morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: few clouds

The sun rose an hour later this morning and it arrived in style. The positioning of the shelter put us in view of an amazing sunrise. It took us until after 9 to start hiking.        I pulled a groin muscle hiking down into Davenport Gap. It didn¢t hurt badly, but I could feel it with each step. I expected Davenport Gap to be as busy as the southern entrance was. At the northern entrance there was hardly a sign announcing it. Brian called Mountain Mamas to see if we could get a shuttle down. Mountain Mamas is a hostile, short term supply and grill. She happened to be driving up, so we were saved from the mile and a half walk down. It¢s difficult to describe the Mountain Mama experience. The outside looks a little run down, lawn furniture is a plenty, and you immediately get the impression of the back country. The shelves at the store section are sparsely filled. There¢s a full foot in between items and there aren¢t many of them. The grill is where the magic happens. Mountain Mama is known for her huge cheeseburger and boy, she¢s huge. After eating at a couple tourist traps it was great to find a dive that catered to a hiker¢s metabolism and wallet. Afterward we caught a shuttle back to the trail and continued north.        Today was our longest hiking day. We clocked 17.6 miles and rolled into the shelter at 7:30. Not to bad considering the two hour lunch break we took. Outside the entrance we ran Lab Dad and Bluebelt. We were quite confused at first, we were leaving the Hiawassee Inn as they entered. They had to skip the Smokys because of their dogs. It was great to see them again.        At the shelter we met a whole new crew of thru-hikers. They were quick to make the girls uncomfortable, acting like they¢ve never seen women before. They immediately stated that we should try to get away from them as soon as possible. They didn¢t say anything across the line, but if Shane and I weren¢t here it could¢ve gotten worse. We pitched our tents away from them.         Ryan came into camp today. We hadn¢t seen him since Neel¢s Gap. Des called him on the phone at Gatlinburg because he invited us to stay with him at Hot Springs. We thought he was long gone, but I guess he had to take time off and jumped on behind us. It looks like we¢ll try to organize a break with him and at Kathy¢s on the way through.         It¢s way late, 10:00. I usually go to bed by 8, which would be 9 now, but whatever.
Date: 2006-04-03
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Bluff Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 17.6

Well, last night we got what Mainers like to call wicked wet. We closed the storm hatches and prepared for a nasty storm. Unfortunately we didn¢t account for the fact that the shelter drainage pipe was going to send a raging river directly at our tarp. We woke up at 4:30 with water everywhere. Our sleeping bags were wet, but I think that was mostly from our breaths condensation. The condensation collected on the inside of the tarp, and when rain hit the outside it came dripping down on us. After we did the best we could to keep water out, we fell back asleep defeated by the storm.        After five miles we came to Max Patch Road and found some trail magic. Someone placed sodas in the stream we had to cross. It was a great treat for us since lunch was coming soon. Soon after, we summited Max Patch. This bad boy has no trees and isn¢t a difficult climb. When we got to the top we were instantly in awe of the awesome view. We pulled out our soaking sleeping bag, tarp, ground sheets and thermarests to dry. Wind gusts began to climb and they must have peaked at 70 mph. At first it was fun. We took pictures holding things up and watching them take off like a kite. Then it got to be too much. We hurried to pack our bags and rushed to escape the wind.        We passed a couple more shelters, but decided to move on. The last shelter only slept six people and it was mostly full. There were no campsites. We pushed on another four miles to find another campsite. It was another tiring day, but if leaves a shorter distance for tomorrow into Hot Springs. We¢ll get to town and spend the night at Ryan¢s.         I¢m loving the trail and living life. I¢m so glad Nicole is here with me experiencing the good and the bad. We¢ve done well helping each other and encouraging each other when we need it. As far away as I am from home, I feel like I can¢t get homesick with her here.
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Bluff Mountain Campsite

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The temperature dropped over the course of the night. I looked out of the tarp when I awoke to see a cloudless sky. It would eventually warm up. We ate breakfast within the protective walls of the tarp, hiding from the wind.        Most of the morning miles came with a gradual downhill. It took a couple of miles to get the blood pumping. Eventually I began to peel off my layers.        We came into view of Hot Springs a mile before we reached it. The trail slowly brought us down in elevation, switching back every couple hundred yards. When we got to the main road the crosswalk and sidewalk were lined with the AT design.         On the way into town we indulged in some fine diner grillin¢. I ordered the AT Thru-Hiker Special, a three quarter pounder cheeseburger, with fries. Moving into town we stopped at the post office, picked up our food drop and sent away post cards and other items. Ryan called for a ride from Greenville so we waited at the outfitter.        At Ryan¢s we house we spent most of the day with the laundry and drying our gear. Tomorrow we will take our first zero day and move to Kathy¢s for the night. It took until 9:00 for me to call her because we were never sure what our plans were. Then people ran to town, ordered dinner and finally made it back to make a decision. I felt bad it took so long to contact her. I¢m looking forward to a zero day tomorrow. Hopefully I¢ll sleep past seven and can enjoy a nice warm rug to sleep on.
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Greenville, NC

To: Greenville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Our first zero day. I woke up at 9:00. Shane was sleeping next to me and the girls were gone. Christina was next to me when I went to sleep¢¦what happened? Apparently I have her a couple of nudges in the night and she made Shane switch with her. Oops. For breakfast we ate leftover pizza and coffee cake that Mrs. Hawk made for us.        After lounging around the kitchen we made it to the living room for a movie. We watched ¢A River Runs Through It¢. I love the movie and thought it was fitting since we spend so much time outside. The girls grew sad at the end and said they wanted a happy movie.         We packed our bags and set out to meet Kathy at the supermarket. I attempted to master a front hand spring after seeing Des pull one off in the lawn. I did finally land one. I¢ll have to work on it from time to time.         At Kathy¢s house we had a great completion to our zero day. She let us ride her four wheeler and I even used it to spread manure on her field. That was a first for me. Later she saddled up her horse and we took turns riding Sunshine. It was my first time on a horse. After I got the hang of it I tired to get Sunshine to go a little faster. I popped up and down like a bouncy ball because I didn¢t know how to do it properly. I¢m glad for the experience because not many hikers can say they had such adventures on a zero day.
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Allen Gap Campsite
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Seven o¢clock came early this morning. We were late the last two nights and I definitely felt the effects. For breakfast I ate most of a box of Red Berry Special K, eggs and sausage. The hiking actually started at 9:40, after we were dropped off by Kathy in town.        The morning climb out of Hot Springs was rugged. My body definitely felt better after I warmed up and got used to the strain of the trail again. It began to sprinkle around noon time. At times it increased in intensity, but I kept my rain jacket off for most of the afternoon. Ryan met us at Thunderhead Gap around 2:00. He was providing trail magic for hikers. He hung out for close to an hour and slack packed to Allen Gap. Slack packing is when someone carries your packs for you, for an easier hike. Since my pack was gone I wanted to see how quickly I could cover the 5.5 miles to the Gap. With some speed hiking and a little trail jogging I made it in one our and eleven minutes. I actually made it to the road as he was on his way to meet a family friend. I jumped in his truck and left with him, since everyone else was far behind.        It turned out the friends were Fal and Hercules, a couple providing trail magic in the gap. I read a note about it before I reached the road. We ate and ate and ate. Stew followed homemade bread, followed by a brownie sundae, followed by a breakfast burrito. An hour later the rest of the group had made it and indulged. The amount of food and drink they offered was amazing. I ended up there for three hours before we left.        By the end the couple wanted to share a religious message with us. It was a nice story and they read an excerpt from a book. They were doing their part to bring more people to religion. It was nice, but I don¢t think that fear of hell is enough to bring me to spirituality. I don¢t try to avoid religion. I believe I¢d probably be more happy with life if I was religious. Most individuals with strong spiritual beliefs have an amazing peace of mind and generosity that I envy at times. I just believe in science. I¢ve actually found more connection to certain Buddhist principles, not all of them, just some. Maybe religion will find me later in my life, but for now, I¢m not much of a spiritualist.
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Allen Gap Campsite

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

I slept like a baby last night. When I woke up at 7:30 I wanted to turn over and fall asleep for another couple of hours. Coach K and Brian walked by just as I was climbing out of the tarp. They were slack packing from Hot Springs to Erwin. Sleeper¢s wife is dropping them off at the trail in the morning and picking them up at the end of the day. Sounds like fun, but it would be expensive to spend the night in Hot Springs for a week. Today we hiked two miles shy of their distance and carried our gear. That¢s a good feeling.        Nicole¢s knee was bothering her a lot today. I took her sleeping bag, thermarest and eventually some more gear. Around noon she took off her left boot and started hiking in Des¢s Croc Sandal. It seemed to help her heel, but her knee still hurt all day. She¢s going to buy a new pair of sandals with a strap on them, in case she is going to start hiking a lot in them. I hope her feet and knees heal. It¢s hard to tell since they¢re under constant stress.        We came to a beautiful ridge trail today. The sun was hot so I didn¢t enjoy it as much as I could have. We climbed over boulders and in between cracks in them. It took a lot of hand over hand maneuvering to get across.        On the way down I stumbled upon Sleeper and Hobbit. Apparently they were taking their time today. They didn¢t realize they¢d never make it to the gap in time to meet Sleeper¢s wife at 5.         We hoped to come to an empty shelter tonight, but there were already five people inside when we arrived. They politely agreed to squeeze ten people in an eight person shelter, due to the thunderstorm and potential hail in the forecast over night. It¢s supposed to be a downpour tomorrow. We¢ll see how many miles we manage.         Oh yeah, we climbed a mountain today called Big Butt. That booty was a bit too big for our tired legs.
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap Campsite 
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Why is it that people who snore always blame their habit on other people. Last night I slept next to a Class A snoring offender. Nicole woke me up at 12 because they wanted me to wake him. I had no idea what was going on and didn¢t even know who was snoring. After a few jabs to the side I shook him enough to wake him. He fell right back to sleep and immediately resumed snoring. My ear plugs were no match for such a noise! Hermes grew so angry he packed his bag and stormed off into the darkness. In the morning the culprit asked when he left and responded, ¢He must not have any siblings.¢ Luckily I fell back asleep around 1:30 and his snoring ceased.        It rained most of the day. I kept my raincoat off for a long time, but had to put it on when the wind picked up. When we got to lunch at the next shelter we decided to push to Low Gap to tent. We wanted to go to the next shelter but we didn¢t want to arrive and find out that it was full. To make matters worse, you aren¢t suppose to tent there because the terrain is considered fragile.        Nicole decided to adjust her heel bandage after lunch. In doing so, she almost peeled off all the skin on it. Her blisters were extremely large. Des used some mole skin and taped her ankle to hold it in place. I was very upset because her knee was feeling better and now we had to deal with her foot. It seems her suffering never lets up. She¢s being so tough, but I don¢t want her to have to deal with it any longer.        Low Gap was turned out to be a horrible campsite. The ground is uneven, there are roots everywhere and the wind is firing through the gap. It¢s suppose to get very cold tonight. Hopefully I can sleep through it.
Date: 2006-04-09
From: Low Gap Campsite 

To: No Buisness Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

Wow was it cold this morning! The condensation from our breath froze to the sides of the tarp. When I untied the rope to the bear bag, the bear bag remained hanging from the tree. Nicole and I were really late packing up because we were slow moving. I found out the other three were packing the tent away before I even started to cook breakfast.        My mood began to change when I saw how amazing the forest looked. With the sun shining in a cloudless sky, the ice on the branches resembled crystals. They sparkled under the sun¢s rays. The morning culminated on top of Big Bald. The bald mountain provided a full 360 degree panorama of mountains and ice covered trees. We took some great pictures and began the descent.        The rest of the day passed quickly. Nicole¢s knee and heels felt better, so we moved along at a speedy clip. It was relieving. It seems I¢ve been spending the greater part of our hikes worrying about her health. We had five miles remaining after lunch. A short climb came at first and afterwards we slowly wound around the mountains. The last five miles only took us one hour and forty five minutes.        Tonight we have the shelter to ourselves, aside from Hermes who wondered in at dusk. Everyone has high spirits and are looking forward to Erwin tomorrow. I guess we¢re spending the night and meeting Ryan; I must have missed the memo.
Date: 2006-04-10
From: No Buisness Shelter

To: Erwin, Tennessee
Miles today: 6.0

My back hurt badly last night. I¢d wake up from time to time and I¢d have to slowly roll from my back to my side. Later I¢d wake up with my legs aching so I¢d roll to my back. Do I see a pattern here?I¢m going to invest in a Big Agnes pad soon. Christina and Shane both have one and love theirs. Perhaps a bit more thickness will help my sleeping.We ran into the Norichucky Hostel when we hit the road in Erwin. We intended on hitting the Super 8 Hotel, but after a call the said the only allow 4 to a room. Eventually we settled on a cabin at the hostel. For lunch we gorged ourselves at an all you can eat pizza buffet. I don¢t how much pizza you can make for five dollars, but I think we each ate fifteen dollars worth. Nicole and I had to hitch to the post office and library so we took off. We were told that Erwin was a hiker friendly town and catching a hitch shouldn¢t take longer than two minutes. The first car picked us up. It was difficult to understand the accent of the seventy year old gentleman that gave us a ride. He was friendly enough though.The rest of the day we lounged around. Brian, Coach K and Miss Parkay rolled in and hung out for the day. I made phone calls, took a shower, did laundry and enjoyed a relaxing nero day. If I haven¢t explained yet, nero means near zero. Ryan came out at 6:00 and brought us out to dinner. I¢m glad I didn¢t order two grande burritos, because I could barely finish one. Tonight we¢re watching Super Troopers and getting ready for another walk in the woods.
Date: 2006-04-11
From: Erwin, Tennessee

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

If you¢ve ever seen the movie ¢My Cousin Vinny¢, do you remember when he can¢t sleep in the morning because the train goes by at 5:30? That was me last night. 5:30 am the train screeched by Choooo Choooo! I instantly thought of the movie and started laughing. At least I kept good spirits through it.         The Maine Train finally hit the trail at 9:40. We said goodbye to Ryan. He told me he¢d try to find a sleeping pad and bring it to Damascus for me. It was very thoughtful of him. I think he¢s going to meet us there and continue hiking north with us. He probably won¢t reach Katahdin, but I think he has taken greater interest in the journey instead of the final destination. In all Honesty, that¢s the truth. When we¢re done we¢ll be glad we made it. However, reaching Katahdin won¢t say anything about our experience. It¢s the day to day memories that will last a lifetime.        The hike out of Erwin was relatively easy. The trail gradually lead us into the mountains above us. There were difficult sections, but it was very enjoyable.         Miss Parkay had a disaster early in the day. She put her poles down to take a break. Seeing the poles were sliding off the embankment, she put her bag down to save them. Of course her bag then fell of the edge and tumbled seventy five feet below. He food bag came unattached to her bag and tumbled even further below.   Shane maintained a great presence of mind to snap photos of her incident.         We were lucky that we got a late start because Brian told us about another incident. He came over the edge of Beauty Spot, a bald mountain, only to find Sleeper sun tanning in his nude glory. He wasn¢t away from the trail. He was directly next to a trail marker. If I had stumbled upon him I would have taken his clothes and let his 49 year old flabby butt chase me down the trail.        The final climb today was Unaka Mountain. It was tough after having already hiked twelve miles. The top was memorable. It was covered with pine trees equidistant from each other. The trail was difficult to follow. I¢d walk to one marker, scan the trees for the next and go to it. Had it been any darker I wouldn¢t have been able to find my way.         Tomorrow we have Roan Mountain. We¢ll get up at 6:30 and hopefully put miles behind us before its too hot. It¢ll be a monster climb at the end of the day.
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The snoring started last night before I even finished writing in my journal. After two hours of tossing and turning, I moved and slept on the picnic table outside the shelter. I could still hear the snoring even with ear plugs in. Nicole didn¢t sleep a wink. The hard thing about hiking the trail is that you can¢t escape certain people. You may get away for a period of time, but people somehow manage to catch up.         The morning was difficult to get through. Nicole was exhausted from lack of sleep and her frustration became apparent. Eventually the mood lightened and we began moving at a normal pace.        In Damascus we¢re looking to get Nicole into a new pair of shoes. There is a popular pair of hiking sandals with an open heel. We could also have her fit for a pair of new shoes. At quality outfitters salespeople can look at your foot and match it with a better fitting shoe, instead of throwing you a size and throwing you out the door. If it will reduce the blister problem, any price is worth it. Yet it could be a waste of money if nothing improves.         Des turned her ankle today. She turned and intentionally smacked me with her pack. I retaliated and unhooked her sleeping pad from her bag. She started to chase me down when it twisted on a rock. She was fine but we all got a chuckle out of it.        Roan Mountain was the angry giant of the day. At the base we took a Gatorlyte (electrolyte) shot to prepare for it. Coach K gave me a few to try out. You¢re suppose to mix it with water, but I like to be tough like him. It tastes as horrible as a handful of straight table salt. You immediately need to chug water to get the horrible taste out of your mouth. With that finished I charged up the big beast. It took me an hour to hike the 3.3 miles and climb to 2,200 feet. It was a bit dumb to get up quickly but I wanted to see how fast I could ascend. After all, my trail name is Hot Rod.         Tonight we¢re staying in a four walled shelter at 6,275 feet. It¢s the highest shelter on the AT. I hope I can sleep through the snoring because its to cold to move outside.
Date: 2006-04-13
From: Roan Knob Shelter

To: Applehouse Shelter
Miles today: 15.4

Christina gave me a better set of ear plugs last night. It greatly improved my quality of sleep. I took them out after an early morning bathroom run to see if there were any noises. Sure enough, the snoring was loud as ever, but the new plugs allowed me to easily drift back to sleep.        Today was the first day I wondered off the trail. Nicole went ahead of me as I took a few articles of clothing off. I began to wander down after her and missed the double white blaze, which marks a turn in the trail. Next thing I know I¢m at a road with no white blazes and no people in sight. I yelled a few ¢NICOLES!!¢ and a final wimper ¢Nicole?¢. I knew I missed the turn but I had no idea how far past I traveled. Luckily it took me only two minutes to rejoin the trail. If the road hadn¢t been there I may have continued for a couple of miles before realizing my blunder.        We faced and hour and a half of torrential downpour today. We were fortunate that the clouds moved on and left us with sunshine. We ate lunch at the Overmountain Shelter. It was a converted barn that looked off onto a beautiful green valley below.        At the top of Hump Mountain today I turned on the radio for a weather forecast. A few seconds later I was listening to James Blunt¢s, ¢Your Beautiful¢ as I descended. OK, it may sound corny, but I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness as I listened to the song, felt the warm sun overhead and hiked down with an amazing view of surrounding mountains and valleys below. I continued to hike with the radio for two more miles, singing along as I traveled. Eventually the trail led into a flat field. I sat down, extended my legs, listening to the music and rested for twenty minutes until the others caught up.         Tonight we¢re in the shelter. The snoring menace has moved on for the night. There¢s a stream running directly behind it. I sat on a branch hanging between two edges and bathed myself with my handkerchief. Right now I¢m sitting on a footbridge listening to the water flow down the stream. It¢s a perfect finish to my afternoon.