morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-05
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: few clouds

Shelter sleeping is great if you need to get up early...and basically you have no choice. Someone will be up an hour before the sun. Didn't mind it this morning as it was supposed to be a beautiful day and we had about 13 miles to go. So up and out to a warm and beautiful day at 8:30.Once again, I love the early morning hiking....and pure sunshine! Don't forget to look at the pictures since a picture paints a thousand words and I'm definitely not a poet. Today I walked through several areas where there were several kinds of mosses and ferns covering everything....EVERYTHING! It gave a green velvety softness to the entire forest...the whole forest looked like a big green blanket....even the trees were covered.Ok...future thru-hikers take note.....mark Deer Creek Gap on your maps/charts. It's at mile 223.2. Plan to spend a good amount of time here if it's nice out. I was there for about an hour and Repunzel said she stayed for even an additional hour. Bring a picnic. Great views, unobstrcuted sunshine, big grassy area....perfect. I never realized how much time I spend in the real world with my eyes focused no more than 50 feet around me. I realized it here in the Smoky's as there were places that I could see "forever". If you're looking to spend a couple days camping and can hike 7-20 miles in a day, I would recommend a couple of days out here. Undescribable.There are many occasions when a tree will have fallen across the Trail. Sometimes they are low enough to step over, sometimes you can walk around, sometimes you can duck under (watch your pack). Today there was a tree that I had to crawl on all fours to get under it. To tall to go over and no way around it. The problem with hiking alone is no one around to take silly pictures.I pretty much hike alone 90% of the time. It allows me to hike at my own pace, stop and take lots of pictures, take breaks whenever I want. Plus I do enjoy the peaceful silence of the woods and getting lost in a string of thoughts or a daydream. Plenty of time for social contact at the campsites!The Smoky's have been absolutely incredible. I'll be sad to leave them, but also looking forward to what else the A.T. has in store for me.
Date: 2009-04-06
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Green Corner Road, Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

OK...the tenting to sleep in idea didn't work. After I set up my tent, 3 people put their tent up right next to mine....literally. My one fly stake was under the edge of one dude's tent. I didn't mind because the shelter was full and we had at least a dozen tents set up in all the level spots we could find. But of course the 3 people tenting near me were up at twilight stepping on my fly stake lines, hitting my tent with their tent poles, and removing the water from their flys by waving them in the air like a rug! Needless to say, no sleeping in.It's easy to find solitude while hiking. I'll be glad when the crowds thin out at the camping areas. Ok...enough about that.Today's terrain was easy as it was downhill all day "sliding out" of the Smoky's. Yep, last day in the Smoky's. And we flew today....no views, hot shower in the near future, BBQ on the mind....at times we were going almost 3 mph, which is releatively fast out here.I did get some pictures today of a really cool water feature (stream) that had like 18 little water fall elements. It was the prettiest water feature we have seen since Amicalola Falls.We are spending the night at a unique hostel called Standing Bear Farm. It is a 14 bunk hostel, which is full. There are several tenting in the yard, and many staying in a barn (literally). There are also a couple of cabins that are full. The owener said there was a record number of hikers here tonight.It's basically a collection of small buildings....a kitchen/dining room bldg, a shower bldg, a laundry bldg, an internet bldg (not working), and a store bldg for re-supply (expensive).It's a comfortable place to sleep and shower. There was only one computer for internet and the keyboard was messed up so it was worthless for updating journals or anything like that. They did shuttle us in for BBQ, which was delicious, but nothing extraordinary. Glad I stopped in....very unique place.Very neat night....snow falling, bunk house heated by wood burning stove, and a room of full of fellow hikers sharing their experiences. There is a good inch of snow on the ground and its still falling. Going to be a interesting morning.
Date: 2009-04-08
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: broken clouds

Wow...what a day yesterday. Most of us were out late this morning as no one wanted to get out in the cold. Most of our shoes were frozen solid like bricks of ice. I watched a couple of people need like 5 minutes to get their shoes on. Not much motivation to get up and going.We laid there talking about the decision matrix for today. First shelter was only 5 miles away. The one after that was another 10 miles. But then it was only 3 more to Hot Springs. Do I only want to go five miles? If I go 15 miles, do I really want to stop 3 miles short of a hot shower and warm bed?So I packed everything up while still in my sleeping bag, waiting until I was ready to hike before putting on my two "blocks of ice". Amazingly, after only about 20-30 minutes of hiking my shoes warmed up....I didn't realize feet and hiking produced so much heat down there!Oh yeah...here comes the sun! And it got into the 40's quickly. We had a quick climb and then downhill most of the rest of the day. Got to the first shelter and it was early, around noon, and it was nice out...so had to move on.As I'm hiking down the mountain everything was very sloshy with melting snow and I thought it was going to be sloshy all day long....then boom, it was like walking out of winter into summer (hopefully you'll see the picture).At this point it was getting close to 50....unbelieveable, I'm shedding layers every step, and then it was sunny with a pleasant trail all the way to the second shelter.So there I am at the second shelter hurting and dehydrated....decisions, decisions....yep, you're right.....I pressed on into town. It was tough, but the hot shower, warm bed, good supper, and a cold brew were all the inspiration I needed. Wow, what a day....following an amazing day.So I straggle in to town and run into Old Goat and Check Six coming from having a brew at the Iron Horse Inn....sold....that's where I stayed. It's a little pricey, but with bed upstairs and supper and brews downstairs...it was the right place for me. Very comfortable place to stay. Most of the hikers are staying at Elmer's Hostel here in town which is famous on the trail.I had dinner and a couple of beers with Rolling Stone, Gritty, O.G., and one other guy....sorry, forgot the trail name. Very nice night after long day.
Date: 2009-04-09
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero Day today!Very frustrating day today trying to update my journal. Very limited computer time and not the swiftest of computers/internet.My photos might be delayed as I might have to send them home and have Jessica/Brian download them to the site as I'm having trouble getting it done here.Sorry for the "rushed" sounding journal entries but working on a timeline! Photo descriptions will come when I get to a real place with internet capability.
Date: 2009-04-10
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Another Zero Day today. Goof and Mr Buffalo Man made it into town yesterday and are zeroing today. So I'm taking another day off and will hike out with them tomorrow morning. My body could use the rest anyhow.It also gave me a chance to finish catching up on the journaling! Sorry I didn't list all the people staying at each shelter for the last stretch....simply running out of Internet time...too many people, not enough computers!But I did manage to catch up to Hot Springs, even the photos.Gonna chill for the rest of the night and get ready to hike. I'm ready to leave town and get back on the Trail!
Date: 2009-04-11
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Wow. Got a little too comfortable in town with the zero days. And my own room. No snoring, no noise, no one right next to me in a shelter....and not in my mummy bag so I was able to spread out on the bed.....nice!!It was overcast and threatening rain so that didn't help matters either. Goof, Mr Buffalo Man, Sunnuke and I went to the local diner for breakfast. We finally left town around 10:30.Before town we weighed our packs. Goof's and my pack weighed 45 pounds each with a weeks worth of food and 3 liters of water. Mr Buffalo Man's pack weighed in at 70 lbs....no kidding. I thought we should call him "Newton" since he seems bent on testing the laws of physics and gravity. So he is now Mr. Newton Buffalo Man.To be honest, I was in a blah mood today....compilation of everything, leaving comfort, dreary weather, heavy pack, and always a lot of uphill out of a town. And just coming off an outstanding adventure in the snow....hard to top!But now that I'm snug in my sleeping bag and have a day of hiking behind me, I'm already glad to be back on the Trail.We are at the smallest shelter I have seen so far....it only holds 5. Me, Sunnuke, Goof, Mr Buffalo Man, are in here with Sassafras. She is a botanist from Wooster, Ohio currently living in Fort Collins, CO. I met her in Hot Springs at the outfitters, both of us seeking some computer time.It's about 7 pm and the sky is clearing and I can see patches of blue sky. Here's hoping for some sun tommorrow.Recap of Hot Springs:Bad: Finding computer time for journaling was very frustrating.Good: Everything else! It is an extremely small town. But that added to the comfort. I stayed at the Iron Horse Station, expensive (relatively), but very comfortable. Rooms were upstairs, with a restaurant and pub downstairs. There were so many hikers in town that there was a family reunion feel to it every where you went. Good food, drinks, and company.Sad note that Greaser and Rambo are off the Trail now. They had only planned on hiking this far. They are good people and will be missed out here.
Date: 2009-04-12
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Spring (campsite)
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy Easter!! I slept so good last night! Yeah. It was a small shelter with 5 of us in it, but there was plenty of room. It was a chilly night which made for good sleeping. And to top it all off, no one up until sunrise. Perfect evening and night in the shelter.One of the good things about taking two zero days in Hot Springs was the large crowds have gotten out ahead of us. There were only 7 of us in the shelter area last night....two tented with their dog. We can see in the shelter registers that the large groups are up ahead.Today was awesome. The sun was out all day and the sky was clear! I definitely took my time today and had a nice relaxing day in the woods. The woods were pretty open all day and the trail was comfortable, meaning it was mostly a smooth surface, not a lot of rocks and roots.God sure blessed us today with a great day on Easter Sunday. I was looking but I did not see the Easter Bunny.We are trying to keep the mileage right around 12 miles for nice hiking into Erwin, TN. Well today there was a shelter at 9 miles and the next one was at 15 miles. So we are tenting at an awesome campsite tonight.....another blessing being right around the 12 mile mark. There is lots of tent space, a large fire ring, and two creeks with lots of water flow! So we stopped here. Very nice night!
Date: 2009-04-13
From: Spring (campsite)

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Taking a long lunch break and wanted to write about last night and this morning right away.The whole idea while we're out here is to "leave no trace", so you're only supposed to camp at places that have been worn down by many campers before you. Well, we lucked out with our campsite last night. If we wouldn't have found a camping spot, we would have had to continue to the shelter that I'm sitting in right now, Jerry's Cabin Shelter.So what? I wouldn't have wanted to do that hike yesterday on tired legs! It was too much fun this morning...even though the wind was blowing like crazy. It's always something on the A.T.!! Well it looks like God got a new Wind Machine for Easter, the BlowMax 3000. Hey God, it works great....can we run it on low for a bit?Last night I had to get up to pee in the middle of the night but didn't want to get out of bed since God has the BlowMax 3000 set on ludicrous speed...but when I stepped out of the tent there was just a little breeze...we we're protected...the wind was blowing the tree tops above like crazy.So I start hiking a little after 9 am. I'm hiking in crazy winds and get to White Rock Cliffs! Great view! I have a video I will try to post sometime. Winds were crazy strong. After a short bit I come to a sign that says "exposed trail" one way and "bad weather trail" another way (see pics). Basically a useless sign...not enough information to make an informed decision. "How far?" "Is high winds bad weather?" So I take the exposed trail since I'm trying to hike every inch of white blaze (A.T.). It was a blast, and one of the neatest sections of hiking so far. A lot of rock scrambling which is cool. I was exposed to fierce winds but never really in danger....there was always room to fall over without going over the mountain side. Thank God. I would not have wanted to do that in rainy or snowy conditions though.Equipment of the day: Mountain Wear hat (windstopper) and windstopper gloves. Head and ears were warm all day and it was cold and gusty all day! Hats off to the person who invented the windstopper stuff!Mr Buffalo Man, Goof and I played around on the rocks on Big Butt Mountain for a while. Wind is still howling. Very light rain, but all-in-all a very good day!
Date: 2009-04-14
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Low Gap (camping)
Miles today: 14.9

Today was a goup best as we hiked 14.9 miles together today. Sunnuke and I have hiked farther, but not as a foursome. It was a personal best for Goof and Mr Buffalo Man. Needless to say, we are all very tired tonight.The sun tried to come out a couple of times this morning but didn't quite get there. We had overcast skies and light rain all day. Still raining as I sit in my tent and write this.We took a chance today heading for a campsite not near a shelter....just the way the mileage worked out. Well, Mr Buffalo Man is cooking in his tent vestibule, and I'm sitting in the rain with my rain gear on eating my dinner. Goof and Sunnuke said the heck with it and went to bed without dinner. They plan on a big breakfast in the morning.The scenery was pleasant this morning, highlighted by a mile of trail that followed a stream right up to some waterfalls (see pics). Made for nice hiking. The A.T. crossed I-26 today and I could see the "Welcome to Tennessee" sign verifying we have been on the NC/TN for days now never knowing for sure what state we were in at any given time.Here's a little on Group dynamics: Goof, Sunnuke, Mr Buffalo Man and I have been together for the whole time now and will probably be together for quite a while.....we have about the same pace, can go about the same distance, and share a common idea of how we want to hike...e.g. stopping to check everything out....basically no hurry, happy with averaging about 12 miles a day.We hiked with a large group of about 10, including Greaser, Squeegie, the twins (Miss Scarlett and Newt), Hammock, Col Mustard, Sam Wise and Mr T. They were a lot of fun and I will miss hiking with them......great youthful energy and spirit. The problem is that when you add the 4 of us and any other people around, there are too many for any shelter or campsite. I will definitely miss their energy though.Amanda, Dan, Ian, and Kendra simply cover too much ground too quickly for me to be able to enjoy "my hike". I miss their company also.But we are always meeting new poeple. We just met Patch and Spoons hiking with their dog, Haley. Good people. And once in a while we do meet up with old hiker acquaintances.I like hiking around the younger people, much more energy and more "welcoming" in general. Older crowd seems to get up too early, get done hiking too early, and go to bed too early. I prefer to get up with the sun, spend most of the day on the trail, and then chatting a bit until the sun goes down. Don't get me wrong here....not supposed to be any judgement here....enjoy your trip to Maine any way you can...just hopefully giving you a flavor for the different dynamics out here!
Date: 2009-04-15
From: Low Gap (camping)

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Most of today was just blah! Woke up to a cold, wet morning. Got packed up and out about 9am.I'm moaning an groaning already knowing I'm climbing up Big Bald Mountain for nothing. It's cold and foggy so I know it's going to be colder up there and I'm not going to be able to see anything.About 10 steps out of camp, Boo-Boo (AT '07, I think), comes bouncing down the trail southbound and lets me now there is trail magic ahead that she left on a bench...banana bread. Thanks Boo-Boo..delicious!So I get up to Big Bald and the wind is howling and there is ice covering everything (see pictures). All I could think of is how beautiful this place must be on a calm, sunny day. And this area and the area following were clear for a long way....I would like to have been able to see just how big this open space was.I'm trying to keep my spirits up but it is tough sometimes when its day after day of wind, rain, fog, and chilly temps. Don't get the wrong impression when I'm complaining....just trying to give you a true picture of the climate.....I'm still very glad to be on the Trail, and signed up to hike through whatever mother nature wants to deliver. I'm not a fair-weather hiker and vowed before I started that I would hike my plan and deal with the elements. So far, so good! Coming off the Bald I ran into Don and John (forgive me if it was Ron and not John), two Trail Maintainers from the Carolina Mountain Club who volunteer to maintain the Trail. It was nice to meet a couple of the folks who help keep the Trail clear for us to hike on. Thanks to all who do this! It is much appreciated.The climb going North after Spivey Gap was the highlight of the day. A stream called Oglesby Branch was right along the Trail during the entire climb. It was the last climb of the day and it was nice to have that water effect all the way up. I was low on energy and it was a great distraction. I took a very long break where the A.T. crossed the steam on a footbridge. Nice stop.Spirits were higher once we all got into camp and had some good conversation while making dinner. We've had two long 15-mile days in a row and are looking forward to a short 6-mile day tomorrow going into the Hostel in Erwin, TN for hot showers, resupply, and laundry!! Equipment disclaimer: Once in a while I will discuss equipment. I will tell you what equipment I really like and dislike. I'm not judging any equipment or trying to convince anyone what equipment is right or wrong....just what is working or not for me. I've seen every piece of equipment and clothing imaginable out here...and people are "advancing north" as Spokes would say. Picking equipment is such a personal thing and what equipment is "right" depends on how you envision your hike. I've got the wrong equipment for a speedy, quick hike. I've got the right equipment for an all-weather and staying-warm-and-comfortable hike!! Remember, I just spent the last couple of years in Vegas, and a lot of time in the south. I LOVE sunshine!!
Date: 2009-04-16
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin, TN (Uncle Johnnys Hostel)
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up to a beautiful sunshiny day!! Goof, Mr Buffalo Man and I hiked into the hostel together and had a nice chat arriving at the Hostel about noon. We did laundry, ate cheeseburgers, took showers and worked on re-supply. I'm able to update the journal here but it won't let me download the pictures....so that will happen in about 6 days. Sorry!It was a nice leisurely day today spent mostly hanging out in the sun while laundry was going.Back on the Trail tomorrow. Gotta run...shuttle is leaving for town to go get dinner!Oh yeah, nice hostel here, Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel.
Date: 2009-04-17
From: Erwin, TN (Uncle Johnnys Hostel)

To: Spring (campsite)
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was absolutely perfect!! Got up about sunrise and lazily crawled out of a bed at the hostel. No hurry this morning. Took my time packing the stuff. The store opened at 8 am and I grabbed a gatorade. Freebird was already up and firing up the grill. Sweet....2 cheesburgers for breakfast! The sun was shining bright and we just loafed around a bit and finally got going around 9:30.Sunnuke and I hiked all day together. Usually I hike alone but today Sunnuke and I gabbed all day long enjoying a sun-drenched leisurely hike through the woods. There were a couple of good uphill sections today as always when leaving a town, but the trail was nice and the miles relatively easy.Goof and Mr Buffalo Man left a little after us but got stuck at a railroad because a train had stopped across the A.T. and blocked the trail. They waited a bit but finally had to pass backpacks and crawl under the train.The first part of the trail today was flat and following a feeder stream to the Nolichucky River. There were at least a half-dozen footbridges we had to cross. Very relaxing section of Trail...no work involved.Our group is in a good rythym now of hiking about 4 miles (2 hours), taking a break, repeat, until at our destination. We're doing a better job of mixing in breaks regularly than than we were doing before. Makes for much more pleasant hiking.The highlight of today was "Beauty Spot", a bald on top of a mountain about 10 miles out of Erwin. It was fantastic. Sunnuke and I hung out there for about an hour just soaking up the sun!!We camped tonight in a bald area just north of Beauty Spot. Very relaxing evening, fixing dinner, while soaking up the remaining sun rays of the day watching the sun set over the surrounding mountains.This is what it is all about! I'm praying for more of these gorgeous days.(morning note): I'm glad I had to get up to pee last night.....perfect sky full of stars close enough to touch! The Celestial Dome we had in Navigator training can't touch the star classroom I saw last night...I need to order a star chart.