morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-21
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Well, the best laid plans.... Got to the Cosby Knob Shelter about 6:00 - 13 miles - feeling pretty pleased wih ourselves...And found the same Ridgerunner, who had been at Derrick Knob, was there and would be spending the night. Aaaarrrgghhhh.....He said he remembered us and that we should have volunteered to sleep in the shelter last time, rather than standing around for hours waiting to put our tent up. He also said we wouldn't have the option of tenting tonight, since this shelter wasn't even close to being full.The day before a southbound hiker had told us that he had camped at the Mt. Cammerer Trail firetower and that it was quite nice. It's a little less than 3 miles further, and after a quick dinner, we decided to use our headlamps to do some night hiking and, hopefully, camp there.It had been cloudy all day, and shortly after we left the shelter around 7:30pm, it started thundering and lightening. The lightning slicing through the sky was amazing! and helped us to see the Trail.We found the Mt. Cammerer Trail - which was pretty rugged - but, sadly, couldn't find the firetower. Around 9:30 we reluctantly gave up looking for it and pitched our tent just off the trail in a horse tie up area that quite flat.   We are feeling quite pleased with ourselves on doing 16 miles in one day AND on our unbroken record of having made it this far - and all through the Smokies - without having slept in a single shelter!!Had an uneventful night and slept until 9:00 the next morning!All's well that ends well....
Date: 2005-04-22
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Cloudy & rainy today...Boy, did we lose our sense of direction today. Did 7.1 miles of Trail and a couple more trying to find Waterville Rd. Got to Davenport Gap and saw a gravel road we thought was Waterville Road - it wasn't.Saw another gravel road and hiked up it...not Waterville Rd.Got to the bridge, but didn't see the blazes on the guard rail and didn't realize the Trail went on the interstate and the underpass.Paddlers to the rescue! A truck stopped and we accepted a ride from the bridge to Standing Bear Farm. We'd heard that this was THE place to stay, but it was not at all what we expectedIt was cold and started raining, there wasn't anyplace else nearby to stay so we decided to stay one night. There were a lot of people there,and the cabin was full so we reluctantly claimed places in the bunkhouse.Did some laundry, ate, checked email, listened to NPR, and rested our feet.Right before dark it started pouring and the wind picked up. Heard there was a tornado warning out and quarter sized hail was expected. This being a new and challenging experience for me, I didn't sleep much or well, but I was very glad not to be out in the tent during this weather.
Date: 2005-04-23
From: Davenport Gap

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It's still raining and windy and now they're predicting snow!There are a lot of hikers coming in to get out of the bad weather. We don't want to, but we're going to stay another night...Curtis drove us back to the bridge and we hiked the mile + we missed yesterday. Zen & Redbeard showed up around 5:00 and said they were going to keep going. They asked us to go with them, but we felt the weather was too bad.Shortly after they left it started snowing and the wind was blowing pretty hard. We were worried about them and anyone else still up on the mountain.It was a lonnngg night.lots of restless hikers.....lots of moonshine..... & more... the bunkhouse was the only heated building and everyone kept going out to do whatever, and then coming back in to get warm around the woodstove.Then after a while they just stayed in, and as the night went on, it wasn't just the weather that got louder and wilder.Neither of us got any sleep.Really looking forward to the peace and quiet of the woods.
Date: 2005-04-24
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Brown Gap
Miles today: 13.3

It was still snowing and windy in the morning, but we left anyway. And it continued snowing for the first 5 miles - which were ALL uphill. Phew!Then it cleared up, but was still cold. We stopped at Groundhog Creek Shelter around 2:30 for a late lunch and Zen & Redbeard were there. Because of the weather, they ended up only going about 2 miles last night.After lunch we decided to go to a forest road another hiker had told us was a good place to camp, but we missed it. Feeling good, we kept going.Around 6:00 we stopped at Brown Gap - 13.3 miles - and camped on the side of the road near another couple. Brrrr, it's cold! Too cold to even make dinner. We had cookies and hot chocolate in the tent and went to bed.Only 23 more miles to Hot Springs! We're hoping we can make it in 2 days.
Date: 2005-04-25
From: Brown Gap

To: Old Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: scattered clouds

It was so cold last night, I needed to wear my socks and wrap up in my emergency survival blanket to keep warm.Too cold to even make breakfast. Hiked about 5 minutes and ran into Zen & Redbeard breaking camp and hiked the rest of the day together.The morning was hard, hiking through shin deep snow and ankle deep mud, but then once we crossed Max's Patch, it was like an entirely different place and season - warmer and no snow! Took 4 panoramic pictures that we really hope will come out.There were a couple of guys up there so we were finally able to get a picture of Z & R and us all together. We know we slowed them down today and figure we may not see them again We stopped at Old Roaring Fork Shelter to use the privy and then camped at a beautiful spot just beyond it Zen & Redbeard are going on.
Date: 2005-04-26
From: Old Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Cloudy today. Started out with a little bit of uphill this morning, but then it was down for almost all the rest of the day.We were originally planning to stop at Deer Park Mt. Shelter and get into Hot Springs tomorrow.   But, then around 4:00 it started raining and got windy. We were feeling pretty good and decided to go for it - 14.9 miles.All the downhills made our knees a bit sore, but we made it into Hot Springs by 6:00! We are quite pleased with ourselves
Date: 2005-04-27
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Did laudry and errands, and then went to the Hot Springs Spa to soak in the natural mineral waters. They pump the water into your own private, outdoor, enclosed hot tub. Ours was right along the riverbank and it was wonderful!We decided to go into Asheville for a couple of 'vacation' days. We'd been wanting to go the since we lived in NC, but never made it, and didn't know if we'd ever get this close again.We were going to take the shuttle from Bluff Mt. Outfitters - $48 one way - but then I remembered that Enterprise advertises that they'll pick you up. They had an office in Ashville, so I decided to call them. They said they'd pick us up at no charge and we were able to rent a car for 4 days for $61.So, Asheville tomorrow!!
Date: 2005-04-28
From: Hot Springs

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

A beautiful sunny day and there are lots of hikers in town today.Enterprise picked us up at 1:00 and we were in Asheville before 2:00. There were 3 basketball tournaments in town, so we had a hard time getting a room, but ended up at the Royal Inn, formerly a Ramada. It is very nice and reasonably priced, too.First thing we did after checking in was to go to the Olive Garden. A very good dinner and bottle of wine. Ah Mama Mia... MmmmmIt is truly amazing how much comfort and pleasure a person can get from food and eating. Not to mention ambiance....We are very, very happy and thankful to be here.
Date: 2005-04-29
From: Asheville

To: Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

Slept in and just relaxing...We had a FABULOUS lunch today! Went to an Indian restaurant and it was absolutely delicious.We both got haircuts and are feeling very civilized. We cleaned up pretty good Thought about going to the Biltmre House, but decided it would be too disparate from Trail life. It was the last days of their flower show and I really would have loved to see their gardens, but I didn't think being exposed to such grandeur before heading back to the Trail was a good idea. Maybe some other time...
Date: 2005-04-30
From: Asheville

To: Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

Played tourist today. Really enjoyed walking around downtown Asheville. Lots of nice people and interesting shops. Very eclectic and diverse. Didn't realize how much I missed book stores and health food shops and art galleries and import shops.We both really like this area and agree that if we had moved to this part of NC, we'd probably still be living here. It is sooo different from where we lived in Eastern NC. Guess it wasn't meant to be... and of course, the grandbaby is in MA.Had another fabulous meal - Moroccan this time - couscous, falafel, tabouleh, Turkish coffe, mint tea.Then later we went to Woolworth's to have ice cream at their soda fountain.A very enjoyable day.
Date: 2005-05-01
From: Asheville

To: Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

Went just outside of Asheville to Kinko's to check email and then to the local WalMart to resupply. Talk about culture shock!! We felt like Alice stepping into Wonderland...On a better note, we had a delicious lunch at Jae, a Thai restaurant, and checked out a health food store that was next door. We've really been missing Thai food and neither of us like the way we've been eating on the Trail - we miss all the healthy stuff! Lentils and barley and kashi and fresh vegetables are HEAVY! After all this 'town' time, the Trail is calling. We like Asheville a lot, but we've had enough of the city for awhile. We're missing the solitude and simplicity of trail life.However, our Asheville visit definitely ended on a high note! We didn't feel like going very far for dinner, so we just walked next door to Coral Bay, a seafood restaurant.   One of the employees there, Camille, thinks that our hiking the AT is soooo cool, she's convinced we're going to be famous or at least be on Oprah or the Amazing Race. So she asked for our autographs! so she can say she knew us when.   LOLI just love Asheville
Date: 2005-05-02
From: Asheville

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Enterprise brought us back to Hot Springs around noon, and we headed right over to Elmer's to get our bounce box so we could repack to head out tomorrow.But, no bounce box Called the outfitter in Gatlinburg that mailed it for us and checked with the post office, and found out it was delivered to Hot Springs, but that it would take until tomorrow to trace it. So we're spending another night in Hot Springs.. and in the meantime, it's time for our massages and hot tub time at the Spa We both got one of our best massages ever !   aaahhhh.... Thank you, Leah & Craig.and once again, we thoroughly enjoyed the hot tub.
Date: 2005-05-03
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Another trip to the post office and we found out that our box had been delivered to the right place after all - so it's back to Elmer's...And there was our box. Someone had opened it and then left it out on a side porch. Since nothing was missing, we figured it was probably anther hiker low on money and looking for food. So, we're back on schedule to leave town tomorrow - with fond memories of Hot Springs - and all's well that ends well...
Date: 2005-05-04
From: Hot Springs

To: View Entry
Miles today: 8.3

For some reason neither of us slept well last night, so we got a late start out at 11:00.After crossing the bridge and climbing over the guard rail we started a very scenic hike along the river.This was a very pleasant day and good hiking! A bit of an uphill and then very gradual ups & downs, with good trail, nice views and great weather.Surprisingly though, we thought that after a week off we'd just take right off, but we were slow to get going. Our bodies seem to have forgotten what they've been doing for the 6 weeks prior. Things ached that never had before, our legs felt tight, and our packs felt like the had rocks in them We just took it slow and easy, and then were very pleasantly surprised to find that we had done 4.8 miles by 2:00 when we stopped for lunch by a dam and pond. It was very nice, peaceful and tranquil - and there was even a bench to sit on!After resting a bit, we felt better and it only took us another 2 hours to go the other 3.4 miles. By 5:00 we'd gone 8.3 miles, had the tent all set up, our boots off, and Yang was taking a nap.A very good day....
Date: 2005-05-05
To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

Surprise! it's raining again....it started early this morning, but thankfully, stopped long enough for us to pack up before continuing to drizzle the rest of the day.We started out going up for awhile, but then it was mostly a series of gradual ups & downs and my knees are feeling much better.Stopped at Springer Mt. Shelter for an early hot lunch - we're freezing!!The afternoon seemed long...about 5:00 we stopped at a house off Log Cabin Rd. for a little Trail Magic - cookies, Coke for Yang, refilling our water bottles. We had seen a sign staying to stop by, and since I was out of water and it was still 3 miles to the next shelter and water - which we're not sure we're going to make today - we really appreciated the offer.We left there and started looking for a flat place to put the tent. We went through an awful, large burned out area that smelled horrible Yuck!The last 2 hours were hard - all uphill, steep, and no switchbacks. We're tired and now it's hot! But, we did see a rabbit We couldn't find any places to stop, and finally, got to Little Laurel shelter around 7:00 and set up the tent. Firedog and one Southbounder were there. Had cheese & crackers for dinner ad went to bed. Did 11.3 miles and We're beat!!
Date: 2005-05-06
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

It rained during the night, but by the time we got up the sun was shining.We decided to have our breakfast at the shelter. There was no one else there, but someone had left the fire going, and with the wind, it was really burning. This was a bit disconcerting, especially with the memory of the long burned out sections we had gone through yesterday still very fresh in our minds.We put the fire out, refilled our water bladders and headed out. It was only about 7 miles to the next shelter, but the first hour was straight up and there were so many rocks we thought we were back in Georgia! There was lots of rock climbing and bouldering - nice for a change, but some of it really hard and right on the edge. Hopefully, we got some good pictures!Quite a few slackpackers passed us today ...it's a bit disheartening to have them all passing us so easily Considering all that, we thought we did really good to get to Jerry Cabin shelter at 5:00.We felt good and decided to keep going and got a nice surprise - a big, flat meadow.   We went a bit further down a side road into the woods and found a nice spot to camp just as it was clouding up. 8.1 miles for today.We both woke up around 11:00 when we heard something scratching on the tent, but never found out what it was and the rest of the night was uneventful.
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Unnamed woods road

To: Big Flat
Miles today: 11.3

Interesting day - lots of changes in scenery; lots of steps, some graves and headstones, stiles, another meadow, lots of water - streams and waterfalls great for cooling off.Unfortunately, we ran out of film Had some Trail Magic, too, in the form of sodas and apples. Stopped at Flint Mt. shelter for lunch, but after that we had some trouble figuring out where we were - couldnt't seem to find any of the markers mentioned in the book. We wanted to camp at Big Flat, but weren't sure we had the right place, especially after several other hikers came by and said that's where they were headed, too, but then all kept going.The place we ended up at had rock formations, a big flat rock, water, and one campsite, so maybe this is it ??   Guess we'll find out tomorrow...And best of all, there was enough water that I was able to fill a plastic bag and wash my hair (ahhhh..) and do some laundry.It's a lonnnggg stretch from Hot Springs to Erwin... and seeing slackpackers all day didn't helping our morale    but we're feeling much better now.A good day!   But, on a positive note -
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Big Flat

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

Didn't get much sleep last night - the tent was on a bit of an incline But woke to a nice sunny day, warm enough to wear shorts.It took us 2 hours to get to Hogback Ridge Shelter, and since we didn't see any other rock formtions or camping sites on the way, we must have been at the right place last night after all. A very nice couple from Charlotte had lunch with us at the shelter, and the woman said we were an inspiration to her for attempting the AT without any prior hiking experience.Then just before we left, a man from Michigan stopped in with his 5 grandsons (8 - 21 yrs old), all hiking the AT. And it was our turn to be impressed!We got so involved in talking to everyone, that we ended up being there for 2 hours - definitely our longest lunch break yet.Then after leaving the shelter, we only hiked about an hour whe we met another very nice couple, the Smith's from Mars Hill, NC, and ended up talking to them for about 45 minutes.There have been a lot of day hikers out today and lots of kids and dogs, and I just realized that it's Mother's Day. I got a bit emotional missing our kids and Ronan and our 'girls'...It's taking a long time to get to Erwin. This is our 5th day and night out - our longest stretch yet and still many miles to go.We stopped at 5:00 for some dinner and then hiked until about 6:30 when we got to Low Gap, a really nice campsite with a great water source - 8.2 miles for today.Had some soup that I'd been soaking all day, and it was pretty good. But I'm glad to be rid of the weight and don't think we'll have it again.Decided this was a good time and place to get rid of the bottle of Malibu that I'm tired of carrying, too - a luxury item that, though we did enjoy it, definitely is not worth the weight.It was a beautiful night with lots of stars (that, for some reason, I almost fell over looking at) LOLLearning new things every day, too. I didn't wear my gaitors today and my ankles and tops of my socks are absolutely filthy! Guess I won't do that again, either. Had a little excitement around 11:00 when a small, cute dog came sniffing around the tent and woke us up. Wonder who it belongs to?
Date: 2005-05-09
From: Low Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

We still have 21 miles to go and we're running low on food. Had oatmeal for breakfast today, and have enough for tomorrow, but we're going to have to share a bagel for lunch. Have a meal for tonight, and hopefully, we'll be in town for dinner tomorrow.Sunny again, and hot! Got a bit of a sunburn. Different terrain today - beautiful big bald and lots of flowers, but lots of rocks again, too. It took us 2 hours to get to the Bald Mt. Shelter. Lots of downhill today and my knees are sore. The dog that we saw last night hiked with us for part of the day. She is very well behaved and looks very well cared for, but doesn't have a collar or tags. We're concerned that she is getting further and further from home. It's so hot and she was so thirsty that we gave her some of our water out of Yang's hat. She went with some other hikers for awhile, but showed up again when we were having dinner. Unfortunately, all we were able to give her was some crackers, which she didn't want at first. But once she realized nothing better was coming, she ate them.We camped close to Spivey Gap and right near the best water source yet. It was clear - no mud - there were rocks to sit on, it was deep enough to soak our feet and legs, and it was surrounded by bushes. There was enough privacy for both of us to take a full sponge bath. Ahhhh....From our tent site we can see and hear cars going by on the road.Did 9.6 miles today and we need to do 11.2 miles tomorrow to get to Erwin, and then a 3 mile hitch to the Holiday Inn, where we sent our bounce box. Going to try to get an early start.
Date: 2005-05-10
From: Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

The hiking today was pretty good. The azaleas are in bloom and some sections were absolutely gorgeous.When we hike I usually go first and Yang follows. But, we may change that after today. I walked through so many cobwebs that if I hadn't wiped them away, by the time we got to town, I would have looked like a mummy. It was horrible! Yuck!Amazingly, we made it to Uncle Johnny's by 2:00! And, were at the hotel shortly after, enjoying not only the free pint of B&J's they give you for each night you stay, but also a surprise 'goodie' box from our good friends in MA, Dick & Binki Wright. THANK YOU!We also found out that Tehani had been calling for several days, apparently having forgotten that I said we would be out for a longer than usual stretch this time, and worried that she hadn't heard from us for awhile. We really enjoyed our stay at the Holiday Inn. It's a great place with really wonderful staff. They are all about customer service.The only down side to staying there is that it's not close to anything except an A&W restaurant. For anything else we needed to get a ride into town. But, thankfully, Johnny's was more than willing to shuttle us wherever we needed to go. Charlotte & Johnny are great, too.We didn't feel like going very far for dinner - I've got a blister bigger than the toe it's on!so we just went next door to the A&W.We had a salad, a piece of fish and a good laugh....when the server brought the fish over to us, he said "Be careful. It just came out of the grease. "Mmmmm.. Can I have more?Actually, it wasn't bad - as greasy, fried, fast food goes. Now I know we've been out for too long
Date: 2005-05-11
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Took the shuttle into town for groceries and to get our pictures developed, caught up on email, and spent the rest of the day with my feet up and ice on my knees.Had another nice surprise in the form of a 'goodie box' from my good friend Cheryl in NC. Lots of good stuff and brownies... She makes the BEST brownies! Mmmmmm.... THANK YOU Cheryl!!Planning to head out tomorrow.
Date: 2005-05-12
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

My knees are still hurting - enough so that I couldn't sleep last night - so we're going to stay in town another day.And it ended up being a good thing we did, because when I called home, we found out that our son-in-law's mom had just been hospitalized and was in Intensive Care.We'll check with them in the morning and depending on how she's doing we may need to go home to help out.
Date: 2005-05-13
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

The doctors aren't sure what's wrong with Michael's mom, but there's nothing we can do right now and Tehani doesn't want us to just wait around.We want to be able to check in wth her again fairly soon, so we decide to jump ahead to Carver's Gap - about 33 miles/ 3 days - and hike back to Erwin instead of continuing northward.But, we can't leave today. This is the weekend of 'Trail Days' in Damascus and all the shuttles are busy taking hikers there. We schedule one for tomorrow morning.Just realized that today is the 13th and we've been out for 2 months already! We're happy that we're still going, but a bit disappointed in our mileage - only 339 miles