morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Blue Mtn Shelter

To: Blueberry Patch
Miles today: 18.3

I headed out this morning at 7:30am with the help of some pain killers. They really helped a lot because I managed to hike at a decent pace. I made it to the first shelter at 11am and rewarded myself with a mac & cheese lunch.I headed back out and everything was going really well until I reached Addis Gap. Then the ascent of Kelly Knob began. Over a mile going up non-stop, I wanted to cry when I saw it because it was noticeable how long the climb was. And I'd seen nothing, the moment I took a turn I found out that it was still climbing up some more. When I reached the top, I wanted to cry once more, this time tears of joy! This is my proudest moment on the AT so far because I climbed without ever stopping no matter how badly I wanted to. I must remind myself to have the person who came up with this part of the trail shot once I'm done with all this. That stuff is just mean!It was tough to finish the day, but I did it. I treated myself to the hostel, the Blueberry Patch. I went into Hiawassee with some other people staying at the hostel, Slow Train, Twinkle Toes, and Lefty. There, I ran into the rest of the gang, Solace, Cupcake, Buckwild, Amy, Eric, Up & Down, Jeff, Waker, and others. I re-supplied at the supermarket and went back to the hostel where I took a warm shower an d had my laundry done. I'm especting a great pancake breakfast tomorrow. I feel recharged and will hit the trail for a few miles tomorrow.
Date: 2004-04-17
From: Blueberry Patch

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

After last night, I feel really good. And this morning, I had an excellent breakfast prepared by Gary and Lenny, owners of the Blueberry Patch. Orange juice, blueberry pancakes, sausage, and cheese biscuits. Yum! Around 9:30am, Gary took us back to the trail.The hike to the first shelter wasn't too tough, but I felt the weight of the food I had gotten in town. I also felt full from breakfast. I hesitated to move on to Muskrat Creek, but eventually I headed out.Forget Kelly Knob, this second part of today's hike was the most difficult hike along with the approach trail. North Carolina welcomed us in a rather brutal way after Bly Gap, doing its best to make us give up. The incline on the hill must have been over 45 degrees and it just kept on climbing and climbing for over a mile. I'm gonna leave a memorable entry in the log book at the shelter!
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Big Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

It was nice finding Patches at the shelter last night, I hadn't seen him since Blue Mountain Shelter. His brother-in-law Dave was with him, cool guy, we talked about how the climb into NC kicked our ass! I had to hang my first bear bag without the help of the cable system last night. After a delicious bagel and cream cheese breakfast this morning, I hit the trail at 8:30am.The hike up Standing Indian Moutain wasn't too tough even though it's 5500 feet, the climb is fairly gradual. I met 2 ladies at Carter Gap Shelter where I took a 2 hour break, they were section hiking so I talked with them for a while. Later on, I decided to push on because I want to see if I can manage to catch up to Grits. Tyler and Nightrider are going too fast, don't think I'll see them again.So I set out and breezed through all the way to Albert Mountain. I had been warned about that climb, and people didn't lie. It was more like mountain climbing than hiking, a real killer. But I made it to the top alright and there was a firetower with an awesome view. North Carolina is certainly making it pretty hard on us so far. And I like the shelters in Georgia better. Things may change as I go. Not complaining though, I'm still enjoying the experience. Tomorrow I will pass the 100 mile mark and stop at Rainbow Springs to try to get some sneakers or other footwear that will allow my achilles to heal. I've been on pain killers since Blue Mtn Shelter and that has to stop. Anyway, this was a long day at 19+ miles, I think I'll sleep well tonight.I met a bunch of people at this shelter, some section hikers called Zipoff and Kato, a thru called Froggy Pete who did it last year too, and Dr Space Monkey 5000, a guy from New York with who I talked a bunch about music. A lot of fun hanging out with all these different people every night.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Random open area

To: Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: overcast clouds

My first night tenting was so-so. I'm kind of getting a cold, so I woke up around midnight with an aching throat. I still managed to sleep OK later on though.A lot of walking done today. I stopped at the Cold Spring Shelter for lunch and rest, and Dr Space Monkey caught up with me there. We chatted a bit and I was off around 3pm for the next shelter where I hoped I may find Grits. But of course, he'd decided to move on! So at 6pm, without much time before sunset, I decided to go another 4.9 miles to the next shelter. I just flew to it, doing it in an hour-and-a-half. And I still didn't catch Grits! He somehow ended up moving on, probably to the hostel at the N.O.C. Maybe I'll see him there tomorrow.At night, I sat around the fire with Moose, Stephen, and Eyal. I talked mostly with Eyal, he's from Israel and recently completed his military service there. Really cool guy, we talked about a bunch of things from the trail experience to the situation in Israel. And I found out he'd spent carnival in Recife this year, what a small world! We talked until 10pm and it was time for bed.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

The day started well with a good breakfast at the NOC with Eyal. I had an omelette with hash brown, not exactly trail food... I finally met up with Grits at the restaurant, it's about damn time!After breakfast, I grabbed 2 packs of ramen from the hiker box at the hostel (where Grits was staying) and started up one of the longest and steepest ascents I've done. It was 7 miles to the shelter going uphill almost nonstop. I rested a bit at the shelter, and then I had only another mile or so to the top. After that, the hike was pretty easy most of the day.At Secoah Gap there was a road crossing and I ran into some trail magic. As I was resting in the grass, 2 section hikers from Pennsylvania who were resting at the picnic tables offered me a beer, which I gladly accepted. Grits and Thumper made it a little later and were able to get some beer as well. What a great feeling, none of us were very excited about moving on.The next 2.5 miles were absolutely brutal, especially a 3/4 mile stretch that was especially steep. I had 2 pop-tarts for lunch, so I felt rather weak. After reaching the top, I had to stop and dig into my pack for some snickers so I could make it the rest of the way.There are tons of people at the shelter tonight, so Nightrider and Tyler headed out to make some space. They're going all the way to Fontana Dam for a 28 mile day! So the shelter's full but I got a spot in, a bunch of people are tenting. I had some mac & cheese so I'm feeling pretty good. Tomorrow, 12 miles to Fontana Dam, I may take 2 zeros there to try to rescue my poor achilles, what's left of it.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

The hike was easy today, so I got into Fontana Dam before 1pm. I checked into the hostel and then went to the laundromat. I saw a bunch of hikers coming in so I just hung out with them while doing my laundry. It's clear that Fontana Dam is a resort, not really a true town. It's pretty nice for a short stop though.After my laundry was done, I showered and let a few other guys use the hostel showers. Then we all headed for the AYCE at 5pm. It's amazing how much hikers can eat. And Ronnie had even eaten 4 pints of ice cream earlier! After dinner, most of the hikers headed out to stay at the shelter. Grits and I stuck around and took advantage of the facilities. There's a swimming pool that's open to the public, so we decided to go for a swim. After that, we played pool and a racing game in the little arcade. Then we hung around at the hostel chatting for a while, after which we decided to go to the registration area to use the Internet Kiosk. After getting lost a few times on our way there, we got there and frowned at the 20 cents a minute rate. In the end, I sank in about $15 to do mostly email, there was a bunch of spam and useless messages I had to sort through, which was annoying. It was nice to see messages from friends and relatives though, it was just a shame I didn't have time to reply to them all. But there will be other opportunities. We were also able to get on trailjournals.com and find out where KTR, Solace, and Cupcake were at. Looks like they're around Franklin, 60 miles from here, so even taking 2 days off it's unlikely that they'll catch up. Oh well. My achilles needs the rest anyway, so I'm still hanging around for 2 days, even if I don't know if that will suffice. But that ain't gonna stop me anyway, I can walk without pain killers and that's good enough for me! Looking forward to the zero-day tomorrow.
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a day of rest, rest, and more rest. I was icing my achilles most of the morning, trying to get the swelling down as much as possible. I hung around the General Store a bit and had some snacks as usual. While hanging around there I met this lady from Montreal, always a small world. We spoke for a while with the lady at the register eyeing us suspiciously because we were speaking FrenchAround 6pm, Grits got a fire going in front of the hostel and we had some hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire. I had 6 hot dogs, they hit the spot. Later on, we went to the arcade and played some pool. My touch was surprisingly good (or should I say I was damn lucky on the day) so I won both games. Grits wanted to go for a swim but the place was kind of packed and it closed at 10pm, so he passed on that. After that, it was just reading and sleep.
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Fontana Dam, NC

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

Second zero-day at Fontana. Grits and I are getting a bit restless. We're rather eager to get back on the trail. Dr Space Monkey 5000 is in town so we hung out at the hostel with him. We kind of just spent the morning and early afternoon reading, and after that we were just waiting for 5pm so we could hit the AYCE one last time. We sat at the outfitter for a while watching TV, which felt quite weird.After stuffing ourselves at the AYCE once more (I ate waaaay too much), Grits and I played some mini-golf at the pathetic course they have here. It was fun laughing at how the holes were pretty much all the same, they just changed the placement of the hole, added some rocks here and there, etc. I went to bed as soon as we got back to the hostel. I still have a cold and it's making sleep more difficult. But I'm excited about hitting the trail tomorrow and going through the Smokies. I don't plan to take another zero until Damascus.
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I had another night coughing all the time. On top of that, I ate too much at the AYCE the night before, so I didn't feel all that great at night.It was a rather late start by our standards today. We got a ride from the shuttle and I started where I'd left off at the highway, while Grits started about a mile ahead of me at the shelter. It wasn't long before I crossed the dam and got into the Smokies. About 2 miles into the park, I saw a black snake, the second one I've seen on the trail. It was an enjoyable hike, there were no super steep parts. I heard some different birds singing, it was a pleasant soundtrack to my walking. I eventually caught up to Grits and went ahead, we were gonna meet at the shelter anyway.After a good dinner, I am ready to get engrossed in the latest book I picked up in Fontana. We were happily surprised that we didn't get poured on today because a big storm was expected. Hopefully it will pour at night and then be nice again tomorrow.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: moderate rain

The rain spared us yesterday, but not today. Half of the day was spent walking in the rain, and the temperature stayed cool. In spite of a late start (it's hard to get out in the rain in the morning), I made it to Double Spring Gap Shelter fairly early, so I figured it would be fine to push on as planned. I climbed Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT at 6643 feet. Unfortunately, visibility was so poor that I couldn't see anythin from the top of the tower up there. But I wanted to go up the tower just to be able to be at the very highest point I could be on the trail. Besides, I wanted a break...I moved on and was delighted when I finally made it to Mt Collins Shelter. The place was packed with a bunch of kids from Wisconsin who were kind enough to give me some leftover rice and beans. I could have eaten more, but I was too lazy to cook, so I figured I'd eat more for breakfast or something. I'm wondering what happened to Grits, he intended to make it here but it's 8:20pm and no sign of him. Anyway, I'm beat so I'm gonna read a bit and pass out.
Date: 2004-04-27
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: few clouds

Today was a good hiking day. I passed the 200 mile mark early on and was feeling pretty good. Near the first shelter, I reached Moose, Traildawg, and Thumper. We chatted a bit and took some pics, and then I headed past them all the way to Charlie's Bunyon. There were a few other thrus there enjoying the spectacular view. It also started snowing some very small flakes, probably an indication of how cold it's gonna get tonight. After getting half a beer from the thrus at Charlie's Bunyon (they'd stopped in Gatlinburg), I kept going and took a break after having done 15 miles.I had a big beef stroganoff meal at the shelter, after wish I went for the last 5 miles I'd planned on doing. I got in and found a bunch of hikers at the shelter, the only one I knew was Indy. He's only going up to Hot Springs, so he was saying he was stalling himself because he was ahead of schedule as it was. I rewarded myself for my first 20 mile day with some hot cocoa and ramen on top of the meal I'd had earlier. It seems tonight is gonna be really cold, in the 20s. Brrrr! I'm sure I'll manage fine, my sleeping bag's been good to me so far.Still no sign of Grits. I hlope he's OK. Maybe he got slowed down by his ankle. Tomorrow, I'll be done with the Smokies and staying at Standing bear Farm. Some well deserved rest will be in order.
Date: 2004-04-28
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: clear sky

It was damn cold this morning but I managed to get myself up at 6:30am and made some hot cocoa. That warmed me up and got me going. I followed up with some ramen to get some more warm food in me and I was out hiking by 8am. I was shooting for Standing Bear.There was a little left of the Smokies to do and I cruised through that. There were several beautiful views, and overall the Smokies have probably been the nicest section I've hiked through so far, although I was disappointed not to see a bear.After getting out of the park, I was off to Standing Bear and since I was making good time I figured I may even push on after getting some snacks there. I got a bit confused as to how to get there, but I eventually figured it out and made it around 2:30pm. I got $10 worth of snacks (ah, Snickers!) and also ate some tangerines from the fridge, great to have some fresh fruits. I rested and got out around 4pm hoping to do another 7 miles to the shelter. I ran into Dutch and On It on my way there. After getting to the shelter, those guys were talking about doing some night hiking and try to make it to Hot Springs by noon the next day. Crazy stuff!So this is my first 25 mile day, and I'm feeling fine after it. Tomorrow, I may try to do 26 miles into Hot Springs, depending on how I feel in the morning.
Date: 2004-04-30
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

I was up early as always and immediately set out with Nightrider to get breakfast. Luckily, the diner was open again and we got ourselves a huge breakfast. And I mean huge, that skillet was just ridiculous!Nightrider headed out to Asheville to get himself some new sneakers and I went to do some laundry. After that, I went to soak in a tub of mineral water from the hot springs that have given the city its name. What a delightful experience! My body really thanked me for it, it was super relaxing. I was in there for an hour and when I got out it was noon. I was still pretty full from breakfast, so I just downed a pint of Ben & Jerry's for lunch. Then I used the Internet at the outfitter while I finished the ice cream. They only allowed 20 free minutes, so after I went to the library to do some more emailing.I got done around 2:15pm and it was time to decide whether to take a zero in Hot Spring or not. It was Friday and a lot of people were going to head in and party in town that day. I figured Grits might head in. But in the end, I figured I'd eaten enough and rested enough and I wasn't gonna get sucked into town. After a slice of pizza from the camp store (did I say I'd eaten enough?) and a chat with Adam, I said goodbye to Hot Springs and did 11 miles to the shelter. At the shelter I met Ghost Dog, Flash Hand, and Swan. I chatted a bunch with Ghost Dog, and then it was time for planning the next day, reading, and sleep.
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Spring Mtn Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 30.1
Weather: broken clouds

I got up and had my standard breakfast, oatmeal and pop-tarts. I then headed out around 8am planning to do 21 miles to keep up the good pace. Little did I know that I'd do even more than that.The hiking was pretty easy even though there were some rocky sections, and after stopping at the Jerry Cabin Shelter for a break I met a few hikers, Bones, CJ, Harry, Roo, and some others. They were all headed to Flint Mtn Shelter, so I figured I'd hang out with them that night. But once I got there, it was so early that I decided I could hike some more. I made myself a good meal and felt I had it in me to do another 9 miles, which would make it a 30 mile day.After having Bones tell me I was fucking nuts (that guy was funny as hell, by the way), I headed out around 4:30pm. The hike sure wasn't easy. The first hour was not too bad, but after that it was mostly uphill, and it's definitely worse when you've already walked 25 miles. But I still felt I could do it and I made it to the shelter around 7:20pm. I really cruised out there today, and my body still feels pretty good, with my achilles almost fully healed. Speaking of Achilles, I think he's only one day ahead now. He'd probably be pretty surprised if I caught up with him.Looks like I'll be alone at the shelter tonight, the first time since starting. I'm trying to think of how far I'll go tomorrow. If I feel good I may try to push to Erwin.
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: light rain

This was one of those miserable days on the trail. I just wasn't feeling it, and I have no idea how I managed to walk 20 miles. I guess I'm just getting used to the 20 mile days. But that didn't make things any better. My legs were probably a bit heavy from the 30 miles I did the day before. The weather made it worse, since it was raining all day and it was also extremely windy at times.I labored through the 10 miles to the first shelter and didn't even have the pleasure of a nice view at the top of Big Bald. All I got was rain, mist, and wind so visibility was zero. I tried to reinvigorate myself with a big mac & cheese lunch, but it didn't do much for me. The second 10 mile stretch was spent putting up with serious neck pain and trying every possible thing to tweak the straps on my pack to make it better, to no avail. A losing battle all day, basically. Even when I thought I would at least get some trail magic, I found out that the ice box was empty. Oh well. Sometimes it's like that. At least, the people I met at the shelter were super cool. Swiss Miss, Paradox, Dreamcatcher, Fly, Kodiak, and Sheriff were the hikers there and they kind of saved the day for me. Kodiak had a nice big german shepherd, but it was kind of beat down from a long day and not looking too well.It seems that several people are going to stay at Ms Janet's in Erwin, I intend to stay there too. I'm looking forward to some rest in Erwin, and it'll feel good to have a short hiking day for a change. With all the walking I've done over the past week, I think I've earned it.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Uncle Johnny's

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

I took my sweet time this morning. Packed all my stuff and then used the internet. I found a message from Cupcake saying that Solace had left the trail. I was shocked. There were not really any reasons given, just something saying he'd just hiked his hike. But KTR and Cupcake are apparently still on. Hopefully I can keep up-to-date on their status through the internet. I also got a sports update from Kabo, some good news and some bad news, no need to get into details here. Go Kings!I answered a bunch of emails and then called Sin Hang. He wasn't there so I so I left a message saying I'd call him from Damascus. After weighing my pack (still around 40 pounds), I headed out after saying bye to Gadget. I'm starting to get used to the fact that once I go ahead of people I probably won't see them again.The hiking was easy, but I still spent a lot of time tweaking my pack because of neck pain. Hopeless. I passed Fly who had left earlier, and then she caught up at the top of the mountain where I stopped for a break to enjoy the view. We chatted for a while about my pack problems and then moved on.Near the end of my hike, I ran into Paradox who was slack packing back to Erwin. He was pissed about something, it had to do with the fact that it was so late and he still had a long way to go. I didn't get the full story, but there was something about having to babysit Ms Janet's dog or something.At the shelter, I ran into a bunch of hikers who were leaving. Then there was an older guy called Lightfoot and 2 ladies who's names I didn't get. Fly got in later on, as well as a guy called Enigma. It was still early and I guess I could have hiked more, but my left leg is hurting and I was getting tired of trying to make my pack more comfortable. Tomorrow, I'll try to pack differently to see if I get better results.
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Amicolola State Park

To: Springer Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

I wanted to start writing in this last night, but the pencil was locked in the car. Just wanted to jot down my fears and expectations. Terry and I stayed at a nice B&B in Dahlonega. I can't believe I'm actually in GA. Just ate a couple dinners of crappy noodles. I hope I get better at making meals. I couldn't hold back the tears when I hugged Terry goodbye. There's a lot of self doubt to get over. I can't even pinpoint the reason for crying. My hands are just about numb so I'll write more tomorrow. The journey has begun. G'night Georgia.