morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-04-09
To: The End of the Line
Miles today: 0.0

This afternoon I will be out of a job.Mark Twain once said after serving as a newspaper reporter to the Sandwich Islands, he returned to San Francisco, rented a hall, gave a talk, and ¢never had to do a day of work again!¢ Well, except for the part about renting San Fran¢s Academy of Music on Pine Street, that¢s just the way I feel today. Ever since walking into the Flight Room of the Wright Brothers Memorial Visitor Center in Kill Devil Hills in May of 1973 to ¢give a talk,¢ nothing I¢ve done since then has ever felt like work¢¦So, the prospect of waking up to the unemployment line tomorrow could be truly overwhelming. Daunting, no less. Fortunately, tomorrow when I wake up, I will embark on a new career. I will become a Professional Walker. I get up. I walk. That¢s what I do.Then the next day, I get up and walk again¢¦-N, America's newest Professional Walker
Date: 2012-04-11
From: Springer Mountain

To: Gooch Gap (GA)
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

Day 1: "Roughin' It Deluxe" or how we attempted to "ease on into" the Appalachian Trail.N's last two weeks before retirement have been incredibly hectic and stressful, but so amazingly successful and satisfying, we have both been riding along on an adrenalin high. However, somewhere between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, that all came to a crashing halt for each of us, and we find ourselves completely spent, both emotionally and physically. So, thank goodness for the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega! We left for the trail showered, with full stomachs and a good night's sleep all around; and with a reservation so we could come back and do it all over again tonight. Yes, no need to carry a tent or a stove or a change of clothes or almost anything today: we would be slackpacking! Light of heart and light of backpack, we were dropped off by our Base Camp Manager, and on our way.First off, the bad news: Our trail guide uses a little camera symbol to indicate panoramas / great views. But after the Southern Terminus, the guide showed not another camera for the rest of the day's mileage. Just nothing you could call spectacular scenery.But aside from that minor point, you couldn't have asked for a better weather day. Not a cloud in the sky. Temps in the upper 50s. Just an ideal hiking day...-XOn top of Hawk Mountain, we called our BCM to see if she had gotten back safely to flat land. While my phone was on, here came a voice mail from my doctor's office, asking me to return the call. This took some doing, during which time seven people passed us, about half of all the folks we would see during the day. Although I had had my yearly physical about three weeks ago, I had not gotten any results before leaving. So here came the nurse to tell me my cholesterol was a little high. She said I needed to take fish oil and exercise a little more. I asked her if I walked 14 miles every day for the next six months, could I pass on the fish oil? I'm not sure I got an answer before she hung up...We slowed up a little after lunch at Horse Gap, but picked up the pace again on the climb up Justus Mountain, and arrived in plenty of time for our Hiker Hostel pickup at Gooch Gap.We feel like we are one day into easing into the AT. We'll remember this great start to our hike for weeks to come. And with freezing temperatures in the offing, we are really happy to be back in a warm bed at the Hiker Hostel...-N
Date: 2012-04-12
From: Gooch Gap (GA)

To: Neels Gap/U.S. 19 (GA)
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 2: Technically, Two Goose-Neck Wrenching BarsBack in my younger running days, I would rate the day following a tough race as a one, two, or three crowbar morning, depending on how many crowbars it took to pry me out of bed. In spite of our best efforts yesterday at carrying a light load and "easing on into the trail," this is definitely a two-crowbar morning! Only copious amounts of Vitamin I (ibuprofen) and the promise of one more night at the Hiker Hostel got us to haul our sore butts out of bed. But after a good breakfast and a little moving around, by the time we reached Gooch Gap again, we were ready to face the challenges of the day.Today's goal (14.4 miles) could be divided into two parts: the first third to Woody Gap went really quickly.  We took advantage of the picnic tables there for an early sit-down lunch, as we knew after lunch we'd be on familiar ground we had hiked in reverse last fall for the last 2/3's of the day.While we ate, two men pulled up who had driven in from DC and FL to meet for a hike up to Unicoi Gap. They left a little before us, but we caught up with them at exactly 21.84 miles, so we asked them to take our picture as we toasted ourselves, and celebrated 1% of The Trail completed!The Hiker Hostel was again full tonight, but unlike last night, the house computer was in high demand, with three German couples needing to check in back home. On top of that, an older man who abandoned today on the Approach Trail and came back needing a bed, was sleeping on a futon next to the computer. So today's entry will have to be short with the hope is can be lengthened later, as it was an epic day.
Date: 2012-04-13
From: Neels Gap/U.S. 19 (GA)

To: 0.5 mile north of Poplar Stamp Gap (GA)
Miles today: 13.4

Day 3: The Training Wheels Come Off or "How we celebrated Friday the 13th"Lumpy from MtXings (according to the license on the van) gave us a ride back to Neel Gap. We started just after a number of folks who slept at the Hostel, as X said she could not have the complete thru hiker experience until she had mailed something home from Mt. Crossings (in this case an autographed copy of Just Passin Through). We played leap frog with numerous thru hikers who we had spent the last two days gaining on, but who now were more conditioned to the trail than we...Most of them were heading for Low Gap Shelter which was 11.5 miles away and had a good water source. We wanted to do more, at least until Wildcat Mt's 500 feet gain threw us for a loop. We had a post lunch letdown for the third day in a row, but got a second wind after taking on water at Low Gap Shelter ourselves. We wound up sharing a wonderful campsite at the top of an old stage road, just short of our original goal. We hope to re-coop tonight to do it again tomorrow. -N Another amazingly beautiful spring day very much like Days 1 & 2. But even with cool temps in the 40's at the start of the day, as we climbed out of Neel Gap we quickly shed our outer layers. The first half of the day's hike was pretty strenuous with a treks down into and steep climbs out of Gaps (Bull, Swaim, Tesnatee, Hogpen & Low). The views from Wolf Laurel and Cowrock Mountains were spectacular. During the middle of the afternoon The Trail looked a bit over-used and it seemed the only vegetation on either side of it was poison ivy. But by the end of the day's hike, the trail followed the remnants of an old stagecoach road, with some amazing rock work aqueducts. (N thinks the road dates to the 1800's.) The more level walking surface was deeply appreciated! Late in the afternoon we trekked down into the final gap of the day (Low Gap) where the water was good and the shelter seemed to be filling up for the night. Our intention is to use our tent, even if there looks like room at a shelter. But after passing pleasantries with several hikers we went about the business of filtering water & filling bottles. After the water break at Low Gap we pressed on another 1.5 miles and found a dandy place to pitch our tent for the night. We share the site with Gunther, another thru-hiker. We met several other thru-hikers today besides Gunther: Metric, Honeybunny & Duckie, Chris and his friend Other Dude, who's out here section-hiking. We're nestled down snuggly for the night, and are very comfy in our tent. As it's well past hiker midnight (sun down), it's time to rest & recover these tired bones for tomorrow. -X
Date: 2012-04-15
From: Steeltrap Gap (GA)

To: Campsite North of Dirt Road at Blue Ridge Gap (GA)
Miles today: 16.0

Day 5: Food, Shelter, Clothing, and a Trail Journal Entry or "Our little world for the next six months..." Happily we find ourselves getting into a rhythm out here. We're very comfortable walking and the climbs are coming a bit easier. Our appetites are off a tad, but we heard that was expected when just starting out. The weather has been absolutely phenomenal and we feel very lucky for that; however, we hear tomorrow that may change with rain & storms on the way.The "social life" of the trail was something X was really looking forward to, and it has not disappointed. We continue to meet thru-hikers new to us, each with a story of what has brought them to The Trail. Old, young, and in-between; men, women; singles, couples; folks from abroad, folks from across the USA...but the one thing all of us have in common is that we are trying to get to Maine.Another 'Trail Magic' experience for the Troverts happened today when we came upon Tater (GA>ME 2000 and local to the area) sitting on a big log in Addis Gap (which is to say a long way from any road) with his grandson Cody, their black Lab, Springer, AND cans of iced cold Pepsi for the taking in his backpack! We met this same day-hiking trio the day before at the Blue Mountain Shelter where we all had stopped for a break. Today they were bringing us 'Trail Magic'. X asked Cody if bringing the 'Trail Magic' was his idea and he said, "Yes!" X told him he was her new best friend. Thanks so much to Tater, Cody & Springer. It was great meeting & chatting with you.Our Base Camp Manager, Ashley Berry, is a special young woman. Months ago when she volunteered for this project we're pretty sure she didn't know what she was getting herself into, but she is the reason we are able to keep in touch with you. We send her text copy & pictures and she downloads them to TJ's. Our deepest thanks goes to Ashley for taking on the heavy lifting back on the home front. -N
Date: 2012-04-18
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 8: Taking a break in Franklin (or how we enjoyed our first "Zero")Zero Day! Why just the expression itself makes one smile as it rolls off the tongue...  We won't say we didn't do any walking, 'cause we did, (even some uphills) but instead of counting on our AT total, these miles were all spent in doing town chores. Well, OK, maybe there were a few "want to's" thrown in there  with the "have to's" like X's McDonald's coffee, right across the street. After a diet of pop tarts, a sausage McMuffin tasted truly decadent!Two loads of laundry, a hair cut for N. Why the morning just flew by. One thing that went much quicker than anticipated was the food re-supply. When we inventoried what was left of our original bare minimum five day supply to get us here to Franklin, we found there was plenty enough left over to cover the next two days (27 miles) into the NOC. Our shopping list for the local Ingles was only three items: some dried fruit, something with a salty taste (we settled on Chex Mix, original flavor), and a little more Gatorade. No big weight gain for Awe or Shock here, thank goodness!No stop in Franklin is complete without a trip to Outdoor 76, so we made several. We were pleased to see just about every thru hiker in town make a stop there as well. X's purchase of note was a pair of toe socks, 2012's "next big thing" for hikers. X's final stop of the day was to see 1979 thru hiker, Jerry "Tarheel" Parker, who serves as her personal AT foot care consultant. Where else do you find a pharmacist who drives you himself back across town to your motel???You would not believe it if we described our dinner for you, so we will just share a picture. And as we walked back to the Sapphire at sunset, the sky was clearing in the west and we were ready for getting back to business on the AT tomorrow...
Date: 2012-04-19
From: Franklin, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter (NC)
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 9: Up and Over Wayah Bald (or the day X started to get her climbing legs)We got a relatively late (for us) start as the 9 o'clock shuttle drove up into the clouds at Wnding Stair Gap. The woods smelled fresh after all the rain, but- thankfully - the trail was much drier than we expected, and once again we couldn't have asked for a better hiking day. The fog gradually lifted as we climbed out of the Gap, and with differing paces and break schedules we passed and were re-passed by the same handful of folks. The trail went up about 1,300' in 4 1/2 miles to Siler Bald. We then came back down 800' where we found Forest Service picnic tables for an extended break. The highlight of the day was the view from the 5,342' Wayah Bald tower. You can drive to a parking lot just below the summit, but for the AT hiker, the foot route involves a steady 4+ mile climb. At the end is a rarity for the Trail, a short section of handicapped accessible pavement. From the top of the stone tower we could see all the way to the Great Smoky Mountains and peaks we hope to walk five days from now...At the end of the day it was decision time as to how far to go. We felt great, and decided to position ourselves for an easy hike into the NOC tomorrow and pushed on to Cold Spring Shelter. The poor old shelter gets crowded after the third person, but we found a great campsite with congenial neighbors on the bluff overlooking the valley below (with 3 bar 3G, no less!). When we went to bed, lights twinkled below, but as this is typed, we're back in a cloud with moisture hitting the tent in a steady drip. Great night for sleeping...
Date: 2012-04-20
From: Cold Spring Shelter (NC)

To: NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) (NC) 
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

Day 10: Wash Your Face in the Clouds (or how things went mostly downhill to the NOC)About 60 years ago as N's family was preparing for a rare trip to Asheville and the North Carolina mountains, his old maid aunt Elizabeth told him repeatedly "Just think, you'll be able to wash your face in the clouds!" N's young mind pictured pulling into a scenic vista parking lot where he'd run over and grab a handful of cloud from this big glob just beyond the pavement, and splash it all over his tiny little face. N kept urging his father to drive faster on the early morning ride out of Asheville to observe this amazing phenomena, and he was quite devastated when he learned it was "just an expression." The mere fact he remembers the incident six decades later shows how it traumatized the little fella. That is until this morning, when we had to deal with the reality of not only washing our faces, but bathing every other part of our bodies and all of our gear in this big glob of cloud that engulfed our campsite. Some expression indeed!We stayed in the tent until 6:20 hoping the cloud would lift, but wound up packing everything away slow and damp. (In fact, the clouds stayed with us until the late afternoon.)After two miles of just enough up and down to keep us from getting in an even rhythm, we dropped into Tellico Gap, where we could see the Wesser Bald tower right on the dividing line between clear and fog. The climb up to Wesser was easier than we remembered, and ascending the tower, we indeed had 180° of great view and 180° of clouds. We thought the downhill six mile hike into the NOC would be easy, but the downhill rock hopping at The Jumpoff really slowed us down, and it seemed like forever before we rolled into the hectic world of the Nantahala Outdoor Center at 4:00pm. We picked up a resupply package, did laundry, and had two great burgers at River's Edge while watching kayakers practice for tomorrow's racing. The end of the day could not be more different from its start as we lie in this comfortable bed not 75 yards from the AT...There's eight miles of uphill and rain in the forecast, but we'll deal with that tomorrow.
Date: 2012-04-21
From: NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) (NC) 

To: a mile north of Simp Gap (NC) 
Miles today: 12.0

Day 11: Our plans are altered by the weather and the Nantahala Gorge (or how long middle of the day breaks can keep the daily mileage low)We started so early this morning X spent the first 45 minutes clearing spider webs from the trail with her face before a young macho marched by at twice our pace and thankfully took over that job. For N, a highlight was seeing our first tiny mountain laurel bloom of the trip. He was tempted just to stop and wait to watch it develop (although this flew in the face of Trovert trail rule #1 - never stop while going uphill. Slow to a crawl if you have to, but conquer the climbs by keeping moving). For indeed the path this morning was going uphill for the first eight miles, from NOC  to the top of Swim Bald (3,000' elevation gain), then on to Cheoah Bald (another 600' climb). It was hard to push the early going, knowing what lay ahead. And after the first hour and a half, the rain we hoped would hold off until afternoon showed up, at first just on-again, off-again enough so that whether you chose to put on rain gear or not, it quickly became the wrong choice, and you had to stop and change clothes again. Then the rain showers became more steady and the already treacherous roots and boulder fields along the trail became even more so. By the time we reached Sassafras Gap shelter past Swim Bald we were demoralized and chilled (alternately from the rain and sweat), and knew it was time to stop and get on something dry. We had the place to ourselves and spread things out to dry as best they could. We decided to break out the sleeping bags, take a nap, and if this heavy rain settled in, stay here for the night (quite a come-down from our planned 17 miles!).While X napped, a young couple stopped in to have lunch out of the rain. They were south bound thru hikers who started late in 2010 as honeymooners, dealt with a lot of winter conditions, and had to leave the trail in central Virginia due to a broken tooth (him) on a frozen Snickers bar. Now they were back to finish. Why it made N's hypothermia symptoms look downright whimpy by comparison!By this time, X was awake and revived and the rain had stopped, so we decided to repack our gear and push on. By the time we left, the shelter was starting to fill up with other hikers also feeling the effects of the climb out of the Nantahala Gorge. And of course, the showers had started again. We didn't get as far as we'd  hoped, but by 6:15, the weather was clearing and we found a great little wide spot to pitch the tent on a ridge just after Simp Gap. With better weather, we'll make up ground and get better pictures tomorrow.
Date: 2012-04-22
From: a mile north of Simp Gap (NC) 

To: NC 28, Fontana 28 Crossing Fontana Dam, (NC)
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 12: Nomad Drops Back To Provide Some Magic (plus we wind up in the lap of luxury at Fontana Village)With multiple occurance, waking up inside a cloud looses much of its enchantment. This morning it's mostly about trying to find the hanging bear bag in the mist and packing a wet tent. Still, we are on our way by 7:40. We drop over 500' down into Stecoah Gap. Looking down on the road from high above, X comments what a wonderful location for trail magic, but N replies at 8:45 on a Sunday morning, it ain't gonna happen. But just after our arrival, thru hiker Nomad pulls in with his rental car to fill in a section he had skipped the week before when he jumped ahead to hike in the Smokies with his visiting wife: today he will slack pack to Fontana where folks from his hostel will pick him up. Then tomorrow they'll bring him back to Stecoah for the rental car which he'll return to the Knoxville airport where he'll get a ride back to the trail at Max Patch. Got all that? Anyway, the important part for us he has non-traditional AT hiker fare he is more than willing to share: an orange, a banana, and unsquashed Fritos chips. That plus some sunshine and a great view make Stecoah Gap a wonderful stop. (It's funny what little things in life you miss out here. X was recently commenting she would kill for a banana. The Lord provides...) Next we climb up "Jacobs Ladder" at a staggering ascent rate of 100' every tenth of a mile. At the top we are back in the clouds and feeling the effect of the 20+ mph wind. When we duck into Brown Fork Gap shelter to don a few more layers, the thought of a room out of the elements tonight gains great appeal, and a phone call snags us a hiker rate at Fontana Lodge. The late afternoon is spent coming off the mountain in time to catch the shuttle to the village which stops running at 6:00pm. After Cable Gap shelter, we are caught by Amos Moses (who we've been seeing since Franklin). He thinks our plan for the Lodge is great, and rushes ahead to secure a room (as do at least another half dozen thru hikers we later run into in the lobby and dining room). Fontana is resort pricey and their laundry/general store/shuttle hours are not conducive for getting us back on the trail for an early start, but a delicious steak topped with mushrooms, loaded baked potato, and wonderful assorted greens salad... that's magical and we will sleep well tonight and are glad to be here. Tomorrow we enter the Smokies and the adventure continues...
Date: 2012-04-24
From: Birch Spring Gap (campsite #113) (NC)

To: Spence Field Shelter (NC/TN) 
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: light rain

Day 14: Straddling the NC/TN state line (Plus "like old home week" on the AT today)It didn't take us long to figure out when it comes to AT weather, cold and dry is far better than warm and wet. This morning was a case in point: the 36.7° temperature kept us in our sleeping bags until daylight (which was OK as we were only planning 10.8 miles today), but when we did get stirring, we moved pretty quickly. For most of its distance through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the AT follows the spine of the park. First thing this morning we had to finish the climb up to the spine. Just as we reached that point where the trail makes a sharp turn and follows the state border, we are met by Metric and Sticks, two thru hikers we haven't seen since before Franklin. We are quickly joined by Knife, who we last saw catching a ride into Hiwassee at Dicks Creek Gap. These young machos had all stayed at the "Fontana Hilton" shelter the previous night and had already made up that five miles on us (including a visit to the Shuckstack tower!). We convinced them to stop for a picture, saying that although not marked as such, the arrival of state #3 was a Big Deal. And then they were on their way. Ah, youth. We remember it well...We were both in a better frame of mind today and greatly enjoyed the hike. We'd anticipated better weather, but on the whole the sun lost its battle with the clouds and wind, and we were reminded of yesterday when we walked on the windward side of a hill. We had met Keystone at Birch Creek last night, but leapfrogging with him today gave us several chances to talk. He has two friends hiking a short distance with him, before he will be 'orphaned' by Hot Springs.We passed several small fields today which spoke of days before the national park. The prettiest of these was the old orchard of Spence Field, where we turned off the trail for a short walk to the shelter at the orchard's other end. As expected, nearly everyone we'd seen today had set this as their target, and even at 4pm, there was "no room at the inn." As we pitched our tent, it was spitting snow and very windy. We had chores, dinner, companionship and conversation with our fellow hikers all done by 630pm, and retired to our comfy little tent. We expected another cold clear night, but instead the temperature warmed a few degrees back above 40° and a steady light rain settled in until after 11pm. The AT: expect the unexpected..