morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-01
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to more cold. Had to put on my ice cold wet socks, then my ice cold wet shoes. That was by far the worst experience Ive had on the trail. It wa also still foggy out.Hiked over Rocky top and Thunderhead, which are bot supposed to have great views. But we saw nothing.Not long after Thunderhead the fog cleared. Made for a really good day. We climbed Clingmans Dome (highest point on the AT) and head great views. There were lots of tourists there though. Thjey all asked a ton of questions. It was weird being around that many people. More people than I have been around at once since I started.There are a lot of thru hikers at the shelter, much nicer than being around section hikers. We have a fire, which is kind of a rarity. meeting lots of new people as well. Lightning, Brother Buzz, Past Tense and more.Brock got a trail name today. Sonic, after Sonic the Hedgehog, for the way his hair looked.Not technically a 20 today but after .5 to the shelter I'll call it one. Might do 20 tommorow as well.
Date: 2005-05-02
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Tricorner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Another long day today but I'm feeling good. Had to do the cold, wet socks thing again, sucked. Great day thought after it warmed up.Newfound Gap was just as trouristy as Clingmans. Even had some people take my picture. They said "look like hikers." I stood there. It is nice having a bit of a celebrity feel, but mostly its just annoying.The hike today was mostly on a knife edge ridge. Pretty cool, but windy and cold.A lot of the people from last night did the 20 today. Still meeting new people. Skywalker (he is 7 foot gigantic), scavenger, Sal and others.Tommorow is a Cheeseburger day. Then we are taking a zero day in Hot Springs, cant wait.
Date: 2005-05-03
From: Tricorner Knob Shelter

To: State Line Branch
Miles today: 17.0

Finally made it out of the Smokies today. They were nice easy trails with good views, but I am definitly glad to be done. It has less of a wilderness feel and more of a park feel.Got a Cheeseburger at Mountain Momas, then had another. Mountain Momas is an interesting place, I'm pretty sure they handle snakes on Sundays. Decent prices on food though.We are Camped by a small stream. You can barely hear I-40 from here, but the stream drowns it outI am here with Josh, Brock, Bearcan, Wyatt, and Luke. Going to check out Standing Bear Farm for resuply tommorow.
Date: 2005-05-04
From: State Line Branch

To: New Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

Standing Bear Farm is a really cool place. It is run by a guy named Curtis who has an Uncanny resemblance to Ted Nugent. They have a shed with food in it, and an honor box to pay. They also have pizzas to cook, Brock and I split one. Out back they ahve a hen house and hikers can have all the egges they want.Planned on stopping at Brown Gap today. It was only 3 miles after the shelter I was resting at, so I wasnt concerned about time. Talked with Stops-a-lot for a while, then hiked to Brown Gap. When I got there Brock and Bearcan said they were afraid of getting "Hillbillied" since there was a raod there. So we hiked up Max Patch. Tot to the top at the tail end of the sunset, which was cool. Then the headlamps came out. The trail seemd to be going in circles the whole time. We finally got to the shelter and realized there wasnt one. It was still being built.We are camped by the pile of logs. Just Brock, Bearcan and I. Cant wait till Hot Springs.
Date: 2005-05-05
From: New Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: light rain

Rain all morning. Found out people were getting lost on the trail in daylight. So we didnt do too bad in the dark.At deer park shelter now. It's only 3 miles out of Hot Springs. Had trouble deciding whether or not to head in. Think im gonna stay here though.
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Interesting Turn of events last night. Sal and Scavenger showed up and I decided to hike in to town with them. Brock stayed behind, he was in his bag already.Got to town not long after dark. Met Danny and Richard at Paddlers Pub. They told me about the River Festival that is in town. Wound up sneaking me in, they even had an extra tent set up.We went White Water rafting today. Brock had no idea what was going on when we all started yelling at him to get in the truck. It was pretty funny. Its a lot more fun to go rafting without the guides. No 30 minute saftey speach and other pointless stuff.Tonight we are staying at a hostel. we figured real beds would be nice. Here with Chainsaw, Snotrag, Peter Pan, and Past Tense.
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Planned on leaving town today but that didnt happen. We ran into Mighty Oak and Morning Wood and decided to head to the River Festival with them. Gonna stay and take advantage of my free beer bracelet.The festival is nothing but hippies all over the place. Pretty funny.Was going to update my Journal today. But it turns out the library is closed on weekends here.
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Took a little bit too much advantage of my free beer last night. Made for a long ten miles. Finally got out of Hot Springs around noon. Took us all day to get to the shelter. But we still did better than expected. We just wanted to get far enough from Hot Springs that we couldnt go back.Had a great time in town, but it is nice to be back on the trail. We are gona have to do some big mile to get to Erwin on time for trail days. Shouldnt be a big deal though.
Date: 2005-05-09
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Got a late start today. But the hiking was much easier than yesterday. Well I guess I felt better, the hiking was actually much tougher. There was a long, very rocky ridge towards the end of the day. The rocks can slow you down quite a bit. It is definitly starting to warm up now. Having to carry more water, and thining it wont be long before I mail home some clothes. I guess in a few weeks I'll be down to just one t-shirt and one pair of shorts. I think this is the only place where that seems completly normal.We are at Jerry Cabin Shelter now. Good group of people here. Porkchop, McRib, Drifter, Buzz, Lightning Bearcan and the BU group. Bearcan claimed she could eat a whole raw onion a few days ago. Drifter carried one here. She did manage to finish off the whole thing. I was impressed.
Date: 2005-05-10
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

Got hit by some fairly strong thunderstorms today. It was just after the big climb of the day. I had the crap scared out of me as well. During my trudge through the rain I heard a loud crack and not far to my left...fireball. Lightning hit a tree no more than 50 feet from me. Not long after that I saw the trail went up a ridge to a mountaintop. I decided to wiat a few. So I sat and ate literally everything in my pack that didnt have to be cooked. Luckily by the time I was done eating the Lightning seemed to have calmed way down.It was only about another mile to Hogback Ridge Shelter. Most of the people from last night are here. Bearcan says she cant taste anything. I assured her that it would be like that forever. There is a sign for a breakfast place at Sams gap. Only about 2 miles from here. Will Check it out in the morning.
Date: 2006-01-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Figured I would finally do a post hike wrap up.My hike concluded in Pearisburg, VA 621 miles from springer mountain. I dont remember what the date was but it was sometime in mid June. Brock and I had significantly underestemated the amount of money needed to hike the entire trail. We realized that we didnt have much longer to hike and decided to take the rest of our money and go to Washington DC for a few days. Along the way there we were hitchiking from a gas station and I left my Journal there. So I was never able to update the rest of it here. After leaving the trail I knew that I wanted to go back and do it again. People would ask me if I was going to do it agian, and my only answer was "yes, but not next year." Now that has changed, I will be leaving from Springer on april first this year. I am growing very exicited to be out there again. I will have plenty of money this time, so that shouldnt be an issue.I wish I would have been able to put the last month of my hike on here, or even be able to read it for that matter. I had an address and phone number in it but nothing ever turned up. I will be keeping a journal again, hopefully updated more frequently. It will be online sometime in the next few months.
Date: 2005-04-20
To: It's Official
Miles today: 0.0

After my first journal entry for this year I began to seriously question if it was a good idea to be gone for over two weeks with all that is going on at my office. Each year I have second-guessed myself on this hiking business. Many friends and co-workers told me I should just go ahead and do it. Today we had a regular status meeting on our major project, and I came away encouraged that the timing is perfect right now to take this trip. So, next week I will be heading out for the trail. I'm in pretty good shape with planning. Most of my gear is fine, and I have already replaced a few items. I made two new soda can stoves, replaced my Frogg Toggs rain jacket, bought new hiking shorts and a t-shirt, decided on a digital camera, etc. I've been walking for about two months pretty regularly, and the last two weeks I have been carrying my pack, fully loaded up to trail weight. I do have my regular checklists (To Buy and To Do), and there are lots of details to work through. I've figured out my itinerary for planning, and expect to get on the trail the morning of April 29 at Partnership Shelter near Marion Virginia, and hike until May 13, hoping to get to Bearwallow Gap. That's about 210 miles. I still need to figure out resupply and maybe a couple of mail drops and where to take a zero day (maybe Pearisburg). Following that I'll need to get my menus figured out and start buying food. That's always the fun part, but I usually end up with the same-old-same-old for meals. Not sure yet how I will get to Marion since they do not have a rental car drop off place. Probably will take a bus. I may be able to find a shuttle driver up near Bearwallow Gap who could take me to Roanoke airport, where I can hopefully pick up a one-way car rental. That's the plan anyway. It's getting close now and I'm pretty pumped up. I'll be out there soon.
Date: 2005-04-21
To: Leave the Driving to Us
Miles today: 0.0

I need to get to Marion Virginia from Birmingham Alabama and there are no easy ways to do it. Looks like taking a bus is my only option, so that's what I'm going to do. I purchased a ticket on the internet last evening. Only problem is that I need to leave Birmingham on a Greyhound at 2:15 a.m. (that's in the wee hours of the morning!!) on Thursday, April 28, and about 15 hours later I'll be in Marion, around 6:15 p.m. (eastern time). I'll be traveling through Atlanta, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and many small towns along the way. Actually I'm kind of looking forward to it. I haven't traveled by bus since my days in the Marine Corps in southern California, back in the late 60's. I'll just plan to settle in, read a book, catch some nap time, and get to know other passengers if I can find someone who wants to talk. It should be a "scenic" tour. My pack will travel as a piece of regular luggage. I will try to keep all the contents inside, and tighten all the buckles and straps as much as I can to keep them close in to the pack. I'll probably take my treking poles and inflatible sleeping pad on the bus as carry-on luggage. Once in Marion, I hope to hook up with a local shuttler, or find a taxi to get me up to the trailhead. If I remember right it's about 6 miles out of Marion on Virginia highway 16 to the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area headquarters, and Partnership Shelter is about .1 miles south on the trail. If things work out I will camp at the shelter and get up the next morning for my first day on the trail. It should be like I hiked in the prior evening. My only problem will be finding denatured alcohol in Marion before leaving for the trail, since I don't think they will let me carry alcohol in my pack. Maybe the shuttle driver is familiar enough with hikers to get me some, or we could stop at a store somewhere in town before heading up to the shelter that evening. I'm not sure what stores there are in Marion, but I'll try to find out on the internet. WalMart? It usually works out somehow. So, that's the plan. One week from today I'll be on my way. Can't wait.
Date: 2005-04-27
To: Ready To Go
Miles today: 0.0

After a long day I am ready to go, just counting down the hours until I leave for the bus station in Birmingham to catch a 2:15 a.m. Greyhound headed for Marion Virginia. I arrived at the office today at 6:30 this morning and worked a full day, leaving shortly after 3:30. It was a day of taking care of loose ends and planning for being gone for over two weeks. My co-workers put up the copied elevation charts as in years past, and plan to track my progress from my periodic phone calls. The elevation charts are spread out along the wall outside my office and they marked it "DAVE'S GPS". I guess it could be considered a "low tech" GPS system. We had fun with that. Arriving home, I took a short nap and then began to check off the final things-to-do list, setting up my tent to make sure there were no leaks, finalizing my drop boxes, calling shuttle drivers, packing for the bus trip, and lots of other details. It is after 9:00 p.m. and I should try to get some sleep, but I'm kind of wound up. Marlene is already getting a little emotional, and I expect it will be another one of those "goodbye again" times. Since I was not even completely sure I'd leave the office today with the hike being a go, its been an uncertain time. But, its all falling into place. I am faced with a long bus ride to Marion, something like 15 hours, routed through Atlanta, Chatanooga, Knoxville, and a long list of smaller towns in between. When I arrive in Marion a little after 6:00 tomorrow evening, according to schedule, I will buy denatured alcohol for my stove and find a way up to the trail by Partnership Shelter, near the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters on Virginia highway 16. That's the plan. The long bus ride should give me time to relax, nap, read, and get myself mentally ready for the hike. I'll get up about midnight, get dressed, and then Marlene and I will head for downtown Birmingham. So another section begins and I can't wait. The next entry will be from the trail. Goodnight Sweetheart.
Date: 2005-05-03
From: Bland, Virginia - Big Walker Motel

To: Campsite at Kimberling Creek
Miles today: 18.5

Today began at the Big Walker Motel in Bland. Pace, 6Stringer and I met at Dairy Queen at 7:00 for a hearty breakfast and then we quickly caught a ride to the top of the mountain with a young couple in a pickup truck. It was a cold and windy ride but we were grateful to get back to the trail with so little effort. We did some road walking to cross over I77 and then began the steepest climb of the day, about 1000 feet straight up Brushy Mountain. (multiple Brushy Mountain's climbed several times on this trip) Our destination was Jenny Knob Shelter and from the top of Brushy Mountain we could see a series of ridges and knobs in a long curving line stretched out ahead across the valley. We expected Jenny Knob shelter was on the last knob we could see in the distance. I ran into Fraggle and Unknown again (met them the first night at Partnership Shelter), saw August and Wood and eventually hooked up with 6Stringer and hiked with him for the rest of the day. Typical of Va., we saw many great views to the rural valleys. We got to Jenny Knob Shelter around 3:00 and rested and snacked until 4:30. We decided to hike about two more hours and look for a campsite. Once back up on the ridge there was nothing but rocks and underbrush on the narrow ridgeline so we hiked 6.5 miles down to Kimberling Creek for a suitable site. I am tenting with Fraggle and Unknown and 6Stringer. We arrived here very late, about 7:45 and had enough time to set up our tents, eat quickly and get inside before dark. Instead of 12 miles, I hiked 18.5 miles today. It was a good mixture of climbs and descents, open beautiful forest, and ridge walking over narrow rocky spines with a lookout to the valley below. The descent to Kimberling Creek was a long gradual walk through mature forest on good trail. The last part was almost like an orchard with fruit tree sized shrubs/trees that looked like they were planted for a purpose, but they did not look like fruit-bearing trees I recognized. The mountainside opened up in that area with grassy spaces between clusters of the trees. Eventually we were on the side of the mountain above Kimberling Creek and could see it's meandering way below us. It was a long descent, almost like descending into a trail town. It was so good to hit the creek and hear voices which turned out to be Fraggle and Unknown who had located a good campsite, and we joined them. I got blisters on my feet yesterday which made today's hike a challenge, but I was able to cover the blisters with bandaids and they do not appear to have gotten worse. Not sure of tomorrow's plans but I will decide in the morning. I need to get in my sleeping bag. Goodnight Sweetheart.
Date: 2005-03-02
From: Springer Mountain

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 203.6
Weather: clear sky

Greetings from Gatlinburg! After weathering the, well weather, for the past two days, Apple Pie and I spent the night in the restrooms at Newfound Gap before hitching into Gatinlinburg in snow plows this morning. I have never ridden in a snow plow before..."I'll tell you what" it was really exciting...well, any ride into the city would have been exciting, but at least we arrived in style. After hitting up the Happy Hiker for a new pair of flip flops, Apple Pie and I checked into our delux accomadations at some lodge on the River. It actually has a working fireplace in it!! Then it was time to shower and do laundry and listen to CMT (my choice). Lunch was at Texas Roadhouse Restaurant for sandwiches and french fries...yummy. Next stop will be for some dessert...ice cream and candy!! In other news, it looks like I will be taking some time off the trail waiting for some people to catch up since my original hiking partner bailed on me in Fontana due to bad knees. So, if you are cute, funny, intelligent, romantic, etc and are hiking the trail...feel free to drop me a line when you get to Fontana or Gatlinburg. Just kidding (well, kinda)! I just need some time to go home and reorganize my trip before heading back out and I want to wait for there to be more people on the trail, since I've heard so many great things about the trail community. It will also be nice to wait for warmer weather. Even though hiking in two feet of snow is so much fun!! I plan to rejoin the trail at Hot Springs in late March/early April!! Can't wait! See you on the trail.
Date: 2005-03-03
From: Gatlinburg

To: Questionable
Miles today: 0.0

So, after a very relaxing night of reading magazines and watching reruns of Sex and the City (my favorite show!), I definitely feel refreshed and ready to get back on the trail. However, at this time, it looks like I will still be going home to regroup and reorganize my gear and maildrops and wait for a new hiking partner to catch up and some of the snow to melt. Gatlinburg has been a lot of fun, but this afternoon Apple Pie and I are being picked up by one of her friends for a little adventure called getting to Hot Springs! Alright, well I'm off to get some lunch and enjoy the beautiful sunny weather! "Alright, now see this? This is a four-way road, OK? And dead in the center is a crisp, new, hundred dollar bill. Now, at the end of each of these streets are four people, OK? Are you following?" (to be continued...) Chasing Amy
Date: 2005-03-04
From: Questionable

To: Harrisonburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0

So, now I find myself back at home and not really all that happy about it. I miss the trail and I've only been home for less than 24 hours. It's wierd adjusting back to the real world. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to get back on the trail as quickly as possible. I'm even thinking about possibly starting at Springer all over again, but then again, maybe not...that's a hard 200 miles...but worth every step. So much to think about. The plan at this time is to stay at home for three weeks and then meet up with friends the first week in April at Hot Springs and start hiking again, but I'm not sure that I will last three weeks. Hmmmmm. In other news, I saw Hitch today with my little bro and sis. Great movie. I'm a die-hard romantic, just ask Apple Pie, and this movie was perfect for me. Alright, off to help make dinner all in the convenience of my kitchen."Over here, we got Santa Claus, and up here the Easter Bunny. Which one is going to get to the hundred dollar bill first?" (It's hard to edit these quotes, but if you've seen the movie, you get the gist of it!)Nooch,Chasing Amy
Date: 2005-03-18
From: Harrisonburg, VA

To: the moon and back
Miles today: 0.0

Yep, I'm still at home. It's been two weeks now. Wow, time still flies. I can't wait to be back on the trail. Two more weeks till that point. This weekend is supposed to be really nice in Virginia so I will be doing some day hikes and really looking forward to that. Otherwise, I'm keeping busy with taking care of my mom since she is on crutches after having foot surgery and scooping ice cream at Bruster's. It's a fabulous job, but not good enough to keep me at home any longer than I have to be. Basically, I just wanted to reassure everyone that I will be returning to the trail...April 3rd/4th at the latest!! I'm currently working on repacking mail drops. Oh yeah, and I got my degree in the mail yesterday. SO, it's official, I'm a Columbia graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology. And for those of you wondering what exactly is anthropology...it's the study of everything and the study of nothing. How cool is that?! Although in college I definitely majored in drinking and picking up guys, which was pretty cool too! Alright, well, it was a long day of scooping ice cream...best flavors today included peanut butter puddles and chocolate chip cookie dough...yum! Good night!
Date: 2005-03-21
From: the moon and back

To: Feeling better
Miles today: 0.0

Alright, so as I sit in my bed and recover from a severe cold that knocked me out for alittle while, I have been planning my return to the trail. I can't wait and that little phrase doesn't begin to describe my enthusiasm for getting back on the trail. Here's the plan. On Sunday, April 3rd I will take a bus down to Waynesville, NC, which gets in at 8:30am. From there I will proceed up to Newfound Gap and continue my thru-hike! Yea! Snoochie-boochies! On another note, I went on a short day hike on Sunday (pre-getting sick) and it was beautiful, but it just wasn't the same with out the heavy pack and the trekking poles and the blisters...haha!! Now, I'm off to get some sleep so that I feel better and can start repacking my mail drops!!Sorry, I keep forgetting the quotes...here goes...Silent Bob: I went through something like what you're talkin' 'bout, 'couple years ago, this chick named Amy. Jay: When? Silent Bob: [annoyed] A couple of years ago? Silent Bob: But, by the time I figured this all out, it was too late; she moved on. And all I had to show for it was some foolish pride which then gave way to regret. She was the girl. I know that now. But, I pushed her away. So I've spent everyday since then chasing Amy. So to speak. Nooch,Chasing Amy