morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-20
From: Wayah Bald Shelter 

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

.Day 14Guess what? I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. Shocking, I know. But I did, and it was a beautiful morning. In the shelter was Cashmiere (formally Joe) and Saguaro. Cashmiere never head me come in, and Saguaro only saw my light briefly. So I think I made a successful insertion into the shelter at 11 pm.The hike today was pretty nice because the sky was clear and the temp in the 60's. Except in the high altitudes where there was still plenty of snow. Its still cool there. The only problem today was I was very tired and after a while my knees decided to give up the fight. It was a very long, arduous, and slow trudge down to Tellico Gap. Once down I set in the sun and took off my gaiters, shoes and socks and pulled an IcyHot medicated knee sleeve over each knee. That allowed me to get up to the tower on Wesser Bald. Absolutely breathtaking 360 degree views. No wind and full sun. You could see Clingmans Dome in the Smokies. I took a few pics and shot a video for Trish and the kids. Pokey, Rehab and Gumby came up while I was there and we sat and enjoyed the sun. There was also a nice couple dayhiking who I gave my non business card to. Maybe they'll read my journal.Tonight in the shelter is cashmiere, saguaro, swift, slackimous, brisket and me. Dr hero and another Guy are tenting. Tomorrow I'll hike down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center and drink a beer while I watch the kayakers play. At some point Naked Ape will show up to whisk me off to domesticated paradise. I haven't decided whether to just stay one night or take a zero if they let me. There is snow in the forecast so a zero is looking good.Sleeping is still bothersome with this light ground pad. I may have to break down and buy a thermorest inflatable mat. I am hoping my body will adapt soon to save that expense. Well time to put this toy away and do some camp chores.Good night and sweet dreams to everyone out there not living the IcyHot and incredible Wesser Bald view dream.
Date: 2010-03-21
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

.Day 15Today has been a good day. It started with waking up after a good nights sleep that wasn't cold at all and its ending in a nice comfortable bed after a delicious meal with the awesome Naked Ape family. I am stuffed full of good food (including homemade oatmeal cookies) and great company. Jason's (naked ape) wife is a saint not to mind him dragging home something he found on the trail.   She is sweet and accommodating and their children are a joy to be around. If they all get any nicer they are going to have a heck of a time trying to get me to leave.I had a really pleasant moment around 3 am this morning. No, not that kind of pleasant. I woke up like I often do during the night, but I never know how long I slept. It could have been 2 hours or 2 minutes, the only way I know is turn turn on the Droid and check its time. So I did, it wad 3 am so more like 2 or 3 hours since the last wake-up. Then I checked Facebook, since the Droid was awake, and found that Trish had posted about 10 pictures of Jason going about the house in a pair of my underwear lpulled up to his chest. That crazy little munchkin, ya just gotta love him. So that was nice.The hike down from the shelter wasn't to bad but snce it was a lot of downhill it worked on my knees. I'll be taking a zero day tomorrow to rest them and to wait out the weather ( rain and possibly snow). I arrived at the NOC a little after 11am and immediately got a soda and a chocolate bar. A little later I had a huge cheeseburger and fries and 2 scoops of ice cream with chocolate syrup and finished it all off with a slice of pizza. I also picked up the 2 new batteries I ordered for the Droid that I had shipped to the outfitters there. So if you think I am posting online to much now, hold on to your gate because I gots lots more juice now .At the NOC are a lot of the hikers I have been meeting recently. Also here is a hiker who's journal I was following before I started my hike. His name us Lil Budha and he is a hiking machine. Last year he hiked the Pacification Crest Trail and this year he us hiking the Eastern Continental Trail, which runs from Key West, Florida to some point way up in Canada. He's a great Guy and I'm glad I got to meet him if only briefly.OK its late and my eyes are crossing so I need to wind this up. I want to again thank Naked Ape and his family for all this great trail magic they have given me, as well as the magic he's given to the other hikers. When he came to pick me up he dropped off a case of beer, a case of orange soda and a bag of oranges at the bunkhouse where the thruhikers are staying.Good night and sweet dreams to all of you out there not living the trail magic dream.
Date: 2010-03-22
From: Sylva

To: Sylva
Miles today: 0.0

Day 16Today has been a day of rest and recuperation and growing fatter. Tracee, naked apes wife, and the ape prepaed another great dinner. I took an afternoon nap and I wrote in the 6 journals project journal. I also went to walmart where they sell mountain house food. Chilli Mac and the spaghetti dinners were $4.88. So I bought all the food I need to get from the NOC Thru the smokies. With the microspikes creekdancer sent me for use in the smokies my pack is stuffed to the gills. Complete with food and water my total pack weight is: 7.5 pounds in the Ribs front pack and 27.5 pounds for the regular pack. 35 pounds total. Ouch I don't know how the phone service is in the smokies or how much snow there will be, which will effect my speed, but I hope with the two new batterries that I will still get to post every night for how ecru long it takes me to get thru. In 3 days I ill be at Fontana Dam and then ill decision more about what I plan to do. Not a lit of good info right now on how bad the conditions in the smokies is. Just lots of rumors of deep drifts, frost bite and losing the trail. I can't believe it us still that bad, but we will see what we will see when we get there.I called home tonight but Trish and Savannah were out grocery shopping and Brianna wasn't much interested in talking. I could hear Jason in the background so that was nice. I don't know if Brianna told anyone I called, but no one called me back. Ill try again tomorrow night if that 6 mile 3000' climb with a heavy pack doesn't kill me.One more thing before I roll over and go to sleep.   I just want to remind anyone still reading this journal that I am hiking in support of VICTORY JUNCTION CAMP. If you can, please donate a few dollars to this very awesome place. Help send a kid with special health care needs to summer camp. Its an awesome feeling to see these kids doing things they never thought would be possible for them. There is a link on the left side of this page and one of my early entries tells more about how to donate. Every penny goes to the camp, k do not get or want any of it. Thank youGood night and sweet dreams to everyone out there not living the zeroing in a comfortable bed while raising money for charity dream.
Date: 2010-03-24
From: Sassafras Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: few clouds

Day 18I have been assimilated by the Qtip/Trinket hiking machine. Prepare the the raspberry parade because I have slowed down even more. I like this type of hiking - hike for 3 miles or to a great view (whichever comes first) and then stop and take an hour break. Take your time and build a fire every night. This is my kind of AT hiking.The views today have been awesome. You could see the entire smokey mountain ridge line all the way to Klingsman Dome from Cheoah Bald and from Stecoah Gap even more could be seen. The weather was gorgeous. Only a few killer climbs. So its been a good day.In the shelter tonight is Frankie the Sleeper, Qtip, Trinket, Cotton, Red Hat (Queen of the Bold Beautiful Babes of Brennen), Boots and El Toro cooked dinner but moved on to camp later.So it looks like we will take two days to do the 13 miles to Fontana then zero at the lodge cabins building our selves up for the smokies. Looking forward both to Fontana and the Smokies. And toward refilling my supply of 650 calorie Iced Honey Buns. The three i had were awesome and didn't last very long. Another awesome food is precooked Bacon heated over the fire. OMG, its the closest thing to gourmet I am likely to find out here. Heavenly.OK the sun has gone down and so has the temps. Time to get into the sleeping bag and read for a while. Also, in case you haven't noticed, you can see pictures from my journey by clicking the "follow my journey here" link at the bottom of every entry. That will take you to a Google map showing some pics. More can be seen by clinking the link fir the full album from that page.Goodnight and Sweet dreams to all of you out there not living the slow down and enjoy the view Dream
Date: 2010-03-25
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: light rain

Day 19This pace is my pace. I know that soon I will have to start making big mile days, but for now this is the ticket. Other than the first few days of hiking I have been treating this as a mission to be completed. These past couple of days of low miles and great weather has felt more like an adventure to be relished.   Tomorrow is Fontana Dam and then we head into the Smokies. I'm glad that I looking forward to experiencing them rather than to just get past them.I am sitting next to the the dying coals of what had been a well burning fire. All 15 or so people at the shelter and camping area had stood around the fire. I love how the trail community can get together and discover how much each of us have in common no matter how different we may all be. Another good thing is that each shelter has had a register to sign. Its nice to know who has come through here in the last few days and what there plans are. That's one of the biggest conduits of the thruhiker pipeline. Its good to have it going again.Its 9:00 and most hikers have already turned in for the night. The fire still flares up from time so I'll thank I'll sit here with my feet up for a little while longer. At least until the remaining folk depart, or until the rain finally decides to make an appearance.   No signal tonight here, neither internet or phone. I'll send it tomorrow and try to call my wife. There should be service at Fontana Village tomorrow. Good night and sweet dreams to all of you out there not living the Real dream.
Date: 2010-03-26
From: Cable Gap Shelter 

To: Fontana Village
Miles today: 5.5

Day 19 Some days the AT is a real tough nut to take. This day was not one of them. Even though it was raining and I took my first fall it was still a great day of hiking that ended with a night in a cabin at the Fontana Lodge. Dijourno pizzas in the oven and a fire in the hearth. Who knew Paradise was made of such things.Today I hiked with ear buds in and listened to my mp3 player all the way to town. This was my first time hiking that way. It was raining with no views so it wasn't so bad to be isolated from my surroundings, but I wouldn't want to do it most days. Music really separates me from the trail and it sets my pace by the song that's playing rather than the condition of the trail. Maybe that's why I fell, or that and the muddy conditions on a long downhill. It wasn't much of a fall. My feet went out from under me going down a long sloping rock. I went down on butt and pack and slid down about 5' before my feet hit the trail again where I could stand up and continue walking. Now that I havehad the first, ifigure they will start coming much faster now .Since we have arrived at Fontana most of our time has been spent visiting with other hikers and chatting with the normal folk staying up at the lodge. Cotton and Qtip went to the general store to pick up the pizza and some fixings for breakfast as well as a few other necessities. Tomorrow night we plan to cook lasagna with a nice big salad and ice cream for dessert. Its nice having a full kitchen. Life is so hard on the trail. Tomorrow I plan to call Trish after Jasons riding lesson to get caught up. I miss not being there to watch the girls growing up (and to stop as much as possible). I hope someone is harrassing Ryan everytime he opens the refrigerator. We don't want him to get spoiled.Good night and sweet dreams to everyone out there not living the Fontana dream.
Date: 2010-03-27
From: Fontana Village

To: Fontana Village 
Miles today: 0.0

Day 21Fontana is great for zero days. A lot of thruhikers are here either from the lodge or from the Fontana shelter. This shelter is known as the Fontana Hilton because it has hot shelters and other amenities. I'll see it tomorrow and find out for myself.I got the opportunity to use my Skype Video Chat setup today. Trish was looking very happy to see me and the girls were just as nutty as usual. I am so proud of the both of them for the way they are stepping up to the responsibility placed on them. And Jason was looking very handsome even if he was a one boy wrecking crew. There was very little sign of the destressfull day he had last night ad he was on a mission to get a DVD down from above the computer. It was very amusing to watch him climbing over the camera and then watching lot s of arms reaching in while lots of DVDs came raining down around the camera lens . My persistent little man knew what he wsnted and wasnt taking no for an answer. It really put in perspective why I am thruhiking now rather than a few years from now. Poor Trish looked wrecked by the time Brianna finally got the movie going and the volume down to a quiet roar. After a few minutes Trish finally got recentered enough for us to finish our video chat. I couldn't get her to buy into testing the better part of video chat . Something about motel lobby computers and in my dreams. I'll keep trying, ya never know (Wink wink). After my great visit with my family, I returned to the cabin to find Cotton's mom had arrived with some groceries and Cotton had already made up some lasagna and had it in the oven. Ummm, smelled so good. And he had a salad made and ready to serve. Its good to eat like a King. Dessert was vanilla ice cream and chocolate fudge over home made Brownies. And of course we had a fire roaring in the fire place. Good fior me but some folk don't like to roast on a 60 degree night so I had to let the fire go out. I mentioned Cotton's mom eagluer. She has joined cotton to hike with him in the Smokies. So for the next week our merry little crew will fluctuate between 5 and 7 people. We have taken to calling her Momma Cotton. We'll see how long that lasts before she whacks one of us with a tree branch. El Torro will be leaving us tomorrow to hike the Brenton McKay trail back to Sprinter. HE completed a thruhike back in 94 and is doing it differently this time. I hope we see him at traildays, but he says he isn't into that big crowded party scene. .. (what do I see in that Guy? )Well tomorrow is the Smokies finally. The big boogie man. The thing everyone had been saying is so difficult this year. We'll see how my Pansy butt will handle it. What will be, will be. Ill either make it or I take a side trail and take the longer easier route. Either way a week from now ill be on the other side.So good night and sweet dreams to everyone not living the lasagna eating, video-chatting dream.
Date: 2010-03-28
From: Fontana Village 

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 22Whew, what a day. 11 miles through the rain to Mollies Ridge Shelter. This is my first Smokies shelter. Pretty nice after being wet and cold all day. No fire burning though. These kids arriving early need to think of their elders and warm the joint up. After dinner and getting all my stuff squared away many folks were already curled up in their bags and ready for sleep. So being cold and tired, we have no fire tonight. Mama Cotton has a pretty good size blister on her foot so we'll probably only do 5.5 miles to Spencer Field shelter. We'll definately have a fire tomorrow night. We'll need it to dry all of today's wet gear. The last 31 miles to this place may have been the longest 3.1 miles I have walked in a long time. A little downhill then uphilll forever. The trail was so slick with mud that I walked way off trail for quite a bit. It must have been then when I tore a big rip in my frogg Togg pants right behind my left calf. Gear surgery will require very liberal use of the Duct tape.Breakfast this morning was awesome. Perfectly fried Bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes. If Cotton keeps cooking like this the qtip/trinket hiking Borg will grow very round around the midsection.OK the is the 4th time I've fallen asleep while I have been typing this. I guess I should sign off.So good night and sweet dreams to everyone out there not living the Great Smokie Mountain National Park Dream.
Date: 2010-03-29
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shrlter
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: light rain

Day 23So far, the Smokies suck. Their only redeeming qualities are that they are full of thruhikers and that the shelters have fire places inside. Today's 20% chance of rain was 500% correct. Yes, it rainedagain today and although the trail is pretty gentle, its a river of mud. Even now it is so foggy you can't see anything past 50'. But the fire was roaring and the clothes were drying. In some ways a lot happens during the day, but they seem mundane when I funk about writing about them. Plus its cod out an its hard to write sunk down inside my sleeping bag. One rung thoughit is so easy to laugh out here. The trail community really is the best part of thruhikung. Sleeping is a pretty good thing too, and that's what I angling to do now.So good night and sweet dreams to all of you out there not living the cod and foggy Smokey mountain dream.
Date: 2010-03-30
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelte
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 24The Smokies are fantastic. What a diffence a little sun and a lot of views make. We woke this morning (those of us that don't wake up at the crack of dawn) to one of the most gorgeous spectacles nature has to offer - hoarfrost. Then it got magical when the sun came out. It started raining ice as the trees shed themselves of their winter coats. As far as you could see through the trees the air was alive with sparkling diamonds falling to the ground.It was also very cold, probably in the teens. So we were slow getting out of our bags, but we were on the trail by the crack of noon. Early on the views were sporadic as the sun fought the clouds, but by two oclov they had mostly blown away and the world was revieled to us. Mountains rolling away for as far as the eye could see. The trail was harder today than the last two days but it just feels much better when you are dry and the views are majestic.We had a tiny bit of snow today so I got to use the microspikes I've been carrying since the NOC. Thanks creek dancer for sending them to me. They work great in the snow and they are the shinizzel in the mud. I can't wear them much because on rock they make me look like a hippopotamus dancing on ice. I also want to thank Naked Ape for holding those for me until I got here and for "trading" with me for the thermorest inflatable mattress. I'm sleeping much better thanks to that.Speaking of sleeping, arriving at the shelter was one of those special moments for a thuhiker. As you approach the stone shelter you see a grassy hill in front of it with thruhikers scattered all over it stretched out in the sun. Its like walking into "Cheers" where everybody knows your name and there always glad you came. They already had a fire going so all I had to do was add to it. Apparently people have figured out I like big fires because they got busy increasing the stockpile. Have I said how much I love the shelters in the Smokies? Fireplaces inside, now that's good living.Well this fire should burn for another hour or two. Time enough to get into the bag and get warm before the cold night air invades. I have no signal again tonight so I couldn't call home. I really enjoyed the video chat last week and wanted to hear everyone's voices again. Maybe tomorrow.So good night and sweet dreams to everyone out there not living the sparkling ice shower Dream.
Date: 2010-03-31
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Clingmans Dome Dungeon
Miles today: 10.0

Day 25I'm a naughty boy. Five of us decided we wanted to see the sunset and sunrise from Clingman's Dome so we hiked up there after a dinner stop at Double Springs Shelter. That 2.9 miles may have been the toughest hike I've done. Steep and covered in snow with drifts 3-4 feet deep. Luckily I had the microspikes. Great tools but they don't stop the post holing nor do they make the uphills any less steep. We did finally make it up there and swift and Squash were there. The views were awesome all day long and they just kept getting better. The sunset was mesmerizing on a perfectly clear day. The wind was up and it was cold up there, so while 4 others set up on the tower, me, cotton and momma cotton set up in the dungeon underneath the ramp up to the tower. We told horror stories all night and barely slept LOL.The hike today wasn't that bad other than the climb up to the dome. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and the Smokies were breathtaking. And even better I found a spot next to a tree to get a signal and updated my journal. High times indeed. We are going into Gatlinburg tomorrow. The lights of that town litter the foot of the mountain like the coals of our fires when we spread them out at night. The Smokies a night are wild. There is a strip of dattrkness 8 miles wide and then either side is an ocean of light. I loved it. And the lights on the ground were mirrored in the sky above. So many stars. Not enough time to see them all.Well, I think I hear Bigfoot sneaking up on us from the dark, dank spooky end of the dungeon. Time to hide in my sleeping bag and hope he takes one of the others.Good night and sweet dreams to all of you out there not living the crystal clear clingmans dome sunset dream.
Date: 2010-04-02
From: Newfound Gap, Gatlinburg

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 27Zero day in gatlinburg started with lounging around in that very comfortable pillowtop bed. Then we packed up and moved to a cheaper motel. On the way there I here my name be shouted and find its Rick and David, the father and son section hikers we met at Spence Field shelter. They were great at helping to gather firewood that night. Good people.The rest of the day was spent in the Jacuzzi or walking the crazy streets of gburg.   Cotton found Holy Smoke walkungtge street and looking for a place to stay. They had been hiking partners for a long time and Smoke had been hiking hard to catch back up. They are taking a zero day tomorrow but I got to get out ofshis town. Qtip and trinket and the others only plan to go three miles to the first shelter. My time table is tighter than theirs so I need to pi k the pace and shoot for the second shelter at ten miles.So good night and sweet dreams to all of you not living the Gatllinburg Dream.