morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-16
From: Budget Inn - Franklin, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

June 16th, Saturday: AT miles hiked 15.8Up early and Ron gave another hiker Buckeye and myself a ride to the trail. Buckeye was being let off north of where I am. He will hike southbound so we will run into each other today. I was surprised to see a SOBO hiker walking barefoot. His trail name was "TYVEK". Every bit of his gear was made out of Tyvek building wrap. He was walking to bring attention to the psychological needs of returning soldiers. He has a website: http://thelongwalkhome.orgI admired his passion for what he was doing. As I wheeled into Cold Spring Shelter I met Chris and Dave from Toledo. They hike about 5 days a year on the trail and have been friends for some time. They advised me that a group of troubled youth and their counselors had cleared the shelter so they could have it. A couple of them would venture by to gain attention. I laughed because Kurt had told me a day ago that these type of hikers are known as "Hoods in The Woods". I was tired and my feet were sore and I was looking forward to going home tomorrow.
Date: 2007-06-17
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center 
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

June 17th, Sunday: AT miles hiked 11.5 I met several hikers today hiking SOBO from the Nantahala Outdoor Center and back on the weekend. Two were sisters from Florida one of whom used to live in Kentucky. The climb down to the center was long and steep. I couldn¢t help but feel sorry for those climbing up until one of them said..."Wait till you have to climb out the other side from Nantahala". I later found out he was right. It was exciting to hike into the hub-bub and activity of the NOC. Rafters were coming down the river and people were everywhere. They have .25 cents per minute coin operated showers there. The changer was out of change. Let¢s say I took the best shower 50 cents can offer. I bought my dad a hand crafted hiking pole at the center for Father¢s Day and headed home. On the way home I called him and thanked him for instilling in me a love of the outdoors. It would have been great if we could have done this together when we were both younger.
Date: 2007-06-19
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center 

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

June 19th, 2007 I¢m leaving Louisville again at 8:30 pm for what promises to be my most challenging section yet. I¢ll start off hiking Southbound from Newfound Gap in the Smokys to Fonatana Dam and then northbound from the Nantahala Outdoor Center to Fontana. The latter section is notorious for being the toughest section in the south. I am driving again to Fontana Dam where I will be picked up in the morning by Bill Johnson. Therefore I am again on Highway 28 "The Tail of the Dragon". This time someone else is on the highway in front of me. It is a Semi truck being towed by a Wrecker. This 9 mile an hour pace continued for an hour. I pulled into Fontana and again slept in my car.
Date: 2007-06-20
From: Newfound Gap, Smokys 

To: SilerÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Bald Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: few clouds

June 20th, 2007: AT miles hiked 12.5 Bill Johnson picks me up right on time at 8:30am. As we are heading towards Newfound Gap I discover that Bill also runs a Wolf rescue service. He is an interesting guy who takes his work seriously. About 3 miles from the Gap I see my first Black Bear in the wild. It went flying across the road in front of us. I was amazed by its speed. As we pull into the Gap parking lot the park is already crowded. I get swamped by several people with questions about my hike. I try quickly to get on the trail to not lose anymore time. The trail in the Smokys is beautiful. It is as if you are hiking in an alpine forest. I had read many accounts about the damage that feral hogs are doing in the park. The Park Service has constructed a series of fences to protect sensitive areas. For hikers to cross these they have constructed ramps to go across. Off in the distance I get my first clear glimpse of the Clingman¢s Dome Tower. It looks like it is miles away but it is much closer than I thought. The climb up the mountain is beautiful. It is a lush alpine setting and very dense. I reach the top of the mountain and climb up the wheelchair accessible tower. As I stand on the highest point on the AT I enjoy a 360 degree view. The weather changed quickly and the temperature also dropped. I slipped on my wind jacket and took some pictures. Again I get swamped by curious yet very nice people with questions about my hike. I enjoy a small snack and take off. I am headed to Siler¢s Bald Shelter. I am running into several hikers today. I meet a very nice German Soldier and his family. He is training in the US and brought his family with him. When I arrive at the shelter a Surgeon named Wes is already there. He is also a section hiker. We talk about everything from hiking to football. Wes graduated from LSU so believe me he knows football. I get my best night of sleep yet because I have to crawl the entire way into my 40 degree mummy bag and pull the cords shut.
Date: 2007-06-21
From: SilerÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Bald Shelter

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

June 21st, 2007: AT miles hiked 14.7 What an awesome day! The first few miles are nice walking but nowhere compared to what lies ahead. The climb up Thunderhead is long and tall. When you get there you ask yourself "What¢s so special about this". Then you walk about 80 yards and find out. WOW! A field opens up with miles and miles of scenery on either side. Then came Rocky Top. I found myself singing that annoying twangy song on the summit. But again¢¦what a view! I run into several local hikers who are out because the day is so clear. I roll into Russell Field Shelter. I am initially disappointed that it still has a cage on front. Later that night I appreciate that it still does. I meet Hee-Jay (sp?) at the shelter. Her husband Justin is down at the spring filtering water. I hike down to the spring to meet him and fill my water bag. I come back up and filter my water and Justin is not far behind. I get what I need out of my water bag and Justin is frustrated because his filter wasn¢t working so well. I offered to pump him some water since he is worn out from his efforts. He and Hee-Jay hiked from Fontana and will be heading back there in the morning as will I. Justin is from New Jersey and his wife is from Saipan. They met in school and have been married for about 2 years. They plan to travel to Saipan this year for a wedding ceremony there. They will be there for 3 months. We get settled in to our shelter and start to go to sleep. About 8:45 pm Justin whispers "David¢¦we¢ve got bears". I am now glad we are in the people zoo (caged shelter). Three cubs and their mama are going around the camp looking for food. They look frustrated because our food bags are way out of reach. We try to take pictures but they come out too dark. We slow the shutter speed and now they are blurred. We enjoyed that show for about 30 minutes till they finally left. This was a great day.
Date: 2007-06-22
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Fontana Village
Miles today: 13.5

June 22nd, 2007: AT miles hiked 13.5 I left the shelter before Hee-Jay and Justin. As I walked I wondered how this trip could ever compare to yesterday. About that time a very large bear stepped out onto the trail about 50 feet in front of me. He looked at me and I slowly started to reach for my camera. He then took off. I guess I should be glad but I wanted his picture. That¢s bear number 6. I reached Fontana Dam and my car. Inside of it I had clean clothes for hiking and the drive home. I took a nice long shower and shaved. I put on my traveling clothes and went into the gift shop. I told the lady working there I was headed to the bunkhouse at the NOC. She said don¢t do that. She handed me a card and said take this to Fontana Village. You won¢t be sorry. I woofed down diet cokes and ice cream before I left. I went into Fontana Village and was blown away at the discount I got. This was surely the trail magic I had waited for. The clerk got a huge grin on his face and told me it was my lucky day. I said "heck yeah, I¢m sleeping between sheets tonight." He said "It gets better¢¦you room will be surrounded by the NFL¢s Carolina Panther Cheerleaders". They were here on a team building trip and were also working with some local high school teams. I went into my room and took my gear out. I then went to the grill at the resort. The cheerleaders all piled in there after that. One noticed my AT hat and began to ask questions. The great thing about cheerleaders is that they travel in groups. OK, I didn¢t want to pull myself out of this like I did at Clingman¢s Dome and Newfound Gap. This was either a dream or my best day ever on the AT. For the record the girls are all very nice, and friendly. Not the "I¢m stuck on myself" image that many have of them. Most have other jobs but still enjoy cheering. The Panther organization should be proud of them.I took a swim and really relaxed at the village. It was going to be difficult to pull myself away from here in the morning. Let¢s see bears and panthers all in one day. No it can¢t get any better than this.
Date: 2007-06-23
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.1
Weather: scattered clouds

June 23rd, 2007: AT miles hiked 22.1 As predicted it was very tough to drive away today. I headed to the Nantahala Outdoor Center to start the toughest stretch yet. I had breakfast at the NOC and headed straight for the trail. A 3500 ft climb awaited me up to Cheoah Bald. On the climb up I passed a plaque in honor of Wade A Sutton a Forest Service ranger who perished near here in 1968. I stopped for a moment of silence and inspiration. The mountain was dry and I had traveled to Stecoah Gap waterless for the last two miles. I was lucky to get a couple of bottles of water from someone who stopped at the gap to take pictures. I started out of the gap up an extremely steep hill. I bonked. I pulled my pack off and started cramming food in my mouth. I felt better when I made it to Brown Fork Gap Shelter. I didn¢t care much for the place. The water was low there but I did manage to fill up and cook my meal. I decided to trek on the extra 6.1 to Cable Gap. I wheeled into camp at about 8:15pm and was greeted by the same "Hoods in the Woods" from my previous section. They were very nice creating space for me in the shelter. I had done foster care years before and that night I was reminded why I quit doing that. Tomorrow will be a short hiking day. I¢m tired and it¢s about to rain.
Date: 2007-06-24
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

June 24th, 2007: AT miles hiked 6.9 I woke up early and headed out before the kids were awake. The path to Fontana was uphill but graded well. When I got to Fontana Crossings I was feeling pretty good. This had been a very eventful week. Fontana Crossings was an oasis. Flush toilets and a coke machine. OK not quite Fontana Village, but I have had a couple days to get that out of my system. As I got up to leave two guys from Tupelo, Mississippi (OK I used the song to spell that). They were iron men triathletes who left me in their dust. I caught up to them again by the dam. The told me that the iron man this year was in my home town, Louisville, KY, this year but they didn¢t want the heat of Louisville in September. I laughed and said "You guys are from Tupelo where it gets Africa Hot¢¦trust me you will love Louisville in September. It is the best weather of the year there." Maybe I¢ll run into them here at home. It did change their minds a little. Back at the Dam it was another long shower and ice cream waiting for Bill Johnson to take me back to my car at the NOC. Later I¢m back on the road looking forward to my next section. Two of my cousins and one of their friends is joining me from Newfound Gap to Hot Springs, NC. Adventure awaits!
Date: 2007-06-26
From: Home Louisville, KY

To: Newport, TN 
Miles today: 0.0

June 26th, 2007 I leave Louisville at 8:30 pm for my last leg of this year¢s AT journey. The plan is to drive to the Best Western Hotel in Newport, TN. My two cousins, Richard and Scott, and Scott¢s friend Travis are already there. They leave me a key card at the desk. I get there at 12:30am. This is nice for I have slept in my car the last two trips.
Date: 2007-06-29
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel

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

June 29th, 2007: AT miles hiked 7.2 At 7:00am Richard left for Newfound Gap. He had no regrets and we said our goodbyes. The 3 of us went back to bed because we had a short 7.3 mile day today. We finally left the hostel at 12 noon. Chuck and J.T. left before us and the brothers are still there when we leave. I suspect we will run into them all the way to Hot Springs. That climb up to Snowbird Mountain was long and painful. For the most part we were silent on the way up. No one would say it but we missed Richard. As we reached the top of Snowbird I saw something I had been missing¢¦The Sun. It was a bald on top. Scott and Travis immediately pulled out their cell phones because it was the first time in a while they were able to get any reception. Also on the top of this mountain is a F.A.A. tower. It looks like a space capsule from the 1970¢s set up on its wide end. There is a fence around it with a warning of no trespassing. We laughed and said that we would go inside the fence and dance around so they would arrest us and take us to jail. That way we could sleep in a bed and have 3 squares. Lots of pictures were taken up there that day. We ate our lunch and had a grand time. You could see the Smokys behind us and you could also make out where the tower at Mt. Cammerer was. Not long after we left the bald we rolled into Groundhog Creek Shelter. Already there were Chuck and J.T. the brothers-in-law from Lynchburg, VA. Chuck was retired. He designed reactors for nuclear subs and J.T. was teaching for the R.O.T.C. at North Alabama. He had retired after 20 years as an Army Ranger. A real bad ass if you ask me. It is incredible the training those guys go through. I no longer find bear cables at the shelters past the Smokys so I hang our food in a tree. The NC brothers came by for water and planned to tent it just up the trail. A short day and a good meal and Max Patch Bald awaits tomorrow. No bad¢¦not bad at all.
Date: 2007-07-01
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC 
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

July 1st, 2007: AT miles hiked 13.1 Wow, I can¢t believe that this year¢s section is almost over. Scott and Travis are raring to get back home today. We hike like champions making really good time. Scott has been planning a picture sequence at the end of the hike that keeps us in stitches the whole hike. Let¢s just say it ends up with him running around at the trail head in his boots and underwear. 3 miles to go and I see my first Rattlesnake. The Timber Rattler doesn¢t want to move. We tossed some rocks at it and finally I just took a long stick and moved him. I got a couple of nice pictures of him. Scott and Travis said the frog back at Tri-Corner Shelter sent him to get back at me ... ala Tony Soprano. We reach the trail head and the pictures of Scott begin. I almost pissed my pants laughing so hard. We make our way to Elmer¢s Hostel in Hot Springs to see if we can pay for some showers and are denied. We make our way to a nearby campground in town and pay $5 each for showers and shaving. All cleaned up we head to the Paddler¢s Pub for lunch. After lunch we go across the street to look around the Bluff Mountain Outfitters. Soon after we are on the road to Knoxville where Travis is parked. We bid Travis farewell and Scott and I head to Louisville. It was nice not driving that stretch by myself. We make plans to meet as we do every month with Richard and another cousin Greg. We usually dine at the Irish Rover in Louisville, KY on the 2nd Wednesday of the month for lunch. Scott will be in Reno, NV that day so we back it up a week. I can¢t wait to relive some of the moments we share because as you know when guys get together past events tend to be embellished. Embellished indeed! My trip is over for now. Or should I say on pause. I tallied two lost toenails and tons of experiences. I¢m not sure if my method made me a better hiker or a driver. I was never away from home long enough to really get homesick. I¢m sure I learned a lot about long distance hiking from this experience. I also learned that the journey is more important than the amount of miles hiked. If you see me out on the trail¢¦say Hey.The Flyingfishman
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Louisville, KY 

To: Back on the trail
Miles today: 0.0

I'm here in Louisville preparing to hit the trail this Wednesday. My cousin Richard will be joining me as we hike from Hot Springs, NC to Erwin, TN. Five days were all I could spare away from home and work this year. Hey look at it this way...At this pace I'll always have some AT hiking to look forward to.... for the rest of my life! HA! Richard has been traing hard and has gone lightweight on his gear. I think I'll have him short-rope me and pull me up the mountains. I'm guessing that I'm not going to run into any NFL cheerleaders this year but I'm positive that adventure awaits! I'll post a journal when I get back.Peace to all.
Date: 2008-06-18
From: Spivey Gap 

To: Erwin, TN Uncle Johnny's Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008The plan this year is to cover the trail between Hot Springs, NC and Erwin, TN. My cousin Richard will be joining me. My plan was to drive my old 93 Honda from Louisville, KY to Spivey Gap and slack-pack to Uncle Johnny¢s hostel. Unfortunately 2 days ago I wrecked my Honda when someone ran a red light and pulled out in front of me. Richard agreed to drive his brand new Nissan so we did not want to leave it at a trailhead. Still wanting to slack-pack some of this section Uncle Johnny was able to help us with our shuttles. We left Louisville at 4:30 am and headed to Uncle Johnny¢s in Erwin, TN. En route we settled for a Mickey D¢s breakfast. Arriving in Erwin we arranged our shuttles and sleeping arrangements for the evening. Former thru hiker CD drove us out to Spivey Gap and dropped us off. It was simply a beautiful day to hike with highs in the lower 70¢s. Maybe it was because I only had a day pack but the trail was great. It felt more level than other sections I have done. 4 hours and 11.2 miles later we were back in Erwin. As we got to our cabin I noticed someone had left us 2 ice cold Buds in the fridge. A quick trip in town to the Sonic Drive-in made for a satisfying day. I could get used to this type of hiking. Sitting out next to the Nolichucky River which runs along the side of Uncle Johnny¢s I got to thinking¢¦ It¢s a good thing that Alan Jackson grew up near the Chattahoochee River and not the Nolichucky. Otherwise his career may not have made it off the ground. You know the song ¢Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee¢¦it gets hotter than a Hoochie coochie¢. Rhyming with the Nolichucky would have never gotten past the censors. I¢m watching an old VHS tape of ¢Oh Brother where art thou?¢ It¢s time for sleep¢¦We are heading to Hot Springs tomorrow.
Date: 2008-06-21
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Sam's Gap 
Miles today: 11.2

Our original plan today was to hike 18.8 miles to Bald Mountain Shelter. So much for plans¢¦more on that later. The miles today were laboring to say the least. Last year I was able to spend 20 days on the trail as opposed to the 5 I am getting this year. I guess this is what to expect when you section hike. You start to get in great shape only to get off of the trail and repeat the process the next year. My pinky toes now have blisters under the nails. It takes about 50 yards of walking to numb them every time I stop to rest. Richard is complaining about the water which means his stomach hurts and or he is in pain. It was not a day without hi-lites. I have never lived nor hiked a day without those. The descent to Devil Fork gap was painful for my feet. We crossed our first fence there. Several dogs had some poor creature cornered there near the road. We heard them all the way down into the gap and up the other side. The 1500 ft climb up Frozen knob/Lick rock (even I can¢t make these names up) was actually easier than the former descent¢¦ for me. The climbs were taking their toll on Richard and the descents were killing my feet. It seemed to take forever to reach Hogback Ridge Shelter. It was a nice respite. Richard and I both chowed down a lot of food. As we were leaving the shelter Jason from New York was coming in. Carl was nowhere to be found. He was of course carrying a Sherpa¢s load. We exchanged pleasantries and expected to see each other at the shelter. I later found out they stayed at Hogback that night. Once over high rock we meandered our way into Sam¢s Gap. We ran into a young couple from NC headed up the mountain from Sam¢s Gap. I told them of all the water sources all the way to Allen gap. My feet were throbbing and we still had 7.6 to go. Richard was not looking forward to the climb up to Big Bald. I offered an alternative plan. I suggested we call a shuttle from Uncle Johnny¢s¢¦stay the night in Erwin¢¦tomorrow he would drop me off at Spivey¢s Gap and I would slackpack south and he would slackpack north from Sam¢s gap. He would hand me his keys as we passed and I would get his car and pick him up at Spivey. I know¢¦shameful yet genius all in one. As we pondered that thought the young couple came back into the Gap. It seems they started out in the wrong direction. We watched them start up the mountain on the other side of the Gap and I pulled out my cell phone and called Johnny¢s. 1-1/2 hours later we were checking into the Holiday Inn Express. A couple of showers and a trip to A&W later Richard advised me that he would be dropping me off at Sam¢s Gap and picking me up at Spivey¢s when I was done. We had hiked 54.7 miles in 4 days. Richard is in great shape in spite of his 63 years. Tonight it¢s a soft bed and the great hospitality of Holiday Inn who is very hiker friendly.For what it is worth¢¦the Steakburger at A&W is top notch!