morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-03-18
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Whiteoak Gap
Miles today: 13.5

From Dick's Creek Gap to Wateroak Gap. 13.5 miles.This is supposed to be some sort of high spot. I have just crossed into North Carolina from Georgia. I guess it is considered a high spot because most of the people who are going to drop out have done so by now and it makes those who do get this far feel they can meat any other physical challenge the trail may offer. I'm thinking most of the physical questions have been answered but none of the mental ones. So, on I go. It is about five o'clock and I want to at least make it to the shelter at Muscrat Creek while it is still light so I can see to cook. I should be to the shelter by 6:45 if my hiking speed does not change. That equates to three miles in one hour and forty-five minutes. As I was nearing the shelter I crossed a nice spring. I took the small tube I carry to direct the small flow of most springs into my water bottle but had no luck getting a dirtless stream of water. I tried several spots but each was worse than the last. I moved away leaves and sticks from the trickle of water,but still when I looked into my water bottle I saw too much debris. One time a small salamander shot through the tube and swam around in my bottle until I dumped him out. I worked my way higher and higher up the side of the mountain until I reached the source of the spring, at last the bottle filled with the clear, gritless, water I was seeking. Now, you may consider this another case where I am being reckless. I do have a filter, and I do use it whenever I am not sure of the source of my water or when the water is sitting.I arrive at the shelter and quickly fix my dinner. I eat it just as quickly and then pack up to go. There is only one guy who is planning on sleeping in the shelter, but there are ten or twelve other people who have set up tents around the shelter. It seems that not even one of the tents is sitting on level ground. The are is quite cold and the three women and eight or so men are gathered around a roaring fire discussing current events on the trail. I say farewell and start down the trail at a good clip, I have become chilled and I need to make some body heat right away. The sun goes down and soon I am hiking by headlamp under a star filled sky. After an hour I come to a place that is not only flat but also a bit warmer than the higher elevation I had just left. i pitch my tent, hang my food bag well away, and climb into a warm and comfy sleeping bag away from the chatter and cold where I was just over an hour ago. It is 9:45 when I turn off the lights and go to sleep. I go to sleep worried that I am too smug about my hiking habits. I like to stay away from the crowd. I sleep by myself, I hike by myself and I try to get water where no one else gets water. I hope that sleeping away from the crowd will keep bears away from me. I think getting my water away from where other people are getting their water that it will protect me from getting some sort of bug. Hiking by myself and staying away from others assures me that I can sing and whistle without bothering anyone.
Date: 2007-03-19
From: Whiteoak Gap

To: Glassmine Gap
Miles today: 20.2

from Wateroak Gap to Glassmine Gaptotal miles 20.2This was my longest day and the most miles I have done in a day. Of course I am sore. What was I thinking? I am a slow hiker. I have to get up early and hike for about an hour after dark to manage a twenty mile day. Perhaps when the longer days of summer come along I will be able to repeat todays feat a second time. For now I will be content to stay under twenty miles per day. I do like to hike at night, especially when the stars are out.
Date: 2007-03-20
From: Glassmine Gap

To: Campsite MP 117.3
Miles today: 16.8

The long days are all about the same. Get up and start hiking and then just keep going. Do not stop. Do not stop. Do not quit, do not quit. Of course it helps when the scenery is outstanding and the challenge of going up a very steep mountain is at hand. My rules for myself: 1. Always take at least an hour for lunch (unless of course it is impossible to do so) 2. Always stop and rest when something starts to hurt or when a blister starts to develop. Assess the situation. Choose a remedy and stick to it. 3. Always stop and take a picture when there is something noteworthy to see. 4. Always stop and talk to fellow hikers. Be cordial. Be helpful. Be aware. 5. Drink from springs and use a filter when the water is sitting still and my have been fouled by dogs, other hikers or animals. 6. Eat at regular intervals. 7. Use sanitary wipes often. Stay as clean as you can. 8. Thank God for every step, every breath and every drink, bite, sound, site and living thing. 9. Celebrate creation with song, with whistling, humming and rhythmic breathing. Dance when the opportunity arrises. Hiking and dancing are very similar.
Date: 2007-03-21
From: Campsite MP 117.3

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) mp 133.3
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

leave campsite 8:15Wesser Bald Observation Tower 3:15 I stayed at the camp site just below the block tower 117.1. In the morning after I had packed up my gear, after I had already been singing, whistling and yes talking to myself, I noticed another tent not too far off from where mine had been. I hurried off hoping they were still sleeping. Later on in the day I stopped at a shelter for brunch, a lone young woman hiked up and we talked. It turned out it was she who had been camped beside me. She told me I hadn't scared her with all of my carrying on, but that she was convincedthere were two people camped besider her and not me alone. I will be more careful when I hike into a camp after dark to take a good look in the morning before I start my singing.
Date: 2007-03-22
From: Home

To: Zero Day. Back in Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

I hiked a twenty mile day and then two 17 mile days back to back in order to get to the NOC on Wednesday night. I got in my van, not too surprised that it started after sitting for two weeks, and then drove home. My wife had supper waiting for me. I started eating then and have been eating nonstop since. Today was spent trying to get to the Y to use the whirlpool and to the outfitter to send in my tent with the tent pole that broke. I never made it to either place. I did get out to see my old friend and thru hiker (class of 1996) Mercer Blankenship (Turtle). Mercer is doing well after being hospitalized for several months. I spent several hours visiting with my niece, who was passing through town, and working on her car. I managed to get into the jacuzzi we have in our bathroom but over did it. I ended up falling while trying to get out of the tub and injured my wrist. I think it is going to be ok. Tomorrow we go to the beach to see my son and daughter.
Date: 2007-03-23
From: zero day at home

To: Zero Day. travel to beach
Miles today: 0.0

I am still so sore. I thought one day off would bring me back, but obviously I need two or three or six. The weather at the beach is going to be awesome. My wife usually won't let me stop at the Dairy Queen because I am usually overweight, but during this trip she agreed I could stop. Yummy, yummy. I grew up on a street where we had a Dairy Queen on the corner. All my yard mowing money went in and out of my pocket in under an hour and into the cash register of the Dairy Queen. I love the new Blizzards. I love hiking and will keep it up on a regular basis if it allows me to buy a blizzard on a regular basis.
Date: 2007-03-25
From: zero day at beach

To: Zero Day. back to Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

eating everything I can get a hold of. Drinking gallons of coffee and fresh OJ. looking at my pale feet while they recover... I'm enjoying one more day at the beach. I'm looking forward to one more trip to the pool and the hot tub.I find myself with the same recurring thought: The thought is that the real trail magic is done by the good people who get out on the trail and dig, cut, chop, lop and pound. I don't think I will ever forget climbing Albert Mountain, expecting to see little wreaths with the names of previous hikers who veered off the trail and gave their lives. The nicely placed rock steps prevented me from giving up. Then there was the "jump up rock" three miles South of Nantahala. I came to the rock and edged forward like a person instinctively does when approaching the rim of the Grand Canyon. This is too high! I said to myself. I looked at the trail as it dropped straight down toward Nantahala. I could not fathom how I was going to proceed with my knees so iffy and my body so tired. The amazing thing was that I did go on and that I found the trail a lot easier to navigate than it would have been if trail angels hadn't carefully thought out where a person would step while working down the precipice. I was able to navigate the rocky face almost straight down without taking off my pack, without slipping and without sliding on my backside. I went down standing up, step by step. I was so gratefull for the many people and the many man hours it must have taken over time to make the way safe enough for most hikers. This description describes most of the Appalachian Trail. Whether it is the blown down trees that are sawed up and rolled aside, the elaborate and effective drainage systems that keep mud and erosion to a minimum or the encroaching vines and brambles that are regularly clipped back... there are hundreds of volunteers from various hiking clubs that haul out trash, build privies and maintain the trail. I am so very thankful for their hard work, I promise that I will repay the favors. Thank You trail angels who keep the AT a thing of beauty.
Date: 2007-03-26
From: Sam's Gap 314.2

To: Spivey Gap 327.5
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I showed up at Miss janet's unannounced asking for a ride to Sam's Gap. She was only a bit chagrined by my arrival and request. I got to meet Baltimore Jack and a few other luminaries I have been following online. I met the Toesocks, Backyard Boogie and Santa's Helper to mention a few. It was wonderful meeting Miss Janet. She encouraged me to slack pack as many days as I could so I decided to take advantage of her offer. I had a lighter pack than usual without my tent and sleeping bag, but in the end I wished I had left some more stuff in the car. The climb over Big Bald and High rocks wore me down. A tail angel whose name I forgot left some candy bars and stuff near High Rocks. I was sure the road was going to be coming up soon. How the trail angel lugged all that stuff so far into the woods eludes me. There must have been a forest road nearby that I did not see. I didn't get back to my car until near seven and I started at ten-thirty. I wish I had the speed of the younger hikers.
Date: 2007-03-27
From: Spivey Gap 327.5

To: Nolichucky River 338.7
Miles today: 11.2

Another long day but easier than the day before. My wife informed me that she had strep throat and that I probably had it too. (why did I kiss her so much?) I started taking the antibiotics I had for such an occasion. Most of the aches and pains I had on Monday disappeared quickly. It has been good hanging around the house in the evenings but I haven't been able to do much. Not even enter journal entries. How quickly I fell back in to the old habits of watching TV and eating whatever was available.
Date: 2007-03-28
From: Nolichucky River 338.7

To: Indian Grave Gap 347
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

This will probably be my last slack pack day. My wife has agreed to drive me to Erwin in the morning. I finally finished early enough to get to the outfitters. I wanted to see if they would take care of the hub (crossmember piece) on my Hubba Hubba. It broke while I was trying to put it up on a heavy wind. The head guy at the outfitters said he would send it in for me but he would charge me for doing it. He suggested I call MSR and handle it directly. I was so hoping that the place where I have spent nearly a thousand dollars over the last year would be taking care of me. I have gained back ten of the twenty pounds I lost. I guess non stop eating and slackpacking is not as conducive to weight loss as carrying a full pack and eating rations that would not fill a child. You can guess why my wife is dumping me off on the trail again. She was getting used to having the new thin guy around.
Date: 2007-03-30
From: campsite near greasy creek

To: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Greesy Gap Creek 362 to Stan Murray Shelter 375.1 total 13.1 miles.I'm at my first shelter since the Smokies. I wanted to dry out the tent. No one else is here, I hit it perfect. I passed fifteen or twenty college kids out for the weekend but they were headed south. I suppose I will see more weekenders tomorrow. There was a father day hiking with his wife, ten year old son and six year old daughter as I came over the top of Roan Mountain. The father asked me how far it was to the top. I thought I was giving him good news when I told hm a quarter mile but evidently he had bee telling his family they were almost there for the last mile. There was mutiny afoot. I felt sorry for the guy and ashamed of him at the same time. Men are stubborn. I have been in his shoes too many times. It is nice to hike by yourself because you only have to lie to yourself. Example. The top of this mountain must be right ahead, or the shelter is going to be just around that bend in the trail. I had a very long day to say the least, since I climbed Roan Mountain and both Big and Little Hump Mountains too. It took a whole lot of lying to get myself to keep going. The shelter is nice. Climbing Roan Mountain seemed to take most of the day. At 6200 feet it is the last mountain over 6000 feet until New Hampshire.I wonder if I will be visited by mice. I hung up my food but the shelter journals I have read make it sound like the mice like to visit anyway.
Date: 2007-04-02
From: Dennis Cove Road 409.3

To: Campsite near Vaneventer 424.3
Miles today: 15.0

I started out from the Hostel at 8:30 and enjoyed the hike along Laurel Fork Falls. The trail climbed and climbed out of the gap until it seemed as if I was as high as at Roan or Clingman's Dome. But, this was only 3700feet in elevation. Still, it was a 1500 foot gain from where I started in the morning to where I found myself at noon. I started back down and arrived at Watauga Lake at about four. I crossed the dam and started climbing again, this time from an elevation of 1990 at the lake to 3400 while climbing toward Iron Mountain. That is a lot of climbing in one day and I wish I could say I was getting used to it or getting quicker at it. The truth is I still struggle, sweat, and groan from bottom to top. I made camp at about seven-thirty, made dinner and promptly fell asleep. I woke at about one AM to a beautiful full moon, so now I am sitting outside the tent enjoying the night, looking down at Watauga Lake and thinking about the many things one thinks of in the middle of the night sitting under a full moon. I have arranged for my son to pick me up in Damacus, Virginia as he drives home from school for Easter. I am starting to think seriously about going back to the two car method so I can go back home more easily.
Date: 2007-04-03
From: Campsite near Vaneventer 424.3

To: Double Springs campsite 446.
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm waiting for the moon to come up. I have hiked all day, starting at 7:30AM and it is now 8:30PM, but I want to hike some more. Not because I am some kind of masochist but because I want to get into Damascus, Virginia in the afternoon instead of the evening. I am eating a dinner of rice and chicken hoplng my legs become more willing. I have hiked most of the day with two younger guys, if you can call seeing them at lunch and dinner hiking with them. They are much faster hikers but it is much like the tortoise and the hares. They hike a while and then visit a while; eventually I catch up to them. Honestly, right now I am ahead of them. I left them about a mile back at the shelter where they are spending the night. If I joined them I wouldn't get to Damascus until after six and I would not get to the post office or the outfitters before they close. So, I will hike on. If I feel well enough I will do my best to put about five miles between me and the two younger hikers. Now where is that moon?, it will be so much nicer hiking under the moon. Not because it gives enough light to hike by, but because I will be able to see a lot of the same things I see in the day time (only a lot dimmer).Oh, heck those sneaky guys had the same idea I had, they just walked by wearing their headlamps, walking in the dark. I hiked for another hour or so and then found a nice tent site near a spring. It was ten, I had hiked just over 22 mies. Just after midnight I was awakened by a very loud clap of thunder. As the storm moved in the thunder became louder and the tent shook as great gusts of wind swept up from the valley. I turned on my headlamp and checked the tent for leaks and/or puddles. Everything was shipshape. I slept well as the wind blew and a hard rain continued to fall. Hiking 22 miles in a day will do that to you.
Date: 2007-04-04
From: Double Springs campsite 446.

To: Damascus, VA MP 460
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Oh Darn. Another email I sent to myself from the pocket composer that failed to show up. I'll try to recreate some details from memory. It was still raining when I got up, but not hard. I put my wet tent in my pack, put on the pack cover and set off for Damascus. I believe this was the easiest terrain of the 460 miles I have hiked so far. I made excellent time and was in Damascus by about 3:30 if my memory serves me right. My two young friends caught up to me when I stopped for lunch at the only Shelter we passed. I ate the rest of my bread and peanut butter and made a cup of tea. They already had showered by the time I got to Damascus. The hike was notable in that weather went from windy and cool to sunny and calm several times as the cold front we all heard about moved in. I crossed from Tennessee to Virginia and enjoyed some good singing along the way. It is hard to sing when huffing and puffing up a hill or carefully picking your way down one. On level ground I can catch my breath and I can sing and whistle (not at the same time). I walked around Damascus, and did the business I had to attend to at the Library and the outfitter. I went to the library and checked my email and then walked a mile or so out of town to the big grocery store called Food City. They have a deli there and I bought some pulled pork a vegi tray and an apple. I sat down at a table and worked on the composition that has disappeared and sent my wife a card telling her how much I love her and miss her. It was interesting watching the locals buying there groceries. I felt as though I were in a foreign land. Later when I was waiting for my son I went to the town's only pizza parlor and had a pizza. I remember typing on my composer how frustrating it was to be in a place where there was a TV, no one was watching, providing back ground noise. It would have been nice to have some Italian music or any music. The TV was terrible. My son arrived and we hugged a nice hug. I was so glad to see him. So proud of him, because he is a hiker too and he was willing to go way out of his way to pick me up and take me home.
Date: 2007-04-05
From: Damascus, VA MP 460

To: home. Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day in Asheville. I bought a light-weight sleeping bag. It weighs one and a half pounds. The weather is supposed to dip into the upper teens over the weekend. I hate to admit it, when I was so anxious to start my hike in February when the weather was equally cold, but I'm glad to be out of the cold and looking forward to steady warm weather.
Date: 2007-04-06
From: home. Zero Day

To: home. Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

I'm at a tire store getting my son's car worked on while he is fishing. That is what I get for coming home. I should be hiking! It is wonderful being a dad. Wonderful remembering how bewildered and frustrated I was when I was young and I was trying to keep a car running on a low budget and knowing now, I can afford to pay what it costs to get the car fixed right. There is nothing frustrating about hiking. The weather does what it does. The trail does what it does. All I have to do is lace up my boots and walk in the woods. Cold, hot, wet or dry all I have to do is keep going, not stop and I'll get there. I'm sure I am setting myself up to be really frustrated by equipment problems, blisters or injury but I pray now when that time comes I remember... keep going, do not stop, keep going!
Date: 2007-04-07
From: home. Zero Day

To: home. Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

I spent the morning shopping. I bought some things I will take in my food bag and some things I will eat while I am home and my wife is away. I went to see a movie last night and really enjoyed it. I've been swimming two times since I got home and it feels really good to be in the water again. The swimming is not easy. I've taken several whirlpool baths and I'm trying to get plenty of sleep and eat right. My plan now is to drive back to Damascus on Tuesday. I will hike about fifty miles or so on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and have the Damascus Outfitter pick me up and take me back to my car. Then it will be one more weekend at home before I head North on Monday. I'm figuring once I start North of Mount Rogers that the weather will be warm enough to get rid of my cold weather gear and that I will be able to keep hiking without periodic visits back home. Time will tell.
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Damascus, VA MP 460

To: Campsite MP 471
Miles today: 11.0

I drove back to Damascus. I saw some hikers I knew and it was hard to get my gear and head out of town without some leasurely discussions and updates on how people were doing. I paid the outfitter forty bucks and they promised to pick me up at Dickey Gap just outside Troutdale. I started a gentle climb and made good progress considering I didn't actually start hiking until 12:30.
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Wise Shelter 292.6

To: Dickey Gap 508.7
Miles today: 16.1

I am still having trouble with setting a pace I can rely on so far as predicting estimated times of arrival. I was scheduled to be picked up by the outfitters at six PM and I vacilated between thinking I had plenty of time to get there and thinking I took to long at each break. As I hurried along a rather easy part of the trail I pinched my replacement knee somehow. Maybe it was finaly complaining about what I had put it through the day before. Maybe it didn't like to be hurried two days in a row. As I hiked along toward my appointed meeting place I had to slow down or the knee was going to really rebel. As it was, I walked out of the woods at five-thirty, a half hour early, but the shuttle van was just pulling up. He was a half hour early too.
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Zero Day. Back in Asheville

To: Zero Day. Back in Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

I spent the morning at the Y, mostly in the whirlpool but I swam some too.I went back to the outfitters. I think this is the last time I go there. I dropped another two hundred dollars or more. I spent a considerable time being fitted for a new pair of boots but might just stick with my Hushpuppies. The boots had been newly marked down to half price that morning. I had been eyeing them for weeks at a higher, marked down, price. I couldn't resist a pair of Excellent Vasque Boots at half their original cost. I'll wear them eventually.I am putting together my summer weight hiking gear and I'm going to be taking it out with me Monday when I start my hike again from Dickey Gap.