morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-06
From: Bull Gap Campsite

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: overcast clouds

After camping at Bull Gap at the 31.8 mile mark on the AT, I was 3.5 miles ahead of schedule and feeling good about an early start and a big mileage day. Got up at 7 AM (last night Daylight Savings Time started so I set my watch ahead 1 hour) to discover the cold, wet sensation I noticed last night before I went to sleep was not just the damp ground underneath my tent. My water reservoir opened up in the middle of the night and flooded my tent with 2 liters of water. Since I had placed my tent on level ground after fighting with gravity the first night sliding on the silnylon floor, the water covered almost all of the tent. I was laying in it. My pad was soaked, my pack,...just about everything. There goes my early start for the day. But nothing like that would get Dirty Harry down. By 9:07 I was on the trail after drying out the tent and the rest of my stuff. You might say I had a leasurely breakfast.Lesson Learned: Don't share your tent with a water reservoir. My Platypus Big Zip opened up it's big mouth and inundated me while I was innocently asleep. Al least a bear would have made more noise.I arrived at Low Gap Shelter at ;mile point 41.3 at 1:40 PM. I heard from a local hiker that a major storm was supposed to hit in late afternoon or early evening. That helped me make a decision to hole up in the Low Gap Shelter rather than try to make it to the Blue Mtn Shelter 7.2 miles away. I still have to dry out my handbook and a few other things as well as catch up on my E-Mails and Bible reading.Seen Today: About a dozen turkey vultures. The last few were eyeing my pretty closely hoping for signs of rigamortise. That along with the threatening clouds and high winds gave me incentive to speed up adn get to the shelter.Seven of us are crammed into the shelter with a total of about 40 here in tents and hammocks as well. I am catching up with the glut of hikers thatstarted in late March and early April.
Date: 2003-04-07
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Started hiking at 7:27 AM. Heard a ruffed grouse drumming just north of Low Gap Shelter. Also heard 2 more drumming on both sides of Tray Mountain. The trail was very wet and slippery after an all night rain. I went from 3000 feet at Low Gap to 4000 feet, back down to 3000 feet, and up to 4930 on top of Tray Mtn. I arrived at Tray Mtn Shelter at 3 PM. Jeff, Buddy's friend from York PA came in at 4:30 and Stema, Elizabeth, and Amanda arrived shortly after. We are the only ones from the 40 or so that stayed last night at Low Gap that made it to Tray Shelter. It was a very difficult hike today. Elizabeth fell face first and hit her head on a rock. She only got two cuts with nothing else hurt. Several sections of the trail were very slick and dangerous.There are 5 thru-hikers with 3 local section hikers at the shelter tonight. It was foggy all day with only a slight break for me to take two photos from the top of Tray Mtn. It looks like it will be cold again tonight with temperatures around 30 degreea tomorrow morning. It is still very foggy as I finish this at 7:45 PM.The Lion King videotaped me at Unicoi Gap for a documentary on the AT. Lightfoot, a thru-hiker from 2000, left some trail magic (candy, oranges, and pop) on the trail there. I took an orange.Dirty Harry
Date: 2003-04-08
From: Tray Mtn Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: light rain

Stayed at Tray Mtn with Elizabeth, Amanda, Jeff, and the 3 Georgia guys. One guy stayed up all night keeping a fire going since his sleeping bag was soaked. I left the shelter at 8:35 AM and hiked 22.2 miles to Muskrat Creek Shelter getting in around 7:15 PM. It rained hard all day and was raining when I set up my tent and raining when I took it down the next morning. I caught up with Home Bound at Muskrat. I also met Easy Rider and Snowberry from Vermont and camped with them. Easy Rider took a photo of me to add to his slide program on the AT. I'm getting famous!Saw and heard lots of ruffed grouse again today and left GA and crossed into NC at 5:19 PM. The climb up from NC's Bly Gap was horendous!Lesson Learned: If you want to stay in a shelter, you have to arrive before 4 PM or you will be tenting.
Date: 2003-04-09
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: light rain

After packing up my wet tent, I left Muskrat and got on the trail by 8:20 AM. Home Bound left the shelter around 7:30. This long hike (19.3 Mi) also featured a hard, steep climb up Albert Mtn (5220') to a firetower before descending to Big Spring Shelter. I met FootSlugger at the firetower and took his picture. He's from Laramie WY. Rained all day with plenty of grouse seen and heard again. I've been in a fog (cloud really) for the past 5 days with only a brief view from the top of Tray Mtn. So I've been hiking in some beautiful mountains and haven't seen any views of them yet. I've only seen them up close and personal.I was able to finackle a sleeping spot in the shelter tonight after hiking the last stretch at 3.5 mph and passing 5 other hikers. I got the last spot, and one guy who must have pitied me, decided to move onto the next shelter to give me his space.Caught up with Heiko Psycho, a German guy from Wurzberg, near where Silke Weber, an exchange student who lived with us, lives. I first met him at Neels Gap. I asked him if he knew where Ubericklesheim was. He didn't have a clue. He's obviously a city guy who never goes to the country.
Date: 2003-04-10
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: moderate rain

Left Big Spring Shelter at 7:09 AM with Home Bound. It rained hard all night starting just after I got in my sleeping bag. Then at 7 AM, just before Home Bound and I headed out, it changed to snow: big, heavy snow. We hiked all day in snow! There was about 2 inches on the trail at the higher elevations. We made the 9.1 miles to Winding Stair Gap in a little over 3 hours. Home Bound arrived ahead of me and started walking down the road to hitch a ride. I stopped to take photos of the snow and watch a grouse and nuthatch. So I got to US Hwy 64 at 10:15. Home Bound was not there. I figured he already got a ride. So I checked my handbook to make sure I was at the right place and washed the mud off my calves which were exposed above my short gaiters since I was wearing shorts. I didn't want to get mud all over someone's car if I got a ride. My hands were so cold I could hardly open and close my pack to get my bandana. Just when I finally got my pack closed, I stuck my thumb out, and a lady in a SUV promptly pulled over (there was a nice pull-out and parking area at the trailhead) and offered me a ride. She lives 15 miles from Franklin and only goes to town once a week to help her elderly father with household chores. She was telling me about all the trees which were budding along the highway. She had volunteered for the US Forest Service and Fish & Wildlife Service so she knew more than most folks about the local flora and fauna. She dropped me off at the Microtel Inn, a favorite location and a newer motel than the ones downtown. I thanked her and said goodbye. I thought hitchhiking would be a lot harder. Maybe it will tomorrow.Observations: Regular gasoline is $1.59 in Franklin NC, only $1.37 in Atlanta GA. The Inn cost $40 for a single room.Dirty Harry
Date: 2003-04-11
From: Franklin NC

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Spent yesterday from 11 AM until today around 2 PM in Franklin. I got my pack repaired (reinforced stress points and sewed on a chest strap that broke) by the Town Cobbler, a Christian fellow who's helped many a thru-hiker with boot or pack problems. He asked me to send him a card when I complete my hike to Maine. After shopping K-Mart, Ingles, and Winn-Dixie, I have about 12 pounds of food for the next 5 or 6 days...a little too much. But it all looked so good! I plan to stay more on schedule and do about 14 miles per day. The main reason for getting a motel was to dry out everything, especially my handbook. It's now readable again. I'm at the library updating my journal because my Pocketmail doesn't work from my Palm PDA. So I had to re-type all my entries directly into Trailjournals instead of just E-Mailing them from the phone. Lost 3 hours, but I have a short day today. Some hikers have been at the Microtel Inn 3 days! I pigged out at a Bar-B-Q last night and had an AYCE breakfast at Shoney's for $4 this morning. I will grab a quick bite before I get some alcohol fuel at the outfitters and hitch back to Winding Stair Gap. It's cold but seems to be clearing. Looking forward to a good hike.Got a hitch after a 5 minute wait and started hiking at 2:37 PM. Made it to Silers Bald and spent a cold, windy night with Wee Willie, Pirate, Shankadelic, and two other guys. The coldest night so far.
Date: 2003-04-12
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

I left Siler Bald Shelter early and hiked back to the AT to continue where I had left off yesterday. This meant that I would be hiking an extra 0.8 miles that I wouldn't get credit for and I wouldn't have to do if I used the Blue-blazed trail which joined the AT further north. Blue-blazed trails are alright to use since they are usually the old AT. They would count as part of the trail for a thru-hiker. But I just want to say I hiked all the new trail. So far I haven't missed any of the white-blazed trail.I arrived at Wayah Bald in good time only to see Pirate and Wee Willie relaxing against the stone wall out of the wind. When I passed them many miles back, they were asleep on the trail and looked like they wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. However, they soon finageled a ride to the top of the mountain and were dropped off at the parking lot near the observation tower. I met Papa Bob on the trail who was interested in my light pack. He is a section hiker who is from PA and is 78 years old. I took a long break at the observation tower and located the Albert Mtn Fire Tower, now ten air miles away, and also noted snow on Clingman's Dome in the distance. When 70's arrived, a thru-hiker from Colorado who is 71 years old, I had Shankadelic take my photo with Papa Bob and 70's. Several other hikers came through while I had lunch. After an almost 2 hour lunch, I continued past the Cold Spring Shelter, the Tellico Gap powerline where day hiker dogs greeted me, settled in for the night at Wesser Bald Shelter where a troop of boy scouts from Atlanta were tenting. I was the first one at the shelter, but was joined enventually by two other thru-hikers. The boy scouts were well behaved. Since their leader was a former thru-hiker, he had them away from our shelter and to bed by 8:30 PM. I went to bed also dreaming of breakfast at NOC tomorrow morning only 5.6 miles away.
Date: 2003-04-13
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: clear sky

I made it to NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center), a river rafting/biking recreation center on the Nantahala River, by 8:45 and discovered that an AYCE Sunday brunch was still being served at the restaurant which overlooks the river. For eight bucks I had a wonderful, filling breakfast. I especially enjoyed the yogurt and fruit. I hung out for awhile waiting to use the phone and finally started hiking across the river and up the hill at 12:45 PM. It was hot and sunny. And the hill seemed never ending. I climbed 3,010 feet! Then I climbed another 312 feet to Cheoah Bald (5062') before dropping down over 1300 feet to Locust Cove Gap where I was glad to tent for the night.I met Footslogger from Florida and camped with several thru and section hikers. This was the hardest hike for me so far, mainly because of the hot, sunny weather.
Date: 2003-04-14
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Fontana Dam NC
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: few clouds

I got an early start from Locust Cove Gap and met Potatoe Head from Idaho along the way. There were lots of ups and downs through Stecoah Gap and Yellow Creek Gap, a very rugged hike. I could see the Fontana Lake for a long time, but it took forever to get down to it. Finally, coming almost to the end of the hike I rounded a bend in the trail to see a young couple stopped in their tracks. In front of them just off the trail was a 4-foot-long blacksnake. They asked me what it was and whether it was poisonous. I touched it's tail and it immediately started to vibrate its tail in the dry leaves. I explained that it was a harmless blacksnake, but it was acting like a rattlesnake to scare away anything that might want to harm it.When I got to the parking lot by the restrooms, the pay phone was missing. After asking a boater nearby, he directed me to the marina where I used their phone to call Jeff and Nancy Hoch at The Hike Inn. Nancy said Jeff would be right out to pick me up. They had already heard about "Dirty Harry" from Papa Bob and others and all about my ultralite pack. I was famous! And I was glad to get my own room with a bed and mattress for the night.Driving up to The Hike Inn I saw a wild turkey on the road. It flew up on the hill across the road from the Inn. That evening I was serenaded by a Whip-Poor-Will outside my bedroom window. Nancy did my laundry while I took a hot shower, then she drove me and Blueberry, another thru-hiker to town for dinner and grocery shopping. She took me 2 miles out of town to the Black Knight Restaurant for a wonderful home-cooked meal. I actually order the special and a side-salad which was really like a chef's salad anywhere else. It was huge and delicious! Then I had to have some upsidedown pineapple cake for dessert. I also drank a pitcher or two of half lemonade and iced tea. After getting groceries and picking up 4 other hikers, Nancy drove me to the only place in town that had milk shakes so I could get a vanilla shake to take with me back to the Inn. Most of their business is hikers and they do a wonderful job of meeting the needs of those of us without wheels. I highly recommend The Hike Inn at Fontana. Blueberry, from Jackson Hole, WY, fell near Yellow Creek Gap and was taking a day or two off to make sure her knee was alright. I later heard that she quit and went home.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Fontana Dam NC

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Jeff dropped me off where I left the trail at the restrooms at Fontana Marina and I started hiking by 7:09 AM. The first mile or so is up and down through the woods until the trail deposits you onto the paved road which goes past the Fontana Dam Shelter. Then after crossing the dam itself, you soon enter the Gt. Smokey Mtn National Park and after following a road for awhile immediately start to do some serious climbing. About a quarter mile into the climb I saw 2 deer on the trail. They were almost tame and hardly got out of my way. I met and passed "Gator" from Florida who is living and working in Saudi Arabia as an EMT. At the spring past the Birch Spring Tentsite I stopped and got water. A ruffed grouse was drumming about 50 yards away. I went past the Mollies Ridge Shelter and stopped at the Russell Field Shelter for the day.
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I hiked on and off with "Groundhog" a 65 year old guy from PA who had some interesting stories to tell. He's a non-stop talker, so I was glad not to spend too much time around him. I had planned to stop at Double Spring Gap Shelter for the night. I met DarmaBum and Suds there. They are students of Steve Herman from Evergreen College in Olympia WA. They will get college credit if they keep a log of the birds they see along the AT this summer. He was asking me about some of the birds he had seen. He, like me, was not familiar with eastern species. The skies were threatening again and I decided if I had to climb Clingman's Dome I might as well do it when I could take some photos. I decided to chance going over it in the late afternoon before the storm hit. It would mean another 6.3 miles after doing 16.4 already today. It was 4 PM and the climb would be hard. I figured I had until 8 PM or so for daylight. So I started out and it was a good decision. The scenery was spectacular with firs, spruces, and hemlocks reminding me of western mountains, and the weather was holding off. I climbed to the top of the observation deck on Clingman's and took many photos. I had to walk down 0.5 miles to the parking lot restrooms to re-fill my water bottle which added and extra mile that wouldn't count for the AT miles today. But all in all it was the most enjoyable day of hiking so far for me. I arrived at the Mt. Collins shelter at 8 PM and it was dark as I cooked and ate my dinner, hung my food bag, and went to bed. There was room in the shelter for me.
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a very wet and rainy day. I got an early start from Mt. Collins Shelter and made good time, but was soaked when I arrived at Peck's Corner Shelter around 2:30. A church group of section hikers from Winston-Salem NC arrived just before me and had taken over the entire shelter. Some of them were asleep already after hiking 9.5 miles for the day. EZ-Does-It, a thru hiker doing his third thru hike, made them make room for me. We crammed 18 people into the 12 person shelter. EZ is another ultralite hiker and had a pack that weighed about 20 pounds complete with food and water. I decided to hang out with him to gain from his experience doing the AT. It was a cold, wet night.When I got up the next day, I packed up my stuff quickly and got on the trail early hiking with EZ for the day. It was another wet, cold day. We were walking in water and mud all day long. When we arrived at Cosby Knob Shelter for the night, I discovered that I had lost my silk sleeping bag liner. It probably dropped out of my sleeping bag while I was stuffing it into its sack this morning. The cramped quarters had both the guys on either side of me sleeping in my space so one of them could have rolled over on it so I didn't see it when I checked my area before I left. I left messages in the shelter registers in case anyone found my liner. If I don't get it back, I will order a new one since I really liked it. It adds warmth, feels good, and keeps my bag clean.
Date: 2003-04-18
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

EZ and I left Peck's Corner Shelter after a hot breakfast. We had another wet day walking in the water and mud. We stopped at Tri-Corner Shelter and was glad we didn't spend the night there. We heard from a guy that 26 people were crammed in there along with many more tenting. One gal spent the night on the dirt floor of the shelter which was now flooded. She got wet. It really rained hard all night long. It was a tough climb today under difficult trail conditions. It is good to be in a shelter tonight with all the rain and cold.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 28.9
Weather: clear sky

Started hiking from Cosby Knob Shelter at 7:09 AM. I made it downhill to Davenport Gap by 9:45, elected not to go to Mountain Moma's for breakfast, and pushed on to Interstate 40 after crossing the Pigeon River bridge. I by passed Standing Bear Farm on Green Corner Road and started climbing to the VOR station on Snowbird Mtn. Part of the way I hiked with Farmer from N. Florida. It took several hours of steep climbing. I reached Groundhog Creek Shelter around 2:30 and stopped for water and cooked dinner. I left a 4 PM.I was planning on going on to Max Patch Bald or a little further to tent for the night. I wanted to be able to reach Hot Springs in two days as I was running out of food. After summiting Max Patch, I pushed on passed several good campsites and found myself hiking in total darkness around 8:30 PM. I saw some lights in the distance and around 9 PM I stumbled into Roaring Fork Shelter where I set up my tent and went to sleep. It was a 28.9 mile day!Observed: beautiful sunset on Max Patch, cottontail rabbit.Learned: Don't hike at night or without trail snacks.
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs NC
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: broken clouds

Left Roaring Fork Shelter at 7 AM. No food for breakfast, only 1 snickers, 1 stick of cheese, and some hard candy. I thought about stopping at a shelter and cooking my last dinner of Lipton noodles, but I didn't. My in-line water filter started to plug up again, so I wasn't drinking enough water either. I heard cat birds and flickers and saw a mockingbird. Two large white-tailed deer were on the trail before I descended into Hot Springs. I took several photos of the many wildflowers that I noticed as I got down to the lower elevations. When I made it to the top of Bluff Mountain (4686'), I took some neat side-lit photos of the trees, boulders, and plants. I started hearing sounds of the town way before I could see it far below. Arriving at 1:39 I headed straight to Elmer's Sunnybrook Inn where I was greeted by Home Bound and Heiko Psycho from Wurzburg, Germany. They just arrived a little before me. It was a 14.9 mile day. I took a shower and went across the street to the Smokey Mtn Diner where I ordered the lunch special at 2:30 and asked if ther was anywhere I could get a milk shake in town. They said there wasn't, but as I was leaving, the owner said she would make me a vanilla shake from ice cream using the mixer in the kitchen. I said I'd be back. At 5:30 I took Home Bound out for dinner at the Smokey Mtn Diner and I got the only milk shake ever served there for no charge! Talk about trail magic! I left a big tip and a little extra for the delicious and very special shake. Heiko Psycho asked me where I got the milk shake. I told him,"Shuss, be quiet, it isn't a milk shake!"
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Off Trail

To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

I'm at Hot Springs NC at the Sunnybrook Inn. I got here on Easter Sunday and then tried to visit a friend in Salisbury NC, but after a day of hitchhiking there and another back, I didn't get to see him as he wasn't at the address he left me. No one knew where he lived now.I did meet some interesting folks while hitchhiking. They were very generous and kind. Because of the difficulty of hitchhiking the first day, I caught a bus and took a taxi back to Hot Springs. I couldn't afford the time and energy involved in hitchhiking. Near trail towns with a backpack, hitchhiking is easy, in the cities without a pack, no one stops.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: Hot Springs NC

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I left Elmer's at 6:37 and started hiking north out of Hot Springs arriving at the Little Laurel Shelter at 2:50 PM (19.6 mi.). The trail followed the Broad French River and then went up the cliff to Lover's Leap and then crossed the highway about 6 miles out of town. The trail was relatively easy and I made good time doing one section at a 3.5 mph rate. It is good to be on the trail again although my left ankle hurts a lot today. I took an Aleve which enabled me to hike almost pain free.I saw 2 more white-tailed deer and a brown creeper searching for insects on a tree.Last night the Calico cat at Elmer's spent the night on my bed. He woke me up this morning and insisted on going downstairs and out the kitchen door. After all that, I decided to stay up and start my hike. Thanks, kitty, for helping me get an early start.