morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-23
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

The same group stayed at the shelter last night as had the night before, with another eight mice caught by Fiddle 'n' Savage.There was a lot of variety to the scenery today: it started with more of the barren trees I've been seeing for the last week, punctuated by the tunnels of rhododendron, but greened considerably as I descended to Winding Stair Gap (which did have erosion-bar stairs winding up the hill).The trail crosses a highway here--people often hitchhike to Franklin from here if they need more supplies--and I happened to encounter some "Trail Angels" at the truck pull-off. The trail angels were a couple from a church in Franklin (they said a different couple is there every day of the week from one of four local churches) who offered us hikers some junk food, soda, and a place to sit for a little while. It was a wonderful relief.From there, the trail crosses a stream just below a waterfall and begins to climb upward towards the first balds of the trail. The first bald I encountered was Siler Bald. It looked more like someone had clearcut a runway on the hill---it was unnatural and out of place there. I kept moving in order to avoid the extra sunlight. I hadn't sunburned for a few days, but I did notice this afternoon that my arms had blisters in the areas where the sunburn was worst before. Oops. At least they didn't hurt and seem to be going down since I'm not hiking in the sun at present.The AT joined up with the Bartram trail for 1.8 mile not too much later. I was nearly out of water and the heat felt oppressive--the temperature was already around 75 when I checked Fiddle's thermometer around eleven, I'm sure it broke 80--so that coupled with the long uphill just before it made that section of trail seem like eternity. But not without benefit. I summited Wayah Bald and caught an excellent view from the observation tower.
Date: 2009-04-24
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day! The skies were blue, the sun was out all day, and the temperature was still (very) above freezing.I managed to leave early today--I was hiking at 8:00--I avoided a lot of the day's heat and also got to camp by early afternoon (1:30-ish). Nevertheless, my shirt still had outlines of my packstraps made of the salt leftover from my sweat.This morning I found my second Trail Angel in two days! I was all smiles when I saw the banner and the pop-up awning/tarp. The man there was from the Nantahala Hiking Club (they maintain the section of the trail in the Nantahala National Forest) and gave us oranges and soda. Unfortunately, the soda didn't sit too well in my stomach after I chugged it (duh) and I felt vaguely sick for a few hours afterward. I did get some extra calories from it, though.Shortly after I encountered the trail angel, I made it to the top of Wesser Bald. The observation tower here offered views of over one hundred miles. Cameras just don't capture the full effect of the images.On the tower I met an older man by the name of Mala and his dog Tucker. Mala has hiked over 12,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail. Needless to say, he had plenty of knowledge to divulge and could name the majority of the peaks we could see, including Clingman's dome. It was cool to talk to a truly seasoned veteran of the trail for a while.And then I hiked downhill. 3,000 feet downhill over the next five miles. I'm glad I didn't have to go up that way, but then again my knees weren't terribly happy by the end of it either. As the trail descended, the scenery changed drastically. It was surreal. Up on the bald everything felt open and exposed, even with trees around me it felt barren. The further I went down, though, the more lush and green everything became. The treees began to have leaves and the flowers were blooming. The forest floor filled out and I felt like I'd entered a paradise by time I reached the shelter.Camping with me tonight are Fiddle, Savage, Koop, and Lucky. No sign of Jason yet, but I think he may have pushed on farther.
Date: 2009-04-25
From: Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Cheoah Bald
Miles today: 8.9

Today's hike was grueling. I climbed 3,300 feet up Cheoah Bald over the course of eight miles on a record-breaking 85+ degree day (it was 85 at noon, so I'm sure it got above that). Ouch.As much as that part sucked, it was well worth it. The bald offers astounding views in most directions; the mountains extended for over a hundred miles before they faded into the mist of the horizon where the setting sun began to melt the greens into purples and reds. It almost took the whole evening to take in the scenery.Fiddle, Savage, and I started the day by hiking the .9 miles to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) and getting breakfast at the nearby restaurant. Fiddle and I ordered full stacks of pancakes and Savage ordered a short stack, but when the plates came out things looked confused. While all of their pancakes were the size of the plate, mine were literally half the size! Luckily the waitress noticed this, too, and brought me an extra pancake that matched the size of the others. Fiddle gave me one of his, too, since he didn't really think he could eat that much in the first place. I'm still confused as to why the pancake size changed at all.I hung out in town for a couple hours after that, resupplying and repairing my gear. A mouse had chewed out ten teeth from the bottom of a zipper on my pack, so I had to patch the zipper to prevent it from falling apart. Meanwhile, Sweet Lou, Aesop, Mosely, and Free all arrived in town for a fun rendezvous. Sadly, we've already split up again due to mileage differences and Fiddle 'n' Savage pulled a zero at the NOC with their parents.
Date: 2009-04-26
From: Cheoah Bald

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

It's been a good day. I've got a new crowd to get to know tonight, some of whom I met last night. Tonight the crowd includes Junior, who I met last night; RLB, who happens to be from around Hershey, PA; Lunch Lady, a metalhead who has a thing for the nonsensical; Lucky, who nearly completed the trail last year and is trying again; and the section-hiking father-son duo of Spidey and Snail Mail. Not much writing today due to the socializing.
Date: 2009-04-27
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

Feelin' kinda bad about not writing yesterday, but I can make up for it today I suppose. Yesterday was warm again, but not as uncomfortably so. I got up in time to watch the sunrise, but was still too groggy to appreciate it like the previous night's sunset. The hiking was nice for the most part.The one really painful part was just after Stecoah Gap. I had nearly run out of water before the ascent, it was noon, and the hill was very steep! I had to stop more often than I like, but I mage it. After that record-breaking slope, I eventually made it to Brown Fork Gap for water and a snack. That was a nice break, but the privy wasn't terribly private or sheltered from bugs...Crossing that highway also brought an instant change in the scenery ans atmosphere of the forest, it was kinda cool. The forest opened up, more trees--of a new variety--were green, and I saw more flowers, also of new varities. I loved the transition, but it's still changing as I walk.I had a fun time at the shelter, meeting and hanging out with everyone I mentioned, as well as Frankenfoot, Blue Ray, and Boofer. RLB, Spidey, and Snail Mail got up at six, so the rest of us woke up then, too.I hiked fpr a couple hours in the morning to the next highway, through a much more green, pretty area. John and I tried to hitch-hike in to Fontana Village, but there was nowhere for anyone to pull over and most traffic happened to be motorcycles anyway. So we walked the two miles of road. It was a nice little tourist attraction--a lake, a pool, a general store, laundromat, ice cream shop, loads od lodging and a couple restaurants. The grill was closed so I slipped into the much classier Bistro just before it closed. Overall, it was an excellent little stop--quick, satisfying, and pack-weight-increasing.The shelter where I'm at now is the Fontana Dam shelter or the Fontana Hilton. The shelter is large and roomy, has a water fountain, and a SHOWER. It's quite a place.
Date: 2009-04-28
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today's hike felt very long. I'm not sure if it was the 12 straight miles of uphill, the super heavy pack, the flies, or the increased breaks but something made today feel long. It disappoints me when I realize how much time I spent trudging and not really admiring the beauty around me. At least I managed to stop a few times to admire it all.I entered the Smokies this morning after some confusion as to where the trail went--there were NO blazes anywhere on the .7 miles of road that crossed the dam, Blech. The forest once again made a sudden change, but this change also melted in something new as I hiked onward. The trees began to spread out more, again, and made way for smaller brush at first. As I hiked on, the forest seemed to get older until there were large numbers of dead trees, but the dead trees were accompanied by growing numbers of younger trees. It was neat to see the ages of the trees diverge.The forest floor has been a constant blanket of green since Fontana, I love it! But, as I keep moving on more azaleas have been occupying the floor. I wish they were in bloom. Accompanying the change to azaleas is also a transition to a different sort of tree--there are now clusters of trunks branching from a single location. All in all, the transitions through the forest have been welcome; I now walk in shade more often.Another transition has been that of the song-birds. I haven't heard a single starling since I left the Fontana Lake area. What a relief!I really want to write more, but I can barely see now...
Date: 2009-04-30
From: Double Spring Gap

To: Peck's Corner
Miles today: 21.2

First 20+ day!It rained last night, just as I was heading to my sleeping bag. The shelter had a transparent roof, too, so I had a great view of the clouds, rain, and (had I been awake) lightening. I couldn't have felt more comfortable at that moment.It also meant that I got to catch the first rays of cloud-filtered light. Sadly, the clouds didn't really lift until afternoon and you couldn't see more than twenty miles away until evening. While the fog added to the mythical aspects of the forest, it didn't allow for much of a view at Clingman's Dome. Jason and I summited around 9:30 and just kept walking after we had read the sign; there was nothing to see there.The fogginess/cloudiness helped time to blend together and the whole day felt wonderful because of it. Jason and I more or less hiked together for the entire day, with intermittent encounters with the med students from the last two nights. After Clingman's dome the fairy tale look started to fall apart. Literally. The trees started dying in quantity and some really big trees had fallen quite spectacularly. One pulled up a root system which was at least ten feet in diameter, the tree itself being over 70 feet tall. The carnage of the trees was actually very impressive.Eventually we reached Newfound Gap: the gateway to tourists from Gatlinburg. Just before the parking lot we had found a cooler left by a trail angel which contained sodas and plenty of junkfood (moonpies, twinkies, fundge round, etc.). Our break turned out to be very delicious. It was also at about the 200 mile mark (yay!) and the midpoint or today's hike.From that point onward we followed the ridge to our destination. Every so often the trees would open up and offer some breath-taking views. I just wish the clouds hadn't limited the sights and especially the pictures. The last eight miles we hiked have been my favorite so far.We reached the shelter just in time for dinner at 6:30 or so and built a fire since Ketchup and Tenderfoot were out of fuel. This shelter is a lot more full than the last couple and I didn't get the chance to talk to everyone, so I'm missing some trail names. I did, however, meet Pilgrim, Ninja, and Tully (of the Shire). Tully is also from PA--he lived in the Reading are and went to school at F&M. It's cool how you can go so far away to meet people from so close to home.Ketchup and Tenderfoot left after dinner to do some night hiking. Hopefully it doesn't rain more (it sprinkled a little while I was cooking dinner) and they'll make it to the next shelter in good shape.It seems funny to me that so many people made the Smokies sound like a ridiculously tough section of trail. The hills were all very gradual and I have yet to drop straight down into a gap just to climb out again, so it's loads easier than GA or NC were. Also, I've been really lucky with the rain so far, it's very convenient for it to only rain while I sleep.
Date: 2009-05-01
From: Peck's Corner

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: light rain

Last Night in the Smokies!It rained more last night and some this morning. As a result, I packed up more slowly this morning and hung out for an hour longer than usual (til 9). The rain stopped shortly after I started, but the trees were plentiful enough to mask the fact.The hike felt fairly short, but still somewhat drawn out due to frequent stops for this or that reason (mostly rain or temperature related). The clouds only lifted for a little while during the early afternoon. In those few hours the views were excellent and it was fascinating to watch the clouds lifting off of other mountains, too. Otherwise it was more of the misty, foggy, constantly damp sort of day.Oddly, I like this type of day. Yeah it sucks that I can't always see forever and my socks won't actually dry throughout the day/night, but I know sunny days are on their way. The first glimpse of sunlight on one of these days brings so much joy and excitement; it's hard to rival the moment. The clouds also add a disembodied, fantasy-like feeling.Lately my thoughts have been wandering more. I feel like they've been settling on more trivial and useless things than they should. It's almost getting harder to focus properly. Granted, I may simply be expecting my thoughts to linger for too long on a single topic. I better not go too crazy out here.So, I made it to the shelter around three or three-thirty and sat down to consider hiking further. My feet, hips, and shoulders were fine, but I hadn't felt too great all day. I was probably dehydrated because I felt light-headed and slightly dizzy at times, but I also felt like my stomach was upset. At any rate, I decided to stay. I'm not in a rush and I'd rather relax and be ready for tomorrow.Tully and Scavenger (Jason) are also here. Five other, somewhat slower, thru-hikers are here, too; but I don't recall their names.
Date: 2009-05-02
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

 It must be some sort of Karmic retribution (for arriving late so many times with dad): last night, just after I fell asleep, eight guys arrived at the shelter with their headlamps on claiming their reservations. Ugh.It also rained more this morning and afternoon. So, my socks didn't dry out, but nothing else got wet that I really wanted to keep dry. Also, I remember a couple other reasons why I don't mind rain: it keeps the bugs at bay and accentuates the colors of the forest. Everything looks more vivid and lush after (and during) a wet and/or raining day.As I hiked down and out of the Smokies I encountered several trail maintenance crews. Half of the members were women. It was a strange encounter to meet normal (non-hiker oriented) civilization.Shortly afterwords I left the Smokies. Another milestone down. Excellent.I hiked under I-40 today and realized that I probably had driven over it three weeks ago. Crazy perspective to keep in mind there.A limb just broke off of a tree. The noise is startling, but not usually a danger. It's been unsettling to hear the trees creaking constantly, but I've only heard one fall in the distance.While I still remember it--I've seen SO many millipedes this week. They're generally about two inches long and redor yellow and black. I've seen them most after rain.The forest is constantly changing. The pine and deciduous trees change out and the floor morphs frequently. Every toad crossing brings an abrupt change. New flowers, different tree ages and heights.there are a lot of people at or around the shelter tonight. Among the fifteen are Scavenger, Ketchup and Tenderfoot. There are three weekend hikers and a couple who I met before (Seaweed and Fisherman) who are skipping around at a leisurely pace. The rest are thru-hikers but I'm not sure how many will stick with my current pace.On the note of pace: I can make trail days if I average 16.5 miles per day.
Date: 2009-05-03
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Fourth day of rain in a row, the second of intense rain while we were hiking. Luckily there was a fire last night and I still have another pair of dry socks. Hooray for dry clothing! I should be in Hot Springs tomorrow, though, so i believe everything will be clean and dry soon.I started the morning with ambitions to hike a marathon, but we got started late (9;30) and Scavenger convinced me to take a long lunch break. The pace was fast enough--3+ mph even on the muddy trail--but the time constraints made things tight. The deal breaker was the rain. I had stopped for a quick breath and couldn't quite get the pace back for the uphill when I got hit by torrential downpours. Th next mile convinced me to stop at this shelter and not hike another ten miles.The shelter is once more full past occupancy--we fit seven in the "six person" size shelter. Tonight we have Scavenger, Wolf pack, Pidgeon, S'n'P, Mr. B and Eatsalot in the shelter and Dan and Whitney (Stick cakes), Ketchup and Tenderfoot, Strings, and Seaweed and Chris tenting nearby.Before I describe these names, I want to mention that I hiked over Max Patch today. It was cool-looking, but there was no view and it was really exposed, so I didn't linger. It was about as disappointing as Clingman's Dome.Wolfpack graduated from UNC. He is 20-something and a funny guy to talk to.Pidgeon is sixty-something and from Akron, OH.SnP is a Vegan from Brooklyn and is and artist of some sort.Eatsalot rivals my hunger. He is from MD, between DC and Baltimore. He helped to start up a Bio diesel company and he is a cool guy.
Date: 2009-05-05
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I found out last night that my Uncle Bob died in the past week, so I'm getting a ride to Knoxville and flying to Buffalo in order to attend the viewing and funeral. I'll probably be off the trail until Sunday. Luckily, the folks around here in Hot Springs are really kind and willing to help out with some of the logisitics, so it looks like things will work out alright.So I'm getting a ride from Sean--who works here--to Knoxville airport. We leave here at 1:30 and get there at 3:00-ish, the flight leaves at 6:00. I should get in at Buffalo around 9:30 tonight, where Aunt Dab or Grandpa will probably pick me up.Elmer is letting me store my pack here until I get back on Sunday. The only problem will be getting back here from the airport--a shuttle can run up to $90 each way.It's really cool to just hang out and talk to all of these people I've met before, but I've also had things to do to make sure I could go through with everything. I had to tell the guy I would've helped that I couldn't (the rain also prevented it anyway) help out and I wandered around town to check out shuttle fares/if anyone was selling duffel bags so that I could take my pack. And now it's pouring rain again. Go figure.
Date: 2009-05-10
From: Hot Springs

To: Campsite a little after Tanyard Gap
Miles today: 7.0

I made it back to the trail today after a long stint of travel. My flight left Buffalo at 6:30--I slept for almost the entire first leg (including takeoff!)--and got to Asheville around 10:45. I got a shuttle from the airport to Hot Springs from a local company and made it back to the Sunnybank Inn (Elmer's) before noon. I hung around for a little while to talk to some of the hikers and employees. I couldn't thank the employees/interns enough for their help and hospitality.In town I met up with Fiddle and Savage again and caught up. They left town a little after I did. I also saw Free and Mosely, who were kind enough to send out my bounce box (a box of useful town items like chargers that I don't want to carry everywhere due to their uselessness on the trail) for me the next day since the post office was closed on Sunday.The hiking was hard. Being off the trail for five days made it much more difficult physically--and even psychologically--to get started again. I'm camping alone tonight which is nice in the sense that I have some time to think, take it easy, and readjust. I'm back.Well, I made it back to the trail. Today has been a rough day all around. Mentally, physically, emotionally, and even a little bit logistically speaking, too.I woke up on Aunt Ellen's couch at 4:30 in order to get ready to get to the airport. Aunt Dab, Grandpa, and my parents also got up to drive out with me. I felt sick in the morning but it felt like I was just hungry and thus unhappy, so I ate some soupy oatmeal as I ran out the door.