morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-01
From: Siler Bald Shelter, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter, NC
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

April showers bring May flowers, so I was willing to put up with the rain we had expected for today. I woke up at 7:30 this morning to pouring rain and gusty winds. We decided to wait a bit to see if the rain would let up and I'm glad we did. Once the rain slowed down I started packing up in my tent, no small task with a big pack inside such a tiny tent. We ended up leaving camp just after 10:00 and by 11:00 the sun came out and we saw unexpected blue skies. The weather was gorgeous until around 7:00 when it started thundering as Colby made a fire and we all started cooking our dinners. It's pouring right now. I'm staying in the shelter because there really aren't any tent sites. Crabby's camped on a hill next to the shelter and there's a couple camped right on the trail. This is a really old shelter and I,m expecting mice tonight, so I've left all the pockets in my pack open so they won't chew through my pack in search of food.I felt pretty good today...until the end. The last mile was uphill and it just seemed really long at the end of the day. we summited Wayah Bald around lunch time and ate there. The view was awesome and the elevation of 5340' makes it our highest peak yet...soon to be outdone by Clingman's dome, the highest point on the AT.Tomorrow we'll hike either 12 or 6 miles. There's a 6 mile decent at the end of the 12 miles to the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) and it's supposed to be rough on the body. Crabby's and Colby's knees are bothering them, so we'll see. So we'll reach the NOC tomorrow or Thursday. After that it's 28 miles (probably 3 days) to Fontana Dam, where I can pick up my bounce box before entering the Smokies.I'm really tired, so it's bed time (9:00). I tried to text Tara but couldn't get a signal. Dang! (as they say down here)I swear I'll be lucky if I come out of this without a southern accent. Not sure Tara would let me back in the house.
Date: 2008-04-02
From: Cold Spring Shelter, NC

To: Wesser Bald Shelter, NC
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: light rain

This morning brought blue skies that lasted throughout the day. We were even able to have a nice fire with the cut logs that someone had left. See? Fire karma.I slept pretty well in the shelter last night, but the floor was lopsided and my head was lower than my feet, so I wasn't super comfortable.Here's a good one for you all at home...Crabby hasn't treated his drinking water in about a week and a half. He's just been drinking it directly from the water sources. He was bent down filling his water bottle from the stream that was serving as our watew source as we watched a Bermese Mountain Dog take a monster dump right next to the stream. I pointed to the dog as I was laughing and said, "That's why I filter my water." When we stopped for water this afternoon, he treated his water.Crabby slept on the hill just above the shelter last night because he's a bad snorer. He announced this morning that he hadn't gotten any sleep because he had done hand-to-hand combat with a mouse all night. The mouse chewed a hole in his tent before terrorizing him all night looking for the food bag he hadn't hung outside. Bad Crabby. As we were leaving camp this morning we noticed a sign 100 feet past the shelter that read "campsites" and pointed to a group of presumably better campsites away from shelter mice. Good stuff.We made today a short one (5.8 miles) and saved the 6 mile downhill into the NOC for tomorrow. We're also trying to time our arrival in Fontana Dam so that we can get to there on a day the post office is open to pick up our bounce boxes.I felt a little twinge in my knees on one of the longer downhills today, so I plan to take it slow and easy tomorrow. Colby's knees aren't getting any better, so he's going off-trail for a bit to let them heal up. There's a guy in the shelter tonight from the Cloud Nine hostel in Hiawassee, GA. He's getting picked up at the NOC tomorrow and he's offered Colby a ride and free tent camping at the hostel until he's ready to come back to the trail. It sucks to see him go, but he's doing the right thing. Hopefully we'll see him again.We should be able to clean up, resupply, and get some dinner at the NOC tomorrow. It's not a town, but it's a pretty big rafting adventure center. It's a challenging hike down and I've heard the uphill on the other side of it is similar.
Date: 2008-04-03
From: Wesser Bald Shelter, NC

To: NOC, Bryson City, NC
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: light rain

More rain and fog this morning. I waited it out for a while and by the time I left camp at 9:45 it had pretty much stopped raining. It didn't start raining again until I was almost at the NOC.The thick fog completely blocked what I'm sure were great views from the ridge I was on today. There were a few pretty nasty and tricky spots in today's decent, especially with wet roots, rocks, and leaves. My knees bothered me a little, but nothing too bad. I just have to watch it...don' want to start having knee problems.Colby left the trail (temporarily) today. I got to the NOC just in time to say good bye before his ride left. I'm hoping to see him again, but we exchanged email addresses just in case.I reached the crest of a hill this morning and saw a granola bar on the ground. It was a store brand one that just said "Chewy" on the wrapper. I was picking it up thinking that someone dropped it when I noticed that "CHEWY" was scratched into the dirt above it. Someone had left me a snack just as I was getting hungry. I found out later that Colby had left it for me.I found Crabby and Colby as soon as I arrived at the NOC, so I don't think they were too far ahead of me. Crabby and I reserved a room then went directly to the restaurant for lunch and a local brew. Crabby paid for the room since he needed it for snoring purposes. I would have just gotten a cheap bed in the bunkhouse, but a free real bed sounded good. After lunch we went to the outfitter and I picked up a new knife to replace the one I lost yesterday.When we were walking toward our room we passed some tourists who looked at us the same way I remember looking at people doing something different like the AT. It felt good to be on the other end of that. In an instant it brought back that feeling and made me realize just how big this is and what it means to me. I've reached the point on this little adventure where I know I'll finish it. I just wish I wasn't missing American Idol.So we walked up to our room after visiting the outfitter and like some cruel joke, the kid at the front desk had put us in the building furthest up the hil. We reluctantly didi our death march up the steep hill with our packs only to find that detergent for the washing machine could only be purchased from the front desk. If I see that kid tomorrow...We did laundry, showered, went to dinner at the Paddler's Pub, and made it back to the room in time for me to talk to Tara for a while and catch a couple episodes of The Office. Sweet.
Date: 2008-04-04
From: NOC, Bryson City, NC

To: Sassfras Gap Shelter, NC
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

April showers, man, April showers. It's pouring right now.Today's climb out of the NOC was tough but it wasn't as bad as I had expected. I think knowing ahead of time that it was all going to be uphill helped keep me in the right frame of mind. It was tough, but it didn't kill me. It makes me feel good that I didn't have too much of a hard time with it. That being said, it was a good psychological test. It rained off and on and even poured and thundered at times. And every time I'd reach a peak there'd be another high one to climb right in front of me. Starting the day with tasty pancakes probably helped keep me happy today. I think I sweat butter and syrup for the first hour of the hike.I got pretty wet today because the rain was persistent. I finally stopped to wring out my socks and shirt and when I walked away from my resting spot I immediately heard voices and saw the shelter below the trail. Guess I could've waited. This shelter has two levels and probably sleeps ~16, but all the spots were taken when I arrived (probably because we didn't get out of NOC until almost noon), so I'm in my tent tonight. I usually don't mind staying in my tent, but when it's raining it's just easier to sleep in a shelter. At least I was able to cook, eat, and hang out for a while under the protection of the shelter. And men, it really felt good to change into dry camp clothes when I got here!Crabby and I are shooting for Brown Fork Gap shelter tomorrow (9.1 miles) and we should arrive at Fontana Dam on Sunday. We'll have to resupply and go to the post office on Monday, so I think we'll have to wait until Tuesday to start the Smokies. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hikers have to get a permit and outline their hike through the park as soon as they enter it. We also have to stay in shelters since no tent camping is allowed. The first shelter is 11+ miles from Fontana Dam, so I don't think we'll have time to get there on Monday after running our errands. We'll see. I don't want to take more zero days than I need -- I'd like to get home sooner rather than later -- but I don't think we have much of a choice on this one. It'll be a nice place for a zero, anyway, and it'll be good to rest up for a day before lugging 7 days of food into the Smokies. Maybe I can take the time to add some pictures to my journal that day, too.
Date: 2008-04-05
From: Sassfras Gap Shelter, NC

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

More rain. Word on the street is that tomorrow's supposed to be mostly sunny. Today was mostly misty, but it started to rain harder during the last mile. Speaking of the last mile, the climb out of Sweetwater Gap was ridiculous. So ridiculous that I was cursing out loud at the sadistic people who put the trail there. It was steep. Unnecessarily steep. I can't imagine what kind of mental people would make the decision to put the trail straight up a steep mountain like that instead of gently around it. Seriously. C'mon. Seriously.So it's raining pretty hard right now, but I'm dry in the shelter. Crabby's in his tent, but he has the same tent as me and hopefully he's staying dry. The forecast looks good for the next several days, so that's something to look forward to. We'll be zeroing in Fontana Dam on Monday and starting the Smokies on Tuesday, but there might be an adjustment to Tuesday's mileage. Fontana Dam (the dam itself) is closed to foot traffic during maintenance. The AT normally goes right across the top of it, so now there's a 4.2 mile reroute to get around the dam. That means that Tuesday will be a 15+ mile day for us. Should be interesting with 7 or 8 days worth of food in our packs.I was able to get a cell signal and call Tara from the top of Cheoah Bald this morning. I've been calling here more often now that I know how long my phone battery will last, so that's been nice. It really helps to be able to talk to her more often. I found out Tara's cousin's daughter, Crystal, had her baby. Congratulations, Crystal! You must be stoked!
Date: 2008-04-06
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter, NC

To: Fontana Dam Shelter, NC
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was my longest day yet and I felt it. I hiked with Crabby the whole day and it was good to hike with someone else for a change (I usually end up hiking by myself because of pace differences, which I don't mind at all). Crabby fell a couple of times. I saw him fall the first time and once I knew he was alright I could barely keep from laughing out loud. He was on a big slippery rock and his feet flew out from under him like a cartoon. I'm even laughing as I'm typing this.We got to the Fontana Dam shelter, better known as the Fontana Hilton because it's so big and nice, around 6:00. The first order of business was food and I had a big, juicy hamburger in mind. As we were walking up the hill from the shelter, a couple of former thru-hikers were packing up after doing some trail magic (handing out Cokes, cookies, and candy bars). They gave us some Cokes and cookies and offered us a ride to Fontana Village (the resort in the park). Awesome. When we got to the village, the Woodside Grill was closed for the night and we ended up at the really nice hotel restaurant, still sweaty and smelly from a few days of hiking. I felt a little out of place, but I didn't care enough to let is stop me. A few hikers we've been seeing a lot lately were there, so we sat and ate with them...Pop Top, Blues Traveler, White Lightning, and Motorbutt. I wasn't planning on spending as much money as I did for dinner, but it was fun and the food was excellent. I was able to locate the 10-foot diameter where a cell phone will work in the park and talk to Tara for a while. ZigZag's still getting up on the couch whenever he feels like it. Maybe he's trying to take over for me.Tomorrow should be a busy but relaxing zero day...shower, laundry, resupply, pick up my bounce box. Looking forward to it.
Date: 2008-04-07
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: none (zero day)
Miles today: 0.0

We had a decent zero day today. It's early season at Fontana Dam, so there isn't a whole lot to do, but it was a relaxing and productive day. We were in Fontana Village (the resort part of the park) for ~12 hours today. We did laundry, resupplied, and charged our camera and phone batteries. I bought enough food for the 7 days through the Smokies and I'm not looking forward to the 84 pounds of weight it will add to my pack in the morning.Crabby and I ate dinner at Fontana Lodge restaurant again since it's our only option. The food was very good again, but it's just nicer and more expensive than I really wanted. Crabby and I were watching The Family Guy in the bar before dinner with another thru-hiker named Brown Bag, so when we moved to the dining room to eat he came with us. One of his friends, a very nice older woman named Ravon, was eating by herself, so she switched tables and joined the three of us. Her sister's planning on joining her in Shenandoah National Park, so she gave me some tips on shuttles and places to stay when Tara meets me there. Can't wait for that. Tara and I talked about it tonight and we'll probably camp and stay in the 2 lodges they have while she's there. Sounds good to me. It's hard to figure out the timing at this point, but hopefully it'll all work out. If I'm not in Shenandoah by the time we're set to meet, I'm sure I can find a ride there and then come back afterwards to do whatever section of the trail I've skipped.The weather's nice, so I've moved outside to my tent. There's a wonderful breeze tonight. Off to bed now. I have to go through my pack in the morning to repack it and get all my food to fit. Then I have to carry it. Better get some sleep.
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Fontana Dam Shelter, NC

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter, TN
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

We decided not to do the blue-blazed reroute trail around the dam. It's not official trail and it would've added too much distance, so we instead got a ride on the shuttle to within a mile of the other side of the dam. We ended up hiking further than if we had been able to hike over the dam, so I call it legit.We entered the Smokies today...pretty exciting. The beginning was a long uphill climb, but I was feeling good. When I have a choice, I always prefer to hit the difficult uphills earlier in the day. It was a fairly lovely hike...except for the almost unbearable Midges (like black flies) that were constantly swarming around my head. They were like little kamikaze pilots dive-bombing into my eyes and ears. They weren't even biting, which almost made it worse because I kept silently screaming "What do you want?!" Even when I loudly grunted "C'mon!", it didn't seem to help. I think they feed on human aggravation.It turns out I was wrong about having to list all the shelters we planned to stay in when we got our backcountry permit. We do have to stay in a shelter each night, though, which means we'll probably have to do 15 miles on Saturday.Today seemed like a long day and I'm glad to be at the shelter. The ridgerunner (caretaker/census taker) was here and greeted us when we arrived. Real nice guy. The shelter is an old one with a stone foundation, but the roof and top part of the walls have been rebuilt. It has a fireplace in it and it's kind of cool...different from the others we've stayed in. I'm outside in the cooking area on the side of the shelter. Everyone else is quiet in the shelter sleeping, reading, or writing in their journals and I can already hear the mice coming out from under the roof to scour for the night.I'm glad to be in the Smokies. It feels like I've reached a big milestone. Fontana Dam was pretty and the weather was nice, so it was almost hard to leave. The resort was sleepy because it's still pre-season, but the grass was green, the trees were budding, and the shelter was right nest to the lake. I heard a loon on the lake last night and Crabby said hea heard a bunch of turkeys. And as we hiked down into Fontana Dam, we saw tons of newly sprouted wildflowers (mostly Trillium). We saw some tiny white wildflowers starting to cover the ground on Doe Knob yesterday. It's cool to be out here watching Spring happening.
Date: 2008-04-09
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter, TN

To: Spence Field Shelter, NC
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I was surprised to hear people talking this morning about how cold they had been last night. I slept in shorts, one shirt, and no socks and was toasty warm all night, thanks to the fleece sleeping bag liner Tara sent from home.The ridgerunner told us last night that the 6.3 mile section of the trail from here to Derrick Knob Shelter is the most difficult part of the Smokies, so we decided to make today a short one (5.4 miles) and do the tough stuff early in the day tomorrow. We got to Spence Field Shelter ~2:00, sot he rest of today will be a good rest for us. It's 4:00 now and I've already laid under a tree in a Rip Van Winkle pose for a while. Crabby, Mustang Sally, New Song, and Strider and Tracer are here, too.Today's hike was a fairly easy one. I've been starting to notice both my appetite and endurance going up. The uphills don't kill me as much and I can go much longer distances without needing to stop for rest as often. I'll tell you what's funny, though. When you think you're close to your destination, your mind and body almost immediately adjust as if you're done for the day. Last night we had 1.7 miles left to go after stopping for water. After probably a mile, I kept waiting for the shelter to appear around the next bend and I started getting really tired. I think my mind told my body it was okay to stop trying and it's hard to recover from that. The same thing happened during the long decent into Fontana Dam, but even worse so. I was able to see the dam when we got within a couple miles of it, then it took absolutely FOREVER to get down to the road near the dam. And when I finally got to the road and thought I was done, all I found was a sign telling me I had to hike another 1.1 miles up and over hills to get to the shelter. It happens all the time, especially on long days. Maybe I shouldn't look at or think about the mileage so much when I'm hiking. Tough not to, though.The Midges were out again today and they brought their friends, some little bee-type things that have "I'm gonna bite you!" written all over their grubby little faces. I saw more wildflowers covering the ground today, too. From far away they almost look like a dusting of snow.It looks like we might actually get some snow on Monday. Luckily, that's the day we plan to exit the park and stay at the Standing Bear hostel near Davenport Gap, so if we get cold and wet we'll have a place to warm up and dry out. We're expecting rain with possible thunderstorms Friday through Sunday. Time to test out the rain pants Tara sent me. God, I can't wait to see her. Shenandoah's still a long way away, though.
Date: 2008-04-10
From: Spence Field Shelter, NC

To: Silers Bald Shelter, TN
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I don't know what the big deal about this morning's hike was. There were a lot of ups and downs, but it didn't seem that bad to me. I guess that's a good sign. I was feeling pretty good about today's 11.8 miles when another hiker arrived at the shelter and said he had just come from the shelter we stayed at w days ago...17+ miles ago. Jerk.The shelter's pretty full tonight. I've seen a lot more section hikers in the Smokies than anywhere else so far, so the shelters have been busy. As I was eating dinner, a guy showed up in short shorts -- the kind with the slits that go ALL THE WAY up the sides. As if he wasn't already calling enough attention to himself, he yelled "It's a thru-hiker party!" so that everyone turned to look at him. He spent a minute in the shelter and then moved on. Weird dude.Today started out windy...REALLY windy. I actually kind of liked it because it helped me keep cool on the uphills, but it kept trying to knock me over in the treeless areas of the balds. I had to dig my poles in to keep from toppling over. It's pretty windy at the shelter, too...up at 5460'.We realized today that when we stopped for lunch at Russell Field Shelter yesterday, we had just passed the point where we have 2000 miles left. Radical! Say what? Yup, radical...I'm bringin' it back. On top of that, the shelter we're staying at tomorrow night (Mt. Collins Shelter) is at 200.1 miles, so we'll have passed the 200 mile mark tomorrow night!We've all adjusted our plans a bit to avoid a 15 mile day on Saturday when it's supposed to rain and possibly thunderstorm. We've broken up that day, so it'll take us 8 days (total) to get through the Smokies now. Everyone (me, Crabby, Tracer, Strider, Mustang Sally, and New Song) checked their food supplies and we should be all set until the Standing Bear hostel just outside the Smokies.I arrived at the shelter an was just about to turn the corner into it when a mouse came flying out of the shelter in front of me. I know what you're thinking, same as me...Mighty Mouse, right? Well it could've been him if hee's in the post-fame drug overdose death phase of his VH1 special, because this guy was dead. The mice are pretty persistent. They go through your pack even if there's no food in it and they leave droppings wherever they go. As soon as everyone quieted down and turned their headlamps off last night, I heard the mice squeaking and their claws on the wood of the shelter as they ran around. Filthy varmints.I called my folks last night to let them know I'm alive and they seem to be doing fine and have been keeping a close eye on my journal. I'll try calling my sister and Tara later tonight.I'm pretty excited about going over Clingman's Dome tomorrow. At 6643', it's the highest spot on the AT. There's a 30% chance of rain tomorrow night, but hopefully it'll be a clear view from Clingman's.