morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: clear sky

I said goodbye to the Rhymenocerous this morning as I filled his water bottles for him and he headed south and I headed north. He gave me these last words of encouragement, "Remember, God hates a coward." Something to remember him by. Another hard day of climbs and descents as I'm still breaking my legs in. I hiked all morning listening to Eddie Izzard, which made the miles fly by. I stopped at a shelter to get some water and eat lunch. Got to know Gummy Bear and his dad, Daddy-O, from Massachusetts, and Bartender from New Jersey. I also talked to Wonder Woman who was kind enough to let me filter some water out of her water bag, saving me the trip to the stream. She was a very nice lady, but moving pretty slow and concerned about getting to Katahdin on time. She seems to have the courage to be out there by herself, but she was definitely carrying too much weight. I hiked the rest of the day pretty much somewhere right behind Bartender and Gummy Bear so that we could stop to talk at every gap. We got into Gooch Mountain Shelter at about 5:30, dead tired again. We met Dave (later to be known as Goliath), and Conductor and his dad Cornbread. Cornbread is 72 years old still keeping up with us, and says his knees don't even hurt. He was actually on the coast last year doing some volunteer work rebuilding homes in Waveland after Katrina, so we talked about that awhile. After talking for a while I set up my hammock, cooked some beef flavored ramen -adding vacuum packed chicken of course- and went to sleep. Being the first real day on my own, you really start to question this trip. If anything, walking all day gives you lots of time to think. You start thinking why you're doing this, and if you really want to finish, or go home, or do something else. It's just one of those things that you never can really get a feel for until you actually get started. Five months begins to seem really big after a day of exhausting climbs and descents over and over again. But I think that thoughts like that are normal for any person. It will pass with time, as long as I just stick to it.
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

I slept a little warmer in the hammock last night since I added my sleeping pad to it. It was way too cold the first night. So, the original plan today was to head up to the shelter on top of Blood Mountain today, about 13 or so miles. The day was filled with the usual grueling up and downs in the morning. I saw a snake in the middle of the trail today. Nothing poisonous, but not sure what kind it was. Apparently its been pretty cold for them because he didn't even move as I stepped around him. I stopped for an afternoon snack 2 gaps before the ascent of Blood Mountain, just as Conductor and his dad, Cornbread were heading out. Conductor informed me that just 2.6 miles past the Blood Mountain Shelter was the Neel Gap hostel, which had microwave pizza, but they closed at 6. Being 5 miles away from Neel Gap at about 3:15, with the Blood Mountain Climb and descent ahead it was going to be pretty close. I'm not sure if it was that I am actually getting in better shape or the thought of having microwave pizza for dinner (it was the pizza), but I flew up Blood Mountain. I stopped on the summit for a minute to take in the views and snap some pictures. As i was about to descend, two really cute girls happened to be coming up to the summit from the opposite direction. I asked them to get a picture of me with my camera. They told me they were staying at the Blood Mountain Shelter, and asked if I was staying there. For a second I thought about dropping my pack and saying yes. But my stomach took over and I said goodbye and sped down the mountain. I made it to Neel Gap at about 5:10, which was much faster than I expected. I bought a frozen pizza, beef jerky, Dr. Pepper, Combos, chocolate chip cookies, and split a tin of pringles with Conductor. It was all gone within the hour. Then I took a shower and did some laundry. The hostel was really cool with a little kitchen and TV room filled with VHS movies. Daddy-O also had hitched ahead to the hostel to wait on Gummy Bear, so I got to see him again. We watched Fargo and then Meet the Parents, then sacked out.
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

I got to sleep in really late today -8:15. It was nice and well needed since I didn't go to bed until 9:30, way too late on the AT. Had to wait for the store to open at 8:30 to resupply food and fuel. I left a little later than usual, close to 10:00. I was hoping to push about 15 today to Blue Mountain, but the going was much tougher than I had expected. My right foot felt like I had broken a bone in it on the first climb, it just wouldn't stop hurting. I took my shoes off at the top of the climb for a few minutes and it went away. Some of the descents today were very, very steep with nothing but rocks going down. Coming down one of them, I slipped and my trekking pole also happened to slip and I came down with all of my weight onto my locked left knee, hyperextending it. It hurt extremely bad and even the Vitamin I couldn't make it go away. But what is there to do but press on. I heard a bunch of owls at about 3 in the afternoon, which I thought was kind of strange. Then I was walking through a grassy patch that almost came alive as crickets began to jump everywhere around me. It was a really cool thing to see. There were some pretty good views today, but most of these mountains are too obstructed by trees to get any really good views. I met a few SOBO section hikers, but mostly hiked alone all day. I got to the shelter at about 3:45 and no one was there. It was filled with flies, and the guidebook said that about 8 years ago a guy woke up in the same shelter to a bear straddling him. I decided to set up the hammock at one of the campsites instead. Conductor and Cornbread showed up about 5:15, followed by a young girl and guy from Kansas and Missouri, respectively. The guy's trail name was Cornelius and the girl, Laura, didn't have one yet. We cooked dinner and made a fire then sat around and talked. I was telling them how I got my trail name and it turns out that Cornelius and Laura also love Flight of the Conchords, so we sat around the fire going back and forth with quotes from the show. It was a pretty fun night. Then got in the hammock and went to bed.
Date: 2008-05-07
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got off at about 8:30 after eating some oatmeal. I'm really loving this alcohol stove now that I am getting the hang of cooking with it. The morning was easy going since it was up an old logging road. My knee was still bothering me pretty bad, so I was moving slower than usual. After last nights conversation with Cornelius and Laura, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Flight of the Conchords CD in the morning. I followed that with last weeks Car Talk, which always brightens my day. Then some Nickel Creek and Vampire Weekend and the iPod is about dead. But at least it took my mind off of my knee pain. I made it to Blue Mountain Shelter pretty quickly, even though Rocky Mountain was a huge climb. I met Needles who was already there, and I had seen him around the day before. He lives in Missoula, Montana and got his name because he is a tattoo artist. He is a really cool guy and I've enjoyed hanging out with him because we go at almost the same pace. I introduced Cornelius and Laura to Needles, which Needles followed by asking if he was like Cornelius from Planet of the Apes. I then said that naturally that would make Laura's trailname have to be Dr. Zaius(the main female ape for those of you not familiar with Planet of the Apes), and the name stuck. After lunch I tried hiking with an ACE bandage on my knee. It still hurt, but felt a lot better. More up and downs all afternoon. I thought the final climb up Tray Mountain would never end. I saw a wild turkey on the way up, its amazing how close you can get to the animals on the AT than you could in other places. The views from the top of Tray were amazing and I got some great pictures. The shelter was pretty full tonight. We had Groundpounder from Connecticut, real nice guy and talked quite a bit. Ranger Rick was from Wisconsin, a retired contractor/carpenter, he had also done some volunteer work in Waveland after Katrina so I got to talk to him about that. He wasn't a real big hiker, but decided he wanted to spend about 5 weeks on the AT and see where it took him, which is a pretty admirable thing to do. Conductor was already there and Cornbread, Needles, Cornelius, and Dr. Zaius showed up later. I've really enjoyed getting to hang out with them, and I am kinda glad this knee has slowed me down to hike with them. Aphex showed up last after putting in a 25 miler. He's heading to Maryland, and at his pace he'll probably be there in about an hour. Just did the usual cooking dinner and getting in bed. Pretty excited about going into a town tomorrow.
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up pretty early today, about 6:45 and was on the trail at 7:45. Conductor, Cornbread, Cornelius, and Dr. Zaius were still in bed, and Needles left just before I did. I was pretty cold this morning on top of the mountain, but the descent warmed me up. I was moving at a pretty good pace getting to down to the gap when I heard something to the left. I looked over and behind a tree there was a bear (they do exist!). It took one look at me and ran off to the woods, I didn't even have time to pull out my camera. The rest of the day flew by pretty fast as I fantasized about what my order would be when I got to McDonald's that afternoon. I played leapfrog with Needles and got to talk to him a few times at breaks. Passed a group of two girls and a guy with two dogs wearing packs. Then I passed Groundpounder and Ranger Rick. The 1200 foot climb up Kelly Knob was not fun at all. My knee was killing me and it was pretty much just straigt up the side with no switchbacks. But the view was spectacular, and worth the climb. The rest of the day was pretty much downhill towards Dicks Creek Gap, which is where Hwy. 76 is. I got there about 1:45 and got a snack and cooled off. Groundpounder and Ranger Rick showed up a little later and we got a hitch into Hiawassee. I checked into the Holiday Inn and got a much needed shower. I then proceeded straight to McDonald's where I ordered a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Large Fry and Dr. Pepper. Quite possibly one of the finest meals this palate has ever tasted. I went down the street to get an Iced Latte and go over the miles for the next few days. The Rite Aid was across town, but I figured they would have a good selection of knee braces. So I walked all the way over there to find the worst selection of everything I have ever seen at a drugstore. I walked back to the Ingles Supermarket right next to my hotel to find an assortment of knee braces and many other things I needed. I was so tired and standing in a daze staring at vitamins that I didn't even notice Needles standing right next to me saying hello. He's staying at Cloud 9 and taking a zero day tomorrow so I probably won't see him for awhile. I got some necessities and headed back to the hotel to ice down the knee and call the parents. Cornelius called me about 6:30 and I met him, Dr. Zaius, Conductor, and Cornbread at Daniel's Steakhouse for the AYCE buffet. I had a heaping amount of food and ate my ice cream so fast I had the worst brainfreeze I've ever had. I'm really loving this eat anything you want and still lose weight. The owner of the motel that they were staying at let them borrow his car to go to dinner so they dropped me back off at my hotel. I did some laundry, soaked my knee in the jacuzzi reciting Eddie Murphy's lines from Trading Places, finally got to update my journal, and went to sleep. Until next time...
Date: 2008-05-09
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Deep Gap Campsite
Miles today: 15.8

Sorry its been awhile since I updated last. The past two towns that I have stopped in did not have internet access. So I have quite a bit of updating to do. I got up this morning and had some continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn. I stole some bagels and jelly for Cornelius and Dr. Zaius in return for them charging my iPod. The owner of the hotel where they stayed runs an AT shuttle so they all came and picked me up for the ride back to the trail. He was a really nice guy and they said he was very quiet, but he sure liked voicing his opinions on the subprime mortgage crisis. Not early morning banter for me. The hiking was climbs most of the morning, but great cool weather and lots of foliage. We stopped at Muskrat Creek Shelter for a late afternoon break, but decided to push on to the next shelter for the night. The miles after Muskrat Creek were very rocky, so we decided to stop in a gap and camp for the night instead of going all the way to the shelter. The hiking was absolutely beautiful though. The sun was just starting to go down through the trees and the vegetation was really pretty. Listened to a podcast of This American Life - a really interesting story about a small island in the south pacific called Nairu, which is like the world's foremost laundromat for dirty money. We got to the campsite around dusk, and it started getting pretty cold, looking like there might be some bad weather. Hung the hammock, and got in bed.
Date: 2008-05-10
From: Deep Gap Campsite

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Apparently last night some rednecks came and parked at the road near the gap and camped in the back of their truck. Conductor said he thought they were making noises to try to mess with us, but nothing serious. It started pouring rain about 2 am, and I guess that shut them up. It had stopped raining by sunrise, and none of my stuff got too wet. We took a very leisurely time getting packed up to let our rainflys dry completely so that we wouldn't have to carry the extra water weight. It was Saturday, so I was hoping to be able to listen to Car Talk on my little radio, but it was not strong enough to pick up a signal. I guess I'll have to wait until I can update my iPod. As if we weren't moving slow enough this morning, we stopped at Standing Indian Shelter (1.7 miles in) to eat 2nd Breakfast. There are signs up everywhere about a very aggressive bear that has been stalking the area. Very comforting. Finally got going again for the climb up Standing Indian Mountain. Long climb, but the grade was really easy with plenty of switchbacks. There were some pretty views from the summit, but still being so far south, most of the mountains have a lot of trees on the summits which blocks most of the view. Very long relaxing descent down the mountain, but saw a large, and very fresh piece of bear scat in the middle of the trail. It's always a little disconcerting. At the bottom of the mountain was a nice little oasis with nice, tall leafy trees surrounding a stream. Conductor was there having lunch, andI was just about to join him when I noticed that my iPod was missing from my hipbelt. It must've fallen off on the descent. I was not happy. I dropped my pack and literally sprinted about a mile and a half back up the mountain looking for it. I finally ran into some hikers who had picked it up. What a relief! So then I had to run all the way back down, grab my pack and start moving again to make up time. I caught up with everyone at Carter Gap for a little lunch. Next was the climb up Albert Mountain, which was really more of a rock climb than hiking. There were points where I had to throw my trekking poles ahead of me and use my hands to get up the rocks. It was pretty tiring coupled with my cardio workout from my lost iPod fiasco. But there was a firetower on top of the mountain with some beautiful views. From there it was a short hike to the shelter. I met Rewind and Ringold there. It was pretty cool because I remembered seeing Rewind's trailjournal before I left as he started about two days before me. Goliath also happened to be there and we hadn't seen him in quite a while. Sadly Cornbread is getting off the trail in Franklin for good. He was a real trooper and for 72 years old, he put us all to shame. Alas he says that backpacking is just not his thing.
Date: 2008-05-11
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

It rained pretty hard most of the night last night. Cornbread said he talked to the Big Man before he went to sleep, and it did stop raining right about the time we woke up. Got a pretty early start because its a town day, so we have to cram as many meals in as we can. We'll have our farewell meal for Cornbread. It sprinkled on and off most of the morning, and at one point was hailing. Ran into this huge Golden Retriever puppy who was really friendly. He was with aday hiker couple from Franklin. Pretty easy hike into town. I got to the road right after Cornbread and Conductor. It took a few minutes to finally get a hitch into town.   An old farmer in a pickup finally picked us up and took us to Haven's Budget Inn. He was a nice guy and talked for quite a bit after he dropped us off. The rooms were not ready yet so we sat in the parking lot for a while, but it was nice because the owner, Ron Haven, showed up so we got to talk to him. Ron is famous on the trail for being a really nice guy and going out of his way to take care of hikers on the trail. He is quite a character, and never seemed to run out of things to talk about. I told him I was from Mississippi, so he started telling me all about his days as a pro wrestler working the Southeast Circuit, which included the Gulf Coast. He was a great storyteller and had some funny stories about that. He said that in his first semester of college a man had come through town recruiting for wrestling, and at the drop of a hat, Ron was off to become MR. X, the pro wrestler. After that, I got my room and took a shower. I got to watch the end of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which I was pretty excited about. Then we all went to eat at a Roadhouse Grill type place, and I had a huge cheeseburger and fries. Went back to the hotel and got to watch the second half of Raiders of the Lost Ark. How could this day get any better? I'll tell you. Conductor and I went to the gas station to buy candybars and ran into 10K and Ping Pong, father and son section hikers, who told us of an old time ice cream parlor. So we ran back, grabbed Cornbread and went to the Ice Cream place. I had a hot dog and enormous chocolate milkshake. Keep in mind that all of this food consumption was within about 3-4 hours. After that feast I went back to the room and made some phone calls, then got in bed to watch Deadliest Catch. Unfortunately I fell asleep during the only episode that I had not seen.
Date: 2008-05-12
From: Franklin, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Got up and went to a local diner to get some breakfast with Cornbread and Conductor. I had a huge slab of country ham, two eggs, grits, toast, and coffee. And ate every bite. We went back and said our goodbyes to Cornbread, and I got to watch Saved by the Bell and Fresh Prince while we waited on the shuttle to pick us up. I met some British guys, Charlie, Tom, Paul, and Michael who had come over to do a thru hike as well. They said that they had decided to do a thru hike after reading Bill Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods", which I thought was pretty cool. Ron dropped us off and the trail, and said to call him if we ran into any trouble and he would help us out. And he is the kind of guy that I think really would. There was gunfire on the ridge that we were hiking towards, which made for a somewhat scary experience, but the trail took a turn and went away from it. I passed Charlie and Tom, who were taking a break and reading their SAS survival books and arguing over how to build a lean-to; which I found quite comical and very English. Kept hiking and passed a few more people, met a guy named Kevin and he said he had heard of me. It's really funny how the AT is just one big community, where everybody has kind of heard of everybody and you eventually meet them all. Booked it all evening and made good time to the shelter. Rewing and Ringold were there and I squeezed into the last shelter spot, as it looked to be a cold night. Met Homeward Bound, Bear Bait, and the Triforce (Logan, Jarrod, and Sam). Ate Ramen and got in bed. NOC tomorrow.
Date: 2008-05-14
From: Unknown Campsite

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

As you can imagine, we slept in a little late the next morning. But we had a good headstart on a very steep climb. We finally got up around 930 (very late for hikers) and got going. Not bad going, but a little rain. Had lunch at Sassafras Gap Shelter and swapped favorite South Park episodes with Needles and Cornelius, then moved on. There were some really pretty views atop Cheoah Bald, and saw Dr. Z there. Made it to Brown Fork Gap and Triforce and Conductor were already there. Cornelius showed up, but Dr. Z must have been in the zone because she walked right past the shelter and kept going. So, Cornelius had to pack up camp and his dinner and go on to catch her. Needles showed up after that, I saw him pacing around looking up while he was selecting his tentsite. I asked what he was doing and he said he has this funny fear of a branch falling on his tent in the middle of the night, so we had a good laugh about that. No bear cables, so I had to throw an actual bear line which is annoying. I got my journal out to write in it for the day, when I discovered the waterproof paper had gotten wet and bled all of the ink off. Needless to say, I was quite upset. So I just got in my bag and went to sleep.
Date: 2008-05-15
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

Got up and out by about 8. Easy hiking down towards Fontana. About 2 miles in I ran across the yellow Black Diamond Tent where Cornelius had finally caught Dr. Z and they had pitched the tent. I ate lunch with Conductor at Cable Gap Shelter, which was pretty run down. Almost all downhill from there which made for some fast hiking. Got to the Marina with Conductor and called a shuttle to pick us up. I got a room at the lodge, but Conductor opted to stay in the AT shelter, known as the "Fontana Hilton" for being one of the nicest shelters. I emptied my pack in my room and picked up my mail drop and my bounce box. Thanks everybody at S.F. Alman for the notes. Always good to hear from yall. I finally got my Suunto watch also, which is a great help for reading the weather and measuring how big the climbs are. I took a shower and changed into some real, cotton clothes which was a very nice change. I got a burger at the grill and then threw some laundry in, and went to the general store. Planet of the Apes was there, so we sat around and ate a bunch of junk food. There were two beds in my room, so I offered the other one to them, as I think there were not any other rooms left. We went to eat at the nice Bistro restaurant, where I was able to procure another Sweetwater 420, and I made Cornelius a believer in its magical taste. I had some pork tenderloin with sweet potato polenta which was like heaven after eating nothing but pasta and ramen. Who should we see, across the restaurant, but of course needles. He came over and ate with us and told us about all of the artwork that he does on the side from being a tattoo artist. He gave me his business card which had some really cool artwork on it and I told him that if my roommate Wayne still wanted to take a roadtrip to Montana, that we would come check out his artwork, maybe even get a tattoo. (You didn't read that mom.) He has already hiked the Smokies, so he is going to takea zero day here and then get shuttled halfway up the Smokies so that he will be able to meet us in Hot Springs. After the dinner we went back to the room and packed, watched Austin Powers, and went to sleep.