morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-19
From: Medical leave

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The trip to the airport was uneventful. Transcriber picked me up at 8 am and dropped me off at 9 am at the airport. I found that you can no longer exchange a pickup ticket pass in the terminal counter area but rather have to do it at the gate. Security was interesting. I did the full body scan and then they also did a full pat down. They also unpacked my backpack and scanned my food, medical stuff, and the rest of the backpack again. They did not question either my hiking poles or the cigarette lighter. At the gate I had to wait for them to call my name to get my boarding passes. While waiting I called the Gatlinburg Post Office to resolve the ¢redeliver¢ notice I got on their website. It turns out that they had my package there and the postman said he could deliver it to my hotel that afternoon so my tent stakes and knife will be there when I get in tonight. Also I called NOC in Gatlinburg and found that they are open until 8 pm tonight so I should be able to get there before they close to get my denatured alcohol. Then tomorrow morning I will be able to get breakfast and catch the 8 am shuttle back to Newfound Gap and return to the AT. Anyway, that is the plan.
Date: 2010-04-20
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

I have been on medical leave from 4/11 through 4/19. Yesterday I flew back to TN and spent the night in Gatlinburg. This morning I got my mail drop from the post office, got a shuttle to Newfound Gap and returned to the AT, picking it up where I left off over a week ago at the Icewater Spring Shelter. I'm psyched to get hiking again. I started hiking at 8:30 am. It was raining and in fact it rained most of the day. The air temp was 40 °F and I had to keep hiking to not get cold. The first hour of the hike was a continuous ascent of 1000 ft but it was not steep ¢ rather it was just relentless. I hiked a total of 15.5 miles today but the first 3 miles don¢t count because they only served to get me back to where I left off 9 days ago. I arrived at the Tri Corner Knob Shelter at 5:30 pm and there was room in the shelter. I was glad because (1) it was raining and (2) because there has been a persistent bear in the shelter area. The shelter has 2 levels. There are 16 people here. It is only 7:30 pm but everyone else has packed it in. I will now do the same and hope tomorrow brings better weather.
Date: 2010-04-21
From: Tri Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

¢Goodbye Smokies, welcome flexibility-to-tent!¢ Lots of ups and downs today - ascent 2430', descent 5300'. It rained hard last night, very hard. I was actually glad to be in a shelter. I was up at 7 am. It had stopped raining but we were in the clouds with wind off and on. I started hiking at 8 am wearing a long sleeve shirt, rain gear and gloves. My fingers were cold for a long time. Next time I do this remind me to bring some (light weight) waterproof mittens that I can wear over my liner gloves. I passed the last shelter in the Smokies around 4:15 pm that was enclosed in chain link fence to keep the bears out. I moved on and out of the Smoky Mountain National Park and was planning to camp two miles further. But I met Squeeze Cheese there and he suggested that we hike on to Standing Bear Hostel. I agreed. It was an uphill climb and we didn¢t get there until 6:30 pm. I decided to tent because three were a lot of people in the bunkhouse and that is where I now am. There is a stream in the background that is much better than the sound of rain on the shelter roof.
Date: 2010-04-22
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Roaring Forks Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

More elevation! Up 5440', down 3160'. Standing Bear Hostel had very good resupply stuff but no candy bars so I got Oreo cookies for snacks instead. I was up at 7 am and hiking at 8 am. It was a long, tedious climb of 2500 ft and it took me 3 h to make it to the top. Apparently the pizza I had for dinner at the hostel did not give me hiking legs. The weather started out cool but by 10 am I was down to shorts and a T-shirt again. The temperature today reached 60 °F and it was pretty comfortable hiking. I had hoped to camp on top of Max Patch tonight but it was too windy so I hiked on another 2 miles to the Roaring Fork Shelter where I am now in a tent. Max Patch is a bald of 4600 ft elevation and the summit is like a green pasture with a 360 ° view. It is a nice spot. I have met a number of thru-hikers the past few days. Here are some of them: Buttercup, Red Oak, Squeeze Cheese, Home Brew, Limestone (this is his 4th attempt to thru-hike the AT), Hopper, Troll, Best Son, and 98. I heard a barred owl a few minutes ago. It is 9 pm, dark, and getting cool. Time to turn off the headlamp and call it a night.
Date: 2010-04-23
From: Roaring Forks Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: few clouds

It rained last night but finished before I got up at 7 am with a tent temperature of 52 °F. It was pleasant sleeping. I started hiking at 8 am ¢ a 4-mile downhill then two 1000 ft climbs. It was 60 °F by 10 am and I was down to shorts and a T-shirt. There were many lovely flowers by the trail: white, deep red and pink trillium, spring beauties, yellow, white and purple violets and others I could not identify. I took some photos of them. I also met some trail maintainers, Louis (86) and Howard (84) who (**can¢t read this sentence**). No hiking legs again today. I¢m here at the shelter site with only Rhymenocerous who will be staying in his hammock. Tonight I am sitting on a log in front of the shelter writing this. Tomorrow is a 3.2 mile hike into Hot Springs where I will resupply, shower, do laundry and have some high-calorie town food. It is 7:45 pm, getting dark and time to retire to my tent. Some more hikers I met today: Noah, Cast-Away, Sherpa (hiked the AT in ¢97, now a trail maintainer), Bumble Bee Berry, and Muffin Tin.
Date: 2010-04-24
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up at 6:30 am to a tent temperature of 63 °F. It was warm in the sleeping bag. I packed up ¢quickly¢ and was hiking by 7:20 am. It was 1000 ft downhill with only a 300 ft bump on the way. The Trail was very good and I reached the Smoky Mountain Diner in Hot Springs at 8:40 am and had a hearty hiker's breakfast. Next I stopped by the post office to mail the last 4 days of journal entries and photos to my faithful Transcriber. The rest of the day was spent doing emails at the library until they kicked me off, doing laundry, getting a welcome shower, resupplying for the next section and ¢ most of all ¢ relaxing. It is 5:20 pm and I am writing this at a desk in the hotel. It sure beats a tent after dark. Also it started raining around 2 pm and has been getting steadily heavier and heavier as time goes on. It is nice to have a room instead of having to set up a tent in the rain tonight. Other hikers I met today include Lifesaver, Muffin Man, Bubba-Lou (from I Love Lucy TV show), and Bobcat.
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Hot Springs

To: Campsite by Trail
Miles today: 14.5

This morning I was up at 6:30 am, showered, then hit the Smoky Mountain Diner for breakfast. It had stopped raining and I started hiking at 8 am. It was a 2500 ft climb out of Hot Springs but the Trail was smooth and ¢gradual¢. I had a full pack with food for 4.5 days, 10 oz of fuel, and 2 liters of water. I could tell the difference. I took a leisurely lunch at a campsite and let my socks dry out. Yes, the sun did come out with some of those puffy white cumulus clouds. I hiked on to the first shelter at the 11 mile point, reaching it at 3:00 pm. I got water and cooked an early dinner which took 1.5 h. Then I hiked onward, looking for a good place to camp since the next shelter was too far (9 more miles) to make today. I found a site by the Trail at 7:15 pm in a grove of hemlock trees, pitched the tent, hung my food bag in a tree, and watched the sun set at 8 pm. I am sitting on a log writing this which is more comfortable than writing it in the tent. There were some black flies today but they are all gone now. Besides the tent will protect me. Time to crawl into the tent now.
Date: 2010-04-26
From: Campsite by Trail

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: moderate rain

I was up at 6:45 am this morning to a tent temperature of 57 °F. It rained last night but it had stopped by the time I got up. I packed up my wet tent and the rest of my things and was hiking at 7:35 am. I hiked in shorts and a T-shirt until I reached the next shelter where I got water and put on my rain jacket. Then it started raining. The rain continued on and off for the rest of the day. To summarize, it was a day of rain, roots, and rocks. It was nice to reach the shelter and find it with space for another person. Today I met many hikers including Tour Guide, Earthling, Logos, Sticker, COOP, Gavel (ex judge), MAD, Charlie (70), Buzz, Wild Man, Rider, and Home Brew. It is 8:20 pm and quiet in the shelter but the wind sounds wicked at times.
Date: 2010-04-27
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: By a spring at mile 318.8
Miles today: 14.7

It rained most of the night but had stopped when I got up at 7 am. I started hiking at 8:10 am and there were patches of blue in the sky. But, alas, that did not last long as it started raining by 9 am, sometimes hard and at one point we had hail ¢ enough so it left a layer on the trail in places. I stopped for lunch at 1 pm and the sun came out again. This time it lasted for 2 h and then rain again. We found a tent site near a spring and pitched a tent during a period of no raindrops. I cooked dinner in the rain but ate it in my tent. There were no real good tent spots. Mine has no rocks or roots but is on a slope. We will see what type of sleep that gives. It is now almost 9 pm and raining lightly. The wicked wind is howling. Hopefully tomorrow is a nicer day. I met Ziggy and Superman (2003) today. Hopefully my Transcriber can read this since my fingers are still cold and not working very well. (Note from Transcriber: no problem reading Trog¢s entries!)
Date: 2010-04-28
From: By a spring at mile 318.8

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

It rained last night with some hail. The tent stayed dry but it got cold and was 36 °F inside the tent when I got up at 6:45 am. The rain had stopped and the tent had partially dried. It was colder outside. My shoe laces were frozen and my 2nd water bottle that I leave outside had ice in it. It was slow packing up in the cold but I managed to get hiking at 8 am. I could not get my fingers warm because of wet gloves and slight wind. I hiked up and over the 5500 ft Big Bald Mountain that was snow covered from the storm the previous night. Balds are mountains covered with grass, not trees or bushes. Mountains in New England at the elevation would be above the tree line and have only alpine vegetation. It was pretty cool hiking through snow in TN on April 28th. I had my cheese and cracker lunch around 1 pm and reached No Business Knob Shelter around 6 pm. I pitched the tent, hung the bear bag, had dinner and am now on my back in the tent writing the journal with a headlamp. It is 8:30 pm, 48 °F in the tent and I do not have to sleep on the side of a hill tonight. The skies are clear and there is no wind. Hikers I met today include Seoul Patch, Superman (2008), Superman (2010), Ziggy (and his dog Lucy), Magnet and G-Hippie.
Date: 2010-04-29
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Nolichucky River / Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: clear sky

It was a nice night for sleeping ¢ a clear moonlit sky and no wind. The tent temperature this morning was 46 °F, just about right for shorts and a T-shirt in a closed-up sleeping bag. I was up at 6:45 am and hiking by 7:35 am. My pack-up time is improving a little. It helps not being so cold (like yesterday). It was mostly a downhill hike on the 6.3 miles into Erwin. I got a room at Johnny¢s Hostel, showered, did laundry, went to town to resupply and to enjoy lunch and dinner. Time flies when you are having fun as I am writing this at 9:50 pm. It is time to turn off the lights and get some rest. Since we are at 1600 ft elevation there will be a long climb out of here tomorrow morning. Other hikers I met today include Walking Cowboy, Sticker (68, says this is his 6th thru hike), Radar, Cerveza (beer in Spanish), Opus, and Gonzo.
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Nolichucky River / Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

It was a quiet night at the hostel. I was up at 6:45 am and ready to hike by 7:20 am but the paymaster had left on a shuttle. I waited around for a while and then decided to leave my room key with the helper and told him I would call in my credit card number to settle up. I was hiking by 7:40 am, carrying food for 3 days so the pack was heavier and the going uphill was harder. I stopped for water around 10 am and for lunch around 1 pm. It got warm (up to 86 °F) and the black flies were out in places. I saw some large red winter berries in a pine regrowth area. There were 12¢ in diameter or larger. Funky Monkey said they were good to eat so I tried a few. They were not only a pretty bright red but also had a pleasant minty flavor. And I am not sick yet! I arrived at the Cherry Gap Shelter at 6:10 pm, set up my tent, ate dinner and now am in the tent writing this journal entry. I met DayGlo, Blue Bird, Low Rod, Funky Monkey, and Birdie today. Coop, Walking Cowboy, and Radar are in the shelter. Birdie is tenting like me. Ascent: 3500, descent 1600¢ today.
Date: 2010-05-01
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: broken clouds

It was a quiet night again. I was up at 6:45 am and hiking by 7:40 am in shorts and a T-shirt in 60 °F temperatures. There were puffy white cumulus clouds in the sky. The morning was unremarkable. I had lunch and got water at the Clyde Smith Shelter and met ¢Rock and Roll¢ and Dibs there. They were taking their noontime nap. Me, I have to hike on just to get my miles in. Around 3 pm, I met Dutch Tape and Cabana Boy at the base of the Roam High Knob Mountain. Then I began the 2500¢ climb, reaching the shelter at the top by 5:00 pm where I got more water. Roam High Knob is at 6280 feet elevation. I decided to hike the 5 miles to the next shelter so I could get to the hostel a little earlier the next day. I made it to the Stan Murray Shelter at 7:40 pm, set up tent, cooked dinner (hot dogs on buns) and am now in my tent. The wind is blowing hard, the tent is flapping, and it may rain tonight. Tomorrow it will rain for certain. It is 9:40 pm and time to turn off the head lamp. It was a long day.
Date: 2010-05-02
From: Stan Murray Shelter

To: Rt 19E
Miles today: 10.9

It was very windy all night and the tent was continuously blowing. It rained at one point during the night but by morning the tent was dry again. I was up at 6:30 am and hiking at 7:30 am. There were several long climbs to start the day. It was 60 °F and I hiked in shorts and a T-shirt. The climbs were over two large balds. The first, Little Hump Mountain, is a 5500 ft bald mountain that is all grass-covered. The second, Hump Mountain, is a much more extended grassy bald that is 5600 ft high. These would have been great views if the mountains were not in the clouds. Today the wind blowing across these balds was terrific. The wind came from my left side and I had to struggle to keep from getting blown over. At least it was not on a knife-edge ridge. I heard on the Weather Channel here tonight that winds at the 5000 ft level had been between 70 and 80 mph. I can believe it. I was really glad when I got over those two bald exposed mountains. The long descent was uneventful and I arrived at the Mountain Harbor Hostel around 1 pm. I was glad I had called ahead and reserved a room because even at that point in the day they were filled up. The rest of the day was spent showering, doing laundry, getting supplies, eating town food, and watching the Weather Channel to see the reports of very heavy rain and flooding not too many miles to the west of us, particularly in Memphis, TN. I expect we will get some rain tonight and tomorrow. A number of us plan to hike out tomorrow anyway. Time to shut off the light. It is not raining yet.
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Rt 19E

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

Today I passed the 400-mile mark! It rained last night so it was nice to be in a hostel in a real bed. I was up at 6:30 am, packed up and at 7:30 am had a great breakfast prepared and served by Mary and Terry of the Mountain Harbor Hostel. It has to be one of the best on the AT. I started hiking at 8:30 am. It was raining lightly. The first 3 miles were mostly up. The rest of the day was ups and downs between 3000 ft and 4000 ft. The trails were good. The rain had stopped by 11 am. The temperature got up to 70 °F and the sun came out at times. We got almost nothing of the real bad weather to the west of us. I reached the Moreland Gap Shelter at 7:00 pm. Only Coop was there so I decided to sleep in the shelter tonight in case there is more rain during the night. Rock and Roll arrived here also so now we have 3 in the shelter. Everyone has space. It is 9 pm and cooling off a little from the 70 °F high. Time to turn off the headlamp and crawl into the sleeping bag. Total ascent: 4280', descent: 3290'.
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

I had a comfortable night in the shelter last night. I was up at 6:45 am in 59 °F temperatures just as Coop was hiking out. I was hiking at 7:30 am with Rock and Roll still asleep. I hiked in shorts and a T-shirt all day under sunny skies and occasional light wind. There was only one long climb today, about 2000 ft, in the heat of the day. I made it to Watauga Lake Shelter at around 5 pm. Two section-hikers were there, one in a hammock, the other with his tent set up in the shelter. No good tent sites here so I am spending another night in a shelter. Forty miles to go to Damascus, VA. I am looking forward to getting there Friday.
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Camping by Trail
Miles today: 18.3

It was a very interesting night. At about 4:30 am we saw a bear sitting on the picnic table in front of the shelter. I got out the camera but was too late to get a photo. Then we heard a shout, ¢SCAT!¢, and hand clapping from Tango who was in a tent 200 yds down the Trail. A short time later we heard cracking of wood, banging and shouting from the two hikers that were in a tent in the woods behind the shelter. Then around 5:30 am the bear walked in front of our shelter again. And again¢¦ I was too slow to get a picture. We found out later that the bear actually got the food bag the couple camped behind the shelter had ¢hung¢ in a tree. But they scared the bear and it dropped their food bag and ran away. Fortunately Whammo, Blue Meanie and I hung our food bags properly (at least 8 ft high, at least 6 ft away from the nearest tree, with the line tied off on another tree ¢ see photo taken last night). And all this happened before I even got up! I was up at 6:50 am and hiking at 7:25 am. Packing up from sleeping in a shelter is quick. The hike started with a 1500 ft climb, a ridge walk, then a 500 ft climb and another ridge walk to the Iron Mountain Shelter at 13.9 miles. I arrived there at 4 pm, cooked dinner, and felt good so I hiked on, planning to do a few extra miles to be able to get into Damascus earlier on Friday. I met some SOBOs (SouthBounders) who said there was Trail Magic just before Rt TN 97. It was too much to resist so I hiked there and am now camped near there. The Trail Angels were there. They were from the Iron Mountain Baptist Church ¢ two women and 7 young girls. I had 2 16 oz Pepsi¢s and 2 oatmeal marshmallow cookies. They really hit the spot. Thank you, Trail Angels!
Date: 2010-05-06
From: Camping by Trail

To: A spring by the Trail
Miles today: 19.6

Goodbye NC and TN, hello VA!! Three states down and only 11 to go¢¦ It was another interesting night. As I mentioned I had camped near the Trail Magic bear box. I was wakened at around 11:30 pm by the sound of happy voices. There were 4 thru-hikers doing an all night hike so they could be in Damascus for breakfast and they had just discovered the Trail Magic box by the Trail. They were happy campers. I got up and went over to talk with them, two that I had met before and two new to me: Rock and Roll, Dibs, Snack Attack, and XXX. They wrote nice notes in the book and were soon on their way. I went back to bed and was up at 6:30 am. I enjoyed a Trail Magic Pepsi with my 2 bagels and was hiking at 7:30 am. I stopped for water at 10 am, then stopped for lunch at 11:30 am to eat my cheese and crackers at a concrete picnic table by Rt 321. I stopped at the last shelter in TN at 2 pm, got water, cooked dinner, and was hiking again at 3:20 pm. I crossed the TN/VA border at 6:20 pm and found a camping spot by a spring where I set up by tent. A couple, Luna and Tix, are also camping here. They call themselves ¢LunaTix¢. Only 2 mi to Damascus where I will have breakfast tomorrow.
Date: 2010-05-07
From: A spring by the Trail

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 2.1
Weather: clear sky

It was a good night for sleeping. The tent temperature started at 70 °F and I started sleeping on top of the bag. By morning it was 59 °F and I was in the bag with the top open. I was up at 6:35 am and hiking at 7:25 am on a smooth 2 mile trail into Damascus. I left my pack at the hostel and had a hiker western omelet with toast, home fries, OJ and coffee. I picked up my mail drop (thank you Pat!) from the post office with new shoes and my 30 degree summer sleeping bag. It weighs only 1 pound. The rest of the day will be spent sending journal pages and old shoes and winter sleeping bag at the post office, getting supplies for the next section and relaxing. It is 3:10 and I need to get to the post office again to include this journal entry in the package sent to my faithful Transcriber.
Date: 2010-05-08
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Today was a zero-day. I slept in this morning but was up at 7:30 am. It was a day of relaxation. I walked a mile to get supplies at the grocery store, spent some time at the library doing email on the internet, and shared a nice dinner with Chicago Wally where they actually carded me when I ordered a beer. I was also able to follow the progress of my son (Highlander II) as he participated in his first ¢ultra¢, a 50-mile trail race. My transcriber was there at the race checkpoints sending back progress reports to my cell phone. The race was on the Wapack Trail in MA and NH (where I did a good bit of training for this AT hike) and it was a cold, rainy wet day. The race started at 5 am and Highlander II finished just before 7 pm, a little under 14 hrs. There were 43 registrants. Only 9 finished. (He was #9). Congratulations, Highlander II! I am ready to head back out on the Trail tomorrow.