morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

¢I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes¢ Either the stars are aligning or wierd things have been happening. Last night I was getting ready to take my dog out for the last time before I leave and I was watching the Late Show with David Letterman. He was interviewing Antonio Bandares and they were talking about bear attacks. Dave gave the great advice that I have been hearing for years. "You don¢t have to run faster than the bear, just faster than the other people." Then this afternoon as I am getting ready to pull out of the driveway to head to Georgia I received a gift. The Great Moco de Loco (My college drop out cat) was outside the back door bearing gifts. He had brought me a snake. I don¢t know if he was cursing me for leaving or saying that he is looking over me to fear off the snakes. Coincidence? I think not. Off to Georiga.Andy
Date: 2006-03-31
To: final countdown
Miles today: 0.0

Coming from someone who loves the driving and the open road, I never thought I would be saying this. It¢s going to be nice to not be in a car for awhile.After a long, rainy car ride down to Georgia, we finally arrived at the lodge. There are tons of things running through my head but it¢s not too bad. I really thought that my nerves would be worse. I am really impressed with how well I am coping with everything. But that could all change in the morning. Personally I feel that I know what I am getting myself into but I need a reality check to put me in my place. I can¢t say that I am looking forward to the hard rains or snows but it will definitely make me realize the hardships I will encounter on the trail.Well after a few beers and trail talk, I think it is time to try and get some sleep, if that¢s possible. Well maybe one more beer with dad as we finish watching ¢The Patriot¢ then "I got to go". Andy
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I had to get off the trail today because I got attacked by a bear.April fools. Sorry I just couldn¢t resist.Today was an amazing day. I don¢t think it has completely set in yet but I am going to be walking all the way to Maine, but it is nice to be in the woods. The weather was perfect. 70s 80s. I am writing this while laying in my hammock in north Georgia listening to the stream that is about 30 feet away. The same stream that I am drinking from and used to cook the lovely tomato parmesan pasta that I had for dinner. My day started with an all you can eat breakfast which I didn¢t eat to much of. (I never really have been a breakfast person) Then it was off to the Amicalola Falls State Park Visitors Center where I got my picture taken in front of the archway and signed in. I had the lightest pack so far of the people that had started today. 29 pounds and that¢s with 2 liters of water and 4 days food. That¢s pretty good but I know I can get it down some more. After checking in and about a hundred photos, I said goodbye to my Uncle Bill and Aunt Phyllis. Hugged my Mom and Dad and told them I loved them and turned around and started walking north. The Trail starts on the top of Springer Mountain. So I had to hike the approach trail which is 8.8 miles. Oh and it¢s up hill the whole way. It wasn¢t as bad as I thought. Well I am saying that now but in the morning I might be taking that back. Once I got to the top I took my picture with the plaque and went on to the shelter where I was planning to stay the night. Got into camp and people were scattered all around. I got water and talked to a few people then decided to press on to the next shelter which was only 2.3 miles down hill. Got there and started setting up camp and making dinner. There were about 4 other thru-hikers there. It was a great time talking to others who are going through the same thing. Every thing is going good so far but, tomorrow is another day of walking north. Well I have to go pee and then climb back in my cocoon for a night that doesn¢t show any signs of rain.Oh and by the way. Its 8:38 on a Saturday and I am going to bed. I think this could be the first time in almost 11 years that has happened.Andy
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Another beautiful day on the trail. I don¢t think the past two days could have been better. Not only have I had great weather but with daylights savings it¢s an extra hour of sunlight for hiking and setting up camp. There were some tough climbs today that sucked while I was doing them but recovered pretty quickly. It got a little hot around mid day but not too bad. Ran into a guy who had gone the wrong way for almost 4 miles so that got him back to where he started almost 8 miles later. I¢m sure that will happen to me a couple times but it¢s just part of the game.I am running into more and more thru hikers and they say that there is a big wave just in front of me. Hoping to catch them tomorrow. The crowd that I stayed with last night is different than tonight. It is a mixture of thru hikers and people who are out for just a couple days.There is a dad and 2 sons that are hiking with us the past few days and are getting the feeling of what its like to start the trail but they are getting off tomorrow.Well let¢s hope that the rain holds off tonight.Andy
Date: 2006-04-03
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

Well the skies opened up and dumped this morning from 6:30 till 7:30. After going to sleep hearing gun shots in the hills the storm was even worse. After it stopped raining I started hiking. Kind of a rough day a lot of ups and downs physically and mentally. Towards the end of the day it started thundering then tic-tac size hail came down. Besides that it was a nice day when it wasn¢t rainy. Well tomorrow it¢s off to Neels Gap where I will have my first chance at civilization since I started. Shower and laundry hopefully.Andy
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: clear sky

COLD night and I had to get up twice in the middle of the night to pee. I knew it was going to be a short day of only 4 miles so I just wanted to get it over with. However 2 of those miles were straight up and over Blood Mountain. No that¢s not a nick name and there is an old stone shelter at the top of it that is just kind of eerie. I had thought about going up there last night but there isn¢t water up there so I decided to wait till the morning. I knew this was a great idea when I got there and read the shelter log. (a shelter log is a notebook in every shelter along the trail that hikers leave comments or messages for people or about the trail stuff) well when I read the entry that Turtle (cool guy who I camped with a few days ago) had written about hearing a critter in the middle of the night and looking over to see a skunk crawl out of the floor boards, look at him, then run out. I¢m glad I just had to worry about freezing my ass off instead of freezing and a skunk.Speaking of skunks and stink, I got a shower and did my laundry. Even though I can still catch a whiff of dirty trail hippie every once in a while I do smell better. I still have to do a few more things before I head out tomorrow but I am hoping to put in 10+ miles or so.Andy
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Neels Gap

To: Campsite north of Low Creek
Miles today: 13.3

It was nice to wake up with signs civilization around. I got out of the outfitter a little later than I planned (11:30) after buying a new jacket and one last jumbo dog w/ mustard. As I was hiking to the top of a mountain I pulled off to a rock to enjoy the view and met Lone Star, an older guy who was from Damascus, VA just down the road from my home. We talked about the area back home for a while and enjoyed the view. He told me that he just hikes a few days and this was too nice of a view to pass up. I stayed for a bit then headed on cause I wanted to put some miles in. I went 11 miles to the shelter where a bunch of us had said we were going to try and get to. I made pretty good time today and when I got in to the shelter I knew I was going to have to keep moving. One of the hikers at the shelter I have a hard time being around. So I purified some water and ate some combos and pushed on. I had planned on going a few miles then camping solo. While going up another mountain I ran into three guys from Nashville around my age (Bobcat, Oba, and Frankenfoot) whom I had camped with a few nights back. I ended up camping with then just off the trail. We got a fire going and had a great night. It was my first fire so far. Well, big day tomorrow. Got to do some walking.Andy
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Campsite north of Low Creek

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was tough. After a six mile warm up, I had to climb over Rocky Mountain. It's about a mile and a half climb that goes up over a thousand feet in elevation. I was pretty tired after I got done but not too bad. The hardest part was after that in order to get to where I was camping I had to climb Tray Mountain. It wasn¢t very big, just steep. Once I reached the shelter it looked like rain was coming in so I decided to stay in the shelter instead of my hammock. After the Nashville boys showed up and we cooked dinner, some of the other hikers that were staying there that night came over and we talked for a while. Mapman and Robin gave us some M&M¢s and other food. They have been hiking with another guy named Mouse. I realized that I haven¢t been mentioning a lot of the people that I have met out here so I will try and be on top of that more.Andy
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Plumorchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

After a terrible night's sleep in the shelter cause this guy kept grunting and moaning in his sleep, I decided to start hiking a little earlier. After a nice day of hiking I came to Kelly Knob. Straight up and straight down. I kept passing Salt and Pepper (a girl and her dog whose name is pepper) There is a rumor that there is another hiker dog combo with the same name but I haven¢t met them yet. I had been hearing that there was a huge storm coming in and that there were tornado warnings for the mountains. When I got to Dicks Creek Gap where the road crossed I met a bunch of town people who were offering rides into town to get out of the storm. Being the intelligent college graduate that I am, I politely declined them and headed up the mountain to the Plumorchard Gap Shelter. It was a packed house in this three level shelter. We all made dinner and talked as a boy scout group came in and set up tents in front of the shelter hoping the storm would pass over in the night. We are all very excited about tomorrow even if it storms cause we are going to be leaving Georgia and entering North Carolina. Some of the people at the shelter were Turtle, Hippie Long Stockings, Two Step, Clearwater, and Others. Tomorrow a new state!!!!!Andy
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: moderate rain

After being woken up several times by either the mice in the shelter running around or the storms, I was finally awakened by the sounds of the Boy Scout troop in the morning. All the thru-hikers where lying in the shelter when we heard the voices coming from the tents outside. ¢I¢m wet¢, ¢I think I'm sleeping in a lake¢ and ¢I think I'm stuck in my tent¢. The whole shelter erupted in laughter cause we had been there on the first couple nights of our trip. Now that we are a couple days in, we are pros. (Right?) Well most of the rain had stopped so we all packed up and headed out to the NC line. One by one we would arrive at this tree with a little block of wood saying GA/NC. Nothing great but it lifted our spirits in the foggy mountain. I was the first to leave the line after we all took pictures and such. As I was climbing I came to an open field with a really neat tree being swallowed by fog. It looked like something straight out of Lord of the Rings. I took a picture and only one because I was too cold to move and headed on up the mountain. When I got to the first shelter and had lunch and warmed up, I decided to push on to the next one just so that I would be closer to my next town to resupply. I made it to Standing Indian Mountain and decided to stay there. I met a past thru hiker named Lone Wolf and his huge dog Max. A little while later Bobcat, Oba, Frankenfoot, Platinum Giggles showed up. We packed in the shelter and were out for the night. Andy
Date: 2006-04-09
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: clear sky

VERY cold last night. It got down into the 20¢s so not much sleep. This morning the water in my Nalgene was frozen. I like ice water but that was a little ridiculous. When I met up with Bobcat for Lunch we talked about pushing 20 miles so that we would be close to Franklin and could get a full day in town. We waited to see if Oba and Frankenfoot were up for it and pushed on. I hike faster than they do so I went ahead and climbed over Albert Mountain. Picture a rock climb going straight up and that is what it was like. At the top was a fire tower which was cool and a little scary but great views. I decided to keep pushing closer to Franklin so I left the shelter at 6:15 for a 5.3 mile hike down to the Rock Gap Shelter. For a portion of this section I was hiking down a creek bed which was kind of fun but mostly just wet. I arrived at the shelter at 8 just as the sun was setting. I assumed that the other guys were going to stay at the last shelter. Zoomer was sitting there, who I had hiked with the first 3 days and hadn¢t seen since. We decided to split a room in Franklin. It was a packed house so I slept on the ground just outside of the shelter. After everyone had gone to bed I heard the sound of trekking poles hitting rocks. I look up to see three head lamps. I whistled and heard Frankenfoot say ¢That better be Weezey baby¢. They finally arrived at 10 pm under headlamp. They got settled and I told them we were getting up at 5:30 to hike out and catch the 9 am Shuttle to town. They told me to get them up when I was getting up. Crazy day. Tomorrow civilization and resupply.Andy
Date: 2006-04-10
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: clear sky

Definitely not your typical Monday. My day started by getting woken up around 5:30AM by Donkey (short for Donkey love) from my lovely gravel bed under the overhang of the shelter. It was still dark out as I forced myself out of my cocoon to start packing up my gear for the trek into town to meet the shuttle. There were 4 of us (Donkey, Zoomer, Sweet T, and your favorite The River Weasel) that hit the trail at 6 with our head lamps blazing. This was by far the earliest I have started hiking this trip. The main reason I am what other hikers consider a late starter (around 8:30) is because it¢s just too cold to get out of my sleeping bag till the sun has started shining and warmed things up. Anyways, we headed north as the sun was rising to our right. It was still very cold but awesome watching the sun change from a faint pink to rising completely over the east ridge of the Nantahala Mountains. We arrived at the road crossing at around 7:15 or so and the shuttle wasn¢t going to be there till 9. So we had 2 options: 1. wait for the shuttle and freeze or 2. hitchhike. So we started giving everyone the thumbs up. After a couple gave us the finger back, a tractor trailer pulled over. As we grabbed our packs he took off again. Finally after about 30 minutes or so a red truck with pieces of wood piled in the back pulled over. A nice guy with a camo hunting cap and probably one of the nicest Foo Manchus I have ever seen told us to hop in. There was only one problem. It was around 8am and there are three people and four packs sitting on top of these boards whipping down this windy road freezing our asses off. All I have on is shorts, a light jacket, and a winter hat. 10 miles is a long way and no matter how long you go you can¢t get used to cold. Finally after we got into town he dropped us off at Shoney¢s for the breakfast buffet. In our group of 4 we had two Southerners and 2 New Englanders. The 2 Southerners got made fun of for going for the biscuits and gravy first, but they were definitely worth it. After gorging ourselves, we walked up the road towards the outfitter where Zoomer and I parted ways from Donkey and Sweet T. We went to the outfitter and resupplied on stove fuel and got our picture taken to hang on the wall. While we were in the store a nice guy and his daughter from southern GA gave us a ride to the Library where I updated my journal and checked email. I didn¢t get a chance to reply to any but I will do that the next time I get a chance. From there it was off to get a hotel and pick up my mail drop. After that we stuffed our faces again; we hit the store and got some food items and the well needed beer. It¢s nice to be in town but can¢t wait to get back in the woods tomorrow. Well it¢s off to a nice night sleep and a pillow.Andy
Date: 2006-04-11
From: Franklin, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

It was great to wake up in a bed but the only problem was that I still woke up early ¢   about 6:15. My sleeping in tolerance has gone way down. After a delicious o.j. and a shuttle back up to the trail I was back on my way. It¢s always rough starting back out but after a grueling 16 miles of the bottoms of my feet hurting I finally reached the shelter which was right on the trail. I mean you basically run into it while walking. Waterfall, Silverfoot, Zoomer and I stayed for the night. Others at the campsite were Universal Solvent, Hobo Girl, and Brighteyes. Rubbed my feet down and went to bed.Andy
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

After sliding all over the place while sleeping last night since the shelter was on a slant, I got up for another day filled with killing my feet by walking north a mile at a time. It was only a little over 11 miles down to N.O.C. Those were very painful miles that I put in this morning but the burger that was waiting for me almost made it worth it. Well it¢s off to hang out with some hikers then beating up my feet some more.Andyp.s. I only have 3 small blisters on my feet.
Date: 2006-04-13
From: NOC

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

So yesterday when I arrived at N.O.C. it was great. There were a bunch of hikers just sitting by the water soaking there feet and talking. I ran into a guy named Deldious who I had stayed with my 2nd night on the trail. He had been there for 2 days with a bad foot cause he had been pushing too hard. That kind of made my decision to stay there for the night to let my feet rest. I went to have lunch and had planned on planning out my next few days but got started talking to Model T and Ranger Dawg. I had met Model T my first day while he was going up Springer and I was coming down. Later I found out that he is a trail legend. This is his 4th thru hike and he is working on his 3rd book. After a big burger and some Ben and Jerry¢s Phish Food ice cream I just laid around and took some photos. After dinner Slim had just gotten back from town and had brought us a case of beer. We watched TV and drank a few before the lodge closed. Once the lodge closed Donkey, Big X, Sage and I were hanging out with the raft guide trainees that were staying there. A few games of flip cup and several PBRs later the hikers had to call it a night. This morning I woke and went back down to the base camp and went to get some food. I ran into B-cat, Oba, and Frankenfoot who I had lost a few days before. My plan was to leave around noon and hike up to the next shelter. The only problem is that the shelter is on the top of the mountain and we were at the bottom. The climb out goes directly up 3000 feet over 8 miles. Once I finally got to the top where everything is still waiting to bloom into spring I found the shelter. I read where it had said that a group was tenting farther down and to come join them. So I pushed on the extra 3.5 miles and meet up off the side of the trail. In camp tonight it is Donkey, Sage, Silverfoot, Gringo, and Jane. After the fire died the only entertainment was watching me eat with my head lamp so I got the fire going and we watched as the full moon stood out more than the stars for once.Andy
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: few clouds

Today was a long dam day. It started with deciding how far I was going to be going. My mail drop is at the Fontana Village post office and they are only open from 10-12 on Saturdays. So that meant that if I didn¢t get my box by then I would have to wait till Monday and I didn¢t want to do that. The whole crew I am with is pushing on to the shelter at Fontana Dam even though it was almost 19 miles.One of the good things that happened while I was hiking was I got my first trail magic. Trail magic is where people leave something for hikers; usually food or drinks. Occasionally you will walk out of the woods at a clearing and there will be a spread of food just laying out. I came across a basket of fresh fruit. I ate an orange and went on my way.There are a lot of ups and downs till you get to a road crossing a mile before the shelter then it¢s almost flat according to the map. Well after 18 miles every little hill makes a difference. This is what we were calling "the last mile". It was pure hell. It was bad trail with roots and rocks everywhere. I thought I was off the trail for a while but it was just the crappy trail. Once we got to the dam shelter, we decided to stay at the dam place for the night. We even decided to spend the entire next day at the same dam shelter ¢ the reason being is because the shelter is called the Fontana Hilton. It has running water, bathrooms, and showers right in the park. Tomorrow I get more food and my first day off.Andy
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day. That¢s trail lingo meaning taking a day off and hiking 0 miles. Some people take a lot of them and never make it to Maine. It¢s definitely something that is good to have every once in a while, but not everyday. Today was especially great cause I didn¢t have to get up early and pack out. We (Donkey, Silverfoot, Sage, Gringo) all got a buffet breakfast and hit the village to get our packages. There wasn¢t much to the village. A post office, general store, and outfitter. We ran into Mouse and his parents who were going to cook pasta for all of us. More trail magic!!! They were setting up next to the shelter around noon. Much to our surprise there was another group of people cooking food for us. After spaghetti, a hotdog, hamburger, a couple adult beverages, and others I am finally stuffed. So now I have to make sure that everything is in shape to head out early in the morning but we will have to see how early and fast I move on a full stomach.Andy