morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-01
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather had not improved much when we woke up, and we left the shelter in a light rain. At least today the skies cleared up in the early afternoon, and we actually saw the sun. It warmed up and we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon at Derrick Knob with other hikers and the shelter trail maintainers who were working on the shelter and in the area. It was real nice to finally have a half day of nice weather.We had a full house at the shelter, and some tented outside. This was not something anyone had wanted to do on our previous nasty nights in the Smokies. The night was warm, and we all looked forward to a nice night's sleep. Tomorrow we'll climb Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT.
Date: 2009-04-02
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a walk in misery. It rained all day. We missed a turn as we approached Clingman's Dome and walked an extra 0.7 mile to get to the dome. We found from the next shelter register that we were not the only ones to make the mistake. Apparently, it's common. There were absolutely no views from the top of Clingman's, but we were amazed at the number of tourists who had come up to visit it anyway. We got our picture taken by some of them who were apparently happy to see thru hikers.The wind and rain continued through the afternoon, and the trail was a mess of water and mud. Everything got wet and muddy. We met several familiar hikers at the Mt. Collins Shelter which was surrounded by mud and water. Even so, the inside was dry, and we were happy to be there. As the day progressed, quite a few other hikers arrived and we ended up with 17 hikers bedded down in the 12 man shelter. It was quite cozy and everyone kept their sense of humor. Two of our shelter buddies serenaded the group with harmonica and ukelele. Silent Night was particularly welcome, as we were hoping for one. The forcast was for severe storms and high winds.
Date: 2009-04-03
From: Mt. Colins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: light rain

What a night. It had poured and the wind howled all night. The flooded shelter area was even deeper in water. At least the winds and rain relented slightly a dawn, so we walked today in light rain and wind. The trail was a steam in many places today, and our boots and pants were caked in mud. We were quite happy to meet Mosey's cousin, Rob, on the trail as we approached Newfound Gap. He took us into Gatlinburg where we picked up our mail drop at The Happy Hiker and checked into our motel room. Showers and clean clothes were greatly appreciated after six days on the trail.Our afternoon was spent doing chores and ended with a steak dinner in town. Tomorrow we hit the trail again early. We'll finish off the Smokies in the next few days, and then it's on to Hot Springs. We should have good weather for at least two days. After that we'll have to see since there's a forecast of cold and possible snow. We're hoping for the best and are ready to on. Maybe we'll get better phone coverage on this segment, so we can update the journal more often. So far, communications in the Smokies have been pretty poor.Thanks to all who are writing in our guest book. We will eventually get back to you, but right now we're totally consumed with the chores of hiking. We hope you'll understand. We do read your messages and are encourage. Thanks again.
Date: 2009-04-04
From: Newfound Gap

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We had a nice night in Gatlinburg with Mosey's cousin, and we got an early start to the trailhead after a big pancake breakfast. The skies had cleared and the temperatures were near 32 when we started hiking from Newfound Gap. We experienced lots of ice going up to where the trail meets with the Boulevard Trail to Mt. LeConte. With all the nice weather, the trail was full of weekenders and thru hikers. We were rewarded with excellent views of a section of the trail we had not done before. We stopped at Charlie's Bunion with Vagrant and the Kiwi's and were rewarded with spectacular views. The temperature warmed in the afternoon and it was hiking in tshirt time. When we reached Peck's Corner, the tents were going up all over, but we settled into the shelter where there was still room. It eventually filled, so the whole shelter area was packed. We're looking for another great day tomorrow with even warmer temperatures. This has been quite a change from the dreary weather we've experience so far in the Smokies.Much thanks to Robb Neil for picking us up at Newfound Gap and drove us all over Gatlinburg. It was very nice to see family and spend some time with him. Thanks again Robb.
Date: 2009-04-05
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: few clouds

We woke to warm temperatures and wanted to get an early start, but Mosey was not feeling well, so we sat it out until late morning when she felt much better. The late start led to a short day, and we ended up at Tri-Corner Knob Shelter. The hike there was wonderful with lots of views from the trail. We got to the shelter early and settled in while other hikers followed. It was a nice mix of older and younger hikers.As the afternoon went on, the clouds started moving in. The forecast was for rain tonight and much colder temperatures tomorrow. Before heading to bed we were treated to some trail magic by other hikers who had brought in kielbasa and hot dogs from Gatlinburg. They made a fire and cooked the dogs which were then shared with the rest of us. A nice treat to end the day.We're hoping for a reasonable hiking day tomorrow, but the forecast makes it iffy. We'll just have to wait and see.
Date: 2009-04-06
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

Well, the weatherman was right. It poured during the night and cooled off considerably. When we left the shelter in the morning, snow flakes were falling. The weather did not improve, but got worse. Snow flew off and on, and wind blew fiercely. It was a cold, wet day that got worse as the day went on. No views today.We had hoped to hike further, but the weather was just too bad, so we stopped at Cosby Knob Shelter. A father and his two young children were already there and had gathered wood and started a fire. Real Nice. We ate some hot soup and decided to stay rather than pressing on. As the afternoon progressed, the shelter filled quickly with cold wet hikers. We had a full house by the end of the day. Everyone was eager to eat and get into a warm sleeping bag as night fell and the snow started to accumulate.Special thanks to the father of the kids who provided some trail magic Gentleman Jack to spice up our hot tea. That was real tasty.Not looking forward to tomorrow's hike when we leave the Smokies. It looks like a trudge through snow and ice.
Date: 2009-04-07
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Green Corner Rd
Miles today: 10.4

The weather was bleak to say the least when we got up. It was still snowing hard with about 6-8 inches on the ground. We ate a quick breakfast and hit the trail. All you could do is look for the indentation where the trail should be and hope the unseen hazards would be kind. Finally someone passed us, and we followed there footsteps.The snow continued all morning, and both Mosey and Dulcimer Dave took spills. Dulcimer Dave twisted his right knee (the good one) on a fall, but at the moment it's a nuisance that will hopefully go away.As we got to lower altitudes, the snow let up and temperatures rose. It was still spitting snow, but you could actually see the trail in places. A very muddy trail at best. With all snow and cold, we were glad to leave the Smokies, pass over the Pigeon River and our first interstate (I-40), and arrive at Standing Bear Hostel. Unfortunately, they were full, so we took up their offer to stay in the barn with some other folks. It wasn't glamorous, but it was dry. We ate a quick makeshift dinner and went to bed without even taking advantage of the shower. We plan to zero tomorrow, since our bounce box is not here yet, and we'd enjoy a day to rest before heading to Hot Springs.Oh yes, we had trail magic to end our day. Upload and Stitches (class of 2006) had mailed us a box of goodies that we retrieved before bed and proceeded to nibble on as a before bed snack. Thanks so much to these past thru hikers   who made our day.
Date: 2009-04-08
From: Green Corner Rd

To: Green Corner Rd
Miles today: 0.0

We slept in this morning and then quickly arranged for night in a cabin as opposed to the barn.   Dulcimer Dave got a ride to town with Curtis, one of the owners, and retrieved our bounce box. We finally got our showers and got the laundry done. Lunch of pizza and beer with the promise of other good things for dinner. It's sunny and warm again, and we're enjoying a leisurely day hanging out at the hostel. Tomorrow it's back to hiking as we start the AT section to Hot Springs.
Date: 2009-04-09
From: Green Corner Rd

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: few clouds

We enjoyed out night in the Standing Bear Hostel cabin and got a good night's sleep. It was quite a step up from the barn experience. There were only 4 people staying at the hostel last night, so it was pretty quite this morning before we left. At least the sun was out today, and quite a bit of the snow had melted from the trails.We did a long up hill in the morning and reached Snowbird Mountain in the early afternoon. There was still some snow on the ground in patches, but the view was very good from the summit. There's an FAA air traffic facility on top that really stands out. We met a mother and her son who were walking the trail, and they took some pictures of the two of us with the mountain views in the distance. Several other hikers had stopped at a clear spot to snack and take in the views, so the mountain top was a high point for the day.We continued down through lots of mud and snow until we reached Groundhog Creek Shelter which we shared with three other hikers for the night. It's an old shelter, but it kept us comfy.
Date: 2009-04-10
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke to gray skies, and the rain started shortly after we began hiking accompanied by lots of thunder. No views this morning as we trudged on in the rain. It looked like another dismal day of hiking, but the sun broke through about noon and we had a nice lunch in a gap before reaching Max Patch.The sun raised our spirits, and we were elated to find trail magic where the trail starts it's ascent of Max Patch. We found a cooler of cold soft drinks and beer along with oranges, hot chocolate mix, and ham and cheese sandwiches. We gratefully indulged and thank the trail angel who left the cooler.Clouds were starting to move in again as we summitted Max Patch, but we got some very good views in a stiff wind. We met the Land family from Tampa Florida on top and took turns doing the picture taking thing. They had been vacationing in a nearby cabin and said the area had received 12 inches of snow a few days before and they were snowed in for two days. There was still patches of snow scattered on top of Max Patch and the surrounding woods.We met some day hikers on our way to Roaring Fork Shelter, and they warned us of bad weather that was expected late in the day. We hurried along a very muddy path to get into the shelter early. Good thing, because the rain started in the early evening and it was quite a downpour. Some think it hailed during the night. We had a full shelter and everyone stayed dry. The shelter was only two years old, so it was very nice compared to some we've stayed in. We had some time to talk to Charles who is a hiker we had met several times before. He was quite entertaining, but will be getting off at Hot Springs to deal with thyroid cancer. We wish him the best and a quick recovery.
Date: 2009-04-11
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Campsite near Garenflow Gap
Miles today: 10.6

Another day starting in the rain. Everyone is real tired of wet hiking and hoping for some drier weather. We hiked all morning in the cold drizzle before taking a lunch break at Walnut Mountain Shelter. Charles was there resting, and we talked to him briefly. This is a very old and dirty shelter that we had no interest in staying in.The afternoon was much like the morning with cold rain off and on. We made it up Bluff Mountain, but there were no views, just cold and wind. We didn't even stop.The rain eventually let up and we found a nice camping spot on a forest road just down the trail from a stream. As evening fell, we saw some blue sky, so there is hope for a better hiking day tomorrow. Smoky T, Caveman, and there gang camped near us and started a small campfire to warm the night. It's cooling off, and we're expecting a cool, but dry morning tomorrow.
Date: 2009-04-12
From: Campsite near Garenflow Gap

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

Finally, a nice crisp morning with no rain. We quickly packed up and started our hike into Hot Springs. Lots of nice views which was a pleasant change. We spooked a turkey out of a tree where he was probably hiding from hunters. Yesterday was the first day of turkey hunting season, although we saw no hunters.We took a brief break at Deer Park Mountain Shelter, but it was very brief since we wanted to get into town. Our hiking pace was quite improved as we headed mainly downhill.We arrived in Hot Springs about 1:00 and secured a room at The Sunnybank Inn, also known as Elmer's. This is a hiker favorite where Elmer has been doing his thing forever. The house was built in 1840 and has always been a welcome stop for visitors to Hot Springs.Lunch was a pig out at the local diner across the street from Elmer's. Fried chicken and steak subs were a welcome change from trail food. We got the laundry done and took showers and just relaxed on a warm sunny afternoon. Nothing like a town day to cheer you up. We had dinner at the one open local restaurant where we enjoyed a steak meal and lots of trail talk with Vagrant and the Kiwi's. Mr. Kiwi had a trail altercation with another hiker and was nursing an injured shoulder. We had met the perpetrator before and decided he was someone to stay away from. We're told that the authorities are still investigating this unfortunate incident. In the meantime, the word has gotten out on the trail about our bad boy hiker. Hopefully we won't see him again. The Kiwi's are two of the nicest hikers we've met and it's a shame that visitors to our country have to experience a trail jerk. Fortunately, we've only met this one bad apple. Everyone else has been real friendly and we're happy to be hiking with them.Tomorrow we'll zero to catch up on supplies and the internet. The weather is supposed to go back to rotten, and we're hoping it improves by the time we leave Tuesday morning.
Date: 2009-04-13
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The skies are not looking good this morning, so we're happy we're doing a zero. We had breakfast family style with Elmer to start our day, and we're doing errands this morning. We hope to have time this afternoon to visit the local Hot Springs spa where people have been coming for years to enjoy the therapeutic waters. We're also waiting on our bounce box to arrive so we can finalize our shopping for the next leg of our journey. Erwin, TN is on the horizon, and we hope to be there in about a week.We're really enjoying Elmer's place where we've had lots of time to visit with Elmer and the other hikers staying there. There's quite an array of backgrounds and everyone has a story to tell. The people are one of the high points of this trip. Without them, I'm not sure we'd being sticking it out in what has been a mostly dreary, cold, and wet hike. We're hoping the rest of April will bless other with better weather.
Date: 2009-04-14
From: Hot Springs

To: Rich Mountain Fire Tower
Miles today: 8.2

Not a good hiking day for us. We left town late because we needed to track down our lost bounce box. It finally showed up and we sent it on without opening it. We didn't start hiking until 10:00 after a last conversation with the Kiwi's who are staying in Hot Springs until Ron's shoulder is checked out again. Then they'll either get back on the trail or go somewhere else to get Ron's shoulder fixed. It's our understanding that the authorities are now looking for the individual who assaulted Ron last week. We wish the Kiwi's the best. Anyway, it started raining shortly after we started hiking and it was very warm with the rain gear on. Later in the day as we got to higher altitudes, the rain turned cold. The hiking was just miserable. When we got to the fire tower late in the afternoon, we decided to camp there even though we had just about exhausted our water. The guide says there's water there, but we didn't find it. So, no dinner. Just go to bed. At least we got in some miles today and hope to do better tomorrow. These rainy, cold days are really wearing, and Dulcimer Dave in particular is not a happy camper. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Date: 2009-04-15
From: Rich Mountain Fire Tower

To: Log Cabin Drive
Miles today: 8.1

Guess what? It was another gloomy day. No sun and no views. We packed up at dawn and hiked on to Spring Mountain Shelter to eat a late breakfast after getting water from a stream along the way. Then we started our long descent to Allen Gap where the AT crosses NC 208 and TN 70. We were about to have lunch before the crossing when some other hikers told us that there was trail magic ahead.When we got to the highway, there was a sign saying to go down the road a couple hundred yards for waffles and other goodies. On our way, we met Vagrant and some other hikers who said the trail magic was great. When we arrived, we found that we would be the last hikers to get magic today. That was a nice change, because we usually just miss the magic. Our hosts were prior thru hikers, and they invited us into their home and sat us down at the table with two other hikers who had come before us. We got our waffles, a drink of our choice, stew, and a big dessert. What a change from trail lunches of PB&J. We were there over an hour and had a delightful time and discussion. The hosts are evangelical Christians who engaged us and the others, one of who was a hiking preacher, in a faith based discussion. They provided some related books for us to take if we wanted and explained that they had been doing this trail magic and ministry for three years.We hated to leave, but it was getting on in the day. Back into the fog with some predictions of rain tonight. After hiking a couple miles we came to Log Cabin Drive with signs to the Hemlock Hollow hostel. We decided to take advantage and hiked the 0.7 miles down the road to find a warm dry space for the night. The hostel owners greeted us and made us feel welcome. We'll be the only ones here tonight, so no snorers. Yea! We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow morning, hopefully with the sun shining. That's the prediction for the next couple of days.In summary, a nasty day of hiking with great trail magic. We're still moving north.
Date: 2009-04-16
From: Log Cabin Drive

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

We enjoyed our night in the Hickory Hammock hostel. We were warm and dry. Today looks a lot better than yesterday. Clearing skies but a little cool. Our host dropped us off at the trailhead and we climbed to over 4,000 ft. Had some great views, especially from the Blackstack Cliffs and Big Firescald Knob area. Dulcimer Dave went over the ridgeline trail with 360 degree views while Mosey took the lower bad weather trail.All told, we had a good day hiking and were happy to get to the Jerry Cabin shelter where we chose to tent. Met several very nice hikers there who started a fire to take the chill off the night air. We're looking for another good weather day tomorrow. It really is a lift to have a break from the rain.
Date: 2009-04-17
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Campsite near Rector Laurel Rd
Miles today: 10.1

Another nice hiking day. Today we crossed Big Butt and then visited the Civil War gravesite of the Shelton brothers. They were Union soldiers killed by the Confederates when they returned home for a visit during the war. We were talking to a couple other hikers near the gravesite when a large deer came out of the woods towards us. It came quite close before realizing that we were there, at which point it loped off into the woods.We had lunch at the Flint Mountain Shelter before crossing NC 212 at Devil Fork Gap. We encountered a new type of stile for crossing the fence and enjoyed watching hikers go over it without realizing that the barbed wire fence had an opening right next to the stile. I guess they have us hikers programmed for stiles even when there is an option.We tanked up on water right after Rector Laurel Rd. since we planned to tent only to find a nice stream just a short distance ahead with a nice flat spot for our tent. We have a great campsite tonight with the promise of more good weather tomorrow.
Date: 2009-04-18
From: Campsite near Rector Laurel Rd

To: Spring just past Sams Gap
Miles today: 7.7

We started our day with a nice big up to Frozen Knob and then hiked over to Hogback Ridge Shelter where we had lunch. We continued on to Sams Gap were we started looking for water before finding a campsite and found it to be pretty scarce in this section. We finally filtered water from a muddy trickle along the trail thinking that this was the last water source. Several other hikers did the same. After hiking on, we came to a nice camping spot and found a great spring right next to it. You just never know about the water thing.We've pitched our tent on a nice ridgeline and hope to get a good night's sleep before tomorrow's promised rain.
Date: 2009-04-19
From: Spring just past Sams Gap

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It had been a warm night, and the clouds had moved in before we broke camp. The rain started slowly as we started to hike and built as we went on. It was coming down pretty good and getting colder before we crossed Big Bald. We got just a glimpse of the mountains on the horizon before fog shut down the views. It was so nasty that we decided to end our day at 1:00 when we got to Bald Mountain Shelter. Stick Man was already there along with a couple other hikers, and everyone debated going on in the rain or hunkering down in the shelter. We were glad we chose the latter as it rained hard all day with no end in sight. We're hoping the precipitation ends before our day begins tomorrow. Mountain Man came in and decided to stay. We had heard of him and were glad to finally meet him. It was nice to have someone our own age to talk to. The younger hikers are all nice, but they have a different perspective than us older folks. For a rainy day, we enjoyed our time in the shelter.
Date: 2009-04-20
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

We were pleased to wake up to better weather. There were just a few scattered storms in the area and the skies were looking a lot better than yesterday. We were glad we had stayed in the shelter. Today we got some views and had a rather uneventful day of hiking. We lunched at Spivey Gap where the trail crosses US 19W before proceeding on to the No Business Knob Shelter. We were happy to see that Mountain Man and Stick Man were both there, and we enjoyed their company prior to turning in. Tomorrow it's on to Erwin and a couple days of rest before continuing our trek.