morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Hiawassee Inn, Hiawassee, GA

To: Hiawassee Inn, Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I decided to rest my feet today and spend a zero day in town. As it turns out a huge T-storm blew through so it was a good day to do so. It also let me find the library and post to the blog / check email. Other then that I'm just bumming around town today having fun. According to the weather, all this week is going to have scattered t-showers, so it looks like I'm going to be damp and cold the next few days. On the bright side, things dry quick, and the water holes should be filled up. Some hikers were telling me just how fun it is to have to hike another 4-5 miles because a water hole is dry. (Apparently this happening later in summer so you have to be prepared.)
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Hiawassee Inn, Hiawassee, GA

To: Muskrat Creek
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Got dropped off at the Gap by Hong Kong. He is a fellow hiker helping out at the Hiwassee Inn while his back recovers. Met 3 other hikers at the gap; two coming into town ("Two Dogs Fucking" and "Skywalker" : should have asked how he got that name...) and one heading on ("Blaze"). Stopped in at the Plum Orchard shelter for lunch. I almost stayed the night it was such a cool shelter; 3 stories and Plexiglas windows in the loft and a stream with a PVC pipe close by. I saw in the journal that Ed, "Wood Chicken" & "Cabin Man" stay at the shelter the night before, so they aren't too far ahead. "Wood Chicken" & "Cabin Man" are a young newly wed couple that decided to do the trail. I met them briefly the day before in the Hiawassee library. From what I could gather they are really covering the miles so I'll probably never see them again.After a nice long relaxing lunch at the Plum Orchard shelter I decided I'd go for the Muskrat Shelter. I made it there about 30 mins before it got dark, and more importantly, before the THUNDERSTORM that hit that night. Wow, it was a cool storm to watch from the mountain top (As long as you were nice and dry under the shelter.)There were two SOBO'ers at the shelter "Garfield" and "Tripp" and one NOBO'er "Blaze". The SOBO'ers said they just came from Franklin that morning(for those keeping track that's like 28+ miles!!! HOLY CRAP!) Anyhow, they were a pretty entertaining and mellow pair just "lounging" as they put it as Springer was only like 3 days away for them. I heard a pretty funny joke from Garfield as well:Q: How do you tell the difference between a day hiker, a weekender, and a thru-hiker?A: You place a peanut M&M in the middle of the trail and watch. The day hiker will pass right by it and never even notice it. The weekender will see it and say, "Some idiot dropped their M&M. The thru hiker will notice it, take off their pack, sit down, and eat lunch!
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Muskrat Creek

To: Standing Indian
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Today was the balancer of all of the previous nice days. It rained all day. It was wet, cold, and stream walking all the way to the next shelter. Hehe, it wasn't as bad as that all sounds, but it certainly wasn't all that fun either.I basically did a short day to the Standing Indian shelter and stayed there. Several other had the same idea actually. I met a guy John ( Turns 70 this year, and did the trail when he was 60) who was taking a 0 day in the shelter to avoid climbing the Standing Indian Mountain in inclement weather. We were later joined by "Forest" & "Homebrew", "Little Debbies", Joe, and much later (about 1am) by Lauren and another guy (I asked Little Debbies what there names were the next day and he didn't know so they became "Long Tall Sally" and "You Must Be Irish"; at least to us). Their arrival, at 1am, was very humorous actually. Picture being roused by a barking dog("Mr. Clean" is "Little Debbies"'s dog) from a quiet slumber only to see two fog shrouded figures, both with cyclopean headlights and one with a dangling chord of lights blazing through the night into the eyes of groggy hikers, and to top it off, a fresh squall and flashes of lightning chasing their heels. Nice entrance!
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Carter Gap

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow. The hike was kickass today, in all of the good ways. There was one tough climb, Albert Mountain (like 700 ft in .3 miles) but you were well rewarded at the summit. There is a firetower there and the view across the Appalachians is spectacular and the weather as mostly clear so you could see a long ways. I took several photos in hopes of splicing them together into a nice panorama; we'll have to see how that turns out. I caught up with Forest and Homebrew at the summit; they left _really_ early that morning. I stay at the summit for a little while then went for lunch in the Big Spring Shelter. I found a note in the register from Alex saying, "Catch up Mt. Dew!", to which I replied, "Slow down Alex!". Haha.Homebrew and forest decided to go into Franklin tonight via the road at old 64 right passed the Rock Gap Shelter so that Homebrew can treat his feet properly. I stopped at Rock Gap as planned so I could catch the 9am or 11am shuttle into town in the morning. I was the first to arrive at the shelter(around 1:30 pm) and was greeted by a Mt. Dew (Grape?) soda and some left over goodies! mmmm trail magic. I also thought to myself, wow, I just did 12.1 miles in like 5 hrs with one helluva climb up Albert and a few other "rolling" hills. I guess my hiker legs are starting to flex; that and my hiker hunger. The last 2 nights I've had zero trouble eating whatever I put in my pot. It's a good feeling! I was joined again by John and one other new person at the shelter. We didn't stay up too late but shared a good number of tales and advice. Heard about Mt. Momma's(just past the smokeys) for some really good cheeseburgers, and Rainbow Springs campground(closed indefinitely now). Apparently, Rainbow Springs was a hippie hangout. John says that closing it down probably cut out about 50% of the area's marijuana usage! Oh ya, Homebrew had a good Grizzly bear story last night.(at Carter Gap). Apparently he and his father(?) were in Alaska hiking along a ridgeline and unknowingly following a calving moose, who was unknowingly being followed by a grizzly momma bear with cub on the parallel ridgeline. Calving moose are among the grizzly's favorite snack as would seem. Unfortunately for them the scent of the moose blended with their own and confused the bear. Eventually, the grizzly came charge right at them. Luckily, as it was breaking through the brush not far away the moose caught on and bolted, which gave pause to the bear, who looked them over, then the running moose and decided to take off after the moose. Close one guys!
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Rock Gap

To: Haven's Budget Inn; Franklin, NC
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: clear sky

I got up around 7 along with John and the new guy, ate a quick breakfast and set off for Winding Stairs Gap (~3.8 m) this morning and got here about 9:03. Doh, missed the shuttle.(As it turns out the shuttle was running late and I didn't missed it) and hitch-hiked into town. A cool couple who lived at the base of the mountain picked me up and dropped me off in town. Thank you guys!! Oh and thank you to the nice person who left the Caprisun in the stream midway up that mountain too!!I walked around a bit and checked in for the night at the Haven's Budget Inn, hit the post office, laundry, and internet. Off to the grocery store and AYCE tonight for a re-charge of the fuel tank, then a good night's sleep and the trail again tomorrow.I'm looking forward to NOC(Nantahala Outdoor Center) in the next few days as well. I decided to take a zero day there and do some whitewater rafting. Apparently, the gorge is home to some of the nation's best thanks to the control water supply from Fontana Dam! I do hear that the water is pretty cold though. "Hey, are you cold?" -> looks up at the sky. Happy trails everyone Mt. Dew
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Haven's Budget Inn; Franklin, NC

To: Cold Spring
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I came out of Franklin with a vengeance today. I did 15.8 miles to the Cold Spring shelter. My longest day yet. If I do those kind of days from now on I'll make it to ME on schedule. That's a pretty good feeling. I feet and legs were hurting that night but I was good to go the next day.I was joined(well I join them since I was the last in) by several others at the shelter that night: B-Train the krazy Kiwi I met in Franklin, Dutchie(As int he Dutchess of Fire), Jane Doe, Cup of Nails, Animal House, Ben Here. It was pretty crowded at the shelter that night but we managed.B-Train is from New Zealand(hence the self-proclaimed Kiwi; never heard of that name till today). He's doing the train I suspect, at least in part, because his son (A-Train) did it last year. He's a pretty funny guy if perhaps a bit off kilter. The trio of girls (Dutchie, Jane Doe, and Cup of Nails) are from the west coast and at doing a section hike(6 weeks I think) as COURSE WORK(damn how'd they swing that) for the Evergreen State University in WA. Ben Here loves the outdoors and says he never wants to go into town. I'm not sure why Animal House is out here but we all have personal reasons we keep to ourselves(or just can't explain).
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Cold Spring

To: A. Rufus Morgan
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: moderate rain

More rain in the morning today. So it was another day of wet hiking. The views were really good today though. The mountain tops were bald and rocking in general so you could get a really good look out at the inside of the cloud you were walking through. Hehe. The views really were good in the places. There was a gap that had powerlines cutting through it that was really beautiful. The whole gap was lined with a type of flowering trees(I'm not sure what the species was but it looked like a dogwood or cherry of some kind.).I decided to stop at the Rufus A Morgan shelter tonight since it is only .7 miles to the NOC. This way I can save the cost of the hostel and still have a (almost) zero day in town and go rafting. Oh ya, I received a 2nd trail name today as well: Sugar Daddy. I was giving out goodies from the candy gorp I carry(Nerds, Sweet Tarts, and Skittles). heh.The shelter tonight was ok, not the most impressive I've seen so far but more then adequate. It was Dutchie, Jane Doe, Cups of Nails(or just Nails) from the night before, and Cornbread. He walked like 23 miles that day(wow!). haha I think tonight was the first snore-free shelter stay. Huzzah for being able to sleep!!
Date: 2006-04-27
From: A. Rufus Morgan

To: NOC; Bryson City, NC
Miles today: 0.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I got to the NOC about 10am after a fairly late start this morning. the prices here are fairly reasonable. A jogger passed through last night and mentioned something about Erwin, TN when I said I wanted to go rafting at the NOC. So I was considering not rafting here and going in Erwin, TN. But the rate was cheap here: 30$ for a 1/2 day trip. If the rate is comparable in TN I just might have to go there as well. Not much else has happened today, off to get a nice cold soda at the restaurant and then off to rafting. Next Stop Fonatana Dam then the loooooooonnnnnnngggg ass climb into the Smokies(from what I hear it's like 1 day of straight up hill, sounds like fun huh.)Happy Trails allMt Dew aka Sugar Daddy
Date: 2006-04-29
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Cable Gap
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

Did like 15.2 miles today and ate lunch at the Brown Fork Gap shelter which was an interesting shelter. For some odd reason the floor boards stopped like 2 feet from the front log of the shelter. I can't imagine just how many hikers fall into that chasm in the middle of the night while heading to the privy. Andy let me know that Dutchie picked up the hat I left back at the last shelter. So I'll have my hat back at Fontana Dam. The 15.2 miles wasn't too bad, toward the end it was sort of a race to get to the shelter before it filled up(else you have to tent).
Date: 2006-04-30
From: Cable Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: broken clouds

Rolled into Fontana Dam around 10:30 this morning and chilled at the Hilton Shelter for a good part of the day. The visitor center up the road (on top of the dam) offers free showers which was nice. Toward the end of the day I slackpacked down to the marina to call the shuttle into "town" and met up with Animal House and Ben Here. I ended up buying a pack of cigarettes for Animal House from the marina store since he lost his id. Took the shuttle into town and bought hot dogs and fixins as a nice surprise for the people at the shelter. Bonzo and Rio(his dog), Jumpstart, and "I forget" along with the usually suspects: Ben Here, Dutchie, Jane Doe, Nails, Animal House, shared the shelter.
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Took a nice zero day in "town" so I could get packages and grocery and a nice hot calorie laden meal. Met up in town with Rainbow Brite while I was playing pool and enjoying a meal. Promised her I'd hitch with her into Gatlinburg so she could keep a promise to her mom not to hitch-hike alone. Got back to the shelter to find Captain Nemo had strolled in during the day. I bought a pack to tiny playing cards and we played / learned two new games: Casino and Liars Poker. Later that night everyone was treated to some smores compliments of Nails, Jane Doe, and Dutchie.
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The climb out of Fontana Dam wasn't too bad, but it was definitely a good uphill to begin the day and set the pace for the Smokies. I got a lot of good pictures of the Dam and the resovoir and in the Smokies. Today I saw more wildlife than the whole beginning of the trip. Ben and I came up on a pair of deer as we rounded a switchback and lower on the road from the dam we all(well most of us) saw a coyote. I ended up setting the pace for Animal House and Ben Here today and we got to the Mollies Ridge Shelter in pretty good time.Tons of people again at the shelter, but fortunately for us thru-hikers there weren't any campers with reservations.(There are only 3 spots reserved for Thru-hikers in the shelter, we have to tent in anyone else comes.) But the coolest thing about the shelter is there is a built-in fireplace!! Sweet!
Date: 2006-05-03
From: Mollies Ridge

To: Derrick Knob
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Wow, the storm last night was really impressive. We had torrential rains, hail, thunder and lightning roll through about 1am this morning. I think everyone was awake watching the storm, even the mice too pause to stare in awe before scurrying over you.The scenery in the smokies is amazing. The grassy knolls and balds of today, particularly in the Spencer Field Shelter surrounding areas, was spectacular. Fruit trees were blooming and the sky was nice and blue.We were greeted by some trail magic on top of the Rocky Top by a couple giving out brownies and passing along the song sheets to "Rocky Top Tennessee". Animal House and I continued onto Thunderhead mountain to keep the pace though. We all stayed at the Derrick Knob Shelter and were joined by an additional 2 section hikers(doing the Smokies) and Andre the Austrian?/German? guy heading south.These two days are sort of lumped together in the journal so....there they are.
Date: 2006-05-04
From: Derrick Knob

To: Mt. Collins
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Climbed up to the top of Clingmans Dome today. We almost all stopped at the Double Spring Shelter after lunching there since the weather was starting to look threatening. However, the coin guided us to move on and that the weather would hold. So up we all went and were rewarded with good weather. The top was really cool. Half of the vista was shrouded by cloud and the other was clear. We could also watch as the cloud vapor whisked by.At the top we also met up with the Ridge Runner who was heading south out of the Newfound Gap. He gets paid to walk the trail all season. Nice huh?
Date: 2006-05-05
From: Mt. Collins

To: Grand Prix; Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

Hiked down to Newfound Gap early in the morning from the Mt. Collins shelter and got a hitch down to Gatlinburg fairly quickly by a vacationing pastor named Tony; he was out for a drive while the family was shopping in Gatlinburg. We were also greeted by Wildcat who offered up some Trail Magic in the form of Mellow Yellow! (mmm Soda)After checking into the Grand Prix (a hiker friendly motel right new the outfitter store) and taking a nice hot shower we all hit the town. First stop McDonald's; 3 mcChickens, 2 double cheeseburgers, and 4 small drinks later to tamed the hiker hunger. After that we mosied back to the motel checking out the stores, etc on the way. Being it was Cinco De Mayo, and at the recommendation of some other, we all decided to meet up for dinner at Noway Jose's right across from the aquarium. Rainbow Brite went off to get a mail drop, Animal House to find a Western Union, and the rest to the outfitter, groceries, etc...We met up with Rainbow Brite on the way to dinner(she was returning to the motel to get some gear so she could test out the new backpack we was about to purchase) and Animal House at the restaurant bar getting a head start. Ironically, the waiter asked him, and the rest of us, for ID when we placed our orders even though he had a beer in hand. HAHA.The girls all stopped at the baskin robins for ice cream while Animal House and I hit the liquor store and groceries. We stayed up fairly early playing Texas holdem with M&Ms and having a good time.Oh yah, I met Muddyshoes for the first time in the motel's lobby/internet area. He's known for the amusing inventions and thoughts he puts in the trail register.
Date: 2006-05-06
From: Grand Prix; Gatlinburg, TN

To: Peck's Corner
Miles today: 10.4

We all got a late start this morning after the Cinco De Mayo festivities. Ate breakfast with Rainbow Brite and Muddyshoes at the nearby pancake house then returned to the motel to pack up and checkout.I discovered my journal was missing this morning. I looked everywhere for the damn thing; the laundry room, the motel room(under the beds, in the bathroom, through the trash, behind the dresser, in my pack, in my food bag, in the lobby, etc.... So I left a name and address with the clerk in case they found it and left for a grumpy day of hiking without my journal. Animal House's dad came and picked him up right before we left the motel. We should see him at trail days again and possibly on the trail if he decides to come back.It took a while to hitch back to the Newfound Gap: the first hitch was a nice young couple that took us as far as the Alum Bluffs trail head(~2 miles from the gap), and the 2nd from the couple that gave Dutchie, Nails, and Jane Doe a ride down the previous day(also bonus factor getting to ride in the open bed of the pickup truck!)At the gap we all regrouped(Rainbow Brite, Lefty, Righty, John Peterson, Dutchie, Jane Doe, and Nails) and started in on the trail.We ate lunch at the first shelter and saw that Muddyshoes had already been there this morning and pushed on through, and had been inspired to come up with the Rat-a-pult from our earlier breakfast conversation. Rainbow Brite, Lefty, Righty, and I decided to push on through to the Pecks Corner shelter since 3 miles just wasn't enough.Wow the vistas in the Smokies are awesome when they aren't shrouded by clouds(which were to roll in later in the day). We stopped at Charlie's Bunion for the requisite photo shoot. It's a rock outcropping that is supposed to resemble the bunion on some guy named Charlie's foot. It did have an awesome little bonsai pine tree grow out the side(maybe foot fungus????).FOUND MY JOURNAL! hehe guess where it was...in my backpack(duh); resumed being a happy camper instantly when I found it. Met back up with Ben Here who was in high spirits. He had some good tidings while we were all in town. The night before he stayed at the Mt. Collin's shelter by himself but got the chance to take a shower in the rain anxiously hoping no hikers walked into camp on him. HA! He also met a lady who was a nutritionist who hooked him up with a few days of a vitamin mix she made. He said it really works great. He also had an interesting encounter at Newfound Gap. Some random guy came up to him and said, 'Come with me a second'(creepy huh, hehe). As it turns out the guy was thinking about starting the trail and wanted a tour of Ben's backpack and contents, why he choose what he did and other general info; all in exchange for some nice grub. Good deal man!
Date: 2006-05-07
From: Peck's Corner

To: Tri-Corner Knob
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

Woke to the sound of a steady down pour outside. Likely it stopped around 10am but it still left the damp, cold, haze the blocked all of the (probably really cool) vistas for the entire day. On the bright side of things, the eerie fog/cloud shrouded paths reminded me very much of the photos I took in the Redwood forest roads in CA. Rainbow Brite and I ended up stopping at the next shelter as we got a late start and she also wanted to figure out why her pack was not agreeing with her all day. Ben Here, Lefty and Righty pushed on(brave souls, it was damn cold today and ended up resuming the down pour later in the afternoon). The two section hikers were already in the shelter cozy in their sleeping bags when we arrived, and then we were later rejoined by the red heads, Muddyshoes, and Popcorn & You Go Bye-Bye(a couple we all met back at the Mt. Collin's Shelter).
Date: 2006-05-08
From: Tri-Corner Knob

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

Today was a bad day for me. The rain, cold, and damp really eats away at you. Thoughts of home and chills set in throughout the morning and made the morning really tough. Soaking boots and foot didn't help all the much either. I did find the cure though: WALK FASTER - it warms you up quickly and forces you to focus on the trail ahead. I feel bad that left Rainbow Brite who had been setting the pace but she understands. I finished up the 14.8 miles today a few minutes before 4pm(the last 7.1 miles flew by). Towards the end of the day happy thoughts returned and I started playing in the mud as I walked; you know the "How far can I slide, how deep can I sink in" game. Got some pretty good results too ~2 ft slide, and 6 inches deep.We all ended up staying at the "Sheradon of the Smokies" the Davenport Gap Shelter and made a nice warm fire with which we attempted to dry our boots(some got a bit melted as well heh).
Date: 2006-05-09
From: Davenport Gap

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was the opposite of yesterday! Nothing but sun shine and awesome hiking. Granted it was a very short day today, but it was packed fully of great scenery. We all hiked down to Mt. Momma's Kuntry Kitchen for the famed "Huge Cheeseburger" (well some of us got breakfast, too bad for them, 'cause the burger was !@#@# great!). The trail between Mt. Momma's and the Standing Bear Farm hostel was filled with waterfalls. The trail paralleled a mountain stream. Each turn uncovered another gorgeous cascade of falls and lush greenery. Man it was great.Bunking at Standing Bear Farm with Muddyshoes and Rainbow Brite. Woo for laundry to clean and DRY clothes!