morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-12
From: Deer Park Mtn Shelter, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 3.1
Weather: moderate rain

The five of us in this small shelter (Boo Boo, Krispy Kritter, Beartracks, Frits, and I), woke up at 7 AM and skipped breakfast to hurry down the trail 3.1 miles into Hot Springs. We wanted to be able to have a real breakfast with coffee instead of trail food. Luckily, we made it down the mountain in one hour. It was great to see the town come into view as a light rain began to fall. I hope that I can take a picture of it on my way out of town. I avoided taking my camera out today because of the rain. From above, the town of Hot Springs looked like one of those quaint little towns that model railroad enthusiasts build for that type of hobby, and yes, a train does run through this town periodically. I'll bet that there will be more of these types of towns as I go further northbound.   Our first stop was the Smoky Mountain Diner for breakfast. There's no question about it, this is about the only place to eat. You can even order their 12 ounce "hiker's cheeseburger."We discussed lodging options during breakfast. It is my little reward to have my own motel room every so often on this trip, so I opted to stay at the Alpine Court Motel. It's a small, ten room motel, and basically the only reasonable choice. The other four guys were going to split the cost of a room for themselves, but the owner/managers (?) will not rent a room to four people of the same sex for some reason. That's the word on the trail. For that reason, Krispy Kritter, Boo Boo, and Beartracks opted to stay at the hostel. Frits decided to stay at Elmer's. Note, the Alpine Court Motel and the hostel do NOT have telephones at all. There are only three payphones in this town of 400 people (not sure of the exact population). There is no cell phone service. There are no stoplights, either. Elmer Hall runs a hostel of sorts in a large, home built in 1840. The inside is like a museum or curio shop. The house has style and a lot of detail went into it's construction. It must have been very elegant in it's time. From what I hear from other hikers, Elmer follows Buddhist traditions and prepares strict vegetarian meals for his guests. Part of the amazing experience of hiking the Appalachian Trail is staying at these more "eclectic" homes with their owners, however, I was already set to stay at a motel. I might regret passing up this opportunity.Acknowledgements:Thanks, Mom, for the package of chocolate chip cookies.Thanks to "Baltimore Jack" for delivering the above package to me, which had been misdirected by a MBE employee, and for sharing his previous thru-hiking experiences with a group of us at Paddler¢s Pub, tonight.
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

This was a good day to take a zero day. Shortly after midnight, the rain started to fall, heavily. It finally stopped around 8am or 9am. I spent last night getting the things together that I'd need for the next week out as I head towards Erwin, Tennessee.   This morning, I went to the bank, post office, and Bluff Mountain Outfitters. Let me give the outfitters a lot of praise for having the best coffee that I've tasted on the Trail. I didn't even know that they had freshly brewed coffee.My next stop was to the Smoky Mountain Diner for another double cheeseburger and salad. I should be eating the trail food that I packed because I've been carrying way too much food in my pack. However, it's just feels good to have a meal prepared for you. (It's 5:30pm as I type this and I'm reluctantly eating out of a bag of freeze-dried spaghetti.) Mmmm Mmm good!Since I'm in Hot Springs, what else should a tired hiker do, but walk on over to the Hot Springs Spa and rent a hot tub. That I did. There are twelve spas that you can rent that are filled with 102 degree water. The spas are overlooking the French Broad River and Spring Creek. All you need to do is just relax and watch the water go by, and listen to the birds chirp.For only $10, you can rent a hot tub for an hour (before 7pm). I also made a reservation with one of their massage therapists after my hour in the spa. It's all good! The next thing I did this afternoon was to go back to the library to post a few more pictures and check my e-mail. I'll post more photos when I have more time. By the way, I was able to take the USB cable for my camera and burn the contents of the flash card onto a CD at Bluff Mountain Outfitters. It's a great store.I will be in for the night, soon, after I go to the payphone to make a phone call. I will finish loading my pack tonight. Tomorrow, I'll forward my bounce box from the post office as I walk out of town. Luckily, the Appalachian Trail is directly on the "main street" of Hot Springs that runs through town.It looks like snow showers are predicted for Hot Springs tonight and tomorrow. I hope not. I've seen enough snow on this trip.
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter, TN
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light snow

I thought that this would be the end of the snow, but it was not. It was raining in Hot Springs and I could see that the mountains received snow overnight.Onto the trail I went, after a visit to the diner and post office. A zero day and a good nights rest really does a body good. I hoped to take a nice picture of the town, but it was just too rainy and foggy. I did the best I could and will post the picture later.As is always the case, the trail starts off with an abrupt climb, but it does follow the wide and swiftly-flowing French Broad River for a while. There are some nice overlooks just past town.Shortly thereafter, the trail had an easy grade and just as expected, the trail headed into the snowy and windy areas of the forest. It was pretty, but I'm tired of it. I'm sure that I'll hate the heat of summer in a few months, too.The only "exciting" thing that occurred today was a very loud, eerie sound in the woods. Keep in mind that it was verry foggy with limited visibility and that I was alone. The only way I can describe it is like the sound of a whistle from an old steam locomotive. It was accompanied by other strange factory or industrial-type sounds. I certainly hoped that no big animal could make that type of sound.I was intrigued by the sound, but at the same time, I wanted to move on as fast as I could. It turns out that I was near the abandoned Rich Mountain Fire Tower (which I could not see because of the fog). After listening to the sound while I walked away from it, I believe that the sound was caused by the swift wind blowing through the uprights of the tower and causing it to vibrate or resonate.Well, I'm here at the shelter and it's cold. We're all cold. Tinker and KrispyKritter are shivering. I hope they avoid hypothermia tonight. I'll help them all I can.In attendance at the shelter are Tinker, Pegasus, Beartracks, KrispyKritter and myself.
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Spring Mountain Shelter, TN

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter, NC
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

The clouds and wind finally died down near midnight last night revealing a clear sky. As is often the case, nature called in the middle of the night, so I grabbed my headlamp and boots and headed towards the privy. I always worry that I'll turn on my headlamp, shine it into the woods, and see some glowing eyes of an unknown animal staring back at me.Anyway, what I'm amazed at during clear nights is the depth of the stars in the sky. From out here, away from the cities, you can see an enormous amount of stars. It's always something I look forward to when I need to leave my sleeping bag in the middle of the night.There are other times, when I've arrived at a shelter for the night, where you just notice the trees surrounding the shelter. In certain shelter locations, however, after the sun has set, you will be able to look through the trees and notice that you are looking down upon the lights of a small town. It's really a nice backdrop.As for the trail today, there were still patches of snow all along the trail, but it was rapidly melting, creating a mudfest. Luckily, I didn't slip and fall today. It is a killer climb up to Camp Creek Bald. It goes straight up to nearly 5,000 feet from Little Laurel Shelter. The elevation looks stable, according to the elevation profile on my map, from then on to Jerry Cabin Shelter, but it gets tough and very rocky around Blackstack Cliffs. There are great views on the cliffs, but it would be treacherous in bad weather. Fortunately, there is a blue-blazed bad weather route that circumvents a the treacherous part of the trail. It was actually part of the original Trail in years past. However, I stuck to the plan and remained on the white blaze. Present at the shelter tonight are Mumbles, KrispyKritter, Beartracks, Pegasus, Dave Mueller, Courtney, Kelly, and two other men in tents, near the shelter.
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter, NC

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter, NC
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today began as another beautiful day. The destination for the day was Hogback Ridge Shelter, 14.7 miles away. The past few days have been difficult for me. If you look at the elevation profile on the map, you'll see why. There are some steep inclines and declines. Everytime the trail goes down into a gap between the mountains, it always goes straight back up the next mountain. Dave Mueller (?) who stayed at our shelter last night says that "gap" is really a four letter word. That's because of the words you use once you see that you have to go back up the mountain after spending the last thirty minutes going down one side of the mountain. Another thing you can say about the trail is that you can point out the highest mountain within sight and invariably you will be climbing it by the end of the day. Also, the trail for the last 50 or more miles is basically the Tennesse/North Carolina border. The shelter destinations listed on my journal vary between NC an TN, frequently. Today was also an animal day. I saw two snakes (non-poisonous), and a grouse.It's funny how after a long, tough day when you think that you should be near the shelter, you see "shelter mirages" in the woods. It's like some sort of hallucination. The dead and partially fallen trees look like the shelter trusses in an "A" shape.The Hogback Ridge Shelter is in a nice location. It's off the trail 0.2 miles, but the surrounding woods are pretty (even if they're still brown).In attendance with me at the shelter are Pegasus, Kelly, and Courtney. KrispyKritter and Beartracks hiked a partial day and are getting a ride back to Hot Springs for Trailfest. They will resume hiking where they left off on Sunday.Shortly after dinner, two other hikers showed up: Stumpknocker and Jan "Liteshoe" (also on trailjournals). Jan seems to have a celebrity status on Trailjournals with over 1/4 million "hits" on her page. She and Stumpknocker are on a 100 mile southbound hike ending in Hot Springs.
Date: 2004-04-17
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter, NC

To: No Business Knob Shelter, TN
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

This morning, the four of us in the shelter had breakfast with Jan Liteshoe and Stumpknocker. We discussed whether or not we were having fun or not. I think the four of us heading to Maine this year came to the conclusion that this is not fun as in going to Disney World for a vacation, but rather a chance to do something unique with our lives. It does have some fun moments, though. I was impressed and appreciated the freshly painted white blazes along this portion of trail.I enjoyed being able to walk along the ridge today and be able to look down upon the farms, farm houses and barns as I made my way towards Big Bald. Today's major landmark was Big Bald. Big Bald, like Max Patch, is like a treeless meadow or pasture on top of a mountain. The elevation of Big Bald is 5,516. It sounds hokey, but you can almost visualize seeing Julie Andrews from the musical, "The Sound of Music" out there. (I hope you get the idea.) Anyway, I think that Big Bald is even more spectacular than Max Patch. Today, the weather was great and the skies were clear. The 360 degree view is astounding. Photos just can't capture it. You can see the Smoky Mountains in all directions. Today was my first 20+ mile day. It was sort of by accident. The people that I've been hiking with lately are almost out of food, so they need to get to Erwin, TN, to resupply as soon as they can. I'm exhausted! I think that I'll take a day off to make up for it. I'm now a day ahead of my schedule.I want to say thanks, once again, to my brother, Tom, for taking care of my food drops and mail at home.
Date: 2004-04-18
From: No Business Knob Shelter, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: clear sky

The short hike down into Erwin, Tennessee, provides hikers with great views of the Nolichukey River and the small toen of Erwin. Pegasus, Beast, Courtney, Kelly, and myself tried to leave the shelter (No Business Knob) early today and get into Erwin so that we could get to the Pizza Hut before the buffet ended at 2 pm. Because of the high mileage day that I hiked yesterday, I am in Erwin, Tennessee one day earlier than I expected and staying at Miss Janet's Hostel. I think that I might take an unplanned "zero day" and rest my feet tomorrow. So far, Miss Janet's is great. Hikers just show up and make themselves at home. It is an old house and two rooms have been converted into bedrooms for hikers with bunkbeds. As I write this, I'm in the front room watching the movie "Cider House Rules" on the big screen TV. This place is great! We just make ourselves at home and have access to the Internet, showers, kitchen, and laundry. I've spent a good portion of the day on the front porch, sitting in one of the rocking chairs and talking to the other hikers.   I'm looking forward to the breakfast that Miss Janet prepares each morning.Present tonight are: Paddler, Dutch, Pegasus, Courtney, Kelly, Beast, K-less, Danny, Tinker, Beatbox, and Pooja, Gaia, the Mad Scientist, and myself. Earlier today, the Rat Pack, Marzipan, and Chef(TB) left for the Trail.
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning, Miss Janet made a large breakfast for fourteen hikers. It included coffee, fruit, pancakes, omelets, sausage, and so forth. We ate outside in the back yard and while we were sitting at the table we played a little game. We were asked to go around the table and introduce ourselves by telling everyone our real name, trail name, where we are from, and then tell three things about ourselves. Of the three things about ourselves, two had to be true and one had to be a lie. Everyone at the table had to identify the lie. We had some great laughs with that game.For the rest of the day, I went to the library, grocery store, Post Office, and a couple of places for lunch and dinner (Erwin Burrito Co. and Elms(?).Tonight people are hanging around, packing their packs, talking on the phone, watching movies using the Internet, and etc. Basically, this place is like a co-ed college dorm. I suppose it could also be a mini-version of MTV's "Real World."   It has its fun moments, and I've enjoyed it, but I'm really ready to move on and up the trail. The weather is nice and I need to keep going. Here, there is one phone, one Internet connection, one washing machine, and one shower being shared between fourteen and eighteen people. Packs, gear, food and clothing is spread out all over. It's difficult to get things done. I've been used to getting to bed by 8:30pm after a long day on the trail, but with all the people here, lights out is after midnight. That makes it difficult to have much energy the next morning.   Paying for my own motel room every so often seems worth it.   To my surprise, KrispyKritter and Frits showed up tonight after a 26 mile day. I was planning on going 16 miles tomorrow, but I'm not sure about what time I can get back on the trail. I also need to check the weather.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Erwin, TN

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter, TN
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I think the giggling and goofing off died down around 1 am, after the card games were over. In the bunk rooms, we laughed about everything after the lights were out, just like you probably did as a child.When morning came, there were 20 people there for breakfast. It's funny to wake up in the morning and see hikers sleping on the couches and even on the front porch. I was never in the Greek system in college, but I guess Miss Janet's gets to be a little like a Frat House. www.geocities.com/missjanetshousePresent for Miss Janet's famous breakfast included Miss Janet, myself, K-Less, Paddeler, Pegasus, Snowman, Snail, Dutch, the Mad Scientist, KrispyKritter, Frits, Gaia, Spoon, Kelly and Courtney (now known as Bonnie & Clyde, respectively - yes, it's twisted), Ross(Cheers), Grace, Danny A., Tinker, and Beatbox. This morning's ice breaker was for everyone to introduce themselves and tell everyone who the'd like to be if they could become somone else from the past. I said Thomas Edison or Phil Collins. One is a great inventor and the other is a great musician/songwriter.   On the way back to he trail, I saw Bear Behind, Grizzly Dave, and David Mueller, relaxing at Uncle Johnny's Hostel.I was eager to get back on he trail and move on. It's difficult to leave town after having a good time with your new friends. Miss Janet dropped me and Danny A. of at the trailhead later than I'd like, but you have to wait patiently until the hikers decide on who needs to to go away from the hostel and when. I planned on hiking 16 miles today, but that wasn't going to happen, so I've hiked only 4.2 in a light rain. My pack is too heavy with extra food and my feet are starting to hurt, probably because of the extra weight. I'll be behind my schedule by a day when I leave tomorrow. Hopefully I can make it up, buy I'm not counting on it. I expect to see others at the shelter tonight, perhaps, Clyde, Beatbox, Pegasus, Bear Behind, Danny A. and the mother/daughter "team" of Blaze and Gimpy.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter, TN
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I was glad that I only hiked four miles yesterday. My feet were hurting. I'm almost certain that it's because my pack is too heavy after collecting my mail drop.Anyway, today was fairly uneventful. However, it was beautiful after getting to the top of Unaka Mountain. Unaka Mountain has a very dense forest of evergreen trees (Spruce, think). A lot of the forest floor is covered in thick, green moss. People say that it's a taste of Maine.Today's 12.1 miles is enough for me. Tomorrow's hike up Roan Mountain will be difficult, too. Ever since the Smoky's, the trail has been very difficult.It's Pegasus' birthday today and here, at the shelter, I'm sure that we'll be up late making noise. Sure enough, after the camp fire was lit, people started getting goofy by singing corny songs. Beatbox is a rapper who can throw together some serious rhymes on the fly. He can also put together some serious beats. He can make some impressive drum machine sounds, too.On a different subject, I've been amazed at the cullinary creations that people put together for their dinner. I didn't know that you could put just about anything on a tortilla. Beast collected berries that I think he called Winterberries and ate them. A couple of others collected wild onions (ramps). Believe me, you do not want to be around anyone who is eating those. Beartracks bought a hot pickled sausage at the store in Erwin. He decided that he wasn't hungry enough to eat it after the ingredients listed "beef lips." Frits aka (Francois), has ben the most creative with food. Last night he made corn bread over the fire. It didn't really turn out well. Something about the flaky, charred crust just didn't make it the type of corn bread that you'd want to eat.In attendance in and around the shelter tonight: Bear Behind, Pegasus, Danny (AKA), Gaia, Frits, Beatbox, Krispy Kritter, Beartracks, Bonnie & Clyde, Tinker, and the Mad Scientist, among others.Pegasus and FritsCelebrating Pegasus' birthday #1 at Cherry Gap Shelter, TNL to R: Beartracks, Krispy Kritter, Pegasus, Bonnie, Mad Scientist, Clyde, TinkerCelebrating Pegasus' birthday #2 at Cherry Gap Shelter, TNForeground L to R: Tinker, Beast, Frits, Mad Scientist, Krispy Kritter, Pegasus.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Cherry Gap Shelter, TN

To: Roan High Knob Shleter, NC
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

Today's elevation profile looked scary. It was the group's intention to go 15.2 miles to Roan High Knob Shelter. I was second out of the sheter because I wanted a space in the shelter (first come, first served), I'm a slower hiker, and I was concerned about the weather.To put it briefly, today was in the top three most strenuous days that I've had so far. The ascent up beyond 6,000 feet to the top of Roan Mountain was rough. I literally "hit the wall," as runners call it, as I hiked towards the top. I was shaking, not because of the cold (it wasn't cold), but because I had expended so much energy today. I don't know how I got to the top.I'm now staying at the highest shelter on the entire Appalachian Trail, at an elevation of 6,285 feet. The shelter is an old Fire Warden's cabin that sleeps 15 between the first and second floors. The shelter is nestled in a forest of thick pine (Spruce & Fir) trees. The scent of pine is all around.Tomorrow, the group here knows about as steakhouse, about 15 miles away, down the Trail. A steak and loaded backed potato sounds really good now.At the shelter tonight: Beartracks, Krispy Kritter, Mississippi Mule, Bonnie & Clyde, Blaze and a few new people that I have yet to meet. Some from the last camp haven't arrived yet. Beatbox, Frits, Tinker, and Pegasus went on a few miles beyond this shelter.A portion of the Trail today going towards Roan Mountain.
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Roan High Knob Shleter, NC

To: Apple House Shelter, TN
Miles today: 14.7

It was chilly on top of Roan Mountain this morning, but that's a given because of the elevation.The elevation profile map showed a mostly downhill grade towards the Apple House Shelter, which was going to be my destination at the end of the day today. The trail wound its way through evergreen trees so thick that the sun barely penetrated to the forest floor. The forest floor in some areas was covered in moss.The trail continued to the top of some of the most spectacular mountain balds so far. I never knew what mountain balds were until this backpacking trip. There were some big climbs that never seemed to end and a lot of exposure, but the views were outstanding. I was laughing as I was hiking because I just couldn't believe where I was, the views, and how far I'd hiked today. Maybe there was something in my water. I was also worried about a possible thunderstorm brewing since there was some weather coming in. Most of today's hiking was on the balds. I would love to visit this area again with someone else who has never been here.You know, I'm still amazed that during the day I can usualy see where I'll be hiking towards and at the end of the day. From a pinnacle along the trail, I can sometimes see where I started the day or even the previous day.The trail crossed through a pasture of Watusi cattle. You'll just have to see the pictures. They were tough looking! I was hiking next to Krispy Kritter and we did all we could to avoid a confrontation with these huge animals. The trail passed within a few feet of them. At one point, we walked off the trail a bit to give them some space.Cut to a few hours later and I found myself at The King of the Road Steakhouse. Yes, I had a New York Strip steak, baked potato, salad, and apple pie with a scoop of ice cream.There are six of us at the shelter, including Beartracks and Krispy Kritter. The others have gone on ahead. Gaia, Mad Scientist, and Beast are behind.The trail leaving the Roan Mountain Fire Warden¢s Cabin.Pegasus and FritsOn the way up Little & Big Hump Mountain.Big Hump MountainKrispy Kritter on Big Hump MountainWatusi Cattle near the trail.Watusi Cattle near the trail.Hiker and Watusi cattle.