morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-09
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Cheoah Bald
Miles today: 8.1

last night was a lot of fun. we had a few drinks with a bunch of our new best friends at basecamp and jack-aroo showed up!!! haven't seen him in a while and it's nice to be hiking with him again.we packed up and then just hung out by the river for a while--procrastinating about the ascent ahead of us. the climb out of the NOC is no freaking joke. serisouly--it's the hardest thing i have done. there is about a 4000 foot elevation gain in about 6 miles and it just keeps going. another nice day though--i think that's a record so far--3 days of sunshine in a row!!we ate at the shelter swatting at the annoying gnats all the while. then we decided to push on another mile uphill to cheoah bald to camp. and it was so rewarding after a fierce day of climbing. there were some really nice camp sites on top of this pseudo-bald but we had a campfire that pilgrim would be proud of and watched the sun set. with us there was bucky, cookie monster, mooch & buffet and jackaroo.oh, and i now have a trailname thanks to cayenne. i have a bad habit of being a bit too close to her when we are climbing hills. thus my name has changed.tailgate
Date: 2008-04-10
From: Cheoah Bald

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

oh what a day. what a day indeed. it was nice to wake up to the sunrise on cheoah bald this morning--despite the heavy winds that were pummeling us up there. we decided to go the whole way into fontana today, and we did. we basically hiked from sunup until sundown. it was a long hard day. the profile map doesn't lie about the climb after sweetwater gap--it really is just about straight up. apparently north carolina is for climbers. next time i'm here, i'll remember to bring some rope. we were rewared just before lunchtime with some amazing trail magic though. bare bear and his buddy at stecoah gap had hot dogs, soda, chips and other goodies. they were so cool and generous!!tailgate
Date: 2008-04-11
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

we planned to go into the smokies this afternoon. but we decided to zero today. i have a blister on the back of my heel that is a bit worrisome and i want to doctor it for a day. my body was worked over yesterday. also we both just needed a bit of mental and psychological preparation before heading into the likely rainy and snowy smoky mountains.oh the warm sunny days have been so nice. i'll be sad to see them go.we met lipstick today and she was our trail shuttle angel. what a sweetie--she drove us all around so that we didn't have to walk on our sore legs and feet. tailgate
Date: 2008-04-13
From: Fontana Dam

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

Tailgate's blister is still pretty bad. She almost skipped the Smokies, but today she changed her mind, so here we are in the park. The terrain wasn't too hard today, but we got a late start, so when we arrived at the first camp site at 3:30pm, we thought we might stay. I lost my patella straps in Fontana, so my knees weren't too happy. Even w/ these setbacks, we pushed on, and were the last to arrive at the shelter. We had to tent because the shelter was packed, and as soon as we set up it started SNOWING.Most people know that I am not to fond of snow. I was born and raised in SoCal. Tailgate is from Pennsylvania, so snow doesn't seem to bother her as much, but these are special circumstances. Camping in the snow is not as fun as it may sound. It was so cold that Tailgate started shivering, and I feared she had hypothermia, but we survived.Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-14
From: Mollie's Ridge Shelter

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: light snow

We planned to go farther on this day, but when we arrived at the first shelter, the snow started coming down hard! We haven't been moving as fast recently, so we stayed put to insure a spot in the shelter. No tenting in the snow again! We feared we would freeze all night because its actually pretty hard to find fire wood in a blizzard, but we kept it going until Pod and Rhodi arrived. This father and son team brightened our evening and helped find more firewood. Later, we were joined by Blaze and it turned out to be a fairly decent night.Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-16
From: Derrrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

We started hiking at 7:45 am. We spent the entire day going UPhill! The snow has turned to sludge on the trail, so some of the moving was difficult. We had gone 5.5 miles to Silar's Bald Shelter by 11:00am. 1.7 miles farther to Double Spring Shelter by 12pm (sure was glad to see that privy). The highlight of the day was when we reached Clingman's Dome (highest point on the AT). We actually had a great view from the tower. When I came through the park in '06, I didn't even bother to go up the tower as I was in a cloud, but this year it was fantastic. Unfortunately, there were no sodas. Somehow, Tailgate and I got it in our heads that there might be sodas near this tourist spot, so we were a bit disappointed. That disappointment didn't last though 'cause when we arrived at the Shelter (6:30pm), we met Nitro and Ziploc thruhikers (GAME '07) and trail angels. Not only, did they give us chips and cookies but they offered us a ride into Gatlinburg the next day. Tailgate and I have to go to Gatlinburg to resupply because we're taking longer in the smokies than planned. I also have to buy new patella straps which I call my knee savers. Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-17
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: broken clouds

One of the guidebooks describes Gatlinburg as "a mecca for tourists." I agree. Its a mini Vegas, baby. We're only interested in food and gear, so we probably wont get the full experience. They are having a rib fest, though. Thanks again to Nitro and Ziploc for the ride in.We promise we'll get some pictures up as soon as possible.Note to Pat: Flat Stanley loved the snow Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-18
From: Gatlinburg

To: Peck's Corner
Miles today: 10.4

shoney's all you can eat breakfast buffet = awesome. i slept pretty well last night, even though i didn't get to sleep until after midnight!! sometimes there are just too many things to do in town in not enough time! we packed up and hitched a ride to newfound gap. a really nice couple picked us up--they were in town because they are parents of two kids in a band competition. it was a beautful day to hike, and the terrain was relatively easy. the views today were incredible too--it's no wonder that the smokies are so famous. we went out of charlies bunion and sat on the rocks for a few minutes. while we were there we watched a huge crow fly around us. it circled us a for a few minutes and then dove off into the valley. hearing its wings flap through the air was pretty magical. what a treat--and i'm glad that when it was circling us it didn't dive bomb us!! tailgate
Date: 2008-04-19
From: Peck's Corner

To: Cosby Knob
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

woke up this morning to the sound of rain. bummer. open the tent flap to see that we are once again in a cloud. the weather today was really weird--it rained, then stopped, then had blue skies, then was sleeting. but the terrain today was really pleasant.my blister is healing really well, tonight is the last night we will spend in the smokies and the tent is starting to feel like home.tailgate
Date: 2008-04-20
From: Cosby Knob

To: Painter Branch
Miles today: 12.7

woke up to rain--but it didn't last long. we came out of the smokies (finally) and were rewareded with some trail magic by taz's parents. we pushed on to standing bear farm. we picked up our mail drop, resupplied on food and then hit the trail and found a camp site a few miles in. and when we got there mooch and buffet were there!! oh it was so good to see them. because of my blister and the snow in the smokies we were behind the group of friends we have been hiking with for most of the trip. so for about 7 days we were hiking with different people that we had just met. seeing those two at painter branch really lifted our spirits. we made a fire and hung out and they shared their oranges and marshmallows with us!!! hot sauce and presley came late and we all had a really fun night at camp.tailgate
Date: 2008-04-21
From: Painter Branch

To: Walnut Mountain 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

we had some pretty nice hiking today. the weather was great!! today we got to see max patch--and enormous bald that when you reach the top there are pretty amazing 360 degree views. it was a little hazy--but still breathtaking. one of the most beautiful sights so far.we passed roaring fork shelter and found out that 4 of the last 5 nights there had been some serious bear activity there. we had planned to push on past that shelter anyway, and were happy to not stay there! we got to walnut mountain shelter and it seemed from the log that there had been some bear activity there but not in the last few days. presley (the dog) was there with hot sauce, so we weren't too worried. then in the middle of the night we heard presley barking up a storm and heard something big run off into the woods. we can only assume it was a bear--but it didn't come back. so thank you presley!!tailgate
Date: 2008-04-22
From: Walnut Mountain 

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

got up early and hiked into hot springs. gorgeous day--actually it's starting to get pretty warm--must be the elevation change. it's quite different than the snow we were in just a week ago.hot springs is a cool little town. the AT goes right through the middle of it. so we're staying at elmer's--cool historical place. we took advantage of the hot springs and also found that we had caught up with a bunch of our friends. hooray!!! we were sure that they had all blown past us, but here they are in town. and what's even better, it's tuesday night, and we're in town. you know what that means leigh! so we just had to watch american idol with sweet potato and brahma bull. but we were missing pilgrim--he's somewhere behind us. we have a tradition now ever since hiker hostel that we watch american idol if we are in town on tuesdays. and it's such a strange cooincidence, but almost every tuesday we are in town. what a great day!!tailgate
Date: 2008-04-23
From: Hot Springs

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

you know, there really are just so many things to do in town--laundry, shower, eating, resupplying, post office runs, email, trips to the outfitters, it's kind of amazing at how long all the chores take. we didn't get into hot spring yesterday until about 3pm. and so we decided to take a zero day today so that we could not be rushed to run some errands. another beautiful day today. absolutely beautiful.back into the woods tomorrow morning.tailgate
Date: 2008-04-24
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: few clouds

It can be tough climbing out of a town. This day was no exception. Tailgate seemed convinced that I had placed a heavy rock in her pack, but it was just her food. We had to carry 5-6 days worth of meals out of Hot Springs.The weather was great, though. We were greeted with Nature's Classroom when the trail passed a pond around mid day. Let's just say that the frogs in Tennessee were taking care of business.Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-25
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

Whenever Tailgate and I pass a man on the trail, he usually says something like, "Man, you two are boogeying," or "Ya'll are cruisin'!" Some days we just roll like that.This day started off pretty well. We had our first water shortage problem around 6 miles in, so we stopped at Hemlock Hollow (0.5 off the trail). I stayed here in 2006, and I knew it would be a good place to fill up on water and drink as much soda as we could possibly get down. Hattie and Husband were as kind and accomodating as I remember them and they even gave us a ride back to the trail. Thru-hikers have trouble walking on routes that aren't blazed.Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-26
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

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

The first six miles were a breeze. Tailgate and I rocked them. The next 8.7 were really REALLY difficult for us. It didn't help that we ran into two ultralite backpackers that were putting in 20plus miles that day and were about as fatigued as one might expect to be after a good night's rest. GOLLY!These two backpackers had some sort of competition going on. We chose Team Liz. Go Liz.Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-27
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Climbing. CLIMBING! We had a bit of uphill today. Most of the day, there was a light sprinkling. I felt a bit like fresh veggies being slightly misted in the produce aisle. Some nice trail angel placed some magic half way up Big Bald. That was the best placed trail magic I've experienced. Thank you, whoever you are, for the coffee and muffin.10 miles in, we stopped for lunch at Big Bald Shelter, and then the rain came. We still had 5.5 miles to go, so we pressed on even when it go heavy. Towards the end of the day, Tailgate looked up at the sky and said, "Please, I would like the rain to stop for 6 hours. That's all I'm asking!" Well, sure enough, the rain stopped for 6 hours while we got to camp, set up tent, and ate dinner. It started up again when we were all warm in our sleeping bags. I sure am glad Tailgate called in the favor.Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-28
From: Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

This was the hardest rain we've experienced out here. About two miles in, we hit a detour. Apparently, there were controlled burns covering most of the section we planned to hike. The detour started off quite pleasant. It was a gently sloping downhill. We were thoroughly soaked but were enjoying the terrain. After an hour or so, the detour led us straight uphill. An unplanned uphill, mind you! We climbed back to the trail. All in all, it wasn't so bad. We were pretty glad to get to town though.Town can be comforting, but there are a heck of alot of chores to do. We have to find lodging, shower, wash clothes, resupply, EAT, and take care of gear problems. This often takes up the majority of the day, so it can be hard to find time to relax. Erwin is a decent size and very spread out. Luckily, the people who live here are quite nice. We've experienced so much kindness in this town. We were offered rides by four different people, so we managed just fine.Cayenne
Date: 2008-04-29
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

zero day today. we planned to hike out today the first shelter but it started getting pretty late and we heard threats of snow. so we decided to soak up the luxury of a warm dry bed for one more night.off into the woods tomorrow. by the way--the people of erwin are amazingly friendly!!tailgate
Date: 2008-04-30
From: Erwin, TN

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

we hiked out of erwin today. we kept passing other hikers we knew who were slack packing and after the 3rd one we saw we were both grumbling a bit to ourselves wishing we had done it. but it was a great day anyway.we saw baltimore jack on the trail -- that was my first time meeting him. really nice guy and extremely helpful. we also saw the colonel--and after thinking he was long gone ahead of us it was such a pleasant surprise to see him weasel walking towards us. and of course he sang us a verse or two from his song before he was on his way. there are a lot of controlled burns around and today was filled with them. entire hillsides burned or partially burned. i felt like seeing all the burnt forests was just sucking the happiness right out of me. but it was fine, because once we got to the beauty spot (though it was partially charred) we met up with chewy, crabby, vigilante and y and found a sweet campsite at deep gap.   we had a roaring fire and lots of laughs.tailgate
Date: 2008-05-01
From: Deep Gap

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

sleeping in today was soooo nice. i could get used to this weather. this morning was the first morning (maybe since we started) that cayenne and i didn't feel like we had to get hiking just to get warmed up. we slept so late that i was started to bake in the tent, but it was a nice change.we were both feeling a bit sluggish today. maybe you're wondering what makes the day of hiking worse when you are feeling sluggish? well, how about when there seems to be more climbing than the profile map indicates. yup, that's what happened.so we were planning on stopping at greasy creek friendly to resupply and then push on to the next shelter--but when we got to the hostel (after doing the long hike off the trail to get to it) we decided to just stay in the bunk house. cc has s cute place and she is a sweetie--really fair and kind, and what she says is true--her place is called the greasy creek friendly, because her neighbor is hostile. we were glad to that vigilante and y were there with us. tailgate
Date: 2008-05-02
From: Greasy Creek Friendly

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

oh roan mountain--i will NEVER climb you again. seriously--that was the hardest single mountain climb that i've done so far--and the profile map doesn't lie--it literally looks like you are scaling a vertical wall. ugh. when we finally got to the top i commended cayenne--i can't believe she did the mountain TWICE!! (the other time in her section in '06) it was hard--at one point we stopped about 2/3 the way up and i took my back off and laid down on the ground. poor chewy though--at that point he thought we were at the top. at least when we did finally get to the top we were rewarded with bathrooms that have running water!!!! it was as if we had never seen them before. we've both been missing the privies. overmountain shelter is a super cute shelter. it's a barn that is nestled in a valley that has been converted into a shelter. AND there is a privy here--thank you thank you!!tailgate
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Kincora
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

we hiked to kicora hostel today. this place is rules!!! bob and pat are amazing. baltimore jack is here we have had lots of time to hang out with him and bob--great guys.the tenting platform we are staying on is so cute too. it's off in the woods and surrounded by rhododendrum with a stone sauna and small pool of water. gorgeous--absolutely gorgeous. this will surely be a good night sleep.tailgate
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Kincora

To: Kincora
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

because we got in late in the evening, we decided to slack pack today--giving us more time to do chores and more time to spend at this lovely place. so we got dropped off at the lake today and walked the 9 miles back (first time we were going south on the AT) to kincora. we took our time and had a blast. this hiking day rivaled others as one of my favorite days so far. it was beautiful!! for a while we walked along the laurel fork stream which was really nice--and then we got to the falls which were pretty amazing.after we got back to kincora we hung out with some of our friends and of course bob. he is such an amazing guy--and i really respect the way he runs his place and he has a great sense of humor! cayenne wants to be adopted by him. and baltimore jack is still here helping bob out during this busy time. and we are so lucky to have spent a decent amount of time with him. he's so helpful and knows so much about the trail. AND he really knows how to win the hearts of hungry hikers = a steak, pork loins, baked potatoes, peas, garlic bread and salad. my goodness that was the absolute best dinner i have eaten on the trail so far. wow. the peoples and baltimore jack really touched me. it's just so clear that they have so much love for the trail and those who want to enjoy it. their hearts are huge and i am sad to leave. tailgate
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Kincora

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

oh i was sad to leave kincora this morning. cayenne and i were torn--we wanted to stay an extra day and help volunteer and do some trail maintenance, but we decided to push on into the woods. we'll come back next year and help out--promise.wow--we were both so whiney today. seriously--the terrain wasn't too bad at all, but we just felt really sluggish. maybe that was in part due to our hungry shopping spree last night. we definately have more than 3 days of food on our backs--but at least we have lots to choose from!! bear sighting #1!!!!here's how it went down. i'm in front, cayenne is a few paces behind. we're walking along and chit chatting about something when cayenne tells me to stop and come back. as soon as she says this i look up and see what she sees--a medium sized bear about 50 paces away. what should we do? well, i'm digging my camera out -- but it hears our voices and scampers off. so there it is--our first bear sighting is in tennessee. and it's sort of ironic that cayenne saw it first--even though she was behind me. but then again her eyesight is perfect and she can always read the street signs before i can in the car.we're camping here with rachel (anna) and nathan (owl) -- 2 really cool section hikers from chapel hill. quite a change to be at a shelter with just 2 other people--and this rockin couple made some popcorn and shared it with us. yummtailgate
Date: 2008-05-07
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

oh man. so last night after we went went to sleep we awoke to some big rustling footsteps in the leaves around us. we were sure it was a bear--especially after seeing one yesterday. we sheepishly shine our lights around the camp--but everytime our light moves around the noise stops. we turn it off--the footsteps continue, and they sound like they are coming right for the tent. finally--we see it.....a deer. heh. needless to say, we slept fine knowing that it wasn't a bear.today the terrain was not too bad. it's weird--i haven't really found anything that is "easy" on the trail--things are just hard in different ways. cayenne was saying that the terrain today was endurance building--like you're on some piece of exercise equipment and someone is messing with the resistance knob. what was awesome was the vacation we had today. we like to think of this journey as a job--but today we had a vacation. we walked through some beautiful rolling grassy farmland, and then smack in the middle of it was a bench that was calling our names. so we plopped ourselves down, ate some grub, and then just laid in the sun for an hour. oh it was sooooooo nice.also--i ate more for dinner tonight that i have the entire trip. tailgate
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

**check out new photos we just updated by scrolling back through the entries**VIRGINIA!!! hooray!! oh the walk into damascus today was sa-weeeet! sweet. i'm pretty sure that was the fastest 10 miles we have done--we were in town just after 11am--which is also really nice cause it means we'll have time to run all our errands.we're staying at the place--a hostel run by a local church. it's just basically a huge bunkhouse, and we're heading out in the morning.oh and today we got such lovely treats in the mail!! an awesome box full of goodies from my folks, a sweet letter and treats from our friend madge, and cayenne's journal that she left in erwin (thank you erwin library for mailing it!!!)tailgate