morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-18
From: Fontana Dam

To: Birch Spring Campground / Camp 113
Miles today: 7.0

   Dillon and I spent most of the morning at Fontana Village doing laundry, re-supplying, and eating breakfast. To meet our noon checkout time we put our stuff in the lobby, checked out, and then got packed up. The shuttle dropped us off at the parking lot near Fontana Lake and we were back on the trail, at least for a few minutes. Our first stop was at Fontana Dam Shelter, known as the Fontana Hilton. We signed the register, hung out for a while and were about to get going again when Grey Ghost's wife and kids showed up with cake for everyone. Cake is definitley a good reason to delay a hike. Grey Ghost got his name because he always seems to just appear in camp without anyone seeing him walk in. Then we were off again, at least for another 0.3 miles. We stopped at the Fontana Dam Visitor's Center, checked out the dam, took some pictures, checked out the scenery, etc. It was now after 3pm.    Though hiking at a leisurely pace, we were now really, and I mean really, getting out of town. After crossing the dam we were finally in the Smokies. The climb was somewhat steep but not that bad. Having the climb out of NOC as a reference now I don't think any climb will seem that bad. We reached Birch Spring Gap and Camp 113, our home for the night. With a name like "Camp 113" you would think this place was a military outpost rather than a campsite. We were soon joined by Sundance Kid and Two Bears Running. The only strange event of the night was when a dear wandered into the campsite while we were eating dinner and seemed unconcerned that four of us were 50 feet away. Big day tomorrow. I have to do 17.1 miles to stay on schedule. I am flying out of Knoxville on Thursday so I need to get to Gatlinburg by Wednesday night.
Date: 2005-04-19
From: Birch Spring Campground / Camp 113

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

   Today was a very eventful day. Dillon was going to use his alarm to wake us up at 7am so that we could get an early start but he woke up with a migraine so he went back to bed. I woke up a few times, looked at my watch and saw that it was 8:20 am, and since Dillon was still asleep, I decided that I would sleep in as well. Finally Dillon woke up and told me that he wasn't feeling well and couldn't do big miles today. I got out of my bivy, looked at my watch and saw that it was only 8:20 am. "Great, it's still pretty early. Wait a second. @#$%, my watch stopped. It was actually 10:40am. Dillon then asked me if I had heard the bear last night? "What bear?" was my reply. Apparently I had slept right through the whole thing, but a bear had entered our campsite in the middle of the night and played "bear pinata" with our food bags. For those of you unfamiliar, most places with high bear activity have cables already installed for hikers to hang their food on. Bears know that the brightly colored stuff sacks have goodies in them and try to knock them off the cables. Though our bear was banging the cables for quite some time, all the food was still there in the morning. Now behind schedule, I got ready as fast as I could and hit the trail solo.    I passed through places with names like "Devil's Tater Patch" and soon came to Spence Field Shelter. I learned from OC that it was 5pm. I still had 6.3 miles to go in order to stay on schedule. Should I just do more mile tomorrow? Will I be able to get a ride into Gatlinburg if I get to Clingman's Dome too late? Nah, I'll just night hike if I have to. I pressed on. I wanted to get the steep climbs and descents done while I still had daylight left. The climb up Rockytop gave me my first good view in the Smokies. Of course I had the "Good Ole' Rocky Top" song in my head for the rest of the night.    After descending from Thunderhead Mountain I stopped to get water before it got too dark. I had just set up my filter and was kneeling beside the stream when all of a sudden I heard something rushing towards me through the brush. I jumped up, grabbed my trekking poles and snapped them together to make noise. What emerged from the brush was not the bear I was expecting but rather a dog from some nearbye farm. Once the dog saw me he ran off and I went back to filtering water.    I hiked the last 2-3 miles using my headlamp. It definitely slowed my pace down because I had to concentrate on not losing the trail or tripping over a rock hidden in the darkness. I was definitely glad to see the shelter.
Date: 2005-04-20
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Clingmans Dome
Miles today: 10.1

   I wanted to get into Gatlinburg before the post office closed so that I could get my errands out of the way. I had a quick and insufficient breakfast of two cereal bars and I was off. The water source at the shelter was down a side trail so I figured I would just filter at the next water source which the AT Data Book says is just 0.2 miles down the trail. It wasn't. The next source listed was another 2.6 miles North. I still had some water left so rather than backtrack I pressed on. When I arrived at the supposed "water source," located at Buckeye Gap, I couldn't see water, hear it flowing, nor see any blue blazes or side trail for that matter. There was no water unless it has now been hidden and is being used to make "Buckeye Gap Spring Water, Our Source Is Our Secret." Now defintiely past the point of bactracking I pressed on to the next source, Silers Bald Shelter, which was 2.7 miles from where I was and 5.5 miles from where I started out. I was now out of water. I walked at a slower pace so taht I wouldn't sweat as much and reached the shelter where the first thing I did was filter and then down at least a liter of water. I had lunch there as well, the last hiker food I would eat for the next week.    The rest of the day involved the climb up to Clingmans Dome. When I began hiking a ridge line I thought I was close but there was more elevation to be gained. There wre swarms of gnats everywhere. They were getting stuck in the sweat on my arms. Every so often I would stop and brush them off but more would soon be there. It was so bad that I breathed through my nose for fear that I would inhale a mouthfull of gnats if I even yawned. When I was about two miles away I could clearly see the Observation tower from the ridgeline. I reached the base of the tower, dropped my pack, and fished for my camera. One girl said; "Wow, you carried that all the way up the mountain?" "No" I replied, "I carried it all the way from Georgia." I was an instant celebrity fielding questions from tourists walking up from the parking lot. I climbed the tower, looked back at where I had been hiking, and just enjoyed the view. When I returned to my pack the girl's family was there and they were fascinated to learn that people hiked from Georgia to Maine. On the way down to the parking lot, where I hoped to hitch a ride, people even wanted to have their picture taken with me.    Fortunately for me the second person I asked for a ride was eager to help out. The Sanfords, a great couple from Illinois, treated me like I was their own son on a roadtrip with them. We stopped at different view points on the way into Gatlinburg and they dropped me off at the Outfitter just like I had asked. The outfitter was steering hikers towards one motel nearby, but wanting to get a good night's sleep before my flight I stayed elsewhere.
Date: 2005-04-27
From: Gatlinburg

To: New York City
Miles today: 0.0

   In the last week I hitched into Gatlinburg, took a cag to Knoxville, TN, flew to New York City, and took a train down to Washington, DC the next morning. I got off the trail to argue my case for my GI Bill Benefits before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. It took a year to get this hearing so I didn't want to ask for a later date. The hearing went well and I should receive a decision in a few months. Since the hearing ended much earlier than I had expected I had time to enjoy the museums of DC. I arrived back in New York that evening tired but glad I had the chance to argue my case. The rest of the week was spent with my family celebrating Passover. I am looking forward to my return to the trail.
Date: 2005-04-28
From: Clingmans Dome

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: overcast clouds

   I got a hitch out of town with 6 other hikers and a dog. Surprisingly we all fit in the back of a small pickup truck. As we gained in elevation the temperature dropped rapidly and the skies darkened. Fortunately I was wearing my rain jacket because we were soon driving through sleet. We were all freezing cold and so crunched together that my left leg fell asleep and I had nowhere to move. I thought to myself, "why didn't I just spring for a taxi?," but then I thought that this was part of the experience.    I got dropped off at Clingmans Dome and changed into my rain gear in the bathroom. Even though I was hiking in freezing rain, it was good to be back on the trail. The weather was getting worse and there was still snow on the ground from the previous days. I decided to just head to the first shelter and call it a night. I had gotten dropped off ar around 2:30 pm and with the temperature dropping I didn't feel like hiking on the next shelter after Mount Collins. I was soon joined by "Pockets", a retired firefighter from Connecticut. We were the only ones in the shelter that night and since we were in one of the shelters that still had bear fencing on the front, it felt like we were in hiker prison. Even with my bivy set up in the shelter it is still cold.
Date: 2005-04-29
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

   The weather today was just like yesterday, constant freezing rain and snow. It's hard to believe that just over a week ago I was worried about running out of water and getting dehydrated. The Smokies are definitely living up to their reputation for unexpected bad weather. I do feel fortunate that my trip through the first half of the smokies was completed in sunny weather and that I was afforded a great view from atop Clingmans Dome. This is the weather that really causes you to do a gut check. The outfitter in Gatlinburg sold stickers that said it best; "No Rain, No Pain, No Maine."    I came to Indian Gap Road which was the primary path across the Smokies before the appropriately named Newfound Gap was discovered. I paused to imagine what it would be like to be passing through here a hundred years ago with pack animals and wagons. When I reached Newfound Gap it was enveloped in fog but the rain had stopped. I broke for lunch, sitting on a stone wall in the parking lot. All was quiet until the fog started to lift and then the tourists flooded in. Some stared, some asked questions, and one thought I was a motorcycle rider because of my full lenght gaiters which he mistook for boots.    On the way to the shelter I met Iron Horse and Chop Chop who were already doing 25 mile days. Chop Chop served in Iraq with an Army Reserve unit. Though Peck's Corner Shelter is a half a mile off the trail, since you have to stay at the shelters in the Smokies your options are either stop early or go too long. Peck's Shelter is huge, with a nice big roof that allows you to cook and eat without getting soaked by the seemingly endless rain. I met up with Ballou, Taz, Clocker, Stump, and Sherlock, whom I had met in Gatlinburg. My schedule for getting out of the Smokies fast seems to be rained out so I may hang with them for the next few days. I think the rain and cold temperatures are getting to people. There was a series of arguments between tired, wet hikers over insignificant perceived slights. I think everyone just needs to rest and dry out. It's still raining.
Date: 2005-04-30
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

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

   I woke up around 7:30 and it was still raining. I started going through my morning routine and had a slow breakfast to kill time. It was still raining. Tired of being wet and cold, I announced that I was not leaving the shelter until it stopped raining. I waited until 11:30 and then gave in and hit the trail. NO RAIN, NO PAIN, NO MAINE. I kept repeating these words to myself throughout the day. Both my pairs of clothes are soaked so I don't even have dry clothes to look forward to at the end of the day. I will have to sleep in my wet clothes to dry them out with body heat. This seems to be the coldest day yet. I stopped at Tri-Corner Knob Shelter for lunch and was soon joined by the rest of the group. Even though I was wearing all the clothes I had, I was still cold. I made sure to eat a lot of sugar so that I would have the calories to keep warm. I had planned to relax a bit after lunch but my body was cooling off quickly from the inactivity and I was starting to shiver a bit. I had to get moving again to warm up. I said my goodbyes to the group and headed off towards Cosby Knob Shelter. I had been through so much rain that the waterproofing on my boots had worn out and even the gore tex sock within the boot was soaked through. I reached the shelter and found a large group of section hikers from Atlanta spread out inside. After exchanging pleasantries I announced that there were 5 or 6 more hikers headed here. They thought I was kidding at first but soon set about consolidating their belongings. The section hikers took the bottom platform and we took the top. The Atlanta group was really friendly and even made a fudge like desert that they shared with us. I am wearing my wet clothes but they should be dry by morning. I hope the rain stops already.
Date: 2005-05-01
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

   Today the sun came out and I was finally warm and dry. I flew down from the shelter and maintained at least a 3mph pace the entire time. I crossed under I-40 which was the first interstate I have come across so far. I felt more like a hobo than a hiker passing under the interstate. About a mile further up the trail I came upon the road to Standing Bear Farm Hostel. Though very rustic in appearance, the hostel and its owner, Curtis, have a great reputation on the trail. I met Curtis at the entrance and was given a tour of the facilities. Just about everything a hiker needs can be found here. There is a bunkroom and cabin, shower, laundry, phone, internet, kitchen, and short term re-supply. Curtis and his farm hand Eric really make you feel at home and Curtis even runs people into to town for an ATM/Beer/Food run. I ran into several hikers who had been there for days. Originally I had only planned to re-supply here but after being cold and wet for days I decided to stay the night and dry out. I bought a frozen pizza, warmed it in the electric pizza oven and wolfed it down with a hkier's dog staring at me through each bite. The rest of the group soon showed up and gear was soon drying out everywhere. Unfortunately for Clocker, while he was away on the beer run, a neighbor's dog came and stole the insert from his boot which lay on the grass next to his boot. We searched for about half an hour but it was no where to be found. The evening was spent around the fire sharing stories that got more interesting as more beer was consumed.
Date: 2005-05-02
From: Standing Bear Hostel

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

   Standing Bear is such a nice place to stay that I left at around 11am and was the first to leave. Just a few miles into the day I started to feel run down. I tried to convince myself that I wasn't getting sick but it was soon obvious. I completed the steep climb to the top of Snowbird Mountain and was surprised to see the top of a white metal dome coming into view on the summit. At first it looked like a Phalanx Close In Weapons System CIWS that we had on the ship to defend against anti-ship missiles but as it came into full view I recognized it as a VORTAC, a VOR/Tacan which is basically a beacon that pilots can tune in to provide bearing and range from the beacon which helps pilots stay in the aerial highways appropriately named airways. I had flown over many of them but never expected to see one during one of my hikes. I wondered if I had ever tuned this one in durin a cross country flight.    I had planned to another 7.4 miles today but I was feeling pretty ill so I stopped at Groundhog Creek Shelter. A hiker named BP was there who had hiked the trail a few years ago and was now just repeating the Southern section of the trail. I unpacked and went about my chores and was soon joined by Whitewater and Nurse Ratchet, a couple from Knoxville, TN, who were completing a thru hike that had ended early last year due to illness. I was sitting inside the shelter when I started hearing bells, bear bells, I leaned around the corner to see what was going on when I saw Massa, a hiker from Japan. He was very nice and I wished he spoke more English so that I could help him lighten his load. He seemed to be carrying a pack that weighed more than him. I hope I get over this cold fast.
Date: 2005-06-30
From: Troutville, VA

To: New York City
Miles today: 0.0

   I apologize for the delay in journal entries. I have been having such a great time with my new group (the SBU aka PBU) that I have only found the time to write notes to myself and not full journal entries. I have been off the trail for two weeks recovering from the boredome of doing the same thing every day for 2.5 months and and from a visit to the hospital for dehydration . I had started to only look forward to being in town and hanging out with my friends rather than hiking the trail. After some needed time off I will be rejoining my group in a few days and as long as I am once again enjoying myself I will continue on with them and just make up the miles I missed after I reach Maine.
Date: 2005-06-07
From: tn 91

To: abingdon gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

wow what a day. don't know were they got hard from.bis got stared down by a turtle.met hashbrown and blue gill at the first shelter where me and bis ran and ran up and down a trail leading to water.saw a deer.saw tons of flutterbyes.played drums on all the leaves.set up camp cooked and then i got boared and decided to make us pack and hike some more in the dark and in pouring down rain.got to the shelter were we saw blue gill and hashbrown again.add more later
Date: 2005-06-11
From: saunders shelter

To: damaskas
Miles today: 7.7

another one of those stupid snakes scared me again man i hate thouse things.one of the black ones this one tried to strike scary both dogs wanted to play with it though. it was hard holding them back i wanted to let them go and let them eat the thing but jean and chuck said he's not hearting anything so let him be. some people.see ya later peeps
Date: 2005-06-12
From: summit cut

To: elk garden
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

this was kool jean and i slack pack witch is when you don't bring packs.we saw another snake gease i am like a snake magnet.the wind was blowing so hard i could barely keep my feet on the ground.it was also raining not to hard and the fog was unbeleaveable.you could not see a single thing.the dog loved it he just rolled in the grass and chased deer again did i mention we saw another deer.bisbee is great at finding those.almost as good as me at finding snakes this snake was not scared of us,but did not try to bite either i almost stepped on him then i looked down and saw him i jumped back and screamed.then bis came up and jumped on him a cuple times the snake just slithered away.if something was jumping on me i would do something about it.oh yeah after that i saw a orange newt or salamander whatever he was kool i picked him up and held him i let it clime on me check later i'll have pictures on almost all my entries.the clouds were touching the ground it was amazing.oh yeah bis and i were running in the prairy and i fell it was pretty funny like alot of things i do.you should of been here.kelly get your butt out here now.i wanted steak so i trusted jean to cook it and she messed that up too by putting the handle on the inside when she put the grill together.what a loser or dumb butt whatever you perfer.they both describe her well. loves ya,dog tag girl
Date: 2005-06-13
From: elk garden

To: thomas knob shelter
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: light rain

kool chuck let me hold cody's leash that's a first. oh ya did i mention the huge bruise i got from slipping on a wet tree root and hitting hard jean was a 1/2 a mile behind me and heard me hit ow!but i did not cry even though it hert really bad i had to be tuff for my BABY brother Austin.you will probably see a pic of my bruise soon on the site. and see that i should have cried real hard enothe to make a lake. wow ponies are evil!you would not understand and you probaly think i'm crazy,but i'm not you only wish (chuck)!anyways we got no sleep because those stupid ponies were licking the shelter,biting and kicking each other,and eating everyones food and stuff.a couple of ponies ate this guys shirt,shorts,and hat.and when this one guy was guarding him and his faters packs this pony came up behind him and stole their poles haha loser!that was a trip. when we got to the shelter eairlier we heard that the shelter was goin to be empty ,but no it was filled. with at least 20 ppl. on the loft and 7 on the bottom. the ponies showed up and tried to eat our food.and one kicked bisbee in the head and aother bit cody on the back. they were doing nothing. there was about 9 or 10 ponies altgether.well make good choices and stay away from ponies you might think the're cute ,but that's all in ur head.
Date: 2005-06-15
From: wise shelter

To: damascus
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: few clouds

oh yeah yesturday we saw another fawn i found this one with chuck's help.bise should have found it ,but i did soon as it heard me it jumped up and the chase was on bis had cought on.cody wanted to chase it too ,but if we let her she would not be back.this morning the to dogs chased each other around for what seemed like hours they had soooo much fun.then me and bis wreseled.oh yeah you should see me and jean we look like two ripe tomatoes. we got a little sun yesturday. today me and jean found wild strawberries they tasted soooo good. on they way into town bis was soo cute he was curled up on my lap sound asleep.i love having my dog back this is awesome i don't know if i want to go back.ow sun burn ow bruise ok maybe just a little i would at least have a real bed and my friends and family.oh yeah real food mastro's food yum mouth watering!so dad when you goin send some of that?Austin you r soo ful;l of your self!waz up with the rest of ya'll.all they have up here is country yuck1 i need real music!kelly don't move yet hold on till i get back or fly ur butt down here.
Date: 2005-06-16
From: wise shelter

To: fox creek
Miles today: 8.6

wow another fawn can you beleive this am i a fawn magnet or what?sure semms like it.bisbee ended up chasing this one and it ended in a bloody battle.he was just trying to heard it because he is a sheep hearding dog by genetics anyway he's pretty ad at it really.that's ok.oh yeah back to the story.bis was trying to get the fawn to go to the right but the fawn appearently didn't want to go the way he wanted it to go.so he started to bite it.the fawn fell to the ground and bis did not give in.so jean and i rushed to the fawn's aid.we had just started so it was not to far to the truck.so i asked jean if there was anyway to help him she said we could give it a try.i lifted it into my ars and held him tight as i gently stroked his back to keep him calm.as we crossed a river it was slippery and i struggled to keep myself from falling so i wouldn't hert the fawn even more.we got back to the truck so him up and i caried him back to the trail where we found it and left him there.i really didn't want to leave but i had to baby deers are not pets i kept reassuring my self as we walked away i held the tears back.a couple hours later we came back to the spot we left him and he was no longer breathing bisbee is now a leash dog.also a mager deer slayer.that's the only day i was not prooud of his findings.make good choices.