morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-03-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hiked to Neels gap today. About 9.5 miles. Neels gap has a hostel and a friendly staff to help sort the necessary from the "send home". A free service. There is also a great back packing store. My pack at the end of the process weighs 37 lbs. I bought 3 cokes an orange and a 15" toaster oven pizza. I shared half the pizza. Proabably 20 hikers here trying to make it to Maine. I am physically doing well. Made it over Blood Mtn with no difficulty. This is the highest peak on the AT in GA. My 2 toes look worse today although they do not particularly hurt. I received a note from an unknown hiker in my guest book saying "Be thankful" adding "I have 2 toes longer than my big toe.". Another guy responded with a suggestion to tighten my laces going down hill. I will try that tomorrow. Based on a quick sample there a lot of long toed freaks out there. Thanks for your respomses to my blog. I get an additional email from you. Helps keep me going. I do not see a way yet to correct accumulated miles. Recording today as a zero to see what happens. I have hiked 30 miles plus the approach trail of 8.8.
Date: 2009-03-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Waking up at the Neels gap hostel ramrodded by Pirate. Breakfast of bagels, coffee, pop tarts and fresh strawberries. 16 people slept in a small bunk room. Imagine 16 people settling in at the same time impossible. I expected no sleep. I pulled into the top bunk, inserted my ear plugs, covered my face with my cap and did not wake up until 0400. Amazing. All these people, including 4 who slept on the floor in the living area want to make it to Maine. Mostly young folks. Three women. Three dogs. I wonder what will happen. Boots laced tight today for the long toes. I mail my extra lbs this morning and then I am off.
Date: 2009-03-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Daughter my trail name is Slagline. It is somewhat legitimate in that it was suggested by your Uncle Steve on the guest register. He says the primo steel from a melt is just below the slagline. So think of strong steel. Of course your Uncle is known to joke. It coul be the punky stuff just below the slagline. In any case it has a nice manly ring. Stand aside George Kostanza. I met One speed 68 from Ohio and Hurrying Hoosier 62 from FL today. Camping next to them tonight. 10 tents of young people are up the way. We received some great trail magic from the trail angels from Mountain East Community Church in Lilburn, GA. Soda, chips, candy bars. Very nice couple just helping hikers. They were stationed at Tesnatee Gap. I traveled 10.8 miles today to Low Gap. I recorded another zero to fix the register. Traveled 41.5 miles so far on the AT in 4 days. Toes did better today with tighter laces. My thanks to the suggester. Remember Slagline. It rings like good steel. Steve, I owe you. I guess.
Date: 2009-03-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 19.6

I am in the trail town of Hiawassee GA. My first beer in 7 days was a treat. We received the secret passage to the refrigerator at our mom and pop motel because we are 60 somethings. It is sunday and there is no beer to be bought or in the restaurants on sunday. The young guys did not get the same priviledge. Old has its advantages sometime. Last night the b arred owls were trying to find mates. What and audio show. I had never heard them before. Single speed and Hurrying Hoosier knew the name of the owl. Truly a magnificent sound. We traveled 13 miles today. Feeling fine. Tonight it is all you can eat (ayce) chinese, subway for some greens and dairy queen. How is that for living.
Date: 2009-03-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.8

The Hiawassee Inn is run by a male couple and a junkyard dog named Wolfy. Even at 60 something Ron and Sam have not figured out who is the boss. Each was trying to get the other to do the more menial tasks. Wolfy all the while had a pesky grin on his face. Think Cheshire cat. They were friendly enough but barked orders at us like ill trained drill sargents. Laundry here, rides there, food resupply shuttle. It all worked with chaotic moments. HH SS and Ishared a room. Tight but we are already well adapted to each other. Two good guys. Turns out we have all run Marathons. Maybe we should be the Marathon Men. The knowledge that comes with running a Marathon does translate to the uphill pulls. We crossed the GA/NC line today. Yea! One state down. Then the trail went straight up. All the hikers were talking about the abrupt NC welcome. We stayed at Muskrat Creek shelter. Temps at night high 30's. I feel strong. The day was hard but recovery came quickly.
Date: 2009-03-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.5

Another good weather day. I have had sun and moderate temps every day except the approach trail out of Amicalola. The hike was pretty easy today. HH gets us going in the morning and sets a good pace until lunch which we took on the summit of Standing Indian. It is our highest peak so far at near 5500 ft. HH SS and I are tenting it. We often stay at the shelter locations which always have water for easier meal preparation. There is a camp fire tonight at the shelter. The conversation is easy and mostly about the trail. Tomorrows walk. Bill bryson. Good trail towns coming up and the best places to eat. The rainy weather expecting to set it for 3 days is on everyones mind. There are probably 15 hikers at this site tonight. We were together last night as well. Physically and mentally all is well.
Date: 2009-03-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.8

Well the rain did set in around 2300. I have always loved the sound of the rain on a tent. I feel protected by the thin sheet of nylon and the warmth of my sleeping bag. Without both the difficulties are beyond discomfort. I slept well but morning comes and you have to come out of your cozy nest and try to get all stuffed in the backpack without getting everything wet. An impossible feat. The abandoned shelter nearby offers a dry place to prepare breakfast. I have a poncho that fits over me and the pack. Once on and adjusted you do not want the hassle of removing your pack. With the rain there is no stopping for lunch. I filled my cargo pockets with 2 snickers, a treai bar, jerky, almonds, cranberries and a bite of cheese. I am walking alone today as we pick different times to brave the rain. There a no complaints. We all know it is part of the experience. I am walking in a cloud for 4 hours and approaching the final climb up Albert Mtn. Out of the fog appears Fishin Fred under his kitchen fly flipping blueberry pancakes. Wow. Out in the wet and the cold here is this guy from Michigan providing the best trail magic possible for us through hikers. There are 6 of us huddled under his fly accepting his generosity. I had 5 pancakes and a welcome cup of hot black coffee iasked Fishin Fred why he was doing this. He simply said somebody did it for me and I am passing it on. Ndeed. What a bright spot on a cold wet day. Aibert was tough. The remainder of the hiking was fairly easy. Most had planned a 12 mile day. I began to think walking another 4 miles and spending the night in Franklin was a good idea. When I caught Hurrying Hoosier and Single Speed I posed the question and we all felt we could do 16 miles. It is a new record for all of us. We also rolled over 100 miles. We congratulated each other as we stood in the rain along hwy 64 waiting for the motel shuttle.
Date: 2009-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Took a zero day in Franklin today. Please pardon all the typos. A BB keyboard and fat thumbs will do that to you. Editing is a hassle. A real bed with clean dry sheets is a blessing. Had breakfast at McDonalds. Hey, it is where all the old guys go for breakfast. Near completion of my meal and planning for the next 10 days, I approached the "old man" table to yogi a ride to get to the grocery store. I acted as much like a thru hiker as I could muster and asked how to get to the grocery. They asked "you a thru hiker?". I knew I was in. Turns out Henry Wall is a local hiker and knows all the trails. He gave me some good advice and a ride to Ingles as well. Not bad for a rookie I thought. I ate dinner last night and tonight at Cody's Road House. What an original. Great friendly atmosphere. Perfect hiker food. Heavy stuff. I had pork chops, mashed potatoes, texas toast and 2 salads. Beer of course. I ate with Mountain Man from MA and Rolling Stone from PA. Other hikers were there. The hikers are becoming good friends. A pancake breakfast is scheduled for the hikers at 0700 tomorrow then the Trail. I am ready to go back. 9 days til my next big stop and a couple zeros. Gatlinburg.
Date: 2009-03-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.9

The First Babtist Church of Franklin picked the hikers up in 2 vans and delivered us to their church for a pancake breakfast. A very cheerful group just wanting to help the hikers. They had a big paper table cloth for hikers to sign in. The one for 2008 was also displayed. Back to the hotel, another shuttle to the trail head and off we go. 1 hour in it starts to rain and rains all day. It is still raining. I covered 15.9 miles in 7 hours. A good pace for me. I was wet through and through. The conditions are excellent for hypothermia. I was warm enough because I did not stop hiking other than to make a few quick adjustments. I was tired at the end of the day but pleased with my effort. I set up my tent quickly and removed all the wet clothes, cleaned up a bit and put on dry clothes. Without a good tent, a good dry sleeping bag and dry clothes, I would be in trouble. As it is, I am quite comfortable. My calves down to my toes looked like prunes as they had been in a wet thick wool sock most of the day. I dried and powdered each foot treating them like the heros they are. No blisters even on the soft wet skin. I am thankful. There is a very young crew at the Cold Spring Shelter tonight. I am the oldest in the group by at least 30 years. My supper in consumed. Dishes washed. I plan to exit my tent, brave the rain and see what the young hikers are up to. I expect it will be better than TV.
Date: 2009-03-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.5

The rain continued today. It did break long enough for me to cook breakfast and pack. Until the last couple of hours it rained. I was wet through and through again. Thankfully I am in a bunk house at Nantahala Outdoor Center tonight. I am drying out. Besides it is a good place to stop. All a thru hiker needs is right on the trail. Restaurant, bunk, outfitter, provisions, laundry, shower. I took advantage of all of it. I met my buddies HH and SS at dinner. We had a good talk about our individual experiences since being separated. I saw signs of spring as I dropped toward Nantahala River. Rue anemone and blood root in bloom. In general the mountain still looks like winter. I saw no one on the trail today. My first time to be alone from start to finish. It was okay. Went pretty slow as I expended myself yesterday. Tomorrow's climb is one of the steepest and of longest duration on the AT. Starts at 1700 ft and goes to 5000 ft.
Date: 2009-03-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.5

It is cold. Definitely below freezing. The climb out of NOC was long and steep. I planned to stop in 8 miles at Cheoah bald at an elevation of 5100 ft. Gray, Don and I camped there in the 90's. It is one of the prettiest spots along the southern AT. Well today it was in a cloud. Hoar (sp?) frost had formed on the branches. The cloud was spitting frozen pellets. I moved on after a photo of nothing but whiteness. An equivalent "snow storm" in Beaufort would have definitely made the paper as such. It is cold but it is not raining. Thanks for that. I cooked in my tent toight to stay out of the wind. With my thin sheets of nylon and a few feathers I will be toasty in a few minutes after turning in. Good equipment is a must to survive out here. HH, SS and a couple others are huddled in this small gap. Is gap another name for breezeway?
Date: 2009-03-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.6

Nice sunny day although the morning was frosty. Perfect hiking weather. I expected an easy day. However the climb out of Stecoah Gap was straight up the fall line for 800 ft. Tough climb. I passed one poor soul who had no water. I gave him a half liter. I did it rather quickly as he smelled really awful. No shower since Springer I would expect. Surely I do not smell like that. Creating some distance on the guy gave me incentive to get on up the mountain. I hiked alone most of the day. You almost forget what you are doing. I had a moment when I could not remember seeing a white blaze recently. Am I on the AT I wondered? I started looking in ernest. Having to double back or add miles at the end of the day is no fun. Still no white blaze. Could the almost rectangular light gray lichen be a faded white blaze. I stop and study it. Close but not a confirmation. I keep walking. What else can you do? It is still warm. Only a half liter water remaining though. No time for a big mistake. I look behind me several times. No white blazes in that direction either. Eventually I see one. No question. This mark was created by a person with a spray can. But am I going North? I think so, but every gray tree and hollow looks like every other gray tree and hollow. Surely I did not go the wrong direction following the peanut butter break. A sign! 0.9 mile to my destination for the evening. Cable Gap. Home free!
Date: 2009-03-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 6.6

I am in the Fontana Dam Shelter. It is called the Fontana Hilton because it is so nice. It holds 24. A big shelter. Only 5 of us here. It over looks the lake. Has water. Hot shower and a restroom just up the road a few yards. It was an easy day of hiking. I stopped several times to take pictures of the trillium in profusion. I call the variety toad shade. There are both maroon red and yellow. Quite nice. I caught a 3 dollar shuttle 2 miles into Fontana Village. Added a dinner and a breakfast to get me to Gatlinburg. Lunched on Coke, Yuengling, pulled pork BBQ and slaw. Now at the shelter and all is done. I took a long hot shower courtesy of TVA. I am thankful. There is a mirror in the shower room. I am definitely loosing weight. Goodbye body buff. Rain is predicted tomorrow. It has already started. For tonight I am dry and warm.
Date: 2009-04-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.8

No signal has caused the delayed postings. First day in the Smokies. The sky began to clear as the day's hike began. A rainy night turned into a good weather day. My cohorts at the Fontana Hilton included Dutch from Jacksonville, NC. A capable guy in his early 30's who quit his retail management job because he just did not like it. Bender a 20 something from Boston will go to graduate school in the fall. Grits from where else? Georgia. In his late 50's he owns a pawn shop in a used to be mill town 100 miles south of Atlanta. He is paying for his trip with a killing on fire arm sales resulting from regulation concerns from the new Democratic administration. All hope to make it to Katahdin. I saw 2 deer today. They paid me little attention. Mom, spring beauties blanket the trail side for miles. They are as thick as a ground cover. The Russell Field Shelter, my location, is the last remaining with a chain link fence across the front. Apparently people have been feeding the bears through the fence. The solution? Take the fences down. The shelter log says there was a visit by a sow and 2 cubs last night. My camera is ready. SL
Date: 2009-04-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 14.7

There was a lot of talk last night of doing a 16.4 miler today to Double Spring. The weather quickly deteriorated today. It was raw. Wind, rain,cold,clouds. 0.8 miles into the hike I reached 2000 miles to go. The small change is spent. Breaking the big bills now baby. Went over Rocky Top. A favorite of mine. Very peaky and no trees. But no views today. Socked in. Wind unimpeded at 5500 ft. Not a place to tarry. I met ridge runner Jim who was travling south to warn hikers of an impending storm. He suggested going shorter by 1.7 miles and making Silers Bald as he felt Double Spring would be full. I was already thinking of shorter as I had already made 2 1000 ft ascents and descents. Jim said to expect heavy rain. There are 12 in our shelter tonight. 10 men; 2 women. Pretty cozy. Everyone is happy to be out of the wind. I.have 12.5 miles to go to Newfound Gap. I plan 2 zero days in Gatlinburg. Rita is meeting me there. I am ready for food, a hotel room and her companionship. I will have no food by noon tomorrow. I have lots of incentive to make it to the Gap. Big rain drops are beginning to hit the tin roof. I am in my sleeping bag on the top shelf. I am warm and dry.   The wind is whipping the tarp covering the opening. There is chatter from most as they finish supper or prepare to settle in for the night. All are happy. Model T said it best. "Walking on the happy side of misery". Are you out there Model T? My home is Dover, TN. Your book is great. SL
Date: 2009-04-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.5

My focus today is to make it to Newfound Gap. I roll out of a warm bag into the wet and cold. I prepare my last oatmeal and a tortilla for breakfast. I have a few dried cranberries and a small quantity of jerky to supply energy for the 12.5 miles. It starts raining right away. The trail is the sloppiest yet. Mud and water fill the trail track. I have one 1000 mile ascent over Clingmans Dome. It is socked in. The wind is blowing. I try to protect my BB to make a call to Rita. We have talked about a time to meet at Newfound Gap, but I have not been able to talk with her for 3 days. No signal. I hope she is there. I am cold unless I am walking. The trail for the next 4 miles is the worst yet. A cold muddy swamp. My feet are totally wet. The heavy wool socks offer thermal protection until the new water exchanges with that in my boot. My zip pants are muddy to just below my knees. This is the toughest day yet. I make a mental plan for changing into dry clothes in Newfound Gap if Rita is not there. I will get cold fast when I stop. I must get warm when I stop. I still have a few cranberries and jerky left as I curve around the retaining wall and go up to the parking lot level. I do not see Rita right away. There are many people and cars in the lot. The cloud is so thick I can only see a portion of the lot. Then there she is. She has chips and pastries and warm coke. She has the car warm. I feel that I have been rescued and that I have found safety. SL
Date: 2009-04-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Friday, April 3 at 2:30 found me at Newfound Gap waiting for Lynn. The last communication I had received from him was an email on April 1 telling me that he thought he would be at Newfound Gap between 1400 and 1500 hrs on the 3rd. The temperature had dropped and the fog had thickened as I snailed my way up the mountain. Trying to keep my fear of heights in check and worrying that he was waiting for me up top, I pulled into what I hoped was the parking lot as the fog had reduced visibility to about 50 feet. A group of thru hikers had just arrived, so I asked if any of them had seen Slagline. Gavin said that he was on the approach and not far away. Relieved that I had not missed him, I settled in with the engine running so that he would have a warm car waiting. After a very short time, he appeared out of the mist but did not see me waiting since my silver car blended into the fog. As I got out of the car, Gavin pointed him in my direction. I rushed to give him a hug but with mud up to his knees and a wet, dripping poncho over his pack, I couldn't find a place to hug. Adding to my disappointment was the feeling that he was not as happy to see me as I was to see him. The last 6 miles of his hike had been grueling as he slopped through ankle deep mud. The man was numb, physically and emotionally. The effort showed in his face and his posture. And his long day's effort was not finished as he had to remove his muddy boots, his muddy zipper legs and his dripping pack before he could get out of the drizzle and into the car. He was too exhausted to enjoy the first coke and bag of chips I had brought him as he requested; however, by the second round of cokes and chips, he was relaxing and talking, back to being Lynn. We gave his fellow hiker, Dutch, a ride down the mountain and mass quantities of cokes and chips. Both men were focused on two things, food and warmth. The day had been long and hard but with a couple of days of rest, lynn was ready to go again. The Adventure lives on. Rita
Date: 2009-04-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I take 2 zero days in Galinburg with Rita. We wash clothes and retrieve my bounce bag from the post office. We have steak, eggs and bacon, pasta, pancakes and more eggs and bacon and grilled trout.   An eat feast. I rest a lot. We did drive to.Clingmans Dome and Cades Cove on a warm sunny day. Highs approached 80. An unbelievable weather change. I think the rest is a good strategy. SL
Date: 2009-04-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Rita drops me by the bank to deposit a small check I received at the P.O. By the time I come out a soft drizzle has started. Back to the trail and back to the rain. I am ready. All is dry. I have food. I have a new down jacket for the cold. Rita gave me an all weather hat. I am better prerpared for bad weather. By the time we get to Newfound Gap it is 30 degrees and the ground is getting white. The road is still okay for her trip down the hill. We say goodbye and up I go. It gets colder and whiter as I make my way to the first shelter. A short 3 mile trek. It is a pleasant walk. The warm weekend has drained the trail bed. There are 12 in the shelter. About 2" of snow. It is cold. My water froze in my cooking pot as I was preparing the start the burner. My bag is warm. I expect to be warm during the night. 7" accumulation predicted. Walking may be difficult tomorow. SL
Date: 2009-04-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up to 8" of snow. Very cold. All water bottles are nearly frozen solid. Grits and I are the first ones to verbally commit to hike. We leave at 9:30. My feet slowly warm and are no longer hurting from the cold. Eventually I take off my down jacket to protect it from any sweat. It must stay dry as the coming evening will be cold. The difficulty of hiking in the snow does not remove the beauty of the trail with the undisturbed snow. No one is walkinbg yet. The drifts are deep and often go above my knees. I am breaking the trail. The deep snow begins to take a toll. This is complicated by no water as all my bottles are frozen. With 2-3 miles to go we are feeling depleted. The snow is getting deeper as it continues to snow and strikes me at mid-calf on most steps. We eventually see a sign for Peck's Corner Shelter .4 miles off the trail. The shelter will be stuffed as no one moved from Peck's Corner and "my" crew is expected to follow Grits and me. It is a confused pile of bags, boots, poles and cold dampness. Another cold night. The conditions tomorrow will probably be worse. Today's 7.4 miles were exhausting.
Date: 2009-04-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.9

Actual travel today was 5.2. The cumulative number is now correct. Another tough day in the snow. A couple, Will and Way, make it out first. They took a zero yesterday in the shelter and are anxious to move on. Grits and I follow after awhile and catch them in about 2 miles. I start breaking trail again. Following Will and Way was so much easier. Thank goodness the snow stopped during the night and the sun is out. The views are stunning. It is warm compared to yesterday's swirl of snow and wind. I have water today having boiled snow to thaw my water bottles this morning. Lunch is jerky, a trailbar, snickers and almonds scattered along the way. I am tired when I arrive at Tri-Corner Knob from pushing heavy snow. My feet and legs are very wet being exposed to near melting snow. I want to go further as stopping will delay a planned rendezvous with Tank Commander Lindsay Brown by a day. No service so I cannot tell him. All the thru hikers from Peck's Corner make it to Tri-Corner. Everyone recognizes that we are experiencing something special among the hardships. One more cold night at 6,000 ft. I plan to make it to the warm valley tomorrow. SL