morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-07
From: Helen, GA

To: Helen, GA
Miles today: 0.0

Saturday: Got out to enjoy the town and chilly sunshine around 10:30am. I didn¢t realize there was a big State Park just off the main strip, hiding behind Unicoi Hill City Park. I found the library and had the whole place to myself for over an hour to catch up on the Internet. I also bought a used paperback there: Follow the River by J. Thom. I finished ¢Red Fern¢ through sobs last night. Don¢t all dog stories end sadly?I wandered around the street parallel to the strip, singing in public occasionally, noting the laundromat location. One of the things I like about Helen is that everything you need is within .5 miles. I stopped at the Helendorf to ask about a shuttle back to the trail. They said the two people who used to do it, don¢t anymore. I will have to go back the way I came - by faith.I resupplied at Dollar General since I will be skipping Hiawassee now. A quick stop at Huddle House and I was back to warmth by 3pm.Easter Sunday. I avoided public until I was bored at 3pm. Got Ravioli, cookies, bananas, frozen White Castle burgers, and Diet Coke just a block away at Betty¢s. I surprised myself at how much I ate today! I hope that means the queasiness will subside.Monday: laundry day. I had to change in public because the restroom at the laundromat is locked up. I ate at Wendy¢s then stopped at Betty¢s for a tv dinner and ate it in the room. I¢m getting things together for a speedy return to the trail in the morning. The weather channel says it will be in the 60-70¢s all week with lows in the 40¢s. That¢s more like it!I finished ¢Follow the River¢ in no time. Now I have no book to read.Thankful for: familiar places.
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Helen, GA

To: Tray Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 5.5

4/10 5.5+ miles, 5.5 hoursI was up at 7am to shower and finish packing. I checked out of the hotel and started down the road. The first half mile had nowhere for anyone to pull over, so I didn¢t hold up my sign for a while. Finally, Chips picked me up on his way to his volunteer job, putting woodchips in the privies. He talked about some of the challenges of Thru¢s. I didn¢t think it was fair, though, when he asked me where my son is while I¢m out here. That¢s not a question I hear asked of people with penises¢¦I was on the trail at Unicoi Gap by 9am. I took a half hour break at the cheese factory site, and got to the shelter around 2pm. For a while there I thought it would be just me and Just Dollar, but a bunch of Yuppies soon overran us. They all looked too clean, and their equipment too new. They were a nice bunch, though. I¢m sorry I can¢t keep up with them. There is also a gearhead who I¢m sure means well, but he comes across as a braggart. He asked one hiker how many days ago she had started; I think he asked only so he could brag that he was hiking faster. I¢ve got my space blanket laid out so I can pull it over me if I need to.I¢m not sure if I wrote about this yet - at Neel¢s Gap, there were some little craft boxes, turned on their sides and made up as collages, or shadow boxes. There were small twigs arranged as AT, slips of bandana, pinecones, etc. That day, I started composing mine in my head. I am going to collect a stone from each state, make a little shelter register with a mouse, and a piece of the T-shirt I¢m wearing thru with spring blooms on one side and fall leaves on the other. I already have a Georgia stone - I wanted a triangular one to signify my third time through this state.Thankful for: normal people like me.
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Tray Mtn. Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

4/11 7.7 miles, 6 hoursWe were all expecting the all-day rain; what I wasn¢t expecting was the evil chilling wind. I started out at either 8:30 or 9:30; I must¢ve looked at my watch wrong because points weren¢t lining up correctly with my Wingy guide book all morning. It was awful hiking with my head down in my raincoat hood and glasses fogged over. I kept thinking at 5 miles there was a road to a new hostel (Cloud 9), but when I got there I figured out that it was another 5 miles away. It was an excrutiatingly long climb up Kelly Knob (4200+ feet). On the way down, it became slippery from day-long rain. I slipped once and put my right knee and both hands down in soft mud. Thankfully I didn¢t land on something hard or sharp, or go over the edge. When I used my hiking pole to help myself up, it sunk in about 4 inches. There was some nice moss nearby to wipe my knee off with.When I got to the shelter around 2:30 it was full of people who just stopped for lunch and two wet dogs, one that loved me and one that was afraid of its own shadow. The big milers were going ahead 3 miles to Hiawassee. I was whooped. I put on dry clothes and dove into my sleeping bag to get warmed up. I shivered and shook and got leg cramps. Cinnamon made it here while I was hiding in the bag. Finally I decided to cook Ramen, put on my rainpants and balaclava and was fine. I think the problem was that I had put on my warm hat over soaking wet hair. I rearranged my bed away from the foggy doorway and pee¢d right at one side of the shelter while Cinnamon was talking on his cell phone on the other side. I put my rainfly down on the holey floor and squeezed my spacebag into the sleeping bag with me. It¢s pretty noisy when I move, but I shouldn¢t be tossing around while I¢m sleeping all toasty warm.Cinnamon wants to stay here if it rains again tomorrow; I think the trail will be treacherous if it does.Thankful for: a warm, dry, quiet shelter.
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Cloud 9 Hostel
Miles today: 3.5

4/12 3.5 miles, 3 hours, $48.26Cinnamon beat me up today; he was gone toward Hiawassee by 8am. I had a peaceful morning, cooked oatmeal, and everything that was wet had dried. It took a little longer than usual to pack up, since the wet stuff was hung all over on pegs. I left right at 9am. I saw a doe fly across a valley, and met the famous SB hiker who saw 3 bears. My right knee started acting up first thing, going down Powell Mtn. I have been babying it since day two by moving heavy items to the left side of my pack. Today it didn¢t just hurt on the downhills - it was SCREAMING even on the uphills. I was limping where I should¢ve been truckin¢. On the downhills, I was moving about an inch at a time. I was worried that I would do irreversible damage. I was sure I would need to get off the trail at Hiawassee and at least rest it a couple days. As I was limping along, a bit of reality set in and I tried to imagine that rest might not be enough; four days at Helen didn¢t seem to do any good. I might have to call it quits! I got a little upset and didn¢t want my nose running, so I quit thinking about that. I will certainly give it 100% effort. Mentally I do NOT want to leave the trail!Like a sign from God, there was a Cloud 9 van sitting at the gap just 3 miles from the shelter. I hopped in. Laura is wonderful. The house is very nice ($25). The bunkhouse is clean and cheery with a microwave. We are to use the porta-potty since their septic system is old, and had to use the washer next door. There is no phone, water or garbage can in the bunkhouse, but free Internet in the house at times. The property is enchanting, and I know I was supposed to get off here because I had two deja-vu¢s within an hour. As I was coming, another hiker who was going told me she had been there 5 days ¢passing around some sort of stomach flu¢. Then she told me about the wonderful breakfasts and dinners she had eaten here. Hmmm¢¦ As soon as my wash was done and I was looking for a dryer in my rainpants, braless, Laura offered a ride to town. We filled the vehicle; two hikers rode in the hatchback area. I quickly picked out a knee brace, Diet Coke, and 4 virus-free TV dinners. I scooted on over to the pick-up point. There on the bench was Potion (not his name, but he doesn¢t have one yet. I told him he looks like Shrek after he took the magic potion because of his arms-ripped-off, too-big peasant shirt). He had gotten lost on a blue-blaze, popped out on a road, and somebody picked him up and dropped him at the exact spot Laura was picking us up in 20 minutes! I consider that a work of God, like so many things this one single day.A couple people have asked me how Cinnamon was doing since I sheltered with him two nights in a row. I found out that he is 84 years old, and if he makes it to Maine, he will be the oldest (at 85) to have Thru¢d in a single year! You go, Cinnamon!Thankful for: One God.
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Alpine Court Motel

To: Cloud 9 Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

4/14 Saturday $48.I didn¢t fart too much that I¢m aware of last night. One squeaked out while I was rolling over, and there were a couple ¢quiet¢ ones that made me giggle and shake the bunk. I¢m sure there were plenty more, but I slept pretty good. I keep thinking of reasons why I should leave this morning, then remember that the idea was to rest my knee. At this point, after talking to so many people about their pain and injuries, I think I may be able to make it.New Boy and the drunk guy stayed at the bar after pizza last night. I don¢t know if Azars is fired or what, but Laura came into the bunkhouse and woke people up to tell them she would have to refund their money for breakfast (the cook is probably hung over).Thankful for: Town food.
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Alpine Court Motel

To: Cloud 9 Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

4/15 Sunday $20I finished ¢Old Songs in a New Cafe¢ by R. J. Waller last night. My favorite chapter was about turning fifty. A great quote I will remember concerning turning down invitations to social events, such as going out for pizza: ¢You won¢t have as many people at your funeral, but you get a lot more reading time.¢ I love it! I have just started ¢Waiting for the Barbarians¢ by J. M. Coetzee.After I had showered this morning, I vacuumed the bunkhouse and did dishes in the house. I¢m glad I did, because Laura gave a tour to two women as I was eating my Jalapeno poppers. They are supposed to be our shuttlers tomorrow while Laura is away.I think I¢ve been here too long - I¢m starting to get sick of people. Not that some aren¢t rude; I just don¢t have the patience to smile politely when they think they are being cute. The weather is ugly, rainy and cold. I may limit my future hikes to summers. It¢s unnecessarily uncomfortable outside.There seems to be a general disdain among both males and females for teenage girls on the trail who act like - well, teenage girls. I don¢t go around sticking my nose in other people¢s biz, but I still had to deal with and listen to several complaints about the E saga at Cloud 9.
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Alpine Court Motel

To: Cloud 9 Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

4/16 Monday $36.02 Understandably, I took a ¢day off from people¢ and stayed in the bunkhouse except to shower, do a stealth load of laundry, make a couple phone calls, and eat 3 burritos. In the evening, Fran asked me to take the hooligans to town so he could have some quality time with Laura after being away for a week. The gas tank was on ¢E¢ so I figured that was a big clue and put $20 in. Later Fran tried to pay me back, so I lied and told him we each pitched in a buck or two because we used the car so much. I got a peanut buster parfait, a whole rotisserie chicken, and six devilled eggs. Something didn¢t agree with me.
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Cloud 9 Hostel

To: Plumorchard Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: clear sky

Tuesday 4/17 4.5 miles, 3 hoursThe new kids in town kept us awake until about 2am stumbling around and talking in the jacuzzi just behind the bunkhouse, so I didn¢t feel too bad waking them up at 8am. I hope to see Potion and (strangely) even LocoMule again. That is the worst part about being pokey - all the people you like pass you and you never see them again.I made an observation about Baldo. He walks like Charlie Chaplin. No wonder he had ankle problems! He moved from the bunkhouse to the main house, only he left his dog in the bunkhouse all night. When it started barking and pacing in the morning, I took him outside and tied him up. Baldo didn¢t speak to me all day after that.Anyways, I was in the first load of hikers to be shuttled out. When Fran said the word, I tossed out half a corndog and ran for my pack sans brushed teeth. I put my Ace brace on in the vehicle for the first time, muttering that it won¢t do a whole helluva lot of good. I was amazed. Thank God, either the rest or the brace or both allowed me to hike without feeling a thing in my right knee. As a matter of fact, I considered putting the brace on my left knee for a while! I hiked from 8:30-11:30 with only one short break. I was at the shelter looking for snakes when PaperMate hobbled up. But for the grace of God¢¦ He only made it half mile past the shelter and his ankle started screaming. I¢m afraid it might be a fatal injury for him this time - hike over. So in the shelter tonight are me, *PaperMate and IHOP, Potion, Uncle T, Baldo, and two guys from NH and ME. I entertained myself by hunting around for the notorious copperheads. Someone logged seeing a 4 footer near the water.* All trail names have been changed to protect the guilty.Thankful for: comaraderie.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Plumorchard Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

7.7 miles, 6 hoursIt was sad saying goodbye to PaperMate. I¢ll always feel like he paid the price for my sins - it should¢ve been me limping back to Cloud 9. The first five miles, to Bly Gap, took only three hours. I was leap frogging Baldo all morning. I took half hour for lunch and headed straight up. It was a killer climb; at one point I wondered why I bothered taking any steps, as my feet were only moving an inch or two each time. I sat down on a log to ponder that, and as I was resting, the previously meek and mild-mannered IHOP turned the corner and unloaded expletives. ¢Why the bleep am I here¢¦What the bleep is the bleeping point of this¢¦¢ I couldn¢t hear the rest; I was laughing at the normally calm person losing it! That was my entertainment for the day. The last two miles took as long as the first five. Muskrat Creek shelter isn¢t much to brag about, but I sure was glad to see it! My toes looked purple when I took my boots off - I apologized to them.While I was at Cloud 9, Just Dollar was packing his stuff and trying to squeeze a bigass white plastic bowl into his pack. I had asked him WTF that was for; he said to mix up some wheat biscuits or something. I suggested he just add the liquids to the baggy full of dry stuff. He was going to think about it. The bigass white bowl was in the fire ring at the shelter when I arrived. I guess he had finished thinking about it.Tomorrow will be only five miles to the shelter. IHOP, Potion, Baldo, Uncle T, two delightful lady SBers named Happy and Bunny, and a couple other guys are here tonight.Thankful for: dry trails and knees that work.
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: scattered clouds

4.9 big miles, 5 hoursLofty goal of five miles met easily today. I left the shelter at 8:30 after coughing up some noxious campfire remnants or something that had crawled into my lungs while I slept, took an hour break at Deep Gap (halfheartedly wishing someone would offer me a ride to Franklin), and got to Standing Indian shelter around 1:30. I had the place to myself for a couple blissful hours. I am on virgin ground now - I have never made it this far north on the A.T. If I would¢ve gotten a ride to town, I probably would¢ve skipped ahead about 3 miles to the more popular on/off trailhead. I was a bit disappointed that the guys I was hanging out with were considering taking a Blue-blaze to cut off about 14 miles of the A.T. It made me wonder if Potion's first Blue-Blaze mistake was really a mistake. Luckily noone was at the parking lot this afternoon, so I am able to practice what I preached (too early for too few miles to compromise). I guess God wants me to continue. Since my knee trouble, when someone asks me if I¢m going to Maine, I say ¢Lord Willing.¢ It¢s becoming my motto.Baldo was supposed to go 9 miles today; Potion was only going to lunch here. They both ended up staying, and we all had a heart-to-heart about our miserable screwed-up lives while Baldo cooked up his ¢Hikerbox¢ (dumpster diving) ham. It turned pretty cold this afternoon - I put on my raincoat and pack cover at lunch because with the dark clouds and wind, I thought it was going to rain or snow.I started the book I bought in Hiawassee tonight (I¢ve been doing SoDuKo lately) ¢On the Road¢ by Jack Kerouac. The hippy kids tell me its goodThankful for: good weather, good knees, and good trails.
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

4/20 7.6 miles, 4.5 hoursToday was a very nice hike. I think Potion and Drunk Guy made a big mistake, taking the shortcut. I even considered it because I didn¢t want to lose Potion, but for 14 miles??? I¢m glad I didn¢t cheat. He¢ll probably get waylayed in Franklin on a three-day drunk, anyhow.When I check the registers for the people I started with, they are approximately 10 days ahead of me (I took 9 days for weather/knee). I cannot imagine having been out here during those cold and windy days. Next time I will definitely start with a zero degree bag. It would still not be comfortable crawling out of the bag in the morning or hiking in the raingear with a runny nose and cold fingers. You can¢t stop for a break or you freeze. Those are some tough hikers I started out with!I did the math and found out I have been eating less than 1400 calories a day. No wonder I need new smaller underwear. After discovering this, DooDoo offered me some cheese so I took it. Later he said he¢s had a cold and I saw him doing the woodsman blow. I offered him a packet of Kleenex, but he declined. I think I may already have a cold, anyways. I¢ve been coughing and blowing a lot.I think I finally lost Baldo - he had lunch here and moved on. I¢ll enjoy not being woke up by a dog barking. It¢s also hard enough forcing myself to eat breakfast without a drooling, starving dog staring at me.As I was reading in the shelter, I heard the notorious E¢s voice. Between the lines of my book, ¢¢¦drama¢ and ¢Trails of Our Lives¢ drifted in as two guys were talking. It seems the rudeness E bestowed upon this group involved using her cell phone. Someone supposedly stuck her phone inside her tent bag to muffle it and she couldn¢t find it all day. I¢m glad she hikes fast - I may never see her again.I like this new group - we exchanged a few pleasantries, then they left me alone to read and fart at will. Fewer people at my funeral, but more reading time!Thankful for: warmer weather
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Big Spring Shelter

To: Franklin, NC Sapphire Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

4/22 10.1+ miles, 5 hours, $50Another awesome day!Last night around 7pm, a skinny-legged young girl with a red maple leaf on her pack who had done 14 miles came to the shelter I was supposed to have all to myself. We introduced ourselves then I went back to my book. She passed me in the afternoon, and I noticed she had no calf muscles. She seemed wobbly and awkward, like trying to balance a big marshmallow on two pretzel stix.One of those darned 7am¢ers came to MY shelter for water at 7:20am and woke us up. I was on the trail by 8am. At Glassmine Gap, someone had spelled out ¢100 miles¢ with twigs and stones, so I stopped to take a picture. I took a glance at my guide and was shocked to see that I had hiked almost 3 miles that first hour! For the longest time, I had been averaging 1 mph. One thing to note: you WILL need waterproof boots, or at least SealSkin socks for North Carolina¢s stream-trails. I couldn¢t believe one section today - you had to walk IN the stream for about 30 feet. That would¢ve been very cold without waterproofing.I was at Rock Gap Shelter (5 miles from the last) by 10:30am. It was so early, I figured I had time to see the Wasilik Poplar (.5 each way) and do this Appalachian Trail thing right! I pitched my pack behind a log since it looked to be all downhill. The thing that struck me about this big old dead tree is that even in death, it is providing life to so many creatures.I got to Winding Stair Gap and sat at the highway for 15 minutes, thinking people would be used to hikers here. Apparently not. I made a sign out of pink duct tape that said ¢Frankin¢ (the paper was too short for the ¢L¢) and stood there almost an hour until I got tired of the flies biting my ankles and started walking, holding out the sign. A nice retired couple from Louisianna with a pickup truck pulled into a scenic overlook area and waited about 10 minutes for my fatass to catch up to them. They took me right to the hotel, and who was there but Potion! I waved to him, chatted with the couple who were sooo excited for me, and checked in for two nights. Potion came to my door almost immediately after I closed it. I guess he was glad to see me too; he keeps saying he¢s never talked so much about himself with anyone before. He¢s a sweet kid!I checked in at 3pm and the shuttle was leaving at 4pm. My priority was STEAK! I went to Prime Sirloin steak buffet ($11.11) and it was goood. I think I will have another steak tomorrow to thank my body for all the extra red blood cells it has been making for me. I did laundry but forgot to put in my bra, so i may just get a new bra tomorrow that fits. Oh, yes, my boobs are shrinking too...Thankful for: waterproof boots.
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Franklin, NC Sapphire Inn

To: Franklin, NC Sapphire Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

4/23 a few miles, $298I walked and walked all day today. I was woke up by noisy neighbors around 8:30am. I went to the office to ask about a morning shuttle; I ended up taking the ¢weird¢ taxi for $6 each way to the Outfitter and K-Mart. I got two Ultralite Makalu Leki poles and put my old one in the hiker box. It had failed me once so I couldn¢t trust it anymore, and it wouldn¢t fit in a Priority box to send home. I also got a waterproof food-hanging bag, a space bag (mine was ripped in two and worn out), a new pepper spray (the old one was probably 10 years old), and a cool single utensil with knife, spoon and fork in one. The poles were $140 (gasp) for a total over $185. I made my annual stop at Arby¢s, then took a good long time at K-Mart. I got pizza at their snackbar, I was there so long. I resupplied, got new underwear (the rinky dink scale up front said I have lost 5 pounds) and misc. hygiene things (about $40). I got back to the hotel around 3:30pm and took right off for the post office to bounce an umbrella, my waterbag, rocks from GA & NC, a big part of my SuDoKu book, etc. to Fontana Dam. I should have three boxes waiting for me there, with enough stuff in them to send a box home. Ron Haven picked me up at the post office in the short bus with about seven other hikers. He drove to the same Outfitter first. I didn¢t go back in; I had already spent a bundle today. Then he drove downtown to a Banquet Feast at a church which I suspected was for feeding homeless people. I excused myself for eating pizza and was directed toward the hotel. It would¢ve been a shorter walk from the post office, only without entertaining stories by Ron. I was sooo tired when I got back around 5:30, but I wasn¢t going to let that stop me from eating at the steak buffet (Prime Sirloin) one more time! I got back on the street and walked down to my steaks. I was so full I was walking funny when I finally came out of there. On the way into the hotel, I stopped at the office to borrow an iron to patch a hole in my tie-dye T-shirt. I looked at shirts today but couldn¢t find anything besides some men¢s shirts that were suitable and half as cool as my 100% cotton tee. You get attached to something when you use it all day, everyday on the trail!Even after my busy day, I managed to stay awake till after 10pm packing up for another round of hiking. It¢s supposed to rain for the next three days, but the temp should still be reasonable so I think I can handle it.Thankful for: three pillows and creature comforts.