morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Painter Branch
Miles today: 12.7

We didn¢t do that many miles today, but it sure felt like a long day.We hiked about 8 miles to Davenport Gap, which concludes our time in the Smokies, even if there wasn¢t a lot of fanfare. Just so I don¢t leave anyone hanging (though I'm sure most people figured this out on their own) I guess the Smokies got their name because they're so foggy. We were pretty high in elevation the whole time, and after working on Mt. Washington in NH it¢s easy to recognize the processes at work. The air in the valley is warm and moist. It gets pushed up by the mountains (called orographic lifting, I think), cools and reaches dew point, and condenses. Also, Baltimore (who has family in the area) said pollutants get trapped and ad to the haze.At any rate, we both really enjoyed the Smokies and would definitely come back. There are lots of views, the wildlife is great, the wildflowers are spectacular, and the grade is very reasonable, even for two whiners.I have to add this story, just because it tickled me so much. As we pulled into the outfitter at Gatlinburg, sitting there was a familiar face: a guy I¢d worked with in NH for the Appalachian Mountain Club, a 2002 thru-hiker named Shatter who happens to be ridgerunning in the Smokies. How exciting! Those who know me know that when I get excited I either react with seal clapping or a small dancing jig. In this case it was the jig, and I've been teased for it since. Now while I was dancing this jig, inside was a guy who also worked for AMC that id met at the Peterborough EMS over the winter. Hah! It was a little NH/AMC reunion! What a coincidence. I know, it¢s not the most interesting story to everyone, but I was so thrilled to see a familiar face. Really, it was overload for the girl who cries every time she gets a mail drop!In other news, we got poured on this afternoon. We waited it out under a pine tree and thankfully it stopped so we could set up camp and eat. Also, tonight I hung the food not with bears in mind, but with the goal of keeping the food from Lindsay. I swear, if she can get to it we'll go hungry before Hot Springs. Her hiker appetite is kicking in before mine! We ran into some trail magic today (coconut cookies, thanks to 2004 thru-hiker Skirt), which saved Lindsay from perishing.Fiiiiiinally (I know this is getting long!) thanks to everyone who keeps up with our hike. We can¢t believe the number of hits we¢ve received on this site. We finally got to read our guestbook entries today and really appreciate everyone's support and positive thoughts.Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Painter Branch

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: light rain

The trail is fickle. What should have been a bad day turned out to be just fine.We were awoken this morning around 4:30 AM by yet more thunderstorms and rain. My mom has instilled in me a great fear of storms that I've spent years trying to get over, but I still jumped at every crack of lightning when the storm was at its closest. At the time I thought, "Excellent, the storm will pass before we get up...what luck!" No such luck. Storm after storm passed by and there was never a good break to pack up until after noon, and even then we got soaked trying to pack. So we were cold, soggy, dirty, and had no shot at the 17 miles we had planned on, especially since most of the trail had turned into a flowing stream. We definitely lived up to our trail names this afternoon.However, the day was won back thanks to past thru-hikers Ox and Pebbles. Now, we¢ve had some pretty fantastic trail magic up to this point, but these guys were unbelievable. Really, my jaw remained dropped for a half hour. I alone had a cheeseburger (yes folks, they had a GRILL!), candy, pretzels, apple pie, a banana, and root beer. Lindsay was in heaven not having to ration. Thanks so so so much.After that we had a lovely 5 miles with some new wildflowers (Fire Pink and Squirrel Corn) and made our way up Max Patch for sunset. The balds here really are gorgeous, all rounded and open and grassy.We had hoped for room in the shelter, but el duomo probably needed some airing out after a wet day in our packs. Lets hope for a dry night!Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: moderate rain

Yet another late start because of the rain. It's really a miserable thought to get out of your warm, dry(ish) tent and pack up in the rain. It means everything in your pack gets at least just a bit wet. Your food bag is soaked and the tent is not only wet, but also filthy. You¢re rushed and cold and your pack winds up lopsided because you packed so quickly.I know, more whining from the wine girls. Apparently we just need more practice packing up in the rain. There must be a better technique. Even with a late, wet start we got in our miles and are now camped a few miles from Hot Springs, our next town stop where there happens to be a hiker festival this weekend. Lots of folks hitched ahead for it, but we decided to hike it and only get in on the Sunday activities.I'm not sure exactly how many there are, but this area has been taken over by at least two Boy Scout groups. One took the whole shelter! I know I know, thru-hikers don¢t deserve special privileges (they were here first after all) but maybe part of the scouting experience should be to set up a tent in a quiet place. I guess we should expect this on a weekend. They did provide some humor, however: Lindsay was amused by one boy crying by the water source because he didn¢t want to wash the dishes.We are sounding particularly thru-hikerish tonight, all opinionated and self-righteous. Will try to avoid that in the future. Apologies to my father for criticizing the scouts, and we promise not to complain about a thing tomorrow (unless it rains in the morning).Sleep tight,Erin
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Elmer's Hostel, Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a nero day (nearly zero miles). We rolled into town around 9 am and made it to the pancake breakfast. It was great to see people ahead of us that we hadn¢t seen for a while who stopped in Hot Springs for the festival. Old Sherpa finished his section hike from Springer to Hot Springs, and seeing someone leave made me thankful to be staying on the trail. So Elmer¢s hostel is amazing. It¢s this huge 19th Century home filled with antiques where hikers can get a bed (mine has a lovely hand-made quilt!) for $15. There are movies and an instrument room and a cat. It¢s all very homey.Not much else went on today. We¢ll head to the post office in the morning and hopefully be on the trail before noon.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Elmer's Hostel, Hot Springs, NC

To: Rich Mountain Fire Tower
Miles today: 8.3

Tonight I¢m a cowboy. Lindsay hasn¢t been feeling well, so I thought I¢d leave her in el duomo on her own. I found a big piece of plastic at the campsite, so I'm sleeping under the stars tonight. Hopefully it doesn¢t rain. I see stars now, Castor and Pollux shining brightly, but the horizon looked cloudy in the windward direction at sunset.Hopefully Lindsay will feel better in the morning. We are carrying ridiculous amounts of food, so if it takes us longer to get to Erwin than planned, we'll be okay.Another exciting mail drop today with inspirational comments from the Browns. Mrs. Brown, since she also got in on the plumber box, seems to be in the lead. My mom is having way too much fun with this!Glad to be out of town and back on the trail.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Rich Mountain Fire Tower

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I managed to stay dry last night, while Lindsay was in and out of the tent being sick. I'm not sure what her attitude is on this, but maybe the woods are a great place to be sick...every place is a toilet.Enough on gross stuff though. She was a trooper today and felt progressively better, so we trudged on. We had some tasty trail magic. Pork stew (one of my favorites!), homemade bread, and a brownie sundae. These people actually let dirty hikers into their immaculate home. There was some evangelism involved, which has been a topic of conversation at the shelter tonight, but the food was wonderful. Hopefully Lindsay is feeling well enough to eat down our pack weight tomorrow. Trail magic and her being sick have equaled heavy heavy packs.We stopped early tonight, at 5:30 pm, so we actually have a spot in the shelter and Lindsay can rest up instead of pushing on. She¢s doing much better, and we should be able to start making miles again.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: moderate rain

Another early night into camp. We finished our miles before 4:00 and had a suspicion it would rain. We¢d rather make up the miles tomorrow in the sunshine than camp in the rain tonight, so we're cozy in the shelter. I love being done with my evening chores, sitting in my sleeping bag watching people roll in and do their evening chores. How satisfying to be dry and warm and ready for bed while it's raining and thundering outside.Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

It rained much of the night and we managed to pile more and more people into the shelter. It was a very chilly day, maybe even into the 30's? However, the sun finally came out. People were creating clotheslines all along the trail, trying to dry themselves out from the past few nights. We¢re tenting in a pretty spot tonight, hoping for a clear morning to hike over big bald. It¢s also a good day because I found a new book in a shelter. No one was fighting to carry a heavy edition of Jane Eyre, so it was mine for the taking.Off to read,Erin
Date: 2006-04-28
From: Low Gap

To: Temple Hill Gap, TN
Miles today: 16.9

Another sunny day that was not taken for granted. The water was where we like it today, flowing down cascades into streams, not falling from the sky. We hiked our biggest miles yet, but there's no party to celebrate it. We aren¢t particularly sore and the last 2 miles were very easy. Tomorrow is a town day! I'm pretty excited for a shower and a good meal. More later, I'm very sleepy.Erin
Date: 2006-04-29
From: Temple Hill Gap, TN

To: Miss Janet's Hostel, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I don¢t usually have much to say about town stops and delegate Lindsay to write, but not enough can be said about Miss Janet¢s! Most places offer the standard hiker needs: shower, laundry, fuel, bunk. There¢s sometimes an extra cost for a shower, and some places don¢t have laundry. Miss Janet goes above and beyond. We had fresh cinnamon rolls this morning, and there's a big closet with fabulous cotton clothes to wear around town while you do laundry. So cozy. Lindsay got to wear a skirt all day, and Shasta has blue jeans on. It¢s been a relaxing day. Lindsay¢s been watching movies and I've done my normal gabbing on the phone for hours routine.There¢s a big crew from NH here tonight. Nokia is from Lincoln, Corey is from Lebanon, and Mystic actually went to high school with me! How bizarre... I had no idea there were other Monadnockers on the trail!Time for rest,Erin
Date: 2006-04-30
From: Miss Janet's Hostel, Erwin, TN

To: Unaka Mountain
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Lindsay and I have made the decision to purchase our own gear. You might wonder what sort of dramatic falling out we had, but there wasn¢t one at all. We really do do things pretty similarly, and we'll likely pace the same and see each other a lot on the trail, but there are enough subtleties in how we'd like to do the trip that there¢s no need for either of us to constantly compromise. Actually, we know a lot of people hiking together that have their own gear, and people are surprised that we share a tent, stove, etc. So we're going to continue on as usual until Damascus, where our new tents are being shipped.One of the few rules out here is that you have to hike your own hike. We got each other committed to this hike, supported each other through Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee...I'm confident that we will both go on to Katahdin, but we'll have done it our own way. We only get the chance to do this thing once. It will be very exciting the nights I get to see her at camp or in town, and I count myself lucky to have such a good friend out on the trail with me.On to other news... I wont get into the "if a tree falls in a forest" paradox. It was very windy, and a tree DID fall in the forest. I watched a big old pine tree break and fall lengthwise along the trail 10 ft in front of me. It was a maze to get through, and it took out other trees on its way down. People talk about all the hazards on the trail: diseases and injuries and lightning and scary people in the woods... but who thinks about a tree taking you out? It¢s a very very cold night. I'm not totally sure why we chose to camp on a mountain, but were in a spruce forest and its pretty protected from the wind. At any rate, I left out a pot with some water in it, so we'll see if it gets below freezing.Good night, Erin
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Unaka Mountain

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: broken clouds

Happy May Day!Today started out very very cold, but we were thankful not to be rained on like we had expected. In fact, it turned into a beautiful warm day.We hiked 0.6 miles off the trail today to the Greasy Gap Friendly. (Get it? They¢re not hostel [hostile], they¢re friendly! This took me the whole stay to figure out.) The trek was well worth it. Cee-Cee served 13 of us all on her own. I had been craving juice and had three glasses: grape, orange, and pineapple. I also had a turkey sandwich and an ice cream sundae. Mouse managed to put down two sundaes! Oooooh, and we got to watch Oprah. It was an excellent afternoon.We¢re tenting at the shelter tonight, and its a little tent city, just like when we first started the trail. Its supposed to be stormy and cold tomorrow, and the trail has been lacking switchbacks lately, so I'm not looking forward to climbing Roan Mountain tomorrow. However, there¢s a huge shelter not too far that should keep everyone dry tomorrow night, no matter how big the crowd. We¢ll see what tomorrow brings.Cheers,ErinPS: Lindsay and I won't be splitting up until Damascus at the earliest, so these entries are still for both of us for a while. After that, I¢ll give updates when I know where she is, but I¢ll be the one updating the site.
Date: 2006-05-02
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

What a day! We have heard horror stories about Roan Mountain, which is 6150 ft high and reportedly one of the coldest places on the southern half of the AT. The Roan Shelter is the highest one on the AT and is reportedly miserable and rat-infested. Horrible conditions in this area contributed to slim aborting his thru hike plans last year.While it was chilly today, the rain held out! What a treat. We¢ve been dreading a cold rain, but the sun has been out the last few days. The balds were gorgeous today, and the shelter we're at will surely stand out when I look back on my trip. It¢s an old barn with a gorgeous view of the hills. It¢s called the Overmountain Shelter after the "Overmountain Men" who hiked 170 miles north over these mountains in September of 1780 to defeat the British at King¢s Hill. I'm not sure I could have hiked through here without my polypro, insoles, and alcohol stove.The plan was to hike another 32 miles before our next mail drop, but Lindsay isn¢t feeling well again so were going to head into town after 9 miles tomorrow to see if we cant get her feeling better. We really are putting tough demands on our bodies, and our diet is bizarre with all the protein and dehydrated food... but she shouldn¢t continue to feel sick, so we'll get it checked out.I¢m excited to wake up to this view in the morning, early as it will be. It is literally at my fingertips with this old barn framing the view, no windowpane to produce a glare.Sleep tight,Erin
Date: 2006-05-03
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Elk River, TN
Miles today: 14.9

I haven¢t been very good about distinguishing if we were in NC or TN, mostly because I really didn¢t know. Since the Smokies, we've often had one foot in each state. However, now we're officially in TN until we reach Virginia.We¢ve really become true thru-hikers, as today showed us. We had a windy hike over some balds this morning, then down to town. "Only" 8.7 miles, we said. We waited at the clinic, bought some groceries, hitched back to the trail, and did another 6.2 miles before we stopped to camp. I'm impressed that we got in so many miles, saw the doctor, had some ice cream, stopped by a waterfall, and even slept in this morning! Not bad at all.On an even more exciting note, Lindsay got an antibiotic and is already feeling much better. We think she may have picked up something in the water, so we'll be more careful about purifying.We¢re feeling pretty dirty, certainly ready for showers and clean clothes at our next stop.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-05-04
From: Elk River, TN

To: Kincora Hostel, Dennis Cove, TN
Miles today: 17.6

Hoorah! Today we set our new big mile record and managed to avoid getting hailed on. We could have stopped earlier, but the showers at the hostel were calling us. There actually wasn¢t room for us, and we will wind up sleeping on the porch and the couch... but we are clean, and that¢s all we needed.I highly recommend checking out Mouse's trailjournals site. Eventually he'll post photos of Roxy the hound dog, his new hiking partner.Roxy isn¢t so sure she wants to hike to Maine and lies in the trail a lot. Mouse is a kind soul and is carrying Roxy's food until she figures out how to carry a pack.I obviously don¢t have much other news... we did hike past the 400 mile point today, and our next stop is in Virginia! Important milestones for sure.Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-05-05
From: Kincora Hostel, Dennis Cove, TN

To: Kincora Hostel, Dennis Cove, TN
Miles today: 0.0

I say this about every hostel we go to, but Bob and Pat are the best! I cannot believe their hospitality, and the fee is a donation. We¢ve been able to use the kitchen and have great showers and laundry and cotton clothes to wear and trips into town and we had our maildrop sent here... they truly go out of their way to make hikers comfortable and at home. That might be the reason people spend so many nights here!It was a good relaxing day for us. Wet hikers started arriving later in the afternoon, and we were already warm and dry and clean. However, I'm extremely excited to get back on the trail and its just a few days until we're in Virginia. I really need to hike off all the food I ate today! No worries, I hear it¢s a good climb tomorrow.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-05-06
From: Kincora Hostel, Dennis Cove, TN

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

"Hey, do you have plans for the weekend? Feel like going for a walk tomorrow?"This is the conversation many nights before bed..."Sure, no plans here. Let¢s go for a walk."Today we had a tough time with motivation, but we're actually glad to be back out. We decided to only hike 10 miles, so we didn¢t leave the hostel until almost 1 pm. Lindsay killed Donkey and Corey at Monopoly and I spent yet more time on the phone.I just realized I've been hiking with two pairs of insoles in my boots! I tried just one today and my feet hurt. Perhaps I should have gotten a smaller sized boot.I think we're both getting a bit sad about the thought of splitting up. We really do enjoy each other's company and we like the security of having someone familiar around. I'm sure we'll pace the same for a while, and we've spoken about times we can get back together after family visits, etc.. Maybe we'll meet up at the end and hike Maine together? We¢ll see how it all goes, but we'll both be excited to see each other on the trail or in town. As much as she doesn¢t like writing entries for Trailjournals, she asked if she could write a few when we're in the same spot, so her followers should keep following! We both still feel like we're in this together, just with different tents and slightly different schedules.We¢re expecting some rain tonight, but we got a spot in the shelter, so we'll be dry.Cheers,Erin
Date: 2006-05-07
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: moderate rain

The weather made us hold true to our names today. We hung around the shelter until almost 11:30 this morning, then hiked 7 miles to the next one. Really, we were ready to call it a day right there. Rain is one thing, cold another... rain and cold together make me crawl into my sleeping bag in a shelter at 2 pm. However, God only knows what made us get up and leave the shelter at 6 pm to keep hiking. Maybe we thought it had cleared up and we could get in more miles, but it started raining again within 15 minutes. Maybe we wanted to prove to the guys we aren¢t wimps. At any rate, we showed up here in the near dark around 8:30, and there was actually room for us! Hoorah. The mice are bold and numerous, but I'm happy not to pack up a wet tent in the morning.A funny plant here is the Mayapple. They look like little umbrellas, very green and waxy, maybe 12-18 inches off the ground. Linc and Jeanne told us ages ago at Max Patch when we first met them that Mayapples produce a flower. I look every day, and today...bam! Hearty cuplike white petals with a yellow center. I¢ll get a picture on a nice day when keeping my body temperature up isn¢t such a priority.Finally, Happy Birthday to my brother Brandon. Hopefully I¢ll get to see you when I get further north in VA.Good night,Erin
Date: 2006-05-08
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Just past TN/VA state line
Miles today: 24.0

Elation!We could not be more proud of ourselves. We did our biggest miles, and we're in a new state! The trail only scratched Georgia, but we really feel like we accomplished something by hiking through Tennessee and North Carolina. Plus, Virginia is huge and it feels great to finally be in the state that supposedly eats up hikers for breakfast. Not these girls!24 miles. That¢s the sort of distance people drive, not walk. Neither of us could contemplate walking that far on the flat sidewalks of Boston even without any pack on our backs. Imagine if you had to do that right now... your favorite running shoes would give you blisters, your feet would pound, and I promise some part of you would chafe.So we don¢t want to gloat, but we're really proud of our bodies for getting us this far, for letting us hike 24 miles and not suffer serious repercussions. We¢ve met lots of macho guys limping at the end of 20 miles, buying ankle braces for tendonitis, nursing raw blisters and shin splints. We¢re both just fine; neither of us even took ibuprofen. It¢s because we've taken care of our bodies and pushed when it felt good, rested when we knew we needed it.Tomorrow we head into Damascus. Our new tents are waiting for us, and it¢s our last night together in El Duomo. What a great idea: let's take a month-long vacation in Virginia... starting tonight!Good night,Erin