morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

This is the third time I¢ve stayed here at this old, log style shelter. I¢m not sure of the age, but as you can see its quite small compared to the new efforts. Sleeps five (if their close friends), but since we¢re thru-hikers, it sleeps six.In past years each night has delivered some good theatre. Once (the first time) I woke to small stinging crystals hitting my head ¢ Snow. By morning, eight inches of snow covered the trail, which induced a degree of panic. The second time here the night¢s entertainment was by a trio of Barred Owls who started a courtship symphony at 2:a.m. The hooting love fest continued for an hour ¢ it was really wonderful actually.My pace has walked me right into a hiker bubble where I¢m passing large numbers during the day and the shelters are full. It will be nice to move ahead where I hope the numbers will be reduced.In the morning is the near twelve-mile hike down to the white-water Mecca called The Nantahala Outdoor Center. Being up at 5000 feet tonight and knowing breakfast stops being served at their restaurant at 11:a.m., my feet will have wings to cover that distance to bacon and eggs. But I can¢t get careless on this stretch it is one of the steepest, most rugged descents on the AT, caution will be the order of the day¢¦ whom I kidding, I¢m going to haul-ass down to breakfast. Yum!
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

A surprisingly warm evening despite the 5000-foot elevation. My 30-degree mummy never got fully zipped. I fell asleep early by my standards to a roaring fire made by the others, but found myself restless at midnight so I got up, stoked the embers and sat by the fire from 12:30 to 1: a.m. The winds were quite active, but the fire kept the moment warm.Feeling fully rested when I woke at six, I packed up early, beating my 6:30 a.m. wrist alarm, which got everyone moving. Well, maybe it was the restaurant at the bottom of the mountain that got everyone really moving come to think of it. At 6:45 I walked out of camp leaving all the others still poking and stuffing sack after sack into their backpacks.The Nantahala¢s are a rugged wilderness of steep up and downs. It may seem difficult for you non-hiking readers to believe this, but walking DOWN a mountain, especially the AT, asks for your full, undivided attention, 100% of the time. To relax your guard or to multi-task other than walk is just asking for disaster.The punishing descent was taking its toll, by the ten-mile mark I was flat-out pooped! The last 1.5 miles was on the imaginary aroma of sizzling bacon calling me from a far.At 10:30 am, I entered this nirvana of food, showers and soft beds. I booked myself, Mystic and Master Plan into a 3-bed loft room for two nights. Tomorrow will be my first zero day of the journey. All is good, healthy and strong. The last several days of higher mileage has felt good, and I¢m guessing another five pounds of Postcard has been deposited on the trail behind me. Falling flubber is a fantastic feeling!
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Nantahala Zero Day

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.0

One aspect of a thru-hike I don¢t mention much, but dominates the senses no matter where you happen to be, are the sounds of the trail. The acoustic layers to any given moment must be infinite. Just the earth alone as it touches your treads with its soft muffled hum of forest mulch. Only to pitch higher, as you navigate the endless clusters of granite, quartz and sedimentary rock. Each is different.Often I¢ll be walking along and swear I hear music, some distant melody through the trees only seconds later to be passed by the ferocious beating wings of a bumble bee whizzing by and with it the music fades.Among the more beautiful sounds are the ever-present birdsong. Not being a ¢birder¢, my identification skills are fairly meek. Yellow-throated Verios, Juncos, Black-throated blue warblers and a bird that hops around the forest floor ¢ The Roofus Sided Towhee ¢ always startles me since rustling leaves makes me think bears, not Towhees. At night it¢s the Owls that say wilderness most to my ears. Barred Owls have a big bellowing Hooting call that travels on the breeze. The diminutive Eastern Squeech Owl with its scary Halloween scream makes one think of an animal six feet tall, not its six- inch height.Almost every morning The Ruffed Grouse will drum its wings in a bass tone so deep that it feels miles away, until you unknowingly approach one that¢s hidden near the trail and it bursts forth with a thundering flush. Your heart stops with a fright and then you hear your own laughter for being such a scardy-cat.I don¢t know if wind makes sound or if its just what it touches that does, but swirls, and whips, pushing leaves into motion and massive trees to twist and creak. Many times those ¢creekers¢ jut out over the AT at gravity defying angles. Sometimes the gentle breezes of good kite flying turn to howling gales making it next to impossible to hike without angst. Especially when they carry the sounds of rolling thunder just over the ridge. When you walk with rain gear, other than rain, its mostly ¢swish swish¢ as your rain-resistant garments slide against one another.To walk the woods of the Southern Appalachians is to stroll pass countless water falls. Some no more than a trickle and others that splatter and large ones you hear from a distance, which sometimes fool you to thinking that a line of rain is bearing down on you.Then, after five or six days out you hear that one sound that says ¢Showers ¢ and ¢ laundry¢. You hear the friction of tires against asphalt and you know that it won¢t be long till you hear the most golden of all sounds, ¢May I take your order?¢
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.1

Yesterdays zero was ideal, The N.O.C. was a nice base camp to lollygag and stay off my feet the best I could. The book of nature short stories I bought offered nice reading and some quiet hours on the bed.In contrast though was today¢s hike, out of the N.O.C., The AT ascends eight miles to Cheoah Bald and 5000 feet. Damp Dan who arrived at the endlessly long climb just after me announced he ran into a Black Bear in one of those rhodadendrum clusters. Surprisingly it didn¢t run away making it more than likely a young adult. Black bears learn, as they get older to limit their time near humans. For me, I did see my first snake of the hike; it was a cute Ring Neck sunning right on the trail. At no more than twelve inches I reached down and picked it up and said ¢Hey little fella, let¢s move you along so you don¢t get stepped on¢.   I think it winked at me in gratitude.
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was to be an easy one, or at least that was the plan. The morning fog burned off just before heading out, blue sky and dawn sun greeted us. Last nights shelter was a wonderful surprise; it was upgraded since two years ago. Only three of us, we had that shelter to ourselves, that is significant since tonight, there are twenty-five¢¦ we, Master Plan and I have hiked into another hiker bubble.As I climbed up Rocky Top and Thunderhead the view of Clingmans Dome was clear. With a 13.5 mile plan and the forecast promise of good morning and early afternoon weather, there was no worries. After a short snack at 10 a.m., I headed out for the last seven odd miles at a carefree pace. That is until I heard BoomBoomBoom to my rear. Sh_t!! Not again. The carefree pace became one of speed and haste. BoomBoomBoom, that was closer. Dadgumit! My speed and haste pace became one of panic and trail running.As the first drops started saying ¢Hello Again¢, I made the shelter bringing an end to the near hour-and-a-half game of chase-the-Postcard. It was quite joyful to sit in the dryness of the shelter as the clouds opened up. A quick clothes change solved the shivers in front of the packed shelter. It seems everyone there was doing 11 or 12 miles a day, no wonder we caught this huge pack.One by one they all headed out as the rain and thunder moved off, that¢s when I started looking at maps. My plan was for only another mile-point-seven to the next shelter, which meant I¢d be done, finished, resting, comfortable for the night at one in the afternoon.BUT¢¦ that¢s when Master Plan announced his legs felt good and that maybe it would be good to hike over the AT¢s highest mountain, Clingman¢s Dome now that a window of opportunity had opened. ¢How many more miles do you think?¢ Oh, about six-and-a-half¢ he replied. Now the stupid part was my reply ¢Oh yea, why not?¢ Of course that distance means climbing on legs that are already a bit wobbly thanks to ¢Chase Postcard.¢So, off we went and up, up, up. Fog dominated the air, especially up a 6600+ feet of the Dome. The wobbly legs were not pleased and started to hint at a cramp. Up and Over and started the down towards tonight¢s home. Just four miles more, just four, long, endless miles more to ask my body to hold it together and not rebel. With two miles left I heard BoomBoomBoom¢¦ ¢Sh_t! ¢¦Oh, the heck with it!¢ I couldn¢t go any faster and the legs barely could make the last ascent of Mt. Collins. When I made the shelter sign I dropped my poles and let them drag the ground by the straps in total relief that today was done. What a day and what an exhausted hiker I am!!The kicker came from meeting a Ranger on the last section where he told me that the section and distance I was drowning in is the most difficult part of the entire Smoky¢s.My response was ¢Duh¢, I then added, ¢Do you think you could stop your thunderstorms from chasing me all over your park?¢ He smiled and we went our own way
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: moderate rain

It was actually fun, in a slumber-party sort of way, last night with all the hikers crammed into the shelter. Rain, thunder and lightening continued throughout the night, unrelentingly so.By morning, I gathered up my wet, cold hiker clothes, bit the side of my lip and pulled them all on. Brrrr. Most were hiding in their mummies, hoping someone would wave a magic wand and make it all go away. I hoisted my pack that was now obviously heavier from clammy, damp everything and headed out first to the sounds of ¢¦wait for it¢¦ BoomBoomBoom.This section north of Clingmans Dome is most similar to Maine ¢ moss, old trees, dense and dark woods. All of which mean careful stepping. So it didn¢t take long for the thunderstorm with its rain and lightning to overtake me (Gee, Gosh, Oh Golly, isn¢t hiking the AT fun!) The fog and wind joined the fun making day 3 in The Smoky¢s an absolute pleasure.When the trail turned into an ascent, quite small really, I noticed my legs just didn¢t have their normal go go. It all was making for one very blue Postcard.I decided that what I needed more than anything was to get out of this worsening situation, I needed to get off this lightning filled ridgeline and needed to get warm and dry but quick.Newfound Gap is normally a tourist packed parking area; today it was a soup of fog and rain. If, by some miracle someone was there, I¢d ask for a hitch into Gatlinburg and grab a room. My legs needed it; my emotional fraility needed it even more!Master Plan emerged shortly after me to find me posing with my Hiker To Town bandana. Ten minutes later a nice couple in a pick-up were motoring us out of those despicable conditions.Those kind souls who do pick us hikers up are (or seem to be) rewarded with our talks of miles and adventure. Good texture in their day.Unfortunately, Gatlinburg being a tourist mecca isn¢t cheap, room rates are four-times what we¢re used too. Sometimes however, need is more important than money, today was one of those days!The forecast is dismal for tonight and tomorrow as well Thanks to large hail predicted. I¢m not going anywhere till these legs rest a bit and the sun warms my face. This is no race, it¢s a marathon and I want my journey to be a joyful one, not one where I become a featured person on The Weather Channel¢s Storm Stories.
Date: 2006-04-23
From: New Found Gap

To: Tri Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather finally yielded late yesterday afternoon, what a strategic town stop. It allowed me to walk The Smoky¢s most dramatic section with warm sunshine today. Although rather windy, gusts of 30 mph, the leg rest in town also did a lot of good. I had no fatigue on any of the smallish climbs.My heart was however, a bit weakened and needed the healing of nature¢s beauty. I rarely get knocked off a ridgeline due to weather, but I had to get the Hell-out-of-Dodge and all that lightening. The easy 15.6 miles offered lots of time for introspection, what I could have done differently and silly questions like, why the heck am I thru-hiking again? The most different aspect for me with this hike is the complete absence of fretting in regards to the terrain. I just go¢¦ and walk, whether it goes up or down makes little difference, that¢s what having one under your belt does. You know you can handle it. The frustrating part is I¢m currently not the 2000-mile athlete I remember being at the end of the last journey. Where huge ups and colossal distance¢s were never an issue. Twenty-five miles ¢ no biggy. Sixteen miles in The Whites ¢ sure, no problem. My memory of that level of ability remains crystal clear, it¢s forcing me to be patient, such as today when I rolled around the idea of doing 23 miles¢¦ fortunately I came to my senses.Tomorrow I¢ll exit the northern boundary of The Smoky¢s National Park and visit Standing Bear Farm Hostel for my mail drop, maybe the cool weather will move up a degree or two? Pretty chilly right now with it gray & cloudy, thankfully though, the sun is trying to vanquish the pewter skies.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Tricorner Knob Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: few clouds

After a short shower of rain at about 3: a.m. the morning sky was clear and blue. The plan was to exit the northern boundary of The Smoky¢s and its 6000-foot elevation of nasty weather and stop at a hostel called Standing Bear Farm at the very doable distance of 18.1. It was a gorgeous day with low humidity. By 12:30 I reached Davenport Gap and it was ¢So long Smoky¢s¢. At 1:30 I was dropping my pack and settling in at Standing Bear where I ran smack-dap into that hiker bubble again. Most of them went into town for beer and BBQ at this time. Silence fell wonderfully on the hostel, so I sorted my mail drop, downed two Gatorades, a diet coke and put a frozen pepperoni pizza into the community kitchen. By the time it was ready, all my stuff was packed and ready too. With the return of the ¢bubble¢ I called an audible on my plan. I strapped on my pack, paid for the goodies I consumed and slipped out the back door. The wonderful silence of the woods found me again and my 3-hour rest allowed my legs to put the chaos of Standing Bear quickly to my South. After an hour of a wicked up, I checked my guidebook to see that the next shelter was only another 4.5 miles. Along the way I came upon a very nice, very capable couple named Social and Bronwyn (which is her last name, if I¢ve spelled it properly?) We walked the last two miles together and found only L.B., here by herself. Just four of us¢¦ what a blessing! No Chaos. No fraternity ¢ sorority, mayhem. Only the running brook just 20 feet out front.It was a big day and with Hot Springs in my sights at 26.2 miles, I¢ll wake-up and go for it. I did this same trek two years ago; I think I¢ll be doing a twopete into a nice zero on Wednesday. That should be enough to keep the ¢bubble¢ to my south, and hopefully, disappear.
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 26.4
Weather: broken clouds

The mileage for the day says it all. Nearly fifty-two miles in two days, so much for not feeling my trail athleticism!One of the more unusual mountains the trail leads us over is Max Patch ¢ which is a dramatic, beautiful bald. Without trees, Max Patch offers a 360-degree panoramic view. Today however, 270 degrees of vista were stunning, it was that last 90 degrees that was cause for concern. A quick moving thunderstorm was sneaking up on me, sneaking is maybe an understatement, it was rocketing towards me and being up on an exposed bald would be the last spot I¢d pick to be. Within three minutes it was on me and all my foul weather gear got zipped up in record time. I made it back into the woods to offer only a meager amount of security, and then as quickly as it pounced, the storm was gone. Sunshine poked through a small opening in the clouds filling the valley with heat, humidity and optimism for the rest of the day.Having been tricked by false returning sun after a storm before, I took no chances on possibly cursing the short-lived rain and continued to wear my rain gear for a full 30-minutes in the sun¢¦ not a good technique to stay cool and ventilated. I sweated out a liter most likely. Throughout all the shenanigans my feet never paused. Miles were being laid down behind me. By nine in the morning, seven were done. By eleven, three-day hikers passed me going south ¢ I swore I could detect that one of them had had a charbroiled burger within the last few hours. (Who needs a bloodhound, when it comes to food; the thru-hiker nose is a significant power).Bluff Mountain would be the day¢s big climb, made all the more special if your legs have fourteen miles already on them. That fact turns a manageable ascent into a multiple rest climb. The good news, once reaching The Summit¢¦ is you only have another twelve to reach bacon, I mean town.A quick stop at a spring to load up on another two liters of cold mountain water (plus two packet¢s of Gatorade powder) and off the feet went faster than a dog on a pork chop.But since I¢m a mere mortal, when I reached the 22-mile mark in distance, my energy was closing in on empty. That is until I heard BoomBoomBoom! Luckily the AT scooted me by the nose of this new drama. Finally, a storm that actually misses me. Who¢d a thunk it!?!Ten hours later from my 7: a.m. start, I was standing in front of a motel registration. Even without the pack on, I was forced to bend over from exhaustion as I checked in. I collapsed on the bed and didn¢t move a digit for at least 20 minutes. Man, what a day, I¢m too old for such mileage theatrics.The shower here at the motel could hold its own against a fire hose, but it¢s force felt good on the dead-tired muscles.Tomorrow will be a zero!
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

One of the charming aspects of hiking The AT are the numerous visits down main street American. Although The trail is 99% woods, mountains and wildlife, a stroll down such towns like Hot Springs always brings a smile to this hiker in a Mayberry RFD sort of way. Here the children call their parents Pa and Ma. They¢re more beer drinkers than wine and a visit to the Tractor Supply Store is one where everyone piles into the truck. You can walk the length of town in four minutes; they have no traffic light to slow you down.The people of these small towns embrace the commerce that comes with the hiker bubble of March into May. We help them, they help us.The Post Office closes for lunch and the daily special down at the diner usually involves something with gravy. That rich white, pepper gravy ¢ ummm! (For the record, no body makes better white gravy than my Dad). If you need catching up on the goings-on in town, this is where you come for breakfast. Any newspaper, if there was one, would fail miserably to stay up with the current events.Woven into the texture of this town are the hikers, walking up and down, some in crocs and pajama bottoms (me), others with loaded packs stuffed with a resupply of food heading north, following little white rectangles two inches by six inches back out into the woods of America.There¢s the town hot-rodder who guns his engine to get looks and a couple of ten year olds on stingrays sporting T-shirts with numbers of their favorite NASCAR driver team.What goes on here goes on everywhere in America everyday (taking us out of the picture). It¢s the backbone of this country, the small places that Interstates detour around so those in a hurry are not bothered. They don¢t make reality TV on such places, but occasionally Hollywood reminds all of us in a hurry that these places are real, they do exist¢¦ we grow envious of their speed.For those of us traveling by foot, we adapt easily to the pace. The countless miles reintroduce us to patience, not to mention down home politeness. I feel the tug to say ¢Yes Mam¢ and Appreciate it¢ with a touch of country in my voice. In turn, I too am treated with warmth and a generousity that comes to them naturally. Most who hike the AT have no idea what awaits them, those who have made it here to Hot Springs will most likely make it to Damascus. These are milestones every bit as important as Stateline¢s. And in the process we get a glimpse at life the way Norman Rockwell so brilliantly painted it. Only we don¢t just look at it, we thru-hikers step inside and live among the brushstrokes.
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

Despite the low clouds and fog before sunrise, a quick glance at the forecast showed no precip over us or to the west. The barometer, which will henceforth be referred to as the optimistic meter was heading up. Sunshine was the promise of the day.The leg muscles enjoyed the zero, they rewarded me today in appreciation with strong, sure strides that never needed rest. Amazingly, I never paused once (other than lunch) on any up or down until the hour of 2:30 p.m. ¢ a near seven hours of motion. It occurred to me on these smooth climbs how we all owe a great thanks to a few of the great inventions in world history. Particularly, Figure C, the inclined plane. Without it, switchbacks wouldn¢t be possible and our legs would scream their disapproval. Of course without, Figure A, the wheel, how the heck would we get a hitch into town on wheel less cars? Figure B, the leaver, doesn¢t get us to Katahdin necessarily, but it¢s cool and reminds me of my spork; I lift noodles into my mouth with.That¢s the lesson today everyone. Think I¢ll go leaver a big log into the campfire¢¦ well, what ¢ya know!!