morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-10-02
From: Derrick Knob Shelter GSMNP TN/NC

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter GSMNP TN/NC
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

So we survived our first night in a shelter! Burly Girl: It was a very long night of wide-awake times and deep sleeps, but quite enjoyable. Howling winds blew in around 1am and blew branches and buckeyes down on the shelter roof. Quite nice to be snug in my sleeping bag and out of the elements!Bugsy: The night went much better than expected. Each time I woke up, however, to the sound of buckeyes wacking the metal roof, I looked out to see if that bear was sitting in our camp. Luckily he was not to be seen. After hearing in the morning that one of the ladies had a mouse in her hair last night, I knew it was well worth carrying that 12 oz of netting!We got up, cooked a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham, packed up and headed out into a blustery day. We would have liked an earlier start, but our inexperience led to a slow packup.A nice downhill ended quickly then it was a long, rugged uphill to Thunderhead Mt at 5,527'. The wind was fierce and the mist was almost rainlike. This would have been a beautiful view, but all was socked in. Brian caught up with us and we walked the windy ridge for quite a while going down to a gap then up to Rocky Top (the mountain named in the song), which again, looked like a bald. Bugsy and Burly Girl stopped for a late lunch near Spence Field Shelter and were panicked to discover that it was only the halfway point on today's hike and it was already 1:30pm. We were tired and cold. Would we make it into Mollies Ridge before dark? So this, not yesterday, is what the Smokies are like??We pressed on and passed the Russell Field Shelter which has been closed by the Park Service due to heavy bear activity (very comforting thought!). It still had a bear cage on the front. We moved on...not a mile down the trail, we started talking after a period of silence and heard a cracking sound behind and above us. Fearing that a branch was about to fall on our heads, we both spun around only to see (less than 15 feet away) a bear tumbling from the tree atop a dead branch. Apparently he was up in the tree asleep, we spooked him, and he tried to climb down. His paws were spinning in mid-air and when he hit the ground, he took off running down the hill...whew! Our third GSMNP fear was overcome. That bear was more scared than we were! We did several more ups and downs, but the 2nd part of the trail was much easier than the first. On through Little Abrams Gap, the Devils Tater Patch (love that name!) and on to Mollies Ridge Shelter at 4:15. We could put away the headlamps that we had taken out at lunch! We were in way earlier than we had thought we would be.This was another beautiful 12-person, double decker shelter like Derrick Knob. We shared it with Rosebud and AbbeNormal, two section hikers from NC and Brian from last night's shelter. We filtered water, made dinner and had some nice trail talk about food, bears, etc. It was almost a full moon so we enjoyed that as the lights went out at 8.
Date: 2009-10-03
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter GSMNP TN/NC

To: Fontana Dam Visitor Center NC
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

The Hike:Woke up at 7am this morning at Mollies Ridge Shelter to a much colder morning than yesterday. We had all heard chipmunks or mice running relays on the shelter roof last night. After breakfast we packed up and hit the trail around 9.The trail had many rolling ups and downs and the sides of the trail were very torn up and uprooted. We thought that this was bear activity, but learned that it was really feral hogs (GREAT...another wilderness worry!) whose numbers have greatly multiplied since they escaped from an NC game preserve in 1920. A ranger later told us that they have been trying to trap and destroy them for many years, but they can run very fast and avoid humans, so that is a good thing for us!We passed Birch Spring Gap Campsite but it was closed due to bear activity. We heard about the great views from the firetower atop Shuckstack Mt but chose not to go up due to the long day ahead of us. We had a 2,000' descent to Fontana Dam. Midway there was a very nice exposed rock face that gave us some good views.We continued down to the paved road where the trail portion ended and followed the road for about a mile to the dam. The road over the dam was closed to traffic and undergoing repairs so we could walk right down the roadway. The views down over the side were amazing. This is the highest dam on the East Coast. We were back to the car around 4, bought a bear magnet from the gift shop at the visitor center, then drove all the way back to the Clingmans Dome parking lot where we had left the rental car 3 days ago.Going back into Gatlinburg for the night was culture shock after being in the wilderness for 3 days! Ripleys Believe it or Not, caramel corn, and pancake houses were everywhere. But we appreciated a delicious steak dinner in place of our freeze dried cuisine, and the bed with clean sheets was a welcome break. And there were no 'mouse relays' in the middle of the night.So we survived our first shelter experience and actually enjoyed it!
Date: 2009-10-04
From: Clingmans Dome

To: Newfound Gap TN/NC
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Access:South--A 45 min drive from Gatlinburg to Clingmans Dome via Newfound Gap. We hiked up .5 mi from the parking lot to get to the trailhead and this time headed north on the trail.North--Newfound Gap is on the road that connects Gatlinburg and Cherokee on the NC side. It is 30 min from Gatlinburg and has a huge parking lot.The Hike:It was very windy and cold on the top today. We quickly descended into the woods on a narrow ridge down and over large rocks and roots. For a while, we felt like we were back in Maine. We passed over the summit of Mt Love without even knowing it. The trail paralleled the road coming down from the top of Clingmans for almost the entire way to Newfound Gap. Little had we known on our many drives up to Clingmans that the trail was right here!Near the summit of Mt. Collins we met Strider who told us that he was the #3 SOBO to pass through here. He has 10 days left until Springer...congrats!We learned that the Mountain to Sea Trail and the AT are one and the same here for 4 miles. The M to S Trail separated and headed for the Atlantic Ocean. We may investigate this trail when we are done the AT...sounds interesting.Toward the end of the hike, we came to a fenced off area and a type of stile over the fence. The sign there informed us that this was to keep the feral hogs out of the area of beech trees. We finished the hike, crossed over the roadway and into the parking lot to see 1,000 tourists milling about. A nice easy day hike after the past 3 days of overnight.Bugsy and Burly Girl...doing the AT one day at a time...
Date: 2009-10-05
From: Low Gap Trail into AT

To: Davenport Gap, TN
Miles today: 7.7

Access:South--From Gatlinburg we drove east (and north of GSMNP) to the Cosby Campground. The roads in the campground were under construction but we could get in to park a car. We walked through the campground from the car and soon found Low Gap Trail which led 2.8 mi up to the AT. The going was steep at times but the trail was very nicely graded with plenty of switchbacks. We reached the AT in 1.5 hr.North--We had placed the rental car here at Davenport Gap last night. We reached the trailhead via I-40 and a small road that led past a power plant. There is a parking area for about 6 cars here.The Hike:We took a chance on hiking today as it was pouring when we got up this morning. But it was warm so we decided to do this 7 miler.When we first got to the AT we met a young couple from Missouri who had just gotten engaged atop Mt. Cammerer. He was a very brave young man as this was her fist backpacking trip. Fortunately, she loves backpacking (this said after spending the first night in a shelter in the rain!). Best wishes!The profile on the map looked daunting (steep uphill), but it was very doable. We went uphill at first, but it was a very easy grade and then the trail leveled out for a while. We had some beautiful partial views of a mountain across the way where the leaves were starting to turn.At about 2 mi from the start of the AT we hit the high point of the day on the flank of Mt. Cammerer (5,042'). There was a nice rocky outcropping and Busgy took out his videocam. By now we had blue skies and sunshine. Around the corner from this spot was a beautiful stone wall that had been built in the 30s by the CCC. We were now hiking through a cloud on a nice, level trail that again, looked much steeper on our profile map. We stopped in at the Davenport Gap Shelter for a break. This was one of the 'old' shelters that still had a bear cage on the front. It was dark and depressing and we moved on. In .9 mi we were back to the car. This is the end of a very successful week. We did 50+ miles in 5 days, had our first shelter experience, and did not get eaten by a bear!We return home now and will be back next Monday to complete the northern section of the park and then head down to southern NC and Georgia. Can we finish the AT this season?? Mother Nature will decide. We are very excited that we only have 125 miles to go!Burly Girl and Bugsy...doing the AT one day at a time...
Date: 2009-10-14
From: Tri Corner Shelter GSMNP

To: Low Gap Trail
Miles today: 8.0

And what a night it was in the shelter...there we were alone with Mother Nature and very tired from the day's hike. The Guinea Hen didn't help matters much as he/she panicked at some point before he/she disappeared for the night and flew up onto the shelter roof. Was the bear around? Was Thanksgiving approaching? Who knows?...Bugsy and I looked in the direction he/she was looking, saw nothing, then went to bed at 8:30.At 10pm we both awoke to drip, drip...must be water blowing off of the trees...no such luck. It was teeming by midnight and we were both cursing the earlier clear night forecast by weather.com. But we were dry, so no compliants there!Bugsy claimed that he woke up every 2 hr and said to himself 'wow...I'm still alive'!. At any rate, 5am came (pitch black), 6am (pitch black) and we finally exited our comfy sleeping bags at 7:30, cooked eggs/ham and coffee on our JetBoil, packed up and left our Guinea Hen friend. He/she was soaked from the rain and looked half his/her size this morning so we were feeling cocky!We anticipated a rough weather day, and yes, it was. We left the shelter around 9:30am and hiked up Mt. Guyot. The trail was still on a narrow ridge, this time with blowing winds (40mph), rain and sleet. It seemed more like a stream than a trail and we had to watch our footing. Our raingear was great and we were damp but not soaked. From the looks of it, this would be a beautiful hike on a clear day. Every once in a while we got glimpses of Fall foliage. We had 2 good ups and could feel our 'tired' from yesterday. We got to Cosby Knob Shelter around 1:30 and met Lost Rob, a SOBO, who was shivering in his sleeping bag. He had started out in the bad weather today, had fallen and hit his knee, and was very cold. As we talked, the sun came out and he was sounding better. Good luck in your final miles! We cooked a hot lunch and moved on to the end of our AT miles at Low Gap.We walked down the 2.8 mi Low Gap Trail and got back to our car around 4:30 and were thankful that we didn't need our headlamps for this one. It took us 30 min longer to go down this trail as Bugsy's leg was bothering him. It had been a strenuous 2 days!Yee ha! We have finished the Smokies!
Date: 2009-10-16
From: Betty Creek Gap NC

To: Rock Gap NC
Miles today: 8.5

We left Gatlinburg (yeah!) and move on down the pike to Hiawassee GA. This is our base town for the next 5-6 days.Access:South--Drove rental car from Hiawassee on GA Rt. 75 to NC 175 approx 8 mi to Rt 64 (NC). We went 15.7 mi north to Old Rt 64 with USFS signs to Standing Indian Campground. Follow this for 1.9 mi. We then took a right at the campground sign on USFS Rd 67. The road is paved for about 2 mi and then gravel for another 6.8 mi.   From Rt 64 to Betty Creek is about 1/2 hr. When we investigated this hike in 7/09 there was a sign for Betty Creek Trail. Unfortunately, when we went there this time, the sign was missing. At any rate, it is by the campsites/field at a curve in the road with parking for 6 cars.We hiked .25 mi on the Betty Creek Trail (blue blazed) to Betty Creek Gap and the AT.00We went up an easy grade then down to Mooney Gap. We then started the 1000' climb up Albert Mt. The guidebook says this is a 'short but memorable hike'. It was really a rock scramble up to the top of the mt and we figured that this was the first 'climb' that the northbounders from Springer would encounter on their way north. Wait until you hit NH!!! When we got to the top there was a firetower, but we didn't climb it as everything was socked in with fog.There was a long descent into Glassmine Gap and we stopped into Big Spring Shelter for a break...an old, rather depressing shelter.We had lunch after Glassmine, then a long easy grade down to the car. As we were riding out the Forest Road we saw the men/dogs/guns from this morning, this time with a 'catch' on the back of the truck. We turned around and went back to take a photo...what we thought was a dead bear was a dead hog the size of a small pony! It was gutted, tied down, and ready to travel back home to the barbeque!Burly Girl and Bugsy...doing the AT one day at a time...
Date: 2009-10-17
From: Deep Gap NC/USFS Rt71

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Access:South--USFS 71/Deep Gap NC--From Hiawassee go north on GA 75 to NC 175 (8 mi) to US 64/NC. Go north 13.2 mi to a Forest Service sign that says Deep Gap/ USFS 71. Follow this road 6 mi to the end. There is a large parking area for 12+ cars. The trip takes about 25 min from Rt 64.North--Betty Creek Gap. See hike of 10/16/09.The Hike:It was raining in the parking lot, but we decided to go ahead with the hike. We had a 2.4 mi/1,157' ascent of Standing Indian Mt. Our starting elevation was 4,341'.Somewhere around 5,000' the rain turned to snow! It was a nice, wet snow that stuck to everything but the trail. We walked almost 3 mi in the snow and met 2 overnighters who had spent the night on top of Standing Indian. Their packs were covered with snow and they said that it had been snowing/blowing all night. Our hike up was beautiful, but no views due to the clouds.We had lunch at Beech Gap, then continued on. We stopped at Carter Gap Shelter so that Busgy could put his legs up...the right leg is acting up and we will need a dr. visit upon return to civilization. Our hike today was 7 hr which was good despite the snow, elevation gain and Bugsy's leg. We heard that this was a new record low temp for this date!Tonight we went to the Fall Festival at the Georgia State Fairgrounds in Hiawassee to the hear the finals of the bluegrass competition for the best (mandolin/banjo/guitar/etc.) in the State of GA. We didn't last long...
Date: 2009-10-18
From: Blue Ridge Gap GA

To: Dicks Creek Gap/US/US 76 GA
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: clear sky

Access:North--Blue Ridge Gap GA--From Hiawassee go south/east on US GA 76. 2 1/2 mi east of Dicks Creek Gap you will see a sign for Upper Hightower Rd. There is also a large sign for Mt. Pleasant Church. Follow Hightower Rd approx 3.6 mi. The road forks here. Take the right fork which is Charles Creek Rd (no sign). The left fork has a sign 'Upper Hightower Creek Road--Private'. The road to this point is paved. It is 1 mi further to the AT and a parking area for 4 cars. The road was in bad shape when we were there and we could only get in 1/2 mi. We parked our car at a turnout and walked up the gravel road the last 1/2 mi. There was a 4 wheel drive vehicle that had made it to the top.      South--Deep Gap GA--see hike of 10/17/09.The Hike:When we turned south onto the AT from the access road we had a 400' climb which was good because it warmed us up. It is still unseasonably cold for this time of the year in GA!We passed by Plumorchard Shelter and climbed the 3800' to Buzzard Knob. The trail all day was very nice and not too steep in either direction. We did these 5 miles in 3 hr.
Date: 2009-10-19
From: Deep Gap NC

To: Blue Ridge Gap GA
Miles today: 10.0

Acdacess:North--Deep Gap, NC--see 10/17/09South--Blue Ridge Gap, GA--see 10/18/09The Hike:Many miles of car plants and trail access today. We started our hike at 8:30 (a little late for us) and were on an upward slope for the first 1 1/2 mi. A good thing as the morning temps are still in the low 30s.We were on a ridge for about 2 miles, then stopped in at Muskrat Creek Shelter for a break. We left here and had quite a ridge walk with partial views on either side. We had lunch on a sunny rock near Ridge Top (it was still chilly) then continued down to Bly Gap and the famous gnarled oak. Shortly after that we passed over the NC/GA state line!! This is our 14th and final state on the AT. We now have a little over 66 miles to go...a happy/sad feeling. The last 3 miles were on a pleasant, well-graded trail.
Date: 2009-10-20
From: Tray Gap GA

To: Dicks Creek Gap GA
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Access:South--Tray Gap GA--Since this is such a long, difficult USFS road, we decided to drive the rental car here, place it for the night, and hike north from here, returning the via AT in the morning to drive it out.From Hiawassee follow Rt 76/75/17 south out of town. Rt 17 and 75 split off to the right. North of Unicoi Gap about 2 mi is USFS 283. Heading south on Rt 75 it is a left turn. There is also a sign to Indian Grave Gap and the AT. Follow USFS 283 4 mi to USFS 79. Turn left. Follow that 1.9 mi to Tray Gap and a 3 way intersection. There is a large parking area. It takes about 25 min along this dirt road from Rt 75.North--Dicks Creek Gap GA--See 10/18/09.The Hike:We saw 2 SOBO thru hikers (Black Toe and Lupin) at Tray Gap planning their last 5 days on the trail. We had seen them yesterday slackpacking. We figured that they did around 27 miles yesterday...amazing!We left them and had a very steep climb to the top of Tray Mt. The guidebook said that this section has some of the longest climbs and highest peaks of the AT in GA. Today's hike is almost 3000' of ups and 4000' of downs! But the trail was very nice and the ups and downs were not killers. We had a great 360 view from the top of Tray Mt...actually you could see out to the east and out to the west.Most of the hike was a ridge walk and we passed through 6 different gaps. We didn't stop in either of the 2 shelters along the way, but sat near a firepit in one of the gaps for lunch. Today is much warmer than earlier this week, so no need to huddle in a shelter.We were very tired at the end of the day, but Bugsy's leg held up so we were happy.
Date: 2009-10-21
From: Unicoi Gap/GA 75

To: Tray Gap GA USFS 79
Miles today: 4.4

Access:South--Unicoi Gap is an easy drive from Hiawassee GA. It is 3 miles south of Rt 180. There is parking for around 20 cars.North--Tray Gap--See 10/20/09. The 2nd car slept here last night as this is a 1/2 hr trip each way up/down this mt. We thought it would be easier to hike up to Tray Gap and avoid the multiple drive-ins.The Hike:This hike had a lot of elevation change packed into 4.4 miles. It was an uphill (2000')/downhill (900') hike, but was a short one. We started up Rocky Mt, our biggest climb of today. Each day this week has been warmer and despite our early start (7:40/sunrise) the temps were comfortable and we soon started to strip down.There were partial views from the top of Rocky Mt and the sun was just showing over the opposite mountain range. The first part of the hike down off the mt was very rocky, but beautiful as we got continued views out over the changing leafscape! At the bottom of the mt we crossed over USFS 293 at Indian Grave Gap. There is an Indian grave around here marked by a cairn, but we didn't see it.It was then another hike up to Tray Gap but was less steep. We ran into a section hiker we had seen yesterday. He has been chipping away at the AT for 18 years and will hopefully finish next week at Springer. We passed through an area that had housed a cheese factory and many cows. This is now overgrown and a very nice-looking campsite. The final mile of the hike went and we were back to our car and down the mt before 12.Time to fly home (sigh) and work for a week, then back down to finish our AT journey. We have 50.5 miles left to go.Burly Girl and Bugsy..doing the AT one day at a time...
Date: 2009-10-28
From: Hog Pen Gap

To: Unicoi Gap/GA Rt 75
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: few clouds

This is our last trip south...or to the AT... if the stars line up, we will be finished our 20 year challenege this week. It is bittersweet as we are ready to cross the line at Springer Mt, but this has been such an amazing journey, we have had a great time, and we have met so many wonderful fellow hikers! We have conquered many fears and doubts and have tackled each state mile by mile. Most of our mileage has been over the past 3 years (700+ miles alone in 2009!) and it is hard to believe that we are staring at the 'finish line'!More wrap-up when we finish...Trail Access:South--Hog Pen Gap--Drove from our base town in Blairsville GA to the trailhead. Take US 19 south 7.4 miles to Rt 180. Turn left/go .8 miles to Rt 348. Hog Pen Gap is the 2nd AT parking area you will pass at 7.2 miles. Parking for at least 10 cars. North--Unicoi Gap--From Blairsville go south on US 19 for 7.4 miles. Turn left on GA 180 and follow this for 12.4 mi to GA 17/75. Turn right (south) and go 2.5 mi to the trailhead parking. The Hike:Sunrise was not until 7:50 and drove to the trailhead in the dark/mist. We did a series of ups and downs which were easy as this was our first hike of the week. We took a break along the way, then went to Low Gap Shelter. There was a spring that ran right beside the shelter down to the stream below...howconvenient for thru hikers. When we stayed at shelters in the Smokies, we had to hike way down a hill to get water.The next 4-5 miles were along the portion of the Blue Ridge Pkwy that was built in 1933 by the CCC. It was like walking on an old road on the side of a mt. We passed over a number of streams that flowed over the AT and down the hill over land bridges built by the CCC. When we hit Chattahoochee Gap the trail started to get rough with rocks, rockslides and roots that lasted for the next 2 miles.We stopped at Blue Mt Shelter and stayed for 1/2 hr with Tom putting his legs up (his right leg is still misbehaving). Then it was down 1000' to Unicoi Gap and back to the car.We ran into 2 SOBOs...Pooh Bear who will finish in 3 days, and Threshhold, whom we had met earlier this summer. She is a flip flopper who started in Waynesboro, hiked to Maine, then returned to Waynesboro and is heading south to Springer. Nice to re-acquaint...Burly Girl and Bugsy..doing the AT one day at a time...