morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-03-21
From: N.C. 28

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

Joy, Bloody, and Nuffy left with Bushwhack and Bramble before me, Arwen and Heather. They want to be dropped off at the dam. That means they're skipping 1.8 miles of the trail. I'm sorry, but I'd rather just be dropped off where I got picked up. That's 1.8 miles of white blazes that I intend to hike. Heather and Arwen agreed, but hey...to each their own.    Just before the three of us left, as we sat in the room waiting for Mr. Hensley to return to bring us to the trail, we got a pleasant surprise. Sara, who we thought was about a week ahead of us, suddenly appeared at our hotel room door. I hadn't seen her since Day 3, and it was really good to see her again. Turns out she hurt her knee and took about 5 days off to recover. She's taking a zero today, but hopefully she'll catch up. It would be fun to hike with her again.    The 1.8 miles between where we got dropped off and Fontana Dam wasn't all that exciting. Just more ups and downs in the middle of a bunch of trees. Joy, Bloody and Nuffy...you didn't miss much. (Except 1.8 miles of the AT....but who's counting.)    The trail actually crosses right over Fontana Dam, the biggest dam east of the Mississippi. It was pretty cool to cross over this huge man-made structure after just hiking in the woods for 3 weeks. And without trees to either side, the mountains just surrounded you: in the distance to your left, and just beyond Fontana Lake to your right.    And then, we officially entered the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We had made it more than about 50% of aspiring thru-hikers.    Of course the first climb was bad. It always is when you get out of a town. But it wasn't as bad as getting out of the NOC. I'll forever compare climbs out of town to that day. The bigger challenge was dealing with the cold that set in as the night approached. It got COLD.    REALLY cold.    Going down to the stream to filter my water was almost funny. The cold mixed with the wind mixed with my hands getting wet...it was actually painful.    As I went to hang my foodbag just before heading to bed, we heard some distant high-pitched sort of yelping.    Coyotes.    Tomorrow we'll wake up and leave Mollies Ridge Shelter heading north. The second we hike past Mollies Ridge Shelter on the Appalachian Trail, we'll have less than 2,000 miles to go.
Date: 2004-03-22
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: few clouds

It was cold last night. It was the first night I woke up cold in my sleeping bag.    And it was cold in the morning. Arwen took a look at his little gadget and informed us of the temperature.    15.6 degrees.    We tried waiting a while, hoping that it would get warmer as the sun got higher in the sky. It didn't get much warmer. In fact, all day it didn't get higher than 32 degrees.    Some people woke up to find that the water in their water bottle had frozen solid. I had the foresight to put them in my sleeping bag with me last night, so I still have water in it's drinkable liquid form. I thought I had offered the idea out-loud last night, but apparently I have stupid ideas that people don't like to listen too. Eventually, the water started to freeze while I hiked. Like I said, it really didn't get higher than freezing all day.    It's not AS bad as it sounds. The hardest part was getting out of the sleeping bag and packing up your stuff. Cause you're freezing. Really freezing. Once you get moving, you're body warms up in about 10 minutes. Expect for your fingers and toes. Those took at least a half hour to thaw out.    The best part of the day was Rocky Top. Amazing INCREDIBLE view.    Had my first fall today. Wasn't too bad though; I was able to get up pretty quick. Just a really slippery root I stepped on. I'm just surprised in took me 22 days to have a fall.    Once again, the night was cold. I heated some water and poured it into my Nalgene container to put at the bottom of my sleeping bag. Kept my feet nice and toasty.    Heard those coyotes again.    The night sky was clear and beautiful, but it was too damn cold to do anything but just stay inside my bag.
Date: 2004-03-25
From: Newfound Gap

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

When I woke up this morning, I could feel every muscle in my body. I guess I'm just not used to sleeping on a mattress.    Breakfast was about ready when we woke up thanks to Jim and Karen. And the conversation was great too. It's not often you can have a civilized discussion with people about religion, especially first thing in the morning.    Today was mainly and errand day, as most zero days turn out to be. At the outfitter, they took our picture and hung it up. I love seeing the pictures at the outfitters in each town we go to. Just to see the people you've meet and see who they're with and when they were here and know they're still on the trail and smiling.    After lunch, I put $12 on the table in front of Jim for my meal. He handed me back $2 and kept the ten on the table. His way of saying, 'Lunch is on me, but I'll let you pay the tip since you insist.' Jim's a good guy.    Back at the house, I got in a great nap and woke up to a feast that the ladies had prepared. It was delicious. After a cold beer, I hit the sack. These two days have been wonderful.
Date: 2004-03-26
From: Newfound Gap

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

Another good breakfast and a ride to Newfound Gap later, we were back in the Smokies, ready to get them over with.    Papa Smurf & Flame were there offering Trail Magic. I couldn't believe how full I was from the past few days. I just took a banana and some cookies.    Packing 6 days worth of food is stupid.    My legs are really feeling the ups.   And my morale, for some reason is really low. Maybe the monotony is getting to me. And I just realized that the distance from Springer Mt. to Davenport Gap (where we exit the Smokies) is about the same distance as Davenport Gap to the Virginia border.   Sigh.   The positive side of today was a place called Charlie's Bunion. Great view.    Just another couple of days of this park left.
Date: 2004-03-27
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knobb Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Today was tough. Not physically. Mentally tough.   I mentioned that my morale was low yesterday, but today it was even worse. I don't know exactly what the problem is. It's just hard to think about everything we've gone through so far and realize how much more we have before it's over. As of tonight, we've completed 10% of the A.T.    I was slow going towards the end of the day. Arwen, Heather and Nuffy were already at the shelter when I arrived.   So was White Eagle.   Now, I'm sure he was probably safe, but I'm also really glad there were more people around. We first became concerned when he told us that his hacking cough wasn't due to his smoking, but due to the fact that he was a "seer" and it detected "bad medicine". He was also kind enough to share the secret of how to do heroin in prison.    Sitting there with my morale as low as it was made listening to White Eagle even harder. He talked and talked and talked some more. Just when I was about to slit my wrists with a lexan spoon, I hear a familiar voice coming around the corner.    "Hey, Hey, Hey!"   It was Honeypie.   There wasn't a more perfect person to cheer me up at that moment. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but Honeypie is one funny S.O.B. While the rest of us were watching what we said in front of White Eagle, Honeypie showed no concern.    "How old are you?" inquired White Eagle.   "28" answered Honeypie.   White Eagle, who was easily in his 40's, then replied, "Oh, so not much older than me."   And Honeypie says, "Hmmm, Pretty weathered, huh?"   The night ended with "Screaming Eagle" screeching out a few Indian chants before bed. And as we lay in our sleeping bags, he rocked slowly back and forth in front of the fire saying "Don't worry my friends; Me and the Lord'll watch over you tonight."
Date: 2004-03-28
From: Cosby Knobb Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

White Eagle hacked all night. And in between coughs he'd mumble strange words and phrases.    (cough, cough) "Evil".   (cough, cough) "Thief and liar."    None of us slept very well last night.   Today we finally said goodbye to the Great Smokies. We headed out of the park and on to Standing Bear Farm, a hostel run by a guy named Curtis and his girlfriend Maria. Very cool place. One cabin was the bunkhouse; another cabin had a washer and dryer; another cabin had kitchen equipment. And in the back, there was a privy and a couple of showers. Everything you need.    The section of trail after the Smokies and leading up to Standing Bear was beautiful. More beautiful than any stretch of trail we saw in the Smokies. We followed a river and descended the trail alongside a waterfall. Very beautiful.    Heather's Aunt & Uncle came to Standing bear and invited us to dinner. We were treated to an AYCE (All You Can Eat). Thank you Maxi & Jimmy!   I think there is bound to be a handful of moments that will immediately come to mind when I hear the words "Appalachian Trail" in the future. Back at Standing Bear with full stomachs, I found myself in one of those moments. Sitting under a clear sky of a million stars, we listened to Takoma Tedd playing over the sound of a bubbling brook behind us and the crackling of the campfire before us. He sang, "And though you may not always win the purse, it's better to travel well than come in first."    I closed my eyes and relished the moment, realizing how blessed I am to be here right now.
Date: 2004-03-29
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Max Patch Rd.
Miles today: 12.8

We left most of our stuff at Standing Bear Farm. Heather's aunt and uncle planned to go pick up anything we left behind and bring it to us further down the trail that day. That's right; Slackpacking. I have no problem with that. Besides....my pack was still on my back. Even if it was close to empty.    I was glad to not have much pack weight as we climbed Snowbird Mountain. It would have been tough with or without a pack. I've realized that this trail is never going to get easier. It's a rude awakening.    On the bright side, the weather was nice, and the view on top of Snowbird Mountain was beautiful. Nice bald spot on the top that offered a great view of the mountains to our right.    I tented with Arwen & Heather, Nuffy, and Skyline and Sundance (whom we had the pleasure of meeting just a couple days ago). Before coming to the trail, Skyline was the personal assistant to the governor of Ohio. It was interesting to talk with him. Did you know there's a plane called the C5 that can carry the entire presidential motorcade?    See? I'm learning so much out here.
Date: 2004-03-31
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

That's right. A Zero Day.    Hot Springs is a great little town. One street, which doubles as the AT. A great place for breakfast, where ordering the skillet made for alot more than I could finish.    I may have mentioned this in a previous entry, but I'll mention it again. Showers are great. And laundry. Whoever came up with the idea of cleaning your clothing and your body was a genius.    Had a good nap.    Watched Bruce Almighty. I now know what I want to do when I'm done with the trail. I want to be God. How's that for ambitious aspirations?    And I bought my summer bag today. Found a good deal at the local outfitter. Instead of sweatin' my ass off in a 15 degree bag this summer, I'll be using a 45 degree bag. And it weighs about a pound and a half less than my winter bag. AND it was only $69. AND they're going to mail it ahead to me. What a deal.
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Allen Gap
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

I hate leaving town. It's not an easy thing to do. There you are staring at the bed you slept in just across from the bathroom with a toilet that flushes and a hot shower...and you actually have to try and motivate yourself to pack up your stuff and head back into the woods and mountains.    It seems like every aspect of this trail is challenging.    The first mile out of town was a really nice walk. The trail followed the French Broad River for a while before taking that inevitable out-of-town uphill. Those suck.    We were surprised how quickly we finished the first 5 miles though. When we stopped for lunch, we were stripped off our packs and wiped the sweat from our brows. It didn't take to long before out overheated bodies started to cool down...and then start to REALLY cool down...and then just become damn cold. Looking at Arwen's thermometer, we discovered it was only 35 degrees out. Time to start walking again.    All day ice was falling from the trees and onto us. Even though it wasn't raining, I had to put on my Precip to prevent being soaked.    When we got to the shelter, Xena, Bloody Cactus and Nuffy were already in their sleeping bags warming up some hot chocolate. Nuffy's lips were actually blue. The shelter soon became crowded, as no one wanted to set up tent in the snow that was surrounding the shelter. Arwen, Heather and I decided to move on. We had to be at the road crossing to meet up with Arwen's father and uncle tomorrow anyway, so we might as well get closer to it now instead of doing it in the morning. Besides, the road was at a lower elevation and that meant less snow on the ground and warmer temperatures.    Tomorrow, we'll be picked up for another zero day to spend time with Arwen's family, and then they might be slackpacking us for a day.    Now, I know that it seems like I'm just taking another day off, and that this whole slackpacking thing might sound like cheating to some. Think what you like. I didn't come down here with any plans on this being easy. Before I came down here, I figured I'd be lugging my entire packweight the entire way, sleeping outdoors 99% of the nights. One lesson I have definitely learned out here: When opportunity knocks, answer.    Answer the door and shake it's hand firmly and make it your friend quickly. Opportunity is a really good thing.
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Devil Fork Gap

To: Devil Fork Gap
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday kicked our asses. Without a doubt. So we decided that there would be nothing wrong with another zero day. Sasha was limping, and we figured it would be bad for a limping dog to get right back on the trail. Besides, it'll be good for morale after a torturous day.    So that's another in Asheville for us. We had Japanese for lunch, and for supper we made pizzas. It was another good zero day. I think most zero days are going to be "good."    We got a e-mail from Xena & Bloody Cactus today. They didn't like the snow either. "We're getting the hell out of Dodge," they wrote. Taking a Greyhound up to Waynesboro, VA and hiking south until they get to where they left off. It's going to be a while before we see them again.    Joy's parents....eh hem...excuse me. I mean, Xena's parents were kind enough to invite us to Easter dinner. They even offered to drive down hours out of their way to pick us up and would bring us back after the weekend. Unbelievably kind, and yet we had to decline. It would have meant 4 more zero days. Don't get me wrong...i love zero days. But i guess you have to hike every once in a while if you want to make it to Maine.
Date: 2004-04-05
From: Devil Fork Gap

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: clear sky

Sasha seemed better this morning, but Arwen & Heather (being the responsible parents they are) brought her to the vet anyway. After an "all clear" from a professional, it was time to get back to the trail. Betty & Bud (relatives of Arwen) gave us a ride back to the trail. We were getting a late start, but we only had to hike 6 miles to the shelter. No big deal.   Almost right away we saw Floura & Fauna sitting on a hillside having lunch. Two sisters from Kansas that I had only met briefly when I ran into Sarah at the outfitter in Hot Springs 3 days ago. We stopped to chat for a little while. After all, we only had 6 miles to do today.    Okay, now let me tell you something. NEVER say you "only have 6 miles to do today." It may not sound like a lot when you've been getting used to 12-14 mile days, but 6 miles is still 6 miles. Uphill is still uphill. By thinking "I only have 6 miles to do," I fooled my mind into thinking I had an easy day. Big Mistake. It was not an easy day.    It got cold again tonight. I hate cold.   Today was the first day I used gaiters. Heather bought a new pair and gave me her old ones. (Isn't she a sweetheart?) It was nice to not stop even once to take rocks or sticks out of my boots. Thanks Heather.
Date: 2004-04-06
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 10.0

The rest of my crew was still in their sleeping bags when I took off this morning. It felt good to start hiking by myself without being tempted to catch up with anyone.    I took a nice long lunch break where I took my boots off and let my feet air out. Before heading out, I put on a dry, clean pair of socks. Ahh. Simple pleasures.    A little while later, I stopped by a little stream to filter some water. I soon heard someone coming up the trail. It was Bramble. He got on at the road crossing a ways back and had not seen anyone else all day. They must've all been really comfortable in those sleeping bags.    I caught up with Bramble on top of Big Bald. It was the first 360 degree view I'd had and it was amazing. We snapped a few pictures and headed to the shelter for the night.    Today I didn't even have to use my A.K. I have to say it was a good day.
Date: 2004-04-07
From: Bald Mt. Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Town lies at the end of the day. Not just any town. Erwin, Tennessee.    What's so special about Erwin you ask? Well, let me tell you. There are only 2 or 3 places that I have been convinced are "must-stays" along the trail. Miss Janet's House is one of them. And yes, Miss Janet's House is in Erwin, TN.    Of course, almost everyone on the trail knows about Miss Janet's House. Everyone I've talked to has said they were going to try and get a spot there. And word has it, it's already full from people who just can't seem to leave.    I will be staying at Miss Janet's House. Mark my words.    Last night, Mountain Man and I decided that we didn't want to rely on chance. Seems funny to think that there is actually strategy out here, but funny or not, it's true. Our strategy was to wake up around 1:00 in the morning and start hiking til we got to Erwin. That should make us the first two people into Erwin today. If there are any spots open at Miss Janet's, we would get them.    We were on the trail by 2:00 AM and hiked all night and into the morning, clearing all the cobwebs for the rest of the hikers that would be passing through later in the day. We must have been able to see Erwin for at least 2 miles before actually being at the bridge on the outskirts of town. We got off the trail at 9:30 AM and started walking into town. It took close to an hour before we got a hitch.    As we walked up to the front porch, Sarah walked out. What in the hell?? I thought she was behind me?? Turns out she is behind me, but hitched in from that road crossing yesterday. She and a couple others are being shuttled back to that spot by Miss Janet today and hiking to here. At the end of the day, we would finally be at the same spot on the trail.    Mountain Man and I did indeed get spots at Miss Janet's House. After us, there was only one or two more beds available. We're friggin' genius's.    As much as I should have, I did not take a nap all day. We all went out to dinner at a bad Italian buffet. I don't even know why I bother with Italian food. It's never EVER going to meet up to my standards having been spoiled by my mother and grandmother with homemade pasta my entire life. But it was nice to have practically every hiker in town in the same restaurant while Takoma Tedd played for us over dinner.    I may not have gotten much sleep, but it ended up being one of my best sleeps yet.
Date: 2004-04-08
From: Erwin, TN

To: Iron Mt. Gap
Miles today: 19.0

When I saw Sarah yesterday, she informed me that a guy she knew named Seiko had offered to slackpack her for a few days. He would pick up our stuff at Miss Janet's and pick us up 19 miles down the trail and bring us back to his place.    Knock, knock.    Why hello there Opportunity. Come right in.    I had a hard time today though, even without excessive pack weight. I think I was dehydrated. I won't be drinking anymore beers in towns unless I know that the next day is going to be a zero day. I downed about a liter of water in the first few miles and Sarah let me use her Polar Pure to purify another liter since I didn't bother bringing my filter. It's amazing what a little water can do for you. I was feeling about 100% better in less than an hour.    I was also having some issues with my feet today. Lots of irritation on my heels and a couple of hot spots underneath. I stopped and chatted with Uncle Ben while applying a few blister pads and some duct tape. I also put my liners on. I know that they were the cause of my first blister a couple weeks ago, but I'm willing to give them another shot.    We kept coming across the AT symbol along the trail today, made from sticks, rocks or just drawn in the dirt. This is Bramble's trademark. He also likes to shout as loud as he can anytime he gets to the top of a mountain. So when we hear him in the distance, we know it can't be much further.    Seiko picked us up and brought us into Hampton where his place shared the same building as the hostel we were staying at. He just happens to have over 38,000 miles on the AT including something like 13 successful thru-hikes, more than anyone else as far as anyone knows. But he would much rather be known for his cooking. And DAMN what a good cook he was. He invited us down for dinner and we had meat and bread and salad and his own sauces and dips. And the cheesecake was to die for. He was also kind enough to give me my first night at the hostel free since I was a guest of Sarah's and Sarah and Bramble are now friends of his having met him on the trail and hiked with him for a few days. It was another amazing night.