morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-19
From: icewater spring shelter

To: cosby knob shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

and so it is that a bunch of people that i have met here and there have all merged paths, and now mine merges with thiers. i will call them the frat. its a bunch of 20 something guys. wild horse, an emaciated 6'3 20 year old with big blue eyes, wild blonde hair, and a boyish enthusasm for this trip. "mad-libber," a 20 year old jazz and funk fan and drummer from manhattan via upstate new york. libber is just hillarious. "nobody and allright" are two 24 year olds born and raised in NH, college in collorado, tall with dreds and trademark new england dry wit. sox fans. and the sensai, EZ does it, a retired guy, smokes like a chimeny, has hiked it 4 times. he has alot to say.and so this moderately big group decides to bust out 20 to get away from the enormous group at icewater springs. everybody is getting thier legs. its getting really fun. as i cruise through the early morning hours, about 7 miles in i see alright, perched on a rock outcropping. its a view. "yea, man, i couldnt pass this up, it what i am out here for." i look, and it is a view, big ridges angling into smaller ones below, wrinkles like an old man in the earth, so many contours, so much shadow. i sit down. it keeps sinking in. my eyes scan each inch from on top of the world. wow. its like a multi car accident. each guy that comes by, stops and finds a perch until we are all up there smoking and munching. its great, the enthusiasm of the new hikers rubs off on me, i am not sure if i would have enjoyed that view otherwise. and i would venture so far as to say my experience is rubbing off on them. i mean we are busting a 20 in style. right on.all day was ridgewalks, real rigewalks, where in many places if you were to jump off the trail you would surely be impailed. to both sides, sloping downward, just prancing on the crest all day, loving the smokies.joe flamingo and homeboy were at the shelter. and so the gang is officialy all here. good laughs around a fireless firepit. libber tries to kill a mouse with an enormous rock. laughter follows. as 9 o clock comes near, i scrawl in my journal by headlamp before my tired body drifts to sleep.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: cosby knob shelter

To: groundhog creek shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

april 20 is a significant date for some people. today i honored that significance.man, having a crew like this is fun. we hiked in large clumps together today, stopping to climb around some more outcroppings with terrific views. all of us were giddy. cheeseburgers. yes, at davenport gap it is said that there is a small country store, mountain mommas, that sells huge cheesburgers. its been 5 days for me. we are truckin.its getting to be the time where thru hiking is becoming a lifestyle, we are infusing this strange life with style. we had the 8 miles crushed by 11. and when we got to this fabled place, it was huge smiles, and yes, the burgers were huge. oh i can not describe the pure and utter bliss of mayonaise and grease running down the beard. french fries. coffee. smiles. laughs. ice cream.but who says the day is over? onward we hike, powered by cheeseburgers, under interstate 40, and then up another huge climb. we are out of the smokies. we honor the days significane once more, and since our shirts are so profounly foul and the day is so humid, a couple of us decide to make the hike shirtless. huffing and sweating up the hill half naked and glistening i spy some dayhikers coming the opposite direction. they give me plenty of room.   i give some big smiles and exclaim "i am loving life!" life style.a good night at the shelter, a good crew. pulled 17 miles and got a cheesburger. not a bad day at all. i am loving life.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: groundhog creek shelter

To: walnut mountain shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

it was a matter of math. 26 miles to hot springs and i wanted a real zero day there, two nights in a bed. and so i either do the 26 today or split that milage over two days. its time to be lazy.and so me and libber had a milling competition to see who would leave the shelter last this morning, chilling until 9.and then it was max patch. i tried hard not to let the guys know how much i was looking forward to it, since i wanted them to be surprised. but inside, i was giddy. max patch is bomb. it was a gorgeous day.max patch is a round 4000 foot mountain that used to be the site of some homestead somethingorother. they cut all the trees and vegitation off of the whole mountain top. usually, this is the kind of thing you grieve. but the trail maintainers have decided to keep it clean up there, it is rumored that they even mow the grassy summit. its this big round peak carpeted in green grass, 360 views of all mountains. and so i threw off my pack and spun with my arms out singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music" well, no i didnt. i just threw it down in the big circle of the crue and enjoyed. laughed. two hours we just sat up there, grinning. like i said, we are all easing right into the lifestyle. and so day hikers would come up and ask us dumb questions, and we would entertain them, but i felt a distinct bond with this smelly motley crue. looking around the circle, and then looking at our interviewers, i felt like something had changed, like only we could understand eachother. its a strange thing to be doing.we mozyed down the hill and spread out. i mean we understand that there are times, indeed most times, you want to hike alone. just process and absorb the day. with only 6 miles left i stopped and napped by a creek, scrawled in the journal, just enjoyed.and at the shelter most of the crue was present and we were going to get a game of poker going. for GORP (trail mix). fresh. ski bum has cruised in with us, hes a young guy who has a penchant for the politicaly incorect and raunchy. hes a bit of a space cadet, too. and today it turns out all he has had is sugar. so here he is in his sleeping bag like a mummy in the shelter (its not cold at all) and he just starts singing the theme songs to old nick at nite shows. whoa, guy. the poker was fun and i learned that one penut butter m and m is worth three pretzels and three pretzels is worth a small handful of rasins and penuts. nobody kept being skimpy on his calls, throwing in two penuts on a four pretzel raise. and so we would all moan at him, and hed give it up. ski bum was the first out, but he bought back in with a pack of sour skittles. that was a coveted pot which i won. three aces. in the end there really was no clear winner since we were all constantly eating. definitely got the food bag wieght down for tommorows push into hot springs. hot springs. the time has come today. hot springs is where dreams (of burgers and beer and coffee and milkshakes and biscuits and pie) come true.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: walnut mountain shelter

To: HOT SPRINGS THE LAND OF DREAMS
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

joe flamingo was leaving when i first cracked my eyes open, nobody close behind at quarter to seven. libber was out of the bag in a jiff just cramming stuff into his pack any which way. as a group, i cant say we are noted for our early starts. but with hot springs at the end of the line, its a whole nother story. the longer you spend on the trail hiking today is the more iodine flavored water you have to drink, the more cliff bars you have to eat. if you are out here in these mountains at noon, you will be choking down penut butter. and so the stakes are high, the sprint is on. ski bum and i were the last ones out at 745. man, we were flying at over three miles an hour, but we never caught anyone. holy god, no one is messing around today. 13 miles in four hours. coming down the long decent ski bum is whining, and i am right there with him. we can see the town, the mainstreet, and we just want to be there!then it comes true, the white blazes lead you right to main street where there are blazes on the telephone poles. and its like "is this a mirage?" its confusing, overwhelming, culture shock. not like hot springs is a big metropolis, its got one diner, one pub, one small supermarket, and a corner store. ski bum and i first think we should just get showers and think of what to do so we walk up the stairs to the sunnybank inn, aka elmer's. Sunnybank is a huge gorgeous victorian house with porches everywhere, 12 foot cielings, and creaky hardwood floors. it is a house from another time. elmer is nice enough to open it to hikers at 15 dollars a night. and so we walk in and it is dimly lit and quiet. ski bum says "dude, i feel like i am at grandmas or something, i dont want to stay here" and so we turn right around. we wander aimlessly until we are in front of the pub. some decisions make themselves.ahhhh, a good porter or three and a pizza calms me down. we see joe flamingo and decide to stay at elmers after all. libber is there, along with some other friendly faces. Elmer used to own a gourmet vegitarian resteraunt and cooks a fantastic dinner for 8 dollars. and then i see an old familiar face. it turns out that plank, who hiked with me in 99, is working at elmers as a carpenter. well then, it really feels like home now.spend the afternoon on the porch(es) in rocking chairs and porch swings, nursing beers and just looking out onto the town. ski bum and i brown bag a few brews to a little league game, and then dinner, with 18 of us, is better then i could have possibly imagined. elmer has a collection of old quirky hats, and many of us try some one while enjoying homemade bread, bean soup, greek salad, pasta, and chocolate cake. and a soothing mint tea. we play cards into the night. this is the best place.
Date: 2004-04-23
From: HOT SPRINGS THE LAND OF DREAMS

To: R and R
Miles today: 0.0

going nowhere today. gonna sit right here in this lovely town.the day started with a fantastic breakfast including granola, juice, amazing hearty pankakes, strawberries, apple butter... damn elmer, you treat us too well. five bucks.sat on the porch to digest and libber is uneasy. last night libber was banding out great jazz rythms on hand drums, playing the castelvania theme song on piano, wearing a van gogh type hat which transformed him to the "supreme lord chancellor" and he caught on to spades about as fast as anyone could. he obviously loved this place and wanted to lay over with joe and i. so i tried to twist around logic for him, but the bottom line was the bottom line, he was on a budget. man, that sucks. i have been there, watching other hikers eat well and relax while you have to hit the trail because of some weird irrelevant thing called money. libber took it like a champ, though. shouldered the pack and left. walked on. EZ and wild horse also left this morning, but only because they are nuts. they also stayed at some lame motel without half the pull. and so the crue begins to dissapate.flamingo was determined to leave his porch swing only in an event of real importance, like double cheesburgers at the smoky mountain diner. myself, i milled. in hot springs there were hikers everywhere. in the store, at the library, in the post office, in the outfitters, outside of the motel, in the laundrimat. i just hung out and soaked in such a strange and special scene.chef and ski bum were also somewhat determined to leave today, but they made it about a half a block an hour, laying on lawns, chatting, drinking a few beers. tough place to leave.it was a much mellower night at elmers, and so we went down to the pub where i ran into baltimore jack, a guy who has done the trail 11 times. a real bad habit. hes not hiking this year, but hes not far. its just in his blood. it was fun to listen to him talk so enthusiasticaly about so many "hot button" topics of the AT. seriously, yall would be shocked at how much gossip there is out here. a great relaxing day. i guess i should hike tomorrow or else i am moving into this town.
Date: 2004-04-24
From: R and R

To: little laurel shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

took my time meandering down mainstreet with a full pack, getting fuel, chatting, etc. and right before the trail crossed the river on a bridge out of town there were these second graders and thier grandma selling lemonade and cupcakes. 63 cents bought me two cupcakes and a lemonade. i sat on a bench with my pack on and soaked in hot springs one last time. a special town.by the time i hit the trail it was 1030. which was fine since i had told myself no more big 20 mile days. its too early and i could feel my body getting a bit creaky and achy. take it a bit easier.i hiked alone today, a sunny hot climb over the river out of town, looking back and seeing the little mountain paradise from a distance. theres the baseball field, and the pub.heard thunder in the distance but it never delivered.i hiked until 845. 20 miles. sheesh. i am a junkie or something. only two others at the shelter.
Date: 2004-04-25
From: little laurel shelter

To: flint mountain shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

There are two types of hiker funk: 1) the smell, 2) when the force is not with you. for the first time this trip, both applied today.seems i forgot to pack powdered milk, and so the day began with me choking down handfuls of dry granola. i did manage to leave town with a pound of hard candy, though. hmmmmm.... already a recipie for hiker destruction.it was a windy, overcast day. every step was heavy, my eyes stared blankly. this section of trail feels deep in the woods. there are small single gravestones scattered throughout a 30 mile section. the frat has disolved completely, i walk a day behind some, a day ahead of others. so i am reminded that i am alone in a strange and vast world, a wind coming across the ridge that is not quite biting, the temperature not quite cold. walking, walking, i peer at a gravestone. 1935-1994. i readjust that weight that i keep on my back for the majority of my waking hours, and walk on. a small climb, a small decent, my knees not quite hurting. the clouds broke for a spell and from a rocky ridge i could see down 3000 feet into the flatland farms of tenesee. but not far, it was remarkably hazy. a sea of edgeless blue fog.i got to the shelter at 3:30 and decided the day was done, i will try again tomorrow.but there was company at the shelter, i managed to chat and laugh into the evening with wooly and mountain dew ,two teenagers from lancaster pa, rick, a retired military gentleman, and hobbes, a middle aged man from iowa.its still the good life.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: flint mountain shelter

To: sam's gap
Miles today: 10.0

awoke sometime in the middle of the night hearing a good hard rain falling on the shelter roof. these shelters are quite the luxury! no wet tent to pack, a completely dry sleeping bag, a dry oasis to enjoy breakfast and look out at what looks to be the story of my day. these clouds are not moving. its our first rainy day.walking in the rain can be quite a pleasure. really. so long as you stay dry enough to stay warm and you have complete confidence that your pack will stay dry, you can enjoy the beauty of wet rhodedendron leaves, the sound of drops hitting the forest floor, and a whole new color palate. if you get hot, you take off your hood and you have a instant cold shower! lovely.heres how i do it. trash bags are KEY. no fancy schmancy gregory kind of stuff, just good old trash bags. line the pack with one, and pack your gear into that. line your sleeping bag and clothes stuff sacs with trash bags. the stuff that you wear during the day will get wet, keep the rest dry and change when you stop. then, the piece de resistance, take ANOTHER trash bag, put it over the packed pack, and make a long cut leaving just a bit connected at the bottom. pull the straps through the cut, don the pack with FOUR layers of rain protection! for ounces and pennies! water leaks through the pack cover, it wont get through the liner. even if it does, it wont get to the bag or the clothes. this gives me, a paranoid guy, complete confidence to romp and splash through the storm. as far as what i wear, i found from asking other hikers, that wearing just about any rain jacket your shirt will still get damp. thus, when getting a jacket look for light wieght. also be sure your shirt is synthetic and dries quickly. my rainpants, although a bit of a sauna, kept my shorts dry as a bone. and so it was i splashed through puddles, got my feet muddy, and enjoyed the new look of the day.after all that, though, i sold out. the trail walks right through erwin, but 25 miles south one can hitch in from sams gap. it wasnt so much the wet, it was my hiker funk and my lack of nutrition in my food bag that made me want to bail. also i am on vacation. and most importantly, miss janet is in erwin, the friendliest person on the trail.my thumb is out. going to see janet.
Date: 2004-04-28
From: erwin,tn

To: chillsville usa
Miles today: 0.0

a beautiful sunny warm tenesee mountain kind of day. a good day for hiking, sure, but a better day for getting my chill on. janet uderstands hikers so well that she provides the finest luxury for her hardened guests: jeans. ahhhhhh jeans. and cotton t shirts. today i represented alabama football. shes also got a few old bikes so i hopped on one and cruised all over town, it was like i was back in oly. smiles all day, some remenic'n with janet, a shake at the pharmacy, talkin red sox with party girl and chef. all good here.
Date: 2004-04-30
From: pine laden unaka mountain

To: clyde smith shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: moderate rain

I was soundly sleeping in my bag when i saw libber coming through the pines with a headlamp on. 5AM. somewhat commited to the notion of a 24 mile day (foreshadowing?) i napped until 6. at 6, still mostly dark, i shimmied out of the tarp, tossed the pad against the tree, and hopped hands and knees, still in the bag, over to the breakfast spot, everything in arms reach, starting another day. kellogs fruit harvest cereal and powdered milk. yum.to pull a big day, you really have to use every hour of daylight, so i hit the trail just shy of 7. the first landmark was the shelter at 2.2 miles. being at the top of a mountain one guesses those 2.2 will be downhill. but alas, to my sleepy surprise there was a short gruesome climb at 1.5. immediately when i arrived at the shelter, breathing hard, it began to rain. so i took a nap. mission 24 mile day aborted.i awoke and did some math. i am meeting my homeskillet the esteemed mr dillman in damascus on the evening of the 8th, so i have 10 hiking days to do 110 miles. whoa, horses. time to downshift. so i went back to sleep.(loud, obnoxious) "so you break camp at the asscrack of dawn only to come here and sleep?" i laugh heartily. "what up joe. how do you feel about 12?"and so we hiked through the foggy day, taking many long breaks, just laying around. a nice change of pace. halfway through our 2 hour lunch break a took out my pad and just layed on the ground, saying hello to the passers by. i could get used to this.our language has gone south. hiking with the frat tapped into a wellspring of profanity. CBiscuit, A mild-mannered middle aged section hiker on his second day out(who keeps an excellent trail journal) was full of questions for us. he is an astute student of this backpacking thing, but perhaps he mistook us for teachers. somehow everyone of our answers was indecent. "oh yea, its a "f***n great filter, that iodine tastes like sh**." "anyone found the f***n water?" "i gotta cook f***n dinner." "yea, man, wasnt that f***n gorgeous?"you can take a hiker out of the trash, but you cant take the trash out of the hiker.got to the shelter at 3:30 and layed around farting and swearing the afternoon away.
Date: 2004-05-01
From: clyde smith shelter

To: overmountain shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Another "easy" day on tap today, which afforded flamingo and i the luxury of milling around the shelter until 9:00. not doing anything of note, but that can be a real pleasure.people take this seriously, as well they should. "half moon" who has done the trail twice before, gets his pack packed by 7:15 and sort of storms out of the shelter swinging his arms and huffing. i mean hes flailing like a heavy-set shaved bald windmill, grunting. then he drops down and places his hands on top of a log and starts doing push-ups. push-ups. i am standing there smoking half asleep gazing at the scene like "whoa guy."it can be serious buisiness out here. it is an athletic challenge and you have got to make those miles to get to maine. youve got to take the day, hop out of that bag, and get huffin. most days.today we are on vacation. sort of.today is roan mountain, the biggest steepest climb this side of new hampshire, a formidible 2.5 mile 2500 foot climb. i love this stuff.the past three days i have been getting amped for roan. its a good challenge. amped. pumped. psyched. at about 10:30 i reach the base and look at the trail going straight up. i feel adrenaline like i used to before big basketball games. alright. here we go. gonna hike this mountain. woo hoo! then its sort of anticlimactic. i hike as slow as i possibly can, plodding for two straight hours, checking my heart rate, never stopping, plod plod plod. up up up up up up up up.....one step at a time i finaly reach the top, a fantastic pine forest, a chilly wind. foggy. its one of my favorite feelings in the world to finaly reach flat ground at a big sumit and pick up the pace, skip and sing, wipe sweat from the brow, feel proud, check out the scenery. the destination at 12 miles is overmountain shelter. its a huge converted red barn, looking out at a view that can be described with no word other that perfect. from the shelter platform, you gaze out at an expansive valley littered with rolling green patches. the clouds drift around the tops of the ridges, the ridge to the right going towards the big bald hump mountians. i cant describe it. the perfect peaceful appalachian view. magic, soothing, perfect. and how perfect to look at it from an old red barn.it is not ideal however to share this scene with 2, yes 2 boy scout troops. but it turns out they were well mannered and pitched thier tents away from the shelter. still though there is alot of youthful activity surrounding the four distance hikers at the shelter: spot, flamingo, Cbiscuit, and me. we have our four pads set up next to each other, our pots and stoves out, chatting with good spirit, laughing. its scenes like this that emphasise our camraderie. its probably wrong of me to say this, but i feel like we appreciate this view better than the human swirl that surrounds us. we live with these mountains, we live with eachother.