morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-04-19
From: Campsite North of Winding Stair Gap

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, the Swinging Lick Gap sign was modified as I suspected it would be. Made my miles as planned, so another big mile day today. Got on trail hiking by 7 AM and got to shelter just before 5 PM. Typical 1.5 mph including all stops.    Frodo, Winny, Mowgli, and one other actually did a 20 mile day to get here. We should all be able to get into the NOC tomorrow. I'm thinking of staying the night there in the Hostel or a cabin.    Another excellent weather day, if a bit on the hot side. Tougher trail than yesterday, with more ups and downs. A highlight was summiting Wayah Bald at 5342 feet with views in all directions from the stone lookout tower. See the picture above.    More new wildflowers today, including a very magical spot just carpeted with tiny white flowers. New trail "wisdom" from yours truly . . . 21. If you want to hike more miles a day, hike longer22. If its hot, leave earlier to do more hiking in cooler part of the day23. Eat sweet snacks more in the morning and salty snacks once it heats up and you really sweat
Date: 2011-04-20
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

I was very happy today to be ahead of schedule as it meant I could stay in a hostel room in the NOC instead of a horrible big down, big up day with resupply in the middle. Did the big down today and I'll do the big up tomorrow (3700 up and 1850 down in 10.5 miles if I do what I'm hoping to accomplish tomorrow; this will keep me a bit ahead of schedule by a few miles).    Got up early and was glad I did as the skies opened up for about 3 hours of light to mostly heavy rain with lightning and thunder. Goretex socks used for the first time. Getting everything dried out tonight in the hostel. Some chance of rain as well for the next couple days.    When the rain ended, it actually got kind of steamy as I descended what was billed as as 5.7 mile down. It seemed like an endless down looking into bottomless valleys. I go slowly on downs to spare my knees. Saw lots of dogwood trees in flower, which really stand out, especially after a raim. More wildflowers too. More green leaves in general. Am now at 1720 feet instead of 5000+.    Had dinner tonight at an actual restaurant with some of the usual suspects: Evan (no trail name yet), Winny, Mowgli, Frodo, and CJ aka Baboon. All are taking a zero day tomorrow while I move on. Also got to meet Bullit (Bob), who was taking a zero today.    Got my resupply box from the outfitter and got everything sorted out for the next 3 days and 2 nights into Fontana. Was able to reach the folks at the Hike Inn and I'm all set to stay there Friday night and resupply for the six days through the Smokies. I have planned a bit too much food, so I gave the excess to the other hikers I had dinner with, who are staying in the same place.    Thanks to all who have left me good wishes of support and encouragement  in the guest book. I'm now right at the halfway point in my adventure. Hard to believe that if I can stick to my plan, I'll be back at work two weeks from today. But I still have another 140 miles to go, so lets not get ahead of ourselves!
Date: 2011-04-21
From: NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)

To: Campsite at Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I did the endless UP to match yesterday's endless down. Then had another pretty big DOWN today as well to finish it off. So far have the campsite to myself and have a quinoa-based meal cooking. This meal takes a bit more time and fuel to cook but I have both tonight.    I really have to admit that I loved having a burger, fries, vegetables, and beers last night at the NOC. A great change of pace from trail food. When I get to Fomtana I need to look for a breakfast all day long place like a Dennys. I have a feeling I'll be eating eggs a lot once I'm off trail.    I suppose I could have had a restaurant breakfast this morning, but I wanted to get started early so I could take my time. I was the first hiker to leave the NOC. I could tell because of occasional spiderweb strands I would break. Bullit caught up to me and passed at high speed about two hoirs into the hike. Also met No Worries much later and saw a few others heading for the next shelter. For me, that would have meant too much knee stress, especially after yesterday. I should still be able to hit Fontana in late morning on Saturday, a bit ahead of schedule, and have a half day off.     I just realized that means I'll be starting into the Smokies on Easter.  I'm not sure why that just occurred to me now, but there you have it. On trail you are at least for a time very disconnected from usual schedules, distractions, and routines. New ones take their place.    I cetainly have been admiring the Maker's handiwork from very close up. More wildflowers today. The picture is of one that looks like a miniature iris. Lots of what I am seeing are tiny flowers, but very intricate and delicate.    Have decided to make a small fire tonight in the existing fire circle, that I have cleaned of trash that I'll pack out tomorrow. A wind-downed tree will supply the wood. Owl hooting as I write this. There are more wildlife sounds in less used camping areas, than at the shelters. Also insects. The most ubiquitius are what I would call gnats. Just fly around in a random cloud, usually around your head. My hat helps them be much less annoying. The only problem is that there are also some small biting flies, or biting gnats, that look just like the non- biting common gnat. Fortunately not too many of these are around, and they seem to like to bite my legs, so if I put pants on, that thwarts them pretty well.
Date: 2011-04-22
From: Campsite at Locust Cove Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Lots of wildflowers today, especially trillium. The common ones are white, and I had occasionally seen a pink one in Ohio. But on the trail today there were zillions of them. More than one shade of pink, and even a mottled mutant version. Anyway, I probably spent half an hour taking photos of them.    The day began with some light and occasional heavy rain beginning at about 4 AM and ending around 10 AM. I did manage to make breakfast during a lull. The rest of the day was cool, foggy, and misty until fairly late in the afternoon when it cleared up and the sun came out. Looks like it will be a clear night.     I'm in the shelter, sharing with three through hikers. All nice guys. Russ, Waterbug, and Brandon.  Also here is Tammy aka Boggle with her little dog Tessa aka Flycatcher. Had met them briefly last night when they went by my camp and thought the noise I was making breaking wood for the fire was a bear. They made camp farther on and I saw them again this morning.    Handlebar warned me that the UP out of Stecoah Gap was a tough one. It did have a steep section that went on for 500-600 feet up. I think he had a heavier pack than me, but he was right. Fortunately it did not last too long, and the rest of the day seemed relatively easier wiyh the cool temperature.    I'm looking forward to getting into Fontana tomorrow and having a half day off for physical recuperation before heading into the Smokies. I may have very poor signal through Smokies, so updates will be unpredictable.
Date: 2011-04-23
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

I am safely ensconced at the Hike Inn, run by Nancy and Jeff. Had a chance to visit Fontana Dam, which I think is the biggest east of the Mississippi. At the Visitor Center I got some ice cream. Nice. Then got picked up by Nancy and have been sorting out and reassembling my maildrop food and supplies. I fill my Ursak meal by meal in reverse order so that the next meal I need is always on top. Takes a few minutes, but makes things much easier on the trail.    Todays hike was short and done by 1 PM, so I have another half day to physically recuperate. It was a pleasant hike in good weather, but about 2000 feet down, so took it slow to baby the knees. Tomorrow will be a big 2900 feet up into the Smokies to the first shelter.    The Smokies have their own "rain forest" microclimate, but the next couple days are supposed to be nice. There will be great views if the weather cooperates. In order to get through the park in six days and five nights, I will be doing some relatively high mileage days for the terrain. I'm hoping for less than average rainy days, and no snow or temps into the 20's. Yes, that can happen even into May.    My town meal tonight was a huge breakfast at the Huddle House, similar to a Waffle House. With hash brown and biscuit upgrades to my "Smokehouse Special", had 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, 2 sausage patties, a waffle, and hash browns with ham, peppers, onions, and cheese. A lot of food, but a clean plate. Decaf coffee and a large OJ made it even better.
Date: 2011-04-24
From: Fontana Dam

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

Happy Easter to all who read this. Today was a banner day in numerous ways. I had the heaviest pack yet, went the farthest distance (11 hrs on trail!), and probably did the most elevation gain/lost too. I was tempted and challenged to do this by Russ and Waterbug, who I ran into again at the Shuckstack Fire Tower as well as later in the day. The views from the tower were absolutely incredible. No signal to post this or a picture today, but I will catch up when I can.    Highlights of the day other than the fire tower were lots of wildflowers lining the trail, and meeting a bunch of wild and crazy thru hikers: Catfish, Tyvek, Solar, and River. Also met Meatloaf, Stitch, and Yoga Boy. All are here tonight in shelter except YB.    Tomorrow will presumably have an easier day to Double Spring Shelter. That will give us the option to hike 3 miles in the dark to see the sunrise from Klingman's Dome.
Date: 2011-04-25
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

Today was supposed to be an easy day but it wasn't. Very little if any walking on the flat; it was either an UP or a DOWN all day long. Was as tired at the end of the day today as I was yesterday.    On the plus side there were some great views from Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountains; also some thrilling views of approaching storms from a ridge towards the end of the day.    Weather is changing. Very windy and cool all day with higher winds, fog, and light rain towards evening. All but one in the shelter tonight are thru hikers. One new one to me, Achilles, did a 20-miler to get here.    Catfish and crew apparently got a late start and did not make it here. He has no stove, so has to start a fire even just to make a cup of coffee. This does not seem to bother him a bit, as he is proud of his firemanship skills. A very funny story I've now heard told several times invoves Catfish and Tyvek cooking up and eating what they thought were "wild leeks". They threw up and had the runs all night but were fine the next day.    On the trail you take your entertainment where you can find it.    One interesting thing on various spots along the trail are hundreds of tiny grasshoppers. There are so many that as you walk and they jump to a new spot on dry leaves, they make a sound exactly like a light rain starting to fall. I've had several false alarms as a result. There are also a few very big grasshoppers, so maybe the little ones are newly hatched babies. I would think that birds would gobble them up, but have not noticed that yet.
Date: 2011-04-26
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Unfortunately for the views from Clingmans Dome, the wind and fog continued all night and into much of today, with some heavy rain over night and misty light rain episodes in the morning. It made for a dramatic ridge walk on the way to Clingmans Dome. I took some video with the iPhone of the fog and wind to show the folks at home.    Later in the day, the sun made numerous unsuccessful attempts to come out, and at lower altitudes than Clingmans 6643 feet (highest spot on the AT), there were eventually some great views of the mountains under threatening clouds.    I did take the side trail to Clingmans Dome tower, as I had never been there. Just to do it. The wind on the spiral ramp to the tower viewing pod was ferocious. Made me lose my balance twice. Visibility was at least 100 feet. Took some pictures and then found shelter from the wind and had a Snickers Bar.    I am just a mile south of Charlies Bunion, a famous rock formation that's also supposed to have great views. We'll see. The forecast, courtesy of some section hikers who are here, is for 80% chance of rain with the worst to hit (including maybe some hail) in the afternoon.    In the shelter tonight are Yoga Boy, Achilles, Chef, 'Hampshire (older gent who is a family friend of Russ), and some others I'll meet in the morning. Also a family with a grade-school aged daughter. Two gals are tenting, but it may storm again tonight.    New backpacking food that I highly recommend: precooked bacon. Stores unrefrigerated until opened. Had some in my Lo Mein last night, with breakfast this morning, and finished it with my Idahoan instant mashed (4 cheese) tonight.
Date: 2011-04-27
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tricorner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

Today the earth moved under my feet. But first let me set the stage. I've often mentioned that it has been windy, even very windy. But today the wind was just incredible. Without a doubt up to 60 mph on the ridges. This continued all day long. In the morning when I got to Charlies Bunion, there were still some views to be had, made more dramatic by threatening clouds scudding across the sky. Later on there was rain on and off for most of the morning. Between the rain and the cold, I kept my raingear on till 3 PM, when we got some intermittent sun. With the wind the way it was, the trail sections on top of ridges were very exciting, though not actually dangerous.    But as I said: Today the earth moved under my feet. What happened is that a trailside tree was in the process of being blown over. About half of the width of the trail had a big crack in the soil and rocks. The tree side of this would lift up about an inch each time the wind gusted. This happened at the exact time I put my foot on this moving section. A disconcerting feeling to say the least. I took a video in the hope I could show this to others. The tree did not tumble over while I took my video and moved on.    For more than a week now, the song in my head has been "Tequila", an old mostly instrumental rock and roll classic. Good tempo for hiking. My sister suggested I try "Another One Bites The Dust". I tried it, and she is right. But it has not replaced "Tequila" yet.    The shelter is packed tonight. New to me are Possum (a gal from Australia who started 4/15, 5 days after I did, carrying a very light pack), Kong, No Worries, Bare Sweat, Arrowmaker, and Trek. Two Chicks And A Dog (without their dog in the Smokies), Sherpa, and Frodo (not the Swedish Frodo) are tenting.    My timing was excellent as the rain started 10 minutes after I got to the shelter. A big storm was forecasted. It was difficult to get dinner cooked and eaten because of the wind. Everything light had to be weighed down with something. At one point my pot lid went flying away like a frisbee to be retrieved by another hiker.
Date: 2011-04-28
From: Tricorner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

It was a darkand stormy night. I mean REALLY stormy. Gales of wind, lashes of rain, lightning, thunder - you get the picture. On top of that there were some champion snorers, with Kong a likely culprit but he was not the only one. So I put my earplugs in and got some pretty good sleep for half the night. Then it was touch and go till morning, compounded by a small roof leak during the worst of the storm that dripped right on my head. As the storm got less fierce, the drip came less frequently.    By morning, the rain was replaced by a cool fog that hung tenaciously to the high ridges all day long. With some ups and downs early on, this was a day with a major descent of some 4000 feet. My knees held up well enough to make a high mileage day out of it. Despite the prevalent fog, a few good views to the East appeared. The Mt. Camerer Fire Tower was completely fogged in as were any views to the West.    I am now fully a day ahead of my planned schedule. Rather than taking a Zero Day tomorrow, I am going to get back on trail with good weather expected. Hoping to camp atop Max Patch, a well-known "bald" mountain on the way to Hot Springs. Supposed to be great for both sunrise and sunset views.    When I first got to the hostel, I met the owner, Curtis, who told me the big storm had knocked out the power in parts of 3 states, including his. That meant no lights, no phone recharge, AND NO HOT SHOWER! Fortumately, a couple hours later the power was restored and all was right im the world. Yours truly got the first hot shower. When you can smell your own hiker funk, you know its bad.    Here at the hostel are at least a 20 hikers, including Bullit, who must have done even more than the 18 miles I did to get here. I am planning to camp rather than stay in shelters for my remaining nights on the trail. As the bad weather seems to have bunched everybody up a bit, this is probably a good strategy.
Date: 2011-04-29
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel

To: Max Patch Summit
Miles today: 13.7

Today was an up and down day. Up as in more than 5000 and down as in more than 2000 overall. I am definitely getting stronger as I hike, and less tired at the end of a relatively tough day.    As I write this, I'm sitting with other hikers atop Max Patch, one of the larger and more famous grassy balds in the Appalachian chain. I'm going to camp here, despite the wind, which is very strong. Most of the other hikers wimped out and hiked down out of the wind, which means they had to come back up to see the sunset, and the same if they want to see the best sunrise. My Gatewood Cape has its back into the wind out of the West, which means it is facing perfectly to catch the first morning rays. So far it is shedding the wind pretty well. Fingers are crossed.    I'm hoping that the wind will lessen once the sun goes down, but we'll see if that theory pans out. Anyway, I'm now committed to staying up here through the night, whatever happens. Batten down the hatches me hearties.    Lots of nice wildflowers today, especially the Trilliums. I think they are my favorites overall. I continue to see new  wildflowers every day. Also trail sections with flowers lining one or both sides. Even whole swaths of mountainside covered in Trilliums or other flowers.    Wildlife update: Toads, snails, a salamander, a snake, another deer, and a lizard that let me take its picture. Not all today. I think I  have a picture of the head of the snake. It was moving pretty fast.    Other hikers in the vicinity are Yoga Boy, Ass Trumpeter, Bullit, Flea, Natty Bird Dog (formerly Mr Natural), and No Worries. They came up from Camp Wimpy to watch the sunset with me. Just a few feathery clouds and the mountains. Gonna be cold tonight.    Only one and a half hiking days left. My shuttle to Asheville from Hot Springs is all set and my bus ticket is all set for 4 PM on Sunday. I'll be back in Ohio on Monday.
Date: 2011-05-01
To: Heading home
Miles today: 0.0

Because most everyone at Elmers arrived after 3, we were too late to have dinner prepared there, so went accross the street to the restaurant. Big crowd of hikers, including Possum (taking a week off to experience Memphis and Nashville), Bullit, Frodo (Jonas), Natty Bird Dog, Achilles, Levi, Rolling Stone, Cuban, and some others. Good to catch up with Frodo and Possum. Frodo has left his earlier hiking partners behind, as he wants to finish by mid August. This will require lots of 20+ mile days, which he has already started to do.    After dinner I spent some time in Elmers massive book collection, looking up some of the wildflowers I have photographed. Discovered some other trilliums that I did not recognize as such. Before I knew it, 11 PM came around and I hit the sack.    Breakfast was great, and just about all the hikers participated. All organic. Yellow grits as different from grits I've ever had as whole grain bread is different from Wonder Bread. Honey dew and cantalope melon slices, biscuits, butter, strawberry-rhubarb jam, granola, scrambled eggs, coffee, tea. Large quantities of everything were consumed, especially the biscuits. We discussed nutritional philosophies, religion, and a number of non-hiking related topics. Gear, pack weights, mileages, and trail tales were all addressed last night at dinner.    After breakfast, I went to Bluff Mountain Outfitters to confirm my shuttle and take a look at their offerings. I could not resist a souvenir shirt with a white blaze, a refrigerator magnet, and a nice reference book on wildflowers of the Smokies. Looks like it will cover everything I saw on trail.    Then walked back to Elmers and caught up on journaling until it was time for my shuttle. Got to the Asheville station with enough time to get a meal at Cracker Barrel. I'll go first to Knoxville, then transfer once to the northbound bus that gets me into Cleveland.
Date: 2011-05-08
To: Postscripts and Photo Album
Miles today: 0.0

A few notes: Those of you comparing my mileages to guidebooks will notice some small discrepancies. I counted the miles I carried my full backpack. So if I carried my pack off trail to and from a shelter, water source, or viewing point, I counted those miles as trail miles. If I laid my pack down, I did not count the miles. The only significant addition, really, was the 0.4 miles in and out of Woods Hole shelter. Here and there there were tenths of miles. No big deal.Trip Stats (elevation changes from Delorme Topo USA 9.0):AT official miles - 271.8Approach Trail miles - 8.8Misc other miles - 2.0Total miles hiked with backpack - 282.6Average miles per day over all 21.5 days - 13.14Average miles per day over last 7 days - 15.51Elevation of Amicalola Falls State Park trailhead - 1700 feetElevation of Hot Springs - 1326 feetNet elevation gain(loss) - (374 feet)Total of all trail ascents; elevation gained - 94,676 feetTotal of all trail descents; elevation lost - 94,302 feetAverage elevation climbed per hiking day - 4,403 feetHeight of Mount Everest above sea level - 29,035 feetEverest-equivalents climbed and descended - 3.25 in 21.5 daysHere's a link to my photos:https://picasaweb.google.com/robkelly54/ATSpringerToHotSprings02?authkey=Gv1sRgCMTYvf_OiITt6QE&feat=directlinkHere's the album another way:The photo you see is Survivor Dave, not me. Plenty of me in the albumAT Springer to Hot Springs
Date: 2011-05-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This will be a continuation of last years hike. (See 2010 AT hike journal) Spending a few days here doing some day hiking and eating every meal at Smoky Mtn Diner. Saw about a dozen thru hikers. Probably won't see any of them again unless they skip ahead. I'll be starting in NY in June. These people will have to keep moving in order to finish before too late in the season.