morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Camp beyond Vendeventer Shelter

To: Camping beyond Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: broken clouds

Sleep was fitful last night. My legs and feet ached so much that I was awake for a long time. Then I woke at some point thinking that someone was outside shining a torch on our tent. It took me a little while to realise that I was looking at lightning flashing incessantly through the canvas, at least once every couple of seconds. Only occasionally was there the faintest sound of thunder. A strange effect. Exhausted, I dropped off and woke again some time later to the sounds of the thunderstorm right above us and rain pounding on the tent. I was too tired to care, rolled over and slept till morning. It was a fine morning and the tent was completely dry!Without a water supply where we camped, we ate some cereal bars, packed quickly and cooked for Second Breakfast when we reached Iron Mountain Shelter about 2 miles on. The walking has been easy today but uneventful with nothing much to look at. There are few flowers in this part of the forest besides May Apples which dominate the forest floor. These rise about a foot off the ground and from above you think you are looking down on miniature palm trees - each plant produces two large umbrella-like leaves, each of which divides into seven fronds like propellers. Most unusually, the plant produces one teacup shaped, creamy-white flower BELOW the leaves so it remains well hidden until you push the leaves back. Why would a plant grow like that?This question filled my mind (it's been that kind of day) as we made good time and reached Double Springs Shelter about 4.00pm. 'Hopeful' joined us shortly afterwards and we pooled our foodbags to produce a late lunch of chicken pieces, honey mustard, summer sausage, cheddar cheese and crackers, with chocolate milk. We haven't seen 'Hopeful' for some time. Two or three years older than me, I think, he is from Chattanooga, and recently took an early retirement package from IBM. His wife encouraged him to see this as an opportunity to realise a long-cherished dream to walk the AT. The three of us decided we had enough energy to reach a campsite at Low Gap another 3 miles ahead in daylight, and that's where we are now. It puts us within 15 miles of Damascus which we will try to reach tomorrow.
Date: 2013-03-30
From: Neel Gap, Mountain Crossings

To: Zero day, Andrews, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

As everyone else was preparing to go off hiking again, I was contemplating the prospect of hitch-hiking out to Andrews. There are people coming and going all the time from the outfitters at Neels Gap, so I didn't think it would be so hard. Then I discovered that the father of one of the hikers had been hiking with her up to this point but would now be leaving her to head North to Columbus, Ohio. He agreed to take me as far as Murphy, NC, a substantial part of the trip. We had a good trip, with only minor conflicts with his on-board computer's mapping, and interesting conversation about people & places in central Ohio that we both knew. Then I hitched for about 25 minutes before getting a ride to Andrews from "Spirit", a 60-something-looking woman who had hiked the AT last year.After fixing lunch at the very nice rest area on the edge of town, I parked my pack at the Chamber of Commerce and explored the little town on foot. Like many such places, it has many empty stores downtown. I counted 7 thrift shops in some of the remaining buildings. Talking with the people at the local Cultural & Historical Center, who are trying to fix up a former church building, I began to feel very welcome -- these same people saw me later at a restaurant and greeted me like they'd known me a long time. I'd say I felt welcomed by everyone I met in Andrews, especially the members of the congregation, several of whom told me they had relatives or friends who had or were going to hike the AT.Pastor George Simmons was particularly welcoming, had arranged for me to stay at the local motel, took me out for dinner at a new restaurant on the edge of town, and assigned me the job of lighting and tending the fire before the service. The idea is for the congregation to light candles from the fire and carry them into a dark church. After a number of readings, the lights are gradually turned up for the announcement of Christ's resurrection. It's a beautiful service, and I'm glad I was able to join in singing some wonderful Easter hymns and liturgy. I was sufficiently recovered from last week's cold that my voice could reach both the low and the high notes!
Date: 2013-03-31
From: Zero day, Andrews, NC

To: Swaim Gap
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: light rain

A beautiful Easter morning! I was joined for breakfast at the motel by the church organist, who really loves the organ at St Andrew's and drives many miles each week-end to play there. The service, out of the 1991 Worship Supplement, included liturgical pieces I had heard separately over the years, but not together. Again, everyone was friendly and welcoming -- it felt like a good celebration of the Resurrection.Pastor George insisted on taking me out to dinner at the new restaurant in town [You can imagine it was crowded on Easter afternoon!] and then driving me back to Neel Gap, more than 50 miles, one way. The whole experience was a blessing, and he seemed to feel blessed by it too.By the time I got back to the trail, I couldn't go very far before dark, beginning with a long hill-climb, so I picked a place around Swaim Gap on the map, set up my tent, got water, and it was time for bed. There were at least 3 other camps nearby along the Trail.This area of the Trail is pleasant woods, one of those places where, in the course of heading North, the Trail may actually be going South at times!
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Fox Creek

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: few clouds

'Wrong Way' got an encouraging opinion on her throat yesterday. She has probably just scratched the oesophagus with something she has eaten.We took another off-trail day yesterday and my legs and feet definitely felt the benefit today. Seven of us arranged a shuttle to Fox Creek trailhead, about 40 miles north of Damascus, to which we will hike back over the next 3.5 days. So, for a few days, we are flip-flopping southbounders.An ex-hiker called 'Restless' drove us up for $5 a head and treated us to some mountain humour along the way.Q: 'What's the most common pick-up line around here?'A: 'Hey, that's a great tooth you've got there.'orQ: 'How do you know the toothbrush was invented in West Virginia?'A: 'Because anywhere else it would have been called the 'teethbrush'.'We've taken it easy today, with plenty of stops, and it's been very enjoyable. From mainly conifer woodlands, we came on to several miles of cow pastures and high meadows. The wind was very strong and gusty, so it was difficult to admire the scenery while walking at a 60 deg angle and staggering to one side or the other when a gust blew.During our lunch stop at a shelter, we met two sisters from N.J., Barb and Mag, who are section-hiking. They left before us and we met them again at a sheltered spot on the edge of the uplands. Foxie introduced herself to them all over again, saying there were two other ladies back a way and asked were they travelling with them. A great 'red face' moment but Foxie is a great sport.Tonight we are at Wise Shelter. 'Thistle' is in the shelter along with 'Chafe Master' and 'Two Speeds' who are trying out their new summer sleeping bags for the first time ('Spur' advised me last time we met not to think about replacing my winter gear until after Mt Rodgers - which we reach tomorrow). The night is clear. It will be cold, I think, and I prefer the tent.
Date: 2003-05-15
From: By a Spring near Buzzard Rock

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

I slept pretty well, but still woke a number of times to the distant sound of a sawmill working overtime somewhere down the valley. By about 3.00 am, this had become an unlikely explanation for what I was hearing, and I at last realised that a bee or some other flying insect must be trapped beneath my groundsheet. Every time I turned over there was a fresh outburst of buzzing and then we would both settle down again.The view at sunrise was just as memorable as last night. Mist hanging round the valley floor was slowly lifted by the sun. I had a cold breakfast, packed quickly, and was soon at the top of Buzzard Rock at 5,100 ft. From there it was down into the treeline again, a very rich mixture of beech, birch, maples, spruce and firs. The forest floor was a sea of white Phacelia. Each fragile-looking plant has great clusters of small flowers. Each one is about a half-inch in diameter, and has a feathery, deeply-cut fringe all round which makes it look like a sunburst. Sticking up though the white carpet were Columbine, their beautiful red and ochre-yellow blossoms nodding gently in the faintest of breezes.The darkening sky gave early warning of a thunderstorm which began early afternoon just as I reached the wooden trestle bridge where the AT joins the Virginia Creeper Trail for a while. This was my first contact with the route of the old Virginia-Carolina Railroad, a narrow gauge line that ran from Abingdon to Damascus. It hauled lumber and iron ore as well as passengers.The trestle bridge is one of over fifty on this line, and as I followed the path along the edge of the Straight Branch river, I was struck by the beauty of this trail even in the gloom and pounding rain. Today, the Creeper Trail is a popular cycling path of about 34 miles and I would certainly like to visit again.With rain falling and thunder still around, I arrived at Saunders Shelter, nine miles north of Damascus, around 4.00 pm after a stiff climb and decided just to stay for the night.
Date: 2013-04-03
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I know, that's very short mileage, and today is a beautiful day for hiking, with rain forecast for tomorrow. In some ways, not a good choice, but I didn't want to miss out on Blueberry Patch Hostel [It's only open this time of year, so I couldn't go there on my last trip]. This time, I ate some cold cereal for breakfast and then was able pack up everything in less than 40 minutes. Yesterday afternoon, I figured it would take me at least 2 hours to get to the road, Today, it was only a little over an hour. Then we waited quite a while in the cold for our shuttles. When they came, they dropped off a lot of people I'd met at Neel Gap last week-end. They had spent the night in town and were off again, including "Sriracha", who had finally accepted the name for the big bottle of hot sauce she carries, and whose father had given me a ride all the way up to Murphy last Saturday.After arriving at Blueberry Patch, the first order was to turn in dirty clothes for the proprietors to wash, and then to take showers. I got to go first because we went in order of age. Second was 39, but I was surprised to find more of the others in their 30s than I'd suspected. They have an assortment of bunk beds, some 3 high, some double bed size. I picked a lower, but now I'm not so sure -- I can't come close to sitting up in it without bumping the bunk above.The next thing was to go to town, to shop, eat, and find the library to update journals. I was first out because I had "town clothes" that didn't require washing before going. Got a ride from a man with a vineyard down the road. Sounds very appealing to go down there later, but I couldn't bring wine back to the Blueberry Patch, which has strict rules that way.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Damascus, Virgina
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

The night was somewhat broken. Six were in the shelter - a young girl from Montana, a young married couple, two retired and extremely talkative veterans, and me. The veterans, who had sent one young fellow fleeing to the sanctuary of his tent for the night, proved to be just as noisy by night as by day. They snored heavily, broken occasionally when one or the other would pause and produce a prodigious fart. A sigh of satisfaction and then the snoring resumed. Insight can come as you walk the AT and today I've been trying to develop a general theory based on the empirical evidence that man can't snore and fart simultaneously. Perhaps the deeper point is that, while I fretted through the night over the noise, I've learned today that I missed a lunar eclipse on a perfectly clear night!It's been an easy walk into Damascus, parts of it through avenues of mountain laurel which is now bursting into flower. I got here about 12.30 and, since accommodation would be impossible to find, made my way to the special campsite set up outside town. After a cold shower at the campsite, I walked back into town to the Side Track Cafe. I didn't find 'Thistle' there, but I settled down with a beer, and a short time later in walked 'Snack Attack'. It was great to see him. I learned that he has been offered a graduate school place in New Orleans in August so will have to do the AT faster than expected. His friend 'Cuss' is back home attending his graduation ceremony, and hopes to get here on Sunday.Several beers later, we left the Sidetrack. To do what exactly? Oh yeah, where was 'Thistle'? We found her at 'The Place' where she has managed to get a bunk. 'Chafe' and 'Two Speeds' were there too, so the five of us went out to eat, and'Two Speeds', 'Snack Attack' and I have returned to our tents at the campsite before dark, where I am writing these notes now. I'm hoping to get to sleep soon, it's past 'hiker midnight', but most people are here to party and it could be a lively night.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Hiawassee

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: snow

Not such a great day to be hiking. After an enjoyable evening* and the famous blueberry pancakes, we were taken back to the Trail. I was in the second group, so I started even later than the people who had gone to Budget Inn or other places in Hiawassee, at 10:00. It was raining, and I was hiking more or less with Low Rider, Patchouli, Abraham, and _____. pretty soon, we were noticing ice forming on the twigs and then on the rhododendron leaves. Not long after, we were crunching on ice or having it land on our heads from time to time. When we got to the first shelter, the rest of the group decided to stay, but I decided to push on. I don't enjoy just sitting around in a shelter most of a day, especially when it's cold and wet; and besides, I wanted to get out of Georgia and the poison ivy. When I got to Bly Gap (the border), I saw 2 men & a boy standing near a campsite. They said, "We're waiting for a break in the wind or rain so we can put up our tent." I learned later that they had been standing there an hour before when some other hikers went by. I said, "Good luck" because I didn't think they'd get such a break soon. Later, I thought I should have gone back to suggest the obvious: "Put up your tent now and get in -- you'll be less miserable."I was thankful for the rhododendrons on some windy hillsides ¢ nothing else has any leaves to help block the cold air.When I finally got to Muskrat Creek Shelter, it was full, and there were lots of tents set up around it, including two IN the shelter! I thought that was pretty rude and said so. Not only does a tent take up more room than just a sleeping bag: one of them even impeded use of the table where everyone tried to cook. The other hikers there were in a very mellow mood and had already acceded to the arrangement, so I got a few looks of agreement, but no one willing to say anything about it. Under these circumstances, I'd rather tent (even in the rain), but I didn't do a very good job of picking a tent-site. It was on a hillside, the most level place I could find, but still more slope than I like. I found that my skeletal air mattress does make it easier to keep from sliding down the slope while I sleep. The rain didn't really stop till morning, but my tent did fine.*SNORING ¢ Last night, I was entertained by snoring all around me. It was not so much annoying as fascinating: like listening to a symphony. There were at least 15 people sleeping in the same room (at least half of them snorers), yet I was amazed at how they kept time with each other, inhaling & exhaling on the same "beat". There were all different voices, from basses to sopranos, There were times when they all got louder together & other times they all got softer, was if there were a conductor. From time to time, they would quiet down & let one person have a solo for a while, then back to the full orchestra. This happened several times with different persons soloing. I don't think I'll be staying in such a crowded bunkhouse very often on the Trail, so this seemed like a unique opportunity.
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: broken clouds

Pretty good miles today. Everything started out wet, so I was carrying some rain water with my tent most of the day. It seemed warm at first so I started out with fewer layers than yesterday. Soon the sun hid and I put my jacket on. Then there was a little sun, and I took it off again, but that didn't last long, so I kept it on till mid-afternoon.On this type of day, carrying wet stuff, I look for a time when the sun has come out long enough to warm some big rocks, then lay my stuff out to dry. The main order of the day was going over Standing Indian Mountain, one of the taller ones in the area, and at least from one direction it stands out by itself. Not a difficult climb, but a long way of up, up, up. Most of the way up, the trail followed an old road; I tried to imagine the difficulty in the old days of getting ox-drawn wagons around some of the hair-pin turns. Altho I saw no ice down below, near the top I was crunching along on all the ice falling from the Rhododendron leaves.I got to Carter Gap Shelter by mid-afternoon, after a strange day on the trail -- Kowabunga & his dog, Jet Lag, and one other hiker had passed me in the first 20 minutes -- then I saw no one for at least 4 hours! With all those people at the last shelter, I really expected to see many of them. At Carter Gap Shelter, I caught up with Kowabunga for a few minutes and met Nimoy Airman [check spelling] and Vitamin C. The latter two were staying; however, after drying out my stuff as best I could in the sun, I moved on another 3.5 miles to camp at Betty Creek. There was another tent there, just sitting with the door open, but I never saw any one using it -- it's strange what people will abandon out here. Betty Creek was a pretty place to camp. A hiker named Alexander came thru just after I set up, but he wanted to do some night hiking, and I obviously didn't. That very bright, full moon of last week had waned down to very little, even on a very clear night. A clear night is likely to be cold,and I thought this was the coldest one so far, at least since the first night out. In the morning, my little thermometer said about 35 degrees. It tends to read high, but nothing froze on me.
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Fox Creek

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke about 5.30am to see 'Sick Man' rushing off to the bathroom. In the dead quiet of the hostel, the sound of his vomiting carried loudly along the landing to our dorm. Until we checked out, he lay on his back on his bunk with a "Why me?" expression on his face. I felt sorry for him but I was more concerned that history might repeat itself. We got out of there quickly.We had arranged an early shuttle back to Fox Creek and were there about 10.00am. There were eight of us - the 'KC Girls', 'Two Speeds', 'Chafe Master', 'Thistle', 'Foxie', me and 'Mountain Butterfly'. 'Mountain Butterfly' is a delicate, petite lady, possibly about my age, who seems at first glance a bit out of place on the AT. Appearances are deceptive.Today has been sunny, but we spent the entire day walking under the forest canopy which is now close to being fully developed. Apart from a corridor of mountain laurel after we crossed Hurricane Creek, there are few flowers in this part of the forest with only thinly spread purple wild geraniums to look at. There is more oak in evidence now and an occasional tulip tree (a type of poplar), the creamy flower from which does indeed look like a tulip. These trees are 40-50 feet above the ground level, but 'Mountain Butterfly' had found a flower on the Trail and, knowing I was interested, showed it to me at a shelter stop later in the day.Fearing rain tonight, I am in the shelter with the others, plus 'Blink Blink', the very pleasant young woman we first met at Elk Garden, 'Mellow Yellow' and 'Foot's on Fire' who are all travelling together.
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Betty Creek

To: Siler Bald
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

It was a cold morning, but the day warmed up quickly, getting a little too warm in the early afternoon. Walking thru woods with no leaves can get very hot on the sunny side of the mountain. Today, I seemed to be always on the sunny side. Two days ago, I was looking for rhododendrons on the exposed heights to shield me from the icy wind; today I wanted them for shade! The first challenge of the day was Albert Mountain, not terribly high, but quite steep from the South. A hiker or two passed me, but all agreed it was difficult. I said it was a foretaste of New Hampshire. The other side of the mountain turned out to be a foretaste of Virginia: smooth, gradual, downhill, shaded much of time by Rhododendrons. I stopped in at Long Branch Shelter, so new it even smells new! (not the privy). There I met a hiker just leaving and Boomerang, who was just getting up (almost noon). We spoke a little (She's from Rochester, NY) and I moved on another 3.5 miles to Rock Gap Shelter, to eat lunch and be entertained by a book left by a local charter school, where the kids had written up a project involving discovering a new source of energy. A multi-disciplinary project, it was apparently supposed to be written in story form and incorporate the 6 basic tools of physics (mechanics). Interesting.   They said there were treats hanging from a bear bag, but I didn't find any such bag. No doubt, too much time and too many hikers had passed since they left their stuff there.Meanwhile, Boomerang had passed me. We kept passing each other the rest of the afternoon. I didn't see anyone else all afternoon. As I approached Winding Stair Gap, (the place from which many people go into Franklin) about 4:00, I met a woman in bright pink announcing that there was "Trail Magic" awaiting at the road. It turned out to be 3 people from Oconee Hiking Club in South Carolina. They had ham-&-cheese sandwiches, candy, pop, various kinds of fruit: bananas, plums, apples, &c. While Boomerang & I were there, one more hiker (Hawaii?) came by, going the other way to catch up on a section she'd missed.From there, I headed up toward Siler Bald. I was planning to stop at the shelter there, but it was some distance off the AT [anywhere from .3 to .6 miles according to various guides], and the bald itself looked so inviting. A bald is a mountain which is entirely or partially bare on top; nowadays, some are preserved that way by burning, grazing, or mowing. I left my pack at the AT and walked the .2 mile to the top.   I found a man tenting there, a trail maintainer from Asheville, NC. There was quite a view [Many mountain tops are so wooded you can't see much.]and very good phone reception. He showed me Albert and Standing Indian Mountains to the South, which aren't very far apart but the AT takes a big loop between them.By the time I had walked back down to my pack, I had decided to camp up there, but at a level spot a little lower than the other guy. I think I got some good pictures of the sunset. A very pleasant place and not too cold, even tho I could hear wind blowing higher up.