morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-14
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Copper Ridge Bald Lookout
Miles today: 12.8

I woke up with my ankle giving me so much pain I couldn¢t stand much less walk. The frat boys gave me some pity pain killers. I took one and some Advil, which was enough to let me hobble out of camp. I planned to meet Reason and the frat boys at Cold Spring Shelter. The miles dragged by and I used my trekking poles like crutches. I was able to do slightly more than 1 mph. I can¢t believe how much my ankle hurts. I¢m beginning to believe it may have a stress fracture. I¢m not enjoying anything. With every step, I can only think about my ankle. I was about 14 mile from the shelter and I decided to take one more break. Along comes Baltimore Jack. I talked about him before, but not nearly enough. He has such a presence you have to stop and just watch him. Hew was on Springer with me on the first day. He wears cotton shirts, chain smokes, never treats his water, or hangs his food from the bears. He has a large beer belly and a larger backpack that has stains of white from the dried salt in his sweat. When I first saw him, I kinda laughed inside thinking he¢s not going to make it one day.   I ran into him at Hiawassee and got a chance to talk to him. He has so much information and he never talks down to us rookies. He stopped and asked how my ankle was doing. Told me the shelter was a rat hole, but there were excellent campsites just up the hill. He said I should get some water first, since the next few miles were dry. Off he went with a butt in his mouth walking fast up the hill. I can¢t believe I am keeping pace with him. As a matter of fact, I am keeping pace with a lot of fast hikers. I arrived at the shelter and it was the rat hole Baltimore said it was. I loaded up with water and went another mile or so. Reason left me a note that he was moving on as well. I found a cool spot to set up my hammock between the trail and a steep drop off. This was the first night on the trail that I would be camping alone and I thought about Cathleen and how she must have felt the night before. It is kind of creepy, especially when you spend so much time trying to prepare for bears. You¢d think Yogi is behind every tree. I got set up and made sure all my toiletries and snacks were in a bear bag hung 10 feet high. A night in the hammock would do me some good since I would be able to elevate my ankle. I didn¢t listen to my radio because I was spooked about bears and I can¢t see out of my hammock. I was so tired that sleep was not elusive at all.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Copper Ridge Bald Lookout

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: few clouds

I woke up at 4 am to pee. My ankle is throbbing and I really struggled to get out of my hammock and didn¢t go 3 feet. When I climbed back in, I saw the date. April 15. This is my third week on the trail. The frat boys told me that if you survive your first two weeks, you¢ll surely die the third. I waited until 5 am and went for some pain killers. I like the name of that ¢ ¢pain killers¢. Not pain relievers, but pain killers. I could not stand at all, so I crawled around the woods before dawn and got everything in one pile. I got everything together in my pack around 6 am, just in time for the magic pills to take effect. Today I would start at over 5,000 feet above sea level, drop down to under 4,000, back up to 4,700, then down to 1,700 feet. That is a long way down, and down pounds the joints. I kept walking down hill in disbelief that it just wouldn¢t end. I ate an Advil ¢ one every hour ¢ to stay ahead of the pain. I was cursing my ankle, the trail, and Reason for abandoning me with vultures about to peck out my eyes. I just kept going down and you couldn¢t see the end of it. I twisted my bad ankle again and that sat me down for a good half hour. While I sat there, I wasn¢t sure if I could walk the last 5 miles, much less the next 2,000. I was no longer thru-hiking. I was just trying to get the hell off this mountain. I didn¢t think anyone was behind me and thought about camping for a day or so; then someone would come by and help me somehow. After my self-pity episode was over, I got up, using my trekking pole as hard as I could. I don¢t think my right foot touched the ground once. When I finally emerged from the woods, I limped over to the NOC, a great gear supplier and hostel right on the trail. I got a room and the clerk pulled out a map. He says, ¢You are here. You go across the parking lot, over the bridge, past the gift shop and the restaurant. Go across another parking lot, over the railroad tracks, past the pond, up the big hill and you will see some cabins. Then go up another big hill, across another parking lot, and up two sets of stairs. I put you in the closer one because I can see you¢re in pain.¢ He then gave me a map that looked like Disney World. I got to my room. Then I had to walk to the showers and put on the best smelling clothes I had. Soon afterwards, I found Reason who was with the frat boys. They couldn¢t believe I made it down and only an hour after they did. I pretended to be mad. Then we got something to eat with Loser. Of course I had to walk all the way back down the hill, past the pond, over the railroad tracks, across the parking lot¢¦ After we all got caught up, I go my bounce box and went back to my room. Around 4 pm I see Reason carrying a backpack beside a pretty redhead. It was Woods Dragon. She pulled some big days and got caught up. I am still in disbelief. She is truly amazing. Tomorrow we will all take a zero day. Of course it¢s not really a zero day when you have to walk down the hill, past the pond, over the railroad tracks¢¦
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I decided that my ankle needs to be checked out and will do so after breakfast. Loser, Reason, and I all went down to the restaurant. Before I got in the door, I ran into Baltimore Jack. He was his usual self, giving advice and smoking. There is a possibility that he is an alien. When we got inside, Cathleen was there. She just got in this morning. I am so happy at this point, I forgot all about my ankle. That is, until I got up from my $9 breakfast. Baltimore Jack saw me and made arrangements for me to catch a shuttle to a hospital in Bryson City. At 1 pm, one of the members of the staff drove me and Cinderella to the hospital 13 miles away. Cinderella is a well-experienced hiker that has been running a 102 fever and is 14 weeks pregnant. She is only planning on hiking for a couple of weeks, but her fever may change that. At the hospital, we were about the only patient there and I was being x-rayed by 2 pm. They checked out Cinderella and made her a follow up appointment in Fontana Dam, which is a 4 day hike from here. Plus they gave her some medicine and a shot. As for me, there is no fracture and they gave me a very cool and heavy ankle brace, plus a prescription for Vicadin. We took advantage of the city, which is more like a small town, and got food and beer. The NOC is in a dry county and I will be the hit of the hostel with a case of cold beer. We hitch hiked back and I got caught up on my journal. My pocket mail took a crap and I have to do it the old fashioned way now. I handed out beers and Woods suggested we take another zero day tomorrow. It is a good idea since the post office will be closed in Fontana Dam for Easter and we would have to stay another there until it opened on Monday. Besides, my ankle needs a rest and this gives Twig and Nuts a chance to catch up. I went to talk to Reason about it and his roommate and I got talking. She has extra pillows and more importantly, she has practically my music collection and a Sony Discman in her car. She is here to learn how to kayak, and is one of my favorite 5 people right now. I listened to Phish and now I am listening to Grateful Dead¢s ¢Ship of Fools¢. How appropriate.
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today I continued my vacation from my vacation. My ankle hurts, but is better. I took one pain killer and headed down to the restaurant which is a gathering place. I saw some packs on the benches, so I hobbled inside where Nuts and Twig were enjoying the hiker¢s usual $10 breakfast. Twig has two knee braces on and Nuts¢ ankle hurts. There were hugs all around and we got caught up on rumors and stories. Soon Reason, Woods Dragon, Twig, Nuts, and I were all together again. Everyone is staying the night and hiking out tomorrow. There were a steady stream of hikers today, including Lone Wolf, Psycho Pat, and Groovy. I went back to my room and iced and elevated my ankle. I listen to music all day that ¢Woman With Three Pillows¢ left me. I am in heaven with just fantastic tunes all day. I listened to Violent Fems, Grateful Dead, Phish, and Nine Inch Nails. After dinner, Woman With Three Pillows, which is the trail name for Laura that I gave her, took Reason and I to town to get beer. When we returned, there were hikers with beer and wine living it up in the community center. We had a great time. I am ready to start hiking again, which is good. I started calling this place home. I have spent too much money and time here, but I needed the time to heal. It is all uphill from here, back to 5,000 feet. No pain, no Maine.
Date: 2003-04-18
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

Last night while all the thru-hikers were living it up in the community center, a church youth group was using the other half eating nachos. While they were longing for our adult beverages, we were eyeballing their nachos. Morning started way too early for everyone. I never really got a chance to talk much to Woman With Three Pillows, but she has been very kind giving rides to town for beer and sharing her music and fluffy pillows. We all had breakfast in the restaurant, and then I took a shower. They have a handicap shower and I¢m handicapped with my ankle. You can just sit there for an hour with hot water spraying down on you. I hit the trail around 10:30. It feels good to be away from the tourist trap. The group of us is trying to time it so we get to Fontana Dam Monday morning to get our mail drops. Because of Easter, the post office will be closed Friday through Sunday. We did the worst today, climbing 3,000 feet. I prefer the uphill, since they use muscles. The downhill hurts joints. My ankle is getting better; at least it isn¢t getting worse. Tonight is a hammock night. I sleep so much better in it. The weather is going to be nice tomorrow.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: few clouds

I decided around 10 am that I would try to get to Fontana a little early for a special quest. I could either do 22 miles today, or 15 today and 7 tomorrow (I¢d have to get up very early tomorrow). I tried to keep hiking and only take short breaks. There is a hippy chick with dreads that has been hiking with us. Her name is Kelly. What is truly amazing is her shoes hurt her feet, so she is hiking in flip flops. Not sandals, but flip flops that you buy at a gas station by the beach. She is fast in them, too. I can¢t keep up, and this has been really steep hills. There is also a guy named Argan with us. He knows everything, not like a know-it-all, but really knows everything. I avoided him because I don¢t want to know everything. I¢d rather be happy than right any day. I had to quit after 15 miles, but I¢m going to get up early. I¢m so tired and my original quest doesn¢t seem as important as rest, but I will set an alarm anyhow. I think it will rain tonight, and I was too tired to hang my bear bag. I¢ve come over 150 miles ¢ only 2,000 miles to go.
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Yet another zero day. It is free to stay here, and there are showers and public bathrooms. There is no beer. As a matter of fact, we are 26 miles from anyplace that doesn¢t suck. We have a hard 7 days through the Smokeys ahead of us, and a day of rest may help my ankle. Woods and Reason also took zero days and we will head out together in the morning. Speaking of Reason, I would like to point out he is a whiner. If you read his journal, you will know what I mean. All he does is complain. He complains about his gear, his feet, his knees, and his occasional disgusting sicknesses. Out of everyone, he has the least amount of injuries and ailments. If anyone wants to sign his guest book and tell him to stop whining, feel free. When I first met Reason, I was taking a break and he walks up. ¢Which way to Maine?¢ he asks. He had completely the wrong gear. He was carrying an 8 pound backpack (8 pounds when empty) filled with everything the salesman at REI could sell him. He was even carrying a kayak. Okay, he wasn¢t carrying a kayak, but did have a lot of gear. At Neels Gap, he completely re-geared and now his pack weight is less than mine. My pack weight is actually growing. I¢ve added a hand sanitizer and an extra water bag. The lightest is Groovy¢s. He hurt his knee, so now all he carries is a mattress pad for a sleeping bag and a little food. He doesn¢t even carry water, just drinking a lot when he¢s at a spring. We are taking 7 days¢ worth of food so our packs are really heavy.   I will try to eat a lot on the first couple days to get rid of it. I had gotten some pain killers from the hospital at N.O.C., but then I thought I lost them, so I¢ve been going without. Today I found them with my granola. I haven¢t lost anything this entire trip. Back at home, I lose 10 things by lunch time. I¢ve learned to simplify my life. It is amazing how little you really need. Now that I think of it, all I really need is clothes, a credit card, and a wife to pay the credit card. Speaking of my wife, I am making plans to see her in about 11 days. Everyone out here knows her well, and has seen her pictures. Her trail name is Sugar Mama. She has to do many chores, like enter the journal entries, get my pocket mail fixed, send food drops, etc¢¦ Plus she has to do everything else like pay bills, work, mow the grass, etc¢¦ I sometimes wonder if I¢d rather be doing this or with her. Right now, I¢m counting on the fact that we will have plenty of time in the future, but being separated from her is the really tough part of this trip. I wonder if the visit will make it better or worse. Jessica, I love you.Peace,Dutch
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Good night of sleep does Dutch some good. With no one snoring, talking, or singing in their sleep, I got about 10 hours. I made breakfast for everyone. Ham, egg, and cheese on a hamburger roll. If you ever want to help your self esteem, cook for thru-hikers. They will praise anything you make. Woods and I hiked out together. About 2 miles into the Smokeys, I heard a noise right beside me. It was a doe 7 feet away. I just stopped and it just dug in the leaves for food. Soon Woods came down the trail and saw us. She suggested a photo and we both took pictures. Her picture has the deer and me side by side. Finally, we walked away, trying not to frighten it. I hope the bears have more fear. The weather is cloudy, windy, and cold. The first half of the day my ankle felt good. The second was a little more painful. There are many rules in the Smokeys, such as: No Dogs and You May Only Camp at Shelters. There are 4 reserved spots for thru-hikers at shelters. If there are more than 4 thru-hikers and weekend campers come, they can make us tent with the bears. There is a fence in front of the shelter to keep out the bears. It is going to be very cold tonight. I¢m wearing everything I own. Goodnight.
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

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

Last night was cold. I don¢t know how cold because I sent my tiny thermometer home because it weighed too much. No one wanted to get out of their sleeping bags. Finally, one by one, we all got going. Some of the trail here allows horses. We told Reason that horse manure is oatmeal in its natural unprocessed state. So now we all got a big laugh this morning. Woods and I walk together again. She¢s a little faster on the downhill, but I can take her on the up. I came upon a bald and took a break. I laid out my mattress and read the map and took care of water. I really was taking my time so I could enjoy the Smokeys. Actually, I took too many breaks because the second half was tough. We went over Rocky Top Mountain. I don¢t think it is the same one that the song is about, but I heard the lady who wrote ¢Rocky Top¢ died yesterday. That¢s coincidence enough to sing it. ¢Corn don¢t grow on good ol¢ Rocky Top; the ground¢s too rocky by far; that¢s why all the folks on Rocky Top get their corn from a jar. Rocky Top, you¢ll always be home sweet home to me; Good ol¢ Rocky Top; Rocky Top, Tennessee.¢ Speaking of Tennessee, we are on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. The trail runs right along the border. Woods and I came upon another deer that walked right up to us. There are little white flowers growing everywhere, and the doe was eating them. She looked so cute and was tame enough to let us come right up to her. We gave her a trail name. Her name is Venison.   We beat her to death with rocks and ate her raw. Okay, no, we didn¢t. All we did was take pictures. The last half kicked my butt and I didn¢t get to camp until 6:30. There were a lot of weekend campers, so thru-hikers have to tent. Tonight I will see how cold I can go in my hammock. We all had dinner together. Psycho Pat laughed hot chocolate out of her nose. She said some went into her lungs; now she¢s going to get chocolate pneumonia. Loser, Twig, and Nuts are all a day ahead of us since they didn¢t zero at Fontana Dam. Argon, Psycho Pat, Cruiser, Famous Shoes, Woods, Reason, and I are all here. Some are going into Gatlinburg the day after tomorrow. I shouldn¢t, but I do need fuel for my stove. I will decide tomorrow.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mount Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I wake up early. Actually, I barely got any sleep. Parts of my body were roasting while others were freezing. When I got out of my hammock, a deer was strolling through camp. Again, for the third straight day, I was able to get within 10 feet of a doe. I¢m pretty sure it was Venison again. The people who stayed in tents seem to be very motivated to get to the shelter first, so they won¢t spend another night in a cold tent. Today is a special day because we are going over Clingmans Dome. Clingmans Dome is the highest part of the AT. It is even higher than Mt. Washington and Mt. Katahdin. Our elevation has been climbing ever since we entered The Great Smokey Mountains. Now, whenever you look up, all you see is this large flat mountain. We climbed to 6643 feet above sea level. At the top are lots and lots of tourists. Some tourists were asking us questions. Some were taking pictures of us like we were Amish. There was a tower at the top, and I couldn¢t resist a few photos. The higher elevations are part of the reason why it is so cold here. After Clingmans Dome, the forest changed from Alice in Wonderland to the place Little Red Riding Hood met the big bad wolf. There were many standing dead trees that must have been attacked by a blight. Now the undergrowth is so thick that no animal bigger than a rabbit could have gotten through. Everyone made it to the shelter and there is enough room for all. Tomorrow some people are heading into Gatlinburg. I will probably join them.
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Mount Collins Shelter

To: Gatlinburg Motel
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

I could not resist the lure of Gatlinburg. I decided to stop here instead of Davenport Gap. Gatlinburg has many perils, with bars, restaurants, and go-cart racing. I knew I would have to be strong. Gatlinburg is a huge tourist town that looks like a boardwalk without the beach. There is neon, funnel cake, and old-fashioned pictures everywhere. I walked with Cruiser out to the road where we met up with Woods and Reason. It took about 15 minutes of trying to hitch hike a ride before we all got in the back of a pickup and headed to town. I could tell right away this place was designed to separate a hiker from his money. The group I¢m with now is Woods Dragon, Cruiser, Reason, Famous Shoes, and Barking Spiders. Barking Spiders has been sleeping in his rain pants and has developed a tropical ecosystem based on methane. After a week of this, he evolved his own breed of sea monkeys. We all went to lunch where I got a burger and two beers. Afterwards, everyone wanted to check out the town. I decided to pick up a six-pack and a small bottle of vodka. I did some laundry and worked on my schedule. I decided to take it easy for the next week and meet Jess at Hot Springs. I feel guilty indulging in the pleasures of Gatlinburg and avoided being sucked into the tourist trap as much as possible. Everyone went to the Brewery for dinner, but I looked unsuccessfully for batteries for my radio. I ate a Big Mac Extra Value Meal and went to the Brewery to find everyone. Cruiser and I went back to the hotel and put the bottle of vodka out of its misery. She¢s really pretty cool and soon everyone came back. We are planning a short day tomorrow just to get out of here. If not, we may all wind up working for Ripley¢s Believe It or Not.
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Gatlinburg Motel

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

Vitamin I works well for inflammation, pain, and as it turns out, hangovers, too. I woke up to birds chirping so I closed the sliding door for the balcony and went to bed. Then the sun started shining, so I closed the curtains and went back to bed. Finally, I dragged my butt into the bathroom where I took a long bath. I feel pretty good considering the festivities of last night. Woods came by and we planned out the day. We need a grocery store and I still need batteries for my radio. As it turns out, Reason and Cruiser are taking a zero day. I must escape this town with all its temptations. Laffy Taffy, Woods, and I will go just 3 miles to get back on the trial. Three is better than zero, and we wake up in the woods instead of 11 am checkout, then breakfast. I feel guilty whenever I¢m in a town. The need to keep up my miles is pretty important. I need to average 13 miles a day, and it will take a lot of 20 mile days to catch up to my schedule. I will pick up the miles after Hot Springs. Woods and I walked about 5 miles through the tourist trap from hell to get to a grocery store. They had batteries for my radio. I have been trying to decipher the native tongue of the indigenous people around here. First realization was the word ¢reckon¢. Reckon means ¢I have no clue.¢ For example, ¢I reckon it¢s ¢bout 2 miles,¢ or ¢I reckon it will be nice the next 3 days.¢ Next was the phrase ¢daggum it¢ which is stronger than ¢darn it¢, but not as strong as ¢damn it¢. As it turns out, though, there are only 3 sentences you¢re allowed to use it in. ¢Daggum it, I just cut off my thumb¢¦ again.¢ ¢Daggum it, I just soiled my britches.¢ ¢Daggum it, I¢m plum out of moonshine.¢ I can¢t figure out the uncontrolled use of the word plum, but it isn¢t an ingredient in moonshine. Finally, just as daggum it can only be used in three sentences, daggone can be used in any sentence at any place in the sentence. For example, ¢Daggone Clem done went and run his daggone truck over his daggone dog again.¢ It took about 15 minutes for the three of us to hitch a ride the 15 miles back to the trail. It¢s raining and cold. The weather man reckoned wrong about it being warm and sunny. It feels good to be back on the trail, though my pack is really heavy. I decided to add deodorant to my toiletries. Maybe I¢ll be more accustomed to smelling bad later, but for now I want to preserve my town fresh scent.