morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-03-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's all been decided now. I'm planning my 2004 thru-hike, and will leave within a month. So, after a trip to a few different outfitters, grocery stores, etc., in order to get $$ info. on what I will be needing, I get home and see that a nice little packet has come in the mail. So, I open it up, and it's an application and benefit information for this great job I applied for, ALMOST 2 MONTHS AGO. Gee guys, thanks for letting me know that I am being considered for this job that I applied for at the beginning of the year. I really appreciate it, since I'm about to leave for 6 months. I looked at the postal code. Yup, mailed the same day that I started considering dipping into the savings. Imagine that. Anyway, I guess I have a bit of a crossroads here, and will need to figure out something to do. So, I'm thinking....hmmm, I thought this was a great job 2 months ago. What about it is great enough to keep me home? The pay was great, and I will once again have the job title as an artist. Of course, this was the same job title I had previously, and I didn't care for it. In fact, my plan is to get back into school after the hike because I'm changing careers? What kind of crack was I smoking when I applied for this? Why are they sending this now? Wow....the benefits are nice. NO! I must remember what my previous job was like (funny, for being in the "paid" arts arena, you sure have to design and draw up a lot of shit you aren't proud of, because that's what your client wants...and I always thought it was a creative venue). So, I guess I'll have to either look to my horoscope (okay, so maybe I do look to my daily forecast to decide major life decisions...what), or flip a coin. Heads - - I go hiking. Tails - - I don't take this job.Til next time...
Date: 2004-03-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I have finally tied down the day that I am leaving Texas, and hitting the trail. My friend, Sarah, was originally going to bring me up, but she would have had to cut Trail Days 2004 out of her plans, so I'm taking a train. I should arrive in Atlanta the 5th, stay at the hiker hostel, and start my hike on April 6. I've been making lists, packing up my few mail drops, and getting last minute things taken care of. I still have a small shopping list of things to get....a new tent, a cold weather sleeping bag, and a few replacement shirts. Possibly a new set of shoes, if I can find a good deal. I have boots and some very used montrail java's, but I'd like to stay away from the boots, if possible. We shall see, though. For the most part, I'm just sitting here, trying to patiently watch the time slowly tick by. I guess I should start strapping some weight on my back and taking daily walks, to at least get used to the weight again. I don't want to get out and be too confident about my ability, and have it all shot down because I didn't prepare physically. Anyway, I've got 22 days and counting! Yay!!
Date: 2004-03-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I have been brewing with excitement and anticipation over the past few weeks, and it just keeps growing with each day that passes. My last day at work was Thursday, and I now have a full week to tie everything together before hitting the trail again. I'm a bit at ease this year, though, as I now know what I need and need to do before leaving. I've also learned to not procrastinate, and am doing a decent job at getting things done in a timely fashion. The biggest thing still to do is organizing mail drops, which will be few and far between this year...and to wait, for this time, next week, I will be on my way to Georgia, and then to Maine.
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Houston, TX

To: Gainesville, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Well, today is the day. I'm leaving in half an hour, via bus, to Gainesville, GA, and will be out on the trail Tuesday, April 6th. Butterflies are swarming about in my stomach (of course, that could be the ill effects of the last few days worth of celebrating my leave), I've gone over my pack list about a thousand times, and now think I am ready to leave. At least as ready as I am going to be.That's pretty much it for now, wish me luck!
Date: 2004-04-06
From: Hiker Hostel, Dahlonega, GA

To: Hawk Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 7.6

What a beautiful day to start a hike! I arrived at Springer Mt. around 10:30, and found it all to myself! I sat here for a while, contemplating my hike for the year, and thinking back on last year's hike. It was quite different. I headed on and ended up at Hawk Mountain Shelter for the day, at about 1:30. I could have continued on, but why rush it? There was actually only 1 additional thru-hiker at the shelter tonight (he tented), and I even had the shelter to myself! I couldn't believe it! It's hiker season, and I have a shelter to myself. It was nice. Anyway, off to hopefully conquer SassafrASS tomorrow.
Date: 2004-04-07
From: Hawk Mt. Shelter

To: Hiker Hostel (again!)
Miles today: 12.4

Today was a bit of a tough day. I started off with the lovely climb up Sassafrass Mt. (by the way, Sassafrass is French for Asshole Mountain with many false summits - - See North Carolina Sassafrass Mt. as well), among the 10,000 other climbs. I have noticed it's a lot easier the 2nd time around, although I really did nothing for the 6 months that I have been at home from the previous hike. I am finally running into a couple more thru-hikers, but the trail is still relatively empty. It's great. Anyway, after realizing that I needed a couple things from the store, I got to Woody Gap and hitched into Suches, GA. Once I had everything I needed, I honestly didn't want to do the climb out of Woody Gap, and decided to stay one more night at the Hiker Hostel. Guys, this is a great hostel. If you have not started yet, I would highly urge you to consider using these people if you need a place to stay while out on your first few days. So, after a quick shower, we're headed out to get some real food! I think my hunger has already kicked in! I'm scared! Here's to conquering Blood Mt. tomorrow!
Date: 2004-04-08
From: Woody Gap

To: Hiker Hostel (once again)
Miles today: 10.7

This is becoming sad. Okay, all I can say is that the Hiker Hostel is probably one of the best things to happen to the Georgia section of the AT in a while. Me and Dutch were dropped off this a.m. at Woody Gap. I didn't know how far I wanted to go today, but knew I didn't want to be stuck at Neel's Gap at sunset, so I stepped up the pace a bit. It was a great walk today. All the troubles of Sassafrass were behind me, and we had a few nice walks and views. The biggest of the day was Blood Mountain, where ominous clouds threatened pour rain down upon us. I found Blood Mountain to be a great walk...I'm really not sure what the hype is all about. Once up there, the threatening skies diminished, and we were able to get some good pictures in. Of course, then came the climb down. Kudos on the relocation of the trail just south of Blood Mountain, but we really should talk about the knee killer down to Neel's Gap. Anyway, I got to Neel's Gap about 3:30, and finally ran into a relatively big group of hikers. Among the hikers I met were Goosebumps, a 2003 SOBO who is finishing her hike this year, Sleepy the Arab, and Soul Hiker. There were at least 10-15 more roaming around, but I was too taken in by the first outfitter on the trail. So, got the re-supply taken care of, and went out to wait for Dutch to see what the rest of the day would bring. When Dutch arrived, we contemplated hiking out a few more miles to camp, staying at the Hostel at Neel's, or calling the Hiker Hostel to stay just one more night. As we sat and deliberated, a shuttle, driven by Old Man (a thru this year who is helping out Profile and Almanac) pulled up to the Outfitter....so our decision was made. We piled in, and headed back down to the Hiker Hostel for one last stay, and made it back just in time to watch the skies open up and lay a light rain on the mountains. On to Neel's Gap and beyond tomorrow!
Date: 2004-04-09
From: Neel's Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today started out as a very windy day. Windy and cold. It took a while to climb up and over the appropriate ridges that would block the wind, but I finally made it up. There were some nice views today. I sat up on Cow Rock Mountain and had my lunch under a bright, sunny sky. I was even able to find my dreaded campsite from last year, and take a few moments to reflect and laugh about the wisdom I've gained since that fateful night (2003 BearBait AT Trail Journal). Unfortunately, I was running low on water, and pretty much ran out by the time I got to Testnattee Gap. That climb was brutal with no water, and when I got to the top, I debated climbing down the 1.2 trek (one way) to get to Whitley Gap and get water, and decided against it. Luckily for me, there was an unmentioned blue blaze at the bottom of that hill, so I spent some time rehydrating. The rest of the hike was a nice easy grade, up until the downhill into Low Gap. I thought it would never end! This was our final resting spot for the day, where we met up with a few new hikers, such as Myst and Trail Dawg, Tarzan, and a few weekenders. The weather is still holding up, even though we keep hearing threats of storms. Let's hope for a few more days!
Date: 2004-04-10
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Campsite above Unicoi
Miles today: 10.0

Today's original plan called for a 12 mile day to the Cheesecake Factory. It didn't happen.A rainstorm was looming in the distance, and I knew that I needed a few trash bags in order to keep all my goods dry, so I decided I was going to jump into Helen to get that taken care of. So, once again, I set off to get some miles done. The walking was decent, but hey - - I've seen this all before. So, I hurried on down to Blue Mountain, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and headed down to Unicoi Gap. While I was hiking down, I passed a couple who had left some snacks for us in their car, at Unicoi Gap. Sodas, oranges, and bananas! I graciously thanked them, and headed on down. After a banana and a sprite, I jumped in and out of town. Unfortunately, this took a little longer than expected, and I started getting a little tired. When I got back to Unicoi, Dutch had just made it in. We contemplated a new plan, and decided to hike up a mile to the nearest campsite. Rain was already beginning to fall, and I just didn't want to hike in that longer than necessary. We were able to set up in relatively dry weather, and eat before the rain really came in. I also found that I am quite out of practice from stringing a bear line, and need to work on that a bit. Anyway, tonight's the first night I actually get to test my new tent against the elements. Let's hope for a good report!
Date: 2004-04-11
From: Campsite above Unicoi

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today, we woke up to rain. I, of course, did not move from my tent. I even pondered going back down to Unicoi Gap, hitching into the Blueberry Patch, and slacking 16 miles the next day. Duch, who was having a hard time with his tarp, started packing up in the rain, and eventually took off as the rain subsided. Eventually, I crawled out of my tent, and decided to at least put in a good effort to get to the shelter, which was not far away (6-7 miles). So, I started on my way. The weather was half cooperative, and half drizzly. I did, however, get some good views in on the hike, and didn't get soaked. The climb up Tray Mountain was not half as bad as I remember, either. The summit was a bit clouded over, though, and I had made it up with enough time to possibly move on to the next shelter if I wanted to make more miles, so I really didn't stop to enjoy the view. At the shelter, I polished off half a block of cheese (I did not really have a breakfast, so I was starving), and hung out for a while; mainly waiting on Duch to see if he wanted to continue on, or at least let him know I was going to. After maybe an hour, I see someone sauntering up the trail, and realized it was Cliff Dancer! He finally caught up to us! He put his pack down, and announced his intention of staying at the shelter, and so I soon started thinking of just hanging out at the shelter for the afternoon as well. After Duch arrived, I decided to go ahead and stay for the afternoon. Almost everyone else just passed by, hoping to get to the next shelter, or a campsite along the way, so we really had the shelter to ourselves for a good part of the afternoon - - which was nice. We talked, laughed, had a great time, headed back up to Tray Mountain to check out the views, and just enjoyed each others company. At one point, an elderly man came up from the Gap below and invited us to an Easter Dinner (as we were cooking), but we politely declined. I did the Tray Mountain climb once today, and I really didn't want to do a double-take. Of course, we were eventually joined by a few other hikers who packed some of the food up to us, and we were certainly greatful for that. It turned out to be a great day, once again! Headed off to Hiawassee tomorrow!
Date: 2004-04-12
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Today, we awoke to a cold, rainy drizzle. So, we went back to sleep. An hour later, we again woke to a cold, rainy drizzle, and went back to sleep again. Soon afterward, we awoke to more cold, rainy, drizzly, weather, as everyone else packed up. So, we rolled around in our sleeping bags. Later on, as the last people were leaving the shelter, not counting ourselves, we decided to go ahead and get off this cold, rainy mountain. So, we headed off into the nasty weather.One good thing about cold, rainy, foggy weather is that you don't sweat a lot, and you move faster. I'm sure there are more good aspects but, at this time, I simply cannot think of any. Sooo.......there's really not much to say about the hike, except that I was glad to get into Hiawassee and thaw out my hands and warm up. Cliff Dancer, Duch and I ended up splitting a room at the Holiday Inn. This was actually the first really real trail town that we stayed in (not counting the days at the Hiker Hostel), so it was exciting to see hikers crawling all over the town. It was slightly chilly and rainy throughout most of the day, so we kept our outdoor time to a minimum, with the exception of the mandatory re-supply/food/and beer runs. The weather for tomorrow does not sound promising, so I'm not exactly sure what we'll do, but the tentative plan is to get to NC tomorrow! First state down!
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Well. The rain was relentless last night, and had continued on, in patchy patterns, all throughout the morning. We couldn't decide what exactly to do. I knew how I felt about walking out in cold rains. I had a feeling that Cliff Dancer shared my opinion on the matter, but figured that Duch would want to leave. So, we watched the weather channel, did some scheming on what we realistically wanted to do, called Goosebump and Sleepy the Arab's room to talk them into another zero, and ended up getting a room to split amongst the 5 of us. What a good decision that was. We did a lot of napping, bumming around town, soaking in the hot tub and pool, weather watching. The temperatures were just dropping by the minute, and forecasts soon started calling for snow flurries. Snow? Flurries? What? It's April. In Texas, it's beach weather. Snow? Really?I, for one, was excited. Number one, it could possibly be the first snow that I've seen in a good 8 years. Number two, I was in a warm hotel room. Number three, hot tub. We all piled into the room and started watching tv that evening, and it soon started snowing. Not just flurries, though. Snow. The ground was not warm enough for it to stick, but I knew that there would be some accumulation up in the mountains for tomorrow. I thought of this with anticipation and excitement. I have never hiked in snow before. Walking up hills in Colorado and sliding down them, as a kid, just does not count. Certainly I have never been in the exposed outdoors overnight. Was it going to last that long? Questions were just running through my head. Eventually, I went out into the hotel parking lot and started running around in the falling snowflakes. It was cold, but I just didn't care. I was thrilled to have snow falling all over me, regardless of how cold and wet I was getting. After a while of romping outside, excitement soon turned to sleepiness, and I retired to the room for the night. Tomorrow, like it or not, we ARE going to walk into NC. Goodbye, Georgia!
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Hiawassee

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So, we finally left Hiawassee today. The weather was cold, and we could see snow on the mountain tops above us. The hike out was difficult, as well. I don't remember it being this tough last year, but I was definitely feeling the uphill battle all day - - of which the entire day seemed to be. There was no precipitation in the air, thankfully, but you wouldn't know it from all the snow and ice falling from the trees, once we were in the higher elevations. Every time I turned around it seemed I was being pegged in the face with some ice or snow. I am certainly glad we did not hike out into this yesterday. When we passed the GA/NC line, we really started to see some nice snow drifts. It was everywhere! We finally crawled up the horrible mountain that was Kelly Knob (and all 30 of her false summits), and arrived at a ridiculously packed campsite. There were hikers and tents everywhere! I looked inside of the shelter, and for the first time on the trip, just got angry. There was snow everywhere outside, the temps felt like they were in the 20's, and only 6 people occupied the shelter. Six people in a shelter that could easily fit twice as many, and they were spread out, with all their gear, to cover every square inch of the shelter. I could not believe my eyes. Granted, I was the last person to arrive at this shelter, so I knew that I would not have been in the shelter, regardless. Of course, there had to be at least 20 people camping out all over the area, surrounded by snow...and some of these people could have been saved the task of camping out in this weather. I could go on, but I'd rather just leave it at that. So, Cliff Dancer, Duch, and myself walked on a couple hundred feet, and found a decent campsite. We first decided that it was possible to fit 3 of us in 1 tent, and our gear in a second tent. It sounded like a good idea. There seemed to be enough room. We thought it would keep us all warm. So, we tried it.Well, if I learned one thing from that night, I learned that while you can fit 3 people inside of a 1 person tent, you cannot do so comfortably. After about an hour of struggling with this idea, I bailed out and crawled into my own tent. I don't know if I have ever been so close, literally, to two other people in my life, but I DO know that I don't want to share that closeness with anyone else in the near future. Hoping for sunny skies and warming weather for the next few days to come!!
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Wow. A great day today. We woke up to still see snow on the ground, and ended up slowly packing up and leaving about noon; well after the crowd had dispersed. Today's walk was an awesome one. We are walking through some of the best scenery, in my opinion, of the south. The trees are beginning to bloom, and everything is lush and green. The skies were sunny and blue, and temperatures just right for hiking. I ran into Cliff Dancer at a campsite and stream just before Standing Indian Shelter, and we just relaxed for a while, ate some snacks, and unwittingly decided to soak our feet in the stream. Duh - there is still snow on the ground! After the initial shock, the screaming, yelling, and cold/burning sensation on the feet, we both wised up and put the boots back on. We were all slightly concerned about camping out tonight, and didn't think there would be room at the shelter, so we just took our time walking through this section. The trail seems to have been slightly relocated from last year, as it seems like we went straight to the top of Standing Indian Mountain, instead of passing by a summit trail. It was actually quite nice. I eventually headed on down to Carter Gap, and walked up to see Cliff Dancer sitting all alone in the old shelter. Apparently, most of the other hikers opted to camp out or stuff themselves into the new shelter, so we ended up with the old one all to ourselves. Duch arrived a while later, in great spirits, and we ended the night with a great dinner around a nice campfire with Onit, Danny, Wilson, Jon, Red Beard and Cave Man. Albert Mountain tomorrow!!
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Albert Mountain
Miles today: 7.0

Today. Sometimes words almost fail me when trying to describe the day's walk out on the trail, and this day is no exception.Dutch, Cliff Dancer and I decided to just hike about 7 up to Albert Mountain and do some cowboy camping, since the weather has been clear and dry, in order to catch a nice sunset and some beautiful starry skies. So, we took our time getting out of the shelter, while watching some very hysterical acrobatics being performed by the local red squirrels in the area. We headed off around noon, and had just a beautiful walk for the day. There were still remnants of the snow scattered along some of the terrain, and apparently a new little stretch of trail that took us up to the top of Standing Indian Mountain, instead of by a blue-blazed trail that leads up to the top. This was nice, since I skipped the summit last year. I came walking down onto Mooney Gap and saw an SUV parked out by the side of the road. As I walked by, I looked over to wave hello and saw Cliff Dancer sitting down at their table. A few seconds later I noticed a plate of food in front of him, and it was at this point that I decided to stop and say hello. This nice couple had driven up from Georgia, and took a day for themselves to stop and enjoy the wilderness. With them, they had a nice medley of snacks, including homemade turkey salad sammiches with sprouts, grapes, shrimp and cocktail sauce (yes, I said shrimp w/ cocktail sauce), wine, granola bars, grapefruit juice, water, and bananas. I couldn't believe it! I sat down as they piled my plate with food, and we all just sat and talked about the trail. Dutch arrived a bit later, along with Two Dogs and Indy, but Two Dogs and Indy were in a bit of a hurry and kept on, after a quick snack. The three of us, on the other hand, were not, and talked to the couple for a few hours. They seemed to be just as greatful to have talked to us as we were to have run into them and this food on the trail. It was a great experience. We eventually got to moving, and made it to the mountain well before sunset, which gave us all the time to set up camp, build a nice little fire, cook up some food, and find a secret privy that I never knew existed up on the top. We were also presented with one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen to the date, followed by a gorgeous, starry sky to fall asleep to, including a scattered flurry of meteors to watch over. I can keep saying it, and it will get better, but I cannot imagine a better day than what we've had today. Let's hope it never ends!