morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-19
From: Unicoi Gap 

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 8Well, the consensus is to slack pack (hike without a full pack) and stay here another night. Tater cooked a full breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, juice and coffee. Then he drove us back to Unicoi Gap for us to start our hike. It was a sunny but cool day. One side of the mountain was warmer with much less wind but the other side was colder with a stronger wind blowing. Dave had left his cap at the cabin so was bare headed until we got to Tray Mountain Rd (A US Forest Service Rd). When Mike and David got near the road they saw David's hat hanging on a tree. Jackie and I heard them laughing and wondered what was going on. They turned and pointed to the cap and then to Tater who was up ahead in the parking lot. He had cokes and a bananas for us. Back further on the trail we experienced more trail magic. A couple was handing out pumpkin bread slices, apples, and oranges. Tater hiked to the top of Tray Mountain with us and then on to the shelter where we signed the register, filtered water, and used the privy. At this point Tater turned around and hiked back to his truck.On we hiked to Addis Gap. It was a place where Tater said that if anyone wanted to bail out and not hike on to Dick's Creek Gap it was only a mile out to a road where he could pick us up. We all sat there on logs and were physically not wanting to go up the mountain ahead. Mike said, "Anyone that wants to go on to Dick's Creek raise your hand." No hands went up. Only thing is we did not know how to let Tater know we were ready to bail. No signal on our phone. So on we hike--straight up the mountain from 3304 feet to 4276 feet. We went up and down into gaps. It was not long before we met up with----TATER!! He said we only had 4.4 miles to go. So we walked on and climbed up and down some "bumps" (as Tater calls them) and it began to get dark. He said we should be at the road by 7pm. He forgot he was dealing with novice hikers, I guess, because it was around 7:30pm by the time we got there. We could barely climb into the truck at this point. I was following behind Tater and Mike in the dark and they were telling me where there was a step down. David and Jackie were behind and they came out with their headlamps on.Oh, but what awaited us at the cabin was a hot shower, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cokes, and a warm bed. We told Tater he'd better not try to get rid of us too soon in the morning because we need time to recover. Tater is a wonderful host. We will never forget him. Oh, people have been wondering how my knees are doing. They have not been bothering me at all. I have been wearing the Cho-Pat braces. My toes are the main problem but they do not start bothering me until near the end of the day's hike. No blisters but some hot spots on my big toes. ------------------------------
Date: 2005-03-20
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Plumorchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: scattered clouds

March 20,2005Today's 4.3 miles hikedTotal miles 70.9Started @ Dick's Creek GapDestination: Plumorchard Gap ShelterDay 9We got up late this morning after our 16 mile "Tater Challenge". We left around noon after another super breakfast and a trip into Hiawasee and a trip to the Blueberry Patch to pick up our mail drop. Thanks Gary for holding it for us even though we did not stay there. Tater, took us back to Dicks Creek Gap and we said our goodbyes. Sad leaving Tater. His payment? Send him a picture from Katahdin! We will never forget his kindness and trail magic and he will get his picture. So we headed for Plumorchard Shelter. A short hike today of 4.3 miles. Dave and Jackie still traveling with us.We have received unbelievable blessings from our Heavenly Father. Diana has had literally no trouble with her knees, a blessing; Tater, a blessing; magnificent scenes displaying His creation.Wish you all could experience this with us! Good night! ------------------------------
Date: 2005-03-21
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

3/21/2005Today's miles: 7.3 milesTotal miles: 78.2 milesStarted @ Plumorchard Gap ShelterDestination: Muskrat Creek ShelterDay 10We zipped our sleeping bags together last night because I have been getting cold at night. I did stay warmer but was not nearly as warm as I would have liked. Mike did not sleep as well so I doubt that we will try it again. I toss and turn too much because my hips ache.We left the shelter this morning about 8:30 am. We left Georgia today and entered North Carolina. Only 13 more to go. We took pictures at the sign but the gnarled oak tree a little further up the trail is where we are officially in N.C. We soon found out that the trail in this state is no better than in Ga. We were doing some straight ups and downs. The day was cool and overcast but we had no trouble staying warm as long as we were hiking. We have not seen many animals or birds. We've heard woodpeckers that Mike says are pileated woodpeckers. I saw what I think were Eastern bluebirds flitting around in some bushes but I could not get there pictures. We have heard grouse and one day a couple of them were flushed out as we walked by. We got a good signal for the cell phone on top of a mountain so we stopped to call Sarah, our oldest daughter, and my mother. We had not been able to call anyone since we were in Blairsville because we have not been getting a signal. We try to explain that we are in the wilderness but I don't think they really understand. We started in the Chattahoochee National Forest and now are hiking in the Nantahala National Forest.We came to the Muskrat Creek shelter and set up the tent. There was Pat, Snuffleupagus (sp), and Senator came in after dark and set his tent up. We cooked our dinner on a grate over a wood fire tonight and last night, also. I awakened this morning with swollen eyes, I guess, from the smoke. Another cold night. I think that Mike and I have our sleeping bags switched. Mine is rated for 20*. Maybe tomorrow might we'll switch.Oh, I have forgotten to say that Mike and I have trail names now. We named ourselves one day as we were walking along. I was thinking of following the AT to Katahdin and then thought, "Hey, we can be Dorothy and one of the other characters in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Mike chose Toto. So we are DOROTHY & TOTO. I don't think we're in Kansas (Ohio) anymore. ------------------------------
Date: 2005-03-23
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: light rain

3/23/2005 Started @ Carter Gap ShelterDestination: Big Spring ShelterToday's miles: 6.8Total Miles: 97.5Day 12Today there was no rain but lots of wind and some sun intermittent with clouds. We got anxious every time a darker cloud came our way. But the day was a good one after yesterday's experience with the rain.We continued to climb up and down the mountains. We did not get started from the shelter until around 9:35. We cooked our breakfast and packed up the tent after we got back into the wet clothes we had taken out last night. We hike in one set of clothes and sleep in the other. We prayed for the sun to shine to help dry us out.Today's highlight was trail magic we had heard about at the base of Albert Mountain. When we got there we saw a sign with a red bandana and followed behind some bushes to a small camper trailer with a large round saw blade hung over a wood fire. Barry and Terry were camping there for as long as they were allowed to give out food to hikers. They had burritos with chili, rice, salsa, onions, cheese, and jalapeno peppers. Mike said they were the biggest peppers he had seen so took a picture of them. We had a camp chair to sit in and hot coffee and cold sodas. It was a nice rest stop. They told of a young hiker that was lost at 3am and they made him come into their camper to sleep on the sofa and to get warm. Apparently he was not prepared sufficiently for the hike and had lost his tent and some other things over the mountain in the night and was wandering around trying to find a place to get out of the weather. He saw the camper and the lights (solar powered because there is no electricity up there) that were strung up around the tarp covering the area and sat down in a camp chair. Berry had looked out and seen him sitting there.After being powered up with burritos we were ready to climb Albert Mountain. We were told it was a difficult boulder scramble but to not be intimidated by it. It was not as bad as we thought it would be. At one point I had to put my hiking poles down and hold onto some small trees that were growing along the side of the rocks. When I reached for the poles one of them almost got away from me. The next difficult place was where there were no trees to grab onto and I could not step up high enough so I had to crawl up on my knees. Besides the boulder scramble there were steep steps straight up the mountain. Once on top though the view was magnificent. The sun was shining on some parts of the view and the clouds covered the other parts making it probably hard to see well in a picture but we got a picture anyway. There is a fire tower on top but we did not climb up it. The enclosed room at the top was locked.The trip down to the shelter was not as rough as the one up and only 0.6 mile from the shelter we were going to. We were one of the first hikers to get there and we decided to sleep in the shelter instead of setting up the tent. This is a first--we'll see how it goes.------------------------------
Date: 2005-03-24
From: Big Spring shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

3/24Starting @ Big Spring shelterDestination: Winding Stair GapToday's miles: 9.1Total miles: 106.6Day 13We got started this morning at 9:10am because we were anxious to get to the gap and hitch a ride to Franklin, NC. We decided we could not stand the smell of ourselves or our clothes any longer. It's been 5 days since a shower or clean clothes. Besides my feet are hurting and need a zero day without boots and hiking. We passed the 100 mile point this morning. Now we only have 2074 miles to go. We met a hiker with the trail name of Phoenix today. He injured his knee coming down out of Dick's Creek Gap and had gone into town to see a Dr. and have an MRI. Turns out he has a torn meniscus and something else but I did not catch what it was. Anyway, we shared some Vitamin I(ibuprofen) with him today. He has trouble on the downhill. Later we met up with Hopeful Hiker and he was having some problems again with his knee. He had gone into town a few days ago and seen a therapist that taught him how to walk to prevent the knee pain he was having on his downhill. Later we saw hi!m and he was struggling going downhill. He was headed into Franklin, also. His wife is scheduled to come into Franklin tomorrow but he was going to call her and see if she can come in tonight. Don't know if he will come back out to the trail after his R&R. Our hiking this morning was nice downhill and gradual uphill with smooth trail (there are always rocks and roots to watch for). The gradual up was a good cardiac workout but not strenuous.After we passed Wallace Gap we had a strenuous ascent up a mountain. There were switch-backs but they were even steep and then there were straight ups. That was the hardest part today. We finally started coming down into Winding Stair Gap and we could hear the cars and on one side of the mountain could even see the road that the trail crosses here but it was a very long way to get there. When we were almost to the bottom we passed by a beautiful full flowing downhill stream of water. I would like to bottle up the sound to take home with me. There had been several hikers that had passed us that were also headed into Franklin. When we got to the gap at around 2:30pm I could see a small bus in the parking area that looked like a shuttle bus. IT WAS!! A free shuttle for hikers into town. This man owns a small motel and caters to hikers. After we got here he offered to shuttle us around to wherever we needed to go. We now have our laundry done, eaten a good meal, had showers, and have our sleeping bags and sleep pads out to air. All I need to do is get some vitamin I in me and turn out the light. Goodnight.P.S. The day was beautiful with lots of sunshine and wind and shade when we needed it to cool us off. When we walked over to the restaurant this evening the bank thermometer said 78 degrees, a long way from the cold morning of probably high 30*s or low 40*s.
Date: 2005-03-25
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today¢s miles 0total Day 14A much needed day off. We had a buffet breakfast at the restaurant we ate at last evening and had a wonderful conversation with Phoenix.He has the injured knee and is taking the trail one day at a time. He may jump ahead where there is more ridge walking to lessen the strain on his knee. We discussed how each person needs to hike their hike and not try to keep hiking at someone else's pace whether it is slower or faster. Mike and I like to keep pretty much together although he usually is a bit ahead of me. He does wait up for me at intervals and we sit and have a rest with our packs off and eat a snack. It gives me a chance to leave my pack by the trail and go into the woods for a potty break which usually requires either an uphill or downhill climb to get some privacy of some sort. We went to the outfitter here in town for Mike to get some Crocs like mine. The Tevas he bought before coming out on the trail pinch his toes too much. We also bought 20 oz of alcohol for our stove. It is really a nice store but we don't need anything else to carry. Later we are going to Wal-Mart to pick up another SD card for our camera. That way we can send our pictures home more frequently to be downloaded. We also need to buy more vitamin I (ibuprofen) for the next 100 miles.(Later)We ate at a Chinese restaurant with Jacky, David, Red Hat, Red, and Turtle. Turtle is 63 and is going home tomorrow. He says he enjoys day hiking more and misses the comforts of home too much. Hopeful is going back on the trail in the morning. His wife is going back home and is taking Jacky to meet up with her family that is visiting other family here in N.C.It will be good to get back to the trail. We have our packs packed pretty much and are just finishing up some things to put in the mail before taking off in the morning. I think I'll sleep as well as I did last night. This has been a good day for rest and has been a beautiful one. Across the street from this motel is a T-shirt place. David, Jackie, Mike, and I went over to pick out a design for a t-shirt for our wonderful trail angel, Tater. It has a picture of a cabin in the woods with a black bear in front of it. At the top will be the words Take me to the TATER PATCH and below the picture will be the words ¢Take the TATER CHALLENGE (16 miles or e-bay)¢. The joke is that Mike and David while hiking in the woods came up with a tale that if we did not hike the full 16 miles Tater was going to take our stuff we left at his cabin and sell it on e-bay. We'll send it along with a thank you card and send it out this afternoon. I think he'll wear it with pride! Jacky is leaving the trail now. She is going to stay with her mom in Florida until the time for her to leave in September. David is staying till October when he finishes the trail. We hate to see Jacky go. We will probably not see David Snowman) again once we get on the trail again since he is faster than us. ------------------------------
Date: 2005-03-27
From: Campsite @ 117.1 mi marker

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Started @ campsite Destination: Wesser Bald ShelterMiles today: 11.1Total Miles: 128.2Day 16We awakened to a wet morning. At 1am it started storming but stopped before we climbed out of the tent. We had another long day ahead because we want to get as far as possible since it is supposed to rain again this evening and we want a short day into the Nantahala Outdoor Center, which is right on the trail and offers bunk rooms, bathrooms, and a shower. Plus there is a restaurant.The day is very foggy with drops of water falling on us most of the day. There are no views but the woods, trees, and fog make a view all its own. We wore our rain gear to keep us dry all day. We had lots of ups and downs today too, and as usual may feet were screaming for relief.We got to the shelter about 5:30pm but had to get water at the spring 0.1 mile before the shelter. It was a great spring. There was a cement basin that the water flowed into and it was easy to filter our water into our containers. I love the sound of the water as it flows down out of the rocks!! Again, I'd like to take that sound with me to listen to all the time, such a calming, peaceful sound.Since it was supposed to rain we wanted to get into the shelter so we did not have to pack up a wet tent again. When we got there they had a space for us. It sleeps 8 and there were 8 of us crammed in; against the back wall were Hopeful, Snuggle Bunny, Dirty Harry, myself, Red Hat, Creaky Bones, and Phoenix. Mike slept on the outside edge of the sleeping platform at the foot of everyone else. Everyone wanted a picture taken of all of against the back wall so Mike took everyone's camera and took pictures. It was a fun group of hikers. After we were all tucked in a lone wet hiker came to the shelter (since by this time it had been raining for a while) and he slept underneath the shelter. Snowman was also at the shelter but he opted to set up his tent. I hope the mice are not bad at this shelter.
Date: 2005-03-29
From: US 19, US 74 Nantahala River

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

Starting Location: U.S 19, U.S 74 Nantahala RiverDestination: Sassafras Gap ShelterToday¢s miles: 6.9 Total miles 140.8Day 18We awoke early from our bunkhouse berth at the Nantahala OutdoorCenter and were ready for breakfast at 7 a.m. Eight of us shared in a great breakfast. We had a package to ship so we got on the trail a bit later than everyone else. We left for the trail around 9:05a.m. We were in for a very challenging day. We had around a 5 hour climb going from around 1500 feet to just over 5000 feet. It was a beautiful climb and we really didn't do too badly. Diana came right up the trail. I think she is getting her trail legs.She is doing so well and still absolutely no trouble with her knees.We arrived at the shelter early, around 3 p.m. and contemplated eating and moving on as the rest of our hiking companions went on for another 3 miles. But it is a beautiful shelter and no one else is here at 5:10 p.m. so we will stay and get an early start tomorrow morning. We want to go at least 10 miles tomorrow. That will put us on track to be at Fontana Dam on Friday. It is nice to get in early and just kick back a little. We had a nice tuna casserole with added bagel and cheese. Cheese was a little moldy but who cares out here, huh? We filtered water from a great spring and made coffee and Diana has hot liquid Jell-O. Really the only reason she wanted it fixed was so she could stick the hot Nalgene bottle into her sleeping bag to keep her feet warm, Ha!Well, food bags are all hung in the tree to keep Mr. Bear from us, sleeping bags and Thermo-Rests spread in the shelter and sleep is calling me. I know it is early but we want to be on the trail by around 5:30 a.m. tomorrow.Continue to keep us in your prayers and thoughts. Thanks for everything ya'll!P.S. From Diana: We got a person to share the shelter tonight. Her name is Sunshine. She walked about 13 miles today--about 6 into the Nantahala Outdoor Center and then about 7 from the center to here. She even spent 4 hours at the center. But she is young. No way could we do that!! Good luck to Sunshine.
Date: 2005-03-30
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: broken clouds

Started @ Sassafras Gap ShelterDestination: Brown Fork Gap ShelterToday's miles: 9.1Total miles: 149.9Day 19We were up and out on the trail by 6:30am. By 3pm we were here at Brown Fork Gap Shelter. It was a VERY strenuous day with straight ups and downs. We do not think we could have gone any further. My feet are hurting (no blisters) and I had to stop a couple of times to put moleskin on my toes and to take the super-feet liners out of my boots to give more room for the toes. In the mornings my feet are ok but by afternoon my toes are crunched. My big toes are numb but no black toenails. Snowman (David) was at the shelter when we arrived. Sunshine had passed us earlier in the day and stopped in at the shelter before we got here. She told Snowman that we were behind and planning to come here. He only did a little over 5 miles today but wanted to get behind the big crowd ahead. They were crowded at Locust Cove Gap campsite last night. We are glad he is here. We were afraid he'd get way ahead and we'd never see him again. We have 2 days to get to Fontana Dam and that shouldn't be a problem unless any part of what is ahead is like what we just went over the last 2 days. Also at the shelter are Michigan, Tentshaker, Ras., Mad dog andHaiku were here earlier but decided to go 6 more miles to the next shelter. Mad Dog had already done 12 miles but they are younger. Mad Dog was out of water when he came in this afternoon and had not known about the place where we got water down an overgrown logging road to a spring at Stecoah Gap. The info was in the thru-hikers companion book and he even had it with him but hadn't looked at it. Mike had run out of water at the gap and had gone back to a beautiful spring to refill. It is getting dark and it's time to say good night. Thanks for tuning in.