it'll be a short day. Wednesday is mostly flat-ish on the profile, so the 28 shouldn't be too bad, and the 27 is mostly just dropping down to Fontana Dam. I don't really have too many options for cutting it short, because I have a reservation at a place near Fontana Dam for Thursday night, and check-in stops at 5pm! So; I'll have to do 27 miles by 5, but I think that it'll be manageable. The weather is supposed to be nice until I am well away from the Smokies, so I don't foresee any problems.Only 237.3 miles until I don't have to get excited about eating mac & cheese!Quick quote: "She's a nice dog, you just scared the life out of her."--stupid day hiker
Date: 2007-12-04
From: Standing Bear Hiker's Hostel

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: few clouds

First day in the Smokies! I had grand intentions (as usual) of leaving nice and early in the morning, but that didn't work out, but I was in Great Smoky Mountain National Park at 8:30. The Smokies are basically one big long ridge (at least where the AT is in the park), and most all of the morning was spent climbing.A bit short on time, I had to bypass the Mt. Cammerer fire tower, which apparently has some great views, but I had really nice weather and enjoyed the day walking through the park. There were quite a few areas of trail that were covered in ice because of slow springs that were freezing instead of running. I met two old dudes who were out for a little hike, and they said "we have never met two of y'all in a day." This got me really excited, because they were talking about thru-hikers, and they said that Fast Enough was just a mile or so in front of me. I arrived at the shelter at the end of the day to find Fast Enough, who had just arrived. It was great to meet another SOBO after going for a stretch by myself after Hot Springs.We diligently hung our food on the bear cables, but did not hear any bears come through during the evening.
Date: 2007-12-05
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 28.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was definitely a test of mental and physical strength, with 28.4 miles over some rather tough terrain. I left somewhat early after sitting around talking to Fast Enough for a bit, and then hit the ground running in an effort to finish before dark.I came across three guys who had spent the night at Icewater Spring shelter, and as I was sitting there talking to them, it started to snow. It wasn't too much, but they were huge flakes, and were being blown around by really strong winds. I left after a really fast lunch (10 minutes) and headed down into Newfound Gap, the only road crossing in the Smokies. There were two guys on the trail who asked me where I had started, and they both seemed rather shocked when I said Maine. It was not snowing in Newfound Gap, but when I hit the 200-miles-left mark just before the Thomas Knob Shelter, it was starting to snow again, as I was part way up Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the whole trail. I got to Clingman's Dome without any issues, though, and had the whole place to myself. Usually the place is absolutely packed with people, apparently, because there's a road that leads to within 1/2 mile of the summit, and there's this rather strange viewing tower that's been built. I climbed up the tower and took my picture, and had amazing views all around, but could see precipitation falling from the clouds to the north and west. I only stayed long enough to eat a single Jolly Rancher, then headed on towards Georgia.About 2 miles out from the shelter, it really started to sleet, which wasn't too bad because the ice balls bounced off of my clothing. I was moving fast enough that I didn't need to wear a jacket, so it was good they didn't stick to my shirt and melt.I got to the shelter to find that it had just been renovated, which was awesome, and that the water was flowing, which was even better, because from there south there was no water in the whole park. I set up my sleeping bag, and as I was sitting eating dinner, a mouse started to chew on my trash bag, which was sitting next to me, then a mouse started to chew of my Croc, which was on my foot, and then I stood up and watched a mouse run out of my sleeping bag. I wasn't too happy, so I threw the register at the mouse that had been after my trash bag, brought down my treking pole close to the mouse that was running away from my sleeping bag, and then sat back down to eat. I had my treking pole at the ready, and when the next mouse came into sight, he was dealt a rather significant, and ultimately deadly, blow. I felt rather good having helped to reduce the shelter mouse population.It was still sleeting/snowing when I went to bed, and I had no idea when it was going to end, but knew that I would have to be out of the park the next night, because I didn't have too much food with me.
Date: 2007-12-06
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: The Hike Inn, Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Made it out of the Smokies in two nights!!!!I woke up this morning to shoes that were frozen solid, two inches of snow on the ground, and frozen water bottles. I had to bash a hole through the ice on the top of my Nalgene in order to pour out enough water to make hot chocolate. The mice had pooped in both of my shoes as revenge for killing their relative/friend, and I also found that the mouse which had been in my sleeping bag in the evening while I was eating dinner had chewed a hole in my sleeping bag liner.It took me forever to pack up, but I finally made it out of the shelter and started walking in the snow. It took a good mile (20 minutes) for my toes to warm up, and I was very happy when they finally did! There were lots of animal tracks in the snow, which was neat, because I hadn't seen a single wild animal during the previous two days! There were some small dog tracks, which I believe were from coyotes, and some larger dog tracks, as well. Someone had written in the register that they had seen a reddish-looking large dog a few nights before I stayed at the shelter. A little bit of research just now revealed that Red Wolves were reintroduced into the park back in 1991, and that they are still around. I'm pretty sure that I was trailing a wolf down the trail; pretty cool! There were also some bobcat tracks, and a few other tracks that I couldn't identify. They looked a bit like cat tracks, but were pretty tiny; maybe there are some feral house cats up there. I was incredibly excited when I got to the first area where I could really look around down to the areas below to find that I was above the clouds! It was absolutely amazing to look down at the clouds and know that I had walked all the way up there! It was also really pretty with ice and snow on the trees and ground, where I was, but to see lower mountains that were still all green because they had only seen rain, poking up through the clouds.I got to the shelter that's 2000.1 miles away from Katahdin and ate a few more Jolly Ranchers to celebrate, then hit the trail rather quickly so that I could make it to Fontana Dam by the 5pm pickup deadline for the place that I had reservations with. I fell three times coming down the mountain to the dam, and hurt my left ankle to the point where I had pain with every step. These were my first, second and third falls of the trail where I actually hit the ground with my whole body. The trail was in the process of thawing, and was made up of slippery red clay, and was also covered with leaves, so it was rather treacherous.The Hike Inn, where I stayed was great. I met another SOBO, B, and Nancy took us into town for Mexican food and a resupply. She also took my laundry, and brought it back folded and everything!!! I ended up sitting in bed watching TV and eating Skittles until 2am!
Date: 2007-12-07
From: The Hike Inn, Fontana Dam, NC

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a nice jump on the day today after taking 800 mg of Ibuprofen to calm the left ankle.I checked out the "Fontana Hilton" shelter, and found that Fast Enough had spent the night there, so I figured that I would see her sometime during the day. There was a lot of climbing, and I took off my trusty red had, which I had carried from Katahdin and put it in my right pocket, along with one of my gloves, and as I did, I thought, "there's no way that this is going to stay in here." I was right. I went to get it out of my pocket a bit later and realized that it had fallen out. I was really sad, so I decided to turn around and look for my hat. I walked 8 minutes, which is 4/10ths of a mile before I found it, and I put it in my pack to make sure that I didn't lose it again. I wasn't too big of a fan of walking nearly an extra mile, but I couldn't imagine leaving my trusty hat along side the trail.Fast Enough was at one of the shelters that I passed, and I met up with her again at Stecoah Gap, and we headed up to the top of Cheoah Bald together. I pulled ahead towards the end of the climb (2700 ft), and arrived up top to find a guy who was cowboy camping on what used to be a bald, but is now just a bunch of trees with grass growing under them. I talked to him for a while and waited for Fast Enough, because it was approaching dark, and figured that it'd be nice to walk with someone else in the dark for a change.We got to the shelter to find a crotchity old man, Fantasy Feet, who slowly warmed to our presense. He's hiking from Massachussets to South Carolina via the AT and Bartram Trails.I didn't have a chance to kill any more mice, but I stuffed my face with Skittles, Nilla Wafers, mint Milanos and all of the other trashy food that I've been carrying...life is good!
Date: 2007-12-08
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Short day! We got up this morning nice and early, but didn't end up leaving until pretty late. I was eating a Clif Bar that I had purchased in Hot Springs while it was still a bit dark, and thought that it felt rather grainy, but I didn't think to turn on my light and look at it until I only had a few bites left. When I did turn on my light, I discovered that there had been a tear in the packaging, and that the whole thing was covered in little spider webs! Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasty; I think that I threw up a bit in my mouth. I left the shelter with Fast Enough, and we came across a dude scouting for bear hunting, which starts on Monday, and according to him, would bring "tons" of people with dogs and guns into the woods between where we were and Franklin...joy! John, the dude who was cowboy camping on top of Cheoah Bald caught up to us while we were talking to the hunter, and I walked with him for about 2 1/2 miles down towards the NOC, while Fast Enough went on ahead. John had lots of interesting adventures to talk about, which came with lots of suggestions of things to do in the future. His knees were giving him trouble, however, and I felt impatient and didn't want to wait while he took breaks, so I pushed on, and caught up with Fast Enough just before we got to the NOC.For those that aren't familiar with it, the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center), is this massive outdoor place on the trail at the Nantahala River. They mostly do rafting and kayaking (they had at least 20 old school busses outfitted for hauling around rafters). We got lunch there at the restaurant after John showed up, and chased it with Ben & Jerry's. After loitering for a bit, we headed up to the shelter, a mile short of Wesser Bald, and it started to rain once we got into the clouds around 3,000 ft. At the shelter, it was super duper misty, so nothing took long to get wet, which was no fun. There were bear cables, which apparently area only at shelters that are frequently visited by bears, but since it was raining, we kept our food on a mouse line in the shelter.
Date: 2007-12-09
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Barely more than 100 miles left; 106.6! Plus, there's less than a week to Springer!!!I heard a bear come through last night, but luckily it didn't get to our food! It was raining when I woke up, and still really misty, so my sleeping bag was wet, and it was generally miserable out. Since I knew that I'd be staying in a town, though, I didn't pay it any attention, and headed out wrapped in rain gear. It was too hot to wear my rain pants, however, so I took them off after the first .8 miles. It was too cool to lose the jacket though, so I hiked in shorts and a jacket, which is an interesting combo. When I had left the Hike Inn, the owner, Jeff, had told me that there was supposed to be a "window of great weather," which has not been the case so far! There really is nothing spectacular to report about today, because there were absolutely no views, as all of the peaks were socked in, and it was raining.I am in Franklin, NC, and the motel that I'm staying at is right across the street from the hospital...there have been sirens going by the whole time since I got here, and they have also flown two people out by helicopte; it's really, really, making me want to be running around in ambulances again!!!! Luckily, I have already made plans to be in Fredericksburg doing just that, less than a week after I finish!!!
Date: 2007-12-10
From: Franklin, NC

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 28.4
Weather: light rain

Long day, but not really. I had a great evening in Franklin at the Haven Budget Inn. I went to the grocery store to get a contact case, but they did not have them, so in the morning when Ron (the motel owner) took us out to the trail, we stopped by a K-mart so that I could get one. I hadn't been to a K-mart in probably 10 years, so it was an interesting experience!Today was the first day of North Carolina bear hunting season, and as I was putting on my pack at the trailhead, I heard gunshots. I have a blaze orange pack cover, however, so I wasn't too concerned, and actually kind of hoped that I would come across some people who had shot a bear, so that I could sit on top of it and have my picture taken!I hiked 3 miles and got to a road that went to a Forest Service campground, where I chose to do a blue blaze that cut off a few miles. I'd spent the last four days walking on top of ridges that were socked in, so I figured that walking along a creek through a valley would be a bit more exciting. The hike up the creek had some great waterfalls and views, and it also cut about 12 miles off of the day I arrived at the shelter before 2pm, which was a first. Usually if I arrive at a shelter before 3, I won't stay, but I knew that Fast Enough was on her way, and so I set up camp. I read the Globe magazine that I had purchased at K-mart, wrote in my journal, read the two previous shelter registers (thanks to the maintainer for actually leaving the last register!), and sat around soaking in the sun. I read about some nearby cliffs that had great views of the sunset, so I decided to head out there and have a watch for myself. The trail to the cliffs went by an airplane wreck debris field, and took some amazing pictures of the sunset. As I was sitting there, I realized that the bear hunters in the valleys had probably pushed some of the bears into the higher elevations and that it probably wasn't too good of an idea to leave all of my stuff unattended at the shelter. So I headed back rather quickly, and about 100 yards away heard pots banging together! Luckily it was Fast Enough, Pyro and a guy Dave from Georgia.We had a great evening sitting around talking about what we had seen on TV the night before, drinking the beers that I had hiked in, and reading the articles and advertisements in the Globe.Thanks to those who have left phone messages, guestbook entries and emails! Things are going well; can't wait to finish!!!Quick quote: "Some of the reindeer need to have black names, like Cheronda." - Flava' Flave
Date: 2007-12-11
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Cloud 9, Hiawassee, Georgia
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Georgiaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Hot damn, made it to Georgia! Only 66.6 miles left to until the summit atop Springer Mountain! It's so incredibly hard to believe that I am this close, I don't know what to think. I never thought in my life that I would hike over 2,000 miles, let alone 2,174. It's been an incredible time so far, some times were bad, and some times were absolutely amazing, but I guess that that's all part of the adventure. I never thought that it would be the mental challenge that it has turned out to be. Last night was the first night that I have not set my alarm clock, and I slept in until 7:20! Usually I get up at 5:45, so it was a welcomed change. Some bear hunters came through the shelter at about 8, and we headed out of the shelter at about 8:30. At 9:30, I arrived at the NC/GA state line to find Pyro and Fast Enough. I ate a bag of Nilla Wafers and two mint Milano cookies and after taking a quick picture, did the next 4 miles to the shelter in under an hour, to keep up with Pyro, since I figured I should hike with him a bit before he split to finish a day before me.We hung out a bit at Plum Orchard Shelter and then headed out to the road crossing. I got there to find Pyro, B and Fast Enough along with Crutch, who works for the hostel and was there to take everyone to the hostel. We got to the shelter and set out or sleeping bags to air out and then headed into town to hit the PO and grocery store. I mailed home my Smokies map, book and sleeping bag liner.The hostel is at a trout farm, so we got to go trout fishing in the ponds (like shooting fish in a barrel), and then they were thrown on the smoker while we cooked up the things we had purchased at the grocery store. We just finished a dinner of mashed butternut squash, smoked rainbow trout, fresh bread, cooked cauliflower, salad, wine and beer; it was amazing! We had a few toasts to our success as thru-hikers, and are now sitting around doing nothing.Unfortunately, three of the five people here want to watch football (grrrrr), so I'm going to find something to read and go sit on the front porch and eat Hagen Daz coffee ice cream. Can't believe that I'll be done in 4 days!!!! If you're from Williamsburg (or even if you're not), you best be making plans to be at Mug Night on Sunday the 16th!!!!!
Date: 2007-12-12
From: Cloud 9, Hiawassee, Georgia

To: Blue Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

I don't have too much time to write, but I made it another 18.3 miles to the Blue Mountain Shelter after what was probably close to the worst day of climbing that I have ever experienced! My hips and knees were killing me, so I ate lots of ibuprofen. We had a fire and sat around for the evening. I am carrying a Harry Potter book that I found at Cloud 9. It's the first one (can't remember the name), and my goal is to finish it before the end of the trail
Date: 2007-12-13
From: Blue Mtn. Shelter

To: Walsi-Yi 
Miles today: 17.8

30.5 miles to go!!!! Tomorrow I'll be doing 23 miles, and then it's only 7 miles to Springer...can't believe that I am this close.It's raining, and it was somewhat cold last night with winds that were blowing all the way up from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain where we were.Mom's going to meet me a the road that's .9 miles before Springer at 11 am on Saturday, so at 11:30 on Saturday, I'll be done!!!!!!!!!!!!!Absolutely incredible.