morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-03-30
From: Muskrat Creek shelter

To: Carter Gap shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Ugh. 12 miles is too many. My feet and legs start hurting around the 9 mile mark and continue to hurt for the next 3 miles.But we had awesome trail magic today!! Spins and Baboon, two thru-hikers from last year set up a tent with chips, cookies, fruit, vegetables, soda and beer, and they made egg and cheese sandwiches over a fire. It was amazing. I almost missed it, too. I was throwing away my trash in some trash bins at Deep Gap and was about to walk away when I saw them pull up and they asked if I was hungry. Thank you God for perfect timing! UV, Naked Ninja and Nitrous were ahead of me and missed it completely.It seems like every day has its ups and downs emotionally as well as physically. In the real world I mostly floated along in a fog of complacent, routine boredom. But here there's not as much to shield me or distract me from the ups and downs so I feel them more. My trail name seems to be pretty solidified at this point. Naked Ninja wants me to expand it to Princess Peach Toadstool (the princess from Mario Brothers) but that's way too long. He really earned his trail name today, hiking only in his boxer briefs (no shirt, no shorts) to alleviate the chafing. He's trying to find a hiking kilt (for real, these really exist and I've seen guys wearing them) but all the major outfitters are sold out right now. He might just be desperate enough to go to a thrift store and find a woman's skirt.
Date: 2012-03-31
From: Carter Gap shelter

To: Big Springs shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: clear sky

Pretty darn happy about doing less than 7 miles today. Climbed Albert Mtn - it was a tough rock scramble near the top, but beautiful once I got there. Climbed up the fire tower as well. Kerry & I ate lunch there; took it easy and took my time admiring the view. I thought that everyone else from the group would be pushing on, but Bunny, High Life and Red Fury are staying here with me tonight. At least some people have good sense. High Life and Red Fury are making mini-pancakes on their mini frying pan! Life is good.Oh, and we passed the 100 mile mark today! In the big picture of the whole trail, it's not very far, but it feels pretty awesome that I have walked 100 miles, with 35+ lbs in my pack, over some pretty big mtns.
Date: 2012-04-01
From: Big Springs shelter

To: Budget Inn (Franklin, NC)
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

Ahh, life is good. Sitting on a comfy bed, stomach full of pizza. We did a pretty easy 9 miles this morning to Winding Stair Gap. Neither Bunny nor I had cell phone service to call the shuttle, so we decided it was time to hitchhike. Bunny tried for a bit, but no luck. Then I got up, stood there for a few minutes (with my pack on - I think that was the key) and 2 cars pulled over at the same time! We chose a blue pickup with a sweet grandmother and her little granddaughter. The girl gave us some grapes left over from their picnic lunch. They drove us to the Budget Inn and here we are! Button, Elastigirl & Mr. Incredible came over from the Sapphire Motel and we went to Vito's Pizza for dinner, along with Dreamfinder. I was originally planning on getting back on the trail tomorrow, but the Jayhawks are playing in the national championship game tomorrow, and I cannot miss it! So excited the timing worked out for me to see it, and I even have my KU shirt from my bounce box to wear! Rock Chalk!
Date: 2012-04-02
From: Budget Inn (Franklin, NC)

To: Budget Inn (Franklin, NC)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Pretty lazy day. Went to the grocery store and the outfitters; other than that, I basically sat around and watched TV. And ate leftover pizza for lunch and dinner, so consequently I feel a little sick.But I did have a great breakfast. The First Baptist Church picked us up at the hotel and took us to their church for free pancakes and bacon, coffeecake and orange juice. Delicious! What a great way to minister to the hiking community - very sweet.Now I'm about to walk over to the bar to watch the game. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
Date: 2012-04-03
From: Budget Inn (Franklin, NC)

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Well, the Jayhawks lost. But we had a pretty good time anyway. We went to a sports bar in Franklin called Mulligans. They had karaoke, and some of the other hikers went up and sang a few songs.This morning I didn't go to the hiker breakfast at First Baptist b/c I had to go to the post office right when it opened so I could be back at the motel before the 9 AM shuttle. I was just going to eat a Clif bar, but Dreamfinder brought me a to-go box of pancakes and bacon from the breakfast!Later in the morning, I got the chance to make someone else's day. My goal was to do 16 miles today, to put me on track to get to Fontana by Friday afternoon. (Their post office closes @ 3 on Fri and isn't open on Sat, and I need to pick up my packages!) I felt really sluggish the first few miles and was worried that I wouldn't be able to go the full 16. I said to God, "OK. Today I'm going to go according to your plan, not mine. If you don't want me to do 16 miles, that's fine." A few miles later, I saw a guitar on the side of the trail. I was pretty annoyed that someone would just leave it there, so I picked it up and decided to take it to the next shelter. The next shelter was half a mile off the trail, so I took off my pack and walked down there, annoyed that I had to go so far out of my way. When I got to the shelter, there was an older man sitting there by himself. I told him I had found the guitar on the trail and was leaving it at the shelter. He got a big smile on his face, picked it up and started tuning it. He said, "I bet I can get some new strings for this in Erwin." And as I walked back up the hill, I could hear him playing and singing. My 16-mile plan did not pan out for today. Just after Wayah Bald, it started to rain hard. Then the temperature dropped and it started to hail. Luckily I was close to a shelter so I decided to stop here for the night. Maybe I'll do 16 tomorrow?
Date: 2012-04-04
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Rufus A. Morgan shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Biggest day yet! I think today was my first 4-shelter day. (I left #1 this morning, passed by 2 & 3 and stayed @ #4.) I flet great when I passed shelter #3 at 11 miles, but it was all downhill from there (literally). I did get some trail magic this morning - blueberry pancakes! There were a couple guys - Possum & Grits - set up at a gap. There were also slackpacking people to the NOC [Nantahala Outdoor Center], but given yesterday's weather I didn't want to get stuck in a storm without my pack. (Slackpacking is when you hike without your pack and someone drives it up the trail for you, or drives you north on the trail, and you hike back south to get to your pack.) And I'm trying to save $ and not spend the night @ NOC. I just want to get in and out of there as quickly as possible tomorrow so I can hopefully do a 16-mile day.
Date: 2012-04-05
From: Rufus A. Morgan shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

Yes, that's right - 16.8 miles baby! My new record! Today was one of those days that started out really rough and ended up great. This morning I practically ran the 1 mile downhill to the NOC. I bought a few supplies (including a knee brace - finally) and had biscuits and gravy at a restaurant. The "sausage gravy" was rather lacking in sausage but pretty good nonetheless. Without those calories, I don't think I would have survived until lunch. For what lay ahead of me was 6 miles of almost constant uphill. And just when I thought I had reached the top of a hill, I would turn the corner to find I was nowhere close to the top. Then it started to rain. I was starving and could feel my legs getting weaker, but was DETERMINED to get to the shelter and eat lunch out of the rain. An eternity later, I got to the shelter and had lunch with Bearpuncher [awesome trail name, btw] and 3 other people. Some of them were staying, and I was seriously tempted, but wanted to try for the next shelter - 9.1 miles away. I left the shelter about 2 and had 1 more miserable mile of straight uphill. After that, it got much easier. I promised myself I would eat dinner at Stecoah Gap and try to make the 2.4 mi to the shelter. When I got to Stecoah, there was trail magic on a picnic table - Pepsi, Mtn Dew, oatmeal cream pie & apples! I was SO happy at that moment. The sun was shining, I was looking at a beautiful view, and I got to drink Mtn Dew while waiting for my dinner to cook. As I was sitting there, one of the guys from the shelter earlier in the day came down the hill. He asked if I was going to the next shelter and I was kind of uncertain since it was almost 7 at that point. He said he would go with me, so I took him up on the offer and we set out at a blistering pace. We did Jacob's Ladder, which was seriously the steepest hill I have ever seen. But I felt great, thanks to the Mtn. Dew I think. We made the 2.4 mi in less than an hour, and it wasn't even very dark yet. Success! (And now it's 9:21 PM and I'm still wide awake, thanks also to the Mtn. Dew.)Fontana tomorrow - I have no doubt that I'll get to the post office before it closes tomorrow - praise God!
Date: 2012-04-06
From: Brown Fork Gap shelter

To: Fontana Hilton shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: few clouds

Made it! Did a fast 11 miles this morning, then to Fontana Village. Went to the post office, had a delicious burger and fries. My maildrop box was HUGE so I'm trying to eat as much as I can tonight. This shelter is awesome - hot shower, flush toilets, fire pit. The Wolf Pack is here, so should be an interesting night.
Date: 2012-04-07
From: Fontana Hilton shelter

To: Mollies Ridge shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

It certainly was an interesting night with the Wolf Pack. Lots of drinking and howling (no joke). Very little sleep for everyone unlucky enough to be in the shelter.Nitrous, UV, Naked Ninja & the Georgia boys caught up with me early in the day, so it was fun to see them again. I gave Ninja the skirt I bought him at the thrift store in Franklin, and about died laughing when he put it on. Then he took off his boxers, so we all tried not to walk behind him for the rest of the day.I intended to go with them to the 2nd shelter today, but my left leg started killing me before I reached the 1st shelter, so I decided to stop. Consequently, I'm spending another night with the Wolf Pack. I don't think anyone carried any alcohol with them today, so it should be a little tamer tonight.Today had some rough climbs. My food bag is super heavy, so I was moving slow and took lots of breaks. I had more motivation to stop and eat food than to walk today.
Date: 2012-04-08
From: Mollies Ridge shelter

To: Silers Bald shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: scattered clouds

A new mileage record! Except for the pain in my left thigh (again), I felt pretty good. It was a good Easter. No chocolate bunnies or ham, but beautiful wildflowers and mountain views made up for it. We heard coyotes last night - they sounded really close by! The temps are definitely dropping, and there are all sorts of rumors going around about snow and sub-freezing temps in a few days. Maybe I'll be out of the Smokies by then. I realized that I don't have to stop in Gatlinburg; I have just enough food to make it to Standing Bear Farm, where I can resupply. It sounds like a cool place.
Date: 2012-04-09
From: Silers Bald shelter

To: Icewater Springs shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

We climbed Clingman's Dome today! Highest point on the AT. As I was walking down to the little gift shop, this woman started talking to me and asking me a bunch of questions. I kind of enjoyed it - made me feel like a celebrity! Then she gave me a juice box, Clif bar & granola bar! My first yogi-ing experience. Score. (Yogi-ing is when you get a tourist to give you food without asking for it. It's an advanced thru-hiker technique, named after Yogi the Bear.) The gift shop had chocolate bars; kind of expensive but I bought 2, and some postcards.The rest of the day was kind of long and boring - listened to a couple NPR podcasts to pass the time. I'm still with Nitrous, Ninja, UV and the GA boys, but they generally get ahead of me by lunchtime and I don't see them again till I get to the shelter. So I spend the latter half of the day mostly by myself, which I like. Lots of time to think, and I can go at my own pace.We did cross the 200 mile mark today! It went so fast, compared to the 100 mile mark. (It took 11 days, to do 100 miles, and 9 more days to do 200.) Picking up speed!
Date: 2012-04-10
From: Icewater Springs shelter

To: TriCorner Knob shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: few clouds

Deja vu today - did the section of the trail I did back in February. It was good to be on familiar ground, but my mind played tricks on me about how close I was to the next shelter.Did almost 8 miles by noon and stopped at Pecks Corner Shelter for a long lunch. Then I made it here before 4! Awesome.
Date: 2012-04-11
From: TriCorner Knob shelter

To: random campsite
Miles today: 16.2

Last night was fun. We had at least 20 people packed into that shelter like sardines. People would keep coming in, and someone would say, "We've got room for 1 more up top!" and everyone would scoot over a few inches. It was not very conducive to sleeping, however. I was wedged between UV and some retired section hiker guy, and I would hit at least one of them every time I rolled over. 2 guys were sleeping on the shelter floor - Smitter and Delaware. They were both pretty funny. Smitter had apparently lost his backcountry permit, and this girl Whistles had picked up an extra blank one, so they started bargaining. [To camp in the Smokies, you have to have a backcountry permit with you at all times or risk getting a fine from a ranger.] At one point, the deal was up to 2 packs of Ramen, a Snickers bar, and a blueberry fritter.It was good that we were packed so tightly into the shelter, because it got SO COLD. One guy with a thermometer said it was 23 degrees! It hadn't warmed up much by the time I started hiking at 8:30 and I was MISERABLE. For about the first 2 hours, I wanted to curl up into the fetal position in the middle of the trail and just die. I hate being cold more than anything! I was wearing 3 shirts, a rainjacket, hat, gloves, and had the hood of the rainjacket up. I was practically running along the trail to get warm, and it didn't help that the sun was on the opposite side of the mtn. and so I was walking through dark patches of trees. Finally I got to a grassy area out of the wind that was in direct sunlight, had a snack, and decided that I would survive.The afternoon turned out to be a pleasant one. Nitrous, Ninja & UV were going to do 18 miles to Standing Bear Farm, but I wanted to take it easy and get there tomorrow AM. I was going to stay at Davenport Gap shelter, the last one in the Smokies, but didn't like the looks of it when I got there. I was determined to sleep in my tent b/c I was sick of sleeping in shelters, but there was a sign saying no tenting. So I walked out of the park to find a place to put up my tent. I got almost to I-40, found an old Jeep road, and walked down it a ways to a lovely place by a stream. And here I am! Haven't seen anyone yet, and hope I will get through the night undisturbed. Lost my guidebook at some point today, so I'll have to get another one soon.
Date: 2012-04-12
From: random campsite

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 2.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was a pretty sweet day. I decided when I woke up this morning that i had most likely left my guidebook at Davenport Gap, and that I should probably go back and get it. So I packed up my tent, and hid my pack in some bushes. Then hiked back uphill to Davenport and my guidebook was there!Then I came back, got my pack and continued on. A short hike later, I arrived at Standing Bear Farm. This place is pretty awesome. There's a bunch of really old buildings - a cabin, a bunkhouse, kitchen/laundry room, with a stream running through it. There's a store, with lots of food and snack at surprisingly reasonable prices. I did my laundry using a washboard, which was awesome and a lot of hard work. I ate microwave burritos and pizza, and finished the James Bond book I had been reading. Now we're all sitting around the fire telling stories. This is when this all feels like a great vacation. I've met so many funny, interesting people that I never would have otherwise.And tomorrow is Kennedy's 19th birthday. He is this adorable kid with black-rimmed glasses who spends at least an hour a day stretching, loves to read and whips up some gourmet backcountry meals. Delaware & Whistles hitched into town to buy him a blueberry fritter. Happy birthday Mr. President!
Date: 2012-04-13
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Max Patch
Miles today: 13.3

It was hard to leave Standing Bear this morning - took me until 10 to get going. I did have 2 Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches and a cheese danish (the danish had 450 calories alone). There were some hard climbs today, and I was cursing myself for how much food I had bought!I ate lunch with Downhill and Patches on top of Snowbird Mtn, which was a nice grassy bald. Later in the afternoon, Rampage showed me how to find ramps (wild onions), which was really cool. I added some to my cheesy rice and broccoli for dinner.Right before I got to Max Pathc, there was a couple doing trail magic out of their car! i ate some delicious Oreos, a cupcake and had a Gatorade. Then we walked up the hill to Max Patch. It is unbelievably beautiful up here. There's a 360 degree view of the mountains and we watched the most beautiful sunset. I have my tent facing east so I can catch the sunrise. I feel so blessed to be here. This is a spot I hope to take friends and family to sometime in the future.
Date: 2012-04-14
From: Max Patch

To: Deer Park Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

Got up in time to watch sunrise over Max Patch - it was so beautiful! Got lots of good pictures of it, too.2 moderately steep mtns today - had lunch at the top of the first one and a Snickers bar at the top of the 2nd one.Saw a HUGE black snake this afternoon; it must have been 4 feet long. It was headed south on the trail. Smitter told me the big white and pink flowers I've been seeing for a few days now are called trillium. I wish I had a wildflower book so I could figure out the names of the rest of them. Don't think I have the energy to hang a bear bag tonight. There are cables at the shelter, but that's way up the hill. Might just sleep with it in my tent like last night. No bear attacks thus far.
Date: 2012-04-15
From: Deer Park Mtn. Shelter

To: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn (Hot Springs, NC)
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: clear sky

Got up at 6:30 this morning so I could make it to Hot Springs in time for church. Saw that there was a service at 11, so decided to have breakfast first. I met up with Nitrous, Ninja & UV and ate with them at the diner. I checked into the hostel and went to church.First Baptist reminded me of one of the little county churches that we would go to at Mtn. TOP. There were about 20 people there (1 other hiker besides me) and the preacher would call on people in the congregation to pray. I actually enjoyed the sermon - the preacher taught from Philippians 3:20-21, about our citizenship being in heaven, and how God will transform our vile bodies to be like Christ's glorious body. Boy, I sure identified with the "vile bodies" part. I feel like an old woman most days. After church I resupplied at the outfitter, did laundry, wrote some postcards, and read (I picked up "To Kill a Mockingbird" at Standing Bear after I finished James Bond). The Sunnybank Inn where I'm staying is amazing. Huge old house, built in 1875 and filled with antiques. I'm sleeping on a real bed with a quilt and sheets. They serve organic, locally-grown meals here - I'll get to experience that tomorrow for breakfast.
Date: 2012-04-16
From: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn (Hot Springs, NC)

To: Spring Mtn. shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Had a wonderful breakfast at the Sunnybank Inn this morning: whole wheat pecan waffles, granola, cantaloupe, and organic apple juice. Then did a few errands - hardware store, ATM, library, post office. Spent almost 1 1/2 hours typing Trailjournals entries @ the library and still didn't get quite caught up. Got to the P.O. to mail my bounce box around 12 and had to wait until 1 before they opened again.Left town around 1:30, and intended to stay at the campsite on Rich Mtn, but the gnats were so bad there that I was going crazy, so I kept walking. Stopped on the side of the trail and made dinner around 7:30, then made it to the shelter around 8:30. Latest I've been on the trail so far. I'm not opposed to night hiking, but it's not very much fun by yourself!
Date: 2012-04-17
From: Spring Mtn. shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Had the best trail magic ever today! Fal and Hercules, thru-hikers from 1999, have a log cabin house 350 yards up the road from the trail as it crosses a highway. There was a sign just before the road crossing with directions to their house. There was a cooler full of sodas on the front porch, and once I went inside their beautiful house, I saw a dining room table full of other hikers. They fed us each a huge Belgian waffle, then a delicious stew with pork, potatoes and vegetables, then a choice of dessert (I picked apple crisp with ice cream). It was unbelievable. There were real plates, silverware and glasses, and cloth napkins. They had Christian books which they invited people to take with them, and were open about their faith and their desire for people to think about what was written in the books. I talked to Fal some, and she grew up in Wichita, KS (an hour from my hometown).
Date: 2012-04-18
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Flint Mtn. shelter
Miles today: 5.9

It was raining when I got to the shelter last night, and raining as I set up my tent, and when I went to bed, and when I woke up. So I was not very happy about packing up my wet tent and shoving it in my bag this morning .I told myself that if I was miserable and wet, I would stop at the first shelter. Got to the shelter at 11:30 and that's what I did! Put on dry clothes, got in my sleeping bag, and read "To Kill a Mockingbird" while eating snacks. Then Kennedy, Buddha & Rampage showed up and we've been hanging out most of the afternoon. I feel a little lazy, but it's been a good day. Oh, and the couple from Switzerland (Melody & Boots) stopped by earlier and we chatted with them for a bit. They're really cool.
Date: 2012-04-19
From: Flint Mtn. shelter

To: Bald Mtn. shelter
Miles today: 18.9

New mileage record today! After my super-short day yesterday I was determined to get close to my original mileage plan. Left the shelter around 8:20 this morning and accidentally took a 1.5 hour lunch break. Where did the time go? Saw the Georgia boys at lunch - hadn't seen them since the first day out of Hot Springs. Then just plugged along uphill for the rest of the day.I did have enough phone service just before lunch to pay a bill over the phone and called Dad as well. He will be sending a blank memory card to Roan Mtn, so I can send him the one I have and get some pictures uploaded.Erwin tomorrow! It doesn't seem that long since I was in Hot Springs. Time is going fast.