morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Fontana Dam, NC (hotel)

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: few clouds

Daylight savings time, will make hiking very interesting. More sunshine to walk in but will my body hold up?PA Mule, Riva Queen, Cuppa Joe and I headed out and hit the trail at 930. Later then we like but we were at the mercy of the Fontana shuttle. The dam is a mighty impressive one. The trail crosses the top. Looking down the wall was really fun.At breakfast, we were joined by a young man who was not hiking but is an engineer who was up working on the hydropower system at the dam. It was interesting to know that Fontana is all automated.The day was deceptively beautiful, sunny and bright. Truth be known, the wind reminded us we were above 4000 feet, therefore COLD. Crossing every ridge was rude awareness of how cold it really was.Interesting thing about the Smokey Mountains, we share the AT with people who are on horses. The sun was warm enough to melt some of the snow, the horses trample the trail, we slog through mud. Some parts of the trail are almost a foot and a half below grade, and all mud.But happiness can be found everywhere. On one upward slog, a voice ahead says "hey sox" and lo and behold, it is Rosalynn. The rumors of her removal from Standing Indian were hot air. We trudged together, leapfrogging each other and Cuppa Joe all the way to the shelter.Nice shelter holds 14. Here in the Smokey, thruhikers have to give up space for people with reservations. Tonight, it is full of hikers only. Shivering our butts off in the cold.But we're still up and it's 900p.m.Not for long. There is discussion of sleeping in tomorrow.Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Tough day today. It was only 11 miles. Eleven grueling miles over frozen mud, slippery mud, frozen streams, frozen snow, frozen horse turds, little strips of frozen greenery. It was wonderful. At one point we were over 5000feet and the view was panoramic. North Carolina on one side and Tennessee on the other. Snow dusted big hills.All who were at Mollies struggled through and got here as well as a few from nearer shelters. We're doing the sardine sleep in. Kick Stand and Dingle have us laughing. Good way to wind down.Rosalynn was the last one in. I thought I would be since I'm not used to this kind of hiking but it was all around hard on everyone. Oh, Rosalynn is now Skirt. We're Skirt and Sox looking for Shirt. Har har.Yertle has a fire going. Folks have socks and boots lined up. Mine are up there. The neoprene sox busted holes today. Real motivation to keep moving. Walking with freezing cold water sloshing inside the socks. Thankfully, I had wool socks on underneath, but still rude. I need to make them work for two more days ¢til I get to Gatlinburg where hopefully my hiking shoes will be in the mail. Don't think it will freeze tonight. The days are getting warmer, but the elevation continues to make for chilly night. Skirt and I plan to do only seven tomorrow. Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-06
From: DerrickKnob

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Okay, it took only six hours to do seven miles. Today was really beautiful. The sun shining bright. The temperature balmy. The wind a mild teasing breeze. In fact after noon the sun started feeling hot. Pooja got a sunburn. The neoprene socks situation...I elected to wear liner and wool socks and no neoprene. The thought was that in the beginning I had a problem with my feet getting hot. With the sun out, I figure as I walk, the wool would dry out between the wet sections. It worked most of the time until we were slogging through snow melt near continuously. But the sunshine made it all pleasant.The troop here tonight is pretty much the same as last night. We got here early enough we had a good old time. Sponge baths in cold spring water, rinse out socks, underwear and long johns. We sat out in the sunshine in our shorts and mellowed out, making plans for tomorrow. It was one of those wonderful afternoons that makes the walk on the AT more pleasant. No pressure to get somewhere. The temperature pleasant enough to sit outside and enjoy each others company. A magical moment we shared.On the walk, scared up a grouse. There are some pretty little white flowers with red stripes. Some interesting variegated greenery showing up. And at this shelter, the Frasier spruce.Mostly our walks have been through mostly woods that are shut down for winter. Bare branches. Bare trees. The last two miles here started looking green. A Christmas-y thing with spruce and snow. A nice change.Tommorrow, Clingman's Dome. The highest point on the trail. Very exciting. Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-07
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The morning started with two does walking through camp. Boy, are the deer here huge. Did I say that before? They seemed unconcerned about us being there.6.3 miles of snow slush. Mostly a beautiful sunny day. But most of the walk was under the spruce trees so the sun sparkled through, lightly teasing us as we walked.We ended up meeting at the Clingman¢s Dome observation deck around lunch time. It was interesting since this was appearing to be another splittingtime. Yertle and KickStand were going into Gatlinburg for supplies and jumping out. Skirt, Dingle and I elected to come to this shelter and get into Gatlinburg in the morning, spend the day running errands. Me, the post office, Skirt to the grocery store and Dingle to the outfitters.   According to the register, this shelter apparently doesn't see much action, being half a mile off the trail. But as the evening has worn on, we have a full shelter. Section hikers, faster thruhikers, week vacation hikers. Interesting bunch.Skirt and I talked a little bit about how strange parting ways and meeting a new set of hikers is. We wonder if the feeling stays strange or if we ever get used to it. Something to stay aware about as the time passes.Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-08
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg)
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Ahhh...better living with chemistry and machinery. The Gatlinburg drop contained 600mg Ibuprofen and a knee brace for lateral stability. The gang couldn't get it together to get a shuttle. Some people wanted to do more errands in town and so the group split. I ended up thumbing a ride with BearBehind at the edge of town. Apparently we were lucky, we got ride within 15 minutes of getting on the road. A nice couple from Long Island. They had been in Gatlinburg as a base for some day hikes. Thanks!
Date: 2004-04-09
From: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg)

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

BearBehind was concerned about my hiking in shoes so he stayed with me to Ice Water Spring Shelter. Had a hot spot develop on the right heel. Got it taped before a blister showed up.From there I released him from his promise and we hiked our own pace to the next shelter, 7.4 miles away. I was feeling good with the shoes, the knee brace was doing its thing, the hip exercises and 600mg of Ibu added good vibes to the wonderful balmy weather we had today.The warming trend has been doing its thing to the snow up here in the Smokies. A lot of had melted and dried out quite a lot of the trail. I left Ice Water Spring Shelter around 145, figuring it would take me 5 to 5 and half hours to do the 7.4 miles. Most of this part of the trail is truly ridge walking. Gentle ups and downs. Weaving from the east side to the west side, walking right on the ridge, barely three feet wide with drops on both sides. The vistas were breath taking.I did the tourist thing and checked out the Charlies Bunion. Now that is one awesome geological site. I even got a KFC fried chicken wing from a thruhiker who carried some up from town. We took pictures of each other up on the rock.I had the trail with a number of younger, faster walkers, all headed for Pecks. I knew I would be late and probably not get shelter space. But as I was making the last half mile to the shelter BearBehind came up the trail looking for me. He told me Scholar and SweetLeaf saved me a space. We have a tent city going here tonight.As I was starting my supper, two hikers came through and were surprised that the shelter was full. It turned out they had reservations. The rule is they have priority for shelter space so I gave up my space. Found a relatively flat space and set up the tarp. I sat down to eat and the two hikers came to join me at the fire pit where I had fixed supper. We got to talking and it turned out they were from Holland. They were simply amazed that people voluntarily hike over two thousand miles on the AT. One asked me why and I told him we are all crazy. They shared some about how different hiking here in the Smokies is from hiking anywhere in Europe. I had a great time talking with them. They tried to teach me to say "It's cold" in Dutch. I laughed at them and told them about our past week of walking in snow. They really think we are nuts. This was fun.Today's walk was the return of green things and wonderful little flowers by the side of the trail. The air was warm enough the spruce perfumed the air. One again I am seeing little bugs. Today's walk made me believe I could walk forever it was so beautiful. Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-10
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Slow start this morning. I knew I was planning only to go 5.2 miles. It was my thought that I would shelter jump hoping to let Skirt catch up with me. That idea started to fade when I got here and a lot of fast walkers from IceWaterSpring shelter right out of Newfound Gap said they didn't see her there last night. I wonder if she and Dingle decided to spend a zero in Gatlinburg.As a day hike, today wasn't difficult. Parts that faced north still had some heavy snow still piled up. It was that slushy snow that when you take a step, you can feel your foot slide a little bit back. So for every four steps forward, one slides back a total of one step. Top it off; the day was grey and cloudy. A bit chilly threatening rain all day.Got another hot spot on my pinky toe. Stopped to tape it up but when I got to the shelter and looked, it had developed a blister. Of all places, on my pinky toe!Arrived here around 2. Sweetleaf and a ridgerunner were here. Made some hot cocoa and had a sit down lunch of sardines and vegetable crackers. Yummy. I think I'm missing oily stuff. I also had bought a small bag of radishes. A nice change of pace from dry fruit and nuts, dehydrated dinners and muesli everyday.Spent the remainder of the day talking to the ridgerunner about his job. A most interesting job.As the day passed, many fast walkers came by for lunch. I asked aboutDingle and Skirt and no one remembered seeing them. Later on our crowd here now is four women and Largo and the ridgerunner. Rain is falling off and on. Chilly.Early supper and we're hunkered in our sleeping bags, reading and chitchatting. New Englanders talkingtalking about other hiking they have done. Some serious hikers in this batch.We will be one of the last batches of folks using this shelter. The ridge runner said this shelter is scheduled for a move. Next week, they will be taking the roof off and putting a tarp on it. The rumor is they will be closing this shelter and building a new shelter at another location. Glad I'm here now.As I'm typing, three more folks have walked in. Getting lively here.Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-11
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter (?)
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: moderate rain

Slow start since it was a moderate mileage. I wanted to see how my feet would hold out. SweetLeaf mentioned she did better with only one sock layer. So walked in my liner socks only. No new hot spots, but the pinky toe turned into a blister by the end of the day. Today opened grey and sprinkling on and off. As I started, the clouds rolled in and visibility narrowed for awhile. At one point on a ridge, I was above the clouds and could watch the wind swirl the clouds up the hill.Most of today was down hill. Coming down in elevation was nice. The first part of the day at the high elevation, walked in slush. But as I walked farther down, more green and the flowers started showing up again. The little white flowers, the little violet flowers and a new flower...yellow lily looking flowers.Also the return of the rhododendron thickets. This time the thickets seem taller and straighter.Got to the shelter earlier then I calculated. Probably the downhill. This is a smaller shelter, but the chain fence is gone. Ridgerunner Jon explained the chains are removed when there has been a certain amount of time of no bear sightings. As the rain kept falling, more people showed up. Two guys from Peck showed up after all the spots were taken who told us that two more hikers were behind them, Dingle and Skirt! That made my day.Later on they did show up, wet and cold. Dingle set up his tent down the slope. The rain is letting up but the report Jon got over the radio says the chances have increased. All I can say is I would rather have rain then snow.Tommorrow, hope to get to Standing Bear Farm Hostel.Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-12
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Green Corner Road (Standing Bear Farm Hostel)
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: moderate rain

AAAHHHRRRGG!!!Today, I wished I had my Flower book or at least a SLR camera with a macro lens.First things first. Passed two landmarks. Made it through the Smokies and passed the ten percent mark, 217 miles.Woke up this morning to grey cloud and rain. The discussion last night was to make a run for Standing Bear Farm. If one does mileage right, Hot Springs is a three day trip. This place is really nice. It's only 150 feet off the trail. Bunk house, shower house, cook house and a computer/laundry room.The walk here was great. We dropped elevation from 4700 feet to 1850 feet. The change in flora was amazing.The rhododendron thickets, the little flowers, in fact all sorts of new flowers are blooming. Deciduous trees starting to put out greenery. Saw my first jack-in-the-pulpit. Also saw my first poison ivy. Glad I'm hiking in long pants. Trillium of all sorts.Walking down from the clouds was an interesting feeling. At first the water in the cloud just condenses on the body, then getting lower, it falls as rain. At around lunch time, the sun came peeking out. Humid and warm. All in all a good day of hiking.Got here in better time then I figured out. Once again, the down hill went faster with the brace. It may weigh but it makes hiking a more pleasant affair for me.The crowd here: Sweetleaf, Dingle, and Skirt from the old crowd. Largo, Ray-el, Laura and Navigator from the last shelter stop. A few new faces of fast hikers. We've got a fire going the fire ring and drinking some local beer. Looking forward to catching up with Kickstand and Yertle. Been looking for Ayce. BearBehind will meet up in Hot Springs. Hard to think that in time some of the folks around the fire ring will drop off somewhere up ahead. Only time will tell who will be in Maine. Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Green Corner Road (Standing Bear Farm Hostel)

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: light rain

All night it rained. The sound of rain falling on the tin roof over my bunk was pleasant. Walking to the privy in middle of the night was not.In the morning it was still raining. Every one had mixed feelings about going out. About half decided to head out and half decided to zero. Me, I headed out. The rain actually stopped about an hour into the walk.The first part of the walk was uphill, uphill, uphill. Actually, it was a nice hike up. Switchbacks well thought out. Sad to see the flowers disappear except for the little white flowers. At one ridge, the flowers covered the whole field area. It looked like a light dusting of snow.The weather felt like it was warming up; the sun kept trying to pop through. The wind blowing chilly. All in all a good day of hiking. One big uphill, one big downhill, nice weather.Got to the shelter early. I might be getting better about this then I had hoped, about making mileage. But for now I'm still breaking in my feet. No new blisters. There was already a crowd here. Got the last spot in the shelter. Rumor as far as the weather, maybe rain, maybe snow. I prefer the warmth of all the bodies. And no hassle of setting up the tarp. But I did scope out the popular tenting area here. Very nice. And as the day wore on, more and more folks showed up. We have a tiny tent city going on out around the shelter. The most interesting thing here is the mysterious disappearance of Sanguine. She walked ahead this morning, a change from the normal walk she has with Navigator. They planned to meet at Brown Gap. But when he got there, no sign of Sanguine. Navigator walked back three miles to the shelter, where we squeezed over for him because Sanguine has the tent. Hopefully, we all will find her at the agreed spot for tomorrow. Her register note says something about caffeine rush. Maybe she rushed right past the agreed camping spot.Although we went up in altitude, there were some new observables. I saw a HUGH millipede...centipede? It was a good two inches. An earthworm so thin, the only way I notice it was I was looking at this interesting root formation when I notice this "hair" move. It was a good eight inches long but the thickness of a pencil lead. Saw my first snake. Baby rattler? He was sitting on a rock on the path in the sun. I said hello and walked around.I'm writing this during my a.m. pee break. I was getting chilly, so I built a fire and everyone came together so it was too noisy to write earlier. I can see white stuff out side the shelter roof line. Looks like we walk in sow tomorrow. Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

Packing today's trail snacks was easy. Granola bar, candy bar, breakfast bar and energy bar. The weather and planned distance dictated. Cold, windy, snowing, 13 miles, elevation change from 2850 to 4629. The next shelter is 11.3 miles. Snow is light at Groundhog Creek but we know it will be deeper up the hill.So, today was a day of contemplation as the walk was done in cold blowing wind, trudging slowly uphill. No time to stop or pay dearly. The route included the Max Patch summit. A "bald" that is now artificially kept bald. Also the highest point on this route. When I got there, the wind was ferocious. The cloud cover made visibility minimal. No footprints to follow as the wind had taken them away.One is to follow the carefully spaced 4by4's on the hill. The cloud cover was thick enough that I had to step away about 5 feet before I could make out the next one. The wind threatened to rip my pack cover off, as well as me off my feet.It¢s supposed to have this wonderful view from the top, but all I saw was blowing snow. I could tell by the ice on the 4 by 4's that everyone before me had as much fun as I did weaving and struggling with the wind.Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

My longest day, almost 15 miles. Coming off the hill into the valley was great. We woke up to sunshine and the snow melting. Good day to try hiking my longest day.Last night at the shelter we crammed twelve people into a 10 person shelter. A number of tenters. Last night's entry got shortened due to cold fingers. My fingered gloves were wet. Last couple days met some interesting folks. Gentlemen from Verona: Papa Bear, Badger and Spoon. They brought a different attitude. "Papa Bear, would you like some tea?" "Badger, would you like a piece of chocolate?" "Spoon, would you like some chicken with your soup?" Three older guys. They were interesting.The next interesting set of folks I met was the Hobbit twins; Holly and Heidi. Walking into Roaring Forks, I stopped to look at something when I realized there were two people behind me. They were patiently waiting for me I guess. They both are short little girls, twins. They walk together quietly and quickly. They are really cute.Then there was Speed and Breathless. Two postal carriers from South Carolina. Taking time off without leave to do the Trail. They have been married for a number of years and decided this time was the time to do the trail. They are hiking in tennies. But they have a system that works for them. They planned for this trip so thoroughly they have it pat.The case of the missing hiker cleared up. Apparently Sanguine went farther then the agreed meeting place. Caused some rough moments between her and Navigator. Looks like things will be changed between them from here on out. The trail saga. I'll be leaving Sweetleaf here. She's getting her doggie fix so she'll be zeroing here for a few days. Another change.Here in Hot Springs caught up with Kickstand and Yertle. A lot of beer drinking and catching up. Now the discussion is to stay or not to stay. Ray-el and I are talking about heading out. We'll see. Skirt and Dingle are going to try separating for the hike. For now, I think I'll excuse myself for a shower and early bed.Namaste'
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mt Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Well, Hot Springs was a fiasco. My mail drop containing food was not at the post office. Thankfully, packages from Helen and Irene were. After scrounging with other hikers, I only had breakfast and half my snacks to purchase.Talked to Paul by phone for half an hour. Trying to figure out what went wrong. All in all, fopas occurred but everything works out okay. Got out of Hot Springs a tad after noon, my goal timing.It was a beautiful day to hike. The sun shinning, warm and balmy. Low enough that I got to see lots of pretty flowers, butterflies, and not too many people. Trail fest in Hot Springs kept a number of folks in town.My calculations for how long it would take me to get to the shelter was fairly on. Seven hours.At the first water break, met Snowman and Cheers. Two young men not staying for the party in town. I hoisted off some ginger snaps from Irene on them. Their goal was also this shelter.Got here to find two older gentlemen, Slow-Walker and Epiphanies, in the shelter. The young men are camping up on the hill. We're suppose to start seeing the Virginids and the start of April Lyrids meteor showers. I figure since I have a habit of getting up around midnight, I'll take a peek then.Some interesting things on the trail today. I suppose they were memorial stones. Names and dates. Just sitting out in the woods. Today was good. The company tonight more my speed, quiet. I'm enjoying sitting here listening to the hum of the pocketmail backlight. Sleeping bag laid out I'm fed, watered and tired. I think I will sleep tonight.Namaste'