morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Deer Park Shelter

To: Elmer's in Hot Springs
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

We had planned to wake up at 6 so we could be on the trail by 7. Sprout actually made it out of bed by 6 and she was rewarded for it. I didn't. I slept until 6:30 and when I finally hauled myself out of the tent, it had started to rain. Breaking camp in the rain is never fun. Just to think that if I had worked on schedule I wouldn't have had to do it in the rain makes me kick myself. We ate a quick, lite bite to eat because we had planned on getting a REAL breakfast in town at the Smokey Mountain Diner. We hit the trail by 7:30. Once again the trail profile on the maps was totally off base. I had heard, and confirmed with the maps, that it was all downhill to Hot Springs. Not so, I found out. Really only the last mile and a half was downhill. My knee handled it surprisingly well, even withou Ibuprofen. I almost stepped on a turtle on the trail. He stopped mid-stride and so did I. It was a stand-off to see who would move first. He won. I moved on without moving him off the trail. I figured others behind me would see him, too, though he did blend in awefully well with his surroundings. I rolled in to town and dropped my pack at Elmer's where I put Sprout and myself on the waiting list for a night's stay. We were instructed to come back at eleven to check about availability. We ate breakfast across the street at the diner - two eggs, buscuit and two pancakes for $5 - plus lots of coffee. We picked up packages at the post office, took showers, did laundry and made some phone calls. I also trekked up to the library for e-mail and trail journals stuff. We scoped out the "grocery" store that wasn't supplied very well. Before we knew it, it was dinner time at Elmer's. Ah, did we eat well at Elmer's. We had a black bean soup , fresh bread, a great salad and a pasta stroganof with fresh vegies. That may have been the freshest veggies I'd had in a month. Everything I've seen for the last month is dehydrated - and never, no matter how much you soak it, looks like it's original form again. For dessert we had a spice cake with a scoop of ice cream and a strawberry. After dinner, Last Minute, Sprout and I went over to Paddler's Pub for a beer. I met Coyote, KC, Axil Rose, Moo, 42, Duck, Sniper and a couple others. It was a lot of fun. After, Last Minute, Sprout, Viking, Brian and I hung out on the back porch of Elmer's eating some Fortune cookies that Sprout's mom had sent, Girl Scout cookies and gummy worms.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Elmer's in Hot Springs

To: Spring Break Cabins - Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was a rollercoaster. I decided that I wasn't going to be able to make it to Merlefest. I had worked the phones all yesterday to try to get a ride in to Asheville. Hitching alone isn't my cup of tea, and no one in Hot Springs was headed that way. So, sadly, I'm not going to be able to make it. I guess I'll be totally blacklisted from their volunteer list. I feel like a total schmuck for doing that. Other than that, it's been a fairly uneventful day. I'll start hiking again tomorrow. For today, there are a couple errands that need to be run. I need to get a couple food items, write postcards and do some more journal entries online. I also need to buy a dispenser for bleach; I'll start cleaning my water with that. I had been using Aqua Mira, but none of the outfitters Neels Gap have had any. Tonight I'm splitting a cabin with KC, Runaway, Coyote, Axil and Sprout. Last Minute left today without us. He'd already had two zeros and needed to get back out on the trail. When I returned from the library, I couldn't believe my eyes - Hopeful was standing in front of the outfitter. We weren't expecting him in town so soon. Cool! We were reunited again. We ate dinner together and split up for the evening. We'll meet up in the morning in front of the Post Office before hitting the trail again.
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Charleston, SC 

To: Charleston
Miles today: 0.0

Sad but true, I'm off the trail temporarily. Momma picked me up two days ago from Hot Springs. When I called her and through my fits of tears murmered "Momma," I sealed my fate for a trip southbound to Charleston. She left that afternoon and I sat by the river, elevated my leg, wrote in my journal and did some snoozing (one of my absolute favorite escape mechanisms). As it neared sunset I was getting chilled. I saw Roamin' Around down by the water. He was the first person I told of my fate. He was really nice to reassure me that I'm doing the best thing by taking some time off to recover. This, I continued to hear all day from other hikers. The part that hurts is that I know they're right, but I also know that they are moving on. In the meantime, I'm not. That afternoon and in to the evening, I hung out with Thor and Fur who I hadn't seen since Springer Mtn. and Ben & Tyler of RifRaf. Finally Momma arrived around 10 or so. I navigated her to Asheville; she had taken the long way in to Hot Springs the first time. I told her some about my travels but it was pushing on time for bed and around midnight I fell asleep. She got tired too along the way. We stopped at two different rest areas where she took naps too. We finally made it in to Charleston around 8 or so. I only drove the last hour of the trip - I only really woke up once the sun came out. When we got here, I laid down on the sofa. There I slept until around 5 p.m. I can't believe I slept that long. Even when I tried to rouse myself, I couldn't. Mom said she thinks that I was just physically exhausted and just needed to sleep. I don't know if it was that or more escapism on my part. All my recent sleeping has brought about tons of dreams of the trail, more encounters with hikers. I've got to get better, so I can keep going. I keep telling myself that this time off is for the best. I remind myself of the patience that Graham had; I met him at Plum Orchard Shelter outside of Dick's Creek Gap nursing his sore knees. I've got to just keep my goals of getting better and getting back on the trail in sight. I'll be back out there in no time. God willing.
Date: 2003-05-01
From: Tanyard Gap, NC

To: Allen Gap, NC
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Mom and I rolled in to HOt Springs last night around 5 and set up camp at a very buggy site at the Hot Springs Campground. I cooked up some weird concotion with couscous for dinner. This morning we woke up. Mom cooked pancakes that were way better than the couscous I made the day before and we had some coffee. She saw me off at Tanyard gap for a day of slackpacking - hiking without the weight of your entire pack on your back. It's essentially day hiking. I set off and had an awesome hike. I was so glad to be back out on the trail. I heard a bird's song that I'd never heard before, saw a new kind of flower and had a neat experience with bark. I heard this noise, turned and saw bark falling off a dead tree and heard it fall. It was one of those- if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make noise. Well, I was there and saw something that would have happened anyways, but it was just as extraordinary. Simple and odd, I know. But somehow that mundane thing was the most contenting thing that had happened for me all week. On I hiked. Late in the afternoon a storm threatened. It didn't do more than drizzle on me. Soon I was down at Allen Gap. I'd finished my first hike since crying my eyes out a week before and my knee hadn't given me any issues. I felt on top of the world. We drove on over to Erwin and checked in at the MOtel 8.
Date: 2003-05-01
From: Hwy 11 (10 miles or so out of Hot Springs)

To: Allen Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

This is my first day on the trail after taking a week off to heal my knee that was giving me so many problems recently. My first day back was great. Wonderful!The weather was perfect and I felt so happy to be out in the woods again. Some neat stuff happened - like hearing a bird song I had never heard before and seeing a flower I had never identified before. Then, something happened that I felt was huge, but may seem so small to other people. I was walking down the trail and heard this sound, I turned towards the sound and saw a piece of bark falling off a stump. It was neat. It was something that would have happened anyways - but I was one privileged to see it - because of my location. Because I was in the woods, I saw something that others wouldn't get to see. Then I saw two southbound section hikers. I met Lonewolf for the first time at the shelter. He was drying out lots of gear that had been soaked the night before. He hiked on, I followed about a half hour later. I knew I'd have to move on because momma was meeting me at Allen Gap at 3:30. After lunch at the shelter, the weather was clear for a while, then it clouded over and drizzled for a while. About that time I caught up with Lonewolf. He hiked just behind me for the rest of the way down the trail. He talked and talked about bears and hiking. Man, that man can talk! I met mom at the gap and we drove to Erwin where we got a room at the Super 8. Hopefully momma will sleep better here than she did last night in the tent at the Hot Springs Campground.
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Sams Gap 

To: Spivey Gap Campground
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up from a great night's sleep at the Motel 8 and headed for the trail head. It was a bit difficult to locate and I felt a bit like Frogger trying to cross I-23. It was an odd hike though. I didn't hear birds singing all day under an overcast sky. I was feeling so high, but the elements weren't complying. I saw three southbounders and one northbounder the day before. Today I only saw one hiker today at the shelter. I was anticipating the shelter and wasn't finding it. Finally around 11, I pulled out the databook and checked. It was just over the big bald I saw ahead. The cloudy skies of the morning were turning darker and the last place I wanted to be in a thunderstorm was on top of a bald. I'd heard too many other folks' terrible stories encounters of lightening and tops of mountains. Up and over - Quickly. Objective accomplished. Before I knew it, I was at the shelter, enjoying my penut butter roll-up lunch. During my hike today - My knee felt so great. I'M HEALED! Onwards to Spivey Gap. Along the way the hiking was easy and the breeze was cool. All the sudden the temperatures dropped. I glanced back to see a huge black cloud surrounding the mountains behind me. Uh-oh! I've got an uphill climb right ahead of me. I'd better hike fast to get up and over before the storm. This was a good idea-bad idea senario. I got over it, started down, then realized another mountain was between me and Spivey Gap. So, I trucked down that mountain. Down. Up. I was nearly to the top of High Rocks and WHAM! The storm unleashed a torrent of rain, at least 40 mph winds that were blowing me to the right, and hail that pummeled my bare legs. EEK! Thank goodness for the big boulder to my right. I ducked behind it. I'll be safe from the harsh hail and brutal winds here, I thought. I cruised around the big boulder, got anxious after about five minutes and tried to leave. I took a couple paces up the trail and was driven back behind the boulder again. This time I crouched and stayed put for at least ten minutes or more while the rain soaked me, the lightening passed over me and the scary black cloud moved from my right side to my left side. It was still raining, but at least it was safe to summit the High Rocks and head down the other side of the mountain. Luckily, I only had two remaining miles or so to Spivey Gap because I was totally drenched and cold. A long hike would have been very difficult, and I could see how the potential for hypothermia, even in the Spring and Summer, is a very real possibility. When I got down to the gap and to mom's car, I got out of my wet things and in to some warm dry things. Momma and I drove .5 miles down to the Spivey Campground. Now a hot drink was all I really needed to feel complete.
Date: 2003-05-03
From: Spivey Gap

To: Miss. Janet's Hostel in Erwin TN
Miles today: 0.0

I'm bypassing a party tonight and think I'll stick around Miss. Janet's place. I rolled in here today around 3 or so. The ten miles that I hike today were pretty good, considering my recent injury. The birds sand today and the sun was shining most all day - though the past three days of slack packing brought rain every afternoon. My mom slack packed me about 30 miles or so over the last three days, strengthening my spirit and will to continue and making sure that I am physcially strong enough to continue hiking. I covered all but a 27 mile section that wasn't too accessable by roads, so I'll save that section to cover at a later date - after I summit. Last night my mom and I stayed at the Spivey Gap campground about .5 mile from the trailhead. It was kind of spooky. It wasn't freaky at the beginning, but it evolved in to something kind of bizzare. You could tell it was a campground that doesn't see a lot of use. It was very abandoned looking, but activity picked up between 10 and 12 at night - with all kinds of trucks coming through. Needless to say, both of us were a bit on edge. Sleep was intermittent for both of us. Mom saw me off at Spivey Gap around 10 or so, and off I trapsed in to the wild blue yonder. When I hit the No Business Knob Shelter, I met Brother Ron from the HikersRus listserv. He actually scared the crap out of me when he walked up behind me. He is such a swift hiker and came up on me too quickly to noticed I was being tailed. Later I stopped for lunch and met Sketch; naturally, I had to ask him how he got that name. It turns out that he is an architect and sketches scenes he sees along the trail rather than journaling. Sketch, Brother Ron and I had a good time laughing before they took off, like lightening bolts, down the trail. While they were heading to town, too, I doubted we'd make it to the road crossing at the same time. I had hoped to be close enough to hitch in to town with someone. When I hit the river I told Charlotte at Uncle Johnnys that I was staying at Super 8 with friends. I had to pay them $4 for a shuttle to town, but it was worth it. I walked over to Miss. Janet's from there. Miss. Janet's place is a hotbed of activity today with many hikers in the area, seeing as we are so close to Trail days in Damascus. The party tonight is being hosted by Miss. Janet's friends over on US23; from what I understand they are thinking about starting a hostel there. That would be neat. I got to see POG today and saved Footslogger's cookies from any hungry hiker that might have spotted them. She and I had a great conversation about hiking in a skirt. I told her this fabric wasn't working too well; she suggested purchasing some Supplex - brushed nylon - to make a new one. Good idea! I called Quest outdoor fabric in FL and bought some material, then called my mom with instructions on how to make my new hiking skirt.
Date: 2003-05-06
From: Curley Maple Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I awoke this morning to fairly clear skies after a night of non-stop rain. I ate a long breakfast with - count 'em - TWO hot drinks. I actually had three but the second one spilled after only a couple sips, so it doesn't count. After it spilled, Takereasy asked if I wanted some of his hot water. Thank goodness. It was a nice jesture that I so desperately needed. I felt like such a dufus after having spilled my entire pot of water that had nearly boiled. I started hiking around 9. Within the first hour the rain had kicked in. It ended up raining all day - ranging from light drizzle to big fat drops of water. I put on my yellow skirt and kept trucking. I stopped for a snack at the first fire service road, then had another snack on top of Beauty Spot. It was foggy when I first plopped down, but it lifted as I ate. By the time I got to the gap below, Takereasy had caught up with me. We hiked near each other for a while - then stopped for a hot tea. Waiting around for the water to boil allowed the cold to settle in. I was anxious to get hiking again. I had a big climb over Unacca Mountain that I thought would never end. When it finally leveled out, I found myself in the most mystical conifer forest. It was the most enjoyable part of the whole hike (from GA - so far). The fog that had settled in made it all the more magical. As I descended the rain stopped. In fact, I spied blue sky to my left. What a great sign. I met a couple who live in the area and were out for a dayhike. We talked for a long time about the trail and moving from the coast to the mountains. When I got ready to leave, they gave me some snacks - candy, orange, cheese and crackers. From there I had about a mile to go before I reached the shelter. It was mainly all down hill. My knees were keenly aware of this fact. The rocks and roots made it hard to take tiny steps but I focused on hiking slower than I thought I could. It helped a lot. I'm sheltering it again tonight at Cherry Gap Shelter. Good folks here again - Brother Ron, Loser, Sketch, Fire Feet, Gazelle... Most of them will head off for a 21 miler tomorrow- which is out of my league. My intent is to do a 15 miler to Roan Mountain Shelter. I'll check out Overmountain Shelter the next day for lunch or something.
Date: 2003-05-07
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Loser is upstairs in the loft of the Roan Mountain Shelter. It¢s great. There¢s something about live music that creates community. Here tonight is Gazelle, Loser, Firefeet, Takereasy, Shaka and Aloha, Alpha and Trench (outside with Cadbury) and SeaBee. Loser just finished a song about having possessions that suit the flesh and the eyes (v the heart). It was very touching. If I hadn¢t already told him how much I liked the previous song, I would have told him how excellent that one was. Hopefully I¢ll sleep soon. It¢s 9 now and I¢m tuckered out. It was a 15-mile day but it felt to me like 30. I was so exhausted that the last two miles of the hike, I thought I¢d collapse and have FireFeet carry me up to the shelter. But, I made it! I must have been low on salts and electrolytes because I was craving Ramen. It was every bit worth it, too. I even added some ramps to it for an extra kick. After crossing Huges Gap and starting the ascent to Roan, I came across someone headed down the mountain with a huge bag over his shoulder. Now, I do want to tell you that the bag looked large enough to be carrying a human body folded in two. So, curiously, I stopped and talked to him about what he was up to. He said that he harvests ramps annually and that this mountain is the place to get them. I asked to see one because I never had before (and I remembered Last Minute looking for them often down south). He showed me one, told me about collecting them ¢ the best places to look, the easiest way to get them out of the ground ¢ then he gave me that one to have with dinner. I shared it with everyone at dinner ¢ Alpha, Trench, SeaBee and Takereasy. A little while later I saw two more men, rougher looking than the first, also with huge bags slung over their shoulders. They¢d been harvesting ramps, too. These were nice diversions on the beginning of the ascent. Unfortunately, there was nothing to draw my mind from the task at hand of climbing this mountain before the storm rolled it. I could feel the winds picking up and feel the darkness moving in as the clouds turned more bleak. Each time I thought I was to the top, it was only a false summit, from which I¢d loose elevation before climbing up another. There was AT LEAST 5 false summits that beat me down today.
Date: 2003-05-08
From: Roan Mountain Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

I really should start this journal by thanking Stan Murry ¢ former president of the ATC for ensuring that the gorgeous ground I walked on today was part of the AT. The weather brought the beauty of the mountains to me more fully, for the few clouds that were in the sky were puffy, white and hung over the ranges beyond ¢ casting amazing shadows and accenting the bright blue sky. I walked over Little Hump and Big Hump today. Both were the highlights of the day. Grand grassy balds that provided wide 360* views. There were stear on top of the Big Hump, but I didn¢t see any. Of course, I didn¢t realize I had missed them until after the fact. Although I was disappointed when I found out I¢d missed them and not known to look for them, I can¢t say that I wasn¢t totally in awe of what I saw. The hike, in short, was amazing.The hike down to Apple House Shelter was graded nicely and to round out this delightful day we had a BBQ! Alpha and Trench had hitchhiked in to town (the shelter is fairly close to the road) and returned with hotdogs and marshmallows. Ah, we had a fun time roasting, toasting and delighting in community. We pooled chips, sodas and all other kinds of goodies. It¢s nice to see how much we can all contribute to the good of the community ¢ it¢s that the whole is greater than the sum of its part theory. I¢m hoping for as wonderful a day tomorrow as I had today. At this rate I should pull in to Dennis Cove on Saturday.
Date: 2003-05-09
From: Apple House Shelter

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

I am so exhausted. I plan to fall asleep quickly and get plenty of sleep. Tomorrow I¢ll head in to Dennis Cove. Today was a huge mileage day ¢ 17 miles!!!! What a jump. I can hardly believe I made it. We had two waterfalls today and lots of little ups and downs over the last four miles.
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Vanderventer Shelter

To: woods
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

It is early ¢ 7 pm ¢ and I¢m already bunked down in my tent. I¢m camping out tonight with Roam and Wounded Knee. I¢m really glad to be with them; they¢re really nice folks. I met them briefly at Moreland Gap Shelter and ran in to them yesterday right after Wattagua Dam then again at the Vanderventer Shelter. They make me feel great. They hike really slow but that¢s ok, I get to take really long breaks when I decide to hold up and wait for them. I enjoyed my hike today but the views weren¢t fantastic. I did see my first full rhododendron blossom today. Yesterday¢s hike was alright we had views of the lake most of the day and excellent views from the outcropping at Vanderventer Shelter. I tented between the rocks and the shelter and used the shelter as a windblocker. It was so windy last night and most of today that I have kept my long john shirt on the entire time. I¢ll cruise the 12 miles or so to the Abington Gap Shelter tomorrow. I¢m hoping that there aren¢t too many other hiker there. I¢m just burned out on the masses of people moving towards Traildays. I¢m really having trouble describing it. Maybe I just need to put myself out there more???