morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-05
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: moderate rain

Baptism by Rain, Day 5There was very dense fog all around the shelter all night with rain in the morning. Finally, about 10:00, I decided to hike on anyway since I was already a day behind schedule and getting low on food.I soon came to a mountain peak called Rocky Top. This is, of course, the name of a famous Tennessee song and many hikers try to sing the song when they get here. Unfortunately, according to others' trail journals, many other hikers want to sing the song but cannot recall the words, so I had printed up in advance the words to the song and laminated the sheet of paper. When I got to the top, I tied the words to a low tree and left them there for others to enjoy ... ;-)It is also worth mentioning that this ridge through the Smokies is the official border between North Carolina and Tennessee, so, for much of the trek through the Smokies, one walks with the left foot in Tennessee and the right foot in North Carolina.I finally arrived at the shelter about 4:00 and it was clear enough for a while to try to dry out things a bit, without much success. By the time the dust settled, there were nine of us there, Quijote from, Louisville, Knees and Mary from Milwaukee, and five others whose names I did not get. We all pitched in and got a pretty good fire going. Shelters in the Smokies have fireplaces unlike earlier shelters I have seen.Quijote is an interesting gal of 32 who has already hiked the AT from one end to the other (twice!), as well as the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Adding in some other hikes in Spain and elsewhere, she has completed about 10,000 backpacking miles. I learned a lot by talking with her.PhotosRocky TopDerrick Knob ShelterQuijote, from Louisville, has backpacked nearly 10,000 miles already
Date: 2009-05-06
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: light rain

Baptism by Water, Day 6There was lots of rain in the morning, but I finally started out about 11:00 since I am almost out of food. Before I left, I did manage to trade a spare lighter to a kind soul who was out of matches and whose lighter was no longer working in return for a some apricot slices, Top Ramen and an energy bar. I am not in any real danger, but I only brought about four days of food from Fontana and am now nearly two days behind schedule because of the rain and sloppy trail conditions.I got to the Siler Bald Shelter in the rain about 4:00, and waited a while before deciding to stay there, hoping it would clear up a bit and I could hike on to the next shelter, about 1.6 miles ahead. It did not clear up so I stayed. It is a good thing too since I later learned that the next shelter had more hikers than its official capacity tonight, and, being a late arrival, I might well have had to sleep in my tent in the rain.My shelter mates tonight are a delightful, if improbable, group of five section hikers from Florida, all in their late 20's. I did not get their names, but they were a Russian guy, a Russian gal, a fellow from Trinidad, a Ukrainian, and an American ... quite a mix!Unlike all the other shelters in the Smokies so far, this shelter has no plastic tarp across the open side to keep out the weather, hence it was very windy and cold by comparison. Therefore, once we got acquainted, we got organized and in short order had a roaring fire going in the fireplace that lasted most of the night to take the chill off things. I donated my remaining cooking fuel to the fire making effort since I have nothing left to cook. Meanwhile, the Russian gal went out in the woods and came back with some wild ramps (the onion/garlic vegetable I had encounted back in Franklin) which she sauteed. The group took pity on me and let me share their great dinner of mashed potatoes, ramps and pepperoni.We went to bed with rain falling, being careful where we slept since the shelter roof leaked in several places.Now that I am behind schedule, and there is no phone service this high in the Smokies and my cell batteries are dead anyway, I know folks back home are getting worried about my silence. I hope to fix that tomorrow by getting into town.PhotosEndless rainNo one is in a rush to go out and hike in the rainA 2 foot long earthworm, found only in the SmokiesThe gang of section hikers at Silers Bald ShelterRamps for dinner!
Date: 2009-05-07
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Baptism by Rain, Day 7During the night there was a huge thunder storm. One lightning strike must have been very near us since the thunder was so loud and sharp that it immediately awoke all of us. I was up and off by 8:00, but the international set caught up with me fairly soon and we played leap frog much of the day as we made our way up the trail.At one point I met another ridge runner, Kentucky Blue. She was an energetic young gal in her late 20's and told me a bit about her job. She works a "10 day on, 4 day off" schedule. During her ten days on, she hikes a five day section of the trail, staying in shelters and tent sites, resupplies her food at the far end, and then hikes back to the starting point. She seems to love the work!We finally arrived at Clingmans Dome about 1:00. This, at 6,643 feet, is the highest point on the AT and the second highest point (by a mere 40 feet) east of the Mississippi, higher than Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. It is a big tourist attraction and folks can drive to within 1/2 a mile of the summit and then hike up to the top and walk up a ramp to a tower that is more than 40 feet high, so the top of the tower may well be the highest point east of the Mississippi.While there I met a nice couple, Jim and Barb from southern New Jersey. They gave me a ride to Newfound Gap and from there I hitched a ride with a retired surgeon into warm and sunny Gatlinburg. If you are unfamiliar with Gatlinburg, I can only say it is a very different kind of tourist town. You have to see it, and its visitors, to believe it.I should mention that the total miles today represent only 4.6 miles of hiking and 7.9 miles of "yellow blazing," meaning riding on a road with yellow center stripes. This is a no-no for AT purists, but, had I not done it, I would have arrived too late in Gatlinburg to get anything done. Time will tell if I ever get back here to fill in the 7.9 gap in my hike. Everyone out here has to hike their own hike, and there are few rules.I was in a hiker friendly motel by 3:00 and immediately set to work to get town things done ... grocery shopping (for the first time, since Bon Bon and I had sent food drops ahead as far as Fontana), going to the PO to get the replacement pole (it was not there!), learning how to get around town on the public transportation "trolly" system, showering, washing my filthy clothes, fluffing my slightly damp sleeping bag in the dryer, catching up on the news and weather forecasts, calling home, etc.I went to bed very early, tired and happy to be out of the rain after all these days.PhotosYou have to be there to see that these blazes make perfect sense.Ridge walking; Tennessee on the left, North Carolina on the rightSection hikers usually have much more gear than thru hikersClingmans Dome, at 6,643 feet, is the highest point on the ATJim and Barb from New Jersey gave me a ride to Newfound GapThis surgeon give me a ride into Gatlinburg
Date: 2009-05-08
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started out with a raging thunder storm here in the valley. Most of the hikers in the motel here, including me, decided to stay over another night even though the weather cleared up in the late morning.I spent the day trying to track down the missing hiking pole ... with no luck. The supplier did not answer their phone, the tracking number they had sent me was not recognized by the PO, and a thorough search of the back room by the kind folks at the PO proved fruitless.In between, I also went out to get more fuel for my cook kit, a new lighter, and other odds and ends. I also updated this journal in the motel lobby.One of the other hikers here, Knees, is already an AT thru-hiker. He and I had a good discussion this morning about my relatively slow progress along the trail. His assessment is that it is still early in my hike, that my trail legs will eventually kick in, and my progress, given the lousy weather and trail conditions, is actually pretty good for my age. I feel a bit better now, but still would like to be able to run up and down the mountains like the younger set .. ;-)This evening I went out for dinner to a local steak house and had a good dose of steak and salad ... things one does not find out on the trail. On the way back to the motel, I came across two guys about my age playing their guitars in front of a arts and crafts shop. A crowd had gathered on nearby benches and chairs so I sat and listened to their southern ballads and country music songs for about half an hour. Quite professional and very nice.If all goes as planned, I will catch a shuttle back to the trail about 10:00 tomorrow morning with the next resupply stop being 3-4 days from now near interstate 40 about 40 miles from here at the northern end of the Smokies.PhotosHiker friendly and cheap motelPack explosion in my room in GatlinburgMoonshine to goGatlinurg is a very strange placeA reminder that we are not far from where Deliverance was filmed
Date: 2009-05-09
From: Gatlinburg, TN

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

It was raining early this morning but stopped after a while so I decided it was time to move on. There was a 10:00 a.m. shuttle back up to Newfound Gap (5,000 feet) from Gatlinburg (1,500 feet). Knees, Mary (now known as Curio) and Quijote were also on board. At the gap, a big tourist spot, we got everything set and about 11:15 started off to climb to 6,000 feet... at which point clouds closed in and it began to rain ... and, as I moved along, it became a torrent .. and fairly cold.Since the day was half gone and the next shelter was 7 miles beyond Icewater Spring Shelter, I stopped there. When I arrived I found some thru-hikers waiting out the storm ad an assortment of shivering day hikers who had ventured out from Newfound Gap ill-prepared for such a storm. Finally, the weather cleared a bit and the day hikers made a dash back to the gap and the thru-hikers moved on towards the next shelter.Later in the afternoon, it was clear enough to look out in two directions and watch an ever-changing view of clouds, fog and sunlight on the mountains.At the end of the day there were 8 of us in the shelter, a father, son and daughter section hiking group, a married couple out for a few days from Charlotte, NC, and two fellows who came in late who I did not really meet.We got a fire organized to ward off some of the cold since there was no tarp across the front of the shelter. I learned later that the tarps are used only in the winter months and the trail maintainers are currently taking them down as they make their rounds.PhotosBack at Newfound GapQuijote, and Curio and Knees, from Milwaukee, getting ready to get back on the trailPermits required for free speech!?An extended family of day hikers I metDay hikers taking unexpected shelter from a stormIcewater Spring Shelter
Date: 2009-05-11
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: light rain

Today was much like yesterday in terms of the trail, but there was one huge difference. I hiked in fog all day! What a difference that made! It was really like hiking in a Grimm fairy tale kind of forest ... dark, damp, no views, quiet and alone. It really is a rain forest here in the Smokies and locals tell us that this has been a particularly damp spring. I can vouch for that!Not long after I left the shelter, I came to about the 218 mile point that I calculated is 10% of the way to Maine so I made a little sign and was about to photograph it when around the corner came Thimble and Time Bomb, so we took pictures of each other and had a brief celebration of the event! A couple of hours later I stopped for lunch at Tri-Corner Knob Shelter and was surprised to find Thimble and Time Bomb asleep in their sleeping bags! Turns out they try to take a mid-day nap whenever they can as they move along. Even with their nap, they out-hiked me today ... ;-)After lunch, I came across a guy who seemed very out of place on the trail. He did not seem dangerous, but he was a long way from a road with no gear for being out overnight. He said he was day hiking, but it did not add up to me or others who encountered him during the day. More on this later.Since we are now nearing the northern end of the Smokies, we are descending from the high elevations which means today was more down than up, hence the pretty good mileage. Nevertheless, the trail conditions out here are awful, filled with rocks and roots, much different than the trails I trained on out in California, so downhill hiking is at a slow, cautious pace.At the shelter tonight are Fletch, Thimble, Time Bomb, a lady from Atlanta my age named Ida, and three others. Time Bomb and Fletch did a great job of getting a fire going with wet wood, and it was a great help since the temp as we went to bed was a chilly and damp 45 degrees.PhotosShelter choas after the late arrivals moved in during the nightMile 218Temperate rain forestCosby Knob ShelterThere is a wide range of shelter graffiti along the trail
Date: 2009-05-12
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

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

It turned out that Ida, who I had not spoken to last night, and I hike at about the same speed so we ended up hiking together much of the day. She is hiking north for an indeterminate length of time. This afternoon she is being picked up by a girlfriend from near here and they will hike the next four days together.As we hiked along, we encountered the same young ridge runner, Kentucky Blue, I had met on 5/7 near Clingmans Dome. She is now at the northern end of the Smokies, making the rounds. Early in the afternoon, one of my toes started to hurt and I was tripped up by another root and fell again (no serious injuries), so, when I came to a shelter near Ida's pickup point, I bid her adieu and stopped to take a look at my toe and rest a bit. Soon Kentucky Blue rolled in and set about cleaning the shelter and setting up her gear to spend the night there. We had a nice chat before I moved on and she soon passed me by on her way to the northern border of the Smokies. When I got to the road crossing at the northern end, I found Kentucky Blue, Ida and a park ranger all talking about the odd fellow we had all seen the day before. Others had seen him too and it all made no sense. His car was still at this road crossing so he had not returned yesterday to get it. As a minimum he spent the night in the park without an overnight permit.Soon Ida's friend showed up in her car and we all parted ways again. I hiked on and finally came to I-40, a major road in these parts. As I came to the freeway, a couple of day hikers I had met earlier in the day came by and I was able to get a ride in the back of their pickup truck a few tenths of a mile uphill to my destination, Standing Bear Farm. This place defies easy description so I will direct you to http://standingbearfarm.tripod.com/ for a bit of a sense of it. I am staying in the 14 bed bunkhouse with Fletch, Thimble, Time Bomb and other fellow. After showering and washing clothes, we made a shuttle run into the tiny nearby town for burgers and beer, and then spent much of the evening sitting around a campfire chatting with the owner, and a couple of other hikers, Einstein and Quattro. It will be nice to sleep tonight in a building with doors we can shut.PhotosFletch, from ColoradoFletch's 75 pound packThe only horse I've seen on the ATRidge Runner Kentucky BlueIda from GeorgiaDavenport Gap Shelter where I took a napThis man from England and his friend gave me a ride to the Standing Bear Farm hostelThe bunk house at Standing Bear FarmThe privy at Standing Bear Farm
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

One of the interesting things about Standing Bear Farm is that once you are there, it is hard to leave. I hung out all morning, working on my trail journal, resupplying in the little store, cooking breakfast in the hiker kitchen, chatting with new arrivals, etc. The entire place is on the honor system. When you arrive, there is no sign-in procedure. You just pick up a little envelope and as you use services or pick up goods, you note them on the envelope with their prices. When you leave you add up the amount, put money is the envelope, and drop it in a little box. Simple as that!!Another reason one may tarry at the farm is that in order to leave and get to the next shelter, you must walk up 2,600 feet, and then down 1,400 feet ... not an exciting proposition, but that's they way it is. So, finally about 2:00 off I went. I was very pleasantly surprised to note that the trail is very different now that I am out of the Smokies. There are far fewer rocks and roots and fallen branches to contend with, and the trail itself is laid out smoothly, so that each step is not a gamble or adventure as it was in the Smokies. This all makes for faster and easier walking. Even allowing for different geology and terrain, I have to assume most of the difference is because this section of the trail is under different management than the trail in the Smokies. Lets hope it keeps up!About 7:00 I arrived at the shelter to find Fletch in residence along with two section hikers from Illinois who were tenting nearby. The shelter was built in 1938 and the sleeping platform is only 6 feet 6 inches deep. I am 6 feet 3 inches. PhotosFAA communications facility on a mountain topGroundhog Creek Shelter
Date: 2009-05-14
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Tent area near Lemon Gap
Miles today: 11.6

I got gong about 9:00 and after a 2,000 foot up, it was fairly smooth hiking all day. Along the way I met up with a lawyer from Boston, New Knees, about my age. and we spent the rest of the day hiking together. The big event of the day was Max Patch, a very large grassy area (maybe 1/4 x 1/2 mile) on top of a mountain at 4,630 feet. One can see in all directions and just lay on the grass and relax before heading down.We had hoped to get to Walnut Mountain Shelter, but were running out of time so we pulled in to Roaring Fork Shelter only to find a couple with a 9 month old daughter had SET UP A TENT! in the shelter. Rather than intrude, and also not wanting to spend the night in such a cramped situation, we decided to move on, hoping to go another 5 miles to the next shelter.We did not get far before it started to drizzle. After about 3 miles, we came to a tent site, and, not wanting to walk in the dark, decided to set up camp there. No sooner had we done that and had a quick dinner, we went to bed, and almost immediately it started to rain buckets, complete with thundser and lightning. Both of us got a little wet, but nothing that putting my down sleeping bag in a dryer for half an hour won't be able to remedy.PhotosClimbing up to Max Patch baldMax Patch SummitNew Knees from BostonFamily with 9 month old baby camping at Roaring Fork ShelterA sorry looking owl on the trail, sitting out the heavy rain
Date: 2009-05-15
From: Tent area near Lemon Gap

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

New Knees took off before I did in the morning. After a soggy start, I left about 8:30. There was a fair amount of 'up' in the morning (about 1,600 feet) followed by about 3,000 feet of down in the afternoon.The big news on the trail this morning was about the events at Roaring Fork Shelter last night. The family with the baby finally moved their tent out of the shelter to accommodate later arriving hikers. At some point the family was headed to their tent and saw a large male bear trying to get into the tent! The father hurled a baby bottle at the bear, hitting him right between the eyes. At that point the bear ran off never to be seen again. Needless to say everyone at the shelter was a bit nervous and I'm told they all gathered piles of stones to keep near them at night! ;-)I also heard that several other hikers ended up tenting in the storm like we did and one group even had to contend with hail.The hike today was pleasant, in the 60-70s, but a bit humid. The good trail conditions continue to please me and my feet.Along the way I played leapfrog with two 12 year old girls and their dads who were out on a several day first time backpacking trip together. They were all very interested in my hike, gear, etc. and I was very impressed with how well the two girls were doing, rain and all.About 6:30 I got to Hot Springs, NC, after completing the most miles in one day since starting out in Georgia. This is not the famous resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, but rather a small town of about 650 with a mail street about 3 blocks long. The trail itself goes right down the street with AT logos in the concrete sidewalk about every 100 feet! There is only one real restaurant in town, a few shops, and a few places to stay and that's about it, but it has everything a hiker needs in one spot so I am taking tomorrow (Saturday) off to resupply and rest.My room for the next two nights is in the loft of a small barn on an old southern estate of some sort that is now a Bed and Breakfast. The loft/bunkhouse holds four, but so far I am a here alone so I can spead out all my damp gear to get dry. The bunkhouse has no water or bathroom, but the price includes access to the bathroom and laundry facilities in the main house.My next update will be from Erwin. It is 68 miles from here with no real towns in between. I should arrive there about next Friday.Photos"Two Sticks" at Walnut Mountain Shelter12 year old thru-hiker in trainingTwo of many old graves along the trailMountain laurelMy quarters for two nights, upstairs above a small barnI had this 4-bed bunk house to myself and immediately started drying everything out
Date: 2009-05-16
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Today was a day off. I spent my time drying out from the night in the woods in the storm, washing my fithy clothes, resupplying my food at a local outfitter and the local food store, taking a nap(!), and updating my journal at the local library.In the food store I ran into Tunnel Rat who I had not seen for about two weeks. We agreed to meet at a local restaurant, Rock Bottom, at 7:00 for dinner, but about 6:30 it began to rain, and though I trudged through the rain, he did not show up. Instead, I met a nice couple in their late 40s there who moved here from the Los Angeles area about 9 months ago. Hot Springs has a population of about 650 so it was very interesting to get their perspective on the very dramatic lifestyle change they have made.PhotosRedneck territory!I spent two hours here updating my trail journalRock Bottom Caf©Bluff Mountain Outfitter with everything a hiker needsRecent transplants from Los Angeles to Hot Springs