morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I decided not to sleep in the shelter last night cause it was beautiful out and several people were snoring. After we got done telling every joke that we could think of, I put my sleeping pad outside the shelter and woke this morning to sun rising over a mountain on Fontana Lake. Pink sky all morning. I packed up and walked about a quarter a mile to the dam to use the payphone. I called home to wish Mom and Dad Happy Easter. I am assuming they were at church so I pushed on across Fontana Dam. (The highest dam east of the Mississippi)Once across the dam I entered The Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Even though the Smokies are beautiful they are known to be one of the toughest sections due to the terrain and weather. Since it¢s a national park a lot of the trail is the same as when it was first created including Clingmans Dome, the highest peak on the trail (6,643 ft). The weather is what makes the Smokies most challenging. You never know when a rain or snow storm will come in and just dump on you. Once I hit the trail I started climbing. There were several of us that were all hiking separately, but kind of close together. (Donkey, Bobcat, Slim, Platinum Giggles, Salt, Jane, Baro, Gringo, Shasta, and H-Bomb) I was leading the group and as I was walking I noticed a few wild flowers. Then all the sudden I just stopped involuntarily. I looked around to see almost the entire forest floor covered with these small white wild flowers with a hint of purple. Everyone else just kind of strolled up too and we all stood there in silence. It seemed fake, like something out of a movie. Words cannot describe how beautiful this area was. The fields of flowers followed the trail most of the day but it couldn¢t compare to the initial sight and smell. After our daydreaming was over and we kept walking, we got our first freak storm. In a matter of about 20 seconds a huge dark cloud came over and the temp dropped from 75 to 40 and it started sleeting. I took cover under a tree to make sure everything in my pack was waterproofed. After about 3 minutes of storming it stopped. It was one of the weirdest things I have seen.There were 3 shelters within about 6 miles of each other where we could stay. (When you are in the Smokies you have to stay at the shelters so that it keeps down the wear on the environment.) We pushed on to the last one and started praying that H-Bomb and Shasta would make it cause we heard that they were carrying stuff to makes smores. Sure enough, they showed up and we devoured the smores like a group of 6 year olds on a backyard camping trip.Andy
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Nice walk today. More of the same flowers, but not to yesterday¢s extreme. I decided to go to the shelter before Clingmans Dome in the morning. When I arrived at the shelter several of the people who I have been traveling with were already there. There was also another "band of gypsies" that had been traveling together there too. It was like survivor when the 2 tribes met up. The shelter was full and I didn¢t really want to stay in it anyways because of the bear cages on the front. It makes you feel like a bear at the zoo. Baro and I decided to put our hammocks up out behind the shelter. We found 3 trees in a triangle and set up camp. We each tied one end of our hammocks to the same tree. The logic was that if a bear ate one of us in the middle of the night, the other would get amazing pictures. But in reality what happened was every time one of us moved in the night the other would feel the tree move. So the plan didn¢t work out the way we wanted but it was better than hearing the snoring all night.Andy
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Ice Water Spring Shelter

To: Tricorner Nob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. That was the story of today. After getting woken up by people stepping over me all morning I moved from the ground up to a spot in the shelter to wait until after 9 when the trail opens. Of the 40 or so people staying at the shelter there were about 8 of us still there when Mouse came in. He asked me if I heard the loud thunder. We talked about how we were due for a big storm since we had been pretty lucky with weather so far. He decided to go ahead and go. About 3 minutes after he left we saw this cloud take over the mountain and then it hit. More hail. This time it went from pea size to marble to bouncy ball size. The only bouncing that the hail was doing was off my head when I ran out of the shelter to see how the others who had gotten up early were feeling on top of the exposed ridgeline of the Smokies. After about 5 seconds of pelting I retreated to the shelter. I waited out the storm and pressed on. When I arrived at the shelter where I was staying the night it looked like a shanty town. There were clothes and gear spread out everywhere drying. We all joked about them getting wet.   Andy
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Tricorner Nob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

A big day of celebration. It is the 20th day on the trail. I have hiked 219.2 miles (not including the 8.8 I did to get to the start.) that is around 10 percent of the trail. It was also the last day walking high along the ridgeline of the Smokies. I took my time today because I wasn¢t as lucky as before and got caught in a little rain storm. Once I got to the Pecks Corner Shelter I had planed on doing a secret mission and go stealth camping in an old lookout tower with the "how you doin" guys. (Yeah they are from NY/NJ) We waited for it to get darker so we could sneak up there before the ranger saw us. We kept it very hush hush. We took off from the shelter around 6 one by one. About 1/2 mile down the trail the Smokies did what they do best. That¢s right, another hail storm. I ran into the crew who had pitched a tarp right in the middle of the trail. I told them I was out and moving on to the next shelter. As I pressed on I kept trying to keep my shoes dry. But that was a little hard considering I have a giant hole in the inside toe of my right shoe. I'm talking about one that sticks and stuff keep getting stuck in. The trail disappeared and became a river. So I jut went up stream. Once I got close to the shelter the rain stopped again. H-bomb, Shasta, and Silver Feet were all there. They had their clothes and gear spread everywhere. It looked like a women¢s locker room. (All 3 are girls) We joked about being wet. On the trail and in life I have found that if you can laugh at yourself and your situation then life is a lot better. While we were cooking 2 section hikers came in to camp. One of whom has a brother that is starting the trail soon. It¢s amazing how many people are out here that I haven¢t seen. Before going to bed Silver Feet ate a dog treat.Andy
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: light rain

The shelter was attacked last night by a wild animal. Don¢t worry I am OK. My backpack is a different story. It suffered only minor damage. A small hole was chewed in one of my mesh pockets as the army of mice raided the shelter. I didn¢t notice it when I woke up due to the pounding rain outside. The way I saw it, between the rain and the pack problem, I had four options. I could go .9 miles to one hostel, go 3.3 to another hostel, stay where I was, or just keep walking north skipping the hostels. I waited around as long as I could then set off into the rain. I decided to go the 3+ miles to Standing Bear Farm Hostel for the night. 3 miles downhill, easy right? Well I¢m sure it¢s pretty easy at times but those three miles made me feel like a real explorer. (Not that I don¢t always) Everything I owned was wet. I was sloshing through everything just trying to keep moving. Oh and on this particular section the trail has several stream crossings. One problem with the stream crossings is that since it had been raining for days these little streams now became small rivers. The rocks that you normally would use were under water so you have to improvise by stepping in and finding the next best thing without getting swept away. The worst crossing was the last one. This creek was flowing fast enough to sweep you up and carry you for a while. There were a couple people who were trying to figure the safest way across. I unbuckled my pack and went right in the water like any normal raft guide would do. After making it across I headed up the road to Standing Bear Farm to get dry and warm up for a bit. Standing Bear is famous on the trail. Curtis owns it and is really laid back. He reminded me of Ted Nugent. This place is kind of like a compound. Everything you need is right there. There is always room cause if the bunk house is full, the he puts people in the chicken coup. If that¢s full he puts you in the tobacco barn. And if all else fails he will put you in the cave up on the hill. He also makes a run into town at night. One to the gas station that has food and ATM. Then he stops at the other gas station across the street for beer and tobacco. When we got back to the compound Ox and Pebbles (former hikers) brought a giant ham, yams, green beans and salad for us. We chowed down and had 11 pairs of shoes around the fire trying to dry off.   Andy
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Max Patch
Miles today: 12.8

I woke up to everyone running around and then waiting to catch the shuttle to Trailfest in Hot Springs, NC. Hot Springs is a small trail town a little farther north from where I am now. Trailfest is one of the festivals that are put on by towns to celebrate hikers coming through and to show appreciation for the hikers. But in all reality it¢s just a reason for a bunch of hippies to get together and party while sitting around a fire. Now normally I would be all about it but not this time. Once almost everyone was gone from the hostel I was waiting out the rain a bit. I had to go 13 miles before 7:30 pm when I was supposed to be meeting Michael, my friend from home, so I was in no rush. After having a gun pulled out in front of me I decided it was time to get moving. After walking a few miles I passed Ox and Pebbles hiking south. They said they had been set up a little farther ahead and to help myself to anything I wanted and when they got back they would make me something to eat. I continued up the trail till I got to the road crossing where they were set up. I was expecting a cooler or something next to the car. When I came around the corner I was shocked. It looked like a UT tailgate party. They had 4 tents with an amazing amount of food. I ate an orange and 2 cheese sandwiches. They also had giant Hershey bars; I took one for the road. I pushed on to where we were meeting so I could dry out all of my wet gear. After soaking up the sunlight Michael showed up with Jenny and Josh. We decided to drive down the hill to find a campsite off the road where we could keep the truck close. Luckily, Michael brought dry firewood and steaks. Once we finally found a campsite and got the fire started our neighbors for the evening showed up. They pulled up in their pickup trucks driving like bats out of hell. They were a cross between David Allen Coe and Toby Keith. They came down to talk to us and we found out they were all high-schoolers. At one point they started singing their school¢s fight song. After we refused to get in the car with them and go get beer they tackled each other a couple times and finally went back to their campsite. We went to sleep but kept one eye open.Andy
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Max Patch

To: Deer Park Mnt Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

After waking up and not being deliverenced by the rednecks we packed up and were on our way. I climbed into the back of Michael¢s truck and they dropped me back at the trail where I left off. Some people think a thru-hike means that you can¢t get off the trail at all. Others think as long as you go from Georgia to Maine, no matter how you get there, you are a thru hiker. Me, if I get off the trail as long as I walk the entire trail from Georgia to Maine then I am happy. So once they dropped me off I started walking towards Maine again. When I got to the top of Max Patch Mountain (a giant grassy mountain) I could barely stand. No its not from the whiskey the night before, it was because the wind was blowing so hard. I wanted to get a picture up there but no one was around. I started to set up my tripod but the wind was too bad. I was going to wait for some one to come up there but the only person I could see heading my way was at the bottom of the mountain. Plus I had to go look for Bigfoot. Looking for Bigfoot is what I call it when nature calls and you have to take off running off the trail to a safe place in the woods. And since I was on top of a bald mountain I had a ways to go to get some cover. Everything worked out OK. (Incase you were wondering) After hiking farther I made it to the next shelter for lunch. While I was sitting there I ran into Tipper, an older guy who is doing research for the Appalachian Trail Conservatory during his hike. He is a nice guy with an excellent education. Well as a matter of fact, we went to the same school and he graduated with my Dad. We took some pictures then I pressed on. I made it to the shelter about 3 miles outside of Hot Springs, NC and decided to set up my hammock. It was a great night until the rain came while we were sleeping.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Deer Park Mnt Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: few clouds

After the rain slowed down and I crawled out of my cocoon I decided to head into town. My plan was to head into town, pick up my package, get supplies and head out. Well as I have learned out here nothing goes as planed. I got into town about 8:15 or so. I saw a bunch of people I had been hiking with and talked for a bit. My major mission was to find Baro and confront him on claiming that I was an escapee from a mental institute as he had said in his journal. I found him on Main Street. (well there is only really one street in Hot Springs) after clearing my name and letting him know that if that¢s what he thought I could prove to him that I wasn¢t crazy according to my last evaluation, I headed to the outfitter. Since the trail runs through downtown the outfitter is basically on the trail so I didn¢t have to get off to re supply. However there are other establishments that are technically ¢on the trail¢. One of them just happens to be the Paddles Pub. So I decided to stop in for lunch and a cool beverage. The bar, I mean restaurant, didn¢t open till 10:30 so I did some things till I could get a pizza. Lets just say we had a change of plans real soon. After a personal pizza, order of wings, a large pizza and a few of those cool beverages I was talking about our waitress came back and told us the worst news a hiker could ever hear. No she didn¢t tell us that rain was on the way she said the worst combination of 2 words in the English language, ¢last call¢. We complained and got a free pitcher since we were VIP customers. We grabbed our packs and stumbled down to the street/trail to the campsite where we (Mouse and Salt & Pepper (male) had a cabin. Lets just say that slept very well.
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Hot Springs

To: Little Laural Shelter
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: scattered clouds

After a slow wakening we packed our stuff up and got ready to head out. Mouse and Salt took off to hit the outfitter then the trail. I was still packing when they came back. They said that there was a storm coming and they were going to wait it out. When I left the cabin I looked back towards town and saw darkness coming in. We went back into the cabin and the rain hit. It dropped for about an hour, then quit. We took off dry and happy. While I was heading towards the trail I passed the some of the crew (Jane, Baro, Shasta, and H-Bomb) and we went to the deli/gas station for one last chance at real food. I had a 6 hour old sausage biscuit and some crappy combos then was on my way. I was slow starting so I wasted time by taking several pictures of myself to see how my beard has grown. Finally I got going and started feeling good. I got to the shelter and we decided to push on. When I got to a road crossing after about 14 miles I saw a sign that said ¢free food. 8-6:30¢. It was 6:36. I decided to keep going. When I met the crew they had had enough. They set up camp right by the road. I was being a cranky britches and decided to press on to the next shelter. The rain had been getting to me so I walked up the hill in the dark to the shelter. When I got there I think I scared the entire shelter. I came in soaking with my head lamp on and started setting up camp. Since it was dark I ended up putting up my hammock over a thorn bush patch. For future reference its not the best idea. It was a long day of walking 19.2 miles in the rain up hill. For some reason I can't break that 20 mile mark.
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Little Laural Shelter

To: Flint Mnt Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: moderate rain

I have some good news and some bad news and no I didn¢t just save a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. The bad news first. It's still raining. Today I made a discovery while sitting on a log getting pounded with rain eating another one of my plutonium packed Slim Jims. I realized how people can snap out here. When I went to bed everything was wet and when I got up everything was wet. My entire gear hasn¢t dried out completely in 8 days. I have managed to be able to stay sane but you can see the distress on some people's faces. It's sad to say but you have to laugh at some of the people who are complaining all the time just for laughs. The good news is that I passed the 300 mile mark today. I still have a long way to go but that¢s a long way. There isn¢t a sign or anything but there was a giant 300 made in leaves on the trail. I met Mouse there and we said "damn, 300 miles" and kept walking.Other than that today¢s highlight was a slight hyper extension of my knee. I was dancing to my music and slipped on a patch of mud. No one saw me that I know of so I think I am OK. I made it to the next shelter and saw that it was comfortably full. But comfort and full don¢t go together in the same sentence when talking about hiking shelters. I got a spot then Shasta and H-Bomb came in and people practically jumped out of the way to make room for them. I think it's because they are women but it could be because I stink. Well tomorrow is a big day cause my mom is meeting me at 5 to take me home for a night. I can almost smell the home cooking.
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Flint Mnt Shelter

To: Home
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

After not sleeping a wink last night in fear of kicking Chardonnay or Slim in the head I finally managed to ¢rest¢ in-between storms while tossing and turning. Once I finally decided to get up I sat in my sleeping bag for a while with others as the rain stopped. We saw a break in the clouds and it held all day. Usually when it¢s rainy you don¢t want to hike, but when it¢s sunny out all you want to do is sit in the sun, and not hike. I knew that I had to meet my mom so I pushed on for a while. When I finally got to the road crossing there was a group of 2004 road thru-hikers waiting for a friend. They asked if I wanted a beer and I gave them the standard response. ¢Hell yeah I want a beer.¢ I waited for a bit then Mom showed up. We threw everything I had in garbage bags and started towards home. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store. While we were in line to check out I had to go wait outside because I was too cold. I never thought that air conditioning could do that to me but I guess when you have spent a month in the woods you aren¢t used to that kind of stuff.
Date: 2006-04-28
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: clear sky

It was great to sleep in my own bed but since I was heading back to the trail this morning I had to get up early. 6:30!!   It was hard to get up knowing how far I planned to hike. My plan was to do 24 into Erwin. After dropping my truck off in Erwin, mom picked me up to take me back to where I left off the trail. We stopped at the gas station first to pick up some goodies for everyone on the trail. Once I started hiking I went about 6 miles till I reached the top of Big Bald Mountain. It is a 6000 foot mountain with a grassy field on top. When I got there I met Shasta, H-Bomb, Mouse, Jane, Baro, and Gringo. I gave them the Milky Way Midnight bars they had requested. I also gave Baro the diet Mountain Dew that I had been carrying since he had been complaining about going through withdrawal. We sat there for a while then I realized that I had a lot more hiking to do so I took off. After that first big climb most of the rest is downhill or close to it. There were some up hills but nothing too bad. I have hiked this section several times before so I know what to expect. I ended up jogging for a decent portion of the day. When I reached Erwin where the road crossed I saw a man walking towards me. He said that he was from the local paper doing an article on the trail and asked if he could talk to me. I said sure and asked him which paper he was with. It turned out he was with the Johnson City Press, my home town paper. He took some pictures and asked me about the trail and the area's outdoor activities. He said it would be about 2 weeks before the article was going to be printed. The guy caught me really off guard since I had just run the last 4 miles. I was a little tired but I think my communication professors would have been proud of the way I handled the media.After my ¢interview¢ I stopped by the two hostels in town and caught up with some of the hikers before heading home for Mom's famous Chicken and Rice.
Date: 2006-05-01
From: Home

To: Curley Maple Shelter
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: broken clouds

After some wonderful time at home I needed to get back on the trail. I had big plans on doing lots of miles today but that didn¢t happen.   After mom and dad dropped me off back where I had gotten off I started climbing and climbing. I had a new plan of going to the shelter just 4 miles in. As long as I got back on the trail it didn¢t matter how far because tomorrow I can just wake up, get back in my routine and keep heading north. When I got close to the shelter I could hear people before I could see them so I had no idea who going to be there. After basically 2 and half days off it could be anyone. As I passed the bushes to my delight I see the "how you doin" crew. It¢s always a good time staying with them. We caught up for a while and I went off to my hammock for the night. Before going to bed I set my watch for 6:30. And yes that¢s AM.