morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-01-14
From: Siler Bald

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I said my goodbyes to Pigpen and Celtic and was headed down the trail by 8:30. It was just around 30 degrees when we got up this morning.   Today I hiked to Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT (6643'). The view is clouded up and I don't bother walking up the lookout tower. The trail is very icy, but I never had to put my crampons on. There was always a way to side step the ice. So far my crampons have been 2lbs of deadweight, and I'm thinking about sending them home. My water bottles all froze and so does the battery in my digital camera. Problems I'm going to have to figure out solutions too soon when the weather gets bad. Of course as soon as I descent into Newfound Gap the sky clears. I think of backtracking to Clingmans again, but it's hard to cover miles I've already done when I have so far to go! From Newfound Gap I get a ride into Gatlinburg with an elderly couple from Atlanta. They stop many times to take pictures of the snow, which is really just frost. They also take my picture when we get to town. I'm not sure if they photograph me because I am hitchhiking, or because I am hiking the trail. I smile pretty then enter the most ridiculous towns I have ever seen! It's ironic that a place like Gatlinburg is right outside of a national park, but at the same time a touristy town like this develops because of the park. There is indoor mini golf, year-round haunted houses, guiness book of world records museum...and on and on. Plastic everything. This town is rivaling Las Vegas as the wedding capital of the world. Rent-a-tux, wedding dress, overnight wedding cakes, even a drive though chapel. Get married in a drive thru. This is Gatlinburg, and now that I have resupplied, I am going back to the woods!
Date: 2005-01-15
From: Gatlinburg

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

Spent the AM sipping coffee and updating this journal! I didn't get caught up, signed off around noon when my ride came to bring me back to the trees and away from the city of plastic! The internet and other comforts of town can really suck you in! Last night I filled up on pizza and went grocery shopping. My next stop is Hot Springs, NC, so I need about 4 days of supplies. After I was done with those chores, I went back to my hotel room and cranked up the heat. It is amazing what we take from granted until we have to go without it for awhile. A warm shower and a heated room is all I want out of this Friday night!I am back on the trail by 1:00PM. The park is busy and their are a lot of people on the trail the first few miles. I get a few funny looks and questions because I am carrying a large backpack. The hike is amazing, clear day with ice covered trees. I hike the last one mile in the dark, I spent a lot of time talking to people on the trail and it slowed me down a bit. Left over pizza for dinner! I'm thinking about hiking 20 miles tomorrow to get out of the park--snow is on the way.
Date: 2005-01-16
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Camped with section-hiker Mike from Florida last night. He can't hike the trail unitl he retires. He is the only person that has ever told me I can't quit the trail. He says it would bother me forever, and he is right! The weather is clear in the morning, but snow hits in the afternoon. It only snowed two inches, and I am able to make the 20 miles I hoped. I'm in another "caged" shelter tonight, back at 2,600 feet. It's a cold night. My thermarest sleeping pad popped as I scrambled over fallen trees in the trail today. One more night and I can get a new one in Hot Springs. Tonight I boil water and pour it into my hard-plastic nalogene drinking bottle. Drop into your sleeping bag and you are toasty warm for hours! Random Heidi wisdom: Duct-tape does NOT mend a ripped thermarest.
Date: 2005-01-19
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs NC 
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm taking my first "zero" (a day off from hiking), in Hot Springs, NC. A great trail town, everything is within walking distance and there are a lot of great hostels to stay in. And, magical words, Hot Springs is ON the AT. The trail goes right through the town. I was feeling a bit under the weather when I came in yestereday, but I feel better today. I think I wasn't eating and drinking enough. My camelback has been frozen for days, so I was going from water source to water source with just one bottle, not enough. All my lunch food was frozen too. Frozen snickers is alright, but frozen cheese--gross. Frozen power bars--will break your teeth! I got into town late afternoon and I am staying at Elmer's Inn. I went to bed at 7 and was woken up for breakfast at 9:00! I must say that eating two hot meals and getting all that sleep sure helped! I'll probably leave town tomorrow, depending on how I feel.
Date: 2005-01-23
From: Hot Springs NC 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I am currently off the trail until????????I've been sick since the 17th...long time to just have the Flu, so I'm thinking it might be Giardia...not sure. I'll spare you the details of my sickness, but until I can keep food in my system and get my energy back, I'll be taking some time off. I guess the NOBOs just behind me can stop telling me to slow down now---you will pass me!I'll be back...
Date: 2005-01-28
To: Cheeseland
Miles today: 0.0

Alright, alright here is my update. I was just going to quietly slip off the trail, and slip back on, but I guess too many people are reading this to get away with that! I¢ve gotten over the bug I had. Probable Giardia, I was sick for over a week. Good ole antibiotics helped.   Coincidently I had visitors that were planning on meeting up with me in the Hot Springs area, so after I had been sick for 4 days, I took the opportunity of getting a ride home. So my current location is home in Wisconsin. I have not quit the trail, oh no, I have not quit the trail! It really is under me skin now! I absolutely loved the 19 days I spent hiking the first 270 miles of the AT, and I can¢t wait to continue the rest of the journey. I think my sickness was a blessing in disguise. The weather really got crappy the last few days, and I¢ve been warm in my house. On the toilet most of the time, but in a warm house none the less. So I¢m healthy and strong again (I was even out building a garage today)! I want to wait until March to return to Hot Springs. But oh, that¢s a long, long month away. At least February is the shortest month. The weather will be a factor. I really lucked out with over 2 weeks of warm weather in JANUARY! March will bring me closer to warm spring weather, and there should be more hikers out on the trail in case I turn into a frozen popsicle! Thanks all, for reading my journals and giving me support! I love reading my guest book entries when I get into town. Stay tuned for more adventures in March!
Date: 2005-02-17
From: Cheeseland

To: Back to Hot Springs!
Miles today: 0.0

After 31 ¢zero¢ days I am ready to get back out on the trail again! No, it¢s not March yet, but I DID wait a whole month, that is an impressive amount of time for me to wait, believe me! Several trail people and relatives have asked me if I would be starting over from the beginning. My answer is NOT A CHANCE! Several have questioned the, for lack of a better word, ¢purity¢ of my thru-hike now that I have taken so much time off. My answer is¢I don¢t care what this journey is called! I am not doing it for the recognition, I am doing it for the adventure, for the experience, and for reasons I am still figuring out! I don¢t regret my early start. I consider those first weeks my ¢shakedown¢ AT experience (Springer Mountain to Hot Springs). Prior to this year, I had not walked an inch of the AT.   I¢ve figured out my own gear system, including cold weather gear and food. I¢ve also worked out planning details, as in have less plans!   I¢ve officially thrown my spreadsheet of ¢towns I will resupply in¢ away! I was so naive back then (and I still have so much to learn)! Ah, the trail is our teacher! I still will be sending my maildrops (everything is boxed up and ready to go anyway), although I wish I had much less. In the first 270 miles, the only place I wish I¢d sent a maildrop to was Fontana Dam¢a ghost town this time of year (and no cheeseburgers). I also vow to take more pictures! I am way into the ones I have, and looked at them almost obsessively the past weeks when I was missing the trail!! I have a digital camera that can store 400+ images, and 2 memory cards, so I can shoot away! I also want to write more¢¦and have been thinking about getting pocketmail so I don¢t have to spend so much time transcribing in the library. I¢m just a little reluctant to bring the technology out on the trail with me (do I REALLY need it¢¦).Tomorrow morning we¢ll be leaving for Hot Springs, so I¢ll be hiking by the weekend. This break has been good, but it defiantly was not in my AT vision! I have spent the past weeks building a garage and remodeling a kitchen. I have quadrupled my mechanical skills! I never would have guessed in a thousand years that I would take a break in my AT hike to do construction work! Life is unexpected¢¦I can only imagine where this journey north will really take me. Will I take another series of 30-plus zero days in an exotic northern state again? Who knows.   Will I religiously be treating my water, yes, certainly¢even the most pristine, clear, mountain top spring. A slap in the face to mother nature? Probably. But giardia hurts. You see, giardia hold hands will dehydration. Dehydration is Hydro¢s greatest fear in life, and I, my friends, was dehydrated (gasp). Next time you hear from me, I¢m sure I¢ll be moaning about losing my ¢trail legs!¢
Date: 2005-02-19
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

For those of you wondering, the drive from WI to Hot Springs is 14 hours. We got a late start--6:45am, thanks to me. How many times in life can on do the am/pm reversal on the alarm? My mom and stepdad, ever patient and generous, gave me a ride--again! Yes, I recognize that I am spolied.We'll fast forward through the road trip and begin this story back in Hot Springs. After my fifth meal at the Smoky Mountain Diner, we headed to the PO. I send off my Damascus maildrop and returned to the van to discover that my stepdad has reeled in a NOBO!Epistamologymegalomaniac (plus or minus a few letters), is his trailname. Break apart and define that, and I'll give you a philosophy degree. I tilt my head and ask for an acronym. "EM," he says, going on to tell us about the weather challenges he has had so far. I try to send him some signals to stop the war stories in front of the worrisome parents, but he continued on. Probably just thinks I have a nervous twitch. In my time off, I missed an ice storm, a couple snowstorms, and cold temperatures.Today feels like it is in the 50's and sunny as I walk the first mile with the mom and stepdad. It was a nice AT sample hike for my parents, we even caught a glimpse of a beaver. Walking north out of Hot Springs, the trail follows the French Broad River before climbing switchbacks up to Lover's Leap Overlook. Neither of my parents are hikers, and I appreciate their interest. "No wonder people hike naked," my mom says as she takes off her winter gear. (I recently told her about hike naked day in June).They soon turn back, and I set off at my own pace---wait, something is wrong. As I climb up the swithcbacks, I get that sinking feeling that I forgot something. It's my trail legs. I've lost them after a month off. I've looked through my pack twice, they are no where to be found. So I walk about 11 miles today, slowly.Handful of dayhikers out today and I have Big Spring Shelter to myself. This is an old shelter, a bit smaller that what I've seen so far. It must fill up fast in the late spring. Sleep comes quickly tonight, and it goes without saying that it feels good to be out here again!
Date: 2005-02-20
From: Spring Mt. Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4

It rained sporadically through the night and I awake to a very light drizzle. The AM is cloudy but the rain holds. Before I make Little Laurel Shelter (8.6 miles), the clouds open up and it is pouring! I need water so I stop at the shelter. I have a snack and read the register. It is too cold to stop this long, my body heat is dropping fast in the cold rain. I am comfortable hiking thru the afternoon, as long as I keep moving. A thick fog covers the views, and I must have missed some good ones. The "cliffs" remind me of the ridge walking in the smokies, minus the view. On the exposed cliffs, the rain is freezing on the trees and rocks, making for slick walking. I ripped my rainpants as I was doing a freestyle backpacking move over a fallen tree. There is a rip in the seam, down to my knee. Drafty! I'll have to do some duct-tape mending tonight.I anticipate Jerry Cabin Shelter long before I finally arrive. I am soaked and chilled to the bone. I take off my pack and get my "chores" done fast--unpack and filter water. Than I do what I've been dreaming about the last two hours: change into warm, dry fleece! After a warm meal is in me and I'm snug in my sleeping bag, I am finally warm. Bless these shelters! They make the rain bearable. It looks like I'm one shelter away from some section hikers, but no one else is here. My wet gear is taking up half the shelter. There is a fireplace, but I skip the fire, everything is wet. I try to get a weather report on my new $1 radio that surprisingly picks up 20+ stations. No report, but I am impressed with the reception. Ahh...I am dry and warm, this is all I want right now!
Date: 2005-02-21
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today had more ups and downs, literally (that's a given), and mentally. I pack up slowly in the morning, pausing many times to sip coffee and stare at the sheets of rain coming down over the shelter roof. There is a thermostat in this shelter, 45 degrees. Not too bad, it's just the initial putting on the wet clothes, boots, and pack and getting moving that is hard. Only the transition is uncomfortable. I am hiking by 9 and I soon pass my first of three grave sites today: The Sheldon Grave Headstones. Much to my surprise, there is a heavily used campsite ten feet away. The morning fog gives the cemetery an eerie look, and I don't slow my pace.The sun came out at noon! It was great, I dried off walking in the warm breeze. And then it rained again. All out poured. My spirits were lifted with some trail magic near Devils Fork Gap. "Momma T and Cemco" fill and stock a five gallon white bucket, hanging from a tree, with all kinds of treats. I drink a can of grape juice and eat crackers in the downpour and I am happy! There is a notebook in the pail, but I didn't want to get it soaked, so all I can do is say my thanks here!The climb out of Devils Fork Gap is a good one, steep with views of a cascading waterfall. There are several "ruins" or abandoned houses, so I see random bedsprings and rusty appliances, in addition to another collection of headstones.The sun comes out and dries me for a second time. I am mostly dry by my 5:00 arrival at Hogback Ridge Shelter. I've put in my 9-5, time to call it a day! More magic left in the Shelter, sort of: dog biscuits and an open bottle of ketchup. At first I think of the ketchup as trash, but than I think back to a SOBOs story of packing in ketchup in a nalogene. What is trash to some, is magic to others. I'll probably change my perspective after some more time out here, and when my trail appetiete kicks in again!
Date: 2005-02-22
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 10.0

I commented yesterday on how the littlest things can make you happy out here. This morning, it is a garbage can! That's it, that is all it takes, I can unload 3 pounds from my pack (I was packing out my breakfast, don't ever try heating up grape nuts)! Sams Gap is a busy interstate and the AT uses an underpass. My guidebook says there is a restaurant, but I don't look for it. The day is clear and warm (50's), much like the start of my hike. Late morning I see two hikers headed south, and they've got that look to them...And still the SOBOs come! Brett and partner, packing snowshoes, are wrapping up their thru-hikes. There is "one more" SOBO, named "Dude" a few days behind him.The big climb and view of the day is Big Bald. What a climb and what a view! I was trigger happy with my camera on this mild, clear day. The bald is very exposed, but there is only a light breeze. I have a great respect for the NOBOs that crossed Big Bald in high winds, freezing temp's, and snow! I am grateful for every minute of sunshine I get out here. It is not even three when I get to Bald Mt. Shelter, built by volunteers in 85. I was going to continue on and tent camp, but I am a sucker for the shelters with a second floor! A few moments of indecision pass. I have this strong inner drive to walk full days, do more miles. I am trying to get over that.No matter where I camp tonight, I'll get to Erwin, TN tomorrow, so I stay at the shelter.Trail magic at this shelter is dog food and an open bottle of Mt. Dew. Again, trash or magic? I vote trash.
Date: 2005-02-23
From: Bald Mt. Shelter

To: Erwin, TN (Miss Janet's House)
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

Technically my day started at 3am when I awoke to the "rodent rustle." When I turn on my headlamp I discover that it wasn't the usual suspects (mice), there was a skunk munching on the dog food left in the corner of the shelter. Since I don't want to get sprayed, I leave the skunk to it's business. I am a good distance away from it, up in the top bunk of the shelter. But come 6am when I have to go to the bathroom and the skunk is still hanging out, I realize that we must have a confrontation. I crash around my gear and shine the light, nothing phases the skunk. I try talking to it, it won't leave. Then I all out scream "get out of here," and it jumps off the shelter and hides, only to return seconds later. We repeat this yelling and running away ritual about six times before the skunk leaves for good. I avoid being sprayed, but I am sure I terrified any hikers that may have been camping in the area.So began my day. The hike to Erwin is beautiful, with temps in the 60's. Hiking into Erwin, you get your first glimpse of the town about 5 miles away. A local picked me up almost immediately as I was walking the road into Erwin. I am at Miss Janet's Hostel for the night, where two other NOBOs are staying. The bathroom is being redone, so I shower at the local YMCA. "Feel free to use any of our exercise equipment or our pool," they tell me as I pay the fee. I think I'll pass on the treadmill today!
Date: 2005-02-24
From: Erwin, TN (Miss Janet's House)

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day in Erwin at Miss Janet's. Lot of lounging around! Headed to the library in the afternoon, but was sidetracked by the bright lights of a sonic and stopped for a burger. E.M. showed up at Miss J's in the late morning. We all piled into Miss J's van and took a trip to Johnson City. Two dangerous stops: an outfitter and walmart! I need rainpants, and I resupplied on food at walmart. Backpacking food is too cheap here, and I bought a lot for a four-day resupply. Good treats though: cheese, avocados, bagels, it's just heavy. Jaws weighed my pack (first time I've done this) and it is in the 40s with food and water. Everyone relaxes in the evening, watching the Last Samurai and sippin' on white russians as the rain POURS down outside.
Date: 2005-02-25
From: Erwin, TN (Miss Janet's House)

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

Miss Janet's House is a hard place to leave! She laughed when I told her this because things have been chaotic with the water being shut off, and it's technically her off-season. Miss Janet really goes out of her way to make you happy and comfortable. She drops me off at the trail by 11:00. The sun makes a couple illusive appearances on my hike today, and the clouds hold out.I crossed over Beauty Spot. It of course lives up to it's name with the clear view today. Unika Mountain is cover in snow so I get to play "where's the AT" for awhile. Without the white-blazes I would have been lost!I call it a day around 5 at Cherry Gap Shelter. Just as I finish my tuna/mac dinner, my shelter-mates for the night start to file in. Stinger and Bearfoot are on a weekend trip. Bearfoot has been reading my online journal and can remember details of my Georgia stretch better than I can! Paul, a section hiker, joins us too. We try to give him a trail name as he dries his socks and boots over his stove. "Boot-cooker" wasn't going over well.These shelters have a club-house/slumber party for grownups feel to them sometimes! We talk and laugh into the evening. Tonight, I don't have to worry about mice, because Bearfoot has a bag of dried apples in his sleeping bag, so he is the decoy.
Date: 2005-02-26
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Boone, TN
Miles today: 16.7

It is a sub-freezing morning but Cherry Gap shelter is in a great spot--the morning sun warms us as it rises over the ridge. I've got my morning routine arranged so that everything can be done from inside my sleeping bag. We pack up, make fun of Bearfoot for snoring, and I head north as everyone else heads south. It isn't long before I make my first road crossing and meet up with two dayhikers, Rick and Patrick, fully loaded with gear out "training." Their training speed pushes my normal pace up a few notches! They are good company for the six mile walk to Clyde Smith Shelter, where we have lunch on the unique snack benches/bars of the shelter, warming in the sun. Every shelter is a mystery, you never know what kind of home you are going to get at the end of the day. Since this isn't the end of the day, I trek on. Next mission: cross Roan Mountain. Patrick and Rick, thanks for the water, snacks, and company! Enjoy your spring break trip!The last 3.5 miles up Roan is tough on me at the end of the day. Three hours to do the 3.5 miles. Few switchbacks and the ice slows me down. A trio from Florida is coming down Roan. They get me fired up about the dangerous ice on the trail. They go on for several minutes and express genuine concern. I am almost convinced to turn around! What is turns out to be is Florida versus Wisconsin perspective. The trail IS icy, but could be safely passed by side stepping the ice.Eventually I make it to Roan High Knob Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT. This shelter is a 4-sided cabin, very creaky and dark. The next events are an amazing surprise that have me questioning my state of conscience. "Did I fall and hit my head on the ice, and now I'm dreaming?!!" In walks GreyFox, a 2004 thru-hiker with a daypack full of fruit and peanut brittle. He was out early last year, and knew how quiet the nights could be out here. As if this isn't amazing enough, he takes me to his home in Boone so I can shower, do laundry, and sleep in a bed!