morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

April 16, 2004 ¢ Derrick Knob Shelter to Mt. Collins Shelter ¢ 13.5 miles on AT (plus 0.5 side trail to shelter)Warm weather. Most of the snow has melted except on the north sides of hills. Still really sloppy hiking. Hiked through some evergreens today. You could smell the firs. Saw a red squirrel. Long gradual climb up to Clingman¢s Dome - the highest mountain on the hike ¢ 6643 feet. The views were nice, but you had to climb a man-made tower with the tourists to see them.   If they are going to put roads up these mountains, the least they could do is add a snack bar and bathrooms! I¢m still dreaming of the Whites and boy, has my appetite picked up. It¢s a good thing we won¢t be out as many days after this so I can carry more food!
Date: 2004-04-17
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

April 17, 2004 ¢ Mt. Collins Shelter to Pecks Corner Shelter ¢ 14.9 miles on AT (plus 0.5 on both ends to get to and from the shelters ¢ 15.9 miles hiked)Saw red squirrels, a brown thrasher, blue jays, more juncos, more bluets and those little white flowers with the pin-striped petals. First few miles paralleled the road up Clingman¢s and went to the parking lot/outlook at New Found Gap. A bit touristy there with buses and bikes and the usual suspects. Took a while to get past the day hikers and back into the wilderness. I was hoping to wash my face and hands at the restrooms there, but they had hand sanitizer ¢ no soap!! Another night with a wet wipe. Stopped at Icewater Spring Shelter for a midday snack and then the Smokies redeemed themselves in my eyes. Absolutely gorgeous views to the left and right of the trail. The AT literally ran the ridge. Sometimes you wondered how they kept the trail from falling down the side of the mountain. There was a lot of shale today and more evergreens. Pictures will not do this stretch justice. I know I¢ll have to come back and do this section again. Views that rival any in the Whites. You just can¢t describe them in words. Had to keep stopping to ooh and aah. Still made read good time to the shelter.I got some peanut butter crackers, a bag of salted almonds and a cliff bar from a weekend hiker. That should supplement the snacks to Davenport Gap. Oh, went through a Beech Forest protection area today. They have several acres of Beech Forest fenced in. There¢s about a 3 foot wire fence (like the one we had around the garden) and where the trail goes through they have funny grated walk-ups so you can go over. The fences are supposed to keep out non-native wild boar which cause extensive environmental damage, especially to Beech Forests. That would explain the rangers we¢ve seen hunting wild pigs.
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

April 18, 2004 ¢ Pecks Corner Shelter to Cosby Knob Shelter ¢ 12.9 milesAnother gorgeous sunny warm day and an easy walk. Had some views, but not as extensive as yesterday. Very gradual ups and downs. More of the same flowers plus some little yellow ones that must be in the orchid family. The flower stalk hangs over but the petals all curl up and touch again, leaving the stamen hanging, at least 2 ovalish leaves at the base of the flower stalk, green, but a bit motley colored/molled looking on the edges. Saw more red squirrels, heard more grouse, lots more birds. Also think I saw a few moles, voles or field mice run across the trail.We were at the shelter by 2:20 today with two long breaks. I wish we could have gone further, but the next shelter is 7.7 miles and it doesn¢t gain us anything since we¢re planning a stop in Davenport Gap tomorrow night anyway. After tomorrow we¢ll have more flexibility to adjust our daily miles. That will be nice. We seem to have gotten permanently ahead of any of the crew we were hiking with the first week or so. We pass by slower hikers in a day or two and the fast ones we see for a night or two and then they¢re ahead and we read about their progress in the shelter journals. The mailman and I are still hoping Hobbes will catch us by Hot Springs.
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

April 19, 2004 ¢ Cosby Knob Shelter to Standing Bear Farm ¢ 10.4 milesAnother beautiful day. We were up early and on the trail by ten after 7. We took a little side trip mid-morning to Mt. Cammerer. There is an old lookout tower there with a 300 degree view, well worth the 1.2 miles off the trail. We followed the ridge line down to Davenport Gap, then we followed a mountain stream to Interstate 40. The vegetation was spectacular and the stream inviting. Almost stopped to soak my feet, but was anticipating a real shower. Saw lots more trillium and orchids, irises, violets, wild geraniums, something that looked like columbine, the leaves anyway, but had flowers like a poppy.Got to Standing Bear Farm, a hiker hostel, about 12:30. There is a great bunk house, two showers, privy, cook cabin and a laundry/phone/internet booth. There is a creek running through the middle of everything and the folks who run the place have an old root cellar made over into a resupply shop. I¢m clean, laundry is in the drier, had pot pies for lunch and I¢m ready for an afternoon nap. I¢m out of film at the moment so we¢ll have to rely on the mailman for pictures of this place and on to Hot Springs.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

April 20, 2004 ¢ Standing Bear Farm/Green Corner Road to Roaring Fork Shelter ¢ 18.5 milesAnother biggest day yet!Had 4 root beers and a whole pizza yesterday on top of the two chicken pot pies for lunch. Had a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit for breakfast and left the wonderfully relaxing and convenient Standing Bear Farm. Had picked up enough supplies there to get to Hot Springs ¢ snacks and Lipton dinners. The mailman and I decided to try for a long day today, a stretch goal, and we made it. Went over Max Patch today. Not sure it¢s a true bald or mowed, but very interesting. 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. After that it felt like you were walking through the hills in a farming countryside but we were up above 4000 ft. Saw some more field mice today and juncos and red squirrels. We also walked through groves absolutely filled with trillium, in some spots so thick with blooms it almost made it look like there was snow on the ground. Lots more creeks and streams today then we¢ve seen previously, but we haven¢t had to take our boots off yet. Shelter has a nice water source and privy, sleeps about 8-10 -- 5 here so far. Need to clean my dinner dishes and head off to bed. FYI ¢ the yellow orchid-like flower I mentioned previously is actually a trout lily. Have seen some showy orchids too. Thanks to a North American flower book at Standing Bear Farm I was able to confirm most of the identifications I have made so far.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs - Duckett House Inn
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

April 21, 2004 ¢ Roaring Fork Shelter to Hot Springs (Duckett House Inn) ¢ 14.9 milesNot exactly a short day into town, but we were here by 2:30. More of the same from a scenery standpoint. Went through my mail box, packages and letters on the front lawn. The Duckett House Inn is an old farm house converted into a B&B ¢ very nice. No sleeping bag tonight ¢ real sheets, and I get to wash my hair with shampoo instead of hand soap.   Walked the mile into town for dinner. Had a smirnoff, goat cheese, walnut & apple salad, and a 34 lb burger and fries. Also had a two scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream cone for the walk back to the inn. My perchance for second breakfasts, multiple lunches and dinners has earned me a trail name. I¢m now knows as ¢the Hobbit¢!
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Allen Gap, NC208/I-70

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

April 22, 2004 ¢ Allen Gap, NC 208/I70 to Hot Springs ¢ 14.7 milesGreat breakfast at the Inn this morning and then we headed for the outfitters and a shuttle to Allen Gap. We slack-packed from there back into town. It was a quick hike ¢ almost 15 miles in 6 hours, but we still had time for a side trip to the Rich Mtn. Fire tower. We also tried to find an old cemetery on a side trail someone told us about, but we didn¢t have any luck. It was neat to hike a section backwards and run into some folks we¢ve met going the other way: Stairstepper, Hans, and Slow Poke. Saw a bunch of hikers we¢d never seen before too. Saw Big Stick at a pond on the trail and sat and visited for a bit. I met both Big Stick and the mailman my first night on the trail.It was steep and rocky from the ridge line down to the river with lots of switchbacks. The view of Hot Springs from the top was neat. I made it back to the outfitter in time to buy a new rain hat and food bag. Both of mine had soaked through in the last rain. Also bought some nikwax and a sleeveless T. My short sleeve shirt chafed me some under my arms today. I¢ll try it (the new one) and see if it¢s worse of better. Zero day to clean boots and do laundry tomorrow and to meet up with Allen¢s parents. Hot Springs is a bit out of their way and there is really nothing here but it will be good to see them. Saw a few new plants today: honeysuckle, fire pinks and another I¢ll need a flower book for. Walked through an area that used to be farm land and is now being managed as a habitat for turkeys and grouse. Lots of low shrubs that have berries and provide fodder and cover for the birds.
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs - Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

April 23, 2004 ¢ ZERO Day ¢ Hot SpringsCleaned and water-proofed my boots this morning on the front porch of the Inn. Moved down to the ¢cottage¢ for tonight and headed for the laundromat. Met Batch ¢ he¢s an 82 year old thru-hiker. When he gets to Katahdin he¢ll be the oldest thru-hiker on record. He and his wife thru-hiked in 1992. They live in NH near Lake Winnepasaukee and he has a daughter who went Dartmouth.Hobbes came into town last night. He¢s taking a zero day today too so he¢ll be just a day behind us when we head off Saturday.Did the laundry in my new tank top and rainpants. It was a small load since I¢d done my fleece at Standing Bear Farm and haven¢t worn it since.Met Al & Sandy for lunch at the Smoky Mountain Diner and hung out with them for several hours. Made a run to the post office, got an ice cream and root beer and will relax on the porch ¢til later. I¢m going to have another MRE for dinner ¢ supplemented with crackers and beer cheese.7:30 am shuttle back to Allen Gap to start the next leg to Erwin, Tennessee
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Allen Gap

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: scattered clouds

April 24, 2004 ¢ Allen Gap to Flint Mountain Shelter ¢ 17.6 milesClimbed out of Allen Gap, had a 7:30 shuttle from town about 8:00. Bumped into Roberta, Jack, Tank, Diesel and Doc at the first shelter we got to and had a snack break. Very varied terrain today ¢ evergreens, open hardwoods, dense hardwoods, rhododendrons, grassy balds, granite and shale, exposed ridge and protected valleys. Saw a few grave markers, Union soldiers ambushed by the Confederates when they tried to return home. Had some good views on the ridge from Camp Creek Bald to Firescale Knob. Went by a group of Biology students, high school lads, out for the weekend with their teacher. Good group here at the shelter tonight. Besides Pickwick I¢m the youngest one here by about 20 years. I¢m hoping Doc might break out his guitar tonight. Hit the 300 mile mark today. Saw some lilies of the valley getting ready to bloom, some wood vetch, and tons more violets, spring beauty and trout lilies.
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: overcast clouds

April 25, 2004 ¢ Flint Mountain Shelter to Bald Mountain Shelter ¢ 18.8 milesAnother longest day yet. After Devil Fork Gap we went up through a steep valley by old broken down barns and log homes and an old cemetery and back and forth across a stream. Had lunch and got water at Hogback Ridge Shelter. Crossed I-26/US 23 at Sams Gap and headed for Big Bald. We walked through miles of spring beauties and trout lilies.   Felt a little like Wizard of Oz and the poppies. They have a scent that kind of sneaks up on you and you start looking around for who has the perfume on and you realize it¢s the flowers! Best description I can give is that it¢s a little like baby powder, but nicer, but it¢s definitely a dry powdery scent, not a wet one. I could have just laid down in them and stayed there. The balds are still fascinating, walking across a big grassy field at 5500 ft. When we took a break at Low Gap this afternoon, there was a four-wheeler parked nearby. We met two locals who were out collecting vamps (wild onions). They must be pretty good to get two large tattooed rednecks that far out grubbing in the woods. If I was having some kind of stew for dinner, I might have had to dig some up.        Saw a bunch of confederate violets today. Had two dinners since it looks like we¢ll hit Erwin tomorrow. I was starved this afternoon. Got some sprinkles this afternoon, rain predicted for tonight and tomorrow. Our ¢dry¢ luck may be running out. Oh ¢ also saw a box turtle, toad and a bunch of chipmunks.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: moderate rain

April 26, 2004 ¢ Bald Mountain Shelter to Uncle Johnny¢s Nolichucky Hostel, Erwin, Tennessee ¢ 16.9 milesStarted raining during the night ¢ glad to be in a shelter and have a dry place to pack up. Pretty uneventful day of walking in the rain. Makes pee breaks and snack breaks short and wet. Did clear up so I got a little bit of a view from one of the overlooks and got to take a picture of town. Pretty much a drowned rat when I pulled in. Can¢t wait for a hot shower and warm dinner.
Date: 2004-04-27
From: Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel, Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

April 27, 2004 ¢ Nolichucky River to Cherry Gap Shelter ¢ 16.3 milesShuttle for town left about 8:10 this morning. Dropped us off at a breakfast place. I walked 8-9 blocks to the laundromat ¢ did a load of laundry and headed back ¢ got a sausage and egg biscuit and the shuttle back to the hostel was there. We packed up and were on the trail by 10:45. Originally we thought we¢d camp 10-12 miles in, but the weather held and we were feeling fine so we pushed on to the next shelter. This shelter holds only about 6 people there are lots of people camping nearby, us included. Which is fine. It¢s going to be a cold windy night and supposedly tents can be as much as 10 degrees warmer. Had some great views from a place called Beauty Spot, kind of a Bald. Went over Unaka Mountain after that. It was topped with a hemlock grove and lots of moss, carpeted with needles. Almost a spooky place. Wind had been blowing strong all day, but no showers materialized. Had lots of snacks and beef ravioli for dinner, cranked up my stove for the first time in a while to make a hot drink with dinner.
Date: 2004-04-28
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

April 28, 2004 ¢ Cherry Gap to Roan High Knob (tenting) ¢ 15.2 milesLearned a new flower today ¢ Dutchman¢s britches. Looks like a small white bleeding heart. . Saw another wild geranium, this one much darker purple. Found out Wizard is from Washington, Maine and recently retired from working for the state and EPA.Had a fairly easy morning out of Cherry Gap and then it got steep ¢ 2250 foot elevation gain in 2.5 miles to get up over Roan Mountain. Made for slow going. It was cold this morning. Saw some ice on the trail, but it warmed up nicely this afternoon. Really cooling off now, but it will do that at 6285 feet. I think I¢ll be using my sleeping bag liner tonight. Had a few PUDs today ¢ ¢Pointless Ups and Downs¢.   Felt like I was hiking over a saw blade, but I¢m not sure what the point was ¢ there really were no views. We could have just followed the mountain shoulders to the same effect. Oh well, I¢m sure there will be some more days like that. Not really any great views from Roan Mountain either, though Little Rock Knob had some good ones.Happy Birthday to Gram, Michael and Lois!
Date: 2004-04-29
From: Roan High Knob

To: Campsite by Elk River
Miles today: 21.4

April 29, 2004 ¢ Roan Mountain to Campsite by Elk River ¢ 21.4 miles!First 20+ mile day ! Had fun with the camera today ¢ views were amazing.Came down out of the hemlocks on Roan, across several balds and then down into the lowlands. Very different types of terrain over the 20 miles. There were longhorns grazing on the backside of Hump Mountain, about a dozen of them. Felt like I should have been in Texas. Passed by Stan Murray Shelter since I¢d just had a snack. Overmountain Shelter was a little too far away for a visit. It was just out of Yellow Mountain Gap. The Overmountain men used that route during the Revolutionary War to get to the battle at Kings Mountain. They provided their own horses, rations and ammo and handily beat the British and Loyalists.Got to the Apple House Shelter about 3:00 but didn¢t want to stop yet so we thought we¢d continue on to the next good water and camping spot. Turned out to be the next spot mentioned in the guide book ¢ 6.7miles further. There are a ton of folks camped here and almost all new faces. A few section hikers and a few thru-hikers. Hopefully it will be a quiet night. In the lowlands today I say crabapples in bloom, mustard grass, dandelions, violets, etc. It¢s nice to be down where everything is green.
Date: 2004-04-30
From: Campsite by Elk River

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 17.4

April 30, 2005 ¢ Campsite to Kincora Hostel ¢ 17.4 milesStarted a little early today ¢ about 7:00. There was a heavy dew last night and everything was damp. Threatened to rain all day and it finally is, but we¢re snug in the hostel. Kind of an uneventful hike today. Stopped at the Moreland Gap Shelter for lunch. A hiker there named Bluegrass gave me a sleeve of Thin Mints (Girl Scout Cookies). After my peanut butter and crackers, I ate them all! They went down pretty easy.Looks like we¢ve lucked out here tonight. They appear to be preparing dinner for all the guests ¢ a bit feast! Saw a deer today, no real views, highest elevation was 4206. Dinner tonight was to celebrate the Scottish New Year Beltaine. Menu: Cock-a-leekie soup, corned beef, onion pie, cabbage/potatoes/carrots, green beans, beer bread, soda bread, cider and trifle. Bob, the owner, told us about how at this time of year the fields are planted and it¢s safe to celebrate. They also build two bonfires signifying the sun and the moon and run their cattle between them. Tomorrow morning Bob will gather the ¢Maydew¢ and sprinkle it on each of us. It¢s supposed to protect our health for the year. The Maypole (with a white and green ribbon traditionally) also signifies spring, the green, overcoming winter, the white.I¢m clean, have clean clothes, I¢m full, warm and dry. What more could you want?
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

May 1, 2004 ¢ May Day ¢ Kincora Hostel to Watauga Lake Shelter ¢ 10.6 milesThe mailman caught the shuttle to town this morning to resupply. We left the hostel about 11:00 am. Had a steep climb down to the river and a mile or so of very pretty hiking along the Laurel Fork. Then we pretty much did a 180 and climbed 1800 ft up Pond Mountain, then another 180 and back down 1800 ft to Watauga Lake. Felt like I missed something. A view maybe? Does Pond Mountain have some historical, cultural or ecological significance? Why take the trail around your elbow to go over it? A serious PUD and almost as hard a climb as Roan Mountain. Saw the first rhododendron in bloom, saw a few lady slippers and a big, 3.5 ft black snake. We got sprinkled on some today and it¢s raining now. Glad to be in a shelter. I think the mailman and I have decided to take it easy on the way to Damascus. 13.7 tomorrow, 16.3 Monday and 10 into Damascus on Tuesday. Campsites and water aren¢t any better spaced and the weather is iffy and we have plenty of food. We¢ll see if we can stick to that.
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: light rain

May 2, 2004 ¢ Watauga Lake Shelter to Iron Mountain Shelter ¢ 13.7 milesI was tired today, slow, leg muscles burning, just out of energy. Probably lack of calories is catching up with me ¢ especially given some of the long days we did last week. We contemplated going on to the next shelter but I wasn¢t up to it. Turned out to be fortuitous. About 2 minutes, literally, after we arrived at the Iron Mountain Shelter, the skies just opened up and it poured! It had sprinkled on us some earlier in the day. You could actually watch the rain from the ridgeline move across and make the hills to the south disappear. The hikers coming in after us are literally ringing out their socks. There are three southbound section hikers here, the mailman and me. Coyote and Salt Lick from the shelter last night may stay. A few others are debating. I hope the couple with the dog go on. They don¢t seem to understand that him (the dog) shaking all over everything isn¢t cute. And some of the hikers don¢t realize everything they have on is wet and that some of us were dry before they started tromping through and rubbing up against the things we have hanging.Saw a black throated warbler today. Other than that the hiking was kind of uneventful.Snuggled up in my sleeping bag to write in my journal.   Had to crawl out to pee and for dinner. Only 6:00 and I¢m done for the night.
Date: 2004-05-03
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 26.3
Weather: overcast clouds

May 3, 2004 ¢ Iron Mountain Shelter to Damascus, VA ¢ 26.3 milesThe mailman and I were the first two on the trail from the shelter again. We left about 7. We arrived at the next shelter, 8 miles further on, at 9:45!! Since the terrain was going to be the same all the way to Damascus, we decided to go the whole way. We hit the next shelter, another 8.3 miles, by 1:00 pm. We hit Laurel Avenue in Damascus about 5:00 pm. Not only was it a daily record, we also hiked our first millionth steps today and are 20% of the way to Katahdin.We got a room at a B&B in Damascus, got cleaned up and headed out for dinner. I¢m stuffed and looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. Will hit the Post Office, laundromat, and outfitters and maybe the library to get internet access.It was a really foggy day today. I¢m sure we would have had some nice views from the ridge if we could see. It¢s supposed to be really cold tonight, down to 30oF. A good night to be in town.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA - Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

May 4, 2004 ¢ Zero Day ¢ Damascus, VA ¢ Maples B&BDid errands today. Post Office, outfitter, laundry, etc. Got my light sleeping bag and mailed back my heavy one, reorganized my pack, hung my tent to air out and dry, bought new socks (mine were all getting holes). Had a great breakfast here at the B&B. Had an MRE for lunch and a steak and baked potato at a local bar. Good food and lots of interesting local culture. One more night in a bed with sheets and then I get to start getting my light sleeping bag dirty. I got to check my website from the local library and see what everyone else sees about my hike.   Kind of neat, and my transcriber and website maintainer are doing an amazing job. Realized that the hike yesterday was like doing a marathon! I¢m psyched for another yummy breakfast tomorrow and a week of good weather.