morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Tricorner Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Cammer Lookout
Miles today: 10.5

Mt Cammerer LookoutLast night I got the best night sleep in days. I slept straight through until 4am which is unheard of out here. My sleep was so good I didn't even get out of bed until 10am. I packed up and took my sweet time getting ready and eventually left at noon. I felt so refreshed! Sleeping in the hammock vs the shelter makes me feel so much more connected to the forest since I am under a tarp and not enclosed in a structure.Today was actually kind of sad. We started to climb down from 6000ft and slowly watched the evergreen forest turn back into the leafless decidious style. It was cool to see green again on the forest floor instead of snow though. I really enjoyed the smokys!Tds, matterhorn, nobo hobo, worm, earthquake, and I met at Cosby knob shelter and decided to check out this Mt. Cammerer lookout tower. We heard it was a shelter, but didn't know what to expect. We all carried enough water for the night prepared to stay there. We took the side trail to get there and found this AWESOME stone lookout tower that reminded me of a lighthouse. It was build in 1939. The top has a conical roof with windows all around. Inside was a plain wood floor with enough room for 8 hikers. We had 7 total with the addition of coral, a cool section hiker from Vancouver.The 7 of us cooked dinner and watched the sunset from the deck overlooking the valley straight down below. As soon as the sun set, the wind kicked up and is sure blowing hard. I'm glad I'm in this building since were supposed to get a storm tonight! Tomorrow I walk out of the Smokys with some awesome memories. Today's StatsStarting Point:Tricorner Knob ShelterEnding Point:Mt. Cammerer LookoutMileage:10.5Elevation Gain:2240ftElevation Loss:3130ftHiking Time:5:59Weather:Warmer and sunnyPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Mt. Cammer Lookout

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Goodbye SmokyThe wind howled all through the night and when we woke up we could see the storm rolling in though the high mounains seemed to block it. One side of the mountain was in a cloud and the other was clear, it was a pretty interesting sight. We packed up and braved the high winds along the ridge back to the AT. All the way down the mountain I was prepared for rain, but it never came. I eventually got to davenport gap and crossed under I40 as I ate my last 3 muskateers bar. That was the absolute last piece of food left in my pack. I had planned my food perfectly from fontana dam. Now if something happened and I had to spend another night in the woods I'd be in trouble, but I didn't. The Standing Bear Farm was only a mile away where I could get enough food to get me to hot springs.I rolled into standing bear and clamimed a bunk space. I did laundry for the first time in over a week and got a nice hot shower. What scared me was that I still smelled AFTER the shower. I think it will take weeks to get the stank out. It was wierd to look in a mirror. My beard is getting bigger and my belly is getting smaller.Standing Bear is a super cool place and Curtis brought us into "town" or the local gas station/restaurant/grocery store where I bought a bbq diner and a 6pack of Guiness. Back at the hostel was tds, earthquake, materhorn, gandolf, pike county, worm, nobo hobo, scholar, and about 10 other people. I even met dirtnap who has hiked the trail barefoot so far. We all spent the evening hiding from the rain and having a good ole hiker time.Today's StatsStarting Point:Mt. Cammerer LookoutEnding Point:Standing Bear FarmMileage:7.6Elevation Gain:990ftElevation Loss:4070ftHiking Time:3:43Weather:High winds and warmerPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Max PatchThe hostel this morning was a little intense. Two hikers were yelling at each other at 730 in the morning. They were yelling about hikers making too much noise packing up in the morning. It was a pretty silly argument and the older guy was just cranky and wanted to yell. I got out of there and ate some powdered dougnuts for breakfast, which I think I am going to eat every day from now on they were so good. Earthquake, Gandolf, and I got hiking by 9 and started going straight uphill. We took lots of breaks, but still made good time. We got to the first mountain top where there was an FAA tower and walked around it a couple of times, but the howling wind pushed us onward. We walked right past the first shelter and threw down on the trail for lunch around 1. After lunch we made it down to brown gap and got surprised with some trail magic. Apple cooked us 2 hot dogs each and gave us cookies and sodas. After stuffing oursleves we made the climb toward max patch where we ran into MORE trail magic. Nate, an 06 hiker from florida, had stone crab legs on ice and beers and apples at max patch road. What a random selection, but the crab was excellent. We managed to pull ourselves away and head up to max patch bald. This mountain top was entirley grass. It reminded me of the windows xp default grassy desktop background for you computer nerds out there. We wanted to cowboy camp on top, but the 30+ mph wind made it hard to even walk. The wind was so strong, we stumbled out way across the grasy bald top with 360 degree views of the Smoky ridge and the mountains ahead. We could see Mt. Cammerer lookout which was pretty cool. I wanted to stay there so bad...Since we couldn't camp ontop we took our time geting to roaring fork shelter. There was about 15 people there, mostly everyone in tents since we haven't been in them for days throuh the smokys. Scholar, quake, pa boys, nobo hobo, matterhorn, rockman, couch, birch, stiches, and worm were here. The crowds should thin after hot springs. I felt great after a half days rest and am excited to get to hot springs. Draught beer and food and shower here I come. It does feel good to be back in the woods though. I even heard owls tonight, the first in over a week.Today's StatsStarting Point:Standing Bear Farm Ending Point:Roaring Fork ShelterMileage:14.6Elevation Gain:6200ftElevation Loss:4060ftHiking Time:9:32Weather:High winds - low 60's - blue skiesPain Factor:3 (leg muscles very sore, mini blister on left pinky toe)
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Off To The RacesI slept in until 8:30, packed up and was walking by 9:15. I was one of the last ones to leave the shelter, everyone had Hot Springs on the mind. For whatever reason I decided to try and make the 18.8 miles to town before the post office closed at 4. That gave me about 6 and a half hours to make it. I figured it would be a good challenge.I eventually caught up to couch and driftwood and we all cruised down the trail at a fast pace together. The walking was easy and there were no view points, which made it easy to go without stopping. I ran into Mala and tucker dog who were heading into town the next day. I made it to deer run shelter at 230, and had an hour and a half to make it into town, with 3.5 miles left. I kicked it into high gear and damn near ran down the mountain. I felt like an adventurer racer, it was a lot fun.Drifwood and I walked into town together and made it to the post office at 330. I did it! Why? Who knows. I got my bounce box and a letter from a friend. Next order of business was getting a room. The hostel was full so I got a room at the creekside lodge with gandalf. tds crashed on the floor. This wasn't a motel to write home about. There was no phone or tv in the room, just 2 beds and a bathroom. I guess that's all a hiker needs. It was right next to a creek with rocking chairs under an awning and a fire pit which was pretty cool.Gandalf and I ate at the paddlers pub and I ended up staying there till about 11. Tomorrow night will be more of a party after a zero day. I was beat from walking so far so fast. I did meet a bunch of cool people who will also be there tomorrow.Today's StatsStarting Point:Roaring Fork ShelterEnding Point:Hot SpringsMileage:18.8Elevation Gain:3240ftElevation Loss:5890ftHiking Time:6:20Weather:Cool and sunnyPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: moderate rain

Don't sleep on a crackGandalf had us up at 730 again...grr. Went back to the diner, ate a huge breakfast, then I went back to sleep until 11. I walked out of the motel room and into the rain around noon. Man, it's always hard leaving town in the rain. I should have stayed in town since I knew the forecast was for wind up to 60 mph and 4in of snow in the mountains.I climbed into the mountains watching Hot Springs disappear below as the rain and wind seemed to get stronger. I stopped for a lunch break at Tanyard gap under an overpass. Does that officially make me a hobo? During lunch the rain turned into snow and I still had 5 miles to go to the shelter. The snow didn't start sticking until after the first mile, but it started to rapidly accumulate. It was blowing so hard I had to keep my head down so the brim of my hat would keep the snow out of my eyes. On a downhill I slipped in some mud. My feet flew out in front of me and I landed right on my ass, instantly soaking it through with mud. Wonderful!The snow turned into freezing rain and the wind kicked up as I got higher into the mountains. The wind was blowing the ice onto the left side of my face and was sticking to my beard just as much as on the trees. I had to keep my left eye closed for a while since the ice hurt my eyeballs. Then my eyelashes froze together, that kinda sucked. By the time I got to the shelter we were in a full on whiteout and there was over an inch of ice on my beard and a coating on the left side of my body.The shelter was full, but I kinda made room for myself. I slept in between gandalf and quake on boards that were misaligned. One board was 3 in higher than the one next to it separated by a small log. It is not very comfortable and we'll see how I sleep tonight.Why do I do this to myself? Because I LOVE IT! Bring on the blizzards, hurricanes, heat waves, tsunamis, earthquakes, whatever! I'm hardcore! Ha, just kidding, please no act of god weather events on this hike...Today's StatsStarting Point:Hot SpringsEnding Point:Spring Mountain ShelterMileage:11.0Elevation Gain:4069ftElevation Loss:1900ftHiking Time:5:06Weather:Rain to freezing rain to whiteout snow, 40+ mph windPain Factor:4 Blowing ice against face
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

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

Wet FeetCold makes me so slow in the morning! I didn't leave the shelter until 10am. We got about 4 inches of snow with drifts up to a foot. I guess I walked through the worst part of the storm. Figures! I slept like crap last night which was to be expected.Quake and I got to allen gap and saw a sign for trail magic at a house down the street. They promised Belgian waffles, stew, and desert so we went to check it out. Hercules and Fal invited us into their home and hooked us up with all of the promised items. It was the most delicious meal I've had in a long time, better than some restaurants. After we were all full they pulled out some books about Christianity and told us to take them and gave us a little sermon. I just thanked them politely, browsed some books, and peaced it outta there. I didn't feel like getting in a religious debate...The trail went straight up after allen gap, back into the snow. Walking in it was tedious, especially melting snow. The trail today was some of the wettest I've seen yet on this trip. There was snow, slush, mud, DEEP mud, and water over the entire day. There was no such thing as dry feet today and it got to the point where I just walked through puddles up to my ankles and through mud just as deep. Luckily my feet didn't develop any blisters, they were just super pruney. Today we also encountered the burliest rocks as of yet over blackstack cliffs. It reminded me of hiking in Harriman!I rolled up to Jerry Cabin shelter which was semi protected from the wind, so I decided to hang the hammock. I neeeeed a good night sleep, the walk today kicked my ass! I changed into my warm dry clothes, cooked dinner, and climbed into the hammock.Today's StatsStarting Point:Spring Mountain ShelterEnding Point:Jerry Cabin ShelterMileage:15.4Elevation Gain:4890ftElevation Loss:4250ftHiking Time:9:38Weather:Warmer WindyPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

DraggingThe wind had switched during the night and hit my tarp pretty hard. My new center guy out method worked very well and kept everything secure. I got to a late start again today, 10:20. Being exposed to the wind rattles your brain and makes it hard to concentrate.The walk over Big Butt mountain was still covered in snow, but after that everything had pretty much melted away. The trail wasn't as muddy either which was a blessing. I was dragging today! Definitely a mentally challenging day. I felt spent by the time I made 6m to flint shelter. I took a nice long break, made some tea, ate a lot, and meditated awhile. That seemed to help because I def picked up the pace after that. I guess yesterday took more out of me than I thought.The walk today was adjacent to a lot of private land and it was sure noticeable. There were atv tracks everywhere and lots of old barb wire fences. I took a lot of breaks today. Breaks and music are what got me through to the end. I made it to Hogback ridge shelter and set up my hammock for the night. Quake, little red, the wolf, castanets, early bird, and chico were already there. The chocolate bandito...yo and slow mo showed up after me. Chico made a huge fire and we chilled for a while. Dinner was especially good since I had found some ramps (garlic tasting lettuce looking greens) to add to my lipton. I hit the hammock around 9.Today's StatsStarting Point:Jerry Cabin ShelterEnding Point:Hogback Ridge ShelterMileage:14.7Elevation Gain:4050ftElevation Loss:3840ftHiking Time:7:53Weather:Warmer less windPain Factor:3 fatigue, behind left knee pain
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Spivey Gap Campsite
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Big Bald BeautifulI actually woke up early today since it wasn't very cold last night. The Chocolate Bandito...Yo(TCBY from now on), earthquake and I headed down to sams gap together. Quke had no food left so the plan was to hitch 3m down the road to a cafe that would have enough snacks to get him through to erwin. We got to the road and waited 30 min...not a single car drove by. We decided that he should call miss janet in erwin to come pick him up and he could slack pack the section from sams gap to erwin. When he turned on his phone he got a message from home and all he told me was that he might need to get off the trail. The cards were def not stacking up in his favor. All I could do was give him a big hug and say hopefully I'll see him down the trail. It was def a sad moment for the two of us. I have a feeling he's not getting off though. At least I hope not!TCBY and I left poor quake in the rain under an overpass and headed back to the mountains. I felt like there were a million different ways to handle that situation, but all I could think to do was keep going. Should I have gone with him? Did I have enough food to spare to get him through? None of that mattered, we separated, hopefully to meet again in Erwin.TCBY and I talked all the way to Big Bald and made the miles fly by. Big Bald was very similar to max patch, but no wind and it was sunny. A beautiful place to stop for lunch. I ate my last avocado and finished my cream cheese...mmm! We chilled on Big Bald soaking in the views for at least an hour. Time seemed to stand still up there. Eventually the wind kicked back up and we got cold so it was time to move on. For the next mile or so the trail followed the grassy ridge with sweeping vistas to both sides.The rest of the day went smoothly and we decided to camp at Spivey Gap. I just threw down in a grassy field about a 1/4 mile from the gap. I slept on the grass but pitched my tarp above since there is a chance of rain. It feels so good to just sleep in the grass! Not having Quake at camp is weird...Today's StatsStarting Point:Hogback Ridge ShelterEnding Point:Spivey Gap CampsiteMileage:15.6Elevation Gain:4230ftElevation Loss:5260ftHiking Time:9:44Weather:Overcast and drizzle in morning then warm and sunnyPain Factor:2
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Spivey Gap Campsite

To: Miss Janets
Miles today: 11.3

Where you goin man....Miss Janet's Teahouse (er hostel)So it rained last night, but my tarp kept me dry. Last night was the first time I had hung my tarp without the use of trees. I used my hiking poles as the trees, wrapped the ridge line around them and staked the line to the ground. It worked well, except the rain made the lines loose their tautness and the tarp sagged a little. This kept the rain off of me, but when condensation formed on the inside, my sleeping bag got soaked. Good thing I was going into town! Next time I will probably make the poles a little higher so that doesn't happen again.TCBY's friend, Happy Feet, had met us at Spivey Gap with his car and slackpacked us into erwin. The walk was very pleasant without a pack. I left before TCBY and she ended up trail running the 11 miles into town. I made it in 3.5 hours and met them at the Nolichucky River. Happy feet drove us to Miss Janets, I got my bunk, found out earthquake had decided to stay (YAY!!!), then we went to erwin burrito for food. Earthquake got everything sorted out and was out slackpacking the section that he missed.Quake, Gandalf, hangman, worm, tds, and myself went out for Chinese food which was delicious. We got back and spent the rest of the night relaxing, drinking, and watching movies. I have a feeling I am taking a zero tomorrow this place sucks you in. Plus if I zero, quake can catch up to where I got off then we can start on Saturday together.I had a bit of horrible news and had a memory card meltdown. I might have lost ALL of my pictures from Springer to Smokys. :-( There might be hope though. I am sending them to my computer engineering friend who might be able to figure it out. The data is there, it just can't be accessed. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but hey they are just pictures, the memories will be in my mind forever!!Today's StatsStarting Point:Spivey Gap CampsiteEnding Point:Miss Janets, Erwin, TNMileage:11.3Elevation Gain:1660ftElevation Loss:3120ftHiking Time:3:50Weather:Overcast with scattered showersPain Factor:1 (I heart slackpacking)
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Miss Janets

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Zombie WalkingSo I didn't fall asleep when I hit the couch since by then everyone was waking up. Miss J got us out of bed at 9. I told her we got back around 4 or 5 and she said she was surprised how quiet we were. I felt kinda bad. Breakfast was blueberry pancakes and eggs and bacon. I ate a bunch and went back and lied on the couch for an hour.I got up at 1030 and packed up my bounce box. I went to the post office and mailed it to Damascus.Next I went out to the road and hitched a half mile to the food lion. I got another quality resupply. 2 avocados, 2 tomatoes, carrots, sourdough bread, ham and swiss, flipz, double chocolate milanos, cous cous, liptons, pop tarts, and some candy. The hitch back was interesting. The same guy who dropped me off, picked me up, only this time he had a holstered pistol next to him in the front of the truck. He saw that I saw it, felt bad, said he was on his way to the shooting range, and moved the box of bullets onto the dash board as if that made things better. The guy was super nice and I felt no negative vibes. He dropped me off at walgreens and I went back to Miss Janet's.I got everything packed and got a shuttle back to the trail around 2. It was sooo tempting to stay! That place is like a black hole, but I managed to escape its pull. Earthquake was on the second shuttle so I waited for him as I talked to a bunch of people who had just gotten into town. We didn't get hiking until 330 and I knew immediately that I wasn't going far on no sleep. It's one thing to walk around town and just be awake on no sleep, but to try and hike uphill...ha.We did make it about 4 miles to the first shelter. I ate dinner, crawled into my sleeping bag in the shelter and passed out hardcore. I warned the section hikers that were in there with me that I would probably be snoring super loud.Today's StatsStarting Point:Miss Janet'sEnding Point:Curley Maple Gap ShelterMileage:4.2Elevation Gain:1580ftElevation Loss:240ftHiking Time:3:09Weather:70's sunnyPain Factor:3
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

Beauty SpotI got 13 hours of sleep and still felt a little off. Quake and I weren't walking until 10. We sluggishly made our way 6 miles to beauty spot, another bald with vistas. We ate lunch and I took a 20 min catnap. The trail continued uphill to Unaka Mountain which is topped by a dense spruce forest.Quake, Worm, and I chilled on top under the cool dark evergeen canopy. The two miles down to the shelter were enjoyable and we decided to stay at the shelter instead of pushing on. Driftwood caught up from town this morning.I am definitely noticing less and less people at the shelters now. I wonder if people are just getting spread out more or people are getting off the trail. I like the smaller crowds...quality not quantity.Today's StatsStarting Point:Curley Maple ShelterEnding Point:Cherry Gap ShelterMileage:12.2Elevation Gain:3720ftElevation Loss:2750ftHiking Time:8:24Weather:70's SunnyPain Factor:2