morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Wesser

To: Campsite
Miles today: 2.6
Weather: clear sky

Wow, such mega-miles! But not too bad for starting just before 6 p.m. and at least I'm back on the trail. Lots of miles of climbing for tomorrow, so I'm glad to have 2.6 miles of it done. The owls are calling as it is getting dark. I appreciate the extra hour of evening light. I am camped here with Snickers, Sherps, and Cosmic Punchline who carries 30-plus king size Snickers. His snack bag is WAY heavier than my total food/kitchen bag! Home was very nice and very comfortable; I was afraid I wouldn't want to leave once I got there. Didn't actually WANT to leave, but did want to continue hiking...so here I am!
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Campsite 2.4 mi. N. of NOC

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

Warning: This entry contains outright whining.I have been having negative feelings today about the people who laid out the trail in this area. We really don't HAVE to go up over the tippy-top of every mountain between GA and ME. It wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if we just went around the side of some of the mountains. The last mountain climb of the day was 1 mile straight up, steep the whole way. I was thinking as I was coming up that mountain (after going from 2280 feet to 5062 feet, then 2 miles of steep down, then more miles of up and down, and, oh, maybe 12 yards of level walking earlier in the day) that if a bear were to come my direction, I was way too tired to run; too tired to raise my poles and yell even. I think the best I could have done would be to whisper, "Come and get me bear; put me out of my misery, and I will be forever grateful!" My low back hurts, my legs hurt, my knees hurt, my ankles hurt, my feet hurt, and yes, my toes hurt!!!There were several places of steps down much too big for my legs to reach, so I have to sort of reach as far as possible then kind of hop on down, hoping my knees and ankles will hold the landing; otherwise it means a bad fall, likely on down the mountain or at least onto some rocks! Kind of scary, and sometimes I take my pack off and let myself down backwards, then drag my pck down.Well, I got to the shelter shortly before dark, set up my tent, climbed down the mountain to fill my water bag, cooked and ate supper, found my way in the dark to the privy (also partway down the mountain), and now I am going to sleep! Good Night!
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Another long day, but with more reasonable terrain. In the morning there were many boulder fields to cross over, which slow this hiker down. At one of those areas this afternoon I pulled my trekking pole out of the hole it had slipped into with the sound of angry buzzing greeting me. I skedaddled as quickly as possible, rocks or no rocks! Another thing I don't like about those areas is the fact that I can imagine copperheads peeking out at me from every one of the miniature caves formed by the stacked rocks. Akso, even though some of them look like they haven't moved in hundreds of years, many of them will shift just as you step on them thinking they are trustworthy.I saw many more wildflowers coming down to Fontana Dam area; many, many trillium, red and yellow, not all the way open, but enough for their colors to show. Also purple and yellow violets, and several types of white flowers.About 3:00 I had phone signal and called DH to check the weather forecast for the next couple of days (some trail maintainers had reported "torrential rain" for tomorrow). DH found rain for tomorrow, heavy rain with potentially severe storms Friday night, and rain Saturday. So, due to that and a bit of a complication picking up my drop box for the Smokies, and the availability of a space at the Hike Inn tomorrow night, I will be taking a zero tomorrow and staying at the Hike Inn tomorrow night, warm and dry. Three zero days in one week after 2 weeks with none - this hiker is getting soft before she even had time to get tough! But I am looking forward to doing the Smokies straight through, and would rather not start out with gear wet from a heavy storm! (Sorry Jeremy, this is going to make me a day later!)Tonight I am staying in the Fontana Dam Shelter, aka Fontana Hilton, which is a really nice, clean, comfy (OK, that is pushing it a bit) shelter right on the edge of Fontana Lake. About 0.1 of a mile away are a set of public restrooms with flush toilets, TP, and sinks with soap! We are about 0.3 mile from the visitor Center, which is closed until May, but there is a pay phone there and a self register station for hikers going though the Smokies. There are about 12 of us here at the shelter tonight, including Cardinal, Pumpkin, Johnny K, Baltimore Jack, Cosmic Punchline, Sherps, Thin Mint, Hamburgular, and a dog. It is almost 9:00, past our bedtime. I am usually the last to turn in, it seems.
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: The Hike Inn
Miles today: 0.0

Didn't get very many hours of sleep in the shelter last night. I went off to sleep soon after 9:00, then about midnight several late arrivals came in, and the one who parked himself next to me was a master snorer, loud and constant - no more sleep for me! Got up around 5:00 and walked up the road to the restroom, then back in my bag with my mini radio on to block out the noise for a couple of hours. They were still talking about the likelihood of severe whether this evening and tonight. Glad I have a reservation at the Hike Inn for the night. About 8:00 I hiked up the road to the Visitor Center to use the pay phone to arrange a shuttle to the Inn. After doing breakfast and packing up, I met Jeff Hoch for the ride to the Inn and have enjoyed a day of relaxation, getting clothes and self clean, eating, and sorting through my drop box with supplies for the Smokies.There is a fat fluffy cat here named Catzilla who has twice accepted my invitation to come in my room and has enjoyed a couple of hours of napping on my bed. Definitely likes to be petted. I have also been checking in with the TV weather station and see that there has been a lot of severe whether in west and mid Tennessee, moving northeast. Could hit the Smokies tonight or pass to the north. Still supposed to be bad weather tomorrow, but we'll see - I need to hike and I am all set to enter the Smokies!
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

Got on the trail about 9:30 after a comfy restful night at the Hike Inn. After walking over the huge Fontana Dam and entering the Smokies, I was greeted by a friendly deer. She ran a few steps when she saw me, then came back to whatever she was interested in at the tree on the edge of the trail. I took some pictures then walked by and she stayed right there. The weather was drippy after a night of rain, but clouds appeared to be breaking up. At 11:30 - Hark! I hear the sound of rushing water! Hummm, there is no stream or waterfall in the area...I dropped my pack, grabbed my rain jacket, and had it half on when the first heavy drops began to fall. Got a pretty heavy rain for 30-40 minutes, then it was off and on for a while. Early afternoon I saw spots of blue sky and occasionally (sp) the sun peeked through. Just as I was contemplating taking off my rain jacket, it suddenly started pouring again, this time with small hail mixed in for a couple of minutes. Then it started with thunder and lightening (from here on referred to as T&L).Lots of people on the trail today. It stayed drippy and very foggy after the last rain. When I got to the shelter there were still some spots and you have to stay in the shelters in the Smokies unless they are full. On such a wet night it looked good even though I usually prefer my tent. So I got all set up in the shelter, with many more hikers coming in after me. Then after I had filtered water, gotten supper, and hung my food, a section hiker came in and said his family of 3 was coming and had reservations. In the Smokies the thru-hikers have to give the shelter spaces to section hikers, no matter what time they arrive. So I went out into the drippy evening and set up my tent. I will probably sleep better in my tent anyway, but it will be wet and messy in the morning. I am so hoping for some nice dry weather for the rest of the week! This shelter is big (sleeps 14 plus), has a huge tarp cross the front, and a fire in the fireplace. It is actually quite a bit warmer than ou! tside, and of course, very crowded!The trail immediately turns into a stream when a good rain starts, and you slog along up or down stream; when the up and the down meet, it forms a small pond to go around.Well it is about time to go out to my tent and call it a day. Goodnight from the Smokies, land of much weather!
Date: 2006-04-09
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

After a cold (20s) windy start, the day was gorgeous with clear blue skies and lots of views as we climbed mountain after mountain, including Rocky Top, Thunderhead Mountain, and Brier Knob. From one place I could look down on Cade's Cove. At one of the peaks I thought I would recalibrate my altimeter and checked it with the posted sign. It was off by only 1 foot!                              We just had a couple of deer wander through camp. That makes 3 I have seen. I also saw another snake today. I haven't seen any bears yet, but what I wonder is - how many bears have seen me? "There are an estimated 1600 black bears inside the park, one of the highest bear population densities in the country." (The 2006 Thru-hikers Handbook)                                                               Some changes I have noticed in my views since starting this hike: Uphill is much preferred over downhill. I used to be very careful with my pack, setting it down as gently as possible in a clean spot. Now I drop it wherever and if it falls on its face I say "oops!" and leave it right there until I'm ready to go again. It used to be that home was reality and hiking the AT was a dream. Now hiking is reality and home is a much anticipated dream. Tomorrow may be a short day. My options are 7.2 miles or 13.5 miles. (You have to stay at shelters in the Smokies). After the rough terrain of the last couple of days, a short day sounds real good, including not having to rush to break camp in the cold in the morning. I may just lay here in my warm bag until it warms up!
Date: 2006-04-10
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

Gorgeous weather again! Much easier trail and shorter miles made for a pleasant day, and time to do my laundry when I got to the shelter. Put shirt and socks in a 2-gallon ziplock, add water and a couple of drops of Dr. Bronner's soap, squish around a bit, rinse, wring, and hang on a bush. I feel sort of like a pioneer woman, but I don't think they had ziplocks. The other blessings of this shelter are a privy and a nearby water source. I have missed those luxuries in recent days.About 10:30 this morning I was up on a ridge and thought I would try to leave a message at home. No cell reception. I left it on so I could continue to check along the ridge and on mountain tops. After a while I got a beep that I had new messages, 10 of them. I thought that was an aweful lot since I had just talked to family Friday evening, and I got thinking something must be wrong at home. Tried and tried to get reception with no luck. Finally after about 3 hours I was able to access my voice mail and get 1 message before it cut off. This reminded me that I hadn't used my cell since Thursday, so maybe that wasn't too many messages for 4 days...Eventually was able to get the rest of the messages and call DH (got cut off, of course, but at least he knows I am alive and kicking). Turns out everything is fine, although the dryer has quit, but that is very minor compared to what my imagination was conjuring up!As we got near the shelter we entered an area of some kind of evergreens that have a beautiful balsam smell, really nice. There are robins and other birds hanging around looking for handouts. Lots of sunshine, blue sky, and perfect temperatures.
Date: 2006-04-11
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Merry Christmas! The sweet-smelling evergreen forest I have hiked in all day has made me think of an overgrown Christmas tree farm and I have been singing carols (when no one is near). It was so nice that I wish you all could have hiked with me today!I started the day with the climb up to Clingman's Dome which is the highest point on the AT at 6,643 feet; gorgeous views on this clear day! We had heard the observation tower was closed for renovation, but when we got there, only the vehicle road was closed; hikers were able to go up. Took several pictures. Had a snack, and got rid of my trash. A public trash can has become a thing of beauty!Wow! Nearly 14 miles and I don't feel bushed. It was really nice hiking and I made good time even with stops at Clingman's Dome, Indian Grave Gap trail magic, and Newfound Gap. LOTS of people at Newfound Gap. One lady had 2 shelties (miss my dogs!). Another lady with 2 children pointed me out to her son and said "There is a REAL hiker!" She was very nice and hopes to hike herself someday. She reads trail journals and said she will follow along with my hike. Many other people also were full of questions and and seem to think AT hikers are quite interesting creatures!When I came out of the woods at Indian Grave Gap, some ladies said "Hi-Are you a thru-hiker? Would you like something to drink and something to eat?" Well, sure! They had sodas, OJ, apples, oranges, bananas, Little Debbies, mini chocolate bars, chips, saltwater taffy, and peanutbutter crackers. They had quite a group of happy hikers; said they have had 38 come through today. They are doing the magic for 3 days.I heard an unofficial report yesterday that 66% of those attempting a 2006 thru-hike are off the trail already. Today I crossed the 200 mile mark.
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The hike was full of beautiful views today, though cloudy and hazy so not the best for photos. Lots of rocky trail which slows me down. Also a lot of narrow (4-5 feet or less) ridge walking which is fun; straight down on both sides. Got to the shelter about 4:30 and was ready to crawl in my tent and get some good sleep. However, I will have to wait a couple more days before I can legally put up my tent and get good sleep due to the most miserable rules and regulations about where you can sleep in the Smokies. I am on the bottom shelf for the 3rd night in a row. Every time the person above me moves, I get a dirt shower. Have you ever noticed how a model walks down the "runway"? One foot directly in front of the other with kind of long strides. Well, some sections of trail recently have been deep narrow trenches, about 6 inches wide. Picture me with my clunky hiking boots, big old pack on my back, having to do a model-style walk along the trail. Amusing, I am sure.Fall Status: None on the trail yet, but 3 off-trail. That proves that hiking is safer than not hiking, right? The first one was at the Cheese Factory Site. I was hanging my bear bag on the side of the mountain, slipped on the slippery leaves, and sat down. It was too comfortable a landing to really feel like a fall, but technically it was. The second one was getting into a slippery tub, even though I put the tub mat down and stepped carefully -whoosh, bang. Goose egg on shin. The third fall was stepping up onto the porch after a rainy night at the Hike Inn. Wet wood and I just do not do well; might as well step on glare ice. Nothing hurt but my pride as there were a father and daughter (section hikers) sitting there to witness my gracefulness.More hikers coming in; shelter will be packed. Can't wait to get out of the Smokies; though the weather and views have been beautiful for several days now. Since tomorrow's shelters are either 7.7 or almost 15 miles apart, with 6-7 miles of continuous downhill, I suspect tomorrow will be a short day.
Date: 2006-04-13
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm at Green Corner Rd.
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Surprised you, didn't I? Surprised myself, too. The last thing I wrote last evening was that today would probably be a short day at 7.7 miles. Instead, it was my longest day yet, going 18.1 miles all the way to Standing Bear Farm where I picked up my drop box, got a shower, and am in a bunk with a mattress for the night. Hopefully can do laundry in the morning, but may not take time to if the line is still long at the washer. So-I learned how to do long miles: Just keep on walking!It seems like a bunch of us have noticed the past few days that our appetites are picking up, myself included. I came near to running out of food finishing up the Smokies, part of the reason for the push out today. Can eat and eat some more, and still not feel full. While hiking, I start feeling like I need nourishment, check my watch, and sure enough-it is "half past eatin' time, time to eat again!"My take on the Smokies: Beautiful, rocky, and difficult with some easy trail, crowded at shelters. I was blessed with excellent weather for 5 out of the 6 days I was hiking there. Really didn't want to hit a snow storm, but I know that is very possible even in April, as it happens many years. Some of the hikers I hiked with this week include Fred, Compost, Johnny K, Baltimore Jack, Rapunzel, Sponge Bob, Ranger Cortez, Red Beard, Identity Crisis, Thin Mint, and several others. Coming down to Davenport Gap I was again walking into spring. I saw my first dogwood tree in bloom this year, and many more spring wildflowers than a week ago coming into Fontana Dam area. And now the trees are beginning to green up at the lower elevations too.As I was finishing up my very long day, I had to cross under I-40, and then do a mile of quite steep up back into the woods. The climb started off with a stairway of 38 steep stone steps-quite a challenge at that point! I was very glad to get to the hostel and find that they had bunks still available, even at 7:00 in the evening.
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Standing Bear Farm at Green Corner Rd.

To: Brown Gap
Miles today: 10.1

Tenting at last! No where near a shelter! Got on the trail about 10:00 this morning after a comfortable night at Standing Bear Farm Hostel. I bought a cinnamon bun to eat with my oatmeal and tofu and we started looking at calories on the packaging of what we were eating. My sticky bun had 460 calories! Oh well, I think I burned them off with the many miles of hard climbing I did today. It was also very hot, 80s all day. I certainly needed to drink a lot more than I have been. I also got some good sunburn on neck and right arm.We went over Snowbird Mountain today which has some kind of huge contraption that looks like some type of spacecraft. It is something for the FAA. Lots of good views of the Smokies that I just came out of last evening. About an hour into my day a hiker I had been talking with (Jericho) caught up to me with a message that there was someone coming up the mountain who wanted to meet me, trail name of Heartfire. Great! I had been a day behind her since starting and was hoping we would get to meet. We had e-mailed several times before hiking and found that we have much in common, including being the same age. So we hugged and chatted and got more acquainted as we labored up this very long mountain. She had just finished a couple of zero days, as I had taken 1 12 weeks ago; that is how we managed to end up at the same point today. There is an interesting ebb and flow of hikers on the trail.It was a slow day with lots of climbing and heat, and with being somewhat tired from the big miles yesterday. Got to Brown Gap, got some water, and am camping just north of there along with Jericho. It is 7:15 - time to eat my noodle supper, hang my food bag, and crawl in my bag.
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Brown Gap

To: Camp site on the South side of Bluff Mt.
Miles today: 11.6

Hiked today off and on with Heartfire and we are tenting here on the side of Bluff Mt. near a meadow. Hope to see some deer. (Saw one running across the edge of the meadow just before dark.)After about 3 miles of hiking this morning we arrived at Max Patch and were very pleasantly surprised by trail magic by Swamp Donkey, Juicer, and their trail dog. They hiked much of the trail last year and this weekend they set up their tent on Max Patch and carted up food-fresh fruit, bread, cheese, chips, Debbies, candy bars, juice, chocolate chip cookies, and muffins. It was all appreciated very much!Next we had 5-6 miles of easy hiking, then up over Walnut Mountain which has been devastated by recent clear-cutting of the forest. I got water at the shelter there, knowing there was none where I planned to camp. It has cooled down some and there is a good breeze. Last night was really too warm for our winter sleeping bags; will welcome a bit cooler air tonight. We went from highs in the 30s to highs in the 80s awfully fast - whatever happened to spring?
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Camp site on the South side of Bluff Mt.

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Had a good night and took off about 7:40, heading for Hot Springs and HOME. Will be doing slack-packing this week from home, covering the areas from Hot Springs to Erwin that I have not already done this year. I made decent time hiking with a lot of easy terrain and dry and very hot weather. It was in the mid to upper 80s all day with 90 degrees heading down into Hot Springs. Got into town at 2:30 and found DH waiting, although I had told him I probably would not be there before 3:00. Got a cold strawberry-kiwi drink and headed home. The first thing to do at home after greeting the dogs was to hop in the shower, of course. Before I was done there, we had a surprise visit from my mom and step-dad, who brought subs in case I was hungry (which went well with the special salad DH made)! We had a nice visit, getting caught up on the past month¢s events. Next, I looked at weather for the week to decide which days would be best to go over Big Bald and do the Blackstack Cliffs area. I don¢t want to do either of those during T&L storms, and most days this week have chance of T&L storms predicted. It IS spring, after all. I am afraid I have not had my fair share of rain to hike in so far, but I am not complaining, mind you.
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Tanyard Gap

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day resting and doing stuff at home. Very nice!Even though this was a zero day, I am entering the data for the section Tanyard Gap to Hot Springs that I did 1/1/06. There will be a couple of days that I do that this week, as I did some day hikes in this area earlier this year as part of my hike.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Sam's Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I slacked-packed today near home and with my 11 year-old hiking buddy, Jeremy. We started with thick fog, which persisted until about 1:00, when it began to break up and we had lovely afternoon weather. Unfortunately, when we went over Big Bald, you couldn¢t see more than a few yards into the fog. I have seen it at its best many times, and I was hoping Jeremy would get to enjoy the feeling of ¢being on top of the world¢ today. He did great with the miles ¢ we are heading out for another slack-pack tomorrow. Looks like we will get wet.Had lunch break at the Bald Mountain Shelter with M&M (Martin) and later got to visit with Mountain Do-er as he passed by. Had not seen either of them for a week or two, so it was good to talk with them!