morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-03-23
From: Amicalola State Park

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Approach trail exoneratedI am glad to announce that the approach trail has been given a bad rap. It is no tougher than the average mountain trail. It is not unremitting up. There are downhills and flat stretches and lots of switchbacks. My wife, Donna, left me off there at 10:30 and I was on top of Mt. Springer by 2:30. Gismo, the Caretaker, gave me the LNT talk and gave me a pack of matches. He said he does the trail every 10 years to find out if he is still real. Coming down Springer Mt. I met Newt, who immediately fell & rolled down the mountain a few feet off the trail until stopped by a tree, due to his being distracted by my coming, and he could not get up because of the weight of his backpack. I helped him by loosening his shoulder strap so he could get out. He was fine once he was upright again. He is a 77 year old man from Wichita, KS. I would see him again as he stumbled into Stover Creek shelter way after dark. I was the only person there so was glad to see him. I will send a photo of Newt. He told me that he was married for 44 years and his wife was the kindest person he ever knew. The first words out of her mouth when she met someone was "How are you doing? Do you need anything? Would you like something to eat?" She died 3 years ago of emphysema. His family thinks he is insane for going on this hike. He said he will go as far as he can. He left the next morning as I worked on pocketmail until I started shivering and had to get moving to warm up. I last saw him at Three Forks. He wished me well as he probably would not see me again.
Date: 2004-03-24
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: few clouds

Trail of memoriesFrom Stover Creek, the trail rises gently along the creek through rhododendrons to a bridge at Three Forks. Here it gets steeper until Long Creek Falls, which is on a short side trail. This is a beautiful, two cascade falls in a shady glen. The creek tumbles on over boulders, logs and rocks. I stayed awhile to enjoy the coolness, sound of rushing water and solitude. Photos to follow. I bypassed Hawk Mtn shelter and descended to Hightower Gap. Here perched on a rock on a narrow trail looking down a steep bowl, I took off my boots and found 3 blisters on my right foot. They were full of fluid but not popped so I Nu-Skinned them. There was a van of Mennonite dressed girls on the forest road in the gap. They waved but I did not stop to talk, wanting to press on. I knew that the next 3 hours would be dry and strenuous. The climb up from Hightower Gap is a tough one. I remember well hiking it with scouts. It was the end of a long day and we camped at the 1st semi-open spot at the top. The boys found a nearby rock to watch the sun go down. All day I flashed on scenes from that hike and took photos of them to bring back. I saw not a soul from Hightower Gap to Justus Creek, a distance of 5.5 miles. Sassafras Mtn will kick your you-know-what. The last time I crossed over it, I became dizzy with dehydration. I was really glad to arrive at Justus Creek at 5:30 and pitch my tent. It looked like a small settlement of tents after hours of seeing nobody. I soaked my hot blistered feet in the creek and the cold water felt so good. There was just enough daylight to eat tuna from the packet, put up my tent and hang the bear bag. I climbed the hill to find a suitable tree but was unsuccessful so I tossed my rope over one already in use next to the tents. I heard lots of owl calls through the night.
Date: 2004-03-25
From: Justus Creek

To: Stream after Dockery Lake Trail
Miles today: 9.3

New acquaintances along the trailMy earliest departure yet at 9:20 am. Hot oatmeal, coffee and a boiled egg for breakfast; easy prep and no clean-up. I passed a group of 5 dreadlocked boys at 10 am just emerging from their drunken stupor, a whiskey bottle still on the ground. I would leapfrog with them all the way to Neel's Gap where they got off the trail. Two of them wore Tool shirts. Later, when I met them on top of Blood Mt., I remarked that I like Fugazi and only one recognized the band. He was the oldest one and he said, "Yeah, old school punk". They seemed impressed when I told them I went to a Fugazi show in New Orleans. As I disappeared down the mountain, one yelled from afar, Wanna get high? I just kept walking. At Woody Gap I dawdled and met HotDog, who had hiked the trail with Wench. Quite a coincidence, since she has loaned me her maps after just meeting a few weeks ago at the Florida Ruck. That is when I decided to make this a thruhike. HotDog related some of his experiences with her, like when she held him back from falling down a cliff. He was starting the 30 miles from Springer to Neel's Gap with Swallowtail to introduce her to section hiking. I also met One-leg, who has an AK level amputation and is doing the trail. Evidently, he has attracted some media attention and he is not amused. His wife meets him along the way in a support van with their 6 children, some of whom rotate hiking with him. They are cheerful, friendly people - always offering help to other hikers. I have been spending some time talking with TreeFrog, a retired man from Texas. He is looking forward to his 2 sons joining him later on. We camped together in an isolated spot this night deep in a cove next to a stream along with several others on a short hike.
Date: 2004-03-26
From: Stream after Dockery Lake Trail

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Blood Mountain rendezvousA short day, but still difficult. There is a relocation up Blood Mt. for 0.5 miles that is more "direct". You know what that means. The idea is to allow Slaughter Gap to regenerate from overuse. It is well constructed and there is even a new side trail to 8 campsites near the summit. But it is a bit tougher than the old one. Lots of dayhikers seen today between the summit of Blood Mt. and Neel's Gap. The day was sunny summery weather and I was sunburned on the back of my neck. Tonight I am staying at Walasi-Yi Inn. Got a shower, washed clothes, and caught a shuttle to Blairsville for an AYCE dinner at the Cookie Jar. Lots of overcooked Southern fried food from a buffet, but I ate heartily. Tomorrow, I start out on another 3 days of email silence.
Date: 2004-03-27
From: Neel's Gap

To: Whitley Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

Trail Magic Today was an adventure! I started late from Walasi-yi. Checkout was 9 am but Idid not leave the Inn until about 11 am. I took my time buying food {only $15worth} and repackaging into ziplocks, talking with hikers coming in, and mailinghome equipment I don't need. I climbed up Levelland Mt. {3942 ft} and descendeda rooty and rocky path. Three tenagers passed me who were ending their hike at Tesnetee Gap. I met dayhikers coming the other way. The ATC Ridgerunner, Zuma {a 1996 thruhiker} was guiding a group of boys. He warned me there is no water between Hogpen Gap and Low Gap Shelter, a distance of 4.2 miles, and the water at Hogpen was not that great. I took lots of photos from rock outcroppings. The ascent up from Tesnetee Gap was just as steep as I remembered it to be. I admired a row of bright yellow buttercups on top and reached Hogpen Gap about 3:30. I decided against trying for Low Gap, another 2 hours away. I checked out the tiny stream down by the highway but it was not very appealing as the campsite was bare and trashy. I did watch an unaware robin bathe very vigorously and thoroughly in the stream. I had met a man on the way who was taking his son on his first night of camping in the wilderness with their dog, Abbe. They were headed for Whitley Gap shelter. I had vowed earlier that I would not go there as it requires a 1.2 mile side trail hike off the AT. It seemed my best choice though because it has a good spring. It turned out to be an outstanding choice! The Whitley Gap shelter is seldom visited by thruhikers because it is out of the way, but I knew that there would be at least one camper there. The trail led back up the mountain with great long scenic views of the valley. On top, well before the shelter, I met Lyn, Jack and Jim tenting on a bald. Before I knew what was going on with these guys, they pressed a Coke into my hand and topped it off with Jim Beam. How sweet it is! Then they invited me to come back in an hour for a dinner of Cornish hen. I carried the sweetened Coke down the trail to the shelter and finished it off while I talked with Dan Smith and his 5-year-old son. Dan hopes to take his son on a thruhike when he reaches 18. I put up tent and bearbag and headed back up the trail for dinner. Turns out that Jack, Jim and Lyn are old friends who were coworkers at IBM, were separated by downsizing, and maintained their friendship over the years by going out into the mountains acouple of times a year to "howl at the moon". For years they went to Mt. LeContein the Smokies, but also hiked in the Pisgah National Forest and elsewhere. Theyserved a delicious meal of Cornish hen, vegetables and rice, beer and a dessertof Angel food cake topped with peaches and whipped cream. What a treat! Totallyunexpected and delightful. I ran back down to the shelter as darkness came on,but I will not forget the hospitality of these fine gentlemen from Greeneville,SC and Atlanta!
Date: 2004-03-28
From: Whitley Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: scattered clouds

More magicEarly up and out today. On the AT by 8 am. Beautiful flaming red sunrise at6:30. Down to the highway and a granola bar for breakfast. Passed 2 olderladies from NH hiking to Unicoi Gap. At Low Gap Shelter, TreeFrog wasworking on pocketmail at the table. He was hiking with Homer now. He hadseen my message scratched on the trail directing him to Whitley Gap shelter,but he continued down the AT because he expected a church group would staythere. As a result, he missed out on a delicious dinner. I rubbed it ingood. The grade from Low Gap was easy but it was a very hot day. I drank alot of water but still had a dry mouth. Once my water bottles were nearlyempty before I found a running spring. I met Squirrel Master going South tofinish his Southbound thruhike. He told me in passing,"Have fun and you willcomplete your hike". Radar was at Low Gap and hiking to Hot Springs as atune-up for a PCT thruhike. The climbs grew more difficult in the afternoonand the heat caused me to stop more. Close to Blue Mt. the trail was so rocky it did not look like a trail at all. I arrived at the shelter at 4 pm. Blue Mt. shelter is on a peak with views all around. The only person tenting there when I arrived was David, a young man from NJ who was resting a sensitive Achilles tendon. He was afraid it might rupture if he continued to hike. After chores and dinner, I was standing near the shelter when two people walked up in the dark carrying Papa John's pizza warmers and cans of soda and announced adelivery. This shelter is 2.2 miles up a steep rocky trail from the nearestroad and it was getting dark. Sassy and Kodiak were surprising everyone witha trail magic mission. By then, some other past thruhikers had arrived atthe shelter: Now or Never, Radar, Southpaw and Rambler. There was much talkof whatever happened to so-and-so. At about 8:30 pm, well after dark, Sassyand Kodiak gathered up the empty soda cans and pizza boxes and headed backdown the rocky mountain trail to the highway using headlamps to see the trail. The next morning they would be handing out donuts, brownies and drinks to hikerspassing through Unicoi Gap. There is no rational explanation for trailmagic. It just happens.
Date: 2004-03-29
From: Blue Mt. Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

First big-mile day and first rain.Out on the trail by 8 am, spurred on by the anticipation of goodies atUnicoi Gap. Sassy & Kodiak had a table laid out with pastries & candy barsand coolers of OJ and Gatorade. About 10 am I headed up a long steep climbout of the gap. Rambler from Ambler, PA passed me with a quick pace. I triedto match his progress and got to the top quickly. Another sunny, hot day wascoming but today there would be cool breezes. In 3.6 miles I passed a grassyarea called Cheese Factory site, where a bear and her two cubs were seen aday earlier by a hiker arising early to relieve himself. The trail in thisarea is a cool green tunnel covered by rhododendrums. On top of Tray Mt. (4930 ft) a group of tired teenagers passed from the other direction. They were from a Cincinnati school. I met Southpaw & Now or Never at Tray Mt. shelter. They were going all the way to Dick's Creek Gap today, 18 miles in one day. Too much for me. I was more than ready to stop when I reached Deep Gap shelter at 5:30. The Garland 5 were staying here. This is a family with 3 children doing a thruhike. (photo soon) The mom told me it had not been easy and they were taking it slow. Cruise Control was holding court with the kids, talking about his interest in gardening. David, who had been nursing his Achilles tendon, had moved forward to this spot. I caught up with Ski Patrol from VT and Andy Hough who had taken short days. Andy said he went into Helen and tried to eat everything on the dollar menu. I slept in my tent as usual and my sleeping bag got wet at the foot when it rained:my fault, not the tent's. I set it up on a slant with the door of the tent at the bottom of the grade instead of at the top. No problem; tomorrow I would have time to dry it out.
Date: 2004-03-30
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Blueberry Patch Hostel
Miles today: 3.5

Blueberry Patch Rest StopTent wet & dirty, everything damp and smelly. Today was a good day to get toa place with a washer/dryer, bed, table & phone. Misty morning walk by astream down to the road. Yola hitched a ride for us with a travelingsalesman. Dropped me off at the Bluebery Patch Hostel run by Gary & Lennieabout 10 miles from town. Gary took all my dirty clothes, and returned themwashed, dried & folded. After I showered, he took me into town for a drugstore run. Tomorrow morning he will feed us a blueberry pancake breakfast.For all this he charges $17. Why does he do it? Gary explained that yearsago he thruhiked with his son and he felt he was in the role of a fatherlyfigure to those hiking with him. Now he just continues to serve hikers thesame way he did then. He values the hiker community and believes this to behis ministry. Gary and Lennie are both wonderful people and certainly dohelp and inspire many people with their service. TreeFrog and Bucket joinedme here this night. (note--part of entry missing? will re-post)
Date: 2004-03-31
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

Hail, wind & snowGary & Lennie served us blueberry pancakes and coffee, and then Gary dropped usback at Dick's Creek Gap by 9:30 am. The day began misty & cool, but soon theweather deteriorated into hail, sleet and snow. The hail sounded like one ofthose Australian aborigine rain pipes. As I reached Plumorchard Gap shelter, thesun came out briefly and encouraged me to continue on to Muskrat Creek shelter.As the trail climbed higher & higher,the wind gusted harder, clouds grew darker,and hail turned into sleet. By the time I reached the GA/NC border, I was toocold to stop to take a photo. Three Sheriff's Dept. Rescue men passed me goingsouth looking for a lost hiker. Later I learned that he had hiked off the trailwithout telling his companions and he was found in Franklin. After the stateborder, the altitude increases to 4500 ft. By now ground and trees were coveredwith snow. The mountain quickly became a winter wonderland. I noticed that therhododendrum leaves hang straight down with snow on them, as if to say "I give up". The only birds I saw were a few hardy Juncos flashing the whites of their tailfeathers. I was exhausted when I reached the shelter, but there was no room for another hiker inside. The hikers were packed together in their sleeping bags like sardines in a tin. There was no other option than to put up my tent on the snow. It is a 3-season lightweight tent with netting all around for ventilation, so I expected to be very cold. I took out my emergency bag, a silver mylar crinkly film of a bag, and put it inside my sleeping bag. Hopefully, this would keep me warm. I watched Bucket set up a lean-to against the shelter with his tarp and realized this would not be adequate protection. Snow was still blowing around and the temperature was dropping. I suggested that he sleep in my 2-man tent, use his ground cloth underneath, and it would help both of us. He readily agreed. I shivered inside the emergency bag and worried about becoming hypothermic. I calmed my body by imagining warmth, but tossed and turned on the cold snowy ground all night. In the morning, Bucket told me he also slept very cold. My tent was covered with snow when I awoke, but this was a good thing because it weighted down the side vents and blocked the wind. I noticed when I took the tent up, that on Bucket's side the snow was melted, but on my side it was still present. I guess the emergency bag helped conserve body heat, but it was wet sleeping because it also blocks vapor.
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Rainbow Springs Campground
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

Trail Day 10 - Escape from the Colddaily miles 4.0 on AT, 3.7 on Kimsey Creek Trail and 2.5 miles of road walk toRainbow Springs Campground.It was 27 degrees when I got out of my tent. As I had to take down a tent, I wasone of the last to leave the shelter at about 8:30 am. Andy Hough was staying inhis bag as long as he could. He skipped breakfast and hiked with me. The trailwas crunchy and slippery with snow and mud. We decided to get off the mountainby taking a side trail down from Deep Gap to Standing Indian Campground, not yetopen, but a road walk from there leads to Rainbow Springs Campground. The sidetrail follows Kimsey Creek, a very pretty creek with lots of small falls andcrossed by rustic footbridges. I have visited this area several times over theyears. Standing Indian is the 1st mountain that I played on as an adult, where mybrother, Brian, and I managed to get lost on a trail up the mountain and barelymade it back before dark. I stopped at the same campsite where we camped over 30years ago. Rainbow Springs Campground has special memories of cabin vacationswith my family. Here I read The Yearling to my son Michael and he built a paddlewheel in the creek like Jody's. It is good to be here staying in a warm yurt with about 15 other hikers. Tomorrow Andy and I head back up Kimsey Creek Trail to continue where we left off. I expect to be back here in a couple of days as the AT does a wide loop around Standing Indian.
Date: 2004-04-02
From: Rainbow Springs Campground

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Snow ends.Caught a shuttle in the back of an old pick-up truck out to Standing Indian Campground, so I did not have to do another road walk today. Started out on Kimsey Creek Trail at 10 am and arrived at the AT at Deep Gap at 11:30. Snowing again at high elevations and the wind gusted strongly. The ground now covered with hard packed snow and the air temp. was frigid. The snowfall for the past 2 days was 5 inches on Standing Indian. The mountaintops have their own weather that is much more severe than that down in the valley. As I started up the trail I met a hiker coming down very haltingly with two sticks for support. He told me he had blown out both knees on the mountain and was just taking it one step at a time because it was very painful. He still had his backpack on. I wanted to help but he said he would be picked up at the forest road just around the corner. He urged me to go on and enjoy my hike. I did not question him further as I did not want to break his concentration on making it all the way to the road. His hike was ended but his dignity was intact. Later I heard that he was an adult leader for BSA Troop 77 from Venice, FL. His troop left him at the shelter to continue their hike and they would drive back around to pick him up. Standing Indian shelter was empty so I did not stay long. Snow was blowing during my climb up the mountain, but stopped abruptly as I descended the other side. Suddenly there was no snow on the ground either. The rest of the day was relatively easy ridge walk. At Carter Gap there were only 4 hikers in the shelter. Everyone was snug in his sleeping bag by 6 pm. We stayed that way for 12 hours trying to keep warm. The only incident that night was that a mouse poked Keith in the eye at the opening of his bag. Keith is a college professor just back from working in the United Arab Emirate. The mice don't care about that.
Date: 2004-04-03
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Wallace Gap & Rainbow Springs Campground
Miles today: 13.8

Spring returns.I awoke to the thumpa-thumpa-thumpa sound of ruffed grouse mating nearby, as I had once before at another shelter. This was my first night sleeping on the floor of a shelter. I think I prefer my tent if it is not too cold or wet. Snoring kept me awake most of the night. The day dawned partly cloudy and it turned into a beautiful Spring day. Only one difficult climb today, up Albert Mt. to the fire tower at 5220 ft. I met BSA Troop 87 from Atlanta having lunch under the tower {photo}. They were training for Philmont. The vista was a full 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. The tops were all frosted with snow. I climbed the tower to see it even better. The rest of the day was mostly downhill to Wallace Gap. I did not stop to rest much and am now paying for that with a sore back. It has been sore for days, but worse now. Just a muscle strain from too much stress. I resolve to take more pack-off breaks.
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Wallace Gap & Rainbow Springs Campground

To: Licklog Gap
Miles today: 15.4

Trail Day 13 - Tough Climb up Wayah Mountain.   Pack weight 38 lbs.Shuttled to Wallace Gap with Andy Hough. Mid-back area still tight. Took more breaks and adjusted pack to put weight on hips more. Took Ibuprofen. All this seemed to help as I was able to hike a long day. Everyone says listen to your body and go slow. But too much attentiveness to discomfort causes anxiety which makes it worse. I do better when I press on and enjoy the sights around me. The tight back muscles are still there, but I expect improvement, not more pain. I think I will work through this with stretching and activity.    The climb up to Wayah Bald was long and hard. Snow was still there on the top. We stayed at the tower long enough to snap some photos and then headed down the other side to find water and a campsite. We walked two miles before finding a camping area with water nearby at about 5:30. There were already 10 tents up: a bunch of guys section hiking from Augusta, GA. They do a new section each year. One said that at the rate they have been going they will finish the trail in 31 years. Thankfully they had a great fire going to keep warm. It was a very cold night with a lot of wind. The nearly full moon was very bright. The next morning my water bottles were frozen and the temperature in my tent was 32 degrees.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Licklog Gap

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

Trail Day 14 - Back still bothersome.I got out on the trail at 9:00 am but was very slow as my back tightened up again. I stopped more frequently to stretch and I adjusted my shoulder straps upward, almost to the limit. When I stopped at Cold Spring shelter to cook some breakfast, it had taken 2 hrs. to go 3 miles. My back did not ease up much all day, so I stopped at 3:30 at Wesser Bald shelter for the night. Tomorrow I will stopover at NOC in Wesser and may take a zero day the next day to rest up.