morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-03-10
From: mt. collins shelter

To: peck's corner shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Challenging, tiring, and wonderful day today. Woke up and it was just below freezing, not bad but a good thing I slept with my shoes and water. Today was going to be a long day so I got going as soon as I could.There was an absolute ton of ice on the trail. Literally a few miles of trail throughout the day were covered in a few inches of ice. Lets just say it makes things rather exciting. I pseudo ice skated a few times, not all on purpose. Surprisingly I didn't fall today. Very tough.There was also some snow still so my boots didn't dry and I have to sleep with them again. Passed through Newfound Gap today which is pretty much the only road crossing in the park. Lots of day hikers so the trail was packed down and well maintained.The trail north of the gap was absolutely fantastic. This section is the definition of ridge walking. There were literally probably 5 miles of walking on a ridge 3 feet wide with 75 degree slopes down. Add ice to that and it made for some exciting hiking.Because there was so much ridge walking, this was the day with the most vistas. Almost the entire day I could look out and see for thousands of feet below me. Few clouds too so it was an excellent day. This section of the trail is incredible.I went pretty far today, and I was really beat when I finally got to the shelter. Did the distance plus a mile to get to the shelters in just over 8 hours. I was really booking today, and I felt pretty good till late in the day. I realized that I am getting into shape, which is awesome. There were dayhikers going up the hill after the gap, and I was passing them with my pack. Made me feel pretty cool. Also my legs have already beefed up a bit I think.At the shelter with some other thru-hikers - grasshopper, brakeman, barefodder, virginia slim.My knee was tight if I stopped for a minute today in the afternoon, even with Motrin. Definitely going to take some days off when I get out of the Smokies in a couple days. I really hope it goes away so I can stay out here. I'm really having a good time.
Date: 2008-03-11
From: peck's corner shelter

To: cosby knob shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Another nice day. Got up even before the sun rose for once. Had a pouch of mashed potatoes for breakfast because I was craving it - thanks Carver. Headed out to some ups and downs.A little more ridge walking and ice chute traversing. Some rolling ups and downs to start off the day; a few were over 6000 feet. Nice views as always but a little cloudy today.The climbs didn't bother me at all, and I was easily able to power up them with few stops. I noticed that even my breathing is less than the sort of pant I used to have going up hills. Feeling great.Took a break at Tricorner shelter before the last sorta big climb of the day. Took lunch at 6300 feet at a great overlook. Could see the flat lands beyond the mountains and a lake.Lots of downhill; 6300 feet today to 1400 tomorrow. Literally downhill for miles. That also means quite an uphill out of the gap.I'm staying at Standing Bear Farm tomorrow for a shower laundry and resupply. After that a few more days to Hot Springs where I will take a few days off for my knee.At the shelter again with barefodder, virginia slim, grasshopper, and brakeman, along with some section hikers. Great people. Barefodder is thru-hiking for his 70th birthday.I think I passed the 10 percent mark on the trail today!
Date: 2008-03-13
From: standing bear farm hostel

To: brown gap campsite
Miles today: 10.1

Today started a bit daunting, but turned out alright.The fire went out overnight in the fireplace heating the bunkhouse so it was a little chilly. Got up a little early and had a pastry product that was delicious. Packed up and headed out. Luckily my food bag didn't gain much weight since I'm planning on two nights on the trail before heading into Hot Springs for the third night.There were two big climbs today. The first was pretty big - 2500 feet I think up Snowbird Mountain. It was a big climb, but it didn't bother me too much, and I wasn't really rushing since I was only planning on doing 10 or so miles today. The top was bald so I got a great view of the Smokies. They look a bit more daunting looking at them than they turned out to be. Took pictures of the panorama.There was a weird FAA building on top of the mountain. Looked sorta like an upside down funnel. Pretty weird, and there were dire warnings that if the building was disturbed, people could die. Literally.Hiked on down the other side to a shelter for a lunch break. Filled all the way up with water since there probably wouldn't be a spring wherever I decided to tent.Took a leisurely stroll up the next 1000 foot climb because I had plenty of time. I lost the trail for the first time out here. The blazes indicated a switchback, so I turned onto an old forest service road, and eventually realized that wasn't the way. Funny thing was there was a foot path along there; apparently lots of people make that same mistake. Went back and found the trail, apparently a 5 degree change in direction was indicated by this switchback blaze...Got to Brown Gap and didn't see the campsite that was supposed to be there. Went on a little further and found one and set up camp. It may rain overnight but it shouldn't be a big deal since I'm only 2 days out of a town and I'm staying at a shelter tomorrow night.Should be another easy day tomorrow, another 10 miles or so, then 13 into Hot Springs. I could have done it in less time, but I figured that would defeat the purpose of resting up my knee in town.Beautiful day today; may have hit 70 and partly cloudy.
Date: 2008-03-14
From: brown gap campsite

To: walnut mountain shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up today and it was still dry out. The sky looked good for now so I packed up quickly and hit the trail. It only took me a couple more minutes to pack up with the tent, so I will probably use it more when it gets warmer out.Climb right off the bat, and it was actually tiring. It just felt like I didn't have the energy. I think I may have not gotten enough sleep last night for some reason. I thought I got 9 hours or so.The highlight of the day was Max Patch. This is the name of the mountain. Legend has it that this guy named Max single-handedly cleared the top of this mountain to graze his animals. He cleared 392 acres. Apparently he got on a roll. This was way before the chainsaw.The entire top of the bald was clear and grassy. This gave a 360 degree view of the surrounding area from 4600 feet. I chilled up there at the top for a while. The weather was nice at the time, and I was only going 10 miles today.Eventually I left Max Patch and started the descent. The descent was rather lengthy - 3.5 miles - so it was almost flat. Awesome. The trail meandered through the hills and across a bunch of streams. I got a little creative in rock-hopping a few times. Because there was so much water, there was actually a lot of green stuff, primarily rhododendrons, ferns, mountain laurel, and other stuff. Some really nice rhododendron tunnels.Stopped at a shelter for lunch and again took my time, till I noticed the sky was no longer blue anywhere. I took that as my cue to head onward.More streams and flat trail. Started to sprinkle a little, so I put on all my rain stuff. Stopped sprinkling. Sweating in my rain stuff. Started sprinkling...etc.Easy climb up Walnut Mountain to the shelter. Stopped raining, sweating again. Got to the shelter and there was already someone here. Very small shelter; my feet stick out a little, and the wind goes right in it. Very old and has seen some use. It will work though.Looks like a couple guys will be here for the night. Should be rainy with thunderstorms. Tomorrow should be severe thunderstorms heading into Hot Springs. Hail is mentioned in the weather report. Should be a good time.
Date: 2008-03-16
From: sunnybank inn

To: sunnybank inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was the start of a few zero days, not sure how many yet. I have a private room here, so of course I had a pack explosion to make sure everything was dry, go through my gear, etc. That didn't take long, and then I was bored.I decided to go for breakfast at the diner across the street (sorry Elmer, but they serve meat :-D). Had the two egg and ham and homefries and toast breakfast, with a hot cinnamon bun, and that was enough to barely whet my appetite. From the diner, I went to the dollar store and discovered a huge selection of dried food and the like. Bought lots of food to eat, not resupplying yet.I got a loaf of bread and PB&J, and I was more than half-way through the loaf of bread by 1, and I was holding back. For dinner I had one of those Velveeta(sp?) mac and cheese dinners. Very good. Had a couple more sandwiches for desert. I also had some candy bars I found in the hiker box. Not really full, but I probably consumed 4k calories or so today, maybe more. I also had a couple Yuenglings because I discovered they carried them here. I couldn't resist.In case you haven't realized it, I'm using so much energy on the trail that much of my conscious and unconscious thought is about food. I'm basically always at least a little hungry, even after meals. Its all about the food.Other than the food, I was bored today, a lot of stuff around here is closed. I was so bored that I ran spell check on all my journal entries and reposted all of them. I'm switching to a different trail guide (to the Appalachian Pages from the ALDHA guide). I like the profile maps in the new book, and it has a few more things the other one doesn't have, and it is lighter to boot. I also adjusted my mileages to the new book for consistency (and one of my days turned into an official 15 miler!).My knee isn't bothering me at all, but I'm not hiking, so I can't really make a judgement until I get back out there.I did my laundry today, and my clothes actually smell good. I completely got rid of the hiker stench. I'm pretty impressed considering he last time they were washed was...umm...130 miles ago... Gross.Zero day, not much going on, more to do tomorrow when everything is open.
Date: 2008-03-18
From: sunnybank inn

To: sunnybank inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

My last zero day today. I'm going a bit stir crazy here even though it is a really nice place. I want to get back out there instead of sitting around all day...Elmer made breakfast today. Delicious omelet with all sorts of stuff in it. I also had a few pieces of toast and four bowls of granola and some fresh fruit, and by then everyone else was long gone, so I figured I should probably stop eating.I mailed out a small box of stuff I don't need or haven't used yet and don't see myself using. In all reality, I didn't start the trip with extra stuff per-se I just had a few things I can easily get by without, only comprising of a couple pounds if that. I also sent home maps I'm done with and the guidebook I replaced. I'm still finding I need/use almost everything I started the trip with. I guess that justifies all the time I spent pouring over that excel spreadsheet analyzing everything.I went to the outfitter to verify my torso size make sure I had the right size pack. I could not be more perfectly centered in the regular size that I have. The outfitter also agreed that I should have the bigger shoulder straps, so I guess I will push for that later when I call Arc'Teryx.Picked up the last few things I needed at the dollar store for food. I calculated my daily calorie intake yesterday and figured out a couple ways to supplement it. I should be somewhere around 2500 calories a day on the trail, which really is a lot of food. Maybe I should figure out how to make that Hudson Bay Bread that was 2000 calories per piece that they had up at the Boundary Waters...After that I tweaked some of my gear; may have made my stove slightly more efficient (at least can't have hurt its efficiency). Tweaked some other gear and reorganized some stuff. It may seem like I do this a lot, but this is the stuff I live off of, and its sorta like getting a computer; you install programs and change stuff around to make it work the way you like it. Same sorta thing.Otherwise I chilled at the hostel today. I talked to the other hikers here for quite a bit, and I did some reading. Read some interesting stuff, I have been reading some stories out here, but I've also been reading some deeper stuff. Goes well, at least gives me something to think about on the trail.Once again I ate tons of food today, and I can declare without hesitation that as I write this I am completely full! You won't hear that too often.Should have some interesting weather starting off tomorrow, the forecast calls for 45mph winds and a T-storm for most of the day. Should be fun. Not gonna be that cold, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Hmmm...I'm just putting 2 and 2 together and I realized that I have just said that I would rather go walk 10 miles in a raging thunderstorm than chill for another day at a nice warm hostel with a bed with linens, shower, and water. Ah well, such is life on the trail. Every day brings its own challenges and joys in different ways.Onward.
Date: 2008-03-19
From: sunnybank inn

To: spring mt shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Woke up early at the hostel, I actually seem to sleep better on the trail for some reason. Anyways, I figured that I ought to take off as soon as possibly so as to get the least wet in the coming storm.I left a little after 7 and did pretty good. Crossed the French Broad River and the trail climbed along it to some rocky outcroppings. These gave pretty cool views of the town and river. Got a few pictures.Continued on and the trail was pretty easy for a climb out of a town. I took my time so I wouldn't aggravate my knee on my first day without Motrin.The clouds rolled in after a while, and it got a little foggy. It started to rain off and on. There was a lookout tower on one of the mountains, but I elected to skip it. A few more minor ups and downs and I got to the shelter pretty early - around 1 I think.There were already a group of spring breakers at the shelter, but they thankfully were able to make room. Easy day, and I was just planning to weather the storm in the shelter.Well, the weatherman was quite a bit off. It rained a little, and it was windy, but that was about it. No storm of the century as they were predicting.Jerry showed up and also decided to stay. He is a long distance section hiker and was at Elmer's. He found some room and we were pretty cozy in the shelter. First time a shelter was full.Chilled for a while and had some...interesting...conversation with the spring breakers. Eventually it quieted down and we went to sleep.
Date: 2008-03-21
From: jerry cabin shelter

To: hogback ridge shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was another longer day, the first time I've done two long days back to back. There is plenty of time in the day for me to walk 15 or so miles at a very easy pace with breaks.Got up and broke camp pretty quickly. The big view and summit of the day was Big Butt, I'm not kidding. Small climb to the top relatively early. Had a partial view of the surrounding area. I've noticed that to the west the hills die pretty quickly and the terrain gets flat. This is only about 15 miles from where I am at 4000 some feet. To the east is always mountains as far as you can see.Big Butt also marked AT mile 300 of my journey. Chilled up there for a bit and went on.I saw the first cherry tree today. As I go north, I have been seeing trees and plants that weren't there at the start of the trail to the south. I picked up Hickory a couple days ago, and birch about the time I entered NC for the first time.There have been 5 or so graves directly on the trail since Hot Springs. Little weird, but some of them mentioned that they hiked the trail or something like that. Some were very old though.Met a section hiker walking with a GPS on the trail who warned me of the 150 foot climb ahead of me...I almost laughed. I warned him of the exceptionally steep 1000 foot climb ahead of him.I took an extended lunch break because I was doing good and I had a big climb looming. It was really nice to just chill with a semi-full stomach in the warm sun down here. Eventually decided to press on.I took the climb slow and not steady, but I made it, then pressed on for the shelter.These last two days I've sort of spread my hike out so I got to the shelter later and had less time to kill. Seemed to work out better, but harder to do with a short day.I'm doing much better with my "supplemented" diet, but still hungry, or at least not full. My dinners are now a full liter...still hungry...
Date: 2008-03-23
From: bald mountain shelter

To: no business shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

It's Easter, at least to everyone reading this. For me, just another day on the trail. Not even one piece of candy for me.Woke up, and for the first time in a little bit it went a few degrees below freezing. There was some light rime ice on the trees at the high elevations where I started. It was incredibly fine, like little hair crystals growing off everything.Got rolling a little late, but another short day so no rush. Today I'm getting place to take Erwin, TN by storm tomorrow for a resupply. In and out, not staying.First climb this morning was Little Bald. Unlike its big brother, this hill wasn't properly named. It was neither little nor bald. Only one small view off the top. No biggie, yesterday's view made up for it.Descended Little Bald for a long time. Down, down, down. Then an uphill to some high rocks which I climbed, but again there wasn't much of a view. Then down a bunch more. This is the descent to the Nolichucky River and Erwin.I really like the set of last meals before a resupply. I usually ration a little too tightly, so I usually have extra food. This means I can safely devour my remaining food. This is what happened for lunch. Nearly got full again.After lunch, I followed some trail up alongside a stream. Warmer and lots of green. I could smell the pine in the air. Nice change of pace from the barren mountain tops. The trail climbed, then meandered for 5 miles or so to the shelter. A really nice leisurely stroll; a nice "walk in the woods" one might say.I haven't been using any Ibuprofen, but my knee has been getting "tighter" the last couple days. Treating with Arnica for now. See what happens. I got a few tips from another hiker that fixed his problem, I'll try to pick up a couple things in Erwin. Pushing on though.Got to the shelter and made my Easter feast. My family traditionally gets together and has Easter dinner, so this was the best I could pull together. Dinner was another full liter. Velveeta shells and cheese, extra pasta, and tuna. Absolutely delicious. That Velveeta was heavy to carry 70 miles, but it was worth it. Not quite full, but satisfied.Did the usual check what I have before a resupply. Made a grocery list and estimated the number of days until my next stop. Apparently there is an AYCE pizza buffet in Erwin. Unless my book is lying to me, you'll see me there for a while tomorrow.So far alone at the shelter. Surprising number of people out today, but none here so far.
Date: 2008-03-24
From: no business shelter

To: curley maple gap shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light snow

Today was a resupply day, and I was going to hike into and out of town and not spend the night.Got up and got going early to make sure I would have plenty of time. Made pretty good time going down to Erwin, though it was mostly downhill and my pack was light because of the lack of food.It was cloudy out, and during a brief break, I noticed a couple small snowflakes falling. Figured I should keep going, though snow isn't a big deal unless there is lots of it.Erwin is next to the Nolichucky River, and there were a couple nice views of the river and the valley coming down.Got down to the river and there was a hostel there. They have some gear, so I went in to buy a canister. Saw the canisters and picked up one and it was almost empty. Oh boy. Seems like the stories I've heard about this place may be true...They offered me a cup of coffee, but I declined because another hiker had warned me that they do that then charge you for it.Anyways, the owner was running into town to pick up some other hikers, so after I was reasonable certain he wouldn't try to charge me, I went along for the ride. First time in 20 days my method of transportation was not by foot. Pretty good.Anyways, got into town and went to the drug store. Took me a while to find Arnica, and I picked up another type of knee brace that worked for another hiker. Might as well try it.I then headed to the grocery store and pizza place. Two miles later I got to the pizza place, and they were having a $4.99 AYCE buffet. SCORE. I ate A LOT. I'm sure they were sorry they let me in. The approximate count was 21 pieces of pizza, 9 cinnamon sticks and 4 pops. I almost cleaned the buffet.At this point, I was full beyond full. I probably shouldn't have eaten all that.Headed to the dollar store and got most of the stuff I needed. Those things are amazing, they are dirt cheap and they have name brands and generic stuff. There was a supermarket across the street I finished off at.Something I've noticed is that bagels are pretty rare in the south. In MI, there are 20 different brands and flavors. Down here, you are lucky to find them at all. Weird. Great trail food though.I hiked another 2 miles back to the hostel to make some calls on the pay phone. Pretty much a waste of time, spent an hour with Verizon and they finally told me there wasn't an option for what I wanted to do on the phone. Thanks...Left the hostel and headed up the inevitable hill to the first shelter. Let me tell you, I was regretting all that pizza. Try climbing 1000 plus feet with a pack full of food on a stomach packed full of pizza and pop. I made it though without losing it...barely.Nice trail along a stream. Started to snow again on the hike up, and it was accumulating at the higher elevations. Just a little though. Got to the shelter and Mike and another section hiker were there. Had 2 oranges for dinner and went to bed. Supposed to be cold.