morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-05
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: broken clouds

Waking up after the first night on the trail. How exciting that feeling was. The fact that I was actually on the trail had not sunk in ...yet. Rick and I decided that the first few days we would take it easy on the miles as we both adjusted ourselves to the task at hand. His new boots were breaking in good and we did not want to push the miles until he was ready. I was amazed by the Rhododendron tunnels and was thinking how nice it would be to see them in full bloom. Definitely a future day hike area this part of the trail will be. We took a break before crossing Stover Creek, mile 2.6 and met our first Ridge Runner. His name was Earl Foster. Earl talked with us a bit about being a ridge runner and what he does for the trail. My hats off to him and folks like him.    As we continued on he said that he parked a few miles ahead and in the back of his truck there were some bottles of gator aid, "help yourself" he added. My first experience with Trail Magic. Rick tossed a few dollars in the cooler to keep the magic flowing. We stopped for the evening at the Hawk Mountain Shelter at 2:30 for an early end to the day. Still were thinking of Ricks boots and the condition of his feet. His legs were strong enough as well as his will power, we just wanted to be sure. He had a few "hot spots" to boot (no pun intended). There we met a former a Thru-Hiker named RezDog, class of 02. He was doing a few of the sections he missed back then, (Rez I did get your e-mail and thanks for the congrats, see you up the trail). We also met a hiker named Elf and also Blue Angel. Rick and I gave Blue Angel her trail name. We talked to try to figure a good trail name and she mentioned she was once called Spring Angel. Rick and I both agreed that it just did not sound right for the trail. Rick called it when he said she had beautiful blue eyes and then I said the she could omit Spring and should now be called Blue Angel. It fitted so well that we agreed, "So it was written...So it was done"! She and I are now friends and hiked sections together up until we lost contact with each other in VA. (I finally got an e-mail from her over the holidays, she left the trail after Harpers Ferry and did some sections in Maine over the summer.)      Life is good, as was the phrase I used all along the trail. Another awesome sunset and the end of another good day.
Date: 2005-04-06
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Departed Hawk at 8:30 this morning. Did around 13 miles to Woody Gap. I just had to take this picture. A good friend back in Colorado is "nick named" Woody. This shot was for him. His real name is Wdowiarz, don't try to say it, just know and understand this, his name is Polish and it means "Widow Maker". Cool huh?      We ran into for the first time two hikers that became friends over the miles. Mark (Noodle) and Dale (New Heart) are there names.   Noodle got his trail name from when he played football is school. He is slim and skinny with the flexibility of a noodle. Funny how one gets their trail name. New Heart on the other hand had heart surgery. I bet when he told his doctor he was going to hike the trail he must have flipped. He monitored his heart rate all along the way, lost some weight and soon became a stud.    There were three Razor Backs, that is what the southerners call them, ups and downs on a ridge is more like it. They are located between Hawk and Goose shelter (A real pain in the duppa). 3.8 miles later we were at Woody Gap.   There we stayed at a local hostile run by Josh and Leigh Saint (they were not there then, Jamie and Oleman were running at the time).    Nice place for sure, a ride to town and a pizza delivery. A section hiker, Clint (NJ), turned Rick and I on to the place. Clint had a copy of the Hiker Data book that had this info available. I was just using the ATC data book at the time. Limited info in my book but if it has a location for water, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be there. I also met Navigator for the first time here as well. Earlier on in the day Toni with an I said she was leaving the trail for some unfinished dental work, she intended on jumping ahead to continue however, I never saw her again. She did not have a trail name as of yet so she may have re-entered, I do not know. Good idea to get the dental work done well in advance, in case there may the need for follow up work.      Rick and I had a few mixed words today. We came from the same military unit and had ill feelings towards each other once before. It soon became apparent that there were some unresolved issues between us. I for one did not want to talk about the service, he did. Every time we did it brought back some bad memories for me and soon brought out the person in me that I no longer wanted to be. For this Rick I apologize. After all this trip for me was about letting that go, I was only out for just a year. Also it became apparent that Rick was on a vacation, I was thru-hiking. Hard to mix those to styles together. Rick would say, "All roads lead to 7-11".....It did get worse before it got better that is for sure.Notable quote I heard for the first time ever, "No rain, No pain, No Maine".... so true, thanks for that one Jamie.
Date: 2005-04-09
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Cheese Factory Site
Miles today: 13.0

At 9 am Rick and I started out again. We moved on a while till we came to the Blue MT Shelter. What an awesome view from there. Good water was found near by, Joe and Praying Mantis were there when we arrived. One thing I noticed was just how many Chipmunks were on the trail. I saw more over the last few days then over the past ten years. I read once that certain sub-species were on the endangered species list, can that still be true I wonder. It took a little over four hours to get here so we took a break.       After leaving we were climbing up toward the top of Rocky MT. We stopped to fill up on water and something went wrong. I normally at that time did not carry a full load of water, to much weight on the fused spine of mine. I was pushing my max weight at the time and asked rick if he wouldn't mind carrying the extra water (the water was for our food preparation). He made a rude comment on my inability to handle the weight and I made a remark right back at him. He turned, yanked me around by the back pack and pulled the water of my back, wrong move. It took all my effort not to drop my ruck and knock him on his butt. In fact the rest of the way up the hill I contemplated introducing him to the end of my hiking staff. My staff weighed about four pounds and is made of cherry wood. If there were a sound of something breaking it would not have been the stick. I can read the headlines even now, Two x-Army guys kick the heck out of one another over a couple of pounds of water.    Once we got to the top I again asked him to, as I put it,"let it up". He gave me the old, "Well I guess you can dish it out but you can't take it" routine. Well to tell you the truth, I couldn't. I was trying not to be that aggressive butt kicking kind of person anymore. I then simply asked him if he had enough water. He said he did and with that I looked him in the eye and said, "Then I guess I will see you up the trail". Clint was there with us and I said good bye to him as well. I never saw Rick again, in fact I heard he moved along for a bit longer but, eventually he left the trail and went on with his life. I hiked for a total of 13 miles that day.    That evening I ended up camping with Noodle and New Heart at the Cheese Factory Site. I asked first if I could join them and they said yes. We built a fire and enjoyed the night out just talking. Camped nearby was a family (John, his wife and two children), they eventually joined us at the fire. I thought to myself that night, "I just began my Thru-Hike".
Date: 2005-04-10
From: Cheese Factory Site

To: Plum Orchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

Awoke this day just after sunrise by myself for the first time on the trail. This is how I envisioned it would be. Quiet, to myself, just me the Lord and my thoughts. Looking back now I guess walking with someone from my past life brought out issues right up front that I needed to deal with all along. We all here on the trail hike our own hike. Eventually I made my way up to the Troy Mtn Shelter and once there left a note for Rick. I apologized for the day before and hoped he enjoyed his vacation on the trail.    Watching a number of quail running along the trail, listening to the drumming of the grouse in the wood line and the fact that nobody shot at me all day put me in what I called, "My Happy Place". Bruce Springsteen wrote and sings a song called "Bad Lands". There was one verse in it that I love to quote, "Aint no sin to be glad you're alive".......WBPS A photo and other notes about my former unit were removed from this entry and saved for my own personal memories. I received my first e-mail from someone in "The Community" that was not part of my circle of friends and I figured now was the time to do so Written for my friends, and out of respect for that community I decided to remove both. I only post this note for those who may remember what was here and say, "what the.... Bob"?
Date: 2005-04-11
From: Plum Orchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: few clouds

Plumb Orchard Gap was an awesome shelter. There was one other Hiker there, Chicken Knee, when I arrived last evening and no one else showed up so it was quite peaceful. I woke up at 7 am and messed around for a few hours before heading out at 9 am. Chicken knee headed out earlier and gave me a good idea. He told me he does decent miles because he hikes longer days then most. Go slow, do more miles... interesting concept.    After a good long yoga routine and one failed attempt to make a denatured cooking stove out of a soda can, I began what was to be my longest day thus far. I soon caught up to Chicken Leg and asked if I could take his photo. The gentleman was in his 60's and to date was the oldest person I had met on the trail thus far. I told him he was an inspiration to us all. Later on the hike I came upon this realization. Unlike society in general, the older the person on the trail is, the more respect they receive. Here he was doing the same thing as all of us with the determination to go as far as he could, if not all the way. Too bad for us all that this isn't the way of our country. As far as age goes, if your lucky enough all you have to do is wait. One day it will be your turn. My thoughts?, "How old am I supposed to be at my age"?    This day on the other hand I simply said this before heading out to no one in particular, "I think I will walk to North Carolina today". Never thought I would say that to myself. At 11:28 that morning I stood at the GA/NC border. I remember there was a nice camp site there with a unique old tree near by. I had this thing for trees and those that showed "Character". This one did just that and I put its picture in this Webb journal, check it out. A nice climb up from the border and about 9.5 miles later I was at the "Standing Indian Mtn Shelter". The shelter was small but clean. I arrived around 5:15 and found Icebreak, Houston and Jesse from Nashville Tennessee were there. They informed me that the weather was turning colder and rain was forecasted (got to love that trail talk). Weather reports changed constantly however, any information about the weather was worth listening to.    It looks like Joe, Praying Mantis's partner, is about to leave or has left the trail. He was the newly wed hiker I mentioned earlier. I gave him my best motivational speech to keep him on the trail. He missed his new wife and wanted to go home. Once again you never know what will pull someone of the trail, Timing in life was indeed everything. I wished him luck.   WB
Date: 2005-04-15
From: Wine Spring

To: The Jumpup
Miles today: 15.0

I woke up with the crew (hikers from last evening) and had a late start (about 11 am). It seems that there is a way of getting "sucked in" to other hiker's hiking patterns that you become aware of as you experience it. Let me explain, you are hanging out with good people, they decide to take a zero day in the woods (no miles that day for them) and the next thing you know it is late in the morning. This is exactly what happened to me this day. I had my new Wingfoot hand-book and was looking it over, I used my new stove and just basically was messing around when I looked at the watch and said, "dang, gotta go". Sounds silly but that's the way it goes. You have to set a schedule and semi-stick to it if you want to get it done.    My goal this day was to make it to Wesser Bald and beyond. This time of year there are hardly any leaves on the trees. As you look up the trail you can see great distances. Not knowing my hiking speed as of yet I though more then once I was on top of the Bald however, the trail just kept going. False hill after false hill until I finally was on top. I took a break and was enjoying the view as other late start hikers began to join me. They also suffered the experience that I did earlier by being sucked in to someone else's schedule (we even talked about it a bit).    I finally reached the Wesser Bald shelter and attempted to settle in for the night. For the most part I liked staying near the shelters, on and off, in the beginning of the trail. There was always the security of it all as well as the likelihood of good water, some company and most likely a Privy (the out house in the woods). Some along the trail were pretty interesting for sure. Most however were just little "stink holes" that served their purpose (as the year heated up the smell got worse). Unfortunately the Shelter was packed (so were all the camping sites in the area). I was hiking at the time with Kyle (Camel) and Brandon (Smoke). I decided to leave and go further on and I asked them if they wanted to hike with me.    My new hand book made mention of vistas ahead at what was called "The Jumpup". I don't know why it was called this, I guess because the narrow ridge line just jumped up at you when you got there. Great vistas both East and West as far as sun action goes. I had great views watching the sun go down as well as up from the same camp site. We found this tent area just about a 1/2 hour before the sun did set and it was awesome. Both these young men were from Atlanta and were good strong hikers, they had no problem keeping up with this old man. On blind faith they followed me through miles of rough terrain until we found that one spot, and it was worth it. Personally I judged all other areas on the trail based off of this spot. There were plenty of others but the "Jump up" put the spark in me to try to do that type of camping more often, and I surely did just that.   WB
Date: 2005-04-16
From: The Jumpup

To: NOC at Wesser, NC
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: clear sky

It has to be said that at sometime yesterday I meet again, two hikers named Fig and Just Visiting. We met earlier on back around the 4th of the month. My log book shows that they were at the Shelter I passed thru last evening. I wanted to add their names before making this day's entry, they are good friends now as we went all the way to the end bouncing in to each other now and then. We finished about a day apart.    On this day Smoke, Camel and I walked on down to the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center). There was a white water river here and man did it look nice. I spent two years as a white water rafting guide in Colorado on the Arkansas River and this brought back many memories. I almost stopped my hike here and there. I seriously thought about staying for the rafting season. The invitation from Robin (she managed one of the facilities there) to work that season was extremely tempting. My desire to continue on won out over all but, dang that water tempted me.    I did a nero, ate two breakfasts, one lunch and then dinner (pizza) before moving on late that evening. During the day though, I re-fitted myself with a new backpack (a blue Osprey Aether 75) and mailed to old one (a red Lowe Alpine) home. The Lowe sucked up water like a sponge, no matter how I tried to waterproof it. That Osprey rode like no other pack I ever carried, comfortable and could carry the weight well. The folks there at the outfitters took there time to fit me in to the right backpack. We made sure that all my gear stored inside and then they provided mailing so I could send my old equipment home. A good sale to say the least.    When I left the NOC I stealth camped just North of the rental cabins. Stealth camping is where you camp in an area that you really are not suppose to be camping at. Not that there is anything wrong with it however, some folk may get upset (it's the human impact thing). I always practiced a "leave no trace" attitude regardless of where I camped. WB
Date: 2005-04-22
To: Gatlinburg (zero day)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

With all intentions of leaving I awoke to the weather report of lightning storms. Still remembering the exciting night I spent on the ridge line back near Franklin on the 12th of this month I decided to stay one more day (a true zero (no miles)). Around 9 am I asked the front desk if they planned to send their free shuttle up to the Gap to look for hikers who may be at the Newfound Gap, trying to beat the storm. I knew that if they stayed where I stayed a few nights ago, they should be reaching the Gap by 10 AM. The staff at the hotel said they would only go "if called" so I asked to talk to the owner. I told her that if she wanted the business, then let me drive up there with a copy of the weather report off of the Internet. It worked, by me informing my friends on what storms were heading their way, the hotel got the business and my friends got a free ride. The desk clerk drove me there, seems they didn't trust a hiker (not that I blame them).    That day we pulled eight people off of the hill just before the big storm hit (New Heart, Noodle, the girls from New York (who were walking in), Swinger and one other). They were glad to be informed of the mess coming in and the weather report helped make their decision final. President Bush was coming to the Smokies this year for "Earth Day" and this storm canceled his visit, that is how bad it was. Funny thing though, on the way up we picked up a hiker who wanted to go back on to the trail. His trail name was Batch, he was 83 years old at the time and with his 24 pound backpack, was going in. He thru-hiked with his wife about a decade earlier (while in his 70's) and was going for another. The past two years he tried and came off the trail hundreds of miles up the line. To the best of my knowledge he did not make it this year either, if he did he would have been the oldest thru-hiker ever. He turned 84 on the trail. (Batch, you da man). We became friends on the trail, the last I saw him was when we both were leaving Damascus after "Trail Days". More on that later and I will post Batch's photo.    Swinger wound up staying with me in my room which helped share the cost. Two people in a room is just right, three means one may be on the floor and four hikers... well lets just say you can find their room by following your nose. The collective funk is enough to even make a thru hiker say, "Man I stink". So it was another evening in town, belly up to the buffet bar and a trip to the post office. The Post Office was on the other side of town however, the bus service was enough to get around on affordably. There I sent home around another 6 pounds of stuff (the extra things) after laying it all out in the room and looking hard at what I really needed. This made the pack weight down to about 35-40 pounds, town heavy perhaps but I was ready to rock. The weather report was also calling for snow at higher elevations the next day. Off I went to the "Happy Hiker Outfitters" for some waterproofing and got the boots ready.
Date: 2005-04-26
From: Old Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I left the shelter this morning at a lazy 8:05. Why so late? Perhaps it was the cold chilly weather, I don't know. Later On up the trail I started moving on at around 7:00. As I recall and write these logs down I see just how I have adjusted my time line. After moving a short period of time I stopped to make a plan, re-adjust the shoes and put on a light pair of gloves. Trick to avoiding blisters is to always take care of the feet, shoes stretch after they warm up and just the point of re-tying them could make all the difference. I would always stop to re-tie them after wearing them for about the first 20 minutes. During my train up I wore nylon stockings as the first layer of sock, it toughened the feet up fine. The blisters I did get on the trail were from either the break in of new shoes or just too many miles at one time.    I will never forget when I first asked to buy nylons, "What size do you think I wear"? It was a question I never though would come out of my mouth. I used this technique before however, I never purchased them outright. Soon I only wore simple white cotton socks. Whenever this conversation was brought up on the trail others could not believe it. "White cotton socks" they would say, "prove it" and I would have to pull up a pant leg. White socks were cheap to buy and available almost everywhere. When they wore out I just threw them away, same thing when they got just to plain trail funky. At 2:56 PM I stopped in at the Deer Park Shelter. There I met Zen, Red Beard and a former Marine named, "The Dutchman". I was 3.2 miles from the Hot Springs and there was a storm nipping at my heels. The "Down" proved to be quite the challenge. Mile after mile with the town in sight, disheartening to say the least.    I made it to town just as the rain started, Elmer's was full so I went to the Codey House (nice place). The outfitters in town hooked me up with the place. Red Beard and Zen showed up shortly and at the hostel I met Professor Nut bag and Epic. Epic told me of a story about what happened to him and another hiker on top of Max Patch. He was there when I was in the Smokies during the big storm. The two of them set up their tents and were relaxing and enjoying the view when the storm came in from behind them. When it hit one of their tents flew off in to the trees. They had to dive into the remaining tent, were totally soaked and near hypothermic condition by morning. Luckily the other hiker with Epic lived nearby so, after they gathered their gear, they went to his home and recovered. Just goes to show you that the old Mountain Man saying of, "Keep your eyes on the skyline" means to do just that. The weather can sneak up on you within moments.