morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-28
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap, Franklin NC, Budget Inn
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was the warmest night we had. I slept in the shelter of which I'm glad because it rained a little overnight and a wet tent is a pain to pack up. This morning there were a few snow flurries and then a bit of rain. The hike today was very easy except for Albert Mtn., and that was just plain fun even though I think I embarrassed Bravefriend with some of the names I called the mountain! We had a day of trail magic! Before Albert Mtn. there was this sign pointing to trail magic. The trail crew that was out last year has a huge saw mill blade with a tripod over it and they were cooking coffee and pancakes. Flat Bread, Gatorade and I think the 3rd guys name was Small Fish (were there?). It was wonderful to just sit down around the fire and have some fresh brewed coffee. We were originally heading to Rock Gap Shelter which would have given us a 4 mile hike tomorrow to get to Franklin but FlatBread told us we could get picked up at Rock Gap which was less than 1 mile after the shelter. "We" is Brave Friend, Wild Bill, Super Size, September, Stumbles and myself. Anyway we got to Koch Gap and there were 2 other guys waiting to get picked up. So, I called the Budget Inn, asked if they would come pick up our pack and we could slack pack the last 4 miles to Winding Stair Gap. Which we did. We then all hiked down the 1/2 mile to see the Wasalik poplar. It's the 2nd largest poplar tree-but it's dead. It took all 6 of us standing on it's roots, reaching our arms around it (to encircle it) and there was no one left to take our picture! So we actually hiked 17 miles today! Taking a FULL zero day tomorrow.
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Winding Stair Gap 

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

I left Franklin and got back on the trail at 6:45 this morning at Winding Stair Gap. The plan was to just do 11 miles but we got there and it was too early to quit, so I walked on to this shelter. I left the last motel with another hiker, as September was staying in town with her sore throat. Anyway, we got on the trail together and it was ok for awhile but I just wanted to be alone. If I slowed down she slowed down, if I speeded up she speeded up etc. So, I finally just sat down to take a break and told her to hike on, that I wanted to be alone. Why do I have such trouble telling people stuff like that? I wanted to shake her long before I did. When I got to the shelter I did tell her I would be hiking alone tomorrow. Today was a gorgeous day. Temps in the 60's. I was in shorts and T-shirt all day. I saw several butterflies, a white one and a pale blue iridescent one that had almost a 1" wingspan at the most. It was beating it's wings so fast you couldn't really see the thing. It just flew on in front of me for awhile like a little wood fairy. There were also more bluets and some vinca sprinkled along the edges of the trail to brighten our way. I ate two mountains before lunch and two more after lunch-have I mentioned that I am a mountain eater???? We climbed Wayah Bald and went up in the observation tower. Fabulous view but true to the "Smokies" it was very hazy. You can see Clingman's Dome from there which was 26 miles away but I think that is as the crow flies as we have about 75 miles to go(before we get there). About 2:30 this afternoon the color of the sunlight looked more like it was about 6pm. I know there is a solar eclipse about now but I thought it was yesterday. The sunlight stayed weird the rest of the afternoon. It was a very warm yellow color and several other people commented on it as well. At the shelter tonight is Natty Bo, Long Haul, Mountain Dewer, Don Quixote and Stumbles. There are also a few guys tenting. This is the first time there has only been only 2 women at the shelter. Not sure how far I will go tomorrow. I'm going to try to push to get back on my schedule. I'm one day (actually only 6 miles) behind.
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a really tough hike. I had planned on going another 2 1/2 miles to another campsite but when I finally got to the NOC I had nothing left in me. It was an extremely difficult hike mostly all down hill (the last 5 miles) and most of that was a very steep grade. Added to that, earlier was a climb up to Wesser Bald and the observation tower which provided fabulous views. Then there was the "jump up" which was a short but very steep climb up and down, similar to Albert Mtn. Again, it provided great views but was a difficult rock climb. At the end, I was literally in tears. When I finally got to the NOC, I had an ice cream bar-I'm not very hungry-and then I soaked my feet in the river for a few minutes. The water felt great-numbed my feet in just a few seconds. I got a room at the "bunkhouse"-it's got 4 beds-bunk beds. Two other girls took the bottom bunks, the top ones were practically on the ceiling so I went back to the office (downhill again) to change rooms. I got the last private room in the motel which is nice. I've got a tiny private balcony, private bathroom, all the amenities you could want! I guess I'll get some dinner before the restaurant closes at 7pm, and then get a good nights rest. Tomorrows hike is all uphill (5 miles downhill gives you 5 miles back up!) only to repeat this in 2-3 days when I go down into Fontana Dam! Then up into the Smokey Mtn. National Park. On another note, I saw lots more flowers today and some trees blooming as I got near the NOC. There were yellow violets, very pale purple violets and some variegated purple/white ones. There were several other flowers but I have no idea what they were. I went to dinner in Bryson, NC. Mountain Dewer and I hitched a ride. I had a nice big glass of wine with dinner and then Mountain Dewer asked a guy in the restaurant if he would give us a ride back to the NOC and he did!
Date: 2006-04-01
From: NOC

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

Well, I've been on the trail two weeks now and what have I learned? Well, the questions/comments about "How hard can walking be?" "It's just putting one foot in front of the other!" Well, walking can be very hard when it's steep downhill and you have a pack with 5 days of food and 6 pounds of water! Walking can be hard to do when you have 7 miles uphill, its 60 degrees and you are out of water! Walking can be pretty amazing when you look back and can see where you came from-way way up on top of that mountain! It rained a lot last night so I was glad that I had a room at the NOC. I left at 7:15 this morning and hiked uphill (3000 ft. elevation) in 6 miles! I saw several squirrels, lots of horseflies buzzing in my ears and lots of gnats flying into my eyes! I saw several snails which is what I felt like-a large cumbersome house on my back and moving very slow! I decided to take it easy today. I got to this shelter at noon and decided to stay put. I was hoping to have the shelter to myself for a few hours of quiet contemplation, but too many people showed up. Some of whom I'd rather they hadn't! This shelter is relatively new and very nice. A double-decker, it has a sky light and a really nice view. But it does have mice! On a brighter note, I finally figured out how to set the radio on my little MP3/radio player and was able to get NPR! A correction from yesterdays note: Yesterday was the 'jump off", today we climbed the "jump up".
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

11:30 am. Well, the mice didn't bother me last night though I heard them scurrying around and making little chirping noises. A beautiful sunrise seen from the shelter this morning. I got up and hit the trail at 8:00 am, daylight savings time. I've done 6.7 miles and right now I am at Stecoah Gap. There are picnic tables here and a fairly busy highway but I am sitting taking a break. A few minutes after I wrote the above, 2 guys Tank and Viking, pulled up and took out a cooler of cokes and gatorade and several packs of chips for trail magic. It was perfect timing, the gatorade was just perfect! The days hikes are all sort of running into each other, sitting here trying to remember the particulars of the day is hard. I saw several woodpeckers, blue jays, and robins. There were more types of wild flowers blooming. The hike wasn't too hard. A lot of boulder scrambles due to the cleft between 2 mountains is where all the trees fall, the rocks fall down and the streams flow. Today this was very frequent and full of huge boulders. Tonight at the shelter is: Sponge Bob, Ranger Courtney, Thelma and Louise, Jodie Foster and Carrie, Thumbs and Blue, Too Much and Enough, Tater, Ghost, and Feng Shui. The women out number the men 9-4!
Date: 2006-04-03
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: light rain

Taking a "nero" (near zero) day today here in Fontana Village. I'm waiting for my room to be ready, a shower and laundry will be great. The last few days have been very hot and sweaty. I have a little sunburn on my ears. I have my next mail drop and just need to sort all of it. I need to re-figure my route through the GSMNP which I will enter in the morning. It sort of makes me feel like I am entering the "lions den" going into the park. There are a bunch of regulations in the park. It started storming last night-the thunder woke me up at 4:30 am and I was glad I was in the shelter. The hike into Fontana Dam was pretty nice. I crested a hill and there it was way down below. The flowers were blooming all over the place. Little white flowers dotting the fields, with purple and yellow violets sprinkled in. Lots of trillium-burgandy and a yellow/green were also blooming. The birds all seemed to be chirping "It's all right", "You can do it!" You can't get a cell phone signal here and they have dial-up internet access for 20 cents/minute.
Date: 2006-04-04
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: few clouds

I entered the GSMNP at 10:30 this morning and what a beautiful morning! Blue skies, not a cloud to be seen, temps in the 50's-perfect hiking weather. It doesn't get better than this!I left Fontana Village later than I wanted to, I had called last night to see what time I could get a shuttle back to the Marina and was told I could get a ride at 6:45 am but to call at 6:15 am to see where they would pick me up. So, I called at 6:05 and was told I wouldn't be able to get a ride till 9:00 am. I was really pissed because I could have slept longer. There was a big party 2 doors down from me during the night and it kept me up quite late.But anyway, the first 4 miles in the park were all uphill but not a terribly steep grade. We went from 1700 ft. to over 4000 ft. in the first 4 miles and it took me about 3 hours. I climbed the observation tower at Shuckstack Mtn.-I don't know what the elevation is at the top of it, it was freezing cold but had unbelievable views.This shelter is built of stone, seems to have a new roof on it, has a fireplace and a tarp covering the opening. It's a double-decker place and has these raised divider bars between sleeping sections. It holds 14 people and you can't really squeeze more in!Us thru-hikers are sort of the step-children of the park. We HAVE to sleep in the shelter unless there is no room available, but if someone comes in that has a reservation we have to move out of the shelter for them. I guess its because we don't pay to come through the park-all others do. Anyway, the shelter is full with thru-hikers only and a few are tenting. I don't know most of the people here-they are all of the 20 year old group. Only one other woman my age is here-Nera (42) from the Womens Hiker List. We have a roaring fire going and everyone is getting tucked in. The wind is really whipping the tarp back and forth-I'm glad its there to keep us warmer!
Date: 2006-04-05
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: broken clouds

Since I'm meeting Marc (DH) on the 11th, I figure I'll just take my sweet time hiking through the park. It's noon, I've done only 5.5. miles and I'm at the Spence Field Shelter which is identical to the one last night. Only this one does have a privy-with all 4 sides enclosed, the last 2 shelters only had a "toilet area". It is another gorgeous day for hiking. The sky is almost a cobalt blue, with a few clouds on the horizon but the wind is whipping through and cold. Getting to this shelter was very pretty. You come out of the woods into a grassy meadow. There are a few rhododendron bushes that have an arch way cut out for the trail and then there are a few trees (don't know what kind) that almost seem to be planted. Then just a short side trail to the shelter. I had my lunch and will decide soon if I want to do another 6 miles today to the next shelter. It seems silly to stop so early but its so nice and peaceful here. Later: I'm glad I decided to stay here, there are only 2 other thru-hikers-Silverback (a guy thats older than me), and Gunner (a 19 year old who seems a bit lost in the world). There are also 2 other guys here, a father and a son duo just out for the night. There are a pair of robins searching for worms and bugs that have been fun to watch and the junkos just about come right up to you searching for who knows what little tidbit in the dirt. There was also a very large blackbird flying around several times. I don't know what kind it was either-bigger than a crow, solid black on the underside. The head and neck seemed to be a little longer than a crow. Oh, did I mention I fell a few days ago? I think it was on my way into Fontana Dam. My hiking pole on the down side of the mountain went a little too far off the edge-of the mountain! I lost my balance and just did a butt sit-no big deal. My poles have saved me from doing many, many face plants. Though, I don't know how people can hike without them. My food is all working out well. Occasionally things are still a bit crunchy because I didn't rehydrate them long enough. My Pepsi can stove is working fine. I haven't used my tent in quite some time as I have been sleeping in the shelters. I sent home my z-ridge and am just using the therma-rest prolite pad -it was more comfy with both, but its all about the weight! Tomorrow the hike will be 12.2 miles to Silverbald. Then the next day will bring me to Clingman's Dome. I plan on getting a picture of the AT sign that started this whole thing!
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Silver Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

Well, I'm really, really glad I stayed where I did yesterday. There were a total of 3 thru-hikers and 3 section hikers. We had a great fire in the fireplace, the shelter was warm and I slept great. I heard today that there were over 20 people at the shelter before us and when I got here to Silver Bald, I heard the big crowd was all at the next shelter. So, here I sit with the "older" crowd tonight-Too Much and Enough, Silver Back, Pace Maker and Wooden Sticks (?) are here. The hike this morning was really awesome. The weather was great, sunny, no wind, and warm. We climbed Rocky Top Mtn. first thing-5441 ft.- and had this amazing 360 degree view. We were on top of the world. There were clouds down below us, very misty like, and the distant mountains rising above them-it was very surreal looking. I half expected Atlantis to rise up out of the mist. I took several pictures but don't know how they will turn out. The rest of the day was usual-up and down, up and down, and ridge walks. The wind picked up and the sky clouded over and started to sprinkle but all in all not a bad day. But don't get me wrong! This is NOT a cake walk-it is really tough climbing some of these mountains. Sometimes I have to stop every few steps just to rest. The thought of the next shelter lures you on but after about 10 or 12 miles the bottom of my feet are so sore and I just stumble my way on-walking 4 legged with my poles. You finally get to the shelter and just plop down, unpack, then you go get water. I fill my 2 liter platypus bag with water used for dinner and breakfast. Change clothes, get your sweaty shirt and socks off, put on my woolies (Smartwool long johns-I love them), make dinner, hang food, write in my journal and then read or visit. I then go to sleep, wake up and repeat the next day-some days are easier than others.
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Silver Bald Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

I did not sleep well last night. The wind kept whipping through the shelter slapping the tarp and making a loud racket. It rained on and off a bit last night too, but I must have gotten some sleep since I feel rested. The weather this morning was still very windy and overcast but not very cold. The hile started with a very narrow ridge walk with some views on both sides. The skies eventually cleared up and it got sunny and warm when the wind died down. Now mind you, the weather reports of severe storms this afternoon, tonight and into tomorrow. Bit for now it's gorgeous! I met one of the 3 ridge runners for the park (sorry I don't remember his name) at Double Springs Gap Shelter. He also confirmed the bad weather, and said there are 5 section hikers with reservations for Mt. Collins. So, we should be able to get at least 9 thru-hikers in. Anyway, we climbed to Clingmans Dome today. I thought it would be a tough climb but it was Mt. Buckley just before Clingmans that was the tough, long climb. We had also been hearing rumors that you couldn't get up to the tower on Clingmans Dome because they were repairing the road. Well, the road was closed, there were no tourists and we were able to climb the tower. The trail goes right to it. After the dome the trail sort of paralleled the road to New Found Gap. We were just a few feet from the road and they had no idea we were there in the woods. Anyway, yesterday and today my left foot has been hiking all day in Tennessee, and my right foot has been hiking in North Carolina! The trail does a border walk between the 2 states. I am 0.9 miles short of 200 miles and in 3 weeks I still haven't covered the distance from Houston to Dallas! Well, about 27 people ended up here tonight-it is tent city! The really bad storm is still expected for tonight. Brave Friend, Crazy and Arm Sleeve, Wild Bill, Mountain Doer and his friend Strider, Thelma and Louise, Tater, E-Rock, Danger Zone, Hawk Eye, Wooden Sticks, Pace Maker, Too Much and Enough, and I can't think of all the rest of the names of the people who are here. This is a good group that I have hiked with before, oh the 3 Aussies are here also-Vegamite on Toast, Waltzing Matilda, and I don't know the 3rd ones name. And of course the 1 section hiker that is here.
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Ice Water Spring shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

The storm hit last night with a fury. It started with hail just coming down harder and harder for a solid 15 minutes. It made a real racket on the metal roof. It was still thundering and raining at 4:00 am but this morning it had stopped raining and the trail was a river. My boots are sopping wet after slugging my way through the river. I am not looking forward to putting on wet boots tomorrow. I got to this shelter just in time, I was really starting to get cold and it was raining again but I didn't want to get into my pack out in the rain. I had taken my rain pants off at New Found Gap and the pants were soaked. At the shelter was a couple out for a day hike. They got soaked and were trying to dry out and eat some lunch. So, I was able to yogi my food! They were asking me how we manage the food for 6 months. I told them about my mail drops and that you hope that you don't run out and that I was running low. So, they offered me a sandwich-a nice thick slice of French bread with a huge chunk of Swiss cheese, and an apple. Oh, the simple things in life that make us happy. A couple of the guys who were at the shelter last night hitched into Gatlinburg and brought back wine, fudge and quesadilla fixings! We are having a huge party here. They had poured the wine into their nalogen bottles to backpack it in! We finally got a fire going in the shelter but I don't think my boots or socks will dry out! Mountain Doer just told me he found and has the back to my MP3 player that I lost 2 days ago. Now the only other thing that needs to find its way back to me is one of my charms that fell off my pack back at Mt. Collins shelter. Michelangelo saw it on the ground but didn't pick it up!
Date: 2006-04-09
From: Ice Water Spring shelter

To: Tri Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

The skies finally cleared last night and so of course the temps dropped below freezing. Woke up this morning as the sun was rising, to the most amazing sight! The trees were all coated in ice. With the blue sky and bright sun glinting off the ice it was like a prisom-all the colors of the rainbow twinkling everywhere. It was so bright and shiny-breathtaking! Aside from the fact that it was still below freezing and the cold took your breath away. It was about 30 degrees in the shelter when we got up. I had to do the one thing I was hoping I wouldn't have to do today. Put on wet, frozen socks and boots-YUCK! I've read about it in other trail journals but hoped it wouldn't happen to me! My feet did warm up soon enough so it wasn't as bad as expected. The Appalachian River had turned into an ice flow overnight and it was quite treacherous hiking this morning. My gloves were wet (I forgot to un ball them and take them out of my coat pocket yesterday) so I, like an idiot, had my hands stuffed in my jacket pockets with my hiking poles trailing behind me. Not smart on ice so, yes I fell. I'm fine but banged my elbow a tiny bit but otherwise no injury-just my pride. I had to release my pack and wiggle out of it before I could get up. By 10:00 am I was taking off my long johns, coat and hat, but quickly put the coat and hat back on as I went around the dark side of the mountain. I'm moving very slowly this morning because the views are so spectacular. I have to stop and admire it every so often. We are sort of on the western edge of the mountains. The hike today is a ridge walk so you can see off both sides. To the west the mountains peter out but to the east its wave after undulating wave of mountains. The ridge walk is rather annoying in itself-at times it is no wider than 2 feet with steep drop offs on both sides. I passed 3 guys doing some trail maintenance. They had this giant 2 handled cross-cut type saw and had just finished sawing this tree that was blocking the path. I watched as they heaved one end down the side of the mountain and the whole tree went sliding down out of site! I also passed another area that looked like a big scar on the mountain. You can tell the soil is over slate rock. Some large trees must have fell and must have taken down the whole side of the mountain. The area was 1200 feet wide, really ugly. They had to shore up the edge of the trail. I'm sitting in a swing pop out (?) on the trail right now listening to the ice melting and falling off the trees. The rest of the trail was more uphill with less views. As usual I was really tired by the time I got here. My feet were hurting. The trail was a narrow route that was filled with ankle twister size rocks. Its so hard to walk on that stuff-you have to keep your eyes peeled to the ground and watch every step you take. The shelter is nice-its full again. There are 8 section hikers here.