morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-03-28
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

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

Happy Birthday, Avery, my first born daughter! It's her 2nd annual 29thbirthday. Hope you feel better soon, sweetie!What a great hike today...sure makes up for the day before. I am amazed at howmy mood not changes from day to day, but from hour to hour. I can be grindingup a steep hill (so steep that it would be a double black if I were skiing) andhuffing and puffing, resting every 10 feet, wondering why I'm doing this...andwhen I get to the top (sometimes an hour or so later) and the view of mountainsin every direction and all the pain is immediately forgotten!Tonight I'm sleeping in a shelter with 5 others...I hope no one snores toobadly. Well, so far I've lost nothing, because everything I've left behind has caught upwith me. Today it was my Nalgene bottle that I left at a trail magic rest stop. Thank you, Dozer!Last night we had Willing & Abal, EZ, Terrapin Flyer, Grambo (a 65 yr old womandoing it solo with her dog), Dozer, Diamond, Father Christmas, Knockout, andYard Sale.Diamond, Knockout, and Terrapin Flyer went on to the next shelter. The rest ofus are here and a new hiker has joined us tonight...Stretch. She came all theway from the NOC today...16 miles.Tomorrow we have to do 12 miles by 5:00 to get to our inn for the night, sowe're sleeping in the shelter...that way we don't have tents/hammocks to pack upin the morning. Besides, it might rain tonight. Shelters are very dusty anddirty, but so are we!Time for lights out...it's after 8:00! Step lightly
Date: 2007-03-29
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: The Hike Inn, Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

Happy 20th Birthday, Diamond...trail buddy that I'm sharing a room with the next 2 nights while we zero here. Diamond is a newbie backpacker, but she's a strong hiker and has learned lotsout here. Her dad hiked with her to Hiawassee, but she's on her own now anddoing great! Tonight we went to a local diner with Willing & Abal to celebrateher birthday over fudge brownie sundaes! Nancy & Jeff who own and operate The Hike Inn have a great little business here. They've owned this 5 room county motel for 15 years and only hosthikers...shuttles from the trail and to town, laundry, clean rooms, and greatshowers.It sure feels good to be off my feet. The last 4 hours of hiking today I was inpain with deeply aching feet. The only time a foot didn't hurt was when itwasn't on the ground, so by continuing to hike I had many alternating moments ofrelief of one foot or the other. But then there's the knees. We had 3 miles toget down to the dam and it really gets the knees. I'm hoping they get strongerand these pains go away, otherwise my daily mileage will not pick up.We had to get to the dam by 5 so Abal and I felt a lot of pressure to not daudletoday. We got going by 8:15 and pulled in to Fontana Dam at 3:35...our fastestday yet, but we only took a 10 minute lunch stop to eat a power bar...not fun topush like that! Add to our push, we had rain last night and some today makingthe rocks quite slippery...my fear of falling is quite high considering I've hadabout 8-10 "almosts" that really gets the heart pumping! I have one fall, incamp, with my Crocs on...slid and smashed my shin on an exposed tree root...madea noise so loud others came running. It was sore but not disabling the nextday. Met another new hiker here at the inn: Fly Away. And yesterday met Mr Ed, a 60yr old guy who's moving fast...he's come from Springer in 10 days what's takenmost of us 19. I think he's got a trail journal on this site.The number of new faces is dwindling as we get further north...usually it'ssomeone moving faster than we are so we don't see them more than a rest stop orperhaps over night.A zero tomorrow will allow the feet to rest and then on into the Smokies! Hopethis winter gear we're hauling gets some use, but also hoping for someincredible views! Step lightly
Date: 2007-03-30
From: The Hike Inn, Fontana Dam, NC

To: Hiker Inn, Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

These days of rest are so critical to heal the wounds, get the gear clean, andresupply food. Dennis has been sending me resupply boxes. I got my second oneyesterday at the post office. I love the notes and treats he puts in forme...this time it was stale peeps, my fave! Thanks, Honey !Rummaged through the hiker box this morning. A hiker box is at every hostel orinn and is a place that hikers can put the extra gear or food that they don'twant to carry. And there's often good stuff in there. I got a pair of Reefsandals, mash potatoes, and packaged salmon in there. I sent that and some ofmy extra food and heavy cables on ahead to after the Smokies. It's always funto check the box!Since this is a day of rest, I'm going to keep this short. But I do want tomention 2 new hikers I met today: Bluemeanie and Hiker Chick. They also have ajournal on this site. They got in this evening. Bluemeanie was limpingslightly so they are zeroing tomorrow. We got a chance to compare notes, getcaught up on any news of hikers behind us on the trail, and compare gear! That's about all we do when we met new folks. On the way back from town Nancy showed us a glimpse of Clingman's Dome off inthe distance. It's the highest peak on the AT at just over 6600 feet, I thinkshe said. We'll be there in a couple of days...oh, boy!I bought some inserts for my boots to help my arches and then added toilet paperpadding with duct tape to make a good arch support. We'll see if it helps atall tomorrow. Gotta try and keep these feet happy. Did some serious massagingof them this morning, so tomorrow we'll see. Interesting note. While at the library today, I took a look at the tripschedule I had done up at home and not looked at once since I started thistrip...lo and behold...I arrived at Fontana Dam on the exact day I guessed I would months ago! I'm right onschedule...amazing!!!Time for sleep, it's late for a hiker...11:00...and we have to be ready to leavehere by 8:30...there's no sleeping in, no weekends, no real days off (if I'm nothiking, then I'm getting ready). I often don't know what day of the week it is,what day of the month it is...and for that matter, what month it is! Time istruly warped out here and the usual milestones are hard to find, so it's easy toget lost...so to speak. Step lightly
Date: 2007-04-01
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Destination:Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: light rain

I woke up to a rainy, misty morning after a night of heavy winds and snoring instereo. I think I need to invest in earplugs...those who use them swear theywork great.We decided to keep our hike short today because it was the worst weather we'dseen and the second 6 miles was extremely difficult, according to the ridgerunner, Grey Beard. It was good we did because Abal's ankle is bothering herand she had to slow her pace.When I got to the shelter about 2, I found a pleasant surprise: a guy travelingon horseback with a pack mule. He'd been out camping for a couple of daystraveling about 15 miles per day. Of course, I couldn't ask him enoughquestions. He and his dad have 80 acres of land on Tennessee with 8 horses. Hewas training for a week in Wyoming this summer where he'll ride for a week. Theharnessing and panniers for the mule were new and cost about $1000. I've had theidea of traveling the Pacific Crest Trail on horseback, so it was interestingtalking about the logistics of such a trip.When you get into camp early, the afternoon is very long. I even got a naptoday, which was a nice treat. I also talked with my brother, Dave, who livesin Lexington, KY. And trail magic! He offered to drive down to Gatlinburg, TNThursday morning and give us a lift back to the trail on his way to visit hisson, Eric in SC. We're hoping the timing works out for us, because hitchingback to the trail from that town is said to be quite difficult. Things do seemto just fix themselves on the trail...it's a wonderful thing.We have found that when you're not hiking it destroys your food allotments. Wegot caught at a shelter late this morning and were waiting out the rain, so weall were raiding our food bags, eating the morning's ration of snacks and theafternoon's! We do count out our days of food when coming out of town: how manybreakfasts, lunches, and dinners as well as snacks until we get back to town. Alot of people eat oatmeal for breakfast, while others eat poptarts or trail barsof some sort. I'm in the later category because I don't like bothering withcooking in the morning. W&A don't cook so they soak oatmeal over night withdried fruits and nuts. I'll talk about lunches in another journal entry.   Step lightly
Date: 2007-04-02
From: Destination:Spence Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Who set an alarm for 6am?...and then didn't get up? Cory said, "It was my phone,but it was turned off...I'm so sorry!" Cory and Frankie are from Iowa, CornellCollege there. She's a biology major and he a religious studies major. They'reon spring break and backpacking here for the week. Got a tast of thru-hikers! Sheltermates:Family of dad, son, and daughter out for a few daysCheese, Larr, and Brew - 3 thru-hikersVanilla Gorilla, a very tall guyOffice Legs (Dad who works for Citigroup) and Lost (his daughter who has tofinish by 9/1 to get back to Colby College on Maine)A late start set Abal and me up for a very long day. She has a sore ankle so wastravelling at 1 mile per hour...you do the math.Well, my pocketmail just did it again...closed without asking me if I wanted tosave and I lost 10 minutes of writing! That was so frustrating that I justclosed it up and got busy breaking camp. I wish I could figure out whatcombination of keys is causing that to happen. I had written about what a long day that hike was...they kept moving the sheltertjhat was at the halfway point and we didn't arrive there until 3. Then westill had 5.5 more miles to go! I was so worried that my mood would be low, myenergy depleted, and my feet so sore they'd be unwalkable...and that we wouldn'tget intil after dark. I was dreading the rest of the day and concerned how itwould end. I could camp anywhere, but you're not allowed to in the Smokies. You have to stay at a shelter. Abal carries a tarp so she could camp out if shehad to. So off we go. What I love about Abal is her positive attitude, and she and Istart calculating what time we will arrive. my mood was good, my energy stayedup, and my feet cooperated. We had a delightful afternoon hike and the terrainwas much easier. We came rolling in before 7! Thanks, Abal, I couldn't havemade it without your support! That's how things can change out here. Her anklefelt better, her speed picked, and we had a great time. Add to that, it was abeautiful afternoon as we watched our shadows get longer.Step lightly
Date: 2007-04-03
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Grand Prix Motel, Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We're off to town today. We need to resupply and want to see Gatlinburg...we'retouring the country via the Appalachian Trail! Visiting the towns along the wayis as much of the trip as hiking through the woods, and besides I need a changeof scenery. And since it's going to be 12.5 miles to get to the road crossingwhere we'll hitch to town, we decided to get started early by 8. Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT, is on today's path. We hadincredible views on the way up. I don't even have the language to describe thefeeling of climbing up rough, slippery rocks, breathing hard, coming out ofwoods,and I pop my head over the ridge and mountains in the sun come intoview...breathtaking! I stop and just soak up the sensations. Photos don't dothese scenes justice, but I'll try.Clingman's Dome has a manmade arial viewing tower with a massive cement handicapramp into the sky. What an eyesore! We did go up it with all the tourists (asthere is a road up there). It didn't even compare to the views we had from thewoods that we worked so hard to see.We popped out of the woods around 5:15 (early) at Newfoundland Gap to a scene ofa parking lot of cars and crowds of tourists. We stuck out our thumbs tonstarthitching and someone whistles to get our attention. Trail Magic! Flame, PapaSmurf, and Big Red who all hiked it in 2002 are there with sodas, homemeadecookies, hard boiled eggs, and fruit...and a ride to town! The trail provideswhatever you need.I goy a nice note from Susan Getter (Diamonmd's mom), but your email address wasinvalid, so I couldn't answer you back. I loved getting to know your daughter. I spent 2 nights rooming with her at Fontana Dam. She's a stronger hiker thanwe are, so she's continued on while we've stopped. She's hooked up with a greatgroup: Father Christmas, the 29 yr old guy from Bristol, England; Dozer, the 27yr old retail mgr from VA and the one with the best wit; Thunder, mid 30's guyfrom the resaurant business who snores; Boo Boo, a 50 yr old woman who hasjournal here; so she's in good hands and holding her own...youu should be proudof her, I sure am. Please email me at thebaglady07@gmail.com and let me knowhow she's doing and what news she has of the others she's with.And to others reading my journal, please use the guest book to send me anyquestions you have about how things are done out here...I'm not sure what piecesI'm omitting or forgetting and I'll answer your questions here in my journal. We three are sharing a motel room again in Gatlinburg. We found a great Italianplace last night called Best Italian Restaurant that offered football sizecalzone, large lunch size pizza loaded with veggies, and good bluegrass musicplaying on the courtyard. The worst part about any evening is how our legs and feet seize up when wesit...have to hobble around when we get up and start walking....wouldn't guesswe'd hiked 13 miles over mountains that day! Step lightly
Date: 2007-04-04
From: Grand Prix Motel, Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Gatlinburg is a tourist mecca at the foothills of the Smokies. It has aplethora of rustic hotels lining the Little Pigeon River's banks and all theusual chain stores and gift shops. But right in the center of all this 20thcentury capitalism is a one room log cabin built by the 5 Ogle brothers fortheir mother in 1807. Seeing that was the highlight of Gatlinburg.The motel we're staying at has unusual business practices. They close theoffice at 6pm, don't open 'till 10 am or whenever, and are closed all day Sunday! Most interesting for a motel, don't you think?Step lightly
Date: 2007-04-05
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

My brother, Dave, and niece, Auriel, drove in to Gatlinburg this morning to meetup with me (and W&A), go out to breakfast, and give us a lift back to thetrail. It was so great to have a touch with my other life and to have part ofmy real family meet my trail family. Dave, thanks so much for making thathappen!When they left us off at Newfoundland Gap, the wind was whipping and it wasfreezing! We could see the frost on the trees on the top of the mountains andlater we got to hike in it as it melted and blew off the trees like snow on theground! It was a cold breezy walk, but the sun shining over the mountains madefor spectacular views. The challenge today waas a late start and still 10 milesto hike to a shelter. Abal and I dragged in just shy of 7pm, my feet and ankleshurting so badly that I was hobbling in. My plantar fasciitis is acting upbadly and I've got to figure something out.I'm in a shelter tonight, the only girl with about 8 guys...talk about lack ofprivacy! Oh well, I just want to stay warm because it's going to be our coldestnight yet...down in the teens possibly. One of the guys got a great fire goingin the fireplace in the shelter, so right now it's not too bad, but it's gonnaget colder! I have everything on and my liner in my pack...so wish me luck.I have to go rub my feet and see if I can get them ready for another day ofhiking.
Date: 2007-04-06
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

Coldest night yet...probably the low 20s, but I stayed warm! Once I was up, Ihad to get hiking to stay warm. What views there were of ice covered trees andmountaintops breaking above the clouds! But keep moving 'cause its cold. Abaland I had our fastest day yet...we got to our shelter BEFORE 5pm! We weretrucking...I could have done 15 miles today easily! And my feet stayedhappy...miracle of drugs!Donny Keyhote was given a well traveled monkey to carry north. This stuffedmonkey has traveled up and down the AT many times, never quite making Katahdinor Springer before being handed off to a hiker going the other direction. Hestarted going northbound on Freight Train, then southbound on Lawn Chair, thennorthbound on Night Rider, and southbound on Smooth. And now he's the monkey onDonny Keyhote's back.Gotta go, it's snowing outside, the temperature is dropping, and myu fingers arefrozen! It's an early night...it's only 7:15!!!
Date: 2007-04-07
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Catastrophe: my water bladder leaked about a liter of water under my sleeping pad, sleeping bag and pillow! I discovered it about 9:30 when I tried to get a drink of water. My skimpy towel did little to mop it up...and a frigid night was just beginning. I laid down a sheet of plastic over the wet drop cloth, the put Willing's Tvek cloth over my pad and hoped for the best with my damp bottom ofmy sleeping bag and damp pillow. I had a vapor barrier bag inside my sleepingbag and the bottom of the bag is compressed anyways, so provides little warmth.One of the things I love about being out here is the "make do" attituderequired. I didn't panic, but assessed the problem, the things at hand, andfigured what would fix it enough to go back to sleep.It was a chilly night, but I survived. It got down to around 15 degrees! Waterfroze in our bottles. And it snowed about 4-6 inches by morning. It was so coldbut so beautiful when we got up.I had great energy today and trucked! It was so cold there was no stopping so Ikept moving quickly and made the 10 miles in record time ...4 hours and 45minutes! I was in at 1:15 to the hostel and had all afternoon to get my shower,do laundry, and catch up on the news. I must say that the hiking wastreacherous and I almost slide down the side of the mountain twice when my footslipped and the trail is right on the edge. I slipped on both feet and caughtmyself with my poles...I could see my head going backward hitting a rock. I hadthe most number of "almosts" today: 6. Almost fell.I've caught back up with Father Christmas and Dozer who zeroed here. Thebunkhouse is full and it sleeps 16...there's also another cabin that sleeps 4and the barn floor. It's got a wood stove in the bunkhouse, so this is thewarmest place to be. There's been some great music tonight with one on guitar,harmonica, whistler, and drummer...and some good singing...such fun!Moving on towards Hot Springs tomorrow. Should take me three days to get there.   Step lightly
Date: 2007-04-08
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

Happy Easter! What a glorious evening last night turned out to be...Finneganfiddling, Dozer on the washboard, Donny Keyhote singing, Tree on the guitar, M&Mattempting the spoons, Fishin' Fred on the harmonica, all singing Irish pubtunes...quite the mountain music! A bright, sunny day...good for hiking, after we fed our selves a gourmetbreakfast of Hot Pockets heated in the microwave. Willing & Abal got up early toattend a sunrise Easter service at a local Baptist church, but the rest of usenjoyed the morning by sleeping in.Today's hike was short so we all left around noon...but all spread out. It wasstill chilly but with sun, so it was hard to get the clothing layers right. Iwas cold to start but with a 7 mile climb it didn't take long to heat up...butas soon as I stripped down a layer I would come around the mountain and a coldbreeze would hit me and I'd get chilled.The hardest part today was the additional weight resupply. I wasn't movingquite as swiftly as yesterday, but I am feeling stronger. I can chug up hillswith fewer rest stops and keep up a good tempo.When I was arriving at the gap for the night, I was listening to my iPod and theair got warmer as I came into the sunlight breaking through the very tall trees,I broke into tears of joy, the feeling was so high, so emotional, so happy to beliving every day in the woods. I'm beginning to sense the feeling of a longdistance hiker.Step lightly
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Walnut Mtn Shelter

To: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn, Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: few clouds

It finally happened. The trail often runs around the side of the mountains witha steep drop off on the edge of the trail. And Abal and I have often talkedabout how awful it would be to tumble down the mountainside. Well, I had mybiggest ALMOST to date: I stepped off the edge of the trail after tripping on aroot while adjusting my cap with my hiking pole tucked under my arm! And Iscrambled to get my balance, to not fall off the mountain...and Iscrambled...and I scrambled...and I scrambled...about 12-15 steps on the steepmountainside...all the time saying, "Oh My God...Oh My God..Oh My God" before Iwas able to right myself and get back on the trail. Boy was my heart apounding! That was too close.About 3 pm I hoofed it into Hot Springs, NC where the AT goes right through thetown...there are AT symbols in the sidewalk to mark the trail. I'm staying at ahostel inn that's in the oldest Victorian house in Hot Springs with highceilings and Victorian antiques...quite quaint. But my room is the "slave'squarters" in the basement, as I refer to it. It's a cute room with an old deskand trunk and twin bed...it's just in the basement with no windows and that's abit unsettling.   I thought the one benefit would be it would be extra quietdown there, but the inn manager came down about 10 or so as was talking loudlyon the phone...end of the quiet. I finally get back to sleep and wake up towhat sounds like Thunder's snoring. I quit! I need one night that I'm nothearing snoring! Some things just put me over the edge and this did it. I cameupstairs to the bathroom and sat down and cried. Sometimes travelling andchanging your environment day in and day out just takes its toll. There's no nest called home...well, yes there is, and that's myhammock...and that's where I really wanted to be last night, I guess. I satdown in a chair in the main hallway and tried to sleep...then decided I wasbeing ridiculous, and went back to my cave, snuggled in my bed, and willedmyself back to sleep. Sometimes I just have to take control of myself and notlet my emotions rule when it's not in my best interest.After we all landed yesterday it was like a family reunion at the locallaundromat. Many are staying at a nearby motel and they were there too. Wemade plans to meet at the local diner for dinner...mmm deep-fried what???   Gonna take a zero or possibly two here 'cause the food is fabulous: organicvegetarian!Step lightly