morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-06-08
From: Stecoah Gap

To: campsite
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

What a day! Didn't get started on the trail till 2:30 p.m. waiting on Bearkillers car. I couldn't wait any longer, so I caught a ride back to the trail. Got 2.5 miles uphill to the next shelter and fixed dinner and chatted with a few folks staying there. Another couple and I decided to hike on a couple of miles and camp, but we heard thunder and decided to pitch our tents a little early. It's really warm tonight in my tent and I'm afraid I'm going to get lots of condensation build-up. Oh well, hopefully, Fontana Dam tomorrow.Did I mention the hotel experience I had? The folks that gave us a ride took us to the cheapest hotel in town. It is run by a little old lady probably in her 90's, along with her daughter. They're both so feeble and hard of hearing, but they still run their business. The woman's husband had built this place in the 40's. It still has a pull chain for the light in the bathroom. It was certainly no Motel 6, the the cheapest game in town. Twenty dollars got me a broken air conditioner and no phone. But the shower and the TV worked, so I was able to clean up and catch up on news.   Right next door was a laundromat and an ice cream parlor. The essential needs of a hiker have been met. AHHHHHHHaven't seen much wildlife, but I did have a very strange butterfly encounter. Four butterflies were flying right in front of me as I hiked. They would break off in two's, chase each other around, then regroup and do this swirl upwards as a foursome. They would then fly straight at my face, then go up and over my head at the last minute. I could hear their wings fluttering as they went by. This lasted a good ten or fifteen minutes of hiking. Very Strange.....
Date: 2005-06-09
From: campsite

To: campsite
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

Didn't make it to Fontana Dam today. I got 3 miles away and decided not to push it. It was getting late and the weather had been raining off and on so I decided to make camp around 6:30. Nice little campsite right next to a stream. I set up my tent, fixed my dinner, hung my foodbag, filtered my water and then the heavens opened up. I had just enough time to grab my backpack and dive into my tent. It's pouring out as I write this.Played leapfrog with the couple I camped with last night. The wife, Mary, teaches 8th grade literature and he, Will, is in agricultural research. Will is British, great accent. They were hiking with their Lab, Abe. I like having a dog around, keeps down the critter visits. I would never hike with a dog myself. Too mucy of a hassle. Your hike ends up revolving around the dog. Mary and Will were only out for a week. They get off the trail tomorrow. Seems everyone that hikes as slow as I gets off the trail.Tomorrow I'll pick up my first mail drop. Hopefully, a part I need for my tent will be waiting for me there too.It's starting to get dark so I better wrap this up. Tomorrow, Fontana and a shower, YES!
Date: 2005-06-10
From: campsite

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: light rain

I'm sitting at the shelter at Fontana Dam, overlooking beautiful Fontana Lake, with the mountains framing the background. This shelter is amazing, like a mini resort, and is affectionately called by hikers, 'The Fontana Hilton.' There's an aggragate stone picnic area off to the right with a huge fire pit. It even has a drinking fountain and a water spigot. Bathrooms, real bathrooms with flush toilets, are right up the hill from it. It sleeps 40 and during thru-hiker season, it does fill up.I'm here alone tonight but it's only eight, there may be some late arrivals.Hiked in early this morning, arriving about 10am. Went first to the post office and got my maildrop, then over to the visitor center for a much needed shower. There's a shuttle service at this resort for hikers, only a buck a trip. It's a very good deal. After the shower, I went over to the resort area and got my laundry done. It is a truly wonderful thing to be in a state of cleanliness. In the woods, everthing is dirty, muddy, wet and stinky.Three hikers just showed up. Zero, who thru-hiked in '90 says he saw 5 bear today. Lots of talk about seeing wildlife in the Smokies. A tropical storm is coming this way, as if I haven't seen enough rain already. So much good news for one night.I have to hike 11 miles tomorrow. Thru-hikers have to stay in shelters in the Smokies, no camping wherever you feel like it as the rest of the A.T. is. Anyone who starts 50 miles outside of the Smokies and plans to hike 50 miles the other side is considered a thru-hiker, so I qualify. Three spaces at each shelter are reserved for thru-hikers on a first come first served basis. If a thru-hiker arrives at a shelter and it is full, then they can put up a tent, but it has to be near the shelter.I'm told the climb out of here tomorrow is gruesome. Eight miles of steep climbing up Shuckstack Mountain. It's going to be a long day tomorrow. The sun is going down and I need to get an early start. Time for bed.
Date: 2005-06-11
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

My feet hurt BAD!! The climb out of Fontana Dam was BRUTAL!! Four milies up, no flat trail, certainly no downhill, all up. Eleven miles is an all time high for mileage for me, and I feel every bit of it. Started out at 7:30 a.m. and finished at 7:00pm. Almost 12 solid hours of hiking. I'm whipped. Ate spiderwebs for breakfast. The first person out on the trail gets to break all the spiderwebs across it and today was my turn. It's not so bad except when they go right across your face, then you're spittin' spiderwebs, YUCK!Had two other firsts today. Today was the first day I didn't get rained on at all. NO wet boots or socks or feet. YEAH!! I also saw my first bear today. He was about 75 feet away and in no hurry to move. I took a few pictures, then he started to beat the ground with his paws and vocalizing at me, so I quickly backed away. I kept checking over my shoulder every few feet to make sure he wasn't following me. I was very aware at that point that I was carrying in my pack my foodbag. Also known as bear bait.It's nine o'clock and I'm in the shelter. Got here just as the wind began to kick up. It's really blowing hard right now. Leaves and branches are flying horizontal, very fast in front of me. Thankfully, the shelter is set up so as to block this wind. This must be the storm coming up from Florida. I may not make it to Newfound Gap by Wednesday to meet Mick if this continues very long. I hear there is phone service at Clingman's Dome, so hopefully I can reach him and have him meet me there. I'm beat and my feet hurt. I'm going to bed.
Date: 2005-06-12
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Russell Field's Shelter
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: broken clouds

The wind blew hard all night long. This must be the system from Florida. It started raining hard about 8am. I'm not moving from this shelter for some time. The wind is really fierce right now. Two guys here from last night just left. They didn't seem to know what they were doing. They didn't even know they were supposed to hang their food or how to work a bear cable. Best of luck to them.It's 3:00 and I'm heading out to the next shelter. It's only 2.5 miles away. I am none to happy about going out in this weather again.Got to this shelter and I'm soaked again. Sharing the shelter with 8 college kids from Ohio. They're very funny and I needed to laugh. Thanks guys.Dinner was garlic pasta shells with shrimp. It was awful.If it sounds like I'm not having a good time, you're right. Hiking in cold, wet, muddy conditions day after day starts dragging on one's motivation. Everything is dirty and muddy. I can't set anything down on the ground or it will get muddy. I can't sit on a stump or log because I'll get all wet and muddy. My feet are wet all day, and you know how your feet get when they've been wet a long time. The bottoms of my feet look like ground hamburger at the end of most days. I keep telling myself that the weather has to clear up sometime. Hope it is tomorrow.
Date: 2005-06-13
From: Russell Field's Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

I couldn't wait to get out of that shelter. The water source here is bad. Horse hoof prints and manure was all around and in the spring. There was no way I was going to use that water, filtered or not, so I left camp with only 16oz of water. I barely went 100 feet when I scared up a flock of grouse. At least I think they were grouse. Must have been 6 to 8 of them. They scared me as well. A little further up the trail I heard pigs grunting in the brush just ahead of me. Ferral pigs are a big problem in the park. I don't much like the idea of coming up on a wild boar, so I clicked my poles together a couple of times and two, maybe three, pigs tore down the hill.The day started out like most of the other days, cloudy and wet. It wasn't raining, but everything remains wet when you're walking through a cloud. As the day went on, the sun teased me with hopes of it showing its face. When I reached the first amazing vista on Rocky Top, I looked out and saw.......nothing. Total whiteout again. I felt like crying. Instead, I decided to have my lunch up there and pretend to be amazed at the view that I imagined. As I ate, a little patch of blue sky appeared, and to my utter delight, the clouds broke up and revealed an awesome 360 degree view that rivaled Clingman's Dome. I could see Fontana Lake to one side, and Cades Cove to the other. There I sat, on top of a rock, high above everything. It felt exhilirating and at the same time, I felt very small. I had great views for the rest of the hike to the shelter.When I got to the shelter, I was greated by a girl I had met at Fontana Dam, Dreamcatcher. She is thru-hiking the trail by herself too. She informed me that the shelter was full, so following the rules, I had to tent outside. This didn't bother me because the thought of sharing a small shelter with fourteen other men did not appeal to me. I didn't want to be stuck with 14 smelly, loud, snoring men. I thankfully set up my tent outside. It was kinda funny when one looked at it. AS I described before, the shelters are three sided stone or log buildings. Some of the shelters in the Smokies have chain link fencing closing in the open side of the shelter to keep the bears out. Here were 14 grown men, all laid out in the shelter protected by the chainlink fence, and the only two women there were the ones that had to set up tents outside of the shelter. I found this quite amusing. AS I was getting ready to bed down for the night, one of the guys came out of the shelter and threw his sleeping bag on the ground very near our tents. Again, another example of how the men on the trail look out for the women. He had no tent, but slept under the sky in order to assure our safety. Thanks Eric.
Date: 2005-06-14
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

It was an absolutely gorgeous day for hiking. My first day in all this time with blue skies. I can't tell you how rejuvinating this was for me. My spirits were high all day and I thoroughly enjoyed the hike. There really wasn't anything eventful that happened. The hike was mostly downhill, with one good climb up Silers Bald. I had a good view of Clingman's Dome from atop the Bald. The views the rest of the way were great. Even though they were shielded by trees, I could still make out the mountain ranges on either side of me. At one point, the trail dropped off steeply at both sides. On my right was North Carolina, and to my left was Tennessee. They call this section of the trail 'the narrows.' I took my time getting to Double Spring and found no room at the Inn again, so I thankfully set up my tent outside. There was a deer that hung around the shelter all night and allowed me to get within feet of it. Tomorrow is Clingman's Dome and I get to see Mick and Tyler. Can't wait!!
Date: 2005-06-15
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Clingman's Dome
Miles today: 2.9

Got up very early this morning after a fierce thunderstorm last night. Lightning was coming down very near to my tent. I would see the flash of white light and hear the CRACK of the thunder at the same time. The kind of crack that you can feel shake your insides. One person in the shelter said they saw it hit the ground about 50 feet from me. You can bet I was praying hard during the storm. There were at least 4 or 5 very close hits last night.In the morning I packed up my wet tent.Only three miles and I'll see Mick. I flew up Mt. Buckley and then climbed up the Dome in record time. Managed to get service on my phone and told Mick that the storm from Florida put me behind so he got to Clingman's Dome to pick me up. While I was waiting for him, several people came up to me asking questions about my hike; where I started from, where I was going, and such. Of course the obligatory questions were asked, are you hiking alone? aren't you afraid? do you carry a gun? One family even had their little kids get around me for a picture. I felt like a regular tourist attraction. Mick got there and we climbed the observation tower. The views were amazing. There aren't many days with views like the one we had from Clingman's Dome. After we left there, we ran into some hikers and gave them some cokes. They were very happy to get those. We got a room in town where I got my shower, (ahhhhhh), had dinner, and walked around town a bit. It felt great to be with Mick again and it would be very easy for me to come home with him. But I have miles to go before I sleep.......
Date: 2005-06-16
From: Clingman's Dome

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Just kicking around Gatlinburg today. Mick and Tyler headed out to explore a cave in Townsend while I am sitting in this library updating this journal. They are very hiker friendly in this town and have a computer in the library strictly for hikers to use. It was donated by the Rotary Club here in Gatlinburg in memory of a deceased thru-hiker. I'm hoping to get some pictures added in another week or so. Can't do it here. Thanks to everyone who signed my guestbook. It is very uplifting to know so many people are thinking about me and praying for me. Hopefully it won't take me so long to access another computer. I'm doing well and now that the weather is clearing up and looking forward to some great hiking. I hope everyone is doing well, and keeps in touch. Thanks for the prayers from my congregation, it is much appreciated and needed. Time to play tourist for a day.
Date: 2005-06-17
From: Clingman's Dome

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

Mick and Tyler dropped me off at Clingman's Dome early Friday morning. It was COOOOOLLLDD!! As I climbed the road to the Dome, after watching them drive off, I became more and more homesick. I let myself get more and more homesick and by the time I got to Newfound Gap, I had decided to go home. It wasn't the hiking that made me get off, although it is difficult. The hike was fairly easy, mostly downhill as it usually is when getting to a gap. Seeing Mick and Tyler again made me realize how much I miss them. Isn't that always the way? We never really notice how much we miss someone until we see them again. So I bummed a ride back into town, and my sons came and got me. I'm home right now and looks like it was a wise decision. My house is trashed. Three bachelors for three weeks can really muck up a place. I've been doing laundry for two days now, and still haven't finished. Three loads of towels?!?I also received my contract in the mail the day I got back. The plan was for Mick to sign my name to it and send it back. Good thing he didn't. They assigned me to the wrong school. I called and straightened that mess out and they are sending me a new contract. I was also informed by Michael that his girlfriend is coming to visit for a little while, so I think it best to stay home till she leaves. I'll head back to the trail after the 4th of July and get a couple more weeks of hiking in. The hard part of all of this will be keeping off the weight I lost the first three weeks.........
Date: 2005-07-03
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

It's 9:30am and everyone has left the shelter. I am quite enjoying the morning all to myself. Only a little over five miles to go today and I am feeling no need to rush off. The day is cool, 70 degrees according to the thermometer I wear around my neck, and the sky is overcast. This shelter is constructed in the 'Nantahala Design' which is common of the shelters in the South. The shelter has an overhang, with benches or a picnic table, double deck bunks along the back wall, and in the Smokies, a stone fireplace. The bunks, wooden platforms really, sleep around 8 each. 10 each if it's raining. There's always room for one more wet, tired, hungry hiker. It's a very nice design and preferable to what some of the shelters are.I arrived at Tri-Corner Knob around 3pm and decided to stay. The hike started out nice, good views, then the rain came. Not too much, just steady enough to get my boots soaked so that my feet would squish with each step. Other than the rain, the day was pretty uneventful. I had what the British would call an ear worm all day. Karen Carpenter kept singing, "I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation......." over and over again. I always did like her voice. The hike today was mostly walking the ridge of the mountain, which is really fun. There are parts of the trail where it may only be 3 to 4 feet wide, and it drops off steeply on both sides, and I mean steeply. Nearly a sheer vertical drop. The views are incredible, hence the song. Yesterday, the song that wouldn't end was Everything is Beautiful by B.J. Thomas. A totally underated singer in my opinion.Maybe I should submit an 'ear worm of the day' in my journal. HMMMMM.......There's about 14 people here tonight, so far. It's only 6:30. I'm glad I got here early and got my place staked out. First thing you do in a shelter, after taking off your boots, is lay out your sleeping pad and bag. First come, first served. Then you go and fetch your water. Hopefully, the spring is right near the shelter, as is this one tonight. Usually though, it's a steep climb downhill. This is probably the nicest shelter I've stayed at in the Smokies. It is again, the Nantahala Design only much larger. This place could easily sleep 20.
Date: 2005-07-04
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

Happy Fourth of July!! Celebrated the holiday with a splendid show of a brilliantly lit.....match. Yes folks, that's how you improvise on the trail.Stayed up late last night playing cards with some of the folks here. Adam, who is sixteen and has blue hair, his sister Jen, their father Bob, and I played Euchre and laughed well past nightfall. I don't think the other hikers were as amused at our antics as we were, since they were all in their bags and ready for sleep when the sun goes down. Another couple arrived shortly after we played our last hand and we made room for them quickly. It's not fun to arrive at a shelter after dark, disturb a dozen people trying to sleep and get yourself organized for bed. The hike today was a breeze, mostly all downhill. As nice as it was to have an easy day, all the downhill hiking just kept reminding me that I am leaving the Smokies. Even with the rotten weather, limits to shelters, and rutted trail, it is still an awesomely beautiful place. I was trotting fast when I came around a curve and had a view revealed to me that took my breath away. It was so unexpected. Most amazing views are after a hard climb, and you can see the summit coming, and then the view. Not this one, it just appeared out of nowhere. I must have been able to see 50 miles out. The first word I thought of when I saw it was AMAZING. That started the ear worm of the day, "Amazing Grace", only I had to jazz it up a little to keep it in beat with my walking.It started raining halfway to the shelter and I decided to try and wait it out in a rhodadendrum thicket. Two guys hiked past me were just drenched, and the rut called the trail was now a little stream. I managed to keep relatively dry, no squishing as I walked today. No cold, wet socks and boots tomorrow. A small but satisfying victory over nature.I'm at Cosby Knob shelter with 10 other people. Hope no one else shows up. Eight of the guys are from Texas and are novice backpackers as well. They brought their fly fishing poles, and one of them has his in a long, tubular case. It rises at least 3 feet above his head. I have no idea how he is getting down parts of this trail, especially where the rhodadendrum thickets form a very tight tunnel. One of the guys looks just like Ben Aflack (sp?). Eat your heart out girls.......Onward to Standing Bear Farm and a shower tomorrow.
Date: 2005-07-05
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

Got an early start this morning in order to get in my 10+ miles today. Hiked a side trail a mile to Mt. Cammerer Lookout and glad I did. It was built in the late '30's by the C.C.C. and is still in great shape. It is octagonal in shape and has spectacular 360 degree views. It was overcast when I got there, but I hung around for about an hour playing with the butterflies until it cleared up some. It was interesting to see the clouds lifting and swirling around, revealing a view only to hide it again in the mist. Finally, the landscape was revealed to me and I thanked God for giving me the abilities to get to a place like that. There is a verse in the bible that says something like, knowing God by seeing His creation. After what I saw on Mt. Cammerer, I feel I know Him even better. There just aren't enough adjectives to describe what I have seen in the Smokies. While waiting for the sky to clear, I was enthralled by the hundreds, thousands of butterflies that were on the summit. They especially enjoyed my backpack, and covered it when I took it off. I took some pictures, but I'm not sure they came out very well. Again, the hike was mostly downhill until the last three miles. As I descended the Smokies, the temps got warmer and warmer, peaking at 84. YOWZER! Am I in for some hot hiking. I could feel the steam coming up from the wet ground. It felt much like a sauna as I hiked. I arrived at Standing Bear Farm around 6:30 pm. I'm staying in a very cute little cottage with a double bed, real mattress, sheets and PILLOWS! What heaven! This cottage is built straddling a creek. Curtis Owens runs the place and has built all the hostel buildings from old barnwood and trees from his property. Very rustic feel, which I absolutely love. The cottage I'm staying in has three double beds, one of them in a loft area, and a cute front porch that overlooks the stream. This cottage is the only one without electricity. He also has another building that houses 7 bunkbeds and a huge wood burning stove. Another building has the washer/dryer and the Internet, where I am now. Behind the cottage is the shower building, a little library, and in the very back is the outhouse. He also has a building that houses a store, and another building that is the kitchen and dining area. This place is like a little resort for hikers. I'm liking it here and glad that I planned to take a zero day.