morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-29
From: Spence Field Shelter (NC)

To: Silers Bald Shelter (TN)
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 183/29Start: Spence Field ShelterFinish: Silers Bald ShelterMiles: 11.8Weather: sunny and warmWe woke up kinda late to completely blue skies and sun. Despite the nice weather, though, my body was dragging all morning. Ian and the Weatherman both claim to have slept very poorly, but I was just inexplicably lethargic. As I walked along this morning, I became overwhelmed by the amazing amount of detail that exists in the space covered by every step I take along this trail. Both on a visible and molecular level, the intricacies are more than a person's mind can even begin to fathom. I was humbled to understand more fully that God created all of this along with all of its detail from nothing and that He knows it all intimately.The 6.5 miles to the next shelter felt very long and we stayed there for quite a while, bathing in the sun. I ate an incredibly large lunch, assuring my visit to Gatlinburg for resupply. A guy named Chestnut passed us, moving along on what is to be his third thru-hike. Iceman and Ben caught up just before I moved on. No one I spoke with had seen or heard about Beartracks. So, I think he might have taken a second zero day in Fontana. Two zeros at that place can't be good for one's morale.The rest of the day went by relatively quickly and I arrived at Silers Bald Shelter to find a huge group of section hikers, all of whom were very nice and not at all isolating. They even gave me some hot chocolate. Great day!
Date: 2005-03-30
From: Silers Bald Shelter (TN)

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

Day 193/30Start: Silers Bald ShelterFinish: Gatlinburg, TNMiles: 12.5Weather: warm and sunnyI woke up this morning after a great night of sleep and began walking toward Gatlinburg to get more food. The sun came up quickly to the company of blue skies and became very warm by early afternoon. Today was a day of somewhat major landmarks, the first of which was Clingman's Dome. At 6,643 feet above sea level, Clingman's Dome is the highest point on the AT. However, we were unable to stay there very long due to the windchill and the monsterously ugly nature of the tourist-attracting tower on top of the dome. The second major landmark of the day was our 200-mile point, which occurred shortly after Mt. Collins Shelter. Unfortunately, Geramino and I missed the sign to the shelter even though we were looking for it with a good bit of anticipation. It wasn't until we reached Indian Gap that we realized we had missed the opportunity to appropriately celebrate. Somehow, celebrating the 203.2 mile mark didn't invoke the same level of enthusiasm.The third and final landmark was ultimately the most disappointing of the day. Despite the fact that a wonderful 2004 thru-hiker (Tortoise) was there as a trail angel with tons of food, I somehow allowed my digital camera to fall off of my pack as I was hitching into Gatlinburg. I didn't realize the camera was missing until we were almost to Gatlinburg, and by the time I was able to hitch back to the gap it was gone. Needless to say, this put a pretty big damper on the day and I am still kicking myself pretty hard over my negligence.When arriving in Gatlinburg, I met up with McNugget, Gerinamo, and El Jeffe at the hotel and they helped console me concerning my loss. We ate until we almost popped at Texas Roadhouse and talked about our inability to do anything after dinner since we are so accustom to going to sleep shortly after dark. Speaking of which, its 9:00 p.m. and well past my bedtime.
Date: 2005-03-31
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Pecks Corner Shelter (NC)
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

Day 203/31Start: Gatlinburg, TNFinish: Pecks Corner ShelterMiles: 10.4Weather: am rain, pm cloudyI woke up pretty early this morning, unable to sleep comfortable in the motel bed, and wrote an email to my youngest brother. After everyone else got moving, we went down the street to a very good (but very expensive) place simply named the Pancake House. The morning was rainy and I wanted to wait for better weather, so I did some more in town chores while El Jeffe and Geranamo went back to the trail. McNugget decided to zero in G-burg due to a twisted ankle. About an hour later the weather started looking good and I was done with my chores, so I went to the road only to find that my two companions had been trying to hitch a ride unsuccessfully for the past hour. Soon afterward, however, a professor from NC State picked us up and we were on our way.The terrain was such today that we normally would have had some spectacular views, since most of the day was spent walking high along a ridgeline. However, I walked through clouds for the majority of the day and, thus, had what I like to call "blank canvas" views - complete whiteout in which you get to imagine your own scenery. The sky did clear at one point. However, affording me with the best view I've seen (that I haven't imagined, that is) in the Smokies.The trail itself was absolutely beautiful today, eliminating the need for any panoramic views. A good bit of today's terrain was covered in beautiful slate rocks that felt pretty good to walk on an made really neat noises when stepped on. Several times throughout the day, the history of the trail became evident as I passed aged stone retaining walls built by the CCC and now adorned with vibrantly green plumes of moss cascading over the edges like puffy cumulous clouds. Finally, the misty air did such a wonderful job of trapping the forest's distinct pine musk and enabling me to breath it through my nostrils like syrup from the Pancake House.The shelter filled up quick tonight with several vacationing groups along with a sizable herd of thru-hikers. The thru-hikers in the house were myself, Geranimo, El Jeffe, Handlebar, Bodie, Bones, Lumbermack, James and Louise. I knew this one group (fathers and sons) was probably going to cook too much food, so I tried to eat a light dinner. However, by the time they had finished eating and offered us the remainder of their corn beef hash, I had already snacked myself into a pretty good-sized dinner. This, of course, did not deter me a bit and Bodie and I sufficiently devoured their leftovers. Carpe leftovers!
Date: 2005-04-01
From: Pecks Corner Shelter (NC)

To: Standing Bear Farm (TN)
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: light rain

Day 214/1Start: Pecks Corner ShelterFinish: Standing Bear FarmMiles: 23.3Weather: am rain, pm cloudyBodie, Handlebar and I started out the day with the intention of doing about 20 miles to Davenport Gap Shelter, but we all began hiking at different times in the morning. Before the next shelter, I caught up with Handlebar and we formulated a great April Fools prank to play on Bodie, who was waiting for us at the next shelter. I carried Handlebar's pack into the next shelter along with mine and told Bodie (who was in the privy) that Handlebar had probably broken his ankle and that I was going back to help him. I went back to where Handlebar was waiting for me and I pretended to assist him down the trail. When Bodie came running toward us, Handlebar had his arm around my shoulder and was limping. When Bodie got about 25 feet from us, Handlebar ran toward him, much to Bodie's suprise. Bodie knew that he'd been had and he loved it.The rest of the day involved fairly easy hiking and enjoyable conversation. By the time we reached Davenport Gap, we'd decided to push on to Standing Bear Farm, the hostile / resupply unanimously recommended over Mountain Mama's.The place was quite nice and the people (Curtis and Snapper) were pretty interesting. The fun really began, however, when we realized that Curtis' wife owns a Mexican Restaurant that hosts live bluegrass bands every Friday and Saturday night. So, Geranimo, El Jeffe, Handlebar, Bodie, and I hopped in Curtis' van and went to the show. The night was quite fun but pretty late, as we ended up staying out until almost midnight. If I knew what I was in for the next day, I'd have saved my energy.
Date: 2005-04-02
From: Standing Bear Farm (TN)

To: Max Patch (NC)
Miles today: 13.3

Day 224/2Start: Standing Bear FarmFinish: beyond Max PatchMiles: approx. 14Weather: heavy snow and windThe morning started out nice enough, listening to a classic rock radio station while frying potatoes at Standing Bear Farm. Due to the night before, we all got a pretty late start (except Bones, Happy Wanderer and Galloping Gourmet, who didn't go out) and snow began to fall as I left the farm around noon. The snow accumulated increasingly for seven miles to the first shelter, which was packed with people at 3 pm. Somewhat frustrated by this, I decided to push on. The snow and wind both increased with the elevation until the drifts were up to my knees and I was on constant lookout for falling trees. I reached Max Patch (a large bald mountain) by late afternoon and started making my way up what seemed to be the trail. The snow was so deep that I lost the trail several times on the way to the summit and the winds were so strong that the deep snow was all that anchored me to the ground. When I reached the summit, the snow decreased but the wind increased. One gust of wind was so strong that it instantly transformed my pack cover into a deadly projectile, shooting as a line drive into space. Several spur trails existed on the Max Patch summit and since I was unable to look for a blaze due to horizontally-flying ice pellets, I lost the trail again several times. I prayed for the wind to die down and it did immediately, just long enough for me to find a white blaze. I started making my way off the bald, very cold with frozen liquid inside my nostrils and an ice goatee that almost touched my chest. After exiting the bald, I lost the trail again due to deep snow and snow on the trees. By this time, I was quite cold and unable to warm up since I was now walking downhill. So I decided to set up camp at a flat spot where I was able to shovel snow to make a barricade from the wind and set up my tarp. After getting in my sleeping bag and eating a pretty good amount of food, I was still unable to get warm. I slept for about two hours and shivered a good portion of the night.
Date: 2005-04-03
From: Max Patch (NC)

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 234/3Start: beyond Max PatchFinish: Hot Springs, NCMiles: approx. 19Weather: sunny, warmI had been waiting for the sun to come up all morning and was out of my sleeping bag and moving once I could see. During the night, I'd made the mistake of putting a mylar bivy sack over my sleeping bag. Condensation collected inside the bivy sack all night and my down bag was soaked by the morning. I was just thankful that the temperature did not drop significantly during the night. The Lord certainly answered a multitude of prayers throughout the night.Hiking through the snow was lots of fun today since the wind had decreased and the sun was shining. I could tell that I was walking behind a smaller person since the steps in the snow were much shorter than my natural stride, causing me to either take choppy steps or make my own. At a certain elevation, the snow simply disappeared and I was suddenly walking in the nicest spring weather. Shortly thereafter, I found the owners of the choppy steps, Giggles and Box of Fun, soaking up the now abundant sunshine at a dirt road crossing. I stopped to chat and ended up hiking the rest of the way into Hot Springs with these cheerful ladies.In Hot Springs, I set up my tarp with DuBoius at the campground and then went to the diner to eat with Giggles, Box of Fun, Skeeter Feeder, and Jerry. This diner was amazing; the food was excellent and the helpings were ginormous.The rest of the day was spent tooling around Hot Springs, just getting town chores done. That evening, I realized why the campground was so inexpensive as I twice awoke to what sounded like a train coming directly through my tarp. In reality, the train was about 50 yards away. Yet another rough night.
Date: 2005-04-04
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Campsite near Hot Springs
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 244/4Start: Hot Springs, NCFinish: campsiteMiles: approx. 2Weather: warm/hot, sunnyToday was one of many stupid town chores. I've realized that I do not like being in town very much simply because I feel like all I do is a series of necessary evils (resupply, shower, laundry, charge batteries, etc.) that enable me to get back into the woods. The redeeming factor in town, however, is definitely the food. We ate at the Smoky Mountain Diner again for breakfast and it was absolutely incredible. This place is the best eatery I've patroned to this point on the trail, hands down.Later in the afternoon, I met back up with Giggles and Box of Fun to go to the actual "hot springs" from which the town derives its name. The establishment seemed a bit run down, but it was certainly relaxing.That evening, I met up with a whole group of guys (too many to mention) at a hostel on the other side of town, where we grilled out and watched the NCAA championship game. Handlebar and I left during halftime and began hiking out of town at about 10:30 that night. We stopped at the first campsite overlooking the town and went to sleep.
Date: 2005-04-05
From: Campsite near Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter (TN)
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 254/5Start: campsiteFinish: Spring Mt. ShelterMiles: approx. 9Weather: warm, sunnyI woke up this morning after the best night of sleep I've had all week to an absolutely beautiful day. Before we even got started, a girl I know from home, Jennifer (now Odyssa), passed by our campsite. She started about a week behind me and has been moving pretty quickly. She said that she enjoys hiking all day, from sunrise to sunset. On days like today, I just like relaxing; bad weather motivates me to move.The weather continued to be nice throughout the day and I did not get very far. After hiking with Odyssa for a while, I stopped at the first shelter and decided to call it a day. People continued to arrive throughout the afternoon and we had a full house in no time. The afternoon was perfect for just laying around and talking with folks, so I do not regret the abbreviated day. Bodie and I played chess around dinnertime and he won after a pretty evenly played match. I didn't bother to tell him that I had played quite poorly for my normal skill level, but just said that we should play again sometime.
Date: 2005-04-06
From: Spring Mountain Shelter (TN)

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter (NC)
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 264/6Start: Spring Mt. ShelterFinish: Jerry Cabin ShelterMiles: 15.4Weather: hot and sunnyToday's temperature started off warm and only increased throughout the day. Early in the day we crossed a road with a sign about trail magic at a nearby house. FAL and Hercules (class of '99) hosted a wonderful meal of beef stew, biscuits, bananas, apple cider and brownie with ice cream for dessert at their home. This was a real treat since I was beginning to think that I might be just a bit short on food. The trail magic I've received to this point has all been fantastic and much of it has providentially been at opportune times such as it was today.By the time we left the trail angels' house, the sun had come over the mountains and was beating down in full force. I stopped for a while at the first shelter to hang out with folks and to let the heat pass a bit. There was a big climb out of that shelter, so I got pretty hot nonetheless. After the initial afternoon climb, the hiking was gorgeous with a couple of nice overlooks and a wonderful view from a rocky ridge traverse toward the end. I was just so happy to be out here today and was unable to even imagine ever wanting to leave the trail. Hopefully that attitude will last for a while.
Date: 2005-04-07
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter (NC)

To: Hog Back Ridge Shelter (NC)
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

Day 274/7Start: Jerry's Cabin ShelterFinish: Hog Back Ridge ShelterMiles: 14.7Weather: cloudy, drizzleToday was great hiking weather but not the prettiest day. I hiked most of the morning with Yardsale and Senator and then split off later in the afternoon.The first shelter and the several miles after that went by pretty quick, but then the afternoon went by quite slowly. In fact, time was moving quickly until I ran into Lumbermack who made the comment that we were probably getting close to the shelter. Such remarks always seem to make me anticipate the shelter, water source, or whatever else the destination might be, causing time to move inordinately slow.I did finally reach the shelter at about 4:30, which would normally be about right. However, due to daylight savings time, we all ended up sitting around in the light for quite a while and were in our sleeping bags well before dark. The group was much smaller tonight than it had been since Hot Springs since Bodie, Sunset Screemer, Senator, and Cotton Joe moved on to the next campsite and Figirro, Tofu, Unknown, and Fraggle stayed at the previous shelter. Thus, tonight's crew consists of Private Joker, Yardsale, Lumbermack, Nimblefoot, DuBious, Longshankz and Strangebrew (the Crazy Canucks), and me. I love all these crazy trail names. It would be hilarious to me if everyone in the other world (what some call the real world) were to have such names. But I guess its kinda neat to have this as a novelty specific to the trail.
Date: 2005-04-08
From: Hog Back Ridge Shelter (NC)

To: No Business Knob Shelter (TN)
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: light rain

Day 274/8Start: Hogback Ridge ShelterFinish: No Business Knob ShelterMiles: 20.6Weather: am rain, pm thunderstormsAfter lots of sitting around last night, we all decided that a good breakfast was just what we needed. This revelation did not come spontaneously, but after seeing that Sam's Gap (three miles away) contained a nearby diner.While most everyone in the shelter seemed interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, the morning rain scared away all except DuBious, Yardsale and me. But even we were pretty discouraged after unsuccessfully trying to hitch a ride in the rain for quite some time. So we started walking toward the diner, which was supposed to be about two miles away. We walked two miles and found no diner, but we did find a ride - in the back of a guy's pickup in the rain. The guy took us about ten miles down the road to an exit that had several dining options, Waffle House being the most desirable at the time. We ate a lot of food and easily got a ride back to the trail, making the detour well worth the effort.The weather was very frustrating for the rest of the morning. The rain would seem to pick up to the point that I would stop to put on my rain jacket. Shortly after putting on my jacket, the rain would stop again and the sun would come out, making it much too warm and humid to wear a rain jacket. So I would take off my jacket and the process would repeat itself.The cycle was finally broken by a heavy afternoon thunderstorm. The lightning always stayed several miles from me, but tonight's shelter register indicated that several hikers were rather close to the lightning. In the past, I have allowed lightning to frighten me, but today I was able to really be at peace with God's plan and actually enjoy the situation. I did pray for all those hiking through the storm that day, since such storms can be very dangerous and I know several people who have been struck. By God's grace, none were added to that list today.
Date: 2005-04-09
From: No Business Knob Shelter (TN)

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: broken clouds

Day 284/9Start: No Business ShelterFinish: Erwin, TNMiles: 6.3Weather: warm & sunnyI woke up this morning and made the gradual descent into Erwin wearing wet boots and socks. The hardest part about wearing wet boots and socks is simply putting them on; once I start walking, I barely notice a difference.As I reached the road into Erwin, Miss Janet was dropping off a load of hikers, so I got a ride to her hostel. I put my stuff down and walked to the post office to forward to Damascus the shoes that were to be sent to me. Just before reaching the post office, I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I turned to see my mom and brother at the Sonic restaurant ordering milkshakes. What a pleasant surprise! Along with my dad, they had come to visit me for the weekend.I collected my belongings at Miss Janet's house and my parents took Private Joker, Iceman, Yardsale and me over to Pizza Plus for a buffet pizza extravaganza. While the initial plan was to have a pizza eating contest, that was quickly called off since we were tired of waiting for the other contestants and since the pizza slices were anything but uniform in size. However, between the ten hikers that ultimately did show up, we ate a total of twenty pizzas (along with salad and drinks).I spent the rest of the afternoon doing town chores with the help of my family and then spending some quality time with them at the Holiday Inn. We ate dinner at Erwin Burrito Company which was pretty good, but not as good as Moe's.
Date: 2005-04-10
From: Erwin, TN

To: Low Gap (TN)
Miles today: 15.4

Day 294/10Start: Erwin, TNFinish: Low GapMiles: 15.4Weather: warm & sunnyThe next morning, my family, Yardsale, and I went to church in Erwin. The worship format was practically identical to that of the church I went to as a child, which was neat to see since I had not experienced that in a while.After the service, we joined the rest of the congregation for lunch in a room downstairs from the sanctuary. The lunch consisted of lots and lots of homestyle dishes that were all quite good.I said goodbye to my parents at the trailhead around 2:30 and cranked out a lot of miles until dark. Later in the afternoon, I passed an area called Beauty Spot, which was certainly very pretty. However, Unaka Mountain was definitely the highlite of the day. This mountain transformed from a thicket tunnel to a high-canopy pine forest that was absolutely beautiful at dusk. I felt like I had entered another world and that, at any moment, I might stumble upon a hidden colony of Ewoks or merry men. The unique nature of the environment left me awestruck for the rest of the evening.I camped by myself for only the second time on the trip tonight. With no chance of rain, I just laid on my ground sheet under the stars and let the nearby owls sing me to sleep.
Date: 2005-04-11
From: Low Gap (TN)

To: Stan Murray Shelter (TN)
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 304/11Start: Low GapFinish: Stan Murray ShelterMiles: 21.0Weather: am sunny, pm cloudyToday was perhaps the first day that I pushed myself further than I wanted to go. I initially planned to make it to the Stan Murray Shelter, but did not initially reckon with the difficulty of Roan Mountain. Maybe it was just me, but climbing this mountain felt very difficult. By the time I reached Roan High Knob Shelter, I wanted to stop. However, I had (again) planned my food in such a way that stopping was not really an option. Plus, rumors of lightning storms throughout the night and into the morning dissuaded me from wanting to cross over the upcoming balds the next day. So I decided to push on to the next shelter, even though it meant hiking further than I wanted to and leaving all my friends behind.For the next 4.whatever miles, I regretted this decision. I forfieted my opportunity to stay at the highest shelter on the AT, I left my friends behind and, worst of all, I broke my cardnal rule of not hiking further than I desired on a given day. I became even more disappointed with myself when I discovered that a grocery store exists before the next planned resupply point. Oh well, lesson learned.The advantage of pushing on was that I was able to meet a whole new group of people. I met 42, Waypoint and Steady Step, along with two English couples (Team GB). Now I must decide whether I want to try and keep to my original schedule or stop by the grocery store and take my time. Uggh, decisions!