morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-25
To: Appalachian Trail
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

The drive from Columbus, Ohio to Amicalola Falls State Park near the start of our journey was uneventful. I want to thank Caboose's parents, Alex and Hope, for giving me the ride down.We stayed at the park's lodge. It is very nice with good food. Unfortunately, the views were obscured by clouds on the mountains. Hopefully the views will be better as we start our hike.The excitement within me is building to hit the trail.
Date: 2013-03-25
From: Amicalola StatePark

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Before I start the story of my trip I want to thank those that have signed my guest book. It is really nice to have your support.I also want to thank Bryan at Roads, Rivers & Trails (a great outfitter in Milford, Ohio) for going through my pack, helping me to reorganize it and eliminate four pounds of weight.Mar 25, day one, mileage 11.6, 8.8 on the approach trail and 2.8 on the AT.Note: The total trip mileage will reflect only mileage on the AT to align with "mile makers" on the AT.We woke and ate breakfast at the Amicalola Falls Lodge. We were driven to the park visitor's center by Caboose's parents. We were able to sign in on the AT log. Caboose was 633, I was 634. The numbers are the number of people that have chosen to sign in before their hike. The weather at the base of the mountain was about 32 degrees with light snow.Caboose's dad decided to hike with us from the visitor's center back to the lodge. This took us past Amicalola Falls. Wow! What a beautiful set of water falls. Almost as amazing was the set of over six hundred stair steps to get up to the top of the falls.When back at the lodge, we met a nice couple, Java Man and Tea Sip. They were waiting for the weather to warm up a bit before starting their assault on the AT. After dropping Caboose's dad off at the lodge, we continued on the AT approach trail. This is an 8.8 mike trail to the official start of the AT at the summit of Springer Mountain. Just so Bryan, at Roads, Rivers & Trails, can say he has heard it, "I summited Springer Mountain".The approach trail has a vertical climb of about 2000 feet plus a few ups and downs thrown in.After reaching the top of Springer at 4:20, we signed the Hiker log that is protected by a metal box built into a rock. There is usually a log in each of the trail shelters too.We continued another 2.8 miles to the Stover Creek Shelter were we spent our first night. The shelter is closed on three sides with a lower level, a loft and ladder. The low temperature over night was estimated in the mid teens with a total snow accumulation of about a 1/4". I stayed warm while sleeping. But unlike at home, for some reason I had to use the rest room three times that night. Running outside to find a bush at these low temps in a pair of shorts, a tee shirt and shoes was exhilarating!   But each time, after returning to my warm sleeping bag, I was able to go right to sleep.
Date: 2013-03-26
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Justus Creek Camp
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: broken clouds

Mar 26, day two, mileage 12.1Waking the next morning, warm in my bag, it took a lot of self control not to just roll over and go back to sleep. After putting away my sleeping bag and pad, I made breakfast. COLD cereal. Cleaning up was interesting. The cleaning water kept freezing. So I decided to not fight it. I figured I would be boiling water later that night.More snow and wind, but it was warmer. It felt like about 32 degrees.Our plan for each day is to walk north. We have trail guides and pull them out to kind of plan water stops and where we are going to spend the night. I am normally "slightly" anal retentive? This lax way of working is a departure from my normal way. I am sure this will not be the only time I operate outside my normal comfort zone.We stopped at Hawk Mountain shelter for lunch with light snow and moderate wind. We met Shawn, Wil and Yogi, a huge Saint Bernard dog. As the day progressed, the wind subsided and the snow stopped. It also warmed to about 40 degrees. A while later we met Crankin. She recently graduated from The Ohio State University and lived in Clintonville. Small world. We stopped for the night at Justus Creek, as did Shawn, Wil and Yogi. What a beautiful place. Nice creek and wooded area. It dipped to the low thirties / high twenties overnight. It seemed warm compared to the previous night.
Date: 2013-03-27
From: Justus Creek Camp

To: Lance Creek Camp
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: few clouds

Mar 27, day three, mileage 9.4.A chilli morning due to the wind but this day went well. We left Shan, Will and Yogi at their camp down the hill. We will not see these folks again as they are just out for a few days and will exit the trail at Woody Gap. When we arrived at Woody Gap, Crankin caught us. She hiked three miles further than us and started an hour later than us. She is fast. Her goal is to complete the trail in four months. Crankin is a very appropriate trail name.Woody Gap had a nice building that provided a wind break in the sun. I was able to snooze after lunch for a few minutes. We were limited in our mileage today by a bear canister restriction. From Lance Creek to Neel Gap, in order to stay overnight, you must have a hard sided bear canister for food storage. This is due to a higher incidence of bears getting people's food in this area. We figured that over sixteen miles and climbing Blood Mountain might be a bit much.We are not pressing our mileage too much in the beginning as we are still getting used to the weight of our packs and the terrain of Northern Georgia. Our appetite is really pretty low still. We were assured after a week or two on the trail that our appetite would sky rocket.We had two very nice vistas for views today.I love this experience more every day.Our camping spot at Lance Creek was awesome. A beautiful creek and flat spots for a tent. I slept for the first time without ear plugs here. The sounds of the wind the previous nights kept me awake. The sounds of the creek, while wonderful, kept me awake a little just because I am not used to it. But after a while I drifted off and slept very well.
Date: 2013-03-28
From: Lance Creek Camp

To: Mountain Crossings
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

Mar 28, day four, mileage 7.4.Wow! What a pretty day. We rose before the sun crested the hill to the east. The sky was a beautiful crimson color. As we were packing, we saw a large black animal moving up the hill. Was it a bear? Nope. Only someone climbing the hill leaving the camping area. I have seen only squirrels and birds so far.Then it happened, the only bad thing so far. The only cloud in the sky shut off our sunlight. It moved on and we were back in full sunlight. Lol.Today we had a 1400 foot vertical climb ahead. For the most part, it was a gentle to moderate grade to the top of Blood Mountain. At the top we were greeted to the sight of the Blood Mountain Shelter and amazing views.The decent down the other side of the mountain was a bit steeper. I did have a slow motion slip/fall but nothing of note.At the bottom of the mountain we came upon the Mountain Crossings Outfitter. I sucked down two Cokes and an orange juice on the first hour. Oh, they tasted so good.I went through another gear shakedown. I was able to rid myself of about two more pounds of gear. My beloved camp chair and the mouse proof food bag were sent back to Ohio, along with some other minor items. The items sent home were pretty much decided on before the shakedown. A few items were eliminated by suggestion. I also got some good tips.Later in the afternoon, a church group brought in a lasagna dinner with salad, bread and drinks. My appetite has returned. This is my first experience with trail magic, which is people performing random acts of kindness for the AT hikers. This was amazing.We stayed in the bunkhouse at the Mountain Crossings Outfitters with 12 other happy campers. Some of these wonderful people included Night Rider, Scout, The Guru and Giant's Bane (Who we saw on top of Springer).This was the best day even if we made little mileage.
Date: 2013-03-29
From: Mountain Crossings

To: FormerRocky Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

Mar 29, day five, mileage 17.9.Leaving Mountain Crossings Outfitters, we started our day with a climb. Nothing new for our trip so far. The terrain here is obviously more mountainous than Ohio. At times much more technical too, requiring a slower pace. Back home, my normal pace is about 2.5 to 2.7 miles per hour. Here it is sometimes that same pace but often as slow as 1.0 miles per hour. It is making planning more difficult.After the good food and low mileage yesterday, Caboose and I were both feeling good so we set our goal on Blue Mountain Shelter, almost 19 miles away. We figured that if we could not make it, there were other places to stop for the night. We did well but the shorter days of spring cut us off a little. We had to stop at the site of the former Rocky Knob Shelter. We stopped at seven o'clock. It was not really enough time to get everything done easily before night fall. The hike was wonderful. We saw the first wildlife other than squirrels and common birds. We saw a pheasant or partridge. We also saw some bear poo. I guess that answers that question.After this high mileage day, I took my first dose on Naproxin. Pain relievers are sometimes called the daily vitamin. Ibuprofen is called vitamin I.This was a good day but I was ready for bed. I still love this experience.
Date: 2013-03-30
From: FormerRocky Knob Shelter 

To: Sassafras Gap Camp
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Mar 30, day six, mileage 13.7.Today was a gorgeous day. It must have been in the mid sixties with a clear sky and a bit of haze. Our hike today had quite a but of terrain similar to Ohio with some Georgia elevation changes thrown in for good measure.We met two ladies today at our lunch stop. "Tootoo", as in the ballet skirt and her aunt "Rerun". This is Rerun's second attempt at the AT. We also met "Nova" and "Boomerang", both solo hiking women.Soon after lunch we came across some folks having a cookout near the trail and they invited us over to join them. This was my second experience with trail magic. Our main host was "Squeeze Cheese" who thru hiked the AT in 2010 and his friend "Sampson". We were treated to hot dogs and a Coke. Caboose enjoyed a PBR. They had other snacks including mini Snickers bars. My appetite is definitely back.We were both feeling good but decided to stop about six o'clock to give us time to set camp and relax a bit before bed. While hanging my bear bag tonight, the bag I have weighted with rocks got caught in the fork of a branch. It would not go up, nor would it come down. I was able to engineer a way to hang my food bag tonight but I will have to get a new rope and rock bag tomorrow when we go in to Hiawassee, Georgia tomorrow for supplies.
Date: 2013-03-31
From: Sassafras Gap Camp

To: Dick's Creek Gap (Hiawassee, GA)
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Mar 31, day seven, mileage 8.8Today is my first official day being retired. Woo woo! ! ! There are no pictures today due to being in the clouds and fog.Last night it rained steadily until just before 6:30. We got up early and started walking just after 8:00. Not much to report today as we walked in the clouds most of the time. We did see some snails in their circular shells crossing the AT. We only walked 6.3 miles on the AT and an additional 2.5 miles on the road en-route to Hiawassee, GA. We went into town to resupply.Our initial plan was to go back into the woods this evening but got a hotel room because of thunderstorms and some gear issues that Caboose needed to attend to.The Big Mac, fries, Coke and apple pie for lunch were really good. The enchiladas were even better at dinner.Tomorrow we have Hardee's planned for breakfast and a 8:00 shuttle scheduled to get us back to the trail.We will be sharing the shuttle with "Indy", who I met this afternoon and another hiker in the room next door.
Date: 2013-04-01
From: Dick's Creek Gap (Hiawassee, GA)

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

Apr 1, day 8, mileage 16.7We had a Hardee breakfast this morning. I even took an additional breakfast sandwich for a celebratory lunch. Why a celebration? Because we crossed the state line into North Carolina. Woo woo! There were some very nice scenes of clouds below us in the valleys in the morning. The pictures did not begin to capture the beauty through the trees.There was also quite a bIt of ups and downs today. We were as high as 4900 feet. I hope to capture some nice photos tomorrow from 5400 feet.
Date: 2013-04-02
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter Area
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Apr 2, day 9, mileage 14.7Wow! Another awesome day. Today was our first day above 5000 feet above sea level and we are beyond the 100 mile point on the AT. We met a hiker today with a trail name of "With Cooper". He is retired Marine Corps. Hoorah! He is participating in a program called "Walk with Warriors". There are a number of vets participating in this through hike of the AT. He is walking with his service dog Cooper. Because Cooper is a service dog, he gets to walk the entire AT. Most dogs have to remain outside of the Great Smokie Mountain National Park and Baxter State Park in Maine.Rob, a friend in COHB, reminded me that "slow is fast". Oh, how true. There are a few younger hikers ahead of us the are wicked fast. One of them is Crankin, who we met on day two. We were dropped of at the trail head at the same time as her and some of her hiking friends yesterday. We also stayed at the same shelter area as they did last night. I figured we would not see her again after the third night but she needed a full rest day for her knees. Our bodies are holding up well. We are slow... Read that as I am slow and Caboose is content to stay with me. We make our mileage by walking to about six o'clock each night. That gives us time to relax in the evening and do what we need to do before sunset.Also see additional pictures, see the menu bar.
Date: 2013-04-03
From: Big Spring Shelter Area

To: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC)
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Apr 3, day 10, mileage 8.8Today's picture is from the mountain top yesterday.Today after a beautiful sunrise on the mountain top, we walked to the road crossing to go to Franklin, NC. As we came out of the woods, a realtor (thanks Linda Light from Unique Properties) from town had just dropped off a hiker and offered us a ride to town. I do so enjoy trail magic. She asked for nothing but I have her some money for her help. After a yummy lunch at Wendy's, we returned to hotel to do some laundry and make a grocery list. Next we went to the library so I could re-complete my retirement paperwork. The postal service appears to have lost it. Then off to the grocery for trail food. This is where the fun started. Grocery shopping for trail food is problem solving. How to get what is needed with minimum weight. And we also wanted to get an customer appreciation card. The young cashier really could not understand why I did not want to carry a card from the grocery all the way to Maine. Then she could not understand why I did not have a key chain to put the card on. I did not even want to get into how I was actually homeless. Lol.At the end of my shopping, I found a small tub of macaroni salad that I just had to have. So as I was paying for my groceries, I asked about getting a plastic fork, which they found. I opened the macaroni salad while still in the store. I continued to munch on my find as we walked toward the hotel. The one thing missing was a little salt.   Hmmm... problem solving... We walked past a little restaurant that had salt shakers on the table.   Oh, why not...Caboose said the worker behind the counter almost started to greet me until she saw me using the salt shaker. Caboose said the look on here face was priceless.All I have to say is that the macaroni salad was magnificent. It is the little things on this trip that just make your day.In case you were wondering, the reason we are in a hotel again is to wait of a FedEx delivery tomorrow for Caboose. He is getting a new tent. He decided he did not like his hammock set up. He wanted to be on the ground. This is quite ironic because with the help of Dave from COHB, I am finalizing my hammock order. My set up will be a bit different from Caboose's. I anticipate starting to hang from my hammock after the Smokies. I wanted to have a tent system that I was comfortable with though the higher altitude/colder period. I am shipping all of my hammock set up to Dave and he is going to ensure all is well and complete before shipping it to me. Thanks Dave.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC)

To: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Apr 4, day 11, mileage zeroWhy a zero day?   We were waiting for FedEx to bring Caboose's tent when three hikers came in from a shuttle just down from the mountain. They had to leave their tents at the shelter because freezing rain froze their tents to the shelter. An hour later, the wicked fast group came in with about 1/2 inch of ice covering theFir equipment. They were up on the bald when they called for a shuttle. There was a forest service road nearby. As the shuttle was en route to get them they walked down the road to stay warm. The 1/2 inch of ice I saw was on their equipment after the ride to town. These folks are NOT pansies.Tomorrow will be a better day to head back onto the mountains.
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin, NC)

To: A clearing on the mountain
Miles today: 13.7

Apr 5, day 12, mileage 13.7Wow! What a difference a day can make. Today was warm, the sky was clear. A beautiful day for a walk in the woods. We left the hotel this morning about nine o'clock after finding out that the shuttles were filled until about ten thirty or eleven o'clock. So we started walking. We walked about a mile in the direction of the trail and a man pulled up and asked if we wanted a ride to the trail. He had past us and figured us for through hikers. So he turned around and came back for us. He would not accept anything for his trouble. His trail name is Spirit. He was going out fur a three day hike with some friends.Soon after entering the trail, we could see some damage from the ice storm we had yesterday. Large trees were down with large piles of ice under them that fell off when the tree hit the ground. One place had almost every tree that was next to the trail either fallen or leaning from the ice and wind storm. I think we made a good decision not to hike yesterday.About two hours into our hike we met up with Scout and Dewayne. Dewayne now has a trail name of Wounded Knee because he spent some time with a doctor in town due to knee pain. The doc said it would not hurt him to walk on it but to limit his days to 8 or 9 miles per day. We met both of these folks earlier on the AT.Scout stayed with us the rest of the day.We did come across a nice stone observation tower after lunch. Today's picture was taken from that tower. See today's other pictures via the menu on the left.Tonight's camp site is about 1/4 mile off of the trail in a remote clearing. It just does not get any better than today... Well maybe tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-06
From: A clearing on the mountain

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Apr 6, day 13, mileage 13.8Wow! Another amazing day. How does it keep getting better every day? OK, the original plan for today when we discussed it in Franklin was to hold about a mile short of the Nantahala Outdoor Canter (NOC) today. Then hike in tomorrow for an early lunch at the NOC.By the way, the NOC has an outfitter but their big claim to fame is the kayaking and rafting. There were gates for competition kayaking right in the NOC grounds. (See today's pictures).Well, we knew we had to be flexible so when we heard of the AT Founder's Bridge Festival, we knew we had to presses on in to the NOC today. More on the festival in a moment.The hike today was my biggest physical challenge yet. While it was only 13.8 miles, the terrain was amazing. We started with a 300 foot descent, followed by an 800 foot climb to top out at over 5000 above sea level. Then an 1200 foot descent, back up 800 feet, down 700 feet. Then some ups and down for a short bit to end up at 4000 feet above sea level. Then at the Jump Off Rock, we descended over 2200 feet in 2.3 miles.If this was tiring to read, try hiking it. That last 2.3 miles was much tougher than the decent from Blood Mountain early on the AT.When we got to the NOC, we found out that the festival included live Blue Grass Music and a free hot dog and chili meal sponsored by Osprey Packs. Thanks Osprey.Good food (free), a couple of Cokes and many of the folks we know from the trail. We hung out with three of the wicked fast folks: Paddy Cakes, Puddin', Etch-a-stretch (previously known as Liz) and Sleeping Beauty.I met Yukon Cornelius, Doobie and her daughter Pink Panther (age 8 -11). Yes, they are on their way to Maine.This its a late night for me. I normally get finished with my trail journal about 9:30. It us now 11:00 and I am still typing.Tomorrow should be interesting. We climb back up to about 5000 feet again. That is over 3200 feet to climb. We will see how I do. Stay tuned.
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Another remote mountain
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Apr 7, day 14, mileage 11.7OK. So today was not so tough. We really only had one hill to climb today. No problem.Well, this one hill was 7.9 miles of trail and a climb of 3300 feet. It only took us about six hours. No problem. Yeah, right! We did get a late start today. We were distracted by a nice sit down breakfast. And boy, is my appetite back?   Three eggs, four slices of bacon, a large portion of home fries, two sweet potato pan cakes, four slices of toast and a large orange juice. I call it fuel for the climb. Hiker Girl joined us for breakfast. She is a vet that is participating in the same walk that With Cooper is participating. I stand corrected on the name of their walk. It is "Walking Off the War" Nice lady.We had lunch before we reached the top of the hill today that is called Cheoah Bald. Great views.We continued on to a camp site that was very crowded. So after getting the water we needed for tonight and tomorrow morning, we continued walking. We found a suitable spot about seven o'clock. We are overlooking a town to the east and anticipate a great view if the sunrise.
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Another remote mountain

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

Apr 8, day 15, mileage 16.8Today was another beautiful day. It was about 55 degrees early and warmed to the low 70s. A welcome breeze blew most of the day when we were on the windward side of the mountain.Mostly up and down today. There was a section that the guide book called the beginning of Jacob's Ladder. It was steep but not very long.Just beyond Jacob's Ladder we stopped at a shelter for water and to use the privy. A hiker that had stayed at that shelter last night came back to that same shelter. Apparently, he had left the shelter, turned to wrong way and walked to a road crossing two miles away before realizing his mistake. That was a four mile mistake. Ouch! About five miles before the end of today's mileage, we could see our overnight spot, Fontana Dam. We could see the dam and reservoir most of the way down the mountain.The significance of Fontana Dam is that it is the entrance to the Great Smokie Mountain National Park (GSMNP). Tonight we are staying in a shelter that is only for hikers. There is running water and showers. Nice place.Tomorrow morning, after a quick trip into town we will start the section of the AT through the GSMNP.