morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-03
From: Brown Gap

To: Garenflo Gap
Miles today: 16.7

Last night was very warm, I slept with my sleeping bag zipped open all night and was still hot, but if I took it completely off and just slept with my liner I was cold. It was tricky business to figure out and I woke up pretty sweaty the next morning. The temperature early in the morning was still in the sixties in my tent and I knew it would be another warm day but I was pleasantly surprised. The clouds had rolled in last night and todays temperature stayed comfortably in the seventies with a slight breeze in all the right places it seemed. We had camped three and a half miles to Max Patch and although it seemed like a killer climb to start out with, it was so worth it! Max Patch was beautiful and I think so far it is Kelly's favorite place on the AT. That silly dog started rolling with her pack on in the grass so I took it off to let her play for a bit. She found the only stick on top of the bald and took to tossing it and running around with it, and when she would get bored of that she would roll, and roll, and roll some more in the grass. It was a great time!Quarter Pounder and I had started hiking this morning together and he had lost me on the climb, but I caught back to him on Max Patch and we ended up hiking together on and off throughout the day. It had been another long hiking day, although the climbing wasn't as severe as the previous day and the temperatures perfect for hiking. We did have a few good climbs but the excitement of hitting Bluff Mountain and knowing it was pretty much all downhill to Hot Springs from there was pretty exciting.We ended up finding a nice little area to camp at Gavenflo Gap, approximately 6.5 miles from town.
Date: 2010-04-05
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Talk about an excellent zero day! After a great night sleep at Elmer's I woke up to another beautiful sunny day. I had left the door to the porch open all night and the temperature had stayed very comfortable in the room. Kelly was very good and quiet on the porch last night and has been behaving wonderfully. After packing up my food bag I went to the dollar store to return some peanut butter (got the 28 oz jar and realized it was a bit overkill for five days even with the way I eat peanut butter), and then I headed to the laundromat to do some much needed laundry. Even after a good wash my socks still smell funny but my mom will be sending some new ones in my next resupply. As I was finishing up my laundry Addy, her sister Jodi, and her roomate Rachael arrived with Beast and Rachael's dog Harvey. After catching up with everyone she had met along the way we drove up along a stream to a beautiful swimming hole complete with a waterfall and cliffs to jump off of. First things first, we ate lunch then tried to work up the courage to get in the still very cold water. It was pretty easy for me since the rocks were slick I ended up falling in. Hey, it was quick and easy! The dogs certainly enjoyed themselves, especially when we brought a stick into the picture. Kelly LOVES sticks and I managed to use a stick to entice her into the water. As she got a bit more brave I would throw it in a little farther. Beast was the boldest of them all and at one time even swam across the entire pool! Harvey seemed content staying on shore, but did get in for a little bit. The water was very cold and we didn't swim for too long and ended up not jumping off the cliffs, but we all agreed the best thing after a cold swim is a warm soak, so off to the Hot Springs we went where they treated me to a soak! The Hot Springs are a natural mineral soak and they feel absolutely amazing! Everytime someone comes through they refill the tub and they have jets so it feels just like a jacuzzi without the chlorine. This day was just getting better and better! We soaked for a good hour just enjoying each others company. It was a hot day and after getting real warm we decided to head out, and we wanted to make sure the dogs were still where we had tied them (still there they were . It was so great to see Addy again and meet her sister and friend. I'm hoping i'll be able to meet up with her and Beast again after my hike when she is still working in Montana. The rest of today will be filled with relaxation, I have to head to the ATM this afternoon so I can get myself a wonderful vegetarian meal tonight because tomorrow it will be back to trail food for me! I must say this has been the best day I have had on the trail (if zeros count!) but I look forward to hiking out tomorrow at the same time.
Date: 2010-04-06
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Well, so much for hitting the trail today. Was initially planning to leave early afternoon and do a short hike but I realized I would get in Erwin late Saturday afternoon- too late for my mail drop so I would end up zeroing there anyhow. I'm loving Hot Springs and although I would love to stay at Elmer's another night there is a popular stealth spot for the AT hikers that I will be staying at tonight.The day is hot, nearly ninety degrees and I planned on just hanging low today but Swamp Cricket was going swimming at the river and I decided that sounded like a fine idea. We got dropped off with a couple of bikes and went swimming in the creek, I wanted to make sure we had enough time to take it slow to get back since Kelly would be following along, so we headed back and ended up stopping at a little beach area along the river and went for a quick dip then layed out in the sand when I saw it... a tick! The first tick I have seen yet and it was crawling on my arm, yuck! I threw it in the water and layed in the sun a little longer till it started to cool off, then we headed back to town. I made sure to check Kelly real well for ticks when we got back, but so far I haven't seen any on her. I'll have her next dose of flea/tick applicator in my mail drop in Erwin.We went out for dinner that night and then headed to the stealth spot at the edge of the river with the intentions of setting out early the next morning. Hot Springs has been amazing, but it's time to keep moving forward. Next town will be Erwin, TN.
Date: 2010-04-07
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Forigve me if I lack in detail in this entry, I forgot to take notes for the day but will do my best to remember the details. I had every intention of getting an early start this morning, but it just didn't happen. Didn't get up till around ten and wasn't on the trail till nearly eleven. I could tell it was going to be another hot day and was glad for the tank top Addy had given me the other day. Coming out of town (as always) was a decent climb but approximately four miles up we came to a little pond. Too bad it was scummy, it would have been very nice to take a quick dip mid hike on a hot day! The Traveling Circus was up there enjoying a snack and I decided to take a quick break and snack as well. I was planning a short day today and wanted to just take it slow and easy taking a lot of little breaks and just enjoying myself. After the pond there was a bit of change in scenery and the trail turned onto a little dirt road and it was beautiful. With the hot weather, Spring has really been showing itself and the grass was so green and the trees full of buds and small leaves. Quite the contrast from the brown that was all to be seen for nearly the first whole month. It wasn't long before Yianie caught up to me and when we got to the top of Rich Mountain we took the side trail that led up to the fire tower which was an awesome place to just relax and have a snack; we ended up staying there for over an hour. The top of the tower had a cool breeze which was very refreshing in the heat of the day. One thing about the heat is that although it is a nice change from the cold and wet, it had also brought the bugs with it. Bugs were everywhere, flying up your nose, in your mouth, in your ears and eyes, it sucked! I know this is just the beggining of the bugs, but that is definetely one thing I am NOT looking forward to! Although I only did eleven miles today, I didn't get to the first shelter until past six. Heart Walker and Willow were set up in the shelter but Yianie and I set up our tents in hopes of avoiding the bugs.
Date: 2010-04-09
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: few clouds

Last night was quite cold, but I stayed toasty in my sleeping bag although I didn't sleep too well. The ill behaved dog kept jumping on my stuff and my sleeping bag at all hours at the night and every once and a while you would hear someone else yell at him to get. It took me a while to get out of my warm bag to gather my things and pack up for the day, but when I did I realized ice had collected on the picnic table and on my food bag and dogs pack that I had hung the night before. The sky had cleared up and there was hope for better weather. I put my wet clothes on my pack in hopes that they would dry while I hiked (thankfully I had an extra pair of pants, thanks John and Jane!). The start of the trail was very easy and well graded. The hike was absolutely beautiful today and we hit several balds and meadow areas that made for great photo spots! Around noon I ate lunch at a gap just before the shelter and lay in the sun in hopes of drying out my phone which had gotten wet on the trail and was now not cooperating. The trail remained mild for quite some time and it wasn't until mid afternoon where we hit our first climb, and after such an easy day it seemed very difficult but it was still very beautiful. Despite only doing 14-15 miles I was exhausted by the time I had reached the shelter and although I wanted to get past the group of hikers my late start had made it difficult and I decided to tent out that night. Tomorrow I hope to get in some good miles. I would like to get past this group of hikers and I am also somewhat low on food. It seems in the beggining I always had too much food and now when I pack my bag I THINK I have too much food but end up eating it all anyways.
Date: 2010-04-11
From: No Business Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: clear sky

Town day!I got up early in the morning and packed up my things, by eight almost everyone else had already left camp except for the section hikers I had met the night before. Smokes had invited me to coffee in the morning but as I approached their tent I realized they were still sleeping and decided to just go ahead and head out.I ran out of water the night before and didn't realize there was no water until I hit Erwin, but luckily it was an easy hike and I descended very quickly. I came across a little trail magic on the way down, someone had left a Backpacker's Pantry dark chocolate cheesecake in a firepit! Mmmm, that will taste wonderful on the trail the next few days! I stuffed it in my pack and continued on down.There seems to be this thing about descending into town; you see town, hear town, but it takes forever to get to town! You just keep thinking about all you need to do in town and at every switchback where town comes into view, it doesn't feel like you have gotten any closer when you start heading in the opposite direction again. When I finally reached the road I headed to Uncle Johnny's where I had decided to bunk for the night until I could pick my package up in the morning. There were quite a few hikers here when I arrived, but most of them headed out by afternoon and although a few more came, the Traveling Circus had a room at the Holiday Inn and took Yianie and Prophet with them.AYCE pizza was awesome! I didn't have anywhere to really tie Kelly outside but Prophet had rode a bike over from the hostel so I ended up tying her to that, no it wasn't the sturdiest tie, but she has been tying out wonderful so I set up her water bowl and I ended up having no problems. She was also great this evening when I did my resupply and dinner (Subway). There were a couple places once again with no places to tie her so I just told her to lay down and stay and she didn't move until I had come back out to get her. I couldn't be more proud of her and get a lot of compliments on her behavior. The shuttle wasn't picking us up till later and the group was ready to head back so seven and us plus the dog ended up hitching a ride in the back of a pickup.Tomorrow I will be picking up my package and heading out, so today i'll be enjoying the amenities while they last. Next "town" will be pretty small, but very soon I will be in Damascus in Virginia very excited to hit my next state.
Date: 2010-04-12
From: Erwin, TN

To: Campsite
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

Took Uncle Johnny's breakfast shuttle into town this morning where we ate at this gas station that contained a small cafe. The price of food was very reasonable and I was starving! I ended up getting some biscuits and gravy and an egg and cheese sandwich, after I finished the first sandwich I ordered another one I still needed to get bagels for my resupply and unfortunately I couldn't find any at the gas station so it looked like I would have to wait to leave Erwin until that afternoon so I could take the lunch shuttle to the grocery store.After breakfast we headed over to the post office where I was able to send home over 3.5lbs of things I no longer needed such as my microspikes, extra pants, and a few other things. I may be sending a few more Winter clothes home when I reach Damascus. I also picked up a package containing my skirt, tank top, and food! Lots of food. Too much food for what I needed to get to Hampton so I ended up shipping a good portion of it to my next resupply point at the Kincora Hiking Hostel. My mom did a great job with the food though, there was so much variety! Lately i've been craving healthier options and try to get as much fruits and vegetables as possible. In my box was some dried soups, vegetable chips, dried fruit, and all types of goodies, thanks mom!I took the lunch shuttle into town and ended up eating at the AYCE pizza buffet, again! I knew I would regret it when I headed out on the trail, but town food is so tempting!When I got back to Uncle Johnny's it took quite a while before I was able to organize my food, figure out where my next resupply would be, and drag myself back on the trail. I ended up not getting out of the hostel until nearly four o'clock! I figured on only doing four miles to the first shelter, but the miles were very easy with plenty of water(with the exception of a few steep switchbacks) and I got there early enough to get in a couple more miles to a campsite where I ended up camping on my own. Today was my first day hiking in a skirt and let me tell you, I LOVED it! It was so much cooler and more comfortable than pants/shorts and with the elastic waistband I didn't have the chafing problems I had with my first pair of pants, it made all the difference! Just a random thought for the day.. I've really been missing my buddy back home lately, Quest my horse I;ve been thinking about him a lot lately and as we drove by a pasture of horses I thought of him. I had called the lady taking care of him back in Hot Springs and he is very happy and I know he is being well looked after while I am gone.
Date: 2010-04-13
From: Campsite

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I was able to get a pretty early start this morning and less than two miles down the trail I ran into Walking Man and Prophet who were just getting started for the morning. I had dropped my Micropur water treatment tablets on the trail the day earlier so Prophet helped me out by filtering some water for me from a nearby source before we headed down the trail.With the exception of Beauty Spot, another pretty bald, the hike today was pretty monotonous. As I often do, I stopped at the first shelter for lunch and i'm having a hard time rationing out my snack food, I just want to keep eating. I finally forced myself to put the food bag away and continued down the trail. The day was full of pointless ups and downs which I knew was just childs play compared to what I was going to conquer tomorrow; Roan Mountain. Roan Mountain is the last 6,000 footers I would climb until I hit the Whites in New Hampshire and apparently it's a beast of a climb.Late in the afternoon I had stopped for a quick snack at Greasy Creek Gap when I heard some rustling in the leaves. I was pretty sure it was a hiker coming down the trail but then I looked and saw two white tail deer cautiously peering at me through the trees.. the first large wildlife I have seen on the trail I managed to snap a few pictures of them before they rambled off in the opposite direction and with deep content I headed back down the trail the 1.9 miles to the shelter.Since early in the afternoon I had been dreaming about taking a sponge bath in the creek and when I got to the shelter I was expecting to be the only one there, but Boston and Missionary had set themselves up early in the afternoon to enjoy the beautiful day. The water source was down a steep hill so I was still able to clean myself up a bit, and man is it a wonderful feeling to be clean! Yes, the water is cold, but the day was warm enough that it felt more refreshing than anything. After my evening "bath" I headed back up the hill to get the rest of the camp chores done.My plan for tonight was to stay in the shelter, but when a couple of section hikers showed up I just decided to set up my tent. After staying in shelters a few times i've decided I definetely prefer my tent. I love the freedom to scatter my stuff around without having to worry about taking up extra space, or having the mice chew through my stuff. I've been a bit too relaxed lately about my food bag and have only been hanging it on and off for the last week or so, but I suppose the bears are really coming out now and should be a bit more cautious.Tomorrow is the big climb so I am planning on getting to sleep as soon as the sun goes down and getting up with the sunrise. I'm only planning 13 miles tomorrow to get to "Overmountain Shelter", a converted barn I plan on taking the day slow and just enjoying myself and hopefully having some time to enjoy myself in the barn. I've been excited to stay at this shelter since Swamp Cricket told me about it back in Hot Springs
Date: 2010-04-14
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

I peeked underneath my tent early this morning to the purple and reds of the pre-sunrise. It was going to be another beautiful day! We have been so spoiled by the weather lately, with the exception of the one day of rain about a week ago, the weather has been beautiful and warm since halfway throutgh the Smokies.As I exited the shelter the endless climbing of the day began and I trudged myself up the first of many climbs to come. It is sort of difficult for me to start out with a climb, my legs hate it and I still huff and puff my way up the mountain, but approximately 20 minutes into a good climb I don't even seem to notice the misery despite me still huffing and puffing, my legs feel good, and I make my way up the mountain, slowly, but surely.Despite being very steep and over three miles long, the climb up Roan Mountain was quite enjoyable. I stopped at Ash Gap for a quick re-energizer before the last and steepest mile of the mountain and continued up. Roan mountain is beautiful! Around 5,000 feet you enter the pines and with the warm weather the scent of the sap around you is sweet and strong. Although challenging, the climb was a lot of fun and I enjoyed lunch at the Roan High Knob shelter, the highest shelter on the AT, along with Prophet, Boston, and Missionary. The shelter is a cabin with a loft that has been renovated from a Fire Marshalls cabin. I layed in the sun for a while after lunch and Lightning showed up just as I was headed out. Approximately a mile and a half down the trail I ran into Monkey who had missed the turn to the shelter and was carrying the lunches for the Traveling Circus. I told him he missed the turn and he headed back the other direction. Apparently Ring Leader also missed the turn and he ran across her as he was heading back to the shelter.The descent down Roan Mountain was very pretty, but wet. There was still some patchy snow on the sides of the trail and as we got lower down the mountain we hit an abundance of creeks and at some points there was a stream running down the trail. Although I was glad to be over Roan Mountain, I thoroughly enjoyed it.Although the worst of the climb was over, we hit a few more balds, I would love to see these places when the grass is green and everything is in bloom! The balds are pretty enough at the moment, but i'm sure they only get more beautiful later in the season Around 5:30 I finally hit the shelter! This place was made for me Imagine a red barn converted into a shelter. Cowgirl gets to sleep in a barn tonight! I feel right at home, but once again i'm thinking about my horse back at home and wishing he was here with me. Quite a few people showed up at the barn tonight, including an abundance of Southbound section hikers. We had a great fire going and Kelly is enjoying all the attention.
Date: 2010-04-16
From: Elk Park, NC

To: Laurel Creek
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

What a wonderful day!It was hard to leave Danette's place this morning but I managed to get myself out of bed at a decent hour and was ready to hit the trail around 10:30. Danette offered me a ride to the trail head, but a client of hers was headed in that direction and offered to take me over,although Danette had to make the trip anyways to bring my hiking poles I had left behind.I figured all my hiking buddies were long ahead of me due to my unexpected stop, but just as I crossed the first creek I heard "Cowgirl!", Prophet had stayed in Elk Park as well and was just up the hill from me. I caught up to him halfway up a steep two track section of the trail where he had stopped when he realized we had lost the trail, but we were able to find it approximately 100 feet back. There was a lot of rerouting of the trail in this area so we had to be very careful to search for the white blazes but the section was gorgeous. There were some beautiful wildflowers and grassy meadows with little creeks running through, it was a wonderful change from the monotony of Rhododendrons and the hardwoods that had yet to get their Spring leaves in the higher elevations. Spring has really sprung though in the lower elevations with an abundance of wildflowers and a bright green of fresh Spring leaves and flora popping through the downed leaves, it's a wonderful sight!Today had some of the most beautiful terrain, and at lunch I went off a little side trail to Jones Falls which were stunning! Prophet showed up not ten minutes later and we hung out at the falls for at least an hour. What do you know, not a half mile down the trail we hit a river and the greenest and longest grass I had yet seen on the trail, I had to stop again! I found a nice patch of grass to take my boots off and just lay in the sun for another half hour or so. There were a few other hikers enjoying the day as well and another hiker dog, Erwin, for Kelly to hang out with. The dogs both enjoyed cooling off in the river and it was mighty tempting to join them!Being such a pretty day I didn't get too many miles in, but being able to enjoy the day and the fresh terrain made it worth it. Prophet and I ended up camping next to a small falls at a small campsite next to what I believe was Laurel Creek. The social scene at the shelters is nice, but sometimes it's also great to have a quieter evening on your own or with one other hiker.