morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-01
From: NOC - cabin

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Our original plan for today was to hike from the NOC to Locust Cove Gap. However, we were so tired when we finished climbing the 3000+ foot mountain that we stopped at Sassafras Shelter.   The temperature was incredibly high today; the thermometer read 80 degrees in the sun.   At evening time, I climbed up on top of the ridge and watched the sunset. As we were all sitting around talking, we got to thinking that our combined ages equaled just about 100. After doing some calculating, I found that on April 17th at about 9pm, the combined ages of Nuts, Pilgrim and myself will be exactly 100 years. Boy, you start thinking about weird things on the trail.
Date: 2006-03-02
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

Today was a good day I got my typical 9am start, but was able to catch up to Jason and Jessica near Stecoah Gap. There, my mother met the five of us and gave us vegetables, dip and soda (what a healthy combination).   The hike was very easy until I hit Sweetwater Gap.   Then we spent the next 45 minutes climbing UNNAMED MOUNTAIN!!! The trail literally went straight up the mountain. At one point, it stopped going straight up and appeared to level off. However, to the left was still more hill. Pilgrim sarcastically remarked that the trail should finish going over that. The next thing we knew, the trail switched back, and we began climbing again. This mountain deserves a name; every other little bump gets a name like ¢Huge, Gigantic Mountain¢, but this one, nothing.   The shelter we stayed at was really nice, but it was difficult to get in and out of. There is a three foot step and then a three foot moat to supposedly stop animals from getting in. From next to the shelter, you can see the sunset.   Today was a great day ¢ a very nice hike with ( if it weren¢t foggy) good views. Tomorrow we are going to Fontana Dam, a zero day, and then into he Great Smoky Mountains. Weather has been great. Company is great. I cannot ask for more.
Date: 2006-03-03
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I woke up before 7am to begin hiking the 13 miles to Fontana Dam. It was interesting; by 10am we had already gone six miles. It is usually the afternoon when we hit the six mile mark.   Nuts was a bit behind us because he was feeling sick. He wasn¢t really able to eat and had a cold sweat all last night.   When we got to NC28, just 1.4 miles from the dam, we were happy. The profile map showed that it was relatively flat. However, we began climbing a hill and just kept climbing. In all, we climbed over 300¢ on ¢flat¢ ground.The dam was very beautiful. I couldn¢t believe how large it was. My mom met us there. She gave us strawberry shortcake. Pilgrim went to the Hike Inn; my mom and I went to Fontana Village. It was just $36 for a double room with a microwave, TV, refrigerator with a real freezer, coffee maker, and a fireplace.After taking a shower, we went into Maryville for dinner ¢ AYCE Chinese. The road there and back was interesting. It is known as the Dragon¢s Tail. There are 318 curves in 11 miles. Several sports cars passed us, because apparently, it is a popular place to test them out.   Tomorrow I am going to take a zero day at Fontana Village
Date: 2006-03-04
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Village
Miles today: 0.0

Today I basically slept and ate. I woke up around noon and ate some turkey, corned beef, and mandarin oranges. Then I washed my clothing and went into Robbinsville for dinner. After I came back and slept. What a great zero day.   Tomorrow I am off to the remote and cold Smokies.
Date: 2006-03-05
From: Fontana Village

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: few clouds

The climb out of Fontana Dam was a lot better than I expected. It was graded really well and was actually very enjoyable. Four miles into GSMP, there was this really beautiful fire tower. This was the first one that we could actually climb. It actually was a bit scary. The stairs were wooden and the handrail was broken in parts, but the view was incredible. We could see Fontana Lake and Fontana Dam.    Soon after this point, I met a group of four people who had all gone to school together in Florida. They all ended up staying at Mollies Ridge Shelter too.   After that, I met up with Pilgrim who told me that Nuts was still sick and was going to spend another day in Fontana.When we arrived at the shelter around 4pm, it began to rain. The rain then turned into hail. It hailed for several minutes before turning into snow and then finally rain.   I was happy that the shelter didn¢t leak. Today was a great day and the shelter is warm because of the low ceiling and the six people.Tomorrow I am off to Derrick Knob Shelter.
Date: 2006-03-06
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

I have come to the conclusion that I like horses. For all of yesterday, and the first six miles of today, horses were allowed on the AT, and for those sections, the trail was well graded with few rocks. However, after the first sign that says ¢No Horses,¢ the trail becomes steep and rocky. The first six miles took us three hours, the last six miles took four and a half hours.   The trail around Russell Field Shelter was really beautiful. There were acres and acres of grassland with a few trees. It was very pretty to walk through.   The four guys from Florida turned around because they weren¢t prepared for snow or cold temperatures. It looked like two of them were wearing cotton pants. One was really cold last night when it was 45 degrees in the shelter. I am kind of glad that they turned around before something bad happened.   Tomorrow I have a short day, 7.2 miles to Double Spring Gap Shelter.
Date: 2006-03-07
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was the shortest day that I have had from a shelter to a shelter. I slept ¢til about 8am, got up, had a good breakfast, and headed out on the trail.   At about noon, I passed Silers Bald Shelter (just one letter different than the Siler Bald Shelter back near Franklin, NC). It was so warm in the sun that I just lay in the fieldfor an hour.    At about 1:30. I left the shelter to travel the 1.7 miles to Double Spring Shelter. The views on the way were incredible. I especially liked the rolling green hills off to the left and the large mountain with the single cloud over it to the right.       Double Spring was much like the other shelters in GSMNP. A tall wooden shelter with two levels. This one had a cage in front to keep the bears out (to me it looks like a jail).      No one came for the next two and a half hours, but suddenly four peopl showed up. I got to meet Nose and the Poolarbears and also Beeline. I had heard about them from other hikers, but had never met them. Pilgrim decided to heado to the next shelter and nuts is probably leaving Fontana Dam today, after being sick. This is actually the first night that I haven¢t been with Pilgrim since I began hiking on Feb. 15.   Oh yeah, I forgot. Last night we got some snow/hail/ice. Starting at about 6pm it began to snow. When I got up to pee at 3am, there was blowing snow. At about 5am I heard some hail, and when I woke up in the morning, the trees were covered in ice. However, most of the snow melted by the afternoon.    Tomorrow I plan on waking up at 3am so I can hike up to Clingman¢s Dome for the sunrise. I hope that my alarm clock works. After seeing the dawn, I plan on going into Gatlinburg, TN.
Date: 2006-03-08
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Newfound Gap - Gatlinburg
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning my alarm did in fact go off at 3am. I quietly got up and packed up my stuff. As I began to hike, I saw what looked like a campfire to the left. However, when I got to a clearing, I realized that it was Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Knoxville. I could see Chattanooga to the south and I think the tri cities of Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol to the north. The entire plain was filled with lights. It was very beautiful. Going northward I saw the lights of Cherokee on my right.    I arrived at Clingman¢s Dome observation tower at about 5:20am. I had left myself plenty of time in case it was a steep and slippery climb. O top of the tower, it was 20 degrees with a 40 mph wind. I literally put on all of my winter clothes. Then, I sat on the bench and waited. At about 6:03 I saw the first sign of dawn, just a faint red on the horizon. Slowly, it became brighter, more colors appeared, and I could see the mountains around me. The reds, oranges, and yellows just took over the sky in one of the most magnificent sunrises that I have seen.   After dawn, I stuck around until it was light so that I could see the views from another perspective. Then I hiked a very slippery (I fell on my butt three times) 8 miles to Newfound Gap. There I met a large group of students from Ohio. I was amazed by how many people came into and left the parking lot. I saw dozens walking up onto the platform where GSMNP was dedicated in 1936.   Then I met my mother and we went down into Gatlinburg. For lunch we ate at an AYCE Chinese restaurant with over 150 different items. Then we checked into the Sleep Inn. It had a large pool, a hot tub, and a lazy river. It was incredible! After we went to dinner at the Park Grille. The building was made entirely from wood, hand-drawn and shipped from Oregon. It was a lot like The Lodge in Yellowstone near Old Faithful. The building was amazing, but the food was even more amazing than the building. After a great meal, we went back to the hotel to sleep.
Date: 2006-03-09
From: Newfound Gap - Gatlinburg

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning I woke up, ate at a waffle house and headed back on the trail. The first three miles to Icewater Shelter were really slippery. There were patches of ice hundreds of feet long. I was really glad that I had these clip-on type of ice grips for the bottom of my boots. The next 13 miles was a mix of ice, snow, and mud. In some places there were a couple of feet of snow.   The shelter I am staying at tonight is almost completely full. There is a group of seven from Knoxville, two college students from Michigan, Pa Bert, and me. At least I know that it will be warm in the shelter, even with the 30+ mph wind outside.   This shelter is just past the 10% mark of the trail. That means that there are 9 times as many views to come, 9 times the hills to climb, and 9 times the friends to meet.   When I read the journal at Tri-Corner Knob Shelter, I found that Pilgrim hiked more than 20 miles today. I am pretty impressed. It doesn¢t look like I will catch up to him, except maybe on his zero day in Hot Springs, NC.
Date: 2006-03-10
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

Today was my longest day yet at 18.1 miles. However, it was pretty easy because it was downhill or flat for most of the way. The hiking was good, very pretty with nice ridge running.   Last night it rained all night, probably several inches. In the morning the whole site was soggy, even under the covered cooking area.    Tonight I am staying at the Standing Bear Hostel. It is really nice. I am in the little cabin with PaBert. There is one other person staying at the hostel also. At the hostel there is a large barn that had been built by a Norwegian couple many, many years ago. It is either the largest or second largest barn in the county.   Curtis, who runs the place, is really nice and friendly. He has set up a very good hostel.
Date: 2006-03-11
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Old Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today my grandmother died. Walking the trail, I got to think about the good life that she had led, and how she was always there for me. Then I was sad that I couldn¢t be there to tell her that I loved her and to say goodbye. She had been in ill health for a while, that was part of the reason I had spent the entire month of January in Denver with her.   For the last couple of days she had been going downhill. My father flew out to Denver last night abd was able to reassure her and tell her that we all loved her.   When I saw the beautiful sections of the trail, I told myself that these were there to cheer me up.   Tonight I stayed at the shelter that really didn¢t exist according to either of my books (Wingfoot¢s and The Thru-hiker Companion). However, although Roaring Fork Shelter was rebuilt 5 miles south, the original Roaring Fork Shelter was there minus the nameplate and register. Apparently, the new shelter is only four months old.
Date: 2006-03-12
From: Old Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today, I met a lot of people on the trail. A little while after I started, I was passed by a day hiker who was ¢from around here.¢ When he stopped to take a break, I caught up, and he asked me about the equipment I use. Later on, I met Tim and HAD, who live about an hour and a half south of Hot Springs.; HAD is going to begin the trail from Harpers Ferry in 5 weeks, after he retires. They had a really nice dog with them. He was running all over. However, when we ate our snacks, he had to be tied to a tree.   As I was approaching Hot Springs, I met a group of about twelve people from Indianapolis, Indiana who were hiking from Hot Springs to Max Patch.   For over a mile I could see the town before I got to it. I would have to say that Hot Springs is one of the most beautiful towns that I have seen from the trail. The south side (or maybe the west) had all kinds of farms and open fields. Very pretty.   When I arrived in town, I walked all the way down Bridge Street to see what they had. For several hundred feet, I could see the sign for the ice cream shop. Unfortunately, it was closed for the season.    Before checking into Elmer¢s, I bought a pear and a soda from the outfitter. Elmer¢s place is really nice. The rooms are really well furnished and all of the people who work there are nice. The building is more than 100 years old, and is actually on the National Register of Historic Places.   This evening, I went to the Hot Springs Spa, and spent an hour in one of the tubs. It was really nice and relaxing.   Tomorrow, I plan on spending a zero day here in Hot Springs.
Date: 2006-03-13
From: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn

To: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The meals at Elmer¢s are fantastic. They are organic vegetarian and taste great. Those who cook really put a lot of work into the meals.   Today I didn¢t really do much: I ate breakfast, read part of Walden Pond, did laundry, ate lunch, went to the Hot Springs Spa, ate dinner, and went to bed.      I did meet someone new though ¢ Mark with a backwards R. Today was very relaxing. Tomorrow I plan on going just 10 miles to the next shelter.
Date: 2006-03-14
From: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I enjoyed a great breakfast at Elmer¢s, took my time packing up, bought a coffee, and checked my e-mail at the Outfitter. Then, I began the climb out of the Springs (because you always climb out of a town). Things were going great. I was making good time up the mountain, enjoyed some beautiful views and was feeling really good. Thenn I began going downhill and I realized that something wasn¢t quite right. I thought about it and ¢¦. I had forgotten my poles!!!!! After using several expletives, I grabbed a liter of water and a bag of jerky, then stashed my bag in the woods. While doing this, I scratched up my arms and legs. 1 12 miles later, I was back in town with my poles in tow.      On my way back, I was stopped for 10 minutes by a train with 250+ cars. Some of the contents scared me, like concentrated hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and pressurized natural gas.      After 2pm, I was back on the trail.      There were a couple of nice places. I really liked the dammed pond and the field after it. I also really liked the view from RICH Mountain fire tower. This was one of the few full-size ones where we go all the way to top.      At the shelter I met up with a ¢05 thru-hiker named the Roaming Gnome. He told je about many cool sections of the trail, especially the White Mountains.      Soon afterward, Louis and Elizabeth came to the shelter. I hadn¢t seen them since the NOC.
Date: 2006-03-15
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning I left the shelter at 8am with the intention of going 21 miles to Flint Mountain Shelter. However, after just 3.7 miles I came upon a sign at Allen Gap offering free food nearby. When I arrived, Louis and Elizabeth were already there, eating enchiladas. I had two Belgian waffles and an ice cream sundae in addition to several glasses of sweet tea.   After eating, five of us (myself, Elizabeth, Louis, The Roaming Gnome, and his father) all sat around and talked with our hosts, Hercules and Fal. They had thru-hiked in ¢99 and purposely bought a house close to the AT. Last year they fed 456 hikers. They are really nice, caring, loving and generous people. I wish them good health and happiness.   I left well after noon. Full and happy, I then hiked another 8 miles before coming to these really beautiful cliffs. The trail began going up and down these rock fields. It was slow going, but incredibly amazing.   When we arrived at the shelter Trail Sweeper had already started a fire. It added a good amount of heat to the shelter. It has been a bit chilly for the last couple of days. Oh yeah, and beware of the Ides of March!!!!!!
Date: 2006-03-16
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: light rain

Today was my first day over 20 miles and boy was I tired. It was a good day for it though. The weather was a relatively cool and the first 10 miles were almost flat.   Today on the trail, I ran into Warren Doyle. I had seen the other day, but at the time did not realize who he was. He gave me some tips on how to optimize the use of my poles. It is pretty exciting to meet a guy who has hiked the AT 15 times.   Tonight is only my second night camping out in a tent and the first time that I have been alone at night.   After a long day, I was able to appreciate a good meal of tuna noodle casserole and a hot cup of tea. Tonight I am going to sleep well.
Date: 2006-03-17
From: Low Gap

To: Nolichucky River
Miles today: 20.8

This morning I slept late, ate a good breakfast, and took my time getting ready to go. I left after 9:30am because I had only planned on going 14 miles.   I took the side trails to the views and to the top of the rocks. I arrived at the No Business Shelter at about 4:45pm. However when I got there, I was a little freaked out by the guy who was already asleep in the shelter. After a snack I decided to push on. I arrived in Nolichucky at about 7:20pm, ate some dinner and went to bed.
Date: 2006-03-18
From: Nolichucky River

To: Nolichucky River
Miles today: 0.0

Since I arrived at Nolichucky a day early, I decided to take a zero day. Mark, Louis, and Elizabeth arrived and we all went to the AYCE pizza buffet. It was good.   After that we went to the grocery store and bought ice cream and milk to make milkshakes. Later we watched several episodes of MacGyver while drinking milkshakes.
Date: 2006-03-19
From: Nolichucky River

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

On my way out of Nolichucky, I met a group of about 20 hikers plus two dogs. Hey said that they were Boy Scouts from Asheville, North Carolina. A little later on I met two ladies who warned us about the steepness up to Beauty Spot and the steepness of Roan Mountain.   The interesting thing about today was that we could see Erwin on and off for 10 miles ¢ that was pretty incredible.   The best view of the day was definitely at Beauty Spot (another bald). There were a lot of people up there ¢ at least 15.    In the gap before Unake Mountain I met an older gentleman walking three dogs. He told me that he has section hiked all the way to Mt. Washington. He also gave me the forecast for Monday and Tuesday. There is supposed to be rain and snow beginning midday Monday into Tuesday. That should definitely be fun on top of Roan tomorrow night!!!
Date: 2006-03-20
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was the first day of Spring. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and it was 70 degrees. Sorry, that was my dream last night. Spring greeted us with a snow storm and 33 degree rain.    When I woke up, it was cool, but no snow was falling. However, at about 9:30 the flakes began to come down. By 10:30 the 20% chance of rain was 100% chance of snow.   At Iron Mountain Gap I met my mom and had her take me to Erwin to see a doctor about the rash on my back. The only place that could see me on such short notice was the local hospital. The doctor told me that the rash was poison oak or poison ivy or some other allergin. Luckily it was not bacterial, fungal or viral. After giving me a steroid shot in the hip to reduce inflammation, they told me to keep the rash dry and clean. I would say that that is pretty impossible for a thru hiker. Then they told me I should go home (or in this case to Uncle Johnny¢s) to take a shower and then wash my clothes.   After several hours I was ready to head out on the trail in three inches of snow at about 4pm. As I walked, the snow turned into freezing rain. When I arrived at the shelter, there were eight other people there. Luckily, I found a place to squeeze in.   Today made me realize how much I like walking in the snow (but not the rain so much). It is bright, cool and crisp. I find the snow very enjoyable. Now I remember why I began my hike on the 15th of February.   Happy Spring everyone!!!