morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-23
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

It is a pretty morning with temps in the high 40's. The trail telegraph is busy. A huge storm is headed our way. The prediction is heavy rain tonight, high winds, hail and possible tornado's are expected on Saturday. We decide to push for Winding Stair Gap, where Ron Haven will pick us up and transport us to Haven's Budget Inn in Franklin, NC. We labor up Big Butt Mountain and are rewarded by the best views we have seen so far on our journey. I won't repeat what Full Tilt wanted to re-name Big Butt Mountain, as my mother is a gentile lady and she reads this blog. Next climb is Albert Mountain, which is famous for the need to use both hands to crawl over the boulders to the top. At the top is a Forest Service Fire Tower with 360 degree panoramic views. We are going over twelve miles today, so we decide to save our energy and take the Albert Mountain bypass trail. We just lose the tip of the peak, but save our energy for the longest mileage of our trip. Albert Mountain is named for Albert Siler a former park ranger.We stop for a break at Glassmine Gap. The name of the gap is rumored to be the result of a nearby mica mine. Rest over we hoof it to our pick-up point. Our pick-up truck arrives on time and carries us into to Franklin. We are happy to have rooms as hikers are fleeing the trail in large numbers headed for the safety of town.Hiker Tip #16 A good website to identify southern AT plants is www.hikesouth.com. We met the seven men responsible for this site on the trail near Wateroak Gap. They are all retired and get together to hike every Wednesday. We talked to them for a very long time about plant identification and the whereabouts of the old AT. Nice guys.
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Rain, lighting and high winds today. My prayers go out to the people in Mississippi, they look the worst hit by this weather system. We do our town chores. Later in the day, Ron Haven fires up his bus and makes the rounds with his load of hikers. He takes us to the post office, Three River Outfitters, Ingle's Grocery, Wal-mart and the ABC store (state operated liquor stores in the south). After the last stop he takes us back to his three hotels. Ron is a good guy in the John Wayne tradition. He is full of stories and history of the AT and will gladly share when asked. A true trail angel.Our friend Jennifer is scheduled to arrive today. She will join us and hike from Franklin to just pass Hot Springs, NC. We are looking forward to having her hike the Smokies with us. More friends, more fun, we can't wait to be out on the trail again.
Date: 2010-04-26
From: Franklin, NC

To: Silar Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: light rain

Most of the hikers are leaving Franklin. The weather calls for rain and cold, but no thunder storms. The lure of the trail is too much, we are heading out. We jump on Ron Haven's bus and travel to Winding Stair Gap. We get off the old Head Start Bus, now hiker shuttle, and step into a light rain. Some last minute gear adjustments and we head north up the trail.Jennifer, aka Sunshine, is very excited to step foot on the AT. The trail welcomes her with a valley of Trillium spread across the hillside. The white and green of the flowers are so beautiful in the misty rain. The beauty continues as we walk along a cascading mountain stream. The water is clear and cold as it rushes over rounded boulders and tickles moss covered banks. We cross over this picturesque stream on a brand new foot bridge downstream from a lively waterfall. Trout lilies decorate the banks as the clear water rushes under the bridge.Next is Swinging Lick Gap. Most of the Gaps on the AT are marked with a wooden sign with the name of the Gap carved into the sign. This one is no exception. As we get closer we can see the sign has been altered, someone carved the "L" into a "D". The sign now reads Swinging Dick Gap. The carving of the "D" is so well done we have to check our trail guide to make sure this isn't the actual name of the gap. We kidded with each other it was equal opportunity in action, Chunky Gal Trail vs Swinging Dick Gap.On up the mountain we go through the rain and mist. We pass Panther Gap and do not stop, the temperature is dropping and the wind is picking up. Siler Bald Shelter is a half mile off the AT. Normally, we wouldn't travel that far of the trail, but with the weather deteriorating rapidly we head for the shelter.The shelter is packed full of cold, wet hikers. We set up on the hillside in the rain. This is the first time Sunshine has set up her Hennessey Hammock in the rain and she does a great job. Hammocks set up we head for the shelter to socialize and cook dinner. Everyone is warming their hands over their cooking dinners and trying to get something hot into their bodies. Conversation is short as dinners are eaten and cleanup is done. It is cold and everyone heads for their sleeping bags. Night all, send warm thoughts.Hiker Tip #17 I always carry a couple of Grabber Hand Warmers for situations like this. They are activated when they are taken out of the package and exposed to air. You can throw them in the bottom of your sleeping bag or place them on a major artery and they will warm you up quick. They stay hot for about eight hours. A lot safer, in my mind, then putting a water bottle full of hot water in your sleeping bag with you.   Temps 52 to 32 degrees
Date: 2010-04-27
From: Silar Bald Shelter

To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

Snow, sleet, hail and freezing rain. We are staying put, as are half the hikers in the shelter. We spend the day in our sleeping bags, it is pretty cold. We share crossword puzzles, sudoku, read books and journal. Oh yeah, we take a few naps along the way, in between swapping stories about our experiences on the trail.Hiker Tip # 18 Light hiker food consists of crushed ramen noodles, throw out the seasoning packet and add a dry packet of pesto, spaghetti or alfredo sauce to the mix in a ziplock bag. About three ounces and very tasty on the trail. Temps 30 to 42 degrees.
Date: 2010-04-29
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Copper Ridge Campsite
Miles today: 4.9

It is a short walk today. Nice downhill into Burningtown Gap. A pretty meadow with flowering apple trees greet us. One point two miles to Cold Spring Shelter. The shelter is sitting directly on the AT. The trail maintainers tore down the original shelter and recycled the hewed logs into the "new" shelter. A great spring runs directly in front of the chinked and hewed log structure. I am told it has a very healthy mice population. We filtered water and moved up the trail and took a right on a trail leading sharply up to the ridgetop. Great area for tents and hammocks, not to mention the views. A white tailed hawk was drifting lazily in the thermals created by the ridge. Vireos and warblers were singing to each other. A lovely spot to spend the night. We had dinner on a huge log facing the sunset which seemed to last forever. Sublime.Hiker Tip # 20 I can't say enough about Purell hand sanitizer. We used it before meals, after meals, before bathroom breaks and after bathroom breaks. We,especially, used it after reading the shelter logs and using the shelter ink pens. We stayed healthy and happy, unlike some miserable hikers who had gastro problems. Highly recommend it, three small bottles (.5 oz), one in the food bag, one in the TP bag and one in your pocket.
Date: 2010-05-01
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: The NOC
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We wake to mist and storm clouds hovering overhead. We break camp and head toward the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). The guide book elevation profile shows it is all down hill. Hah, don't believe everything you read. We start out with a series of steep rocky knobs. The climbs and descents are short. This goes on for about forty-five minutes. The storm is looking blacker and we are walking on a narrow ridgeline. I am anxious to get off the ridgeline. When we get to the Jumpup Lookout the trail descends into the forest. The threat of lighting eases and we begin to enjoy this lively forest around us. There are all types of birds and flowers. We find pink lady slippers, huge patches of dwarf iris, rare showy orchis, Solomon's Seal, foamflower, mandarin, yellow bellwort, blooming mayapple, hillsides of trillium and different kinds of violets. The trail is a delight to the senses. We never do get rained on and it is a quick descent into the NOC. We all agree it was a perfect hike.The NOC is an a cluster of restaurants, outdoor outfitter and kayak schools. Everything is very colorful and the benches along the river provide a fun view of persons learning to kayak. We ate at the River's Edge Restaurant. The carnivores and herbivores in our little group were both equally happy with the menu selection.About halfway through the dinner Karen drives up and joins us. Needless to say, I am very happy to see her. We all pile in the Explorer and drive up to the Nantahala Inn to spend the night. Our group now consists of Karen and myself, Full Tilt, Sunshine and Gipcgirl. Showers and bed are in our future.
Date: 2010-05-02
From: The NOC

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The trip has been amazing, but, I am jumping off the trail. Full Tilt, Sunshine and Gipcgirl are continuing north on the AT. I will pick them up at Newfound Gap when they reach that point. I think I will do some Trail Magic and bring them cold drinks, cookies and fresh fruit. What I have learned about myself. I am perfectly comfortable in the woods. I have remembered how much I enjoy backpacking long distances. Long distance for me means three to four weeks. I love my family and the time away has only deepen those feelings. I am very thankful I have a good life to return to in Kentucky.I thank everyone who followed this journal and left a kind message. I hope to return in the Fall. Can you tell I prefer cool weather? Good luck to all the wonderful people I met on the trail. I have loved your stories and spirit. The Trail, like life, is more than a footpath. It is, for me, the great diversity of people who make up the trail and enrich the journey. I have climbed mountains and seen their beauty. I have felt the warmth of sunshine and felt the caress of the wind as it travels through the forest. I have tasted water so cold and fresh as to dream it might be the first spring on this earth. I have felt my heart race along with the incoming storm. I have stolen the energy of nature to restore my spirit and I must find a way to give it back.Happy trails, Options
Date: 2010-08-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Getting ready to go back on the AT for my Fall section hike. I'm going to go back and fill in a section I missed to a bad storm. I am lucky enough to have some friends to go with me to do Woody Gap to Neel's Gap in GA. We are going to slack pack and stay at Neel's gap in the Blood Mountain Cabins.    After I fill in that hole, we will leave and they will kick me out at the NOC to begin where I got off in May. Hope to go about a month this time. I'm starting my pack list and food prep. Can't wait to get back out there.
Date: 2010-09-20
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

Morning is sunny and warm. Three southbounders came in during the night. They were needing water. They had walked about 6 miles with no water between them. Needless to say when we showed them the spring they were a little exhuberent in their joy of the taste of water. Everyone is up around the same time doing camp chores and yakking. I stuff my swollen foot into my trailshoe and I am the first to head up the trail. I summit the mountain unto a bald. A bald is a open grassy area. Cattle and hogs probably grazed here in the last century. I have a beautiful view of the Nantahala and Snowbird Mountains to the South. Cinnamon and Toast catch up with me at this point and we enjoy the view together. Big miles for me today so onward.The trail descends sharply into Locust Cove Gap. The water is dried up, so no water until the next shelter. Not much vegetation in bloom, I see some galax along this section of the trail. The leaves of the galax plant used to be used in christmas decorations before the use of plastic. The mountain people would harvest and sell the leaves to the point the plant became rare in some locations. Not the case now, plenty of galax.A turkey rises suddenly from the trail right in front of me. Beating his wings he comes to a roost in a tree near the trail. I'm not sure who was startled more, him or me. At least the adrenalin rush helps me climb a little faster. I meet a southbounder who informs me there is no water at the shelter I am planning to stay at, Brown Fork Gap Shelter. I was planning on doing the 9.1 miles to the shelter and stopping for the night. Welcome to the AT, change of plans. The AT crosses NC 143 at Stecoah Gap. I am mildly allergic to bee stings and my ankle and foot are still bright red and swollen, my little toes truely look like little piggies. Between the water situation and my foot I decide to call Phil and request a pickup and spend the night in his Hiker Hostel. In for the night with ice on my foot.
Date: 2010-09-21
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: few clouds

A good nights sleep and ice on my ankle has made me close to normal. The redness and swelling has retreated considerbly from my foot. The ankle is still swollen but totally doable. Phil drops me at the trailhead at 8:30 AM and north I head up the hill. The trail is not as strenous today. It is mostly ridgetops and with a nice breeze and some great views. As I descend into Sweetwater Gap I meet three Southbounders, they confirm no water at Brown Fork Shelter. There is water at Brown Fork Gap so I head that way. At the spring I meet a fellow from Burlington, Vt. He and his two friends are out for four days. They have been section hiking the AT for five years. They started at Springer Mountain and have made it this far in that amount of time. He tells me they are headed for Cable Gap Shelter where I intend to spend the night. I am looking forward to talking to them tonight.    I start off again onto a trail bounded by mountain laurel and blueberry bushes. I have seen some bear scat, but nothing that appears fresh. I arrive at the shelter and set up camp. The shelter is located down in a gap, so the light is fading fast. I need to find a tree to hang my food, Full Tilt I could have used your skill at this point. I found only one branch that would work and it was pretty high up from the ground. It took me forever to throw a line over that limb. But, finally I was successful and got my food hanging safely.    No one has shown up and it is dark, so I am going to sleep. I am the only one here at the shelter and I am hearing every twig break and acorn fall. Ahh, the joys of camping alone. Sleep finally comes, good night all.
Date: 2010-09-24
From: Fontana Dam Visitor Center

To: Birch Spring Gap Campsite
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: scattered clouds

The day is forecasted to be in the 90's. I hope for an early start, but, the hotel can't cut someone loose to take me to the dam until around 10am. I get picked up in a nice truck, no dents, no rips in the upholstery and no nasty smells. I forgive them for being late    The day starts with a walk across the dam headed for the woods. By the time I get across I am sweating, it is going to be a hot one. I follow the road/trail up Shuckstack Mountain. The road ends in a cul de sac and the trail heads into the woods. The climb is 4.4 miles and 2100 feet of elevation gain to the summit and Shuckstack Fire Tower. The humidity is awful and the temps hover around 93 degrees. I am not a hot weather person and this makes for a tough climb. The good thing is I see a bear. Actually, I only see the butt, which is my favorite view. The yearling goes flying off the trail and into the underbrush when he makes my acquaintance. The resulting adrenalin powers me up the mountain to the firetower.    The structure is in very poor condition. It was built in 1932 and looks as if that was the last time anyone did any repairs to it. I climb the first flight of stairs and go no further. I have a breeze and a view, that is far enough. I watch a hawk soar along the thermals and admire the shape of the pristine white clouds against the Carolina blue sky. I think about the settlers who used to populate those valleys. I can't imagined how it must have felt to be torn from your families land for the government to build a dam and a park. I send them a silent prayer of peace and move down from my perch.   I reach Birch Spring Gap and hang my hammock. The spring turns out to be a trickle, but I am thankful for the water. It takes me 17 minutes to fill three liters. I am visited by a day hiker who is happy to see the dripping of the water from the pipe. We talk about the lack of water and the abundance of acorns in the woods. It doesn't seem possible that the trees could produce such bounty in this summer of drought. He takes his leave to hurry off the mountain before nightfall. I eat my dinner and head to sleep in my hammock.
Date: 2010-09-25
From: Birch Spring Gap Campsite

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

The day dawns early as I am awakened by a couple of chipmunks playing tag in the deep leaves under my hammock. I get up and get going. I was planning to sleep at Russell Field Shelter tonight, but that will not work. The Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) caretakers are rebuilding that shelter. I will have to go past it to Spence Field.    The ATC caretakers or maintainers are volunteers from hiking clubs affiliated with the ATC. These hardy volunteers maintain the shelters, bridges, trails and build new trails. They clear all brush and downed trees without the use of power tools. The Park only allows the use of chainsaws two weeks out of the year. You know when you meet a volunteer because they have on a hardhat and are carrying axes, hand saws, pulaski, shovels and other gear strapped onto a steel frame with shoulder straps. They are wonderful souls and we own them a large Thank You should you come across one on the AT.    I stop at Mollies Ridge Shelter for lunch. There are large signs warning of an aggressive bear. I am glad I wasn't planning on staying here. Legend has it the ridge is named for a white settler named Mollie who loved a Cherokee warrior called White Eagle. White Eagle did not return from a hunting trip one cold winter night and Mollie went searching for him. She froze to death on top of the ridge which bares her name. Legend says she searches for him still.   Next stop is Russell Field Shelter. The ATC maintainers have the new shelter framed in and it is going to be nice. I stop and talk for awhile, they are a nice bunch of people. The lumber and supplies were airlifted by helicopter to the building site. I'm sure that was something to see.    Three miles to go to the next shelter, off I go. I stroll into the shelter and I am happy to see I have company for the night. By the time the last hiker shows up we number ten at the shelter. Think of it as Fatmen and Robin. They are an interesting group of fellas, everything from professional musicians to engineers from the Ukraine. They build a roaring fire in the fire pit and I fall asleep to the murmur of happy men swapping trail stories around the flames.
Date: 2010-09-26
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Cades Cove
Miles today: 6.0

It pours rain all night long. The sound of the rain pounding the tin roof of the shelter almost drowns out the snoring of ten tired people, almost. In the morning everyone is making plans as they watch the water come down in sheets from the clouds. The forecast is for three days of much needed rain. I decide to resupply early and call my sister Kimi for a pickup at Cades Cove. The map shows the Bote Mountain Trail intersecting with the AT about a mile north of my location. I can hop on the Bote Mtn. Trail and take it to the Anthony Creek Trail which ends in the Cades Cove Picnic Area. I love maps. Hmm, three days of wet heavy gear or get off now and sit it out. Not a tough decision for me.   I start off in heavy rain and I am thankful for hiking poles. The trail is wet and slippery. So many people have walked this trail it has worn a trough a foot deep into the mountain. I am walking in a rushing mini-river. My feet and socks are waterlogged by mile one. I find the Bote Mtn. trail and begin my descent. The trail is rocky and wet. I take my time and enjoy the smell of the forest in the rain. The birds are singing and I sense the Mountains rejoicing in this much needed rain. It is a pretty hike and I find my trails with no problems. Once I reach Anthony Creek Trail I follow the creek all the way into the campground. It is a beautiful trail and the sound of moving water is what I have been missing. I call Kimi from the camp store and she rescues me from this wonderfully wet environment and takes me to her home. I love hot showers.
Date: 2010-09-27
From: Zero Day

To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

I'm at Kimi's house in Wears Valley, TN. Kimi is the animal trainer for the Magic Beyond Belief Theater. She is responsible for the safekeeping and training of one white tiger named Hollywood and a Bengal tiger named Rajah. She also has 2 cervel cats, parrots, cockatoos, monkeys, rabbits, doves, parakeets, ducks and some kind of small bear which I have no idea how to spell its species name. Kimi goes by Corky at work, so if you stop by the theater for the show tell her I sent you.    I do the normal zero day chore list and we sneak in a movie and lots of good food. It rains all day and life is great.