morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-21
From: Hiawassee Budget Inn

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Took the 9:00 am shuttle back out to the point of the trail we got off. Camel, Cinammon, One-Eighty and I said farewell and made loose plans to stay at Muskrat Creek. It was a 12.0 mile day so I wasn't sure if I would make it there or not.It was cold all day and there was a dusting of snow throughout the mountains and along the trail. I crossed into North Carolina around 2:30 PM and Bly Gap Campsite was just up ahead. I let out a large whoop for my first state crossing and officially left Georgia. One state down and 13 more to go!It was stoo early to stop so I pushed on to Muskrat Creek. One-Two from Georgia joined me for the final three miles. We scaled the steepest mountain yet, Couthouse Bald. Welcome to North Carolina.My crew from early weren't at the shelter when I got there, they had pushed on and I was a little bummed. It was so cold outside, I set up my tent along a stream, cooked dinner and crawled into my sleeping bag to get warm. I was asleep before the sun even went down.
Date: 2013-03-22
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter's Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1

Day 12It was freezing when I woke up, my water bladder had froze in the night and the drinking hose was frozen solid. It took half of the day for me to get any water out of the bag. I got a tip from someone at the shelter that you can blow into the hose to clear the water and it won't freeze. Learnign every day.We are little birds at this point that have been pushed from the nest and just learning how to flap our little wings. It was a rather lonesome day, I passed two groups of people, one group slack packing (when you carry a small bag of snacks, water and the basics) south bound and a mother and her four children (yes she is doing a thru-hike). Her children range from 6 to 14.When I made it to the shelter it was full. There was space under the shelter and a wooden platform. I knew it was going to rain, so I spread my tarp out and my sleeping bag and slept under the shelter to avoid getting wet or having to pack up a wet tent the next day. I am still a day and half from Franklin, NC and want to make it as unmiserable as possible.Throughout the night I could hear the mice running under the platform I was sleeping on, I just pulled the sleeping bag over my head and tried to ignore it the best I could.I met a new group of hikers, Barborosa, Handstand, Catnip and Katie (a couple), Oops, Angus and Butch and Sundance. The last two are two nineteen year old british kids that are hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2013-03-23
From: Carter's Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

Woke to rain. The people above me in the shelter were all awake and moving around, packing their packs, sleeping in out here is not near as enjoyable. I had a very vivid dream about a friend back home in Harrisonburg and I thought about her for most of the day while I was hiking. It is funny out here you really have nothing else to do while your hiking other then think. People from home cross into your mind and you think about them throughout the day.It was suppose to rain but it was mostly a gloomy day. I had to climb up Mt Alpert which is suppose to have some wonderful views, instead I stood in the clouds and saw whiteness everywhere. The climb was so steep at times I was reduced to hands and feet and was practically mountain climbing to the top. At the top of the mountain I finally crossed 100 miles! My first 100! Now I just have to do that 20 more times...I found again in the dreary days that time and miles seem to melt by, there are no views, nothing is all that interesting and you are wet. I pushed on to the shelter tonight to the promise of a hotel room tomorrow to dry out, re-supply and once again avoid some weather. They are calling for snow in the mountains for the next three days! Come on Spring! I don't care if you rain all April just warm up, please!The numbers of people around each day is thinning out, you hear stories each day of some one dropping out or giving up. The packs of people are spreading out and people you spent time with before are either a day or two ahead or behind. There certainly aren't any day-hikers out when the weather is so terrible!Tomorrow into Franklin, NC for a nero and then a possible zero.
Date: 2013-03-24
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Ron Haven Budget Inn
Miles today: 0.1
Weather: light rain

Walked down to Rock Gap from the shelter at 9am! It started raining in the middle of the night and didn't stop until the middle of the day. Me and about 15 hikers stood in the pouring rain waiting for a shuttle into town. As I was standing there, a couple of hikers came up the road not on the trail and I heard the woman talk and I couldn't believe it but it was Candu and Yknot. Ron the owner of the Budget Inn arrived in a large tourist bus, he was full of information and talked about the Cherokee Indians and the names of the local area. He offers a shuttle in the after noon to Walmart, an outfitters and any where people need to go! I split a room with Oops and Barbarosa. We resupplied hit pizza at Vito's who came and picked us up and dropped us back off. He had Bells Hopslam in bottles, had to drink one! We hung out in one of the hotel rooms drinking some beer and went to bed fairly early to wake up at 7:00 am where a local baptist church picks you up for all you can eat pancakes and bacon!
Date: 2013-03-27
From: Franklin, NC

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

Spent two and a half days in Franklin, NC at the Budget Inn. If you are ever considering a thru-hike, be prepared to spend some days hiding out from the weather in towns. You go a bit stir crazy, but it sure beats hypothermia or miserable conditions. Ron Haven is a man in his early fifties, wears a mustache and has a thick North Carolina accent. He truly cares about the hikers and providing a service to them to help them succeed. He said at one point, "Friends (he always leads with friends) don't think you are alone out there, as much as you might not think it now, but you are dependent on each other, need to look out for each other and you can succeed!" The truth of those words still rings through my head and the people you meet along the way and groups you form are lasting experiences. I spent the last couple nights in three different rooms, once with Barbarosa and Oops, then Oops and Angus, and finally with Catnip and P.S. Our last night we went to Mulligans and shared a couple pitchers and had trail talk. Trail talk is inspiring conversations, like motivation, poignant quotes, personal stories and reasons for joining the trail. We all took the 11 am shuttle to Rock Gap and hiked 7.9 miles to Siler Bald Shelter, there was anywhere from 6" to 12" of snow on the mountains. It was a beautiful hike. We reached camp and set up a tent city about .4 miles from the shelter, some of the shelters are nearly half a mile from the trail. It was a cold enough night that my water froze again.
Date: 2013-03-28
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 18 - Siler Bald to Cold Spring - 11.6 milesI woke up around 9:30 am, to a cold crisp morning. Your hands barely work in the morning while you try and stuff all you things into their little sacks and then put them in their proper place inside your pack. Of course you are always trying to find a more efficient way to pack your pack, re-organize, maximize your space. You are caring your entire existence on your back. The snow again was very deep in places, hike other places it was just a muddy, messy slop. It was either several inches of snow or several inches of mud. I fell twice today, just lost my footing and with 40 plus pounds on your back you go over very quickly. The trail is sometimes a narrow path etched into the mountain foot by foot. Other times its a wide path like a forest road, you walk through tunnels of trees, mountain laurel (a tree variety of rhododendron). There are spots where freshly fallen trees lay across the trail and you have to scamper over them or completely walk around them they are so massive. Then again other trees lay across the trail and trail maintenance has hewn them in pieces and scattered the pieces enough to create a foot path. You walk over rock outcroppings, streams, under half fallen trees, along ridges, beneath clouds and in the mist. From home it would seem like just rocks, trees and dirt but there are too many varieties to explain. The North Face is always colder and you are sort of in a shadow. The south facing side was largely melted from the sun exposure, then you would skirt around the backside of the mountain and snow would be everywhere. A neatly packed down path trodden by the hikers unwilling to be deterred by snow. Some drifts were over a foot and a half deep. The best view I've had yet was from Wayah Bald. Snow covered valleys, peaks everywhere, the folds of the mountains and shadows filled with snow and The Great Smokies looming off to the North.
Date: 2013-03-29
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 19 - Cold Spring Shelter to Wesser Bald - 5.8 milesWoke up late, what a nice morning. Hiked down to the shelter signed the log book and filled up my water bags. Everything out here is a chore, getting water often it's at least .2 miles away and I have to pump it to filter the water. Not to mention, cooking, setting up and breaking down, it is a monotonous grind in its own way. It's very similar in some respects to day to day life in respect to daily routine. You wake up, eat, gather your things, hike, stop for breaks and lunch, make camp, cook dinner, socialize a bit for human interaction and then back to sleep to do it all again. The hills can be compared to life also. The climbs are hard, anything worth doing is going to take effort. While going downhill can happen quickly, less effort and in fact sometimes happens before you know it. Walking on flat land is simple, easy and seems like status quo. There is little energy put into status quo, though you gain miles you get little reward and at times it seems like you are on auto pilot in a mindless state. Got to the shelter and it immediately started snowing hard, big flakes. It had been flurrying for the last hour or two. Earlier around lunch I ran into Aquaman, Candu, Yknot, Twix and Salsa who were slacking packing and the shuttle for Aquone Hostel came and picked them up will I ate my meal. I was a bit jealous of the thought of a cozy hostel. The Franklin crew was all at the shelter and the heavy snow forced an early day to avoid not having a dry place to sleep at the next shelter in the event that it was too full. Yknot had told me earlier about coming rain on Sunday and that the weather man predicted the cold may hold on for a few more weeks. I hope you is wrong!
Date: 2013-03-30
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Grassy Gap Campsite
Miles today: 8.2

Day 20 - Wesser Bald to NOC to Grassy Gap Campsite - 8.2 milesStruggling to sleep still. I upgraded to a fleece sleeping bag liner and a nicer sleeping bag in Franklin. I think I need a sleep pad (blow up), I currently have an army issue roll up pad, great for trapping heat and creating a layer between you and the ground not so much for comfort. My back aches at night, I'll roll over on my side and my shoulder falls asleep while my hips scream out against the hard ground. Hiked up to "The Jumpoff". The clouds were burning off from the sun, they clung to the shoulders of the mountains line a blanket. The peaks of the mountains pierced through the clouds as if they were rising slowly from slumber. Five mikes downhill into Nantahala Gorge. The NOC is an outdoor center at an intersection of two roads. There is a complex of buildings; an outdoor center, outfitters, a restaurant, a bar, a hostel and hotel. It sits atop of the Nantahala River and the outdoor center has a kayak course, rents kayaks and does whitewater rafting trips. The Franklin Crew stopped at the restaurant for lunch and I ordered a burger which I haven't had in three weeks. Hiked up hill 2.8 miles. It is a gorge so it is literally six miles up a mountain back to elevation. Set up camp in a nice little spot, made dinner, had a fire and it started raining just at dark. Into the tent for the night!
Date: 2013-03-31
From: Grassy Gap Campsite

To: Stecoah Gap - Cabin in the Woods
Miles today: 11.0

Day 21 - Grassy Gap to Stecoah Gap to Cabin in the WoodsWhat a hard, hard day. Had to scale swim bald and then Cheoah Bald, about 6 miles up hill, over 2,000 feet rise in elevation. When I got to the top of Cheoah Bald, I was so sweaty I stripped down to fully named and changed into dry clothes. Great area to rest, supposedly a view of Nantahala Gorge, unfortunately it was cloudy, miserably foggy and overcast. The Franklin Crew had decided to stay at the Cabin in the Woods and resupply in Robbinsville, NC before entering the Smokies. I needed the night of civilization and felt a sense of obligation to meet the crew. I am a bit slower than them, I take my time, get the same miles each day, yet just at a slower pace. I knew that they would be waiting for me at Stecoah Gap to catch the shuttle and felt a bit rushed throughout the day. I was sweaty, beat and didn't take the time to refuel properly. Around 8.0 miles in I was whipped and still had about 3.0 miles to go. I passed the German couple Turtle and Snail while they were setting up their tent at a campsite and just really wanted to stop. Snail told me that it was going to start raining in about 5 minutes. Sure enough it started pissing raining and I trudged out the last three miles. It felt like an eternity. After getting to the gap, one of the owners Phil had already shuttled Oops and P.S. to the cabin and was coming back for Angus, Catnip and myself.The cabin was a nice little cabin, run by Donna and Phil. It was Easter Sunday and Donna drove us in to resupply at Ingles. We got burgers for the grill and breakfast items for the morning. I grilled 12 giant burgers and drank two Miller Lites that Phil gave me because the store didn't sell beer, it is a dry county. Can't believe there are really dry counties in this country still?
Date: 2013-04-02
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hilton Shelter
Miles today: 6.9

Laying in what is called the Fontana Hilton. It is a 24 person shelter right at the base of the Great Smokies. The shelter is for hikers only and has a functional bathroom with running water and a shower. It sits right next to Fontana Lake which is a result of a dam of the Little Tennessee River. Today's hike was rather easy, a few hills at the beginning but mostly gradual downhills and the occasional steep decline.I saw for the first time some blooming little purple flowers along the trail and a variety of Flora that was beginning to come back to life from there long winter slumber.A butterfly, brown in body with white tipped wings followed me for nearly two miles. Whenever I see a butterfly I think of my grandfather, my mom's dad, I never really knew him. He died when I was around eight and at the time, we lived in Colorado and didn't really know our extended family. My mother tells a story of when he passed away, she was very distraught. At that moment a butterfly landed either on her or very near to her. She swears that she felt as if it was her father visiting her and letting her know he was in a good place, that he loved her and that she shouldn't be sad. Whenever I see a butterfly I think of the man I never really knew. My mother speaks very highly of him and from what I gather he was a good man. Today I felt like my grandfather walked a few miles with me in the mountains.
Date: 2013-04-03
From: Fontana Hilton Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 24 -4/3/13 Fontana Shelter to Mollies Ridge 11.0 MilesEntered the Great Smoky Mountains today. Had to cross the Fontana Dam, it was an amazing sight to cross the dam and see the mountains looming over the lake and the Little Tennessee river snaking its way through the mountains on the opposite side of the dam. The Smokies are pretty intense, it was approximately 1,00 feet at the dam and at the shelter it is 4,602 feet.I met a trail maintainer at the shelter named Ox, who thru-hiuked in 1997. He told a very interesting story about his hike and how he bounced his car from hostel to hostel starting in Virginia. He left it at a hostel and told the care-taker that any hiker could use the vehicle. The only stipulation was they had to either return it to the same hostel or drive it further north. By the end of his hike, the car was sitting in the parking lot in Maine.I realized today I will accomplish several milestones here in the Smokies. I will cross the next 100 miles mark, summit the highest peak on the AT and crest the point where I have less than 2,00 miles to go to Maine.Around lunch time I was sitting on top of a giant tree laying on its side, probably somewhere around 200 years old and it must have fallen nearly a year or so ago as all of the bark has been stripped away by time. Several coyotes started howling and making a ruckus less than a mile away, it was eerie and beautiful all at the same time.It is going to be an interesting next couple days, lots of big climbs and a continous up until the highest point on the trail, Clingman's Dome. Essentially it is a three day hike to the summit.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: snow

Around 1:00 AM the wind began whipping against the shelter and rain followed shortly. The shelters in The Smokies are stone masonry with metal roofing. Each shelter sleeps somewhere from 12 to 14 hikers and there are two levels. There is a sloped roof and a wooden structure attached to the front with an area for cooking and socializing.The rain poured unabated until 3:00 PM or so. I woke early around 7:15 am went outside to relieve myself. At home it is so simple to just go use the bathroom. Out here its so cold at night and you don't want to get out of your sleeping bag. You will sometimes wait hours longer than usual just to relieve yourself.The wind gusts had to be upwards of 25-30 mph and continued that way all through the day and night. The rain was pouring. Hiking once again in the rain equals fast miles. You move quickly and with a purpose, hoping to get out of the rain. I decided to stop at the second shelter because I was soaked through. Rain gear is essential, but there is only so much rain that pelts you before it eventually gives way.At the shelter I gathered firewood, soaking wet, but I was able to get a fire going with the dry wood that was left by last nights guests. I sat by the fire, stoked it and chatted with a married, section hiker couple from Texas and an Asian woman from Georgia.She hiked a month last year from Springer Mountain to Fontana Dam. She said she is not a hiker but her husband died three years ago in a tragic construction accident and he always wanted to hike the AT. She is only doing the Smokies this year and last year she hiked from Springer to Fontana Dam. She speaks broken english but is able to carry on a conversation. She told me she always told him No when he was alive and she wishes she had told him Yes more, so she is hoping to eventually hike the entire trail for her husband.
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.5

Day 26- Spence Field to Double Spring 13.5 miles Was my biggest day yet (miles). Started out at Spence Field Shelter, which is a mountain top meadow, with long yellow grass and sparse trees. It stopped raining yesterday around 5 pm and the temperature quickly dropped below 20 degrees. It was apparent when I retrieved my food bag from the bear line and it was covered with ice. The trees were covered with at least an inch of ice. Not the typical ice either, it was long an spiny like razor blades. Clearly the wind was blowing very hard while the sky spit freezing rain, the ice formed like stalactites instead of the traditional coating. While I was hiking, the wind would blow and it would rain razor ice blades. At points there was inches of ice crystals you would crunch through as you walked. When I got to the second shelter, my preconceived stop, the group was waiting for me and had planned to go another 1.7 miles to double spring shelter, get up at 4:00am the next morning and hike it to Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the AT) to watch the sun rise. I begrudgingly agreed, as I was a bit tired already. At the top of the next summit, Siler's Bald, Clingman's Dome loomed in the distance. It is a bald top with pine forest and scraggly trees that are struggling to survive at the altitude.I struggled down one hill and back up another, I'm now nearly 6,000 feet up and standing on a ridge line, the sun beamed across my back and rolled down into both valleys both east and west. The AT runs along the North Carolina and Tennessee state line in the Great Smoky Mountains. So to my left is Tennessee and the right lies the state I've been in for the last two weeks. It had to be one of the most spectacular views I have seen on the entire trail. I sat down at the apex of the mountain, rolled a cigarette and let the moment roll over me. I was sitting at the top of the world! I visualized the people I love most and tried to send them the beautiful place and moment in time.There were piles of snow all over the mountains and I thought this will be the last time I'd touch snow until next season, how wrong I was.
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Newfound Gap - Gaitlinburg, TN

To: Gaitlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Day 28 - Gaitlinburg, TN - ZeroAngus, Oops and I had a bit too much to drink the night before and we decided to zero for the day. It was a much needed rest, we had been hiking for nearly two weeks straight at least 5 to 13 miles everyday.Gaitlinburg is a bizarre town, the best way i can describe it is a 2.0 mile strip of carnival like attractions, beach town / boardwalk feel, tourist trap situated at the base of the mountains. It is also the home of Dollywood and the second most weddings in the country second only to Las Vegas. On top of that it was a the weekend and there -was a dance/cheer leading competition going on for the week. Every girl in town was 8-12, dressed in skimpy outfits, hair poofed up and smeared with out-landish make-up. What a great couple days of people watching.It also has a reputation of being non-hiker friendly and difficult to get a ride out of town. I found neither to be the case. It is simply a tourist town and not geared towards hikers. there is a trolley you can take around town and to the grocery store for .50 cents, an incredible outfitters that offers free showers and a free shuttle back to the trail at 10 am. I have to admit it is a bit of an assault to the senses after being ion the woods for weeks, but I would suggest any thru-hiker to go there once to see the stark contrast and interesting town.
Date: 2013-05-02
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Watauga Lake 
Miles today: 134.4

Haven't updated in a while! Still plugging away and I am three days from Virginia. Almost back home. I'll fill in the blanks when I get some down time. The trail is a selfish beasts, she takes time and demands all of my energy. I have great stories to share though so don't lose faith!