morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-05-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

May 2, 2022Yesterday, Sunday May 1st was our longest mileage day, a bit over 17 miles. We would possibly have stopped at Carter's Gap at 13 miles except that reports were that the previous night of 27 bear bags hung, 23 were successfully taken by bears. When we passed Carter's Gap we were surprised at the number of hikers that were staying there in spite of the bear issue. Our camp was Betty Creek Gap which was at mile marker 97.2. There initially were 6 of us there being Brian, myself, my 4 legged girl Pat, a trio of campers hiking together who are very nice guys: Achilles - who is a very accomplished doctor as well as hiker, Hitman from Michigan though that's not what he does for a living, and Debris from Connecticut. They are all about our age (though I have only met one thru hiker older than myself), approximately 60. Bill had some bad luck that morning. He lost his cell phone, though it has since been found and will be returned to him in Franklin, North Carolina which is where I am typing this. He had further bad luck that evening. But first, another gentlemen, a retired Marine arrived when we were eating dinner, a vey nice guy. Achilles helped him throw his bear bag after dinner. So each of the hiking trio hung bear bags, the Marine hung a bear bag, and Brian hung a bear bag. Understand after you've been hiking all day up and down hills covered with rocks and roots after your tent is up and you've eaten, bed is a welcome site. So Pat and I keep our food in an odor-proof bag and were in bed by 7 pm. Sometime around 10 pm we were wakened by the sound of 3 guys chasing a 500 pound bear away from their campsite. He managed to get 2 of their 3 bear bags, and was actively working on number 3 (Brian heard him working on that one, but thunder caused him to leave). My belief is that even though the food in the bear bags are generally in odor proof bags the bears have long ago learned that bear bags = dinner. I also understand that bears prefer to stay away from dogs, thank you Pat since we keep all of our food in our tent.Unfortunately, although Pat handles the hiking really well, I'm concerned about how she will hold up in hot weather. She pretty much turns her nose up at dogfood, but she has enjoyed eating soft tortillas with Spanish rice, and tortillas with tuna. Tonight she happily consumed a delicious hamburger that I brought back from the diner where I ate (I had a great double cheeseburger with fries and 2 glasses of coke). On a typical hiking and camping day its hard to consume more than 1000 calories for me at this point.You will hopefully see some pictures taken recently, including the 100 mile picture taken today if I successfully uploaded them. Until again (pobably 3 or 4 days from now).
Date: 2022-05-05
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

Thursday May 5th was a sadday for me. My 4 legged companion Pat was picked up at the NOC by oneof Brian's old army buddies, Tony Miller from Knoxville to begin hertrip back to Kansas. I will sure miss her but as I probablypreviously mentioned I was concerned about her eating enough food, asshe continually turned her nose up at quality dog food. She did likeSpanish Rice and/or Starkist tuna wrapped up in a tortilla, andseemed to prefer being fed by hand. She also liked Brian's cheese,and he also was generous to her with his tuna. Over the long haul Iwas concerned with how she would handle the heat when we got furtherinto the hike. My brother will pick her up on Friday, and Beth(my much better half) will drive to Kentucky beginning Fridayafternoon to get her home.Tony is a heckuva nice guy. He stockedus up with all sorts of food for the trail. And though I was nolonger carrying some of Pat's food I thought my pack probably weighedeven more than before. We have plenty to eat. I really appreciateTony's kindness.The NOC is a very nice resort on ariver. I bought a new ultralight tent for 1 person there, reducing mytent weight by nearly 3 pounds. On the trail as you walk and walkyour feet tend to flatten out a bit and by the NOC my feet werefeeling pretty cramped in hiking shoes that I had worn for about 5months counting our trail time. Brian and I each bought a shower for$3.21. A towel cost an additional $3.21 and being frugal neither ofus bought towels. You find the more time that you spend on the trailthe more that your modesty disappears. Ther were several used towelsthat had plenty of drying power yet (which I didn't expect) so I usedone of those! I bought a larger pair of shoes along with toe socks(something I had never used before) and my feet sure thanked me.I didhowever take one spill, so I need to start another cycle of days withno falls. The rocks and the roots can sure bite if you're notcareful. We finished the day at Sassafras Gap, mile marker 143.8. Ifmy internet connection is fast enough to upload you should see morephotos.
Date: 2022-05-06
From: Wine Spring Camp

To: Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Wine Spring Camp at 8 am this morning. It's mile 117.6 on the AT. Tuesday night was stormy, lots of thunder and lightning coupled with heavy rain. Pat wasn't happy, and in the morning my tent floor was wet as I didn't have my ground sheet completely unde4r my tent which allows water to seep in from the ground sheet.We finished up today at 3:30 at Wesser Bald Shelter. Although we stay at campgrounds and shelters we always tent. There's no mice issues in our tents, and in the shelters multiple people could keep you awake with their snoring. Forthe record I am told that I also snore. Today was Pat's next to last day before she heads home to Kansas. I'll miss her happy tail as she runs down the trail, and the happy way she wakes you up in morning with her tail and face licking, but shw is difficult to keep fed as she refuses to eat dog food. She is very attentive to my progress. Brian leads the hike 90% of the time and on the steep uphills I take a slow and steady pace. I couldn't make 3 consecutive days without a spill; at the 10 mile mark I tripped on a rock and went down. Within 3 or 4 seconds Pat came to my side to lick my face and make sure that I was okay.
Date: 2022-05-13
From: Balsam Mtn Trail

To: Standing Bear
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

May 12th We continue to hike. We spent Thursday night at Standing Bear Hostel inTennessee.Thhe attached picture of folks under the tent is a family from Indiana that has a ministry to provide trail magic to thru hikers. I had chili, 2 cans of pop, 4 energy bars, and 3 Mountain Home dehydrated meals for dinners. Greatly appreciated.The trees have very shallow roots due to the fact that they can't penetrate through the rocks. Downed trees are pervasive.Brian and I hiked 18 miles on Thursday, 20 miles on Wednesday, and 13.5 miles on Tuesday. We will only cover 37 miles Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to get us to Hot Springs, NC. Monday will be our first zero day. We appreciate all of your prayers. I especially appreciate my much better half Beth for all that she has done for me. I sure got the better end of the deal!
Date: 2022-05-16
To: Hot Springs, North Carolina
Miles today: 212.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today is the first zero day that we have taken. Though there¢s not a lot to do in Hot Springs, North Carolina it was nice to get a hot breakfast at a nice little diner, get laundry done, and prepare for the next 5 days. Right now on the trail we have logged 274.9 miles. When you add the approach trail that puts us at 283.7 miles actually hiked, not including trips down to water sources. We have durable, flexible plastic bags by Sawyer to capture water to drink. After the bag is full you screw on the Sawyer water filter and squeeze the water through it into your clean container for drinking and cooking. Sometimes you might have to walk an extra .3 miles one way to get water. You drink a whole lot more water when you¢re hiking up hills than when you¢re sitting at a desk!  Over the next 5 days we want to cover 94 miles to reach our next resupply point at a hostel called Greasy Creek Friendly. Over that mileage our uphills will average 260 feet per mile while the average downhill per mile will be 230 feet. Until we hike it we don¢t know if it will be rocky or relatively smoother; though there are always plenty of roots looking to grab you. Brian still has yet to take a complete fall. Me not so much. I made 6 days in a row, then took 1 spill on 2 consecutive days. Tomorrow I will be looking to continue a new tripping-free record at 2 consecutive days.The hostel where we¢ve spent the last 2 nights was built in 1840. We¢re told that it is the only building in town left standing that predates the Civil War. The owner, Elmer Hall thru hiked the AT 44 years ago and spent a night here on that trek. Two years later the building owners asked him if he would like to buy the house; he did, and he¢s now operated it for the last 42 years. Today he is 85 years old.This house seems to be a hidden gem. He has several rooms but is pretty selective about who he lets stay here. At 85 he doesn¢t use a cell phone, only a land line. And when you call and he answers he has a battery of questions that you have to pass to get in. He wants to know that you have had a covid vaccine. You must have an Appalachian Trail name, and you must be a thru hiker. Though he has about 8 rooms available he seems to limit his occupancy to about 4 or 5 hikers. The place is quite pleasant. Because of all of the trees you can¢t really get a good picture of the exterior, but I¢ve attached a picture of my bedroom. It has a very convenient working desk, 2 comfortable wingback chairs, a full sized bed and a twin bed. Brian¢s room is similar. All for the price of $30 a night.
Date: 2022-05-17
From: Hot Springs, North Carolina

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

I sprained or strained my left knee this day. We intended to go further than we did. When you leave Hot Springs, you cross the bridge over the French Broad River, hike parallel to it for 800 yards of so and then go up a steep uphill for what seems like a long time. Unfortunately something appears to be amiss with my photos of that day so I can't post the pictures at the top of the mountain looking down.
Date: 2022-05-18
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: scattered clouds

This was one of the most difficult days for me as I wrenched my left knee stepping down on a large rock pretty severely. Brian and I had originally planned to go 22.5 miles this day as we have gotten in pretty good hiking shape. The terrain going over Big Butt Mountain was treacherous and difficult. After that knee issue I knew that I was going to have to have it get evaluated by someone in the medical profession. The views were stunning, the weather beautiful, the knee bad.
Date: 2022-05-19
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Sam's Gap
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Thursday, May 19thWe had a pretty easy hike this day. From Flint Mountain Shelter to Sam¢s Gap was only 11.2 miles. The intent was to end up at Nature¢s Inn Hostel where I could get a shuttle driver to take me to Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina to get my left knee evaluated. There wasn¢t a single stretch of rocky terrain where you were constantly either taking high steps up or long steps down on rocks, so my knee didn¢t rebel. Nature¢s Inn is probably 4 or 5 miles off of the trail. At Sam¢s Gap you¢re on a state highway, you call the hostel and they pick you up pretty promptly. It was (is) a very nice place. Brian and I had a 2 bed cabin right next to a loudly babbling stream with a screened in porch, plenty of electrical outlets, and their shower and laundry facilities were top notch.My shuttle driver picked me up Friday morning at 5:30 am and had me dropped off at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina at 6 am. They took my vitals, manipulated my knee, and took 3 or 4 x-rays of it. The nurse taking my vitals said something like ¢I can tell you have always been an athlete because your heart rate and blood pressure is so low.¢ Fortunately their readings didn¢t mean that I was close to death. Their analysis of my knee was what I hoped to hear. No damage was shown on the x-rays and their diagnosis was 2 days of rest, ice packs, usage of a knee brace, and Vitamin I (ibuprofen). They suggested that I would have knee discomfort throughout the hike but that there was no reason to stop.I¢m looking forward to resuming the hike with Brian Sunday morning. Going home this early would have seemed like failure to me. Not only that but I believe that Beth and Terry (Brian¢s wife) encouraged him to go under the theory that I, being a complete novice hiker probably needed him to educate me at the beginning. If that was their theory, they were absolutely correct. Brian also is using the hike to raise funds for his and Terry¢s missionary work in Guatemala. Anyone who wishes to contribute a penny a mile ($22 for the whole hike) could message me and I will gladly get his detail posted on a future update.I seem to have had some good pictures get deleted on my cell phone, but there are 2 new photos attached today. One is actually a plaque just south of Hot Springs, North Carolina and the other a picture taken this past Wednesday. Lots of pretty views on the trail, you just have to work hard to get them.
Date: 2022-05-22
From: Sam's Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: broken clouds

Sunday, May 22ndSunday morning started out as a beautiful day. My shuttle driver, Nate picked me up at the Asheville, NC Econolodge and dropped me off at Sam¢s Gap where Brian and I began our hike.As what seems to be per usual, we immediately began an uphill trek. At 8:40 am. About noon we reached the summit of Little Bald with a beautiful view of the surrounding country in every direction. We ate lunch there and visited with a married couple, Pyro and Chef who we had been seeing off and on. That day was their one year anniversary. They were celebrating by slack-packing. They are a very nice couple from Michigan and attached you can see a picture of them. They also took a picture of Brian and I at the same spot, also hopefully attached! Our intent for that day was to go 15.6 miles. Unfortunately the weather had other plans for us and the forecasted ran began at 4:30 pm so we quit at Spivey Gap then just before the rain came. As it turned out, it rained all night. We can¢t complain about the weather; we really haven¢t had the normal amount of Appalachian Mountain rainfall thus far on our hike.
Date: 2022-05-23
From: Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, Tennessee
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Monday, May 23rdMonday morning it was still raining. It rained all day. As a matter of fact at 10:03 pm when I¢m writing this it¢s still raining, and the forecast for tomorrow calls for..., you guessed it, more rain! We won¢t complain. I¢ve concluded on this hike that the best attitude is one of acceptance and even temperment. If God didn¢t give us rain we wouldn¢t be here so rain is really a blessing. This was the first day in my 67 plus years on earth where I got to hike in rain all day. I did get a bit irritated though when I took a spill on a muddy spot.Due to the weather our intent today was to hike to Johnny¢s Hostel in Erwin, Tennessee and get a cabin for the night. That plan was foiled after we arrived when the owner told me that the cabins were all booked for the next 3 nights but that we could set up our tents if we chose to stay there. We didn¢t choose to stay there. A very nice shuttle driver by the name of Doug picked us up at the Freewill Baptist Church 400 yards up the road towards Erwin (I gathered that he wasn¢t fond of the proprietor). He drove us to the Super 8 in Erwin, and will pick us up at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.There wasn¢t hardly a soul on the trail outside of Brian and myself. At the road on Spivey Gap there was a van parked. On our hike north we met a young lady who was finishing her southbound thru hike that she started last year as well as the section hiker going south to his van. About 5 miles up the trail we saw a bear bag hanging, and about 1 mile before Erwin the young man who had camped there passed us while we were taking pictures of the Nolichucky River way below us. With a good dinner, a small resupply and a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee we headed back to our room, washed our clothes and repacked for another day¢s hike.
Date: 2022-05-25
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Roan Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We had intended to get to Carvers Gap today, but the last 4.2 miles was really difficult uphill. It took 3 hours to make it, and after yesterday's 20.3 we were on the tired side, not to mention that it was easily 5:45 when we got there. It was raining and windy the last 2 miles, and for just the second time on our hike we slept in a shelter. No setup of tents required. There were about 9 of us in the shelter, 2 section hikers and 7 thru hikers.
Date: 2022-05-26
From: Roan Mountain Shelter

To: Hwy 19E
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Gosh, we thought that yesterday was hard. Today was the hardest. It rained all day; it was really windy. When we hit the Roan Balds, which seemed to go on and uphill forever the wind was blowing a steady 40 mph. Because it was a bald that meant there were no trees. The wind was strong enough that you had to fight to not get blown off the trail. The rain changed to a mixture of rain and sleet. The temperature up high was about 45 degrees. The wind and precipitation were so strong that I could not see through my glasses. Since you wouldn't want me driving without my glasses on it was disappointing to walk without them on. Up there I actually took 2 spills, as the trail was basically just a muddy creek.Just before we got into the final long bald I saw that I finally had a cell signal and tried to get in to a hostel just off the highway. They were booked, but reluctantly gave me the phone number for Black Bear Resort about 25 miles up the road. When we were making that call 2 other hikers caught up to us, and they eagerly wanted rooms there as well. It did happen, and when we got to the highway and the shuttle van had just arrived we were sure pleased. My Kelty internal frame backpack proved to not be sewn together very well. My right load lifter strap had broken, and the left load lifter was about to break as well. Load lifters are important because they take the weight off of your shoulders and put it on your hips. The purchase was made on Amazon through a seller called Enwild in Pennsylvania. I called Enwild first, and they were sympathetic but said that they had to operate strictly according to Amazon's rules, which had a 30 day return privilege. The nice lady there told me to call Amazon and tell them that I had an A to Z claim (I had the backpack for about 60 days). Amazon agreed to take the pack back, Beth shipped me my external frame Kelty backpack to Damascus, Virginia where I am typing this. Black Bear shuttled me here, and Saturday morning they will come pick me up and drop me off where we quit on Thursday. They took Brian to that trailhead Friday morning; he will get to Black Bear (it's north on the trail, the direction that we're hiking) and he will arrive there Saturday, then take a zero on Sunday. I will get there sometime late Sunday afternoon and we will resume hiking together on Monday. I hope that I don't have any more equipment issues. That and my knee have been quite enough!
Date: 2022-05-28
From: Hwy 19E

To: Stealth campsite 412
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

I didn't hike on Friday. I shuttled to Damascus, Virginia to pick up my Kelty external backpack. On Saturday morning I shuttled back to Hwy 19E to resume. At about 10 miles down the trail I caught up with Brian who had tented there the night before and was waiting for me. His back has been bothering him. Hopefully it will get better. The hike was straightforward. However my previous post about hiking the Roan Mountain Balds was incorrect. A fellow hiker who took a zero on Thursday heard on the weather that the wind up where we were on the balds for 2 or 3 miles was actually blowing about 60 mph with gusts up to 80 mph. That was our hardest hike thus far.
Date: 2022-05-29
From: Stealth campsite 412

To: Boots Off Hostel
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: fog

May 29thWe started at the 411 mile marker, and finished at 428.5, Boots Off Hostel (my 28th should have had a stop mark of 411). This hike had several really nice views. And at 422.8 we were the grateful recipients of trail magic from Johnny Graves and his family. We had real meat! A great ham sandwich, cookies, and for me 2 cans of Pepsi. It gave us full bellies before we had to begin a 3 mile uphill stretch with ascent of 1800 feet. That 3 miles had a beautiful waterfall and lots of scenery. Prior to that in the morning we got some really nice sunny views of the mountains. Pictures are attached.
Date: 2022-05-30
From: Boots Off Hostel

To: The Rabbit Hole Hostel
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

May 30thOn May 30th we went from the Boots Off Hostel to the Rabbit Hole Hostel in Shady Valley. Our intent was not to stay in hostels 2 days in a row, but Far Out, my online map of the AT mentioned in the comment section that the owner whose AT trail name was Rabbit took them to the town of Shady Valley to Burger King and Dollar General. It turned out when I called Rabbit that there was no Burger King in Shady Valley (probably population 400) but that there was a diner and a Dollar General. I made that phone call at 4:30 at the point where there was still about 5.5 miles to get to the pickup point.We hustled and got there by 6:20 pm, and the diner was open. We had the best double cheeseburgers cooked outside on a grill where you put your own sides on the burger yourself. It was a great meal. The hostel itself was satisfactory. Rabbit had an issue with the county where you couldn't take a shower until he had a septic tank installed for his showers. He had an outside sink complete with hot and cold water, and since we were the only 2 hikers there it was no different than taking a bath as there was no one who was going to watch you take an outdoor bath. His business was down significantly due to the shower issue. We paid him more than his fee because he worked hard to keep us satisfied and we like to see people be successful. He had thru hiked the trail 6 or 7 years earlier gooing from Maine to Georgia. In his former life he was a pastry chef in New York City. It's a long way from NYC to Shady Valley, Tennessee and just as far as a cultural difference.For the day we covered 20.6 miles.