morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-31
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: NOC 
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: moderate rain

 I got us fairly early to the rain comming down on the tin roof of the shelter. It slowed down just as I put on my rain gear as usual. I headed out with Moose, but pulled ahead of his shortly there after. I made good time into the NOC. I think I was there by 9:30 or so. scholar had beaten me there, but was waiting there with her drop box that she had piced up with homemade brownies. she was nice enough to share a couple. She said she was headed to Fontana to rest. She had a bad migraine and jsut needed to chill out. I went into the outfitter there to check on the tent that I had ordered in Franklin. It was not there but my new buckles for my pack from Osprey were. the guy told me that the mail would run in an hour or so, si I went over to the Rivers End to grab some food with Moose, who had just shown up, and Domino, who had pushed in last night. The guy from the outfitter came over to eat and said that my tent was there. I finished my meal and headed over to grab it. The weather was calling for rain and the tent needed to be seam sealed before I used it so I knew that I would have to stay there atleast 3 more hours to get that done. We got a much needed shower at the Community center. As I got out of the shower, a bunch of inner city kids out on an at risk youth program bere throwing bottles into the woods. two of them got in a fight and busted a window out of the bunkhouse right next to the center. I ended up hanging out for too long and before I knew it, it was later in the afternoon. I met back up with G (the rapper) and we all went hunting for a cave that we heard was down the train tracks. We looked for and hour or so with no luck so we headed back to NOC to eat again. After we ate we walked up to the bunkhouse and community center where I laid out my tent and spent the next 2 hours seam sealing it. I was a little worried about leaving it due to the crazy hood rats running around, but it was ok. By this time it was late and we decided to stay the night. We spent the night at the Paddlers Pub, which was opening the next night. They had a band and some non alcoholic beer to celebrate their opening. After an hour of that I hit the bunkhouse for a nights rest, which was shortened by screaming idiot kids all night.
Date: 2005-04-01
From: NOC Shelter

To: Brown Fork Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: moderate rain

We were up early and out of NOC at 7:30. We had heard it was an awful climb out of there and we wanted to get a jump on it. I left moose early and high tailed it up and out of there at a good pace. I was at Sasafras shelter by 10:30. It rained on me for a while on the way up and it was so hazt that there was no way to enjoy any of the views on the way up. When I got to the shelter the wind was so cold bounding my wet body that i curled up in the corner of the shelter to cook a hot lunch. After I finished my lunch Domino and Moose showed up. So i stayed with them and ate a second lunch. after spending an hour and a half there I had to move on before I froze. I hiked with Domino for the rest of the day. We made good time to Stecoah gap and rested there for a few minutes. Just long enought for me to eat a snickers and a dry pack of ramen noodles. the climb out of the gap ended up being the worst that I had done yet. As a climbed the mountain against a 50 mile and hour cross wind I wondered out loud why no one had told me about this climb. It was much worse than the climb out of NOC. Domino and I were cursing every step on the way up. We finally hit the summit, shortly followed by Brown Fork Shelter. When we got there we found Runaway there alone. I think that she was happy to have company on such a nice night. Bear bait showed up, followed by Moose and charlie (a section hiker out on his first night) moosed tried to pull an April fools joke by having Charle tell us that they jsut hauled some hiker off in an ambulance, but charlie was a terrible liar so that was a flop. turbo joe showed up late without the rest of his friends. We all cooked dinner and hung our bear bags. Moose had a little trouble with his, because he throws like a girl. Then hit the sleeping bags. Before We went to sleep I told everyone that I wished it would cool off about 15 degrees because I was hot.
Date: 2005-04-02
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Inn
Miles today: 11.6

well I got my wish about it being colder. When we woke up this morning it was snowing. It was just flurries so we decided it was not going to stick, so we would wait it out. We stayed in our sleeping bags waiting for it to stop, but it kept on. afeter and hour or 2 we decided that we should head out. So domino and I got up and got ready. while we were getting ready charlie informed us that this was his first ever hike and that all he had tohike in was sandals. Even though we felt sorry for him there was nothing we could do except to tell him to stay in the shelter all day and not to hike in the snow. domino and I headed out of the shelter first to flying snow which had accumulated about 3 inches by now and was comming down fast. we had 13 miles to do into Fontana dam. After an hour or so the snow was piling up and the cross winds were gusting 50 miles an hour causing it to snow up. It was miserable hiking and it was just getting worse. the trail was not hard to find because of the underbrush sticking through the snow everywhere but on the trail. I was hesitant about even getting my camera out to take pictures, so when I did I was very careful. the trail was getting really slick and messy so every step was tedious. I had a few close calls and once i fell, but caught myself before I went all the way down. domino said he bit it and landed on his back but I was ahead and did not see it. We made it to cable gap after several hours of hiking. itwas so cold and we were wet so allI had time to eat was another pack of dry ramen noodles and moved on. By this time the snow drifts were up to my knees which made the steep unhills almost impossable. We made it right out of fontana when the snow turned to rain at the lower elevations. the rain was welcme after the hike we had just had. At the road crossing to Fontana we called the shuttle but they were not running for an hour and a half so we figured we could start down the road and catch a hitch, so off we headed. We walked at least 1/2 a mile or so without seeing a car. then we hear a car comming up behind us so out went our soggy thumbs. as our luck would have it the one car on the road that day was a Ferrari. good luck catching a ride in it. After that a couple other cars passed but we had made it an mile and a half up the road. We stopped to look at a map when a guy stopped and asked if we wanted a ride. We gladly accepted, and were pleased to learn that we had been walking a mile and a half the wrong direction. It turns out that the man who picked us up was a former senator from TN who also does work on the trail. He shuttle us around while we got signed into the fontana Inn and finally had a warm bed to sleep in after a miserable day. After a hot shower we went up to the buffet at the Inn and me up with a whole group of hikers. some of them had tried to head to the smokies today, but had been turned back by a ridge runner who told them that there were 4 foot drifts up there. AS we were eating who should show up but Moose, Bear bait and G. Bear bait and Moose joined domino and I in our room. What a relief to be indoors.
Date: 2005-04-03
From: Fontana Inn

To: Fontana Inn
Miles today: 1.4

Due to the weather we are going to take a zero day today here at Fontana Inn. We had thought about going to church this morning with Red Hat, but we did not get ready in time. We decided to hike a 1 mile section between the marina and the dam so tomorrow we could just leave from the dam when we were ready. So Domino, Moose, and I headed out to do that. while we were walking down the road waiting for a hitch we decided we were going to start a band. We can discuss it any further at this time. After we did that section we went down to the general store and bought hot dogs, bread and chili so we could make chili dogs for lunch. We were planning on just boiling the hot dogs but Bear Bait suggested that we get some sticks and cook them on the fireplace in the lobby of the lodge. We told a few people and they were all excited so we got more dogs and invited everyone. We all went to the lobby and Red hat showed up with more dogs and fixins. We had about 15 people or so there to eat. We went through 32 hot dogs in about 30 min. WE were cooking the chili in Moose's pot and it tipped over. I reached down to save it and burned my finger on the handle. That will leave a nice mark. g was there and we decided to eat the buffett again. Today we had veal Parmasean, it was decent. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out and relaxing.
Date: 2005-04-04
From: Fontana Inn

To: Mollie's Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We left out of fontana dam today headed into the smokies. We got the shuttle to the dam from the Inn. After they dropped us off and drove away Moose realized he had left his poles in the van. After an hour or so he called them and they came back to bring them to him. We crossed the dam and passed the sign that stated that we were entering the Great Smokey Mountains. It was exciting, it felt like we were entering a new era of our trip. Most of the snow down low had melted but there were still several patches at higher elevations. The trail was really muddy and made walking difficult in some spots. Most of the day was uphill as we reached the high elevation that the Smokies are renound for. We knew that the shelter would be full but we had to stay there due to the rules of the GSM's. When we got there we met up with several hikers we had not seen in a while and a few that we had never met. Hopeful Hiker was there, along with, Pheonix, Buttlrfly Moon, Double Healer, Tripp, Jake, turbo Joe, Red Hat, G, Rainman (section hiker), firestarter(his nephew) and several more. The shelter was big and had a fireplace inside so we built a fire to dry out all our wet shoes. G kept it going good all night. I have him to thank for dry shoes. I ate 2 dinners and wanted some hot chocolate. Moose said he had 2 bag of it and offered me a bag. I heated the water and stirred in the chocolate. It never got sweet no matter how much I put in, it just got thick. I commented that it was more like pudding, he laughed and said that was what it was. He had forgotten he had gotten pudding at the last resupply. So much for the hot chocolate. I gave up on it and went to bed.
Date: 2005-04-05
From: Mollie's Ridge Shelter

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

We got a good start to what we knew was going to be a long day. We had to summit Rocky Top which we knew would be hard. the trail was really muddy and wet as more of the snow melted. Some of the trails were 6 inches of running water so our feet were soaked. We got to rocky top and hung out up there with G, Scholar and double healer. It was a spectacular view or the smokies and of Fontana lake. We made it to Derrick Knob Shelter. There were several people already there but they were all going to tent there at the shelter so we had space in the shelter. There was a guy there called Preacher. He was from Gainesville FL, so I had to give him a hard time since I am a UK fan. Out of sympathy, since they beat us 2 of 3 games this year, his buddy gave me a Mountain house Mac and Cheese meal. Everyone sat around and talked for a while. Preacher was telling us stories from his thru-hike for and hour or so before we went to bed.
Date: 2005-04-06
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Clingman's Dome (Gatlinburg)
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We all got up and cooked breakfast then hit the trail. I was the first of Moose and our group to get out. I made great time and was at what was to be our ending point at Double Spring shelter. When I got there I met Skip and Trevor, father and son, who had hiked down from Clingmans Dome for the day. trevor was 14 and wants to thru-hike someday. I answered a few questions and took a couple pictures and they headed back up to the dome. I was not sure if I was going to move on or not but I decided that I would hike the 2.5 up to the dome see it in good weather and maybe hitch into gatlinburg and get a couple cheeseburgers, and hike back down later. So I started up. I was thinking to myself how cool it was for Skip to take trevor out to see parts of the trail. It is so cool for someone his age to want to do this. Skip said that Trevor had said that they should do it when Skip retired. I think Skip was apprehensive but how cool would that be! The climb to the highest point on the trail was not too bad. I got up there and it was like culture shock. There were so many people there that had driven up and were doing the short walk to the top. I got to the top and the wind about blew me off, so I hurried down to try and get a hitch. As I was walkinjg through the parking lot A guy stopped me and asked if I was a thru-hiker. I said I was and he asked to shake my hand. It was flattering to recieve that type of respect. He offered me a sandwich, at first I declined but was easily persuaded. He was there with a large group of his family members. They were all really nice. We had quite the question and answer session as I ate a ham sandwich. We took a few pictures. they said they would give me a ride but they were headed the other direction. I said that was ok, I was sure I could get a ride. I walked to the end of the parking lot and stuck out my thumb. About 20 cars drove by and waved but none stopped. I finally layed down on my pack with my finger in the air. A van stopped and gave me a ride. On the way down We got to Newfound Gap and I saw a whole crew of hikers. Domino was with them, so I told them just to drop me there. Doc Holiday took my place and I was still 13 miles from Gatlinburg now needing to hitch again. Domino and I hit the road and got a ride fairly quick. On the way into town, domino convinced me to split a hotel room with him, even though I did not need to be there til tomorrow to mee mom and everyone for the weekend. We got a room at the Grand Prix Motel. Captain chaos showed up and joined us in the room. We all cleaned up and hit the strip in town. We ran around taking pictures. Captain chaos challenged me to see how many people (mostly older people) I could get to to the shocka' in 5 min. We got about 15-20 people to give us the thumb and pinkie salute. We got a good laugh. We headed to the brewery there and drank a couple beers. We picked up a sixer and headed back to the motel.
Date: 2005-04-10
From: Newfound Gap

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Mom dropped us off this afternoon at Newfound Gap for our 3 mile trek into Icewater Springs shelter. We goofed off in the parking lot for a while and arranged our packs then headed off. The trail was crowded for the first half mile of so due to all the tourist at the easily accessable parking lot there. Mom had let me use her MP3 player so I got to hike to music for the first time. It was strange at first not to hear all the sounds around me, but it was a good pick me up on the uphills. The main problem with it is meeting people on the trail you feel obligated to say hi, so I have to pause it when I pass say hi then turn it back on. On a busy trail it is annoying. I moved on up and ran into blue light, and feelin' free on the side of the trail. Blue light was feeling sick so her husband, Boots, had gone ahead to drop his pack and come back to carry hers. We talked for a while and moved on. a guy on the trail close to the shelter told us about the Jumpoff, which is a great lookout on a blue blaze trail about .5 up from the shelter. So domino and I dropped our packs and headed up to catch the view. When we got up there, there was a man and his girlfriend (?) there with cheese and wine. They gave me a glass of wine and I sat down to take it all in. the view up there was amazing. t was over a thousand feet straight down. It was crazy. It was the first time I had actually paid attention to the birds. I had never seen a bird from above while it was flying. It is awesome how they just float over the mountains. I headed back to te shelter and there were more people there. There was a Ridge runner there who was goig to stay the night. Piker and Ms. Mileage were there, along with Cola, Blue light, boots, feelin free, and several more including some section hikers. I ate and watched and awesome sunset. Before it was even dark I was in my bag dead asleep.
Date: 2005-04-11
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

I was up all night because I was in bed so early last night. I woke up at like 4 and had to pee so bad. I delayed it as long as I could but was up with the sun. after breakfast we were leaving as some section hikers were cooking eggs and ham and all kinds of good stuff, the bastards did not even share. ha ha. We hiked alot of the day with ranger and Grunting bear, who showed up late at the last shelter and tented so I never really met them. The day was fairly uneventful other that the misting rain and dodging horse poop in the trail. (they are allowed in sections of the Smokies) We rolled into Tricorner sheler. It was a nice shelter with the water spring right in front of the shelter. Blue light and boots made it even thought she felt terrible. She spent the whole evening in bed. We ate and some of the hikers drank some Jim Beam that A-pos (section) had hiked up.
Date: 2005-04-12
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

After we left the shelter it rained most of the day. It was a boring hike and I was jsut excited about almost being out of the Smokies. We got into Davenport Gap shelter which is the last shelter in the GSM. I thought the shelter would be full but Feelin free was the only one there when I got there. Moose showed up later followed by Eagle eye.
Date: 2005-04-14
From: Brown Gap

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: clear sky

wow what a change. When I woke up, my stuff was still wet and muddy, but it was warm and the sun was shining. It was a new world from last night. We laid all out gear out to dry in the sun. I ate some grits while my stuff dried. We did not leave til around 12:30 this afternoon but our stuff is dry and we could not ask for a better day. It relieved me and reminded me why I am out here. I guess I will stick it out. the hike out of Brown gap was streight up the mountain. these people have no clue what a switchback is. We got up to Max patch but it was too windy and chilly tostay for long. tiny dancer and Hookie were on top in their sleeping bags. Moose and I decided to hike on to the other side of Max patch and eat lunch. We laid some stuff out to dry some more while we ate. the hike after lunch was great. The elevation was not bad and there was so much life. I saw all kinds of flowers, animals, and plants. I must have taken 30 pictures throught that area. It was such a nice day and we got such a late atart that we decide to hike into the evening and maybe do some night hiking til we found a good spot to camp. We wanted to make sure to get into Hot Springs at a decent time without killing ourselves. We had just left tiny dancer and Hookie and were planning on moving on when we came to walnut shelter. Cycle Hiker, boots, and Blue Light were there and had room for 2 more, plus it was only 12 or so out of town so we stayed. boots busted outa bag of marshmellows he had been carrying for 70 miles so we cooked those on the fire after dinner.
Date: 2005-04-15
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

We were up before the sun for the first time. It was awesome. I saw the sun rising over a mountain in front of me. As I climbed that mountain I felt as if I were chasing the sun. Just as I reached the summit, the sun rays shined in my face and it was as if I had walked into it. It was a great feeling, I felt as if I were on top of the world at that moment. I caught Moose, who had left before I did from the shelter. We hiked together for a few miles before we stopped so he could dry his sweaty shorts. We looked and we were 6.5 miles from hot springs. It was 9:20. I told Moose I was going to head on into town while he dried out, and I told him I would be there in 2 hours, so I took off. I passed feelin' free and andy shortly and didn't look back. I was up and down mountains with nothing but town and a zero day on my mind. I rolled into hot springs (it is the first and only town so far that the trail goes right through.) and went to the store and got some chips and a diet pepsi. I asked butterfly moon what time it was and it was 11:15, I had made it in less than 2 hours. It was like a hiker reunion in town. I saw hikers I had not seen in forever. It seemed like everyone was there. All the places to stay were booked up so we decide to crash in the floor of scholar, cuppa joe, break a leg, and linux's room. moose showed up a couple hours later so we walked around the quaint little town. We were comming out of elmers when we saw a car that looked like his dad's. He joking said "Is that my dad?" turns out it was. He had come to surprise him. He had 2 big boxes os brownies for us from some of the friends of the family. We introduced him to some of the other hikers, and he offered to take us to Newport to get a room and dinner. We had just eaten at the Smokey Mt. Diner there in town and were full, (thanks all you can eat pinto beans and cornbread), but we agreed. So we went to town, went to walmart to resupply, (better than Hot Springs prices, 3 bucks for tuna! and to the KFC buffett. He got us some beer and we hung out and told stories all night.
Date: 2005-04-16
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We we zeroed today in Hot Springs, NC. I have not been able to get all my journals put in yet but I thought I would put the last one in. Today was really lazy. We got permission to camp by the river in town so we set up camp there. We spent most of the day hanging out and sitting in the sun. Domino, Moose, and I decided we wanted to go fishing so we bought some hooks. We tied dental floss onto the end of hiking sticks and dug up some grubs. Domino and I had good luck. I think that he caught 6 and I caught 2. Poor Moose did not catch any. I made a couple phone calls and went to the pub where we watched a band. Later we sat around a camp fire, the three of us, touk, fireball, and a few others. We drank a few beers and called it a night. The tent slept well with the sound of the river rolling next to us all night. We will hit the trail on Sunday. Scholar, cuppa joe, and a few others are planning to hang out at a pond about 5 miles up the trail so I guess we will do that Sunday afternoon.