morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-02-16
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The snowfall paralyzed the next day's movement. We packed up and ran down to Raven Rock, a side trail to a rocky outcropping over miles of open ridge & valley. The view was spectacular. Kevin pointed out a bear. I wasn't convinced.A word on Kevin. He's good kid, 22 years-old and mild-mannered like myself. And like myself, his giggles and lightheartedness are clear stamps of loving parents and a comfortable, financially-stable home. Still, being with him is a challenge. It's Kevin in the morning and Kevin in the evening. We share shelter, food and water. We share the gratification of a long day's hike. We even share the silence of nightfall, which he prefers filling with dialogue. In a word, I'm sharing my great spiritual journey and it's irritating. I didn't hit the trail for company, to substitute "I" for "us" in my journaling. But the Spirit put him in here for a reason. To show me something or another.The short 5.3-mile hike taxed our mind and body. We crawled along at about 1mph through the snow, inspiring each other with singing and joking. For hours we carried on, and arrived at the Standing Indian Shelter by dusk. We threw down our packs and searched for firewood. In 20 minutes a fire was blazing. It's amazing what a fire can do for spirits! "I'm not afraid of the night anymore," I said. "I'm not afraid of the cold." The fire smoked-out the shelter, sending us coughing out into the snow. It died down as we cooked tortillas with cheese over the flames. Beef stew for dinner. For some reason, Kevin got sick and I kinda had to take care of him in the cold. Up to that point, I'd kind of honored him as a senior, like a guide. But I realized then that I was better off alone. I was strong and independent.
Date: 2010-02-17
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

The next morning was 10 F in the shadow of Standing Indian Mountain. According to Cherokee legend, "a great winged monster once inhabited the mountain, and, during the monster's reign, warriors were posted on the mountain as lookouts." One day, a huge bold of lightening exploded on the mountain, killing the monster and striking the unfortunate warrior on-duty at the time. He was a lousy look-out, apparently. That's why he was struck and turned to stone. He's still there, a "Standing Indian" stone, but I didn't see it.The sun was out and it was freezing. It had snowed another inch. Again, I had to wait for Kevin and ended up just leaving. We were both miserably cold. My feet were numb and patience low, but I brightened up the moment I started walking. That day flew by. We rolled into the shelter by 3:30 after nearly 8 miles of snow trudging. Fahma from Massachusetts was there. He'd taken the day off "I've been eatin' and drinkin' all day," he said. Running into Fahma was the highlight of the day. The night fell easier with him there to break the monotony of Kevin's voice. No offense to Kevin's voice. I'm just tired of it.I asked Fahma about his family. He said he once had a son who thru-hike with him two years ago. "He had so much energy," he said. "He really got me through it". His son died last April of a brain tumor, and this hike was for him. According to Kevin, he paid for the Gooch Mountain Shelter I'd stayed in several nights before, in honor of his son. I recalled seeing a memorial photo on the wall. "This is for you, Tim", Fahma writes on every shelter journal. Lord, the baggage we carry so silently.
Date: 2010-02-19
From: Sapphire Inn (Franklin, NC)

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

We left late the next morning. I drank 4-5 cups of coffee and updated my blog on the hotel¢s computer. Kevin packed up and watched TV in the room. At 11:00 we walked over to Hardee¢s. Kevin ordered 4 burgers and I brought in some tortillas, PB and honey. We got a hitch to the tail from another young local. ¢S***, man. Just came from a funeral. I had to get the F*** outa there.¢ A buddy of 21 years had gotten drunk and dropped a cigarette in the couch. The house caught fire and ¢they found him right next to the F*** door¢, he said. ¢I guess the smoke just got to him¢. He got quiet. ¢We all knew him pretty well.¢ He pulled over and ran into a convenience store. He came out with a brown bag and drove off. He steered with his knees and rolled a cigarette. ¢I¢d offer you some weed but my girlfriend has it all.¢ He complained about unemployment and not being able to provide for his kids. He seemed so worn out by it all. He dropped us at the trailhead and drove off.The hike in was only 6 miles, a steady climb on a good trail. At the shelter we ate two burgers that Kevin had mistakenly received at the Hardee's, and we went to bed early after a game of cards. Playing cards in the cold takes a lot of effort.
Date: 2010-02-20
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

We started late the next day, the day that would be the physically hardest yet of my journey. After a morning of lounging in the sun and eating, I was on the trail at noon. My destination: Cold Spring shelter, 12 miles away. The snow was deep over Siler¢s Bald, where the imaginary Joseph Siler grazed stock nearly 200 years ago, and I followed Kevin¢s prints. I caught up with him at Wayah Gap after 2 miles of trudging. I was enjoying myself, yelling ¢Wayah¢ over and over again in a high pitched voice.The ascent after Wayah was difficult. I blazed through knee-deep snow for nearly 2 miles, stopping every 20 steps to catch my breath. That wore me out. The trail wound around the mountain and up to an old stone observation tower built by the CCC in 1933. We stopped to take photos and eat dinner (it was 5:00). We hit the trail again in an hour under a setting sun.. The snow looked orange. We didn¢t want to go but knew we had to in order to make it to NOC in time to meet Kevin¢s friend, so that night we hiked until 10:00 pm to Cold Spring Shelter, totaling 12 miles that day.
Date: 2010-02-21
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: A cabin (NOC)
Miles today: 12.0

There were 12 miles to go before the NOC, so we got up early (7:45) and hit the trail. The conditions on the hike were good ¢ better than the day before ¢ and we made excellent time. 12 miles in 5 hours, thanks in part to a 6 mile downhill. The last bit of the trail was paradise. The sun hit down in to the pines and to the understory, and the world was green and brown. I savored the smell of the pines. ¢This is how the South should smell,¢ I thought. That snowless section, though short, redeemed all days before it. Or at least gave them a happy ending.Kevin¢s friend treated us well that night, feeding us homebaked cookies, cheetos, and whiskey and then taking us out for $15 steaks. The house was warm and, honestly, that was the biggest treat of all. They¢re good friends and got drunk. I sat inside and wrote. It felt like a perfect day off, as do any long days with a warm-bed ending.At this point on the trail, I don¢t know how I feel. Since joining up with Kevin, I feel like the emotional growth has stopped. It¢s just been a social experience since and doesn¢t excite me like the first leg of the journey did. I¢m kind of bored with it, in fact, because it¢s no longer mine. It¢s shared with Kevin. My happy memories all lie in the first week, before Kevin. Since, it¢s been dull and lifeless. God hasn¢t been there. He hasn¢t said a thing. It makes me hate Kevin for robbing it all from me, this once-in-a-lifetime season with God. I need to get away. I¢ve decided that. I don¢t know how. Will god put an opportunity in my lap to sneak away? Or should I just break away. For now, everyday is a lost one with Kevin. Every day is just like the rest. I wrote all that just several hours before, as a timely answer to my prayers, Kevin decided to take a ¢zero day¢ and let me hike on. We¢d catch up in Fontana, three days away. It was just so perfect the way it worked out, you know? Maybe a wink from Him, saying ¢don¢t you worry. Just seek me and you¢ll find me.¢
Date: 2010-02-22
From: A cabin (NOC)

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.5

So we ate a huge brunch and at 12:30 Kevin and his friend drove me to the trailhead. I was so happy to be off again, alone on my quest. The sun was out, snow melted and there was smell of pine everywhere. Just like summer! I took my shirt off and yipped aloud.I thought about my family and how much I miss them. They¢ve done so much for me already, loved me so fully that I teared-up thinking about it. I saw god in all the beauty there. Our family is such a sold rock.By and by the trial became snowy and deep, and splintered rhododendron thickets, limbs and full trees blocked the trail every 50-some feet. Anger came at all the slipping and sliding. My frostbite blisters ached. So did my heel blisters. The deep snow and debris persisted. My anger grew. By the time I reached the shelter, that anger had burned me out. I didn¢t really feel anything, and so the day ended on kind of a sour note. That night the wind made strange noises that kept me on edge. The drips of the shelter sounded just like feet crunching through show, and several times I got out of my sleeping bag and sent out to see nothing.
Date: 2010-02-24
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Lodge (Fontana Village)
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We all got up in the morning to make it 12 miles to Fontana Dam. I really didn¢t feel like hiking and I cursed on the way out. My mom says I¢m angry and need to deal with it. She says that maybe I have anger buried deep and that this walk will help release it. All I know is that I have a lot of anger and it boils out on the trail. The demons spill out, yeah, but I still don¢t know how to extinguish them before they manifest in all my rage. I haven¢t accomplished anything until I¢ve accomplished that.By 2:00 I was thumbing for a ride into Fontana Village ¢ a older guy in a pick-up stopped. He was on his way to work on some village lodges and said in a North Carolina accent that he¢d love to say ¢F* society¢ and go into the woods. I think every man has it somewhere in him, that drive away from the world and into the woods.At the post office I picked up my new showshoes and strapped them to my back. The other package ¢my food maildrop- hadn¢t yet arrived so I walked over to the lodge to call home. On the way, I stopped by the convenience store and the clerk gave me a free sausage dog. I loaded it up with relish, cheese, and chili and bought a chocolate milk and candy bar to wash it down. At the lodge I dialed home and , as it turned out, they had my package right behind the counter. ¢You¢re Ford?¢, she said. ¢Ford Prior?¢ I was warm and cozy in the lobby and so got a room for $60 ¢ I¢d get $30 off for a broken heater. I washed up back at the room. I read the letters in the care package and thought about home before falling sleep. The chef called to invite me to dinner and I feel asleep again.
Date: 2010-02-25
From: Fontana Lodge (Fontana Village)

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: overcast clouds

In the morning I went to the front desk at 6:45 and asked for some money back. The heater had kept me awake and restless during my one night of what should have been sweet dreams. I got half of my money back and typed on the guest computer for an hour or two. I went back to sleep, got up and returned to the lobby. Kevin and Bill soon showed up. We lounged there for several hours then hitched to the Fontana Dam Shelter just up the road. Bill, Kevin and I went into town to resupply. At the shelter we ate almost uncontrollably into our food stash and had to force ourselves to stop.
Date: 2010-02-26
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollie's Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Since before leaving home, I¢d gloomily anticipated entering the Great Smoky Mountains. It lay like a snowy wall before us, visible now and again from on ly the highest peaks but always on the back of our minds. Today we entered it, crossing over Fontana Dam and into the woods. Huge snowflakes fell. The grade was steep, as we recovered elevation, and with higher altitudes came old snow. That day 12 miles weren¢t difficult, well, they were like any miles, reader; they had their curses and laughs and felt linger than they actually were. Mollies Ridge shelter was nice, and we built a fire that wouldn¢t stay lit. It snowed all night.
Date: 2010-02-27
From: Mollie's Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

That night was very cold. Bill, the 51 year old 4-time Ironman athlete, said ¢back home, nobody is ever going to understand. They¢ll ask, ¢was it cold?¢ All you¢ll be able to say is ¢yes, it was cold.¢ He also spoke of toughness. ¢You¢re going to forget a lot of this, like how tough you had to be. You¢re going to have to remind yourself, time and again for the rest of your life, how tough you really are.¢ I thought about that.The previous morning we woke and set off to Derrick Knob , another 12 miles up and over Thunderhead Mountain. I blazed and it broke me, and that day I cried like a baby. I screamed, too. And cursed. It was just so hard I didn¢t know what to do. If there had of been someone with me, I would¢ve tempered myself. But there were no pressures to keep my cool and I exploded. Friends and family may wonder, ¢happy ole Ford has anger problems?¢ I say not really, but you¢d be a different man or woman, too, if you were in my position. You¢d lose yourself like you never thought you would.
Date: 2010-02-28
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: On the side of the road (U.S. 442)
Miles today: 15.0

What a day! It¢s funny how you can wake up in the morning and all sorts of things happen and that night you wind up falling asleep in some bizarre place you¢d never of guessed. It¢s wild. That night I fell asleep spooning with Kevin and cramped up against two large propane tanks. Tight around us was a high wall fence for the tanks, which plugged into the back of a locked weather building next to Route 441 at Newfound Gap. We had hiked 18 miles in the worst of conditions. We hoped to hitch into town at Route 441, but it was desolate, closed, we guessed. The march from Derrick Knob took us to the top of Clingman¢s Dome, the AT¢s highest point, and down to the gap in 15 hours. Hiking for 15 hours (that includes your four 15 minute breaks) in 2 feet of snow (sometimes 3 foot drifts) will take the fight out of you, until 1:00am we walked, slowly aching and soring all in places we never thought we¢d ache and sore. Like my collarbone, which I broke in 9th grade. It was hard, and I pushed my mind and body just a little farther towards wherever we should be pushing our mind and body. *Looking back, I realize how intense that night was.
Date: 2010-03-01
From: On the side of the road (U.S. 442)

To: A cabin (Gatlinburg, TN)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Redemption Days, I call them, are when you go into town, you take a hot shower like you¢ve never had one before. You eat a meal and close your eyes and wish it would never end. And you sleep in a warm bed in dry clothes and you feel just like a little kid again. Today, we awoke to the sound of snowplow trucks in reverse. I climbed out of the propane area and ran out to the road in my long underwear. I flagged down the truck. The driver looked at me funny. I didn¢t know what to say. ¢Can you help us out?¢ He said he couldn¢t give us a ride to town but a park ranger would be up in about an hour. He showed up in an hour in his big white suburban and was glad to give us a lift. He talked in the car about how very few thru-hikers are dope-smoking hippies like he once believed. They¢re a strong, healthy bunch, he said.He dropped us at the Visitors Center and I flipped through some summer photography books from the Smokies. The warm, colorful photos made me laugh and tear up. The coming of Spring and Summer arouses such strong emotions for a nomad in the cold.Kevin¢s friend, a grad student working on his thesis, picked us up and took us back to his uncle¢s mountain house. We got pizza and beer and lounged by the television. I took a nap and a hot shower and then another nap. Sleep came early that night on a full belly and central heat.
Date: 2010-03-02
From: A cabin (Gatlinburg, TN)

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light snow

Some say getting back on the trail after a day off is difficult, but hitting the trail after our day off at Gatlinburg wasn¢t too bad. Our pockets were stuffed with fruit and sausage biscuits as we walked three miles to Icewater Shelter The view was great over Cherokee and the sun was strong, so we stopped, gathered firewood, and relaxed for the afternoon. We slept sweet that night.
Date: 2010-03-03
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The next day was an 8 mile hump to Deck shelter in terrible conditions. It snowed all day and the sun buried in gray clouds. The trail disappeared and we had to blaze through 2 and 3 foot drifts that were often sloped so steeply as to collapse into mini-avalanches that would overcome a mouse. Kevin slid down the mountain some 30 feet, and I had to throw him a linie to drag his pck out. It was 45 minute ordeal. That night we arrived at almost 10pm. It was another long day in the Smokies. That night I punctured my blow-up thermarest, spilled my dinner all over the ground and broke Kevin¢s spoon. I was angry.
Date: 2010-03-04
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

The next day we covered 14 miles to the Crosby Knob shelter, a 10 hour hike. Another difficult day. I could get used to this cold, wet snow hiking, but it would be a miserable existence. Like a caveman. Today we blazed trail again, showshoeing through virgin drifts. At Crosby Knob, I found a cigar and smoked it after dinner and drank hot chocolate. Not a bad night. Actually, quite a pleasant one. I¢ll never forget the simple pleasure of hot chocolate on a cold night and the glow of the cigar in the pitch black.
Date: 2010-03-05
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Getting out of that sleeping bag in the cold is the hardest part of the day. Every morning I lie in my ¢womb¢ for as long as I can, trying to convince myself that I¢ll make it to my next destination on time, even if I lie just a little longer. That morning was one of those mornings. The sun was high and schedule tight by the time I was out of the bag and on my feet.The day¢s destination was the Standing Bear Farm Hostel, several miles out of the Smokies. The last push wasn¢t bad, moving slowly but with momentum, up and over the last mountain. I blazed with snowshoes and Kevin followed. We ran into four Spring Break hikers from Roanoke College ¢ Casey-Lynn, Erin, Cary and Alex Ali (from Godwin!) ¢ coming in the opposite direction. I burst out in excitement, ¢Oye!¢ and asiled them with questions and marvels of the trail. A friendly bunch they were, and matched my enthusiasm. They were astounded to run into a veritable thru-hiker, as I¢ve been so many times before, and I felt for a moment that my undertaking was indeed greater than myself, that in the eyes of the world, this was a real-life epic, and it was all steered by little ol¢ me. And I won¢t feign humility here; it sure does feel like it sometimes. They gave us carrots, Kashi bars, and one delicious apple (thanks guys! You¢re Angels!) to quiet our grumbling stomachs and hugs to sate a month dry of human contact.The snow cleared up and we stripped off our snowshoes. Down the hill we ran, yipping and hollering. At last, our feet were free from snow and shoe for the first time in three burdened days-and the liberty was exhilarating. The sun broke through the clouds and illuminated the snow. The sky was blue. I laughed to myself and almost cried: How can it be that the sky opens so easily? How can things be okay again so quickly? One thing I¢ve learned in the past month is to expect that of life. When it goes way down it¢s okay because it¢ll surface again. It gets so bad out here-the snow, the ice, wind, the debris- but I¢ve slowly come to know that it¢s okay. ¢Just hang on,¢ I tell myself. ¢It¢ll be better soon.¢ When I get home I¢ll remember that, because some years ago my mother looked at me hard and said ¢things are great now, but they won¢t be forever¢. So when things do go bad I¢ll remember the Smokies and all that snow. It¢s gets better at the bottom of the hill.I lay in the sun and took a nap. Lou, from Kentucky, woke me up. He was passing on to the next shelter to ¢get away and read a little bit.¢ He had turned back from the trailhead near Gatlinburg, through which I was proud to say we¢d fought, successfully. We shook hands and moved on. I arrived at Standing Bear in the afternoon and met Curtis, the owner. Curtis is rough-looking hippie with tough hands and a ponytail. ¢F* off, we¢re full!¢ he said with a cigarette in his mouth when I rounded the corner. I laughed and sat on the porch. That night we sat by the wood stove, ate Mom¢s banana bread and drank a 24 oz. Heiniken. No hot showers. Oh well.
Date: 2010-03-06
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

When you really don't want to hit the trail, it seems time slips by quicker. This morning we woke late (at least for us) and lay silent in our sleeping bags until nearly 9:30. It had been a late night in the hostel bunkhouse as Kevin, myself, and Hawk the caretaker built homemade alcohol stoves until past 1am to the sound of hard rock radio and in the heat of the bunkhouse's wood stove. With Hawk's recycled metal, I built two new experimental stoves. In case you didn't know, reader, alcohol stoves are made with beer cans and cheap scrap metals. Using the alcohol in your medicine cabinet as fuel, you can boil a pot of water in five minutes. A cool, lightweight and easy-to-make outdoor gear. I bought a 24 oz. Heineken can, drank the contents and built a replacement piece for my old stove. By the time I hit the sack, I was exhausted.I ate like a lion today, almost uncontrollably. The trail mix, granola, and whole grain couscous was all so good. I was just so hungry. It made me feel full, sleepy and comfortable like I hadn't felt since relaxing at home a month ago.Curtis, the owner, gave us a tour of the old tobacco farm. I saw a foot-thick American Chestnut tree, which excited me. Curtis was a nice guy, a burned-out yet shrewd hippie with a ponytail and more than an ounce of simmering ambition. He ranted about his farm's potential in a niche organic tobacco market; "Right now, all I farm is hikers. And rocks. That's a figue speech, you know." Whenever he made a joke he paused to clarify with that same phrase: "It's a figure of speech," even when it wasn't a figure of speech. He showed me a sheet of fresna lense, which, used like a magnifying glass on ants, could "melt a penny in a minute". Indeed, in a couple seconds it burned my hand. Curtis laughed.I sent off some journal entries and at 3:45 we were on the road again towards Maine. The hike wore me out. I was blazing again. We caught a magnificent sunset ontop of the Snowbird Mountain bald. Layered in red and velvet, the Smokies stood solemnly like a blue and white fortress wall. It was the most beautiful I've ever seen. I was pissed about the tough climb. Had Kevin not been there to hold me up and remind me of the beauty, I'd of moped right on down the mountain, counting my curses. I didn't really think about God then, as some of you readers would have hoped. I just thought about how everything fits nicely in the end, and how this sunset was some kind of redemption from the painful two weeks in the Smokies we'd just left behind. The last stretch of the hike was mild. Kevin led with his headlamp, which I call the "Eye of God" for its brightness. We chatted to pass the time. That night Kevin extinguished an all-too-audacious mouse with the sharp end of his trekking pole and we ate chocolate bars.