morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Tricorner Shelter

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

The hike today was mostly downhill, but as we have learned, there is no such thing as all downhill. Mt Camerer was a bear to climb.We started early. The Scouts were up and moving at 5:00 AM, so we followed soon after. Frankly sleeping on the hard wood floor of the shelter was killing my back so I was ready to get up.We stopped once in the morning at Cosby Knob shelter but the gnats were so bad there it was unpleasant. We moved on pretty quickly. Before noon we reached the Mt Camerer fire tower trail.I had been to Mt. Camerer before and wasn't interested in doing the extra mileage to see it again. It's .6 miles one way to the tower. We were making such good time for the day that Soaring decided she did want to take the time to see it, and Owl wanted to go also, so we headed off in different directions.From there the trail was a long downhill to Davenport Gap. I arrived at the road crossing around 1:30, the rest arrived a little while later. We sat for awhile having conversations with some folks hiking the area. Soon Norma arrived to give us a ride back to the camper.While we had been hiking Atwood and Norma had returned home to Kentucky. Atwood had hurt himself and was needing to see a doctor, turns out it wasn't too serious but he stayed at home. When we arrived back at the camper we were surprised to find Jill, Greg's sister and her daughter Celia had come back to the Smokies with Norma. Owl and Celia are close friends, so it was an especially great treat for her.We went through our usual routine of shower, laundry, food with some swimming pool time thrown in. By bedtime I think we had fully used up all of this day. It was very nice to go to sleep in comfy bed. The Smokies have certainly been a fun section of the trail for us.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Mount Collins

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: few clouds

We planned to do a short slackpack today but were really struggling with the details and the time required. We knew Owl would want to spend as much time with Celia as possible and just the shuttle logistics up to Newfound Gap were complicated. So... we just did four miles.Jill drove us up early this morning. The plan was to do some of the mileage between Clingman's dome and Newfound so that tomorrow when we begin hiking we won't have to start the day with eight uphill miles. We could tell on the map that the trail was running close to the road just before Mt. Collins Shelter. Unfortunately it was not obvious from the trail. When we thought we were in the right spot we pulled over and did some exploring. Soaring found a path through the trees that led to the AT. We got out of the car and started heading south.The trail in this section was very well maintained. It was interesting how it seemed so remote and isolated because of the tree covering, but really we were just walking a few feet from the road. The four mile hike just took us an hour and ten minutes. With just a ten minute wait Jill was back to pick us up at Newfound Gap.Friday in Gatlinburg, we knew we needed to get any errands done early. Our first stop was by Sugarland Visitors Center for a quick walk through the museum and to pick up post cards. Next to The Happy Hiker for a few resupply items and to get our picture taken for their thru hiker wall. Last on to the grocery store for food for the next leg of our trip. And we think we are all set.We've spent the last couple of hours lounging by the pool. So far no afternoon thunderstorm. That's a change. I guess it's time to get back to the camper and get the last of my gear together. Tomorrow we will get an early start and head out of the Smokies. Our next rest stop won't come until the NOC. It's been a good break.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-14
From: Clingman's Dome Road

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: moderate rain

Today we planned to hike to Derrick Knob Shelter but after crossing Clingman's Dome it began to drizzle. We stopped at Double Spring Gap Shelter for lunch and the rain began to get a little more serious. We discussed our options and decided to stop in just a couple more miles at Siler's Bald Shelter.We got in at Siler's Bald a couple hours ago. We pulled off our wet shoes, pulled out the superfeet and set them out to dry, gathered water and filtered it, had a snack, set up our sleeping bags and crawled in. For awhile the rain had let up making us wonder if we had called the day too soon, but now the rain is pounding down hard on the shelter roof with lightening flashing. We are very happy with our decision.When we came into the shelter there were a few other folks here. There were three ladies who were section hiking. We had a nice conversation with Trip and Awestruck about hiking with women's groups. Very nice ladies. They moved on.There were also four men who were section hiking and staying at the shelter. They're not so friendly. Kind of odd and standoffish (is that a word?). We haven't figured out what it is about them. We thought at first they were annoyed with four women crashing in on their 'guys' outing, but they have been just as unfriendly with the male hikers who have since come into the shelter. I think it's just that unfriendly people are so unusual on the trail that they really stand out.As I mentioned three other guys came into the shelter. Frankly we were glad to have someone else here. Of the new group one is a former thru hiker, Old Smoky. We had a great conversation about his '98 hike. Another is a recently retired Marine. That gave Tigger an opportunity to talk a little shop. So we are glad to have some more normal hiker types in the shelter.The last couple of days have been great. Norma, Atwood, Jill and Celia were great trail angels. Not to mention it was just good to spend some time with them. And the camper is such a wonderful place for relaxing. It was hard to say goodbye.So now we are back on the trail heading south. We had a detailed schedule set to get down to the NOC and meet Dad to get Roo back. We think if we are able to get an early start in the morning we'll be able to get back on track and keep the same schedule. We'll see, schedules are hard things to keep out here.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-15
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: few clouds

Three years ago we hiked this same section of trail in the Smokies and Thunderhead Mountain has not gotten any easier in that time. However the views from Rocky Top are also still as beautiful. We were slow hiking uphill, then we hit the flat area before Spence Field Shelter with all the pink mountain laurels and got even slower. Every few feet there was something else Owl needed to take a picture of. It was a beautiful area.Standing on top of Rocky Top we had a cell on our phones so we made those important phone calls, Lydia to Greg and me to my Dad. We were actually very proud of ourselves for remember Father's Day, or for that matter that it was even Sunday. We were able to connect with both of them, which is good because the cell didn't last long.We decided to hike to Russell Field Shelter for the night. We arrived in the mid- afternoon and were the only ones here. Very soon after we were joined by two northbound hikers, Little Shady and Baby Cracker. Then a group of section hikers from Florida. All very nice and interesting people. The gentleman who is with them helped us identify the bird sound that we have been so curious about. It is a Veery Thrush. He was much more helpful than the ranger at the visitors center.We are finally beginning to dry off from yesterday¢s rain and all the wet grass today. Tomorrow is predicted mostly sunny. Yeah! It will be nice to walk in dry socks again. Just one more night in a shelter and I'll get my tent back.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-17
From: Fontana Village Lodge

To: Brown Fork Gap
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Before I tell you about today I have one more thing I forgot from yesterday.After we checked into the lodge we were walking to our room. We came out of the elevator on our floor and headed down the hallway. About half way down Soaring stops and looks at a door on the right. She reads the sign on the door. "Breezy Room" We had just finished a long, hot humid hike. We were sweaty, stinky and sticky. Owl and I were right behind her. We both stopped and stared at the sign. All three of us stood there gaping in awe. It was a 'Breezy' room! That kind of sounded like heaven. All sorts of images floated through my mind. Until Tigger came up behind us and said "You know, it's just the NAME of that conference room." All of our bubbles burst at once.Now the idea of a room filled with breezes is my second fantasy, next to finding an ice machine ON the trail.We started the morning with a great breakfast at the lodge. I love a big breakfast, I just hate cooking one on the trail. It's hard to get a quick start in the morning when you¢re cooking. So we usually end up with a cold breakfast. When the opportunity for a good breakfast presents itself, like this morning, we go for it. It's quite a treat.After breakfast we packed up and took the shuttle back to the trail. The day was mostly uneventful. We had more than one person warn us about rattlesnakes so I really kept a watch out as we walked. All we saw, though, was a little garter snake and he was kind of cute. I'm beginning to wonder whether some of these people really know what a rattlesnake is, or are they just assuming all snakes are rattlesnakes. But we will keep our eyes open.This afternoon on a peak just before Brown Fork Gap we stopped for a few minutes. There was a view looking back at where we had come from. We could see Fontana Lake below us and beyond The Great Smoky Mountains. It was amazing! I couldn't believe I had walked that far in just three days. Me! Wow! We all patted each other on the back, put our packs back on and kept moving south.There was an interesting lack of new flowers on the trail today. Seemed kind of strange after seeing so many flowers on the other side of Fontana Dam. Owl did take pictures of some strange mushrooms and a couple odd looking caterpillars. Other than that there wasn't much new.Early to bed tonight. Tomorrow is a big day. We are meeting friends at NOC and my Dad will be bringing Roo back to us. I can hardly wait!Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-20
From: Tellico Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a nero slackpack day. Tim gave us a ride to Tellico Gap so that we could walk back into NOC covering about 8 miles. Anastasia and their son, Nick hiked along with us. Tim walked up the first hill as far as the Wesser Bald fire tower. What an awesome view! That would be an incredible place to sleep. But we were just passing through.From the fire tower the trail was mostly downhill. We saw the same terrain and plant life that we have seen the past couple of days. Nothing really new on the trail today.When we arrived back at the NOC Tigger, Tim, Nick and Anastasia decided to spend the afternoon paddling duckies on the river. The rest of us headed to the grocery store to plan dinner.By the time the river fun was over dinner was just about ready. Soaring baked some delicious rainbow trout, I put together an Italian tomato salad and Owl baked brownies. It was nice to be working in a kitchen again instead of out of a four inch pot. Dinner was great.After dinner I sat on the deck with Tim talking about our families until the sun went down and the bugs started biting. Then it was inside for a hot bath. Everyone else was watching the movie Clue, which I think I've seen five times so I decided to skip it.Tomorrow is our zero day. There are no plans. Well, we do have to make the post office between ten and twelve. ...always ruled by the PO.Other than that it's a real rest day. Looking forward to it.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-21
From: NOC

To: NOC Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept in until 8 AM. It was hard work but I did it. My eyes tend to pop open as soon as there is any sign of the sun, usually around 5:30. We really wanted this day to be restful since it is our last planned rest before the end of our first half. We are getting very close to Springer Mountain.Our only business today was the post office run with our bounce boxes. Other than that we just chilled out at the cabin. Tim, Anastasia and the kids took a ride over to the Smokies to Clingman's dome. We passed... been there, seemed too much like going backwards. Instead we watched some TV, gave Roo a bath and took an afternoon nap. It was delightful...the nap that is, but Roo didn't seem to mind the nap.This evening we were able to relax and watch a movie since we are all ready for our start tomorrow. We are amazed to be entering our last leg. And excited too. It's incredible that we have come this far, but as I've said before, it's all because God has been so incredibly good.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-22
From: Telico Gap

To: Wayah Gap
Miles today: 13.0

Another tough morning saying goodbye to our rest time and our trail angels. The time spent with Tim, Anastasia, Sasha and Nick had been great, but it was time to pack up and move on down the trail. Tim gave us a ride back out to the trail head.We'd planned at least 15 miles for today but both Owl and I were having a rough time getting back into the rhythm of the hike. I suspect it was all the junk food yesterday. We dragged through most of the morning.The only excitement was coming around a bend in the trail and seeing both Soaring and Tigger stopped. Tigger said Soaring had a problem, maybe I could figure out how to help. Seems Soaring had a bug fly into her ear. I wasn't sure how to help, but I did have a small bottle of ear wash that I had used earlier in the hike when I was having ear problems. She tried it, but it didn't seem to help much. After much head shaking and discussion of what to do, Tigger shined her flashlight into her ear. Apparently the ear wash had helped a little because I could now see it. It was a moth! I used the tweezers I bought back in Daleville to use with ticks, and grabbed its wings. It came right out.Later walking along I was thinking, I wonder how thru hikers who are hiking alone do this... who helps them get the moths out of their ears? I'm glad to be walking with friends.After that we stopped at the fire tower on Wayah Bald. When Owl and I arrived a storm seemed to be rolling in so we all hunkered down in the room under the tower to wait it out. It thundered and lightening¢d all around us. Finally it moved on and so did we.We were beginning to doubt making it all the way to Siler Bald tonight so we started looking at other options. There appeared to be either a picnic or camping area at Wayah Gap but all of our books and maps disagreed on just what was there. It took some searching but we finally found the picnic area and decided if we were discrete about it we should be able to camp at the edge. We had just seen a bear warning sign saying there is a problem bear between here and Deep Gap. We figured staying here close to the road and having access to bear proof trash cans would be a good thing. I think. At least our food is well secured. Always an adventure.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-25
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Dick's Gap
Miles today: 11.0

We made a quick finish to our walk through North Carolina this morning. Thank you very much to the trail maintainers who had clearly done a lot of work on this area recently. I'm sure our walk was much more pleasant for it.We stopped at the state line sign for a group picture, then again at the trail crossing to Plumb Orchard shelter for lunch. The shelter is two tenths of a mile off the trail, too far for us to go today. We did go off the side trail the other way for water. The day was getting very hot and I was hydrating both Roo and me. We needed a resupply. Other than that we just made one quick stop at the top of the hill to give Ron at the Hiawassee Inn a call to let him know we were about ready for a pickup.We made it into Dick's Creek Gap thirty minutes earlier than we had told him. We were allowing plenty of time for heat and hills, but he was already there. What a wonderful sight! And what a nice guy. He knew just what we needed and was ready and eager to help us out. It was great. He offered to do our laundry, gave us the scoop on all the best places to eat and arranged a slackpack for us tomorrow. We're all taken care of.After settling into the room we walked next door for the AYCE Chinese Buffet. Then back to the room for some veg-out time in front of the TV. Take Home Chef was on. I like that show, but it always leaves me hungry. From there we made a run over to Subway for sandwiches for our slackpack. And with all the business done for tomorrow we went to see Get Smart. A movie! What a treat. And I was so glad they did a good job with it. We laughed and laughed. Of course we've been living in the woods for a while, but I'm pretty sure it was funny.We're heading out early in the morning to beat the heat and it is getting very hot these days. So it's time to get some sleep. More tomorrow.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-26
From: Dick's Gap

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

I've decided that if you are going to find yourself in a raging thunderstorm while hiking the best time to do it is on a slackpack day after hiking fifteen miles in hot sticky Georgia heat just as you begin the final one mile downhill where you will be meeting your shuttle driver to take you back to your dry hotel room. In that particular situation I even thought it was fun. When the first rain drops began falling I considered not even putting on my poncho but just letting the rain wash away all the sweat from the day. It only took me about thirty seconds to realize this was not going to be a quick and gentle shower and I would regret getting completely soaked. So I threw on the poncho and stayed nice and comfortable.Roo on the other hand was not happy. Normally in the rain when I put my poncho on it goes over top of my pack. This creates almost a shelter like area behind me where Roo likes to walk. It's like her umbrella. When I'm slackpacking however the poncho hangs straight down and there is no cover for her. When the rain first started she was walking in heel behind Tigger, just a few feet in front of me. After it started she kept falling out of line and coming back behind me, then she'd come in front and look at me. Took me awhile to figure out she was looking to me for shelter. Wasn't much I could do for her at that point. I knew what a short distance we had until the finish, but she didn't. It was another one of those moments that it was good she can't talk or I think I would have gotten an earful.The fifteen miles before the rain were tedious. We've heard the term 'puds', pointless ups and downs. I'm pretty sure this is where they came up with the name. It brought back memories of Virginia's roller coaster...up and down, up and down.. not 'up to see a view' or 'down for a stream of water'... just up and down. But we got 16 miles in today and finished by 2:00. We consider that a good day. And on top of that, Georgia got some rain. That's a very good thing these days.We are approaching the last few days of hiking in Georgia. We've had a couple plan changes over the past few weeks on how we will finish out Georgia. The final plan involved our friend Alison, who has been keeping Tigger's car for the past three months, driving the car to Hiawassee for us. The original plan had Alison hiking with us for a few days, but she is newly pregnant (Congratulations!!!) and not feeling up to hiking. But she did drive the car up from Atlanta. (Thank you!) We will now use the car to slackpack the end of this section. It will be a different kind of hike for the next few days. Kind of like a slow reintroduction to civilization before we take our trip up north. It should be fun. At least that's our plan!Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-27
From: Hiawassee Inn

To: Vogel State Park
Miles today: 0.0

We packed up this morning and said goodbye and thank-you to Ron at the Hiawassee Inn. He took great care of us while there. Before heading out of town we stopped at Shoney's for the AYCE breakfast buffet. It was great! Then it was off to find a campsite.We had studied the map of the area surrounding our last few days of hiking and decided that Vogel State Park would make a great home base for slackpacking. Our only concern was that the Thru Hiker Companion warned that reservations might be necessary for campsites. This being the weekend before July 4th, we knew we might have to search for other options. However, when we arrived at the park we found there was no problem. We had several sites from which to choose.We quickly set up tents and then loaded back in the car to take care of some business. First order of business was to find a laundry mat with front load machines so that we could wash our backpacks. The stink had gotten out of control. One of my priorities on this hike has been not to stink anymore than necessary. An occasional pack washing helps a lot.We drove into the nearest town, Blainsville I think. We found a laundry, a pet store with Science Diet for Roo and a good bookstore. All important. We plan to be at the campground for five days so we divided up the cooking responsibilities and stopped by Ingles for groceries. By that time the car was full so we headed out to the park. When we arrived we saw a sign at the gate saying there were no vacancies at the campground. Looks like we just made it!Now we are all settled in. Roo has made friends with all the local kids and we are all staged for an early start in the morning. Each of the next few days are planned according to road access. Because of those restrictions none of the days will be too long. If we get an early start each day we should miss the worst of the day¢s heat.Soaring made dinner tonight, it was very good. While we ate we discussed the plan for tomorrow and then we toasted ourselves "To not being Purists" :o) We're still having fun.Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9
Date: 2008-06-29
From: Hogpen Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

Today was a quick hike, a nero really. Owl and I were dropped at Neels Gap at 8:00 AM to hike to Hogpen Gap. We didn't actually get started with our hike until about 8:20 though. There are several dogs at the Outfitters at Neels Gap and one of them, a yellow lab insisted on following us up the trail. Took us forever to get him to stop following. He was very shy and skittish. I felt bad being so stern with him. I felt even worse later in the day when the outfitter folks told Soaring that he was just a stray. He wasn't a stray, he had on a nice new collar. He might have been lost, but he belonged to someone. I felt bad for running him off, though I'm not sure what else we could have done.After that the hike was uneventful and quick. We were finished by noon. We scouted out the route to Woody Gap for tomorrow then drove back to the campground. Tigger and Soaring were interested in checking out the CCC museum at the park, but I was just ready for some down time. So I took a shower, gathered all our laundry and sat and read while the clothes washed. Later we sat around and talked while Tigger experimented with cooking a whole chicken on the grill with a can of beer stuck inside it. I'm not convinced it was the best idea, but the pine needles and dirt seemed to wash off okay after toppling off the grill onto the ground. It tasted okay in the end. A stormed rolled in as we ate so we packed it all up and finished eating in Tigger's car.We are all in agreement that we are just about ready for a break. I feel like a school kid waiting for summer vacation! Three more days of hiking and we will be heading north for a little vacation before hitting Maine. We are so ready!Rabbit, Owl and RooJoshua 1:9