morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-13
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 16 ReportStart Location: Nantahala Outdoor CenterEnd Location:  Cody Gap    Day Miles:  18.8       Total Miles:  153.8 (+8.8)      Distance to go:  2025.3 Trip Report:I noticed something interesting today. At the lower elevations the trees have leaves; at the higher elevations they don't.  It isn't exact, but roughly 3,500 feet seems to be the break point as of today. It was quite noticable today climbing out of Nantahala Gorge at 1700 feet up to Cheoah Bald at 5,000 feet. At some point today I found an overlook where I could see the effect. We will have see if the effect is visible in my picture.A few days ago I mentioned I had a 16 mile, an 18 mile, and a 22 mile plan for today. Well I took the middle option. I am not at a shelter tonight. There is a stream here and over time usage has cleared the duff from the flat spots and created "tent sites." I was the first to get here and got the best spot and it is not all that flat.I have 10.2 miles to get to the Fontana Visitors Center tommorrow. Thursday and Friday I am going to try to do back to back 20 mile days. That will get me to Newfound Gap and US 441 where I can hitch into Gatlinburg. If I make it I will reward myself with a zero on Saturday.
Date: 2010-04-14
From: Cody Gap

To: Fontana Dam Visitor Center
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Day 17 ReportStart Location:  Cody GapEnd Location:  Fontana Dam Visitor Center     Day Miles:  10.2 Total Miles:  164 (+8.8)      Distance to go:  2025.3 Trip Report:Saw my first snake on the trail today. I am not a snake expert, but I am sure it was harmless. Solid light brown/greenish/grayish. About 20 inches long. Problem was it's head was sticking put onto the trail about six inches. So we had a face off for 30 seconds or so. I was afraid to pass it and it wasn't retreating. I finally shook my poles at it and it rared up and gave that hooded thing snakes do, then it slowly turned and went a few inches off the trail and I scurried past.I am staying tonight at this great little place called the Hike Inn. I made it to Fontana just before noon. The couple who run the Hike Inn pick you up at Fontana Dam, wash your clothes, pick up lunch while you shower, drive you to town in the evening for dinner and shopping, and drive you back to the trail when you want in the morning (so long as it's before 9:00 am). So I will be able to get an early start which increases my chances of getting to Newfound Gap by Friday. Debbie says she will drive up to Gatlinberg this Friday if I can make it there by then, so I have an added incentive to push hard. The way the shelters are layed out, I am going to need to do 22.7 miles tommorrow and 18 on Friday. Those will be big days, but I am getting rest this afternoon, lots of calories, and will sleep in a bed tonight. Plus a hiker here at the Inn tells me that the Smokies cater to tourists so the trails are more modestly graded and are not the thru-hiker-torture-trails we have been doing.  I will know by tommorrow night and will call if I can't make it (I am sure somebody at the shelter where i end up will have a Verizon phone). I mentioned the thru-hiker-torture-trails which I first mentioned the day I crossed the state line. For the most part Georgia graded it's trails with long switchbacks that go back and forth around the mountains gradually getting you to the top. Here in North Carolina the start low in the gaps with a nice gradual grade and then there will be a turn directly straight up. At times it seems so steep you believe you will slip backward.  My 2.5/3 miles per hour pace plummits to about .5 miles an hour (a guess). The only way I can do those climbs is to look straight down at the trail, not look up, and slowly but surely put one foot in front of the other until it ends. Then when the downhill starts, I remind myself to turn it back on. I am getting my average speed up to about 2.4/2.5 miles an hour that way. The good news is that our hostess says the 29 miles I did over the past two days are the hardest in the south. We won't see climbs that steep until the Whites.
Date: 2010-04-16
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Newfound Gap US 441 (Gatlinberg)ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

Day 19 ReportStart Location:   Derrick Knob ShelterEnd Location:  Newfound Gap US 441 (Gatlinberg)        Day Miles:  18 Total Miles:  204.3 (+8.8)      Distance to go:  1974.4 Trip Report:High elevations today and a new kind of forest. I went over Clingmans Dome which at 6643 is the highest point on the trail. The forest was cool evergreens (firs of some sort I suppose).  They (who is they? Those who know professionally know I hate undefined pronouns) fellow hikers, the Hike Inn owners, the trail runner have been promising snow in the Smokys. I finally found it today. Above about 5500 feet or so there were still drifts in shady areas, including a few stretches of the trail.The snow itself was much of an obstical, but the mud from the melting snow was a bit of a hassle--I just didn't want dirty shoes. No seriously, my poles were sinking about 8 inches into the mud in spots and I did try to avoid the mud as best I could by sort of dancing from side to side down the trail. I didn't want the weight the mud would add if I sank one of my shoes and I didn't want wet feet which softens the skin and makes it more blister prone. Did pretty well. Just before I reached 441 I passed a guy on the trail. Turns out his wife was picking him and two buddies up. They gave me a ride into Gatlinberg so I still haven't dusted off my hitch hiking skills. I am looking forward to a zero tomorrow. My other zeros were a bit of indulgences, especially the double zero in Franklin, but this one is earned. A little math--counting the approach trail the total hiking distance is 2187.9.  The rule of thumb is that it takes six months to hike the trail--let's call it 180 days. That means I must average 12.155 miles per day. My overall average to date is 11.21. But not to worry my average this week-- counting the zero tomorrow--is 13.85. I am on track, and might even be a little ahead of the game from a conditioning perspective. All of the advice I have seen is to start slow and build mileage as your body becomes "trail hardened."I took quite a few picture this week and hope to upload them tomorrow.
Date: 2010-04-17
From: Newfound Gap US 441 (Gatlinberg)ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ 

To: Newfound Gap US 441 (Gatlinberg)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 20 ReportStart Location:   Newfound Gap US 441 (Gatlinberg)End Location: Newfound Gap US 441 (Gatlinberg)Day Miles: 0Total Miles: 204.3 (+8.8)Distance to go: 1974.4Trip Report:Diaper rash--it's not just for babies any more. I suppose that technically it isn't a diaper rash since no diapers are involved, but you get the idea. The combination of sweat, salt and a lot of cheek to cheek rubbing was getting a bit painful. But some zinc oxide and a day off have really helped.From here my next goal is Hot Springs, N.C. Got 67.1 miles separating me from there. I am going to try to do it in four days. That will earn me a day off. I need a day there because I am switching out my tent in Hot Springs and would like to practice setting it up before getting on the trail.I posted quite a few pictures today. I tried to title them, but there just wasn't time. But here is a general summary. They start as I left Franklin. There are are assorted pictures of trail sites like water falls, wild flowers growing along the trail, and high elevation views. There are a couple pictures of some horseback campers (I neglected to mention that horses are allowed on a couple of sections of the AT in the smokys). There are pictures of the NOC and the Nantahala River both close up and from elevation. I have several pictures of the Hike Inn and my room there. And a couple of pictures of snow on the trail.Debbie and I did not have time for the house of mirrors, Ripley's, or the Cars of the Stars museum--in case you haven't ever visited Gatlinberg, it's about a five mile strip of schlock. But I got my food bag resupplied, my clothes washed and a lot of "town food.". And I uploaded those pics.FOR ANY HIKERS WHO MIGHT READ THIS--Do not send packages to the happy hiker--It closed. Not expecting Debbie to be here, I had sent mail drop to the happy hiker, to simplify resupply. So I got lucky that Debbie was here to drive me around.
Date: 2010-04-18
From: Newfound Gap US 441 (Gatlinberg)

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 21 ReportStart Location:   Newfound Gap US 441 (Gatlinberg)End Location: Tri-Corner Knob ShelterDay Miles: 15.6Total Miles: 220.3 (+8.8)Distance to go: 1958.8Trip Report:It got cold overnight. Debbie and I slept in a bit this morning--not terribly late, but by the time we got packed up, got our pancake breakfast, and drove up to the trail it was 9:30. Still, though, there was ice on the trail when I started.I was planning a fairly modest day distance wise of only 15.6 miles. It is nice to be able to say that since it was only a couple of weeks ago that a 15 mile day made me almost unable to move. My miles per hour for today was 2.4. But it hasn't become easy yet. I thought this morning that I was going to be able to report that it was getting easier. But starting at about 2:30 I had a 1200 foot climb that was hard.I am spending my first night actually in a shelter. There are two other thru-hikers and six section hikers here. Three section hikers are real experienced in the Smokys and have promised tomorrow is easier than today. So maybe that will be the payoff for the climb this afternoon.
Date: 2010-04-20
From: Painter Branch

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: light rain

Day 23 ReportStart Location: Painter BranchEnd Location: Walnut Mountain ShelterDay Miles: 18.5Total Miles: 258.7 (+8.8)Distance to go: 1920.4Target Average Miles Per Day: 12.155Current Average Miles Per Day: 11.630Trip Report:Last night was easily my best night in the woods. I really did not want to leave this morning. I had done a fairly long day--.1 shy of another 20 miler. I was tired from the night before. The stereo sound from the two streams just put me out. I hope that I have a few more nights like last before the end of this trip.The mountains are really turning green now that we are below 5000 feet. Green and several different kinds of wild flowers are blooming. I am not a tree hugging nature lover, but I am rather enjoying watching the forest come alive.I spent most of the day walking in a light rain. It was cold enough that my hands probably did not have the dexterity to pick up a dime. Yet until I stopped for the night I never wore more than my short sleave under armour t-shirt. By and large I wasn't cold with the exception of going over Max Patch Bald.Several of the montains in this area are called balds. I posted a picture or two of the first bald I went over. For the most part I have been disappointed with the balds. But Max Patch lived up to the brochure promises. The treeless area (hence the title bald) was enormous. I was looking down at clouds. But being on the summit with no trees the wind was strong and being mostly wet, I was cold. I had plenty of clothing options, but it was easier to simply push on till I was back in the protection of the forest.I am tenting tonight in a light rain. I am trading out tents tomorrow. So I am testing this one on its last night out. Unfortunate, because the rain splashes the forest duff all over the tent and makes it filthy.Had a first today--my first fall. I was on a rather steep downhill and stepped on some roots. Both feet went out from under me. But no damage done. I turtled, landing on my pack.
Date: 2010-04-21
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, N.C.
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 24 ReportStart Location: Walnut Mountain ShelterEnd Location: Hot Springs, N.C.Day Miles: 13.1Total Miles: 271.8 (+8.8)Distance to go: 1907.3Target Average Miles Per Day: 12.155Current Average Miles Per Day: 11.691Trip Report:I am in Hot Springs, N.C. This is a trail town. Literally theAppalachian Trail runs down the center of the town.It rained most of the night and then a cloud settled in. Enoughcondensation formed inside the tent that I was woken up about 5 timesby a drop of water hitting me square between the eyes. When I woke upthis morning everything was wet. The tent was wet inside and out. Mysleeping bag was wet on the outside (the water resistant fabric seemsto have worked because I was warm and dry on the inside). My pack wasdripping. My food bag which was hanging from the bear cables wasobviously drenched, but the food inside was dry.So what have I done today? I ate breakfast bars this morning becauseI wanted a fast start. I got going at 7:15 this morning and waschecked-in at the motel at noon (that was 13.1miles in 4 hours 45minutes or 2.75 miles an hour--not bad). Next was to visit theoutfitter and pick up my new tent which had been drop shipped. Then itwas down to the diner for lunch. This is such a trail town the motelowner assured me it would be no problem going in the diner before Ishowered even though I had been hiking for the past four days. Afterthe diner I went to the post office, which re-opened at 1:00, to pickup my bounce box which had clean clothes (which was the reason I didnot shower before lunch). Finally a shower and clean clothes. Nextstop the library to check on my investments and send a quick note tolet friends and family know I am ok. Next stop the laundramat to washmy dirty hiking clothes. Finally back to the room to unpack everythingand get it dried out. And now it is dinner time. I think I will go eatand finish these thoughts afterward.Tomorrow I am going to rest and eat. And packup my old tent to send toDebbie. And packup a bounce box (with clean clothes, shaving gear,extra vitamins, extra vitamin "I" (known to non-hikers as Ibuprofen),extra baby wipes, etc.). Now, where to send the bounce box.There have been some logical stops up to now. But the next logicalstop is Damascus, VA which is 191.7 miles away. It crossed my mindtoday to try and do that as one "no-break" stretch. I don't think Ican do that, showers just feel to good. I am going to try to do itwithout taking a zero. But I am not promising. What I am thinking isthat I will do some neros. Tomorrow I will think through the tacticsfor this next stretch.
Date: 2010-04-22
From: Hot Springs, N.C.

To: Hot Springs, N.C.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 25 ReportStart Location: Hot Springs, N.CEnd Location: Hot Springs, N.C.Day Miles: 0Total Miles: 271.8 (+8.8)Distance to go: 1907.3Target Average Miles Per Day: 12.155Current Average Miles Per Day: 11.224Trip Report:I have come up with aggressive plan to get to Damascus, VA on May 3rd. That will be 11 continuous days of hiking--most of which will be quite long days. There will be two opportunities for a shower, bed and real food along the way--or a rest day if this is to aggressive.Today I bought food for the next stretch, boxed up and mailed my old tent back to Debbie, mailed a drop box to Roan Mtn. TN, and mailed my bounce box to Damascus.The difference between a bounce box and a drop box is that a drop has the food I will need for the next section of trail. The bounce has things that make a town visit more comfortable like spare clean clothes, shaving equipment, and the like.
Date: 2010-04-23
From: Hot Springs, N.C.

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 26 ReportStart Location: Hot Springs, N.CEnd Location: Little Laurel ShelterDay Miles: 19.6Total Miles: 291.4 (+8.8)Distance to go: 1887.7Target Average Miles Per Day: 12.155Current Average Miles Per Day: 11.546Trip Report:The hike started today with a nice stroll along the banks of the French Broad River. It was quite pleasant but for some reason the trail turned toward the mountain and we had a 2300 foot climb.You know those infrastructure expose shows where we are told most of the country's bridges are falling down and that there are 50,000 dams about to collapse. I have always wondered where all those dams are. I think I found one today. Way back in the woods I came across this dam made out of stone and concrete. It was full to the brim and appeared to be leaking at the bottom. The pond it created was quite serene. I have no idea if the water will flow toward a population center or not when it collapses. Anyway, I took several pictures.A little later the ground started to move with every step. There were crickets everywhere that hopped with every step.T-square and Hot Foot a/k/a the father-son team I met early on came into Hot Springs yesterday afternoon. T-square is done hiking and going back to work (ahh retirement, it means never having to go back to work). Hot Foot will hike on after the Festival this weekend. No doubt with his speed he will pass me shortly.I am in the new tent tonight. I will need to adjust my habits a bit. One thing I forgot about is that I had painted a light coat of silicon on the floor of the old tent to keep my pad from sliding around on the floor. I will need to adapt to this new slippery floor again. Actually the pad slides on the floor and the floor slides on the ground sheet. But there have to be trade offs for two pounds of weight difference. Supposedly, it is going to rain tonight, so my tent will get tested.
Date: 2010-04-24
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 27 ReportStart Location: Little Laurel ShelterEnd Location: Hogback Ridge ShelterDay Miles: 21.5Total Miles: 312.9 (+8.8)Distance to go: 1806.1Target Average Miles Per Day: 12.155Current Average Miles Per Day: 11.915Trip Report:I am in a shelter. It started raining this afternoon. And the temperature dropped. It is cold, windy, and still raining. I probably won't eat tonight, because I don't have the energy to get out of my sleeping bag, go get water and cook--that and I am shivering in my bag.It got to the shelter at 5:30. Technically I didn't deserve a spot because I was the seventh but the group squeezed me in. I immediately put my pad down and my sleeping bag and crawled in to warm up. After I stopped shivering I put on the bunny suit and ate some cheese crackers and a snickers bar. I couldn't cook because I had no water. The water was 2/10s of a mile away. There was no way I was going to hike down and back to pump water in the rain.Early in the hike this morning there was an exposed ridge. They actually offered a alternate route around the ridge for bad weather. It was windy and overcast, but I didn't think it justified the bad weather route. I am striving to be a puriest. Anyway the ridge was exhilerating (I took several pictures). There were a couple of times I crouched down due the wind. Not because I thought the wind would blow me off but it was making it difficult to keep my balance.
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Sams Gap US 23, I-26
Miles today: 2.4

Day 28 ReportStart Location: Hogback Ridge ShelterEnd Location: Sams Gap US 23, I-26Day Miles: 2.4Total Miles: 315.3 (+8.8)Distance to go: 1863Trip Report:They say you should not quit on a bad day. And I know that I promised myself I would keep going for a week if I ever thought that I wanted to quit. But this weekend's hiking convinced me that I do not have the pain tolerance to continue.Late yesterday I began leapfrogging with a couple fellow hikers "H2" and "Landfill". That evening in the shelter we were with a fellow going by "Pig Pen". The four of us formulated a plan to get to Erwin, TN by tomorrow. It would be a 20.7 mile hike today followed by a 6.3 mile hike tomorrow (assuming we were successful in hitching and didn't end up having to walk into town). I had already rationalized that three 20 mile days in a row would justify a day off in Erwin. But I had not enjoyed leaving Hot Springs after a day off and realized I was only looking forward to getting to Erwin--not to leaving.After going 2.4 miles this morning, I just didn't want to hike the next 18.3 miles. I didn't. But neither did I want to spend two more nights in the woods. I was at I-26 and had a decision point. Pig Pen was about 200 feet in front of me so I called out to him to let him know I was thinking about quiting (just to be sure the group wouldn't be wondering what happened to they guy they met the day before). Pig Pen said all the right thing: we've come over 300 miles; don't quit after a rough night (last night was indeed rough in large measure because of my crowding the shelter); wait for a sunny day to quit. His positve approach almost pulled me along. I told him I was going to call Debbie. He said, "fine, but don't quit." Debbie said all the right things: she knew last nights storm was bad; she did not want me to regret not finishing; but she was supportive regardless of my decision.I was just tired of climbing mountains.I got a ride into Asheville, N.C. from a fellow that is helping his wife finish a five year long section hike. They have a camper van. He drops her at a trail head and picks her up at the next place the trail crosses a road. She carries a full backpack, though, for training purposes because there are some sections where there are no road crossings a day's hike away.
Date: 2010-04-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Sunday, Debbie made an eight hour roundtrip drive up to Asheville to bring me home. I never anticipated her doing that; I had envisioned taking a bus. But while I was making my way to Asheville, she had researched that possibility and discovered that the first bus I could get would have left on Monday morning at 9:00 AM and would have arrived in Atlanta at 6:00 PM. She didn¢t want me to have to do that.As I said to a close friend before I left, the probability is high that I won¢t finish, but if I don¢t start, then the probability that I won¢t finish is 100%. Many people who leave the trail after getting past the shakeout miles have regrets and some go back and finish. I am not having regrets.I got a couple of comments to the effect that my decision seemed to come out of the blue. I was quite optimistic all the way into Hot Springs. But Friday morning, when I was leaving Hot Springs the ¢spunk¢ seemed to be missing. I thought perhaps my plan for Damascus was just too aggressive and started planning a day or two off. Saturday, I was up and down mentally; the ridge was exhilarating; the cold afternoon rain and long night in the shelter were hard; but on the other hand, I found myself among a group of hikers with whom I was much more attuned (they were more focused on hiking and tactics than on drinking). I tried to build on those positives. But something happened when I got to I-26 at Sams Gap. I was looking at a three hour long climb¢not overly steep¢but I just could not seem to make myself do it.I weighed myself Monday morning and lost 10.8 pounds while I was gone despite working at eating as much as I could. Debbie thinks I have the sickly-old-man look, but I am only at the low end of the normal BMI for my age and height, so it is probably a quite healthy weight. I have started researching my next adventure.In the mean time, I will go scuba diving anywhere, anytime, just send me a note.
Date: 2010-10-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

On July 29, 2009 we hiked Katahdin and then headed south. Unfortunately, when we got to Waynesboro, VA, on December 17, we were unable to continue and finish our thru-hike because of all the snow and then cold weather. So.... here we are again, lovers of cooler weather, who are ready to finish our hike to Springer, GA. We have packed all our gear, keeping everything we had from last year. This Saturday, October 9, we have a ride back to Waynesboro, and plan to start on Sunday, October 10. I will continue posting entries when able.