morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-03-10
From: Standing Indian shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Today started with a gradual climb up Standing Indian Mountain. It was ideal for warming up my legs. The mornign was quite cold but another beautiful day. We cruised all day. The terrain was really easy. Red finally caught us today. She's been doing some big days to catch up. It is unclear whetehr we are still official partners or not. Dimples and I are pretty much partners now. She calls me her little brother which is pretty funny. She is like the sister I nver had. Today we went over Albert Mountain which had exquisite views. We went ot the top of the tower and saw 360 degree views. It was wild. The climb was hand over hand for about .2 miles. We had a fire tonight and about 12 of us sat around talking. Tomorrow a bunch of us are going to Rainbow Springs Campground to re-supply and hit the trail again.
Date: 2013-03-21
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 3.1

We had a couple inches of snow on the ground, but there wasn't any wind, so it was just a cold morning. It was a beautiful, quiet world and we saw critter prints along a snow-covered log. We left early and I thought we were the first on the trail, but there were two sets of prints in the snow. It was good to follow them becasue there were places where the trail wasn't very apparent. I've noticed that I spend more time route-finding by looking at the ground rather than keeping my eyes open for blazes. The descent was treacherous because the rocks and roots were covered in snow and the ground was frozen and slippery in places. DirtDog was not in his usual good mood by the time we reached the gap(windy, as usual) and wanted off the trail until the snow melted. It's his hike so I got out the quide and found The Cabin In the Woods and called for a pickup. Phil and Donna welcomed us and Snowman and Escargot, who came down right after us and also wanted to warm up. I took my phone out and contacted one of my daughters only to learn that our oldest daughter was having severe complications with her pregnancy and was having an emergency c-section. The rest of the day was agony as we waited for updates, but God is so good to us. We were blessed with our first grandson, Jack Anthony, 3 pounds, 11 ounces and in good shape for a little guy. Allison is doing better, but we are off the trail for a while. DirtDog's brother is bringing us our car and we are driving to Minneapolis to offer whatever assistance we can. We'll be back!
Date: 2003-03-11
From: big spring shelter

To: siler bald shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

It was chilly last night. Stayed in the shelter again. Which has become my rountine. I sleep pretty well in them and the mice dont seem to bother me too much. Packing up a tent is just another chore in the morning. Dimples and I are usually the last to break camp, generally around 8:30. Most people leave early but I dont mind holding back. We have bene rolling into camp later which I really enjoy. Geting in about 3 p.m. is just a little early. I have been soaking my dogs in the strams for the past few days in attempt to heal my blisters. Everyone's feet are pretty much mashed up. But my right heel is pretty raw. I think my socks are too big. We flew mostly downhill for the first six mile. The plan was to walk a mile off the Trail to Rainbow Springs Campground. Dimples and I walked down the gravel road and met Subman, Flick, Redstreak and Squirts there. We all got a couple days groceries and pigged out. Dimples and I split a sausage and pepperoni microwavable pizza. I hate a Jalapeno Philly cheese steak Hot Pocket and a Mountain Dew to top it off. The new owners here are great people. I highly recommend stopping here if not staying. They are still learning the ropes but are hiker friendly. Phil, the owner gave all six of us a ride back to the Trail. We hiked another seven miles uphill to the shelter. It's so obvious that all of us are getting into good shape. We barely need to huff 'n' puff anymoreTwo more days until we hit the NOC - where we are staying and may take the day off. Right now we are sitting around a blazing fire courtesy of Lumberjack. Every night we have camped with him he has had roaring fires. Listening to Yonder Mountain String Band - life is great. Smokies in less than a week.
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: clear sky

We are back on the trail with good news regarding our daughter and new grandson. Both are doing well and Jack is focusing on gaining weight. Many heartfelt thanks to all who have sent us their prayers and best wishes; it meant a lot to us. Well, 17 days of sitting around doesn't do much for hiking legs! We made it up Jacob's Ladder from Stecoah Gap and worked hard to arrive at the shelter. We were amazed by the changes that have occured since we were in the woods. There are insects flying everywhere and today I heard a critter hopping around in the leaves. Everything is waking up. I sure hope Mother Nature cooperates. We met Knick-Knack at the shelter, a lovely lady doing a section with her daughter who was quick to point out that her mom celebrates her 80th birthday this month. Knick-Knack did a thru hike in 1998 when lightweight gear was just a dream. Congrats to her. We also met Sassafras and Caboose, a father-daughter team that can eat up the miles. She is only 13 and has a passion for doing a thru hike on the AT with the Triple Crown to follow. She is an amazing girl!
Date: 2003-03-12
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Tellico Gap
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

Today was a long day - our longest so far. 16.2 if you add the .5 from the shelter. We got our first taste of the southern balds I have heard so much about.We crossed over Siler Bald and Wayah Bald. Wayah Bald was awesome. We took about a 45 minute lunch/boots off break. We could see Albert Mountain where had hiked from two days before. We met a few older day hikers who treated us like celebrities. Asking questions. Congratulating us. We are really all getting into good physical shape. Our feet are dead now - and blister filled - but its satisfying knowing we can walk 12-15 miles every day. We got to Cold Spring Shelter where we planned to stay but kept pushing. The shelter was small and old. We were gonna camp but could not find a decent site. It was all steep down hill. We ended up dong the extra 3.6 miles in an hour and 20 minutes. Subman and Flick were waiting for us and Pile-up was also there. We had a great night and are ready to hit the NOC tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Visitor's Center
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a beautiful hike amidst the signs of Spring. I need my friend Scarf to identify all the flowers; all I could identify are the wood violets, trillium and dandylion. But I did enjoy even the unnamed. Today we also saw a neon blue fly, a centipede and a sound that was suspiciously like the katydids the press is warning us to expect. I think I will use my ear plugs when they really get humming. I also saw a chipmunk and a squirrel. Oh, I LOVE the good weather even though it also means biting knats. The Visitor's Center is closed until May 1 so the whole area was deserted and we didn't have reception to call the lodge for a shuttle so we accepted our first hitch with some great folks who didn't mind a couple of stinky old folks, or so they said. I notice they rolled down the windows post-haste, though. We are well fed and resting for entrance into the Smokies tomorrow. Chatting with the ridge runner this morning revealed that we should have warm weather until Thursday when cats and dogs are expected to fall from the skies. Gotta see that.
Date: 2003-03-13
From: Tellico Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: broken clouds

It rained briefly this morning but none of us got too wet. We forgot what rain is! The first mile and a half was straight up Wesser Bald. Tower on top but foggy hazy views. Dimples and I had a good long conversation while we hiked today and I didn't realize the tought terrain. We hiked the last few miles with Subman and Journeyman. The last five miles were steep downhill to the NOC. Makes for a tough descent on the feet and knees. I am all blistered up and just bought a pair of Vasque trail runners. Will test them out and see what comes out of it. My boots are tearing up my feet. They are too wide and heavy. But now I sacrifice my ankle support. It's also a lot of stress on my feet. But we will see, I guess. Gotta learn soemhow.Had a fantastic burger and french fries at the restaurant. Had the pleasure of eating with Dimples, Redstreak, Squirts, Subman, Journeyman, and Pile Up. We all chowed down! Hikers rolled in all day. Saw Moxie, Cakes and Johnny Walker. At 4 p.m. in rolled Red, Grunt, Java, Space Monkey and Hot Poles. It was good to be reunited with so many friends. They hitched to a store and brought junk food galore. We split pizzas, oreos, chips, cookies etc. A spring break group offered us cake and ice cream - what a treat. I dipped oreos into vanilla ice cream. As you can probably tell, we eat everything we can get our hands on. And I have lost five pounds!Just showered and did laundry. Smokies in three days - almost unral. We still have a very hard 28 mile section before we hit the parkds, including 8 miles straight uphill to start tomorrow. We need to make up that elevation we lost. Life is great!
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Fontana Dam Visitor's Center

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: few clouds

We couldn't get a shuttle back to the Visitors Center until 8:30 so it only made sense to eat a hearty breakfast at the Lodge. It was a beautiful day and we were soon on our way over the dam. Dirtdog took photos of the massive structure, but my favorite was of the neon yellow coating on the water in one of the coves- pollen! We walked with Carl, the ATC ridgerunner we had met yesterday and whom I had met in a section hike through here a few years ago. We talked trees and I learned that the understory trees that held their leaves all through the winter were American beech and that they could be invasive, although they were native to these forests. I wish I had a fraction of the knowledge this man has about what we are seeing. It was a good thing we had developed a rapport because, when we arrived at the box for depositing our permits, we found that we hadn't printed out the right pages and were hiking with only our receipts. Hopefully we should be ok, as there is actually a tracking number. It was a very long, slow, warm climb up to Shuckstack with a heavy pack. It is still too early to ditch all the winter gear weighing us down until we are out of the Smokies, at least. It was an unpleasant surprise to arrive at the nice resting area below the fire tower, anticipating a snack and well-deserved rest, but no way. The biting knats were out in force and required that we cover every inch of flesh or sacrifice blood. Now, I don't mind sharing a bit of blood, but these monsters leave the itchiest welts to plague us for days. At Ekaneetlee Gap we gave ourselves the luxury of a long break/nap to cool down and rest weary legs and backs and we felt amazingly refreshed afterwards. We tented with great company at the shelter and hung our food bags on the cables. Somehow the cables became twisted and we worried that we wouldn't be able to untangle our bags from the mass surrounding ours so DirtDog muscled the cables around and we examined the bags and found that one of my clips was broken and his clip was almost severed. If we exchange these bags with our clothes bags all will be fine. We chatted with the many hikers until the sun finally headed down and the wind started. It howled all night and worked at the stakes holding vestibule until they finally worked loose and the flapping was too obnoxious to ignore. I reset the stakes and enjoyed the midnight view of all the stars in the universe hanging just over our heads.
Date: 2003-03-14
From: NOC

To: Sassafrass Gap shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept till 8:30 - didn't feel like getting up. Dimples and i ate breakfast with Jim Lowe. He's Alex Lowe's father, the famous climber who died in the Himalayas. I bought my trail runners this morning. We hung around the NOC until about 12:45 when we realized there was little to do. The hike out of NOC is straight up for 7 miles. It certainly put my new shoes to the test.We got drizzled on for about 20 minutes but nothing too bad. We arrived at the shelter at 4:30 to find Pile Up, Flick, Journeyman, Grunt, Subman and Java. ALso here are Red, Mimi -whose trail name is PopTart - and Brandan and DEan. And Space Monkey. It's really chilly here, andthe rain's coming down. So we are all bundled up and in our bags at 6 p.m. Yeah, its a crazy Friday night party at the Sassafrass Gap Shelter.I feel like I've really accepted the Trail for what it is. I heard people talking about how mad they were at the ups. I have come to realize I can't change the terrain. If I am gonna get to Maine, I gotta roll with the punches. I rarely consult the profiles anymore. I mean either way I have to go over it. Life out here is pretty silmple. We hike, eat and sleep. And of course kid around a lot.
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Clingman's Dome
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Again, the morning was overcast and the wind continued to roar. Our walk was as fast as we could go because bad weather was in the forcast. It was a different approach than we had been used to, not taking any breaks or stopping to chat, but we had hopes of making it to Clingman's Dome and sharing a shuttle with Woodstock. A steadily climbing path brought us nearly to Silers Bald Shelter when we met a ridgerunner who was advising everyone to be sure and take shelter because the storm expepcted this afternoon would bring high winds, hail and lightening. There were already people stopping in this first shelter, but the weather appeared to be clearing, just as it had yesterday. We pushed on to Double Spring Gap Shelter, only another 1.7 miles and it was packed. The weather still looked good, so we cameled up with water from the delicious spring and continued. The forest was mixed spruce and fir and formed a lovely aisle lined with old logs draped in moss. I prayed that this beautiful corridor would last for miles. I'm surprised that I didn't remember this section from previous walks through the Smokies and indulged my senses. The birds were singing and trail maintainers had recently clipped low-hanging branches, so it smelled like Christmas. We finally walked out of our little Paradise and finished the climb along a ridge of stegasaurus-like rocks up to the paved road and tourists. It was Woodstock's father's birthday and he wanted to send photos to his dad from the top of the dome, so we trooped up and could see for miles. Back down in the parking lot we were able to hitch into Gatlinburg for a night of fine food, clean beds and shelter from the storm that finally rolled in after dark. The bad news in all this is that DirtDog's left Achilles tendon has been very painful for the last 3 days. He spent much of last year rehabbing from a repair procedure on the right Achilles and is terrified at the thought of having to go through it again. So we are off the trail until he can get this cleared up. Our plan is to rejoin the AT in late June or July and hike a long section, probably in Vermont. I'm disappointed that this won't be a through hike, but will still love the long sections, as long as I can do it with my sweetheart.
Date: 2003-03-15
From: Sassafrass Gap shelter

To: Brown Gap Fork Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

We got here at 1 p.m. but decided to stay the day instead of pushing another six miles. Grunt, Java, Subman, Pile up and Pop Tart decided to go on. Red, Dimples, Space Monkey, Jurneyman, Hot Poles, DEan and Brandon and I decided to stay the day/night. We got to Cheoah Bold today which was supposed to have great views but we were socked in with fog. Although we did the miles quickly it was a difficult hike for me. It rained on us for a couple of hours and between sweaing uphill and the rain I was drenched. Add in 40 degree temps and wind and I had hypothermia on my mind. My glasses would fog up about every 20 seconds and after awhile my bandana was soaking from whipping my glasses. Some of the terrain was pretty rocky so I was meticulous with my footing. I like my sneakers but they don't have the traction and support my boots did. Space Monkey, Dimples and I lunched at Steoch Gap. An ex-through hiker stopped in, and donated some snacks to us. I guess we looked pathetic. The climb out of the Gap was about the steepest we have had. We re at the 150 mile mark and looking forward to Fontana Dam tomorrow. Still debating on taking a day off.
Date: 2013-06-18
From: Swatara Gap

To: 501 shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: light rain

Hooray, we are back on the trail. Dirtdog has spent the last two months in PT for his Achilles tendonitis and has received the OK from his doctor to return to the trail. There are a lot of reasons we chose to start in Pennsylvania rather than continue from Clingman's Dome, not the least of which is that we are looking forward to hiking with friends in southern PA next week and we needed to get in shape to keep up with the younger and more athletic "Spike." We arrived at the Days Inn in Jonestown (Lickdale?) last night and secured permission to leave our car here for a week. We were ready on the side of the road early looking for a hitch up to the trailhead, but soon realized that all the traffic was moving in the opposite direction that we needed to travel. Never-the-less, we kept the smiles pasted on our faces, our thumbs high in the air and a car eventually turned back to pick us up. The two gentlemen had just left a Rotary Club meeting and were in a "good citizen" state of mind and left us at the trail with grateful hearts in just a matter of minutes. We began a moderate climb on a steamy morning, but it had been a while since we had last toted around an elephant on our backs (well, the packs seemed at least that heavy) and we moved slowly. We were soon reminded that this state is known by AT hikers as "Rocksylvania" and we found it difficult to set a pace among the various chunks, pebbles and boulders. Our wildlife entertainment for the morning was watching a daring black snake scoot between DirtDog's feet while he was plodding up the hill. We made it to the William Penn shelter for lunch, sore and tired, hooping we hadn't picked up enough poison ivy to cause problems, with miles yet to go. Many calories later and after a nice rest we set off, just to be surprised that the trail now ran along a mowed roadbed for 3 1/2 miles. It couldn't have been easier, but then it veered off and became a rocky pathway again. Just about the time that we were questioning ourselves as to why we were doing this, we came to trail magic. Very special trail magic! Two sisters had a canopy set up next to the road with drinks, oranges, snacks and the promise of dinner tonight at the shelter. With joy in our hearts we secured bunks in the 501 shelter, an enclosed bunkhouse with a caretaker. Normally we would have ordered pizza delivery from a nearby store, but we were treated to hot dogs and all the fixings from the girls. So many people arrived that evening that they ran out of food and went into Pine Grove to pick up meals from Stolls, as well as sodas at a convenience store. What a night of great conversation and many laughs as we got to meet the hikers we would travel with through this section. A thunderstorm rolled through in the night and it was good to be dry in our beds, listening to the wind and rain.
Date: 2003-03-18
From: Hike Inn

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today Jeff dropped us off and we hiked 1.3 miles to Fontana Dam. We had our first shot at flush toilets and running water for a while. We crossed the Dam which was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority a long time ago. Once we crossed it we were officially in the SMokies. Hiked with Sugar Daddy and Dimples most of the day. We had a long hard climb up Shuckstack Mountain. I was sweating profusely. It misted all day and there were no views at all . Very foggy and hazy. The Smokies live up to their name!I really booked it the last few miles and got to the shelter at 3:00 p.m. Could have pushed it to the next shelter but there was room here. Problem is all the spring breakers and secion hikers make reservations to hold spots at shelters leaving all the thru hikers to fight over three spots. There is room for all tonight but the next shelter could have been full. Heald is here. We haven't seen him since Neels Gap. Also Dimples, Space Monkey, Hot POles, Donkey, his friend and Sugar Daddy and four section hikers. We had a fire but it is dying out. Time to hop in my bag!
Date: 2013-06-21
From: Hamburg, PA

To: Eckville shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: few clouds

Happy Birthday DirtDog! We awoke early and "dined" at the Microtel breakfast buffet and I was able to pick up a birthday gift for DirtDog, a USA Today newspaper that I carried all day for him. A paper is his idea of the perfect way to start the day. We didn't have time for him to read it because the trail was waiting and we had a ride, Fred, waiting for us. Yesterday he had offered to pick us up this morning and we gladly accepted. The climb out of town wasn't difficult and we were soon enjoying the company of Sinner and the welder at Pocohontas Spring, a pleasant break. We stumbled around on the rocks all day, saw a tiny baby bunny who was so new that he was still a bit stumbly, visited the Astronomy center and lunched at The Pinnacle, the top of another rock pile with a view and access for day hikers. We were joined by a nice family who had dozens of questions about the trail, gear, etc. It was a pleasure to converse with their kids, an age group we seldom get to spend time with. The path was confusing for the next miles because it followed old roads and was poorly blazed. It was just hard to know exactly where we were. When we came out of the woods just up the road from the Eckville Shelter we saw Pants-a-Lot trying to catch a ride into a nearby town to buy beer. He had made a couple of mistakes because there was absolutely no traffic going in his direction and beer isn't sold in convenience stores in Pennsylvania. A few minutes and the use of his phone brought us to the understanding that beverages could be purchased at a hotel with a restaurant and that there was just such a thing in Kempton, 6 or 7 miles away. Calling the hotel we soon had "Ed" on his way to pick us up for a yummy birthday dinner in a hotel that was over 150 years old. The ceiling was decorated in colorful murals and there was definitely a tilt in the floor. Since Ed had been sitting at the bar for quite some time, we didn't want to linger too long before returning to the shelter in the back of his pickup truck, also illegal. Caboose and Sassafras (dad and 13 year old daughter we had met in Georgia in March) were there, as well as many of the others we had met over these recent miles. The caretaker, Mick, had returned from his day job and appreciated the beverages we had brought to share. We all sat outside and listened to stories. Bag 'o Tricks, a trail angel from Port Clinton, and Mick told about meeting many trail celebrities over more than 20 years of AT service such as Earl Schaffer, the Barefoot Sisters, Baltimore Jack and others. DirtDog finally got a chance to read his paper. Most of us contributed as much food as we could spare for a homeless man, Gypsy Rose, who was trying to walk to Lousianna and family. He was in pretty bad shape and we all wanted to help. Hope it was a special day, DirtDog.