morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-09
From: Bly Gap

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Welcome to North Carolina! I remembered this part. The elevations go from 3-4000 ft. in GA to 4-5000 in NC, and they waste no time getting you up there. The first 3 miles in NC are mean, boy. And I know such lines are imaginary, these three miles really are the price you have to pay for the new experiences ahead. It's conveniently symbolic. But the reality, so far as my legs, lungs, and heart are converned, is that they really are a bitch.1 and a half hours of plodding later, and it's 10:30 and a rhododendron-lined ridge walk with views of these big full mountains awaits me on a warm and sunny day. In North Carolina.Man, these rhododendrons. 7 to 10 feet high, the trail digging a tunnel though, light dancing on the leaves.And in GA, the word I was drawn to to describe the forest would be gnarly. In NC, I am drawn to stately. lichens, mosses, birches, a few small flowers. An enchanted forest. I really feel buried in the mountains now. don't wake me.I've found myself on pace with a couple of good folks, Oxymoron and Ruth. Ruth's trail name is "Maine dish", but I'm not so sure she's warmed up to it. I think Oxymoron came up with it. Oxymoron, well he's the kind of guy who has the answers before the question has even been asked. Or maybe it was a different question. Hee Hee. he's enthusiastic. Our first interactions were sort of him eyeing my light pack and making sarcastic comments, me eyeing his heavy pack and making passive aggressive ones. Him; "well you young guys don't understand... " Me: "Well some can never be lucky enough to attain such wisdom."Well, seems like we've become friends. Imagine that. Leave it to the trail.The three of us were enjoying a hearty rhododendron branch fire in the evening, and as it turns out, Oxymoron things there are two of me. "There was another ridgerunner out here" and he starts mentioning parts of the conversation we had had before, thinking it was someone else. I'm not sure if Ruth just didn't want to interfere or was also convinced of my multiplicity. Anyhow, he describes the other me as the guy who "took a shine to ___ (name omitted to protect the innocent)."Does everybody know? Trail gossip. I, or the other me, an embarrassed, but stay silent. I watch the heart of the fire intently, welling up a bit. I can walk it off. I can always walk.
Date: 2004-04-10
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Wallace Gap/Franklin, NC
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

going to town again? already? In a sense it feels like I have never really gotten out. in another sense, simply put, I effin reek.I don't know quite what to do with the cigarettes in the journal. I know there are some reading that are uncomfortable with it. And really, I don't want to be proud of it. Eastwind, Loon, Homeboy, and Oxymoron have given me severe talks on the subject, and I know it's awful. And seeing their concern is humbling.But here's the facts. at 5 last night I run out. What can I say. Today I ran like hell to town. or in my mind, the nearest cigarette vendor.But something about the combination of increased lung capacity and manic fiending made today really, really fun. and it was gorgeous.Albert today, boyt. Mount Albert. A fun, fun climb. steep, ladders here and there, hand over foot rock outcroppings, and whew! The view.Soaked it in. Too much for words.Didn't bother to stop for lunch, beef jerky in the pocket, runnin. 12 miles by 1.Somewhere in my rampid enthusiasm I misplaced my journal! profanities were uttered.But I wouldn't let it spoil my hitch in a bench seat from a van placed in the bed of a pickup, looking at the camper trailing behind. farms rolling by, wind whipping, Homeboy to my left.Homeboy. 60s(?) guy, with the most infectious romping laugh. So modest "oh I am lucky to hike a mile and a half an hour (laughs)." dude is a machine. Such a good heart, and a knack for life. Love the guy to death, watching him learn the trail and learn to love it. young at heart, boy, believe it.Shared a hotel room with him here in Franklin, NC, and headed straight to Mamas restaurant. The locals said mamas. meet me there. Hush puppies, sweet tea, chuck wagon, three side "vegetables" like mashed potatoes and mac & cheese and cole slaw. Oh, you've never been down south? If you don't know, you'd better ask somebody.On another note, the hotel has satellite TV, and I found, no way, a Red Sox game! with Jerry Remy! If you don't know... Remy is Boston's voice of the Sox. Pedro pitched a heck of a game, Foulke closed it out, and a few yuengling beers and I am ready for, get this, a bed.No complaints here.
Date: 2004-04-11
From: Wallace Gap/Franklin, NC

To: Red Sox victory
Miles today: 0.0

The Red Sox on satellite TV? And so today became my first 0 day. Schilling threw 10 K's, but allowed 4 runs. The Red Sox offense, riddled by injury as it is, pulled out a victory. Just for me, it seemed. 12th inning, David Ortiz, home run. I'd be lying if I said the tears weren't almost welling up. everybody should allow some completely irrational pleasures into their lives.But I've got to back up! my journal was carried 2.5 miles to a shelter by the road and I retrieved it. Hallelujiah! Apparently 8 guys passed it, but the first woman, Swiss Miss, picked it up. Boy do I owe her a beer. And as I went to retrieve it, Wookie! Ha, Ha! Small world. There ar the shelter was a familiar red beard. Wookie and Island Mama were on the PCT with me last summer, and there they were. It was a brief reunion, but sweet. Just great to see folks of such high caliber.Now? Pen in hand, where am I? Well 3 22oz Yuengling sheets to the warm spring NC wind, taking advantage of satellite cable's fantastic music channels.I got my Hank Williams, my Johnny Cash, my Miles, my Lee Morgan, Duke Ellington caravan, and a great version, real great music for evening inebriated journal writing.Also got to chat on the phone with some great friends.How about two clich©s to close it out:"won't find me complaining" and"no one's gonna hav eto teach me how to sleep tonight"
Date: 2004-04-12
From: Red Sox victory

To: wayah bald
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

firstly, the miles are aproximate. miles schmiles. secondly, i know i get behind on this thing. i am too busy living in the woods. forgive me. onward.woke up this morning with a heavy head. stubled out of the room and walked down the drizzly frankilin streets, opposite the monday morning commute. it occurs to me that i may be lucky. push open the door to the local VFW and a resteraunt called the normandie, where grizzly beards, flannel shirts, and netback caps are starting thier days in a small smokey room. i peruse the menu: coffee 50cents, OJ 75cents, short stack 125. the waitress tries to talk me out of a double order of biscuits and gravy, but i am adamant. i flip through the USA today and find nothing worth noting. a right wing group is fooling with the internet so that when you search "waffles," john kerry comes up. this in response to those who made it so when you search "miserable failure," george w comes up. at least i am informed about the candidates. and more dead in iraq. more dead in iraq.gazing through the smoke, out the window to the grey commute, i wonder about those who walk the trail and say they are blessed or lucky. honestly, with all these considerations i just feel like i am the only place i could be. it is what it is.got a ride out of franklin's drizzle into the clouds in the mountains.take away the sky and the sun and the forest is a new beast. the trees dont reach for the rays, they crouch sleeping one eye open. the leaves on the forest floor shine brown. everything is a darker hue. i can only see ten to twenty feet infront of me, the mist swirling all around. all day it was like this, 8 hours of quiet walking.
Date: 2004-04-13
From: wayah bald

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Last night it poored. buckets. cats and dogs. i investigated the tarp with my headlamp around 11 pm and although water was coming in, it was clear i would make it through the night relatively dry. but i sat up for hours with some strange adreneline. listening to each drop, watching the water flow over and seep into the ground. thunder cracked. it was a mighty storm.in the morning, everything and everyone was wet. my smokes stayed dry and i passed some around. we all laughed and hustled cramming soaked crap into a soaked sack to throw on our soaked weary back. and then we walked. thats what we do. blue sky broke, and from the ridgewalks i watched huge mean clouds drift around, small white ones breaking free, the sun ducking and dodging, the wind steady. everything was moving, water cascading over the trail and my muddy sandals.cruised into the NOC with joe flamingo, almost a dopleganger of a compadre. hes from CT, has been to greece, bob dylan fanatic. good company. arriving at the river recreation campus, there was only one thing to do. we were filthy, so we needed a shower. our stuff was wet and we needed to dry it. our clothes, foul. so we headed to the resteraunt. whatever came on that plate, and the two that followed, was gone in a heartbeat. an inhale. then we relaxed in our seats, sipped coffee, and watched the natahala river roll by under a grey sky. "is there anything else we needed to do?" "dont think so." "wanna play cards?" "sure, lets get a game."i am writing this the next day. cards were played. a beer run was made. a 12 of sierra nevada found its way to me and joe. a six person game of "joe flamingo bannana hearts" was played. the game is finished and there is loud babbling. miles davis is heard in the other room. i stumble over, tapping to "so what." i open a door to a room of smoke. these are the people you never see on the trail, but they always show up in towns, partying. obnoxious, but generous. oh no.
Date: 2004-04-14
From: NOC

To: sasafrass gap shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light snow

"woke up this morning with no way to hold my head that didnt hurt...so i fumbled to the closet and put on my cleanest dirty shirt." -Johnny CashHoo Boy! (not sure why i am so fond of the "boy" thing) had the spins last night and ended up standing in the shower pounding water for a half an hour sometime in the wee hours. stumbled out of bed at 7:00, down to breakfast where i had coffee, veggie hash browns, OJ, and water. stumbled back to the bunk, chugged more water along with three ibuprofin, a multi vitamin, and some omega 3. collapsed in bed thinking one of those things or some combination is bound to make me feel better. not exactly. 10 min before checkout i halfhazardly crammed everything into the pack and planned on stumbling around for a while.somehow, though i found myself starting the huge 8 mile climb out of the NOC. you know, averse situations, what do you do? you walk.it rained a bit overnight, and it was patchy sun in the morning. but when i followed the accending line of the trail towards the sky it led directly into a big, gnarly cloud, magneted to the mountain. i could see below a sunny valley. but on the AT, there would be no such luck.usually, you start the day with a couple layers then strip down as you and the day heat up. but as i walked into the swirling grey of the cloud, a few patches of snow here and there, i donned the fleede and the pant legs. continuing upward, the ground was dusted with snow. an hour of sweaty heave-ho later there was a few solid inches. the wind was cutting through my fleece, but my back was soaked in sweat. i thought a bit of how i would set up a tarp in the snow, but mostly i was completely absorbed by the strenuous climb, the swirling wind, and the rhodedendrons covered in pure white snow. what a life.arrived at sasafrass gap shelter and was relieved. it is a big, beautiful shelter. it was 2:30. i laughed with the three or four hikers in the shelter about the absurdity of the day, and claimed my space. i was home.as the hours rolled by, more and more hikers rolled in. flamingo joe, oxymoron and ruth, the whole cast of characters. by 400 i was in my bag, eating laughing, shifting around the upper deck. gazing outside at the fantastic snowscape. more came. by the time all was said and done, there were 19 cold hikers accomidated.it seems the more extreme the situations, the higher the spirits become. it was smiles and good will all around. jokes and songs were getting tossed from the upper bunk to the lower to the cooking area. many pictures were taken of the picturesque snowscape and the smiling faces huddled in sleeping bags, overflowing the shelter with spirit.
Date: 2004-04-15
From: sasafrass gap shelter

To: fontana hilton, fontana dam
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

it was cold this morning and there were 19 people who would be packing up and leaving so i stayed in the bag a bit late. the spirits were still high in the morning. it was a clear, sunny day. the snow still looked beautiful.in one mile i got to the top of cheoah bald where i could see mountains and ridges highlighted in white. both ruth and oxymoron gaot a picture taken with me, the crazy mo fo who hiked this stuff in sandals. at 10 am, the day was already warming.continued on pace with ruth, oxymoron and joe flamingo. at lunch it was decided that joe and i would cook at 14 miles and then push on to get closer to fontana. as we left the lunch spot, it was bonafide hot. no snow anywhere, bandannas on our heads like ali baba. what a trip. every day.cooking dinner at the shelter, a man arrives with a huge eager smile and introduces himself to everybody. "pali" from south bend. "south bend where?" i ask. indiana. turns out he started a week after us, which means he has been moving twice as fast. he had started at the noc this morning. 21 miles including a mean mean 8 mile climb by 530. and here he is chipper, not even taking his pack of, talking enthusiasticaly about his four daughters and how much he loves walking in the woods. he also talked wild-eyed about going all the way into fontana, 6 more miles.he got me going, his enthusiasm was infectious. plus i figure this is gonna be my only chance to meet this guy since he goes so fast. but i already had to talk joe into doing 3 more, hes all whining like im a writer i have stuff do do i just want to relax yada yada. so hes not going to bite for 6. i knew wed get him, though.and so the three of us start barelling up this mountain, pali in the lead, chatting all the way. pali did 3 hours a day on a stairmaster in indiana to prepare for this trip. and with how he was flying up the mountain, we decided to call him the stairmaster. he laughed.got to the three mile campsite at about 7:15, the evening was cool, and the sky was streaked with deep oranges. deliberated on the plan. pali: "doesnt matter to me." me: " i kind of want to do the 21 just because its crazy." we are all sitting on logs propped against trees, thinking. finally, joe removes his hat and gives an "after you" gesture, if a bit begrudgingly. its on.flamingo good naturedly bitched the next 3 miles. groaning on and on. he didnt sign up for this. never again. hes a writer, after all. but i think he would concur that the evening was a perfect temperature, the company was great, and the scenery gorgeous. it was really fun.got to the fontana "hilton" which his a huge shelter situated on the shore of fontana lake with running water, porcelein toilets, and free showers up the road at the dam visitor center. learned there was free breakfast in the morning, pankakes and sausage provided by "hikers for christ." hey, pankakes are pankakes.walked down to the large dam, lit up on a silent night, stars out, lake reflecting the moon, close encounters kind of lighting. took a shower. always heavenly. slept soundly.
Date: 2004-04-16
From: fontana hilton, fontana dam

To: campsite
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

as promised, there was breakfast by three friendly gentlemen who drive all the way from indiana to do this feed, this year they fed 100 hikers, dinner and breakfast. unwavering spirit and energy, the hotcakes kept comin. awesome.later on when the crowd dimmed out i was just about to do the same. but i got into a conversation with one of the gentlemen about hiking. i could hear joe flamingo's conversation going south fast, hearing the guy say "well if you believe in jesus, you have eternal life, if you are an athiest, this is all you will have." huh? what are you selling here? and so i dont leave any space in my own conversation, talking about the majesty of the sierras and such. thing is, this guy was golden hearted, i was connecting with him, he had deep eyes, a genuine man. i was trying to insinuate that we dont have to go there, we share this love for the wilderness and thats enough. but he snuck it in. "so are you a believer?" i had to lay it on the man. i dont believe in any religion since historicly they have come and gone, people making up fantastic answers to lifes mysteries, i believe when you think you have the answer you have stopped learning and therefore stopped living. i believe in life, i guess. i told dude this, then followed it up with plus religions are responsible for a whole lot of blood she-beep beep. shuttle. well halelujia. shook the mans hand. wish i had a pamphlet to give him.towns suck me in. it took me until 3:30 today to simply get my food from my drop, put it in my pack, and hit the trail. thing is, the fontana general store has a porch. i love porches. even rocking chairs. some things you cant hurry. when i finally got my act together a woman from the resort gave me a ride the 2 miles to the trail. i told her i had to retrieve my t shirt from the shelter. she said she was sure it would be there, hikers are some of the most honest good folks you could come across. hikers sometimes think themselves a nuisance to the outside world, it was reassuring that the kindness that i felt from my peers trancended the cliques and was felt by this nice lady. i was sure to tell her how much i appreciated all the kindness of the folks at the resort and how much easier they make my trip. it was a halmark moment. kindness without bounds, with no financial (or missionary) motives. the trail, man. well alright.walking across the dam, i met a man going south who recognized me from trail journals! he was a sprited man with an obvious love for this hiking thing. i was hoping i could remember his name before this went to press. alas. quite a fun thing, to be recognized. and not by the cops.it was a tough afternoon climb into the smokies. heavy pack, hot sun. i was aiming for 10, got 5. only 5 of us here, including oxymoron and ruth. had nice fire and chatting.these days are just too much!
Date: 2004-04-17
From: campsite

To: derrick knob
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

the smokies are really nice. coming in i was sweating the shelter system, the tourists, the gawt-am horses. but when it comes down to it, this place is fresh fresh fresh. high ridges with beech forest, the forest floor green grass littered with tiny white flowers presumably called snow on the mountain. spotted throughout are huge trees with funky roots choking rocks. today was clear as a bell. in the smokies, there are horses. people on horses. wrecks the trail. leaves horse poop. no dogs, though. you cant ride those. coning upon a shelter in the early morning i saw a group of eight, and as i hiked past, i could hear them saddle up behind. abhorhant beasts. the humans, that is. dude, aint no two ways about it, its on. man versus lazy asses. this is about principle. i am going to beat the horses. if you are in shape, fat ass, you dont need no horse. (my journal readership seemed low and so i have resorted to offending as many demographics as possible) and so i hoof it, uphill. this is the hiker machine, breathing rythmicly, in the zone. a few times i hear an neigh and smell lazy perfumed manflesh. double time. my checkpoint is the shelter in 2.6 miles. in 45 minuites, i am there. i throw my pack on the ground, sprawl down on it, grab my cliff bar, and munch, waiting. i didnt say anything. they knew what was up. chumps.laid around this huge field for about three hours, some of the time chatting with oxymoron and ruth, the rest of it catching up on my journal. (suspend your disbelief) i am learning to use the cool hours of the day to hike. and so i wait until 430 to start the remaining 7 miles. it was a glorious evening, an exposed accent with expansive views, reaching new highs with every peak, hugging ridgelines as the sky changes to those soothing colors and a cool breeze eases my tired body. use the daylight wisely!
Date: 2004-04-18
From: derrick knob

To: icewater spring shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

today is the day. clingmans dome, the highest point on the AT at 6600 feet.the 6 mile climb was great. for the first time, i felt like i was climbing a mountain. around 5000 feet the forest suddenly changed to thick, dank pine. the smell was overwhelming. above, at that kind of height, the blue in the sky seems a little deeper. the clouds, a little closer. puffy white meandering across the sky. listen, i know its no colorodo 14er, but its a mountain. an old one. a good one.getting higher, starting to push my body, the forest got lower. you could see where rebel trees had extended too far into the sky, bare grey spires. thrilling.today i was alone. the only one in derick knob going for 20, in my own little pocket. new faces at camp, surely. but today i was alone. a good feeling.the summit. i was ready for it, i knew it was there, but it never fails to shock after such a rugged and glorious hike to the trails high point: a road. yep. here you are at the high point of your journey heaving-sweaty-smelly-adreneline-wow-this-is-it-where-is-the-shade, and here they are, walking a half mile from thier cars to the space needlesque observation tower. most ignore you. none talked to me. i was sweaty. and so i scarfed some penut butter and broke the f out like i had the chicken pox.trucked 8 miles, singing leadbelly loudly, cruising through the pines. the pines, where the sun-dont ever shine.Newfound gap. the gateway to gatlinburg, a town of kitch and temptation. dollywood is located nearby. it is 18 miles down the road from the huge parking lot with a decent view and a whole lot of activity. teenagers blare hip hop and loiter. bikers rev engines and loiter. tourists in khakis and fanny packs wander around looking to me like bewildered penguins or something. and here i arrive at the road, sweaty. dirty. i mean thats not a tan.and so i go to the shade of a wall which seperates the lot from a walkway. i sit on the walkway, against the wall, pull out my tuna can, pour in an ounce of denatured alcohol, suround it with my chicken wire pot stand, and light it. mac and cheese on the menu.fathers pull thier daughters closer when they walk towards me. no one makes eye contact. there is a rather large sign explaining the AT, but it doesnt look like these folks are putting 2 and 2 together. i offer several unanswered "howdy"s.the sky is turning colors, and so i promptly steal some TP from the bathroom, and get to hiking the 3 remaining miles. at icewater springs there is a slew of familiar faces, and a slew of new ones. in a scene this crowded, you dont bother meet new people. i will probably never see half of them again. the other half, i would guess, is gonna be my first crue. thats cool. how could these entrys be shorter?