morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-10-01
From: Spivey Gap

To: Devil Fork Gap
Miles today: 21.7

Yesterday we scoped out where I needed to be dropped off, and I knew it would take a while to get there. I was on the trail at 8, and shortly after starting passed a man named John heading in the other direction. He explained that he was section hiking with his brother-in-law and they had made it this far south from Maryland. As I was walking away, he called out, "What's your name?" When people ask this on the trail, I assume they mean my trail name, so I gave it. He looked at me confused: "Your... your first name is Breitside?" Whoops!The terrain has started to get more difficult. The hills are steeper and getting longer, but I am no longer intimidated by them; I've come to the point where I would *almost!* rather be ascending than descending! The seasons have changed as well. While the afternoons will warm up a bit, the mornings are brisk and the leaves are changing. The trail is covered in leaves, and my poles now collect stacks of leaves on the tips. This is a minor inconvenience, but more dangerous, I can't see roots and rocks that have been covered by the leaves, and downhills have become slippery! This week has been full of more slips and trips than any since I flip-flopped!Today I finished "AWOL on the Appalachian Trail" on audiobook. I was shocked when I heard him talking about meeting a hiker in 2003 who I met in PA while she was on her 10-year anniversary thru hike! It's a small world!The big climb today was up to Big Bald, another of TN's famous balds. I could see it from 6 miles away - or should I say, 6 miles below! At the top, I passed John's brother-in-law and his hiking partner. Beyond that, I passed a migratory bird watch area. There were probably a dozen wall-like nets erected, and one had caught a bird who was tangled in the net. I hoped the researchers would discover it soon!I came down the mountain to find Grandma Lucy had arrived at the meeting point - at the top of a mountain road, sans map - without trouble! Phew! John was at this parking area as well, waiting for his brother-in-law and friend. He told us we should go to the Choo Choo Cafe tonight. We talked a while longer, thanked him for his suggestion, and headed down the mountain to find tomorrow's trail crossings.While driving down the mountain, we came upon a car that had slowed to a stop in the road. We watched as a very tiny baby bear ran across the road! I couldn't believe Grandma got to see one while she was up here! We headed on toward Hot Springs via an extremely circuitous route, found the trail head, and an easier way back to Erwin. By the time we arrived back in town, we were both famished and picked the only restaurant we had heard of - the Choo Choo Cafe. Of course, John and co. were there finishing their dinner! His brother-in-law told me that when they passed the bird counting station, a woman was unwinding the bird from the net - her 50th of the day! I was glad to hear it didn't spend much time tangled up.
Date: 2013-10-02
From: Devil Fork Gap

To: Allen Gap
Miles today: 20.3

There was a computer with a printer in the lobby of the hotel, so I figured I should go ahead and buy my permit for the Smokies. When I tried to buy it, the payment wouldn't go through - I finally gave up and figured I would try again later.While hiking along today, I got a text from Rash, who I had hiked with up north. He said the Smokies were closed - I was confused, and asked if there was a storm coming or something. Well, it was a storm of sorts, but not the kind I was thinking. Government shutdown? What? And why would this lead to the closure of the Smokies? I watched the news for quite a while when we got back to town, hoping to hear that the shutdown was very short term - with only two days until Davenport Gap, the northern end of the Smokies, it would be really great if the shutdown cleared up soon!
Date: 2013-10-03
From: Allen Gap

To: Gorenflo Gap
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: broken clouds

The slack packing plan for today was for me to be dropped off at Allen Gap, walk right into Hot Springs, meet for lunch, then drive out to Gorenflo Gap and walk back to Hot Springs in the other direction, doing 2/3 of my miles in the morning and 1/3 in the afternoon.On my morning section, I passed a group of six middle aged women, and a woman at the end who was more like my age. I said hello to everyone, and the one at the end stopped to talk. She was a guide for a company out of Asheville, and it came up that she had thru hiked last year. The more we talked, the more familiar she began to sound! Finally, I asked for her real name, something I would not normally do on the trail. When she gave it, it was just as I had suspected! I had read her entire blog last spring after a friend at school told me about her hike; she had graduated from my alma matter in 2007! She is the second Sewanee grad I've met on the trail - the first was "Greenbean," a 2008 grad who I met my third day out. I couldn't believe the coincidence!During my stop for lunch, I tried to figure out the situation in the Smoky Mountains. It wasn't clear whether there would be someone waiting at the entrance to turn hikers away. At lunch, a couple of locals said they couldn't close the footpath - it sounded legitimate to me. At the outfitter, however, they mentioned that law enforcement officials weren't furloughed, meaning park rangers would still be patrolling the park, telling visitors to leave. Further, I would be traveling without a permit, which could incur a hefty fine. Given all of this, we came up with a tentative plan. I would spend tomorrow hiking to Max Patch, then check the state of the government - if it looked like the shutdown might end soon, I would continue hiking on. Otherwise, I would do another flip flop and head to Springer with Grandma Lucy to hike north.No matter what happens with the shutdown, the time had come to buy my plane ticket home - I did it, and it felt great! On October 21st, I'll be heading home!
Date: 2013-10-05
From: Springer Mountain

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

Slack packing with Grandma Lucy was fantastic because I was able to make miles quickly, and wasn't sore in the evenings like I normally am. She would have slacked me the rest of the trail, which would have been amazing, but the logistics were getting difficult, so we agreed that she would head home for about 2 weeks, then we would meet again in Hot Springs when I finished. My flight is booked out of Nashville so I will be able to spend a couple of days visiting - sans hiking! - when I'm done. In total, she slacked me 87 miles, nearly 4% of the entire trail! I don't know how I got so lucky to have such a great person in my life.I had checked the night before to see what time the park opened, and the website said 7, so we were there shortly after that. What I failed to check was what time the visitor center opened. Surprise, not until 9! A car pulled up, an official looking lady got out, and Grandma Lucy took control of the situation, enlisting her to help us. The woman actually let us into the visitor center, allowed me to sign the official log book, then gave us detailed, typed out instructions for how to get to Springer - this is but one example of Grandma Lucy's superpowers!When we found the parking lot at the top of Springer Mountain, one mile from the southern terminus, we started to say our goodbyes, then the tears came. I headed off toward Springer, took pictures of the signs, then headed back toward the parking lot, officially hiking north again! Springer was very different than Katahdin; I can understand how the rush of finishing the trail, coupled with climbing such an imposing mountain, causes hikers finishing in Maine to be overcome with emotion. The same wasn't as true for Springer I walked back by the parking lot, and GL had left - more tears - then I headed into the woods to see if all the fuss about how difficult the trail is in Georgia was really true. I could understand how starting here would be challenging - I'll be the first one to tell you that if I had started down here, with this terrain, coupled with all the snow and all the people, I wouldn't have made it as far as I have. However, given the hiking shape I'm in now, I cruised along, noticing that the trail was tougher, but not tough enough to cause me to rest.I eventually made it to Woody Gap and hitched a ride into Suches - the first car to drive by stopped. I was trying to go farther out of town to a hostel on a campground, but he was turning, so let me out at the general store. I bought dinner and asked if my directions were correct; the cashier told me they had a hostel right here! Same price, with electricity and laundry, which the other hostel didn't have. It was meant to be!
Date: 2013-10-06
From: Woody Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: broken clouds

I walked across the street this morning and had breakfast at what could legitimately be called a biker bar. After eggs and bacon, I packed up and went out to catch a hitch. There was a 10k race going by on the road I needed to hitch on, but it didn't last long, and the second car to come by picked me up.Some of my favorite conversations from this whole trip have taken place while I'm hitching. Those who pick me up are generally local and know a good bit about the area in which I am hiking. Not only do I get a ride, but often I get a history lesson as well, as was the case today. Though the distance to the trail was short, we were following the runners, so we had time to talk about the gold mines, whiskey stills and Cherokee of the area!On my way up Blood Mountain, I ran into Rooster, a hiker I hadn't seen since meeting him in Pearisburg. He was going so fast and will be finishing tomorrow - unreal! At the top of Blood Mountain, I sat on a rock outcropping and ate my gorp while the sun warmed me up. It was nearly 80 degrees today, just the way I like it. I could have sat up there all day!The descent from Blood Mountain brought me to Neels Gap, where the infamous outfitter "Mountain Crossing" is located. This is the first chance for hikers who have packed waaay too much stuff to send it home, and Mountain Crossing makes a good profit selling exhausted newbies lighter versions of the essentials. They also sell a number of t-shirts, which I spent a good 15 minutes browsing. I eventually bought one for myself, with the phrase "Does this pack make my ass look fast" written on it. I was going to send it home because I didn't want to carry it, but then I had a different pack-weight-cutting idea to send my tent (and the shirt) ahead to Fontana Dam. I hardly ever use my tent, there have been no hikers in the shelters recently, and I felt confident in my ability to hike to another shelter if one happened to be full. I may regret this decision later, but for now, my pack feels like it is floating along behind me! I suppose it was worth the $18 they charged me for this service.I passed 12 men hiking NOBO, most of them alone, throughout the day. Many mentioned "Yeah, I'm thinking of hiking the trail..." at some point in my conversations with them - next year's class of thru hikers in the making!
Date: 2013-10-07
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: light intensity drizzle

I was on the trail around 7:45 and passed lots of people breaking down their campsites at various points along the trail. I came upon a man and a woman hiking south, and I had a hunch I knew who they were. "Where are you coming from?" I asked. "Maine," the man replied. I knew then that it was Lefty and Hush, the "Flip-Flop Honeymooners" who I have known about ever since reading their first entry in a log book at Ed Garvey shelter on my first day on the trail. We all started at Harpers Ferry and I have been behind them ever since. They are the only other flip-floppers I know who have made it this far, and meeting them was certainly encouraging. I would have loved to stay and talk all afternoon - they knew so many of the people I know! - but we eventually had to continue on in our separate directions.I stopped at Unicoi Gap to eat my Nutella and Cheese-It sandwich, a new favorite, and watch the cars drive by. Mostly I was putting off hiking up the next two hills, but they went by quickly and weren't as bad as I thought they would be. After the second hill, I ran into Mercury and Danko, two other thru hikers I knew had been ahead of me when I was heading south. I wanted to stay and talk to them all afternoon as well! I wished our shelter stays had lined up but, alas, we eventually had to say our goodbyes and goodlucks as well. Today, the number of thru hikers I have met since my flip to Harpers Ferry jumped from 7 to 11 - I didn't realize how much I missed the company of fellow thru hikers until I got to meet so many new ones today!Nobody had mentioned passing other hikers heading north, so I thought I might be alone in the shelter, but I was surprised and happy to find five other people and a sweet husky dog were staying in the 12 person shelter tonight as well. They all had lots of questions for me, and I ended up explaining the course of my jumbled thru hike a number of times, which led me to consider practicing a more concise version of how I explain it tomorrow while I hike I hadn't planned on going into Hiawassee, but the state of my food bag is pitiful, and Danko and Mercury told me of an all-you-can-eat $7 breakfast buffet. That buffet is without a doubt where you will be able to find me tomorrow morning.
Date: 2013-10-09
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: clear sky

Nobody else showed up at the shelter last night. The wind was blowing hard, so the leaves were loud and large nuts kept falling out of the trees. This was eerie, but I eventually got to sleep. When I woke up at 5 this morning, it was dead silent, which was even more creepy than the wind blowing! I knew I wouldn't fall back asleep, so I packed my bag, donned my headlamp, and headed for Franklin.On the trail today, I passed Chip, who I hadn't seen since Woods Hole Hostel, and later in the day, I passed Moby and Numbers, who I last saw outside of Damascus. After getting such an early start, I made it to the road by 4.At the road, I tried to hitch into Franklin an was picked up by the third car that drove by. The man driving was a fly fisherman from Asheville. When I asked him if he picked up hitch hikers often, he said, "Never, but I have two daughters and would hope if they were ever out here, someone would be looking out for them." He ended up taking me right where I needed to go - to Ron Haven's Budget Inn, a motel I've heard about for months. I needed to go to the outfitter to work on a piece of gear because the "outdoor lifestyle" store in Hiawassee hadn't been equipped to fix the problem. I went to Outdoor 76, the outfitter up the road from my motel. This was by far the coolest outfitter I've ever been to, and everyone was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Of the two outfitters in town, I'm glad I went to see them.I had a couple of errands to run after the outfitter, and so I walked across town to some shops. A man ended up giving me a ride back to the Budget Inn where I (finally!) showered and did my laundry. A very good friend happened to be in town, and it was great to go out to dinner after all my town chores were done!
Date: 2013-10-10
From: Franklin, NC

To: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 26.5
Weather: clear sky

I had a couple of last minute chores to do in town, and my friend helped me by shuttling me around town, then by taking me back to the trail. Once on the trail, the miles flew by quickly, and I had walked for 3 hours before stopping to take a break.At Wayah Bald, there was an observation tower that people could drive to. I was surprised to find DD and Brightside, who I hadn't seen since The Priest, when they started doing really big miles. They told me they decided to slow way down and enjoy the last bit of their adventure. While we were spending time at the patio beneath the observation tower, a helicopter came flying by, and hovered right in front of us, then over us. It did this a number of times, and I ended up hiking away before the helicopter was finished at the tower. That is by far the closest I've ever been to a running helicopter!I had originally planned to stop at Wesser Bald shelter, but was feeling good, had a long downhill in front of me, and had heard that the NOC served breakfast, so I headed on in the hopes of waking up and hiking to a hot breakfast. I hiked with my headlamp on for about an hour and a half, and when I arrived at the Rufus Morgan shelter around 9, I found another hiker had set up their tent in the shelter. There was plenty of room on the side of the tent for me to set up. The man who was in tent told me he was out hiking the section I did today in an attempt to quit smoking. He shared his water and many stories with me. I was so dead tired, I didn't even cook and might have fallen asleep during one of his stories! He was kind enough to not seem too offended the next morning.
Date: 2013-10-13
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Double Springs Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.2

I was out of the shelter late, around 8:20, and I was considering doing 25.5 miles over Clingmans Dome, plus another .5 to the shelter. My legs were tired, the sun was shining, and when my early lunch break turned into a sunbathing siesta, I decided Clingmans could wait until tomorrow.I met two different groups of thru hikers, each with three guys in the group. The second group consisted of two hikers I had met at The Ice Cream Man's house outside of Hanover, NH on one of my favorite days of the whole trip.I finally decided I needed to get up and hike some more, at least to the next shelter! I made it three more shelters to Double Springs Gap Shelter, which has two water sources, one spring in NC and the other in TN. I was tired when I arrived at 5:30 - the earliest I've made it to a shelter in a while, it seems - and cooked dinner and was in bed by 7:30. In the Smokies, all summer and at this time of year when the leaves are changing, shelters would normally be completely booked, and sometimes thru hikers have to give away their spot in the shelter and tent nearby. With the government closures, I was in the shelter all alone tonight.
Date: 2013-10-14
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: light rain

The acorns falling on the tin roof were loud last night! I woke up early to the loud banging from the nuts and considered hiking out in the dark, but when I put on my headlamp to go get my food bag, it was so foggy that I couldn't see anything! I made coffee and waited for it to get light; around 7:20 it was light enough to walk, but the sun never came out. I don't know what I was expecting of Clingmans Dome, but I was shocked when I got there! A giant concrete ramp spiraled around a concrete tower with an observation deck at the top. It looked like something out of The Jetsons! I didn't have a view, but didn't feel like I needed one - I was content just to have made it to the highest point on the whole trail, and to be up there alone besides!I hadn't seen many people on the trail, and with the park closure, I expected the hitch into Gatlinburg to be nearly impossible, so I was planning on cooking a hot lunch at Newfound Gap then heading on. I arrived at the road - the only one I will cross during my time in the Smokies - and found tons and tons of people milling about, taking pictures, and driving by. I changed my mind - Gatlinburg for lunch it is! A family quickly stopped for me and we chatted the whole 15 miles down the mountain. I didn't know where I wanted to eat, but when we drove by a steak house and the smell of ribs wafted in the window, I asked if they could let me out.I could have sat in that warm, dry restaurant for days. I considered staying in Gatlinburg for the night, but ultimately decided I would head back out. The hitch up the mountain was more difficult, with one lady rolling down the widow to yell, "That's dangerous!" at me, but eventually a car full of students from Belmont in Nashville on fall break stopped to take me up.I was back on the trail by 3, but didn't make progress as quick as I expected because of all the people on the trail. Many stopped me to ask about my trip. One little boy asked his mom, "Do you think she's really going to sleep in the woods tonight?!" On my way, I met three thru hikers, all of whom said they were heading to Icewater Spring Shelter, which I had already passed. I asked if they had seen anyone heading to the shelter I was going to - they said maybe, but weren't sure.As I arrived at the shelter around 7, rain soaked and squinting through the fog and evening darkness, I thought I smelled a camp fire. I walked faster and turned the corner of the shelter and... No one! Just me and the mice again tonight, and a special addition at this shelter, a sign warning me that bears were active in this area and had been known to injure and kill people. This will the last time I stay in a shelter as I will stay at a hostel tomorrow night and finish my hike the next day. Like everything else about the end of this journey, I have mixed emotions about not sleeping in shelters anymore after tonight, but no mixed emotions about sleeping in them alone! I maintain that, despite the incessant rustling, snoring, and farting of other hikers, shelters are 1000x better shared than slept in alone!!
Date: 2013-10-15
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 23.6

This section of the trail is particularly special to me because it was here, from Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap, that I first backpacked on the Appalachian Trail. In fact, it was this exact weekend four years ago, during my fall break of freshman year at Sewanee, that I came out to the Smokies to hike with about 18 other students. Before this point, I had a vague notion of the Appalachian Trail. I knew that it existed, I wasn't exactly sure what states it crossed or how many miles it was, and I certainly didn't know how one would go about hiking the entire length of the trail. On the trip - my first real foray into any sort of backpacking - I borrowed a pack and sleeping bag from the outing program run by the school, headed to the local outfitter to get geared up, and took off on fall break with no idea what to expect. This time four years ago, the Smokies got hit with a snowstorm. I remember driving through Gatlinburg and up the mountain, becoming slightly more alarmed every minute we drove, thinking, "They can't seriously expect us to hike in this!" They did! I thought back to how I must have been, without my trail legs, carrying a borrowed pack that probably kinda-sorta fit me, loaded down with who-only-knows how much weight, heading into the snow covered woods with a group of students I barely knew. A lot has changed since then!I'm not going to lie, I was glad it didn't snow in the Smokies during this trip! While I felt - and absolutely was - much more prepared than four years ago, I was enjoying hiking in the fall weather and colors. Much of my afternoon was spent descending into Davenport Gap, and then descending even further down to cross under I-40. It was a long day, and my legs were pretty tired of going downhill. I was feeling jarred and tired and I texted a friend saying, "I could really use a beer right now!" Just before I arrived at I-40, I happened upon a cooler filled full of - you guessed it - cold beer! I was left marveling not just at the fortuitous trail magic, but also the magic of the trail, and oh, how I will miss such magic.I arrived at Standing Bear Hostel, made a pizza (they are famous for having a freezer full of heat-and-eat pizzas!), and enjoyed the company of other hikers, past and present alike. I stayed in the cabin, spending my last night on the trail warm, clean, inside, and in a bed! Tomorrow - on to finish at Max Patch!