morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-01-29
To: Last day at home!
Miles today: 0.0

Oh Boy!! I've read other's journals about the feeling after they completed the trail and I always been in awe of that. But I wasn't expecting the feelings I'm having at this moment the day before I leave. I'm very emotional about leaving my family and friends and a way of life I've known for the past 37 years. I know it won't be forever and I could, in fact, be back in a week or two depending on how things go but it is tougher than I thought to leave. The last time I remember feeling like this was when my son, Tim, flew to Germany for a 5 month exchange trip when he was a junior in high school. Oh, I'm going for sure and I AM very excited about the challenge of it all but it certainly is an emotionsl time.This will be my last post before I venture out. I will fly out tomorrow from Chicago (via a ride from my son Ryan -thanks Ryan) and get to Atlanta around 10:30 am. Gary Schmidt will pick me up there and I'll hang with him for a day and on Wednesday he'll drive me up to the trail head and off I go!!OK folks! I've got a lot of little things to take care of so I'll say "Bye" for now. I'll do my best to keep up with my journals where I can. Ryan will serve as my transcriber when I can't get to a computer.Thanks to everyone who has signed my journal and helped me quite a lot with their advice and wisdom.
Date: 2007-01-30
To: Atlanta!
Miles today: 0.0

So I'm in Atlanta! The trip went well. Schmitty picked me up and gave me the 25 cent tour of the town (beautiful city). I stopped at the REI store here (of course)and picked up some rope (reflective) to hang my food and some hand cleanser. The little things you forget!Tomorrow he will drive me up to Springer Mountain for an early start. It's supposed to be an ok day weatherwise and then Thursday it's supposed to get nasty! Bring IT!!!I've also received some nice notes in my journal.. Thanks! It's really encouraging!OK - time for a nap!
Date: 2007-01-31
From: Springer Mountain

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Schmitty drove me to Springer Mountain and I hiked backwards on the trail to the official starting point. I'llbe brief as I am typing this on my cell phone.Beautiful day, sunny 18 to 30 degrees. Fell and hurt my knee at about three miles but walked et out. Started at 10:30 am and finished at 5:30 pm. A better than expected finish. I need to back off a little. Hit the sack at 8:30. All body parts in tact. Oh, just before I went to bed I checked the loft and found a macheti! The rest of the evening I wondered when the crazed macheti murderer would arrive.......
Date: 2007-02-01
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

Woke up at 6am to 6 inches of new snow and snowing. I left the shelter at 8:30. Today's hike kicked my butt! The snow, while beautiful, was wet and heavy. I made the 5 miles to Woody Gap by 11 but my energy was low from the snow as well as the big day yesterday. The next 7 miles to Woods Hole Shelter was a bad, bad war. A lot of up. It's like we used to tell our kids that when WE were young we had to walk to school both ways 10 miles in 2 feet of snow,
Date: 2007-02-02
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I got out of the bag at 6:30 am. 33 degrees, fog and light drizzle. Very damp. On the trail by 8:30" First stop, Blood Mountain, the highest in Georgia at 4,450 feet. It didn't seem that hard because I started out at 3,600 feet and I was fresh. There would have been an awesome view had there been clear weather. Oh well. I made it to Neels Gap by 10:45 and checked into the Mountain Crossings Hostel. I spent the rest of the day chilling, doing laundry, and taking a much needed shower. The folks at the Walasi-Yi Center were very friendly and helpful. My kinda place if you know me. All kinds od neat gear! There was an Outdoor Adventure group from a charter school in Bemiji, Minn. just leaving for a two day outing over Blood Moutain to Woods Hole Shelter. Cool! I also met a longtime trail hiker, Otto. He had an intesting insigt on the trail community and some great stories. He's hiking with his 12 year old dog, Raven. We drove into Blairsville for Pizza. Yum! It's stiil very damp and windy here and the temp is dropping......
Date: 2007-02-03
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up around 7:30 am at the hostel and made some oat meal and talked with everyone there. Went for coffee at the outfitters at nine and did some socializing. Just talkin' shop... I got on the trail at 11 and headed for Low Gap Shelter. The day could not have been better. Crisp and clear! The views were absolutely spectacular! I met and had lunch with a couple that was out for a day hike who were originally from Milwaukee! Go figure.. There were a number other of hikers out as well and I stopped and talked with most of them. At Hog Pen Gap I met three gentlmen from Atlanta who were up to do trail maintainence. Great guys. I received my first trail magic from them. A Coke! Thanks guys!   I arrived at Low Gap Shelter at 5 pm, set up camp, filtered some water and settled into my sleeping bag at 6:30. The toughest time for me is late afternoon and early evening so I'm trying to time my days to get to the shelters later in the day. It's COLD tonight and I'm alone in the woods......
Date: 2007-02-04
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap - Helen, Ga.
Miles today: 9.4

I spent a cold night but stayed warm. The temp dropped to 15 degrees overnight! The moon was shinng bright when I got out of my bag at 5 am. It's tough to move into the cold air from the warmth of my 20 degree bag. But once I was out and dressed I was fine. Hot oatmeal and a cup of coffee also helped... I was on the trail by 7 am. The sunrise was beautiful as I hiked. After an hour I decided to filter some water as I was really low. My water filter was frozen!   Lesson learned... With 7 miles to I felt comfortable I could make it. Another great hike with some great views. It always feels good to be on the move... Coming down from Blue Mountain I met a couple more trail maintainers who were hauling 20 pounds of concrete up 3 miles to set a post. I can't say enough about these people who maintain this trail! Much appreciated!I made Unicoi Gap by 11:30. I hitched a ride into Helen within minutes. The last time I hitch hiked was in college.... So I'm sitting in a motel room catching up on this journal and getting ready to watch the Super Bowl. Life is good.Oh, I want to say Hi to the students at Sheboygan Falls Middle School who might be following this journal AND thanks to the physical trainers at Synergy for making my hike easier!Thanks, also to all who have signed my journal with words of encouragement. It's a great motivator!
Date: 2007-02-05
From: Unicoi Gap - Helen, Ga.

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was awesome! On the trail at 9:15 and up three big climbs on the way to a 16 mile day. The original plan was to do 13 and stay at Deep Gap Shelter but I was just cruisin'! Sunny, clear and cold! The view spectacular once again. The trail changed complexion as I would go from one side of the mountain to the other. Snow and ice where the sun did't reach and dry and fairly warm where it did. I felt as if I could go forever... I even stopped and enjoyed lunch for a half an hour! That's pretty good for me. A side note is that I've had this tune in my head for a few days and have been trying to get rid of it.. It was driving me nuts. Well I finally did. A good movin' tune but enough is enough! I arrived at Dicks Creek Gap just before 5 pm and waited a half hour before I could hitch a ride into Hiawassee. 20 cars must have passed me by before a beat up old jeep stopped. I must admit I was a little aprehensive when I got in. But it was cold and getting dark... The driver was everything a northern boy thinks of in a backwoods southern boy.... beard, old baseball cap - you get the picture... My fears were eased as soon as we shook and introduced ourselves. Rich is a carpenter and home builder. As I started to put my seat belt on he said ?Don't bother, it's busted.?All in all a great day on the trail!
Date: 2007-02-06
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Musrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Today I started out at 9:30 am. It was clear again and about 25 degrees. I was a little low on energy but doing ok. I made my first big landmark at about 2:30. The NC State Line! With only 3 miles to go I was feeling pretty good about things...... The famous movie line ?You're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy!? went through my mind as I ascended Sharp Top and Courthouse Bald! I got to Muskrat just before 5pm. To my dismay there was no bear hanger an I for got my rope. So I used my tent guy rope and did a fair job of improvising... Did't have a problem.... I went to sleep on a windy eve... Oh , also heated some water and put it in my nalgeine bottle and placed in the bottom of my bag. Very nice! (Thanks Otto) All in all a pretty good day. But I was alone again in the shelter. Not a good thing... I really feel I'm missing a lot of the trail experience by starting so early. And it's very lonely....
Date: 2007-02-07
From: Musrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Prttey good nights sleep.... Got up at 7 and on the trail by 9. A clear day with temps reaching as high as 40 in some spots. A couple of big climbs including Standing Indian Mountain which tops out at 5,498 feet. There was still a lot of snow on the trail which made for difficult hiking but not as bad as last week. I arrived at Carter Gap Shelter at 3:30. A beautiful setting. There was a sign as I approached Standing Indian Mountain today that really caught my attention.... Apparantly there is bear activity between here and Wayah Bald and this bear is not threatened by humans! No food hangers again tonight!   Fortunately I found a little more rope in the shelter so I hope the hanging job I did does the trick. Beth, don't you wish you were here right now? As I type this on my phone I can already hear mice scampering around the shelter. Mice I can handle.... I'm alone once again and not liking it. Maybe I should wait for The Walrus.... I have been following one set of footprints for the past few days. I don't think I'll catch him OR her.... If I don't get eaten by a bear tonight I'm gong to hike to Wallace Gap tomorrow and head into Franklin for the evening and resupply AND get a long rope to hang my food bag with..By the way there was an awesome sunset this evening.... This truely is beautiful country....?I'll go anywhere as long as it's forward!? Can't recall the author....
Date: 2007-02-08
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

So I wasn't eaten by a bear... Got on the trail at 8:30 and had a super day! Sunny and temps reaching the 50's.   I climbed Albert Mountain by 11:30. Beautiful view! This section seemed easy to me and I decidedto do the extra 4 miles between Wallace Gap and Winding Stair Gap. I ran into a trio of hikers out for a few days. I also came upon a group of middle schoolers from Chattanoga out for an adventure with there teachers. Cool! Then I met Early Bird, a southbound thru hiker who started in September. He was pulling 25 mile days and will finish ind a few days. Wow!I got a ride into Franklin and I'm at Haven's motel doing laundry and hitting the buffet at the steakhouse. Yum! I plan on getting out later tomorrow and doing the 4 miles to Siler Bald Shelter. A bit of a rest day.. Oh - Hi to Marsha's 3rd grade class in (can't recall the town) in Arkansas. Thanks for following along. And I apologize for any misspelling or other errors you may notice. I'm typing this on my cell phone and don't always proof it...And thank's for the message Ann and Andy!Good Night! Don't worry. I've hung my food two blocks away....
Date: 2007-02-09
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: clear sky

Got a shuttle from Ron Haven. Very interesting self made man. Impressive. I went to the outfitters store in Franklin and purchased a cord to hang my food with, a new pair of Crocs because I left my other's 5 miles back on the trail during a break (old age syndrom), and some food for the next 3 days. Ron dopped me off at 1:30 at Winding Stair Gap and I hiked to Siler Bald Shelter by 3:30. No one there ofcourse... Not good for my mood. Thoughts of going home crept into my mind. But I know this is the toughest part of the day for me. The evening was clear and I could see city lights in the distant valley. Neat. Today was kind of a rest day as I only did around 4 miles. The shelter is a half mile off the trail so I think people avoid this one a lot. Cold at about 20 degrees. In the bag at 7.
Date: 2007-02-10
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

Morning. I'm definately a morning guy.. All things are possible for me then. Got up just before sunrise. Temp at 18. Boots frozen.. Oatmeal and a cup of coffee, pack up. Beatiful sunrise! Clear and sunny. Back in Wiscosin they are starting the state wrestling procedure with the regionals. I'm thinking about my son's team, Sheboygan North, as well as the Sheboygan Falls team. They must all be so excited.Today's hike was the most beautiful so far and that's saying a lot. The hilight was the climb, a long one, up to Wayah Bald. The view was 360 dgrees and I could see all the way to the Smokies as well as most of the mountains I have crossed the last several days. Saw a few day hikers as well as the high school group from Chattanoga. I also came upon some trail magic at Burningtown Gap. Bill (can't recall his last name) had a huge tent set up with food and beverages. One could even stay the night in this heated tent. I was tempted but wanted to go the extra mile, which was all up, to reach the shelter. I arrived at Cold Spring Shelter just after 5 with just enough time to set up my tent, filter water,cook and eat and hang my food....... They had cables for hanging food BUT they were all tangled and unusable.. no problem for me... Wrong.. I took my new 50 feet of cord and tied theend to one of my hiking poles and threw it over the cable... I forgot to hold on to the cord and it all go tangled up in the already tangled bear cable. I 'm sure those of you that know me are thinking: "Thats Tom" and you are right! I was able to salvage enough cord to get the job done so all was well when I hit the sack at 8 pm. Another night alone but tomorrow I'll get to the NOC, another landmark. I've been ther on several occasions to kayak so it will be a good place to get to..
Date: 2007-02-11
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.5

Climbed out of the sleeping bag to an 18 degree morning after a fairly fitful sleep at 6:30 am. On the trail by 8:15. Today was, once again, beautiful. Clear blue sky with temps reaching the 50s. I hiked along lot of ridges that had great views of valleys And the surrounding mountains including a closer view of the Smokies. I came upon a couple of guys. brothers, who were out for a couple of days to section hike. They were from Chattanooga and both were teachers. nice poeple.The last 5 to the NOC were not fun. All down hill and some parts were steep with some ice and snow. My knees took a pounding. I'd much rather climb... I made it to the NOC at 2 pm and checked in for a hostel and immediately hit the Rivers End Restaurant for burger, fries and coke! Then it was laundry and a shower. Are you begining to see where my priorities are? Oh, then it was back to the Rivers End for a bowl of black beean chili. Yum! It's GOOD to be at the NOC. I might take zero day tomorrow. I'm not sure. I'll see how I feel. I'm alone in the hostel. Not a bad thing....
Date: 2007-02-12
From: NOC

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0

Today was my first zero day. It was ok but was a little antsy to get back on the trail. I like being in motion. I just sort of hung out, having a leisurely breakfast at the Rivers End an browsing the outfitters store. Not much happening this time of year. For lunch i bought a pint of Ben & Jerrys ice cream and downed it.... Dinner was Chicken Djone over pasta... Very tasty!It's supposed to rain tomorrow which could make for a muddy, slippery trail. Also, I've been trying to locate where The Walrus is. Can anyone out there help with this? If I thought he was within a day or even two of the NOC I would consider waiting for him...   OK, time for slumberland!
Date: 2007-02-13
From: NOC

To: Brown Fork Shelter
Miles today: 16.0

Ok, just a note to let you know that it's really Feb. 17th and   I'm in Gatlinberg, Tennessee and will update each day's journey... I'm planning a zero day tomorrow and should have everything up to date by then....Ok, back to 2/13..... I had breakfast and was on the trail by 9 am. It was cloudy and the temp was around 40. The 1st 6 miles had an elevation gain of 3,000 feet. It was long before I was in shorts and A head band. My goal was Brown Fork Shelter which was an ambitious 16 miles away. I did have an out, however, at Stecoah Gap where I could have called Jeff at the Hike Inn in Fontana Dam to pick me up if need be. The rain started about 2 pm and it was pouing when I hit the gap but I had plenty of time to make the next 3 miles. I didn't realize that there was one more heartbreak hill to go up. Very tough way to end the day... Good training for the Smokies. Alone again but too tired to care....
Date: 2007-02-14
From: Brown Fork Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Visitors Center
Miles today: 13.5

Over night at the shelter the winds picked up and the rain returned. Morning brought with it fog and much cooler temps. As I started out I noticed the frost covering on everything. Pretty. As the day wore on the skies started to clear and I could see Fontana Lake and Dam well before I reached it. There's a bit of a fooler at the end of this section in that when you get to Hwy. 28 everything will be flat for the last mile of the day. I was sorely mistaken. Several small ups and downs awaited me as I struggled to finished. I won't tell you what I was thinking... Just before the end Jeff, from the Hike Inn, was waiting to pick me up. He was pretty much right on with knowing when I would arrive. Nice guy who reminded me of my old friend Dave Gentry. He could have been his twin... He and his wife, Nancy, run the Hike Inn which caters to thru hikers. Shuttle from and to the trail, laundry and shuttle into town for dinner and resupply are part of the deal. Also staying there were 2 Southbound hikers: Brian Nd Joe from Cincinatti. Great young men who were hiking the trail to raise money for the Make A Wish Foudation. I learned a lot from them. So we went into town and ate mexican and then back to the motel. Im not sure if I want to tackle the Smokies alone and it's supposed to get down to the single digits in the mountains the next couple of nights. I'll have to sleep on it....
Date: 2007-02-15
From: Fontana Dam Visitors Center

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

So I've decided to go for it! Alone in the Smokies. I figure 6 days and5 nights with an option to get of at Newfound Gap if things aren't going well. Today's hike started at 10 am with blue skies And temps in the 20's.   There's a 2,000 foot elevation in 5 miles to Shuckstack Mountain. The switchbacks made it not too difficult AND It was early in the day..   As I climbed I was treated to A frosted wonderland of forest. The views were great. When I stopped for lunch I was reminded that this can be a hostle environment as my hands became numb with cold as I ate. It took a while to get them back to normal before I could hike again. I made the 11 miles to Mollies Ridge Shelter by 3 pm so I decided to push on to Russell Field Shelter, 2.5 miles further. I arrived there at 4 so I was in good shape to get organized for the night. The temps were dropping into the teens and the wind was picking up as I snuggled into my bag. Once again I had my nalgene bottle filled with boiling water at the foot of my bag and my down sweater on top. I just had enough room for my mouth to breath after cinching the hood of my sleeping bag over my head.
Date: 2007-02-16
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

What Hill? When I'm out on a run with my buddy, Brian, I will always whine when we go up hillsAnd he always says: ?What hill?? Today was, by FAR, the toughest day on the trail! I awoke to 5 degrees and light winds. Buuuuur! The huge problem in these conditions is not so much keeping my core warm but my hands. Most all of the things I do in the morning involve bare hand manuevering and they get numb very quickly.. So things take time. the other issue is keeping my gloves warm when I don't have them on. I have to make sure to put them in my pockets. It's an art formTo get ready in the extreem cold in the mornings. It takes a solid 2 hours to get ready to hit the trail. My boots were also frozen and I wondered if my toes would get frostbite as I put them on. After a half an hour of hiking they were fine.So I got on the trail by 9:15 and made the 3 easy miles to Spence Field by 10:30. With the snow and frost on the trees Spence Field was surreal. Beautiful! (Oh- I do have a ton of good photos that I will put on this site when I can get to a computer AND Learn how to do it.....) The rest of the day was tough, very tough! Pretty much all up and some very steep ups starting with a climb up Rocky Top 5,440 ft. and then Thunderhead 5,527 ft. I had wanted to make Derricks Knob by 1:30 but rolled in a little after 2. Derricks Knob Shelter holds significant meaning for me as it was the site where one of my students was struck by lightning two summers ago (refer to one of my earlier prep postings). I was exhausted! But I really wanted to get to Silers Bald Shelter by nightfall, another 4.5 miles.... After Short break and water resupply (my filter was frozen so I'm now using tablets) I set off for Silers Bald. The trail wasn't as tough but every climb was grueling being late in the day. I made the shelter by 4:45, with just enough time to find the water source and prepare camp for the evening... Cold in the teens, but calm, great sunset.. Totally exhausted.... but happy!