morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-03-25
From: Wallace Gap

To: Siler Bald Gap
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

Day Sixteen (25 March)Last night we hung out with Darwin and Nick; we went up to the Life's Bounty Bakery and had a great cup of hot cocoa and an eclair! Yum!! It was nice sitting and talking with Darwin and Nick. Then we caught Ron's free shuttle to Walmart (for resupply) and an AYCE Chinese restaurant! Again, yum!! Man, we shoveled it in ! Ha ha Then, we came back and loaded the food into our packs...they now weigh a ton; ugh!! :-(This morning we took advantage of the free pancake and bacon breakfast at the 1st Batist Church; they shuttle you to/from church for breakfast! The parishioners were very friendly and they took photos of you and gave you note paper and an envelope to send your photo home to your loved ones! They also had a banner for all 2017 hikers to sign! So cool! Today we hiked from Wallace Gap (106.4) to Siler Bald Shelter (113.7) for a total of 7.3 miles. Along the way, we met a couple of gentlemen (Dave Haring and Jim Moore (Bulldog), and Dave recognized us from Trailjournals! It was so nice to hear that he was following our journey on Trailjournals! :-)We got to Siler Bald Shelter just in time to get spots inside the shelter; it is supposed to rain tonight...
Date: 2017-03-26
From: Siler Bald Gap

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

Day Seventeen (26 March)Today we hiked from Siler Bald Shelter (113.7) to Wayah Bald Shelter (120.5) for a total of only 7 miles.Last night was the first time that we slept in a shelter; it was quite an experience! The floor was pretty dirty so we spread our tent footprint out first, then our mats, then our sleeping bags. It was a tight fit but we managed to fit five people in there. Then we had to hang our backpacks, inside the shelter, so mice don't get into them. We were glad that we were in the shelter because it poured! However, the snoring was horrendous!! We managed to sleep off and on. This morning we headed out about 08:30, thinking about doing a long hike, but ended up stopping at Wayah Bald Shelter. It was very foggy and drizzled all day long, and some of the climbs were pretty tough. We got to Wayah Bald stone tower but it was all fogged in. :-( Then we hiked another mile and a half to the shelter. At the end of the day, Forest arrived at the shelter and brought a rainbow with him! What and end to the day!
Date: 2017-03-27
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: fog

Day Eighteen (27 March)Today we hiked from Wayah Bald Shelter (120.5) to Wesser Bald Shelter (131.1) for a total of 10.6 miles. We stayed in the shelter again last night. A few notes for those planning on staying in Shelters: At night, use the red light on your headlamp; and use a headlamp vice a lantern to read, and if you are going to use your phone, kindly step outside the shelter; just a little courtesy for those that are trying to sleep. :-o. After last night, we are going back to our tent! :-) Today, it started out nice and cool, then it sprinkled a little, and then we hiked up through the clouds; it was like hiking through a rain forest! I'll share photos once we take another zero. The weather was in the 60's, it rained off and on, and the trail was very muddy and slick, especially through the burned sections. 10.6 miles might not sound like very much, but we went up Cooper Ridge Bald (5000 ft.) and Wesser Bald (4100 ft.), which made it a long hike to us! :-oThe shelter is full again tonight, the fire has died down, and we are tucked snug in our sleeping bags; getting our Igneo mummy bags was the best thing we've done!
Date: 2017-03-28
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Natahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day Nineteen (28 March)Boy, last night's storm was a doozy!! It is really scary when you can practically see the lighting right through the tent! Not much sleep again last night. :-(. Today we got up and dried everything but the tent and footprint (they were a muddy mess from last night's storm). We rolled them up and strapped them to the back of Bushy 's pack. We then hiked from Wesser Bald Shelter (131.1) to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (137.0) for a total of 5.9 miles, and we are Nero'ing. Already showered and got the laundry done. :-). Now we just have to get dinner and maybe a couple of 'dry' sacks for our food bags. The view from Wesser Bald was breathtaking!! We are at the Nantahala Outdoor Center today, and when we walked over to the Outfitters we were recognized by Tigger, who is also hiking the trail and following us on Trailjournals; it was so cool, we felt like celebrities!! :-). While at the Outfitters, we picked up a couple of Sea to Summit 'waterproof sacks for our food storage...hopefully these will keep our food dry!
Date: 2017-03-29
From: Natahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

Day Twenty (29 March)Today was a butt kicker! The hike from the NOC (137.0) to Sassafras Gap Shelter (143.7), which was only 6.7 miles, it was all up hill!! Swim Bald is almost 5000 ft. up! The Jump-up had a terrific view down to Nantahala Gorge! The Nantahala Gorge from on high! The weather started out chilly which was great, then warmed to about 70 degrees so when we hit the first shelter we stopped for the day. Tomorrow starts out with one heck of a climb going from 4391 to 5062 we may try for 15 miles but we will see. The trail was in pretty good shape except a couple of places, where it was washed out. The Sassafras Gap Shelter is a double decker, and has a great water supply!
Date: 2017-03-30
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cody Gap Campsite
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Day Twenty One (30 March)Today we hiked from Sassafras Gap Shelter (143.7) to Cody Gap Camp Site (155.7) for a total of 12 miles, which included Jacobs Ladder!! Jacobs Ladder was a beast!! It just kept going up, and up, and up! We thought that we would never get to the top! We pulled into Brown Fork Gap Shelter just to take a break and get some water, then we were back on the trail. We wanted to shorten the distance to Fontana tomorrow as much as we can; now, tomorrow will only be a 9 or 10 miler. We are at Cody Cap Campsite tonight and are pulling into Fontana tomorrow; it is definitely time for a zero!! Plus, we are picking up a mail drop there. Bushy and I were amazed today to think that we are actually going to make it to Fontana Dam!! We have only read other through hiker's Trailjournals and their talk about Fontana Dam!! We are actually going to be there ourselves tomorrow!!! Awesome!!
Date: 2017-03-31
From: Cody Gap Campsite

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

Day Twenty Two (31 March)Last night was nice and cool, and then some time after we hit the sack it started to pour! We got some sleep, but like all camp sites, they are never flat. :-( I was constantly hiking myself back up to the top of the mat. This morning, it finally stopped raining and we were able to pack up our stuff, and hit the trail. We hiked from Cody Gap Shelter (155.7) to Fontana Dam (164.4) for a total of 8.7 miles. We made Fontana in pretty good time, not withstanding the scary parts of the trail:-o I even took a spill today and landed on my butt; no harm no foul. LOL. The hike was hard and long, and although we could see Fontana Lake, and the Dam from on high, we thought we would never get here! But, finally, we got to Hwy 28 and there was a phone there for the Fontana Village Resort shuttle (only $3 per person); we were so glad to make the call! And, the shuttle was there in minutes! At the lodge we quickly showered and hiked down to the laundry facility and did our laundry. While there, we grabbed a sandwich, chips, and a soda. Then, while the clothes were in the dryer, we got a quart of ice cream each. Mmmmm. While here, we ran into Straps (of Babbitt and Straps on Trailjournals) she recognized us by our matching red rains jackets! LOL. Others here are: OMG, Sir P, Bubbles, Babbitt and Straps, and some others that we cannot remember their names. While sitting in the lobby, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, we met three lovely young ladies from Rochester, NY, that were also thru hiking. We talked with them awhile trying to assess what their trail names should be; we managed to provide names for two of them (Summer Bottoms, and the other Junk. :-) We will continue to try and think of a name for the third young lady. They were very enjoyable company, and so pleasant to talk with. We hope to meet them again somewhere down the trail. Gypsy J Yet to be named, Junk, and Summer Bottoms One thing to note about the Fontana Villiage Resort: There apparently are no communication signals here, even Verizon is shaky, so we have to depend on the Resort's wifi, which is weak at best, because we are in one of the rooms way out in the north forty. :-(. We have to sit in the lobby in order for us to get a signal. :-(. Also, note to others, the laundry, general store, and one of the restaurants are quite a healthy hike down, and back up, from the room!! Anyway, we are in a room for the night, and will zero here tomorrow.
Date: 2017-04-02
From: Fontana Dam - Zero

To: Birch Spring Gap Campsite
Miles today: 7.4

Day Twenty Four (2 April)Last night was a great nights sleep! Then, bright and early this morning we packed up and headed to the lobby. I made us a couple of cafe mochas with the coffee and hot chocolate packets they had. Mmmmm. Then we got the shuttle back to the trailhead and started hiking. We hiked from Fontana Dam (164.4) to Birch Spring Gap Campsite (171.8) for a total of 7.4 miles. We figured that the bubble would all hike to Mollie Springs Shelter, and so far, we were right. :-). So far, we have this camp site all to ourselves! :-). Tomorrow, we should be able to hike to the next Shelter, that has a privy, pretty easy. The climb out of Fontana Dam to Shuckstack fire tower was brutal, especially with four days of food that we got from our mail drop, that's why we planned for a short hike today! So, now, we are sitting in our chairs relaxing . :-)
Date: 2017-04-03
From: Birch Spring Gap Campsite

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day Twenty Five (3 April)Last night was okay but our tent was still on a slant, so we were sliding to one side all night. We heard a large tree fall at about 4:30 in the morning! That was scary! Since it was going to rain all day, we hurried and packed up our stuff and hit the trail. Man, it rained practically the whole hike, with wind gusts up to 50 MPH, and lightening!!! The trail was either sloppy muddy or a river bed...miserable! :-(. We hiked from Birch Spring Gap Campsite (171.8) to Spence Field Shelter (182.9) for a total of 11.1 miles. We wanted to get to a shelter that had a privy. :-) We just made it before a bunch of other hikers got there, and got into the shelter. It is a calamity in here because every one is changing into dry clothes and hanging their wet stuff all around the shelter. We changed into dry shirts and socks, but kept our pants on and dove into our sleeping bags to warm up. Later, we finally decided to hang our clothes and left them hanging all night...well, it poured down rain in the middle of the night, so the clothes were even wetter than before! LOL. Boy, I'll be honest, today's hike seriously challenged my resolve!! :-o. Ah, but tomorrow is another day, and hopefully we will be able to pull into Gatlinburg day after tomorrow! :-)
Date: 2017-04-04
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: moderate rain

Day Twenty Six (4 April)Today we hiked from Spence Field Shelter (182.9) to Double Spring Gap Shelter (196.4) for a total of 13.5 Miles. It was quite a hike with continuous ups and downs! But, it was a nice cool, clear day for hiking. :-) Now we only have 10.4 miles to get to New Found Gap tomorrow; with Clingmans Dome. The shelter was fully loaded with tents all around.   That was one of the most grueling hikes, it seemed like we were constantly going up!! And we were dangerously running out of water! :-o. We were so relieved to finally get to the shelter...and the water source was actually close this time!
Date: 2017-04-05
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day Twenty Seven (5 April)Today we got up while it was still dark so that we could get a jump on the rain that was due today, plus to catch a glimpse of the sunrise over Clingman's Dome. It was our very first night hike!! We did get a photo of the sunrise, but we were not quick enough to get a better shot. Sunrise over Clingman's Dome But, ended up hiking from Double Spring Gap Shelter (196.4) to Newfound Gap (206.8) for a total of 10.4 miles, that included : Mt. Buckley, Clingman's Dome (highest location on the AT - 6667 ft.), Mt. Love, Mt. Collins, and Mingus Ridge...notice all "Mt.'s"!! Again, ups and downs; but as usual, it seemed like more ups. LOL. In the beginning it was very nice, but then it started to rain, and rain, and rain, with wind gusts and lightening!! Even with rain gear, we were totally soaked, and cold. The best part of the day was when we did get to Newfound Gap, this couple was just dropping off four other hikers, and they asked us if we needed a ride to town! They even had a large piece of plastic to put over the entire back seat, so we wouldn't mess up their truck! They were truly Trail Angels (Don and Mary Kay)!! They gave us a tour of Gatlinburg before dropping us off at the hotel, and they waited for us to verify the reservation, before they took off. Awesome!! Don & Mary Kay We are now zeroing in Gatlinburg! :-) And, we have entered our third state! Now in Tennessee!
Date: 2017-04-08
From: Gatlinburg

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

Day Thirty (8 April)Today we finally got out of Gatlinburg and got back on the trail! We walked over to the NOC Great Outpost parking lot early this morning to get in line for the free shuttle (by the first baptist church) back to Newfound Gap. It was pretty cold, with snow and ice on the trail. Later, the snow and ice turned into mud and slop! We hiked from Newfound Gap (206.8) to Pecks Corner Shelter (217.1) for a total of 10.3 miles. We were hoping to get to Tri-Corner Knob Shelter but the snow and ice slowed us down considerably! While at the shelter about six folks came in that had reservations; we all squeezed together to make them all fit. On the trail Megan and John caught up to us; they were off the trail while she got a tooth pulled. :-o. It was nice to see them again.
Date: 2017-04-09
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Day Thirty One (9 April)That was a miserable night in the shelter; they squeezed in about twenty folks, because a group showed up wit permits, then someone was passing gas all night, and the snoring was like a bear cave...I think that everyone was snoring! Then we were awoken early in the morning by a few folks that wanted to pack up early. What a night!! Today we were still able to pull a 12 miler. We hiked from Pecks Corner Shelter (217.1) to Cosby Knob Shelter (229.6) for a total of 12.5 miles. In the beginning, the trail was still a mess, with snow, ice, slush, and mud. The further we got the better condition the trail got. We finally made it to The shelter and found that there were four more people coming with permits again, but this time we were able to set up our tent. :-). We might be on a sloped site, at least we can sleep in our tent!
Date: 2017-04-10
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Painter Branch Campsite
Miles today: 12.6

Day Thirty Two (10 April)This morning we were awaken by an owl with a very eerie call, had a beautiful sunrise from our tent enjoyed with the song of various birds. Then we packed up and hit the trail. It was a fantastic hike all the way to the end of the Smokies with so many flowers blooming at this lower elevation and much warmer. And, then, we hit HWY 40 and got true trail magic; Paula and Billy Goat (he camped with us in Cosby shelter and Paula picked him up) were parked on the side of the road and offered us ham & cheese sandwiches, sodas, and chocolate chip cookies! They even had soap and water for us to wash our hands. They gave us an extra sandwich, cookies, and soda to pack in for dinner!! Then, it got really warm about 80 degrees, and the uphill hike began! :-(. But, we finally got to Painters Branch Campsite and found a very flat tent site!! :-). This site is beautiful with very tall trees I don't know the variety. We listened to a hoot owl just outside camp while I write this journal. Today, we hiked from Cosby Knob Shelter (229.6) to Painters Branch Camp Site (242.4) for a total of 12.6 miles. Because of the trail magic, we had time to pull out our chairs and relax and enjoy dinner; with Mountain Dew sodas!! :-)
Date: 2017-04-11
From: Painter Branch Campsite

To: Roaring Forks Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

Day Thirty Three (11 April)Last night there was another full moon, the light comes right thru this tent. We lucked out and found a flat tent site, loved it! Today was a long and miserable hike! The only good thing was that it was cool clear in the morning, but then it got hot and miserable later in the day. We hiked from Painters Branch Camp Site (242.4) to Roaring Fork Shelter (255.5) for a total of 13.1 miles, which included Max Patch! To look at AWOL it didn't appear to us to be a hard day.....big mistake! We spent the day going up and down with some very steep ups! We took several breaks sitting in our chairs to rest our backs. The last few days have been over ten miles so we hope to do just ten miles tomorrow. The bubble we are in is Yoda, Brooklyn, Bisquick, and a few others. Tonight we will sleep in the shelter since all the campsites are slanted. The highlight of the day was Max Patch; after a grueling climb, we had a magnificent view!! There is a hyper chipmunk here hoping he doesn't visit tonight. Note: AWOL says that there is water at this shelter, but In fact it is about .3 miles before you get to the shelter.
Date: 2017-04-12
From: Roaring Forks Shelter

To: Brook with Cascades campsite
Miles today: 10.0

Day Thirty Four (12 April)Hiked from Roaring Fork Shelter (255.5) to Brook with Cascades Campsite (265.5) for a total of 10 miles. Granted it was only 10 miles but we snagged the best campsite ever!! Check it out in the photo! It had a cascading waterfall behind it and a beautiful view in front of it, and we had it all to ourselves . :-) We had time to soak our feet in the stream and then pull out our chairs and just enjoy the view!! Never got more sleep; the only thing that we heard was the waterfall! The hike today was beautiful, the smell of pine, and the beauty of the flowers were fantastic! At one mountain top we laid out the tent footprint because Bushy's tailbone was hurting (she had a fall that landed her on her tailbone on a rock a couple of days earlier), and we just laid there enjoying the clouds go by; it was very relaxing! This positioned us for a short 8 mile hike tomorrow to Hot Springs. :-) Some folks that we ran into at the shelter were: Bisquick, Brain, Brooklyn, and Yoda.
Date: 2017-04-13
From: Brook with Cascades campsite

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

Day Thirty Five (13 April)Today we hiked from Brook with Cascades campsite (265.5) to Hot Springs (273.4) for a total of 7.9 miles. We got up bright and early this morning, packed up our gear and hit the trail...next stop, Hot Springs and a long awaited rest! The hike was very nice in the beginning because it was very cool and a lot of down hill. :-). But then...there is always a 'but then' LOL We got to the uphill part!! Up from Taylor Hollow Gap and then Deer Park Mountain (they don't look that ominous in AWOL but they kicked our butts!) :-o. Then it was finally down hill, and down, and down, and down! Again the fragrance of pine saturated the air as we hiked, Bushy says if we lived here she would plant this variety of pine in our yard and leave the windows wide open. We finally got to Laughing Heart Hostel, and in only three and a half hours! The Hostel was very nice, they hurried and cleaned our room and let us in early! We quickly took much needed showers and the walked down to the Smoky Mountain Diner for lunch. Yum!! We also checked out the General Dollar store right next door and picked up some flip flops (camp shoes), new Smart One bottles, duct tape (need more on my ink pen holders; the rest of the roll goes in the hiker box), and some snacks for the room. What we also noted they were totally out of sides and no Ramen noodles, glad we had a mail drop. Oh, and we got a box to send our base layers and thick socks to our son in New York tomorrow, that we will pick back up when we get there. Today we are neroing here and zeroing tomorrow!
Date: 2017-04-14
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day Thirty Six (14 April)Today we zeroed in Hot Springs. We ate at the Smoky Mountain Diner a few times. We also picked up a few things at the Dollar General and the Hillbilly Market, just around the corner from the Dollar General. We found that the Dollar General was nearly wiped out of hiker supplies but found the Hillbilly Market has a massive amount of hiker supplies, reasonably priced. They also sell sandwiches, milkshakes, hot breakfast foods, pizza, chicken and biscuit, there was just so much I can't remember it all. They open at 7:00 on weekdays and 8:00 on weekends. You have to hike past the street they are on anyhow since that is the trail; very nice people and they support hikers. This evening, we had a steak at the Iron Horse Restaurant down at the other end of town; delish!! All in all, a very nice zero!
Date: 2017-04-15
From: Hot Springs

To: Campsite @ 285.2
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day Thirty Seven (15 April)Woke up bright and early, packed up, and headed down to the Smoky Mountain Diner for breakfast. :-) We even got two huge cinnamon rolls to take with us! We stayed at the Laughing Heart Hostel, and were a bit disappointed. It was nice that they let us in early, but was a bit concerned about them spraying raid on the bed linen before turning it over to us. Plus, we got the room right next to the bathroom, and across from the washer and dryer, so constant traffic and noise! Did I mention that the dryer wasn't vented to the outside, just behind the dryer. Oh, and Bushy had to fold their laundry before we could get ours into the dryer. :-(. Anyway, we are out of Hot Springs, and it was a hellacious climb out of there! But, the view, half way up, was beautiful! It was a pretty cool walk today, and it even sprinkled a little bit. While hiking out, we found that a bunch of folks camped out by the river (for free); pretty cool! Hot Springs was a pretty nice town. We hiked from Hot Springs (273.4) to a campsite (285.2) for a total of 11.8 miles. We were planning on stopping at Spring Mountain Shelter but it was a pit! :-o. So, I got water and we hiked on until we found a good campsite. We found a flat spot about .8 mile from the shelter; perfect! Now, we are just chilling. :-)
Date: 2017-04-16
From: Campsite @ 285.2

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day Thirty Eight (16 April)Today we hiked a long one! We hiked from our campsite (285.2) to Jerry Cabin Shelter (300.3) for a total of 15.1 miles, including Big Firescald Knob (4544 ft.)!! That was one tough climb, with lots of boulder scrambling! We also hit our 300 mile mark!! It has proven to be very dry, water wise, coming out of Hot Springs. Fortunately, the shelters had water. This was a very long day because we started at 0730 and did get to the shelter until about 6:00 pm! The boulder scramble ate up a lot of the time, but it was a beautiful view. At the shelter we ran into June Quinn (who's a part of our Appalachian Trail Class of 2017!! So cool!!