morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Baggs CreekGap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

In the April 18 entry I talked about the Traverse City Gang. Each day, though I meet more people on the trail and find this is one of the most interesting aspects of the trip. Only the 4th day of the trip and my circle of acquaintances and friends is continuously increasing. It seems you have to talk to everyone you meet if only for a few minutes, because you have an instant rapport based on all you have in common by taking a trip into the woods. And there are some very interesting differences too in how & why you got here and the kind of person you are. Most of the people are "characters" to some extent because, let's face it, this is not an undertaking most people would be interested in. It is also very open, at least superficially because few people have an established circle of friends. To a large extent it is hard to be more than superficial because everyone has their own pace, their own goals, good and bad days, and their own sense of what is interesting. But we are always glad to see each other. And I sometimes reflect that, in the "real" world, many of these people are not the type that would normally find me to be a "buddy" or vice versa, yet the mutual respect and affection are strong. By April 19 I had a small circle of acquaintances, including the Traverse City Gang - Marilyn, Ranger Jan, Ben, Ralph, Kathy, Sara, Raven Jim, & Kim, also Tim Corker from Massachusetts who is one tough customer, dealing with blisters bigger than silver dollars, and it turns out he had the same knee pain I was having, just didn't bother complaining about it; the Ringmaster (76 years old, with a 19 lb pack including an umbrella, and a trademark magic trick that earned him a nickname), Josh from Maine; Suches and Sawdust(Suches took her 4 children on a through hike several years ago, the youngest was 11 - lots of good stories there); Mr. Starbucks, Nimble, Jimmy and Ty with their 2 dogs. (By May 8 my circle of acquaintances was in the 50's, in fact the AT almost seems crowded).
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Addis Gap
Miles today: 13.0

3 interesting things. First, we have been hearing a lot of woodpeckers. At first the sound seemed very uniform, but there are variations, perhaps based on technique, type of wood being hit, size of woodpecker. Anyway, we (Josh, Tim and I) noticed in one place that the sound was exactly like a sound from the movie Predator whenever the alien had targeted prey. We found that highly amusing, how real life intrudes on our hike in the woodsSecond, I earned a trail name today - Edge. I have told most of my fellow hikers my concern because the knee pain I have reminds me of a 15 mile hiking weekend where I limped for 6 months afterward, basically disabled. I was very worried that that it was happening again. Thus, I was always on the edge of dropping out. The word "Edge" was key because it is similar to my given name. I was ok with it so it stuck. Third, we got water from a creek that is positively the most beautiful place I have seen in the AT yet. The sound of water flow accentuated the visual effect of rocks coated in moss along the sides. Unfortunately the creek was 1/2 mile from camp, so I didn't feel like making the 1 mile round trip to get my camera to take a shot. Besides, there will be other creeks, right? Another interesting result of the creek being so far away - a thru hiker from last year, Hans, cruised thru after we were all set up. When he found out the water was 1/2 mile away, he decided to hike 4 miles further because there was water right on the trail there.
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Addis Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: broken clouds

Corker and I did a good deed on the trail - a girl in her early teens got separated from her group and was in tears because she thought she was terribly lost. We stayed with her and tried to reassure her until someone from her group caught up. Turns out she had missed a sign because it was facing the wrong direction.It was a short hiking day because I went into town to do laundry, shower, arrange future food pickups, resupply for the next leg of the trip, eat real food, drink real beer, sleep in a real bed and catch up on phone calls and email that happened after my cell phone battery gave out. The hostel I stayed at, the Blueberry Patch, offers free stays for hikers - actually it is intended to serve as a hiker ministry - so I ended up making a donation. Got an excellent breakfast as well. The owner, Gary, is a thru hiker, and his breakfast grace covered all the topics a hiker holds dear. I complimented him on his grace, and he used it as an opportunity to tell some interesting stories about past missionary experiences.During the hike earlier in the day I met a trail volunteer Tater and his trusty canine companion who whined because he was impatient to move on. Tater volunteers once a month to monitor and clean the trail. It takes tons of Taters to make the trail what it is. We also ran into Tater in town at the grocery store. He gave us a ride back - a little cramped, but I hate walking(LOL) so it was well worth it.
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Today I crossed the Georgia - North Carolina border. One down, thirteen to go!!I hiked alone all day. I did meet Tater again on the trail, and he was giving out sodas to all the hikers he met. It was incredibly refreshing, partly because it was so unexpected. He even took the empty can back when I was done. As I passed the NC border, I thought I spied Corker ahead of me, but he was too far ahead to hear my calls, and hiking much faster than me. I wonder if I will ever see him again on the trail. The hill was intensely steep, so tiring that I ended up cutting my planned hike short by 5 miles. It was fortunate in a way - I camped with some new folks - Sanford (a 2006 thru hiker, Tatonka and Flaxseed plus a group of friends doing a loop that combined the AT with some side trails. A local stopped by to see what the shelter looked like, chatted amiably with us for a while, and then asked "Are you all into ramps". Dead silence, all of us wondering if this was something kinky. Turns out ramps are a local vegetable that tastes like a cross between garlic and onions. He was out picking them, and ended up giving us all the ones he had, figuring he could pick more on the way home. They really made our plain meals taste alot better.Sanford said there is another hiker named Edge on the trail, and tradition calls for us to arm wrestle for the rights to the name.
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE DAY: 1) Longest day of hiking yet; 2) Passed 100-mile hike mark; 3) Fell down for first time - elbow scraped.This day proved something that my skiing buddies already know - I can be conned into doing anything if it is presented as a physical challenge. The agitator this time was a 2006 thru hiker trail named Sanford (from Sanford & Son, Ya Big Dummy). My plan had been to hike 12 or 15 miles, but he found a subtle way to egg me on so at the 15 mile mark I agreed to go to the shelter just 4 miles away. A lot of it was that I had been following him and imitating his style, which was a very smooth glide over the ground as opposed to stomping through the woods, It felt great and I thought I could go forever. Instead I hit a wall of exhaustion at 16 mile mark, but carried on anyway, including an incredible steep rock climb, the infamous Albert Mountain. Also incredible was the fact that this was a pain free day, the first since my second day of the trip. Of course, taking prescription strength anti-inflammatories may have helped.
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Big Spring Shelter

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

This day was cloudy with occasional rain. The most interesting part of the day was when I got a chance to watch a pileated woodpecker work from very close up. In fact, I was hoping my cousin Anna could help me here, since she was studying Pythagoras in school when I visited her in April. Here's the situation: I was standing near a tree that had a woodpecker on it. I kept getting closer, and stopped when I was about 9 feet from the tree. I estimated that the woodpecker was about 12 feet above my eye level. How far away was he?I was pleased that I hiked the 12.8 miles in less than 6 hours! I was done by 3 pm, but with the threatening weather and the prospect of a very long hike to the next shelter, I chose to stop for the day instead of continue. I was glad I did because I met some interesting folks and did some interesting things. At the site that night were 2 section hikers from Ohio - Bear Guy and Axe. Also, a thru hiker, Midget Mom. Bear Guy and Axe were a couple of jokers to begin with but it turned out they knew alot about wildlife as well. Bear Guy, Axe and I visited Silers Bald, and got some great vistas. We attempted to figure out where we had come from, with limited success. More interesting, though, was the evidence of wildlife on the bald - bears had scraped the top layer of soil in spots looking for grubs. We also saw remains of meals eaten by coyotes or owls - clumps of gray fur. Some had some skin. Amazingly bloodless, don't know why.
Date: 2007-04-25
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

The day started with a good joke at my expense. From the beginning, Axe reminded me physically of my Uncle Joe, but it turned out his sense of humor was the same too. I was still packing up when he was ready to leave. He came over and asked if, if I found any of his gear laying around I would pick it up and carry it to the next shelter. I said, "of course", at which point he got a goofy grin on his face, took off his pack & laid it on the ground, and proceeded to walk away. Ha Ha.Prior to that, though, he and Bear Guy continued to demonstrate their wildlife knowledge. They suggested the barking and screaming I heard the first night was not dogs or coyotes but Great Horned Owls hunting for rabbits. They also pointed out a drumbeat sound that was happening - a male grouse, playing music to a fair hen's ears.Spring is definitely still happening on the trail. Almost everything is still earth-tone, but there is action at the ground level, as if the understory is trying to catch its share of the sun before the trees sprout leaves and cut off all the sun. New wildflowers appear every day and are blooming, little dashes of color on a gray/brown landscape. Bulbs are growing but not yet blooming. The forest floor is turning green. Some valleys are already completely green, especially at lower elevations. The Cold Spring Shelter turned out to be a reunion of sorts. Many of the hikers I met earlier showed up - Tim, Slocum, Tatonka, Iron Pete/Flapjack, Marilyn from Traverse City. I was sorry to find out that Ben from Traverse City had to drop out due to knee problems. I also met Sizzers, aka Amber, whose name I had seen on many shelter registers because another hiker, Flaxseed kept challenging her to catch up with him. Sanford stopped by for rest and water, with a hiker he had been looking for, Park Bench. When he went to get water from the Spring, he spotted a hellbender salamander in the spring. Apparently this is a good thing, because salamanders only live in very clean water. So we didn't need to filter or purify our water. I guess salamander urine must be healthy too. Don't worry, Mom, I purified the water anyway.
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala River
Miles today: 11.5

I got my first taste of hiking in the rain. Actually, it was more comfortable temperature wise, but it made for tricky footing - I fell for the second time this trip. Because almost everyone stayed at hostel facilities at the Natanhala Outdoor Center (NOC) that night, we were spared the aggravation of camping in the rain. We ran into Josh from Maine again (now called Cheeseburger because of his obsession with them) and some hikers I'd heard of but not met yet - Dog Man and Crockett (both form an ad-lib comedy team when drunk together), Sam-I-Am, Candyman, Are We There Yet?, Moss, Wild Bill, and Politician.
Date: 2007-04-27
From: Nantahala River

To: Nantahala River
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a good choice for a zero mileage day for several reasons. First, most of us have packages at the Fontana Dam PO, and leaving now would only force us to wait for the PO to open on Monday. Second, most of us are in serious pain right now, myself included. The only real pain I have is in my left knee. The dull ache on the outside of the knee now occasionally becomes a sharp shooting pain that stops me in my tracks, but then quickly fades. Vitamin I and a brace may be helping but I continue to monitor it. The heartbreaking thought of leaving this forest crossed my mind again, but I want to at least get to Fonatana Dam to see if the time off helped. I did pick up 2 important packages at the NOC - Thanks, Glo!
Date: 2007-04-28
From: Nantahala River

To: Brown Fork Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

A great day for several reasons. First, this was my first completely pain free day since the first day, probably due to a combo of rest, new walking style to ease stress on the knees, a borrowed knee brace, and ibuprofen. Mostly walked with Tatonka, Corker, and Marilyn. I threatened to give Marilyn the trail name Pharm Girl since she has a pharmacy degree, but she saw negative connotations related to illegal drugs. Corker suggested Peach because she always wears a peach shirt, and she took it. In the early afternoon I was walking alone and encountered a local hiker who was the managing editor of the local paper, James Budd of the Graham Bulletin. He interviewed and took photos for a potential article on thru hikers and their stories.(My family will be watching to see if the article is published electronically). Turns out he had already interviewed Marilyn, Tatonka and Corker since they were ahead of me. Late in the day I met Wes Chastain, a NC trail volunteer who was recreation hiking with some friends. Seems some people just can't get enough of this stuff! One disappointment for the day - my original plan had been to camp at Cheoah Bald based on recommendations of the beautiful views and sunrises/sunsets. Since the overnight weather forecast was for thunderstorms, I had to go to a shelter instead. As luck would have it, the forecast changed by that evening, and it was a beautiful night. My hiking partners and I spent that night in or near a shelter with thru hikers Spud, Doggie Bag (who lives in a houseboat docked at Nick's Fish House - small world!), Dawg Man, Crockett, Sizzers, and section hikers Fishbone and Windy. Windy has been section hiking on a SOBO, so he is 3 weeks from being done! Also sounds like I spent the night with about 30 mice based on the squeaks and scampering.
Date: 2007-04-29
From: Brown Fork Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: clear sky

Rather routine day. Highlight was talking to Dawg Man about how to be a ski bum this winter. I did find out that hiker Doggie Bag lives on a houseboat at Nicks Seafood, which has a bar that I used to go to happy hours when I was working, including my "retirement" event. Small world.
Date: 2007-04-30
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

ENTERED THE SMOKEY MOUNTAINS!Thanks to my sister Melanie for putting together a fine food package to get me through the upcoming week. I picked it up at the Fontana Dam PO. The "special treats" lasted about 2 minutes, including oranges I shared and pudding/parfait I kept all to my self. At the PO we stumbled onto some old friends, Suches and Sawdust, who I had met at Neels Gap on the 3rd day. Previously they had provided interesting stories of their hiking experiences and good advice. This time they brought food - fresh fruit and pies and other goodies. They also gave us a ride to the dam from the PO. They are a great example of the kind of people you meet on the trail. I had asked Melanie to provide me a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew. The can weighed 1 1/2 lbs. Which may not sound like much, but I estimate that I carried it up 5000 feet and down 1500 feet during the day before eating it. That is like carrying it up 500 flights of stairs and down 150 flights of stairs. It was so good, though, that I still wonder if it wasn't worth it. Based on the jealous looks from my dinner partners, I'm thinking it was. I am still using the can as a cooking pot too. An interesting experience for the day - I hiked with 2 men about my age, Doodah Man and Hot Lips. After hiking with 20-somethings all this time, who race uphill as fast as they downhill, it was nice to find people who trudge up hills at my pace. It also raised questions in my mind as to whether I am pushing too hard - perhaps that is my knee problem. We'll see where it leads
Date: 2007-05-01
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Siler's Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

This was a grueling hot day. I drank over a gallon of water. Early in the day everyone was wondering what was wrong with the mileage markers on the trail - it seemed the distances were shorter than the actual. We later realized that the heat made hiking much harder, so much that it skewed our sense of distances covered. I cut my hike short due to knee pain, which also may have been heat related. Shared the shelter with Corker, Tatanka, Candyman, Slowpoke, and 2 guys I hadn't seen since the second day of the hike - Jimmy(now Hopper) & Ty( now Cripple). Actually got to talk to Hopper and Cripple this time - usually they have their dogs with them, and the dogs get all the attention. In the Smokies no dogs are allowed, so they were racing through to be reunited with the dogs.
Date: 2007-05-02
From: Siler's Bald Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

2 major accomplishments today:a. Passed the 200 mile markb. I've hiked 10% of the trail. Do this 9 more times and I'm done!Today I realized how in shape I've become: I race past many section hikers, can climb up any hill without stopping except for water, resume normal speed immediately as soon as I crest a hill, take rest breaks every 2-3 hours, consistently walk 2.5 mph in mixed terrain, and I do more miles by lunch than I used to do in a day. I've seen other body responses as well, including the abilility to wait until a privy is available to actually need one, less concerned about the dramatic temperature and wind changes, huge appetite, finding the smell of soap-cleaned skin a bit unpleasant, and finding Ramen Noodles absolutely delicious. And I've probably lost 5-10 pounds.I have spent much of the trail looking for signs of animals even if I can't see the animals themselves. This morning I was treated to muddy raccoon footprints on my backpack. Fortunately I did not get to find tooth marks on the pack - glad I stored my food separately!During the hike, I visited an intimidating privy, at the Double Spring Shelter. The houseflies were incredibly numerous, and I have discovered that you cannot tell the difference between housefly buzzing and bee buzzing. So it sounded like I was sitting on top of a beehive. Not the most comfortable thought.
Date: 2007-05-03
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: overcast clouds

In accordance with a plan made by Tatonka, Candyman and myself, we used the relatively flat terrain coming up to hike more than 20 miles for the first time, but it wasn't pretty. I was in a large amount of pain the last 4 miles - not only the usual knee trouble but also my left ankle cramped up. But as a reminder of how bad it could have been, I passed a young lady who was using her hiking poles as true crutches due to problems in her left heel. It took me 2.5 hours to do those 4 miles, but it took her closer to 8. And she had to hike through a thunderstorm. When I got to the shelter it was threatening rain, and the shelter was full, so I got my first taste of camping in the rain. It did suck, but it could have been worse - I was fortunate that during both setup and takedown it did not rain. Plus I knew I was headed for a hostel the next day where I could dry things out.   Several people at the shelter reported seeing a bear during their hikes that day. I missed it. But at one point in the day I suddenly smelled a pig farm smell. Since feral pigs are in the area, I knew one was close, but I couldn't see it anywhere. Plenty of bear and pig scat was seen, as was true throughout the Smokies.
Date: 2007-05-04
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Green Corner Road - Standing Bear Farms
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked with Tatonka. We debated staying versus continuing on, but the weather became very threatening while we were there so we stayed. Very glad we did, not only because the weather did indeed get very wet, but it was a chance to meet a lot of the people whose names I'd been hearing from others and reading in shelter registers - Brother T, Trifecta, Sudoku, Just Glenn, Greg, Wooly. Also ran into old friends I hadn't seen in a while - Are We There Yet, Dawg Man, Crockett(now Joker), Sizzers, Candyman, even Ranger Jan from the Traverse City gang. Very social evening, a cool place to stay, heard a joke about telling the difference between day hikers, section hikers, and thru hikers based on their preferences for: Hot sex, Dr. Pepper & a Moon Pie, and beer.
Date: 2007-05-06
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, North Carolina
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Most of the hike was socially interesting, because the people I met at the shelter last night kept catching up to me or I was catching up to them. The fog continued through the morning, which was a very cool visual. A wide variety of birds were calling throughout the day as well.A bad day, painwise. I seriously considered visiting a doctor tomorrow but changed my mind for 2 reasons - first, only 3 hours after finishing hiking, I did some jogging, including side-stepping to test the knee's lateral strength, and was totally pain free. Also, I heard that Jellybean had seen a doctor about the exact same thing and he said there was no damage being done but not much to do about it either. A bad day, accommodation-wise as well. I was devastated to find out Elmer's Sunnybank Inn was full (More hiker crowds!!), but I am on the waiting list for tomorrow. I ended up camping in a campground in town. I did run into Peach and Cheeseburger, who were staying at Elmers, but didn't get to talk to them much - all of us were busy with existing plans it seems. Had a great evening - it was another reunion of sorts. Lots of folks out late, the party closed down around 2 am with a game of Zoom-Schwartz-Finliano played by Moss, Joker, Tatonka and myself. I slept under the stars for the first time. Railroad tracks were nearby and I remember a train coming through. In my daze, I remember wondering if I was laying somewhere clear of the tracks, and thinking, yeah, probably. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Date: 2007-05-07
From: Hot Springs, North Carolina

To: Hot Springs, North Carolina
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I got into the Sunnybank for tonight. People who were in it last night couldn't say enough good things about it, and Elmer & Sunny seem to be really cool people. I'm tempted to stay another day because today is booked up with catch-up activities, and the opportunities to relax in their B&B atmosphere look phenomenal. Also at the Inn: Tatonka (we roomed together), Coldilocks, 5 Eyes, Gandalf, Ragnar (Ragnar Hike Now!), Tortuga, Glenn, Wooly, and Gimpy. Dinner was awesome, vegetarian fare. Looking forward to see what they do for breakfast - it is legendary on the trail.