morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Cheoah Bald, NC

To: Cable Gap Shelter, NC
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

It rained last night up on the bald, but I stayed dry in my tent, and woke up to a beautiful morning. Got a bit of a late start at 9:30 AM as I was drying out my rainfly. Stopped two miles later to get water and 2 SOBO section hikers told me of trail magic at the gap 3 miles north at Stecoah Gap. I did the fastest 3 miles of my hike so far and got there by noon. I realized bad weather and the promise of good food makes me hike fastest. Shufflefoot and Bare Bear, a former thru-hiker, and both former marines had a huge trail magic spread. I had 2 hot dogs, 2 packs of chips, 2 packs of cookies, and 3 sodas. After about an hour I forced myself to move on and went pretty slowly for the rest of the day, doing another 8.5 miles to Cable Gap Shelter. My feet started aching almost immediately and I thought I had a blister, but there was nothing there when I checked at the shelter, so I think it was just a long day and heavy pack (I have about 10 days of food with me). I could also see the Smokies in the distance today and Clingman's Dome, the highest peak the AT goes over. Tomorrow will be a short day to Fontana Dam and then into the Smokies.** Note ** - This was the first day I met Snowplow. I hiked with her through the Smokies and then off and on until Atkins, VA.
Date: 2008-04-09
From: Cable Gap Shelter, NC

To: Fontana Dam Shelter, NC
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: broken clouds

Slept in my tent again last night. No rain. Woke up to a chilly but clear morning and was on the trail before 9AM. Had a Clif bar for breakfast and forced myself to eat it. I am starting to despise Clif bars now. I feel like I am eating drywall. So glad I put them in my next 6 mail drops.Did about 2.5 miles uphill then the rest of the day was downhill to the shelter with a few small bumps along the way. Coming down I could see Fontana Dam and the lake it creates out of the Little Tennessee River. The Dam itself is pretty big - the highest in the eastern US. Also coming down to lower elevations brought spring into full bloom again with budding trees and lots of little purple, yellow and white flowers on the hillsides. This shelter is also known as the 'Fontana Hilton' because it can hold over 20 hikers and b/c of its close proximity to the Fontana Dam visitor's center which has free showers and restrooms. The Dam is also on the border of the Smokies for which I had to fill out a backcountry permit in order to hike through the park. I filled out my permit but will not enter the park until tomorrow. There is a good chace I'll run into snow up there despite the 60 degree weather here. Traffic including hikers used to be able to go right over the Dam into the park but now that road is closed due to terrorism levels (actually I since learned it was closed 3 weeks ago due to water forcing rebar up through the top of the Dam). I'll have to take a 2.7 blue blaze trail around the Dam to get into the park.
Date: 2008-04-10
From: Fontana Dam Shelter, NC

To: Russell Field Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up after a horrible night's sleep. A large shelter does not equal a quiet shelter. I think I encountered my loudest thru-hiker snorer so far last night. He was incessantly loud and inconsistent and would quiet up during which I imagined his sleep apnea was kicking in. Anyways it was a beautiful day and nice and windy up in the mountains. I had a dilemma this morning of whether to take the blue blaze trail around the Dam or take a shuttle around the Dam. Since the mileage was technically blue blaze I felt ok taking a shuttle which only ended up cutting off a mile or so of the blue blaze trail and took over and hour to wait for and ride. It would have been faster to just take the blue blaze. I entered the Smokies and went up and over Shuckstack Mt. with Flamethrower and Aaron. It was about a 4 mile climb out of Fontana going up about 2000 ft. It was tough but no tougher than the climb out of NOC. In fact it was a little shorter. Saw my biggest wildlife today when I looked up and saw a doe (on Doe Knob of course) on the trail about 30 yards in front of me. We both startled each other and it took off. She was pretty fat so I was thinking maybe she was pregnant. No bear sightings yet. Staying in the shelter tonight, which is required in the Smokies if there is enough room. There are all sorts of regulations here. If the shelters are full then only 4 thru-hikers can stay in them. This shelter actually has a metal fence across the opening to keep bears out. Always reassuring to sleep in a cage. The weather is supposed to start getting bad tomorrow afternoon, so I will be trying to get through the Smokies as fast as possible. Oh and I think I should also have just under 2000 miles left to Katahdin after today. Also met a girl from Israel thru-hiking today, she's doing big miles so I'll never see her again.** Note ** - The girl from Israel became 'Whisper' and this was the first day I met her. Looking back it is funny that I thought I would never see her again. I saw her again at Trent's Grocery Store, Pearisburg, and Daleville, all in Virginia. I did not see her again until Galehead Hut in the White Mts. and then hiked with her from there to Stratton, ME, where she jumped ahead of me to meet her family and hike with them to the end.
Date: 2008-04-11
From: Russell Field Shelter, NC/TN

To: Derrick Knob Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up to a chilly, cloudy, and windy day. Trail rumors and weather reports were calling for rain to start in the afternoon and last all day tomorrow, so I took a shorter day to this shelter and will take a short day tomorrow and hopefully go over Clingman's Dome in clear weather on Sunday. Would love to get some good views up there. My feet were aching by the time I got to this shelter early in the afternoon after feeling pretty good yesterday. No new blisters. However, a new foot phenomenon appears to be that my big toes are in a perpetual state of semi-numbness. That can't be good.Went up and over Thunderhead Mt. (5527 ft) today. Lots of clearings on the top. Probably would have been some great views but the wind was blowing clouds across the summit. The wind was so strong I had some trouble keeping my balance but it felt good and dried the sweat off.Also since yesterday I've been hiking on the NC/TN state line as the trail runs along the boundary for a good while through the park and after. No cage at this shelter to keep bears out, only a tarp across the fun. Yep, this feels safe. Think I'll take the top bunk level tonight.** Note ** - I believe this was the first day I met Corinna, aka The Fizz, but it could have been the day before. I hiked with her through the rest of the Smokies and for large portions of the trail to Atkins, VA.
Date: 2008-04-12
From: Derrick Knob Shelter, NC/TN

To: Mt. Collins Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained and thunderstormed last night, but the sun was out in the morning. It turned out to be an unexpectedly beautiful, if chilly and windy, day. I felt great all day and rocked the trail out over Clingman's Dome (6643 ft). Also went over Siler's Bald, which I renamed Richard Robert's Bald in my head. Coming down from Siler's I was feeling like a hiking pro as I passed a group of boy scouts. Then 5 mins later I slipped and fell on my pack on some wet leaves. Mmmm, humble pie. 3rd fall of the trip. I went over Clingman's Dome with a thru-hiker named Corrina from West Virginia who like me is still trailname-less. She works with sea turtles which I found interesting. There were a lot of tourists on Clingman's and the concrete tower at the top was really cold and windy but I had great 360 degree views.The other big accomplishment for the day was crossing the 200 mile mark on the trail (according to the 2008 mileage). Under 2007 mileage I am still under 200.The woods north of Clingman's Dome were predominantly pine forest and reminded me a lot of some of the woods I've seen in Northern PA. It is going to be a clear night and I can already see the half moon out, so I am hopeful for another clear day tomorrow.
Date: 2008-04-13
From: Mt. Collins Shelter, NC/TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It got cold last night and I woke up to a cloudy day with snow flurries. Packed up and got on the trail to my coldest morning yet. So much for yesterday's nice weather. It was cold and windy and flurrying until I got to Newfound Gap where the AT crosses the only road going through the park. I had a decision to make here - get a ride into Gatlinburg 15 miles away and hope for better weather tomorrow, or keep going into higher elevations and worse weather. It wasn't a hard decision as the heights in front of me were already covered in clouds which meant it was snowing up there already. I got a ride into Gatlinburg with Flamethrower, Aaron, Corrina and Amy by an army guy who was out for the weekend.I've spent the rest of the day showering, doing laundry in the sink, eating at the Smoky Mt. Brewery and watching the last day of the Masters. I was in Gatlinburg once before over 15 yrs ago and since then it seems to have tripled in size and tackiness. A little overwhelming after the calm of the NOC.
Date: 2008-04-14
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Peck's Corner Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 10.4

Woke up and got back on the trail via a shuttle to Newfound Gap. It was cold and snowing, but not windy. It was snowing enough to cover the ground. It snowed harder throughout the day and is still snowing now at the shelter which is over 5000 ft. The woods were very still and quiet today. There are probably several inches on the ground now. At one point the snow turned into a brief ice storm. I stayed pretty warm and dry while hiking, but it is definitely cold out and the water in my camelback tube froze. Snow, snow, snow. Started a fire inside the shelter, but it hasn't done much to warm it up. I'm in my sleeping bag with every layer on at 6:30PM and plan on using some hand warmers tonight.Since it's still early, I'll entertain myself tonight by describing the 3 ways to go to the bathroom out here. There are 2 types of privies (basically an outhouse) and then there is just going in the woods. The traditional privy is just a hold in the ground. The 'mouldering' privy sits above ground and when you finish you throw a handful of wood chips, leaves, etc. into the privy and then bacteria, worms and nature breaks down the waste. Guys are encouraged not to urinate in the privies in order to keep them cleaner. Mouldering privies so far have smelled better of the two. Finally, you can just go in the woods where you dig your own 6 inch hole. I've only had to do this once way back at Addis Gap in GA. Just as I found a log to go behind and was squatting, some sort of experimental military aircraft came roaring through the gap just above the trees. There are probably images of me going to the bathroom in the woods in a government database now.
Date: 2008-04-15
From: Peck's Corner Shelter, NC/TN

To: Cosby Knob Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up to a very cold, but clear blue and sunny morning. It continued to snow overnight and there was at least 6 inches on the ground, with higher snow drifts from the wind. At first it was not too bad hiking with how clear and pristine everything looked with lots of good views of snow covered mountains. Looking down in the valleys, I could tell that it only snowed at the higher elevations. Went over Sequoia, Chapman, and Guyot Mts. and the hiking became increasingly more difficult. Trudging through half foot snow felt like 2 or 3 steps for every one step and was exhausting. Felt like I hiked a lot further than I actually did. Towards the end of the day, the sun melted the snow on the trail at lower elevations to a watery slush. My boots and socks were soaked by the time I got to the shelter. Tonight will be my last night in the Smokies. It will be nice to get out and not have to worry about bears and drastic weather changes. Amy got a trailname today - 'Snowplow' for leading the way in the morning and breaking a path through the snow.
Date: 2008-04-16
From: Cosby Knob Shelter, NC/TN

To: Standing Bear Hostel, TN
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Out of the Smokies.Spring exploded back into bloom as I descended from the shelter at 4700ft. down to Davenport Gap at 1400ft. where it was in the 60's. Saw 4 deer literally standing in the trail on my way out of the Smokies. I crossed the Pigeon River and went under interstate 40 and about a mile later I was within 200yds. of Standing Bear Hostel. $15 for a bed, shower and laundry for the night? Couldn't say no, so here I am for the night. This place has an almost commune type feel to it, but it is really nice and the owner Curtis really goes out of his way for hikers.I believe I will also accept the trailname 'Pacer' from Flamethrower and Aaron.
Date: 2008-04-17
From: Standing Bear Hostel, TN

To: Roaring Fork Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to a cool, beautiful day after a horrible night's sleep in the hostel bunkhouse. One hiker was sick and coughed all night long. Things like this are to be expected when staying in a large bunkhouse. Anyways, had a long, but not too strenuous hike up and over Snowbird Mt. There was an odd looking FAA traffic loss sensor at the top. The best part of the day, and possibly the entire hike so far, came when I reached the top of Max Patch at 4629ft. The top of the mountain is clear but is not a natural bald. It is all grassy and I got 360 degree views. I threw down my pack and laid against it in the grass and relaxed for a good half an hour in the sun and just enjoyed the views. Definitely one of the best parts of the hike so far.Got to the shelter and was originally going to tent until I saw the trail register which said a bear was here last night and got everyone's food. So I am staying in the shelter tonight and we've taken a lot of precautions in bear bagging our food bags and also got a pretty good fire going. There is also a dog barking in the distance, so hopefully all of these things will deter the bear from returning tonight. The next closest shelter is over 4 miles away and I am just too tired and hungry to go any further tonight so I'll risk the bear. Smart? Doubtful.
Date: 2008-04-19
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Zero Day.Hung out at the Paddler's Pub (another whitewater rafting town) with Bearbait, Flamethrower, Pop Tart, Vultran, Whiskers, Slaphappy, Machete, Pemmy, and 2 Beers last night. I ate almost an entire 16" pizza by myself. My hiker hunger may be ramping up. I may also be starting to get my trail legs after doing a 15 mile day followed by an 18 mile day and my legs and feet do not feel too bad. No new blisters. Looks like a good day for a zero as it is cloudy and threatening to rain. Will do the usual town chores and resupply. Unfortunately I have no cell phone reception here, so much for AT&T's more bars, more places, and the library is closed so I am limited to half an hour of internet time on the outfitter's computer. Also weighed myself at the outfitters and it looks like I lost 8-10lbs in the last month.
Date: 2008-04-21
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mt. Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 11.0

One month on the trail. Finally escaped the surprisingly expensive clutches of Hot Springs. As usual the trail went uphill out of town after crossing the French Broad River. Went uphill to Lover's Leap Rock and shortly thereafter Corinna caught up to me and we hiked together for a few miles. The trail was not too bad today, but after two days in town my body felt stiff. The weather was cool and partly sunny - good hiking weather. Went over Rich Mt. and I am tenting tonight near the shelter. This will be my first night in my tent since before Fontana Dam. Trail rumor has it that there is trail magic in the form of Belgian Waffles at the next road crossing.
Date: 2008-04-22
From: Spring Mt. Shelter, NC/TN

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

Slept well in my tent last night. Woke up to a cool and clear morning at 7AM when a woodpecker started hammering away at a tree above my tent. It was like a Flintstone's alarm clock. I was on the trail by 8:30AM and hiked to the road crossing a little over 4 miles north. There I made a right and went 350yds. to the house of former thru-hikers Fal and Hercules (NOBO '99). Every spring they host trail magic at their house (which they purchased after their hike just to be close to the trail) for about 7 weeks for hikers. I washed up and they began serving me my best trail magic to date. I had a Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream, apple juice, coffee, fruit salad, pork stew, bread and butter, coke, and bread pudding over the course of an hour and a half. While I was there 7 other hikers came in and ate similar amounts. Incredibly delicious and generous. I was a little slow starting back on the trail but all the food gave me energy for a long day. The trail was pretty easy today except for a long climb up Camp Creek Bald (which I renamed Jimmy Boy's Bald) and a rocky ridge line that reminded me of PA. Looking down to the left I could see lots of farmland in TN stretching to the horizon. A long day and my feet hurt but it was worth it.
Date: 2008-04-23
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter, NC/TN

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Crossed the 300 mile mark today. Went up and over Big Butt Mt. (I swear I'm not making the name up). Passed some gravestones along the trail dating from the civil war to to present, including one of a former thru-hiker who had his ashes spread on the spot. A little creepy.After Big Butt I went downhill for awhile and saw some bear scat on the trail. Good to know the bears are still close by. Also went over my first stile today, which is a little wooden ladder up and over a fence - usually protecting a farmer's pasture or fields, but which the ATC has purchased an easement across (yeah legal knowledge coming in handy). Passed lots of rusted barbed wire, which literally seemed to run right along the state line. Also went over Frozen Knob today.
Date: 2008-04-24
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter, NC/TN

To: Spivey Gap, NC/TN
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I did not sleep well last night. I could not get comfortable and woke up every hour or so and kept hearing rustling leaves outside my tent, whether from wind or mice I don't know. Plus everything in my tent felt damp from condensation when I woke. So it was in a pretty pissy mood that I got on the trail this morning with a late start at 9:30AM. A few miles later I crossed under interstate 26 and began climbing uphill. About halfway up I encountered trail magic left right on the trail in the form of cupcakes, cookies and water by an anonymous trail angel. I felt like a ravenous animal as I snacked and the food made an immediate impact on improving my mood. No longer did I feel tired or bitter. Instead it helped power me the rest of the way up Big Bald (which I renamed Tall Mike's Bald) at just over 5500 ft.Big Bald had amazing 360 degree views and rivaled Max Patch. The weather was not as nice as on Max Patch, but I could see more and farther. As we were relaxing on Big Bald a trail maintainer for the section came up with more trail magic. Double trail magic day! He also spent some time pointing out all the mountains in the distance for us. We could look back south and see the Smokies in the distance. After this break I felt even better and pushed on a mile to a shelter for water and then on to this current campsite. In the gap just before this campsite I encountered my third trail magic of the day in the form of the last of a stash of pop tart on the go bars left by someone. Flamethrower and I got there at the same time so we split the bar. Triple trail magic day!So what started out as a bad day was turned around by strangers and trail magic just when I needed it. My feet did not even feel that sore at the end of the day due to the small breaks spread throughout the day. A little over 11 miles to Erwin,TN and my maildrop tomorrow.
Date: 2008-04-25
From: Spivey Gap, NC/TN

To: Erwin,TN
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

Slept better last night, but I am noticing spring allergies bothering me more in the mornings at these lower elevations. I woke up at 6AM and was on the trail by 7:15AM this morning to get to Erwin by early afternoon. The trail was not bad, largely downhill overall to the Nolichucky River, another rafting river. For the first part of the morning I had some bad indigestion as my stomach seemed to revolt against my Clif bar and creekwater breakfast (I've since realized it may also have been from the Sudafed I took this morning too). I swear that was the last Clif bar I'll eat.About halfway through the morning it was like a switch turned on inside me and I felt better and fired off down the rest of the trail to Erwin, getting here a little after noon behind Flamethrower, Bearpack, and Bearbait. We have jokingly been referring to ourselves as 'Team Discovery' after all the Discovery Channel we watched in Hot Springs as well as a Discovery Channel commercial song that has been stuck in my head all week. Anyways, got to town and did the usual - food, post office, laundry. There is a lot of smoke in the sky here from controlled burns going on in the mountains around here. Everything outside smells like smoke. Glad I'm not out there tonight.The weather is calling for rain tomorrow and it is also the NFL draft...not a good combination for escaping town. We will see.**I also want to say I appreciate all the guestbook comments, however, I did not have my e-mail address posted on here from 3/21/08 til today, so I was unable to have the recorded e-mail addresses in the guestbook sent to me. But I fixed that problem now so I will have all e-mail addresses forwarded to me. Also, I am sending my pictures home and they can be viewed at http://www.readingeagle.com**
Date: 2008-04-26
From: Erwin,TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Zero Day. It was supposed to rain and thunderstorm today. So far it has only rained for about half hour this morning. It still smells like smoke outside from the controlled burns. I guess it could be raining more up in the mountains, but it is a little frustrating and I felt like I should have been hiking today. I have however enjoyed watching the NFL draft.
Date: 2008-04-27
From: Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter, NC/TN
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Left Erwin and was on the trail by 8:30AM. Spent the first mile walking through spiderwebs until I ran into two SOBO's and after that the way was clear. Hiked a little over four miles and took a break at the first shelter at 10:30AM. Hiked another four miles and took another break at Indian Grave Gap at 12:30PM. It started drizzling and Bearbait, who wasn't feeling well, and Flamethrower, who wanted out of the rain, caught a ride back to Erwin for the night. Bearpack and I decided to push on another 8 miles to the next shelter. The rain stopped until we got to the top of Beauty Spot. Beauty Spot was a little ironic as the entire TN side of the trail was scortched from the recent controlled burns from Indian Grave Gap to here. We also just missed pancake trail magic at the top of Beauty Spot. From here to rain went from drizzle to steady rain to downpour and I got soaked. I somehow left my extra pair of underwear behind (now to be added to my forgotten gaiters, rain pants, and waterproof socks - all of which would have been helpful today). I went up and over Unaka Mt., which had a dense stand of pine trees at the top that made me think 'this is what Mirkwood must be like.' Most of the things in my pack stayed dry. Got to the shelter and hung up my wet clothes, but I'm sure it'll all be wet in the morning, so hopefully the sun will be out and I can get a late start after drying them off. Also there are two guys here tonight from Nova Scotia who keep saying 'Eh?'.