morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-04-08
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Pecks Corner Shelter, NC
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Back on the trail after a zero in Gatlinburg. What a totally insane place after a month in the woods and trail towns. I walked all around yesterday. Wax museums, funnel cake, Dukes of Hazzard Museum. I actually got a little freaked out just being around so many people.I saw Kyle at the outfitter, then Chris hitched in from some crazy town and crashed in my room. I had lunch with Skidmark and his wife, Pat, and then walked forever to the grocery store. Chris had got in so we went to Subway, and then back to the hotel for basketball. We didn¢t get to bed until 2:00 and I had to get up at 7:30 to get a ride back out with Skidmark and Pat, so I¢m pretty tired. I got too much food as usual, and the Post Office was closed and didn¢t open until 9:00 today. I tried to give it to Pat, but she had boxes and said she¢d forward it to Hot Springs for me, which was such a huge help. We got back to Newfound a little before 9:00, which is my earliest start yet. CNN was there because of the [threatened] government shutdown. The trail was pretty easy today, and there were a ton of people. I stopped at the first shelter to stretch and saw some familiar names in the journal not too far ahead.I came upon a group of six or eight ladies in their 50s at a view, and they said I should go ahead. I was hiking very easy, but picked up the pace to get past them. I couldn¢t shake them, though. I was breathing hard, but I could hear them talking behind me about American Idol. I finally gave up and stopped to let them go by, but then I saw them again at the trail juncture. They were taking pictures, so I offered to take one of them all. Then they said they¢d take one of me with them to make my girlfriend jealous. [Ed. note: They better watch their backs!] I was kicking myself later for not taking them up on that. The day was pretty good. It was supposed to rain, and looked like it would, but never did. My feet were tired, but not terrible. The shelter is pretty full and lots of familiar faces: Pigeon and Flame, who I¢ve seen most nights in the Smokies. A guy named Shadow and a girl whose name I can¢t remember. Later a father and daughter a little younger than me, Long Time and Click. Skidmark beat me here by two hours. Chris rolled in late. There were some others and a Ridge Runner who I talked hammocks with for quite a while. Wayland came in after dark and then Cotton and Natty right after him. I didn¢t understand how I¢d gotten ahead of them. Cotton said he¢d left his journal and something else at the snowstorm shelter, didn¢t realize it for 13.5 miles, went back for it, then to Newfound for like a 32-mile day. Totally crazy. So, the plan for tomorrow is 13 miles, which will be my longest. I don¢t really want to do that much, but the only other shelter is just five [miles away]. It¢ll also set me up for a very easy exit from the Smokies Sunday. I¢m going to get up early (I hope) and take it very slow and easy.Speaking of which, it¢s definitely bed time.
Date: 2011-04-11
From: Off trail, 2 miles past Standing Bear Farm

To: Roaring Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So, I didn¢t realize last night that my hammock was so close to the trail. I literally woke up and waved to Shadow as he hiked right by.I somehow got up at 8:45 and on trail at 10:15. Wayland is going back for work and music stuff, so we said goodbye. The first part of the day was hot and steep. I overlapped Pigeon at first, then wound up hiking with Click and Long Time for awhile. Just before the middle shelter, Skidmark came up from behind, which surprised me. He¢d stayed with Pat in town after Davenport. I stopped for lunch at a camp site and was joined later by Click and Long Time, then an older couple whose names I can¢t remember came down to camp there. Pigeon, Flame, and Skidmark came by and did the same. Skidmark and I talked knives for awhile, and I wound up sitting there for an hour and a half. Which I needed. I was hot and really tired.Cotton and Natty rolled in as I was leaving, but I pushed on for Max Patch, which was incredible. It¢s a huge, grassy bald and you can see forever in all directions. A bunch of us had been planning on camping there, but there¢s supposed to be a bad storm coming. I went on to the shelter, and Cotton and Natty camped a bit before with Shadow and a few others. We probably sat on Max Patch for an hour, though. Really incredible.Still no sign of rain. With or without it, I¢m sleeping like a rock tonight for sure. Today was another record day for me [mileage-wise]. [Ed. note: I found a neat map. Select "Appalachian Trail" from the drop-down menu on the upper left, and you can see the trail as it falls on a Google Map, you can zoom in, re-center, etc. I've found it hard to find something similar to this until now, and it makes it much easier to get a sense of where Patrick/Muldoon is.]
Date: 2011-04-12
From: Roaring Creek Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

What a crazy day. Right after I stopped writing last night, it started raining. I really like rain at night, so I fell right asleep. I woke up earlyish to it still raining and a little cold so I decided to sleep in and let it stop and warm up. Which worked about as well as it ever does. I finally forced myself up at around 11:00. I had breakfast with Flame and Pigeon, who were in for lunch, then a bunch of kids I don¢t know. They¢d all gone over Max Patch in the horrible weather, which made me especially glad we got to see it last night.I got rolling at 12:15 and did the first few miles really quickly. It was raining and very windy. I planned on lunch at the first shelter, but when I got there, there was no roof on it. Two section hikers who weren¢t prepared for the weather were there and pointed out a sign explaining the roof was being replaced. That made me pretty mad. If I was replacing the roof on my lawn shed, the first thing I¢d do is buy a tarp that could cover it. Obviously, we have to be prepared for no shelter, but there are plenty of other folks who depend on them, and $50 worth of plastic tarp would have made that one usable. On top of that, the weather just kept getting worse. It was colder and the wind was horrendous. I got sort of angry about it and decided I was going to walk to Hot Springs or until the rain stopped. I saw tents set up everywhere from people holing up against the storm. Squeaky was set up under a giant rock in sort of a cave. I stopped at 4:00 to eat a box of raisins and put liner gloves on under my rain mitts. My hands were wet and really cold. I had trouble moving them well, so I decided pushing on would be dangerous and started looking for a spot to make camp.By 5:00, I hadn¢t found anything ideal, and the rain stopped. The trail had been going down, too, so it was a bit warmer. I dug the map out, saw I had eight pretty fast miles to town, and decided I could make it just after dark. That worked out just right. I had to use my headlamp for the last hour, but it was kind of nice. It was also cool to see the lights of the town as I got near. Pretty much everything is closed. I got a room at the Iron Horse Inn, which is crazy nice, and also got a couple of sodas from a machine. I was hoping for a pizza, but nothing is open. I realized when I sat down in the room that it was the first time I had since breakfast. I didn¢t even really eat since then either. One box of raisins at about 4:00 then two handfuls of trail mix at about 7:00. Not my smartest day, but a big one. Plus, I have a zero tomorrow, then two easy ones, then hiking with Tom for about a week, so a while of not killer mileage.
Date: 2011-04-13
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I think this is my first zero entry. I switched to the motel this morning. Cheaper and has a TV. I hit the library for internet and the diner for lunch. I had my first fried pickles, and I love them.I have also taken on the trail name Muldoon, which is from a card Erica sent me. I was so-so on trail names before starting, but I have accepted them. It would be impossible to follow the journals if it were just a sea of Mikes and Daves. It¢ll be interesting to see how it goes with people who¢ve known me by my real name for awhile. I hit up the outfitter, which is great. I got my package from Pat and one from Erica. I only need two days of food to get to Tom, so I¢m going to forward the rest there. I did laundry, but they closed earlier than I thought, so my clothes are trapped the night.I had a drink with Cotton and Natty, then met them later for dinner at Rock Bottom. We ate on the deck next to the river. Good day in town. My legs and feet are feeling yesterday, but not too bad. Hopefully back to normal tomorrow.
Date: 2011-04-14
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: About 4 mi north of Hot Springs
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Very leisurely hike out of Hot Springs today. I¢ve only got about 18 until Friday when I get to Hemlock to meet Tom, so I was in no hurry. I hit the outfitter, the Post Office, and the diner again for lunch. Apparently I¢m a big fan of fried pickles now. I also spent quite a while on the computer. The outfitter had Rice Dream nutty bars, so I grabbed one of them and a root beer on my way out of town. While I was sitting out front, Chris walked up. I was glad to see him, but unfortunately he¢s officially done. He¢s got a flight out of Asheville in a couple days. I gave him all my contact info, and we walked to the edge of town and said goodbye.Partially because of that, today felt like the beginning of the next phase of the trip. My foot stuff seems under control, and I¢ve done days of miles in the teens in a row. I¢ve got Tom Saturday through Thursday, which will be short miles, but after that, I should be able to start putting in some grownup miles. Tomorrow it might rain. I¢m camped just off trail. I¢ve only got about 10 miles to Hemlock, so I¢ll probably sleep in a bit if it is raining. One of these days the rain will actually stop when I do that.
Date: 2011-04-15
From: About 4 mi north of Hot Springs

To: Hemlock Hollow
Miles today: 10.0

The trail itself was pretty uneventful today. There was a fire tower early that was too windy to really enjoy. The day was windy and cloudy in general. I stopped for a cold lunch at a shelter and saw Glide, who I¢d met earlier, Flute Walker, Skidmark, and a section hiker walking for charity. Skidmark and the section hiker were staying and Pigeon and Flame were on the way. Flute, Glide, and I headed on. We passed a south-bounder who said there was a house ahead with trail magic. The others weren¢t sure, but I saw veggie chili on the sign near the road, so we headed up.What an incredible place. Modern log cabin home finished absolutely perfectly inside. The couple that lived there, Fall and Hercules, hiked in 1999 and bought this place to be close to the trail. They serve like 600 hikers a year. The meal was Belgian waffles followed by chili, then a choice of really fancy dessert. For me, it was two servings of chili, a ton of homemade raisin bread, and Coke. We probably sat there an hour and took our pictures for their book. Really great people.It was only about another hour to get here. I got a bed in the bunkhouse, but that was stupid. Glide had warned me that he snored. It was pretty bad, so I bailed out into the rain at about 11:00 and set up near the creek. Heaven. This is a really nice place. Small shop and restaurant, cabins, and bunkhouses. The couple that owns it is really nice. He drove us around the place in a gas-powered golf cart and told us some funny stories. Tom and Jen should be here tomorrow afternoon, so I¢ll sleep in (in my nice, quiet hammock) then putter around. Hopefully my food from Hot Springs will arrive so I can sort and pack that.
Date: 2011-04-16
From: Hemlock Hollow

To: Whereabouts unknown
Miles today: 3.0

Got up very late today to ¢ you won¢t believe this ¢ no rain. It actually rained at night and stopped by morning.I packed up, got water from the creek, then went for a shower. Flute Walker is zeroing today and was still sleeping in the cabin. My package came, so I handled that, then got online for a bit, then played with their two dogs.Tom and Jen showed up about 3:45 with wondrous gifts. They brought Subway, and Jen had vacuum sealed Hard Times chili, cornbread, and Oreos. [Ed. note: Jen is awesome!] Damn, I just remembered I can¢t eat their cornbread. We had a long lunch, then Jen dropped us back at the trail.We hiked for a couple hours, almost camped in one valley, passed two folks asleep in a shelter, and wound up in another valley. It¢s a good spot out of the wind, but it¢s a cold night. We sat up and ate our Subway, but it was too cold to stay long. Hopefully the weather will be right and it¢ll warm up tomorrow. I think a campsite and a fire would be the best thing. It just started to rain. I sure hope it doesn¢t last, but two nights in a row of rain that stops by morning seems like a lot to ask.
Date: 2011-04-17
From: Whereabouts unknown

To: Whereabouts unknown
Miles today: 6.0

So, the rain last night turned to sleet, but was done by morning. Two in a row. We had a leisurely breakfast and let our tarps dry out.The trail today was nice and mostly easy. There was a long section of rock scramble that did slow us down quite a bit, but the views were great. There was also a huge flat area visible from up there. A guy day hiking said it was Greenville, Tennessee. It was strange to see after nothing but mountains for so long. We hit the shelter at about 6:00 and found a camp spot with a fire ring about 50 yards down. There were some young guys at the shelter: Token, German Shepherd, and Gimley. I told them we were going to have a fire at the camp site if it wouldn¢t bother them and that they were welcome to join us. They said they were just going to crash, but then we saw German Shepherd gathering wood while we were getting water. They wound up having a fire at the shelter, so we built a real whopper and won.Dinner was Hard Times chili which was incredible (thanks, Jen!). I¢ve been meaning to bag up some Amy¢s [chili] coming out of town but keep forgetting. Hard Times is definitely way better. We sat by the fire for quite a while, which was a good time. It¢s a really nice night with a huge moon and almost no wind. Much warmer than last night, too.
Date: 2011-04-18
From: Whereabouts unknown

To: Whereabouts unknown
Miles today: 6.0

Great night, great morning for weather. We got up late as usual and waved at the hikers going by. The hike was nice. We went over some meadows, then followed a dirt road for quite awhile. Just before that, we met ZigZag, a woman from Georgia who lives in Germantown, MD now. I told her we¢d just hit 300 miles, and she high-fived me. We all walked together for a mile or so. Turns out we know a lot of the same hikers.We were going to stay near the shelter, but there wasn¢t much [around it]. A fellow hammocker, Landshark, told us there was a site about a mile away, so we went for that.As we were getting the fire going, Cotton and Natty walked up. They set up farther up, then joined us. That was a good time, and I¢m glad we got a chance to hang out with some other hikers. I¢m also glad it was them. They¢re people we¢d know in the real world. Some of the folks out here might be a bit too much to be thrown into the middle of.It¢s another nice night, although Cotton said he heard rain. Let¢s hope we don¢t wake up to it.
Date: 2011-04-19
From: Whereabouts unknown

To: Big Flat Campsite (?)
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up feeling pretty crappy today. I went to bed with kind of a headache and woke up with a bad one. I think I was dehydrated. We had a lot of climbing today. And we didn¢t realize until the bottom of the big one that the spring there was the last reliable water of the day. We each wound up carrying about a gallon, which was no picnic. I¢m not actually sure we¢re at Big Flat. I think we might have gone past. It¢s actually not a great spot. It¢s flat, but also right in a gap, so very exposed. The ground is also really soft and there¢s not a rock in sight, so I have very little confidence in my stakes. Hopefully Tom¢s influence will last and we won¢t see any rain. It¢s not cold, anyway.No fire tonight. There¢s no ring, and I¢m not keen to make a new one. We had a big lunch when we got here, set up hammocks, then big dinner.We¢ve been counter-balancing food bags when we bear bag. I think it¢s a much better method because the bears have no access at all. I¢ve been getting paranoid because I¢ve heard some stories lately.Tomorrow we¢ve just got about 4 miles to the car. It kind of feels like I¢m going home, too, which is weird.
Date: 2011-04-20
From: Big Flat Campsite (?)

To: Low Gap Campsite
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up to quite a bit of wind and rain today. Last night, the wind was coming from the west, so I set on the east side of the ridge. This morning, it had shifted and was pounding me. And sure enough, my stakes let go quick. The ground was so soft, I used big sticks as stakes, which held okay. But the trees were wide and the wind was pounding me, so I just got up at about 8:30 and packed up. We started in the rain, but it wasn¢t bad and didn¢t last too long. Turns out we were way off last night. I never did figure out where that campsite was, but we were before it. We got to Tom¢s car around 12:45 and spread all my gear on the grass to sort through and dry. Tom gave me some extra food and batteries and stuff. We headed to Erwin to eat and grab some trail magic. We got Subway, then loaded up at Dollar General. We got five boxes of assorted cookies, Fritos, Ruffles, BBQ chips, a 12-pack of root beer, and one of Mello Yello. We also wanted something cool, so got a jar of frosting and a pack of plastic spoons. And we got a Styrofoam cooler and poster board for a sign. We put it close to the lot, which had trash cans, and left a note asking people to use them and for the last person to chuck the cooler. Hopefully dogs and raccoons aren¢t tearing it up right now.I got back on trail at about 5:30 and hiked just over three miles to here. This campsite is a little like the one in the Smokies, with several clear tent spots. I set up great, totally the opposite of last night. Hard ground with roots to get my stakes behind, big rocks to put on them, and close trees. We¢re also down low and narrow, so the wind¢s only coming one way. It started to rain when I got into bed, but stopped. It figures, since I¢m well set up for it.I had dinner with the folks here, all really nice. They were mad at my Subway, but I also brought a big bag of Fritos and passed that around. There¢s Velvet, an NC guy who graduated high school last year; Thimble, a woman from Pittsburgh; Charlie, who¢s 50 and English; and Sundance, a Marine and former forest ranger. Charlie and Sundance are hiking big miles together and both are on multiple thru-hikes. They also bicker like a married couple.In contrast to my recent bearanoia, neither of them ever bear bags and have never had an issue. We all got a kick out of watching Velvet and Thimble take about 30 minutes to hang one up. Fortunately, I got mine on the first throw.When the rain started, we let the fire go and turned in. It¢s about 30 feet from the foot of my hammock, which I like. It¢s good to be back to the routine. I was worried I¢d be depressed when Tom left and jealous of him going back to the world, but I feel good. It¢s time to start dialing up the miles and getting back some of my injury miles. I¢ve got two days to Erwin, then five days of hiking before meeting Erica. I¢m hoping to hit the 400 mile mark before that.
Date: 2011-04-21
From: Low Gap Campsite

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up a little later than I meant to today and got on trail at 11:00. I decided over breakfast to push for this shelter so that tomorrow will be an easy six to Erwin. I went over Big Bald, which was incredible. Similar to Max Patch, but I actually liked it more because the terrain in the views was more varied. Right after, I took a break at the shelter just beyond. I saw Ulee, the German from NOC, and U-Haul, who Tom and I saw yesterday. U-Haul is carrying a hundred pounds of gear and has been out since February. I stopped at Whistling Gap campsite for a big lunch. I would up taking 1:30 because Photon came by and was good to talk to. As I was getting up, a woman named Moss came by, then a girl called Bumblebee, followed by Ulee. At the next campsite, at Spivey Gap, I met Bald Eagle. That¢s where everyone from Whistling Gap was headed for the night. I pushed on for the last 4.7 miles, which were a little tough. Everyone from last night was here, plus several new faces. It was after dark when I was done setting up so I didn¢t get to really talk. This was my second longest day, after that crazy one in the rain to Hot Springs. I¢d like to be doing 15 miles pretty regularly. It wasn¢t bad, but I have to get going earlier. It¢s no good trying to make sunset. An hour would have made a big difference. My pace has also gone up quite a bit. I took two hours of breaks, so spent less than seven hours actually hiking.
Date: 2011-04-22
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

Stupid day today. I woke up to rain and really couldn¢t get out of bed. I finally got on trail at noon. Good thing I hiked 15 yesterday so I could get to town early. I hiked out with three section hikers who were slack-packing and going about exactly my pace. There was the biggest blowdown I¢ve ever seen across the trail. They climbed in ahead of me and fireman¢s carried my pack across. The rain was off and on, which was frustrating me. I hiked in rain pants and a t-shirt.Everyone in the world was on Uncle Johnny¢s porch, including Nor¢easter and Murray. Nor¢easter¢s ankle¢s messed up and Murray¢s been living it up for days.
Date: 2011-04-23
From: Erwin, TN

To: Indian Grave Cap
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

Got out of the hotel at 1:30. I was so late packing up. I walked the mile to Johnny¢s and sat on the porch a bit. I ate some chips and drank a soda and fixed my poles. They¢ve been clicking annoyingly because the screw piece is pressed in and then dimpled and is slightly loose. A yard of thread wrapped tight into the gap did the trick. I finally got on trail at 3:15. I decided to push past the first shelter to the next camp site, but I went too far. My pace seems like it¢s 2 mph even when I¢m going pretty easy, which I¢m not used to. The trail was really rocky and rooty, and my feet were hurting pretty bad. Hopefully they¢ll be good tomorrow.This camp site pretty much sucks. It¢s right near the road and I keep hearing the locals going up and down. Saturday night. Also, while I was eating near the fire, a mouse ran right onto the log over to me. I hung my pack on an old clothesline, but I¢m sure they¢ll be all over it. I also had my first gear casualty. When my food bag was halfway up, the buckle let go. Which left no way to get my rock bag back. I tried to break the branch, but had to cut the line. I crossed Cotton and Natty slacking the way down, so they¢ll start 11 miles ahead of me tomorrow. Probably won¢t see them again for awhile. Oh, and I forgot to buy fuel. So, I get to go 1.2 miles out of my way tomorrow or the next day to a hostel. Stupid. Trying to get up early tomorrow for once. I need to do big miles the next four days to meet Erica past the 400 mark. Got my bug net pulled up for the first time, but it¢s just to keep the mice from crawling on me. [Ed. note: Ewww!]