morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-02-16
From: Nowhere

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Down to single digits with less than 10 days to go!Did two 8 mile days in the last week to keep the legs conditioned.~1 hour/4miles kept company by Deep Forests 2000 (2001?) Japan release, courtesty of my iPod (which I'm still hedging on bringing along).Always feel happy after listening to that one.Not looking forward to the loooonnnggg bus ride to Gainesville, but I'll think of that as the last hurdle.Could get there in a day, but the ammount of switches and layovers almost equals the road-time.But for $75, I guess I can't complain.Turns out I might be starting 27/28 Feb instead of the 1st.We'll see...
Date: 2010-02-23
From: Nowhere

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, this is my last "prep" entry. The next one should come from Franklin on the trail.Pack & equipment checked, rechecked and checked again.Boots broken in. Everything tested & functional, from clothes to pack to filters and sleep system. Now it's just one last "time" hurdle while I endure travel to the trail; not that hurry up and wait is a stranger to me.As long as the weather & my body cooperate, I suppose I'll be scooting along at the average 10-13 mile daily pace. I'm dreading the bus ride, mainly because of the last test of patience before hitting the trail, but soon my mind can stop being on the trail without my body and I can satiate what has felt like an addiction since leaving it.See you on the trail!
Date: 2010-03-06
From: Springer Mountain

To: Franklin
Miles today: 107.7
Weather: clear sky

Oh, snow, snow, snow, how I've come to love and hate our love-hate relationship with one another..."Interesting" weather would be an understatement perhaps. Hopefully the miles of 4-6" snow drifts will be a thing of the past for all of you starting after today (6 Mar). Don't let it get you down. It's just a little snow (or what will perhaps be mud soon).The only day that went by without soaking wet socks and frozen boots was the day at the Blueberry Patch and the day I stepped out of the vehicle to begin hiking. Socks were routinely frozen into hockey-stick shaped frozen stink-cicles this past week. Frozen boots made for interesting dress-rehearsals each morning.Outside of those few complaints, not much to complain about.I'm in Franklin now & pizza calls. So, without further adieu....
Date: 2010-03-16
From: Gatlinburg

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So I've made it to Gatlinburg with the Picnic Sisters (Bou & Fro), Compass & Crash despite the Bear that is currently the Smokies. I would suggest for any of you heading north that you team together & help share what has been for us an exhausting 'plow' through the park thus far. Lone wolfing it may be asking for trouble...The left turn before the Clingman overlook was lost to the snow when we got there so we followed the 7-mile side road down to Newfound; which it appears a good many others did as well. Even so there are mid-shin to knee (and sometimes waist) high drifts; on trail & on that road. Footing is precarious at best in many places. Hopefully ours & others' initial breaking through will help those behind us a bit.Downs are atrocious (?) from NOC to Fontana if you haven't run into that yet. This past season hasn't been particularly friendly to the trail & it appears the volunteers/maintainers will have plenty to do up there this spring/summer. Oh, and don't forget to turn left behind Sassafras shelter (after NOC); a lot of hikers have been treking straight up the hill & losing trail there as well (lots of downs, snow, fog & faded blazes/blazes on the downed trees causing problems).Other than that, all's well!Loving life (even more now LOL). - Silver
Date: 2010-04-03
To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We've made it to Virginia & I'm not frozen solid!Actually, it's suddenly gotten hot & the days have more opportunities for enjoyable rest stops. Hopefully the snow is melting off for everyone south of us?Trail conditions are great from Erwin on, with the possible exception of a stretch between Big Hump & the Apple shelter (after Roan, before Kincora), though it's like to be cleared before too much longer. Hopefully your Roan & following days are clear & pleasant days!Other than that...I'm not feeling particularly 'journally' at the moment & the library is about to close (not that that's something new).P.S. - Don't forget to stop in and visit Bob at Kincora!
Date: 2010-04-29
To: Packing
Miles today: 0.0

Running Back and ForthPacking my GearReady to walk NorthWithout any BeerWe're leaving for Georgia in a few hours and I just got everything in my pack. I would have been ready yesterday, but I had to have a few drinks with some friends. You have to have priorities in life.I was hoping to stay below 40 pounds, but ended up at 45 including 10 days worth of food and 4 books. I tried to lighten my load by getting a buzz cut, but it didn't help much. Lee says I look cute though, but I'm not sure if she means it.All right boys and girls, I'll be seeing you later. You may not recognize the wild, thin, bearded, but still handsome bum with a slightly balding head, but it'll be me, hungry as ever and ready to see my friends.
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Here I go, goodbye to Lee, see you soon, don't smile, you should be tearing your hair out in despair. But she did look a little sad. Gives a man a sense of value. We want to be indispensable, even though we know life will go on in our absense.The first 0.2 miles of the trail is more than 1000 steps. I'm sweating myself into dehydration and I haven't even started yet. But then comes the trail, pretty tough but very nice to finally be into the woods after wearing everyone's ears out talking about it for months.
Date: 2010-05-01
From: Springer Mountain

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Slogging through the RainSauntering in the SunIgnoring the PainCause I'm having FunWoke up to a light rain, cooked my oatmeal in the vestibule of the tent, read a little.I wanted to screw around on purpose so I wouldn't be tempted to do too many miles. Left at 11.Several other hikers, stopped here and there to talk a little. One guy walked with me for a while. He's a special forces guy. Highly trained. Very nice guy, and also very honest: he told me he went the wrong way for a mile before he even got started, then his training kicked in and he zeroed in on the trail.We were talking about preparing for this. He'd been doing thirty miles a day. I was a little worried, my training was a weekly walk home from Caribou coffee after Lee dropped me of from going to the farmer's market. Yuppie training camp...But here we were, me twice his age, him twice as well trained, but my sense of direction might save me.. He never made it to the shelter where he meant to go after I'd left him around lunch time.The beautiful, cool, misty day continued until I got to the Gooch Gap Shelter, 15 miles further.So much for taking it easy. Set up my tent during a break in the rain and cooked dinner in the shelter.Had a nice evening talking to a variety of people. Read a little and slept well.
Date: 2010-05-02
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Neel's Gap Hostel: Wasili Yi
Miles today: 15.6

*** UPDATE!!!! The elusive Skink is in the woods and sent word that he will be able to update his journal again on Monday, May 10. He is healthy, happy, and of relatively sound mind. - Willow ***Heard about a bearEating camper's foodHe didn't have a careIt put him in a happy moodHad one goal this morning. Make it to the hostel. They have burgers and fries! Of course that was another 15 miles. Better not mess around and leave early. Well, 10:15 was as early as I managed after a relaxed breakfast, breaking up camp, talking to everyone, filtering water and brushing my teeth. So got on the way on a windy cloudy cool day. Guess who I ran into! My special forces friend. He'd lost the trail during the heavy fog the day before, and had added another 4 miles. His 15 miles had taken him over 21 miles. Good thing he's in great shape. In his defense,I've talked to several people that got off track in the mist. I'm sure my day will come. The trail is marked by white blazes (stripes) on trees, every quarter mile or so, with extra blazes at intersections. The day is long, the fog is intense, you're daydreaming, next thing you know you're on the beach! Talked to a Ridgerunner, a guy who's volunteer job is to walk a section of the trail, and check conditions of trail and shelters. He said they had predicted thunderstorms and there was bear activity reported around Blood Mountain. I finally arrived at the hostel, after giving some tylenol to a young guy shuffling along with very sore knees. And then the terrible, heartbreaking disappointment: The hostel only serves burgers during the high season! Oh well, I picked out a bunk, and cooked one of my own gourmet freeze dried meals. The other hikers were a guy from LA, one from NY, a British med. student doing part of the trail for his vacation (very cool thing to do), a chinese canadian, and my tylenol friend. Nice and interesting group of people.We watched Rambo II together to increase our understanding of the perils of the forest.Today taking a day off to -call my wife -call my mother -write these updates -eat a large chicken pizza -hear about a big black bear stealing everybodies food at the blood mountain shelter. They're going to close the shelter for now.   These guys came in today who told about yelling at the bear while he was getting their food, he totally ignored them. Another camper had   put his food on top of the roof. The bear just climbed up and got it.Ma, don't worry. The bears just eat our food, they don't eat hikers...
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Neel's Gap Hostel: Wasili Yi

To: Day off
Miles today: 0.0

Let's stop for a dayKeep the blisters at bayHang out with some packersFor just a day be slackersToday's a day off. Time to take a shower, do some laundry, eat a little junk food, take another shower, buy some provisions, hang out with a bunch of nice fellow hikers. Tom, the British hiker's doing the same, and so are Jason from LA and Rob from NY. Twiggzy from Maryland is moving on today, and some new people Bo and Tyler from Florida are coming in. A good day to give the sore muscles a little rest. We've all just started and are not used yet to the daily strain of hauling a big pack up and down the rugged Georgia mountains.The hostel's full of other hiker's discarded stuff. There are many old boots hanging from two trees, old backpacks on the walls, boxes with food and hiker gear. This is the first place where hikers that have overpacked get to rearrange their stuff and get rid of excess weight. They can also replace badly functioning gear with new things from the store. A few tents are drying in the late afternoon sun. Here and there a hiker's brooding over his pack with the contents strewn all around.I'm stubborn. I'll keep it all and rearrange next time I see Lee, a week from now. Everyone goes to bed early. We have a lot of work tomorrow.
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Neel's Gap Hostel: Wasili Yi

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

Working on this rhymeDon't have inspirationMaybe I'll take timeFor a little meditationBack on the trail after my day's rest. After a while I come to a torn food bag taped to a tree (see pics) The now infamous Blood Mountain bear has gotten these guys food too. Everyone tells me how they like their hiking poles. So I'm trying mine. It certainly slows me down, and with uncharacteristic clumsiness I walk into branches because I'm looking at where I'm putting the poles. Then my right knee starts hurting, more and more. Probably a little souvenir from the descent of Blood Mountain 2 days ago. Finally I decide to put away the poles and just walk. I get a little faster, and my knee gets a little better.I've been running into this big grey bearded guy, yellow walking stick, shirt half open, water-cup dangling from his chest. Every afternoon he walks back south to shuttle a car north for a group he's guiding. They'll day-hike (no backpacks) the whole trail. He organizes, drives the car, stops and chats with us northbounders, and hikes into the evening. I tell him about my knee and the poles and he tells me to just use one pole and 'palm it' like a walking stick.That night I have the shelter to myself. All alone on a ridge, I watch the sun set behind the shelter, it's totally quiet, no sight or sound from civilization. A great calm evening of just me talking to the birds cooking dinner and reading my book.
Date: 2010-05-05
To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

While I limpI ponderAm I really a whimp?I wonder Warm day, my knee's better but not too good. I'm using the single pole and I like it. Georgia has some rugged terrain. I'm starting to wonder if I'll even get to Fontana. Especially late afternoon becomes a countdown to the next shelter.Then I get there, see my old friends Tom, Bo and Tyler and we catch up. They were at the same shelter that I stayed at yesterday, and the grey bearded guy talked them into going into town. He turns out to be one of the great living AT legends. His name's Warren Doyle, this is his 17th AT thru hike, 8 times as a guide for a dayhiker's group. He's logged over 30.000 miles on the trail, and everyone's in awe of him. A great and eccentric character. Yesterday he had asked me if there was anyone else coming my way. I wondered why. He apparently did the rest of his hike au naturel.., shooing away a bear coming up the path toward him.Some other people at the shelter: Wildflower, solitary thru-hiker in her 60's, the Pink Panthers: a couple in their 70's going to the middle of Pennsylvania, maybe 1000 miles or so.
Date: 2010-05-06
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

My first border crossingNo more turning and tossingwondering if my fateis to not even get out of this stateSaw Twiggzy get back on the trail after hitch-hiking into town to get provisions. He's walking strong. I'm limping behind, but my knee is getting better with the help of the walking stick and careful descents.Crossing into NC today. The terrain has gotten less strenuous, and gradually the scenery is changing. That evening I run into my special forces friend again, he acquired a trail name: T-Rex, seems fitting. He's a nice, calm guy, on disability retirement from the forces after a motorcycle accident. He now does this walk in support of disabled veterans. His website is www.hikefortheveterans.comTwo other shelter dwellers, don't know the names, just where they're from: TX and OH. Jason and Rob come in after dark and pitch their tent. T Rex and I have all night to regret not putting our tent up during the snoring contest between Texas and Ohio. Texas won because his mattress made more noise than all the mice in all the shelters combined.
Date: 2010-05-07
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Another nice smooth hiking day. Meet three friends from different parts of the country that are getting together for a few day's hiking. They're a little ahead of me. I hear a sound like a really loud cricket. Then I see them frozen in their tracks. A huge rattlesnake is on the trail. About 6 feet long, and diameter of Don's wrist. If you don't know Don (my father in law), about the size of both my wrists. That night it's getting a little chilly. Clean up the trash left by previous hikers whose food was ransacked by a bear.
Date: 2010-05-08
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: few clouds

Made a nice side hike to see the second largest poplar in the US. It's dead now, but in the early 1900's when loggers cut down a similar sized tree, the oxen were strained so badly hauling it out that they decided against cutting this one down. Good for us..It was windy and cold that evening, so I put my tent up. Didn't help much, I still froze my ass off. Two of the other campers were brother and sister, she's turning 70. They do a trip like this every few years. They'll be on the trail for five weeks. After coming in that evening they walked up to the top of Siler's bald, a pretty good climb, and came back to tell us about the beautiful 360 degree view. I checked it out and they were right: long range views of the forested mountains and ridges under a crisp blue sky.
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

Nice cool spring day, like it's been for a few days. It's a pleasure hiking like this. My knee's feeling pretty good. Meeting a few new people on the way. Particle is 55, quit his job in NY, flew to Atlanta and got on the trail, trying to do the whole thing. Started slow, but is putting some good miles in now. He's also trying to stop smoking, which may be harder than doing the whole AT.Run into BAM and her dog: The Beast (his trail name, real name Rocky). She did most of the trail last year, and doing a section, up to Fontana this year. She's sure, and probably right, that her dog keeps the bears away at night.Eat the last of my food, sleep in the shelter by myself, dreaming about all the food I'm going to eat tomorrow, and of course about seeing Lee again after 2 weeks of lonely suffering.
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

The Egyptians never knewEven the Romans weren't wiseto the joy of burgers and friesHow lucky we live when we doToday down the mountain, run into Lee strolling up to meet me. First stop: Burger and Fries. Pretty damn good! While I'm eating I see Twiggzy across the bridge, then Particle walks by, Warren comes in, and as we leave T Rex stops at the restaurant. It's a revue of friends from the trail..We're all on the same road and our paths will keep on intersecting.
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Day off

To: Day off
Miles today: 0.0

It is relaxing and niceTo sit and talk to my wifeNot worry about shelter miceThis is a pretty good lifeBelieve it or not, but a day off is busier, though less strenuous, than a day on the trail. Doing laundry, downloading pictures, updating this journal, reprovisioning and repacking my backpack, and having some coffee. Luckily Lee's here to do the laundry while I work on drinking coffee. It's all a question of smart division of labor.A little bit of physical recovery won't hurt either. I managed to take 8 pounds off my pack. When I first started it was 45 pounds with food and without water. Now I'm down to 37 pounds with food. That'll make a difference. I have about 7 days of food, should be enough to get me to Fontana and cross the Smokys. Then I'll reprovision at Davenport Gap.I also checked my own weight. I gained half a pound! That was of course after a 24 hour pig out session at the burger place, a local coffee shop, local restaurant for dinner, coffee shop, another local restaurant for lunch, and a great dinner at Lee's sister. A marathon calorie foraging session to get me ready for the next 130 miles.
Date: 2010-05-12
From: NOC

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

Going uphillafter eating my fillis pretty roughbut I stay tough..Back on the trail today. Of course I first had my requisite stop for a cup of coffee in Hendersonville, then we drove to the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City). One last burger and fries for the road, and bye Lee, see you next week..Seven miles straight uphill out of the Nantahala valley will make you sweat and wish you only had half a burger. But it's nice weather, the mountain laurel is blooming, flame azalea are coming out, I'm well rested, of (relatively) sound mind, and all is well.The shelter is the nicest I've seen in NC. Two levels, and full of people. Four highschool friends, now in different colleges, on a little southbound reunion hike. A solitary southbound hiker making good use of three days vacation. Cricket, Blue, CK: northbounders. A father and son on a little excursion, staying in their tent. And my Canadian friends, the 70 year old brother and sister team heading into their last two weeks on the trail. If we could all end up so healthy..
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: overcast clouds

A long hike today, many steep miles uphill and then of course back down. My motivation for the miles: there's a lodge at Fontana. The last little luxury before getting into the Smokies. I'm a sucker for a little comfort, even though I also enjoy roughing it. It's a nice balance, the sacrifice and reward, both rewarding in their own way. Without one, the other seems to have less value.So of course I just had a surprisingly nice, and unsurprisingly large meal, as many courses as they offered, left all my plates empty. Had a couple of beers, and now I'm falling asleep behind this lobby computer.Time to retire into my bedroom, with shower, without fellow sleepers, but inside, between four walls. After breakfast tomorrow I'll enjoy being outside again.Talk to all of you next week some time. Good night!
Date: 2010-05-14
From: Fontana Dam

To: Birch Spring Gap Campground
Miles today: 7.0

RuminationsAbout the daily grind,Vacations,And a healthy mindSitting here on the front porch of the Grill at Fontana. A little guilty because I haven't left yet. But had a nice breakfast, got some stuff at the general store, and now a last big lunch before tackling the Smokies. The guilt is very temporary, it's a nice morning, no obligations, no task other than hiking, nowhere to be at any specific time. Ran into Blue and Particle at the general store, then Brother and Sister walked out, and when I put my pack on after lunch ready to get on the trail CK and Cricked walk in. We're just a big, happy family here.Then a 7 mile uphill trip to the Camping area. And here we all meet again. It's nice to sit around and talk, watching a bear graze around the camping area all evening. Brother and Sister are reaching the end of their 5 weeks and will go back after the Smokies. After tomorrow I won't see them again. I hope they get to do this for many years to come. We all get our tents up before a thunderstorm hits. I exchanged my tent for my hammock when I saw Lee at NOC. After this night I know I prefer the tent, woke up many times to adjust my uncomfortable position.