morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-03-23
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept well last night, even though I had to constantly battle my way back up the sloping floor of the tent. Took a short day today. Left Bly Gap at 8AM and was here by 2PM or so. Most of the crowd are going on to the summit, extra miles and 1000 feet of elevation. I'm OK here, I'll tackle Standing Indian Mountain in the morning. Did not put moleskin on the heels, just took it easy on them today and we all did fine. It's now 5.30 PM and I have the shelter to myself, this is certainly a first. It's nice to be able to spread your gear out once in a while and to have a little quiet time to yourself. In general the shelters settle down for the night once the sun goes down, and apart from the snoring - not too bad so far in my opinion - and the tossing and turning, and of course the trips outside for people to relieve themselves, the shelter stays pretty quiet till sunrise or just before it, which is to say that most nights in the shelters there are plenty of interuptions. I am fortunate in that , even thought I do wake up at every disturbance, I have no problem in going back to sleep again. In fact I have noticed that out here on the trail, I have no gap between being awake and falling asleep. In other words when I settle in for the night I do not go tru the gradual transition into sleep that I am accustomed to at home, I just suddenly fall asleep!. The same thing happens when I wake up. I am just suddenly awake, no gradual awaking out here, it's just - Bang!, and I am awake. I am feeling good, although I am going much slower that I had expected, but I dont care, so what if it takes me a long time to get anywhere, I've got time, I'm not under any deadlines. The sun is slowly setting down to my right, very quiet and surprisingly cold after a 40F day, but we are at 4000 feet. i am writing with my liner gloves on. I change out of the silk underwear top when I get into camp, and put on the RailRiders shirt and the fleece, also the yellow wool hat and the heavy rainwear pants. Works good so far. Tomorrow I plan to climb Syanding Indian Mountain and see if I can camp at Bettys Creek - if I can find the   campsite this time! There have been bear sitings in this area so I am being especialy carefull with the hanging of the food and garbage bags I figure 3 days to Wallace Gap and an unscheduled extra overhight in the hostel if possible.
Date: 2003-03-24
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

What a day! 15 miles and two mountains, Standing Indian and Albert, in 10 hours. Started out at 7AM with a nice easy gradual ascent of Standing Indian. Done in an hour,then a nice easy descent and made good time to Davis Gap and was at Betty Creek by 2PM. Because I was feeling so good, and had such an easy time with Standing Indian, I decied to go on to Big Spring. Albert Mountain was quiet a shock for me. In the first place you always need to have respect for any mountain that has a blue blazed bypass trail to be used in the event of bad weather to bypass the summit! Even thought the weather may be fine, you should at least be prepaired for some tough climbing. And when I say "climbing" I mean it. The ascent of Albert is very steep and was the first time that I had to use my hands to scramble up through the exposed rock surfaces. Second , sometimes the mountain profiles in the maps are true reflections of what the actual ascent is going to be like - dont always discount the vertical exaggeration on the profile. Albert has a very interesting observation tower on the top , but I was too tired to fully apreciate the view. I arrived at the Big Spring Shelter at about 5PM. Met with Bump Ass - who is from "Bum Pass" in Virginia - at the shelter. We are now joined by 8 boy scouts and 2 troop leaders. They are on their first day of a four day trip. As you can expect there is much excitement and some confusion in the group, as they are setting up their tents and starting to cook dinner. Wallace Gap is about 6 miles from here and then a mile extra to Rainbow Springs Campground. Current plan is to go there and stay in the hostal tomorrow night. Toughest day of hiking yet. I think that I got a little bit overconfident because I did so well with Standing Indian, and dident realy expect Albert to be as difficult as it was. Lesson - any mountain can be difficult, especially if you climb it late in the day.
Date: 2003-03-25
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Rainbow Springs Campground
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: few clouds

Much to the surprise of the boy scouts I was up and moving at 6AM, and on the trail after breakfast by 7AM. Another great day needing liberal applications of sun screen. A nice and easy walk to Wallace Gap and then a 1 mile hike - all downhill - to the campground. Very nice hostel here. I had a shower and a shave and did my laundry, and I am all packed up again with 6 days of supplies. The campground has just changed hands this year and the new managers are trying very hard to build up a new, and good, reputation with the hikers. In my opinion they are doing a good job. Very plesant here now with the sun shining and the sight and sound of the river running in the valley below us. Nice and clean "Bunk House" - they looked at me strangely when I said "Hostel". Bump Ass is here as is Easy Dog, who has a realy badly swollen knee and is taking a few days off and is gobbling up the Ibuprophin. Looks like a good 6 days from here to Fontana Dam, and the weather certainly seems to be getting better. I know that I am going very slowly and that I am spending more time in hostels than I had planned, but everyone hikes their own hike, and they tell me that the big mile days will come in their own sweet time. I just want to develop a slow and patient approach, not alone to this hike but to the rest of my life. I think that because of my profession as a Trauma Surgeon I am used to things happening fast , and to making rapid decisions , often based on less then adequate data. It has created an attitude towards life where I expect everything to move along quickley. I still have a tendency to finish peoples sentences for them even during normal conversations, as if they are talking too slowly for me and I cant waste the time in letting them finish their thoughts on their own. I need to slow down and take my time, and let others take theirs, something that I hope this lourney will teach me with time.
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Rainbow Springs Campground

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: light rain

Slept late this AM since the shuttle did not leave for the trailhead until 9AM. Had a good nights sleep and started back on the trail by 9.30AM. A cold and overcast day that held a promise of rain, which it did not fulfill untill just before I got here to the shelter. The shelter is again full. I got the last of the 6 available spaces, and I arrived at 2PM! There are now people on the table, on the floor of the shelter, and a whole bunch of people camping out in what is now a heavy rain. I had a good dinner and I felt hungry tonight, This is good. The "hikers stomach" seems to have kicked in at least. Bump Ass is here as well as Spunky and a new character called "aka Yacker" ["a kayacker", get it?] who is regaling us with a million stories. Much of the talk in the shelters is about food, not so much about the food that we are currently eating, but about what we intend to eat at the next town. Its rather like self flaggelation if you ask me. There is also a lot of gear talk, and I am not much of a gear head. The constant refrain is "How much does it weigh?" A lot of good information is exchanged, but there is little discussion of why it is that we are all here, or what it is that we are all trying to obtain from our journeys. It may well be that way because the company tends to be predominantly male, and hence not particulary adept at discussing such deep seated private thoughts with a bunch of people, who are in effect transient strangers. I am still somewhat surprised by this because we all are part of a very unique group of people who are undertaking a very unique journey. The people that we meet on the trail are the only people who can fully understand the often complex reasons that drove us all to be here. Or maybe it is still too early in the journey for such conversations. Or maybe it is because we are all wet, tired, hungry. crowded, and far more worried about the simple tasks of getting, rest, food, space and dry to be concerned about such things To think deep thoughts we have to have all of our basic needs taken care of first.
Date: 2003-03-27
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: few clouds

It was the best of days, and it was the worst of days! The best because it was it was my first encounter with a Trail Angel, His name was Apple, and he had set up two tents with free treats - coffee, hot rolls, Reeses Peanuts etc. Fantastic! He is a contractor for a major computer company, and hopes one day to hike the entire trail himself. He sets up his tents each year for 9 days and treats everyone who comes by. A truly great person. The bad news is "The Knees". Starting in the late morning I began to get a realy bad pain in my knees. It started in the Right knee, and as I began to favor that knee, it rapidly spread to both knees. It became progressivly worse during the day. If I stopped to rest it was almost impossible to start walking again. The area involved is just under the knee cap, on the inner side of the leg in the upper tibia. It has become very painfull and very tender to the touch bilateraly. I am currently dosed up with "Vitamin I" and in my bag after dinner, I will see how I feel in the morning, but I may have to take a zero day here. The water source here is right outside the shelter, so at least I do not have to go far for water. The rest of the crowd is heading on to NOC at the Nantahala River where there is a big festival this weekend. A fine warm day, but I am very concerned about my Knees.
Date: 2003-03-28
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Cold Springs Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Just could not walk at all this AM. Both knees much worse and very painfull. I can hardly get up on my feet with the pain. No choice but to take a zero day here. A lot of hikeres dropped by during the day and all offered condolences and whatever help they could. Two older men who were section hiking gave me Sportscream for my knees, which did not work, and lots of food, which I realy do not need, but they realy wanted to help in whatever way they could. Got a good signal on the cell and discussed the situation with Kathy. She recommended that I increase the Ibuprophen dosage, which I have done, without much effect so far. It's now 5.30PM and the shelter is full again, with overflow people looking for tent space, which is hard to find here. I have taken an old broomhandle that I found here and turned it into a walking staff by drilling a hole through the handle and passing some spare cord through the hole to act as a hand loop. Since I have only one hiking pole this will give me a second pole, which many of todays hikers have strongly recommended. I also now have ace wraps on both knees, one I had brought myself, and the other was given to me by Spunky. Thanks Spunky! I hope that I will be able to hobble out to Wasser Bald Shelter in the AM, and on to NOC the day after. The knees dont hurt when I am lying down, only when I bear weight and it is realy painfull when I try to walk. Plan is to try to get to NOC somehow and then rest up there for a few days. In thinking about it I think that I should have stopped when the pain started and not push on to reach this shelter. I was in real agony for the last mile coming in here and in retrospect should not have subjected my already painfull knees to such punishment. I am not sure what the problem is from a medical standpoint, but I know that the initial treatment should be rest, ice. compression and elevation, which I can only realy get at NOC.
Date: 2003-03-29
From: Cold Springs Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

The group lit a fire last night and stayed up late talking about scary movies. The scarest movie I ever saw was "The Exorcist" I think the reason I found it so scary was that, as the movie progressed I began asking myself what I would do as a physicain if I was asked to treat a young woman with symptoms of possession. What scared me was that, what I would have done was just what they did in the movie. I think what scared me the most was the question of what would I have done after the work up of the patient was completly negative and the symptoms keep on occuring. It would force me as a physician to acknowledge that there are forces at work beond any physical explaination. Even though I know that such forces exist it would be realy scary trying to deal with them in an actual patient. Not covered in the standard medical textbooks dont you know! I had a good nights rest, and was moving around by 7AM. No improovement in the knees, but I cant stay here forever. I taped up both knees, dosed up on the Ibo. and Twostep gave me some more since I was running low. Thank you Twostep!. I started off at 7AM, both knees very painfull but I was able to hobble along. I got to Telico Gap by 10AM, very slow and painfull progress. It started to rain just after that. There aws a big climb out of the gap - 1000 feet - which was quiet a slog in the rain and the fog. Nothing to be seen from the top. Then a steep descent, very painfull,into the shelter. The water source was back up the trail 0.1 mile and it took me an additioanal 30 minutes to get back here with the water. However am now ensconced in the shelter with all I need for the night. Have just had some hot cococa and am now in the bag to keep warm. Will cook dinner later, dont realy feel very hungry right now. I intend to sdtart on the downhill trek to NOC in the AM. Got a good cell signal here and spoke with Kathy. Plan is to go on to NOC in the am , rest up and see how things turn out. I may go on into Bryson City to see a MD if things dont improove. Happy to have made it here. Big, and painfull, descent in the AM.
Date: 2003-03-30
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: broken clouds

Awoke this AM to find that we were covered in 6 inches of snow. During the night I had felt some ice crystals fall on my face and when I woke up it sure looked very white out there , but I had not realised that it had snowed as much as it had. My water filter pump was frozen solid and I think that the ceramic filter itself had cracked. All of the water lines were frozen solid and had to be unfrozen by putting them into hot water. Used a lot of fuel. I will be using my back up Aqua Mira from now on. Started off at 8AM with a pair of velcro knee braces given to me by a section hiker from Decatur Illinois. Thank you Decatur! Started out in heavy snow but with the trail already broken which helped a lot, but it was still slow and painfull going. As the day progressed the sun began to come out and there were some great views. The limbs of the trees were covered with ice in the most unusual and strange shapes, moulded by the wind and the sun. The descent into NOC was pure agony. At about 11AM I met Phil who was out for a day hike from NOC. He had heard of my problems from the hikers who had passed me going down into NOC and he had decied fo climb up and help me put. He offered to carry my pack which I initialy refused - just dumb pride - but I finaly secummed and he carried my pack down for the last few miles. It did not increase my speed much but it sure helped with the pain and I felt a whole lot better emotionaly. Thank you Phil! He carried it all the way into NOC where we arrived at about 3PM Phil works building TV towers and was going back to Nashville that day where he works. When I arrived at NOC a group of my friends were there to greet me. Journey, whome I had first met at Amicalola Falls Lodge, insisted that the NOC people drive me to my spot in the basecamp. I was realy done in, and even thought the basecamp where I was to stay was only a short distance away it was uphill and I dont know if I could have made it without her help. Thank you very much Journey! Everyone was very concerned about me and greeted me like a long lost son. It is amazing how helpfull everybody has been. They have all helped me so much. There is certainly a great deal of companionship among the hiking community. I think that we all know that the difficulties of one today could be the difficulties of anyone tomorrow, and tht the only way that we are all going to get theough this trip is by helping each oyher out. Thank you all! Am currently fed, shaved, showered - with much difficulty, can not stand at all on one leg -and warm. Had a good conversation with Kathy. Will spend a few days here and then decide on the next step, or steps.
Date: 2003-03-31
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept well and arose late. Eat a great breakfast of vegies and hash browns. Extended my stay here to the week end, and got some hiking poles from the outfitter store here. Knees feel better but still very painfull. Moved all my stuff into the Motel here, room D9. It has a little veranda with a view of the woods. There is a phone in the common room. Regular bed. Spoke with Kathy at lenght. She will send out by FedEx my lighter summer gear, and I will work on lightening the pack. Have found some books here, and bought a copy of "Cold Mountain" which I have been meaning to read. Will stay put for the full week if needed and try to recover.
Date: 2003-04-07
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Oak Park Illinois
Miles today: 0.0

From April 1st to April 6th I stayed at NOC waiting for my knees to improove. They never did! Finaly decieded to call it a day [or a year]. Got a lift from a kayaker to Atlanta and flew back home to Chicago. I dont know what is wrong with my knees since they realy have not improoved respite a week of rest. I would prefer to come home here to Chicago to figure out what is wrong, because whatever it is , it aint going away anytime soon! Returned home to find a very upset and worried wife . Next year - Next blaze!
Date: 2004-03-01
From: Oak Park Illinois

To: Oak Park Illinois
Miles today: 0.0

So - a quick recap of the past year is in order. Having returned home from NOC because of problems with both of my knees, I set out to find out what was wrong with the knees. It was interesting for me to find myself in the role of a patient, having spent my entire life in the role of the doctor! After a few x-rays it was discovered that I had developed bilateral stress fractures in both of my knees. After a referral to an orthopedic surgeon - not helpfull - I finaly found a sport medicine/rehab specialist who understood what I was trying to do and who supervised my rehab. Had to wear heavy metal knee braces on both knees and attend rehab twice a week. Recovery was slow and painfull. Finaly a blood test and a bone scan showed that I had a previously undiagnosed bone disease. It is called Paget's Disease and is due to an inbalance between the cells that form bone and the cells that remove the bone. The exact cause of the disease is unknown but the result is bone that is weaker than normal and cannot tolerate heavy weight bearing. The thing was however, that I only had the disease in my left arm, and not in my knees! There followed along discussion, and trips to many specialists, to deciede whether the Paget's Disease in my arm could have also caused the stress fractures in my knees, and whether I would be able to return to the trail without undue risk of recurrent fractures. After much discussion, and normal bone density tests, the final decision is that I am OK to return to the trail. So I am planning on resumeing my hike at the end of May at NOC where I stopped last year. Will reduce pack weight, use hiking poles, and knee braces,and see how it goes. Have a new lighter pack, sleeping bag, stove, pad, tent, and will use aqua-mira and not take the water filter. Also plan on less milage per day more zero days, and more nights in hostels and motels. Will also try to resupply more ofter to reduce the food weight. We shall see what we shall see
Date: 2004-03-26
From: Oak Park Illinois

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I'm back - at NOC. Much more apprehensive this year, I guess I know how tough and difficult this can be. My knees appear to be fine now, and I have brought hiking poles, CHOPAT knee braces, as well as a much lighter backpack - down to 30 pounds. So in theory I should be OK - but I am still apprehensive. The general plan is to start North in the AM, taking it slow and gentle. I will be returning home in early May to attend my daughter's college graduation - so I will just see how far - or not - I can go by then. I drove a rented car to Knoxville where I spent last night, then by bus to Waynesville this AM. Arrived at 9:30 because I got an earlier - delayed - bus from Knoxville. Jeff Hoch from the Hike Inn, shuttled me here, after a call from Amy at the bus station. The bus had a lot of interesting people on it. There was an old lady in particular, who had a bevy of daughters looking after all of her various and sundery medical and non-medical problems, all like a military exercise. There was also a very heavy gentleman, who spent the entire trip asleep - and snoring loudly - which distracted somewhat from what was a very enjoyable and senic bus trip. NOC is as I rememeber it. Some small changes to the reception area but otherwise the same. I avoided the Wesser Burgers, after a week of them last year I explored the rest of the menu. The sun is just setting as I write this. There are two other people with me in the bunkhouse. Spoke briefly with one - have yet to see the other. I have a strange mixture of emotions right now. A lot of it has to do with letting things go. Giving up the rental car - leaving the bus - being dropped off at NOC. It is rather like the gradual shedding of one life, and the slow emergence of a new and different person. In many ways this is true, the suburban retired me is being left behind and the new active hiking me, with all that I need in the world reduced to a 30 pound pack on my back , is emerging. I think that my major fear is my physical ability to complete the hike - can I physicaly do this? The 30+ miles from here to Fontana Dam are difficult by reputation - and I am sure by foot also. Will my knees be OK? Have I forgotten all the stuff I learned last year? Are my feet too soft now? How about my heels? Well time will tell - no more however will I go "Too far, too fast, too soon, too heavy" I'm back.