morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hilton Shelter
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: light rain

A short day today before heading into the Smokies. We rolled into the shelter around 10:00, showered, and then took the shuttle into town. The store was actually fairly well stocked this year, but except for some junk food to eat right away, my maildrop covered everything. I split my drop with Ramblin' Man, and will resupply out of Gatlinburg, TN. The showers at the dam were nice and hot, and it was great to wash the dust away. The dinner buffet at the motel was a bit disappointing, as they had no salad at all, but the side salad I asked for wasn't on my bill, so while a disappointment, I can't complain too much. I spoke with Kelly, and she is under the weather right now, so I feel a little guilty about being out here while she is at home sick. [I'm typing this on 4/25/06, and I am still trying to get rid of this cold! I'm doing better than when Knees wrote this entry, thanks to heavy-duty cough medicine and an antibiotic -- Kelly] There is a fairly large group of hikers that appear to be hiking out tomorrow, so the group may be a bit bigger than what I saw last year. It sounds like there may be some rain in the forecast, so we'll see what happens. While I was at dinner, it seems that a black snake slithered through the shelter. Two nights in a row, but alas no pictures tonight. I am sleeping in the shelter tonight, but even if the snake comes back, it's just interested in mice, and that's a very good thing. My walking schedule is looking like Erwin, TN is going to be my AT ending point. This is kind of what I expected anyway, so it's no shock. Another month of hiking would be nice, as then I'd have full trail legs, but even two more weeks should have me well on my way to a great start on the PCT. Life is good, hiking is the life, and it's great to be out here again. Tomorrow should be a great day of hiking!
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Fontana Hilton Shelter

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

I woke up around 6:00 and dozed until 6:45 or so. After breakfast, I wandered over to the restrooms. When I got back, another hiker was sitting on my pad and had a food wrapper on it. Needless to say, this was not cool. I didn't care so much about sitting on my pad, although that is considered rude, but to eat and have wrappers on my gear was beyond inconsiderate. The hike up wasn't bad at all. It was more enjoyable than last year, as I don't hurt as badly and it wasn't raining this time. We stopped at the firetower on Shuckstack and for a snack at the Birch Spring Gap campsite. The second half of the hike was wonderful with fields of Spring Beauty flowers. From 1:30 pm until 4:30 or so, we were the only hikers at the shelter, but it certainly filled up this evening. We could have pushed on, but this is a good setup for Gatlinburg, a near-o into one of the hostels, a couple of longer days, and a final near-o into Hot Springs. I am a firm believer in keeping the first month's mileage around 10 miles per day, and this setup meets every goal along with avoiding taking a zero day in Hot Springs. Erwin is my final AT destination without question at this point, and we'll be there somewhere around the end of the month. There are a lot of hikers doing stupid miles right now and I doubt most of them will finish. Ramblin' Man and I are both tired of talking about gear and hiking techniques with the green hikers, as all of this information is widely available and there are only so many times you can say the same things. There are hikers out here that I figure have a good chance at making it, but the macho big miles early and often types get tiresome. Loud chatty people are getting a bit grating too. I'm ready for the PCT!
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We were hiking by 8:00 and made good time to Russell Field Shelter. It started pouring rain and we sat out rain, hail, and thunderstorms for a couple of hours. It was on to Spence Field for a nice lunch, and then up over Rocky Top and Thunderhead with fantastic weather and great hiking. There is the same large group of hikers we ended up with last night along with some weekenders with reservations. Apparently, some of this group didn't like me talking about how easy this section is and how nice the ridgerun is. Yes, the trail goes up and down, but it's short ups and downs and not a huge deal. I let the couple of people that complained about my statement have the last word, as it's not my problem if they think this is tough hiking, but they haven't seen anything yet. I'm with the same small group I've been hiking with -- Ramblin' Man, Mousehat, and Breeze. I do wish I could camp away from the shelter, as this group we caught up with is really loud, and it's a bit grating to our quiet little group that isn't into running our mouths just to hear our own voices to be in constant chatter in camp. OK, enough grumbling. The meadows of flowers have been fantastic to hike around, and it's nice to see some of the views in the southern half of the Smokies. Aside from birds, I haven't seen much wildlife, but we heard coyotes and owls last night. I am ready for the PCT, and the smaller groups of seasoned hikers that it appears I am likely to meet. The hike on the AT has been fun, but I'm not on long enough to get past the bluster and macho acts that these hikers are putting on. It amazes me that those with the loudest mouths seem to know the least. Is this human nature, or something else?[Note: Given Knees' comments above, I went and found last year's entry from his trail journal, covering the exact same mileage. I wanted to know what he'd written last year as a new hiker. The gist of the entry is that the day's hike, on 4/29/05, was frustrating more for the copious rain and resultant mud than the terrain. He fell twice that day due to losing traction in the mud, and he didn't consider that day's hiking "fun." But, to his point above, his complaints were weather related, not terrain (ups and downs) related. This was just curiosity on my part, to know what he'd written then. Knees is consistent. -- Kelly]
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

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

Great hiking today. We stopped for lunch at Clingman's Dome, waited out a short round of thunderstorms in the little building by the tower, and caught some nice views before heading on to the shelter. It's a great day when you avoid getting rained on! While not perfect views, I've now seen the South side of the park's views as well as the second half. It's been raining off and on this evening, but we're in the shelter until morning, so it's not a big deal. It's chilly and will probably turn cold overnight, but it's not a big deal, and we're only going 8 miles tomorrow with a resupply in the middle. Postcard (AT'04) is here, so we have 3 former thru-hikers in the shelter tonight. We're still with a lot of the same group we've been hiking around, and are looking forward to getting away from them tomorrow with our near-o. At least Ramblin' Man, Breeze, and myself will be taking the near-o tomorrow. I'm not sure if Mousehat is, but we'll see him in Hot Springs if nothing else. Well, maybe we'll be away from that group, as it sounds like they're changing plans. It doesn't really matter in the scheme of things, but I would love a peaceful evening away from this group. In a couple of weeks, I'll be on the PCT and away from all this anyway. Really, we're just stacked up in the Smokies, so it's harder to get offset from others. I enjoy most of the people I meet on the AT, but silence is a bit of a virtue!!
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap/Gatlinburg, TN/Grand Prix Motel
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: moderate rain

We woke up to rain, and waited until almost 9:00 to start hiking. We took our leave from the shelter during a lull in the rain, and we had a couple of great hours of hiking into Newfound Gap. Except for some misting, we stayed fairly dry for the whole hike. Mousehat and Breeze caught a ride from the parking lot, and Ramblin' Man split a $7 shuttle fee with me, as it was starting to pour. We checked into the Grand Prix, went to the outfitter, showered, and did the laundry -- the usual town chores. We are AYCE lunch at Shoney's, rode out to the food store on the trolleys, and aplit a pizza at a nice Italian place near the motel. the three miles weren't worth a full shelter in the rain, and we'll easily make up the miles over the next couple of days. I sent off over a quarter-pound worth of exposed film, so life is great there. We're going to push some bigger miles over the next few days, but the easier days have helped us heal up and get ready for the days ahead. Up late, but I've had more bag time than I need lately, so I'm not too worried. Life is good.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Newfound Gap/Gatlinburg, TN/Grand Prix Motel

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: moderate rain

Earth Day -- I was up around 7:00 this morning, but didn't do much until 9:00 or so, as it was raining. After waiting around, I finally decided I needed to hike today, and that I was going to try for a hitch, as the rain seemed to have stopped. I walked down to the traffic light, found a good spot where vehicles could pull over, and stuck out my thumb. It was an easy hitch, as Jim & Bev from Indiana picked me up within five minutes! They own a time share in the area, and were out enjoying the mountains this week, including some hiking. At Newfound Gap, a woman said that she was glad to see I got picked up, as her mother wouldn't let her stop and get me. She gave me a nice stone for "protection" which I carried with me today, but will probably leave in a nice place, as I really don't want to carry a rock around. I suppose I could send it home. I forgot my manners and did not ask her what her name was. Finally, after 10:30, I was hiking. I stopped for lunch at Icewater Spring Shelter, had no views until 2:30 PM or so, but ended the day with nice views. My favorite view from last year was fogged in, but I've seen more views overall this year than last. I caught up to the group I've mentioned the last few days so there isn't any shelter space available, so I'm tenting out tonight. It's supposed to be clear, so I'm happy, but even if it rains, it's not a big deal. It's chilly, but we're fairly high up, so it's expected. It's disappointing to hear about groups that abuse the wonderful long-distance hiker privileges we're granted. Apparently, a group that tented out at Mt. Collins shelter when I was there zeroed to "dry out.' It's hikers that abuse things like the wonderful latitude we have that give us a bad name and could cause the ease of passing through the park to become a thing of the past. I don't remember any of these issues during last year's hike....
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm/Waterville School Rd.
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up after a great night's sleep tenting by the hitching posts, and I had no clue how far I was going to hike today. The weather was good, the views were great, and I ended up pushing all the way through to Standing Bear. I considered stopping at Davenport Shelter, but that was where the "bubble" was headed, so after a 30 minute break, I pressed on. I was in by late afernoon, but my body isn't quite ready to do longer miles on a daily basis yet. I met some interesting people at the hostel including Ol' Reb, who is finishing up his triple crown attempt, and Sprocket, a river guide helping out at the hostel. I am figuring two days and change to get to Hot Springs, which should give just enough time to get to Erwin before my month on the AT is over. Life is pretty darned good right now, but it's late and time for bed.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Standing Bear Farm/Waterville School Rd.

To: Roaring Forks Shelter (new)
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: few clouds

I didn't get to sleep last night until somewhere around half past midnight. My long day yesterday, combined with a hotel stay, made for some tough hiking this afternoon. The morning started out well and I had coffee with Eagle (Ol' Reb) before getting going. I didn't have any fives, so ended up overpaying for my stay by $5. In the end, I spent as much at Standing Bear and the gas stations as I did in Gatlinburg! The climb up Snowbird was long, but uneventful, and after a frief rest at the top, I headed for Groundhog Creek Shelter for lunch. Apparently, two-tenths is "too much" for most hikers, as I pretty much had the shelter to myself for an hour. After lunch, I really started to feel the heat of the day, but still made good time. My feet did start to ache a bit, and I'm sure that the longer days are starting to catch up with me. I'm not quite fully trail-hardened yet, but I'm getting there. I lucked out today, as I had fantastic views from Max Patch. I took quite a few pictures up there, and the views were as good, of not better, than last year. The new shelter is done this year, and it is nicer than the old one, but I liked the extra few miles. After sitting a spell, I decided to give my body a break and call it a day. I think I'm going to shoot for the shelter just out from Hot Springs tomorrow, but I may end up in town. I need a couple of easier days to let my body heal and grow stronger. It's going to be a fairly tight shcedule if I near-o into and take an easy day out of Hot Springs, but that's the way it goes. The hiking schedule this year has worked well, and I'm happy with how things have gone. Really, I just want to get home to see Kelly before heading out West, but these longer days are good training and my body is adapting well to the demands of the trail. Life is good, but I do miss the group I was hiking with!!
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Roaring Forks Shelter (new)

To: Duckett House/Hot Springs (bunkhouse)
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

I slept well in my tent last night and started hiking around 8:00 AM. I made good time to Walnut Mtn Shelter, but it started raining about 10 min before I got there. I ducked into the shelter to wait out the rain and met a thru-hiker from 2000 out with some friends on a short section hike. After twenty minutes or so, the rain let up, and I continued to hike. I forgot how nice this section is. The fairly easy hiking, birds, and flowers made for a very high morale hiking day. I reeled in most of the hikers from Walnut Shelter as I made my way toward Deer Park Shelter. Biz got to the shelter just before I did, and at 2:30, we sat in the shelter debating a push into town. She set out before I did, as I decided to take a nice long break, but we both ended up pushing into town. I went to Elmer's first, but there wasn't anything available, so I started to walk to another hostel. Before I made it there, I heard my name being called -- Mousehat, his girlfriend Julie, his son Downhill, and Ramblin' Man pulled up in a minivan! I ended up at the bunkhouse of the Duckett , along with Ramblin' Man, Biz, and one other fellow whose name I don't recall. In town, I saw Tipper, Nifty, Marley, Sleepwalker, Doc Gnarley, and Crutch. So heading into Hot Springs was a good move on the hiker reunion front! I ate two dinners at the diner and then called it a night. Tomorrow it's town chores and a nice long call to Kelly. This little reunion was great, at Mousehat and Ramblin' Man are behind me and Marley and Nnifty ahead, so this is my last chance to see them before I get off the trail in Erwin. Good friends and good food are wonderful! What more could a hiker ask for> Life is great!
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Duckett House/Hot Springs (bunkhouse)

To: Duckett House/Hot Springs (bunkhouse)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

What a day for a zero day - rain on and off all day so life was great staying in town. I'm eating like a madman, so it's a good thing that I'm going hiking tomorrow! The day started with a couple of breakfasts at the diner, lunch from the dollar store, and ended with dinner at the diner. O.K., so a lot really did happen today, but food is becoming a very important part of my life, as my hiker hunger is really kicking in. It appears that I've shed 15 lbs. or so since I started. This isn't shocking, as I do have more slack in the hipbelt, but it's nice to see plenty of weight loss for now. The bigger days probably have something to do with it. There were plenty of hikers in town, and others, like Breeze, walked in this afternoon. I was introduced to Baltimore Jack today. While we were in some of the same places, we were never on trail at the same place/same time, and we hadn't been introduced during crazy events such as Trail Days. It was nice to chat with him for a bit. The day is a bit of a blur, but the gist of it was chat/gossip with other hikers, eat, and drink a couple of (free) cheap beers. The group I wrote about a few days ago, the Smokies group, seems to be breaking up. This is probably for the best, as that group was a bit big. I should write that as individual people they are OK in my book, and that my criticism was more about the group-think than anything else. I no longer have those entries in front of me to look at, but it's more the behavior as the group itself that irked me. I hope that all of them find what they're looking for and that we'll share a beer while swapping stories at future trail get-togethers. It's set, I fly to San Diego from MKE on May 8 -- I'm hiking the PCT! It will be nice to see new trail, but it's hard to leave the AT as the people, the places, and the community are the AT. One week from today and I'll be home and my AT adventure will come to an end. It has been a good month on the AT!
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Duckett House/Hot Springs (bunkhouse)

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: few clouds

I'm on the home stretch of my AT hike this year -- Hot Springs to Erwin. I made today an easy day, so I left town late and only did about 11 mi up to the first shelter. It poured overnight and early morning, but it was a nice hike from town. My feet feel a little raw, but they're in good shape for the most part. I'm about to lose a toenail, but it's one of the ones I expected to lose and it had held on for a couple of weeks. Other than that, I'm in great health. I need another month of walking for full trail legs, but I feel pretty good about jumping over to the PCT with where I'm at now. I'm not sure what to think about leaving the AT this year, as it feels strange to not be heading for Katahdin, but I've done that and the PCT is calling my name. Yet again, someone sho is/has been sick offered me food/drink and shook my hand before telling me. What is up with these people? I hope the alcohol in the wine that I had killed anything nasty. Lesson reinforced, and I just hope I don't get sick because of it! Right now, it appears that I'll finish my hike on the 1st of May. I could push to finish on the 30th of April, but it doesn't matter that much and this a nice setup with three longer days and one shorter one left. That's it -- only four more days on the AT this year. I probably could have pushed a bit harder and made it to Kincora Hostel and over Roan, but it's too late to change things now, and I really enjoyed hiking with Ramblin' Man, Breeze, and Mousehat, so there was no reason to speed up. I haven't even started my thru-hike attempt for the year, and I've been hiking for almost a month! My poles are squeaking now and really need an overhaul, but since I won't be at trail days this year, I'm not sure when they'll get fixed. Well, one adventure is coming to a close and another is about to begin, so it will be very interesting to see what happens in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to see Kelly next week before jetting off to California! Yeah, life is good right now!
Date: 2006-04-28
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

No sooner did I get started hiking than I came upon some nice trail magic. Phil was at the Allen Gap trashcans and a paper was hung there announcing that FAL and Hercules were hosting a feast at their house just off the trail. We were greeted by wonderful food and good company. An hour later I was back on the trail and moving slowly. The blimb from Log Cabin Dr up to Little Laurel Shelter seemed to take forever with all that food in my belly! I caught up to Grits and Gwalk at the shelter, and there I sat for another hour or so. It was not a huge deal, as I was only going about 15 mi, but I sure was moving slower than usual. I sae Doc Gnarley heading SOBO just as I got to the exposed ridge area. Most interesting was that Crutch and Wonderfoot were at the shelter! We made plans to hike together tomorrow. Life is good on the AT and there weren't any ATVers on the trail this year.
Date: 2006-04-29
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was slow, but fun. Crutch and Wonderfoot weren't ready at 8:00 AM, and it was close to 10:00 AM before we started hiking. No complaints here, as it was fun to hike with them, and I have now seen Crutch actually in the woods hiking! Dirtnap, Grits, Gwalk, and Steve from England were also hiking from Jerry Cabin to Hogback Ridge. There was trail magic at Devil Fork Gap. This is the same gap that Scared of the Dark did trail magic in with his family last year. After hanging around chatting for a while, I started on my way to the shelter. I really enjoyed this final six miles and have good memories of hiking it last year with Too Obtuse, the waterfall, the big rocks, and my memories made for a nice stroll into camp. The shelter is full, so I'm tenting out tonight. Life is good on the AT, but my time grows short and I have just one full day of hiking left.
Date: 2006-04-30
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I had every intention of starting to hike at 8:00 AM this morning, but it was cold and wet outside and warm and dry in my tent, so I didn't get going until almost 10:00 AM again. After saying "see you next year" for the umpteenth time to Crutch, I set out heading at least fifteen miles. I had great views on Big Bald and stopped at the shelter for lunch. It was cold and windy, so I ate lunch a bit faster than I had planned. With ten down and ten to go, I set off hiking, leapfrogging with Grits. Before I knew it, I was at the Whistling Gap campsite. I made the Spivey Gap campsite with about three hours of light left and decided to push on to the shelter. Grits decided to push on as well. We walked the seemingly endless sidehills and made the shelter with light to spare. I feel fairly good. My feet are a little sore, but all in all, I have some basic trail legs for the PCT. I'm not sure how I feel about leaving the AT, as I've had a lot of fun and met a lot of great people out here, but in about a week, I'll be in CA and hiking another trail. Life is good, but in about six miles, I'm off the AT. I've had a lot of fun catching up on the gossip and meeting the class of '06. It's been great to be on the trail in '06!