morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-18
From: Derrick Knob

To: Mt. Collins
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Ridgerunner Mindshatter (Shatter) took shelter with us outside the shelter from the cold wet driving wind. Later I saw him digging the "runouts" or drainange ditches along the trail. When I reached Doublespring Gap shelter, I was tired and hungry. I ate some soup and rested in the tall grass with my bare feet up on my pack. Eventually, some annoying teens showed up with Bibles, and the two friends of the dude who split his kneecap open with a hatchet at mollies ridge the day before we got there. Bad vibe and cold wind motivated me to move on towards Clingman's Dome. My first 6000 foot mountain, and the tallest point on the AT, was not nearly as difficult as I expected. After ascending the alien spacecraft launch pad at the summit, I hurried the next 4 easy miles into Mt. Collins shelter, where B and D were surprised to see me, and a family from Florida were happy to share their 6 pounds of pot roast with me and the other shelter occupants. Beef never tasted so good, as I had almost run out of food, and had run out of daylight, and run out of energy after a long day of hiking. Ate 3 huge servings, and Bill was just disapppinted I couldn't eat more.
Date: 2007-05-19
From: Mt. Collins

To: Newfound Gap / Gatlinburg
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: clear sky

after a pleasant morning hike with B and D, I hitched a ride into Gatlinburg for food and supplies. took the town trolley to food city, trolley went first to pick up people at the Scottish Highland Games Festival.At the riverside motel, fieldstripped and packed everything. dreamed that i was in a shelter, and could not understand why the deck was so soft, why it was quiet and warm under the blanket, why i had the whole place to myself.
Date: 2007-05-20
From: Newfound Gap / Gatlinburg

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

In the morning, I met with the Japanese film producer Tetsuo Sato and director Yoshihiro Shiroki. We talked about the AT over breakfast at shoneys. They took me to the Happy Hiker outfitter and filmed me as I went in to send a box home. Lester, Worldwide, Sailfish, and Shatter were there, too. They filmed me again near a fire station, asking questions about hiking the AT. And they filmed me back at Newfound Gap, retrieving my walking stick from the woods and heading down the trail. And they plan to do some more filming in June. Very cool to be one of the few hikers they chose for their documentary film project. I wonder if they will use Japanese subtitles.Had a very pleasant afternoon hike to Pecks Corner, where I met Darryl and Becky, father and daughter section hiking for a month. These two know how to hike - they get up early and quietly pack and slip out of camp, and get 12 miles down the trail by early afternoon, every day.
Date: 2007-05-21
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower
Miles today: 15.7

Another great day of hiking. Southbounder Hoppintoe and others recommended taking the side trail 6/10 mile to Mt. Cammerer. Sailfish and I decided to check it out and spend the night up there. On the way there at Low Gap, I came across a bear cub and mother, just 10 yards off the trail. When they saw me, the cub scrambled up the tree and the mother lumbered off into the woods. I backed off and started banging my stick around. The mother advanced back towards the tree as I walked forward on the trail. I just kept whistling and banging on rocks, and the bears just watched me go by.An easy hike up Mt. Cammerer rewarded me with amazing 360-degree views from the completely enclosed observation deck. You could see I-40 winding west towards Knoxville, and after dark, the town of Cherokee was all lit up. Around 10:00, we were drifting off to sleep, when Sailfish said he heard voices. We jumped up and saw headlamps coming up the mountain. We thought it might be park rangers coming to tell us we couldn't stay up there. Two guys came crashing in with ridiculously heavy packs. "Whiskey Ghost" Josh Stokes and his friend Tory were just up for the night. "You're livin' the dream, man," they said to us, as they began to unload fresh bananas, apples, snacks and supplies, rum and weed. They brought up stuff that thru-hikers would never carry, like canned soup and fruit cocktail, big knives, enough fuel to cook for 2 weeks. The four of us stayed up late, and those two guys were back up at 6, swiggin' their capt. morgans and cokes, watching the sunrise, and lovin' life.
Date: 2007-05-22
From: Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

Darrell, Becky, Sailfish and I walked into Davenport Gap and immediately noticed what was missing in the Smokies - running water. The whole 60-mile stretch of the AT through the GSMNP crossed no mountain streams, but now suddenly we were seeing them everywhere.At Standing Bear Farm hostel, we shared a rustic cabin built on top of a creek, with an outdoor shower, dialup internet, laundry, and pizza. Shared a pizza with Old Gray Mare, who had been making slow but steady progress through the Smokies. I had first met her at Mollies Ridge Shelter, where she had taken a zero the day it rained. She was trying to avoid WorldWide Mouthy Matt, who had been very rude to her when she snored at a shelter. Lester was the only other hiker there - he said Matt was banging hard on the deck by her head every few minutes at 4 AM. Lester said he needed to either go to sleep or leave, so Matt chose to leave. Smoky Mtn. shelters are always full of snoring hikers - there was not any reason to be rude to Old Gray Mare, a lady in her sixties from Massachussetts.In the hostel's bunkhouse, we saw Squirrel, traveling light and fast, and Blue Skies, a southbound section-hiker who got into a tangle with Curtis, the hostel owner, over an issue of clean sheets for the bunk. Usually you don't expect to have clean sheets when paying $15 for a night in a bunkhouse, and that's what got Curtis so angry. Most hikers just use their sleeping bag. Why not?Then there was Tony - who had stayed at Standing Bear for a couple of nights with his Ex-girlfriend and ex-hiking partner, Lisa (Stylin'). Apparently, Stylin' couldn't wait to get out of camp in the morning, and left Tony behind every day. He would catch up with her, but this day, he had had enough of her. Ten miles up the trail at Brown Gap, he caught up with her and said he was through - quitting because she was ruining his fun. This was supposed to be the hike where they got back together again, but I guess it just goes to show that hiking partners don't always make good life partners. Stylin' was moving on by herself with almost no food or money, and Tony said he just didn't care. He was going home to Maryland and would start his thru-hike over again next year.
Date: 2007-05-23
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Max Patch
Miles today: 13.6

The townies at Mt. Cammerer had raved about Max Patch, a big clearing on top of a mountain. I decided to camp there, despite the threat of thunderstorms. Darrell and Becky had gotten an early start, as usual, and were going to push on Roaring Fork Shelter. The thunder boomed, but never caught me. Around sunset, it got very calm, making it easy to pitch my tent and make dinner. But then the wind picked up at night and pounded my tent like someone with a big broom all night. I should have set up the tent parallel to the wind, but it was too late to go pulling up the stakes. Even with the wind, I stayed warm, and thoroughly enjoyed the bright moon and sleeping in the open. The Farkling Prophecy that i would always sleep on tops of mountains when given the opportunity was coming true.I passed Old Gray Mare, struggling up a steep hill at Painter Branch. shortly afterwards, she fell and twisted her ankle, hobbled back to Standing Bear Farm, and got Curtis to shuttle her up to Hot Springs. Enjoyed hiking with you, Mare, and i'm just sorry your trip ended badly. She plans to go home and come back to hike some more this fall.
Date: 2007-05-24
From: Max Patch

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Another beautiful day, my first 20-mile hike from Max Patch into Hot Springs was easier that I expected. Mostly downhill, and mostly surrounded by Mountain Laurel in full bloom, coming into Hot Springs. The trail goes right through the middle of town, so it was easy to find my other hiker friends sitting outside at the Paddlers Pub. Opting for dinner and draught beer first, I ended up getting stomped at the pool table by WrongTurn, Monica and Squirrel. then just chatting with Becky, an artist from Brooklyn who works for a sculptor in Manhattan, and hikes for a month with her father every year. They invited me to share their hotel room with Sailfish, but it was a little crowded in there. After we closed the Paddlers Pub, i hiked down to the trail, crossed the river, and started looking for a tent site. half a mile further, i found a place right by the falls, but stepped of a ledge and fell into the river with my pack on. I scraped up my right leg, but jumped out and still managed to get my tent set up by 2:30 AM. nothing in my pack got very wet, and i laughed about it, but was glad the river was shallow at that point.
Date: 2007-05-25
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Zero days are essential. I took this one and enjoyed it thoroughly. Ate breakfast at the diner with Monica and WrongTurn. I soaked in the hot tub at the spa for an hour. Retrieved my tent and pack from the river's edge and pitched it in Amy Gillespie's back yard with Lester. Spent many hours talking with Lester and other hikers and locals at the Paddler's Pub. Updated this journal. Lost myself in contemplation for a while. Not ready to hike yet, but getting there. Squirrel surprised us by beating everyone at the pool table. She moves so fast I probably won't see her again, but maybe I will. Stranger things have happened on the trail.
Date: 2007-05-26
From: Hot Springs

To: Pump Gap
Miles today: 4.0

"Tennessee is burning." So the locals say, with smoke from forest fires choking this town. Wishing I had finished all my errands yesterday, I hung around Hot Springs all day until I couldn't stand it any more. Finally, at around 4:00, I left the Paddlers Pub and slowly climbed the Rockery, which made a fine place to breathe and watch the smoky carnival below and put my thoughts back together. Around 7:00, I went on down the trail a put up my tent in Pump Gap, just a place where two trails cross. I built a fire and listened to the owls and whippoorwill chatter till late, and ate my apple. This was one of those times on the trail when it was just fine to be alone.
Date: 2007-05-27
From: Pump Gap

To: Little Laurel
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

At Tanyard Gap, I met a man with a cast on his foot. "Gimp" from New Mexico was hiking with his wife, Gretchen, when he fractured a bone in his foot three weeks ago at this very spot. He wanted to get back on the trail, but could only meet his wife at road crossings like this one for now.Then at Allen Gap, I was resting at the road crossing when up comes "Hercules" and "Fallen", a couple who thru-hiked a few years ago and got as far as the base of Katahdin on October 7th when a winter storm blew in and forced them to go home. He calls himself a 2,155-mile section hiker. They were out for a sunday afternoon stroll with the family, and pointed me to an unmarked spring next to the abandoned service station. A hose attached to a tree was spouting a good stream of icy cold water, which felt good to put my head under for a while.At Little Laurel shelter, I was spent. I put up my tent and talked for a while with Brian, who gave me the rest of his bag of jelly beans. He is an IT consultant from Florida, out for a few days with his older brother and 3 friends from Raleigh. They were southbound from Erwin to Hot Springs, out to enjoy a taste of the kind of life we live.
Date: 2007-05-28
From: Little Laurel

To: Jerry Cabin
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Not motivated to move at all this morning. Slowly cooked breakfast, repacked, lounged, and still didn't want to move. The 5 southbounders moved on, and other hikers passed by. Then Ukelele Evan showed up, and we hiked together for a while. I had hoped to get to the Shelton Graves, but the rain set it, and I needed water, and it was getting late. Jerry's Cabin has a fireplace inside the shelter, so we got a fire going and decided to stay the night. Evan played some tunes, and we were happy to be dry and staying put.Around midnight, I heard someone snacking. At first I thought it was Evan, but it was actually the mice, snacking on the trail mix that I forgot in the side pocket of my pack. He sent the mouse flying out of the shelter, and put what was left of my trail mix into his bear vault, a cylindrical food container that is bear-proof and mouse-proof. The mouse also got inside my pack and chewed a hole through the rubber lid of my jetboil. Almost shelters are mice-infested, all the more reason to stay in my tent.
Date: 2007-05-29
From: Jerry Cabin

To: Hogback Ridge
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: few clouds

Big Butt Mountain has the graves of two brothers, David and William Shelton, who were ambushed and killed by Confederate soldiers because they chose to fight for the Union army and come home for a visit. There is also a grave of a 13-year old girl alongside theirs.Evan and I stopped at Flint Mountain shelter for lunch, and continued on to tent at Hogback Ridge shelter. There we met Lois, a 78-year-old tobacco farmer and mother of 9, grandmother of 24, and great-grandmother of 26. With her was her daughter, and they have been section-hiking together every year since 1999.Evan was sitting at the picnic table talking about the imaginary hot hiker chicks that don't exist, when suddenly, 3 of them showed up, right at sunset. They had just graduated from high school, and were looking for water. We had a good campfire going, Evan was playing his ukelele, and i was keeping rhythm with two sticks i found that had been carved to make a fire-starter.Then, out of the darkness, Ben and Jan showed up. I asked Ben how he had enjoyed his 3-day vacation in Asheville, and whether he was glad to be back at work now. The break had been good, and he was now ready for 20-mile days. But where was Dodd?
Date: 2007-05-30
From: Hogback Ridge

To: No Business Knob
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Minutes after Ben left this morning, Dodd showed up. she had run out of daylight and battery power for her headlamp, about two miles down at Big Flat, and camped. we hiked together with Evan through Sams Gap (I-26 crossing), Low Gap, and up Big Bald. On the way up the mountain, I saw a man wrapped in tyvek walking towards me, with his pack and all of his gear covered with tyvek. He wore a baseball hat with the words "The Long Walk Home." We talked. I might have guessed, but his trail name was simply Tyvek. He had a sharp New York accent. I asked him about his bare feet. He said he had not worn shoes since 1972, due to a disagreement with the Marine Corps. He asked me to go check out the web site "thelongwalkhome.org" when i had a chance, a site devoted to helping veterans transition to civilian life after their discharge. His own transition had been a little rough. a little while later, on top of Big Bald, I sat in the sun for a while with Evan and Dodd, enjoying the beautiful weather and panoramic mountain view from its 5500-ft summit. After a lunch and water stop at the shelter, we continued on over Little Bald (seemed harder to get over than Big Bald), and the High Rocks. Spivey Gap had tempting campsites, and Evan found a spot to camp there, but Dodd and I pressed on into the night. The next 5 miles seemed like 50. Thanks to Dodd, we stopped at a spring that was 2/10 mile below the shelter, got water, and got to the shelter well after dark. Jan and Ben were there, and after putting up my tent, sleep came quickly. This was my highest mileage day so far, and my feet and legs were feeling it.
Date: 2007-05-31
From: No Business Knob

To: Miss Janet's House
Miles today: 6.3

A short downhill hike brought us into Erwin, TN, where we had planned to stay with Miss Janet. But before crossing the bridge, we found a warm welcoming committee at Uncle Johnny's. Not only Ben and Jan, but Sailfish, and Halle Berry, and Nathan and Marsha. Nathan was ready with a cold beer for me, and said they would stay the night only if we would stay, too. Uncle Johnny is quite a salesman, and gave me a dozen good reasons to stay at his place instead of Miss Janet's house. But I stuck with my intentions to stay with Miss Janet, where I had a resupply box waiting. This is how i got in the middle of the long-standing feud between Johnny and Janet. To her credit, Miss Janet shuttled me into town, let me shower and wash laundry, shuttled me to a bank and a store, and dropped me back off at Johnny's to hang out with all of the other hikers. And to his credit, Johnny shuttled me with the whole crowd to the Aztec mexican restaurant, and dropped me off at Miss Janet's house afterwards.I was going to catch a 10:00 $4 movie in town, but sleep took me down by 9:00.
Date: 2007-06-01
From: Miss Janet's House, Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: few clouds

Up early, packed, ready to go. Woke Miss Janet, whose daughter had graduated from high school the day before, and had stayed up late celebrating. She brought me to Hardees, where half of the good people of Erwin were lined up for breakfast. She took me back to the trailhead, where I found everyone still waking up at Uncle Johnny's while I ate breakfast.My pack, with the 20 lb resupply and 3 liters of water, crushed me, over 60 pounds, but up the mountain was the only place to go. Right behind me were Ben, Sailfish, Mismatch, and Halle Berry. I was the first out from Erwin, and was the last one to reach camp at Cherry Gap. Ben passed me at Indian Grave Gap, but just before we crossed Beauty Spot, thunderstorms rolled in, and we waited at the edge of the woods for a while. We made a dash for it, and got into the cover of the trees at the far side without any visible lightning strikes. Then I just hit a wall. Completely out of energy, I ate my apple and a few snacks. Jan caught up with me, and must have thought I picked a strange place to stop. He guessed (correctly) that i was out of water and made me drink his emergency stash 1 liter nalgene. Then i was able to reach the next spring and the campsite at Cherry Gap. Thank-you, Jan.
Date: 2007-06-02
From: Cherry Gap

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

None of us intended to stay at another hostel, just two days out from Erwin. We planned to go up to Roan High Knob Shelter, or at least to the Clyde Smith Shelter. But I began to get a sharp pain in my lower back last night, and was not motivated to move at all in the morning. Pack weight is my primary problem now. I stayed in camp all morning and tried to eat my pack.But eventually, Ukelele Evan and Lucky Lucky Lucky Dodd rolled in to Cherry Gap. We had some hot chocolate, some music, some laughs, and started down the trail, knowing we were already miles behind Ben, Mismatch and J-Bird. Then, as often happens, thoughts of ice cream and pizza, bathrooms with plumbing, a dry place to sleep, internet access, friendly faces, all converged to steer our footsteps down the 6/10 mile trail to the Greasy Creek Friendly hostel in Bakersville, NC. Sailfish and Jan had been there for hours. Hostess CeeCee was happy to take us into Johnson City to get cash and eat at the AYCE Golden Corral buffet.We fell asleep quickly to the sound of the rain pattering on the tin roof of the bunkhouse.
Date: 2007-06-03
From: Greasy Creek Friendly

To: Ash Gap
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: moderate rain

CeeCee, the owner of the Greasy Creek Friendly, made "Hiker Dan Sandwiches" and grits for breakfast. Hiker Dan had come through Greasy Creek at some point last year and requested a sandwich made of turkey bacon, tomato, onion, eggs, jalapeno pepper, and cheese. It was a delicious meal, and soon after, I was back on the trail with Sailfish, Jan, Dodd and Evan. On the way up Little Rock Knob, I met two guys out for a week on the trail, Matt and Josh, who we hiked with for the next few days. We camped at Ash Gap, with good cover from the wind. All available firewood was soaked, so I used my jetboil to get the campfire going. Evan played soulful soothing notes on his harmonica to end up an excellent hiking day.
Date: 2007-06-04
From: Ash Gap

To: Yellow Mountain Gap
Miles today: 8.0

Thunderstorms during the night did not get through our tents at Ash Gap, but it was still windy and chilly in the morning for a steep climb up Roan Mountain. At the summit, near the foundation of the old Cloudland Hotel, I met the jump crew from Montana who had put out two recent forest fires. One 100-acre fire had caused all of the smoke in Hot Springs while I was there, and the other was a 500-acre fire. The were working on the bathroom facility, under the direction of a forest service ranger, and waiting for the next big fire. Their helicopter was from Washington State.I walked through the Rhododendron Gardens, which were not much different from the A.T., except for the paved pathways. The rhodos are just starting to bloom, and will peak in a few weeks. I stopped briefly at Roan High Knob Shelter and the Stan Murray shelter, but continued on to the Overmountain Shelter, which is a big red barn in a clearing below the balds of Hump Mountain. Evan was just leaving when I arrived. He had some more walkin' left in him, and wanted to go camp on top of one of the balds. Later he told me that around midnight, when the thunderstorms came rolling through, he broke camp and took cover in the trees of Bradley Gap below. I stayed in my tent near the barn. Dodd, Matt and Josh showed up, and stayed in the barn, but hung out with me watching the heavy clouds go flying over our heads as the sun set.
Date: 2007-06-05
From: Yellow Mountain Gap

To: Campbell Hollow
Miles today: 14.9

Up UP and over Little Hump, Hump Mountain, through Doll Flats, against a strong wind that could almost knock you over, I stopped at the Apple House shelter for lunch. Resisting the temptation to stop at the 19E crossing and dine at Elk Park, Dodd and I did stop at Jones Falls for a few moments of quiet reflection. We came across two weekenders who had no clue between them. They had seen Evan using his water filter pump at a spring, and asked him what he was doing. Turns out they had an identical filter, but had never used it, and didn't know to filter their water. They followed us another mile, where we found Evan camped by the river in the tall grass. Evan invited us to camp there, too. Dodd and I quickly put up our tents, started a campfire, and started cooking. The two clueless campers stood around watching us, not knowing what to do. After a while, they put up their identical $35 tents less than 3 feet from the door of Evan's tent, and blocking the path through the tall grass to the trail and the river. I pitched under a tree nearby, and the grass gave extra cushion to sleep comfortably. Shortly after nightfall, millions of lightning bugs came out, and thunderstorms rolled in, dousing our fire, and sending us dashing into our tents to watch the lightning and firefly light show. Slept soundly, but I can't speak for the two weekenders, whose worthless tents did not keep them quite as dry and comfortable.