morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: N.O.C.
Miles today: 11.5

Wednesday5.21.03Cold Spring Shelter to N.O.C.122.6 ---- 134.1        Stayed up late last night reading and writing while everyone else crashed out. Pete, much thanks for the Steinbeck book!        Early morning filled with fog, followed by rain, then heavy rain. We hiked with Critter the whole way down today and had lovely random conversations. Talked about design, mushrooms, materials, naval propulsion systems, organic foods, cycling, and even ¢merica. Pretty quality.        So, being soaked and walking right down to the N.O.C., we decided hot showers and good food and a half day off sounded alright. After a shower we pigged out on some lunch then hung around the outfitter for a while. Met a group of other thru hikers and we hope to catch them soon. Seemed like cool folks.        Caught Jay Bird here, he is laid up with a hurt ankle but looking to head out tomorrow. Heard about everyone else and it seems like they are only a day/ day 12 ahead of us. We¢ll be seeing them by the smokies! We¢re making up our lost time ¢ Well somewhat I suppose, laying around at N.O.C. isn¢t exactly getting us caught up.        Anywho, some 8th graders are here tonite and I¢m fully tired of hearing about ¢American Idol¢. Time to retire for the eve. Looks like more rain for the next little while, so I¢m gonna start my day off with some Ben and Jerry¢s tomorrow!        Happy and Thankful to be living it                        -Songline
Date: 2003-05-22
From: N.O.C.

To: Brown Fork Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Thursday5.22.03        Nothing beats that Appalachian rain on a tin roof ¢ especially when I¢m inside, under the tin roof. I woke up to that beautiful sound this morning while in one of the N.O.C.¢s hiker bunks.        Snuggs and I took our sweet time getting out of bed and packed up. I had my Ben and Jerry¢s (which Snuggs thought was a bad idea because he is convinced that I¢m lactose intolerant. Whatever.) And by the time we where ready to leave the rain had stopped. See, being a little slow pays off sometimes.        So don¢t ever let anyone lie to you about the climb out of N.O.C. ¢ It¢s tough. 6 miles up, a small break, then another mile or so to the top of Cheoah Bald. A pretty good haul. Snuggs and I had a great payoff up there on the bald ¢ decent view and some lunch, but most important no rain!        The rest of the day was sunshine and small ups and downs until about 14 miles in. ¢OOOOOOH, can you feel the grind?¢ Yeah, then comes the climb out of Sweetwater Gap. Damn, that was a tough one at the end of the day.        All in all, it was a hard but rewarding 16 miles today. We have good company there at Brown Fork Gap Shelter. Critter and his wife are here along with Ashley. All great folks.        I have to end on a sad note but jaybird dropped out today. His ankle just hadn¢t healed and he was headed home. Gonna miss him.        Well, may sneak in a little reading. So until tomorrow from Fontana Dam,                         G¢nite.Happy and super thankful to be living it (and for being dry)                 -Songline
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Brown Fork Shelter

To: Fontana 'Hilton'
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Friday5.23.03        Lovely morning with blue skies and sunshine. ¢¢¦walkin¢ in the morning sunshine¢¦sunshine daydream.¢ Pretty good hike into Fontana ¢ but I will say that whoever did the elevation from N.O.C. to Fontana is a liar! Man, some of those climbs were way off, or so it seemed.        Got a quick hitch down to Fontana Village, chilled at the post office, and got some snacks from the general store. Caught a hitch out when this random van came by, stopped in the middle of the road, and Lunchbox jumped out and told us to climb in. Right on!        We hit the trail and did a quick mile to the shelter. Man is this place huge! Sleeps 20, water right outside, fire pit, picnic tables, and bathrooms, and free showers at the dam. Not too shabby. Took advantage of that free shower and washed some clothes in there too.        Large crew here tonight ¢ Butter, Troutman, Two Fleece Terd, Lunchbox, Q-Tip, Rodent, and Ashley. Good fun and good folks to sit around a fire and rap with. Just chatting with Ashley now. We¢ll part with him tomorrow and who knows if we¢ll see him again. Gonna shoot for sunrise on the dam in the morn ¢ so G¢nite.                Happy and Thankful to be living it ¢ Songline
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Fontana 'Hilton'

To: Derrick's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: broken clouds

For some reason I got no sleep last night. Tossed and turned with nightmares and such. I was happy to hear the alarm sound at 5:30 am. Snuggs and I had packed up the night before so we could catch the sunrise on the dam and beat the masses into the park. The sunrise wasn¢t what we expected but was spectacular none-the-less. It was foggy out and the sun came up like a bright orange harvest moon. The whole sky was light gray and the only thing visible in it was an orange circle. Pretty Rad!We were hiking shortly after 7 am and only saw 3 people before 10:30 ¢ 11am. The first guy we ran into was this park ranger that had thru hiked in ¢98. We got to our scheduled stop around 3 PM, after 16 miles of climbing into the smokies. I read a note in the shelter log that our crew we were chasing down had lunch there and would be at the next shelter. Snuggs and I decided to push on. A couple of miles later I danced a jig for some folks on Rocky Top. Then we started some long tough miles. We did end up catching the group out on the trail, all but Tic-Tac. (He was already at the shelter.) The last mile I hit my mental limit. I seriously almost lost it trying to get to Derrick¢s Knob. It had been a long day of thinking and hiking on little to no sleep and I just wanted to eat.We finally got there and Tic-Tac was really surprised to see us, as was everyone else we passed on the trail. It was great to be back some of the original crew. So tonight is kinda crazy. We are all feasting here on this grassy knob, seriously feasting. I¢ve eaten several other¢s left overs and/ or hand outs. Tic-Tac, Luna, Lady X , and Mick are here along with Windwalker, the Mule and Jabberjaw.   What a bucnh of odd and fun folks. The people here at the shelter are watching us like they would watch a TV show. Good times! Good times!Well 22+ miles is a personal best for me so far! A tough day but worth it. These smokey mountains are awesome. I¢m feeling beat so goodnite!Tired, Happy and Thankful to be living it! Songline
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Derrick's Knob Shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept hard last night in the tent. Forgot to mention that I saw deer, chipmunks, toads, a mole, and a red salamander yesterday. Snuggs and Tic Tac and I waited around so that we¢d be last out of camp this morning. Some of the crew regrouped at Clingman¢s Dome about 2 or 3 this afternoon. Clingman¢s is a strange place especially on a holiday weekend. It was a little much for me so Snuggs, Tic Tac, and I split outta there pretty quickly. It has been a while since I¢ve seen that many people in one spot.        The group tonight became huge. The Mule, Smurf, Jabberjaw, Luna, Snuggs, and Tic Tac are here as expected but also making late appearances are Troutman, Butter, Q-Tip, Indiana, and Rodent. Dinner time has been hilarious and this many strange thru hikers together all at once are great (and I¢m sure it¢s great entertainment for the weekend hikers here).        Lady X and Mica already hitched to Gatlinburg, so we may see then tomorrow. Oh, and we hung Troutman strapped to his pack ¢ by the bear cables! The pictures should be quality. G¢nite.        Happy and Thankful to be in the ¢here and now¢.--Songline
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Newfound GaP
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

Snuggs and I tented last night to make room in the shelter for others. Cool by me, I¢d rather tent.        Quick and easy 5 mile walk down to Newfound Gap. Snuggs and I walked with Smurf and conversation was lovely. There were 6 of us standing there waiting for a hitch and somehow we all fit in this tiny Toyota 2WD truck with a guy and his son. That¢s 8 people¢s gear in this truck!        So the plan was just to hit Gatlinburg for lunch and a resupply ¢ until we found the brewery. A couple of 34 oz beers each and we had decided to stay. Strange place through, Gatlinburg is weird.        Ran into Troutman and he always has some crazy stories. This one about Jeff Jeffcoat was too much! 11 of us crashed in the hotel room for the night. Yeah 11 hikers and gear ¢ that place had the FUNK.        We did do 4.5 miles so at least it wasn¢t a zero.        Happy and Thankful to be living it (and leaving Gatlinburg)___Songline
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Newfound GaP

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up and got the heck outta Gatlinburg. Just too much neon and too many ¢yep nup¢s¢ for me. Lucked out and 6 of us got a quick hitch in the back of a big truck.        This morning was the first time I had thought about leaving the trail. It was only a brief thought, but I still had one. I was hurting until my stomach settled down, then the day took a 180 degree turn. The sun came out and the smokies were amazing.        We rolled into our scheduled stop at 5:30 PM with 15+ miles behind us. We met with 2 trailmates there, Butter and Q-Tip, and flat out received bad vibes. I didn¢t want to stay there at all, and it was obvious that they wanted us to push on.        So we did just that, Snuggs, Tic Tac, Luna, and I went another 7.7 to Cosby Knob. My personal best ¢ a 23.3 mile day. I¢m glad we did it too, the walk was beautiful. Great setting sun, good temps, and hillsides of blooming rhododendrons. And the ultimate payoff is this great tent pad at Cosby Knob.        Actually have a quiet night tonight for a change. ___Songline
Date: 2003-05-28
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Ground Hog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Beautiful sunrise this morning. Definitely happy that we pushed on. Met Santa, old gray beard, and nomad this morn also.         Such a beautiful hike today. Great views, rhodo¢s and laurel in bloom everywhere, and I was feeling pretty good. Only problem was this small ankle pain that started yesterday.        Rolled off the first 12 miles and had lunch at the Standing Bear Farm. Great place to relax right off the trail. Would have stayed if we weren¢t pushing for Hot Springs.        Headed out of there around 4:30 or so and on down to Groundhog Creek Shelter. Snowbird was a strange place ¢ completely clear cut for a FFA air tower thingy. Real freakin¢ weird.        Hanging out tonight with Luna, Tic Tac, Snuggs, Moose, and the dude. Long day so I¢m out. Wonder if Jabberjaw will show up?        Happy and Thankful to be living it - SonglineOH yeah, forgot to mention Luna¢s performance in one boot and one Waldie sandal. 19 miles of fun.
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Ground Hog Creek Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: moderate rain

Rain, rain, rain, this morning. Woke up early and read a lot while the rest of the shelter slept. Thought some about how much fun the smokies were and how much I've mtn biked all over Pisgah Forest (that we¢re currently in) with the gnome.         Went back to sleep for a short bit until the smell of cigarette smoke drove me out of the shelter.         I didn¢t get going until around 11AM. Gloomy weather made for a slow start. We came up and were almost blown off the mountain. Pretty wicked.        Then right after entering the woods again the perfect trail magic happened. There was a group of folks just out for a look at Max Patch who happened to have a fire going and a ton of food ¢ and wanted to share! Cheese bread, organic fruits, chocolates, tons of stuff. Perfect! On top of all that, they were building a peace bagoda not too far away. Right on.        So then the rains came again and back into the daze I slipped. When we got to the next shelter (only an 11 mile day) we decided to call it quits. So here we are avoiding the rain. Troutman, Sage, the Mule, the Dude, and critter all came in later in the day.        Figured I might get around to writing some overdue letters and such but it just never happened today. Pretty worn out and ready for a hot spring dip this weekend. Should see my folks tomorrow night.                Happy and Thankful to exist in 2 planes                - Songline
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: broken clouds

Beautiful day to hike. Got to walk with Sage for a bit ¢ cool guy for sure, knocked out 15 miles and were in Hot Springs by 2:00.        Should have guessed it, Jabberjaw ¢yellow blazed¢ from Standing Bear and had a pitcher of Porter waiting for us. Everyone got settled and Snuggs and I checked in to the cottage my mom had reserved.         Got to see my uncle J.C. and Jarrett and my mom finally came into town. Dad couldn¢t make it up this trip. We all just got back from the pub where my mom got to meet some of the characters I¢ve been out here hiking with. Good times in Hot Springs.        Happy and Thankful to be living it                - Songline
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Took a zero today to rest and hang out with my mom. Had breakfast at the smokey mtn diner with my uncle and his son before they headed out for Boone. Snuggs and I got a dip in the hot springs spa ¢ thanks mom! It was pretty relaxing.        Spent the day around town with my mom basically. It was good to see her and I¢m really glad she came up. Thanks again.        So this evening I got a free meal at the Sunnybank Inn (a great hostel ¢ worth it for sure). OK, so to set this story up ¢ there was this dog that followed the dude in from Max Patch the other day. All of us at the shelter tried to feed it some extras that we had and then it hiked with whoever was out front into Hot Springs and there was a reward for the dog. Instead of cash, all the people at the shelter the previous night got a free meal at the hostel. Cool deal.         So this hostel, the Sunnybank Inn, is awesome. Elmer, who runs this place, is into organic farming, permaculture, and sustainable living. Needless to say Snuggs and I had great conversation with Elmer and others there. Even have a place to go work after the trail if I want!   Such a great spot with good vibes oozing from the walls, I¢ll definitely be going back there.        So the bar was between the hostel and our campsite and we had to duck in. Two fleece and Lunchbox were in town and some other hikers were having a few as well. I managed to grab a beer and then call it a night. Tired and we¢ve got a long day tomorrow.        Happy and Thankful to living it                - Songline
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Hot Springs

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: broken clouds

6.1.03Sunday        Tried to get an early start. But managed not to. Started hiking by 10 AM. Nothing but climbing today and it became tiring ¢ probably because I had spent a day and a half in town eating lots of food. Also, the fire tower up on Rich Mtn was closed, bummer.        Beautiful day and nice night so far. Some folks from GA and guy from NC are here at the shelter section hiking. Real nice guys, had a fire going and gave us candy! Woo hoo.        Not many views today and I¢m tired. Tough 19 for me so I¢m out.        Happy and Thankful to be living it- Songline oh yeah, I had a gourmet meal tonight thanks to Ed and Leslee.
Date: 2003-06-02
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: broken clouds

6.2.03Monday        Beautiful star filled sky last night. I pulled my usual trick of being the fist one up but the last to leave camp. I was actually busy writing a letter for once ¢ instead of just being lazy or slow.        Long day. Steep climbing for the start then some ridgeline walking. Awesome view at White Rock lookout because the sun was out all day. About mile 16 we walked through a pasture and tried to pet these 3 huge cows. The closest I got was touching one on the nose.        21 miles today with the last 5 of them being a climb. Pretty tired after back to back 20¢s filled with ups. Full of food and crashing out.         Happy and Thankful to living it                - Songline
Date: 2003-06-03
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

6.3.03Tuesday        Slow rainy morning. Got out of camp and only had a quick 2.5 miles down to Sam¢s Gap where we hitched to the diner. Great freaking breakfast, and since the credit card machine wouldn¢t connect and there wasn¢t an ATM around, the lady let me eat for free! I felt bad, but she said it was cool.        So I knew the gods were smiling down on us when we met these women at the diner who talked with us for a while and then one offered to take us to the gas station to resupply. She drove us to the BP then waited while we were in the store and then drove us back to the trail head. Perfect, and we got to cruise around in a Westie!        Got back to hiking but the food was sitting heavy and I was moving slow. The view from Big Bald was amazing. Great 360 degrees.        Short day, just came 10 miles to Bald Mtn Shelter. Full house tonight though ¢ Luna, Tic Tac, Snuggs, Indiana Ben, Chef, Wolfman, and Tucker. Also 3 section hikers and a dog.        Hitting some quick miles to Erwin tomorrow for a stay at Miss Janet¢s House. Found out that I¢m gonna get to see the gnome of Friday, so that¢s cool.        Happy and Thankful to be living it (and to be full)                - Songline
Date: 2003-06-04
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Nolichucky River
Miles today: 16.9

06.04.03WedsI was actually one of the first ones ready this morning. I left camp a little before 8 am and got good and warm before the rain came back. Pretty much hauled all the way down to the river. Did 17 miles in just under 5 hours. I enjoyed walking alone though. Got a great burrito just after getting into town and checked in at Miss Janet¢s House. Cool hostel by the way. Actually went back to Erwin Burrito with Snuggs, Tic Tac, Luna, and Tucker when they came into town. What can I say¢¦ I love burritos!Made some phone calls and now turning in after a late night. I can¢t remember the last time I was up until midnight. Thankful ______ Songline
Date: 2003-06-05
From: Nolichucky River

To: Above Iron Mtn Gap
Miles today: 18.5

06.05.03thursSnuggs and I managed to get out early this morning and we beat the crowd out of town. Some decent up hills today on the trail. Great weather and beautiful sunshine.I was deep in a mental funk this morning. Had an excellent lunch with Snuggs. I¢m really grateful to be out here with him¢¦ I think we keep each other somewhat sane. Tic-Tac, Luna, Snuggs, and I found a good campsite this evening. Caught a great sunset through the trees ¢ fiery red sunset. just lovely, and i needed it too.Happy to be out here for sure but I need to get an MP3 player I think. Too much time for my mind to wander here lately. Still in 2 planes ___ Songline
Date: 2003-06-06
From: Above Iron Mtn Gap

To: Carvers Gap
Miles today: 14.4

06.06.03FridayGolden Sunrise beaming through the trees this morning. We picked a sweet night to camp out. Got going on our charge to Roan Mtn. The 10 or so miles before Roan are almost more of a pain than Roan Mtn itself. A lot of pointless ups and downs. Hit Hughes Gap this afternoon and started up the steep Roan climb. When we reached the top we could see the storm clouds coming. Until then the day had been lovely. Headed on down to Carvers Gap to wait for Spanky. As we walked into the gap a thru hiker from North Dakota and his wife drove up and promptly handed out beers. Right on!Spanky and Scott showed up around 6:30 pm (they were late because Spanky managed to lock himself INSIDE a bathroom??) Luna and Tic-Tac headed to a hostel and Snuggs, Spanky, Scott and I headed to Boone. We just missed getting to eat at Angelica¢s but the Mellow Mushroom was awesome! Lots of good pizza and pitchers of dark beer. Stopped by to see if Heather was in town, but I think she is in Atlanta for the summer. So it¢s a cheap and lovely motel room tonight and that¢s fine by me. Happy and thankful to be living it (in Boone with Spanky, Scott, and out of the rain)        -Songline
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Carvers Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

06.07.03Saturday        Lazy morning. Actually watched Ferris Beuller¢s Day Off. Ran errands around Boone and Snuggs bought a sweet digital camera. Had a wonderful breakfast at Boone Bagel followed by and even better lunch at Black Cat. I love Black Cat burritos! We also stayed in there way too long eating, drinking good beer, and waiting out the rain. Spanky (the gnome) was really taken by the 29 yr old lady who ran the place. Hahaha.        Got back out on the trail about 6 pm. The rains had stopped and Spanky and Scott decided to hike with us down to Overmountian Shelter. Side note ¢ on the ride back to the gap I got to listen to some Cowboy Junkies. Oh how perfect. Anywhos, hiked out over the balds and had no views. It was super muddy out and I fell going downhill twice. A good laugh no doubt.        Got to Overmountain Shelter before dark and I polished off the rest of the Veggie Monster burrito that I had saved just for the occasion. Now just chillin¢ with everyone and enjoying a wonderful evening. PBR is good in a pinch ¢ just glad I don¢t have to carry 12 packs around all the time. Beer is heavy.        Spanky, you know you should be out here . . .        Happy and thankful to be living it -- SONGLINE-^-^-^-^->
Date: 2003-06-08
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 26.4
Weather: light rain

06.08.03Sunday        Great morning, no rain, and a breathtaking view down the valley. I could take it all in while sitting there in my sleeping bag. Overmountian Shelter is a big red barn and a wonderful location to sleep at. Got to hiking just after 9 am and we said our goodbyes to Spanky and Scott when we reached the end of the shelter trail. They should have had some great views across the balds on their way back, and I know that they took advantage of that.        Snuggs and I had an amazing morning on Little Hump and Hump Mtn. possibly my favorite spot on the trail so far. Huge balds with wicked views and we got to see the Longhorns up on Hump Mtn. Most definitely the coolest animals I¢ve seen in a long time. I wanted to ride one around for a while, but they weren¢t having any of that. So we headed on down to 19E and headed for the new relocation.        This is where things went a little sour. The first part after 19E is the old trail and I loved the pasture walking. Got to pet some horses. And the first section of the relocation is ok because there is a huge waterfall that you can play in and around, as snuggs and I definitely did. After that you are just lost out in the woods.        I don¢t mean to come across as rude to the trail crews who put in many many hours to make the new (and needed) relocation, but how about a freakin¢ sign at some point out there? We walked for 17 miles without a single sign to know how far we had gone or what road we were crossing. The data book isn¢t accurate, the maps aren¢t either, and with no signs at any crossings you¢re just kinda lost. Oh yeah, almost stepped on 2 huge snakes too!        So I know I said I was at my limit that day that we did about 23 up to derrick knob in the Smokies ¢ but that wasn¢t anywhere close to today¢s 26/27 miles. I was seriously past my limit (but managed not to throw anything or break my poles). On top of our long day, the water filter decided to stop filtering tonight also.        Its poptarts and bedtime. My feet hurt. Tomorrow is another day and some sleep will make everything better.        Alive for sure   ¢   SONGLINE--^-^-^-^->