morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-09
From: fontana village

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Russell Fild Shelter 14.9 mi todayFeels so good to be hiking and semi-healthy again! Yahoo! It was dripping a little this morning and the Smokies lived true to their name and shrouded us in fog and mist. OK, I must admist that I yellow-blazed 1.1 miles today- the shuttle could take us right to Fontana Dam, so I decided to skip the walk through the parking lot and such just to say I walked that mile.About 2 o'clock, the rain picked up and continued a steacy increase until dark. And it's getting colder. Yum. But it realy was great to hike with healthy lungs again.
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: snow

Derrick Knob Shleter 9.2 mi todayI can't believe I actually vounteered for this! Today was absolutely horrible-I was full of negative energy. It was absolutely brutal out there. we woke up to maybe 2 inches of snow already on the ground, then it proceeded to blizzard the rest of the day. nine miles in a freaking blizzard. I followed one guy by maybe 15 or 20 minutes and there were times where all the footprints on the trail were cover over. I really don't know how the first guy out found his way this morning-the snow could really cover up the trail and all the blazes. snow kept pounding my face and sometimes we walked through knee-deep drifts. it just sucked. then i got to the shelter which was teeming with people- some folks had stayed in that shelter the night before-didn't budge-wich is technically not allowed in the Smokies. Most other folks had hiked just the 6 miles from the previous shelter. So there were about 20 of us sleeping in a 12-man shleter. but the body heat was great on such a cold night. a few poor guys had to tent. wore socks on my hands the rest of the day becasue my gloves were wet.And to make the day worse, we climbed Rocky top Mtn today, so that damn song was stuck in my head all day. i's so much rather be at a bad wedding, dancing with a drunken uncle to Rocky top than have been out hiking today. It sure sucked. But, at least i'm semi-warm in a shelter and tomorrow is another day-hopefully a better day.
Date: 2003-04-11
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Derrick Knob Shelter 0 milesThe weather looked even worse today- maybe not as cold, but definately wetter and somewhat windy and very low visability. so i stayed at the shelter. There were 7 others that shared my belief and we all stayed-which then compounded the problem when the folks behind did move on. tonight there were 20 in the shleter and maybe 4 that tented. this still sucks. it snowed the rest of the day, so there's a good 6 inches or more on the ground. Tonight I had to heed the urge and did a cathole and take a crap while it snowed on me. just no fun today either. Actually, we played silly games during the day and did have a decent time then, but just knowing we'll have to get out in this tomorrow-it just sucks. i hate the Smokies.
Date: 2003-04-12
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

Gatlinburg   10.1 mi todayThe sun came out, the snow stopped and today we hiked! It was a little slow going-lots of slush and mud and streams of melting snow on the Trail, but it turned out to be a pretty great day. I had had enough of cramped shelters and wet everything, so I decided to spend the night in obnoxious Gatlinburg. Four of us hitched a ride from Clingman¢s Dome- what a great guy and his not too amused wife. We strapped 2 packs to the luggage rack, crammed 3 smelly hikers in the back seat, and the short Soynut got to fold up nicely in the van¢s hatchback. They dropped us right in the heart of a sunny Gatlinburg weekend, then we proceeded to get lots of stares as we walked past Ripley¢s and numerous pancake houses in our mud bedecked gaiters and stinky hiker wear. We tried to remember how to cross streets and dodge families of four. What a tripThe hike today was really beautiful¢; we could actually see the mountains today! We hit the highest point on the AT at Clingman¢s Dome at 6600 ft>cool. I got a little sun scorched forgetting that the sun does shine and especially reflects off the snow. Shower and a little laundry at the palatial Grand Prix Motel-how lovely, I needed a little time away from the hiker throng so I headed to the Brewpub (where else?) Well, it turned out I guess I went to t eh restaurant right nest tot the brewpub that had their beers on tap. I treated myself to a fab dinner and struck up a conversation with these rich dudes at the bar-they were so impressed with my hike, they bought me dinner! How awesome. I walked a bit through town, ok really, I went to get ice cream, and I was so ready to get away from all the drones on the street. Gatlinburg is just way too overwhelming after spending weeks in the woods. Well, I guess it¢s pretty overwhelming to begin with, but it¢s just compounded after hiking.I was about to give u ship during the blizzard and even today. Hopefully this little ¢pampering¢ has reenergized me to hang in there for a little longer. Also seeing all the unhappy folks on the street drowning themselves in beer, ice cream, fashion, materialism-it makes me want to finish the Trail-get away from all that crap. Also, it¢s just phenomenal to sleep in a bed all my won in some cheap motel-simple pleasures!
Date: 2003-04-13
From: Gatlinburg

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Tri Corner Knob Shelter 15.6 mi todayWhew! my first 15 mile day- feet are a little sore, but doing okay. hiking was amazing today- still a slushy, muddy trail at times, but clear and sunny. Views were absolutely spectacular> Charlie¢s Bunion was way cool. Got a good hitch to the trailhead this morning-little nervous about this, but it was my first true hitch alone (don¢t tell my mother). As I was standing my the Great Smoky Mountain sign with my thumb out, I just kept laughing- ¢what am I doing here?¢ I¢d think. I¢m this tax paying pharmacist, nice little girl and here I am, hitchhiking. Crazy! The guy was older, kinda reminded me of my own father, and was on his way to Cherokee, NC for a little gambling while his wife was out of town. He was cute-sure grateful for his generosity.Arrived at the shelter to find many spaces open- yeah! One weekend hiker discussed intestinal cleansing over dinner tonight. How delightful. Then he passed around melatonin for all with his botched information on this subject. What a weird guy.
Date: 2003-04-14
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: few clouds

Davenport Gap Shelter   14.8 mi todayAnother long day-lots of it downhill, but feeling pretty good. Looks like only three of us at shelter tonight-last night in the Smokies. Beautiful hike today-almost hot at times, but sunny and wonderful. Still lots of snow and slush when I started at higher elevations, but it looked like spring as I descended! Flowers, green grass, warmer temps! It was great! Amazing views.Though I¢d expound a bit on hygiene out here. Someone had made a comment in a shelter register that just cracked us all up: if a spoon is laying on the ground and you pick it up, wipe it on your pants, then lick it, it¢s a clean spoon, right? Licking cooking utensils of rinsing a pot with a tablespoon of water constitutes clean out here. Showers come by every 4-8 days, just depends. Most people brush their teeth twice a day, but on particularly cold or rainy days, that chore gets skipped. I try to use a handi-wipe before eating unless of course it¢s raining or cold. I do use Purell stuff, for what it¢s worth, after going to the bathroom. Speaking of bathroom, we have to carry out all toilet paper-this could mean carting around used TP in a Ziploc for days sometimes. Kleenex would be a luxury- most people skip the middleman and go right for ¢snot rockets¢ then use a sleeve, etc. to clean up any excess. When I had that cold, I¢d us a bandana occasionally and I¢d splurge on a square of TP every not and then. No deodorant. No shaving. No Q-tips. I had a conversation with a guy at the shelter tonight while picking at the blisters and calluses on my stinky feet. It¢s gross when you think of it.A little reminiscing back to the snow.   It was so cold and slippery and wet outside that many people skimped on water. The water source at the shelter where I holed up was down this treacherous, nasty, rocky, slippery hill that practically had it¢s own stream for a path running down to it. I had maybe 2 liters of water over the course of 3 days- not good! I tried to melt snow on my camp stove but snow seems to burn at such a high heat- I drank burnt water after that>gross! This may be a little crude, but I¢ve gone there before-I got so dehydrated, my urine was practically orange, I got constipated, and my skin got all puckered. I thought I was coming down with a UTI (since I am the queen of them anyway) for a day or so, until I rehydrated. Just goes to show that water is so vital! This has been a wonderful, wonderful day out here on the trail- this is what I came out here for!
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Davenport Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: few clouds

4/15 Groundhog Creek Shelter 10.5 mi today What an awesome day! Woke up in the Smokies, hiked about 1 mile out to road- walked to ¢Mountain Momma¢s¢ a country store and hostel that is renown on the Trail for its grill-especially cheeseburgers. Got there early and caught breakfast. It just was so good-greasy food, pancakes, lots of butter on everything and coffee. Got back to the Trail and had a killer workout with awesome views. Lots of wildflowers, even some irises, dogwoods, were in bloom, lily of the valley, and smell of sweet cicely in the air. Followed streams on a lot of the trip. It was just great. The Trail passed on an exit ramp and went right under I-40. Seemed kinda crazy to have all that traffic and trucks so nearby. Killer climb up Snowbird Mountain, which has an FAA homing transmitter on top-wild sight too! It was pretty warm today too¢lots of sweat and I made myself drink my 3-liter of water goal. Today was what hiking is all about-hellacious snowstorm, what hellacious snowstorm? The blizzard of last week is long forgotten (not really forgiven though.
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain 
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

4/16 Walnut Mountain Shelter 13.1 mi todayMax Patch- WOW! How amazing! Pretty good 6 miles to get here-lots of ups and downs-and Carolina ups at that. See, different states maintain their section of the Trail differently-North Carolina barely believe in switchbacks, meaning its trail goes straight up the mountain instead of easier-graded back and forth. Anyway, the Trail was a workout this morning but very beautiful-lots of flowers again, nice sunny day. Then Max Patch hits at lunchtime. It¢s this huge grassy bald with spectacular views all around. It was a clear day and just a little breeze for being so exposed up here. Incredible!!Rest of the day was pretty easy-hit an uphill at Walnut Mountain, and I hit a wall, so I knew it was time to stop. Filter on the fritz, so I¢ve been boiling some water or working six times as hard to get it through the stupid filter. Water source at this ¢ghost shelter¢ definitely needed some kinda treatment-some scum on parts-bleh! Should have enough to get to Hot Springs tomorrow! Yeah! Can¢t wait.Helped a thru-hiker from France today-his English is not that great; and even though I took all that French in high school and college, I couldn¢t remember a lick of it to speak with him. So we muddled our way through broken English. I drew him a map of Hot Springs- where to stay, where to get a new cook pot, where to buy groceries. Must be so hard to hike all this mess AND have a language barrier too. Hope I could help the guy- he seemed appreciative.
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Walnut Mountain 

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Kicked butt on the hike into town- 13 miles under 6 hours- with 2 breaks and a lunch, so surely less than 5&1/2 hrs. It was a fairly easy hike and I had the motivation of town and Kevin waiting at the end. Also, I had an almost empty foodbag, which helps a lot.
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Rich Mtn firetower

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: moderate rain

4/21 Little Laurel Shelter   11.3 mi todayRain held off until about 7am-just when I was getting up. Probably would have laid around a while longer, but thought the sprinkle might turn to a deluge so I packed up quickly. It rained till mid-morning but turned out to be a warm sunny day after all. Still got the blues from great visit with Kevin this weekend. Not only him- I also think about visiting my mom, then dragging my little brother to the Shenandoah¢s or somewhere for a week. All day I thought about all these section of the Trail I could do this summer and fall, yet be home for the most part. I don¢t know- today is NOT the day to make decisions about getting off the trail- rain, heavy pack (wet tent and full food bag), and the recent visit. I¢ll give it a few weeks.Had planned on some big miles today, but the blues, the food bag, the rain kept me just to 11- still not bad I guess-it¢ll make more sense to hit a 20-mile day or thereabouts with only 1-2 days of food on my back. Hope to catch up to Baby Steps, Pippi, Gazer and Wanderer in next coupla days. Hacked up the 4th Harry Potter book and brought it along, so I think I¢ll crack that open tonight- a coupla jerks staying at the shelter that I¢d rather avoid.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

4/22 Flint Mountain Shelter   12.6 miles todayHappy Earth Day! Passed the 300-mile point today-someone had built a little 3-0-0 out of rocks across the trail today- seemed celebratory. It rained a little off and on today- mostly just fog and mist; it was cold but good hiking weather. Felt like I was on a roll and thought I was gonna go for big miles but came across Puffy, who had dislocated his ankle and was lying on the trail when I reached him. His wife was with him and Healer was applying some kind of herbal Chinese liniment to his leg. Thirsty and I helped with a few things, but Healer wrapper his ankle and is planning to pop it back in place later tonight-ouch! Luckily for Puffy, there¢s a road about 3 miles from the shelter- bout 5 miles total from where he went down. It got pretty chilly today- ion the 30s tonightPerked up today-much better than the gloom I carried around yesterday. Weather is supposed to warm up and maybe be sunny tomorrow hoping for almost 19 miles.
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

4/23/02 Bald Mountain Shelter 18.8 mi todayOh Yeah! Almost 19 miles today- god, don¢t my feet know it! What a rewarding day thought- after a pretty tough hike all around, then a steep, rocky ascent greeted me after 16 miles. But then, oh yes, then I was standing on top of Big Bald at 5500 feet, 360 degree views and a clear day to boot. It took my breath away and I was sobbing at how beautiful it was; how lucky I was to be healthy enough to hike up to it; how incredibly amazing this journey is. I can¢t believe how fortunate to have this opportunity. What a gift; what a luxury. I celebrated with some gummi worms (what else) and several pictures. It was even more amazing that 5-6 miles back I emerged from the woods into a meadow and could look up to see this bald-it looked so far away and so high and so completely out of reach (especially having 12 miles behind me already today). And then to think that several hours later Id be standing atop that mountain- I¢m crying again.I hiked through an odd section today between Sam¢s Gap and Devil Fork Gap. Due to the circuitous route of the state line, Tennessee was east of North Carolina and I was actually hiking south by compass point, yet heading northbound on the Trail. Hmm, interesting Cliff. Feels good to be lying down and tucked inside my sleeping bag-the night is a little chilly and I¢m very tired. What a gorgeous day today though> 60s, sunny, and clear. Great day for 19 miles!
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Uncle Johnny's Hostel

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Not the greatest day/town to take a zero day. I had planned on waiting out some rain and thunderstorms here- would go to the library to get online and such. Apparently there was a scheduled utility repair downtime- library closed til 1:30. OK, I'll go get a burrito at Erwin Burrito for lunch, do the crossword, etc -> "due to unfortunate circumstances, Erwin Burrito will be closed until 4:00" read the sign on the door. The local paper, out of Johnson City, had a recipe for possum stew in its "Lifestyle" section today, complete with whiskey and beer in its list of ingredients. I'm in some sort of weird universe it seems. And doing it all in my rain suit and Chacos, as Uncle Johnny is holding my laundry hostage. I'd rather not stay there again tonight, but it's right on the Trail and my stuff's all there, it's cheap and Johnny has been a peach to me. I'm getting depressed as the day goes on; maybe it's just towns in general- maybe I need to get in and get out before they suck the life outta me. I was doing just fine in the woods.
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Uncle Johnny's Hostel

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

So glad to leave all the negative energy at Uncle Johnny's and Erwin in general. I don't know what it was, but something totally brought me down then. Felt great to be hiking again today- and it was an amazing hike too. It rained a little off and on, but that actually made Unaka Mountain even more beautiful- mystical stand of red spruce. Moss covered everything, and the fog made it seem fairy tale-ish; I was waiting for leprechauns and sprites to jump out at any minute. It was really beautiful, challenging hike to get up there.Hiked just a mile this morning to Nolichucky Campground where I found coffee, a phone, and a potty-> what else could a hiker need? Good to talk to my brother and a friend from home. Then I jumped back on the Trail and had a pretty good hike-> feet kinda hit a wall after 13 miles now it seems, but ibuprofen is my friend. Bit of rainy night this evening- shelter is full.Got online yesterday in Erwin- just wanted to say thanks for the emails and support. It was really great to hear from family and friends- it made my week! Just a little reminder to check the "maildrop" list right before sending any mail- there will probably be some location and date changes to come. And too, the best way to get ahold of me is snail mail- I only get to check email every 3 weeks or so, and often I have a time limit at the library.
Date: 2003-04-27
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Whew! What a day! I think this was the hardest climb of the whole trip so far! Roan Mountain kicked my butt! It wasn't even Roan itself, there were at least 2 big climbs before it, and a somewhat nasty, steep, rocky ascent over Little Rock Knob. Weather was great though- maybe a little on the hot side. This was the last granddaddy mountain for a good while. Should hopefully be relatively easy hiking from here to Damascus. Ican't believe that several friends and I were thinking of hiking here this past January! How crazy- one, we probably weren't in shape for it, and two... January!! Today was great, but I could see how winds could rip a hole in ya in the winter. Hung out on the open bluff this afternoon with Flash and Llama, just basking in the sun and soaking in the views. I'm staying at the highest shelter on the AT tonight! It's an old fire warden's cabin, so it has 4 walls and a door(wow!) It looks kinda mouse-rampant and dark, so I'm tenting tonight. Get a better sleep in the tent anyway. Looks like a great sunset (I'm planted among trees though)- should have camped at the bluff 1/2 mile back- would have been an amazing view. Oh well, ya live and learn.
Date: 2003-04-30
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Kincora Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: few clouds

I was so very tired this morning for some reason- got pretty hot overnight and didn't sleep well, so maybe that's part of it, maybe also from the big day I had yesterday. Anyway, short hike this morning, reached the hostel about 10:30 and grabbed one of the last bunks. Turned out the Bob and Pat Peoples, the hostel owners, are a Scottish-Irish couple and today was the Celtic New Year's Eve called Beltane(never heard of it). They served up a huge feast- the hikers helped chop veggies, which made it seem really communal. And what a feast it was! Cock-a-leekie soup (whatever that is!), onion pie, corned beef, cabbage, potatoes/carrots, Irish soda bread, beer bread, green beans, trifle dessert, and even coffee. There were probably 30 hungry hikers at least- they either stayed at the hostel or were just passing through and stayed for dinner. It was absolutely wonderful! Bob and Pat are some of the sweetest, most personable folks I've met along the Trail-> such good-natured, generous people. There was such amazingly good energy at this place. Part of their Beltane celebration also includes collecting the morning dew on May 1 and sprinkling it on everyone for good health. What a cool tradition. Everyone pitched in for clean-up or whatever needed done- it's such a great thing being out here!Healer gave me a "treatment" to cure my allergies. He cracked my neck and back(ala Linda Blair- I didn't know my body could contort like that!), massaged the gall bladder meridian on my back, and gave me accupressure on my hand and sinuses! The pollen has kicked up my allergies, and despite the daily Claritin and Nasonex, my nose is still running- it's not too horrible though, I've had worse, so I'm dealing. Gonna start a Benadryl at night too and we'll also see if Healer had any effect on me. He led an impromptu tai chi class at Apple House shelter the other morning- I had just swung my pack on, so I just watched and snapped a picture. It seems he'd make a very effective teacher- might look into tai chi when I'm home.