morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-09
From: Franklin, NC

To: Waylah Bald
Miles today: 10.2

It seems every time we go into town, I forget to write in this thing. Sunrise on Albert Mtn the other day was a bit dull due to heavy cloud cover but it was neat seeing Franklin slowly waking up in the distance. It was pretty cold and windy so I had to climb down from the tower. We were way early because the sun rose about 6:30am. I think we left around 5:00am.Got back down to camp and made breakfast. When all was said and done, we were the first ones up and the last ones out of camp!Good hike that was fairly gentle and went quickly. Before I knew it I was at Winding Stair Gap where we hitched a ride to Franklin. Ended up staying the night because we had to walk everywhere for errands and the town was quite spread out. Got an M&M Blizzard at Dairy Queen and beer. Susan and I ended up drinking a 12 pack and watching South Park. I was a bit bummed though because I didn¢t get my Thai food or Guinness ?.Got the hotel¢s shuttle back to the trail and met Scraggly, Hiking Bear, Flash Hand, Zack, and Willy Wallace- hmmm. Reference to Braveheart maybe? Tiring hike today. Mostly a steady uphill for about 10 miles. Great view from Waylah Bald. Saw Albert Mtn. and Standing Indian Mtn. way off in the distance. It was kinda a trip to see how far we had come since the previous day.We¢ve made camp with a bunch of other thru-hikers, all who have gone to bed¢¦ no fun! Some older folks and some about my age. Not the ¢sit around the campfire¢ type I guess. Well, off to bed and up early to try to catch a better sunrise from Waylah Bald!
Date: 2004-04-10
From: Waylah Bald

To: Spring/Campsite North of the NOC
Miles today: 19.3

Whew¢¦ Big day today. Hiked over 19 miles! Woke up feeling a bit groggy. Didn¢t get up for the sunrise. Washed my face in the creek and felt plenty energized afterwards! We got to Burningtown Gap and found a giant expedition style tent by Mtn. Hardwear. Turned out to be a past thru-hiker from Ohio who was doing a little trail magic by slackpacking, cooking meals, and showing movies on a projector screen! Susan and I arrived just after 10am and got one of the last breakfasts. Susan slackpacked but I¢ve decided to take mine every step of the way.Turned out to be one hell of a hike! After Burningtown Gap, the terrain became steep ups and downs. Beautiful views from Wesser Bald and then crazy downhills all the way to the NOC. Feet very tired by the time we got there! Beautiful hike though!Susan and I shared a pint of Ben & Jerry¢s Oatmeal Cookie Dough and then ended up hiking another 2.5 miles to avoid an expensive hostel stay. We are both very tired tonight. I¢ve noticed that some people think there¢s a stigma relating to slackpacking. I say every person¢s hike is their own and they¢re only cheating if they feel like they¢re cheating themselves. I¢ve decided to take my pack every step of the way to Katahdin, but don¢t look down on those who get some help from Trail Angels. NOC is in a dry county¢¦ same with Fontana Dam. DAMN! I guess I¢ll have to wait a while for my Guinness. A nice trail angel gave us each a beer down at the NOC. One turned out to be frozen so Susan and I shared the other.We started an extended game of Shit-Boots last night. Each night we play a round of best two out of three. The winner of each round gets a point. Who ever is in the lead when we come into a town gets treated to a beer. Now we have to come up with a way to start using the hacky sack or I¢m sending it home! Did I mention I want beer?
Date: 2004-04-11
From: Spring/Campsite North of the NOC

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: light rain

Took a much needed short day today. Only went about 4 miles to Sassafras Gap Shelter. It was all uphill, but steady. My right knew began to hurt yesterday on the long downhill into the NOC. Sharp pain, possibly in the MCL. Continued on today and found that the knee only seems to hurt on level ground or going downhill. I guess the only option then is to go uphill. Hmmm I sure hope this only temporary!Lots of people at the shelter tonight. Vermont Sue, Mushroom, Diego Dave, Rick, I Need A Hug, Big Tree, Joshua, Adam, Martin, The Garland 5 (yes there¢s five of them!), and a few others. Nice shelter complete with a loft, benches & table. Looks pretty new.
Date: 2004-04-12
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Very tired today. My body is worn out and sore, but I suppose it was still a good day. Didn¢t get any sleep last night on account of some noisy sleepers and early risers in the shelter. That was my first night sleeping in a shelter and will probably be my last. A very thick fog come in last night, welcomed us this morning, and lasted most of the day. Hiking today prompted Led Zeppelin to play in my head all day, which was fine by me! The forest seemed like a very mystic place. We couldn¢t see where we were going or where we had been. Only bummer was that we missed the legendary views from Cheoah Bald.We did over 15 miles today and have only six more to get into Fontana Dam tomorrow. Should be a gentle day, which will be much needed after today¢s hike! My feet are screaming at me and my knew isn¢t doing well. It feels like a pinched nerve but I don¢t really have a clue what is going on with it.Great lightning storm tonight after the clouds and rain cleared. Hung out at the campfire with Diego Dave, Sydney, I Need A Hug, and Spiderweb. Good stories of classic pranks and lots o¢ laughs.
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: clear sky

Been a couple days due to a lost pen that I found, which promptly ran out of ink. Long downhill into Fontana Dam on the 13th, but beautiful views. My knee protested much of the way but I was too excited to get into town that I didn¢t pay much attention. The Fontana Village was small but I¢m sure it comes alive during the summer. Not a great outfitter or general store for supplies. They do have miniature gold, but it was too late in the day to get a game going after laundry was finished. I discovered the outfitters had Nature Valley bars so I immediately scarfed down four. Yum yum!Picked up my mail drop and we headed over to the shelter. On our way, we ran into the Hikers For Christ who was serving up hot dogs, hamburgers, fruit cocktail, and cake. Double yum again! They also gave us some towels and soap for the free showers at the dam. Supposedly the girls showers were nice and hot but I could only get the guys shower luke warm. Argh! Next morning, we chowed down on pancakes and sausage with the Hikers For Christ and were off across the dam. Hiked up through beautiful snowy forests and into the Great Smoky Mountains. Couldn¢t see much of any view but the snowy landscape made up for the lack of vistas. Once on the ridgeline, it got windy and darn cold. The light snow didn¢t let up until we were almost to the shelter. I Need A Hug¢s hands froze along with mine, but thankfully neither one of us got frostbite. Was hard to get motivated to do anything last night because it was so frigid. Spent 10 minutes in my sleeping bag and then made dinner. Hot soup warmed us right up. Zack tried to play guitar but soon gave up as the cold froze his fingers. Woke up this morning to a frozen ground and sunshine. Cooked breakfast and got underway. As soon as the sun broke through the cold ground, it was a sloshy nine miles through slush and mud. Met a ranger with a full automatic and later found out he was hunting wild pig. The park has a problem with the non-native pest tearing up the terrain. Got to Derrick Knob Shelter and decided to not push on any farther. Been lying in the sun on a grassy patch and relaxing ever since!
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Thirteen to fourteen mile hike today to Mt. Collins Shelter. Will be getting up @ 5:00am to head on down to the road and Gatlinburg. Beautiful hiking today and nice views from Clingmans Dome. Too many people though. I had to get out of those crowds!
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Second night herein Gatlinburg at the Grand Prix Motel. All I can say is that this is one funky town! Very touristy but the real kick is that walking down the main drag makes me feel like I¢m at an amusement park! I imagine it¢s a big attraction for East Coasters but is not somewhere I would come back to! The drive out of the park yesterday was amazing though. It featured the most greenery I¢ve seen on the trail thus far.Despite the town being so strange, I¢ve had a blast. Went to the Great Smokey Mtn Brewery last night and got a great beer sampler. I then ordered a 33.8oz mug of Guinness-like beer. (If you¢re a thru-hiker, .8 oz is important!) After the beer and some food I was one happy marmot. Grubbed on some ice cream and Ben & Jerry¢s¢ followed by more ice cream at Baskin & Robbins.   Today fellow hikers and I hung out by the river behind our motel, had some beers, and soaked the feet. Good times were had by all!
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Gatlinburg was a bit of an attack on the sense coming out of the woods, but still a good time. Can¢t say I would go back except maybe for another one of those 33.8oz beers!Felt a bit sluggish getting back on the trail today but it wore off eventually. Feet felt a little better with the insole system I put together, but I can¢t imagine it lasting very long.Beautiful hike today on a knife edge ridge and tunnels of evergreens. Sublime smells of rich soil, pine and numerous other flora. Could see hawks and ravens flying high in the distant valleys.Don¢t feel much like eating today but I forced some food down on the account that we have a ton of it¢¦ again. Gotta love those over packed drop boxes! I¢ve made an exception for candy and sweets on my previously successful no hydrogenated oil diet. The breakdown began with a snickers bar and has begun to landslide from there. I blame it on ¢Anita¢ Hug and her powerful persuasive powers.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Campsite by river

To: Brown Gap
Miles today: 11.3

Hmmm. Long hiking day yesterday. Almost 17 miles! Found an awesome campsite though. Right alongside the river with plenty of wood and nice fire ring. Once again, the day was a breathtaking tramp through the Smokey¢s. I was amazed to see that as soon as we were out of the park though, we entered a dry, beetle infested forest. You could almost see the park boundary because of this change. Good to get out of the government regulations on shelter use in the park. Did a little over 10 miles today. Felt un-energized but the day still went by quickly. All uphill and the trail to come will be very up & down. Got a bit dehydrated after lunch today. Realized this after I was trying to figure out why I was so tired. Met Pirate and Vagrant today at Brown Gap. I guess some of their friends are coming in tomorrow to do some trail magic. Missed it by one day! Diego Dave and The Friar went on to catch up with Rick. Spiderweb and I are staying here for the night.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Brown Gap

To: Garenflo Gap
Miles today: 16.7

Another long day with sixteen more miles under my belt.   Brown Gap to our secret spot just before Gavenflo Gap. Great day except that a burning ember from our toasty campfire just put a hole in my Thermarest. Opps!Beautiful hike down through ¢Irish¢ green fields on Bluff Mtn. Got my first blister yesterday on my left heel and my second on my right heel. Think it might be my ingenious new insole system. They haven¢t really helped my feet much. Nice campsite tonight. Looks like an old house with smokehouse in a nice grassy field. Found a turtle while looking for wood and the owls have been quite talkative tonight. Had a bat circling camp earlier and a woodpecker working away on the trees. Good times!
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Garenflo Gap

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Good, short seven miler today. A lot of downhill, which was hard on the knees. Got internet done and purchased the new MSR MIOX for water treatment. We¢ll see how that works. Ate a pint of Ben & Jerry¢s from the outfitters. Half Baked¢¦ hit the spot! Got a campsite, some beer, & met an interesting couple who host the campground. Quote of the Night:Fryer: Yes Ma¢amColleen: Don¢t call me Ma¢amFryer: I come from a military family where if you don¢t say Sir & Ma¢am, a beatin¢ will surely follow.Colleen: Well I¢m not going to beat you so just chill!
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Damn rooster! Woke me up at 4:30 am and continued to crow until 8:00am. Ahhh! One of my first priorities this morning was to get earplugs. I dislike wearing them but I guess if I want to sleep tonight, I¢ve got to!Got some errands done. Mailed stuff home and got a new headlamp (mine burned out in Garenflo Gap), Thermarest patch kit, MSR MIOX, and three pints of Ben & Jerry¢s. Plus food. Ahhh¢¦ marmot is happy!Went over to dinner tonight at George and Connie¢s (campground hosts) trailer with Friar, Spiderweb, and Tabasco T. Ok food but the entertainment was top notch! Tabasco T dares George to chop off the rooster¢s head that George¢s friend gave him. After a double dare, he takes off with a stick and chases the rooster around the campground. Trys swinging a few times and soon resorts to throwing the stick. When that doesn¢t work, he marches back to the campsite and Connie says ¢givin¢ up eh?¢ Nope¢¦ he was just getting started! Picks up his hatchet and starts hucking it towards the rooster. Never got the rooster. Later the rooster gets into a cock fight with the house rooster (the one that woke me up). This is a bit different from the west coast!George also showed us some good mineral water from the hot springs. It tastes a bit odd at first but is actually pretty good!
Date: 2004-04-26
From: ?

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: moderate rain

Good solid 11 miles out of Hot Springs on the 25th. It rained shortly after we got into camp last night & didn¢t stop until this evening. Met Indigo from Boston yesterday. She¢s just out for three weeks on her first backpacking trip ever. Seems pretty stoked. Also met Ponder who is doing a flip flop from SNP to Georgia and will finish up the rest after that. Long 15.5 miles in the rain today. Felt good except for the water logged feet. With my cork insoles though, my feet are staying in place¢¦ no blisters! Yea! Had a good dinner in camp tonight and then got pretty frustrated with my new MSR MIOX. The darn thing can be such a pain to use, but maybe I haven¢t gotten it figured out yet. Will be breaking our 300 mile mark tomorrow. The hike is really starting to fly past. In Hot Springs, I believe we had 1869 miles to go to Katahdin. After 300 miles down, I still am confident that I can make it. I just have to be gentle to my knees and feet!Took the ¢exposed ridge trail¢ over to Jerry Shelter instead of the ¢foul weather trail¢. Will have to come back to redo it during nice weather for the views. I¢ll put that one on a list with Cheoha Bald.
Date: 2004-05-31
From: Harper's Creek Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: light rain

Ok¢¦ I¢ll try to make this short so I can get to sleep. Got caught in a thunderstorm on Three Ridges Mtn. Fierce downpour w/ scary lightning close by. Evil slippery rocks on the trail today¢¦ worse I¢ve seen yet. Saw Daryl and Josiah at the parkway where I stopped to eat and dry my boots out. They gave me dried fruit, bagel, venison jerky and Powerbar-bites. Yum! More nasty rocks afterwards.   My feet are barking up a storm!Nice shelter here. In with Rex & Joanne. The Virginia Discovery group showed up but they¢re tenting. So is Boonie who I just met today. I also met Skate, a local who was taking a run up to Humpback Mtn. On her way back down we talked for a while and she showed me a great little swimming hole with waterfall down the river. Very refreshing. She¢s going to pick me up in Rockfish Gap tomorrow and let me take a shower at her apartment. Then it¢s into town for AYCE pancakes for 5 bucks! Woohoo! That¢s all for now.
Date: 2004-06-01
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Good nights rest last night. I made the easy 5 mile walk to Rockfish Gap by 7:50am and gave Skate a call. She drove up about 5 minutes after. After a quick shower and some really good coffee, we drove to Waynesboro to meet a couple of her friends (one of them a thru-hiker from 92¢), Sharky and Tammie. I scarfed down 6 huge pancakes at Weasies and when the check came, Sharky picked up the bill! They all extended their generosity even further by driving me to the post office, library, and picking me up later grocery shopping. I was expecting to pick up my pack at Skates and eventually get a ride back to the YMCA, but Skate offered a bed in her guest room and Sharky insisted that we do dinner at their place. I couldn¢t turn them down, so after Skate finished making an apple pie. We both headed down to a beautiful 11 acre property bordering the National Forest I had just been walking in this morning. Sharky and Tammie¢s property was the home of 40 chickens, a 10ft long albino Burmese python, two ferrets, two cats, a tank of fish, and little dog named Plato. Quite a lot of pets!The evening that followed was full of conversation, great dinner and desert, hot tubing, and other good times. Every time I tried to help with something, it was insisted that I kick back and relax. Sharky firmly believes in good karma and extending to thru-hikers the same generosity he experienced on the trail. By the time the night was over, I was exaughsted but thoroughly relaxed. Nothing could have been better on my day off!
Date: 2004-06-11
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: light rain

Last night was a relaxing evening conversing with the Boy Scout group (and entertaining watching them try to hang 7 food bags). Daybreak, Walks Softly, Jakebrake, and Ranger Jim, Pita Man and his father were there as well. I finally got to see Pita Man make his pitas, which turned out to be flour, olive oil, and water. It looked more like flatbread but I'm sure it was still tasty.    I woke a little after 8:30 this morning after a good night¢s rest. The ground and my stuff was covered with daddy long leg spiders. After grabbing my food bag down from the line, I munched on breakfast stuff and finally got out of camp around 10:30 am. Late Start! I was taking more time to let my aching feet rest.   Whether it was the rest or some other force, my feet feel much better today! The 22 miles went by quickly and I got into camp a bit after 7:00pm. During the day, I walked with Ranger Jim for a while. We conversed about the differences of where were from (Jim being from Long Island).    I walked the 14 miles after lunch alone and lost in though. At one point I discovered I was trying to hold a conversation with myself in Spanish. It didn't work so well because I hardly speak the language! Its funny what you find your self doing when you're not paying attention!   Pen Mar Park seemed like a great hang-out spot but the place was completely deserted on account of the rain. Soon after passing through the park, I passed over the Mason-Dixen line and set foot into Pennsylvania! I'm now officially out of the South.... Woohoo... a new state!   I haven't set up the tarp tonight because of the abundance of rocks and mud. The weather is miserably wet, which is good for hiking and bad for camping. I cooked a quick dinner and now I'm turning in for the night!
Date: 2004-06-12
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Mile 1070.5 (Past Caledonia State Park)
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

June 12, 2004   I woke early today and hike for an hour or so before taking a 1.2 mile detour into South Mountain, PA. I finally got the three envelopes and loads of postcards mailed off. I met M.C. and Willow at the P.O. and Willow generously gave me a gooey brownie she had gotten in her drop box. Yum! I got some junk food (1 qt of choc. milk, 2 ice cream sandwiches, and a tray of cheap cookies) at the gas station. I am no longer in denial... I'm a sucker for sweets!   The post,aster informed me of a fireman's chicker BBQ in town and I figured I might as well go to get a sense of the town's culture... ok, I went for the food. M.C. and Willow were also on their way over. There was hardly anyone at the BBQ, which I though was strange because it was about noon at this point. The town is very small though. We all got a half a chicken, roll, baked beans, coleslaw, and applesauce for six bucks. Needless to say, I was once again stuffed!   I got back to the trail (after a tiring 1.2 mile road-walk back) and hiked a few miles to Caledonia State Park. The trail runs right through the park so I got a bit of R&R on the shaddy grass. I dried out my gear and lie in the shade while mindlessly munching on graham crackers and cookies. Daybreak and I talked for a while and I eventualy hiked two more miles to a small campsite near a creek. I should sleep well tonight! On to the Half Way point tomorrow and a 1\2 gallon of ice cream!