morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-10-31
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: US 19E
Miles today: 8.2

When I caught up to Tumbleweed and Jack on the trail I yelled "trick or treat" to them over the crunching of leaves on the trail.Short day today after several long days.Feeling a strange sense of anxiety and guilt about ¢slacking¢ back behind the group that are pushing for a pre-turkey day finish. But I just don¢t have as much fun when we push for 20+ mile days everyday. I also have this sense of guilt that I won¢t be summiting Springer with Hedgehog.Staying at the Mountain Harbor Bed & Breakfast/Hostel tonight. The section hiker at the shelter last night said he was planning on showing up here, and did finally several hours after I did as he went the WRONG way on the AT after leaving the shelter and retraced several miles that we had done the day before, before realizing his mistake.The hostel is above the barn and is beautiful and very nice. Nice to have a short day to rest. Felt a bit guilty about being a slacker and doing shorter days, but I felt better after talking to Hedgehog on the phone. He was 15 miles south of Erwin and sounded good.
Date: 2007-11-01
From: US 19E

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

Wow it's November! Overcast and breezy, especially once climbing up onto the balds. Beautiful though. Took a break at the Overmountain Shelter which is a red barn converted into a shelter with a view of the valley below.Stopped at Carver¢s Gap and made dinner as I wasn¢t positive about the water source at the Roan Shelter. It was a strange experience sitting at the edge of the parking lot while eating. I was asked directions to Roan Mountain State Park by a couple in a truck, the 2 guys in a news truck asked if I had seen any ¢federal agents¢ or a swarm of cops ¢ I hadn¢t ¢ then 2 more cars of people asked if I knew how to get up to Roan High Knob since the road was closed. All of that in 20 minutes ¢ I was entertained.I was getting chilled and pondered pushing to the shelter past Roan Knob as that shelter is at 6,285 feet ¢ the highest on the trail. I had decided that I would stay if there were people and push on if there was no-one. Turned out there was a group of high schoolers from Ohio, with their teachers, on a 5-day hike. Very friendly and full of questions.The shelter was a full 2-story 4-sided converted fire warden¢s cabin. Good flowing spring.
Date: 2007-11-02
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Early start as the high school group was awake at 6:30 am. There were only so many delay tactics I could employ while still warm in my sleeping bag. Long sketchy descent down Roan, but a few nice views. The fog in the valley was much colder than the air higher up the mountain. The dew point in the fog must have been exactly at the air temp, as it was dripping water but not quite raining. Great water cache at Iron Mountain Gap that Farsang¢s parents had left. I arrived at the shelter around 3 pm. So I made dinner, got settled, then made my first fire that I had started on the trail. Kept me busy, and about an hour later a couple that lives near Iron Mountain Gap hiked up. They were out for an overnight trip, had planned to hike further, but I think were enticed by the fire. Cold, clear night and the stars were very bright. Tomorrow is TOWN DAY!
Date: 2007-11-03
From: Cherry Gap

To: Erwin, TN (Nolichucky River)
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

Town day!Got a pre-dawn start to head in to town today. Had some great views off of Beauty Spot (yes that is official name of that spot on the trail. A logging road follows much of the trail through that section and there were several hunters out "hunting from their trucks." Very entertaining and scary at the same time as I worried that they would mistake me for a deer or bear. Staying at Uncle Johnny's Hostel right by the Nolichucky River near Erwin, TN. The big news in town today is the LSU/Alabama game. Heading southbound in the morning.
Date: 2007-11-04
From: Erwin, TN (Nolichucky River)

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

Late start due to getting to sleep late (people in the hostel were up late.) Daylight savings time change too. Got new shoes today and they seem to fit ok ¢ no new hotspots anywhere. The climb up Little Bald seemed ridiculous, so I was grateful to get to the top and take a break. Set my pack down and heard some rustling in the bushes. Looked closer and saw 2 black goats with horns eating. When they finally noticed me, one started to walk towards me not looking happy that I was there. So I quickly put my pack on and hiked away before getting any pics.Bald Mtn Shelter for the night. No other hikers here tonight. Cold and breezy. Nice spring near the shelter running great.
Date: 2007-11-05
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Stayed at the Flint Mountain Shelter last night, rained overnight now sunny, ice on trees in places. Will hit the only 300 miles to go mark today! Very cold morning but beautiful views from Big Bald just after sunrise. A little weird though to see all that falcon catching stuff on the approach to Big Bald. The fake owl, camouflage tent and nets especially weird. And no-one around. Not a single person. Several sections of the trail had permafrost like ice crystals in the mud. Pretty cool stuff.Another water cache from Farsang¢s parents at Sam¢s Gap, and some soda trail magic from someone else there too! It became the perfect lunch spot, even equipped with garbage cans, sunshine and sounds of trucks down shifting as they hit the gap. Actually, it was quite nice. Arrived at the shelter at 4 pm and considered pushing on due to the bear sightings, then thought against it. We shall see how it goes. Good water source near the shelter. This will be the 3rd night on the whole AT that I am sleeping in a shelter alone. Solar and Lunar had left a report about an aggressive bear that bothers hikers at the shelter during the night. Now I had already made dinner and got settled before I read this in the shelter register, so I was a bit concerned but did not want to do any night hiking to get to the next shelter. So I barracaded myself into the shelter with the picnic table, collected rocks, and proceeded to sleep quite well. I convinced myself that the downpour scared the bear away. Turned out the whole story was made up by my fellow SOBOs.
Date: 2007-11-06
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: clear sky

So luckily, last night was less exciting than anticipated. Cold day again and I am now hiking in long johns and a long sleeve shirt all day long. There was even ice on many of the tree branches and the leaves on the trail were extra crunchy because they were frozen. I got to the shelter around 4:30 pm and I was so cold that I crawled into my sleeping bag almost immediately to try and get warm. That was only the 2nd time I have had to do that. The first time was on Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. On to town tomorrow.
Date: 2007-11-07
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

TOWN DAY! Got up at 6 am and started hiking shortly thereafter. Nice hike into town but VERY cold, so I made it in to town in record time. Hot Springs is a great trail town. Always a good sign when there are AT symbols embedded into the sidewalk where the trail winds through town. I had so many packages from the post office that I had to make 2 trips to get them all. Thanks to everyone!
Date: 2007-11-09
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: few clouds

Early start out of town and despite a lot of climbing I arrived at the shelter 18 miles in at 2:15 pm. So I decided to press on up and over Max Patch and to the next shelter. Warmer today than before I stayed in Hot Springs, and I was able to hike in my shorts without long johns. Got to the shelter and there were 2 section hikers there - so the company was nice. And with the new shoes my feet don't hurt. Hiking is so much better when your feet don't hurt! I'm hiking faster too....nice!On to the Smokies tomorrow.
Date: 2007-11-10
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Crosby Knob
Miles today: 17.6

Chilly morning. First mountain of the day had this wild looking FAA tower on top. About seven miles into the day I found Pepsi sodas in a stream I was crossing. It was sunny and there was nice flat rocks, so a break turned into lunch, very nice. Crossed I-40 about a mile later, then began the five mile climb up into the Smokies (the same elevation I just lost coming down the last five miles.) Davenport Gap Shelter - the first shelter in the Smokies for SOBOs - had this ominous fence enclosing the open side of the shelter to keep bears out. Ran into 20+ people in the next five miles. There were a few people at the shelter which was nice. This shelter did not have a fence, just a big tarp enclosure. No bear sightings.
Date: 2007-11-12
From: Icewater Spring

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got to cross Newfound Gap and Clingman's Dome today - the 2 big touristy spots in the Smokies. Got a few questions but not too many.The day started out with some more storytelling at the shelter and a great barrage of food offerings. More to carry, but at least I won't have to resupply until the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) and just make one stop at the post office in Fontana Dam.Great sunrise too at the shelter. I am alone for the night but I am glad this is a non-fenced in shelter - it just has a big tarp to enclose the opening. I just think the fences are eerie.On to Fontana "Hilton" tomorrow and the last of the Smokies.
Date: 2007-11-13
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: moderate rain

Nov 13, 2007Start: Derrick Knob ShelterFinish: Fontana Dam, NCMileage: 24.1Prior to entering the Smokies, I was focused on just getting this section over with - but they turned out to be very pretty and nice trail for the most part.So some people describe how thru-hikers get a stare when they are towards the end of the hike and are just trying to get the miles done. Music Man, Hedgehog, and I called it the "2000 mile stare". Well my solution to combat this is to hike with a friend fresh from his non-thru-hiking life and let him set the pace for the last 130 miles. My college friend, backpacking buddy, and the first person I heard talk about the AT - Jason - will be joining me on the 18th until we finish.Also, I crossed the 2,000 mile mark today and appropriately celebrated in standard swedish fish style. Too bad there isn't a cool 2,000 mile designation on a road like the NOBOs have, but swedish fish do taste much better than road.Very rainy day. I first got drenched in the morning and had to stop at the next shelter to crawl into my sleeping bag to warm up. It took me an hour and a half to get going again. And late afternoon it started to pour and just never stopped. I was soaked and so very glad to get a room at the lodge in the Fontana Village.
Date: 2007-11-14
To: A ZERO in Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I have this thing that happens when I am in town; about 70% of the time I have a hard time sleeping, despite being tired, having a quiet room and a comfy bed. In the shelters other than my usual tossing and turning I don't seem to have this problem. Zero day to kill time and avoid the nasty thunder and rain storm that is supposed to roll through.
Date: 2007-11-15
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

November 15, 2007Start: Fontana Dam, NCFinish: Brown Fork Gap ShelterMileage: 11.6Stayed another night at Fontana Village last night as I had heard a storm was going to roll through - and I was so glad to be surrounded by four walls when the storm did hit. We lost power around 10 pmm and it was still out when I headed back to the trail in the morning.Checked out the Fontana Hilton Shelter - very nice. Started to climb up the hill out of the valley and little white flakes started to fall. It was snow and was sticking to the ground, but not accumulating very fast. Got to the shelter, unpacked my bag, turned around and the ground had turned all white, and the snow was falling faster. Very pretty and only amounted to about a 1/4" on the ground. Very cold night though.At Brown Fork Gap for the night. Out of the wind now but it is windy with snow flurries.
Date: 2007-11-16
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: NOC, Wesser, NC
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

November 16, 2007Start: Brown Fork Gap ShelterFinish: NOC, Wesser NCMileage: 16.0I was buried so deep in my sleeping bag I could not tell that the sun had come up...until I crawled out to check.What a difference a day makes! Sunny today!Luckily no new snow had fallen overnight, as that would have made hiking more adventurous than usual. But the sun was out and the wind had died down. Actually warmed up a bit today. Great views from Cheoah Bald of the Nantahala Gorge and surrounding mountains.I arrive at the NOC, first eat at the restaurant, then go to check in to the bunkhouse. Turned out a section hiker had reserved a room at their Inn, but then arrived a day too early - but too late to cancel his reservation. He was nice enough to leave the key and nake the room available to any hikers passing through, so I got the room for the night. Back to the bunkhouse tomorrow night.And alas, no rafting trips running this time of year. I was hoping I was going to get to go on one.
Date: 2007-11-17
To: ZEROing @ NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

November 17, 2007Start: Wesser, NCFinish: Wesser, NCMileage: ZEROKilling time until Jason arrives tomorrow. I am so bored. I think I called 75% of the people in my cell phone contact list. SUGAR was on Max Patch today, FARSANG is about a 1/2 day ahead, TNadine about 1 day behind.
Date: 2007-11-18
From: NOC, Wesser, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

November 18, 2007Start: NOC, Wesser, NCFinish: Cold Spring ShelterMileage: 11.5I talked to Jason during breakfast and he told me he was running an hour late because his bus was late. A few minutes later he walked into the restaurant. We finished breakfast, packed our bags and hit the trail around 11 am. Now when you leave town it is always a climb and always with a full pack. The climb up from the NOC was tough on Jason. We had great 360 degree views from the firetower on Wesser Bald. Arrived at the shelter after a short bit of night hiking.
Date: 2007-11-19
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

November 19, 2007Start: Cold Spring ShelterFinish: Siler Bald ShelterMileage: 12.1Awoke to fog. Turned out it was just we were high enough to be in the clouds. By mid-day the sky had cleared - about the time for us to take a lunch break at the Wayah Bald stone observation tower.Arrived at camp around 3:30 pm and enjoyed a leisurely evening. Jason felt better today, but has brought back all sorts of memories of when Music Man and I were in Maine starting the trail and everything hurt. I am in amazingly so much better shape than I was then. I am having to work hard on being patient as Jason is hiking slower than me at this time and can do less miles in a day, and I am finally getting anxious that I am so close!
Date: 2007-11-20
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

November 20, 2007Start: Siler Bald ShelterFinish: Rock Gap ShelterMileage: 7.5Beautiful sunrise to start the day. Short hiking day today to let Jason's body rest and recover. Sunny and warm - very nice. Took an extended break at a stream crossing, soaked our feet, rinsed off, it was nice.Ate some of our Thanksgiving fixins for dinner, stuffing with chicken. Made gravy too, but it didn't turn out right. The spring at the shelter was dry, so I back hiked a half mile or so to get extra water. Nice evening, had the shelter to ourselves again.
Date: 2007-11-21
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Turkey Day Eve! Sunny morning turned to overcast skies in the early afternoon. Great views from Albert Mtn, but the door to the lookout was locked.Still struggling with being patient, especially now that I am in the double-digits. But I find it helps to hike occasionally ahead of Jason so I can cruise and get it out of my system.Only person we saw on the trail was a hunter in the am out hunting deer. He said "You better tell the people behind you to wear orange as there are 3 more weeks of hunting!"
Date: 2007-11-22
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy Turkey Day! The rain started about 6pm last night and fell all night long. It was windy too and although the back of the shelter was facing into the wind (i.e. down the mountain) it would gust just enough to blow the rain around the edges of the shelter and into the space inside where we were sleeping on the platform. There was a father and son sleeping in a tent nearby and in the morning we both confessed that we wanted to go check on them during the night because it was really stormy. We lazed around the shelter waiting for the rest of the storm to pass, and when it looked clear we headed out into a sea of permafog and dripping trees. The rain started to fall again as we were climbing up Standing Indian Mountain, and were also at our most exposed point during our day. We both got pretty cold and at the next shelter I stopped and made some hot food. That seemed to help. We then headed out for our last 5 miles of the day both wearing more clothes than we had in the morning to stay warm. The rain had mostly stopped while we were breaking but picked back up again when we started hiking again. Oh well, at least we were warmer now.As soon as we got to the shelter around 3:30pm we both climbed into our sleeping bags immediately to warm up (we were cold and wet, and both had down sleeping bags, never a good combo). But we managed to warm up a bit, made dinner in our sleeping bags (shhh, don't tell the bears that we did that) freeze dried curry that we shared, and fell asleep early in the evening as we both did not get too much sleep with the storm raging last night.The skies cleared overnight and the temp dropped to below freezing. Anything that was wet before, which was basically everything was now frozen.And that was how I spent my Thanksgiving for 2007. How am I going to top that one next year?
Date: 2007-11-23
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

See boo-Boo's Thanksgiving Day journal entry on 11/22.Boo-Boo just called (3:30 EST) to say she and Jason are now in GEORGIA!!Hurray !! The 14th and FINAL state!!GO Boo-Boo!!!!!
Date: 2007-11-24
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today is Boo-Boo's LAST Saturday on the trail!And it's her FIVE month anniversary since she got dropped off in Baxter State Park and disappeared into the woods.She will arrive in Neels Gap tomorrow!!That's where Alpine and Princess Brat work,two SOBOs she met in Pennsylvania.submitted by Boo-Boo's dad
Date: 2007-11-25
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Neels Gap, GA
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain started last night and continued into the morning. A Heavy fog loomed too. Roller coaster hills alternating with flat trail made some easy hiking. I ran into 3 guys camping and they said it was about 2 hours of hiking from there to Neels Gap. Less than 1 hour later I was at the gap. Based on what they told me I thought they still had one more big climb before the 1.5 mile down to the gap. I climbed then started to descend, then the descent continued to go down as if I was going to the gap, then I heard cars. And out of the fog was Mountain Crossings right in front of me. Those guys were camping much closer to the gap than I had thought their 2 hours of hiking would have gotten them. Pretty funny.I was greeted cold and wet by Princess Brat in the store with doughnuts and hot chocolate. Jason was already there hanging out in the store.It was so exciting to arrive at Neels Gap. It was a place that I had been anticipating hiking to for what seemed a very long time. It was really really exciting to hike into that gap even in the rain.
Date: 2007-11-27
From: Neels Gap, GA

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Princess Brat and I headed out of Neels Gap around 10:30am and Jason shuttled ahead to Woody Gap to decrease his mileage for the day. Clouds were still hoovering from the storms the day before and we had NO views from Blood Mountain. The skies cleared as the day progessed but it stayed cool.The trail in Georgia is very nice, no huge ups or downs and well maintained. Nice cruise to the finish.
Date: 2007-11-28
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Long Creek Falls
Miles today: 10.0

Princess Brat and I lazed around the shelter this morning to let Jason have a head start on the miles for the day. 20 minutes turned into over an hour of chillin as the sun began to warm things up. Eventually turned into T-shirt weather by late morning. Ran into a very friendly and helpful trail maintainer from the GATC, he was out clearing water bars and shook my hand to congratulate me. It was a very cool moment. Heard the Army Rangers shooting in the distance and several helicopters flew overhead during the day. Stopped at Hawk Mountain Shelter for a late lunch and to get water. Ran into 2 section hikers that had great attitudes but their hike fell apart miserably. It was fun to chat with them. We were aiming for Stover Creek Shelter but were enticed by the Long Creek Falls and ended up cowboy camping there as none of us were carrying tents.At one point I woke up in the middle of the night, heard the falls, and wondered when the wind picked up. My brain then remembered that we were sleeping near the falls. I slept ok but not great mainly due to playing games with balancing sleeping temperatures, I way overdressed for sleep.